Natural Light

I miss natural sunlight.  I've been sitting at my desk in Los Angeles and although it is right next to a window, the blinds have been shut and the harsh office lights have been on full force.  We've been having a slight heat wave-typically of LA in September.  The buildings air conditioner has not been up to the task and I've closed the blinds for the last week and a half in an attempt to cool down the room.

I miss sunlight.  Having to work inside all day instead of knitting or doing other things I'd rather do isn't as awful if I can see outside.  I'd like to sit outside and just soak in some sun.  The most I get is walking to and from the subway.

I have fallen way behind on my long list of WIPs.  Life just has been getting in the way.  Last weekend our garage was broken into and the thieves stole more than just our stuff.  They stole a lot of my time and good will towards the world.  I have been looking at people on the subway, wondering if they too are thieves.  I don't trust my neighbors or the other people living in our neighborhood.  Any one of them could be the culprit.  I'll get past that.  I don't feel personally violated as I am sure I would had they broken into my home.
The Police are investigating and hopefully they find the individual(s) and lock them away.  Having your belongings stolen is bad; feeling like I've been robbed again because of insurance deductibles and depreciation sucks.

So instead of knitting and doing other fun things, I've been dealing with insurance and police officers and tracking down receipts and getting estimates.

I did take a break Saturday and spent the day with my buddies from my local knitting/crochet group and had a blast.  We did a bit of shopping, lunching and sewing.  We're working up project bags to sell as part of a "one day we want to own a yarn store and need a ton of capital to make it happen sooner rather than when we're retired" fundraiser.

I'll post a link to our Etsy shop as soon as I've got it.  Here's a preview of one of the bags in progress:

Try to get out and enjoy the sunshine while it's still around.

What's on the Needles Wednesday and Catch Up

It's been awhile since I've posted.  We've had a really busy schedule over the last month.  I've finished a few projects, started others and have completely stalled on my Tee shirt knitting.

Have you heard about the My Mountain Hat design contest for Schachenmayr yarn?  They provided the yarn and the contestants created a unique hat design and submitted a photo of their finished hat design.  I signed up late in the game, received my yarn, started my design and knit furiously until I ran out of yarn.  Here's what I've got so far:

You can sort of see where I am going.  It's still on the needles and waiting for the new yarn to come in so I can finish.  I'll show off the finished hat when I get it done.  It was fun to participate and they're letting me enter my partially completed hat (deadline was Sept. 2nd).  

I've working as fast as I can on a pair of socks-two at a time because let's face it.  I have second sock syndrome.  I confess.  I hate working on the second sock.  I feel like I just made that and I don't want to do it again so soon.  And really why should I?

So I learned how to do two at a time and I LOVE it!.  Yup, total love.

Here's the socks in progress.  I've just reached the heel turn:

In catching up news, a group of my buddies from my knitting and crochet group went to the Blues, Brews & BBQ event at the Fullerton arboretum.  It was a ton of fun.  Neither Mike or I are drinkers, so we grabbed a couple of designated driver tickets and went for the Blues and BBQ.  It was really good BBQ.  Not quite up to Texas BBQ standards, but it definitely blew California BBQ and some rather pitiful Colorado BBQ out of the water.  Yum.  Of course there was knitting involved:

Here is a rather dark and pathetic picture of the Blues band:

And a picture of a beer bottle cap (check out the sheep).  The yarn enthusiasts of the group voted this beer as the best of the event-based on the cap logo rather than the beer.

Even though this is a short week and we're almost to the end, the weekend cannot come soon enough for me.  Our week started out roughly with a rather nasty surprise.  Some (excuse my language) Rat Bastards broke into our garage and stole some of my favorite things, including our beloved beach cruisers.

WOTN Wednesday

What's on the needles Wednesday?

I'm still working on my Channel Tee and need to cast on the Chevron baby blanket.  But I have half a finished project.  Yay!

I finally picked up and finished an owl mitt for Alisa. She requested a pair about a month and a half ago.  We choose a pattern and I got started.  I just neglected to read the pattern.  I began knitting in the round and was through the cuff before I realized it was a pattern knit flat and seamed.  Who wants a seam on the side of their hand?  Not me.  And I'm not going to give something away that I wouldn't use.

So I charted the pattern and re-wrote it to be worked in the round.  And I added thumbs.  The pattern just had slits for the thumb to stick out of and I didn't like that.  I finished one mitten and hated it.  The owl was hinky.  He listed to the left.  It was not an operator error, it was more a pattern issue.  I also had problems with the look of my thumb and would have frogged it anyway.  But it gave me the opportunity to find another pattern that I liked better,

I settled on the Who's owl mitts by Mareike Neumann.  And then started the cuff and set them aside.  I finally picked up the mitts again last night and finished one mitt.  Owl mitts and I are just not getting along.  It's mainly my fault.  Once again I ignored the pattern.  This pattern asks you to continue the k3 p1 rib pattern throughout the mitt, except for the owl portion.  I missed that and did a one by one rib.  And to compensate just left the non owl portion of the mitt in a stockinette.  They fit my hands and I hope they fit Alisa.  They may be a bit snug.  If they are I will just re-knit them and gift the smaller pair to someone else.

I really like the thumb gusset.  No big holes where the thumb stitches are separated and picked up again.  You should be able to finish a pair in under 4 hours.

Here's the final mitt:

My hand looks like it's about to crush the tiny cars below.

What's on your needles this week?

Common Courtesy

Sometimes I wonder where common courtesy has gone.  I think that the Internet is a wonderful thing and it's brought so many wonderful things and resources into our lives.  I really don't know how we would go back to pay phones, phone books, and maps.  (I love GPS).  But it has also brought some bad things into our lives.  I feel that too many people have forgotten how to be courteous to others.  I think that behind the shield of anonymity of the Internet people have forgotten to be kind and to mind their manners.

This week I've been shown true courtesy and kindness from strangers and true rudeness and lack of manners.  The courtesy and kindness was given to me this week as I traveled home from work.  I live in Orange County and work in Los Angeles.  I take the train into Union station and the subway from there to work.  One night this week the subway was severely delayed/basically stopped running do to a problem at another station.

As I walked down the stairs towards the subway a few strangers stopped me and told me the train was stopped.  They suggested I run to catch the bus waiting at the curb as an alternative.  I have never taken the bus in LA and did not know the route.  But being able to handle change, I ran as suggested and jumped on the bus heading away from the station.  Once on the bus I took a look around and tried to figure out if I was on the correct bus and where were we headed.

Another group of strangers asked me if I needed help.  I explained that it was my first bus trip here and was trying to make a train at Union Station.  These kind people explained to me how to transfer to the next bus in order to get to Union Station in time for my train.  They did not need to.  They had no obligation.  But they choose to be courteous and kind and helped a stranger in need.  They even pointed out the next bus stop as we passed the intersection before I departed.  I am really truly grateful to these strangers.

I do not want to give the person whose behavior I found rude and lacking in manners any time.  But do want to say that even on the Internet, even when you are a part of a group of strangers online and have that shield, we should all remember our manners.  When something is done for you, say thank you.  It does not matter if something is not exactly what you wanted.  A gracious person says Thank You.

I am going to strive to remember my manners.  I will do better at remembering to be courteous to others (and not take things personally).  I would like to challenge you to do the same.  Perhaps if enough of us remember and change our behavior it will become like a virus and spread through the world, both in real life and online.

What's On The Needles Wednesday

It's Wednesday.  That famous hump day.  If you can make it through Wednesday you're almost to the weekend.  This week has been crawling.  Made worse by last week's visit of strep throat and an ear infection.

I've been knitting, but have no progress to show you.  Just look back to last Wednesday and add a few rows in your imagination.

I did want to share some shots I took with my phone of the park outside the Stanley Mosk Courthouse downtown Los Angeles.  There were a few people having a tae kwon do class.  It was a gorgeous morning, way too nice to run back to the office.  And because my train was running a few minutes late, I took the opportunity to spend a few minutes watching them and enjoying the beautiful day.

I hope you can take a few minutes to enjoy a beautiful day too.

What's On The Needles Wednesday?

It's Wednesday.  I am bidding my time until I can leave the office to catch the next train home (in an hour) so I can go get in my bed and die.  (Not really-it's probably just a cold and not the flu or plague, although come to think of it, I did get close to some California squirrels last week...)

I've got several projects on the needles.  First is my Channel Tee.  I am loving this pattern so far.  Even though I flipped one page too many and started the joining and shoulders way way too early and had to rip out 5 or 10 rows (who counted).  Not the patterns fault-that one was operator error.  I'm so close to the shoulders though.  Maybe this week.

I've also got a pair of owl fingerless mitts on the needles for a friend and in trade for some other things she's made me.  They are giving me fits.  The first pattern sucked.  Absolutely sucked!  I made adjustments but it still sucked.  So I am on pattern number 3 (the second was discarded after the ribbing section when I realized it was knit flat (who wants a seam on the edge of their hand?  Not me.).  No pic yet.  Maybe when there's some progress.

I've still got the second sock going in my stripped socks.  Time to do two at a time.  Second sock syndrome gets me every time and I've got oodles of pairs of socks to make.

And to finish out my group I haven't yet begun but need to cast on for a baby blanket.  The Chevron Graphically Gray.  Baby due to arrive in November.  (Not mine!).

Have a great hump day.

Still here-Yay it's Friday!

It's been awhile since I've posted.  I'm still here.  And YAY it's FRIDAY!!!  I started a new job with a longer commute and that's just about sucked every last available second and drop of energy from me.  I've found my groove and will be commuting via train shortly and should be back to normal soon.

I have to say, I LOVE the train!!!!  Absolutely.  I took it this morning to work, as a trial run, because I'm attending the Stitch N Pitch at Dodger's Stadium tonight.  We'll be knitting or crocheting while watching the Dodger's play the Reds (of Cincinnati).  I'm not entirely sure if my LOVE for the train is because I spent the 40 minute ride into downtown LA knitting or if it's because I didn't have to sit through road rage inducing mind numbing hellish traffic.  So this could just be first date lust, as it were, and not true LOVE, but for now, I am going with LOVE.  I LOVE the train.

So over the next few posts, I will try and catch up on what's been going on.  There was the Fiber retreat-which was great.  I learned how to use a drop spindle and several different types of spinning wheels, how to use natural dyes, and tons of other stuff.  I've got pictures and will dedicate an entire post to the event.

Last weekend, my Twisted Stitchers group had a beach day.  It was a very unusual beach day for a southern California July Saturday.  Cloudy and in the low 70's.  But we enjoyed it anyway.

This is Crystal Cove State Park Beach, down by the Beachcomber Cafe.  We trekked down the beach to the cafe for lunch.  It is an EXTREMELY popular spot.  At 1:30 in the afternoon the waiting time for a table was an hour and forty five minutes!  So we went to their take out section instead and lunched picnic style. Good food.

When we arrived back at our spot, we found a small furry friend had invaded and was going through our bags:

Luckily he didn't get away with any one's project or yarn.

That's all I've got for now, but I will leave you with a picture of the owl sleep mask Alisa made for me.  It's so cute (It's teal which you can't really see because of the horrible lighting in this bad picture, but It's what I've got with me-so it's all you get.)