my life in stitches

hunk of monkey love

long time no post, eh? in the past weeks i felt as though i'd reached my saturation point when it comes to talking / writing about knitting. as a blogger, i began to feel somewhat pigeonholed. while i still love to knit, there are more than enough people writing about it and there are plenty of other things that i would enjoy blogging about, but would anyone tune in? in order for to me be feel inspired to show up here and occasionally write about knitting, i think i'll need to spread my wings a bit and write about some of my other passions - food, film, fashion, literature, mid-century modern design, overpriced footwear, handsome men with foreign accents, and trash tv. my new obsession, and certainly not trash tv, but definitely trashy in a good way is the british show Shameless. i think it's maybe the 4th best show ever made for television (following The Wire, Six Feet Under, and Homicide.) i just watched back to back episodes of season 1 and i can't believe how brilliant it is. i also can't believe that it's now in it's 5th season and in america you can only get season 1 on dvd! i am unreasonably upset about this. what the hell will i watch now? counting the days until the return of Lost. oh, i have to say that the most recent episode of The Office was so good that it hurt. the discomfort was palpable. during my visceral television watching i finished Signe's pillow. this was my contribution to our hand made swap. i received this super cool hunk of monkey love in exchange. at the moment, he's calling himself Neville. what else? i'm about 60% through a Raspy that i recently cast on for. not sure how i feel about this pullover, but i'm determined to see it through. oh, and my Justina is a mess. it completely falls off me now. i'll need to take out the top waistband and a) reduce the number of stitches significantly and b) knit it in a rib in order to make it fit. yeah. i'm sure that will happen. (she says with a hint of sarcasm.)

tada!

specs:

pattern: justina by norah gaughan

yarn: cotton ease by lion brand

i love, love, love this skirt (mo'better pic to come)! however, i had a hell of a time with the waistband. for me, it just doesn't work as designed. it's very loosey goosey. it might be better if it were ribbed instead of stockinette. after spending so much time knitting this, i just didn't have the energy to take it out and reknit the waistband. instead, i took the waist seam out 4 times and reseamed it until i had taken in enough fabric at the side (about 4 inches) to make it fit.

i have no current projects on needles now. what's a girl to knit?

the resurgence of Mod on Mod, SXSW sightings, and so on

Mod on Mod, from Yarnplay, seems to be making a big comeback. i've been seeing it everywhere. there's even a knitting shop in Colorado that has a Mod on Mod workshop coming up! this stunning mod-in-progress is being knit by someone from the Yarnplay At Home Ravelry group. it is going to be a present for her brother-in-law's birthday.  i think this palette is the most exciting that i've seen yet. i love it when a knitter comes up with a color combination that would never have entered my mind.

i am almost finished knitting Justina! i am pretty excited. so far, it's looking good. keeping my fingers crossed that it will be a perfect fit.

the madness that is SXSW is in full swing. i tend to be more interested in the cool people that i meet who are attending the conference rather than the performers. last year i sat next to David Byrne at dinner and we had a pretty interesting conversation about music. today i had a conversation with film critic Elvis Mitchell about dreadlocks. he wanted to know if i had ever had them. i would have loved to have had a conversation with him about film, but it felt a bit weird, in a geeky fan sort of way, to acknowledge that i knew who he was.

getting back into it

is it really march already? i feel i've been sleeping through the past few months. hibernating, really.

during the breaks in my prolonged slumber, i have been diligently working on Justina. i've finished one of the big panels. and while it does have added waistband pieces, it looks really small to me. i don't really get the sizing of this skirt, but i'm trusting that it will all work out in the end. i am really eager to finish this and to start thinking about designing something for the summer. as many of you know, i'm not a big fan of summer knits. however, i've been thinking a lot about a really lightweight, jewel-toned,silk tank top. considering the gazillions of yarns available now i shouldn't have any trouble finding something that pleases me. any suggestions for a super shiny silk or silk blend yarn that's fingering or sport weight?

that's all i've got. enjoy le weekend!

country living

lately, i've been really stressed out. i came out to the country for a few days of rest, relaxation, and freedom from the carpeted (ugh. it's one of my least favorite things in the world.) apartment that i have grown to loathe. i was really looking forward to hunkering down with my knitting, being surrounded by trees, and serenaded by crickets. i arrive in the country only to find that not only have i forgotten the 2 knitting projects that i had intended to bring, but i have also forgotten the book that i was reading! being in the country with knitting and a good book is one thing, but being in the country with next to nothing to do is practically torture to me. when the knitless get bored, the knitless go shopping. i went antiquing with my mom and scored a blue Fiestaware plate and a Yellowware bowl and then i picked these flats up at Saks last night. so much for escaping the trappings of city life.

it's back to the city today. i can't say that i'm looking forward to it. february marks my cyclical down time, so i'd probably be in a funk no matter where i was. my immediate plan is to engage in a thorough round of pre-spring cleaning, which includes shampooing the aforementioned carpeting, and i feel the urge to throw stuff out. a lot of stuff. if i can get comfortable in my space perhaps there is some hope for me feeling a bit more comfortable in my skin. there is only so much shoe therapy a girl can afford.

happy valentine's day

cushion cover #002

meet cushion cover #002. well, this is the start of it. i'm making this for my new internet friend, Signe, in exchange for a custom made sock monkey. with this cushion cover, i'm trying to branch out from my usual palettes and try something new. it's seems like everything i've been knitting has an undertone of greyish-lavender. it's really weird/hard not to fall back on that, but i don't like to get myself into a rut. it's always good to stretch your creative muscle.

i feel like i'm on a roll with these pillows. i have a lot of ideas for them. i'm hoping to create a few to sell on Etsy. i'm  debating whether or not i should create a pattern or two to sell.  maybe you guys could leave me a comment and let me know whether or not that's something that you might be interested in?

justina is coming along nicely (though i should be careful not to jinx myself by saying that!). i love this project and i feel like it has restored my knitting mojo! i'm working on the cushion cover during the day. that's when my mind is clear and i can make good decisions about color and design. i'm mostly knitting justina at night when i'm in bed watching television.

i've done something terrible to my back, so i'm propped up in bed with a heating pad and i've made this my center of operations for the day. i really can't stand to hang around in bed, but instead of bitching about it, i'm just being grateful that i work from home and have the luxury of working from bed when i need to.

new project!

you might think that i'm casting on for new projects all the time, but it really isn't so. as far as my personal projects go, i've been having a bit of bad luck with them lately. it seems like it's been ages since i've had a project that i haven't had to rip out or that turned out exactly the way that i had envisioned it. i've had my eye on this Norah Gaughan design, Justina, for some time. however, due to my recent run of bad projects i was loath to spend good money on a yet another project potentially destined for the UFO pile. the only way that i could justify buying yarn for this project was to do it on the cheap. so, i'm knitting this with Lion Brand Cotton Ease. i was originally looking for a yarn that was either a wool/cotton blend or a wool silk/blend. i needed something that would give the fabric a bit more durability and enable it to be worn throughout the seasons. it's knitting up beautifully, so i think i made the right choice. i  usually stay far, far away from acrylic, but this cotton/acrylic blend may prove to work very well for this skirt. that and i won't have to feel bad if i eventually abandon it. i am loving knitting this, so i don't think that will actually happen. i predict a completed Justina in my future!

this television strike is getting old already. i feel bad for the thousands of people who are out of work because of the strike. i have some friends in the industry who are really beginning to suffer because of this. i've sort of gotten used to not having much to watch on tv. every sunday night i eagerly await the newest episode of The Wire. Project Runway is a bit tamer this season, but i still enjoy it. Christian is definitely my favorite! Make Me A Supermodel is pretty good too. i think it's about 1000x better than ANTM. i was over that show several seasons ago. at least there are still a couple of good shows to knit to. i'm counting the days until Lost...

oh! and even though he doesn't have a chance in hell of winning against Daniel Day Lewis, i was really pleased that Viggo Mortensen was nominated for his performance in Eastern Promises. my god! what a amazing character! if you haven't seen EP, you should. i'm guessing that you've already seen There Will Be Blood. how could you not? DDL gives the performance of his life. crossing my fingers that the strike is resolved before Oscar time rolls around...

Yarnplay At Home Blog Tour: one sofa, four looks

what i love best about my sofa is it’s clean, modern design. It’s the perfect backdrop on which to showcase my beloved, hand knit afghans and cushion covers. i get bored by rooms that look the same for ages and ages. i can barely make it through a month without doing something to freshen up my décor. changing the afghan that adorns my sofa changes the entire look of the room.

on the left, Metropolis. this lovely throw is one of my favorite projects in the book. it’s beautiful and it’s really easy to knit. even a beginner can take this on. wondering how you can make this throw larger? Knit strip one, then repeat strips 2 and 3 to make it bigger (every repetition of these 2 strips increases it’s size by 2/5) and then finish it off with strips 4 and 5. i will be really interested to see what color combinations knitters come up with for this. it is shown here with the Potluck Patchwork Pillow.

on the right,Bauhaus. this super chic, minimalist look seems to appeal to just about everyone. i’ve received more comments and compliments about this than any other project in the book! this is sure to be the both the most beautiful and the most pain free project that you have had on your needles in a really long time!

on the left is Dada. are you a member of the cult of denim knitting? i wasn’t before, but i think i am now. denim is not the easiest fiber to work with nor to care for. you have to be careful that the darker denim doesn't leave a stain. nevertheless, the results definitely make the work and care well worth the trouble. just the sight of this throw on my sofa makes me really happy. it has a  vintage look really appeals to me.  also, it has a well-defined, modern design that I find really pleasing to the eye. that’s the Hudson Cushion Cover on the right.

and, last of all, is an old favorite. it’s Mod on Mod from Yarnplay! i absolutely adore this blanket. It bounces back and forth between my bed and my sofa. the sunny colors never fail to lift my spirits!

change your afghan, change the mood of your room!

(I really wanted to say, ‘change your afghan, change your life’, but I guess some people might not take décor as seriously as i do.)

tomorrow the blog tour stops at Mad For Knit. see the previous post for the entire blog schedule and info on the Yarnplay Knitalong.

happy knitting!

 

Yarnplay At Home happenings

the Yarnplay At Home Blog Tour begins here on monday. i'm really excited.

monday, 1/21 - http://mylifeinstitches.net/
tuesday, 1/22 - http://madforknit.blogspot.com/
wednesday, 1/23 - http://purljam.typepad.com/purl_jam/
thursday, 1/24 http://purlsjustwannahavefun.typepad.com/
friday, 1/25 - http://www.scoutj.com/

The Yarnplay At Home knitalong is here.

naturally, my book signing and workshop is being held on the coldest weekend we've had in a year. i hope you'll bundle up and come out to say 'hey'!

Book signing for Yarnplay At Home  - Saturday, January 19th from 11:30 am – 1 pm at Gauge followed by a workshop;

Yarnplay: Knitting From The Stash
A cushion cover workshop with Lisa Shobhana Mason

Saturday, January 19th, 2008

1:00 – 4:30 pm at Gauge

5406 Parkcrest Dr., Austin, TX 78731
Cost: $40 plus materials

To register, contact Gauge at 512.371.9300

today i'm off to an 11 am showing of the new Daniel Day Lewis film, 'There Will Be Blood.' now, i just have to decide which sweater and which pair of boots to wear. can you tell that i'm thrilled to finally have a bit of winter? =)