Checking in from Oslo

Just a quick post from Scandinavia.  I promise to post full trip details and photos when I get back but since it is too early in the day for anything other than sitting in the train station in an Internet cafe I thought I would give a quick check in now.  Kara and I just arrived in Oslo, Norway on an overnight train. We spent all of yesterday touring the fjords.  I will tell you more about this later but for now let’s just say, amazing. 

Today we will spend celebrating Norway’s National holiday in Oslo and tonight we are off to Sweden.  Frankly, we are a little excited to be going on to Sweden as Kara and I are really hungry.  Kara coined the motto yesterday when she said: I am never full in Norway.  You see, food here is pricey.  Now when I say pricey, I really mean it.  We gave up and decided to go to McDonald’s for lunch (even though it is generally against our principles as travellers to eat in American joints) because we thought, surely we can eat for cheap there.  A value meal?  14 american dollars.  Want to buy a bottle of water?  5 american dollars.  We have found ways around the cost of food by shopping at grocery stores and have basically been eating bread and fruit out of a grocery bag for the past day to sustain ourselves.  Just call us Oslo hobos.  Word on the street is, Stockholm is more within our budget so we may be able to, gasp, eat in a restaurant.  I will keep you updated.

So sorry I couldn’t get to a finished Cherry post before I left.  No time to take pictures and I thought Cherry deserved more than a self-portrait in my standing mirror with no natural light.  Never fear though, i brought Cherry with me and will do a photo shoot some time before I arrive home.  Perhaps Paris…

Random Thoughts

I believe it is that time.  Time for another random but itemized list:

• My new favorite cereal: Smart Start Maple Brown Sugar
• About Battlestar Galactica, for those who watch…i got caught up on the current season this weekend.  Oh how I love this show–so much.  for those who don’t watch…you really should.  Trust me.   For those who have a unsubstantiated and judge-y prejudice towards all things sci-fi…get over it.   Just because something is set in an imaginary world doesn’t mean it is geeky or boring.  Seriously, you are missing some quality television.
• Speaking of BSG, if I had to marry a television character right this second it would be him.
• Thanks for all your votes on which Kim Hargreaves kit I should buy.  Rosa was the big winner.  The kit is ordered and will be waiting for me when I arrive in London.
• Oh, did I mention I leave for London on Friday?   Because I do.
• Cherry is done.  Seamed.  Buttoned.  Just sitting on the couch with me waiting to be photographed.  I will do my best to bring you a FO post before I take off this weekend.  For now though, here is a really bad preview pic taken by my trusty photo booth:

A little zen

I learned what comforts me when I can’t decide on anything to knit. A Buddha Bowl.

Can I just tell you, I love my Buddha bowl. I first saw this bowl on a blog (I can’t remember whose but thank you) and I kept the page as a bookmark.  Someday I thought, I will buy one. Well that someday came. My bowl doesn’t completely fill the void left by the lack of knitting inspiration–but it helps.

I do realize I can only eat so many bowls of cereal though. At some point I am sure I will get excited about something else. So…since it is inevitable, I am preparing for that day now.

Here is what is coming up on the knitting front:

• Cherry is blocking now. I finished knitting the pieces ages ago, just lost motivation to seam it when winter descended. But now that spring is here I think it is time for Cherry to see the light.
• There are some new patterns I have seen previews of from a couple upcoming spring books and magazines. As soon as the patterns are released I will have to make some decisions about what I want to do but I am excited for the options to come.
• As my mind is turning to my upcoming trip to the UK, I have been thinking about my fav Brit knitwear designer Kim Hargreaves. I am contemplating buying Rosa. Or maybe Flo. I think I can rock the ruffles. But the question is, short sleeves or the quarter-length cardi? What do you all think?

Blank

I don’t know what my deal is these last few weeks. No inspiration. Period.

I can’t think of anything to blog about. I have no lasting interest in any knitting project. I think about cooking or attempting to sew or organizing one of the many things I have to organize but then lose interest the minute I have the time to actually do something. I must be in a mood.

I am not sure what brought this on. The internet has kind of been stressing me out lately. I am a member of around 15 online communities. I have 5 email addresses. I subscribe to 206 blogs. I just can’t keep up. It is not like this is new but for some reason lately, I feel overwhelmed.

So I decided I needed to post to give myself a little jump start. Here are some random quickies about my life:

• I have some trips coming up. Next week I go to Utah for some much desired family time. The following week I am in the San Fransisco area for a conference. Then in May comes the big trip. I will be joining sister Kara for 17 days of travel in London, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Paris. I have been to London before but none of the other places. I don’t think I can express how excited I am for this trip. The fact that I get to experience it all with my very much missed and much beloved sister is like the best kind of icing on the cake.
• Sometimes I daydream that while in London I will meet London Calling Bachelor Matt. I quite like his cheeky British self.
• Why did no one tell me about how good Buffy the Vampire Slayer is until recently? I am on season 3, thanks Netflix (and Ashley for inspiring me to put it in my queue.)
• For all you Mac users, does anyone else use your photo booth as a mirror?

• Is is just me or do my hands look HUGE in this picture? Also, I am not possessed, trust me, I am just trying to figure out this hat I started. It is a slouchy hat and I am trying to determine if I casted on the right number of stitches. I suspect I might have cast on too many but am thinking that with a little elastic at the hem I might be okay. I don’t know, this little debate is making my interest in this project wane a bit. But I do want to knit it so we shall see…

So there you go, a wee little look into my life. Now I really should go catch up on blogs, email, Ravelry, Facebook, Flickr, etc. But then again, maybe tomorrow. At least I updated my blog eh? Baby steps.

Fountain Hat

Sometimes I get these impulses. When the Fountain Hat became a free pattern on Knitting Daily, I decided I needed to knit it…right then. Within one day I had ordered the yarn, in three days I casted on, and two days after that I had this:

Since spring is around the corner I thought a nice season transition hat was in order. Made out of sock yarn, this hat is a great light-weight knit. I love the shape of the hat and found it a really simple and quick knit. My favorite part about this hat is the gathered top giving it some volume at the crown.

This picture is a little fuzzy but you get the idea.

Project Stats

Pattern: Fountain Hat

Source:Interweave Knits Spring 08 Staff Project/Knitting Daily

Yarn: ShiBui Knits Sock Yarn, Mulberry (1 skien)

Needles: US 4 dpns

Mods: The only addition I need to make is to add adding some elastic to the ribbing to give it a more secure fit.

Notes: The pattern calls for 2 skeins of sock yarn but I only used one (and even had a nice mini-egg of yarn left over…mmm, mini eggs).

So there you go, my new spring hat. Impulses aren’t all bad I guess.

Out of Season

So yesterday I went running in the park near my house. I don’t even know how to describe how beautiful it was but suffice it to say it was sunny and warm. People were walking dogs and playing catch with their kids. Picnics were being eaten and ice cream trucks were welcomed. It was divine. This morning I wake up to this:

I am so confused. How am I supposed to keep the seasons straight when they mess with my head? Yesterday I was wearing short sleeves and open toed shoes. Open toed shoes!

I have always had a problem with adjusting to the seasons and mostly when it concerns fashion. Blame it on my Hawaiian upbringing. I didn’t own a coat until college. I wore the same clothes all year round without thought to color or fabric. I almost never wore socks (except for that time in the late 80’s when it was really popular to wear gap t-shirts and matching socks–I was all over that trend.) Now, I have been living with the seasons for a good time now, you would think I have gotten the hang of it. But how do you get the hang of something that is so fickle and inconstant?

As for knitting, I also haven’t quite gotten the hang of seasonally appropriate projects. My newest project, the Justina dress, has fall written all over it. Alpaca wool, olive green color, did i mention knitted dress…and here I sit, knitting away at a project that by the time it is done, will look a tad silly to wear outside.

I am almost done with the first half of the skirt. I am loving the pattern so far and the yarn…

I am in love with Berroco Ultra Alpaca. The color I am working with is really hard to get an accurate photo of but hopefully this picture gives you an idea of what it looks like. In person the color is a bit deeper, there are hints of rust and yellow that make the olive green base richer. The yarn is soft and produces a great warm fabric. Like I said, this whole project is the very definition of a fall knit.

I am tempted to keep it on the needles but slow down the progress a bit. I am really enjoying knitting it but I also want new stuff to wear for spring. I long for short sleeved tops made with skinny needles. I even have an idea for an original design rolling around in my head that I am itching to try. But what if ignoring Justina leads to its demise? Argh. So what do I do folks, press on?

The Perfect Feet

My mom has perfect feet. She likes to stick them out and say things to me like “look at my feet…aren’t they perfect?” Then she will ask to look at my feet and after a close scrutiny, “yours are nice, but not quite perfect like mine.” I have even heard her say “it is too bad none of my kids inherited my feet.”

Perhaps these things skip a generation. Who knows? What I do know is perfect feet deserve handknit socks, even if their owner is a tad egotistical–hehe, just kidding mom.

(Oh, and for the record, “perfect” feet mean that your toes are perfectly arched and each toe from your big toe down gets proportionally smaller. My second toe is the same length as my big toe making my feet not quite perfect.)

The color of these are really a pale blue/purple/gray–thanks to Kara for taking the picture for me and bringing the socks to my mom in Hong Kong. I am a tad delayed on posting about these socks as they were a Christmas gift. Kara knit a pair for my Dad. The socks look almost as good together as my parents do.

Project Stats

Pattern: Log Cabin Socks

Source: Handknit Holidays

Yarn: Alpaca with a Twist Highlander

Needles: US 4 dpns

Mods: I knit the socks with a thicker yarn than the pattern calls for and with a smaller needle. This gave me two results: really sore fingers and a really thick fabric which makes for a super warm sock.

Notes: The yarn I knit with suited the style of these socks perfectly I thought. Very soft, and I love the flecks of color.

I love, love, love these socks. I feel like they are the definitive “comfy, wear around the house on a cold day” sock pattern. Next winter I might just have to knit my imperfect feet a pair.

Unrelated side note: I thought I should give you the update on my bump of unknown origin. I am admittedly not very good about things like going to the doctor. I really took your comments to heart though and have been looking around for a doctor–since I don’t have one yet. However, since I posted, the bump has been going down in size and is no longer sensitive at all. I happened to see a doctor socially tonight and asked him to look at it and let me know if I needed to worry. He said that whatever it was (maybe an infection) is on the mend and nothing to worry about. So thanks again for your gentle nudges to not take my health lightly.

Obsessing Over: Bump of Unknown Origin

Today I introduce a new feature to this blog, “Obsessing Over”. In case you didn’t know this about me, I can be a tad obsessive at times. I get fixated on a subject or product or activity or idea until I exhaust all thought and discussion around it. This week, I can’t stop obsessing over this:

If it doesn’t look huge in this picture, please let me assure you that it is. What is it you ask? I really can’t tell you. It developed about 6 days ago and at first I was sure it was a pimple. Granted, the biggest pimple I had ever experienced. But a couple days into it I started to think that it might be something else. Below the surface it feels like a raised rock hard disc about an inch and a half in diameter. Two days after it fully formed it was painful to touch and the area around it was swollen.

My co-worker suggested it might be a bite of some kind and that is when I started to believe it was a spider or insect bite. Since then I have been putting Benedryl cream on it and it has gone down slightly in size but it is not going away as fast as I would like. Only reason I am blogging about this is I can’t stop thinking about it. Last night I spent an hour before bed google-ing images of bites and pimples (which is not something I would ever recommend doing unless you want nightmares.) I just can’t figure out what it is. I know the easy way to find out is to go to the doctor, but I am kind of banking on it going away before I go through the hassle and expense. It isn’t discolored and the swelling has gone down so I am assuming it is not infected.  It is just there, a big huge bump on my nose.  Too bad it isn’t Halloween.

Valentine’s Day Coma

All I will say about today is, if I admit how much sugar I ate, you wouldn’t believe it. If you did believe it, I think it would hurt my feelings. So here I sit in my calorie induced coma remembering how great I felt in January when I was sugar free and how it wouldn’t be so bad if I did it again…

Regardless, I did have a lot of fun today. One of the highlights was I got to see my new favorite baby Isabel. She is 6 days old and perfect. It doesn’t hurt that she looks so adorable in the Bananahead Beanie (ravelry link) I made for her.

Her cuteness is almost too much. I am so honored that I get to be one of the first people to know this beautiful girl.

I also was able to visit with Isabel’s parents, Ryan and Teri, tonight and got to bring over some yummy dessert for them. I went to a local restaurant called Steuben’s a couple weeks ago and had this dessert that was unlike anything I had tried before, so yummy, and conceivably easy to duplicate. So I gave it a go.

Basically, this is a caramel apple (used granny smith and melted caramels) rolled in crushed Frosted Flakes, cut up and served with vanilla ice cream, drizzled with chocolate sauce, and sprinkled with berries. Super easy and so delicious. I am pretty proud of my homemade version.

It was really, so very good. Oh sugar, why do you do tempt me so? This dessert at least was worth it. Tomorrow however, I detox.

Gathered Pullover

New blog, new sweater.

I have to say, it is really thrilling to have such a quick knit become one of my favorite knits. This took me a little over two weeks. Two weeks! Crazy right? It never got boring to knit because everything went so fast. And frankly, I love some good stockinette stitch in the round…up to a point. But the great thing about this pattern is, once you do get tired of the straight knitting, a little fun comes to rescue you in the form of the gathered cable.

The design is brilliant. There is no shaping, none. The cable doubles as a design feature and a way to pull the sweater in under your bust so no side shaping is required. I used a slightly thicker yarn than the pattern called for, was able to get stitch gauge, only my row gauge was a bit longer (5.5 as opposed to 6) so I just compensated for that by slightly altering the spacing of the decreases for the armholes. For everything else I didn’t worry so much since I was planning on adding inches to the body and sleeves anyway.

For normal people arms, if you follow the pattern, you will get a bracelet length sleeve on the sweater, for those with freakishly long arms like me, the sleeves would have been more of a three-quarter length. Since I was knitting this in alpaca wool I knew it needed to be a true long sleeve winter sweater and so I added a good four inches to the sleeves pre-blocking (they grew another inch or so after blocking) in order to get the long sleeved look you see above. I added the length before the increases began. I also added a good 4-5 inches to the body of the sweater as well.

The other modification I made was knitting the body in a size to fit my bust and then knitting one size smaller for the sleeves. I have done this with a couple other sweaters before and it has worked out well for a more tailored fit to me. This is one of the things I love about knitting, I can actually adjust things to fit my body.

Project Stats

Pattern: Gathered Pullover

Source: Interweave Knits, Winter 2007

Size: 36 1/2 for the body, smallest size for the sleeves

Needles: US 7

Yarn: Plymouth Suri Merino

Mods: Added 4 inches to the sleeves and body, knit a smaller size sleeve than body

Verdict: This may be my most wearable knit yet