Nonsense

I never do these things, but here goes...

4 jobs you’ve had in your life:
1. Record store clerk
2. Editor of an indie music zine
3. Researcher for football book
4. Music/Video Game Editor

4 movies you could watch over and over:
1. Hackers
2. Good Will Hunting
3. Clue
4. Miracle

4 places you’ve lived:
1. Baltimore, MD
2. Detroit, MI
3. Boston, MA
4. Brooklyn, NY

4 tv shows you love to watch:
1. Friends
2. Beauty and the Geek
3. Family Guy
4. Aqua Teen Hunger Force

4 places you’ve been on vacation:
1. Bahamas
2. Key West, FL
3. Hampton Beach, NH
4. Montana

4 websites you visit daily:
1. Gawker
2. Defamer
3. Fark
4. The Superficial

4 of your favorite foods:
1. Sushi
2. Mussles
3. Blue Crabs
4. Steak

4 places you’d rather be right now:
1. Venice Beach, CA
2. Coffeeshop knitting
3. Poetry reading
4. Eating sushi in Japan

Happy Kitties

My kitties are going to be soooo happy soon. What's black and red and slept all over? Their kitty bed this week. That's right. I thought perhaps if I made a bed that matched my fiance and mine's perhaps they would would be more inclined to sleep on their bed instead of bouncing on our heads in the middle of the night. In terms of knitting, I'm past the middle of the interior circle and am working on the decrease, so the rows get faster and faster from here on out. After this, I've got to knit a long garter stitch scarf - approx. 54" that will go around the edge. Here's a pic of what I've got so far.

Oh, and please, no comments about how it looks more like a toliet seat cover than a cat bed - I promise it won't when it's done! :)

Curiosity

Often, when I knit on the subway, I find people staring at me, or asking me questions about my knitting (how long have I been a knitter, what am I working on). Sometimes they're a crocheter or a knitter and have stories as well. Once, I was on the train, just a few weeks after I had learned and an older Chinese woman looked at me and my knitting. She watched me for a few minutes, and eventually reached over and grabbed my knitting away from me. She took it and showed me how to hold the yarn properly, so it slid through my fingers and I wouldn't have to pick it up and loop it around the needle every time. Once I got the hang of this, it made my projects go so much faster.

Tonight, on my way to meet a friend for dinner, I was working on my latest project, a sushi pillow, when two guys in their twenties sat down on the bench opposite mine. The one closest to me asked how long I had been knitting, then said he didn't think he could ever do it. Then he said, "I'd like to try it but I wouldn't want to screw up your project." I looked at him, and told him "don't worry about it. Here, I'll show you." Of course, I was purling, instead of knitting, but I really think people overcomplicate the purl, so I figured, I'd just show him. I showed him how to do it, then I put it in his hands and let him try. Though he looked a bit lost, I think he got the gist of it. I took it back, showed him two more stitches, and he tried again. Just as he was about to get it, he arrived at his stop, and he had to go. Though I don't think he'll become a lifetime knitter, I love those moments when you can break the chilly New York ice.

Blanket Cover

My mom tells me that this blanket is incredibly warm. I have to agree - I was knitting it mostly at the end of the summer and beginning of a warm fall, and yes, it is indeed toasty. Also, she has informed me that her cat has claimed it as his (as he did with a pillow I knit her previously). But what makes me happy is that she is using it and that she likes it. I found the pattern in a fabulous book, Big-Needle Knit Afghans, but plan on creating my own pattern for my next one.

Pillow talk

Here is the pillow I made my mother from the yarn she had sent me. It didn't take me too long, and I intend to make a matching one once I do a few creative projects for myself. It's approx. 18" square, and is a varied rib. (8x2, 6x2, etc.). I love the buttons! I found them in my grandmother's button stash and I thought the smooth wood complemented the shocking red well.

Crazy Season Has Ended

Finally, Christmas is over. That means that most of those projects are done, and I'll be posting pics soon. In the meantime, I'm finishing up that hedgehog tonight and starting work on my sweater. Admittedly, the knitting has slowed down a bit since the arrival of the adorable kitten Atari, because she is a troublemaker and loves to steal my yarn balls while I'm knitting! In any case, I'm sure it's about to ramp up again soon, and there will be plenty to post.

xo
Tweed