More Wedding Dresses

More dresses! I think I've found the "one". Which one do you think it is?

The Dress

Chris and I have decided that we'd like to get married this summer, if we can pull it all together in time. It seems to me like it should be no problem, right? Well I went and tried on dresses today. I didn't find "the one" yet--I liked different things about lots of dresses, but not all the things about one dress. I'm beginning to think about making my own...

Why knitting isn't just for grandmas

I'm reading through the January 2008 issue of Yarn Market News and wanted to share an idea from an article talking about young knitters:

"Knitting is the low-tech counterbalance to the high-tech....It's perfect for today's teens. You think of young people being so keyed in to electronics and games. They're very connected to each other--via computer, via Facebook; knitting and crocheting give them that connectedness, too. They seem to respond to that feeling of creating something tangible. It's real; it's not virtual. ...The trends...reflect the push for personalization and customization. And that's what they think younger people turning to knitting is all about---they're responding to the pleasure of working with their hands....they need the peac, they need the quiet, they need the connectedness as much as adults do."

I NEED a sock project

I'm going to make this quick because I should be getting ready for class, rather than posting. The semester starts today and I will be taking Accounting and Marketing (both intro level classes). This means that I NEED a new sock project. There is always time before class, after exams, (during really boring lectures...) for a bit of knitting if its a) a small project and b) easy to pick up and put down. To me that means socks. So maybe this afternoon I'll pick out a pattern (I already know its going to be from New Pathways) and some yarn. Thats where the decision making gets harder. Which yarn? What color?

Illusion Scarf

Look at what Avi is knitting now! Juuuust kidding. After Chris finished his socks he was eager to cast on for his next project-- an illusion scarf from Son of Stitch n' Bitch. From straight on it looks like stripes, but then look at it from an angle and you can see a secret design! The yarn is Super Wool in Evergreen and Black

STRESS

Stress is trying to kill me. For the last couples of days, off and on, I've felt light headed, foggy headed and overwhelmingly tired/weak. And then I'm ok. And then I'm not. The only "solution" has been to lay down on the couch. And, get this, I've been too yucky feeling to even knit. That means its serious. Well I noticed that these icky feelings were accompanied by an elevated heart rate. I could feel it rocking my body. So a couple of times over the last three days I counted it--each time it was about 114 beats per minute. (In case you don't have a background in medicine, the average bpm is about 70, anything over 100 is considered a medical problem). After waking up an hour after my alarm went off this morning and still feeling this way I decided it was time to see a doctor. Thankfully I just joined a lovely practice that is really good about getting you in the same day you call if its important. They did an EKG and, thank goodness, everything is normal. I had them print out a copy of the EFG report for me to give to fiance Chris, but of course it means nothing to me. But they said it was normal. Thats good. But, then, what is causing these problems? My doctors best guess--STRESS. Though I've never had this reaction to stress before (and I've had stress. believe me. I've had an easy life as far as lives go, but no one gets through an undergraduate education at a prestigious university without stress), the doc says that our bodies develop new responses over time. And apparently this is how my body has decided to respond to stress. Its not a very logical response in my mind. If I am stressed, the LAST thing I need is to be exhausted, light headed and confused. That just makes me MORE stressed out!! They also took blood and are going to run all sorts of tests to see if there is anything physically wrong with me, but my doc thinks its stress. So what am I supposed to do about this? I think I need a vacation....

Chris's First Socks!

Look what Chris made! The yarn is Super Wool in the color "Traditions", knit on size 5 needles. The yarn unexpectedly stripped in a very fun way.

How to become a Knitter with a Capital "K"

1. Given a gift of a knitted project (that was intended as a gift from the beginning, bestowing of mistakes does not count)
2. Completed a pair of socks
3. Finished a project that includes cabling or lace
4. Have had multiple projects on needles at the same time
5. Have had a picture of a project on the internet or in a publication (this includes your blog or Ravelry)
6. Know what k2tog and ssk are, and have a favorite that you are willing to defend the merits of above the other
7. Own at least one knitting book, bonus points if knitting books constitute your "bathroom reading"
8. Have lusted after a particular skein of yarn
9. Shopped at a LYS and/or been part of a Stitch n' Bitch
10. Know how to use at least two types of needles (circular, dpns, cable, etc)

bonus points for knitting while intoxicated


*Thanks to Chris for writing out these rules :)

Entrelac Scarf

As promised, pictures of the first few rows of the entrelac scarf I started last night. Unfortunately, this morning I realized I won't have nearly enough yarn. So I am thinking about starting over with fewer entrelac "blocks"- i wonder how that would look. Or maybe a different pattern altogether?

A belated Christmas, and changes for the New Year

The other night I had a lovely dinner with the Knit Picky gals at 6th and Vine, a nice wine bar/cafe in Winston. We were all over the place in December so we never got a chance to all get together to celebrate the holidays. Finally this weekend we were all in town at the same time and with no out of town family visiting. I was able to deliver the last of my Christmas presents, which is a good thing since we got rid of the tree a week ago and they looked kind of silly laying on the floor in a pile where the tree used to be. And of course I got a couple of fantastic presents in return. Jo gave me a beautiful shawl pin/ stitch markers. Not only is it pretty and functional (in multiple ways!) but it was made by one of my favorite customers, Judy, who moved to California this past fall. I can't wait to wear it! And from Cassie I received a beautiful skein of handspun yarn. Working at a yarn shop and owning a handpainted yarn business, I really don't have much of a need for more yarn. I know, its shocking to here, but its the truth. The one exception is handspun yarn. Because that is something I cannot get from the shop or order wholesale to dye. Handspun is special. And when it is spun by a friend, its priceless. She also gave me a fist full of knitting needles that she bought when she was in England. She bought them for herself originally but found that she really never used metal needles, especially not straights. She wanted someone to use them though, rather than just let them sit in a jar ignored, because she values the history that they have. Unlike needles you buy new in store, these needles are antiques. Who knows what they have knit in the past. Countless baby blankets, perhaps. Or a wedding shawl. Or maybe horribly tacky christmas sweaters for all the nieces and nephews. Whatever they were used for in their past lives, I know that the person who held them in his or her hands was part of the same secret society that I am a member of. Even if she perhaps didn't know about the online knitting world that would soon come into being, she likely felt the same quiver of joy when a soft wool slipped through her fingers, the same feelings of pride when a finished item finally came off the needles. These gifts from Cassie are especially valuable to me because Cassie is moving across the country in a few days. Her fiance just landed a job at Google, which is a fantastic opportunity, but it means that they need to be in California. Not North Carolina. They are going to love it there, but we are going to miss them here. I have already started knitting with the yarn she gave me. I am making an entrelac scarf with it and some green wool/silk blend handspun that she gave me for my birthday in November. Its bedtime now, but I'll try to post pictures of it tomorrow.