Ten on Tuesday- blah edition

Ten tips for fighting the winter blues? As a winter-lovin' girl... I don't see much of the blahs that most complain about, but here's what I like to do in the winter:

1. Go skiing. Find a slope nearby and take a lesson. The sensation of going downhill is amazing. My 2013 goal is to get back on my skis.
2. Try a new tea. Sounds odd, but I like to have "wintery" teas, like chai, to add some spice to the season.
3. Yoga. I'm a new convert to the bendy world of yoga, but the studios are warm and you can be in shorts and t-shirt while you do it...
4. Swim. Find an indoor pool and swim.
5. Snowball fight. Sled. Ice skate. Pick a "childhood" favorite and try it again as an adult.
6. Stay in bed. *ahem* No more "it's a nice day out, we should go outside" excuses. Spend a morning in bed. I'm sure you'll find something to do.
7. Knit. Sew. Quilt. Take on a project that will cover your lap. (my blanket, anyone?)
8. Host a dinner party. Cook something that heats up the house. Get good wine. Friends and laughter always brighten the winter.
9. Curl. This one's PC's, but he has a winter sport that he loves.
10. Hug a cat... my cat really loves me in the winter. Mostly because she can warm up on me. But, hugging the cat makes me happy...especially when she hugs me back.

Friends and Photo-bombs

  Last weekend, I set out for my annual guild knitting retreat along the coast of Maine. A gorgeous location, the York Harbor Inn, and great friends, the funniest 25 women I know, and food to die for. I'm one of the organizers, but I surprisingly find a lot of time to knit! 

My friend, Mariuca, knitting while listening to the Berroco rep discuss fit.

Trying things on and listening went hand in hand.

A rare Mini sighting, with an FO! lobster pot cashmere, 2 skeins, knit up into the Yucca cowl. I love it,but the yarn had a lot of cuts in it....sadly. A worsted weight, it has a lot of spring to it. 

And, a Pumpkin photo-bomb....

Ten on Tuesday--- w/ the stuff in my car.

My little Subie (Subaru Forester, 2010) isn't the biggest car I've owned. She's not the fastest car I've owned, but she is the favorite car I've owned... and the most expensive. Subie, as her friends call her, came into our lives at a crucial time: my Vue was intermittently dying on while driving and nothing short of a miracle would fix it. A dear friend had at the time: 3 Subarus. She adored them. I test drove one and fell in love. PC drove it to NYC on the curvy Hudson Parkway and fell in love too.

So, what do I keep in the Subie? Right now, she's a bit of a mess.... and desperately needs to be cleaned, but let's see what's in her normally:

1. Snow brush/scraper. I have remote-start, so i rarely have to scrape, but the snow brush is always there... usually in the "way back", near the jack.
2. Manual--- i needed it last night! I never pop the hood on Subie (Mike, the mechanic, does that) and couldn't remember where the hood latch release was!
3. Extra shoes. Right now, it's a 2nd pair of hiking boots, but throughout the year, it's flip flops, sneakers. I hate wet feet and sometimes i can't drive in the shoes i'm wearing.
4. Towel. I don't know why, i always have a towel in the car. Due to my love of all things Douglas Adams? Maybe.. but more likely--- good for wiping off sandy camping feet, and driving off wet feet.
5. Pen. Self-explanatory.
6. Registration.
7. Change. Quarters to be exact. I live in one of the wealthiest towns in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and it costs me $0.25 to park for 15-20 minutes ANYWHERE.
8. Mittens. I have spare mittens from Halloween to Easter.
9. Cell phone charger. Always. Always. Always. I only select cell phones w/ crappy battery life...lol.
10. PC. PC's in my car way more than I'm in his... i'm the driver in the family, grudgingly, so he's often found, in the passenger seat, as the navigator.

The never ever blanket

Not one to normally to knit blankets....actually, scratch that. I have repeatedly said I detest knitting blankets. I would rather quilt than knit a blanket. But, this...this blanket is different. I have had the pattern in my stash, thinking that one lucky babe would merit a hand knit beautiful blanket, and while I love my nieces and nephews, they have all slept under hand made quilts. 

So, why this pattern? I'm not sure. The texture, the lace on a large scale, and potential for amazing stitch definition. Ad the yarn? Been in my stash since 2006. It is 7 years marinating in my stash. I've swatched it twice....never wanted to knit a sweater with it. Ad I have a "sweaters worth" of yarn (10 skeins)... Of beautiful, discontinued Jaeger Shetland Aran. It's a mix of wool and alpaca. Delicious in your hands, excellent stitch definition. 

Modified the pattern ( Baby Chalice) as follows: doubled the stitch count for the pattern, increased to a US 9 needle and knit, knit, knit... I love everything about it. The weight. The scale of the project. The yarn and pattern have married beautifully. 

Marriage. Could this be meant for a wedding gift? For the right couple, at the right time...just like the pattern and yarn? We shall see. 

Oh, and did you notice my new bag?  A Jessalu original. I'm loathe to tell you about her new shop, as then you can shop there too.   And take all the bags.  My new bag ( my fifth or sixth Jessalu bag) is a woodland critter pattern. 

Oh, ok...here is how to find her. And, yes...my knitting loves its new home.

  

Photoshop...

Wow, you guys!

The awesome comments on the blog yesterday made me feel really encouraged... thanks!

My work week varies from the standard 40 hours to 60+, depending on the week. I'm often found lugging my new MacBook Pro home (yay for fantastic work computers!), and there's some great (and not so great) aspects of this job... but one super-secret-fantastic perk? I have a full Adobe Cloud Creative license. Yup. Monthly subscription, paid in full.

I'm going to spend some time over the next few months taking Lynda.com lessons, learning photoshop and lightroom... hopefully improving my photo processing.

Ten on Tuesday- Goalsetting!

Ten on Tuesday...10 Goals for 2013.

Resolutions? Goals? Pie-in-the-sky dreams? I have them in spades. I do like the approach of this thought: goal setting. I'm forever setting goals, but (and big BUT) if i can create a static page for these... maybe we can cross some off my list.

2013 is the year of Mini...

1. Complete 60% of my MS degree coursework
2. Run one mile w/o stopping. Just 1. 
3. Make yoga and swimming a regular part of my week. Walking- daily. 
4. Eat food that makes me feel good--- remove the starches from my diet. And take my medicine
5. Knit my stash down by knitting 3 sweaters and 3 blankets
6. Knit one hat per month.
7. Track, document and blog my knitting
8. See the waterfall...twice. (it's a waterfall that i've made it w/in 1/2 mile hiking of seeing...)
9. Kayak.
10. Downhill ski again. 

Notice something? No weight loss. If I eat good (for me) food and exercise more, i will lose weight. My goals aren't for skinny jeans, they are for being able to do activities: like skiing and kayaking. I can't at my current weight and that really ticks me off.

Knitting- I love it, but it's owning me right now. I need to knit down the stash and have stronger control.

Not My Nana's Knitting

ECAL Low-Tech Factory/Rocking-Knit from ECAL on Vimeo.

Yes, that's a rocking chair that knits for you. Looks like it's based on the crank-style knitting looms that are used for sock knitting machines. It takes the rocking chair image we've worked so hard to remove and places it front and center, but this is definitely NOT how your Nana knit.

Technology is great, but look at exactly how low-tech this is. You are motor. Two gears. Small footprint. Output is a physical object of value, not data.

... and think of how many flippin' hats you could have made for Christmas gifts!

Don't Stop Believin'...

...Hold on to the at fee-ling! 

Yeah. Journey. Been stuck in my head for hours. I've tried everything from singing "you are my sunshine" to "peanut butter jelly time" to get it out of my head. But it won't stop.

Why?

Well, it could be a typical earworm and I heard it, now it's stuck.

Kinda. 

I purposely sought out this song yesterday because I was losing hope. Hope that I would be able to pull all of this off. "this" being work, home, blogging, friendships, relationships/partnerships, and school. 

Oh, did I forget to mention school? I start my graduate work in 2 weeks. As I began my new career as a marketing director for one kick-ass start up company, I realized: I should learn some marketing. Yes, they hired me without any "real" marketing experience. Shh. I'm not sure it's occurred to them yet. (Or I'm dazzling them with my ability to send emails)

I'm fully intending to blog as much as I can in 2013, which will hopefully be more than 2012. 

Cold hands, warm mittens!

  

Starting off January with some mittens. I'm joining Ruth and others in the NaKnitMittMo ( national knit mittens month). This entry was begun on 12/31, but since I am 1.15 mittens away from completion, I say it counts. 

Pattern: Sprig mittens

yarn: pink is louet river stone chunky, brown in s cascade 128 super wash. Both are lovely and I think the recipient will love them. 

The first person to comment will have a copy of this pattern gifted to them, simply leave a comment with your Ravelry name. 

Welcome 2013...

  Happy New Year! Yes, it is January 2, but it's still new, right? I am really into resolutions, and overall self-improvement, but I keep my plans grounded in reality. 2012 was not a great year: illness in our families, unemployment in our home, changes to the status quo... But it had some great days, 2012 did. My brother found his soul mate and proposed marriage ( she said yes), I found a new, challenging job that frustrates, satisfies and embraces me and PC has turned a few personal corners himself. I have lived with and dealt with some health issues....and 2013 is really about getting rid of them. 

I break down my resolutions into categories, like health, money, love.... So here is a smattering of craft and more:

1.  Knit more for me. 

2. Quilt, because I enjoy it.

3. Less chat, more listen.

4. Carbs are not your friend, they hurt your body... Learn to live without.

5. Move. Hike. Dance. Ride. Walk. Boogie. Twirl. Stretch. 

6. Learn. Accept new knowledge and absorb from those around you.

7. Teach! Offer to teach a guild month instructional. 

8. Design. Take them from your head to the paper. 

9. Decide. Put yourself and your desires first, because no one else will.

10. Knit down the stash....yarn diet 2013 begins today. 

un-hip thoughts on Christmas

I'm not a hipster. I don't try to be. I like my Christmas decor tasteful, but with a dash of reindeer-dusted-with-sparkle. Our tree is a motley collection of ornaments from vacations, gifts and childhood memories. The lights are colored LED. One strand may or may not blink (we have decided this is firmly a tree decision- some nights it blinks, some nights no so much).

I was reading the Boston.com column of Miss Conduct and saw this:

Admit That the Holidays Aren't About Good Taste . . . "Good taste" in the sense of kindness and sensitivity toward others, absolutely. But not "good taste" in the sense of albino-pumpkin-and-white-chrysanthemum Thanksgiving centerpieces or Christmas trees of Art Deco perfection that no yarn-and-Play-Doh kindergarten ornament will ever desecrate. If that's your thing, by all means have the holidays as you like and revel in your tasteful splendor. But if, deep down, you really want to wear reindeer sweaters and listen to Andy Williams, or go outside and bang pots and pans at midnight on New Year's Eve, or throw all the Hanukkah gelt down on a roll of the dreidel like a riverboat gambler - then the holidays are the time to let those nerdy impulses hold sway. When it's cold outside, baby, why be cool? The holidays are the one time of year we're allowed to regress and wallow in nostalgia and anti-hipness.

I completely agree. In addition to that, I think we've lost the spirit of the holiday. At least, I know some people who clearly have. It's about family and getting together, sharing meals and hugs. NOT about wish lists, demanding certain gifts, having a tantrum, and holding grudges. And, that's just the adults. 

I've had a moment of inner peace earlier this week. I let go of holiday expectations and concluded the following:

1. there are some people in my life that are not happy unless they are making other people unhappy. 
2. these people have their agenda and I can choose to play along or smile and think peaceful thoughts while ignoring them. 
3. I choose option b.
4. I have a budget. 
5. A handknit gift is  good gift. It's enough. 
6. A hug from my best friends is the best Christmas gift I get each year (Sylvie and Mari are good huggers).
7. My  niece looks forward to our post-Christmas visit so much that she's already talking about it. Because she wants to spend time with us. 
8. Going to mass makes me feel peaceful and connected to my faith. I'm comfortable in my spiritual life. 
9. Singing along to Christmas music makes me happy. I like the older (50s and 60s) tunes better than Mariah Carey and Michael Buble versions, but I know all the words to EVERY song. 
10. 14-15 people will be in my very small apartment on Christmas Day for a meal. We'll be cramped, we'll be tight. The ham might have to travel out the back door, up the driveway and in the front door to get to one end of the table, but it's FAMILY. Family's not perfect. We laugh too hard, we love too much, we argue, we assume, we push, we pull and we choose to spend the holidays together. 

Holiday Knitting

  

Sandra's elves have been busy! Two pair of fingerless mitts in two days. 

Top pair: 

• Yarn is Madeline Tosh, Fragrant color way, super wash
• Pattern is April Mitts, by Swans Island Yarns
• Needles, US 7 dpns, knit picks

Bottom pair:

• Yarn is from Pumpkinmama's shop, Vines. Handspun, colorway is "hippie chick"
• Pattern is Camp Out Mitts
• Needles, US 7 dpns, knitpicks

Finished Object Alert!

Margot's sweater. A basic, top-down raglan with superwash worsted weight wool. I needed to jazz this up for her though, so we added the knit rose and bling-tastic buttons. Size 6 months, US 7 needles throughout. 

It was gifted to her mom yesterday at knit day. Mom is my best friend, Sylvie, and though she doesn't knit, she can can certainly appreciate the finished object! And, we love having her at knit day. 

I have a very special present to share with you tomorow. 

  

Prophylactic Therapy for the Holidays

My house is 85% of the time, a hot mess. Or at least, I think it is. Today, there is laundry on the dining room table (it's been there since last Friday), a tv tray sits in the direct center of the living room. The ottoman is loaded with knitting, patterns, and a back scratcher. The cat's little toys are EVERYWHERE. My kitchen island has 3 AA batteries, a fruit bowl, headphones, 1 hurricane candle holder, a vase of dying flowers and an iPad on it. There are dishes in the sink. The craft room is filled with STUFF. 

Am I panicking about hosting 2 major Christmas parties in this mess? No.

Am I worried that everyone will think i'm a hoarder and dirty? No.

PC and I tend to clean up BIG once a week.It's not ideal for me, but I've learned to live with it. I've also started to think: we have too much stuff. I had this thought a few months ago and we ended up donating over 40 boxes of "stuff" to charity. Now, i'm moving onto other things that are just taking up too much space. 

I was reading ApartmentTherapy today and saw this article on knowing yourself and how you live in your home. I'd really like to change some things around our home and I think this was just the kick in the pants I needed. One thing that tops my mind: shoes. My shoes live all over the house. I have a shoe rack that I barely use. I'd like to have them by the back door, but the cat box is there. Kitty litter + my shoes = not a happy a.m. surprise. But, maybe I can move the trash can. Or the pantry and the  baker's rack can swap places. 

My biggest hesitation with doing anything major in this place was that it wasn't our "forever home." just a rental. But, it's the rental we've been in for over 3 years. And, with housing market and huge down payments needed, it'll probably be the one we're in for a few more years. So, why not install the mop hanging system on the cellar door? Why not ask if we can install shelves in the spare room? 

Tomorrow, I'll wake up and look around and think: ugh. And, then I'll start the laundry, clean out my clothing drawers, wash the floors and pick up around the house. What's more is that I'll be looking around at how we live. What we can live with, and live without. How to make our space more uniquely ours. 

To: Ungrateful , From: Grinch-y

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Or, at least, December. With the wintry holidays quickly approaching, I'm seriously considering my to-knit list. It appears we'll be having a store-bought Christmas. This makes me a little sad, but then again, I always doubt my gifts when they are handmade. A pair of mittens I spent $28 on wool for, and 12 hours of my life, suddenly needs a $25 gift card so "it doesn't look cheap." No more.

On my needles are some mittens for my nephew to match his hat. My little friends to the North (cousin Sue's kids) need some new dollies, so I'll be whipping up those this weekend (Ysolde's pattern- quick and lovely).  PC? He might get some house socks, but he's cool if they aren't in the stocking. Mom's getting a scarf, but has requested socks. I dunno about that.

Other than that? I'm hitting the mall. And local purveyors, of course. I've become a bit of Grinch in past years, mostly because of particular attitudes during the holidays. I think I'm tired of not hearing Thank You (or in my case, hearing it said very curtly while the gift gets shoved somewhere). Someone recently said something near me (I overheard this conversation): A gift shouldn't come withe expectations and it shouldn't be received with them either. Enlightening! This Christmas, I'm removing any expectations from my gift giving and receiving. If I see something for $2 or $20 that makes me think of you, and I want to give it to you: done. Any gift I receive will be received for what it is: a thoughtful kindness given to me. The notion that someone thought of me when they saw it. I'm not talking about LOWERING expectations; I'm REMOVING them.

I know that if I knit mittens for PC's mom, or a hat for my dad, they will love it. But, I also have a new job and a tight schedule of events (parties, work events, etc) between now and the magical Christmas Eve. So, this year, the knitting will be relaxed. The presents will be bought, wrapped and set under the tree. No guilt. No worry that it won't be "enough" of a gift.

My gift to you this holiday season: remove your expectations, have a cup of tea, get a little knitting time in for you, and stop to enjoy the JOYS of the season. I know I will.

smitten ten on Tuesday

  Ten on Tuesday is very appropriate for the Boston area,which is expecting snow tonight! Ten mittens I want (need) to knit. Almost 35% of my Ravelry queue is mittens. I love to knit them, love to design them, love to wear them. I guess I'm just smitten with mittens!

1. Bella mittens. A certain 15 year old needs a pair.
2. Mittens to Order 3. Druid Mittens by Jared Flood 4. Every mitten by Spilly Jane. For real,those patterns are addictive! 5. Envy Checked Mittens. srsly? Those checks? Adorable! 6. Rose Mittens, by Kamilla. 7. 116-6 garn studio mittens 8. Drifty Mittens 9. Winter wonder mittens 10. Aberdeen Ave mittens

Jackson has a hat! I might whip up some matching mittens tonight for him. But I would really like to have this in the mail tomorrow. 

Justin Bieber...downfall of decor

We drove past a gorgeous, old mansion in our town last night. You do this, right? Go look at the houses you can't afford at night? Our town is notorious in the Boston area for wealth, so its like....expected to gawk at houses.

Anyway, back to the hobby drive. Gorgeous house. Stunning. No curtains on the first floor (love! If you don't want me looking: less money on light fixtures, save for some curtains). I slowed down to see this house. Then I saw it. The second floor window lit up . Hmm. Is that? Oh, yes it is. All that gorgeous design, landscaping, and gorgeous woodwork, and they have a room full of Justin Bieber posters. 

Teenagers. The anti- taste makers. 

My nephew, Jackson, needs a new winter hat. His jacket this year is red and black, I thought this would compliment nicely. The pattern is frm the latest IK accessories frm the fall, C220 super wash to the rescue! 

Birthday weekend!

Ten on Tuesday! Ten things we did this weekend...

Well, it's been a l-o-n-g weekend, so here goes!

1. Lunch with PC at Cambridge Brewing. Pumpkin ravioli and pumpkin beer to kick off my last weekend at 34. 
2. Got my birthday gift from PC!

1. Trip to get apples with PC at Honey Pot Hill, honey crisp and Mac 2nds for sauce.
2. Trip to urgent care that led to the ER. Bronchitis was getting worse and I needed some albuterol intervention.
3. And, Saturday! Stayed in and watched tv, knit, slept...recovered. 
4. Made brownies. I make the best.brownies.ever.
5. Sunday...knit, knit, knit..football, football.
6. Trip to BJs for supplies and tv shopping.
7. Leftovers for dinner...yum.
8. Trip to the salon to get my nails done: pretty poison!
9. Dinner with my parents for my birthday! 
10. Ended dinner with homemade chocolate cake from my mom and a hug from my dad. 

So, yes. Today I turned 35. Happy Birthday to me!

For the little princesses...

Three sweet littles girls. One big trip to see the princesses. 

First plane trip. 

One loving cousin. One happy momma. Three excited little princesses off to see a real live castle. 

That definitely deserves new crayons, crayon rolls and coloring books, no?

Basic crayon roll,  made with felt, washable crayons, and ribbon to tie. Whole project is ten minutes, and less than $2. Seeing their excitement? Priceless! 

Ten on Tuesday, the cheesy edition!

Ten on Tuesday- pizza!

Holy crap, I'm blogging? It's been quite the month so far- job interviews, job offers, refusing a few (what? I can pick which job?), offer negotiations,  PC turned 36, a friend is very sick, a parent was very sick, we went on a mini vacation ( courtesy of sick friend, who s ALWAYS thinking of others instead of herself), broken car to now a one car family ( not mine, the Subie is alive and kicking!), and did I mention the job interviews? Sometimes a few per day, running from place to place, and oh....the 17 lbs I lost this month? 

Now, back to pizza...

I love all things about pizza, so here we go:

1. Plain old cheese. Give me one good slice of thin cheese pizza and I'm happy. Preferably from a Greek-style pizzeria. 

2. Pepperoni. pC and I can agree on this one.

3. Peppers and onions. Unlike Carole, I want the big, thinly sliced strips....so they crisp up a bit!

4. Buffalo chicken, but it must be from Uppercrust. Yeah, their politics aren't in line with mine (pay your employees!) but they make a good pizza.

5. The flatbread pizza at Beacon Street Tavern in Brookline- figs, goat cheese, onions....divine!

6. My homemade pizza is the bomb.com....I use Smitten Kitchen's suggestions to make mine extra selfish.

7. My mom's pizza. She worked at the original Santoro's subs and pizza all throughout Hugh school and can toss dough like no one I know. 

And the last are for things that should NEVER be on my pizza:

8. Olives. Ick. Eww. *shudder*

9. Mushrooms. I don't eat fungus. 'Nuff said.

10. Anchovies. Fish and cheese weird me out.