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5/9/2002 6:23:37 PM
busy knitting
i've been working away at one of the baby sweaters. its an irish moss stitch (double seed stitch) cardigan. its a kit (pattern and wool) i bought last summer from the morehouse farm folks at the union square greenmarket. i don't remember why i didn't knit it up then, but i can guess that it was probably because i was too busy with work or my bridesmaid duties.
i found it while looking through my baby yarn stash for something non-acrylic. its a super easy pattern and its turning out to be a really quick knit. i can see that there will be minimal finishing to this, as well, which is always a plus in my book.
i haven't decided which baby will get this sweater, but if it turns out well, i'll splurge on some yarn and make another one. the other sweater i started is in limbo mainly because its made from acrylic. i hate knitting in acrylic so i keep putting off working on it. this sweater is flying by so fast that i expect to finish it over the weekend.
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5/8/2002 11:43:53 PM
projects area fixed and knitting class
hallelujah and praise matt. it took him 5 minutes to figure out a solution to my little database query problem. i've been trying to fix it myself for, let's see, over 2 days now. my projects list (at the far right) is now displaying properly.
on an entirely different topic, i was 15 minutes late to my knitting class today. there was mad traffic going uptown. and by mad, i mean entirely insane. it made me wonder if nyc was being invaded by foreign dignitaries or the president.
i ran out at 6 but didn't manage to catch a bus until 6:15. i knew then that i wouldn't get uptown in time. normally i get to the store twenty minutes early and get a cup of coffee from starbucks to help tide me over til dinner.
today i knew i was going to be late the minute i hit the sidewalk. i could see traffic backed up for at least half a mile. i debated jumping in a cab but i'm in "save money" mode. and, while, its not a bad walk, i was still feeling a bit "sour" from yesterday and didn't feel like hauling ass uptown and uphill. so i opted for the bus. i had wanted those extra minutes before class to show arlene, the instructor, my finished mini-garment and ask her a question regarding the ties. but hope of that quickly faded.
arriving late and having no idea what the hell was going on made me uncomfortable for a little while. when i walked in i think she was teaching the class to braid the loose ends from the intarsia. (personally, i don't think i'll like this as a way of finishing a garment, so i don't feel bad that i missed that lesson.) next came a duplicate stitch lesson, and since i already know how to do that i began to feel a bit less lost. by the time we were working on our fair isle checkerboard swatch, i was grounded again.
although i didn't get to talk to arlene about one or two threads that remain unfinished on the mini-garment, i did get to show elijah the bear and his outfit (sweater and cap) to the class.
and yes, i did feel a little uncomfortable. like i was saying, "hey look at me. hey praise what i did." i always feel that way, though, when i show people something i made. but, i had promised to bring my finished piece in to show the class. and i really did want to show it to arlene. i think out of everyone in the class (aside from me, of course), she probably got the biggest kick out how it finally turned out.
oh, and let me clearly state now and for the record that i'm not a big mushy teddy bear person. i bought elijah solely for the purpose of having a bear to put my sweater on. that being said, i like elijah in that "little girl with favorite doll" way and kinda felt bad that i had dumped him in a plastic bag so i could tote him uptown.
link | comments on "projects area fixed and knitting class"
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5/7/2002 7:27:51 PM
from the "i remember what it was like to be a stupid teen" files
apparently death-metal band slipknot's fans are harassing the UK Knitting and Crochet Guild. when the band's site went down, fans inadvertently turned up at the guild's website after using search engines looking for band information. the guild's magazine is called slipknot.
the fans, for some reason are another, decided to harass these poor people.
yup, i remember what it was like to be a stupid boorish asshole. hopefully these morons will outgrow it too.
for more details, visit: mtv.com
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5/7/2002 4:50:45 PM
i guess i'll go in two weeks
my stomach has settled down a bit from this morning but i'm still not feeling well enough to go hang out. i'm going to miss the stitch 'n' bitch meeting tonight and i was really looking forward to going. i'm actually kinda bummed about it right now.
i already know that i can't make next week's meeting cause i made dinner plans with a friend. so it'll be two weeks before i get to go. oh well. i guess i'll have to be patient.
link | comments on "i guess i'll go in two weeks"
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5/6/2002 1:02:34 PM
my projects section
what the...
well, much to my chagrin, the wip, ufo and finished objects areas on my site are not updating properly. AND, mike is in california. shit.
time to hit matt up for some database help.
for those of you who are interested, i currently have three projects in the works: two baby sweaters for a couple of co-workers' offspring and a kerchief which i'm designing as a project of the week.
i have no "ufo's" at the moment since i finished the mini-garment and the beret this weekend. pics of them will be posted eventually as i don't have a digital camera yet.
i just im'ed matt. i hope he gets back to me soon as i hate having broken stuff on my site. sigh.
link | comments on "my projects section"
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5/6/2002 10:45:18 AM
stitch 'n' bitch
i'm going a little stir crazy from the solitude. working from home and not having people to talk to will do that to you. that was the original reason for my signing up for knitting classes. i'd get some social interaction and learn how to improve on my knitting.
last week, a woman in my class mentioned her "stitch 'n' bitch" group. for some reason i had never thought of finding an informal knitting group before.
this weekend i posted to the knitlist looking for a group to hang with. i got a few replies and am going to check out a group tomorrow.
i'm anxious, as usual, worried that i won't fit in, but that's my regular take on things. i'm nervous but looking forward to meeting some like-minded knitters.
link | comments on "stitch 'n' bitch"
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5/5/2002 4:44:11 PM
needlepoint
the first craft i ever learned was needlepoint. my 2nd grade teacher gave all the girls in the class needlepoint kits on the last day of school. she gave the boys baseballs.
i remember running out of floss and using sewing thread to finish the piece. i hadn't read the directions too carefully and didn't realize you were supposed to separate the floss into individual threads. it was a sloppily done piece, but i was proud of it. i had made something with my clumsy child hands.
i fell in love with needlepoint.
over time i learned to read the directions. i bought books on needlepoint and have worked on some amazing painted canvasses. and, though i haven't been faithful to my first love as of late – all of my attention has been on knitting – i have a couple of needlepoint kits stashed away for a rainy day. i feel no qualms about giving away my knitting, but needlepoint will always be a craft i do for myself.
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5/3/2002 6:25:23 PM
left sleeve completed
woo hoo! i finished that pesky sleeve. it only took about an hour and a half total, but i kept putting it off. i'm pretty happy now and am about to finish piecing the document together.
wanna see the sleeve?
i wonder if elijah needs a beret to go with his beautiful sweater?
link | comments on "left sleeve completed"
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5/3/2002 12:26:23 PM
sewing
as a little girl i used to enjoy making clothes for my barbie dolls, april & june. (june was the evil one...)
i'd get scraps of fabric from old clothes, dish rags, the occasional fabric samples. it was another way to unleash my creativity and to have some fun.
i was a sheltered child and spent most of my time indoors.
my godmother, who lived in puerto rico, was a seamstress. she used to send packages to my mom full of handmade goodness. i remember being pulled out of class in 1st grade and paraded around the school by a teacher's aide. "look at her dress" she kept saying. "isn't it beautiful? her godmother made it for her." even the principal cooed over my buttercream yellow dress. i learned that people appreciate handmade things at an early age.
my mother had no desire to be crafty. she didn't have patience for knitting and thought crochet was for old ladies. the most sewing she did was fixing a button on a shirt. i could never get her to teach me any needlework so i had to learn it on my own. my mom did have an ulterior motive, though. she didn't teach me anything she considered domestic because she didn't want me to grow up to be a housewife. to this day i can't make rice without a rice cooker.
i wasn't a great handstitcher, but i didn't have to be. april & june didn't seem to mind the ragged seams their outfits had. and i enjoyed it for a while. eventually, though, books and boys took the place of sewing for a while.
flash forward a decade. i'm working at bankers trust company. each holiday season they gave toys to needy kids. the bank donated a doll or two to each employee and you were supposed to clothe it. there was a contest of sorts for the best dressed doll. i was unaware of all of this. all i knew was that i have a doll that needed clothes.
the first year, i made a ninja outfit for my doll, as a lark. i thought some little girl would enjoy having a red-headed ninja doll. i even added a little throwing star and embroidered a "nin" on her outfit. it took me an hour to make the outfit.
all the dolls were displayed in the lobby of the building, with all the dolls in handmade outfits in a separate section. there were very few dolls there, but the outfits were incredible. little beaded mermaid dresses. knitted wedding dresses. crocheted traveling ensembles. my ninja outfit made out of plain black fabric didn't quite fit in with the bunch. the names of the employees were all displayed neatly under each doll.
i won a prize, not even realizing there was a contest.
the following year, i decided to be more ambitious. i decided i would make a kimono for my doll.
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i bought "the book of kimono" and "how to make your own japanese clothes" and went to work. it was pretty complicated, actually, but i followed the instructions to the best of my abilities. i worked hard on making my stitches neat, invisible. i strove for authenticity. many hours later i had a finished kimono and obi. i bought beads and hair chopsticks. "carol" (after my martial arts teacher) had herself an OUTFIT!
when the time came to give carol away, i hesitated. would anyone appreciate her as much as i did? i could always BUY a doll and give that one away instead. but, instead, i snapped a few pics of her on my desk so that i would have proof that i made something that cool.
later that day, i saw her with the rest of the handmade dolls. this time, i felt my work fit in just fine
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5/1/2002 10:07:32 PM
bust
the same day that rich of happyrobot tells me there's a piece on knitting in bust magazine, i stroll into my color knitting class to find the EDITOR, debbie stoller, is a participant.
star-struck i am, i tell ya!
anyhow, feminists unite. bust is undergoing some hard times, so pick up a copy of the magazine... they have a wonderful knitting primer and good politics too.
and, if you like them enough, subscribe and keep the faith going girls!
link | comments on "bust"
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