I finished a book!

Posted on by

Dara Joy - Mine To Take Don’t you love the cover? Heh. I was reading an article from Book Slut talking about the Worst Book Covers Ever. Or something like that. Based on the article about this particular book, I thought it would be great to go for some incredibly cheesy fluffy romance reading, and what do you know, I was able to find it on BookMooch right away. Someone actually wanted to give it away. I know, I can’t believe it either. /sarcasm

So how was the book? More romance-y than choc-full-of-sex than I’d expected, looking at the cover, but that was actually a really nice thing. It turns out that this is a book in a series, which I didn’t really know at the time, but since the author claims to try and make all her books good stand alone reading, we should be all good. She was pretty right, I didn’t have any trouble just diving in as they say.

Was it any good? Well, if you like cheese, half-men half-cat people who can’t help it but be sensual and sexual all the time, and a female lead who is newly discovering said “traits,” then I suppose this book is for you. I had a bit of trouble getting around the half-man half-cat thing, but apparently the only benefit of that is more than the standard 5 senses, extreme horniness, and the ability to morph into a cat at will, rendering you healthy if you happen to be hurt. Sounds good to me. Of course these half-men half-cat people (called “Familiars” in the book) are quite desirable pet-type things, and the rich folk will spend lots of money trying to “capture” one (which, of course is “against their nature”. Heh).

Ask me to borrow the book sometime if you’re interested, but that’s about all I have to say about it myself. Very light reading indeed. But fun.

Farewell little laptop…

Posted on by

Yep, as you might have guessed, my laptop went in to be fixed today thanks to the wonderful Josh. I won’t have it for a few days it looks like… apparently the part that needs replacing is part of a bigger part called the logic board, which has known issues. So if one bit of the logic board goes bad, the whole thing just gets replaced. When I get my laptop back depends on whether they have a new logic board for me in stock today or not.

-mourns the temporary loss of her laptop, especially the keyboard part (this means you stock apple keyboard with the too-hard-to-press-keys!)-

Not that I’m complaining about the iMac… it’s so pretty sitting here in its 24″ glory…

Oh, and I’ve decided to change the layout of my blog.  I no longer like it as much as I thought I would (in truth, I’ve seen the same theme just randomly browsing the internet too many times, so I feel like changing it).  If the WordPress themes page wasn’t out of commission for the moment, I’d have a new theme picked out and would have made Josh change it for me by now.  -grin-

Josh is going to cook stir fry tonight with yakisoba noodles and scallops and maybe some shrimp. Yum.

Scarf!

Posted on by

No, I haven’t managed to knit another scarf already. But I did manage to buy some more yarn for a scarf! Josh doesn’t know yet. -giggle- To get it I spent some of my budget for the Knitting & Fiber Expo in a few weeks, which is kind of sad… although I don’t mind so much, because I was just going to look for yarn to make this scarf there anyway. This way I’m just thinking ahead, right? The yarn did cost me $40 though, which sucks a big one. But it’s so nice and soft! It’s almost all wool, and a wonderful color that I just can’t describe, you’ll have to see a picture for yourself. And what do you know, I just happen to have one!

563

Don’t you just love that color? -sigh-

I’m going to make that woven scarf I was fawning over in the VOGUEknitting Holiday 2006 mag (remember, I posted a pic of it awhile back). I know I said I wanted to make it out of variegated yarn, but I couldn’t stop thinking about this stuff when I was hanging out at Hilltop Yarn this afternoon. It’s soft, and pretty, and will make such a nice scarf. The variegated one looked great, it really did, but the woman at the yarn shop made a great point by saying that it was such a bold scarf on its own, it’d look just as nice in a single shade.

Anyway, that’s my yarn purchase for the day. I got a lot further on the baby blanket and managed to do a semi-decent russian join this time around! Woo! Only a tiny bit to cut off, and I think it’ll look great. No update picture this time, because while I did spend a few hours knitting it today, I don’t think it’s enough of a difference for another picture.

That’s it for knitting news today.

No surprises here.

Posted on by

I have more knitting books! The books I traded BookMooch points for have arrived in the mail today, save one. In addition, Josh and I went back to Pacific Fabrics & Crafts today to buy an extra ball of Bunny Hop, because I think I’ll need it to finish off the baby blanket I’m working on. While there, of course I bought something else: the Spring/Summer 2007 issue of VOGUEknitting international and two shorter darning-type needles for weaving in ends. My russian join is a bit lackluster at the moment because my needle is too long for it.

And of course I wouldn’t talk about any of this without a picture:

554

From the top:

Jo Sharp’s Knitted Sweater Style: Inspirations In Color
Jane Davis’ Fabulous Felted Hand-Knits
VOGUEknitting International Spring/Summer 2007 issueJenny Dowde’s Freeform Knitting and Crochet
Julie Carles and Jordana Jacobs’ The Yarn Girls’ Guide To Beyond the Basics

And then of course, the yarn and the yarn needles. I’m pretty excited to have these books, they got pretty good reviews from the websites I was consulting.

557

The last book on the list seems like it might be really useful, because it’s all sweater patterns and the associated techniques that one might need when embarking on their first sweater… something I have yet to do.

In other news, I’m coming along nicely on Kristen/Evan’s baby blanket.

And remember, all of these pictures are horribly butchered thumbnails, they aren’t a smaller full version of the picture. Oh, and of course, because it’s me clicking on the picture messes up the look of the page in a bad way, instead of actually taking you to my gallery url.

560

But, it is really starting to look nice. I hung out at Tully’s today for a few hours after lunch knitting it and listening to Suki (my shuffle) before I went off to mail another book out with Josh. I really have to get crackin’ on it though and get it done as soon as possible.

I did manage to print out some more .pdf knitting patterns today, to put into my ever-growing ring notebook collection of free patterns that I like. So that is a bit more organized now, which is nice. Although I managed to lose my brain for a few minutes, and hole-punched the patterns, despite the fact that I put them in those little plastic protective sleeves which already have holes. -sigh-

That’s all for knitting news today.

Plays at a theatre… wow!

Posted on by

So I went to see 12 Angry Men today with my family and Josh at The Paramount Theatre this afternoon.  It was really a great show… the audience gave them a standing ovation.  I didn’t actually stand up, because I didn’t feel that sense of “wow” and speechlessness that I think really has to be there to force you to leap to your feet.  But regardless it was very well done, although I thought they went through it a little too fast.

After the show was dinner at Sushi-Ten, and that was pretty yummy.  I had the dinner special with the sushi and teriyaki salmon.  Mmm.  I love eating there.

Sushi-Ten doesn’t open for dinner until 5pm (although they’re open for lunch as well), so Josh and I had to kill some time before dinner (we were dropped off at the apt. after the show, with 2hrs. to spare).  We ended up returning my lace knitting book and heading over to Lowe’s so that Josh could get a Coast LED tactical light and I could get a 14 or 16 gauge 100yrd. spool of wire to use as cheap-o blocking wire for my lace.

Didn’t do much else… Josh and I tried to start listening to Scott Sigler’s new podcast novel called Infection, but soon that episode ended and we were too lazy to get up from our computers to change it, so Josh is off watching videos from the Technology Entertainment Design conference (an invite-only conference of “free-thinker type peoples” according to Josh).

You know that fancy-schmancy candle store called Illuminations?  There’s a new one at Bellevue Square, and they had some wonderful candles on sale for buy-one-get-one-50%-off , so we bought one for my mom (Lavender) and one for us (Vanilla Mint).  The Vanilla Mint one is such a wonderful scent that we went back and bought two more.  Ha!  They come with these airtight lids, and the candle is in a frosted glass jar.  The lid is glass as well.

Josh calls the Vanilla Mint candles “candle crack.”  I wholeheartedly agree.  -sniiiff-

Why must you leave me?!

Posted on by

It turns out that my oh-so-wonderful new book Victorian Lace Today has some errata.  Usually that’s not an issue, but when I found out about this errata I also found out that there was more errata in the First Edition of the book than the Second Edition.  Guess what edition I had?  That’s right, the first one.

So I decided that I had to return my book and get the second edition.  Which in the end should be a good thing, because the book is apparently almost $10 cheaper on Amazon, which I didn’t think about when I bought it… kind of an impulse buy at B&N, heh.  New plan is to buy it on Amazon, supposing that I can verify that 1.) There isn’t a Third Edition already released and 2.) They sell the latest edition.

After Josh and I went and returned the book today I went to see if they’d put a second copy out on the shelf, and they had.  And it was the Second Edition.  Not only that, but it said it was a Second Edition inside the book, unlike the First Edition which didn’t even tell me that much.

But alas I didn’t buy it, because now I know that Amazon could be much cheaper.  Did I mention that even the fancy paper at the very front and back of the book changed?  Now it has lace shawl pictures.

I e-mailed Amazon to ask them which edition they sell online (because obviously no one would want to know such information… when hasn’t that info been there anyway?), and they seemed to think that I had to return their copy because I was unhappy with it, so they responded with a form letter telling me to update the book information.  No, I want book information!

I’m done ranting for now.  -sigh-

Oh, and before I go: Schoolhouse Press is very cool, and releases a bunch of knitting books, including the one I’m talking about tonight and tons of other cool ones.  I just had to add them all to my BookMooch wishlist because they’re so awesome.

Victorian Lace Today

Posted on by

I got a new book!

546

Josh and I were in Crossroads browsing Half Price Books, but of course we had to head over to Barnes & Noble soon after, since it happens to be next door. While Josh was busying himself looking at the programming books, I thought it prudent to check out the craft section, which is located at precisely the very back corner of the store furthest away from the door.

That’s where I found my book. I was browsing the well-known sock pattern books that I knew someday I’d want, but I didn’t feel that any were worth buying at the moment. This book popped out, and I absolutely love it. It’s a bit big, because it’s almost coffee-table style, but it’s full of fun historical information.

And oh the patterns! As we know, I’ve been into lace knitting since I found out about it, and I’m always on the lookout for new patterns, which is hard when you have to rely on the free patterns online. The great thing about this book is that the author provides a lot of history on lace knitting in the Victorian era, while also muddling through and figuring out and translating the old Victorian shawl/scarf patterns into something we knitters can understand today. And charts! She provides charts! (Know that the book doesn’t have patterns spelled out, so if you don’t like charts you’re out of luck).

I’ll have to show you one of my favorite patterns from the book that I just have to knit.

549

I know it’s a bit fuzzy, but really, tell me you don’t love it.

I must make this.

Books? No way!

Posted on by

When I set up this blog I promised myself that I would have one category for each entry, and that was it. I thought that from my main web page, it would link to specific categories of my blog instead of the whole thing, so people could go and just read stuff about my knitting, or stuff about my music, or personal life, etc.

Well, here we are and I have news about my knitting, in book form! What’s a girl to do? I’ve decided that I was wrong, and that I should just suck it in and post this entry under Books and Knitting. Because, in the end, no one seperates out my journal anyway, and if they did, this entry does relate to both categories.

Okay, on to the news.

I happen to frequent BookMooch quite a lot. I read the forums a lot (although it’s really an e-mail list displayed on the website). Yesterday I thought it’d be a fun idea to unload some points and post an offer on the forums. I’m not the first person to offer up something like this, but either way I offered a full 5 points to anyone who would be willing to give me a knitting book off of my wishlist. My wishlist is choc full of knitting books, so I figured it wouldn’t be that hard to find them.

Anyway, I didn’t really expect people to jump to my deal, considering that pretty much every single knitting book I had listed was also wishlisted by someone else, sometimes 25 people. Apparently I was wrong. I got an e-mail within 10 mins of my posting, which didn’t end up panning out, but still. The whole of yesterday was spent e-mailing various people back and forth while they searched their house to see if they had books I wanted.

It must have worked, because so far I think I’m down to 55 points from 70.

I got a great deal going with the third guy to e-mail me, Jason. First book, Fabulous Felted Hand Knits, by Jane Davis. Second book was The Second Book of Modern Lace Knitting by Marianne Kinzel. Both should be totally awesome books, because you know what other activity I spent all of yesterday doing?

Reading knitting blogs.

Because of that, I ended up finding a knitting blog devoted to reviewing knitting books, which led me to add tons of them to my wishlist. Which led me to get the idea of putting up a deal in the forums, which ultimately led me to this blog post. Woo!

So the other person I was conversing through e-mail with was a little different. Her name is Zoe, and she’s really nice and seems really happy, and just happens to have a huge stash of knitting books and yarn and notions that she (I think) inherited, and she doesn’t think she’ll be able to use them all. Anyway, she also e-mailed me back about the deal, and I’ve gifted her 5 points already. She even offered to send me an extra book along with the one I originally wanted, just to be nice! -grin- Very nice of her indeed.

Anyway, after the second week of April she says she’ll be in a better position to trade with me, so we’re going to talk to each other then about trading yarn/books. Should be fun.

From her I’m getting The Yarn Girls’ Guide To Beyond the Basics by Julie Carles and Jordana Jacobs. And because she’s so nice, she’s also sending me a Jo Sharp book, Knitted Sweater Style: Inspirations In Color. She says she has two copies of the last one, so she doesn’t mind.

That’s enough about knitting books. I’m going to go make pretzels and dance along to my shuffle.

Moods Suck

Posted on by

These last few days have been a bit odd. I’m not even sure I know how to write about it. Right now I’m listening to my shuffle that has Hem, Guster, and Regina Spektor on it. -grin-

Josh and I have just been in weird moods I guess, not talking much.

Allison called yesterday to talk about her birthday (June 2nd), which was wonderful. Always fun times talking to her. One of these days we’ll remember to call each other on the weekends when we have free minutes.

Oh, and Josh still wants to move to Hawaii. Isn’t that great? I’d have to get some kind of job there if we moved, although I don’t know what. So friggin’ expensive to live there.

I think I’m going to try and make some pretzels again today. This time I’m going to make pretzel sticks. It should be a lot easier, and just as yummy. Maybe I can make a triple batch or something and give some to my dad if I can make them soon enough today.

I’m aware that this entry is a bit weird, what with all the paragraphs and stuff. Too bad.

Now that I have the shuffle I have the ability to more easily dance around the apartment while listening to my favorite tunes. I consider this a good thing.

Oh, and about two days ago Josh brought home a gallon of chocolate milk from the store. It’s almost gone. Oops.

That’s it for me today. Maybe I’ll post more about random General stuff later today.

Oh! Josh, me, my mom, my sister, and my dad are all going to see 12 Angry Men at The Paramount Theatre on Sunday. It’s a matinee, and we’re going to go eat at Sushi-Ten in Bellevue afterwards. Yum!

Progress!

Posted on by

I’ve gotten somewhere with the baby blanket for my cousin! As you can see, I’m very excited about it. I was a bit skeptical about my ability to distinguish the knit stitches from the purl stitches on the wrong side, just because I haven’t had to do that much. As we all know, I’m not one to alter a pattern, I need exact instructions damn it! Heh.

Needless to say, it has been much easier going than I thought it would be, and it turns out that those wrong side rows are actually the easiest part of the blanket to knit. For maybe the first third of the blanket I was following the pattern to the letter and only using stitch markers to separate out the border stitches on either side, instead of what I should have been doing, which was using stitch markers to visually show me the repeats of the pattern within each row. So for awhile there I constantly had to tink back through a row because I’d done so many repeats of the pattern then set the knitting down (or talked to Josh) that I didn’t remember where I was when I went back to it. -sigh-

All is well now though. I have all of my stitch markers in and knitting it is going along nicely. Although I have to say I kind of messed up a bit about 6 rows ago…

I learned how to do a russian join! I’m so excited. If I were using a yarn made out of natural fiber I would have “felted” the end of the old yarn and the new yarn together by splitting the plies in the yarn, meshing them together, and in a sense “felting” them together. Since I’m using a yarn that is definitely not a natural fiber (save the 8% angora), the felting method will not work at all.

The russian join entails (in a sense) running the old yarn end through the eye of your sewing needle and running it through the yarn, moving away from the cut end. Before it folds completely into itself you run the new yarn through the loop that’s created and do the same thing, on the other side, which is running the end through your needle and weaving it through the strand of yarn. I know this doesn’t make much sense, but there’s a wonderful video on how to do the russian join at KnittingHelp.com

The one bad thing about my new skill is that I decided to practice it on the baby blanket.  Bad idea, really, because the plies of yarn that I wove the ends through have decided to kind of come undone and fray out, as if they were proud of themselves and saying, “look at me, look at me!”  Which of course does not amuse me in the slightest.  So, next time I have to attach a new ball, we’ll see whether I decide to give it another go on the russian join or not.  Knotting it isn’t an issue, as it’ll be much too visible.

But in the end, the main point of this entry, other than the fact that I learned something cool and new, is that I have a progress picture of the baby blanket!  I’m pretty happy with the pattern, let me know what you think!

543