Miss Cranky Pants and Her Needles

I had one of those weekends where no matter what I tried to do, I wound up annoyed...I was inordinately cranky to begin with, and then people kept getting In My Way.  For example, I went to recycle my bottles and there was a woman with two shopping carts full of bottles in front of me, and half the machines weren't working.  Every time I tried to get into a parking space some idiot swung in and grabbed it, or parked in front of it, or otherwise made it impossible for me to park.  I went to get milk and there were two people having an argument in front of the milk case and they would not move.  Minor crappy stuff, really, but it set me in a right foul mood. 

Eventually it became apparent that the safest thing for me and the rest of humanity was for me to hide in my apartment.  So, in between futile attempts to run errands and half-hearted attempts to clean my apartment, I was knitting and watching Project Runway (which, by the way, really needs to find a way to incorporate more knitwear).  I finished my basic  hat out of my leftover Noro - it's a squeege small for a cold winter, but will be fine for late fall:

Despite the fact that I used the same yarn, this hat does not look like it belongs with the mittens.  Neither the hat or mittens look like they belong with the scarf I made last year.  *sigh*  Oh well.

I also started a new "train knitting project":  a scarf out of Malabrigo in a really great brown and blue colorway (called "Charrua").  I got the pattern, which is a "mock cable", from Halcyon Yarn a couple of years ago, but never actually knit it.  I must say, after knitting so many pairs of socks with tiny needles and skinny yarn, it's shocking to see how quickly chunky yarn on size 9 needles knits up!

Finally, late this afternoon I hauled out an ancient project I started almost a year ago - the Cosima sweater designed by Norah Gaughan.  It's been sitting behind the couch now for quite some time, but the other day the Yarn Harlot mentioned the pattern on her blog...and I got that guilt-ridden feeling I get when I remember abandoned projects.  I pulled out the bag of purple yarn (Berroco Cuzco in the oddly-named "Troll"), and was shocked to see I actually had about 3/4 of the back knit.  It took me awhile to figure out where I had left off, made more difficult because the printed pattern I bought was wrong, and I had to decipher the corrections I had written down from the internet.  I think I'm back on track now, though this is my first attempt at a "grown up" sweater and I'm keeping expectations quite low.  Eventually there will be photos of this project, but not quite yet!

Well.

The weather is growing colder – it’s not quiiiite scarf weather yet, but in another few weeks it will be cold enough in the mornings for me to want mittens while I wait for my train.  I seem to have lost my purple mittens from last year, which I would be sad about if they had been in better shape; they fuzzed and pilled and just got that “matted Muppet fur” kind of look about them.  It was definitely time to knit a new pair, and for some reason Saturday night I was on a tear:  I had to knit mittens IMMEDIATELY.  None of my other thirty bazillion half-finished projects would do.  It was MITTEN TIME. 

Of course, all the yarn stores were closed at this point.  I had to make do with what I had on hand which, despite my frugal Yankee genetics, is not something I like to do.  I also don’t have a large stash of yarn, and most of what I do have is sock yarn which, I’m guessing, would not make great mittens.  But there in a cubby hole were two skeins of Noro Silk Garden, and I wondered….

Last winter I knit one of those striped Noro scarves that were all over the web.  I didn’t wear it much, though, because it didn’t match any of my other outerwear.  I was also sick of the thing by the time I finished, and was in a right funk about the yarn itself – it was full of sticks and grass and other odd things, and it made me grumpy to have to stop and pick stuff out. I was pleasantly surprised, though, to see how the yarn kind of…bloomed?  after knitting…it kind of pouffed up a little and got nice and squishy.  And I liked the color variations, and how it was a surprise as to what would come next on the skein. 

I figured well, what the heck, it’s worth a try…and cast on for some plain-jane mittens.  On the plus side?  This skein had a lot less crap in it, which made me very happy.  I like the way the yarn knit up – dense, but still soft.  This yarn is 45% silk / 45% mohair / 10% wool, so I am a little worried about how they will survive a Boston winter.  They seem warm (although it was 70 degrees out today, not optimal mitten-testing weather).

On the downside?

I don’t know if it’s possible to get two perfectly matched mittens out of Noro.  Certainly not out of one skein, anyway.  I had to unravel the second skein quite a bit to find a close proximity to the color I started the first mitten with, and then the second skein had much more tan in it, where the first skein went to teal before turning gray/brown.  The dye lots on the band balls match, though…not sure if this was a mistake at the store (one band was taped together, as if it had fallen off), or if that’s just the way things are with Noro.  I’m sorely tempted to make another pair just to see; however…

…first I think I need a hat.

PS:  the mittens actually are the same size; the angle at which I took this photo makes one look a tad smaller.  I was trying to avoid stepping on the cat!

Random Thursday

1)  Yesterday I found out that Sasha Frere-Jones is male.  This rocked my world and I felt like an idiot; however, if the New Yorker's Facebook page is to be believed, I am not alone.

2) My guitar teacher -- rather optimistically -- gave me the chords to to the song "Unwell" by Matchbox 20 to learn.  The only chord I can manage is the one that accompanies the line "I'm not crazy"...so last night I spent a good 20 minutes strumming and singing that one line.  It amused me.  I hope the neighbors did not hear, as they would probably NOT be amused.

3) For someone who really doesn't watch that much TV, I seem to be OD'ing on NCIS reruns lately.  I am not sure what this is about.  I think there is a part of me that secretly wants to be the Abby character, even though it's been decades since I could pull off the whole pigtails look.  

4) This weekend my college roommate came to visit me, and we took her 4-year old to the aquarium...where I am fairly certain we witnessed the mating of two sea horses.  I have not quite dared to Google this, though, because I am afraid of what might turn up.  Also?  Sea horses have always given me the heebee-jeebies, in much the same way as those little baby ears of corn that come in Chinese food.  I can't explain it.

5) What was the 4-year old's favorite thing about the aquarium?  The Spiderman balloon she got afterwards at Quincy Market.  The sea dragons received honorable mention.  

6) And finally...the cat has lost his mind, I tell you.  I don't know if it's the change in the weather or what, but my apartment is now apparently his personal training ground for the Kentucky Derby of cats, as he races around and around in a (sort of) circle chasing nothing -- at least, nothing that is visible to the human eye.  And woe to my ankles if I happen to walk in the middle of this race course, because he is not above attacking me.  Tonight I came home to find my yoga mat askew, and it didn't take me long to discover why:

Empty This Week

All projects in various stages of incomplete-ness...and I am struggling to 4-year old proof my apartment before my friend and her daughter visit for the long weekend...so I leave you to enjoy a photo of the lovely waterfall on the Wayside Inn property, which we visited a few weeks ago:

Still Not Finished...

I don't know what possessed me to hand-quilt all 240 individual triangles....

And oh yes, I see the mistake.  Whoops.

Happiness Project: Guitar Lessons

I finally did it: last month I borrowed my dad’s guitar and started taking lessons. After years of thinking about it, and years of listening to almost every boyfriend I’ve had twang away, I decided it was high time I learned myself. I was reticent about making the time commitment, concerned that it would take time away from my other creative endeavors (not to mention work and some semblance of a social life), but in the end my curiosity got the better of me. Truthfully, I thought it would be easy – partly because of my experience with other instruments, partly because almost every guy I dated played guitar and was constantly telling me how easy it was, and partly because I know a number of people who taught themselves how to play.


Imagine my surprise then to discover that learning guitar is one of the hardest things I’ve ever tried to do. Just learning the right way to hold the instrument was difficult for me, and after 5 lessons I’m still struggling. The fingertips on my left hand are developing strange calluses, which sometimes hurt and sometimes don’t feel a thing at all (which can make typing a whole new experience…). I’ve struggled to learn 5 basic chords, and my pinky finger is still pretty much useless. I practice in my bedroom, with the air conditioning on, hoping the neighbors can’t hear me. I’ve already broken one electronic tuner (dropped it on my sister’s ceramic tile floor), and my dad has already replaced the strings (the original 13-gauge strings were almost literally chewing up my fingers). And I get incredibly frustrated when I can’t quiiiite get things right. I'm used to being able to pick things up pretty quickly, but clearly I am no guitar prodigy.


That all said? I really love it, and wish I’d done this years ago. First of all, I feel like I’m challenging myself in a completely new way, and as frustrating as it is, I think it’s good for me. Second of all, it’s making me remember how important music was to me as a child/teenager, and I’d forgotten that. Third, practicing means there is at least half an hour a day that I am totally concentrating on something that prevents me from mulling about work, or anything else that might be stressful. It's weirdly meditative in that respect. Fourth, it's causing me to listen to music a bit differently, especially acoustic musicians like Patty Griffin and Ray LaMontagne, who are amazing guitar players. The idea of being able to play their music someday is actually pretty inspiring, and frankly? I was due for a bit of inspiration.

Knitting Makes The World Go 'Round (but my dad holds it together with coat hangers)

This weekend a health issue cropped up - but because it was 6:30 on Saturday evening, my doctor had me go to the emergency room to get checked out.  While I was waiting for the results of my lab work and ultrasound, I pulled out my "train knitting" from my purse to pass the time (which, being an ER on a Saturday night, was considerable).  At one point, an older lady from the housekeeping staff came by to empty the trash and noticed that I was knitting.  In very broken English, she asked me what I was knitting and then told me about how, years ago, she used to knit for her children - hats, socks, sweaters, you name it.  Her entire face lit up when she started talking about her knitting days - it was literally like a switch had been flipped- and she left my little cubby area smiling to herself.  For me, lying there by myself waiting to find out if I had a blood clot -well, let's just say it was nice to have a friendly conversation.  And I love how knitting in public (there's nothing really PRIVATE about an ER...) allows you to stumble upon kindred spirits, people who know exactly the sort of joy that comes from creating something both artistic and serviceable with just ones own hands, a couple of sticks, and some string.  (It also gets you  really strange looks from some non-kindred spirit people, but that's for another day.)

I turned out to be perfectly fine, so the next day found me on my way to the movies with my niece and nephew.  We got to the end of the driveway when my car started making a horrible sound.  Luckily, my dad was still in town and at the house, and after 15 minutes of fiddling he had turned a metal coat hanger into a muffler clamp and we were on our way.  I swear, he's like MacGyver...except he looks a lot more like Alan Alda than Richard Dean Anderson.