To Space! And Beyond!

Finished Object Alert!!!

Pattern: Split-Neckline Cap-Sleeved Tee from Stephanie Japel's Fitted Knits
Yarn: Cascade Yarns Invito Print for body / Pima Tencel for trim
Needles: KnitPicks Options circulars, size US 8 (for body) and US 6 (for trim)

Modifications: I followed the pattern for size 34" until I separated the sleeves from the body, where I increased three stitches at each underarm. Approximately four inches below that, I decreased by one stitch at each underarm marker every fifth row three times. I finished the garment following the pattern, including the darling picot eding and the split-neckline. After the first wearing, however, I realized that this was just not practical. The split-neckline split sooooo far that my bra strap and my underarm kept showing, and that the fit of the tee was awkward and unflattering. The picot trim, while having a very "finished" look, tended to flip over, so that the inside of the trim would show and the neckline would pull and sag.

So, home I went, and ripped out all the edging. For the bottom of the body and the sleeves, I decreased the stitches by 10%, then knit a 2x2 ribbing. I stitched up the split-neckline, then knit in a little faux split-necking garter edge. Leaving the clasp in place, I knit a 2x2 ribbing around the neck, in the round, and decreased at the raglan "seams" on one round. And, yeah, I have to be a little careful when I pull the thing over my giant noggin, but the fit is so much better -- even if the sleeves do still flip out a little.

Grrr! (On Being Shorted and STILL Smarting From It)

The office in which I work is just one floor in a 13-story building filled with drab, depressing, SAD-inducing, grey cubicles. There are 33 cubicles that have windows and 28 interior cubicles. I have been in one of those miserable interior cubicles since the day I started this job. As you may recall, I recently celebrated my second anniversary at my job, so it's been a long miserale interior cube while. Additionally, most employees get outta Dodge either just before or just after their second anniversary, so sticking with this job after two years adds me to the group of more "senior" attorneys. When someone does get outta Dodge and their cubicle becomes available, one of my supervisors (and I have four, count 'em, FOUR supervisors, so if you're picturing Office Space right now, you're on the money) sends out an email offering up the cube. Interested persons send a reply email. As you can imagine, people just jump at the chance to upgrade to a window cubicle. From the pool of interested persons, the supervisor gives the cubicle to the most senior attorney. Or, at least, that's how it's supposed to work. (Foreshadowing!)

For the past two years, I have sent in reply emails for window cubicles on the other side of the building, which is warmer than the side of the building that I am on. For the past two years, I have come up empty-handed, which smarted just a tad when the two fellows I started the job with got warm window cubes before me. Fine, they probably just sent their reply email before I did.

Once a year, on a Tuesday in August, a handful of special projects come up. These projects are important, expedied matters which require the participating attorney to go off-site to the main building (see, our drab Cubicle Village is in a separate building from the rest of the operation because there isn't enough room for all the attorneys in the main building), conference with the Head Honchos, and remain at the main building until the matter is settled. Attorney participation for these special projects (usually) works on a voluntary basis. I say "usually" because one of these projects was thrust upon me that Tuesday morning. So off I went to the main building. I conferenced with the Head Honchos. I stayed there all day.

When I returned to Cubicle Village at approximately 4:00 p.m., there was an email in my inbox. Turns out, the most wonderful window cubicle had become available. This was some prime real estate, I tells ya. A window on the warm side of the building, with Southern exposure. Direct sunlight, whoo hoo! I sent my reply email, letting my interest known. I figured I was a sure thing because everyone who had started before me already had a window cubicle or did not want one.

I heard nothing from the supervisor. Days went by. Finally, I contacted the supervisor and asked what the situation was with said Prime Real Estate. I was told that the cubicle had been given to another attorney. He was set to move in to the cubicle the following week. And this is where I was officially gypped, Dear Reader, as the attorney who had gotten the Prime Real Estate had only been at the job for just about one year. When I pointed this out to the supervisor, what did I get? An email that contained one word: "Sorry."

So what happened? Did the supervisor drop the ball figuring who was the most senior attorney to reply to the email? (In which case, couldn't the supervisor rectify the mistake, as the winning attorney had yet to move into the cubicle?) Or did I not reply to the Cubicle On the Real Estate Market Email fast enough? (In which case, should I be penalized for the supervisor sending out the email while I was, at the supervisor's request, away from my desk and at the main building, working on a special project with the Head Honchos?)

Weeks went by. Every time I stepped into my miserable interior cubicle, I smarted from being shorted out of the window cube. Finally, another cube opened and I fought for it and I won it. Dear Reader, I settled (only after the supervisor told me, in so many words, that there were other attorneys he would give window cubicles before me). I settled for another interior cubicle. The new cube, however, is on the warm side of the building and it is just across a Cubicle Village Street from a window cubicle. Accordingly, when I would turn around in my chair in my Old Cubicle, I would see this:


Now, when I turn around, I see this:


It's no window of my own to call home, but it is a vast improvement.

What They Don't Tell You

Talking with my girlfriends at work this week (by the way, am I the only one who isn't a great-grandmother that still calls friends who are girls "girlfriends"?), the topic turned to things They don't tell us. Such as, when we were growing up, shouldn't someone have told us that when we got older, that mole on our chins would grow a big ol' black hair out of it? Wouldn't it have been much easier, less shocking, if we had been warned?

Know what else They don't tell you? That once you start knitting, you will want to knit everything you see! Especially when it comes to Christmas knitting, where my eyes are definitely bigger than my stomach -- I mean, budget... time limit... talent limit.

I have already started my Christmas knitting, and good thing, too, because every day that passes, I find another project, another gift for another person. Shown to the top right is some yarn for two Super Secret Christmas Projects: Ella Rae Classic Wool, on sale at Webs, and Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in "Provincial Rose." Shown to the left is my progress on Danica, which will also be a Christmas gift, but the future recipient does not read this blog, so it is not an Official Super Secret Christmas project. There is also one other Super Secret Christmas Project on the needles which is so Top Secret, it cannot even be photographed! And that's not all! There's more to come! I can't stop myself! Handknits for everyone!

Knit Your Own Linebacker

Finished Object Alert!!!

Pattern: Two-Tone Ribbed Shrug from Stefanie Japel's Fitted Knits
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash -- 1 skein "Iris" for ribbing and 1 skein "Black" for body
Needles: KnitPicks Options 24" circulars, size US 8 (for body) and US 5 (for ribbing)
Modifications: None!

I didn't even have this baby on my To-Do list, but I thought it would be a nice little somethin' to wear with my little black dress. It was a very quick knit -- for me, at least -- at just under one week of Commuter Train Knitting in Public. I am pleased with the shrug, and I will most likely wear this combo to work tomorrow, but if I knit it again, I'd probably knit a larger size, despite my actual shoulder-to-shoulder measurement, to reduce the way my shoulders look like those of a linebacker.

Happy Labor Day!

Viva Las Road Trip!

Well, oh, well! Where HAVE I been?!

My boyfriend and I went on an old-fashioned road trip down to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (where we went on a four hour hike on Mount Le Conte), Nashville (where we went to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, ate BBQ sandwiches, and listened to a guitarist in a bar on Broadway), Memphis (where we went to Beale Street and -- most importantly -- visited Graceland!), and then up to Chicago (where we spent some time with my family). And I kid you not, Graceland (seen to the above left) was The Experience! Before, I was merely a casual Elvis fan. The extent of my celebration of Elvis was limited to "Viva Las Vegas." Now... I'm obsessed! I've had an Elvis Awakening, if you will. If you ever have the chance to go, you absolutely must!


While on the road, I knitted up some baby washcloths and burp cloths out of Knit Picks Shine Worsted in Bachelor Button and Cream. Our friends were due to have their baby while we were gone, and lo and behold, the little one arrived last week!

Arranged in a basket, and accompanied by an All Star Baby baseball, from left to right: Alex's Cloth, Ballband Dishcloth, basketweave cloth, another Ballband Dishcloth, and Baby Genuis Burp Cloth. And yeah, sure, some of them are technically dishcloths, but when it comes to spit-up, does it really matter so long as it's mashine washable and dryable? (Credits to Amanda at Yet Another Knitting Blog for the idea!)

Summertime Winter

Finished Object Alert!!!

Pattern: Winter Socks, Magic Loop book, Mens size
Yarn: KnitPicks Swish Superwash (worsted) in Grey, just under 3 balls
Needles: KnitPicks Options 40" Circulars US 6
Modifications: None

This is only the second pair of socks I've ever made. The first pair was for my mom's beau for Christmas last year. I had only been knitting for two months when I'd decided I'd try the sock thang. As much as knitting those socks flew by on the dpns, after a while I got used to using circulars and wanted to try out the Magic Loop method for my next pair. So I cast on for these, and I took months and months to knit them. Poor things kept getting put on the backburner.

This pair was for my boyfriend, who is seen in these photos sporting the warm, wintery things. He loves that they were especially made for his two different sized feet.

PS: Thanks for all the get-well-wishes when I was sick! Summer colds/flus are the pits! I tell ya, I have gotten sick more times in the past two years than I have in my whole life. I blame the building I work in. It's kept at 63 degrees year-round, has terrible ventilation, and there's a "clinic" on the second floor. Recipe for immune system disaster!

Sick...

So sorry to keep you waiting for that Split Neckline Cap-Sleeved Tee, but I've been sick as a dog, as they say, with a fever that felt as if someone set fire to my bone marrow. The fever has, thankfully, passed, but I'm still recovering. Just wanted to let you know I haven't forgotten about you!

Mr. Postman...

So this weekend, there will be No Knitting. There will only by The Reading of Harry Potter. Of course, I'm still waiting for the book to be delivered, because I pre-ordered it from Amazon. Oh, Mr. Postman, please come soon!

In the Meantime, In Between Time *

Why am I covered in teal colored fuzz? Because I finished the Split Neckline Cap-Sleeved Tee from Fitted Knits and did not like the picot edging. So I'm ripping it out and replacing it with some down-home 1x1 ribbing. Stay tuned for details...

In the meantime, I picked up some darling shoes. They're Jessica Simpson's brand (no joke) and they're fabulous! They have just a slight wedge, so they're close to being flats without being painfully flat, and a roomy toe box. Best of all, they're practical. And apparently, as evidenced by the offical line-up of shoes that I keep at the office, all I buy are "practical" shoes. (By the way, in case you're wondering, the freakish purple welt on my ankle in the above left photo is a mosquito bite! Ew!)


* Wow, do you guys remember The Party? They were the pop band that formed from cast members of the "New" Mickey Mouse Club -- you know, the same "New" Mickey Mouse Club as in Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake and that role model, Britney Spears. "In the Meantime, In Between Time" was The Party's second album. But my favorite was their 1990 self-titled debut. Was I a rockin' 10 year old, or what?

What's the Rush?

New York's got this new campaign going, all about getting folks to give up the bottled water and start drinking the tap water. Now, I know they say that NY water is the cleanest and tastiest in the country, and I don't doubt it. But when I lived in Brooklyn, in a building erected in the 1920s and maintained by a... questionable... landlord, by time that delicious NY water came up the ancient copper pipes, it had a brown tint to it. Of course, I didn't turn to the bottle (of water, that is), but I did filter all my H2O through a Brita. When I was out-and-about, though, I wouldn't hesitate to stop at a bodega and grab a crisp, clean bottle of Poland Spring. What, should I have asked the bodega guys to go in the back and fill me a glass from the bathroom tap?

Good thing I live in Jersey now, where I can, it seems, waste all the plastic bottles I want. Especially while waiting for the bus and knitting up a "winter sock." This is only my third sock attempt, and this one's been on the needles for quite a while. It's 80 degrees out, who wants to fuss with wool? Even if it is superwash? This sock (and eventually, hopefully, its mate) will be going to the boyfriend's feet. I have until winter, anyway, as it is called a "winter sock," so what's the rush?

Ring Around

So much knitting to catch up on, people! But first -- I have to say, I'm swooning! I've been added to the Knitting Blogs webring, and people other than my boyfriend and my mom have actually been reading this blog! And people have actually been leaving comments! I must thank these brave, kind souls: Amanda, -R-, Leslie, and Veronica. Thank you for making me feel welcome!

Okay. Now on to some knitty business. I'm finally trucking along on my Split-Neckline Cap-Sleeved Tee from Fitted Knits. I'm almost done with the body and it looks as if I'll have two entire, untouched balls of Cascade Yarns Invito Multicolor "Joan" left over. Whaaaa? How'd that happen?

Also, EZ, my bestest-friend-from-college, who you may also remember from "The Tale of the Catamaran of Evil, Or: Why Oatmeal Isn't So Great on the Way Back Up", came to visit this past weekend. And lo, who LOVED the Summertime Tunic more than I did? EZ! And it fit her better than it fit me! But I did warn her that while she may love it now, just give it 12 hours.

Finally, I just realized that Brooklyn General is near my workplace (yes, I must live under a rock), so I'm thinking of taking a field trip down there during lunch this week. If you're there, you'll probably spot me spending more money I don't have on more yarn that I don't need just yet.

Competitive Eating Day

July 4, to me, is not Independence Day. No, siree. It is Competitive Eating Day! What can be more American than stuffing your face? Especially with hot dogs? And by "hot dogs," I mean Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs in the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest! In Coney Island! In front of a huge crowd! And broadcast on ESPN!

Back in 2004, when I was living in Brooklyn, I went with my boyfriend and a couple I know from law school out to Coney Island to watch the hot dog eating contest. There were a ton of people there, but not nearly as many as were there this year, so we got a great spot to view the contest. That year, Kobayashi won the Mustard Belt, breaking his own record and setting a new world record of 53.5 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes. The most amazing thing, though, was that after watching the contestants chow down all these hot dogs, people in the crowd actually still had the desire to eat a hot dog, themselves! Blech!

After watching the contest, we went back to my apartment. The guys were so... inspired... by what they had seen that they had their own White Castle Eating Contest. The rules were that they had to finish all the White Castle sliders, then chug a beer, and the first one to crush the beer can on his forehead was the winner. My boyfriend won. Then we went on my roof and watched the fireworks coming from South Street Seaport.

Happy Competitive Eating Day, America!

Things You Can Tell Just By Wearing It For 12 Hours

I debuted my Summertime Tunic today, and my love affair with it went a little something like this:

6:45 a.m.: Mmmm. Soft, comfortable. I feel so fashionable!

10:30 a.m. Great color! I love the way the Knit Picks Shine Worsted drapes across my hipfat.

12:42 p.m.: What's up with my side shaping? It looks so obvious. And it's quite roomy around the waist and hip. Ah, well. If it really bothers me, maybe I'll rip back from the bottom and re-do.

2:59 p.m.: Hm... The bottom is really, really roomy. And heavy. So heavy. So, so heavy.

5:12 p.m.: Good God, what was I thinking, wearing a strapless bra with these huge sandbags? I know I can't wear a strapless! Why would I make a garment that had to be worn with a strapless?!

5:14 p.m.: That was slick of me, slipping off my strapless on the train and stuffing it into my purse. Now my sandbags are touching my belly button, but at least it doesn't feel like my ribs are broken anymore.

6:06 p.m.: I feel like a hobo.

7:00 p.m.: Never again!

Mamma Mia!

So my mom finaly got the "hint" in my June 10, 2007, post and sent me a picture of her wearing "Sizzle."
Wowza! Not too shabby for not having had her measurements while I knit the garment!

FO: Summertime Tunic

Ugh! So I just started to make corn muffins, got the egg cracked into the 1/3 cup of milk and everything, only to open up the Jiffy box and find the corn muffin mix covered in tiny, tiny ants. Strangest thing, they were just inside the box. Not a trace of them in the cabinet. How on earth did they get there?! It reminded me of my apartment senior year in college. It had a serious tiny ant problem even though the apartment was sprayed monthly. One time, I left the apartment and went shopping for a b-day present for my mom. I was out at the mall for a long while, shopped around, stopped for a hot pretzel, you know the drill. When I finally found something for my mom and held out my credit card to pay, there was one of those tiny ants on my wrist! It had hitched a ride on my body for HOURS!

Tonight, the corn muffins were going to be a treat for finally (finally!) finishing the "Summertime Tunic" from the summer 2007 issue of Inteweave Knits. I used Knit Picks Shine Worsted in "Bachelor Button" and size US 7 circular needles. That darn tunic was some sloooooow going. Especially since this past week I had a cold, threw out my back, aaaaand there were three days were it was, I kid you not, hotter than hell outside. Too hot to knit.

The name is Stockinette. Jen Stockinette.

This past January, EZ (my bestest-friend-from-college) and I left our fellas at home and went on a cruise together. Now, cruising is something you either love or hate. And we don' t just love it; we LURVE it! I guess it's like college for us, back when EZ and I were roommates, plus she and I travel well together. We love having our adventures in the ports-of-call, sure, but we like coming back to the ship at the end of the day, filling up on food and drink, getting pampered, and waking up in a new location. This ship is its own adventure, too. The best is meeting new people and talking to all the other cruisers, because, and I cannot stress this enough, EVERYONE IS SO HAPPY! (And there are no cell phones!)

It's interesting that while I am a terrible swimmer and while I am not exactly keen on being IN the water, I can't get enough of being ON the water. I think I got my love of cruising from my grandfather, who was in the Navy. He was also big on cruising.


In January, EZ and I went to Key West, Cozumel, and Belize City. We also had one day at sea to chill out and bake in the sun. This picture is from a sandy atoll near Belize City where we lounged for a time after snorkeling. Every time I see this picture, my heart physically aches because it is so beautiful.

Of course, the vacation was not without its "downs." Well, there was only one "down." It happened the morning of January 17. We were supposed to be docked in Cozumel, but something had happened so that a tender was needed to reach the shore. No matter to EZ and I, as we were going to be taking a 45-minute long tender ride anyway, not to Cozumel, but to Playa del Carmen, where we would continue on to the Tulum Mayan Ruins and Xel-Ha, a natural water park.

Our group was late getting onto the tender, which shall be forever now called the "Catamaran of Evil." As we finally boarded it, whisperings rippled through the crowd that we were late because someone had nearly fallen in the ocean, the water was so choppy. When the full Catamaran of Evil separated itself from the ship, it instantly bucked up and down like a rollercoaster, and the passengers squealed. As we moved along, the going got tougher. The stomachs of everyone on the Catamaran of Evil tightened collectively as the horizon line swinged above, then dipped below the portholes. At the same time, we were thrown backwards and forwards in our seats. The crew began walking through the aisles, passing out lavender-colored plastic bags. The television at the front of the Catamaran of Evil, which was showing still photographs of hot people on gorgeous beaches, was failing to distract me.

Then it began. Like the scene from "Stand By Me" where everyone starts to puke at the pie eating contest, lavender-colored bags were being thrown left and right, catching upchuck. And it was only 20 minutes into the 45-minute ride.

The panic set in. "I can't do this," I worried aloud to EZ. She said, "It's okay. Just breathe." I replied by jumping out of my seat and heading towards the restrooms in the back. On the way, I was thrown about by the choppy sea. I landed on a few other passengers, and, most notably, slammed into a pole and slid down an entire row of seats (earning a nasty bruise as a result). I finally made it to the back, where I grabbed a lavender-colored plastic bag from a member of the crew and slammed myself into a restroom. At this point, I must stress: I am NOT a vomiter and I do NOT get seasick. It had been ten years since my stomach had turned on me. But turn on me it did, this morning of January 17.

Now, I don't know if any of you have had the seasickness, but it is quite possibly the worst thing to happen to your body. You feel like it will never end, and you feel like you should just cut your losses and die already.

We finally made it to Playa del Carmen, and when I emerged from the restroom, at least 75% of the other passengers looked as pale as me. EZ, by the way, had been (secretly) taking Dramamine, the newfangled kind the lasts 24 hours and doesn't cause drowsiness, so while she was uncomfortable, her breakfast oatmeal stayed in its rightful place.

Anyway, we had an amazing day after that, but I was scared the whole time that I had to get back on the Catamaran of Evil to return to the ship. So I purchased some Mexican Dramamine, the suspicious kind with no Drug Facts listed on the side and no safety wrapping around the box. I took some, and was half asleep in 20 minutes. Good thing I was only half asleep, because I would have otherwise missed what was playing on the television. Instead of still photographs of hot people on gorgeous beaches, it was the video of Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer. EZ and I sat next to each other, exhaused and rapt by the video. Since that time, I've been addicted to Sledgehammer. And here is where knitting finally enters the story.

While knitting my Summertime Tunic on the commuter train this week, I realized that "Sledgehammer" is perfect for motivating stockinette in the round -- which is a good thing, because this tank is all stockinette, all the time. I don't know if Sledgehammer works for all you Continental-style knitters out there, but give it a shot and let me know.

This motivated me to find other tunes that matched my stockinette-in-the-round pace. I came up with a few...

(1) Average White Band's "Pick up the Pieces".

(2) K.C. & The Sunshine Band's "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty"

(3) Madonna's "Hung Up" (which grew on me, as my intial reaction was: "What did she do to ABBA?!?!?!")

(4) The Eames Era's "Could Be Anything"

(5) Toots & The Maytals' "Funky Kingston" (slows down the pace a little, but it's worth it)

As for "Sledgehammer," viewing of the video by
Aardman is optional, but highly suggested.

"Let Them Buy Knitting Books!"

Good news! I've got a job!

Well, truth be told, I already had a job. The real news is that I get to keep it. Where I work, your first two years on the job are, for lack of a better term, "probationary." When the two years are up, all the big cheeses get together to decide whether or not to "invite" you to stay. I recently got invited to stay! Yay!

In my life before knitting, to celebrate such an exciting event, I would have purchased a handbag. Now, to celebrate, I feed my knitting obsession.



I treated myself to Jacqueline Fee's "The Sweater Workshop". I have already made a few garments from the top down, but decided it was time to learn to make garments from the bottom up. I could always use a little learnin'. I was a good student and started the "Sweater Sampler" (while watching Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette"). What a great way for a novice, like me, to learn such things as short-rows and to try a little two-color knitting!

(By the way, I'm not usually a fan of Kirsten Dunst. I find her acting leaves much to be desired, and, if I may be so snotty, the snaggleteeth bother me. But I quite enjoyed her in "Marie Antoinette." Quite a delicious film. "Like candy!")

Oh, My Darlin'

A few months ago, I decided I should learn to read a chart, and that I should do so by making the Clementine Shawlette from IK Spring 2007 in Knit Picks "Gloss" in "Pumpkin." Only three mistaks on the whole thing. Not too shabby. Oh! AND I learned the kitchener stitch! Double whammy.

My "Sizzle" Saga

Today, I finished by third "Sizzle," designed by Wendy at Knit and Tonic.



My first "Sizzle" was a little red number knit up in Karabella Yarns "Zodiac" on size US 7 circular needles. This was my very first garment, and I followed the pattern exactly. The fit on top turned out well, but the bottom half was too roomy and it was too short for my taste. I did, however, love the deep v-neck. What did I learn? Working with 100% cotton is the pits!




My second "Sizzle" was for my mom for her birthday. I used the recommended yarn (Silk Bijou by Olympus) and size US 7 circular needles. I followed the pattern exactly, again knitting a front and a back and then seaming the pieces together. My mom, who lives in Chicago, says it fits, but has yet to send me a picture to prove it.



My third "Sizzle" was an experiment. I've recently become obsessed with knitting garments from the top down, in the round. So I adapted the pattern to do this. The result? The v-neck isn't as deep as I would have liked it, and the placement of my bust darts are all funky. (How did this happen? I have no idea. Thankfully, I just received in the mail
"Sweater Design in Plain English" by Maggi Righetti.) The moral of the story: I continue to underestimate the extent of my bust. This third "Sizzle" was knit on size US 7 circulars in nearly 8 complete balls of Knit Picks Shine Worsted in "Snapdragon."



While this third "Sizzle" is by no means my last (I intend to keep trying until it's perfect for my body), as soon as I finished weaving in the ends, I cast on for the "Summertime Tunic" from the summer 2007 issue of Inteweave Knits. I am using Knit Picks Shine Worsted in "Bachelor Button" and (of course) size US 7 circular needles from my brand-spankin'-new
Knit Picks Options Knitting Needles Set. Oh, how I love these needles!

My "Fad Classic"

My favorite knitting blogs are the ones with extensive, no-nonsense photos of finished objects, complete with extensive, no-nonsense details about the knitting of those objects. That's why, here at Law and Garter, I'll keep my Flickr album (check the sidebar) complete. I'll also give you all the details, here.

Here goes.



Here's the "Fad Classic," designed by Wendy at Knit and Tonic. I used size US 7 needles and (almost) three skeins of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in "Violet," which looked great in the skein, but looked more and more like Barney, the annoying dino, as I knitted along. The only modification I made to this size 34 garment was to not do any waist increases. In fact, instead of increasing, I decreased some more, though I don't remember how many times. I also don't remember how long this project took me. It got put on the back burner for a while, and I get the bulk of my knitting done while on the commuter train.

By the way, one round in the four-round stitch pattern calls for you to k1p1 into each stitch. I dreaded this round, because it took me so darn long --- until, that is, I discovered that I could k1p1 in time with Michael Jackson's Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough. Try it. You won't be sorry.

The Very First Thing

So it appears as if I am starting a blog. Little ol' me.

The idea is that I'd like to keep track of my knitting projects and, at the same time, maybe amuse a few people out there. The goal is to post at least once a week.

I'm fairly new to knitting; I only began last October, and I can be slooooooow. But that may have to do with my job taking up a lot of my time...

That being said, as this is the very first post for my very first blog, I'd like to share my very first bit 'o' knitting: a small swatch of crazy acrylic goodness created on aluminum US 8 needles. Garter stitch, all the way, baby!