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!