Sunday, November 30, 2008

Last Day of November...

Desk Flowers.
30 Days Of Blogging. Check!

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Friday, November 28, 2008

Flashback to Utah.

These are photos from the roadtrip Eric and I took to Utah in April. That was a fun trip. Hopefully, I'm hitting the Utah slopes today, like in the third photo!
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Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING.
Droplets.

I am thankful for so many things...
Now it's time to eat turkey!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

So close!!!

I realized last night that my month of consistent blogging is in major peril. So far this month, I've blogged for 25 days straight (!?!?) which is quite a feat for me. I have NEVER, in my four years of blogging, been a regular blogger. But I have to admit... this blogging thing? It's pretty fun. I actually have plenty to say and even if I don't, I have manymanymany photos to throw up on this little corner of the interwebs.

But I'm going on vacation starting this evening. Eric and I are driving up to Utah to ski and I'm not sure I'm going to have internet access. So I must coast out of my month of blogging. I will be scheduling some photos to go up, but it feels like cheating to just schedule photo posts for the last 5 days of the month. Oh well. Hopefully, I'll stick with blogging at a more regular pace than once a month. :) Have an awesome holiday weekend! See ya in December!!!

Desert Flower.

Hijack.

I'm hijacking my own blog to show my sister some yarn color combos. Regular posting will resume tomorrow. :) Ok... in no particular order.
Option 1: Pros = all the same yarn / Cons = purple color is so-so
Option 1.
Option 2: Pros = nice color combo / Cons = all different yarns
Option 2.
Option 3: Pros = all the same yarn, bright purple / Cons = navy is not very dark
Option 3.
Option 4: Pros = cheapest / Cons = not so sure about the purple
Option 4.
What do you think Kaylee?

Monday, November 24, 2008

Knitters in the Wild.

Last weekend at JTree was fun. I allowed myself a weekend of selfish knitting and I restarted my Lady Eleanor stole. I've heard it said by others, but it's true... Entrelac is really addicting. Especially with Noro yarn. It's great incentive to knit the next square and see what color comes up next! One more square... just one more...
Lady Eleanor Restarted.
Restarted with 55 sts on US8s. Puuuuurfect.
Girls Knitting in the Wild.
Knitting with some cool chicks: Jenna, me, & Elaine.
Joshua Tree Sunset.
Beautiful sunset.
I didn't actually do any rock climbing on belay, but the company and the landscape were well worth the trip. I have many more photos, so I'll post some more later. Good night!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

On Top of the World.

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White Chief Peak 11,159ft Sep 2008.
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Alta Peak 11,204ft Aug 2008.
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Moro Rock July 2008.
.......
Some photos of high places. I'll be back from Joshua Tree tomorrow! Hopefully I'll have some sweet photos.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

More Orchid Photos.

Orchid Blooms & Buds.
Another Bloom!
Sorry. Can't help it. She's photogenic.

Friday, November 21, 2008

J Tree.

I'm off to Joshua Tree this weekend to camp, rock climb, and photograph the wild landscape. I might even fit in some knitting! See ya Monday. Here are some pics from last year.
Joshua Tree.
Rock Group.
Climbing.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Be Careful What You Wish For.

I cracked! I couldn't take all the gift knitting... so far I've finished a pair of socks, a hat, 2.5 washcloths. That's pretty good progress, right? I deserve a little knitting love, too? Right?
Stole Beginnings.
Whoops.
So I started Lady Eleanor. All that pretty Noro was calling my name in it's silky, multi-hued voice. I would like large-ish squares for my stole, so I changed the pattern to 11 stitch squares on US7s, instead of 8 stitch squares. I cast-on for the recommended 7 triangles for the setup tier and happily knit away. I had great fun figuring out the entrelac and knitting backwards. Watching the pretty colors shift... While I was knitting I thought to myself, this is a bit too tight of a gauge... I wish it were a bit more drapey. But I was halfway into the 1st tier!! No way was I starting over. HA! I should know better than to think wishful thoughts. Even worse, I mentioned it to Gina at work today, warning that she might want to start her stole on US8s. Well, the knitting gods heard me. As I finished the 1st tier, I realized that the thing was a bit wiiiiide.
Too Wide.
30" wide is 6" too wide... I should have only done 5 set-up triangles (55sts).
I guess I will get to knit it on US8s. That's what I get for wishful thinking. And cheating on my gift knits. Sigh.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Nine-dimensional Cardigan?

Check out this comic... :D

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Random Craftiness.

I bought a jersey knit dress on sale from J.Crew a while back. It is a lovely dress, a very flattering fit, but the color was a bit bright for me. I believe it was called Melon? Or maybe Bright Rubarb? Perhaps Neon Orange? Anyway, it was a bit bright for me. Right on the edge of being an OK color, but I thought it might be fun to dye it. I bought a bottle of Rit dye in Wine and collected some rubber bands. I gathered the bottom of the skirt and randomly tied the rubber bands around the bottom foot of gathered skirt. I filled a bucket in my tub with hot water, 1 cup of salt, and a bottle of the Wine dye. It was reaaaaaally dark. It kind of scared me, but I tossed in the dress. After 30 min of soaking, I starting rinsing. Man! That dye did not want to rinse out. I rinsed and rinsed and rinsed some more... the water was still pink! So I tossed it in the washer... I peeked in during the final rinse... the water was still pink! So I'll have to wash this puppy by itself a few more times, but I really like it! The color is awesome now. Check out the cool tie-dyedness!
RIT dyed dress - Front.
Front.
RIT dyed dress - Back.
Back.
I think the back might be cooler than the front, but oh well. This successful dying experiment is making me want to tie-dye all my boring clothes! Fun!

Monday, November 17, 2008

Whoa.

Where did the day go? Where did the WEEKEND go? It was my birthday weekend so I got to choose the weekend activities. That means Eric went with me to Felt Club 2008, a craft show in LA. It was really cool! It was fun to see all the creative folks I admire on Etsy in real life. It's very inspiring. And speaking of inspiring, I know everyone has seen all the new patterns coming out, but did you check out the new Twist Collective? Or the new Knotions? Or the Interweave preview?!? So many good things. So little time to knit. I never thought I'd want to knit a coat, but check this one out: Sylvi. It makes me want to throw out all my Holiday knitting obligations and cast on right away! But first I would have to buy yarn, which is a no-no until March. So I'll wait... or will I?!? Which color would you choose?? The red is fabulous, but I don't really wear red. Orange, grey, creme? Purple?
My creation
Photos from Twist Collective. Color manipulation by me.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Ophelia Orchid.

Jenna gave me an orchid for my birthday. She's chock full of buds and very pretty.
Ophelia Phalaenopsis.
Let's hope I can keep her happy, green, and blooming.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Smokey Sunrise.

The Santa Ana winds are blowing.
Smokey Sunrise.
Smokey red sunrise.
Fire season is upon us. It's kind of scary living in a place that has a "fire season." Give me snow over fire any day.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Vintage post: "Loose ends..."

Here is a vintage post that I forgot to publish back in Oct 06. Whoops! Better late than never:
I have a couple loose ends.

Some to tie up. Some to rip out.

First I'd like to post about an FO that was never really shown on this blog before. It's nothing fancy, but as I was transfering files from my old computer to my new computer I happened to stumble upon the pictures. Introducing the Seafoam Scarf.
The loose end to rip out is referring to my Jaywalker sock. Sigh. It doesn't fit my foot. It fits my ankle very well, but the heel and instep are way too big. I don't have much experience with a heel flap, so I know it can probably be adjusted with something simple, like a shorter heel flap or picking up less stitches... Here's a picture of the ill-fitted-ness... Can anyone help me out here? Or should I just fall back to my old standard, the short row heel?

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Happy Birthday to me!

I have the most awesome friends. :D
Cupcakes!!!
Coconut, Lemon, Boston Creme, Godiva Chocolate, Red Velvet
Thanks for all the birthday wishes and cupcakes my friends! I have a feeling 26 is going to be a good year.
Knitting Fiends.
Some of my knitting buddies: Kate, Gina, Rosalind, Grace, & Elyse. And the next gift knit: Thorpe III.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Knitting Math.

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This photo has nothing to do with the post. I just couldn't blog without a photo.

Last weekend at the bike party, a lot of people were impressed by my mad knitting skillz. I was turning the heel on the second Retro Rib sock and it was fun to try to explain sock architecture to non-knitters. The most frequently asked question was definitely "how long does it take you to knit a pair of socks?" Hmmm. Well, I'm not sure. I don't normally keep track of how long it takes me to knit in any concrete way. Sure, I fill in the start and end dates in Ravelry, but how much actual knitting time does it take to knit a pair of socks? I guessed 40 hrs as a guesstimate last weekend and then I timed myself knitting Monday night to get a better estimated time.

It turns out that it takes me ~3 min to knit on round on this sock. There are 10 cuff rows + 80 leg rows + 32 heel flap rows + 72 foot rows + 25 toe rows = ~220 rows * 3 min/row = 660 min = 11 hrs * 2 socks = 22 hrs!!! Wow... that doesn't seem like long at all. I was way off on the 40 hrs.

Anyway, I finished the socks last night! On to the next gift knit!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

EZ Mitered Mittens.

This weekend was lots of fun! Eric mountain bikes with the coolest people. It was actually pretty chilly in the mountains so I got to make use of multiple knitted objects. Hats, scarves, mittens! I finally got a decent modeled shot of the mitered mittens I made out of some beautiful handspun yarn in my stash.
Mitered Mittens.
I even have enough handspun left over to make a coordinating hat. I'm thinking that brooklyntweed's Turn A Square (ravelink) would be perfect.

Check out more pictures from the weekend below! Here is a link to the slide show if you can't see it below!

Monday, November 10, 2008

One Word Meme.

Where is your mobile phone? desk
Where is your significant other? far
Your hair colour? dirty
Your mother? sweet
Your father? good
Your favourite thing? sleeping
Your dream last night? forgotten
Your dream goal? happiness
The room you're in? glowy
Your hobby? making
Your fear? spiders
Where do you want to be in 6 years? together
Where were you last night? Visalia
What you're not? well-rested
One of your wish-list items? tripod
Where you grew up? suburbia
The last thing you did? flickr
What are you wearing? pjs
Your TV? off
Your pets? Libby
Your computer? iMac
Your mood? sleepy
Missing someone? always
Your car? dirty
Something you're not wearing? bra
Favourite shop? yarnshop
Your summer? short
Love someone? muchly
Your favourite colour? purple
When is the last time you laughed? today
When is the last time you cried? today
Sorry for the meme cop out, but I thought this one was fun. I'll be back in the morning with lots o' photos!

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Silhouette.

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Kayaking through cave in the Channel Islands. July 2008.

Saturday, November 08, 2008

Hover Dog.

Ruby is an awesome Frisbee dog. Here she is in action.
Hover Dog.
Good Catch!
Ruby
Good catch, Ruby!

Friday, November 07, 2008

Droplets on Yellow.

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Heading up to Visalia this weekend. Eric's friends throw an annual bike party at their cabin in the mountains. Last year it rained, but this year it's just supposed to be cold. It should be fun and I'll have lots of knitting time while most of the other party-goers hurtle down the mountain on two wheels. :) See ya Monday.

P.S. I have pre-made some weekend posts, so as to keep my blogging streak going. WOOT.

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Nano Sock.

I don't think I ever posted about this, but I bought a new purple nano because my pink nano's screen died. This is the 4th(!?!?) iPod nano I have owned. Remember my first nano? I am a sucker for Apple marketing fo' sho'. Silly.
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So I knit my nano a sock out of Koigu.
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Doesn't it coordinate well?
I love my new nano.
It's the coolest.
The End.

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Mandie
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I like pizza. And knitting. And photography. This place is to keep track of my antics. Enjoy.

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