Friday, February 25, 2005

I've been tagged...

By Jane with the music survey thingie, so here goes:

1. Total amount of music files on your computer?

Zero. I used to be a huge Napster-phile about 4 or 5 years ago (has it really been that long?!?) but now it's illegal, so it's not worth getting caught. Fiance has an iPod and lots of music files, but we don't have similar musical tastes, so we don't share.

2. The last CD you bought was:

I can't remember, it's been so long- I think it was the Lost in Translation soundtrack. Fiance did get me a couple for xmas though- Modest Mouse- "Good news for people who love bad news", Frank Sinatra- "My way import", The Ray Noble Orchestra with Al Bowlly- "Midnight the stars and you" and the Charlie Brown Christmas CD.

3. What is the song you last listened to before reading this message:

I don't listen to a lot of music, so this is hard to answer. My radio is always tuned to NPR. I listened to the Lost in Translation soundtrack a few days ago while ironing, so probably that. My favorites from it are "Kaze wo atsumete" and Jesus and Mary Chain's "Just like honey" (a favorite from my youth).

4. Write down 5 songs that you often listen to or that mean a lot to you:

I'm not sure I could name only five, but here goes:
1. "In the aeroplane over the sea" by Neutral Milk Hotel. This song makes me so happy, like I am floating or something and has some of the most beautiful lyrics I've ever heard- I wish someone would sing me a love song like this! There is a gratuitous use of the singing saw in this song, so it will always be high on my list.
2. "Mother" by Tori Amos. Just typing that gave me goosebumps. I loved and miss the days when it was just her and her unbelievable voice and unbelievable piano. Also goosebump-worthy by T.A: "China", "Tear in your hand", heck, all of Little Earthquakes!
3. "Plainsong" by the Cure. Again, like Tori Amos, the Cure was basically the soundtrack of my teenage adolescent angst years, so pretty much every Cure song would have to be on this list up to and especially the album Disintegration. Every song on that album reminds me of the good parts of the angst like falling in love for the first time (or so I thought at the time!), but I picked Plainsong because it is so hauntingly beautiful. Other nods to the cure would be "Just like heaven", "The Lovecats", "Catch", etc., etc. etc.
4. "Perfect day" by Lou Reed (and covered by Duran Duran). Again, I can't stress how different the musical tastes are between fiance and I, but he asked me if the band that is playing our wedding could learn this song because it reminded him of me (aww...). Of course, I had the Lou Reed version in my head while he was thinking Duran Duran!
5. "Midnight the stars and you" by the Ray Noble orchestra, singer Al Bowlly. I originally heard this song at the end of the movie "The Shining", which is one my and fiance's favorite movies. It is at the very end, where you find out that Jack Nicholson has always been there. Anyway, I love music from the 20s, 30s and 40s and I could listen to this song on repeat a thousand times. As mentioned above, fiance bought it for me for xmas and we plan to play it at our wedding between band breaks.


Whew. That took forever. I think I could have gone on and on ad nauseum, but then I'd be here typing this all day! Thanks to Jane for the tag. I think I am supposed to pass this to three people, but it looks like everyone has done it already, except maybe Lisa, who I am going to pass it to. I hope it entices her to update- I miss reading her blog!

In knitting news, the socks are moving right along, but no pics of progress as they don't look a whole lot different than the last time I posted. I know, I am slow. Have a great weekend!

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Slogging away at the socks

My socks are finally starting to look like they have toes!




Not great photos, but you get the idea. According to my calculations, I have four more increase rows before I can get to a mindless knitting part. I am definitely going to have the fiance try them on before I do that though- I just love try-on-as-you-go toe-up socks! I'd also like to send out a big thank you to the girl sitting next to me on the bus this morning. Nothing makes doing a left lifted increase easier than someone's elbow jabbing into your ribs. She was sitting down. With her hands in her pockets and elbows pointed out to the sides. Who sits like that on public transportation? Well, her, obviously, but still.

SnB last night was a blast. I got to meet two knitters who hadn't been to the group before, Lisa and Jenny, who is a fellow avid blog reader. The group was small last night- only six of us, but I am sure we still managed to annoy the other B&N cafe patrons with our cackling. I wish we got together once a week at the Waterworks, but that's just me being selfish, since it is the closest SnB to me. I need to start going to the Monroeville knit nights again.

Also, thank you to Jill for your suggestion on appropriating yarns to try something else. Unfortunately, I think I just like to buy things, and new yarn and new needles are some of my favorite things to buy. Damn my capitalistic nature! Of course, once I buy them, I need to play with them, so the other things that I am knitting get pushed aside. I still like the projects. I just have an unfortunately short attention span when it comes to these things. And oh, a Koigu Clapotis- I can't wait to see a pic of that!

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Knitting ADD

So, I am having one of those days where I am so, so ready to buy yarn. I have gone to the Knit Picks site at least a half a dozen times today. I wonder if their Elegance yarn might make a nice Clapotis? I've been dying to make Clapotis ever since I saw it in the fall Knitty, but of course I can't afford the Lorna's Laces that the pattern calls for, so I thought that one day I would splurge and knit it. One day is not going to happen any time soon, and definitely not before the wedding. But the thing is, I think about Clapotis often and I get so jealous when I see someone's finished Clapotis. A lot of knitters have substituted the yarn with gorgeous results, so I could do that, but it just looks so divine in the Lion and Lamb. I also want to make a top-down raglan for myself, so I thought I'd order some Knit Picks yarn for that, but I already have so many other projects started (and nowhere near finished) that I am willing myself not to start another. Does anyone else have this problem? I think I just need to start something new. I am still waiting on the yarn that I ordered for the raglan baby sweater to come in, so hopefully I can begin that soon, and that'll calm me down. Until then, I will have to console myself with fiance's started socks at tonight's SnB. :(

Thursday, February 10, 2005

A sock beginning...

Last night I sat down, cleared my head, and finally figured out the "aloha" sock cast on:



It was pretty easy once I got the hang of it. So fiance's socks are on the way! Here is a photo of my gauge swatch in the round:



I knitted the bottom part with size 2US needles, then purled a few rows and switched to size 1 needles for the top. I got 9 sts to the inch with the 1s, and a nice strong fabric, so that's what I am using. Since the socks are toe-up, I am starting with the hard part and all of the increases, but I can't wait to get to the "mindless knitting" part. I am definitely not a knitter who enjoys a challenge. I think I like the action of knitting more than the finished product. Which reminds me of a scene in one of the best movies of all time, Delicatessen, where an old granny is knitting, and a machine is constantly unwinding and re-wrapping the bottom of her knitting into the ball she's knitting from, so she never gets anywhere. Not a great explanation on my part, but making me smile just thinking about it.

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Photo day!

Here's a photo of the completed hat and scarf set I mentioned a few posts back. They're both knit in k2, p2 ribbing with size 17US Addi Turbos. The yarn is Joann Sensations Licorice, and I think the colorway was called fuschia, or purple, or something like that. Behold my scariness:



And a closeup of the squishy yarn:



This yarn, as I think I mentioned before, is quite delightful to work with and knit up so, so fast. The scarf is about 6 and a half feet long (I am a big believer in extra long scarves). Viva la Licorice!

Monday, February 07, 2005

Decisions, decisions...

Thanks to all of you for your color input. I'm still loving the yellow color, but I fear what Jill mentioned, that it is spicy and a little too yellow. I really am not a fan of conventional baby colors on babies, like the pastels, so I love that screaming yellow, but think it could be overwhelming in the end. I love that green also, but hate to make a duplicate of the last sweater, so I guess I will go the safe route and order the blue. What a pretty blue though. My favorite is definitely the coral/pink color. Why, oh why, can't any of my friends have girl babies?!

Unfortunately no knitting news from the weekend, which was entirely occupied with house-related chores and general madness. We did find time to watch a movie on Friday night though, and I would just like to say that Shaun of the Dead definitely lives up to all that I have heard about it. Oh my, was that film funny. Hope everyone out there in blog-land had a productive knitting weekend!

Friday, February 04, 2005

Help me choose a color!

I am revisiting the top-down, raglan yoked baby sweater for some friends who are expecting in May. Help me choose a color yarn to make the sweater in. The yarn is Shepherd Color 4 Me, 100% superwash wool, (the pattern makes about a 6mo-12mo size) and here are the colors:



The parents are not planning to find out the sex of the baby, so unfortunately, no pink :(. I'm personally liking the orange, but don't really know if the parents would be into that. I also like the yellow. But then again, the blues are pretty also, specifically 1879. Thoughts?

Thursday, February 03, 2005

Photos coming slowly

I took Lisa's suggestion and am now trying Photobucket- thanks to anyone who offered hosting suggestions. Hopefully this will be only a temporary fix- I'd still like to find something that will allow me to store HTML as well as photos. Hopefully, I can find the photos of my old FOs also, most, if not all, may have been lost in The Great Computer Catastrophe of 2004. I know, I should be backing up everything, but I don't.

In knitting news, I finished the Licorice scarf on Tuesday night, just in time to wear the hat and scarf yesterday. Boy, is the scarf warm. As soon as I get around to snapping a photo of it, I'll post it in all of its squishy, colorful, all-wool glory. I tried to cast on for the fiance's socks, but think I need a little assistance with the "aloha" cast on from the book. Also, I was a little distracted at the time, watching a television program about The DaVinci Code. Fascinating. Anyway, I am looking forward to taking another crack at it as soon as I have more than five minutes to sit down that aren't already spoken for due to cleaning, eating or sleeping or work.