Lady Knitterly: 06.2008

Resolution

I will bike to work every single day next week.

Because I can. And I should. I mean really.

Some Like it Hot

And some don't.

Back to the Task at Hand

I posted a little peak at my "new" cubbard doors a few days ago. Here is another look!

Oh my, it is true love. Not only are they bright, a plus given that my kitchen gets about an hour of direct sunlight, and even then only in the summer, but most importantly they are clean. Clean and smooth, and brilliant white. Of course, I still have to paint the box, but here is the most important question: what to do about the hinges?

As you recall (or maybe not) they were also slathered with multiple layers of regular old paint, and as such they looked like crud. I had a heck of a time getting them off, due to the paint layers and the fact that many of the screws were stripped, but I prevailed and ultimately boiled the paint away. They are shiny brass hinges. So the question becomes - what color should they be?

I could try painting them. How easy is it to paint something (well) with moving parts? And in that case what color should they be? Black like the handles? White like the doors? Should I just buy new ones? I have seen white ones at Home Depot that are about the same size (I didn't have anything to compare to be sure though) but only in white - I didn't see any black ones at all. Other various metal finishes though.

Which reminds me, I have to attribute the progress above to one little thing. This baby:

It's a Ryobi, just like my power drill. I think I'm starting to develop a thing for power tools. (Ryobi power tools are kind of small and cute, by the way, and not very expensive at all.) What does a single gal need with a power drill? Well, for one thing it is also a screwdriver - hanging things on the wall (or anywhere else) was never easier. And have you ever had to put together IKEA furniture? Enough said. And this little beauty? It did in about 1 minute what it would have probably taken an hour for me to do by hand.

Sold. Now just 17 more to go.

Crazy!

I have come to the conclusion that there is something wrong with me. There must be. I decided that today, after work, I would dig out My So Called Scarf and figure out why it has been languishing at 95% for 6 months or so (really). It was in a bag, in the closet, with several other items. Boy was I in for a surprise. But more on that another day.

Today is the day for the big Jeanie reveal! Except that I did the big reveal on the 1st and don't have any additional photos showcasing her, so if you want a reminder click on the link, since I don't hardly think it's very blog-friendly to post the same photos within the space of a week of each other.

Project Specs:
Pattern: Jeanie by Keri Williams from Knitty, Winter 2007

Yarn: YarnLust 100% Superwash Merino/Nylon in Huskies (400 yds/100g)
Needles: KnitPicks Options size 4 US (3.5mm) circular needle (24"), short stubby plastic 5" dpn size US 6 (4mm) to do the cables, and smooth aluminum (probably Susan Bates) 10" size 5 us (3.75mm) needles to do the edging. The pattern does not require this many needles, I just like to mix it up.
Finished Size: 6" x 67"
Started: 15 March 2006
Finished: 01 June 2008
Pattern mods: I only had one skein of fingerling weight yarn, but I wanted to make a scarf with a reversible pattern for my mother. I saw Jeanie on Knitty and loved it, so decided to try modifying it scarf-style. I simply knitted Chart A once, Chart B 3 times, and then Chart A once again. Knitted until I had only 10g of yarn left, enough to do the edging, or so I calculated (I was right - there was no crisis).

At first I thought my head was going to explode with all the ktbl and yo and make this stitch and drop that stitch complexities. I had to read the chart for nearly every. single. stitch. Until I finished the first pattern repeat and started on the second. It was like a light switched on in my head, everything made perfect sense, and I no longer had to read the chart at all! It was very intuitive, really. I also found it was a lot easier to drop the stitches you are instructed to drop every 12 rows on every row instead. This keeps the pattern repeats nicely separate and easily observable. Once I got into the flow of things I really enjoyed the pattern, twisting the stitches, dropping when appropriate, doing the little M1s. It was kind of meditative.

That being said, I would not recommend doing the pattern as a scarf. I recommend the pattern as written whole heartedly. I think the large size of the stole is an advantage, and gravity assists in making the pattern really pop. With a scarf so skinny you don't get that - it still looks nice, just not wow, like the original. I think I might knit it again (rare for me!) but doing the full pattern this time, and letting the pattern really shine.

And now, to reward you for making it to the end of the post, I give you "Simon's Cat" in "Cat Man Do". Forgive me if I have posted this before, but I can't remember, and it's too funny not to share it. If you have a cat yourself you may bust a gut. I swear this is a knitting blog and not a cat blog. (Actually it is turning into a knitting/opera/cat/gardening blog. Oh well.)

One Last Stalling Tactic

But do watch this because it is seriously funny. It's even funnier if you know any engineers. :)

An Engineer's Guide to Cats

Regularly scheduled programming to return tomorrow?

[Stomach]

I will write up the Jeanie Scarf and Adventures in Cabinet Refinishing soon (just as soon as I get off my duff) so in the meantime enjoy this homemade fried rice, made by me, courtesy of Joy of Cooking. I may start making all my eggs this way, they were seriously yummy. I usually fry my rice until it is, you know, fried, but this was good too. None of these items were grown by me, but a girl can dream.

[Heart]

I Dream of Jeanie

Behold, the Jeanie-scarf:

None of these photos do it any justice, incidentally.

Details forthwith.

6.13.2008

Resolution

6.09.2008

Some Like it Hot

6.06.2008

Back to the Task at Hand

6.05.2008

Crazy!

6.04.2008

One Last Stalling Tactic

6.03.2008

[Stomach]

6.02.2008

[Heart]

6.01.2008

I Dream of Jeanie

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