Mel Knits & Lives in the Emerald City

No Kitchen

2011-11-29T11:34:00.001-08:00

But, in the meantime, I am wishing I could make this.

***

We successfully moved last Sunday. I put the All Points Bulletin out about a week ahead of time, and didn't expect much response since it was a holiday weekend. I was bowled over when I saw who actually did end up coming at the last minute - a few friends from Crossfit (including our most inspirational competitive Oly-lifter), our friends Kris & Randy who were committed from the start, and one of the Microsoft-contingent of friends.

We managed in a big- and a small-trip in a 26 foot U-Haul trailer. I felt an odd sense of comfort being behind that wheel - it reminded me of my college days driving a bus. (Yes, I had a commercial B-class license in California).

Another tip I will suggest - we rented plastic boxes from a company called Karmaboxx. I highly recommend them - they are sturdy as can be, and on Sunday night when we had a small basement flood directly under our as-yet-to-be-assembled IKEA cabinets (OY!), we did not even bat an eyelash because the boxes are molded in one piece at the bottom (i.e. no leaks).

So, currently, we are dashing back and forth between cleaning up the old house for our final walk-through with our landlady on Wednesday, and coming back and unpacking more stuff at our new home.

And, yes, there is no kitchen. It is still down to the subfloor. We have 1/4" plywood to nail down, and after that we need to go buy some Hardiboard from Lowe's and then the actual tile (!!!) from Pius down in Sodo. My goal is to have the tile and grout done and start assembling cabinets this weekend.

Exciting!

Stocking Up

2011-11-21T10:56:00.001-08:00

Since we have been in the midst of a kitchen demolition, I have not had the luxury of time at home to cook healthy foods for us. Meats and vegetables lay dormant in the fridge.

I hope to rectify that today.

I did manage to roast a pastured chicken last Friday while waiting for a friend from college to show up (we had a great time for the few hours she was able to spend with me!) and now I need to cook up the rest of the veggies so they are ready to go and we aren't dependent on pho, delicious as it is, or other restaurant fare every night.

My plan is to remove the chicken meat from the bones and use the bones in a chicken stock, but then actually use the stock with some stew beef cubes I have in the fridge. Plenty of veggies can get hidden in there. We also have some broccoli from our CSA box so I think I might prepare it a little differently than usual (which is: chop, toss in olive oil or ghee, roast at 400 deg F till it's a little crispy). I think I will blanch it and then stir fry with some garlic.

I am sure there are other greens that need to get used, but one more dish idea I have is to just roast some potatoes. The CSA box has gifted us with a few pounds of potatoes. I am saving some for Thanksgiving, but will probably throw a Pyrex dish with sliced potatoes in the oven with some butter and aromatics (like onion and garlic).

Meanwhile, the electricians got started today! And the floor refinishers are coming tomorrow! After today, I actually will have a few days where I can cook after work instead of demolishing kitchens or hauling garbage. Yay!

Kitchen Demolition

2011-11-20T07:39:00.001-08:00

We are tearing into our new house like there is no tomorrow. We decided that the dirty, outdated kitchen had to go, and we have been putting in blood and sweat (no tears yet).

The continuing destruction in the new house has been an excellent excuse for me to indulge and wear baggy clothes. And shower together after we get home, but that's an entirely different story.

Here are some progress pictures. First up was our first day of demolition:


L-Sit on the counters. Yep.

I harangued a coworker into helping us, and he was instrumental in providing additional force for tearing off the overhead cabinets (Thanks, Mark!). The next day, I tore into the base cabinets while Daniel showed some prospective tenants around, and we finally got everything cleared.

Day 3 had us tearing up most of the plywood sub-floor, and we started off using an electric scraper. An electric scraper is a tool that has a blade on the front, angled towards the floor, and vibrates. As it vibrates,you urge it forward and it peels off vinyl flooring. That is the theory, at least. You still have to put a good amount of tugging in. And, oh, let me tell you - apparently the insidious glue that vinyl people use is still wet after 10 years or however long ago they installed the final (third!) layer of vinyl in the kitchen. Still wet. My nice black gloves now have a gray cast over the palms and fingers, but luckily once a nice layer of debris lands on the glue, it becomes a non-issue, at least on gloves.

By the way, Kids - listen to your parents. My parents have done a few kitchen / house remodels in their time, and they were the ones to tip me off to the electric scraper tool. Otherwise vinyl removal is REALLY difficult.

Here's Daniel standing on our subfloor:


King of the Subfloors.

So, I should also note that I only went to the gym once this week. This is the whole reason I do Crossfit - to have Functional Fitness. To be able to rip apart a kitchen and not really be sore (my knees hurt a little bit). To help Daniel wrench up large pieces of plywood (deadlifts helped here). To go to the dump and toss 870 lb of garbage off the back of the truck into an abyss where a machine was moving the stuff into big piles (wall-ball and medicine ball throwing!- and the 870 lb was off our receipt). To be able to carry 50 lb bags of thinset mortar and heave them into the truck, then up stairs into the kitchen (farmer's walk and deadlifts). And (this is important), I recognized the value of rest, so while we've been busting our buns after work every day, I consider that making up for my missed attendance at the gym. These are essentially 3+ hour slow steady workouts.

So, what's left? Today we're making at least one more dump run. Oh yeah, we borrowed our friend Tori's truck. Why? Because the God-Damn Ram (that is what I'm now calling it; GDR for short) was dead again when Daniel went to fire it up. He suspects something is draining the battery while it sits, using up parking space. I put out a call to my coworker, who's friend's husband is a mechanic, so hopefully Monday I will convince him to come down and take a look. Otherwise, Tori's mechanic sounds like a champ (Union Bay Garage, near the U-Village, if anyone needs a mechanic in Seattle).

Then we need to finish tearing the wall off, and removing some additional drywall from the kitchen. There's a little bit of residual wall stuck to the ceiling that Daniel didn't get yesterday with our new Sawz-All from the pawn shop (hey, it was half the price of a new one at Home Depot). Then we can start Con-struction! We have a couple of replacement boards for the subfloor - seems like a couple might need some routing of one edge (sigh) or maybe we can palm-sand them flat. Then we are nailing down a layer of 1/4" plywood (or OSB, whatever is cheaper), then we are using thinset mortar to lay down 1/4" cement backerboard (aka Hardiboard). After you use thinset to lay down the backerboard, you screw it into the plywood. Then comes the exciting part - tile! I don't know if we'll actually get to that today, although it would be nice to install it and grout before the floor refinishing starts on Monday.

It's coming along!

Delicious Dinner

2011-11-15T14:34:00.001-08:00

I threw this recipe together last night, after seeing a similar post on one of the many Paleo food blogs about combining Brussels sprouts, cranberries, and butternut squash. Except I didn't want to open my bag of cranberries. And I wanted to use some yellow beets from last Friday's CSA box.

Fast & Loose Roast Dinner Vegetables

Ingredients:

- olive oil or your fat of choice (bacon fat would be nice!)

- dried or powdered ginger

- Garam Masala powder

- Brussels sprouts

- Delicata squash

- yellow beets

- salt & pepper

Process:

1) Turn on oven to 400 deg F.

2) Cut Brussels sprouts in half lengthwise, remove outer leaves if they are brown or otherwise sad.

3) Chop beets so they are roughly the same size as the sprouts. (I don't bother peeling them). Save the green tops for another dish!

4) Place beets and sprouts in a baking dish and drizzle with fat. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, the dried or powdered (or fresh!) ginger, and Garam Masala powder. Stick it in the oven.

5) Take your Delicata squash (whole), and poke holes through the skin with a fork. Stabby-stab! Put the whole squash into a different baking dish (to prevent leakage) and stick it in the oven.

Wait for a while. I wait till I smell delicious roasted aromas wafting in from the kitchen.

The squash should be soft enough that a fork pierces the skin and flesh easily. Let the squash cool a bit.

6) Take the squash and cut it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds & stringy bits in the middle. I flip it and use a knife to peel the skin off, but you can scoop out the flesh with a spoon.

7) Toss the squash in with the sprouts and beets.

Serve and enjoy! We ate it with a grass-fed ribeye steak last night.

Of course, this could be adapted to whatever you have in the fridge. Sweet potatoes would be nice, especially with the ginger. I bought some dried ginger from Penzey's and minced it with a knife before adding it to the dish.

Mmm...not much left over.

On another note, it looks like we're going to be just-us for Thanksgiving next week. I am going to source a small turkey (heritage if I can find it) and a few sides for a special dinner... unless we go out to eat.

Oh, and if you're in Seattle, want to help us move on Thanksgiving-Sunday (Nov 27)? It's a great chance to practice your deadlifting and farmer-walks!

Snapdragon Mitts

2011-11-14T15:23:00.001-08:00

I finally managed to get a picture of my Snapdragon mitts. I'm up to the point for knitting onto waste yarn for the thumb. The flip-top will be knit onto a row of stitches.

These are a great knit, especially in Brooklyntweed's Shelter yarn. The yarn isn't the softest in the world, so if you are only used to cashmere or Angora rabbit hair gracing your skin, this might be a little scuffly, but I happen to love yarns with character, like Noro Kureyon and Shetland yarns, and this actually feels fairly soft to me. An interesting note is that I have found the occasional bit of grass in the yarn. This just reinforces, to me, that the yarn was minimally processed and actually came from sheep (gasp).

Come at me, bro.

***

Brief house news: I met with the electrician today, and it looks like they have scheduled our whole-duplex rewiring to begin next Monday. And our floor refinishers come next Tuesday. And, oh, did I mention Thursday is Thanksgiving? Oh, and that we might not have a kitchen floor unless we have some plywood ready to screw into the joists? But at least the kitchen walls will be open to the studs, so the electricians can easily run wire to those areas. Daniel and I made a list of every wiring-related wish we had, and I gave a copy to the electrician, and he said that most items would be included. Hopefully, whoever our new tenants end up being, they will appreciate the money and work we've put forth into making their half a decent place to live!

WOD

2011-11-14T08:00:00.001-08:00

Today's WOD?

150 wall-ball for time.

Time: 7:57. I'm slow and my arms and legs are very happy to be sitting down for now. The girl next to me was basically going non-stop and finished in about 4 or 5 minutes! Way to go Kim!

That is all....

A Quasi-Dream Kitchen

2011-11-14T07:44:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone had a nice weekend!

Daniel and I meant to begin demolition in our "before" kitchen, but ended up fixing the truck as well as finalizing design plans. We solicited a bid for remodeling work from a good friend of ours with a construction company (his head carpenter does great work, and if you are interested, contact me!) Anyway, they bid at $10,000 for doing the work that we are perfectly capable of doing ourselves, it's just they can do it faster and correctly the first time. We decided to forgo speed and efficiency in favor of saving $10k.

Want to see our design choices? Here goes:

Here is a rendition of our kitchen via the IKEA kitchen planner (a wonderful tool for planning out your kitchen, if you're going with IKEA cabinets). Through the end of November, they are offering a discount of 15% if you spend $3500 or more, and 20% if you spend $4500 or more on cabinetry.

The view below is looking in from the living room. The tall white spot is the fridge, and ignore the white stove on the far right. It actually fits in the space behind the breakfast bar (which are the tall floor cabinets in front) but the site isn't smart enough to let me place it there.

Beautiful... plus a breakfast bar. I can finally eat off a surface other than a sofa pillow.

Here's another view looking in from the side. The sink is on the left and we chose a dishwasher with a matching wood panel in front to blend in.

Next up is our floor tile choice. I have fallen in love with these rectangular 12 x 24 inch tiles that have a grassy pattern on them. This is a tile in a cool grey color, which actually has a few shots of colors through it but remains neutral. We think it is a nice contrast to the cherry finish we're selecting for the cabinets.

We even went to a free tile installation class in Sodo on Saturday morning to learn how to become little Bob Vilas.

And finally, here is our selection for countertops. We figured we could use higher quality finishes because we have such a small kitchen (roughly 8 x 12 - ish). This is "Blue Pearl" granite. If you look closely, you can see opalescent shots of blue throughout the dark grey - we both agreed it was quite lovely, and provided a good contrast to the expanse of cherry cabinetry.

I'm excited to have much more storage space in the new cabinets, as well as a rockin' Jenn-Air gas stove I bought on Craigslist. We're next headed to a refurbished appliance center on Aurora to scope out the stainless steel refrigerators. But first, we buttoned up the truck (and cried uncle) because Daniel just couldn't wrench out the heater core. The massive V10 engine heads block any easy access to the heater core tubes on the engine bay side of the firewall. Sigh. Luckily, we were able to return most of the supplies we bought for the repair (Daniel wanted to keep the heater core & give it to the mechanics to install).

***

A quick knitting update: I'm done with the cabling pattern on the Snapdragon mitts. Pictures soon!

House Renos

2011-11-10T07:07:00.001-08:00

Happy Veteran's Day, everyone! Please go find someone who has served our country and thank them. My Sailing-Unit is currently sleeping in before we dig into our mountain of work for this weekend.

Now, then, on to the good stuff, which is, of course, House Stuff!

I am going to show off some of the ridiculous "before" pictures. It has become inevitable that when I first tear into a property (ok, so I only have two experiences to go on, but run with me here)... as I was saying, when I first tear into a property, the past owners have always left all kinds of weird stuff along.

Our previous owners of the duplex were a retired Asian couple. I suspect the woman had a large say in how the house was decorated, because we walked in to heavy pink curtains on the living room windows, frilly lace in the kitchen as well as hung up over a boarded-up doorway in the hall, and this beautiful master bedroom shot:

Isn't it romantic?

You know those came down first-thing.

The first day of us starting in on the house was about four hours of whirlwind activity. We started outside since the weather wasn't bad. We raked leaves in the backyard - which were promptly replaced by the wind. I mowed the lawn with a blessedly functioning push mower the old folks had left. Daniel climbed onto the roof and used some sort of copper-sulfate (?) powder to kill the moss up there. I walked around the backyard with a bucket, picking up strange detritus in the backyard (bunny shaped plant pot, anyone?)

After Daniel got off the roof, we made piles of trash to get rid of later - a pile of metal things, such as small plant fences that I think are silly, a pile of musty wood scraps, and a pile of things like chunks of concrete and/or ugly rocks from the soil. I kept a large plastic pot for the express purpose of accumulating rocks.

After our outdoor work, we came inside and tackled the carpets. They weren't in bad shape, but I really have a thing against carpets in houses. They tend to harbor dust and totally screw with my allergies.

So we ripped up the carpet in the hallway and two bedrooms, and were pleased to find the oak flooring that was in the living room had been continued through the rest of the house. In general, the floors that had been covered by carpet are in slightly better shape than the living room, too, although there were some spots where Daniel thinks the poor finish on the floor let the carpet padding stick on it.

After tearing up the carpets and padding, we went back around and I got into a good rhythm removing the tackstrips while Daniel pinched staples off the floor with pliers.

Last night, we changed the locks on the front and back doors of both sides, and I discovered our back door was munched up pretty well and could use replacing. My first clue should have been that, instead of an outer pane of glass, it had a sheet of plastic nailed into the wood. Sigh.

***

Here is a "before" of our kitchen cabinets. We're doing a complete remodeling of the kitchen. We have contacted some friends of ours to come help, because there's no way the two of us could finish on time.

Say it with me: Ew.

Today will involve Daniel prepping for painting the basement floors, while I focus upstairs. I am going to start in on cleaning the rental unit, and cleaning up the old refrigerator and stove in our kitchen so I can post them on Craigslist and maybe we can get $100 back towards our kitchen remodel. Heck, someone already bought a corner desk off us for $50 that was in the garage (and was a huge pain to disassemble. The poor guy had to go buy a cheap set of screwdrivers to make it happen).

Luckily, the rental unit is almost ready to go. We still need some electrical work to happen, as well as a guy to come refinish the wood floors, but it doesn't need to be painted, and we'll do things like replace windows come springtime (most likely).

***

Knitting, you ask? Well, I cast on for the Snapdragon Mitts by Ysolda Teague a couple of days ago. I am about 3/4 done with the fingerless part on the first mitt (after the fingerless part, you knit a mitten cap that can be put over your fingers or buttoned back over the top of your hand for more dexterity). I'm using BrooklynTweed's Shelter yarn for it, in the Button Jar colorway. It is amazingly squishy. Quite honestly, this is my first time knitting with a woolen-spun yarn. Lovely! If you care about things made in the USA, you might want to check out Jared Flood's backstory on why he was moved to create a line of yarns. I'm quite impressed with his initiative, and he has created a great product.

***

Onward! We still need to fix the truck (... I didn't mention we bought a truck, did I. Well, Daniel bought us a 1998 Dodge Ram V10 Laramie. With a busted heater core that he decided we could fix ourselves instead of letting a mechanic deal with the fiddly work and not pay the mechanic the $500. Well, it has been a week since we tore the truck apart and I stupidly cut an A/C line because we were convinced it led to the heater core, even though everyone's heater core on the internet clearly showed rubber hoses... Well, we didn't *see* the rubber hoses because of our big engine that was clearly blocking the path to it. I should start a blog called "Our Truck Is Being A Royal Pain In The Ass"), and hit IKEA and compare floor stains to the cabinets we want, if not purchase cabinets at that time. They are running a 15% off special through Thanksgiving, thank goodness. You'd be surprised how well IKEA kitchen cabinets hold up. We have several friends with them in their kitchens, and some friends have kids, others have raucous dogs- all the cabinets look great. I also need to look at paint chips in the house & decide on some finalists for Daniel to look at - painting definitely needs to happen before floors are refinished and furniture is in. Argh.

***

Thank god I'm organized.

Weekend, Keys, Yarn

2011-11-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Daniel and I spent the weekend up in Bellingham, WA with a bunch of friends. And two toddlers. I really enjoy being around my friends, but it is exhausting being around kiddos! I woke up both nights when they would wake up, crying, and I blame that on either being a light sleeper, or being a female and somehow wired to startle awake when a baby is crying. Don't get me wrong, they're good kids, but one was coming down with something, so he was cranky, and Dad Would Not Do. Only Mom. As soon as Mom would take hold of him, he'd stop crying and (I swear) a sh*t-eating grin would spread across his face. The little faker...

I spent a large percentage of my time in the cabin helping to clean up after everyone. With 11 adults and two kids under 2, it got filthy fast. In fact, I chose to wear shoes the entire weekend because I didn't relish the idea of my socks becoming encrusted with bits of food.

The food was tasty, though - the highlights were two deep fried turkeys on Saturday night, along with somewhat traditional Thanksgiving sides, and Sunday morning one of the guys made 4 different quiches.

***

We left the cabin Sunday morning, and Daniel humored me and I got to go into a store in Bellingham called Northwest Handspun Yarns. I met the nice owner, and she let me try out the Schacht Sidekick spinning wheel.

Let me say, I am glad I tried it. I love that the wheel is so portable, and Barry Schacht showed some pretty ingenious design ideas by using bicycle quick-release levers for some of the parts. I love that the wheel folds up so well, and that the whorls and other accessories pack flat and screw onto the body of the wheel. The wheel is very compact, and very light. The lightness proves to be the problem, though. You see, the drive wheel is ostensibly light to promote the portability of the wheel, but the lack of mass on the wheel translates to a lack of inertia, which means it's not very easy to keep the wheel humming along. I really "felt" each time I pressed down on a treadle. It was almost like pedaling on a cheap stationary bike. I don't get that feeling on my Majacraft Susie, which has a massive drive wheel that just almost turns on it's own. The store owner pointed this out to me, and suggested I not ever sell my Susie, as Majacraft was about to increase their prices soon, and it was difficult to find a store in the US that sold Majacrafts for a pre-purchase spin (apparently the shipping costs eat into any profits; she said if she sold Majacrafts, she'd make about $15 per wheel!)

Like I said, I was glad I got the chance to try out the Sidekick. One other advantage is that the flyer is interchangeable with the Schacht Matchless flyers and bobbins. However, I don't own a Matchless, so this isn't a huge concern for me, but it's nice that Schacht considered that aspect of design interchangeability. In the end, the Sidekick is not worh it's $785 retail price to me. I think it is a fine product and could work very well for someone who insists upon travelling with a wheel. For now, I am content to travel with drop spindles - they are far more portable than any wheel, and far cheaper (even the really special-coveted-ones!)

***

In other news, we got the keys to our duplex today! I made a slew of calls today to set up water, electricity, garbage, etc. I also set up our cable internet, which should be installed Sunday afternoon. The reason this is of prime importance is that I can now have the ability to telecommute from the duplex while I wait for contractors to show up and either provide estimates or start work on the place. Daniel and I are looking at some electrical repair, chimney repair on one unit, refinishing the wood floors in both places, replacing the vinyl in the rental kitchen (today he sprung on me that he wants to put in ceramic tile, not a new sheet of vinyl), and remodeling our own kitchen. I have already purchased an awesome stove, and our other purchases will be IKEA cabinets, other appliances, and granite countertops.

Today's Eats

2011-10-25T19:18:00.000-07:00

I'm relaxing right now, after a shower. My inner thighs are killing me after yesterday's 4 x 12 backsquats. Yeow! (I forgot to wear my new lifting shoes, too! Dang... I love my lifting shoes, too - they really make a difference as to how deep I squat. If you can swing it, I highly recommend them!)

I started the day at work at 6 AM. Yeah, I'm an early bird. Plus, traffic northbound of Seattle at that time of day is trivial. I wandered into the Tully's on-site and bought a venti black iced tea, and a grande breve latte, of which I drank less than half today.

Breakfast was a heated-up casserole & a strip of bacon. Here's how I made the casserole (sorry, I am lacking pictures today!)

BREAKFAST CASSEROLE (aka Crustless Quiche)

Ingredients:

- 12 eggs (as "happy" as you can afford - aka truly free-range-insect-eating local eggs, etc.)
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 minced ancho chile (or other mildish green chile, or a small can of green chiles)
- A couple of large handfuls of spinach
- A couple of shallots
- 2 or 3 stalks celery, chopped
- Several cloves of garlic, minced
- Heavy cream and/or cheese (if you're eating dairy)
- Favorite spices and herbs - I used salt, pepper, smoked paprika, dried aleppo pepper

Preheat oven to 400 deg. On the stove, cook the ground pork. I seasoned it while I was cooking it (and I re-used the grease from the pork to cook a mess of kale for dinner last night). Add the garlic and shallots to the pork. Get out an 11x17 inch Pyrex baking dish. First, add the cooked pork to the dish. Then stir in the spinach, pepper, and celery. Crack and pour the 12 eggs into a bowl, and whisk them to combine the yolks and whites. Add the whisked eggs to the baking dish. I folded everything together with a small spatula to make sure the eggs were incorporated. I poured a little cream over the top and a little shredded cheese, too. Then I sprinkled the top with smoked paprika, and set it in the oven till the eggs were firm.

Once it's done, let it cool, cut into 9-ish sections and store in the fridge. It reheats really well!

***

For lunch, I had leftovers from last night - pork sausage and a mess of kale, with a gorgeous fresh-harvested apple for something delicious and sweet. I've taken to cutting my apples into slices, and thoroughly covering them in Penzey's cinnamons - no sugar, and they are SPICY and DELICIOUS!

***

I came home, and honestly I haven't been hungry, though I made a pot of tea and (d'oh) left it steeping for *way* too long! Sigh.

Coffee and Cream

2011-10-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago, I finally got fed up with my weight.

Those of you who know me, know that I am pretty active - Crossfit 3x a week, Pilates on Sunday, and Daniel and I are usually milling around here or there, or helping friends move, or (today) driving down to Oregon to help wrestle 1-2 tons of grapes into a wine press. So, I've got a lot of muscle.

Basically, I was tired of feeling like for all the work I was doing and eating well (mostly Paleo) I wasn't getting results. I was stuck around 165 lb at 5'5" (for reference, I was a size 10 in most women's clothing).

So I tried this thing called homeopathic HCG. My homeopathist actually recommended it several months ago, but it sounded crazy. Sometimes you just need something crazy to work, though. After my friend K tried it, to great success, I decided to go for it.

I won't get into the mechanisms of homeopathic HCG here, because I'm not a doctor, though I have them in my family. I was able to keep working out and stay "normal" throughout the diet, though I did notice my various lifts at the gym were not very strong - my friend and I theorized that was a result of consuming so little food.

Anyway, it worked. I lost 15 lb in a month, and am now a size 8. It's awesome. One of the things they have you stop consuming during the diet is coffee. Now, I've never been a huge coffee person, but I'm definitely snooty about it. I prefer Stumptown beans, I prefer espresso shots to drip, and I strive for the taste of the best milk I can afford (raw grass-fed if I can get it, pasteurized grass-fed is a close second, after that I will go for vat-pasteurized local organic milk). For a couple of years, I allowed a Starbucks home espresso maker into my life. It proudly ate up counter space, and it dutifully produced a decent shot of espresso for a machine I bought second-hand off Craigslist for $150. It was worth the space. When Daniel was in Japan and we would Skype in the wee morning hours, I would put him on Mute so I could foam the milk properly & he wouldn't go deaf.

When I was "big" into coffee, I only drank a 12 oz latte about 5 times a week - I'm not "one of those people" who sucks down coffee like it's going out of style. Frankly, more than a cup and my stomach is unhappy.

So I gave up coffee for a month. Actually, I gave it up for about 7 or 8 weeks. Then I let it creep back in. The first day, I had a tall breve latte at the Tully's coffee shop closest to me at work (our work site actually has several Tully's - I think there's about five locations at my last count). I also proceeded to have a massive pounding headache, but that could have been because I discovered a massive pounding error in some data I had created and released, and it took me about 2 weeks to fix it and convince people it was OK to send off the new data. Around this same time, I traded the espresso machine to a friend in exchange that she find me a nice hybrid bike off Craigslist.

I've probably creeped back to around 2 or 3 tall lattes a week. I tried asking for a Short Americano, but a longer shot, with room for cream, at work the other day, and the poor barista looked at me blankly before asking what a longer shot was. It was then it dawned on me that all the machines at Tully's (and Starbucks, for that matter) are computerized and the baristas are only trained to press buttons and memorize syrup / milk / coffee combinations. Another validation for local coffee places where the baristas actually know what "doppio" or "ristretto" mean.

In the meantime, I now drink some more of Teeccino. It's herbal coffee, with some chicory to most of the flavors to give it the bitterness people expect from coffee. It's the best substitute I've found, and since it's totally caffeine-free, you can drink it whenever you want! Plus, I can make it like I make tea.

Oh yes, where was I going with this - a recipe I found, right. So, as a bona-fide lover of all things pumpkin-spice flavored, I was thrilled when I came across a Paleo Pumpkin Creamer recipe. You take some coconut milk and heat it over the stove with some canned pumpkin and spices. It made just enough to fit in one of my empty glass heavy cream bottles.

Here's the recipe! It's vegan, but don't let that scare you off. It's delicious.

Flight Testing (& some knitting)

2011-10-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

Well, I awoke to a cloudy Friday here in Seattle. I was supposed to be at Boeing Field for a flight test at 6:30 AM, but luckily I had the presence of mind to call our flight test hotline (useful little bugger!) and see what the status was. My instincts on Not Wasting Time were right on - the flight had been delayed by 4 hours. I was able to come home, change clothes, and book it to the gym for a 6 AM Crossfit class that left my arms pretty much useless. The trainer had us stack up weight plates - 5 kg, 10 kg, 15 kg, 20 kg, and 25 kg in a pile from heaviest to lightest. One person laid on the floor, knees bent, and arms overhead. Their partner handed them a plate (25 kg being first up) and the person on the floor did 10 "floor presses" (basically a bench press but you're holding a disc and you're on the floor, not n a bench). As soon as you had finished 10, your partner took away that plate and handed you the next lightest one. When you got to the 5 kg plate, you did 20 presses, then you worked your way back up to 25 kg. Oh. My. God.

I did have a nice moment in class, though - we were practicing engaging our lats against a partner - and the trainer was my partner, and he commented, "Wow, you're strong, Mel!" Teehee! Hopefully he wasn't just stroking my ego.

Anyway, back to the flight testing. As I was writing the above paragraphs, I got a call from a coworker who would be on the flight test with me, and he said the test director had cancelled the test for today (yay!) but upper management was still pushing for it (boo!). So I have to call into a teleconference soon to figure out which side will win.

Here is a great picture I got out of a window this past summer as we were doing low altitude testing near Catalina Island (this could be Catalina or a Channel Island, I'm not totally sure).

One benefit to flight testing is that, because the tests we do are boring and long, I tend to get a lot of knitting done. Sometimes you can get a catnap in, but really you are supposed to be alert and watching your computer monitor for signs of machinery misbehaving. So, I knit. I knit a lot. In 2010, I finished most of a sweater on flight tests, and remember losing my ball of yarn 150 feet back into a freighter airplane because we took off quickly and I had not secured it under anything! (The flight test guys had a good laugh about that - me unbuckling and running after it before it got tangled in the maze of test equipment being stored in the back of the airplane).

I had planned to keep knitting on my Evendim sweater. I cast on for a size smaller than I would normally knit, because I just finished losing about 15 lb! I am very excited. I haven't been a size 8, well, since I can remember! Yes, my goal is to be strong and healthy, but dang if I don't want to look good naked, too! Back to the knitting (ahem) - As you can see below, I have knit the body up to the point where you separate for the front and back, and add the sleeves:

The red color is a little washed out in this picture. It's actually much more of a blood red / pomegranate color of Madelinetosh Vintage in Tart.

I cast on for the first sleeve last night, and got a couple of rows in before bed.

***

In other news, Daniel and I are going to go down to the Hood River Valley along the OR / WA border this weekend, and help some friends crush 2 tons of grapes for wine. They actually should have crushed 1 ton by the time we get there. This is their biggest harvest yet, and I am looking forward to drinking the results in good time!

Tulip Festival

2011-04-25T20:41:00.001-07:00

Tulips in the wet, cold springtime that is Washington state. I can't resist heading up to Skagit Valley every year to visit the muddy fields alight with gorgeous tulip blooms.

Testing...

2011-04-25T20:25:00.001-07:00

I'm trying out blogging from my phone using an app. If it works, this will be a very convenient tool.

Back?

2011-04-19T14:27:00.000-07:00

Hello to my 1 Reader! ;-)

I'm going to try this blogging thing again. There's much to share, and perhaps I have something to say that will amuse / inspire / piss off someone in a new and unexpected way....

Keep an eye open for me!

Even Rocket Scientists Have To Frog

2010-04-06T19:29:00.000-07:00

...Er, at least aircraft propulsion engineers have to frog.... every once in a while.

This is my Spring Forward first sock. I finished it, only to have the foot look more like a flipper than anything sock-ish. I even wove the toe together & sewed in the ends.... and I let it sit for several months.

Last week, in a fit of spring-cleaning-perhaps-I-don't-know, I reopened the toe and ripped back to where the gusset was finished at the base of the foot. I printed out a fresh copy of the pattern, as mine was thoroughly worn, and now it is sitting on my coffee table, next to the Radiating Star blanket.

***

In other news... work has been somewhat stressful lately, and I really need a vacation, but feel somewhat pressured that I can't take one till we deliver a full-blown product that the FAA will let companies buy. And it's pretty much looking like I won't get to see Daniel till he returrns for good in the fall... Sigh.

On the upside? Last week, I rowed 2000 m in 9:36, and yesterday I got a backsquat PR of 60 kg x 5 reps! Woo!

Crotchfruit Knitting

2010-04-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Spring!

Wow, why is everyone I know suddenly pregnant? Holy crap. I'm not a huge fan of children, myself (I babysat once in my entire youth, and it was a horrible experience which I hope never to repeat), but hey, if people want the little critters, then more power to 'em!

While I don't exactly want to hold a child, I will knit for it willingly!

Behold, various knitting projects for Friends Bearing Crotchfruit!

Exhibit A: Radiating Star blanket. I'm over halfway done, but because it's a round thing, every other round grows by many stitches. Luckily, the pattern is pretty easy to memorize & knit in front of the TV. I have 3 "Fullmetal Alchemist" DVD's to work my way through, thanks to Netflix.

Exhibit B: Strawberry hat. This is for my friend who will be popping that kiddo out in the next week or so, with any luck. A note about the pattern - I followed the "bobble" instructions given, and really if I knit this again, I would do at least two of the "k,p into the same stitch" moves to make the bobble more noticeable.

****

The Moral? Want something knit for your impending child, and aren't in a hurry? I can probably accomodate you. :)

Destash 2010!

2010-03-09T15:33:00.000-08:00

Okay Peeps, this is it.

Check out my Ravelry Destash page if you want some good deals on yarn. (Well, give me a few minutes to finish posting pictures, but I should finish by tonight).

I've got Socks That Rock, Noro, some stuff from Yarnia, laceweight, leftovers, handspun - You name it!!

Sweater Reverse Engineering

2009-11-06T19:37:00.001-08:00

Last night I went on a shopping trip with my friend, Jeanne. A store-that-shall-remain-nameless-but-has-fruit-in-the-title was having a substantial sale (25% off, 30% if you possessed their credit card).

I purchased several things, among them a pair of pants with attached cummerbund, and the sweater below.

The sweater was $130 without the discount, and the fiber content was mostly wool, with about 10% nylon + 16% cashmere, and I think there may have been something else in the mix.

Well! I know this is very possible to replicate, so that is what I intend to do. Of course, at a machine-knit gauge of 9 st/in, I am not going to go all-out and knit it in sock yarn! However, I feel I can capture the spirit of the thing.

So I took photos of it.

And another photo, from the front.

Oh my god, do I actually have a defined waist?! Not really, it's all the jacket (at least from the back view).

I love the overlayed double-breasted style of the jacket. It has a 1" band of 2x2 rib around all the edges, and long ribbed cuffs. The sleeves are a tad puffy up at the shoulder, and are set in. The collar is a long bit of ribbing, too.

I measured the crud out of this sweater! Everything that I thought would be critical, got measured. Sleeve width, rate of decrease (so I measured about halfway down the sleeve, and then at the beginning of the cuff), cuff length, panel dimensions for the back and two half-front panels, button placement and relative distances (especially important because the front panels are not actually rectangular).

For $130, I think I can use a much nicer yarn, and possibly do it in the round. Damn right. The Spirit of EZ is with me, Hallelujah! Praise Saint Cascade and All the Sock Yarns!

Book Review Time

2009-10-24T20:51:00.000-07:00

I just splurged and bought two new knitting books:

Reversible Knitting, by Lynne Barr

and

The Enchanted Sole, by Janel Laidman.

"Reversible Knitting" is just what it sounds like - a stitch dictionary of fully reversible patterns. I also enjoy several of the patterns included in the book - my favorites are a sweater by Wenlan Chia that you can wear top-down or bottom-up, a bubble dress / tunic with flubby cables on one side and a texture on the other, and a double knit tank dress with a great labyrinth pattern.

"The Enchanted Sole" is Laidman's second book, that I have, and I love her colorwork designs for socks. All her socks in this book are based on myth or fairy tale. My favorites are the Tree of Life and Firebird socks. She also has some interesting sideways-knit socks that intrigue me.

Finally, a couple of weeks ago I bought Cat Bordhi's new sock book "Personal Footprints for Insouciant Sock Knitters" (Rav link to patterns). I love Cat. This new method she has is certainly unique, but I am anxious to finish knitting my friend Priscila's socks so I can try it out. She has you make a cardboard cutout to match your foot, and then you knit a closed tube, essentially, to match your foot, and then use lifelines to cut a hole at the top of the sock, wherein you pick up stitches and knit up the leg. Neat!! And she explains it far better than I do here.

Meanwhile I am finishing up a book not about knitting, called "Bacchus and Me", written by a wine critic who I fear was not well known (Jay McInerney), but it is very delightful reading! He details his travels to different wine regions around the world.

I am off to relax for the evening and think about sleeping soon... pilates class tomorrow!

Flapper Hat FO

2009-10-13T19:55:00.001-07:00

I finished my Side Slip Cloche hat on Friday, while eating my way through Portland with a friend of mine. :)

Here it is, on the floor:

I was really worried that one skein of Dream in Color Classy wouldn't be enough for a hat. I don't know what I was thinking - I have about half the ball left!

The hat construction is interesting - you knit the band around, then you block it (and I wove in ends), and then you pick up stitches around the top and knit up the hat in the round.

My hat is not as poofy as the pattern suggests, but it just might need some blocking to stretch out a bit.

Overall, I'm very happy with it! And I loved knitting with Classy - the colors are saturated, and the yarn is nice and tightly plied, which I love. In my opinion, it feels like a high-class Cascade 220.

...Now what to knit???

I have yarn wound off for many projects, but I think tonight I will work on my Spring Forward socks for my friend Priscila...

Fiber Destashing

2009-10-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

ETA: I sold the Lincoln Fleece!

I'm cleaning out my closet, and getting rid of some things! I want them to go to good homes, so hopefully posting them on Ravelry will be fruitful. I already sold a raw alpaca fleece, as well as a large bump of alpaca / Merino top.

The listings are on Ravelry: Lincoln fleece.

Here are the pictures. I have approximately 1 lb of raw fleece. Average staple length 5". $10 + shipping. It washes up to a beautiful white color (you can see it in the lower left of the picture below).

Below is a picture of an average lock, showing staple length.

The Uber-Sweater

2009-10-02T08:51:00.000-07:00

I think I have decided what to make with my Blue Moon yarn (BFL Sport) that I purchased at OFFF.

An Uber-Sweater. A basic, wear-it-around-every-day, colorful sweater that looks good on me.

I present a sketch:

Ignore the shadow on the paper. A childhood spent yearning to be a fashion designer, yet feeling I never really could until I wasn't overweight (have you ever seen a fat fashion designer, Karl Lagerfeld pre-weight-loss not included? OK, I should say - have you ever seen a fat female fashion designer? No. Because 90% of those women are neurotic, smoke, eat too little and party too much to be healthy anyway. And I bet none of them could do any sort of deadlift at all! Bam!)

I digress. So... sweater details:

- Nalgar shoulder shaping (courtesy of EZ; notice the two diagonal lines at the shoulders above. Since I haven't browsed Ravelry yet for real-life pictures of a Nalgar in the wild, I am relying on translating her drawing of a Nalgar from her "Knitting Workshop" book into what it would like on a body.)
- EZ's knit waistband (vs. a ribbed waistband, so it doesn't tuck in and bubble out around my waist)
- deep ribbed arm cuffs (cuz I like that!)
- waistband hits mid-hip. I learned with my February Lady Sweater that cropped things hitting at my actual waist are Not. Flattering to me. At All.

A note: I find it interesting how my perception of proportions on bodies has changed over the years. My initial sketch had the shoulders too broad, the arms hanging out to the sides beyond the ribcage, and the arms too long. The forehead was too high, initially. Also, the legs were too fat (at least to represent ME **thank you Mom and Dad for not afflicting me with Cankles, Saddlebags, and giving me Nice Leg Shaping!**). Thank goodness for pencil erasers, and patience. I think, for a 20 minute sketching exercise, this is a fair representation of myself. :)

***

What's this? The beginning of a new hat! The "Side Slip Cloche" from Boutique Knits, to be exact. This is the lower band of the hat, with the side ruffles. It's about 14" long right now, and needs to be 20.5" before I proceed with the rest of the hat. The yarn is Dream in Color Classy worsted in "Flamingo Pie". It is a beautiful base yarn, more tightly plied than Cascade 220 (which is what I originally thought the base was), and the dyers do a wonderful job. And there is more yardage than Cascade 220 (well, 30 more yards!), although it is much more expensive than Cascade 220... but I think for a one-skein project, it works great!

OFFF 2009

2009-09-28T19:24:00.001-07:00

My friend Jen and I went to OFFF again this year! We had a great time!!

We left on Friday at 5 AM, which wasn't hard for either of us, as we are both early risers. We arrived in Canby at the fairgrounds shortly after 8 AM, including a couple of stops for bathroom breaks and coffee.

We signed in for our classes (I took a lace spinning class in the morning, and a sock spinning class in the afternoon, and Jen took a Navajo spindling class), and wandered around for 30 minutes before going to our respective classes.

Rejoining for lunch, we compared notes. Jen discovered she didn't really enjoy Navajo spindling, but was glad she took a class to confirm that suspicion. I picked up several tricks for lace spinning - mainly the tenet of "overspin, underply". My teacher, Sheila January, also showed us how to spin cobweb laceweight yarn - that is, yarn that, at 2 ply, would be about the grist of sewing thread. She told us how a teacher of hers spun yarn for Orenburg shawls, and gave her about 2 oz, if that, of ultrafine Merino locks, and told her it would be enough for a 6 foot diameter Orenburg shawl.

We also got to spin a variety of fibers for each class. For the lace class, Sheila gave us some superwash Merino, then followed that with silk brick, then a Merino / yak blend (70/30?), and finally we tried our hand at cobweb spinning using some BFL locks. I was pleased to learn it is possible, though it is a technique I do not see myself using, except as a means to keep myself sharp and able to spin a variety of yarns.

After lunch, I went back to Sheila's room for the sock class (turns out she taught both classes!), while Jen amused herself by wandering and knitting. In this class, the main thing I came away with was to spin firmly for sock yarn, and that nylon as a strengthener is unnecessary, because all it does is make a skeleton to make darning holes easier. Natural alternatives for nylon in sock yarn include silk, mohair, or considering not using a fine wool to spin the yarn in the first place. In fact, one of the samples was Wensleydale top, and it made a great, firm 2 ply yarn for me! Other samples we used were a Shetland top that was quite lovely, a BFL top, a pin-drafted CVM which was lovely, and a Merino / alpaca blend.

Some seedheads at sunset in a state park in Canby

What did I buy? 3 oz Jacob top, two different Shetland preparations (one 4 oz ball of top, and 8 oz of Shetland prepared in two batts), 7 oz of BFL (the same preparation I spun in class), a skein of BMFA Laci, a skein of BMFA Socks That Rock Midweight (a Rare Gems color that reminds me of an aquatic rainbow), and two skeins of BMFA BFL Sport in "Jabberwocky", an autumnal rainbow colorway that enchanted me (and, at 600+ yards each, two skeins will knit me a fine sweater).

I thought I would share some photos of Canby itself, rather than the yarn I bought. You can see all that on my Ravelry stash page.

Moonrise at the park

I hate to have noticed this, but the demographics of a fiber festival are fairly predictable - mostly women, and probably 90% of those women are overweight. I don't know why. Maybe that is why I subconsciously chose to wear my Crossfit shirt on Friday.

Jen and I at the river

A dahlia farm

OK, I suppose I should show a picture from the actual festival... excuse the lack of focus from the camera!

A fuzzy picture of a ...fuzzy ram

I can't wait for the 2010 class list and another trip with Jen! :)

I hope to post my sample pics up here soon...

Yarny Update

2009-09-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

I got some stuff in the mail!

The September Rockin' Sock Club shipment! I was waffling whether or not to sign up again next year, and you know, Cat Bordhi's patterns reaffirm my love for this club.

Here's a skein of BMFA Laci I got at OFFF for $6.80 (Keep in mind this yarn retails for $50)!! I'm going to use it for another try at Hanami.

Here is a 2 ply skein I spun from a Shunklies Shetland top. I am extremely happy with their fiber prep; the Shetland spins like a dream. I think I got around 160-180 yd at around 2 oz.

Finally, here is my first Fair Isle FO! An Opus Spicatum hat. I used orange and green Cascade 220 for this... it turned out really well!

Next up: OFFF pictures!

Kestrel Follow-Up

2009-09-20T18:58:00.000-07:00

OK, so I rode the Kestrel, 48 cm.

It was HOT, let me tell you. HOT like...riding on a pat of butter. The bike was beautiful, all craftsmanship and carbon fiber and Ultegra components. For $1600 cash, no sales tax.

***

No, I didn't get it.

***

And I will tell you why: if I wipe out on a full carbon fiber frame, and the frame cracks, there is virtually no recourse for being able to fix the frame. You can't weld carbon fiber. You can't bend it back into shape. It's a fabric that has been made stiff by epoxy. You are Up A Creek with a Very Expensive, Useless Paddle. Furthermore, I really want a triple chain ring up front. This means you get one more multiple of gears (for example: if you had an 18 speed bike, with two rings up front and 8 in the back, and you add one more ring up front, you'd now have a 27 speed bike). I really want that extra ring, because I am lazy and somewhat timid and don't want to fall down on some big hill because the gearing was too high.

I tried to head over to a local bike shop to ride some steel bikes after my Kestrel experience, but they were OUT of my size. Dang!

The good news is that the 2010 bike models are filtering into shops, so they may be more motivated to move 2009 model bikes out...

PS, I also sold my bike today! I had a Cannondale Adventure 400 hybrid that I sold for $200. I hope the wife of the guy I sold it to enjoys it! :)

Kestrel

2009-09-18T19:25:00.000-07:00

I'm going to Kirkland tomorrow to try out some Kestrel bikes I saw on Craigslist.

I'm amazed at the component set on these suckers!

Daniel's Visit Here!

2009-09-18T19:07:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful week with Daniel, and am sorry to see him go this morning. However, I know Christmas is only a few months away, and considering it's been over 6 months since I saw him last, I can do that standing on my head! (However, these next few months, he will not be nearly as available to converse on Skype as before...)

Here's some photographic evidence that we spent time together. It also happened that my sister, Rosanne, and brother in law, Paul, were here visiting at the same time!

***

We went to the ice caves...

An ice cave. I guess it's two, technically, separated by a thin wall.
...

Here we are, still on the trail. It was a great mix of summer flora and getting blasted by winds coming off the ice caves.

... and we ate Korean BBQ with Kris, Randy, & Mark...

The exhaust vent was a clumsy centerpiece to the table.

... we took Rosanne and Paul up the water tower at Volunteer Park...

Except this is us at the water tower. Not Them.

... and we also took them to see the Fremont Troll...

I take everyone to see the Troll. I wonder when Daniel will get sick of it. :)

... here are Rosy & Paul walking ahead of us at Volunteer Park...

Gorgeous Day!

... here we are in a dahlia garden at Volunteer park...

This Garden Brought to you by the Seattle Dahlia Society.
That cracked Rosanne up; that there was a society devoted to dahlias.
Guess she's never seen Orchid Societies.

'Twas a beautiful week, and the only sad part was taking Daniel to the airport late this morning. I can't wait to see him again!

Surprise!

2009-09-14T12:46:00.000-07:00

I had a Skype-date with Daniel set for Saturday at 11 AM.

At 10:30 AM, I received a call on my home phone, which turned out to be Daniel.

"Oh, would you like me to sign onto Skype now?"

"Nah, I think I'll just come over."

*KNOCK KNOCK*

Holy Mother of Pearl!!!!!!!!

us at the Ballard locks, watching salmon jump

I get him until this Friday afternoon!

Spinning About

2009-09-06T17:30:00.001-07:00

I have been doing a lot of spinning lately, mostly to clear out my stash before I go to Oregon Flock & Fiber at the end of the month. By the way, has anyone else heard if they got accepted into classes at OFFF? My friend Jen and I have yet to hear...

...Mohair clouds, spun around a wool core...

...Carded wool, mohair, sparkle "Art Batt",
corespun around a wool core and wrapped with a silver Lurex singles...

...and these carded batts, which blend BFL, mohair locks, Angelina,
SoySilk, and other sparkle...

...Turned into this two-ply yarn, approx. 82 yards, fingering / DK weight.

***

All this spinning has caused me to make judicious use of my broom and dustpan.

Yesterday and today have been overcast with periods of heavy rain. Hopefully tomorrow will clear up; intermittently I see blue sky through the clouds, so there's hope! I am very excited to have Labor Day off, since it's one of very few holidays we get in the middle of the year. Whee!

Introducing "Nibbling Seattle"

2009-09-01T20:51:00.001-07:00

I decided to start my own food blog. I'm calling it "Nibbling Seattle".

I want to focus on local foods that I eat (no grains, etc.) and fun recipes. Notice I didn't say "easy" recipes. I feel confident in my kitchen skills, so I don't freak out when recipes say they are complicated. In fact, I appreciate them more, because the flavor profiles are usually more complex.

http://nibblingseattle.blogspot.com/

You want to know what I ate for dinner tonight? About 2 oz of hard cow's milk cheese (akin to a Parmesano), an organic medium sized tomato from today's CSA box, and a small organic cucumber from my friend Melinda's garden (picked Saturday), both sprinkled with sea salt and pepper, and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. For dessert, a square (probably 1/4 oz) of 65% dark Vosges Calindia chocolate bar. And a glass of iced water.

Upsold!

2009-08-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

I tried more bikes on Saturday.

They tried to upsell me to a Serotta titanium Fierte framed bike. The big difference, I noticed, was in the Shimano Ultegra components (vs. 105's or Tiagras).

I think I've narrowed it down.

I like the Trek 2.1 WSD (50 cm), and I also liked the Bianchi Imola (49 cm), but after feeling the smooth shifting of the Ultegra components, I think I want something that has those in it!

I went to Sammamish Valley Cycles, in Redmond. The salesguy I talked to there was a little pushy, initially, but he was great and gave good information. And he gave me great perspective: For every $1 you spend on a bike, you just ride a mile to compensate. Seems easy enough!

Anyway, I'm not in a big rush, and the SVC guy told me that once I had narrowed it to 2 or 3 bikes, to come in for a professional fitting ($200), and try all those bikes, and $100 of that fitting would be applied to the bike I chose.

I also want to try the cleats and pedals Melinda uses. They look more convenient than SPDs. I did some looking online and found out they were called Speedplays. The advantage I see is that they look smaller, lighter, AND you don't have to knock the pedal around to find the right side to clip into, which seems a lot safer than my SPDs that I currently use.

...more food for thought...

Weaving and Stash and Bikes

2009-08-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

I recently enhanced my fiber stash.

This beauty is 4.6 oz of 50% Merino, 50% Tencel fiber from "Perchance to Spin". I bought it from The Loopy Ewe. The colorway is called "From Kansas to Oz", and I love the concept. The fiber starts out in tones of gray (Kansas), and then gradually escalates to the Technicolor riot of Oz. I visualize maybe a thin 3 ply yarn out of this? One interesting thing about this roving is that it's REALLY dense. The package was really small, and I was wondering why, but the Merino / Tencel is just really packed together. Lots of predrafting ahead!

Here's my first WEAVING project! It is the "Thousand Flowers" towel pattern from the Handwoven magazine e-book, "Top Ten Towels on Four Shafts". I really love that they make an effort to supply books that focus on either 8-shaft or 4-shaft looms, so you don't have to wonder before you buy a book whether you can use the patterns, or at least adapt them to work for you.

The pink, orange and yellow stripes below are meant to be flowers, so I am hoping everything tightens up and fills in a bit when I block these towels, but even if they look a little abstract, I do like the shot of color they give. It is amazing how quickly things moved once I got into a groove with weaving last night - as long as the space for the shuttle was opening up correctly, I could throw the shuttle through and keep moving!

Here's a shot with too much flash, but it shows the overall effect of the loom I have, from the front side.

***

And now for something completely different!

***

I tried out some road bikes today! This was totally a new experience for me. I have a Cannondale hybrid bike, which means it's a bike that is meant for 'casual' riding, and is basically geared to ride around in a city, not necessarily emphasizing going fast or scaling mountains. You sit upright, which most people find comfortable, and you just mosey along.

I've been frustrated because the bike is just slow - even when I feel like I'm barreling down a hill, that might be around 20 mph. The bike is somewhat heavy, and I feel like the rolling resistance from the slightly wider tires is holding me back.

MAN!!! I tried out three bikes today, and two just blew me out of the water! First, I tried a Bianchi Imola, which is a steel-framed road bike. The three general types of frames you'll find for a road bike are steel, aluminum, and carbon fiber, with component-combinations thereof (a steel frame with a carbon fork is a pretty common combination these days). In general, here is what I've found:

- steel is flexible, cheap, and can give a "smooth" feeling to your ride.

- aluminum is light, strong, and can give a "stiffer" feel to your ride. (That is, the frame won't flex as much as steel, and you might feel more road vibrations).

- carbon fiber is REALLY light, stiff, and it ain't cheap. I'm pretty sure Lance Armstrong's bikes are some kind of carbon fiber composite.

Now, "stiff" and "smooth" can mean different things to different people. Some folks swear by aluminum, saying it translates all their energy to the road, and some people love the smoothness of steel.

For me, I'm not a professional cyclist. Probably never going to be. But I do like to ride, and I want to get into farther rides - 50 or 100 miles. I can do 20-30 miles (with little to no hills) pretty comfortably at this point on my hybrid, but I feel like I want "more". I am betting I'll probably end up with a steel frame and carbon fork, just based on preliminary evidence from today.

I also tried an aluminum bike, a Cannondale Synapse. It was interesting, and I did notice it felt stiffer, but I couldn't decide if that was REALLY the bike vibrating more, or me having a psychosomatic reaction and deciding that I'd read so much about aluminum being stiff that OH GOD IT MUST BE TRUE. (*I would link to the Synapse, but I had trouble finding the exact model I rode at the store online earlier*).

I tried a third bike, but it's barely worth mentioning. It was a commuter bike, and to me, it felt like an expensive version of the bike I already have.

So, what does this mean? Reviews? Well, I loved the Bianchi, only the distance from the seat to the handlebars was a little too long for me, and made it hard for me to squeeze the brake levers really well. The Cannondale felt better on that note (shorter distance to the handlebars), but the other geometry of the bike put a lot of noticeable stress on my knees. I also feel like, in general, I would like a handlebar with a smaller diameter. My hands aren't huge, and it was hard for me to grab everything securely and I never launched the bikes into an all-out sprint because I felt very insecure about being able to stop the bike quickly.

Best thing about the experience? I never really knew how LIGHT road bikes were! I could have picked one up with just a few fingers! It takes both hands for me to hoist my hybrid onto my car rack. Worst thing? Not being able to grab the handlebars, and being tentative about riding around a neighborhood with very narrow streets.

Luckily, there's a few more bike shops in town, so I will be able to try out many more types of bikes. This was definitely educational, though!

Jessie & Jeremy & Connor, Part 2

2009-08-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

Jeremy's home.

Well, in Washington. He's in the hospital. I just had a short text-message conversation with Jessie, since I didn't want to disturb anyone with a ringing cell phone.

Man, I thank my lucky stars that Daniel is only running exercises on his boats, not in actual lines of fire!

Another Great Paleo Post / Dietribe

2009-08-19T07:32:00.000-07:00

Y'all have seen that I have linked to Melissa Byers' blog before. I dig her style.

And I dig her latest post, "How to Win Friends and Influence Paleo".

She speaks the truth. Whenever I tell people why I don't eat this or that, because it gives me acne, or sends me running for the nearest bathroom, or after I eat it my knees hurt for no reason... People don't believe you. Or they think you're crazy. Or both.

People are often out of tune with their own bodies. They may think that their chronic back/knee/wrist/stomach pain is "Normal" and "everyone has it".

I tried using this example once, with my mom. We were talking about birth control pills, and I said that I hadn't had cramps since I was on the pill (aside from the obvious benefit of not popping out an unexpeceted chill'un). She said I shouldn't have cramps anyway, that she never did, and I told her most people experience some pain, and she came back with, "And HOW MANY people do you know that are in Optimum Health?"

Case Closed. Mom Wins Again. (I consider myself extremely lucky that my mother is incredibly intelligent, inquisitive, and quick on her feet and able to cite scientific studies and authors like you wouldn't believe! It makes arguing tough, though, when hard evidence is smacked down in front of you!) :)

Remember those same people from two paragraphs ago? The ones who think their chronic pain is normal? They also probably will turn to Western medicine, pills and injections and god knows what else, to cure their pain, when the answer is probably very simple. If you eat the right things (for you), exercise in the right way (for you), get enough sleep, and have some means of eliminating stress, then you will, very likely, live a long and happy life free from any sort of disease or major pain.

Note I said "eat the right things / exercise the right way (for you)". Let's start with eating. Here is what I eat: grass finished meat, chicken, pork (including bacon) from Skagit River Ranch in Washington, about an hour north of Seattle. If I can't get that, I make an effort to find the, at least, "grass fed" or "organic" animal slices in the supermarket. Organic vegetables from Local Roots CSA or my farmer's market, local stores, etc. Organic fruit from my farmer's market and local grocery stores. Some coconut water (no added sugar, but it does have naturally inherent carbohydrates because it is a perfect isotonic beverage). Herbal tea (lots). Water. Butter. Salt, pepper, herbs, and spices. One cup of coffee with organic whole milk in the morning (~12 oz total). Roasted cacao beans. The occasional bit of salami or hard parmesan chunk (not more than an ounce or so). Nuts of all kinds. A large salad for lunch (courtesy of the CSA). Very little alcohol (a glass a month, or so). Do I go out to eat? Hell Yes, and I try my best to stick to this sort of food. Is this type of lifestyle cheap? Hell No! Notice nowhere in there did I mention I go to Wal-Mart or the Cash & Carry/Giant/Safeway/Vons for my food. I know it's expensive, but I consider it in the realm of "preventive maintenance". If I can live in a manner that I believe is in accordance with my beliefs about environmental preservation, eating local, healthy, becoming an optimum weight, and being pain- and acne-free, then Why in the World wouldn't I do it? Notice that nowhere in this paragraph did I mention grains or processed foods. They don't work for me, plain and simple.

Here is an account by my friend Randy, of why he started eating more vegetables.

I am also committed to the Long & Slow track of weight loss. This means I have cut down my meat consumption, as well as portion sizes in general. This pretty much means I'm hungry all the time, and it is annoying, but I can see some body changes! It's pretty amazing. And it takes forever, because for some reason those last ten pounds are as stubborn as a mule in the rain.

Now for the exercise bit. I have friends that do pilates, friends that do yoga, friends that row or mountain bike or hike with 50 lb packs for days on end, friends that take all the morning classes at the local gym and then some evening yoga, friends that run 12 miles and then stop for two weeks, then pick up one day and run 10 miles again, and friends that are always training for a new triathlon. Lifting heavy things and being forced to do fast, crazy drills at Crossfit works for me, with a small dose of pilates. I also believe in getting the hell outside as often as possible, whether that's in a kayak, sailboat, on skis, snowshoes, hiking boots, or on a bike. If I can't get to Nature, I'll take a walk around my neighborhood and admire the changing plant life.

I encouraged my mom to find a personal trainer in Louisana, and that seriously helped her get in shape for their recent trip to Peru. He focuses on pilates with her. And you know what? She got hooked and is going to stick with him!

***

To summarize, I think everyone needs to find what is right for them. Most of us are capable of acting like sentient adults, and making our own decisions. No, it's not easy changing habits. Yes, you can do it. Self control and determination are skills that require constant practice, they just don't *appear* one day.

Good Luck!

***

(Someone help me off my soapbox, please!)

Jessie & Jeremy & Connor

2009-08-17T17:56:00.000-07:00

I became friends with the aforementioned trio via Daniel. Jessie & Jeremy had gone to ROTC together, and I think they either knew Daniel from high school or college... I can't remember how far they go back, but they are all really good friends!

I was speaking to Daniel via Skype last week, before he got onto the aircraft carrier (maybe I should explain: I was supposed to travel to Japan as of last Thursday, but the Tuesday prior, Daniel called me and told me that the Navy had reassigned him to a carrier at the last minute. Literally. As in, he was supposed to have flown out for a two day jaunt to Korea the next day, and now he was finding himself packing up for a who-knows-how-long stint.

Anyway, he told me that Jeremy had been injured while on tour in Afghanistan, and that his legs were injured. Here is an AP article that Jessie linked to in her blog describing the event. After much investigation on her part, she found out that Jeremy was OK, in good spirits, and is undergoing surgery in DC before coming home. There was some mention of metal plates; this can't be too exciting for either of them.

My thoughts are with them. Their son, Connor, is a cute little guy with some developmental disabilities, and he is actually the baby that I've spent the most time with. Ever. Can you believe that? :) In my mind, Jessie & Jeremy are some of the best parents ever - they are patient, kind, loving, ... did I say patient? And they are just really sweet people, and I sincerely hope that Jeremy's recovery goes quickly and they can get back to normal life, and hopefully he won't get deployed again, or at least for a very long time! (Or maybe he'll get deployed somewhere fun and safe, like Hawaii).

Cafe I Do

2009-08-17T13:41:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make everyone who even glances at this blog aware of one of my oldest friend's newest ventures!

Please hightail it on over to Cafe I Do!

My friend Priscila had such fun planning her own wedding that she has started scouring websites and other material for beautiful, fun wedding ideas!

While I didn't attend her wedding, the pictures, cards, and associated paraphernalia that I viewed online or received in the mail all coordinated beautifully and provided a real cohesion to her wedding design ideas.

Hm, maybe we can shuttle her site off to Apartment Therapy or one of it's offshoots...

Post 30 Days of Paleo

2009-08-09T17:22:00.001-07:00

I did it! I ate Paleo for 30 days!

The only digression I had was about 10 days in, when I had some slightly-sweetened cream inside of a chocolate shell at the L'Auberge du Lac casino buffet in Lake Charles, LA. Oh yeah, and the mini-can of Coke I drank when I almost fainted after my blood draw mid-month. That was a necessity, though, and the first soda I've drank in 10 years or so.

I feel great!

I no longer crave sugar. I mean, if I see a cupcake or pastry, YES of course I want it, but not like I used to crave it, and I also know that it is like crack, and if I eat even part of it, all this effort was for Naught, and I'll have to start back at Square One. And who wants that.

I have to credit Melissa Byers' blog for the inspiration to Sack Up and do this. She owns a Crossfit out in New Hampshire somewhere, and gives the Tough Love via Blog like no one else. Plus, you know, I am jealous and want to be pulling her weights. :) (Although my deadlift just went up to 75 kg, so I am finally pulling more than my body weight). ETA: My goal is to pull a 90 kg DL by December. That's TWO BILLS (read: 200 lbm) off the floor, people! I will have Fran ready with a camera.

As an extra incentive, I had an alternative sort of blood test done to determine whether I had any food allergies, and I found some surprising results. I am to avoid polysorbate-60, tapioca, and flaxseed for 6 months, and an odd variety of food and environmental / petroleum based substances for 3 months, before reincorporating them into my life. Most of these allergens are easy to avoid, but some - like TEA - are difficult for me, because I love it so much and have an entire cupboard shelf devoted to it. Luckily, substitutes abound, like the many varieties of herbal teas available.

***

Anyway, all I am saying is that changing your habits is possible, you just have to be willing to put up with the discomfort of retraining yourself in new habits.

***

As another update, I have lost probably about 4 lb since I left for Louisiana; not a ton of weight, but it's a start. Yes, it's annoying to be eating less - this means I'm pretty much a little bit hungry all the dang time. And I eat a lot less meat, and serving sizes in general, than before. So if that's what it takes for me to lose some more weight, then so be it.

Pictures!

2009-08-09T17:06:00.000-07:00

Well. The sun came out today; I am glad! It is warm once more in Seattle.

I've been busy!...

I bought the World's Cheapest Bookcase at Target on Saturday. Worse than IKEA; none of the fasteners were metal, just injection-molded plastic that I had to snap off stems. It reminded me of making a plastic model car. But it was $20, and it looks close enough to my IKEA shelves, so it shall remain.

I also indulged in a new shower curtain, bath mat, table lamp, and ... I think that is it.

***

Knitting pictures!

I finished my Toasty Topper and Bootees for my friend Paul's wife, Becca. She is due to pop out their kiddo next month sometime, I believe.

The hat is knit double-stranded with Cascade 220 superwash. I have no idea what size head it will fit, but hopefully it will be too big, if anything, and their boy will grow into it. Like I've confessed before, I have no idea as to how big babies are, or how big they are supposed to be. I assume that since I followed the pattern, it will be "enough". And if not, well, uh, sorry Becca. :)

I had to wait forever on the booties. I emptied my Kundert spindle today by plying my Icelandic sample, and then was able to use it to add twist to some of the green Cascade 220 s/w and then let it cable so it would stay twisted before creating the bootie ties.

***

Here are some gifts my mom brought me from Peru! I am thrilled with the bottom whorl spindle she found for me! It's beautiful. I am fairly certain that the whorl was made on a lathe, but the shaft looks hand-carved. The man who sold it to her told her that the wood will last 'for generations'.

She also gave me a Shaman's hat that she bought. I think she bought it and then decided she wasn't going to be using it for her ceremonial work, so here's hoping it brings me luck skiing!

***

I leave for Japan on Thursday! I am soo excited! And as an added bonus, it looks like some friends from Seattle recently moved to Japan somewhere! I tried to contact them via Facebook; hopefully things work out and we can connect with them!

Now, to decide what to knit while on the 10+ hour flight...

General Update

2009-08-07T07:08:00.001-07:00

I have neglected this blog for a while! Whoa!

Well, here is a bullet list of what's going on. I'll elaborate more, hopefully I'll have some time this weekend. With pictures!

I was just in Louisiana for 2 1/2 weeks, dog/house-sitting while my parents went to Peru. They said the trip was amazing, exhausting, exhilirating, and many other -ings. Thanks to my manager for letting me telecommute while I was out there!
My mom brought me back lots of goodies from Peru. A crystal necklace, a Shaman's ceremonial hat (which I am sure was for her, but she said she wasn't going to use it; maybe it will stay on my head while I ski - the pom pom on top is pretty wild), another hat, and over a kg of alpaca yarn in various weights. I also brought home part of a dish set that belonged to my grandma (surprisingly, nothing broke), and an alpaca hide rug. It needs some fixing, but is beautiful and oh-so-soft to roll around on.
I am home for 10 days, several of which have already passed. I leave August 13 for Tokyo, Japan! I am so excited! I haven't seen Daniel since we met in Hawaii several months ago, and I intend to make good use of our time together. :)
While in Japan, we're going to climb Mt. Fuji. Climb. Mount. Fuji. Hopefully I will be OK. I warned Daniel I'd have all my four-letter words in a row before we started, because y'all know how I like to have the Tourette's outbursts when picking heavy things up off the ground or other exhausting Crossfit-induced workouts.
After I get home from Japan (August 30), my sister and brother in law will be coming out to Seattle & Portland! Hooray! Paul asked for kayaking, and he shall have it. I would also like to take them to the ice caves, if they are in good condition.
I still haven't finished warping my loom. Sigh. Jen is out at Sock Summit this weekend, so she wasn't available to help. I finished tying on the back beam, I just need to do the front beam.
I received my July RSC kit; LOVE IT! It's inspired by heirloom tomatoes.
I also bought a bunch of other crap: Bose noise-cancelling headphones (refurbished, shipped from China. Hopefully they aren't fake, but they seem to work fine. They were specifically for the 10.5 hour flight to Japan, but they seem like they will come in handy at other times), a few new books from the Interweave "hurt book sale", and a Starbucks Barista espresso machine with included conical burr grinder! (That last one was off Craigslist, and I got the pair for $150. New, the pair would have been over $450, so I don't think I did too badly). I also justified it by thinking that if I make my own coffee instead of going out, I will save money AND be able to use better quality ingredients. For instance, I really like Stumptown beans. They are roasted in Portland, and delivered up here just a few days after roasting. They also make a Panamanian blend, so I can, you know, support the Motherland. I also use a vat-pasteurized half and half, from a local dairy, and I buy raw milk when I can get it (although I don't know how raw milk will behave under the steam wand of the espresso maker). Truth be told, I know I have lots of room to grow using the espresso maker, but dang if it doesn't turn out a great latte! I even managed to get some pretty fine foam on the milk.
I am almost done knitting a baby hat to go with the baby booties I am making for a friend who's wife is due to pop one out soon.
I ordered Clearwire, which is a local wireless internet service, but my reception isn't looking too good right now, and I may need to send it back and cancel my service. I was hoping to save money by not having a landline and ditching Qwest, but it doesn't look like that is a possibility.
After a couple of weeks of struggling to understand some coding at work, my coworker showed me a much easier way to write a script. I am glad that is working, because it was starting to cause me a little stress!!

OK, now it's off to an annual physical for more anti-baby pills! Hoorah!

Paleo Day 3 Update

2009-07-08T11:04:00.000-07:00

Well... this hasn't been as bad as Previously Advertised. I do crave sugar, but fruit helps. It's still sugar, yes, but it's not as concentrated as you would get in candy or any sort of processed food.

I feel like I should be posting my food logs here... You may notice I eat a lot of the same things. Specifically meat. I love meat. For the last few weeks, I've been buying all the meat I eat at home (that is steak or beef jerky) from grass-finished sources at my local farmer's market. It's a bit more expensive, yes, but "studies show" that grass-fed beef fat contains high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids, just like flax seeds and oily fishes.

I also eat a lot of fruit. I try to balance it with more veggies, but damn I love fruit.

The reason my diet hasn't varied very much is that I haven't been to the store recently! I'm leaving for a few weeks to my parent's house, and want to try to eat as much food in my fridge as possible.
***

Day 1:

- pastrami / salami slices
- blueberries
- strawberries
- nuts

- watermelon
- salami
- nuts

- meat
- salad with oil & white balsamic vinegar
- nuts
- pumpkin seeds

- meat
- strawberries
- peanut butter
- raw coconut oil mixed with raw cocoa (no sugar)

Workout: 4 PM Crossfit. 21 / 18 / 15 / 12 / 9 / 6 / 3 reps alternating wall-ball + burpees or squat-thrusts.

***

Day 2

- pastrami / salami slices
- strawberries
- blueberries
- watermelon
- nuts

- meat
- celery / carrot sticks
- nuts
- pumpkin seeds (in shell)

- meat
- rainbow chard, cooked in olive oil with garlic, onions, vinegar, splash of white wine
- watermelon
- peanut butter
- coconut oil /unsweetened cocoa (makes a chocolatey paste)

Workout: 4 PM Crossfit. Lift heavy shit over your head, pick it up off the floor to do it, and record the three heaviest lifts ( I was bitchy and tired, so I only managed to get 35 kg overhead). Back squats. (PR - 60 kg backsquat for 3 rep, also I snatched a 12 kg kettlebell repeatedly for the first time! Yeah!)

Day 3

- pastrami / salami slices
- blueberries
- strawberries
- watermelon
- macadamias

- meat
- salad (I got Italian dressing in the cafeteria :( )
- nuts
- mixed fruits from cafeteria

To be continued...
Workout: 4 PM Crossfit. I don't know what today's torture is. :)

30 Days of Paleo

2009-07-06T07:19:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Melissa Byers' great blog post, I am going to do this.

Eat Clean. For 30 Days.

I am starting NOW.

Breakfast was pastrami, salami, and blueberries. To drink I have my trusty 40 oz water bottle (stainless steel, of course), a tall glass of ice, and some tea (Kamiya Papaya Oolong from Teavana right now. It will change in a few minutes when I go make another cup). Lunch is a Trader Joe's chicken salad (sans the little fried noodles). Dinner will be, I think, steak and vegetables. Or steak and fruit.

I am giving up dairy, coffee (unless I can manage to learn to drink it black), alcohol, and sweets. The only dairy I was really eating was milk in my morning cup of coffee, so I am not too far off. And alcohol should be relatively easy; I was drinking about two glasses of wine per month. I figured out it exacerbates my allergies (very frustrating!).

When I get home tonight, I will also take oregano oil. It tastes like Satan's asshole, but it is a powerful anti-fungal agent. By eating clean Paleo and using natural anti-fungal agents, I will be killing off any fungal load in my body. There is research out that suggests that starving and killing off your internal fungal load will help manage hormones, thereby balancing things like fat management. It is hard to believe that I exercise this much and have not lost any fat. In fact, it's pretty ridiculous and REALLY frustrating, and makes me want to yell and punch things.

*Ding*. Did you hear that? It means GO.

I Can Haz Loom!

2009-07-01T19:33:00.001-07:00

I finally got my loom!

It's a Harrisville Designs 4 shaft loom, about 30" wide and maybe 48" tall? I love it!

I took that picture yesterday, before I had messed with it at all. My friend Jen agreed to come over Friday and help me get yarn and warp it for a project. I picked out a kitchen towel set to weave, and it turned out that my reed was too widely spaced (6 dents / inch), so either I need to pick a new project with thicker yarns, or get a new reed. I'll see if Weaving Works has reeds that will fit this loom; if not, I'll start with a different project.

Today, in preparation for Friday, I took some time to at least straighten out the straps and pulleys and make sure everything was strung correctly. The pulleys at the top that hold each harness were threaded incorrectly and strung over each other and prevented things from returning to a normal static position, but I think I fixed most of that. Jen may have to help me fine-tune some stuff, though.

***
I carded these batts over the weekend. Aren't they fun? Just a mix of what I had lying around - a lot of SoySilk in those batts, for sure (mostly it is the shiny peach colored fiber).

***

I broke down and ordered some stuff off Etsy. I found this seller called Shunklies off of someone else's blog (can't remember where, sorry!!), and they had a delightful kettle dyed roving that just really spoke to me. I also picked up 100 g of scoured Norwegian fleece for a song.

Here's the fleece:

Here's the roving! Isn't it neat? It's called "Humbug". I just checked, and there isn't any listed right now. It's combed Shetland.

***

Finally, some knitting progress. This is to be Daniel's sweater. Elizabeth Zimmerman's "Hand to Hand" sweater, using Cascade 220 superwash, size 10 Addi Turbo needle. I'm making the 38" chest sized sweater, and modified the cable up the arms. Instead of hers, I am using the "Nautical Twisted Rope" cable pattern from a Barbara Walker Treasury (can't remember which one, either!). The picture doesn't show it, but I am actually very pleased with the 220's stitch definition. If you're not familiar with this sweater pattern, the way it works is you start at one cuff, knit up and around to the collar, leave a hole for the head, and knit down to the other cuff. Then you pick up stitches below the torso portion of what you just knit, and knit straight down, in the round.

Too Lazy for Pictures

2009-06-28T18:04:00.001-07:00

But not too lazy to write!

I broke down and bought a Skacel Schoppel Wolle Zauberball in the "Tropical Fish" colorway from the Fiber Gallery today. I also picked up a couple of Blue Sky Pretty Cheep project bags, in the periwinkle and tangerine colors.

I am SO SORE from hiking! Mostly my calves, butt & quads. Holy Moly! Climbing down the stairs was an event this morning. Another sign that I need to hike more!

I'm getting further on Daniel's sweater; probably a good 6" up the sleeve now. I also decided to make short socks out of my Cat Bordhi "Jeweled Steps" socks. I am just ready to be done with them. Maybe I took too long, but now I kind of think that pattern is a little boring. (!)

I am also spinning a couple of things - on the wheel is part of a 100 g braid of BFL roving I bought at OFFF last year. On my spindle is a tightly twisted thin singles of Gotland, which I drumcarded in a fit of excitement this morning before leaving for pilates. I think I am going to try and make a 3 ply sock yarn out of Gotland and possibly some silk and / or mohair and / or some other wool. I think two solid plies of something and then a variegated ply of something else would be really interesting looking... I suspect the outer coat of Icelandic wool would make a good sock yarn; it's not really soft, but it's sturdy and has a decently long staple (even the lamb's fleece I have).

I am also excited because my friend Jeanne got my loom for me!!! (I think!)... I should be able to pick it up from her Monday or Tuesday... WOOO!!

Cars

2009-06-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

I took a couple of test drives on Friday. My first drive was a Honda Insight, and that was shortly followed by a Toyota Prius.

The Insight is Honda's latest hybrid offering. It looks like a clone of the Prius, except it's smaller and about $3000 cheaper. I really wanted to like the Insight; I remember fondly driving the original Insight back when it was released in the early 2000's, and I worked for the California Air Resources Board. Then, as now, the driving was a little "ker-chunk"y. Back then, I think it was just that the manual transmission I was driving wasn't shifting very well. Now, it's the flywheel re-engaging when accelerating from a stop that is giving the clunky feeling. It's not enough to make a passenger sick, but it's noticeable to me, especially since my Civic is a fairly smooth ride. The other objectionable thing is that rear window viewing area has been compromised in the name of aerodynamics. You are forced to look through a window that is split in half laterally, and the C pillars are thick, so you don't get a lot of lateral-rear view. I don't believe the Insight comes with a rearview camera.

What I do like about the Insight is that it is smaller than the Prius. I like small cars, that's just me. I like that they maneuver more easily, you can get into tighter spaces, and park them in more areas than bigger cars. I like not having to think about how far away the ends of my car are. And I also felt that acceleration and driving were decent, if you don't take the kerchunking into account.

That being said, the Prius was a nice ride. The seat is firm, yet cushiony. The suspension is very smooth, as is the driving. I enjoyed the seamless transition from electric to gas-assisted power, and it provided acceleration that was at least comparable to my current Civic, if not a little quicker (probably due to the electric motor torque available on the low end). The rearview camera is a nice aid, but I would assume I'd be better off actually turning my head and looking behind me. The negatives... it's bigger, somewhere between a Civic and an Accord in terms of length, but the interior volume is equivalent to a Nissan Maxima. It's more expensive. The rear window is still in that annoying lateral-split configuration.

In the end, I decided to wait. I was eager to take advantage of the current promotion (if you take delivery of a vehicle with > 40 mpg fuel efficiency before August 1, you do not pay any sales tax). However, I think my parents, Daniel, and some friends convinced me to wait. I am going to ride out the flight test program at work, and see how my finances stack up after that; a few months of getting essentially double the paycheck should bulk up the savings quite nicely.

Tiger Mountain Hike

2009-06-27T21:06:00.001-07:00

My friend Melinda and I went to a popular local hike today, called Tiger Mountain. All the reviews of Tiger Mountain I've read say it's a 5 mile out-and-back, but... I don't believe it. Melinda also thinks they redid the trail a few years ago, and we estimated we walked between 6-8 miles total. The signs up the trail, if accurate, mean that now the trail is about 4 miles to the western summit, roughly >2000 ft elevation gain.

ANYWAY, despite the possible / probably sign inaccuracies, it was a beautiful hike. And a challenge for me, which is something I enjoyed (when it was over, at least!).

I showed up at Melinda's house in Redmond at 8 AM sharp, and we drove about 20 minutes southeast on I-90 to arrive at Tiger Mountain (exit 20, if you're curious). We got to the trailhead early enough to score a parking spot in the lot directly adjacent to the trailhead. Upon exiting, we noticed that a ton more cars had parked, and people were adding about an extra 1/4 to 1/2 mile to their hike just to reach their cars!

Melinda seemed to have no problem ascending the mountain, but since I don't have a great cardio system (despite Crossfit), I was huffing my way up the mountain. I also chose to wear my knee braces, which was a smart move because the trails were fairly steep in a lot of portions, and the braces serve to stabilize my knees from lateral movements and causing further inflammation later.

Here I am at the top, after shedding my blue fleece and zipping off the lower part of my hiking pants. The cord around my neck that looks like it's choking me is actually a wide-brimmed hat, but the vast majority of this hike is underneath a deciduous tree canopy. Melinda remembered that if it's warm out, the forested area can get quite humid.

The view from the top is spectacular, especially on a beautiful day like today. In the next picture, if you look just to the left of the exact center of the picture, you'll see a white blob. That's the peak of Mt. Rainier.

Here is my "proof-positive" picture, confirming that we did make it to the top!

And here is a shot of Melinda and me, blue sky and green trees surrounding us at the peak. We played a brief game of fetch with an Australian Shepherd, and enjoyed a brief snack while taking in the scenery before descending.

I ran out of water from my Camelbak pack about when we were 1/4 of the way back down, which made for a slightly frustrating descent. Melinda had survived the hike with barely any water left in her bottle. We got down and I remembered I had some tea in the car, so we sucked that down, then drove back to her place, picked up her husband Chris, and went to lunch at Panera.

What a great day! My knees are still sore, but I hope that will go away tomorrow. I am going to take some ibuprofen tonight before I fall asleep, just to help inflammation stay away.

I really want to do more of these hikes, because getting out and hiking is the only way I can think of to really improve my hiking skills!

****

A side note: My new 3 rep max for military press is 25 kg. Yeah! That was after a 2000 meter row, too.

I got home and ended up getting a lot of knitting, and a few small things around the house, done.

Surprise Package

2009-06-21T15:26:00.001-07:00

I received a small package in the mail yesterday. From Daniel! He is currently on a ship, and emailed me to say they were planning to let the sailors swim off the side of the ship for a while. Sounds like fun! Except I was wondering how they get off the boat...after all, most decks are quite high above the waterline.

Isn't it pretty? It's a simple piece of woven cotton cloth, with a fun print on it. The print reminds me of peonies or chrysanthemums, with the occasional bee flitting around. The funniest part is the slip of paper that came with it, showing how one could use the fabric. My favorite picture is the final one, "Bath".

***

I also wanted to show off a wool shawl I purchased on my trip to Madison. I got it at one of those ubiquitous "hippie" stores that smell like patchouli or Nag Champa, and sell goods that are ostensibly fair-traded. Anyway, this shawl is wonderfully light, yet warm and snuggly. I have used it at the office a few times, and find it easier to don and doff than a cardigan. Although a friend of mine did call it "a bit mature for you". :)

***

My friend Melinda and I went strawberry picking on Saturday, up north of Seattle in a town called Arlington. Here is the result:

Beautiful. luscious red berries. Sweet as sugar, and fragrant. The farm wasn't organic, so we had to wait and wash everything when we got home. $1.50 / lb. I picked 13 lb ($20 worth) and helped Melinda get 20 lb all within about half an hour, which attests to the farm's dense berry plantings.

Below is part of my haul, drying on blue towels on my stovetop. In all, I made a large strawberry milkshake (using whole milk, strawberries, vanilla extract, and stevia liquid), froze 4 quart size bags of berries, had 2 x 32 oz containers in the fridge plus another couple of bowls full of strawberries to deal with yesterday. Yum!! My entire place was strawberry scented!

Old Man on the Plane

2009-06-15T07:01:00.000-07:00

On my way home from Madison, WI, I had a connecting flight to Minneapolis.

I sat next to an elderly man, with a bald pate but for a ring of wispy wild white hair.

Liver spots told tales of probable sun exposure, and he moved slowly, but surely.

I noticed he was reading "War and Peace", in a very large library hardbound version. He was a little over halfway through it.

I asked him how it was, and with a slight inhale, he responded,

"Long."

He then told me a little more of his view on the Tome, and conversation shifted.

He asked what I did, when I replied that I was an engineer, he told me that he had originally gone to Johns Hopkins for engineering, "But I didn't like the engineers. So I switched to physics."

Turned out he had gotten his PhD in physics at Hopkins back in the late 40's / early 50's, and did work at the Applied Physics Laboratory out there.

He then told me he was once in a lab "where all the glass was etched and the plants were all dead. Now, what etches glass?" he asked, in a somewhat wheezing voice.

"Acid?" I responded.

"Yes. What kind of acid?"

I wondered if he ever taught classes.

"Hm... sulfuric?"

"...Hydrofluoric." He explained that the lab he was in was using fluorohexene (-hexane?) to separate out uranium from ore.... for one of the atomic bomb projects.

It's amazing who you sit next to on a plane sometimes!

Synthetics can Suck It!

2009-06-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

Ah-hah! Another article justifying that cleaning with traditional Western cleaners can be bad for you:

http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/Green-Cleaners/Eight-Natural-Homemade-Cleaners.aspx

I cannot stand being in a home where a synthetic-smelling cleaner, detergent, or bleach has been used. My allergies go insane, and sometimes I get a reaction similar to when I am near too many cats, or a dirty home with cats - I have much difficulty breathing. I start sneezing at work if anyone passes by and their cloud of cheap cologne or perfume wafts in my direction, or if they decide that NOW is the time to use a scented Clorox wipe on their desk. (The obscenely dirty cubicle desks some people maintain seriously frightens me. I clean mine every other day or so, and more if I see a stain on the desk).

When I clean my own home, I use three spray bottles: one with white vinegar, one with hydrogen peroxide (and the bottle is covered in duct tape so as not to let in light), and one bottle with a mixture of half water, half vinegar, and a glug of rubbing alcohol (this is my glass cleaner. The vinegar degreases, and the alcohol helps decrease drying time / streaks). When I clean countertops or other surfaces, I spray one layer of vinegar followed by another layer of hydrogen peroxide. My sister presented us with a study long ago that found that this combination was as antibacterial and effective a cleaner as synthetic "all purpose" cleaners. For sinks and tubs, I use an abrasive powder called Bon Ami, and a stiff bristled plastic brush. I was trying baking soda when I ran out of Bon Ami recently, but I went back to it because, in my opinion, it scrubs better. For the toilet, I use a toilet brush and a soy-based toilet cleaner that has peppermint oil in it. I hear Clorox GreenWorks toilet cleaner is pretty good, as well, but I think the smell is a touch overwhelming for me.

I was in Madison, WI this past week (coming in a separate post), and I couldn't share the inflatable mattress with my friend, because she smelled like fabric softener. To some, it might evoke memories of Mom's fresh laundry, smelling "clean", but to me it just smells hideous and I get a vague memory of walking by apartment buildings in college and having sneezing fits because someone was drying their clothes and the Downy was emanating from the dryer exhaust vent.

When my friend Kim visited, I couldn't let her share the bed with me, either. Whatever combination of personal care products she chooses left me sneezing and blowing my nose the entire weekend. She is a great friend, but I couldn't have her stay anywhere near me! :)

I also recently got duped by a deodorant; Sure, I believe, was the brand. It purported to be "unscented", and then I got it home, opened it, and HAH- it smells like Febreeze-cucumbers. I looked closer, and "masking fragrance" is listed as the final ingredient. I usually use a natural deodorant, either Tom's of Maine or a spray from Origins that contains essential (read: natural) oils. But for actual odor-killing, I turn to Dove Unscented sensitive skin deodorant; the one brand that has actually proved to me it's UNscented.

***

So, I say the above not only to whine about the overuse of synthetic "fragrances" in society, but to bring up a narcissistic viewpoint. Synthetic fragrances are gross! And if you believe the voodoo-hurdy-gurdy, they have been shown to deplete your aura, or energy field surrounding your body.

Tapping Fingers...

2009-06-03T18:35:00.000-07:00

Excitement! Daniel will be within Skyping range on Friday morning! I think this is the first time we'll get to talk in over a month (talk in real-time, not via email).

I'm also happy because I leave Friday afternoon to visit my friends John, Olivia, and Julie in Madison, Wisconsin! Actually, Julie is also visiting them from Los Angeles, but it will be good to see everyone! Apparently Julie has an interview at the university in Madison! Good luck, Julie!

So, having finished the Hemlock Ring blanket, I am debating on what big thing to start next. I swatched for Daniel's Hand to Hand sweater, but I also feel like I should get going on Priscila's alpaca socks and my purple STR socks, for goodness' sake!

I think what I'll do is: if I can get over the trouble I've been having with the Cat Bordhi sock pattern, I'll take that on the Madison trip with me. I think I am vaguely allergic to alpaca :( so spending long times with Priscila's alpaca sock yarn won't make me happy on a plane... or I could start a pair of socks for Daniel!

***

In bigger news, new toys are coming my way soon! A new car, likely in September, and a new road bike sometime.

Both are taking a lot of thought on my part, and also starting to save up (especially for the bike, since it's a relatively small purchase compared to a car).

The cars in the running are: Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, Honda Insight hybrid, Mazda 3, and the Subaru Outback Sport. Fuel economy, reliability rates from Consumer Reports, insurance rates, and whatever price USAA can wrangle for me will be final determiners.

The bikes are a little tougher, since I know less about them than I do cars, but there are a few Trek Women-Specific Design (WSD) that I am curious about, and a Novara (REI's house brand) that I am eyeing. Surprisingly, Novara has decent component packages for their price.

***

In unrelated news, I am getting a floor loom! A Harrisville 4 harness folding floor loom, to be exact. It is coming from a woman in Oregon, for a great price. She will be delivering it at some point to her son in Portland so I can pick it up! I even am redecorating for it. I sold my large bookcase yesterday, and that paid off my new smaller bookcase I bought, so that was nice. Maybe it's time to hang some art on that wall; it looks really bare without the giant shelf.

Diet Challenge Update 2

2009-05-28T07:02:00.000-07:00

The Crossfit Seattle Spring LEAN Challenge is into it's 4th week, and I have not noticed any major body changes.

I have a couple of friends who say they have lost multiple pounds; good job to them!

I have some theories here about why I am "stuck" at my weight / size:

- the morning 12 oz latte (the ratio I use is 8 oz coffee : 4 oz half & half)

- indulging in things once a week like fruit with heavy cream... (an obvious one!), or

- too much fruit vs. vegetable?

- not enough protein?

- too much fat?

However, I should note that I feel a lot stronger. Here are some recent accomplishments I am proud of:

- I am using the 12 kg kettlebell for snatches now instead of the 8 kg kb

- I did 160 x 16 kg kb swings without stopping last week, and the day after I did 100 kb swings without stopping

- I did 20 x 65 kg deadlifts without resting a couple of weeks ago. This leads me to believe my 1 rep DL max is now beyond 70 kg

- I ran all 5 x 100 m bits of yesterday's WOD (5 rounds of: 7 burpees + box jump, 7 OH squats, and 100 m run). My burpees still suck.

- My OH squat 1 rep max is 25 kg, as of yesterday, which isn't horrible.

In short, I am frustrated because I am not "smaller" - my clothes fit exactly the same. However, I am happy because I'm not any larger, and I seem to be getting stronger.

Accumulations & Accomplishments

2009-05-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

Purchased via Amazon:

My February Lady Sweater is coming along! The sleeve stitches are held on waste yarn, and I have started in on the gull lace stitch for the body... relatively smooth sailing (although I did have to undo a row this morning).

I've also spun a Pygora / silk blend from Peppermint Pastures Pygora. It is 1 oz of 70% pygora / 30% silk. It is soft, and Gorgeous.

I experimented with the long draw method for spinning the singles, letting the twist enter the fiber and then pulling the fiber mass back further. I think it basically worked; the yarn is very soft.

I wound a center-pull ball on my ball winder, and then spun from both ends of the ball to make a 2 ply yarn.

I think it will end up as a cowl or something - small, warm, and snuggly!

Finally, I got off my tuchus and combed out a merino lamb fleece sample my friend Kim sent to me. I think combing was the way to go with this fiber. I definitely had some waste, but the prepared fiber - I hand pulled roving off the combs - is a joy to spin. Crimpy, soft, and lively!

Redecorating

2009-05-27T19:55:00.000-07:00

I think it's time for a change.

I think this shelf might be on the sale-block. I love it, but I think I want more room on that side of my condo.

I picked this up on a trip to IKEA last Friday. It's a metal plant stand, with the top shelf at roughly my eye level. Perfect for my orchids, ferns, African violets, and coffee plant:

The "DANGER" tape outside my window is due to the final stages of building reconstruction. I am mired in various chemical smells while the workers lay down the final layers of deck coating. I came home today to a small spray of white sand that had gotten inside my condo.

This is the new bookshelf I also bought at IKEA. I had a couple of these in college, and they were extremely sturdy, so I am not worried about overloading it with books.

There are still a few things I need to work out, like where to put my stereo (I actually want to get the slick Bose one that handles both CD's and iPods), and where to stash my sheet music. I'm confident I will figure something out. I just got rid of another suitcase full of books, too! So liberating. They were mostly chemistry and very basic engineering textbooks that I wouldn't anticipate needing should I go to grad school. The other textbooks I will haul to work and store there.

FO: Hemlock Ring Blanket

2009-05-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

Damn, I knit slowly.

I am so glad to be done with the Hemlock Ring blanket, adapted by Brooklyntweed. For many reasons! It is a gift, for some friends who were wed recently (relatively). It is a lovely knit to work, and a lovely finished item. Jared Flood has great taste.

My only regret is not having pins and enough time to let it dry blocking upon my mattress.

Instead, I had to "ghetto-rig" it and use textbooks. The first useful thing they've done for me in 4 years! (You know, except, like, helping me get my job and stuff..). If you look closely, you can see all sorts of knickknacks also being used as blocking weights.

This horrid set up produced a marginal blocking job. It's flat...ish. The blanket is definitely a lap blanket, and two people have to get close to snuggle under it, but that's a good thing, right?

A close up, washed out shot of the lace patterning in the center.

Random Crafting

2009-05-21T20:20:00.000-07:00

I just realized I have been fairly crafty in the last couple of days, which warrants some pictures!

First up, an amalgam of craftiness. First, an empty box with the lid flaps razored off! Hoorah! This is intended for a box weaving project. Inside the box is some carded raw alpaca fiber... which gave me a horrific allergy attack Tuesday evening when I processed it! I was sneezing and had red eyes well into Wednesday. The alpaca fleece shown here varies a lot in color. I never pulled it entirely out of the bag to check where the colored spots might be, but there are definite differences. I learned a lot from carding it on the drumcarder. Specifically, that I shouldn't use the drumcarder for this. Using the flick carder on individual locks was much kinder to the fine hair, because I noticed some neps started to form on the surface of the alpaca fiber when I was carding it.

Today, after Crossfit and picking up a pair of zip-off hiking pants I had ordered on sale at REI, I stopped in at the Weaving Works. I picked up a set of weaving cards, a stick shuttle, and the two most recent issues of HandWoven. Should make for some interesting reading! :)

Finally... my Hemlock Ring blanket is finally (almost) done! Can you see the cast off edge at the bottom of the picture?

For the size of the blanket, I went almost to the end of the chart that Brooklyntweed created. I knit to just before the final increase round in the chart (not the final round he used, which is somewhere in the middle of his chart), and then began my binding off.

I am using the basic idea for the picot-edge bind-off that is shown in the original pattern, except instead of making a yarn-over and then turning and making 5 stitches into that yo, I am just doing a backwards-loop cast on of 5 stitches when I turn the work to purl the two flanking stitches (which are k2tog in the initial bind-off row). It makes a bigger picot edge, but I think it will block out fine. I hope it doesn't look cheap! ...It feels really good to be almost done with this blanket. I can't wait to block it and send it off to the recipients!

Yes, I know it looks like a big blob right now, but just wait and see what judicious blocking does to this thing!

Trying New Things

2009-05-18T12:16:00.000-07:00

After spending a weekend in Portland with Jeanne, and getting to weave a bit on her Friends Rug, I decided that I would like to try some weaving of my own! (For reference, the portion I wove is the yellow and brown stripe. I also kept weaving after that, and got about 6-7" done before we had to go inside the main house for breakfast.)

Weaving is "teh awesum!" I thought it was great fun. I am now looking at cheap, space-saving options for trying out weaving, to make sure I enjoy it enough before investing in real tools (like giant looms).

One of the LYS' in Seattle, Weaving Works, has plenty of weaving classes. I am awaiting their summer schedule. In the event that I cannot finish a June-series class, I contacted the local spinning guild in Lake Charles, LA (Spinners and Weavers of Imperial Calcasieu), and am hopeful that someone in the guild would be willing to take some time and teach me to weave (and possibly lend me a small loom while I am out there).

Another type of project I have been learning more about is known as card weaving, or tablet weaving. My friend Jen pointed out this project as good for a beginner. The essence of card weaving seems to be that you thread the warp threads through a series of cardboard squares, and between using a stick shuttle to weave the weft in, and rotating the cards, you weave your desired design.

What I've Been Up To

2009-05-17T18:55:00.000-07:00

After pilates class this morning, Kris, Jeanelle, and I went down to Pike Place...

...and walked amongst the Seattle Cheese Festival crowd....

***

Yesterday, I went kayaking with some friends in the Mercer Slough, off of Lake Washington...

... and I also finished spinning a yarn called "Fire and Ice" (fiber from Traveling Rhinos fiber club)....

***

Last weekend, I went down to Portland with my friend, Jeanne...

(this is us hiking along Tom McCall trail)

... I discovered several things on this trip, like...

- Jeanne and I have the same wheel
- Jeanne gave me a brief primer in weaving. I love it!
- I want Daniel and I to have a life somewhat similar to Jeanne and her husband's, with respect to quality of life and early retirement, etc.

***

Addendums:

- Paleo diet, while improving my stomach function and maintaining clear skin, does not seem to be making me skinnier. On the upside, I kayaked "like a windmill" yesterday, coming in about 15 minutes ahead of my friends. I was able to do 20 x 45 kg deadlifts in a row the other day. I could also do 10 pushups while holding my gut in and not touching my knees to the ground (hooray for small triumphs). Soon I can cross the 10 pushups off my "6 month goal" list at the gym.

- I am hoping for an intro to weaving class in June at my LYS. If it doesn't complete before I leave for Louisiana, I did get in contact with the regional guild out there, Spinners & Weavers of Imperial Calcasieu. Hopefully there will be some kind person who would be willing to teach me and lend me a small loom while I am out there!

- The Hemlock Ring Blanket is almost done. Hope the recipient likes it!

- I split off the stitches for the sleeves to my February Lady Sweater. Now it's just straight gull-lace stitch all the way down to the waist.

- I am hoping to process some fiber tonight for spinning this week. I have a goal of working my fiber stash down before I hit up OFFF or Black Sheep Gathering this summer.

***

What are you up to?

Pre-Birthday-Day

2009-05-01T18:03:00.000-07:00

Yup, I begin my 28th year on Earth tomorrow!

In celebration of the day, I took a mental health day from work. I awoke at 6 AM, feeling refreshed, and proceeded to clean my bathroom - plebean, perhaps, but necessary. I then had a gentle breakfast of salami, watermelon, and iced chai tea (sans milk / sugar). Yes, I eat strange combinations of food... After that, I watched the gorgeously blue sky unfold, as the sun had risen around 5:30 AM, and lolled on the couch, reading a fashion magazine.

I picked my friend Kris up at 8:45, and we headed to REI, where I bought several things I had been eyeing for a while. A new tent, on sale for $125, for Daniel and myself. A new uber-comfy dress for myself, for which I used my 20% off coupon. Some running shorts on clearance, as well as a pair of trail runner shoes, a combination bike lock / cable on clearance, and a new pair of eggbeater / normal pedal hybrid bike pedals rounded out my purchases. I have been eyeing these particular bike pedals for a while, because I want to ride my bike around town, but I have eggbeater bike pedals, used to clip in your cycling shoes and make your riding more efficient, which means I'd either have to carry extra shoes around to swap out every time I got off my bike, or I'd end up clomping around in cycling shoes (which have extremely stiff soles, and aren't very comfortable to walk on). With these pedals, I can have the best of both worlds and still use my bike even I am not in my cycling gear, per se.

After REI, we ended up at the Portage Bay cafe for brunch. Kris tucked into a smoked salmon hash, and I had a eggs / bacon / potatoes combo with some buckwheat (gluten free) pancakes. Portage Bay is awesome because, for pancake-type items, they let you have a trip to the "toppings bar", which today included honey-butter, maple syrup, real whipped cream, and an assortment of fresh fruits. I actually only ate about a third of my brunch, and gave Kris the rest to take home to Randy.

After brunch, we went out to Capital Hill and attempted to wait for Bliss soaps to open. They make amazing bath products, but the guy who owns it is not very good about keeping "normal" business hours. They open at 2 PM, and not usually on time. We walked around Broadway (the main drag in Capital Hill), then we went for iced tea (Kris had a beer and a doughnut) at this coffee house, and walked back to Bliss. We left at 2:30 PM, especially frustrated because not only were they still closed, but this is the second time they haven't been open long after we have awaited their arrival.

So, I came home... I then got the mail, and was totally surprised by this!

This was Daniel's birthday gift to me!!! How completely sweet and thoughtful is this?? He bought me a little teapot, with some sencha green tea that the lady in the store down the street from him in Yokosuka said was "Oishi!" *tasty!*. Then a camera case, so I can carry my camera in more than an old sock. And a cute card that he wrote "is rated PG, so we can show this one to the kids one day"...lol.... and FIVE (5) beautiful balls of yarn from a couple of Japanese yarn manufacturers! :) How awesome is he for feeding my yarn habit? I think they will become scarves or hats - I can't wait! Most of them are made by Puppy, which is apparently a large yarn company in Japan. He even coordinated with a friend of his who used to be stationed in Bremerton and is now in Japan, to send my package out for him, since he was out of time before leaving for his latest ocean assignment. What a wonderful man! :) I love you, darling; Thank you!!

***

Look! A new sock! I am making the Wanida sock from Cookie A's new book. This is for my friend, Priscila. I frogged the last sock I had been making her; the basketweave pattern was thoroughly annoying me, since it is not one that is easily "readable" in the knit fabric, at least for me, and therefore required too much attention. Hopefully this one will be more successful. I am using Classic Elite's Alpaca Sox yarn (60% alpaca, 20% merino, 20% nylon) for this project - it was in the stash, and the colors looked interesting. I hope she likes it! I figured the alpaca would keep her feet warm in DC winters. :) I should mention that the colors are only slightly brighter in real life (it is a combination of burnt orange, green, and plum).

I also am in the midst of spinning up a lot of stashed fibers. This is a wool / silk blend from Crosspatch Creations. There is some very soft wool, and there is some that is coarser. They also blend in a layer of silk noils, which is interesting but scary because I have to think about not spinning ONLY the noils, making sure to get some wool in there to help bind it together. I am spinning it as a single, fairly laceweight, with some slubs from the noils, and I think I am going to make some sort of scarf / shawl out of it. I am assuming there is at least 150 yards in the cake below (perhaps it's time to get a yard counter?), and I am about halfway through the batt that it is sitting on.

Another benefit to spinning up stash is that spun yarn takes up less space than the fibers do! :)

***

Plans for my actual birthday include Lazing About, perhaps some coffee, and dinner with a few friends at a restaurant called the Kingfish Cafe. Even though my Diet Challenge started today (!), I am going to have a drink, and some cake.

Jen's Bridal Shower - posthaste

2009-04-27T20:20:00.001-07:00

I kept forgetting to post pictures I took of my lovely friend Jen's bridal shower two weeks (!) ago....and now she is married!! Their wedding was awesome; the actual ceremony was less than 10 minutes, and included such fabulous nuggets of wisdom as, "When you are sick, I will make you orange Jell-O", and my personal favorite, "I promise to know the difference between stockinette and reverse stockinette stitch..." ... The vows were pretty funny, but it was very obvious that she is crazy about her new husband, Lon. Actually, the first time I met him was at their wedding! I sat next to some other glassblowers. :) Then I sat next to knitters at the reception.

So, here are some pics! Here is Jen opening gifts as her sister is passing them to her. :) (I liked the color of her sister's shirt, which was really interesting that a redhead could pull it off, but she wore it well!)

Here is a shot of the personalized Dove candies that her sister had made up. They really went to a lot of effort to pull this event off, and even though bridal showers are definitely not my usual scene, I could tell they did it with love and just wanting Jen to have a great time.

Here is a shot of Jen's sister bringing over a giant canister of Dove candies - the girl in the black shirt eventually guessed how many were in there, and won the jar, which she promptly shared with everyone. (I should also mention Jen's ridiculous funny maribou-trimmed light-up tiara! Yeah!)

And here she is, in attack mode for the cake. :)

Congratulations, Jen!! I am so happy for you and Lon!!!!

Dry Falls Camping Trip

2009-04-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, I headed out for my first camping trip of the year with Tori, Igor, Ryan, and his new girlfriend, Rupali.

Tori set up a trip to Dry Falls State Park, located in eastern Washington, about a 3 hour drive from my home in Ballard. According to the literature, the falls were created at the end of the last Ice Age, when a large waterfall kept retreating further and further, carving out a huge canyon that looks very reminiscent of a miniature Grand Canyon, to my eye. The dry fall-bed is three times the size of Niagara Falls, and I believe that is via measuring perimeters of both falls. There is a series of lakes, all varying sizes, that lie at the bottom of the dried waterfalls. They are very beautiful, and conducive to kayaking.

We unwittingly arrived the day before trout fishing season opened, so we were crowded into the state campground amidst a miasma of families with children, carousing and drinking heavily while pulling in their limit of trout. (Mark tells me trout is tasty; I've never tried it! Maybe I should have convinced someone to catch us some trout and we could have fried them up...)

The weather was fairly cold. The sun warmed things up in the mid-afternoon, but I think I had a fleece or my ski jacket on for all but a few hours while out there. The scenery was beautiful - high chaparral desert, bristling with sage plants and hearty yellow wild daisies that bloomed beautifully on the arid landscape. It was interesting to see such dry earth along the walls and tops of the canyons, and then see the rushing water of rivers flowing to lakes below.

Here is a picture I took at the Dry Falls visitor center, a curious building that looks like a cuboid mushroom. This is, I believe, the end-point of Dry Falls.

I decided to try and start a series of Crossfit-related pictures themed to my travels. This one I call "L-Sit Attempt at Dry Falls". My face looks especially ridiculous because I am trying to hold still while Igor takes a picture. I am fairly certain I exhibit Bitter Beer Face when trying to execute deadlifts. I told Fran it looks like I'm trying to poop.

On Saturday, we drove around - rather, I drove the rest of the folks around, since I am the only one without a pickup truck. We drove to a place called Soap Lake, which appears to have "healing waters". Waters full of "ichthyological oil" (better known as "Fish Oil"), and smelling of sulphurous compounds. Whatever mineral(s) is/are in the water create a white deposit along the shorelines that resembles laundry soap. I don't know if Soap Lake is actually alkaline, but it's kind of a neat place to visit.

Here's a shot of Tori and Ryan, showing success and Being Healed By The Waters of Soap Lake, after immersing their feet. I told them I didn't have towels in the car, so they suffered mucky feet the entire way back to camp.

Here is just a cute shot of Ryan & Rupali, at Soap Lake:

And, to prove that my camping was not entirely bereft of crafting, I managed to get in some spindling and knitting on my February Lady Sweater. I completed the eyelet row, and now am just doing garter stitch until the "sleeve stitches almost meet underneath your arms". Hopefully that will be soon, and I can start the lace portion!

Behold, the picture of me spinning in front of the campfire!

I should mention that I really miss Daniel on vacation trips like this. He is an excellent camping companion :) plus, you know, he's really warm at night. Which would have been nice...

Diet Challenge Update

2009-04-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

I got my "Before" pictures taken today, flub and all. It wasn't so bad, the woman taking the photos did it in the women's bathroom at the gym. The Challenge starts Friday! I am ready, though... I figure if I can lose 5-10 lb in 7 weeks, that would be freakin' awesome, and help me to eventually achieve my goal of being Gutless (well, in a physical sense of the word, because having Guts is important, of course... oh, I've dug a hole, haven't I...)

I learned there are 30 people participating - that's a $900 (!) kitty!!! Plus a month of free unlimited Crossfit brings the total prize to $1060. Thank god they are doing cash - I don't think you'd have to report it? :)

The workout today was simple, yet tough. Alternating 3 barbell push-press-squats with a partner, for 20 minutes. My partner and I used 20 kg, and I think we got 27 rounds in? Yeah!!

Dinner was a pint of watermelon chunks and a large oven-baked pork chop in African spice.

I need to go set up a Food Diary as a Google document so I can access it from wherever I am - when I did the food diary with Fran, I liked not having to remember what I ate so I could enter it at work, or at home, etc.

Crossfit Diet Challenge

2009-04-19T17:42:00.001-07:00

I received an email from my Crossfit studio, saying they had a Diet Challenge coming up.

I think I am going to do it!

The terms are that you pay $30 into a kitty. The challenge lasts from May 1 - June 19 (seven weeks), and you are to keep a food diary and email it to the group participating once a week. You also take "before" and "after" pictures in a bikini top and shorts (for women).

The winner gets the entire kitty + 1 month of free Crossfit!

This will be interesting, because they encourage people to at least give up gluten and processed foods, and I am already a couple of steps ahead of them.

I think my big problems here are:

- I have a HUGE sweet tooth, and I really have to not have any sugar in the house if I don't want to go snacking on it. (I just cleaned out my cupboards - again. I shall be tossing some old Snickers bars Daniel left here, as well as some rice, etcetera).

- I eat a lot of fruit, since I don't eat a lot of sugary foods anymore. Of course, fruit (and dried fruit) are full of fructose...their own sugar.

- I don't "really" practice portion control.

- I know I eat way more fat than either the Zone or the Paleo diet advises...

***

Time to dig out the Zone portions book, and remember what the heck everything was (e.g. I think one block of watermelon was 3/4 cup, and I think a block of strawberries were 1.5 cups...but I need to go look! It's been 10 years).

***

Wish me luck! I might even be brave and post my Before and After pics on here! (EEP!)

Totally Random

2009-04-17T18:34:00.001-07:00

Time for a bulleted blog post!

I started knitting the February Lady Sweater, from FlintKnits, using Plymouth Mushishi yarn. The yardage is even better than Eco-Wool, and so I think I'll get away with two skeins of it. If not, it might have shortened sleeves, or some handspun to coordinate.

I started spinning some merino lamb that Kim had sent me a while back. It's soft! I am spinning it on my Kundert top-whorl drop spindle, and the only prep I am doing is fluffing the locks before barely predrafting them. Turning out fairly well! I am going to Andean ply it (i.e. wrap it around my hand and use the resulting bracelet to make a 2 ply yarn).

I got bored with my coffee table, so I painted it! Currently, the top is drying from it's second coat of chocolate brown paint. It's the same paint as is on some of my walls, so I am fairly sure it will coordinate. I think I am going to do some sort of leaf design on top. I wanted a new table, so I thought I'd paint it before I went spending cash.

My friend Jen's wedding is tomorrow! I am so happy for her. I'll be there, even if weddings and such are not my scene. Daniel wants a curtain pulled back to have the entire scene revealed without any pomp. :)

Success with the Woolee Winder

2009-04-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

Kris and Randy graciously invited me to their Pre-Tax Potluck tonight, but I am ... somewhat tired. I had today off, and got up around 7 AM, and made out a "To-Do" list, which included several errands. Went and took some passport photos (oh, my life is so hard!!), then I came back home, made some coffee, and read and spun some yarn. Then I met Fran with some plants for her, and we went down to SoDo for a couple of hours, then ate at the Coastal Cafe in Capital Hill.

After I left her place, I went to run my errands. Which, ahem, included a stop at Acorn Street yarn shop. I picked up this skein of Cascade 220, intended for this hat pattern I found. I have been wanting to try colorwork for a while.

Here is the progress on my "Jeweled Steps" socks by Cat Bordhi. This yarn is from the Rockin' Sock Club 2008, and I got somewhat frustrated with the pattern included. Concluding that Life is too short to be annoyed by a knitting pattern, I decided to use the yarn for a Cat Bordhi pattern that I have been taken with for some time. I know a lot of people find her patterns difficult, or confusing, but to me they make great sense. :)

I picked up an extra skein of Mushishi for my February Lady Sweater, as well. I am about 50 yards short, but if it really comes down to it, I can use some Cascade or spin some yarn to complete the sleeves (which are the last part of the pattern, anyway).

***

I also had my first handspinning success on the Woolee-Winder! The tool is awesome, although I am still having problems with the gears sticking occasionally.

The fiber for thi yarn came from the Fiber Play tube that lovely Kim bought for me at Urban Fauna studio in SF. I carded the fibers randomly together into a few large batts, and spun a single on the WW. Then I wound off the single into a center-pull ball, and plied it from both ends of the ball. I put the ball in my new steel mixing bowl ($2.69 at the restaurant supply store; my new favorite place!), and went for it. I got 108 yards out of the Fiber Play, not including the single I wrapped with thread for one of the art-yarn hats I made last month. I bet I got closer to 200 yards out of this box. :)

Here's a shot of the yarn on the WW.

And here's a shot of the finished yarn - roughly worsted or aran weight.

Sunny Spring Day

2009-04-03T18:33:00.000-07:00

Today turned out to be a beautiful day! Cold, but beautiful. It was raining in the morning, but by the time I was done with work and out the door, it was gorgeous (sky-wise.)

I was reading Allure magazine, and they had a review of a local nail salon. Since the price was reasonable (manicure for $15, pedicure for $25, I believe), I thought I would go check it out. I've never had a manicure or pedicure (unless you count the acrylic nails (!) I had put on for Senior Prom in high school...[on a side note, acrylic nails in 1999 could be used as screwdrivers on 1970 VW Beetles... just ask me how I know!] ). I originally scheduled myself for both a manicure & pedicure, but upon arriving, I changed my mind and just had my hands dealt with. Outside, the temperature was hovering around 48 degrees F, and I didn't want to be forced out of my wool socks into flip-flops.

So, here is what $20 ($15 + a $5 tip I left) got me:

I chose a translucent OPI polish - it is vaguely pink with silver sparkles - which apparently isn't showing up in the photo. Was it nice? Yes. Do I think it was worth it? Meh...maybe if I had a special occasion to deal with - like, my birthday or my wedding day. The woman basically did what I do at home when I paint my nails - clean them, push back the cuticles, cut off any hangnails, file them, and paint them. She did include a forearm and hand massage, which was a nice touch (and she did this "snapping" thing with my fingers, essentially pulling on them with her fingers in a "snap" pose, which made them press harder on my knuckles. A very interesting sensation). The other thing I didn't like is that you can't see their autoclave where they supposedly put their tools to sterilize, and she used an already-used nail file on me.

The pedicure areas looked interesting - according to the Allure review, the chair vibrates. I also have ticklish-foot issues, and I am scared to get a pedicure because I don't want them cutting off all my callouses (which sounds gross, but otherwise I'd have blisters everywhere...)

I have to say, I am glad I didn't go anywhere more expensive. The place is called Hoa Salon, on 64th & Roosevelt Ave., if anyone is interested. :) (Right next to the Sunlight Cafe).

***

Next up: The current state of my knitting.

I just bought this skein of Plymouth Mushishi yarn at Acorn Street LYS here in Seattle (post-manicure). I'd been curious about it ever since I saw it in the latest Vogue Knitting, and I think it might make a nice February Lady Sweater. Another plus: 95% wool, 5% silk, 491 yd worsted weight, $23.95 at Acorn St. So, a little more pricey than the same amount of Cascade 220, but this has some silk in it. The shopkeeper's opinion was that it was another Plymouth attempt to capture some of the success Noro has had.

Here is my March 2009 RSC kit. Beautiful, as always! I think the pattern will be interesting to knit. It's by the Yarn Harlot. The yarn is beautiful, too... I guess I am getting drawn to more pink-based colors lately... Tina also included some fun "cut it out yourself" Blue Moon stickers, as well as the customary Dyer's Notes and "emergency" keychain skein.

Here's my Hemlock Ring Blanket in it's current state. Earlier this week, I got around to migrating the blanket onto a longer cable (all hail Knitpicks Options needles!). It has made the knitting much more relaxed; although I am impressed & surprised that I could fit that many stitches onto what looked like a 20" circular needle. (!) I'm into what looks like a mostly Feather-and-Fan-ish portion of the blanket. The Eco-Wool I'm using is very nice to knit with, as well. I can't wait to sling this over myself on the couch!

Here are my finished Monkeys! (Only took me 4 months!) I think the pooling of the STR Lightweight is really interesting. This is "Fire on the Mountain", which is interesting because the right sock in the picture looks nothing like what that colorway looks like on the BMFA website. I just washed them... I did wear them once, but I am pondering sending them to my friend Priscila isntead of those DK weight socks... *hm*.

Here are said DK weight socks. I'm doing them in a basketweave pattern. The yarn is from "A Swell Yarn Shop", Duets XXL (DK) weight. I feel like I have to knit really tightly, and since the basketweave pattern changes every two rounds, I am having problems memorizing it. At least I am past the heel and into the foot. I'll use the green contrasting yarn for the toes of these socks, too.

And here is my frogged-and-wound ball of STR for my Cleopatra's Stockings socks. This was the March 2008 RSC kit. I love the color of the yarn... I had some problems with the twisted stitch pattern on the foot... The toe was *interesting*... I am debating whether to follow their short-row shaping toe instructions or just use Judy's Magic Cast-On for my toes...

Finally, I just received Cookie A's new book "Sock Innovation". It's neat! I am looking forward to comparing it to Wendy Johnson's "Socks from the Toe Up" (which I believe I put on hold at the library).

***

On a random note, I am entrenched in reading "The Ringing Cedars Series" by Vladimir Megre. It is translated from Russian, full of historical and social footnotes for the non-Russian, and fascinating. My mom sent me Book 1, entitled "Anastasia", and once I started reading that I couldn't put it down. It's about a woman who lives in the Siberian taiga, and basically has miraculous powers that heal people and the Earth. It's also about these particular cedar trees in Russia that "ring", or resonate, because they are signalling to Man that they want to give back the energy they have been storing up from the Earth. It is so well written that I just let myself believe everything, not allowing the blurred line between documentary and fiction to bother me. :) It's just easier that way, sometimes. I starteed Book 2 last night, and the series is 9 books, all told. I know my local library branch has Book 8, Pt. 2 (aka "Book 9"), but the others I have put on hold as well.

***

Random Pontification:

Did you know that if you de-friend someone on Facebook, it doesn't tell them? I just used this feature to my advantage after becoming increasingly frustrated at a disillusioned acquaintance. I also blocked them from my intra-work IM service (which also does not alert the person to what you have done; it only makes you appear offline to them and they cannot IM you).

It has made my social-networking and work lives so much nicer!!

***

Other random note.

Daniel and I use Skype to communicate with each other. I highly recommend it. Lately, since he has not had internet access since moving into his new apartment, I have been making use of Skype's ability to call a phone directly. Calling Japan from Skype costs 6.6 cents per minute. Not bad. The only downside is that I have to wake up 15 min earlier than normal (so 5 AM) in order to get to talk to him. Since Japan does not utilize Daylight Saving Time, it is an 8 hour difference right now.

*Sigh* I miss that guy. But I did just order him up some sweater yarn from the WEBS Anniversary Sale. 8 balls of Cascade 220 Superwash in a light navy color. (I know that sounds weird; the color name was akin to "blue serge", which I associate with serge suiting). He wanted a navy sweater, so he shall have one! I didn't want to buy *dark* navy blue, though, since I would need 100 more lightbulbs in my house in order to see what I was doing!

(I also bought myself two skeins of Cascade Eco-Wool in a pale gray, to make myself the Owls sweater by Kate Davies... *whee*!).

***

So, I think this weekend will be composed of me either playing in Tori's yard or preparing some fiber for spinning, AND making sure I paint my window area!

My Short Stay in Hawaii

2009-03-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

Flew out Sunday morning, returned on the red-eye flight Friday night (landed Saturday at 0600). But - good times were had!

I was really just glad to get to see Daniel. I also met his friend, Pete, who is also stationed at Yokosuka. And some really awesome sailors from the Australian Navy!

My pictures seem to have loaded backwards - here is a shot of me on Waikiki, on Friday before I flew home. (This is where I got a sunburn! Yow!!)

Here is a shot of the beach at the North Shore, where all those famous surfers come. Supposedly the waves further out can reach 40-60 ft! Crazy! We played in the waves closer to shore, and I got buffeted by Nature's Own neti pot. But my sinuses were clean after that!

And here is a shot of us, out at Duke's in Waikiki. This was one of the few nights in my life where I haven't paid for any food or drinks for myself. Between Daniel and the other guys, I had free drinks flowing all night. Lord! The boys got me a Blue Hawaii(an?) at Duke's, and I could only stomach half of it before the overt sweetness was grossing me out. (Daniel's holding a virgin something - he was driving that night).

I had a great time, except for, ya know, having a monster cold that left me coughing like an emphysema patient and sounding like Harvey Fierstein. And the fact that I worked Mon-Thurs while Daniel was at his planning conference... But other than that, I can't complain! :) It was 80 deg outside pretty much every day we were there, and Daniel managed to get me to the beach at least twice before he left, then I spent some time on Waikiki on Friday before I had to fly out.

I can't wait to go back...except I stipulated we both need to be on vacation, and we should hit a different island. :) Oahu is nice, but I think the other islands have better sand, etc.

Hawaii And Etcetera

2009-03-20T12:26:00.000-07:00

I leave for Hawaii on Sunday morning! Yeah! Daniel gets in about 2 hours ahead of me, so he said he could fetch me.

***

Random news - I just bought my friend Priscila's wedding present. I was going to get her the set of knives they wanted (Henckels; nice choice!) but I have a memory from my mom (or maybe grandma) telling me that knives are bad luck to receive as wedding presents. Kind of like some silver roosters my mom has. Don't ask why she has silver roosters. They are beautiful, though. She tried to sell them to someone who dealt with Christie's Auction House in NYC once, but I forget why it didn't go through.

***

I checked out the Seattle Yarn Gallery, over in West Seattle, today. It was neat! They definitely have the vibe of "you're playing in someone's crowded stash" going on. I almost bought some cushy laceweight merino, but I left with empty hands! (For the third LYS trip in a ROW, I might add!) I think I want to try taking a lace project to Hawaii with me; if I receive Kim's yarns from Stitches today or tomorrow, I might take them and just work a Pi Shawl, but I also printed off Evelyn Clark's Swallowtail shawl pattern. Dawn's looked so great, I think I want to make one now.

***

I think I have a cold, but I am really hoping it's just post-nasal drip and some sort of weird allergy. Ugh!

***

OK, I'm going to go work on my sister's Porom hat. I might finish it today; I am working Chart B, which has all the decreases for the top. Yay!

Back on Ravelry!

2009-03-18T06:29:00.001-07:00

I got a nice email from Amy Detjen telling me we're back on Ravelry! :) YAY!

And I got a very nice (bulk, I'm sure) email from Casey on Rav apologizing for it...

Fleeing

2009-03-17T18:25:00.001-07:00

I bought my ticket to Hawaii for next week! As in, today is the 17th and I am flying there on the 22nd!

Yes, I'm crazy. In Love!!!....*buuuurn*. Daniel is helping me pay for the ticket; he doesn't really have to, but I appreciate it because they are PRICEY right now. Man!!!

I had to get out of the house today after work, so I took a trip to Fusion Beads. I spent a very enjoyable time poring over all their beads, without friends there anxiously awaiting your shopping completion. I *almost* bought two charms that mysteriously resembled 747's (well, they were airplanes with 4 engines. But you name how many other commercial airplanes have 4 engines. Two. The Antonov and the A380, that I know of...), but since I didn't have any immediate use for them, it seemed a little silly to pay $4.50 for each of them.

I did, however, buy supplies to make a big set of stitch markers. Something, I imagine, for either a sweater or a big lace project. I'll post a picture when I finish! Yay!

After the bead store, I went over to Weaving Works and milled around there for a while. I didn't even buy anything; I am so proud. :)

Then I went to Trader Joe's and stocked up on tasty foods - some prepped salads, avocados, refried beans, and I bought a 2 pack of their prepped, frozen oatmeal. Nom!

Now I'm home, relaxing and eyeing the bathtub.

Ravelry Problem, Part Tres

2009-03-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

While waiting for an answer to a question I have here at work *ahem*, I decided to do some dete-ka-tive work, and Googled "Ravelry Problem".

*OK, so I was pleased that my original blog post came up first on Google*. :)

Beyond that, I read some of the snarkiest blog posts I have ever seen.

Conservatives bashing "liberal sluts". Liberals bashing "conservative a**holes". Everyone, all around, blaming the Ravelry People for banning them from their beloved site.

People! Get a hobby! (Oh wait...) I mean, go work out at a gym or play rugby and get your anger worked out in a constructive manner, and improve your self-respect so you don't feel the need to go foaming at the mouth online. I guess a lot of people feel that the Internet is a great cloak and they can finally be the jerks they've always wanted to be, but man it makes searching for useful information much more difficult, and much more angering!

I sometimes feel that politics often lies under a large umbrella of subjects that are not meant for conversation except as objective, educated discussions, with perhaps only those you know well. Politics, like any other controversial topic, is going to have people on many different sides, arguing many different points. And a lot of people have grown up believing that the "correct" way to argue is to start taking others' opinions a) personally, and b) as fact from the "0ther-side's-media", which obviously means they are lies because they simply do not agree with your point of view, and then this miasma of deceit makes these offended parties feel cornered, so they lash out and make personal attacks, or perhaps worse, start perpetuating stereotypes about others' points of view. (I am ignoring a big part c) - many folks do not take the time nor trouble to become educated about topics of interest... this spawns ridiculousness like Creationist Museums, where Neolithic Man hangs out with Brachiosaurus, and T-Rex and his giant woodlice-isopod pals come over for afternoon tea.)

Also, there are people that apparently feel that their opinion is fact, and have trouble distinguishing between the two. Wouldn't it be great if all your opinions were facts?! Wow, life would rule because you'd always be right about everything!

***

Anyway, what this boils down to is:

- Opinions are subjective, while facts are objective. Let's all learn the difference! :)

- If you can't say something constructive, don't say anything at all. This just makes people mad and doesn't help anything.

- Politics, like race, religion, abortion, science, music and anything else that has more than one viewpoint, can potentially be a stinkbomb waiting to explode in your face. Treat it as such. Unless you're out getting drunk with good friends. Then, ya know... go nuts. As long as there is no written or videotaped recording of your conversation. :)

...Come back to me, Ravelry!!!!

What Happens When You're Laid-Up

2009-03-16T19:23:00.000-07:00

...is that you do a metric ton of knitting.

FO 1: Handspun hat. Yarn was spun during my time spent at the Pluckyfluff workshop. It's just a single crochet all the way around, with a size M(?) hook. Giant-ass hook + big yarn make project FLY. I finished this hat in an hour. I swear.

FO 2: Insane Handspun Hat. More Pluckyfluff-workshop yarn. I used my Aura-style mohair cloud yarn for the brim, then I held two handspun singles together ( a thick / thin green wrapped in turquoise thread that I spun from Kim's "Fiber Play" gift + a purplish one). Again, super simple single crochets...

It's INSANE! And very fluffy around my ears. They shall be warm. Here is the hat on the floor.
It's a bit darker in real life, I think... maybe that is just the dark green mesh still surrounding my building...

Here is today's progress on my sister's Porom hat. I just wound up the second skein of yarn for it.

And finally, here is a picture at the parking lot of Crystal Mountain ski resort. I kept forgetting to get actual pictures while I was up skiing! (And hurting myself!)

Food Diary

2009-03-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

While emailing Fran (my primary Crossfit trainer and friend) today, she asked me if I would be willing to keep a food diary for a week, to assist her with a nutrition class she is currently taking. I agreed, thinking it would be an interesting experiment, as well as getting me back into remembering what food portions are supposed to look like.

My first stop was to measure out 4 oz of red wine. 4 oz is often quoted as "a glass", but in America, Land of Out-of-Control 1 lb hamburgers and drink glasses that can easily hold 500 mL of wine, many people vastly underestimate their portion sizes, and balk when you suggest that the portion of protein on their plate should roughly equal the volume of their palm.

This is exactly 1/2 cup, or 4 liquid ounces, of red wine. I took a picture of it next to a standard 750 mL bottle of wine, for reference.

The next step was to measure out how much volume one of my eating bowls holds. Turns out one of my bowls holds 2 cups of liquid, with about 1/2" of clearance to the top of the bowl. A mighty portion!

With that knowledge, I began assembling my food diary. Then I went to the store and bought some corned beef, potatoes, and cabbage. (Side note- did you know that "beeves" is the plural of "beef"? Strange but true.)

Here is my corned beef, cooking away slowly in my Salvation Army Crock-Pot.

...Onward...

Ravelry Problem, Part Deux

2009-03-16T08:59:00.000-07:00

So it's Monday here on the Left Coast of Amerikuh, and I am assuming the Ravelry team all wanted their weekend, just like the rest of the EEUU. :) ("EEUU" is the acronym for "Estados Unidos", or "United States" in Spanish... just a little trivia there for your morning!)

I'm hoping they can start fixing their problem soon!

Thank you to all who posted comments on my blog; it was nice to see positive comments on here, instead of folks just blaming others for what could have potentially become a liability for Ravelry (I don't know how, exactly, but I'm sure someone, somewhere, would have sued over something.... people are crazy these days!)

Anyhoo...

***

On the uptick:

- I made a hat out of some handspun for my friend / pilates teacher's birthday yesterday. It is awesome how thick yarn and big hooks make for quick-o projects! I think it took me an HOUR to make this hat. I just made a chain to fit around my head, slip-stitched it together, and made single crochets up till the cylinder was long enough, then decreased in the round till I made a point on the hat! The yarn totally did all the work... LOVE LOVE LOVE. I may have to make another for myself!!!!

- I am about 50% done with my sister's Porom hat (by BrooklynTweed). I am using Blue Sky Alpacas "Melange" dk-weight yarn in "Cornflower". The pattern is super-easy, and looks like a sea urchin's shell, once you take all the spines out! :) (I remember this because my dad has a sea urchin shell that is about 6-8" in diameter that he used to have on display on his desk in his office in California when I was little. I used to love it because it was purple and green and very pretty).

- I also managed to knit several more rounds on my Hemlock Ring Blanket (another BrooklynTweed ...adaption). :) It's coming along really well! I am debating whether, or when, to switch to a longer cable for my needles (yaaay KnitPicks Options! I love you even if you untwist and get yarns caught in the gap all the time).

***

Onward! My knee hurts! Time for more pills!

Ravelry Problem

2009-03-14T21:04:00.000-07:00

I was signing onto Ravelry tonight, to add a friend from Friday night's happy hour, when I got a disturbing note on what should have been my home screen:

Your account has been suspended.

The Ravelry people gave the following reason:

Your account has been suspended until further notice. Please direct inquiries to Craig at legal@ravelry.com.Hmmm... I wonder what happened. I hope it was just a snafu, and not some weirdo trying to get me banned from there!! I definitely emailed the given address!!

Anyone else have this problem?

Wisteria FO

2009-03-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

"One Wisteria, coming up!"

On The Floor

On Me

I really enjoyed making my first sweater! (Sorry for the blurry photo of it on me. The camera was using the auto-timer, so I don't know what might have shaken it...)

Some notes:

- Malabrigo is awesome! Love it!

- I used far less yarn than anticipated, even though I made a size I hadn't originally planned on. I have about half a skein left after finishing the second sleeve, and I still have two skeins of Malabrigo in my stash, unused. Perhaps they will metamorphose into hats. This is positive, though - I now know I don't have to buy such a gargantuan quantity of yarn for things that aren't heavily cabled.

- I should have made the next size down. I made the 40.5" chest. While I think I actually may measure 40" around my chest (give or take, since my bra band is 36"), I should have taken into account that I enjoy tighter fitting garments (read: Negative Ease). I probably could have gotten away with the 37" chest size, although I may have had to use the 40.5" shoulder instructions (wide shoulders).

- I am very proud that this didn't take me a YEAR to finish!

Beadazzling

2009-03-08T18:19:00.000-07:00

I finally finished a wedding gift today. It's for my friend / coworker Jen. She and her glass-blower fiance are getting married in April.

I made a few custom-blended art batts, and then I am regifting a cute little book Randy passed on to me called "Knitticisms" that I think she will enjoy, and I also made these:

A set of stitch markers. Apologies for the picture quality; I was playing with the camera settings. Apparently I have a setting called "Auction" where it takes three pictures in quick succession, using different levels of flash. This was the clearest picture, but doesn't show the true colors. The beads and crystals are all shades of olivey-green, and there are two sterling silver charms: the heart says "True Love", and there is also a Celtic knot charm (it reminds me of a Celtic knot pattern she used in a sweater recently).

I asked Kris and Jeanelle to accompany me to Fusion Beads in Seattle, after our usual pilates + breakfast routine today. I haven't been to a bead store in years, and I forgot how much fun it is!

Jeanelle was intrigued by all the different materials available, and I am thinking of making her a pair of bird-related earrings or something equally fun (ok, maybe not birds - she commented once on how people only give her bird-related things. But I know she loves the outdoors, maybe that is a better venue). Kris was actually on the hunt for some findings so she could make a bead necklace. She has several loose strands of beads, and wanted to just make simple knotted strands. I should really go ask if she wants better instruction than my vague words this morning. :) I also have some technique books that might help her, and some tools to lend.

But I was on my own mission this morning. I went into the store specifically seeking soldered jump rings. Jump rings are basically a metal connecting ring you use to connect two elements of a jewelry piece together, if you want them to have some freedom of movement. Usually a jump ring is a loop of metal, with the ends touching. However, you can buy closed, or soldered, jump rings which are just that - solid rings. I wanted these for my stitch markers; there is less of a chance of snagging, etc. from a solid ring than from an open loop. I also picked up a variety pack of green-toned beads for $1, some open jump rings in a much smaller size for connecting elements, and some head pins to hold the drops of beads I was envisioning for my stitch markers.

I also made myself a set of 4 markers, using a small honeybee charm and a wishbone charm. I used the same color scheme and basic findings (jump rings & head pins, etc.)

The charms are what cost the most, because they were all sterling silver. Sometimes you can find nickel-plated charms that are a lot cheaper, if cost is a concern. All in all, I probably spent about $10 on each set of stitch markers, half of the price originates from the sterling silver jump rings, though.

As I was sifting quickly through the store, all sorts of projects came to mind. I may have to go back when I have a lot more time to peacefully look through the various areas of the store.

Kris came away with a mighty haul, though! :) There were some cultivated pearl strands on sale... I daresay I've created a monster! :)

Snail Hat, Part Deux

2009-03-07T21:50:00.001-08:00

It was snowing today in Seattle (and / or hailing and / or raining, depending on exactly where you were), so I decided to make a run for a second Snail Hat!

I bought a skein of Misti Alpaca Chunky on my way home from hanging out with Kris (and some Ashland Bay merino / silk roving, too...), and came home in the sleet / hail / snow mix to get down with some serious chunky knitting.

Mere hours later, here is the result:

Here it is, with the leftovers of the skein of Misti Alpaca Chunky (a very nice, soft yarn). I went up to a size 11 needle to get gauge, and even then I made it on the small side, but I like hats on the snug side.

And a picture of me, in the bathroom. I think I look a little like Jimbo from "The Simpsons" in this hat. When I showed it to Daniel on our Skype conversation tonight, he did a quick dead-on impression of Jimbo :) ...

Snowshoeing near Roslyn

2009-03-01T17:19:00.001-08:00

On Saturday, Ryan and I set out snowshoeing. It took a couple of days during the week to coordinate who wanted to go; Melinda ended up having to work, so we ended up going by ourselves.

We both agreed that we didn't want to snowshoe near Snoqualmie. It is lovely, but everyone goes there because it's easily accessible. Ryan had a book of snowshoeing trails, so we picked one past Snoqualmie, near Cle Elum. I think we probably ended up driving about 90 minutes. We went to the town of Roslyn, which is where the tv show "Northern Exposure" was filmed, and we ended up finding a trail of sorts about 10 miles away. The snow was old, and had hardened enough that we didn't ever strap on our snowshoes. Ryan was nice and carried mine in his backpack, as well as his own snowshoes. We wandered around the hillsides and had views like this, of a lake with mountains behind it:

We also saw some really interesting animal tracks in the snow. Lots of rabbit or hare tracks, some more cat-looking paws, and these strange things:

That is Ryan's hand for scale. To me, they look like raptor feet with a dewclaw in the back (there is a dot behind where the three toes meet), but I suppose they could be some sort of ground-trekking animal? I am glad the "snow" setting on my camera was able to capture the contrast.

Here is a picture of me, overheating on our hike. I always overdress and then end up shedding all my exterior appendage covers; in this case, scarf, hat, and ski gloves.

We probably hiked around for an hour and a half to two hours, then I admitted I was hungry for lunch, so we drove back into Roslyn. Ryan really wanted to eat at the Roslyn Cafe, but it was closed for the winter.

So we made a loop around the miniature downtown, and settled on lunch at a Roslyn diner, across the street from the cafe, and next door to the Roslyn Brewing Company, where they make two beers, Light and Dark. :)

I took the picture below standing across the street from the Roslyn Cafe, and looking back towards the downtown.

Ryan and I drove home, humming the theme song to "Northern Exposure" every so often on the way! We had fun, and it was great to be outside, but we both really want some new snow to fall, so we can go skiing (he boards) and snowshoeing in fresh stuff!

Bargain Hunting

2009-03-01T17:06:00.000-08:00

I have recently been spurred to attempt more bargain hunting. I am glad I was raised on it! My parents, my mother in particular, are very good about not paying retail if it's not necessary. Growing up, we foraged through thrift stores, regifted, and our favorite stores were Ross and Marshall's- type discount houses. My sister and I developed expert eyes at spotting the Express shirts on clearance for $6, down from the original retail price of $85.

This is not to say my parents are cheap: we will go out to a nice restaurant for dinner at the drop of a hat, for example.

I don't know when I dwindled in my thrifty habits, I think I just got lazy and it was easier to go shopping in downtown Seattle and hit up NY&Co. instead of waiting to drive out to Ross or the Mercer Island Thrift Store, where the wealthy donate their designer goods. :)

Last Friday, I was waiting for my friend Kris in the Lush bath store in downtown Seattle, and I ended up wandering into the Fossil store in the same mall. I had lost my titanium-framed sunglasses in San Diego (big disappointment; I loved those things and I had held on to them for over 5 years), and I wanted new ones. I found a super cute pair for $45, and I bought them.

Later on Friday, I was thinking about it, and realized I probably could have gotten them at Ross for much less. I mulled it over while going snowshoeing on Saturday.

Today, I stopped by a Ross on my way home from Home Depot, and I found a similar pair for$9.

Can you tell which is which?

Okay, so barring the fact that one might assume I took the sunglasses snowshoeing, you might correctly say that I bought the pair on the bottom today for $9, and you would be right. They retailed for $38, according to the tag, and are also Fossil brand.

The lenses are a little bigger than the glasses on top, and I prefer the way the ones on top look on me, but for $36 less I will live with the pair on the bottom!!!

[I also picked up a carry-on size suitcase for $35, marked down from a retail price of $75, at Ross. I had been looking at thrift stores for a while, but this one actually had working hardware and didn't smell weird; a big justification for buying something new, in my book!]

Fiber Play

2009-03-01T16:44:00.000-08:00

I thought I would have some fun and document the process of turning fibers into yarn.

My friend Kim sent me an awesome care package a few weeks back, including a tube of yummy fibers entitled "Fiber Play", which I believe is from an artist who sells her wares at Urban Fauna Studio in San Francisco (the website makes me salivate...).

I showed a picture of the tube in a previous post. In fact, it reminds me of Crosspatch Creations' "Totally Tubular" kits: a coordinating set of fun fibers for you to play with!

I had some time on Friday afternoon, so I decided to get out the drumcarder and make Fiber Play!

Below, you can see that I pulled out all the fibers from the tube and laid them in separate piles. I think the lime green roving on the left is merino, as well as the seafoam green locks immediately to the right of it. The blue fiber felt like mohair locks, or maybe Cotswold?, and the green fiber on the right of the piles was...rough. I described it to Kim as if someone had dyed their hair a lot and robbed the softness out of it, but I figured it might add body to the mix, and I was determined to use all the elements in my yarn. Below the wools are three bunches of angelina fiber. I love sparkle!!

The first thing I did was get out the drumcarder, and start running fibers through it. I made "fiber sandwiches" to protect the angelina from getting caught in the licker-in carder. All I did for that was to place wool on bottom and top of a layer of angelina, then feed the sammich through my carder. I also got lazy and started feeding wool locks directly onto the big drum whenever I saw thin spots in my batt.

After each time the big drum was sufficiently full of fiber, I cleared it and made another batt. I ended up with four batts of fiber, which are shown below.

I wanted to make them more homogenous, so I ripped each batt into quarters (half lengthwise, then each half widthwise), and mixed them up into four new, evenly distributed piles. I fed those into the drumcarder, but decided to form three larger batts instead of the four I originally had.

The first batt I spoun into a thick & thin single, wrapped in thread as I went. I got the thread during my excursion to Yarnia, in Portland, back in September when Jen and I went to OFFF.

After that, I sort of liked the results, but wanted to keep playing, so I installed the Woolee Winder Daniel bought me for Valentine's Day *blush* and started learning it's intricacies. I think I shall end up buying a couple more bobbins so I can use it for plying, but one is plenty to learn on!

And, finally, here is a photo of the first skein of finished yarn, thick & thin singles wrapped with turquoise thread...

I am thinking of making a set of coordinating yarns, using this fiber but varying styles, and perhaps knitting a hat out of them. I have some beads that would look neat on this colorway, too; perhaps I will incorporate them!

Toy Temptation

2009-02-25T11:37:00.000-08:00

The Kindle 2 is out.

I have to say, it definitely intrigues me... But, for now, I think it is more of a toy fantasy than a useful tool.

I use the library a ton, and buy what books I can used. The books I generally buy new are knitting or other craft books (as references), and then I like being able to copy them for take-along projects or write on the pages, etc.

I could see it being useful for someone like Daniel, who tends to buy a lot of new books and read them once before moving on.

To make it useful for someone like me, I would love a feature such as some sort of subscription fee you would pay to your local library system. I would gladly give Seattle Public Library $X / month to support them and have access to books on the e-book device... I guess that is somewhat the same model that the Microsoft Zune supports; you pay a subscription rate to listen to a bunch of music and get to keep a set number of songs per month, or you could pay for additional ones, etc.

A Meme

2009-02-19T07:39:00.001-08:00

I found this totally random meme from the Velvet Cerebellum blog, but I thought it was cute, so here we go.

***

Talk about your partner...

What are your middle names?

My middle name is Marie, his is Christopher. He uses his middle initial in most email correspondance (as part of his address). I tend to not use my middle initial unless required.

How long have you been together?

2+ years, since December 2006

How long did you know each other before you started dating?

El Zilcho. He found my ad on Craigslist.

Who asked whom out?

He responded to my ad, but I actually asked him out; my friend was having a dress-up party and he came over for that. Turned out the party was actually the next day, which we found out after driving to my friend's apartment and seeing her not in a frock, but in pajamas... but he came back (again!) for the real party!

How old are each of you?

I am 27, he is also 27, but just barely. :) We're about 7.5 months apart in age.

Whose siblings do you see the most?

Hm, I think we're about even on this one. Although I think we've seen my brother a few times more than his siblings. I have one brother and one sister; they are both married and both live in Maryland. My brother is out on tour a lot as a musician, so he has come to us a few times in Washington. We also saw my siblings when we both went to Maryland when Daniel was interviewing with some Navy department. I have seen his brother and sister in law twice, and his sister once (at his brother's wedding). Although, now I talk to his sister in law a lot! :) (Hi, Dawn!)

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?

Being apart. When he lived in Washington, we were separated by an hour ferry ride plus travel time to and from the ferry. Saturday, he is leaving for Japan for at least 18 mos. On the upside, it is a direct flight west from Seattle to Tokyo... and we have the Interwebs, Skype, and other means of communication, so that is neat.

Did you go to the same school?

No. Although my brother went to the University of North Texas, which is relatively close to where he grew up. I think his sister went to UNT, too, if I remember correctly.

Are you from the same home town?

Not even close! He is from a suburb of Dallas, and I am from a suburban / rural town: Tulare, CA.

Who is smarter?

Hm, will my pride allow me to say he is smarter? Probably not! :) We are both certified engineers (or is that certifiable?). He is very logical and concrete. I can pull that off when absolutely necessary, but I prefer to be more free-wheeling and creative.

Who is the most sensitive?

I would say he is. He can read me much more easily than I can read him, although I can mostly tell what is going on behind his somewhat stoic exterior.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?

We probably end up in pubs the most, but we love to eat out, which is odd because I love to cook. I'd say it's between Japanese, Mexican, and pubs / diners.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?

We've been to both ends of the US - San Diego & DC, together (though we didn't fly together either time). We also went to Victoria, BC with his parents two summers ago.

Who has the craziest exes?

I probably dated more people than he has (in fact, I am pretty certain of it), but all of mine were casual "OK, I'm bored, let's not call each other any more" type of dates. I don't think either of us has any crazy exes.

Who has the worst temper?

I probably flare up more easily, but I also stop being mad fairly quickly, too. He very rarely gets mad, but it is pretty obvious when it happens, although the good news is that he settles down quickly, too. :)

Who does the cooking?

It depends who's house we're at. Although it took a while for us to start really cooking for each other. He works more than I do, so if we were eating in at his house, I might start cooking by default so it's ready when he gets home.

Who is the neat-freak?

Me! I am horrible. I stacked his coins in the hotel room we're in! :) I think it's because I live in such a tiny space, that if one thing is out of place, I go insane. I am very particular about how clean it is, which I am sure makes him laugh because he always tells me how much particulate matter is on my hard floor at home. :)

Who is more stubborn?

I don't know! ... Probably him. If I can see a good reason why I should acquiesce to something, like, oh, I'm totally wrong on a subject, I will usually bend.

Who hogs the bed?

Him! He also is good at stealing the sheets or sleeping pad when we're camping. Mostly he waits to hog the bed till I get out of it, though.

Who wakes up earlier?

I do, as a matter of course. For sure I wake up earlier on weekends, but I usually knit or read or amuse myself till he rises. I also start work at 6 AM, so I am out and about pretty early on weekdays, too. He sleeps in if he can help it.

Where was your first date?

We had dinner at this Trinidadian restaurant in the University district. It's quite good! They had just opened a couple of weeks before, and I had read the review in The Stranger and thought it sounded tasty. We also saw my pilates teacher at the restaurant on our first date. :)

Who is more jealous?

I don't think either of us is jealous. If he is, he never showed it. I am, weirdly, friends with many guys I dated, but it's just platonic. His best friend is this girl named Kathy, and I guess I was briefly, minutely jealous when I figured that out, but now that I've met her, I love her, too, so it's all good! :)

How long did it take to get serious?

We dated on the weekends for a while, and I think it took a few months before I caught him calling me his girlfriend to someone, something I'd never heard anyone refer to me as! It took me a while to introduce him as my boyfriend... I wasn't used to saying that word, either! :) So I think that did it for me. Then we briefly broke up about a year after we started dating, and that week when I thought I was single again sucked miserably for me... I am scared because we'll be apart for a while coming up, but I am confident we have a strong relationship, too.

Who eats more?

I think he'll eat more at one sitting, but I will constantly graze through the day, and I think that bothers him because it just looks like I'm indiscriminately eating all the damn time. My stomach feels much better when I can eat small amounts throughout the day, punctuated by relatively small meals.

Who does the laundry?

Mostly me, but I am thankful he knows how to do laundry! (Except I don't know if I trust him to wash all my clothes that can't go in the "normal" warm water loads and have to be hung to dry...)

Who's better with the computer?

I'm fairly good, but I will concede and admit that he is definitely better with the computer, solving issues and whatnot. He built one a couple of years ago for himself, and the one thing I still chuckle at is that he bought the Windows OS without asking one of our Microsoft engineer friends first.

Who drives when you are together?

It depends where we are. Usually I would drive in Seattle because we would have access to my car. In San Diego, he's been driving because it's his rental car, although I need to go today and have a nail extricated from a tire!

San Diego

2009-02-18T08:58:00.000-08:00

I shall have to wait to post pictures, but I am in San Diego till the 21st.

I decided to come down and stay with Daniel on the Pt. Loma submarine base, until he had to leave for Japan. Plus, it's San Diego, and no sense staying in cold and blustery Seattle when I could be sunning myself on the cheap! :) The view here is incomparable. Our hotel room is roughly 20 feet from the Pacific ocean, and the table where I work is next to the window facing the ocean. I have gotten to see such awesome things while sitting here - many F-18's, an E/A-18 Growler, helicopters, a submarine being tugged out of harbor, the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier shipping out, a couple of Destroyers coming through, and a daily parade of old-time Spanish sailing ships, ferries out to Coronado Island, and private sailboats. The Reagan had incredibly loud speakers - they were giving out instructions to the crew, and I could hear them from probably a couple hundred feet away! I guess when the boat is several hundred feet long, you need good P/A systems.

My manager was great and agreed to let me telecommute from down here. Which shouldn't be a problem, anyhow. Our whole group does it, and it saves us from having to take extraneous vacation when in fact we'd be lolling around for 9 hours a day, anyhow. Plus, I can't get back on the base without Daniel's ID, so there is very little reason for me to leave base while he is gone at training.

I got in late last Thursday, and after we both finished work on Friday, we went jogging up on top of a hill near Cabrillo state park (I think that's what it's called). It's also near a military cemetary. We considered jogging through the cemetary, but as a funeral was just wrapping up, we thought better of it and went around the top of the hill. I think I actually jogged for about a mile, total - Daniel thinks we covered about 2 miles. He was right about one thing - having an iPod does take your mind off of how much running sucks. And it was a nice way to see the landscape, although it is hard to stop and really inspect neat looking plants. I got a great view of Miramar NAS' airstrip while we were out there.

We came back to our room, showered, and went out for dinner with my friend Meghan. It's interesting, because I never was really friends with Meghan while we were in college; only after we graduated did we start talking (well, emailing) more. I kind of regret not getting to know her better before, but eh...we have time now! :) She got herself a G35 a year or two ago, and just got a house near San Diego. Yay!

Saturday we slept in, and met up with my friends Dave and Rich at the San Diego Zoo. It was freakin' cold! I ended up in a t-shirt, vest, and Daniel's zip-up sweatshirt hoodie. He actually bought a neat hoodie with a gorilla face on it at the Zoo. Dave and Rich drove down from San Luis Obispo to hang out with us, and then after the zoo, they departed for a romantic dinner and dessert somewhere off in downtown. We parked ourselves at the mall in the Gaslamp quarter, and walked around looking for dinner. We finally ended up at a place called Las Hadas (which, if I remember correctly, means "The Fairies"), and had some nice Mexican food, including a couple of free appetizers! (My favorite were the corn fritters with honey butter, but the layered bean dip was great, too). Then we went home because we were tired and my feet were sore. On the way, we saw many couples dressed up and out on the town for Valentine's day.

Sunday, we got to sleep in (again), and eventually we tottered out to have lunch. I then requested to be taken to a local yarn store called The Sheperdess, and was promptly disappointed with her selection. I expected more individuality, but maybe spinning isn't all that popular here in San Diego. She had some hand-dyed rovings, but most of them were from Ashland Bay, which is fine, but I wonder if the stockist spins because whoever had made the prepackaged lengths of roving had cut them, instead of pulling them to let the fibers stay whole. Sacrilege! Also, she had plenty of hand-dyed yarns, but some of the prices were truly outrageous. I think she was selling Curious Creek for $50 a skein... of merino. And the yardage was probably based on 100 g. But, it is her store, and she can do whatever she wants. They also had a small selection of beads available.

After that, we went to the Fashion Valley mall and had a horrendous experience trying to park. I'd forgotten what that was like. Thankfully, Daniel rented a Chevy Aveo, so we could fit almost anywhere. We wandered around the mall, and I ended up getting Daniel a shaving set at The Art of The Shave (or "The Art of Shaving"?) store. It is something I could see my brother getting into. They found a way to pamper men and make them take some time and use nice tools for a regular grooming chore. I broke down and bought a shaving brush and some cream for women. Supposedly the pot of shaving cream will last me 6-8 mos, which, if true, would definitely justify the cost. And the brushes are supposed to last at least 2 years. Plus, the "women's cream" used Rose Absolute oil in it - mmm! (Although, if I buy from there again, I would probably choose the Lemon scent). I was definitely glad to be able to get something for Daniel that I think he will enjoy in the long haul - his beard area feels softer when he finishes shaving - I think the oil and the lather are doing their job!

After we got home from the mall Sunday, we went to dinner at Solare, which was a nice Italian restaurant... I think. Our waiter looked like Antonio Banderas. Daniel ordered squid-ink ravioli, which were beautiful and stuffed with fish and broccoli. I ordered sausage-stuffed potato dumplings (big gnocchi) in butter and sage. Those were tasty! Afterwards, we walked to Cold Stone, and then drove back home.

Monday the weather turned and we were treated to lots of rain, wind, and cloudy skies. We mainly stayed in the hotel room and read, although we went out for lunch at a local Mexican place, and then my uncle Bob and aunt Carol invited us over for dinner. I haven't seen them in at least 7 years, probably more. The last time I saw them was when my sister ran the San Diego Rock & Roll Marathon... it was good to see family. I joked with Daniel that we were probably going to be served spaghetti and garlic bread (i.e. things I can't really eat)... what was on the table? ... Lasagna and bread. :) And a salad, thankfully.

Last night, Daniel got off training a little later than I anticipated, so we headed to the on-base gym. I ended up finding a little Crossfit-friendly corner, complete with kettlebells, jump ropes, medicine balls, and even an actual free barbell. I was doing a lot of other exercises prior to finding the corner, mostly using dumbbells to do overhead moves, and I did a few deadlifts on a weird machine that was *almost* free weights... it caged-in the barbell so that, theoretically, you wouldn't hurt yourself if you dumped the weight. There was also a machine that simulated using a barbell, but man that was too weird for me. Since there were no actual racks on which to place the barbell, I ended up using the kettlebells for swings, cleans, and jerks, and did a little work with the medicine ball. The best part was that guests are only charged $3 per use of the gym! (My first time in was free!).

Tonight, we are headed off to the Taylor guitar factory. My friend Peter is an (possibly the sole) engineer there, and he offered to give us a private tour! After that, I think we are headed to a local microbrewery for dinner. :)

Hopefully we'll get to work out tomorrow night, and then Friday, Daniel gets off around noon, so there will be some time to play before we both ship out Saturday. :-( I am going to miss him so much, so I am trying to make the most of the few days we have together here! Luckily, I am grateful for so many great friends in the Seattle area! I hope to keep myself plenty busy!

Keeping Busy

2009-02-08T14:22:00.001-08:00

Since today is Sunday, it is often a crafting, quiet day for me. Made more so today by the fact that Daniel is really, truly gone from Washington state for the next 18+ months. I already can't stand it, but I told him that the sooner he leaves, the sooner he gets back home.

I got home from buying groceries, and I decided to update on what has been going on.

The sleeve for my Wisteria sweater is coming along nicely. I started the cabling rows already. I think I have like 36 or so left to finish this sleeve... it goes quickly, too, since there are only three repeats per round!

I washed the Gotland fleece again. It was a pain dealing with something that was still so greasy, plus the fleece had absorbed some of the horrible deck coating odor that had permeated the house last week. ( I love that I got a note on my door telling me that the odor was "not harmful". Bull-Honkey!!!)

And, to sweeten the pot, I got the most wonderful care package from Kim! A fun dyed-fiber sampler, and lots of fun merino-blend rovings (I think there is a seacell blend as well as a cashmere blend in there!) and some raw merino and Icelandic fibers!

And now I am going to attend to my soup. I just took some boiled chicken thighs out of the pot to cool, and I am going to chop up some veggies - celery, carrots, onion, garlic, lemongrass, baby bok choi, jalapeno, rutabaga!!! :)

Daniel's in San Diego

2009-02-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

I dropped Daniel off at the airport this morning. He left for San Diego. I know I'll see him in 4 days, since I am flying down there on Thursday after work, but I am still sad he is gone.

Tori organized a group dinner on Friday night to wish him Bon Voyage. We went to Lalibela, an Ethiopian restaurant. It's been a while since I've eaten Ethiopian food, but man it's tasty. Lots of interesting spices! We got three giant combo platters, so 10 people had more than enough food for the princely sum of $93 (without alcohol). The platters that held the food had to be at least 24" in diameter. If you have never eaten Ethiopian food, there are no utensils, but your food comes with a basket of injera, a spongy flat bread reminiscent of a giant crepe or pancake. You tear off pieces of the injera and use it to scoop up the food. Our combo platters also had a piece of injera covering the bottom of the plates, presumably as a sponge for the foods.

Kris and Randy were set to join us, but according to later reports, they ended up at ... another Ethiopian restaurant a block away from us!

After dinner, we caravaned out to a nearby Baskin Robbins, and I actually had ice cream (sigh). Although it was entertaining to watch some of the boys take pride in their 890 calorie (really!) desserts. I can't believe B-R actually has a sundae dessert that is over 1500 calories...

***

Here is a shot of Daniel wearing one of the woven tabletops on his head:

Sunday Dinner

2009-02-01T17:52:00.001-08:00

Earlier today, I made it to the Ballard Farmer's Market.

In case you happen to not live in Seattle, various neighborhoods around the city have farmer's markets at different times during the week, so I suppose if you were really dedicated, you could go buy fresh-off-the-farm produce about 5 or 6 days a week! (Of course, some of the neighborhoods don't run the markets year-round). Ballard, however, runs 52 weeks a year. And it's within walking distance of my condo, which is even better.

I picked up some carrots, Brussels sprouts, celeriac (celery root), sunchokes, potatoes, and a bottle of hard apple cider. Let me tell you, if you have never had freshly picked carrots, you are in for a treat - they are super sweet and crunchy!

I had also picked up some sausage and other vegetables, including peeled cippolini onions, at Trader Joe's the day before.

My grand vision was to make a large pot of soup or stew, using the sausage.

So, I heated up some olive oil, and cut up some carrots, the celeriac, the cippolini onions, sunchokes, potatoes, and some turnips that I had in the fridge from last week's farmer's market. I also mashed some garlic cloves and threw them in. I tried to make all the cut vegetables approximately the same size. I then cut up the sausage I had purchased at TJ's, and in it went. The package of sausage suggested cooking them in beer, so I grabbed the last bottle of my winter ale from Pyramid brewery, and tossed that in, then added water to coat. A couple of pinches of salt and some ground pepper, a couple of bay leaves, and I let the soup simmer away.

Here's a shot of the soup it in it's raw state. (I would like to note that the dutch oven Daniel bought me is one of the most awesome gifts ever; I have used it a ton already!)

After it was done, I let it cool and stored most of it, as well as giving myself a portion for lunch tomorrow. Then I served myself a bowl for dinner.

You know what? ... It's bitter. I think it was the turnips, or maybe the beer (it was a tad hoppy). I kind of wish I knew of a way to take out the bitter flavor. It's not horrible, and in fact you can overlook it when you are eating the solids without the broth, but it's there.

Anyway, this is a learning experience for me. I don't think I will add turnips (or maybe not so many) next time, or maybe roast them before I add them in. And I usually use a much lighter beer, like a hefeweisen, which is created to be less bitter, so that might have something to do with it.

I briefly thought about adding something sweet to take away the bitterness, but that would be such an odd flavor that I decided against it.

Any ideas or suggestions?

Fleeces and Sweaters

2009-01-30T21:00:00.001-08:00

Well, it's been a while, hasn't it.

I haven't been slacking, though!

Recently, I ended up ordering an Icelandic fleece. I was so inspired by Kim's experience working with Icelandic fleece that I wanted to try some! So I looked for a local farm, found one in northern Oregon called Dolce Farm, and emailed with Annie, the very nice owner there. (She subs on bassoon in the Seattle Symphony, as well!) Since we couldn't coordinate an in-person meeting, she sent me the fleece in the mail. Her lamb fleeces are $1 / oz, and this one was $20 (20 oz) + $5 shipping. I think I can handle that. :)

I received the fleece on Wednesday, and noticed that the fleece was remarkably low in lanolin (compared to the Gotland I had begun processing a few months ago). Thursday afternoon, I managed to finish washing the fleece in my washing machine, spinning most of the water out of it, and then laying it out on a towel to dry before I had to go work out.

Here is a photo of the fleece as it arrived:

The plastic sandwich bags contain samples of other Icelandic fleeces Annie has up for sale.

Here is the fleece, laid out to dry:

I was surprised how quickly the fleece dried. By Friday morning, it was dry! I packed it in a bag because a construction team was at my condo, and I figured they might get construction dust all over my clean fleece.

After work, I came back and started playing with it. I followed the tip Kim got off of Ravelry, and gathered small bunches of locks, held the tips, and let the drum carder pull off the thel (downy undercoat) from the tog (lustrous outer coat).

I decided to be anal, and placed the tog in a box, all lined up in the same direction.

I then kept adding thel till I could roll off a batt from the drum carder.

I don't know how much I actually processed, but it feels like a lot. Maybe 10 oz? There is definitely VM interspersed through the fleece (as one would expect), but it's not too bad. Annie did a great job skirting the fleece, I think I've only come across one really small clump of what could possibly be sheep poo.

The fleece is also very soft. I noticed what looked like neps (little "balls") forming in the thel when I ran it through the drumcarder a second time, so I decided to not do that anymore, and just run it through the one time, as it gets pulled off the thel. The fibers are very short and fine, reminiscent of cashmere's staple length. I will probably spin the thel off of the drumcarder batts, and treat them as giant rolags so I can spin perpendicular to the direction of fiber organization. The tog I will run through my combs once, and probably hand-pull a roving to spin from that. The fibers feel softer than the Gotland fibers I have. It will be interesting to see how the two different fibers spin up!

****

In other news, I bound off the bottom edge of the body of my Wisteria sweater!

I'm going to pick up the stitches for a sleeve tonight or tomorrow morning. I'm so excited that it hasn't taken me a year to make this! :)

***

I also received my January 2009 RSC kit! Gorgeous dark turquiose / teal colors, a pattern by Sivia Harding, and it's beaded! This will be fun. :)

Itchy Fingers

2009-01-13T10:26:00.000-08:00

Well, not literally. That would be gross and I'd have to get a cream or something for it.

A current list of what I'm working on, and what I want to be working on is below. It helps me to organize my thoughts, see where I'm going...all good things.

I would also like to note that today is DAY TEN with No Superfluous Sugar. (I think it's Day 10. Could be Day 9.) This means: no junk food, no candy, no sugar in tea or coffee, no ice cream. I am still eating fruits, some fruit juice (not much, and unsweetened), and unsweetened dried fruits. It's going OK, actually. Probably because I'm letting myself eat dried fruits. 4 more days and supposedly I'll kick the majority of my sugar-eating habits out the door.

Currently Underway:

- "Dashing" mitts, in tangerine Cascade 220 (sleeping, I guess)

- "Hemlock Ring" blanket, in latte/ oatmeal Cascade Eco-Wool (I haven't touched it in maybe 5 days)

- "Wisteria" sweater, in "Cuarzo", Malabrigo worsted (22 bottom-chart rows left)

- "Monkey" socks, in "Fire on the Mountain", Blue Moon Socks That Rock Lightweight (foot and toe left)

- "Dog's Paw Shawl", in handspun merino / tussah silk / dog down

***

What I Want to Start:

- Slouch hat for my sister - probably "Porom"

- gloves for Olivia - either bulky weight mittens or maybe fingerless gloves

- gloves for John - flip tops?

- socks for Daniel

- sweater for Daniel

- flip top mitts for me with my new Kureyon (#207)

....Among myriads of other interesting looking things.

*******************

In unrelated news:

- my building is tarped. It sucks. I am pretty pissed. The entire building is wrapped in what looks like forest green window screening. The mesh makes the outside world beyond look dark and foggy all the time. I really hope the contractors get their act together and hurry this project up.

- my neighbor is selling her unit. I am hoping she tells me how much she gets for it, and whether she is able to sell it with the tarp over the window!

- Daniel and I were discussing my condo, and he suggested that I sell it in 2010 before the ARM resets, and rent until he got back in WA and we were able to buy a home together. :) This is an interesting proposition, and I could get living downtown "out of my system" (if it ever wants to leave).

Blankets and Sweaters

2009-01-04T18:07:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to show off the lates progress on two WIP's:

1) Hemlock Ring blanket, adaption of doily by Jared Flood.

Needle: US 10.5
Yarn: Cascade Ecological Wool, color 8063

Dawn gave me encouragement on this pattern, since she made the doily-sized...doily...via a KAL already. :) (Hers looks great, by the way!)

The ball of Eco-Wool is so big that this piece of blanket just manages to cover up the ball (I can just palm the ball of yarn, if that helps with scale).

2. Wisteria sweater, by Kate Gilbert

Needle: US 10
Yarn: Malabrigo worsted

I am 31 rows away from being done with the body of the sweater. I'm so excited! It went so fast, too! But I can credit travelling and being homebound from the snow to that.

Wow, the snow is still coming down in Seattle!!

...Back to knitting!

Esta Nevando

2009-01-04T18:03:00.000-08:00

*translation: "it's snowing", in Spanish*

If it continues snowing tonight, I may work from home tomorrow (since Seattle can't come to deal with snow effectively). Plus, most of my coworkers live out in more suburban or rural areas, where the snow really does pile up, and they are sympathetic to others.

I took some really crappy pictures of the snow. If it stays put tonight, I'll have better pics tomorrow. :)

Home Improvelence

2009-01-04T17:52:00.000-08:00

Hm, sort of out of order on the pictures, but Oh Well!

New Years Day I created this:

What you see, my friends, is a freshly caulked kitchen sink. (Heh heh...."caulk").

I also took care of the adjoining countertop's caulk trim between it and the tile backsplash. Here is a shot I took during removal and cleanup of the old caulk (if you look at the corner where the tiles meet, you can see that the caulk in there has yellowed. I am assuming it's a combination of age + the last guy's chain-smoking habit. Probably nicotine stains as much as anything else...)

Here is a gross close-up I took on the other corner, during cleanup and removal:

I will have to redo one side of the countertop, though. The caulk I bought dries clear, and it magnified some flecks of old caulk I didn't remove entirely... Ah well. Live and learn.

I still have to re-caulk the bathroom sink and tub.

If you are attempting to do this yourself, please do! It's pretty easy. All you really need is a razor blade or utility knife (don't cut yourself!), bleach or other cleaner, tube of caulk, rubber gloves (?), and time.

1) Use the razor blade or knife to cut out all the old caulk. Hopefully it's easy and comes off in big strips. Make sure you take the time to get EVERYTHING off.

2) Wipe down the area with normal cleaner, then run a bead of bleach all up inside the crack you just exposed by removing the caulk.

3) Let the bleach dry. Repeat if needed. Make sure there's no fungus or nastiness in the crack.

4) Cut open your caulk tube's tip, and squirt away. It's pretty thick stuff, so be prepared to muscle it in. Make sure you get an even bead. I used a wet finger to run it in and smooth the join, but they sell "as seen on TV" tools that supposedly do a better job (for $19.95...versus...your finger, which is already attached to you). I just used some paper towels and a wet rag to keep everything clean.

5) Once you're satisfied....make sure to let it dry. This usually means you can't use whatever fixture you just caulked - sink, tub, etc. - for 24 hours.

Ta-Da!!!

BrooklyntweedMania

2009-01-01T19:13:00.001-08:00

I'm slowly getting buzzed and alternating between Raveling, knitting on my Wisteria sweater, and looking at what pattern to cast on next...while drinking beer and watching Star Trek.

What a start to 2009!

Actually, I am sort of waiting to see if Kris and Randy will give me a call. They are (or were?) over at their friend's Ken and Crystal's house. I would have gone, but a) I was re-caulking my kitchen sink and countertop (seriously. It looks better now.) and Ken's house has various cats in it, so I didn't really feel like drugging myself up to go hang with the cats. Ah well. :)

I recently finished knitting up Brooklyntweed's "Habitat" hat (below..can you even tell what it is, beyond a textured gray hat?? :) ). I enjoyed it enough to consider other patterns of his.

Note: This hat needs a yarn that shows stitch definition. The Gotland I used is too fuzzy. I will remake this in perhaps Cascade 220 or my Malabrigo test skein for Daniel's sweater. I will also make the "Small" size. I made the M/L size and it's...big. It's too big for me or Daniel. It might fit my siblings - either my brother or my sister has a huge head. I can't remember which one. :)

Anyway, I have the cast-on fever, and I am considering either starting Brooklyntweed's Girasol blanket (aka "sunflower" in Spanish), or his Hemlock Ring adaptation into a blanket. I bought a skein of Cascade Eco-Wool in a fit of consumerism, and am loving it, but wondering if really I want cream wool, or if I should go back to Fiber Gallery and buy a darker color?... I am perpetually amazed at the put-up yardage in Eco-Wool (for the price). AWESOME!!! :)

As for hats, I also want to make Porom for my sister (since the model kind of looks like her, and I think the slouchy hat would work well for her curly hair). And the "ktbl" still eludes me, so Koolhaas is on the back burner for now.

****

Yes, yes, I have Jared-Fever. I can resist the Noro striped scarf, though. :) But once I figure out the "ktbl" thingie, I'll go for the Koolhaas again...

***

Sometimes I hate being a knitting groupie (check out how many people have knit Clapotis or Monkey socks or even that blasted Noro striped scarf). But sometimes (sometimes) the best patterns really do rise to the top of the pile, and since knitting is not as everyday a skill as it used to be, you can be somewhat assured that whatever you choose to make will be relatively unique....till you spot another knitter wearing it. :)

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T09:02:00.000-08:00

Up above is a mosaic of all my finished projects for 2008. If it is acting weird, you can check out the URL here:

http://bighugelabs.com/photos/3a24e557ea9d96272f9505e1ca3c4421/mosaic1132822

I hope everyone had a great year!

My goals for 2009:

- Exercise at least 5x / week. I am pretty much taking care of this already, but I noticed I didn't go cycling nearly as much as I would have liked this summer (excuses that it was a cold summer notwithstanding). I go to Crossfit Monday - Thursday, and I have pilates on Sunday morning with Kris and Jeanelle, but I would like to incorporate more outdoor activities, especially now that my knees are so much better.

Goals related to Crossfit:

6 Month (by June 09): 80 kg (176.4 lb) deadlift, 10 strict (no knees on floor) pushups, handstand pushup (x 1), run/jog a mile without breaking to walk.

Health / Lifestyle Goals:

- Visit Daniel in Japan...lots. He will be leaving in February, and I will miss him insanely. Luckily, my manager at work said I should be able to telecommute from Japan for short spurts.

- Eat less meat. Just a goal in general. It's healthier and lighter on the Earth.

- Eat more vegetables. I do pretty well, but honestly I could tune this up a bit.

- Visit the farmer's markets more. Buy more local food. I just noticed a bottle of hard cider I bought is from Michigan. Why did I support shipping something halfway across the country when there are plenty of great ciders made in Washington and Oregon?

- Save & invest more money. I am aiming for a promotion this year, which would mean a substantial raise. The automated savings deductions work very well for me.

- Buy a house. Up to $300,000. At least 2 br / 1.5 bath. Yard. Gas range. Cute. With a Walking Score of at least 85.

- Visit my family and friends around the US. Or, when I have that spare bedroom...they can come visit me!

- Reconnect with Seattle friends.

- Be Outside! Enjoy the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

March of Progress

2008-12-26T16:30:00.000-08:00

Yay! I asked Daniel if he would want a sweater, and he said yes. :) He also ended up picking out EZ's "Hand to Hand" sweater (Rav link). I also got him to pick out a pair of socks for me to make. Luckily, he liked my red STR "Rare Gems" skein that I'd picked up at OFFF this year. No need to go buy more yarn (yet)! :) He also picked out a pattern - actually, he liked two out of Interweave's "Favorite Socks" book, though just one is shown. I figured I should have some knitting for him lined up, since he will be leaving me much sooner than I care to admit. :( (For Japan...not because he is tired of me or anything. :) )

Here is a shot of my first pair of the ubiquitous "Monkey" socks, by Cookie A. (I just pre-ordered her book on Amazon, by the way). I am using STR Lightweight in "Fire on the Mountain". The chart is easy to read, everything is going well! :)

Next up is a picture of the "Dog's Paw shawl" I am knitting for my mom. I spun the yarn several months ago (and I probably will need to make more at some point). It is a 2 ply, drumcarded blend of merino, tussah silk, and our dog's down. The picture shows about 7 or so inches of knitting? It is a delightful pattern, from a back-issue of "Spin-Off" magazine, designed by my lovely online friend, Jeanine Bakridges (Spinning Spider Jenny). I need to continue the chart on my own - Spin-Off only provided so many pattern repeats. :)

Here is my progress so far on my "Tangerine Dashings", from Knitty. I am using Cascade 220, and making the "M/L" size here. They are fairly quick, I put them down last night because I was too tired to cable. ;)

Finally, progress is showing on my Wisteria sweater. After taking pictures, I am definitely seeing a change between skeins of yarn, but that's ok. I'll live with it. I am surprised, though, since they were the same dyelot, but I guess kettle-dyeing isn't exact! :) I just put the sleeve stitches on waste yarn on both sides, and have begun knitting below that. I hope I did the backwards-loop cast on for the underarm stitches correctly... I just used EZ's backwards loop M1 method. It looks huge to me, but probably because I've never knit anything that big before.

Merry Xmas!

2008-12-26T16:09:00.001-08:00

Today is my parent's anniversary (Dec. 26). Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad! I believe this is Year # 38!

***

I was supposed to fly back to Louisiana 6 days ago. The short version of the story is that my flight got cancelled... after we had been sitting on the plane for 4 hours, and had already been at the airport waiting through other delays. I had called Continental's customer service, and got a refund, though they wanted to place me on a flight that I was pretty sure would get cancelled as well (no de-icing companies or de-icing fluid to use on the planes, since Seattle just went through the Blizzard of '08). Anyway, my mom was pretty sad about it, and I was, too. The upside is that I got to spend Christmas with Daniel, which was even better since he actually has time off right now, and his brother, Joey, and SIL Dawn were out here visiting for a while! :)

Here are some pictures. This was taken Christmas Eve. Our friend Kris' birthday is on Dec. 24, so she usually goes out with Randy to celebrate. We gathered up Jeanelle, as well, and met at the Brooklyn steakhouse downtown for dinner and drinks.

Here is some evidence of the snowfall. Daniel and I made a snow-punk (with mohawk) and Snow Needle on the 20th, after I got home from 13 hours of trying to travel somewhere else. The Needle has started to tip over, since there was a brief rise in temperature that morning. (This is in Daniel's front yard. He saw about a foot of snow. His neighbor's snowman, beyond the fence, was sprayed blue. I hope they used food coloring and not Windex.)

Christmas day arrived to Daniel's lower back being sore, and my neck still hurting from his new foam mattress. We went to the only open grocery store near me - Safeway - before it closed down for the day, and bought plenty of food. I cleaned my fridge out before leaving on the 20th... Here he is, on my computer, wearing the sweater I bought him.

He was extremely generous with me this year, and it was pretty freakin' amazing! I love this guy (and not because he has a generous cash flow ;) ).

Gift 1: 8 GB iPhone. All I can say is "It is TEH AWESUM."

Gift #2: Somewhere between a 4 -6 quart size Mario Batali enamel-coated cast iron dutch oven, in a cheery butter-yellow. WOO! (I made Moroccan beef stew in it on Christmas day...very very tasty!)

Gift #3: Gold necklace with a diamond-encrusted cupcake charm. In a cloissone -style ceramic gift box. This was for our anniversary, and extremely beautiful & thoughtful of him. :) I love it. All of it. :) (I got him a pair of Oakley sunglasses for our anniversary. It is difficult to buy him "stuff" when he is leaving for Japan so soon; I don't want to burden him with extra things to make the Navy move and possibly break, etc...)

Current Knitting Progress

2008-12-19T17:37:00.000-08:00

FO: Cashmere Socks
Yarn: Zen Yarn Garden cashmere, ~2 oz, 400 yd
Pattern: "Daydreamer", from ZYG's "Sumptuous Sock Yarn" club
Needles: US 1 (2.25 mm), 2 x 24" circular

FO: EZ's Snail Hat (from "The Opinionated Knitter")
Yarn: Rowan Big Wool
Needles: US #11, 16" circular (Knitpicks Options)
Notes: It's a little big, but it fits fine. If I made it again, I'd consider a smaller needle or less stitches... or both.

WIP: Wisteria sweater, from Twist Collective Autumn 2008
Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted, in colorway "Cuarzo" (purchased from WEBS)
Needle: US 8 (I think)... 24 or 32" circular (Knitpicks Options)

Other notes:

- I am taking a risk and ordering a gluten-free pizza crust from ZAW pizza for delivery. Let's hope I don't die from the crust! (In case you don't know, I have not eaten any grains - rice, wheat, etc. - for several months (save for some very occasional oatmeal).

- It has been snowing in Seattle for the past couple of days (since about Tuesday / Wednesday). It did not snow for me today in Ballard, but the weather report anticipates additional snow on Saturday & Sunday. All of which is fine with me, but I would like a) sand on the sidewalks & SIDE ROADS, and b) my flight to leave Seatac on Sunday as scheduled (for Houston).

Sneaky Sunlight

2008-12-12T16:05:00.000-08:00

It's currently 4:05 PM. I am looking outside my window, and I can see that the sun WANTS to shine it's countenance down upon us Seattleites, but the black-chalk clouds that are being bruskly moved along by the wind are dutifully prevent this.

The wind is blowing enough that I can see waves forming in the rain puddles that collect on the building roof below my window. It whistles ferociously through my balcony. I think the scaffolding outside is only causing the wind to sound more fierce, as it rushes past the metal piping and wooden gangplanks.

I had today off, so I headed over to Daniel's last night. I parked in a 30 minute spot near the ferry for 40 minutes, and prayed I didn't get a ticket for it. Luck was with me this morning.

I came home, and clucked around, tidying up my house, doing dishes, putting away dried laundry and generally making the place look and smell nicer. After that I showered, and was perusing some business hours online when my mom called me to inform that the Earth's north and south magnetic poles were going to rearrange themselves in 2012. I remember reading about this phenomenon in various physics classes and nerdy books I enjoy. It happens, on average, once every 26 000 years. She also wanted to say that several stories, each in their own essential dimension, were possibly unfolding, and that the shamans were being called to focus on a particularly positive outcome - that the Goddess and the Feminine would rule once more.

I would rather look at the picture of Sarah Palin that has the caption: "The Mayans were right. The world will end in 2012."

After my morning enlightenment session, I headed out in the wind and heavy (for Seattle) rain. It reminded me of the rainstorms when I first moved here, in January 2006. I remember wandering around Belltown and getting soaked, even to the backs of my jeans.

I drove down to Salumi Cured Meats, and bought several salamis (for various Christmas - and self - presents), then I went to Weaving Works.

Oh, Weaving Works.

I wandered happily in it's warm and friendly confines for a while. I consulted store copies of books I owned at home to look at yarn requirements. I picked up a copy of "Handknitting with Meg Swansen" and carried it around with me. I ended up picking up the following items:

- aforementioned book, which holds the secrets of the Spiral Yoke Pullover

- one skein of Rowan Big Wool, for an Elizabeth Zimmerman "Snail Hat" in a satisfyingly rich red

- one skein of Dale of Norway Baby Ull (fingering weight wool), in a great deep magenta for a pair of fingerless mitts for a friend living back East

- one skein of Cascade 220 Heather in an olivey tone, for a pair of Dashings from Knitty

- two skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas' "Melange", 100% luscious baby alpaca, in a beautiful robin's egg blue that basically matches my condo. I am thinking: Hat. Either make Porom from this, or perhaps the Argyle Lace Hat from "Boutique Knits". I think what happened was that I saw the model for Porom, and she looks like my sister (curly hair and all), and I think the slouchy hat would work for my sister's large mass of curls.

***

Today could have been worse. I could have spent my salami-and-yarn money on crack. :)

***

[By the way... it's now 4:30 PM, and the sky is inky-blue-black. An ominous weather sign if I ever saw one. Snow is actually predicted this weekend for the Seattle area & Kitsap peninsula].

Media Restructuring

2008-12-10T13:29:00.001-08:00

I am tempted to restructure my media usage.

I get some decent employee discounts, so I am seriously considering switching up my current media.

Currently, I pay $67 / mo for land-line telephone + DSL internet. I also pay $65 / mo for my Verizon cell phone.

I am thinking of switching to an iPhone. With my employee discount, it would come out to $75 / mo (plus taxes), and then I was thinking of getting Clearwire (which is a wireless internet service here) and I can get that for $28 / mo.

$132 / mo vs $103 / mo (probably more like $110 / mo).

The trick is to make sure I am out of any obligation to Qwest or Verizon.

Fitness: When Triceps Attack

2008-12-10T08:35:00.001-08:00

My arms were pretty sore after Monday's CF. I think I ended up doing about 85 of everything, instead of the full 100 reps.

So what do we do on Tuesday? This is after the warmup:

10 rounds of:

- 10 straight leg deadlifts
- 10 reverse rows (you are leaned over in the straight leg deadlift position, and pull the barbell up to your ribs)
- 10 pushups

We had 20 min to do everything. I think I completed everything in 15 min, so that was good.

For the weight, I used women's bar + 10 kg (so 25 kg total - this is important because you need to keep the weight light enough for the reverse rows, which are the limiting factor here, not the deadlift). I used that weight for the first 10 sets, then I lowered the weight to the women's bar + 8 kg (23 kg).

Note: I was supposed to attend a GE Christmas party last night. After CF, I went and bought soup at the store, then went home. It hurt to wash the dishes! :)

Knitting Fiesta

2008-12-08T19:43:00.001-08:00

It has been a knitting fiesta around here the last few days!

I am still plugging along on the cashmere sock. No pic of that because, well, it looks the same as the other sock. I should start carrying the other sock around so I know when the second one's leg matches the length of the first...

Here is a picture of my Wisteria sweater, coming along nicely. I came up with a brilliant plan that I am sure millions have thought of before. I am going to aim to knit three rounds a night on the sweater. I figure those tiny bits of time will add up, and soon the sweater will be pretty far along! I am loving the Malabrigo worsted...so soft! I wonder if it pills? This picture shows the finished neck and beginning of the yoke pattern, where the cables trail off.

Next up is a project that I started, oh, either last Friday or Saturday. I didn't work on it on Sunday, and last night I got about 3" up the hat. It is Habitat, by Brooklyntweed. The cable pattern is, like Wisteria, involved but not difficult. You just have to pay attention (notice the multiple stitch markers, denoting each repeat). I am using my handspun Gotland for this, and hoping that it will show stitch definition sufficiently.

Next up is a silly knit I started today. I am using the same one row lace pattern as the last scarf, but this is a much bigger scarf. Last night, for some reason unknown to me, I decided it was a good idea to gather up all the leftover bits from spinning or knitting with my handspun, and tied them all into a big ball. I tried to make it go in a rainbow-type fashion, and this giant ball of yarn is what resulted (for reference, those are US 17 needles in the picture, and they are probably 12-15" long). I was originally thinking of making a perpetual crazy quilt-style blanket, but decided a scarf would be... giftable. :)

Finally, here is my first one-row lace scarf, done in handspun approx. worsted weight, two-ply yarn. I loved that the color changes pretty much made big horizontal swaths of color.

I am off to knit my three rows of Wisteria. And watch "Home Movies" (the cartoon) on DVD.