1930s gangster movies and ... baby hats

There are several things needed to enjoy a good movie, in my opinion.

A comfortable seat.

Something to snuggle in (sweater, blanket, pashmina).

Knitting.

I was definitely the only person knitting during the Sunday night showing of Public Enemies in Hicksville.The yarn is Lily Sugar'n Cream Stripes in ... American Stripes. I'm using size 7 needles as usual, and the pattern is my old favorite, the Umbilical Cord Hat from Stitch 'n Bitch.

Erm, anyone remember that wedding gift I'm knitting?

The Celtic Wedding Knot afghan is chugging along, and I finished knitting up the first panel last night. Then I immediately cast on for the second panel. I have about two or three rows done of the second panel, and I'm wondering if my Addis can support two panels at once. It's not very long (about... uh... twenty four to thirty six inches? Math and I don't get along).

As it is, when the wedding rolls around Labor Day weekend, my cousin and his bride will receive a photograph of the afghan in progress.

I have the BEST college roommate ever

My senior year college roommate Andrea has made some guest appearances on this blog ... but something arrived in the mail today that just cemented her roommate soulmate status.

Wool.

Not just any wool...

ICELANDIC WOOL. FROM ICELAND. LAND OF VIKING SHEEP.

I'll post the information on Ravelry later ... but omg. omg. omg. ICELANDIC WOOL!

(goes off and does happy dance)

What I have been doing

Since our last post, the school year has wrapped up, I came down with the flu (not swine!), and happily started my summer vacation. My summer job has not started yet, and while there are no pictures of the knitting...
Steamed crab night. That is not my head.

Roxy Paine installation on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

There should be an update on the wedding afghan in about a week or so ... or at least summer-time pictures. Have a happy Fourth of July everyone!

Knitting, Baking, Grading, and Inspiration, all at once

Several things:

One: I just realized that on Ravelry, you can upload pictures from your computer. I no longer need to freak out about my Flickr account. On Flickr, the free account only holds 200 pictures. Because of Ravelry, I am almost near that magic number.

Two: I cast on the Judi & Co. Rococo (or is it Rayon Rococo) in Sizzle. I'm using US 11 needles, casted on 40, and doing a lovely garter stitch back and forth. This is rather simple knitting. I'm loving it.Three: I had a Banana Bread Mix. It required an oven, 1/4 cup oil, 1 cup water, and 2 eggs. Since the measuring cup was in the sink ... I guessed on the water, threw in two very ripe, very mushy smushy bananas, and a handful of chocolate chips. C'est magnifique!
Four: I need to do a ton of grading tomorrow. Grr.
Five: I need to get my hands on a stitch dictionary. Like now. This is what I want to knit. When J was on his phone, I happened to look at the base of the nearest lamp post. (We were by the 81st street subway station). Wow. Wouldn't that look awesome in a sweater or a scarf?

50% off yarn? You betcha I'm buying some.

Last Thursday night, I had fun. I had a lot of fun. That picture? That's just some of the fun I had.

One of the women in my knitting group used to run a yarn store. The store is currently in her living room, and needless to say, when we met at her house instead of our usual meeting place ... I barely paid attention to my knitting. I spent about two hours touching, smelling, eying gorgeous yarns of every fiber, weight, color possible.

This picture just shows *half* of what I bought that night. Five other skeins are scattered about my house (and in the case of two, in my car). Here, from left to right there is ... Artyarns Handpaint Stripes in 103, Perla Trendsetter Yarns in Linen (sparkly!), and two skeins of unknown parentage, but they are novelty ... and I'll be using them to give an extra punch to some plain knitting.

I'm incredibly excited about all this new yarn in my life, and have Grand Plans for some of the skeins. Eee!

Yardage Concerns

I've been bad this past week, as I have hardly knitted at all. Today I picked up the afghan again, and realized that I am now on my third ball of Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash in Jelly Bean. However, I am still working on the first panel of the afghan. I am beginning to worry that I may not have enough yardage to complete the darn thing.

So silky, how will it stay in my hair?

I've been working on this little headband on and off for a few weeks now. Obviously not major knitting, and I don't need to think very hard while working on this. The Simple Lace Headband is a good pattern, though I need to figure out how long this little thing is supposed to be.

The only complaint, which is my fault, is that the silk won't stay put on my head. I'm going to use a few strategically placed bobby pins to keep the damn thing on. I do love that this is using up what little yardage of the silk I had left over from my silk-and-mohair Edgar ... and the color pops against my dark hair.

Possibly the WORST Image ever

But photographic proof that I finished the first of Julie's socks!

Existence! Who knew!

The blog and I still exist!

I have misplaced my camera cable, so while there are pictures, they are being held hostage on my digital camera.

The Celtic Knot Afghan is coming along beautifully. I am now on gauge (I think), using Addi Turbos in US 10.5. The difference between the 10.5 and 10 is astounding. I am on my second skein of Cascade 220 Superwash Paints in Jelly Bean.

I also, around April 21st, cast on the Simple Lace Headband by Melissa Mall (ravelry link). It's a small project, and I'm using up the last twelve yard of my pink Colinette Tao. US 6 needles are being used for the project.

I've joined a knitting group at a local bookstore, thanks to one of my friends from work. Yay! The meeting place is highly dangerous: there are books. Lots of books. Including the latest Rick Riordan, The Last Olympian. (For those not in the know, The Last Olympian is the fifth, and perhaps final?, book in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series)