Finally, a finished object post: Schieffelin Point Shawl

So here it is, post blocking, taped to a wall:



And this is me wearing it like a scarf:



Forgive my terrible hair day, but the rest of that outfit was fabulous. Grey herringbone dress, black tights, grey boots, and red scarf.

I really really really love this shawl. The yarn is amazing, I'm sad I learned about it after it was discontinued. The color is strong and beautiful, and it just feels so nice against skin. It does shed a little more than I would like.

The pattern for the shawl is well written, and the chart easy to follow. The hardest part I had was doing the increases as directed without losing count, which happened, multiple times.

Pattern: Schieffelin Point Shawl by Kate Gagnon Osborn
Yarn: Misti Alpaca Baby Suri Alpaca and Silk
Needles: US7

Check out the Ravelry Project Page.

I highly recommend the pattern.

Knitting! Lots of Knitting!

Knitting Update Time! I just wish I had more photos.

Finished Objects:

- As mentioned in my last post I finished the Scheiffelin Point Shawl. I'm wearing it as I write the post, but I still have not taken any photos of it since it has been blocked. I meant to, but I've been busy elsewhere. And the color doesn't quite work with a lot of my wardrobe (which doesn't stop me from wearing it anyway) and I want to make sure it looks awesome for photos. I might actually have to iron something to wear.

- I also finished the mug cozy that I had started months and months ago. It sat awaiting the weaving of ends for many many months. Finally I got around to finishing that up, I was tired of it staring at me in all it's unfinished glory on my ravelry page. Now I just need to take a few photos of the finished item and then I can forget about that pattern forever.

Works in Progress:

- I can't show you this one, or really talk about it much. It's a SUPER SECRET project for the Knittyboard Farewell Swap. If you haven't heard, the knittyboard (part of Knitty.com) will be closing at the end of this month. It's sad, that was a very safe place where I could get support without people I know in real life knowing about it.

- I also started another monster. I'm doing a green and white houndstooth pattern for a friend of mine that went to Michigan State University. It's to be a X-mas gift for her, since she got me something last year and I could not get my shit together enough to get her anything. 





I love the stripey legs on this monster. The face is going to be solid green while the color work pattern is going to continue on the back. I think the face might have a sticky-out tongue. The idea makes me laugh anyway.

Things I am going to knit next:

-First up is going to be yet another monster for another x-mas gift. I have this gorgeous pink/purple/blueish and grey yarn, and I think I am going to get some grey to add some stripeyness.


-I may also do the beaded necklace pattern that was in the Summer Interweave Knits for both of the monster recipients. I figure I owe them since I was super lame with the gift-giving last year.

-The other thing I need to do is organize my stash and get everything listed in Ravelry. Since the knittyboard is moving there, I am going to be using that website far more often. Plus I normally have no clue what I have so I think it will be good no matter what.

My apologies

Here we are, more than half way through March, and I haven't posted. There is good and bad, and more good news.

Good News/Bad News #1- I found a job! I started the first full week of February and I a very happy in my new role. It's with a small company, working with information that I have no experience with, so there is a lot to learn- along with a crap-ton of excel work! Excel makes me happy, I probably should go back to school for computer programming because I just love the problem solving aspect of figuring out how to automate calculations with formulas, functions, and macros.

The bad news in all this is that I have significantly less time to blog. My time at work is work time, though lunchtime might allow me to outline a post or two, and now that it is spring I'll be spending more time in the evenings on my bicycle, which will leave even less time for blogging and preparing for posts (like taking photos)

Good News/Bad News #2- Daylight Savings! It's great because I'll have better light in the evening for photography. It's not-so-great because I hate changing the clocks. Last week I was so off my game, it was aweful! I was getting up at minimum 20 minutes late every morning for work, which meant I arrived at work later than I would have liked.

How have my hobbies fared with the new job? My primary hobbies have fared well. I consider knitting, photography, and cycling my primary hobbies. Sewing, baking, and other crafts are secondary.

Knitting: I participated in a knittyboard swap, the theme was "New Year, (learning) New Things. My pal sent me a GREAT package. Pretty stitch markers, yummy tea, and the crowing glory- Misti Alpaca 4-ply Alpaca Silk in an amazing garnet color. I'd better get a black coat for the winter, I don't want to look like an Ohio State fan when visiting my in-laws in Columbus! (disclaimer: I do not care a whit for college sports. Mr. TEK does not care a whit for college sports. His extended family does not fail to give us crap because we live and work in Michigan- and horror of horrors- I work in Ann Arbor again!) She sent along a super cute pattern- Schieffelin Point Shawl that I immediately cast on for.





I also have a nearly-completed Pocket Cup Cozy, but I am still not happy with the pocket construction. Apparently I suck at picking up stitches. I'm just going to have to keep trying or just make them without pockets. It's not like that is difficult at all.



Cycling: The 2012 Summer of 1,000 Miles spreadsheet is live! And by live, I mean updated and on my usb drive. I'll give you a peek at the data analysis page (the rest is boring... unless you like line graphs with 2 data points!)


Since we started going to the gym in January, we were able to kick-start our outdoor cycling by cutting out the less than 5 mile conditioning rides. The weather certainly helps too. Hopefully we will be able to get another 10 mile ride in this evening.

Photography: I have barely had a reason to pick up my camera before today since I haven't been doing any blogging. I have not finished any crafty projects either. I've got a project for Easter, which I am really excited about, but other than that nothing much.



There are two new releases coming May 15 that I am super excited about. Diablo III and the new Garbage album. So giddy about D3... and the new computer I am going to get to ensure I get an awesome experience. I've needed a new desktop for about a year now, but I've been putting it off so I could get something to run Diablo to it's best advantage. Yes, I am quite happily a nerd.

Duke was quite mad that I was outside and he was not getting my undivided attentions.

I really need some new needles

I was out running errands today and I really should have stopped to get some bamboo needles are our local craft store. These US15 aluminium Boye's are making it difficult to work on the herringbone cowl. I did manage to move on to the second row though! It sounded like it would be difficult to k2tog tbl  (through the back loop) but it's just fussy. Oh well, every stitch is progress.

I did a little baking this week. Biscotti! I love biscotti, it's crispy and sweet, kinda like a cookie, but different- better somehow. And I am a chick who loves cookies. This is chocolate citrus biscotti from the food network. The original recipe called for the biscotti to be dipped in melted chocolate instead of having the chocolate chips, but I figured the chips are easier and you get the chocolate in every bite.

Wordless Wednesday- Herringbone Cowl

Steeking Show-Off

Last week I had to send off the video card from my desktop computer to be repaired under warranty. Of course, it's the week where Mr. TEK finally finished classes and we were going to play so much Civ 5 and Diablo 2. My laptop couldn't handle Civ, so I didn't bother with the install, I tried D2, but it was too jumpy and laggy, and that can cause problems in game. So no video games for me. Instead I knit, and steeked, and knit some more.

Let's start with the steek. 

Here is the sweater after all the knitting was done, before starting the steek: 

I'm sewing! 

Sewing is done, getting ready for the hard part! 

Cutting! (this is the sweaty part)

Whew! Done!


Now the sleeves. I didn't know the right way do do the raglan sleeves in grey, while continuing the pattern, so I just made it up. Since I knew I'd be sewing anyway, I just sewed 2 rows up the raglan line, anchoring the loose yellow carries so I could cut them out and have an open sleeve. It looks okay, hopefully it will hold up on an infant or two! 

And for the final WIP photo I've got one side of the button-band done and I'm working on the second. Currently, I've got all that knitting and weaving in done, I'm just working on tacking down the flap from the steek along the button-band. It's slow and frustrating. I couldn't seem to find a good tutorial of how to do a blanket stitch (as I had seen on other projects) without having it show in the front. So I made something up. It isn't likely to be pretty on the inside, but it won't show on the outside. 

Since I've started showing my different photography set-ups, I had a rather interesting one for the final WIP shoot. 

This was taken in our bedroom because we have heavy shades that block most light. I clamped my background fabric to the headboard of the bed, and propped up a piece of white foamboard to act as a reflector. I have these two shoplights that are awesome, but I needed to diffuse their harsh brightness. I just used a couple of strips of white cotton fabric and some safety pins. Easy-peasy! 

The reason I needed to block any daylight from the room is that it can make the white balance on my camera act kinda wonky, and I'm not great at figuring out how to adjust it properly. Too many options! 

The one where I show a WIP

Still here, still a housewife. It's not that bad, though I'm getting bored with it. Oh well.

Here is the super-cute baby sweater I'm working on. It's based on the Last Minute Knitted Gifts Placket Neck Baby Sweater.



I'm using a simple chevron pattern, and I am going to steek the front to make it a cardigan. I am thinking about how to do the sleeves though. I don't think I want them to be color-work since little fingers can easily get snagged in the floats. So I was thinking of doing the sleeves in gray, and having the raglan part be gray too. But how would I handle the color work? That's the question of the day. I'm thinking I might just have to break the yarn and sew down the ends along the raglan line. we will see how it goes. I am to the point where I need start the sleeves, I'll probably do that once I finish this post and Duke stops kneeding my stomach. I can't see the keyboard right now, good thing I am a proficient typist!

The lighting isn't quite as good as I would have liked, I had to use a different set up since it was cloudy. Click the photo for more information.



I did a little sewing over the weekend and made a bib to go with Basil the Monster baby gift. I'll be photographing that soon, hopefully we will have a sunny day. It's been raining since early evening yesterday, and my yard is quite flooded.

Duke's been keeping warm by sleeping more of late. He does not care for the flash.

Cupcakes make everyone feel better

After my last pity-party post I got my stuff together. Much like when, earlier this year, I decided that I was spending waaayyy too much time playing stupid facebook games and quit all but 1 (desktop defender- love that game) cold turkey. Granted I can't just get a job like that, but I can bake.

I spent all day on Wednesday getting the house cleaned so that I could spend all day Thursday baking. I need to bake a batch of sourdough bread, a double-batch of coconut macaroons for a potluck at Mr. TEKs office, and a batch of cupcakes for my Mom's birthday.

The bread and cookies were kinda boring, and it was too cloudy for good photography in my house on Thursday. But Friday, it was sunny and beautiful as I grabbed a paring knife, a bowl of cherry filling, and whipped cream.


The recipe for the Black Forest Cupcakes is HERE. I love love love love love this recipe. The chocolate cupcakes are yummy, the cherry filling is sturdy, and everyone loves fresh whipped cream, right? But how does one get that sturdy, yummy, cherry filling into the middle of a cupcake when it has full cherries in it? Glad you asked, because I took photos of each step.

Step 1. Grab a cupcake, preferably cooled.


Step 2. Cut a circle with the knife at an angle towards the center in the top of the cupcake.


Step 3. Carefully remove the part you cut, lop off the point of the pyramidish shape, then use the point of the knife to hallow out more space in the middle of the cupcake. I used a large plate to keep the crumbs from going everywhere.


Step 4. Plop in a good amount of filling


Step 5. Place the cut-out lid back on the top of the cupcake.


Step 6. Frost, garnish, and eat!


Next time I'd better iron my backdrop--- here's the photography set up today.

I left the table away from the window because it was around 10:00 a.m. and the window is one the east side of the house, so plenty of strong sun streaming in. Duke enjoyed that part!

Feeling Low

This isn't an easy post to write. I've been avoiding it for a week now, but I need to let the past be the past, and hopefully my creative spirit will return.

Last week I was laid off from my job. This is the second layoff I've had, and it just had to come at the part of the year when companies pull back on the hiring because of the upcoming holidays. Since this has happened, I've been feeling 0 creativity. I have the time, I have the energy, I do not have the interest.  I have a baby sweater that I need to knit in the next 6 weeks or so, and I am so excited about it, because it is going to be freaking adorable. I just can't bring myself to get it out of the bag and cast on.

I can feel myself coming back slowly. Yesterday I baked an apple pie. Instead of the typical slashes to vent the top crust, I got out a cookie cutter that my Grandma and Papa bought me from King Arthur Flour. I was going to buy it for myself, but they beat me too it. That's just how Papa was.Fortunately, I took pictures.



It took the better part of a week for me to stop thinking about my former workplace, and I'm sure it will take a little longer for me to get back to where I was. I will say I hated working where I was, and I am going to use this as an opportunity to put myself in a much better position. Financially, we don't have a lot of expenses so living on unemployment for a month or two shouldn't be too bad.

I am hoping that this abundance of free time will set me up with significant blog fodder. I'm always looking on the bright side.

Sometimes I hate how busy I am

I took a photo yesterday for wordless wednesday. Then I didn't have time to actually post it. Hopefully I can post it tonight... better late than never, right?

It’s FALL!

I love and dread the fall. The colors and temperature is wonderful. The hint of winter in the air as fall fades just sucks. I hate driving in snow so much that it makes me hate and dread the winter. There are parts of winter weather that I love… thick socks, mittens, hats, scarves, slippers… watching it snow when I don’t have anywhere to go… hot tea, hot cocoa, baking bread and cakes and the warmth from the oven keeping me warm. I could go on, but I won’t. I’ll just say that I wish early fall could last forever. Just as I was congratulating myself for keeping up on the blog, I completely fell off the wagon. But that’s okay, I’m okay. So let’s start with my vacation week!

CAMPING! We started a week of vacation with camping on Lake Michigan. It was only two nights, so we figured it would be fun and not too much work. It was really nice. We brought books and a Frisbee (which I promptly and accidentally threw in the lake) and had to go buy some camp chairs from Meijer. We watched the sunset over the lake and sat on the beach the next day. We explored, and I knit a little. The last night it rained… and rained… and rained… we ended up taking the tent down in the rain. Thankfully the tent was well designed and was easy to take down.


CONCERT! Almost as soon as we got home on Monday (we had time for a nap and dinner) we left to drive to the Palace of Auburn Hills for the Foo Fighters! They always put on an awesome show, and this time was no exception. We were rocked for 3 hours! I even managed to get a decent shot with my camera phone. I ran it through lightbox, a free android app, for the post processing. e

CYCLING! Good and bad, we did a lot of cycling over our vacation, but Thursday I fell off my bike. I still have the scrapes, but they don’t hurt all the time anymore. We were at our local state park, and we were going fast, about 15 mph. I was coming around a curve and one of my tires must have fallen off the path, which put me off balance and I fell. Luckily, I was wearing long sleeves and pants. My shirt ripped, but my pants didn’t. I had some scrapes/road rash on my left elbow and knee, a huge bruise on my right calf, and a smaller bruise on my right ankle. I think my bike was scraped a little, but I think it was mostly on one of the pedals. Mr. TEK came back and checked it over, so I didn’t see it. The worst part was the simple muscle soreness in the days after. So not only did I fall off my bike, the following Saturday, just 3 days later, we rode in the Tour d’Troit bike ride. We totaled 26 miles for the outing- the ride was 22 miles through some nice and not-so-nice parts of Detroit, plus we did an optional 2 miles on Belle Isle and there were another 2 miles to and from the parking lot. I didn’t take my camera, as I was still sore and uncomfortable. The worst part was that every time I hit a bump it jarred my injured elbow. It was still fun though!

The other major thing we did over the week was complete Mr. TEK’s bookcases. He started building a set of three bookcases for our house last year, but had to stop working on them last summer because of his illness. We did the stain and the polyurethane, and on Sunday got the cases moved into the house and our books out of the storage tubs we had to put them in. We have two in the bedroom and one in the computer room. They look FANTASTIC!

Next time: banana bread, books, and a knitting wip

And don't forget Duke. He is not amused by my photography.

Wordless Wednesday

Almost a MONTH!

I cannot believe it’s been nearly a month since my last post! And I was doing so well at my target of minimum 1 post per week. It’s time to get back on track.

Knitting:
Remember this-



Yeah… First try was the Yarn Harlot’s Unoriginal Hat. The photo above is the second try where the gauge was wayyyyy too tight. And then there was the third try where I figured out that I didn’t have nearly enough yarn to knit a hat with that yarn. So it was frogged and set aside for something else. I might just have to do a cowl or a short scarf with buttons.

Instead I got started on this:



It’s soon to be another monster from Rebecca Danger’s Big Book of Monsters. It was supposed to be a “ball shaped” monster, but I decided I wanted more of a pill shape, so I’ve added a bunch of knit rows before the decreases. Since I hate seaming and hand sewing I’m going to pick-up the stitches to start the arms and legs and just knit them to the body like that. It will be so much easier, though typically slightly frustrating to get started.

Sewing:
I haven’t been sewing much; I’ve been pretty well stuck on the knitting. I’ve got a ton of stuff saved up on my pinterest board for future projects. I need to make another trip to the knitting sewing shop I discovered a month ago.

Biking:
After taking some time off because of the heat-wave, we’ve gotten going again. In the middle of the month we went to Columbus, OH to visit family and rode 30 miles on their trail system. It was LOVELY. There were a lot of people out in the park we started out on, but as we made our way towards the city there were fewer and few people. I took my camera but didn’t get many photos on the bike ride. We did get some of a heron that took flight close to where we were biking, and I got some photos of family pets but otherwise the camera didn’t come out.



Photography:
Saturday will be photography day. It has now been decided. I haven’t really had my camera out much, just a few shots here and there. I did get a photo of our bike gang, the Regulators*, on Saturday.

Cooking:
I bought a slow cooker cookbook (This one) and have been making some of the chicken recipes. I’ve made2 so far, and they’ve been kinda meh. I haven’t given up yet though. I’m trying to do two Crockpot meals per week to cut down on kitchen time during the week. I really like this book on principle though, not a single recipe that begins with “Open a can of cream of mushroom soup”. The challenge is our family’s particular food exclusions- I have to cook with very little fat, no beef or pork, and little/no dairy. Then you add personal preferences: I don’t like beans or peppers (the veggies, not the spice) and Mr. TEK doesn’t like most vegetables. Another challenge is our location. We live in a more rural town 30 minutes outside of Detroit, while we do have access to some “fancy” foods, there are some that just are not carried at our local Meijer, like porcini or cremini mushrooms.

Travel:
I’m planning a short camping trip for us. We’re going to the west side of the state for just two nights. Our major point of interest is the beach. I’m planning to spend an entire afternoon on the beach and hopefully watch the sun set. It should be a great opportunity for some photography.

*the Regulators are comprised of me and my husband. Yes, we are nerds, thanks for asking.

Duke would rather wear a chicken helmet. I promise.

My life is moving forward at an alarming rate.

It’s hard to believe that we’re already past the 4^th of July holiday and are steadily moving towards August. Good thing that despite my lack of posts I have been making progress.

Knitting: I finally finished Todd’s hat!!! Yay!!! I’ll have a Finished Object Post about it this weekend. I’ve cast on for another one of the Yarn Harlot’s Unoriginal Hats, but I haven’t gotten past the cast on yet. It’s been sooooo hot and humid here that I just haven’t wanted to get out the wool. I’ve got other things to work on anyway.

Sewing: I have not touched my sewing machine of late, but that’s going to change in a few minutes. I’m planning tonight to finish the curtain I started, hem the other curtains I bought, and hem the piece of fabric I am using as a backdrop in my knitting photos.Or maybe not. I just realized it's 8:30... crap. Oh well, maybe this weekend.

Photography: I've been messing around with my 60mm Macro lens and have been getting a better understanding of exposure. I'm just the kind of person that can read about it all day long, but it doesn't really make sense until I actually do it several times. I'm thinking that I might anoint a Saturday as "Photography Day" and everything I do try to take a good photo of whatever it is I'm doing... like laundry, yard work, or cycling.

Bicycling: We took this week off due to the excessive heat, we're expecting record temperatures in the Detroit area, potentially over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Blah. Thank goodness for central A/C!!! We will pick back up next week, and maybe have another 50 mile week now that Mr. TEK is done with classes for the semester.

Cooking: Thanks to the heat and our outside project (more about that in the next paragraph) I have been cooking the bare minimum to keep us fed. It's not good by any stretch, and it certainly doesn't help that I'm in a bit of a slump. After about a year of no eggs, no beef, no pork, or no dairy you tend to run out of ideas. I'm totally craving some home made stuffed shells pasta with 4 cheeses and italian sausage. yyyyyuuummmm...

Outside Project: The Patio. The concrete is in, the fence is up, the plants are in place. We still have a small pile of topsoil to disperse around the yard. I am so sick of yard work though! It is certainly worth it, as I love our "Beer Fridays" where we sit on the patio and have a beer and either chat or read or I knit.

I had an awesome thing happen to me last week.... I got a great haircut! I'll write a full post about that too.

(Mr. TEK might not be able to have butter, but Duke doesn't mind having his portion!)

Sunday night already

What a weekend!

Knitting: Finished the knitting on Todd's hat. I wanted to get it done before the weekend so I could spend some time planning my next project and organizing my yarn stash so I could hopefully knit it without buying more yarn. I managed to get organized, but the stash isn't looking good for what I'm planning. I need to finish weaving in the ends on the hat, and then I'll post some ideas for the next project.
Here's the hat:



Here is the inside:



Photography: I'm getting better with the camera, I think, at least for these kinds of still-life shots. I really need some work in post processing, but it's hard to know what to learn when you don't really see what needs to be done. I tried taking a shot for this weeks Digital Photography School contest- the theme is "Independence". I was going to take a photo of my belly. Why my belly? Well, being able to pick and choose my childbearing gives me independence. It did not go well. Thankfully, the camera did not break.

Food: I just don't want to cook when it is so hot out! Must plan something new for next week!

Sewing: um. yeah. nope.

Biking: Now this is where the progress was made. Last week was a 30 mile week. We were just 5 miles short of our goal for the week, but we can make it up this week. We've already got 16 miles for this week, and we need to reach 35. It looks like we will be able to ride 10 miles on Tuesday, 10 on Thursday, and hopefully another 10 on Friday. Saturday we will be busy with yard work, putting up some fencing to give our patio some privacy.

Duke has been quite the jerk lately. I'm not sure if I am concerned or not.

Weekend Update

It's Sunday evening at the end of a busy weekend. Windows are open, sun is setting, and we're winding down, getting ready for another busy week.

I spent some time on Saturday working on Todd's hat. The colorwork is finally done.



I've got to take some measurements to see if I'm ready to start decreasing for the crown.

We biked 25 miles today! It was good, and my legs are still a little tight. I'm getting to the point  where I just feel overall better. I've also started doing "wall push-ups" as well. My boss recommended them-- you stand an arm length away from a wall, and place your palms against the wall. Then you slowly lean your upper body to the wall, and then slowly push back, just like doing a push-up. It's less difficult than doing regular push-ups but is still going for the upper arms and chest. I'm just doing a couple 10 rep sets each day, but I'll work my way up.

Yesterday I baked these cupcakes, which I consider to be EPIC. I didn't take any photos, as I didn't finish baking them until 10:30 p.m. on Saturday night. I saw the photo in my google reader, and printed it, but if I hadn't seen the photo every time I looked at my pinterest board I doubt I would have made them so soon. I will advise, these cupcakes dirty a LOT of dishes. If you don't want to worry about clean-up I don't think this recipe would be advisable. I will make them again and again though; they were that worth it to me. Also, I have some of the cherry filling left over that I stuck in the freezer, so one less step to worry about next time!

I'm also experimenting with smoothies. I made strawberry yogurt ones tonight. Pretty good, but they need something. Maybe a slug of chocolate sauce? Chocolate makes everything better!

The best part of my weekend? The concrete guys came out and framed in our soon to be patio! I cannot wait to sit out there with a cold Oberon (or Paulaner Hefe! found at Costco!) and just enjoy being outside.

Progress on Todd’s Hat

Finished the ribbing and have started on the colorwork portion of the hat. I never realized what a pain it is to work with black yarn. It makes it difficult to count rows, and photography is difficult against a white background. I’m going to have to play with using different colors of fabric (Jo Ann’s and Hobby Lobby here I come!) to see what gives the best contrast and lighting. In my picture in the last post, the white in the image appears to be exposed properly; however you can’t really see the detail of the black yarn. It’s just a black blob when I look at it.  I’m going to have to work with the mister to create a backdrop “holder”.

My current set up is a full magazine storage box (Flyt from Ikea) with some fabric draped over, a tripod for my camera, and a white plastic lid clamped to the side of my table. I’ll have to try to take a picture of it the next time I set it up. It’s in this style from Photojojo. My table has fold-down leaves on the sides, so I fold down the one side and use one of Mr. TEK’s woodworking clamps to hold my makeshift reflector in place. Granted it was a first try, and since I took the photo with sunlight streaming in the window I had to use another piece of white fabric, held to the existing window shade with binder clips to further diffuse the light. But I think it worked out fairly well. It’s something I am definitely going to play with as I work on my object photography.

The most difficult part of object photography is keeping The Baron out of the way so I can get my photos. Sometimes you just have to give up and use him as your subject. (this is my old set up, it didn’t work quite the way I wanted it to.