Perfecting the Puff

Knit1pug2’s recipe for puffs:

Using a long tail cast-on, cast-on 20 stitches, alternating between back and front needles.  You will have 10 stitches on each needle.   Turn work and begin knitting into the last stitch you cast on.  This will give you a nice ridge on the bottom edge.  Continue to knit around all 20 stitches.  You now have knit 1 plain row.

Row 1:  K1, yo, knit to last stitch, yo, K1 on each needle

( yo’s increases instead of the kfb called for in the pattern)

Row 2:  K1, knit into back of yo, knit to next yo, knit into back of yo, K1 on each needle

Continue repeating Rows 1 & 2 until you have 20 stitches on each needle.

Follow the pattern for the decreases omitting the final K row.

Bind off in purl to match the cast on ridge.  Don’t forget to follow the bind-off instructions in the pattern about the final 4 stitches, just purl them instead of knit.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Snowpocalypse 2010: Digging Out

So, not the most productive vacation in the world.  Due to Snowpocalypse 2010 the week has been spent to within a 2 block radius.  Here is why:

  

Kind of hard to leave the house in this, although our block got the sidewalk shoveled Monday morning, the city couldn't figure out how to get snowplows to anywhere but the Mayor's block until Wednesday afternoon (and for those pioneers in Bushwick, er "East Williamsburgh" well maybe that was Thursday evening.  

via newyorkshitt

Monday evening on my block.

When the plows finally arrived here (over 48 hours after the snow had stopped) this is the job they did:

That was Wednesday at around noon.  The cars can get up and down the street, but all the work that neighbors & businesses did in shoveling walkways to the street...gone, plowed over.  Has the city done it's job in dispatching workers to reopen the curbs?  Ha, they are too busy keeping E. 79th street clean.  That photo above was taken on Monday afternoon, you would have thought the snow has simply skipped over the Upper East Side.

Onto the blame game.  Lots of rumors about a work slow down by NY's Strongest.  I have to say, I'm not buying it.  If the previously mentioned Upper East Side looked like the rest of the boroughs I might be convinced.  But I can't imagine Sanitation doing such a bang up job in Manhattan while leaving their own homes & families with un-plowed streets, because let's face it our Sanitation workers are not living in Manhattan.  They and their families are in the outer boroughs suffering without services like the rest of us.

I'll end this with a parting question:

When will we finally see garbage pick up again?

Small Business Cyber Friday

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday all rolled into one.

Me a laptop, a couch and a credit card.

First stop the Sweet Libertine Mineral Cosmetics sale...supporting a small, local business, albeit in Ohio, and a fellow LSG'er to boot. Pix to follow once my new stash of makeup arrives. That's right I actually purchased some make-up. No guarantee I'll wear it, but it looks like tons of fun so it's a distinct possibility.

Next off, the Eat.Sleep.Knit Black Friday sale. I've heard about ESK for a while and couldn't resist the chance to win 100% off my order. I didn't of course, but I got the standard 10% and that in itself was a good deal. Oh, and possibly I went a little overboard on this one:

madeline tosh tosh sock in calligraphy

Dream in Color Smooshy in Cloud Jungle

Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Select Semi-Solids in Amethyst

Then with all that sock yarn in my shopping cart, I realized I'd best peruse their needle selection, you know so I would have enough needles to start ALL THE SOCKS!!!!!! at once. When all of a sudden I happened upon these:




The Hiya Hiya small interchangeable set. I just couldn't resist them. And now they are here, and are so cute I don't even want to take them out of the case. It is so small and perfect. The case itself is nearly flat and only about 7" square.

But wait, the shopping spree is not quite over...

Although I love the instant gratification that is the Monday delivery from eat.sleep.knit, I also have something to look forward to in January, and then February, and then March. Planning ahead for the winter doldrums I navigated my way to California by way of Little Red Bicycle and joined the yarn club of UNSPEAKABLE HORROR. I already have some of Didi's yummy cupcake sock in Braiiiiiiiiiiiiinsssssssssssss in my stash and can't wait to see what she does with this club.

I shopped small independent businesses, supported fellow LSG'ers and helped the economy all from the comfort of my own living room.

Tim Tam Love

Last Saturday was a happy, happy mail day here in BK. First, This was in the vestibule when I went to walk Natasha. International Airmail FTW!

Much thanks to Impostinator Anna for the wonder that is Tim Tams in all their original & dark chocolate-y goodness. That's right none one but 2 packages of Tim Tams.

Also, please note the Customs declaration: chocolate biscuits. Tee-hee!

5771

I just finished breaking my fast. Fasting this year was actually quite easy which I was very surprised by. You know, considering absolutely nothing else has been.

I spent the day knitting, meditating on life, reflecting and remembering. I tried very hard not to dwell on any of the negative things in my life and was fairly successful. Mostly, though I though about my mom. I watched the yahrzeit candle burn down and cried a bit but all in all it felt like a cleansing, or a release.

I actually feel lighter and more at peace than I have in a quite a while. Plus, I now have the added bonus of having my name inscribed in the book of life.

Boo-yah!

Knitting again almost...

I finally picked the needles back up, and was making some serious progress this year. Earwarmers, chemocaps, socks. I even completed Traveling Woman for the Ravelympics, & she's blocked and everything.

That's right, I ordered blocking mats, wires, & pins from KnitPicks. I as trying to really put some effort into completing projects.

I have also completely gone off the deep end when it comes to yarn purchases. Traveling Woman was knit from the a gorgeous silk cashmere blend, courtesy of School Products, and the tiny, but way fun NYC LSG anniversary outing.

But its the Wollemeise that has really got me starting to up the stash again. I can't seem to resist the fun of getting in on an update. I've ordered way too much!

We Are Now Knit1Pug1

I should have posted this over a month ago:

Our Boris is gone. Natasha & I have been devastated. I was out of work for 3 days. Mostly because my eyes were swollen shut, and you really can't teach that way.

Natasha has been holding up like a trooper. A depressed trooper, but a trooper nonetheless. She cries when I come home, and runs around the apartment, once out of her pen, to search for B. It's been very sad.

I am trying to get her out into the street every day. She seems to perk up around other dogs. I think this is a good sign. Maybe she'll be able to stop looking for him?

Anyway, I know I"m still crying everyday for our Boo. I think in some ways he was our heart and soul. I'll never stop wondering if I made the right choices or if I fucked up.