I just got a promotion, is all! And my workload blew up. And, I got engaged to the most fabulous man of all time. So, I’ve been working harder than a one armed paper hanger. And I bought a weekend house. So shit’s been cra-zy. The nice part is that when I’m up at my house (in Barryville, NY – the southwest corner of the Catskill mountains) it’s all knitting all the time. There’s vodka, a fireplace, wild turkeys and not much else.

weekend Catskill house.

Here’s a photo of our lovely upstate abode. I met the builder and saw the bones of the house in January, and closed June 1. All in all, a relatively painless process and it’s been incredibly fun since then. It’s small, but with an open floor plan design and tons of windows that really let the outdoors in, it feels huge.

Greg is up there with a bunch of dudes this weekend, which is why I’ve got a free pass here at home, watching Jane Austen movies and drinking sparkling shiraz by myself. Think the dudes are having a good time. No bears just yet, but they’re killing lots of zombies in Left 4 Dead, which is my new favorite Xbox game.

I’ve started the Concetta cardigan, which is an awesomely simple, well-designed shaped cardigan. Two big buttons, slighly belled sleeves and a funnel neck give it a really modern shape, and I re-allocated an ill-devised plan for a wrap sweater’s yarn supply to make it happen; it’s a nice Berroco wool (Peruvia) in a pretty green called Peat Moss. Sounds very Wuthering Heights, which I guess the sweater is too.

I am now watching Emma for the 456th time. Oh, comfort of 19th century Regency. “It sounds as      though he eats a worrisome amount of custard!” Mr. Woodhouse is adorable.

I have all this stuff! That’s like, completed and junk. I’ve recently been empowered by new job opportunities that have just fell in my lap, so that my current work situation seems less dire. With that, I’ve begun to spend my evenings with a little bit of knitting instead of the consistent fretting.

I completed Le Slouch a few weeks ago. Despite not really understanding how to decrease in moss stitch so that you don’t get the same stitch next to one another, it turned out kinda fly! I would wear it, but maybe not give it to someone else:

Two: I completed a shortened version of the cable scarf from Erika Knight’s Classic Knits. I used a pretty Sundara worsted in Camel. It has a cool split in the scarf, making it sort of a necker (or so I’ve seen it called). The term Necker makes me think of Neck Face, a graffiti artist who has worked in Brooklyn. I kept thinking that Neck Face was some sort of cultural term, possibly sexual, that I just didn’t get when I rolled off the turnip truck ten years ago and arrived in New York City. Turns out it’s fairly innocuous, even if the real Neck Face is not.

Neckface Begins

And finally – the winner of the completed objects July showcase showdown is: the Head Huggers Amelia Earhart hat! I got some Sublime Angora Merino on sale at Stitch Therapy in a gorgeous purple, shade 43. It’s soft and a little fuzzy; I knitted it exactly as the pattern dictated and it came out slightly bigger than expected but stilln workabel. Good to keep in mind for my friends with giant noggins: Devon, Ed, my pops. Video to come shortly. I may have to feature myself as a model. I’m that pleased with it. Or I’m a little drunkie. A nice salesperson gave me a 2006 Cakebread Chardonnay and it’s simply delightful.

An aside: I’m watching Demolition Man. Starring a very young Sandra Bullock and Stallone (of course). It’s a horribly awesomely bad movie. Apparently when they unfroze Stallone, they downloaded a knitting application in his brain and he just knit Sandy a cable sweater.

Boat Drinks, you may have seen on the title of this blog. It’s Saturday night, I’m drinking wine with my man friend who is working on a pitch for a film company. I’m watching one of my all time favorite films, Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead. If I could only find my own Jimmy the saint. Tortured and tragic but inflamed and afire. And Walken in this thing is brilliant.

I’m drinking some wine and working on Erica Knight’s Classic Knits first pattern, the cabled scarf. I was working on it this morning while I was getting a mani/pedi, and a woman said – Is this the tree of life? I was taken aback. It IS. Go figure. I’m trying ot tie this to the film but straining. I will just enjoy the film in a creepy way. While drinking and knitting. I wish someone would pay me to do these things instead of my real job. I’m so much better at this…or at least I enjoy it more.

And have I forgotten about Treat Williams. This was to be his big comeback moment, his Travolta Transitory. Why does this movie make me, ralph Wiggum-like, happy AND sad?

Also, I love Andy Garcia. I really do.

Things to do in Denver When you're Dead

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Possibly the best James Brown line ever, but it’s can also describe my day to day lately. Things are hopefully starting to hit a stride, and thus I’ve made something. Huzzah.

Before I get to le triomphe I must acknowledge le grande poo, which is also le francais, Le Slouch by Wendy Bernard. I totally screwed this one, I used Maalbrigo and size 8s but just didn’t pay attention. Decreasing in seed stitch was more challenging than I thought. And so it looks like ass on a stick.

But then I went to my friend’s house in Long Island, and we spent the day at the beach and played tennis. I spent some time in my own brain and thought about the spot on the wall in between the bedroom and the bathroom (among other spots). Frustrated but still feeling okay, I attacked a new hat pattern. I’m not stuck in a rut! This hat kicked ass, not only because it’s a great pattern, but because it’s a great baby pattern I modified for my own big adult alient head, and it totally worked out. Huge props to Hey Julie, where I found the original bestest earflap hat pattern (I made literally everyone one for the holidays last year).

I’ve filmed the junk cuz I got no camera – but it look real nice!

It resembles Mush Mouth’s hat/headpiece when looking at it not on a person, but when you wear it, it looks normal.

Dumb Donald, who I thought was Mush Mouth

Okay, it’s been a long time since I picked up the needles, and even longer since I categorized it. Basically, I’ve been on a plane for the last month. Usually, plane rides mean lots of knitting, but this time I’ve been knee deep in planning, upfronts and other assorted work nonsense. Taken as a whole it’s been more taxing than anything, although there were some highlights, notably a couple of wild nights Vegas and an evening of weirdness in San Francisco, featuring badly lip synching trannies dancing on tables. And we paid them to do this. Here is a photo of one of the less attractive ladies…one was attractive enough that my hetero male co-workers nodded appreciatively before tucking into another Anchor Steam. This was not that lady:

So without further ado: my current project is finally Le Slouch. I had previously picked up some sale yarn, which I originally thought was so cool and summery and finally decided it was downright ugly (and thus why on sale). This sale yarn was a multicolor hand painted yarn in blue, green and yellow, called Curacao, and I was going to wing a Fitted Knit. However, I forgot that I have no patience for things like measuring and gauge. Oh yes, this was a wank.

So I had/have a ton of Malabrigo. I’ve previously waxed on about how much I love this yarn. It’s soft, pliable, easily knitted, can be doubled without a problem and has a nice variegated tone throughout since it’s kettle dyed. I am using a gorgeous blue, and am about halfway done. I am electing to make Le Slouch Less Slouch, and knitting 4.5″ instead of the full 6″ (which Wendy offers as an option).

I got some knitting done this weekend. Greg and I rented a place up near Woodstock (but not as expensive). Lovely place, it’s actually for sale. We again went to the incomparable Peekamoose for dinner on Friday night (got there around 9:45, just a couple of minutes before the kitchen closed). Excellent wine, all organic/locally grown foodstuffs. I had an awesome Vidalia onion and local goat cheese tart, my man friend had an incredible hand made gnocchi. My main was a skate wing with bacon lardons (hello) and I elected to skip dessert in favor of a Macallan 12. Tidy. All around great stuff, I highly recommend.

http://www.peekamooserestaurant.com/

Peekamoose is just up 28 from Phoenicia/Woodland Valley/Shandaken in Big Indian. Dining room closes at 10p, but the bar was open at least until midnight. At least last Friday

Yes, I’ve been in planning hell. No excuses. But I’ve been in Dallas for Christ’s sake. However, it has meant I’ve completed and come close to completing some actual projects. My AA miles (not related to my wine consumption, but close enough) are coming close to allowing space travel, so I guess that is good too.

So! A completed project. I bought 4 hanks of Lion Brand yarn’s Thick & Quick wool yarn in a lovely burnt orange called Butterscotch. An aside: I really hate that they call this yarn “Thick & Quick”. It makes you slur the words. Or else I’ve had too much Cabernet already. It’s like my man friend’s joke about saying Linens N’ Things – you always sound a little drunkie when you say it.

Anyhoo – I actually made this scarf for my man friend. I hope he enjoys it! Also, I’m thisclose to finishing the Kelly cardigan mohair jobby. Hopeully will finish this week/weekend. I’ll be in Bloomington, IN, crossing my fingers for some quiet college town time. I am so excited!

Godddamn it, not again. Finished the back panel and left front of the Kelly Cardigan from Erika Knight’s Classic Knits. Things are moving along nicely…except I’m noticing that I still have the right front and both fricking sleeves/shoulders to do with only two balls of yarn left. You’re supposed to knit both together – do they mean I’m supposed to double the yarn? It’s absurd that I should only need 6 balls. I’m not using the called-for mohair but yarn almost exactly the same. Urge to kill growing!

So, achingly close to completing Cloud Bolero I ran out of fricking yarn. I had bought a boatload of Debbie Bliss alpaca silk, lovely stuff, in a couple of colors. One was “denim”, a gorgeous light navy. Ran out of it. Local yarn shops, like Stitch Therapy here in Park Slope, offered advice on replacement yarn but had no Debbie. Knit NY on 14th street in the city, no dice. Called several others…apparently no one ordered more DB alpaca silk, and no one had that color left. Enter the wonders of the introwebs, where I was able to buy two skeins of the exact yarn needed from Seaport Yarns (apparently their last two!). Came quickly, packaged well and I was able to finish Cloud Bolero yesterday. Or so I thought…again inching toward completion, literally maybe 4 picot edges left to do I run out of it AGAIN! So I spied a lonely sock I never completed the partner for and cut it up (it was partially knit wit the same yarn I’ve been using). Eh voila!

This is the first time I’ve used the picot edging. While Ysolda’s pattern instructions on picot were pretty straightforward, I found some nice visuals and more explicit instruction in Knitty’s archives:

And so, I have a finished product I am proud of. I need a little fancines, either ribbon or a cool brooch to bring it all together but it’s a nice finished object. Especially needed after my Briar Rose Disaster. Wee!

Also, it’s a gloomy, wintry morning in Brooklyn. I’m knitting, drinking tea and watching Chinatown. This movie is amazing.

Make that Sauvignon Blanc. The Kenwood was on sale so I had to make it happen, plus I’ve been drinking red by the barrel-ful, it being the winter of my discontent and all. It’s a Wednesday night, and my man-friend is at the Knicks-Pacers game with Indy friends. Potentially the two worst teams in the NBA – I guess that might make it a good game.

So: my most recent project is a sweater I’ve knit poorly before, albeit with the wrong guage/yarn happening. This would be the Kelly Cardigan, a lovely, simple pattern from Erica Knight’s Classic Knits, one of my all time favorite books. Now I’m starting with yarn I should be working with, a mushroom/taupe shade in kid mohair blend from Sublime. It’s 60% mohair, 35% nylon and 5% extra fine merino. The cardigan itself it fitted, with 3/4 sleeves and a simple 1×1 rib trim. That’s what I like about Classic Knits – it’s shit you’ll actually wear.

Meanwhile: I’ve begun to watch this creep-tacular, awesome movie about 45 minutes in called The Prophecy. The TWC description was intriguing (“Jealous angels wage war against humanity”, 1995), but then you add Christopher Walken as an angel, Viggo Mortensen as THE baddie angel Lucifer, and a young Virginia Madsen and – wait for it – a younger Christopher Meloni! Playing a cop! Now with more hair.

Speaking of hair and back to knitting: I’ve never really knit with mohair before. Mohair sweaters are for girls in the ’50’s with big torpedo boobies. Mohair is indulgent. It’s soft, and seems expensive. It’s ok so far to knit!

Update: Ok it’s not Christopher Meloni. It’s Elias Koteas. Is it me or are these two separated at birth?

Cloud Bolero. A great pattern. Knit well by me! And I ran out of fucking yarn. Ran out of it! And no other place in NYC seems to carry Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk anymore. Fuck a doodle doo.

Serenity now. I went out to a work dinner and had a lovely Malbec and a filet mignon. I’m putting my Cloud Bolero away until I can find my yarn and eat worms. Meanwhile, I might make Le Slouch. Wendy B. rules! Knit and Tonic’s free patterns rule. Yarn tragedies make me sad!