Still... sick...

But made it to work today. I Finished Bark from Rowan 38 while sitting on the couch Saturday and Sunday between naps and wore it today as a sort of comfort blankie. I highly recommend the pattern, especially since the required yarn (Rowan Chunky Print and Big Wool Tuft) are SUPER ON SALE at Jimmy Beans Wool and WEBS. Oh, and you only need ONE skein of Chunky Print in each of the four colors, so that makes it even cheaper!

Can you do a double crochet? You can make this project! See Flikr for more photos.


I have to go to bed now. Thanks for all the well wishes. Nicole, I did have a double Rusty Nail last night, hey, maybe that's why I was able to drag myself into work today...

Sick Blackout!

Sick, sick, it's all over the office, and I got a bad case of it this week. So much sick I can't knit much more than round and round, can't read, couldn't even drag myself out of bed by noon to watch Maury, which is sort of my touchstone for moderate wellness or sanity. Making that pot of coffee and sitting through Maury proves that I can DO IT! Reach some sort of GOAL! IS HE THE BABY DADDY???? I must find out!

I failed at this both Wednesday and Thursday. Today I somehow managed to get dressed and went to work, blugh. Anyway, I finished these socks during Sick Blackout. Blurry tungsten-lit photo emblematic of queasy feelings:

Here's some of the knitting I've done... more swatching than knitting. I love these Habu experiments. There will be at least one pattern coming.

Meanwhile, Joan got her package! I need to do things like this more often. I'm beginning to consider a more sophisticated blog, through which I can easily have free PDF patterns for download as well as patterns for sale.

For now, though... Blugh.

We're all Winners.

Since so many of you asked, the buttons on Anise are made from Tagua Nut. You can read about and purchase this eco-friendly product here. However, none seem as cool as mine. Contact Yarns in the Farms if you need a fix!

The stitch pattern on the top portion is double moss stitch. And it's all done! And perfect! The only modification I made was to add about 3 inches of length to each sleeve, since my arms are long in proportion to my bust size.

In other news, the WINNER of my anniversary contest is... Joan! You can find her blog here. A box of yarn, including Socks that Rock, will be headed your way this week. Thanks so much to all of you for your comments. What encouragement to keep blogging!


In progress at the moment: Operation Finish Green Objects. One lace scarf, one pair of socks, one book, which I actually finished the other day and HIGHLY recommend. Tomorrow, which, as President's Day, is a paid holiday in states like Massachusetts (that honor every possible Federal Holiday), will be devoted to watching the Project Runway marathon and working on my entry for Teeny Project Runway. Carry On!

But enough about me, let's talk about my knitting.

First, the small and intense:


Seriously, that was a lot of fun to make. You can see a bit of the back of the thumb, which I striped rather than work in pattern, just because.

Now, the large and mindless:


These sleeves of my Anise are also done, they just need to be attached. Then I knit the collar, and, PRESTO!, new warm sweater for the Boston Winter that Will Not Give It Up Already. By the way, the buttons are just for show; this is actually a pullover, not a cardigan. I thought about making mine a cardigan, but I envisioned how the front would drape when open, that is, poorly, like a ripped-open box top, and realized I would always wear it closed anyway. I purchased the buttons, which are made of nut, at Yarns in the Farms just a few hours ago; Jill and Tyler, two of the knitters who work there, suggested the color, which is a bit more pink than in this photo. I never would have thought of this, but I love it.

On that note, I also love the feedback I get on my blog. So, in honor of the fact that I've had the blog for about 1 year and two weeks now, I'm having a contest of sorts. Please comment on this post, and I will randomly choose a name from among those who commented and send this:

AMONG OTHER THINGS from the Yarn Room that I did not have a chance to photograph today. Indeed, I will send a package of desirable yarn to a random commenter in celebration. To encourage the comments, because when you comment I go read your blog, because we must have some similar tastes and interests. And so the virtual version of that yarn store input I got today continues.

Knitting Deadline Met! No Photos Available!

This weekend I finished something about which I am so proud but which I must keep secret for a while. SO, I'm going to take choochoo knits up on her tag and post 7 RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME. As anyone who has spent any time with me knows, I have a life filled with random choices and, well, instability of all kinds, so here goes!

1. I am a very thin person naturally, and used to cover it up in baggy goth clothing. When I was 18 and a freshman in college, I started weight training. With the help of my Dud and an ex-marine friend I had in college, as well as this website, I've put on a lot of muscle. I use free weights and can do pushups like a guy.


2. Though I love a good dark beer, my favorite drink is a Rusty Nail -- that's half scotch and half Drambuie. For those of you who have not had one, oh, you're missing out. Nicole, you know. Oh yeah. Chris disagrees and finds them the most vile of libations. When I pour one for myself and bring it to bed, he wakes up due to the smell and is not pleased.

3. When I was younger I was terrified of garbage trucks and the car wash. There were tears and screams of terror involved. I was also afraid of being constipated. No lie.

4. I went to Harvard for six years of graduate school and earned two Master's degrees. The first is in Scripture and Interpretation. The second is in Assyriology. I decided not to finish my PhD in Assyriology and now work as an administrator. If you Google "Ann Weaver Assyriology" you'll find that I spoke in London at a large conference a few years ago. 4a. I have not only published knitting patterns (online), I have also published an article on a cuneiform text called the "Sin of Sargon" in a volume published after this conference.

5. Though I am an academic in many senses, my tastes are not in any way limited by this. I purchased a copy of Ulysses when I was dating another academic who made me feel stupid for not having read it, flipped through it, and decided it was just too much work. I will never read Ulysses. Yeah, I like to read, and I don't read those books off the pink "chick lit" table, but come on. You can't live on art films and Joyce alone. I need some George Romero and Rock of Love II as well.

6. I am very friendly, but am probably one of the most introverted people out there. I don't like social situations that involve more than 4 or 5 people that I know well. When anyone meets me they would never guess this.

7. Chris and I have two white cats, Henry Chinaski and Max, but we're really dog people who can't wait to get a fenced in yard so we can have a puppy. We've decided on a Boston Terrier. When we adopted the cats from the Animal Rescue League, we made sure they both got along with dogs because we've always (together and separately before we met) wanted one. Here they are: Max is content to just sit by my running shoes, and Chinaski just CANNOT HOLD STILL.


So that's that. I hope you've enjoyed. I'm going to tag a few people tomorrow and I PROMISE I'll have some knitting soon.

Whoa, hey, just realized the blog hit its one year anniversary on January 24. Next post will include a contest and the prize will be something from my Yarn Room. Yes, Yarn Room. Yes, it is full and has started to seep into other rooms.