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Be careful! It's a time sink...
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Cuteness and "The Bizarre and Brilliant World of Knitted Science"

Science From Discover Magazine:

Emily Stoneking had been knitting conventional, cute frogs as toys for some time when she got the idea to slice one open.  Want details? Want more?

Cuteness from our own little boy:

Moosey is staying with mom at grandma's (the Asian one).  Lady, the grand-aunt beagle, is getting used to this furry  ball of energy. 

More you ask?  OMG!  Are you kidding?

What should I knit next?

Woo HOOO!!!  I finished sewing in the ends of Sandy's sweater on Wednesday, and gave it to her on the same day.  Hopefully I'll have a picture of Sandy wearing the sweater to show and tell!

Here is the finished sweater (sans Sandy).

Seems like I'm on a roll with cabled sweaters. But you know what I want to knit next?  (Well, other than the hat I started this morning.  It's getting cold and I need a new hat.)  I am itching to make a top-down, seamless, boring old in-the-round sweater for me, in some kind of brown yarn. NO patterning, NO bright colors, NO sewing of sleeves!!  Just plain stockinette around and around and around.  I so need a break from having to think!!!

I'm thinking of making Ingenue or Pink from Wendy Bernard's Custom Knits.  Hum.. in brown?  Hum....

Fiscal Year End

My company's fiscal year ends on Oct 31st and this is always the busiest time of year for us.  For the past 2 weeks I've been hit with one issue after another.  And of course all has to be resolved YESTERDAY and all are CRITICAL!!!  Meanwhile my manager is also asking how my "regular" projects are going.  Fun.


But last weekend I did have dinner with my brother, his wife, and his very cute baby boy.  My mom and step-dad (that sounds weird.... we usually just call him Hans) were also with us.  I finished adding buttons on to Mikey's jacket and here he proudly shows it off:

Work brain! Work!

Have you ever had moments/hours/days where your brain refuses to work?  I just farted around the web for an hour while work email piles up.  But my brain says "ah...feeling lazy...don't want to be think."  Sigh... I'd be very happy if I knitted instead of whatever I do "brain farting".  I don't watch TV so maybe the web is my distraction of choice.  I applaud those people who read as a distraction.  At least that's somewhat useful!

http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/15-brain-stop-paying-attention-zoning-out-crucial-mental-state

Back from Sydney!

We are back from Sydney and boy did I get some knitting done.  Sweater sleeves all done and I started a sock on the trip as well.

Moose and sweater

Sock so far!

And just to prove we actually were in Sydney...

Koala Babies:

Opera House:

Darling Harbor:

Some more pictures (including ones of kangaroos and crocodiles):

http://picasaweb.google.com/chen.irene/AustraliaOct2009

Sleeve fish?

One down, one to go!  Does a set-in sleeve remind anyone of fish?

Sleeve Front

Sleeve Back

Chicken

Free association time:

1. Knit chicken

2. Cooked chicken

3. Chinese chicken!

4. See the squid? Knit the squid? Nice squid!

Making things

For 10 minutes yesterday I was torn between doing chores and sitting down to knit. Last week the chores won, but this week I decided to knit.

And here is the result! I got the body of Sandy's sweater done! All that is left are the sleeves and neck. Woo Hoo!!

This is the front of the sweater (see the neck opening?). The back looks very similar except without the neck opening.

It was so hot yesterday, Moose and I didn't go for a long walk. By about 4 or 5 pm, he became restless and didn't know what to do with himself! So he started wondering the house and picking out random laundry from the hamper. No damage to the house but it was funny to see him like that!

Queen of wasting time

Am I not the queen of wasting time? This is from the "Entertainment Web" (which I've never heard of before this!)

I give these guys credit for their sense of humor! My favorite 2 + 1 I'm sure is funny to 90% of the American world except I like the other ones better...

Oh Neat!

Totally not related to anything, but I thought this was a neat link to share

How Different Groups Spend Their Day

The American Time Use Survey asks thousands of American residents to recall every minute of a day. Here is how people over age 15 spent their time in 2008.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/07/31/business/20080801-metrics-graphic.html

Knitting and Moose

How boring is this blog title! At 7 in the morning I couldn't think of anything better.

I finished another travel-project dish cloth. This time I crocheted it just for practice. It was fun and was fairly quick to make. But I can tell you I missed my needles the whole time I was crocheting!

I also made good progress on Sandy's sweater; there are 3 inches left until I bind off the back piece. Each row is taking less time now that I am working on it regularly and I have the pattern somewhat memorized.

Last week I brought it to lunch and Sandy liked the pattern so far. I was worried that it wouldn't fit but when we eyeballed the size against her body, it seems like it'll work after all!

Lastly, a picture of Moosey. He's 9 Lbs now!

I want some

KnitPicks is sponsoring a Zephyr Knitting Needle Set Giveaway. This company makes me weak in the knees, and they also have new products all the time. Whenever I need retail therapy (it is rare, but does happen and happen in bouts), KnitPicks will be one of my therapists of choice. Man, I want some new needles, yarn, time.... how about a winning lottery ticket?

By the way, I'm not the only one. There is a "Step away from KnitPicks" thread that is VERY active on Ravelry. The poster's first sentence starts with: "Man I need a “stop ordering” support group." AMEN!

try harder!

I started thinking yesterday that I have to try and find the time to finish Sandy's sweater. Previously I was able to knit a few hours on Sundays after all the chores are done. But weekends are getting busier and busier, with the occasional work "issues" popping up.

So I'm thinking maybe I'll try knitting 30 minutes (or at least 1 row) every day. Now I just have to find the 30 minutes when I will actually DO it! Why do I have this feeling that I'm treating this like other people think about working out? I mean, I LOVE knitting. This seems so wrong!

Maybe it is because I'm now so used to spending all my time with work or Moose that knitting has fallen out of habit. I guess the effort part is to break my own habit. And lord knows I'm a habit-loving girl!

We'll see.... Sometimes goals and reality don't always agree.

Caught

Moose's favorite chew things come from our laundry hamper. It's very cute but sometimes unsightly what he finds appealing.

And here is a picture of how far I got on Sandy's sweater. Of course, I have not touched the darn thing at all since the company shut-down ended.... =( Would I really have to wait until Moose is over the puppy stage before I can knit again? Waaahhh!!!

The paternal instinct

Wanna see Tim's paternal side? Grin...

2 needles and yarn?

Before said Moose, I heard there was a hobby called "knitting" which involved 2 needles and very beautiful yarn. Hum.... Maybe if I got hypnotized, I think I can recall having such an experience a long long time back....

Dream sequence (imagine harp playing in background): I am on vacation with a well-behaved Moose by my side, some KnitPicks circs* and their new tweed yarn in my hands. Lots of "nothing time" to knit and purl and knit and purl. Now I am transported to a knitting cruise out in some tropical place, I learn from the masters. I end the boat ride at Webs where I am given a HUGE gift certificate and 3 days to shop my brains out. Sigh....dreamy....

Anyway, our week-long company summer shutdown is starting at 5PM this evening. And I WILL FINISH Sandy's sweater if it kills me. I will knit until my hands bleed (or until Moose bites me) but I am KNITTING!!!! ARG!!!! Any addict who's gone through withdrawal can sympathize with me. This itch needs to be scratched NOW!

* circs, by the way, is short for circular knitting needles. My weapon of choice.

He'll cute you to death

A baby's best defense is its cuteness. It works so well...

Moose cozying up to Jen my sister in law.

His legs were twitching from dreaming.

Then he flipped over.

Butt fat

Moose has butt fat! It's the cutest thing! It reminds me of those over-fed ducks you see at parks. They have so much excess weight that it hangs off their butts like a strapped on fanny pack!

I weighed the little guy this morning and he's at a whopping 6.4 lbs! Up 1.2 lbs from last week. Holy moly! How can something (that is not a weed) grow so fast?!

You thought this was a knitting blog!

Well, I've done NO knitting for the past week.  In fact, I feel like I've done nothing except walk and feed and clean up after Moose.  In between the Moose-every-2-hour schedule, I try to squeeze in some work and sleep and making of dinner.   Thankfully Tim helps with the clean up when the little guy makes a mess (so far only a few accidents).  And Tim plays with Moosey which gives me some time to clean up after dinner.  

Whew!  It's a full time job taking care of him for the two of us!

So no knitting, and no gym.  But the little guy is growing and learning!  In the past 5 days, he has gained 0.4 lbs and learned to "come" and is *almost* potty trained!  Whoo hoo!!  I can't wait for the day when he will tell me he needs to go, instead of me taking him out just in case.

Here is Moosey on his favorite toy: Our socks.

Moosey Poo

Puppies have a way of changing people.   The men become the biggest softies and the women's maternal instincts take over.   

With us, we feel like "real" parents for the first time.  We now understand a parent's feeling that they will do (and sometimes are doing) anything for their children -- sacrifice time and comfort, work longer hours just to bring in more money, etc etc etc.  

Specifically, I find myself giving up my sacred workouts and precious knitting time just so I can take care of Moose.   And Tim changes into dad-zilla every time Moosey gets frightened or gets into a bit if trouble.   Funny how people are wired.

Pictures?  Oh you betcha.  Like crazed parents with a new-born and trigger-happy camera fingers!   (but I'll spare you.  Here are just a few.)

New puppie

See the new addition to our family!  We just got him from the Oakland's HopAlong animal rescue today.  He is 8 weeks old, weighs 4.8 lbs, and we named him Moose!

Indian Yarn

My manager ("boss" sounds so cruel, doesn't it?) went back to India and asked if there is anything I wanted from that part of the world.  And of course I said yarn.   I had no idea Indians don't buy yarn (or knit I guess?) while it is 98 degrees outside.  Huh!  I wonder why? I would.

So he had a hard time finding a shop that have any yarn in stock, and when he did find said store, the owners laughed at him for wanting to buy it!  (He said his own mother laughed when he told her what I asked for.)  

Man, he is a GOOD manager.  The man preserves through humiliation and heat and sickness in search for his goal.  I admire his grit and I'm lucky he is my "boss."

So you wonder, what does Indian yarn in the middle of summer look like?  I present:

Neat, huh?

Some day

Some day, I too shall be retired.  And when that day comes, there will be no more MILLION things going wrong  at work that needs my attention NOW!  And when that day comes, I won't feel like there are a million things I'd RATHER do than work. 

I mean, what's so bad about getting old?

Mikey with Miittens

Ah hoy!  I'm posting pictures of puppies and babies.    Next thing you know politicians will be shaking my hand!

Here is me, my dad, and my nephew Mikey (wearing the Miitens I made for him). 

(can you tell grandpa is very proud?)

(by the way)

Tim and I are looking to adopt a puppy.  We're looking for a small dog (hopefully still a puppy) that is one of the hypo-allergenic breads (http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/allergy.htm).

If you know of anyone who knows of anyone who can help us find a puppy, please let me know!

Killing me

I honestly think work is trying to kill me.  For the past 2 days I left the house to 1) get the mail, 2) take out the trash.  And my most proud accomplishment today is the shower I took.  Yeah!

BUT!  I did start Sandy's sweater!  I converted the knit-flat pattern into knit-in-the-round.  Man, I see why designers say it's a lot of work!  Just converting a pattern is time consuming!  Not only must the structure and pattern stay the same, the stitch count has to equal out at the end.  

So WHY are so many patterns written in the flat?!?!  I don't know anyone who PREFER to knit flat then seam. Are pattern the way they are because designers are used to writting in the flat?  Maybe it's easier?  But...if the audience wants ROUND, why then give them FLAT?

Anyway, here is Sandy's sweater so far (this is the bottom):

Here is what it will grow up to be:

Slowly changing babies

I think my work is getting to me.  I was trying to think of a way to summarize what my brother said about Mikey's growth.  And all I can compare it to is the Data Warehouse concept of Slowly Changing Dimensions.  Sigh.... I'm such a looser.

Anyway, I finished the Miitens for little Mikey, and I wanted to give them to my bro, like, NOW, because I was worried that Mikey will outgrow them in a few weeks.  But Eli said "he's growing slow" and I can just give it to them in a few weeks when we get together with my mom.   

What the?!?!  I thought babies grow like weeds?!  Appearantly some are slowly changing.

Anyway, I wrapped up the Miitens but hopefully when Mikey gets them, Eli will take a picture and send it to me for show and tell. =)

A baby jacket

I took a class ("Simplified Set In Sleeve") with Joan Schrouder at Stitches West 2009. This baby jacket was part of the class assignment. I was confused during the class, but after the event I restarted the project all over at home. After a month of on-and-off knitting, I finished this little thing.


Joan is a WONDERFUL teacher, and I will take any class she teaches in the future!

Next up are some "Mii"ttens. Guess who I'm knitting for?

May I present

Mr Husband in DA sweater:

Ain't he the hottie? ;-)

-- March 14, 2009

I’m DONE!! I’m DONE! I'm DONE with Timmy's sweater!  I’m still in a state of disbelieve! After about 7 months of working on this thing, I’m finally done!! And the final result actually looks like the picture! Whoo Hoo!!!

Pictures will come as soon Mr. Hubby wears the thing outside. 

-- March 16, 2009

And also a "my-oh-my", I can't believe someone has the time and patience to do this.  Look carefully now!  It's not the real thing!

http://www.geekologie.com/2007/07/girl_knit_herself_a_ferrari.php

Almost....

-- Update -- Woo hoo hoo!! Almost done! I spent literally all day yesterday putting the pieces together (instead of doing my taxes). It took about 8 hours to set and sew the sleeves in, sew the side seams, and weave in the ends on the inside of the sweater.  

Now I have to weave the ends on the OUTSIDE of the sweater then knit up the neck part. Hopefully I will find time to do all that during the week. It would suck to have to spend another weekend on this sweater.  

Now that it looks like a sweater, I'm beginning to feel some pride in the thingy. I'm also having hot and heavy dreams of my NEXT project (which will be for ME!!!).