Making the Hard Decisions

So I decided against the black yarn. The contrast between the black and the brick-y red-orange was just too great. Originally I had thought to use the rest of the olive Patons Classic Merino left over from the Aran Accent Vest. That project seriously over estimated yardage. I think I bought six balls and I had two and a half left over. But the thing about the olive is that I didn't want it the sweater to have a Christmas vibe, you know red and green. I swatched and decided to risk it. Luckily, the olive is a very changeable color - sometimes looking very green and sometimes very brown - and the contrast is not so high with the red. It's exactly what I wanted. The sweater makes me think of cottages in the woods, hikes in the fall, and snuggly sofas that are so old you nearly sink to the floor in them.

I'm hoping against hope that this works out the way I want. I don't have much good luck with things I "design" myself. I think it might break me if I had to frog it. The blue shirt yoke ran into a snag. Namely, that I put the sleeves on crooked and got to within one night's knitting of finishing before I discovered it. Frogged to the underarms. It's now sitting in time out until I can look at it again. I tried it on before frogging, and it was obvious that the yoke was going to be too deep, so it's probably all for the best. I may opt for the saddle shoulder treatment this time, since it will be more shapely and customizable.

P. S. - Holy WOW does my apartment smell FANTASTIC. I'm baking No Knead Bread again. It turns out that in spite of my fantastic results last time, I misread the recipe, so I hope it's equally good this time.

Project Spectrum

I decided to join in on Project Spectrum this time. I really liked the idea of basing the colors on the elements - so much freedom while still being contained.

I've been sort of wracking my brain trying to think up things to do for it. I mean, I love the colors for Fire, which is the first element, and in spite of recently purchasing a box full of yarn in fire colors (orange, yellow, pinky-red) I wasn't inspired. I couldn't think of one thing I wanted, really wanted to make with that yarn. And then there was the whole matter of the ATC swap, which I signed up for. I've never made an ATC before, and I really wasn't at all sure I was going to have the time for it, but I decided that you have time if you make time. So I'm making time.

This weekend I went to a local big box store for inspiration. I had some ideas of projects I wanted to do (both for PS and not) but I wanted to see what was available and what it was going to cost. And there was no inspiration there either. Not to mention it was an experience I am not anxious to repeat. The customers were rude (such as cutting in line) and the employees were clueless (inhibiting the customers' ability to purchase things, closing a cash register the second I got to the front of the line, and forcing the customers to move out of the employees' way not the other way around). And the store didn't have any of the things I was looking for, though I did stumble on a fire theme for my ATCs, but that was all me, not them. Oh, and down the clearance aisle I found four balls of Patons Classic Merino in a beautiful, firey red.
You can't go wrong with 100% wool at $2.00 a ball. It's not enough for a sweater, but paired with some black yarn left over from my Dollar and a Half Cardigan, it will be perfect. I'm thinking a seamless yoke EZ sweater with some sort of striped pattern on the yoke, maybe a bit of stranding. We'll see how it goes. This is the first sweater I've been truly excited about for a while now. And I love the rich red-orange color.

P.S. - "... a few italics really do relieve your feelings." -- Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery.

She's right, you know.

Learning

I really miss being outside in the winter time. I love to hike and camp and do all that outdoorsy stuff, and I've always wanted to learn how to cross country ski and snowshoe, but I've never met anyone who knew how and could teach me. Most people I know do not share my passion for the outdoors. It's funny, then, that I've made a friend who is not only a clarinet player, but also a beginning knitter and an outdoor freak. Today, she taught me how to cross country ski. Note the snow on my pants. Yes, friends, I ate my fair share of snow but I have to give the sport a big thumbs up. Provided there's snow, I'll be out again next weekend.

The thing about falling in skis is that it doesn't hurt to fall. It hurts to get up. I need to look up some strategies for getting up with skis on for the next time that doesn't involve me essentially standing on my ankle. My friend says that I did really good, and didn't fall nearly as much as she did her first time, but I say I fell quite enough, thank you very much. Now I feel the urge for hot chocolate coming on....

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ok, so it's an Anti-Valentine's Day party.

But my grandma gave me this pan recently, and I felt compelled to use it, and you know I don't need a giant heart-shaped cookie lying around my apartment. All of the usual suspects for pawning off baked goods have sworn off goodies for Lent. So, Anti-Valentine's party it is. The cookie recipe is off the wrapper for the pan. No word on how good it is yet, though it looks just fine. The wrapper also had lots of ideas for other uses besides heart-shaped cookies. Heart-shaped pizza anyone? The frosting recipe is from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. If you don't have this book, GET IT NOW. No joke. The pictures are beautiful, and the cupcakes are to die for. No need to tell anyone that they're vegan. Or that they have whole wheat flour in them. I made the Cookies and Cream cupcakes last weekend (no pics because it was too dark when I finished) and they were fabulous. The frosting recipes are hands down the best I've ever tasted. This chocolate one is so thick and richly chocolately that I, never a particular chocolate lover, am in danger of inhaling the leftovers. It would have been lighter had I used my hand mixer, but I didn't fancy cleaning up a coating of chocolate and powdered sugar off my kitchen. Again. So the consistency is very fugde-like. Whether you are celebrating Valentine's or Anti-Valentine's, I suggest you add a heart-shaped cookie with chocolate frosting to your day.

Oh Happy Day

Today is my first blogiversary. I'm sorry to say that I don't have any fun contests or give-aways... My IFO Meter has gone down some, but more from resignation than any reduction in stress level, so I haven't really had the time/brain power to think any of these things up. I just want to say thank you to all who have read my blog and who have commented on my projects. I love sharing them with the world.

And, as you can see, I've managed to keep one of my resolutions. Pink toes are a bit incongruous with my character, as a friend recently pointed out, but I love them all the more for it. Hot pink toes and crazy colored underwear are my joke on the world.

Happy Valentine's Day!

IFO Meter

I read an article last week on auditioning that mentioned a concept I particularly liked. The author suggested that when practicing a particularly difficult passage that we constantly check our IFO meter, or Internal Freak Out Meter. The idea is, if you go slow enough and practice without ever making a mistake with your IFO meter at 1 (meaning the lowest setting) and as you increase the tempo making sure to keep your IFO meter at 1, then you can never play the passage wrong and you will always be calm and relaxed. I thought that this concept of an Internal Freak Out Meter was great. I think we should be checking our IFO meters daily. Hourly, when you week is going like mine is. In case you're wondering, my IFO meter is at about a 7. I'm trying hard to work that down.

Anyway, this made my day yesterday:

I'm apparently a bit late to the no knead bread party, but seriously, if you haven't gotten an invitation yet, allow me to personally invite you. It is a testament to the idiot-proof-ness of this recipe that I managed it make it with my IFO meter at 7. The only thing is, make sure the yeast is instant (sometimes called "fast-rise" or "rapid-rise" or "bread machine." The ingredients on the yeast will list things other than just yeast, so make sure you check.)

Also, I finished some presents. A hat for my brother's girlfriend:

Pattern: Hat from Paton's Cables booklet

Yarn: Paton's Classic Merino in Olive left over from Aran Accent

Needles: US 7 and US 8 circ

And a hat for my brother, as promised. The outside:

And the inside:
Pattern: My own based on EZ's Very Warm Hat

Yarn: Unknown Hemp/Wool blend from a hippie store in Santa Fe

Needles: US 6 and US 8 circ

The stranded side is slightly tighter than the outside, even though I knit that portion in US 8. This means it fits nicely with the pretty part on the inside, and a little weird with it on the outside. I hope my brother finds it acceptable.

So, I need to try and lower my IFO meter. I'm at the point where I'm freaking out so much that the fact that my apartment needs cleaning is a real obstacle to my productiveness. I think I will clean something now.

Happiness is...

... a spring bloom on what I fear is for many of us a very wintry day.