teamkaty

Everyone's got something to hide

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  Originally uploaded by teamkaty

...except for me and my Monkeys.

And my Mini-Monkeys.

Which are for these monkey feet.

Which belong to this little monkey.

Who we cannot wait to meet.

Deets: 21 weeks.  BOY.  Valentine's Day! Yep, IVF#3.  Cornell, bless their pointy little heads. Yes, I feel totally fine.  No, not even once.  Just told work last week.  Yes, we have some names, but Alex wants to keep them secret.  Yes, these are the first things I've knitted for him.  Yes, yes, yes, I am so very happy.

Oh, the yarn!  That's Hello Yarn Tough Sock in Swiftly.  Isn't it great?  Every time I came to the baby blue I'd think, "Adrian is a genius!"  Used 0s on the big socks and 1.5s for the little 'uns.

I made a hat, too.

I know, it's a little small.  Wishful thinking on the part of my parts, no doubt (plus cutting too short a piece of waste yarn for casting on in the subway).  He's getting a big thick monkey noggin from both sides.  I'll probably re-do it.

Faith, restored

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  Originally uploaded by teamkaty

I've had some bad luck with secret swaps in the past.  Been stiffed multiple times.  So when I heard Sockapalooza 4 was gearing up, I was hesitant.  But Sandra made it sound like so much fun that I decided to give it one more go.  After all, I'd never done a swap with knitters before.

My secret pal stepped up with an email right away, which seemed like a good sign.  She said she read my blog, which was also nice (if improbable).  And she checked back in with me from time to time just to whet my appetite--something I wish I'd been better about with my own pal.

And then look what came in the mail!

Squeee!  Is that a fabulous package, or what?  First and foremost, the socks are lovely.  Beautiful color, beautiful pattern, the works.  And hey, the yarn is Brooklyn Handspun--same as I'm using for my pal, quelle coincidence!  This is Marie's Signature superwash, in "Breezy."  It's an Evelyn Clark pattern called Raindrops--you can see more information on my pal's Ravelry page.  And they fit perfectly--better than any pair I've made for myself, in fact!

Oh, but my sneaky pal didn't stop there.  She included the rest of the yarn, which is very clever--and in this case, there's a TON of it, practically enough to make another pair.  There's a cute little cake keychain (did she know it was my birthday last week??? Or that I've been craving cake lately?) and some  cool fishy notecards; a nice touch of the Northwest from this Oregonian blogger.  There's a lovely blue damask project bag--hey, who told her I've been using ratty ziplocks?? Plus a couple of sachets of Soak, always welcome, and a yummy massage bar. (Which Minny already had a chomp at.  Who knew ylang-ylang was a natural enemy of the cat?) And most wondrous, would you look at what those socks are on?  Yes!  Blockers!  Which no store in NYC stocks, and which I've never been able to bring myself to buy online!

Who's behind all this bounty?  It's Lori, of Yarnbeans!  She's an amazing knitter, knows all about wine (I want recommendations for Oregon Pinot Noir!), and OH MY GOD, people, check out her sock yarn stash.  It'll leave you speechless...um, and maybe plotting a break-in.  Thank you, thank you, Lori!  You've revived my faith in gift-givers everywhere.  Now, I'm just going to pop my own giftee's socks on these blockers, and get them out first thing tomorrow, I swear.

Adventures in cardboard

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Originally uploaded by teamkaty.

My company brought back their big crazy Halloween party this year. It's held on our floor, and compliance and holiday cheer are mandatory. Each department decorates their area; my co-workers decided on an "UnDeadwood" theme. I'm not equipped to be an HBO-style harlot, so I dressed as Alma and turned my office into her bank. Amazing what you can do with boxes, a sharpie, and paper clips!

The "blood" on my desk was made with water, food coloring, and a dash each of milk (for opacity) and coffee (to darken the red). It was deemed "most convincing" by my resident blood expert.

I'm a snowflake, dammit.

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Originally uploaded by teamkaty.
After all the gauge issues with the Koigu* I took myself over to Brooklyn General (now in their fab old/new, bigger and brighter space--check it out!) to see what they had in the way of fingering weight.  There wasn't much to choose from--they are definitely a sweater-making, worsted-DK kind of place--but I found some Froelich that looked promising.  It was about the right weight, it was wool (wolle, actually), it was a pretty blue, and it was fairly cheap.  OK.

Above you see the result.  It's...acceptable.  I don't know why the pattern isn't popping, but at this point I suspect it's my knitting, not the yarn.  I've finished this one and put the project aside for a while in favor of some mindless speed knitting; maybe I'll pick it up again this weekend.  This one has "gift" written all over it, because if I keep them every time I wear them I'll think, "dammit, why doesn't that look like the picture?"

*Here's a question: why is it that the more off I am, the longer it takes me to give up?  I mean, the Koigu was clearly inappropriate from the cuff--or one repeat of the pattern, at the very most  But I knit about 5 inches of it--probably closer to 8 if you count the experiments with various needle sizes.  Why?  Why do I persist in thinking, "I paid $26  for this yarn, I'll just make it fit"?

Camp Lizmajig

REPORT OF ACTIVITIES, CRAFT DAY 2005:

4:00 Lizmajiggers convene at the Main Lodge. Consume iced beverages, compare designs.  Motifs from the natural world are popular, as are those from the world of pastry--Camper Erin "Cherry" M. draws delectable cakes and pies, while Counselor Liz "Be Prepared" H. eventually decides to forego some rather frustrating birds in favor of an image suitable for her Christmas cards.  Camper Katy "Turkey Feather" H. comes prepared with a text that is probably too detailed for a beginner project, but Counselor Liz decides that it is best to let the camper figure that out on her own, building character in the process.

4:15 Campers move to the Crafts Hut and prepare surfaces with newspaper.  Blocks are distributed and their cool, rubbery texture and smell are much admired (like a Pink Pearl, but squishier...ah, who needs madeleines?).  Designs are applied to the blocks in pencil.

4: 30 "Speedball" lino cutters are distributed, with appropriate stern warnings about not stabbing fellow campers or one's self with sharp objects.  The merits of #1 and #2 blades are debated (we are all #2 fans).  Cutting commences; the blocks yield to our artistry like buttah.

4:45 Camper Erin and Counselor Liz have their blocks ready; Erin has even crafted a second design in an alternative media (styrofoam meat tray).  Camper Katy is still cutting, having had some difficulty in applying her text in reverse to the block. 

4:50 A healthy snack of blue corn chips and salsa is served.

5:00 Counselor Liz gives a demonstration of brayer technique.  Camper Erin attempts her first print, a festive birthday cake in hot pink.  Success!  Mass production commences.

5:05 Camper Katy tests her block, then rinses it off to fine-tune the lettering.  Camper Erin and Counselor Liz begin their second run of prints.  Camper Erin drops an orange brayer on the floor.  Fear not!  'Tis water-soluble.

5:10 Camper Katy begins making her prints.  They come out pretty cool.

5:30 Clean-up.  Again, water-solubility is key.  As is lots of floor space for drying prints.

7:00 Dinner is served: whole-wheat pasta with tomatoes, onions, garlic and basil; salad.  Campers Michael "I just ate 5 lbs of Kobe beef" P. and Andie "Book Report" N. join the other campers in the Camp Lizmajig dining hall. 

7:45 Campers don their party clothes and get on the bus (um, 3 train) to attend a mixer at Camp "Free Tequila" Dennis in rural Crown Heights. 

12:30 Mixer ends with a candlelight service and exchanges of friendship pins. BEST FRIENDS 4-EVAH!!!  See you next summer!