seymore monkey knits

storm preparedness

2011-09-04T07:30:00.000-05:00

It's just a little tropical storm. And I have all my supplies: yarn, needles, six simultaneous projects, and my new knitting chair. No batteries, candles, bottled water or canned goods, though. Only one tragedy has befallen us so far (and by "us" I mean me since Steve is happily watching the weather channel and ESPN). I find I am about 20 yards short of two of three colors of yarn required to finish the last sleeve of the destash special. Fortunately, the internet is still working so I was able to place an emergency order with Artfibers for Toto.

And fear not - we have plenty of wine.

holy mackerel

2011-06-18T10:12:00.001-05:00

Not only did we catch Spanish mackerel yesterday, but I also have a few finished projects.

The socks are Helix knit in Koigu that Pam picked out a long long time ago. I finally got them done after a long hiatus. I am really pleased even though I am almost sure they will be too big for her. I like the toe-up-two-at-a-time technique. But I would be kidding myself to think that knitting socks is a fast project compared to, say, knitting a sweater. There are a shit-ton of little tiny stitches on little tiny needles in each sock.

The baby blanket is for the latest niece. It is knit in Toto from Artfibers. According to their website (today) Toto is supposed to be a "chunky" weight yarn that can be knit at 15 stitches = 4 inches on size 9 needles. What I received was a barely worsted weight yarn that I had to knit up with size 7 needles just to get a decent heft fabric. So much for a fast knit baby project.

The pattern was from Purl for a chunky weight cotton yarn. The border is sewn on. There has got to be a better way to do this but I tried and could not pickup just one stitch while knitting the border to attach it at the same time. A better knitter than me has probably got that all worked out. Anyway, all of that border sewing and fussing around with how many peaks to make for each side of the border was a pain in the ass.

The finished blanket is adorable though so I suppose it was worth it.

yes I have a lot of catching up to do

2011-03-08T17:26:00.001-06:00

But I decided to just skip it and start posting.

There has been tons of knitting going on and my Ravelry project page is fairly up to date with a few exceptions like a baby blanket I finished from my queue but don't have a baby to give it to. Yet.

Instead of rehashing right now, I want to post about my very first Wollmeise purchase. I can't believe I got sucked into the madness. I think my curiosity and inner competitor got the best of me. I bought two Kunterbunt We're Different packages of two semisolid skeins in the 100% merino superwash.

I don't know what the colors are called but I really like them. 575 yards per skein means I can make a pair of large socks with a single. Nice.

I like the green color the best:

I think I will try to trade maroon:

The bags they came in with German translations of English knitting terms are a nice touch:

The other night I couldn't sleep and found myself awake at the computer at 2 am. I conveniently remembered that was exactly the time when the Wollmeise shop gets updated (7 hour time difference and the shop updates happen at 8 AM Berlin time). I think I have four more skeins coming but I may have dreamed it....

Birdwatching has also been happening. I put up new feeders in New Orleans and Alabama and I hope to have some good feeder pictures soon. In the mean time here is a shot of a Great Horned Owl in a nest with two babies.

The shot is pretty bad because, as usual, I did not have my long lens with me. I am going to go back next weekend to reshoot, if the babies are still there. There is actually another nest near by with two more owlets. They looked a little smaller so maybe I can geta shot at them. Here are some lovely Cedar Waxwings on a grey day:

birds on the patio

2010-10-19T16:24:00.001-05:00

I know it's fall but we seem to have a pair of Carolina wrens nesting in our umbrella. We also have a lone humming birds enjoying the feeder still.

1. Birds on the patio, 2. Birds on the patio, 3. Birds on the patio, 4. Birds on the patio, 5. Birds on the Patio, 6. Birds on the patio, 7. Birds on the patio, 8. Birds on the Patio, 9. Birds on the Patio, 10. Birds on the Patio, 11. Birds on the Patio, 12. Birds on the patio

I love my camera (Nikon D90).

oh snap!

2010-10-11T20:27:00.000-05:00

We went fishing on Saturday and caught our limit of snapper. We went out on the Misty:

Captain Gary practically guaranteed that I would catch snapper. He didn't lie. Once we had our fill of snapper he got us some trigger fish. Here's our final haul:

Meanwhile, there has been actual knitting going on. I am 75% done with my February Lady Sweater knit with my first purchase form Sundara. The pattern calls for Sundara worsted merino and, by golly, it went on sale (because they are no longer making this version of it).

This pattern has languished in my queue for too long so I was more than happy for the excuse to buy some Sundara yarn and see what it is all about. I am pleased with the quality. It's soft and only a tiny bit splitty. There are no unexpected knots in the middle of it (so far) and the color is richly variegated. My knitting, however, is a mess but I have decided to adapt and continue on. So what if I had about 20 extra stitches on the needles when I started the lace part! I will just increase less! Also I am now an expert at tinking back down a stitch to pick up a missed yarn over.

Next blog post I will expose my hoarding for all the world to see.

five years ago

2010-08-27T17:27:00.000-05:00

This turned out to be a spot on accurate prediction:

000
WWUS74 KLIX 281550
NPWLIX

URGENT — WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
1011 AM CDT SUN AUG 28, 2005

...DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED...

.HURRICANE KATRINA...A MOST POWERFUL HURRICANE WITH UNPRECEDENTED
STRENGTH...RIVALING THE INTENSITY OF HURRICANE CAMILLE OF 1969.

MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS...PERHAPS LONGER. AT
LEAST ONE HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL
FAILURE. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL...LEAVING THOSE HOMES SEVERELY
DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.

THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL.
PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FAILURE IS EXPECTED. ALL WOOD
FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED. CONCRETE
BLOCK LOW RISE APARTMENTS WILL SUSTAIN MAJOR DAMAGE...INCLUDING SOME
WALL AND ROOF FAILURE.

HIGH RISE OFFICE AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY...A
FEW TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE. ALL WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT.

AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD...AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH
AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES. SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES
AND LIGHT TRUCKS WILL BE MOVED. THE BLOWN DEBRIS WILL CREATE
ADDITIONAL DESTRUCTION. PERSONS...PETS...AND LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE
WINDS WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH IF STRUCK.

POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS...AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN
AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING
INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.

THE VAST MAJORITY OF NATIVE TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY
THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING...BUT BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED. FEW
CROPS WILL REMAIN. LIVESTOCK LEFT EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL BE
KILLED.

AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR
HURRICANE FORCE...OR FREQUENT GUSTS AT OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE...ARE
CERTAIN WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS.

ONCE TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ONSET...DO NOT VENTURE
OUTSIDE!

stupid pool

2010-08-24T20:14:00.000-05:00

Construction is going very slow. It makes one question the wisdom of installing a pool during the summer. Actually it makes one wonder why this wasn't done about a month ago. When it was supposed to be done.

The outdoor kitchen has plumbing but that's about it.

The tiles that edge the pool are gorgeous. Chad (WAS Design) pretty much picked them out. He's the man with the vision.

Here's the last sleeve of my Derby shrug sitting on top of the tiles. They are more blue than in this picture. The glaze has a lot of variation and a touch of gold and brown.

I finished something

2010-08-22T08:44:00.002-05:00

This should have been quicker and easier. But my knitting mojo is all over the place lately. Still needs buttons. I started this because I am on a quest to use up stash and I have a load of this Vanna's choice left over from making the Cartman pillow. I didn't really enjoy it then and no amount of thrifty destashing is going to make me enjoy working with this yarn this time. I believe this very cute pattern deserved much better quality yarn. ("Willie", by the way)

No amount of blocking is going to cure the tension problems I had when changing color but I think that using something more elastic like wool or wool blend would have been more forgiving.

I tried to weave as I went. I wrapped my colors as described in my Vogue Knitting reference. Yet is still came out lumpy and holey. The color changes are ridiculous. I tangled my yarn even though there were at most four bobbins during a few rows. Usually there were only two or three.

Despite the problems I had, I may try to do this again. I like the one piece construction and it is really fast and cute. Unfortunately I am almost embarrassed to give it to Preston to wear. I may have to make him something else.

The rest of my notes about this sweater are on Ravelery.

knitting mojo, where are you?

2010-07-17T10:18:00.002-05:00

I left my f-ing knitting bag in Alabama last weekend and I had a nightmare about it last night. I am going to see if I can trick Steve into driving there to fetch it. I can't go because I have a shit-ton of work to do. This includes cleaning the entire house since I fired the cleaning lady a couple of months ago (she was really not worth the money or the effort to keep from strangling her). So now I am behind at work-work and house-work as evidenced by the cat hair tumble weeds rolling through the house.It was almost a waste of time to go to AL because we can't get the boat out and you can't go swimming. No oil in the yard - yet. We went down to the beach one day and, despite the heroic cleaning effort by the beach cleaners and an armada of skimmers and boom, found tar balls in the sand.

I have been taking pictures of the pool building progress but that has gotten pretty boring because there is not much progress. The only good thing to come out of the mid-summer construction project was tickets to the Jimmy Buffett show in Gulf Shores, AL. Our contractor seemed to have no end of spare tickets which were tough to come by. Jimmy did a fine job and he seemed to really enjoy playing a gig back in Alabama. It was hot and the bathrooms were far away from the stage which set up the precariously imbalanced high beer consumption low bathroom ratio. You can imagine how that went over with Steve, a man with a tiny bladder and dislike of large crowds. I had a great time, however.

My knitting ambitions have really taken a nose-dive and production has screeched to a halt. Simple projects are slow and full of mistakes. But mostly, I am disappointed in the final outcome of my last few projects and I am not sure what I am doing wrong. I want to elevate my knitting to a level where I can handle a cabled sweater or lace shawl with confidence but lately I really have my doubts. I need a knitting-win.

The cats really could care less about my knitting problems. They are obviously having trouble getting comfortable:

dose of cats

2010-05-31T10:45:00.002-05:00

Knitting is decidedly slow so let's look at the cats:

Bath time over.

We are putting in a pool so let's have a look at before and after the big giant pit:

The before shot is after they removed all of the decking and the steps from the back of the house as well as all of the trees. That took about two days. The pile of sand is for remediation of the water line erosion. But that's another project.

Putting in a pool is a surprisingly slow process and requires that the contractor not work too quickly or too frequently. Less than two days a week judging from the pace of it. I am sure the snail-like pace is for our own good. However, in light of the fast approaching oil, I want the pool done so we can at least go swimming when we go to our beach house. And in case anyone is interested - and we all should because it's a national tragedy - the NY Times has excellent coverage of the oil spill. It seems like they have an insider involved in the BP's inept efforts to stop the spill. They scooped CNN and the Times Picayune on the fact that the top kill effort failed by at least 4 hours.

I am blocking the pin wheel blanket for step-grandkid #3 but it's not done yet. Here is Reggie sneaking a quick nap on it while I was not looking:

Busted!

size 11 is normal

2010-05-06T09:03:00.002-05:00

I am getting sick of shoes. I used to love them and now I despise them. I absolutely must wear a size eleven. It's not a choice, it's a necessity. I am willing to spend a fistful of money in any store that regularly carries nice stylish shoes in my size. I want to walk in, try them on and walk out with a pair or two. No, I don't want to order them. Sheesh. I have some painful problems with my feet and I wear two different sizes so the try-on step is a must.

Speaking of things that make me sick and are two different sizes - here is my shrug disaster. The pity is I don't quite know what went wrong. I carefully did the math for my wildly off-gauge gauge, charted the new rows and stitches and started knitting. For the first time ever, I am off in the length of the right compared to the left. That is an a-typical mistake for me. I make A LOT of mistakes, just not usually that one. I carefully counted rows and decreases and increases and still this:

I wasn't really thrilled with the gauge anyway so I may frog and start all over with a smaller needle. Now I have to run out to the store and buy a shrug to wear at the Derby because my arms are too fat to fly solo. Sheesh.

not as stupid as I thought

2010-04-11T14:29:00.005-05:00

When I first saw this sign outside of the Jefferson Parish office building I thought "gee what a ridiculous sign." I mean, even the TSA has realized that knitting needles pose no threat of bodily harm. Or at least they are not any more dangerous that some one carrying a pen or pencil onto a plane. And here we have the geniuses that run Jefferson Parish, LA all intimidated by addi turbos. I was even a bit disappointed when I read the sign because I was thinking that maybe I could get a little knitting done while waiting for my simple repair building permit I need for our tiny little lab renovation at work.

By the time I left the permits and code enforcement office I was glad I had heeded the sign's warning and did not bring my needles in with me. I would have stabbed the asshole in permits.

I had to share

2010-04-08T17:04:00.003-05:00

Sometimes you are given a gift that must be shared with others. I give you the gift of insane recipes from the 1970's. Candyboots (I have not investigated this site fully yet so I don't know his or her's story) discovered a treasure trove of old Weight Watchers recipe cards from the golden era of culinary arts. I hurt myself laughing. Enjoy.

by popular demand - 78% more cats

2010-04-04T12:08:00.002-05:00

So friggin' cute.

Yesterday was uber-geek day. First, I went birding at Big Lagoon State Park and then headed to Pensacola for some yarn shopping at Yarnside Gathering.

I have been to Yarnside before. Its about 35 minutes from our house on Ono. The gal who runs it is extremely nice and helpful. I have one gripe though that may sound weird. The lighting is terrible. They have overhead harsh fluorescent lights that do nothing for the yarn. The colors and textures are all gray blue and flat. I know its probably rented space but I am sure the landlord wouldn't mind an upgrade of the light fixtures. Even an addition of some halogen spots along with the fluorescents might help. My other very minor complaint is they did not have any silk yarn. None. In a yarn store in Florida. In the Spring. Yes, I know it's expensive stuff but its a very sale-able fiber for customers who live and knit in such a hot climate. At least for me, it is. But it's not right for me to make a fuss over it since I am not a regular customer.

Anyhow, I bought some Classic Elite Premiere to knit a shrug to wear with my Kentucky Derby dress. I wanted silk, but found this since they didn't have any. It's nice and soft and a bit shiny. It is made of tencel and cotton.

It looks like mathematical gymnastics will be required to get my shrug pattern down from a gauge of 24 sts x 34 rows in dk yarn, as written, to my worsted gauge of 20 sts x 24 rows. The stitch gauge is a piece of cake but the row gauge is a big pain in the ass.

Big Lagoon Park is awesome. Even though spring break is supposedly going on almost no one was there. They views are amazing, the beach is white sand, and the trails are extremely easy and likely good for birds. I didn't have much luck for the same reasons as yesterday and it was about 1030 in the morning.

Here is my list of new ones for the weekend:

Fish crow
Eastern blue bird
Clapper rail
Blue winged teal
Osprey (eating a fish)
Tufted titmouse
Black capped chickadee
Pileated woodpecker
White crowned sparrow
Ruby crowned Kinglet

I finished out the day by cruising over to Pirate's Cove and Shucker's at the Wharf for drinks. Steve's got the boat humming along so summer is already looking good. All of the dogs are back at the Cove. Whoever made a stink with the health department must have died or something because at least a half dozen dogs were relaxing on the deck while the band was playing and they have taken the doggy gates down. Perfect. I love drinking with dogs.

birds and a recipe

2010-04-02T20:45:00.001-05:00

So I grew a lot of dill. And here is a recipe I came up with to use a very small fraction of the tremendous volume of dill taking over my garden:

Mango Arugula Salad with Lemon Dill dressing ( fancy title for easy but freaky good food)
Serves 3-4

2 cups arugula (baby or whatever you like, add more if you want)
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/2 cup cucumber, seeds and skin removed, diced
Ripe mango - the yellow creamy kind (not the green kind), diced

Dressing:
Juice of one juicy lemon
at least 2 very large Tablespoons of fresh dill (I used about 3 Tbs), finely chopped
Really good olive oil
Generous sea salt and pepper (tsp each)

Whisk together the dressing toss with the salad. Serve. Yum.

In addition to making fabulous salad, I went bird watching at Fort Morgan, AL and Daphine Island using the Alabama Coastal Birding Trail for my guide. I have done this route before and this time of year it should be full of birds. The weather is such (excellent, winds from the south) that the birds are not stopping.

Here is my bird list in the order I spotted them. If I saw a species at an earlier location I did not note it at later spot. (For example cardinals, mocking birds, and blue jays were every where. No need to keep writing them down.)

Entrance to Fort:
Swaison's warbler
Brown thrasher
Peregrine falcon
American oyster catcher (fishing pier)
Northern gannet (beach)
Laughing gull (everywhere)
Mocking bird
Brown pelicans
Cardinals
Common loon
Snowy egret
Cattle egret
Brown headed cow birds
Eastern king bird
Blue jays

Next I took the ferry to Dauphin Island and started looking around Fort Gaines and Pelican Point:
Herring gull
Rudy turnstone
Royal terns
Scissor tail flycatcher (!, note that this supposedly rare species has been seen by me twice, once at Ft. Morgans in the fall and now again at Ft Gaines in the spring. humph. )
Yellow-rumped warbler

Next I went to the Shell mounds:
Yellow bellied sapsucker
Red bellied woodpecker
Northern water thrush
Hooded warbler
Black and white warbler
White-throated sparrow
Lincoln sparrow (going out on a limb with this one)
Common grackle
Carolin wrens
Great blue herons (nesting)
White eyed vireo
Chimney swifts

At the Airport:
Mottled duck (looking lonely)
Reddiish egret (fabulously good looking but I had not time to get my camera)
Willet
Redwing black bird
Song sparrow (definite)

Lastly, I found the Goat trees:
Yellow vireo
Cedar wax wings
Northern parula
Red eyed vireo

Also noted in several spots:
Double crested cormorants
Morning doves
Eurasian collared doves

About 44 species, give or take. Considering it was a crappy bird day (few warblers during migration), not too shabby considering I was by myself. If the weather keeps up being fabulous I will have to go back to knitting.

Lastly, I would like to note that I miss my cats. They are home in New Orleans while we are here in Alabama and the fact that I miss them acutely is making Steve think I lost my mind. Which I probably have.

another badly made sock

2010-03-07T09:38:00.001-06:00

I am using the pattern Sell Your Sole Socks By Heather Clitheroe to practice sock making. I bought this wild yarn and decided to modify her recipe by adding ribbing - knit 3 p1 ribbing. I thought this would be simple because the pattern calls for a 48 stitch cast-on which is easily divided by four. Ummm right. As you can see, that's great for the leg but once you finish turning the heel and resume the top of the foot you wind up missing a purl stitch in between the the top of the foot and the decreases. Since it took me a gazillion trys to cast on and joint this stupid ugly sock I could not bear to rip again. I am really just using the experience to learn something and, clearly, experience has taught me a lesson. Nothing is as easy as it seems.

On a more positive note, I mastered the magic loop technique or at least my version of it. And my ability to make a jogless join is slightly improved. Ever so slightly.

Lastly, I semi-successfully grafted the toe shut with the Kitchener stitch. I have serious problems with the tension and the beginning and ending stitches of the graft. But its my best result so far. I carefully (and painfully) read the article in the latest Interweave knits "Demystifying Kitchener Stitch" by TECHknitter and actually understood it. The article made me dizzy at first but once I started on the sock it came together for me. I really appreciate the approach of the explanation of the grafting technique. If you understand the mechanics of what you are trying to accomplish then you can logically go about the technique and reason yourself through it. I had been blindly following instructions up to this point and not really understanding why I was doing each step. Now I get it - sort of.

I am now going to knit the second sock with all of the lessons learned on the first one. I have a feeling the pair will never see the light of day.

My mods to the pattern - one inch of k1p1 ribbing at top, 6 in leg before starting the heel flap including the one inch k1p1 ribbing. Leg pattern is k3p1 ribbing, Started the toe decreases at 8 inches of foot length (which might not be quite long enough for my gigantic feet.)

Completely unrelated note about life. I went to see Eric Clapton last night. I had forgotten how excellent that guy is. Monkey boy even enjoyed it and he is not a fan per se. The only real problem was that EC is starting to look like Willie Nelson. Now don't get me wrong, I love Willie but the look is not so good on Clapton. I was distracted from the music because I kept wanting to shave him. And get him a hair cut.

Look at the love happening this morning while I was grafting my to shut:

The were all in bed with me during my struggles with the Kitchener stitch.

WIP no more

2010-02-28T14:03:00.003-06:00

I am still clearing out old works in progress so I don't feel so guilty every time I start something new. This Calm sweater should have been done ages ago. its not hard and the most tedious part was the sewing up. I put the details on the Rav page. The final sweater fits great. The edge detail is quite nice and I am pleased overall with the result. Ultimately this would be hella easier if it was knit in the round. Sewing up uber-fuzzy mohair can make you go blind.

Also finished some time ago is my first pair of socks. They actually fit me which is hilarious considering the worsted weight yarn I used (Caron's Simply Soft from junk stash). I have been wearing them like slippers around the house since they are so thick. I can see how sock knitting is addictive. I learned by knitting those tiny christmas stcokings back in December and by reading "I Can't Believe I am Knitting Socks" by Cindy Guggemos which I found on the clearance rack at Walmart - no kidding. It was $1.99.

The join isn't too bad but I made a purl in the ribbing - what the hell?

Now I am learning magic loop. I am just winging it even though the instructions are included in "I can't believe...". The instructions suck.

Look how cute the boys are:

starting in the middle

2010-02-15T17:23:00.003-06:00

I have a bad cold and spent the whole weekend at home doing domestic stuff (knitting and cooking) in order to get better. Actually, its too cold to go to Mardi Gras parades so I am glad to have an excuse not to go.

I have had this pin wheel blanket all lined up and ready to go for some time. I made a circular blanket once before and distinctly remember the figgity part at the beginning. You start by casting on a very small number of stitches in the round at the center of the blanket and increase from there. I had no help back then and I had not gotten on Ravelery yet so I just kind of fudged it. It didn't look great. This time around I had the advantage of everyone's past experience with the famous pin wheel blanket to go from. (As of this writing, 2378 Ravelery members have knit this blanket!).

To start I used the umbilical cord method recommended by techknitter in order to get an even non-puckering center for the blanket. Techknitter and others have other ways of doing it but this one seemed interesting and made the most sense to me. Also the instructions on how to start the small tube were actually a good lesson in what I think is called magic loop. I didn't have any US10 double points so I knew I would have to split the small number of stitches over a circular and the splitting concept is nicely explained when working on a small tube. And it worked. I practiced making the tube a few times and once I had it down along with the magic loop method the blanket got going pretty fast. Here is the little tube sticking out of the work:

And here is the result after removing the little. tube:

Its not perfect but that may be a function of the yarn, I think. The yarn is Sprout, organic cotton, and quite chunky. It is nice to work with and, on size 10 needles, this rather dull knit is going pretty fast. Its washable, too, so it is a good yarn for baby stuff. I am striping the beige and blue (periwinkle) with the red. The red was a single skein at 50% off so I had to buy it and work it in to the design.

The stripe pattern is 13 rounds of beige, 1 round red (without the yarn overs) then 13 rounds of blue. Depending on how much yarn I have at the end I would like do a seed stitch border in the red.

Reggie thinks knitting is a blast. Which means I can't get much done if he is awake. He is also growing very quickly, likes to complain if he is hungry or wants attention, and likes to chew of stuff. Lots of stuff, but mostly Seymore, whose patience is amazing.

I cooked for V-day with my new John Besh cookbook. John Besh is a genius of food. Restaurant August is my favorite, of course. His new cookbook definitely does the man credit. The photography is super and the writing is interesting and completely in touch with the recipes and what fans like me want to read about. There's even a chapter solely devoted to chantrelle mushrooms and blackberries (two little recognized south Louisiana crops). Sheesh. Steve recently loaded us up with large shrimp from his last trip to the Westbank so I made Besh's version of shrimp and cheese grits. Insanely delicious.

he is Reggie

2010-02-02T17:38:00.001-06:00

And clearly, SeyMo loves him.

new kitten

2010-01-24T09:17:00.000-06:00

The new kitten is 4 months old and does not yet have a name. I am open to suggestions. Preferably unconventional ones. More pictures and a video of his homecoming:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/seymo/sets/72157623149341889/

aaarg new yarn

2010-01-07T17:00:00.001-06:00

I have nowhere to store this but I had a moment and bought a bunch of yarn. I went to the Yarn Cottage in Fairhope, AL for some sock knitting yarn because, hey, how much space could that take up? But this is what came back:

That seems like a couple of pairs of sock and I could have stopped. But no, I have to get yarn for a baby blanket and of course it has to be bulky:

And then a visit to the two dollar bin yielded an interesting combination of metallic and mohair and merino leftovers:

There is 250 yards of the mohair, 250 of the merino and 100 of the metallic thread. I am thinking scarfy wrap.

birds lately

2010-01-01T11:50:00.005-06:00

I am in Alabama and here is a list - not complete - of the winter birds I have seen over the holiday week. Mostly the usual suspects but a few new ones for me.

1. Bonapartes gull - out on the pass with some
2. Skimmers
3. Sanderlings
4. Savannah sparrow or possibly a song sparrow
5. Common loons
6. Cormorants - a lot
7. Least terns
8. Royal tern
9. Many ospreys
10. White pelicans (on Mobile bay)
11. Carolina Wren at the outside bar at Pirates Cove

I know the winter ducks are here and I have even seen a few when we were out in the boat. But I couldn't get Steve to slow down enough for an id.

edited to add

12. White throated sparrows
13. Tons of pine warblers
14. Gold finches

Funny. I tried last winter to get the gold finches with thistle but none came. This year, here they are messing with my mind by looking all pine-warblery and eating the sunflower seeds.

holiday catch-up

2009-12-29T14:51:00.012-06:00

Look. I got a new macro lens for my camera for giftmas. SeyMo says I should stop taking very close pictures of him. You can see his eye boogers. Ick.

Also accomplished over the holidays and demonstrated with the new macro lens are some more stockings. I practiced smooth methods of circular joins and for making jog-less stripes. I am getting better. But in my excitement I forgot to measure the foot length as I went along so the stockings turned out a bit stubby.

Some close ups:

Still trying to master grafting the toe closed. This may be easier with less fuzzy yarn.

And in an exciting development I landed my first set of Knit Picks Harmony needles. My sister sent me the circular kit with an additional size 15s. I can't wait to use them. The crazy stained wood is rather psychedelic.

I was lucky enough to receive an amazing painting from my Aunt Lynn for Christmas. I can't believe she sent us her original painting of Barnegat Light House. She sent a sweet note stating that she hoped it brought back happy memories. And it did. I immediately hung it in the kitchen in the Alabama house. It is perfect right there where we can enjoy it often.

log cabin blanket is done

2009-12-21T09:17:00.010-06:00

This thing has many problems. Too small. Too drape-y from loose gauge and bamboo yarn. And too many mistakes, most related to picking up stitches from the wrong side but quite a few from dropping stitches. I think this has to do with the yarn. Not that I am immune to dropping stitches but I think the slippery bamboo made it easier to do. I like the finished look even though the drape does not hold the rectangular geometry of the different color blocks. The needles size on the yarn label was an astoundingly large size 11. Not so good for garter stitch. I am also pretty sure that the the colors from the different lots of yarn didn't quite match up.

If I were to make another of these I would stick with a wool blend or cotton blend. If I were to use this yarn again I would use wood needles. I think I would consider making this as a baby blanket. But a full size bed blanket? Hell no.

Meanwhile my little Christmas stocking obsession continues. I have mastered the jogless join for color stripes - sort of - thanks to Ravelry. I tried Tech Knitting's method of slipping the first stitch of the color change but I wasn't that happy with it. In answer to the question of jogless stripes on Rav the consensus seemed to be that you knit the stitch below the color change stitch along with the color change stitch. That worked better for me. I have mastered the circular join thanks to Tech Knitting. I need to post pics...

socks!

2009-12-17T12:42:00.011-06:00

I humbly submit my first effort at knitting socks. Mini-Christmas stocking socks (This Seasons Stockings, page 30, Interweave Knits 2006 Holiday), but socks none the less. You have to make a heel flap and turn it and do a gusset. And I am trying to learn to graft the toes. So far I have learned that consuming wine or eggnog is contra-indicated while grafting.

For my next trick I will attempt a jogless color change and a smoother circular join at the top of the sock. Also to be investigated is the small hole where I picked up stitches along the heel flap and why my ssks look lumpy compared to my k2togs. I thought it might be that I slipped the stitches purl-wise rather than knit-wise.

The plan is to keep making these mini-socks until I figure it out, I get bored or Christmas is over. The yarn is leftover worsted weight Vana White acrylic crap and leftover white fluffy yarn from the first scarf I ever knit. I used size 3 dpns to keep the stockings small with the relatively thick yarn.

I keep screwing this up

2009-12-11T16:54:00.010-06:00

This is supposed to be the easiest project in the world. Its my own free flowing version of the Modern Log Cabin Blanket from Mason Dixon Knitting. I don't remember the project description exactly but I could have sworn there was something in there about mindless knitting or possibly knitting you can do while drinking.

Never the less, I have managed to screw this up by trying to be clever. The details of my cleverness are too embarrassing to reveal. I was just hoping the "mindless" meant "without paying any attention to what you are doing." Now I have to frog back a couple of rows. I have already done this several times. And its too bad its along the nearly full 3 foot wide edge. And its too bad I knit with this bamboo yarn that is insanely slippery (Bernat Bamboo Natural Blend is very attractive, however. Nice shine). This f-ing afghan has been in my basket for over two years. And now I know why. It's a pain. And it's boring. But giftmas is coming and I want to get it out of the basket and into a gift box for my sister. At this rate it might be next year.

details on the alpaca afghan

2009-11-07T10:48:00.015-06:00

So this was a long slow burn of a project but the end result was worth it.

I bought this expensive awesome yarn at Loopy Yarns in Chicago to celebrate our new beach house. The colors reminded my of the living room and the water. Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Chunky is a pleasure to knit. Yummy all around.

After a bunch of swatching from a stitchionary, I found the bamboo stitch pattern complimented the quick color change of the yarn. And the wrong side looked fairly reasonable for an afghan.

Loopy Yarns saved the day for me too. I started knitting and realized that I needed at least 10 skeins rather than the nine that I bought in the shop. All it took was a quick phone call and they quickly sent me the last two skeins they had (same lot number too). Yeah!

With a critical eye I would say that I bound off the bottom too tightly because it does not match the tension of the very loose cable cast-on that I used. I bound off in purl on the front side in order to get a similar look as the cable cast-on. That worked well but I bound off too tightly because I was running low on yarn. Blocking was fairly helpful in tweaking this but not a cure.

Here's the right side - nice colors!:

Here is the wrong side which is attractive,too:

You can see from the picture below that the final afghan is a pretty good length and width. I didn't bother to measure the final dimensions. I don't care at this point. Its big enough and I am not reworking it. Best not to block on the bed without shutting the door to keep Seymore out.

My design, if you will:

Materials: 11 skeins of Misti Alpaca Chunky Handpaints in CP05 Havasu. Size 10US needles

Gage: 8 rows = 1.57 inches, 13 sts = 4 inches

Instructions:

Cable cast-on 155 stitches. Based on my gage swatch this would be approximately 46.5 inches wide. [This yields 3 sts for Garter boarder on each side (6 sts total) plus 140 +9 stitches for the Bamboo stitch patterned panel.]

Knit 4 rows in garter (2 ridges)

Next row: Knit 3 sts for Garter boarder. Continue in bamboo pattern until the last 3 stitches. Knit the last 3 sts for the garter boarder.

Bamboo pattern (8 row repeat, 14 sts +9 for pattern repeat; from The Harmony Guides, Knit and Purl : 250 Stitches to Knit, edited by Erika Knight)

Row 1 and every odd row (right side): P2, *k5, p2; repeat from * to end
Row 2: K9, *p5, k9; repeat from * to end
Row 4 and 8: K2, *p5, k2; repeat from * to end
Row 6: K2, p5, *K9, p5; repeat from * to last 2 sts, k2

Repeat these 8 rows including the 3 st garter boarder on each side (knit beginning and end 3 sts all rows) until you have run through 3/4th of the last skein of yarn. This is an estimate – double check using a measured length of yarn or weight of yarn. Knit 4 rows garter. Cast-off.

finally done!

2009-11-01T20:17:00.002-06:00

Details to come.....but yeah!

very promsing and very disappointing

2009-09-21T13:13:00.011-05:00

In the "promising" department: my design of cup holder for the Adirondack chairs that sit on the dock. I am sure these chairs had cup holders in the holes in the arms but likely a storm blew them out. Alas! Where to place my beer? I decided to design a knitted replacement with some left over cotton yarn complete with button attachments. I have not really been taking notes but I borrowed a pattern from this lovely and talented gal and added the necessary straps. Once done I will post.

I tried it out in the chair and found that the top strap just needs a button hole and the bottom strap needs to be bound off. The remaining straps can all be the same length as the one still on the needle.

In the "disappointing" department: my coffee mug cozy for a friend (more specifically a work colleague and long-time friend) with an oddly shaped mug. I decided to wing it with almost no planning on my part. Because I would like to surprise her with it, periodically I have been stealing her mug off her desk taking it home to try on the cozy-in-progress and then returning it to her desk. All this without her noticing. My husband keeps asking me why I don't take measurements. I think I did at one point but then lost them.

Anyway, it appears that despite my best effort this will be frogged. I might give it one more try though because I am high from the promise of my cup holder for the Adirondack chair.

SeyMo says "this sucks - fix it."

9th aniversary

2009-09-09T11:08:00.004-05:00

Steve and I have been married for nine years today, 9/9/09. Pretty neat. Too bad we did nothing to celebrate - as usual.

scrub bags for hand made soap

2009-09-06T10:14:00.007-05:00

These are not an original idea but I have always wanted to try to make little soap bags to be used as wash cloths with the nice spa type soap inside. After screwing around this is what I came up with.

Cast on 38 stitches with Lion Cotton worsted or similar. I used size 6 straight needles.

Knit 4 rows stockinette.

Then start a stitch pattern that is open and bumpy for the exfoliating effect. I used a bramble pattern in one and an open cross stitch in another so the suds can flow out. Leave a knit st on both sides of the row as selvage for sewing up.

Continue in the pattern for about 3 inches (or enough to cover your soap bar.)

Knit a row.
Purl a row.

Next row: K1, *K1, K2tog, yo. Repeat * to last stitch (ish. doesn't have to be perfect) k1.

Next row purl.
Next row knit.
Next row purl.
Next row cast of with a picot cast off. I used a two stitch picot: Cast on two, bind off four. Repeat.

Sew up the side seam. Sew the bottom seam with the side seam centered in the back of the bag.

I made i-cord with a small US4 double point. I made the cord just long enough to tie around the top of the bag.

lap-ghan

2009-09-05T10:11:00.009-05:00

I have wanted to make something from Weekend Knitting for a very long time. This book was one of the first in my knitting library and it was a gift from my mom. When I first got it I could not get over the creativity of the projects and the great photography. It made me want to knit everything. However, I was a new knitter and I could not imagine completing any of the projects save a few.

The lap blanket that is featured in the book is shown in a fabulous shade of green which is what drew me to it along with the fuzzy mohair yarn. I vaguely remember reading the pattern several years ago when I had just learned how to knit and I just didn't get it.

Fast forward a few years and six balls of Jo Sharp rare comfort and one of Rowan Polar later and it was done in no time. I followed the pattern from the book quitting the length when I was down to the last ball of mohair. I also had to buy a very pointy set of wooden size 13 needles in order to knit the mohair. The slippery blunt-ended Addis I tried initially were awful for that yarn.

Great result although I think the Jo Sharp was not as soft as it should have been for a blanket. I made it for my mom who I hope will enjoy it. As soon as she gets it in the mail I will explain to her that I have been trying to make this project for her for five years. I am sure she will get a laugh out of that.

Adorable Ree

2009-08-31T17:53:00.006-05:00

AdorableRee

It is crazy how cute Ree is getting. He is 17 years old, give or take. He has a a bunch of health problems and he is stubborn and cranky. But he has never lost his kitten-like cuteness. He looks a bit mellow in this photo but his snowy white fur and pinkish ears look as soft was they are to the touch. He is tired but as content as can be expected.

four years

2009-08-29T17:15:00.002-05:00

song I want to get

2009-06-30T09:15:00.001-05:00

Closer to fine - Indigo girls
black coffee in bed, pulling mussels from a shell - Squeeze

shameful abandoned WIP pile

2009-06-10T15:15:00.005-05:00

Time to fess up. I am either going to complete these or frog. Here is my stuck-in-a-bag-and-put-away-and-almost-forgotten knitting project list:

cabled afghan - leaning toward finishing but I really done know if I have all that cabling in me.
log cabin throw - finishing
mason dixon wrap sweater for a baby - done need to sew and find a baby that might fit it
matching stupid baby blanket - finish while drinking. How bad can it be?
Tank top (knitty) - could go either way.

ebay yarn saves the day but I ruined it anyway

2009-05-26T10:33:00.017-05:00

I finished my Cherish shrug over the weekend using the Tahki Baby yarn I found on eBay. I have to say, this was the most rewarding eBay experience I have ever had. Without going into too much detail, I find eBay purchases aggravating for a number of reasons and I pretty much stopped using it. When it comes to yarn, overly competitive bidding makes me want to go elsewhere. Nickle and dime-ing stuff seems petty. And that scratches the surface of my past issues with eBay.

Anyway, the gal (or guy, I have no idea) who sold me the long-since-discontinued yarn is clearly an angel. First, they miraculously had what I needed. Second, they shipped it the day I bought it and I got a ship confirmation via email. Third, it was exactly what I thought it would be - no seconds or partials. And it was a perfect color match! Last, I got the shipment in 2 days. Way to go USPS.

But here's the punch line. I accidentally felted it. I put the shrug in the washer on gentle with the intention of removing it after 2 minutes and hand rinsing it. But I forgot about it. Even on the handwash cycle, parts of it felted. It looked great and fit great before this. Poop.

I knit this on 15's rather than 17's and I am pretty sure I got gauge (until the felting). The needles were Lantern Moon and are simply the best needles I have ever used.

I would make this again because it was fast and cute. The sewing up part was slow but not too tricky. I would make the arm circumference a little larger too. But that's because of my arms not a problem with the pattern. My picots look a little large too but I could probably fix that the next go round. Actually, looking at this further, I think I screwed up the sleeves too. I may have too many of the rows of garter stitch and picots. It is still cute. The color in the picture below is bad because my living room is poorly lit. But the picture above shows the truly awesome pink-ness of great yarn.

inch -tall icing

2009-05-14T15:23:00.004-05:00

This is my own version of my cousin's version of peanut butter cake. I foolishly believed that one can never have too much icing so I made enough chocolate peanut butter butter cream frosting for 2 cakes and tried to pile it on to one. Turning chocolate peanut butter ganache into butter cream was my idea sort of. And, yes, you can definitely ruin a cake with too much icing. oh well.

knitting nightmare

2009-05-13T15:13:00.005-05:00

It finally happened. Despite meticulously calculating the required yardage for my Cherish shrug and happily determining I should have enough, I ran out of Tahki Baby. Which, of course, has been discontinued in color 48. My stash was several years old so I doubt I will be able to locate more. How much more you ask. Enough for the last 10 very short rows of the second sleeve. If you listen carefully you can hear the sound of my heart breaking over the internet.

Update: found some on ebay. What are the chances that the color remotely matches?

love the fuzz

2009-05-11T14:28:00.006-05:00

This color is awesome but I fear the resulting sweater will be rather annoying and itchy. Not because it's not a soft yarn. It just seems like to fuzz level is a bit high.

Anyway, I got gauge with the recommended needles. (Highly suspect, if you ask me.) I started this on the airplane to the Kentucky Derby and it got a lot of attention. I think my fellow passengers were admiring my deft analysis of the racing form while casting on 102 stitches. One guy asked me if I brought my knitting to the track. Of course not - I am too busy making bets and drinking.

I really have been knitting

2009-05-05T12:09:00.009-05:00

I just haven't had much time to discuss. So here is a little gem I just finished for a South Park themed swap on Ravelry. The pillow is my own "design", if you will. Basically, I have never done color work before and it shows. The yarn is that acrylic Vana White stuff from Lion Brand and I am not loving it. I blocked the hell out of this and it still looks wavey. Could be I was having tension problems that went undetected....

I followed the instructions I found here for making a diagram. After swatching I figured I needed about seven rows and 5 stitch wide seed stitch border for a 11 inch-ish pillow. It came out over sized which is great since I could only find a 14 inch pillow. I blocked it to just under 14 inches square so it could stretch a bit over the pillow.

I made the back in contracting orange (to symbolize Kyle's opposition to Cartman's lack of morality - hee) and crocheted the seam together. Of course I really don't know how to crochet and I think the chain edge come out on the wrong side but it looks ok. OK?

Next time I do color work I will go a little slower and ask for help from some one who knows what they are doing. Also smaller needles and more stitches for better graphic definition. I used 8US which is one size down from the Vana's Choice recommended 9's.

more birds in the yard

2009-04-12T12:03:00.008-05:00

Yesterday I was able to observe this warbler close enough to make an id without binoculars and he was cooperative enough to allow me to run inside get my camera and change lenses so I could then take his picture. Also showing up in the yard: three orchard orioles.

maybe I just can't stand most people

2009-04-09T11:07:00.029-05:00

I think my cats are pretty close to being people - only much better. Yup I am one of those "crazy cat lady types". This probably comes across as psycho-humanizing of cats.

I am pretty sure my belief reflects my poor opinion of people. Yes, I know cats are animals and not people. I don't think they are entitled to universal healthcare and I don't freak out over leather or fur coats as long as they aren't made out of cats or dogs. Clearly, I am no vegan-PETA-card carrying animal lover.

But after today's experience in line at the drive through at the bank - completely insane stupid person in front of me - I know my cat passion is a direct result of my feelings about horribly annoying people sharing my space and breathing my air.

Its all in the contrasts: stupid annoying lady inline at the bank vs. easy going soft playful purring Ree. Who would you prefer to hang out with? Who would you want to spend energy on? Who sucks the life out of you versus giving it back?

I think the extent to which you love a pet sneaks up on you. And when they die the impact can be surprising. Like falling into a deep funk. Or sudden irrational urges for a new cat even though you swore you would never go through that again (vet bills, clawed couches, vomit, hairballs, etc).

And so I present Newey and Itchy. Two irreplaceable cats. But I am sure I will try.

2009-04-01T18:11:00.013-05:00

So it looks like I got the little flickr slideshow of my knitting picture set to run. I need to add more finished objects. I have more listed on raverly. I am "SeymoreMonkey" there, too.

Here are some more pictures of Pirate's Cove over Spring break two weeks ago. The place was hopping. They had music and were running around like crazy making cheeseburgers. It was three deep at the bar. You can also see that Steve and Elaine were quite happy to be at the Cove, however, Sue and Gayle don't look as impressed. I am sure they were tired from our 2 mile Spring Walk in Fairhope that morning.....

Birds in the yard

2009-03-28T12:44:00.007-05:00

Here's a few yard birds I managed to photo despite the crappy rainy weather. White throated sparrow likes the bird feeder. Loon liked the rain. The wren was singing in between showers. A vireo flew into the windows on the porch while I standing there but he was ok. No time to get my camera before he flew away. Too bad.

Finished weekend pullover

2009-03-26T19:55:00.003-05:00

Finished weekend pullover
Originally uploaded by SeymoreMonkey

So now its about 1.5 inches longer. I tried it on an its length is perfect. The ribbing on the bottom edge is now a bit short compared to the sleeves because I used the 15s in stead of 17s that were used on the sleeves. But I think it looks fine.

Blocking it after gently washing in woolight and vinegar is a challenge in and of itself. Getting the water out of this wool took about 10 towels. Its raining here now and I hope it doesn't grow mold before it dries.

not long enough and whats with the middle?

2009-03-25T16:10:00.007-05:00

Weekend pullover done - not
Originally uploaded by SeymoreMonkey

So why do I hate this? It seems a bit short in the body considering its width. Also, the ribbing doesn't seem quite right. I know its not supposed to be a fitted sweater but this is a bit stumpy if you ask me.

There is another even larger problem: The skeins don't match. When I first noticed this - when I was done knitting the body - I cursed the yarn shop that had sold me the yarn. I hadn't even checked my purchase to make sure it was all from the same lot number. It seemed to be such a high-end together sort of shop that when the sales person handed me my six skeins I didn't even give it a second thought.

But I now know that my truck-driver language was misplaced. The fault was my own. All yarn was from the same lot. At least that's what the label said. I just didn't think I needed to heed warnings about mixing hand painted yarns every few rows for homogeneous color. That would mean a lot less mindless knitting and paying attention to what I was doing. And I am too lazy for that.

So I ripped out the bottom to make it longer and tighten up the ribbing a bit by using 15 needles instead of 17's.

But screw it. There is no way I am going to start all over just to alternate skeins. The faded look of the middle of the body is now a design feature.

a lot of really big yarn

2009-03-07T11:46:00.008-06:00

Winding up Burly spun presents numerous problems. Essentially, it is too big for the basic yarn winder. Never the less, here it is. It is quite large and lovely. The sweater - not so much. More about that after the pain is over.

"weekend sweater" for Pam

2009-03-07T11:28:00.008-06:00

I could not knit this (#224) in a weekend because of the hand-soreness that results from using US17 needles and gigantic yarn. SeyMo wishes I would never finish it.

pirate's cove

2009-03-05T15:03:00.027-06:00

Lets start this off by saying that my computer at home doesn't work so I have to write at work. This is not a good idea since I should actually be working. The problems at home with the computer are long running and ongoing and, as a result, my work computer has ton of photos on it that are personal.

For example, these photos are of Pirates' Cove (or is it "Pirate's Cove"?) in Alabama. They were taken back in January on a day with decent weather. You can get there by car but it easier and faster to go by boat from Orange Beach. From our place it takes about 5 minutes. Pirate's Cove is great. During the season they have bands. They have a white sandy beach that you can pull your boat or jet-ski up to. They serve a mean cheese burger. The Bushwacker works its magic efficiently.

And they have a lot of dogs. If you don't like dogs do not go to Pirate's Cove. If you have issues with dogs eating your food, do not go Pirate's Cove. I personally love the giant mastiff who has never met people food she doesn't like.

fun with guns in Vegas

2009-03-02T13:28:00.012-06:00

I recommend going to the shooting range while in Las Vegas. I was awed and pretty freaked out by the power and noise. Steve loved it.

Not much knitting happening on this trip. Started a shrug from Heartfelt The Dark House Collection by Kim Hargreaves. Posts to come.

First post

2009-02-28T10:42:00.002-06:00

Finally started a blog. I should be getting dressed to go play in Las Vegas but instead I sit in bed doing this.