cosmicpluto knits!

temptations

Really Must Stop Looking At Yarn!!

(Although if you like the colour of Silk Garden that I used for Rayne, it’s on sale at Littleknits under the word “looking” above :p)

Must not buy yarn! It’s tough when there are such pretty things out there, but I have GOT to save some money to spend across the pond. Also, I really, really, really don’t need any more yarn. I’ve got plenty. And I have lots of knitting to concentrate on for the time being.

I got all the way to the midpoint of the edging of the Mooi shawl (actual name: Niji Baby Cable Shawl) when I realized that something was off. Sigh.

I’d made a mistake wayyy back in the first pattern repeat (there are 17 on one side of the shawl). It bothered me enough that I ripped the edging all the way back and redid it. The shawl is a store sample, too, so I didn’t want it to look wrong! When I got to the middle again…still off. But only by 2 stitches, so I was able to fudge it a bit. Finished shawl photos soon!

Since that’s about it for the knitting, how about some food?

The now-infamous NY Times chocolate chip cookies:

It was a good time to make them this past weekend because my sister was having birthday parties (multiple!) so there were lots of people around to eat them! I made the dough on Saturday morning and baked some that night (7 hr chill), some the next night (32 hr chill) and some just last night (umm…50ish hour chill?). I must say that I wasn’t super blown away. I mean, it was a good cookie, maybe a great cookie, but the best ever? I don’t know. Anyway, they’re still really good.

Dinner Sunday night: tempura-style fried okra, spaghetti in roasted Ontario tomato sauce with goat cheese. Mmmm!

evidence of life

I’ve been spending pretty much all my time this week more or less like this:

Insert Doctor Who and some Stargate:Atlantis in for the
Dr. Horrible (which is SO awesome by the way, you should all go watch it) and the Mooi shawl in for the pink thermal, and that’s today.

Thanks for all the well wishes for my ankle – it’s definitely better, the swelling’s gone down a fair bit and I’m hobbling around okay (although still resting! of course!). I’m aiming to be back at work on Monday, although I might leave Tuesday in Natalie’s capable hands! We’ll see – I’m probably in no shape to be standing around in the dye studio next week.

Despite all the resting and sitting around time, I’m getting surprisingly little done in the way of work! I’m knitting the edging of the Mooi shawl now, and it’s coming along nicely.

I like that it’s knitted in along the edge. It’s pretty!

I’ve also been writing a number of lists -

At the end of the month I’m headed out on a jet plane to visit with Ysolda! You might remember she came and stayed with me back in May, so now it’s my turn. I’ll admit I’m apprehensive about the trip, mostly the flying – I’m not a great flyer and it’ll be the longest one I’ve been on! Across water and stuff! Yikes!

I’m flying in and out of Edinburgh, but in between we’ll be taking some trips to London and Paris – we’ve got some accommodation in London, but we could still use some for a couple nights in both cities. Hostel recommendations, offerings of couches? Would be awesomely appreciated!

Suggestions of things to do in each city would be fantastic too! We’ll definitely be hitting up iknit day in London on the 6th, but other than that, I think we pretty open to recommendations!

random wednesday

Ahem. Did I say more blogging? Maybe I really meant less blogging. Or perhaps I overlooked the fact that when one works eight days or so in a row…one doesn’t really have time for the blogging. Get up, go to work, come home, dinner, tv, knit, bed, repeat. My two-hour-a-day commute doesn’t exactly help things, either. (Although I have been getting some reading done on the ride home. I’ve been attacking this pile.)

Both pairs of shoes have gone to new homes, and I bought another pair of Fluevogs, in red of course! They’re having a huge sale – I had my eye on those shoes already, but then they were 30% off! Can’t beat that.

I’m rather boring these days what with the working, but I’m counting on some much-needed crafting time this weekend. I really want to make some new skirts, maybe a top or two as well. I did manage to sew up an infinity dress for a friend this evening, using a gorgeous chocolate bamboo jersey – I even learned a few things from the first time and it came out super! I’ll try to get a photo in the morning. Being at the sewing machine again did give me a little bit of a kick – it’s so fast and gratifying. Must. Sew.

To those emailing about the Baby Thermal pattern, I’m hard at work on it. The Baby version (up to 2 years) is pretty well done, but the Child/Youth version (up to size 12) is still on the needles. Soon, soon. I really want to get it done and out there!

In other super-random knitting news, I just realized that the party for my newly-arrived cousin/niece (the daughter of my cousin…first cousin once removed? niece is easier) is early next week and I have not knit a stitch! I’m going to try and bust out a quick little sweater and hat, so there’d better be some finished projects on this here blog soon!

I’ll leave you with a beauty shot of the Mooi shawl I’ve been working on – it’s darker than in this photo, but so luminous.

happenings

Want knitting? Skip to the end.

The beans have really popped! I harvested by first beans today – a good handful of Royal Burgundy and Provider bush beans. I sauteed them briefly in a little olive oil, then sprinkled them with salt and downed them right quick. Yum. About ten minutes from plant to mouth. I love growing things.

Other stuff in the garden is going crazy too – this is actually two zucchini plants. They’re huge! No fruit yet, but I’m hoping for soon.

I also finally have a couple of teeny tomatoes. Things have been so slow this year, but my tomato plants are starting to outgrow their cages and they look super.

Two weeks ago or so I planted some rainbow chard in a pot – it’s still very tiny, but it won’t take too long for it to get a whole lot bigger (I hope).

On a completely unrelated topic, I’ve got some awesome (lightly worn) shoes for sale that I’m hoping someone out there can use -

Dansko Mylas – brown, women’s size 38. I loved these shoes, but they just didn’t love me and my orthotics. Danskos rule! Click on the photo for more info. I paid $120, asking $65 including shipping to the US or Canada.

Adbusters Blackspots – the “World’s Most Ethical Shoes”, apparently – they look similar to Converse Allstars, but with a hemp upper, handdrawn logo and sweet spot, and are built in a union shop in Portugal. They also feel more substantial than Chucks, with a lot more cushioning in the sole.

Women’s size 7 – they turned out to be a little too small for me, but I’m totally going to buy a bigger pair because they’re really cool and comfy. I paid $90 Canadian, asking $50 USD including shipping. You can tell they’re very lightly worn because the toe caps are still white!

Email me if you’re interested in either pair – they’re great shoes, and I’m sad that they didn’t work out for me! I have such trouble buying shoes, sigh. Does anyone have recommendations for shoes that work okay with orthotics (preferably with a removable insole) and are somewhat stylish?

Still with me? Want some eye candy?

I’m knitting a sample shawl for the store out of Louet Mooi – apparently it’s pronounced “moi”, but I keep thinking “mooey” in my head. It’s bison, bamboo and cashmere, and pretty spendy…but this red colour is gorgeous and it’s working up really nicely!

alpaca softness

Oy. The days, they swoop by, and I keep meaning to blog! I guess it’s been a pretty good start to the new year, with exciting happenings and parties and such. In the meanwhile, I’ve been continuing on a roll trying to get old projects off the needles.

This is a worsted-weight version of Charlotte’s Web, done in a super soft and cushy wool/alpaca blend that I bought at Rhinebeck 2006. I had wanted to buy enough for a sweater, but the vendor didn’t take credit cards and it was the end of the day – so I only had enough cash to buy 2 skeins – I think they were 250 yards each.

I think I’m going to give this one as a gift, so I’d better get to blocking it!

just add water

Ahhh, the day off. Slept in an hour or so, off to the dentist (okay, that wasn’t fun, but it wasn’t horrible, and at least it’s out of the way), then just chilling out.

I did some canning today, four one-litre jars of tomatoes – each jar holds quite a bit, so it was around 7-8 dozen tomatoes. Needed to get them off the counter! There’s still more tomatoes coming in, so I’m hoping to get another four jars at least (I have more pint jars to fill, too, but I could always do jam or something…). So far, I’ve done fifteen 500 ml jars and eight 1L jars altogether.

I also finished up the last little bit of seraphim and bound off.

The colour’s way off in the photos, it’s more of a smokey black with some copper and grey bits. The knitting was way fun, even though the rows were so long at the end! More on that following a good dunk and stretch.