Cruel Nature Provides Much Amusment!

Yesterday I noticed our cat, Cydney, looking out the window of her little perch acting agitated. Upon investigation I discovered a squirrel was running around on the fire escape, strutting by the glass, clearly taunting her. It was very funny to watch.

This morning it happened again and, lo and behold, there are now two squirrels out there, wrestling with each other and annoying the crap out of our cat. At this rate the whole fire escape will be over-run with squirrels by next week!

Maybe soon I'll get an equally amusing photo of what our other cat, Scout, does when he sees a bird out the front window. They don't come as close though so it's not nearly as dramatic ...

Wild Wild West

So, this past weekend Fabulous Boyfriend and I went on a little trip to Boulder Colorado. His whole family was there for his dad and stepmom's 25th wedding anniversary. We managed to pull off the surprise aspect in spite of the fact that Fab Boy and I were 2 1/2 hours late due to mechanical problems on our connecting flight from Detroit (which meant that the parents were dragged all over town that afternoon, seemingly for no reason ... they recovered quickly when they realized the reason why!) The delay did give me enough time to knit an entire hat on the plane, a cute little cabled number from some Cascade 220.

Saturday and Sunday were action-packed, beginning with a hike in the foothills (NOT the mountains, a very important difference to Colorado-ains), a trip to the Boulder Creek Arts Festival (where we got free samples of all sorts of healthy snack products and a free re-useable grocery bag), and a beer tasting at the Avery Brewery (yummy! highly recommended). On Sunday we drove up to the real mountains, walked around the shops in Estes Park (a town, not a park) and then drove through Rocky Mountain National Park (actually a park). We saw elk, bighorn sheep, and a marmot! No bears or mountain lions, thankfully. The day finished with an early dinner at The Med (a tapas restaurant) and a walk around the Pearl Street area in Boulder. Lots of good time relaxing at Fabulous Boyfriend's sister's condo, where, amazingly 10 adults and one baby spent the entire weekend with no real conflict. Perhaps the kegerator helped ...

I did have the chance to test out my Hands-Free Beverage Carrying Device and I am quite pleased. It seems plenty durable and served its intended purpose well. No other knitting related news, I purposely avoided looking up any yarn stores in Boulder as I seem to have a real problem leaving one without spending at least $50.

All in all a much needed vacation and a great visit! I'll post some pictures when I get them!

Reader Survey: What would you expect to pay?

So, I am preparing some items to sell at the Great Blue Heron music festival this summer and I need your feedback!

What might you expect to pay at a music festival for a hand-knit beverage carrier such as the one pictured here? It is sized to fit a commercial 16.9 water bottle, 24 oz soda bottle, 18 oz Nalgene bottle, or a can/bottle of beer. (Pretty universal). I'm making them out of various yarns but they're all 90%-100% wool, variegated colors, lightly felted. The festival is sort of hippie/Americana/roots music. I'm planning to make some other stuff too (a few hats, some other felted bags and coin purses, and sewn reusable fabric grocery bags) but I'm thinking this will be one of my core items.

Leave a comment with your thoughts! (If you are a knitter try to imagine that you couldn't/wouldn't just make one yourself ...)

In Memoriam

I received word over the weekend that an old friend from high school, Anne, passed away. She battled cancer for several years with amazing tenacity and grace. I can't say that we'd been close since graduation but my thoughts are certainly with her family. A lovely tribute can be found here.

Life is short, take time to be kind.

Don't Forget!

Today is your last day get to a $25 sign-up bonus for joining Revolution Money Exchange.

In case you missed my earlier post, this is a new on-line money transfer service, similar to Paypal. It is backed by an actual bank but is a non-interest bearing account. You can link any bank account to you RME account and then send anyone money using just their email address. The advantage over Paypal is there are no charges to receive money.

This could be a great service if you sell things on Etsy, Ebay, or even Ravelry. (I'm hoping to get the Etsy thing going before Christmas and plan to use RME whenever I can.)

The other thing I could see using it for are those times when siblings go in on a shared gift. How much of a pain is it to send a check to Mary Jane in Michigan every year for your $10 share of Grandma's fruitcake? Or how about the next time you arrange a camping trip/concert tix/bachelor(ette) party and need to collect funds from your co-workers and friends?

Anyway, I think Revolution Money Exchange just might have a good thing going. If you think you'd ever use it, or just want to collect your $25 and run, then click the button on the right and spend 2 minutes setting up an account.

Free Pattern - Hands-Free Beverage Carrying Device

It may not call your mom from your car for you or play music on command, but with this amazing new device you can carry a beverage WITHOUT USING YOUR HANDS! Amazing, I know.

Okay, this beverage carrier may not be revolutionary but if you're like me and bring a bottle of water with you everywhere it's useful and convenient. Also, the amazing natural properties of wool mean this carrier not only insulates your drink, but also absorbs any condensation.

This project provides nearly instant knitting satisfaction. I whipped the first one out in less than 2 hours and it's definitely easy enough for a beginner. In fact, it might make a perfect intro to knitting on double pointed needles in the round!

Here's the skinny:

Yarn- Less than one ball of Filatura Di Crosa 127 Print (it comes 93 yd/ball.) I loooove this yarn! It comes is such vivid colors and the little bits of variegation add interest without any extra work. Also, the single-ply, coarse texture mean it felts easily.

Needles- Sz 8 US double pointed needles.

Gauge- about 4 stitches per inch (approximate is okay for this project)

This carrier is made for a 18-oz Nalgene bottle and will also fit a 16.9 oz commercial water bottle or standard 24 oz soda bottle.

Instructions:

Cast on 36 stitches. Divide evenly over 3 double pointed needles. Join for working in the round. The cast on edge will be the top of your bottle carrier. You will want about an 8-inch tail remaining when you cast on, this will be used when you begin the strap.

Knit in stockinette (knit all stitches) until you have a tube about 6 inches in length.

Decrease as follows:
1st round- Knit 7, Knit 2 together - 4 times (32 stitches remain)
2nd round- K6, K2tog - 4 times (28 stitches remain)
3rd round- K5, K2tog- 4 times (24 stitches remain)
4th round- K4, K2tog- 4 times (20 stitches remain)
5th round- K3, K2tog- 4 times (16 stitches remain)
6th round- K2, K2tog- 4 times (12 stitches remain)

Cut yarn, leaving about an 8 in tail. Thread end of yarn onto a needle, draw through remaining stitches, and pull tight. Weave in end.

Now for the strap!

Using one double pointed needle pick up the first 5 stitches of the cast on edge, those directly to the left of your "tail". Using the tail yarn, knit the 5 picked-up stitches. This is a set up row for joining the strap later. Leave this needle in place for now and move to the other side to begin the strap.

Moving clockwise around the cast on edge pick up stitches 19-23 (stitch 1 was the first picked-up stitch closest to the "tail").

Row 1- Knit
Row 2- Purl
Row 3 (right side)- K1, P1, K1, P1, K1
Row 4 (wrong side)- P1, K1, P1, K1, P1

Continue in K1, P1 rib (repeating rows 3 and 4) until strap reaches approximately 40 inches in length, ending with a right side row. Strap length can be adjusted as desired, just remember that the strap will have a tendency to stretch with use. I made this one to be worn comfortably across the body or on one shoulder.

Join strap edge to the other side (remember those other 5 stitches on that other needle?) using Kitchener Stitch ... if you are a beginning knitter don't worry, Kitchener stitch is really NOT as complicated as people make it sound! :) For an excellent tutorial on Kitchener stitch see this Knitty article.

You've now completed the construction of your Hands-free Beverage Carrying Device! One last step: a little felting!

This photo shows an un-felted carrier on the left, and the lightly-felted finished product on the right. It's a subtle difference but really firms up the fabric, making it more durable and insular.

I opted to felt this project by hand so I could really control the effect. It was actually really cool and satisfying to felt a project this way, you can actually see and feel the fabric changing in your hands.

Fill a sink with as hot of water as you can stand and add a tiny drop of dish-soap or detergent. Immerse your project in the water and begin swishing it around. I sort of rubbed it together between my hands and quickly squished water through it (all those things you're NEVER supposed to do to a hand-knit). This will slosh some water around so have a towel handy! Keep an empty bottle nearby so you can check your progress. When it's felted enough for your taste rinse it well, roll it up in a towel to remove excess water, and put it over your empty bottle to dry for a couple days. Voila!!

Now grab a cold one and get outside, summer will be over before you know it!

Revolution Money Exchange

This is a new online thing for sending and receiving money, similar to PayPal. You can get $25 for joining by May 15th. Plus if you click here:




I will get $10 too! Check it out! 'Cause who couldn't use a free $25, right? It's completely legit and well reviewed by many personal finance blogs but if you're concerned go google it yourself. I signed up this morning and already have my $25.

Don't delay because this offer only runs through Thursday, May 15th. Go sign up and then refer your own friends!

Fun Stuff!

My newest form of amusement is watching tv shows over the internet via hulu.com. They have lots of movies and old tv programs, including my recent fave, the first couple seasons of Doogie Howser. These are so funny to watch, especially now that Neil Patrick Harris is on "How I Met Your Mother" and has been in those Harold and Kumar movies! Also a good source for just-run shows that you may have missed when they were first broadcast (I just watched the Simpsons from two weeks ago). Most of the current stuff was originally on network television so don't expect to catch all that stuff you're missing by not having 247 channels (I view my steadfast refusal to get cable TV as some sort of rebellious stance against "The Establishment" and will not cave, even under the occasional and relatively mild pressure of Fabulous Boyfriend) but you can catch some great nostalgia (Charlie's Angels, anyone?) Highly recommended.

Progress report

I've been in a bit of a funk lately but I guess since I've found a real job it's not the end of the world to be in a funk for a few days. Anyway, here's all the latest, knitting and otherwise!

The move to Indy:

Fabulous Boyfriend and I have started doing some apartment research. We'd identified the area(s) of town where we think we'd like to live and I've sent a few preliminary emails to apartment companies. Talked to one rental group today and they wanted a $200 NON-refundable pet deposit AND and extra $15/month rent PER PET (so $30 a month for our two cats), which is the rip off of the century. I mean, gee, all the hot showers the cats take really jack up the water bill?? So, it looks like we will not be renting with that company. I will probably make a visit in June to try to secure a place in advance of our move date which we believe will be July 14th.

The 5K training:

Did I tell you all I'm training for a 5k? A good friend of mine, her husband, and I have been following the Couch to 5k training program. We are on week 5, which means this Saturday is our first 20 minute/2 mile run! Looks like we are on track to participate in the Race For The Cure on June 14th. Running with them has been a great way to stay motivated and ensure I get out of the house to interact with others at least occasionally.

The garden:

My lettuce seems to have survived the transplant to the outdoors. The kitchen herb garden is working out well and I even used some of the basil and rosemary in tonight's dinner.

Knitting:

The swallowtail shawl progresses. It starts in the top center and grows from there so in every repeat of the lace pattern the rows get longer and longer, which makes it seem to go slower and slower. I'm also knitting an abbreviated version of the Montego Bay scarf. I think it will go in with the stuff I'm creating to sell at a music festival in July ... more on that later.

Whatever else it is I do with my time:

I read a great book today called The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. It's a well-woven, matriarchal story and I couldn't put it down. One of those books that you're sad when it's over. Probably most appealing to female readers but definitely recommended.

That's all for now!