blogger angst

felted bag series
Originally uploaded by Needleworks, Inc..

I've read countless other blog entries like the one I'm about to write. From bloggers who are tired of blogging, struggling with blogging. I mean, honestly, isn't this something I chose to do because it was fun? Do I now feel obligated? Not really obligated, but a little tired.

Oh, I've been busy, that's for sure. Look at the bags I've knit - all waiting to be felted. And I've been doing a lot of pattern-writing and picture-taking for the store, but I don't really want to share those pictures here at Needleworks, Inc. (You can go see them at the store if you like, in the form of many house patterns.) So it's not as though I've become less productive, just less enthusiatic about sharing every last detail of what I do.

I mean, really. Who cares what I thought about the new James Bod film? (It was awesome.) Or what I ate for breakfast? (Left over cranberry apple crumble with vanilla ice cream. Yes, ice cream for breakfast.) Am I breaking any amazing crafting ground by sharing that with you? How much does my opinion really matter?

Not to get all Angry Blogger on you - I'm not. I'm just saying, I can't share just for sharing's sake. I wish I could share with you something that I'm really excited about (a new knitting venture), but it's kind of top secret. Now that's no fun, is it?

Then there's all the gift knitting I'm doing - I can't share that. Not that my 19 year old brother reads my blog, but I'm a big believer in the idea that presents should be surprises. Ok?

So I miss being out there in the blogisphere. Maybe I should find other things to share. I'll figure it out eventually, I'm sure. See you soon.

who blogs about knitting anymore?

thrifted fabric
Originally uploaded by Needleworks, Inc..

Not me. Nope.

I found this fabric at an amazing thrift store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on North 6th Street. It's about 1.5 yards of fabric. I'm considering making it into a series of bags for the craft fair I have coming up in Decemeber.

I've been knitting and re-knitting the same sample for the store for the last week. I am very bored with it. I'm also completely bored with the Mystery Sweater. Yawn.

(Oh and at this same thrift store, Mater P found a mint condition Burberry trench coat for $75. I mean, I'm still reeling at the luck he had. It's never been worn - there are still replacement buttons in the pocket - and it had a button-in wool lining. For $75! We looked it up online and a new one costs about $1,500. You do the math. Sheesh. What luck!)

I have a genius cat.

I do.

I heard a bunch of noise last night. The typical rumblings and stumblings of our cats in the night when they're feeling frisky. I usually try to ignore it unless they've gotten ahold of a stray bottle cap or something and they noise is so annoying I'm forced to get up and scold them and take away said bottle cap.

Last night I was trying to igore the kitty noises when I bolted upright in bed. The tv was on. Monk had turned on the tv and was sitting on the couch - I swear - watching Cartoon Network.

Crazy cat.

move along

move along
Originally uploaded by Needleworks, Inc..

There's no knitting here. I have nothing to show for the last couple of weeks except some pattern pieces I've cut out. Aren't they pretty?

I'm not done with the Mystery Sweater yet. I have about 1/3 of the final sleeve knit and I'm slaving away today, hoping to finish it .

I've been knitting other items, but they're also secret. Mostly because they are Christmas presents or items for the store.

Maybe next Sunday I'll have a photo shoot with Master P and the Mystery Sweater. Stay tuned!

the home stretch

mystery sleeve
Originally uploaded by Needleworks, Inc..

I seriously can't believe how long I've been knitting this sweater. This is probably the longest it has taken me to knit anything! No kidding.

I haven't had much to blog about because I've mainly been slaving away at this little baby. I finished one sleeve on Friday night and sewed the buttons on yesterday so I could see what it was going to look like. I didn't want to do both sleeves and then realize that I hated it.

But, look! It's cute! I'm so happy! I knit the sleeve as I did the body to about the elbow and then did one round of decreases, every other stitch. Then I switched to the size 3 needle I was using for the ribbing on the body and knit away in a 3x3 rib. The result is a slightly pufffy cap with a very tight sleeve. Super cute!

I knit the sleeves using two circular needles and I have to say that I kind of liked it. It's the first time I've used this method on a item that wasn't a sock and I think it worked really well. Because of the construction of the garment, it's very unwieldy and didn't want to deal with double pointed needles.

Now I know not everyone goes in for the 2 circular needle deal, but if you are crazy enough (ahem) to have multiple needles laying around, you should go for it. I feel like it made this particular garment a lot more portable.

Now, I just have to finish the second sleeve! Hopefully we will have a photo shoot next weekend.

a clue for the mystery sweater

buttons & beads
Originally uploaded by Needleworks, Inc..

I've reached a real turning point with They Mystery Sweater, where I know have a fully realized vision of what she will be.

Before now, I was making it up as I knit, changing my mind often and re-knitting frequently.

I know now, for example, that these lovely white buttons will play an integral part. Stay tuned.

The beads are jade and were purchased at this really cool import store in DUMBO. John B, Master P and I took a little field trip earlier this week and stumbled into this shop. I couldn't tell you where it was, though I may be able to find it again. Perhaps. I really want to go back and buy a couple of these really cool pieces of coral.

Now I don't know the first thing about jewelry making or beading, but I had to have these. I really want to make them into a necklace, but don't know where to begin. Can anyone give me some advice on where to shop, what to do, etc.? Help! I'm lost!

puzzle me this

furniture puzzle
Originally uploaded by Needleworks, Inc..

One of my favorite places in all of New York City is the American Folk Art Museum's gift shop. I volunteer there on Friday nights and hardly a Friday goes by that I don't walk away with some little treasure fromt he shop.

This is a puzzle. It's a block of wood that was carved into eleven peices of furniture. Each one is a little "off" so they really only fit together one way.

They're tucked away on my dresser with my piggy bank and Master P's typewriters. Aren't they cute?

felt up

grenn & yellow felted bag
Originally uploaded by Needleworks, Inc..

What's that? You were really sad because I said I would show you pictuers of my felted bag yesterday and I didn't? Then I showed you some lame picture of myself wearing a corduroy blazer?

I'm sorry. I promise to never disappoint you again.

I've started this felted bag series and this is #2 of 5 bags. They're very loosely based on a pattern from Magknits from a while back.

This yarn is Pierrot Print from Madil. It's a beautiful, multi-colored, thick and thin wool that comes in 200g hanks!

The green and yellow bag I think will have a handle made from ribbon or fabric threaded through some grommets. I have to wait and see.

In other news, I finished the body ribbing on the Mystery Sweater and now only have to do the sleeves!

thrifting in action

walnut lapel
Originally uploaded by Needleworks, Inc..

Remember a while back when I posted about thrift shopping in NJ? Well, I finally got to wear my spiffy corduroy jacket this weekend. On the lapel, my mom's walnut shell brooch.

Master P snapped this shot of my second-hand loot outside of Old Town after a late lunch of burgers and beers on Sunday afternoon. It was such a lovely day that we wandered all over the city, window shopping, and even got to check out the Chelsea flea market.

What a lovely weekend!

yawn

new pen holders
Originally uploaded by Needleworks, Inc..

This is it, folks. Tin cans covered in felt. You're not gonna see much more than this for a little while longer.

If I didn't have such an aversion to progress shots, you'd be able to see the Mystery Sweater that I've been working on. I'm finishing her with about 7 inches of 3x3 ribbing on size 3 needles so it isn't going to fast. I still have the sleeves to do yet.

I started a series of felted bags for a craft fair that I go to every year. They're not so exciting. I'll maybe show you a pic tomorrow.

Oh, and the Jaywalker sock remains unfinished. It's lanquishing in its unfinishedness.

I'm also knitting a series of samples for the store, which are seriously cramping my style. You can see picks of them later here.

What a bust.

I was so excited to spend last night watching really fun Fall TV. But what did I find when I came home? My TIVO had recorded re-runs of Project Runway instead of ANTM and Survivorman instead of Lost! I nearly cried.

And speaking of crying, I almost lost it at the end of Project Runway when it was only Michael and Jeffery left. I was really going to cry if Michael got elimintated. Thank goodness he didn't!

I'm having some issues with flickr.com right now, so I won't be posting much. Not that I have been in the last month anyway.

In the meantime, check out where I'm moonlighting and s'occupez-vous!

the little sock that could

Paul Revere House
Originally uploaded by Needleworks, Inc..

Boy, yesterday's post looks like real junk, huh? I'm still mastering this multiple photo's thing. My internet connection at The Works is too slow to even allow it, so I posted from work, after hours, and I guess I was just too tired to get it to look right.

This is a pcture of my Jaywalker sock in Boston. It was only approriate that I brought the Jaywalkers with me. I had a nice, four hour-train ride to work on this sock and it was enough time to knit the heel flap, turn the heel and pick up stitches for the gusset.

I have to tell you, though, I'm really disappointed in it. The tension on my heel, where I had to work back and forth, is so much looser than the rest of the sock. It looks awful. Just awful. And I don't much like that knitting backwards business. Oh, well, I don't know if I see many more socks in my future.

Oh yeah, I spent the weekend in Boston. It was fun. We were real tourists and did all kinds of tourist stuff. You can see more pics on my flickr page.

(And you know what else, I must have been really, really tired last night because ANTM isn't even on on Tuesday. It's on tonight! Tonight, by the way, is a major TV night. I don't know if I can handle it!)

I had a super-big weekend, two weekends ago. So big that I am only just recovering.



First up, The NYC Knit Out and Amy Singer Visit. Amy Singer came to our store and all my worlds collided. Here is Amy with the Famous In My Universe, Carol. I love that Carol and Amy got to hang out because they are both really cool ladies.
The rest of the weekend was a blur. Needless to say, people who know me, know that I worked, and didn't participate in the Knit Out much. Oh well.





That very same weekend was a book release party for Heather, hosted by the fabulous Jill. Pictured left, Heather, Claudine, Jill and Berhan. This was Saturday night. The next day was the Knit Out. It was a action packed weekend.









Then, on Tuesday, it was Berhan's birthday. Why do I have no pictures of us singing karaoke at Berhan's birthday? Because it wasn't pretty. That's why. Trust me.

I managed to muddle my way through the week and then go to Boston this past weekend. I spent Saturday - Monday there. I will have proof of my visit (and knitting activity) for you tomorrow.

Now I'm off to watch ANTM and last night's Tivo-ed Studio 60. Farewell.

nostalgia

nostalgia
Originally uploaded by Needleworks, Inc..

It's no secret that Thursdays at The Works is more about nesting and less about knitting. It's a day that I get out of work early and have the chance to do things like shop, cook, and blog.

I saw these dahlias as I was walking to the subway and they called to me to buy them. Flowers are a luxury item when you live in the city. You have to depend on your local deli to provide afforable greenery, rather than stepping into your garden to cut it yourself.

In the bowl are some "italian prunes," or at least, that's what the produce store was calling them. They're a small type of plum and my grandparents used to have one of these trees in their backyard.

It wasn't until I put these purchases on my table that I realized that what drew me to by them was nostalgia.

My mother's parents always had these two items in their backyard. They had a little patch of land in Trenton, NJ on which they had a pear tree and plum tree and also grew tomatoes, green beens, cucumbers, peppers, onions, garlic, horseradish, and recently, eggplant and zuchinni.

The fruit and flowers undeniably remind me of my youth and my grandparents' garden. There were always dahlia's to cut at the end of summer. My mom has pictures of me as a little girl, clutching bouquets of dahlias to take to my teachers on the first week of school.

As I grew older, I loved to go to my grandmother's yard and cut the overgrown flowers to take home with me. They always cheered me up. In fact, I felt that they held mysterious cheer-ing powers. When my grandfather was sick and dying of cancer, I would cut a few every day and put them in a plastic cup near his bed. I believed that they must make him happy as they did me. They were a reminder of the garden that he spent so many hours working and weeding.

The plums and pears were consumed constantly while they were available. The plums were baked in to cakes and buckles and eaten whole. We often couldn't keep up with the pears and they would ripen and fall to the ground making the backyard a minefield of buzzing bees. When they were picked, my grandfather would feed us, cutting slices of the pears with a small paring knife.

Once the season came to an end, the fruit was stewed and canned and we would eat them all winter long with our Farina. My grandparents managed to preserve a little of their Old World lifestyle amid the concrete of their new city.

These plums won't last long enough to can them. I plan on eating them tonight. You take them between your thumb and index finger and squeeze to reveal the little pit. One you remove that, you can pop the whole thing in your mouth.

I'm using the last of my grandmother's tomatoes to make a roasted tomato soup with lentils. I have a bag full of green beans that I don't know what to do with. I think I'll freeze some so that I can eat them mid-winter. The rest I plan on pickling.

But the plums, the plums will be eaten right away. Tonight.

P.S. Thanks to my friend, Berhan, who made a lovely gift of this pitcher and bowl!

the spoils of home

Some things I do almost immediately upon arriving at my parents' house.

1. Raid my mom's closet:

My mother is quite the fashion-plate and she never throws anything away. As a result, every few years or so, I get to rediscover some very cool stuff. This is a pin made from a walnut shell and a beaded necklace from when she was in college.

2. Hit the thrift stores:

I found these shirts at the local thrift shop. They just called out to me to buy them. I am going to make them into a patchwork something, but I'm not sure yet. Any thoughts? I also scored a cool, olive green, corduroy suit and a pleated, calf-length, wool skirt.

3. Go shoe shopping:

I always hit the Target and DSW in NJ. I find it so much more palatable shopping for shoes here than in NYC. It's less cut-throat. I picked up these babies yesterday. Aren't they the cutest?

slouching towards fall

alpaca beret
Originally uploaded by Needleworks, Inc..

I just could not take knitting on Not Bad Penny for one more minute, so I took one night off to make this beret.

(Sorry for the really bad quality photo. This is what happens when you try to take picture during a rainy afternoon.)

Made from: Misti Alpaca super chunky, double stranded

Knit on: size 10 and 15 addi turbo circular needles

Time to knit: one viewing of Angel, season one, disk three, one Deadwood season finale

You can find the pattern here. This is just the right kind of quick fix knit when you're longing for fall. Sigh.

SP8 Loot

SP8 Loot
Originally uploaded by Needleworks, Inc..

So I finally had a chance to snap pics of my SP8 loot. Now that you see it all, you know why it took me so long! This is what was included:

* Jam from a local orchard (Master P and I ate this for breakfast on Thursday - It was so good.)
* 3 skeins of merino wool from handpaintedyarn.com, colorway Strawberry Fields
* 2 skeins of Knitpicks sock yarn
* one skein of sock-weight soy yarn from local soy producers!
* more Sharpies and a cool notebook and little accesories pouch
* laceweight merino from handpaintedyarn.com
* fruit cocktail (This made me laugh the most. It proved that Stacey really, truly read my blog)
* a pig Christmas tree ornament and a t-shirt from Stacey's hometown
* sock yarn, hand-dyed by my secret pal. Isn't she the best?

What didn't make it to the photo gallery: a bunch of beauty supplies, which I had trouble photographing, more laceweight yarn that is a beautiful dark, almost black, purple color, and some chocolate goodies that I opened and ate right away.

This was my first blogger gift exchange and I have to say, that I was very, very fortunate. Thank you for everything, Stacey!

what i'm loving right now

monk on a chair
Originally uploaded by Needleworks, Inc..

* angel, willow, firefly, and life aquatic colorways at sweet georgia

* my cat, Monk, when he's quiet like this (which is not often)

* waking up and drinking coffee while it's still kind of dark and rainy

* the fact that this book is being delivered to me tomorrow

* the fact that I wore a jacket today (yay! fall!)

* bad penny has taken a turn and is no longer bad penny, but better!

* five days ahead of me at my parents' house filled with knitting, trips to Target and walks with Ella

hello

stack by lamp
Originally uploaded by Needleworks, Inc..

This is a stack on my work table, next to my favorite avacado green lamp. Yes, there is only one lamp. Maybe I'll tell you that story another time.

The stack consists of (starting from the bottom) some books and magazines that are part of knitting WIPs, clothes that I can no longer wear, but don't want to part with, Tulip waiting for some adjustments, my needle roll and notions pouch. (That blue floral fabric is the first skirt I ever made, four dress sizes ago).

My weekend was cut short this week (because I'm going on vacation at the end of the week). Sunday, however, was quite lovely.

Master P and I had brunch in Williamsburg with a long ago friend. Ursula was our closest friend when we lived in Paris. She's spent the last 4 years in Cairo, working as a journalist, and is now getting her master's degree at NYU. I am so happy she's in NYC, at least for a little while!

We puttered around The Needleworks for most of the rainy afternoon and then had a very impromtu dinner with another dear friend that we don't get to see very often, because he's a very busy fella.

On the menu: white bean & celery crostini, pasta with pesto, chicken, and zucchini, the season finale of Entourage, ripe peaches and strawberries, some great wine and a few episodes of The Venture Brothers. Lovely.

best. secret pal. ever.

from stacey's garden
Originally uploaded by Needleworks, Inc..

My secret pal, Stacey, is the coolest. She waited until the end of our secret pal exchange to send a package and, oh, what a package she sent!

This amazing person over-nighted a package that contained, not only enough yarn and goodies to make your head spin, but tomatoes from her garden! Over. Night. Tomatoes.

These tomatoes made the perfect late summer dinner. I cooked some pasta and tossed these with marinated mozzarella, kalamata olives and grated parmesan. Simple and heavenly.

(I will be posting the rest of the loot later. I didn't have enought daylight to take worthy pictures. I actually ran out of daylight. Can you believe that?)

Note: When did this become a food blog? I added basil to the pasta and it was amazing. I used a cup and a half of marinated bocconcini, along with the marinating oil and a half cup of olives, coarsely chopped. The olives added salt and the mozzarella was lovely and creamy. The basil added a sweet under tone. If I were to do it again I would have chopped the mozzarella as well - it would have melted more. By far, the best meal I've had in ages.