Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Knit & Purl

Ever since my friend Kim taught me to knit as part of her Virgin Knitters project (if you click on the link my scarf's the pinky-red lacy one, fourth from the top--and here's a pic of me wearing it and looking extra nerdy), I've been wanting to learn more. I finally, FINALLY, signed up for a knitting class at FIT and am kicking myself for not doing this sooner. This class would have been so useful many YEARS ago when I wanted to make something meaningful for my nephews when they were born--first Spencer Jack, then exactly two years later Wyatt William. They're four and six now to give you an idea of how long this idea has been percolating--so annoying.

It's been awhile since I've been in a classroom. And while taking a class in a windowless room in a basement isn't as charming as say, drinking wine and hanging out with other knitting virgins at Kim's cute apartment, it definitely has its perks. In just a few three-hour sessions my teacher has taught us how to cable, increase, decrease, read a pattern and a cha
rt, calculate gauge, block, make lace, do intarsia. Oh, and we've also made hats. Mine hasn't been blocked yet and I think I miscalculated the gauge and/or the circumference of my head because it's a bit large and looks kinda like a shower cap: Oh well. When you've got a Rosemary's Baby 'do, it tends to be a challenge to find a hat that doesn't look like a shower cap...unless you're Mia Farrow, I guess. Back to the drawing board. At least it was fun to make. I used the double fleck stitch from Interweave Press' Knit & Purl for the edge, your everyday stockinette for the top and then sewed the whole thing together.

Oh, and this is my practice swatch:
My teacher's philosophy is to teach us the hard stuff since we don't know any better, so we started with a basic rib, went on to the pillar stitch and then did cables. I REALLY wish I would have taken a picture of my lace before I got frustrated and unraveled the whole thing.

Blingle-bells!

What the...Santa??? There was a swarm of 'em hanging out in front of K-Mart. Shouldn't they be at the North Pole this time of year? I think they had a contest going on to see who could get the most people to sit on their laps. I'd put my money on Ol' Chris Blingle!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Coral dogs

Spotted at De Vera.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Sunday afternoon stroll

View from the Manhattan Bridge. Tina, I took this for your laundry line collection:
Hiding out in Freemans' courtyard:The Bowery:
and Soho:

Saturday, September 12, 2009