Brunch

I wrote this entry months ago, but could never get the picture to load. It is the cheesy puff sweater in action:


Well, brunch was great. If you live near Hartford, the brunch at Dakota's steakhouse is phenomenal. Here's the pic of the happy bellies:

So cheesy

I had to stay up until 12:30 last night, but I finished Joe's wedding gift in the nick of time! We are having a party tomorrow for our family members that can't come to Aruba for the wedding, and I really wanted to finish the sweater so I could give it to him then. Well, here it is:

(Sorry for the ridiculously bad picture. I think the carpet in my cubicle freaked my camera out) It is Cheesy Puffs from Knitty (I am a free pattern whore, apparently). He really wanted the orange yarn like the pattern calls for, but I cannot trust him with 100% anything. Plus, 100% alpaca in a bulky yarn just sounds really hot to me. I looked and looked for bulky weight, partly acrylic, bright orange yarn, but oddly enough, there is not an abundance of it around. Who knew? I actually found the perfect yarn (Opera Feza) when my LYS went out of business, but there were only 3 balls of the orange and no other store on the entire planet had any more of it. ANYWAY!

Modifications:
I used Plymouth Encore chunky (perfect substitute!)
I knit the body and the sleeves in the round inside out. (reduced purling)
I knit the collar in seed stitch (to match the waist band and cuffs)

This was actually pretty fun (and quick) to knit. I loved torturing him every 5 minutes to try it on, take measurements, asking his opinion and then doing the opposite. It was great! It took me exactly 2 months to knit (it was my MAIN project, not my only project).

I'll try to talk him into some modeled shots after I give it to him tomorrow. I know I always promise these things and never deliver, but we're going to brunch on Sunday and I know I can guilt him into wearing it when we go. Stay tuned!

All kinds of busy

Where the heck have I been? Well, we went to the big E:







Mmmmmmmm. Millennium fries.















Then we went to a Yankee game. They lost. Oh, well.










Then I went to North Carolina to see my bff get married! The ceremony was great. Very romantic. It rained the whole time we were there until about 1 hour before the wedding. As it turns out, their beach house was decorated with an Asian theme, so there was a statue of a Buddha in the living room. Aimee offered a fifth of vodka to the statue in exchange for some sunny weather. Buddha did not let her down.

Finally!

Well, here she is:


Clearly needs blocking and end-weaving, but otherwise done! I would have modeled it, but I wanted it to be a prettier picture than just me and my hairy legs and all those ends hanging out of it. So, maybe later this week, we'll have a nice little photo shoot for her. It looks really short, but keep in mind I'm only 5'2".








OK, 5'1.5"

Early Honeymoon

Woo-hoo! I finished something! I worked on this little baby during my lunch hour and at Stitch n Bitch only and I finished it in a month. I know it's plain stockinette and no sleeves and all, but I am still impressed with the quick progress. I really like it (and Joe LOVES it). If you want to know, it's Knitty's Honeymoon pattern & my new favorite yarn, TLC Cotton Plus.

Sadly, it is too friggin cold to wear now in CT, but I'm thinking it will be perfect for Aruba!

**The dress is almost done. I don't know why I get so close to finishing something and just give up on it, but I'm trying to work on that. Hopefully it will be done by the end of the week. :)

Hey, Knit Happens.

Joe & I went to Virginia this weekend to see our friends down there and look where they took me:






Knit Happens in Alexandria!







Wasn't someone wondering where the heck all the Koigu in the world was? I think I found it all:









Those are buckets of Kersti on the side.














They also had an impressive amount of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock.














Lots of Regia......














And look at all this Art Yarn. Crazy! Karen would have been in heaven!



I was pretty good. I bought some Lorna's Laces, some Koigu, some Debbie Bliss Soho for a hat (25% off! I had to buy it!), and the new Interweave for the plane ride home. They had some cashmere stuff that was $35 a ball. I quickly put it down. They also had a BUNCH of Noro including Iro, which I had never seen in person before. Pretty neat stuff. Kinda regretting not getting some. Oh well.

Short row success!

Well, pretty much. After a .discussion at Karen's blog and Wendy at knit & tonic saying they caused her to get so stressed that she got a case of BO from the adrenaline; I decided to give short rows another try. One of Wendy's commenters recommended this link for an easy version with no wraps, no backwards yarnovers, and no knit 3 togethers. And, look! No holes! And there's none on the other side either! (ok, there's one tiny one, but it's because I wasn't paying attention, not the fault of the pattern).

Please tell me my ankles are not that huge. It's a funny angle, right?

I suck at Project Spectrum

I started Project Spectrum in May. I started a green Nothin but a T-shirt. It still needs sleeves. And a neck. So, in June, I thought I would make Joe a pair of blue socks. I made him one blue sock. So, for July I thought I would make all kinds of cool stuff. Cause purple I can do. I have tons of purple stuff. I have a purple truck:

















I have a purple cubicle:

















I have a ton of purple yarn in the stash:
















The car I really really really really want more than anything is purple:
















So I thought that I would just ROCK at project spectrum in July since this month's theme color is and always has been my favorite color. All I managed to make was this stupid farmer's market-type bag:




I like it though. I think it will really come in handy in Aruba, and as you can see, it's already making itself useful. Cause I needed more yarn.

Back in business

Back in business
Originally uploaded by jennylewinsky.

(Sorry for the white on white. I know it's hard to see. And, also, sorry for the jammies. It's been one of those days) I have been looking for a full slip to wear under the dress that doesn't have a lace neckline, but am having zero luck. I guess I have to break down and sew a lining after all. Bummer. I'm loving the pineapple pattern so far, though. Memorize a few stitches, then repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat................

If you see this man.........

Jenny 039
Originally uploaded by jennylewinsky.

If you see this man, don't tell him his hat makes him look like he has pigtails! This is knitty's Swell pattern. It's reason #325 to avoid crocheting my dress. I HAAAAADDDD to finish Joe's hat! Cause it's 100 degrees outside & he needs his wool hat RIGHT NOW!

Anyway! About this Swell pattern.... What is up with the gauge the pattern calls for? 16.5 stitches on size 5's with Cascade 220? Um, how? Are you supposed to double the yarn? It doesn't say to doulble it. I got 23 stitches on 6's. So, I changed the pattern to fit my gauge instead of using 13's to get gauge & having a holey hat. I ended up with 121 stitches instead of 99 like the pattern called for. Also, after you incorporate the earflaps into the round, it says to purl for 2 rows. I'm no expert, but there are not two purl rows on the hat that dude is wearing. So, I skipped the purls & did a round of single crochet around the bottom of the hat to keep the thing from rolling. Other than that, I eliminated the colorwork & changed the peace symbol to a Harley-Davidson logo. I could not get my camera to catch the light good enough to photograph it, but it's there, trust me.

Edited to add: I emailed the designer of Swell, and she said she is working on fixing the pattern's glitches. :)

The dress is finally out of the time out corner. After trying to graft the thing every way I could think of, I finally just gave up. It's 12 rows of ripping back. Not going to kill me.

My 'future' Mother-in-law ROCKS!

I called my future MIL about my little mis-hap with the dress. She asked me to send her a picture of the problem and then she would get back to me. She crocheted a mini version of the waistline and cut it to see what happened when she did. How awesome is that? Anyway, she said she cut one row of single crochet out of the work, picked out all the little yarn ends, then slip stitched the whole thing back together & it worked like a charm.

So.........

Are you guys as nervous as I am? I decided to add a few rows of sc to the bottom of the bust/waist line since it was a little short. So, while I do that, the bottom part will hang out on the cutting board. I am terrified these little loops are going to unravel. But I have been assured they will be fine.

Lovin the lace

After just ONE day on the lace part, I am already done with the first diamond pattern. Woo hoo! Now, if it were remotely close to being centered, I would be doing great.

Off by two stinkin' stitches. AAAAHHHHHH!

Any advice? Pam? Help!

Well, that took forever

Here is the progress on the Lily Chin dress. I finished the top! It seems like it's slow going, but I have been working on a bunch of other stuff. There is a mistake on the back that I am counting on my hair to cover, and there is a total fuck up on the front near the left sleeve (my left, your right). Can you see it? Be honest!

Recipe

I've noticed some people putting recipes up on thier blogs lately, so I decided to join the fun. Most of what I make comes from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook or from foodnetwork.com. This one, however, is all mine. And, it is vegetarian-friendly (but goes GREAT with steak).

Jenny's "Grilled" Veggies
















Ingredients:
1/2 large vidalia onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced or cubed
1 pkg sliced mushrooms
17 frozen baby brussels sprouts (I use fresh ones cut in half when I can find them)
Extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Jane's Crazy Mixed-Up Seasonings



Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of a pan that will fit on your grill with the lid closed. Mine is an old Wilton cake pan. You want a thin coat of oil in the pan. Put veggies in the pan and drizzle olive oil over the top of them. Sprinkle the seasoning salt over the veggies & then toss them with your (clean) fingers to evenly coat. Put the pan on a pre-heated grill (on high) 10 minutes before you put the meat on. I turn the heat down to medium when I put the meat on, so if you are only making the veggies, do high for 10; medium for 10, or until the onions are carmelized & the peppers just start to blacken.






This will work in the oven as well if you are an apartment dweller. Just use really high heat (400-450 degrees). I just love that smoky flavor you get from using the grill though.


Enjoy!

IPod Me-me

I saw this over at Stephanie's blog, so I thougt I'd give it a try. Especially since I have absolutely zero knitting, crocheting, or sewing progress to show for lately. I am on the sleeves of Nothin but a T; down to the heel on Joe's sock #1; 1/2 way through the bodice of the Lily Chin dress; almost done with the bodice of another dress (sewing project); and have practically given up on the little white sock. I just can't get that heel right. None of this schizoprenic crafting makes for good blog fodder, so I'm doing a stinking me-me.

The way it works:
1. Put your iPod on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the the question.

How am I feeling today?
Always on your side-Sheryl Crow (ok, sure)
Will I get far in life?
Edge of a broken heart-Vixen (not sure i like that)
How do my friends see me?
Animals-Nickelback (this one made me laugh out loud)
When will I get married?
Until I fall away-Gin Blossoms
What is my best friend's theme song?
I do, I do, I do, I do, I do-Abba (she HAS been married twice & engaged another time)
What is the story of my life?
Hey Jealousy-Gin Blossoms (...gives ipod the stink eye)
What was high school like?
Hold my Hand-Hootie and the Blowfish (that's what my parents think anyway)
How am I going to get ahead in life?
Brown Eyed Girl-Jimmy Buffett (who? who is she oh, wise ipod?)
What is the best thing about me?
Still the night-The Bodeans (now we're talking, heh, heh)
How is today going to be?
Savin'Me-Nickelback
What is in store for this weekend?
T-R-O-U-B-L-E-Travis Tritt (yikes!)
What song describes my parents?
Cheatin'-Gin Blossoms (um, no comment)
What song describes your grandparents?
When I kissed the teacher-Abba (no clue here)
How is my life going?
Alone Again-Dokken (hey! not true!)
What song will they play at my funeral?
That's Rock n Roll-Shawn Cassidy (that is embarassing in so many ways)
How does the world see me?
Just Like Heaven-The Cure (yeah!)
Will I have a happy life?
Fernando-Abba (so, that's a no?)
What do my friends really think of me?
Seventeen-Winger (so, do you guys think i'm immature or "youthful?")
Do people secretly lust after me?
Something Stupid-Nicole Kidman & Robbie Williams (oh, fuck you ipod)
How can I make myself happy?
Cheeseburger in Paradise-Jimmy Buffett (damn right)
What should I do with my life?
Pieces of the night-Gin Blossoms (drink more?ok!)
Will I ever have children?
Ring Ring-Abba (someone please explain this one-i would like to know the answer)
What is some good advice for me?
Cryin-Aerosmith (i never cry--maybe i should start?)
What is my signature dancing song?
I hate myself for lovin you-Joan Jett (so true)
What do I think my current theme song is?
Angel-Shaggy
What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
Alison Road-Gin Blossoms
What type of men/women do you like?
It's so easy-Sheryl Crow (LOL!)
What kind of kisser are you?
I saw the sign-Ace of Base
What's your style?
Dancing Queen-Abba (I don't deny it)
What kind of lover are you?
Burning Love-Elvis (HELL YEAH!)
What would be playing on a first date?
Time for me to fly-REO Speedwaggon (my ipod is cracking me up)
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
She's in love with the boy-Trisha Yearwood (i hope the ipod is talking about Joe-not an actual boy--I'll be 40!)

I have to admit- that was pretty fun. I'm not going to tag anyone, but let me know if you do it so I can come over to your blog & read yours.

What we do for fun, Part II

For those of you that were wondering where all the rednecks were this weekend, we were here:
















The Dover NASCAR race. Now, here's a sport that knitters might enjoy. We set up camp around 7 AM & then just sit around and eat and chill out until 1. Plenty of time to knit (Or play with your Treo).















Then, we go to the track. There's like an hour or so of awards ceremonies, driver introductions, and anthem singing. You can't really see any of this happening, so may as well knit!
















After that, we watch the race. But, sometimes it gets a little boring, so I keep my sock on stand-by. One thing I REALLY love about going to races is that you can pack a cooler and bring it into the track. Food, beer, water, whatever you want as long as it isn't glass. How awesome is that? Try that at Yankee stadium. They'll laugh at you! This guy cracked me up. He had his hat on sideways the whole day.





Gangsta gramps?

Trying to be faithful

The craft store was out of the thread I need for the lace wedding dress, so while I wait for it to arrive, I'm working on my project spectrum sweater. Lately I've been trying knitting monogamy. I WILL NOT knit anything else until I finish my Nothin but a T-shirt! Not to mention this is part of a KAL with Lauren (fastest knitter ever), so I really have to focus on this and only this to keep up with her.







But, there's nothing wrong with a little fling on the side, right? If it's totally harmless? What if they're really cute? I can't knit these for long periods of time anyway because my hands get all sweaty and the yarn is IMPOSSIBLE to work with once that happens. The pattern is peek-a-boo socks from Spun Magazine & I'm using Cascade Fixation. Just FYI, this pattern blows. Next time I will use another anklet pattern & use this one once I get to the toes.





This is what Rocco has been up to lately. He got fresh wheat grass from Petsmart & he is ecstatic. He likes it when I use the squirt bottle to mist it a little and make it all dewey.

Am I crazy?

After weeks of searching for the perfect little sundress to wear for my wedding, I said, "screw it, I'm just gonna make one." So far I found this:




I really like crocheting. Even better than knitting. I think that is a necessity when embarking on something of this magnitude. I already have yarn picked out thanks to Erica, so I guess there's no turning back now, huh? The up side is that if I don't like it, I can just resume the search and I'm only out $50 worth of yarn. So, am i just totally nuts? Bridezillla?

What we do for fun

So, sometimes I read other knitting blogs and see what they do on the weekends (other than knitting) and I think: "Ren Faire? Soccer tournament? Karaoke? Folk music festival? WTF? What a bunch of LOSERS!!!" To everyone I have ever thought that about, I apologize. I realized today that it takes all kinds of people.........



First, my getup:


Slimming, huh?
















Then there's my hairdo:



It really does help with keeping the hair out of my face, plus I'm tangle-free when I get home!










Then we meet up with 5,000 or so friends:


















Then listen to the governor tell us to be safe, thanks for giving money to the children's hospital, blah, blah, blah:


















Then we ride through the capital city and 3 surrounding towns and scare people. Fun stuff! The boy sure was happy though:
















And in the end, that's all that matters. He does fund many ridiculous yarn purchases, so I have to give him a little Joe time every now and then. Plus I get to see some really freaky people at these things. I have pictures of them, but blogger is being retarded, so I guess I'll post them later.

I can't believe I'm wearing something I made

Hopeful on
Originally uploaded by jennylewinsky.

I have made lots of things for myself. This is the first sweater, though; and this is the first item that has made it out of the house other than a scarf. The waist shaping looks a little wonky in the pic, but looks totally normal in real life. I used #7 Denise's, TLC Cotton Plus, and the awesome Hopeful pattern by Jenna Adorno. The only changes I made were I did a SSK instead of K2tog along the neckline, and I did a 10 stitch 2x2 rib for the little "napkin ring" part. I was worried that the ribbing at the bottom would enhance my ample hippage, but I steamed it into submission & I think it looks great. I will definitely make another one of these in the future!

In other news

Hopeful is finally done. It fits perfectly! I'll try to get Joe to get a picture of me in it tonight after it's done blocking. Here is one of the reasons Hopeful took so long:



The incessant begging for dinner started at 2 PM and I finally caved at 4 PM. He has me so trained.

Where do I start?

I guess I should start with this:















I got it Friday night from Joe. He took me to Carmen Anthony's & asked me during dessert. I have no idea what he said but I'm pretty sure I said yes. hehehehe.

Then there's Hopeful. Hopeful is trying to kill me. I finished the body in one week, so I was pretty stoked that I would finish the sleeves over the weekend. Not so much. It took me a week and a half to do ONE sleeve (my first time with this wrap & turn business, so it took me a while to catch on). And it came out like this:

Total dog shit.
The other one is coming out perfect.
GRRRRR!!!!

Look, Ma, I got gauge!

I hate gauge swatches. I am a total instant gratification knitter and they just annoy me. This is why I haven't really made garments before I guess. But I really wanted to make Hopeful for myself AND actually wear it, so I decided to at least make a little one. The bottom 1/2 is on 8s (4.5 st/in) & the top half is on 7s (5 st/in--what I was going for). I am not going to worry about row gauge because the pattern is written to go by inches, not rows. I have around 4 or so inches done & I still have gauge. Woo hoo!! I feel like a real live knitter!

No FO, shameless Kitty photo instead

Rocco playing dead
Originally uploaded by jennylewinsky.

Joe cleaned yesterday. This means I will not find my camera for at least 2 days. So, no new FO to show. I am one square away from being finished with my mitred square baby blanket (that I totally ripped off from Paula). If I have enough yarn left over, I might make the little one a matching pillow. Still pondering that one, though. If the camera surfaces, pics tomorrow. Until then, here's Rocco playing "if you don't feed me soon, I will die. I mean it. Look at how weak I am already. Pleeeeeeeeezzzzzzzeeeee feeeeeeeed meeeeeee. I love you. Mommy? Are you listening? Ok, see, I died. Look at what you did." Crazy cat.

Odessa!

Odessa
Originally uploaded by jennylewinsky.

This hat is really red, not coral. My bedroom is apparently quite sunny at 7 AM. Who knew? Odessa was really easy to knit even though it looks really complicated. There's just alot of counting involved. And beads. Alot of beads. All of the beads ended up on the purl side of my stitches, so I had to force them to the front to sit on the knit stitches. (My trusty makeup mirror is modeling for me.)

Blog vacation

Cupcake Hat
Originally uploaded by jennylewinsky.

I haven't posted in so long, i forgot my password! Oops! So, this week, the plan is to post at least one FO each day so I can catch up. Man, coming back from vacation is a bitch! Anyway, this is my neice, Mackenzie and the cupcake hat I made her for Christmas. Her dad (my brother) is a big loser and hasn't seen her in over a year. She lives with her mom in Virginia & my idiot brother moved to Florida to "hide" from his ex & the evil child support collector. Asshole! Why have a baby if you don't want to support it? Why? Luckily, my parents have taken it upon themselves to help the ex out & they take her for the weekend here and there to give the mom a break. Still doesn't replace having a Dad, but hopefully my mom's guilt trips will make the boy come to his senses.