"I don't even own a TV"

I've heard people say that my whole life. Friends and acquaintances that could proudly tout their televisionary independence. I've gone through peaks and valleys when it comes to TV watching. I've had crappy little TV sets that only carry 2 or 3 clear channels and I've had gigantic flat screens with complete cable packages. I've killed a whole day vegging out in utter laziness and I've had months where I've watched nothing but a rented movie or two.  But I have never been totally weened off of the boob tube. Until now.

So, what do you do to pass the time when you don't have a television? I mean, no screen-based entertainment at all (this includes internet people... no Hulu, no YouTube... I swear, I've had much more dramatic withdrawals from our lack of internet access than I have from not having a TV, but I digress...).  You go out, right? To the pubs! Or on a chilly evening stroll.

Right. But what about the evenings in? When its dark outside, you've finished dinner, and the chores are done... but its not quite time to get ready for bed? Then what do you do??

Well, you uke.

Or put together puzzles.

(this picture taken the morning after a crazy night of puzzling.)

Or knit.

(and unravel it all... and knit again... and unravel it all...)

You mess with the cats

You do a little finger pickin'

You bake apple/pear pie

(sans recipe... Tried to make it 'healthy' so I used minimal sugar. It was quite tart, but easily remedied by adding copies amounts of vanilla ice cream)

You stare at the ceiling

or out the window.

And, of course, you read.

At least, that's what we do! And for the most part, I don't really miss TV at all (although it would be nice to get the broadband hooked up so we could stream a show or two, I mean, I didn't move to the UK to stop watching Downton Abbey!) Most of all,  I'm getting used to the quiet. I had the habit of turning on the TV just as background noise, and I find I am happier without the constant bombardment of chatter and adverts. And Matthew and I are having some delightful fireside chats... OK, that took it a little too far, but we are a lot more present with one another, if that makes any sense!

I'd love to hear what any of you do when you're not plugged in- in case we run out of ideas here we can steal yours!

Things to look forward to in December...

Seeing the Muppet movie

Getting a Christmas tree and decorating it

Lighting the menorah

Playing dreidel

Finishing the purple scarf

Picking out the next book for bed time reads

Putting together a gingerbread house

Visiting Jess and Harley (and Sophie)

Birthdays of one brother and two sister-in-laws

Getting a facial

Going through my vacation pictures

Doing a bit of local/artisan/crafty shopping for friends and family

Seeing pretty lights

Singing carols

Hanging the stocking by the chimney with care

Christmas! and presents!

Visiting with Julie and Brian

Finishing Silver Bough

Hosting a dinner party?

The surprise Matt has planned for this weekend!

Putting together the Quiddich lego set

Getting in lots of cuddle time with all my boys.

New Stitches

It's been a while since I have posted about knitting... actually, it has been a while since I have completed a new knitting project (and it feels like cheating to share anything before it's finished). And now that my knitting circle has disbanded, I am left holding the needles all alone... nobody to encourage me, nobody to fix my slipped stitches, nobody to suggest the next stitch to learn. *picture one solitary tear rolling down my cheek as I write this-

But the row must go on! I don't wish to remain a beginning knitter forever, so I push forwards. A couple of instructive manuals and bookmarked YouTube tutorials guide me through new challenges. This, paired with my very low expectations that I will get any new stitch right on the first try, has left me pleasantly surprised. I can learn new stitches on my own! Sure, they come out looking crooked and inconsistent, but they also look a lot like what I was going for, and that makes me happy. In fact, the best feeling in knitting, other than having completed a project, is that moment that happens a dozen or so rows into a new stitch, when you stretch out your work and can clearly see the pattern emerging. Nice.

 Close ups: First attempts of my new stitches, in all their wonky glory.  

basketweave stitch

mesh stitch

ribbed

butterfly

Double seed stitch

Things to Look Forward to in April

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow, Part 1 is released on DVD
Mama's birthday
Finishing The Fellowship of the Rings and starting Two Towers
"Spring Break" (which is kind of a farce this year)
My man Charlie turns 1!
Emmylou Harris in concert!
Baby shower for rescued owl chicks at a birds of prey sanctuary
Reconnecting with a friend I haven't seen in ages!
Complete my origin story
Las Vegas with two adorable fellas
Martin Sexton in concert
Maybe (maybe) Maybe going up North to visit all of my girls!
Guest blogging for two blogs of awesomeness
Learning new chords, especially minor chords
Finishing the road scarf- c'mon!
Hat shopping with Matty
Starting Dragon Age

Things to Look Forward to in March

1. Measure L is on the ballot (Go Public Libraries!)
2. Weekend in San Diego (for reals!)
3. Edwardian Ball
4. Saint Pawtrick's Day (shelter animal adoption extravaganza!)
5. Dinner and drinks out with B-day girl & the gang
6. Night in Lake Arrowhead with Matty, S & R
7. Sing-along night
8. Finish road scarf (finally!)
9. Run/walk my first 5K
10. Double date with K & J
11. Mexican dinner date night wit my boy
12. Barrister's Ball (possible but probably not)
13. Girl's happy hour with S & A
14. Shopping for a new digital camera
15. Burke Williams spa day
16. Patton Oswald comedy benefit for the Library
17. Hair cuts for me and Matt

Things to Look Forward to in Februrary

In no particular order...

1. Leaning how to knit the seed stitch

2. The new Justified season starts on FX

3. Finishing a 25 page synopsis of my story

4. My friend Becca's b-day & my friend Lilly's b-day

5. Building the Burrow movie? And blog post?

6. Campus Virtual tour

7. Spending Valentine's Day in Malibu with my favorite guy

8. Getting Healthier

9. The Witches of Oz

10. Possibly seeing a friend I haven't seen since October

11. Queen Mary Scottish Festival

12. Sleeping on new sheets (with my sweet kitty boys, of course)

13. Finishing and gifting my Mom's scarf

14. Happy Hour with Sue

15. Reading the Incredible Lightness of Being for class

16. Visiting San Diego (maybe)

17. Matt's February song

18. Donating another batch of stuff to the Goodwill and decluttering our space

Future Scarf

This is so lovely. And it looks so complicated, but I think I can actually do this one.  As soon as I finish a few of the projects that I have in the works, I will attempt this one. Maybe it will be for me- I haven't made anything for me yet :)

http://www.purlbee.com/checkerboard-lace-scarf/

Future Sweater

Oooh! Add this to my "I want to make this one day" list!

http://twistcollective.com/collection/index.php/component/content/article/60-winter-2008-patterns/143-stormsvale-by-robin-melanson

"The Great Radish Famine"

Came across this song from Fraggle Rock and had to share it- all about knitting!

Charlie's Hat

I promised to make Matt a hat.  I even dragged him to a yarn store to pick out the yarn! I worked away, without a pattern, to come up the perfect little sock hat for him to wear on the slopes in Tahoe... but that is not what I made.  When I took the hat off the needles, it was so small! I thought it would stretch out, but it wasn't close to being big enough to fit on Matt's adult head. This was a hat better suited for a baby!

I had plans to make Charlie a different hat, from my Charmed Knits book... and I still might (after I try again for Matt, of course).  But for Christmas, Charlie got this little hat:

I think he liked it! It was almost too small for him too! (I really had my gauge off!) I think he liked the box of ginger chews better ;)

Cutie Pie!

For Charlie's hat, I used an organic, cottage hand-dyed yarn on size 8 straight needles.  I made a few rows of ribbing and then did the rest in stockinette.  Once I thought it was tall enough, I started decreasing every few stitches on the RS until the edge was about 2-3 inches long.  Then I cast off, whipstitched the seams and closed the top off.

Knitting Things

I wish there was a knitting fairy that would secretly bring me everything on my wish list!

This set of needles...

http://www.fabulousyarn.com/gift_knitterstoolkit.shtml

...or this set of interchangeable circular needles...

http://www.fabulousyarn.com/addineedles_click_naturals.shtml

...and this huge and adorable knitting bag to carry everything in...

http://www.fabulousyarn.com/offhand_gatsby_palace.shtml

...and this, of course, a turtle measuring tape...

http://www.fabulousyarn.com/lanternmoon_tapemeasures_turtle.shtml

...and I need this to try to figure out gauge...

http://www.knitpicks.com/cfaccessories/accessory_display.cfm?ID=80306

...and lastly, these scissors- which I don't really need, but they are so pretty!

http://www.thunderbirdsupply.com/proddetail.aspx?stockNum=718113

Fair Isle Knits

It has been cool and crisp in Los Angeles and all my "winter" sweaters have been pulled out of the backs of drawers and closets.  It struck me, that other than one or two fun, bright cardigans, I play it pretty safe with my sweaters- lots of black and grey and brown. 

So I think I want to add something a little busier to my collection, and what better than the versatile and beautiful Fair Isle design.  With so many patterns and color combinations the options are endless! And while some can be quite loud and cheerful, others are simple and understated.  

And now that I have started to knit, I am able to recognize the effort and skill that must go into every Fair Isle design. I can't even comprehend how you could knit with so many colors and make such small patterns!  

These first two pictures are from the Fair Isle website and show authentic sweaters made from start to finish on the island. I liked the look of the sweaters alone and then I saw them worn by adorable kids, wearing wellies, bottle feeding a lamb! The cuteness is too much!!

http://www.fairisle.org.uk/fairislecrafts

I am in love with this picture. Seriously.

This one isn't as pretty as the hand made ones above, but for those of us who can't actually get to the Fair Isle area to buy an authentic homemade sweater, going to the mall to find a substitute might be an option ;) 

www.gap.com

Oh! This is my one of my favorites.  It is just fabulous looking! I love the use of just a few colors, not quite as cheery as some of the other designs, but I'd probably wear it a lot more too.  This sweater reminds me of a sweater my mom used to have from the 70s or 80s- it was the same cut but hers was dark blue and grey. This one is a bit out of my price range (I have never owned a sweater that costs over $400) but I guess that is what you have to pay for the designer name.  Maybe one day, a long long time from now, I'll be good enough at making sweaters that I can make this one for myself! 

http://www.farfetch.com/shopping/women/item10057486.aspx

I even found a little something for the kitties, so they can enjoy the pretties of the fair isle design- this little mouse is a repurposed sweater and is filled with catnip, I believe.  You can find just about anything on Etsy!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/babahepziba

To learn more about Scotland's Fair Isle, go to http://www.fairisle.org.uk/

Second Scarf, for Aimee!

I completed my second scarf! This time, I used a much softer and much thicker yarn- and I used bigger needles. The work went so much faster than on my first scarf.  I think I finished this one in just a few days, of course, the whole thing is done in the most basic knitting stitch...  I started the project knowing that I would give to my girl, Aimee, for her birthday.  I don't know if Santa Cruz is experiencing the same heat wave as LA, but if it is, she won't be wearing it any time too soon! Regardless, it belongs on the Happy Blog because making this scarf made me happy, and I hope wearing it makes Aimee happy too!



Hand-warmers

I'd love to knit gloves, but who can figure out how to fit the fingers! Then I ran across the patter to make these hand-warmers and they have made it to my "to-make-once-I-know-how-to" list.  This pattern uses 4 double pointed needles, which it way above my skill level, but one of the ladies I knit with knows how to make them using regular needles- she claims they are really easy.  Hopefully  I'll learn in time to make a few pairs to give away as Christmas gifts! 

http://www.purlbee.com/ribbed-hand-warmers/

Carpet Bags

Lately I have been wanting an old fashioned carpet bag.  I love the thick material and the intricate patterns.  Most of them are large enough to function as a weekend bag or to carry a lap top.  And of course, a carpet bag would be perfect for all my new knitting supplies! How granny-chic is that?!  Gathering the pictures for this post I saw all kinds of carpet bags for sale, and I was surprised (and a little bummed) to see that most of them are well over $200! There are exceptions, like the little number on the bottom left, but that one is significantly smaller than most of the bags I've seen.  One good things about the happy blog though, is that price doesn't matter. 

A Sweater for Weggie

This is Weggie:

Sometimes Weggie wears sweaters:

This is the sweater that Weggie wants me to make for him- modeled by a kitty that is not Weggie. Weggie likes this turtleneck, but not in pink... I think he'd like a nice cobalt blue with silver and lavender accents! That will bring out his eyes and his colored tips nicely!

So once I am skilled enough, Mr. Weginald P. Quackenbush will have a brand-spankin'-new sweater to wear on those chilly bay area nights! Maybe then he'll finally love his Auntie!!

The first (real) scarf

So here is the first real knitting project I've completed.  I made a scarf for my mama using a multi-colored yarn.  I don't think I dropped any stitches! And I made fringe (which was way easier than I thought it would be).  I used a pretty cheap acrylic yarn, so its not very soft.  I heard it might soften up with washings. I think I am comfortable enough with the needles  to upgrade to nicer fibers so down the road, I'll have to make mom another, softer scarf. But for now, I'll give her the honors of having my very first knit!

Linus & his Scarf

Well, I have completed one knitting project- and it’s a scarf for Linus! I am sure he’s going to love it- you know how popular scarves are with cats this season ;)  It is blue, to complement his beautiful blue-grey coat.  For the winter, he can use it to stay warm in this freezing Southern California weather, but in the summer, I might have to alter the scarf for another purpose.  Linus turns 13 this June, he’s becoming a man! So, this humble scarf may have to transform into a tallit for his bar mitzvah! A few white tassels on the end, maybe an appliquéd Star of David… The wheels are turning!

Sorry these photos are so bad- Linus actually really hates his scarf! And he wouldn't sit still or look at the camera while wearing it.  I think he finds the whole thing ridiculous! Just wait until I make him booties!!

Learning to Knit

I've been desperately trying to learn how to knit (and/or crochet).  Its all a part of wanting to be surrounded by all things warm and fuzzy.  But knitting is hard to pick up.  I had tried years ago and didn't get too far.  So I searched online to see if there were any knitting classes or circles I could join- and there weren't.  I would have to drive miles (which in LA could equal hours) to get to where I needed to go.  The whole point is to add something calming and pleasurable to my life- and sitting in traffic would not accomplish that.  So, I put an ad on Craigslist to see if there were any people in my area who would want to get together to knit- I wanted to start my own knitting circle.  I got one response, from a guy, whose email contained a couple of red flags- so the group never came to be.

I had to take matters into my own hands- I checked out a book from the downtown library.  The book is great! Loads of step by step photos and great explanations... but for a real beginner, a book alone is a difficult way to get a feel for the needles.  I needed to see someone's hands! I needed them to show me exactly what to do.  I needed a class!

Just as I was about to give up hope, I got an email from my law school.  A couple of the professors were going to start a knitting circle on campus, along with instruction and demonstrations for beginners.  Whaaa? I was super excited by this awesome coincidence!! Finally, there's something to like about law school!

I went to my first meeting yesterday.  It was so much fun- made even better since one of my best law school friends was there too.  I learned the garter stitch- and casting on (although I may need to revisit casting on to make sure I am doing it right).  I had to use a pair of the professor's needles since the ones that I brought to the class- the ones that I had bought years ago- are apparently best suited for very fine lace work and not for beginners.  I have just ordered a new pair of needles online. These beauties:

Straight Harmony needles from KnitPicks

I've decided that my first project is going to be a scarf for my mom.  This weekend I will go pick out some nice yarn (I wanted a natural fiber, but I was told to go for acrylic for my first few projects- more forgiving).  I am sure there are some nice acrylic yarns out there- I want to give her something in autumnal colors.  So I will post more as the project gets off the ground!

Charmed Knits

Just bought this book- in fact, it came in the mail a couple of days ago.  I have flipped through it and it is well beyond my skill level! But it gives me something to aspire to. I have to learn some pre-basics before I even attempt the first-year projects.  One day, though, I will complete a couple of the OWL and NEWT projects! I've got my heart set on a Weasley-style "R" jumper. I would reccomend  it to any Harry Potter fan that knows (or in my case, wants to learn) how to knit!