My first finished Trellis! I loved knitting this sweater. I thought it would be tough, but the cables proved to be quite fun and easy.

I also adore the little clear plastic rose buttons that I got for it. They might be a bit much for the busy cable pattern, but I still think they are fun.

I started on the second one (for the smaller baby) just before the bug incident, and haven't had a chance to work on it since. Unfortunately, I was aiming to gift both sweaters this weekend when I go to visit my friends and meet the new baby! I'm sure they'll understand if they only get one now and the other comes in the mail later... it is still stinking hot summer, after all.

I also knit this cupcake from One-Skein at the very last minute this week before my friend's birthday celebration. I haven't known him long, but I knew he would appreciate the knitted confection especially since he has a lot of allergies that limit him from eating any real cake. It went over VERY well and I'm happy that I put the time into it. It turned out great!

The apartment is back to "normal" and super clean. It is easy to keep meticulously clean with the memories of all those bugs so fresh in my memory. Still, I've been taking every opportunity to get out of here and go have fun with friends. I think this summer has been th best one yet! Who knows when I'll actually want to hang out at home and have time to knit again...

Posted by Molly at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Ok, I'm not actually a dollar short, but this is a day late! These are my lovely green project spectrum socks for May that I finished last night. I finished them in May, I swear! I almost can't believe that I took this picture on a blue background AGAIN, so they once again look bluer than they really are. Just take my word for it, they're green, ok? It's that time of year, when I am starting to work up a sweat doing just about anything, so they have already been packed away with the winter wears. See them in the fall!

I've been going to be early with the anticipation of running most days this week, but I only actually made it out on Wednesday. It was hard to do for the first time because I didn't know how much time it would take and used my paranoia about being late for work as a deterrent on Monday and Tuesday. Never have I had such clear thoughts, laying in bed at 645 am. Today was my day off and I am definitely headed out again tomorrow. The running part isn't even that hard, it's just the getting up that kills me!

Although this has been cutting into my late night knitting, I have (per usual) been thinking about what to make next. A friend just had a baby boy so June seems like an opportune time to make something blue for them. But what does one knit for a baby when there are 4 or 5 months of stinking heat and humidity coming up? Any ideas?

Posted by Molly at 05:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Pattern: Wendy's Dream Swatch Headwrap
Yarn: Koigu Kersti, K621, one skein
Needles: #5 bamboo circs

I love the stitch pattern on this scarf. On the wrap rows I wrapped 4 times instead of three to make it a little stretchier--plus I think my gauge was off. It was indeed a dream to knit, and I actually wish I hadn't finished it SO fast. I think it took me less than two days! It's a nice break from fabric headwraps, too, because it has a lot more stretch and holds my hair back just like I need it to. I wore this to school on Monday and it was met with squeals of delight from some of my high school girls, and a teacher even told me I looked stylish. Success!!

I have been can't-keep-my-eyes-open tired this week, maybe because it has rained about 12 days of the last two weeks (and it's not rainy season yet!) so even though I am just one finger away from a finished fair isle glove, it's been set aside. Instead, I dipped into my stash closet and am knitting up a multidirectional scarf with some greenish-brownish Kureyon. I made the exact same scarf in the exact same yarn last fall, so it's a little bit boring, but it's a gift for someone who loves the one I have. It's perfect for my 7pm, waiting til it's late enough to go to bed knitting project.

OH, and thank you to everyone who suggested One Skein to work through my stash. I did some research and it seems like that is a really popular book! And I DO have the perfect yarn for a cupcake top... Last night in a moment of weakness I almost ordered that and another tempting read from Amazon, but I put it on hold at the last minute. Would you believe that I haven't bought any yarn or knitting books/mags since my mom visited in January? I might just cave for these two.

Posted by Molly at 08:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I finished my Jaywalkers! These used almost EXACTLY one skein of Koigu KPPM each, on size 2 needles. They were really fun to knit, but I definitely need to do some work to block them before I can really wear them. I had them on while I was knitting on the couch yesterday and realized that my toes fall asleep more easily in them probably because they're so tight. I might try to make some frames to block them with wire hangers.

I love this colorway! Even though they were my March Project Spectrum socks, I think there's enough orange in there to count for April, too. I started thinking about what to make for my May socks, and decided that I'd use some more Koigu that had been sitting around half knitted up into a glove for the past year and a half. Even if I ever finished that glove, chances were slim that I would a) ever knit a second glove or b) ever wear them. So socks it is! But the yarn was really REALLY crimped from being in that glove all this time so I had to break out some high-tech yarn smoothing equipment.

Luckily, I have all sorts of tools for hanging laundry out to dry so it was very easy to rig this contraption. Plus, it was a very warm and breezy day yesterday so it dried quickly. I almost can't believe how well it worked! The yarn is a little more multicolored than only green, but I think it looks a little bit more green in real life than in these photos (maybe because I shot these photos in a blue bowl--oops).

Before and after!!

This weekend has been great for getting all this finishing and starting taken care of, especially when there's a lot og ripping going on. (And it's raining today, yay!, so no guilt about being inside on a nice day). I started to knit a cable rib sock with this last night but the color changes are very stripy and the cables just didn't look so good. Instead, I'm going to knit a plain old stockinette sock that will be very wearable and look just fab with my new purple sneakers. hehe.

And about the fair-isle glove, you ask? No comment. That is for another day.

Posted by Molly at 04:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

The only thing as good as cleaning and rearranging my apartment in a more efficient layout (I did that on Tuesday) is similarly updating and rearranging my computer files. Today I went to the local electronics stores, got my new external hard drive and new digital camera, installed everything and moved files around so that my computer is moving faster, and finally got to take some decent pictures for the blog!

Project Specs:
Pattern: Yoga Mat Bag from Stitch n Bitch Nation
Yarn: Noro Kureyon, color 165, about 2 skeins
Needles: 100 yen shop finds, approximately 8.2 on the American numbering scale
Time: Less than a week!

I finished my yoga bag more than a week ago but couldn't bear to post about it without a picture that actually does justice to the beautiful colors. This was the first picture I took with my new camera! Yay! This bag is really functional and I've already used it a few times. The only "problem" is that the strap did not need to be nearly as long as the pattern called for. I ended up knotting the strap to avoid major sagging. If you're wondering about how I got the strap to magically display itself like that, its because my bedroom walls are like velcro. This is possibly the only time that I have actually been happy about that.

Here's a closeup of the pattern. It was really easy to memorize although I did add about 4 stiches somewhere in the middle when I was watching 24 (when will I learn!?). I managed to even it out, though, and you'd never know those stitches slipped in there. The only change that I made was to knit the bag bottom up rather than side-to-side as the pattern is written, because I wanted my stripes to be horizontal.

I'm really excited about project spectrum this month because I LOVE green!! I only came to this realization a few weeks ago when I was moving my necessities from one bag to another and noticed something curious. It's ALL green: business card case, ipod, cell phone, wallet, important notebook, bag organizer... even my Kitty Chan souvenir pen is green. So I'm going to embrace it this month! If I could have gotten a green camera today I probably would have.* And although I am 99% happy as a clam these lazy days of Golden week, I am just a little envious (green with envy, if you will) of all the crazy knitbloggers who are going to MDSW this weekend. I won't get into the big trip home I was going to take this month for family, friends and fiber because, well, I just won't. I've spent less than 5 minutes this week wishing I was at home, so I think that is pretty good.

Oh, and Christmas in May came about because a friend of mine owed me a dinner party after I bid on her at a charity service auction. I wanted her to teach me how to make Christmas pudding, so we ended up making that together on the weekend and then she came over and made some delicious lasagna and bunch of my friends feasted. Apparently the weather was quite like that of Christmas in Australia, and I happened to be with all Australian friends, so it seemed quite fitting. We even got to listen to Christmas tunes! It was a fun time, even though it was really only Constitution Day.

Now I'm going to take the advice of a wise knitter and cast on for a mindless sock that I can keep on hand the next time I get a tape of 24 from my mom. I won't let any more of my knits fall prey to that program. Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

*I ended up getting a Canon IXY Digital 70. I think it's the same as the Elph line of cameras at home. It's small, easy to handle and has some kind of shaky-hand-protection so I was sold. So far, so good! Now I just need to read the manual.

Posted by Molly at 06:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

To celebrate the beginning of Project Spectrum April today, I stopped at Loft in Nagoya, my favorite store that is full of stuff that I never knew I needed before. I actually had my haircut nearby and was initially determined not to go into the store but just to snap a shot of the sign. Next thing I knew, I had found some pens and a notebook that I needed. And a few other things. But here is more to be excited about (besides the fact that it is going to be cold and rainy at outdoor sumo tomorrow. You know what that means, right? I might be able to break out the thrummed mittens this season after all!).

Last night I finished my mini-clapotis! Perfect timing, too, because it snowed this week and was just cold enough today to justify wearing this on my little jaunt in the city. Turns out that it's not quite as mini as I imagined, and it has all the length and just a little less of the width of a full-sized specimen.

Project specs (I really had to dig in my yarn basket for this stuff)
Yarn/Pattern: Kate's Clapotis in Silk Garden (Fine), color 101, a little under three balls (it's not itchy!)
Needles: size 7 clover bamboo circs (it's a good thing I measured these because I just noticed that I switched my leaf lace shawl from size 6 addis to said size 7s by accident. Why is everything I want to knit on size 6 needles these days!?).
Time taken: Hardly any!

So to recap, shopping at Loft + snow at the end of March + new scarf and a new haircut = glamour shots in the bathroom at Starbucks. Got it?

Have a fun weekend!

Posted by Molly at 08:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)

Check it out! I bet you thought I wasn't going to finish this oddball mitten glitten. Wanting to get this ugly thing out of my projects basket as quickly as possible, I persevered last night and this morning making sure that it (and the acocmpanying bajillion balls of wool) were permanently retired from the WIP basket. But hey, I wasn't totally crazy. In my mind, it was going to end up looking like this!) What a good feeling! Even though there were some rather ugly parts to this mitten glitten, it is still my first multi-colored accomplishment, so I wasn't going to let it slip through the cracks. It will hopefully serve as a nice model for better mittens in the future. Although it's not getting a mate, I did turn it into something very useful. Wondering what that extra finger is for?

I have a faulty tea kettle so when I boil water, steam escapes through the top making the handle and little finger loop way too hot to touch. Until now I've employed a precarious towel setup that I feared would one day lead to me lighting the towel on fire. So voila, a new mitt glitten for the kitchen. Although I doubt there are many more freezing nights this year, I'm sure I'll be back to boiling a gallon of water every night before I know it. No more steam burns for my poor, sensitive fingers.

It sure did feel good to finish that!

I also managed to finally block up the final bits of my jailbreak sweater. I'm so close I can almost taste it! I meant to go shopping for buttons today but the rain persuaded me to leave the biking around town until tomorrow. Which left me with time for one last thing...

Yep, I finally started a jaywalker that fits! I did about 4 tries with Trekking last year only to realise that Trekking is just not made for that pattern. So far this Koigu KPPM (P621) is just what the doctor ordered. And they're project spectrum approved!

Ok, now that I've gotten all that done, I can sit down and crack into the tape of Project Runway that my mom sent this week. I just have to decide what to knit!

Posted by Molly at 07:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

I finished my thrummed mittens! This picture was taken shortly after I realized that it's totally impossible to take a picture of both hands using one's teeth.

(This is closest to the real yarn color).

Project specs:
Yarn/Pattern: Fleece Artist Thrum Mittens Kit
Needles: Dpns, size 4
Sheets of lint roller paper used to get stray hairy fleece: 20+

These babies are great! I finished them just in time for the warm spell we are having this week. I'm afraid this "warm spell" just might turn into a warm season, but if I'm lucky I'll get a few more cold spring days so I can wear these before next season. It snowed when my parents were here last year, so you never know! At the very least, I have some rad new mittens to put away for next season that I can pull out in my early November must-cast-on-for-winter-accessories frenzy. I can't believe I'm still going to be in Japan!

The good news is that an emergency shipment of decaf tea and more importantly, sesame buttonband yarn came from the lovely Amy (who posts the best pop culture links--you should check em out). Knit bloggers sure are great for coming to the rescue! I'm feeling like I might not have the chance to wear a wool sweater for a while now that I'm already working up a sweat on my bike ride to school, but if I persevere I might be able to finish it this week. Just need to knit the buttonbands and buy some buttons!

And how could I finish this post without a picture of the inside of my thrums? At first it grossed me out but now I'm rather intrigued by the hair thrums. What a fun project!

Posted by Molly at 08:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

I did it! Despite my sesame disappointment, I pulled things together on my rainy Sunday (with the help of some key DVDs) at home and took care of business!

Project specs:
Yarn: Trekking XXL, color 100
Needles: Dpn, size 1
Pattern: Wendy's Generic Toe-up pattern, in 2X2 rib, with a stretchy cast off for my cankles.

I'm SO glad that I went with a simple ribbed sock for this yarn. The colors are so great, that any pattern definitely would have taken away from it. Thanks to all the wise, experienced knitters who pointed this out to me. I still do have one issue with my sock--it's the hole in the short row heel.

Can you see it? The holes aren't really THAT big or noticeable, but it just bugs, you know? I'm considering taking some of my leftover yarn and doing a few duplicate stitches over the problem areas to tighten things up. I think that with the next pair of socks I start (probably later this week--always have to have emergency train knitting on hand) I'll have to force myself to do a non-short row heel. As much as picking up the stitches can be a pain, I'm afraid if I go on much longer I might not actually be able to do it anymore.

Posted by Molly at 07:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)

This Saturday, I decided that I wanted to start and finish something that I needed. And voila! A new hat.

Specs (I have to do this from now on since I refuse to write anything down):
Yarn: Noro Kabuki Tamu, Col No. 2, 1 skein
Needles: Japan size 13 (6 mm)
Pattern: None, really. Cast on 72 stitches and made it up as I went.

The hat is a little more purply than it looks in the picture, so it matches my Ene's shawl nicely! It was freezing cold last week and I decided that I really needed a new hat that was more stylish than my earflap hat and that wouldn't give me severe hathead on the way to school. So yesterday I did an experiment. I styled my hair, wore the hat for 40 minutes while I made my french toast, and then surveyed the results. See for yourself.

Overall, although there is definite hathead in the last shot, I am pleased. I didn't knit the cap too long to try to preserve my general hair shape, and I think I succeeded. This week it's going to be in the 50s, though, so of course I won't be needing this anymore. Typical!

We will be back to our regularly scheduled knitting soon.

Posted by Molly at 08:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)