Last day

Today is the my last day at my job. I've enjoyed some aspects of it very much, some aspects of it a bit less, which I guess is normal. But I'm definitely going to miss the people. They haven't met Pesty yet, by the way! Since this is the last opportunity for the cuddly germ to visit all those neat books on contagious diseases, he's going on a trip to the cataloging basement.

Hot water bottle cover

One of my co-workers asked me to knit her a hot water bottle cover. She's a librarian, a lawyer, a musician, and one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. So of course I made her one!
She picked the yarn, Muench Tessin (43% superwash wool, 35% acrylic, 22% cotton). It was fun to knit with, though bulky yarn is always very hard on my fingers. The end result is worth it, though. It's the

BAWK cabled hot water bottle cover.

PLAGUE! SOCKS! FEET! SP goodness

OMG, LOOK, LOOK, LOOK!
This has got to be the best package ever. Really. I mean, look! My SP, Spazzy Pickles, sent me this pair of socks. Now, that in itself is amazing and worthy of admiration and unending gratitude. Because having socks knit for me is one of the ultimate luxuries in life, IMHO. Having lace socks knit for me... I'm in awe. I'm touched. I'm wearing the socks around the house.


I mean, look at that lace!


The detail... it's amazing! So pretty, so perfect. Spazzy Pickles, I adore you! I mean, look at how well they fit!


And from the side, because it's hard to take pictures of socks from the top:


This doubles as my "feet" post for the blog stalking. Because I want all the world to see my amazing new socks. So beautiful, so purple, so happy-making!

But that isn't all. I was just commenting on the cuteness of those stuffed microbes in a thread on knitty. Yesterday, way after the Pickle mailed out my package. The Pickle reads my mind, I swear, because today, I got my favorite disease: the PLAGUE!!! It's so cute, and I'm taking it to work so all the other catalogers on the Contagion project can see him. Here he is, my new friend Pesty:


Isn't he adorable? I love him, and David Herlihy's book on the black death was one of my favorite reads while I was preparing for my general exams in grad school. Here's a closeup of me cuddling Pesty, because he's so adorable.


I also got some things to facilitate spoilage, just look at this great-smelling moisturizer from Kiss My Face, one of my favorite organic/eco brands, and the scrubby gloves. And isn't this a cute little painted heart thingy? With stars on it. Now it lives on my bookshelf, right next to our Ars Magica books, because the stars remind me of pointy wizard hats.


And, last but not least, YARN! In red and purple, tempting, alluring, whispering in my ear suggestions of what it would like to be...


Ah, Spazzy Pickle, you have truly made my day. Heck, you've made my year. You are the bestest SP ever. I am not worthy.

Birthday Haul

Yesterday, my husband gave me the credit card. The instructions were to either go to a spa or a yarn store. I thought about it really hard. A facial at a really good salon is 90+ bucks, and after a couple of weeks at the very latest, I'd just be my old pimply self. So what did I do?

Yes, I went to my friendly neighborhood LYS. I also went to Borders, which is the only book store of any size in our town. Here are some pictures of the haul:


These are: The latest issue of Vogue Knitting. I adore the black knee-highs with the flower embroidery! They're on my must knit list. Next, a back issue of IK that was half-price. I think it's summer of last year. I got a copy of Knit Fix, which is, not surprisingly, about fixing mistakes in one's knitting. Most of the stuff is obvious, and I'm not sure the book really is worth 20 bucks. But I've seen at least a couple of things I didn't know, and which will be worth knowing once I start my experiments with color work!
The Minnow Knits, Too book is full of the cutest, most adorable baby and toddler patterns. Our friends are having kids like you wouldn't believe, and these are not only pretty, but look like they're going to be fun to knit.
There are also Addi Turbos. 40" Addis in sizes 000, 0, and 1. Lace, here I come!

And yes, that's a crochet book. I've taken up the c-word. It's fun, so watch yer language!

Ahem. So, back to the most important thing, the one thing I haven't said anything about: the gorgeous, lustrous, shimmering skein of silky, shiny Cherry Tree Hill goodness. 400+ yards of it. There were other yarns that had a better yardage for the money, but I fell in love with this one. I don't know what it wants to be. Here's a closeup:


Gorgeous, isn't it? I love my sweetie, he gives me a credit card and tells me to buy yarn!

I'm officially middle-aged!

Today, I'm turning 30. The big 3-0. And you know what? It's not a big deal. I don't feel any different than I did yesterday, though I have to admit that I feel a whole lot different than I did when I was 20.
Examples? More self-confidence, thicker skin. Criticism used to reduce me to tears. Now, I shrug it off with a smile and a professional "So what do you think we can do to solve this problem?"
Thank you, Mr. abusive grad school advisor!

I'm still a serial academic, but no longer desperately competitive. I guess I'm mellowing out. Instead of piling major upon major and pulling 16 hour days, I make sure I have time for knitting, baking, family. All the important things that make us happy rather than just successful.
I hope the personal growth continues, maybe without some of the major life crises we've had in the past 5 years or so.

And because this is a knitting blog, I should post a couple of pictures of the WIP I'm working on. Somehow, it seems especially appropriate to be working on something for my friend's baby. Lillian was born about a month ago. As I am entering a new phase in my life, she is beginning hers, and her parents are entering a new phase in theirs.

This is the back of Kate Gilbert's Samantha sweater dress. I'm making the 1 year old size because I haven't seen Lillian yet, and I don't know how big she is.
I have to admit that I got bored with stockinette stitch, but now, interesting things are happening. Note the slip stitch pattern towards the top. It's so pretty, and so much fun!
The bottom edge looks like a stocking stitch roll. It's not, it has YO's that will make a cute scallopy bottom when the seam is folded under (see closeup below).

Here's a closeup of the slip stitch pattern. The pattern between the two lines is actually a different slip stitch pattern, but I couldn't make it look less stockinette-like in this picture. It's quite different, though in a subtle way, and adds to the overall appeal of this otherwise simple piece.


I am particularly excited about the hem of this sweater dress. When it's folded over, it'll form little picot-y thingies. Here's what the edges of the sleeves and the bottom hem of the dress are going to look like when I'm done sewing up the seams:


Pretty, no? The provisional cast-on was a PITA, particularly because I did it with the same color yarn as the rest of the sweater. But this is so pretty, I'm sure the end result will be worth it!

OK, now I'm going for a nice long walk. Then, I'm headed for our friendly LYS! Hubby told me it was OK to hit the yarn store with his credit card! I love him, love him, love him!
Of course, I was planning a grand tour of Rhode Island yarn stores, but it turns out they are all closed on Mondays. Oh, well. Better for his finances, I suppose. And I'll find something I like anyway!

Birthday yarn, here I come!

Yawn... but productive

I'm sleepy, but the stitch markers for the knitty stitch marker swap are finally all done! I was hoping to mail them today, but didn't make it in time before the post office closed. Oh, well. They're going out on Monday.

I'm going to take a nap now.


This has got to be the most boring post ever. More when more interesting things happen!

Lotus Blossom Tank

Well, here it is, the Lotus Blossom Tank. It curves in the front because my shoulders are too narrow. The seam on the left looks like crap because something got twisted in the process. The colors aren't really my cup of tea. It's actually not uneven in the front, though. It just looks uneven because I tugged on it before I put it on.
Other than that, this top actually looks kind of neat. The lace is very pretty, and the colors look interesting. I'll wear it, but it's not my usual style. Maybe with a cute jacket...


And here is my latest WIP, the Samantha baby sweater dress by Kate Gilbert. The part with the YO's is going to get folded under, and then there's going to be this cute picot-like edging on the bottom.
This is a surprise gift for a friend of ours who just recently had a baby. I haven't actually seen the child, so I hope it fits!

Friday Chez Maison Batty

This week's (well, last week's) blog stalking assignment involves dinner at our homes. In this installment, I will be talking about tonight's dinner: Salmon with soy maple syrup glaze, green beans, and bread.

Ever since my husband got really, really sick last summer, I've been fasting on Fridays. This means no animal products -- except fish. This particular dish is commonly referred to as "yummy fish".

You start with a pound (more or less) of fresh salmon fillet with the skin still on, like so:


Then, you make the glaze by boiling down 1/4 cup of natural maple syrup and 1/4 cup of soy sauce. We use less sodium Tamari sauce. It is yummy!
In the background, you can see the green beans. Just boiled beans, nothing special, the perfect addition.

You divide the glaze, about 2/3 and 1/3. The larger amount gets brushed onto the fish in 3 stages: first, generously brush glaze all over fish, let stand 5 minutes. Brush again, then bake at 450 F for about 10 minutes. Take out and brush again, broil for 5 minutes. Here's the salmon fresh from the broiler:


Brush again with 1/3 of glaze you saved in a separate bowl, serve with yummy sides like beans and bread.


By the way, I don't really like fish all that much. The glaze gives it a really nice flavor. It tastes less fishy, smells less fishy, and my husband really loves this dish. I like it too. For fish, it's pretty darn good!

Sick

Yuck, I'm sick. Yesterday, I was too sick to knit, and too sick to play computer games. That's bad, because generally, I'm well enough to do at least one of these. So what I did instead was flop around the bed and read the rules for Shadowrun RPG (4th edition) all day. I think I like what they did with the game, but I digress. This is a knitting blog.

If I'm feeling well enough in the afternoon, I'll finish the stitch markers for the stitch marker swap. In that case, pictures of the finished products will be posted. These are my first stitch markers ever, and after seeing what some other people have done, I know I need to make some more, just to try different things and for practice.

Too hot to blog

It's so hot! Usually, I wouldn't be bothered, but our central AC broke down a couple of weeks ago. I put in a portable unit and it helps, but lugging it from room to room is a PITA. Besides, I'm leery of putting it in our computer room. Why? Because every time it kicks into high gear, the lights flicker!

But here's an advantage to being a cataloger: I'm sitting in the cool, windowless basement of our building. It's downright chilly down here. Can anyone blame me for not wanting to leave?

Art around my house

This week, they knitty blog-stalkers are doing "art around your house," and here is my contribution:

First off, the oil painting in our bedroom. I couldn't get rid of the glare (oil reflects flash), but I think it's still pretty recognizable. This painting was done by a very gifted unschooled artist in Kucevo, the small Serbian village where my mother grew up. It's a bit surreal, but mostly,t here are loads of things characteristic of the region. Dried red peppers, small houses, home-made bread... It's a very small village, and to this day, there's a village fair where people trade cows, goats, sheep, and where toothless old women in black clothes and scarves gather to gossip. Time hasn't exactly stood still, but it hasn't advanced very far, either.


This is a wedding gift from my friend Linda. Linda is a master tilesetter in Germany, and this is a large, heavy mosaic done in tile, with my and my husband's initials and the two rings. She's not only an excellent tilesetter, she's also a very gifted artist, and a wonderful human being.


This is the golden Jesus given to me by my uncle when I got married. Sorry about the glare, he's opposite a window, one of the first things you see when you enter our house. As you can tell, I was brought up in the Serbian Orthodox tradition. Now, my husband and I go to an Episcopal church, but I'm not giving up on my religious roots.
It took our parish a while to figure out that you can be goth, wear black, and still go to Church regularly!


This is another oil painting. My mother bought it for us in Belgrade. She got stopped at the airport because you can't export art of any kind without official paperwork. She wanted me to have this picture because the books and wine combination reminded me of her. Finally, my uncle in Belgrade got the paperwork straightened out, and my parents brought the painting the next time they came to visit.

Seaming disaster

I don't know if the picture is too blurry for the problem to show, but I'm not happy with my seams. One of them looks like crap, and I had to mess up both of them to get the front to lay flat. It's looking a little less awful now that it's blocking, but it still isn't good.
The neck opening doesn't look uneven when I'm wearing it, by the way. It's an adjustment I had to make for the symmetrical top to fit my asymmetrical body.

Freezer shot, Lotus Blossom Tank, Oh my!

Well, here they are, the insides of our freezer. Ice cream, fries, Uno's Pizza frozen pizza, some veggies in the doors... I guess it's time to go grocery shopping again!


And now that I have satisfied the Knitty blog stalkers, back to knitting: Here is LBT in the bizarre pastel hippie yarn, about 2 inches away from getting short-rowed. Don't get me wrong, I love the way it's turning out. I even love the large pooly bits that turn into thin lines as you go up. It looks so cool, it looks intentional.
But pastels??? What was I thinking???

Almost!

Today is my sweetie's birthday, so no paper writing. But it's going to get done tomorrow, I'm going to hand it in, and that'll be it. Almost done... World beware, here I come!

LBT is going well, by the way. I've finished the front and am in the 7.5" stockinette section before the short rows. Again, almost done!

Paper-induced delay

I know I haven't posted in over a week, but my final paper for the last course in my program is due on Thursday. I'll be done. I'll be a librarian!

To make up for the delay, I promise not only to post pictures of my knitting progress, but also at least one picture of myself with a bun. It'll be great.

SP Surprise!

Look! Look what was waiting for me when I came home from work! A package filled with goodies from my SP, Spazzy Pickles. It really made me feel special. Why?

Yarn Harlot! Need I say more? Knitting Rules cracked me up, and I can't wait to get started on this one. My paper for my intellectual freedom class is due, I've been running from consulate to city hall to immigration office to get my passport and other documents renewed, and I've been job hunting. I really need a good, knitting-related read right now, the timing couldn't be more perfect.

Then there's the chocolate. Not only does it look yummy, but if you look more closely, you'll see that it says "Dagoba" on it. Only the best SP ever would go to some gourd-forsaken swamp planet at the end of the galaxy to get me chocolate. Must have snuck it past Yoda, too!

The highlight, though, is unquestionably the sock yarn. Blues, pinks/fuchsias, some purplish tones... soft and pretty. But the extra-special thing is that it's hand-dyed by Spazzy Pickles! HAND DYED, just for ME! I've been petting the skein. I've been carrying it around the house. Even the husband is impressed, and he usually doesn't show much interest in yarn.

Last but not least, there's the cute card with a kitty on it, an allergy-free kitty-in-a-box from my SP. I really feel happy and spoiled.

Now, I have to go back to petting and ogling that skein...

Unexpected Gift

I knew the people on knitty were special, but lindydiva did a wonderful, touching thing for me yesterday. She knew I'd had a crappy week, and she showed up to our SnB with a surprise for me: A pretty bag I'd admired earlier, one of those fun Madlib thingies, and a piece of soap wrapped in a hand-knit washcloth! I'll have to post pictures, she really made my day.
Thank you, Eileen!

Tempting, new bangs, and a WIP

My husband and I just spent a wonderful week with his mom. We drove to Cape Cod, where we stopped at the cutest little yarn store, and my sweetie bought me two skeins of Silk Garden, which will make there debut on this blog when they've been knit up -- or when I feel the urge to post some yarn pr0n.
I also used the time away to get my hair cut. He's still getting used to the new bangs. Men, it turns out, don't like change. Too bad. I love the way this looks, everyone else seems to like it too, and I finally look good with bright red lipstick! Woohoo!

I know I haven't posted any pictures in a while, so before this turns into Batty's Boring Blog, I give you... the finished Tempting!
(...and my bangs)


I put it on in a hurry and didn't tug it straight, but on the whole, I think it looks rather nice. The bow is off-center on purpose, and I like the thin ribbon better than the gift-wrap like broader version. My bow-tying skills suck, so the hangy part looks way better than a big, wide bow.

The details: The sweater was knit on aluminum US 9s, in Debbie Bliss Cash Merino. The yarn is wonderful, soft and warm, and the main reason I altered the pattern to make longer sleeves. It feels so luscious, I want to be able to wear it year round.
My only peeve is that it produces a very, very stretchy fabric. It doesn't reveal anything it shouldn't, but when I tug at anything, it bags out and stays that way. Further tugging fixes the issue, but who wants to tug and tug and tug all day?
I almost wish I'd done some decreases around the shoulders for shaping. There are no sweater getting away problems, and I probably won't bother, because it looks fine. It's just the perfectionist in me trying to get out.

So much for tempting, now for something different: the Lotus Blossom Tank.

I just started the third repeat of the lace pattern. As can be seen, a lot of blocking will have to be done before this turns into a non-spaghetti-like piece of clothing. I've never blocked lace knit in the round that isn't supposed to lie flat. I have no idea how to go about it, but am hoping the nice people at knitty.com and my fellow LBT'ers from the LBT knitalong will know what to do. Their wisdom has been of invaluable help in my knitting life.

Why the pastels? Beats me. I hate pastels. With a passion. Yet when I saw a picture of this yarn, I had to buy some, and I knew it wanted to be a Lotus Blossom Tank. It'll take a lot of black eyeliner to make up for this piece of girly fruh-fruh!

Must read the manual...

...for my new digital camera, that is. It's more software based than my old one, i.e. it has many more functions that have nothing to do with the strictly mechanical principle of "push this button, and that happens." They have invented a whole hieroglyphic alphabet of options to choose from in my tiny little display window! I'm sure it's a good camera and I'll be very happy with it eventually, but I really need to read that manual.

Last night, my husband tried to take a picture of me in my newly-finished, bright red Tempting. I was standing there, grinning like an idiot because I have a brand-new sweater, and it fits so much better than Banff. So what happens? The pictures come out dark. Really dark. Like you're standing in a vast room illuminated by a single lightbulb, and we're talking in the remotest corner of remote corners. No color, no definition, just silhouettes and a bit of glare where the light hit my glasses.

So: pictures are coming, but only after I've read the manual. My mother-in-law is visiting us for a week, and I may be a bit behind on blogging and reading people's blogs. Sorry 'bout that.

Hope all concerned have a pleasant 4th of July -- no offense to my British pals!

Lotus Blossom Aaargh!

I just finished round 8 of the first lace repeat... and I'm off by 1 stitch! Knit 3 after you do the last pattern repeat, I only have 2. My stitch count was spot on after 6. Maybe I forgot a YO? Maybe knit an extra stitch somewhere?
During lunch, I'll go over row 8 stitch by stitch. All 200 of them. With any luck, it'll turn out that I made a mistake in the last repeat or 2.