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2003-02-03, 9:02 a.m.
Finished my first scarf last night. It looks nice, but I'm not particularly fond of the way it lays. When calculating needle size, I forgot to account for the extra bulk of the light blue yarn. So, next time, I'd use larger knitting needles. I'd probably make it a little skinnier, too, so perhaps 9 stitches per row instead of 11. And I'd cast on looser. Casting off came as a revelation to me last night. I suddenly remembered how to do it as I was nearing the end of my scarf. You can see that the ends where the fringes are are kind of uneven. One is much looser than the other. But all in all, not bad for my first attempt. I'll probably send this to my friend in NYC for her birthday. Two months early, but I figure its more useful to her now than it would be in April. Plus, its her first winter. This bulky wool should be helpful. What next? Hmmm... Also made some potato leek soup last night. Added some garlic, a boullion and served it with Semifreddi's Ciabatta bread. Tasty. And I've got lunch for today and tomorrow. Soup is great on rainy days. Private muay thai lesson tonight. I hope I don't die.
Last night we made sushi at a friend's house...unagi, hamachi, maguro, sake, avocado, tamago (we made that one ourselves!), cucumber...resulted in various rolls and lots of sashimi. YUM!
and look how much scarf I have now. Almost four feet. Its cold and rainy and I forgot to put on socks this morning.
Coasted through morning traffic listening to dancehall. Rocking out to ABBA. I can feel myself coming back again. The balance between in/dependence is a constant struggle. The network is down. I haven't been able to reliably check my work email since Monday morning, which means I can't do half of my work. The good news is that I can focus on the other half of my work, which needs to be completed before I leave for Amsterdam in late March. Last night was very productive. I've got a little over two feet of scarf already! Fat wool and big needles are my friend. This project is going pretty fast! I still have not remembered how to cast off (end my scarf). But I do remember that it wasn't hard. Mom should be able to help me with that and the fringe...maybe I'll come home early before the wedding on Sunday. One of my cousins is marrying a Jeopardy champion!
My boss gave me the ultimate compliment on Friday. She's a great boss and mentor. I had the tastiest bloody mary in town and a bite of Jason's Kobe steak at Harris' Restaurant. Shared a bottle of Petite Syrah from my (I've just decided) favorite winery. Woke up late and got my hair cut. Hung out with my parents and they managed not to complain for two whole hours. Celebrated my friend's baby's first birthday. Finished knitting that pink ball of yarn. Celebrated a friend's birthday at Beale St. Strawberry soju at a Korean cafe on Geary. Drove by my cousin's apartment at 2:30am and honked. She heard me! J made me breakfast. Went to the yarn store. Drove to J-town with the sunroof open. Picked up a Nonkichi-ish CD wallet. Witnessed a car accident (I'm usually oblivious to that stuff). Ate sushi. Knit a whole lot. Made Thai coconut curry (with prawns, pineapple, straw mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and quail eggs). Today, I start private muay thai lessons. The sun always makes me feel a whole lot better.
Yesterday, I finally finished my first practice ball of yarn. As you can see, I made nothing. The first skinny strip is me experimenting with various stitches and patterns. The larger piece is mostly seed stitch with a tiny bit of ribbing at the top and my attempt to add in a different color. It could probably be made into some sort of Mariah-esque boob tube. But for now, I'll probably just keep it around as a reminder of my knitting progress. Kind of like how I keep a paystub around from when I was making $4.87/hour. 
I went over to my mom's house, who (before my grandparents got sick) was an avid knitter. I asked her if she had any knitting needles, and happened upon the motherlode of 70s yarns--I'm talking boxes, bags, and suitcases full of acrylics with 70s colors (lime green, burnt orange, etc). My mom has been hoarding yarns for the past twenty-five years--the stash took up a whole corner of the attic. She'll definitely be a good resource, since I've already forgotten how to cast off. Going through the bags, we found over ten of her projects in various stages of completion. I'm not so sure about a mint green knitted skirt, though...for now, I'm sticking to scarves. And now I know where my short attention span came from. In any case, she sent me home with a couple bags of yarn, one of which is a thin (probably acrylic) light blue yarn with a tiny silver thread in it. 
This afternoon, I went to the yarn store and bought Burly Spun Wool, a very thick white fiber and size 13 needles. Since the wool came in a large loose loop, I cut an old wrapping paper tube in half and wrapped it around so it wouldn't tangle as I knit. Using eleven stitches per row (just knitting), here's what I had an hour ago:
I plan to make a very long scarf with long fringe. I don't think this one will take too long since its such thick wool. I've only been knitting for 30 minutes and I've already got half a foot. Yay! We may get a new computer tomorrow. If that's the case, then you can expect more knitting updates. Assuming, of course, that I upload pics from my camera more frequently. I just did a camera dump that has pictures from before Christmas.
That Michael Jackson interview made me feel very sorry for him. He has all this money but is an incredibly sad person very far removed from reality. A musical genius and a really good dancer...but completely out of it. Despite being beat up by one of the gym's competitive fighters, I had a really great workout last night. I have a bruise on my shin, strawberry on my thigh, a weird red dot on the top of my foot that looks like Christ's stigmata (only not oozing), and I can't lift my left arm above my head...but I made it. I was able to keep up. And guess what?! I'm going to a knitting convention. Heehee!
holy wow! this girl is really crafty. these finger cookies (scroll down) are rad.
I had a really good time at kickboxing last night. It had been getting boring as of late, and grown men having drama hasn't made it any better...but its fun when my instructor lets me punch him. He's twice my size any way, so it doesn't really hurt him, but I get to have some fun. I've been knitting the same ball of yarn for two weeks now. It feels like I've been knitting a lot, but the ball of yarn has stayed the same size! Its the magical ball of yarn... Michael Jackson special tonight. I'm excited.
I really need to move to SF soon. I spend at least 3 days a week there. I would save myself some gas, toll, and would be able to spend more time out instead of getting there. August seems so far away.
J went down to LA, so i had the house to myself this weekend. it was GREAT! when i woke up, i watched tv as loud as i wanted to. when i took a shower, i blasted music from my room so i could hear it in the shower. i cleaned my room and went out with friends. when i came home, the room was still clean, and i didn't have to worry about J waiting up for me or expecting me home any time soon. Sunday morning, I woke up, got dressed, and went shopping. then i went grocery shopping, came home, and cooked what i wanted to eat (pineapple prawn curry). last night, i slept diagonally. the blankets stayed as i wanted them to. it was neither too hot nor too cold. when i woke up, i turned the lights on, took a shower, played some music, and didn't have to get dressed in the dark. i love my boyfriend, but sometimes its nice to be alone. i've never lived by myself before. i'd like to do that for a few months (but i can't really afford to). i know i'd get lonely after a while, but for a little while, it can be freeing. opening jars may serve to be a problem, though.
i bought three pairs of shoes this weekend. and pants. and a belt. i am supposed to save money to travel. but my new shoes are CUTE! |
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