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December 31, 2004

2005 will be a very good year

Frog and I decided that 2004 would be "l'année des changements" and it was... sold patterns, got married... isn't that enough?! So I have decided that 2005 will be a very good freakin' year DAMMIT! I'm just hoping it starts out on a better note than 2004. I'm not a big fan of going out and drinking on New Year's. I'm more of the stay home and eat candy and watch crappy TV school of New Year's so Frog and I decided to do that. I was putting on my shoes so we could go pick up some pizza and then my eye itched and I scratched it. Not just the eyelid. I put my finger in my eye, by accident of course, and howled in pain. The next morning my eye was swollen and hurt a lot and I was getting sick to my stomach from the pain. I couldn't move my eye. We went to the eye hospital and it turned out that I had ripped my cornea. It hurt terribly to move my right eye and you can't move your left eye without moving your right so I spent 3 days in bed sleeping and keeping my eyes closed and asking Frog to read to me so I wouldn't die of boredom. Then I spent a week or two walking around with sunglasses since any light was way too much light. I'm a little skittish today because I'm convinced I will poke my eye out or stab myself with a knitting needle or something. I'm determined to at least get through January without severe bodily harm. Wish me luck.
I wish I had good stuff to show you, but I'm being really lazy. I've been sleeping. I'm so happy that I'm sleeping that I don't give a damn that I'm not getting anything done. I've been swatching an idea for a new pattern but I haven't gotten very far. I'm too busy trying to ignore the voices in my head that are telling me all the things I should be doing to be productive. The only productive thing I have done is make turkey noodle soup from scratch and help Frog with his web site. Three more days of laziness and then I go back into efficiency mode.

For those of you who asked, here's the info about my socks:
I used 1 skein of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Lucky Stripe knit on size US 1 / 2.25mm dpns from the toe up. I knit one sock up to the ankle from each end of the ball and then divided what was left in 2 and knit the rest trying to use up every last bit of yarn. They're not as snug as I would like, but they're nice.
I've promised some socks to Frog's uncle. He has really big feet, so I'd like to use something thicker than the Shepherd Sock. If anyone has any brilliant suggestions for a thicker yarn that will hold up well (and has appropriate colors) for a guy who is a retired truck driver and spends his time chopping wood and doing outdoorsy, farmy things, I'd really appreciate your ideas. I really want something thicker and not terribly expensive because, like I said, he has really big feet and I don't want these socks to take me forever and cost a bundle. I would like them to be nice, though.

Posted by kate at 11:36 AM | Comments (20)

December 29, 2004

Socks Queen

I'm pretty happy with my socks. They're a little big, but that's what you get for not swatching, eh? The crown is from la galette des rois that we ate instead of having a healthy lunch. I found the "feve" so I'm queen today. I'm trying to decide if I want to be nice or a despot. I only have a couple hours left in the day to be tyrannical so I better decide quickly.

Posted by kate at 04:04 PM | Comments (17)

December 28, 2004

Wrap up and looking at life

Julia did a Favorites of 2004 post back on December 18th. I wrote one and just never posted it and it disappeared, so here I am, rewriting it.

My list of notable stuff from 2004:
1. I discovered what a blog was and afer initially finding them boring and too egocentric, I started one. I guess this either means I have changed my opinion or I'm boring and egocentric. You be the judge.

2. I was (probably thanks to my blog) a pretty darned productive knitter this year.

3. Also thanks to my blog, I met some awesome ladies and even got to meet some of them.

4. I had 4 patterns published (1, 2, 3, 4) and some of the nicest rejection letters a gal could hope for.

5. I learned loads of stuff, but the most important thing I learned is that I don't need to worry about whether or not I knit "right" even though I am self-taught.

6. I finished my first big project in a long time (scroll all the way to the bottom) and found that it was easier than I thought to stick to it.

I'm not going to bother giving you blogging favorites. I'm not good at remembering specifics. But I do remember laughing a lot and being inspired a lot and being happy to be part of the knit blogging world.

So. I have this friend who I adore and every December she sits down and makes a list of things she wants to happen in the new year. The next December she gets out the old list and looks at what happened and and didn't and what she changed in her life and all. It's not resolutions because it's not done with that idea of kicking a bad habit. It's just life and looking at it. I'm doing it and I'll share the knitting part of it with you for a limited time and then I won't show it to you again until December 2005. If you'd like to do it too, feel free and tell me if you're sharing it.

Posted by kate at 11:53 AM | Comments (20)

December 23, 2004

merry merry happy happy

updated at 10:45
I sent out my submission so now I just have to patiently await the rejection answer. I feel like I shouldn't even be telling you because I'm probably cursing myself. To reward myself for my hard work and staying up too darned late, I'm knitting for the joy of it, not for a pattern. I'm making myself socks. Or at least a sock. I thought I bought 2 skeins of Lorna's Laces in Lucky Stripe, but I only found one. That either means I only bought one or I just can't find the other. I think I only bought one. So I guess I'm going to make the sock up to the ankle and then the other and then I'll see how much I have left. I would have liked to make taller socks. I'll do it next time. This yarn is so lovely, I'm sure I'll be ordering some soon.

I also have to finish the anouk dress I started for my MIL. I still haven't finished the stupid thing. It just needs a neck and the collar and the tabs and some weaving in ends. blech. I really wanted to only knit for fun until at least Monday, but I guess I should finish this thing for her this weekend to get it out of my hair and give it to my MIL while I'm at her place. For Frog, I had the same idea as Shelby and you can see what I made if you click on the present. FROG - GO AWAY! Love you, sweetie, but don't look please!

Happy holidays to all! Travel safely if you're going anywhere and eat loads of cookies for me since I didn't make any.

Posted by kate at 03:30 PM | Comments (16)

December 21, 2004

Il neige

There was a guy here from the gas company and I was standing in the doorway to my family room.
Gas Guy: Oh la! points behind me
My first thought: A bird flew into the house! (which makes no sense since the windows are closed)
My second thought: Yeah... I know! The family room's a mess!
GG: La fenêtre!
Me: Oooh! Génial! Il neige!
GG: Quel désastre!

I love the first time it snows. It pretty much never snows in Paris, so I'm way too excited about this. And it was snowing big, beautiful snowflakes. Now it looks like it's trying to turn back into rain, but it was nice for the five minutes it lasted. Here's a photo from my window:

Wish I could show you some knitting. I have nothing I can show right now. Here are some buttons I waited in line for an hour to buy yesterday at La Droguerie. Sarah was kind enough to accompany me and wait patiently and chat with me. Now I've lost one of the buttons and if I don't find it I'll have to go wait in line for another hour tomorrow. Yippee.

update: The button was found between the slats of my wood floor and is now happily sewn onto a knitted thing. Thank goodness. No need to wait in line. Also, happy winter solstice!

Posted by kate at 09:44 AM | Comments (22)

December 19, 2004

ça va!

Thanks everyone for your nice comments. I'm fine! Really! I felt so guilty after reading your comments. Surely there are people more deserving of sympathy than a whiny insomniac like me! I'm just tired and I think my internal clock is all messed up. No classes next week, so hopefully I can relax a bit and get back on schedule. I'm glad I'm not the only one who isn't in the Christmas spirit. I went to the grands magasins with Frog yesterday. It was a nightmare but we made it out in one piece. Let me confess the real cause of my stress and sleeplessness: We want to move. And not just to another apartment, to Canada. It's a really long story and I won't bore you with the details, but we have been waiting for a year now which means no changing apartments for something that we could actually fit our stuff in. No buying furniture. No planning vacations. No spending large sums of money and I can't really leave my job and I can't look for another one since we could be leaving any month now. Or not. We don't know. I've got my "cul entre deux chaises" (ass between two chairs) which is getting really old and I'm getting very impatient.

I made a decision on the kilt hose. Kind of. A temporary decision at least. I'm not going to make them for the wedding. There are just too many of them and the wedding is too soon. I am going to make one though. Because I want to. Plus, that way I can see how long it really takes and then some day when I'm bored or between projects, I'll make the second one and my cousin will love them. Or I'll wear them.

Posted by kate at 01:03 PM | Comments (17)

December 17, 2004

Poop on Blogger

I've been trying to post for the last 60 hours and it hasn't wanted to work so now it will since I have moved over to Moveable Type. Needles on Fire has turned pretty ugly, but it will be in better shape on Monday.

Here's my post from 5 am Wednesday morning:
This is now the 3rd night that I haven't slept very well, or at all. I get in bed and then I start thinking about knitting and things I have to do and the homeless guy who lives in the metro station and emails and comments I haven't answered in a million years and work and my family and how my computer is probably going to bite the dust any day now and how I can't sleep and then it makes me nuts and I get up because I can't stand laying in bed when I have so much to do. So here I am posting instead of being productive.

At least I'm not worrying about Christmas. There's no Christmas spirit happening in the Gilbert-Frog household this year. Earlier on, I had wanted to get a tree to make things feel Christmas-y. Sleeping in won and now I'm not sure I want to bother since it's almost here and we have pretty much no space to put a tree. There are no gifts being knit or sewn or even bought for that matter. My sister and I have agreed to not send eachother things this year and she is taking care of our parents for me (thanks Joseph*!). As for Frog's family, I'm letting him handle it. He vetoed my gift idea for him (too expensive) so he'll be getting a CD he asked for and whatever else he picks out since I'm fresh out of ideas. It's nice to spend the holiday with Frog's family in Burgundy, but still, I'd rather be with "the 'rents" and my sis this year since Christmas was in France last year too. I just don't feel Christmas here, no matter what the windows and the crowds at the Galleries Lafayette are saying. It's grey and cold, but somehow it doesn't feel like winter to me.

This IS a knitting blog, so here's the knitting news: I have a hat that has been done for over a month that just needs a little sewing and hasn't gotten it yet. I'm working on a submission which is mindless enough that I knit a good chunk in a meeting today and then realized that I had miscalculated my decreases and had to rip out much of it. Laura and the Lise booties are in the works but are on hold because of my work schedule. There is apparently a lingering mistake in the short rows on the butt of mon petit chou but somehow my varied attempts to find it, fix it and pretend it doesn't exist have all failed. I have to get on that because it may be my guilt that is keeping me up at night. I have a million ideas floating around in my head and sketchbook. I just haven't had time to sit down and knit them. I'm considering the kilt socks... or are they supposed to be called hose? Any Scots out there? Please? In any case, I am very, very tempted to make them and am having delusions about how quick and easy it would be to make up a pattern and whip out 4 socks. Thanks for all of your great comments and suggestions. I'm waiting for some info from the Sock Wearer, then I'll make my final decision.

Time to go back to bed and consider how to save the world with some yarn and a couple of needles.

*my sister's name is not really Joseph. For the last bajillion years I've been calling her pretty much any name that starts with J, Joseph, Josie and José being the most popular choices. Don't even ask why. I couldn't tell you.

Posted by kate at 04:35 PM | Comments (21)

December 16, 2004

tossing, turning and bah humbugging

Wrote this at 5 am Wednesday morning, but blogger didn't want to publish it, so I'm publishing it now.
This is now the 3rd night that I haven't slept very well, or at all. I get in bed and then I start thinking about knitting and things I have to do and the homeless guy who lives in the metro station and emails and comments I haven't answered in a million years and work and my family and how my computer is probably going to bite the dust any day now and how I can't sleep and then it makes me nuts and I get up because I can't stand laying in bed when I have so much to do. So here I am posting instead of being productive.

At least I'm not worrying about Christmas. There's no Christmas spirit happening in the Gilbert-Frog household this year. Earlier on, I had wanted to get a tree to make things feel Christmas-y. Sleeping in won and now I'm not sure I want to bother since it's almost here and we have pretty much no space to put a tree. There are no gifts being knit or sewn or even bought for that matter. My sister and I have agreed to not send each other things this year and she is taking care of our parents for me (thanks Joseph*!). As for Frog's family, I'm letting him handle it. He vetoed my gift idea for him (too expensive) so he'll be getting a CD he asked for and whatever else he picks out since I'm fresh out of ideas. It's nice to spend the holiday with Frog's family in Burgundy, but still, I'd rather be with "the 'rents" and my sis this year since Christmas was in France last year too. I just don't feel Christmas here, no matter what the windows and the crowds at the Galleries Lafayette are saying. It's grey and cold, but somehow it doesn't feel like winter to me.

This IS a knitting blog, so here's the knitting news: I have a hat that has been done for over a month that just needs a little sewing and hasn't gotten it yet. I'm working on a submission which is mindless enough that I knit a good chunk in a meeting today and then realized that I had miscalculated my decreases and had to rip out much of it. Laura and the Lise booties are in the works but are on hold because of my submission and work schedule. There is apparently a lingering mistake in the short rows on the butt of mon petit chou but somehow my varied attempts to find it, fix it and pretend it doesn't exist have all failed. I have to get on that because it may be my guilt that is keeping me up at night. I have a million ideas floating around in my head and sketchbook. I just haven't had time to sit down and knit them. I'm considering the kilt socks... or are they supposed to be called hose? Any Scots out there? Please? In any case, I am very, very tempted to make them and am having delusions about how quick and easy it would be to make up a pattern and whip out 4 socks.

Time to go back to bed and consider how to save the world with some yarn and a couple of needles.

*my sister's name is not really Joseph. For the last bajillion years I've been calling her pretty much any name that starts with J, Joseph, Josie and José being the most popular choices. Don't even ask why. I couldn't tell you.

Posted by kate at 12:21 PM

December 14, 2004

Nice sock

I'm going to be late for work if I take too long so I'm writing this quickly.
My cousin got married in Scotland in September and most of the guys (my cousin, included) were in kilts and all that stuff. Part of the whole outfit is the kilt sock. Along with wondering who was a real man and who had chosen to wear underwear, I was checking out the kilt socks. Most looked machine made and just ok. Then there was Martin. His were lovely. They were handmade and his mom, also a knitter, had bought them in the Shetland Islands. I started thinking how I should make gorgeous kilt socks for my cuz and Martin started talking about how he wanted some new ones and asking me to make them. He just sent me one and I'm trying to figure out if I want the job. Here's me in my kilt tartan miniskirt modeling them.

They're actually pretty scratchy. I'm trying to figure out if I have time and the skill to do this. Here's my dirty knitting secret: I have second sock sydrome, BAD. Meaning I have started many socks, but I have only ever completely finished ONE, ever. And I've never designed one. Gotta run. I'll show you some of the sock details later.

Later: I'm not sure if I was clear since I was in such a rush, but here's the rest of the story. I would have to make 2 pairs of socks. One for the groom and one for the best man. He wants them in black. Any suggestions for a good yarn to use or what kind of yardage these would take? Judging by the scratchiness of these, I don't think he's looking for luxury yarn. I found out that I'm a big liar. They have sock yarn at Phildar, or at least something that could pass as sock yarn. It only comes in ugly colors and black. So that might work. I'm not sure I really want to work with it. It seems a little squeaky. If I want anything else, I'll probablly have to order it from the states. Here are some photos of details.

Oh yeah, and Anne Caroline's comment just reminded me that Martin said, "No need to worry greatly re holding up as we have the little elasticated clips to hold them up above the calf (we men also have our secrets!). We call them flashes..."

Posted by kate at 11:07 AM

December 12, 2004

Out of my hare

Yesterday, I had a little knitting get-together for anglophones. It was kind of last minute, but Abigail, Nadia and Sarah still made it.

It was nice to hang out with them and chat in English!

Posted by kate at 09:51 AM

December 09, 2004

knitastic

From left to right: Medium Bunny, Little Bunny #1, Little Bunny #2, a Laura sleeve for Évann which would fit, but he will quickly outgrow so I have to frog that, and on the right, my swatch using the Dandy I bought the other day. I knit a lot yesterday but I still feel like I got relatively little done. Not shown are 2 big bunnies that have been frogged. I can't count so I keep having to start over. I didn't even get the pattern out to test knitters. At least my sore throat is gone. Though in a way I wish it wasn't so I could justify calling in sick and spending all afternoon knitting again. Sounds like there are a lot of flus and colds going around. I hope you all are feeling well! btw the photo was taken at a bit of a weird angle. That's why the bunnies have big butts and little ears.

Posted by kate at 12:06 PM

December 08, 2004

IT' S ALIVE!!!

Bunny's not quite alive, but I'm hoping to send it out to some wonderful test knitters tonight. The above Frankenbunny is an old, rejected version knit in scrap yarn.

If you like Gifted, there is also a scarf that can be made to go with it. You can find it in the November newsletter over at Magknits. Sharon (somewhere out there) has been knitting up the mittens as gifts to a women's shelter. I'm so thrilled! If anyone has links to shelters or organizations that accept knitted mittens and such, put them in the comments and I'll list them here so any of us in a giving mood can participate.

...off to finish playing Dr. Frankenstein.
And oh yeah! If you like French blogs, go check out Sophie's Tricot Frankenstein. If you scroll down far enough you can see our Thursday night knitting group and me attempting to hide my horrible hair under a hat.

Posted by kate at 11:06 AM

December 07, 2004

Number 14 on my list

The white stuff is Bouton d'or Dandy (70% wool, 30% silk) which is going to become a sweater. I've already started swatching and the swatch is quickly becoming scarf-like. There's one ball of the "butter" DB cashmerino aran just in case (yes, I know. I never did anything with the stash of it I already have. The sad thing is my capelet pattern is already written. It's just not knit and correct me if I'm wrong, but I get the feeling that everyone is a little capelet and poncho-ed out.) And there's a bunch of rowan wool cotton to make Laura for a boy. Yeah. I know it's called "Laura" but it could be for a boy, you know! Maybe I should change the name to Lauren... or Laurence (which is a girl's name in French) or... Pat. Of course, I made the sweater for Laura and changing the name would screw up the whole I-name-my-knits-after-the-people-who-receive-them thing. OK, OK, you caught me! I'm a liar! I made the sweater for Laura's daughter, but I can't remember her name for the life of me and we're no longer in touch.

I've decided that mulled cider is my new, favorite morning beverage. OK, I'm a liar. There is no cider in France. Correction: There is hard cider (yuck). There is no cider like us Western New Yorkers know and Frog is incapable of distinguishing between juice and cider. I use "BioPom" apple juice which is actually kind of cidery and just heat it with some cinamon, cloves and sugar. Et voila! Lazy mulled apple cider to make my sore throat happy.

Posted by kate at 09:57 AM

December 05, 2004

Call me a copy-cat

1. I can drink a liter of water faster than you could ever imagine possible.
2. I spend most of winter freezing my butt off and wearing really ugly fuzzy purple pants in order to combat the cold that is constantly creeping into my house.
3. I made the pants myself.
4. My favorite colors are red and orange.
5. I like pink and purple too, but I'm picky about them.
6. and a lot of blues are nice...
7. I wore green a lot in 8th grade. I haven't worn it very much since.
8. The notable exception is my apple green coat.
9. Ok. fine. I like pretty much every color except yellow.
10. And teal. I hate teal!
11. And I never wear brown. I just don't feel right in it.
12. Last time I washed my slippers, they didn't want to dry. I put them in the oven. They dried. My oven smelled like leathery feet for days.
13. I do stupid things like that some times.
14. I just spent A LOT of money on yarn yesterday.
15. I can't even consider joining the YNBA, regardless of the size of my stash.
16. I feel a lot of pressure to finally come through with one of my ideas and use the yarn I bought.
17. I'm afraid of failing.
18. I hate making mistakes.
19. I hate being corrected.
20. I'm trying really hard to get over this.
21. Living in a foreign country and not speaking the language 100% fluently is forcing me to.
22. I love speaking French.
23. But I wish I didn't have an accent.
24. Or at least less of one.
25. I think the French aren't as rude as everyone says.
26. And I don't find French accents cute or sexy anymore.
27. I like sitting around in my pajamas.
28. I take REALLY hot showers.
29. I love baths.
30. Unfortunately, I don't have a bathtub.
31. I've been married for 2 months and 3 days.
32. People started bugging us for grandchildren AT the wedding.
33. They shouldn't hold their breath. It ain't gonna happen this year.
34. Seven of my friends had babies in 2003.
35. Hanging out with some of them gives me baby fever.
36. Hanging out with others makes me want to get my tubes tied.
37. I'm might be hard on my friends and family.
38. But I'm much harder on myself.
39. I don't like eating sweet stuff for breakfast.
40. I have a huge sweet tooth that must kick in around noon.
41. I don't like milk chocolate.
42. I love dark chocolate (preferably above 76%)
43. I rarely drink soda.
44. In the area I come from, we call it "pop"
45. I only started saying "soda" when I moved to NYC.
46. I hate cola
47. But I love the occasional cream soda, orangina or root beer.
48. Drinking pop makes me hiccup right after the first sip.
49. I need some new shoes.
50. I can't find any I really like.
51. I'm picky.
52. I love to cook.
53. It's practically impossible to cook in my kitchen. It's too damned small.
54. The first day I cooked in this apartment I burnt my hand, dropped a pan on the floor and melted a circle into the linoleum.
55. And I couldn't find the sugar at the super market, so I ended up taking sugar cubes and crushing them. (see number 7)
56. Frog thinks I'm a clutz.
57. He might be right.
58. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.
59. I hate the swarms of people in the stores around Christmas.
60. I work right behind one of the biggest department stores in town.
61. This makes me hate slow moving crowds even more.
62. Plus I don't like shopping very much.
63. Sometimes I wish I were wealthy so I could wear gorgeous clothes.
64. But I hope if I were wealthy I would do something more worthwile with my money than blow it all on couture.
65. I walk REALLY fast.
66. I wish I knit really fast.
67. One day when I was 15 or 16 I decided I wanted to learn to knit - just like that.
68. That night I went and bought crappy needles and some lousy yarn and got some books out of the library.
69. I taught myself.
70. The first thing I made was a scarf that was (unintentionally) full of holes and had wavy sides.
71. My mom could never figure out why I knit.
72. A couple years ago we got a copy of a letter written by my grandpa talking about how my dad's mom was a huge knitter.
73. I never knew her.
74. Now my mom thinks I knit because it's something in my blood or my genes or my soul that I must have gotten from my grandma.
75. I also sew.
76. And I dabble in quilting.
77. And I can crochet, but I'm not nuts about it.
78. I used to make Ukrainian Easter eggs.
79. And beads from sculpty.
80. And do pottery.
81. And make paper
82. And do about a zillion other crafts.
83. I love dogs.
84. I hate cats.
85. I'm really allergic to them.
86. I'm a libra.
87. So are most of my friends.
88. I don't like sandwiches so much.
89. I love traveling.
90. But don't get to travel as much as I'd like.
91. I think that kind of sucks since I'm sitting practically in the middle of Europe.
92. I hate talking about laundry and housekeeping.
93. I hate doing it too.
94. I think everyone should play these games - Europe, Africa, Asia, South and Central America
95. I usually spend my weekends knitting and listening to wnyc.
96. I'm afraid that makes me an anti-social loser.
97. The grey and rainy weather this year is making me really bummed.
98. I wasn't going to make one of these lists.
99. Then Julia said I should and I enjoyed reading Maryse's
100. It was harder than I thought.

Posted by kate at 11:10 PM | Comments (0)

December 02, 2004

work work work

Thanks for all of your nice comments on Clapotis. Sorry I haven't had time to write people back lately. I'm late for work now, so I have to run!

Posted by kate at 12:54 PM | Comments (0)

December 01, 2004

Clapotis Tips

I'm so thrilled that people like clapotis. I never expected it. And I keep stumbling across it on people's blogs and hearing the same things, so I just thought I would give a general response to everyone everywhere at once.

My three Clapotis mottos:
1. curling is good
2. block schmock
3. WS is nicer

In other words: Yes, it curls when you're making it, but when it's all done, I like that it curls around. I actually purposfully twist it before putting it on so the dropped stitches flow and move more. I would never dream of blocking it because I like the way it curls and the dropped stitches pop. I would be afraid of stiffening them up or straightening them out. And the Rev St st side is my favorite. It shows the dropped sts more. I'm not telling you NOT to block... you do as you see fit. I wouldn't block it, but I would rarely follow a designer's pattern or instructions as written so do what you like... but don't bother blocking.

And oh yeah... I'd like to add a 4th thing to the list and restate that it's pronounced "clap-o-TEEEEEE." Think "cup o' TEA!" Pronouncing it cla-POT-iss does sound like a nasty STD or something. Sorry. I'll pick more pronounceable names from now on.

And yes. It is 5:35 am and I have already been awake for nearly an hour. I don't know why. I might eat stuffing for breakfast.

Posted by kate at 03:59 PM