FO: Birdie Sling Bag

I told you I’ve been sewing. Check out the newest bag in my possession (to join the dozens of others… whatever, they are ALL DIFFERENT):

A back view…and some scale for how enormous this thing is.

Fabric is Echino (pretty Japanese linen) and the pattern is Amy Butler’s Birdie Swing. I started this… a very long time ago. Amanda and I both started them. She’s been using hers for a year or two. And now, finally, I can, too!

Oh, it also has three nice pockets. Everybody loves pockets.

Nail Fix

Last weekend I had a really sad accident. I was searching everywhere for my sunglasses (missing since November… oops) and was reaching into my cube bookcase to see if they were hiding behind some fabric. Unlikely, but I was desperate. No glasses, but I smacked my finger against the wall behind the bookcase and bam- a broken nail. The break went up too far to simply cut the nail, so I did what any normal person would do- turned to Google. One tea bag, George’s help with two layers of superglue, and it was like my nail never had a blemish.

In person you can’t even tell I had a broken nail. And the new polish helps. Malaga Wine has always been a favorite pedicure polish of mine, but I’ve never used it on my fingers before. I always thought it was just a red, but it really is obviously magenta (depending on the light). Who knew?!

WIP Wednesday: Grail Blanket

So the Grail Blanket may not look bigger, but it is flying along. Maybe it’s more on the scale of a flying wild turkey, rather than an eagle. Whatever.

I am still loving the yarn (Bugga!) and the pattern (Honey Baby Blanket). Am I crazy for thinking maybe after I finish this, I’ll cast on for a Rosebuddie? Probably so.

I did switch over the needles this weekend. It’s now only on two- a 40″ Denise interchangeable cord with Denise needle points, and a cheapie metal needle. This has spared my Addi Turbo Lace size six and my Signature size six for other projects. Hurray!

FO: Burgundy Orchid Thief

Everybody loves Wollmeise. Except me, it seems. I knit a Traveling Woman shawl with it- and gave it away! I gave the yarn a second chance and knit an Orchid Thief with it. It was my second time knitting the pattern, and the second time using the yarn- and I think the last time for both. It feels as rough to work with as cotton (to me), and since I apparently only bought solid colors, the dyeing wasn’t really all that exciting. I just don’t get the Wollmeise obsession, people!

The shawl turned out ok, and I wear it on occasion. But it must be a sign of my general “meh”ness that I only took photos recently, when the shawl has been finished since June 2011!

For its blog debut- my Burgundy Orchid Thief. Tinier than the first Orchid Thief I made (for buddy Amanda), and a little annoying to knit- but the actual shawl is pretty cute!

FO: Tiny Tea Leaves

As I suspected, starting off the year of the sweater with a quick win was a great idea. Two weeks of knitting, and I already have one down- only eleven to go!

During today’s Star Wars marathon (introducing Lady Jo to the movies… or at least two of them so far), I finished it and even sewed on the buttons. That’s dedication to the cause. And after our buddies left, I cast on for an adult-sized Tea Leaves for me! For the record I did a gauge swatch (since the yarn is technically dk, and the pattern calls for worsted). Glad I did. Gauge swatch people, you win this round.

Oh, you wanted a photo? I live to serve.

From 2012-01-21 (by Eye-Fi)

Year of the Sweater- we are ON! And since people are turning up pregnant all over, this is a stupendous year to be making loads of baby sweaters. Now, all I need is my Grandma Edie’s famous popcorn sweater pattern- because what would the Year of the Sweater be without one in tribute to the biggest knitter I’ve ever known- my paternal grandmother. She could knit a baby sweater, bake the best cookies on earth, eat a bag of M&Ms, all while babysitting me and my sister and watching tv. Our generation may be multi-taskers, but we could learn a lot from Gramma.

Numbers Game and a Giveaway

I love my statistics. I finally updated my spreadsheet with my finished projects from 2011, so I can relate my stash numbers!

First, some total yardage updates.
2004: 6038 yards
2005: 6299 yards
2006: 6790 yards
2007: 11309 yards (One crochet project- that made a big difference)
2008: 4376 yards
2009: 9479 yards (bridesmaid shawls!)
2010: 8989 yards
2011: 10282 yards (hurray!)

2011 in FOs: two sweaters, six shawls, two pairs of booties, five hats, two pairs of socks, one pair of mittens
2011 yarn in stash (at the end of the year): approximately 76,085 yards… or about 9.5 years of stash life expectancy (yikes!)

However, at the beginning of 2011 I was looking at about 12 years of stash life expectancy left- so I really have made a big dent in my stash in the last year. Go me! In my ultimate dream world, I’ll drop that to 7 or even 5 years by the end of 2012.

What do I mean by stash life expectancy? Well, it’s easy math. I take the total yardage knit per year, since I started tracking, and divide it by the number of years, to give me an average total per year. Then I divide the amount of yardage in stash by the average used, to come up with how many years worth of yarn I have left.

If this sounds ridiculous, you obviously haven’t seen my stash. You’ll note that it really works both ways- if I knit a lot during the year, then my average amount knit goes up, reducing the longevity of my stash. And if I knit up yardage or destash, reducing the total yardage, then of course the longevity is reduced also. What I’m saying is, the more I knit and sell and give away (and the less I buy yarn)… well, the smaller the number of years I could go without buying ANY yarn and still keep knitting at my usual pace. I’m not sure what my ideal stash life expectancy is, though. I don’t know that I want it down below a year or two, because then I’d have to go out and buy yarn all the time, for any given project I want to knit. But since I’m a long long way from those numbers… for now I’ll just keep knitting!

Speaking of… I have a baby sweater to finish. Did I mention that I only count yardage as used up when the project is actually finished? I’m sure I’ve knit countless additional yards of yarn each year, but since I have a pretty low FO to UFO rate, it’s not reflected in these numbers. It’s the fairest thing I can think of to manage my stash, but definitely makes me want to finish up some of those neverending UFOs!

If you’ve made it all the way to the end of my numbers game, I have a special gift for you. I am doing a giveaway of a skein of yarn to a good home- what a way to kick off a year of de-stashing by getting rid of a bit more yardage! Comment on this post in order to win one skein of really nice sock yarn from my personal stash (enough for a pair of socks). Good luck! Giveaway closes January 31st.

Thursday’s Child

Rather, Thursday’s Baby Sweater. I had a delicious evening yesterday. George had a meeting, so I pulled a Let’s Dish package from the freezer for a quick dinner- amazingly yummy quesadillas. One of the best things about going to Let’s Dish is that I can make shrimp quesadillas for him, and a spinach and bean one for me. Ask me again how that not-kosher thing is going? Answer: thus far I can’t do it, and if anything I’ve been more strictly kosher. So it goes. But I did make the most amazing chicken tikka masala, which was decidedly milk-and-meat together. You should make it this weekend, because it was FIVE STAR. Just not kosher. Apparently you have to serve it with peas and rice, though.

Anyways! While George was at his meeting I finally watched the first episode of Downton Abbey Season 2. And it just warmed my heart. And made me cry. And warmed my heart again. What a superb television show. And of course, while the laptop purred war and romance at me, I knitted. Tiny Tea Leaves is moving right along!

I also wound up some yarn, in preparation for vacation. I’m thinking of bringing two Anne Hanson yarn club projects (one is super tiny, ideal for airplane knitting, and the other is the January shawl in HANDSPUN). And the adult-sized Tea Leaves sweater, because I’m having Tea Leaves mania. Sadly, I need size 6 needles for most of the projects, and all my 6′s are currently in use on the Grail Blanket. I’m thinking it may be time to move part of it onto my 40″ Denise cord (since those interchangeables do go down to a 6), thus retrieving some of the THREE needles currently in use on the behemoth of a blanket. In a truly ideal world, I’d just finish it before the trip- but that would not be so ideal for my hands, wrists, or mental state. Or you know, going to work and remaining gainfully employed.

When nonknitters ask me why I could possibly need more than one of the same needle, I laugh. Even if I weren’t a person to keep lots of projects going at once (and I am), each needle material type has a different purpose. Not to mention project like the Grail Blanket which require 2-3 needles at a time. I will admit, however, that I’m unlikely to buy multiple Signature Needles of the same size. I love them, but even I am not quite that spendy…

Tiny Tea Leaves

It’s been all wee knitting lately- mostly working on the grail blanket. But also a bit of baby sweater fun!

Remember my saying that I wanted to knit twelve sweaters in 2012? Well, the first one is still on target for completion in January. I just have the sleeves and button bands to go on my Tiny Tea Leaves. This is a super quick and interesting pattern- I can’t wait to make a full-size Tea Leaves for myself (and I even have the yarn for it!)

And for a taste of my non-knitting life, we went over to our friends Ray and Annie’s house for a delicious dinner Sunday. Marie and Moon were there…

And this guy, too.

Not only did I knit at their house (true friends don’t mind a knitting presence), I helped Marie read her sock pattern. Fun!

Meal Plan Monday

It’s Monday, so time to meal plan! Our produce box is now coming to us on Wednesdays, which makes it all the more imperative that I actually plan ahead for things, so I can get any order changes in on time.

Monday: slow cooker chicken tikka masala with green beans
Tuesday: Butternut squash, goat cheese, and arugula quinoa (keep not getting to this)
Wednesday: Stuffed poblano peppers
Thursday: Vegetable Pad Thai
Friday: Homemade mushroom pizza
Saturday: Stuffed Shells, white bean dip, sauteed kale, brownies – it’s Star Wars marathon Saturday, so I figure we will need some treats to keep us going.
Sunday: An Indian medley, care of Smitten Kitten

I can tell already that some of these may not happen, but since most of the ingredients are straight out of the pantry, it’s no huge loss. Pad Thai is probably the most in danger, since I have a work meeting that evening. Since we have a trip coming up, I want to make sure we get some healthy food in while I can!

Recipe Tuesday: Moqueca

When I need a recipe, sometimes I just go straight to Simply Recipes and start searching there. Everything she posts is delicious. The last time I made cod I made a grape tomato sauce and just baked the fish, topped with the tomato goodness, and served with couscous and some sauteed spinach. The dinner was a hit with the hubster, but I wanted something a little different. Elise’s recipe for moqueca immediately drew me in. I’ve made a lot of (vegan) feijoada in my time, but this was my first time cooking another popular Brazilian dish. It will not be the last! You can get the recipe from Simply Recipes here, and you should go make this NOW. So very very good. Miles of flavor. And you know it’s a hit when every one of George’s friends has heard about it- he’s talked it up that much with his buddies!

My favorite part is that other than the cod, you probably have all the ingredients hanging out in your pantry. Or am I the only person who keeps a stock of coconut milk at all times?