The Impatient Knitter

Mad Men Yourself!

2009-07-28T19:34:58Z

I do so love Mad Men even though I haven't had cable for a year now. But I've been able to watch the episodes online and am seriously considering getting the DVDs. The writing, the acting, the clothes, the sets...it's wonderful eye candy.

Thanks to padawansguide for sharing this link. This has got to be one of my favorite iconizers around because you can choose body types and the clothes are groovy and there's a few different backgrounds. Thumbs up!

http://www.amctv.com/originals/madmen/madmenyourself

Best Independence Day Ever

2009-07-06T22:00:01Z

Well, except for the first one perhaps...but then, I wasn't around for that one.

We headed into the weekend with no concrete plans. My dad was going to stop by on Saturday evening to spend the night on his way to Iowa but aside from that we had a three day weekend full of not much to do. Which was fine by me, honestly. I spent Friday morning doing laundry and then hung out at MisKnits for a few hours.

When I got home, our former foster kids had called to see if they could come over. We said sure, had some dinner and then headed out the door to go pick them up. Sid wanted to bring Lucy because what dog doesn't love rides, right? Anyway, Sid usually drives the van when we go out so when he headed out the door with Lucy, I grabbed my purse, twisted the lock on the door and swung it shut behind me. As it clicked, Sid asked me if I had keys. Um, nope, I figured since he'd be driving and he was already outside with the dog that he already had his keys. So I had my knitting and that was about it. Oops.
So Sid pulled out a plastic card from his wallet and attempted to get the door open while I wandered around the house trying the back doors to see if by some odd chance we'd forgotten to lock them. At the same time I started thinking about who had a copy of our house key and realized they were all out of town. Because of course when these things happen, they have to be on a holiday weekend, right? Then I thought there might be a window that was unlocked and while I thought the act of either of us hoisting the other into our windows was not something I really wanted to attempt...we didn't get the opportunity as they were all locked as well.

Sid seemed to be making progress and needed no helpful hints or interruptions from me so I sat down on the front step with my knitting. I knit perhaps two rows on my latest project before Sid managed to get the front door open. Hurrah! Yeah, we really need to hide a spare key somewhere outside the house or with a neighbor or something.

Anyway, we picked up all four of the kids with no further mishaps. There was a trip to the Target for some essentials and then home for yet another viewing of Star Wars (Episode 3 this time). Sid mentioned that his Model A club was going to be in the Lenexa parade and that there was a cookout at the home of one of its members. By the time we decided to go, it was too late to call so we decided to call in the morning to make certain it would be okay for us to drag four kids with us.

So Saturday morning rolled around and we got to the parade about 10 minutes before it started. Of course we didn't think to bring chairs so we sat on the curb and watched it all go by. I don't remember the last time I saw a parade on the Fourth of July, but this was great fun. In addition to the long line of classic Model A Fords, there was a group of vintage Corvettes, an amazing military band, a huge group from the Renaissance Festival, the Shriners of course and so much more. I think it was about two hours long and the kids enjoyed it because there was much candy tossed to them.

After the parade we popped home to make a few things to take with us to the cookout and then headed out to Desoto. It was easy to find the house that was surrounded by 80 year old cars. We had a lovely time and the kids enjoyed the pool table, dart board and and actual pinball game from "the olden days" that our hosts had in their game room.

Then it was back home for a while. I took a nap and woke up in time to have dinner. Hurrah for Sid and the kids making dinner while I relaxed. So dinner was had, my dad got into town just before we headed out to the fireworks at Corporate Woods. Which was really packed to the brim with people, but we managed to get a decent parking spot, didn't have to walk very far before we found a good place to put the chairs and the blanket. They started a few minutes late but it was so worth it. The show was amazing. I love to watch fireworks anyway but it just seemed very special this year. I was sitting between Barbara and Sid and they kept laughing at my 'oohs' and 'ahs' but did I care? Nope, not one bit. It was a nice long fireworks show that was well worth the hassle of getting there and back. Well, the drive there was probably 15 minutes. But it took us about 45 minutes to get out of the park...talk about grid lock!

On Sunday, we took the kids to one of the neighborhood pools for a few hours so that was nice too. By the time we took them home in the evening...Sid and I were pretty exhausted but it felt great to share such a nice weekend with the kids that used to live with us. Like all siblings, they argue with each other nonstop...but we all had a good time in spite of it.

tjstein @ 2009-05-28T15:55:00

2009-05-28T21:14:37Z

So there was this time when I once did something foolish and used a Sharpie instead of eyeliner. A simple command of "pics or it didn't happen" has led to that photo being hit in web searches nearly every day since then.

So looking at the Google image search for "sharpie eyeliner", my pic is currently third just behind Amy Winehouse. I'm not sure what to think about that but it is more than a little disturbing, actually.

It used to be that one of my most looked at photos was my niece in the Halloween costume I made in 2008.

So much cuter than my wacked out last minute almost eye makeup, don't you think?

Rest in peace, Kasey

2009-05-06T21:19:49Z

I can has car ride?,
originally uploaded by tjstein.

It's been a week since we said goodbye to our dear puppy Kasey. She was about 12 (rescue dog so no accurate birthdate available) and she lived with us for 7 years. I finally feel composed enough to be able to write a bit about her.

This is my favorite photo of her. She was pretty photogenic even though she was a strange looking dog and not really all that cute in person. But we loved her very much and will miss her greatly.

I never really had pets before meeting Sid. When I met him, he already had Jerry the Wondercat and our other cat, Tipper, moved in shortly after I met him. She used to live with his sister and brother-in-law until their young kids started walking. Honestly, I thought two cats was the limit for pets in our small house in St. Louis.

But about six months before we got married, Sid and I were talking about childhood friends and so on. He started telling me about the dogs he had befriended over the years and how much they meant to him. We agreed that night to think about getting a dog.

The next day, he asked me to meet him at the local shelter. He had found a great dog he wanted me to meet. So I spent my lunch hour with him at the shelter getting to know Kasey. She was a bigger dog than I had in mind so I wanted to see some smaller dogs. There was an assortment of cute smaller dogs but they were all under a year old and we wanted a somewhat older dog. Plus, Kasey would sit, lay down, heel and was pretty mellow compared to all the other dogs. She didn't even pay the cats any attention as they were brought into the facility. So we agreed that she was the dog for us.

We walked her out to the parking lot and before I headed back to work in my car, I went over to Sid's truck to see them off. What did I find in the truck? Dog food, bowls, toy, leash and collar. The whole nine yards. So maybe I was had, but Kasey had captured my heart anyway.

We had our ups and downs with her but overall, they were seven happy years that we were able to spend with her.

Good bye dear Kasey. There's a dog-shaped hole in my heart for you.

you missed a spot

2009-03-10T15:11:36Z

So the day that I Sharpied my eyelids? I came home to this...

I don't feel so bad now. And yes, he's wearing his MacNair shirt that the Jos and I made for him. How he puts up with my geekery is beyond me.

Clean house!

2009-03-09T21:19:06Z

This past weekend was productive and fun! I finished knitting the neckline of a sweater that needs the sleeve hem stitched and ends woven in and then it can be called complete.

The husband and I spent a bunch of time cleaning and rearranging furniture this weekend in anticipation for a party yesterday. I'm so pleased with how the house looks right now. The only room that really needs help right now is my craft room. But it's mostly clutter that just needs to be put in its proper place. So I'll whittle away at that a bit more this week.

Anyway, I feel like having a party every week right now because I really like having people over. If I can manage to keep the house clean for myself instead of slacking off because who the heck ever comes over anyway...maybe that could be a good thing.

But either way, it was really nice to wake up to a clean house this morning.

Drat

2009-03-05T14:44:46Z

It hasn't washed off yet.

However, I have posted three days in a row so that's got to count for something.

Note to self.

2009-03-04T21:39:13Z

Substituting eyeliner with a Sharpie marker ten minutes before a board meeting could provide less than favorable results.

edited to add photo since smeddley believes that photos prove existence

also, it's very difficult to take a photo of one's self with a darn camera phone...and it looks worse in person...this photo only looks like it's my first time trying eyeliner

Spinning and Knitting too

2009-03-03T21:50:09Z

I've been spinning so much in the past two months. I rented a wheel for a short time and spun up most of my fiber stash. I only have a bit of alpaca and various odds and ends right now. Here's some of the alpaca roving I had and how it looks after it was spun.

It was a tri-color roving and even though it's a spun single...it looks like it's been plied. It is so soft and luscious to touch.

I also spun up some pretty superwash wool from Zarzuela's Fibers in Cranberry Bog.

Oh and I've knit some stuff but I only have an in progress photo to show off. Here are some mittens that I knit up from some of the cashmere handspun that I bought in Scotland last summer.

They are so soft and toasty and Jen calls this yarn softer than puppy sneezes. Which is much better than my description of softer than angel farts.

Writer's Block: Cookies

2009-02-04T22:50:18Z

What is the strangest advice you've ever received from a fortune cookie?

Submitted By merrytook92

View 501 Answers

"It is best to act with confidence, no matter how little right you have to it."

I have that pinned up on my bulletin board at work and it makes me chuckle. It's practically an insult, you know.

Congratulations, Mr. President!

2009-01-20T17:37:26Z

Here's the view at whitehouse.gov right now.

And it makes me smile.

2009 already?

2009-01-07T19:09:03Z

At work, we're busy dealing with year end things. Which means dating nearly everything with 12/31/2008. So yesterday, I suddenly realized that the actual date was 1/6/2009. So now, here I am...a week into the new year without even really acknowledging it.

Last year, I joined the 101 in 1001 project. My original post is here. Why I bother joining things is beyond me. I am usually full of fail when it comes to stuff like this. And although part of me feels as though I haven't accomplished much so far...I still have until Tuesday, September 28, 2010 to work on this. Then again, I joined the summer of socks knitalong and completed only one pair.

Upon reviewing the list, I have completed more items than I'd expected. What I need to do is be more mindful of my goals and review the list more often.

Pardon me while I geek out

2008-11-20T14:17:00Z

New Star Trek Trailer

Wow.

tjstein @ 2008-11-06T09:16:00

2008-11-06T15:17:44Z

Just wanted to share a funny with you all.

James, get the hacksaw

2008-09-26T02:25:54Z

LJ has been blocked at work. Which is a bit of a bummer, but hey, I'm there to work anyway so can't complain too much. The only thing is that when I do manage to log on at home, I tend to hang out on Facebook playing Pack Rat instead of much else. And I've been limiting that anyway because honestly, when I get home...the computer isn't the first thing I want to be near.

We're trying to cut back expenses and I dropped off the cable box/DVR at the cable company yesterday afternoon. I think the only show I'll really miss is Mad Men, but I'll either buy the shows individually on iTunes...or wait til the second season DVD comes out and add it to the Netflix queue. More first world problems, I know. Not a huge deal.

Between all the things that my friends and I have experienced this summer, I'm starting to think that I could have missed a calling as a daytime drama writer. I'm really ready for a peaceful, uneventful fall.

Here's to happier days ahead!

BSJ fair isle attempt

2008-08-25T14:56:48Z

Not too long ago, I made my first Baby Surprise Jacket, a cunning piece of knitting engineering designed by Elizabeth Zimmermann. I don't really have any reason to knit a baby sweater at the time. I know one or two people who are expecting who might appreciate a hand knit sweater for their baby-to-be. However, I mostly wanted to knit it for the challenge.

And while the actually knitting of it wasn't that much of a challenge, I mostly wanted to make it so I could figure out how it goes together. And now that I have, I feel the need to test the limits of the design. It's designed to be knit flat in one piece, sew up two seams at the shoulders and it's a basic garter stitch cardigan. So first I started thinking about knitting it in stockinette. Which led me to think of how I could create this piece in the round since I'd rather knit stockinette in the round than flat.

So that naturally leads to attempting the BSJ in fair isle or stranded knitting. It seems crazy or perhaps foolhardy. However, I think it could be done. I did some searching and couldn't find any examples of anyone else trying it. So here's my attempt so far:

I'm using the Knit Picks Palette yarn and if you're on Ravelry, you can check out my project page. So far so good. I completed the decrease section and have started the increase section. The next big hurdle is the section where I'm supposed to go back and forth to create length. I have a vague idea of how I want to handle that, but I guess I'll see if it's successful once I try it.

Hooray

2008-08-03T22:48:46Z

Not only do I have clean socks, but I have a bunch of sock blockers to lay them out to dry.

Hooray for husbands who make sock blockers!

Yeah, shameless promotion, I know. But they looked so pretty on my ironing board that I couldn't resist.

Journey to the Center of Hell

2008-07-21T20:21:50Z

Yes, we went to see the 3D extravaganza that is Journey to the Center of the Earth. I used to have a mini-crush on Brendan Fraser back in the days of Encino Man and School Ties. So while I wasn't really looking forward to the movie in general, I was at least hopeful for eye candy.

Well, there was a bit of that. But what really made the movie tolerable was the 3-D effects. If you must see this movie, see it in 3-D. Sure it's a cheesy movie riddled with improbable events, but it is a fun movie. It's definitely made with kids in mind. (Could that be why my husband liked it so much?)

The biggest disappointment to me was not actually the movie, but the theatre. With the temperature creeping towards triple digits, I was welcoming the opportunity to cool off in the theatre. Unfortunately, it was warm and stuffy through the whole thing. And if you happen to know me in person, you know that it had to be warm in there.

And yes, I did cry at the sad part.

Scotland Stash Enhancement

2008-06-25T20:08:04Z

Of course, I bought yarn in Scotland! Some of you have fondled this yarn in person but here's a pic of the pile.

Half of it came from Shilasdair on the Isle of Skye. Not only is it a gorgeous place to be, but OMG the yarn!!!!! It's all dyed with natural dyes and the base yarns are amazing. I bought a bunch of silk and their "Luxury DK" which is a wool, angora and cashmere blend in order to make their kimono sweater patten.

Here's the colors I choose in those luscious yarns.

But honestly none of the yarns I bought compares to...

the handspun cashmere! Softer than the softest thing ever. I really should have bought a sweater's worth and just resigned myself to taking out a home equity loan in order to pay off the credit card. Perhaps someday when the dollar is stronger against the pound, I'll order some more. In the meantime, it will be my emergency fondling yarn.

I also bought some lovely laceweight and sock yarn at K1 Yarns.

Those on the left are by Fyberspates and those on the right are by Old Maiden Aunt. Lovely lovely hand dyed yarns that are splendid to behold and soft to the touch.

All in all, I spent plenty of money but could have easily bought four times as much. But my limited storage space is now bursting and I need to concentrate on more knitting and less spending.

Now according to my Ravelry notebook, I've only completed six projects so far this year. Although I just remembered there's at least one completed shawl that I haven't put on Ravelry yet so it's at least seven. So I think I'm going to attempt to have at least a dozen completed items in Ravelry before I even consider buying more yarn or even fiber for spinning. Yep, that's right. I'm declaring a moratorium on yarn buying! Make your side bets with each other now.

yes, yes, I know...

2008-06-18T15:02:35Z

I still haven't posted much about my trip. But I'm still catching up with work, family, friends, knitting, etc.

Speaking of knitting, I have found my latest obsession. Twist Collective is a new knitting magazine that will be released in August and there's a groovy countdown on their website. Each day a new photo peek is released.

Oh I can't wait, but I'll have to...it all looks so yummy.

Not quite ready yet...

2008-06-12T02:09:36Z

...to show off my photos from my trip. Apparently if you take over 500 photos, it takes a while to go through them, upload them to Flickr, organize, tag, etc. And while I've managed to cull it down to just under 300 photos, I'm not quite ready to post yet.

So in the meantime, I'm pimping my husband's new Etsy shop, SJS Woodworking. He only has a few turned pens up there right now, but he's been working hard in his shop for some time now. He's also doing some custom pieces so if you need something made from wood, he's your guy.

He's made our bed, bedside tables, various bookcases, shelves and some very ingenious cat boxes that look like high end furniture. So check his stuff out if you like.

And since you're all so patient, I'll give you one of my favorite photos from Scotland. These are a couple of Highland cows that we saw on the Isle of Skye.

I'm home!

2008-06-07T14:32:57Z

I'm back from my two week stay in Scotland and once I get over the jetlag, I'll try to post all about it.

In the meantime, here's me and a cute man in a kilt.

leaving on a jet plane...

2008-05-25T12:17:24Z

My flight overseas is today. I'll be in Scotland for nearly two weeks returning on June 6th. So I won't be posting for a bit. Of course, I don't post all that regularly anyway so it will be just like any other month, really.

My most recent non-posting reason is that I signed up on Facebook and have spent entirely too much time playing Rat Pack. Honestly, I should have signed up long ago. I've reconnected with some dear friends which is quite splendid. My resistance to join Facebook is probably because I was a bit gun shy after MySpace. It's a crap interface and I can never figure out how to do anything there anyway. It's also ugly and its mother dresses it funny.

So Scotland. Here's to having a wonderful time and hoping that A) my husband doesn't miss me too much and B) my mother and I will get along well.

Random update

2008-05-17T05:00:52Z

Re: Facebook

Boy am I glad that this is blocked at work. I just spent two hours playing Packrat. WTF? Still, it's great to hear from people that I haven't talked with in over ten, er fifteen years.

Re: possibly shrunken sweater

He's lucky. No bail required. It's slightly shorter but still fits. I can live with that. Plus, I can always undo the hem and knit it a bit longer if I have to...in fact I probably will someday.

Re: Shakespeare
If you are remotely inclined to see Twelfth Night as performed by grade school kids than head over to the Plaza on Saturday evening. My 10 yo is Malvolio and my 11 yo is Olivia. (Actually, she's half of Olivia...not sure how that works - seems they are sharing roles). 5:30 pm and the stage will be set up between McDonald's and Anthropologie. It's part of the Literary Festival so we'll probably be shuffling about a bit early. I have to go by the Apple store anyway because of...

Re: Scotland

Nine days and counting. I need to pick up a converter so I can charge up my iPod while I'm gone. Also, arrange for cell coverage, notify the credit card company, finalize a packing list, and so much more than I can fathom at the moment. It's just now dawning on me that I will actually be out of the country for two weeks. I've never flown over an ocean before and while I'm not nervous, the thought is only mildly unsettling. Still, I know it will be a great adventure and I'm really looking forward to it.

tjstein @ 2008-05-06T19:41:00

2008-05-07T00:44:24Z

My husband just washed my hand knit sweater in the machine.

It is now damp and drying flat (thank god I rescued it before it went in the dryer).

I can't tell yet if it's smaller. I'm not sure I want to find out.

I am so angry right now that I am probably going to need bail money.