[misc] Murderface Monday

[misc] More house pictures

A couple weeks ago we went up to the house to take a look. It didn't have roofs or a garage when I left on assembly day, but here it is now:





The end of the house- the family room and a room in the basement beneath:



Back of the house:



No one was there and we couldn't get inside. And I think at that point that it wasn't safe to go inside. A couple days ago we went while some workers were there to see the progress. It was awesome being able to walk through the house and up and down stairs.

Looking from the kitchen to the front door:



Looking from the 2nd floor hallway to the front door. I love that the entryway is open to the 2nd floor and how much light comes in:





Looking into the family room. We're not putting in a wood stove but I think we would like to have one in the future. And it would go there, where the wood stovey shaped area is.



Walk in closet in the master bedroom. A walk in closet. With an overhead light and a window.



The window was added for symmetry's sake (so the windows facing the back yard are balanced) but it makes the walk in feel like another bedroom. And the closet space is ridiculous. Right now Dollar's the only one that uses the tiny closet in our bedroom- I just get by with drawers. It's going to be great having his-and-her sides. And we can keep laundry baskets in there, on the floor, out of sight. We're tripping over our laundry baskets and hampers now.

We walked down to the end of the house and saw the door and windows in the basement room, under the family room:



Now to think about tile and wood for the floors. And paint colors for the walls. It's a little nerve-wracking because I'm such an indecisive person anyway and I'm worried that I'll end up hating/regretting whatever I choose.

[misc] Tuesdays

It's Tuesday, which can only mean one thing: picking up a 6-pack on the way home from work to get me through two hours of The Bachelor. It's true. And so, like, amazing.

[misc] Murderface Monday

We were talking about cats snoring in the Cat Knits group on Ravelry. I said that I had no idea what they were talking about, since Murderface never ever snores:



But he does. An adorable high-pitched snore.

[knitting] Cabled Cowl

Working on something new...



My plans for the evening are:

- lemon poppy muffins
- weaving in ends on some newly finished projects
- blocking a couple things that I've been avoiding

[knitting] Fern Glade

Pattern: Fern Glade

Needels: US 5

Yarn: Plymouth Happy Feet DK, less than one skein

Notes: Good hat. Didn't love knitting it (found the lace pattern to be a little fiddly). Still need to block it to open up the lace and give it some slouch. I think I might need to buy some balloons to block this hat.

[knitting] Heaven on Earth

Not letting something like being unable to complete 10 shawls in 2010 dissuade me, I signed up for 11 shawls in 2011. Here is the first of the year unblocked:



And apres the transformation:



Pattern: 198 yds of Heaven. This is the 3rd time I've done this pattern. It's a good pattern :)

Needles: US 7 (4.5mm)

Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock DK, Java, one skein

Notes: Made more repeats of the pattern to use up all the yarn and meet minimum yardage requirements for the project.

This yarn was really nice. I got it ages ago at The Yarn and Fiber Company in Derry, NH. It is 100% superwash merino, so it's not scratchy around the neck at all. The colors are very earthy as well:



Which is why I'm calling this one Heaven on Earth.

[misc] Murderface Monday

Happy Valentine's Day!

[knitting] Little Arrowhead Shawl

Back in 2010 I participated in the 10 Shawl in 2010 challenge. Well, I only finished 9 (the 10th one is sitting on a pair of needles, guilt-tripping me every time I happen to glance in it's general direction). This is the 8th:



Pattern: Little Arrowhead Shawl (rav link)

Needles: US 7

Yarn: Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend (30% silk, 70% Merino Extrafine Wool), purple, two skeins

This is a very lacy pattern so I was able to get a decently sized small shawl from just 300 yards.

Blocked:



Poor, blue-ish winter lighting doesn't really show off the true purples. This close up is better:



I liked this yarn. Would love it if they offered it in 100gram skeins. This yarn is practically identical to Malabrigo Silky Merino in terms of appearance, grist, yardage. The only difference appears to be percentages of silk to wool (51% Silk, 49% Merino) and the Malabrigo tends to be a little bit less expensive. But I'm not sure where you'd get it around here. The Manos Silky Blend is available at the Northern Nights Yarn Shop in Norwich, VT.

[knitting] Tunisian Potholders and Dishcloths

I've made 4 out of 5 potholders for a swap:



Pattern: Tunisian Shortrow Dishcloth

Hook: H

Yarn: Lily Sugar 'n Cream Ombres, from the stash.

Notes: I made these double-thick by crocheting two, then crocheting them together along the outer edge. I also added a loop to hang them. These are thick and squooshy, perfect for putting down into the table and setting a hot dutch oven on top.

There have been a couple rejects:



Not that there's anything wrong w/these two, but the larger one on the left has 15 stitch wedges. I made two, crocheted them together and that made them ~10 inches across. Which is nice but over the size limit for the swap (I've gone down to 13 stitch wedges). And since these are made using worsted weight cotton, I also didn't want my potholders to add too much weight when people are sending envelopes w/postage already attached. And the one on the right... I just thought the colors were too drab.

So these two and all of these dishcloths (which have been sitting in a cabinet unused since I made them) were put into a brown paper bag for Dollar to bring into work. They're looking for homemade crafty donations for a fundraiser for the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth. I also included the purple Capucine hat, the purple Chunky Dean Street Hat, a pink scarf from my early knitting days (which I've never worn, so I had to let it go) and a couple other hats that I never wear. It was hard to let some of the stuff go but I hope it can raise some good money for CHaD.

Oh, and I ordered this set of 9 inch tunisian hooks from Amazon. I only had one long, unwieldy, aluminum Susan Bates tunisian hook. I wanted to get smaller wooden ones to save my wrist since I knew I was going to be making so many of these. These hooks are really nice and I recommend them- they're light and have pointy heads. The only negative thing I've heard is that they're kind of fragile so you can't leave it where someone might step or sit on it. Which is probably sound advice for any crochet hooks and knitting needles.

[knitting] Amazing Cowl

I had seen some pictures of a pretty cowl around Ravelry since early December. It seems like the designer has got dozens and dozens of pattern testers making the prettiest cowls. I'm not sure if the pattern is going to be free or not, but I wanted to make one. So I did:



Pattern: My own. Cast on 112 st on US 11 needles. Knit, purl, knit. Start corrugated ribbing and stagger after 6 rounds. Switching down needle sizes as I go to narrow the cowl.

Needles: US 11, 10.5, 9, 7

Yarn: Lion Brand Amazing in Aurora and Wildflowers. This yarn sucked. Seriously. It's soft but snaggy and it's a nightmare to rip out (so you better hope you make all your stitches right the first time). I wouldn't recommend this yarn and I won't use it again.

I don't know, maybe that's too harsh. I was using my Knit Picks Options needle set to knit this and the needles have quite pointy tips (which I like). Maybe the yarn is more suited for blunter-tipped needles. Clovers? Addi Turbos?

But it's a pretty cowl :)

[knitting] Capucines

I found a pattern that was so easy and cute, I couldn't stop making them:



Pattern: Capucine

Yarns:

- Purple hat on the left used Cascade Yarns Pastaza
- Beige hat in the middle used Knit Picks Decadence (discontinued), and Rowan Kidsilk Haze (both carried together)
- Dark gray hat on the right used Cascade Yarns Lana Bamboo and Madil Yarns Kid Seta (both carried together)

Needles: Purple used US 8 but the hat came out too small for me, so I went up to a US 10 for the next two.

This was such an easy and fun pattern. You work back and forth for the ribbing and garter sections, then join to work in the round for the stockinette section. I particularly like this pattern because I wear my hair tied in a ponytail at the nape of my neck and the construction of this hat allows for the ponytail to be out in open.

The finishing wasn't bad- making the tassels was fun. I omitted the tassels at the back of the hat.







This is a great project for ~110 - 120 yds of chunky yarn.

[misc] Murderface Monday

Murderface, you're spoiled.


Who? Moi?

[spinning] Cormogora? Angormo?

Pulled out two 4oz bags of angora/cormo that I picked up at the 2009 NH Sheep and Wool Festival:



It really didn't draft all the easily or smoothly, so the finished yarn is lumpy/bumpy. But I think that just makes it look more like spun clouds:



Which is what this yarn feels like- clouds. I think the blend is 50% angora/50% cormo. This yarn would make beautiful cables.



Not sure what the finished yardage is but it's a dk- or light worsted-weight.

[house] Some assembly required

I don't think I've shown pictures of the new house, since I talked about the foundation back in November. Well, the house is coming along nicely. Here are the pieces as they were being built in the factory:















Then they starting putting the cabinets in, which was like... so awesome. Cabinets that I picked out and helped design. Maple cabinets that are so pretty and smooth, I couldn't stop rubbing my hands all over them. This kitchen is going to be the bomb.

Here's a little office area, with a couple hanging file drawers, mail slots, that open area which will have shelves for cookbooks. I forget what kind of panel that is on the back there, but it was suggested by the kitchen and bath designer at LaValley's and it's gorgeous.



Spot for the double-ovens:



Open spaces for microwave, fridge, dishwasher, gas range, hood. Countertops will be granite and will be installed on site.







All the drawers are the non-slam kind, where you push them on their sliders, they retract and then close themselves. You can't push them closed or you'll break the sliding/closing mechanism. So I had to come home and explain this to Dollar, "If you break my drawers [pause for effect], I'll break your legs." He nodded solemnly, because he knew I wasn't kidding. I might also have insinuated that he wouldn't really be allowed into the kitchen at all. He gave the impression that he'd be perfectly fine with that.

Corner tub for the master bath was put in. Champagne* and bubble baths every night!



*Miller High Life, "The champagne of beers"

Beige sinks. I'm kind of wondering why I picked that color now (I chose white for the other bathrooms and I wanted something different for the master bath). I'm hoping I can choose tiles for the floor and around the tub that will tie it in.



Last Friday the pieces were delivered to the site:







There's the house. Can you see it?



Me neither. But soon.

Garage foundation:



This is the garage:



House foundation:



And then finally on Tuesday, the house was assembled while it was freezing and snowing. When I drove up in the morning, this is what I saw: Liftoff of the first piece:











Getting ready for the 2nd piece:









At this point, after standing around and watching for hours, I couldn't feel any of my body parts and my words were starting to sound like, "Muh whah hmn, mha muh." I left to go visit with my grandmother, who lives close by. I came back to:



Woooow. It looks like a house and everything.



Lego pieces:



Buy stock in SC Johnson, because I'm going to go through lots of Windex.



I'm so happy and excited (and relieved that it was put together before the blizzard yesterday).