I didn't think it was possible...

You know, I've read many bloggers who talk about the tendency of tape measures to become lost. I always chuckled and thought it was just an exaggeration. I can understand losing stitch markers (they're small), or DPNs (they can roll and get lost in couch cushions), but a whole tape measure? Surely you're joking!

Apparently not. I had it Monday night, when I measured Mr. Tall's chest and too-long arms, but somewhere between there and Tuesday night, it has disappeared. I'll probably take the cushions off my comfy chair soon, and will probably paw through the knitting basket soon.

Now, if only I had picked up one of those cute sheep tape measures at Harrogate!

2007 Blog-in-Review

I thought I would take a few minutes to follow boogaj's example and look back at the first line of the first post of each month.

Without further ado, 2007 in review...

February:
When I was a kid, I had Barbie dolls. Those were the good old days: Barbie and Ken were together, and 80’s fashions were on their first go-round.

March:
My husband, who I tend to call Mr. Tall in the blogosphere, bikes and trains to work every day.

April:
I think the anti-stash gods are conspiring against me (or conspiring with my husband, whatever the case may be).

May:
World Wide Knit in Public Day is coming up!!

June:
I haven't forgotten!

July:
My sister-in-law's shower is scheduled for July 14.

August:
On Sunday, August 5th, my brother and his wife welcomed a beautiful new edition to their family.

September:
I'm sure that Eleanor Roosevelt never intended this statement to be applied towards something as harmless as knitted footwear.

October:
Last Friday, the day after I posted about the sale at my LYS, I came home to find this waiting for me:

November:
Today, I'm kicking off NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) with birthday wishes for my dear husband.

December:
In theory, reusable grocery bags are a great idea.

FO: Sweet Serenity

Since I've started knitting, I've noticed that I take an active interest in other's clothing. I'm at the point where I'll rubberneck if an attractive sweater passes me by, regardless as to who is wearing it. I think you can only imagine my embarrassment when I'm caught.

Isn't that the way it is though? When you become more involved in something, you become aware of it, it permeates your life and seeps into your everyday existence.

Now, seemingly non sequitur: I'm a band geek. I was in my college and high school marching bands, and loved most every minute of it.

Just as I have picked up a hypersensitivity to knitted goods, I am also much more sensitive to marching bands. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but as I mentioned earlier, I married a USC fan.

For those not in the know, USC has an annoying band. Sure, their musicianship is quite good, but still, annoying. This is largely due to their fight song, "Fight On". Most bands in the Pac-10 will tell you that the USC fight song goes "This is the only song we know, and we play it all the time", and for good reason.

In our home, between the game-watching and PlayStation playing, my poor sensitivity to the oft-heard USC fight song puts me in a state of constant torment (ok, it's not that bad, but don't tell Mr. Tall that). My work around to this is to put in a pair of headphones and tune out USC in favor of something more appealing.

I decided to knit up a little carrying case for my headphones, to keep the end table tidy, and to try my hand designing something completely from scratch.

Sweet Serenity

Not only is this my first design, it will be the last FO I share until after Christmas. There is much knitting going on, but I just can't quite share it all yet.


Sweet Serenity

Project Details:
Pattern: My own! I will gladly write this up as a free pattern if there is any interest. If so, drop a comment and let me know. This fits a pair of headphones, but could also work as a small wallet or cell phone/iPod cozy.
Yarn: Home "Island Multi" purchased from Manor Department store, Switzerland
Needles: KnitPicks Options in US4 (3.5 mm)

String (Grocery Bag) Theory

In theory, reusable grocery bags are a great idea. They are easy on the environment and less likely to rip, spilling your contents everywhere. In practice however... well, one has to remember to bring the bag for them to do any good.

With this known, I set out to knit a less-forgettable grocery bag.

I found this pattern through Ravelry, and found the yarn in a Manor Department Store while visiting Switzerland this summer.

The bag utilizes a Turkish stitch pattern, which is just a matter of yarn overs and knit2togethers, but I still got off the pattern from time to time. It's not really noticeable, and it's just a grocery bag, so in theory, it really doesn't matter.

Turkish stitch

As for remembering to have the bag with me, I made one modification that makes the empty grocery bag more compact, thus easier to take along for the grocery trip:

Self-contained carrying pouch


Bags expanded

To accomplish this, I followed the pattern instructions almost to the end. After knitting the strap for the main bag, but before grafting the strap to the bag, I knit a smaller version of the bag. I used the same base as in the pattern, and kept increasing the base until it seemed large enough to hold the rolled-up grocery bag. From there, I switched to the larger needle size, and worked in stockinette until it seemed tall enough to fit the grocery bag. It's not an exact science, but again, it's just a grocery bag. I added a small carrying strap, and then grafted it in as I attached the main strap to the grocery bag.

When using the grocery bag, the carrying bag becomes a pocket for items you may need close at hand. When you're done grocery shopping, the grocery bag easily folds back into the carrying bag for much easier storage.

Project Details:
Start-End: October 26 - November 15, 2007
Pattern: "The String Bag" from My Best Friend's a Dork
Yarn: Home "Island Multi" purchased from Manor Department store, Switzerland
Needles: KnitPicks Options in US4 (3.5 mm) and US11 (8.0 mm)
New-to-me: Emily Ocker's circular cast-on.
Modifications: Added small carrying bag, as described above.
If I do this again... I would definitely make one a bit smaller than this, as this one is best suited for larger, light items.