42.

My friend Nima said something the other day about how he likes that my blog posts are titled by number. It makes it easier for following if you don't have one of those "I read it already" markers. I agree with him. 42 does come after 41.

I have all these ideas about things that I'd like to write about almost always (oh so conveniently) while I'm walking down the street. I sometimes wish that I had a mechanism that would read my thoughts as I think them and put them in a storage bank that I can later re-visit so I can write about whatever weird and (almost) dillusional thing I am thinking about at the time. I being an aquarius, am incredibly loose minded? Scatter brained? Something like that - therefor I almost ALWAYS forget the "brilliant" idea I had to write about.

My roomates parents are currently staying with us. They are kind of adorable. The father does magic as a proffession, he keeps showing me little tricks. They're kind of awesome. I am tempted to ask how they're done but 1. I don't think he'll tell me and 2. It will probably kill the mystery. I came home to find a bible on the table today which is a not so common thing to find around my apartment. I'm not going to lie, it threw me off a little bit... I am definitely not used to censoring myself in leui of parents. I never grew up with christian, wholesome parents so I am infact finding that I have to bite my toung quite a bit. Example - My roomates mother has sleep apnea (I have never encoutered until yesterday) which I wasn't aware of. Upon entering the bathroom last night to have a shower - I came out yelling "who's damn scuba gear is in the sink??" = I am an asshole. Another instance, "If you're around on thanksgiving day, I'll show you my whole magic show", says Naomis' dad to which I promptly reply "HELL YEAH!". I suppose it was better than "F*&* yeah".

Anyway, onto knitting things... I have made some serious progress on Scarfy Cardy. I love Scarfy Cardy so far but I'm already thinking of some alterations I might like to work on after I finish the 2nd sleeve. It isn't quite wide enough for me to close so I was wondering, should I add on some front panels by picking up stiches and knitting out in stockinette? Or should I knit pannels and sew them on after so the stockinette stitches go in the same direction (up & down)?

I also knit some semi-ribbed random stitches around the wrist cuff so it wouldn't curl but, when i turn it up, I really like the way it looks so I'm glad I did it.

The little "woo-man" socks are coming along nicely too. I am just about at the heel of the 2nd sock now. I cannot wait to get them on my feet because it has been coooold the last few days!

My friend Vanessa had a surprise birthday party for her boyfriend Wade on friday night last weekend - I was 'documenting the night'. This is one of the photos that Trav took for me :

These were essentially the only two people I knew when I first moved to New York. I lived with them for 2 months as soon as I got here. I had known Vanessa (middle) for about 15 minutes before she dragged me out of the apartment with my sunglasses to avoid getting flipped out on my ios (left) mother for moving into her aparmtent on 3rd street without being informed. "This is not a HOTEL io" is the last thing I heard before I ran out the door to Tomkins Sq park with vanessa. Its been 2 years now (on Dec 5th) since I moved to NY. I love them very much. Thank you vanessa for saving me from Rebecca (who now loves me for the record).

I should go, I am geting magic tricks done to me by Naomi's dad.

x
-granny.

41.

I did it, I made my first adult designer million dollar clothing purchase. Of course, I documented such experience considering I am quite proud of myself. I think I may have a christmas dress for Minnesota! Its so lovely :


My roomate works at a store at Spring & Greenwich called Aloha Rag and yesterday they started a 40% off everything (except gold) sale. My roomate had a suggestion for me already as soon as I walked through the door and it was this dress.

I'm incredibly in love with it.

Knit news :

"woo"-man socks 60% finished
(working foot on 2nd sock)

scarfy cardy 50% finished
(2 more inches of body, add sleeves & scarf)

I don't want to work today.
x
-erin.

p-s : (the mirror in the first picture is one of my favorite things in my room. it was a design by my best friends cousin, he used some sort of chemical to burn that image into the glass. its so beautiful.)

40.

You'd think with a handy little card that gets me 40% off at the M.A.C cosmetics store, I'd be able to find someone to come makeup shopping with me? Alas, no luck. Maybe thats because a lot of my friends have day jobs? I'm not sure. I suppose I'll just have to go by my lonesome.

So yesterday was Franks last set of puppy shots and his rabies vaccination, he now is the proud owner of a huge red tag that is almost bigger than his head that says he is rabies free. I am pretty proud of him for making it through all those needles. Poor little guy, getting stabbed once a month with multiple needles. I am not looking forward to the day he gets his _____ chopped :/ - I'm probably going to spoil him rotten for a week.

Its gotten cold here... I could complain but, I suppose it is November. I wont.

Some music that's been getting me really excited lately, a visit from Roy Ayres - Everybody loves the sunshine... Why did I ever loose that song? Why did I neglect it for so long? God damn is it ever good. Another is this young sweedish girl, Lykke Li. She is a cute. Very much a cute.

Knitting? I have finally overcome my inability to knit more than one thing at a time so I am currently working on 2 things! My "woo-man" socks that I am so desperately wanting to finish so I can put them on my feet (42 degrees is cold) :


Preparing to knit on the subway, as I do. Often. And annoy people I'm sure.

Progress is being made on my scarfy cardy :


Have I mentioned yet that I plan on attaching a scarf to it?? I posted a picture of a big squishy cardigan on here a month or so ago with a huge fluffy scarf attached around the collar. I am going to go for it but, should le scarf be a wide rib or should I maybe throw a cable in there somewhere? I'm not sure I need to do the cable, its a pretty simple sweater all around... Suggestions?

My throat has been swollen the past couple of days. Not so much fun, especially while working but what better for a swollen throat then a few beers with some friends ? (Bad idea : Good photo fun.)


And finally, I'm going to end on some more pictures. A discovery around the corner from my apartment building. A "Glorious" discovery.

fin.
x.
-granny.

39. Pattern : Rudy short for Rudolph

Rudy short for Rudolph :

Materials :

Needles : size 10 US circular 16" needles / Size 10US DPNS - for finishing.
Yarn : 1 skein Catalina Baby Alpaca Chunky
One stitch marker.


Cast on : 76 sts, PM

-Join round, Rib 2x2 for 2 inches.

-Knit in round for 2.5 inches

Pattern RND (1 round only) : *yo, sl1, k2, psso (repeat * until end of round)

-Knit for 2 inches

DECREASE :

Rnd 1: *k17, k2tog (repeat * until end of round)
Rnd 2: *k10, k2tog (repeat * until end of round)
Rnd 3: *k9, k2tog (repeat * until end of round)
Rnd 4: *k8, k2tog (repeat * until end of round)
Rnd 5: *k7, k2tog (repeat * until end of round)
Rnd 6: *k6, k2tog (repeat * until end of round)
Rnd 7: *k5, k2tog (repeat * until end of round)
Rnd 8: *k4, k2tog (repeat * until end of round)
Rnd 9: *k3, k2tog (repeat * until end of round)
Rnd 10: *k2, k2tgo (repeat * until end of round)

Weave working yarn through all remaining stitches, pull tight & weave in ends.


x
-granny.

38. the first day of a new america.

So here is the canadian girl being incredibly happy and releived about what is about to happen to america. I don't think anything drastic is going to happen in the next 4 years but at least its a start, at least this is a beggining of something that desperately needed to happen and thank fucking god it is this man who is going to start the ball rolling.

So much of america is so naive to how their government really effects the rest of the world, how america is tried in to so many other countries on so many other levels. Somewhere near 10 people in ONE department of my moms work IN canada lost their jobs because the US executives of the company decided they needed to cut costs... i'm sure its happened with other north american companies as well... it is so important (especially to north america) that the US gets back on its feet and that it has someone with their head on their shoulders with the best intentions set forward leading it back to a state of normalacy (as we know it). Anyway, the change is going to happen, I am SO glad everyone figured it out. I wasn't sure I was ready to move back to canada ;)

In tribute of this historic day/year/election - i photographed 3 new balls of yarn in patriotic form :




top: the softest of handspun, undied, merino from chile (to make other appearances in this blog post)
bottom left: rudy (the sequel - still to be knit) blue sky alpacas, dyed cotton 100% organically grown
bottom right : flossy (the seuqel - still to be knit) blue sky alpacas, dyed cotton 100% organically grown

I am quite excited about the merino yarn, it feels so soft and squishy and lovely I want to rub it all over my face. It will be face rub-able after I knit my neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew....................



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CARDIGAN!

I haven't knit anything for myself in what feels like months... I did the Orangina but, I don't ever wear it (christmas present?) so it doesn't really feel like mine. I've been wanting to make myself a very simple stockinette stitch cardigan that hugs my waist, goes past my butt and doesn't need to close in a soft lady like color so what better to do it in than an off-white. I bought this yarn at Downtown Yarns on Ave A with intentions of making myself a cape but, I figured I don't want to wear a coat over a cape and this yarn isn't thick enough to knit in the same gauge of the pattern I have so sweater it is. I am not knitting from a pattern so I hope it works out - I had to start it over twice and rip back once so far. I'm knitting on US 8's and its about 5.5 sts to 1 inch. I started with 80 sts and ribbed for an inch and a half then devided like this :

k8, PM, k14, PM, k36, PM, k14, PM, k8

I figure thats about 6 inches across the back, 2.5 inches over the shoulders and i'm increasing by kfb on both sides of every marker so, 8 increases every other row. If anyone knows that its not going to work, speak now or forever hold your peace. i was thinking about doing 5 decreases on both inner seams (when I get there) and 5 increases to hopefully get the hourglass type shape. Might only do 4 because I don't want it to be too tight.

End on something kind of funny? Sure.

So, I had a makeup job yesterday for Hashett (the french publishing company) to do makeup on a couple of their head editors for some interviews and whatnot. The job was at noon and so waking up at 730am I had some time to kill. I took my time checking my morning internets and drinking my 3 coffees. Finally I realize I have to kick it into high speed because I've diddled around too long. I am running around, clothes, makeup, hair. At about 10:45 I walk to my desk with my camera cable in hand to replace in the shelf where it lives and promptly go into my roomates bedroom to show him some halloween pictures I had posted up on my flickr. For some reason my brain seems to think its okay to tell me I can do both of these things at the same time - I go full force into multitasking and whack my face off his door frame. Yes, I walked into a door.

Good thing I had enough makeup on to cover it at the job yesterday but here's where its at today


At least its only a tiny cut and not a huge black eye like I was expecting. Should be gone in a couple of days but it hurts to sleep on my left side. I am, have been and always will be the clumsiest woman alive. Thanks for that mom.

x
-erin

p.s - in her defense, she isn't really that clumsy. its just me - i just have to blame someone.

p.s.s - i started a photoblog with my best friend and i posted my first post