TV on DVD to knit by

At the request of my aunt, I am posting a list of my favorite TV shows to knit by. I don't watch a whole lot of live TV anymore, since I hate commercials, and Netflix makes it nice and easy to live commercial free. Relatively.

Awesome shows

The West Wing. I've only seen the first four seasons, but the writing is just great. Even though Leo McGarry is a racist asshole, the rest of the senior staff is brilliant and GORGEOUS. I really like how they made President Bartlett super smart. I like his style.

Dead Like Me - A little gory, but good. The premise is that the main character is killed by a toilet seat falling from a Russian space station, and she becomes a grim reaper. It's kind of dark, but funny. Not ok for young audiences.

Law & Order- It's violent, it's dark, but they catch the bad guys most of the time, and there are bunches of Broadway actor cameos- especially in SVU. Not kid-friendly.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation- Las Vegas, the original series. Good story, terrible dialog, but William Petersen is soooo hot.

Excellent Customer Service

People have been discussing the Summer 2005 issue of Interweave Knits, when I realized that it's practically Fall, and I still haven't gotten my summer issue.

Hmmmm.... I think to myself, and hit their website to get the "subscriptions" line.

A young woman named Jen answered the phone and had the issue dealt with in under a minute. She was completely charming about it, and I could hear her actually smiling (not fake smiling) on the phone. Yes, I really can hear the difference.

Until I called, I was more than a little upset that two issues had been skipped, and I had problems getting the FIRST issue after I subscribed. I thought, "Why on earth am I giving these people my money?"

Good customer service goes a long way with me. Why can't everyone be so pleasant?

FO- Baby Einstein

I finished the seams on the baby Einstein, and sewed on the buttons. Now it's in the FO bin, waiting for a baby.

I detested making it, the whole thing being in garter stitch and all, but it sooooooooooooo freaking cute.

I'm still working through Memoirs of a Geisha, still enjoying it.

Pics to be posted when I find and figure out how to set up the digital camera with my laptop. Woo!

FO! Andrew socks!

I finished a pair of Andrew's socks that I started when I was in South Dakota during summer '04.

I really will post photos, I just need to get Andrew to take them when there is good light and my feet are feeling photogenic.

To continue on my finishing kick, I'm going to seam up the Baby Einstein fromThe Knit Stitch I have on my desk that has been haunting me since... March?

Mom, Cynthia and I went to the sale at a local knitting shop, and I bought NOTHING!!! Such self-control. Then we drove to Redwood City to pick up sock yarn from a gal who I bought it from on Ebay (shipping would have cost twice what gas did, without a fraction of the adventure).

Woo for de-stashing and FINISHING!

The way I do socks is bind one off, cast one on, so I've starte the Regia "India" in the Jubilee series.

Finding FO's

I was digging around, looking for my copy of Ponchos & Wraps- a Knitter's dozen and I found a pair of socks that I finished knitting last school year, but didn't have the ends woven in yet, and a pair where one was in a knitting bag and the other was in the "lonely sock" bag (where single socks go to meet their mates). Woo! That's two more pairs off the needles and in the drawer.

I've been on a general finishing kick lately, finishing old projects, and finishing books that I want to get off of my bookshelf. I'm not really a collector of general fiction; some books are just a one-time read for me. I have fiction that I'm still attached to, like the Anita Blake series, and the Diana Gabaldon Jaime & Claire series. Lord John's book was good, too, but ultimately not a favorite.

I've finished House of Sand & Fog, Caucasia, and I'm working on Memoirs of a Geisha.

Digging in the UFO basket

So, last night I thought to myself, "I know that I have more than one pair of fingering weight socks on the needles." So I went into the garage, where the UFO basket and bins are.

For those of you who are curious, the UFO basket is the one that I'm trying to empty in order to transition WIPs that have been "timed out" out of bins and into the basket. Eventually, all projects should get finished this way. In theory. If only theory applied to my knitting whims.

I came across two pairs of socks that were more than half done that I started in South Dakota last summer, for Andrew. Just FYI, I got razzed at XRX about knitting socks, but by the end of summer, most of the people who razzed me were knitting socks. Muah ah ah.

They're both Regia socks, and both are from the Braid Box closing sale (less than $2/ball). I've been on a finishing kick lately- mostly to free my needles for other projects, and absolve my knitting soul for needless but AWESOME purchases.

I will also be finishing a pair of charity baby sockies made of Fancy Image Yarns Superwash Merino so that I can free those needles up to knit Constance's birthday socks out of this month's Yarn of the Month from Fancy Image.

I really like my little project progress monitors, and it looks like the percentage bars aren't up and running. So this is it for now as far as blog changes are concerned.

ETA for the Watermelon and Hogwarts yarn is about 2 weeks. Woo!

FO! Socks!

I just finished my "Spanish Moss" Cherry Tree Hill socks. Woo!

Review- Astrid's Dutch Obsessions Order

I placed an order on Ebay to "Astrid's Dutch Obsessions" for 8 balls of Opal Sock Yarn, six in the "Rainforest" collection, and two of the Rodeo collection. I placed the order on September 3rd (a Saturday).

It was shipped on the less expensive speed, and arrived on September 13th (six business days). I found this to be particularly speedy, considering that it was the slower speed as well as being sent from New Zealand. The yarn is GORGEOUS and had no odor or issue.

Including shipping, I paid about $10.50 US for each ball, making it 1/3 less expensive than buying it in a store in the US. It's not the shopowners' fault that it's way more expensive here; the US distributor is gouging them, riding the profit wave that is Opal. I think this is a bad idea on the part of the distributor, especially with the internet to offer us international sellers.

I also really like that she sent me an e-mail shortly after my payment went through saying "The package is ready to go out first thing Monday." I like to know that the seller has received payment and isn't sitting on my order.

I give Astrid's Dutch Obsessions my highest recommendations, and will order from her again, once I've destashed enough to justify another sock yarn order. *grin*

Happy International Speak Like A Pirate Day!

Jubilee socks, pair #2

Here is the colorway of the socks that I started last night Greenland.

Last night, Cynthia and Mom came over and we hung out and knitted. It was fun. We also had a "Top 5" Buffy discussion, which was fun.

Plans for the weekend include attending Ren Faire at Casa de Fruta. Arr, it be pirate weekend!

FO! Socks!

I finished the W.I.P. Jubilee Socks last night (picture to be posted soon), and part of yesterday's excitement was e-mailing back and forth with Dani about Watermelon Yarn! . My special request was to make it superwash, so we've been e-mailing back and forth to make it happen!


The colorway I used is called "Oslo"

A shift in focus

I've decided that I'm going to be true to the name of the blog and blog about my knitting, since there is not much else going on. Work is always the same (usually), so I'll be posting pics of Works In Progress (WIPs) and Finished Objects (FOs).

I just finished reading She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb, and it was okay. It was good writing, but so very sad and so very L-O-N-G. I'm finishing House of Sand and Fog, even though I know it turns out badly for the Persian family. I just want them off of my bookshelf, not half-read, being a book-cancer.

Knitting News and Reviews

I've hit a finishing kick, I've finished 2 ribbon tops, and like 4 pairs of socks in the last month. I also de-stashed a bit (a la Cynthia), and orded some of the new Opal Rainforest series . Although I ordered one ball of this from Yarnzilla and the rest on Ebay (total cost per ball on ebay including shipping= $10.50), I found Yarnzilla to be quick and well worth their flat $5 shipping.

I ordered the Opal on Ebay instead for the most part because I don't like the business practices of the US distributor. She tells retailors to mark up the yarn to $15/skein , when she's selling it to them at $11/skein. The gal I ordered mine from is from New Zealand Astrid's Dutch Obsessions(review upon reciept of the yarn), thus sidestepping said evil distributor.

I am currently actively working on some socks made from "Honeymoon Yarn"- stuff I bought in Seattle. I'll post the photos Andrew took of my Seattle haul in the hotel. It covered the bed, wait till you see!

Specifically, the yarn I'm using is the Regia Jubilee Series because Cynthia wanted to buy a bunch of it, and I use less than half of the ball. I also paid like $6.50/ball for it, because the yarn store I got it at catered to scarf knitters, rather than long-term knitters. I also got 10 or 15% off because of the amount that I purchased. It's super popular now, from what I understand from the knitting buzz.

In other news, Elphie attempted knitting socks yesterday while I wasn't home. From the looks of things, she got frustrated with her lack of opposable thumbs, and tangled four balls of sock yarn around the living room. She takes after her mother, braving heights to get at yarn; she climbed up on the CAL chair, and yanked it off of the bookshelf.

More later, and hopefully photos!

Audrie II

Audrie II had to be put to sleep today. She had respiratory problems, recovering bumblefoot in both back feet, and was beginning to lose her fur. She just wasn't happy anymore. Audrie was 2 1/2 years old, fairly old for a rat.

She had a rough beginning in life; she was involved in a cruelty case where a man had 80 cages in a one-bedroom apartment, all full of pet rats. He was breeding them and trying to sell them, from what I was told.

Rattieratz rescue had her at their adoption fair, and Audrie picked Sam. We brought her home, and found that her gift was that of projectile pooping. While we were trying to find a name for her, I came up with "#2" (like from Austin Powers), but Sam said that you can't give a number name, so we came up with "Audrie II" (from "Little Shop of Horrors"). Audrie and Topaz were great friends, and I think it was hardest on Audrie when Topaz passed away.

Audrie was a more selective rat; she didn't want to play all of the time, but would let you know when she did. She was a sweet rat when she wanted to be, and man, did she have spunk and a peanut-gut. We all loved her very much.