Knit Purl Knit Purl Knit Purl...

So here I am, groggy and exhausted from working too many hours and then getting a call at four in the morning (he's forgiven...I knew the call was coming but what makes me angry is that I was already awake), and of course not going back to sleep and waking back up at nine or so. that would have been ideal.  But whatever.

Nothing a spot of green tea can't fix.

So I took a hiatus from life last week, and today's Knit Tips Tuesday is about working with double-pointed needles.  Sometimes I curse them, and other times I adore them...it really depends on the day.  I guess it boils down to how fiddly I'm feeling; while I can sing like an angel, I can also fuck up with the best of them and slide pretty things right off of a pair of double-pointed needles.

Here is the article:

http://www.examiner.com/article/knit-tips-tuesday-double-pointed-needles?cid=db_articles

And then, I listed my May Scarf Pattern of the Month on Etsy.  It's named after a town in France, since it's sort of a French-girl scarf.  The feedback has been positive so far, including from our friends at Knitting Fever, who manufacture and distribute Sublime Yarns:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/100391299/lille-scarf-knitting-pattern

So there you go.  Today, I will be formatting June's pattern, drinking more green tea and eating bits of food my body can actually play with and digest (as opposed to chocolate sugar cookies, which was what my diet mostly consisted of yesterday), and maybe clip a coupon or two and save some cash at the grocery store.  I should also make an effort to try and finish the sample of the June scarf, even though the pattern is done, the blocking is half done, the yarn is still gorgeous...

Or I'll take a nap.  I'm not feeling very motivated.

But hey...the bright side is that I wrote an article, I posted a pattern for sale, I got in my car and drove across the county line for cheaper sales tax on hot water, and I have short-term ambition.  Maybe today will be lovely after all!

And finally, for those of you who  missed the photo of Bluto proving he is the most useless of all pit bulls, completely incapable of mauling joggers even if they were wearing Lady Gaga's meat dress, here is the proof.  By the way, we just looked over and saw him this way...it's not as if we staged the pillows on him:

Have a good day!  Make like Bluto.  Pile yourself between a bunch of pillows as if you are the creme filling of an Oreo cookie.

That Damn Sock

Good morning, everyone!  I've been on a bit of a hiatus from pretty much everything, but I think I'm finally snapping out of it.  Tonight, I'm going to outline the next few articles for Examiner.com, and I've actually accomplished a ton over the past week or so.

Yesterday, I went on my second bike ride of the year, and I'm paying for it today.  See, I don't know if all of you are like me, but that phrase "It's just like riding a bike" can be taken so literally that your rational self just completely tunes out.  Example:  last year, in Texas, I rode my bike all of twice because I was too afraid to ride down the streets of Katy without dying.  While I did make an effort to walk everywhere, as I have done since I moved back as well, walking and riding use different sets of muscles.

Last week, I got on the bike for the first time this year; every time I tried to ride previously, it was either raining sideways, raining cats and dogs (no wind but a blinding amount of water), or it was fifty and so windy that even MY hair was blowing.  I rode to Oak Park last week...it's about eight and a half miles.  Felt glorious.  Knitted all day.  Rode home.  Still felt glorious.

Yesterday, I was convinced that the one round-tripper from last week got me into shape, so I rode to Deerfield  and back.  Deerfield is about fourteen miles away, through some moderate hills, and I was into a twenty-mile-per-hour wind.  Duh.  So today, I feel like I was riding with a four-year-old on my shoulders, and instead of a Raleigh Cadent 5.0 '06, I was actually riding a plastic Big Wheel.  Live and learn.

I have two projects in my bag at the moment.  The first one is the sample for the June Scarf Pattern of the Month.  The pattern has been done for quite a while, but the sample still needs to be completed...even though I know the math works, and the pattern has no mistakes, I have to actually finish and block the sample.  So there.  The other project...shame on me...is that damn sock.

From what I understand, socks come in pairs.  You have to finish one, and then you have to finish another one, and THEN you have a finished project.  This is the precise reason I like to knit little instant-gratification wonders, and why I choose unique seamless garments over complicated ones.  If I bind off, I have completed a project.  So if I finish...say...a sleeve, I am damn-well convinced I'm done.

This sock would be part of a first-ever pair of socks, if I actually complete it.  It has been on the needles since probably December or January.  I should have started my sock adventure with toe-up, two-at-a-time socks, so I could complete the pair all at once.  But NOOOOOO...

I still have my kimono sweater that I bust out every week or so, but it's just miles and miles of stockinette stitch at this point...it's what you do when you're waiting for the pre-empt of the president's speech to finish so you can get back to watching Days of our Lives.

Right now, I'm on a string of four days off because I was owed a day from two weeks ago, when I covered for my counterpart as she was still on vacation.  I did a fair amount of knitting yesterday, and riding, and I clipped all of my coupons (I'm not a mad Shelf Clearing Rebate Accumulating Nutcase, but I do like saving money so I can live better), and I wrote a letter to my tenants with an outline of their new rent.  Today's plan involves almost finishing the sample (I won't finish it, but I can probably get close).  Maybe...just maybe...I will also bust out that damn sock.  To harbor any guilt I feel for needing my size 3 double-points for any other project, I knit about two needles' worth per week.  Sometimes more.  By about 2015, I should have a completed pair of maiden-voyage socks.

For now, I hope everyone has a good and productive day!

Call In Well Instead of Sick

Good morning!  Where have I been, you ask?  Nowhere.  The following are all true statements as to what I have done since my last post:

1.  Started and nearly finished a prayer shawl for a friend with cancer (that damn crocheted edging is KILLING me...what was I thinking?).
2.  Convinced the government I was worthy of a grant to the tune of seven grand, all because I run a failing business.
3.  Listen to a god-fearing woman tell me I should avoid porn and leave my baggage packed up.
4.  Posted a teaser-photo, only to get a great compliment from the company that makes the yarn in the photo.
5.  Re-lived the moment in "The Blues Brothers" when Jake and Elwood decided to get the band back together.

Yes, some of those items are out of context, but word-for-word, they are all true.

My employer (who I very rarely mention by name) is a big supporter of the Children's Miracle Network, and the local hospital for which they raise money is the current Children's Memorial Hospital.  On the first weekend of June, the hospital is relocating and becoming the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital.  This made me realize one and only one thing:  I want to be important enough...and rich enough to make a large grant...for a children's hospital to be named after me.

St. Jude was started because Danny Thomas was failing in Hollywood, and prayed to St. Jude (the patron saint of hopeless cases) that if he had great success, he would build a shrine in his name.  How's THAT for delivering on a promise?

Anyway, I am going to be walking for Children's Miracle Network during our fundraising period, in an unconventional way.  I'm going to be walking on a treadmill at the front door, greeting customers and putting a tip jar in front of me for customers to donate to the cause.  Yes, I'll go nowhere fast, but BOY will it be worth it.  I may have to find a job-approved way of getting the date and location into the paper (well, the internet) so people can come and donate.

On the knitting front, stay tuned for an article later today.  Last month, I had over two thousand hits on my page...I wrote an article about what to knit for your teen, and three major yarn companies retweeted it to their followers.  The article had 56 likes on facebook.  Obviously, this isn't going to get me my millions to open that hospital, but it could be the start of something bigger, no?

I already have the pattern ready for June, and I have to finish knitting the sample but Tiny E and I have not found an error in the pattern.  Here is a teaser for the pattern in May...it's the only one I'm releasing to those who did not subscribe to the series:

Also, I have been feeling a bit discombobulated for the last month, so I decided that it's time to get organized.  The bottom fell out when I realized my car insurance bill was going to be late (as if that's the end of the world, but if you know me, you know what a big deal that is).  So this may include organizing my yarn stash, cleaning, putting things away, throwing things out, and even alphabetizing.  But the breaks will involve knitting my current projects; my goal is to have only two projects on needles by the time I am finished.

Stop laughing.  Nothing is wrong with shooting big and missing.  Be well!

Still Too Cold for the Bike

So here I am, having coffee in Deerfield and visiting a friend, when I realized I had to, HAD TO, finish an article I've been thinking about for four weeks or so.  Turns out I have a faithful reader in California who is a newer back-to-knitting knitter, and she wanted to know what she could knit for her teen.  I consulted the local experts, who were more than happy to provide suggestions:

http://www.examiner.com/knitting-in-chicago/chicago-area-experts-weigh-on-what-to-knit-for-your-teen

And for those who don't know me, yes that's me in the photo.  I couldn't find a stock photo of an angst-ridden teen wearing anything knitted.  I figured since I look like everygirl and my face is obscured, it wouldn't be so bad.  Then, I pulled up the article on the finished page (it looks different from the page where I actually write and edit the stuff) and realized I look like a cutting-edge, flaming-hot, ridiculous narcissist.  Luckily, I'm not one, as illustrated by the fact that I'm about 64.48% embarrassed.

Especially since I post the articles on all of the facebook pages, twitter profiles, etc. of anyone to whom I link in the article, and within an hour, over three dozen people have "liked" it on their facebook pages.  Oh well...too late to edit at this point.

It could be worse...I could have protruding ribs like a REAL model.  Or I could be Bluto, looking as angst-ridden as any teen when he wears the same scarf:

He has no idea hot awesome he looks in "lettuce."

Anyway, since I'm just waiting on my tax return, I've decided to put all chores and projects on hold and just knit until the cows come home.  That's not bad, right?  I also would just like to say thanks to the local yarn shops in Chicago...I understand that knitting is a niche-hobby.  My articles will never be read by hundreds of thousands because...well...I don't write the weather column.  But at the same time, those who DO read my articles and share my interest in knitting are some of the nicest, most well-rounded and interesting people I have ever met.  There is something to be said for going into a specialty store and knowing that not only do the associates not get paid commission, they care about you as a person as much as they care about your purchase.  While talking to the yarn store employees about what to knit for your teen, the ladies at Knitche were clamoring to show me what they were talking about regarding looking at the "cool kids" stores before choosing your pattern.  What fun!

And it was 29 degrees this morning when I left...perfectly lovely weather (especially since it's sunny, so by the middle of the day you feel the chill and heat at the same time), but I can't have my first bike ride of the year be in weather that wears out my lungs too quickly.  I need it above 55 degrees or so.  But once it's that warm, watch out, because the next step is figuring out how to knit and ride at the same time...

The Beauty of Knitting Friends

Good evening!  By the way, Knit Tips Tuesday was inspired by the fact that I'm OFFICIALLY AHEAD on my Scarf of the Month Series, so I decided to start another garment.  Only unlike last time, this one is on size 8 needles and it is literally miles of stockinette stitch.  It's cute though.  You read this while I look for a photo of what I'm making...

http://www.examiner.com/knitting-in-chicago/knit-tips-tuesday-making-your-first-garment

Okay...so the pattern (yes, Amy occasionally uses patterns) is from a book called Sensual Knits, and honestly there are only two patterns I don't like in the entire book.  To non-knitters, that sentence probably seems obnoxious.  But to knitters, finding more than one pattern in a book that you want to make is...well...a pleasant surprise.  Here is the picture of what I'm hoping to get when I'm finished:

I also measure out to the Small, which means it's time I ate a freaking sandwich.  Or an avocado...ooh...

So yeah.  It's stockinette stitch all the way.  But I handed in my taxes to be done today so I feel like one burden has disappeared.  The three ladies in the yarn shop today were all making little items; two of them were making socks.  Part of me is envious, and the other part of me thinks, "But...you have to make TWO of them!"  I don't know if I have the attention span for two.  I must not be ready.

But after a weird week and an entire gamut (well, THE gamut...I don't think there is just one gamut) of emotions, I needed to get my yarn on.  I bought a pair of Addi Turbos to replace the circulars I had in the same size where the tips were wearing, and I finished next month's scarf.  Then, I learned how to provisional-cast-on with a crochet hook and knitting needle on only the second try, which makes me a new expert (I think).  THEN...I knitted up to the sleeves.

And in the meantime, I had some of the best laughs I have had in days.  Much needed.

You may think I am beating a dead horse by saying this, but knitting groups are the greatest.  Whether or not these people are my friends outside of the yarn store, the knitting circle to me is like a bar to a lonely middle-aged man in my neighborhood.  It's comfort, it's motivation, it's escape...It's just a good, good place.

Thank you.  All of you.

Another Wednesday

Good evening!  First off, here is a run-down of what's what in the knitting world for the month of April.  There are other events, of course, and a whole slew of classes, but here is a synopsis anyway:

http://www.examiner.com/knitting-in-chicago/april-goodies-for-yarn-crafting-the-chicago-area?cid=db_articles

Anyway, I only have FOUR MORE ROWS on the May scarf.  Seriously.  And the date is still a single digit.  I feel like dancing, only the only ones who will see it is the dogs.  Maybe the cat.  I don't know where he is at the moment, actually.

After writing the article this morning, I decided to head down to Shorewood to meet Cindy Cooper, the owner of Elemental Yarns.  We had a lovely chat and I am going to do a story on her place in the coming weeks.  I then swung by Downers Grove to Knitche to get more info on another story I'm writing.  Anyone who has knit something for their teenager, please let me know!  What worked?  What didn't?  Did they get to participate in selecting a pattern?  Do share, please...but send me an email to amy.e.kaspar@gmail.com instead of responding here.  Thanks!

I also encourage you to look at yesterday's post...I took photos on a gorgeous spring day in Chicago.  Lots of tulips, baby...and that's how it SHOULD be considering it's Easter-time.

So now I have a dilemma...in addition to finishing May's scarf and starting June's scarf, what garment should I start?  This has been weighing on my mind for a few days...should it be something for NOW or something for FALL?  The only reason it's in question is because...let's face it...I probably won't finish it until fall.  Last year, our friends at Lorna's Laces said they saw a statistic that the average knitter finished over thirty projects in 2011.  I assume that means EACH sock, EACH fingerless glove, EACH dishcloth...

Anyway, I'm hoping to ramp up the column this month as well.  Please subscribe on my page and continue to share my articles with members of the knitting world who do not currently read them.  Now that I have 50% free time (do the math, for those of you who think I all of a sudden went part-time at my job...I get three days on and three days off) and I'm relatively settled, I want to be the knitting ambassador of Chicago the best I can!  I'll still continue with Knit Tips Tuesday but want Chicagoans to learn about yarn shops and festivals that may not be near their house.

That's all for now...I hope life is treating everyone well!

Seriously!

Good afternoon, everyone...here is your Knit Tips Tuesday:

http://www.examiner.com/knitting-in-chicago/knit-tips-tuesday-children-s-hospital-donations

Also, please subscribe to my articles, and/or "like" my facebook page.  It's just an easier way to get info on knitting...the articles get emailed directly to your inbox when they get published.  You are always welcome to comment, or send me a private message if you have a question but don't want the whole free world to know about it.  The facebook page can be found here and the subscription link to examiner.com can be found here (just click on the "subscribe" button).

So, I'm halfway done with NEXT month's pattern, and I don't know how the two test-knitters are doing but my plan is to blow them out of the water.  I was feeling so good about myself today that after leaving Soldier Field for the Children's Miracle Network kickoff meeting this morning, I walked from there to the Milwaukee bus.  I also walked from downtown to Soldier Field, so by my estimation, I probably walked almost six miles today.  It was THAT glorious outside.  Here are some photos I took, including Teeny Jesus painting his face blue and orange and getting ready to BEAR DOWN!

Cherry blossoms outside the Field Museum.

The Field Museum of Natural History, shortly after sunrise.

Tulips on State Street.

One lonely guy that, I thought, was at the perfect stage of bloom.

Tulips at State and Washington.

Proof that Mayor Daley may have been corrupt, but MAN did he make Chicago look gorgeous.

Teeny Jesus, proving he's a Chicago Bears fan.

What's even more awesome is I finally went into Blommer's Chocolate Factory.  Even though I'm not currently eating chocolate, I got a contact high from the heavenly smell...it was ridiculous.  I also ran into a friend from my childhood on Lake Street, proving that my world gets smaller and smaller by the minute.

I think I'm going to go and enjoy more springtime with yarn.  And I may clean up dog poop in the back yard...