Nature

I was playing with my camera while waiting for Batman last week.

Finished Sweaters

I knit my mom a sweater for her birthday. Her birthday is on Christmas. She got her sweater at the end of July. A bit late, but whatever...it's handknit! I did one for 2005, 2006, and am working on 2007.

This was the sweater for 2006 (she got this one on time - I can't find the picture of it on her)


And this is 2007's sweater (with her face blurred out, the flat picture she took of it was awful)


Filigree Turtleneck from fiddlesticks knitting. 100% organic undyed cotton (Ecoknit, it is the same as Pakucho). Machine washable and machine dryable.

She really likes it, even though it is totally impractical for July!

And for good measure, here is the one other sweater that I've finished. I was intending to knit it for myself, but it ended up fitting my 7 (at the time) year old cousin. I knit this one about 2.5 years ago.


And the only baby sweater I've knit. This I did while flying out to see my family for Christmas 2005 (my cousin was due in the spring). It got a single blue star button at the top a few months later before I gave it to her.


Those are all of the sweaters that I've knit. I do have a few in progress right now, but I don't like the yarn for one (and I'm resizing the pattern), one went funky and I need to think hard about if it is correct, and one I'm swatching for (the swatch picture a while ago). I don't think I have much to show for any of them yet, but you'll eventually see them!

Causa

I've been super busy lately and it will last until mid-November. It sucks because I love to cook and I haven't had much time to.

A few weeks ago (maybe a month or more actually) I made causa from a recipe on the PPK. It wasn't too much work, it took about 45 minutes total, and turned out really yummy.

I cubed the tempeh


Baked the potatoes (next time I am so boiling them, scooping innerds out of a hot tator is not my idea of a good time and took way longer than peeling/boiling them would have)


Soaked the onions (will probably skip this next time too...I like the taste of onion, and these just added crunch with no flavor after having been soaked)


Juiced some limes with my new citrus fruit juicer...new as in I bought it in January and this is the first time I've used it


And layered it all in my pie dish.


It was way better the next day than it was right away. I also liked it chilled rather than room temp. I'll put more olives on it next time too...I was adding them as I ate it since I didn't start with enough. Batman liked it too. He likes tempeh better that I do.

From the Sky (Ceiling, whatever)

I actually went to my little knitting group last Wednesday. I haven't really sat and knit with them in a long time. I stop in and say hi every now and then, but this time I sat and I knit (6 or so rows of a baby dress and a start to a dishrag - no pics yet). I'm not sure that I'll be going back though (j/k)!

We were leaving and since I was going to be heading straight over to Batman's place I wanted to use the loo before I left. I'm doing my business when something hits me on the arm. It fell from the ceiling and bounced to the floor. I look down just in time to see it scurry around to the back of the toilet. Of course, I hurry and finish, wash my hands, and grab my camera. Doesn't everyone have their camera in the loo with them? It was in my purse, so it isn't that weird. I wanted to make sure that this thing was what I thought it must be.









I'd never seen one "in the wild" before. I left it there, behind the toilet, and showed L the picture as I walked out. It got a nice little squeel with a bit of a hand flutter in response :)

So yep, I saw my first cockroach. He (she?) was a little one, maybe an inch long. Now I don't mind so much that the cafe doesn't have any vegan food. And while I know most of the restaurants probably have cockroaches, if I don't see them then I can maintain my denial. I do see mice and rats regularly outside though. They are sooo cute! And after hours at the bars the mice scurry around, darting in and out of the walls...adorable! Cockroaches, not so cute.

Fall Knitty

I've been busy lately. I have pictures but they are all on my camera still. I knit a bit and baked a bit and will eventually share some of that with you!

But here is something that I can do without my pictures, I can offer my opinion when nobody really cares. So here is my opinion on the knew knitty.

Muir (shawl) - pretty enough, doesn't look like I'd bother figuring out a vegan yarn though. I do kinda like the wavies in it, I don't so much like the photography

Henry (scarf) - very nice man scarf. I might even think about knitting it in a vegan yarn, except it is knit lengthwise which doesn't sound so good to me

Entwined (scarf thing) - points for creativity

Tussie Mussie (sweater) - I like the sleeves, but I'm not really feeling it for the rest of the sweater. Especially the collar.

PPR (men's sweater) - I REALLY, really like this one!!! Maybe Batman would too? Or ummm some other guy that I know (I don't think I know any that wear sweaters!) And the yarn called for is vegan so no huge subbing necessary (I'm going to look into Valley Yarns Longmeadow for this although it might be too light)

Roam (sweater) - there are way better basic zip-up hoodies out there. J knit one, ask her which it was

Cherie Amour (sweater) - Cute. I could see wearing it to work over another top. Or taking it to throw on when it is almost cold, but not quite. Although in a synthetic it would be quite warm anyway!

Neiman (sweater) - it is described as fitted. I wouldn't call it that. It might look good on some people, but if I liked the circle design at the top (I don't really), I'd just stick it on a different sweater pattern.

Mr Greenjeans (sweater) - There are a ton of patterns that look like this out there. Better ones IMO

Boxed (sweater) - Boxy, big and cropped with a pattern change right across the nip line. The smallest size is 38.5 inch chest. Flattering on anyone...probably not. Let me know if you can prove me wrong on that.

Percy (purse) - I really like this one. It is a nice basic purse pattern in a stong yarn that I could sooo easily change to make a purse of any size! Granted I still haven't finished (or really even started) Via Diagonale so it might be a looong time before I am ready to tackle another purse, but this one is #2 on the list now.

Flower Power (hat) - It's a baby hat. It won't fit for very long anyway so it doesn't really matter what goes on the kid's head.

Foliage (hat) - I'm not a big hat fan and this one isn't going to change that at all.

Peacon Pie (hat) - I like the colors of the one in the picture, otherwise still not interested in hats

Urchin (hat) - this hat, on the other hand, looks amazing on the model. And would look good on a few other people, but really, only a few.

Totally Autumn (throw) - nice enough

Q (sock) - socks interest me even less than hats

Diamond Waffle (socks) - still not interested (these ones are better though)

Cinderella (socks) - it looks like there is a huge ridge running down each side of the sock that would be uncomfortable

Back to Basics (socks) - basic socks with a funny looking toe

Woodins (toy) - this is cute. I like the idea of making toys. I'm not sure about the leaf tail on the little creature, but it is a neat idea overall.