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Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Introducing Nocturnalknits.com!

Drumroll please...

nocturnalknits.com!

I've been planning on moving my blog to its own domain for a long while now, but other projects and the daily grind have gotten in the way. I hope you like the new design! When I’m not knitting or writing, I work as a web developer, so I wanted to make sure the design and code were up to par. Now that the new site is up, I'm rededicating myself to blogging more regularly.

So check out my brand-new site and check back for updates!

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Friday, July 31, 2009

It's Always Sunny... Kitten Mittens

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A friend of mine just asked me if I could make her a set of these:



As a huge "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" fan, I can't resist!

(Though I'm going to make her sign a waiver so she won't sue me when her cat claws the crap out of her face while trying to administer the mittens.)

Incidentally, I wrote a pattern called Kitten Mittens in Picture Perfect Knits, but they're not quite the same...

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Thursday, July 30, 2009

Bootie-licious

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High-top Booties

I love it when my friends have babies, not only because it means another little being is coming into the world, but because it gives me an excuse to make adorable knits!(Ravelry link)

I was inspired by Brookyln Handmade's Baby Chucks pattern, and even bought the pattern from her for five dollars. When I started looking over the pattern, though, I decided just to give it a go on my own. I had different yarn requirements (Koigu PPM) and needle sizes (2.75 mm, I think?), so rather than adapt her pattern to my needs, I figured I'd just take a stab at the design. I've knit so many booties in my day that I've memorized the method (based on the Stay-On Baby Booties pattern by Melanie Falick and Kristin Nicholas) and don't really need a pattern to look at anymore. This was especially helpful since I knit both these booties on a plane trip. Fancy that.

Here's another shot for size reference:



These were such a hit that I'm already knitting another pair! Here's hoping I can remember how I made them in the first place!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

LYS Owners are Angry

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I saw this mildly amusing Office Depot ad while watching "The Daily Show" on Hulu:



Notice anything special about this fictional small business owner? Yup, she owns a yarn store.

I have no idea what to make of it. Just thought I'd share.

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Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Girasole - finished!

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Here's the problem with secret knitting projects...

You have to keep them a secret. This means you definitely can't blog about them, especially if the intended recipient is a regular reader of your blog. This was the case with my Girasole by Jared Flood [Ravelry]. I was knitting it as a wedding present for a good friend, and I didn't want to ruin the surprise!

On March 8, 2009, my Girasole was only two skeins of Fountain Hill Brushed Mohair full of potential.

Sparkly

Over three months later, I ended up with this final product:

Girsole finished

Well worth the effort! Look how pretty and sparkly the yarn is.

Girasole up close

Now is the time to bow down in deep reverence for Mr. Jared Flood. That man knows how to write a damn good pattern. Girasole was a labor of love, for sure, but its dirty little secret is how easy the pattern is to knit! Jared's pattern breaks each section up into small, easy-to-follow charts. They're repetitive enough to keep track of, but small enough that you never get bored.

I do have to say that I was pretty anxious to get this sucker off the needles after a while.

Girasole - in progress

Lace is so lumpy and unattractive before blocking, but I kept the faith that it would turn out beautiful in the end. A few hundred pins later...

Blocking Girasole

...and you got yourself a pretty lace shawl! Shazam!

Here's some technical stuff for the other knitters out there. I used size 8 (5mm) needles, and all of two skeins of the Fountain Hill Brushed Mohair, which comes out to 1120 yards. I skipped one repeat of chart E because I was afraid I'd run out of yarn.

Turns out I ran out of yarn just at the end of the knit-on edging. I was really pissed off. So pissed off, in fact, that I swore I wouldn't go buy anther 600-yard skein just to use 10 yards of it. I was actually finishing the edging during the Lakers' championship game against the Magic, and my boyfriend's delight at his team winning the big prize inspired me to keep on trucking. I HAD to finish that damn shawl.

So, in an effort to save yarn and get the damn thing done, I proceeded to fudge the edging quite a bit. Basically, I was knitting 3 stitches together instead of 2, and I kinda smushed the ends together. Guess what? It's nearly impossible to see the difference... plus, what's that whole thing about needing imperfections in your work so you don't offend the gods? Yeah, that, too.

I gifted the shawl to my friend and now I have to say I'm kind of itching to knit another Girasole! This time, I want to make the blanket size. What do you think? Should I go for it?

(I'll buy extra yarn this time if I do.)

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Sunday, March 29, 2009

In L.A.? Come see my new play!

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Do you live in Los Angeles? If so, you should come see the world premiere of my new play, "Beneath Her Feet" (co-written by Jason Matthews). It's about living and working and loving in Los Angeles, and it's sure to be a good time.

April 3-5, 10-12, 17-19, 2009. Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm. 4735 Lankershim Blvd, 91602.

It's a 3-week run, so there are 9 -- count 'em: 9! -- chances to come see the play!

Tickets are only $10! Make your reservations today -- don't miss out! Exclamation points!!!
http://www.abovethecurvetheatre.com/reservations.php

Can't wait to see you there!

Go see my play!

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

iPhone Mittens


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It's cold in Chicago.

chicago weather

I live in Los Angeles (currently 66°F), where it's easy to forget that most of the country is experiencing this thing called "winter." I also don't realize the special challenges that bundling up under countless layers of clothing presents.

For example: my friend Danielle, a PhD student at the University of Chicago, told me she was getting frustrated with wearing gloves all the time. It's too cold in Chicago to go bare-handed, especially while walking her dog. But when she gets a call on her iPhone, the gloves get in the way of her answering the phone. The solution?

iPhone Mittens

The iPhone Mittens! (Ravelry) They have a flap to cover your fingers that can be quickly pulled back to answer your phone:

iPhone Mittens in action

The pattern is my own, yarn is Debbie Bliss Rialto Aran (Ravelry). I used the majority of two skeins, and cut it REALLY close with the black. If I were to re-create this pattern, I'd use the grey on the finger-flap to make sure I wouldn't run out of yarn.

I'll write this pattern up if there's interest -- let me know if you'd like to see this pattern online!