dj rg

rail station cutie

Liveblogging St Cloud, MN

I am, somewhat surprisingly to even myself, attention-shy a lot of the time. It's probably not surprising to anyone that I'm shy, generally (I don't think I spoke directly to Ryan's parents until my second or third time meeting them!)

So it's giving me fair amount of anxiety that Ryan's DJ table is perched atop a stage at this restaurant/venue we're at for tonight's gig. Apparently, the normal setup is for the bridal party to be atop the stage, but this bride has a whopping 12 people in her party, which is more than the stage can hold. So the DJ equipment is on the stage, and I sit looking down upon (very!) cramped seating for 150+. I can't wait for dinner to start, so that they can all watch me as I attempt to not spill Italian food on my suit.

The benefit of going to all these wedding receptions is that I do get lots of ideas and first-hand experience that I can use when I plan my eventual wedding (which I tell Ryan, of course, and he starts sweating a little more than normal) In any event, though, it's a free meal and usually a free drink or two. Which is nothing to complain about, even if I am on display!

watch out for those metrodome steps

The invite came...

I'm on Ravelry!

My boyfriend

Imagine life from my vantage point:

Sitting on the couch, while silly Ryan is in the kitchen. He's wearing a headband because he's sweating up a storm doing the dishes. Roscoe, Sarah's fat beagle, is watching him intently in case any food drops to the ground. Ryan hasn't shaved in about a week and a half.

I'm sitting here, on the couch, and I look over and think, "What a cute, nice boyfriend I have! He's doing the dishes!" and then ma cher blond burst out singing, "TRADITIOOOOOOOOOOON! TRADITION!" from "Fiddler on the Roof". He actually sings a couple lines from the musical, but the refrain is all I catch.

(Maybe "Fiddler on the Roof" is one of the things that Ryan and my sister Kate talk about in their mysterious emails! They were both a part of said musical.)

So, yeah. Life is funny. But good. And my boyfriend still rocks :)

farewell, captain safety planet

Free pattern: Maple Leaf chart

This chart was designed for a gauge of 24 stitches and 28 rows in stockinette = 4" square.

It was designed after the logo of the Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Club, although it is almost identical to the maple leaf design of the Canadian flag. In this pattern "MC" is obviously navy blue, and "CC" is white, although it would work equally well with red and white as in the Canadian flag!

Directions are given from the bottom (the stem) up to the top of the leaf, and will make a rectangle of 40 sts wide by 44 rows tall (about 6 2/3" x 6 1/4). It can be inserted into patterns for sweaters, hats, scarves, etc, with ease!

I designed it for a "hockey sweater" for my niece--you can see it in action here.



Row 1: K 18 in MC, 4 in CC, 18 in MC
Row 2: P 18 in MC, 4 in CC, 18 in MC
Row 3: K 18 in MC, 4 in CC, 18 in MC
Row 4: P 18 in MC, 4 in CC, 18 in MC
Row 5: K 18 in MC, 4 in CC, 18 in MC
Row 6: P 18 in MC, 4 in CC, 18 in MC
Row 7: K 6 in MC, 28 in CC, 6 in MC
Row 8: P 7 in MC, 26 in CC, 7 in MC
Row 9: K 7 in MC, 26 in CC, 7 in MC
Row 10: P 8 in MC, 24 in CC, 8 in MC
Row 11: K 9 in MC, 22 in CC, 9 in MC
Row 12: P 9 in MC, 22 in CC, 9 in MC
Row 13: K 8 in MC, 24 in CC, 8 in MC
Row 14: P 7 in MC, 26 in CC, 7 in MC
Row 15: K 6 in MC, 28 in CC, 6 in MC
Row 16: P 5 in MC, 30 in CC, 5 in MC
Row 17: K 4 in MC, 32 in CC, 4 in MC
Row 18: P 5 in MC, 30 in CC, 5 in MC
Row 19: K 7 in MC, 26 in CC, 7 in MC
Row 20: P 6 in MC, 28 in CC, 6 in MC
Row 21: K 5 in MC, 30 in CC, 5 in MC
Row 22: P 5 in MC, 30 in CC, 5 in MC
Row 23: K 4 in MC, 32 in CC, 4 in MC
Row 24: P 3 in MC, 34 in CC, 3 in MC
Row 25: K 3 in MC, 34 in CC, 3 in MC
Row 26: P 2 in MC, 36 in CC, 2 in MC
Row 27: K 1 in MC, 38 in CC, 1 in MC
Row 28: P 11 in CC, 2 in MC, 14 in CC, 2 in MC, 11 in CC
Row 29: K 1 in MC, 9 in CC, 3 in MC, 14 in CC, 3 in MC, 9 in CC, 1 in MC
Row 30: P 4 in MC, 4 in CC, 4 in MC, 14 in CC, 4 in MC, 4 in CC, 4 in MC
Row 31: K 13 in MC, 14 in CC, 13 in MC
Row 32: P 12 in MC, 16 in CC, 12 in MC
Row 33: K 12 in MC, 16 in CC, 12 in MC
Row 34: P 11 in MC, 18 in CC, 11 in MC
Row 35: K 11 in MC, 18 in CC, 11 in MC
Row 36: P 10 in MC, 20 in CC, 10 in MC
Row 37: K 11 in MC, 18 in CC, 11 in MC
Row 38: P 13 in MC, 14 in CC, 13 in MC
Row 39: K 14 in MC, 12 in CC, 14 in MC
Row 40: P 15 in MC, 10 in CC, 15 in MC
Row 41: K 16 in MC, 8 in CC, 16 in MC
Row 42: P 17 in MC, 6 in CC, 17 in MC
Row 43: K 18 in MC, 4 in CC, 18 in MC
Row 44: P 19 in MC, 2 in CC, 19 in MC

Happy knitting!

updated 7/24

country bar 2

country bar 1

metrodome cutie

On knitting

One of the things that I find most interesting about knitting is that different yarns have different personalities. Some yarns have too much going on in them to be articles of clothing with long stretches of stockinette stitch. Other yarns have great definition but aren't interesting enough to be scarves.

But the best of all is when you find a pattern that fits with a yarn that you have. This happened to me on Thursday. I've had these three skeins of forest green acrylic yarn since fall of 2003. This wasn't long after I'd learned to knit, and I'd picked it back up with a few other girls in the sorority. (I totally have to credit my amazing sister-daughter, Ashley, for getting me back into knitting. I adore Ashley like I adore few people in this world!) I went to this funny little store in one of the underground tunnel stores in Toronto (I think it was near Yonge-Bloor) and bought a bulk package of this green acrylic, and some varigated pastel acrylic.

I set to work on what became my first gifted knitting project ever, which was a pathetic garter stitch scarf for college boyfriend Tim. It was, well, not pretty, but he was nice and wore it with pride until it fell apart. There was a point where I was planning on knitting him a hat and mittens, perhaps, out of the remainder of the yarn, but that never materialized. I think that's why I've felt so off about this particular yarn--almost as if knitting with it made me unfaithful to Ryan! Obviously, that's a ridiculous idea, but I think because knitting is so personal, so painstaking, that it's hard not to associate certain yarns or a certain pattern with people or times in your life.

Actually, it's impossible not to!

I look at my white acrylic bouclé and think of Annaliza, who knit a scarf out of the same yarn but then gave it to me, because she made it too long for her 5'2" frame. The variegated pastel makes me think of Chelsea, because I made her a hat and mittens out of it, but haven't spoken to her in a long time (I really must call her!) Yarns that were store-bought items of clothing that got frogged obviously have memories, because I wore them! I prefer them the way they are, but the lavender potholders and hand towel that I finished not long ago will always remind me of shopping with Grandma at American Eagle. The camel bouclé will make me think of the shawl I wore occasionally to my shifts at Barnes & Noble.

So, I've devised a pattern that really made me want to knit up the green acrylic that I've felt so weird about knitting. And that's the way it should be. I devised a pattern for a bag that's seed stitch, with a Celtic knot cable up the middle. I've only done practice items in cable work, I've never done a project, so I'm really throwing myself into the deep end on this one. But I'm loving working on it right now! That makes me feel so happy, that I have a project that really works for this particular yarn... it's almost that I've figured out the yarn's personality. It's itchy and not very nice against the skin, so it's not meant to be any type of clothing. It's very sturdy, though, so I think that it will hold up nicely as a handbag, and the cable looks really great on it so far. I feel really good about it, like it's the reason that I moved this yarn back and forth between Minnesota and Toronto several times, and throughout Minneapolis up until now.

maple leaves

The Maple Leaf sweater is done!

The whole sweater


The back. Number 13!


Flower buttons, 'cause she's a girl!


Maple Leaf detail

(For reference, here is a randomly selected exemplar Maple Leaf logo for comparison)

(technical details: Caron Super Soft acrylic yarn in Dark Country Blue and White, on US #5 needles)

potd make-up: photos from camping in welch on a found camera

Just a handful of snaps from Welch. Taken on my "new" Canon SD1000. I found the guy at the Metrodome, sitting in a cupholder, after a loss to Detroit. I turned it in to Lost and Found, giving them my name and number in case it wasn't claimed. It wasn't! While it's not an amazing camera, it's a major upgrade from the Kodak EasyShare that was stolen when our house was robbed. (Its list price is $300, over the EasyShare's $150)

Depending on your belief system: The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away; or: I'm Even Steven!

I'm waiting for an extra battery pack and charger that I bought off of Ebay, so I only have taken a handful of shots on it.

Ryan reading the baseball novel I bought him.




View of the campsite.


Aww, he's such a cutie when he is tired!


Nick reads.


Master of the charcoal grill.


Ryan is also master of eating.

hong thong, indeed

Funemployment

I forgot to mention yesterday that Sarah had two equally wonderful quotes when I told her that I was laid off:

"You'll have so much time to knit now!"

"Oh! Now's the perfect time to have a BABY!"

I'll let you guess which one is not happening.