My blog's been quiet, but I sure haven't. I feel like I haven't had a minute to myself for weeks! No knitting, no sewing, nothing but working and running from place to place. I've had a lot of fun, but I am so worn out and just want a quiet day to myself. Dunno when that's going to happen.

Mother's Day was fun. Mom and Dad came over and I cooked an amazing brunch (if I do say so myself), culminating in amazing crab cakes, courtesy of America's Test Kitchen. If you like crab cakes, make these. The only trick is being willing to shell out 20-25 bucks for the jumbo lump crabmeat. It is totally worth it. You'd pay that for one serving of these at a restaurant, and they wouldn't be as good, damnit.

Been reading in New York Magazine about the protests planned for the Republican National Convention in August. I still can't believe it's going to be here. A block from my office. Shit. What a mess. I may have to go join the protests, since I will be in the neighborhood! What worries me is that the US Open is going on at the same time, and apparently the Mets and Yankees are both at home. What a friggin mess, whatever your political leanings.

Starting to get really excited for our trip to Hawaii in June. My whole family (Mom, Dad, brother, us) is going. Mom's birthday, June 11th, is King Kamehameha Day, a big holiday there. She has always wanted to go, so we are. We'll spend the first 5 days on Oahu, the next 6 on Kaua'i. Our anniversary falls in the middle of the Kaua'i leg of the trip, so we'll get to spend it in my favorite place in the world.

Well, work got crazy again and I've hardly had any time to knit, sew, or blog. It's frustrating - one week is so dead that you're wondering where you're going to bill your time (the evil that comes along with working in a client-service business) and the next you're insanely busy and wondering how you're going to find the time to do it all.

In between all that we went to Atlanta for the wedding of my friends Peggy and Ronna. Screw anyone who has an issue with calling it a wedding and not a committment ceremony. These two wonderful women are so in love, and it was one of the best weddings I've ever been to! Lots of family and friends, lots of love, lots of dancing and good food. What's not to love?

Ryan and I made new best friends, too. Ronna's two nieces, Carly (6) and Wensday (yes, it's really spelled that way and she's 8) latched on to us the first night of the weekend, and none of us ever let go. Everyone kept telling us we need to have kids ASAP. Well, yeah, it's not like it hasn't occurred to us. We're getting there. Someday we'll either be financially in a position to do it, or decide we can't wait any longer and hell, there are a ton of people with kids who make far less money than I do, even if Ryan doesn't have a full-time job. We'll see which happens first.

This weekend is the Cherry Blossom Festival so we'll be back at the Botanic Garden. I think our friend Wil and his girlfriend are joining us there on Saturday. That night we've got a party to go to - a colleague of mine is having "Drinko de Mayo." Who can resist that? Maybe Sunday I will get back to sewing, since it's supposed to be rainy.

We had a little baby shower at work for my friend here who is about to have her baby. First we gave her a gift certificate many people contributed to, and then I gave her a strawberry cap, which made her cry. Happy cry, you know. It was really sweet.

I bought fabric and trim for my copy of the Garnet Hill skirt, and sewed part of the skirt yesterday. Unfortunately, I am not thrilled with it. It sits a bit too high on the waist for my taste. Part of that is the pattern, part of it is that I think it's a bit small, so it's happier sitting higher up on my waist where it is narrower. Grr. I have more fabric, and am toying with the idea of just trying something else or making it in a larger size. Why is it so hard to find a simple, lowish-waisted a-line skirt pattern. You know, like EVERY SKIRT in EVERY STORE out there?

Oh well. I'll figure it out.

Other than that, all is well. It's finally beautiful, glorious Spring here. Ryan and I went back to the Botanic Garden yesterday and pretended to get married again. It was good fun and we took some pictures, but I was too pooped to download them last night so those will have to wait. It was a lovely day, and we ended it off by ordering Indian food for dinner, just like we did on our real wedding night. :-)

I'm kind of fried today. Last night I went out to a going-away party for someone I've worked very closely with for the past 6 months, and who I will really miss. I hadn't eaten much and probably could have done with 1 fewer Tanqueray+Tonic. Ryan joined the party and we had a great time, dancing and laughing and drinking. I didn't pay too hard this morning, but enough that I decided I want to be a lump tonight. So, while Ryan is out seeing Hellboy with our friend John, I am home being nice and quiet.

Added a few more links on the left. I'll try and link to anyone who comments, unless you're nasty. :-)

Well, I gave in with the Cotton Colori and started another Ginger tank. It's so pretty and so flattering, and I don't mind something easy and fast right now. Maybe someday it'll even be warm enough to wear it!

I've recently gotten re-interested in sewing. I bought a machine like a year ago, and felt terrible that it sat for so long. I finally pulled it out a few weeks ago to hem some pants, and now I have the bug. I fell in love with this skirt from Garnet Hill over the weekend, and I think I can make something similar for far less than the $198 bucks they want for it. My office is in NYC's Garment District, so there are tons of great fabric stores around here. I just have to get my ass out to visit one of them and I am sure I will find tons of wonderful ways to spend my money. And take up more space in my apartment. Whee!

OK, I just added a bunch of new links. If you've left me a nice comment in the past 6 months and included your URL, you're there. If you're not and would like to be, just let me know (via comments is the easiest way).

What else is there do to on a rainy Sunday but clean the oven and update your blog links? Yup, I finally have gotten to two of my big "housecleaning" to-do items. The oven was fairly self-explanatory - actually, I didn't let the stuff sit long enough so I re-sprayed and that's what made me turn to the blog.

Updating my links was a pain in the butt! I deleted links to any blogs that haven't had entries in 2004. I also updated links to those I was previously linked to and have moved. I added a few links to non-knitters I've become friends with and enjoy reading.

What I did not do (yet) is add new links. I'm working on it. If you want me to link to you, let me know! Reply here in my comments. I'm going to look through previous comments to find people who've said nice things but aren't linked to, also.

In other random news, if you like Yankee Candles (or other candles with the same size opening as their jar candles) get yourself a Candle Capper now! Ryan and I were in the (don't laugh) Country Clutter store at the Tanger outlets a few weeks ago, buying some candles, and the saleslady talked us into getting one. It's awesome! Just as the package promises, the candles burn more evenly, and there's no black sooty buildup on the side of the jars. I should just buy a boatload of these to give to people when I give them gifts.

Yay for the new Knitty! A nice way to start a Friday, certainly. I see a few things I'm interested in making. I hope one of my pregnant friends has a girl, so I can give her this adorable dress. And a friend of mine has been offering to pay me to make her a meshy shawl, similar to a sweater she has. I've been trying to decide how to make it, but this frill pattern may just fit the bill! The honeymoon cami also looks awfully cute.

The only thing I'm not thrilled about is the preponderance of very short sweaters - stuff that leaves your belly button hanging out. I know I can lengthen them - that's not the issue. I just don't like the proportions as they are. Maybe if I were still young and skinny I would.

Anyway, Knitty is always fun to read and inspirational. I'm really so proud of and impressed with Amy for turning this dream into such a wonderful reality. The whole story just makes me happy whenever I think about it.

I went to a fun new yarn store on Saturday! We were out on Long Island so I decided we should visit Garden City Stitches. A friend of a friend used to manage the place, and recently bought the owner out, but I had never been there.

I was very pleased with the store. They had a nice selection of basic yarns, and tons of novelty yarns. Plus the staff was awfully nice and helpful - one woman just sat and chatted with me and Ryan for ages about design, etc. I fell in love with a froufy eyelashy scarf, and ended up buying the yarn to make it. It's one ball of Artful Yarns Cinema, in the "Mrs. Miniver" colorway, and one ball of Plymouth DazzleLash in shade 129. Easy peasy, a few hours later I had a scarf. Gotta love instant gratification.



I also finished another strawberry cap. Now for a change of pace I'm working on a pumpkin. Still haven't decided what I am doing with my Cotton Colori, but I'm sure it'll become something soon enough.

I am totally beat. Exhausted. Worn-out. Bushed.

Got stuck at work until 8:30 on Tuesday, then had to be up at 5am to fly to Fort Lauderdale Wednesday. We were in market research until 9pm, at which point we went to our hotel. Once we checked in, my keycard didn't work, twice. They had to find me a new room. Didn't get to the room until almost 10, and didn't get to sleep until nearly 11. Back up at 5 for a 7am flight and a car directly back to the office.

I am never letting anal-retentive-afraid-to-slack-off Jeff-the-account-guy (who is a nice guy otherwise) determine my travel arrangements again! At least I left at 4pm. This post will likely be one of my last conscious acts of the day.

I did manage to finish a strawberry cap on the flight out. I was surrounded by little old ladies who marveled at how I "got" my needles onto the plane. OK, I've brought my knitting needles on every single flight I have taken since 9/11/01. Every time. In the US (including Hawaii) and in Europe. No one has ever said anything about it. They had to put my purse through twice yesterday at the x-ray machine (I had a scary-looking banana in it?) but not the carry-on with the knitting stuff. I usually have Addi circs, and always something on them, not that I think they can see that in the x-ray. This time I also had 5 wooden size 6 dpns, and those were fine, too. I told the ladies that and they were astounded. I also gave them Ann Norling's name for the pattern, and the Elann.com URL. Good times.

The other bright spot of research was ordering in Joe's Stone Crab for dinner. Yum! Totally the highlight of the trip. I love crab, and it definitely softened the blow of sitting in a dark room in Florida for 10 hours.

Other than that, not much to report. I'm totally noticing the effect of sleep deprivation on my cognitive abilities. I have said many stupid things today. I'm going to quit now before I say another.

Has anyone seen the sun? I sure haven't. The one day it was decent here this week, I was in St. Louis for market research, where it was grey and cold, too. And it's snowing yet again. I am so sick and tired of this stupid stupid winter. Tomorrow is the first day of Spring, but I don't see much improvement in the weather forecast.

On Wednesday I'm going to Fort Lauderdale for market research, but, painfully, I will not get to enjoy the weather there. I arrive in the morning, sit in a room all day, and leave the next morning. Depressing. If we're going to do that, at least let it not be someplace so pleasantly warm!

Not much exciting knitting going on right now. I'm making some strawberry caps for some pregnant ladies, and trying to find more Cotton Classic. I wonder why it's suddenly so hard to come by?

I just took a quick check of my comments and need to address this one right away - I am not pregnant! Leanne, my friend, is the pregnant one. I thought that was clear, but maybe not? Trust me, when I do get pregnant, it will not be an addendum to the end of a post about other stuff. ;-)

I found the perfect pants to go with HoJo! We made a very spontaneous trip out to Tanger Outlets in Riverhead yesterday and I found them at J. Crew. So, if you were in my office, this is what you would see coming towards you today.



Tonight, Ryan and I are going to see Leanne, who is participating in An Evening of Good Taste. Can you believe they're letting us in? ;-) I'm looking forward to seeing and tasting the show, and seeing Leanne and her (have I even mentioned this yet? I might not have) 5-month pregnant belly!

I'm still trying to figure out what to do with my Cotton Colori. I have 8 balls in the "turquoise" colorway. The colors look like a swimming pool and feel so cool and comfy to me.

There is a free pattern on their site, which looks OK, but the gauge is 14 stitches on 10.5 needles and I don't like the way the yarn looks in my swatch at that gauge. It looks much smoother and nicer at 16 on 9s. I feel like I have a ton of patterns at that gauge, but can't seem to decide on one. I was debating making another Ginger but I kind feel like I ought to do something new. Then again, the shape is extremely flattering, and I always get compliments on the one I made in Summer Tweed. What do you think?

I also seem to have gotten myself into a little fruit cap spree. I mentioned on a message board I frequent that I was going to be making them for several friends who are all pregnant right now, and showed a picture. Suddenly people were offering me money to knit them for their babies and for gifts! So far it seems like a manageable number, and people are OK with paying 20 bucks each. I think that's reasonable enough to cover the cost and then make me feel like I am making a little pocket money for having fun and knitting.

I went to Knitting Hands to try and buy some Cotton Classic and get started, and they had maybe 10 skeins of various shades of beige and gray. I asked if they had more and was told I could special-order it. Well, I told the woman who was "helping" me that after the trouble I had the last time I did that, I was not interested in special-ordering through them again. Her less-than-apologetic reply reminded me that I had said I didn't want to shop there anymore, so we left. I called Yarn Connection in midtown and they said they have a lot of colors, so I'll head over there sometime during the week.

The Democratic debates were wonderful for giving me time to seam up HoJo and have something interesting to listen to and think about while I was doing it. It went well. I finished during this morning's chat on CBS, jumped in the shower, and couldn't even wait for my hair to dry before handing Ryan the camera. Without further ado, I present, HoJo!

I love it and am damn proud of myself. Between the asymmetrical rib, the traveling cable rib and the fair isle band, I feel like I have increased my knitting skills tremendously with this project. I also have a new favorite sweater in my closet.

Of course, it'd going to be in the mid-to-high 50s for the next few days, but I don't mind - I'm sure I'll have an opportunity to wear HoJo before the season ends, and I'll take Spring over sweater-wearing any day!

I decided to screw the nonsensical directions for making the neckband ribbing match the body ribbing and just do what made sense to me. It worked. I didn't get to sew it up, but hopefully will get to that tonight. Then again, if you click on my little Weather Channel banner, the forecast makes it appear that I don't exactly have to rush on this - I won't be wearing wool for the next week, it seems!

I cannot believe I am going to post this, but I'm having trouble with the neckband of HoJo (all the rest of the knitting is done - yay!) and need to know. So here goes: If the pattern says start at the left shoulder, is it the left shoulder when you're looking at it or left when you're wearing it?

Actually, I think I have tried this both ways and the stupid asymmetrical rib doesn't match up with either, but I'd like to hear what the rest of the knitting world thinks.

Oh, and my fever broke last night and even though I am definitely not 100%, the 80% that is here is going back to work tomorrow.

Still sick, still knitting. I blocked the front, back and the one completed sleeve of HoJo last night. I'm working on the last sleeve today, and if I finish it I can block that overnight and finish it off tomorrow! I'm hoping to be back at work. Well, I don't want to be at work, but I don't want to use any more PTO days.

Oh, I'm also too lazy to take a picture of the pieces blocking, so you will just have to wait. But they loooook gooooood!

Well, I'm sick, but it's a productive illness. I didn't leave the house all weekend, and hojoly shit, I am nearly finished with the back of HoJo! Ryan came in and saw me working on the last of the fair isle and got so confused because he thought it was the front that I had already finished!

I am staying home sick today, because my throat is still very sore. So, I'll probably finish the front and make some damn good headway on the sleeve. I'll probably block whatever I can this morning, since the kitchen sink is empty at the moment. ;-)

No pictures of HoJo back, but it looks just like the front in reverse. :-)

Well, I put up a valiant struggle and got sick anyway. My throat hurts, my head hurts, and I generally feel like a big pile of crap. I'm sure I will be fine in time for work on Monday. Grrr.

I will get plenty of knitting time, though. Ryan went over to a friends' house for a "winter BBQ" so I will be on the sofa with HoJo most of the day, I think.

Of course, if I were one-dimensional and only had one arm, I could just sew this sucker up and wear it now!