Works in progress
Duo long sleeve kid's sweater,
Spring 03 Knitty, Frosty blue Lion Brand Cotton-Ease - 60% done
V-Neck sweater, Yarn Girls (Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in Pewter) - 90% done
(need to rip out upper sleeve and reknit)
Spring green sweater tank (Katia Idea Jean, size 9 circular) - 80% done
Need to start
Something for my Secret Santee (due by Friday- eek!)
Hat for Harry
Finished projects Fall 2003
Green basket weave hat for me (Lion Brand Kool Wool in Grass, 3.25 sts=1", size 8 bamboo needle, cast on 64 sts)
Meghan's 12th Birthday hat(Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Rose Heather, double strand, 4 st=1", size 3 bamboo needle,
cast on 70 sts)
Rachel's 12th Birthday hat (Wool-Ease Chunky in Walnut, 3 sts=1", cast on 54 sts)
Jayla's blue hat - 8 months, head=18" (pre-felted yarn, blue-white varigated, 4.5 sts=1", size 3 needle, cast on 64 sts)
Kerin's Hannukah 2003 Hhat (Manos purple varigated, 3.5 sts=1", size 8 bamboo needle, cast on 66.5 stitches)
Baby hat w/ leftover Manos, head=13" (3.5 sts=1", size 8 bamboo needle, cast on 38 sts)
Baby hat w/ leftover felted yarn (4.5 sts=1", size 3 needle, cast on 50 sts)
Josh's Third Times' a Charm Hat (Noro silk/wool, double strand I think, 2.5-3 sts=1", cast on 46 sts)
Justin's Hannukah 03 Hat (Lamb's Pride Bulky in charcoal, 3-4 sts=1", cast on 57-76 sts, I forgot)
Julie's Christmas 03 Hat using FCEK Seed Stitch Cap (Cleckheaton Gusto 10 in black, cast on 44 st)
Sophie's blue striped hat (Debbie Bliss Cashmerino aran, held double, 3 sts=1", cast on 56 sts, 39 rows)
Matching American Girl Doll Hat, head=13" (Debbie Bliss Cashmerino aran, held double, 3 sts=1", cast on 32 sts, 22 rows)
Eric's Hannukah 03 Hat (Rowan Plaid in Storm, 3 sts=1", 4 rows, size 3 bamboo needle, cast on 60 sts)
Lisa's Hannukah 03 Ski Hat (Reynolds Lopi in baby blue, 4 sts=1", cats on 80 sts)
Lisa J.'s baby hat (Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Prosperous Plum, 3.5 sts=1", size 3 needle)
4 American Girl doll scarves for 4 cousins Spring 2003
White/baby blue/yellow/green cotton hat for Jayla
Pink/green hat for Jayla
Pink/green striped washcloth/burp cloth for Jayla
Baby blue and white Polarfleece hat for Rachel
"Skully" hat for Sandy
Hat for Lily (Plymouth Indecita Alpaca, size 8 bamboo circular needles, held double strand, cast on 60 sts)
Hat for Zach
Cel phone case
Birthday skully for Kerin
Pink merino hat for Skylar (Debbie Bliss merino dk, size 3 & 6 circular)
Hat for Tracy's baby (lavendar merino Zara, held double strand, size 10 circular)
Purple soft hat for me (GGH Aspen 50/50 Merino Wool/Acrylic, size 11 Addi Turbo, cast on 62 sts, 2.85 sts=1")
Green and blue tweed hat for Dad (Donegal Tweed, size 11 Addi Turbo, cast on 48 sts, 2.82 sts=1")
Yellow cotton washcloth
Red puffy hat for me (Puffy merino wool, size 15 cast on wood dps, cast on 39 sts, 2 sts=1")
2 American Girl Doll scarves (Red Heart variegated)
Green merino scarf (Rowan big wool 100% merino wool, size 19 Addi Turbo circular & 19 straights)
D Knitty
Danielle's Knitting Blog
Monday, March 31, 2003
Finished one side of the tank top and did a few inches on the other side.
3/31/2003 01:53:00 PM
Friday, March 28, 2003
I am making slow but steady progress on the $80 tank top. I am at about 12"- almost time to start binding off for the armholes.
It took them a while, but Lion Brand finally sent my Watercolors yarn in pink petals for Meghan's headband. I'm glad I just remembered that it's for a headband because I was feeling annoyed with myself for only ordering 1 ball.
We are going to visit Josh's dad's family this weekend. I want to check out Carol-Jean's yarn shops. She's my scarf-knitting step-mother-in-law.
What else? Still trying to figure out what yarn to buy for the Yarn Girls cardigan I want to make to wear at work this summer. Since it's always so cold here with the air conditioning, I need to bundle up, even in the summer.
3/28/2003 02:01:00 PM
The $80 Tank Top Update
I had nearly completed one side of my $80 tank top when Josh and I realized that it looked too big. I brought it into the Yarn Co. and they verified that it was in fact too large and that I would need to reknit it. They revised the pattern based on my actual gauge. I started working on it again and it is more manageable because there are fewer stitches cast on and when I rip it out, I wound the double strands into a ball so its less bulky than carrying two cones around. But still, I wish I hadn't had to rip it out. I was 49% done! Now I'm 10% done. Blah.
3/25/2003 01:44:00 PM
My Barbie Knitter arrived! I was so excited and I had a lot of fun with it for about twenty minutes. But now, what the hell do I make with it? I need something useable- not Christmas ornaments or Easter Egg cozies.
The contraptionClose-up of the mechanismYards and yards of tube- now what? 3/25/2003 07:45:00 AM
Monday, March 24, 2003 Sidebar:
This website mocks the illustrations on the government scare site, Ready.Gov. Check it out.
http://www.uspoliticsforum.com/emergency
Here are some examples:
The proper way to eliminate smallpox is to wash with soap, water and at least one(1) armless hand.If you've become a radiation mutant with a deformed hand, remember to close the window. No one wants to see that shit. 3/24/2003 12:41:00 PM
Thursday, March 20, 2003
Yay! I just purchased a useless knitting toy- the Barbie Knit Hits Knitting Clothes Maker via eBay for 14 bucks ($9 for Buy It Now plus $5 shipping). I'm so psyched! Now I can join the legions who are making yards and yards of knit tubes! Here's the auction. 3/20/2003 04:36:00 PM
Wednesday, March 19, 2003
Kerin's baby, Jayla Kai, was born on Thursday, March 13. In the time since, I have made the child two hats.
Hat 1-
Which matches this wash/burp cloth
Hat 2-
3/19/2003 02:36:00 PM
Thursday, March 13, 2003
Listening to the new Cat Power CD, "You are Free." It's pretty good. So far I like the first track, "I don't blame you" the best. This is a great Cat Power Fan site- http://www.moonpix.com.
Also purchased the new Be Good Tanyas, "Chinatown."
And I have a headache and want to go home.
3/13/2003 04:20:00 PM
Tuesday, March 11, 2003 Beverage sidebar
I discovered this cool site called BevNet.com which is a beverage industry site. They have reviews of tons of drinks that I've never even heard of and most of those I have tried. I found this site while looking up Swiss Deliss Ice [sic] Tea that I bought from my company cafeteria. It sort of reminded me of the iced tea Josh and I loved in Italy- an imported Nestle Nestea and some German drink called Eis Tee. These drinks resembled the American Nestle Nestea except they weren't nas-t. Ha ha.
My favorite types of cold beverages are unflavored iced tea, Snapple Iced Tea, half iced tea/half lemonade, unsweetened flavored water, flavored seltzers, ginger ale, grapefruit soda, lemonade (both pink and yellow), lemonade soda, fresh squeezed OJ and fruit spritzers. I will drink the occaisional cola- I prefer Coke (esp. with lemon) or Vanilla Coke- but not too often because I find it too sweet. I prefer bottled or canned to fountain. I prefer no ice because it dilutes the drink. I loathe diet sodas. I can't stand the taste of aspartame- sometimes I think I can taste it in fountain soda.
That said, here's a list of some of my favorite unusual beverages.
Ting is a grapefruit soda made in Jamaica by Pepsi. I've only seen it a few places- one being a Beef Patty shop on Atlantic Avenue in Park Slope. It's a cool small green glass bottle but beware- the cap requires a bottle opener. I used to like Fresca until I realized I hated Nutrasweet but this is like 10 steps above Fresca.
Jarritos makes a good grapefruit soda but it's hard to find. Be careful of ordering it at Mexican restaurants because they might think you're saying "Grape" soda and bring you that.
Tre Limone is a lemony ginger ale drink. I like mild citrus beverages- not lemon soda per se but something lemony. This is a perfect drink for me. The ginger taste is strong, but the lemon makes it more mild. I haven't seen it too many places though.
Boylan's Lemon Sparkling Seltzer is nothing special but I really like the bottle.
Nantucket Nectars NectarFizz is a new sparkling juice drink. I tried this the other day at the cafeteria in two flavors- Pink Grapefruit Fizz and Cranberry Fizz. Both are pretty good and I will definitely buy them again. On the lookout for the Lemonade Flavor.
Glaceau Fruit Water has been sort of hard to find lately. I only see the Vitamin Water which I don't really care for. Fruit Water is water that has fruity flavors but no sweetener. I like the Honeydew flavor because although I am allergic to the fruit, I love the taste. I think they must add some kind of citric acid to it which gives it a some tartness which feels like sweetness but adds no sugar.
Snapple Kris's Mix-Up Lemonade Iced Tea and Nantucket Nectars Half & Half Iced Tea taste the same to me. But I like both!
Honest Tea is a good slightly sweetened iced tea. The Assam and Morroccan Mint flavors are good. I would rank Tazo and Republic of Tea bottled tea on the same level.
Calistoga Sparkling Lemonade seems to only be distributed in California. I discovered this beverage of the gods about 6 years ago and have never seen it in NY. If they used plastic bottles, I would ask my mother-in-law to ship it to me. Alas, just glass.
Inca Cola is a mysterious drink. I can't decide if it tastes like bubble gum or something else. It's called "the Golden Kola." I think I like it but I'm not sure. The best way to drink it is with rum which I used to do in my college years after my friend Alex got free cases of the stuff after doing a documentary about potato chips, Inca Cola, and his dad's love of Spanish language soap operas ("PapaPapa"). I always order a can when we go for Peruvian chicken.
Water
If given a choice, I would pick Poland Spring bottled water or Dasani Bottled Water even though Dasani is just tap water with minerals added. Evian tastes like socks.
Drinks to try
Clearly Canadian Lemonade. Supposed to be a lemon-ginger drink. Made by the same company as Tre Limone so may be the same thing.
Any of the Oop! Juices esp. Turkey Slurpy (cranberry), Santa Sauce (plum), Peter Cotton-Ale (raspberry cream)
Fizzy Lizzy Ruby Red Grapefruit Spritzer
Weird/Strange/Scary
DraCola
Gay Energy Drink
Celo Polka Cola - the only cola created to celebrate polka
Pit Bull Energy Drink - this beverage will rip you to shreds
Dead Red Cola - another scary drink.
Gefilte Fizz - hopefully it doesn't taste like its name
Clamato - my dad drinks this stuff. It's like a V-8 except with a shot of clam juice added. Yech.
Bong Water - With ridiculous flavors named Cottonmouth Quencher and Chronic Tonic, what can you expect? They say it is "the first soft drink to use FDA approved whole beer concentrate, which is created from by a patented process which removes the water, alcohol, and yeast from beer, but leaves the health benefits. According to Real Things [the maker of the line], the health benefits include it being a cardio-protectant and a source of complex carbohydrates, along with polyphenols and B vitamins." Since when is beer healthy? It's like people who promote hemp products...
Here's a place to try to order these sodas from- http://www.sodapopstop.com 3/11/2003 12:20:00 PM
Sunday, March 09, 2003
Spent most of today knitting a simple double stranded white chenille washcloth. Josh let us stop by Michael's on the way home from my cousin Zach's first birthday party. I bought two balls of Sugar n' Cream cotton yarn, 1 purpley-pink skein of Wool-ease, 2 skeins of skinny white chenille and 1 skein of chunky off-white chenille. I'm in a realy washcloth mood since I whipped up the coral and green washcloth for Kerin's about to be born baby.
Sidebar: Kerin will be going into labor any day now. As of last night, nothing had happened but she definitely has signs that it's going to happen very soon. Other than being close to her due date (2 weeks), she is starting to dilate and is almost completely effaced. Don't ask me what that means- she told me but I think I forgot. Something about the uterus thinning. In any case, I am feeling so excited. I can't wait to go up for a visit. I hope she has the baby by this next weekend so we can come up on Saturday. I hope it happens soon but part of me is feeling nervous and apprehensive for her. Childbirth's a big thing, literally, coming out of your cootch. Ouch.
Anyway, gotta go wash the dishes so we can change into our "loungewear" and watch the rest of "Escape from the Planet of the Apes."
3/09/2003 07:50:00 PM
Saturday, March 08, 2003
I like this blog- the World of Julie- http://worldofjulie.com. Maybe it's because her name is Julie (like my darling Julie Rabig) or maybe it's because she knits, sews and loves cats. I want to try to make her Wonton and Egg Roll for cats.
3/08/2003 08:35:00 PM
Friday, March 07, 2003
Finished Sandy's hat. She loves it.
Finished Rachel's hat. I'm giving it to her on Saturday.
Kerin received her birthday gift so I can talk about it. It's a skully made out of the Manos del Uruguay yarn that was used in my knitting class. I really like how the bumpiness looks. Kerin said, "The hat is so beautiful. I have barely taken it off. Thank you so much. It is such a generous treat I completely love it." 3/07/2003 10:28:00 AM
Tuesday, March 04, 2003
OK. Basically done with Sandy's hat. Just need to do 1 row of k2tog and close it up.
3/04/2003 09:34:00 PM
I started Sandy's and Rachel's hats.
Sandy's uses the Woolease Chunky in brown. I'm getting 5.5 stitches to the inch. I think I might have cast on too few stiches- 50 instead of 60 but I'll cross my fingers. Sandy wanted a "skully" so maybe it will be ok if it's fitting. While on the subway home, I knit about a 1" band in 2x2 ribbing plus 2 rows of stockinette. It's really flying on the size 10 Addi Turbos.
Rachel's hat uses the Polarfleece in blue, lighter blue and white. This stuff is kind of like an eyelash yarn- the fleece part is glued or attached to the string which I'm knitting. It's faster than I thought, but not as fast as I had initially expected. If I want to give her the hat at Zach's birthday party this weekend, I had better hurry up. I bet I can do a lot on Sandy's hat tonight watching TV but I should probably work on Rachel's.
3/04/2003 07:18:00 PM
I'm trying out VillagePhotos.com for free image hosting, thanks to the suggestion of a KnitBlog list person. Thanks!
I replied to the Yarn Co.'s newsletter asking for tips. Here's what I wrote:
-I put each project in a ziploc bag, including needle, yarn, and pattern.
-Gift with purchase makeup bags (like from Clinique) are the perfect size for storing my circular needles, measuring tape and gauge check ruler.
-I keep the yarn on my circular needles when I'm not using them by wrapping a rubberband around the ends.
-I started a blog to keep track of my progress. I have a scanner at work so I scan in my projects and upload the photos and link to them. The blogger stuff is free through blogspot.com and blogger.com.
-I've collected a bunch of knitting magazines but to keep organized, I photocopied the patterns I'd like to make and file them in a binder (I use page protectors instead of punching holes in the pages.) My binder is organized by: Yarn Shops, Sweaters, Baby, Hats, Scarves and accessories, Home Decor and Techniques.
Beth lent me her old Patternworks catalog and I had a blast looking through it. It's the bomb! I made a list of yarns I want to try.
Wool Cloud- Bartlett Super bulky
X-press- Berrocco Super bulky
Isis- Colinette Super bulky
Lamb's Pride- Brown Sheep Bulky
Lopi- Reynolds Bulky
Chinchilla- Berrocco Bulky
Lamb�s Pride Superwash Bulky- Brown Sheep Bulky
Manos- Manos del Uraguay Heavy Worsted
Donegal Tweed- Tahki Heavy Worsted
Lite Lopi- Reynolds Heavy Worsted
Sand- Classic Elite Heavy Worsted
Freestyle- Dale of Norway Heavy Worsted
3/04/2003 11:40:00 AM
Saturday, March 01, 2003
I sent Kerin her birthday gift on Thursday so I can soon post a scan.
Last night, while watching a really dumb movie- Free Enterprise, I tried knitting a bath mitt for Kerin's baby, but I don't know what I'm doing when I try to increase because I keep getting holes. Anyway, I had to rip it out because there were just too many holes and I didn't understand how the pattern would come together. I was just knitting garter and increasing two stitches every 4 rows. What the hell.
I really need to learn the various increases. It is limiting my knitting potential!
Josh went to Ikea today and my sole responsibility is to wash the sinkful of dishes, which I was supposed to do two nights ago. I feel so damn sluggish. I am on my second cup of chai because I am kind of sick of coffee but hoping there's enough caffeine in this to perk me up. Ok, I'll go get dressed and do the dishes and watch tv while I knit. I guess Andrea went home this weekend because I never heard from her.
3/01/2003 01:59:00 PM
Close-up of the mechanism
Yards and yards of tube- now what?
The proper way to eliminate smallpox is to wash with soap, water and at least one(1) armless hand.
If you've become a radiation mutant with a deformed hand, remember to close the window. No one wants to see that shit.
Which matches this wash/burp cloth
Hat 2-
Listening to the new 
Jarritos makes a good grapefruit soda but it's hard to find. Be careful of ordering it at Mexican restaurants because they might think you're saying "Grape" soda and bring you that.
Tre Limone is a lemony ginger ale drink. I like mild citrus beverages- not lemon soda per se but something lemony. This is a perfect drink for me. The ginger taste is strong, but the lemon makes it more mild. I haven't seen it too many places though.
Boylan's Lemon Sparkling Seltzer is nothing special but I really like the bottle.
Nantucket Nectars NectarFizz is a new sparkling juice drink. I tried this the other day at the cafeteria in two flavors- Pink Grapefruit Fizz and Cranberry Fizz. Both are pretty good and I will definitely buy them again. On the lookout for the Lemonade Flavor.
Glaceau Fruit Water has been sort of hard to find lately. I only see the Vitamin Water which I don't really care for. Fruit Water is water that has fruity flavors but no sweetener. I like the Honeydew flavor because although I am allergic to the fruit, I love the taste. I think they must add some kind of citric acid to it which gives it a some tartness which feels like sweetness but adds no sugar.
Snapple Kris's Mix-Up Lemonade Iced Tea and Nantucket Nectars Half & Half Iced Tea taste the same to me. But I like both!
Honest Tea is a good slightly sweetened iced tea. The Assam and Morroccan Mint flavors are good. I would rank Tazo and Republic of Tea bottled tea on the same level.
Calistoga Sparkling Lemonade seems to only be distributed in California. I discovered this beverage of the gods about 6 years ago and have never seen it in NY. If they used plastic bottles, I would ask my mother-in-law to ship it to me. Alas, just glass.
Inca Cola is a mysterious drink. I can't decide if it tastes like bubble gum or something else. It's called "the Golden Kola." I think I like it but I'm not sure. The best way to drink it is with rum which I used to do in my college years after my friend 
Water
If given a choice, I would pick Poland Spring bottled water or Dasani Bottled Water even though Dasani is just tap water with minerals added. Evian tastes like socks.
Drinks to try
Clearly Canadian Lemonade. Supposed to be a lemon-ginger drink. Made by the same company as Tre Limone so may be the same thing.
Any of the Oop! Juices esp. Turkey Slurpy (cranberry), Santa Sauce (plum), Peter Cotton-Ale (raspberry cream)
Fizzy Lizzy Ruby Red Grapefruit Spritzer
Weird/Strange/Scary
DraCola
Gay Energy Drink
Celo Polka Cola - the only cola created to celebrate polka
Pit Bull Energy Drink - this beverage will rip you to shreds
Dead Red Cola - another scary drink.
Gefilte Fizz - hopefully it doesn't taste like its name
Clamato - my dad drinks this stuff. It's like a V-8 except with a shot of clam juice added. Yech.
Bong Water - With ridiculous flavors named Cottonmouth Quencher and Chronic Tonic, what can you expect? They say it is "the first soft drink to use FDA approved whole beer concentrate, which is created from by a patented process which removes the water, alcohol, and yeast from beer, but leaves the health benefits. According to Real Things [the maker of the line], the health benefits include it being a cardio-protectant and a source of complex carbohydrates, along with polyphenols and B vitamins." Since when is beer healthy? It's like people who promote hemp products...
Here's a place to try to order these sodas from- 
Finished Rachel's hat. I'm giving it to her on Saturday.
Kerin received her birthday gift so I can talk about it. It's a skully made out of the Manos del Uruguay yarn that was used in my knitting class. I really like how the bumpiness looks. Kerin said, "The hat is so beautiful. I have barely taken it off. Thank you so much. It is such a generous treat I completely love it."
