Tag Archives: boh

hiyahiya.

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hiyahiya1

Whoa. Yesterday I felt compelled to do something about those needles with the other-than-smooth join. They were driving me crazy! The internets told me that a LYS is having a sale on everything this week, so I dropped by to look ONLY at needles. I was debating between 12 and 16 inch addis, and the (super nice) salesgirl asked if I’d seen the 9 inch hiyahiyas. I didn’t quite understand at the time that 9 inches was short enough to work them on circs the way I’d knit a hat, but at half the price of addis, I grabbed 2, as the join looked so so so smooth.

After one round with the hiyahiyas, I was ready to write this off as a failed experiment and give these needles away. And then I went to ravelry, stalked these needles in forum posts, and realized that it takes time to get used to knitting with needles that have a less-than-2-inch tip.

hiyahiya2

So I tried again, focusing on keeping my hands relaxed, and boy does this speed up the sock knitting! I’m not sure if I’ll use these on all of my socks, but I’m going to try to complete at least this plain-vanilla-sock with my new 9 inch hiyahiya as part of a “get-to-know-you” experiment. As you (and I) can see from this picture, I was getting a bit of laddering with the annoying needles. Not so with the hiyahiya.

sockprogress

Have you guys tried these needles? What do you think?

Other things occurring around chez rooster:

bread

I let this no-knead loaf to rise extra long (about 18 hours for the first rise) and I think that is the trick. One of my best loaves in recent memory.

soulwindows thirdbob

I did A LOT of spinning yesterday, and finished the third bobbin of Soul Windows just before bed last night. This last one has more green and brown than the other two bobbins, and I am interested to see how it will look all plyed up. Still keeping my fingers crossed for enough yardage for socks. I may start that tonight.

bohandbone

Also, Boh asked me to tell you that he did A LOT of work on his bone collection while I was spinning. They all know now who’s boss. (Boh.)

On today’s list: making pickles, plying, prepping for a meeting with my advisor, practicing some rusty language skills, and all sorts of other things that may or may not begin with p.

I stand corrected.

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That’s right. Remember when I said (yesterday) that it seemed as though Boh had forgotten about his supervisory role?

bohtalia1

Our dear friend T came over yesterday, bearing blackberries (for muffin-making) and some close-to-completed Thanksgiving Day fingerless mitts.

bohtalia2

Boh loves T, but he seemed to take a particular interest in her knitting progress.

boh talia concerned

See? Here he’s a little bit worried about that thumb-hole part of the pattern.

bohandtalia laydown

Phew! Boh can relax a little bit now.  (Note T, displaying a completed thumb-hole.)

blackberry muffins

And here are those muffins, made with blackberries picked from T’s yard! We didn’t quite achieve our goal of the perfect muffin top, but even so, these are very tasty. Perhaps we’ll make another attempt with the big muffin tin, which allows for more completely filled muffin compartments, thus creating opportunity for the muffin tops to expand.

ridiculousboh

Clearly, Boh had an exhausting day at work. (He is actually fast asleep and snoring in these photos.)

ridiculousboh2

Man, I love this dog.

road trip, part 3: desert sunset.

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sunset1

When I first moved to the desert (long before Boh and I were pals), I used to head up to the foothills to watch the sunset. On my last night in town, I took Boh to my favorite outcrop of rock to enjoy the view.

foothills2

foothills3cholla

I accidentally hit a wierd button while resizing this photo, and got a washed out version that I sort of like:

foothillssunsetenhanced

Here’s a dark version of that shot:

foothillssunsetdark

It was an appropriate way to end a lovely week. The high temps (in the low 90s, even at 8 PM) meant that Boh and I had the foothills to ourselves, and it was nice to have some quiet time to reflect on all that has happened since I first began spending the sunset hour up here.

The next morning, Boh and I began the journey east, fortified with a mug of coffee, a pile of homemade cookies, and an abundance of green chile to bring home.

(To be continued…)

road trip, part 2: breakfast burritos, the bosque, and bacon-infused bourbon.

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Say that five times fast.

On my last day of this particular leg of the trip, I ate only breakfast burritos (at least one the size of my head) and bacon-infused bourbon (in much smaller quantities).

amyburrito

hookersreallycheap2

Credit for these photos — including the spotting of this hilarious sign — goes to oogaknits (on ravelry) and her husband. This is why I miss the desert. Well, one reason, anyway!

Though it may be slightly out of chronological order ( second-to-last day in town), here’s a picture I absolutely adore, also taken by oogaknits, on our stroll through the bosque.

bosquehike

Wait, did somebody say bacon?

baconfilteringtake1

My hosts are aware of my passion for bacon, and the stars aligned such that they had recently enjoyed a manhattan or two made with bacon-infused bourbon and therefore NEEDED to attempt to recreate the magic. Above, take 1. A blind taste-test of bourbon and bacon-infused bourbon indicated that we needed more bacon.

bourbonbacon

bourbonbaconcloseup

Take 2 was successful. Note the bacon chunks in that bourbon. I am ever-grateful that I had the opportunity to be of use as a taste-tester. This experience has further affirmed for me that bacon goes with everything.

(To be continued…)

road trip, part 1.

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ladybug1

Boh and I camped halfway, and I managed to capture the last (blurry) moments of an Ozark sunset.

ladybug2camp

While this picture reveals a general state of disarray — a mere moment in my packing up process, I assure you — it highlights the importance of good coffee. I came equipped to make my own, and it was delicious. (This was the only time I got out my camp stove on the whole trip, and I’m glad I brought it!)

driving3

Several hundred miles later, the backside of the mountains I used to photograph out my front door came into view.

abq4backyardknitting

The next morning, Boh and I were lounging in the sun in the backyard of our dear hosts. I miss desert mornings most of all, and I tried to absorb as much early morning sun as I could. (Yep, that’s Mara. She’s getting bigger and ever more blob-like.)

abqhike1

abqhike2

[ETA: this photo taken by the lovely oogaknits on ravelry.]

We enjoyed a leisurely stroll above 10,000 feet (and were surprised by how well we slept that night).

abqhike3

(to be continued…)

west.

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Boh and I are heading west — driving out for healthy doses of the desert and several dear friends. We’ll be away for about 2 weeks, but I imagine we may have time for the occasional post or two.

strawberrymuffins

The last of the strawberries have been turned into muffins for the drive.

maraprogress

maraprogress2

Mara has reached “blob” stage — a critical moment in the life-cycle of a large knit, if you ask me. (It’s when there are more stitches than needle space, and the knit can no longer be laid out flat.)

I’m bringing Mara, my On-Hold Socks, my vanilla socks, and my Whisper cardigan on the trip. Boh is hoping that I’ll find time for sock knitting.

layingonbedboh

The tent is packed, the ipod is charged, directions are printed, and there is big bin o’ warm stuff (including my stripes! sweater and my new snail hat) in the back of the car.

I just need to drink my coffee, pack the cooler, and load up the dog.

Take it easy.

in the kitchen.

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berriesx7

I picked 7 quarts of berries this morning. (Notice quart #7 — upper right, not in line with the rest. I learned today that a quart-sized yogurt container fits perfectly into the shallow outer rim of the cupholder in my CRV. Thus, I ate most of a quart on the drive home from the farm. Consider #7 to be exhibit A.)

berriesfreezing1

The  farm is offering unlimited berry picking as part of the share now that the strawberry patch is super ripe. I prepped most of what I picked today to be stored: trimmed off the tops, lined them up on a baking tray, froze them enough that they won’t stick together, and put them in small freezer bags so that I can slowly defrost them as I see fit later on this summer and fall.

glowingberries

I may go back tomorrow. There is nothing like picking berries in the sunshine; today it felt like a reminder that everything will be okay.

pestopasta

Last night (after an incredible yoga class that has me feeling a really good all-body ache today) I broke out one of only a few mechanized pieces of kitchen equipment in my possession to make garlic scape-arugula-cilantro pesto. For dinner, I tossed it with pasta, and sprinkled on some walnuts and parmesan, which were tasty, but totally unnecessary. This pesto can stand on its own!

pesto sandwich

For lunch today, I made what P (of the farm) calls “pan toast” (aka toast in a cast iron skillet) and made 2 sandwiches of greens, pesto, and a slice of swiss cheese. Heavenly.

pesto omelet

Because you can never eat too much pesto, for dinner tonight I made an omelet with eggs from P’s chickens, the last bit of the arugula I harvested, and of course, the pesto. I have a little bit left — enough for another meal or two that matches my kitchen!

You may be wondering about my knitting. Boh was quite worried about my progress on the lacy ribs socks, as is evident from the following photograph:

bohuneasysock

Good news! Boh can stop fretting (well, about the sock, anyway) because tonight I finished the first sock of the pair.

onelacysock1

one lacy rib sock2

I could have done a few more leg repeats, but I was starting to worry about the tightness of the bind-off and the fit of the ribbing — this was a problem with my last (the first) pair of toe-up socks. I was so excited about using all of the yarn that I don’t think I increased enough or in the right places to get a perfect fit around the fullest part of my calf, and the bind-off on those socks is a bit tight. (Also, to be completely honest, there is a timeframe for this KAL. I started late, so I’m cutting it close!)

I did the Russian bind-off here, and it created a super-stretchy cuff, which is perfect. I’m quite pleased with how this sock has turned out, but more importantly, I love that this week, with this sock, I’ve learned a new cast-on, a new bind-off, and a new heel!

Tomorrow, I will cast on sock #2.

happy dog mirror

Now there’s a happy dog. (He may be happy about my completed sock, but it might also have something to do with the walk we took down to the creek so that we could put our toes/paws in the cool water.)

Bedtime for this rooster. Happy almost Friday!

round and round.

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I did A LOT of plying yesterday, or at least it felt like a lot. See?

fo cvm1

focvm2

This is the CVM in the impatiens colorway from cosy, and the Paradise Fibers oatmeal bfl I began with. Both became much softer with a good soak, and each have a very nice amount of squoosh. I’m realizing that I am that beginner I read about in rav forums (yay ravelry for all of the great info and advice available), and that I need to remind myself that what seems like too much twist to rooster-the-spindler is not necessarily too much to the rooster-at-the-wheel. I’m happier with the amount of twist in the CVM singles than in my last project (that verb corriedale), and my plying is getting tighter and bouncier (I think).

fo cvm3

Boh helped with the math: 190 yds of the BFL, and about 130 of the CVM.  That may be why he is so tired.

sleepydog

Also, I grabbed a book and a dishcloth-in-progress, and Boh and I headed down to a pebbly beach and bubbling creek. He spent a lot of time finding rocks under the water and bringing them to dry land.

sillyearsdog

We had a lovely day. Also, I made some serious progress in the dishcloth department. I realized I needed to knit more than one to fully put my new no-sponge plan into action.

boringdishcloths

There is something extremely satsifying about using up leftover yarn, particularly when it is dishcloth cotton.

On today’s list? Working on ply #3 of this:

2of3ply progress

I know you can’t really see the colors, but they are deep and lovely: blues, deep burgundys, greens. This is Spunky Club dark bfl in colorway Myrtle. I’m aiming to have something that I can make into socks, but we’ll see. I’m looking forward to plying my first 3-ply!

Also on the agenda? A walk in the woods, more reading, and dinner/drinks/live music with a friend.

Have a great weekend!

inches and handfuls.

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These were my units of measure today.

Exhibit A (inches):

stripesoncouch

(I love this picture. Can’t exactly explain why.)

bodystripes

And here it is, all 17 inches and change of the body of my stripes! sweater. I don’t think I’ve ever knit so quickly in my life. Certainly, I am currently feeling the need to distract myself; to fill the days. There is something else though, something I can’t quite pinpoint, that makes this project hard to put down. Perhaps it is the surprising softness of the eco-wool. Maybe it’s the short pattern repeat, the next stripe’s color(s) revealed in just four (three, two, one) more row(s)…

All I know is that I’m finding a particular kind of fulfillment in this project, and I’m grateful for it. Next up? Stripey sleeves!

Exhibit B (handfuls):

dinnerinpan

dinnergreens

Tonight’s dinner: an innovative greens recipe from a cookbook compiling recipes from farms and CSAs across the country. The basic premise is that you mix up a vinaigrette, boil some of it and throw in sliced mushrooms, and then later add some hearty greens and cook until wilted. Toss this stuff with less hearty greens, add some goat cheese, and add more of the dressing. I used kale, arugula, and spinach from my share, and I can’t wait to make this again. (That cookbook, for those interested, is this one.)

Exhibit C (toys?):

poutingbohwithpile

Boh, with his pile of scraps and bones…

I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep up this daily blogging all summer, but for now, it adds some quite welcome structure to the day, as a friend thoughtfully noted earlier this week.

More soon!