i owe you all big time. BIG TIME. it’s busy in my life but that’s no excuse for neglecting you for soooo long. in my defense, i’ve been working overtime at my day job and coming home to do freelance every night, as well as taking my japanese class and working for my production company, but it’s just no excuse. i’m sorry.

… that and i lifted weights at the gym yesterday and my neck sorta hurts so i’m feeling a little battered. i decided that the only way to loosen up those muscles was to drink.. alone… during the day.. at home!

it IS st. paddy’s day after all!

oops! what do we have here! those there be some finished arm warmers! and that’s not just it.. i have tons more photos to show you.. so sit back and let me talk your ear off just for a sec..

vino arm warmers

yep, the vino arm warmers are complete and i’m working on writing up the pattern this weekend. i really want to learn adobe indesign and since i already know how to use illustrator, i’m guessing it won’t be too hard to come up with a decent pattern design. look for it on the patterns page sometime next week (i’ll post about it when i get it up there.. i’ll probably also redo the circular bolero in the new format while i’m at it, if i have time that is.)

upclose on the pattern

these are fun and easy to knit. very memorizable (if that’s a word) to the point where you can knit them on the subway and not even look at the pattern. you don’t need a cable needle either. i have instructions in the pattern for crossing the stitches without a cable needle. more pics in the gallery.

so now that those are complete, and i’m still working on the somewhat cowl (only 10 more rows of stockinette on the second sleeve before i hit the ribbing), i’ve casted on for a pair of socks for KP.

KP’s yarrow rib socks

dear gods, i’m attempting two socks on two circs!! it’s slow going but i keep telling myself that i’m knitting two socks at once so there will be no SSS. this is paton’s kroy sock yarn in windsor tweed. i’m knitting it up in the yarrow rib sock pattern from nancy bush’s knitting vintage socks.

i’m also planning on starting another scarf. i’ll be using this yarn..

karabella aurora 8 in many colors

and making the zigzag stripes scarf from the scarf style book. hopefully it’ll knit up fast because this yarn goes well with my orange coat that i wear in the spring. it’ll be a nice addition to my wardrobe.

i’ve also added some new yarn to my collection that’ll be knit up soon enough.

noro silk garden color 225

this is some noro silk garden color 225 that i bought for my birthday (way back in january) and i’ll be using it to make this.

japanese shawl from the 2005-2006 autumn winter let’s knit series

(i have to translate the name of this pattern i guess…) i love this shawl!! it’s so practical because your arms are free to hold things. there’s actually a sample knit up of this at the point and it baffled the employees for so long as to how to put it on and wear it.. then i walk in the door, exclaim how much i love it, and throw it on without a thought. all of their eyes lit up and *ding* the light went on over their heads. it was a cute moment. none of them understood it when it arrived all knit up. anyway, i hope to get started on this as soon as i’m done with the somewhat cowl.

brooklyn handspun superwash sock yarn in jungle canopy

i also have this lovely yarn which i picked up from marie. it’s for my sockapalooza sock exchange and i plan on starting these in the next couple of weeks. i’m not sure what pattern i’m going to use but the new sock pattern from knitty comes to mind.

EDIT: i sold the yarn that was here. thanks katie!

hhmmm, what else. i’ve been watching lots of TV in the evening with a little bit of knitting thrown in here and there. at the end of a stressful day, it’s all i can do to stare out into space and veg so it’s not been very exciting around here. as you can see by my netflix queue, i finished the new york documentary series (loved it except for the last DVD.. i can’t watch anything about the WTC falling anymore.. it’s just too heartbreaking) and moved on to the british TV drama, MI-5, which is really good, pasty white people notwithstanding (do they seriously never get any sun over there?) it’s a gutsy show but then so is the BBC and they aren’t ravaged by our FCC so they’re a bit more balsy and sexy. i love it.

veronica mars is back on UPN and battlestar galactica just turned in a stellar season finale. so stellar that i sat in horror the last 30 minutes of the show like i was living out a bad dream. gaius! how the mighty have fallen.. and been used. you’re such a pansy, but i love you anyway.

ok, i’ve gotta wrap up this rambling so that i can insert all of the images above and get to the point for knitting. oh, wanna see how my jaywalkers are doing after a month or two of wear? not so good. i’m thinking i’m not really liking the socks that rock anymore. this is also after i shaved it once because the fuzz was too big.