But last weekend, while out shopping for other things, I came upon a brighter, more colorful, and at a less prohibitive cost...right here in my own city. See how cute?
-吴碧芙
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Owl's Well...
I went to meet an old Iowa friend in Omaha a few weekends ago. There at Anthropologie, there was a great array of owl cookie jars, presumably retro remakes. However, they had a hefty price tag of almost $100 each. I mean, they weren't THAT awesome, but it was still hard to leave without the cute one that had mostly green glaze on it. I just thought to wait, until it goes on sale, or until it goes out of style and people want to get rid of it and sell it to me for cheap.
But last weekend, while out shopping for other things, I came upon a brighter, more colorful, and at a less prohibitive cost...right here in my own city. See how cute?
-吴碧芙
But last weekend, while out shopping for other things, I came upon a brighter, more colorful, and at a less prohibitive cost...right here in my own city. See how cute?
-吴碧芙
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Coming Undone
Knitting this scarf has become a Sisyphean ordeal. At first I assumed that the pattern's 80 stitches (in the round) would yield a scarf too thin for my taste, so I cast on 120 stitches. After putting in 1.5 feet's worth of work on it, I decided that 12 in. wide was too wide, especially in the round--the doubled fabric made the scarf very bulky.
I frogged (knitspeak for unraveling massive amounts of stitches) the whole thing and started over with 88 stitches. After 2 feet of work and about 5 months of the scarf hibernating within my stash (knitspeak for massive amounts of yarn, none of which is assigned to a project), my husband asked me what ever had happened to my Penelope scarf.
The film starring Christina Ricci greatly influenced my need to find a pattern and make the scarf for myself. The unique, stained glass-esque scarf plays a big role in the movie. Christina Ricci's character "Penelope," born with the curse of a pig's nose, is kept cloistered in her parents' mansion, until she decides to run away, wearing the scarf to hide her nose from the public. I first saw the movie on the plane home from China, so it was bound to be associated with good feelings for me.
After the inquiry from my husband, I pulled the scarf out of my stash about a week ago, to start working on it again. However, this was the 88-stitch version, and after a few rows, it still seemed too wide. I decided to frog it again and eventually cast on 72 stitches. I was determined to finish the 72-stitch version. So I spent most of last week working on it, and last night it measured 1.5 feet. I mean, it's knit in the round, so not only was it wide, but also doubly thick fabric. When knitting in the round, one must do double the knitting for the same length or scarf. Also irking, the colored hexagons in the movie scarf are smaller, but let's not be too picky when there are very few free patterns available (that mention the movie specifically) for this project.
A new Ravelry search for "stained glass" yielded a pattern I hadn't seen before. I started the small version this morning and frogged the original for the last time this afternoon. "Stained glass" has smaller colored circles and is knit flat. I enjoy knitting it, and feel like all the work is actually adding to the length of the scarf rather quickly.
Perhaps it is fitting that the name is also connected to Penelope the wife of Odysseus, who, while waiting for Odysseus to return home (which took 20 years total), staved off her persistent suitors by weaving a shroud. She said she would choose a suitor when she finished the shroud, but at night she would unravel the work, so as to postpone her choice, over the course of THREE years. That's commitment...both to a husband and a project.
-吴碧芙
I frogged (knitspeak for unraveling massive amounts of stitches) the whole thing and started over with 88 stitches. After 2 feet of work and about 5 months of the scarf hibernating within my stash (knitspeak for massive amounts of yarn, none of which is assigned to a project), my husband asked me what ever had happened to my Penelope scarf.
The film starring Christina Ricci greatly influenced my need to find a pattern and make the scarf for myself. The unique, stained glass-esque scarf plays a big role in the movie. Christina Ricci's character "Penelope," born with the curse of a pig's nose, is kept cloistered in her parents' mansion, until she decides to run away, wearing the scarf to hide her nose from the public. I first saw the movie on the plane home from China, so it was bound to be associated with good feelings for me.
After the inquiry from my husband, I pulled the scarf out of my stash about a week ago, to start working on it again. However, this was the 88-stitch version, and after a few rows, it still seemed too wide. I decided to frog it again and eventually cast on 72 stitches. I was determined to finish the 72-stitch version. So I spent most of last week working on it, and last night it measured 1.5 feet. I mean, it's knit in the round, so not only was it wide, but also doubly thick fabric. When knitting in the round, one must do double the knitting for the same length or scarf. Also irking, the colored hexagons in the movie scarf are smaller, but let's not be too picky when there are very few free patterns available (that mention the movie specifically) for this project.
A new Ravelry search for "stained glass" yielded a pattern I hadn't seen before. I started the small version this morning and frogged the original for the last time this afternoon. "Stained glass" has smaller colored circles and is knit flat. I enjoy knitting it, and feel like all the work is actually adding to the length of the scarf rather quickly.
Perhaps it is fitting that the name is also connected to Penelope the wife of Odysseus, who, while waiting for Odysseus to return home (which took 20 years total), staved off her persistent suitors by weaving a shroud. She said she would choose a suitor when she finished the shroud, but at night she would unravel the work, so as to postpone her choice, over the course of THREE years. That's commitment...both to a husband and a project.
-吴碧芙
Friday, December 9, 2011
Flippin' Mittens
First, and most exciting, I got a shiny new job at at children's specialty hospital and rehabilitation center in town! It's a nice, clean, friendly workplace, with a large selection of therapy materials & toys and an emphasis on evidence-based practice. Yesterday I worked from 7:30am to 5pm. I'm following another SLP, whose Friday case load, I will be taking over.
One of the most striking things is that I'm introduced to parents and coworkers as "the new speech therapist," compared to my previous title, "my student." My badge even says "Beth W., Speech Language Pathologist." (It's weird that nobody at my new job knows my old name, and it makes it difficult when I forget and initial "BR" by mistake.) It's hard to leave the perception of being a "student" behind and to realize that I'm responsible for having the tools necessary to treat or find out how to treat a wide variety of disorders. Luckily, the therapist that I'm following provided some words of wisdom on treating children with language disorders: "No matter what you give them, it will always be more than they had before."
This week I put down my current herringbone scarf in order to work on mittens. Honestly, I no longer remember what prompted me to make mittens, but I started them on a cold day after investing in a new bright green, wool winter coat. Furthermore, I'm not interested in trying to knit gloves at the moment.
The trouble with mittens is the same trouble one would have with gloves: They are not so amazing if you need to answer a touch-screen phone, or text, or take a picture, or use the internet, or... However, the beauty of being a knitter is the ability to make custom items, in the colors you want, size you want, style you want, fiber you want (wool, alpaca, musk ox...), and added features you want. These are knitted with Lamb's Pride bulky wool/mohair in stockinette and 2x2 rib edging, with a moss stitch cuff.
-吴碧芙
One of the most striking things is that I'm introduced to parents and coworkers as "the new speech therapist," compared to my previous title, "my student." My badge even says "Beth W., Speech Language Pathologist." (It's weird that nobody at my new job knows my old name, and it makes it difficult when I forget and initial "BR" by mistake.) It's hard to leave the perception of being a "student" behind and to realize that I'm responsible for having the tools necessary to treat or find out how to treat a wide variety of disorders. Luckily, the therapist that I'm following provided some words of wisdom on treating children with language disorders: "No matter what you give them, it will always be more than they had before."
This week I put down my current herringbone scarf in order to work on mittens. Honestly, I no longer remember what prompted me to make mittens, but I started them on a cold day after investing in a new bright green, wool winter coat. Furthermore, I'm not interested in trying to knit gloves at the moment.
The trouble with mittens is the same trouble one would have with gloves: They are not so amazing if you need to answer a touch-screen phone, or text, or take a picture, or use the internet, or... However, the beauty of being a knitter is the ability to make custom items, in the colors you want, size you want, style you want, fiber you want (wool, alpaca, musk ox...), and added features you want. These are knitted with Lamb's Pride bulky wool/mohair in stockinette and 2x2 rib edging, with a moss stitch cuff.
-吴碧芙
Saturday, November 19, 2011
My So Called Jewel Scarf
My newest finished project is "My So Called Scarf," which actually uses the offset herringbone stitch. It's a hard stitch to figure out, but once learned, the scarf is a fast knit. This is the best video for learning the stitch: http://www.loopknits.com/2007/12/11/herringbone-neck-warmer/
The diagonal effect is part of the magic of Patons Classic Wool variegated yarns. The wrong side of the work looks like a bunch of purl stitches.
-吴碧芙
The diagonal effect is part of the magic of Patons Classic Wool variegated yarns. The wrong side of the work looks like a bunch of purl stitches.
-吴碧芙
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Vegetable Couscous with Moroccan Pesto
We are having a kind of "cook the book" week with a Food Network Magazine Great Easy Meals cookbook, which we received as a wedding gift. We've made two delicious meals on Sunday and Monday nights. Today, we thought to take a picture and let people know what kinds of truly great and easy recipes this book has in it.
Today's meal has vegetables, including carrots, zucchini, mustard greens, onions, green olives, and tomatoes. The vegetables are spiced with cinnamon stick and raisins, among other things. All is served on a bed of giant couscous. A pesto made of flat parsley, garlic, cilantro, and cashews. Mustard greens are our new favorite ingredient.
-吴碧芙
Today's meal has vegetables, including carrots, zucchini, mustard greens, onions, green olives, and tomatoes. The vegetables are spiced with cinnamon stick and raisins, among other things. All is served on a bed of giant couscous. A pesto made of flat parsley, garlic, cilantro, and cashews. Mustard greens are our new favorite ingredient.
-吴碧芙
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
"I Got Married (if you can believe that)"
We got married on a beautiful day in October in a small ceremony with our close family and friends in attendance. The weather was cool, but sunny. The leaves on the trees had turned to a range of yellows and reds. Vows and rings were exchanged. The congregation sang "How can I keep from singing?" Everyone in attendance posed for a picture in the sanctuary before we greeted all of the guests, and we took pictures until the reception.
The guests enjoyed a social hour with local seasonal beers, red and white wines, fresh fruit and caprese hors d'oeuvers, and mixed nuts/pretzels/party mix snacks, all hand-picked by the bride and groom. A salad course of romaine lettuce with pear and olives was served, followed by a main course of late summer vegetable succotash. Small cakes were placed as centerpieces on each table--white cake or champagne cake with cream cheese filling & buttercream frosting.
From the whole day, the only amateur photography I could find so far includes a few iPad pictures (first), which were shot in low resolution, so some of the details are not very clear, and a few from my uncle (second). My foster brother's wife helped with my hair and make-up--the hairstyle is a cascade or waterfall braid around the crown of my head. I opted for the veil for the wedding and the shawl for the reception.
(The title is a nod to Jim's Journal.)
-吴碧芙
The guests enjoyed a social hour with local seasonal beers, red and white wines, fresh fruit and caprese hors d'oeuvers, and mixed nuts/pretzels/party mix snacks, all hand-picked by the bride and groom. A salad course of romaine lettuce with pear and olives was served, followed by a main course of late summer vegetable succotash. Small cakes were placed as centerpieces on each table--white cake or champagne cake with cream cheese filling & buttercream frosting.
From the whole day, the only amateur photography I could find so far includes a few iPad pictures (first), which were shot in low resolution, so some of the details are not very clear, and a few from my uncle (second). My foster brother's wife helped with my hair and make-up--the hairstyle is a cascade or waterfall braid around the crown of my head. I opted for the veil for the wedding and the shawl for the reception.
(The title is a nod to Jim's Journal.)
-吴碧芙
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