I modified this pattern: http://www.knittingonthenet.com/patterns/hatrollbrim.htm
with a few purl rows and then I decreased every row, trying to get a hat out of one ball of yarn.
Needles: Size 7 Addi Turbo 16″
Color: 101

But I guess doing a good deed doesn’t protect you from this:

The day before my 30th birthday we went out to the car to go the farmer’s market and my radio was gone. It took a minute to realize they must have used a Slim Jim or similar tool to go through the window and unlock the door. I guess it could have been worse… how many people get their car broken into with little damage to the car? There are a few scratches on the door where they shoved the tool in and you can see the scratches on the dash where they pried the radio out.

A few lessons here:
1. Don’t leave your radio faceplate in the glove compartment.
2. Get your car alarm fixed when it breaks. I did not. Now I feel stupid.
3. Don’t think stuff in your trunk is safe
4. Keeping the inside of your car clean with a club on the steering wheel and the radio faceplate in the glove compartment is obviously not enough of a deterrent for a break-in.
5. Even a 1999 car can be unlocked with a Slim Jim.

But let’s look on the bright side, I get a new car radio for my birthday! The car wasn’t stolen or broken! I did have a nice birthday, my friend and her kiddoes came over for a nice breakfast. Then Ron and I went over to San Francisco to enjoy the day. We ended up at Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill and the Marina to watch a sailboat race and the fog roll in. Later we had a yummy dinner at Furenzu.

Ok, so it’s only big enough to fit a doll.

But that’s ok, I like it anyway.  I knit this sweater for a class with Debbie Abrahams called “Professional Finishing Techniques.”  I figured I’d never knit a sweater without learning how to do it.  Knitting the pieces?  Easy.  Seaming it up?  Not so bad…  on a teddy sweater.  Remind me never to knit a sweater that requires seams.  Do you know how many ends there were to weave in on this tiny little sweater?  Tons!  Ok, you caught me, I haven’t sewn in all the ends yet.

I was a bad.  I waited til the last minute to knit up the pieces for the class.  Since it was a finishing class, we had to knit up the pieces before class.  Well, we were out of town, days went by, didn’t have a chunk of time to get gauge, and there I was, the day before the class. I had about 24 hours to knit the front, back, and two sleeves.  The only needles I could get gauge with were some awful straight aluminum needles.  I have basically only knit circular projects thus far and now I know why.  Ok, maybe the pain was more than partially due to the fact that I knit the whole sweater in 24 hours or less.  That could have had something to do with it.  But those aluminum straights.. let me tell you, they hurt the hands.  I was so frantic to get the dang sweater done, I didn’t even think to use my size 7 circular needle on the sleeves.  Now that would have been smarter and less painful.  One doesn’t think of these things when they are in the throes of a knitting frenzy.  I couldn’t even move my right hand by the time I was finished.  But I did finish that sucker before the class started.  Right before.  I always have been a procrastinator.  The yarn from my stash surprised me, pretty, eh?  I couldn’t find anything else to knit with it and I didn’t want to buy yarn for the class, so the doll got a nice wool sweater.

Pattern: Simple Sweater
from “Knits for Children and Their Teddies” by Fiona McTague
Yarn: Araucania Nature Wool
Needles: Size 7 Susan Bates Aluminum Straights

Now I’m back to being mad at this:

WHY can’t they make the center tail of yarn easier to find? I gave up.  How is second sock syndrome to be avoided when I can’t even get the #$%^& yarn out!

I can’t believe it’s already been one year! Ron got some flowers that reminded us of the flowers and colors from our wedding. It is great to have some flowers on our table that remind me of my bouquet, it feels like fall:

September 30, 2006

Trail to North Dome

Despite my many years of living in the 4-season midwest, I’ve never seen ferns turn yellow before. I was mesmerized!

Do you see that big ‘ol knot right there next to the needle? It just snuck right up on me. There I was, just knitting along and then BAM! a knot. Now I guess I have to knit back a row so I can cut it off, rejoin the yarn, and weave it in. I don’t know how securely cotton yarn will stay weaved-in, especially in a stretchy sock. I’ll have to do an extra-good job I suppose. Any suggestions? Is this common with Cascade Fixation yarn?