Weekend knitting

I spent most of Sunday knitting and watching Netflix.  Netflix watch instantly has transformed my world.  I rarely watch tv.  That's not to say that I don't watch any tv, but with the joy that is dvr technology, I (like much of the country, I suspect) don't watch my tv shows when they're on regular tv.  I'm much too distracted for that! (Plus one comes on while I'm at work and another comes on the night of knitting group. What was CBS thinking?!?!)

But, I only watch three shows regularly.  Which means that when I want to knit a project that is somewhat complicated, I have to search for something to watch.  Netflix has come to my rescue.  They have tons of tv shows and movies that I can stream to my computer.  I will admit that I mostly watch the PBS and History Channel shows that they have available, but Hubbie and I have recently begun watching Futurama together.

Given that it has been the spooky time of year, I've been watching a lot of shows on ghosts.  I love this time of year because I get to gorge myself of ghost stories.  Reading them, listening to them, watching tv shows on them.  So much fun.  I don't actually believe in ghosts (I think), but I grew up in a family with a tradition of telling ghost stories at get togethers.  I used to love to sit next to my mom as she told stories of the house that she lived in that she thought was haunted.  I'd get chills and goosebumps.  It was awesome!

Sadly, my family is now spread over a good portion of the country, so the tradition hasn't continued.  Instead I turn to the internet and Netflix and the ghost stories of others to give me my Halloween chills.

My glut of weekend tv watching go me through a garter stitch scarf and 70% of the shawlette version of Mercia.

Winnie the wonderdog was kind enough to model the scarf for me.  He's such a cutie (but also a total spaz. The only reason he sat still long enough to take this picture was Hubbie standing behind me holding a treat.)

It's knit in an angora wool Handspun by Jamie Harmon.  It's really quite soft and lovely.

I'm knitting the shawlette version of Mercia in the Knit Picks Stroll Tonal sock that was left over from the shawlette version of Butterfly Bush.  It is the perfect amount and the yellow shows off the stitch pattern really well.

It's about time Mother Nature realized it was Autumn,
Joyce

Yoga

I have recently been reintroduced to my love of  yoga.  My love for yoga started when I was 18 and a freshman in college.  My orientation class went to yoga one week.  I walked into that room on three hours of sleep and when I left I felt more awake and energized than I do on 8-9 hours. 

Oddly, I didn't take another class until TK invited me to go to a class with her last week.  It was amazing.  It's been a while since I did yoga regularly (cough cough... years... cough cough) and my practice has always been a home practice.

But the class I took (all levels Vinyasa) was eye opening.  At 75 minutes, it was gentle yet strenuous.  And I was sore for the next two days.  It was totally worth it!  TK, who has been doing yoga regularly for the past six months, claims it was easy.  Oh....

So I took myself to a beginner vinyasa class.  I figured that while my mind is not a beginner, it's been so long since I've done yoga, that the body is back in beginner mode.  I really enjoyed this one too.  The instructor was funny and really quite good at teaching the beginning yoga student.  The class was 60 minutes and strenuous enough that my muscles felt like jelly afterwards.  Still, I'm happy to report that I wasn't sore afterwards. 

I've been practicing knitting as yoga for years now, but I don't think it really counts as exercise (unless you're trying to p3tbl).  Happily, the garter stitch version of Montague's Muffler doesn't have any of those. 

Classic Elite Fresco in Rumba Red.  I love this yarn.  The touch of angora gives it a wonderful halo and warmth.  Yummy!

I wonder if I could knit in Child's pose,
Joyce

Hubbie Trickery

Hubbie woke me this morning with plans for an outing into the City (Manhattan). For those of you don't know the man, this is a surprising, nay shocking, turn of events. While he generally likes Queens, he tends to avoid the City like the plague because it has way too many people.

So when he suggested lunch (Chipotle, yum), the Strand (who can resist 18 miles of books?) and a trip to Lula's (a vegan ice cream place that makes my little heart go pitter patter) and a movie, I was all for it! Even if that movie was Scott Pilgrim, which he had seen 3 times (4 now). It's a cute, fun movie and the music in it rocks!

I suspect that Lula's and the Strand are simply just forms of bribery so he could see the movie again. I'm not above accepting bribery, especially if it looks like this:

Meet Lula's soft serve Cake Batter vegan ice cream cone. It tastes just like yellow cake batter and is make mostly of cashews. It's heaven in a waffle cone.

I was also able to get some knitting done in the movie theater. Knitting has gotten me through some really bad movies (Piranha 3D anyone). It's usually limited to stockinette in a fingering weight or larger. But sometimes can include a simple lace repeat. For my third viewing of Scott Pilgrim I chose stockinette.

This beginnings of a shawlette is in Knit Picks Stroll tonal sock in Canopy. It's a Merino/Nylon blend and really pleasant to knit. I found it to be a bit squeaky while wet, but it block beautifully and, despite the nylon content, it holds the block really well.

I spent much of yesterday designing a couple of shawlettes and redesigning a couple of others to go with some MadTosh Pashmina I got Wednesday.I absolutely love the highlighter colors (yellow-Edison's Bulb; orange-Tangelo; pink-Neon Rose; green-Chartreuse). I've designed a series of shawlettes specifically for these colors, one for each. TK, my test knitter extraordinaire, requested to knit the yellow one. She's been drooling over the Edison's Bulb for months. Given that she's also my PR person, enabler, and often used knitwear model, who am I to say no?