Stella Knits

Stella Knits

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Oak Leaves & Acorns Lace Scarf

Julia's Strawberry Hat

contact...Stella
Tell her how much you like her blog. Be kind... she doesn't take rejection well.

Friday, August 15, 2003

Payday! What a great thing. Stella is hung over today though (ugh) and wishes she could be in bed. I ran 3 miles last night (for the first time in months - since the Bay to Breakers race) and man, am I sore and tired. Then I went to have a drink & ate deep fried artichoke hearts (with an interesting date from CL) but all that together was not such a great combination.

I learned some more about bikes this week. In September, they come out with the 04 crop, which will be even cooler and cost less - according to Mike's Bikes. So, no pressure. :) And I found a cool biking club to join.

Sometimes I think I have OD'd on blogs. And on knitting. Sometimes I follow links on blogs and get all happy because I relate to these people's thoughts I'm reading. But there are other times when I try to surf the knitting bloggers ring, and I just get burned out. I hate to say it, but it gets repetitive.

Anyway, Tuesday is City Spinners, so if you are in San Francisco, come to the Park Branch library at 7 PM and meet some nice people who like to knit & spin. Always entertaining and uplifting.

posted by Stella 2:27 PM

Thursday, August 14, 2003

I bought my first Koigu! Oh, how I love it. The nice ladies at Imagiknit special ordered me a Vogue Knitting, and the Koigu was just an impulse buy. I so do not need any more socks, but what can I say. It called my name.

I like this VK! I love the blue cardie with the braid, and I'm still hunting for Cascade 220 which around here, nobody seems to carry. I did see the celery color I like in the bulky Cascade yarn, and it is indeed beautiful. Indigirl is my inspiration for this one. I also like the Very Easy Very Vogue sweater (#19). Once I have either the Saffron sweater or the cable jacket done, I'll start on that adventure - substituting yarn of a different gauge. How scary. VK supplies those little sketches in their patterns though, and I think those would be very helpful in calculating how many stitches I need to cast on. Cross-multiplication is the key.

Work was freaky busy today. Old projects reared their ugly heads, people playing their favorite games, clients who want their stuff right now, anything you can imagine. I forgot how to breathe! Luckily, some of these people are out East and can't reach us right now, since they have no electricity (hehehe). Aww, too bad. ooooh I just got caught putting the expensive paper in the laser printer - it's a disgrace the way I don't care! (I need a drinky. After the gym.)

Oh yeah, one more thing. I decided I can totally buy the bike, cause I'm not going on vacation this summer! It will be a lasting value. And, I can take some days off and bike instead.

posted by Stella 2:19 PM

Tuesday, August 12, 2003

One more:

kittycam

Thank this guy.

posted by Stella 3:03 PM

I picked up the Saffron sleeve today. Reason being, I had no clean work-out clothes, and could not ride my bike this morning, so had to take the bus. Check out the first sleeve:

Slow and steady wins the race. I'm about 1/3 the way up the back of the cable jacket as well. I have to do it piecemeal, a couple of rows here and there, no 2 hour knitting sessions at night, or my back gets supertense.

My cats are in BIG trouble for tipping over a flower vase last night which I had sitting on top of a stereo speaker. The speaker is ok, but the water spilled on my Debbie Bliss #4 pattern book, totally soaked it, and I just hope that it will dry without all the pages sticking together. I wish I could trade them in for a ferret.

My bikey: MSRP is $770, which is $835 incl. CA sales tax. YIKES! But, I've found it a for $699. And, if I sell the Schwinn I have now, and this really cool computer table which lives in my garage, and if I ever get my flex medical receipts reimbursed, I'm on my way to finance it. And Supergirl kindly pointed out I'd be saving the environment. Now, that's priceless (as they say in the AmEx commercial.) Here is a picture of it:

Send prosperity vibes.

Oh, and remember these?

That was my Mother's Day present which we thought got lost in the mail. Three months passed, and no notice. Yesterday it appeared on my doorstep. It had stickers from German customs on it, and no reason given why it was sent back. Weird, but, thanks for sending it back, whoever!

posted by Stella 2:19 PM

Sunday, August 10, 2003

I'm superlazy this weekend. I woke up at 8:30 yesterday, drank 4 cups of coffee and went back to bed from 10:30 to noon. Then I met one potential date for a little bike ride to the ocean. He was pretty cute, looked kind of like Woody Harrelson, but when he left, he didn't ride home with me, no hug, no kiss, I guess he is looking for something else. I haven't heard from S, he is busy writing code, I guess, and I'm tired of acting like a puppy, hey play with me, lets go do something, if he wants to hang out, he'll call me when he's ready. K is still with his kids and hopefull will be ready for some adult conversation soon. I think I'm moving toward a stage where I want more of a real relationship. I'd like to be acknowledged and have actual girlfriend status. A little more than just fun and friends with no strings attached. Not that I want to get married again (no way), just not put aside completely when work or kids want attention, and share some common interests. I wonder if he is ready for that, though.

No fiber content today, just future announcements. I have 4 more oz's of the Shades of Sky fabric to ply. I need to go wind the last skein into a ball or order some more bobbins. I only have one and it's sad and lonely.

Off to test drive THE BIKE again and spend some money at the Gap.

posted by Stella 12:00 PM

Friday, August 08, 2003

I'm hella bored and in need of adventure. So I'm writing some guys on Craigslist but only getting back pictures of very creepy, very weird people. I might have to resign myself to the fact that Mr. Right is not online today.

Here is my knitting progress: the waffle socks,

and the cable jacket fronts:

(click this one)

I think for every cable twist I'm knitting, there is a knot in my back. I feel as old as a mummy. I'm not abandoning this project though. I've cast on for the back already, in the bus, and I got a therapeutic massage yesterday so this will be finished. And then I'll make something light weight. Oh, BTW, I have to brag, note how cleverly I continued the braids around the armholes. Kind of proud of that.

I've been teaching 2 girls at work how to knit and they are making me proud! One of them started her first scarf already.

Thank you to everyone who wrote me when I was feeling the blues. I really appreciate it and I thank God that I snapped out of it.

posted by Stella 2:38 PM

Monday, August 04, 2003

I'm happy again. I haven't spent any money yet on a new bike, but I tried out some very cool ones yesterday (a Bianchi Brava, Volpe and a Specialized). Not sure if I'm ready for a full-fledged road bike with dropped handles. I had a difficult time breaking which can be scary in traffic. My hands are too small and they hurt (aww, poor me). But I want the power and the speed.

Here is a picture of where I went yesterday, and where I like to bike:

That's what it looks like out here when you are not at the beach in or the city. This is between Fairfax and San Geronimo on Sir Francis Drake in Marin Co.

Knitting-wise - sometimes I love the hunt for yarn and patterns more than knitting itself. Neither of the 3 yarn stores I will frequent around here carry Cascade 220. Weird, huh? Amy pointed me to Threadbear, but I wanted to support my local merchants first. I checked out VK and the braided cardie pattern in it, and it's next on my list. I think I may be getting a special order from Urban Knitting.

The cable jacket is still giving me headaches. Literally. It's annoying. I can only knit a little while on it before I have to get up and stretch. I'm up to the armhole on the second front now, and have completely ripped the back. I still love it, though. The yarn is so snuggly, I can't wait to put it on.

posted by Stella 2:45 PM

Sunday, August 03, 2003

Where to start... I don't want to alarm or bring anyone down by reading this blog. It just really helps me to write down my thoughts. Especially when they go around and around in my head and drive me crazy. Once I write them down, they usually stop. Then I have room in my head to remember what makes me feel better. 1. Distraction. 2. Nature. 3. Understanding that depression & anxiety comes in waves. You have to surf the waves. They might be scary and gnarly waves, you have to hold your breath, and can't fight them, but eventually you wash up on shore and it's over.

So yesterday, I went to up north to escape the fog, to Dharma Trading (for distraction) with the goal of going to Pt. Reyes to the beach. There was another wall o'fog looming over the mountains so I didn't go all the way there, but stayed east of it and explored a bike ride I have been wanting to do. Not that I'm supergirl or anything... <wink> but this ride would be a challenge and it would be very, very cool to be able to complete it. And, not to underestimate the power of retail therapy, today I will check out roadbikes and look for some Cascade 220 for Miss Amy's idea of the cabled cardie (which VK totally ripped off, obviously). So, life is OK. Maybe that crisis was just pms. At any rate, I'm dealing with it.

posted by Stella 11:11 AM

Saturday, August 02, 2003

*Things you shouldn't joke about* I went to the pharmacy yesterday, shortly before closing, to get a refill on my prozac. Unfortunately, no more refills... so the kind pharmacist asked if I was totally out or could I wait until Monday. I had one left. He offered to give me 2 without a prescription, and I thanked him, and said, that's great, so I won't kill myself on Sunday... He looked really concerned, and I tried to downplay it, saying, that was dramatic! But he didn't think it was funny. No, I'm not suicidal. I laugh (bitterly) in the face of depression and say fuck you, demon, you are not going to make me jump off that bridge. I have been amazed at how bad, and how much worse than bad, I can feel. But I would never do that - I think of my Mom. And of how it is possible to feel happy. Which is why take my little pills. They keep me on a more even keel.

However. During the last week, I have been feeling those waves of depression. The scary part about it is that I don't know why. I ask myself is it because I don't have a real boyfriend? Is it because I had an excellent time with K, but it's not a real relationship? Can it ever be? And what am I going to do about it? Or because too many people are mad at me? Or is it because of the fog? Or is it just pms? If there is no real reason, does that mean I should increase my dosage? These questions drive me crazy. // So I exercise. And knit & quilt & spin. I think the beach might help. Whatever.

posted by Stella 10:00 AM

Oh, man. I knew it. Jerry knew the answer.
Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks)
Lyrics: Grateful Dead
Music: Grateful Dead
The "lyrics" to this consist of a Pigpen rap that varied a bit from performance to performance. This is the (studio) version from "So Many Roads":

I went down to see a gypsy woman
Wanna find out, oh, what's wrong with me
I said please, please, please tell me now
What's wrong with me
All right
Well she looked at me and she said "Man"
She said "Man, all you need"
All you need, all you need, all you need
All you need is a mojo hand
Mojo hand
All you need a mojo hand
That's what I'm gonna do
Get myself a mojo hand
And everything will be all right

posted by Stella 10:26 AM

Friday, August 01, 2003

It's been a little quiet here at Stella Knits. Partly because I took a 2 day knitting break & work got kinda busy. On the third day, I couldn't stand idle hands anymore, so I plied. I learned from the City Spinners last month that my wheel has double drive as well as scotch tension and normal tension. Don't ask me how I got it to work, but I did!

Here is one singles skein, 1 singles center-pull ball, and 2 halves of 2 more squishy center pull balls of the shades of sky fiber. I don't have lazy kate yet, so I'm plying from center pull balls. It's a drag when it tangles.

And here is a bobbin full of plied yarn:

Click this one for a larger version. I love the little barber pole effect of the variegated plied yarn. Cool, huh? Here is what the fiber looked like when I got it:

Question is: what do I make from it??? It's 8 oz. but I could probably find more from the same seller on ebay. Suggestions?

Other areas of my so-called life: S is way busy with writing some code, K is fulltime Dad for 2 weeks, and I think I p/o'd my best friend by telling her something she didn't want to hear but I felt that I had to. The boys at work are going to the bunny ranch this weekend (because one of the is about to ruin his life and get married). <<deep deep sigh>> I'm in a slump. I need to get away.

posted by Stella 2:30 PM