• Super-secret knitting projects I can’t share
• Being really busy in my personal and work life
• Leprechauns

I’m preparing a super-special post to tell you about the feature article I wrote in this issue of Knitscene, but first, I wanted to share this video with you:

Angela Kinsey and Ellie Kemper from The Office came to visit me at work last week! They were filming a video to help out Do Something 101, and I was thrilled to be a part of it.

I wrote a little article about how to start your own knitblog. How very apropos of me, huh?

Though the issue is targeted to beginning knitters, the patterns are totally adorable and are a far cry from that first garter-knit scarf we all made. I totally love this Rapunzel Scarf:

And I might just have to make this Acidic Seed-Stitch Bag:

I’ve had that exact yarn (same colorway and everything) sitting in my stash for ages. I’ve knit and frogged at least 3 items with it, never able to find the right use for it. Now I have inspiration again!

What’s your favorite pattern from this issue? I’d love to hear!

She asked for knitters to come together and donate money to Doctors Without Borders under the umbrella of Knitters Without Borders.

I wanted to donate some money to the Haiti relief effort, anyway, and I thought this was a good idea, so I gave what I could. I live in Los Angeles, where a massive earthquake is an everyday possibility. If a quake this devastating hit L.A., I’d be relying on relief groups like Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross to help me. So I knew I had to give what I could.

Now it’s your turn. Check out the original post for all details.

Also, this seems like a good time to give you an update on Knitters for Kiva.

I’m pleased to report that the lending group has grown to include six generous lenders! We’ve already lended $150 as a group! And it’s never too late to join up!

My good friend Hoang is moving from Los Angeles to Denver this week, so he had a going-away party on Saturday night. He’s been asking me to make him a beanie for what seems like years now, and I’ve been a total slacker about it. But when he told me he was moving to Denver, I knew I had to get him that beanie ASAP!

I used the extra Berkshire Bulky (ravelry) I had leftover from Starksy, and cast on three stitches and knit it from the crown down. I wasn’t sure what I was doing, so this thing was completely ad-libbed. I started knitting the 1×1 rib as I increased on the crown, and immediately wondered if I was making a big, boring mistake. I actually knit the hat with earflaps first, and even cast off, and then I realized it was both too small and looked kinda silly.

So, I ripped out the bottom and frogged back to just after I finished the increases. I then worked it in a 1×1 rib even for about an inch, then made a sort of chevron pattern by doing a twisted stitch to the right for six rows, then twisted back to the left for six. I then finished the rim by knitting straight in 1×1 rib for a few rows.

I then realized I had the dreaded nipple at the crown of the hat. So, taking a nod from Tech Knitting, I picked out the cast-on stitches and fixed the protrusion.

And it turned out pefectly. He loved it so much he wore the hat all night! (Even in 70 degree Los Angeles weather, so that’s saying a lot!)

I’ll miss Hoang, but I know I’ll see him (and the beanie) a lot in the future, so it’s not a sad goodbye.

In the meantime, I’ve said hello to this:

It doesn’t look like much right now, but it’s going to be a baby sweater. I’m using that beautiful Filatura Zara (ravelry) I picked up last week. I’m also planning on writing out the pattern and publishing it on this site and Ravelry, so keep an eye out!

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of hitting up La Knitterie Parisienne in Studio City for the first time. I went with a single purpose: to buy yarn for a baby sweater pattern I’m drafting.

Of course, the moment I walked into the place I felt the urge to splurge. Though it’s a little annoying that they don’t put prices on any of their yarn, their massive selection makes up for that small inconvenience. They claim they can’t put prices on all their yarn because they have such a huge inventory. Of course, I find this a bit dubious, since places like The Yarn Garden in Portland seem to do just fine with a similar stock of yarn, but whatever. The guy behind the counter was nice enough to look up prices for all the yarn I was interested in, and the prices were comparable to other local yarn stores in the area.

I haven’t been yarn shopping for months. I’ve been trying to work through my stash. But on Monday night I realized I didn’t have any machine-washable yarn that would work for the baby sweater project, so it was time to hit up a LYS.

For the baby sweater, I picked up 5 skeins of Filatura Zara (ravelry):

I doubt I’ll use all of it, but I always buy more than I need (if possible) because there’s nothing I hate more than running out of yarn.

I also was drawn to some pretty, rainbow-colored Katia Mexico (ravelry):

There’s a bit of a baby boom going on amongst my friends, so I figured this fun colorway would get used evenutally.

And, finally, I bought some Noro Silk Garden Chunky (ravelry):

I think this will become another Noro Striped Scarf (à la Jared Flood), but I’m still not sure. I just jumped at the opportunity to buy some of this yarn—when I found out Noro discontinued it a couple months ago, I was really upset! It’s such a great blend, and I love it in the bulky weight.

In other news, I’ve finished one sleeve of the baby sweater already (while watching “The Hurt Locker” on DVD), and I’m hoping to have the pattern done by the end of the month. Stay tuned!

I’m proud to introduce Knitters for Kiva, a new group that will hopefully inspire many of you to take part in the exciting and inspirational microfinance revolution.

Learn more about Kiva here.

Here’s the basics: Kiva is an organization that helps people in developing nations acquire short-term microloans. These microloans often go to women and people who otherwise cannot qualify for traditional lines of credit from banks. Many experts believe these loans to be more effective at bettering the lives of people in developing countries than traditional philanthropy, where money is often donated without any knowledge of specifically how it gets administered.

Check out Oprah’s take on microcredit.

I’ve been loaning through Kiva for about six months now. I try and target my donations to women in developing nations who have crafting businesses, but I’m not strict in my lending. I’ve already received over half my initial investment back to reinvest — I’ve already made 12 loans.

And now, through the bloggers with a heart challenge, I’ve created the Knitters for Kiva group. Please consider joining today — you can loan as little as $25, and the money gets paid back to you! You don’t have to be a knitter to join, either, just a person who wants to help. As we raise more loan for Kiva, I’ll post updates to my blog.

Join us today!

And yes, I dress like that whenever I’m in the kitchen as a matter of pride. You believe me, don’t you?

I’ve made two batches already.

It requires a lot of chopping and a lot of patience.

And at the end you kinda think, “I worked all that time for six little jars?”

But then you taste it, and you know it was all worth it.

I’ve also been knitting, believe it or not. Starsky is almost finished! He’s completely seamed up, just waiting on a belt.

And a better picture, of course. Stay Tuned.

I started thinking, “Wow, that’s a lot of fabric!” And then I started thinking about how I added four extra inches to the length of the cardigan because I thought it’d look better. And then I thought about the year or so that Starsky sat hibernating, and how I used some of its alloted yarn for other random projects.

And the logical conclusion of this train of thought: “Oh crap. What if I dont’ have enough yarn to finish?”

I checked Webs for some Berkshire Bulky in my color, and while they had 50+ skeins in stock, I thought it unlikely they’d have the same dye lot from over two years ago. Five years ago I would have been screwed and would either have to frog the project or hope for a close enough hue from a different dye lot.

Luckily, we live in the digital era. More specifically, we live in the age of Ravelry. I immediately went to Ravelry and found all the people who had stashed Berkshire Bulky in my colorway. I then sent them all emails asking if they had skeins in my dye lot, and if they’d be willing to part with them for a fee.

After three “sorry, my dye lot is different!” messages and nearly losing hope, I received a message from bluepupae, a.k.a. my new hero! She had two skeins in my dye lot—more than enough to finish the project! And they arrived today!

Thanks to Dao, the internet, and Ravelry for keeping my project alive!

Last night, I went on a hike to see the Leonid meteor shower. It was pretty chilly out there, so I brought along my entrelac scarf, fake isle hat, and miracle mitts to keep myself warm. They did quite a good job! And we saw some awesome meteors despite the light pollution.

The hike ended up being pretty hefty—about 7 miles and 1700′ elevation gain—and I didn’t get home until 2:30 in the morning, so I’m exhausted today!

In addition to my hiking adventures, I’ve been trying to eat more “green” lately. I’ve been receiving a produce box from Auntie Em’s Produce Delivery service for about two months now. This is my current stash:

Beets, potatoes, carrots, pomegranates, cauliflower, kale, kiwis, apples, garlic, onions, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, beans, and persimmons, oh my! That’s a lot of produce! To be fair, I split it with my friend Jen, but it’s still such a great service. I’m planning on making a hearty veggie stew tonight for dinner. Well, that is if I can manage to stay awake long enough!

I’ve gotta get cracking on my own set!