Tired Mind

I've pretty busy thinking about my designs lately. Sketches, swatches, and test-knitting have taken up all my crafty time. Which, really, is fine. I love feeling this way, like there's always fresh inspiration right around the corner. Like I have too many ideas to put into words--or stitches.

And, I like where it's all going. I like the patterns I have lined up for polishing and finishing, and I really like that I may even have designs ready in advance to release in the fall. I like that I haven't run out of ideas to knit up yet. I love how I keep running into amazing people, amazing styles, and amazing places that keep the juices flowing. I really do.

But... Honestly? I'm a perfectionist, and I hate frogging. The hat I'm currently working on is on its third go-round because the first two times didn't come out like I wanted it to, like I envisioned it in my head. And I really wish that wouldn't happen.
Everything I do when creating my own stuff is cloudy with an 80% chance of frogging.

That's okay most of the time. But there are other times when you really just want a guarantee that if you have the right gauge, the right needles, and the right yarn, that you will get the exact item you had in mind when you started out.
That's why I love knitting from established patterns that other, more patient people have come up with. If I find the perfect pattern on Ravelry, chances are that following it will give me what I saw in the picture. Sunny with high chance of FO.

Here's to those guys. Everybody who makes stuff for us to make. Here's to the fact that when I am having a bad creative day, I can flip open a book, pick up some yarn, and make exactly what I wanted to.

Veronica Avery's Knitting 24/7, and that skein of Madelinetosh I bought at Purl Soho, are calling my name... Not sure that I'll be able to resist much longer.
♥

Nothing But Sunshine

Hitched. Jumped the broom. Tied the knot. Wedded. Whatever you like to call it, guys, we did it and it's official! No wedding pictures back yet, but I am overwhelmingly, unspeakably happy.

We spent a couple days here, and then drove down to Columbus to browse and window shop like crazy on the Short North, drink copious amounts of coffee, and eat amazing food (Katzinger's, anyone?). Also, if you've never heard of the Book Loft, you're missing out. Seriously.

I scored these little guys in an antique store somewhere along the way. 9$ for a perfect little trio of an alpaca, a llama, and a deer! What's not to love? I typically don't have great luck when out thrifting, but I think I got lucky this time. I dragged DH to a LYS while we were there, too. It's lovely to be married to a guy who is such a good sport about things like that.

Still not quite finished with my big WIP, but--as you can see--it's coming right along! Mmm, garter stitch. Give it another week or two. Speaking of patterns, I've recently been at work on creating PDFs from my iPad, so hopefully you'll be able to download offline versions of my patterns soon, too! If anyone else has experience with this, I'd love to hear about your experiences! ♥

So far, spring has been very good to me--hopefully everyone else is out there loving life, too.

Merry May

It's been a lovely, if slightly harried, few days. I've done a good job sticking to my goal of being the most laid-back bride in recent history, and resulting have still had plenty of time to stop and smell the roses--despite the big day being just three short days away.

The FH and I have been doing a lot more cooking together than we usually do. I think I'm feeling the urge to Donna Reed it up since I'm about to be a bride. We've had these amazing cheddar & apple sandwiches twice in the last week--once sitting in the park with our feet dangling in the water, and again today while watching the rain from our breakfast nook.

If you've been a reader for a while, you probably remember my love of all things Leethal. In fact, you can even still find the interview I did with her in the Cravings archives. A while ago, she 'unvented' a technique she calls the Sideways Edge cast-on, a nifty little bit of stitch witchery that allows you to knit in perpendicular directions without picking up stitches. It's really sort of genius.

She came up with a few neat patterns utilizing the stitch (see here and here), but I haven't really noticed other designers picking up on it just yet--so I'm going to do just that.

My current WIP (which you don't get to peek at just yet!) is a cowl designed to show off the technique as much as possible. I'm terribly excited about it. It's quick, pretty, and it has delicious garter stitch stripes. I'm thinking it'll getting finished up this weekend during our casual honeymoon. Knitting during the post-sex glow is okay, right? (Sorry to be working blue, dear reader--I'm a bit open about sex for being one of those waited-until-marriage chicks. I promise no play-by-play will ever show it's face here, however.)

In the meantime, though, anyone living in Northeast Ohio should come check out Canton's First Friday this weekend! I'll be there selling knits, wearable art, regular art, and anything else crafty I can throw together before then!

Also, it's been pouring down rain all day today, and it's unspeakably beautiful. ♥

New York, I Love You

I have discovered that I am definitely a big city girl at heart, despite my country mouse roots. Taking to the Big Apple like a fish to water only confirmed it. The trip was amazing, so much better than I could have anticipated.

After all, what is there not to love about a trip where you're constantly surrounded by some of the best cappuccinos in the USA? This one was made by my friend Jillian during her practice session, and it was de-li-cious!

Needless to say, our first couple days were a little crazy with coffee. Learning, watching, practicing, crafting...

...And competing under the lights.

But, once we were done competing, the three of us hit the town--trekking all over Soho with a few great stops! Purl Soho, of course, the Chelsea market, lunch in Chinatown, and the extraordinary Harney & Sons. I might have come away with some Madeleine Tosh yarn for my stash, but don't tell FH!

One of the best parts, though? All the time spent in the car to get there and back meant lots of WIP-busting!

Pattern: Here.

Yarn: Quince & Co. Lark

Pattern: Here.

Yarn: Cascade Yarns' Venezia Worsted

♥ And there you have it, one lovely weekend in the city.

Taking The City By Storm

Look out, New York!

  

I'm hitting the road again, though thankfully I'm staying in my native land this time. Two other baristas from Muggswigz and myself will be embarking on a little trip, in order to compete in the Northeast Regional Barista competition.

It's exciting, a little nerve wracking, and definitely going to be a great learning experience.

I'm going mainly to observe, assist, and absorb as much as I can--but I will be competing in the Brewer's Cup, a separate event dedicated entirely to creating the best cup of black coffee possible.

I'm thrilled to be seeing the Big Apple for the first time, and even more thrilled to be participating in something that I have such a passion for. ♥

So much to see, so much to do. Thursday morning can't come soon enough.

Ode to Obstinance

Because I am lucky enough to be one of the lower middle class in what is probably the richest country in the world, I don't knit because I have to. I'm never going to have to depend on stockinette stitch for my living. I'll always be able to buy a gray, cabled sweater for 20$ or so instead of digging out my own cable needle (which I might have left in Beijing anyway). Knitting will probably never save my life, although I do still think a long pair of 5's would come in handy if I was ever about to be molested. Regardless, I don't have to knit, I just really like to knit.

Which is why I tend to be a little stubborn about learning new things, even under duress.

The funniest example of this happened on my China trip. Leaving Washington Dulles on our way to Beijing, Economy was filled with approximately four Americans, and many more Chinese. I was seated next to a little grandmotherly lady who looked to be about sixty. Once all the little seatbelt lights had gone off and we'd been politely informed that the plane had reached altitude, I reached for my carry-on and got out my knitting.

That lady very sweetly watched me for about fifteen seconds before she hijacked my needles. Jabbering away in Chinese, which I didn't know a word of just yet, she fluidly demonstrated a beautifully fast style of picking that was slightly reminiscent of a typewriter. She wouldn't let me keep knitting until I had successfully demonstrated my ability to knit the same way she had. Half an hour--and about fifty signed explanations--later, I was able to show her that I had finally grasped the technique.

Immediately afterwards, I put my knitting back in my bag. It stayed there for the rest of the thirteen hour flight, safe from prying grandmothers.

Picking may be faster. Picking may be easier, once you get the hang of it. But I have always been a thrower, dammit, and I like it. So why switch? Personally, my knitting philosophy is that it should be fun, relaxing, and engaging. If I bite off more than I can chew, or attempt something that messes up my knitty rhythm, it's no longer as relaxing, so why bother?

I love knitting. I love challenges. I love challenging knitting.

But don't try to make me knit outside my comfort zone.

Speaking of which, has anyone found a good pattern for socks that are knit toe-up--rather than cuff-down--recently?

They Call It Nesting

In preparation for the (rapidly approaching) day when I'll have to move my stash for the first time, I've determined to use up as much as possible beforehand. Right now, I've got a steamer trunk stuffed to overflowing, four laundry baskets hidden under the bed, and numerous bags and balls of yarn floating around my room. While the basement space we've got set aside for my crafty studio is great, it's certainly not an unlimited amount of space by any means.

I have skein after skein of Red Heart and Caron sitting in those laundry baskets--remnants of my early knitting days when the majority of my yarn was sourced from sale bins at Jo-Ann's, spotted in bags at Goodwill, or given to me by well-meaning but apparently colorblind relatives. Now, no offense to anyone who loves to knit with this stuff, because I really do understand that it has its good points, and I'm sure my appreciation for it will triple once I have people in my life (i.e., my kids) that I want to knit for but simply cannot trust with anything that needs to be hand washed or remembered on the school bus. But it's really just not what I want to wear next to my skin.

You can disagree, that's okay. I might even send you some of my stash.

 But, in the meantime, what better way to use it up than make a couple crocheted afghans?

(image from here)

When FH and I first started dating, I'd made him this giant, ugly monster of a granny square afghan. He's a guy, of course, so I'd made it primarily black with occasional stripes of red, blue, and grey and big enough to hide a small camel. Even today, it's still his favorite thing. So, when we'd started planning out everything in our apartment, I'd always had in the back of my mind that I wanted to make another afghan or two for us to snuggle under together. Especially since the old one is neither sightly or pleasant smelling--nothing I'd ever offer to company. However, now I'm obsessed.

(image from here)

I'm already well on my way to having another granny square one. I swear I just started it last night, but it covers my lap already. I always forget how easily you can zip through a crochet project once you get some momentum started. What's next after this one? Ripples? Something circular? Modular? Some kind of squares, despite all the seaming those involve? So many possibilities.

(image from here)

One of those days where Ravelry is not only fun, but absolutely necessary.

Of ice storms and froggings

Good grief, is it really February already?

It feels like winter is never going to end, but somehow the months are still flying by so fast! I keep hoping that everything will thaw out by the beginning of March, but there's no sign of that here yet. Instead, we've recently had a rather nasty bit of winter, covering everything in ice and then snow and then ice again. Absolutely treacherous to go out in, but so beautiful...

All the extra time spent indoors gave me some opportunities for a little more reflection, upon which I decided to frog everything in my WIP basket, except for my VK cardi. It's a new year--no time for uninspiring things on my to-do list! So I sat down, turned on a Bollywood flick (my ultimate guilty pleasure!), and frogged away. It felt good, if a little tiny bit discouraging. And what better to lift my spirits than a free Spillyjane pattern?

What you see above is the start to my very own pair of Camilla mittens, knit in Quince & Co's Lark. Is anyone sick of me raving about how much I love all their yarns yet? Because I feel like I could go on doing so a while longer. My other pair of mittens is knit in Quince & Co yarn, too--I'm so excited to see how snuggly my hands will be in Lark at such a tight gauge! 

Maybe it's a little late in the season for more mittens, but who cares? 

And, yes, that IS the new Knitscene! It's really, truly lovely.

Meanwhile, all is floating along as planned with wedding plans and moving. He's completely unpacked and organized, and this coming week I'm hoping to get some of my stuff in. We have this incredible basement that's perfect for a crafty studio space, so I want to start setting that up as soon as possible! Believe it or not, I have more crafty stuff than I have regular stuff. Some girls buy clothes. Some girls buy shoes. I just hoard yarns, fabrics, and beads. 

We celebrated the third anniversary of our very first date recently--by going out for Indian food.

Mmmmm, basmati rice. 

Here's to February and hoping everyone can dig themselves out of the snow soon!

♥

Being Naughty

I'm here to confess.

I have never done a gauge swatch. Never. 

I learned to knit and crochet during a summer Sunday school curriculum the year I was ten. No swatching necessary--all of us girls just gave the too-small scarf to our favorite doll. Nobody really had any interest in carrying on for five feet or so of scarf anyway. The s-word wasn't even mentioned. When the class ended, I promptly lost my needles and forgot the whole thing.
 When I was in eighth grade, I wanted to be a ballerina. I went to class five days a week, and rehearsed my part as a Chinese fortune cookie in The Nutcracker with almost equal regularity. Bored and not yet interested in Seventeen magazine like my fellow cookies, I started to knit again. No thoughts of gauge there either.

I kept on knitting after that, and found Ravelry somewhere in the middle. 

Right around then--although I can't remember exactly how--I was introduced to the swatching concept, and slowly it started to dawn on me that it seemed to be important. But, teenagers are stubborn, and I'm Irish-Italian to boot. Just to spite all the voices that said I had to, I refused to swatch. I just got a little bit smarter about trying to avoid it. For example, I no longer simply assume that the finished project will be the correct size and shape. I hold it at arm's length about 1/3 of the way in and eyeball it to ensure that it will. If you disregard a few minor frogging incidents, this has all been very well and good until recently. 

Recently, I'm dabbling in what I like to loosely term pattern design, and it sort of requires me to give hopeful knitters some sort of gauge to go by so they (you?) know if they're doing things right and if they have any chance or not of knitting a hat that will fit them--or if it will be better suited to being a doorknob cover.

Would you all be terribly offended if I wrote, instead of gauge, "Just hold it out at arm's length and eyeball it"?

Procrastination

For the past two hours, I've been telling myself that I was going to sit down and work on my new hat design. I was going to stay focused, take notes, and knit like crazy. So far, I haven't even gotten my needles out of my purse yet. Oops. Giving up all pretense of getting anything done, I decided to make a list instead.

Things that make boring 2x2 ribbing more fun:

A really good movie on Hulu.

Start speaking French. 

(I'm not responsible for the consequences if you grow weird facial hair as seen above)

Find topically appropriate and inspiring videos on Youtube.

Or a splendidly suspenseful audiobook.

♥

Wandering On Through

I cannot believe how much time I've let slip away since my last post. We're halfway through January already, and I'm right in the middle of some serious winter blues. It's so hard for me to get anything done that isn't sleeping or eating or foaming milk. I know I'm behind on everything--hopefully this is my week to get caught back up. 

Sorry, guys. Bear with me?

Anyways. What's new? 

We got the little house we wanted to rent! We're old-fashioned though, so I don't move in until after the wedding in May, but I'm still terribly excited. There's so much decorating and things to do before then, and I have tons of dishes and other little things packed away for it. It's got loads of potential and even a little garden for planting roses in once spring gets here.

Someone even left these little porcelain knick-knacks behind in a corner of the flower bed. I think they're lucky, don't you?

Meanwhile, winter really has arrived with a vengeance. We had about two days of thawing after New Year's but I don't think it's stopped snowing since. That didn't stop the monthly arts festival downtown, however, and  it left a bunch of ice sculptures in its wake...

I had a birthday earlier this month and celebrated with vegan chocolate cake (so much better than you'd think!) and lots of homemade Chinese food. I got to pick out my own gifts for the most part this year, so I went a little crazy online. You'd think I'd have the sense to put myself on a yarn diet as one of my 2011 resolutions, but instead I ended up on the Quince & Co website. Again. 

Two darling shades of Puffin. I haven't knit with it yet, but by fondling alone it's my favorite of their yarns. Woolen and fuzzy and just perfect. I want everything I knit with to be so darn huggable. 

Speaking of knitting, I started this cardigan. I really hated the way they modelled it in VK, but Ravelry changed my mind about it. The stitch pattern is really lovely, but I'm hating having to use size 11 needles--I feel so clumsy using them rather than some nice 5's or 7's! Also, by the time I'm done with the rectangular panel that forms the body of the piece, it will be as long as I am tall. 

I think I'm probably still going to be working it by this time next winter.

Bam Bam Bam

♥

Welcome to 2011, everyone.

I've made several (very ambitious) resolutions, kissed you-know-who thoroughly, completed my first finished knitting project of 2011 (pictures when it stops raining out--yes, raining), eaten our traditional meal of pasty pies with the family, and rung in the new year by watching the ball drop from behind the bar while cleaning up a day's worth of espresso grounds, milk splatters, and syrup residue.

I think this is the year for me to be more in love with everything in my life than I've ever been before. You're only young once, so you might as well take advantage, right?

The Aftermath

My Christmas was beautiful,

a crazy mix of coffee and family and presents and snow and everything else Christmasy and perfect. Joshua's brother came home on leave from the Marine Corp just in time for Boxing Day--and got engaged to boot. I think it's just lovely that the family I get to marry into is growing in other ways as well! Joshua & I got our fair share of solitary magic in amidst the general hubbub, and I think we've decided that The Holiday is our official Christmas movie--it's perfectly cute & funny.

♥

We didn't, however, get to our gingerbread house making project.

If not soon, I suppose it can get put away for next year.

Speaking of next year...

Everything is starting to come together for us to begin a life together as a married couple in 2011! We've been going around and looking at lots of little apartments & duplexes, and we fell in love with this little place in a quiet neighbourhood. We get to go tour it again on Sunday, and then hopefully we can start moving our stuff in by the end of January at the very latest. And then we're going to have a darling teeny tiny wedding at this gorgeous little bed & breakfast on a lake. 

Ooh la la, n'cest pas?

My knitting, poor thing, has been lying neglected in a basket by my bed for an unforgivably long amount of time. I'm going to have to make up to it somehow.

2010 has been a wonderful year. 

Here's hoping you all agree, and best wishes for the new year!

Just Can't Stop

My WIP basket is starting to overflow, just a little.
I've always been a strictly one project at a time type of gal. Start a project, finish the project, then start another one. Sensible, right? Perhaps--but a little unrealistic at the same time. And for some reason it always resulted in serious knitter's block in between projects, during which I would cast on and then frog an average of four different items before finding something I actually wanted to work on for more than a few rows. Those were messy, depressing periods of time, often resulting in innocent skeins of yarn being thrown at the wall.
Now that I have all this stuff waiting in the wings, however, transitioning after a FO is almost magical. All done with that cowl? Okay! Time for that little ankle sock to get some attention. Bored with the sock three hours later? Look, a hat just waiting to be worked on! It's keeping my creative juices flowing and it's wonderful. I'm never going back.

One of the things I'm having the most fun with right now is a mystery knit-a-long by the delightfully original Lee Meredith. It's not too late to join if you're feeling the craving to, and it's really been a ton of fun so far! Like a lot of her recent patterns, it works with any yarn or gauge--something I wish I had the guts to incorporate into all my designs (maybe someday!). I'd post pictures of what I have at this point, but I think I'm going to wait until it's all over so as not to give away anything! I have my own theories about what's it's going to be, though.

My friend K is getting up to a little mystery knitting as well. The picture's from our first knitting lesson, although calling it a lesson might be stretching the truth a little... Supposedly her knitting will eventually be a hat, but I'm not holding my breath. ;) Oh well. There's still nothing like a bit of knitting fun with a friend, even if said friend lacks focus.

I also just found out that I'm going to get to test-knit Birdwing for Stephen West! I have to admit, he was one of the first Ravelry designers I came across when I started knitting, so he's been an idol of mine for quite awhile. I'm incredibly excited in a really dorky way.

Amidst all this excitement, I've still been able to finish a couple things: Two extra-chunky hats to keep my ears warm since the weather keeps threatening to dump some serious snow on us. Bring it on, December!

Belated

I have to admit, it's been an amazing year. I got engaged, spent several months in one of the most beautiful parts of China, started blogging, started designing my own patterns, and changed so much as a person. It's incredible to look back and see all that the past twelve months have brought my way. I feel so blessed. 

This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for my darling future husband, for my family, for yarn from America and wine from Chile, for community in all its forms, for all the colors of leaves and mountains, for freedom of speech, for chocolate and espresso, for future hopes, and for the people that I've met--and all the adventures along the way. There is so much in the world to appreciate, and it's lovely to set some time aside to think about just how much.

Plus, I smell snow on the air... Winter's magic will be here soon!

Haven

I'm a huge fan of blissfully cool autumn days filled with sunshine--and there's been an abundance of those around here lately. Small town America never looks more beautiful than it does this time of year. I'm back at work this week, which just makes the free time I have to spend outdoors on days like today more poignant. One of my favorite things about this season is how fleeting it is. So I spent my day off luxuriating in all of it as much as possible.

I don't know who invented hammocks, but I think that person might just be my new best friend. The book I'm reading was one I grabbed today at the thrift store, along with a plaid fleece scarf and a couple giant cardigans to nestle into so I can continue to avoid wearing a coat. It was a decent read, just intriguing enough to keep me hooked. 

And, of course, no day off is complete without a little bit of mid-week date time at (where else?) Muggswigz. We talked, played Monopoly Deal, drank giant frou-frou lattes, and I knitted. My current WIP under construction is part of what I have planned for some of that yarn I bought last week, as well as one of the leftover mystery skeins I brought with me from China. The other great thing about autumn? It's the perfect time for tons of knitting and hot drinks--nothing could be more perfect.

Here We Go Home

In the past week, I have:

-Flown about seven thousand miles.

-Kissed a special guy more than once.

-Hugged lots of friends and family that I hadn't seen for 3 months.

-Gotten my perfect wedding dress, with a little help.

-Passed out candy to little bees, princesses, and ghouls.

-Drank about fifty delicious lattes from Muggswigz.

-Been rehired as a barista at said coffeeshop.

-Successfully replicated Xining food for my family to try.

-Beat my fiance at many, many games of Monopoly Deal.

-Finished my Taxi Hat.

-Started knitting a Harpa Sock (my plane project), 

and put it down as many times as I picked it up.

-Finally figured out what was wrong with my sock.

-Gone to sleep at every time but a normal bedtime.

-Gone to a church where I didn't have to prove I had a foreign ID.

-Avoided unpacking, despite my suitcase glaring at me from the corner.

-Smiled. A lot.

Regular blogging returns sometime in this week! :)

Surfing Beijing

It's Saturday--four days left in this trip.

I'm living out of my suitcase, in the home of a friend in Beijing. My host family left for Mongolia early this morning, so I'm staying with her until I fly home. I was way more emotional than I thought I'd be when the time came to say good-bye. Giving the three kids their final hugs was the worst part--especially since I know how kids grow, and they'll be so different the next time I see them! I'm slowly severing my ties to China, one at a time.

Beijing is crazy--it's totally different from Xining.

I honestly feel like I'm back in the west. There's fast food places everywhere, and I even went to Wal-Mart yesterday. Even the way the city has developed reminds me of a big city back home. The traffic here is insane, so it's hard to get anywhere without it taking an hour or two. I already miss Qinghai food--even that disgusting salty tea you get served instead of water at most local restaurants. 

However, I did finally muster my courage enough to go to the touristy markets and buy some gifts for people back home--something I've meant to do all summer and just never had the chance. Want a tip? If you shop at a Chinese market, particularly in Beijing, haggle. Some of the things I wanted I ended up getting for as much as 200 kuai less than they were originally. I still need stuff for a few people, but here's the loot so far:

I've barely had time to knit this week, but every now and then I did manage to pick up the needles while stuck in traffic. I feel like I should name this my Taxi Hat, since it's been constructed entirely from the backseat of one thus far! I normally hate colorwork--but who can resist a little intarsia when you have scraps to use up?

Finally, a little sneak peek of something else I've been working on, and spent most of my morning attempting to photograph:

You'll be hearing more about that sooner than later. ;)

In the meantime, I'm trying to figure out what I should put in my carry-on. 

Any good suggestions for a potential plane knitting project?

I have nearly twenty hours to fill...

Knitting On Hiatus?

Yes, I confess.

I haven't picked up the needles since last week.

But I have good reasons.

I spent three days in a place called Tong Ren,

a little mountain town full of Tibetans.

We spent the evenings eating (amazing) Chinese food and gabbing

and we spent the days distributing donated winter clothing

to Tibetan & Mongolian nomads up on the plateau.

It was intense and beautiful and a wee bit more culture shock for me. It was snowing a good bit of the time--lightly, but still--and these little kids would run out in t-shirts and holey, thin socks. So many of them really didn't have anything.

This distribution is something my new friend A sets up every year, and I'm already pondering next year. I have so much warm, durable acrylic at home that I will never use, and certainly don't have an appreciation for--which could easily become chunky hats and socks and mittens...

If you want to contribute, let's talk.

Right before we left, I figured out why people tell you to knit top-down, seamless raglan cardis on circular needles. Yup. So, that's on hold for two weeks until I get home and back to my stash of supplies and my LYS. Along with the new hat design that I simply have to knit in the Buckingham tucked away in my yarn trunk.

Between those two things, I'm feeling a little low on knitting moxie.

The good news is, this trip is actually nearly finished.

I cannot believe I've really been here since July, lovies. I have loved being here so much in so many ways, but it really is time to head back to home and other half and yarn stash. I'm psyched to come back again someday, but you really can't beat being where your heart grew up.

I fly to Beijing on Saturday, stay for about ten days, and then fly home.

Who knows how much knitting or blogging will occur in the meantime.

But, not to fear, I will see you in November!

Of Mountains and Molehills and Zentangles

Yesterday,

we all drove out of the city and into the countryside.

If you go for about two hours, you end up in Tibet.

It's beautiful.

Mountains, lakes, trees, rivers...

I felt as tired as all get out,

but I still took pictures--because how can you not?

They hang these flags at the mountain passes;

they have prayers written on them all over.

They believe the prayers go up each time a flag flaps in the breeze.

That's Qinghai Lake--quite the tourist spot for locals.

Somewhere in the middle there is an island where thousands of birds roost.

I, of course, did some knitting on the drive.

I finally figured out what to use that lovely white wool on. The pattern is free on Ravelry, and it's really well-written, in my opinion. Although, I might get brave and try to add some sleeves if I have leftover yarn. I'm a sleeves gal.

By the way, if you ever come to China, this yarn has beautiful stitch definition and cost me about 3$ USD for at least 700 yds, if not more.

I also discovered zentangling on the web and did up a few little sketches.

I won't post those yet, though--they're a little rough yet.

Soon.

Also, if you want to test knit, send me a Ravmail or leave me a comment with your e-mail!

I need a couple girls who like heels to preview my socks pattern. :)

And that's all for now, lovelies.

Go enjoy your October day.