Obsession Thursdays

New Pattern Alert! Kate Atherley’s The Wild One

Holy cow this is an excellent pattern! Have you seen it yet? Knitty’s own Kate Atherley has designed a motorcycle jacket knit from Lopi and Ultra Alpaca. It’s called The Wild One. I’m just going to pause for a second and think of young Marlon Brando in his white t-shirt and motorcycle jacket. Sigh. Ok, moving on. The Wild One has a cropped length, set in sleeves and waist shaping. It’s knit in pieces, denser than Lopi usually calls for, and seamed. This gives the jacket more structure and some wind resistance. Because she’s a genius, she’s lined the bits that might touch your skin, ...

Things be changin around here (GOOD NEWS, do not panic)

Darling Readers, Amy here, writing about a big freaking change to my life that I’m excited about and nervous and also yeah. It’s big. Biggy bigness. I’m going back to work for someone else, in an office. An actual day job. I’ve accepted a contract position so that I can avoid living in a box around retirement age, which is not as far away as it was when I started Knitty 15 years ago. Taking this job will allow me to build a nest egg for my future by working for someone else (this place offers great benefits and treats contract workers very well). It’s something I’ve been thinking ...

Obsession Thursday: Bunny behavior

So this happened. —> My first reaction, as Tully clamped down on my hand intentionally and angrily, was to be angry back. I didn’t lash out; I just removed him from my flesh. As I treated the wounds, it changed to sadness. This is the 2nd time he’s done this. The next morning, I remembered what I learned the last time he did this. Flash back to the two days before the bite: I’m trying to deal with the disaster that was Tully’s corral. A cage that he liked because it gave him a 2nd level to hide in (bunnies like to feel safe), and a big enclosure so he can run about when I’m not ...

Obsession Thursday: The knitting ecosystem

It’s like this: Knitters consume yarn (hallelujah for yarn!). Yarn is created by mills (both big and small), and dyed commercially or by independent artisans, for knitters to consume. At the same time, other fabulous things that knitters love, like stitch markers, needles, bags, inventive accessories and other things we don’t even know about yet are created by other entrepreneurs and established businesses. Designers, whether professional or amateur, established or brand new, create patterns that allow knitters to use yarn and the goods that go with it, in order to create exciting handknitted items that ...

Obsession Thursday: Reorganizing for the new year

Not Knitty…reorganizing my apartment! It is rather small as 2-bdr apts go, but I do love it so, and it’s what I can afford, so I’ve gotta make it work. Over the holidays, I started another wave of tidying and purging. My office started out like this: …and then I made it better. Took a few days and cleared away tons of crap, and properly put away tons of NOTcrap. There was more clear floor space in here than there has been since I moved in in Sept 2014 once I was done. Of course, that meant that I had to fill it up again. Tully has been living in the living room. He’s young (not even a ...

Obsession Thursday: Getting back to cooking

You’ve probably seen these things everywhere on social media. I sure had. It’s an Instant Pot, aka an electronic pressure cooker. Everyone I know has one (or one like it) or wants one. There was (unsurprisingly) a sale on Black Friday where it was about half the regular price. So I jumped. Why do you want one of these? Here’s why I did: Unlike a slow cooker, it keeps smells in the pot, not all over your house/apartment You can cook delicious dishes from frozen ingredients in just a short time…some as fast as 3 minutes, once the machine reaches pressure (remember, it’s a pressure cooker) ...

The Wool Cycle

I moved house in the summer, and got myself a brand-new fancy-modern super-duper Samsung washing machine. It’s got all sorts of wonderful features and functions, including this rather interesting cycle, labelled simply “Wool”. Now, I’m a huge proponent of washing woolies – yes, even those that aren’t superwash! – and having had front-loaders for years, I’ve never been afraid of using the washer’s spin cycle, but I must confess I was a bit nervous about a full machine wash for my more important handknits. And having consulted the manual, I got a bit worried: the ...

Obsession Thursday: A new rabbit in the Knitty household

Some of you may remember that one of the two mini-rex sisters who lived with me, Boeing, died in October 2015. Since then, it’s been just me and her sister, Squeezle. Squeezle is 11 and then some, and that’s pretty senior for a bunny. She’s been happy as a solo bunny. I guess she always had secret desires of being top bun than now can be realized. Me, though…I wanted a puppy. Someone furry to hang out with me on the couch, go on road trips with. Anyone who knows me knows I’m not a dog person, however. I’m a rabbit person. So when I found a listing for a Flemish Giant mix rabbit ...

Obsession Thursday: New habits

I am a fat girl, and have been so for much of my life. I’ve also been thin a few times. It never sticks. I accept my size. But last weekend at Rhinebeck, something changed. I saw myself in pictures and video and I wasn’t even me any more. I scared myself. The past two years’ worth of divorce-based-new-life stress eating has caught up with me. I also have IBS*, and my GI tract that weekend made me feel a drastic change in my food consumption was in order. I’ve done everything from Weight Watchers (smart but exhausting) to Optifast (doctor-monitored and crazypants). I know what works, but what ...

Obsession Thursday: #rhinebeckpiechart

I haven’t been at Rhinebeck since 2008. Eight years! Until recently, I was in the UK most Octobers, so it just didn’t work out. This year, my friends got themselves super-organized and rented a house nearby. Which means staying for reasonably cheap with people I love. How could I not go? So I’m driving 7+ hours to Rhinebeck tomorrow while the housesitter watches the Squeezle again (bless her). I have planned a stop at Sonic for some diet limeade to fuel my drive (i may buy two so I have enough for the whole trip). Have you never had Sonic’s diet limeade? It’s very good. Twitter user ...
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