Monday, July 12, 2010
Back in May...
So... for Memorial Day... my parents and I road-tripped it up to Seneca Falls, NY to visit my sister~ I can't say I'm familiar with all the entertainment/tourist options available at Cayuga Lake... but the one the activity that stands out for me (besides the usual joys of hanging out by/on a lake).... is the Wine tasting. NY wines really are getting better and better... and it was an affordable, interesting, and tasty way to spend the weekend~ I can't recall which winery's these photos were taken at... (I did know where I was at the time the photo's were taken~)
Friday, July 9, 2010
Way back in May...
So... I'm going through my Flickr account and looking through my photos... realizing I never posted any of it here... so the next few posts will be my attempt to catch you up on my life... in photos~~
May... in Portland... my buddies and I visited the Japanese Garden after class one day... we paid like $8 each (with our student discount)... and it was an amazing evening~ really so beautiful!
Immediately following my "weekend" in Portland... I flew back into NY... only to fly out the same day... to Guatemala- to provide Acupuncture and other medical services to the Locals- living in the Mountain villages outside Antigua. We worked in some of the Best and Worst conditions I've ever visited in Central America. I personally had the opportunity to treat over 120 patients in the course of 24 hours of direct service. It was exhausting, but beyond rewarding~ we left Guatemala city- just before the Sink Hole occurred~
Acupuncture:
May... in Portland... my buddies and I visited the Japanese Garden after class one day... we paid like $8 each (with our student discount)... and it was an amazing evening~ really so beautiful!
Immediately following my "weekend" in Portland... I flew back into NY... only to fly out the same day... to Guatemala- to provide Acupuncture and other medical services to the Locals- living in the Mountain villages outside Antigua. We worked in some of the Best and Worst conditions I've ever visited in Central America. I personally had the opportunity to treat over 120 patients in the course of 24 hours of direct service. It was exhausting, but beyond rewarding~ we left Guatemala city- just before the Sink Hole occurred~
Acupuncture:
Thursday, July 8, 2010
arabella
So... i guess I've been really distracted... so much so... I didn't even realize I had posted last month!! (perhaps I'm doing better than I expected!)... So... the Arabella shawlette... is done... actually its been really done for a while now... really done- meaning I un-did the bind-off and re-did it~ its pretty... its gone into the christmas stash.
... so the new look of flicker... is still a bit confusing for me... I can't decide how I feel about it... but for now... its just plain old- confusing!!
... so the new look of flicker... is still a bit confusing for me... I can't decide how I feel about it... but for now... its just plain old- confusing!!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
dysfunctional Bind-offs
Its happened before... and it will probably happen again~ but really... I hate when bind-off just don't work out the way I want!! Specifically, I'm referring to my Arabella Shawlette designed by Kristen Hanley Cardozo... the design is really pretty... the body makes me feel like an excellent knitter... However... the bind off... had totally turned me off. Really, its me, not the shawl~ and its not a difficult fix- i just have to un-bind and re-do it using a stretchier bind-off, but i'm just not motivated to rip it out! Why couldn't it have worked the 1st time!! The bind off I did... was the P2Tog, back to left needle, P2tog~ continue~~ I even went up- 4 (!!!) needle sizes~ and its still too tight~ UGH!... so for now... its sitting on my desk... waiting~
to knit it- I did the set up chart, then chart A-2- 7 times, C-1, C-2 and then rows 1-3 of chart C-3~
On to more satisfying knits... the Juneberry by Jared Flood.
Pattern: Juneberry by Jared FLood
Yarn: Nordique by Classic Elite Yarn in the Ruby Wine colorway
Modifications: None... I'm sure it can be done... I just haven't thought about how to do it!
Comments: I bought the St-Denis magazine issue #2- for this pattern alone (P.S- Jared said he will be releasing it on his website in a few months)... and I personally think it was worth it! ITs beautiful!! The pattern itself... was... totally a breeze to follow... outside of chart 2. Unfortunately... chart 2- is the bulk of the body~ I'm just not knit smart enough to have made it work for me... and recharting it... never even crossed my mind!! Instead I e-mailed Mr. Flood, who was beyond helpful~ he "hooked me up" with the more user friendly chart #2... and I sailed along smoothly.
to knit it- I did the set up chart, then chart A-2- 7 times, C-1, C-2 and then rows 1-3 of chart C-3~
On to more satisfying knits... the Juneberry by Jared Flood.
Pattern: Juneberry by Jared FLood
Yarn: Nordique by Classic Elite Yarn in the Ruby Wine colorway
Modifications: None... I'm sure it can be done... I just haven't thought about how to do it!
Comments: I bought the St-Denis magazine issue #2- for this pattern alone (P.S- Jared said he will be releasing it on his website in a few months)... and I personally think it was worth it! ITs beautiful!! The pattern itself... was... totally a breeze to follow... outside of chart 2. Unfortunately... chart 2- is the bulk of the body~ I'm just not knit smart enough to have made it work for me... and recharting it... never even crossed my mind!! Instead I e-mailed Mr. Flood, who was beyond helpful~ he "hooked me up" with the more user friendly chart #2... and I sailed along smoothly.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
well there goes that new years resolution!
Well, there goes that new years resolution to blog- once a month~~ I didn't realize my 1st quarter would be so busy!! Its hard to give an update as so much, and yet so little has happened!! so lets just move on from there~
I decided I was going to try an complete 10 shawls in 2010~ so far... I've done... 0~ ok well really I finished one- but its not off the blocking board yet- and I haven't taken any photos- so it mite as well be 0~
in the meantime, I've been doing alot of travelling~ mostly school related but~ some for fun as well...
I attended to Society for Acupuncture Research Conference- last month (I can't believe its already been a month!)... where I got to listen to some amazing researchers and the biggest brains in my field talk about where the medicine is headed and all about the intricacies of acupuncture research~ I really respect these researchers who are out there trying to prove a medicine, which is difficult to prove in the parameters defined by contemporary medicine and with minimal funding~
Dr Streitberger (as in Streitberger Needle) discussing the Germany acupuncture studies
my buddy Marina Ponton, of Greenville Natural Health, Greenville, SC and the amazing Misha Cohen, of Chicken Soup Chinese Medicine
After the conference I had to opportunity to visit Greenville, SC and Marina's office~~ to glean from her Acupuncture business expertise~ and a good time was had by all (all being Marina and myself... perhaps her hubby and doggy as well--> PS- go team JACOB!) Who knew Greenville was so cute!?
Hmm... During this mini-trip~ Marina and I visited 2 yarn shops - 1 was in Chapel hill, NC and the other was Hillsborough, NC~ both were soo cute~ but I was sticking to my STOP buying yarn policy~ and I don't know how I survived! (I have purchase yarn since... but I'll tell you about that later)... All I got was an Interweave Knits magazine and a size 4- 47" Addi Lace needle~ shocking I know~
I decided I was going to try an complete 10 shawls in 2010~ so far... I've done... 0~ ok well really I finished one- but its not off the blocking board yet- and I haven't taken any photos- so it mite as well be 0~
in the meantime, I've been doing alot of travelling~ mostly school related but~ some for fun as well...
I attended to Society for Acupuncture Research Conference- last month (I can't believe its already been a month!)... where I got to listen to some amazing researchers and the biggest brains in my field talk about where the medicine is headed and all about the intricacies of acupuncture research~ I really respect these researchers who are out there trying to prove a medicine, which is difficult to prove in the parameters defined by contemporary medicine and with minimal funding~
Dr Streitberger (as in Streitberger Needle) discussing the Germany acupuncture studies
my buddy Marina Ponton, of Greenville Natural Health, Greenville, SC and the amazing Misha Cohen, of Chicken Soup Chinese Medicine
After the conference I had to opportunity to visit Greenville, SC and Marina's office~~ to glean from her Acupuncture business expertise~ and a good time was had by all (all being Marina and myself... perhaps her hubby and doggy as well--> PS- go team JACOB!) Who knew Greenville was so cute!?
Hmm... During this mini-trip~ Marina and I visited 2 yarn shops - 1 was in Chapel hill, NC and the other was Hillsborough, NC~ both were soo cute~ but I was sticking to my STOP buying yarn policy~ and I don't know how I survived! (I have purchase yarn since... but I'll tell you about that later)... All I got was an Interweave Knits magazine and a size 4- 47" Addi Lace needle~ shocking I know~
Friday, January 22, 2010
Perhaps something useful?
So, this blog is named... Fascination with Needles... because its true... I am~ fascinated with needles!! I've been wanted to write this particular post... or at least bits of it... for months~ but I've been putting it off... because I wanted a picture of all my needles in one place... and really I don't have the patience to hunt down all the needles from their various cubbies for a photo shoot... so you'll just have to take my word for it... I have a lot~ from very very cheap... to quite pricey... to very new ...to quite old (possibly older than me)... I love them all- not equally, but still its love. I see tons of posts on Ravelry about which is the "best" needles or which are the most cost effective needles... and really my opinion is- they all are, but for different reasons~
here is my personal mini review of 3 needle sets:
The Options Harmony Wood Interchangeable Needles
Needle sizes are 4-11, 9 needle pairs, 4 cables included 2- 24" and 2-32"
What I really like about these needles, are the sharp points and the smooth shaft of the needles. I really like the versatility of the length of the cables available and the cost of buying additional needles/cables is not prohibitive. I received these needles as a gift from my buddy Steve. They are my "go-to" needles- I start off most if not all projects with these needles.
What I don't like about these needles/set is- sometimes the glue holding the metal to the wood of the needle comes un-done and this can potentially happen in the middle of a super tricky lace project. It hasn't happened to me- personally- yet- but it could (knock on wood for me please.) Also I've had defective needles where the metal of the needle was too wide, so the cables could not lock in (the cable insert just keeps spinning around eventually becoming undone.) I've also had the little lock holes in the needle ends be too narrow for the key to fit into- I've had to used a safety pin to lock the needle to the cable in these cases.
This being said- Knit picks has great customer service- they have been very prompt and courteous in re-placing my broken or defective needles.
KA Switch Interchangeable Needles
Needle Sizes are 5-15, 10 needles in the set and 7 cables of various lengths
I purchased these needles about a year ago at my Local Yarn Store- Knit Knacks in Maplewood, NJ (I did not purchase them from the link above... I just google the needles, so you could see them as sold)
What I like about this set, is the packaging, I like the compact nature of the packaging which really is conducive to traveling with these needles in tow. I also like the cables- the joins from needles-to-cables is quite smooth. In general the cables are not as stuck in coil mode as some other circular type needles. I like the fact that these needles are bamboo, and therefore possess all the positive qualities of bamboo needles.
What I don't like about these needles, is the packaging!! The needles fall out of their little pockets, and the protective top flap doesn't always keep them in the case. I've had situations where all the needles fell out, and were swimming in my bag. Also, I'm not a big fan of the tips on these needles, they are blunt and using them against each other (maybe I'm the only one who knits this way) but the tips scratch each other leaving little scars. I'm also not a big fan of the fact that there are different cables for different needles. While it allows for a smoother more custom join, it also means more cables to sort through to find the right cable to fit the right needle, which is also the right length!
I'm happy to own these needles, because really, I'm happy to own all needles. However, if I had to do again, my life wouldn't be worse for not having purchased these.
Hiya Hiya Interchangeable Kit- Small sizes
I purchased these needles from Eat. Sleep. Knit late last year. They come in a cloth (kimono type fabric) in sizes 2-8, 7 pairs total, and 4 cables.
What I really like about these needles is the packaging! Seriously this time! The packaging is flat, compact, and it actually works. The needle stay inside the pockets, there is a separate zippered compartment for the cables and extra pockets- and the best part is that it all stays relatively closed, even without making a knot in the front closure. The needles are light and pointy, the cables are supportive and bendy without remaining coiled or limp. They are excellent needles to carry about with me, when I'm not quite sure which needle size I need to start a new project and you never know when you might want to change cable lengths or needles sizes!
What I don't like about this set is that my hands sweat when i knit and it seems to cause the needles to become discolored? and slippery. The discoloration is only evident if you look really really closely and inspect them (which apparently, I've done.) I also don't like the fact that as you work with the needles- the joins slowly become undone, causing a gap between the needle and the cable. I have issues with this because my knitting falls into the gap and getting the stitches out of that space can potentially cause damage to the fibers of your yarn (wild guesses as to how I know this?) So its a bit annoying to check the joins before starting each round/row~ though not prohibitively so, but annoying none the less~ I've mostly used the smallest sizes for knitting socks (on 2 circ's.)
Overall, I really like this set, and am likely to purchase the larger set of these needles if I were to come across them at a yarn store (which I haven't.)
Hopefully, this post was... interesting or informative? These were just the points that stuck out in my mind- as I write this at 2am! If you have any questions~ leave a comment, or text me like ya'll usually do~
here is my personal mini review of 3 needle sets:
The Options Harmony Wood Interchangeable Needles
Needle sizes are 4-11, 9 needle pairs, 4 cables included 2- 24" and 2-32"
What I really like about these needles, are the sharp points and the smooth shaft of the needles. I really like the versatility of the length of the cables available and the cost of buying additional needles/cables is not prohibitive. I received these needles as a gift from my buddy Steve. They are my "go-to" needles- I start off most if not all projects with these needles.
What I don't like about these needles/set is- sometimes the glue holding the metal to the wood of the needle comes un-done and this can potentially happen in the middle of a super tricky lace project. It hasn't happened to me- personally- yet- but it could (knock on wood for me please.) Also I've had defective needles where the metal of the needle was too wide, so the cables could not lock in (the cable insert just keeps spinning around eventually becoming undone.) I've also had the little lock holes in the needle ends be too narrow for the key to fit into- I've had to used a safety pin to lock the needle to the cable in these cases.
This being said- Knit picks has great customer service- they have been very prompt and courteous in re-placing my broken or defective needles.
KA Switch Interchangeable Needles
Needle Sizes are 5-15, 10 needles in the set and 7 cables of various lengths
I purchased these needles about a year ago at my Local Yarn Store- Knit Knacks in Maplewood, NJ (I did not purchase them from the link above... I just google the needles, so you could see them as sold)
What I like about this set, is the packaging, I like the compact nature of the packaging which really is conducive to traveling with these needles in tow. I also like the cables- the joins from needles-to-cables is quite smooth. In general the cables are not as stuck in coil mode as some other circular type needles. I like the fact that these needles are bamboo, and therefore possess all the positive qualities of bamboo needles.
What I don't like about these needles, is the packaging!! The needles fall out of their little pockets, and the protective top flap doesn't always keep them in the case. I've had situations where all the needles fell out, and were swimming in my bag. Also, I'm not a big fan of the tips on these needles, they are blunt and using them against each other (maybe I'm the only one who knits this way) but the tips scratch each other leaving little scars. I'm also not a big fan of the fact that there are different cables for different needles. While it allows for a smoother more custom join, it also means more cables to sort through to find the right cable to fit the right needle, which is also the right length!
I'm happy to own these needles, because really, I'm happy to own all needles. However, if I had to do again, my life wouldn't be worse for not having purchased these.
Hiya Hiya Interchangeable Kit- Small sizes
I purchased these needles from Eat. Sleep. Knit late last year. They come in a cloth (kimono type fabric) in sizes 2-8, 7 pairs total, and 4 cables.
What I really like about these needles is the packaging! Seriously this time! The packaging is flat, compact, and it actually works. The needle stay inside the pockets, there is a separate zippered compartment for the cables and extra pockets- and the best part is that it all stays relatively closed, even without making a knot in the front closure. The needles are light and pointy, the cables are supportive and bendy without remaining coiled or limp. They are excellent needles to carry about with me, when I'm not quite sure which needle size I need to start a new project and you never know when you might want to change cable lengths or needles sizes!
What I don't like about this set is that my hands sweat when i knit and it seems to cause the needles to become discolored? and slippery. The discoloration is only evident if you look really really closely and inspect them (which apparently, I've done.) I also don't like the fact that as you work with the needles- the joins slowly become undone, causing a gap between the needle and the cable. I have issues with this because my knitting falls into the gap and getting the stitches out of that space can potentially cause damage to the fibers of your yarn (wild guesses as to how I know this?) So its a bit annoying to check the joins before starting each round/row~ though not prohibitively so, but annoying none the less~ I've mostly used the smallest sizes for knitting socks (on 2 circ's.)
Overall, I really like this set, and am likely to purchase the larger set of these needles if I were to come across them at a yarn store (which I haven't.)
Hopefully, this post was... interesting or informative? These were just the points that stuck out in my mind- as I write this at 2am! If you have any questions~ leave a comment, or text me like ya'll usually do~
Friday, January 8, 2010
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year everyone~
My blogging kinda died down at the end of last year~ and one of my resolutions this year is to try and post at least once a month. Its not always my 1st thought when thinking about this blog- is that people actually read it! Its really a bit shocking! But thanks for all your comments.. texts and such... I'm always thinking I should post- I just don't often get around to it.
Despite everyone's concern- Yes, I've still been knitting... probably just as much~ Although I feel like I haven't been getting anything done? Which is weird because I have finished a few FO's mostly holiday gifts~ wellz most everything I knit is a gift~ and I've been buying yarn (lots of yarn)~
My 1st FO of the year... matchy match vests for Rosie's Twins~
My blogging kinda died down at the end of last year~ and one of my resolutions this year is to try and post at least once a month. Its not always my 1st thought when thinking about this blog- is that people actually read it! Its really a bit shocking! But thanks for all your comments.. texts and such... I'm always thinking I should post- I just don't often get around to it.
Despite everyone's concern- Yes, I've still been knitting... probably just as much~ Although I feel like I haven't been getting anything done? Which is weird because I have finished a few FO's mostly holiday gifts~ wellz most everything I knit is a gift~ and I've been buying yarn (lots of yarn)~
My 1st FO of the year... matchy match vests for Rosie's Twins~
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