Since I loved participating in the Knitting Olympics two years ago, I decided to join the Ravelympics which will coincide with the Summer 2008 Olympics in China (boo China!) If you remember, I overcame my fear of socks by knitting two pairs during the Knitting Olympics of 2006. It was a good challenge for a new sock knitter, but it wasn't enough of a challenge for me (possibly because I was more advanced at that point than I admitted.) I had a few ideas for this year's event including a sweater with a fair isle yoke and a selection of hats, but the one I finally settle on was the Hemlock Ring Blanket from Brooklyn Tweed. I have wanted to knit this blanket for quite some time and this is the perfect excuse. Ultimately, it is going to be a store sample since I have no use for a lacy blanket in my house, this is more of a process knitting project for me.
In addition to the Hemlock Ring, I am participating in the Vlora KAL on Ravelry. I joined the Sideways Hat KAL group a couple of months ago, but since I knitted the Ziggy hat before joining the group I decided to wait for the second hat which is Vlora. Fingers crossed that next month will be Strudel.
7.30.2008
7.29.2008
We're all moved in!!
We finished moving everything out of our apartment yesterday. We ended up hiring a college student to come in and clean the old place which was the best idea ever. The only thing worse than cleaning our own apartment is cleaning a place that we aren't even going to live in anymore. The girl we used did an amazing job, way better than we would ever do, plus she was really excited to have a little extra income. It was definately a win-win situation.
This is the first move where I didn't unpack everything in the first night. We have one room which is completely box-free and we are slowly working our way through the others. This is my last day off work and I am procrastinating by watching a silly musical starring Neil Patrick Harris, oh well.
This is the first move where I didn't unpack everything in the first night. We have one room which is completely box-free and we are slowly working our way through the others. This is my last day off work and I am procrastinating by watching a silly musical starring Neil Patrick Harris, oh well.
7.24.2008
Please excuse our mess
We are making slow progress on the painting front. Saturday night we finished painting the dining room and with lots of help from Philip's parents we almost finished all of the cabinets and the trim in the kitchen. We finished the kitchen trim Monday and the orange on Tuesday. Philip had the day off work Monday so he started on the living room which ended up being way more work (and paint) than we expected. Here are some pictures of our progress.
This is the dining room before and after. We still haven't settled on a color for the archway so we are leaving it unpainted until we decide on a transition color. Eventually, I would like to change this light fixture out with something a little more tropical to go with the tiki stuff. Guess that I will have to start scouting out the thrift stores for something cool. I get a 25% discount at the Habitat ReStore which is where I found the vintage yellow fixture a few years ago so that will probably be where I start looking.
Next up is the kitchen so far. As you can probably tell, we were overcome by laziness and we skipped painting the ceiling (I know that I am going to regret this, but it is something that I can deal with later.) The top cabinets are 1950's metal cabinets which are still in excellent condition. I took all of the chrome pulls off so we could paint without hitting them and I took some steel wool to them to make them beautiful and shiny. If I haven't mentioned it before, steel wool is my restoration secret. With a steel wool pad and about 20 minutes you can turn a rusty thrift store find into a shiny vintage find. The trick is learning to identify the different types of rust and chrome damage. If the rust is eating into the chrome, there isn't a lot you can do to repair the damage, but if the rust is sitting on top then you can scrub it right off.
Finally, here is the living room after four coats of paint. We still need to do another two coats on the edges, but I really wanted to show the progress since this room is coming out so nice. Philip picked out the red and it is this amazing wine color that really makes the room pop. Hopefully we will finish the edging tonight as well as the bedroom which I should have pictures of tomorrow.
This is the dining room before and after. We still haven't settled on a color for the archway so we are leaving it unpainted until we decide on a transition color. Eventually, I would like to change this light fixture out with something a little more tropical to go with the tiki stuff. Guess that I will have to start scouting out the thrift stores for something cool. I get a 25% discount at the Habitat ReStore which is where I found the vintage yellow fixture a few years ago so that will probably be where I start looking.
Next up is the kitchen so far. As you can probably tell, we were overcome by laziness and we skipped painting the ceiling (I know that I am going to regret this, but it is something that I can deal with later.) The top cabinets are 1950's metal cabinets which are still in excellent condition. I took all of the chrome pulls off so we could paint without hitting them and I took some steel wool to them to make them beautiful and shiny. If I haven't mentioned it before, steel wool is my restoration secret. With a steel wool pad and about 20 minutes you can turn a rusty thrift store find into a shiny vintage find. The trick is learning to identify the different types of rust and chrome damage. If the rust is eating into the chrome, there isn't a lot you can do to repair the damage, but if the rust is sitting on top then you can scrub it right off.
Finally, here is the living room after four coats of paint. We still need to do another two coats on the edges, but I really wanted to show the progress since this room is coming out so nice. Philip picked out the red and it is this amazing wine color that really makes the room pop. Hopefully we will finish the edging tonight as well as the bedroom which I should have pictures of tomorrow.
7.16.2008
No knitting here today
Last night we got the key to our new place and started moving a few things in. We mainly went over last night so that we could evaluate everything that needs to be done and figure out where everything is going to go. We talked about paint colors and quickly realized that we left the paint samples at home so we will have to figure out the final color choices tonight. I always forget to take pictures before I start decorating a place and so I never have something to compare the after to. Well, this time I decided to make the before pictures a priority. I won't bore you with all of the pictures I took, just a few of the highlights.
First up is the livingroom (or about half of it.) As you can see the floors aren't in the best shape, but the 1970's door is fabulous. We are planning on painting this room a green or a tan which will flow in through the diningroom (which will actually be the tiki room since the table will fit in the kitchen.)
Next, we have the kitchen. This is the room that is going to go through the most drastic change. We are going to paint the walls a vibrant orange (I have wanted an orange room forever,) repaint the ceiling, trims, and cabinets white, and replace the electric stove with a gas one. The other side of the kitchen will be home to our 1950's kitchen table and repro chairs. I am also going to install our fabulous 1970's light fixture above the table and put the orb candle holders in the window.
The last picture I am going to share today is of the bathroom. I don't know if you remember the horribleness that is our current bathroom, but it is bad. Our new bathroom is smaller, but it has these wonderful bright turquoise tiles and a beautiful saturated blue floor. The bathtub sits in an archway (not seen here) which gives the room a nice feel. We aren't really going to do much in here at first, I am just so excited not to have to look at the 80's bathroom from hell anymore.
As for the packing, it has been a complete nightmare. Our current apartment has several large closets that we've filled to the brim with stuff. This proves my theory that we can't live in a place this large because we expand to the space we have. Our new place is quite a bit smaller with one less bedroom so hopefully we can purge enough to fit. I already have about 2 carloads of stuff stashed behind the bar to go to the Goodwill, but we are going to have to purge way more to fit comfortably.
We did do some responsible purging. First, we went through our zine collection and donated almost all of the zines to the UK Zine Library where we can go visit them. Then we bagged up a ton of video game stuff to sell to Gamestop where we are going to use the proceeds to buy a card with Microsoft points that we can use to buy more songs for Rock Band (as a reward after we move.)
Finally, I am taking most of my religion books to Sqecial tonight where I will trade them for store credit that I will use at a later date. The books were the hardest thing for me to part with since selling them pretty much means that I have officially decided not to go to grad school for religious studies. It sounds silly, but keeping those books around gave me a kind of security in my future plans. My thought was if all else fails I could always get my PhD and teach world religion in a high school setting. Of course, grad school would mean that I would have to move to Nashville or Missouri, neither of which are practical for me at this stage in my life, but I still liked having that cushion. In some ways I think that it might be better not to have a cushion; I need to focus on my life where it is now. I own an amazing business, have a great family and I am happy with the direction my life is going. I want to put more of my energy into the store while also putting more time and energy into my friendships (especially those that have fallen victim to my hectic schedule) and of course my relationship with Philip.
First up is the livingroom (or about half of it.) As you can see the floors aren't in the best shape, but the 1970's door is fabulous. We are planning on painting this room a green or a tan which will flow in through the diningroom (which will actually be the tiki room since the table will fit in the kitchen.)
Next, we have the kitchen. This is the room that is going to go through the most drastic change. We are going to paint the walls a vibrant orange (I have wanted an orange room forever,) repaint the ceiling, trims, and cabinets white, and replace the electric stove with a gas one. The other side of the kitchen will be home to our 1950's kitchen table and repro chairs. I am also going to install our fabulous 1970's light fixture above the table and put the orb candle holders in the window. 
The last picture I am going to share today is of the bathroom. I don't know if you remember the horribleness that is our current bathroom, but it is bad. Our new bathroom is smaller, but it has these wonderful bright turquoise tiles and a beautiful saturated blue floor. The bathtub sits in an archway (not seen here) which gives the room a nice feel. We aren't really going to do much in here at first, I am just so excited not to have to look at the 80's bathroom from hell anymore.As for the packing, it has been a complete nightmare. Our current apartment has several large closets that we've filled to the brim with stuff. This proves my theory that we can't live in a place this large because we expand to the space we have. Our new place is quite a bit smaller with one less bedroom so hopefully we can purge enough to fit. I already have about 2 carloads of stuff stashed behind the bar to go to the Goodwill, but we are going to have to purge way more to fit comfortably.
We did do some responsible purging. First, we went through our zine collection and donated almost all of the zines to the UK Zine Library where we can go visit them. Then we bagged up a ton of video game stuff to sell to Gamestop where we are going to use the proceeds to buy a card with Microsoft points that we can use to buy more songs for Rock Band (as a reward after we move.)
Finally, I am taking most of my religion books to Sqecial tonight where I will trade them for store credit that I will use at a later date. The books were the hardest thing for me to part with since selling them pretty much means that I have officially decided not to go to grad school for religious studies. It sounds silly, but keeping those books around gave me a kind of security in my future plans. My thought was if all else fails I could always get my PhD and teach world religion in a high school setting. Of course, grad school would mean that I would have to move to Nashville or Missouri, neither of which are practical for me at this stage in my life, but I still liked having that cushion. In some ways I think that it might be better not to have a cushion; I need to focus on my life where it is now. I own an amazing business, have a great family and I am happy with the direction my life is going. I want to put more of my energy into the store while also putting more time and energy into my friendships (especially those that have fallen victim to my hectic schedule) and of course my relationship with Philip.
The beauty is in the imperfections
In typical Robyn fashion, I haven't knitted a stitch on the sweater since I posted the picture a few days ago. I don't know what it is about me, but sometimes I just can't make myself finish projects. 
I started a new hat last night out of some handspun I bought off of etsy. The pattern is a modification of the Ice Cream hat from Intertwined
. I changed the pattern by increasing the width of the strips, making it seamless by picking up a stitch from the lower level and knitting it together with the first stitch on the needle at the beginning of every row, and making the hat in an adult size. Technically, this kind of hat could be made with any type of yarn, but I think it looks best when done with thick and thin handspuns. I knit the hat with every intention of the knit side being the outside of the hat, but I really like the way the purl side looks so I haven't decided which side will actually go out.
In other news, Philip bought Rock Band and we are completely hooked. It's really hard to pack up the apartment when you can pretend to be a rock star instead.
I started a new hat last night out of some handspun I bought off of etsy. The pattern is a modification of the Ice Cream hat from Intertwined. I changed the pattern by increasing the width of the strips, making it seamless by picking up a stitch from the lower level and knitting it together with the first stitch on the needle at the beginning of every row, and making the hat in an adult size. Technically, this kind of hat could be made with any type of yarn, but I think it looks best when done with thick and thin handspuns. I knit the hat with every intention of the knit side being the outside of the hat, but I really like the way the purl side looks so I haven't decided which side will actually go out.In other news, Philip bought Rock Band and we are completely hooked. It's really hard to pack up the apartment when you can pretend to be a rock star instead.
7.09.2008
Nothing like a sweater in the summertime
It's been quite a while since I knitted a sweater (not counting the front and back of the sweater I knitted last winter before I decided I didn't like the yarn) so I started a top-down raglan about a week and a half ago. I knew that it would knit up faster than a normal sweater since there is barely any purling, but I had no idea how fast. This is how far I got in 9 days. At this point I only have to finish the second sleeve, block and weave in the ends. I like to imagine myself wearing this sweater on a snowy Sunday while drinking hot cocoa and sitting in front of the fireplace of a New England cabin. Gotta work on that.
7.06.2008
The fourth
For the first time since we moved to Lexington, Philip took off for the Fourth of July (or Independence Day as he reminded me all day) which meant that we got to go out on the night of the third for some pre-freedom grilling and fun. Our friend Raellyn hosted a cookout with tons and tons of fabulous food (much of which was vegan.) There were also sno-cones and cotton candy thanks to the Brownrobiebonjovi clan. We didn't really do fireworks, but there were some sparklers which Philip and I decided would be a fun thing to stick in my hair and it was, though a little scary from my end (luckily all of the children had left the cookout at this point so they couldn't witness our bad example.)The next day, Philip and I had an impromptu cookout after the parade. Raellyn brought a bunch of the leftovers and we made potato salad, cole slaw, blackberry crumble, and Smart Dogs (we were going to make sausages for grilling, but the Smart Dogs were on sale.) Considering we only gave a day's notice we had a decent sized showing and the weather cooperated with all of our plans. After the cookout we watched a documentary on Bukowski and saw a few fireworks from the back porch. It was a nice and relaxing fourth.
7.03.2008
A new place
Philip and I found a new apartment before we even started looking. We just signed the lease on a duplex between Harrodsburg Rd and the co-op. It is a little further away from downtown than we originally planned (about 2 miles from the shop,) but the price was right and the space is incredable. We have a few friends within walking distance and there is always the convenience of living up the street from the co-op so we are pretty excited. Our neighbors will be Chris from the snb and her fiance who also have a little puppy for Astrid to terrorize play with. We are going to start leasing on July 15th so that we can get in and do some pre-move cleaning and painting. This will be a fresh start for us so we are pretty excited about the endeavor.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)