On Friday afternoon, I went to lunch at the yarn store, a last hurrah of sorts. On the way there, my car started acting slightly odd. I decided that the smart plan was to get it towed to the local dealer and see what was up. What I wasn’t expecting was the phone call 2 hours later to tell me that my transmission was gone. Dead. Done.
Now I had the choice of ponying up $4,000 or so to fix the transmission or I was looking for a new car, STAT. Because my car really wasn’t even driveable, my options were limited. I could take what the dealer would offer me for it “as is” or I could find someone else who would tow it, appraise it, and start again. Add to that, that I owned my car outright and was really enjoying NOT having payments on it, and that we are hoping to buy a house later this year.
A little over 24 hours later, it’s all said and done. My Rav4, my first car that I purchased on my own, is no longer mine. I loved that car, and I can’t help it, I don’t love the new one quite as much.
But, we got a good deal on it. It’s a 2009 Toyota Corolla in a bright cheery Barcelona Red. I think I’ll be obeying all speed limits in this one, eh?
PS: For those of you reading along at home, I passed 80,000 miles just a couple of weeks ago. Her final mileage? 80,409. 
RIP.
March 6, 2010
Categories: Weekend Update . . Author: thestashbuckler . Comments: 3 Comments
When I took on the challenge of knitting a sweater in 17 days (during the Olympics) I really thought I had nailed the spirit of the games: Take on a project that will be a challenge to complete in the time frame. And then I finished the sweater in a mere 11 days and didn’t know what else to do for the other six. Well cast on again of course!
The Pattern: Akimbo by Stephen West
The Needles: US 4’s
The Yarn: Bugga! in Faithful Beauty and Walnut Huskfly
The Verdict: This is my new favorite shawl! The yarn was amazing to work with – it is oh so soft and so rich in color and the cashmere content makes it feel like a million bucks when I wear it. The pattern was simple, but the edging really takes it from ho-hum to WOW! I’ll definitely be trying this pattern again.
March 5, 2010
Categories: Off the Needles . . Author: thestashbuckler . Comments: 2 Comments
Lost.
Last night, at knit night, the local yarn store owner announced that she is closing the shop at the end of April. For most of us this was both unsurprising, and a shock, all at the same time. It is bittersweet news for the owner, who is closing the shop so that she can spend more time with her family – especially her new little one. We all are delighted that she will be able to do what she wants to do most right now. And yet, I know that we all are feeling a sense of loss today.
The yarn store, “my” yarn store, is one of the first places I went when I moved to Kansas City just over two years ago. I was immediately welcomed by the owner and by a group of wonderful women whom I have now been knitting with every Wednesday night for the last two years. I have made most of my friends here in Kansas City at this shop. When I first moved here and didn’t have steady work, I can’t count the number of days I enjoyed the hospitality of the store, just stopping in and knitting on the couch for hours at a time. This store truly has been a home away from home and I will miss it terribly.
***
Found.
Over the years, I’ve often marveled at how friendships are formed, how they ebb and flow, and how people I thought I would always be friends with have drifted away and people I thought would just be passing ships have stuck close to me. I was particularly reminded of this when my college roommate told me two nights ago that she was offered a faculty position at a university less than four hours from me.
This is someone I lived with three out of the four years in college. We have spent the last ten years with almost 2000 miles between us; when I left college I returned home to Los Angeles and she continued on to graduate school in the Midwest. How could I know that two years ago I would move back to the Midwest? Or that a year ago she would move to Texas? Or that now we would be so close that we could eagerly plan weekend trips to visit each other?
To be clear, I never thought that our friendship would disappear. And yet for many years it waned while we pursued different paths. I am so thrilled that our paths cross again though. It makes me once again feel like I’ve found something precious.
March 4, 2010
Categories: Deep Thoughts, Fabulous Friends, Knitting Content Ahead, Uncategorized . . Author: thestashbuckler . Comments: 1 Comment
It may not be Vancouver, but it feels pretty good to me.
The Pattern: Climbing Vines from Interweave Knits
The Needles: US 4’s, 6’s and 7’s
The Yarn: Queensland Collection Kathmandu Aran in #147, Teal, ~950 yards
The Verdict: I loved knitting this sweater and stayed up way too late last night seaming it to see how it was going to fit. I admit that I’m a little unsure of the fit in the upper bust and arms. The neckline is very wide, and I feel like the bust area is a little large even though I knit a size smaller than I normally do. I nailed the body length though, and while I went a little long on the sleeves I love them cuffed too. I promise more glamour shots after I give it a good wearing this week! For now… gold feels good!
February 22, 2010
Categories: Off the Needles . . Author: thestashbuckler . Comments: 2 Comments
I left you all last week with a post about the Olympics, and what I planned to knit. I just thought I’d give you a bit of a progress report.
One Back: Check
Two Sleeves: Check
Front: Well I’ll give you a little peek here…
I may even finish this weekend!
February 19, 2010
Categories: A Picture's Worth 1000 Words, Knitting Content Ahead . . Author: thestashbuckler . Comments: Leave a Comment
Here’s to a new millennium.
February 18, 2010
Categories: A Picture's Worth 1000 Words . . Author: thestashbuckler . Comments: 1 Comment
The 2010 Winter Olympics begin tomorrow in Vancouver and I’m super excited. Not only am I an avid watcher of the Olympics, I participate in my own way.
Back in 2006, the Yarn Harlot challenged knitters across the world to undertake their own Olympic challenge, to tack a challenging project from start to finish within the 2 week time frame that the Olympics run. The rules were simple: Pick a project that will challenge you, but isn’t impossible to complete. Cast on during the opening ceremonies, cast off by the closing ceremonies. Push yourself and earn your own gold medal.
In 2006, I was still a relatively unadventurous knitter. I decided that I would tackle my first felted purse. Imagine my surprise when I knit the whole thing in 2 days, and had it felted within another 2. So much for challenge, eh?
This year, I plan to tackle a sweater for me. I plan to knit the Climbing Vines Pullover as featured in Interweave Knits Winter 2008.
I will be knitting my sweater out of Queensland Kathmandu, a wonderful Aran weight mix of Merino, Silk and Cashmere, in my favorite color, Teal.
The torch is almost lit… and away we go!
February 11, 2010
Categories: Knitting Content Ahead, The Boob Tube . . Author: thestashbuckler . Comments: 2 Comments
The past month I’ve been knitting like a fiend on a new shawl. Late last night I finally finished it and after a blocking session it was ready to go out in the snow today for a photo session!
The Pattern: Three-Cornered Shawl in Clover Pattern
The Needles: US 5’s
The Yarn: Wollmeise Lace-garn in Baristo
The Verdict: This shawl was a hard one to start as you begin at the outer edge by casting on 624 stitches. That makes for some very long rows at the beginning and a lot of feeling like you’re knitting forever and getting nowhere. About halfway through, though, thanks to the decrease rows you drop down to about 350 stitches across and from there on out it’s smooth sailing! The patterns are intuitive and easily memorized and I really enjoyed knitting this one. It came out huge – blocked it is about 9 feet across at wingspan and 4 feet tall at the mid-point. It will be the perfect shawl to wrap myself up in on cool evenings. And the colors are beautiful – teals and browns and blues. My favorites!
February 7, 2010
Categories: Off the Needles, Uncategorized . . Author: thestashbuckler . Comments: Leave a Comment
Tomorrow marks 5 years since I started this “blog” thing. I can barely believe that it has been that long, but I have a cute little reminder. My nephew was born on February 1 five years ago. And look at him today:
Wes assured me that this voice changing Storm Trooper helmet would be the bees knees for a certain five-year-old.
Over the past year or two my posting has slowed down. Sometimes I feel like maybe I shouldn’t be blogging any more since most of my posts are related to knitting, and since Ravelry gives me a place to chronicle those. Sometimes I wonder if I’ve completely bored all (any?) of my readers to death.
But then sometimes I look back at old entries and find this really cool journal of my life over the last five years, and then I think that it doesn’t matter exactly when I post or what I post, but just that I do post.
In short, this isn’t an eloquent post but please accept my heartfelt thanks for hanging in there with me. Here’s to another great year!
February 5, 2010
Categories: A Picture's Worth 1000 Words, Family, Notes to Myself . . Author: thestashbuckler . Comments: 4 Comments
