6 in 6: Project 5-Mystery Sock!

A two-for-one post this week. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of clue 4 of the mystery sock. This is the final product.

Pattern: Mystery Sock '09 by Kirsten Kapur
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Solids in Mint
Needle: size 2 DPN
Date Started: October 1, 2009
Date Finished: November 19, 2009
Comments: I love Kirsten's patterns, and her mystery socks are so much fun. I love the mock cable look of this pattern. Right now I'm really into patterns down the middle of the foot, so this was perfect. I don't like the yarn, however. The stitches look uneven. Blocking helped a bit, but they are still not as neat as I would like them. Yes, I know that's knitter error, but other yarns are more forgiving. Plus, this yarn isn't soft at all.

A picture of the cute foot:

I Want It to Be Christmas

Hence the color changes around here. I have been planning a bunch of holiday crafts, which I am hoping to start over Thanksgiving break. So stay tuned.

"L" Book

My "L" book is Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. If you have not read this book yet, stop reading this review and go get the book. Seriously. I will wait.

(photo stolen from Amazon.com)
Ok, the reason why I told you to read the book is that it has received an incredible amount of hype. So much so that there is no way that it could live up to all of it. Yes, it is a really interesting book. It asks unusual questions. It makes you think. You find yourself finding economics fun. However, it is not the book of the century. Perhaps because I consider myself a policy analyst with an economics persuasion, I found myself poking holes in Levitt and Dubner's arguments. The authors talk a lot about the importance of not confusing correlation with causality, but then they go on and do just that. As I read some of the chapters, I thought of all the omitted variables and externalities they did not consider. Perhaps this book is better for someone with little to no training in economics. Now do not get me wrong, I really enjoyed this book. Even within the field of economics, I prefer applied economics like this, as opposed to the theory in textbooks. I just think it is impossible for it to ever live up to its reputation. But I am still looking forward to reading Super Freakonomics. Overall, I recommend this book to everyone, just know that it is not the best book ever written, and for those of you who know something about economics, some of the methodology and assumptions are questionable.

On My Needles

A fun Cookie A. project in more KUAS yarn.

Author Project: J

A new author! My "J" book is The American, by Henry James.

I think it is important for everyone to read a book like this once in awhile. Frankly, it made me feel a little stupid. This is the type of book that you get more and less out of each time you read it. I am sure that if I had read it when I was in high school, I would have said that it was an interesting book, if a little pointless. Reading it now, I know that there is a lot more to it. James' writing is full of sarcasm, double meanings, and witticisms, if you can understand them. That is where the feeling stupid comes in. I knew that James meant more than he was saying, but the language was so convoluted that I could not figure out the meaning. I would like to claim that my confusion was a result of changes in English grammar since it was written in 1876. However, I think it is more than that. I have a tendency to read "candy" books. Reading this book was a great reminder that I need to stretch myself more often by reading Literature (with a capital L) and to challenge myself with subtlety and metaphor. In terms of the story itself, I agree with my imaginary high school self that it is a bit trite. I do not think the characters learn a lot nor do I think the situation at the end of the book is very different than the beginning. Overall, I recommend this book if you want to stretch your mind by reading something deep and well written, but not if you are looking for an exciting story line.

*Photo stolen from Amazon.com.

6 in 6: Project 4

I have given up on finishing my six original projects in six weeks, but I am still on schedule for finishing six patterns. I have been on a bit of an instant-gratification-knit kick.

Pattern: Autumn Rush Wrist Warmers by Anna Peck
Yarn: KUAS Worsted Weight in Scarecrow
Needle: size 10.5 DPN
Date Started: November 12, 2009
Date Finished: November 15, 2009
Comments: This is a perfect quick knit gift project. They only took a couple of hours to put together. I love the cables, and the yarn is sooo soft. Now I have a hat, cowl, and fingerless gloves in this colorway. It's a cute set. I have a ton of yarn left over, so maybe I will make a scarf too.

6 in 6: Project 3

This actually was not one of my original six goal projects. It replaces the beret for my best friend. I started to try to frog the original beret a few nights ago, but Malabrigo is hard enough to frog and you add in that it has been knit for six months or longer and it is an impossible task. I need to buy some new yarn. Hopefully I'll still get that done. But in the meantime, I made another hat.

Pattern: Autumn Rush Hat by Anna Peck
Yarn: Knit Picks Andean Silk in Pitch
Needle: size 7 circular
Date Started: October 30, 2009
Date Finished: November 1, 2009
Comments: This is the second time that I've knit this pattern. It actually calls for bulky yarn, but using a different needle size I was able to get gauge. I added an extra half cable repeat to make it longer (my row gauge might have been off, I never measured it) and changed the decrease cable crosses accordingly. Even with frogging the decreases to add the extra repeat, this hat still took less than four hours to make. It's a perfect gift pattern. I do not think Anna has released it to the general public. If you like it, go bug her at her blog, Knitting Up A Storm. I have been itching to make cables lately, and while this pattern started to satisfy that need, I think I'll be making the matching fingerless gloves soon. I think I want to modify them to mittens, but we will see how ambitious I am feeling.

6 in 6: Project 2

A hat!

Pattern: Ballard Slouch Hat by Felicia Lo
Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed
Needle: sizes 7 and 8 circular
Date Started: October 13, 2009
Date Finished: October 15, 2009
Comments: The more I think about this hat, the more I like it. It is slightly slouchy, but not too much so. Just what I was looking for. The pattern was well written and easy to follow. I would not want to wear this yarn on my body, but it's perfect for a hat. Actually, you might remember that I have already made a beret out of another skein of this.

I apparently forgot how to smile today. All my pictures look like I'm grimacing. But here is another shot:

B is for Brown

My B author book is The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. Another not-new author, but a book I have been looking forward to reading for the last five years or so, since I first read The Da Vinci Code.

The best way to describe this book is a Dan Brown book, no more, no less. If you have read any of his other books, you know exactly what I mean. Plenty of action, danger, puzzles, plot twists, and history. I was eager to read this book because it is about my city, Washington DC. It definitely made me want to explore it again with fresh eyes. I stayed up all night last night reading this book. It was good enough that I did not want to put it down. However, in some ways I found it more fanciful than Brown's other books. There is no way I can explain how without giving anything away. Oh, and I guessed one of the main plot twists halfway through the book. Overall, I recommend this book to those people who want to be able to talk about the books that everyone else is reading, and who want a history-based candy book, but as always with Brown's books, be prepared to suspend the constraints of reality a little bit.

Please Vote

As a political science/public policy nerd/student/future practitioner, it is my duty to please ask you to vote today if there is an election in your area. Voting is just as important for "minor" races as for presidential ones. I will not tell you who/what to vote for. I only ask that you please voice your opinion.

6 in 6: Project 1

I have actually completed three projects, but the weather and my hair have not been cooperating for pictures. These were my take-on-the-Metro socks for October.
Pattern: Dead Simple Lace Socks by Wendy Johnson
Yarn: Colinette Jitterbug in Marble
Needle: size 2.5 circular
Date Started: October 1, 2009
Date Finished: October 28, 2009
Comments: Very simple pattern that was perfect for stop and go, I do not want to think too much knitting. They did get a little boring though. I modified it a little because Jitterbug is a thick sock yarn and there was no way I was going to get 8 stitches an inch. I do not really like the pooling on this socks. Maybe at a different gauge it would be more even. I made these a little shorter than I usually make socks, but I think the anklet feel is perfect for the cute lace pattern.