Band girlfriend skips shows, bad girlfriend?, and How do I stop being whiny about my boyfriend going on tour?, at Ask Metafilter. Luckily Scott and I have been together long enough that he doesn’t feel bad when I don’t go to his shows. (Right?)

More I Am Not A Plastic Bag backlash: I am not a sheep, at Chez Pim. Via Chow.

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion at Things I’ve Bought That I Love.

How do you take a compliment? at Ask Metafilter.

Create a motivation chain just like Jerry Seinfeld, at Life Hacker.

What to do about too-low cleavage? at Sundry Buzz.

Sound proofing materials for creating an at home recording studio, at Ask Metafilter.

Tee Nuts, what they are and how to use them, at the Told Oldham Studio blog.

Driftwood sunburst mirror, I’ll have to keep this around. I bought a convex mirror from Target that I’m going to surround with some sort of DIY sunburst. AT Happy Mundane.

How to make your home Shelter Mag picture worthy, at the Chicago Tribune. Also read about the experience that Alicia from Posie Gets Cozy had when a magazine come to photograph her home here.

Transferring a desing from a drinking glass to the walls in a room, I like this a lot. At Oh Joy!

Random thing I learned this week: I like Krylon glass frosting spray paint far better than American Tradition or Rustoleum.

from Apartment Therapy sites:

Bach garment holder, I want a bunch of these for the bedroom and bathroom.

How to make an outdoor awning.

A wee bit too late for my problems: repelling cats from your garden using cinnamon.

SmartNozzle, a brush that attches to the end of your hose, this would be great to help knock the spiderwebs (renewed daily) off my deck.

All about Paperstone recycle countertops, I’ve been eyeing these for a while now.

Point. Click. Design., easy room layout software online, nice.

aMAIZEing Biobased Sovent, safe for you and the environment. See also: SoyGel Paint Stripper at Mirror Mirror.

Green Clean, the environmentally sound guide to cleaning your home.

the sweater: Ribby Cardi by Bonne Marie Burns
the yarn: Cotton-Ease in charcoal

I had begun the armhole shaping on the back of the sweater while we were watching the last few episodes of the first season of Doctor Who. I was about ten rows in when I noticed that I had different numbers of stitches on either side, and that a few decreases were slanting the wrong way. I blame my mistakes on being distraught over the departure of Christopher Eccleston. I decided to rip out to just before the shaping started and do it over again. I was tempted to rip everything out altogether and start over using larger needles for the cast on, but I’m waffling. Whenever I actually hold it the cast on edge seems plenty stretchy, but when it’s not right in front of me I convince myself it could be better. In the name of sanity I decided not to start over. If it turns out too tight, I’ll know for sure.

I’m already planning on making a second Ribby Cardi using the instructions for doing all the body pieces together and the sleeves in the round (see those in my previous post). Maybe the next one will be Stone? Or Lime? Too bad there isn’t a solid red among the new Cotton-Ease colors, I don’t look good in warm colors, so Terracotta is out. Anyhow, I’m really eager to discover the differences between the sweaters with different construction – both in how they knit up and how they look and act when worn.

This week I also cast on for the left front using the smaller size needles. For this I did a 2×2 rib tubular cast on all the way across, ending with one purl and one knit to get the end. After that I started the pattern and the cast on edge fell into place with all the 2×2 and 3×1 ribs. I worked on the rows up until they call for the switch to the larger needles.

For the right front cast on I’ll have to double check whether to do to purl one and knit one at the beginning of the cast on or the end to get it to line up correctly. I suspect it’ll be at the beginning, but I don’t quite trust my suspicious.

I think I’m going to miss Christopher Eccleston’s Dr. Who more than I’m going to miss Harry Potter.

Previous sweater entries: first, second, third, fourth, fifth.

Douglas Adams lecture, Is there an artificial god? – read the transcript or listen to the MP3. I miss Douglas Adams. Via Boing Boing.

Finding your camera’s manual online, at AT:Home Tech.

Sombrero wire manager, via AT:Home Tech (and check out that MacGyver Multitool!).

Blogging Toolbox, via Sundry Mourning.

Finding the fold on your site, at Swiss Miss.

Wow. Wilton has made a cake mold in the shape of a giant cupcake. This is pulling my Must Have Right Now Don’t Care Just Buy It strings. via Chow.

My neighborhood gets a Walk Score of 75, which is great unless you live here and know the area. The grocery story is a scary cigarettes-and-fourties corner shop, some of the restaurants listed are closed (and one is a church), and none of the bars are places you would go unless you had a death wish. I was amused to see that Seattest’s neighborhood in Wallingford scored a 71, but it’s a Far Less Likely To Get You Shot 71.

One of my current biggest fears is coming: bed bugs in Seattle.

Lee Rosenbaum’s take on SAM.

Shopping: Petaline focuses on artists from the Pacific Northwest. I love what they carry, and at the moment the fine art is catching my eye as I decorate my house. I’m not likely to have vases of flowers around, so why not paintings of vases of flowers?

Whaa! RIP Frites.

How to sew bag handles, easy felt box tutorial, glow in the dark cross stitch and zippered and slip pocket tutorial, all at Craft.

How to make a gypsy lantern at One Hour Craft.

Make a camera cozy at Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories.

Amy Butler’s new collection Nigella, pretty. At SF Girl By Bay.

I totally love this towel patchwork beach blanket at Simple Sparrow.

Worry #1: The 2×2 rib cast on row isn’t stretchy enough. The only way I can think to make it even more stretchy was to do a 1×1 rib cast on, but that looked sorta funny.

Worry #2: It’ll be an awfully heavy sweater. 50% cotton/50% acrylic isn’t exactly lofty, fluffy wool.

Worry #3: The color will always look like something else. I got Charcoal colored yarn but in some lights it looks dark navy blue and in other lights it looks like a faded black. And it photographs it always looks way off.

I was doing some research and came across these entries on the Ribby Cardi knit along site about combining parts so there are fewer seams: the body and the sleeves. It looks pretty easy and I might knit the sleeves in the round. I wish I had come across this before I cast on for the body. Maybe I’ll make some terrible mistake and have to start over? I’ve only gone through two balls of yarn and it’s cheap enough. Nah, I’ll make this first sweater according to the pattern to see how it goes. I have never seamed before so I could use the practice anyhow.

During my research I came across a few people who said the sweater turned out a little short on them. Despite most readymade clothing being too long for me, I decided to compare the length of my back piece to a sweater I like the length of. I’m glad I did, I know for sure I have about an inch to go before starting the sleeve shaping.

Previous entries about this here sweater: first, second, third, fourth.

reading:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Of course.

buyinging:
Neutrogena SPF 45 cooling body mist
Love this stuff.

sipping:
Columbia Winery Red Willow Vineyard Syrah
A gift from my Mom, thanks Mom!

eating:
Haagen-Dazs Sticky Toffee Pudding ice cream
Mmm mm.

needing:
new glasses
I’m having a lot of trouble finding new frames.

Last night Scott and I were innocently watching television when one of those local lovelies, the Giant House Spider (warning! picture!) ran across the carpet. You can read an accurately dramatic account of a similar encounter here at Sundry Mourning. I spotted it first and jumped up to stand on the couch and screeched “ohmigodSPIDER” to Scott, who dutifully went into the bathroom to get some toilet paper before he had a look at it. He came back in and when he finally saw it all plans of squishing it using his hands were abandoned. We couldn’t bring ourselves to smash it into our carpet so he ran upstairs to get a bowl to trap it under while I watched it carefully because as much as I fear spiders, this is one that you really want to know the location of. We ran around a bit trying to figure out the best thing to slip under the bowl – too flimsy or thick and we risked letting the thing get loose in the house. We found something that would work and Scott let the horrifying thing go outside, well away from our house.

Oh man I hope it doesn’t come back.

Also, I cannot enter a room without checking every inch for more giant spiders. As I sit here typing this I inspect under my desk every ten seconds or so.

Kate Spade is offering classic book covers you can download, print, and slip over that trashy novel you want to read at the beach. Via Shelterrific.

I accidentally made chlorine gas — should I start writing my will? at Ask Metafilter.

Boots No.7 Restore and Renew Serum will be sold at CVS pharmacies. At Coquette.

I love this fairytale glassware by D-Bros. At AT:Chicago.

Help me stay awake during my evening commute, at Ask Metafilter.

Bluelines on Vichy sunblock which has Mexoryl to block UVA rays.

Slave to Target on a deal between Target and Goodwill to sell returned, damaged or seasonal merchandise at Goodwill stores. So this is why I spotted some not-old-yet Thomas O’Brien curtains at Goodwill recently.

Make a whimsical cake at Baking Bites. Huh, I always figured those were made with cakes baked in bowls.

Secrets of pie crust perfection at Lobster Squad, via The Food Section.

Martha Stewart brown cupcake wrappers from her Crafts line, at Baking Bites.

Tips for making homemade ice cream softer at David Lebovitz.

Give it a rest, bamboo utensils with built in bumps to act as spoon rests. At AT:Chicago.

Bakespace.com, a new online community for bakers. At Popgadget.

What is this elusive dill pickle recipe? at Ask Metafilter.

101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less by Mark Bittman, at the NY Times.

New window film with the silouette of branches, via Charles & Marie. I have to get a good picture of the Geranium window film in my kitchen, I love it.

I’ve seen this wallpaper that creates the illusion of light being splashed across a wall somewhere before, it’s great.

Something that might be good for the stairs on my deck – Phillipa Aurelle LED Decklights, at AT: Home Tech.

Coolaroo outdoor roller shades with UV protection, at AT:LA.

Create your own artwork from magazines at Shelterrific.

Ever wish you didn’t move away from an old city? Yeah, Apartment Therapy’s pictures of Form Vintage Modern in San Francisco make me feel that, just a little.

And there is also the modern choose your own adventure stencil story in the Mission, neato, on Flickr.

Floor panel radiant heating, I will have this one day. This one allows for the actual floor materials to carry the heating tubes. At AT: Home Tech.

AT: Home Tech round up of LED candles.

Speaking candles, how charming is this campfire candle holder seen at Might Goods?

The Apartment Therapy shop is carrying these French soap hooks which look great for a kitchen.

Oversized murals for your walls. See also: how to paint a tree mural.

How to make your own linen sprays, AT:Chicago.

Green roof blocks, at AT:NY. I wonder if we could install these?

Help me choose a breed of dog, at Ask Metafilter.

What large bamboo will grow in containers? In the Gardenweb forums.

Visiting Orla Kiely London at Decor8, gosh what great stuff. See also: wood floor decoration from the store, at AT:SF.

Thrifted dresser facelift, at Craft.

Keeping an eye on this: recreating one of those dangly capiz shell lamps, at Home by Sunset.

Wall house, an energy efficiant tent over a house thing, I like. At AT:SF.

Pretty lace pattern drain at AT:SF.

Hidden door bookshelf at Instructables.

Apartment Therapy: Green Home has launched!

I took Shelly’s advice and clipped out the temporary stitches in the cast on (see those here) before I knit too far along. This way if the cast on was bad I wouldn’t have put a lot of work into it and starting over wouldn’t be as heartbreaking. Thanks for the advice Shelly! Happily, the cast on hem is just fine, you can see my transitional section from 3×1 rib to 2×2 rib here.

I’ve done about 8 inches and so far it’s been going pretty quickly.

The cabinet around our bathroom sink was built over the only air vent in the room, and the kickboard of the vanity has a low dome cut into it to allow the warm air to get into the room. This is sort of nice in the winter because the rug feels like it’s been heated.

Yesterday I was expecting some friends to phone to let me know when they’d be swinging by to pick up something. The friends were in town from far away so it was sort of important that I get the call. I had been keeping my phone nearby all morning.

Early afternoon found me standing at my bathroom sink putting on eye shadow and powder. I was digging through my bag to find a compact when my phone fell out, bounced on the floor and slid right through the opening in the kickboard. Then I heard a metallic thunk. I was bent over, cheek pressed to the rug, to peer underneath the cabinet to confirm that, yes, it had fallen right down into the air vent and, no, I couldn’t see it at all. That’s exactly when my phone started to ring. (Living in a sitcom? Why yes, I am.) It was amplified from down there and sort of made it seem like the whole floor was letting me know someone was phoning me.

I ran downstairs to get some tools and mostly jabbed at the bottom of the cabinet before I figured out the kickboard wasn’t too difficult to pry off. But then I had to reach under the cabinet and into the open vent that I couldn’t see into and pray my phone was there. First I came up with a very dusty toothbrush, yeech. I took a moment to gather my courage and reached back in. And there was my phone! Mostly unscathed! Out of town people were reached and all was saved, except for the slightly marred edge of the kickboard.

Secretly I was hoping my phone had fallen irretrievably into the midst of our heating system — which would mean I really did need to go get an iPhone.