Clotho’s Tangled Thread

Fan Girl February and What I Did on my Summer Vacation.

2012-02-02T10:11:00.005-06:00

Groundhog Day

Sumi-e saw his shadow as the sun woke us up this morning. 6 more weeks of winter. I actually hope that we get 6 weeks of winter. 6 days even. I want to play in the snow. It's snowed once and it was heavy and wet not good for playing and all melted by noon.

Fan Girl February!

Of the knitting almanac of last year this month is too good to miss. I've started it off by joining a Shakespeare swap. Shakespeare and a secret pal package. Two of my favorite things.

Another of my favorite things is the Midwest Weaving Convention. I went last year (I never miss it) and only now am I sorting the photos. 2011 was 10 days of yarny goodness in Michigan's upper peninsula.

It all started with finding a kennel for Joey. I don't travel much and Joey is great at coming along for the ride. But no dogs allowed in the convention dorms so Joey couldn't come.

He had a nice doggie spa to go to back in Illinois but the few places I'd tried since moving back had been horrible experiences. But with this trip I found the great place we use now.

How I found them is not important (recommended by my vet). The important part is how very many places I called before I found a place with room. Father's Day weekend and the doggie inns were full.

I start my drive Saturday afternoon with a car full of spinning supplies and 46 hours of books on tape from the library. I made it through my first two books. A really bad Doctor Who, although it was read by David Tenant, and the really great Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander. That's right, 6 hours before my first stop. Traveling alone is the best.

I'm on my 3rd book, The Sword in the Stone, when I decide it's time to find a room. It's almost 10:30pm. I pull off at the next exit and everyone if full. I pull off at the next exit and everyone if full. I pull off at the next exit and everyone if full. I pull off at the next exit and everyone if full. This is a long and reoccurring theme.

I've never had a problem finding a place to sleep before. It's after the 4th town that I realize the correlation of the doggie inns being full and the lack of people inns too. Lesson learned.

A little after midnight I've decided that I'm just going to have to sleep in the car in a rest stop but I'll keep on trying until I find a non scary one. Thankfully, two towns later I see a vacancy sign. It turns out that a person that had booked a 2 night stay didn't want to run his marathon in the rain or wanted to go home after running his marathon in the rain. Anyway, he had canceled his second night at the last minute leaving a room for me.

Oh, right, it was raining. It rained every day of this trip. And it was cold. Colder than it is today. The coldest last week of June I've ever experienced.

Worn and Comfortable

2012-01-17T20:07:00.004-06:00

My hot water bottle is about the same size and weight as Joey.

When we are sleeping together at night I can't tell them apart. That was the point of my getting a hot water bottle. Joey is crazy old and won't be sleeping with me forever and I can't sleep alone.

In the meantime Joey also likes the hot water bottle. He LOVES the heated corn bag, but the hot water bottle is washable and the corn bag is not.

So when he stays at the kennel the hot water bottle goes with him because they wash everything. He comes home with washed sweaters, washed bedding, washed blanket, even he is squeaky clean and washed. I also had them trim his nails. He is so sleek and pink right now. Nothing like the before photo above.

They just gush about the hot water bottle and how well it works. They also try to send me home in a towel to wrap it in, and new bedding, and a new pillow. They are super nice but do imply that I don't get him nice things. I try telling them that I leave his nice things at home so they aren't washed or peed on. I'm guessing that's why they need washing but they just might like washing things since they said he did great.

But even his nicer things at home are old and well used and I wonder about replacing them at this point. At this point I don't even buy the big bags of kibble. But while they are old they are still serviceable and comfortable even if they are worn and pilly, just like Joey.

There is a brighter side of him getting old. Now that he is blind and deaf he is an easy boarder. No more separation issues. No more hunger strikes. He's happy to see me when I show up but confused when I get him back home. His whole body says "This place? I thought we lived at the kennel now. Why are we here again?" It takes him a few days to get back into the groove of things. After all, at the kennel he stays in the office with the people, plays with other office dogs, gets dried liver sprinkles on his food along with being spoon fed pumpkin, and all the natural chicken apple cookies he can eat. Who wouldn't want to live at the kennel? I'm just glad that he wants me to live at the kennel too.

Heated Love

2011-12-28T00:18:00.003-06:00

I really love the Stash and Burn pod cast. Knitting, food, TV, Star Wars and most important our relationship with yarn. It's perfect. Nicole might be the power behind the episodes but Jenny and I are the same person.

Jenny loves her hot water bottle.

She loved it last year, she still loves it this year. She, like me, has a sleeping sweater and hat. She even has sleeping mittens. Or maybe that's Nicole but their places are cold enough that sleeping mittens are a good idea. So is my place.

I searched for a hot water bottle of my own but all the ones I find at the drug stores and Walmart are stinky red rubber enema bags. Um, No.

Amazon reviews say I need a Fashy brand water bottle.

I email Jenny (yes, I'm creepy like that) and ask her what she has. She is nice enough to reply that she has a Fashy.

Fashy are made in Germany and run about $20 plus shipping on Amazon.

I mull this over for a while and then I email a Doctor Who swapping knitter in Germany. She is sad that our favorite $4 China Glaze nail polish is €8 over there. Does she want to trade nail polish for hot water bottle? Sure! Fashy hot water bottles are only € 5.50.

Whatever € 5.50 is, but I do know it's less than a bottle of nail polish.

She can't wrap her mind around how I don't already own a hot water bottle and why a Fashy since they are on every grocery store, convenience store, and drug store shelf. I tell her Americana's aren't cool like that and does she want our nail polish or not?

3 bottles of polish later I get this in the mail.
I love it so much. It's a million times better than I expected. I fill it with hot tap water at night and it's still hot in the morning. It heats the whole bed and is warm and heavy and squishy and wonderful.
I love it so much I'm even knitting it a sweater.

Small Things

2011-12-27T23:29:00.003-06:00

Another highlight of 2011 has been nail polish. It all started with the Doctor Who swap and finding the right TARDIS blue nail polish color*. And then there was Amy and the search for all the colors she wears. But it's much more than that. It's a chance to spend small amounts on colorful things in small packages. A pick-me-up that doesn't strain the budget or overfill my apartment. It also satisfies my craving for picking out and playing with colors.

The polish that Kiddo gifted me for Christmas.

I love it and I'm wearing it now.

*China Glaze First Mate is my favorite David Tenant TARDIS blue. China Glaze Bermuda Breakaway is even closer but it's a streaky mess.

For a Matt Smith TARDIS blue I recommended China Glaze Calypso Blue or Barielle Berry Blue.

Winter Madness

2011-12-26T22:23:00.007-06:00

2011 has been a good year and one of the highlight of the year has been secret pal swapping.

The most recent swap was Winter Madness. In the madness of the holidays we didn't have to make the gifts along a theme. Who has the time with Christmas knitting? Instead we all sent a care package with everything needed for our secret pal to make something.

Confusing, right? However knitters understand that the best part is the making it our self so to receive a package of knitting bag, yarn, pattern, and needles is wonderful.

Mmmmmm tissue paper goodness.

Joey and I tear into tissue paper like children at Christmas.

The group shot is wonderful but it all ways looks so small and doesn't do it justice. There is much awesomeness packed into these small packages.

Cheery winter mitten pattern on project tote bag.
Yummy yummy yarn in my favorite shades of blue.

About this point I realize the theme might be mittens. Mitten stitch markers, mitten covered tape measure, mitten project bag, double pointed needles..... could my pattern be for MITTENS? It is! IT IS! Plum Blossom Mittens

I've already knit and blogged the mittens. Photoshop was holding these photos hostage. I'm thankful I have a computer and that I can access them again but not so thankful I'm stopped wishing for a new computer.

Knowing that tradition is important and that branching out is not done at the holidays my spoiler gave me exactly what I listed as my favorites-

Dark chocolate covered caramels, chai tea, and cocoa

And she still made something for me too, mitten magnets. Amazing.

For the hands in the mittens, nail polish and lotion.

Such a pretty color. My camera didn't capture it at all. It's the aqua of a 1957 Chevy. One with fins. A Bell Air Coupe. I didn't ask for polish or mention looking for aqua in Winter Madness. I did mention back in May that I really really really wanted this shade of color. So either she has a memory like a steel trap, dug through lots of posts, or has the ability to read minds. However it was done, it was a very thorough bit of spoiling.

Thank you, sprucegoose87, everything is perfect. but I bet you already know that.

Secret Something

2011-12-25T10:05:00.003-06:00

Last night I finished all the knitting for today and tomorrow and I was even in bed by midnight.

That leaves me free to knit whatever I want today. I think I'll cast on a secret something* for my dad. Knitting for family today makes me feel closer to them. I want them to have the love in physical form and to make him something special. Never mind that his Christmas gift was knit and finished last January so I knit him something else in July and that is finished too. Something special and new.

December hasn't been all deadline knitting. I've done some decedent knitting for me too. Plum Blossom Mittens in Valley Yarns Berkshire Bulky a wool/alpaca blend. They are wonderfully toasty warm. Colors Light Blue and Navy and I love the way they look with my new coat.

*oops almost said what I would be casting on- waves at family

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T19:09:00.002-06:00

Christmas eve, the culminating of a year worth of gift knitting. I'm down to the crunch but I'm telling myself I have plenty of time as I lay out my unfinished projects in the order I will be gifting them.

I've spent the day knitting on a project that needs to be done for the 26th. Now it's time to set it aside and pick up the one that will be opened tomorrow. Then tomorrow finish the one for the 26th. 26 through the end of the week work on the ones that will be opened on the 29th. Then 29th and 30 is for finishing the ones that will be opened on the 1st. The 1st I can start on the presents for the 12th.

I have a plan and faith that I can pull it off. However, next year I'm shopping the mall like a normal person.

Trouble

2011-12-02T10:03:00.003-06:00

I've picked my next project, a toddler sweater our of Mission Falls 1820 cotton. Cotton isn't really a decadent fiber but with the cost you would think this yarn is made out of pure gold.

This sweater just does not want to be knit. I've cast on seven time and ripped out inches of knitting more than once. I stayed up late trying to get the kinks out and as I was setting it down I realized that half of the sweater had two more rows than the rest.

How is that even possible while knitting in the round? That is a rhetorical questing. I know how that happens but it's such a noob mistake it's hard to believe I made it. I've never had a 100 stitches in K2P2 ribbing give me so much trouble. I've ripped it all out again and giving it a new go this morning.

Some knits are just trouble but I think this is a sure sign that I need more sleep. I also need some dedicated knitting time. 3 min at a time is not working out.

Maybe I need to cast on a simple hat. Maybe 100 stitches in K2P2 ribbing.

Decadent December

2011-12-01T10:19:00.003-06:00

This is the last month of my very own knitters almanac. Decadent December is for taking it easy and knitting those too special skeins of cashmere and silk. Instead I'm afraid it will be another Deadline December because I still have 4 projects to finish for Christmas.

Knitting in November was fabulous. Very freeing to just knit on whatever I wanted.

I knit hats for Operation Breakthrough.

The most notable is Nine Dwindling Cables knit in Brown Sheep Lanaloft Worsted, Violet Shimmer. I love the yarn. A nice hearty robust wool without mohair so it isn't itchy. It cables well. As I said, it's robust so it has body not drape. Maybe not the best choice for a slouchy cabled hat but it will be wonderful for mittens and weekend sweaters. I can't wait to get more.

I did finish a super secret boys sweater. I'm thinking of trying on the boy to be sure it fits before wrapping it up to give to him. I know that is completely weird but then again I know, and I'm pretty sure the boy knows too, that hand knit kid sweaters are really for the moms.

TARDIS Day

2011-11-27T22:03:00.005-06:00

As is known by now, Ashpags and I got together on TARDIS day to exchange our low-key swap boxes. While I handed over a mediumish box she passed me a smallish blue bag that is so much bigger on the inside.

It started with local coffee.

Banana socks and Ashpag made me a Corn Bag in a soft flannel. Corn Bag, what a strange name. It should actually be called Microwaved Awesomeness. I’ll be using this in bed at night. My place is sooooo cold.

Yarn nail file and the cutest little mini China Glaze nail polish!!!. China Glaze is my favorite. It’s to the point that when I bring up China Glaze is my favorite everyone answers “I KNOW” this is IRL too

Ashpags made me stitch markers. They are so very sweet.

I think Ashpags requested this colorway be made just for me. She will have to tell the story since I’m a little blurry on the details. It is so stunningly beautiful I was having a hard time catching my breath and maybe forgot to listen.

A project bag for the yarn. It’s lined and everything. I’m super impressed with the sewing. Super impressed!

A pattern from my queue to be the project. As if. Maybe in a year or three when “Donna Noble Has Left The Library” stops being trophy yarn. It is too perfect to use right away. In the meantime I’ve already knit one mitt from it in stash yarn.

Ashpags made the cards. She even MADE THE STICKERS! How cool is that?

Rose’s Doomsday mitts. I love them so much I’m never taking them off. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are brilliant!

The most squeezable Adipose ever. I made him a pair of Rose’s Doomsday mitts so he can be a Mini Me. I knit them at work. Everyone thought He, Me, My Mitts, and the mitts I was knitting was too cute.

While all the contents can be compacted into a smallish space this is not a low-key gift. This is the most thought out, skilfully assembled, wonderful, perfect, touching TARDIS Day box ever. It’s MAGNIFICENT.

Thank you Ashpags. I love it!

Knit in November

2011-11-10T00:13:00.002-06:00

This was supposed to be NaKnitSweMo. However, that was before casting on a sweater over 220 stitches, knitting an inch, twisting it, and knitting another inch before noticing.

I then decided I could NaKnitSwe light and just fishing a sweater this month would be enough. I pulled a sweater out of the UFO closest and spent the day looking for the pattern book. I never found it. That sweater is now back in the UFO closet.

Just knitting is my theme this month.

So far I've cast on a baby sweater, finished a pair of socks, cast on a pair of mitts, looked at other mitt patterns, and finished a hat. The new theme is working out much better.

Sock Yarn

2011-10-26T00:05:00.001-05:00

This is just perfect for Socktober

The cowl I knit for the Hometown swap won the prize. As such I received this gorgeous sock yarn from Germany. One is Trekking the other three are hand dyed by Handarbeitskram.

I've bought absolutely zero balls of sock yarn this year and yet I have more sock yarn than when I started. Nice.

Dismay, Irritation, and Avoidance

2011-10-25T00:22:00.004-05:00

I admit that I've been avoiding the blog because last time I pushed a Try This button and the whole formatting changed on me. I quickly pressed the No Thanks button in bit of a panic. I do not have time for a learning curve right now even if it is New and Improved.

The behind the scenes where I compose is back the way it was but the layout of the display was gone forever. Gone the pretty heading, gone the margins with my favorites, gone the font of the banner and the most dismaying gone is the easy to read type and no way to get it back. This type is the best of a bad lot and the only thing going for it is the g is charming. Also, it took me an hour to clean up one of the templates to show the way it is now. They were all so messy and cluttered and didn't do a thing to knitting photos.

I needed time to get over my dismay and irritation and to forget the way it used to look. I came back today and it is acceptable. It needs a banner but that will have to wait for someday I'm crazy busy and I'm starting another three study courses at work right now. And when I say at work I really mean study at home for work.

However, I finished my first socks for Soctober. Not for work, not even for me, but done.
A pair of Christmas Gift Socks knit from my birthday yarn. Knit Picks Felici Sport in Garden Gate a really pretty color that isn't available any more. I cast on 48 stitches and knit a plane vanilla 2x2 ribbed sock. Vanilla with stripes is my favorite.

edit to add- there is one nice thing about the new layout. Click on the photo. Isn't that nice?

Socktober

2011-10-02T22:10:00.002-05:00

Single Skein September is over and well done and it's time to move into Socktober.

Back in January I said

"So 6 pairs of work socks each to match it’s own particular work shirt. I think I can do this from stash but I’m not sure. It will be close.

So the other 6 projects will be anything out of sock yarn (even socks) just to knit down my sock stash so I can buy if I have too to meet the top goal."

My check in; 1 pair of work socks, 1 other pair of socks for me, 3 pair Christmas socks, 2 hats. So the 6 other projects are done and the works socks barely started.

It's time to get knitting on the socks, any socks, and maybe at the end of the month I'll go buy work shirts to match.

More Steampunk

2011-09-27T08:40:00.001-05:00

More of the projects I made for the Steampunk Swap.

Wire, beads, ribbon, and pearls what’s not to love?

The pattern is Sweet Nothing a knitted wire and bead choker.

Being my first time knitting with wire it came out a little derpy. And by a little derpy I mean fantastic but not quite even and that bothers me. I love it anyway and I will be making more.

Checking up on Ethereal August

2011-09-25T23:18:00.000-05:00

More projects that I made for the Steampunk Swap.

These turned out great. However, if I had noticed the Elm Leaf lace pattern was the same lace as the Zokni I might have picked a different lace cuff.

The pattern is well written and clear, after all it is a KnitSpot pattern, it’s just a person failing on my part that I don’t like knitting these particular lace leaves. At least it’s over quick

What did I like knitting? The handspun silk cocoon strippings yarn. The yarn turned out even better than I could hope. It has a subtle rustic shimmer and a nice crisp hand that loosens with use and comes back with a wet blocking. I bought the bag of cocoon striping as Midwest 2005? when I took the silk weaving class from Karen of Treenway Silks. I've been spinning it off and on ever since.

I made a matching Lace Choker. I knit it the night before shipping so I loosely followed the pattern not having time to master new techniques. Picot Cast On wasn't hard but as my first try it was coming out with tension issues. Instead, I knit it from the top down and did a crochet cast off. I'm going to knit one for me following the pattern

A delicate set, refined and rustic with a hint of dystopia about them, perfect for the refined space pirate.

Single Skein September

2011-09-22T00:23:00.003-05:00

Right, I'm posting the theme when the month is almost over. Steampunk swap has been all consuming of my crafting time and it was super secret. It's now been safely received so I can share.

My Cog Lily Fascinator made from one skein of M&K Linen.

I just eyeballed it and knit it not using a pattern. Crocheting around the wire was a challenge. Even more challenging was tucking all the wire ends away. I have nightmares of them getting caught in the hair. The pose-ability of the petals is worth it.

I attached it to an alligator hair clip and embellished with a flower pin and a cog. I’m quite pleased with how it turned out.

I'm going to have to make more hair things since it's impossible to buy a small bag of alligator clips.

Steampunk

2011-09-18T23:41:00.008-05:00

Ethereal August was all in the preparation for Steampunk epicness. I'll get to that later. Maybe next week.

And now onto the epic box from senjiva.

The first thing I opened was a beautiful project bag

I was distracted by the loot and didn’t look at it closely so more on it later.

Next was a cheerful small project bag and it was just stuffed full. Thank you for the Burt’s Bees lipbalm. I’m wearing it now and it smells delicious.

I clapped my hands with glee when I pulled out the chatelaine. It holds a locket, scissors, needle case with darning needles. There is also the sweetest hand made with love charm. senjiva I’m truly touched that you made me this. The chatelaine alone would have been enough but there is so much more in the box.

I love to read. This is a steampunk zombie book. Steampunk Zombie! I’ve only started it but the main charter is my favorite type, an ordinary woman. A factory worker, maybe poorer than most. I can’t wait to get to the burning dirigible. It’s about here in the unwrapping that I notice the ordinary woman theme of the package. senjiva did her stalking well.

This bookmark pleases me to no end. When I use it I feel special and fancy. Thank you. It’s little luxuries like this that brighten a day.

More small luxuries in not one, but two embroidered hankies. They are as delicate as air and perfect.

A needle threader which is so useful since my morning tremors are starting to become afternoon tremors and small tasks like threading a needle aren’t as easy as they used to be.

Buttons! Cog Buttons!! I’ve wanted these ever since the teaser photo went up. I even looked for them locally but couldn’t find any. I’m going to use them on Dimorphous Mittens and I’m very excited about it.

I let Kiddlet open this package and the first thing he did was this.

It took some doing to convince him it’s worn like this. I love the newsboy brim. The faded indigo blue is beautiful. The copper buttons are wonderful. It fits me like a dream in every way, my head, my style, it’s perfect!

a top hat for me to decorate. I see some goggles here. And maybe silk roses.

Wonderful tea in the best packaging.

Gorgeous cards! I love the gilt. I’ve already used them. Thank you

Tea biscuits barely show because I needed a close up. First is the Mango Ginger candy. I love mango and ginger I didn’t know I could have both in a candy. They are wonderful. Sweet and chewy with a kick at the end.

Finally, and this one made me laugh senjiva you won the day. You found a foot cream with hand knit socks and cogs. Cogs! Hand knit socks! I love it! Love.It.

(update, senjiva is friends with the publishing house that distributes this foot cream to yarn stores and cogs were put on one just for me)

We have to come back to the project bag. It wasn’t until everything was unwrapped that I truly looked at it. The simple drawstring bag is deceptively cool. First off it has a pocket on the inside. This is a most useful feature and I appreciate it. There is the sweetest little tag inside too. The top has a neat closure. senjiva I’m so impressed!

Because I love the chatelaine so very much.

Thank you senjiva everything is perfect.

Howtown Swap

2011-08-15T15:22:00.004-05:00

A great big thank you to Wyndfire for sending me this most amazing taste of Arizona.

I opened a large box that was so full that it was bursting with the State seal on top so I knew where I was visiting right away.

First is a jar of the Absolutely Delightful the most aptly named Prickly Pear and Mesquite honey. It starts with a light floral and fruit notes, explodes with mild sweetness, and ends with a smokey bitter finish. The taste is just dripping of the wild west.
Next is balsamic vinegar made by Queen Creek Olive Mill. Balsamic vinegar is a weakness of mine and I'm exited to add it to my collection. I haven't opened it yet but I'll reach for it first when I make my chickpea chorizo salad this weekend.
At this point I was sensing a theme and right I was. Next out of the box came Arizona grown chilies, a hot pad with an Arizona map, Arizona cook book (I'm making Calabaza Con Queso tonight!), and the sweetest crochet hot pad in the sate colors made by Wyndfire!

As much as I love cooking sometimes a person just wants to snack. The potato chips disappeared so fast that all I have is the empty bag to document they really existed. They were good like a dream and gone just as fast.

The Cactus Candy is made just down the road from Wyndfire's office.
It's deliciousness coated in sugar
(arty photo to make up for the bad one of the vinegar)

Now onto the state with maps and brochures and native flowers. I was flummoxed by Chocolate Flowers until I read Wyndfire's description saying there really are flowers that smell like chocolate. How cool is that? And just now I realized such a brilliant way to send chocolate in the 100 degree heat. Over in the corner is a mixed CD of music. How thoughtful. I'm touched in the care Wyndfire took in making it.

Now that my insides are fed to decorating my outsides. Stunning earrings in my FAVORITE gem amethysts which are found in Arizona along with the state gem turquoise. I lovelovelovelove them. The state mineral is copper represented in the bracelet. Finally, the coolest jade buttons made by the local company Greenbeans.
An Apache Tear (obsidian) and the story to go with it. I have a small display of very special rocks that I added this to.
Pima cotton yarn because pima cotton is native to Arizona named after the Pima Indians that grew it. It's a beautiful color and I can't wait to use it.
Remember the earrings? If anything could be better than those fabulous earring it would be this! Amethysts and turquoise stitch markers!!! And not just the regular stitch markers, oh no, but movable counting stitch markers! You know those patterns that say
repeat pattern 4 times and do decrease row, and about half way through line 11 of the pattern you've forgotten is this is your second or 3rd time through? No more going cross eyed while counting rows because these markers do the counting!!!
Patterns by Arizona designers. Too cool! I can't wait to knit them. (and crochet, although that one looks scary hard)

Looks good, doesn't it?

Thank You Wyndfire for a fabulous swap box.

Ethereal August

2011-08-03T11:05:00.004-05:00

Christmas in July is over and all the knitting is super secret so nothing to show. I have a nice dent in the list but it isn't finished. There will be another big push in November.

Also, I maybe need to pair down my list of people I knit for. It just might be out of hand. 15 doesn't sound like too many until I'm actually working on the projects. I need to get it down to 10 or even 7 or learn to sew. People tell me sewing is faster.

Since July was about knitting for other people here is a project I can show. This is what I knit for my spoilee in the zoo swap.
It's Giraffe from Itty-Bitty Toys. Itty-Bitty Toys is the best knitting book I've run across this year. The patterns are easy, well written, and just fun to knit. The cute in that book is unbearable.

I knit the whole thing out of stash yarn. The body is Mission Falls 1824 cotton that I stocked up on the first time they went out of business. The hooves are Brown Sheep Cottonfleece I've had since about 2004. The spots and mane are Knit Picks Crayon and as such are just so soft and fuzzy and pettable.

The best part of the whole thing is he is bigger than Joey! That tickled me to no end as I knit.

Now onto Ethereal August. It's too hot to knit. It's really too hot to have a large project in my laps. So this month will be lace. Wispy, airy, little bits of nothing lace.

Pet Platypus

2011-07-07T10:57:00.006-05:00

My Zoo Swap box came in the mail and look at what waddled out...

My very own Platypus!
Isn't he the cutest?
He came all the way from Idaho

First out was a skein of 100% recycled silk yarn. It's so pretty. The colors just glow.

Next out was a skein of hand dyed sock yarn in the colorway Playful Playtpus. Everything about this yarn is perfect. The colors are my favorites. It's a tonal variegation so will look great in a patterned sock. It has tweed flecks!!! A yarn couldn't be more perfect.

Next out was the spinning fiber. A fabulous pure white Corriedale. It's so clean with a nice crisp hand and beautiful crimp. It was the wonderful heady smell of clean wool. Soap and lanolin and sunshine and sheep. I'm just back from a 3 day spinning workshop and I can't wait to use what I learned on this fiber.
And the most wonderful, cuddly, sweetest, knit Platypus. I love him.

sheltiemama you nailed it. Everything is just right and so me. Thank you.

Christmas In July

2011-07-06T09:49:00.006-05:00

Not wanting a repeat of last year I started my Christmas/New Year's knitting early this year. Of the 10 people I knit for 5 are already finished. July is dedicated to finishing more. Wouldn't it be great to finish all Christmas knitting in the summer? The best part it's super secret knitting.

This is a good time to pull out the photos of last New Year's sweaters. Icelandic sweaters from The Best of Lopi knit in Encore Worsted.

The patterns call for a bulky weight yarn not worsted. I did a little math and cast on the size with the right stitch count and then knit the length to fit.

Mid Year Review

2011-07-05T23:03:00.003-05:00

I'm writing my midyear review at work and what an unpleasant task. So I decided I should take on a quick fun review of life. A review of New Year's Resolutions.

1. Empty my storage unit. It took 6 months but it is done.done.done. Done after a trip or 3 this weekend to gather the last bit of debris and detritus. I said it was going to be hard. I didn't even know. Financially, emotionally, and logistically. Nothing ever goes smooth but I like having all my stuff available to me. With it locked away it felt like I was waiting for my life to begin again. I have books again. A loom in the living room again. It feels wonderful.

2. Be wound just right. I started strong. Jan, Feb, and March A+. April B. May c-. June F.

A month that involves paying overnight shipping for a deadline, staying up late and getting up early to finish knitting for a deadline, asking for an extension on another deadline. Taking 3 scissors with me to a conference; one in my purse, one in my totebag, and one in my suitcase and yet with my taking my purse and totebag with me everywhere I go, not once did I have scissors with me in a class that called for them on the supply list. Loosing every pen I touch, and writing a check for Two-fifty instead of two.50.

Pretty much to be expected with the work load I've taken on and I love it. Everything was dealt with and nothing bad happened but it's time to regroup. As much as I can with Midwest 2013 looming on the horizon.

It doesn't need to be said that Vestune is spilling over into other months. I did knit up 3 of the 8 balls of the Tailored Vest but it's going into time out since the knitting load in July is high enough without it.

3. Knit 6 pairs of work socks each to match it’s own particular work shirt 1 pair done

4. Knit 6 balls of stash sock yarn knit into anything 9 done

Not bad for 6 months.

Vestune

2011-06-04T18:03:00.003-05:00

Mittens in May is over. What a busy month and not busy with knitting.

I did finish a little mitten Christmas tree ornament.

One adult sized mitten started.

Now it's onto Vestune when I knit a vest in June. June is going to be even busier than May. I tried to think of a different project for June but I just like saying Vestune too much. I'm going to go cast on now. We will see how it goes.

A Platypus and a Hedgehog Walk Into a Bar

2011-05-22T18:23:00.006-05:00

Every have one of those days when you feel like you're really good at everything?... No? Um... ok, then... me neither...But really? No?

This whole weekend is awesome sauce on toast!

Fantastic

2011-05-18T10:13:00.003-05:00

With all my deadlines lately I haven't had the chance to knit much. But I finally finished the socks from the swap yarn.
I'm very pleased with how they turned out.

Just a little basket weave pattern from my head on 56 stitches. Heels and toes in white.
They look like Christmas.

I'm a Nail Blog Now. Nail Blogs are Cool.

2011-05-17T10:20:00.006-05:00

I've never had luck with painting my fingernails. I have a tendency to pick the polish off when bored or nervous but after painting my toenail I decided to give my fingers a shot.

The 88 cent polish washed off in the shower but the more expensive polish did pretty ok. Well enough that I was encouraged. However, a single chip or flaw and my will power breaks and I'm back to picking at it.

A little Internet research that said I need a top coat which led to a midnight impulse buy of essie. I was hooked. A whole lot more Internet research ensued. It appears that I need a base coat too. Also OPI.

OPI has a cult following rivaling Knit Picks, or Jarrod Flood, or Sanguine Gryphon . I could see that after a really hard day at work a midnight bottle of essie would be great retail therapy. I also knew I would end up trying OPI and if the heaven truly opened up and angels flew out that my having the essie around would be a disappointment. That started my quest of finding some OPI now rather than later.

First, OPI is only carried in a few stores. Stores that I would have to visit on a weekend. I am not a fan to weekend shopping but I resigned myself. Waking up early on a Saturday did not make me love this plan. The plan is one bottle of OPI or maybe a sample pack of the apparently to-be-coveted-and-hard-to-find Pirates of the Caribbean that seems to be sold out everywhere.

I step into ULTA and am pounced by the sales lady. When she found out that I wanted OPI she took me strait to Pirates of the Caribbean without my mentioning it. Ok, good start.

I wonder and wander around and wonder. There are about 150 colors but there isn't a single one color I wanted. I could narrow it down to 15 or zero but not one. Also? No iced aqua or any aqua. Teal... check. Mint Green... check. No Aqua. I'm very disappointed.

Zero was not an option after getting up on a Saturday morning. Besides I like how my nails are growing out and not splitting since I started using polish. However, the colors weren't calling to me. Or at least not screaming and shouting.

I finally pick up 2 sample packs. I'm a sucker for a deal and I wasn't planning on having a repeat of Saturday morning shopping anytime soon. It's nothing like midnight shopping. Not one bit.

Eight tiny cute little bottles. I'm going to wear every color so I might as well start on the left end.

my ironic photo

I applied the polish on Saturday and it's Tuesday now without a single chip or touch up. I'm still unsure about the color which has led to a new game. The game of matching my nails to things.

My nails are the color of...

weathered brick

sun bleached wood

limestone rock

cement

pottery glaze

window blinds

my favorite sweater

angora bunny, or a hat knit from one.

remote control

Grandma's button tin.

also:
kitty litter
the bathroom stalls at work
the bird poo in the top photo
the letters on my keyboard

It's like having a Pantone swatch on my fingertips.

Simple Dog

2011-05-15T11:11:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, Joey spent 3 hours walking in a circles. At first I thought he needed out so I took him out. He spent the 20 min outside walking in circles. I brought him back in and he he kept walking in circles. A lot of walking for such a old dog. I finally convinced him to take a nap on the couch. I'm not sure what snapped in his old brain yesterday although he's never had much brain to snap.

Recently I ran across this. Exactly this. Joey's and my life summed up. I laughed until I cried. Then I cried. And I laughed. Oh Joey. My simple baby dog.

Mittens in May

2011-05-11T11:00:00.003-05:00

Elizabeth Zimmerman said the best time to knit mittens is the summer. They are small and light and don't fill a sweaty lap with great swaths of wool. That waiting until winter when mittens are actually needed is too late to give them the time and attention knitting mittens deserves.

I have 2 pairs of mittens in time out and a glove too. All have been there a year or more. By the end of May I hope to have them finished or decided they are done and throw them away. I just cast on a new pair of mittens too.

However, right now I'm knitting on a scarf and some socks. Mittens and self imposed knitting just isn't appealing today. It's hot. I'm exhausted and stretched a little too thin. My being wound just right maybe doesn't apply to May. But with some deadlines whooshing up by the end of this weekend it should be a little better.

Wrapping it Up

2011-05-09T11:49:00.002-05:00

Wild Abandon April is over.

It's been a great month of my Birthday, Fiber Retreat, and Doctor Who Swap. A month of doing and buying anything I wanted to. My purchases through the year are few and far between so I made sure and hit every shop that's important to me.
You see The Studio, Yarn Barn, and Webs in that pile. I also hit Knit Picks. Of course there has to be a stop at Dusty Bookshelf and I bought my first limited addition Tee Shirt from Ript. There is Eco + yarn in there along with Rowan, Noro, and Mission Falls. I ate out at my favorite Tia restaurant too. Maybe twice. And a mini blizzard from DQ.
Cotton Carders from a local fiber event KAWS where I took classes on spinning cotton and novelty yarn. I also bought naturals colored roving from local sheep, yarn made out of corn, and alpaca yarn spun at the only spinning mill in Kansas.

Yarn to knit scarves. After 10 years of not knitting scarves because they were too 'big and boring' I'm now knitting miles of scarves. Acres of scarves.At the Dusty Bookshelf I bought one book. When it's by Ursula K. Le Guin one book is all a person needs.

A tiny muffin tin since gluten free baking does better with a lot of wall surface area to cling too. Tiny muffins are all surface area. I didn't realize that half bites of cupcakes are addicting and I eat so very much more. But hey! It's Wild Abandon April so what's it matter?

And a complete impulse buy. After a spa night in February and conversation with friends on-line and off about nail polish I had a hankering to knit my toenails and make them all cute for my spinning classes. So I did.

It's Bigger on the Inside

2011-05-08T20:12:00.003-05:00

Day 14

Time to open the last package of the Doctor Who swap.

"It's bigger on the inside"

Hey! What's that?

A police box. We don't have those around here. Look! It's glowing.

Let's go peak in the windows.

What's that? It looks so big in there. How does it do that?

Wow. Are those controls? It's all so very Star Trek.

It's bigger on the inside!

Wow! Just wow. This is a perfect little TARDIS with glowing console that IS BIGGER ON THE INSIDE! It really is. A full 360 view from those little windows. I expect Doctor and Rose to come walking through at any moment. It's BRILLIANT!

Everyone all together now SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

onemilljellybeans Thank you for a wonderful marvelous swap box. It's FANTASTIC! You have made this the best swap ever.

Barbarella

2011-05-06T23:25:00.005-05:00

Day 13

"Go out there dressed like that, you'll start a riot, Barbarella! There's a wardrobe through there. First left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, it's the fifth door on your left. Hurry up!"

Today was a tiny little package about the size of a chapstick. Squishy chapstick. Our best guess was gloves, although really how could gloves get that small, or stockings or a tiny red bikini bottom. Although none of those was a good match for me or a Doctor Who swap.

Oh My Barbarella! This is perfectly stunning.

In my excitement I wasn't able to get a good photo of the whole thing. It's a long lace scarf of the most impossible blue.

Exquisitely knit and it's as light as a wisp of air. A wisp of air with neps.

amazing, beauteous, classy, delicate, elegant, fashionable, glorious, heavenly, impressive, jaspe, kalon, luxuriant, marvelous, natty, out of this world, pulchritudinous, quality, remarkable, spectacular, top notch, unique, valuable, wonderful, xenium, yowza, zephyr

There are no words in the dictionary capable of describing this.

A great big THANK YOU I LOVE IT! to onmilljellybeans

I Kept the Clothes

2011-05-05T12:10:00.002-05:00

Day 12

“Well I just saved the world…the whole planet for about the millionth time, no charge, yeah, shoot me. I kept the clothes.”

Oh yeah. Bow Ties are cool. Pink is cool. Pink and brown is even better. More sock yarn hand dyed by onemilljellybeans. I love sock yarn. lovelovelovelovelove sock yarn. onemill did a great job supplying me. I’m going to cast on as soon as I finish the other pair. This is just right for the Ducks May KAL. Yay!

Rexacoricotallapatoriu

2011-05-04T09:35:00.003-05:00

Day 11

“What else- what else? Hyphenated surnames. Yes! That narrows it down to one planet! Rexacoricotallapatoriu!”

“Oh yeah, great! We can write ‘em a letter”

onemilljellybeans is brilliant. This pressies is super sweet but something that would have been tucked away and not given the full attention it deserves in a group photo. A small unassuming package of hand made stationary with the sweetest little drawings. My photography doesn’t do them justice. They are super sweet. A hand written letter on paper like this and the receiver will know they are loved. How could they not?

It’s the same apple

I wear a fez now. Fezzes are cool.

Sonic me

Decorative vegetable

She was quite a knitter

Time And Relative Dimension In Space

Thank you and big squooshy hugs. I love them.

Only One Dalek

2011-05-03T00:18:00.003-05:00

Day 10

Sorry for falling behind but I’m as tired as he looks. But the first Monday of the month is over so everything is better until the last Friday of the month. Since that just past too I’ll be my happy, cheery, energetic, squeeing self again in no time.

Dalek Sec: “We would destroy the Cybermen with one Dalek! You are superior in only one respect.”
Cybermen: “What is that?”
Dalek Sec: “You are better at dying”

Behind the couch scary.

Good thing Pillow Bear is on the job.

onemilljellybeans made another awesome project bag. The stenciling is impeccable. So nicely done. We all had a good time teach Boy how to say EXTERMINATE in just the right tone. His squeeky young voice is perfect for it.

It doesn’t show in the photo but the tie dye of this bag has brown tones in it. Like coffee has been spilled on it. You can’t believe how much I appreciate that. It seems that everything I own gets coffee spilled on it at some point. This one is prestained. Thank you. And to show how tired I am I’m blathering on about coffee and the fabric rather than on how awesome the dalek turned out. It’s incredible.

Here’s some tiny cakes for everyone. Enjoy.

Five Million Cybermen

2011-04-29T10:37:00.005-05:00

Day 9
but most definitely not 10

"We have five million Cybermen. How many are you?"

The quote was much longer and is for Day 9 and Day 10. When I took them both over to the big house for Kidlet to open and share when he said

"Today is 9. This says 10. Tomorrow is 10"

I point out that they share the same quote so that's the same day really and couldn't we open 11 tomorrow?

"Tomorrow is 10. We open when you babysit"

Foiled by a 4 yo.

Ooooooo another knitting bag. I love knitting project bags! Just love them. It's another of onemilljellybeans amazing stencils. The details are just incredible.

"How does it work?"
"Tomorrow is 10. It says so"

It's bigger on the inside.

Allonz-y

2011-04-28T10:32:00.005-05:00

Day 8

No I didn't skip a day I just can't count. The last two were 6 and 7.

"Allonz-y, Alonso!"

Dépêchons ...Tout de suite...Allez, vite!...Vite, vite!

Voilà le cadeau!
onemilljellybeans has outdone herself again! More sock yarn dyed by her. I love sock yarn. J’adore ça.
This time in a nice neutral colorway. I'm thinking sock for my dad who still yells Vite, vite! at us when he wants us to hurry up. The skein is generous man sock sized.
I'm already knitting as fast as I can. I'm trying to get her last batch of yarn finished before the end of April so I can use it as this months Sock Stash Knit Down. The yarn is just stunning and everyone that walks by as I'm knitting has to stop and admire it. Yes, it's irresistible. Even unflappable Sumi-e can't leave it alone. Irrésistible

Allonz-y

Superheat Infusion

2011-04-26T00:41:00.002-05:00

Day 5 and 6

Tuesdays are crazy for me so I won’t be online to post. Also, it’s my birthday and it’s after midnight so it’s tomorrow too. All rationalizations for me to come home and tear into two of the pressies.

They had the same quote.

“superheat infusion of free radicals and tannins, just the thing for healing synapses”

5 is big and heavy and square. Oh yeah. I’m getting aaaa mug I’m getting aaaa muuuuug

But which one? The Dalek one? The phone box one? The one with Five? The one with Eleven? The Amy one? Why doesn’t Donna have one? Oooo the one from Donna’s temp desk? Do they make that? They should. One of the million million on Cafe Press?

It’s THIS ONE!

The TARDIS disappears on one side and reappear on the other when hot liquid is put in. I tried to get photos but they didn’t show the awesomeness. Think of how cool that looks. Multiply it by five. You are now on the same planet of cool but no where close. It’s that cool. It slowly fades out getting fainter and fainter. I can actually hear the noise. It’s That Cool!

Computer. Earle Grey, hot.
nonono wrong fandome

I have some synapses that need healing.

Let’s open 6

Aaaaaah yes.

Cups for Hope

Organic Earl Grey
Organic Assam Breakfast
Organic Orange Sencha

Thank You. I love it!

The Image of an Angel

2011-04-25T11:45:00.003-05:00

Today I'm so glad onemilljellybeans made me wait and open one a day. What Birthday fun!

"The image of an angel is an angel"

I love knitting bags! Lovelovelovelovelove! The fabric is marbled, well, just like marble! It's a gorgeous washed denim blue. The seams so crisp and strait. The image is perfection.

Riiiiiiiiiight the image.

"Your life could depend on this. Don't blink! Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast, faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back, don't look away, and don't blink. Good luck."

Riiiiight. Now I'm scared to put my knitting down. Best creepy episode ever.

Also

"Now all the knowledge and wisdom that is in creatures, whether angels or men, is nothing else but a participation of that one eternal, immutable and increated wisdom of God, or several signatures of that one archetypal seal, or like so many multiplied reflections of one and the same face, made in several glasses, whereof some are clearer, some obscurer, some standing nearer, some further off." Ralph J. Cudworth

See? Weeping angels are just creepy. Beautiful and creepy.
Ack. Don't. Blink.
I really hope this bag is immutable.
Ack.

I think I'll go put it in the freezer.

Hippo Birdies Two Ewes

2011-04-25T00:24:00.005-05:00

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

And it just keep on coming. This has been my best birthday in...um.....EVER!

Us dancing to the card.
By the way, when I opened it that was a squeee not a shriek of terror..
Move it!
I like to move it move it. I like to move it move it.
Move it!
I like to move it move it. I like to move it move it.

Now no one can mock me for taking a regular coffee mug in the car. Kidlet’s Mom was with me looking for edible ball bearings or shrinkydinks when I saw the cup and squeeeed but walked away. Very subtle and much appreciated.

I though maybe, just maybe, I was getting shirt when Kidlet’s Dad texted me on Feb 29 asking what size shirt I wore. Not as subtle but in this case being safe is good. Also, every site had a Who shirt that day just because I know they are Woot fans doesn’t mean they don’t visit ript or teefury. Scratch all that. I didn't think it but really really really hoped it. He could have been asking about the bot shirt I had just bought.

Kidlet’s Mom picked up the book when… well…. I don’t know when. I drug her to LYS two times picking fiber for spoilee’s yarn but she never bought anything. It has a new way of knitting toes and heels flat but no seaming. I'm especially excited to try the heels .

Kidlet picked out the card all by himself.

Nine is waving. Thank you all so very much! It's so very Fantastic! I love it.

Move it!
I like to move it move it. I like to move it move it.
Move it!
I like to move it move it. I like to move it move it.

Picker's Delight

2011-04-24T19:18:00.003-05:00

In all the thank you posts I finally had to download March's photos
off the camera.

The most notable is Picker's Delight one of the patterns I won from Stash and Burn.

In my stash I had 11 skeins of Jo Sharp Silkroad Ultra bought to make a sweater. But deep down I knew that wasn't enough. So, instead, I turned into a truly huge scarf. Huge scarf with huge stitch definition.

I chose to cast on 49 stitches and knit until the yarn was all gone. The pattern's nice. Easy enough to be quick and enough going on to keep it interesting.

Satsuma

2011-04-24T10:06:00.002-05:00

Day 4

“You go through all those presents and right at the end, tucked away at the bottom, there’s always one stupid old satsuma. Who wants a satsuma?”

Well I do of course!

I was online teasing about opening #4 at midnight. I’m so glad I waited until morning for this. It’s perfect.

The Easter bunny left the package next to the basket.

It’s a good thing I’m an early riser so I found it before it got dew covered or a child came along thinking Easter is for them. How wrong they are. Sure they get a basket with chocolate peeps but I get…

… THIS! Being an adult is so much better.

Kidlet is happy with his chocolate peeps. Now neither of us have to share. He get’s the peeps and I get truffles. Easter bunnies and onemiljellybeans are the best.

Party!

2011-04-23T16:00:00.006-05:00

Paaaaaarty
PARTY!

I come home from the soccer game to a box. What? Another box? I wasn't expecting another box. Thank You tammo!

I rip into it and after having a really good time squeeeing and smooshing and sniffing I look down at this.
Right. I had better stop and take photos.

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Yesss!

Made of WIN!

And Free Trade Coffee. Perfect. I love coffee. Free Trade is even better. I'm going to make a cup right now to celebrate.

2 balls of KP Felici Sport in Garden Gate. I just love the colors. It's so soft and smooshy. I'm going to cast on right now.

2 balls KP Felici Sport in Picnic. I really really love the colors.

I'm now wondering how I can knit 3 pairs of socks by tomorrow. I want to knit them all RIGHT NOW!

Bonkers 50% Tencel 50% Merino in beautiful Emerald Forest. Tracy is a local dyer and her colors are always stunning. Also, her rovings are so very lofty and never compacted from the dyeing. I'm going to have to spin a very special yarn out of this. Maybe lace weight to make it last longer. This roving is very beautiful. Thank you.

Just look at all the gorgeousness.

Thank you.

thnakyouthankyouthankyouthnakyouthankyouthankyou

Seriously, Thank You!

Run For Your Life

2011-04-23T14:55:00.003-05:00

Day 3

Because of the quotes on the last two projects I had an idea of what might be in the package before I opened it.

Not this time.

Wow. Just wow.

onemiljellybeans dyed sock yarn. It’s beautiful. It’s stunning. It’s brilliant. It’s…It’s…It’s…
FANTASTIC!

As I was winding it into a ball I was thinking on projects. It’s so soft and pretty. Should I make a hat? A Scarf? Some gloves. It would be a shame to waste this sock yarn on feet.
Riiiiight… sock yarn…feet…Run For Your Life.
So old and full. I need a bigger head.

Ok. Socks it must be. I peruse some patterns but have to attend a soccer game before picking. I start on the cuff knowing I can chose a stitch pattern when I get back. Something to break up pooling. Maybe a slipped stitch pattern.

My shock as I knit

The yarn is SELF STRIPING! It’s (censored) (censored) (srsly look away children reading this blog censored) SELF STRIPING!

**SELF STRIPING!!!**

Bow Ties are Cool

2011-04-22T01:07:00.003-05:00

DAY 2

It’s after midnight and I’m really tired having stayed up late just to get to tomorrow. This post will be a little more subdued since it’s hard to squeeee with gritty eyes.

onemilljellybeans' letter says “Bow Ties are cool”

Oh yes they are.
So very very cool!

Sumi-e comes over and checks it out.

Sumi-e does not squeee. He’s not the squeeeing type.

I can’t imagine why not.
Or why he is so angry all the time.

I am the squeeeing type. This is perfect!
I haven’t thought I was the hair bow type until I put it in. My hair is just the right cut to wear this. I love it! It turns out that I’m the hair bow tie type. onemilljellybeans took notice when I said that I loved the subtle. I’m wearing this to work tomorrow and nobody will know it’s Who but me. I really really love that.

Big squoooshy hugs to onemilljellybeans. It’s totally worth staying up late for this.

Bigger on the INSIDE

2011-04-21T12:30:00.004-05:00

Squeeeeee

Thank You onemilljellybeans thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou

squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

and one more time for emphases

SQUEEEEEEEEEE!!!

I received my Doctor Who secret pal package today! I will do my best and only use lots and lots of ! and not boldly shout every single word!

I knew this box was full of WIN the second I laid eyes on it
and
and….hmmmm… two weeks….hmmm….a little worried about that……..fun. FUN! is good

forget all worry and lay it out
The box IS BIGGER ON THE INSIDE! Look at that loot! Ok…gasp…under control again

Joey comes over and SQUEEEEEEEEs
Yes. That is his squeeeeeee face. He is very reserved. He is squeeeeeeeing like a 11yo girl on the inside. So am I!

I stop to contemplate crack on my box wall
Now I am worried

I stop and read the letter. onemilljellybeans you are an evil evil evil person and I LUVZ you forever for it. A person after my own heart.

That right there. #1. That one…
…is all I get to open today.

That’s right! If I can keep control of my squeeeing fangirl insides I get 2 weeks of opening FUN! I don’t know if it’s the worst or best part she nicked the idea from me.

Stop right now if you don’t like

Spoilers!

I would squeeee again but all the air is gone and I may be seeing little black spots around the edge of my vision. That is so totally awesome!!! !!! !!!
The outside is FREAKING AWESOME! Look at that stitching! The textured leather cover! River Song is going to knocking on my door asking for it back.

But wait! There's more.

The inside cover is awesome!

The inside is MADE OF AWESOME!

Did I say I wouldn’t shout. Ignore that.

Also? Hand model is never allowed to touch it again. Ever ever again. I may never be allowed to touch it again. Except that I love blank books and I love using them too. While my scritchings aren’t worthy the beautiful outside will class them up.

And to prove I’m a good obedient girl Everything back in the box until tomorrow.

Tomorrow may come at midnight. Just saying.

Knitters Know Everything

2011-04-15T09:24:00.002-05:00

Knitting fan sights are the best. Look! what they found me.

And I'm off to KAWS. Spinning classes here I come. Also! Mary Zicafoose is my hero. Off to have dinner with her and my 120 closest friends.

Wild Abandon April

2011-04-09T08:43:00.002-05:00

I had grand plans for April's theme but I scrapped them for even better one. Wild Abandon April! Sometime last summer, on my knitting list, people started talking about birthdays. About how they don't celebrate them anymore. Someone posted, dripping with disapproval, about how a coworker celebrated a birthday month. A Birthday Month! I didn't even know that is an option. Sign me up. So Wild Abandon April it is.

First, and I do mean April 1st is Joey's birthday. Baby Dog is 14. When I started his cancer treatments 5 years ago I made a deal with him that he had to live to be 13 for it to pay off. Him being a dog and it being cancer it's wasn't really a deal I thought he would keep. Not only did he make it to 13 he lived each and every day of that year and is still going.

Second is yarn. I haven't bought yarn since the beginning of November. That's five months of not buying yarn. Five long, hard, arduous months of not buying yarn. So I'm buying yarn every week in April. I had better get on that today or I'll miss this week.

Third is knitting whatever I want. As much or as little with no thought of finishing or goals or contests or anything. So what am I knitting now? Christmas gift socks that I can enter into a contest. Also, a lace shawl also for a contest. But whatever I want. Right?

March is over and I haven't taken photos. But I did finish things. I actually finished four. I may pull out the camera today. Or maybe not. Wild Abandon April! Oh baby, I live a crazy not taking photos life.

Who, Me?

2011-03-22T11:19:00.002-05:00

The scarf is finished. It's a little short but I ran out of yarn. I have faith that it will lengthen with time. Long scarves always get longer with wearing. Or if I want to hurry it up when I wash it I can hang it to dry instead of laying it flat.

The fringe turned out great. It only took me about 5 do overs to get it even. Not bad. The cast off edge was more difficult than the cast on one. It kept on spreading a bit and the same fringe looked a bit thin on that side. I finally fixed it.

Making the fringe is Easy Peasy. I used one full skein of yarn for the tassels. I cut the skein in half (that’s 2 cuts). Divide each half into 9 equal groups. Evenly space the nine tassels along each end. Using a crochet hook make Lark’s Head Knots. That's it. But easy doesn't mean quick. See above about pulling it out and put it back in about 5 times. It's worth it.

Thank You!

2011-03-14T09:37:00.003-05:00

I received my prizes for being the grand prize winner of the Slogalong hosted by my very favorite podcast Stash and Burn. I was listening to the new episode and about dropped my knitting when I heard my name. Right there on the air!
And what a fantastic bunch of prizes it is too! The Shetland Trader pattern book where I want to knit about every single thing in there. Some wool/silk/cashmere sock yarn from Pigeonroof Studios that is way too nice and soft for socks. I'll use it to knit the hat or shawl from The Shetland Trader.
A messenger bag from Yarn Play Cafe. I love messenger bags and I now carry it everywhere.

Finally, a whole bunch of pattern downloads. I'm already knitting Pickers Delight and I also received the patterns for Seedy Slouch Hat both from Christa Knits. Then from our very own Sarah Wilson the patten for Red Velvet. I like look of the drapy vests so I'm excited to knit it. Then two patterns from Robin Ulrich the gorgeous lace shawl Fontana and the sweet little wrap Brandywine Falls.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, everyone!

So in honor of Stash and Burn March is going to be March to the Finish. A month of taking UFOs and finishing them up taking them from the to do list to the done list.

While I had grand plans for March and knitting, this month it is kicking my butt making me want to go back to bed and stay there until July. So to take the pressure off of myself I only expect to finish one thing a week.

Hmmm one thing a week. That's still quite a heavy goal for knitting. I'm dedicating this year to being wound just right. So March is half over and one thing is finished so finishing two things seems much more in line with the possible. Oh, I feel better already.

Pithy Knitting

2011-03-01T07:02:00.004-06:00

The lettuce I planted on Feb 1

Notice the bare spot in the center? Damn cat. I knew going in that I had a plant eater of a cat and yet I did nothing except to try to train him to leave it alone. That works about as well as that sounds. However, I've started feeding Sumi-e a little more in his food dish at night and the lettuce is bouncing back a little.

I'll camouflage the mowed down lettuce with a little more fan girl knitting.

It's Elizabeth Zimmermann's Very Warm hat. When I learned to knit I asked my instructor if I could only buy one book which would it be and she quickly answered Knitting Without Tears.

To this day I credit that book with teaching me how to think about knitting. If it doesn't look right it probably isn't. Have a cool idea? Well, do a gauge swatch and just knit it. Her patterns are always so simple and so brilliant and written so that any weight of yarn can be used.
I knit this hat using fingering weight yarn scraps. The black side is alpaca, the softest alpaca I've ever felt. The black is Henry's Attic Alpaca left from weaving a scarf. The color scraps were passed off to me by another knitter and the ball bands long gone. Since even the softest alpaca makes me itch the inside is Jojoland Melody.

I noticed a trend in my fan girl knitting as the month went on. Dr Who, Harry Potter, Elizabeth Zimmermann are all British. I like that my themes have developed themes.

Upward and onward into March.

Hermione

2011-02-27T20:53:00.005-06:00

I love Hermione Granger and all her knitted hats. I picked the one from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

This hat must have been knit by Mrs Weasley since Hermione doesn't pick up the needles herself until Goblet of Fire. I love how she starts S.P.E.W and leaves little knitted hat all around the commons room in Gryffindor tower.
Pattern is loosely based on Cables and Bobbles Hat knit in my favorite Cascade Eco. If I had to knit in one yarn forever this would be it. The larger yarn was a good choice for this hat. It made the patterning stand out and while it's a touch snug but I know Eco will bloom and loosen in the blocking.

I didn't like the anemic bobbles I saw on so many hats out there so when it became bobble time I really bumped them up and did then nice and big.
I'm really pleased with how this turned out. Maybe someday I'll make the matching mittens.

Donna's Scarf

2011-02-27T20:08:00.002-06:00

The knitting part is finished because I've run out of yarn. It's not as long as it's supposed to be but once I add the tassels it will be plenty long for actually wearing.
The holding the yarn double worked well for adding the texture.

Yarn Cascade 220 Sport 6 balls (and I really wish I had 7 or even 8 for a longer scarf and more tassels)

Gauge 3 spi
I’m using a size 6 needle but I knit loosely. Most would need a size 9 at least.

With yarn held double through out
Cast on 31
k1 p1 rib, slipping first stitch of each row.

knit until scarf is long enough to wrap around neck once and still reach to the knees. Add tassels with large knots.

Save at least one skein of yarn for tassels. Tassels should be long enough to reach from knees to top of boots. 7 to 8 inches on me and I'm shortish. Even better, make the tassels first then knit until the yarn runs out.

I also knit the hat Rose is wearing the last time the Doctor see her on New Years Eve and the last time we get to see him, David Tennant, as Doctor.
Sockhead Hat, the same one I knit before. It still kills my hands. I still can't stop making them. When I saw Rose in it I sat strait up in my chair and, of course, I had that shade of purple in the stash. Really, it's the hat being in the show rather than the show having the hat that made me knit this one. I'm such a fan of the Sockhead Hat I'm casting on another one. Once I can feel my fingers again.

Sqeeeee!!!

2011-02-18T11:19:00.003-06:00

I just melted into a puddle of want. Knitting. Iceland. Photography. Music. Food. Iceland!!! Ponies. Sweaters. Can we say Iceland? I don't think I'm going but I do think I'll get a passport so I can dream about it. Do I dare post a link?

ps. I took a class with (not from) and read his blog back before anybody else did. Back when it was a photography blog and not a knitting blog.

Iceland...Knitting....Photography...Photography of Knitting...

ICELAND!

Dr Donna

2011-02-12T00:16:00.006-06:00

So part of work is that I received 2 Amazon gift cards.
It's probably not surprising that I spent one of them on Dr Who DVDs. I'm saving the other one... for Dr Who DVDs.

So of course for Fangirl February I must knit some Dr Who knitting! This project is just falling into place. My favorite companion is Donna. With Donna at his side 10 finally gets some depth. This season is deeper, funnier, sweeter than the others and my favorite. I'm only a little bitter of the way Donna is written out. Ok, maybe a lot bitter. The problem is Donna doesn't wear knits...

Oh boy was I wrong. As soon as I pull out the season to look again, on the very first disk, at the most opportune time she is swathed from head to toe in knits. A sweater coat that is to die for, my favorite color of purple gloves, and a scarf. A most spectacular scarf. If there is ever a moment that I personally identify with Donna it's now. She is standing on the hill explaining how she knows what she wants and is out looking but it seems like she will never reach her dreams. And she is wearing a scarf!!!

I will have a Dr Who scarf and not a TB one that people will know a mile away. This one wouldn't be spotted even by the people in the know. And the best part? Nobody has knitted it! Ok, I don't believe Nobody has knitted it but a quick search on Google and a detailed search on Rav (more than a million knitters) and I can't find a one. That's enough for me.

It's crazy long and a vibrant color of deep blue turquoise. It has good drape and flow with a bit of texture. For the longest time I thought a waffle stitch.

This is the screen showing it's just huge yarn. The texture is huge knit stitches.

Now the problem. I'm only using stash yarn.
My stash cupboard. That yarn is a little too light.

This yarn is just the right color and I have a lot of it and it's thick. However, I can't wear mohair around my neck. I just can't. I also can't knit a crazy long Donna scarf and not wear it.

But I do have this yarn. I'm supposed to knit jammie bottoms out of it to go with my sleeping sweater but I maybe don't have enough. I bought all the store had and it still might be 2 balls short. Because of that I haven't cast on yet. It is super soft and a nice Turquoise Green.

In the sunshine much more Turquoise blue. It's sport weight not extra bulky so I'll have to double it. It's also not as much yarn as I would have chosen but I'll knit until it's gone and that's how long the scarf will be.
I also pulled out my purple yarns. The one on the right is the exact color of her gloves. The one on the left I actually bought for gloves... last year... the year before... Long before the DVDs. This whole project is just meant to be.

I Love My Job

2011-02-11T22:17:00.003-06:00

Wait. That's not right right. Let me mull that over. Nope, still don't love my job. However, there are parts of it that I do appreciate. Like my supervisor.

A few weeks ago something went down. I checked on it every step of the way doing due diligence on little information. As soon as it was over I knew it was incorrect. I went to my supervisor and she checked into it for me and said it was good. I said it wasn't. She checked again. Still good. So good Big Boss came out and told me I worry to much and that I did fine. I let it go. I knew better but I had done all I could and, besides, maybe I was wrong.

But it ate at me. I let it rest for 20 days before going to Supe again and saying I still didn't believe I had it right.

Instead of telling me that "No, seriously, we had this conversation 20 days ago. I, The Supe, looked into it then and it's fine. Let it go already." she got a whole bunch of important people involved pulling them away from their regular work and looking into it when I know none of us have any time to spare. Really looked into it deep. She also did this after Big Boss said it was fine again just that day. He's the one in charge of this and new and I can tell all the supervisors are scared of him. I don't know why, but they are.

And when it finally came out that I was right as I knew I was (which is the whole point of this story. Everyone thinks they are right. I strongly suspect she thought she was right too. I know for sure Big Boss knew he was right) and that my being right actually meant that I was very wrong. What did she do? but fill up my cube with Balloons and Thank You cards. It was mortifying.

Her cube shelf is devoted to all things Twilight down to some pretty smancy action figure dioramas. A real fangirl there. I liked the books. I really like the costume designer Tish Monaghan and her use of super cool knitted accessories. So I knit Supe the hat Bella wears in Eclipse in gratitude.
Except I can't give it to her. I was doing my job. She was doing her job. Even filling my cube with balloons and cards is part of her job. My giving her that hat would mortify her just as much as the balloons did me. I'm ok with that. I even think it sort of funny.

What I can't have is her to start thinking of me in any way but what she already does.

While no one else there would think anything of a hat she might start to think that people think that we are friends. And then she could think about talk of favoritism. And in that she could start holding me tougher standards when picking. I could be passed over, not helped, or given, or even earn as much if she had to think about what others might think. Right now, I have received more than a fair share of notice it is because I get things done. Nothing else, and it has to stay that way.

So I knit the hat in thanks and this time it truly is the thought that counts and nothing more since it will only be a thought.

February Gardening

2011-02-05T23:54:00.003-06:00

February is just the right time to think of plants. February through June. By July the magic has worn off and the drudgery in hot weather has set in. But February is the best month, the dreaming month, when gardening is all unicorns and butterflies, and when the short days are really grating on the nerves and anything green would be a welcome change.

February first was a blizzard and I was driving home in white out conditions. It had taken me an hour to drive 10 miles and I had another eleven to go. I just had to stop driving for a while. I'd also had an hour of snow to think and dream on this so I pulled into a Walmart and bought everything for an inside garden; a window box, dirt, a light, and some lettuce seeds.

I've always grown plants with them doing very well for about 8 months and then needing repotting and finally dieing after about two years. That was until I was given a small green Rubbermaid container of dirt. It was a special blend of 3 expensive dirt and my inside growing changed. It turns out my problems were all from inferiority dirt not a lack of care as I had thought.

I can't bring myself to pay the money to recreate that blend but now I do mix my cheap ass dirt with a tiny bit less cheap dirt.

I mix and I mix

and I mix some more
Rocks to keep my cheap ass dirt blend from clogging up the all important drainage holes.

I'm not a believer in transplanting when doing container gardens so I direct sowed into the growing pot. I'm also not a believer in treating them any different than any other house plant. No heating pad, no covering with paper, no coddling. I just deep water the first day and once a week after that.

But I am a believer in lights. I just found out this winter that the energy saver bulbs can be used to grow plants! The 23w=100w is the one I'm using on a 12 hour timer. The lettuce seeds sprouted on day 4 the spinach on day 5. That's a full 5 days sooner than the package said.

I'm so excited about this it's all I can do not to buy more flower boxes, more lights, more seeds, never mind that I don't have the space for them. Also, this set up cost the amount of 10 bags of lettuce and I can't believe that I'll be able to grow that much. I'm not even sure I can grow more than one salad worth. It doesn't matter. I'm such a fan of February gardening.

Fangirl February

2011-02-04T09:26:00.004-06:00

New month with a new cutesy name. And what does every cutesy named blog need? A fangirl!

I'm going to geek out and maybe even squee a little this month although I may be too old and too solidly midwestern reserved to *glomps*. Unless it's a bunny rabbit. I luv to snoogles a soft fuzzy wuzzy bunny rabbit...Ah, wait, where was I? Right... Fangirl knitting.

My only caveat is I have to knit from my stash. I know how I am. I would go to every LYS, browse all sites and order 6 different yarns in magenta just so I could have the right match. Then I'm left with 5 colors of magenta and I don't even like magenta. So knit from the stash.

Jumping Out

2011-02-02T22:30:00.004-06:00

Jump in with January is over. I finished one thing for next Christmas. One kids sweater.
I did better on my 12 pairs of socks. Two of them are this years Christmas but I have evil thoughts about squirreling them away for next.
I like how holding two sock yarns together blend the colors. I also like I only have to cast on 44 to 48 stitches to make Men's sized socks.
I don't at all like how being off by 4 stitches can make the sock go from fitting around my Dad's 10 inch foot to My brothers much much bigger foot. Even so, I'll be knitting more double stranded socks.

I also finished one of the 6 socks for work.
The yarn is Knit Picks the pattern Mock Cable Lacy Toe Up Socks except that I knit them top down. I frogged them at work and started them over from memory getting some of the details wrong, like forgetting to mirror the pattern.
A nice match for my favorite shirt.

Finally, I finished a scarf. 2 rows alternating of Noro and purple hand spun.

Jump In January

2011-01-14T16:40:00.003-06:00

This is working out really well except that I'm having the same trouble that many knitters before me have mentioned. It is almost impossible to knit a year in advance. Everything I've knitted on the last 2 weeks are gifts. But 2 of the projects are hangovers from this Christmas/New Years, one is for right now, and one more is supposed to be for next Christmas but I will gift it as soon as it's finished. So of the 5 projects on the needles only one of them will get squirreled away for next winter.

I can't show photos of any of the projects I'm knitting right now so let me dig up some old ones. I feel like this year of cutesy themed months was spurred on by Slogtober which I did well in but never posted the results.

LFS I finished sweater is great. Good color. Good shape. Mind numbing to knit. The finished sweater is worth it but never again.
Every part of knitting this was a joy. Maybe not the part where I shortened the gorilla arms with a pair of scissors but all the rest was a joy. It took me a while to warm up to the finished sweater. The neck wasn't quite what I imagined and it took a while to forgive it that. Bonus, I learned a new way of applying Icord. It's in one of EZ books and is the best.way.ever. Being Elizabeth's way I'm not surprised.
This is the third* and last time I have knit this yarn. First into a failed sweater, then into a failed wrap, now it's a successful Clapotis. I finally found a project worthy of my pink handspun.

*The failed wrap post seems to think that was my 3rd time knitting it. For the life of me I can't remember another incarnate but maybe...

January Snow

2011-01-12T22:39:00.002-06:00

I love January. The fresh year. The only month we really have snow. The very best part of all is no wind. It all adds up to one of my favorite months of the year.
I love shoveling light fresh snow to clear the driveway on a windless day. Wearing a hat and mittens and sweater and not needing a coat from the exertion. Working outside right now makes me feel alive and makes my blood jump and lungs crackle.
I love wearing the layers and layers of knitted clothes inside. Sweaters over sweaters. Legwarmers over long underwear. Hats and fingerless mitts to bed. And no wind. Come February the wind will kick up and no matter how much I wrap up my windows it will leak it's way in through the walls and nothing is warm. But in January I can be cold and warm at the same time. This is knitters weather.
I also love the January secret pal boxes.
I opened this one up right before getting in the car for the annual January trip and I forgot to take photos. I love everything in this box. The spring green yarn made from corn, the pink and burgundy spinning fiber and the mixed batt by Drunkard's Dyelot is all wonderful and so me. It's like my secret pal took a look in my stash to find just the things that I would get for myself but didn't. And the dark chocolate orange. I love that too. Thanks Batty! It's perfect.

Jump!

2011-01-03T21:40:00.004-06:00

A few weeks ago as I was working on Slogtober all through October, November, and December I had the idea. Wouldn't it be fun to have a theme for every month in 2011? Like a modern day Knitter's Almanac? I mulled this over from time to time but was held back because I couldn't think of a cutesy name for January, the very first month.

Until today! Today I was mulling over ideas for what I actually want to be knitting in January and it's my Christmas presents for next Christmas....getting a jump start... Jump into January!

I don't want a repeat of this Christmas when life got in the way but I had some knitting obligations I felt like I had to fill and zero time to do it in. Also, I've just picked 2011's year's New Year's Kiddo's sweater theme and want to start while I'm still excited about it. And the best part? The part that truly shows my brilliance. No Photos! It's all a secret. Yes, I'm starting a blog thread with a month I can't blog about. I love it!

I've also joined a Rav group that has the goal of knitting 12 pairs of socks this year.

In the past I've had a jobs were I had to dress up but couldn't wear knitted socks just hose. I've also had jobs were I could wear hand knit sock because it didn't matter what I looked like. Now I can wear hand knit socks but I need to be dressed nice too. In a matching outfit, nice. All my hand knit socks are fun bright colors. All my work shirts are pink, lavender, and aqua. Hard to wear rusty orange socks with that.

So of those 12 pairs of socks 6 of them need to match a work shirt. To make it into my work wardrobe. I wish it was all 12 but looking through my sock yarn it might be hard to make 6. Not much pink, aqua, or lavender in there.

Loosing The Twist

2011-01-02T23:07:00.003-06:00

I normally don't do New Years resolutions but had thought to do one this year.

The last 3 months I have been a little exuberant with purchasing. I had a whole post composed in my head about consumerism and re-examining my life of plenty and making a resolution to not buy anything for the next 3 months to make up for the last 3 months. And as I was going over my spread sheet of all my purchases of 2010, with a little look once and a while at my yarn spreadsheet for fun, playing with the graphs and pie charts. I do love a budget pie chart. When a little voice bubbled up in the back of my head....

"You know, you are wound a little tight."

This is said to me from time to time in my Tuesday night spinning group (I miss that group). Mostly I take it as a complement. I think I'm wound just right. But in a flash I had a glimpse of what she is seeing.

After all, with the last 3 months being an exception, last year I spend $40 or less a month. Sure, I could go to zero as an experiment for 3 months and make it too. Or crash and burn and have yet another missed goal to beat myself up over. But what would it matter? A months worth of grocery money in my bank account. And while that is good the pay off doesn't seem to be worth the sacrifice.

So instead; I will keep up my spreadsheets tracking all my spending and my yarn because knowing gives me pleasure and power too. To keep being mindful of my Quaker faith and with that embrace living simply. To empty out my storage unit. That last is a real goal that will impact my budget and my relationship to stuff in a fell swoop. It will be hard too.

Finally, to keep on being wound just right.

Food in My Teeth

2010-12-27T23:47:00.003-06:00

Today I was named Producer of The Month for January. The really big boss came and shook my hand. The big boss told me he was proud of me. Regular boss gave a speech about me. My photo was taken so I can be on the work TV all month. I think I had food in my teeth. Even if I didn't, I was super uncomfortable about the whole thing and couldn't make a natural face for the photo. At least I was wearing one of Mom's necklaces and a sweater I knit.

Yes, the month of January. This is not because of something I did last month, or something I did once. This is for superior work every day for the last 6 months. Miss America is crowned for the up coming year not last. I am just petty enough to notice I am the first from my group to get this. After that? Meh.

I do what needs to be done. I help people. I do the job I'm paid for. That's why I'm paid. I get bored so I do more work. I ask people about what they are doing when they fix a problem I can't fix so I can fix it next time. Or actually, since I don't have the authority to do anything how to get strait to the people that do. It's surprising where they end up. It's no more, no less, then I do all the time. Every job I've ever had. My knitting projects. It doesn't feel special.

My test is next week. After months of being told we had to pass it on the first try, I was just told I really had 3 tries. What a complete relief. I should actually pass it on the first try now. Under the pressure I'm not sure I could have pulled it off. So one week, or maybe 3, and I can go back to blogging about knitting. After all, it's the important stuff.

Nobody's Keeping Secrets Around Here

2010-12-23T00:12:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was the Secret Santa reveal at work. I wasn't there. I was having the best Christmas shopping day evahhhh. I was collecting my normal wage while doing my own thing. This is the first time in my life I've had a paid day off that wasn't involved with driving cross country or puking. I am doing it again. In fact, it might be the only kind of day off I ever take again. Well, except for that driving cross country trip in June.

And since I can't let anyone down I did go to work and drop off my own Secret Santa gift. I thought is more fun since I didn't label it and I wasn't there. Sneaky. Fun.

So today, on my desk, was my last Secret Santa gift. The big one. There was a book. 2 bars of dark chocolate. And the best part? The part that made me laugh? Index cards! I love it. I also needed them. I was out again.

Working... Every Night and Day

2010-12-21T00:30:00.002-06:00

All I've been doing is working, thinking about work, dreaming about work, and then thinking about work some more.

I'm trying to get my insurance license. It's the first time I've been paid to study. Add that into my department head putting his head out on the line to tell his bosses that he can have all 12 people pass on their first try and then my team lead picking me from her group, me who had only been under her for 45ish days, to represent her and I have a big pile of "don't mess up and disappoint anyone" stress and guilt churning in my gut.

I know my team lead is stressed too since she used to work under Big Boss before. I'm not sure what one has to do with the other but she is counting on me to make her look good with him and I can tell she is worried. Google says that 30% of the people that take the test pass that means 70% don't.

So I've been making flash cards. The little stack is the ones I got right. The big stack the ones I need to keep studying. This is an old photo and shows chapters 1 through 4. We are on chapter 14 now so the stack is much much Much larger. However, the stack of the ones I know is larger too. The two are about equal in height right now, the questions I have down pat and the ones I have no idea. We are covering 6 more chapters this week and then the test is next week. I have to call and schedule it but I admit to dragging my feet a little since learning all 6 chapters by next week is intimidating.

But while this is a work post it's not a test post. Instead I'm writing about something cool about my job. It's the break room. Not the Internet cafe, or the skeeball and basketball hoop in the break room at the other end of the building. (I came up with the theory about 3 years ago when taking tours of offices and design studios the cooler the break room the more the company expects and the less of the chance to use it. That is true. I haven't yet touch a skeeball. I'm just happy to make it to the restroom and get caught up on my work email during my break) No, this is about a little child-sized book case in my break room.

The bottom shelf has Connect Four and Monopoly and Chinese Checkers (see above on how usefully they are) and the top shelf is lost in a sea of news papers. It's the middle shelf that is cool. It's a little lending library where people drop off book they are finished with. Most of the time we are pounded with work but once and a while, on an odd Sunday, an 8 hour shift will have 12 calls and we are tied to our desk unable to do anything but wait to be set free. That's when the lending library is so nice.

There are only about 20 books. Most of them are romance novels and then comes the Christan inspirational books, which leads to the christian romance novels. A nice smattering of mysteries with a person that seems to enjoy British ones best. A book on raising chickens is tucked in there and a little SiFi with Robert Silverberg's Lord Valentines Castle. I think the same copy that was on Dad's nightstand most of my childhood years. Sitting between the bodice rippers is an odd copy of Ayn Rand that I always mull over. Ayn Rand, here, among the light reading. However a new book takes the cake. Debbie Macomber just showed up on the shelf. A knitting novel just shows up. Just like that. How cool is my break room?

Things I Like

2010-11-07T20:38:00.004-06:00

I like the time change. Ok, not really. However, I did like going to bed an hour early then waking up an hour early. Not only did I get an extra hour of sleep but I got an extra hour of Sunday morning quiet too.

I also like that butter nut squash is in season. I bought 6 tonight. I now have weeks of roasted butternut squash that I can then turn into cream soups, mashed casseroles, or just eaten with butter ahead of me.

I also like how roasting one can raise the temperature in my apartment by 8 degrees. It warm right now but that won't last. 8 degrees can be the difference between really cold and almost hot.

Boom Chanka Bow Booouw

2010-11-01T21:23:00.002-05:00

Take it off, Baby, take it aaall off.

Today is the first of the month after working for 90 days (it only feels like 294) and I finally have time in my PTO bank. 3 hours and 14 min. Oh yea! Baby, we are going to have a sick day with that. I'm going to have to have a talk with someone tomorrow.

But seriously, it's been wearing on me knowing I can't call in sick, take off time for my brother's doctor appointments at KU Med, or even have a vacation day. Ok the vacation day I'm just bitter about, the stress is knowing I can't call in sick even when I feel like ass.

So in the spirit of November I'm dedicating to blogging about things I'm thankful for. No. Thankful is too strong a word. I'm thankful for family and friends and that the miners got out alive. My November is for smaller things I like. Things that I appreciate, that make me smile, or that I enjoy. Little happy things. Like 3 hours of paid time off.

Trick-Or-Treat

2010-10-31T20:59:00.003-05:00

Slogtober has done well for me. I'll get photos up soon. Speaking of photos I haven't even finished blogging all the projects I knit in Single Skein September.

I was lieing in bed this morning wondering if it was possible to even get out of bed in such a cold room when the heat turned on. It turns out that it was still set to 55F from last spring. Truthfully, I don't mind. I feel that it still counts because I didn't turn it on, and really at colder than 55 I'm not sure I could get out of bed. I was trying to figure out how to call into work with my mind when I heard the click of it turning on. I went ahead and bumped it up to a nice 62F and I can hear it running now. Such a sweet sound.

It's Not You, It's Me

2010-10-30T22:39:00.002-05:00

We need to talk. I know we just spent a nice weekend together with my browsing and buying from your sale bin of overstock colors and fall specials.
I've noticed you've been working out with your smoother strands and lighter skeins. You also have a whole new line of sexy colors. It seems fitting that you have raised your prices again. After all, a sweater of your yarn still costs less than a sweater at a yarn store and you are worth it.

But at the rate I knit and more importantly at the rate I buy yarn I can't keep up. We have grown apart and I have to move on.

I'm always going to treasure our time together. The purple Wonderful Wallaby is my favorite hoodie. I love wearing it so much I sleep in it some nights. Your yarn is the only one that I have unraveled a sweater so I can knit it again into a new sweater. I've always talked about doing that but it never actually seemed worthwhile until your sweater developed a hole.

I suspect that at least two of the colors I received in this box will become too special to knit. That no pattern will live up to the potential and it will be trophy yarn.

As we step into our new chapter I will always cherish you and wish you well, but I have to move on and do what is right for me. To have a chance to knit other yarns. This is good bye, Beaverslide. Keep your chin up. You're going to be just fine.

Baby It's Cold Outside

2010-10-29T23:49:00.002-05:00

but it's even colder inside. 2 more days until Nov 1st and I can turn on the heat. I'm thinking of staying up until midnight on Sunday so I can turn the heat on right then.

Now having said that, my thermostat says it's 68F right now as I sit shivering in my long underwear and a sweater on over a wool vest. I normally heat to 62F. The first bit of cold always hits me hard and then I get used to it.

Then again, I'm so cold right now I don't believe my thermostat and I think I'm going to buy a thermometer to keep on my kitchen table so I can tell what the temp really is. I've said I'm going to do that for the last 10 years in my last 4 homes. It's probably me not the thermostat.

I still don't believe my thermostat.

Avoidance

2010-10-22T12:15:00.003-05:00

While today is dark and looks cold it's really warm and nice. I knitted outside for a while just enjoying the day. I received my last mosquito bite of the season and picked 7 beautiful ripe tomatoes that I turned into a fresh tomato basil salad for lunch.

I finished the applied I-cord and picked my FLS back up again. There is no way I can face the thumbs of those mittens. I don't know why, no bad feeling wrapped up in that project, I just don't wanna. So I'm avoiding them by finishing other things. I only have 2 balls of yarn left and this sweater is done too. Then I'll avoid the mittens some more by washing dishes and maybe scrubbing the floor. Project avoidance is so productive.

Sureal

2010-10-21T23:21:00.002-05:00

Today was one of those days when nothing goes smooth. I leave for work 5 min late, which is fine because I always get to work 10 min early so I can have some calming breaths at my desk before logging on. I make sure my water bottle is full. I put my knitting where I can look at it. I pull out my favorite pen and my To Do list is reviewed. Leaving 5 minutes late I can't fill my water bottle but the rest is still ok.

I'm driving to work watching traffic, thinking about but no longer listening to the radio, and starting to watch the clock when I notice that there are crazy amounts of flashing lights on an exit ramp. I watch the lights like I always do. I never get to see the wreck or what is going on because I can't get my attention away from the flashing. I actually have no idea how other people can. It wasn't until I had driven past that I even realized that was my exit.

Now I really am late and I get to my desk full of adrenaline and that starts out my day. No moment of calm. From there on out I only have interesting calls. Say that mildly, even coolly and that's how it's spoken of in the break room. Interesting actually means so very much more. I call my supervisor with so many questions I start to wonder if she cringes when she sees it's me. Is a car covered from rodent damage? What is the law on cross company discounts in MN?

Thankfully, I have a meeting at 3:00. I love meetings. It's a nice calm, sane, quiet part of the week. They feel important and I actually get to spend time with my team. Although I'm new enough I still don't know half their names. Sometimes we get stickers and balloons. Often there is candy.

Today is not a team meeting but more important or at least more random. It's about a new hoped for program that's been been talked about here and there since I started. I expect more of the same. I took my notebook and went prepared to spend a nice quiet 30 min learning about the company's long term goals. I love company goals meetings. They are less fun and whole lot more professional but I can be pretty sure nobody will expect me to contribute and I can just sit.

It is about the new program but not at all in the way I expected. The talked about hope is now real. I'm one of only 8 chosen to start. It's a possible promotion that requires weeks of intense training and then a passing a test. Heavy influence on possible there but I'm up for a promotion before I've even been there long enough to have any time in my PTO bank! That says something pretty nice about me, I think. It also means I finally have a grown up job. What is a grown up job? It's a job that I get to bring home with me and spend my nights and weekends working on it.

I normally wouldn't mention something so soon and so tenuous so early in case it comes crashing down but since it's going to affect the knitting...

It could go two ways

less knitting time and a whole lot more dysfunctional coping yarn buying
or
more knitting time and a whole lot more dysfunctional coping yarn buying

Wow...just, wow

2010-10-18T22:50:00.002-05:00

Today, our computer systems were just limping along. They are never the fastest turtles in the pond but today was bad. Very bad. There was a day this summer they had the dignity to completely crash giving us nothing but a white screen. That was ok. The queue was short because it was an apology and moving onto the next person.

Today, the computer would chunk out the answers. So we would wait and wait, sometimes being able to process some times getting denied so it had to be started over again. All day the computers got slower, the wait in the queue got longer, the room got louder. I now know the weather in every state and the names of most of your dogs too and what you are having for dinner. About 8 pm I started dreaming of having PTO so that I could request tomorrow off, just in case. I opened up my PTO bank and would just look at it's emptiness. That emptiness is the most empty kind.

Tasty Treats

2010-10-16T23:32:00.003-05:00

Today was someone's 4th birthday party.
I gave a box of alphabet beads. I'm surprised at how well they were received. We can spend some quiet time sorting colors and stringing words. I like quiet time. Lots and lots of quiet time. Mmmm quiet time and almond butter on caramel rice cakes. Nothing beats that combo.

I think I'll go make me one now.

Applying Myself

2010-10-15T20:46:00.003-05:00

Today was a good one with a friend coming to visit, shoe shopping, and eating lunch at my favorite Indian Restaurant. Never mind the missing my exit on the way home, a lake between where I was and where I wanted to be, and finding out the (almost) hard way that my car has a 16 gallon tank rather than the 14 gallon I always thought.

I've picked my next project for Slogtober. It's my Noro birthday sweater. I'm applying the applied I-Cord. I read how to online and watched videos on YouTube. What a pain in the butt.

That is until I pulled out my books and found EZ's instructions in Knitting Workshop. It's brilliant, fantastic, and super easy. Using 2 double pointed needles and picking up the stitches as I go. I'm going to apply I-Cord to everything now.

Nevermind

2010-10-14T23:18:00.005-05:00

I still love the coffee but things are back to what they were. Just 45 min after my last post I was wondering if I would even make it into work. This will be the last I mention of since I have little tolerance to people that go on and on about something but don't do anything about it and I'm not planning on doing anything, not now. I finally have health insurance again but I have an HSA plan. I think I'll really like it except it doesn't actually help me until the new year. So I won't do anything until the new year and knowing my aversion to doctors it would take worse than this to go even then.

Look! a bunny

A Little Love

2010-10-13T10:57:00.003-05:00

I love the Internet. Just today I've expanded my vocabulary by looking up the meaning of cosplay, Sumatra, and pants used as an adjective. I've joined an Elann fan club. I check it before starting any project in the home. It's how I found out how to pull up, wash, and restreatch a carpet after water leaked into my basement. It's because of the Internet that I can knit the way I do.

I also love Sumatra Fair Trade Coffee. It maybe because of the dark roast* rather than being grown in Sumatra but my churning sickly stomach is all gone. poof! just like that. I've eaten so much since I ran out of my last batch of coffee and started this one that I'm sure I'm packing on the pounds. Food smells good again! It might not be the coffee but nothing at my job has changed for the better and nothing at home has changed either. Nothing much at least.

*A long time ago, when I was a bank teller, the Starbucks manager came in 3 times a day to make a deposit. I mentioned liking coffee but had problems with many of their drinks unless it was the frozen variety since the ice diluted it to a point I could handle. The manager said I should be drinking dark roast because...well, I don't remember the because but I think he said the dark roast has less acid in it.

Huge Mistake at Work

2010-10-12T22:51:00.002-05:00

ok, ok maybe just a smallish but very irritating mistake.

Supervisor, not even my own direct supervisor, although I think perhaps a higher ranking one.. O, right the story... Ok... supervisor comes to me and asks of me and she qualifies it first with if I want to, and only if I want to, be sure to say no if I don't want to, no pressure at all, but would I please be willing to move shifts.

And what do I do? I agree to it! I'm an idiot and unable to say no if asked and I'm told I'm needed. I did say Saturdays are verboten and I can't change my Tuesday shift either but do as you please with the rest of them.

I'm not going to go and withdraw my permission but I will be sure and put my name in the next shift bid that comes around.

Autumn

2010-10-11T22:48:00.004-05:00

I love fall. The weather is fantastic. The insects are thicker than ever but there is hope that they will die soon. Caramel is in season.
There are festivals every weekend from the first weekend in September to the last one in November.
And squirrels have started stealing the tomatoes so I don't have to deal with them anymore.

I love fall.

Classic

2010-10-10T20:52:00.003-05:00

It’s raining a black rain on our tragic hero dressed in a ragged coat while his hat of thick thin hand dyed yarn has a hard worn distressed look to it even when new.

It’s a classic Dystopian story to be sure.

After all dystopian stories are so much more interesting than utopian ones. Matrix, Minority Report, Blade Runner, Fahrenheit 451, the list is longer than my arm. The only stories I could come up with that are even close to an Utopia is the Federation in Star Trek, Gattica, Pleasentville, Lost Horizons and we know how those turned out. Corruption from within, people living on the fringe, all trying to hold it together as it slips away because, really, what is interesting about an Utopia?

Utopia Cable Hat my dystopian version knit in Cascade Jewel a thick and thin hand dyed yarn. Everyone or Ravelry said it ran small or at least short. Since it's a Christmas gift for my brother and he’s a big guy I’ve done 4 repeats of the bottom cable. I think it turned out plenty big.
Look away from the cat hair. There is no cat hair in the photo.

Then I knit an Utopian version in Dream in Color, Classy. Another hand dyed yarn but it's smooth and crisp letting the cables pop. This one I knit to pattern. It is an odd length but I don't think too short. I'm not a fan of the top shaping and would do it different next time. It's also a Christmas gift.

Autumn Festival

2010-10-09T19:53:00.003-05:00

Today was the Autumn festival that I vend at with my friends. 6 of us share 2 tents for a fun day of selling fiber arts. I also have soap and candles .

It was a fantastic day of mild weather and good friends and good food. Really good food. I started the day with a caramel coffee, my brunch was buffalo wings from the buffalo burger booth. Afternoon snack, a combination of smoked and candy roasted almonds washed down with fresh squeezed apple juice, followed by a dinner at Waldo Pizza. Yum.

It's actually sort of funny how I go on and on to my booth mates about how I just don't sell my knitting as I'm laying my knitting out with price tags on it. Like that makes me believable.

But what I mean is I don't knit to sell. However, I did knit 10 hats to go with my winter coat this year. So last night as I was rounding up my soap inventory and realized I pretty much have none I pulled out my basket of knits and priced them. I kept my 3 favorite hats (and all the hat's I knit in years past that I had worn) and priced the rest. Same with my mittens, cowls, and my huge stock of baby sweaters. I figured that if any sold that I would have a bit of yarn money.

Now to decide what to spend it on.

Second Chances

2010-10-08T14:41:00.003-05:00

I knit on my lunch breaks at work. Usually socks because they are small, easy, and so very portable. I was knitting some of my very favorite Fleece Artist yarn into a lace patterned sock when I noticed the stripes on the bottom of the foot.
I love those stripes. I haven't bought much hand dyed sock yarn that does stripe. It took me knitting the whole foot to be sure about the stripes.
I was sure. I ripped them out and started over in a nice simple 7:1 rib.
The sun blew out the stripes on the photo but they are there.

I'll knit the pattern ones again, only in a solid colored yarn this time.

Headless Photoshoot

2010-10-07T10:53:00.003-05:00

I always thought the headless photos that run rampant on knitting blogs and project pages was because knitters as a whole are shyer about posting photos of themselves online than other groups. I now know different. It's just so hard to get photographers that are willing to take endless knitting shots that we will use whomever we can get.

The next set of photos was taken by a 3 yr old. I adjusted the settings, put it on auto focus, wrapped him up well in the strap so the camera wouldn't drag on the ground, showed him the button, and reminded him not to touch the lens. That last one got me an eye roll. Everyone knows not to touch the lens, silly.

I told him I wanted photos of the vest. At that point he took over telling me where to stand, sit, and he took me at my word and took photos of the vest. Just the vest. He also took several of the other SSS10 photos and with each hat or cowl photo he took there had to be a pause to take another vest photo.

Bramblewood Vest knit in my favorite crazy big skein of Cascade Eco I didn't even use all of the one skein, the leftover ball of yarn is the size of a lemon. I cast on September first and finished 2 weeks later.

The pattern is fine but I struggled with sizing. With bulky yarn there is less room for error. At 4 stitches to the inch a few too many stitches and the thing turns out huge. I knew I wanted it big enough to go over shirts but not so big it was gappy. So while the knitting was quick and easy I was nervous about it the whole time. The sizing turned out ok with my fiddling with it.
However, like bulky weight vests often do, it flattens my bust and at the same time accentuates my muffin top.

I'll wear it anyway since the color is perfect with 5 of my work shirts. I'm nothing if not predictable in my wardrobe choices.

Mods: I left out the back cable so it would be flat sitting in an office chair all day. In doing that I used a fewer stitches on the back to make up for the loss of cable. I also moved the side shaping to back darts for a better fit.

The only vest photo with my face in it.

Cigarettes and Coffee

2010-10-06T11:24:00.002-05:00

In college I had a friend spend a semester in France. When he came back and I was grilling him about what it was like, how was the food, and are they as thin as they say on the news?

The answers were the food on campus was ok but nobody ate at the cafeteria instead they lived off of cigarettes and coffee.

Then I asked, thinking of slender women, french clothes, lipstick every day, all tres chic, if they were prettier than American woman...

The answer was "They look like they live off of cigarettes and coffee"

And that's how I feel right now. Food doesn't sound good and worse it doesn't smell good.

I haven't been grocery shopping in weeks. I know I should go but the thought of going into a place so full of food is disturbing. Coffee does sound good. I crave it all.the.time but when I drink it my stomach starts churning and I'm pretty much done for the day. I've been living off of vegetables and plain rice because it's easy and nonthreatening? Nonirritating? Readily available at least. I've lost another 8lbs and add that to the weight I've been loosing since starting this job I now weigh the same I did in 1989.

I'm tired of feeling like death warmed over so I've been doing something about it. I've walked every day for the last 3 weeks. Not far, just around my building on all my breaks or downtown and back in the morning, maybe a mile tops. That hasn't been enough to help so this week I've made a point of cooking every day. Monday was a pork chop and that sat ok. Tuesday was pumpkin curry and that was iffy so today is turkey vegetable soup.

The glossy circular from the grocery store just came in the mail, and without the smell or the thought of crowded aisles, with food being shown as single photos it had a look to it that I could handle. I've started a list. I'm thinking about a trip this Friday.

Sockhead

2010-10-05T10:08:00.003-05:00

September I knit 10 projects using 3788 yds of yarn. That is a crazy amount and I need to take the time to document it.

Labor day weekend I knit 2 hats. This is one of those times I look at my ample stash and I have No Yarn! I have over 40 balls of sock yarn on hand and not a single one was right for this project. Finally, I chose a ball that I have been saving for years to knit a pair of toe up knee high socks. Sorry, knee high socks. Maybe I'll find a different yarn to knit you in.
Sockhead Hat knit from a 100g ball of Opal yarn. It took 4 solid days to knit and my hands ached at the end. I knit in the car, I knit at a BBQ, I knit at work, I knit at home, I knit while watching TV, I knit outside. I knit and I knitted.
And after all that how could I not put in on the cat?

The hat took a lot of yarn but not the whole 100g skein. So with great hope I pulled out the yarn I had wanted to use in the first place, a single 50g skein of Jojoland Melody

And while I cast on for this hat on Sunday and bound off the last stitch on Monday 36 hours later (and how my hands ache after that) this hat wasn't the joy to knit of the other one. I actually knit it so fast since I knew if I set it down I would never pick it up again.

First, I am very tired of knitting this color. I look great wearing it but this is my 5th project this year and I'm bored of it. Second, the bounce of the Jojoland was hard to control. It lively and springy and kept jumping off the needles.
I modified the pattern for this one. I cast on 132 for the ribbing and increased on my first round of knits.

I ran out of yarn while doing the 4th round of decreases. I thought about ripping back and starting the decreases 4 rounds sooner. I just pulled the yarn through all the live stitches instead. It left a hole that I sewed shut with the last bit of tail.
It gives the hat a gathered top that I like.

Mondays

2010-10-04T23:26:00.004-05:00

Hello, and how may I help you today?

I need my insurance card right away!

I can do that. Would you like me to fax it or email it to you?

Fax.

Ok then, what's you fax number?

I don't have a fax. Will you fax it strait to the police station?

And what is their fax number?

I don't know. Don't you have it?

!!!!?

How about I email it to you?

I don't have email and I need it Right Now! They are coming to arrest dear hubby for not having his license.

?!!!

Ok, I'm dropping on in the mail right now. It will go out tomorrow. Also, I can wait while you call the police station and find out their fax number.

I can't do that. They are closed.

Do you really need it tonight then? How about you go to someplace such as your grocery store or a Kinko's with a fax and I would be pleased to fax it to you.

I don't have a fax.

I'm sure you must have a friend with an email account. I can email your information. Or you can get one printed for you at any agent's office.

Ok, but aren't they closed right now?

I suspect they are. However, first thing tomorrow morning you can pick one up.

Ok, I guess I can do that. Which one is closest to my house?

???!??

Ok..... What is you're zip code? I have 3 pages of agents in your zip code. Where in that area is your home located?

Main St

I'm not showing any agents on Main. What about Walnut? Michigan? 45th? Can you at least tell me if you live in the North or South part of town? Lincoln? Monroe? Elm...

Monroe? Where's that? I don't know of a Monroe St.

Not Monroe then. Are you close to Elm?

I'm closer to Walnut than Elm

!!!!!!

Good! We have 3 agents on Walnut. Let me give you their addresses and phone numbers. We are open for 2 more hours so if you have any other problems please call back.

-----------------

I never have, but every time I want to ask how they had imagined getting the proof of insurance before they picked up the phone to call me. Maybe there is some mind ray teleportation device that I don't yet know about.

Try Again, Then Stop

2010-10-03T00:49:00.003-05:00

I spent Friday thinking about my slog sweater and it just made me sad. So much has changed since I cast on. I’ve had my heart broken a few times, my life went down other paths than the one I was hoping for as I was knitting it. I pulled it out today. The yarn is gorgeous, the knitting well executed, the fit not that great, the memories sad. I’ve gotten rid of it. I’m keeping the two untouched balls of yarn for a pair of mittens but the sweater and knitting is gone. I cast on a new sweater to cleanse the pallet and will pick a different UFO to slog. Maybe my next oldest, Anemoi Mittens tossed aside for untidy decreases back in 2007

No Money Miracle Part II

2010-10-02T00:09:00.003-05:00

I've been a bad swap blogger on this one. The photos have been sitting in my camera for almost a month. But that doesn't reflect on how much I love everything in this box. Love it!
A card, candy, and yarn. Already it's a perfect swap box. But wait! There's more.
A book, blank note cards, recipes, a knitted washcloth, pin cushion, a list of good books to read, a cat toy, beads and a tenny tinny crochet hook for beaded knitting (I can't wait), and finally a real silk sari. It's beautiful!
I'm supposed to tear it up and spin it, and I will. But Sumi-e loves it. He spends his days sleeping on it giving up his old spot in the sun. I suspect he is dreaming of when cats got real silk pillows and fresh food instead of a silk scraps and kibble.

Thank you!

Challenged Classics

2010-10-01T00:07:00.003-05:00

It's coming to the end of Banned Book week which I didn't even know about until I read Needlefingers' blog. Because I love lists, I love crossing things off lists, and I especially love crossing things off book lists I'm stealing this right from her blog. The books I've read are in bold.

Banned and Challenged Classics, American Library Association (see more about banned books at http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm )

1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
3. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
5. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
6. Ulysses by James Joyce
7. Beloved by Toni Morrison
8. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
9. 1984 by George Orwell
10. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
11. Lolita by Vladmir Nabokov
12. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
13. Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
14. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
15. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
16. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
17. Animal Farm by George Orwell
18. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
19. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
20. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
21. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
22. Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne
23. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
24. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
25. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
26. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
27. Native Son by Richard Wright
28. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
29. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
30. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
31. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
32. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
33. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
34. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
35. Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
36. Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin
37. The World According to Garp by John Irving
38. All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren
39. A Room with a View by E. M. Forster
40. The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
41. Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally
42. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
43. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
44. Finnegans Wake by James Joyce
45. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
46. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
47. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
48. Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence
49. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
50. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
51. My Antonia by Willa Cather
52. Howards End by E. M. Forster
53. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
54. Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
55. The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
56. Jazz by Toni Morrison
57. Sophie’s Choice by William Styron
58. Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner
59. A Passage to India by E. M. Forster
60. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
61. A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor
62. Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
63. Orlando by Virginia Woolf
64. Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence
65. Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
66. Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
67. A Separate Peace by John Knowles (the second worst book forced on me in high school. I had to write a paper comparing it to the worst book Ordinary People by Judith Guest)
68. Light in August by William Faulkner
69. The Wings of the Dove by Henry James
70. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
71. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
72. A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
73. Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs
74. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
75. Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence
76. Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe
77. In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway
78. The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein
79. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
80. The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer
81. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
82. White Noise by Don DeLillo
83. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
84. Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
85. The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
86. Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad
87. The Bostonians by Henry James
88. An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
89. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
90. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
91. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
92. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
93. The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles
94. Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis
95. Kim by Rudyard Kipling
96. The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
97. Rabbit, Run by John Updike
98. Where Angels Fear to Tread by E. M. Forster
99. Main Street by Sinclair Lewis
100. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie

10 of those read so I could write lengthy papers, the other 18 I read just for fun or so I could say I did. Kim by Kipling I'm looking at you.

Another challenged classic, I'm skipping Socktober this year for Slogtober. A month or 3 dedicated to slogging through some hard knits that should just be finished already. My slog is my 3rd sweater ever. It went into the time out box back in 2004. It's time to pull it out and finish it.

The Power of 10

2010-09-30T10:24:00.007-05:00

I knit 10 projects for Single Skein September 2010

This hat is the only project that took more than one ball of yarn. It took 4. That's 4 small balls held double.

I learned to knit 10 years ago. I was living in a new city and unemployed in that depressing stage of looking for work. I don't remember exactly why I chose to take a knitting class at the Yarn Barn. It could have been because I had already taken all their weaving classes, or because I thought the yarn I was spinning might be more suited to knitting than weaving. It was for sure because I was a bit jealous of all the socks being knit at the Weaving Guild meetings.

I don't remediable the exact reason but I do remember that the class was learning to knit felted mittens. By the end of the class I had finished 3 pairs of mittens, 2 hats, a pair of socks, and started on a lace shawl. In those 9 weeks I learned to knit on double points, find gauge and do the math to make hats or socks that fit, knit cables, turn a heel, and knit lace.

And while I may not remember why knitting in the beginning I do remember clearly the day that I started knitting more than weaving. It was 6 years ago. I had just spent 6 months spinning the yarn to weave these fine huck lace scarves. 6 months of spinning and I was done weaving over a 3 day weekend. That was anticlimactic and just took the wind out of my sails. Now I can spend a 3 day weekend spinning and have enough yarn to knit with for a month maybe two.

5 years ago I discovered yarn buying. Who knew? That has become it's very own entity.

My Knitting Fantasy Life

2010-09-22T11:35:00.003-05:00

So I'm knitting right along for Single Skein September. I have so many photos on my camera that I'm avoiding them so it's not making it onto the blog. At least not yet.

Anyway, I have my queue all lined up. I can't wait to cast on my next hat as soon as this hat is finished. But then wait! Look at that shinny yarn in that basket. It's supposed to be a cowl. I'll knit that instead. Ok, good. I cast it on.

Then I read the EZ wool tights knit along and soon I'm remembering that winter is coming and I really want some wool yoga pants and have for years. I think about that for days and have the yarn and color picked out. It will be my next yarn purchase since I've just earned another.

This morning I pull down the book, read the pattern, love it and 'poof' the urge to knit it is gone like I had already finished knitting them. Now I want to use the yarn purchase for some super soft bulky Alpaca that I was eying at LYS. It would make a lush vest, I know just the one. I look at that yarn on Ravelry, look and look. Realize no matter how much I think it should only take 3 skeins most people need 5 of that alpaca. But it only takes one skein of Cascade Eco from my stash and now all I have to do is decide it I want it in my red or in my white. I'm planning on casting it on tonight. It is one skein and will fit right into SSS. I'm planning on casting on tonight but what will I think about it tonight?

My knitting fantasy life is in overdrive right now. It has no rhyme or reason and is actually becoming a little exsasuting. I've started reading on my lunch at work. I have to something to shut it off.

Gaenor

2010-09-09T11:31:00.003-05:00

It's completely finished. After blocking I wove in the ends. I love it. I love the new smaller sized shawls that are worn as scarves. I wasn't sure about that look when it first came out but now I think it's super cute. Mostly because it's a chance to knit and wear a small project with a little bit of lace.
The knitting is easy and with the side to side construction it starts tiny and fast and gets bigger every row. The middle part is a bit of a slog but when I couldn't take it anymore I called it big enough and said that was the middle. From there on out each row is smaller and faster until it's just flying off the needles.
Also, with each row getting bigger or smaller they all have a different number of stitches. This keeps a hand dyed yarn from pooling.
Gaenor knit in Bearfoot colorway Ladyslipper. I've always admired Mountain Colors' and have a few skeins in my stash but this is the first time I've knit with it. I hadn't found a project worthy of it until now.

plink

2010-09-08T10:37:00.003-05:00

I washed and blocked Gaenor and carefully pinned it out on my blocking mats. I stretched it so that the garter ridges ran parallel. Each point shaped and pinned. I admired it, stepped back, admired it some more, and then reshaped it. Finally I was satisfied and I walked away pleased with life and my knitting. Not long after I heard the softest plink noise and then another. plink plink

I look up from my computer to this. Sumi-e carefully pulling out each and every pin. I caught him in the act with a pin hanging from his mouth. There is no photo of the monster because my screech sent him scurrying not to be seen again.

He did drop the pin and none were eaten. No cats were harmed in this episode. Although, I did tell him he is this close to becoming the warmest fur mittens ever.

Here it is pinned out for a second time and not as carefully. Now it has to dry under a protective blanket.

Single Skein September

2010-09-01T23:31:00.002-05:00

I'm joining Single Skein September this year. Single skeins are the single balls of yarn that are the impulse buys, or the sale yarn, or the super expensive yarn that only one ball can be justified. It is harder to find projects that use the single skeins so after a while they multiply and clog up the stash. SSS to the rescue. The goal is to knit as many single skein projects as possible. At the end yarn is given to the winners. Single skeins of yarn of course.

In preparation I finished the knitting on Gaenor, Silverbell, and Maile. All of them need the finishing done, blocking, buttons, whatever. But that leaves me ready to start September with all new projects. I'm starting with the Bramblewood vest out of a single skein of Cascade Eco wool.

Walking on Sunshine

2010-08-31T23:56:00.004-05:00

Today was a very enjoyable day. I finally made it back to Tuesday Morning knitting and received a very very warm welcome. All day long people in the middle of a conversation would stop and exclaim "Cute Shoes!" I had a glowing 30 day review at work today and I apparently broke a customer service record last week, although it's not like they actually keep records to break.
Something else that I'm enjoying now. Knitting a baby sweater out of sock yarn while watching Dr Who. I'm completely smitten with both.

Globe Trotting

2010-08-30T11:28:00.007-05:00

Thorpe the second is finished.

I also finished the socks I knit on my lunch breaks at work.I started a new pair of socks for knitting on my breaks. I love Fleece Artist yarn. Just looking at it makes me happy.

Last weekend was at the Ethnic Festival. I have a feeling that I'm not remembering it's real name. Ethnic Festival doesn't quite have the right, I don't know, the right PC ring to it.

Whatever the name the was food from around the world. I spent my day eating my way around the globe. I started in Pakistan with a mango drink and ended in Bolivia with Flan.
Passports...
...that needed stamping.
Plenty of music and dancing too. The tambourine dance to entertain the men working in the fields.
The scarf dance...
Picking mushroom dance...
Moon dance. I want bells to wear on my ankles too.
Fan dance...
This was a very photogenic dance but hard to actually get a good shot.
Butterfly dance...

I love how they had their hair braided into antenna.

Changes

2010-08-19T09:42:00.005-05:00

The Denim Silverbell has split for the sleeves and I'm knitting endlessly down the body. The Gaenor is still coming along at one repeat a day. I needed something fast with instant gratification.
I cast on another Thorpe. This time I'm making the solid colored version. I love everything about this pattern. I might make a third and use up the last of this yarn. It's so fast and I like to think that I'm knitting some of the heat of august into the hats for January.
The herb garden changes daily. Little black eggs hatched into tiny caterpillars. Within 48 hours the tiny caterpillars had demolished the dill and the fennel plant. That's when they moved to the parsley and I snapped the photo. They aren't so little anymore.
Just 24 hours later the parsley was gone too. There was a little munching on the sage and then they moved on and are gone, ignoring the basil and other herbs.

Next year instead of one dill plant there is talk of planting a package or two of dill.
Watching the butterflies is almost as fun as watching the caterpillars change and grow.

Oops! I did it again

2010-08-15T19:24:00.004-05:00

Well, that didn't last long. I bought yarn. I made it 15 days and zero projects into my buy a project only after finishing 5 goal. However, I have a whole ton of rationalizations. First, I must start with the back story.

Saturday mornings I knit a nice yarn shop which frowns on people knitting with other store's yarn. It's their prerogative. Coffee shops aren't fond of people taking in their coffee from home and parking their behind in a comfy care and using the free wifi for hours on end. It's the same thing. I treasurer the LYS that doesn't mind but understand the ones that do.

So I had picked a up 8 skeins of linen yarn that I'm knitting in a lace top down sweater that will take me a few years of Saturdays to finish.
I love the yarn M&K Linen. It's so crisp and nice yet not as wiry as other linens I've knit with.
Lace always looks like ramen noodles before it's blocked.

So I'm knitting with the Linen and loving it. When the owner asks me how I like it and I say I love it, she laughs and says I'm the only one then. As I'm leaving and at the register with a pattern and the person in front of me is returning the same yarn. Owner turns to me and says It's going strait into the clearance bin. I waffle a bit. I really really want it but I want to hit my goal too. I like not breaking goals, it makes me feel in control and I like being in control. I crumbled when the person returning the yarn said she would just give me the two balls she already knit and can't return. I now have enough linen to knit a summer top in the fabulous shiny smoke blue linen yarn for $18. I love that yarn. I look fabulous in that color. $18!

So, now to decide what to do. Do I have to knit 10 things before I buy yarn again? Ha! I think not. 6? Pretend it never happened? Pretend it never happened is my favorite. After all, I haven't finished a single project of my 5. So nobody will know if I just start all over again today with a blank slate. That's what I'm going to do. No yarn buying starting today until I finish 5 projects. Then I can buy one project with total yardage of no more than half of what I just knit. So there.

I'm still knitting on my Denim Silverbell. I spent all of Friday reknitting the three days worth I unraveled. Right now I'm slogging through the largest part of the yoke at 360 stitches.

One Step Forward Three Steps Back

2010-08-12T23:12:00.004-05:00

Today I ripped back 3 days worth of knitting on my Denim Silverbell. The shoulders fit but just barely and the whole thing wasn't hanging right.

I like top down sweater because I can try them on as I go, but I find they make me lazy and I don't do the math before hand to make sure the changes I do on the fly are a good idea.

With this sweater I cast on for the size extra small, a very good idea. Then when the increases came along I fudged it so it was sort of small-mediumish. Yea, that worked about as well as small-mediumish implies. So I ripped back to the second set of increases and figured out so I now have a true medium with the same stitch count as the pattern again.

I want to finished something in August and since Silverbell isn't a sure thing I went to my basket and pulled out Gaenor.
I'm going to knit one repeat a day before I knit on anything else. With a little dedication it will be done before August is over.