Ugh / Yay.

I am sleep deprived, hormonal & sad.

However, starting in September (when the Kentucky State Fair is finally over!) I will have the opportunity to knit for money. This is my dream come true.

In the meantime, I will try not to fall apart.

Measurements!

I was inspired by Lani to take my measurements. Here goes:


Bust - 39 in.
Waist - 29 in.
Hips - 40 in.

I was pretty pleased . . . I'm pretty proportionate. I'm also pretty curvy, which is good.

Anyway, I need to go to work now. On Saturday. Yes.


Buh-bye!!

P.S. I took the boy's measurements, too. He's like 35 - 34.5 - 40, or something like that. I told him he was hippy.

Oh, baby!

I have spent most of my day thus far folding t-shirts for the Cast-Iron Chef competition and Gourmet Garden. I feel like I'm in retail . . .

Anyway, this is what I've been thinking about while folding.

I am not going to allow myself to knit anything until I finish with the stuff I'm knitting for my cousin's baby. I'm making the One-Hour Baby Booties from SnBN and Bubby from Knitty. It's been somewhat problematic . . . though I haven't really tried. I knit tightly, which makes the inc1's in the booties kinda a bitch . . . I keep getting about four rows into it, then frogging what I have because when I'm working on the inc1's I tend to lose stitches off of my needle and I just get frustrated. I wonder if going up a needle size would help -- I don't really think it would. Luckily, it's a small project. I was going to go ahead and knit Bubby first, but the yarn was terrible. I was going to use Caron Simply Soft in Gray Heather, and the skein was so tangled together that I could barely knit an inch without having to stop and untangle it. I think I'm just going to toss the skein, seriously. It only cost $1.27. After work, I'm going to try to get some Red Heart Supersaver or some Bernat for Bubby. I need to get the fiberfill, too. The baby is coming in about three weeks, and his name will be Asher. Aww, how cute!!

The other thing I've been thinking about is CROCHETING. When I started knitting, oh so very long ago (in late May), I knew that I wanted to knit instead of crochet. When I think crochet, I think about my former aunt (she got a divorce from my uncle) who always smelled like cigarettes and crocheted things that can only be described as fugly. A couple of weeks ago the boy's mother asked me if I would knit a hat for her granddaughter (the boy's niece). She wears hats all the time, but she just can't find one in red, which is her favorite color. I told the boy's mom to get a sample hat for me to go by, and I'd be happy to make one. She gave me the hat, and it's actually crochet. Since I've already said I'm going to make one, I'm not going to back down. I've been toying with the idea of crocheting for a while, but I'm so in love with all things knit that I'm not sure how I'll feel about it. I know that a lot of knitters crochet, though, and I've seen some really cute crochet patterns. I think that when I finish the baby stuff I'm going to reward myself with the Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller. There are some really cute patterns in there, and I think I can figure out how to crochet the hat myself with some basic knowledge. I do know that it's shell stitch, but that's about the extent of my crochet knowledge.

I also have been totally wanting a sewing machine lately.

Someday, I will be satisfied.

Until then, I will continue folding t-shirts.



Lots & lots of love <3

The "Not Nicole" Bag

After seeing THIS bag in a recent issue of InStyle magazine, I thought "I can knit that." In just a couple of hours, I have something that looks a lot like it (with a few changes). I don't think I can call this "my pattern" since it's a basic cable. Ideas were borrowed from HERE and HERE. Thanks to Lani and Obsidian Kitten for pointing those links out!! It was pretty easy to figure out, even for a beginner like me that's never knitted cables before, and so far I'm happy with the progress. It still needs to be lined / have the handles sewn on. But this is how it's done:

The "Not Nicole" Bag

Materials:
*1 skein Brown Sheep Company's Lamb's Pride Bulky in Creme. You could also use Lion Brand's Wool-Ease Thick & Quick. (note: I used almost EXACTLY one skein of the Lamb's Pride Bulky. It might be good to have a little extra, just in case you need a tidbit more.)
*Size 13 needles
*Cable needle (note: after trial and error, I discovered that a larger cable needle works best with the size 13 needles; I tried using a small cable needle at first and it was really difficult. I used the largest cable needle I could find.)
*Two round wooden handles (mine have a 6" diameter.)
*Fabric for lining
*Sewing machine or needle and thread to sew lining
*Ribbon or brooch for embellishment.

Pattern:
CO 60 sts.

Row 1: K2, p2, k4, p8, k4, p2, k4, p8, k4, p2, k4, p8, k4, p2, k2.
Row 2: P2, k2, p4, k8, p4, k2, p4, k8, p4, k2, p4, k8, p4, k2, p2.
Row 3: Same as Row 1.
Row 4: Same as Row 2.
Row 5: Same as Row 1.
Row 6: Same as Row 2.
Row 7: Same as Row 1.
Row 8: P2, k2, p4, slip 4 sts to cable needle & hang to back, k4, k4 sts from cable needle, p4, k2, p4, slip 4 sts to cable needle & hang to front, k4, k4 sts from cable needle, p4, k2, p4, slip 4 sts to cable needle & hang to front, k4, k4 sts from cable needle, p4, k2, p2.
Repeat rows 1-8 until you have 48 rows.

BO.

Finishing:
Block to 12" tall by 14" wide. Sew up side seams leaving 1" at the top of each side to make it easy to open the bag. Should measure 6" tall by 14" wide. Sew in lining. Sew on handles of your choice. Stick on that ribbon or brooch -- change 'em often to celebrate the versatility of your new bag. Congrats! You have a nifty new bag.

Happy news!

The Fair is coming . . .
I've been working REALLY hard, and in just a week the Kentucky State Fair is going to be underway.

That's not my happy news, though.

Last Exit Angel, Liberation Prophecy's LP, hit stores nationwide yesterday. (The boy plays guitar for Liberation Prophecy.)

Quick tidbit from the Courier-Joural. (Saturday there's going to be a huge article!)
Review from NJ.com. (Note: you need to scroll like halfway down the page.)
Official Website.
MySpace.


In the wonderful world of knitting, I have FINISHED my cable knit purse, but it hasn't been blocked or sewn together yet. Pattern coming after the Fair! It was a really quick knit.

Also, my mother let me take pictures of her leg. I'll get 'em on here soon.

MUCH LOVE!!

Dead-on!

From Crazy Aunt Purl:

SCORPIO (Oct. 24 - Nov. 21)
All work and no play makes Scorpio so irritated and tired and annoyed that at any minute ya'll are about to fling off and snatch someone baldheaded. I know that the work you're doing is VERY good, and this whole period from about March onward has been exhausting, and kind of rewarding but still, you're tired, and why can't you just get some peace and quiet already! but you just have to endure a few more weeks of nose-to-grindstone and then you can take a much needed rest. If it's any consolation, this entire Jupiter-infused period of your life has been really excellent for your future financial picture. Does that help? A little?

From Google

Scorpio (October 23 - November 21)
Daily Horoscope: Wednesday, August 2nd, 2006
Your drive to balance your life is strong but it's difficult to find equilibrium when you are tempted by opportunities that look so good. Actually the career path before you is favored throughout the summer, but now it may be putting excessive stress on your emotions. Be patient; don't get discouraged if the harmony you seek seems temporarily elusive.

From my boss (schedule):

Tuesday, August 8th – Mark floors until late evening (marking floors must be complete on this date)
Wednesday, August 9th – Mark Carpet into the evening hours
Thursday, August 10th – Mark Carpet into the evening hours
 
Starting Friday, August 11th, you must ask all of the full-time employees if you may leave. It is likely that you will be required you to stay later than usual.
 
Also, it is possible that you may have to work Saturday, August 12th or Sunday, August 13th. We will let you know for sure on Friday, August 11th.
 
Monday, August 14th -- 8:00 a.m. until approximately 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, August 15th -- 8:00 a.m. until approximately 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, August 16th -- 8:00 a.m. until approx. 10:30 p.m. (We will stay until everything is done and ready for opening day.)
 
During the Fair: Most days you will need to be here by 8:00 a.m. or 8:30 a.m. and you will be scheduled until 10:00 p.m. There are some mornings that some of you may be scheduled earlier than 8:00 a.m. Each of you will be scheduled off early at least one night. Please be sure to check with all members of the full-time staff before leaving each night of the Fair.

The point of this post is that work sucks. At least the Fair is almost over!

Gettin' it done . . .

Not "get 'er done," 'cos that's too redneck even for me.

Last night I finished my second Knuck, so theoretically that means I'm finished. Wrong! I'm going to redo the first Knuck, because the thumb gusset is a little off. I started out decreasinig every third row, but got distracted and started decreasing every other row. I have enough yarn that I'm just going to knit a whole new Knuck. My second one was way better than the first, so maybe the third will be better than the second. I've also decided what they're gonna say. I was talking to the Boy, throwing out all these ideas, and he said, "Why don't you put SHIZ KNIT?" Brilliant. (That's what I'm going to call my knitting store, after I'm independently wealthy and can knit for money).

I also finished the first sleeve on my cardigan. One more sleeve to go, then finishing work!

The other day (Saturday morning, before all the mess with my mom) I knit a cable for practice. I'm about to start on my cable knit purse. I'm kind of making up the pattern based on about twelve different patterns, but I'll post it on here when I'm finished. It's pretty easy -- at least, I think it will be. My practice cable turned out well.

Pictures of all this coming soon!!

I also want to say that my mother, though down in the dumps, is doing better. She can use a walker with help to get to the bathroom, and she was able to take a shower. I'm really eager to get home on Friday and help out . . . it still sucks not being there. I offered to teach her to knit, but I don't think her groggy, medicated mind can take it right now. I'll just have to make her presents.

Knitting love!

P.S. This is the boy, and it's how I'm gonna spend my night. It'll be fun, but it sucks because my family was supposed to go and now my mom's stuck in bed. :S