If it's not too late . . .

Questionaire for the PRGE. If it IS too late, just consider it informational.




1) How long have you been spinning/Knitting/Crocheting? Since May of 2006.
2) Do you consider yourself a beginner, novice, or experienced Yarn Artist? I'd say somewhere in the middle.
3) What type of fibers have you worked with? Acrylic, wool blends, cotton.
4) What types are you dying to try? I've never really used many sock yarns, and I would die for an alpaca project.
5) Are you allergic to anything, (Fibers, Food, Smells that make you want to puke, etc.)? Nothin! Oh, except pimento cheese is just gross.
6) Do you have any Disorders, ex: Diabetes? Only depression.
7) What is your Favorite Time/Style period, ex: Romatic, Grecian,Metal, Goth,etc? I'm totally in love with the 1940's and 50's. Massivley in love.
8) What fibers do you dislike? Mohair and novelty yarns. Not really my thing.
9) Name some of your favorite Artist, Movie wise, Television if you watch it ex: I heart Keanu, some things cant be helped, and Rachel loves Mike Ness !? I like Drew Barrymore a lot, she's rad.
10) Whos your favorite Character ex: Jack or Cpt Jack? I dig all the Family Guy folk!
11) Do you prefer natural colored fibers, or handpainted/dyed fiber? Either, really.
12) What are you favorite colors? Blues, reds, pinks, greens . . . lots of 'em!
13) What colors do you dislike? None, really.
14) What projects are you currently working on? Finishing work on a cardigan, Sev's WWII sweater vest and a bag from a Rowan book.
15) Do you have a wishlist? Lots of yarn and more circular needles.
16) Do you have any other favorite hobbies? I just got a sewing machine.
17) Whens your birthday?(mm/dd) (Thanks Rach') 10/29
18) What is your favorite food, candy, scents that you love!! Dark chocolate and sugar in general.
19) Are you pierced at all? Any tattoos? Only my ears are pierced, and I have four tats. I like jewelry!
20) What do you like Culturally, ex: Celtic, African, Devil Worshiping, Kidding!? Does fifties culture count? I'm into celtic things, definitely, and Asia.
21) What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? My needles are all in a tall plastic cup.
22) What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) Lots of music: indie music mostly. THe only thing I really hate is screamo music. Yes, my computer can play MP3s.
23) What's your favorite season and why? Fall! Perfect weather, plus my birthday and Halloween are in October.
24) What season do you abhor? Summer. I hate the sun.
25) How about Sports, any that you just cant get enough of or do they make you throw up in your mouth just a little? Um, not so atheltic.
26) What is your family situation Do you live alone? I'm with the boy.
27) Do you have any pets? No. I don't really like pets.
28) Do you like handmade gifts? Absolutely.
29) What’s your favorite thing to make, knit/crochet or other craft wise? I'm addicted to dpn projects.
30) Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Lately I've been into circs.
31) Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? No.
32) Tell us how you learned to knit/crochet? I taught myself to knit from Stitch n Bitch. I'm trying to teach myself to crochet from Happy Hooker.
33) Do you enjoy getting helpful hints from others or does it just piss you off? I like getting hints!
34) How old is your oldest UFO? Since June . . . a ribbed scarf that just got boring.
35) Is there anything that you collect? Not really.
36) Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? Books with vintage patterns, and I love cardigans.
37) What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have if any? None.
38) Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? Color work . . . never tried it, but I want to. This entrelac seems interesting, too.
39) Do you enjoy knitting socks? How big are yer boats (feet)? I love socks! I've never actually used sock yarn, though, and I'd like to try. I wear womens size 8.
40) Deleted

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

Mother Update

Okay, so my mom didn't come home from the hospital yesterday, but today she did get to come home. It sucks, because I had to return to work today and I wanted to be there to help her out. She has to wear the pins for three months, yuck. I don't really have much more to say about that, except I wish I wasn't in Louisville.

Other things;
*My cousin's wedding was beautiful.
*The boy has to play every day this week except for tonight. I'm sad, because I'm all in need of cuddles. At least he doesn't have to play too late.
*I have 16 inches of sleeve.
*I have way too much laundry to do.
*I also need to shower, since I haven't done so since Saturday afternoon (no time!).
*Starting August 8, I'll have to stay later at work every day.
*Ryan Gentles emailed me at random. That's him, second from left:
I met Ryan like two years ago, when I was in Indianapolis with a friend. We ended up hanging out and having a really good conversation, and it was really great to hear from him out of the blue. I was afraid we had lost touch forever, so yay Ryan for emailing me. It really made my crappy day better.

That's about it. I'm going to check other blogs, update the Knucks KAL page with new members, and so on.

I still really wish I were at home to help out my mom (pout).

Adios, and much love.

Today has been very, very long.

And my long day has nothing to do with work. I feel like all I do on blogger is complain, but today I have a right to. This morning, I called home to tell my mother I was on my way back to my hometown from Louisville, and I found out that she had fallen on the front porch and was taken to the ER by the ambulance. It was another two hours before I got the complete prognosis: she was washing off the front porch and slipped because it was wet. Her ankle was basically shattered and she also broke the bone right underneath her knee. It turns out her left foot might be broken as well (they just x-rayed it; it's all bruised and gross looking.) She had to have immediate surgery on her right ankle, and now it has pins in it. She'll probably have to have surgery again in three weeks and this is the kind of break that takes a loooooooooong time to heal -- her foot will probably never be the same. My poor mother! My dad was at the hospital all day, and I've been to the hospital twice, taking care of my brother and sister in between that time. My sister is seventeen so she can pretty much take care of herself, but my little brother is eight and very worried about his mom. I took my brother and sister to the hospital to see Mother tonight, and my brother saw where her foot was draining -- lots of gross blood. He was pretty freaked out by it, but now he's all cheerful again. I'm going to try to do as much as I can before I return to Louisville -- and I'm going back tomorrow night. The plan is to do as much housework as possible, make things "cripple friendly", and cook some food that my dad or sister can just heat up over the next week. My sister will be able to help out around the house, but she starts school on Friday, so I don't know what Mother is going to do then. It really was a terrible break; she's not going to be able to do much herself. I hope she gets back from the hospital pretty early tomorrow, because I want to spend as much time with her before I head back to Louisville. I feel guilty for leaving her high and dry, but there's not really much else I can do except cram in a lot of work in one day.

Obviously, I haven't been knitting. I could have knitted in the waiting room while she was in surgery, but I was on and off the phone with my sister. She kept asking the most (at the time) insignificant questions -- "Can my boyfriend come over?" "Can we still go to the wedding?" "Is Daddy going to the wedding?" (this, after I told her that he was going to stay at the hospital with Mama . . . of course he isn't going!) "Are we still going school shopping next week?" . . . those things don't really matter to me while my mom is under anesthesia. We kind of downplayed the whole thing to my brother, and maybe she just didn't get how serious it was -- at first they said there was a chance it wouldn't heal at all; now they're saying it should be okay but it's going ot take a long, long time. Seriously, though, she acted as if nothing was wrong. Like, when I called home this morning, this was our conversation:

Me: Hi, is Mama there?
Sis: No, she's not here.
Me: Where is she?
Sis: She's not here 'cos the ambulance took her away.

That's enough to make me have a heart attack. She finally told me that she fell on the porch and that the ambulance came, but the bone wasn't broken, just chipped. Obviously it was much more serious then that. THEN, this afternoon, she went to my cousin's house (the same cousin that was getting married) and just hung out while he was trying to get ready for his wedding. I told her that she should leave him alone so he can get ready, and she said, "it's okay, he's in the shower now." I personally wouldn't want my little cousins hanging around while I was preparing for one of the most important days of my life, but she insisted that he didn't mind, so I have to take her word for it. I'm just kind of stressed out and trying to figure out what I can do to help before my I have to go back to the 'ville, and my sister is concerned about the fact that her boyfriend is going on vacation on Monday and she doesn't get to see him tomorrow before he's gone for five days. I guess I keep thinking about how I would want my children to treat me, and I'd be pretty hurt if I were laying in a hospital bed and my daughter asked me when we could go school shopping. (They were going to go to Louisville on Wednesday to visit me, see the boy play, and do the school shopping then; now Sis is concerned that she won't get to go school shopping before Friday. So what? She has plenty of clothes.)

I guess my main problems are a)my mom is hurt and b)my sister is kind of oblivious to the fact that my mom can't walk, and won't be able to anytime soon.

I'll get over it. I just really wanted to vent.


I'm too tired to check the other blogs I usually frequent; I'm going to call the boy in about ten minutes when he's finished playing to give him an update, then off to bed. I do want to say that Petra, the Unbearable Lightness of Being is probably the best book I've ever read, and you should get it immediately.

Thanks to all you people in blogland that have put up with my complaining. I promise, there will be a happy post soon. I did end up taking the brother and sis to the wedding, since I couldn't really do much at the hospital, and that was good times. Those two are so perfect together! Anyway, I'm much too tired to type any more, and I need to wake up early tomorrow.

Much love.

TGIF!

I am so happy that it's Friday!

Work is kinda blah . . . today the boss (meaning the division boss, which is my boss's boss) came into my office and complimented my work. That's great, and made me feel really good and kind of embarassed (you know, the embarassment you feel when someone compliments you). Still, I think I'm going to start looking for a new job -- after the KSF I don't want to work here anymore. I could stay for the North American, but I think I'll be a lot happier back at the after-school program. It's less money, but I loved the kids and I could work on my school stuff if I didn't have anything to do -- here, I can't do that, and since I'm a senior in college I'm going to be really serious about class this fall. I wish I was independently wealthy so I didn't need a job. *Sigh*.

The good thing is that tonight, I get to see the Boy and friends play at the Jazz Factory's Late Night set. I plan to use this time to finish my Knucks. Also tonight, the bass player is supposed to bring me Immortality by Milan Kundera. I hope he doesn't forget . . . there are other things I should be reading like my LSAT book and research for my fifteen page paper, but I don't wanna. I'd rather read fiction.

Yesterday was a good day for knitting ^_^ I finished all of the increases for one of the sleeves on my cardigan, which rocks. I decided (for now) not to fix the holes in my sock, so I'm just gonna wash 'em and call them totally finished. Plus, I went to the Knit Nook where they started hosting a Stitch n Bitch on Thursday nights, and found a shrug I MUST knit. Of course, I'm not going to use Pure Silk, because there's no way I could afford it. I am instead using Debbie Bliss Cashmerino, which is luxurious enough for me. I'm going to make it in the ever-versatile black. It's definitely going to be the most complex pattern that I've tackled to date, but Kristin at the Knit Nook is going to be knitting it at the same time (in the Pure Silk . . . oh, to own a yarn store!) so I'll have a good resource to help me out if I need it.

I need to make a list of things to pick up before I go home tonight (I'm such a compulsive list-maker), so I should do that before 5:00.

Much love.

Groan . . .

I have lots of stuff to do, and little motivation to do it. The last few days at work have been soooo busy, but my desk is for the most part clear so I'm not gonna fret about taking my time today. Last night after work, I went straight to bed. I didn't even eat anything. The boy was practicing all night (for about four hours), but I didn't wake up until I heard him eating leftovers. I watched a bit of Waiting for Guffman, then back to bed. Now I'm all groggy. I always hate how I feel after sleeping a lot -- just kinda gross -- but I guess I needed that sleep or I wouldn't have been in bed so long. I tend to have a lot of nightmares, so rarely is sleep restful for me.

I didn't make any knitting progress last night, but since work has me all in "Memo Mode" (I swear, I've written way too many memos lately, and I hate memos), I did make a list of all of the projects I've ever knitted and their status. Here it 'tis, my Knitting Progress Report!

#1. GO-GO GARTER STITCH SCARF from SnB
Made with Blue Sky Bulky.
FO!

#2. ZEEBY'S BAG from SnB
Made with Lamb's Pride Worsted (Oatmeal)
Needs to be blocked.

#3. RIBBED-FOR-HER-PLEASURE SCARF from SnB
Made with Lamb's Pride Worsted (Orange You Glad)
UFO -- I have no desire to work on this between now and when it gets cold.

#4. CARDIGAN from Yarn Girl's Guide to Simple Knits
Made with Lamb's Pride Worsted (Grey Heather)
Needs sleeves and finishing work.

#5. KNIT NOOK SOCKS from the Knit Nook
Made with Lamb's Pride Superwash (Serendipity Turquoise)
Needs finishing work -- and what about the holes?

#6. KNUCKS from Knitty.com
Made with Cotton Fleece (Robin Egg Blue)
Needs second Knuck (join thumb, thumb gusset, ribbed cuff), embroidery, and finishing work.

This weekend my goal is to do all of the finshing work on all of the projects that need it . . . blocking is just kind of a crappy process. My cousin is getting married on Saturday, so obviously that's gonna take up some time. And I still don't know what to wear to the wedding!! I am going to see the boy play tomorrow night, and I have to take door, so I'll probably be knitting at the show -- it'll be a perfect time to finish that Knuck. I am going to work on the cardigan tonight since it's cooler today. My friends Black Stone Cherry are playing in town tonight -- I grew up with these boys and spent lotsa days and nights in the Practice House. They just had their cd released on Roadrunner Records and they're touring the nation, which is huge for them. John Fred is seriously one of the few people from high school that I adore, (well, even like for that matter -- most people in my school sucked) and I always knew he would be a rockstar. The thing is, I'm not really in a rock'n'roll mood -- I feel so LAZY today! Still, I don't know when I'll have the chance to see these guys again, so I'll probably go out and see 'em . . . one of the few things I miss from high school is hanging out with John Fred.

I probably need to actually work now. Gross. I just feel kind of gross today in general. Too much sleep is bad for you.

Adios.
<3<3<3

A moment to breathe.

This week, work has been hoppin'. I'm not complaining, though -- it's much better than sitting here and being bored.

I finished my socks last night . . . not great, but certainly not terrible. They're only my third completed project. I'll have pictures as soon as I get around to takin' 'em. I need to do a little finishing work . . . I think I might screw up picking up stitches because there are little holes on the side. Hmm, how to fix it? My Knucks are coming along great and should be finished pretty soon. That raises the question of what to knit next. These are my next few projects . . . most of them are small.

* One-Hour Baby Booties (SnBN) for my cousin Melanie's baby.
* Bubby, also for Melanie's baby (to be born in September).
* Cable Knit Purse, for me! My friend Wes wants to learn to knit cables, too, so we may have a cable party.
* Skull Bikini, for my best friend Alex.
* WWII Vest (x2) for my boy.

That's a good start.

Only 10 minutes left of work . . . I can't wait to go home!!!


<333333333

Tag, I'm It!

Work has been uber busy lately; I guess as we get closer to the Fair I will be continually getting busier. I decided that if I didn't take a break, I might go crazy, so I decided to fill out Petra's tag. I'm not going to send it to anyone, because I don't know who to send it to, but here are six weird things about me.

#1. I stick my tounge out when I'm focusing. This includes studying, knitting, and other things that require concentration.

#2. I was born on October 29, so I came home from the hospital on Halloween.

#3. There was like a year that I was completely obsessed with circus peanuts. You know, these:
I ate them by the bag. The big bags, too. It was a minor addiction.

#4. I graduated high school in only three years. (I skipped my junior year.)

#5. When I was a kid (ages four through about six) I had to wear an eyepatch because I had a lazy eye. I had surgery when I was six that eliminated the need to wear the eyepatch, but I will forever have the pirate spirit.

#6. I want to be like June Cleaver when I grow up. I don't consider this to be weird, but some people do. My best friend says I'm in "Housewife Hell", and I'm not even married. I think "Housewife Hell" is an oxymoron, though. My ambition has always been to be a wife and mother; everything else that I do with myself is just extra (or to keep from being poor).

You know what sucks . . .

Not having air conditioning. That sucks. My boyfriend got the floors redone, and for some reason when the floor guys moved out, the air didn't work any more. Granted, I could have stayed somewhere else Sunday night, but I stuck out the heat / polyurathane scent because there's no place like home, even when it makes you sweaty and stinky, and nowhere makes me feel more at home than with the boy.

It's been a busy week, so I haven't knitted much -- my little sister and our friend Chastity came to Louisville for a visit, and I've been trying to neaten the house up as much as possible. Plus the weather! I did cook last night, in celebration of green tomatoes from my grandparent's garden. I made fried green tomatoes, fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Tonight I'm making lasagna, which means I won't have to buy lunch for most of the week 'cos I'll have leftovers. I've knitted a sock and a half and a Knuck and some fingers. I want to finish one or both of these projects tonight. I REALLY need to work on a research paper, but that just isn't fun. Maybe I'll do that if I get bored at work today, since I can't knit at work.

Since I have no knitting pictures, I will share this picture of the boy. He's so darn cute I had to show him off. I wish everyone in blogland could hear him play. Until then, you can just picture him in a hand-knit sweater vest.

Peace, and much love.

Yarn, yarn & more yarn!

Last night, I was watching Breakfast at Tiffany's and having some Boombozz Pizza with my boy and my best friend called and said, "Do you want some yarn -- Kate has some to give to you." Of course, the Boy and I stopped the movie and got our butts to Heine Brothers. Kate gave me a huge bag of yarn -- a big brown shopping bag full. I haven't looked through it all yet, but I know there are lots of partial skeins and some full skeins. She said that I was the seventh person she had gifted and she was just trying to de-stash.

Speaking of De-Stashing, I also bought some Cascade Fixation from DeStash -- four skeins in color #5104, which is very similar to the color my Knucks are. There's nowhere to get Cascade yarns locally, and it only cost $10.00 for all four skeins. I can't wait to get it in the mail . . . I already have a few patterns in mind.

My Knucks are well on their way . . . I am almost ready to join the thumb. I have pictures to show you all when I'm on my personal computer.

Much love and happy knitting.

<3333

P.S. Great show tonight in the Louisville area at the Rudyard Kipling -- John Whittaker, Josh Hawkins, Jesse from These United States.

Socks and Knucks

Lots of knitting progress to report! I turned the heel on my sock last night and mananged to pick up stitches without making any holes. I never realized that turning the heel is basically the same as short row shaping, so it makes me wanna find a curvy top and go at it. I've gotten pretty far along the foot part and will take pictures soon.

I also have made Knucks progress. I've finished the thumb and the little finger . . . enough for the "gnarly" surfer hand, but not enough for a Knuck. I was distracted with a Sharpie, so I feel okay about the progress made so far. I've never knit on size 4 needles, so I'm proud of myself. I love the way the fine gauge looks. And I totally dig dpns . . . it feels like your making progress when you move on to the next needle. My Knucks, btw, are knitted in Cotton Fleece from Brown Sheep Co, color Robin's Egg Blue:

I dig it.

And that's all for now, but I'm sure more will be coming soon. I want to take a nap. I knitted on my sock during my lunch break, and now I wish I could pick it up again. Anything to do . . . work is so blah.

Much love.

Today is magic picture day! . . . and let there be cake!

Because the pictures keep on comin'!

This is the fabulous yarn purchased from The Knit Nook. Notice that the yarn is mostly Brown Sheep Company. This was not on purpose . . . I must just really like their yarn.

The ever-growing needle stash . . . all of my straight needles are showcased in this lovely orange cup.


Here is Ms. Tawnyatay showing off the handles purchased at Hobby Lobby for my soon-to-be-knit cabled purse (which is going to be created using the cream colored Lamb's Pride Bulky pictured above.)


Oh, you want more pictures? Okay, one more.

This is what I've knit today, so far . . . it's 25 rows of sleeve . . . that's 4 sets of increases that I haven't messed up yet. I think I just needed to knit when my mind was clear.


* * *


And that's it for the pictures . . . I think.

In other news, today is my man's birthday, so . . . Happy Birthday to My Man!

I baked him a cake with homemade icing, and it's quite ugly. The icing is caramel and hardens really quickly, so I kept having to add cream and mix it again, even while I was icing the cake. If you want to bake your own ugly cake, here's how . . .

How to bake the cake: Do what the back of the box tells you to, yo! I used Pillsbury classic yellow cake mix.

How to make the caramel icing:

You will need 1 stick of butter, 1 cup of packed brown sugar, 1/3 cup of heavy cream (and then some), 1 16 oz. box of confectioner's sugar and 1 t. of pure vanilla extract.

To make it, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the brown sugar and cream and bring it to a boil. When it comes to a boil, transfer that steaming hot concoction to a mixing bowl and add the confectioiner's sugar and the vanilla. Use a handheld mixer to mix the icing until it reaches spreading consistency. It will probably get all hard and thick, in which case you add more cream, a little at a time. Ta-da . . . homemade caramel icing.

I think I'm going to blame my mixer for the cake being ugly. When I was halfway through mixing the icing, my handheld mixer just broke. Suddenly it stopped working and the air smelled like burnt electronics. I had to switch to another mixer, and quickly so the icing wouldn't get too hard.

I need to knit. And fix my hair. And get dressed. Tonight I will be going out to dinner with my boy and his family, and I don't want to look like poo.

I think I will play around on the internet first.

Cheers, and happy knitting!!

Pictures that I promised.

Okay, remember when I said that I had pictures of my sock progress. Here it 'tis:


And, I found my glasses the other day (they've been MIA since April.) This is me with glasses:


Lots more pictures to come later today . . . I must share with you the yarn that I purchased yesterday. Hooray for new yarn and needles.

Lots of love.

Slightly better . . .

Okay, I'm in a bit of a better mood . . . meaning I'm for the most part over it, but I still need the boy to confirm all is well before I'm 100% happy. PMS makes for an emotional Tonya.

<3

Ugh.

I was just handed my paycheck and I'm *still* in a bad mood . . . I must really be down.

I think I might be too sensitive. If someone snaps at me, it usually doesn't bother me. In fact, I don't care what over 99 percent of the people on this planet think of me. If it's someone I love, I'd rather be slapped in the face. I keep reminding myself that I probably deserved it -- especially since I was snippity first -- and that neither of us is a morning person, so I should just forget it.

But I'm still sad.

In knitting news, I have frogged my cardigan sleeve about three times. I keep getting the increases screwed up around the third increase. I don't really know what I'm doing wrong -- probably paying too much attention to the tv and music and not enough attention to the sleeve. I probably need to work on those increases when it's quiet until I get used to 'em.

I also bought handles for my soon to be knit Cable Knit Purse, which is going to be some blend between this pattern and everything mentioned in this thread.

You should probably leave a comment to cheer me up.

Neglect.

I've definitely been neglecting my personal blog . . . I've been trying to figure out why so many people on the Knucks KAL are having trouble -- blogger says they have all received invites, I promise! Anyway, I'm reeeeeeeeally excited about starting those Knucks!!

Since I've never used dpns before, I decided to do some practice. So, I'm making socks! The pattern is from the Knit Nook, and Kristin is very helpful. They are made using size 9 dpns, which is HUGE for socks, and Lamb's Pride Superwash in Serendipity Turquoise. Look at how pretty the color is:


I promise I'll have pictures soon. I've actually already taken 'em, but I usually hook up to the wireless internet at the coffee shop for my personal computer, and it's really crappy for uploading pics. One day I'll be patient enough to sit still while they upload. Next Monday I'm going to learn how to turn the heel and all that, but I've knitted up to that point. It's cake using dpns, which is good, 'cos I'm uber pumped about those Knucks and now I have the confidence to make 'em.

I've also made lots of progress on my cardigan, despite lots of unkitting (I learned that when you're sick and exhausted, you end up with lots of unintentional holes in your work.) All that's left is knitting the sleeves and finishing! I'd love to finish it by Saturday.

My boyfriend has requested THREE sweater vests, inspired by this album cover:

He wants one in kind of army drab green, a heathered gray and a camel/khaki color. I'm going to use Sev's pattern, and probably Lamb's Pride Worsted, since I know it knits up to 4 1/2 sts/" with size 8 needles and I've used it lots and lots. I told him that I love him, but not enough to knit him a sweater vest on size 4 or 5 needles -- he's just gonna have to deal with the bigger gauge. Actually, I just looked at the pattern again, and it's knit on 6's, which wouldn't be TOO bad, but 8's are better :) After all, there is the sweater curse to worry about. I hope that since the vest has no sleeves, my relationship will be curse-free. I did give him my first scarf, and got compliments instead of a break-up.

Theoretically, I should be working right now, since (after all) I'm at work. But, I think I'm going to browse patterns again, or maybe make a list of the next several things I wanna make, in order, since I'm getting really far on the cardigan and I think my ribbed scarf is going to be in UFO territory until the weather gets colder. It's just so *boring!*

Lots of knitting love <3

P.S. I have no idea where my SnB book is. Hopefully, it's in the back of my car somewhere.

Knucks KAL

Visit the page. Join. Prepare to make Knucks!

Finally, pictures!!

Cardigan: I've finished about ten inches of the front since I took the picture, plus the back is finished. I'm using size 9 24 inch addi Turbos and Brown Sheep Company Lamb's Pride Worsted.

Zeeby's Bag: Finished! I used Brown Sheep Company Lamb's Pride Worsted in #086, Oatmeal. It took a less than three skeins using size 8 straight needles. I was about 2 inches away from being finished when one of my bamboo needles snapped, so I switched to aluminum needles at the very end. (My heart did skip a beat, and not in a good way.) The pattern is from Stitch 'n Bitch. I followed it almost exactly, except I used only one color and did not do the decorative stitching in front. Instead, I added those snazzy Kopilot buttons!

Cable Knit Purse

I read this entire thread today. It makes me wish I could knit at work. At least I can use the 'net to look at patterns! I've told myself that I'm not going to buy any yarn until July 15, when the Knit Nook has their sale. Instead, I'm just going to make a list of the next five to ten projects I wanna knock out, then buy all the yarn the 15th. I just need to figure out where to store all that yarn.

At least it'll give me time to finish my caridgan and ribbed scarf, which my stye has prevented me from making progress on. It's just so hard to find motivation to finish a scarf in July. Maybe I'll put that off a bit longer, and just avoid using size 10 needles.

Love!<3

Knockoff Bag

Okay, I was looking through the latest issue of In Style and saw this bag. I've wanted to branch out into cables, and this doesn't look too hard. Lani found a knockoff pattern and I definitely want to make it. I have some old wooden bangle bracelets that might be perfect for the handles, especially considering how small one of the comments said the bag was, but I'm going to go by Hobby Lobby just to check out the handles there (and also to look for buttons for my cardigan!)I think I'm going to make the bag three cables wide instead of two, like the pattern calls for -- I'm pretty sure I can figure out how to do that, and I'll get the ladies at The Knit Nook to double check my pattern before I get started.

I just noticed that the Knit Nook is having a huge yarn sale July 15. I see myself becoming very poor in the near future . . .

Finished Zeeby's Bag!!

I've determined that I hate sewing, but I finally finished putting together the pieces for Zeeby's bag, and it's cute. I really do hate sewing the seams, though, and I'm not completely satisfied with how they turned out. I wasn't quite sure how to sew garter stitch to stockinette stitch. Nonetheless, I'm proud of my little bag and brought it to work today to show off. I just used one color (Brown Sheep Company's Oatmeal), and put some buttons on it from Kopilot. There are two small buttons -- an owl and a tree -- created by artist Kathleen Lolley. I made a little progress on my ribbed scarf, but the most important accomplishment for the weekend is finishing about seven inches of my first cardigan!! I cast on right before my boyfriend's gig on Friday night and knitted while he played, then took it to another show yesterday. All seven inches have officially been knit in bars thus far -- I guess it's better to knit than to get wasted. The cardigan is coming along way more quickly than expected, and my goal is to finish it in a week. Just a few more inches and I'll start the armhole shaping ^_^! My next garmet is going to be the WWII vest from Severina's site. I've never used needles smaller than size 8 U.S., but I'm up to the challenge. The next Saturday I have free, I'm going to go up to the Knit Nook and start on a simple 'lil hat. So much I wanna knit!! Between now and then, though, I'll post pictures of my bag and my progress on my cardigan.

<3

pictures of my first scarf

Not bad for a brand new knitter! I used Blue Sky Alpaca Bulky in a light brown, dark brown, and cream color and size 17 plastic Daisy needles. It's my first attempt at branching out beyond swatches, and I think it turned out pretty snazzy.

'cos I'm punk rock!

I am officially a "punk rock knit girl" -- which is cool because I somehow stumbled across the site and that's how I got into blogspot in the first place. So for all of you other punk rock knit girls -- holla.

I've only been knitting for about two months, but I'm definitely in love. I went into a bookstore to buy a LSAT book and left with Stitch 'n Bitch. My first finished project was the "Go-Go Garter Stitch Scarf" -- my boyfriend loved it so much that I gave it to him! He's a musician, and right now it's holding his metronome (good summer usage for a scarf). I have completed "Zeeby's Bag" and am in the process of sewing it together. It turned out okay, but it's definitely not uber professional. I'm a little over halfway finished with the "Ribbed-for-her-pleasure Scarf" in Brown Sheep Company's Lamb's Pride Bulky "Orange You Glad" . . . it's sexy.

My most exciting knitting news is that just this week I bought yarn for my first cardigan -- a simple little number I saw hanging in my LYS (The Knit Nook -- if you're ever in the Louisville area check it out!). I loooooove cardigans and can't wait to get started. I bought a different yarn than the pattern calls for, and am currently trying to figure out what size needles I need to use. I also bought my first pair of addi Turbo's and I'm *amazed* at how fast I can knit with them! The lesson -- BUY ADDI TURBOS! I was afraid of using circular needles since they're so small -- the shortest needle I've used up 'til now has been 13 inches -- but I they're the greatest.

As soon as I save 'em to my computer, I'll post the pictures of my first project -- it's just a simple little scarf, but dammit, I was so proud when I finished it!

Love!

yay, my first post!