fo yes, phone no

i actually am getting some of the lingering projects closer to completion, but do not yet have the technology to share them with you.

here's some fun; one of these is a knitting monster, see if you can find it.

virtual bedroom tour

bureau; bag of yarn for donation, bag of yarn for return to store of purchase. bedside table, knitting books from the library. bedside basket; two unfinished hats, toddler sweater mid sleeve-seam with needles and pins poking out of it. under-bassinet basket, borrowed knitting book and sock pattern (i promise to bring them back soon rebecca), knitting mags, half eaten chocolate bar. under the bed; barely begun fiesta tea set, yarn stash, chocolate wrappers, empty selzer cans, dust elephants, more library books. computer desk; aline bag awaiting handle. not to mention the baby booties and yarn oozing out my bag in the coat room and the baby sweater in need of sleeve seam 'racomodage' in the car.

need i mention that there are other rooms in my house that have similar pockets of mayhem?my peaceful hobby is cluttering up my space and it's bumming me out.

resolution as recommended by jodi, have a finishing week. this week, until next snb, is finishing week. less internet, more knitting.

mofo is for me

this site was linked to by chicknits. i've seen it before and remember enjoying it then. what i am noticing this time around is what a great free pattern resource it is. lots of links in that vein. it may make it to my sidebar soon. i think i recognize many of the patterns from the 2005 pattern-a-day knitting calendar that was recently gifted to me by my sp3, thanks again!

blog while you procrastinate

a lot to do today... so i'll blog instead.

i was just looking at my secret pal -recieving end's- blog and she got the package i sent her and seems very pleased. i have to say that just made my day. i will more than likely continue doing secret pal in the future.

i shopped this past week. i went back to fabric place because of all the sale yarn they had. though it was greatly diminished, i did pick up mitten yarn for kate's mittens, she requested the fluffy cuff mittens from the stitch n bitch book. for the cuff i picked up berrocco furz first, then went to needleworks to see if they carried plush in black, they did! so i got that and will return the furz. beatrices ugg booties are lined in off white plush and it is the softest thing going. i think kate will be pleased with my choice. i wish i could knit the mittens up in more fun colors than black but i guess that is what she will have the easiest time wearing, black it is then.

also, i picked up fiesta ware colored yarn (colors 1504,1592) for a tea cozy i would like to felt for sue. her girls made a gift to her of a tea pot in a color that matches her fiesta ware. i chose some classic elite two two yarn that i plan to stripe, at her request. i hope the yarn felts, i gotta do some swatching.

i am making headway on the second of bea's booties. they are so adorable. the cameraphones are being sent tomorrow, so hopefully i'll have pics to show you soon. i thought i would knit a ribbed cuff inside the bootie to help it stay on. it takes, seven seconds for her to kick it off, i timed it. but, after picking up all those stitches inside. i decided to try it on her with a sock before i embarked on the tedious task any forther. lo and behold, the right kind of sock helped the bootie stay in place for a few hours, before i removed it myself. on to more fun things.

i am discovering that paired items are not for me. after i finish the first one, i have little interest in doing another just like it. although, i find that i do learn more by doing the second one. i'll have to try that trick of knitting both up at the same time that i see others doing. i already do that with sleeves when i can. that's a large needle collection though.

sorry about my links not matching up right now, i haven't yet updated them from the time i lost them all.

yay dabba woo hoo!

there was a surprise waiting in my mail box today, the 2005, knitting pattern-a-day calendar from my secret pal. thanks sp! the big question on your mind: "did she look at every pattern already or will she wait for each date to pass?" what do you think... of course i looked at them all, and then did my best to put them back neatly in their box. gee whiz, if i was sending this to someone else, i might still have done it. i think my pal showed great restraint by not ripping back the plastic. thanks again pal. i've already experienced several minutes of enjoyment and look forward to the hours of knitting ahead.

another surprise! i've found something else for my 'to knit list' such a cool backpack, don't you think? i think one of my sister's in law would really dig this one. but first i have to make it, and then i have to part with it.

a little listie for myself to keep track of gift projects:

• mitts for mom
• mittens for kate
• 2 hats for other nieces - one mostly done
• backpack for laura
• to be determined baby item for jacksonorlilly
• slippers for aidan
• booties for bea - one finished, second started
• tea cozy for sue

that should keep for a while doncha think? i still have to finish a couple of items also. gotta get that camera soon. posting pictures will give me a world of motivation to finish.

merde

i lost all my links while trying to add one. and since i'll have to redo them all anyway, i figured i'd try on a new skin.

i'll try to get the bitchin' stitchers back up first, since those are the most dear to me. eventually i'll have my little trove back.

now i wondered, when i was linking to the patterns that i wanted to keep track of in my text, if it wouldn't be better to simply link to them in my sidebar. i have my answer. if i had only linked them in the sidebar, they would be gone too. thankfully i still have record of those. i think to be safe in the future, i should probably do both. of course i should change my oil more often and floss more regularly too.

snb

we had, i think, 9 people show up last night. it was great to be such a large group. that included two new faces. it's very chatty when there are that many of us. i got a measley ugg bootie sole done, in two hours! that's all i did! i cannot bring anything that requies counting to these things anymore. the body of the bootie would have been fine. i also didn't have the first bootie to show off; i was the most disappointed one over that.

chris brought her spinning wheel and gave us a demonstration. i spun a few inches to give to my son. he thinks it's so cool that i made yarn. he is a cheap date. meanwhile his brother still refuses to wear the sweater i made him. i had to distract him for 20 minutes, while he pulled and raled against the sweater, until he forgot he had it on. it managed to stay on a couple of hours. it's too bad it's such a chore to get him to wear it as the colors are gorgeous on him with his sunbleached hair etc.

hubby is replacing our cell phones with new cameraphones; they should arrive next week. i understand the picture quality is not that good from those, but i'll try to post a few. they might be better than nothing.

gotta go, the boss (beatrice) wants her lunch.

miraculous recovery. i don't know why my brain decided to work for once and i remembered marnie maclean's name associated with this pattern; but, i am grateful. thanks brain.

possibilities

first a nod to my secret pal, it was fun hearing from you in the comments section. if you spelunk in the archives of june and july you may catch a small glimpse of my kidlets.

and a couple more items i don't want to 'lose'. another contender for mom's mitts. and, something fun for myself. i spent some time perusing the new knitty. while the projects i really liked seemed too spicy for my blood, except the hallowig; i did find some things from previous issues that i would still like to try. the vest in question is loose enough to ride the transition from post partem pudge to back to a 'new definition of normal sagginess' well enough for me to embark on. from the current issue, i will keep clapotis in the back of my mind for when i feel brave enough. kate gilbert is one of those designers that keep popping up for me like modesit does. something i like, i check the name and say to myself, "oh, her again".

i have an ugg bootie to show the bitchin' stitchers tonight. i hope to have aline stitched together too. hopefully i'll have excitement to relay post stitchnbitch.

PISS! i lost the link for the mom's mitt's contender i mentioned earlier! and i have no idea where i found that pattern! here we go again. the pic was of a black pair of mitts with sort of an eyelet pattern arranged in diamonds on the back with a ruffle or picot edging. sound familiar to any or the five, or so, of you that read this?

neither rain, nor sleet etc.

a great turnout at snb two weeks in a row! seven of us braved the soggy streets of newington to meet at the very happening starbucks there. we are not the only group meeting there, we've used that venue enough to notice that there are other 'regulars'. though we picked it to enjoy the nice patio for the last few weeks of warm enough weather, yesterday we were forced inside and i think we all enjoyed the inside space just as much. there are one or two new knitters to our group which keeps things fun and interesting.

i worked and worked on the ears for kittyville. i tried my own variation which i loved but put on facing in the wrong direction. i think i must have knit five different ears on that thing between the long weekend and yesterday's snb. now there are two ears on it though i find them a little too high on the hat and one is a little askew in relation to the other. i'm hoping to fudge their postition a little as i still have a second facing to do for each ear. overall it is still a very cute hat. and, i am proud of myself because the reason the ears faced the wrong direction was because the join that forms from knitting in the round in those first couple of rows was invisible after i wove in my end and i didn't realize which side was the back!

lost and found

so, there are a couple of projects i've seen around, wanted to do and been so excited by, that i was convinced i could find them again when i was ready to start. you know where this is going... of course, once i'm ready, i have no clue as to where i have seen said project. i have recently stumbled across two of these and am linking them here so as not to 'lose' them again. baby ugg booties for bea and possibly for lilyorjackson. and leaf pattern wrist warmers for mom at christmas because her arthritis is worse every time i see her.

last i was at mom's i came across the lamest garment ever during my foraging. she had fashioned some makeshift mitts for herself by cutting strategically placed holes in a pair of socks. in her day, my mom would have whipped up a pair of fingerless gloves for herself in no time. when i visited last, she tried to cast on for a baby bootie thinking she might be able to accomplish such a small project. just holding the needles sent zingers through her joints and she had to put them down pronto. it's even hard for her to serve the ice cream. this worries me as i occasionally feel my own hands zinging with pain. my mother quit knitting and crochet when she developed tennis elbow from crocheting a lampshade in the 80s. the lampshade is still beautiful. she quilts now. plus she is a fine artist, oils painter, by profession. my mom is way cool. i can't wait to knit for her. i have some beautiful alpaca to make the warmers with. she's pretty picky, i hope she likes them.

i saw this quiz several weeks ago, tried to find it again without any luck; and, lo an behold, it was on my secret palee's blog, there's another hint for you. most of it fits except for the warm, fuzzy part. i tend more to stick my foot in my mouth.


You are Mohair.
You are a warm and fuzzy type who works well with
others, doing your share without being too
weighty. You can be stubborn and absolutely
refuse to change your position once it is set,
but that's okay since you are good at covering
up your mistakes.


What kind of yarn are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

my pal is a secret

how exciting, i got my spiii match today! someone out there is wondering how to please me the same way i am wondering how to please..... wouldn't you like to know?, who happens to live on the other side of the continent from me! that's my hint.
as for how to please me, hope this helps:

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer high-end/natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
i feel i would, in fact, qualify as a yarn snob. i look for natural fibers to knit with. i like to scope out deals on elann and ebay and visit the shops' discount bins because of my limited budget. i splurge on very nice yarns for smaller projects.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
i learned crochet, hand sewing and embroidery from my mother as a little girl. i still have the backpack and blanket i crocheted for my dolls. my mother tried to teach me to knit around the same time period but i just couldn't get it from her. i don't spin or dye and have no intention of learning but do enjoy seeing what others are accomplishing in those areas.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
no allergies but will go to great lengths to avoid having smoke around me.

4. How long have you been knitting?
i've been knitting since winter of 2004.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
link to amazon in my sidebar.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
though i enjoy them from time to time, i don't buy those types of things often enough to have a particular favorite.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
yarn snob, yep; chocolate snob, you betcha!

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
before i had kids i scrapbooked. now i just collect their photos and save them for some time in the future when i can do it again without my supplies being flung around, dripped on or pirated.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if you want to make her a CD)
i don't even know about the mp3 thing, i assume we have that capability. music i like... all kinds of stuff really... chris isaak, outcast, pixies, mavericks, peter murphy, i don't really follow music anymore so don't have anything new and fresh that i'm all jazzed about at the moment. i set the spouses 400 disc cd player on 'shuffle all discs' and just listen to what happens.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer?
any and all colors as long as they are in deep, rich tones. no pastels or neons.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
married with two small boys and a baby daughter. have a cat. my family lives on the west coast, my husbands family is scattered up and down the east coast.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
raise my kids to be happy and generous people, go back to teaching when they are old enough. travel some more.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
i haven't been knitting long enough to have a real favorite, i simply haven't tried enough. i enjoyed the mercerized cotton i used on my son's sweater. i am absolutely dying to try koigu.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
i'm not attracted by acrylic or novelty eyelash type of yarns.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
i wouldn't call them obsessions. currently i am trying to get some hats done for my nieces in a cozy debbie bliss merino. another niece would like some mittens that i would like to make for her in cashmerino. i would like to felt a tea cozy for my sister in law. and also knit slippers for my own kids and some baby ugg booties for the wee-est one. a lot of small projects to give me a break from the sweaters i knit for my kids before i get back on the sweater wagon again.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
i love to see my own kids wearing anything i knit for them.

17. What are you knitting right now?
lil' devil and kittyville hats for the relations.

18. What do you think about ponchos? (this is really a curiousity question for us)
i think it's fun to see all the variations out there in patterns and on people. i don't see myself getting a lot of use out of one but i am intrigued by the pattern in weekend knitting and another one in knitter's stash.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
my denise interchangeables are the best knitting purchase i have made so far. though for the small projects i go straight to the bamboo dpns but would like to try bryspuns.

20. How did you learn to knit?
i learned from a susan bates pamphlet picked for me by my lys salesperson. the internet videos sometimes serve to get me out of a spot. i rely heavily on my finishing techniques book too.

21. How old is your oldest UFO?
i still need to sew up the pieces of my son's debbie bliss simple guernsey style sweater that i started in april or so.

22. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
i like insects, ladybugs, cicadas especially.

23. What is your favorite holiday?
i dig halloween.

24. Is there anything that you collect?
nope, i do what i can to avoid clutter. i like beautiful things but they have to be functional for me to keep them around.