Rachael in GSO

I have moved

2006-12-08T12:31:00.000-08:00

you can find me here:
www.cattywampus.typepad.com

The Past Weekend

2006-12-07T14:31:00.000-08:00

Life has sucked. Very Bad Things happened.

But 2007, as people say, is a new year. We had the misfortune of experiencing 'things come in threes' this year, most especially bad things. And it's over, done, life will now go back to normal. So I say.

And as my friend Heather says - it is a statistical improbability that our lives could maintain the level of badness or get worse in the upcoming year. And thank goodness she is right - I just hope it really works out that way.

So we just got back from a whirlwind trip to FL, NJ and then back here in 4 days and I'm exhausted. We will be home for two weeks and then we're flying out again for Christmas, but it will be a fun trip, which will be good. We've had too many of the other kind this year. You know you've traveled too much when you have a favorite restaurant at each major airport on the east coast...

In the midst of all the flying and waiting, I started my striped cardi. It is my first 'original' pattern that is more than just an EZ percentage system sweater. Here it is - the colors look significantly brighter in the pic than they do in real life. I can't wait to finish DH's sweater & my last xmas gift so I can get back to it!!

Canine definitions of comfort

2006-12-06T18:35:00.000-08:00

So here's Duke with his giant 'lamby'...his favorite stuffed toy is always called lamby, his first one was a lamb and for it's the word he still recognizes for that.

and here's Pixie stuffed between the pillow and the back of the chair. oddly enogh she was quite content there until I moved.

Cuties.

Rachael's Spiceyhotsuperyumdelicious Chili

2006-12-01T16:29:00.000-08:00

Rachael's Spiceyhotsuperyumdelicious Chili
1 lb ground beef
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
2-4 cloves of garlic (to your taste), minced
1 12 oz beer (any cheap beer will do)
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
2 14 oz cans kidney beans
1 14 oz can chili hot beans (use pinto beans if you can't find these)

Spices
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried mustard
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon hot paprika
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt & pepper

Brown ground beef, once there is a little oil in the pan, throw in peppers, onion, & garlic. Saute until onions are clear. Pour in beer & bring to a boil, mix in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, bay leaves and all spices BUT the cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil, then bring it down to a high simmer & cover. Let it simmer for about an hour, stirring every 20 minutes.

After an hour, test it for consistency. If it seems too watery bring it up to a boil and leave it at a low boil with the lid off for 15 minutes or until it has thickened. You could also add a tablespoon or two of cornstarch mixed with water at the end to thicken it.

Drain & rinse the kidney beans, add those. Mix in the chili hot beans and let it come back to a simmer.

Season with cayenne to taste. Add more chili powder and a touch more mustard powder if it tastes like it's missing something.

Serve with cornbread.

SPICEYHOTSUPERYUMDELICIOUS!

Leftover usage:
Cincinatti Spaghetti
serves 2
1/2 lb vermicelli pasta
sour cream
shredded cheese
leftover chili

Heat up the chili, cook the vermicelli & put in pasta bowls, top with chili, shredded cheese & a good, solid dollop of sour cream.

An idea

2006-11-29T15:31:00.000-08:00

okay. so here is the sweater from interweave knits winter 2006 - the rambling rose cardigan, which I love - but that one is WAY over the top for me.

So here is what I think. I have some gorgeous malabrigo that I've been looking for a project for.
And here's my little design sketch. I think I wasn't clear on where the colors would be. The cable panel in the front & back and on the sleeves would be blue. The base of the sleeves and the sides would be purple.
and here's the cable I want to use from Vogue Knitting.
so - two things. 1. opinions please! 2. how much of each color??

SP Contest #3

2006-11-29T06:19:00.000-08:00

To write about my most emotionally connected recipe - that's the recipe that I got from my late mother-in-law for her pasta sauce. She was Italian, and her sauce is really good, and it's very special to me b/c she made it for us during her 'good week' when we visited over the summer. I chopped everything and did the stirring, but she was strong enough to come in the kitchen and put in a pinch of this and a sploosh of that, and to taste it & correct the flavor until it was perfect. Making that with her is a wonderful memory of a good time in the midst of much sadness.

So now when I make the sauce, the experience of learning how to do it comes back with the cooking, and happy memories abound with the eating. Especially when DH tells me that it really does taste just like hers.

If we're talking about a more long standing food memory, I would say apple pie, b/c I remember making oodles of apple pies with my grandmother and my mother. There was something so fun about that when I was a little girl. The slicing of apples, sprinkling of sugar, rolling of pie crust, of course mostly what I remember is being happy and content that everything in the world was good and enjoying spending time with them.

And then there's my chili recipe, which I made up all by myself. I remember that I couldn't find the mix I wanted and I decided that I was going to figure it out. It was really my first foray into making or altering a recipe to suit my tastes, and that opened up a whole world for me.

I have tons and tons of memories of happy 'in the kitchen' kind of memories from my childhood & even my adulthood (?).

Like the few Christmases I lived close enough to my BFF that we decided to make Christmas cookies together to give out to our families. An eight year old would be neater in the kitchen than the two of us were together, but boy we had fun & made some good cookies!

And how my Grandpop would make crepes for us when we slept over, I would lay in bed in the morning and I could hear him in the kitchen getting ready and then smell them cooking. He would make a game out of the whole thing, fly them through the air like flying saucers, make them with 'arms' so they were monsters, etc. They were soooo good, and I could put as much syrup as I wanted on them. ;-)

I don't have any one recipe that wins out over the others, just a realization that I have many, many happy memories of cooking & eating with family and friends through my whole life. And I have to say, I'm happy about that.

Great idea for a contest - it's brought back some good memories!

FO & assorted stuff

2006-11-27T18:08:00.000-08:00

Okay - here is the little sweater I made for my goddaughter. I"m really happy with it other than my kitchener job under the arms...not so hot. I'll have to practice before I do that again on DH's sweater.

And here's the progress on DH's sweater.

I'm happy with it. I mean, I'm really TIRED of the sweater. It feels like I've been knitting it for at least 1000 years, but seeing it on him and being pleased with how it's turning out is definitely motiving.

and last but not least, here's some stitch markers I made over the weekend. I wanted to make my spoilee some sock sized ones, so there's some little ones that will fit up to a size 3 needle and there's some that will fit up to a size 9 needle. I'm sending her two sets. I hope she likes them!

I'm sending her off a package tomorrow, her birthday is next week. So very soon, my official second package will be on its way!

Black Friday

2006-11-25T06:37:00.000-08:00

well - I am not insane enough to go to the mall, walmart, best buy, or any of the other mobbed places in the world on black friday - BUT my local quilt shop was having 35% off all fabric if you brough in three bags of food for Second Harvest. Go Randy's Quilt Shop! isn't that a good deal? so I raided my pantry & talked my step-mother into going with me (that took two words - quilt and shop) & got all this.

Gorgeous, no? for our bedroom. but first I need to get my sewing machine in working order again.

Then we went to the annual craft show here in town & braved the mobs to see what local artisans have done. There was some really gorgeous stuff, not much I was looking for, but it's always fun to see what people are making.

I got a wreath for the front door.

and this cultured pearl necklace pendant.

Then we went to a local restaurant for dinner, I had roasted duck with berry confit - YUM! and we went to see STOMP, that was tons of fun.

Thanksgiving

2006-11-24T06:22:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for many, many things in my life - a short list: DH, my family & friends, our adorable doggies, my job that allows me to make a difference in people's lives, our lovely house & all it's trappings, my ability to follow through with things I enjoy doing and be reasonably pleased with the result - such as knitting and cooking.

So along those lines, I made us a DELISH TG dinner (from the mouths of my guests, not me) & here is what I served.

appetizers:
cranberry avocado salsa
upside down pecan cake (delicious for breakfast!)

Turkey basted in white wine & butter ala martha
cranberry sauce with spices (with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice & ginger)
roasted garlic mashed potatoes
cornbread stuffing with sausage & apples - my own frankensteined creation
maple bourbon sweet potato casserole with candied pecans (with 2x as much butter, maple syrup & brown sugar as they recommend - add cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg)
cheddar corn spoon bread
greenbeans almondine

whew - I think that's everything.

for dessert
pecan pie
apple pie ala fanny farmer - sometimes old fashioed is best...

YUM. YUM. and YUMMMMMMM
I"m still full today.

Birthday!

2006-11-18T06:58:00.000-08:00

Signora Bimbi's Double Dark Chocolate Torta
by Lynne Rossetto Kasper

HOLY CHOCOLATE TORTE BATMAN

It's not so pretty, it cracked a bit coming out of the pan, but the powdered sugar mostly covers that up. ;-)

It has cinnamon and espresso and 3 entire bars of bittersweet chocolate. OMG.

Yesterday was DH's birthday, so I made this cake for him. For dinner I made
Sausage Rose Diavolo:
1 jar commercial spaghetti sauce - basil flavor
1 lb pasta
1- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
red pepper flakes
1 lb hot sausage

Cook hot sausage, drain grease, put sauce, red pepper flakes & cream in & bring to a simmer, add enough cream so it turns 'rose' color. Let it simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Serve over pasta with fresh grated parmesan.

YUM!

I live here.

2006-11-15T20:05:00.000-08:00

49 other states are aghast as North Carolina goes backwards in time.

seriously people. and we live here.

what is WRONG with them???

Trans-Siberian

2006-11-15T20:03:00.000-08:00

what does that mean anyway? trans-siberian orchestra. just a family sounding PR name to give a heavy metal band new life with a new audience.

but seriously people. you haven't heard the nutcracker until you've heard it like this...

go here: http://www.trans-siberian.com/multimedia/index.shtml and listen to 'A Mad Russian's Christmas'

no really, you MUST listen to it! don't you think Tchaikovsky would have loved to hear it like that?

so we went to see them tonight - and even though it's not thanksgiving yet, this concert is the kickoff to the xmas season. The concert was amazing.

beethoven's 5th is fairly mindblowing when they play it too.

SOCKS!

2006-11-13T15:26:00.000-08:00

Here they are - my very first pair of socks! And the SSS wasn't too bad, but I will definitely try the two socks on two circs method next time.

I know you can't tell, but I actually did a mini-cable rib on them. I think it was probably a waste of time with all the color changing.

But still, I like 'em!

Now what to cast-on next...

Shopping is Hard Work

2006-11-13T15:14:00.000-08:00

It is. Really.

I'm back from a whirlwind weekend with my BFF. We met friday afternoon, after a 4 hour and 45 minute drive for me and a 4 hour and 15 minute drive for her, grabbed lunch and were on our way. I came home with a good assortment of work clothes, sweaters, pants, etc - and a LOVELY coach bag - my one serious splurge. I've been wanting one for 3-4 years now, so all things considered - I think I did pretty good to wait this long!

And of course a HUGE chunk of my xmas shopping is done - the main reason for the trip - lots of adorable clothes for my goddaughter - the ridiculously cute two and a half yo Miss Gracianna (BFF's daughter).

While we were there, we ate dinner at the most adorable Bavarian restaurant Schankerl Stube - YUM! See that strange glass vase thingy? That's our half carafe of wine! It's some sort of gravity dispenser - you push your glass into the bottom and it moves a little metal stopper and lets the wine flow. Way funky. And can you see the waitress in her lederhosen? Do only men wear lederhosen? Well. She's wearing the female version - whatever it's called.

And I checked out the adorable yarn store Y2knit. D bore with me for that - and became reasonably inspired to start a blanket for her sister-in-law who is expecting next spring. I got some Brown Sheep Nature Spun in Chuck Berry and some gorgeous hand painted sock yarn by Claudia in a color called 'OOPS'. The yarn is from South Africa, a beautifully soft merino - she is located in Harrisonburg, VA, so she's local and that always makes me feel better about spending a little bit more than I would otherwise. Anyway - the yarn store was seriously cute and the owner was incredibly friendly and helpful.

I am SO jealous - I wish I had a yarn store like that near me!! Ours are okay - very nice, helpful people, but the selection is lacking in many ways. Here's the cardigan pattern in the picture.

So - two days of outlet shopping, we got up this morning, had breakfast at cracker barrel and were on our way. And 4 hours and 45 min back today and I am EXHAUSTED. It was soooo much fun! So much fun shopping - but really just tons of fun to spend time with my BFF - the kind of time that we always seemed to have in abundance when we were in college - but as we grow older those times seem to come less and less frequently. Because of that we have declared Veteran's Day weekend our official get together weekend every year - a blissful if insane 48 hours of shopping insanity to hang out and talk and laugh and renew our friendship.

And I am about ready to throw my computer out the window b/c this is at least the 15th time I've tried to publish this and blogger won't load my pics and picasa keeps hyperlinking all the text I try to copy in. I'm less than thrilled right now. Okay so a little editing got the hyperlinking out - but of course that eliminated all the actual hyperlinks I put in there. lovely - just lovely. Why do computers have the ability to make a person so completely irate???

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2006-11-09T17:09:00.000-08:00

Okay - I'm not. But I am leaving in my pretty new car! Even though it's not so new anymore. I'm just full of half truths today.

I am LEAVING in my semi-new car tomorrow to go SHOPPING. and not just any kind of shopping - OUTLET MALL shopping with my best friend who I haven't seen since the wedding in May.

What is more fun than meeting a good friend for nothing but shopping, eating, and talking (repeat)?

So I will be spending my weekend in Maryland where it looks like it's going to be reasonably warm and not rainy - YAY.

Oh - and I plan on checking out one LYS that is very close to the outlet mall. I just can't resist!!

2006-11-08T17:32:00.000-08:00

Arrested Development--The Mole

I realize that this isn't anywhere near as funny out of context - but OMG - I really did laugh so hard I had tears rolling down my cheek and I kept saying to DH - 'Play it again - play it again!'

And he did - and I cried even harder the second time through.

Headlines

2006-11-08T14:36:00.000-08:00

post election day headlines...they keep looking better and better.

Rumsfeld Out in WakeOf Democratic Advance;Gates to Head Pentagon
President Bush says Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is stepping down. The dramatic move comes as Democrats sweep to a House majority.

BONUS!

Secret Pal package #1

2006-11-07T17:05:00.000-08:00

Look at all the pretty things my secret pal sent me!

There's some yummy things to have with the tea & cocoa (chocolate YUM!) . I'll take that to work for my 'afternoon tea' tomorrow.

And a Chibi that comes with some bent darning needles - I've never used those before, but it looks handy - and definitely a good idea to have a place to put the needles, I have a BAD tendancy to leave those laying around...

She sent some cool sock patterns for variegated yarn from Knitty - already is sheet protectors - I like the way she thinks!

And of course, the icing on the cake, I know you see it there (and I know you're jealous)...is the gorgeous hand dyed merino sock yarn from rubysapphire (it looks like there's an etsy site). SO PRETTY.

I think the people on the card are dyeing yarn - what do you think? ;-)

and now DH can rest assured that SP is not some strange pyramid scheme designed for knitters...
Thank you secret pal!

one additional note - I had never had shortbread with nutella before - that was heavenly! (yes I ate all the chocolate already...)

Ah - Sunday

2006-11-05T07:24:00.000-08:00

And a weekend of Christmas knitting is behind me.

but really - I just wanted to put up this pic of Pixie and the PB jar.

Something Red - FO

2006-11-03T14:48:00.000-08:00

Here it is! Something Red - and it's lovely. I'm thrilled with it, and I really think I will wear it quite a bit.

My only issue is with the yarn. It's Swish Superwash from Knitpicks - and it's very soft and not at all itchy, BUT I do not recommend, under ANY circumstance, that you wash this yarn. First of all the ribbing separated out so I looked like I was wearing a maternity top and I had to rewet it and block it to get it to behave, and after that I spent about 2 hours with my trusty little electric fuzz buster turning it back into a wearable sweater. It had fuzzed so much that it looked like it was 2-3 years old, not brand new. I didn't do the inside, b/c I just don't have that much patience right now. So - superwash merino is a good idea theoretically, but I certainly wouldn't throw it in the washer again.

Oh - and this is my new haircut too...

socks that rock

2006-11-02T14:29:00.000-08:00

okay, so I've been sucked into the sock knitting thing far enough that I did it - I joined the 2007 Rockin' Sock Club - check it out - it's so awesome!!!

I'm sooooo excited to get the fun new colors and I think it's even better that I don't get to pick them out b/c I always pick out my favorites and then I never want to give them away! When they send the new colors hopefully the colors will 'speak' to me as to whose 2007 Christmas present they are!

The funniest part is that I've still only knitted one solitary sock - but I liked it! I have 2006 xmas stuff I need to get done before I can go back to exploratory sock knitting.

Native American History Month

2006-11-01T10:43:00.000-08:00

Did you know that November is Native American History month? I didn't until today. I suppose - why would I? But we always seem to know when it's Hispanic History month or Women's History month or African-American History month b/c of things on the news, books that are advertised, etc - why not Native American - you know, the people who were here first? Oh, that's right - probably because they were here first.

At any rate - the place I work, a community college, had four men from the Piscataway Nation here to educate us & perform some traditional dances. It was pretty amazing. The main speaker will be the 29th chief, his last name is Tayac - maybe it was Mark? - in his family lineage, of the Piscataway Indian Nation when his father dies. 29th! That's absolutely nuts - how many of us can track our family back more than 3 or 4 generations?

I find a lot of cultural things fascinating, I think that's probably because I don't have much culture - which is not to say that I'm uncultured - just to say that I'm very waspy. I'm english and scottish and irish and maybe a tad bit german - and parts of my family have been on this continent hundreds of years - the most recent thing I remember seeing in my grandfather's documents about somebody 'coming over' from ireland was in the mid-1800's. In grad school I got into an argument with one of my instructors who insisted that we all had culture OTHER than American in our lives. I don't. I really don't. No Christmas dishes we can trace back to Ireland - no haggis served at Thanksgiving (and thank God for that), no plum pudding, no days of celebration that don't fall on the regular govermental holiday list, seriously - we are simply American. that's it. that's all. and that's enough for me. Though my Dad does have a kilt in our clan tartan, and that's pretty cool...

So anyway, we were here at the beginning, for the settling, the civil war and all that. And what I'm finding distressing today is that my ancestors probably had some level of participation in what happened to the American Indians. I have no reason to think that they actively participated in any horrible acts whatsoever, but they were here and it was happening. I'd like to think that maybe they were involved in some sort of protests, filing briefs against it or publishing books about the horrors that were being done - and I suppose that's always possible, but it seems unlikely.

Watching those dudes dancing their dances today, I can only imagine what it would have been like to see dozens or hundreds of them dancing together two or three hundred years ago. It would have amazing, magnificent, and at least a little bit terrifying.

Beer Dinner

2006-10-31T14:40:00.000-08:00

Well, we finally found something fun & slightly elitist to do here in Greensboro - a beer tasting dinner! At M'Coul's, a local pub that has delicious food.

So you buy tickets for $30/person and get samples of six beers (4-6oz) and a mini entree that goes with each one. The food has been amazing, so I'm happy to go. The beer - well - I know it's good beer, and DH loves it, so I'm happy to just sip mine and hand it over to him if he wants it (he's gone to enough wine tastings with me to make up for a few beer dinners!). It's fun - we both enjoy the food and he enjoys the beer, and they seat everybody around the bar (and the bar is non-smoking!) so it puts you in sort of a forced camaraderie, which is pretty fun. They are supposed to be having another one in December sometime, and we will definitely be there.

Here's the menu from last night:

SP Challenge #2

2006-10-31T06:30:00.000-08:00

I just checked the new secret pal challenge, and it's to knit a washcloth by November 22nd. The prize is tempting - a box of good yarn, but the timing is really bad.

I'm not really a washcloth person - and folks, right now - less than two months 'til Christmas, is NOT a normal 'pick up and knit whatever I feel like' kind of time. Every knitter I know (including me) is frantically working on Christmas presents, and most of us will be until the bitter end. Okay the joyful end...

So I will sit this one out, not b/c I don't want to participate in all the fun secret pal stuff, but because I don't have time to knit a washcloth right now!!! So somebody else will get all that cool yarn. :-(

Weekend

2006-10-29T08:37:00.000-08:00

this has been a good weekend. two in a row? I don't even know what to do with myself...

my mom came down to visit and brought cold, rainy weather with her - so we went shopping friday in 45 degree, rainy weather. yuck.

it was fun though - I started working on christmas shopping and found a lovely black wool coat at the gap that fit me perfectly, I can even move my arms - totally bonus! So I had to buy it - I have issues with that, so if I can move my arms - to drive & do other helpful things, I have learned to just go for it. I got some bday presents for DH, but b/c he reads the blog - I can't say what - but it was a really good find!

I found a lovely knitting bag at TJ Maxx - is this the perfect bag? It's getting closer... and scored some lotion for $5 a bottle this is normally $20 per. very nice. I just love a good deal! And it meets with Duke's approval - a very important step in the process.

Saturday we planted 150 tulips in our front beds, it actually didn't take very long at all, and played around with knitting things. My mother loves to see all the projects I'm working on and I love to show them off. She even talked me into casting on for yet another project - the pi shawl in socks that rock - here's the progression so far. PRETTY!

We went to a japanese steak house saturday night, very fun, but I ate WAY too much. ugh.

My mother is taking home a lovely afghan that I started work on about 5 years ago, at this point I'm too much into the other fun stuff to care about it. And the room that it matched is about 3 moves in the past. So yay mom for taking that guilt off my hands - I hope you finish it & love it! she's going to be really unhappy that I put this picture of her in here, but I think it's a good pic. :-)

Poor DH has spent more long hours out blowing leaves off the yard - and all the leaves haven't even changed yet. That's what we get for buying a house in a tree friendly development. We love it - but sheesh! This time of year it's a bad, bad thing.

Today (Sunday) we set the clocks back when we got up - an extra hour for the last day of the visit. We planted more bulbs, daffodils around some trees & the mailbox and irises in the foundation beds. I even get to take about $50 worth of bulbs back that we didn't need. It will be GORGEOUS in the spring.

For dinner tonight DH is making meatballs - YUM - and I will make homemade pasta sauce for some good comfort food. Add a little garlic bread and I'm in heaven.

Oh - & my first package to my secret pal was misaddressed - a combination of problems - so it came back to me, I'm relieved that I got it back, so I now I have to mail it again on monday!

North Carolina - where men wear overalls.

2006-10-24T15:56:00.000-07:00

We all know I live in rural north carolina - so I sometimes run into things that seem a bit odd to me. A gentleman came in to my place of work yesterday wearing full-blown hee-haw overalls.

oh yes, you read that right - bright blue, over the potbelly, hooking at the shoulders - overalls. He might as well have had a piece of hay hanging out of his mouth...

I grew up in a place where it wasn't that unusual to see men in overalls, I suppose, but my recollection is that they were work clothes, to be worn outside and for specific, rugged activities. Overalls were not 'dress up & go into town' clothes.

So it's odd to me, a good 20-25 years later, to see a grown man out doing whatever business he may have to do, in solid dark blue with yellow stitching overalls.

But then again it's odd to me to see people with 80's hair-dos and 'high fastening pants' everywhere too...

Lindsay: I mean, it's always been "Michael's got the brains, Gob's got the charm, Buster's got the .."

George Sr.: High-fastening pants.

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arrested_Development

There are things I like about north carolina - but there are also things that make me think twice - or maybe even three times.

a 'normal' weekend

2006-10-22T15:07:00.000-07:00

For the first time in what seems like forever, we had a nice, normal, calm weekend. It was so very very nice.

Things I managed to accomplish:
Cleaning (some of it anyway)
Laundry
Ironing and mending that had been piling up for months (woohoo!)
Making cookies
Sewed needle case
Progression on mitten

In addition DH spent 4 hours saturday leaf blowing the back yard (great job!), this is the before shot.

Sunday morning I was surfing looking for a needle storage case for my dpns & small circulars - it was an immediate need b/c I had just gotten really annoyed with the artbins zippered case I was using, everything fell out - how is this a good case if they fall out? I have an issue with alot of the cases out there b/c I don't use straight needles and all the cases have oodles of room for straight needles. I found a pattern for a fabric case so I downloaded it & got right to work. I altered it so it only holds dpns & small circulars (my denise case takes care of the rest) - and voila! My very own needle case for under $5 - and I never would have found such fun colors if I were buying one...

and then there's the glorious mitten. DH has named it the 'Dr. Suess mitten'. So the mitt part is done, now I have to do the decorative cuff - and then of course there's the mate. I am displeased with parts of it, I think the second one will turn out better - live & learn - but I don't think any of the issues are visible to anybody but me.

and now there's chili on the stove and there will soon be cornbread in the oven and we will settle down to watch some episodes from season 2 of Lost. Holy crap that show just gets weirder and weirder!

Namaste Knitting Bag

2006-10-20T14:36:00.000-07:00

so nice...

I don't need a Namaste knitting bag. I don't. I really don't need one. In red, I really, really don't need a red one.

I swear there is absolutely no reason for me to get this bag. But holy cow that doesn't stop me from wanting it even a little bit!

The search for the perfect knitting bag is kind of like the search for the perfect pair of jeans. I buy one, I use it for a month or so, and soon the little flaws start to show through that make it not-quite-perfect. The handle that falls of my shoulder, the lack of pockets for accessories, no place to put the pattern or a book, if I am traveling - the mixing of my 'purse' items & my knitting stuff drives me bonkers...

Is this the perfect knitting bag? some say so...others say the perfect bag is just a myth, a rumor, an old wives tale taunting us into a lifelong search for perfection...but hey - at least we keep the economy going!

check it out!

2006-10-18T19:09:00.000-07:00

okay, so I started the mittens, the beginning is a figure 8 cast on - sheesh that's hard to do in two colors...I had to redo it 3 times, but I got it finally. this is the pattern I'm doing, though I"m not going to do the contrasting color in the cuffs, I'm sticking with the kureyon & black. I'm hoping the color progression of the kureyon will be oh-so-pretty as it goes down the mitten with the black pattern on top. woohoo! I'm thrilled so far - hopefully it keeps going this smoothly. The two circulars is working really well - I did have to start it on dpns, but I switched it over once the pattern was established.

good mail!

2006-10-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

Ooh I just love it when the mail is all about knitting!!! The new vogue, some malabrigo (oh so soft!) to make mittens, and some noro kureyon and black lamb's pride to make mittens. What can I say? it occured to me that if I could make socks, then that mitten book (Magnificent Mittens) might not be so over my head anymore and it's getting cold, though the 75 outside kind of confuses that a bit, but it is October, and mittens will be necessary sooner or later - and what's one or two more projects on the needles, really?

I don't think there's anyway I can stop myself from casting on tonight.

Planning for spring

2006-10-16T15:57:00.000-07:00

This is what $170 worth of bulbs looks like now - unfortunately it'll be a while before you get the after picture...probably sometime in March or April. My mother is coming to visit next weekend (YAY!) and she has offered to help me plant them. BONUS! So I will be using her designing/planning expertise as well as her well practiced & perfected bulb planting skills!

As long as the squirrels don't eat them all it'll be gorgeous!!

koolaid dyeing

2006-10-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

so I decided to try some more koolaid dyeing today...I am 'redhanded' as I type. I should wear gloves, but I just don't. it comes off eventually.

the first one I was trying to do different shades of red - one shade ended up an icky orange - so I overdyed the whole thing and used the microwave instead of steaming it on the stovetop like usual - and I felted it just a little bit...v bad.

the second one is MUCH better. 2 shades of red & a purple. I really need to 'graduate' to real dyes if I want to really get into this. they are drying on the porch at the moment.

alright - they are inside and here they are - the purple, red & pink one - which is NOT for a red hat club - can't anybody just like those colors anymore?

and the other one that was supposed to be three shades of red & now is just pretty much solid red. wellllll - maybe I can do some fair aisle with a lovely charcoal grey - that would be nice - but probably my first fair isle shouldn't be a sock - it just seems like a bad idea...

Socks that Rock

2006-10-13T15:31:00.000-07:00

I finally ordered some Socks that Rock - OMG it's SO freaking gorgeous.

I got Ruby Slippers, Scottish Highlands, and Azure Malachite. One for me, one for my SP spoilee...and one for me...hey I was already paying for the shipping - why not!?!

SOOOOO pretty. So very pretty. drool.

SP Contest #1

2006-10-12T14:41:00.000-07:00

Hmmmmm…lots of good questions!

My favorite…
Actor: Kevin Spacey or Ed Norton or Allan Rickman
Actress: Dame Judi Dench - hmf no other women I can think of.
Animal: Outside of my adorable dogs? The Tiger – graceful, fierce and so beautiful.
Band: My favorite kind of music is Jazz Standards – so there's really no band associated with it. I do like Good Charlotte – but I haven't heard any of their recent stuff.
Beverage: Chocolate Martini!! If we're going non-alcoholic – coke.
Book: I love books of all kind – my favorite ever? That goes back to my teenage years – The Three Musketeers or The Scarlet Pimpernel - what's better than a swashbuckling hero?
Bubblebath: ? personally – I don't really like baths – they are too hot and make me feel like I am both suffocating and wasting time at the same time. BUT http://www.lush.come/ has some lovely bath bombs.
Candy: Kitkat
Color: bright red, brick red, cranberry red, and maybe that hot pinkish-red.
Flower: Blue hydrangeas – but in the spring nothing says 'happy' like tulips.
Food: I have to pick ONE? That's hard. I love all sorts of food, I love to cook – I tend to lean towards Italian food. And seriously there's not much better than homemade bolognese sauce with a loaf of fresh italion boule to go with it...
Lipbalm: Burt's Bees! (by default, I'm allergic to everything else - but it's still the best)
Lotion: the Bigelow line at Bath & Body works is pretty good, but if I had all the money in the world - Lemon Sugar body lotion by Fresh.
Movie: seriously – it's so hard to pick just one. The Princess Bride, The Usual Suspects, Gladiator, Snatch, Fight Club and in general good and not-so-good sci-fi adventure flicks.
Song: I hope you dance - b/c that song helped me make a decision to move to a strange city when I was wavering b/c of the line 'I hope you never take the path of least resistance' - and then later my DH proposed to me to that song by asking "Will you dance with me?" OH IT WAS JUST TOO SWEET. When I'm having a hard time with a decision or b/c of stress or just need to remember something about who I am I listen to that song.
TV Show: Right now – Lost (but I'm netflixing the second season – so no spoilers!), Dancing with the Stars, Deadwood, Carnivale, Entourage and Project Runway. OH! don't forget Extras.
Vacation spot: PARIS. (it wasn't hard to pick just one for this)

Stupider and stupider - a random rant

2006-10-11T15:29:00.000-07:00

so - is it just me or does the american public seem to lean ever closer to idiocy? on my way to the grocery store after work I drove by a billboard for a local toyota dealer - it says

toyota's are cheaper at x-dealership

now SOMEBODY PLEASE tell me what EXACTLY the toyota is possessing...the cheaper price possibly?

combine that with a deli counter girl - who, nice as she was, left in the middle of my order to help the manager with something - not her fault - but seriously? what manager pulls a clerk in the middle of a customer order to do something for TEN MINUTES? and the checkout clerk who never even made an attempt to pretend to help me bag the groceries...

I know I am not the only person to feel this way, but whatever happened to customer service? and grammar. whatever happened to customer service with good grammar?? lol

done ranting.

On the bright side - I got some lovely mums for our porch and I heard from my secret pal today. Hello secret pal!

Something Red

2006-10-10T14:38:00.000-07:00

okay - here it is - Something Red - which is actually a barn red - though I think it looks like a rather garish pink in the pic. I finished the sleeves today - I did the one on the right first - as per the directions - and wasn't really happy with it - so I did the one on the left and I am much happier with that - so now to take out the one on the right and re-do it. sigh. I swear I'm not a perfectionist - but if I'm not - then why do redo I things numerous times??? well - the reality is - if I'm going to spend 30-60 hours or even hundreds - I have no idea how long it takes to actually knit something - to make a sweater - I'd rather spend another two and get it just exactly the way I want it then finish it and be eternally saying - I really think it would have been better if the ribbing started a little higher on the sleeves...

now I promised DH I would go back to his sweater once I finished the sleeves on this one - so the collar and button band is going to have to wait a bit. I wanted to finish both of them by the end of October - I may have to extend that deadline a few weeks.

TKGA & some assorted thoughts

2006-10-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

okay folks, I've done it. I signed up for the Master Knitter Program. I'm not sure why - I do want to improve my knitting - and since I'm going to teach a class in the spring semester at a local CC - I do want to make sure I'm doing things right, but it really makes me wonder why I need somebody else to tell me if what I"m doing is right.

I finished my master's in educational admin two years ago - am I really hankering that much to be back in school that I'm fulfilling that with a course in knitting? I really detest being in school - all the time, all the papers, all the WORK. All the lack of fun, the deadlines, the taking over of your personal life - I hate it.

Maybe I've just never studied the right thing...so knitting it is.

And random - does anybody get Vogue Knitting? Why did I see the holiday edition in Borders yesterday but haven't gotten mine in the mail yet? Totally unfair.

I just spent an hour attacking the morning glory vine that tried to eat our house via the front porch stairs. It's my fault - I put it there - but who knew that in NC that was a VERY BAD IDEA? probably a lot of people - but not me! So it spent the summer slowly creeping up the railing and I thought it was sweet and innocent for a while, and by the time I realized that it was obviously saying 'FEED ME SEYMOUR' - it was too far along to easily dissuade it.

So a lovely October day in the mid-70's (I'm still not used to the weather here) and a half day off from work b/c of a conference - and I did it! I have conquered it! At least temporarily - now I just have to watch for babies & nip 'em before they can repeat the performance.

FOs

2006-10-09T18:43:00.000-07:00

okay - in order - the purple sweater (my first sweater ever) that I started in february in hopes of taking it on our honeymoon in may for the fickle french weather - that didn't pan out - so instead I redid the collar 5 times and used about 5 yards of the extra skein I had to pay $10 shipping for just to finish it...but it's done, cute, and seriously warm. and the shawl - in Schaeffer Elaine - I kept the yarn for 3 years trying to figure out what to make out of it and here it is. I think I'd be happy if the neck went a little higher - but I ran out of yarn...so unless I want to redo the whole thing and decrease faster to make that happen - it is what it is. I debuted it this evening and I think it worked pretty well.

Pretty things

2006-10-05T19:05:00.000-07:00

Why oh why does Wendy Bernard make such pretty things! I haven't finished Something Red yet!! I'm getting there though. I'm almost done with the second sleeve and then all that will be left is the collar. I keep meaning to get DH to take a pic of me in it to post, but forgetting 'til I"m in my jammies. ;-)

Anyway - I want the new pattern. Even with the knowledge that wool, even merino, against my skin like that would make me itch like crazy all day - I still want it. It's SO PRETTY.

a sock & a dog

2006-10-04T19:24:00.000-07:00

So here's my first sock! YAY! though the uselessness of only one sock is killing me. I used Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch to figure out the two circulars thing. I really like this book. The chapters are separated by number of stitches in the repetition and I found this exceedingly helpful. It even has a baby sock so you can learn all the techniques, something I find to be a wonderful tool, even if I never do it.

Anyway, this book has stitch directions for 4 dpns, 5 dpns, AND two circulars - and length and width measurements for women, children, and men's sizes including narrow, medium, and wide. It also tells you how to adjust if you just have a narrow heel, or long toes, or whatever...I tend to lean more towards the 'here's a guideline - now go make your own pattern' kind of books anyway. And this one really explained the different parts of the sock & how it was constructed MUCH better than others I had read - AND it even helped me understand kitchener stitch for the first time, after multiple tries in the past.
And of course here's Pixie, my cute little fuzzy dog who is so interested in the sock that I think it really must still smell a little bit like sheep.

YAY sock - now I just need to get the other one done so I'm not so much like that kid in the nursery rhyme with one sock off and one sock on. (diddle, diddle dumplin', my son john)

Secret Pal 9 Q's

2006-10-02T15:59:00.000-07:00

I am doing Secret Pal 9 - YAY! I'm so excited that I answered all my questions already - so here they are:

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

I like anything merino or alpaca. I use regular wool to knit for other people, but I find it itchy. I absolutely HATE acrylic anything and novelty yarns, and I'm not a huge fan of cotton - it hurts my hands.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

I don't have a good system for needle storage, I use denise circulars, so they sort of store themselves, but there are all sorts of other odds & ends that need keeping somewhere too.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I have been knitting about 4-5 years. I inherited my great-grandmother's knitting needles & decided I should pick up a book and give it a try. Everybody says I knit 'funny' - I hold my hands oddly, a cross of english and continental - I assume that's a result of learning from a book instead of a person, but it works for me! I think I'm intermediate - I gave up scarves a while ago unless somebody needs one, I have done a textured solid sweater and am working on a cardigan and a sweater for DH. 4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
I have an amazon wishlist.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)

I have pretty severe allergies, so nothing really strong is good for me. But I like vanilla, cinnamon, citrus, cookie scents, that sort of thing - natural stuff.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

CHOCOLATE.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I crochet, but only blankets and not frequently. I love to cook. I also quilt and bead - though I've sort of given up on the beading at this point.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I love jazz standards and anything eclectic enough to be interesting. Yes, I can play MP3s.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

I love anything in the pink/red color family and almost anything vibrant - other than lime green, yellows, and oranges.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I am married (May 28, 2006) and we have two cute, fuzzy little dogs.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

I live in NC, so the need for winter accessories is arguable, but that doesn't stop me from knitting them... I wear scarves, hats & mittens. I'm not a poncho fan.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

So far I'm loving sweaters that I have designed myself. I like socks, though I've only finished one, and I like making bags too.

13. What are you knitting right now?

A sock (second to the above mentioned), two sweaters, a bag, and a vest.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Yes!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I prefer circular needles. I like bamboo...the knitpicks metal needles are pretty good & the Denise circulars are the 'good' kind of plastic. Mostly I'm happy with just my Denise.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

No - I've been considering putting one or the other on my wish list for Christmas.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

A crocheted blanket I started 7 or 8 years ago.

18. What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas.

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Not really.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I've been thinking about buying Barbara Walker's book - Knitting from the Top, or one of her pattern books. And I would love to get my hands on one of the out of print Alice Starmore fair isle books. I am also experimenting with dyeing, but haven't moved past koolaid yet, I've been considering buying some 'real' dyes, but don't know where to start. I subscribe to Vogue & Interweave.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

see #20 - Fair Isle & dyeing.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

I guess so - I am 'stashing' sock yarn & I have finished one whole sock. I think I'll stick with it. I wear a size 7 medium.

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)

06/06

NPR

2006-10-01T07:28:00.000-07:00

Knitting made NPR's morning show on Friday. And who says knitting is in decline?? somebody needs to tell all the knitters - or just plain shut up about it.

Personally, I'm not that excited about the book - but I'm glad it's getting knitting a bit more publicity in general. I'm not a really big fan of pattern books - I like to look at the pictures, but only to get ideas, I'm REALLY not good at following patterns to the letter.

My mother says I've always been that way. I couldn't ever just follow the directions and do it the way they said - I had to tweak this and move that and change the color here and so on. And for most of my life I had about a 50/50 shot of finishing whatever project it might have been and loving it or hating it. I think at this point I'm working on about 75/25 ratio - and I"m happy with that. I'd rather love 75% of the things I make and hate the rest then just simply be 'satisfied' with all of them...

The new Magknits is up. And I think this sweater vest is just too cute, and the designer has some really cute patterns on her website. I think I wouldn't make it this long though - I'm okay with things being longer - but I'm not okay with the tunic style - my legs are short enough as it is, if my shirts are that long people will think I'm trying to wear a strange dress.

YAY - sunday morning with coffee and new knitting patterns - the world is full of possibilities - I'm off to knitpicks to look at yarn for the vest. I'm thinking maybe the dk weight merino in a vibrant color.

Bling

2006-09-27T14:32:00.000-07:00

What's with bling anyway? Brenda Dane did a Cast-on commentary about bling which hit me as very poignant. And then in the next show she made a comment that someone wrote her and felt like she was criticizing women who wear diamonds.

The issue with bling is this - some people have it and some people don't. Some people have expendable income and some people don't. Some people who do have expendable income simply don't believe in walking around with 10,000 on their finger. Some people don't understand that a 2 carat ring costs more than some people make in a year.

So what's with all that? Does the man who worked his ass off to buy his fiance a 1/4 carat diamond ring love her any less than the man who bought his fiance a gigundo ring? Would you rather have a ring than a down payment on a house? Is the marriage doomed to fail if a diamond isn't big enough?

Seriously people. The worth is in the gesture - not the monetary value of the jewelry.

Like Brenda Dane said - I would befriend a woman who is dripping with diamonds - but is the reverse true? Are there people out there who judge you based on the size and/or existence of your bling? You're damn right they do - and what does that say about them?

So I think this is one time we can be glad it's relatively easy to spot the 'superficials' - not in the prevalence of their own bling, but in their reaction to the lack of bling on others.

Don't get me wrong, I want a pair of diamond studs as much as the next girl, I adore jewelry - the sparklier it is, the happier I am. But I will judge people by character, integrity, kindness and all those other rather out of style personality traits - not on the monetary value worn on digits. I guess I'm just old-fashioned that way.

And really it's just an American bigger is better sort of thing anyway...when we were in Paris we window shopped a few jewelry stores, and the engagement rings were - well - smallish. They were beautiful - but I would say the BIGGEST were a half carat. In major cities here they don't even display stones that are less than a carat. That just leads directly into a play on the consumerism in our society and I won't even go there.

Phew. I guess I've had that building for a long time. I maintain that the size of your bling has nothing to do with the quality of your relationship - and those that think otherwise deserve their own fate.

a few questions

2006-09-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

why are mondays the longest day EVER. every week? and why oh why did Gap do that audrey hepburn commercial? she's so chic and everything that Gap will never be. don't get me wrong, I shop at the Gap every now and then, but it's SO NOT AUDREY.

I was elated for a brief period today b/c I called the program director at my community college and say 'hey - have you ever wanted to offer a knitting course at night, cuz I could teach that...' and she said HELL YEAH. okay, she didn't - but she was enthusiastic and told me to send in a description for the catalog and I'm off and running as a fledgling knitting instructor and I'm totally psyched!! I'm too sleepy to act properly psyched right now, but I promise I am.

and why do I always pick bedtime reading that sounds interestingly intellectual at the local b&n, but when it gets down to it - very rarely has the power to keep me awake once I'm lying down. I hear one of those calling me now...Gil's All Fright Diner, so I'm going to go pursue another chapter and a good night's sleep.

postscript: you might ask what on earth kind of reading I do if Gil's All Fright Diner is intellectual...it was supposed to be a break from the "intellectual" stuff I pick up. It's good, don't get me wrong, but it's not as engaging as I was hoping it would be.

Pretty new car

2006-09-25T11:13:00.000-07:00

Check it out - isn't it adorable!?!? The mazda3s in Phantom Blue Mica - and it looks a little green in some lights. Over all it's just too cute and fast and very nice to drive! and I'm THRILLED. I loved my honda, but 10 years is long enough to drive one car.

The only issue is that it won't play my mp3 cds and it's supposed to...I may have to wait for DH to have time to figure that one out. SO CUTE!

Blocking

2006-09-25T11:09:00.000-07:00

blocking is harder than it sounds. Nobody ever told me that blocking was hard...it says in all the books 'block to measurements' - and that's all. nobody told me that my sweater would look like it had been designed for somebody with 3ft long arms when I got it wet or that I the perfectionist in me would want to spend 30 minutes making sure each sleeve was EXACTLY the same length.

so here it is! purple sweater finished and DONE. collar knitted up for the 5th, yes the 5th time, and I used, literally, about 5 ft of the extra skein I had to order when I bound off. and below is the pic of the pattern up close.
WOOHOO!!! I'M DONE! Now it just needs to get cold enough to wear it...

buttons?

2006-09-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

okay - so here's the shawl, all blocked and ready to go with temporary buttons. I can't quite figure out what I want to do with that part. maybe some big wooden buttons?

but I adore the shawl, even if it comes across a bit lopsided in the pic, it isn't in real life as long as I get it adjusted right. and as I sit here in my jammies on a friday night I have it wrapped around me and I do hope it sees more elegant occasions in it's future, but if nothing else - it keeps me warm!

yarn in the mail

2006-09-22T13:57:00.000-07:00

how awesome is it to get yarn in the mail? it's not like you don't know it's coming - you order it, you pay for it, and still, when it comes it's like the best Christmas EVER. you can check out the colors in day light, flourescent light, against your skin, next to the dog, whatever...and of course there's the texture - how does it feel?

there's something about translating what I saw online into the reality about opening the box that just can't be duplicated. of course, it's not always a positive experience...but usually it is.

I am waiting for yarn from knitpicks to make hats for people for Christmas, and a bit of sock yarn just for me. :-) It should be here tomorrow. Even though it's just for hats for Christmas, not for a gorgeous fair aisle sweater or anything glorius like that...still - yarn in the mail - it's just the best.

I am diligently working my way through Something Red, and it's coming out lovely. I'm working through the last few inches of the body, they have increased enough that it feels like each row takes 15 minutes to do...which it just might. I'll try to get a pic & put it up here.

yarn to dye for

2006-09-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

okay - so how many people have used that little play on words? too many, I"m sure, but I"m going to use it anyway.

I did more koolaid dying this weekend. I've run out yarn now, so this is it for a while...

SO MUCH FUN! I can't wait to see how it knits up.

In other news...life is reasonably good.

for now at least - there are no tragedies to deal with, the sky is not falling, and nobody is ill. I have decided that having 6 months with no major incidents of any kind should, theoretically, allow me to regain my sanity - and THAT is a good thing. a very, very good thing.

so, in other news - there is no news - and thank God for that.

Oh & here's my big GIANT sock - I really think this would have fit andre the giant. So I pulled it out & started over and it's looking significantly more normal.

the good and the bad - but hopefully no ugly

2006-09-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

On the plus side - I am 13.5 inches in to DH's sweater. It's not terribly interesting, but the pattern keeps me entertained. (it's bigger than it looks, it's all scrunched up on those circulars)

On the negative side I'm brain dead again. Why is it that being emotionally drained makes it impossible to think straight?

and for something pretty to end with - here is the shawl I did in Schaeffer Elaine in the Indira Ghandi colorway. I'm still trying to decide how to finish it in the front, ties or a button... I think the color is a little washed out in the pic, it is really, incredibly rich in person.

oh I LOVE my bunny!

2006-08-30T15:23:00.000-07:00

The one with the bunny is Duke - the cuddliest dog in the world. He is spoiled rotten as is his sister, Pixie, snuggling in on the pillows - who is much less cuddly, but just as cute.

the fun stuff

2006-08-29T15:01:00.000-07:00

I've been knitting like a nut. I finished a FMB - it's OH SO PRETTY.

I want to make more, many more, one for me (this one is a gift) and one for everybody I know who has any need to carry ANYTHING and needs a xmas present. What is this obsession. Is that normal? as soon as I make something cool once, I decided I MUST MUST MUST make it for everybody for the next *insert next holiday here* and then I buy the yarn...and then...and then...well...you know how that goes, right?

I and I finished a dark purple sweater I started last year...it's had a series of progressions. It's my first sweater and I used Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns - which is great - but something went horribly wrong and the neck size was for a 6 yo. Then I pulled it back down to the arm joining (raglan) and did it again. I got to the collar and RAN OUT OF YARN. It is jaeger merino aran in a discontinued color - I found ONE WEB SITE that had it, I had to pay $9 in shipping to get it, it came - it was perfect - I finished the sweater again - and it has a mock neck. Which would be fine if I didn't find wool the itchiest thing in the world. I can wear wool, but not against my neck, why didn't it occur to me to measure where the collar was going to be BEFORE I ordered the yarn - well - live and learn. so that's where it is. I need to pull the last few inches out and re-do the collar lower. note: I will not need the extra ball of yarn to do so.

and I dyed yarn from knitpicks with koolaid - sock yarn - oh what FUN!! my very own grape/strawberry/pink lemonade colorway!

Second entry

2006-08-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

okay. so - horrible things have happened and not that anybody is reading - sorry I was gone so long.

the world has been conspiring against us this summer. I got married may 28th, which was wonderful. we spent 10 days in paris, which was also wonderful. (amazing, delightful, etc, etc - everybody should do that!)

so why so bad you ask? we had two deaths in the family and one at my husband's office. since the middle of june, it has been, to say the least - incredibly hard.

so - forgive the delay - but HOLY CRAP we had one miserable Fing month.

me - blogging???

2006-07-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

Huh. So I have a blog then. Never thought I'd do it, but here I am, starting a blog.

That's all I have to say about that.