WIPs Week

Well, it's been over 2 years since I posted, but I have been knitting and crocheting. Recently joined a new knitting group after several failed attempts trying to get some of my Hip Mama friends together. There was interest, but with motherhood, child emergencies come up at the last minute resulting in cancellations.

I'm going to join in on the WestKnits Mystery Shawl 2011 KAL, which means freeing up my size 4 needles. Stephen West's "Herbivore" had been hibernating on those needles for a while because the twisted rib stitch was so slow. On Thursday, I retrieved the project and pressed on, finally completing it Saturday night. The cast-off took the entire duration of a movie! Ugh. Will block today, pics to follow soon. I wasn't pleased with the Malabrigo Sock yarn either, it pilled/fuzzed up a lot while working on it. My hands get dry and snaggy in winter, which really fuzzed up the yarn despite using hand lotion. Not sure what yarn I'll use for the KAL, pics of color choices coming soon.

Now I'm going to spend the next few days completing my Citron, using Dream in Color Baby in a lovely shade of mossy green. Love that yarn, picked it up at a nice sale price. I'm using the whole skein, so modified the pattern and calculated more section increases.

I'm also going to unravel a cotton cowl in progress (that had a major mistake) and set it aside possibly for a Boneyard Shawl in the future. It's a nice denim blue that will be great with jeans.

After I finish the KAL, I will start a Daybreak. I am really in love with Stephen West patterns.

So once I finish up a few things, that leaves only a couple WIPs remaining: Lady Eleanor, Hanami Stole and a Clapochet. My Lade E has about 4 skeins to go, Hanami has 1 chart to go and Clapochet is half done, using Zauberball sock.

Other crochet projects are a Hexagon baby blanket (half done) for a brand new baby, and another hexagon blanket for my daughter. Almost done with a daisy square throw as well. These will be mostly be winter projects since they grow on one's lap when joining.

Scrappy Doo

When the crawling began, along with the warm weather, I thought some baby knee pads were in order. Used up some Cascade Quattro stash scraps. I know I wrote down what I did, but can't find the email to myself. Not much required in the way of a pattern. Made a tube with ribbing at each end, then folding the ends in for double thickness and stitched the ends together.

I don't know what has happened to my hands, wrists and elbows lately, but my right hand is killing me, my left elbow aches and this morning while knitting, my left fingers went numb! Augh! Stop the insanity! I think my evening knitting posture may have something to do with it.

S's Runaround Raglan Cardigan (ravelry) is pretty much done, just need to weave in ends, block and sew on buttons. I've cast on for K's Runaround Raglan Pullover (both in Cascade 220), and cast on for Shawl That Jazz (ravelry) in Blue Moon Fiber Arts Twisted. The Pinwheel Sweater (ravelry) needs one more sleeve, but I need a break from doing a sleeve on dpn's. Also, my row gauge was a bit off so the sweater doesn't encompass me as much as I would like. It will be a shruggish sweater rather than a warming jacket kind of thing.

I'd Rather Be Knitting

On Saturday, I went for a full body massage for the first time ever, using an ancient unredeemed gift certificate. From what I had heard from people, seen portrayed on TV and in movies, I was expecting to leave there in a state of puddleness. Not so. I couldn't turn my brain off during the massage. While I enjoyed the quiet room and soft music, I found myself thinking of the laundry, home improvement projects that will never get done, and a myriad of other things I shouldn't have been wasting thought on. Oddly enough, my friend felt the same way. We both said that one of the only things we do that allows our mind to be free of thought is knitting.

I awoke the next morning with a very stiff neck, blaming the massage. My friend also had a sore spot on her shoulders. Coincidence? Maybe. We also both came down with a cold the day after the massage.

Won't be doing that again. I'm just not into the whole pampering lifestyle. I'd rather be knitting for relaxation any day. During my illness I have recently picked up an incomplete pair of Colinette Jitterbug socks (yarn that I won from a contest SJ had a while ago) and am working on that in between moments of twin feeding and diaper duty.

Finished Object!

Moss Stitch Beret, by Kent Turman - on Ravelry
Time Frame: Saturday, January 23- February 6, 2009
Needles: US 7 (4.5 mm) circ and dpns
Yarn: Cascade 220, a dark mossy green (lost the band)
Made for: my dad, for his 75th birthday

Mods: cast on 98 stitches to fit my dad's 23.5 inch head, for increases stitch markers were placed every 18/19 stitches.

I love, love, LOVE this pattern! This was my first time doing a hemmed brim. Can't wait to do another. I really like the nicely finished edge!

Cozy Noggin

I know it's been AGES since I wrote anything, but it's also been AGES since I've had much chance to knit. Here is girl baby in her new hat. She only looks sad because it was hot that day, and anyone who knows babies knows that their heads kick out a ton of heat! This pic accentuates her kissable and pinchable cheeks! Must go, have boy baby's sweater to finish before he's too big to wear it!

Hopefully, after Knit Fest at Yvonne's this weekend, much progress will be made on my Startitis problem. Maybe I'll have some Finishitis on the horizon, but it's doubtful with all the hilarity we will encounter. Must not have hopes of working on anything too mind-numbing.

STARCH...it's what's for dinner!

NOT crummy white pasta, NOT white bread french toast...NO! Nothing other than banana buckwheat pancakes, from scratch. Not even a buckwheat mix...no way. That's not the way I operate. And...they were drizzled with grade B pure maple syrup, which is less processed than grade A. Mmm mmm, washed down with a cup of PG Tips tea. It doesn't get any better than this. It's been a weird food day in general. 2 dippy eggs and toast for breakfast, a big handful of parsley (my warm weather addiction) mid-morning, vanilla soy chai protein shake for lunch, air-popped popcorn for a mid-afternoon snack, and now these pancakes that are reminiscent of steam-rolled banana nut muffins. Not that you would really want to EAT flattened muffins. Sadly, I was out of nuts.

Organizing the nusery continued this morning, after a brief stint to the flea market in Aspinwall. I was hoping some of the local farmers would have SOMETHING from their fields, but then again it is only the end of April and we live in Zone...blah blah...one of the cold zones. I thought for sure there would be some greenhouse lettuce or spinach, but the only findings at the market were fleas.

Anyhoo, after the baby shower last week, it really looked like a bomb went off in the nursery, and I was bit overwhelmed by the amount of stuff. But...after some perseverance, it's coming together and we are ready for parenthood. Even got my hospital bag packed.


I finished the Modified Drops Eyelet Baby Cardigan (for more details, look it up on Ravelry. I'm too lazy to link) 2 weeks ago, but have yet to buy the buttons. Late this afternoon I resumed work on the Baby Cardigan Set by Opal Yarns, which should be done pretty soon. This one looks like a mess at the moment, but you can use your imagination.



The COOLEST news of the day is that our lawn is even greener. No, not because of Chemlawn or some other earth-unfriendly poisonous treatment. We bought a REEL mower today...you know, the Norman Rockwell kind! K has been complaining for years that he feels sick after running the gas mower, and he had the most joyous lawn mowing experience of his life! He can't wait to cut it again! The contraption is from Home Depot, weighs 30 pounds, and is a dream to push rather effortlessly. It makes a really neat clippety-clip sound. I can actually have a conversation with him while he's mowing, it's that quiet. It's nice to just smell cut grass instead of gasoline and exhaust.

So what with the reel mower, drying clothes on the clothesline, and no cable TV (which we haven't had for several years and don't miss in the least), we are venturing back in time to a simpler life. Ahhh...bliss.

No More Feng Shui

Well, bottom line is...Babies = Clutter. This room WAS the most serene in the house until we started gathering gear and stuff. The first shower was yesterday at work.
Babies also = strangeness. Form out of function? Perhaps. Hence, the diaper cake, which is falling apart a bit, and the stork baskets. They had plants in them, which are gardenias. I'm going to have to recycle the plants to someone soon because gardenias are one of THE biggest headache triggers for me. The storks are actually things we get from one of the specialty pharmacies. Will recycle the baskets back to work for the next shower.


And lastly, babies = organizing. Already with one shower and a couple drawers of used clothes, there's A LOT. Can't really do much until the family shower. Then I'll send my mom on some return/exchange missions.


I'm gimped out today because I pulled some ligament in my left hip. Am using a cane, and also borrowed crutches from my MIL. As a result of said injury, slept worse than ever. Am going for another nap. The baby sweater knitting can wait.

Progress despite a Black Hole Weekend

12-14 weeks to go till my belly turkey timer pops!

Have made some knitting progress. Allyson's BSJ has been done for a while, just need to mail.


So, ever have a set of days off where you have a couple fun errands to run that go horribly awry?

Well, not THAT horrible, but definitely mood-crushing potential. Saturday, Renata and I went cruising, and had a very late lunch at Aladdin’s in Squirrel Hill. Who knew it would take so long? I had a hunch and put 90 minutes in the meter just in case. First the dweeb waiter comes to take our beverage order, gets me, C (Renata’s daughter), and says, “Is there another person?” Renata says, “Uh, yeah, me, but I’m still thinking.” The waiter says, “Oh, I didn’t mean to be rude or anything. I don’t want you to think I’m a bad waiter.” Well…THAT should have been the first clue.

They bring my freshly brewed mint tea in a tiny tea cup that’s not even full to the brim. For a buck-fifty! And no refills! 3 sips later, it’s gone. Hmph. A while later, the dweeb returns to take our order. A MILENNIUM later, the food arrives. We dine, we’re sated in about 20 to 30 minutes, ready to get leftovers wrapped and get the check.

It takes FOREVER to get someone near us to inform them of the need for a takeout box. The waiter comes by, I tell him and ask for the check. 15 minutes later, seemingly, we’re still sitting there…WAITING. Finally, we’re sat with our coats on, obviously ready to leave. The hostess comes by, asks if we need anything. I say, “Just this wrapped and the check.” She takes my plate and wraps it up. The waiter whizzes by, dropping the check on the table. We give it to him right away. Then it’s another LONG wait until he returns, and when he does, he didn’t even bring the right receipt that gets SIGNED! AUGH! At this point I’m DYING!

As things get finalized, I say, “I WILL BE OUTSIDE.” SIGH.

So THEN, we finally get to Knit One around 4pm, and the usual sloooooooowwww employee is at the register. We find what we need swiftly. The place is SWELTERINGLY hot, we’re standing in line behind another customer, the employee is poking along. Then she gets to us and says, “Is it hot in here?” I say, “Yes, EXTREMELY.” She says, “I’m going to go open the door.” ANOTHER DELAY! She rings up Renata and then calls over the other employee to ring me up. Strange. The person starts scooting some ghastly ribbon yarn into my pile, and in my stupor I muster up the energy to say, “That’s not mine…NO RIBBON yarn for me.” Fortunately it had NOT been rung up. I think we got out of there at 4:45.

But to make an ARDUOUS journey come to a happy end, I got started on my boy baby sweater, and knitted from about 6-9:30pm. I bought Opal sock yarn in a wild blue/yellow/green/white/brown color way. Yes, it’s size 1 needles, but I like a small gauge on small humans. I’d also bought some Dale Baby Ull in a pale lilac solid and swatched, but it wasn’t speaking to me and I couldn’t get gauge. Pics coming soon, Blogger wasn't cooperating today.

So Sunday, after a leisurely morning of more tiny knitting, we went out to lunch to the Indian buffet at Taj Mahal, then went food shopping. Before stopping at Trader Joes, popped in to Natural Stitches to return a skein from Allyson’s BSJ and a skein of Cascade 220 from K hat. Scanned the aisles in search of something less plain than the lilac Baby Ull for my baby girl. Hit the sock yarn aisle and the heavens opened, highlighting the Aurucania on the bottom shelf. Mmmm, yummy, hipster psychedelic and machine washable! The night before, K had said, “How come the boy gets psychedelic stuff and the girl gets boring plain yarn?!?!” Grabbed two skeins in a purples/blues colorway and asked the proprietors, “Think this is too wild for a baby sweater with a bit of an eyelet pattern?” They gleefully sang in unison, “Nooooo wayyyy!” And I was on my way. I’m going to return the two skeins of lilac Baby Ull to Knit One and finish off my gift cards…once and for all, and inform the usual gifters to patronize Natural Stitches for me in future.

Again my luck was down because there were LONG lines at Trader Joes. It was less painful having The Mister with me, but I have NEVER seen it so crowded! Then again, I’m usually there at 10am, not 2pm. Then we went to Whole Foods, and I forgot a few things that were even on the list! But The Mister had the list while I traipsed around gathering things and then wearily tried to find him, the cart, and forgot about the list. Ah well, all was not lost. Swatched the new yarn, got gauge on size 1’s, had a sumptuous repast of broiled teriyaki salmon, garlicky bok choy and brown rice, and continued on boy sweater till 9:30. On the menu this week at Chez Amanda is more thai food: red coconut chicken curry with butternut squash, potatoes and peas, hot and sour soup, and who knows what other yummy goodness. Really could eat that EVERY day.

Deal of the Century

My venture to Moon Township resulted in: 2 infant carrier/car seats, 2 bases, and a snap and go stroller for them...all for $80! AWESOME. That's about $350 worth of stuff!

O Sole Mio

Ugh...hubby is sick with flu-cold-thingamajig, so doesn't look like there will be much conversation in our house this weekend. Even if there is, I avoid it because it's too much work tuning in my decoder ring to figure out what the hell he's saying, not to mention that I can barely hear it anyway.

Tomorrow my plan is to buy a new air mattress for him that stays inflated, so he can sleep upstairs, far from the madding crowd. I'll be going solo to the OB, no big deal, a quick stop at Trader Joe's, (By the way, the BEST EVER CAKE is that of the Tiramisu Torte, in freezer section) then out to Moon Township to check out a good craigslist deal on infant carriers. Then...I'll come back and knit. I might take pity on the poor soul and make some homemade chicken noodle soup...even though it disgusts me that, at the age of 41, he still hasn't figured out how to successfully take care of himself when sickly! Afterall, who takes care of the female??? No one...EVER. I say, "Ok, now remember, feed a fever, starve a cold. If you're gunky, you need LIQUID, not BAGELS AND CEREAL!!!" Does he listen? Noooooooo.

To make matters worse, he just left to go play a gig at the Bloomfield Bridge Tavern. I said, "Remember, you're not 25 anymore, so it will take longer for you to recover from this tonight." He never even told the guys that he was sick, and I said, "Ok, you are never allowed to call ME a martyr ever again."

As much as I love staying in my quiet, chemical-free, unscented sanctuary on weekends, on Sunday, I must escape the ennui again. I have to run to the Strip to get supplies for making my mom's B-day dinner (at her house), thai coconut curry shrimp, then maybe go to the dreaded mall (my fingers are making a cross sign!) to hunt down some maternity clothes. Right now I only have 2 shirts, 1 pair of work-worthy pants and one pair of jeans...can't go on forever with that.

Then, and only then...will I knit.

Projects...some yarn, some not

Well, it's been AGES since I posted. My main project of late is this!

Almost 16 weeks along, due in June with TWINS. Yowza!

Brooklyn Tweed's Hemlock Ring Blanket is done, and a Baby Surprise Jacket is started for a SF baby due to enter the world any day now.

Inspiration!

On Wednesday night, Renata and I went to the studio of Joanne Baxter (in Wexford) for the Fiberarts Guild of Pgh studio/critique night. It was so inspiring! Joanne makes art dolls. She showed examples of her own designs as well as various things she has made at workshops. I particularly liked the industrial necklaces. I came home totally inspired, full of ideas to apply a few techniques to some ideas I have brewing; not for dolls, but other art. But I was also depressed because I had to work on Thurs and Fri and couldn't jump right into my ideas. I did make lists while at work to file in a binder. Yes, my mind is much more organized than my house! I'm determined to organize my studio/craft room so all supplies are readily at hand and I can walk in, sit down and start making instead of wasting time hunting for my stuff. I managed to do some organizing last night, and it's coming together nicely. I've moved all the yarn out of the chiffarobe down the hall to the cedar closet (where it belongs), and filled this open space with paints, beads, paper, etc.

Annie Lawrence was there on Weds as well. She's teaching a felting workshop this weekend at Touchstone Center for Crafts near Uniontown. She has spent her summer at workshops all over the country, and brought some of her pieces along with a really gorgeous purse done by her hungarian teacher (I can't remember the name!). I saw that the Society for Contemporary Craft has some felting classes in November. I just might have to investigate!

Today Renata and I are galavanting around Pittsburgh. She moved here from Brazil 3 months ago, and hasn't learned where all the good stuff is yet. We're going thrifting, hitting Utrecht and checking out the Society for Contemporary Craft. The weather's going to be GORGEOUS! I want to find more wool sweaters to felt for my recycling idea.

Then K and I will be going out for dinner to Gypsy Cafe to celebrate our 7th anniversary! Yay for us! Then we'll hang out with our pals at the drum circle in the grotto at Flagstaff Hill.

La dolce far niente

My, what a blissful afternoon yesterday was, full of sweet nothingness. First, I went down to Knit One to partake of their sale and use a big gift card that had been waiting for such an event. Well, despite the fact that there was seemingly only novelty yarn (yuck) majorly discounted, I didn't really get anything on sale. Some other knit pals saw me with a list and laughed. I explained that I have to arrive armed with a list or I get so overwhelmed I end up walking out with nothing.

As it was, I procured some Mauch Chunky (New Zealand/Domestic wool) in a toothache butterscotch to make Brooklyn Tweed's Hemlock Ring Blanket. I cast on in the afternoon, abandoning my long list of chores, and revelled in the quiet meditation of the stitches...a much needed Om, I must say.
This little lap blankie is cruising along. I'm now into the feather and fan "ad nauseum" which is relatively mindless knitting. I knit so much yesterday that this morning, when I did a few rounds, my left fingers were a bit numb! Ah this yarn is by no means the softest. It's rather scratchy and has that very wooly smell that a rough military blanket may have. But it was only around 6 bucks per skein, and who needs luxury for a blanket? Not me. Save that for next to my skin, which brings me to this yummyness.
Rowan Felted Tweed (merino, alpaca, viscose) in a color on a par with black rasperry coulis. With that, I shall make the Cinnabar Pullover from Interweave Fall 2007.

Today, we got down to all those chores that were blown off yesterday. It was an action packed day of cleaning, priming, etc. The pale yellow front hall is not done, as I need to put another coat of primer in the corners of the walls where the previously attempted dark mustard is still showing through. But here's the red wall that was finished last week! Yes, I know the wing chair covers seem a bit bedraggled and ill-fitting. What do you want for seven years! I'm on the lookout for something new.

Wow...has it really been that long?

I've either been busy or lazy. Maybe a little of both. Ok, so I'll post 1 day shy of 2 months since my last rambling. Zoinks. It's going to be LONG.

First, you have NO idea how glad I am that September is here! I'm counting the days till the autumnal equinox! Sweatshirt and jeans weather. Hoo Ahh!

So what exactly HAVE I been doing? Not really that much knitting. Lots of yoga, though. I LOVE Steve Ross's "Inhale" on the Oxygen channel, Mon-Fri, 6am-7am. I tape a week's worth and I'm good to go. So usually I get up around 5:15, do yoga for an hour and get on with the rest of my morning ritual. Yoga gives me a totally positive feeling, a sense of invincibility and euphoria. It's very much like the feeling you get when you kiss someone for the first time.

Uh...I DID finish that baby sleeper thingy, in time for the shower! K watched as it ended and said, "That looks like it could fit you!" He was almost right. The neck opening was huge due to the fact that I decided not to do the hood, so I had to do a couple rounds of single crochet to cinch it in. The recipient would never have known the difference. Definitely not some of my best work, it shows that my heart wasn't really in it. Also, the grafting of the shoulder seams didn't work right.


I have several other projects currently in the works. The main one is Annie Modesitt's "Corded Yoke Pullover" from Interweave Winter 2006. Several people have told me they can't see me wearing such a thing. Little do they know. Heh heh. I've hit a standstill on the sleeves. The flaw in the pattern is that they don't say to use dpn's to knit the sleeves in a tube. Well, sorry, but there's no way 45 (or however many) stitches are going to be doable on a 24 inch circular, or even a 16 inch for that matter. Indeed. The troubling part though, is doing increases in 2 x 2 rib. Looks kind of shoddy. Perhaps I'm doing something wrong. Will bring it to B&N Waterworks on knit night for some advisement.

So this weekend the master plan was to paint the living room fireplace wall a dark cranberry red. Mission accomplished. Have decided to leave the other walls ivory. Here is a before pic.

Stay tuned for the after pics. By the way, those yellow and green wing chairs were free...from a family friend. Have had them for 7 years. I'm sure they are circa 1964 or so. Aren't they purty? They're very comfy and are usually wearing slipcovers which are being washed. I have yet to put the drapes back up. Definitely not one of my favorite activities. Almost all of the pottery on the mantel was made by yours truly, by the way. Walked in the woods at Hartwood Acres 90 minutes Sat, 60 minutes Sun and 60 minutes today. Sheer bliss. The weeks of yoga are turning my legs into steel. I would have never been able to charge up the hills like that a year ago. I may soon be able to join my friend N on one of her Wonder Hikes!

This afternoon I continued unravelling some Takhi Donegal Tweed. I had accidentally made a gigantic sweater a couple years ago, and I need to recycle the wool into something wearable. Perhaps I'll join Jenn and SJ in the Central Park Hoodie escapade.

The last knit night was fun. We were really boisterous! The girls gave me a hard time when I said I was non-traditional and artsy. They said, “No! Really! We would never have guessed that!” They were stunned when I said we’ve lived in the house for a year and still don’t have curtains in the bedroom…well, we do have those roller blinds, but I’ve had higher priorities to take care of both financially and in terms of time. Originally I thought I’d sew curtains, but considering there are 5 windows and by the time I pay for fabric and spend the time, I’m better off buying. Target has exactly what we need for way less than what it would cost to make, and they match (in color, anyway) the comforter, a faded cobalt blue. The girls can rest assured that I HAVE purchased the curtains, but they're not yet installed. I procrastinate heavily when drilling is involved. Not because I can't, but because it requires careful measuring and makes a mess. I’m thinking a pale chartreuse will look great with the blue curtains and dark woodwork. My mom recommends I do some research on colors that are conducive to sleep.

On that note, it's almost time to hit the hay.

Recruiting for the knitting epidemic

I was at a picnic this afternoon, and K and I didn't really know anyone there, but the host and hostess. Don't you hate when that happens? K played a few songs in the host's band and left me to fend for myself. When I was chatting with some ladies and others heard I was a knitter...WELL...that's when things got rolling! I have recruited Janis and Barb (both blogless) to join in our knitterly goodness. Hope to see them soon at B&N in Waterworks!

He claims it wasn't a guilt complex

K left me again for the second weekend in a row on Thursday night. One of his bands played a festival in Brooklyn, NY this weekend. He had taken the day off Thursday to wait for the Verizon guy and tile guy and run some errands. I called at one point to see how things were going and K said, “I folded all the laundry and put it away, tidied, vacuumed, cleaned the bathroom sinks, cleaned the stove, and now I’m getting ready to go out and trim up the fallen branches.” I said, “Wow, are you having a guilt complex?” He said, “Nooooo, I just figured that since I wouldn’t be around all weekend I’d do some stuff that needed to be done.” I said, “Uh huh. Who are you, and what have you done with my K?”

So I walked into the kitchen and couldn’t believe my eyes. There were no piles of stuff anywhere. I glanced at the stove, and it looked clean. I figured by “cleaning” he meant wiping it with paper towels which is usually his modus operandi.

BUT…Friday morning when I was making breakfast, I noticed that he had actually scrubbed the burner grates! Wow…I really have never known him to clean like THAT.

I was reeling at the joy of not having to spend the gorgeous weekend inside engaging in the drudgery of cleaning. That meant I would have ALL day Saturday and Sunday to loll around and knit!

Well, not really, because this is how Saturday went, but I had a blast. Some of you may shudder at the thought. I got up at 6:30, was out at Home Depot by 8:00, bought 18 bags of mulch (which I loaded by myself because it was so early there wasn't really anyone around to help), came home and spread mulch till 10:30, got showered, went to the library, went to the nursery to finally buy a few annuals and 4 more bags of mulch, came home, ate lunch, knitted about 4 rows and started to fall asleep, went inside, had a 2 hour nap, went to buy a few groceries, ate a bowl of cherries (which gave me a second wind), planted my flowers and finished at 7:00pm. Made dinner, ate, knitted outside till 9pm, came inside and watched the last hour of some half-way decent made-for-TV Tom Selleck movie (in between running down the hall to watch several communities' fireworks shows from the second floor window), watched more mindless drivel and went to bed at 11:30.

K got home at 2:00am, I was awake for a little while, but today I got up at 7:00 and am planning to take Sheeks to Hartwood before going to my parents for a lunch party. I was trying to get Sheeks' attention while she was busy chewing on a log. When I said, "Want to go to Hartwood?" her ears perked up.


A week last Thursday, I cast on for this. Yes, the Cabbage Patch doll scares me too. I’m modifying as I go because I don’t think a sleep sack should be permanently closed at the bottom. I’ve done eyelets that will have a purchased drawstring run through. Again, a time saver, as i-cord takes too long. An open sack will facilitate those middle of the night diaper changes! Since the bottom of the sack will be open, I don’t see need for 6 buttons, so I think I’ll pare that down to 3. It’s not going to be snug in the chest area anyway. And lastly, I’m not doing this in basketweave stitch because that’s not mindless enough for a quick baby shower gift! I’m cruising through with stockinette and have 13 inches done already. For 140 stitches, that’s not bad! The shower is August 2. The yarn is a sage, mint and white heathery worsted cotton by Bernat bought in a 1-pound ball from JoAnn’s. Yes, not a fan of JoAnn’s, but I was obsessed, not too picky, and needed yarn FAST. I wanted something natural, comfy and inexpensive. It’s for a coworker who made it tougher on us by not wanting to know the gender, so we’re stuck with the less fun baby colors. It doesn't look like much yet, but I'm hoping that some sleeves will get the cuteness going.

Cool beans…knit night at Coffee Tree

Got home from work last night to find a large chunk of tree had fallen in my front yard that missed the kitchen roof by 10 feet! Yikes. There was a downed wire of some kind, probably harmless cable, but I was heading out the door any minute. I left K in charge of calling Verizon to have them come take a look. The power was on, the phone worked, and we don’t bother with cable, so it was probably no big deal.

So I ventured down to Coffee Tree Roasters in Shadyside, where the temperature inside was literally roasting! Not comfy while drinking tea. I was trying out a different knit night where I newly met Min and Susan (sadly both blogless). Min had a fun laissez faire attitude towards sock knitting. She said, “Hmm…the leg looks kinda big, but it’s for a guy. It’s good enough.” Susan was crochet-embroidering a sun face on a cute little baby sundress. Her craftswomanship is marvelous. She is in the Master Knitting program and was grumbling about the strictness of the mandatory swatches. They both regularly attend a knitting group on Sundays that alternates between meeting at the Tango Café in Squirrel Hill and Crazy Mocha on the Southside. This Sunday group is planning to put a website together and get T-shirts made that mimick the iPod listener silhouette with knitter silhouettes! Way cool. Here's a list of other knit-togethers in Pittsburgh.

The three of us all take the same approach to buying yarn. We go with project in mind rather than being lured by yarn just because it’s calling to us. The exception to this is sock yarn, but I don't let myself fall victim to the gold-plated socks. I once saw a pattern calling for 3 skeins of Opal Gems, and the total sock cost from a LYS would be $39! If I’m going to spend that on yarn, it’s not going to be for something trampled by my feet.

When I told them about my other knit night, I mentioned that the Knitting Queen, i.e.,SJ, is one of the fastest knitters I know. Min and Susan were shocked when I told them SJ made 7+ socks in a week!

I just found out yesterday that the Compass Inn Museum out near Ligonier, PA will be hosting a Living History weekend July 21-22, 2007 including a Sheep to Shawl event. They'll have more details on the website soon. Here are some of the sheep that will be participating from Twin Springs Farm.

Well, I must get on with my knitting!

Ring around the rosies

Found this on The Knitting Doctor. While you're at her blog, be sure to check out DancesWithWool. She does gorgeous twined knitting and really cool creatures.

Everything in this finger personality but "you see the best in everything" is absolutely true! If K was reading over my shoulder, he'd say, "Wow, you are SO off in your inner world at times!" I guess that's a nice way of telling me I'm spacy.

You Are a Ring Finger

You are romantic, expressive, and hopeful. You see the best in everything. You are very artistic, and you see the world as your canvas. You are also drawn to the written word. Inventive and unique, you are often away in your own inner world. You get along well with: The Pinky Stay away from: The Index Finger

What Finger Are You?

If I had 6 hands, my knitting would be so productive!

This brings me to my recent encounter with a South Carolina native, the Palmetto bug, otherwise known as a big cucaracha!!!

I was in Charleston, SC on a conference for work, staying in a swanky 5-star Orient Express hotel, Charleston Place. Much to my horror one night upon return to my room after dinner, I had a 6-legged visitor in the bathroom. I froze for an instant, did a double-take, and thought, “Wow, that’s a roach! I’ve never seen one so big!” This was a hefty specimen, measuring about 1 inch long and ½ an inch wide.

My rescue reflexes snapped into action. I grabbed an empty wastebasket and upturned it on the critter, trapping him. I darted to the phone to call the front desk to report the intruder. They said, “Oh my…hate to tell you this, but…it’s the…South. Would you like us to relocate you?” I said, “No, I just need someone to help kill it.” Again, rather lackadaisically they said, “My, you’re handling this quite well. We’ll send someone up as soon as possible.”

An eternity later, a man appeared in his navy blue workman garb, armed with a foreign accent and a generic can of bug spray. I pointed to the wastebasket on the tile floor outside the bathroom. My savior carefully scooted the can out into the hall, lifted it ever so slightly, and when the bug scuttled, it swiftly met its maker beneath the toe of a black work boot. As I turned to go back into the room, he shyly said with a woeful brow, “Sorry…about ‘zis’,” waving his hands parallel to the floor.

I put a towel at the base of the door, and for the remainder of the evening I wore shoes.

C3FO's

The other day, I made a spreadsheet of all the projects that are either in progress or for which I have the yarn waiting in the wings. There are now 6 still in progress, and 10 waiting to be started, but I've recently finished 3!

First is the fluffy baby blanket, sorry no pic. Had to hurry to get it to the mom-to-be.

Second is a run-of-the-mill b-day hat for my brother made out of Cascade Quattro leftovers. Size 6 Addi's, 16", then size 6 casein dpns.

Third is a scarf knit horizontally, with the ends cut left for fringe. Still have to knot and finish the fringe. Yarns are: natural indigo worsted (bought near Taos), Karabella Festival 06, and Lampedusa 07, size 10.5 bamboo circs.

Also, I've started Bauble. It's taking forever to string all the beads, and I'm worried that it all may be too heavy when it's done and might fall off my wrist, but we'll see. If nothing else, it's been a good meditation project so far. Here's my palette:

And lastly, these are the socks that just don't want to be knit. Yesterday I was cruising along, tried 'em on and noticed bunchiness in the sides of the heel. Of course I thought, "AUGH! Now what?" Well, let's just say that, uh, I wasn't paying attention and forgot to turn the heel! So I had to rip out 3 or 4 inches!!!! Dang...the pattern is a baby cable rib.