She-dir, She-done (aka C is for Chemo Cap?)

I have really been busting it out on this one - I finished on Saturday morning maybe 1.5 hours before I had to leave to go visit my Nana and family for Grampa's memorial mass (can't believe it's been a year - it was not easy, but wow.) I ended up turning the pattern upside down, working from left to right, and V-e-r-y-s-l-o-w-l-y working my way through each row and holding the cable needle in front if it said in back and in back if it said in front. Enough explanation, here it is - in it's hard to photograph self:


I used 1 ball (and inches, it may have been one or two yards) of a 2nd ball of Rowan Calmer in 469 Amour.
My Nana seemed to like it very much - her hair is starting to grow back in so that's good and she's moving this week. We have big heads in our family and I was pleased that it fit me (with hair) and her (with little to none).

Last night I didn't knit. I read through several very different magazines - yay! I am deciding though what to work on next - a return to the Jaywalkers I presume. Although I have Li'spattern for a Herringbone Rib scarf - I have Manos already halfway worked up into a scarf, I'm thinking I might try with some Foliage

I went to the mall to pick up some origin's soap (yummy cocoa therapy) and then I went to The Body Shop where the saleslady very kindly sold me some of the new strawberry line (lotion, scrub, gel) - even though it's not officially available until Feb. 1 - excellent.

Thank you to my fiber godmother

My Fiber Godmother sent me a really cute card this week "One More Row" - so sweet and then yesterday a box arrived from Amazon - The Time Traveler's Wife - how cool is that? I have been looking for a good book to read and now, I've gor one!

Today at the local toy store I saw this kid's craft kit, a pooch poncho crochet kit - it looks like a dachshund!

I also saw dog leashes / harnesses / key chains by Douglas Paquette - his website shows flip flops - I love the walk the dog design:


I have a pair of Reefs that are the best things ever- I have always been a fan of the jcrew styles too - it may be too soon to think about flipflop weather though...

Early - C is for Ceilings / Thank You Godmother!

This week we were having our upstairs bathroom shower stall re-done with one of those "bath-fitter" type things. It looks really good and was mostly done on Tuesday, with final touch ups to be done on Wednesday. Wednesday morning, I took my shower and then came downstairs to eat before work. When we came downstairs, there was quite a flood coming in from the ceiling!! Apparently the bath fitter did not sauter something properly. Now, there is a lovely hole in the ceiling and you can see beams and pipes. Interesting, but not pretty. And then on Friday, it was leaking AGAIN!!! Groan. Next week our ceiling is being replaced courtesy of the bath people.

In knitting news I have picked up Shedir again. I have the chart upside down and instead of holding the cable in back, I hold in Front and vice versa. Kinda a lot of effort, but I think I'm starting to see the pattern.

We went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and I picked up one of these:

It is for ribbon / tape storage but I'm thinking that I will use it for sock yarn / needles! And it was on clearance, $2.99 - Score! (By the way, Snapware makes Yarn-tainers)

The mail arrived just as I typed this - my Fiber Fairy Godmother just sent me the coolest present! The White Tea Sampler from Adagio.com - White peach, tangerine, blueberry and tropics! Excellent!! Thank you thank you thank you!!

Jackson is absolutely enthralled with the pig's ear we gave him today - his first ever - he seems to really like it! They are not pretty to look at, that is for sure!

B is for / The yay's have it

Basking in the Sun:




My favorite is the second one. I'm thinking about possibly submitting some photos to the local country fairs this year - I think it would be kindof neat - some of my photos are really good!

I've just about cast-off for bobblicious I need slightly more yarn to cast off the remaining 5 stitches or so, then tomorrow I guess I'll seam. Yay.

Not yay: I was working on my Jaywalker socks last night and decided to try them on, and they are just too snug - there's no way if I keep going they will fit. I've got maybe 3 inches on the zigzag pattern, so it's not the end of the world. I really want to use the yarn (Dani's, so pretty) so I guess I'll go up a needle size or two? Advice? I would also prefer to do these on two circulars, rather than the dpn - I'm going to poke my eye out I know it.

Yay: To Gillian - she hosted a lovely Golden Globes party last night for our local snb group - it was a lot of fun to watch with ladies and talk trash about celebs

Yay: I heard from my Fiber Fairy Godmother and my Mellow SP - excellent - I'm looking forward to this! I've got an order coming from KnitHappens which sadly does not contain anything for me - it is all being sent out to the Pals!

Lazy Day

It's Sunday of a 3 day weekend, and today feels like a Saturday.

In my mailbox yesterday was a cute card Ina, my SP5, sent me some White Tea Teabags to try before I buy - Ina is the best! She was a super SP and has stayed in touch through comments and now RAOK - I hope I can be as good of a SP as she is! Thank you thank you thank you!

It's freezing outside so tonight for dinner we're having something very warm - beef stew. Specifically, Kraft's Food & Family Magazine Stew - I don't even like stew, yet I was drawn to that recipie - the magazine came on Friday! Hubby keeps commenting on how good it smells in here (our family room / kitchen are wide open spaces) - so I guess that is good :)

Long Weekend Linkage / Edit

I have been meaning to post since Thursday, but time somehow slipped by. Firstly, I won Sharon's Contest - excellent! My entry was that I have earned my masters in chemistry (and will never ever do that again!) and something I would like to do is get a tattoo. I have been watching shows like Miami Ink and I am just so drawn in (no pun intended). I keep thinking maybe I would get something crafty-related / science related / nature related - like a ball of yarn in the middle of the atom model, or the ball of yarn as the middle of a sunflower / daisy... or I also like the idea of Picasso's Dog - simple enough, but it's a dachshund!!! How cool! We'll see. Maybe. I'm so wishy-washy on it.

I have grown to love the comic strip Mutts - Little Pink Socks!! Just adorable. I never really paid it much attention before, so I don't know if it is because I am a dog owner now or what, but it is very very sweet, check it out!
I also really like Pearls Before Swine - it's snarky.

There's a new cast-on (podcast) - yay!

I started a pair of Jaywalker Socks with some of Dani's Sunshine Yarns, so far so good.

Edited to say: Not so good. I was working on the socks, and have finished with the rib, started the zigzag pattern, realized I was making a mistake (I wasn't k-f/b, f-f/b) so my stitches were off. I started to back-track and undo my mistake when SNAP! one of the brittany needles I just got from elann.com broke! Bummer. I have contacted them about a replacement, but in the meantime it looks like I'll be using my susan bates...

Reminders to Self

I would love to attend the Maryland Sheep & Wool event this May, but I don't know if it is really do-able... Maybe. Probably something decided more along the last minute, but that's okay. I found there's a sheep and wool festival closer to home.
ideas here
Anyone been to the ones in New England?

Tea

Coffee is a daily staple to me, but too much gives me noticeable jitters. So, after my initial 2-3 cups in the morning at home and school I swtich over to tea. There is something very soothing about tea, and I feel like I am drinking more water when I do (coffee is "just water dressed in brown" according to Ani) - anyway. I'm trying to be better this year to drink more tea with good health benefits. White Tea is supposed to be good. Even Alton has done a show on tea.

Yesterday I tried Snapple's White Tea: Strawberry tea bags I feel like I'm drinking hot watered down strawberry snapple. Which can be ok in a pinch. I am sensing I need to place an order with Adagio teas for the real deal.

Now I'm a serious knitter

I've been knitting for about 4 years now. I've improved, I've learned, I've tried new things, I've frogged, I've KIP-ed, and I'm quite pleased with my hobby. Tonight, it seems to have taken on a whole new feeling.

I've got myself a swift and ball winder! I wound a skein as soon as I had it out of the box and assembled (the yarn, by the way is Blue Sky Alpaca white / bluesky to make a ruffled scarf from Mac & Me which I bought at a recent trip to the Village Sheep in New Milford) - excellent!

I was so excited bouncing around showing my husband and the dog, that I couldn't find the center pull bit and panicked for a moment that I would have to re-wind the ball!!

I'm one of the cool kids now baby.

Cheating on Resolutions?

Who hasn't? 4 days into the new year too - not too bad. But I don't know if it's cheating or not - help! I want to read more this year. Actual reading may not happen until the summer months. I do listen to books on my iPodMini (from Audible - which, by the way - if anyone is thinking of joining - use me as a reference! I'll be entered to win stuff). So the question is this: Do the books I listen to count as books "read" this year? Currently, I've got Julie & Julia, cute, based on this blog

I wore the rainbow scarf, which Jackson wore in the last photo, to school today - nice comments (including one, "This is handmade. I can tell. My grandmother made me a scarf for Christmas - it looks like tinsel!" Not sure how to take that) and because it's wool it was great for the static electricity experiment.

I'm working on another scarf, "My So Called Scarf" - I like the look, it makes a dense fabric, but I do not really like the stitch pattern - I can not get lost in it - do not get me wrong, it is simple enough to memorize (after knitting a few inches worth)...but it does not flow well for me. oh well, back to it now - it is still relaxing!

Finished!

I was supposed to go back to school today, but - it's a snow day, BONUS!

Last week, Betsy and I took a trip out to the Village Sheep - I got quite a pile, including two skeins of Lang Yarns: Tosca, #663-62 and #663-72, instead of Noro to make the Child's Rainbow Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. Jackson, being abruptly woken from a nap was a great model:


Something wonky is going on with the quotations / comma key...

One of the best shows out there, Arrested Development needs your help! Save Our Bluths!

To Life / ABC along (maybe)

There's a new podcast from Cast-on!

Channel surfing, I came across Fiddler on the Roof showing on the local public tv channel. Great show - "Sunrise, Sunset" was my father-daughter dance at my wedding - it was played at my parents wedding too, interestingly enough. I love the opening "Tradition" number, but today, as it is New Year's Day, my favorite parts of "L'Chaim" seemed like the best thing to post .

To life, l'chaim, l'chaim, l'chaim, to life, Life has a way of confusing us, Blessing and bruising us, Drink l'chaim, to life!
....
God would like us to be joyful, even when our hearts lie panting on the floor.
How much more can we be joyful, when there's really something to be joyful for?
...
May all your futures be pleasant ones, Not like our present ones, Drink l'chaim, to life!
...
To us and our good fortune! Be happy, be healthy, long life!
And if our good fortune never comes, Here's to whatever comes, Drink l'chaim, to life!
....
Heaven bless you both, to your health and may we live together in peace!
May you both be favored with the future of your choice, May you live to see a thousand reasons to rejoice!
....


I did join the ABC-Along ~ I was trying to think of something for my first letter,
A (would it be possible to come up with something for the two letter for each day? 14 A's? Maybe...) Anyway, considering Fiddler - it takes place in the town of Anatevka