Knitianapolis

Neglected

2010-03-04T12:22:00.002-05:00

Clearly this blog is completely neglected. Perhaps one day I'll have the motivation and time to revive it. For now, just know this: I'm living a happy life in piles of yarn, wearing great shoes, and being fabulous at all time.

More later, readers.

The day the world stopped

2009-05-06T16:50:00.002-04:00

Okay, so that's probably a little dramatic. I have seriously had a wretched day though. The worst in quite a while. I won't go into all of it because most of it is work related and fairly boring, but I will tell you that I clearly didn't learn my lesson about flash drives. The flash drive I use monthly for new employee orientation died a painful death on Monday. I fully admit that I'm the one who hit it with my leg. I also admit that I made a few joking comments about my luck with flash drives. This was before I realized that it wouldn't be saved.

What's that you say? When's the last time I made a back-up of this flash drive? Well, that would be about a year and a half ago.

And now I will go drink.

The April Show

2009-04-28T22:16:00.005-04:00

Brandi and I went to the April Show last Friday, and I purchased some art. When I picked them up on Monday night one of the pieces was MUCH larger than I remembered. Perhaps it was because there were so many other pieces packed in around it, but man is this thing huge!! It's 3' x 4'. That's 12 square feet of art. It doesn't have a home yet, and I still have no idea where this will eventually go. I love it, but it's a bit large.

Time Version 3.0 by Matt Hall

Final Cause by Matt Hall

Office Intrigue

2009-04-26T21:19:00.003-04:00

Hello internets! Did you think I forgot aboutcha? I didn't. I've been quite busy though, so I apologize for the neglect.

My flash drive disappeared a few weeks ago. It has thankfully been returned, but there was a bit of mind play before it was safe and sound in my hand. I received one of those CNN-esque hostage photos of my flash drive on that day's newspaper. Clever. I'd show you a picture, but when I scanned in the photo it was saved as a PDF, and frankly I don't know how to make it a jpg. So use your imagination, kthx. There was another note saying "never forget how lucky u r", and I won't! The missing flash drive was returned unharmed.

I personally think he should have held out for a ransom. Like some cookies or something. I'm just sayin'.

April update

2009-04-11T20:48:00.003-04:00

Hey kids! Things have been busy in my world. Not a lot of knitting going on, but I'm working on a few new projects. I've had yarn for dishcloths for Brandi for several months now, but I haven't had time to do anything with it until now. I'm planning on making a set of Chinese Waves dishcloths. The pattern seems to be taking forever, but I really like the way it looks.

I'm also working on a scarf for myself, to match the Twilight Mittens and Cozy Winter Hat. I thought I was being really original by using a basket weave cable pattern, but then I found out it's an actual pattern already. Oh well. I really like the way this pattern looks with the Malabrigo worsted.

I've been getting plenty of copies of coupons from my family, but I haven't used any in a long time because I haven't been grocery shopping. I need to fix that. I've gotten back into the habit of eating out all the time now that I've gotten a 2nd job. I love the wiggle room the extra money gives me, but I think I'm spending it all on eating out since I don't feel like cooking. Not that I ever really feel like cooking.

I'm still working on finalizing a few things before I post the next big news. I've been working on it since October of last year, so hopefully I'll be able to spill the beans within the next couple of months. Not that I think anyone actually reads this, but if they did, then I would be revealing the news to them shortly. :)

Happy Birthday Mama!

2009-03-25T20:48:00.007-04:00

Today is my mother's birthday. She and my dad are downtown watching BB King, and I am WAY jealous! So, to help myself feel better (and also because I said I'd bring them tomorrow) I made some whoopie pies. Now, these are not the best whoopie pies I've ever had, but they are pretty tastey. Not quite as chocolatey as I remember, and they need to spend a night in the fridge all wrapped in plastic so they'll be a little more moist, but good still. And I got to use my awesome mixer!! Score!

Here are the cookie parts

And the beautiful cream

And the final product!

Oh yeah, and here are some socks I'm knitting, since this is a knitting blog. :) Eunny's Bayerischre in the sock yarn Bryn gave me for Sisters Day.

Sisters Day 2009

2009-03-15T19:29:00.005-04:00

Every year my sisters and I have our own holiday we have creatively named "Sisters Day". Clever, no? This year we went to Outback for lunch, exchanged presents, and saw Coraline in 3-D. I don't care what the commercials say, that is SO not a kids movie! Scary business, to be sure.

I finished all of my knitting on time and was able to give each of my sisters something hand-made.

Bryn got a marshmallow scarf, per her request.

Jordan got a pair of gloves.

Callie got a cowl.

Wouldn't you know that the weather would change on the day I gave these things to them. 29 degrees a few days ago, and 63 degrees today. Damn the luck.

Broken appliances, and some more knitting

2009-03-11T19:43:00.003-04:00

My washing machine broke last night in the middle of a load of laundry. In that load are the only pair of jeans that I own that don't have a hole in them. Luckily there is a coin-operated set in the building, but I am partial to using mine for free.

Sister's Day is on Sunday, and I'm finishing up my knitting in prep for the celebration. I'm going to give Callie a cowl I made from Plymouth Yarn Baby Alpaca Grande. This yarn is just amazingly squishy. I love it. I hope she loves it too.

"Spring forward" my ass!

2009-03-09T23:48:00.003-04:00

Could this stupid time change have occurred on a worse day for me? Seriously. Today was the first day of orientation at work, so I had to be there 2 HOURS EARLY, but since I'm still all whacked out because of DST it was like being there 3 hours early. I almost hit my mark, and was there an hour and a half before I normally am. Sure, I hear all the time "you think 7am is early?! I've been up for 2 hours by then!!" But you see, I come in to work at 8:30. I am usually getting up at 7. On a good day I'm even still asleep at 7! So this whole coming in at 7 business is for the birds.

I'm almost finished with a Sister's Day gift, so, um, Jordan, if you're looking at this, perhaps now would be the appropriate time to stop scrolling down. Kthnx. I'm making Jordi some gloves. Gloves are a pain in the ass to make, but she's worth it, so I'm dealing with it. True, I didn't work on them at all tonight because I needed some easy knitting, but I'm just a few fingers short of a whole pair. I'll have them done by Sunday, for sure. Hooray!

These are Julia Mueller's Knotty Gloves in KnitPicks Gloss in Dolphin.

On the knitting bandwagon

2009-03-01T14:37:00.003-05:00

When I first started knitting I never realized how many knitting "trends" there were. I know now that I am a slave to those trends, and that I really have little control over what I will knit next. Basically, if the Harlot, Brooklyntweed, or Eunny are knitting it, it's going to be in my queue eventually. Evidence? I am now working on Brooklyntweed's Hemlock Ring blanket. And I love it. Sure, the color is a little crazy, and it's not the softest yarn ever, but I am in love with this blanket. The best part is that I'm knitting this for ME, and I have NO deadline! Hooray!

Girl Date

2009-02-23T22:17:00.002-05:00

Jordan and I have been having girl dates lately where we go eat and get manicures. We had a girl date tonight and let me tell you, the manicures were an EPIC FAIL! Sure, our nails look different than they did when we went, but the dude rushed through them, our nails are all jagged, and here's the worst part: he didn't clean the cuticle clippers between doing my manicure and doing her manicure. GROSS!

But then we went and had fruity drinks at b-dubs. Fail resolved. :)

Valentine's Day sucks.

2009-02-14T23:11:00.003-05:00

I've been thinking about it, and I'm really the only single person in my group of people. Nothing makes this more clear than Valentine's Day. Or, as I like to call it, The Worst Day of the Year. Boo to you, Valentine's Day. You're no friend of mine.

Sigh.

Reasons why I am better suited as an aunt than a mom...

2009-02-08T18:39:00.008-05:00

Today, although frankly the thought terrified me, I spent the afternoon with the child who is closest to ever being "my" child. That would be my best friend's 4-year-old. Scary business for a single lady, yo.

We had a pretty good time, and there were only a few tears shed (on both our parts), and now I present to you a list of why I am a fantastic aunt, which could also be used as a list of why I should never have children of my own.

1. Children's movies suck. Yes, I drove my ass to the RedBox to get Space Buddies per his request, but I feel I may have lost more than a few brain cells whilst watching it. I did laugh when they were approaching the moon and one of the space puppies exclaimed "Oh my gosh! It's the DEATH STAR!!!"

2. Cookies. He had 4 of them. In an hour. And I didn't feel bad about it one bit.

3. We jumped on the bed. While this doesn't really lend itself to the "reasons why I should never have children of my own," I have a feeling that jumping on the bed consistently would have a much worse outcome on the bed than an infrequent jump or two... I would have taken a picture, but being distracted by a camera really takes away from the fun of jumping on the bed.

4. We threw the ball in the house. This was of double benefit to me, because not only did it occupy him (since it has the appeal of doing something that is generally verboten) but it also entertained Lucy, thus leaving me with plenty of time to knit.

5. I somehow turned the task of crawling under my bed to pull out the things that have been lost under there for years into a game. He seemed very interested in the flashlight. Opportunistic?? I've been called worse.

6. I indulged in playing dress up. Sure, the kid is a boy, but that didn't stop me from putting gloves, bracelets and clip on earrings on him.

7. The boy loves to wind skeins of yarn into balls. How could I refuse a request like that? It's not really "child labor" if they ASK to do it, I say.

This worked out really well until he put the yarn I was knitting with BACK onto the ball winder and went to town. That was a bit of a mess.

It was a learning experience, but we both still love each other. We will now return you to your normal, child free, programming.

In which I fall in love with 3 Irish Girls...

2009-02-04T18:11:00.005-05:00

For Christmas my cousin and her family gave me a gift certificate to ThreeIrishGirls.com. If you haven't been there, go now. I'll wait.

Back? Good. So now you understand why it took me so long to decide which delicious colorways I was going to get. After days and days of consideration I chose to get a skein of Galenas Merino in Elsbeth, and a skein of Adorn Sock in O'Neal. Dudes, this is what I got in the mail today:

Pink tissue paper, thank you note, swoon! But it gets better!

That's right. They HAND WROTE a note and SPELLED MY NAME CORRECTLY!!!! I was so impressed at this point that I could have unwrapped the tissue paper to find 2 skeins of Red Heart Super Saver and it still would have made my day. Oh, but those beautiful skeins of Three Irish Girls yarn...

So now, in the spirit of the little girl who asked her mommy if she could take her new toy microwave to bed (you know, just in case her dollies needed a snack in the middle of the night) I would like to sleep with this yarn. You know, just in case I need to knit a scarf in the middle of the night.

I CAN cook!!

2009-02-01T17:13:00.001-05:00

I have an update from my last post (sorry for the delay). The chicken I made was FANTASTIC! I was very proud of myself. :) Here's the final product:

Cooking with Power Tools, or, What to do When Snowed In

2009-01-28T16:55:00.008-05:00

Happy Wednesday, everyone. It is quite a snowy day today, and the University closed, meaning I was able to stay home. I've spent my day doing very productive things, such as working on the garter stitch baby blanket and organizing my photos on PhotoShop. Here is the scene out the back of my apartment.

That might not look like a lot, but it was as tall as Lucy and watching her jumping in the snow was quite entertaining.

As most of you know, I am not a cook. I don't pretend to be, but I will cook if it is required of me. Today, since I was unable to drive somewhere to get food and felt too guilty to ask a pizza delivery guy to bring something to me, I decided I would cook dinner for myself. Since I can't get to the grocery store I had to make do with what I had in my pantry, which is not a lot (see previous post). I decided to marinate a chicken breast and have spaghetti with some kind of sauce.

Off to the spice rack I went (aka the back of my stove) and grabbed a handful of things -- salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano and poultry seasoning. Added that to a little olive oil, lemon juice, vermouth and a squirt of mustard and stirred it all up.

I pounded the chicken breast between a few layers of saran wrap using the base of my cordless drill since I don't have a meat mallet. Hey, I told you I'm not a cook!!

It's all sitting together in a ziploc bag in my fridge. I have doubts as to how this will taste, but it certainly looked pretty when I was making it. I just wish I had better light in my kitchen so I could get better pictures. I'll update you when it's all finished.

As Eminem said, tonight I'm cleanin' out my closet

2009-01-26T19:40:00.006-05:00

And boy was there a lot of stuff in there! I did a fairly major purge when I moved into this apartment 2 1/2 years ago, but the stuff just keeps piling up. I cleaned out my bedroom closet and the hall closet, and I have 6 big trash bags full of stuff, as well as a beach bag stuffed to capacity. Most of it was clothes, but there were also a few random wall hanging things, a whole mess of purses, and :::GULP::: 13 pairs of shoes. 13!!!! I hadn't worn any of them in a really long time, so I figure they're better off at Goodwill. Here's the donation tower.

Among the more exciting things about getting rid of so many clothes is the plethora of hangers I now have. I was just about to go buy some more, but now I've got plenty.

AND I've got room on the shelf at the top of my closet. Do you see that next to the leopard print flannel pajamas (thanks Mom)?? That's right. It's NOTHING!! Ah, what a good feeling.

On the knitting front I've been asked to knit a baby blanket for a friend of a friend. Pretty simple. Garter stitch across 150 stitches. Easy peasy.

That is all for now, folks. You might want to go take a nap after this adrenaline pumping post.

Thorpe!!

2009-01-18T20:56:00.004-05:00

I finally put the crocheted edge on the hat, so it is officially finished! I should have read the entire pattern before casting on, because I'm not sure I would have made it had I realized I would have to do an evil, evil crochet edging. I HATE crocheting. There's just something about it that makes me want to throw the hook across the room. I persevered, and I'm glad I did. The hat matches my Bella Mittens, so I've got a matched set now. I feel so coordinated!

Yay for yarn!!

2009-01-14T22:20:00.003-05:00

I've been knitting a Thorpe out of Malabrigo Chunky for the last 2 evenings, and I finished it tonight. Well, I suppose the word "finished" might be a bit generous for the state this particular hat is in. I haven't decided which yarn to use for the edging, so it is a naked hat right now. That didn't stop me from wearing out when I took Lucy to do her business, and in my book, if a piece of knitting has seen the light outside of my apartment, that sucker is finished.

Have you ever picked up fingering weight yarn after you've just been knitting with bulky weight? That's exactly what I did after I "finished" Thorpe, and I felt like I was knitting with a single strand of hair. It was nuts.

For Christmas this year my cousin and her boyfriend got me a gift certificate to the Three Irish Girls website, and I am in HELL trying to decide what yarn to choose! I must have ALL OF IT!!!! They've got some really fun colorways, and I'm having a hard time focusing on the colors and not just the names of the colors. I mean, really, how can I LIVE without yarn called Donegan and Fitzgerald?? I'm starting to believe I can't.

Here's what I think I'll be getting:

I'm thinking I'll get that and a skein of black and white sock yarn. I heart sock yarn. Yes, yes I really do. Thank you Chris & Rebecca!!!! Kiss the baby for me. :)

Relief and Resolutions

2009-01-06T19:48:00.002-05:00

Let me start out by saying that even though I didn't get all of my Christmas knitting finished, and I THRILLED with what I accomplished. I've never made so many things for so many people, and it was great to be able to give a real gift, and not just something I picked up at a store without thought.

The days after Christmas were a little strange since I didn't have a deadline looming over me. I didn't really know what to do with myself. I still feel a little strange to be honest. I'm sure I'll get back into the relaxing swing of knitting soon enough. For now I'm content to read, or watch movies, or even do the laundry, without feeling guilty about NOT knitting. Sweet, sweet freedom.

As the new year rolled its way onto my calendar I was wavering about resolutions. I'm not really sure what the point is, since most of the people I know give up on or forget their resolutions by the time Groundhog's Day is here. I've got a few of my own, but lest I doom myself to failure, I'll be keeping them under my hat. That way I'll only have myself to disappoint if I give them up.

2009 will bring some big changes for me. I'll keep you updated as they occur.

Happy New Year, everyone.

Seasons of love...

2008-12-25T21:47:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone. As much as I dislike decorating, and shopping, and all the craziness that goes along with the super commercialized holiday, I must admit that there is something about being with my family that makes me remember how things are supposed to be. Sure, the presents are great (fantastic this year, in fact!) and the food is awesome, but seeing how much fun my family has when we get together is what makes it all worth it.

I wish everyone could be as fortunate as I am. My family loves me, and they know me really well, and beyond that, they have GREAT taste in gifts! Dudes, I got 7 skeins of yarn! And 3 gift certificates to yarn shops!!! My aunt painted me an absolutely gorgeous abstract of a shoe, which just stunned me. I love it. I also got a Magellan GPS thingy for my car, and a set of KnitPicks Options, along with various other things.

Any my favorite gift? Why, that would be the red union suit I'm wearing while typing this post. What's that you say? You don't know what a union suit is?! That, my friends, is what Google was invented for. PS - I have a sudden and strong urge to chop down a tree and drink steaming hot coffee from a thermos.

Merry Christmas all. Have a wonderful night.

Ear infections

2008-12-23T18:59:00.002-05:00

I have 2 ear infections. This is not how I wanted to spend the week of Christmas. I'm also not finished with my Christmas knitting. I probably would be, but my sister's new boyfriend is coming to our house on Christmas morning, and I refuse to give something hand-made to everyone in my family and not him. This small decision snowballed into not 1, not 2, but 3 gifts that were not initially on my list. Since all 3 of my sisters are dating someone, I now have 3 gifts to knit.

But I really just want to go back to bed. :(

Christmas, cooking, and colds

2008-12-18T18:28:00.007-05:00

I'm more optimistic about finishing my Christmas knitting today. I'm almost finished with the baby sweater. Just the hood to go, and I'll be able to mark it as completed. I just need to request that Annie stop growing for a while. I adjusted the pattern for the yarn I was using, and it turned out quite a bit smaller than I had expected. Le sigh...

After the sweater I only have 2 more small things, and the rest of my dad's scarf. Here's my bag o' gifts. I don't have room for much more.

I've decided that I need to start cooking at home more. I clip the coupons and save lots on toiletries, but I don't buy food usually because I know I won't cook it. Here is a glimpse inside my cabinets.

Cooking for 1 person sucks, which is part of the reason. Making a huge meal and then eating it by myself is a bit depressing. If any of you have any good recipes for a single person, please leave them in the comments. I could use them!

I'm pretty sure I'm getting a cold. My ears hurt, and I'm starting to get a sore throat. I'm a bit of a skeptic in regard to homeopathic drugs, but I'm using Zycam and hoping for the best. I started taking it yesterday which is when the throat thing started. I'll let you know if the stuff actually works. If not, then I'll at least have my receipt when the multi-million dollar settlement comes around.

Happy holidays everyone. :)

Winding down

2008-12-10T19:38:00.008-05:00

Christmas is CLOSE, dudes. I'm starting to realize that I won't be able to finish everything. Sad. I'm trying to finish the baby sweater for baby Annie first, since she doesn't live near here. Keep your fingers crossed for me. After that is the washcloth set for Mimi, and then the sweater for Dad. He lives close, and he knows he might not get his on Christmas day. There was an issue with Lucy trying to help me knit again. Sweet thing, isn't she?

Here's the hat I made for my cousin Lauren. I was not expecting it to be quite as green as it is, but that's the way it turned out. Oh well.

Are you guys done with your Christmas shopping/knitting??

Yuck!

2008-12-06T18:41:00.003-05:00

I will, as a general rule, eat just about anything, even if I don't really like it. It's not that I don't have discriminating taste when it comes to food, it's that I can suffer through just about anything if it means I don't have to try to cook something else.

I draw the line at this. I made this crazy sounding "cake in a mug" recipe, and I am thoroughly disappointed. This jiggly, rubbery, non-chocolatey mass in the mug might be good for plugging cracks around your windows so the cold winter air doesn't come in, but never should a human try to eat this. Nasty.

This is why I love winter.

2008-12-04T23:08:00.004-05:00

It's snowing. Big, fat, beautiful snowflakes. The kind you can catch on your tongue. The kind that look like tiny fingers cut them out of time pieces of tissue paper. Sparkly, white, pure, and beautiful.

I love winter.

In which I consider the benefits of surgical de-barking...

2008-11-29T23:22:00.002-05:00

There was a dog running around my apartment complex tonight. He had no collar, it was getting cold and dark, and he was a friendly little guy, so I brought him in for the night. And he has not stopped barking since. GAH!! I'm going to call the Humane Society tomorrow to see what I need to do with him, but for now I just want to shove a sock down his throat to make him stop!!! I hope I can find his family.

Thankful

2008-11-28T18:30:00.003-05:00

As we near the Christmas holiday, I'd like to share a few things for which I am thankful this year:

1. My family. Sure, it's trite and cliche, but they're pretty much the most awesome family ever. My sisters are like rock stars in my eyes, my brother has taught me more patience than I knew I could ever have, and my parents are the rock that holds my life in place. I love them, they love me, and for that I am thankful.

2. My health and sanity. It wasn't too long ago that I couldn't say that.

3. My job. In the economy now I remember every day how lucky I am to have a job to go to every day. Sure, I complain about it from time to time, but who doesn't? Overall I love my job, and that makes it even better.

Here are a few pictures from my Thanksgiving:

My sisters Jordan & Callie doing their "gangsta" pose. Why yes, they are two white girls, and yes, they did grow up in the suburbs. Why do you ask? My favorite part is my dad popping up in the background. Classic!

Next is yours truly, donning a hairstyle that I like to call "leave me alone I got up at 5am to cook this damn turkey for you yahoos!"

My sister Bryn and her awesome girlfriend Ashley. Love you two!

Last but certainly not least, Callie is modeling the Turkey Hat that I knitted while making the turkey this year. I'm not sure what's going on with this face, but it cracked me up.

Happy Thanksgiving, gentle readers, and I hope to see you around here again soon.

Christmas knitting update

2008-11-21T00:06:00.003-05:00

I started my Christmas knitting in April this year, and I've got to tell you, I'm not sure I'm going to get it finished. Here's my progress:

Mom - FINISHED Plaited Cables Seaman's Scarf
Bryn - FINISHED Farrow Rib Scarf
Jordan - FINISHED Entrelac Scarf
Callie - FINISHED My So-Called Scarf
Nana - FINISHED Rona Lace Shawl
Dad - Shifting Sands Scarf
Ross - Shedir
Annie - Secret, secret!

Those are the projects I'm dedicated to finishing by Christmas. There are a few other things I'd be thrilled to finish by then, but I won't be heartbroken if it doesn't happen. And now, since my camera is fixed, here are a few pictures.

I heart double coupons

2008-11-16T11:59:00.004-05:00

Kmart did double coupons again this weekend, and I may have gone a bit overboard. What can I say? I love coupons!

I ended up spending more that I probably should have, but I'm set on shampoo, body wash, and eye shadow to last until the end of Obama's 2nd term. :)

Change the clocks

2008-11-02T08:45:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure when I'm going to get used to this whole daylight savings time thing. True, today was pretty nice because I could have slept in (if I had given myself a set time to get up), and even though the clock says it's 8:45, my body knows it's really 9:45.

Budgeting update:
Budgeting is HARD! I can't believe how much I let myself cheat and pull from other places. I'm still getting money from ChaCha, but I'm not answering questions anymore. I have a bunch of referrals, and a couple of them work their tails off. I get 10% of whatever they make, and so far that's been enough for me. It's been between $30 and $60 each week. Free money! Just imagine if I had the time or motivation to actually get on there and work myself. Le sigh...

Knitting update:
I'm moving right along with the Christmas knitting. I finished my grandmother's lace shawl, but it had a hole in the middle so I had to repair that. I won't lie and tell you I didn't cry my eyes out over that. It was a stressful night. I've finished up the presents for Nana, Mom, Bryn, Jordan, and Callie, and I'm waiting on cashmere yarn to come in the mail for my dad's scarf. There are a few more to go after that, but I think I can make it.

School update:
I LOVE my Personnel Law class. Crazy, no? I'm able to grasp everything we're talking about because it relates to my job. I've also been able to go to my boss a couple of times and say "I learned about this in class, and I'm concerned we're doing _____ wrong and may get in trouble." She seems happy that I'm able and willing to point those things out to her, so I'm trying not to feel like a snitch. My other class is going really well also, and I have an A+ so far. I had to miss class yesterday because my car's electrical system is jacked, and it wouldn't start. My dad got it fixed(ish) so I shouldn't have that problem again.

Sorry for the long time between posts. I feel bad for not having pictures to show you. Someday I'll get that camera fixed. Promise.

No camera = no pictures = no good posts

2008-08-24T21:31:00.002-04:00

So, having no camera really bites. I know it was an accident, but I'm still really frustrated about the whole thing.

My knitting has really just been sitting in the basket for a while. I need to get back on the ball since Christmas is only 4 months away, and I still have a crap-ton of things to finish. I should be able to get it done if I start working on it a little more. Maybe I could start bringing it to work and working on it during lunch. That's an idea.

Budgeting is getting really frustrating. I hate that I don't have enough wiggle room to take care of things comfortably when they come up. Like the $270 bill I TOTALLY forgot about. Ugh. I also have $571 worth of tuition I have to pay. Luckily, the ChaCha thing is working out pretty well. I got paid over $120 last week for a month of answering questions online. I'm going to try for $200 this month, but we'll see. It would be awesome if I could pay my car payment every month from ChaCha. If you want to sign up to be a guide, let me know and I'll give you my email address to use as a reference. :)

School started last week. I'm taking a computer class. I'm trying to stay optimistic about the whole thing. I've taken this one before, but I got a pretty crappy grade the first time. I know I can get an A in the class if I actually go and do the homework. Blah. Why can't they just give me the degree? That would be much easier.

What are you guys all up to? I haven't talked to a lot of you in a long time. Leave me a comment!

Learning to be disciplined

2008-07-27T19:00:00.002-04:00

This budget stuff is hard work. I'm sticking to it (mostly) but I have found myself taking a bit out of this and putting it into that, but it all evens out in the end. The couponing is hard work too, and I really haven't gotten the hang of it yet, but I'm trying. Here's what I did this past week:

KROGER
2 bags 9 Lives cat food @ $4.54 each w/ Plus card - used 2 $1/1 coupons
1 bag Kroger cat litter @ $1.73
2 boxes Jolly Time popcorn @ $2/4 w/ Plus card
1 Brita filter @ $10.09 (and then I saw it at Marsh for $8.99, ugh!)
2 Turkey Hill iced tea @ $1.79 each w/Plus card - used $1/2 coupon
3 Powerade Zero @ $.79 each w/ Plus card - used 3 $1/1 coupons (21¢ overage on each bottle!)

Before my Plus card savings and coupons, my total was $38.15, and after it was $26.73. Not great, but I saved $11.42.

CVS
2 Revlon ColorStay lipgloss @ 8.99 each - on sale B1G1 free, used 2 $2/1 coupons
2 All Small & Mighty @ $6.49 each - on sale B1G1 free, used 2 $1/1 coupons
6 Trident Xtra Care @ $1.49 each - on sale B1G1 free, used 3 B1G1 free coupons, got $3 ECB back

Total before sales & coupons: $39.90
After sales & coupons: $10.46
Used $6 ECB & $4.46 OOP. Not bad!

I've still got a lot of work to do with the coupons, but I'm getting there. I'm going to go buy a newspaper right now, and my parents and grandmother have been giving me their inserts. I'm starting to accumulate a good stash, but I'm still struggling with how to make it useful.

Not much new in the knitting department. Still trucking away on the Rona Shawl. I might get it finished before Christmas. Ugh.

Until next time...

Soaps and suds

2008-07-15T15:21:00.003-04:00

I'll tell you what. Coupons ROCK! I used a coupon yesterday, and got a bottle of L'Oreal Vive Pro shampoo and a bottle of the conditioner, and I paid 35¢. Just tax! Can you believe it?! Walgreens has them on sale buy 1 get 1 free, and I had a buy 1 get 1 free coupon. The cashier was reluctant to do it, but the manager told her I was right, and that the coupon would go through. Thanks to Money Saving Mom for the head's up on that one. I'm trying to find more of those coupons so I can stock up. I can definitely handle paying 35¢ for $10 worth of hair products.

Cha-ching!!

2008-07-13T23:32:00.007-04:00

A few weeks ago one of my co-workers (thanks Tamy!!) gave me a budget template she uses, and I've been trying it out. During the past two weeks I've been fairly aggressive with my budgeting, and I think it's working out fairly well. Granted, I haven't been using it very long, but it has really opened my eyes to where my money is going, and where it should be going.

I live in an apartment that came with a washer/dryer hookup. The space is designed for a stackable unit, and a small one at that. I've been renting my washer and dryer through the apartment complex for $35/mo for the two years I've lived here. Dudes. That's $840. Hello! What a waste!! I looked on craigslist and I found an older set for $200. That is definitely an investment I'm willing to make. I'll be able to recoup that money fairly quickly since I won't be tacking that extra $35 onto my rent each month.

Since I'm trying my hardest to stretch my money, I've been clipping coupons. I've got them all organized now, but I seem to be having an issue with figuring out how to actually save money with them. I mean, I understand how coupons work, but is it really saving me money if the name brand is more expensive than the store brand, even after the coupon? I need to get a little more info about double and triple coupon days, and things like that. I did go to CVS tonight and got 3 bottles of Dawn dishwashing detergent and 4 Sure deodorants for ~$8.00 out of pocket (with the help of 3 $1/1 Dawn coupons, and 3 $1/1 Sure coupons). I also got $6.00 in ECBs back, and I have 2 mail in rebates for b1g1 free on the Sure. Not too shabby. :)

I got a little bit of knitting done this weekend, but not a whole lot. I left my project bag at home when I went to stay with my grandmother on Saturday, so she sent me to JoAnn's to get yarn and needles. She said I looked antsy without it. Hehe. She knows me well. Still no camera, so I can't show you what I've been working on. I'll be sending it in to be repaired soon.

Sweltering

2008-07-11T12:04:00.002-04:00

IUPUI's campus is cooled by a chilled water system, provided by Citizen's Thermal Energy downtown. Several other places downtown are cooled the same way. Well, on Wednesday, someone doing some horizontal drilling for the new Marriott Hotel hit a 42" chilled water pipe. That's a big pipe, boys and girls. A small child could stand up INSIDE the pipe. So the campus has had no A/C since Wednesday night. And it's hot.

I have one of those little thermometer magnets in my office that goes from 64 degrees to 84 degrees, and dudes, it's not even registering anymore. It is H-O-T. Not the kind of weather that makes you want to knit. Or work, or eat, or think even. But life goes on when you work in facilities. Luckily, I only do HR for the facilities department, so I can go home after my 8 hours are up. Lots of other people in the department aren't so lucky.

And since my camera is broken, here's a picture I stole from the Indy Star's website of some students taking a mid-term outside.

The only thing better than beer is FREE beer...

2008-06-29T22:32:00.003-04:00

I went to St. Louis this weekend with my best friend Danielle. What a lovely time we had! The tour of the Anheuser Busch brewery alone was worth the drive. Not only was it beautiful outside, and the architecture was really cool, but at the end of the tour they take you to a tasting room where you can get 2 glasses of beer, for FREE! I was in heaven.

Didn't get a lot of knitting done this weekend, but I did a little in the car on the way back. Don't worry, I wasn't driving. ;)

Stash!!

2008-06-23T21:15:00.003-04:00

When I read people's blogs about how their stash is out of control, I always think "how can someone have that much yarn that they can't keep it under control?" And then I lost some yarn. I looked all over the place before I found it. Let me just give you a few of the more colorful ones: in the file cabinet, in an old purse, in my easter basket, in a shoe box, and on the top of the water heater (which, incidentally, is where I found the missing alpaca).

So maybe I should think about some stash management.

My camera is broken, so no pictures for a while. Sorry, kids. :(

When it rains, it pours.

2008-06-22T12:31:00.003-04:00

Well, the testing and procedures with my mom went very well, so it's on to phase two. Things are looking up on that front.

Just as we were getting back to life as usual, my grandmother had symptoms of a heart attack. Wednesday afternoon she went to the hospital by ambulance. The test to see if she had actually had a heart attack were inconclusive, so they did a stress test and found that one of her arteries is 75% or more blocked. She was transported to another hospital on Friday for an angioplasty, but once they were in they decided they couldn't do it on that particular artery. She's scheduled for open heart surgery tomorrow morning.

As if that wasn't enough, my dad was in a car accident coming home from the hospital on Friday. He's okay, but the car isn't. The gods aren't happy with us, apparently.

On a happier note, I'm making great progress on my Christmas knitting. Here's the list:

Mom - Something amazing. I don't know what yet, but probably a lacy scarf. I'm thinking the Falling Water Scarf ***FINISHED*** - Plaited Cables Seaman Scarf in purple.
Dad - Mittens ***UPDATE - decided to go with the Shifting Sands scarf.
Bryn - This one's going to be tough. She's hard to shop for, let alone knit for. ***UPDATE*** - she's decided she wants a scarf in brown and light blue.
Jordan - Entrelac Scarf in Paton's SWS, natural plum colorway ***FINISHED*** - and blocked. Pictures to come.
Callie - My So-Called Scarf in Malabrigo worsted, dusty olive colorway ***FINISHED*** - not yet blocked.
Ross - Gloves? Or maybe a scarf. Or a hat? I haven't decided ***UPDATE*** - he told me he wants a red hat. Nothing like specific instructions!
Nana - Rona Lace Shawl in Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud, tidepool colorway ***UPDATE*** - about half way done.
Becca - Something cute and little for the baby, once I find out if it's a girl or a boy

Sorry for the word heavy post. Pictures next time.

Mama

2008-05-28T15:29:00.002-04:00

My mom has been having some health issues recently, involving her lungs and heart. I don't know anything about medical terms, but it's scary, and I've been worried. Please, prayers and good thoughts would be appreciated.

Busy, busy, busy

2008-05-26T17:12:00.003-04:00

These 2 weeks have been busy! Here are a few updates:

My kitty never came home, so, in true cat addict behavior, I got kittens. Yes, that is kittenS, as in plural. Their names are Wednesday and Pugsley, and they are ADORABLE! Wednesday is the gray one, and Pugsley is the calico one. So cute!

I've finished a couple of Christmas projects (hooray for me!). Callie's My So Called Scarf and Mom's Plaited Cables Seaman's Scarf are both in the bag. Jordan's Entrelac will be up next.

And finally, the most exciting of everything, my brother graduated from high school. Ross is a high functioning autistic kid, and I couldn't be more proud of him. He received a Certificate of Completion instead of a diploma. I don't think he has any idea how much his life is going to change. :::Sigh:::

Eep!

2008-05-15T11:06:00.002-04:00

I've had a rash on my hands for two weeks now. It's red and strange looking, and I'm starting to fear it may be from my yarn. I'll be heading to my fourth doctor's appointment today to see if he can figure it out. The dermatologist put me on steroids, antibiotics, and an antihistamine. They worked for about 4 days, but now the rash is back with a vengeance.

And no, I haven't changed my laundry detergent.

Sniffle

2008-05-06T15:26:00.004-04:00

My cat ran away from home Sunday night. I slept with the windows partially open, and she pushed the screen out of one of them and got out. She's done this once before, but the neighbor girls found her within an hour of me telling them. So far they haven't found her, and she hasn't come home on her own. Lucy and I looked for her, but I'm sure she's hiding either in, under, or on top of something. Poor kitty. I hope she comes home soon.

Knitting in action

2008-04-30T17:38:00.003-04:00

I went to see the Harlot last night. It was fantastic. She was hysterical, and I got to see some of my knitting buddies again. Hannah went with me, and while she had a look of fear in her eyes at times, I think she had a good time. I'm teaching her to knit tomorrow after work. I told the Harlot that when she signed my book, and she looked Hannah in the eye and said "resistance is futile!" Lol. She's right though.

It's always so nice to see something I've knitted actually being used. Here's a picture of the baby blanket I made for my boss while she was pregnant. It was hard to give that one up. I loved it. That blanket and I spent a lot of time together.

School is killing me

2008-04-24T11:57:00.004-04:00

Tonight I will be finished with one of my three classes. Sadly, after this semester, I still have 25 classes to take. The end of this road seems impossibly far away. If I take three classes every semester, and one class every summer (because realistically, I would lose my mind if I took two), I'll be finished in 3 1/2 years. That's before I turn 30! That would be fantastic. I'm not going to bank on that though. I'm expecting more like 4 1/2.

I'm getting frustrated with all of the political talk on television, on the radio, and on campus. I'm ready for these primaries to be over please. Lets just choose a nominee, and then get on with it.

I'll be teaching one of my friends to knit next week. We've planned an outing to my LYS, Mass Ave Knit Shop for next Thursday evening. It should be fun. If nothing else, I can scope out some new yarn for my Christmas knitting. I think I've decided on a scarf for my dad. I'm tossing around the idea of Grumperina's Shifting Sands scarf in a camel colored cashmere. I'm fairly certain that he's the only one who would wear a cashmere scarf if I gave it to him. Both my mom and my grandmother would put it away, because they wouldn't want to get it dirty. My dad won't have that concern. Here's a picture of the scarf from Grumperina's blog:

Christmas in... April?

2008-04-22T22:25:00.003-04:00

I've decided to start my Christmas knitting. I know it's early, but if I don't start it now, I'll put it off until Thanksgiving, and then all hell will break loose. I'm going to try to make something for each of my immediate family members, and a few other people. Here's my list so far:

Mom - Something amazing. I don't know what yet, but probably a lacy scarf. I'm thinking the Falling Water Scarf
Dad - Mittens
Bryn - This one's going to be tough. She's hard to shop for, let alone knit for.
Jordan - Entrelac Scarf in Paton's SWS, natural plum colorway
Callie - My So-Called Scarf in Malabrigo worsted, dusty olive colorway
Ross - Gloves? Or maybe a scarf. Or a hat? I haven't decided
Nana - Rona Lace Shawl in Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud, tidepool colorway
Becca - Something cute and little for the baby, once I find out if it's a girl or a boy

In other news, there are only a few more classes before the end of the semester. Hooray! I'm excited to be able to knit in peace, and not feel guilty for putting off homework to do it.

And, so this isn't a text only post, here's a picture of some pretty sock yarn I'll start using eventually. Aussi Sock in WS19 Faded Valentine. Delicious!

Hello, world!

2008-04-20T12:39:00.003-04:00

Ah, it's been a while, no? I'd love to say I haven't posted because I've been jetting around to exotic locales, but sadly it's just been because I lost motivation for a while. That seems to happen from time to time.

Here are a few updates from the last 6 months:

I have learned the joys of keeping knitted items for myself. It's a slow process, but I've managed to keep 2 pairs of socks. Mainly because no one in my family has an appreciation for handknit socks. I know. They're sick. I'm getting it checked out.
My puppy has trained me well in the art of finding creative hiding places for my stash. She seems to find anywhere that is less than 3 feet off the ground (including closed bags and boxes).
School is killing me, of this I am sure. School in general, but accounting particularly. If I pass the class I'm taking this semester (which is questionable at best) I won't have to take another one ever. Why in the name of all that is good, would a Human Resources Management major have to take 3, count them 3, accounting classes? My only guess is the head of the department is a sadistic zealot.
I finished the baby blanket, with a week to spare. I wasn't sure I would get there, but I did. I was pretty proud of that feat, as that is the largest project I've undertaken to date. Giving it to her was a bit bittersweet though, because I didn't want to give it up. She loved it, which made it all worth it.

The Indiana State Museum will have an exhibit called "Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting" running from April 25th to August 24th. My LYS (Mass Ave. Knit Shop) is working with the ISM to recruit volunteers to man the exhibit. If you have some time, give them a call! I'm sure there are spots still available. I'll be there May 10th. :)

My dad and I made a yarn swift yesterday out of PVC pipe. I've needed a swift for quite some time, but I never wanted to pony up the $70-80 to get one. This one only cost $17, which is well within my budget. If you want detailed instructions, check it out on my Ravelry page.

I've finished a few more projects since I last posted, and you can see them on Ravelry. If you don't have an account there, GET ONE! You'll love it, I promise. They have a Firefox add-in now, too.

That is all, dear readers. Hope all is well, and I'll talk to you again soon. Promise.

Sprinkles

2007-10-14T15:58:00.000-04:00

In the last swap I was in, I got 2 skeins of Brown Sheep Woolfoote in Sonatina. It looks like the sprinkles on the top of a cupcake. I love it! I started knitting Twisted Tweed by Shrodinger. I love the pattern, and I really love the way it looks. The socks aren't as stretchy as I would have liked, and it's definitely a struggle to put them on my huge feet, but they fit Callie, and that's what matters. I'm making them for her birthday (which was Monday, oops!) and I'm not quite finished. I've still got about 75% of the second sock to go. I'm making the second sock swirl in the opposite direction. It looks pretty cool so far.

I'm still working on the baby blanket for April. I'm starting to think I'm never going to finish it, especially since I'm working on other projects instead of it. I need to motivate myself a little more. I LOVE the yarn, and it's turning out really pretty, but I just can't seem to pick it back up. I think it's the row after endless row of boring, repetitious pattern. I'll finish it eventually.

I need to get some more storage for my stash. I have a little bit here, a little bit there, some in a drawer, some in a basket, and I'm starting to forget what I have. I need to start cataloging it in Ravelry. PS - I love Ravelry, and if you haven't signed up, DO IT NOW!! It's awesome. I've been finding lots of patterns I love on there. Now all I have to do is finish a few things so I can start some new ones. I'll get there eventually. I hope. :)

Good to know.

2007-10-09T22:44:00.000-04:00

Found out tonight that I've been pronouncing the word "Clapotis" all sorts of wrong.

And I even took French in high school. Damn.

I love this yarn!

2007-09-23T11:35:00.000-04:00

I'm knitting a baby blanket with Alpaca With A Twist's Baby Twist in a pretty green color. It's going to take a while to finish this blanket. The gauge is fairly small for something this big. I'm using US 5 (3.75mm) Addi Turbos, and with nearly 200 stitches, it takes some time to finish a row. Luckily it's only a 4 row repeat, and 3 of the rows are straight knit or straight purl. That makes for some good mindless knitting. I'm loving the way the feather and fan is showing up with the yarn. It's such a pretty pattern. I need to get this done by Thanksgiving, so I'll be spending a lot of my free time knitting away at it. Here are a couple of pictures of my WIP.

Back on track

2007-09-02T11:25:00.000-04:00

I've started working on my projects again. I ordered a few needles, a pattern, and some yarn from KnitPicks. I'm going to knit a shawl for my grandmother, even if it takes me a year (which it very well could). In the meantime, I'm working on a pair of Hedera for one of my coworkers. She recently had a baby, and while she was pregnant her ankles swelled tremendously. I was pretty convinced she'd never be able to wear regular shoes again. These will be to celebrate her newly refound ankles. :)

I'm also working on a baby blanket for my boss in a great baby alpaca. I haven't made much progress, as I've had to frog twice now. Ugh. Luckily it's only a 4 row repeat, and it's really easy to memorize. I'm not going to post any pictures on here, because I may have outed myself with this blog. I don't think she's ever going to read it, but she knows it exists now, and that's enough to convince me that I should keep this one under wraps. I hope I can get it done by the time she has the baby. She's due on January 2nd.

I started working on Amanda's Squatty Sidekick in this really pretty colorway of Skacel's Art Deco. I need to get a longer circ to keep working on it. For now, it sits in my basket, waiting.

It will be a little easier to get back into the swing of things once the temperature drops. For now, I'll find time here and there, and keep trucking along, slowly but surely.

Happy knitting, friends.

In a rut

2007-08-11T23:49:00.001-04:00

I'm in a knitting rut. I'm dragging my feet at finishing the Back to School washcloth set I'm making for my sister. She leaves for college on Wednesday. I've been thinking of starting a larger scaled project, like a sweater or something of the sort. My boss is having a baby boy at the end of the year, and I'd like to knit a baby blanket for her. I'm having a hard time figuring out which pattern to use though. Any suggestions?

Needles and Colorwork

2007-07-20T19:24:00.000-04:00

There are only a few things that scare me: needles and colorwork. You'd think I'd be better with needles since I have several (okay, more than several) piercings and a huge tattoo on my back. Alas, such is not the case. One of the women on KH got her nose pierced the other day, and it REALLY makes me want to do mine again. My baby sister got hers done on her birthday this year, and we already look quite a bit alike. I think it might be just a little too similar if I did mine, too. So Silver, I'll be living vicariously through you and your new piercing.

I really want to try some colorwork. The closest I've come is double-knitting with 2 colors. Does that count? I'm absolutely in love with Eunny Jang's Deep V Argyle Vest, but I don't want to invest the time in it if it's going to be something I'll eventually get frustrated with and toss into my "to be completed someday in the distant future" basket. I *ahem* borrowed this picture of the absolutely gorgeous vest so you can get a better look at it.

I need a project. I'm dragging my feet on finishing those Jaywalker socks (no pun intended). I've been itching to start working on a sweater or something. My sister wants me to knit her a vest with a steek (Eeek!), and since I did give all 3 of my sisters a coupon for a free knitted item, I'm kind of obligated to make it for her now. I can do it. I just have to keep reminding myself of that. Oh, and I'll have to remind myself to make a gauge swatch. I'm pretty bad at remembering to do that until it's too late.

That's all for today, although I don't think anyone actually reads this boring thing. I REALLY need to get a camera, and then the motivation needed to take pictures with it.

ARGG!!!

2007-07-16T21:28:00.001-04:00

I love my puppy, I love my puppy, I love my puppy...

Jaywalking

2007-07-10T11:29:00.000-04:00

I'm still working on my Jaywalkers. I really like this pattern. Very easy to memorize, and it looks a lot more difficult than it really is. I'm about half way through my second sock, which is kind of cool, since I almost never finish an entire pair. I'm going to send them to my swap pal once they're finished. The picture isn't that great, but you get the idea. I'm not sure if it's because of the pattern, but they look huge to me. I got the right gauge when I swatched, so I'm not sure what the deal is. They aren't as stretchy as some other socks I've made, so that might be part of it. Who knows. Anyway, I really like them, and I think my swap pal will, too. I'll probably make myself a pair of them once I'm finished making things for everybody else. I haven't really kept many of my own projects.

Speaking of swaps, I got my package in the mail yesterday with all of its yarny goodness inside. I REALLY like the yarns my pal sent me! Here's a picture (again, not a great one, but it does the job). She sent me some beautiful Lorna's Laces in Daffodil, Hemp yarn in berry blue, Art Deco in rainbow, Cascade 220 in a pretty blue, and Alpaka Soft in a gorgeous charcoal gray. Not only did I get some fabulous yarn, but I also got 2 different hand creams! My swap pal did a great job, and she sent me things that I absolutely love. It's not every day that one comes home to a box full of such nice things.

I'm still working on several other projects, including an entrelac scarf for one of my sisters, and a set of wash cloths for another one of my sisters. I've had one sock for my grandmother finished for probably two months now, but I can't seem to start working on the second one. I had it almost done, but something happened (I can't remember exactly what now) and I ended up frogging the whole damn thing. That was a little frustrating. I really need to finish it, because she compliments me on my knitting every time I see her. I'm also about half way done with the second sock in a pattern I modified. I need to redo the bind off on the first sock though, because it's WAY too tight. If I didn't have such ADD when it comes to knitting, I'd probably have a lot more things finished. Oh well. It's all about the process of it all for me anyway.

Something just doesn't seem right about this.

2007-07-09T12:18:00.000-04:00

There seems to be something very strange about knitting while in a tropical place like Hawaii. I did it, and I loved it, but it seemed kind of like having a barbecue in the middle of winter. I started a pair of Jaywalkers in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock on the plane from Indianapolis to Oregon. When I got back yesterday I had 1 1/2 socks finished. I'll post some pictures eventually. I have my sister's camera for a while, and I'll take as many pictures as I can before I give it back. I should probably get one of my own.

I went to a little yarn shop in Honolulu while I was there. It was called Needle Arts and was owned by a cool woman named Ursula, who is a pretty cool lady. If you're ever in O'ahu and need some yarn, stop in and check it out. I wouldn't bring any friends though, because the shop is TINY. I got some cool sock yarn made in Switzerland. I'm not really sure what it's called, as the label has very little English on it.

Snap!

2007-06-21T18:32:00.000-04:00

I was working on a pair of jaywalkers using size 1 birch DPNs, and SNAP! One of them broke. Damn! Luckily, they're Brittany needles, and they have a 5 year guarantee. I sent an email to the company requesting a new one, which is all well and good, if you don't factor in the fact that my puppy, Lucy, then ate 2 more of the needles in the set. Genius. So now I have 2 lonely size 1 DPNs. I guess if I ever need to do some figure 8 cast ons for practice, I could. Too bad I wouldn't be able to actually knit anything after that.

My sister, the non-knitter that she is, was listening to my story about Lucy and the jaywalkers, and how I frogged them (don't worry, I explained the term) and told her I was casting on again with a different set of DPNs. And this was her response: "which dock were you on while you were casting?" Haha. Isn't she witty? :|

ISE4

2007-06-18T15:56:00.000-04:00

I finally got my scarf for the scarf exchange finished, blocked and sent. Anita emailed me today to tell me she had received it. I'm so happy! She posted some cool photos of it on her blog, so I stole them to put on mine! :) The pattern is falling water and I used Malabrigo worsted in Iris. I love love love that yarn! It was so soft, and really great to work with. It was painful to have to send that pretty scarf to someone else. I'm glad she liked it though.

Long time, no see!

2007-05-28T16:13:00.000-04:00

Well, this poor blog has really fallen by the way-side, hasn't she? I guess it's time to pick her up and shake off the dust.

Here's a little update on my knitting conquests:
- I'm knitting my fingers off trying to finish up my scarf for the scarf exchange. I'll appreciate all of my little projects again once I'm done with this one. It just seems like I'm doing the same 16 rows over, and over, and over, and over, ... well, you get the point. I've got about another 2 feet to do, and I'm going to call it done. Thankfully I didn't go with the size 5 needles I was originally going to use. The 7's aren't that much bigger, but they make a difference.
- I have 2 more clothes to go in my sister's graduation present (Knitty's Back-to-School).
- I've picked out a pattern for a friend's baby. I'm going to make this baby blanket, but I haven't picked out the yarn.
- My stash has grown by leaps and bounds, and I don't have nearly enough projects planned for the yarn I have.

Once I get a camera I'll post some pictures on here. I've probably said that before, but this time I mean it!

Later, knitters.

Mmmm, cashmere...

2007-03-25T13:10:00.000-04:00

I think I've decided to make my scarf for the scarf exchange out of cashmere. I found a fairly affordable site called ColourMart and I'm going to make a decision within the next few days. Since I'm going to be doing something in a fingering weight yarn, I'd better get started soon if I want to get it finished in time!

Hooray for super-secret knitting!

Slacker!

2007-03-20T11:24:00.000-04:00

It has been brought to my attention that I am, in fact, a blogging slacker. It's true. I apologize and will try to get back into the blog groove that I once knew.

So here's the deal: I am such a project whore. I just can't seem to finish one before starting another. I've got easily 10 things OTN right now, but I'm only actively working on 3. I was knitting some socks for my grandmother for her birthday (which is looming closer and closer by the second) but I was consumed by the dreaded "Second Sock Syndrome." Maybe someday I'll have that darn sock done. I've also started an entrelac scarf for my sister. Actually, I started it for myself, she saw it, and immediately called "dibs" on it. Oh well. It's a very fun pattern. :)

I ordered some stuff from KnitPicks and if finally came in. To those of you who haven't used their needles, GO GET SOME! I haven't used the Options (as it seems like a pretty costly investment when I don't know that I'd like them) but I got 2 sets of DPNs, and I don't think I'll ever use another kind again.

Hopefully I'll be able to figure out how to post some pictures on this bad boy soon enough. In the mean time, just imagine that there are lots and lots of photos of all of my WIPs. :)

First Post!

2007-02-23T15:43:00.001-05:00

Well, here's the new blog, dedicated to my knitting endeavors. More later!