I don't have any pictures for you. I'm still plodding along on the hourglass (and I'm gonna have that sucka done by the end of the of the weekend or my name ain't whatever it is.)
I do have three exciting things to talk about.
1.) I got my first un-provoked compliment on a knitted object. (Fetching if you must know.) It was quite nice to answer with "Thank you, I made them."
2.) I can't believe the large amount of internationale visitors I am getting on this blog. It seems like I wake up every morning and a new country has been added to my blog counter. Italy, France, Indonesia, Luxembourg. I hope you guys aren't checking out my blog hoping to find out double secret probation type nuclear information 'cause that ain't gonna happen. (Insights on knitting are a long shot, too.)
3.) The Idiots went to Petsmart on Monday for shavings and general tidying up. Now I think the smallest one has a strong resemblance to Jabba the Hutt's little friend. I will try to scour the vastness of the internet a post a separated at birth photo tomorrow.

I have to go put on my Yoga Toes. I guess I forgot to mention that I had a moment of weakness a did a little bit of internet shopping a couple of weeks ago. Yoga Toes feel like fake boobies. (Don't ask how I know.)

I got the sleeves on the hourglass last night. Wish me luck. I can't wait to get this thing finished. Hopefully I've learned my lesson. This project has made me paranoid that I'm going to run out of yarn for Sesame and Wicked.

I went grocery shopping at Walmart after work today and didn't kill anybody. I resisted the urge to strangle every person who stopped short in front of me and punch every person who stood right in front of the one item I wanted and talk to their friend/child/spouse for 15 minutes. I guess it was a good day.

I want to say that it's colder than a witch's tit outside but, it really isn't. I guess I've just grown soft after a decade in the south. I have been longing for those 70 degree winters in South Carolina, lately. I think I need a vacation some place tropical.

Here is a picture of my completed fetching. Do you like my Jazz Hands? They're going to came in handy when the snow (or sleet or rain) starts to fall on Thursday.

I've joined the Knit With Phyllis (The Office) Knit-a-long. I'm going to bring two sheins of a boucle I picked up at Big Lots when I first started knitting and make the scarf pattern in the band.

I finished Fetching yesterday. (I should have pictures tomorrow after my husband gets home.) I just really needed to finish something. And now I'm back to the hourglass. Here is a picture of the second sleeve. I'm hoping I can finish the whole sweater by next week.

(btw, that's a coconut from Key West behind it. We got married in Key West two years ago in two weeks.)

Here's a list of things I'll never knit:

1. bathing suits or bikinis...There's just so much wrong I'm going to stop there.
2. socks not made out of hand washable yarn...I'm sorry, but, I need to be able to machine wash the stink out of my socks.
3. cashmere tea cozy (in LMKG)...My cashmere is NOT being wasted on tea!
4. I'm sure there's a lot more, but I can't think of them right now.

Fetching.



I went to sit'n'stitch tonight and started on Fetching. But first, I had to pitch a fit. Somehow I managed to loose two size 6 dpns during the move. Of course, my husband came home while I was fuming and had to incur the wrath. (Sorry...in a meek and regretful voice.) I guess I have to see it as a blessing, though, the dpns I lost were aluminum, which I hated. I ended up buying a set of addi bamboo ones when I got to the shop (Yeah me!)

So, anyway, here's an action shot of Fetching. The yarn doesn't really show the details of the cabling. Have I mentioned that this is the first time I've cabled. This really is a good first cabling project. I think the gloves are going to be cute, warm, and fuzzy and that is all that matters.


About the Idiots...None of them are dead, I haven't heard any strange yelping in the night, and my couch doesn't smell like pee. Either the Scat Mat works, or they haven't gotten on the couch, yet.

Conflicted.

I'm feeling a little conflicted tonight. Ever since The Idiots returned from my mother-in-law's they have had problems remembering that they should stay off the couch. Last time they had that problem, we bought one of those screechy motion detector things. It had multiple problems (it would go off for no reason, sometimes it wouldn't go off at all, we have to hear it in the middle of the night, etc.).
This time I decided to buy a Scat Mat. Now, we had an electric fence a long time ago, so I have no problem with a little electro-shock aversion therapy. However, I would like to present the first time each Idiot gets shocked. I'm afraid each one would just lay down and yelp in get shocked over and over again (or worse pee on the couch). But, if I'm present they will not get on the couch.
Anyway, I set the Mat up and I'll let you know if all of The Idiots are still standing.

It's a good night.

Tonight is shaping out to be a good night (I'm sure with the exception of the State of the Union). I finished one of the frogged sleeves of the hourglass sweater (so, I'm back to where I started after week one) and I figured out what to get the CB (my husband) for our anniversary. I wish I could tell you guys what it was but, I don't want to spoil the surprise. I'm so excited.

Random thought....Should I join the green hat knit-along at get stitchy? I'm seriously considering.

Later random thought...I think I'm going to knit Fetching with the variegated pink yarn I bought in CT.

I finished my last Christmas present last night! Wait...It is not as bad as it seems. It's a scarf made out of Carron Bliss (I know, "fun-fur") that I actually finished knitting it before Christmas, but because her other present from three designing women didn't show up until this week, I never sewed in the edges. The stamp from three designing women was a nightmare, but well worth it. I saw the stamps at a local store and ordered them the beginning of November. Unbeknownst to us the company had been on The Today Show and were getting tons and tons of orders. The original stamps turned up before Christmas, but there was a typo on the ones for my mother-in-law and my mother. We had to have the fixed and they finally showed up this week.

Here is a picture of the scarf. It's pretty boring.

Here's a question: Where is all the Sugar-Free Grape Kool-Aid in this god-forsaken town? I've been to three stores and each one is out of SFGKA. I don't get it. I need my grape Kool-Aid. I am running low and it is especially important to have when I am hung-over or dehydrated. I wish I were a big water drinker, but I find that I "push more fluids" when things are flavored. My favorite flavors are SFGKA and Lipton Sugar Free Lemon Iced-Tea.

For all three of you out there who think my blog is peachy-keen and not super nerdy boring, here is a button:

I think if I ever see my own button on the world wide net web, I will poop my pants and do the happy dance.

More about me.

Reviewing my vast library of blog posts, I've noticed that all I've done so far is talk about knitting. Well, here are some more (somewhat) interesting things about me:

First off, are our three dogs, collectively known as "The Idiots." They spend most of their time sleeping, barking, whining, or shedding. This is a picture of them at my mother-in-law's house after we shipped them off for a couple of months so we could sell/buy a house.



Next, I was also an avid stamper. But, that slowed down quite a bit after I moved to Tennessee. I think the reason was because my stamping area was in the basement and there was no cable. I like to watch TV when I stamp. But, I did manage to make Christmas cards this year. I found that when you're producing 50+ cards at a time, simpler is better.


I'm off to try to finish that damned hourglass sweater. If I frog anymore, the yarn is going to fall apart on me.

Knitting and Wine

Why does knitting and wine never mix for me? I'm sitting here after going out to dinner with my husband, sharing a bottle of Lyeth Meritage (highly recommended by the way) and then a real Irish coffee. I really want to knit. But, every time I try to mix my two loves of knitting and wine, I wake up the next morning, look at my work, and wonder "What the H-E-double hockey sticks was I thinking?". I end up frogging all of what I did the night before, if not more.
Does knitting and wine work for you?

I've made a decision. Since I have not found anymore Cash Iroha, I am going to frog the sleeves and knit them one size smaller. I'm hoping that I will then have enough yarn to finish the sweater.
My KnitPicks yarn finally arrived today!! I ordered in on 1/8, the last day that free shipping was on orders greater than $40. I'm surprised that it took so long to show up. Now, all I have to do is get the hourglass off my needles and I can knit WICKED!!
I finished the Idaho Falls book. It was pretty interesting. I can't believe how badly messed up those guys were. In one guy they found his testicle in his armpit. Gross! Anyway, the booked discussed the much bally-hooed murder-suicide that every nuclear engineer swears it was. I think that's one of the mysteries I'll find out the answer to after I die.

Here is a list of things that annoyed me from my trip home:

1. The two most vapid people in the universe flirting incessantly the entire flight between Memphis and Detroit. Statements I overheard included:

"The first cigarette you have after you get off a flight is the best because, you know, gravity."
"What is the state abbreviation for Missouri? MC? No? Then what state is MC?"

2. Going to the yarn store and asking if they had Cash Iroha #78 and the woman asking me to check ebay. (As if I haven't already set up an automatic email for whenever ANY new Cash Iroha is listed.)

3. Helping my mother and her husband set up their new computer. Having her husband get upset and want to return the computer because you couldn't just plug it in and turn it on like the guy at the store said.

I'm back from CT. All in all it was a good trip. I got to see little Jack and spent some time with my family.
I brought Sesame with me to work on during the flights. However, I discovered that long knitting needles and packed flights don't work. I knit most of it while hanging out with my best friend and during the layovers in Detroit and Memphis. I almost finished the back. I'm much more happy with the color combination than I thought I would be.



I talked my mom into going to a yarnshop with me. They didn't have Cash Iroha #78, but they did have a lot of locally spun and dyed yarn. I picked uptwo skeins; Ellen Cooper's Yarn Sonnets in Ivory Rose (140 yd/3.25 oz), and a varigated blue yarn form Hopyard Spinnery (250yd /4 oz). Now I have to figure out what to make with them. If you have any suggestions please let me know.



Did you know that there is no tax on yarn in CT?

I love love love the Noro Cash Iroha I'm knitting the hourglass sweater with. I love the way it feels in my hands, the pearly sheen from the silk, and even the soft fluffy slubs. BUT, I hate hate hate that the slubs always are biggest when I have to do an increase or decrease. (Is this just me?)
I'm only about 3/4 the way through the second sleeve and I only have two skeins left. The color I've been using (78) seems to have been discontinued in 1845 and I can't even find it on ebay. I have almost resigned myself that I will run out of yarn before the sweater is finished. How come I always finish the projects for other people, but never finish the one for me.
I started sesame yesterday. I'm flying to CT tomorrow to visit the fam and my lil'bean, Jack. I'm never able to start a project on the road. I always end up ripping it out and not having the one thing I need to continue on. So, this time I've hopefully learned my lesson.
Also, I've added wicked to my list of things to knit. Damn you Sexy Knitter's Club!! As soon as I get the hourglass off my round needles, I'm starting. My KnitPicks Swish Superwash in Truffle should arrive tomorrow in the mail (after I'm gone...poop). In order to get my $40 for free shipping I order two skeins of WoA in Taupe and one in Mauve. After the resounding success of the clutch I made for our admin, I think it will become a standing female present.
I got three books from Amazon today and I guess they prove what being a "Nuke Knitter" is. If you can't read the book in the front, it is the story of the first nuclear reactor accident. Yeah, I'm a dork.

I've gotten one week into the hourglass sweater. It's knitting up super quick. I know some of that is due to the five hour Sit'n'Stitch I went to Friday night at With Ewe In Mind. My New Year's Resolution is to meet new people and I'm really glad I went.


This is one week into the sweater.

Our secretary put in her notice last week. I knit her a clutch from "one Skein" out of Reynolds Lopi. It's kind of hairy and I still need to shave it.


This is a button I've been coveting for a awhile. I bought one in black to go on this clutch and another in green for myself.

Had today off. I couldn't run some of the errands I wanted to because of the death of Ford so, I knit instead. Here is a picture of the hourglass sweater after two days of work. At this rate I should be done before I fly to CT on the 12th.

My Next Projects

Here is my list of the next big project I want to do:

1. Hourglass Sweater, Last Minute Knitted Gifts (I restarted yesterday with Noro Cash Iroha #78, same as in the book)
2. Sesame from MagKnits (I've had the yarn for a while DB wool/cotton in colors 103, chocolate brown, and 203 periwinkle blue.) http://www.magknits.com/Aug05/sesame.htm
3. Butterfly #8, from Spring 2007 Knitscene http://www.knitscene.com/images/projects/2007/butterfly.jpg
4. Kenobi Jacket #1, from Spring 2007 Knitscene http://www.knitscene.com/images/projects/2007/kenobi-jacket.jpg
5. Sara, form Designer's Coice book six by Elsebeth Lavold http://www.ingenkonst.se/images/sara.jpg

Well, I got a job in Kentucky, lived in hotel for a couple of months, bought a house, and our computer died. I started two projects, hourglass sweater and soft drawstring pouch, both of Last Minute Knitted Gifts, which I frogged. For Christmas, I did a couple of garter scarves, the kids color block cardigan and the felted striped tote from One Skein.

This is the color block cardigan in KnitPicks Sierra. I was so late finishing this that I did not have time to block it before I mailed it. I ended up doing the sleeve in the round.

When I told my mom that I learned how to knit, she told me that she wanted a felted purse. Well, here it is. It is made from Knit Picks Wool of the Andes. I totally stole the color scheme from a girl at the One Skein Knit Along.

My husband picked the Queen Bee hat from Stich'N'Bitch Nation as the hat he wanted me to make and he wanted it done in Knit Pick Wool of the Andes Mist. (As you can see with the above projects, I had to get the $40 purchase for free shipping.) I'm glad I didn't keep the hat a secret because my gauge was off and I had to rip half the hat TWICE to get it to fit correctly.

Unfortunately, he wouldn't let me put bee buttons on it!!!