Great Package

I got this great package from my Sock Yarn Swap from Your Stash spoiler merrygentlemen. She specially dyed the purple & green yarn for me!

We are going to Pennsylvania this weekend for Greg's birthday. That's almost 30 hours of knitting time round trip. If that doesn't jar me out of my knitting slump, I don't know what will.

AND, I finally finished my Montego Bay Scarf. I finished knitting it about a month ago, but didn't start putting fringe on it until sit'n'stitch on Friday (see, I couldn't even get myself knitting at sit'n'stitch). I finished the fringe last night & I love it! If it gets cool enough I may even wear it this weekend.

Thank You Secret Pal!

There was the best package waiting for me when I got back from Chicago on Sunday. Thank you so much Secret Pal! I love the yarn and the pattern. And, the way you placed the order through The Loopy Ewe...genius.Chicago was a lot of fun. Naturally, Cirque du Soleil was wonderful. We also got to hang out with friends and I got to see The Bean. I love The Bean!

I'm back, but my luggage isn't

I'm back from a week long trip to Anaheim, CA. It was fun, but it was for work, so not as much fun as it could be. However, Greg & I were able to go to Disneyland for a day.

Some of the rides were just as fun as I remember them. Some of them not so much. Also, I was surprised at how often the rides breakdown. We were stuck on Splash Mountain for over 15 minutes and two other rides broke before we were able to ride them.

However, I am excited that I got to see the Haunted Mansion (much better than the one in Disney World) and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (that is one of those rides that for some reason I never got tot ride as a child). I didn't get to go on the Tea Cups because Greg said that the ride would make him sick...wuss.

A whole lota shakin'

I am such a bad blogger. So much has gone on since my last post. I keep on meaning to blog, but always find other things to do whenever I have the time. First, I went to see the Yarn Harlot in on April 9th Nashville. Totally rocked!
Here's me in the crowd (picture is from her website).

I finally finished my Pomatomus socks. They are totally worth the effort.

I am also working on two other pairs of socks. Anastasia in Creatively Dyed and some basics in Regia. Anastasia is the first sock I've done toe-

We had an earthquake in the region this weekend. (Hence, the title of this post.) Both the initial tremor (at 4:37 am) and the aftershock (at 10:15) woke me up. DH was working that night so I had to call him to confirm. There was lots of excitement on the news. They're still talking about it.

I started a swap on Ravelry this weekend. It's called the sock yarn swap from your stash. I know it's a long title, but I couldn't think of a witty name and this was the most descriptive. It filled up (actually overfilled) within 24 hours. And I though nobody would want to join.

The reason it overfilled was because I went antiquing with friends in Hazel, KY. It was Marra's birthday and that's what she wanted to do. It was A LOT of fun. I got some good finds.

Big Knitting Weekend

It was a wet spring weekend and Greg was out of town, so I watched bad (and good) TV and knit away (when I didn't have a migraine). Last weekend I knit up a Debbie Bliss Baby Shrug and a pair of booties for a baby shower. I blocked the shrug and knew that there was no way that I'd get around to seaming it up, if I didn't bring it to Sit'n'Stitch on Friday and get some help. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.



Then while at Sit'n'Stitch I continued to work on my Pomatomus Socks. These things are easily kicking my ass! I've spent longer on this single sock then I have on any sing PAIR. It's not because the pattern is hard (it's actually pretty intuitive), but because I keep on making stupid mistakes (like slipped stitches or forgetting yarnovers) and having to rip back. Anyway, I still love them...




...but, they frustrated the hell out of me and I had to put them down for the weekend. Instead I started my Sock Yarn Blanket. A whole five squares. Until now I didn't realize that most of my socks are blue. Weird, considering that most of my stash is purple.



I joined the Guilty Pleasure/Good Karma Swap. In it you buy your partner high-end yarn and other little luxuries and the relieve the guilt by kitting for the Warm Woolies Charity. My downstream partner is Jacqui. Bought her yarn yesterday and I really think she's going to like it. I off course had to get free shipping so I ordered myself some Zen Yarn Garden Merino Tencel Sock Yarn in Orchid & Lilac. Bad yarn dieter, bad!. So, anyway, I knit up two and a half hats from leftover yarn (mostly Cascade 220). I'm loving all the bright colors. Do you think three is enough?



Oh, and I'm going to see The Yarn Harlot on April 9th. Don't hate!

Out of Town, Again

I had to go out of town again this week. This time it was for a workshop in Oak Ridge. While I was gone we were hit with a pretty bad ice storm. I got back on Wednesday afternoon and here is what our back yard looked like:

However, we were pretty lucky. We had some extensive branch trimming done in the early winter and that really saved us. Our neighbors, not so lucky:

They has so many large tree limbs fall that they couldn't get out of their driveway. But, thankfully, no house damage.

While I was stuck in my hotel room, I just about completed (I didn't bring my sewing needles so, I couldn't kitchener the toe) what I'm calling my Not So Matching Socks. The colors pooled completey different on both socks. Don't you hate when that happens.

On Wednesday I had to stay in town until the late morning to hedge my bets against the winter weather. I stopped by The Yarn Haven and picked up some yummy All Things Heather superwash sock yarn in Empress.

I think I'm coming down with the flu that is going around. Greg had it three weeks ago and I didn't catch it, so i thought I was safe. But, now I'm starting to feel sick. Not a good sign.

Long Time

It's been a while since I've posted. that is because I've been traveling and knitting. I went home to Connecticut two weeks ago. It was my mom's 60th birthday and my godson's 2nd. I made my godson, Jack, a puppy sweater from Roo Designs. I don't have finished sweater beacise I finished seaming it 15 minutes before the party. But, no stupid handknit present could compete with the ultimate in two year old fun. A Power Wheels four wheeler.

I didn't have a chance to visit any LYS, but since it takes over 8 hours to fly from Paducah and 8 hours back, I was able to work on some socks. Which for some reason my mom thought was very amusing.

Then this week i had to go to our corporate facitiy in Eastern Tennessee for training. While there I knit up a pair of Evangaline for my friend.

I was also able to stop into a couple of LYS (Yartiques and the Yarn Patch) and bought some great sock yarn.

creatively dyed yarns

Dream in Color

I have to go to Knoxville next week for a workshop. I hope to stop in at the store formerly known as Knit'n'Purl and Loopville.

I'm back

I'm back from Puerto Rico. It was exactly what both of us needed.

Vacation

Sorry I haven't posted in so long. Over a month, I can't believe it. Everything has been crazy. Anyway, I'm leaving tomorrow for a much need vacation. Greg & I are spending five days in Puerto Rico! I plan on not doing much. (But, I am bringing knitting.)

Busy Busy Busy

I haven't posted in while because I've been busy busy busy! In the last two weeks I have:

1. Traveled to St. Louis for Stitch'n'Pitch - fun but almost too hot to knit. Over 100 degrees at a night game. There was a lot of butt sweat.


2. Flown to Richmond,VA for a girls weekend with my college girlies. We did a lot of shopping and I spent way too much money. Also, I really wasn't able to do a whole bunch of knitting while flying this time.


3. Organized a Make Your Own Sundae fundraiser at work.


4. Attended the Paducah Newcomers' Group Wine and Cheese Social to kick off our season. As the publicity chair I had to bring a dessert. I knew in advance that there was no way in hell that I would be able to make something, so I told them I would bring those mini frozen eclairs that are SO addictive.


5. Hosted a Lia Sophia party at my house.

Then, on Tuesday, Greg let me know that he is taking me on a surprise birthday weekend starting today. I'm super excited, but I had to scurry around to find a sub for Bunco on Saturday.

By the way, I turn 29 for the 2nd time on Monday. This is how I feel:

States I've visited

I did the "How may states have you visited map" tonight. I haven't done one in years. All I have to say is that I have to make a trip out west. I only counted states where I've spent the night or did day trips. There are a few states that I've driven through (multiple times) and didn't count (West Virginia, Delaware, Louisiana, Mississippi). I think that based on this map, I really need to go visit my friend in New Orleans.

I'm back and I've got presents!

I'm back from Boston and I've got presents! My SP10 package arrived on Monday and I love it! Thanks Erin! There were Twizzlers, too but they're gone (my husband wasn't home to stop me when the package came). Oh, and cute little pumpkin stichmarkers that accidentally got left downstairs when I took the picture.

Then, today, my Spring Felted Bag Exchange bag arrived!! I love it! My husband said that he wished it looked manly so he could steal it. Thanks Kim!! (By the ways, I still have some Twizzlers left from the first package that are hidden somewhere in the house. )

When I was in Boston I met up with my mom in Northampton for a day of shopping. I dragged her into Webs and OMG it was yarn heaven! I was totally awestruck by all that yarn. I was so overwhelmed that I only picked up a few thing...some blue sky alpaca organic cotton, some rowan handknit cotton and some other yarn to make my mom a shawl (the yarn is downstairs and I can't remember it's very long Italian name).

What to knit, What to knit...

I'm leaving for a conference in Boston tomorrow and I don't know what to bring with me. It needs to be something that I can easily fit in my laptop bag. Since all the projects I am working on right now are quite big, I'm at a loss for ideas. Any suggestions?

I finished my SFBE (Spring Felted Bag Exchange) bag this week. I wasn't able to fix it. It's very cute, but completely impractical. You can cinch the front, but the back gaps open. Here are some pictures (in black & white because she certainly has color preferences).

I decided to make my old standby the One Skein clutch in her favorite color. I'm going to include in the package and hopefully she won't hate me.

By the way, what do you think of our brand new fence? It's a godsend when it comes to The Idiots.

St. Louis and a Leak!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I usually post on the weekends, but this weekend Greg & I went to St. Louis to see Cirque du Soleil. The whole weekend was decadent and wonderful!!

We went to the Arch Saturday day. No one ever told us about how you get up there. I mean, we knew there was a tram and all, but no one ever told us about the 4 ft. tall doors and the super small pods that are supposed to fit five people. Here's a picture of Greg standing next to the door. He's 6'2", the steel door is not.

I have some pictures of the view from the top, but they aren't very impressive considering the windows were all smudged up from face grease from everyone pressing their faces all over them. However, the exterior of the arch is super impressive to two engineers.

I came home today and immediately saw this:

My immediate thought was that one of the Idiots got bored and chewed up some drywall. (Trust me, it's happened before.) Then I looked up.

A backed up AC drain line had caused a leak and the ceiling had collapsed. Wonderful. Good thing we were planning on replacing the floors AND Greg has next week off so he can fix the drywall.

I'm about to go to a Newcomer's meeting where everyone brings a salad. I'm bringing Tarragon Chicken Salad.

Tarragon Chicken Salad

2 c diced cooked chicken (I usually boil)
1 c green grapes, halved
1/2 c chopped celery
1/2 c chopped almonds
1 c mayo
1 T dried tarragon

Combine all ingredients

I got a lot done on Sahara today at Sit'N'Stitch. I'm about half way to where I was when I frogged it yesterday. However, the most exciting news is I'm got tickets to see The Police in Louisville on July 14th! I'm so excited, my husband is mildly amused.
I also have a huge painful zit on the side of my nose. It just popped up today and is very deep. Ouch.

So, I finally did it. I learned how to knit socks! I broke down at Sit'n'Stitch Friday night. Just a simple ribbed sock. What could it hurt? I'm not even in love with the color or the yarn, I was told that it is a good yarn to start off with. I'm not going to become a sock addict, right? Right?We went to Mammoth Cave today. It's the longest cave in the world. It has over 370 miles of known caves. We took a 4 mile tour. It kicked my butt. The description said that it was physically demanding and they weren't joking. The first part of the trail, I was like OK, I'm in shape, this is like a brisk stroll. Then, after lunch the "demanding" part hit. It was all up the stirs, down the stairs, up the stairs, up the stairs, up the stairs , down the stairs, up the stairs... I definitely got my cardio on. And, I totally blame my windedness on dehydration (yeah, that's it, dehydration).

This is one of the entrances to the cave.

This is a cool pictures of stalactites. They've put new lighting in the caves which makes pictures a lot easier to take. If you were there, you would say that they looked very alien like.

And, of course, since it was a 3 hour drive each way, I brought the socks. Here is a picture of the first time I tried it on. (I'm so happy I had a pedicure.)

And, here's a completed picture. Finished with 20 minutes to spare. (Notice the White Castle cups. My husband has this weird obsession with White Castle. Every time we pass one on a trip we have to stop. Then I have to put up with White Castle gas for the rest of the trip.)

Although very hectic, Chicago was a lot of fun. We got to see Greg's mom before she flew out to California. After many discussion we all decided that it was better for us to not fly out next weekend. We are going to wait a few weeks after all the hubbub has calmed down and we will be needed more.

I got a lot of the baby blanket done. I love the Crystal Palace yarn. It is so soft and the colorways are so pretty. I just wish the edges were cleaner. I'm thinking about doing a single crochet edge.

It is so beautiful here right now. However, they are calling for it to drop down to the 50's on Wednesday and continue on until Easter. Here's a pretty picture, before all the pretty dogwoods freeze.

I felted the wave bag tonight. It's currently drying out in the bathroom sink. I'll lay it out to dry tomorrow morning and if my trainer doesn't kill me, I'll post a picture in the evening.

While I'm Chicago this weekend, I'm going to have breakfast with one of my dear friends. It's her birthday weekend, so of course I'm going to make here a felted clutch. I'm pretty busy this week, but I managed to work on it last night and finished it today during lunch. Here is a finished picture. It's knit out of Reynold's Lopi.

I felted it and it turned into Grimace. (You know, it's kind of hard to take pictures in my kitchen that conceal the mess.)

This is what was left in my washing machine.

Now, this clutch was made with the exact same pattern as this one. They look like two completely different patterns. The tan one is much smaller and more square. This one is larger and more trapezoidal. They were knit with the same needles and felted for roughly the same amount of time (2 cycles). I knew they would be different but not so different. My theory is that the difference occurs because the KnitPicks yarn is 3 ply and the Lopi is single ply. I don't know what else is could be. Once it dries, I'll take a picture of them together.

PS...I love my washing machine for felting. If I leave the lid open then the washer stops after agitation. This allows me to walk away and do something and not have to concentrate on the felting. It also lets me reset the cycle from the beginning so I conserve water.