I was a good girl this year!

Well, sort of.....but I apparently fooled Santa!

I had a good holiday - short, but good. I could only get off Christmas Eve and Christmas, so it was a quick 5 hour trip to West Texas. I did half to work the day AFTER Christmas (at 5-freakin'-30AM), but it was surprisingly not very busy. I guess bookstores aren't on the top of everyone's "day-after-Christmas-sale" list. I am happy to report that I did make it through my first Christmas in retail without losing my Christmas spirit or killing/maiming any customers.

So, on to the goodies!!

My lovely grad-school-friend-turned-knitter-friend, Kerry, got me a very colorful set of stuff from Knit PicksThese are the Knit Picks Harmony Socks Set. These are so freakin' pretty and pointy. I can't wait to use them!!! Hmmm....maybe on my Mom's socks....work on that resolution.

Call it selfish, but I also got myself a Christmas present....and a very geeky one at that...but it's pretty!!This is a ring called "Claire's Ring." It is designed after a ring in a book series that I read called "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon. This is one of two series of books that I can read over and over and not get tired of them (the other would be Harry Potter). If you enjoy reading, I highly recommend at least giving it a try. It is a bit adult oriented (i.e. it does have sex in it), but not like super-romance novels. This is the way I see it - in romances, everything in the book leads up to the sex. In these books, the sex is just part of the story, not the POINT of the story. If you do take these on, here's the order: Outlander, Dragonfly in Autumn, Voyager, Drums of Autumn, Fiery Cross, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, ....plus more to come! (The next one is called "An Echo in the Bone" and she's hoping to finish it in 2008.) Like I said, geeky but pretty.

As stated before, Santa was very nice to me this year - he brought me everything I asked for. This included a new DVD player (mine has been kaput for over two months), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix DVD, Christmas PJs (a Christmas standard), and, the chief provider for this posting, and many more to come......a new camera!!!!

Mine got solely dependent of being plugged into the wall and that just wouldn't do. SO I let Santa know what I wanted, specs and whatnot, and he did an AWESOME job! The pictures my new camera takes are just awesome. Check it out!Usually the trees around my apartment go from green to brown to ground, but today they were actually Fall-ish looking so I took my new camera out for a spin. If you are interested, it's a Canon PowerShot A570 IS and it is probably the easiest camera I have ever used that gave me such great pictures.

Next time.....a WiP and FO Parade!

Merry Christmas!!!

I hope everyone is having a great holiday and I'll see you next year!!

Really?

88%DRUNKARD

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It's almost here!!!

Yep, Christmas is officially a week away and I am excited!!! And I am happy I am still loving Christmas. This is my first Christmas working in retail and I was afraid I would really start to hate Christmas. I am happy to say that this is not the case and I think it has a lot to do with where I work and who I work with. I am sure that if I worked at Wally World, then...well....let's just say there isn't enough tinsel in world to save THAT Christmas spirit.

And if case you need a little "Christmas Cheer", use the following recipe"
1. Make one cup apple cider in you favorite fashion (I am a fan of the Alpine Cider mix)
2. Add 1-2 oz. of Crown Royal.
3. Repeat as necessary

This is also a great cure for the winter chill. Trust me.

Anyhoo, as Christmas comes approaches, so does the new year. Yeah, wrap your brain around that. There was a point last week when I couldn't remember whether it was 2006 or 2007. Seriously. I had to look it up.

With the new year comes the "resolutions". One of my fellow Chickies, Dawn (who also now has a podcast, and I am mentioned a few times, actually), had challenged us to make some knitting resolutions. She's got a nice Mr. Linky, if you care to join. Mine are taken with a small grain of salt. Call it "things I would like to do in 2008".

1. Finish my Central Park Hoodie. Yep, that was the project I casted on for myself after I finished the stocking. It is going along smoothly and is one of the best knits I have been knitting. It is just mindless enough and just complicated enough. It is everything everyone says it is. There is a reason it is so popular. In case you didn't grab the issue of knitscene, they are selling the CPH pattern, with new plus sizing(!) on the Knitting Daily website.

2. Knit my Mom's socks. My poor momma has been neglected. Last Christmas (that would be 2006), my mom picked out her own yarn for some socks (Lorna's in Black Purl). We even got a pattern picked out (Knitty's Clessidra) and I even cast on. Then things got dicey. They might not be Clessidras, but I vow that my momma will have a pair of socks next year.

3. Knit hats. We are taking a family ski trip in February and I am hoping that my parents and I will be going down the slopes in hand-knit hats. My brother already has one, so he has no excuse. In Texas, especially with the VAST amounts of hair I have, hats are usually not an issue. I would really hope that I can get us there in hand-knitted hats. My Dad is probably getting a Koolhaus Hat and I am thinking a Tam-like hat for me and my mom. Can't have hair squish-age.

4. Blog more. Yep, I said it. In case you don't know, I have a HORRIBLE short term memory. I think of 5 million things to blog about every day, but forget them the moment I have time to sit down and blog. Definition of irony, anyone? I am going to try and make a conscious effort to blog more and share more of my "insight".

So, there we go. My knitting goals for the year. You wouldn't think it would be much, but they are my resolutions and I like 'em.

Since I am working until Christmas Eve, then traveling, then working some more, I am going to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy Festivus to all. I hope that everyone travels safely, along with your families. I wish everyone well in their Christmas knitting and I would hope that you would support Leigh in the Knitting Wars.

Happy Holidays! Love to all, Jennifer

Praise the LAWD!!!

Sorry, still very excited about finishing the stocking.....that and the fact that I ACTUALLY have an FO.

Several weeks ago, I got an email from my (now) cousin's mother-in-law. Apparently, all of her nieces and nephews had hand-knitting Christmas stockings, made by a lovely lady where they used to live. Well, there was a new addition to the cousins and this lovely lady has since passed away. Hoping that little Katherine (now almost three months, I think) wouldn't be without a stocking, she asked if I could figure out a pattern from an existing stocking and make her one. Sure, I said. It's just a big sock....shouldn't be too hard. She brought me a sample and it looked relatively simple, with a little intarsia thrown in to break up the monotony.

Ever sense that moment before the Knitting Goddess comes by to smack you upside the head?

Yeah, so I didn't quite think about intarsia...in...the...round. Think about it folks....and there are big blocks of color. The whole slip-stitch-float-in-the-back thing wasn't gonna work. But it had been done...I had the proof in the sample in my hands. So I studied....and studied....and studied. That's when I saw it - a seam! But only on the intarsia panel. When she started the panel, she un-joined the sock and began to knit flat, then joined it back up at the end of the panel, then the panel is seamed up.

So here it is, in all of it's glory - the stocking!


Pattern: My own-ish - I uninvented the pattern from a sample stocking that was provided
Yarns: Red Heart Super Saver in Paddy Green, Brown Sheep NatureSpun Sport (held double) in Aran, Patons Brilliant (held double) in White Twinkle (silver), Moda Dea Dream in Waterlilly (fuzzy pink), plus various bits in my stash
Needles: US8, plus a EmbellishKnit for the I-cord (Hey, I HATE I-CORD)

Now that it's done, I did enjoy the knit. I did greatly celebrate its completion. Course the only way of celebrating one Tuesday night at 10:30 is with a bottle of wine...and blast it to the world, via a blog. It was nice. I am planning on writing the pattern up, if anyone is interested.

It....is......DONE!!!!

Holy crap, ya'll.......I have had a project going that I don't think I have talked about here. My cousin's wife's cousin needed a knitted Christmas stocking (story for a later date) and I started about.....well, a while ago. There was acrylic.....and intarsia......in the round........but IT IS DONE!!!!

I'm off to find a drink......pictures to follow......of the stocking, not me drinking......unless things get out of hand.......we'll see.......

Bring on the pr0n!!!

Yes, it is that time! After Kid-N-Ewe a few weeks ago, have I got something to show you!
This is some YUMMY merino roving that I got from Lynn's Texas Fibers in the colorway Thistle. I walked by this roving several times, petting it each time. I finally decided that if it was there the next time I came by, I would get it. You see what happened.

This is a braid of 100% Superwash merino from Lone Star Arts in the Mixed Berry Cobbler colorway. This stuff is SO SQUISHY!!!! I just want squeeze it....so....squishy...... One of the gals of LSA, Amanda, was the one who had handy dandy Ravelry nametags. Several of us met up and we got to meet in person. Always nice!As pretty as these are, I couldn't quite get the color right on the camera. Just think BRIGHTER!! These are dyed mohair locks from Kai Mohair. She had the coolest set-up. Basically, she had about 20-25 bins with locks dyed different colors. You paid by the ounce and got to mix however many and much you wanted. She called it her "salad bar" of mohair.

I hope you enjoyed your pr0n today. Do I need to pick anyone up off the floor?

It's the most wonderful time.......

.....of the year!!!

Yeah, I have been singing that all day 'cause I've been putting up Christmas decorations! Yes, I am one of those. I LOVE me some Christmas! I love the music, the decorations, seeing family, and all of the goodwill toward men going on. Maybe it's me, but everyone tends to seem just a bit nicer this time of year. And I like it!

It's always nice pulling out the decorations. For me, I think alot stems from the fact that I am a BIG day-after-Christmas shopper. I usually horde in on the Christmas stuff and then stow it away for next year. So when I pull out the decorations, it's like early Christmas when I see what I got the year before. It has dropped off a bit, since I don't have a big tree (I had one in my old apartment - this one....well....there's barely room for yarn, folks), but I still go to Dillards and look for new pieces for my Nativity. Several years ago, my grandmother got her children a "starter" Fontanini nativity (Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus). Over the years, they got other pieces, like angels, Wise men, and livestock. The Christmas before I went to grad school, I found a set at the after-Christmas sale and began to collect different pieces. I have Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, The Wise Men, Glorious Angel, and livestock. Which livestock you ask?

Sheep, of course!

Did everyone make it?

Are we all here? Did we survive the holiday? From what I see, it seems everyone had a pretty good Thanksgiving. Hopefully, we have gone through most of the leftovers. For those of you who still have pounds of it left, I am happy to take it off your hands. For me, there is no such thing as too much leftover holiday food.

A few years ago, I did Thanksgiving in my apartment for me, my parents, my bother, and my paternal grandparents (that's 6 people). My parents had just moved to Oklahoma and DFW was about half-way between their house and my grandparent's. It was a little snug in the apartment, but it went quite smoothly. Let me add a sidenote here: Every other Thankgiving I have attended (that I can remember) has been a collaborative effort amongst many kitchens, some having double-ovens, which I highly recommend. Mine was done with a total of one oven, one stove, and one creatively used microwave. To pull this off requires much preparation and timing.

Yes, I got up at 4am to put the turkey on....and then promptly went back to bed. You don't really need to watch a turkey cook, right? Plus, I have a VERY sensitive/good smoke detector, so we were all good. Dishes were prepared in accordance with the available cooking medium, i.e. if you steam green beans, it leaves the oven free for the stuffing. They are better steamed anyways (which is healthier) and then tossed with bacon (which is not).

One of the most notable things I learned that Thanksgiving is something I wish to share, so no one else makes this mistake. When cooking a turkey, it makes the turkey taste REALLY good if you half a lemon and stick it in the turkey. Super tasty!!! However, if you make gravy from the drippings of said turkey, it tastes like lemon-rind gravy. Very much NOT tasty.

On the knitting front, yes, I got pictures taken this weekend, but am still ransoming them from my parents. In due time, in due time.....

I also have a new "dealer", as my dad calls him. You see, I have this uncle, who, you know, happens to be in the wool biz. No lie.....We have chatted and when my aunt learned I was spinning, she sent me some "stuff" she had in her closet. This was some lovely merino (we think) roving that she had LYING AROUND!!! And now, my uncle has begun to bring me a pound or two when ever we meet up. It tends to go something like this:

Hotel lobby morning after cousin's wedding
Me: Morning!
Uncle: Hey Jen....um, would you mind coming by the room later. I have some stuff for you.
Me: Really? What kind of stuff?
Uncle: (eyes shift nervously at my dad) You know, just some stuff I had around.
Me: Oh, *wink wink* Sure! I'll come by later.
Dad: God, it's like he's your dealer.

I love my family.

Turkey, turkey, turkey......

I hope everyone's Turkey Day is going well so far. Right now, it's 10am and I still ain't dressed!! I'm in the queue though....

It will be interesting for me this year cause this is the first year that I have two dinners on the same day. Ugh....

I wish everyone a very happy Turkey Day and no one burn their house down frying a turkey......hmm.....fried turkey........

Did you miss me?

Well.....did you? Yeah, I took a bit of a hiatus from the blog for a bit, but I am determined to be back to normal, posting more. I just never thought about how hard it is to have a knitting blog, with no immediate camera access. Not to worry, though....over Thanksgiving, I plan to steal/borrow my parent's camera and take some shots. But in the meantime, I steal from other folks!!

One of the big knitting events that happened over the past month is that I got to go Kid-N-Ewe with some of my Chicks.

Thanks to Liz for allowing me to steal the pic!

That's me with my fellow Chicks, but by the end of the day we were known as Sheeple. The sheep ears are the official uniform for our SnB, but this was my first outing in them. We all had a great time and got to meet several Ravelers (...Raveleriers........I dunno....). I always find it cool to meet people in real life whom you only "know" on the internet.

Allright, I gotta say. This was my first big fiber festival. Ya'll there was so much fibery goodness!!! Even as I say that, words are not enough.

Brooks Farm goodness.......aka yarn pron exhibit

We were there an hour and Tasha had to sit me down with a Frito Pie so that I could come down from my "yarn high". Several of us, me included, believe we would never last at Rhinebeck. I think it would put me in a yarn coma. Talk about sensory overload!

I did get a bit of fiber (no yarn....fiber gets you more bang for you buck!) and plan on taking pictures this weekend, so I will have some fiber pron next week.

Sidenote: For the Non-fiber folk, I didn't make a typo above. I meant to type pron. Many fiber folks talk about it normally, in terms of really nice yarn/fiber/needles, etc. However, if you type it correctly on a blog, you get nasty spam. Therefore, we use pron. Thus endth the lesson.

I also had another first over the past few weeks. My mom, who is not a knitter or any other fibery person (aka a Muggle) went into a yarn shop, all by herself, and bought yarn! And came out with something appropriate to what she wanted! I think I finally convinced her that if you go into a yarn shop and tell them what you (or what you want your daughter) to make, they WILL be helpful and get you what you require. I have been to this shop only once and loved it and I am grateful that they were so nice and accommodating to my mother. If you are ever in Tulsa, OK, please take a stop by Loops on Utica Square.

And last, but not least, a big congratulations to my cousin and his new wife who got married this weekend. I was the "House Party", which meant I got to stand over the picture they were using as a guest book. Folks signed the mat surrounding the picture. Check me out at my post!Yep....my ride was going about 2 hours early, so....I brought a sock. Hey.....I didn't knit during the wedding, I promise! Not during the reception either, cause, well, let's just say knitting under the influence is ill advised, but knitting on a Potmatomus sock while under the influence is just asking for it.

They are currently in Hawaii, lounging by the ocean, drinking umbrella drinks....shopping for yarn for his cousin....

Decisions, decisions......

Alright, so.....(man, I start alot of sentences that way....) so I need help with a decision. I have a good sweaters worth of a nice, dark-ish brown Plymouth Encore Worsted (#1444). My original plan, many moons ago, was to do an adult Tomten for me. I got the Encore 'cause I wanted it to be a general, multi-purpose, hard-wearing cardi of some kind. I have since grown out of doing the Tomten, mainly 'cause doing that much garter stitch would probably kill me.

As any good knitter on Ravelry, I took a run through the ol' queue to see what kind of matching I got. Here's what I came up with:

- Dollar and a Half Cardi (I would symmetrize this, probably with the cable side)
- Cardi for Arwen
- Central Park Hoodie
- Mr. Greenjeans

What is everyone's opinion? I won't tell you my leanings right now, 'cause they are changing, depending on the level of my wine glass.....but I digress..... :-P My hesitation is that I am worried that these have design elements that I am afraid might get lost in how dark the yarn is. But then I look at the $1.50 cardi, and it helps to slightly alleviate that, but still....

I have decided that this is what I am casting on once I get my holiday knitting done. However, this year, none of it is for my Christmas presents. I have a baby blanket (baby due beginning of Dec.), Christmas stocking for future cousin-in-law of my cousin (to be done by mid-Nov. for said cousin's wedding) and 6 HP scarf bookmarks (commissioned by a co-worker).

The stocking is coming along - I am in the home stretch of the intarsia portion, so once that's done I will probably finish it quickly. I haven't touched the blanket in a few weeks, but we will see what happens. I just got asked for the book marks, so they aren't even started yet.

BTW, everyone needs to check out Jen's bag in the IK Winter '07. How freakin' awesome is that?!? Must....have.....it......

Brrr......

There is apparently a saying. Texas has the largest state fair in the US and it's quite a thing if you live the the DFW area. Apparently, once the fair closes, that is the time of year when it gets cold and stays cold. I don't remember about previous years, but let's just say this. The fair closed for the year yesterday, when it was a nice 80 degrees. Today, it was 50 degrees. Of course, all I was thinking was.....

Man, I need to knit a hat.....and maybe some fingerless gloves......

It would be nice if it stayed this way for a while. This summer in Texas has been VERY mild, maybe only a handful of over 100 degree days. That's saying something since I come from West Texas where we have six WEEKS of 100 degrees days.

But I am certainly jealous of some of ya'll who get these pretty color changing trees. We don't really get that....ours is more like the stuff that got burned up over the summer falls off. It's all very brown....

If you need to check out some pretty color changing, I hear Leigh's got some of that.....and some very tangled yarn.....

Random Post

Alright, so here are some of my random thoughts for the past few days:

But first, pardon me while I conduct some personal business:

HALEY!!! I don't have your email anymore. Please email me @ yarnknita@yahoo.com. Plus, your old, psycho, Republican boss is having a book signing at my B&N. Just FYI.

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled program.

1. When you get large amounts of cash at the bank, don't get $100 bills - get $20s. The bank has them - take them. And, if you are forced to take the $100 bills, PLEASE do not go into a store and buy a $0.25 newspaper with it. It really pisses off the cashier.

2. When you go to check out at a store, please don't be on your cell phone....it's rude.

Can we tell someone had an annoying day at work, which is made even worse by the fact that she had to miss her SnB? Moving on....

3. I got my replacement Sox Sticks....3 of them actually...in the ROSEWOOD, even though I have blondewood. Trust me, I don't care. Anyone have any idea if the rosewood ones are stronger? They sure are prettier......

4. Leigh is a HUGE enabler.....beware......

And here is today's poll. Saturday we are having a "chili cookoff" potluck and this was brought up:

Beans or no beans

I am a firm believer in that beans have NO PLACE in chili.....unless you REALLY need to stretch the chili, but then I think it becomes something else entirely. Of course, I am probably a little wierd (HA.....little....he he he) in that I can not eat chili plain, in a bowl. I have to have it Frito pie-style (chili on top of Frito chips, for you Yankees). I think it is just that is how we always had it growing up and I have never really been able to eat it plain.

Again?

How is it that I post more when I don't have a camera? Yeah, I dunno either.

It's a shame it's not working too because I got my KnitFlix swap package last night. Our knitting group did a secret swap centered around a movie. I had quite a haul from Dawn. I got a Glow-Batt from Merlin the Cat's etsy shop (it freakin' glows in the dark!), a Sock Monkey nightshirt (I have a SERIOUS pj fetish), a lovely hand-beaded orifice hook for my spinning wheel, a set of dangle-free stitch markers, a yummy candy and soda stash, and one of my favorite movies on DVD - Galaxy Quest. Gotta love it. Thank you Dawn!

As an aside, I just wanna put something out there. Okay, I know Oprah is big and all....or at least I thought I did. I never really quite grasped the large expanse of her influence until I started working at B&N. Any book on her show instantly goes on the Best Seller list. Monday she had on Jessica Seinfeld, wife of Jerry Seinfeld, author of the new cookbook Deceptively Delicious. The book went on sale Tuesday. We had 30 copies. We sold out in 3 hours. When I went to work today, B&N in it's entirety was out, as in they are going to have to print more. This is just crazy....not good or bad, just crazy.

So, here is today's question: Hardback or Paperback?

If I have a choice, I like paperback, but I am also not one to wait for certain books. Therefore, my collection of my favorite books are a mixture of both.

Random, I know.

Create-a-meme

I think that I have discovered where memes are invented. They are written by people who are either desperate for blog fodder or who have a non-functioning camera. I therefore bring you the "Either or" Meme.

There are lots of instances where people can be separated into two categories. These are not ment to be exclusive by any means, but are just meant to be a generality. I am not really tagging anyone, but feel free to steal this if you feel the need for blog fodder.

Paper or plastic? Paper

Mac or PC? PC all the way baby

Straight or circular? Circular

Toe-up or Top-down? Top-down

Vogue or Interweave? Interweave

Coke or Pepsi? Coke

Dogs or Cats? Dogs

Pen or Pencil? Pen

Hamburger or Hotdog? Hamburger

Mayo or mustard? Mayo

Shaken or stirred? Stirred

Waffles or pancakes? Pancakes

Bacon or sausage? Sausage

Now, go forth and fodder your own blog!

Picture-less....

Alrighty, so I have been putting off blogging so that I could try to get some pictures, but that entails getting my camera to cooperate. It really needs a new battery and I haven't quite gotten around to looking for one yet. Cameras pretty old, as digital cameras go. Kinda like how people balk when I say my good ol' computer runs on Windows 2000. All I say is that it works about 10,000 times better than my new one that runs on Vista. So, just because I don't have pictures, doesn't mean we can't have some fun still, right??

So I had my first knitting angina the other day. I was knitting on my sock on my lovely new Blondewood Sock Stix.....

Who says we can't have quality pictures!

Yeah, so I know that I am a tight knitter, but still. Luckily, I talked with Lantern Moon and the are lovingly sending me a replacement. Luckily, my sock I am knitting is only on three needles, so there isn't any lull in the knitting.

Last weekend was the DFW Knit out and we all had a blast! Regina and I did a spinning demonstration and had some fun. I won me a lovely bag 'o Plymouth Dreambaby DK which will end up as a few Hats for Alex. The best part....well, one of the best, it was all good.....was that we went out for dinner and drinks and Mi Cocina and the folks next to us were having an interesting "love connection." Regina did a good recap here. Gotta love it.....

Am I being stalked?

Alright, so I officially joined the Knittyboard Blogstalking 2 'cause, you know, I'm I joiner.

So this weeks assignment is "Purse Guts" to which we reveal the deep dark contents of every guys worst nightmare.....seriously. I tend to fluctuate between the big purse and the small purse and I am currently in the big purse phase.Courtesy of Target, apparently a popular purse destination for other Stalkees. I have placed a 9" needle for reference 'cause, you know, that's what was handy. Let's check out the contents, but a warning....one of the rules of this assignment was that you were not allowed to clean it out first, so bare with me.From the top we have the address book, planner, B&N nametag, checkbook, wallet, excess card holder, sock pattern, wine list from Grapefest 2007, Purse knitting (currently a Pomatomus in Trekking XXL #100), Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade, various coupons and receipts from the last grocery run, iPod, a bazillion pens and three tins of mints from the PKD walk goody bags, paystub and various business cards.

My wallet is my new favorite thing ever. I saw several customers that had them and finally asked someone where they got it. Of course, mine came from Target, but I have seen them other places, especially Hallmark. I like it cause if I need to slim down a bit, then I can just grab the wallet and go. I do use a little card holder for all of the other card that I have that I need but don't use every day, like the video card, grocery card, etc.

Alright, so how about some knitting. As you can see, I got the camera to work for a bit so here are the Flaming Monkeys!Pattern: Monkeys from Knitty.com
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock in Flames
Needle: US1
Mods: Increased pattern repeat to 18 sts and added a picot hem.

I have also begun a project for my cousin's future cousin-in-law. Everyone got that figured out? Okay, good. I am working on recreating a Christmas stocking for a newly arrived cousin.It's progressing nicely and quickly. Should be done in plenty of time for the wedding in November and for Christmas!

Speaking of Christmas, I got gifted some yummy yarn from Tasha.It is some Lorna's in Glenwood and quite yummy. I also got some new Inox and bamboo sock needles from Dawn, but that is when the camera cut out....one picture short.

Did you miss me?

Yeah, so I have been away from the Net for a bit...so much so that I missed my first blogiversary! Well, post #100 is around the corner, so maybe we'll have something special!

Something that tipped me off on my anniversary, was the PKD walk that occurred this past weekend. I remembered that last year I posted about the walk and so I went back to check when it was. Oh well....check out this year's crowd!Yep, our group grew a bit this year, which was great. What was even cooler was that we grew so much that Paul's Posse won the award for the largest team. I am excited to see how many we have next year! Even the lil'uns got in on the fun:That would be Miss Lizzie and my mom. She is the recipient of the lil' purple dress. Her and her brother are some of my littlest knitting recipients.

More to come...gotta get the camera to operate. Mine died after one picture. The above are complements of my Dad's camera.

Oh crap!

Yep, that's how it's been the past few days. I got called into work on my day off on Monday, but I didn't quite mind it as much since it was time-and-a-half. Things that didn't dawn on me until I got to work: (1) it's a holiday which means it will be crazy busy, and (2) I was closing Monday night (~10:45pm home time) and opening on Tuesday (be there by 7am).

Oh crap! #1

On said Tuesday, it was the first day after a three day weekend, the day new books come out (which is busy at B&N), and there was some kind of weird alignment of the planets and moon or something cause the crazys were out. Plus, we have determined we have some kind of house elf or something in the store that screws everything up just enough to be annoying.

Oh crap #2.

I then got some take-out and went to SnB last night, a little early, but had to save some seats! But then the take-out and my LONG few days caught up with me and barely lasted an hour.

Oh crap #3.....I really needed knit-night too.

Today got to be my day off so I got to catch up on errands and go get important things like food. I get back and have a lovely note from my apartment complex saying that I didn't pay my rent. BS to them I say!! I paid my rent on Sunday when I came to get my new parking pass. See? I can show you the carbon copy here in..my....checkbook......yeah....throughout the whole thing Sunday, I didn't actually GIVE them the check.

OH CRAP!!!!!

Luckily, I talked my way out of the $75 LATE FEE!!!! If I hadn't, this would have been a much longer post....

Plus, still haven't finished my Monkeys, which I find annoying. I have hit the point of "I just want them done," and they are getting longer. I have about 2 repeats and 5 plain rounds to go before I start the toe.

Say that again?

So I get a message from my apartment complex yesterday. I'm thinking "Crap, what do they want now?"

"Hi, this is your apartment complex calling. We just wanted to let you know that to thank you for staying with us for four years, we are going to give you a new Dell laptop. Have a nice day!"

Um....what?It's freakin' crazy insane!! Makes for nice Ravelry and knittyboard surfing in front of the TV.

Now, let's WIP out a little knitting.I made a little progress on my MS3. This is my current "complicated" project. This is not one I knit on in front of the TV....that would be a no-no....doing that is probably why I missed a yo (or two) that I just noticed. However, I am working on getting the Outlander books onto my iPod. Perfect for this especially since I have read the books a thousand times. If I haven't gotten you addicted to them yet, don't worry, I will.

As a side note, Diana Gabaldon just came out with a new book, Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade, which is a spin-off series from the Outlander books. Yes, I pre-ordered at B&N and got it the second it came out of the box...as I will with the next one when it comes out in November. She's been a busy little bee.

The Flaming Monkey is getting closer to having a partner. I am almost to the heel turn, but ya'll know what that looks like so I won't bother you with a picture. Hopefully, I will have a picture of a pair soon! I got quite a bit done on it at my SnB last night. I had my first internet meeting. Jennifer from pieKnits came by our SnB last night. I have read her blog for quite a while and knit some of her lovely patterns. This was the first person that I "knew" online and then met in real life. It was kinda cool, thinking, "Hey, I know you....sorta." :-P She was finishing up a loverly sweater that will be in the Spring Interweave. You will definitely have to check it out.

Monday, Monday....da, daaaa....da, da, daaa, da.....

I am starting to get to the point of posting only when I have an FO....which isn't bad right now since I am on a finishing craze.Pattern: Monkey from Knitty
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Sock in Flames
Needles: US1
Mods: 5-row Picot hem, 4 cuff repeats, 9 total, 12 stitch toe

Check out Flaming Monkey #1!!! I have been trying to get better pictures, but it is just not cooperating. No one but knitters understand how hard it is to take a good picture of your own foot. Seriously.... Flaming Monkey #2 is on it's way, almost to the heel. These will go great with Weezalana's Monkey Hooters.....

FO, FO, it's off to knit I go....

Oh, come on....it's catchy, right?

Thanks for all of the compliments on my hair! I have been feeling quite sassy lately. But much to the dismay of my hairdresser, no one of the male persuasion confessed his undying love for me and my sexy hair. For now, I am okay with that.

Okay, so last time I promised an FO....Tomato #2!!! Hey, it's an object, and it's finished.....and quite tasty too!

What?!? You want a knitting FO? Yeah, okay, well check THIS out!Pattern: Sandnes Mandarin booklet #305 - "White Dress"
Yarn: Idena Bambino Bomull #187 (3.5 skeins)
Needles: US2 and US3 (yes, you read that right)
Size: 9 mo.
Notes: I was worried about this project for a while. It was hibernating once I going on the 12" of ribbing on US3 needles. But I finally sat down and decided that I needed to finish before Lizzie grows out of it. Toward the end I was getting annoyed cause it was taking so long and I was afraid I wasn't going to like the product.

It very much redeemed itself. I am so glad that I made this and pressed on with it. The yarn splits like no ones business. A tip: Knot all strands at the VERY end when joining. It does unravel and then becomes a big mess. Knotting it kept all the plys together until I was ready to weave them in and then I just cut the knot off and voila!

This was going to be for her birthday in November, but once I finished, I just couldn't wait to give it. Lizzie and I had lunch today (Mom, Dad, and Brother came too) and she received her present. However, like most 9 month olds, she was more interested in the cool holographic bag the dress came in.

Since I cast that off, I could now use the needles to cast on my MS3. Yeah, yeah, I am a bit behind and it's not such a mystery any more, but I still want a go at it.
I am doing it in some black Cashwool with garnet red beads. I am not, however, doing the wing. I have nothing against the wing, and I just a very "symmetrical" kind of person. All of the asymmetrical stuff that is out there right now just drives me nuts.

The Pony Style

Alright....I have been a chemistry graduate student (and chemistry student in general) for many moons now. And being that I have long hair (and have for many more years), my "hairstyle" has been "throw it in a ponytail". Sometimes I varied this with a bun or twin braids, but always tightly secured back. This is a safety measure...yes, so you don't swing your hair through a Bunsen burner or get acid on you when an idiot student spills a beaker of acid on you. Hey, you laugh until it happens to you...I have my favorite pair of pants (which is now full of holes) to prove it....but I digress.

The permanent pony in all of it's glory

But now, I am working in a place were no such huge safety hazards exist. This means that for the first time in.....many, many years (forgetting that CRAZY year I cut all my hair off), I get to have a hairstyle. I finally went to get a haircut today....first one in about six months. Hey, when all you wear is a ponytail, you don't need to really get your hair cut.

"Can I help you find something?"

And yes, that is my natural "curl" and I am sure that some will begin to have an instant dislike for me now. My new hairstylist asked if I had a boyfriend (no, I said) and then proceeded to tell me that I won't have that problem long. Um....okay.....but do I want a guy who will only notice me 'cause I changed my hair? But again, I digress....

In a previous post, it was commented by several, on and off blog, that I am a bit, um, overly caucasian. I used to be a lifeguard for about five years and it tended to give me this "permenant tan", which lasted for quite some time. I guess too much time in the lab (we don't get much sunlight in our caves) and here I stand in my paleness.

BUT WAIT!! I am no LONGER in the lab, I realized. I can go outside and sit by the pool and, well, knit! And so, I did just that....

SUNLIGHT!!! Oh how I missed thee!

See? Proof I have gone out into the outdoors, away from fires, big magnets and harsh chemicals. All complete with iPod and knitting. Speaking of knitting.....an FO will be unleashed!

Poisoned Apples

It just seemed appropriate that the day after I read about these "poisoned apples" in Drums of Autumn, I would get to show you this:
Yep, the first one! It will be quite tasty on my salad tonight....or it just may get eaten by itself. I have two others that are still growing, one of them already bigger than this one. This would probably be the only one, if it weren't for the VERY mild and wet summer we have had down here. We haven't even hit 100 degrees yet, according to the weatherman. For the non-Texans, we should have had about a month of days at 100 degrees, just to give you an idea.

Yes, yes, the knitting. Unfortunately, I don't have anything to show! Most of the stuff on the needles is "gift knitting" and can't be displayed quite yet.

I did get the new VK and IK this weekend, thanks to Mom (best birthday gift!). This is the 25th anniversary issue for VK. There were a few nice patterns, but nothing that really jumped out at me. There was a couple of articles that were interesting, including an interview session of knitters from "back in the day" and those that are popular today. Okay, well, they are ALL popular today, but you know what I mean. It was a really cool read.

IK did have a few patterns that I liked, including one, to which I exclaimed out loud:I love me some Fair Isle. And seriously, what Texas doesn't need a Fair Isle wool sweater?

We are family!

I went to a family reunion this weekend. We have it every year in Frederickburg, TX and always have quite a bit of fun. This usually involves some shopping, winery visitation, game-playing, a music jam session, and, more recently, we have added a hike up Enchanted Rock. Enchanted Rock is a big hunk 'o granite bedrock and is around a million years old. The hike to the top is less that half a mile, but try doing that at a minimum 45 degree angle. Check it out!
(L-R) Daniel (brother), Jarod (cousin), Casey (cousin), Courtney (girlfriend of Casey's brother), Katie (aunt who brought me Italian yarn), and Me (yes, I do need a tan, don't I!)Here's a shot on the way down. Much easier on the way down, but what a view! It was very foggy and misty on the way there, but it cleared a bit once we started.

I also had a wonderful discovery. About 10 years ago, I found some Key Lime Fudge and it was wonderful. I am a big fan of anything Key Lime flavored. Over the past 10 years, I have looked high and low for more of it, but to no avail. So what did I find last weekend.....


What?!? You expected to see a picture? Yeah, like I have that kind of self control. But I did stretch that 1/4 pound of fudge as long as I could....which was about 4 days.

Hmm.....donut.....
Make your own here! http://www.simpsonsmovie.com/main.html

Have a great weekend everyone! I know I will!

What would you want from Italy?

My lovely aunt and uncle just got back from Italy. Before they left, my aunt asks, "What do you want me do bring you back?" Yarn, I said, thinking I was being sarcastic because no non-knitter would go to, not only a LYS, but to a foreign LYS. So she asks me what kind I want, etc. I figured I would go with sock yarn because it's easy, small, portable, and most LYS have a "sock yarn" section. I tell her about what it should cost (as much as I would LOVE cashmere socks) and how much to get, but I see it's kind of getting lost on her. I tell her to go a shop and ask the salesperson - LYS shopkeepers are VERY helpful and VERY nice. Granted, I have only been to LYS in the US, but I think that the international "knitting" language and attitude is pretty universal.

So my aunt actually found her a shop - Beatrice Galli Yarn Shop. I have to toot their horn. They were extremely nice and helpful to my muggle aunt and found me some yummy sock yarn.This is some Mondial Ecco in #728. It's a purple/green twist, but the green fades in and out. I am really excited to see how this knits up. Plus, it's DK weight, which means bigger needles!!

And, because, lately, a post wouldn't be complete without an FO:Pattern: Saturday Market Bag from MagKnits
Yarn: Sugar and Cream, ~1.5 balls (pretty pastels)
Needles: US 13, 10
Mods: Used distressed mod for two handles; CO 75 sts and knitted in the round; did 7 repeats, instead of 6.

I like this one alot better than they other one. I think this was just because I could make it as big as I wanted, without worrying about running out of yarn......

Holy...crap....just realized I didn't BLOG about the other one!!!Pattern: Saturday Market Bag from MagKnits
Needles: US13, 10
Yarn: Sugar and Cream, 1 ball, Hot Orange

I modded the crap out of this thing.
1. CO 71 sts and knit it in the round
2. used the "distressed" two-strap mod (which I modded to fit my stitch count)
3. I just whipstitched the bottom closed.

I played with it a little bit (esp. in the handles) so that I could see if I could get this bag out of one ball. Seriously, I had less than 6" of yarn left. This ended up being about the size of an average grocery sack. I used it at the store and it worked just wonderfully.

I am hoping to churn out another one and I will be set for the most part. It will probably be multicolored though, since I think all I have is single balls of S&C.

This weekend we are off to the wonderfulness that is Family Reunion Weekend down in Fredericksburg, TX. Lots of wine, yarn, shopping, wine, family.....did I mention the wine?

See ya' Monday!