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!

I survived.....

.....but just barely. I didn't get to finish the book before I went to work Saturday morning (I am not as fast a reader as Trillian), but I did finish it when I got home. I would like to thank everyone who was nice and understanding to their booksellers and postmen this weekend. For the most part, the folks at our store were nice and behaved like good little first graders - wait your turn, stand in line, and no shouting (well, no angry shouting). Yeah, we had a few party poopers who felt they were more important than anyone else and acted like toddlers (they hadn't made it to first grade yet), but the nice people made up for it.

So, last week I decided that if I am going to make one of these....
I should get on it.
Pattern: Double-knit Bookscarf from pieKnits
Yarn: Lion Brand WoolEase in Cranberry and Gold
Needles: US5

Even if you don't want to me a nerd and have a HP Scarf Bookmark, I would suggest making one of these (in whatever colors you want) just to play with Double knitting. You are basically making a double-thickness knit fabric (aka flattened, fat i-cord), knitted flat, on two needles. I know Jennifer has used this technique on several of her projects, especially buttonbands. I really like it and will probably use it on my next cardigan. Of course, for there to be a next, there has to be a first, but I digress.

I have really gotten in a worsted-weight/big needle groove lately. I think that I needed a little Instant Gratification knitting. I have started a second Saturday Market Bag (which is halfway done) and a Pinwheel Baby Blanket. Socks and things are still getting knitted on. Don't worry, they aren't being neglected. I am fixing to turn the heel of Flaming Monkey #1. They have turned out much better, once I increased the stitch count.

On the tomato front, I have two tomatoes going strong, but nothing has come off of the plant yet. Hey, if these actually make it off of the vine, I will have doubled my produce yield over last year. That's good, right?

The beginning of the LONG WEEKEND....

As some of you know, I have been working at Barnes and Noble for about 6 weeks now. Therefore, I will belong to a group of the most insane, overworked people this weekend. Others include employees of Borders, Hastings, independent booksellers, USPS and UPS. I will request for everyone to be nice to these people this weekend, 'cause it's going to be insane. Give your UPS Guy/Gal or USPS worker a cookie when they deliver your book on Saturday. Or maybe a popcicle, if it's hot....


On to the knitting.....


Our SnB is at the end of a Vacation Swap. The gist is that you tell your spoiler where you would like to go, and they put a package together to send you on a trip. My spoiler was Tasha, who did an AWESOME job.......so yeah, I dunno what's going on either. But it looks much better here. I got some Cider Moon yarn, which I have never tried, some yummy Ashland Bay top, stitchmarkers handmade by Ms. Tasha herself, some pasta and sauce (that has Cab Sav in it) and a bottle o' wine. That sounds like a HP recovery dinner if I ever heard of it: yarn, fiber, pasta and wine.


And before I forget, again, check out another quickie FO:Pattern: Kureyon Kozy from Knitty
Yarn: Noro Kureyon #40
Needles: US6
Size: Small (4-6 cups)
Notes: I have a Chantal 4-cup teapot and this thing is REALLY streached over the pot. I left it sitting on the pot, so it has streached a bit. When I do it again, I will probably make the larger size (6-8 cups).