Tuesday September 30, 2008

Anyone else completely shocked that it's almost October??? My friends told me last night that I'd better get started on a Park Day sweater, or come the cold weather I am going to freeze LOL

I am boning up on accessories, but yes- I'd better get a sweater done.

Speaking of accessories- I have finished a hat and two scarves that I haven't been able to blog about. I still have to get pictures of the second scarf, but it's the same model as the first. I put the instructions up for the Rock Star Scarves in my FO Report, but they are easy-peasy. I put the pattern for my Global Economy Hat up as well. That's a little bit more complicated, but not much. The hardest part about that was just getting the size right. I'm having a lot of fun with accessories right now, even though I don't know how much use I will get out of them. In the vein of the Traveling Scarf exchanges going on at Ravelry right now, I am thinking of making a sort of patchwork scarf in blues and greens to go with my hat. I have a lot of leftover odd balls in worsted weight, and it would be a fun way to try out different stitch patterns.

The Rusty Knight is finally back to work and leaving us to try and figure out all of the new electronics. We can get back to our normal routines. Today we are just trying to put the house back together and get laundry caught up. Oy!

Monday September 29, 2008

My computer died last week. Of course, it happened while The Rusty Knight was away. We have a nice, new computer now, and I am trying to catch up on everything. I'll be back later with FO reports.

Staurday September 20, 2008

I seem to be taken by knitting scarves lately. It's funny, because I am not usually a big scarf knitter. Last night, I whipped up this little gem. I've already cast on another scarf in the Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks pattern. It's a nice little stitch pattern, and I happened to have some of the Handpainted Yarn.com Colonia 140 that I couldn't figure out what to do with. I'm trying to burn through some of my stash, rather than buying more yarn. I am doing pretty well with that, although I will probably find yarn in my Christmas Stocking (since I shop for myself :) ). Her Ladyship informed me that the first day of Fall is Monday, so I guess that scarves are appropriate. I think that I'm just trying to get my knitting mojo back. Maybe I will cast on one of my sweaters again soon. I wonder if yarn gets to a certain point when it has been ripped out so much that it just falls apart? I hope not.

I did turn the heel on the socks that I had been knitting and put aside. The needle really is too small, but I am far enough in that I am not going to change it now- I will suffer through. I also think the socks will last forever - or at least more than a week.

We started a new therapy program for The Boy Wonder today. It was kind of hard having to go without The Rusty Knight, but we made it through. I even drove the giant mini-van through the pass without going over the side. I don't know why I let them put me in that thing- I should have taken the small, fuel efficient sedan that they wanted to give me, but no- I wanted something different.

Friday September 19, 2008

I finished a pair of socks for The Boy Wonder. You can read about the knit here. It still feels like summer (well, summer some places), but I am starting to think about fall and winter. Plans are in full swing for Halloween. The Halloween stores are opening, and the department stores are stocking their Halloween items. I think that Princess Stomping Foot wants to be a Belly Dancer. We've already gotten a note about her Winter Concert for dance, and costume deposits for the end of year recital are already coming due. I'm not ready to deal with all of this yet!

Everything is back up in my etsy shop. I'm spending more time ripping things out than knitting lately. Last night I ripped out my Burnished Tunic. It was almost done, but I ran out of yarn, I tried it on and it was huge. So, I started over from the top. I think that I will have plenty of yarn, and that it will fit this way. I ripped back my Hey Teach and started it over- and I am going to have to do it again. Even though I got gauge, it is not working out right. I hate ripping all of that work out, but having a finished garment that doesn't fit would be useless.

When we were on Vacation, I picked up the Fall Knit Simple. There was not a ton that I liked in it, but I did like the Wrap Cardigan, and the Cabled Wrap. I also liked the green Collared Cardigan. I keep trying to find something to do with the bulky white cotton yarn that I have, and a top down raglan similar to that one might be it.

6 Things

I got tagged for this by my friend B.

1. I was in Marching Band in high school (Sophomore Year)

2. I skipped the fifth grade

3. I played Field Hockey in high school (Junior Year)

4. I spent a couple summers doing missionary work in Mammoth Lake, CA with my church (during in high school)

5. I lived in the same house my whole childhood- my parents still live in that house, and then I moved 8 times in 10 years

6. Only one dentist ever took care of my teeth until I was an adult. He pulled like heck on my mouth, but I still miss the familiarity of him.

OK, so now you've read this and you can consider yourself tagged!

Monday September 15, 2008

We're not quite recovered from our vacation, but the laundry is hand, the un-packing is almost finished, I am returning phone calls, and The Rusty Knight has left again already.
Whew!
Now I can show you some of my vacation knitting. The night before we left, I started having a panic attack and broke out in hives (see- it was a bad omen!). I knew that knitting would calm me down, so I broke out some yarn that I had bought in Big Bear and started a Sweeney Todd Scarf. I'm glad that I did- it was really the perfect vacation knitting. It did calm my panic attack, but the hives and swelling (my fingers swelled up so much that I couldn't make a fist, and my upper lip looked like I had a collagen injection!) continued until we got to the resort. It made the red-eye flight that much more uncomfortable.

I finished the scarf on vacation, and I also finished a sock for The Boy Wonder. This is some of my hand dyed yarn in the Murky colorway. I finished up the toe of these on the plane coming home. They're a little bit big (growing room-that's a good thing), because I was trying to measure through his shoe. I've started the second one, and they will be finished in no time.

I also brought my Enchanting Wrap to work on, and did quite a bit on that. It's pretty good travel knitting as well. The pattern is for a scarf, but I think that mine is more wrap sized. I love the pretty sheen in this Sea Silk yarn.

Sunday September 14, 2008

We're HOME!!!
It was nice to get away, and it's really nice to get back home. (Plus, I was beginning to feel like I was on a National Lampoon Vacation!) The animals were really happy to see us, and the kids were excited to see and talk to their friends.

Let's just say that our flight out was canceled, and rescheduled almost 9 hours later; and coming home we arrived in Las Vegas via Baltimore and Chicago, but our luggage came from Tucson (we're still trying to figure that one out). In between was just more of the same- the kids both got sick, it rained our day in New York, and we were unable to reschedule hotel reservations so that our flight delay cost us quite a bit of money.

We found out that we hate Vegas, but we loved NYC and are already talking about going back there and spending more time. Pennsylvania was beautiful, and we had some fun at local attractions- despite our mishaps. When we were taking the tram to baggage claim in Vegas, we were suddenly surrounded by a group of men in teal shirts. It took me a minute to realize that the backs of their shirts said NHL (National Hockey League), and the front said Sharks. I looked up their web page online, and these were the guys going in the the Rookie Training Camp, and they were going to play the Ducks in Vegas. Kinda cool.

I have some vacation knitting to share, but I haven't had a chance to take pictures yet. I am still unpacking and trying to catch up on laundry. The Rusty Knight leaves again first thing in the morning, so he's not even unpacking his suitcase.
Here are a couple of shots from our trip- enjoy!

Friday September 5, 2008

I don't have any knitting news to report; in fact I am having horrible luck with my knitting lately. I found out that

my tunic is way too big, and has to be completely ripped out- that will become something top down

the socks that I was knitting were also too big and had to be re-started

I started a Calpotis to bring on my trip, and I'm not sure if I will even bring it

I still haven't ripped back Hey teach to fix it

Anyway, I just wanted to post here and say Good-bye! We are leaving tomorrow morning, and won't be back until late the next Saturday. The shop is in vacation mode, but everything will be back when I am.

Happy Knitting!

Wednesday September 3, 2008

So, this yarn that I got from the odds and ends section at Handpaintedyarn.com has been staring me down for a while. It has always wanted to be a hat, but I just couldn't find the right pattern for it. I decided to take advantage of The Rusty Knight's current trip, and find a pattern that would work. I found a doozy (in a good way!) The 18 Seconds Before Sunrise hat pattern was perfect. I set this at my computer, and as I was downloading songs onto my MP3 player for the trip, I knit on it. It's a fun little pattern, and I love the finished hat. I hope that Rusty does, too. It's sure to fit his gi-normous head, and now he has a birthday gift.

Monday September 1, 2008

Happy Labor Day!
Labor Day is much less a holiday, and more of a "Day Off" for most people. Not so much for me, this year. My day off started at 4am. I woke up in The Princess's bed (because at 11 pm last night it was painfully obvious that she was not going to be able to lay down and fall asleep on her own) with heartburn. I've been taking herbs to try and bring on my period before we leave for our trip, and they tend to come back on me. The Rusty Knight realized a few weeks ago that my period should be starting just as we were ready to come home. Since I didn't want to spend my heavy day in an airplane bathroom, I opted for the herbs. I hope they work, and soon. I have been on my period for each and every trip we have taken for the last 15 years, and it's getting a little old.
I stayed up for a little while because The Rusty Knight was getting up and getting ready to leave for Arizona again. He'll be coming home Thursday, doing laundry Friday, and we're leaving for vacation Saturday. I managed to fall back asleep after he left, and was awoken by the phone at 9 am. We were all still asleep, and I knew exactly who it was. Princess Stomping Foot has made friends with the little girl next door. She calls or comes over every morning at 9 sharp. Her mother must have told her that is the earliest that she is allowed to bother us. Little does she know that we are just rolling out of bed at that time some mornings.

The morning only got better with the discovery of a broken glass in the dishwasher. I got several pieces of it stuck in my hand cleaning it up, and then The Boy Wonder started having a severe allergy attack. Thank goodness that I put some more music on his MP3 player (except not Norah Jones- she blows, even if she is Ravi Shenkar's daughter) so that he has something to listen to.
I'm dying some laceweight this week, and I had a little helper. His first "helpful" act was to lay a Dukie right in front of the back door. Thanks, George. If I ever need a smelly poo right where I am most likely to step on it, I can always count on you.

When I was up this morning, I was working on Hey Teach! I realized that I messed up the lace pattern, and will have to rip it back. It's too bad- it really is quick and easy. I hope that I can get it right and finish it. I ordered the Deep Breathe pattern from Webs. I want to make a ballet sweater for Her Ladyship out of laceweight, and I also want to make one for myself. I swatched some hand dyed pink for The Princess sweater, and I have some of my Wicked colorway put aside for myself. I think that I am going to add a cowl neck for mine.

Speaking of knitting, I noticed this adorable pattern on Ravelry this morning. Then I realized that it's a whole online magazine that I had never seen before. I love the Self Belt Vest. For the meantime though, I think that I will do a simple hat for The Rusty Knight. It can go in his Christmas stocking, and I can rest easy with a mistake proof project.