NerdGirl speaks...

January Progress

2012-01-31T11:56:00.000-06:00

There has been knitting afoot here at Chez NerdGirl and there has been some groundwork laid to keep track of my knitting goals for the year. I have added a box to the blog so you can see how I am doing on stash accumulation and project completion. Right now I am in the red since I have added more skeins to my stash than I have used but that fact that I am paying attention to consumption is good. Mindfulness is the key to actually achieving the goals I have set for myself.

I finished two cowls and a scarf this month.

The scarf was a simple mistake rib made out Malabrigo worsted in the Sweet Grapes colorway. I really need to come up with a better way to photograph my finished objects so please forgive the photos. If anyone has some suggestions for me, feel free to leave them in the comments.

The first cowl that I finished was the Chickadee Cowl made out of Huckleberry Trillium in the Colleen colorway. The yarn and pattern were a perfect match and the color worked up in a manner that looks pixilated. I just love it. The cowl is folded in half for the picture since I was using my desk as the backdrop.

The last cowl that I finished was actually the November club pattern and yarn from the Fall in Full Color club that I was in. The yarn is String Theory Hand Dyed Merino DK in the exclusive club colorway and the pattern is called Woodstacking. It is also a club exclusive but maybe next year Anne Hanson AKA: knitspot will release it for purchase. This colorway was hard to photograph because the gold really dominated the picture and you couldn't see any sort of pattern. The photo that I am using is a bit washed out and there is no flash so you can see the pattern. The color is a rich chocolate brown with hints of gold.

I am still working on the Hitchhiker for The KnitGirllls SAL/KAL which I am determined to finish before the end of February. I am also working on another cowl and I would like to get a couple of hats knit. I will be participating in the mitten KAL in February that is being run by Laura of The KnitGirllls.

Knitting Goals for 2012

2012-01-01T20:38:00.000-06:00

I am hoping to have a more productive knitting year in 2012 so I thought I would actually set some goals for the year.

1. I want to knit at least 20 projects for charity. I didn't keep track of how many that I made in 2011 but I'm pretty sure it was less than 20. I hope that I branch out from hats and scarves but we will see. I know that charities have a need for sweaters and I have been hesitant to invest so much time in something that may be a total fail but honestly, I'll never learn to make them without sucking up the inevitable failures. I'll learn from the mistakes and eventually get it right. However, because I'm a big ole cheater, the sweater thing is just a wish, not a goal.

2. I want to made a colorwork project. I've done stripes but those totally don't count. I'm thinking that I may make one of the many pairs of colorwork mittens that I have drooled over.

3. I want to make a dent in my stash. I am realistic enough to know that even though I have a ridiculous amount of yarn already, I won't be able to stop buying it. Yarn is just to pretty and I can't resist its siren song. However, I can work on getting more yarn out of the stash than I put back in. So, my goal for the year is to have a net loss of 30 skeins of yarn from my stash. That is a lot of knitting so this is the goal that will really be a stretch for me.

4. Lastly, I want to make a concerted effort to blog more so my goal is to blog at least twice a month.

So, internet peeps, did you make any goals for 2012?

My Brother's Superpower

2011-12-26T09:37:00.000-06:00

I have always known that my brother had a gift. When it comes to cooking, he doesn't need a recipe and when he has one, he often finds a way to improve it. He is a gifted cook. My mom used to make fudge at the holidays but now my brother does it because of his gift. He never seems to make a bad batch. What is a bad batch of fudge? It is dry and crumbly and gritty. This is the only kind of fudge I have ever made. This year, my brother added caramels to his repertoire and that was his mistake. The caramels are perfect, just like the fudge. I am on to him. He is alter ego is Captain Sweet Tooth and desserts are his superpower.

Vacation!!!

2011-12-23T10:24:00.000-06:00

Right now I am on vacation and I am taking full advantage of the knitting time. I just finished another Sockhead hat. I don't know when I started the hat but it was in progress and mentioned on the blog in September so it was probably started at the end of August or the beginning of September. I'm not quite sure what derailed the project but I am guessing stockinette boredom since I was near the end of the nine inches of stockinette that I needed to finish before I started the decreases. The hat is made in the Ice Cream Sandwich colorway of Crafts Meow's Soft Serve yarn that I picked up at Stitches Midwest several years ago. My camera had a hard time focusing on the project so I had to use a sort of bad photo but it was one of the few shots of the hat that was actually in focus!

I am currently working on a Hitchhiker for The KnitGirlls SAL/KAL but it is in timeout. I have a problem with sticking to larger projects all the way to the end. I tend to get bored and I either start a new project or I pick up an old WIP to work on. Right now I have 22 or 23 of the points finished so I am a little more than halfway finished. This is obviously not a current photo, but I'd rather include an old photo than have no photo.

In non-knitting news, I went to a holiday party earlier this week and had a wonderful time. One of my coworkers hosted the party at her house and I think that everyone had a nice time. I didn't take any photos but her house was lovely and all decorated for Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, I managed to get my Christmas cards in the mail before Christmas this year and I have all of my Christmas shopping finished so I should be in good shape for this weekend. My brother and sister-in-law are hosting Christmas dinner this year and I am looking forward to seeing them.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Yes, I pay to get disappointed. Wait, is that not normal?

2011-12-01T22:57:00.000-06:00

Knitter, know thyself. That is the lesson that I learned from participating in the Fall in Full Color club this year. For those of you not familiar with a knitting club, you pay a lump sum and then (at least with this club) every month you get a pattern and yarn and it is a wonderful surprise that feels you with knitterly glee. Unless...yes, unless you are a knitter like me...a picky knitter. I have often said that I wouldn't join a club because I am so picky but I somehow thought I could change that and have a grand adventure and broaden my horizons. Not so much. I have enjoyed one pattern but I didn't want to use the yarn that came with it because is was a cable and textured pattern and a highly variegated yarn that somewhat obscured all of the cable and texture. I can appreciate several of the yarns that came in the club kits but they were definitely not for me. Just to clarify, there is nothing wrong with this club for other people. It is a great club for other people, it just isn't a good fit for me. December is the last month for the club so at least when 2012 gets here I will not longer being paid to be disappointed. I'll still be paying for a gym membership that I don't use but that is a different issue.

Enough of the grumbling, and thanks for sticking with me to the actual knitting content. Yes, there have been more hats, all of which will be given to a charity. What can I say, they are super quick to knit and I like feeling productive.

There was a Starving Artist beret made out of Malabrigo Chunky that has been floating around in my stash for several years. It took exactly one skein of yarn.

There was a 1x1 rib hat, no pattern needed that used about a half of a skein of Moda Dea Tweedle Dee that has been hanging around the stash for a couple of years.

There were two hats that I made out of one of the yarns from the Fall in Full Color club. The colors are not for me but I can appreciate that if you love fall colors, this yarn will make you happy. One of the hats is a no pattern 1x1 rib brim & the rest in stockinette. The other hat is a Twisted Rib watch cap.

Now brace yourself, there has been non-hat knitting as well. I know. Shocking!! I participated in a knitalong (KAL) of the Fresco Basket Whip cowl for The Knitabulls video podcast. I made it out of some Blue Sky Alpacas sport weight that has been kicking around in the stash for a few years.

Finally, bolstered by the success of the Knitabulls KAL, I joined The Knit Girllls spinalong/knitalong. I am not a spinner so I am just doing the KAL portion of the SAL/KAL and the knitting started today. I am knitting the Hitchhiker out of the yarn that Cloudlover dyed for the SAL/KAL. When you put the pattern name together with the fact that there are 42 pattern repeats the inspiration for the pattern seems obvious. Well, obvious if you have read the book. My progress is tiny but I like the way it is shaping up.

So what have we learned today? I'm super picky and that occasionally ruins some of the fun that I try to have and causes me to whine. I have managed to knit up some of the ridiculous amount of stash that I have. I like hats. I ramble too much.

If you made it to the end, bless you. May your day be delightful and full of laughs.

A Murder of Hats

2011-10-23T18:58:00.000-05:00

This post is a catch-all for the knitting projects that I have finished recently. I'm in a bit of a hat phase so I have several hat pictures to show you. I thought a collection of hats was too boring of a title so I'm pretending that hats are like crows and a collection of them is called a murder. Why? Because it's my blog and that's what I feel like doing.

All of these hats will be going to a charity because I only have one head and it already has a lovely hat that my friend crocheted for me. The hats will be divided amongst Hats for Sailors (the blog is here and the Ravelry group is here) and Wool-Aid (the website is here and the Ravelry group is here). I'm sure there will be more hats in the future since they are such a quick knit and I can actually finish one before I get bored and move on to another project.

Please forgive the shoddy photos. I work nights and I never feel like heading out to take proper outdoor, daytime photos. The pattern links are for Ravelry and the book links are to LibraryThing. Anyway, here is the murder of hats.

Twistygoo in madelinetosh vintage in the cobalt colorway

Spiral Hat (from 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders) in Dream in Color Classy in the happy forest colorway

Mushroom Cap in Dream in Color Classy in the november muse colorway with a happy forest stripe

Spiral Hat #2 (from 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders) in Dream in Color Classy in the happy forest colorway

First Hat (from Knit 2 Together) in Dream in Color Classy in the november muse and happy forest colorways

Basic Cable Hat (from Stitch-n-Bitch Nation) in Malabrigo Rios in the aguas colorway

Trash or teasure?

2011-10-18T14:47:00.000-05:00

You may see trash but my family sees treasure.

This is a cradle that was made by a neighbor for my Great Uncle Russ in 1911 and was last used by my Uncle Dave in 1937. No one knows when exactly the cradle was exiled to a shed but it remained carefully tucked away in the rafters until my Great Aunt Elv died. Her estate went to auction this weekend and a member of the family paid a thousand dollars to ensure that this cradle did not leave the sale with a stranger.

How about your family? Do you have anything that is deeply treasured that, to outsiders, seems like trash?

Knitting Ninja Skills

2011-09-30T22:33:00.000-05:00

I am officially a knitting ninja. I was starting a new hat project at work (on my lunch half hour) and I realized that I needed a stitch marker. I didn't have one in my knitting bag but I really wanted to knit so I scoped out my desk and found a solution.

I got mad skills, yo! The hat in question is Twistygoo by Lisa Beamer and the pattern is available as a free download on Ravelry.

End of Summer

2011-09-15T08:36:00.000-05:00

Thankfully the weather seems to have turned and summer is at a close. Fall is my favorite season so I am pretty happy right now! What have I been up to since July?

Stash Dash came to an end but I did not manage to knit 5K worth of yarn. However, like any person who is good at justifying things, I'm considering it a win! How, you may ask, can it be a win without knitting the full amount? Well, I knit 2.5K and that is about 2.49K more than I normally knit during the summer. I finished some lingering projects (although not all of them) and I really got back in the swing of knitting again. So, for me, it was a win.

I finished another Sockhead hat. This one is made out of Fleece Artist Sea Wool in the Marine colorway. The yarn came from The Loopy Ewe in December of 2008 so I consider it deep stash.

It is such an easy project, although at the end it can feel like a bit of a slog. It is great mindless knitting so it's a good work/travel/TV project. So, of course, I have another one on the needles. The newest one is nestled in my StarKnits triangle project bag and made from CraftsMeow Ice Cream Sundae in the Ice Cream Sandwich colorway that I picked up at Stitches Midwest a couple of years ago.

I finished a giant seven foot long scarf. I used the Yarn Harlot's One-Row Handspun pattern because I wanted something easy that would show off the textures and colors in the Mushishi yarn that I used. I was able to use the whole giant skein which resulted in a giant scarf that I can wear doubled and still wrap it around my neck a couple of times.

Believe it or not, the whole thing fit in my Piddleloop wedge bag! I love the wedge bag so much that I now have a third wedge bag.

How could I pass up adorable cupcakes?

Now back to the giant scarf. I don't think that I will be getting the Mushishi yarn again for a couple of reasons. First, the skein is too big for my ball winder so I worked off the swift for a while and then when I wanted to have a portable project, I had to wind the ball by hand. Second, the yarn was a really thick in some spots and thin in others and the thick spots seemed to have no twist, almost like roving that hadn't been spun.

Right now I am working on a couple of hats but I will save them for another post. Of course, knitting isn't all that I did this summer. I was fortunate enough to spend a weekend with my former college roommate and her husband and son. I had a wonderful time and was reminded that I miss my college friends immensely. I was also able to spend the day with my best friend from college when she was visiting family in Indiana. She lives in Florida and I haven't made it down to see her in probably 5 or 6 years so it was great to spend the day with her.

Okay interwebs, enough for today. I hope that the world brings you a laugh and perhaps time to catch up with a friend or family member that you haven't spoken to in a while.

Playing Catch Up

2011-07-12T10:45:00.000-05:00

I have composed so many witty and delightful blog entries in my head since I last posted. However, since I wasn't anywhere near a computer while they were being written in my head, you will have to suffer through this blog post which will just be a random mishmash of the stuff floating around in my head. I warn you, it won't be for the faint of heart. It will be disconnected and rambling, but that is just how my mind works.

First up, I do have a finished object for Stash Dash. I completed a mitered dish towel which is retro and fabulous. See?

It makes me think of the dish towels my mom had hanging in the kitchen when I was growing up. Of course those towels were actual towels with a crochet topper but it is the same general idea. I had always assumed that my mom made them but I just found out this weekend that she bought them at a craft sale when I was little. Of course, that was in the 70s so I'm guessing it was a church bazaar and not a full on, modern, Renegade Craft Fair style craft show. Anyway, the towel was super easy to make and it took practically no time at all which is good because I am seriously slacking in the Stash Dash arena. The hardest part of the towel was picking out which button to use on it. My button stash is mostly buttons for shirts or pants and those are a lot smaller than I needed for the towel so I went on a button quest. I didn't take the towel with me because I wasn't thinking clearly so I brought home several options.

I went with the round gray stone-esque button and I'll just use the rest up when I make more towels. And I will be making more towels. I love a project quick project and a functional project and this was both.

In other knitting news, I am still working on the Pogona. It is nearing the end which means that I want to stab myself every time I work on it. The rows get longer and longer and my knitting boredom kicks in and I want to just stick it in a corner and forget about it. However, I need the yardage for Stash Dash and I know that I will love it once it is done so I just have to suck it up and soldier through the last bits. My next shawl project needs to be worked sideways so I don't have the super long rows to contend with at the end. Hopefully the next time I blog, it will be finished.

Now for my guilty summer pleasure: Ice Loves Coco. That's right, the reality show on E!. (Do you need the period after the exclamation point? I'm just gonna go with it.) It is entertaining and their dog is a total rock star.

What else have I been up to? Yoga. Yep, still doing yoga and still enjoying it. I bought my own yoga mat, mostly because feet gross me out and even though we wipe down the yoga mats the gym provides, strangers have had their feet on them. So, now I have my own mat. I tried to be all analytical about it when I was trying to choose one on Amazon but I realized that I really have no frame of reference for good versus bad when it comes to yoga mats so I just got one of the thicker ones that was available in a color that I enjoyed. So, I got this one. I had to ignore the "Yogi Tips" because that was a little over the top for me. The mat is squishy so I'll see how I like it when I use it later today. I'm going to the Gentle Yoga class that Linda is teaching for the first time today and it will be the first time I use the mat. I have been to Linda's Yin Yoga class twice and I've really enjoyed it so I'm hoping that I enjoy the Gentle Yoga as well. The Gentle Yoga class isn't at a time that I would normally be able to go to but I thought I would try it while on vacation and if I love it, I will try to find a way to flex my sleep schedule so I can make it.

Lastly, family bonding. This summer I made it to family reunions for both sides of my family. It is such a rare occurrence that my dad joked to my uncle that "the kids must think we are dying because they are going to the reunion this year." He was referring to the reunion for my mom's side of the family which I haven't been to since the late 80s. So, consider me officially bonded with the extended family. I do go to the reunion for my dad's side of the family almost every summer. I don't know what exactly the difference is and I don't know if it bugs my mom but that is just how I do things.

The biggest family bonding news of the summer was delivered by my brother via text. My niece is pregnant and due in February so our family is growing. My mom is busily planning all of the things that she can knit and she has already offered her babysitting services. I'm excited to have a new baby in the family as well but my response is a bit more subdued. I just offered my congrats and I'm planning on stockpiling diapers and wipes. So, exciting times ahead for our family.

Until next time, I hope the summer brings you adventures, a sense of freedom and maybe a few nights watching fireflies in the back yard.

Doing It in Public

2011-06-17T11:13:00.001-05:00

As some of you may know, Saturday was World Wide Knit in Public Day and I did indeed do it in public. On of the local yarn stores hosted a Knit in Public event at the Farmer's Market and I thought about going. However, I like to do it in public with a good friend so I had breakfast with Nerd Blossom (yes, that is what I'm calling you now) and she watched while I did it. Then she took a picture. *Naughty* [Yes, I officially have the sense of humor of a 13 year old but I crack myself up...so I'm just gonna roll with it. Blame it on the night shift.] Here is said photo:

The project that I am working on is Stephen West's Pogona in Bellamoden's Fahrenheit 451 colorway. Unfortunately, Bellamoden no longer dyes yarn so I won't be able to get any more of this gorgeous yarn. More importantly, check out all of the sugar in the photo. Yes, Nerd Blossom has a problem...a sugar problem! She was spaz-tastic but that is part of her charm.

In other knitting news, I have a photo of the Noro scarf that I completed for Stash Dash in all it's "where did that neon come from?" beauty.

I really think it is the last Noro scarf that I'm going to make. Yes, Noro has beautiful color changes but having to deal with the knots and the thick & thin spots in the yarn just took the joy out of the project. So, dear reader, if you hear me talking about making another Noro scarf please direct me to this post!

Houston, we have an Etsy problem! Well, not really a problem so much as a "I don't need that but I'm totally buying it because it makes me happy" situation. I happened to catch a Piddleloop update and treated myself to a new bag. Okay, it was two new bags. Okay, it was two new, large wedge bags. I know, I know...that was greedy of me and I should feel bad about it, but I don't. When the package arrived, I tore it open and found this inside:

Oh, did you want a closer look?

And how much room does it have?

Tons. I'm a very happy NerdGirl! Until next time, be excellent to each other and knit on dudes.

Dashing Through the Stash

2011-06-07T13:34:00.000-05:00

Well, The Knit Girllls stash dash is officially underway and so far, so good. Since the dash started 11 days ago I have completed 4 projects of which three were works in progress! I have used 1,362 yards of yarn which doesn't really make a dent in my stash. Oh well. I am really enjoy the knitting and my knitting mojo has definitely kicked into high gear.

Finished Objects:

This is a scarf that will be donated to charity once the weather turns colder & since it is made from an acrylic yarn it will probably go to a local charity. I tend to save the acrylic and superwash wool items for local charities since they are generally going to people that will be machine washing their clothing. I save the wool items that need to be hand washed for charities that are sending the items to people who will be hand washing their clothing, usually due to lack of access to laundry facilities or (in some cases) no indoor plumbing. The scarf doesn't really have a pattern, I just cast on some stitches and used the Ridged Rib stitch from the Knit & Purl Harmony Stitch Guide.

This is the Sockhead hat which is made from a skein of sock yarn. I haven't decided if I am keeping this or putting it in the charity box. It is a long & floppy stocking cap and I really love the way the yarn striped instead of pooling or flashing.

This is just a short, garter stitch scarf that has a nice drape to it. I plan on keeping it as it will go with my navy winter coat. The colors in the photo aren't the best but since I took the picture under the glare of florescent lights, I shouldn't be surprised. The yarn is Colinette Jitterbug which I high recommend. I ripped out the start of three different scarfs before settling on the plain garter stitch and the yarn held up to the abuse.

In other NerdGirl happenings, I attended a family reunion on Sunday. I haven't been to the reunion on this side of the family in probably 20 years so I didn't know a lot of people. I mainly went to see an aunt and a couple of uncles that I hadn't seen in a while. We had a nice visit so I was glad that I went instead of backing out at the last minute because I wasn't going to know most of the people there.

I hope all is well in your neck of the woods and I hope to be back soon with more knitting and other adventures.

Preparing for battle

2011-05-25T13:15:00.000-05:00

I'm in training right now for a 5K.

A Stash Dash 5K. I am gathering up my unfinished objects and works in progress so that I can finish those up and I am also winding some stash yarn and plotting and planning new projects. The Stash Dash is something The Knit Girllls are doing in their Ravelry group. I'm more of a yarn collector than a knitter so hopefully this will be the push I need to stop collecting beautiful yarn and start making stuff!

I have gone on a bit of an Etsy spree to get project bags for my new projects. Yes, I should be emptying out old project bags before I start any new projects but I'm a fickle knitter who has to have many, many things going at the same time so I don't get bored out of my mind. Plus, I wanted new stuff. I would show you pictures of the bags but my camera is charging in preparation for the Stash Dash and I want to get this blog post up, so no photos! (And before you ask, no. Patience is not one of my strong points.) You will see the bags eventually when I post project photos but I will go ahead and link the stores now if you want to poke around the Etsy shops. The green hippo bag came from Piddleloop, The cupcake bag came from Vegancraftastic and the dinosaur bag came from Fibernymph. All three stores provided great customer service and the bags are really well made so if you are looking to treat yourself, you can't go wrong with any of them.

Now, back to plotting and planning...

Book roundup

2011-04-03T12:23:00.000-05:00

This morning I read an interesting book that I would recommend everyone read. It is a short non-fiction book and although it is aimed at young adults, it is suitable for adults as well. The writing is clear and there is no talking down to the reader (which is sometimes a problem with books aimed at the youth market). And frankly, I'm guessing that you will learn something from it. The book is Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose and it is the story of a teen from Montgomery, Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the bus (because she knew the law and knew her rights) and went on to become part of a landmark lawsuit that ended the segregation on the buses. Seriously, check it out. My copy is headed to the library at work so the kids can read it.

Friday I treated myself to a couple of new knitting books: Westknits Book Two by Stephen West (autographed copy) & Malabrigo Book Three which I picked up at my favorite local knitting store, Klose Knit. Both books have numerous patterns that I would like to make (Flibert, Dolinar, Splitbark, Loxley & Coler from Westknits -- Rasta Neckwarmer, Scalloped Shawl, Purl Ridge Hat, Lakedale Shawl & Akimbo Blanket from Malabrigo) so I think both books were a good buy. I'm not sure which will make it on the my needles first but I am looking forward to seeing the patterns come alive.

What are you reading?

A little bit of yummy in my mouth

2011-04-01T17:18:00.000-05:00

So today I left work and decided that I wanted to treat myself to a little something to celebrate the bonus check. I decided that I would stop at the downtown cupcake store that I have been wanting to try for, like, 2 years. Why haven't I tried it? Well, I live in a rut and I don't really like to deviate too much. A new place means new people, new foods, new experiences: scary!!! So, I pulled up my big-girl boots and just did it. What was my reward? A little bit of yummy called a S'mores cupcake. My best guess at it's composition is a graham cracker crust topped with chocolate cake and "frosted" with marshmallow creme & mini marshmallows that were hit with one of those fancy torch thingies that all the cool foodies use. So good. Now dear readers, go forth and treat yourself to a little something today. Consider it a reward for putting up with all the ridiculous jokes or lame pranks you had to suffer through today.

Epic Meh

2011-03-31T16:34:00.000-05:00

So I played around for quite a while picking a new look for the blog and I settled for meh. There were several designs that I attempted that were an immediate and resounding "well that looks like a big ol' pile of vomit" so they went to the internet scrap heap. Over time the enthusiasm waned and I just wanted to be done so I settle for good enough. This seems to be a pattern with me: lots of enthusiasm for a project but if I don't nail it perfectly after a few attempts I just go with the first thing that I don't actively dislike. I should really work on that but (shockingly enough), I can't be bothered.

How about you, oh faithful and likely imaginary reader. Do you ever settle for "meh" because you got frustrated by trying to get it just right? Ugh, I'm officially annoying myself. Let us end on a positive note: unexpected bonus check! That's right, tomorrow the powers that be are delivering a little bonus check to say thanks for not telling them to shove it and and going out to find a better paying job after not getting a raise for a few years. Yay bonus check!

Also, sensitive gorilla and honey badger. You're welcome.

No. Just NO!

2011-03-29T13:08:00.000-05:00

I was all set to write a warm and fuzzy post about the adorable elderly gentleman who was at the grocery store this morning but first I must get a small rant out of the way. Here goes:

Disney is remaking the Miss Marple series (which would be fine) starring Jennifer Garner as Miss Marple (which is most definitely not fine). No, Disney. Bad Disney. Bad touch for my brain.

Now back to the adorable man at the grocery store! I stopped by to get some groceries on the way home from work and as I was getting ready to check out (all my items were on the belt but the cashier was still completing the previous transaction) I noticed a man who appeared to be in his 80s standing behind me in a business suit holding a frozen dinner. I told him to go in front of me since he just had one item and he protested but when I said that I didn't mind, he popped in front of me, smiled and said "Yes, mother." Then, he looked at my groceries and said "that's a nice cut of meat." I love old people.

In other news, I am still working on a scarf but in preparation for its completion, I'm searching for a scarf pattern that uses one skein of Colinette Jitterbug. My mom just made a pair of socks out of some Dusk Jitterbug and I loved the color so much, she gave me the extra skein that she had. So, if any knitters out there have pattern suggestions, please shout them out in the comments!

Lastly, I cooked. Again. This may become a habit. I made hash and it is delicious. There isn't really a recipe...just cut up "a nice cut of meat" (I used chuck roast), brown it, bring it to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. After a while slice a bunch of onions and toss in. Keep simmering away for about an hour and a half. Or longer, whatever. Then peel & slice some potatoes and throw those in. Bring back to a boil and reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are done to your liking. Then eat (but maybe let it cool for a bit or you will burn your tongue...not that I did that...I would never ^_^).

Insert clever title here

2011-03-22T22:37:00.000-05:00

Let's pretend the blog hasn't been lying fallow for over a year and jump right in. The world seems to be full of suck right now on the global level and the local level and I have lots to be thankful for. I haven't had to take three consecutive bereavements leaves because my family is dropping like flies, I don't know anyone who has faked a pregnancy, my mother didn't commit suicide, my home hasn't been ravaged by disasters (natural or man-made), I don't live in a conflict or war zone, I don't got to bed hungry and I'm not homeless or abused. Basically, right now the things that make me sad or frustrated or blue are all things that I have the power to change and for that I am supremely grateful! You may notice that I have added a sidebar on the blog for the charities that I support. I hope you will check them out as they are great organizations. I would love to hear about the charities or organizations that you support.

Now for some lighter fair! Right now I am working on knitting a scarf out of a bulky yarn so it should be a quick knit. I needed something quick to get my knitting mojo back. And yes, it is another scarf. Some people are sock knitters, some are shawl knitter, some are sweater knitters but I think I'm mostly a scarf knitter. Once finished the scarf will probably go in my charity box until the winter rears its ugly head again and then it will be donated.

Enough blogging for tonight. I have to get ready for work and I didn't stretch before blogging so I don't want to overtax myself! Take care internet readers and I hope that your personal corner of the world is suck-free.

Fill-in the blank fun

2009-12-04T08:54:00.003-06:00

Today I found another internet treasure: The Bureau of Communication. I recommend that you visit the site and have fun filling out "official" forms and sending them to your friends, family, loved ones...heck, even the guy at work that annoys you....'cause there is a form for that!

2009-11-20T09:25:00.007-06:00

uess what I just finished? Three scarves that I will be sending to the Roots & Shoots group at the Little Wound School on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The group (which is comprised of high school students) is holding a winter outwear drive to help keep people in their community all warm and toasty this winter. I love the idea of supporting a student-run drive; I want the kids to know that they can make a positive impact on other people.

Here is a close-up of the three scarves:

And here are the actual scarves:

I have another scarf on the needles and I have plans for several more. I am really enjoying picking out a different stitch for each scarf and given that I have a couple of stitch dictionaries, I could knit scarves for a long time before I had to repeat myself!

I am in the process of trying to sort through patterns so that I can knit something for the new babies that keep popping into my world. However, I don't know if I will get the nerve up to actually make a baby gift. I don't ever want to be the person who gives the handmade item that the parents didn't want in the first place, or gives the homely gift (some of my friends are quite skilled craftspeople who put me to shame), or you know, the gift that is already outgrown by the time it is finished. Yep, I have that problem. Sometimes my knitting mojo just stalls on a project and I have to set it aside for a while. That works for most things but it definitely won't work for baby projects!

So, are you working on any creative projects?

Internet treasure

2009-11-14T08:14:00.004-06:00

o you ever just wander the internet and find something that feels like a secret-hidden treasure? I stumbled across this site that makes me want to blog more, just so I can use the beautiful letters that artist Jessica Hische has created and generously decided to share with people. The letters make me think of old-fashioned printing styles and worn volumes of old, leather-bound books. Wait...I mean that in a good way, but for some reason it sounds bad. You know, back when books were expensive and fancy and considered a precious commodity? Anyway, if you too are geeked out about fancy letters, you really need to check out her website, Daily Drop Cap.

Have you stumbled into any internet treasures that you'd like to share? Yes, I know this blog post is totally random...but what can I say, I really love those letters!

Knitting Progress

2009-10-31T05:38:00.009-05:00

I have been absent for a while but I thought I would post on my recent accomplishment. I just finished my first shawl! It is a very simple feather and fan pattern but I love it. I keep it at work for the nights that it gets really chilly in the building.

I started the shawl in December of 2007 but I let it languish for a long time because I just didn't like the circular needle that I was using. Of course, I didn't know that was why I wasn't working on it. However, as I have gotten more comfortable with my knitting and more in tune with which projects and supplies work for me and which don't, it occurred to me that I should try a different needle. Once I did that, the project just about finished itself. The colors are most accurate in the close-up but you can see more of the finished work in this picture (please forgive the harsh florescent lighting):

In more exciting news, it is officially baby season! Several friends and co-workers are having babies and I am just thrilled for all of them. It is a little weird when the highlight of my week is the fact that the McRib is back at McDonald's and the highlight for some of my friends is announcing their pregnancy. It is the life I choose but still, sometimes it strikes me as a little odd.

I hope all is well in your corner of the world. Until next time...

Vacation Wrap-up...The Roadtrip

2009-04-28T17:05:00.008-05:00

Many adventures were had with my friend K on an epic roadtrip to New York City. We saw a lot of the Pennsylvania back country on the way out so she could stop by and see a friend in Altoona and we learned that in Pennsylvania, the signs lie. Where was that Wendy's again? Um...we never found the Wendy's and ended up eating at a Burger King that evidently specializes in after-dinner dug consumption in the bathroom. So...I would recommend skipping Mt. Pocono unless you are looking for a very specific type of dining adventure. We did see some fun road dots that seem to be specific to the state...white dots in the road to help you remember the 2 second rule while driving...Pennsylvania is definitely anti-tailgating. Also, they would like you to know that bridges may be icy.

After a detour through an area that looked pretty sketchy in the dark (thanks for the bogus directions Mapquest) we managed to make it to the hotel in Jersey City that served as home base for New York City adventure. The next day we headed into the city and did some people watching and Statue of Liberty gazing. It was unseasonably warm in the city and the wait for a ferry off of Ellis Island in the blazing sun made for a bit of a grind but all was forgiven once we made it to John's on 12th Street. The best lasagna and dessert that I have had in a while. I highly recommend it if you are in the city and I can get you there like a real New Yorker thanks to K's excellent cabbie instruction. Just say "I need 12th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenue" and you will be whisked away to delicious food.

Overall, great ending to my vacation. I would highly recommend the roadtrip with a friend especially a friend that you haven't seen in far too long. And thanks to K's indulgence, I managed to get three states that I had never visited crossed off my list of 50 states. So goodbye Pennsylviana, New Jersey, and West Virginia. Yep, thanks to a Wendy's Kids Meal in Triadelphia...West Virginia is off the list. Not to mention, Wisconsin was crossed off during the unblogged about trip to Madision...so four states during this two week vacation!

So tell me, are you a roadtrip fan? Do you care about seeing all 50 states? Is there a method to your vacation madness?

Vacation part one

2009-04-19T09:57:00.008-05:00

On Wednesday I went on the first part of my three-part vacation. Yes, three parts may be a bit of an overkill but I figure that it makes up for all the times that I take a vacation and don't do anything other than sit at home. I headed over to Indy for a few days and got to spend a little time with some friends. I also got a little shopping done since there is no local Sephora or Aveda. I was going to head to the Indianapolis Museum of Art on Friday but I wasn't feeling well when I woke up so I just headed home instead. I was pretty disappointed since I was really looking forward to seeing the special exhibition on European design that is at the museum right now.
Obviously, the highlight of my trip was spending time with Brett & Denisa and their fabulous kids. It always amazes me how much kids change in a few months. The boys have gotten so big and their personalities are out in full force. Jesse is quite the little performer and I was very fortunate to be on the receiving end of a goodnight hug and kiss. Jesse is very verbal and even though I had some trouble understanding everything he said...I can tell you that he is one smart cookie. No...I'm not being biased...well, maybe a little but I'm telling you he is smart! Jonah is much more serious and reserved so when he smiled or laughed it was great...I felt like I really earned it. He is still fairly young so I wonder how much he will change or if he will remain a little more reserved than his brother.Tomorrow I leave for the second part of my vacation...Madision, WI...so if anyone has any vacation ideas for Madision, feel free to post them in the comments.

I don't think it will be long enough for help to arrive...

2008-12-11T17:54:00.000-06:00

1 minute, 9 seconds

Created by Bunk Beds.net

Who doesn't love a care package?

2008-12-07T18:06:00.010-06:00

I know that I loved getting care packages in college: it made me feel connected to home which sometimes felt very far away and I was only in the neighboring state, not half a world away. So today I spent a couple of hours helping put together care packages for a local organization, Toys-for-Troops to send a little love and support from home to those who are serving our country overseas.

A little bit of everything went into each care package: t-shirt, socks, playing cards, letters from little kids, DVDs, beef jerky, candy, toothpaste, soap, granola bars, snack mix, homemade cookies, hand sanitizer, bandages, and silly putty to name a few. We wrapped the big stuff and the smaller stuff went in as is. Here are some of the DVDs that I wrapped...there were at least 150 DVDs so I grabbed a quick photo of a few while I was wrapping.

Here is part of the line of boxes that we filled. They are the military flat rate boxes and they look small but you can jam a lot of stuff in them!

Honestly, the biggest challenge of the days was trying to avoid the news cameras that were there to collect footage. I turned down two requests to be interviewed on camera...um, no thanks! There is a reason why I am the person who takes the pictures...so I can avoid being in the pictures! I did agree to answer a couple of questions for the man from The News-Gazette as I have a soft spot for print journalism from my time working at The Daily News when I was in college. I was not the most coherent so thankfully I don't think I will end up in the article.

If you want to help this organization, it isn't too late. If you go the the website, you can still submit a donation to help cover postage.

'Tis the season

2008-12-03T21:45:00.004-06:00

In my family, December has always been the time of year that we actively do something charitable. We give money to various causes throughout the year but in December we like to be a little more hands on with our giving: putting together food baskets, adopting a family for the holidays or buying gifts for kids who are wards of the state. This year my mom got two names off the DCFS tree at her workplace and tonight we went shopping and bought presents for a 17 year old (who wanted items for her baby) and a newborn. I think my mom always picks babies to buy for because she has no grandchildren and won't be getting any grandchildren anytime soon! In addition, I purchased some items for the Crisis Nursery which is a privately funded local organization that provides 24-7 emergency help and respite care for families.

As some of you may know, for several years I have been trying to convince my parents that I don't need presents during the holiday season. I have suggested they give the money to charity in my name or buy things for a charity instead of getting me something but every year I get shot down. They are my parents and they want to get me gifts. This usually leads to a feeling of guilt during the holidays. I am very fortunate and I don't really have any needs, just wants and I feel bad when I get more stuff every year. So this year I finally came up with a win-win solution and I talked with my mom and she agreed to go with it. My parents will be buying me yarn so they can give me something (which makes them happy) and I will use the yarn to knit for charity (which makes me happy). I think that most of the items that I make will go to Warm Woolies, an organization sends wool clothing to children in need all over the world.

I am interested in hearing what you do to support charities around the holidays. Do you do something new every year or do you have a charity or two that you always? I am sure there are lots of great organizations that I don't know about and lots of creative ways to help that I haven't thought of so please leave a comment and educate me!

Unoriginal Me

2008-12-02T17:28:00.004-06:00

I have been in the hat making mood lately because hats are in need due to the winter weather we have been experiencing and because hats are a quick knit that keep me motivated by allowing me to feel super productive. I broke down and made the Yarn Harlot's An Unoriginal Hat (ravelry link -- if you don't have ravelry there is a link to the pattern pdf on the Yarn Harlot's blog) which I know has been made by eleventy billion other people but this hat is cute so I joined the rest of the lemmings and took the unoriginal plunge. Here is a picture...of course, since it isn't on a head, it looks kind of deflated and you can't get the full beauty of the cable work but I don't have a hat form and I didn't want to model the hat myself so this will have to do.

In fact, I liked the first one I made so much, I made another. I was able to get two hats out of one skein...but just barely. There was about 4 inches of yarn left when I was done pulling the stitches tight on the top of the second hat.

I think these hats might be a wee bit addicting to anyone who has a fondness for cables. I am planning on sending these two hats to the local homeless shelter as I am sure that someone there needs a hat to warm his head.

First Snow

2008-11-30T18:17:00.004-06:00

This morning I had to head in to work for a little bit and when I stepped outside I was greeted by a still, beautiful winter morning. The first snow of the winter season.

It was a wet snow that hugged the outlines of everything and muffled the sounds of the morning. I wanted to stand there for hours but worked called.

Message in a collage

2008-11-05T21:19:00.005-06:00

Since my friend K asked if I had updated the blog recently, I thought I would give her a little shout-out. K, there is a message of sorts in the collage...can you figure it out?

In knitting news, I may have fallen off the yarn wagon but fortunately I had 10 skeins of yarn to cushion the fall. That's right, my order from The Loopy Ewe came today: 8 skeins of Cascade 220, 3 skeins of Noro Silk Garden, a Go Knits bag (medium size), and some DPN holders. In my defense, there was a sale on the Noro and the knitting bag and I had a $25 credit. Also, I have gotten involved in several charity knitting endeavors on Ravelry so the Noro will be made into hats for homeless teens and the Cascade will be made into scarfs and other items.

VOTE!

2008-11-04T09:58:00.003-06:00

I just got back from voting which begs the questions...have you done your civic duty today?

Here are a few observations:
1. I was voter number 275. (We use a scantron machine and it records what your ballot number is which is kind of nifty.)
2. There was a first-time voter at my precinct today. I could tell because she went to the wrong polling place and they had to send her to the right one.
3. While the people at my polling place were still predominantly elderly, I saw a few people my age voting (a first in the 9 years I have been voting at this polling place).
4. There was a steady stream of voters and I had to wait for a polling booth (another first).

So, if you haven't voted today, please head out to the polls and vote. If you live in a large city or precinct there may be long lines so take a book or some knitting to keep you occupied while you wait. Oh, and don't forget to say thanks to your poll workers!

meme

2008-06-16T10:15:00.005-05:00

Those of you who know me well know that I have a thing for photos. I am the person you want to find when you have vacation photos because I will look through all of them and make a fuss. So when I ran across a photo meme on one of the blogs that I read, I just had to participate. Here is my result:

1. Jennifer, 2. Heirloom Tomatoes, 3. 1019 Owl-SH, 4. Forest Green, 5. Clive Owen Filming Duplicity in NYC, 6. soda cartons in color, 7. Criccieth Beach Wales, 8. apple pie, 9. Ghostly Photographer in the Creepy Forest, 10. "you've got a friend", 11. Photo Friday: Nerdy, 12. nerd grrls of the world unite

And here is how you can play along at home...
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One word to describe you.
12. Your Flickr name.

If you do opt to play along, please leave me a comment with the location of your creation so I can see it!

Another Quiz

2008-04-07T02:23:00.002-05:00

What is it about online quizzes that I find so amusing?

You're A People's History of the United States!

by Howard Zinn

After years of listening to other peoples' lies, you decided you've
had enough. Now you're out to tell it like it is, with all the gory details and nothing
left out. Instead of respecting leaders, you want to know what the common people have to
offer. But this revolution still has a long way to go, and you're not against making a
little profit while you wait. Honesty is your best policy.

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

I have been doing some knitting, I just have been bad about posting. Right now I am working on a wrap but it is very slow going. I was feeling bad about how long it was taking me until I spoke with Brigitte from Klose Knit about her method of doing lace patterns. I am also working on a couple of scarves to give away and I am having another stab at making a pair of socks. I ripped out the first sock that I tried using the Magic Loop method so I am giving DPNs a try. I will post progress shots later.

You express interest...you will get wool.

2008-01-04T10:27:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday night, a woman that I have worked with for a little over 6 years worked her very first overnight shift. She kept wandering around trying to find something to do as the pace is pretty laid back most nights and there is a little bit of down time to be had. We were talking about how other officers pass the time and I mentioned that maybe she should bring in a craft project 'cause she is a crafty kind of gal. She innocently replied "maybe I will finally teach myself to knit." I was cool and calm and didn't let on how exciting I thought that was. I just mentioned that I knit and she thought it was nice. We changed the subject and I am sure she didn't think anything else about it. On Thursday, I brought in a bag with two balls of wool, needles, and a book (Stitch-n-Bitch Nation) and handed it to her and said that she no longer had an excuse not to learn. She seemed excited by it so maybe she will give it a try. I hope so. Evidently, I am a knitting enabler.

I have no creative title

2007-12-23T15:43:00.000-06:00

Your Brain is Green

Of all the brain types, yours has the most balance.
You are able to see all sides to most problems and are a good problem solver.
You need time to work out your thoughts, but you don't get stuck in bad thinking patterns.

You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about the future, philosophy, and relationships (both personal and intellectual).

What Color Is Your Brain?

Final Package

2007-12-11T08:20:00.000-06:00

After a couple of days spent chipping through the layers of ice on my trusty mailbox, I was able to get to my mail and retrieve the final package from my secret pal. Once again my pal has done a wonderful job of selecting just the right items to make me squeal with joy when I opened the package. I didn't notice a card in the package but I am guessing that this package had a theme (the last package was socks) that had something to do with customized items or do it yourself. Here are some photos of the items in my package (except for the chocolate because I ate it all!).

Aren't these the cutest stitch markers you have ever seen? They are custom stitch markers because my pal rocks but the etsy shop that sold them has lots of other cute stitch markers if you want some. In addition to being cute, they seem to be well made so you should get some for yourself or your favorite knitting friend! I can't wait to use them.

Check out this adorable kit so I can make my own little owl. The etsy shop that my pal got them from has a lot of other varieties if you don't fancy an owl. You could make a squirrel, a skunk, or numerous other little delights.

I got this super soft merino yarn (about 1100 yards total) that I am going to use to make a super soft shawl. Plus my pal sent Kool-Aid packets so I can dye it in my favorite colors. I have seen tutorials on Kool-Aid dyeing and had thought about trying it out and now I have no excuse not to give it a shot. She also sent the Seraphim Shawl pattern that I have been drooling over. It is such a beautiful shawl and I was so happy to zip on over to The Loopy Ewe and take it off of my wish list!

Finally my pal sent me the perfect handspun yarn that she made for me. The colors are perfect for me, although due to the sheen of the yarn they didn't photograph too well with my camera. Also, she beaded the yarn with all of these delightful beads that match but aren't too matchy. It is such a thoughtful gift and I will have to think long and hard about what to make with it. Here is a closeup.
So thank you secret pal for knocking this last one out of the park! And if you haven't finished your Christmas shopping, you should check out etsy and support an individual artist/crafter.

Hello again

2007-11-17T07:06:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the long absence. Work has been horribly challenging and it's sapped my energy for anything other than sleep or escapist TV. Work is still challenging but I decided to just force myself to post or who knows how long my poor neglected blog would languish. I did have a lovely bright spot last weekend in the form of a trip to Indiana to see some some friends. It was wonderful to see them again, to catch up on what life has thrown our way in the last year, and to just have fun and laugh a lot. We got the very exciting news that B & D are expecting their second child at the end of May.

I found out that Holly has taken up knitting. She is working on a pretty scarf for her mom so we did some knitting and talking about knitting that weekend as she and Derrik were gracious enough to let me stay at their house. I waxed poetic about The Loopy Ewe to Holly and I showed her the Dream in Color Classy in Deep Sea Flower that I had just received so she could pet it. It was nice to have someone to talk knitting with in person who understands fiber instead of the people at work who are confused by the concept of being able to easily spend $100 at the local yarn shop. "How much yarn do you need?" What kind of question is that?!?

I discovered a new-to-me artist on etsy.com: Emily Martin, the woman behind The Black Apple. I have two of her prints with a print and two cameo pins on the way. There are at least 16 more prints that I want to get but I am going to try to pace myself. I would love to own some of her original artwork but the one that I wanted sold about 10 seconds after it posted while I was still trying to decide if I could spend the $200 or if I should wait until I get those pesky student loans paid off. You should check out her work and if you are an artist looking for a following, maybe you should give Etsy a try.

Goodies!!!

2007-10-27T17:12:00.000-05:00

I thought today was going to be good because the McRib is back at McDonalds. It turns out that today is good because I got a rockin' package from my secret pal. It was a sock-themed package including some handmade socks in Socks that Rock (Sapphire colorway)light weight. The socks are really beautiful and I can't believe that a very nice stranger would go through all that work for me. Also included in the package was a needle roll to keep my DPNs in, stitch markers, a cute card, hand sanitizer, and a beautiful skein of Fle ece Artist in the Seafoam colorway. Thank you secret pal.

Here is a close up of the socks:Here is proof that the sock fits. I know the angle isn't so great but this is my very first pair of hand-knit socks so I am still learning the best sock angles!

Here is the lovely yarn. Do you have any suggestions on a project for it?
Last but not least, here is the whole glorious package. Whose secret pal rocks? Mine does!!!

Progress...yes! Pictures? Um...not so much

2007-10-16T17:37:00.000-05:00

Wow, sorry to be away from the blog so long. I have been very busy and some of it even envolved knitting. Mom and I took our sock class and had a great time. The instructor was just lovely and I am thinking about sending her some Speed Demon sock yarn as a thank you. The class was two sessions but probably could have a third session added on if people don't already know how to knit socks. The instructor said that in her other classes her students had all knit socks before and were just taking the class to learn the Magic Loop method. I am only to the heel flap on the first sock and I am about 10 rows away from making the turn. I need to take a photo of my progress.

I finished the two red scarves that I made for the Orphan Foundation of America and got them mailed off by the due date. Did I take a picture of the two scarves nestled in the shipping box with the cute tags with a message and washing instructions attached? No. I meant to but I was so excited to get the box out that I sealed it before my brain could catch up with my hands.

I started Emily's scarf which is only fair as she has started the painting that she is making in exchange for the scarf. This is the first time that I have used black yarn and it requires a brightly lit area so I will have to abandon some of my usual knitting spots in favor of the couch next to the floor lamp so I can point all three bulbs down at the knitting.

I will be doing training the next three days. Wednesday I will be taking the second of three classes so I can be certified to teach First Aid/CPR/AED through the American Red Cross. A coworker and I are getting certified for work so that we have someone on site that can teach the classes. Thursday and Friday I will be at an IPCSA conference which should be fun but I am not looking forward to the commute to get to the training. I hope everyone is healthy and happy out there and next time I will remember to take photos. ^-^

Ravelry...the new addiction of choice

2007-10-04T22:09:00.000-05:00

So I have gotten completely addicted to Ravelry. I love the forums, searching the the patterns, the groups, all of it! One of the best things for me is seeing what other people have made with a specific yarn because I have a bad habit of buying yarn with no project in mind. If the yarn is pretty or soft I will take it home and then it just stays in my stash indefinitely. Now I have a great resource for ideas and patterns and all the wonderful things knit-related. I have great local knitting stores that I could use but I'm a tad socially awkward and I can't imagine saying to another knitter that I am not creative enough or smart enough to figure out a pattern for my new yarn. If you are a knitter and not on Ravelry or on the waiting list, I encourage you to sign up. It is so many things to so many knitters: some like the social aspect, some like the pattern and yarn database, some like having an all-hours place to get their knitting questions answered, some like having a place to organize their stash, some like having a place to keep track of all of their projects (in progress and finished). Me? I like it all. I did volunteer to be an editor. I decided I should help out as much as I can since I am getting a lot of enjoyment out of Ravelry!

I got some new yarn today in the mail. I had heard a lot of talk about Dream in Color Smooshy so I ordered some to see what it is like. It definitely lives up to its name. I found out on the Ravelry message boards that The Loopy Ewe is going to start carrying the worsted version of Dream in Color and I can't wait to try that once she gets it in!

I have done some actually knitting. I am about 3/4 done with the red Irish Hiking scarf that I am making for the Red Scarf project. Once I get it done I will be making another Irish Hiking scarf for a girl at work. I will post photos later this weekend.

Hey NerdGirl...what'd you do today?

2007-09-27T18:29:00.000-05:00

Um...let's see...I woke up. I brushed my teeth and took a shower. I got dressed and put in my contacts. I had lunch with Nan. Oh...and I got my Ravelry invite!!!!! I played around on the site a little bit today and I think I did okay getting myself set up. I still have more things to add but I feel it was a respectable day's work. I am NerdGirl on Ravelry so feel free to check me out and say hello. I am thinking about being a volunteer editor when I get a little more familiar with the site...any thoughts from someone who does it?

Exciting developments

2007-09-26T11:48:00.000-05:00

One of the women that I work with wants a scarf from me so badly that she offered to paint something for me in exchange. I felt honored that she wanted one of my handmade scarves but I didn't feel right just making one for her without offering to make one for everyone at work since I am a supervisor and I can't seem like I am playing favorites so the deal works well. She asked what I wanted her to paint and I told her that since she was the artist, I would let her choose. I gave her these hints to stir her creative juices: I love nature; my favorite colors are green, blue, and purple; and fall is my favorite season. I am looking forward to seeing what she comes up with as the "clues" leave a lot of room for her artistic vision. She wants a machine washable Irish hiking scarf in black with fringe at the ends. I am going to knit up some sample swatches in a couple of different yarns so she can decide which she prefers.

In other exciting news, there are only 95 people in front of me for a Ravelry invite!

Yarn-a-holic

2007-09-25T11:48:00.000-05:00

I might have a yarn problem...but on the upside you get some lovely yarn photos.

First is the lovely sock yarn that I got from The Loopy Ewe using the gift certificate that my secret pal got for me. Thank you secret pal!
Here is the sock yarn that I got to use in my sock class.

Here is a nice laceweight that I got just 'cause it is pretty.

There has been a little bit of knitting progress. The photos aren't the best but you should get the general idea on how the cable scarf is progressing.

Progress

2007-09-20T22:33:00.000-05:00

I was finding it difficult to bring myself to work on my Red Scarf projects and then I was feeling guilty about not wanting to work on a charity project so there was a lot of knitting avoidance going on. I wasn't working on my charity projects so I didn't want to work on a project for myself despite the fact that I have several waiting in the wings that I am really anxious to get started on. My relief from the seemingly endless cycle of working on a couple of rows and then dropping the knitting in disgust came in the form of a Norma post. Now that I know that I really don't have to make five scarves and that the OFA might be better off if I only make one or two, I have relieved myself from the prison of a project that I hate (otherwise known as Red Scarf #2). I don't know if I will always dislike Cascade Superwash or if it was just an unfortunate combination of yarn, needle size, and pattern but I really did not enjoy that scarf at all! I resented it taking time away from other knitting projects that I might love if I had some time to devote to them. So, I cast off the start of the scarf and gave it to my cat to cuddle with. Now, I am happily working on Red Scarf #3 which is now the new #2 and that will be my last Red Scarf. It is the cabled scarf and I think that it looks really good despite the fact that it is my first cable project. I will have to get a picture of it tomorrow since it has grown about a foot and a half since the last blog photo.

In other knitting news, I got a call from the lady that is teaching the Magic Loop sock class in October. She just wanted to make sure that I didn't need any help selecting a needle or yarn for the class and she wanted me to work up a swatch gauge before class because we are going to write up our own sock pattern in class! I had just assumed that we would make an average test sock that wouldn't necessarily fit so it is nice to know that I should be getting a usable pair of socks out of the class. Maybe this weekend I will swing by the LYS and get my supplies so I can get the gauge swatch out of the way. This will be a first for me as I haven't ever made a gauge swatch before. All of my projects have been things that I didn't have to pay attention to the gauge...scarves and shawls are great in that respect.

Thank you

2007-09-14T10:28:00.001-05:00

I just got a Loopy Ewe gift certificate from my secret pal. How cool is that?!? I get the joy of getting a wonderful surprise from my secret pal but I also get to spend time picking out yarn that I love and then getting a package in the mail from The Loopy Ewe with an extra surprise in it. I have to go drool over some yarn now.

Today was yarntastic!

2007-09-13T20:19:00.000-05:00

I went to Needleworks and paid for the Magic Loop class that mom and I will be taking in October. I am really looking forward to it and the shop owner seemed very excited that I was paying in full for two class spots. I think that we will have a lot of fun taking a class together. After I left Needleworks, I stopped by Klose Knit which just reopened about five days ago in a new location. I fell off of the yarn wagon and bought myself some lovely new yarn and a pattern.
I hadn't really planned on buying as much yarn as I did. I thought I would go in, browse for a bit, buy a courtesy skein, and leave. Um...not so much. I got some lovely Rowan Cashsoft Aran (2 balls green #SH018 and two balls gray #SH014) that I am thinking of making a scarf out of as it is so very snuggly. I almost succumbed to the call of 200yds of cashmere for $30 but I knew that to make the scarf that I wanted I would need at least 400yds and I can not justify $60 for a scarf. So, I went with the Cashsoft which is very nearly as soft as the 100% cashmere.I also got some indigo Banana Silk yarn that I use to have a go at the shawl pattern that I have that was written for recycled silk. I am using the pattern right now with Suri Dreams from KnitPicks but I don't really enjoy the Suri Dreams so I am going to try to redeem the pattern with the a yarn similar to the intended version as it is a little ho-hum with the Suri Dreams.I was almost out the door when I was drawn in by the Interlacements yarn and patterns. I got a lovely feather and fan shawl pattern and the Interlacements Kansas yarn in the Woodland color way. I am really looking forward to starting the shawl project with this yarn. The colors aren't my normal color palette but it was so pretty that I had to pick it up. After I picked it up, I practically ran to to the counter to pay before I took even more yarn home. There was some Malabrigo, Rowan Tapestry, and Rowan Felted Tweed that I wanted to take home.Did I get any actual knitting done? You know...the two scarves that I am supposed to be finishing...nope! I just don't enjoy the Cascade 220 Superwash so it is hard for me to enjoy knitting that scarf and the cable scarf is something that I need to pay attention to and I wasn't in the mood...maybe next week.

Training session

2007-09-11T22:56:00.000-05:00

Today I went with five co-workers to a training session in Springfield on mental health issues, the trauma model of dealing with youth, and suicide prevention in juvenile detention. It was a wonderful training by an incredibly well-qualified instructor but it probably could have been a two day session as there was a bit of rushing over details at the end of the day. It is always nice to get a reminder on the manifestations of trauma and mental illness that may be exhibited by the residents at my place of employment. On the way back from training, the woman driving took a wrong turn and we ended up going a bit out of our way. I enjoyed the detour as it took us through lovely small-town, rural America.

I am been poking around on-line a little bit look for things to spoil my secret pal with and I ran across the cutest stitch markers on Etsy. I am thinking about getting her some and if you are a knitter you should definitely check out weeones shop on Etsy. I love the cats and dogs in Halloween costumes and the woodland creatures [squirrels, skunks, etc...]. I wish that she would make owls or an owl and squirrel combination!

I have only managed to do a couple of rows of knitting since my last post. I am such a slacker. Hopefully I will get a lot accomplished in the next two days since I don't have to work. I am trying to come up with a plan that will make me accomplish knitting without getting distracted by other pursuits. Any suggestions?

What I did on my fake vacation

2007-09-04T18:10:00.000-05:00

My fake vacation was great. I spent Saturday with my friend Kas seeing the sites in Springfield, Illinois. We went to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library which took about 2 hours to go through. I had Kas pose with the fake Lincoln family at the museum even though she was a tad creeped out by the figures. Note John Wilkes Booth lurking in the background.
Before we left the museum we hit the gift shop where I resisted buying anything. I almost bought a magnet for mom but she has a ton already and she isn't a big history buff so I decided to skip it. I was excited to see a penny squishing machine so I did spend $1 squishing pennies (50 cents a penny). It may be silly but squished pennies are my favorite souvenir maybe because they are cheap and easy to lug home.

After the museum we headed to Lincoln's Home which is free to tour because of a stipulation that Lincoln's son made when he gave the home to the state of Illinois who in turn gave it to the National Park Service. The tour doesn't take too long so if you happen to be in the Springfield area you should have time to work it into your schedule. There are a couple of other homes in the historic neighborhood that you can tour on your own but we skipped those in favor of lunch! I did snap a shot through the view tube that shows "the most photographed view of Lincoln's home."
After lunch, we headed to Camp Butler and then hit Allerton Park on the way home. Kas had never been and I thought she would enjoy the Garden of the Fu Dogs. It was enjoyable until I was swarmed by mosquitoes! I ended up with probably 40 bites which are making me itchy-itchy-itchy! Here is a shot of the end of the Garden of the Fu Dogs which leads to the evil mosquito trail.Monday (after taking it easy on Sunday) I went to a family cookout at my brother's house. Ribs, deviled eggs, baked potatoes, and seven layer salad. Yum! The lemon pie that my brother made was the so good it deserves a double yum. I did manage to get a little bit of knitting done on the third red scarf but I discovered that my first cable project is not good social knitting because I have to pay attention to the knitting. Are all cable projects like that or is it just because I am new to cables? Hopefully this week I will get a lot of knitting done.

I Heart fake vacation!

2007-08-30T19:13:00.000-05:00

My employer has a policy that if you don't use the three personal days you earn every year on your anniversary date by your next anniversary date then you loose them. Right now I am enjoying a fake vacation because this is the last pay period before my anniversary date and I needed to use up my personal days so I took off Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday...and bonus...Monday is a holiday! I love having time off work with no plans to leave town. I get to hang out with friends that I don't normally see because of my wacky work schedule and spend a little time knitting and watching movies or TV on DVD. My current DVD favorite is season one of Psych which is the funniest show I have seen in a while.

Today I went to lunch with my friend Meg and her two month old daughter Haley. This is the first time that I have seen Meg since Haley was born, mostly because Haley had to have emergency surgery and then she couldn't be around a lot of people because her immune system was compromised while she was recovering from the surgery. It was lovely to catch up in person and Meg let me hold Haley most of the visit! Now, I don't want children of my own but I adore babies and my heart went pitter patter when Haley fell asleep while I was holding her. Meg is doing well and she said that she has gotten into a good routine so it should be easier for us to get together semi-regularly for lunch. Did I mention that Meg wants to learn how to knit? She wants me to teach her and I am a little nervous because I am still a beginner myself. I will give it the old college try though because I love the idea of being responsible for creating a new knitter!

I talked to my mom yesterday and she agreed to take a knitting class with me at the LYS. She is a lapsed knitter but she is an active crocheter who is working on a huge afghan for my brother. We are taking a sock knitting class! I am so excited to learn how to knit socks. The class is on the magic loop method as no prior sock knitting experience is needed. I am sure that eventually I will take the top-down sock class or the toe-up sock class but you need some experience working on double-pointed needles to take those classes so I will have to save them until I get a little practice in on the double-points. I am already coveting a lot of the sock yarns at The Loopy Ewe so this class is probably going to cause me to do a lot of damage to the ol' bank account.

I am still working on the scarfs for the Red Scarf project. I have the first scarf completed and I ended up really enjoying working with the Plymouth Encore worsted. I am not enjoying the Cascade 220 superwash as much but it is working up into a nice scarf. I started on scarf number three which is my very first cable project and so far, the cables look like cables! I was talking with my mom about my quest to find a good machine washable yarn to make these red scarves out of and I almost fell over when she professed her love for Red Heart! I guess I have turned into a bit of a yarn snob because Red Heart feels so scratchy to me. Mom said that when you add up the fact that the yarn is cheap, readily available, and can go in the washer and dryer you just can't beat it. I think mom would have a fit if she knew how much money I spent on some of my yarn. Oh well. Of course, I wouldn't trade the afghan she made for me out of Red Heart for the finest yarn in the world so I can't be too much of a yarn snob.

That will about do it for me today but here is a picture of scarf number three. Cables rock! I will try to get a better picture once the scarf is a little bigger so you can see more of the cable detail.

What to do...

2007-08-27T13:14:00.000-05:00

I finished the first red scarf but I need to bind off...the problem is the only bind off I know is a bit untidy and leaves the finished edge a bit wonky and lopsided. I started on another dishcloth for my mom using up the scraps of leftover dishcloth yarn. I am crocheting it so it is going pretty fast. I won't post any photos of it since it is a sad mis-matched scrap project. So to the knitters out there, please post your favorite bind-off method in the comments! Hopefully it will give me the inspiration that I need to bind off scarf number one so I can cast on scarf number three [which should be an adventure since I am going to teach myself cables for the third scarf!]

Picture perfect

2007-08-20T18:53:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update...I finished the dishcloth that I started this weekend for my mom. Here is a photo:
Just for fun here is a copy of the other dishcloth that I finished recently, the green diamond dishcloth:

The same, only different

2007-08-20T07:34:00.000-05:00

Hello again! In the spirit of multi-tasking I did decide to start on another scarf using the same pattern with a different yarn. Oh, did I mention that it is on needles that I hate! I officially hate plastic needles...at least the Lion Brand needles that I am using. I also started a dishcloth for my mom using a self-striping yarn (Sugar 'n Cream stripes in the color Natural Stripes) using, you guessed it, the same pattern. I stuck with the pattern because it is really easy and doesn't require much thought so it is great when I just have a few minutes to knit. Of course, by using the same pattern I have semi-defeated the purpose of being able to switch to a different project when you are bored. I did buy some cable needles on Saturday when I was at the grand re-opening of the Hobby Lobby (the best place in town to buy dishcloth cotton) so that I can try a cable pattern for my next red scarf. I have never done cables before but I think that I can teach myself and a scarf seems like the right size project to learn on.

While I was on a shopping spree on Saturday I bought the latest Interweave Knits and I am absolutely drooling over some of the patterns. I probably won't be at the skill level to make any of them for a while but I could not resist the siren song of the patterns! I think part of the lure may have been the colors they used for the projects. Would I have cared for the tilted duster in yellow or the mirepoix in orange? I don't think so. Before I went shopping on Saturday I fueled up with breakfast but only because my friend Bill and his family were visiting from Florida. I met Bill for breakfast after I got off work on Saturday morning and it was lovely to catch up with him. We used to go out to breakfast all of the time when he lived here but I haven't gone much since he moved. Sunday I spent the day with my parents canning tomato juice. Again. My dad said it would probably be the last of the canning for the summer so we were left with a grand total of 86 pints canned for the summer.

Lastly, here is another questionnaire for SP11:

1. What is the one knitting accessory you could not live without?
I am not really sure. Needles and yarn aside, I think stitch markers are the only real accessory that I have used and in a pinch I can use scrap yarn to replace those. I like point protectors so that stitches don't jump off the needle when I put my work down.

2. If you're heading on vacation, do you take knitting with you? If
so, how much and what type of project?
Yes, I take whichever project I am working on and enjoying the most.

3. Where have you traveled to that you'd consider your favorite spot?
Pretty much any place involving nature: Niagara Falls, Alcatraz in spring (yes it used to be a prison and a fort but the island has gone a bit wild and is really beautiful), the Smokey Mountains, etc...

4. What is your favorite knitting book at the moment? Do you own it?
I have a thing for knitting books. Right now my favorite is Knitting Rules by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and I do own it. I love the Yarn Harlot's sense of humor and her practical basic "recipes" for different projects.

5. Do you listen to podcasts? Which is your favorite(s)?
I do listen to podcasts (I *heart* i-tunes) and here are some of my favorites: This American Life, Cast On, & Lime and Violet

Quick update

2007-08-16T11:05:00.000-05:00

The first red scarf is now about 36" long. I know that a lot of people would be finished by now but my knitting time has been a bit sporadic. I didn't take a photo of it so just image the photo in the previous post but longer! Hello to my secret pal who left a comment for me on the 13th. I love getting comments...more people should comment. ^_^ (Yes Kas, I stole your smiley face.) I do think that I am going to break down and start another project. I am good at multi-tasking so I will see if that skill applies when the tasks are multiple knitting projects. Finally, because I know every post is better with a photo, here is the cypress vine that is growing up the side of my parents' garage.

Scarf-ing along

2007-08-13T19:35:00.000-05:00

I have been working on the first red scarf and so far so good. Today I only felt the desire to cast on three different projects [dishcloth, chevron scarf, & hat] and I resisted the impulse each time. Maybe I do need to have another project going so that I don't burn myself out on scarf pattern before I get all five done. What do you think? Here is a (lousy) picture of scarf 1 so far:
In other knitting related news: how is it that I have never listened to the Lime and Violet podcast before?!? I love them and they have a blog that is newish [the end of July] that I would recommend as well. In fact, go read their blog because mine is being turned over for the Secret Pal 11 questionnaire and unless you are my secret pal, you probably don't care.

SP 11 Questionnaire:

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers to you absolutely *not* like?
I am not the most experienced knitter so I don't have the most vast fiber knowledge but I do not like fun fur or trellis style novelty yarns. I haven't tried ribbon yarn so I don't know how I feel about it. I don't think I enjoy mohair and I don't really enjoy acrylics. Really I am trying to expand my fiber knowledge so I am pretty game for anything.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I store my straight needles in a lovely felted bag and I have my double-points thrown in there too. I don't really have a storage plan for my circulars...I just have them hanging on a hook.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I would consider myself still a beginner. I have made a lot of scarves and dishcloths, one hat, and one wrap. I have two lace projects [a shawl and a scarf] in progress.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes, I have an Amazon list with a link in my side bar.

5. What's your favorite scent?
In general I have to be careful with scented stuff because too much scent can give me a headache. I like apple cinnamon, mango mandarin, spearmint, and peach.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Um...candy? Yes please! Wow, favorite candy is hard but you can't beat chocolate & peanut butter or chocolate & caramel. Or Nerds or Twizzlers [the original] or M & Ms or...yeah I like candy.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I don't spin but I really admire anyone who does...without you, I would be yarn-less and very sad. I dabble in sewing and crocheting and photography.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like "alternative" which is about the least specific or descriptive genre label that I could go with plus other random artists. Here are some groups that I like: Cake, They Might be Giants, Barenaked Ladies, The Dresden Dolls, Lilly Allen, The Ditty Bops, Belle & Sebastian, Badly Drawn Boy, The Dixie Chicks, The Killers, Marilyn Manson, Missy Elliot, The Streets, Tegan & Sara, Tilly and the Wall, the Presidents of the United States of America, and the list goes on!

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I like blue, green, and purple but I'm not a fan or orange or yellow.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Me, myself, and I with a cat.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Yes, yes, yes, and I haven't but I would

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I am currently obsessed with lace and shawls but I am just trying my first projects. I am still a beginner so I am loving trying new things.

13. What are you knitting right now?
A red scarf for Red Scarf 2008; a lace shawl; a lace scarf

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Absolutely!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I am still trying things out but I think I prefer metal needles and the straight or circular depends on the project. I have used bamboo and it is okay but I was not a fan of the plastic needles that I tried.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
No--but I will have to invest at some point

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
I have an afghan from two years ago when I first tried to teach myself how to knit. I probably won't ever finish it because it is out of a very scratchy Red Heart.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
I don't really have a favorite...is that bad?

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Books and yarn

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I don't have any knitting magazine subscriptions. I have a bunch of knitting books in my Amazon wishlist. I am always game for more needles and patterns!

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I would love to learn how to knit socks!

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Not a sock knitter and I don't know what measurements a sock knitter would need.

23. When is your birthday?
Dec. 31

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
Still waiting for my invite.

Keeping busy

2007-08-12T20:12:00.000-05:00

This weekend I kept myself busy knitting, canning, and shopping for books. I went shopping on Saturday for Red Scarf 2008 yarn and some old books on canning. I ended up with a Ball Blue Book from 1969 and 1979 and a U.S. Department of Agriculture pamphlet on canning from 1971. I ended up with two different yarns for the Red Scarf 2008 project: Encore knitting worsted weight color 174 and Cascade 220 superwash color 809. I decided to use the knitting of five scarves as a chance to try five different yarns so that I can expand my fiber knowledge a bit. I also ended up getting a skein Noro Silk Garden in color 252 and color 243 after running across a pattern for a cute hat in the Yarn Harlot's archived blog entries. I was catching up on all of the old entries that I had missed since I didn't start reading her blog until late 2006. I am really anxious to try the hat pattern but I am making myself wait until I have all 5 scarves knit since they have a due date!

On Sunday I went to my parents house to put up more tomato juice. We have now put up over 70 pints of juice and eaten about a bazillion tomatoes this summer and that is off of 7 plants. Dad said that by the middle of the week there will be more tomatoes ready but Mom had excused me from helping since I will be working and/or sleeping getting ready for my night shift. After Mom and Dad cooked a delicious meal of hamburgers on the grill, tomatoes, cottage cheese, potatoes, and gravy [for the tomatoes--if you haven't tried the combination I would highly recommend it]. Yum! Having a home-cooked meal definitely makes all of the hot sweaty canning worth it.

When I got home I cast on with the Encore using the Yarn Harlot's one row scarf pattern which I also found in one of her archived posts. I really like the pattern and it knits up fairly quickly, at least it seems like it. Maybe it just feels like it is going fast because it is such a nice break from the Broken Muppet shawl. I had convinced myself that I liked the Suri Dreams but after working with the Encore I know that I do not enjoy Suri Dreams! It feels sticky when I knit with it so I will be taking a break from it while I work on the scarves for Red Scarf 2008. Here are some photos; the first is my progress on the Broken Muppet and the second is the Red Scarf that I started. I am a lot farther along on the Red Scarf than the photo shows...I actually have about 8 1/2 inches done.

Catching Up

2007-08-10T12:48:00.000-05:00

Sorry, I have been away but my grandmother passed away. I will miss her and she was my last living grandparent but she has been really sick and her doctors told us that she was dying in March so we have been prepared for a while. Still, it is sad and I miss her.
Now for the catching up:

The Suri Dreams project [AKA: The Broken Muppet Lace Shawl] is moving along. I am doing okay with the yarn but I did learn that I never want to make a mistake with this yarn again! I had to rip back about six rows because of a pattern shift caused by my repeating the same pattern row twice. I guess that is what I getting for knitting and watching Psych on DVD at the same time. After fighting with the yarn because all of its fuzzy little tendrils were clinging to each other [in a couple spots, I very briefly contemplated scissors] I vowed to pay better attention and started to re-knit only to discover that I needed to rip back one more row. Oh how the knitting fates laughed at me! So after some more fighting, I finally got back to the proper spot and corrected the error. So, hopefully the Broken Muppet and I can be friends again and play nicely. I will try to post some pictures tomorrow.

I haven't worked on the other 1, 2, 3 Easy Lace Scarf because I have been busy with other things namely learning how to can tomato juice. Okay, so it wasn't really hard but I hadn't ever done it before and didn't feel like getting a book from the library and all of the necessary equipment so I asked my mom to show me how. It turned into a nice family affair with my mom and dad both involved in the process. We ended up canning 40 pints [11 on the 5th and 29 on the 8th] and there will probably be more before the summer is over as there are more tomatoes to come. Maybe we will switch it up and try some tomato soup or (in a completely different direction) maybe I'll luck in to some beets and mom will show me how to pickle them. Does it make me incredibly simple-minded that my favorite part of canning is the "pop" or "ping" sound that the lids make when the canning jar seals? It makes me smile every time that I hear it and if several pop at once it makes me want to do a little dance. Here are a couple of canning pictures but feel free to ignore them as they are mostly for my entertainment.

Killing time

2007-08-03T13:58:00.000-05:00

I just can't resist some of the quizzes that I see on other blogs and this one tickled my funny bone:

You Are a Pinky

You are fiercely independent, and possibly downright weird.

A great communicator, you can get along with almost anyone.

You are kind and sympathetic. You support all your friends - and love them for who they are.

You get along well with: The Ring Finger

Stay away from: The Thumb

What Finger Are You?

Getting my knit on

2007-08-03T09:50:00.000-05:00

I am sure you guessed by the lack of whining that my yarn order came in!! Of course, while waiting, in addition to the lace weight yarn that I bought at the LYS, I also bought a skein of lace weight from The Loopy Ewe! So, that would be three lace weight purchases before I even cast on my first lace project. {Hi, my name is NerdGirl and I am a yarn-a-holic!} But, I have rectified the situation:

The top photo is Suri Dreams and a modified lace shawl pattern. I started using the pattern as printed but found between my newness with lace, the texture of the yarn, and the blunt end on my needles I could not {without great difficulty} knit two stitches together when the previous row was purl...so I am knitting the in between row instead of purling. The pattern isn't quite as pretty but at least I don't want to throw the knitting at the wall.

The bottom photo is Shadow in a free lace scarf pattern. I find this yarn much easier to work with [evidently fuzzy or mohair-like yarn and I are not great friends] but working on such a tiny scale is taking some getting used to. I love the point on the end of these needles because even though the stitches are tiny I have no problems knitting stitches together after the purl row. Okay, the stitches seem tiny to me but they are on a US size 3 needle so I know they aren't tiny for lace.

I don't know that I would get the Suri Dreams again but I would definitely get the Shadow again if I stick with the lace obsession that I have developed. I also learned that I will need to get a ball winder and swift sometime in the near-ish future because rolling lace weight into a ball by hand is not a lot of fun especially when it leads to a tangle that can't be untangled!

Here is one last photo of the yarns going to sleep for the night.

For a good cause

2007-07-30T16:40:00.000-05:00

I will be knitting for the Red Scarf Project this year. I ran across this project last year but the deadlines had already passed so I am happy that I am a little more on the ball this year. I will now be on the quest for the perfect soft red yarn! As some of you may know, I work with juvenile delinquents and a fair percentage of them are wards of the state. It is sad that once they are on their own at age 18 without any real support system unless they lucked into a mentor along the way who will keep in touch once they age out of the system. I can remember joking about my parents kicking my brother and I out of the house when we turned 18...it was okay to joke about it because I knew that my parents would always be there for me. Now imagine that you are 18 and that happens because you are a ward of the state. Goodbye money to live on, goodbye place to live, goodbye adult caretakers helping you make decisions--you are now an adult, deal with it! Fortunately there are groups like the Orphan Foundation of America that step in to help. I will be making scarfs and sending some gift cards for the care packages that they send to college students. Please consider doing what you can to help out. Here is the link to the charity navigator page so you can see that the are a well-run charity!

Impatience leads to:

2007-07-29T07:18:00.000-05:00

One: More yarn--specifically a beautiful evergreen laceweight from the local yarn store. I checked the mail on Saturday and there was still no package so I went to Needleworks to check out their yarn--just to pet it, I swear--but once in the store I was overcome with the urge to buy. I my defense it was very soft yarn.

Two: Yarn holders--in this case a lovely woven basket with brocade fabric liner. I decided that I wanted a safe place to store my lace project so I picked up this lovely Lantern Moon basket while I was at Needleworks.

Three: Finished objects--in the form of the hat that was for a Klose Knit knitting class that didn't happen because of the blizzard this winter. Yes, I am aware that it's summer but I can procrastinate with the best of them. It was already cast on and I had about two inches done so this morning I decided that I would just wing it and finish the hat. I used the information provided by the Yarn Harlot in "Knitting Rules!" to guide me and finished the hat with minimal problems. My biggest hurdle was wrestling the hat on 16" circulars when I was down to the last few of rounds. I think that switching to double-pointed needles might have been a bit easier but that is only a theory as I have never used them (they couldn't have been worse than all of the tugging and contorting of needles that I was doing). But, the hat is finished and I think it is very cute even if it doesn't have the flower right at the top of the hat that I would have learned in the class. I don't know if it was just stitch work of if it was a fancy bind off but I am happy. Here are a couple of photos:
If you don't have "Knitting Rules!", I highly recommend that you get a copy!

Knitting or lack thereof

2007-07-27T11:02:00.000-05:00

I am sad to report that right now the only knitting that I am doing is on a dishcloth. It is a pretty little dishcloth but the pattern doesn't show up very well since I am using a variegated yarn...so it is a little frustrating to knit. I am close to finishing it so here is a picture:
I only have about another inch of pattern and then 4 rows of knit before the bind-off. I am waiting rather impatiently for my order from Knit Picks to get here. They are very timely with their orders, I just want instant gratification which won't happen until someone figures out how to download yarn. Maybe Willy Wonka has a cousin that specializes in yarn! I am getting some lovely lace weight yarn (Shadow--Jewels Heather) to make a scarf and some super bulky yarn (Suri Dream--Gloxinia) to make a caplet. Now if only the mail person would cooperate and deliver my yarn.

For a friend...

2007-07-23T23:13:00.000-05:00

Tuesday and Wednesday please send all of your smart lawyerly thoughts towards Indianapolis where Holly is taking the bar exam!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

2007-07-21T05:23:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading the final Harry Potter book and I must say that, for me, it was the perfect conclusion to the series! [And, I was right about Snape.]

Book started at 12:23am and finished at 5:17am...not too bad for 759 pages.

Two more states and a wedding

2007-07-17T18:39:00.000-05:00

You may or may not know that I want to see all 50 states and this month, thanks to a trip to attend a college friends wedding, I managed to cross two more states off the list! To add to the adventure factor, a former roommate and I took the California Zephyr from Chicago to Grand Junction which is a 27 hour trip. We did meet some lovely people on the train: on the trip out on the California Zephyr we had lunch in the dining car with Frank & Patty who were headed to California to see one of their kids and on the way back we met a nice couple [we never exchanged names] who were just traveling for fun. I can only hope to be as active as they are when I am retired: couple one likes to go white-water rafting and couple two likes to go distance biking!

I don't know if I would want to take that long of a trip again with someone but I think that I would do okay by myself because I could knit or read and keep myself occupied pretty well but when you travel with someone else that is a long time to try to make sparkling conversation. Plus, occasionally we were subjected to the excruciating conversations of others...the worst of which was the hippie granola missionary man. The sad thing is that I agree with many of the things that he was saying but the two hour proselytizing was just too much for me. Plus the girl that he was talking with kept confusing the words barter and banter. With 19 hours left on the return trip, Holly was wishing for the train to derail so she could get a rental car [granola man overdose!].

Overall, the trip was amazing. I haven't seen Tyson since college and over the years he has gone from occasionally funny to hysterically funny just about ever time he opens his mouth. Brad and Rachel's wedding was beautiful and the reception was a lot of fun. I hadn't met Rachel prior to the wedding but she seems like a tiny bundle of sass which is a perfect foil for Brad. I won't post any photos of their wedding but I will share some of the fun that Tyson, Holly, and I had with the gift. We were completely underwhelmed by the wedding gift wrap at Target so we went with some monkeys in a kick line and a Tyson created gift bag with a bride and groom monkey. It cracked us up but maybe you had to be there...I don't know.

Holly and I pose with the monkey-wrapped gift:

Tyson poses with his creation:

We were on a bit of a mad-cap schedule for this trip and if I make it back to Colorado there are still lots of things that I would like to do and see. I would like to go rafting on the Colorado River and I would like to drive through the mountains between Denver and Grand Junction and get out and explore and hike around. The train did afford a wonderful view but there were definitely places that I would have like to explored. In a three day trip we managed to fit in a rehearsal dinner, a wedding, a reception,

the Colorado National Monument,

a supposed ghost town {Cisco, Utah},

a scenic drive,

Arches National Park and souvenir shopping in Moab, Utah. Not bad!

Wonderful weekend

2007-05-29T12:30:00.000-05:00

I had a great time this weekend! I was lucky enough to visit with Brett, Denisa, baby Jesse, and Pete which was such a treat since I haven't seen any of them in close to 9 months. Baby Jesse is such a loving baby and he seems to have a very sweet, good-natured disposition. He is about 6 months old and is just as cute as he can be. I will have to say that Pete did not get to see me at my best as I was a tad sleepy on Saturday as I worked until 3:30am. The only downside to spending time with my friends is that it always makes me question why I stay in central Illinois instead of moving to back to Indiana! It is such a treat to have friends that you can just hang out with and have the best time with no need to do something the whole time you are visiting!

I can't wait!

2007-05-03T10:19:00.000-05:00

I just discovered Knit Picks and I was a little bit shocked at their yarn prices; who would have thought you could get a skein of lace weight yarn for $2.49? I restrained myself to ordering the color cards for the lace weights instead of buying several skeins of yarn despite the urge to go crazy! I did order 2 balls of DK weight yarn that was only $1.99 a ball but since the color is basic green and I like pretty much any shade of basic green I was willing to risk the possibility that the color I saw on the monitor is a little bit off from the actual color. I also downloaded a couple of free patterns for lace shawls. Now that I have the shawl made out of a bulky yarn, I would like to tackle making a lace shawl. I know that I will probably have problems with procrastinating when it comes time to block the shawl but, as always, I will forge ahead! Now I just have to wait patiently for my order to get here.

Visual DNA

2007-04-15T14:26:00.000-05:00

Here is mine...what is your's like?

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

What flower are you?

2007-04-09T21:07:00.000-05:00

I am a
Snapdragon

What Flower
Are You?

I are a snapdragon:
"Mischief is my middle name, but my first is friend. I'm quite the prankster who loves to make other people laugh."

Spring has sprung

2007-04-02T18:42:00.000-05:00

I love how spring seems to pop up out of nowhere. I spend most of February and March waiting for spring and then one day I go outside and it appears that the seasons changed overnight! I love the first part of spring when the grass has turned, flowers are starting to bloom, and although some trees have budded, most are still bare. Here is a picture that I took at the arboretum on campus.
In addition to getting out of the house and enjoying spring in all its windy glory, I have also been trying to figure out what my next knitting project should be. I bought a book and two patterns on socks, I have a couple of baby afghan patterns (and several sets of friends with new babies), some lace shawl patterns, and a couple of sweaters that I would like to try. I realize that common sense would dictate that I make the baby afghans before the babies get too big but I just bought a beautiful hand carved shawl pin that I paid a lot of money for so I think a lace shawl would help me justify it.
In other news, grandma is still hanging in there but it is hard for me to get an accurate picture of her health since I am still the "baby" of the family and the information that I get has been carefully screened and filtered. I opted not to go to St. Paul to see the Yarn Harlot as I can not imagine having to drive myself the 8 hours it takes to get home if she were to pass. Hope everyone out there is healthy and happy. Until next time...

I didn't know that!

2007-03-22T12:02:00.000-05:00

It turns out my paternal grandfather knew how to knit. I found out last night while I was out to dinner with my parents and they were waxing nostalgic about the past. No one can remember him actually making anything but when my mom was teaching herself how to knit he told her that it wasn't hard and anyone could do it. Mom gave him the needles and he started knitting and said "see it's not that hard." I would like this to be a warm fuzzy story where he then taught mom how to knit but grandpa wasn't really a warm fuzzy kind of guy. Family members are funny...just when you think you have their personality and skill set figured out and neatly tucked away in a box you find out something about them that is very much outside of said box. Of course he died 10 years ago so most of my memories of him are childhood memories and when you were a kid how much did you really know about the adults in your life. It turns out my grandma didn't even know he could knit (of course, she is still a little confused from surgery and not eating right for the past several days so maybe she would know when she is completely lucid.)

Gray wrap

2007-03-18T23:54:00.000-05:00

Yeah! The gray wrap is finished and I did not succumb to my nasty habit of getting near the end on a project then putting it away to never finish it. I am now trying to decide what my next project will be: my first pair of socks, the wrist warmers from Knitty that were suggested by a swap-bot partner, a shawl, or something that I haven't thought of yet! Here is a photo of my wrap being used; it is not the best photo but it will work. Oh, all of the ends on the wrap have been woven in...that is yarn that I have wrapped around my wrist as a bracelet of sorts that you can see in the picture. Did I ever mention that this wrap is my own design?

Saturday's adventure

2007-03-11T00:55:00.000-06:00

I spent most of Saturday hanging out with my friend Kastie having a bit of an adventure. It started out normal enough but knowing that I'm was involved, I am sure that you guessed it didn't stay normal for too long. I mailed my photos for the second photo scavenger hunt and then I headed over to the mall to meet up with Kastie. She needed a winter coat for next year and a I needed nothing (which means I ended up with three new lip glosses, two hand soaps, a tealight holder, two boxes of tealights, and a votive candle). After bowing to the consumer god, we grabbed some lunch and headed on to the real mission of the day.

Kastie is writing a book and she wanted to do some research for it so we headed out to the Mount Hope Cemetery in search of tombstones from the Civil War era (I told you it didn't stay normal for long). Kastie and I wandered around for three hours looking at tombstones and mausoleums taking pictures of the ones that interested us. We only say about a third of the cemetery and we didn't even make it to Woodlawn Cemetery to check out a specific tombstone that her aunt thought she would like to see. It turns out that Kastie's aunt has been documenting tombstones for years and has photos of thousands of grave sites. Kastie had no idea!

It was fascinating to see that even in death people still pay attention to trends. At some point, it was very trendy to have tree stumps incorporated into your tombstone. For a while instead of listing the deceased date of birth and death, the date of death was listed along with age in years, months, and days so you had to do a little math to figure out date of birth. I am happy to report that we have now moved beyond the age when women were only referred to as "wife of" on the tombstone. I mean if you want to put that, great, but for that to be the only thing listed because that was the only significance you had...not cool. Every once in a while we would stumble across something unique like:

a metal tombstone covered in some sort of paint to look like stone

an ornate door handle on a mausoleum

a tombstone with holes in it for no apparent reason

We are planning to go back at some point to check out the rest of the cemetery so Kastie can do more research and so I can take some more pictures. I discovered something new about myself: I like to make up stories to go with the tombstones to try to explain them. Periodically I will post a photo and the story that I made up to go with it. I don't know why I started doing it...probably some misguided attempt to make sense of death. The one photo I didn't take but wish that I had was an old gravestone that the elements had worn away almost all of the lettering. You couldn't make out the name, date of birth, date of death or any other identifying features but you could make out the epitaph "Gone but not forgotten."

Best laid plans

2007-03-08T15:17:00.000-06:00

So when I started this new night rover position at work I had all these ideas about the extra down time I would have at work. I would knit, catch up on correspondence with friends, read books, and occasionally I would have a project to work on. Not so much! Right now I am elbow deep in a project that is both fascinating and frustrating. I am looking up and documenting the criminal histories of the family members of juvenile delinquents. With just four families, I had 22 typed pages of police contacts and court cases...that is just nuts! I am glad to have a project to work on but this one is a tad bit depressing and just enforces my opinion that the criminal justice system is broken. Also, with the volume of contacts, a project that I thought might take three days is going to take more than a week and that is with a couple of people helping out. At least it makes the night fly by quickly. I guess that is what I get for thinking that maybe I could sneak in a way to get paid for reading or knitting! Until next time...try not to get arrested because someone, someday, may have to add it to a huge monster list. Oh yeah...also, breaking the law is bad or something!

Tuesday and taxes

2007-03-06T12:33:00.000-06:00

I finally stopped procrastinating and completed my taxes over the weekend. You would think that I would have done then a month ago when I got my W-2s since I always get a refund but I have been in such a rut that I kept putting it off. Now that it is done, I don't have the gnawing dread that something horrible is going to happen to my W-2s [fire, giant hairball, etc...] every time I leave the house. {I tend to be a bit paranoid because work has made me believe in the power of the jinx!}

This morning I sent out my photos for the Black and White photo swap. I hope that the photo swaps come around again during the spring and summer when I am more inspired to get outside and take some wacky photos. Right now it's more of a take the quickest shot and get back inside thing.

I bought a DVD by Lucy Neatby and at some point I am going to try to teach myself how to knit socks. {Does it count as teaching myself if I use a DVD?} It seems like a great idea because socks are such a portable project. My only concern is getting the second sock done...of course, I could always just wear mismatched socks and pass it off as a personality quirk instead of admitting that I am just lazy when it comes to finishing a pair of socks. I guess maybe I should learn how to knit socks before I tackle the quandary of the second sock, huh?

Until next time...finish your taxes. You'll feel better, I promise*. [*promise void if you owe on your taxes]

Eleven years

2007-03-03T11:22:00.000-06:00

Happy 11th anniversary to Holly and Derrik who are currently celebrating in the Crescent City! Isn't it funny how life intersects in weird little ways? I just finished a documentary about New Orleans only to find out that friends are headed down there. I went to New Orleans several years ago for a New World Systems user conference but I did not get to see much of the city (I was in seminars all day). At some point, I would like to go back...although I probably won't notice much of a difference in the city pre- and post- levee break/hurricane damage. I only saw the French Quarter when I was down there and I don't think that the tourist area sustained much damage.

Mandatory

2007-03-02T13:15:00.000-06:00

I have been watching "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" and I decided it should be mandatory viewing for the masses. There were so many things in the documentary that never made the news (or at least didn't make the news where I live)...I knew it was bad but I was fired up after watching. If you haven't seen it, you should check it out.

I got one of my "I heart books" swap letters yesterday and I am working on mine. It was really hard to narrow down my list of books to ten that are my "favorite." I love so many of my books for very different reasons so I tried to choose a wide variety of books. My final ten ended up being (in no particular order): The Eyre Affair; The Swiss Family Robinson; Knitting Rules!; It; Candy Freak; The Secret History; The Bridge to Terabithia; Ex Libris; New Jack; and Fahrenheit 451. I should get my "I heart books" swap letters mailed out tomorrow.

I haven't done much on the knitting front. I like to knit while I am watching TV or a movie so I don't feel like I am too much of a coach potato but I just couldn't knit while I was watching the documentary. I wanted to be able to devote all of my attention to it so I could retain as much of the information as possible. I hope everyone out in internet land is happy today...until next time, take care!

More internet fun

2007-02-27T11:49:00.000-06:00

This is me...if I happened to be an M & M.
What would you be if you were an M & M?

It's been a long week

2007-02-25T21:11:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the long break in posts but it has been a bit depressing around here and I haven't felt like blogging. A guy that I work with has been out sick but I just found out that he is not at work because he was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer. He has had a couple of surgeries to keep his bile ducts open and he has gone through three rounds of chemo and has another round to go. The doctors are hoping that the chemo will shrink the tumor enough that they can operate to remove it. He is being very optimistic and seems to be keeping his sense of humor so when I talk to him, I try not to let him know how sad I am. If that wasn't enough, my first work partner who took me under his wing and has always treated my like a little sister [lots of teasing but more than willing to hold my hand when I am upset] was hospitalized for chest pains. The doctors don't think it was a heart attack but they haven't found another cause yet.

There was good new this week...my mom went in for a stress test and her results looked good so hopefully it will be smooth sailing from here on out with her heart. The family got together on Friday night for a belated birthday dinner for me...up next will be the belated birthday dinner for mom and then we will be caught up on the birthdays! I did get some crafting done: the gray stole/wrap is about 3 feet long now so I am about halfway finished! Saturday while I was at my parents I reverted to crafts from my childhood and made four woven potholders for my mom. Until next time, I hope everyone finds joy in the little things in life...like a quiz to find out what kind of yarn you are!

What kind of yarn are you?

You are Shetland Wool. You are a traditional sort who can sometimes be a little on the harsh side. Though you look delicate you are tough as nails and prone to intricacies. Despite your acerbic ways you are widely respected and even revered.
Take this quiz!

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Back to normal-ish

2007-02-15T19:30:00.000-06:00

Well, the streets have been plowed [sort of] and my work commute is back to the normal time so Mother Nature has given us a temporary reprieve until the next snow storm hits this weekend. Today I saw the aftermath of what can happen when people drive too fast and too close while the roads are still covered in compacted snow and ice. The accident happened in my blind spot while I was sitting at a red light. I heard a mild crunching sound and I turned around to see in my blind spot and there was a car with a dent in the fender and a car that was flipped onto its side so all you could see was the bottom of the car as it faced into traffic. I called 911 (and evidently so did about 20 other people with cell phones) and the woman that answered was pretty brusque. She sounded very much like it was a huge inconvenience to answer the call...I was hoping for someone who sounded a tad more concerned. Hopefully no one was seriously injured. The accident didn't make the news so I think that bodes well for the parties involved.

I sent out my Photo Scavenger Hunt swap today and it is traveling all the way to the United Arab Emirates. Today I got some lovely pictures from the Beautiful Skies swap, hopefully the next batch will be just as pretty.

I promised you some photos of the snow so here they are:

This one is after the storm and it is the employee entrance at work.This the public entrance after we cleaned off the sidewalk.

Stormy weather

2007-02-14T11:25:00.000-06:00

Um...maybe blizzard wasn't an exaggeration. Snowplows stopped plowing except to get emergency vehicles to wherever they needed to go. The drive to work last night that normally takes me 5 to 7 minutes took me an hour. The post office is not able to run all of their routes so mail service is spotty at best. For this area...it is bad! I managed to get my Beautiful Skies swap letters to a mailbox so hopefully it will be a mailbox that gets service today! I have pictures of the snow at work that I will post as soon as I find the data stick that I used to save the pictures. Data sticks are convenient but small and very easy to loose...at least for me.

Holy blizzard Batman!

2007-02-13T11:02:00.000-06:00

Alright, blizzard might be a slight exaggeration but we are under a blizzard advisory and it snowed 5" while I was at work [12a-8a]. Only two people could not make it in to work for their shifts this morning and they both live in other counties. The snow wouldn't be bad but the wind just won't let up... the visibility isn't great and there are huge drifts everywhere. I almost didn't make it down the road by my house because the snow was all drifted across the road. I would have been really irritated to get about a block away from my house and then get stuck in the snow! Hopefully the wind will have died down a bit and the roads will be in better shape when I go back in to work this evening. There were tons of cancellations today at schools and businesses; the courthouse is closed and for the first time in 30 years the university closed due to the weather. I know that it could be a lot worse (like the 7' of snow New York got recently) so I will quit complaining and go to bed and see what the weather is like when I wake up. Hope you are warm and cozy wherever you are.

Clutter

2007-02-12T06:08:00.000-06:00

I stumbled onto this wonderful idea while I was looking at Cast-On [a knitting podcast and website]. The project, Seven Things, is all about getting rid of the stuff that is cluttering up your home and passing it on to people who can use it. I have great intentions when it comes to getting rid of stuff...I bag it up and put it on my to do list. Sometimes, the bags of stuff even make it to the car but once in the car it takes a while before the stuff actually makes it to Goodwill. I am better about getting old books donated to the Books To Prisoners project but I still have more that I could donate. I just have way too much stuff! Maybe periodically reading a blog by someone who also suffers from too much stuff will supply me with the urge to actually get the items I want to donate to the proper place!

A little progress

2007-02-11T22:44:00.000-06:00

Congrats to Amber and her husband Kevin on their baby girl who was born at the end of January. I still have the baby shower present that really need t0 get out; I took it to the post office and none of the boxes fit so I needed to try to scrounge up a box that will work so I can get it in the mail. If I had know the flu was going to strike me down and prevent me from attending the baby shower I would have just had the gift shipped directly from the store. Maybe I can get it accomplished tomorrow before I start my new shift. Tomorrow, I will begin as the night rover which means I work Monday through Friday from midnight until 8am unless someone needs me to cover their night shift...then I work their shift from either 4p-2:30a or 6p-6a depending on when we start 24/7 coverage.

Okay, so I have been pretty lazy this weekend: I only worked on my gray wrap for about an hour and I didn't work on the hat at all. Of course, I am at the 5" that Brigitte said to make the hat so I guess I am technically off the hook for that one until class on Tuesday night. I have spent the week-end watching movies [Sherrybaby, The Devil Wears Prada, and Jesus Camp], watching TV on DVD [Bones, Season One], and re-reading some books [Harry Potter books 5 and 6]. I should have done something productive with my weekend or at least I should have spent some time with friends but I was feeling pretty grungy and when I feel like that, I just like to be alone. I need to finish my photo scavenger hunt for Swap-bot because I need to mail it out soon! I also have a Beautiful Skies swap to do but I already have the pictures done for that one; I just need to have them printed and sent out.

Oh, here is a picture of the gray wrap so far:

Oh the things you find...

2007-02-09T00:49:00.000-06:00

...at Timothy McSweeney's Internet Tendency: McSweeney's Recommends

Find your own pose!

Feelin' crafty

2007-02-08T18:56:00.000-06:00

Wednesday was (for me) a very productive craft day. I went to Klose Knit to sign up the hat making class that is supposed to be on Tuesday the 13th. Brigitte, the store owner, had me buy the supplies and then she helped me start the hat right then as it was a little slow in the store and the teacher for the 13th is double booked with modular knitting and the hat class. I sat down on the couch to cast on my 66 stitches so she could show me how to join and work in the round on the circular needles...and it turns out that my cast on is weak at best. The stitches were all twisted so she had me pull it out and start over by a long-tail cast on (which she had to teach me really quickly). So once that crisis was over we discovered that the needles that I had were too small so I had to upgrade to size 11 needles so I had to rip everything out again! Before we decided it was the needles, Brigitte showed me how to make a stitch to try to get the hat to the right size but a couple of stitches definitely wasn't going to help. The upside of the needle upgrade was that now I own my very first pair of Addi Turbo circular needles and they are wonderful! I had really been fighting with the plastic connector in the Clover needles because it kept wanting to twist back into the shape they remembered from being in the package...even after running the connector under hot water. After the new needles and another round of casting on, I was ready to knit! I managed to successfully join the hat and I was ready to knit like crazy when Brigitte noticed that I was throwing my yarn over the top of the needle when I knit instead of bringing it up from the bottom. Man, I really thought that I had the basics of knitting down but I was wrong! But Brigitte corrected my mistakes and then sent me out into the world (it was already a little after store closing time) telling me to knit 5" worth of hat before the class so that I would be ahead of the game!

I was already working on a gray wrap so now I have two projects going! I managed to work on both of them and made a good amount of progress in one day. I could have done more but there were new episodes of Bones, Criminal Minds, and Lost that I wanted to watch and I am not skilled enough to watch TV and knit at the same time. I can listen and knit but I wanted to devote my full attention to the new episodes. Here are a couple of pictures of what I accomplished yesterday. The pink hat was started yesterday but I had ten rows already done on the gray wrap so the end rows on the wrap don't count.

The first picture shows the height of the hat a little bit better...
but the second photo just shows the pattern on the gray wrap a little bit better...
Until next time...

One of those days...

2007-02-07T04:26:00.000-06:00

Have you ever had one of those days when you go to work and it seems like everyone is in a bad mood? Well, today was one of those days. Co-workers were snapping at each other from the time they got to work until the time I left. (Sometimes it pays to be able to leave early!) Then, the youth were all in an uproar, arguing and yelling. Not the best night...of course, it is also far from the worst night I have ever had at work so I shouldn't complain too much. On a positive note, feel free to injure yourself or have a cardiac crisis while I am around. That's right, I am now officially first aid, adult CPR, and AED certified so let the chaos begin. Um...on second thought, no chaos! We are required to get certified every year so the last two nights, we have had training on shift at work. Enough complaining. Until next time, I hope that everyone is in good spirits and that grumpiness can not be contracted via blog reading!

Back to the grindstone

2007-02-06T04:07:00.000-06:00

I went back to work today after being out sick at the end of last week and found two envelopes on my desk from a swap that I participated in at Swap Bot. One envelope came from Ohio and the other came from Amsterdam and both had some nice goodies inside [postcards, bookmarks, stationary, and post-it notes...just the kind of stuff a NerdGirl loves]. It is a lot nicer to come to work when there are gifts waiting. I would encourage everyone to set up some sort of system so that you get nice presents when you go to work; your paycheck does not count. Here is a picture of my swap bounty:

I want to give a big shout out to my friend Kelly. I knew she was a great graphic artist but now she is nationally recognized for her talent...all thanks to a job that she is no longer working at. Her former employers submitted an ad that she designed into a national competition and it took third place. How cool is that?!?! I think her current employer should give her a raise commiserate with her newfound status.

Welcome!

2007-02-05T03:57:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my first post. This blog will cover a wide range of NerdGirl ramblings: knitting and crocheting adventures, yarn in all its glory, swaps, books, friends, and family.

How did I spend my Sunday afternoon when the rest of the country was glued to the TV watching football? I was exploring a new yarn store of course! Klose Knit Urbana is a wonderful [albeit small] store that has been open since the end of October 2006 but I just discovered it in the back of the latest issue of Vogue Knitting on Friday. The store owner was there and she was very friendly and full of helpful information which definitely makes me want to take a class there. I think I will take the class on knitting a hat for my first class although I am also interested in the class on knitting socks with two circular needles. I bought some lovely purple cotton yarn that is soft and cozy, knitting needles, a keychain, a handmade felted needle case and a pattern book. I am waiting for inspiration to strike before I start using the yarn so for now I will just stare admiringly at it and dream of the possibilities! Until next time, I wish everyone good health.