Sympathetic Knitting Pains and CHRISTMAS YARN SALE

It's a strange Christmas season this year for me. I'm not holiday knitting. Seriously. Ok, so I had to do ONE project, it was making me looney. I knit up an adorable shrug from Stephanie Japel's book, Fitted Knits for my cousin. She kept talking about how much she liked mine, so this summer I asked her do you like it like it? or do you like it like you WANT ONE like it? I made hers washable in some beautiful dream in color teal yarn from MisKnits. It took exactly two skeins to make one of the larger medium sizes. I love it even more than mine. It's hard for me to knit for others because I want it all! Ah well. I hope she likes it.

I keep waking up in the middle of the night with heart pounding, feeling like I've forgotten something important. I'll catch myself driving down the road and just SITTING at a red light without any yarn and needles in my hands. Don't freak people, I put down the knitting when I drive, during Christmas crunch time any few moments spent not knitting are just wasted time. Catching up on some reading during quality time on the john? That's a luxury not allowed during Christmas crunch time. Hell, sleeping is low on the priority list during the crazies.

I am absolutely a mess this year since I'm not making myself freak out with the deadlines and pressures and crippled hands. I feel like I'm missing something. Getting sleep, wrapping normal presents DAYS before Christmas? Who is this woman? I'm usually knitting and crafting right up until unwrapping begins. My family's Christmas is on the 30th and I keep catching myself thinking, hey, I could knit four more hats and two pair of socks by then, no problem. I have to walk away from the pattern books, back slowly away.

I finally figured I couldn't take it any longer. I cast on with some local Kansas Alpaca I picked up last spring and am working on a hat. The holiday non-startitis was KILLING me! I feel less lost this way. I'm not sure who the hat will be for. Probably me. Do you know I've not got a hat of my own yet? My pretty blue alpaca one I made has been claimed by my daughter Elizabeth who wears it to school almost daily. It shows off her blue eyes so well and makes my heart happy to see her wear it.


BIG ASS YARN SALE ALERT!!!!!!
Jan, the owner of Knit Wit in Olathe, KS is having her day after Christmas sale on the 26th. It starts at 9:00am and as she puts it, "Every inch of yarn in the shop is 30% off." She's also got some seriously amazing closeouts that are 60% off as well. Boy, if it wasn't Christmas season, I'd not post this here. A little part of me thinks I should keep my big fat typing fingers quiet and save all that yarn for ME ME ME ME ME! But, since I can't buy it all, I'll share. Just don't get offended if I knock you on your butt trying to get to the sock yarn! She's also got massive amounts of cascade 220, which I plan on getting for a few more sweaters.

SO, what do you do when you're the only woman in a house full of boys and men (Elizabeth is in NM with her dad for Christmas)? What's that? What's the big deal? I started smelling a little bit of gas and walked down to see what was going on. They'd brought in the old go cart that Jeff's restoring with the kids. To CHANGE THE OIL and work on it. ON THE CARPET. IN THE HOUSE. In front of the large fireplace insert with a full fire going. IN THE HOUSE! I went down, stood there with I'm sure a puzzled WTF look on my face and Jeff said, "oh, honey. You're here. Good. We need to borrow one of your pans for the oil." nice. I find my life is less stressed all together when I just smile, nod and not try to even explain how freaking strange the idea of this is. See, it's COLD out in the garage. huh. ok. I just gave them a plastic tub, asked NOT to have it back and went back upstairs to my knitting. Welcome to my world.



Merry Christmas everyone! May all your projects be finished in time for you to get a few moments of sleep!

I'm STILL tired

Whew, I could get really used to traveling on other peoples' money. Jeff ended up winning a big sales award, so we stayed at the Bellagio Casino & Hotel and living large. We got to charge everything (except gambling) to the room. OH the food I ate.....that second stomach I seem to have came in very handy. OOOoooooohh it was yummy. Since Jeff's not a fan of the sweets, I got all his fancy desserts too. He was very gentlemanly and didn't make any comments as I was inhaling both plates at the Eiffel Tower restaurant, I mean they were PRETTY and CHOCOLATE and unbelievably creamy. He did ask me on the 3rd day of 2nd helpings of all things chocolate if I was going to have to pay extra for an additional seat for the new addition to my back end I was working on, but after a dirty look and a smack, he was back to behaving himself. I did totally have to wear a girdle/gut&hip sucker-inner thing under the dresses and skirts I brought, but it's VEGAS and I wasn't paying! Come ON!

OK, besides the food, we had free use of the spa & salon. Oh my holy hell. We both got rubbed, steamed, oiled, soaked, filled with healthy cucumber waters and the works while in big fluffy robes. LOVING that! I also had Joe (or was it Bob?) and his THREE assistants do my hair after my toes and fingernails got did. Seriously, one assistant washed my hair. One brought me diet cokes, and the other one I think all she did was say "ooooooohhhhhhh, aaaaahhhhhhhh" and clap just like the 4th of July. I asked if he might want to do something different for our big fancy award dinner night. Maybe straighten it and make me look all sleek and sexy? OH no. He said, You're in Vegas girl. You need big sexy Vegas hair! Being a fan of the big hair, I said, ok, knock yourself out!

Well, after an $85 plus big tip paid by the company, I was presented to the mirror sporting technically big hair. There was much oooohhhhing and aaaaaahhhing and clapping by the three assistants. I thought I looked like someone famous, but couldn't place it. Feeling ready for anything, went up to the room. In the elevator, it came to me. The famous one I looked like? Peg Bundy. Minus the tight pants. Peg freaking Bundy. Then, in the room, it dawned on me. My hair was NO bigger than I normally wear it. Apparently I'm rocking the midwest with big ass Vegas hair on a daily basis. *sigh* Ah well. It was an experience being applauded for sitting there while people played with my hair.

You be the judge. Me on a normal day:

Me with Peg Bundy aka Vegas Hair:


I'm trying to scan the photo of the two of us all dolled up for our big night out on the town, but my scanner is being pissy. Maybe tomorrow. Since it was a special occasion, I used the $50 boob job. God Bless Victoria's Secret silicone inserts. What else? Oh we saw the Producers show with Tony Danza as the star, very good. We ate EVERYTHING in site including a full seven course french meal at the Eiffel Tower restaurant. We finally got craving normal food at one point, we walked up the strip a ways and ended up at a McDonalds.

No yarn shopping, but plenty of sock knitting. I ended up making two blue socks. From two different yarns. I've just realized I've ALWAYS made two socks for a pair in a row until now. I've never had the 2nd sock syndrome, unless you count my very first sock that turned out 4 sizes too big and I hated the yarn so I purposely never finished it. How weird is that? I'm a total start-a-holic having at least 4-10 projects going at a time, but always make one sock and then its mate right afterwards. I can start two or three socks but once the first gets cast off, the matching one is always next to finish. ANYWAY, I finished my first birthday yarn sock from blue smoooooshy and it's fabulous. Because I thought I'd better get mom's first pair of socks done before our family Christmas on the 28th, I started one for her out of some wollenmeise I'd picked up. It's fabulous. Unreal. It's sexy yarn. Seriously. I hope the woman likes them, because they're gonna be pretty damn hard to give away. The wollenmeise one is the tube only with these bright little teal bits in it. It's killing me because I have this pretty soft smoooooshy sock and I can't wear it yet.



OH, and I totally played Texas Hold-Em all night long until 5am and went back to the room with $200. Of course, if I'd have left about half an hour after I sat down, I'd have gone back to the room with $350, but I never said I was a smart woman. Me leaving Vegas with money? Who'd of ever thunk it?

I'm thinking I may have to go back to the good old days of big velcro rollers, shellacking the hair with hair spray and blow drying it to glue, ratting the crap out of the top of your head and then smoothing it all over with yet more hairspray. I just need a trio of applauding assistants and I'm there, baby.

Vegas Bound!

Sorry for the no blogging, I'm hitting the road. Ok, hitting the air. On our way to Las Vegas courtesy of Jeff winning a president's award in sales for his company. Can I get a woo hoo? Day of spa goodness for me, golfing for him, lots of free cocktails and dinners and shows for the both of us.

Taking my hiya-hiya metal needles on the plane. Wonder if they'll let me. I've got some little rosewood dpns stashed just in case they take my hiya's away from me.

Have a great week and talk with you soon!

Madam Inappropriate Strikes Again!

SO, just when you thought it was safe to bring a nun to the knitting guild meeting........

Ok, so I arrive LATE to the morning knitting guild meeting, just sit and start knitting away, mostly minding my own business. Two sweet little ladies are sitting to my left, two dear knitting friends are sitting to my right. All is right with the world. Joanna tells a story of an old boss who would get creative and avoid cursing at all costs. I told a story of a preacher's wife, who when on the phone talking to me, called her soon-to-be-son-in-law a "Richard Cranium." It took me a bout 5 minutes later in the conversation to get it, Richard Cranium! HAH! We all chuckled and the very sweet lady to the left of me put her hand on my arm and asked "what, dear? I didn't hear you." I said loudly, "she said RICHARD CRANIUM" and smiled. She thought a moment and said, "I'm afraid I don't get it either. Would you explain it?" At this moment I was puzzled by the looks of shock by both Joanna and Teri and the mortified look on the other lady sitting at the table. Joanna was making odd movements under the table (later I found out she was trying to kick me but I was sitting too far away). I said, "Richard is sometimes known as Dick and Cranium means head." She said, "I'm sorry, I still couldn't hear you." Joanna's just shaking her head now like people do when they see a horrible wreck on the side of the road. I say VERY loudly, "it means DICK HEAD." Now at this point, BOTH tables of ladies turn to stare at me. The lady to my left laughs and seems to get a kick out of it.

Teri said, "Christine, you missed the introductions, so you apparently didn't know that she's a nun." Joanna said, "Christine, why did you think everyone was calling her SISTER?" Nice. I missed that part coming in late. The fact that the lady sitting next to her called her sister at least 8 times since I'd sat down apparently didn't sink in. Although, at the point where I had to explain it that last time I thought to myself, "huh, they don't LOOK like sisters, ummmmmmm"...and proceeded to yell obsceneities in the poor woman's ear. I apologized and she just laughed.

Then it dawns on me, Oh sweet mother, I just yelled DICK HEAD in a nun's ear. I think I actually heard God's eyes rolling. Yeah, that's a good start to a day. Thank God nuns seem to like me. So far, all the nuns except one have had great senses of humor and forgiving natures. That one exception? It was a long time ago and a certain red-headed little girl had decided to buck the system with a titch of attitude back in the doily-on-the-head days. It wasn't pretty.

"Mom, I had the strangest dream last night...."

Apparently, my daughter had this dream that she was trying on clothes all night long. Weird, huh? The fact that the child sleeps in a super-freaky high bunk bed and her mother would have had to clamber up on her tip-toes with one foot on a stool and one on the top back of a chair while leaning precariously over the edge of the bed and stuff the kids' arms into unyielding armholes held on cords from the denise interchangeables and one of the damn button ends popped off, so when the child finally got the sweater pulled off of her she had to be wiggled all around until the missing button thing was found so she wouldn't accidentally choke on it in her sleep..... yup, weird dream. Seriously, what kind of a mom would do that?

See what happens when you make a top-down raglan and don't have a spare 11 year old girl to try on the sweater so you can determine when to stop the decreases and make sleeves? It was either that or pay a neighborhood child to try on the thing and keep her mouth shut. I'm thinking that could end you up in jail, so that was a no-go. Knitting isn't pretty, people.

I'm making the Anthropologie inspired capelet out of Lamb's Pride bulky on sz 11's in a dark blue for Elizabeth. I'm adding long sleeves and was going to do a cable down them or use long ribbing, but she's been talking about wanting belled sleeves, so am not quite sure how to handle that one. We'll see when I get there. I'm hoping to put it under the tree along with her main present. Joey's wallaby sweater is all done and ready for wrapping as well.

Other misc. knitting going on around here is yet another pair of mountain colors barefoot socks for Jeff (if they fit since I forgot and used 1.5's instead of the 2's, otherwise they'll be for me). I ran out of yarn on the start of the 2nd toe. YES top down-people, I know that could be avoided, but where's the thrill? Being a knitter who has an absolute buttload of yarn more than she decently needs, I went digging and found another colorway that blends in so well you couldn't tell unless you REALLY looked close, and I think you might not even know then. I love a challenge. Can you guess which one was the patched up one with the different yarn?

I started two pair of birthday socks, one of smooooooshy from Teri and one from Jo Major in Claudia Handpaints. Yes, both for me as well.



I knit most of one fetching on the way home from the Lake of the Ozarks on Sunday. I am using up some leftover cascade 220 from Joey's sweater for a pair. I think I'll make another one with the same yarn and smaller needles for Elizabeth. They're unbelievably cute. Fetchingly, actually.


While at the Lake, Jeff got to play with big boy toys as he'd rented a big old machine with a 7 foot scoop thing to dig out the hill that was advancing on the lakehouse. I took the kids to my folks' lake house about 20 minutes away and spent the day indoors with heat and television and yummy goodies left over from the Thanksgiving meals. When I went over to see him the next day, I saw Jeff was working in a pair of my wool socks and wearing his boyfriend sweater! Action shots of the sweater below. Since I wasn't the one taking the pictures (his stepmom snapped these for me) the sweater wasn't the focal point of the picture. The older guy with Jeff is his Dad. It was a good weekend at the lake. I got to knit, he got to play, kids ran around with my folks, good times.

What can I say? The 80's were very good to me.

So, sitting outside my kids' elementary school, doing what I do, knitting away. I'm usually referred to as "the knitting mom". Where is Marcy supposed to meet her mom? Near the Knitting Mom. Where is Susie's Grandma picking her up? At the big tree just past the Knitting Mom. I was minding my own business, listening to a girl on her cell phone trying to figure out where her mom was in the parking lot. I overheard "no, mom, I'm over by the mom with the really big poufy hair." nice. I thought I'd had exceptionally good hair lately. I've now overheard three comments plus one from my daughter asking how do I make my hair "do that?" I guess once every 9 months isn't enough to keep this mane under control. All I can say is I rocked the 80's, people. I'm not giving up my hot rollers. You can't make me. I was born to have big hair. I just may need to move to the south. They still appreciate a good 'do, right?

I've been busy knitting lately too. The glee purple sweater still needs its hooks & eyes sewn on and I know I promised no more pitt shots, but come on. We all knew I wouldn't be learning how to use the damn timer button on the camera any time soon.

Joey's Wonderful Wallaby is done. I think I knit it in about a week. It's got a cute hood on there too, you'll just have to take my word for it. Without a model, this thing is really hard to photograph. It's going to be a present (along with something cool, I'm not THAT horrible of a mom now) so good photos will come later. I think this was the easiest, most fun sweater I've ever made. I'm going to have to make Elizbeth one as well. I did this one out of cascade 220, LOVE that yarn, on sz 6's for cuffs and 8's for sweater. The sleeves rocked along since you make them FIRST and they're just tubes. You don't have to be whannging the whole sweater around every row. I'm going to have to do more sweaters this way. I was going to post the pic of the sleeves since I was so proud that I actually MADE them (sleeves suck for me. I don't know why) but then I just kept knitting and all of a sudden, here was this whole finished sweater!



I pulled some stash yarn out (Colinette Cadenza, similar to Koigu Kersti but superwash) and thought I'd make a pair of gloves for my dad. I'm using Ann Budd's basic glove pattern from her Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns and love it. I was guessing at the size and think I guessed wrong. Of course, even though the hand felt too big, I just kept knitting. Fingers 1 and 2 felt big, but kept on knitting. After finger #4, I had Jeff try it on for me and then REALIZED hey, it's still too damn big. Huh. Who'd of thunk it? damn. I'll be frogging this one and doing it in a smaller size. Of course I sewed in the ends on the tips of each damn finger. I did that KNOWING it was working up too big. cripes almightly.


And because now my kids are all growing up and cool and all, we just don't get creations like this very often. I leave you with SuperTurkey, from my daughter Elizabeth long, long ago. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Absolutely Stunning

What else can I say? I met my dear friend Chery for lunch and she gave me this piece of SOFT LUSCIOUS BEAUTIFUL heaven. She knit this for my wedding. How amazing is this woman? I promise better pictures and action shots on the boat in February! I just had to take a few shots to show you how stunning this is! I'm planning to wear this over a sundress, probably a spaghetti strap number with an a-line look. I'm not sure of the fabric yet, but I'm thinking blue. (yes, I did have to edit away the whole quote of the day about the bride wearing black and carrying a scotch & soda down the aisle that's been residing in my sidebar for the last year or so.) I'm probably going to make Jeff a pair of wedding socks in colors of the ocean. I'm thinking he'll probably not wear them at the time, but I can give them to him and he'll remember our special day whenever he pulls them out of the drawer.

Chery's not posting lately, but go check out her FO photo albums. I love her work. Also, she's got a great 2 socks on 2 circs pattern posted that takes the THINKING out of the whole sock thing. You just count gauge and circle the right numbers and you're off and knitting. I'm still a die hard top down dpn girl, but I'm surrounded by these toe-uppers and am glad I know how should a pattern call for it. I still favor the whole "will I run out of yarn?" drama combined with the ability to use the spare dpn to poke anyone that gets on my nerves.

Best Mom & Daughter Double Sleepover Birthday Party EVER!

My birthday girl is at the end of the table. The girls were painting bobble head dogs and singing along to music on the boom box.

The weekend started Friday afternoon with an after-school skating party where BOTH of my children are no longer wall-grabbers. They are skating in the middle with the rest of the kids. Joey's even developed a unique "this is my too-cool-for-dance-tunes" expression he uses as he dances/skates around the floor. I think it makes him look contstipated, but who am I to say? Constipated could be cool. Jeff took me out on the town to the Capitol Grille where I ate a BIG ol steak and tater and we just had a great time. My cousin watched the kids, so we had the whole house to ourselves. Very nice. He then ran away drove to the farm to work on cattle instead of hanging out for the slumber party. Joey spent the night doing manly things with my brother, so it was just us girls and the dog.



Thank god for Knitters and friends. And even better is FRIENDS WHO KNIT!! Teri offered to come by to help out with my daughter's sleepover party so I wouldn't be outnumbered. Then a few more friends said they could come too. Before you knew it, we had a full scale double party going on. My daugher turned 11 and had a blast. I turned 39 and also had a blast. Let me tell you, though, 4am comes a lot HARDER on this old body than it used to. We ate, watched movies, ate, knit, ate and then they GAVE ME YARN GOODNESS and even wound up a buttload of yarn from the stash for me to boot. THANKS guys! I got Smooooooshy sock yarn from Teri in a beautiful blue, some Tofutsies in pretty purpley teal and very cool "yarn snob and proud of it!" stitch markers from Zephyr knit from Jo Minor, some Claudia hand painted sockyarn in Argyle Socks colorway from Jo Major, and a beautiful sock bag/small project knitting bag and set of stitch markers from Carmen. Aunt Carmen even brought a Hello Kitty bag full of HK stuff for Elizabeth and some cute puzzles for Joey so he didn't feel left out.







All the girls were very well behaved except one. Let's just say that after dealing with her most of the night, when I was woken up at 6am (after going to bed about 4:30am) I wasn't too keen on her. Here's a hint...if your kid's sleepover bag is not just on the front step outside, but at the end of the driveway outdoors and your kid is outside also, your kid is probably not going to be sleeping over at my house any time soon. I did at least have the girls all playing outdoors for the last 30 minutes waiting for that mom. I'm not totally heartless. But whooooooooo I'm pretty damn heartless on one and a half hours of sleep.

I'll leave you with something that made me very happy. Remember the ruffled shrug I made for my daughter last year? She wore it once because I asked her to and then it disappeared into her closet. She pulled it out the other day and wore it to school every day for a week. Here she is bringing cookies to school last Friday for her birthday WEARING MY SHRUG I knitted. I love that!

Man, I love the smell of vinegar and wool in the morning!

The yarn is actually darker, murkier and lovlier in person. And that little blast of vinegary yarny goodness that hits you when you open the plastic bag from the Socks that Rock Sock Club? mmmmmmmmm I love it. It's aired out a bit so you have to bury your nose in it to get the whiff now, but it's a great way to start the day. Though I've loved the sock club, I'm not going to sign up again. I think once is good for me. The fun, the wondering the smooshiness, they were all good. I've just got to start knitting up this stuff before acquiring any more. Plus OH the horror, I'm having to BUDGET myself now and yarn is way, way, WAY low on the family budget. Sucks, huh? Ah well. I've got enough to keep me busy for years to come. I did get to add that VACATION YARN DOESN'T COUNT DAMMIT so there's extra $$ added into that part of the budget. Wonder if they have any sock yarn in the bahamas? I'm going to do some research and if there's a yarn shop on one of those islands, we're going to have to take a little ride over to see. I am going to Vegas in December with Jeff for a business trip, and I KNOW there's some yarn shops there. hmmmmmmmm



From almost completed sweater back to balls. Poor little cascade 220 heathery purple yarn. What will you become now? It didn't quite work out as a scooped neck vest from Fitted Knits, it just last night became balls again and is no longer a cardigan in the making for my daughter. *sigh* Poor little yarn. I'll find something for you to become. If you were just one or two skeins more (I've only got 4 of this dye lot) you could beome almost anything. I don't want to waste you on knitting you into hats, no, I hear your voice. You want to be a sweater. I'll have to do some more thinking and wandering around on ravelry to get some ideas.

My daughter saw me working on the sleeves yesterday afternoon and said, "Mom, that's really looking like an old lady sweater, you need something prettier than that for yourself." I held it up and showed the cool amazingness of it and realized it did resemble something old and safe and boring. If an almost 11 yr old girl thinks it's old lady for her MOM to wear, I'm guessing she'd not be real excited about wearing it herself. This morning before school I did what I should have done long ago and ASKED her opinion on "if I were to make you a sweater, what would you like it to look like?" Duh.

Laundry Day

I always get such a happy feeling seeing all those socks out drying. *sigh* Warm feet this winter, huh?

You now, snack sized hershey bars and m&m's and 3 muskateers really CAN get old for breakfast. This year it's only 2 days after Halloween and I'm about chocolated out. Good times were had by all. The kids tried to dress Miles in a pirate costume, but he ate the hat and Beth about had to tackle the dog just to slip this over his head. The costume lasted all of 3 minutes. I think it's a new record. Mine are the two on the left. Jeff's are the two on the right. We've got candy coming out of our ears.




Been knitting away at the Glee sweater and picked up Elizabeth's cardigan to try to force myself to make her sleeves. WHAT is it about sleeves that I just can't do? You'd think a woman who cranks out the damn socks right and left could handle a few tubes, wouldn't you? They make me insane. I'm trying to get her sweater finished up and maybe will add a few felted flowers around the neckline if it doesn't make it look too girly. I've casted on for the sleeves for Joey's wallably hooded sweater. I'm doing it in blue cascade 220 and will probably make a stripe of black or grey or something also. I'm thinking the bottom up thing may be a good idea. I'll do both sleeves FIRST, then the body and hopefully they'll both be done in time to put under the tree.

I apologize for all the armpit shots. Aren't you glad I shaved?

I didn't realize it was getting so bad until I started organizing my finished objects pics on my flickr account. Holy crap. One or two shots from that angle look artsy. Two or three could be flattering and even make me look like I have a chest. But, seriously, after clicking through about 12 shots of my pits at the center of various knitted objects is enough to make anyone sick! I swear by all that is knitterly that I WILL find out how to use my damn timer on the digital camera. sheesh.

Anyway, I pulled out this chickami that had been victim to bad colorpooling and frogged it back to the end of the purple stripe (about 5 inches), did some fancy schmancy reworking of the yarn and now have a finished object that I will actually WEAR. Ok, so probably not any time soon since it's getting chilly and winter's on its way, but it's done! So instead of doing a round from each ball of yarn or something else that you're supposed to do to avoid bad colorpooling, I just MADE it stay purple long enough to cover the girls by hacking off any and all purple from the ends of each ball of leftover yarn and then let it go all colorwonky like it wanted to. The back totally doesn't match and I don't even care. It's artsy. Just like the pit shot.

Specs:
Pattern: Chicakmi
Yarn: Ty Dy from Knit One Crochet Too
Needles: 3's and 6's

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all your excitedness for me on the whole getting married thing! I'm still just happy as heck. Also how sweet is my dear friend Chery? She's making me a wedding shawl to wear over a sundress for the wedding. We're doing a very simple ceremony without a lot of fuss, so that made me feel so good to know I'll have this special, beautiful thing to wear. Then, every time I look at it in the future, I'll remember both the day and the sweet woman who made it for me.

The neatest thing happened while I was in MisKnits on Saturday to show my knitting friends the new ring! Tracey came up and introduced herself and her very sweet family. It turns out she's a knitter that bought a bunch of my noro kureyon yarn back on the destash blog. She was shopping with her husband and adorable daughter and HAD a felted bag that she made from that very yarn WITH HER!! How cool is that?


Since I've not posted much lately, here's the pics from the Bed & Breakfast weekend with Jeff. We went to Council Grove, KS and stayed at the Cottage House Bed & Breakfast in their anniversary suite. It was such an amazing weekend. We saw every one of the 23 historical sites and even went out south of town to go hike around the wilderness on a beautiful Kansa tribe trail being created. We also took every backroad we found on the way there and back, so really saw some beautiful country. On the last shot, you really need the audio. I was running through this grass that was up around my knees and shouting "PLEASE DON'T EAT ME SNAKES!! PLEASE DON'T EAT ME SNAKES!!" as we'd disturbed one sunning itself earlier on the hike and since the man I'm now marrying doesn't seem to be able to keep on any trails as marked to save his life, we go through the scenic route everywhere we go. No snakes got me, no ticks either *whew* and I survived the hour and a half hike and even peed outdoors without any unpleasantness. It was a good day for me in the outdoors.






Of course I'm starting more sweaters than I can possibly complete, but I can't help it. The fall weather gets in my blood and I have to start knitting sweaters. More and more sweaters! I cast on and went to town on the start of Glee with some knitpicks Andean Treasure 100% Baby Alpaca lilac yarn that I am recycling from my frogged somewhat cowl that turned out with freakishly long armholes (I must have lost my mind in the middle of the raglan increases and just never stopped). I've already gotten about 2 inches below the sleeve stitches and am excited to see how it turns out. I won't post a picture as it looks like every other just-started raglan sweater.

I'm off to hide from reality a while and knit away for an hour while listening to some Harry Potter on CD. I'm now working my way through listening to the audio books and have just started book 6. Too many people wanting too much from me today...work, schools, laundry, gardening, work, phone calls to return, etc. I'm gonna hide and knit for an hour.

Boyfriend sweater curse THIS!

No, I'm not actually married already, but the boy got on his knees, asked me to marry him and put the ring on my finger. *sigh* How great is that? I'm going to be an actual wife with an actual husband and a house full of kids. The plan is we're going to get married on a boat in Bimini (somewhere in the Bahamas) by his uncle, who's a ship captain of a small charter sailboat/yacht thing, sometime in February. OK, so I'm a total goof and I just love saying the word MARRIED! I keep flashing back to the whole bit from that movie 16 Candles....."she's getting mallied" "married?" "Yes, MALLIED!" Who'd of thunk it? Jeff got us each simple bands of titanium. At one point in the proposal as he was explaining the metal is so strong it can't be cut even to be sized, he explained that the strength of the metal represents our strong bond for each other. *sigh* OK, so I asked him later if the reason for the titanium wasn't also because that way I couldn't break or warp the rings as I have a tendancy to break almost everything I touch eventually and he admitted that was a perk too.

Jeff was amazing. He had a sweet, goofy grin on his face and it was just wonderful. I wish I could remember exactly what he said, but I was so happy and teary and goofy myself. One of my favorite bits was that he told me later that night that he'd carried both rings around the entire weekend we spent at the Bed & Breakfast and just didn't find the right moment. I laughed and said there were at least 42 perfect moments where we were being quiet and happy and romantic and all. His perfect moment at home really was the perfect moment. Just before bed, I was sleepily knitting just one more row and set my yarn aside. He looked at me, told me he had a suprise for me, went and pulled something out of the closet, brought it behind his back and came and got on his knees next to the bed. It's funny as most of our evenings are spent with the two of us getting sleepy, me knitting, him reading or watching tv and snuggled up next together for a little bit before we turn out the lights. It really was the perfect moment.

WEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! I'm just still giddy as heck. Jeff didn't want to wait for February and we're both wearing our rings now. Kids are all happy and we presented it as just one more bond that makes our family strong and nothing changes, we're still all one big ol' family.

How cool is that?

Yarn Sale & Swap tonight (Monday 10/15)

Howdy all! I've got some pics and stories of my fabulous weekend, but my laptop is being posessed and pissy so that'll have to wait for another day. I didn't get to wear the newly lengthened sleeveless tneck as it turned out that Sunday was a lovely, beautiful WARM freaking day. damn nice fall days. I'm ready to wear my wool dammit! Ah well. Back to the good stuff....

Sunflower Guild Yarn Shop & Swap
TONIGHT, Monday, October 15th
5:30pm Setup
6:30pm Guild Meeting
7:00pm SHOPPING and SWAPPING!!!

AT Waddell & Reed (first floor west cafeteria training room)
6301 Glenwood Street
Mission, KS 66202

You don't have to be a guild member to shop, you do need to be one to set up a table and sell or swap. I'll have part of a table. Mine will have some sockyarn (even one skein of Socks that Rock) and other goodies and even a bag of free stuff. There's a silent auction for some of the good stuff that members donate to earn money for the guild too. I think it should be a great time.

Remember! Only YOU can prevent KPB (Knitter's Plumber Butt)

KPB, just say no. I pulled out the lovely tank, knitted another four inches of it and it still is just past the waist, but in a comforting, fitting way. I freaking LOVE this sweater now. I'm wearing it on Sunday to Jeff's grandpa's big family birthday party with my hair up and some seriously dangly silver earrings and a bangle or two. LOVING this with jeans. I'd knit it up originally in April 07, used every ounce of the 2 balls of cascade I'd had and it just almost came to my waist. It looked very sexy as long as I stayed STANDING UP. From now on I'm doing the sit down KPB test on every stinking sweater I make. I stand, measure, admire, then SIT MY ASS DOWN and in a normal fashion, not sitting primly upright like I never do in real life, just when I'm trying on a sweater to see if I can stop knitting it yet. Having a small waist and not so small lower body makes for the lovely extra bagginess at the back of the jeans. Not a problem unless you are wearing a top that stops just ABOVE the gap. One little slump or lean in any direction and it was seriously not a good look for a 39 yr old woman. Now I can sit and wiggle around and slump and slouch and LIVE in this thing.

Specs: Pattern from Stephanie Japel's fabulous book Fitted Knits, Perfect Periwinkle Turtleneck Tube Vest, size XS (I got a little smaller gauge on sz 6 & 9 needles with Cascade 220 and went ahead and knit it up to get a smaller than the S size. (no boobies means a lot less yarn is used, who'd of thought there was a perk to having a size half A cup chest?) Total of 2.25 balls of cascade for a sweater? (not having sleeves also helps!)

I've unraveled SIX INCHES from each of my sleeves on the simple knitted bodice and am hoping to add the leftover yarn on the waistline to AGAIN make the waist a bit longer. Anyone see a pattern here? Cripes. I figure as soon as I think I'm done knitting something I will just automatically knit 4 inches more. It is looking good and should be wearable by the weekend also. I'm getting ready for the cool weather! Bring it on, baby!


Also, I finished my aunt Dot's socks and got them in the mail! WOO HOO! Now both ends of her will be cozy in knitted loverliness. I had SO MUCH yarn left over. MAN those crafty in a good way skeins have a buttload of yarn. I could've made full length legs on them. Ah well. I'll probably make a baby hat out of the rest of it. Regular old 3X1 ribbing with my traditional slip stitch heel and kitchenered toe.

Artwork from our refrigerator

I guess it's a move up from "Hello Crazy Butthead" that we've been sporting for the last month or so. I'm guessing this one is also courtesy of the two 10 yr olds as when I opened the freezer and said "what the heck?" much giggling was heard by David and Elizabeth around the corner and then they were so proud of their work. "Did you see it? *giggle* about the cows? *giggle* *snort* *giggle* Can you believe it?" (snorts were my daughter. I'm afraid she's inherited that ladylike gesture from her momma.)

The ONLY thing I knitted this weekend was my Aunt Dot's socks. She's the one I made the Shedir hat for and is having mostly good days fighting her breast cancer. I thought I could just whip out some socks for her to boot. I mean, if your head AND feet are both cozy the rest of you has to feel better, right? Well, I got the foot and toe done on one pair and just turned the heel on the second one. I forgot that you just don't "whip out" a pair of size 11's. Dang. I know that's not a big size, don't get your dander up people, it's just that I'm not used to knitting that long of a foot. I think I should have enough yarn, weeeee! We'll see. I do love Crafty in a Good Way sock yarn. Gorgeous colors, good feel, good wear and a buttload of yardage. I'm going to keep going on these puppies until they get done and try not get distracted by any other projects. Wish me luck.


The kids have been busy bees picking up bags and bags of acorns. Yes, acorns. Jeff's paying a penny per acorn. The kids are amassing gallon ziplock bags full of them. We've got tons of old oak trees in our front yard and the ground was literally covered with at least 1-2 acorns per square inch. So far he's forked out over $40, which comes to 4000 acorns. It boggles my mind. Then I thought, hey, a couple bags of acorns could get me some new sock yarn! I may have to get picking myself. I think the idea was to give the kids a way to NOT be bored and to earn their own money as well as clearing out the soil a bit for Jeff's fall fertilization/aeration and whatever else he does to the yard. He takes them to his friend's farm and they plant them and throw some out for the deer. Anyone got any ideas of what to do with all these acorns? I've heard of recipes for making acorn pancakes but that's probably not going to happen around here. OK, how weird is it that the recipe page for the acorn pancakes has SQUIRREL recipes on the bottom of hte page? very, very weird. Yes, Jeff has grilled a few squirrels, but I draw the line at cracking and pounding out thousands of acorns when I can buy flour at the damn store. I'm not living off the land yet, dammit. That country shack is still just a shack. I don't go country until it has running water, electricity, air conditioning and "those innnernets" as the local folk call it. Seriously, I'm not making fun. The guy up the road was all excited because he was getting his woman "those innernets" to make her happy.


This was waiting for me this morning from Joey. My favorite flower, a sunflower, done up in iron-beads. The kids spend hours placing these little beads just so on a spiked template and then have an adult iron and fuse them all together. He had told me he was making it for his teacher, could I iron it for him? Turns out it was for his momma. Good kids, huh?


Now that I've finished watching my EZ dvd's I really REALLY want to redo Jeff's neckline on his sweater and add short rows in the back of neck and then decrease in like they say to do. That would be insane, right? I should just leave well enough alone, right? Put down the needles and back away from the sweater, Christine. It's done. Leave it alone. right?