CCC

I'm not enjoying knitting the Curiously Clever Clogs. In fact, I'm renaming the pattern to Curiously Complicated Clogs. Actually, it's my own fault they are complicated. I've only been knitting a year & this pattern's difficulty level is a 3 out of 4. Just when I thought I was doing well, I realized that I forgot to knit all the wraps for the short row shaping on the clogs. So, my project went from this:










To This:










I haven't given up on them though. I spent $7 for the pattern & I'm going to knit them until they are complete. No matter how long it takes!

You must check out Lynda's Starsky. WOW!! I honestly didn't like the look of the pattern when I first saw it on Knitty, but after seeing Lynda's, I now have to add it to my must knit list!

Remember a few posts ago that I said I was going to my LYS to buy some SOAK? Well, I'm never going to my LYS again! When I walked into the store the other day, it was empty other than the 2 employees or owners or whomever they were behind the counter. One of them said "hi" when I walked in, but after 15 minutes of looking through their yarn (I couldn't find any sock yarn to save my life) & feeling ignored, I went over to their counter & asked where the SOAK was. They looked at me dumbfounded. I said again that I was looking for the SOAK wash talked about in the newsletter I received a few weeks ago. One of the women reached under the counter & pulled out several of the trial sizes of SOAK & said "this?". I replied yes & she says "oh, it's not in yet." I wait for her to offer to give me or sell me one of the many she's holding in her hand, but she places them back under the counter. I ask when it will be in & she states that she doesn't know. I stand there for a moment looking at her & when she doesn't say anything further I say thank you & walk out of the store & vow to never return. What the hell happened to customer service? When you go to your LYS do the women there talk to you or ask you if you need help finding anything? Am I expecting too much?

Please go to FlutterCraft's blog & donate a dollar or two to her Salvation Army Kettle. Or you can follow THIS link. I love dropping my change in the bucket this time of year, but what I love even more, is if you donate through Flutter's kettle online, you can print out a receipt for the tax man! She has a kettle goal of $100 so let's help her EXCEED it!

28 days

I'm starting to panic. Christmas is in 28 days & I just realized that I've only purchased 2 gifts so far.

I'm wondering, do you purchase gifts for your mailman, gardener, hair stylist, etc? If so, what do you normally purchase and/or how do you determine how much to give? I was thinking of gift certificates but from where? How much should I give? Why is this giving me stress?

Contrary to what my blog has shown lately, I HAVE been knitting. Unfortunately, this project is taking FOREVER! It's the Forbes Forest Scarf from Interweave Knit's Scarf Style. I'm using KnitPicks Merino Style yarn & although I like the yarn, I'm bored to tears with the scarf. After seeing several photos of it, I thought I was going to ooh & aah the entire time I was knitting it, but now that I'm halfway through .. I just want it done! It seems to be sucking up all of my knitting time & I can't wait to finish blocking my other projects so that I can start something else!

I received my confirmation receipt from Stitches West 2006 that I have successfully been admitted to my class. I wanted to take more than one, but at those prices, it would've cut into my yarn spending money, so I figure, one is better than none! My class is called Pattern Customization: Your Yarn, Your Gauge by Gwen Bortner. This will be my first knitting class EVER. In fact, I've never even knit with anyone except myself. DH won't let me go without him and I have NO IDEA what he's going to do while I'm in class, but I'm SURE he'll tag along at the convention center rolling his eyes at the prices of all the yarn I buy. Is anyone else planning on attending? Have you ever brought your significant other to an event like this? Any recommendations?

Comforting Jenn

I can't believe I forgot to post a note about this! I first read about it on Karen's blog (thank you), and after reading Jenn's story, I couldn't help but participate.


Please go read Jenn's story on Cathy's blog.
Believe me, it's worth your time!

Black Undies

HELP! I'm being held captive by my MIL (mother-in-law) & now I only have time for blogging at "o-dark-thirty" when she FINALLY goes to bed!! Why is it that older people only sleep for 4 hours every night?

My day began with trying to prepare her a breakfast she would like butof course I don't have the "right" kind of oatmeal, so she just settled for toast. The highlight of my morning however, was a trip to get her hearing aids cleaned. I know that's always on the top of everyone list of things to do with their MIL. Next was the search for a purse that was lightweight & inexpensive. Since I know her, I knew that SEARS would be the perfect store for that quest, but even I was shocked when she told me that $36 was too much money for a purse (pocketbook, handbag, or whatever the hell else she calls it). Doesn't she realize this is an item she uses EVERY day and it's okay to spend a few dollars on it? Then if all of that weren't enough, we ended up in the "intimate apparel" section where I got to select silky black granny underwear for her in her size! I thought at the time nothing could be worse, but just a few minutes ago she walked into my office in nothing but her sweatshirt & her new undies. Where's my knitting needles? I need to poke out my eyes!!!

Is it just me, or when you get mentioned on someone's blog, do you jump for joy a bit? I was doing my usual reading of my favorite blogs & The Giving Flower made mention of my Sugar-Free Cocoa Socks. Her post was more or less about being crafty and staying fit.

Lil sis wants me to join in her torture of being a runner (since our theory is there's no such thing as a "fat" runner), so she just started a program called The Couch to 5K Running Plan. Well, since I'm initimately acquainted with "the couch (sofa)", this program may be just for me! Day one is a brisk five-minute warmup walk, then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. I'm taking both dogs with me. They'll either love it and want to keep going or hate me & drag our sorry butts home.

Obituary & Reality Check

'What will your obituary say?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Thanks Lainie. I couldn't resist posting my obituary either. If we were older though would this be funny?

I was reading through my bloglines & clicked on So Much Yarn, So Little Time since I saw she'd updated. She just test-knitted the cutest Kimono Sweater. Did you click on it? Isn't it cute? Now, click on the Tatami pattern link & look at the price.

Is my monitor broken or does that say $12.00?
Is it just me, or is this a lot of money for one pattern?
Am I being cheap?

Feel free to tell my your honest opinions. Sometimes I need a reality check.

Got Gauge?

I hate to swatch (which obviously includes knitting, washing, blocking and measuring). Actually, let me be more clear. I HATE TO SWATCH!! Normally, I don't swatch but every once in awhile if I DO swatch, I rarely go through the washing, blocking & measuring portion. I usually just knit it & measure it.

However, I purchased KnitPicks newer yarn "Swish Superwash" and had read on Brooklyn Tweed's blog that even though it's listed as superwash, it shrinks. So since I considered making some sweaters for my grandsons for Christmas & wanted them to fit (if not be a bit roomy), I decided to do a REAL swatch.

Keep in mind, these are MY test results.

Needles: US size 6 (4.00mm) KnitPicks Options
Yarn: KnitPicks Swish Superwash
Gauge Before Washing: 19 sts / 26 rows
Gauge After Washing: 20 sts / 29 rows

Yes it shrunk, not considerably, but doesn't superwash imply it WON'T shrink?

I was listening to the Lime & Violet podcast & my recommendation when listening to their "yarn p*rn" section .. FREEZE YOUR CREDIT CARDS IN A LARGE BLOCK OF ICE. They referred me to Fearless Fibers & after viewing the colorways, I couldn't resist Sublime. So ... I bought it. Can you believe that you can buy 550 yards of HAND DYED superwash merino wool for only $14.50? If she charged what it were worth I probably wouldn't have purchased it. This yarn is BUTTA!! Seriously!! In fact, hurry & go purchase some before she realizes that she should raise her prices!!

Style

I just found out from the Scarf Style/Wrap Style KAL blog, (which I don't even belong to) that in February 2007, Interweave Press will be releasing their 3rd in the "style" series books. This one is named Lace Style.

I loved Scarf Style so much that I sincerely hope this book is more like that one and less like Wrap Style (which should have been named "Cape Style" in my opinion).

Speaking of style, I feel like I'm a little bit more "in style". DH & I received our new cell phones from our new wireless carrier. I will admit that a few years ago you wouldn't have caught me DEAD with a pink cell phone, but I think knitting has changed all my views on color. In fact, I think there's a LOT more color in my wardrobe now than ever! I used to be all about the black wardrobe (it's slimming don't you know), but now I figure that no matter what your size, color just makes you feel happier! I wonder if this is just me though.

Yesterday's highlights

The highlight of the day Tuesday was voting. I felt proud to be an American and proud to know that even my one little vote (combined with a bunch of other votes), could make a major difference. Today I realized that not everything went my way, but most of them did!


Late last night, I was reading Nicole the Knitting Goddess & at the end of her blog post, she listed me as the "Blog Of The Day". Since this is National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo), she's been posting one blog each day & she picked me!! WOW! I feel like I'm back in high school & just got an invite to hang out with the popular (cool) kids.

My LYS sent me an email that next week they will be carrying SOAK. I've read wonderful reviews about this & even heard that Scout will be carrying it in her store. I just want to go smell them & buy a small size to try! I do have a few things that need washed, so it's perfect timing. Also, if they carry the travel sizes, I'll probably stock up on a few to include with any hand-knitted gifts this year.

I was at Carole's blog & she mentioned a great project called Knit Unto Others. Check it out! There's going to be prizes!!


Is anyone signing up for the STR Rockin' Socks Club 2007? I pre-registered to participate, but I'm unsure I can come up with the $210 on January 1st. Mabye Santa Claus better skip the gifts & just give me cash.

DH's Surprise

I am such a sucker for contests when people are giving away free yarn! Are people really this generous, or are they trying to get rid of stash yarn they don't like anymore? Or both?

The latest contest I discovered is being hosted by Chappysmom. All you need to do is take a picture of your November 2006 calendar & post it on your blog & then leave her a comment.

TA DA!!

My mom & dad put together a family calendar each year with all the birthdays & anniversaries in it, and it just happens that DH & I are the "theme" for Novembers calendar page. It's always nerve-racking though to be around when my parents are snapping photos because you never know which photos they'll choose for the family calendar. They did pretty good in 2006 but my fingers are crossed for the 2007 calendar!

I am knitting. Really I am. When DH isn't around, I'm working on his Christmas present which is 60% complete & when he is around, I've been working on the Here & There Cable Scarf. I'm using the KnitPicks Swish Superwash in Dark Navy and this yarn is really nice to work with. This scarf pattern is definitely not a quick knit & does use quite a bit of yarn (700+ yards so far), but it's a good project to knit while listening to your favorite podcasts. I'm determined to get the D$%+ thing done soon though so I can start on something new.


I forget to tell you all about DH's little surprise for me 2 weeks ago. He told me he was stopping to get a haircut (which was much needed). When he came home, I couldn't look at him for the first hour. He promised it was temporary, but everytime I looked at him, I felt like I was seeing a stranger.



Does he look younger? Yes. Do I feel like I'm having an affair? Yes.

Official Yarn Collector

I thought I might be a "Yarn Collector" for the last few months since I had a few skeins of yarn, but now I feel I'm starting to cross over to the real deal since this is what arrived in the mail.

Of course, this photo doesn't include the yarn I bought from WEBS for DH's Christmas present. Just picture 10 more skeins of wool/alpaca yarn.

So here's the details:

• KnitPicks Merino Style in Nutmeg. This is intended for the Forbes Forest Scarf in Scarf Style from Interweave Press. I was inspired to knit this after seeing the completed scarf on BrooklynTweed's blog. GORGEOUS!

• KnitPicks Wool of the Andes (3) Black Cherry Heather; (3) Coal; (2) Mist. These skeins are intended for Stitch Diva's Curiously Clever Clogs. Yes, I finally decided & purchased the $7 pattern. It looks like an interesting pattern all knit in one piece with some type of "attach-as-you-go" method. I'm undecided if I'll add beads to these.

I'm doing almost everything in my power not to cast-on for either of these projects until I finish at least one of the projects on my sidebar. I think I have a condition called "finish-itis"! Maybe I should purchase a lock box for my stash yarn & only give DH the key. Then again, I'd probably tear up the house looking for the key while he was sleeping, so that would defeat that purpose wouldn't it?


My baby sister (who I helped teach knit via phone/internet only), found a cute mini mitten pattern & wondered if she'd be able to knit them. She wants a Christmas tree with different colored hand-knit mittens all over it for the main decoration. I decided to knit it up really quick last night & they are really just too small unless the tree is only 3' tall. They'd be great gift decorations, pencil toppers, or pinky finger warmers though.

Sugar-Free Cocoa Socks

Honest, I finished this sock before Socktoberfest finished. Honest I did. It's just that stupid blogger wouldn't let me post the photo until now. Anyway, I acheived my goal & completed two pairs of socks in one month (thankfully there were 31 days). Annonuncing the second pair .....

SUGAR-FREE COCOA SOCKS

Pattern: Karen's Sugar-Free Diabetes Walk Socks

Yarn: KnitPicks Gloss Cocoa Colorway

Needles: KnitPicks Circular size2 US

Modifications: Two extra pattern repeats on the legs

Notes: Next time I use this pattern (and I definitely will), I'm going to attempt it from the toe-up. It's just starting to get frustrating for me to have to "guess" how much yarn I'll need for the entire sock. With toe-up socks, there's none of this "I wonder if I'll have enough yarn to finish if I do one more pattern repeat".

In addition to my completed sock, I also made some Halloween cards to send to a few favorite family members. Of course, only two got sent. And actually, I hand-delivered those. My problem usually is writing the sentiment inside the cards. Because these are hand-made, there's a big blank spot inside every card & that's where I get stuck. I always thought I had a problem mailing items, but I now know that my real problem is writing something inside a card that sounds sincere, not ...uh... stupid.

Halloween was spent with SD, SIL, & the GS's (Step-Daughter, Son-In-Law & the GrandSons). The boys dressed up as Power Rangers & although they did trick-or-treat at 5 houses, they were most interested in staying home & waiting for the dressed up kids to come knock on their door. They got a big kick out of giving candy to the trick-or-treaters & every time there was a knock on the door, the boys would come running from all parts of the house. My favorite part is when the 2yr old opened the door & asked (in his 2yr old voice): "Do you wike my costume?"

DH decided to start a new tradition with the boys so that they didn't eat too much candy. He told them if they each chose 10 pieces of candy to keep & put the rest of the candy in a big bowl, that in the middle of the night, the good Halloween Witch would take the candy in the bowl & replace it with a new toy.

GS1 was extremely concerned that a witch was going to be in his house & he stated that he wouldn't be giving his candy to the witch, he didn't want her in his house. We then assured him that it was a good witch that was friends with the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy & even Santa Claus, but he again repeated he didn't want a witch in his house. This was definitely no surprise though since whenever he opened the door for a trick-or-treater, if they were dressed in a scary costume, he'd back away from the door & wait for the 2yr old to give out the candy instead. We realized that since he always approached the door when a fairy princess wanted candy, we told him that the Halloween Witch was a beautiful witch that wears a white sparkly dress & a crown (picture Glenda the good witch from Wizard of Oz), then he decided it might be okay for the witch to bring him a toy. Go figure.

By the way, you absolutely must go to my little sisters blog & see the cake she made for my neices birthday. She's so stinking talented!!