whoah, man knitting news

I have no idea how I missed this! Charles is moderating a winter exchange (click his name, info on the blog,) and while there, I saw his posting about..


THAT!!!

ok i take it back

Regarding that quiz.... that whole spouse thing, I think I'm full of crap. In reality, I'm a shamefully hopeless romantic and maybe being alone the rest of my life isn't truly what I want, although I do really like it.... Maybe not forever, though.... So maybe (maybe? yeah.) I am hypercynical and maybe even some bitter... I just had to get that out. I love love. Maybe even kids someday, who the hell knows. That's all.

Um... I'm knitting too, really. I started the baby kimono from Mason Dixon, it's freakin precious. the excess of instructions involving the word "sew" though? freaking me out. Spinning, though? Something weird there... It's like I've got my wheel and I'm like, great, I got a wheel! haven't really touched it... novelty worn off already? i hope not.... i'm hoping it's more because i have run out of fibers that i'm in love with. I still have some from Marce and some lovely merino, but I was hoping to save some of the Marce stuff until I was a little better and apparently am not capable of merino yet... ech.

ok bye.

unofficial tag, really long thing

this is from my new sister's blog, the amazing knitting, spinning, painting, bead making, (insert other craft here and she excels at it... seriously) sparkling, libra gem natasha

as she stated, feel free to be tagged if you wish, as i did because i took a sleeping pill and i don't have my glasses on. what better time.

1. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?
If it were possible to close my closet doors, or if they were even on the tracks for that matter, I would prefer them closed.

2. Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel?

I go to hotels like once every 5 years so hell yes.

3. Have you ever 'done it' in a hotel room?

Nope.

4. Have you ever stolen a street sign before?

I have, for shame! It's one of those things I still feel guilty about. It was a stop sign on a REALLY quiet burb street, yet I still can't help but wonder if someone was injured because of my teenage follies.

5. Do you like to use post-it notes?

Not particularly.

6. Do you cut out coupons but then never use them?

Occasionally.

7. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees?

Well.... if it's truly a swarm, I think each could be lethal... I would guess that the bee death would be longer and more painful in a different kind of pain way... if there was a bear involved, that must mean I was treading on his/her turf to begin with unless it was a freak zoo escape, so I'm going to go with bear because he/she has every right to protect himself and I'd rather have my appendages ripped cleaned off and eaten than to have to suffer many, many, many, MANY bee stings in really uncomfortable places before my inevitable demise.

9. Do you always smile for pictures?

No.

10. What is your biggest pet peeve?

I can't think of the biggest, so I am going to go with those people that cut out in front of me from like a parking lot or sidestreet causing me to slam on my breaks and expel profanities and then upon looking in my rearview mirror, I see there is no one behind me for miles.

11. Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?

as if I make my bed.

12. Do you ever count your steps when you walk?

rarely, but i can't help it sometimes

13. Have you ever peed in the woods?
Yes.

14. Do you ever jump up and down to make your privates bounce?

is this a *thing* in some culture? no.

15. Do you chew your pens and pencils?

absolutely not and once one has been chewed, it no longer exists to me.

16. How many people have you slept with this week?

Zero humans.

17. Do you like popcorn from those big tins?

Desperation only.

18. What is your "Song of the week"?

what tom said about girls by the blow

19. Is it okay for guys to wear pink?

Indeed.

20. Do you still watch cartoons?

as often as possible, but mostly adult swim kinda cartoons, although i piddle on my couch if i can catch an episode of sailor moon.

21. Whats your favorite scary movie?

i don't know that i have one...

22. Where would you bury treasure if you had some?

in my mom's bank account

23. What do you drink with dinner?

iced coffee, iced tea.

26. What color is your cell phone?

black/silver

28. Were you a boy/girl scout?

no, mom wouldn't let me. maybe that's why i'm a gay.

29. Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?

if i had the body that i hope to have someday, i might just because i could, but it's not genuinely on my agenda.

30. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?

i wrote some cards last week.

31. Can you change the oil on a car?

i can't usually get to the filter, but i can drain and replace.

32. Ever gotten a speeding ticket?

several.

33. Ran out of gas?

close, but no.

34. Favorite kind of sandwich?:

caprese or panini

35. Best thing to eat for breakfast?

cinnamon toast crunch or crumpets with butter and jam... hell, or both.

36. What is your usual bedtime?

well, it's now almost 7:30 a.m.... let's just say it varies.

37. Are you lazy?

i am lazy when it comes to doing things
that i *should* be doing.

38. When you were a kid what did you dress up as for halloween?

one time i was roseanne, other than that, the tried and true vampire/devil/scarecrow/whatever.

39. Do you read the newspaper?

never.

40. How many languages can you speak?
english, yiddish curses, like 5 hebrew words, a smattering of spanish profanity, and an even smaller smattering of italian profanity. however, i took latin for 3 years and i remember lots of that, which comes in SUPER handy in every day conversation and also took 3 years of french, which left me with the days of the week and counting 1-20... and some profanities. AND i know some sign language.

41. Do you have any magazine subscriptions?

nope.

42. Which are better Legos or Lincoln Logs?

never touched a log. don't love legos so much either.

43. Are you stubborn?

sometimes.

44. Who is better...Leno or Letterman?

i do not have enough knowledge to form an opinion.

45. Watch an opera live?

yes! at the metropolitan house of opera as a matter of fact! i have no clue what it was called... some guy's name in italian that started with an I if i'm not mistaken.


46. Afraid of heights?

no.

48. Dance in the shower?

not really

49. Dance in the car?

yes.

50. Ever used a gun?

BB and pellet kinds at like targets and siblings (after being shot by them, I'm a lover not a fighter)

51. Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer?

junior high school? does that count?

52. Are musicals cheesy?

welllll. i love them as a rule, but sometimes it irritates me how they break into song for like 10 minutes and then the song ends and they look around and go on about their day like nothing happened... i guess that's the point. still disturbs me at times. my fair lady is one of my favorites ever.

53. Is christmas stressful?

Not for the lonely jew!

54. Ever eat a pierogi?

heck yes! vaughan's mom makes the best homemade pierogi EVER, but I even enjoy the frozen jobbies.

55. Favorite type of fruit pie?

i guess pumpkin, unless it's Jan's sky high strawberry pie.

56. Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?

corporate attorney (brainwashed by dad, supposed to go to harvard too,) concert pianist (still dream,) rock star (still dream,) supermodel (still dream.)

57. Do you believe in ghosts?

yes.

59. Take a vitamin daily?

no.

60. Wear slippers?

when it's cold, i revel in wearing my fiber trends felted clogs!

61. Wear a bath robe?

haven't owned one in at least a decade.

62. What do you wear to bed?

some form of pajama bottoms, right now, my most favorite being velvety nick & nora shorts with toy robots, and some t-shirt, oftentimes the one i wore that day. i dream of having true pajamas some day, but i work in them.

63. First concert?

poison and warrant at madison square garden

64. Wal-Mart, Target or K-Mart?
If i must pick, target, although I regularly accompany others to Walmart to my great dismay.

65. Nike or Adidas?

adidas i guess. (all day i dream about sex... sigh... anyone else remember that?)

66. Cheetos Or Fritos?

cheetos, puffy ones only.

67. Peanuts or Sunflower seeds?

seeds.

68. Ever hear of, "gorp"?

i don't believe so.

69. Ever take dance lessons?

no.

70. Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing?

this would require me to picture a future spouse. this is no reflection on the many loving and happy couples i meet and if they have them, beautiful and wondrous children because i totally admire that and it truly warms my heart to witness people in love that care deeply about each other, but i have no desire for a spouse... like ever. maybe one day i will look back at this post and laugh about that... don't think so though.

71. Can you curl your tongue?

yes

73. Have you ever cried because you were so happy?

yes, i have, and the missing 72 is getting me all farklempt.

74. Own any record albums?

Yes

75. Own a record player?

no

76. Regularly brush your teeth?

mostly

77. Ever been in love?

i'm clearly too cynical right now to respond.

79. What was your last concert you saw?

jenny lewis and the watson twins with jonathan rice and (I HEART) the blow and they wouldn't have forgotten 78 either.

80. Hot tea or cold tea?

both, living in the sewers of hades lovely perpetually hot and sunny and humid florida, mostly cold, but i adore hot tea

81. Tea or coffee?

both, but coffee is the one i can drink every day, hot or cold. cool cafe blues is my most favorite EVER.

82. Favorite kind of cookie?

those white chocolate macadamia jobbies.

83. Can you swim well?

not especially

84. Can you hold your breath w/o manually holding your nose?

Yes.

85. Are you patient?

so i'm told. I have my whisper to thank for that mostly.

86. DJ or band, at a wedding?

i like DJs better i think

87. Ever won a contest?

quite recently from Diva Knitting and a couple of others

88. Ever have plastic surgery?

no

89. Which are better black or green olives?

I dislike both, but I will vote on green because at least I can suck the pimentos out of those.

90. Can you knit or crochet?

both

91. Best room for a fireplace?

Living room

92. Do you want to get married?

please see #70

Yarn Review & FO

I mentioned the Catalina Baby Alpaca yarn I won from Diva Knitting and I loved it so much that the skein I had tangled and knotted in my excitement to play with it called to me day and night. Once I got it untangled, which was quicker than I thought since I'm a moron with knots and string, (making them and removing them,) I knew instantly it had to be a hat. I looked through my patterns, books, and magazines, really didn't love anything, searched Knitty and Knitting Pattern Central and came up empty handed, found no luck at any of my regular spots and even started to make my own pattern, but I wasn't digging it. I finally thought to look for Catalina Yarn's homepage and decided to use the free Raspberry Beret pattern

First the review. I lost the one I sent to Diva, so I get to make a new one up here. I LOVE IT. I am a whore for alpaca anyway and this one is 100% baby alpaca and totally awesome. It's deliciously soft and glides along both bamboo and metal needles effortlessly with no splitting of the fibers, forming even stitches. I really love the way the yarn is plied instead of just variegated. One ply is tan and one is a chocolately brown, and I just love the way it knit up. By first glance, I really thought it should be classified as bulky, but with knitting, I agree with the chunky description. The knit fabric is decadently soft with just a very, very slight halo from the fiber, which I love (and could be from my manhandling really, but I love it) While amazingly luscious, it also feels sturdy. I am deeply pleased with the yarn and it is definitely in my list of favorites and I plan on using it again most definitely.

Now, for the FO. I didn't have DPNs in 10.5, so was initialy going to try magic loop, but then realized I had 2 circulars, and I finally figured that out. When I made the Hipster, I couldn't for the life of me, but something clicked with the beret. When the stitch count got small though, I found it a little more challenging and switched to magic loop, which I have never done before, and that went beautifully well also. Not only was this prize yarn that I absolutely love, but I even got to learn not one, but TWO new techniques when using it. Gotta love that. :)

It's really not cockeyed like that, that's just my head and big hair.... and I was trying to fluff it and make it all beret-like and didn't really look before I started snapping shots. :)


The temperature dropped down to a frigid 88 degrees today, which must be what prompted me to whip out a beret. It was a really fun and quick knit, took me 2 evenings, which would have been 1 had it not been for movies.

Ok, that's all for now. The show was freakin amazing and I am even more in love with the blow and of course Jenny and the twins too, but I already kinda was a lot in love with them. Jonathan Rice was pretty groovy too, he opened and played with Jenny and the Twins, although during his opening performance, vaughan and i were camped out in the little sitting room outside of the ladies room on an amazingly comfortable antique couch thing where it was nice and cool and still with amazing acoustics. The Tampa Theatre is just amazing. As much as I hate Florida and insist it is entirely lacking when it comes to arts and culture, I must admit the Tampa Theatre is truly a gem. There is a link to a few photos at the top of the History page that it won't let me link to because it's java or something, and although it doesn't quite do the theatre justice, it's worth the extra click. The ceiling that you can't see fully is done a la planetarium. It's really beautiful there, the architecture, the furnishings, the charm, all of it.

Ok, that's it for real.

thank you, birthday stuff, and lots of drivel :)

First of all, thank you everyone for the birthday wishes, and I'm sorry for taking so long to say that. I have woken up today 4 hours earlier than typical and I've got some time to kill, so I'm actually writing a post without the word "quick" in the title and wanted to say that first and forremost. :) I had a really nice birthday. I always love when it's on Friday the 13th too. (born on a Thursday, though, I have far to go) Because of mine and BFF's schedule, we don't get to spend as much time together as we'd like to so it was wonderful to spend the evening with her. We did some running around and overcame adversity together repeatedly. heeheeee. We went to Chili's for dinner, which I haven't been to in forever (and, believe it or not, I actually picked it all by myself) and it was really really good and I think BFF enjoyed it too. We usually are challenged in branching out from our usual places, so it's nice when we find another one to agree on. I was particularly pleased with their onion blossom thing. I was too full for dessert, which is still devastating to me. However, the fact that my server was down and I was unable to work, as I promised myself I would do after I got home, made it a little better. I am technically off Fridays and Saturdays, but never truly am for whatever reason, but the server went down the afternoon of my birthday and didn't come back up until 2:30 a.m. Sunday... coincidence or birthday present in disguise? You decide.

Saturday, being that I couldn't work again, darn it, was a lovely day as well. I went knitting at the store in the morning, helped BFF with some stuff in the afternoon, and then went out with Lesley. I had't intended to stay at knitting for so long, but I started my very first official sweater, which you can see the beginnings of here:




I hope someday it will be The Manly Sweater from S&B and I am doing it in Andean Silk. I am actually REALLY short on yarn for it, long story there that I don't feel like getting into, but last I checked, they still have lots of the dye lot left. I have serious issues with my ribbing. I posted to KH about it and they were very helpful and supportive and I think I'm over it now, but only like halfway because I'm too type A with my own knitting to let it go. The first time I tried anything close to ribbing was a 3 x 3 prayer shawl back in the day... I had horrid holes in between the sets of Ks and Ps and when I brought it to Audrey, who was busy when I was pestering her about it, she was like, "um, that's wrong." teeheee!! It took me a while to discover that I was not the only knitter that had these hole issues because Priscilla Gibson-Roberts felt it important enough to address in her book, Knitting in the Old Way which I was so fortunate to find detailed with pictures at NonaKnits.

This indeed fixed my ribbing and it was good. I still avoided ribbing, though. My last 2 sock attempts have got me feeling a smidge better about ribbing, but I really fancy this sweater and I thought it was a fair first whack at a sweater since it's nothing too terribly complicated, and so I did a gauge swatch (it's true!) and cast-on. Every time I say or write "cast-on" now, I hear Brenda Dayne's voice, "pick yp your pointy sticks, and let's cast on." I'm glad her voice is so pleasant, otherwise I'd be bitchin. Speaking of which, the season ended in September and have I taken this fine opportunity to catch up? Heck no. (sigh) I digress. So I stopped about 2 inches into it, the pic you see above, and started picking it apart. I had chatted a bit with Ayla from KH a bit ago and she inspired me once again to get better at knitting without looking, which i thought this sweater was also a perfect project for. Thus, the first thing I picked apart was the varying tension throughout the K5s. I tried to knit without looking during a movie I had never seen and kept forgetting, often times mid-row (ACK!) and just sitting there hands still and jaw slack staring at the TV... hence, tension variations... That, however, I'm okay with. Not frog-worthy in my opinion, charming handknit. ;) The REAL thing disturbing me, once again, is the ribbing. The stitch on either side of the P1 is deformed in every single set and always is. I looked at some pics, first in Stitch n Bitch, and that book has like PERFECT ribbing photographs, so perfect it's obnoxious, while Sally Melville's book has more person-knit ribbing photographs, but still not quite like mine. I did a little swatch on an extra set of 8's (mom gave them to me, they're "vintage" Boye's. That tickles me) and did it without the above knitting trick and after a few rows, without paying any kind of special attention, just going, and through K5, P1, K2, P2, and even the wicked K3, P3, I found I no longer have holes and it looks quite nice. I switched to that in the sweater for a few rows, but realized last night that while I don't have holes, the rib is a hair looser without the trick, so I'm switching back to it. SO, the moral of the story is, while I don't hate ribbing anymore like I used to, I still am not happy with MY ribbing, and am I REALLY going to make it through an entire sweater looking at those imperfect K stitches... THAT is the million dollar question... Stay tuned. teehee.

And that's why I didn't leave knitting earlier. :) So then I ran to the health food store and to help Laura with her stuff and made it to Lesley's and we ate at a place called Cheddar's, which is a new restaurant here, appears to be an Applebee's-esque chain, but I'm not sure on that, and I really loved that too. Everything was just delicious and the service was great. I had leftovers and no room for dessert again. :( We stopped at Blockbuster afterwards because I wanted to check out their previously viewed DVDs, which they had an enormous selection of. I first found a film with Audrey Tatou, Un long dimanche de finacailles (a very long engagement) in French with no dubbing and subtitles, which is my favorite. I love her from Amelie, and I did also see her in a la folie.... pas du tout (he loves me, he loves me not) which was also good. Didn't like that one quite as much as Amelie, of course, but I still love her and she has the most incredible eyes. Haven't seen Davinci Code yet (nor do care to particularly, but nothing against the lovely Audrey.) Anyway, I then saw Brokeback Mountain, which was like $13.99 or 2 for $20, but the Tatou film was like $7 so I decided to instead try to find another 13.99 movie and Les found Aeon Flux for me, which I STILL had not seen. As for Brokeback, you know.... I saw it in the theater with BFF and I didn't really care for it. I had listened to the audiobook prior to going, and frankly wasn't that impressed with that either. The movie left me with a bad taste in my mouth mostly and I didn't get what all these people were going on about, deeply moving, crying, blah blah. A few said that I must see it again because it was different the second time, yada yada. It was really something I felt I was required to own because I'd be a bad queer if I didn't, so I got it. I watched it yesterday, sleep deprived, at like 9 a.m. I was enjoying it much more this time and was touched by it even.... Towards the end of the movie, I got really tired and threw myself in bed, but didn't sleep and could hear the dialogue and don't you know I'm lying there in bed crying like an idiot just from listening to the dialogue. (sigh) So I went back out and watched the entire end of the movie and I really did see things in it I missed the first time... and cried again... I think I waited too long to see the film and it was SO hyped up and I had read so many opinions, even before listening to the story, and then that first sex seen was a *little* disturbing to me so I think I missed out on the experience. It was easy to see the love and longing between them, the tenderness, the struggle to live "normal" lives, unrequited love, all that junk, and so finally Brokeback Mountain is touching and moving to me and I am a good queer once again. Aeon Flux, I liked too. I'm currently in discussion with KG about how bad it wasn't. I don't think it was like amazing or anything, but I think they did all right. I am a huge fan of the original show and whenever something like that happens, it's difficult to satisfy everyone by staying true to the show/book whatever. Except for Brokeback Mountain, actually, which was the most true to book movie I have EVER seen. There wasn't a stitch of dialogue missing from the book. Anyway, I liked it pretty well. I would speculate that people not familiar with the show would like it even more, and I think KG would probably agree with that too. So yeah, then back to Lesley's and we spent hours just sitting and chatting, and I didn't get home until like 4 a.m. and it was really nice.

And that about sums us up, nothing interesting Sunday through today really.... I did come to a revelation in regards to the crafts. I have decided that I will not ever work on something I don't want and/or am not thoroughly enjoying working on ever again. I don't care if I've bought the yarn and I'm 3/4 done with it (i.e. baby blanket,) if I dread pulling it out to work on it, I'm not doing it. I'm really glad about this decision. I will have to shop and send some presents out to make up for a couple intended handknit gifts, but too bad. There is no law that says because I know how to knit that every gift must be knit, and I realize that now. I packed away quite a few WIPs coming to this realization and I am okay with that. I will probably finish them all someday, but I don't care when, dammit. So as of right now, I have the aforementioned sweater, I started a gift for Audrey and Eliot that I can't let out right now, but I'm enjoying it.... the pattern frighteningly reads much like the FT Clogs, though.. meh. Prior to that gift, I also started Lizard Ridge from Knitty. While I enjoy that and am even enjoying the (yak) Noro, after an e-mail to the designer and posts at KH, it requires too much concentration and too much frogging for me to thoroughly enjoy it, so I have put that aside as well. OH! I can't remember if I posted this or not, but I placed an order from Diva Knitting for some patterns, beautiful ChiaGoo DPNs in 5" size, thank goodness, (sock wars made my distaste for long DPNs for socks quite apparent) and I won a drawing for FREE YARN!!!! It is a chunky baby alpaca from Catalina, in a really yummy earthy brown/cream colorway. the stuff is LUSCIOUS. She asked for a review and I will do that when I finally cast-on (la la la, pick up my pointy sticks and cast-on la la!) (ARGH!) but just touching it, it is really soft and delicious and as the astute Knitters Review pointed out, the appearance of the plied yarn is reminscent of the ribbons that adorned the little girls' pigtails in kindergarten. The deliciousness of that elimiates that, but I find that charming anyway. I'm looking forward to playing with it, but I got it into a huge knot trying to ball it because I'm a moron. I'm getting close to unknotting. And now that I've got the size 2 and replacement size 3s for the Clovers I hated from the Diva, I am plotting a pair of socks for myself out of the Opal Sara sent me a few weeks ago and I can't wait! It's #15 here called Crocodile on their website, but Krokodil on the ballband, which tickles me. I'm easily amused. Anyway, I love it and I'm excited. I had started on 3s and then 1s and I wasn't 100% happy, so I opted to wait for 2s. Problem solved, thank you Diva Knitting. :)

Well I wanted to do some knitting before a phone call for work, so i must run and I think this post will be taking up my entire blog page as it is. I should have included some more pictures or something to break up all this babble.... haven't come up with anything yet.... aha! here you are dear ones:



Can you guess who I'm going to see in concert at the Tampa Theatre tomorrow? Here's another hint...



That's right, boys and girls!!!! It's Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins! I still can't believe people have the nerve to schedule things on my knitting night, but I'm terribly excited about it nonetheless. I haven't been to a concert since Auf der Maur with Vaughan 100 years ago. Alas! another photo op. That was an AWESOME show and I got this:



I am pretty sure that is the most awesome autograph ever and Melissa is just beautiful and sweet and I was all starstruck and giggly and stupid. They're recording a new album now, I'm looking forward to that.

OK, I'm out for real. Thank you again everyone!!!! :)

ETA: CRAP! I forgot! Thursday, was knitting night and they all surprised me with a yummy lemon pound cake that Rosemary made, they got me the Stitch n Bitch Page-A-Day Calendar which excites me no end because I never spend money on myself for stuff like that until they're on clearance in like April, but I really wanted it so I'm excited, and then Barb got me a bag of Cool Cafe Blues, my favorite coffee in the whole entire world EVER from Barnie's and I got to meet Beth from the B&N knitters, which was cool too. It was great. They sent me home with half of the pound cake and don't tell Rosemary, but Whisper got up on the counter the next day when I was out with Laura and ate the entire thing. I came home to some crumbs on the couch basically. (sigh) I wasn't going to feed him, but was afraid of hyperglycemic shock (teehee), so just gave him the lamb portion of his dinner. And that's it for real! Thank you again EVERYONE!!!!! :)

ETA Part 2 (because there wasn't enough): Notice the new tune? It's not typical KwKB soundtrack music, I try to go for instrumental and minimally obtrusive, but I really had to share this. I decided to look and see who is opening up for the lovely Jenny and the Twins and found out that one of the artists is The Blow, who are completely new to me. I'm always late on stuff, don't make fun. Anyway, I'm in love. You can click on that link to get to their MySpace page and hear some more tracks or go to their record label site and download the song you're hearing, What Tom Said About Girls, as well as 2 others. Hope you like them as much as I do! I'm even more excited about the show tomorrow than I was this afternoon!!! WOOHOO! Go muskies!

quick again, but had to share

I'm busy at work and actually enjoying it for a change so I must get back, but wanted to share 2 pictures I'm excited about.

This first image is a "before" shot. If you don't remember or didn't catch it, that roving is part of a beautiful gift of roving from dear Marce soon after my spindling class, along with a fresh bobbin. :) I think those colors are just wondrous.


And here is the after shot, self explanatory. Only one of the pictures came out okay and I'm too lazy to retake.


This hank was a study in eliminating the overtwisting, which is the first spinning wheel skill I mastered. ;) I do still have some overtwisted areas, but along with that, I have lots of undertwisted areas. teehee, a new skill! It split twice when I was skeining it because of it. (sigh) I'm going to mend that somehow without a knot...

ok, back to work! hope all of you are well!

two quick things

ok first off.... LOOK!!!!!

and my first bobbin of yarn on it:



i have a second bobbin already, which is currently drying... more on all of this this soon, just couldn't hold it in any longer, I was going to combust.

Second exciting thing: I WON YARN! I've been plotting an order at Diva Knitting for weeks and my arrival home and finances (because of exciting thing #1) forced me to wait until the other day. Well, dontcha know she was having a drawing for orders placed between 10/7 and 10/11 and I freakin won. YAY! It's this delicious Catalina Alpaca but I'm not sure which yet. Alpaca is my most favorite fiber (so far anyway) so I know I'll love whatever it is plus I love surprises!!!! I promised to do a review on it when I play with it and I'm excited about that too.

Ok, that's all. Here's a bonus for reading:



it's the newest addition to the fur clan, Norm. He hails from the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, is approximately 14 years old, ornery as all hell, and I believe him to have bilateral cataracts. He's also incredibly precious and sweet and adorably quirky. Audrey called me and asked me if I would take him because if I didn't he was going to be euthanized. I of course said yes. So then I wondered if she had made that up because she knew what my answer would be, not because I don't trust her, because I do completely, but I thought to myself that even I would tell a small fib if it would save an animal from death... probably a big one even if death was imminent. The story about how I came to adopt Kitty goes something kinda like that and she and the rest of the knitters know the story, so it was possible, but with Norm came his papers from the Humane Society, where he was a SPIN pet and unfortunately, he very well could've been euthanized if he was found to be unadoptable and 14 years old might influence that... so he's mine now... I should say for now... because Whisper and Kitty and Norm.... not cool. It hasn't even been a week yet and already the sounds of hissing and spitting and growling go through me like a knife. I'm really hoping it works out, but we have 10-year-old Whisper and 3-year-old Kitty, who was a kitten when she met Whisper and then 14-year-old recently homeless Norm. Kitty and Whisper already dwell on opposite sides of a very fine line between tolerance and dinner. So we'll see. Norm seems really upset by the whole thing, but he's also a little instigator and punches the living crap out of Whisper several times a day.... Kitty actively hunts him down intermittently too. She did that for the first 48 hours solid, but it has waned, praise God. So that's the story of norm in the box.

Ok I said quick, I lied. Back to work now though. :)

The Last Knit

I saw this at Knit.1 magazine's blog and wanted to post it here. I'd love to hear what your thoughts on it for no particular reason, just curious. If nothing else, the animation is cute. If only I could knit that fast, though!



Still not caught up with blogging, but I'll get there, I promise!

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Sock

Still insanely behind, but I must make this brief post, a post written by a knitter shot down. Mourn me not, dear ones, as my death came by these:


Pretty cute, eh? I now fully understand the attraction of handknit socks. People say, 'damn, just buy a pair.' No, no, no. They don't feel like THAT. They're heavenly and I adore them and can you believe it's only her second pair of socks?!?! She clearly has a knack for sock knitting, they are gorgeous and totally luscious. The weather is just starting to get crisp so I will be donning these on my dogs in no time at all, and I am fantasizing about having not 1, but TWO handknit items on my feet at one time when I trod around the house wearing these babies and my clogs. No, it doesn't get THAT cold in Florida, but throughout the entire "cold" season, I have all of my windows open and no heater on, explicitly so I can wear warm clothing, handknit socks, and wool clogs. ;) And, as probably was partly the intention of Sock Wars, I've made a wonderful and sweet new knitter friend in the UK. :) Heart you, my sweet assassinatrix!

Ok, I must get back to work, but quickly, here is my very first ever finished sock, Sock of Doom #1 which is now on it's way to Roo in the UK since my murderess was taken down during posting.

I know it's not fabulous or anything, but for my first completed sock, I'm pretty freakin proud of it. I absolutely abhor ribbing, for those of you that don't know and given that, I think I did all right. In the excitement of finishing a sock for the first time, I immediately cast on for sock #2, but only made it about 2 inches in and never found more knitting time before my demise. I've never posted anything internationally except to an APO once and I had the address all made out to my assassin's assasin's assassin's assassin or something (a couple of days late, I'm a big cheater) and the very nice lady at the post office was like, is this Great Britain? I reply... um, I think? She's like, sir, I'm afraid I need more than I think. HEEEHEEEE! Luckily, BFF was at home in front of her computer and was able to confirm for me it was indeed G.B.

So that's is my saga of Sock Wars.

I am back home now and so I will catch up with all of you and update you on everything else soon. Hope all is well with everyone!!!