Sunday, October 22, 2006

In other news...


The House has begun! We've made it through the early construction phase, and are now the proud owners of a concrete hole in the ground. See!- that's my husband exploring the wonders of our soon to be basement. Thrilling isn't it!

Mitten Mitten, Who's Got the Mitten?



Ta Da! Here is my fancy mitten! Now, I know some of y'all out there HATE eyelash and fun furesque yarn, but I firmly believe there is a place in this world for all sorts of fibers. And this is truly one of them. A sassy fluffy and oh-so-warm mitten. It isn't that hard to make-two yarns together make a warm weave! However, here is my dilema- I made one pretty successfully. Heck, I even made two of them- but I had to frog the second one twice because it is consistantly larger than the first one! Not just longer, but wider. Let it be known that I attempted to make two!

Thursday, October 12, 2006

The busiest week ever

No lie. I have been at work all day and meetings all night all week. I can't get out of my office. I did get to my first knitting meetup on Tuesday night, popped my "knitting in public cherry", it was great. I'll give my shout outs to the Newark Knitters tomorrow, Friday, which is my day off. WAHOOOO. I'm going to post some pics for y'all and go shopping for my secret pal. Um, and I'll probably beg my husband to take me to the waffle house, because thats just what you do on a day off right?

Friday, October 06, 2006

Treadmill dance

This is the funniest thing I've ever seen...giggle giggle...

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Secret Pal Questions

Secret Pal 9 questionnaire....

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
So I'm really not that picky :-) I love cotton yarn, probably because of it is inexpensive and easy to use. I even do acrylic. So far the best yarn I've ever used was Debbie Bliss Cashmerino bulky. (I made one slipper) The problem is that I rarely finish a project, so I'm often hesitant (ahem, my sweet husband often raises his eyebrow me if I do) to purchase more pricey yarns.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have a "knitting tower" which is a large plastic drawer set up. The top drawer is really thin, so I keep all my needles and hooks in there. Right now it is in storage, because of the whole house building/moving situation. So I keep the ones I'm currently using in a basket under the coffee table.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I have been knitting for just over two years. I'm an intermediate knitter, but rarely finish a project. I like to try techniques and increasingly difficult projects just to see if I can do it. I learned to knit from my mom, who learned from my gram. The problem is that mom is right handed, gram was left handed, and I have a small ambidextrous problem between my two hands. So, much of my knitting style is self taught from books and mom's crazy "right handed but really left handed" knitting style. Think continental with a twist...

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes, I have an Amazon wishlist that I have not updated since 2005. :-)

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)
This time of year I love things that smell like food: chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, spice etc. I hate things that smell musky like dirt or old ladies.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
YES! I have a wicked sweet tooth. I could eat a whole bag of Oreo cookies- no lie. I also love Mike & Ike candies.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I crochet-which is kind of the exact same thing as knitting (does it even count as an other?). I'm also a pretty decent baker- I took a cake decorating class once, that was fun. I don't spin, but mom has both a wheel and a loom just waiting for me to learn...

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I love music in general- I listen to everything except heavy metal hair band type stuff. Seriously, rock, rap, mellow, r&b,country, pop, gospel, classical, indie girlie- all of it. My ipod is packed with everything- and all my electronics are MP3 compatible.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
Pink and green, hands down, best color combo ever. I love bright colors and rich colors. I'm not much for neutrals, unless they are combined with deep or intense color. Oh, and I own more navy blue yarn than anyone I know. I always want to purchase the navy blue...

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I'm married with no kids, unless you count my two adorable daschaunds. They are like my children.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Yes. But not ponchos. I wouldn't know how to wear a poncho. If you knew me, you'd know how ridiculous I would look in a poncho.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Mostly things that are square, or variations of square (like two squares sewn together to make a purse). Knitting is a tremendous stress reliever from my work, so when I'm truly in the knitting zone, I'm knitting things that are easy to repeat over and over again. When I'm in the mood for a challenge I like a project with one technique, like cables or lace that I can perfect before I quit.

13. What are you knitting right now?
A cabled cardigan. I swear I'm committed to finishing it, its made with navy blue yarn...

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
I love them. Even more, I love the idea of giving them-I'm just not fast enough to make them or able to keep my interest on a project long enough to finish them.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
All of my needles used to belong to my gram. I inherited them. I have a ton of them, however every last one of them is aluminum. I have never knitted with anything else in my life. Except for a pair of daisy plastic ones, which felt like knitting with air. On a side note, I would absolutely love to learn how to knit with round needles. I always get confused about markers and such. I'm a whiz with the straight ones though...

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
A what? Does my husband count?

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
Two years. My first project remains a UFO- a pretty felted cabled tote that was too difficult for a novice knitter with HUGE aspirations.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
It is a tie between Thanksgiving and Easter. Both mark transitions into different seasons, and for me they seem to bring family together in the best ways.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
I have this collection of silver crest Fenton glass that my husband and I started a few years ago. It is white handblown glass (bowls, compotes, dishes etc) that has a rippled edge of clear or colored glass. I think it is beautiful, and we enjoy the hunt for unique pieces.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
Honestly, I'm a sucker for anything with glossy pages. I buy knitting books, I love them, I love to read them and look at difficult projects and imagine myself trying them out with the fancy yarns, but rarely do I attempt. Right now I've got my eye on a copy of Mason Dixon Knitting. Once in a while I will treat myself to a magazine, but I don't have any subscriptions.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
YES! I'd like to learn lace and fair isle and knitting in the round and I want to figure out how to make a hat. You know, stuff that isn't square. Even sweaters are pretty much squares with a little shaping all sewn together.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I tried sock knitting once. It didn't happen. I would love to try again one day. I think it all goes with that whole knitting in the round thing. I don't know my food measurements...I wear a size 9 shoe?

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
May 20

Monday, October 02, 2006

Sweet!

I would just like to tell y'all that I have finished two (2!) cable repeats in my navy blue cable cardigan. I can make a cable. Now hold your breath for a picture...maybe tomorrow!