Wednesday, June 18, 2008

A Chevron Stole My Heart

Ask me how much I love this scarf? Bunches. Gobs. Loads. Oodles. I'm going to visit my Mum this weekend and I shall be going to The Fiber Shop to purchase more Chevron scarf yarn. At this rate, come Winter, I'll have a scarf for every day of the week. Fine by me!

Chevron Scarf II

Monday, June 16, 2008

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

I have 4 skeins of Karabella Aurora 8 that are begging to be a scarf. These are my first ever skeins of Aurora 8 and I'm amazed by how seriously soft this wool is. I want to roll in it. Trouble is, every pattern I try doesn't seem to do this gorgeous yarn justice. So far I've tried an Irish Hiking Scarf, Sharfik and a Karaoke Cable scarf and they've all left me disappointed. I'm partial to cables for this yarn because they really pop, but I'm limited in my choices because I only have 392 yards. Any suggestions?

Sunday, June 08, 2008

Son of a Stitch Marker!!!

I just noticed that on either side of the lace pattern running up the sides of Alisa are...wait for it....LADDERS!!! I thought those only happened on dpn's? Obviously not. For a while I couldn't wrap my mind around what was causing it. Then the lightbulb went off (okay so it didn't go off until I googled "ladders stitch markers"). The stitch markers I'm using are too thick and therefore causing ladders at each respective point in the knitting. I have gone too far in this pattern to frog back. I'm so upset. No, I'm more than upset. I'm really effing pissed off!!!! Damn damn damn damn damn!!!! If I was telling this story at work, this is the point where a non-knitter would say, "I thought you said knitting was relaxing?".

DSC_0259

By the way....the photo doesn't do these ladders justice. They are much larger and uglier up close and personal.

Focus On Your Craft One Time

Something amazing happened this weekend. I committed myself to one project. Generally I knit a few hours on one project, get bored and then turn my attention to another project. It's a bad habit, but it's the way I am. I've accepted this. Yesterday I turned over a new leaf. It won't last long but I'm taking advantage of the temporary change in my ways. It's allowed me to get a lot done on Alisa. I'm quite pleased with this knit. I had a setback in the beginning because I cast on for the small and it was quickly apparent it would be far too big. I begrudgingly frogged it and cast on for the x-small. Now I'm worried it's going to be too small. There's no way I'm frogging it again so I'm just going to cross my fingers that it fits. Or hope that I lose 5 pounds and then it'll fit regardless of whether I've knit a size that's slightly too small.

Monday, June 02, 2008

Meme on Monday

My hands are feeling slightly tired and sore tonight so I didn't get a lot of knitting done. It's too bad, because I had a lovely surprise from the Post Man at work. More yarn to add to my lifetime supply. Today's addition was 6 Skeins of Knitpicks Cotlin for the Alisa pattern. I cast on for it when I got home but the cottony/linen blend was just too much for my aging hands to handle. So I played Guitar Hero instead. That decision doesn't make an awful lot of sense. Guitar Hero takes a toll of my hands as well. But damn it I love this game. I'm such a 14 year old inside. I'm now taking a break from my Rockstar dreams and am happily playing along with the meme I was tagged with by Knittymuggins.


The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago? 10 years ago I was not in a good place in my life. I had left my husband and was trying it on my own in the most god-awful apartment I've ever lived in. I had neighbours above, below, and on either side of me. Every single one of them were noisy and disrespectful. The only thing that made it livable was my darling little Meggie Moo. She was almost 2-years old and she made that awful place bearable. She was and still is the light of my life.


2. What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order)? (My list is for tomorrow since today is almost over)
Pay Bills (blechhhh!)
Stop at the grocery store after work (double blechhh)
Put Guitar Hero away and get some knitting done
Make a Doctor's appointment for my allergies
Veg on the couch the entire evening (after getting above said knitting done!)


3. Snacks I enjoy: Tillamook Extra-Sharp cheddar cheese on Triscuits with Jalapeno Tabasco sauce (OMG you must try this), Cadbury's Creme Eggs (Heaven...sheer heaven), Poore Brothers Salt & Vinegar Crisps (the key is to eat so many that the inside of your cheeks pucker).


4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire: Wow...better question would be "What wouldn't I do?". I'd get a leeetle bit of plastic surgery (my thighs and bum need some serious cottage cheese repair), buy a fabulous car and then I'd pack up all my lovely new couture clothes, buy a gorgeous cottage with lush gardens in Derbyshire, England, and knit the rest of my days away. Oh...and I've always wanted a Slush Puppie machine. You know the old school kind with the spinning white dog on the top and the syrup flavours you pump yourself. The green was my ABSOLUTE favourite but the old hag cashier used to yell at me..."3 pumps girl, you're only allowed 3 pumps. I disobeyed her warnings every single time.

5. Places I have lived: Chapeltown, England......Pella, IA......Prescott, AZ....Phoenix, AZ. I hope to be able to add more to that list at some point in my future.

6. Jobs I’ve had:
Cashier at Payless Shoe Store. Holy God I hated this job. I've never seen so many people bring stolen shoes back to a store to try and get a refund.

Maid at a Hotel - The things people do to the beds in hotels is abominable. Ever since this job I have brought my own bedding with me to hotels.
Senior Loan Processor & Underwriter - I've been in this profession since 1993. I used to say without a doubt that I loved my job. At the end of every day I came home with a sense of worth and accomplishment. Since the credit crisis, I find it a chore to drag myself out of bed every morning and the hours drag on and on. Our production has slowed almost to a halt and I so wish for the days when being at work was a joy.

7. Peeps I want to know more about: I want to know more about everyone. I love to hear people's stories and especially love to see people's photographs.

I'm not going to follow the rules on this and tag people. Anyone who wants to play along....be my guest. Send me a note if you do play, so I can be nosy and stalk your page.

Sunday, June 01, 2008

Stripes O' The Irish


I love this pattern. I love these colours. I love finishing. It was a good day.
Yarn: Universal Yarn Worsted - 2 skeins