Knit 1, Crochet 2

Bliss

2009-08-17T17:23:00.005-07:00

So, yea, I've been doing a lot of knitting. As in, obsessed with it all over again. Seeing how hot it is here in ~~hell~~ Arizona, I can't hike or be outside as much as I do when it isn't hot enough to make jerky in my car. I'm also obsessed with Ravelry. I usually leave it open all day on the boards and read when I need a break from the lovely thing called my job. It's truly one of the best things ever to come into the knitting world. It's expanded my list of what I want to knit (and my stash, go figure) as well as become a great place for knitting help. Of course, I'm there so much I forget I have a blog to update!

A few weeks ago, I was on the Navajo Reservation for a trip for work. There is a wonderful hotel right in Monument Valley that I was lucky (and my trusty trip sidekick, Brian. Best roadtrip buddy EVER.) to stay in. This is where I sat until midnight and where I got up at 5am to sit again to watch the sun come up.

Can't hate that, hmm?

The baby princess is getting so big! Her current loves are blueberries, calling everything "baby", hugging the cats (let me tell you how much they love that) and her books. Specifically, squishing herself into HER basket to read her books. My current love is watching her dance and seeing her have a fit of giggles.

How I adore this sweet little girl.

My work here is (almost) done

2009-05-25T18:30:00.004-07:00

I can finally say I survived until they graduated.

The sigh of relief must have been heard around the world. I'm so proud of them both.

Adventures

2009-05-18T07:51:00.005-07:00

Several years ago, Brian and I started getting interested in backpacking. New for me, not so new for him. He'd done it before, but it had been years and his backpack was in sorry shape and very heavy. Over the years I'd checked out every book on backpacking and read each new Backpacker magazine and dreamed. But backpacking equipment isn't cheap and we couldn't really afford it.

Until now.

With ~~anal retentive list making and obsessing~~ careful planning and making the most of some great sales, we finally had all our equipment! Right before and during the annual REI sale, we had gone there so many times the fabulous employees not only recognized us and knew our names, but we had a streak going on how many days in a row we had stopped by. Yea, we are freaks.

So finally...after years of dreaming, we were ready. As luck would have it, Brian's parents needed us to help them drive out to Silver City, NM for the summer and our first trip was in the works.

First, we went to the Gila Cliff Dwellings in the Gila Wilderness. Amazing! The largest I'd ever seen.

Then, it was time to slip on the packs and head out. We planned to hike in 2 miles and find a place to stay the night. Let me tell you, it takes some getting used to having 30+ pounds on your back and hiking! I'm glad we only hiked 2 miles. Kind of sucks that I've been able to hike 7 miles recently, but we will get there.

Neither of us took too many pictures, but this has to be the best hotel I've ever slept in. The Gila River was cold and perfect for a quick dip after a hot hike. And the filtered water was the best I'd ever drank. Waking in the middle of the night to see the moon and stars while snuggled in my sleeping bag really made it all worthwhile.

The bear tracks we found not far from our camp the next morning? Just a little scary.

Simple

2009-05-11T23:30:00.006-07:00

What's this? More knitting? It must be a miracle!

I'm working on 2 new projects - a blanket for a dear friends new baby and a felted purse. Remember my little felted bag obsession a few years ago? Well...I still have some yarn to make more!

The blanket couldn't be simpler - just a YO at the beginning of each row, after the border. The yarn is Encore Colorspun - from the stash!

The bag is knit from some unknown yarn I bought while visiting my parents a few years ago. It is rather scratchy, so it's perfect bag yarn.

I'm really trying to reduce my stash, seriously this time. I've become overwhelmed with all the crap in my house and feel like I need to simplify. I donated 2 kitchen-sized trash bags of yarn through Ravelry to 2 women who knit for charity that don't have the funds to buy yarn for their projects. In addition, I'm selling/trading off some yarn I know in my heart I'll never use. Hopefully this will go quick on Rav, or I'm selling on eBay. When it's all said and done, I'll have gotten rid of probably 60 skeins of yarn. Shocking, hmm? Now I'm determined to knit up the rest.

And how could I leave you without a picture of the Baby Princess? She got new shoes and decided that they were really a necklace. Too adorable!

Warning, actual knitting content ahead!

2009-05-06T14:24:00.007-07:00

Yea, yea...I know. How people blog with little ones around all the time is beyond me. More power to them!

I've actually been *gasp* knitting! And I took pictures to prove it! Hush, Sarah. First up, The February Lady Sweater. I LOVE it. It was fun and fast to knit, easy pattern and fits well. Were I not flopping around the house today in gym clothes, you might see a pic with me in it. Such is life.

And a close up of the lace:

Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease
Color: Terracotta
Skeins: About 5 1/2

Next up is a Twirly Skirt for the Baby Princess. This was an amazingly fast knit - it was done in a week! And stash yarn, too.

Yarn: Rowan Handknit Cotton

It's a little big on her, but I want it to fit this fall when it isn't 120 degrees in the shade.

In other news, said Baby Princess is 1 year old! Cranky Mommy Princess commented that time really does fly. I took a look at 19 year old Baseball Star and had to laugh. Yea, tell me about it.

I'll try to be a little better about blogging. Next for Brian and I? Backpacking! Wait until I tell you all about that.

I'd forgotten

2008-11-07T12:15:00.005-07:00

...how much time and energy a baby take. Of how there aren't enough hours in the day to work, clean, cook and take care of this little person. Of what life was like before bottles, diapers, baby cereal and baths. What it is like to watch a whole movie without stopping it 15 times.

But I'd also forgotten what it feels like to have a sweet baby snuggle into your neck. To reach up for you so that you will pick her up, simply because she loves you. The funny babbling noises she will make as she is learning to use her voice. The silly baby belly laughs when I make faces at her. And the way her little face lights up with a huge smile when I come home from work and she emits this delightful little squeel.

With Stephanie in school full time and now working part time, we've been watching her every night and most weekends. The weeks seem to fly by. It hasn't been easy, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Movies, books and yarn will wait. For now? There is Princess Sophia, calling me from the other room to show me how facinating her chubby little feet are.

She's right, they are.

I should win an award

2008-08-12T13:51:00.004-07:00

As the worst blogger, ever! Jeesh! Life has truly been crazy. Who knew such a little person would cause such chaos?

But she is truly the light of my life. I'm so in love with this little person, it's probably nauseating. There is nothing like coming home, picking her up and her face lighting up with a big smile to make my day. To say the last year was the hardest of my family's life is the understatment of the century. But to see that little face and have her snuggle into my neck...makes it all worth it.

Note to anyone thinking of knitting baby sweaters. Unless you are having or gifting for a baby born in winter and you live where it's really cold, don't waste your time. She wore one of the 3 I knit. One time. Oh well, it kept me busy and out of trouble.

Now that things are settling down a bit, I'm actually knitting again! Imagine that! I'm nearly done knitting Liesl. It's so funny, I met Sarah on Sunday for a bit of knitting and wine drinking. She hasn't been knitting much lately, either, and she is knitting the same sweater! We are really peas in a pod. I don't know what I would have done without her this last year.

So yes, I'm alive. Hopefully I can start blogging a bit more! Did ya miss me?

I have a good excuse

2008-05-02T13:11:00.006-07:00

I know, I know. But it truly has all been worth it. The last few months were a flurry of getting ready activity for the sweetest little thing.

Sophia Gabrielle
Born April 23, 2008
2:14 p.m.
6 pounds, 9.2 ounces
20 inches

Welcome to the world, Princess Sophia. We hope you have a happy life filled with love.

And this picture sums up the day perfectly.

Let the sewing begin!

2008-02-07T17:05:00.000-07:00

Not only is there knitting and crocheting been going on here at the Casa, but there has been some behind the scenes sewing as well.

When the Princess was a little Princess, I made lots of sundresses for her. And let's not forget all the Halloween costumes I made, too. I knew there was going to be a lot more sewing in the future for the baby Princess. So, with Sarah's ~~enabling~~ advice, I bought a new-to-me serger.

Isn't she just beautiful? $150 for a beautifully kept Bernina serger that retailed back in the day for around $800 or so. She needed a bit of cleanup and some oil, but is running like new. Like the cat in the background? We have to let him sleep there or he will drive us nuts with trying to be close.

Sarah was kind enough to have the Princess and I over on Saturday morning for some lessons. You know, so I wouldn't serge my fingers together. We made this fabulous bag. Ok, Sarah made it and I watched.

And Sarah shoved all kinds of fabric goodies in my bag without me looking. The blue polka dots are for a little bag to hold my sock knitting. Now I have to remember how to sew it up.

I've really missed her since she ~~defected~~ moved to Scottsdale and it was so nice to finally spend some time together.

Armed with her great lessons and a bit of confidence, I finally finished this little dress that was taking forever on my regular machine. The finishing of hems when you have only a sewing machine is a real PIA and makes everything take 2 - 3 times as long. Not good when you are trying to whip out several outfits on my limited time. The little diaper cover took 15 minutes to cut, sew and finish. And that was including the elastic.

Not too bad, huh? Yes, there are pins where the button holes should be. I just bought an attachement for my machine and I'm trying to get the guts to do it. I've had my sewing machine for 16 years and never did buttonholes! My plan is to find fabric on sale (or in your friend's stash - heh!) and make up several sets of these on the cheap. Plus, it's fun! The Princess really loves these and is so excited about me making all the baby clothes. I have fabric for 5 variations of this outfit, then we are moving onto fall/winter clothes. She is dying for me to make this cheetah print vest for the baby that she saw in a pattern book. She is in Florida this week and doesn't know I'll be making it while she is gone.

Back to the baby apparel factory for me!

It will be my Smooshy!

2008-01-28T15:33:00.000-07:00

Ok, I mangled a line from one of my all-time favorite movies. But still, I love me the Smooshy. I think the mailman was playing with my Smooshy, because even though Erin at Eat.Sleep.Knit shipped on Saturday, I didn't get it until Thursday! And it was shipped Priority Mail! I've always sworn it takes forever for things to get here in ~~hell~~ Arizona. We went out to dinner and I grabbed it from the mailbox to ~~stroke~~ feel how soft it was in the car. Soooo soft and the color so deep and gorgeous. I was in love.

It quickly became...

And on Friday night I finally picked a pattern and started knitting. The yarn is truly lovely to work with and I love the color more every time I pick it up. These are for me! Imagine that, hmm? I can't wait to wear them. Speaking of which. Those of you that knit socks and wear them, how do you show them off? What shoes do you wear them with? I'm looking for new clogs, but I have trouble with ones that have too high an arch. **ETA - Helps if I include the picture, hmm?

Of course, no blog post of mine would be complete without some baby knitting. I finally figured out what I had to do about not getting gauge on Anouk and started knitting yesterday (In the recommended yarn and colors. I NEVER do that! I'm a little over pink right now.) while it rained all day (a rare occurrence here in Arizona) and we watched movies. However, I'm not so sure I figured it all out right. It looks small and I was hoping it would fit the baby when she is 6 months old. The bottom is 12" across. My math is telling me that it should be 12.25 for the small. What do you think?

I finished the Baby Bell Bottoms.

You can see that they are not all pink. Because I ran out of yarn. Even though there were 2 knots in each skein, I still wouldn't have had enough. So, if you plan on making these, make sure to order an extra skein. Unless you like a contrasting waistband, of course. :)

Yarn: Knitpicks Shine, Blush
Needles: Knitpicks Options (I LOVE these needles), size 6
Time to knit: A few evenings (with plenty of interruptions)

Also note that as you are knitting the top, what you think is the back is actually the front. Keep that in mind when you find yet another d&*m knot in the yarn. I loved the yarn, but that just pisses me off. I plan on knitting another pair in purple, just the 6 months size. I have 3 skeins of yarn, which should be plenty.

Thank you for your get well wishes! I'm doing better, I just wish that I could get rid of the cough.

I've also been sewing, but that's for another post. Meanwhile, I think I want a serger.

Back to the baby knitting factory!

**Special thanks to my personal photographer, Brian. Love ya, babe.**

More baby knits

2008-01-20T16:27:00.000-07:00

See what I bought myself with my Christmas bonus? Brian is out of his swift job, but I don't think he minds.

I pulled out my 2 gorgeous skeins of Claudia Hand Painted Yarn in the Plumicious colorway and started winding.

Excuse the crappy picture, but umm...doesn't something look off? Yea, one skein is 40 grams, the other is 70. I'm just going to knit toe up until I run out of the smaller skein and then wind off 15 grams of the other. You know me, I like to use up every inch of handpainted goodiness. These are destined to be Monkey Socks with a mod for toe up that I found somewhere in blogland.

Finally finished blanket number two for the granddaughter (god, that stil freaks me out).

Yarn - Encore, 6 skeins
Pattern - Sheila's Laprobe
Hook - Size H
Time to crochet - Too damn long

I finished over 2/3 of this while the Princess was in the hospital for 2 days with an acute stomach virus that had all of us very worried. She is all better now, but I think I aged 5 more years in 3 days.

Also knit while she was in the hospital (Very easy to knit there, you know. She sleeps and doesn't want me to leave her side, so I knit and crocheted for HOURS. I don't recommend it, however, as a way to finish off projects.) are 2 baby bibs in Sugar 'n Cream. These are no brainers. Perfect for 4am knitting and you can't fall asleep in the chair.

This might be my favorite baby project so far.

Alison's Baby Bell Bottoms. Very well written pattern, soft yarn and a quick knit. I have yarn for a purple pair in a 6 month size, too.

Now, back to bed with me. Because I don't have enough going on without somehow coming down with pneumonia and having a lovely reaction to the meds. Yea.

Hanging my head in shame

2008-01-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

I couldn't help it! Look at this, would you?

Knitters around blogland have been extolling the virtues of Dream in Color Smooshy. I began to covet the Smooshy. Spending hours and hours looking at all the color combinations, dreaming of how soft the yarn would be in my hands as I knit it, how soft the sock would be on my tired feet. I resisted. I made a vow!!

I caved.

But...but...look at it!! Look at the depth of the color, the richness of that buttery yellow. You can feel the smooshiness through the picture. It was calling to me, dammit! "Heather, please buy me. Please take me home and pet me and spread the smooshy love."

So, I placed an order through a new online shop that I just really have come to adore - Eat, Sleep, Knit. Isn't that the best name for a yarn shop? I so hope she ships my yarn today. Because, you know, I only have enough for 17 pairs of socks.

Stop laughing. You know you covet my smoooshy.

Baby knitting factory

2008-01-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

And the baby knitting continues. What is it about baby knits that is so much fun? First up is a hat and baby sock set knit out of self-striping yarn that I can't remember to save my life.

Isn't it adorable? The hat pattern is a recipie from Knitting Rules by the beloved Yarn Harlot. Knit a gauge swatch, do some math, you have a hat. Very simple and I love the way it turned out. The socks are from a free pattern on I'm Knitting as Fast as I Can. Very easy to follow, but really hard to knit such wee things on my needles.

I also finished a pair of socks that have been lingering on the needles for a long, long time.

Yarn? Who knows. Some kind of bamboo and cotton, I think. Very soft, but very splitty and the blue ran when I hand washed the damn things. They were more cream before I washed them. Oh well. The pattern is Wendy's Generic Toe-Up Feather and Fan Sock from Wendy Knits. I love her sock construction and this pattern was very easy. I prefer toe-up socks so I'm not worried about running out of yarn and so that I can use every inch of yarn, especially when it comes to hand painted yarns (this wasn't but still).

And who doesn't want to knit Alison's adorable Baby Bell Bottoms? The yarn is Shine Sport from KnitPicks and I love it. Soooo soft, non-splitty and cheap! Can't get better than that. Like Brian's feet in the picture? All the others were blurry, so you get to see his feet. And yes, for those of you in the frozen North, he's wearing flip flops. Only 65 here right now. ::snicker::

I needed to clean out the yarn stash a bit to find all my Sugar N' Cream to make knitted baby bibs (thanks again, Sarah, for helping me find the pattern). They are addictive and I've already knit 3 of them. I've been tired of digging through huge bins of yarn to find everything, so I used my stash of zipped plastic bags (from sheet sets and such) to sort the yarn - sock yarn, wool yarn, shawl yarn. Holy crap. I swear, it's breeding in there. There are so many new, gorgeous hand painted yarns in the online shops these days and I've been drooling over them all. I made a deal with Brian that for every 2 pairs of socks I knit, I can buy yarn for another pair (really, he doesn't care, but I have enough now for 17 PAIRS.). I knit one sock over a weekend, so if I stick to it I can have some new, pretty yarn soon!

Must.knit.faster.

Mom, does this match?

2008-01-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

My son has a very good heart. Now, that sometimes clashes with his immature brain, but he really is a very good kid (most of the time).

He was SO excited to give me my Christmas gift this year. As you may know (hush, Sarah), I love Crocs. I have 4 pairs of Beach and 2 of their flip flops (I am SUCH a flip-flop girl and these are the comfiest ever. Yes, they are $35. No, I don't care. My feet are cute and deserve them.). Anyway. The Star can't wait for me to open his gift to me on Christmas. I open them and I swear, I had to cover my eyes.

Trust me, this picture does not accurately pick up their eye-blinding capabilities. They defy logic. They can be seen from space. But, I'm going to wear them. Because I can't break his heart by taking them back.

I figure with jeans and a neutral shirt they aren't that bad. But I need socks to go with them. Hell, might as well go all for it, hmm? So, anyone out there know of a soft, non-scratchy sock yarn that would match? You know, so I can be seen from Mars?

Knitting keeps me sane

2007-12-29T11:30:00.001-07:00

Hard to believe that 2007 is coming to a close. Where did the year go? Doesn't it seem like we just did this last week?

When I sit down and try to write a blog post or email a friend, I think about how crazy things have been in the Casa, yet I have trouble coming up with lists of all that is going on. And when I do, I read it and say, "How can I be so busy, yet this is all I'm doing?". Work was really busy the last 2 months. I moved into a lovely new office that I had painted a pretty sage green. In the middle of that, I started my end-of-the-year audit. Toss getting ready for Christmas into the mix, and well, now I can see how I get so busy.

Things with the Princess are settling down. She isn't as sick as she was in the beginning and no where near as emotionally fragile. Hell, either am I. I'm no longer crying myself to sleep or throwing up from stress. My family has finally come to their senses about the baby and are trying harder to not be such twits about it all.

On December 24th (Which is also our wedding anniversary. Funny, 2 Pagans getting married on Christmas Eve. Long story.), we got an early Christmas present. Seems as though I'll be a Nana (which I picked for the baby to call me) to a baby girl. I'm finally starting to get excited, which has been a huge issue for me. I still have moments of despair, but it is getting better.

Through all the stress, I've been knitting like a fiend. The day we found out it was a girl, I went nuts with buying girly colored yarn and fabric. Brian just laughs, but is relieved I've found a way to channel all this emotion. The pictures aren't the greatest. We just bought a new camera and are still learning how to use it.

First up was my usual baby blanket - The Feather and Fan Baby Blanket. I've knit this pattern a few times and I never get tired of it. Knit, as always, in Encore. I followed the same pattern setup as I have every time I knit it.

I had originaly started this sweater for my nephew, but never got it done (bad Auntie Heather!). So, I finished it and knit a pair of Saartje's Booties (which are the cutest booties EVER) to go with it.

Butterfly buttons make it a little more feminine, I think. Too funny that I knit it from Butterfly 10 yarn. I didn't even think about that when I bought the buttons. I crack myself up.

The first pink project was something I swore I'd never make again. The Bunny Blanket Buddy from Lion Brand and is knit in VelvetSpun. It's hard on the hands to knit, the horribly written pattern has mistakes and it's impossible to weave in the ends. But it is so cute and soooo soft. So, I knit it with a smile on my face thinking of the baby snuggling it.

Of course, I had to knit a 5 Hour Baby Sweater Set. I really love this pattern, although I don't know who came up with the 5 hour estimate, takes me much longer. Maybe it is all the interruptions I get? I love the yarn. It's Patons Decor in the Florals Varigated. The clear buttons don't show well in the picture, but I wanted the yarn to be the star. It's so little!

Still on the hook is a crocheted afghan made out of Encore. I've made several of these over the years. I can crochet it without looking, so it stays in the car. I've worked on it at every one of Stephanie's doctor appointments and while Brian drives and am exactly halfway done.

I'm also swatching for Anouk from Knitty, but I can't get gauge! It's supposed to be 18 stitches to 4 inches on a size 6, but I'm up to an 8 and still can't get it. And the 8's are giving me a fabric that I think is too loose. I might just knit the smallest size and use a needle where I like the fabric. It will be bigger, but that's ok. I've been waiting forever for someone to have a girl so I could knit this. Anyone else have a better idea?

When the Princess was a little girl herself, I sewed all kinds of sundresses for her. She wants me to do the same for her little one, so I bought a few patterns and the most adorable material.

So, I guess that's why I've been so busy. Things are getting better and I'm hoping to not be such a hermit in the new year. Off to knit!

**P.S. When I originaly posted about the Princess being pregnant, I got some nasty emails from complete strangers who I've never heard from/of before. Really, if you googled your way here and want to be nasty, save it. Anything you have to say I've said to myself 100+ times. I don't need to feel like anymore of a failure as a mother than I already do.

My new happy place

2007-10-07T18:05:00.000-07:00

Things have been quite stressful here at Casa de la Cranky Teenagers. On a daily basis I feel like I'm losing my damn mind. Since we moved into the house, I really wanted a little place to call my own. Or at least somewhere I would love to sit and relax. Today Brian and I went to Lowe's to pick up a little something for me. Ok, for all of us, but I'm the one that really wanted it. Brian spent the day putting together my new favorite place to knit.

Isn't it just lovely? Kindly ignore the half dead plant behind my happy spot. I'm dammed determined to grow that plant here in Arizona. It is one of my favorites. I was so happy when he finished, I cried. A little dramatic, but things have been so tough and this made me so happy.

Being knit this afternoon is a blanket for the Princess' baby. Another Feather and Fan baby blanket in Encore cream. I love this pattern. As I work on it, I'm knitting it with love and good wishes for the baby. Certainly helps me relax.

My goal is to make 3 blankets for the baby. One other will be knit in the basketweave stitch in either pink or blue (we will find out the sex of the baby around Thanksgiving) and I'm crocheting another one in favorite pattern of mine.

I've made this blanket many times. Variegated yarn (Encore, the best yarn ever for baby blankets) works the best with this pattern. Crochet is still really hard on my hands, which bums me out. I leave this one in the car and work on it when I can. I had more done, but ripped it all out when I realized it was going to be WAY too big.

I'm also working on a scarf for a friend for Christmas who lives where it actually gets cold in the winter. I've ripped it out 3 times now, but I think I'm liking this version.

See, told you I was knitting again!

Lots of love

2007-09-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

Thank you very much for the kind comments and emails welcoming me back to blogger land. I still can't believe how long I was gone!

Not only did I disappear from blogger land, I stopped going to my knitting group on Tuesdays, too. Which could also account for my lapse of sanity since I couldn't ~~escape~~ meet up with my friends every week. I finally kicked myself out of the house, with the help of the hubby, and met up with
Pam, Michelle, Nancy and Melanie. All of which I hadn't seen in FOREVER. It was so good to see them because I missed them all bunches.

And...I'm knitting again! For months I just didn't even WANT to knit. I know, for those of you who knit every single day, try not to faint. Nothing inspired me. I would take out my yarn and just go...eh. But now more than ever I NEED to knit. I need that relaxation I get from knitting. From creating something beautiful when my life is a mess to that soothing clicking only my favorite pair of needles (given to be by dear friend Sarah gave me) makes.

I'm currently knitting another Feather and Fan baby blanket in Encore cream. Forgive the lack of pictures, I just didn't have time and I wanted to post. I'm also knitting another baby sweater. I loved this pattern so much the first time, I'm knitting it again. The yarn I'm using isn't as "shiny" as the other yarn. I'm also knitting a few other baby things. Why? Well, I'll be a grandmother in April. The Princess is having a little prince or princess of her own. Yes, I know. While not an ideal situation, we are choosing to be supportive and stand by her and love her as much as possible. The rest will sort itself out.

So, I knit. I knit for a little one that may be a surprise, but will still be loved as much as it's mommy is. Because even though it will be hard, with love you can get through it all.

Tiptoeing in

2007-09-18T22:36:00.000-07:00

So...the obvious question is, Where the hell has Heather been?

Good question, because I'm not sure I know. Life has been, well, hard. Really hard. I can't believe it has been 10 months since I posted. And then I think back over those 10 months and well...I know why.

Part of it? Burnout. From EVERYTHING. Work, kids, doing laundry, cleaning, cooking, working, more working, cats and yea...knitting. Part of it was working with the kids through the loss of their dad. The rest? Sorry, not a lot I really want to go into on a blog supposed to be about knitting. I hope you will understand. Those closest to me either know or will know very soon. But, life gets better and I've learned that you can make it through things you never thought would happen to you. And, when you feel like you are at the very last inch of that rope is when you know who your friends are, and when you realize your extended family was worse than you though.

But, in that 10 months I also had some really happy times. Alaska...the trip I have dreamed of for 20 years. It was everything I thought it would be. And twice as expensive!

And...after 10 months of my needles collecting dust, I'm knitting again. It's gotten me through stressful times before and it is again.

I'll be here...I'm too stubborn to quit.

Now, to catch up on a few thousand blogs I haven't read in months.

WTF Friday

2006-11-17T15:29:00.000-07:00

I went back and forth wondering if I should post this. Then thought, why not?

The backing of a pad tab.

Are you kidding me? I mean, really, WTF? I almost fell on the floor laughing.

Ok, ok...I'll knit

2006-11-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

Been awhile since I posted, huh? Things haven't been great around the Casa. In fact, bad could be the understatement of the year. But, I continue to have hope that it will get better. I dare not say it can't get worse. Life will call you on that one, for sure.

I do still plan on distributing my stash yarn. Just give me a little time to get my head back together. One more thing on my plate and it might just break.

After a frenzy of knitting, I didn't knit for weeks. I just couldn't. I was too damn depressed. Now, you know you are starting to bug your hubby when HE suggests you knit. And since Brian knows me better than anyone, I listened. And I'm glad I did. This weekend I picked up the needles and finished several projects that were sitting in my basket. Excuse the crappy pictures. The lighting in the house sucked and outside wasn't much better.

First up was to knit about 6 rows and seam the famous 5 hour baby sweater. It is knit from STASH yarn (I know, try not to faint), Lily Elite to be exact. I think I've had it for 3 years. Heh.

This is for a neighbor who is having her second baby, a little girl, in December. The shower is next weekend. I also found a pattern for matching hat and booties.

Cute, no? I had planned on making the Baby Kimono from IK, but I had a dilemma. The yarn Sarah gave me was gorgeous. However, it was fingering weight yarn. Did I really want to spend that much time on a little baby sweater? Not really. So, the cotton 5 hour sweater was perfect. And it might get more wear because of our weather and the ease of washing it.

Next to finish is a baby sweater for my nephew, Logan, who is due in February. I knit most of it while in Florida for my ex-husband's funeral. I stopped with about 4 inches to go in the hood. The knitting was finished on Sunday morning and I seamed it last night. I love seaming. Really. I love watching how mattress stitching comes together. Like a puzzle or something.

I loved knitting this sweater. The pattern is Daisy by The Yarn Harlot. Fabulous pattern. I used the yarn she recommended, Butterfly Super 10, which is a mercerized cotton yarn that I happen to love. Both this and the 5 hour sweater need blocking and buttons, which I will pick up tomorrow. Like my toe in the shot? I love pedicures where they paint flowers on my big toe. Hey, everyone has to have their thing.

Still on the needles is the Cece sweater. I came to a point where I was totally stuck. But, with the help of the brilliant Sarah, I think I can start on it again. Now I just have remember what we decided. And I have a month to finish it. Ugh.

I'll leave you with a hilarious picture. Brian left this bowl on our bed for just a minute while he was putting away Halloween decorations. Sadie couldn't resist. I think he wound up sleeping in there.

ETA: Sorry about the huge pictures. Photobucket and blogger hate me today.

Life goes on...

2006-10-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

Things have been getting better, as I knew with time they would be. There are still up and down days. Staying busy and spending time with friends has helped.

This weekend was Homecoming. They had a fabulous time! I still can't believe how fast they are growing up.

Me? I've been knitting and worrying. Doing better, but still worried. Nights are still hard for them and they are clingy at times.

Thank you again for all your support. Hopefully things will start moving a little more toward normal soon.

home

2006-10-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

I'm back home in Arizona and it feels like I have been gone a month. To say this has been a surreal week is an understatement. And to say it is the worst time in my children's lives couldn't be more of an understatement. Seeing them so sad and sobbing is killing me. I understand the need for their expressions of grief and am thankful that they aren't holding back. I cannot bear to see them cry, asking me why and hearing them beg for him back. I answer what I can and hold them as close as they want to be held. And cry with them for their loss.

And I am so mad at him. Mad that he didn't care enough to take care of himself for them. Mad that he made them cry like this. And mad about things I've found out about him since he passed.

There was nothing for me to do while they went to spend time with his family. I worried obsessively. And I knit. And knit. I knit an entire baby sweater while I waited. Something to keep my brain a little busy while I waited to be needed for a hug or a snuggle. And worried about my babies.

Thank you for your kind comments and emails. I'm trying to write everyone back slowly, but we all know how blogger sucks about comments. So I thank you from my heart. I needed every single one of them.

Goodbye

2006-10-08T17:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend the Princess and Star's lives changed forever. My ex, their Dad, passed away on Saturday in his sleep. He had been ill for such a long time but seemed to be doing ok as of late. We all knew he wouldn't ever be back to the way he was, but we all thought it was at least a little better.

He and I had come to a "truce" of sorts over the years. Gone was all the fighting and in it's place a sort of friendship. It is hard for me to comprehend that someone I've known since I was 18 and was married to for 10 years is gone.

Telling my children their father died was the worst thing I have ever had to do. And watching them break down the hardest thing I have ever seen. We have spent hours talking. And hours crying together. They have ups and downs. Making this even harder for them is that today is the Star's 17th birthday.

We leave for Tampa on Tuesday morning. Please tell the people around you that you love them today. And make peace with someone who perhaps you are on the outs with. You never know when it will be the last time you see or talk to them. Life is too short for fighting, tears and unhappiness.

Obsessed

2006-09-27T11:47:00.000-07:00

I'm clearly an obsessed knitter. First, I should clarify. I'm the kind of person that will make light or fun of just about everything. When the Princess needed staples in her head after falling off a bench at school, I made her laugh the whole time telling her that everything she learned was leeking out her head. "Oh no, there goes the 3 times tables!". Yea, I'm a little warped.

So yesterday, when a violent case of vertigo (Caused by a severe middle ear infection. Who knew? My ear doesn't even hurt!) sent me to the ER, I wouldn't let the nurse put the IV in my hand. Because I'm a knitter, you know. I swear, the look she gave me could have melted ice.

To clarify a little about the giveaway. You can use the yarn to crochet or knit for whatever charity you like. If you don't have one in mind, you can send it back to me for distribution through Arizona Warming Families or to the Dulaan project.

I'm headed back to the couch. So the room can stop moving. Ugh.

Yarn giveaway - with "strings" attached

2006-09-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

I have more acrylic yarn than I'm ever going to use in a lifetime. Most of it is Red Heart. Which I still think is perfect for couch afghans (I have one I crocheted 10 years ago on my couch. It is still soft and looks great. Except for the holes the cats chewed in it. Ingrates.) and charity knitting (wears like iron and holds up to any kind of washing).

I'd like to give most of it away to a good home. Here is where the strings part comes in.

It has to be used for charity knitting. You can either send the items back to me, to be distributed through my charity Arizona Warming Families or to the Dulaan Project. I'm cooking up a little contest, too, so take pictures of what you made.

Sound good? Interested? Leave a comment with your email address and I'll contact you for your shipping address. Shipping to you is on me :)

Knit crazy

2006-09-25T17:19:00.000-07:00

See what happens when I don't knit for a few weeks? I go knitting crazy. This weekend Cece and I spent some quality time together.

I have about 6 inches done of the body with 5 more to go. I'm making the body 2 inches longer. This is such a fun knit. The pattern rows are easy to remember, making for a fast knit as well. Not bad for my second sweater, huh?

I really love this sweater and I'm hoping my stepmom will, too. There will be another one for me one of these days.

I also started knitting a baby sweater for my nephew who is due in February. My sister doesn't like pastels, so I thought red would be a good choice. The pattern is Daisy, by the Yarn Harlot without any of the embellishments. I'm knitting the hooded sweater.

Not a great picture, but you get the idea. I'll also be starting the baby kimono from IK with yarn Sarah and I are going to trade for. It's the same yarn she knit her kimono with. I loved the colors and she had enough left over to share. So nice of her! My neighbor is having a girl in December, so I thought it would be perfect.

Did I mention I missed knitting?

Knitting again

2006-09-22T10:20:00.000-07:00

Twice in a week? Try not to faint.

I'm loving knitting Cece. No, not my blogfriend and SP extraordinaire, Cece, but the pattern by the fabulous Bonne Marie. When I pulled it out at knitting the other night I was so lost. I didn't know where I was in the pattern, since I hadn't touched it since my post in August, and couldn't figure it out for the life of me. I sat down last night determined to find my way. Finally some light bulb clicked on in my head and now I'm knitting happily along. It really is a beautiful sweater and the yarn is just so soft and nice to knit with. You can see a picture below. I've done 2 more repeats of the lace pattern since the picture was taken.

It's funny. Brian is happy I'm knitting again. I think it calms me down and keeps my mind off Cranky Teenagers, work and health issues. And out of his hair:) I've missed knitting.

Thank you for your supportive comments. I'll be ok, just need to find my way a bit.

Changes

2006-09-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

Has it really been almost a month since I posted? Where does time go? Since my last post I hadn't knit at all until last night. Not a stitch. Hasn't stopped me from wanting to buy yarn, though. But I've resisted so far. I think yarn hoarding is another obsession all on it's own. Hey...that works! I "collect" yarn. No one says anything about my thimble collection, so why can't I have a yarn collection? Good Lord I'm my own worst enabler.

Things remain the same around Casa de la Cranky Teenagers. The Star is actually getting good grades (did I just see a few flakes fall from the sky?!?) which has to do with the fact that he is in love and wants to be able to go out every weekend with the object of his adoration. Heh. Nothing like a little blackmail, huh? But, she is a very sweet girl and they are totally happy together. They are the best of friends, too. The Princess is well...the Princess. And I love her :)

I wasn't going to blog about this, but I need to get over myself. Since I last posted I was diagnosed diabetic. Granted, my numbers are low. But it scared the shit out of me and threw me for a total loop. Adjusting my food, pricking my freaking finger every morning...not easy to get used to. Hence the lack of knitting, going to knitting last week and doing anything more than figuring out what I have to do to get my act together. With a few nights of crying added in. I'm not one to sit around and mope about things for long, so now I'm hitting the gym every morning and trying to adjust to that schedule. Thank God for my crazy family and a wonderful friend who has helped more than she knows.

So nope, I haven't disappeared. Just trying to figure out life a little.

Lots of knitting!

2006-08-29T22:56:00.000-07:00

Things are crazy busy here at Casa de la Cranky Teenagers. Work is chaotic. Home is well...normal for around here. The teenagers are cranky and the cats are nuts. I think I'm developing some kind of tic when I hear the Princess' blood curdling screeching. I mean yelling. I mean talking. Thanks for all the advice on the Star. Alison had a great suggestion of going to school for the day with him. Except one thing. I've done that. Yep. 8th grade. I didn't say a word, just sat with him during every class. His friend summed it up perfectly. "Dude, is that your mom?" "Yep." "Duuuudeee...that sucks!" He has been given the warning and next time, I'm gonna be a high school student for the day. Sarah is going to make me a glittery shirt that says "Star's Mommy". Maybe I could bring my knitting?

There has been lots of knitting. You know, to keep me kind of sane.

A little progress on the Log Cabin Baby Blanket. It is kind of hot to work on right now. All that wool in my lap is a bit much. Also, some freaky thing is going on with the cats and the blanket and the yarn for it. No matter what bag I put it in, no matter how I secure the bag, the cats keep getting into it. I find the yarn all over the house and the blanket with it. No major damage, but they have never done this.

Not exactly my colors for a baby blanket, but my sister likes it and that is what counts.

I also want to make her several bibs and baby washcloths. So, the weekend before last I did just that. 2 of the bibs on the right are crocheted, the other 3 are knit. The washcloths are all knit. A little boring, but good for a movie. I finished a bib and a washcloth during one movie using one ball of Sugar 'n Cream. Not bad for $1, huh?

As I might have mentioned (ok, Sarah is probably sick of it by now) I'm going to Alaska with my family in June. I've been wanting to knit Cece for my step-mom for a long time now. I love her very much and as soon as I saw the pattern, I knew it would be perfect for her. So, I'm knitting it for her Christmas present to take on the cruise.

The yarn is from my stash (imagine that!) and is a very soft, almost icy looking green. It is a wonderful yarn by Red Heart called Cotton Twist that is discontinued. It is just like Cotton Ease, which I loved and is also discontinued. I loved how it knit up in my swatch. Very soft, a little drapey and nice stitch definition. If you knit it, watch that first row of the pattern after the ribbing. You have to really pay attention and double check your stitches by counting. That row sets up the lace pattern and if you get it wrong, you really should rip it out. Which I did. Twice.

I love knitting...it is really my little bit of peace in my crazy life.

283 days!

2006-08-21T15:49:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't been posting, I can't believe how time flies! But...I have wonderful news!

Since I was in high school, I have dreamed of an Alaskan Cruise. When I was in Florida this summer, my sister-in-law suggested a family trip to Alaska. Did we want to go? Are you kidding?!? We may not be able to eat until then (good diet, right?), but we are going!! Both my brothers and their families, my parents and my family will leave for Alaska on June 1, 2007 for a 7 day cruise. I was so excited that when I was confirming everything I was crying. I'm such a dork.

Average temperatures in Chandler, Arizona in June? 68 - 104. Average temperatures in Juneau, Alaska in June? 46 - 62.

And you know what you have to wear when it is only 46 - 62 degrees? Sweaters!!! See, I knew my stash would come in handy!

Calgon, take me away

2006-08-16T09:13:00.000-07:00

Someone out there, please explain something to me. Please. Yesterday was the 7th day of school. 7th. How is it that my darling son already has between 4 - 6 tardies in EACH class and skipped History ON THE SECOND DAY OF SCHOOL?!?!?

And how, after being grounded off the computer last weekend (during the school year they can only use it on weekends) for being tardy nearly every day in 3 classes (that I knew about until last night) and being told that if was tardy again he would be grounded for the weekend from going out (hence him not seeing his new girlfriend. Sorry, not new, they celebrate their anniversary today. 1 month. Ahem.), he wound up being late to several classes. And found himself sweeping the halls at school as punishment?

Last night was open house. How embarassing to be pulled aside by 3 teachers to be talked about his attendance issues. I am so freaking over this.

The bright spot in my week was receiving a wonderful package from my Secret Pal. There would be pictures if I wasn't having to ground said teenager last night. Who is surprised and pissed off that he is being grounded.

I'm going to survive the next 2 years, right? Right?

Oh happy day

2006-08-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

ETA - Sorry if you seeing this twice, blogger is acting like a cranky teenager.

You may want to skip this if you either, 1) don't like football (I don't know how that could be possible, though) or 2) only want to see yarn related stuff (that's ok, too). But then you'd miss one of the happiest days (albeit filled with frustration) I've had in a long time.

Saturday I got to see my Steelers up close. I almost cried. I almost got into a fight, too, but we'll skip that part.

They played the ~~embarrassment to the NFL, almost as bad as the Cowgirls~~ Cardinals for a preseason game in their new stadium - affectionately nicknamed ~~gag~~ The Nest (Good God people, this is FOOTBALL. "The Nest"?!? Want some juice and cookies to watch the game, too?) Now, while the outside of the stadium looks like a freaking spaceship, the inside is amazing.

Concession stand lines were horrible. It took Brian AN HOUR to get food. Missing the 2nd quarter and halftime. He was so pissed.

The best part of the game? Now while we had awesome seats, with 10 minutes left in the 4th quarter we knew we could do better. So, we ran over to the other side of the stadium to get closer.

Close enough to tell them I loved them (yea, I did. I'm a dork.) and just about cry. I was SO happy.

Can ya tell?

Yea, we lost. But I didn't care. It's preseason. We played with our 3rd and 4th string. Our quarterback was alive and well (and wearing a helmet).

I love football. And for my 30th season, I love my Steelers.

More love!

2006-08-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much for your kind comments and emails about the shawl. One thing I really don't like about blogger is that comments don't include email. Why?

I wore the Shawlette to knit with my friends last night and I think they loved it, too. Either that or they felt really sorry for me that I ventured out in the 105 degree heat with a merino wool shawl draped over my shoulders. No one said I was playing with a full deck anyway, so they probably weren't surprised.

I needed more Shawlette love, so I started another one.

I originally bought little reddish beads to use, but they really didn't show up at all and actually looked a little dull when the yarn was pulled through them. So, I'm using clear beads that give just a little sparkle. This way, the gorgeous Koigu is the star. As it should be, right?

I finished one of the Steelers socks at knitting, so I pulled out the Log Cabin baby blanket to work on.

It is really fun to work on, but a little warm. I have plenty of time to work on it. My sister is due in February.

So in love

2006-08-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

I am so in love with this shawl. It fits perfectly, drapes perfectly and feels devine.

Drying was taking longer than I wanted to stay awake for (it was on the floor and I didn't trust the cats to not destroy it in my sleep), so we put a fan out and it dried really fast. So I could wear it to work, you know. Good thing I have my own AC in my office, huh? Thank you all very much for your kind comments. Brian is quite the keeper. I adore him :)

ETA: A HUGE thank you to Wendy at Cat Knits for the gorgeous Koigu that I won on a contest on her blog. Thanks again, Wendy!

Don't I look happy? Yea. It was 90 at 8am. Ugh.

Last week I won a puppy naming contest over at my friend Bliss' blog. You have to go take a look at her newest puppy. So cute! I was really hoping I won the puppy, but this is pretty darn good.

Lorna's Laces sock yarn in so-perfect-for-me colors and a sock blocker keychain! Isn't that cute? You knit a wee little sock for the blocker and it becomes your keychain. I think I'll leave myself a little of the Steelers sock yarn for that. Thanks again, Bliss!!

In case you are keeping track of the reasons the Princess hates me, I have an updated list for you. I don't let her do "anything" including the following: wear skirts so short you can see her crotch, get fake nails, get her hair highlighted, get a belly button ring and let her go wherever she wants, whenever she wants without having to ask permission. And I won't buy the $22,000 new car when she turns 16.

I am truly "a horrible mother". Gee, I didn't know my eyes could roll that far back in my head.

Finished!

2006-08-07T20:37:00.000-07:00

This is why I have the best husband in the world.

Blocking is so hard for me. I always have a hard time making everything even and this shawl had to be blocked a certain way. And crawling around the floor is even harder for me. Brian is great at blocking! Who knew?

A closeup of the stitches and beads.

I really love this shawl. The pattern is easy and very well written. The beads are put on with a crochet hook every 4th row. A little time consuming and kind of tough on the pads of my fingers. They are subtle and add just a bit of shimmer to the shawl.

Hopefully it will be dry by bedtime (gotta love the dry air here!) and I'll wear it to SnB tomorrow night. I don't care that it will be 105, I'll look great!

Nighttime musings

2006-08-07T00:30:00.000-07:00

Know what this is?

This is what me running out of yarn with about 25 stitches left to bind off looks like. This would be after doing one less repeat of the beaded rows.

Can you hear me screaming? No? Hmmm...maybe that is just in my head.

Do you know what tomorrow is? That would be the first day of school for the teenagers. Also known as the most wonderful day of the year. Because they are both being a joy right now. Lucky me. One hates me again and they have joined forces against the parental units of the ~~insane asylum~~ house. So not good.

I'm going to go rip rows and try not to dance down the street tomorrow morning. Heh. They would love that.

And ya'll thought I was nuts

2006-08-04T13:52:00.000-07:00

Rememeber the Beef Jerky post from last year? I know ya'll thought I had spent a few too many hours baking in the car and my brain was a bit dehydrated. But you were wrong.

Woman bakes cookies on dash of her vehicle

BEDFORD, N.H. - Blistering heat was just what Sandi Fontaine needed to bake cookies for her co-workers - on the dash of her Toyota Rav4.

With temperatures soaring Wednesday, Fontaine placed two trays of cookie dough on the dashboard, shut the doors and retreated inside to her air conditioned office.

"My husband wanted me to run some errands this morning," said Fontaine. "I said, 'I can't. I'm baking cookies.' "

Fontaine first tested her dashboard oven three years ago. She said the only requirement is for the outside temperature to be at least 95 degrees, so it will rise to about 200 degrees in the car. Temperatures in the area reached the mid- to upper 90s on Wednesday.

"When you open the door to that car," she said, "it's like, oh my God. It's a wonderful smell."

Obviously my only issue (for this, there are so many other things I have issues about. Hush, Sarah.)was the type of food I was thinking about cooking.

Mmmm...fresh baked cookies in the car. There is an air freshner I could get used to.

Ideas?

2006-07-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post (2 in one day!! Don't you love me for posting again so you can avoid more work? Why do you think I'm posting in the first place? Duh...avoiding my OWN work. Friday, you know.) I'm knitting for my new niece or nephew. So far I have the following planned:

Log Cabin Blanket
Some kind of sweater, probably IK's kimono
bibs (both sewn and knitted)
washcloths
booties
newborn hats
crocheted doll if a girl/teddy if a boy
Lion Brand's bunny buddy blankie (so damn cute!)

Any other ideas?

I guess I better go work. You know, this work thing is really cutting into my knitting/blog reading/pattern surfing/slacking time. How can I both love my job (I do, I really do!) and not want to work at the same time?

Log cabin fever

2006-07-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned, I'm going to be an aunt again. My sister should be due around March. I'm taking this as prime opportunity to knit all kinds of baby things. First thing on the needles.

A log cabin baby blanket in "jewel" colors. Her choices, not mine. The colors are a little off in the picture, though. Such a fun pattern! A little brainless, but with enough to do that it isn't boring. I can see how it is addictive. I stayed up until 1 am working on it. That bag under my desk? Nooo...that's not the afghan in progress. Look away!

I'm still slugging away at the shawl. I have 3 more repeats of the beaded section and then a few garter rows and I'm done! Still fun to knit, but the beaded rows take a long time and hurt the pads of my fingers. Knitting continental would be such a help here, but I just can't get it. Too many years of crocheting. My old left-hand fingers don't want to learn a new yarn holding trick.

A small victory on the teenager front. The Star isn't liking working at a fast food place so much anymore. It's hard work, he says. Really?!? Wow, wonder who tried to tell him that when he insisted he really wanted to work there instead of a clothes store. I've resisted saying "I told you so". Heh. When asked if he wanted to continue getting shitty grades so he could continue working that kind of job the rest of his life, his response was something along the lines of "hell no".

Summer punishment objective achieved. Heh.

Finally!

2006-07-27T16:00:00.000-07:00

Finally, it was my turn. After months and months of reading blogs where they got to meet her, it was MY turn!

Yeppo! That is me (great pic, ugh) and the Yarn Harlot! And let me tell you. If you think she is funny on her blog and in her books, you HAVE to see her in person. She is a riot. And so very nice, too. She stayed until every person in line had their book autographed. And didn't think I was a total dork that I ran out to my car for the 2 books I left there (I didn't want to be a total loser and bring all 3 books for her to sign) so she could sign them. The crowds that come to see her must be so surreal to her. Can you imagine? All of us standing in line, taking pictures. Wow.

And get this. Several of us Phoenix area chics had been warning her of the heat here in July. The night before she flew in we had a huge monsoon storm, bringing with it record daytime lows for July and lower temps for the rest of the week. Can you believe that? Let me tell you, if that is what having the Yarn Harlot come in town during the summer does for our weather, she can come ANYTIME. We'd all pitch in for her airfare and hotel.

Thanks again, Stephanie, for a wonderful night!

Someone has a case of the Mondays

2006-07-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

So, this morning I'm merrily driving along to work and I come to a stop light in Chandler. I needed to turn left at the particular light, however, there was a city truck blocking the lane. The happy city workers were packing up after apparently installing a new, no u-turn sign. Which looked...odd.

Ok, this isn't the actually sign. I couldn't humilitate the guy anymore and I googled instead of using my new camera phone.

Being the polite citizen that I am, I pulled up the light and rolled (we really don’t roll down our windows anymore, do we? So I really just pushed the button. Only once, because apparently we are so lazy now that we can’t hold the button to put down the window all the way.) down the window to talk to the nice city employees.

“Umm, sir?” I asked. This gets me a funny look from City Worker #1 (apparently this difficult task was a 2 man job). “I’m not trying to tell you how to do your job, but I think your sign is upside down.” This gets me another funny look. So I sit there. And he walks over to the sign, turns his head to the side a bit and says, “Oh shit. Hey, City Worker #2, come look at this.” They both stand there, heads cocked to the side and sigh.

“Not a good way to start a Monday, huh?” I ask.

“Lady, you have no idea.” was the sad reply.

I laughed so hard driving to the gas station I nearly wrecked into the pumps.

A few of my favorite things

2006-07-16T19:54:00.000-07:00

With the temperature hitting the 110 range, what's a girl to do? Stay inside all weekend, that's what she does. Yoga class early in the morning, hit the grocery and barracade yourself inside for the rest of the weekend. I'm not kidding you when I tell you how much I hate being hot. I'll do anything to avoid it.

2 of my favorite past times are reading and knitting (bet you couldn't figure that out). I'm frequently bummed that my knitting time cuts into my reading time, and vice versa. Sure, I can read a magazine or spiral book while I knit, but I want to read hardbacks. And unless I was could grow another arm, it wasn't going to happen. Until tonight.

Can I just tell you how smart this little clip made me feel? I've tried other clips, but they didn't work. I picked these up at the dollar store for closing food bags (I'm SUCH a freak about that. Comes from living in bug-infested Florida.). Forget the food, these babies are coming to live in my knitting toolbox. Brilliant. The book? "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. Love it.

I needed another, small, project to knit on since I'm in the last beading rows on the shawl. So I started a sock. One that I will need in less than a month.

Steelers socks!! I'll be going to the Pre-Season game against the ~~embarassment to football~~Cardinals on August 12th. Of course I need socks to match my new jersey!

The Star is now convinced his mother is nuts. It's the heat, you know.

Thanks so much for the sweet comments and emails about the Princess. She looked just like one the day of her party. I can't ever believe what a beautiful, sweet girl (ok, most of the time) she is growing up to be. Time is going by too fast. She will be home on Tuesday. Let the fun begin.

Does anyone want to start a betting pool on the first fight between the teenagers?

I'm baaaack...

2006-07-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

Didn't ya miss me?

Well, I survived. Things with my family? Pretty much the way I expected. I'm thankful for the trips out there to remind me why I live 2,000 miles away from some of them. Jeesh. The quincenera was quite the event with the Princess having the time of her life. Well, if you don't count the fact that she was pretty sick. And her father (who organized the event) was 45 minutes late and she had to stand in the bathroom waiting until he decided to show up. Here is the Princess with a friend she has had since Elementary school. They were so cute. They hadn't seen each other in a long time and cried when they hugged.

I did get to spend time with my niece and nephew, who I miss so much. I'm trying to talk my sister into letting them fly out here someday alone. Vacation with them alone = wonderful. Vacation with them AND my sister = torture. I've never known anyone so miserable.

Much knitting was accomplished on the way out and at my 2 days of bliss at my parent's house. But knitting on a plane with beads is quite tricky, so I did 5 hours of Suduko puzzles on the way back home. Heh.

There is some good news. I'm going to be an aunt again (not by the cranky sister, thank God). Let the baby knitting and sewing begin!

Leavin' on a jet plane

2006-07-04T08:31:00.000-07:00

I'm off today for Florida! I can't wait to see my Dad. The rest should be...interesting. I'll try and post while I'm gone!

For shame

2006-06-30T09:51:00.000-07:00

Last night the hubby and I had a wonderful little date night. We went to Shabu Fondue here in Chandler to try something new. We got the cheese fondue and shared a shrimp, steak and veggie plate. Sharing the main course was perfect so we could have room for the best part of the meal - chocolate fondue. Very yummy dinner and the restaurant was very cool, very clean (I'm SUCH a freak about that) with excellent service. A little pricey, but we'd go again.

After dinner, I somehow convinced Brian (must have been the food coma) to take me over to CraftMart. CraftMart is a locally owned craft store that has been around forever. Last year they closed 2 of their stores, leaving only the Chandler store open. I was there last week to buy beads and one of the employees told me that they were closing. The store would be closed for 3 days, reopening on Wednesday for a huge sale until everything was gone. Wednesday morning I drove over there to check things out. The line was down to the other end of the strip mall! Forget that. So, we headed over there last night. I was hoping to score some expensive beads, a scrapbook, charity knitting yarn, felting yarn and cotton yarn for Sarah and I - all at good prices.

Brian was convinced that the store would be cleaned out with a huge crowd. Not so. In fact, I was surprised at how much was still left and how few people were in the store. Until we started walking around. Now, I've shopped there so many times that I pretty much know their prices. And something was up. That something was the prices. A hard glance at the shelf tags and you could see where they taped the new, higher prices carefully over the old. Yarn that was $5.99 a skein on Saturday was now $6.29 - with 20% off. A completed cross stitch sample that was $125.00 was now $225.00. Decorative shelves were priced higher. Beads, candle holders. Not everything, but enough. I was disgusted. Here I was so sad that this store was closing and this is what I find? And the cashier who I asked about it confirmed that they did raise the prices during the 3 day closing. Nice.

Needless to say, the yarn I bought hadn't had it's price changed nor the tiny stitch holders. I had plans to buy more, but was so disgusted with them that I left.

Isn't that illegal? Or just slimy?

It's love

2006-06-24T13:11:00.000-07:00

I love my knitting. Yes, I've said it before. But this is a whole new kind of love - it has beads. After a false start, I was up until 2am knitting my Beaded Shawlette. Isn't it amazing how lace looks like this all bunched up.

And with a little stretching can look like this.

Just so you know, I braved the inferno outside to get good shots for you. See how much I love my readers?

Isn't it beautiful? I love the colors of the Koigu (which I won from a contest over at Cat Knits) and the beads are the perfect color and size. They are subtle and add enough "bling" without upstaging the Koigu.

I was worried about the bead row being totally fiddly, since you use a crochet hook to put the bead on the stitch then knit it. But it isn't bad once you get the hang of it. It would help if I held my yarn in my left, so I might have to beg Sarah to show me again. The tough part is some of the holes in the beads aren't big enough. I'll probably wind up getting a smaller hook so I can use all the beads. Knitting this shawlette is so much fun, I can totally see it being my newest addiction. Because, well, we all know I have enough felted purses (except black, I totally need a black felted purse with silver beads. An illness, I tell ya.) and I need something to be hooked on.

I ordered the pattern from The Mannings. And while I'm thrilled it made it here in 2 days, I'm not thrilled I was charged $3.00 shipping on a $6.00 pattern when it cost $.87 to ship.

And in case you were wondering how the Star is faring being home all summer, he got a job. I though hell would have frozen over, but it is still over 105 degrees outside, so I guess not. He loves it, though. A miracle for sure.

Decisions, decisions

2006-06-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

Thank you very much for your kind comments on Jaywalker and Charlotte. I'm really happy that I sucked it up and made myself finish both before I could start another project. Both of them had been sitting around for too long. Now both can go sit in a drawer until it isn't 100+ degrees.

Now I find myself with nothing to knit (blanket and charity sweaters don't count). An odd feeling, really. Yesterday, anticipating the end of the Jaywalker torture, I ordered the Shapely Shawlette beaded pattern. Sarah put a request out to the KnitList for patterns calling for 2 skeins of Koigu. Someone recommended the shawlette and Cece made such a beautiful one that I just had to have the pattern. I'm hoping it is here for the weekend. I have 2 beautiful skeins that I bought at Jessica's several months ago that I had originally intended for socks. I think they will make a much prettier shawlette with silvery beads from the beading stash (don't ask). My awesome Vacation Swap Pal, Karen, sent me that gorgeous Art Yarns UltraMerino that will become a second shawlette.

The Princess left for Florida last week, leaving us with a grumpy Star to deal with. I must say, it is nice to not hear them fight 24/7. But I miss her. I leave for Florida on the 4th to attend her Quinceanera on the 9th. That should be interesting. It's being thrown by my ex and his family. The drama that is already reaching epic levels is just too funny.

I will, however, have 10 hours of flight time to knit and read in peace. With no cell phone. No email. No having to drive everywhere. And to think I didn't like to fly.

Finished!

2006-06-21T21:45:00.000-07:00

Finally!!! I cast on for these socks on February 9th and just over 4 months later, we have socks!

I have no idea why they look so boxy on my feet, so here's a shot on my table.

See those two tiny little balls of yarn next to the socks? Yea, that's all the yarn I had left. I was sweating it when I began the decreases for the toes, let me tell you. And, just in case you haven't seen enough pictures, a close up of the stitch pattern.

I knit them both at the same time on 2, size 1 circulars out of a cotton blend (which I can't remember now) yarn. I really do like how they turned out and they fit really well. However, I'll never make them again. They just took forever and I really didn't like working the stitch pattern.

Hot fun in the summer time

2006-06-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

So, what's a girl to do when it is 111 outside and she hates the heat? She watches movies all day and knits socks, that's what she does!

Or to be more specific, she finishes 2 heel flaps and turns the heel. The best part about this huge heel? That it has a long gusset, so now I only have like 3 1/2 inches of foot to knit.

That heel flap looks big, doesn't it? I was getting worried, but I've tried the socks on ~~a few hundred times because I'm terrified of screwing up again~~ several times and they fit very nicely. I love turning heels, so that was a nice little reward for the miles of leg and flap. I'm in the home stretch now, baby! I'm still not loving the pattern, but it is a little more bearable now that I have plain stockinette on the bottom of the foot. It is moving faster, but I still feel like I've been knitting them for.ev.er. They are darn cute, though.

I've resisted casting on for another project...for now. Must.finish.socks.

Unsocked

2006-06-17T09:08:00.000-07:00

Is that a word? Is now! A long, long time ago Heather knit a sock. It was a beautiful sock. However, it seemed a tad tight when she tried it on. Not to worry, it would fit fine, she stupidly thought. You know how second sock syndrome goes. The yarn sat in her bag for quite awhile. Until she wanted to knit the second too small sock. And couldn't find the yarn. Anywhere. So, she happily took the project off her WIP list and shoved it in a bag. Until Pam found it in the bag of yarn I ~~begged her to take and crochet into a blanket I hated~~ gave her to finish the test blanket I was working on. So, it got added back into the project rotation.

Trying to be a good little knitter, I've been working on and finishing old projects. So, I pull out the lonesome sock. And well...

Yea, my foot ain't fitting in that sock. What the hell was I thinking? So, it is now this.

Now it is just stash yarn again!! Do you know what that means? I have 3 projects. Just 3. I'll always have a charity sweater going, so that doesn't really count. We have the blanket that was always going to be a very long-term project. That leaves us with...

Jaywalkers. Sigh. I'm still only on the heel flap. I resolve, no new projects until they are finished. If everyone out there in blogland loves these socks, why don't I?

Actual knitting & crocheting content!

2006-06-15T20:57:00.000-07:00

I know, try not to faint. I've been trying to use stash yarn and finish up some project that have been lingering in bags. Using up leftover yarn from my first Clapotis, I made a baby dress. But I don't have a baby, right? Some time ago I found my childhood babydoll, Crissy, on eBay for a pretty decent deal. I HAD to have her. You see, I adored that doll when I was a kid. I played with her for hours everyday. My mother broke my heart when she gave her away. She came to me naked, so she needed a dress, right?

I made the little hat and booties from stash yarn, too. I love how they turned out! Yes, I realize I'm adult :)

And...miracle of miracles. I finished the damn Charlotte's Web. I may love Koigu, but I HATED this pattern. If it weren't for the Yahoo! knit-a-long, I wouldn't have been able to knit it (darn shame that would have been). The pattern is horribly written and boring. I'm going to burn the pattern, Excel spreadsheet and index pattern repeat cards in the grill. The yarn is from Mystical Creations in the Raisin colorway. After dancing around the living room when I wove in the last end, I soaked it in Eucalan and nearly had a meltdown when I saw this.

See how dark the water is? After a panicked call to my friend, Sarah (who I'm mad at because she wouldn't stick me in her suitcase when she went to Rocky Point. Jeesh), I rinsed and rinsed and everything was fine. Whew! 4,000 pins later and I have this.

I am pretty happy with it, but it turned out differently than I thought. The yarn seems to have a thread-like appearance to it that I like. It is smaller than we estimated and the bind-off, even though I used a needle 2 sizes bigger, is tight. Blocking it was a total pain in the ass because of that.

I've also been blessed with gifties!! From my Vacation Swap Pal, Karen, I received a very thoughtful and totally awesome box filled with presents.

Gorgeous yarn - Art Yarn Ultramerino and poofs of silky soft angora (can't wait to find a pattern for this!), 2 very soft flower face cloths, 2 knitting mystery books (which is too funny because I bought my 2 pals the same books!), an H bookmark, 3 bars of yummy smelling soap, her first quilted project - a sachet that is so cute!, 2 Norah Jones cd's (how did you know I lost mine?) and the final present that had me in tears - a box filled with natural soaps with my Olive's picture. I cannot begin to thank you enough for your gift and the note.

And from my Secret Pal, 2 skeins of Lorna's Laces in the Purple Club (does she know me or what?) colorway.

Thank you both, again, so very much. They were truly the bright spot in my week.

I'm trying hard to get out of my little funk and the kindness of my friends has helped more than I can say. More knitting content and happiness to come :)

Summer break

2006-06-09T10:09:00.000-07:00

Whose idea was it for teenagers to have summer break? Huh? Probably some school board full of men who worked during the day, leaving their poor wives at home to slowly lose their minds over the course of 2 1/2 months.

4.2 minutes into summer break, the fighting began.

"Shut up", screeches the Princess.

"No, you shut up", screams the Star.

Repeat indefinitely until mom screams (in a very mature voice), "how about you BOTH shut up!!!". (yea, I know)

May the Goddess keep me sane. Or provide me with good wine.

Thank you so much for all of your comments and emails. I'm feeling so much better. One of the things I've been doing to help is reading. LOTS of reading. I made it a goal to keep the TV off (or the watching to a minimum) and read more. I've probably read 20 books in the last month. I'm totally hooked on the Stephanie Plum series. Funniest books I have ever read. Not only are they keeping me occupied, they make me laugh. And that has helped so much.

thoughts

2006-06-05T14:56:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to blog for over 2 weeks now, but I can't. And I'm not quite sure why not. There was a time I was very, very depressed. To the point where I think Brian was pretty worried. I could have just curled up and slept for days. Feeling like I had been crying for days. Then came the feeling like I was a deflated balloon. Like nothing was left inside. That probably came right around the time we were informed the Star failed 2 classes and we had decided that there would be no Florida vacation for him. Or for us. I needed that break. Desperately needed that break. There has been fighting daily, moody silence and just all-around miserableness. It is a very, very sad thing when you don't want to really go home after work.

As I write this, I'm sure a few of you might wonder if I think my kids are horrible. No, they aren't. In fact, I think they are wonderful. Most of the time. I know things could be worse - I've seen what some of my friend's kids are doing and it horrifies me. But there are those moments of teenagerhood that break a mother's heart just a little. And it is hard.

For a very, very long time I have spread myself too thin. I give 110% at work - answering phone calls on weekends, checking email and going overboard in my efforts to please. I was a single mom for a long time - doing everything for everyone. And little for me. While that has gotten much better, I still find myself not taking care of me. And I think the lightbulb is finally bright enough where I can see how that is affecting my health, my happiness and relationships.

It has been tough, but I'm finally understanding that I shouldn't have guilt about carving time out for myself. I have realized that if I do carve out that time the house isn't going to blow up, the kid's won't need therapy and the world won't come to a crashing halt because I didn't answer a work email within 5 minutes of it being sent. Not only that, but carving out that time for me will actually make me a better mother, wife and friend.

There has been so many things I've wanted to do in the last few years. But guilt of time away from the kids kept me from doing that. I should have realized a long, long time ago that a little time away would have made me a better mother. And maybe they would enjoy our time together a little more.

So, I want to go back to school in January. What was my first thought? Oh no! I can't be away from home 2 nights a week! What would the kids do? I wouldn't be there for them as soon as I came home. What about Brian? The guilt crept in. But now I am starting to see things a little different.

Sorry if this is rambling, but I thought I should explain where I've been and where I'm going. I feel much, much better. As though there is another world of possibilities open to me now because a little of that guilt has lifted.

As soon as I can delete the pictures of the Princess kissing her boyfriend off MY camera, I'll post pictures of knitting. And I promise to be back very soon. Thank you for your support through the last month :)

Secret Pal 8

2006-05-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry to be so late with this. It will be nice when my life is a little more back to normal.

1.What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I love handpainted yarn and yarn that is very soft. I don’t like novelty yarn or scratchy yarn.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I store my circulars in a binder and my straights in a jar. My crochet hooks are in a tool kit.

3. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I’ve been knitting for 3 years and would consider myself intermediate. I’ve been crocheting for around 30 years and would consider myself advanced.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Sure do, here at Amazon.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.) I like spicy scents for candles and lavender for bath things.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? Unfortunately, I do. But summer is upon us here in ~~hell~~ the desert, so it probably isn’t a good idea to send any. Plus, my butt is too big anyway.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I’ve tried the drop spindle with varying degrees of success. I also bead and cross stitch.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I like just about everything, but country and opera. I can play MP3 and I also have an iPod.

9. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand? I’m partial to blues and purples. I really like most colors.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I’m married to my best friend and we have 2 delightful teenagers. I also have a desert tortoise named Luna and 3 cats – Zoe, Tigger and Sadie.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Not really. It hardly is cold enough here.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Felted bags, socks, shawls.

13. What are you knitting right now? 2 socks at once on 2 circulars, a shawl and a sweater for Knit for Kids.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Most definitely. I believe that handmade gifts are a gift from the heart and I treasure them.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I only knit with circular needles. The material they are made of depends on the project. Some yarns work better with certain needles.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? I have a winder, no swift.

17. How did you learn to knit? I taught myself from a kid’s how-to-book.

18. How old is your oldest UFO? Probably a year.

19. What is your favorite holiday? My birthday, Samhain (Halloween) and Yule (Christmas).

20. Is there anything that you collect? Teapots, thimbles and yarn!

21. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I’d love to get more felting yarn. I have more patterns than I could knit in my life and I’m pretty set on needles. I don’t have any subscriptions because I usually only purchase the Spring/Summer editions (see reference to living in an inferno).

22. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? Fair Isle. Which goes really well with living in said inferno.

23. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? Sure am. My foot is 10 inches long but I always make them for a 9 ½ foot so they fit better.

24. When is your birthday? (mm/dd) December 12th.

25. Do you have any allergies? I’m really sensitive to strong smells and I’m allergic to smoke.

I'm here

2006-05-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

Like many good friends have told me, it is getting better. I'm finally where I'm not crying off and on all day. Finally where I don't just want to curl up in a ball and sleep. I knew letting Olive go would be hard, but I didn't know how hard. And I didn't know how much I would miss her. I still have to remind myself she is gone. When a furry head nudges me in my sleep, I have to remember she is gone. I nearly lost it when I went to give the cats their treat of canned food and took out 4 bowls instead of the 3 I now need. And Zoe (the black cat) has been crying for Olive.

But I have to remember the good things. Of how much she loved us. And how peaceful her passing was, in my arms with us whispering that we loved her and what a good kitty she was. The vet and the nurse were incredible. Very caring and compassionate. I wish we could all go like that. I turned some of my grief into a project for Olive. I went to Old Town Needlework in Scottsdale and purchased a hinged box with a cut-out for a small cross stitch piece. I stitched Olive's name, her dates of birth and death. It turned out really nice and her ashes will be sealed inside.

I cannot say enough good things about both the vet - McClintock Animal Care Center and Old Town Needlework. The vet's office was the best. I'll be taking all my animals there from now on after switching from our old vet. They weren't bad, there was just something missing, you know? At Old Town Needlework, Alice was so kind and helpful - everything a shop owner should be. I had been crying all morning and started up again when I went there and told her what I was looking for. I'll be shopping there from now on.

On the other hand, I will NEVER EVER step foot in Attic Needlework ever again. I called about purchasing a stitchable porcelain bowl from them, telling them what it was for so that I could be sure it would be big enough. The lady was very nice and told me she would call the distributor and call back with the details. 2 days later I called again. She had forgotten and would call on Monday. Ok, things happen, right? No call Monday. Called again. She forgot again and would call me back. Never heard back from her. Nice, especially since she knew what the damn jar was for.

Ok, moving on. Thank you so very much for your kind comments and emails. Through this blog and my knitting group I have made such treasured friends. Your kindness has touched my heart and has gone a long way in healing it. Knitting (and crochet! Imagine that.) content will resume very soon. I've been working on a few projects, finished a couple, threw a few more under the couch. Pictures to follow.

Goodbye, my friend

2006-05-04T19:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend we will spend saying goodbye to my sweet baby.

As much as it is breaking my heart, it is time. She is having a tough time more than not. She is truly the sweetest animal I have ever known. I will miss her hugs (yes, she really does hug), her head butts in the middle of the night, her stinky kisses and her fur all over me. I will miss the way, when she snuggles up with you, how she puts her little paw on your cheek. I will miss her following us around, crying, wanting to be picked up. I love her so very much and because of that, I don't want her to suffer.

I apologize for no blogging, unanswered emails and a few packages I need to get out. Work has been crazy, home just as busy as ever and worrying about my Olive every day.

Goodbye my dear, sweet, furry baby. I love you.

Size doesn't matter

2006-04-25T13:16:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, I attempted a few new projects to start the stash busting. A month or so ago, I purchased 6 skeins of Cascade Fixation to make the Princess the Alyssa tank top from Melissa Leapman's Cool Crochet book. When I picked this up from the library, I fell in love with several of the patterns. So much so that I bought the book. I should have known better. Long ago, I purchased Crochet with Style by Melissa. I found a very cute vest that I wanted to crochet for myself. Too bad that no matter how small a hook I used I could not get gauge. Not even close. What made me think that this book would be any better? Well, it isn't. Not only have I gone down 2 hook sizes, but I had to go down to the next size smaller in the pattern to adjust for the fact that I STILL couldn't get gauge.

Now, get this. The Princess has a 37 inch bust - average size I would think. She wears a size small shirt and size 5 pants (that ALWAYS need to be hemmed). Beautifully proportioned and curvy in the perfect spots (I'd like to lock her in a closet or send her to a convent until she is about 30). According to this pattern she is a XXL. Are you freaking kidding me? What does that make me? The Titanic? Needless to say after fiddling with gauge, being off in my stitch counts and finding out I'm probably a ship in the fashion world I shoved it in a bag. Stupid tank top.

Instead, I knit another bag and felted it (pictures forthcoming). And started another one. Do you know why? Because size doesn't matter when you are going to shrink the damn thing anyway.

Deluded

2006-04-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

Being Friday and me being bored, I decided to do a little research. Feeling a tad guilty over ALMOST breaking the yarn diet today (long lunch + yarn store within walking distance = disaster...usually) I thought I should count up how much yarn I've used this year. I read back through my blog (which is pretty funny, by the way, where do I come up with some of this shit?) and calculated that I had used 18 skeins of yarn. Pretty darn good, right? Well on my way to stash containment! I can use up that bin in no time! Hand painted goodies, here I come!

Ahem. Not so much.

You see, I then became a tad suspicious of my results (fortunately right before I grabbed my keys to hit the yarn store). Remembering a trip to a yarn store here, a SP gift there and well...umm... I'm still in the hole. By 19 skeins this year alone. Bah!

Like Sarah and Melanie said, I need to knit or crochet big projects that take up multiple skeins of yarn. Like more felted bags! And the Princess' tank top. There is also some yarn that I'm just not really liking anymore. That might hit ebay. I've been wanting to do that so I can buy more Addis.

Want to guess what I'm doing this weekend?

Could there be hope?

2006-04-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

After a little review of the checking account, it may appear a miracle has occured. If you are faint of heart, you might want to sit down.

I have not purchased any new yarn for myself (secret pal purchases don't count) in over a month. I know, I know. My last purchase was on 3/3 over at Tempe Yarn and Fiber when I bought the Fixation for a tank for the Princess and the yarn for the baby blanket (which I finished).

The call to break the yarn diet is strong, my friends. Have you seen the gorgeous yarn Heather is creating? You all know I am a sucker for handpainted yarn. Her colors are gorgeous! But, I keep reminding myself that she will (hopefully, please) be painting yarn for at least a little while. And if I'm a good girl and knit up at least 1 bin of the 3 I have, I can buy some. And the Cathay that I fell in love with that Michelle is knitting with. And some Socks that Rock. Yea, that too! God, I'm hopeless.

Uhh...that means I need to knit or crochet 1/3 of the yarn I currently own. I think I better get busy.

Random Stuff

2006-04-19T20:21:00.000-07:00

As usual, things are busy around La Casa de Cranky Teenagers. Working, driving teenagers around, working, cleaning. The usual. But, there is also knitting!

Know what those are (sorry for the blurry pic)? Koigu socks, baby! They were really a fun knit. And would have been faster if I had time to actually knit.

Pattern: Wendy's Fabulous Toe-Up sock pattern

Yarn: Koigu, duh. Given to me by my wonderful Secret Pal from SP7.

Needles: Size 3, Addi Turbos

Changes: I knit the socks on 2 circulars and knit the ribbing until I ran out of yarn.

I have 3 more skeins of Koigu that I'm going to make 3 more pairs of these. I like short socks and these are perfect.

Speaking of Koigu, I won a contest over at Cat Knits. The prize? A fab music CD and 3 SKEINS OF KOIGU!! Let me tell you, I never win anything. I was so excited to find out I won! Thank you so much. Koigu...mmmm....

Spring has come to the desert. I'm trying to ignore the fact that it also means summer is right around the corner. My front yard is all desert landscape with lots of cacti that is blooming right now.

Beautiful, no? With Spring also comes my second favorite sport - Baseball! I'm a huge Diamondbacks fan (with a not-so-secret love of Luis Gonzalez) and my son is a ::gag:: Yankees fan. This proves that I really do love the kid.

The Diamondbacks played the Yankees in 2 exibition games as the last 2 games of Spring Training. Because I love my son more than I can't stand the Yankees, I bought tickets for him. He was so excited! Brian took him since I was supposed to take the Princess to Stomp the following evening (she bailed on me in a teenager fit of not getting her way) and they really had a blast. I got great seats for him and he got to see his hero, Derek Jeter.

Again, thank you for your kind emails, comments and thoughts. Our baby is still with us. She was playing today with the little mice I bought her. She loves those. Every extra day is a blessing. I hope it lasts.

Friends and knitting and stuff

2006-04-13T07:08:00.000-07:00

First, and most importantly, I have to thank every single one of you that commented, emailed, called or just kept us in your thoughts. Words cannot even begin to express my thanks. After I posted on Friday and I started getting responses, it made me feel so much better. I had just cried myself out. My cats are like my furry children and I love them so much. Their love is so unconditional and innocent. And they depend on us so much. Olive has been with me through alot of crap in my life, always loving me no matter what. She is doing a little better, though not as much as I would have thought.

Moving on...I haven't been knitting very much, but I do have a little progress to show. The baby blanket was finished a week or so ago.

I really do love this pattern, although near the end I'm always bored out of my skull. I hope Brian's Great Nephew likes it.

Next up, the Koigu socks. Is this a gorgeous sock, or what?

I'm using Wendy's Toe-up Sock Pattern and the Koigu my wonderful Secret Pal gave me. I am just so in love with the color. So rich and beautiful. I had one skein of this yarn, so I used my new digital scale and wound off 2 balls of the exact same weight. Then, I knit them until I ran out of yarn. How much did I have left? See that little bit of yarn at the bottom of the unfinished sock? That's how much.

Funny, huh? How did I get so close? Well, I figured out how much yarn a row of the ribbing took and left myself double that for the bind off and weaving. This is exactly how much yarn I'm willing to throw away. Not bad.

Also in my line-up are the Jaywalker socks. Which are boring. Very, very boring. So boring that a picture of them could put you to sleep. I love to knit socks, but these are not fun. And I don't know why, really. I'm still stuck on the heel flat, which looks rather wide to me.

There are other, random knits in the basket that need some finishing. My goal? To get a few projects done so I can cast on for something really different than what I've been doing.

Thank you again, my friends.

My baby

2006-04-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

Two months ago we started battling a URI with Olive. She hasn't gotten any better, in fact her breathing is worse. And this morning it was scary. Off to an emergency vet appointment where I expected to be told she still had it, or something like it. What I didn't expect was that my baby would have a tumor in her abdomen. If you remember, last May she had a tumor removed. It was thought to be fatty, but not anymore. The one in her abdomen now is the size of a golf ball, which equals a grapefruit size in a human. Treament? Questionable, extreamly invasive and terrorizing to a very sweet cat. And expensive. Very expensive.

Right now I'm not sure of her quality of life. She sleeps in spurts, waking when her breathing is bothering her. The plan right now is to make her comfortable until the time when we are sure that she is suffering. I'm not going to subject her to all kinds of testing, surgeries and forcing medication down her throat. That is no way to live. And then it will be time to make a decision that I can't bear to think about. She is my baby and the sweetest, most loving animal I have ever been owned by. The teenagers, especially my sensitive Star, are going to be crushed. But if we love her, we will have to let her go.

And I really can't take it.

Reveals and memes

2006-04-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

Is memes an actual word? Who knows. First, and most important of all, we had the SP7 big reveal! The person spoiling me was Bethieee who was an awesome Secret Pal! She totally spoiled me and people, she gave me Koigu (said in the sexy voice). Mmmm...koigu. You will be happy to know, Bethieee, that the first skein is now one short sock and the other is progressing nicely. I'd show pictures, but I just got the laptop back yesterday. Freaking computers (other than this one, you are very nice and good). I was spoiling Jade. I really hope she liked all the goodies I sent her. In the last package I made a few things for her and it was so fun. My faith is restored in SP and I've signed up for Secret Pal 8.

Posting should start being a bit more regular, now that I have a computer at home I can use. My laptop needed a new hard drive, but now it is back and running! I won't have to fight the teenagers for computer time. Because Goddess knows we can't go an hour without checking our MySpace (monitored, of course), or IM's from our 400+ friends or listen to music.

Some memes are pretty boring. This one I really liked. Thanks to Mac for sharing. It asks questions, you put your media player on shuffle and let it answer the questions. No cheating. Sure, a lot of it won't make sense, but some of them are funny anyway.

How does the world see you?
Rollin' (Urban Assault Vehicle)/Limp Bizkit - Now that just cracks me up to no end.

Will I have a happy life?
Into the Now/Tesla - I don't quite know what to make of that, but since they had a decent comeback, it can't be too bad. Right?

What do my friends really think of me?
Rodeo/Garth Brooks (my only country love) - Now that is just freaking funny. Considering I'm a total klutz and wouldn't be caught dead on a bucking anything. Well, umm...nevermind. Maybe I'm the rodeo clown?

Do people secretly lust after me?
Sweet Home Alabama/Lynyrd Skynyrd - In some Deliverance kind of way?!?

How can I make myself happy?
Shake Me/Cinderella - Interesting choice. "Shake me, all night" Brian is gonna love that one.

What should I do with my life?
It's Been Awhile/Staind - I love this song. It has so much meaning for me. Quite appropriate for the question. Jeesh, make me cry.

Will I ever have children?
The One Thing/INXS - That better not mean one more kid.

What is some good advice for me?
My Sacrifice/Creed - Ha! That is saying quite a lot. Plus, I am still mourning their breakup. ::sniff::

How will I be remembered?
A Moment Lost/Enya - Oh, isn't that nice.

What is my signature song?
Silent Artist/Walt Richardson & Hannes Kvaran - They are a local band Brian and I love. Don't know that it is my signature, though

What do I think my current theme song is?
Good Riddance/Green Day - Now that is just downright damn funny considering the day I had yesterday.

What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
Peaceful Warrior/Walt Richardson & Hannes Kvaran - Now I like that.

What song will play at my funeral?
Don't Stop Believin'/Journey - I should hope so. My life a few years ago was shit. I never gave up. Nice choice. ::mental note to add that to my will::

What type of men/women do I like?
Blinded by the Light/Manfred Mann - Now that's what happened when I chose my ex! That just about explains it all.

What is my day going to be like?
Hole Hearted/Extreme - Shit. I'm going back to bed.

Great meme, huh? Want to do it? Go for it. If you do, please post that you did in the comments. I'd like to see what everyone comes up with.

Happy smiles

2006-03-28T15:49:00.000-07:00

So...this is what $7,000 worth of metal will get you.

2 beautiful smiles on 2 very happy and beautiful teenagers. Let's hope the $500 per set retainers keep them that way.

I will not admit to wondering if when they did have the braces I could keep them quiet with a well-placed paper clip.

I'd like to thank the academy

2006-03-27T13:33:00.000-07:00

Or really, my commenters! You guys make my day :) See, I knew I wasn't alone in my yarn addiction. And for the supportive comments about my Uncle. One thing I totally hate about Blogger is that you can't write back to someone when you are emailed a comment. Why is Blogger like that? I don't want to move, but the comment thing drives me nuts! Any suggestions?

I especially haven't been able to write anyone back because while I have some of your email addresses, most were on the computer that died a violent motherboard explosion. May it rest it biodegradable freaking pieces in a landfill. But I'm not bitter or anything. So, thank you again to my adoring public! And if you haven't popped out to say hi, please do! I love to meet new people.

But leave your email, 'cause we know I don't have it. And blogger won't give it to me.

Finally, some pictures

2006-03-26T21:33:00.000-07:00

As you can see from my last post, I can finally post pictures and blog from home again. Let's just say the poor computer had over 2,200 spyware things and 10 viruses. She is running better than ever now.

First off, look at this way cute pouch my friend Kelli gave to me.

Isn't that just too cute? It is perfect to hold stuff in my basket or a little project. Thank you again, Kelli :)

So, have I been knitting? Yep, though not as much as I would like. Then again, do we ever get to knit or crochet as much as we would love to? First up is a sweater I'm making for the Knit for Kids project that will eventually get to the Dulaan Project.

Pardon the crappy picture, I don't know what I was thinking when I took it. This is a great brainless knit for when I have only a few minutes to knit or during a movie. I keep one in the car because I have a lot of banking to do for work and spend too much time in line at the drive-thru. So, I sit there and knit.

I'm also still plugging away at the Jaywalker socks.

But for some reason, they are just boring right now. I'm on the heel, so I'm about at the halfway point. I'd like to get them done so I can wear them to work before it gets too hot.

My priority project, though, is another feather and fan baby blanket.

And a close-up of the pattern and color.

See the little stitch marker? My Secret Pal sent them in my Valentine's Day package. I LOVE them. The red bead is a gorgeous garnet color that is so beautiful and deep. I think that beaded stitch markers are like your knitting wearing pretty earrings. I use them all the time.

Tuesday the teenagers get their ~~lightning rods~~ braces off. They are counting the hours. And I'm thankful the payments are over. Can't wait to see what $7,000 paid for.

My Secret Pal Rocks!

2006-03-26T21:21:00.000-07:00

Wait until you see the goodies I got! Well, most of them. On Monday I came home to a little package, just for me. Or so I thought. My fabulous Secret Pal made my favoritest cookies in the world - Sugar Cookies. I wanted to take a picture, because the container was so cute and the cookies so yummy. Unfortunately the teenagers descended on them like locusts on a corn field and ate all but 2 of them. You would swear I haven't fed them in a month.

Then, I got all these goodies on Thursday!!

There are 2 notebooks (great for knitting journals, although the Princess is begging for the green one), a bunny puzzle, a cute felted butterfly and Koigu. K...o...i...g...u...(pretend I'm saying it really slow, in a seductive kinda voice). Did I mention I love Koigu (I'm not saying it in the voice here, don't want to freak people out or anything)? The second I finish my socks and this lovely baby blanket, it is all going to be about Koigu footies. If I can stop caressing it, that is.

Just in case you missed it, the Princess wants to show you her surprised face.

See the packages at the top? I can't open them until the 1st! Do you have any idea how that is going to drive me crazy? The Star has proclaimed 1 of them chocolate, due to his hounddog-like ability to sniff out any food source within 10 feet.

Thank you again so much, Secret Pal! I can't wait for the reveal so I can finally "meet" you. I have a surprise for you, too!

My Name is Heather...

2006-03-20T15:54:00.000-07:00

...and I am a yarnaholic. Dr. Princess forced me to admit it yesterday. Second and third opinions were obtained from The Star and The Husband. They forced me to submit to a yarn intervention. It was not pretty, my friends. You see, I decided yesterday to clean out my bedroom closet. It wasn't bad, but some things needed to go. Old shoes, clothes I no longer wear. I have this strangely shaped closet and tucked way back in a corner, was the evidence they confronted me with. A garbage bag of yarn. A small Joanne's box of yarn. Another bag of yarn. A skein or two ~~or ten~~ that got shoved back there. So, I did what any other organizational ~~freak~~ person would do. I pulled out the 3 ~~huge~~ (I did NOT just say huge. Nope.) Rubbermaid ~~shipyard sized~~ containers and tried to put away the errant bags, boxes and random skeins of yarn. Tried.

Because they wouldn't fit in the containers.

Umm...well...crap. Of course this had to be the moment Dr. Princess and her cohort The Husband walked in the room.

Busted.

They laughed (Laughed!! Didn't I just make them a nice breakfast or something?) at my ~~lame ass~~ excuses. It was intervention time, people.

It wasn't pretty. Dr. Princess informed me that at the going rate, I was going to be out of closet space quite soon (she obviously has no idea of my master plan to take over her room the second her car pulls out of the driveway in about 5 years). She also told me, get this, that if I ever (hrmpf!) finish a project, I can't go out and buy more yarn to replace it. I don't ever use any up this way. I need to ::gasp:: stop buying yarn. Of course the Star had to come in and put in his two cents before being sucked back into his Xbox game. These people are mean!! Didn't I give birth to two of them and do the other one's laundry every week?

It's official. My name is Heather and I am a yarnaholic. I've been busted and I can't buy anymore yarn.

Do you think they know that the Scottsdale Knitting and Fiber Show is in 2 weeks? And they are going to have Koigu there? Do you think it is unethical to store yarn in my filing cabinets at the office? I do have a really nice credenza with a bit of room...

Passing on

2006-03-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

Today is just a weird day. As I sit at work, back home in Florida my family is at a funeral. I got word on Saturday that my Uncle Stan died, leaving my sisters and I with lots of aunts and no living uncles. Odd, huh? 12 years ago my Aunt Greta died, leaving behind my cousins Beth and Stacy and her husband Stan. He never remarried. Never dated, as far as I know. They were high school sweethearts and even after she died he called her "my Greta". My cousin Beth and her son Jared lived at home with him and he was the man in little Jared's life. They were very, very close. My uncle died in his sleep Saturday morning, in their same bed, while my cousins were up at my Dad's for the weekend.

My uncle was a total nut. He would tell jokes that either had you on the floor laughing or cringing because you couldn't believe he actually just said something like that. He lived a long and happy life and we like to think that he is now, finally, with "his Greta" again.

Blessings and Peace, Uncle Stan. I hope there is a great bagel store up in the sky for ya. With perfectly chewy bagels, to die-for lox and the creamiest cream cheese. All totally not fat free. We love you. :)

Snow Day!

2006-03-15T09:50:00.000-07:00

I've been a bad blogger girl. Blogging at home with pictures is such a pain in the ass right now that I've pretty much given up. Get this. We had 3 computers at home. 1 for the kids, 1 for the parents with the fab video card for Brian's Flight Simulator (and my iTunes) and my laptop that I worked on. Now the laptop is dead and our computer. The kids' has so many viruses and spyware that it is a total pain to work on. My computer at work is wonderful, though. The best computer in the whole world (computers can read what you write, you know. You have to be nice.).

I have lots of back-posting to do, but Brian was nice enough to brave the bad computer and upload some pictures for me. On Saturday we finally broke the 144 days with no rain. Where I live, we got 2.5 inches of rain! In the mountains some areas got 4 feet of snow. A few friends played hooky from work on Monday to go play in the snow. When I mentioned it to my boss, he asked why I didn't go. Ummm....ok. So he gave me the rest of the day to go play! We drove about an hour north. It was so funny to see people from the Valley playing in the snow off the side of the road.

This is a look at the Superstition Mountains not far from my house.

The Star had SO much fun. I swear, he was like a little boy. He rolled around in it, Brian and him had a few wrestling matches in it, snow angels, snowball fights. He just had the best day. The Princess? Sat in the car and text messaged her friends. I don't think she wanted to mess up her hair.

The Star trying to sled.

Here it wasn't very deep, but when we walked back further it was up to my knees and in some places to the middle of my thighs. And it was so beautiful!

We really had the best day. I'm hoping we can go play again this weekend!

Dresses

2006-03-10T09:52:00.000-07:00

I have to wear a dress. You see, I have to go to some fancy hotel tonight for an awards thing and I have to dress up. And I HATE it. Pantyhose are evil, heels are torture and I don't even know how to put on freaking eyeshadow so the Princess will stick me in a chair and force me to wear it. I will say that the dress is pretty and I don't look like I'm wearing a tent. I still have to wear the damn thing, though. When did I turn into such a non-girly girl? Give me my jeans, a cute shirt, my handknit socks and my Crocs (oh hush, Sarah) and I'm a happy girl. Don't get me wrong, I like to look nice but dresses and all that crap just sucks.

Watched "Walk the Line" last night and knit quite a bit on the Jaywalkers. I'd show you a picture, but since one computer is now dead with no hope of resuscitation and the other has multiple viruses, you can't see them. If you are really desperate you can look at the post from the other day and double it. Did that work? Fabulous! Another inch or so and I'll be on the heel flaps. I really like the pattern, but the "slip 2 together as if to knit, knit 1, then pass the slipped stitches over" is a tad fiddly. Especially with Addi's because they aren't as pointy. I'm determined to finish them and move on to Koigu ankle socks from my wonderful Secret Pal. In case you were wondering, I heart Koigu.

Guess I better go do some work before the big event. Did I mention the last time I tried to put on pantyhose I fell off the bed? And ask Brian about me trying on heels for the wedding. I think he burst a blood vessel from laughing. Freaking dresses.

Yep, It's me

2006-03-08T21:12:00.000-07:00

My home computer is dying. It has multiple viruses and loads of spyware from the teenagers NOT uploading anything on it. How dare I suggest otherwise? Therefore, posting on it drives me nuts and I lose things. Like my mind.

Things are good, though. Progress continues on the socks, I knit a hat for a friend of a wonderful friend, the brilliant Pam found my sock yarn and I've started a baby blanket for Brian's niece who is due any minute.

I have lots to show, but I'll have to wait to tell you all about it when I can post pictures. Because, as brilliant as I am with words, pictures are better.

The Baseball Star (who really....well, ummm...he didn't make the baseball team so...) is cramming in the watching of 3 "historical" movies for extra credit for History class this evening. Goddess forbid we actually did this over the weekend. Or kept up our grade prior to the DAY BEFORE THE LAST DAY OF THE FREAKING QUARTER. Sorry, didn't mean to scream there. My patience might be a little thin. And I don't think I've had a conversation with the Princess in a month where the phone wasn't attached to the other ear that wasn't listening to me. I think I need a flow chart to keep track of her life.

And guess what? I had like 25 raindrops on my car today. However, it didn't count toward ending our 135 days with no rain. I'm now Heather Jerky.

All kinds of fun

2006-02-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

Things have been busy 'round Casa de la Cranky Teenagers. All kinds of dance tryouts for the Princess. General pissiness from the Star. Busy with work. You know, the normal chaos of my life.

As I mentioned before, I didn't get the Gold in the Knitting Olympics due to my wrists staging a protest. But, I did get the sweater finished I'm donating to the Dulaan Project.

I really like how it turned out. Knit cuff-to-cuff, it is a pretty quick knit and makes a nice fabric on 10 1/2 needles. This is a size 6 I think. I'll be making a matching hat, too. 4 skeins gone from the stash, baby!

Progress on the Jaywalker Socks is finally moving along at just over a snail's pace.

The other sock (I'm still knitting 2 at once) looks the same, so I figured I'd go for detail on the pic. If you want to make these, don't be a dufus like me. Make sure you can count to 8 and can follow a simple pattern repeat. I only had to frog an inch of the pattern repeats 3 times.

Inspired by Melanie, I started a gnome from the Simply Knitting insert. Sure looks just like a gnome, doesn't it?

The pattern is written a little odd, but I'm getting it.

I'm trying to have a few different types of knitting on my needles so that my wrists get a break from the repetitive motion.

And this?

This is all Eva, Nancy and Mac's (my first Secret Pal spoilee) fault. I couldn't resist the pressure anymore. Thanks to my friend Sarah, I have a spindle and some really pretty roving. She is so good to me. But look!! It is a wee little skein of yarn. Isn't it so cute? I'm so proud of it. And very appreciative of Eva and Nancy for their help tonight in sharing their ~~addiction~~ knowledge with me. I think I'm getting it!

I now just need more roving. Or a goat. Or sheep. Hey...what about the cats? Let's start with this one. Who apparently thinks my ~~hoard~~ collection of felted bags are her bed.

Just an observation

2006-02-22T13:57:00.000-07:00

My darling Princess. It is still winter. You know, when it is cold outside (I know this is not cold to those of you living where it snows. Humor me. Under 60 is cold when you deal with 119 in the summer). This morning it was 37. That means we do not wear jean mini-skirts, flip-flops, a long sleeved shirt and a jacket. The jacket isn't going to help your feet and legs, kiddo. And bitching at me that it is "freezing in the house" when it is 70 isn't helping your mini-skirt wearing cause there, sister. If you are wearing sweats and freezing in a heated house, how are you not freezing while partially clothed and outside? Am I missing something? Does looking cute (Which, I'll admit, you do. Even though your toes look blue.) somehow make you warm?

Obviously I'm way out of the loop on this one. Then again, since I've become the mother of 2 teenagers I've somehow become stupid. How I manage to make it through the day, I'll never know. Thank God I have them to tell me what to do. ::insert sarcasm right about here::

Ok, now all about me. I'm still plugging away at the charity sweater. I have about 4 inches left on the final sleeve (knit cuff-to-cuff) and I'll be done. However, as I'm sure you can tell, I'll be well off my Olympic goal of making 10 items for charity. I'm like the luge chick who smacked her head around the tube when she flipped the lugie thing. I'm on the DL. My wrist just will not cooperate if I try to knit more than a couple hours. But, I gave it a valiant effort. Right? Pictures? I'll show you when I'm all done, k?

What did I do at Stitch n Bitch last night? Rip out the pattern rows on my Jaywalker Socks AGAIN. I'm noticing that I do more Rip n Bitch at our little get togethers than Stitch. Of course, Sarah is probably done both socks now. Why can't I knit as fast as she does?

A Quest

2006-02-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been noticing that I watch way too much tv. Granted, I knit while I watch tv, but I'm still watching way too much. Really, do I need to be watching MASH every day? Every episode of Inked and Miami Ink, even on re-run? Every new Iron Chef America (Especially since I found out that they are given a list of 4 ingredients that could be the secret one. Like I ever believed they could whip up 5 dishes off the tops of their heads and they are all good.)? Ok, I do have to watch every new episode of Lost and Survivor. Heh.

But really. I watch too much tv. I love to read and listen to books on audio. However, I'm constantly complaining that I don't have time to read. Gee, maybe if I missed an episode or 10 of some stupid show I could actually get a few chapters read.

My mother-in-law (and my father-in-law) are both voracious readers. Long ago, Arlene was a librarian. And her house is now a little library. I'm amazed at what that woman has read. Over the summer she showed me a journal she has kept. Many years ago, she found a list of the 100 books everyone should read in their lifetime. And set herself a goal to read them all. She outlined what she would read every year. And she has stuck with it, which amazes me to no end. Some she has liked, some not so much. Even when she didn't like a book, she finished it (unlike me who will just bail on a book).

So, armed with my desire to turn off the boob-tube, I looked for a similar list. I found the Modern Library's 100 Best Novels. When the Modern Library created this list they invited readers to cast their votes in a poll for the Reader's Top 100 list. They also invited the Radcliffe Publishing Course to respond with a rival list. I took all 3 of the lists, put them in a database to weed out the duplicates, thereby coming up with a list of 208 books. I'm rather ashamed to notice that I've only read 7 of them. I am, however, already reading a book on the list - A Prayer for Owen Meany. So many people have named this their favorite book that I wanted to try it again (I tried to read it several years ago and didn't like it.). I really hope it gets better after the second chapter.

Obviously, work is slow today. I'd post the list, but I think it would take up the entire blog page. Email me if you would like it.

All wound up

2006-02-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

I've been good about the yarn diet, right? I've resisted the call of the yarn store since my last trip to Fiber Factory (you do know that there is a shop less than 2 miles from my office? That I have to pass every single day on my way home? Torture, I tell you.). But, my Secret Pal awoke the beast. And now, I must have more Koigu! I found out that Jessica Knits carries Koigu and I was doomed. Jessica's is far from my house, but scary close to my boss’s house and his other office. So, when I found myself up there on Thursday, I had to stop. For more ~~crack~~ Koigu. See what you started, SP? :)

With my recent Koigu hoarding and my last FF trip, I needed to wind up all the yarn.

I don't have a swift, yet, so my friend Sarah lent me hers. Olympic watching + swift + too much yarn = hockey pucks of yarn.

Now, I actually have to knit it all up. That could take awhile.

This next picture just cracks me up. As you know, my cat Olive has an upper respiratory infection. Olive is truly the sweetest, most loving cat I have ever had or been around. She has never scratched anyone and the vet loves her because she is very nice to him and doesn't attack. She adores Brian and wants to be held like a baby all the time. If she is nervous or scared, like when we go to the vet, she will hide her head in your arm so that no one can see her. Apparently, Olive thinks she is an ostrich. She has to have medicine twice a day and would prefer not to.

Too funny, huh? She is still sneezing (and dear Melanie, the sneeze sound is cute. The flying kitty snot isn't.) and I'm not too sure the medicine is working.

Zoe has chosen to sleep through it all behind Luna's tank. Can I be a house cat in my next life?

Valentine's what?

2006-02-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

I'll probably send shock waves throughout the world, but I have a confession. I could care less about Valentine's Day. Really. A friend asked if I thought Brian would have flowers sent to my office. My reply? I hope not. They are 3 times as expensive as they should be and they will die in a week. Know what I would much rather have? A gorgeous plant. Something that when I look at it, will remind me of him thinking about me and that day. We exchanged cards, some candy and had lunch together. Frankly, everyday should be about showing someone how much you love them. Not just February 14th because Hallmark said so. If Brian made next Friday extra special by taking me out, sending me a plant and a necklace from Jared (heh...our inside joke) that would mean more to me than him doing it on some pre-prescribed day.

Enough blabbering. No knitting again last night. My kitty went to the vet with an upper respiratory infection. Great, huh? The family makes it through flu season just fine. It's the cat that gets it. Let me just say, snotty cats are gross. Enough said.

Knitting should return tonight. It is much more fun to watch the Olympics when you can knit. Hopefully far less people will be crashing and falling tonight.

A beautiful day in the neighborhood

2006-02-14T07:47:00.000-07:00

There will be no knitting content here at Casa de la Cranky Teenagers today. My wrist decided that 3 hours of crocheting was more than it could take and boycotted last nights Olympics. I'd make some crack about said wrist, but since it is currently typing, it can read what I'm saying. But let me tell you something, you ever want liven the Olympics up a bit, watch them with Brian. He had me laughing so hard I thought I'd explode. Falling skaters and flying luge people aren't immune to our commentary. That's all I'm going to say.

Seems as though our VP's little brush with shooting his friend has the comics of late night dancing on stage.

"The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," NBC

"Although it is beautiful here in California, the weather back East has been atrocious. There was so much snow in Washington, D.C., Dick Cheney accidentally shot a fat guy thinking it was a polar bear."

"That's the big story over the weekend. ... Dick Cheney accidentally shot a fellow hunter, a 78-year-old lawyer. In fact, when people found out he shot a lawyer, his popularity is now at 92 percent."

"I think Cheney is starting to lose it. After he shot the guy he screamed, 'Anyone else want to call domestic wire tapping illegal?' "

"Late Show with David Letterman," CBS

"Good news, ladies and gentlemen, we have finally located weapons of mass destruction: It's Dick Cheney."

"But here is the sad part -- before the trip Donald Rumsfeld had denied the guy's request for body armor."

Too funny, I tell you.

Olympic happenings

2006-02-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

I am so sucked into the Olympics, it is crazy. Snowboarding, speed skating, downhill. You name it, I've watched it. I'm pissed they are on during the day today, too. I'm going to miss something! I cried when Shawn White won gold for the half pipe. What is wrong with me? I cried when Michelle Kwan pulled out. I love the Olympics.

I've made lots of progress on my Olympic knitting, too. Ok, Friday knit it was Olympic Crocheting, but I did great!

2 squares for The Crochet Dude's Heartmade Blessings project. What isn't shown is the hat I tried to cast on for. Wasn't working. I need 16" circulars. Bah!

Ok, was it only me who thought that the opening ceremonies seemed a little...out there? I did like the people in colored costumes who made up the skier. That was cool. And who picked the music that the athletes walked into the stadium to? American 80's disco/rock? Very, very strange. I was cracking up watching some country I never heard of walking to the YMCA. Too funny.

I also worked on a size 6 sweater for the Dulaan Project.

It is a cuff-to-cuff sweater from Margaret Hubert. I've made a few of these and I really like the pattern. This is her second version and I like it even better. Very mindless knitting. I'm about halfway done.

And since everyone in the northeast is sharing snowy pictures of their yards, I thought it was only fair that I take pictures of my backyard this morning.

Overgrown bush (that I won't let anyone trim because I like the flowers) and a view of my neighbors citrus trees>

Flowers blooming on my trellis.

Don't hate me. You can all make fun of me when I'm bitching about it being 119 here in July.

Sadie was exhausted from all the Olympic watching. Or he doesn't want to think about it being 119.

Goodies

2006-02-10T18:04:00.000-07:00

Today was turning out to be one of those days. You know how it goes. Little, stupid things going wrong at the office. Long line at the post office followed by an even longer one at the bank. Horrible traffic on the way home. Just one of those days. But then, I came home to this.

Isn't that fun? There is lots of candy, soap, cinnamon candle, picture frames, lots more candy, a bear and a journal. In the little pouch are gorgeous stitch markers made with beautiful garnet colored beads. Oh, the skein of ~~crack~~ yarn in the middle? Koigu!! More koigu!! It all came in the photo box in the back. The little box of chocolate on the side is from my SPs roomie. Isn't that so nice?

Secret Pal, you really outdid yourself. Thank you so much for making my day!

My SP also asked what I'll be making with my Koigu. Both are destined to be ankle socks. I tried to start them on dpns, but didn't have much luck. Circulars in the right size are on their way, so hopefully I can start them soon!

Thank you again!!

Good luck everyone on the Olympics tonight. I'll be casting on for a baby hat.

The best laid plans

2006-02-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

Is that what chickens and hookers do? ha ha ha!! Get it? Oh hush, Brian, it's funny and you know it.

Anyway. I'm already an Olympic failure. Even before the games began. I'm the dork that fell BEFORE the starting gate (and that would be just like me, too). My needles will not be arriving today. Or tomorrow. I know this because I'm psychic. Or because I just got an email stating they were mailed today.

In the words of Homer Simpson...Doh!!

So, we move to Plan B (please be impressed that I actually HAVE a Plan B) which is that I am going to knit or crochet 10 items (or more if the wrist co-operates) for charity. I already have a sleeve done for one sweater, can I still work on that and count it? A few of the 10 items will be for the Heartmade Blessings project that Drew needs squares for. I can whip those out pretty quick. Of course, I'll be sleeping in a wrist brace for awhile (Brian just loooveees that), but it is all for the team. Right?

This should be really interesting. Stay tuned. Hopefully we won't have to witness the "agony of defeat" (remember ABC sports and that guy crashing down the mountain every Saturday? I really don't want that to happen to me.).

Knit (or crochet) on!!

Jaywalking

2006-02-09T11:35:00.000-07:00

I been wanting to knit the Jaywalker socks since I started seeing them in so many blogs. At knitting the other night, I tried to cast on for the pair, but failed miserably. I prided myself in not flinging my needles across the wine bar (see, I can show restraint at times) when I had to rip it all out. Last night, I patiently pulled out my 2 socks on 2 circulars tutorial and tried again. Second time was a charm!

Photo credit to my wonderful husband who probably thinks that I think he has nothing better to do all day than take pictures for me so I can blog at lunchtime. Of course this isn't true, he is far to busy preparing my meals, washing my clothes and waiting in joyful anticipation for my homecoming. Good thing he likes me, huh?

Like the others, the first inch is tough going. The tail gets in the way, there is no bit of sock to grab onto and it is just all fiddly. But now I'm a few rows into the zig-zag pattern and it is smooth sailing! I'm telling you, 2 socks at a time is just brilliant. I've received so many emails and comments telling me it that people have either tried and gave up or that it just seemed to complicated. Really, it isn't at all. I'm going to be honest, I have a very short attention span (I probably still have ADHD, when I was a kid it was just called hyperactivity). I have a very difficult time following directions and keeping track of what the heck I'm doing (you can thank the teenagers for that) and given a little quiet and a lot of patience on my part, I got it. And once I did, it all clicked. I'm really determined to never knit one sock at a time again. I started not liking knitting socks because I would just dread the second one. Sure, knitting 2 at a time takes a little longer because you are moving things around a bit more. But when I consider that there were times that months would go by before I forced myself to knit that second sock, it is worth it.

Should the needles come in time for my Olympic knitting project, I'll be knitting the Aran Sandal (I'll be wearing them with clogs, thank you.) Socks 2 at a time as well. That should be interesting. If they don't come in time, I think I'll change my project to a certain number of charity knits. I'll know by Friday!

A new home

2006-02-08T15:29:00.000-07:00

No, not for me, for my blog! Isn't it so pretty? I found it at Beccary from a link on Melanie's blog. I've been wanting a new template for awhile but never found one I really loved. Until today. Let me know if you think the print is too small. I have a huge monitor, so I never know.

Apparently, my kitty Zoe has found a new home as well.

Looks like she is in the tank with Luna, doesn't it? Well, there is a narrow little space between Luna's tank and the wall. It is very warm there due to the special light we have for Luna. Zoe loves to sleep right there and Luna doesn't seem to mind at all. The life of my pets, I tell ya.

Size 3 Addi's are on their way and I could possibly have them by Friday. I did a swatch on the 1's I already had, but got 8 stitches to the inch and the gauge was 6 1/2 to the inch. Please let them work!

If you could, please keep the Baseball Star in your prayers. He is trying out for his high school baseball team this week and could use all the help he can get. There are so many kids trying out for so few spots. Last year he didn't make it and he was devastated. It was between him and another kid and they chose the other kid. Who went on to have a horrible season and attitude and was benched. Go figure.

I caved

2006-02-07T11:47:00.000-07:00

I did it. I caved. Even though I said I wasn't going to, I did. There was too much pressure. Too many bloggers heading toward the light, err flame. So, I caved.

I joined the Knitting Olympics.

I know, I know. But it looks like so much fun! Forget the fact that I'll be knitting my little fingers to the bone! Forget that I signed up on the very last day possible and haven't as much made a gauge swatch. Or that I might not have the needles I need. I have yarn (we all know how much of that I have), I have the pattern and I have insanity on my side. How could I resist?

What am I knitting, you ask? The Aran Sandal Socks from Socks, Socks, Socks. I've wanted to knit them since I first bought the book, but thought they would be too difficult for me.

What better time to challenge myself than when the teenagers are conspiring to send me to a mental home? Wait, don't they cook for you, clean for you and you don't have to work? Hey, would they let me knit there? Hmmm....

These socks rock!

2006-02-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

Today, I'm sporting my newest socks!

And of course, we must have the blurry crocs shot.

As you may be able to tell, these are fraternal socks. However, they started out as identical twins. My friend Pam knows all about genetics and I'm sure will tell us all that I've created quite the anomaly. Honestly, I don't know what happened. I'm sure I can't re-create this effect in my ~~lab~~ living room again. Everything was all fine and dandy until I found a knot. I clipped it out and matched up the striping in the sock. And that's where things went wonky (don't you love that word?). I tried to fix it by clipping again, to no avail. So, the socks are identical up until halfway down my foot. Whatever.

I used Sockotta yarn that I also used for a little iPod cover. I had just enough to make the socks with a shortened leg. They are very comfy and don't itch at all, thanks to the majority content of cotton. Love the patterning, love the feel...just lovin' my new socks.

And I'm going to take this moment to officially out Pam as my test crochet blanket from hell savior. She claims that my erratic Super Bowl behavior (ha! I toned it down for my friends, you should see me when I think there are no witnesses to my behavior during the games. A clue? Brian clears the living room of any breakable/throwable objects. Heh.) was what led her to save me from the hell known as the SWTC blanket, but I think it is because she loves me and feels sorry for me. Crocheting has really been bothering my left wrist (why knitting doesn't, I couldn't tell you) and it is so boring that I want to scream every time I look at it. Plus, the yarn twists back on itself and adds to my already unstable brain situation. Pam is my hero. She has saved me.

Tonight our Stitch 'n Bitch (take that Sew Fast So Sleazy) is at a wine bar. Sarah set it up so that we go there once a month. Isn't she wonderful?

Football hangover

2006-02-06T13:25:00.000-07:00

Good God. Again, someone please tell me why I didn't take today off. I'm a zombie. I was so excited about the game that I hardly slept on Saturday night (yes, I am a loser) and got up early on Sunday for the pre-game ritual. A little about the ritual. When the butcher at the grocery store recognizes you and your husband and outs your little superstitious run to the store EVERY Sunday morning before the game is on tv, you are a freak. Good thing he doesn't know about having the same breakfast, game food and candle burning, huh?

So yea, I am tired. However, during my sleepless night on Saturday, I stayed up pretty late watching ESPN and knitting socks. I'm like 5 rows and a kitchner stitch away from having a finished pair of socks. How cool is that?

And in more wonderful news, a dear friend (who I'm not so sure wants to be identified, I'll have to check) has taken the SWTC blanket away from me and is working on it. She must love me. Or think I'm totally wacked after watching me during yesterday's game and therefore feels sorry for me. Either way, she is the best :) Does that mean I can take it off the sidebar?!?

I guess I better go back to ~~sleeping at my desk~~ work.

And the Steelers win the Super Bowl!!!

2006-02-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

What more is there to say?

I am so happy today, there are no words. It's been a bumpy road, but we did it! There was an awesome party at my house last night. As my friends can tell you, I was a tad emotional about the game. I tried not to cry, but watching Cowher and Ben cry did me in. Then, after everyone left, I watched Sports Center for 2 hours and just cried at every interview. What can I say? I've loved my Steelers for most of my life. Way to go, guys.

Someone explain to me why I didn't take today off. LOL

Here we go!!

2006-02-05T11:14:00.000-07:00

(try to picture me singing here) Here we go, Steelers, here we go!! Pittsburgh's playin' in the Super Bowl!!

You can hear the real version and see the video here. Needless to say, I've been singing it non-stop since I heard it on Friday. I'm so excited about the game that I couldn't sleep last night!!

And I want to thank everyone for their support. Friday was so hard for me. One of the things that really helped keep me going was the comments. Then I started getting excited for the game and I'm feeling much better. Thanks again :)

Go Steelers!! I've loved you guys since I was 8 years old (wait 'til I find a way to scan a picture of me at 12 getting my first jersey at Christmas). I'm proud of ya'll no matter what the outcome.

Done

2006-02-03T10:37:00.000-07:00

You know, I have a good life. I have wonderful friends, great (most of the time) kids, a fabulous husband, a nice house, a new car and a job I love 95% of the time. Lately though, I'm just...done. I'm unmotivated at work, with my knitting, with house stuff...hell, I can't even finish a book I've been trying to read for 3 weeks. I'm so excited about the game this weekend, but in order to be ready for the party I need to shop and clean my house. Which will cause yet another fight with the kids because they have to actually help. And I just don't want to deal with it.

The Princess is currently furious with me over something I have no control over. She said things last night that hurt...and hurt deeply. I know teenagers (and all kids) say things they don't mean. And she is still just a kid. But at what point does that stop being an excuse? At what point can I just sit on my patio and cry and be mad? Last night was that point. To have sacrificed everything, to have worked so hard (sometimes working 2 jobs), being a single mom and skipping meals because child support wasn't paid AGAIN and you don't get paid for 3 more days but telling the kids you ate a big lunch. Even though they don't know any of that. For it all to have meant nothing. It is truly more than I can bear.

I'm just...done.

A letter to my children

2006-02-01T12:46:00.000-07:00

My darling children,

I write this to both of you knowing you will never read it. Why? Because God forbid we actually read anything that isn't

1 - homework, of which you will complain incessantly and wait until the last minute to read 20 chapters
2 - your friend's My Space
3 - the life story of whatever celebrity/sports figure you love this week
4 - the Victoria's Secret catalog (yes, both of you).

And what better way to do it, than on my blog where ~~hundreds~~ a couple of people can read it and share my misery and make fun of you?

First - Your grandparents (God love them, they must have felt sorry for me that Christmas) bought you both boom boxes capable of reaching ear-shattering volumes. That are in your rooms. Therefore, it is not necessary for you to blast the latest Daddy Yankee (why is he called that, anyway? He is from Puerto Rico and didn't speach English until recently. But I digress.) song, complete with video, from the computer in the great room so I can't hear the voices in my head telling me to run away from home.

And while we are on that subject...I don't want to see the video. I didn't want to see it on tv, I don't want to see it on the computer and I sure don't want to see the "Mom, you gotta see this hot guy" video the 10th time you ask. It sucks just as bad the first time you asked.

Second - My darling Princess. It is not necessary for you to scream at the top of your ~~freaking~~ lungs at your brother for all the injustices he has placed upon your ~~pampered and spoiled~~ life. When I hear your brother's name in elongated (that means, dear, that you make his name in 14 syllables instead of the 2 it actually is) screeches it makes me want to run from the house screaming myself. While I know it is worthy of World War 5, your brother taking 2 extra minutes to get off the computer/get off the phone/finish with the milk is not worthy of the volumes you can raise your voice to. The neighbors are complaining. And your mother is praying she becomes deaf.

Third - Dearest Baseball Star. Plain and simple, stop annoying your sister. Don't throw candy wrappers at her, try to trip her, knock on her door and run or do any of the 5 million other things you do that cause her to make The Noise (see second point). We all know you are home, you don't need to do ~~stupid and attention grabbing~~ things to remind us. And while I'm talking to you, I should let you know something else. I love you. However, I do not want to see you act out your Xbox game for the 1,000th time in the middle of the living room while I'm watching a movie. Yes, it is highly interesting how you scored that touchdown. The first time.

And finally. Yes, you both have to do chores and yes you both have a bedtime. I'm sure that it totally sucks Cheerio holes that you have to actually do something around the house ::cough:: Baseball Star ::cough::, but I'm not a maid/laundress/chef. And, while all your friends might not have a bed time, you do. Get over it. When you graduate high school you can go to bed whatever time you want. You aren't missing much by "staying up a half hour, Mom".

In closing, remember that I love you with all my heart. However, you are both driving me freaking insane. Also remember that should I go completely insane, you will have to be the ones to take care of me when I'm a dribbling idiot who needs to be fed all her meals.

Love,
Your mother

SP, I love you.

2006-01-30T19:07:00.000-07:00

Look at the goodies I got today!

Know what that gorgeous purple yarn is? Are you sitting? It is Koigu. Koigu...the crack of yarn. It is so beautiful, I can't even stand it. I LOVE purple. I LOVE soft yarn. Purple soft yarn? Bliss, I tell you. There is also hot chocolate (one packet is now gone) and way cute stitch markers. Oh yea, and Sadie's big head. He would not leave me alone while I was trying to take pictures. SP, you rock!! I have wanted to try Koigu forever. I know exactly what I'll be making, too. Alison's ankle socks. Thank you so very much, you made my day :)

Progress continues on the current socks. I'm past the heel turn and gusset and now down the stretch for the foot. The yarn is weird. I've had to cut it at one point because the color patterning was off. On one sock, orange was next. On the other, pink. After all the effort I've gone into to make them match, I wasn't going to screw it up now. Normally, I don't care, but I wanted these to match.

For all the work I did over the weekend, I got a lot of knitting done. I knit late into the night on Saturday and worked car detailing (waxing a car is hard freaking work) on Sunday. Cute, huh? I love making socks. Since I'll be making the Koigu ankle socks and probably need to use dpns, I can cast on for another pair on the circulars from the Fixation yarn my wonder SP5 friend, Cece sent me. I've been a little nervous to try the fixation because of the elastic, but I really love the color of the yarn and need to just suck it up and try.

Thank you again, Secret Pal!!

It's Friday, baby!

2006-01-27T11:02:00.000-07:00

What a long week! Is it just me, or has this week dragged on FOR.EV.ER? Ugh. Thank you so much for all of your kind comments. I am so happy about my car, I can't even begin to tell you. I keep thinking about this summer and how I might not actually be able to make beef jerky in my car. This could be the first summer without be becoming a miserable shrew every day when I drive home from work.

Other than hanging out with my knitter friends, I haven't knit or crocheted all week. That is just sad. I'm thinking I'll have to make up some knitting time this weekend. Right after I handwash and wax my baby. Did I mention yet that I LOVE my car? Not just short-term lust, this is full-out love. I freak out about every spec of dust and lint on the seat. I'm contemplating seat covers and Scotchguarding everything. Yes, I am a freak.

Even though I haven't had time to knit, progress on the socks is moving fast. I'm working on the heels and should be able to turn them this weekend. I think the foot goes quite quickly, so I'll bet that I should have a pair of socks to wear on Monday.

If I don't knit a car cozy, that is. Heh

My new baby

2006-01-26T07:24:00.000-07:00

I am SO happy! Last night (at 10:30, ugh!) I ~~delivered~~ brought home my new baby.

A 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe, in Nautical Blue. With tan interior, in case you were wondering. It might as well have been a delivery for how long it took. And that was with being friends with the dealer and having everything all set up for us!! 3 hours. But, she is all mine now. I'm so excited, this is my first brand new car in like 18 years. So that is what that "new car smell" is!

I love her. Now, she needs a name. And my Steelers license plate.

2 Socks on 2 Circulars

2006-01-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

I've received a few emails asking for tips on knitting 2 socks on 2 circulars, so here goes.

1 - Learn how to knit 1 sock on 2 circulars from Cat's book, Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles. I only wish there were more pictures in her book.

2 - Patience, patience, patience. While it isn't really hard to learn, I did really have to take my time to figure out what the heck I was doing. The first inch sucks, but then again I thought it did on dpns, too.

3 - I used Sheron's 2 Socks on 2 Circulars Class. She is great at explaining the technique.

4 - One huge tip she gives - You either change yarn or needles when at the end of a section, never both.

5 - When turning the needles, alternate clockwise and counter clockwise to help the twisting of your yarn.

6 - And probably the most important tip of all, don't even bother knitting socks on circulars without using Addis. Believe me, I tried and it sucked. If you are looking for a cheap source for Addis, jeff_wonderland on ebay has great prices and fast (and cheap) shipping (even though he is in Hong Kong). The join is perfect for all that moving around and the tips aren't so sharp you wind up with injuries (don't ask).

If I can help it, I'm never knitting socks again on dpns or one at a time. I'm so excited that when I finish the toe, I'll have a complete pair of socks.

13 days...2 hours... I need to find some yellow and black sock yarn. Preferably cotton. Any ideas?

Super Bowl Bound!!!

2006-01-22T17:52:00.000-07:00

WOOOOOOO WEEEEEE!!!!!!!

What a game!! I am SO proud of my team!! Super Bowl Party at my house, baby!!

Yea....I cried. It's been 10 years (and we lost to the Cowgirls then). 10 long years. I am so freaking happy!!!

Slippers and socks

2006-01-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

Brian wanted me first to thank everyone for their compliments on the cat tree. He made another one today for his parents. Their cats, not them. And I want to thank you for not thinking I was nuts about the salad thing. Well, I'm nuts, but it isn't because of the salad. It's probably because my food can't touch. But that's a whole 'nuther subject.

As promised, before shots of the Princess Slippers.

And after, being modeled by said Princess. She doesn't want you to know, though, that her shirt didn't match the slippers.

I love this pattern. She has barely taken them off since they dried. Can you believe it? It is truly a miracle.

Since I could cross another project off the list, I decided to cast on for socks. Now, I love making socks. The first one. The second one? Not so much. Thanks to Illana, I learned how to knit socks on 2 circulars. Thereby eliminating the chance I'd impale myself again with an errant dpn. I love knitting socks on 2 circs. And then, I found out you could knit two socks at once. Oh the joy! Then I tried it. And after spending a couple of hours feeling like I was some kind of retarded spider spinning a deflicted web, I gave up. It was a mess. Everything was tangled and twisted. This time, however, I was determined. I didn't learn to knit overnight, I would just have to take my time and learn a new technique. And...it worked!! It all clicked this time and now I feel like Charlotte the talking spider spinning my web (bear with me, there is little excitement here at Casa de Cranky Teenagers). Lookie here! We have socks!

Is that cool, or what? Good thing I went to yoga today to stretch so I can successfully pat myself on the back. It is still a little fiddly, but I rather fiddle than knit a second sock. I'm sure with time I'll get better.

16 hours and 49 minutes. I'm never going to sleep tonight. Do me a favor, whatever you did last Sunday, please repeat it exactly. Not that I'm superstitious or anything. Ignore the fact that we are having the exact breakfast as last Sunday, wearing the same clothes (ok, that isn't a stretch...I'll be in my jersey) and lighting the same yellow candle (think I'm kidding?).

In the event that something happens tomorrow that shouldn't (I'm not even going to say it), I will be blogging from the mental wing of Chandler Hospital.

I can hear you...

2006-01-20T12:47:00.000-07:00

I'm just sitting here in my lonely little office eating my lunch, when I can hear my salad talking to me. It is mocking me. You see, I'm trying to be a little more healthy these days. Eating better, going to the gym...the usual January bs with hopefully a better outcome this time 'round. So, I'm eating my lovely little salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and field greens. Field greens. What the hell are field greens? Because, let me tell you, this little one right on my fork looks like weed (not THAT kind of weed, it would be a far better lunch if it were that kind. But then I would be paranoid someone would KNOW.) In fact, it looks alot like dandelion leaves. And the other one looks like some wildflower stem. Mother Nature must be laughing her ass off. Don't you remember your dad in the yard with the spray bottle vowing to kill all the dandelions if it's the last thing he does? I sure do. And now they are being cultivated for my salad. But they are probably some kind of special dandelion/weed/field green. Yep, she is laughing at me, alright.

See what happens when I'm alone all day, obsessing about a game in 48 hours and 7 minutes?

Wow...I wonder what the entree in the black plastic microwavable plate has to say.

Me me me

2006-01-20T11:33:00.000-07:00

Yep, another meme. I love these things. Thanks to Jen for her addition to this one. Plus, its another excuse not to work. Because it is Friday and my game starts in 49 hours. And 20 minutes. Not that I'm counting.

4 jobs you have had:
Collection agent (I hated that job)
Accounts Payable at a nursing home (hated it, people died every day and I cried)
McDonald's french fry wench
Ice cream scooper

4 movies you could watch over and over:
The entire Lord of the Rings trilogy
The first Matrix
Sense and Sensibility
Office Space

4 TV shows you love to watch:
Lost
Survivor (I haven't missed an episode yet. That is sad. LOL)
Inked
Miami Ink
And a fifth, because I said so - The Daily Show. I :heart: Jon Stewart

4 5 places you have been on vacation:
San Diego
Vermont
Florida
Mexico
Pinetop

4 websites you visit daily:
Lots of blogs
cnn.com
azcentral.com
peskyapostrophe.com

4 of your favorite foods:
chips
chocolate
crab
soft bread with real butter

4 places you would rather be right now:
Pinetop, Arizona
home
visiting my dad
at knitting with my friends

4 favorite books:
A Million Little Pieces & its sequel My Friend Leonard
Harry Potter series
The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk (I think I have read this 4 times now)
Almost anything by Carl Hiaasen (you have to have lived in Florida to really love him)

4 bloggers you are tagging: No one, wanna do it? Have at it. Did I mention I'm so freaking happy it is Friday? And with this meme, I burned 9 minutes off the clock.

The week in review

2006-01-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

Been an odd sort of week. The Princess has commenced sucking up to get off grounding (not working), my mom is out of the hospital (for now) and work is busy, but boring.

Since I was off Thursday and Friday due to the migraine from hell, I came in on Monday. Brian stayed home with the teenagers and completed this.

Is that freaking amazing, or what? I bought him (ok, he bought it because I couldn't have carried it and I didn't know what set to get) a power tool set he had been ~~begging for~~ wanting for a long time. He took shop all through high school and has been wanting to build some things. This is his first project. I am in awe. The cats love it. They sleep on it, play on it and hardly leave to eat. Sadie (the white one) used to sleep with the Star every night. He is pissed because now Sadie wants to sleep on the tree. What is Brian making next? A loft bed for the Star. Is he amazing, or what?

Me? I finished the Princess' slippers. She claims to love them, however after 2 days they are still drying. Let's see if she wears them longer than the time it took to make them and let them dry. They are pretty cute. I'll get a picture with her in them when they dry.

My job is a little boring these days. I'm the sole employee here and where my office is, I'm usually the only one in the building. Nice and quiet, yes. But I don't have a big project to work on and frankly, I'm a little burnt out. I could use a weekend in Pinetop (where we share a house with my in-laws) of doing nothing but sitting on the porch swing (where Brian proposed...awwwww) and knitting.

50 hours and 30 minutes until the Steeler game. I can't wait, but I'm so nervous. The entire season lies with this game. Can we beat Denver? I'm either going to be posting on Sunday after partying all day, or I'll be in bed with the phone off and the covers over my head trying not to cry. Yes, I'm an obsessed fan.

GO STEELERS!!!!

Support the Cause!

2006-01-19T11:40:00.000-07:00

And boycott Sew Fast Sew Easy Inc. (like I even knew who they were before all this crap started). Things in this crazy world never cease to amaze me.

And a quick thank you to everyone for your support. My mom is out of the hospital (for now) and the Princess is seeing the error of her ways. And the Steelers play again on Sunday. Life does get better.