Happy Valentine's Day!

DH doesn't buy into the holiday, but it's full of warm feelings anyway.

I have been very busy on the Knitting front:
I joined the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin' Sock Club, and my first package arrived two weeks ago. The yarn is gorgeous, of course, and I am hard at work on the first sock. The pattern moves quickly, too, so I'm not bored or allowing myself to get distracted.

I made an Unoriginal Hat (charted by the Yarn Harlot):

The yarn was given to me on Christmas Eve, and when I visited friends on Christmas Day (including the guy who gave me the yarn), I already had the hat done. I'm sure I have the band at home, but I remember that it's 100% wool, hand-dyed from a boutique in NYC. I'll figure it out, I'm sure.

I have also been plowing through on my father's sweater, but it's taking me so long, and I get easily distracted. *Sigh.

I also knit up all the pieces for the Winter Berries bag by Noni. I have yet to felt them, though, since I only have access to coin-operated washing machines, and I want to do my first felting project right, and then I can adapt it to what I have.

Things have been happy-busy at work. My responsibilities have been added to, so I have less free time (aka blogging time) and I still don't want to sit at a computer when I get home in the evenings. I have joined a yoga class, and I babysit often, so my time is still well-spent.

I will be back.

Amazing.

From www.icanhascheezburger.com - link is below the picture.


moar funny pictures

I will post again soon.

And then a month goes by...

It's been a busy couple of weeks, but I now I'm just making excuses.

First, with the holiday in there, I had lots of extra work around my office. Planning to be away for 3 days caused an extra week's worth of preparation. The time was much needed away from my town. It was great.

Also, right before the holiday, we bought a new car - a 2008 Toyota Corolla. We really needed this one. Back in June, the car we were driving - a '96 Mercury Tracer - was finally kicking the bucket. This car was bought brand new, off the lot by my mom, and we put over 140K miles on it. It served us well. However, in June, DH and I weren't exactly in a position to buy a car. So, we've been borrowing a car since then. It's a Saturn SL1, and a bit snug to fit into.

When DH got his awesome job in September, I knew we were on our way. Finally, we hit that point where all of our finances were flowing well with a bit of excess now, so we dove in. I had been researching the Corollas for quite a long time now, and feel totally confident in what we got. Eeeee!

In knitting news, my camera is kinda broken. It turns out that I have a defective battery. Thankfully, this is something that the manufacturer is aware of, and I should have a replacement soon. Then I can take way more pictures. In the meantime, I have been using my phone's camera, which actually takes quite good pictures. However, it doesn't transfer to my computer very easily and my work computer is kinda on the fritz (where I normally transfer everything). So, I have lots of shots, but haven't gotten around to posting them.

I have, however, been knitting up a storm. I joined the NaKnitSweMo group on Ravelry to challenge myself into knitting a sweater in a month. Well, November is almost over, but my sweater's only half done. On the other hand, my sweater's half done!! It seriously took me forever to make the last sweater that I worked on, so this is amazing to me. I'm knitting it in Cascade 220, and I bought a simple top-down v-neck raglan pattern to follow since I'm designing a full-coverage intarsia pattern as I go along. My dad is really into tigers - all kinds, too. Siberian tigers with green eyes especially, but Tigger too. I figured that I would knit him a sweater with a full body tiger-stripe pattern to it. It's taking a while, but the shaping is already done, and the stripes look awesome. Actually last night, I had it off the needles on a lifeline just to check a few things, and I'm really impressed with myself right now. The way the I'm building the stripes could have been totally disastrous. I have been taking lots of pictures, and as soon as I can get them on a computer, I will post them here, and on Ravelry.

I've covered a lot, and I will be posting more. Stay tuned...

Broad Street, Philadelphia

I love that these mittens are based in a town I know. Having grown up near Philly, I know the coldness that the designer speaks of, therefore necessitating these mittens.



I am plodding ahead with these babies. I am making them with Patons Shetland Tweed, though, instead of the merino that the pattern was written for. However, a bulkier yarn means that my gauge is much larger, and less stitches are needed to fit around my skinny little fingers. These babies, though, are a gift. I'm not saying who for though.

Also just about finished: Knucks, my blended-pattern socks of Anastasia and Widdershins, and a blanket that I started over the summer. Plenty of pictures coming soon.

Rhinebeck and lack of pics

So, my camera battery died, and I haven't charged it yet. When I do, pics will be here again.

I did get to attend the wonderful Rhinebeck, and got to visit with old friends. I picked up a few things:
- two 325-yard skeins of Organic Cotton ( I'll have to reference the actual label for the farm name) for baby sweaters.
- a Kromski Niddy-noddy.
- two small bags of purple-dyed wool roving for hopefully my first felting project.
- a copy of Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Without Tears.
- a notecard of an alpaca.

This last item was bought for a specific purpose. I framed it and hung it up...in my bathroom. I have a number of fun pictures - including a hand-drawn rendering of Abraham Lincoln - hung in my bathroom, since I feel they are most appreciated in there. Sometimes I crack me up.

Not exhausted yet

On Wednesday night, all other pastimes and hobbies came to a halt.

I bought a Wii.

Oh man, how fun. I play a mean game of tennis, and I'm the top bowler in my house. Plus, I bought the Zelda game, too, so that is totally time-consuming.

I haven't actually played a new game system since my Nintendo was bought when I was 6. I have always just stuck with that one. I have never needed better graphics or killer role-playing scenarios. Tetris rules. Now, I feel like I'm doing really well with this game, and I feel really smart about it. Hahaha, smart.

This weekend, I went down to NYC for the Audio Engineers Society convention at the Javits center. So many audio nerds. I was one of so many. Great Thai food for dinner, too. I also got to see a lot of old friends and visit with some new friends.

In knitting, I have almost finished my Broad Street Mittens, made two new Round Dishcloths, and finished my first Knuck. Small projects are swell.

Pics to follow!

Catching Up

I actually have a few things to type about this evening.

First, I received my PRGE package today. Well, it actually got here yesterday, but as I live in an apartment, and the mail carrier doesn't feel comfortable leaving packages, I got it at the Post Office this morning.



Included are a set of #4 dpn's, a skein of purple KnitPicks Cotlin, Rowan Wool & Cotton, patterns for a Round Dishcloth, Knucks from Knitty, awesome Cherry lip balm, and Pop Rocks! Amazing.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure who my Secret Pal is, they didn't give their name. Hopefully, all will be revealed with the November package.

In other news, I did just start work on a pair of Broad Street Mittens. I chose to use a chunky Wool instead of a fingering weight yarn.



I have the left one done, and I'm up to the fingers for the right one. I will, of course, post a "finished" pic. This is slightly irinic since my Secret PRGE Pal just happen to pick Knucks as the pattern to send me, and I kinda have a pair on the needles - which is totally ok, since the Broad Street's are being knitted as a gift! Now I get to make a pair for myself!

Happy Knitting!

Cleaning house

In the spirit of re-arranging two rooms of our apartment, I decided to finally do something about the state of my blog. I have switched styles of template, and I'm hoping that will help my considerably. Please feel free to let me know if there's anything unsightly that I may not have noticed for myself. I will also be working on updating links and whatnot.

So much time, so little to do...

Wait. Strike that. Reverse it.

UFO sightings

It's amazing to read other people's blogs and realize that I am not the only person on earth who has trouble finishing what I start. Thank goodness! I have an honest-to-goodness basket for projects that I start with the absolute best intention to finish right away. But then I find the prettiest yarn on sale.... Everyone does this, I now see.

brooklyntweed is describing his current move, which has un-earthed a number of UFOs. This has subsequently led to quite a bit of patient frogging. Maybe I should take a page from his book, and do the same myself. Like that sweater that I started out of dishcloth cotton two years ago - A) dishcloth cotton should probably not be used to make sweaters, as I realized when I went to make a baby sweater of said material, and B) dishcloth cotton doesn't feel very nice when you're making an ultimately heavy garment like a sweater. That's probably why it's referred to as 'dishcloth' cotton - tiny projects, please.

brooklyntweed has also pointed out that in his cleaning out process, he has located a project that he is loving working on again. Maybe I could also find something like that for myself???

Regardless, I need to work on my UFOs and be honest with myself. Am I really going to make that? If the answer is even 'maybe' then frogging is most likely inevitable. Stash space is prime real estate in our tiny place.

**
In other news, a few posts back, I included a picture from my hometown, Allentown - Allen High Fighting Canaries!! (I will never cease to laugh at my h.s. mascot, regardless of the point of its origination) - and I got a great comment from a woman named Sally who shared that she knew of the Public Storage location in the picture, and recognized it. I wanted to thank Sally for commenting. She let me know that there are more people reading this blog than I thought. I love it!! Thank you, Sally, and all the other lovely people that I write this for.

Officially addicted.

So, every time that I have sat down at a computer in the last three days, I have logged in to Ravelry. I knew it was going to happen, so I just let it suck me in. I have made significant headway, and I am very proud of my progress. Now, if only I could get this page under control...

In reading knitgrrl's page, as well as Rilana's page, I have found the NaKniSweMo project. Knit a Sweater in a month. Hmmmm. The last sweater I knit took me 8 months, give or take. I think I'll do well with the pressure. So now to find a men's pullover pattern that works well with a beer gut...

I love stuff like this

From Shadkitty's page:
SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 films, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own blog, paste this as a note. Then, put x's next to the films you've seen, add them up.Have fun!

(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
(x) Boondock Saints
(x) Fight Club
(x) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
(x) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane
Total:10

(x) The Princess Bride (so many times!)
(x) AnchorMan (ugh - I know too many of the lines....)
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
(x) White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
( ) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
(x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 18

(x) Scream
(x) Scream 2
(x) Scream 3
( ) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
(x) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 24

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
(x) The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 31

(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
(x) Butterfly Effect
( ) 13 Going on 30
( ) I, Robot
( ) Robots
Total so far: 36

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (I LOVE this movie!)
( ) Universal Soldier
(x) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
(x) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
(x) Eight Crazy Nights
(x) Joe Dirt
(x) KING KONG
Total so far: 47

(x) A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
(x) Dumber & Dumberer
(x) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
(x) Halloween
(x) The Ring
(x) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving X-MAS
(x) Flubber
Total so far: 56

( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
(x) From Hell
(x) Hellboy
(x) Secret Window
(x) I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
(x) The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 64

(x) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
(x) Just Married
(x) Gothika
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
(x) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
(x) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 73

(x) Bad Boys
(x) Bad Boys 2
(x) Joy Ride
(x) Lucky Number Sleven
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
( ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
(x) Ice Age
(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
(x) Curious George
Total so far: 85

(x) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
(x) A Bronx Tale
(x) Darkness Falls
(x) Christine
(x) ET
(x) Children of the Corn
( ) My Bosses Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds (the original and not the crappy remake with Tom Cruise)
(x) Rush Hour
(X) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 95

( ) Best Bet
( ) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x) She's All That
( ) Calendar Girls
(x) Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
(x) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
(x) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 105

(x) X-Men
(x) X-2
(x) X-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
( ) Spider-Man 3
( ) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday
(x) Reign of Fire
(x) The Skulls
(x) Cruel Intentions
(x) Cruel Intentions 2 (lame)
(x) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
Total so far: 120

( ) Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street
(x) Old School
(x) The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf's Tribe
(x) A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin
Total so far: 126

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 132

(x) Baseketball
( ) Hostel
(x) Waiting for Guffman
(x) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
(x) Highlander
(x) Mothman Prophecies
(x) American History X
( ) Three
Total so Far: 139

(x) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(x) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
Total so far: 144

( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
(x) Hulk
( ) Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
( ) Chronicles Of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
(x) 28 days later
(x) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
(x) Waterworld
Total so far: 149

(x) Kill Bill vol 1
(x) Kill Bill vol 2
(x) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
(x) the Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
( ) Army of Darkness
Total so far: 153

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 159

(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
(x) The Matrix Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
(x) Evil Dead
(x) Evil Dead 2
(x) Team America: World Police
(x) Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
(x) Hannibal
Total: 168

There are clearly a number of movies that I have seen that are not on this list. I easily own over 239 DVD/VHS movies. I'm not kidding.


In Ravelry news, I set up my Flickr account, got some photos uploaded, and made some headway filling in a few blanks that I had already created on my page. Things are looking a bit more filled in, and have yet to expand. Woohoo!

Ravelry-er

So, I've had my Ravelry page - KnitKatKnit - for more than a few weeks now, and I have been pretty bad about doing anything with it. My biggest reason for this is that I usually throw up a blog post during a quiet time at work, or on my lunch. However, not only have I been working through my lunches, I haven't been taking any knitting to work with me - I just don't really have any time. As a result, my blog has been rather slow to be updated, and I have all but forgotten Ravelry.

Times change.

I have taken pics of my stash, such as it is, and I will be updating like a fiend. It may just take some time.

For now, here's the culmination of much cleaning:



We have a kind of small apartment, so my stash and accessories stay in this cabinet and the tubs on top of it. It's great to be able to stay organized with it.

On with Ravelry!!

From sunne's blog

SCATTERGORIES ... and it's harder than it looks! Here are the rules:

* Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the questions.

* They MUST be real places, names, things ... NOTHING made up!

* If you can't think of anything, skip it.

* You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

* If your name happens to start with the same letter as mine, sorry, but you can't use my answers!


My name: Kat


1. Famous Singer/Band: Kiss

2. Four letter word: kick

3. Street: Knollwood Road

4. Color: khaki

5. Gifts/Presents: kisses - both smootches and chocolates!

6. Vehicle: Kia

7. Things in a Souvenir Shop: keychains!

8. Boy Name: Keith

9. Girl Name: Kathryn

10. Movie Title: Kill Bill, Vol 1 & 2

11. Drink: Kahlua

12. Occupation: Killer

13. Celebrity: Kevin Kline

14. Magazine: Knitter's!

15. U.S. City: Kalamazoo

16. Pro Sports Teams: Knicks

17. Fruit: Kumquat

18. Reason for Being Late for Work: Kicking ass

19. Something You Throw Away: Kleenex, used

20. Things You Shout: KICK ASS!

21. Cartoon Character: Kimber, from Jem and the Holograms

Mountain Laurel

I never realized what a pretty flower this is.



The Mountain Laurel, Kalmia Latifolia, is not only the state flower of Pennnsylvania, where I'm from, but also Connecticut, where I am. It's lovely.

I know this is a short post, but it's raining a lot outside, and I have pretty flowers on my brain. Plus, on a day like today, when so many people are observing in different memorial ways, it's nice to think about flowers instead of destruction and loss.

Silly blog.

So, I tried to tweak a few things on my sidebar to make them a bit more streamlined so I could add my badges to it, and the whole thing ended up buggered. The font has changed, as well as the sizing, but only for part of it. I also have a funny line going across the top of the posting part.

Does anyone out there know of a good resource to assist me with figuring out enough of the html to clean this up? I am basically figuring things out myself through trial-and-error. I change something, and then preview it. If the result is not what I want, I revert back. Most of the time, I'm doing ok, but not this time.

In knitting news, I finished a pair or fingerless gloves that I designed myself. They're gorgeous (to me), very soft, and fit wonderfully. As soon as I have a picture, I will post it, along with the pattern.

Yesterday, however, I cut the pad of my right thumb on a pair of scissors. Knitting has been halted. That does not mean I'm wasting my time - no, no - it's PRGE TIME!! I can still shop with a wounded thumb. I'm totally planning to spoil my spoilee! I cannot say anymore! Woohoo!

For your viewing pleasure, a sad sight that DH and I frequently pass when we're visiting our parents in PA. I think I drove by this sight every day for over 10 years before I realized the hilarity.

Badges

I was never a Brownie or Girl Scout when I was younger, and the only part that I was ever yearning to join in on was the earning of badges. I always thought they were great - small embroidered representations of your achievements. I even found some of my aunt's badges from her Girl Scout years, and added one or two to my backpack in high school.

Now, I am adding the badges which I believe I have earned, from the Illustrious Order of Cast On Knitting Scouts

Proselytize Knitting Badge

I do enjoy sharing tips about knitting, as well as spouting about how much I love the sport. I rarely shut up about it. For anyone who wants to learn, I have extra needles and practice yarn in my desk drawer.

I've Knit Items With No Conceivable Practical Application For Them Badge

First of all, I love knitting stuffed animals. Unless they go to someone right away, though, I keep them around to love them, and they end up in my "China Cabinet of Things That We Cannot Throw Away, But Really Have No Other Function." Second of all, I end up un-raveling so many things and looking at them with the WTF-stare, and no concept of what they were supposed to be.


Knitting Whilst Under the Influence Badge

Who doesn't knit with a gin and tonic next to them? Most often, I put down the needles when I know there will be significant distraction, so as to avoid a morning of woeful ripping back.

MacGyver Badge, Level I

This level is attained when a Knitter uses non-knitting-related objects to serve a knitting purpose. I have often used plastic-coated paper clips as stitch markers and cable needles, a dollar bill as a measuring tape (6"), as well as a number of other office supplies since I am often knitting in my office.

MacGyver Badge, Level II

This badge is attained when knitting-related items are used for non-knitting purposes. I know there is at least a rogue US4 needle holding our important receipts together. I'll edit this when I can think of other instances around my house.


I Will Impress You With My Math Prowess Badge

This is probably the only area of my life where I actually try and succeed at using math. Most other areas, I try and fall flat on my face.

Knitting Has Forced Me to Seek Medical Attention Badge, Level I

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, baby. I was at the doctor anyway for something else, and I inquired about my computer usage combined with my knitting time. She informed me that as long as those movements didn't start to mimic each other, and I was moving my hands in different ways, then I should be fine.

I have earned quite a few already, but I still have more to do! That's another great thing about badges - you have goals!

PRGE Questionnaire

Now I have a reason to blog again. Not that I haven't been knitting, but I haven't been working on anything interesting with enough progress to write about.

Why are you punk?
Hmmmm. I have the standard favorite colors - purple and black. I prefer the non-traditional in most situations: dress, actions, hair color, etc. I have a number of tattoos and piercings. I prefer punk and hard rock music. I'm sure there are other reasons.

What are your five favorite things? (these don't have to be knit related)
OOOoooh...
1. Reading - mostly fiction, but I also enjoy historical non-fiction about glamorous famous people (Jackie O, Judy Garland, Jayne Mansfield, etc.)
2. Music - seriously, I work in music, and I love to surround myself with it.
3. Coffee - sweet elixir of life.
4. Pajamas - 'nuff said.
5. Days when I can watch movies all day, in my pajamas, and knit with a cup of coffee next to me.

What are your three favorite things that you have made with knitting/crochet?
1. Christmas stockings
2. Adam's Octopus sweater (even though it's falling apart)
3. Anything practical - I love my dishcloths, a teacozy that I know my SIL uses often, etc.

What five things would you love to see in a swap box someday?
Heehee
1. Hot-pink light-up needles.
2. Something small knit just for me. I knit for other people and give things away, so it would be nice to receive something already made with me in mind.
3. In the last prge, my spoiler sent me a box of her favorite things - it opened my eyes to some really yummy yarns.
4. The Baby Surprise Jacket pattern by Elizabeth Zimmermann.
5. Knitting-related shirt or necklace. So nerdy and so funny.

What are your three favorite yarns? What are your three least favorite yarns?
Faves
1. Anything Merino - I'm partial to Morehouse
2. Hand-dyed Fearless Fibers, from the etsy shop of the same name.
3. Bamboo - I now love this material, omg.

Not-so-fave
1. Red Heart - too scratchy
2. Anything that pills easily
3. Mohair

What are your five favorite delicacies?
1. Chocolate cordial cherries
2. Pepperidge Farm Pirouette sticks
3. Cheesecake
4. Cappuccino
5. My mom's Chocolate chip cookies - they're the basic Toll House recipe, but she makes them just right.
(Can you tell I'm a sugar junkie?)

What are your three favorite guilty pleasures?
1. Bubble baths
2. National holidays - like, when it's two o'clock in the afternoon, and I feel like I should be at work, and I'm playing hooky, but I'm not really.
3. A nicely chilled gin and tonic.

What are the five things you look forward to every week?
1. Grocery shopping - I love a fully stocked kitchen, and going shopping alone means I can go at my own pace and wear my iPod ;)
2. Fresh flowers bought at the grocery store.
3. Kinda sleeping in for an extra hour on the weekends, and then not having the alarm wake me up, just Monty(my dog).
4. I really like my job, so I never dread going to work.
5. Weekends are just nice.

What do you collect?
I have been a collector of pigs since I was much younger. They're really adorable, and have a rather sweet disposition, and they're very smart, even if not all of them are the most attractive beings. My favorite (and now only) stuffed animal is a pig named Morgan. I used to have a lot of pigs around, but now that I'm technically an adult, they're only in quirky places, like on my socks or on my ice cream scoop.

When is your birthday?
It just passed. July 22nd.

Do you have any wishlists?
Yes, I have one on amazon.com.

What would you like your pal to know that is not covered here?
I'm ridiculously easy to please.

And it's hot, hot, hot.

The dog-days of summer. Humid outside, freezing inside. Neither condition is particularly conducive to knitting. Either my yarn is too hot, or my needles are too cold.

I did have a birthday, and had a lovely time with it. We hosted our first shindig at our place and it worked out really well. We thought our home might be too small, but everyone got along, and Monty didn't get stepped on! It was pretty great.


My friend Emily found this lovely teacup for me. I now have a mug alternative for my peach tea. Pinky up!

Also for my birthday, my love got me an adorable pink iPod shuffle.

This is the best companion player. It's so tiny, and I wear it when I'm running errands on campus and whatnot. I have a larger 60GB photo iPod, too, and I use that a lot too. Music, music, all the time.

This past Sunday, I got to visit with my mom's family at a baby shower held for one of my cousins. Very nice to see them all.

Monty is doing very well in his obedience class. His shyness is getting a lot better since he now seems to recognize the scents and actions of the other pups in his class. What a love he is.

Bad Blogger

It's been over two weeks, and I apologize.

I haven't really started anything new. I did get the Kimono done for Wendy's baby shower, though. I think it came out really well.

I used a little more than one skein of Blue Sky Alpacas 100% Organic Cotton. I loved the feeling of it's softness, plus it's machine washable and dryer safe. Necessary for baby clothes, in my opinion. She loved it.

In the meantime between posts, I have been working a lot, and it's definitely been busy. Our department is under construction, so I spent a few days just coordinating where all the stuff from those spaces was going to be kept during the renovations.

That's mostly why I haven't posted - I usually do it at work. I know that's awful, but I spend my entire day on the computer, and about 1/2 hour goes toward my blog. So, when I'm up and moving around, I'm not at my computer. I would work on it at home, except that I'm already on my computer all day, so I rarely sit on the computer in the evenings. I never even check my e-mail on the weekends.

To keep the knitting moving, I am also working on rows upon rows of stockinette for a plain Jane shawl. I got a whole bunch of Alpaca (the farm name escapes me right now) at the last CT Sheep & Wool, with the ntention of making a beautiful cabled scarf. I have since found that I have very little patience for even ribbing, and the concept of following a cart that closely boggles me. So, the Alpaca sat. In Greetings from Knit Cafe, there was a "pattern" for a shawl made up just for rainy/cold days. The description of this project was exactly my story: the designer had bought beautiful Alpaca and wanted to use it for something just right - nothing that would be destroyed, but something she could appreciate for a long time. Hence, the shawl with a simple fringe. So far, mine is only about 23" from cast-on point to the needles, but it's going well. I love how it feels like silk or someting equally gorgeous.

It's obviously curling because of the stockinette, but blocking and the weight of the fringe will help that once it's done.

At home with Mama.

My mom had knee surgery two weeks ago, and like the great daughter that I am, I took some vacation from work (during the slow time anyway) to help her out with rides to therapy and doctor's appointments and whatnot. She's doing great, and I'm knitting a lot. I got a little bored on Monday night (my second evening here) and took a ride to my local Jo-Ann's and picked up a dozen balls of Wool-Ease and a US11 circular. I figured that I would make a plan for it before I got home again. I did. A large, corner-to-corner lap-sized blanket. In a dark green tweed and oatmeal. This has helped the time pass a bit more quickly.

I did bring material for knitting while I was here, but I lost interest now knowing there's no deadline. I'll pick it up again.

Yesterday, for the holiday, my sister and her husband came to visit. There was grilling, game-playing and much laughter over Pictionary. It was nice to have the four of us in the house again - me, Mom, my sister and mom's roommate, Karen - also known as my other mother. Mom and Karen got their house together when I was 9 years old, so I've always had Karen as a motherly influence. She's pretty great.

I do miss my honey and Monty very much. I will be back home this weekend, though. I will see them plenty. Very rarely do I get to spend so much uninterrupted time with my mom, so I'm taking advantage ;)