Memorial Weekend...whew!

This past week has involved a lot of time focused on the new pooch. Having had him now for almost three weeks, we are learning his moods and needs. He loves to nap - preferably on someone's lap, redering them useless.


Last week also marked the departure of our roommate, Brigette. She finished up her class at the University and headed back to Long Island to pursue her newest endeavors.

It's weird not to have that third person in your house, when you're used to them being there. Even Monty goes looking for her. We miss her dearly.

This past weekend, we packed Monty into the car and headed to PA to visit all of the parents and friends that we haven't seen since Christmas. It was quite a drive, but our little boy handled it like a champ. He just curled up on the back seat and fell asleep. He charmed everyone that he met, and he definitely met a lot of people.

Today, I got Monty signed up for an obedience class. He needs just a bit of training. He needs to learn a little bit more about what we try to do to get his attention, and then we can have a skill set to work with him. We want him to be proud of himself and the achivements that he will be able to master.

More pictures coming soon!

Playing tag

Really, it'll be fun. :D

Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog. Here are my facts:

1) I love knitting things that you can't buy in stores. Every FO is even more special then.

2) I have many piercings and a number of tattoos, but I'm a total girly-girl.

3) I read really fast. I can buy a 400-page novel and have it finished in less than two business days. I do the same thing with instruction manuals, how-to books, self-help books, etc.

4) I'm a size 14, and I love it.

5) I married my high-school sweetheart. He's great.

6) I was a spelling bee champion (nod to Shadkitty). I think this comes from reading so much - I've seen a lot of words, and so I can just see them to spell them.

7) I have 8 parents. Adam and I each come from divorced families that have expanded.

I tag,
Brenda, Gothknits, Kyira, Lana, and Jenn. Those are my only web-friends that haven't been tagged yet.

Long time, no blog.

So much has been going on.

First, I had ordered and received two skeins of Fearless Fibers sock yarn, which I ordered from Etsy.

I absolutely love this purple - Midnight Passion is it's official name.

Here's a closeup so you can see the loveliness:


I need to pick up another pair of #1 DPN's so I can work on more than one pair at a atime. And maybe one of those small sock project bags that dangles from your wrist.... I know Lantern Moon makes nice ones - does anyone else know of a kind that they like? I plan to wait on working on the purple socks though. I have to still finish my second STR (about half done) and then I'm going to knit up the green Fearless into a pair for a friend of mine.

In other news, we found a dog!! We've named him Montgomery, and he loves life. He's amazing in so many ways. We've had him home since Thursday, and he seems to really like us.




He has a bit of seperation anxiety, so he loves being with us at all times. Good for us, mostly.

Beautiful again

Worked a lot this week - and watched the beautiful day outside.

Adam and I have decided tht we're ready to adopt a puppy. Something small, something shorthaired, and gets along with Avery.

Otherwise, it's been busy as usual.

OK, real quick:

I got my package from my secret pal, SHADKITTY!

I'm so excited that it's her - I've actually been an avid reader of her site for quite some time now. I love Johnny Depp as well, so the page is worth visiting just for the montage. But then you're on this really well-written page that is funny and informative.

She sent me lovely stuff:





There are two skeins of Cascade Yarn - grey and red; Burt's Bees Almond Milk Hand Creme (luscious); two buttons (which are kinda hard to see in the picture) "Yarrn, ho!" and "Knit or Die", and an awesome t-shirt -> "I Knit, Therefore I ROCK!"




I so do.

So busy

With the semester wrapping up and a new phase at the store, I have been working like mad. I promise to blog really soon. I DID receive my second package from my secret pal - SHADKITTY!!! I already wore my new t-shirt to work. I have lots of new pictures, too.

I really want to do it now but I have to grade papers instead.

It's so beautiful

First, it was gorgeous outside when I left the University, so I took a picture of Adam:

















Then, when I got to the car, Adam had brought with him a package that I received from Amazon:





I have looked through this book a couple of times, and I was so happy to have received it from my PRGE Secret Pal, Peppy. Thank you so much!!!












A few weeks ago, I had been working on a pair of Widdershins socks, but had a hard time with the bind-off. I wasn't making a loose enough top edge. Then, as part of the Anastasia pattern that I'm currently working on, I read the Elizabeth Zimmerman Sewn Bind-off. Very stretchy and pretty. So now I have a finished pair of Widdershins:



















Also in the sock realm, I have finished my first Anastasia/Widdershins hybrid:

My hybrid is built as follows: Judy's Magic Cast-On (from Knitty), which can be used for either sock; knit straight for an inch; start working the chart for the Anastasia swirls; I chose the gusset and heel from Widdershins; then the leg, cuff and bind-off from Anastasia.












Oh! I also saw The Yarn Harlot on Knitty Gritty! She did her socks presentation, and it was wonderful! Knitting socks looks so ridiculously easy when watching her do it.

Now I have a few hours to relax before I go back into work. I leave you with "Sunshine and Avery".

Too much Rain

There has been so much rain, that when I look out into the small yard in front of my apartment, it is clear the grass will not hold any more water. That was mostly on Sunday, when it was a heavy rain for 18 hours straight. I realize that was nothing compared to some areas of New York and New Jersey, but I stayed inside and off the roads nonetheless. I worked until 11:30am, and then went home and got back in my pajama pants - where I actually got to stay for the rest of the day. It was amazing, and I am totally energized as a result.

The first Anastasia/Widdershins sock is finished!! I actually finished it on Saturday. I know that I made a number of stylistic mistakes in it, but I know what they are, and once I knit those same mistakes into the second sock, they are no longer mistakes but rather strokes of uniqueness. It looks good, fits like a glove, and of course at home, where I can't take a picture of it right now.

A while ago, I fell in love with Yarnstorm's Ripple Blanket and I know she's working from a pattern and all, but I was smitten. I also knew that I would have to learn to crochet in order to get anywhere near the beauty of this blanket.
So, I picked up a copy of Stich & Bitch: The Happy Hooker and looked up the Double Crochet. And off I go. I have this soft 1970's acrylic yarn that fades from bright green to white and back. It's kinda neat, and honey likes it. The only issue is that I cannot crochet in public. I was working on this blanket at my Starbucks before a shift one day, and a woman came into the store, saw me working, and walked up and asked, "Is there a baby on the way?" I had to politely tell her no, and vowed that the blanket would not be leaving the house anymore.

In other news, I got a great postcard from my Punk Rock Gift Exchange Pal yeasterday. I never once mentioned The Labyrinth to her, so there's way she could have known how obsessed I was as a kid, but it arrived anyway.



Amazing.

Progress

First and foremost -> Happy Birthday, Denise!!!!


I have made progress. When I posted on Sunday, I was hoping that I would indeed be able to continually make progress on these socks, plural. I have turned the heel, and began working on the leg. 6 inches of the spirals - woohoo!!

Also in this picture, I have my Molskine book. I love these things. I get the graph paper books, and they are perfect for me for re-writing my patterns into. In this way, I have a smaller book to contain all of my notes. I copy the charts in there, and work them in where they belong as integrated into the pattern itself. I write the actual pattern in pen and marker, and then my row counts and whatnot can be in pencil. Also, the book is slim enough that I can actually bend it backwards and it's a small board to lay on my lap with my notes right there. Another fun perk: they come in 3 packs. I love 'em.

In work news, I am booked. I work every day at the Studio, and then I have a job every evening. I work both days this weekend, and then Monday and Tuesday night next week as well. *Sigh* If I really didn't love everything I was doing, I might be upset by this. Really, the only thing that's a bit disconcerting to me is that I wake up, get dressed and leave my house, and then don't return until it's time to change again and go to sleep. Once the semester is over, my time will free up, and be in softball season! Playing outside - Yeah!!

New socks

First of all, I love-love-love this colorway!

I started knitting sock #1 with the Magic cast-on for toe-up according to Knitty. I love this cast-on since it feels like a really secure binding for keeping my toes covered. I wanted a pattern on the instep of these socks, but nothing too intricate. I found Anastasia by Perpperknits to be exactly what I was looking for. I love the swirls, and the way they integrate on the leg.

Also, I love the way the bright green of the wool just pops out very evenly through the work. The hot pink does this too. When I first looked at the colors before winding it, I don't even remember seeing these very bright colors in there at all.

I just started these late on Friday, so we'll see how far I can actually get on them.

Materials for the Beret

I realized from Peppy's comment that I neglected to reference my materials for making the beret. I suppose I was so deliriously happy to finish something, that it simply slipped my mind.

Using US 3 needles - first a 24" circular Addi turbo, and then DPN's - I used Frog Tree 100% Alpaca Wool in sport weight. I had two balls, each 130 yards, and used up the first one and then a bit of the second one. I don't actually remember buying this yarn, but when I found it in my stash, I really loved it. It matches my eyes pretty closely and looks good with my dark hair, so I knew deep down that it was hat material.

It's been so long since I've worn a hat for style rather than just function that I'm really looking forward to breaking it out - maybe tomorrow?!??!?!

I Finished Something!!

From Greetings from Knit Cafe, I have completed:
Beret.


There's hope for me yet.

The new camera is here!!

Woohoo!!

Actually, I received it Tuesday, but I'm still working on getting to know how to manipulate everything.

This is a shot of my workspace in the Recording Studio. Very flashy, I know. I use the Stitch N Bitch Page-A-Day calendar to organize booking deadlines.

Just to the right of the PC on the right side of the picture is my sign from the Yarn Harlot's talk last week.


I am a firm believer in the following: "A cluttered desk is a sign of an organized mind." I stand by that fully.

More pictures to come! The disposable is at CVS as I type!

Perfect Premiere Punk Pal Package!!

I received my first Punk-Rock Gift Exchange package today. Everything in it is totally beautiful. Peppy, my Secret Pal, has done a beautiful job.


First, I unfolded a beautiful colorway of Socks that Rock called Rolling Stone.

I love the colors - so rich - and I am very eager to knit it right up. I must exercise some patience, though. I want to make sure that I find just the right pattern.









That brings up: Nancy Bush's Knitting On the Road - Socks Patterns for the Traveling Knitter.




I also found a lovely candle scented in Water Garden - very lovely. An adorable note, a blank note card, and a Hershey's bar with Almonds - my favorite!

This is so great!!

Thank you so much, Peppy!!!

Getting a new camera

The pictures that I have posted before have all been taken with my honey's awesome Canon Rebel. I love the pictures that it takes, but it's not exactly portable for me. So, this weekend, while I was out, I bought a disposable Kodak camera. It took pictures for me, but obviously I have no idea how they turned out. So, Friday night, I ordered a new digital camera which should be delivered to me at work sometime this week.

In the meantime, I have to get the disposable camera to CVS to get me prints.

I had a fabulous time in NYC. I didn't make it there in time for the Strawberry Fields gathering, but I did make it there in plenty of time to check out the Radical Lace exhibit before heading over to FIT. Adam and I were both entertained by the Yarn Harlot's talk. After the talk, on our way out, Adam was complimented and congratulated for being my supporter. I'm always happy that he's proud of my knitting, but it's nice when other people notice it too.

As soon as I get my images developed, this we will be the first palce they end up.

New York, New York! What a Wonderful town

So, today, the honey and I are heading down to NYC. The order of events is as follows: Train in from White Plains, head directly to Museum of Arts and Design for Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting. Spend probably too much time there, and then it's back to the sidewalks to possibly stop by a yarn shop or two (certainly Habu Textiles) on our way down to FIT to see The Yarn Harlot on her Represent Tour. I am quite excited.

Adam and I love going to NYC for any reason at all. However, being that we don't live in that state even, we are always tourists. We can find our way around, but always have to have a map of the subways with us, and look like tourists in that we have a map of addresses and directions. We always have a good time, though.

I will, of course, have a full report when I get back.

Nor'Easter for St. Patricks Day

Today is my best friend's birthday!!! Yay, Michael-Paul!!!

I have no idea how much snow we got. I know it is enough to bury the car. Yesterday, while I was at the University, they closed at 1:30. My problem came in that I was scheduled to work a shift at Starbucks at 5:30. Do I go home and risk not being able to get back if the store stays open? No, instead I went to Starbucks from the University and waited there until 4 o'clock when they (people much higher on the food chain than our store manager) decided to close the store at 5pm. At that moment, I jumped into my car, and slowly drove home. It was very slippery, and the plows were not going yet. Silly plows. Of course, that also meant no traction.

So, I got to come home and put on flannel pants. Then I proceeded to knit my unmentionable project and watch all of the shows that I had stockpiled on my DVR (cable company TiVo) all week. Very relaxing.

This morning, honey took the car to work (we share a car) so I am home with Avery and Brigette, although Brigette is still sleeping. I am listening to Massive Attack to add to the ambiance of the morning.

The day shall consist of: alternately reading from "Greetings from Knit Cafe" which I bought last week and haven't really absorbed yet, "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood", coffee (duh), knitting on two different objects on the needles, and perhaps getting dressed. I work at 7:30 tonight, so I have until the to also put the finishing touches on my PRGE pally gift, head to Vernon to visit my friend's cat, and eat in there. Lots to do, but relaxing.

Splendid...what a great word.

This week I have felt simply splendid. It's a great word to say over and over again, too. Splendid, splendid, splendid. Very nice.

As I mentioned before, all the students are on Spring Break this week, so it's me and the occaisional visitor in here this week. I have the radio on behind me so my office feels bigger and I don't jump when I hear someone call my name from the door. My office door is my saving grace. It's a dutch door, so I can close just the bottom half as an indication that I would like to know who's coming into my office. I love it.

My knitting is coming along well. There is waist shaping. There is a plan for sleeves. Still planning on the neckline.

After work this afternoon, it's off to my friend Stef's place to peek in on her cat, Socks. Stef had to go to some conference in the Midwest and all of her usual cat-sitters bailed on her. So I drive a half-hour to help her out. No questions asked. I would do it anyway. Socks is a cute cat, too. I thought about bringing Socks to my place to meet Avery Darger, but I really have no idea how that would turn out, and I don't want to freak out either kitty. I already know that Avery didn't get along with the other cats in her foster home, but that was over two years ago when she trusted NOTHING. It was 6 months of living with us before she would purr. She still isn't appreciative when I pick her up.

After kitty-ness it's off to babysit again. Normally, it's just me and Byron (the 9-year-old that I sit for) on Monday nights, when his mom teaches. Tonight, though, we are together again. He's a good kid, and we have fun, so it's a good gig.

Adam has a painting in a show this week, and we are going to see it Thursday night. Very nice. Possibly dinner with friends after? Who knows. I only know my work schedules.

Monday, Monday

The students are on Spring Break. Here I am in my office. It's so quiet.

My knitting as of late has been productive, but not warranting pictures or anything. I want to make sure that it works before I actually talk about it. I'm making a hybrid that technically works on paper, but we have all worked on projects like that before.... I have been documenting my progress as it goes along, just in case.

I'm also working my surprises for my Secret Punk - this is very exciting for me!!

Bookworm list

I got this from Gothknits:


In the list of books below, bold the ones you’ve read, italicize the ones you want to read, cross out the ones you won’t touch with a ten-foot pole, put a cross (+) in front of the ones on your book shelf, and asterisk (*) the ones you’ve never heard of.

1. +The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. +Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. +To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. +Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. +The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. +The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. +The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L. M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. *A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. +Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. +Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. *A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. +Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. +Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. +Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Rowling)
20. +Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. +The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. +The Catcher in the Rye (J. D. Salinger)
23. +Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. +The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. +Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. +The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. +Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. +The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. +East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. +Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom) (I own it, but my mother's currently borrowing all three Albom books from me.)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. +The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. *I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. *The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. *The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. *The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. +The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. +Bible (what Catholic school forced me to read, anyway)
46. +Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. +The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. +Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. +The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. +The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver) On my to-read list since I already bought it.
52. +A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. +Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. +The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. *The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. +Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. +The Time Traveler’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. +Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. +Interview with the Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. *Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. +The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. +Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. +Les Miserables (Hugo) Both the French and English
70. +The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery) Also both the French and English versions.
71. +Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. +The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. +A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. +Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. *Not Wanted On the Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. *Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. +Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. +Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. *The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. *Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. *Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. *In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. +The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. +The Outsiders (S. E. Hinton)
97. +White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)
101. My Sister's Keeper (Jodi Picoult)

I would like to add:
102. Where the Heart Is (Billie Letts) I read this before I found out about the movie.