The continuing drama...

Finished objects

2008-08-05T10:51:00.004-05:00

First, there is the Yosemite sweater.

Then there are the tomatoes. These pictures were taken a couple of weeks ago, but they turned red the other day and we had our first harvest of 5 yesterday.

Garden, 2008 version

2008-07-09T22:26:00.003-05:00

Here's the state of the garden as of last week:

And here are the tomato plants. I think they're twice as tall as they were this time last year and the leaves smell fantastic!

And my baby watching the plants grow...

Long overdue - project updates!

2008-06-26T16:15:00.004-05:00

This is my second Lace Ribbon Scarf from Knitty.com. The yarn is Numma Numma Toasty in Red Raspberry Jam. And of course now that I have a beautiful new scarf it's 90 degrees...

And here is my Yosemite sweater also from Knitty. It just needs the collar and sleeves. And it looks beautiful with my pj bottoms!

Tomatoes and a hot tomato...

2007-08-01T21:40:00.000-05:00

We have tomatoes! Here is our plant and pictures of the first 2 grape tomatoes and the first 3 cherry tomatoes.

And a hot one wearing my new Tomato scoop-neck tee from the book No Sheep for You by Knitty.com goddess Amy Singer and knit in Shine Worsted Bachelor Button and Wisteria. Hot!

Bird yoga lesson

2007-08-01T21:35:00.000-05:00

Here is Cory demonstrating some yoga moves.

Happy Museum Friday

2007-04-28T12:46:00.000-05:00

I had yesterday off and S. left work early and we went to the Field Museum. We saw the new Dinosaurs exhibit that talks about all the new research and what they have learned about dinosaurs recently. There was a lot about the proof that birds are dinosaurs, but we already knew that. Then we saw the Ancient Americas exhibit and Evolving Planet. It was a great day to be downtown and pretty quiet at the museum.

Here is S. getting attacked by a Pterodactyl and a picture of the "Terror Bird".

Spring has sprung! (Finally...)

2007-04-15T16:56:00.000-05:00

We went to the Morton Arboretum today on the second day of my April weekend off! What a beautiful day. There is nothing I can say that can't be said in pictures, so without further ado...

Shoe woes

2007-03-28T09:48:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's been awhile since I posted. Happy birthday eve to me! This week has been murder - 6 days in a row - but I'm doubly looking forward to my 4 days in a row off. I need to get a side job as a shoe tester, is there such a thing? I bought hideously expensive Danskos which were great working in an office but hell for an 8 hour shift. Is there anything that's comfortable for 8 hours except gym shoes and flip flops (neither of which I can wear to work, or course)? Yesterday I wore these cute sandals because the straps worked around all the millions of blisters on my feet, but then they gave me blisters on my pinkies. It also got so cold yesterday in the afternoon so my feet were freezing going home. I'm only wearing my ugly cork clogs all weekend in Galena, I swear.

Change is in the air

2007-03-01T11:27:00.000-06:00

Happy first day of meteorological (it's okay to fix my spelling) Spring! Today is my last day of work - a big Hallelujah! And this morning I saw my first robin pulling into the driveway at work, and then when I parked my car there is a big tree in front of it and it was full of robins. Amazing!

I just don't know...

2007-02-27T11:59:00.000-06:00

I put up the ticker for Harry Potter book 7 on the sidebar and it links to itrustsnape.com, but I'm just not sure. I'm trying to not overthink it and let the book speak for itself. I do think, though, that Dumbledore is really dead no matter what certain person that lives in my house thinks and that both Harry and Voldemort find their end in the final chapter. Neither one can survive without the other. Mark my words. We will revisit this topic mid-August.

I'm trying to fix the ticker - it keeps spazzing out. Really, I'm not trying to direct your attention to it, I swear.

Day after the Oscars

2007-02-26T11:27:00.000-06:00

Overall, a disappointing show. I thought most of the awards went to the right people (except Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine" instead of Eddie Murphy in "Dreamgirls"?!) but the show overall was pretty uninvolving. Ellen DeGeneres did a good job of hosting - definitely more interested in moving the show along than her own political agenda, but there were some odd choices. The gospel choir at the beginning? - just weird. And the shadow dancers? - interesting, but it didn't work. The couple of audience interactions Ellen had (with Marty Scorcese & Clint Eastwood) were pretty funny, but the vacuum cleaner bit was odd - and what if she had sucked up the bottom of Penelope Cruz's dress?!

I was really happy to see Jennifer Hudson win and Martin Scorcese to finally get the recognition he has deserved for so long. Forest Whitaker had the best acceptance speech. And I really liked the 3-song number from "Dreamgirls".

And here's what I did while I was watching:

It's Clocky!

2007-02-23T14:40:00.000-06:00

This might actually get me out of bed...

If the video won't play for you, use my YouTube link on the sidebar to see Clocky in action.

You can get your own Clocky here .

Catching up

2007-02-20T21:31:00.000-06:00

Well, I took some pictures tonight so we have the mid-month sock update!

First of all, I finally finished the Jaywalker socks and I must say that I'm disappointed. I should have known when it was taking me so long to finish them. The pattern is cute, and I really like how the top cuff is wavy, but the heel construction is funny and I don't think the gusset increases & decreases are right. They really don't fit well around the ankle and in the heel. You may be able to tell in the pictures. I also really don't like knitting top-down socks - I just don't think you can customize the fit as easily. Anyway, without further ado, here they are:

Right after I finished the Jaywalker socks, I cast on my Macaw socks. These are made with the Valley Yarns "Franklin" from Webs. I found a feather lace pattern and I think they're coming along very cute. They're maybe a little brighter than my usual taste but they really have all the colors of a Catalina Macaw which is my favorite.

And I finally got pictures of Scott's already well-worn Christmas/New Years socks.

And the most important news of all is that on March 5th I will become an Assistant Manager for Ann Taylor Loft! I am so excited!

Happy Birthday, Zen!

2007-02-15T20:56:00.000-06:00

Happy 6th birthday to our Valentine! (It was actually yesterday.)

Top Five Records

2007-02-05T12:58:00.000-06:00

So I watched High Fidelity yesterday which always re-sparks my interest in top five record lists, so you have that to look forward to now.
So here's my dreary list today, but I have only come up with 3 for now because this is serious.

The Top Five Songs that must be played at my funeral/memorial service:

1. "Hells Bells" by AC/DC, because that's just funny.

2. "Angel" by Jimi Hendrix. No explanation needed.

3. "Many Rivers to Cross" by Jimmy Cliff, which I stole from the movie but it's completely appropriate and I love Jimmy Cliff.

Now I need 2 more. I'll keep you posted.

Now I need some help. What are the top 5 records to listen to the Monday morning after your team has lost the Super Bowl? I'm completely stumped on this one. Maybe "I'm a Loser" by The Beatles?

Two week update

2007-02-01T13:40:00.000-06:00

And now Phase 1 ends.
Seven pounds and two inches.
Now I need a drink.

This one's for you, Christine.

2007-01-31T14:37:00.000-06:00

Of course I want to win a contest, but more importantly I want to talk about SOCKS!

I actually started knitting socks shortly after I learned to knit at all because the construction is fascinating. I think if you understand how a sock pattern works you can figure out just about anything else. This past year I discovered toe-up sock knitting - what a revelation. I love the seamless toe that a figure 8 cast on gives you. (Check out the instructions by Wendy. And if you have some beautiful yarn you're working with, you can just keep knitting until you run out!

Speaking of beautiful yarn, I just can't get enough of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock. Beautiful colors and knits up really easily. I noticed the other night working on my Jaywalker Socks that the yarn is kind of tight and stringy-feeling (? - I know what I mean...) while knitting with it, but it blooms so nicely in the wash and makes for a really soft sock. I'm so in love with Lorna's Laces that I have to have some ready to go at all times. When I cast on the Jaywalkers I had to quick make an order for my next color. The problem with that is now I'm kind of tired of the greys of Mineshaft

and want to finish up and work on my more Spring-y looking pink, sage, and brown of Vera.

I have yet to meet a sock pattern I don't like, but I have 2 particular favorites. I made the Widdershins socks last Summer(?) and it was the best-fitting sock I ever made. I actually re-wrote the pattern for my own use with just the construction and I use it with other stitch patterns because it fits my foot so perfectly. I made the Almost Argyle socks last fall and really liked those, too, although when I resized the pattern I lost one repeat and the argyle pattern didn't come out even, but they are still terrific. I've thought of resizing the pattern for a man's sock - I think it's perfect for a man. I also really liked the Latvian Twist cast-on edge. This pattern was the first time I'd seen it and it makes a really lovely top if you're doing top-down.

Now, Christine wasn't specific about what to say about socks, but one thing she offered was that if you are not a sock knitter you might talk about how you don't get why people want to knit socks. I say, what's not to get? You have almost instant satisfaction while being more involved than making a scarf; you can buy the most lovely yarn in small quanities and don't have to invest hundreds of dollars to make a sweater that you may or may not like when it's done; you can make socks that fit your feet perfectly in the colors that you want to buy; and you can stash a sock project in a Ziploc bag and hardly take up any room in your carry-on bag. My only caveat with sock knitting is to be careful if you're knitting while watching football - that's when I'm most likely to drop stitches!

One week update

2007-01-25T14:00:00.000-06:00

One week.
5 pounds.
1-1/2" around my waist.

(Not really a haiku - perhaps next week will be better...)

Catching up

2007-01-18T12:52:00.000-06:00

Boy, I really haven't posted in a while...

In knitting news, I finished Scott's Christmas socks (picture to follow) and he has been happily wearing them around the house. It makes me very happy to see him walking all over my hard work! I've been working on the Portland sweater slowly - I have about 1/2 the first sleeve complete. I ordered size 4 circulars thinking I could knit both sleeves at once to save time, but I like the gauge of the sleeve much better on size 4 DPNs. So even though it will take longer, I think I'll be happier in the long run. Of course, by the time the sweater is done it will be consistently in the 60s here! I also cast on the Jaywalker socks last Sunday during the Bears game (what was I thinking!). But I only dropped 4 stitches. I'm knitting them in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Mineshaft. They're coming out pretty well, but I actually like the color better in the skein than I do knit up. I've found that I have a little bit of pooling with this pattern that I didn't have with other patterns knit in Lorna's Laces. But who can't use more grey socks!

In other news, today is day one of the South Beach Diet, so this blog has now become rants on knitting, parrots, and personal accountability. The day isn't going too bad, except that I have a dull headache, but that's to be expected. My name is Laura and I have a sugar addiction. I was shocked when I took my waist measurement last night. I'm not ready to publicly say what it was, but I'll fess up after Phase 1 when it's a couple of inches smaller. I also decided that I'm not going to stress about exercise right now (I need to deal with my food issues first), but I bought The Bean because it was on sale at Ulta. So if I'm sitting on it watching TV and I happen to get rock hard abs in 7 minutes a day then more power to me!

Happy (belated) Hatchday, Cory!

2007-01-05T11:42:00.000-06:00

Our baby turned 4 on New Year's Day.

Here's Cory the day we brought her home,

and her sassy self now...

Rest in peace, Peter Boyle

2006-12-13T12:18:00.000-06:00

I will always remember Peter Boyle singing "Puttin' on the Ritz" in the funniest movie of all time.

Shoot me

2006-12-11T14:29:00.000-06:00

I swore I would never wear Crocs - they're gardening shoes - but, I think they need to make clear ones and if they do I will buy them and I will wear them in public. They would be so much cuter than the clear clogs.
So, if someone finds clear Crocs anywhere, send them to me!

One night project

2006-12-11T12:19:00.000-06:00

This is the best one night project ever (and perhaps the only one night project ever...)

Friday, I printed out an earflap hat pattern that then I stayed up WAY too late Friday night trying to figure out. Saturday I bought a fleece earflap hat at Dick's, so I decided to use the Lion 100% Wool I bought for the earflap hat for the Calorimetry in the new Knitty. I cast on Saturday night and finished Saturday night and I LOVE LOVE LOVE this! So comfy and really warm in the wool. Mine's not as stretchy as the one in the pattern photo, but I adore it. It's wider than a headband so it covers the top of your head and your ears and you can wear your hair up in back or keep your curls from getting squished. I'm now going to raid my stash and see what I have to make more of these.

Also, my quick review of the Lion 100% Wool. I really like it. It's squishy and soft and great yardage for $4.99 at Michael's. It was really easy to knit with. I swore I'd stay away from cheap yarn, but this is actually really nice and easy to get. My only complaint is that they didn't have a wide color selection at my Michael's. They also had a sample up of it felted and it had almost a slight boucle texture when felted. I think I might try some felted mittens with it some time.

I also haven't given up on an earflap hat, but probably not for this winter. Maybe there is a fair isle earflap hat in next winter's plans.

Zen, the Red-Nosed Reindeer

2006-12-07T13:48:00.001-06:00

Cory, the Red-Nosed Reindeer

2006-12-07T13:35:00.000-06:00

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

2006-12-06T11:58:00.000-06:00

Learn about St. Nicholas.

Saturday snowshoeing

2006-12-04T11:54:00.000-06:00

The good part of a snowstorm (besides having a snow day!) is being able to go play in it!
Here are pictures from snowshoeing the Morton Arboretum on Saturday.

This may be a Cooper's Hawk or a Sharp-Shinned Hawk, I'm just not sure.

2006-11-21T11:23:00.000-06:00

Rest in peace, Robert Altman.

Videos on YouTube

2006-11-20T13:35:00.000-06:00

I finally uploaded some bird videos to YouTube. You can see them on my channel:

YouTube - LMPego

Pictures of the kids

2006-11-20T11:58:00.000-06:00

The "kids" got their Christmas present this weekend. This is a Playmobil pirate treasure chest play set.
Of course, Zen jumped right in!

Cory, on the other hand, only likes the weapons.

I also got a nice shot of both of them with their Daddy.

And here you can see what color Zen really is when she's in the sun.

I have grey socks!

2006-11-03T13:15:00.000-06:00

These are my new "Almost Argyle" socks I finished last night, otherwise known as Stormy or Spitty Kitty socks since she "helped". The pattern and yarn are both from Knit Picks and they fit great!

Run, Forrest, run!

2006-10-23T12:40:00.000-05:00

You have to check out this video of a shrimp running on a treadmill.

(If you are on a Mac, open the link in Firefox instead of Safari.)

Grrrr

2006-10-13T10:58:00.000-05:00

They are done! Now I'll have warm little Tiger feet!

Overdue review #2

2006-10-12T15:15:00.000-05:00

Okay, here is my next installment of our Valor cruise review. Today, Grand Cayman!
I must say that the excursion we took made this island for me. Otherwise, it's too developed and expensive with big chain hotels. In many ways, you may as well be in South Florida. That being said, we took and excursion to Hell (yes, really), the Cayman Turtle Farm, and Stingray City.

First, to Hell.

Hell is an area of fossilized black coral in the middle of the island. There are many theories about when it was first called "Hell", but it really does look like the end of the world or something. It's interesting how it's totally surrounded by this lush greenery.

They also made it a town and it has its own post office. We sent ourselves a postcard from there and it came with a postmark from Hell, Cayman Islands. Kind of cool.

Next, onto the Cayman Turtle Farm. This was what I was most looking forward to on this trip and it did not disappoint. It is amazing to see the green sea turtles so close up and to get to hold them and pet them. They are beautiful and gentle. I put my hand in the tank and started rubbing this one turtle's neck and he closed his eyes and pushed his head into my hand. So sweet.

I know that only about 10% raised at the farm are released into the wild, but the Cayman people eat turtle and it's better for them to be farm raised than to be caught in the wild. And 10% released is still more than are surviving in the wild. So even though I was conflicted, seeing the farm changed my mind about the process. The facility is nice and clean with big tanks (even though all the turtles like to pile on top of each other).

Next, on to Stingray City!
I chose not to feed them (mostly because I didn't want squid all over my hands for the rest of the day), but we just stood in the water and watched them swim around us. They are very curious and cool. The stingrays don't see very well but have an incredible sense of smell, so they swim up to you and kind of bump you and swim off if they don't smell food. They feel like giant wet mushrooms underneath and like fine sandpaper on top.

Oh, admire me

2006-10-09T11:09:00.000-05:00

I am ever so proud of my alpaca leaf lace shawl that got finished this weekend. I think you should bow down to my talent.

Bad! Bad! Bad!

2006-10-04T15:06:00.000-05:00

Two o'clock in the afternoon and even though I'm wearing suede clogs, my sock-less feet are cold. So I look down at what I'm wearing and realize that I really don't have any grey socks, so I ordered sock yarn. That's right, sock yarn. Another 2 skeins of Knit Picks Essential Tweed in Flint. So I'll have grey socks in like a month or so...

Overdue review #1

2006-10-03T10:28:00.000-05:00

Here is my first vacation review and today I will focus on the ship, the Carnival Valor. First of all, it is beautiful. It was built in 2004 and feels very new and clean. We had great team waiters, Christopher from Guyana and Diskul from Thailand. Very attentive and personable. I loved the buffets in Rosie's, too, although S. was disappointed in the lack of chocolate chip cookies. We had awesome Reubens from the deli and I had great fish and chips one day for lunch. I also always like the "Taste of Nations" and Caribbean day was my favorite again.
The ship is very smooth. I never really felt the motion of the waves at all even when it was really choppy overnight and in Costa Maya. The ship is really big, but I think they do a good job with the layout so it doesn't feel that way. There were 4 buffet lines and plenty of pool chairs. The pool slide was so much fun! One problem was that I felt like it was pretty smoky in the public areas, especially since the wine bar is in the middle of the hall and there were always people smoking there. The casino was also really smoky, but that's to be expected. We also felt like the social staff wasn't that good, but it could also be that we compared them to the best social team we had on the Elation in May.

Pictures are the main pool and slide (above), dining room, atrium, and the Ivanhoe theater.

Potential

2006-10-03T10:26:00.000-05:00

Well, it's official. Joe Girardi has been fired as the Marlins' manager - one can only hope we'll see him back in Cubby blue.

We're baaaack....

2006-09-26T12:03:00.000-05:00

Back at work after a lovely 7-day cruise on the Carnival Valor. We had a great time, and the girls are home and well. Rich got 2 phone calls about Cory while she was boarding, so it's not just us and Esther that can't handle her...
I think in the next few days I'll post a day-by-day review (mostly so I don't forget).
Last night I put in 3 inches on my Tiger socks since they traveled to Grand Cayman, Isla Roatan, Belize, and Costa Maya without getting out of the bag once.

Tiger Toes

2006-09-07T11:54:00.000-05:00

Cast on last night - aren't they cute!?!

As promised, pictures.

2006-09-03T16:03:00.000-05:00

Here is the finished Shelridge poncho and the Widdershins socks that got completed late Friday night.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2006-09-01T15:31:00.000-05:00

I just want to make sure to wish my Mom a happy birthday since I won't be online tomorrow on the actual day and she deserves a spot on the blog.

A bird in the hand... and out.

2006-08-30T14:30:00.000-05:00

What a crazy and magical thing. My day started with a lovebird (guess which one) laying an egg in my hand! Here's the story:

When it was time to go to work, I made the birds their warm noodles as I do every morning. Lately, Zen has been so excited about the noodle that she's flown right in front of Cory and I to get to her cage. This morning, she didn't come. So I called her. And I called her again. I went to her cubby and knocked and she didn't answer. I started freaking out thinking she'd gone into the library and was eating books. No Zen. Went to the kitchen, no Zen. So I went back to the cubby and knocked, shook her Legos, all the tricks that usually work. Well she was being more stubborn than usual. So I totally opened the cubby, and still no Zen, but I thought I heard something from her box. I started pulling at her paper shreds and she came out of the box hissing at me. I finally got her to step up onto her towel and I took her over to her cage. As I was putting her in, I looked at her and thought, "Wow, she really looks like she's going to lay an egg today." As she grabbed onto the cage bars with her beak, I looked more closely and the egg was sticking out! I wasn't going to make her hang on the side of the cage and drop her egg and watch it break, so I quickly picked her back up and she layed the egg in my hand. Then I put it in her Happy Hut and she went to pig out on seed.

After I closed Zen up and washed my hands, I went to put Cory in her cage. I think she was all traumatized from the activity, because she would not get in her cage. I called S. to tell him what was going on and went back to her and she started doing her crazy big eyed flying away from me thing. I tried for about a half hour to ignore her, then go back and try to bribe her to no avail, so long story short she got to be cage free today.

Finishing and starting

2006-08-28T11:19:00.000-05:00

I finished the Shelridge poncho last night! (Still no pictures - maybe later in the week...) I had to leave off the last tier due to lack of yarn - I thought I was on gauge, but whatever. I used the final 2 purl rows to decrease down to 78 stitches to bind off and it's cute. It needs to be washed and blocked this weekend, and then maybe fall will magically arrive and I'll need to wear it next week.

Then I swatched the Valley Yarns Rainbow for the Portland Sweater and of course I need a #4 circular if it calls for a #6. So what did I do this morning? - ordered needles from Knit Picks (so then I'll be able to review the Options line). So it all works out in the end. Of course what did I not do this weekend? - work on the Widdershins. Maybe they'll get finished while I'm waiting for my Knit Picks shipment...

Reviews by necessity

2006-08-24T15:28:00.000-05:00

I meant to post this earlier in the week, but my plans went awry...
I also meant to post pictures of the items I'm discussing today, but I took pictures with my phone and then realized that my laptop doesn't have Bluetooth, so I'll have to add the pictures when I have my work computer next week.

Okay, my complaint...
Friday night I was in hog heaven, watching the Bears game and happily knitting on my Shelridge Farm poncho. I was on my last row of the night, about 10-15 stitches from the end when my *%#$@ Bryson circular needle snapped at the join (or whatever you would call it if it's molded...). Well, that was my only size 6 circular and I had to work the next day all of the hours that Mosaic Yarn was open, so I had to wait until Sunday to drop the money for an Addi Turbo and let me just add that (Mom) now I am not only too good for cheap yarn, I am also too good for cheap needles. Let me add, though, that I like my Bryson dpns well enough, but I would never buy another circular.

My second review is for the best fitting socks ever! And here's where I really wish I had my picture because I am IN LOVE! I am currently knitting the Widdershins from the Knitty Summer Issue and they are too beautiful and the best fitting sock pattern I've knit yet. My next pair I'm going to use the Widdershins construction to do a ribbed sock in my Opal Tiger and see what happens. I'll keep you posted.

My Widdershins review leads me to my review of 2 Knit Picks products. I'm using the Essential Tweed in Plum (but it's much darker and prettier than it looks on my computer screen). The yarn is so soft and pretty easy to work with, but I keep splitting stitches with the Knit Picks circular size 1. And this leads me to my final review of the day - the Knit Picks circulars. LOVE LOVE LOVE them - with 2 caveats. First, the tips are almost too sharp. I mentioned splitting stitches with them and I think I could probably use them as a weapon if I had to. Second, the join is a little sticky. They are a great alternative to the Addi Turbos, but not a perfect replacement. Of course, my size 1 Addi Turbo was about $15 and the size 1 Knit Picks was $5. Can I live with the 2 caveats? Absolutely. Does it depend on what I'm knitting? Probably.

Our baby

2006-08-17T10:52:00.000-05:00

Today is Zen's 5 year anniversary with us. She has been a joy and a pain and a learning experience every day for the past 5 years. We love you, baby.

Not even close

2006-08-14T11:25:00.000-05:00

No I absolutely didn't stick to my list. But I didn't break the bank, either. Fortunately, being an obsessive sock knitter is not the most expensive habit. Plus, Mom said that we did our part for the economy this weekend (us and 1000 other people).

Here's what I actually brought home:

a beaded shawl stick
a skein of cashmere sock yarn (but it may end up being wrist warmers or fingerless gloves)
the Swallow Hill rayon and beads for my very own April scarf
3 sock yarns: 2 skeins of Regia silk in a pretty medium brown, Opal Tiger, and Mountain Colors Bearfoote in Lodgegrass
a 665 yard skein of natural undyed Alpaca to make a shawl
a poncho kit from Shelridge Farm (Editorial comment: their yarn is beautiful and a joy to knit with!)
a needle felting kit
a felted evening bag pattern
a circular needle case (why did I wait so long to buy one?)
and the infamous Lantern Moon sheep tape measure (see comment above - what's cuter than a tape measure you pull out of a sheep's butt?)

Classes were great. Saturday morning I had Basic Brioche with Nancy Marchant and it was a good class, but hard. The basic stitch is not that hard, but I had a lot of trouble with the increases and decreases. I would have liked to try the second brioche class in the afternoon, but I definitely wasn't ready for that. Maybe next year. And maybe I'll try the brioche hat and neck warmer from Melanie Falick's "Weekend Knits". Sunday morning Mom and I had Mastering Yarn Substitution with Kellie Nuss. We both really loved her as a teacher, but there was almost too much information for a 3 hour class, so she started speaking too fast and it was a little hard to follow the math. We suggested that they should have an Intro to Yarn Substitution and then the Mastering... class. Then beginning knitters would be catered to and the Mastering could get more technical with the math.
All in all it was a great weekend, but boy was I tired last night. I really hate getting up at 6 any day of the week, but Saturday and Sunday especially hurt!

Another list

2006-08-10T13:15:00.000-05:00

It's time for Stitches again, so it's time for another list. Let's see how closely I can stick to it...

Cashmere for socks (I don't care if I have $40 socks!)
Rayon and beads from Swallow Hill designs to make another beaded scarf.
A shawl pin.
The "Creatures of the Reef" shawl pattern.

and, I better add miscellaneous sock yarn to the list or I'll totally blow it!

What a nice surprise!

2006-07-24T10:26:00.000-05:00

Look what I got in the mail on Saturday! My auntie was nice enough to make me this glasses case and I really needed one for my sunglasses, too.
These phone pictures taken under fluourescent lights don't do it justice - the colors are much prettier than they look here.

One step backward, 2 steps forward...

2006-07-17T14:49:00.000-05:00

Big step backward: my computer died last night. I mean DEAD (yes, all caps dead). Couldn't reinstall system software, nothing. So, this morning I had to erase the hard drive, reformat and start all over again. Ugh!

But 2 good things happened today -
1, I got my yarn from WEBS!
2, I found Pandora!

And by the way, Hi, Mom!

Finally...

2006-07-14T13:30:00.000-05:00

I finally got my links to work! I'm so excited! Be sure to visit the links I've listed and check out some of the podcasts if you're a knitter (especially Guido - he's my favorite).

In between days

2006-07-14T11:13:00.000-05:00

Well, the next week is going to be hotter than hell, but I'm always thinking ahead. Found my next sweater project in a lovely wool blend, perfect for working on through August!

This is the Portland sweater from WEBS knit in Valley Yarns Rainbow:

Beachcomber Resort rocks!

2006-07-13T10:59:00.000-05:00

Just got back from Florida and the family reunion. We had a great hotel - found it on the internet and it was perfect!

Right on the beach, beautiful balcony, and the sound of the waves put me to sleep. I can't wait to go back.

Check out the Beachcomber Hotel

Here are a couple pictures from our balcony. I'll post some more trip pictures later...

It's official!

2006-06-21T13:10:00.001-05:00

Put the deposit down on our next cruise!

No, I did not stick to my list

2006-06-20T09:47:00.000-05:00

(but I was close!)
Here's what I bought:

wire straightening pliers
case for my tools
blue and purple wire
micro tools
a reamer for my friend Anita
split rings
silver wire
a cast silver coral pendant
a beautiful necklace

That's not TOO bad...

Something to cheer me up

2006-06-15T15:52:00.000-05:00

I'm grouchy, but I found this poem. I don't know who wrote it.

I long for the solitude
of a sunset at sea,
and the chill of the breeze
coming in with the eve.
For the motion of my boat,
as she swings on her rode,
and the beauty of the stars,
in the evening’s last glow.

If I say it out loud, it must be true...

2006-06-14T10:24:00.000-05:00

So Bead & Button is this weekend and I'll be there Saturday for an afternoon class with my friend Lori. The good news is that we'll only have a couple of hours to shop. I'm publicly posting my shopping list so that I have to stick to it (I'll let you know how well I did on Monday).

Wire straightening pliers
Micro tools
Thin silver neck wire
Charms from Green Girl

Oh, happy day.

2006-06-13T12:21:00.000-05:00

Went to my part-time job last night at Loft in The Glen. There were 4 of us working in an empty store all night. So I got to wax paper all the hanging rods. It sounds stupid, what what a joy when the hangers slide so nicely without getting tangled up. They all made fun of me all night but it sure beat standing around watching the clock tick...

So I got home and my sweetie had saved me a slice of Alegretti's pan pizza with sliced beef on it. I stuck that in the microwave, poured a half glass of Lo Tengo malbec and excitedly opened my June package from my One Skein Secret Pal. So excited - a beautiful soft pinky/purply sock yarn called "Melody". I've never seen this before and I'm really excited to try it. I'm thinking about lacy wrist warmers.