I like to think I can ...

Sweet Success

2011-10-10T21:47:00.000-07:00

A fresh batch of spelt tortillas

For years I have purchased spelt tortillas; Rudi's mostly but more recently Trader Joe's. Early Saturday morning Jack and I made our regular trip to TJ's. Sadly, there were no spelt tortillas to be found. A kind store employee looked them up in the computer and sure enough, discontinued. Anger ensued but I held my tongue and just said, "That's unfortunate."

Grumble, grumble on the drive home. How dare they? ... Ding! I'll make them myself! I instantly found a recipe when I got back to my computer.

Why have I never heard how easy tortillas are to make? This batch shattered my expectations. With scratch tortillas under my belt, what else is on the list?

Check out my cooking blog, The Scratch Diaries, for food related fun and frustration.

Birthday Train

2011-10-09T14:37:00.000-07:00

Finished with plenty of time to spare, a rarity.

Whenever I open Ravelry, Jack asks to search for Thomas. Yes, Thomas the Tank Engine is his all time favorite at 3 years old. He falls short of drooling at this knitting masterpiece but this dishcloth is a close second. The picture of the boy driving his trains on the dishcloth intrigued him which was all I needed to cast on. Happily I found everything I needed in my stash.

An easy knit as expected but it's my first "picture" dishcloth. I worried I might get miss count or maybe even miss the purls for the eyes but all was fine. No major mishaps. Although quick and easy, I don't see myself making any other dishcloths like this.

Jack was happy to get Thomas for his birthday but not nearly as excited as when Monkey came off the needles. What makes me smile though is when he says, "Mama make," and shows me the dishcloth or points to the tortillas. I love being a mom.

Kitchen-Centric Weekend

2011-09-05T16:46:00.000-07:00

Incredible gluten-free bagels.

Labor Day Weekend has been chock full of kitchen laboring. The most satisfying of all projects was the gluten-free bagels. I'll admit I cheated and used a mix I had leftover in the cupboard. My husband thoughtfully bought Pamela's baking mix for me a year or so ago and I nearly forgot about it since I tend to make everything from scratch. A couple weeks ago I used it in the bread machine (thumbs up to including a bread machine recipe on the package) and it worked perfectly. Then yesterday, amidst other new recipes, I got the hair-brained idea to pre-make bagels for the morning.

As it turned out, the kitchen was too cluttered and Jack went to sleep early so I put it off for the morning. Four ingredients in the stand mixer for 3 minutes, rise for 1 hour, boil each for 25 seconds then bake for 25 minutes. A little messy, but really it's as simple as that. The recipe didn't say anything about toppings but I have longed for everything bagels for years. Surprise, surprise I had both caraway seeds and fennel seeds. Sesame seeds, dried onion and Kosher salt but no dried minced garlic to be found! Garlic powder sufficed and were it not for my heavy hand with the Kosher salt, they would have been perfect.

Unpictured is the bagel (1 of 6 so it was a small batch, quite manageable) I dipped in a spicy garlic Parmesan blend I found at Winco. Great flavor but I should clarify the application of the toppings. Dipping didn't work because the bagels were too wet and floppy after the boil. I ended up just sprinkling the toppings over top and patting them in a little to set. This wasn't a technique I looked up on the internet so there could easily be a better way to get the toppings to stick after baking. Maybe brush with olive oil, sprinkle the toppings then bake? Butter maybe. Egg wash? No matter, the bagels turned out better than I imagined. Especially since my first foray 20 years ago yielded bagels hard as rocks. Dog treats, really. As you can imagine, I am pretty darn happy with this batch.

Other kitcheny projects this weekend:

Cleaned out just the door of the fridge and reorganized.
Made Texas Beans (may have been old pinto beans because they didn't quite cook all the way through.)
Moved pantry items (nuts, dried beans, etc.) to the pseudo pantry and moved the extra cans and unopened condiments to the cupboard.
Configured a recipe for Mexican rice in the rice cooker.
Cooked two nice dinners - planned in advance and well executed. (This doesn't happen very often. Usually I forget to start the rice or remember the rolls AFTER dinner.)

Now to finish the weekend with some more knitting!

Bear III

2011-09-05T12:48:00.000-07:00

The beginnings of bear number three.

It had been almost two years since I last played around on Ravelry. So many refinements! Most of my books weren't in the library back then, no magazines at all and so many other little things but now, Wow! Back when I added my bear projects I couldn't find a pattern to link it to. This time though, I found it on Ravelry as Due North; an out of print pattern that the designer reworked as Small Bear if you're interested in the pattern. Apparently the book in which it was printed goes for quite a bit on ebay. Dang it! I have the magazine version :)

Jack has the first bear created with this pattern. White wool with mohair carried along. I'm pretty sure it was one of my first felting projects and the store where I bought the yarn didn't clue me in to the possibility it wouldn't felt. White bear is by far the biggest of the bears and barely felted. Still cute though.

Bear #2 went to Jack's cousin. Knit in orange without mohair, it's my favorite so far. Maybe because I was a little better at knitting or felting by then but the orange one is my favorite. Great shape and a nice size for a child to grab, hold, and carry. The other interesting thing I realized while knitting this bear was that I had made an interesting color choice. When I was about 11 my mom knit an orange pig for my younger sister. Adorable but all I could think was, "why orange?" Over and over I thought it to myself, even asked my mom why she made the pig orange instead of pink. She just shrugged, "I don't know." There I was, knitting an orange bear. I smiled and still do to this day when I think of my lost obsession with an orange animal and how I’ve passed it on to the next generation.

The current bear is a gorgeous aqua blue Cascade Quattro which I’m knitting on size 10 needles. The others must have been on 11s because this bear is already tiny. I knew there was a disparity between sizes 10 and 11 but it had never jumped out at me until I was searching for needles this time. This bear just might be named Minnie. I’ve also noticed some holes forming in the piece. I thought I was going to fix what I saw in the orange bear by correctly wrapping and turning but maybe it was always my make ones. Thank goodness for felting but Knitting Help here I come!

Rare Sighting: Monkey

2011-09-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

Jack finally slowed down for a moment so I could get a picture of his new monkey.

I loved knitting this pattern and will probably knit it again and again. It's a great go-to kid toy as is the bear pattern I just cast on for a third time (posting soon). Variety keeps me going - I don't often knit patterns more than once, but when they're easy and cute I can't resist. I'll say it again, Yarn Miracle writes such cute stuffed animal patterns!

Yes, I vented the other day about picture quality but just give me a couple days and I'm over it :) I've given up on perfect pictures. If they happen, they happen but I'm just as satisfied with the documentation of our lives whether the pics are good or bad. That is my purpose after all.

Surprise!

2011-08-29T08:26:00.000-07:00

A post! How about the other goings on since I last posted almost 2 months ago? Fun summer stuff and actual knitting...but no pictures yet. I told myself I wouldn't do that but the picture issue got me tangled up in my head. You see, iPhone's* pics are okay but not the caliber I want to see on my blog. I don't want to post without pic because honestly, even I find that boring. Then there's my computer. It's fine and it does the job albeit slowly but some tasks just might put it over the edge. Downloading, importing, uploading ... all of these things test its ancient processor and I just want to get the most time out of this nice, mostly reliable computer. So there. There's picture issues and I'm not happy about it.

While at Surfy Surfy, out of the blue G suggested I look at wet suits so I can start surfing (YAY!). I picked out a really cool spring suit like the girl suggested. Usually spring suits have short sleeves and legs that go almost to the knees. This women's version has long sleeves (no farmer tan) and shorts length legs so you don't get the guys cargo shorts tan (knees and down). I. Am. So. EXCITED!!! Babysitter for Jack and my husband and I can go for a surf :) However, surf class won't be held until after Labor Day so as to clear out the waves of superfluous persons. It really is just better for all involved.

Mystery KAL - Done! It's a cute little monkey and J just loves it. I was just about to put on the tail when he realized I was working on something really cool. "Mine?" he said. How could I resist his angel face? He took off with the tailless monkey under his arm. By the way, yes, I guessed correctly :)

I found a newly formed knitting group that meets at Peet's Coffee and I love love love going to knit! They are fun, happy people. We laugh and joke around, help others with knitting questions and have a rowdy, awesome two hours of productive knitting time. A guy walking by even commented, something to the effect of, "Can I join? You're having too much fun!" One of the girls teaches classes at Michael's (also just down the street) and she'll be teaching a crochet class in the Fall. Bingo! I will finally learn how to crochet! They are all so welcoming to new people. One of the members just happened to be enjoying coffee and a puzzle book one morning a month or so ago and now she's picked up knitting again and on her second project already. I am so relieved to find a great group of people AND knitting all located within my 2 mi radius. Never want to get too far from the beach ever again :)

*iPhone is referred to by name: iPhone. My sisters made fun of my phone and maybe more so how much I played on it (it was new when I was in Seattle visiting). Hence, as a "member" of the family it deserved a name and believe me, they get great enjoyment from including it in conversation. "So where does iPhone want to go?" "How dare you leave iPhone in the car!" Yes, they're a fun bunch of sisters :)

Mystery KAL

2011-07-06T07:41:00.000-07:00

Somehow I came across a mystery knit along (KAL) which piqued my interest. I love knitted toys and after seeing the designer's website, especially the knitted kitty, I jumped in. Knitted toys are just cute little projects that are pretty quick. Not quite instant gratification but progress comes quickly. Some might think they're fussy projects because they're so small and usually on small needles but I disagree. This is my first Mystery KAL and it's kinda fun so far! Each week a "clue" (section of pattern) is released and all week long participants try to guess what it's going to be. (For the record I'm going with monkey.) I started and finished this first section on the 4th. That's pretty quick for me. Four "clues" to the pattern so this is a month-long project. I actually think I'll be able to keep up and finish on time ... but I'll be out of town this weekend. If I take a project it'll be my Seattle Socks on bamboo DPNs because I'm going here again. Different hotel but same destination, same work trip. I also just noticed it's been 2 years since I made my last pair of socks!

A Tale of Two Breads

2011-07-03T12:12:00.000-07:00

For years I've been pretty okay with the spelt bread I get from my bread machine. Not bad, does the job, dry and crumbly. Two recent events have altered my perspective. First, my husband's business partner is testing out a gluten-free diet and it won't be long before he asks me for guidance. Second, I failed an all rice flour dinner roll recipe.

On the first point, his biggest gripe was the sticker shock (not taste because he hasn't even gotten that far yet). "Eight dollars for a loaf of BREAD?!!" exclaimed the text. I know it doesn't have to be that expensive but on occasion I've purchased a $4 loaf when I don't have the time or desire to start up the bread machine. Admittedly, that's pretty lazy. Contrary to that tendency, my "conqueress" spirit has emerged. I have now envisioned making bread that would impress even a gluten-lover like my husband -- spongy, moist sandwich bread or a crusty dinner loaf. My current spelt bread is a far cry from normal for most people. If I can demonstrate for friends that gluten-free food can be tasty and yummy and just like their glutenous counterparts, my friends can stop living in agony (and I will feel successful). The closer I can get to "normal" the less intimidating a gluten-free lifestyle will seem.

For the record, spelt is an ancient wheat so yes, it contains gluten. As someone who is sensitive to gluten and not celiac, I tolerate spelt just fine. I like to imagine that the spelt grain hid in the dusty shadows of the pantry while standard wheat underwent poking, prodding, splicing, genetic engineering, everything they've learned since Gregor Mendel opened Pandora's box.

My second point is a post in itself. I started the white rice flour dough (it's not always spelt) in the bread maker on a dough setting so that I could take it out halfway and make it into rolls. To make the long story short, they're not rolls, they're flats.

So here we are at the crossroads of the two breads, or methods rather. I'm pretty sure I can perfect my bread machine output with some refinements. I've heard the yeast needs more time to react, so start it first then add it to the machine. Add 1/2 tsp of xanthan gum for each cup of flour to account for the missing gluten. We'll give those tweaks a shot the next time I pull out the bread machine. It's the other method that is silently begging me to conquer it. Making bread from scratch. I only ever witnessed my mom baking bread on a few occasions long ago. It's a more authentic method that appeals to my from-scratch desire: making my own whipped cream, pancake mix, never using instant rice, ... Eventually I'd like to add pasta to the list, use dried beans instead of canned, etc. I'm still working on this but you get the picture. The book Like Water For Chocolate comes to mind when I consider the time and energy put into cooking for the family. The love comes through in the finished product and nourishes the soul. I suppose it's obvious I'm rooting for the from scratch method.

It is a far, far better [bread] that I [make], than I have ever done..

Del Mar Fair

2011-06-30T22:55:00.000-07:00

Our first trip to the fair started late in the day, after my workday had ended and evening traffic began. Just on the east side of the 5 from the fair grounds is an Albertson's selling discount admission. Yay! A whole $5 off each ticket. I love getting a deal when I'm prepared to pay full price. (No crazy couponing here.)

It's been a number of years since I've been to the fair; same for Gianni. Only on Food Network had I heard of the latest and greatest Fried Fill-in-the-Blank but here at the fair it's right there in ~~flesh and blood~~ glutenous coating and oil. What I really wanted to see was the Fried Butter. Yes, a cube of butter that has gained social ranking by disguising itself with a bread crumb jacket, bathing in hot oil then shape-shifting into a fluid mess once you take a bite. How can that not be a shameful disappointment? Chocolate covered bacon on the other hand has many more fine and redeeming qualities (but I'm too cheap to buy a handful for $6.50 so I'll make some myself. Maybe.)

On our way to find the animal barns we walked through the fine arts pavilion. Inspiring water colors, delicate pen and ink, intricate mixed media, all sorts but needlework was nowhere to be found :( I suppose the cool stuff is reserved for exhibition at the STATE fair. Humph. No 4H decorated cat cages, no award winning preserves, no record approaching veggies, no cavies even. Absurd! None of the cool stuff.

Jack! Oh yes, the reason we made a point to even GO to the fair. As soon as G unfolded the stroller he jumped in and stayed in without fuss. Through the midway he snacked on my sweet potato fries. He gawked in awe at all the rides and lights. Both the roller coaster and log ride were "trains" which we of course watched intently. When we got to the animals though, he begged to get out for a closer look ... then got back in, no problem. G and I thought we were doing pretty well keeping the germs, dirt, grit, and ick just out of arm's reach. We're casually walking though a sawdust/mostly dirt blanketed outdoor booth area when I look under the stroller. I don't know why I looked but both his feet were extended under the stroller and parting the dirt like Moses. He was happy as a clam. I should have known.

G informed me that the slippers don't quite fit well enough to comfortably stay on his feet. Bummer. Just a bit more than a tad too big so I'm going to try REAL hard to get them in the wash this weekend.

Chocolate Glass Coffee Knit

2011-06-27T08:42:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful weekend! When I go out Friday night it just seems to make the weekend longer. So on Friday night we went out to dinner at Leucadia Pizzeria where Jack and I shared a gluten-free pizza. Love that place AND they deliver. We were invited to a BBQ on Saturday to watch the MotoGP race. Fun to meet new people and just hang out on a Summer afternoon. American, Ben Spies, won his first MotoGP race. Woohoo! Jack didn't really let me watch the race; we were upstairs watching Kung Fu Panda. Cute movie but there was racing on TV!

Sunday I started the day with two iced coffees from Java Hut. Pretty good but I've been itching to make my toddy ever since Pioneer Woman posted a recipe for iced coffee. On that caffeine high I scrubbed the house top to bottom and finished the laundry. Rather quickly I might add. When G left for a business meeting, Jack and I went over to Grocery Outlet and dinked around for a while. $97 later and we were out the door. A little surprised by that but we found some goodies: Dagoba drinking chocolate, Oikos greek yogurt, Pamela's mini cookie bites (gluten-free), Cascadian Farms granola, lots of other stuff and a bag of coffee. All they had was S&W store brand but that's fine for toddy. I am just in time with my iced coffee brew because yesterday it read 81 in front of the house. Dang that's hot for the beach! There should be a lot of good iced toddy weather coming up. Yum!

Knitting? Yes there was a smattering of knitting this weekend! I casted off the slippers (clogs, whatever) and knit a few rows on my Seattle Socks but the biggest accomplishment was felting the clogs. Sometimes the felting stage takes forever. Not the actual felting, but the finding time to put it in the wash and monitor it. I found the time last night after all the laundry was done but I always forget to monitor it! We were sitting at the table one second then the next I shot out of a cannon aimed for the laundry room. Thankfully they hadn't started spinning and weren't too small already. So they're drying now and they fit! With every stitch I doubted they'd fit, mostly because of the cuff but also there were some wrap and turns written in. I followed them on the first go round but it didn't look right so I ripped it out and started again. On the second try they looked fine as I was going but you never know. As for when they'll be a wearable object, I cannot be sure. This morning they are still HEAVY with water and being that there's so much moisture in the air, it could be a week before G can wear them. Ah, the waiting game...

Tuesday our plan is to go to the San Diego State Fair. Feels a bit early in the year for the fair but then Washington schedules all their state fairs for the end of Summer to optimize the sunny days. I hope G doesn't mind stopping by the sewing, cooking, needlework, etc. barns :)

(My husband came up with the title to this post. Not sure he's all there this morning :) )

Out of the Desert

2011-06-21T07:43:00.003-07:00

Hmm. Quite a bit has happened since my last post but the best item on the list is moving to My Love's hometown :)

The temperature change has thankfully summoned my knitting needles. I'm almost done with the last project i started in Phoenix - felted slippers for My Love. I had started them as a Christmas gift but locked them up in February when the desert summer reminded me it was just around the corner. Blech. Who wants slippers in the desert anyway? Now, a year and a half later, some wonderful husband wants slippers again. Here they come! ...hopefully. I'm using a pattern from my mom and the cuff instructions are missing. Oops. I didn't realize that until I was at the cuff of the first slipper. Par for course. So, we'll see in the next couple weeks when I finish and get around to felting. (I didn't say I had a lot of extra time. I still have my job and a now almost three year old!)

Oh! I have two, yes TWO yarn stores within WALKING distance!!! Both are incredible. One I've frequented on past trips to Encinitas, Common Threads. But the other I kind of dismissed in the past - Black Sheep. I mistakenly judged a book by its cover. Tsk tsk. The sign was (gulp) boring and it said "beads." I just assumed it would be more of a mixed media type store and I'm not really into much else but yarn right now. As you can tell, big mistake. The store is gorgeous! Two amazing yarn stores within a couple blocks on Coast Hwy. Who knew!? I thought their Noro section was nice until she pointed out I was only looking at the new stuff. More? A whole darn corner of the store! Ahhh heaven :)

Bicycling with little g, learning to surf, cooking on a gas stove (I never knew that was so awesome for lack of a better word), traveling to race tracks with my family .... plenty of fun stuff to come :)

I'm going to assume you're genuinely interested

2009-09-20T22:06:00.000-07:00

... is what I wrote to my sister when she asked about my grocery spreadsheet.

For a few months now I've been keeping a spreadsheet of our expenditures - grocery and household mostly. This all started because I was tired of wondering how much we were spending, on what, where was the better deal and so on and so on. Here's what I've developed thus far although I feel some tweaks in the future.

*push glasses up bridge of nose*

In my spreadsheet, size is almost always in ounces except for with green onions, peppers, diapers, etc. For us I also put tortillas in eaches because we only buy the same kinds ever - one for G, spelt or rice for me. I also made a "calculator" I drag down the side with my work. Produce and deli are almost always measured in pounds and I just needed to make it easy for me. The other tool I use is a digital kitchen scale. Last weekend we bought onions at Grocery Outlet, 4 in an unmarked green mesh bag for a fixed price. However, since onions usually go by the pound I weighed them for a true comparison. (Only Super Nerds have digital kitchen scales.) One thing to keep in mind - the weight of some deli items are only marked on the sticker attached to the item itself, no other details on the receipt.

Example:

Purchased Item	Size	Price	Store	Date	Cost per ounce
Almond breeze	64	$ 2.99	Albertson's	8/9/2009	$ 0.047

Cost per Ounce is the only actual formula in the spreadsheet = Price/Size.
My handy calculator mentioned above is rudimentary: Pounds x 16 = Ounces Change the value in the pounds field and the equals field calculates the equivalent.

POUNDS	OZ	EQUALS
1.82	16	29.12

My handy spreadsheet helped verify that we're getting the best price on formula. Similac Iron Shield or something was on sale at Amazon, 19.79 for 24oz (forget the actual size). I plugged in the data and compared it to Costco - Similac was about twice as expensive. I know, Similac Iron Fist is primo baby formula but g isn't picky thankfully.

The other important organizational tip is to enter items as noun, adjective adjective. This way all the onions get sorted together when you go to compare data.

Examples:

Spice, Onion dehyd
Soup, Cream of Chicken
Sausage, ground Johnsonvlle
Pineapple, cut fresh
tomatoes, diced Del Monte

Also, instead of getting up from my computer to go check weight on each item, I finally got even smarter (is that possible?) and started writing on the receipt then entering it all at once. After a while it's fun (for nerds) to go and sort the sheet by purchased item and compare where we get the best deals. It's just ridiculous to see something we bought at Costco or Grocery Outlet for HALF the price per ounce of Albertson's. For produce though, taste is a factor. G doesn't really care for the flavor often found lacking in Grocery Outlet/Dollar Store produce. I understand his position but ... I really like the deal. Now if I could just get G to go to Grocery Outlet *before* the regular grocery store we'd be saving even more.

g is almost 1! We're spending his birthday in Seattle with family. Prior to my mom's most recent round of chemo they had planned on coming down here to celebrate. With the latest diagnosis our plans changed. And quite honestly for the better. All the aunts and uncles are up there. G and I are our own family down here - we'll make the trip to see the clan. I'll have pics when we return!

(WIP made the photo - argyle baby blanket for g's cousin-to-be)

Socks: Then and Now

2009-09-14T22:27:00.000-07:00

Wow - what a difference 10 years makes!

Blue sock: My very first sock (whoa check out that shaping). Scratchy, self-patterning yarn, slouchy, sloppy pattern. It was fun to knit at the time.

Pink sock: The beginning of a sock resurgence. Soft, soft warm cozy socks. They could use a less complicated pattern to showcase the beautiful colors but I'm not going to be picky.

Yes, the socks are short. I happen to like shorter socks seeing as how I live in the desert. However, I was more worried about making it through both socks with enough yarn. I think I'm going to work on toe up socks from now on.

I'm not particularly fond of the dark diagonal stripe and the dark big toe.
If I don't focus on it I don't see it.

Just the right length for warmer socks.
My next pair will probably hit just below the ankle bone.

My favorite part - plain old stripes :)

g matched the big sock so well I slipped it on his entire leg. Of course the over-the-knee design hindered his crawling. It didn't last long but I managed a pic.

With as big as it looks in comparison to the pink sock you'd think it would fit like a paper bag. Funny how it looks a little full but mostly normal. REALLY funny that I washed both socks over the weekend and the blue sock *doubled* in size. If we stay in town this weekend I'll try to shrink it with some hot water and maybe an extra hot tumble dry. Incredible.

Here's the famous Chair Pusher at work!

He's been taking a few steps here and there. Usually three steps, four today. Soon enough. I'm going to put down "Hi" as his first word. Sounds more like Ha or just H but in conjunction with the wave I think it's official. Less than 2 weeks for until our Seattle trip! Hopefully we get a San Diego trip here real soon, too.

In the Kitchen

2009-09-09T11:35:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I received my 35lb bag of spelt flour from Azure Standard and I've been baking and cooking ever since. To kick off the nearly gluten-free baking were M&M cookies. Since then it's been loaves of bread, cake and pancakes. I pre-made a big batch of mix.

The M&Ms were a cheap find at Grocery Outlet so naturally I put them to good use. Spelt flour doesn't have as much of the gluten as most recipes count on so to make up for that I added arrowroot flour. They turned out like real cookies!

Here's little g about a month ago. His hair looks short now with as much as it has grown! He'll turn 1 at the end of the month. He is so cute to watch ... learning, exploring, problem solving ... crawling in circles chasing after the dogs ... waving hi to *everything* ... tentatively shaking his head no ... trying new foods with only an initial shudder of surprise ... So cute!

As for the food for g though he started reacting to the jarred foods. Bananas fine, bananas in a jar not fine, rash. I have no problem making up his food - steam, food processor, spoon into ice cube trays. I get all that taken care of on the weekends and we're good for the week.

Yummy yummy fresh raspberry lemonade. My sister found perfect ice cube trays in a clearance bin - they make perfectly square ice cubes - and so thought of me. Not exactly sure why but I love them so she was right on :) The yarn here has been mostly used up in the Argyle Felted Pillow (rav). Finished last week and ready to go with me to Seattle to felt. Two more weeks!

Goodies

2009-08-16T12:43:00.011-07:00

Again, it has been too long since my last post. Just last weekend (or maybe the one prior) I was considering a blog "schedule" to follow. I like writing but I never liked journaling, never had a diary. But I like blogging, it's different. The pictures probably have the most impact, the possible audience makes this writing seem more purposeful and the bonus is the web friends. And so I'm back to ... how to blog more regularly. Wait a second...

Yep. Tomorrow this blog turns 2! Woo hoo! Two years - time sure flies. All right now, back to the issue at hand. Blog schedule. Well, to be honest, that's just not going to happen. I certainly don't want to make blogging a chore. Sooo I think I'll just focus on the pics and posts will follow. No more hiding my camera from myself (found in its second home on the kitchen counter). Don't "lose" the USB cable for my camera (G "found" it in its usual place). Stop leaving the camera on after transferring the pics (killing the batteries).

On to the goodies: Look what's come in the mail for me!

Korres sent me a bunch of samples to try out. Okay, I ordered the jar of cream in the middle and the sunscreen on the left. The rest is bonus! Not to mention I got 20% off through MyPoints, free shipping and I'm not sure, but I think they sent me extra samples on accident. The cute little boxes in the back row were all in the cute bag in the very back. Hmmm maybe the extra samples came because I'm now a facebook fan. Probably.

This awesome coffee cup arrived from KM as a surprise prize after the wristwarmer KAL back in February. (Jeez I'm sloooow. Here's my entry, yes they are a Christmas 08 gift for my sis.) Every morning G and I have coffee, catch up on email and do the crossword puzzle. This awesome mug shoved the former #1 mug off the table to take it's place and hasn't looked back since. Thank you KM!

Horrible picture, I know. I knew it when I took the pic but I did it anyway. I knew that I wasn't really on top of my game and if I didn't take it I'd miss out altogether. The magnets are cutely holding up coupons/papers/recipes on the fridge. Can you tell that they're the Ravelry set? So cute! Werther's - already gone. Mmmmmdelicious. One of these days I'll catch a pic of g with his fish rattle. It's one of the small emergency toys in his diaper bag that at the moment is performing its job - at some point g needed a distraction and voila! Fish rattle to the rescue! Thanks again KM! Great KAL - thanks for hosting! Maybe when we all get some more time we can do another :)

Look at the budding fiber kid! No, I don't push my fiber love on to others. The bin of yarn actually took the place of a cake of wool I had just wound. Yes, I was protecting my knitting yarn by allowing him to play in the bin of stuffing yarn. I've collected the yarn I hate, too short leftovers and gnarled skeins that aren't worth the time to untangle - all of that stuff goes into the stuffed animals. Waste yarn put to good use.

Seattle with Little G

2009-07-05T23:16:00.004-07:00

A few weekends ago Little G (g) and I made our very first plane trip to Seattle. I was nervous. VERY nervous. Was he going to scream, be inconsolable, have a poopie diaper on the plane? He's a really good baby so he should be fine. What if this is the thing that finally gets under his little skin. How about all the stuff I needed to lug through the airport ... all by myself?

Well there was nothing to worry about. He was perfect. He fell asleep for both take-offs. Little fuss but no crying. Made goo-goo eyes at the little girls (which, I hesitate to say, but it made them stop crying). g even earned compliments from the other passengers. But all that entertaining made him one tired little monkey.

g fell asleep in the Combi - I love this carrier! I didn't already mention, but the stroller in the airport drove me nuts. I cried. Seriously. I couldn't get it down, up, or even to push in a straight line. It did not help that I forgot how to collapse it while at the front of the security line. I was that Mom holding up the line. A nice older couple helped even though I couldn't tell them how to work the thing. Because I forgot! Ugh. Never again. Baby carrier from here on out.

g in the sweater Grandma knit, with cousin C and Grandma

We were in town for my nephew's 2nd birthday. Grandma wrangled the two cousins for a quick photo - 9mos and 2 yrs. Fifteen months apart - the same age difference as sister F and I. No idea at all how my mom managed. C usually gets free reign of the toy room but with g there he had to *gasp* share. It wasn't easy shielding g from flying objects but we managed. Grandma has a massive play area for C with tons of toys and lots of open space to play. I called home to run the idea by G and now g has a miniature version.

The Mayonnaise Smile

g's cousin LOVES mayonnaise. Sister J spread some mayo on a tomato, C would lick it off and smile ... every time. It was so cute!

g in the arms of Sister F

It turned out to be a very short long weekend. g was less than 2 months when he met an aunt and Grandma and Grandpa. With three sisters, uncles, family friends etc., it was a bit overwhelming for him. It wasn't until the last day that he was okay with me out of his sight and stopped being so clingy. I'm trying to schedule another quick weekend before G, g and I go up to celebrate his first birthday with the family. Just 2 months away so we'll see. He made traveling easy so it's pending my work schedule. Orlando this weekend and Indianapolis in August.

Knitting: YES there's knitting going on! No! There's no pictures! I'm using Misti Alpaca on the Cable Twist socks, fingerweight so I've been adjusting the pattern here and there. I missed Grumperina's mod for sock yarn - woulda been nice. This is my second pair of socks, the first pair was over 10 years ago (loose, sloppy, mismatched). I'm learning them all over again ... and I kinda like socks now! That's tentative. I don't often wear socks here in the hottest place on earth. And I'll need to beef up my sock yarn stash....

Puerto Rico

2009-07-05T22:12:00.003-07:00

Back in April I went to Puerto Rico for work. (I told you I've been busy!) This was my first trip and an all-around good trip. It would have been nice to have company but it was a work trip after all. One full day of flying with 2 layovers. Seriously, by the last flight I didn't even know what city I was leaving. The plane landed well after dark, short taxi to the Hilton and.... Uh, are we at the right hotel? It says Xanadu behind the check-in desk. There are THRONGS of people in the lobby. Something is going on...

Yes, I walked right into a movie set - Johnny Depp's new movie. No, I didn't disturb the filming. There were ropes, "Shhh!" signs, security personnel and a LOT of JD fans. I finally got to my room and promptly ordered room service before they closed. I hadn't eaten most of the day. My nerves really got to me - all that running to my flights in unfamiliar airports with just 45 minute layovers. So I calorie splurged with chicken wings and nachos. The wings were okay but the nachos were not nachos. Chips and liquid cheese. Ugh.

The next day was an unintentional free day for me. Yes, it was nice to enjoy the tropical island, but I saved the company money by leaving a day early *including* the cost of an extra night at the hotel. To get myself out of the room in the morning (remember, I'm alone and would have been perfectly happy staying in my room) I picked up Starbucks in the lobby and walked around with my camera.

Nice, family-friendly beach but not overly so. I didn't hear screaming, splashing kids. None of them tried to run me over or get tangled underfoot. But they were having fun. Lots of activities and play areas kept them entertained. Although my little guy wasn't with me, I was keeping an eye out for ways to travel more extensively with the little guy. The only kid thing I can't speak for is food. Banquets were included in the trade show and the only meal I ate otherwise was at Morton's.

The hotel wasn't all beach; there was a meditation garden area. Lots of tropical wildlife like the peacock here. Hmm, I don't remember significant bugs... not bad! After my photographic tour of the hotel I stopped at the pool cafe/bar for lunch. Some sort of burger with a stellar mojito. Yum! (Had to sample the rum.)

The work stuff turned out great. Speaking half Spanish made my brain hurt but I sold product! My next trip is in a few weeks but it's Orlando this time and most of my industry friends will be there.

Catching Up

2009-06-13T00:31:00.000-07:00

It seems as though quite a few of the blogs I follow are coming out of hibernation. Well here I am joining the trend. Months ago now I picked up a ball winder!! Wow. Where have you been all my yarn life?

Notice the digital scale? LOVE IT. Easy way to gauge what's left of a skein and really easy to split one. I had put off this project until I got a 50% off Joann coupon (why pay full price?) because I needed to split a skein for my sister's Christmas gift. (No, 2008 still but it's the last one.) Second deadline is fast approaching. I visit the fam at the end of the month. Thankfully we're taking a day trip over to New Mexico tomorrow. Pics maybe ... Don't want to commit to too much now :)

Jack and I at Seaside on Mother's Day weekend. He loves the wind but by the time we took this picture he'd already figured out how tasty the sand is. He wants down by the look on his face. (Daddy picked out the Encinitas gear on our last CA trip.)

He was sooo excited when the water came up to us. He was jumping up and down, splashing. SO CUTE!! BHE finally got to see the little guy play on the beach. The previous day he was taking our new surfboard out for a test ride.

Mother's Day breakfast at ~~Lemon~~ Beach Grass Cafe. Yummy fresh squeezed grapefruit juice and a wonderful meal with the family. Jack is sampling water here although the straw is preferred.

This is Jack perched on the new board, ready to sample some more sand.

RAWR! -Jackosaurus

Jack having his first bite of food. Just like the straw, I think he'd rather chomp on the spoon.

More pics sometime soon so I can get up to date. Jack will be 9mos at the end of the month. He and I are going up to Seattle for his cousin's 2nd birthday. Should be a fun time. Half of the family hasn't met Jack yet so its about time. Of course Jack will appreciate the party venue - a sandy beach.

Encinitas 09 - Trip #1

2009-03-09T22:01:00.007-07:00

DH is out. BHE is in.

DH will now go by the moniker Best Husband Ever. Because he is.

We were in Encinitas this weekend because I had some work stuff to do in Anaheim. Went into the weekend with a bit of the ickies. Runny, stuffy nose, mild headache, sore throat, nasaly voice - A real nice how-do-you-do. Shake my hand and take your chances. Yep, meetings were great. Regardless, I performed. But that's enough about work.

Breakfast and coffee at Pannikin. I love that coffee. BHE bought some beans for home :) And then surprised me with matching Pannikin mugs. :) :) Awesome coffee and crossword puzzles make me look forward to our mornings.

While I was up in Anaheim ALL DAY on Saturday BHE and Jack motored around everywhere. Foot and stroller that is. The local weekend bazaar, Leucadia Pizzeria, a Hawaiian place he talks about, Encinitas Surfboards. They had a lot of fun. Next time I'll run around with them. But BHE surprised me again with some goodies - Flips (he calls them Slaps) from the Hawaiian store and then he outfitted our little family in Encinitas Surfboards attire :) He and Jack got T-shirts and he picked out a pale blue hoodie with pale purple logos for me. I love it! He knows Mom is always cold and Baby Bear is a hot little bugger.

Encinitas Surfboards logo on my awesome new hoodie.
Jack's excited to get out of the car seat. Well, probably excited just to be held by Mom.

Sushi at Tomiko's capped off my long Saturday. Amazing sushi. He knows where to go and what to order. I resisted the pressure to have "good" sushi in AZ for so long but I finally gave in. After having sushi in Encinitas this one time it will be never until I give in again. The restaurant is next to the Best Western and from searching, they might be kind of related now. That is truly the best Best Western if that's the case. BHE was there the first night Tomiko's opened. He would know.

Jack was great through dinner. But as good as he is he can only take so much of it. (That applies to all of us, doesn't it?) We cut dinner short before it was too late. I nursed and then collapsed into bed. I would have gotten 9 hours of sleep if it weren't for the darn time change.

Sunday morning after coffee we headed to the beach for some pictures. We happened upon a surf competition and it was truly awesome. Little Jack will be out on a surfboard as soon as he can swim.

The tents were for individual schools and teams.
New slaps too. Can you see the gold stickers on the toe? I didn't until I saw this picture. Nerd.

BHE knows how to get great shots of the surf.

Jack was a great little road tripper. The drive over was quiet then he fed and slept all night. The drive back was a bit longer and the sun was in his eyes so he was fussy. As soon as the sun went down he fell asleep and was fine the rest of the way. I'm ready for another trip to Encinitas.

Woo Hoo! It's windy! We stopped at a rest area just outside of LA - where it's still green and not boring brown. Jack loves his bug from Auntie FR.

AHHHH! Look at the size of the bug! Clean it off!
Okay, maybe we were (I was) getting delirious but I had a good laugh. :)

These Days

2009-02-27T21:02:00.004-08:00

These Days by Nico is one of my favorites I forget that I love. From a movie that I loooove - The Royal Tenenbaums. (Intriguing bio there on Wikipedia.) The song itself is haunting or wistful or both, mesmerizing. Not exactly a representation of how I feel these days. I just love it :)

I drove by a new LYS today completely by accident! Knit Happens just HAPPENS to be near my salon and PRACTICALLY on the way home from work! It was a beautiful, sunny day today and I should have stopped in but I was running an errand for work and I just feel guilty doing that.

Click on the link to their blog real quick - they have a snapshot of the store and it looks just awesome. There is no way I could hop in real quick on lunch!

A new FO - The froggy bath mitt for my nephew. (Yep, still working on Christmas 08) Fun, easy, quick. I'd knit the hand a couple inches longer if I knit this one again. It's just not a comfortable fit; it feels short.

Notice the hole by the eye? Yeah, it bothers me and there's a few other tear ducts if you will. I just figured that's what happened when you picked up stitches and knit. Welllll maybe when you do it wrong. Didn't find out I was wrong until after I was done. My previous method had me knitting INTO the work so that the stitches on the work were pulled wonky on the needle. What I should have been doing was put the new yarn on the needle by pulling it THROUGH the work. I think this will fix some of my problems.

And here's a little Jack for you. He's 5 months now but these pics are about two weeks apart.

He loves his car, handed down from his cousin. He's walking pretty well, jumping which just looks weird and drooling on everything. He's worse than the dogs before they get fed in the morning.

It looks like they added some bumper stickers - Starbucks, Army - I have to go look for our RunGP stickers ....

This is a race weekend. I'd like to finish a second man cap this weekend maybe. We'll see.

Who Wants Some WEBS?

2009-02-19T21:06:00.003-08:00

Check this out: There's a contest over at KnitPurlGurl. She's giving away WEBS swag! Right on! Sure to be a nice pick me up for the lucky winner.

I've seen some interesting blogs recently (the look but I'm always running across great content, too) I'm inspired to change the look of my blog...

Knitting these days is slow :( I overdid it the other day knitting 4 inches of 2x2 rib for a hat while I was waiting for my husband to get back from Vegas. My wrists and thumbs hurt so I'm *trying* to take it easy. I'm also pretty sure eliminating gluten, corn and potato will help too. (It has in the past, that's not just a pipe dream.)

No-No-Noro

2009-02-12T19:48:00.005-08:00

This is my 100th post!

And my first KAL!

And my first magic loop project!

And my first (major) experience trouble-shooting a pattern. It was a puzzle from the start and I do mean the very start - cast on 42 stitches so you have 24 stitches on each needle. Errrr. But I trudged on, frogging again and again. In the end the pattern was quite banal; the yarn makes it. Do use Noro or another awesome yarn if you knit this.

Noro's color striping is a bit unpredictable though I know this; I'm not a Noro virgin. Because this is going off to a sister that I suspect craves balance I didn't just knit straight through the ball. The first mitt ended with that really cool aqua and the second was going to turn to rust and yellow. With plenty of the aqua still in the ball I just switched over to the other end of the ball. Easy, I like the look. I think she will too....

Except I don't know which sis will be wearing these yet. I'd like to mail off all the knit gifts in one box, all together and let them figure it out. Meh. But I'm finished in time for the deadline. And that's a real accomplishment these days.

Etsy Goodies

2009-02-03T22:12:00.000-08:00

Is it Tuesday because I think it might still be Monday. I am totally lost already this week.

Hurry and catch NH Knitting Mama's sale! It ends this Thursday 2/5. (It's February already?)

A friend of mine set up her shop: Hope Ink
Beautiful artwork. As described on her page: "...sharing the beauty and truth of the Scriptures in fresh and whimsical ways." She has an amazing hand that I've always admired.

A Note To Mom

2009-02-02T04:52:00.004-08:00

Mom,

This is your Christmas present (2008). I know you've already read about it and that's my fault. I tell you to go see my blog yet I post details of all my Christmas knitting. Now that you're on Ravelry, too, I will post in code from here on out when knitting gifts. ...well, starting after this post.

Here is your Felted Oven Mitt! The card taped to the fridge is from the Surfrider Foundation. Big G donated and got a bunch of cool bumper stickers and this handy little card. Little G loves to stare at it.

Remember this yarn? I think you made a Lucy Bag for FR and this was the leftover. Beautiful Manos colorway. I doubled it with a dusty rose (I know you hate the color and the name of the color but it matched beautifully) from Creative Focus. Pricier wool than Lamb's Pride, but that's what Jessica Knits stocks. Next time you're here we'll catch them on a day when they're open. Cute little shop.

Look how close I was to running out of yarn. I was seriously sweating bullets. That ONE STRAND is all that's left of the Creative Focus. *wipes brow* Jeez.

And I'll go out on a limb here and vote this pic as your favorite. It's the pre-felted mitt in it's over-sized glory. No? Not your favorite? Why in the world, you ask, would I take a pic when it's huge and disproportionate? Well, two reasons: 1) This was its home for weeks. Probably the same time frame in which Peggy was knitting her Felted Oven Mitt and attempting to felt in her front-loading washer. (Peggy - this piece was the most difficult one I've ever felted. More than THREE full cycles!!!) 2) Take a close look at the colors. I started on the first ball and loved the bright colors. Moved to the second ball and was disappointed that the colors didn't pop like the other ball. Couldn't tell in the balls and still can't in the finished piece. Guess it works!

Here's a little treat for you. Just another Christmas gift (2008) I'm working on (for J, I think). I finished the Tudora (orininally for her) but I really wanted to start these Noro Mitts. I'm supposed to be part of a KAL (knit-a-long) but I am most likely waaay behind everyone. I have frogged this piece too many times. Once with just 4 rows remaining. I'll try to catch up - I have a trade show to go to in LA. Just an overnight trip but I'll have a lot more time there than I do at home. My goal is to at least finish this one and start on the next. The last bit of finishing news: I blocked one more piece of the Surface Woven Tote. I would have done the whole thing but I ran out of pins.

When I get back I will make an extra effort to get your mitt out in mail. Hopefully by then it will be dry. (That sucker is thick!) I'll probably call you sometime today to get you to come read this :)

Shh! Everyone's Sleeping!

2008-12-27T12:50:00.004-08:00

Little Jack and the dogs gave me a nice respite this afternoon. DH left to have the van inspected by a Dodge tech. Yes, I said van. More on that later when I have pics.

I have two projects on my (belated) gift list that are felted: Oven Mitt and Argyle Pillow. Since I'm using stash yarn and I'm not up to date on logging it on Ravelry, I pulled them all out of my yarn closet and sorted them by color.

I have a lot more wool than I thought! A nice range of colors too but I think I need some more browns and blues. I might have to go pick up some brown, earthy colored Paton's for the backside of the pillow. I was thinking the multicolored Manos here in the front could work for the mitt but I don't think I have enough unless I double it with a solid. Hmm. I'll think about that. Then for the Pillow, the red Lamb's Pride on the left under the door with the taupe Araucania on top of the Knit Pick's natural. I hear that most whites and natural colors don't felt, how about Knit Pick's? That would work for the pillow or the mitt. HMMMM....

Uh oh, he's stirring. I better put this mess away.

Yay for Sleep!

2008-12-20T12:26:00.004-08:00

Really now, what is the deal with Facebook? I'm on. It's the same as MySpace but without the lurkers and creepy guys sending messages. Meh. I'll continue on. I need another site to take up more of my time.

Knitted Christmas gifts have now become just knitted gifts:

Tudora for Jess
Market bag for Ana
Something I can't remember for Mom
A pillow for France (picking between 2 designs, will depend on my stash)
Hats
and... that might be it.

Jack is getting bigger and has finally started sleeping through the night. I can't believe I got by with so little sleep. Last weekend I got caught up on laundry, straightened and organized the upstairs and temporarily dedicated an area to blocking! Jack won't mind if Mom uses his spare bed :) My partially blocked Woven Tote is the first order of business.

Crazy Knitting Dream

2008-11-25T20:46:00.003-08:00

Starting somewhere near the end, here you go: I put down my plastic grocery bag which contained a knitting project, my new Palm Centro phone and a sub sandwich. I went back down the street to get my mom and sister who were lagging but when we got to the bag it was gone. I was looking around for it on the sly as we entered the bank/hospital. Who would take my knitting? Who would WANT my knitting? We get to the empty classroom to wait for something and one of the nurses asked me what was wrong. I flipped out. Seriously. Flying around the room and screaming like a banshee. Yes, literally flying. Flew out into the lobby for some more screaming to a new audience and eventually got back to my feet. (I'm astonished I didn't start screaming in my sleep.)

All because I couldn't find my knitting bag. At one point I even screamed, "It's 90% completed!!!" (Ravelry influence). Notice this was all because of my knitting. I hadn't even realized that my new fancy dancy phone was missing too. Later on in the dream I asked a lost and found clerk and she pulled out a sub. "Uh, here. You can have this one." I didn't care about a freaking sub!

On to reality, there's been some requests for this really cute picture of Jack ;) At 9 wks he's 14lbs 3oz, but here he is at 7 wks when grandma and grandpa were visiting:

Baby Knits Modeled

2008-11-05T19:30:00.006-08:00

Jack was particularly alert and peaceful the other day so I decided to push my luck.

Cute bib where I "altered" the pattern. (Messed up but went with it.)

The first bib I made for Jack.

Mitts suitable for chewing.

I wish I could get pics of the Sartje's Booties but they're too small! They'll be a baby gift I guess - going to a baby the doesn't come from a family of massive babies. My three sisters and I were all on the big side, my sister's baby was 9lbs 11oz, even G was a big boy.

My beach blanket is back to the forefront! I'm so excited. I really love this blanket and I love knitting it. Why I put it away, I don't remember but I do vaguely remember switching out the needles for the Lizard Ridge. A minor set-back but one that was keeping me from my project. So anyway, I fixed the needles and showed Mom how to knit Continental style. She had found a cute pattern at Joann's that she wanted to knit but it had a seed stitch border. "Ew," she said. So I taught her on the blanket and she practiced for a row. I may have to give another lesson at Christmas if I go up to visit. No biggie. It took me a while until it felt comfortable.

AND I helped Mom set up her Ravelry account. I've talked about mine for a while, even mentioned it at one of her yarn stores which struck up a side conversation. Then a couple weeks ago she went to some sort of gathering and complimented a woman on her scarf. She found the pattern on Ravelry! (or something like that) And that's how it all began. Mom is on Ravelry. Now for Mom's sister and my knitting sister...

Mom and Dad left Friday morning :( It was so nice to see them. The first time I went to feed Jack Mom ran to the couch to get comfortable. "Oh! I'll feed him!" And that was just the beginning. I didn't get to see Jack until they left LOL! Their visit was short but we had a great time finding all the baby consignment shops in the area. Wow are they ever FUN!!! Lots of great stuff, decent prices and three locations that are way too convenient. Thank you for everything Mom and Dad!

He's Here! 17 Days Early and Perfect :)

2008-10-10T20:15:00.006-07:00

Giacomo

10:11am, September 24th, 2008

9lbs 7oz, 22in

Jack was born 17 days ahead of his due date because of pre-eclampsia. I went through 22 hours of labor but honestly the epidural made all the difference - no pain, I was just tired. Because we didn't have any progress in the last two hours, the best thing for both of us was a c-section. Everything went well with the surgery. Dad stayed behind the curtain with me (I don't blame him. Gross!). We spent 5 days in the hospital and it was a wonderful experience. The staff was amazing but I was anxious to get home.

We've finally settled in with a little help from my sister. She came down from Salt Lake to render her assistance. I was very thankful for her help - she's a pro at cleaning and organizing. No kids of her own but you don't need them for that kind of help.

My parents will be coming down in a couple weeks. Can't wait to see them and they are anxious to meet their second grandchild. They're bringing a car/walker thing that my 15mo old nephew has grown out of. It's a little advanced for Jack right now but he'll be ready for it soon enough. Mom asked what kind of projects I had for them to help with when they're down here. Usually they help landscape, fix things around the house, etc. but DH is really good at that stuff so I don't really have any projects. Soooo I think I'll ask Mom to help me finish my Surface Woven Tote :) (my Ravelry link) Maybe some other UFOs or start up some Baby Surprise Jackets. I found The Opinionated Knitter at her favorite yarn store, Main Street Yarns, when I was visiting just a few weeks before Jack was born.

QUESTION: Malabrigo Club

2008-10-10T15:18:00.003-07:00

Question for you eat.sleep.knit followers:

Did anyone see today's email about the Malabrigo club? 12 months, $36/mo...What do you think? I love Malabrigo but this club thing is new to me. Has anyone ever joined these clubs? I'm considering it even though little Jack has arrived (I'll post pics soon)

Stripey

2008-08-19T05:43:00.003-07:00

I love this site - Random Stripe Generator. Input your colors, row counts and Voila! Refresh repeatedly until you have what you're looking for. (This image may not show the widths of the stripes, but on their site it does.) I'll be using the sequence below for my beach blanket (ravelry link). The pattern is fine but I find the random stripes and colors more my style.

Here is the text version of the above pattern:

7 of red O O O O O O O
3 of lemonchiffon O O O
3 of red O O O
3 of darkorange O O O
3 of khaki O O O
3 of lightskyblue O O O
7 of khaki O O O O O O O
3 of darkblue O O O
7 of gold O O O O O O O
3 of khaki O O O
7 of paleturquoise O O O O O O O
3 of red O O O
7 of khaki O O O O O O O
13 of darkorange O O O O O O O O O O O O O
3 of gold O O O
13 of paleturquoise O O O O O O O O O O O O O
3 of darkorange O O O
7 of gold O O O O O O O
5 of khaki O O O O O
13 of orange O O O O O O O O O O O O O
7 of darkblue O O O O O O O
7 of darkorange O O O O O O O
3 of gold O O O
7 of darkorange O O O O O O O
3 of red O O O
7 of lightskyblue O O O O O O O
13 of darkblue O O O O O O O O O O O O O
3 of lemonchiffon O O O
3 of paleturquoise O O O
5 of lightskyblue O O O O O
5 of lemonchiffon O O O O O
5 of darkorange O O O O O
13 of lemonchiffon O O O O O O O O O O O O O
3 of lightskyblue O O O

Chocolate + Bugs

2008-08-17T21:40:00.006-07:00

Yummmm! I made another personal chocolate cake tonight. I used Dove chocolates instead of chocolate chips (worked), added chopped white baking chocolate (fine) and doused the final concoction in Dilettante Ephemere Sauce. Love the stuff! I'll have to pick up some more when I visit in a couple weeks. You can order online but... that will work someday when I'm in a pinch. Speaking of Dilettante though, I don't think I've had anything from them that wasn't amazing. Even the cafe' on Capitol Hill was incredible, ambiance included.

Soooo as I was joyfully making my chocolate delight my dog became very interested in the patio door. No biggie. She's almost 10 and acts like a mature puppy. Prancing, hunting, jumping then falling asleep in seconds. It would have been more like her to be in the kitchen staring but it didn't occur to me. She started coughing, hacking like a cat with a furball. I looked up and there was a big BUG on the wall next to her. Huuuuuge! 2.5 inch leg span maybe? Scorpion?? "WHAT'S THAT ON THE WALL??!!" G runs over and smashes it with a shoe. Later he said I could have just said, "Could you come kill this bug on the wall?" Really? Cuz I don't think I could have said that.

G looked it up online. It's a Wind Scorpion. Wanna see it? No poison, eats cockroaches, spiders, scorpions and whatever else I don't like. But it looks awful!

Jack's doing just fine. Head down, feet in my ribs, 7 more weeks. Me - mostly fine. Heartburn sucks, sleep is periodically difficult, it's getting harder to move and breathe. Today I just feel huge. Water started to taste horrible about a week ago. The OB suggested a pitcher of water in the fridge with some cut up fruit. Worked like a charm with strawberries! I have to keep my feet up as much as possible to avoid the swelling. Great fun - I think my back hurts more because of it. And I have permission to fly to Seattle for Labor Day weekend. Need to see the family, everyone is going to be there. I arrive on my sister's birthday so I started a tote for her. We'll see how far I get. The family will be getting assorted totes for Christmas now that they have the new plastic bag fee.

Personal Chocolate Cake Recipe

2008-07-28T07:19:00.004-07:00

I found this on KrisW's blog. I have been craving chocolate cake/brownies/frosting for a couple weeks now. Before you go blaming this on the pregnancy let me just say I always love chocolate and I always have to make my own baked desserts so as to avoid gluten. This leads me to waiting and dreaming about certain indulgences until I have the time and ingredients. So, yes, I've developed a pet peeve - "Oh, you're nesting!" "Must be the baby!" Noooo, actually I routinely organize and clean out my catalogs at work. I regularly have mild cravings for goodies or foods that I have to make for myself rather than purchase ready-made. Who doesn't? Anyway, I'm afraid I sound more irritated than I really am. When stuff like this is said I roll my eyes (to myself) and smile and laugh.

So here's that awesome recipe I tried out tonight:

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons cake flour (plain flour, not self-raising)
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
a small splash of vanilla essence
1 coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla essence, and mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don’t be alarmed!

Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

My recommendations:

Add the chocolate chips and do so generously.
Stir right before you micro. I paused unnecessarily long and all the chips sank to the bottom.
Consistency is like bread pudding ... or so I imagine.
Yummy with ice cream :)
Be hungry or share. It was more than I expected and now I'm stuffed.
Spelt flour and almond milk subbed just fine. Next time I'll try carob powder.
Walnuts would be tasty. Maybe white chocolate chips, butterscotch, syrup on top...

Finished!

2008-07-26T17:56:00.006-07:00

Two pieces in just a couple days. This is more like it! (And an oldie at the bottom.)

Thumbless mittens for Jack.
Easy as pie and pretty soft to the touch for what I suspect is acrylic.

My So Called Scarf for my sister.
Yarn: Rio de la Plata

Close-up of my big mistake.
I K2tog instead of P2tog. Prego brain?

Now THIS is an old FO that I finally remembered to photograph. It was sitting in my photo album next to the new items above where I noticed it was in the same blue family.

Philosopher's Wool Color Your Own Cardigan

Where do I start with this one?

Yarn: Love it. Soft not scratchy.
Pattern: Okay. This is my first sweater and it looks like a sweater so it can't be that bad.
Fair Isle: LOVE IT!!! Philosopher's taught a a two-handed class at the craft fair where I purchased the kit. I also bought their video which was a life saver since way back then (2002?) the internet wasn't where it is today. Can't wait to pick up another Fair Isle pattern.
Puppy interference: My pit bull puppy at the time got into all the balls one day. Used his razor sharp puppy teeth to shred quite a few of the colors. I salvaged what I could, modified the color arrangement somewhat and it worked out. Surprisingly.
Hanks: This project was also my first experience with hanks. Yeah, that's how long ago I started this project.
Measurements: Boy are they important! Not too easy over the phone. "Mom, measure from here to here." Add that to my own inexperience with measuring my work. Wonky.
Needles: Bamboo circs of course. Most importantly - I forgot to change to the larger needles after the ribbing. Yeah. Rookie mistake.
Steaking: I did it! With the help of my mom I should mention. I had no idea what it was called when we were sewing and cutting. We both looked at each other and said, "Well, we have to trust and cut. Otherwise it's just beautiful fabric." Easy. Don't be worried at all.
Knitting in the round: Again, first time ever. Loved it! Would love to convert everything to knitting in the round. Sleeves and body alike.
Picking up stitches: Another first. Easy. Even the neck stitches picked up for the ribbed edging. Easy, well, I think I remember it being tight in places. But after that first row, no problem.
Blocking: Should have. I left the sweater with Mom and she took it to her LYS for some minor refinements. Not the kind of refinements that blocking would have smoothed out. I'm pretty sure she and her sister took it back to the sewing machine to "tighten up" a few sloppy areas.

I learned a lot with this sweater. As embarrassed as I was upon immediate completion, it has grown on me. A labor of love as they say. Only a Mom could love. (Which she does.) And I, as the creator, have a special love for it, too.

I am now down to 7 UFOs in my Ravelry projects. Next is both the baby bibs and baby bell bottoms. Although I really want to pick up the beach blanket. My hesitation is the stripes - I want to reorganize the colors and widths. There's a site for that if I check my bookmarks...

3 Baby FOs in ONE Day!

2008-07-20T16:56:00.003-07:00

And pictures! I can't believe it myself, but 3 baby items are completely done. In one day I went to Joann for buttons, sewed on the buttons, took pictures, uploaded and now I'm blogging about it! Where did all this motivation come from?

I actually had fun picking out the buttons even though they aren't all that interesting.

Jack's booties with newly added buttons - Ocean Squares.

Jack's first bib had been waiting for the button for quite some time.

Jack's jacket is finally done.

I'm very pleased with the way it turned out. The color combination turned out better than expected. The crochet border was also easier than expected. I ended up doing two rounds of single chain. The blue yarn was also pretty soft. Years ago I bought it at a garage sale missing the band so I have no idea what it is.

Next two projects: Jack's Mitts which will be knit with the blue from the jacket and a colorful baby bib.

Jacket Update

2008-07-14T20:44:00.002-07:00

I casted off Jack's jacket and sewed up one of the seams last night. One more seam then a single chain edge then a slip stitch edge. Not sure what either are but I'll apply something in a contrasting color.

Tonight I finally made this creamy broccoli soup I'd been dreaming about. Never made soup before and I'm rarely happy with the soups I find so I did it myself. Yummy and it will last for days. I searched Allrecipes for ingredient ideas yesterday and jumped in after work today.

Sauteed broccoli and onion with salt and garlic powder (in olive oil)
Added to 1 can each of Cream of Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese cooking soups, 2 cans of milk
1 box of frozen spinach
Simmer for 1 hr 30 min

Not sure what else it needs yet. Maybe some real cheese, I just didn't have any tonight and wanted to get it going.

Wow, It's Been A Long Time, He Says

2008-07-06T16:29:00.003-07:00

G commented on my lack of posting. Yep, it's been too long. Seriously unmotivated. Thankfully the laundry and cleaning are still getting done. Conversely, he's been on top of things. Repair to the doors and molding (former dog shut himself in the bathroom and tried to claw his way out.) Touched up the paint in the stairwell and hallway and painted the spare bathroom. So bright and fresh and clean downstairs now. Beautiful!

Peppadew Peppers - these things are awesome! And I'm having some difficulty finding them in the store. A little sweet, a little spicy. Firm, crunchy texture. Great on salads and apparently many other ways too. Originally found them, of all places, in the salad bar at Albertson's. You would think they'd have them on the shelf. Nope. The search goes on for a local source.

Oh, yeah. I picked up my knitting a few times in the last forever. Francie's (sister) MSCS is almost halfway done. I'm decreasing for the second arm on Jack's jacket, then minor assembly. The crochet border could hold me up though. After these two, I don't know. I wouldn't want to get ahead of myself.

Jack is on a nice schedule - 20 minutes sleeping 5 minutes kicking. Otherwise nothing much to speak of. Actually, the heat freaked me out a bit. Okay, a lot. A couple weeks ago it got REALLY hot really quickly (115 in the shade). So what happened? My feet swelled a little and I assumed the worst - preeclampsia. I've since talked to other moms and had an appointment. I'm fine.

Oooh! And I don't remember if I've mentioned. (I could look but, well, I'm conserving effort.) Our new OB is awesome: 1. She chimed in on the Scrubs reference to "Gyno Girls." And laughed. 2. I asked about picking up dog waste (since cat poo is off limits). "As long as you don't lick your fingers."

Shoot! I didn't mean to make this so long but I have to mention my recent baking. Bread I make in the bread maker every few weeks. Nothing new. Two different carrot cake recipes - both yummy. Pancakes from scratch - easy, I just don't do it all that often. Pizza - the crust even passed the Italian test. (G loved it) Lastly, the one that didn't turn out as expected, French Bread. Took it out of the bread maker to shape and do the second proof in the oven. Well, it didn't really take shape, turned out flat like Foccacia. Tasty though and I'll definitely make it again! Not bad for lacking motivation :)

Pics as Promised!

2008-05-30T06:28:00.006-07:00

Here's a couple pics from the newly redone backyard and our wedding.

Yes, the backyard has been "rocked." It's a desert thing. To me its now normal but to anyone outside the desert southwest its weird. I'd like to say it was an environmental decision but no. Rock is just so much easier - no watering, you just rake it every now and then. (Raking is still weird.)
The flower bed G cleared out and planted. Blue Agaves on both sides, aloe just outside of the pic, Petunias and a bougainvillea for color.
Agave and aloe multiply so he did some serious thinning. I was able to salvage a few and pot them for decoration. I rather like how they turned out. The one in the middle is my creation. The two bougainvilleas flanking it are on the mend.

New table, older chairs. The glass table top to that matched the chairs broke! In a storm last summer the wind pick up the table and dropped it at just the right angle and I had shattered safety glass everywhere. As you can see we're prevented another such occurrence with a metal top. Two more bougainvilleas along the fence (great view of the wash) and a Texas Olive in the corner. G potted more petunias for that color bowl on the table. Actually G did EVERYTHING in the backyard. I went out with the girls on the morning of our wedding for nails and brunch. He finished all the planting, arranged the chairs, built the arch. Seriously everything. I came home and he had just laid down for a nap because the yard was DONE. He did a fabulous job. Beautiful. I still don't think I've thanked him enough.

Now we can finally go out and enjoy our backyard :) And we did. We invited about 30 friends over and got married this past weekend!

We're about ready to walk down the aisle here. Funny thing - Ronnie, our pit bull, led us down the aisle like a flower girl. Totally unplanned but cute!

I love this picture of G. He's so happy with a great smile, sparkling eyes. In about a week we'll have the photographers pics. That's him behind me, my cousin took this pic.

Our wedding party after the ceremony. Jacque was my matron of honor and G had his two best guy friends, twins Danny and Donny as his men of honor. It couldn't have been any other way :)

Yummy, yummy carrot cake from Costco. I had planned on making carrot cake cupcakes with spelt flour but I just ran out of time. As it has turned out with this pregnancy, the gluten bothers me a lot less than under normal circumstances. I bought all the ingredients and have two dynamite recipes to try out so I foresee some more carrot cake here pretty soon :)

So all of my pictures feature the 21 week bump under my dress. Our ultrasound yesterday confirmed we're having a boy!

Unexplained Absence

2008-05-29T05:57:00.003-07:00

I can't believe my blogging has dropped off so dramatically. Well, I suppose I could list my excuses... Okay:

Wedding - This is a big reason. G and I were married this past weekend, May 24th. I termed it the beach wedding in the desert. I'll post pics tomorrow (Seriously, tomorrow. They're already in my photobucket album. No excuses.)
Pogo.com - The worst reason ever but a HUGE time warp. I spend hours trying out all the games before my trial membership expires this weekend. Although I must admit, I'm going to sign up regardless. G likened it to heroin. I think he's right. My rationale is that once the baby arrives I will not have any "gaming" time so I'm getting it ALL in right now.
Prego brain - I think it's setting in. The words aren't coming so easily anymore. Short sentences. All I can manage. Grammar?
Tired - What could be making me so tired? Pregnancy - Sure, that's valid. Work - Yep, I've been working late most nights. Come home and its dinner, TV, bed. Gaming - Really? Staring intently at the screen, rapidly clicking, gaining points, earning badges. No, I don't think that's it.

One big thing missing from that list: Knitting. Almost nothing to speak of. I took a trip up to Seattle so my MSCS came with me. Doubled in size, about half-way through. The baby sweater is limping along. After picking up the Rio de la Plata for the MSCS, I know why. Acrylic garter stitch couldn't be any more boring.

Big news for today though.... Ultrasound! As long as Baby cooperates we're going to find out the sex today! New OB by the way. Crossing my fingers that we like this one. The last Dr. should have been a Kindergarten teacher judging by the way she talked to me. (Apologies to any K teachers out there. I adore teachers and respect their career. Actually considering it myself... another post.) Maybe she was a better choice for very young moms. Not me - 35 and married, let's converse like adults. Lastly, she wouldn't look G in the eyes. That was it. So today we meet the new Dr. who will deliver our baby. Hoping for the best!

Baby Appointment #2

2008-04-29T20:20:00.002-07:00

I should get this down before #3 tomorrow...

About a month ago, our second appointment was the first with the OB so we waited. A lot. They called us almost immediately into the room but we waited. Not a big deal because we were talking and laughing and generally having our usual good time.

At this point I forget most of the conversation but I will never forget G getting antsy and bored. He started by getting up to snag the cool pen I wanted, tested it on a paper towel and then I saw the devious sparkle in his eye. "Throw it in the trash, don't stuff it back in the dispenser!" That was funny enough but then he started singing into the "hoo hoo light." Oh, God I laughed so hard I cried. I just KNEW the doctor was going to open the door to that. "Hi! We're your new patients!" No, we had plenty more time to .... open the door and do it again!!! Punk songs by the way. I think it was "Richard Hung Himself" or something just as disturbing to the passersby.

It got so hot and stuffy in the room after 45 minutes. G opened the door and promptly threatened to talk to the staff and patients walking the hall. Oh, no, please don't. We have to keep coming back to this office and they WILL remember us. He took a trip to the restroom out of boredom. Oh, and we had stopped for coffee beforehand. I suppose that could explain the goofiness. He returned and actually took post at the doorway. I was a little scared - no talking to the staff, please. Antsy had now become polite irritation and as a nurse walked by, "Hi!" with dimples gleaming. Oh, no. This is it. And in walked the OB. Thank goodness.

G admitted later on that it might have taken 55 minutes to get to irritated aka level 1, and only 30 seconds to level 2 which was talking to the poor staff, but milliseconds straight to level 10. That's G and that's punk. I've never seen level 10 only heard the tales. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Baby Project #3

2008-03-30T08:32:00.002-07:00

Easy garter stitch cuff to cuff baby sweater in red. One arm is done, stitches for the front are on a holder and I'm making my way across the back. I chose this pattern so that I could avoid piecing together arms and fronts and such. I guess from here I can only go up to more interesting patterns. I won't be in the same boat as my bib. Which, I should probably knit a couple more of those.

Now red is a good uni-sex color. I love red. I have red all over the house - walls, couch, blankets, etc. It's our "color" for our wedding and since the wedding will be at our house it will already have red touches everywhere. Bought a book yesterday at B&N - Offbeat Bride. It's the closest reference/idea book I could find that seemed appropriate for our non-traditional wedding. Non-traditional in the sense that we've stripped it of all the pomp and circumstance - that's just not our style.

In Baby news: I've been feeling the baby move! I'd say it feels like a flutter but not quite. More like lightly tapping a few keys on a piano. I know it's early for a first-time mom but I don't doubt that it's the baby I'm feeling. Certainly not like anything else I've felt before.

Additional Baby news: I went shopping at Motherhood Maternity last night. A friend and I ravaged the store. Actually she did the ravaging while I waited in the dressing room with the faux bump strapped to my waist. We had a LOT of fun. Giggling, laughing and making fun of most of the clothes. For $100 I ended up with 3 ribbed tanks (workout wear), black work capris, black fancy top for a possible occasion, 1 work top WITHOUT ties, and a belly band so I can wear my non-maternity clothes for a while longer. Everything was on sale. I plan on checking out Old Navy's maternity wear for more work, workout and casual clothes. Thankfully work is mostly casual anyway.

Finally Some FOs

2008-03-15T22:28:00.003-07:00

My second Lizard Ridge square, Noro Silk Garden Lite. Knitting backwards is awesome. (Seriously, it bothers me that I call it a square. I can't figure out what else to call it - section? piece? Rectangle is obviously correct but I can't do it. It's just too ... perfect. I don't know.)

I even used my new technique on the baby bib, just the strap. Easy pattern and cute. As I mentioned, I've looked for other bibs and they're all so boring.

However, I picked up this brightly colored cotton for this bib. If all goes well with the pattern, I'll have multiple bibs in lots of different color combinations. Now that will make the projects interesting. Hats maybe if I get bored with bibs? I'll have to see what yarn that crazy looking cake hat calls for. (can't find the right pattern - I'll keep looking and let you know.)

Mames suggested a baby surprise jacket - that's a definite. Just need the yarn and pattern. Ha! Isn't that always the story? LOL In the meantime I think I'll look for another jacket which can utilize some stash yarn. I found some soft-ish red acrylic (I know) that should work for a unisex project.

Tonight we're watching the Australian Grand Prix. Very exciting race. Or rather chaotic. This is the first race of the season and everybody is rusty, pit crews included.

Tomorrow is a track day...unless it rains. FH's shoulder still isn't quite healed yet. He tore it out of the socket (Yikes!) over a month ago. Sure it bothers him day to day, but last weekend he tried to ride and couldn't finish a lap. The pull of the bike under acceleration pulled at his shoulder and then of course breaking hurt, too. Hopefully he feels better soon. He loves to ride and I love to watch him :)

Remember Your First Post?

2008-03-13T20:16:00.003-07:00

Mariknits helped me remember mine. Eh. So-so. My pictures have hopefully gotten better - my FOs, too. I learned something from that one at least. Go enter her fun contest and tell her I sent you. What's the prize? Mmmmmalabrigo! Yummmmy!

I Have Decided

2008-03-11T06:11:00.003-07:00

I'm not casting on for another baby item until we know it's sex.

I just finished a bib (pics another day, the camera is upstairs). I don't have much other than white for yarn. Boring. All the blue yarn in my baby yarn bin is deceiving - we don't know if it'll be a boy. And actually, I don't know how I acquired so many blues! They were in my stash YEARS before my nephew was born.

I could knit another bib or washcloth but meh. I'm not interested. I SOOOO want to use my new yarn from NH Knitting Mama but only if it's a girl. So here I wait. I guess I'll work on my Lizard Ridge or Beach Blanket or finish up any number of UFOs like Lucy's Blanket or the Baby Bell Bottoms for my nephew Caleb before he grows out of them. Yeah, he's huge. I'm knitting the 12mo size and he's 8mos right now. His mom and dad are both over six feet tall. He's going to dwarf everyone he meets for the rest of his life.

Okay, maybe I'll knit this one when I enhance my stash with some bright contrasting colors.

PMS Anyone?

2008-03-04T19:49:00.003-08:00

Nobody really, but how about when it stands for "Promote My Shop?" That's what I thought - intriguing, so here it is:

I read about NH Knitting Mama's PMS contest on her blog practically a week ago (okay it was only Sunday) AND I even bought an awesome skein of her Watermelon fingering weight superwash this weekend at her Etsy shop. It's now almost Wednesday and I haven't told you about it. Go visit her blog before March 9th for the contest details and maybe win some awesome yarn or buy some like I did!

(I couldn't help myself - my first EVER online yarn purchase and first ever Etsy. It has begun...)

Back to Knitting

2008-02-23T07:02:00.005-08:00

I finally started knitting again. I don't mean picking up an old project. No, I started something new. And I have pics. Oh yeah.

Second Lizard Ridge Afghan square in Noro Silk Garden Lite

Saartje's Bootees in Patons Grace on size 2. Yay! My first baby project!

My bin of baby yarn for the next project.
I queued a bunch of projects on Ravelry so I'll be spending my evening on Ravelry.

G has been so good to me - making excellent breakfasts, suggesting lunch at Chino Bandido my local favorite (all the while suppressing his ambivalence), and THEN taking me to my all time favorite bargain grocery store, Grocery Outlet! Again, not his favorite but he kept himself occupied while I gleefully browsed. Now I understand it is a possibility that the merchandise is expired or off-brand or whatever. I check all the dates and near exclusively brand name shop. They usually have a surprisingly substantial stock of my favorite natural/organic brands.

My goodies:
Terra Spiced Sweet Potato chips
Kashi cookies
Kashi granola
Cascadian Farms granola
Soy Delicious ice cream bars
Reser's deli salsa (and 2 other random jars)*
Cheese! A cheddar and a jalapeño jack

Lots more and I only spent $38. This was my first trip to the one and only Phx location. To be clear, this is not a dollar store. Items are more than a buck soooo that means more pricey groceries can be sold there. AND they have an aisle of health and beauty - I always find Nature's Gate and Alba. If you're curious (or love bargains) and live in CA, AZ, WA or NV, check it out!

*Craving chips and salsa - I finished off G's salsa in 2 days, usually takes him 2 weeks.

Shopping for Baby

2008-02-20T19:08:00.005-08:00

What is the one item I'm excited to buy for the baby? Hmm I want to buy a Bella Band - it sounds so comfortable but I'm not necessarily excited about it. Baby clothes? Not yet, besides that's more than one thing. Carseat, crib, basinette? Nope. I'm excited to pick out a Diaper Bag! I love purses! And organizing and compartments. For a loooong time, even when I wasn't even close to considering babies, I knew what I wanted (if by chance I ever had a baby) - One that looked like a purse I would carry because darn it I am carrying it! No freakin' quilted teddy bear print balloons and hearts. Not my thing. Okay for others and honestly it's fine for the babies room and clothes and what not. But pleeeease I love purses and want to love carrying it around.

What do you mothers think of this: My sister recommended a particular brand of nursing pads with the best absorption. However... I've heard of ones you can knit. Effective? or *gasp* itchy?

300th Post Contest for Days Go By

2008-02-12T20:15:00.002-08:00

Here's another contest I found, Days Go By's 300th post.

What makes this contest extra fun? Earn an extra entry for sharing your favorite knitting tip! I just learned how to knit backwards and it's the time-saving-est skill I've learned in the past year (besides Continental).

If you head on over, let her know I sent you!

I can do it

2008-02-12T19:47:00.003-08:00

Okay, I apologize. I just needed to get it out of my system yesterday but today I can knit baby things. No longer grossly intimidated, here's my plan of attack:

Identify baby yarn that I already have.
Utilize the Ravelry database (stay away from the forums, Urs) to match up my yarn to cute projects.
Narrow those projects down to free patterns.
Cast on!

Yesterday's whine was admittedly ridiculous. I'm beyond those fears. Well beyond. Thank you for the ideas and encouragement, Kristen and Justshajam!

Ideas?

2008-02-11T19:39:00.000-08:00

I have no idea what to knit for the baby. No clue. I like the baby surprise jacket, I want little mitts, hats? What else is there?

Hangup #1 - yarn. I want good yarn but I don't want expensive yarn! The yarn I found in years past at Joann's/Michaels just sucked. I've made many a yarn mistake just grabbing something. Then the colors, they're so blah, pastel. White is good but it gets boring. Is cotton okay? I don't even know.

Hangup #2 - yarn weight. Ugh. They're all so thin they should be interchangeable. Unfortunately I've learned that's not true. The projects are so small that it REALLY matters. Leading to ...

Hangup #3 - small projects. Small projects for most people are the perfect project. They should be - portable, quick, inexpensive. Those are all great features but I'm hung up on the perfect shaping required in such few rows.

I guess I'm intimidated.

Okay. It's still a little weird to say "the baby." Maybe after the ultrasound.

Contest at BarknKnit

2008-02-08T21:03:00.000-08:00

Head on over to BarknKnit's blog for a cute Valentine's Day contest and tell her how you met your SO. You can let her know I sent you!

I'm a sap for this kind of stuff right now :)

Notice Anything Different?

2008-02-08T06:37:00.000-08:00

I'm pregnant!

The baby is due October 10th.

We're going for traditional Italian names and have a boy's name picked out in honor of Gianni's dad but I'm not sure for the girl's. I'm going to be secretive about the names. I have a good friend that had 2 names "stolen." She was most ticked about the boy's name - her neighbor/friend had her baby a month or so before her and, surprise! She used the name. Then, the one that really sets me off (and not Jacque), she named her first baby Grace. Some six months later a former mutual friend used the name! How dare she? Who does she think she is?? Well, that's her style - take what you want with no regard to others because the world revolves around you, Missy. Okay, actually Jacque thinks it's funny that I get so upset "for" her. She never really cared that Ms. R was unable to come up with an original name of her own. Soon here I'll adopt Jacque's approach. (Yes, I'm admitting she has taken the high road. I'm almost there, Jacque - I took the long road through Angryville.)

I have to figure out how to make the ticker look right. At least on my screen it's partly cut off at the end. Either that or find a new one.

Logic Is Just Not Me...Today

2008-01-31T18:53:00.000-08:00

All right now. I'm back. First, I've got this little tidbit for you: Go check out the contest on Tami's blog. 100 posts, way to go.

Second, I have freed myself of having to read all blogs I come across. (Knitting of course, not ALL of them.) What this means to all of you is that I can blog again. Never you mind that it doesn't make sense because filling in the blanks requires more of my "logic."

This weekend is an off weekend - racing not knitting. Last weekend he finally got his bike back from the shop (blew the motor back in Dec.) It rained ALL day Sunday and he got out on the track anyway. Partly because he was instructing, partly because he got to ride his bike finally. Despite the rain I stayed warm and dry thanks to my Eddie Bauer down-lined rain jacket. Impervious! Come to think of it, the weather was exactly like Seattle. Ahhh. It was a beautiful day :) Except in Seattle at that time it was snowing.

My LYS is having a Super Sale in honor of the Super Bowl. Which BTW is being held here in Phx. That blows. Football is fine as long as I don't have to watch much or at all. It's not football it's traffic. Ugh. Also at the same time is the FBR Open (You may have known it as the Phoenix Open until the sponsor stepped in and confused everyone.) I head west I run into football traffic, east for golf traffic. Both events are week-long ordeals in case you didn't know. Tomorrow's evening commute will be... Soooo the LYS has up to 50% off a bunch of awesome yarn. I checked out all the Noro but none I had to have right now (and none for 50% off). Lots of goodies but I only picked up two balls of Noro SGL for the Lizard Ridge blanket I started. LOTS of fun! Not even on sale darnit!

I'm frogging a pair of anklets I started on the wrong yarn. Just thought you'd like to know.

Pics Upon Pics

2008-01-10T19:16:00.000-08:00

It seems that I am WAAAAY behind on posting pics! 2 months maybe? Wow - well here you go :)

Starting with my first Ravelry swap, from the Cup Of Tea group. A nice selection of teas, a purple cup (yay!) and yarn I'll probably double with something for a scarf, all courtesy of Marlyn.

Here's my November Colorswap package from Heather. The yarn is her own handspun and it's just to-die-for soft. Never felt anything like it. I think the chocolate was gone in minutes. Hehehe

Heather also sent these awesome stitch markers of varying sizes ;) that need a close-up:

The first of my three man hats, the Basic Cable Hat (Ravelry link) from Stitch N Bitch Nation in Patons Classic Wool Merino. Trouble but not difficult. I'll explain. I was apparently so excited remembering how to cable that I forgot how to count to 3. Does this hat look a little short? Why yes! It's missing one cable repeat. (That's my mom's frog, BTW. How perfect that it was sitting on her counter when I gave in to frogging.)

Post-frogging. Hmm. I must mention that this is the first ever project that was completed and then frogged. (And just the second I've frogged to any considerable degree. I'm kind of stubborn.) All that said, I'm not sure that I remembered ALL the details to creating cables. A few places look a little weird. And then there's the ribbing that somehow looks funky. What's going on there, Urs?

G modeled both the too-small version and the final version. No pics of the pre-frogged piece - it just was not right. I'm happy I frogged otherwise it wouldn't have been wearable by an adult. Mods on subsequent versions 1. More rows of ribbing 7-10, 2. Change ribbing to 2x2 so it "melts" into the body of the pattern better, 3. Add an extra cable repeat so it covers the ears, 4. Make one for me before the other 2 guys :)

My final FO of 2007, a ballband swiffer cover (Ravelry link with my project :)) in lime green and purple. Free pattern is here.

First FO of 2008, Calorimetry using Patons Wool Merino on 8s, should have used 7s. Will be doing another with the remaining skein. It's a bit big and for my big head that actually means huge. FH tonight likened it to a retro (80's?) ski "hat." Oooh! I like that! (Excuse my morning hair and glasses that don't leave the house - I was determined to get pics no matter what.)

Lastly, I started the Lizard Ridge Afghan today, block version. I'm using Noro Silk Garden Lite on 7s instead of regular SG as my LYS only stocks Lite and Bulky. Going okay, just trying to perfect the wrap and turn of the short row. (It's not hard, I'm just tired.)

And that's it until my family sends pics of the gifts I made them for Christmas. Yes, shame on me for not taking pics beforehand. Apparently I was waaaay behind as mentioned waaaay above.

OMG I've Steeked!!

2008-01-04T13:57:00.000-08:00

The word's come up once or twice before in blogs and patterns but I had no idea what steeking was. I was over at Claudine's blog Knitting Box where she had a link to knitty's how-to for steeking. (She's has a couple really cute kid's sweaters and a nice gallery of projects so take a quick look if you have a moment.)

The fairisle sweater I knit for my mom years ago was steeked! (This link here will give you an idea for now.) My mom and I figured out how to do it all on our own. It was a very odd experience to be sewing over my knitting. The cutting was kinda fun :) I wasn't thinking of it as destroying my work but rather watching the cardigan emerge. I recommend it to any knitter.

I should have taken pics when I was in Seattle right before Christmas - the location of the sweater and the rest of my family. I had not finished my Christmas knitting by December 13th. (About 50% and I'm still working on the rest today.) In true Ursula fashion I planned out which gift I could knit on the plane as the recipient was arriving after I was to leave but instead I yapped and drank Bailey's and decaf. After what I went through at the counter, who wouldn't :)

Ticket counter story? My now fiancee and I were flying on different airlines which in Phoenix means we were also flying out of different terminals. No biggie. Said goodbyes on the shuttle. I had picked flights that would arrive at relatively close to each other, but me first so that I could locate the parents. So I get to the counter and.... they can't find my reservation. Okaaaaay. "Honey, hold off on checking in. ... Oh, you're already through security. Ok, um I'll call you back." I called Continental but was in the queue. The agent also suggested to try the Continental counter (thankfully in the same terminal) because I purchased my ticket through their partner. I walked over there while on hold. BIG lines at Continental - a couple flights to NY had been canceled. The agent I finally talked to at the counter got really snippy, "I can't help you!" Yikes! I'll let you get back to your job of helping people. (Still on hold with Continental, but somehow not panicking yet.) Back to the Alaska counter to talk with the 3rd agent of the day. Click, click cuh click. "Don't worry, it'll be okay." *tears* (finally sets in I guess.) Click. Click, click. "Oh, here you are." *exhale* Hundreds of thank yous and I was off to security. All was well.

So why the confusion? The agent I talked to on the phone swapped my first and last names. You know when you get that feeling that something might be wrong? Well I had that feeling. I asked her a few times to confirm the dates and times of the flights, even the spelling of my name! Didn't even cross my mind to see if she understood that Ursula was my first name, not my last name. Oh please! You've got to be kidding!!!

And the Winner Is...

2008-01-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

Lesley!

And here's her winnings...

I guess I should have posted this earlier but I've been very slow with pics and posting to begin with so....... Well anyway, Congrats Lesley! Thanks for sharing your engagement story and thanks to everyone else for sharing. I loved reading them all - and I'll admit to a few happy tears and LOLs. Thanks everybody!

Happy New Year!

Engaging Contest! ...IK Holiday issue....

2007-12-25T15:05:00.000-08:00

This morning my sweetie surprised me with a proposal!!

We weren't really doing gifts this year but last night he started saying, "I've got a present for you." Oh great. The beanie I'd been knitting for him was cast aside; I just didn't think it was good enough. There was no way it was going to be done. I'm just too tired, no focus. Then it was Christmas morning, "I've got a present for you." No... he's just putting me on. Making breakfast, "I've got a present for you." "Nooo," I whined. (Yes, I whine sometimes but I was getting desperate. I didn't have a gift to give!) That's when he proposed! I was teary and happy and excited - overcome. And I said yes :)

No date yet, no need to get ahead of ourselves. However we have talked about the ceremony - very small. Thank goodness! I'm uncomfortable as the center of attention and that's pretty much what a wedding is all about.

So here's the contest...

For a copy of the 2007 Interweave Knits Holiday issue and 2 skeins of Patons SWS in Natural Geranium, leave me a message with how your sweetie proposed. Or you can leave me a note that you've linked this contest on your blog for another entry.

I'll pick the lucky winner out of a hat on Dec. 31st!

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

Red to the Rescue

2007-12-20T18:41:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally feel better. It's with the assistance of a Rx which under normal circumstances I adamantly oppose. But today I wasn't reminded of my random pains every few minutes or more. I could just barely tell that they were still there but thankfully very dull. Fatigue and fog were lifted. My bf even commented that I was more jovial, upbeat and had a sense of humor. A trip to the gym even crossed my mind. In time I'll get there but for now I'm enjoying the success.

So in celebration I put up my little tree. I love Christmas. I love the color red. Less than a week before Christmas. One strand of lights, most of the oddball decorations and a tree skirt. That's it and I'm happy.

Tall, thin and slightly crooked. And blurry.

But there's more to putting up my tree than just feeling better. Claudia's post yesterday mimicked pretty much how I felt about this season, or this year even. I didn't really care to pull out the bins, "fluff" the fake tree or look forward to putting it all away in a week. She reminded me that Christmas makes me feel cozy inside; that it helps make things seem normal. I've been sick and it's really sucked. The pain wasn't going away and after 4 months that just gets depressing. I haven't been myself for what seems like forever.

The topper was going to see my family in Seattle last weekend. I was tired the whole time and in just enough pain for it to be annoying. The other thing: Whenever they asked if I was okay or how I was doing, I couldn't look them in the eyes. I'm not ashamed of what this illness is doing or how I feel but it hurts that they care. I can see it in their eyes. They're as helpless as I am. I've gotten used to it but they haven't been around to see so it's pretty new to them. I'm sure they researched FM. I know they did. My mom's a nurse, my sister's in the field and my other sister brought an article. They love me. They care. But they didn't see the regular Ursy that visits - chipper, bubbly and ready to SHOP. It's hard to see someone you care about when they're sick. I know. I don't like to see it either. This is a chronic thing so it'll just take time for everyone around me to get used to it. Thankfully now though I've found something to help me. Definitely something to be thankful for and a great way to end a year that brought way too many challenges... But I'll save those morsels for the end of the year post.

I think it's time to do a little baking :)

And I can't forget.... A big thank you to Claudia! *HUGS*

Oh No. I've Found Etsy.

2007-12-11T06:57:00.000-08:00

I must thank every one of you knit bloggers for subtly referencing Etsy, showing off hand-made stitch markers and row counters from swaps, needle cases and just the cutest stuff ever. Chan's gift from Mary's shop put me over the edge. I'm in and I'm in trouble! Is there a support group? This internet thing is seriously getting in the way of my knitting - if I'm not on Ravelry I'm reading knitting blogs or searching for patterns or chasing down yarn sales and now Etsy.

Doc Says

2007-12-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

Well, just one day shy of four months and I have a preliminary diagnosis - Fibromyalgia. Yep, four months of wondering, reading, documenting, knitting and resting. Doesn't sound so bad except sometimes my hands hurt too much to knit. A few other complaints but really I feel a lot better with a diagnosis. Rather than poking around aimlessly, I now have a path to follow. Two weeks more and we'll see if the blood tests find anything else.

Speaking of poking - Damn! The Rheumatologist went through the pressure point exam, got to my hips and asked if it hurt. No? I couldn't tell. Two hours later I was almost crying. That's one of the things with fibro. You hurt where you get touched... and not right away and not every time. Without rhyme or reason. That was an eye opener! Or rather, wincer. Yikes! Still hurts today even :s

And special thanks are long overdue. Gianni has been wonderful through all of this stuff. I don't know how I'd do it without him. He goes to all the appointments with me. Reminds me to rest. Makes sure I eat when I'm so tired I can't think to do it myself. Turns on the little space heater every morning so I get an extra 2 hours of sleep. Seriously, so many little things that it's hard to keep up with it all and thank him. And yes, he makes me laugh so I can forget about hurting or laugh about being sick. I'm incredibly lucky he's in my life and I've never been happier. I'd do the same for him in a heartbeat but pray that we're never faced with that.

I love you, Gianni!

Slow Knitting Track Day

2007-12-03T06:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the last track day before the end of the season race. Cold. Cold. Cold. Thankfully the rain had stopped in time for the track to dry out. Good day - only one crash to speak of but it was two riders. One was knocked out and broke her arm, the other broke his collar bone. They always brought in the helicopter for knockouts because of potential head injuries. Healing wishes go out to her.

Knitting. Early in the morning I casted off the beanie at the size of a headband. (No pic, not worth it.) This was my first shot at a beanie and my first project substituting 2 circs for DPNs. I really like the 2 needle method although I wish they were shorter (24 and 36 inches is overkill). Next I'll see about magic loop. My headband is reminiscent of my first projects - laddering, weird looking purls, wavy ribbing. Not sure what my problem is but that project/swatch is in the books!! I'll cast on again tonight for a beanie this time :) Why so slow? I just couldn't keep my eyes open. I fell asleep twice in fold-up camping chairs. The first nap was early in the morning with the heater blazing under the ~~circus tent~~ awning with zip up sides. Just me and the bikes sleeping away. My second nap was in the chair circle with everybody sitting around! I'm not really a day sleeper and that is sooo out of character for me. The rest of the day I just wasn't motivated to move. (Going to the rheumatologist this week.)

The guys are getting ready for the Zuma race next weekend. Getting anxious actually. Over the course of the day we bumped tires with other Zumas, exchanged threatening grimaces, etc. and as this all got more aggressive, my front fender became a casualty. This fun little race has been dubbed "Zumassacre." Get the picture now? No points, no contingency money, possiblity of injury BEFORE the day is done. BEFORE the points race is over. Racers are a unique bunch.

Gianni, You Don't Want to Read This

2007-12-01T19:15:00.000-08:00

Whelp. This post is going around my knitting/blogging friends so here goes:

Post 8 gross things about yourself.

1. My mom was giving my sister and me a bath and she pooped in the bathtub.

2. The sound of puking or even talking about it almost makes me puke. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Last year at Christmas dinner we used the new gravy boat - a chicken with a hole in its mouth for the gravy to come out. The family thought it was HILARIOUS to pour gravy on their turkey while making puking noises. I came very close to puking that day.

3. I was driving to work one day, stopped to pay my pager bill (loong time ago) and didn't feel so good. I had been taking vitamins that made me a bit nauseous and thought I had eaten enough. Well, no. I opened the car door and puked. But it doesn't stop there. The vitamins also had an unpleasant intestinal effect... For every action there is an equal but opposite reaction.

4. I can and will put my foot in my mouth. Literally.

5. I am a reformed picker and loved to analyze the catch. (Now my complexion is clearer. That was a long lesson to learn.) There are still classic, memorable moments that bring back a sense of achievement.

6. The smell of cows takes me back home. We didn't have cows but we drove through the Snohomish Valley nearly every day when I was little. Filled with cows and fertilizing sprays - "poop sprayers" as my dad called them.

7. I kiss my dog and well, every now and then she licks the back of my teeth. Horrible.

8. I slept in the lower bunk of the trundle bed my sister and I shared. One night she puked over the side of her bed which was directly on me. Mom came in and cleaned everything up, took care of my sister and I didn't even wake up! Next day at school I rubbed the back of my neck and couldn't figure out why it was kind of slick.

Who I tag: If you're reading this and any of the other gross posts and haven't been tagged, consider this your tag! Come out of lurkdom and share!

Contest Alert / Rainy Weekend

2007-12-01T14:30:00.000-08:00

I was reading Knit'inCrazee's blog this afternoon and she sent me over here for a little contest. The Lady Knits is celebrating her 1 year knitting anniversary. Send her congrats on some great projects and take a look at the prizes and yarn - Yummy!

Finally letting up but it's been rain, rain, rain for two days straight here. A lot like Seattle. I think the gray skies are making me sleepy. I almost fell asleep in the car on the way back from getting one of G's tires swapped for tomorrow's track day. Last track day before next weekend's race.

Project for this weekend is a beanie which about an hour ago became a swatch/headband. My purls are laddering on the right-hand side. So while I continue to knit and figure out the purl problem, I'll cast off when it reaches headband size. I'll also be able to check gauge/sizing to see whose big head it will fit. Back up project: Caleb's baby bell bottoms.

Cryptic Gift Breakdown

2007-11-28T20:33:00.000-08:00

There's so much to think about these days, a list is the best way for me to omit confusion:

I casted on for Jess's object. I only have one skein and just realized I probably need two. Unless I make it shorter, she's not that tall after all ...
Finished Ana's object - I think it might be too short, she's a tall one. Needles and spare yarn already in the Seattle Box.
Haven't touched Francie's - I'm saving it for the plane and the weekend in Seattle. She doesn't arrive until after I leave so I am using that extra time.
Mom's is done but I think I'll make a matching piece for her.
Trying not to think about the three man gifts until Jess's is done.
No idea what to do for Dad.

Okay, it's laid out in front of me. I still think I have enough time to get all this done. Oops! Caleb's pants! Darn it! I'm pushing it now...

Yay! I just got an email telling me I won a Debbie Bliss book. (I panicked the instant the email came through. Ebay? I bought something? Oh no. How much did I spend?) Apparently there's a purse in there that looks like a new JCrew design. I can control myself. I will wait until after the gift knitting.

Ravelry Time Warp

2007-11-23T08:19:00.001-08:00

I'm on Ravelry a LOT more than I'm knitting. This has got to stop. I fear I'm getting behind on my Christmas knits. However I may be redeemed at tomorrow's track day - no internet connection.

Lucy's Jacket

2007-11-18T15:21:00.001-08:00

Here it is. Lucy's jacket is done. Purple ribbons because, as much as I want
to make stuff for her in exciting kid colors like magenta and pink and lime green,
I think of her and I just see purple. Peaceful, I guess.

Finishing Day

2007-11-17T15:12:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I made another huge knitting step... for me. (The last was the swatch.) I finished two projects, both of which involve BLOCKING. As you might remember I had a blocking meltdown a few weeks ago when the WIP was found dislodged from its blocking towel. I wadded it up (gently/angry) and left it to sit on the table. And that's where it was when I finished another project, the baby jacket for Lucy.

Voila! Blocking in progress all of my own doing.

After 5 long years as a WIP the jacket came off the needles this past week and in one day I stitched all the finishing bits - besides the seaming under the arms, all edging was turned under and sewn in creating the lacy edge. The holes from the YOs were split, sewn in half. I credit this project with initiating my first blocking experience. The yarn is very sturdy, *very* sturdy so I used the dunk method or rather the drench method. I held it under the spigot in the shower until it was full of water then wrung it out semi-gently. Tools of my trade: Towel, ottoman, sewing pins and a note, "Do Not Touch."About 10 minutes later I left it to dry. After grumbling over this project for the past couple months, now that it's done I'm quite pleased. Now to see if it fits little Lucy...

Blocking piece #2: Surface Woven Tote

Notice only one piece is actually blocking. I need more pins. But this is a HUGE step for me. This piece is much more particular when it comes to blocking. Last time I tried to infuse the piece with water via rolling in a wet towel. Don't do that. Nashua wool felts very well and my newly trained eyes spotted felt beginnings. (Another reason it ended up a wad on the table.) So I found a spray bottle at Target for when the time came to try again. I carefully sprayed, pinned and measured. I'm not used to that last one (I'm not big on swatching and I feel measuring falls in the same category.) but I measured anyway. Glad I had the energy. Not that difficult anyway. And here I am - almost halfway through blocking. Still to come: surface weaving, lining and attaching handles.

And today I bought yarn for two more projects. Two My So Called Scarves for two sisters that don't read my blog:

Anastasia's scarf
Rio De La Plata Merino
Colorway: Vibrant Orange, Pink Lemonade, Crabapple

Francie's scarf
Rio De La Plata Lana del Artista
Colorway: Pale Blue, Sapphire, French Beige

Trader Joe's

2007-11-17T07:33:00.000-08:00

I haven't been in forever but yesterday I finally went to Trader Joe's and FORGOT the granola!!! Kristen has talked it up and I was looking forward to trying it! I remembered everything else (and more.) A few bottles of wine in anticipation of "Two Wheel Tuesday." (We're hosting the racer's get together next week - I'll explain more next week.) I found three different blends of Rooibos tea that I'll have to try tomorrow because we also found a nice decaf coffee. I know, there's decaf coffee everywhere but we were looking for organic. The doctor said if I'm going to drink any coffee I can make decaf organic but only every once in a while.

Thankfully we'll be going back more regularly. As a San Diego native, my bf likes the store. I just don't go because it's off the regular route. Within a couple miles but off the freeway. Okay, ridiculously close. My excuse is lame.

Hoping to make it to my LYS today to find yarn for the My So-Called Scarf. I have two sisters that would appreciate the warmth and/or design. They don't read my blog so I'm safe as far as Christmas gifts are concerned.

Yesterday was a big finishing day - I'll post pics later today.

Zuma Zuma Zuma

2007-11-16T11:15:00.000-08:00

No racing this weekend so this is it - My sweetie's race poster. He designs these for other racers too. (I suppose they're kind of like advertising/promotion for them and their sponsors.) Along with the posters advertising the actual races, he'll also design logos, stickers, t-shirts for other vendors and now a t-shirt for the upcoming Zuma race.

Yes, my pit scooter is going to be pushed to its little limits racing its heart out against the other pit scooters all with racers on them, dragging their knees and tradin' paint. They only go about 45mph unless they've been modified which is likely given the mechanical nature of their owners. G got really excited when he started to ponder his own mods, "I wonder if I can find slicks for a Zuma..." Oh boy ... but this will be FUN to watch!

FFBE Package Received!

2007-11-14T20:45:00.000-08:00

So emails went back and forth and we finally figured out that the package was sent to the wrong house number. And it was coming from Finland - Yikes! Don't go back!

I was waiting at the counter at the post office after determining that it hadn't gone back yet and the lady at the counter returns with the cutest box I have ever received!

And stuffed inside was LOTS of wool! Ahhh heaven :) Anna has used it quite successfully for felting. I can't wait! Orange, magenta and a darker royal blue. The chocolate is from her recent trip to Estonia - she liked it and so did I ... before I even got my camera out. Rich and creamy mmmm. The pattern she sent is for a modular tote - looks fun and cute! I'm already considering a mod with the handle to make it more mod LOL

Now here's a funny tidbit of note on the bag - she posted some WIP pics and I actually commented on how cute it was! Colors and style... and now it's here with me! How funny is that? Anna ran into some problems with the ORIGINAL bag - yes, this is #2, errr not a fun time to run into problems. Even with that she's going to knit another for herself! What determination - if I were in that position I'd probably burn the pattern lol.

I think I'll use it as a fun, sassy knitting bag. I noticed today that every project I'm working on has it's own bag... and I'm running out!

A closeup of the soft pink stitch markers. Love em!
I'm in the middle of a project using my generic stitch markers. Totally switching over.

Thank you Anna for such an awesome bag and package! It was definitely worth the wait.

And thank you Anne for helping out! It was a wonderful swap :)

Race Report (weeks late)

2007-11-12T17:38:00.000-08:00

I totally spaced and thought I had posted after the first race weekend! Where was my head?

After every race weekend and track day weekend all the racers post a few paragraphs to their community forum on how the weekend went, who helped, what they learned, yada yada. Here's mine :) and I'll keep it short cuz I've forgotten some details.

Friday night kicked off the race weekend. We loaded his bike and my scooter onto the trailer, loaded up his Volvo wagon and trucked on down to the track. All was great until we hit ridiculous traffic and inched along as the sun set. Finally at the track we unloaded and then helped the guys set up the trailers where we would be pitting. Without instructions and very little light we erected an awning the size of a circus tent. Parked all the bikes and tools underneath, zipped the sides on and left for a good night's sleep.

Selling shirts early in the morning. Shirts are just outside of the frame.
This pic is actually from the weekend before the race.

Saturday was an early morning as they always are. G barely gets 5 hours of sleep on a regular night but on the eve of a race OR track day - almost none. So we were up about 4:30am, at the track by 6am. Most of the time on track days I don't get up into the stands to watch. I'll wear myself out too quickly with the back and forth, up and down. So I sit in the pits and knit and sell shirts. The project of the weekend was the Picot Felted Vase. Easy and small. No significant events to speak of - just an average track day. Well... Donny crashed, Wil crashed and Joey crashed twice but still they all got up and raced the same bike on Sunday.

View of the pits. Christy and I are in our team shirts in the background.

Race day - The pits are a lot more tense than track days but still fun to be a part of. (No chance to pull out my knitting but I thankfully got a much needed nap in the trailer.) My job in the pits is tire warmers off and on, rear stands off and on, water, food, and generally being there to help G and the rest of the guys. Basically anything to make it easier for them. I thoroughly enjoy it. G did very well on his first race weekend in almost a year - a 2nd, 6th and 7th. Every race he tallied points and has 37 going into the last race of the year. Coincidentally, his race number is 37.

OH. MY. GOSH. I totally forgot to tell you about my ride on the track! End of October. I think I was waiting for pics which I still don't have but I loved it! They call it 2-up because I rode on the back of an instructor's bike. Wow! Exhilarating! I borrowed leathers, boots, helmet and gloves and got on the bike. The trainer's bike has an extra seat like street bikes but also has handles welded onto the tank. Thank goodness. On the straight we were going so fast - 145mph!!! For comparison, my bf gets up to 190mph on the straight. Unimaginable. Braking at the end of the straight was the only scary part. That includes the hard lean angle (remember they drag their knees) and the "pancaking" which is going quickly from a right-hand to left-hand turn. I took about 5 laps, 3 of which were on an empty track. Just before we got off the track we got lapped. Weird to feel them whoosh by. G would have lapped us too but he ran into a helmet problem. A piece on the side of the helmet was duct taped on (felt loose) but was partially blown off on the first straight. He had to pull off the track and tuck it in his leathers because it was in front of his eyes. At 190mph he couldn't see. Out of breath and sweaty, the first thing I did when I got back to the pits was call my mom. Poor thing. I'm not a bad daughter but I still think I put her through hell.

Racing and Knitting

2007-11-11T16:56:00.000-08:00

Another race day today. I should say track day. They only race about once a month and practice on the rest of the weekends so this weekend was all practice. Saturday my bf and I actually worked on the track as corner workers. (He'll get free track days for working, I get a tan. Fair enough.) The track is separated into sections and we were stationed at corner 3. Our job was to watch our section of the track for downed riders and debris and also to wave the checkered flag at the end of each session. No, not the finish line flag, they weren't racing. Our corner happened to be the busiest - a number of riders went off the track and one guy left his foot peg on the track. For those instances I was waving the caution flag. While not waving a flag I was SWATCHING. I don't usually swatch, but more on that later.

Riders can go off the track and it's no big deal. Sometimes they even manage to keep the bike upright and get back on the track to continue racing. Other times they crash and just need to dust off or maybe their bike got mangled enough not to roll away but they are still fine. Then there's the times they don't get up right away and that's when it can be more serious. That happened three times this weekend which is almost three times more than usual. The ambulance took the first guy just to be checked out. First-time falls are scary for new riders because they just don't know how it feels yet - good hurt vs. bad hurt. The second one was actually air lifted. Not good. He was unconscious after his crash, maybe longer than the EMTs liked and they called in the helicopter. The last one was a young girl, intermediate skill, and the word is she may lose her thumb. Crashes happen, you just always hope for the best. My thoughts and prayers go out to these riders.

I've been knitting at the track for about a month now. This weekend the comments started rolling. Some were even engaging conversations. Odd since it's mostly guys. Sometimes I had to explain my project: "I'm making a vase." Huh? "It's going to be felted." What's felted? "It'll make it look like thick fabric." Is it going to hold water? "No, just decorative. I'm going to put my needles in it." Ohhh okay. One guy even called me out on a UFO! "Did you finish that blanket?" Uh, no. "Wha...?" He was flabbergasted as only a non-knitter would be. Only once did I correct someone that picked the wrong craft (needlepoint). The funniest comment so far was, "That's hot." Given that the pits are like testosterone on crack, the comment went further. Not appropriate to repeat here but hilarious.

SWATCHING - I made a breakthrough this week. I reasoned with myself: I'm making two pairs of baby bell bottoms so if I swatch once (light bulb) it's good for both! And guess what happened? My gauge was spot on perfect :) I'm making 3 Ribbed Beanies for Christmas, one swatch. Improving swatch efficiency two+ projects at a time.

Pics another day, I'm tired.

Reprodepot to the Rescue

2007-11-06T17:27:00.000-08:00

Awaiting me on my kitchen counter tonight was my fabric from Reprodepot! (They're giving free shipping right now!) What a knitting pick-me-up. I needed that. This morning I was pretty pissed off at my felted vase. The picot cast off is not casting off. Grr. But all is right now that I'm once again excited about my tote! Funny how that rubs off on the vase and I have renewed interest to finish it tonight :) Ahhh a knitting roller coaster. This post is pic heavy - stark contrast to my ambivalence this morning.

Cute cute fabric from Reprodepot. The brown one is for the tote and since I was paying shipping anyway ...

Dark brown leather handles for the tote from Somerset Designs. Arrived Thursday but I wasn't in the mood to get all excited and share. Now I am:

Blocking status of the tote:

Yes, I threw a mini tantrum when I found it askew on the floor. Now it's a heap on the table. (I don't have much energy for tantrums these days but my original blocking technique wasn't working so I was incredibly frustrated. I got all mad and then had to go lay down because my kidneys hurt. I am so done with this illness.)

On to happier things... Look what Sweetie did for me!

It's my #4 "hardwood" needle that broke. He fixed it!!!

Newly CO shrug #1 from One Skein Wonders:

Newly purchased yarn for shrug #2:

And more newly purchased yarn for a Fake Isle hat I found on Ravelry. We'll see if it looks as cute as pictured with Noro yarn. Color 2 will be a white/natural:

Felted vase that's sans needles out of frustration. It looks like I may have to frog another row so that the top flares out some:

I was seriously in a slump this morning. Okay, okay - last week, too. But I think my homeopathics kicked in today and I feel back to normal. Yay! Excited to knit for Christmas although Mom instructed me not to put too much pressure on myself. A nice trait that invariably lead to this wonderful little illness.

Contest Contest

2007-11-06T06:43:00.000-08:00

I've started some new projects but darnit if I'm too lazy to take pics. I will eventually. Maybe in 10 minutes, maybe in 2 days. Meh. Actually, I'm a bit surprised I'm posting, but ... I am. This little contest over here on Megan's blog propelled me to come out of lurkdom. It's a simple, fun contest so get on over there and mention my name if you're so inclined (extra entry :)

Bag-A-Holic

2007-10-31T07:45:00.000-07:00

One of the first knitting groups I joined was a Yahoo group, Bag-A-Holic. Repeatedly it's been a terrific resource (handles, hardware, instruction) But that's also how I learned of the Fall Felted Bag Exchange. Yay! Had so much fun with that :) ....Anyway, today someone posted a link to lining your bag. Just in time for my first one! Fabric is on it's way from Reprodepot and handles from Somerset Designs (which BTW the agent responding to email orders, possibly the owner, had no idea they were mentioned in the book as the source for the handles. Good for them!)

So while I wait, my bag is in a partial state of blocking. I only got one piece down after figuring out that the plastic blocking pins I bought bend. Useless. Hopefully the LYS will accept a return. I'm just using regular sewing pins now. I know there's the potential for rust, but my bag is essentially rust-colored and because it's wool I don't want to inadvertently felt it.

Further to the semi-disappointment of yesterday's blocking trouble, I broke a needle. I JUST BOUGHT THEM. Supposedly hardwood. Snapped like a twig. I know, size 4 but puhleez! $14 bucks is $14 bucks! LYS? I'll check with their policy. I'm on their "good customer" list after last weekend. Not because I'm keeping them in the black but because I returned a book that I didn't buy.

Funny (embarrassing) story - I had my BagStyle book with me to get the right yarn and needles for my two bags. I forgot I put it away in my purse and then went to go over some techniques with the saleslady. She handed me a book and took another for herself and together we looked up bullion knots. (Ugh.) Her book had the info and as I looked on with her, my book felt like it was getting in the way. Ta Dah! Here's my mistake! That quickly in my confused, little (big) head it turned into my BagStyle book and I put it away in my purchase bag. Figured it out at home and felt like such an idiot. And completely embarrassed. I finally had a chance to go back and sheepishly handed her the book. "I will buy it. It left the store. I understand. I feel stupid." Blabber, blabber. She was so thankful the book came back because she couldn't remember what she did with it. All me. I'm the one that lost her head. Sorry for YOUR confusion. I didn't end up buying the book. She was so kind giving me an out, "if you don't need it now you can always come back and get it when you do." I love Jessica Knits :)

Ravelry - A wealth of information

2007-10-29T18:57:00.000-07:00

I found this on Ravelry today. Hilarious!

No Going Back

2007-10-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

I finally dug down deep and got the ball rolling on the finishing touches for my Surface-Woven Tote. I cast off the third and final piece about an hour ago.

A neutral lining material ordered from Reprodepot (plus extra fabrics just for fun...all on clearance. Score!)
Handles - Started the order process with the company suggested in the book. I looked around briefly on a couple other sites, but I'm kind of picky and fell IN LOVE with the handles pictured in the book.
And finally, a totally unrelated on-line pattern for a felted vase. ...to store my needles :)

Today's other purchases:

Size 4 Rosewood needles, straights (starting the linen tube clutch tonight)
Another felting book with another vase pattern, Knit it! Felt it!
Blocking pins, orange and yellow plastic. Not really my style (plastic) but I want to get this blocked TODAY.

If I'm quick enough here I can get to the blocking before we have to leave. Tomorrow's another track day but this time we're staying overnight in a friend's toy hauler. Somewhat hard to picture but it's like a 5th wheel trailer where the rear is one big drop-down gate. The bike and scooter (the "toys") roll right in, living quarters in the front. Oh, and this morning we picked up our third run of our RunGP T-shirts we'll sell at the track and sport bike shops here in AZ.

A few last comments on blocking:

This is my first time blocking.
I know myself and I know I will not be able to leave it alone while drying.
I know myself and I know I will not be able to wait for it to finish drying.

That is why I need to run go block the tote and hurry and pack.

Tonight's the Night

2007-10-25T19:32:00.001-07:00

This is the aforementioned crappy pattern/yarn/needles project and tonight is the night to frog.

Today was kind of a crappy day and just got worse when I got home. Not my sweetie but nearly everything else. Computer - wouldn't sign on to the internet. Phone - wouldn't sign on to the internet. I was soooo frustrated. And hungry. One roommate got home and went directly to the bbq grill. "Yeah! A baked sweet potato for dinner!" No propane. Grrrr. I stopped thinking about anything that could break or go wrong which included knitting. But this darn piece is my outlet tonight. You. Are. Done.

Racing Action Pics

2007-10-23T16:57:00.001-07:00

Professional photos of my sweetie on his first track day this past weekend. Today he built his racing "resume" using these pics. Kind of like a promo piece to advertise himself for potential sponsors. Printed some at Kinko's today and signed one for me with a cute little note. I can't say it enough - I love him more and more every day.

Final FFBE Weekly Question

2007-10-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

How was your experience in the exchange? Did you enjoy the folks you met? Did you just love the bag you received? Please share any thoughts, criticism, and things you loved!

I really had a lot of fun with this swap! (My very first!) It started out with the first requirement - a blog where you post at least once a week. I didn't have one before but had been considering one for years. Partly for gabbing but mostly for documenting my knitting. I felt kind of weird at first (okay, nerdly) so I didn't tell my bf for at least a week. (I get shy and embarrassed. A joke when I was 30 was that my knitting was practice for getting old.) Heck! I don't care now! And my bf is into my knit blogging. He's even posted comments and sent pictures saying, "this would be really cute on your page." How sweet :) Love him!

Then there's the swap participants - a fun group of people with different interests and different styles. I visit most sites every couple days and have enjoyed getting to know you all! With my family in Seattle and not a single friend that knits, I'm all alone in the AZ desert and not too inspired to knit. Sharing thoughts and ideas with you guys has improved my skills (thank you Kristen :) and pushed me to start new projects or pick up old ones or even *gasp* frog. Even off topic stuff like the links from Heather on where to learn how to surf after my trip to Encinitas. There's a wealth of information amongst you all!

Now for the bag - I combed my partners blog for anything that would help me pick out the right pattern and yarn. The last thing I wanted was to get her likes and dislikes wrong! With trepidation I bought the stuff and went to town on knitting. Still afraid I was going to be wrong somehow. I even had a dream about it. It turned out to be so much fun - no need to be worried.

My package - I haven't received my bag yet but it's in the mail. I got some really interesting teaser photos so I'm anxiously waiting :)

Project Status

2007-10-22T20:09:00.000-07:00

Today's Knitting Daily on UFOs got me to thinking. Where am I at with my projects and why? I don't have too many OTN but there's a couple that I haven't touched in a while. With all the focus on racing recently I've been knitting, just not posting about it. Allow me to bring you up to speed:

The Surface-Woven Tote - my favorite project at the moment. This pic shows much more accurate colors. You can't see the texture or purls or even the size of the piece I just casted on. It apparently blended in to the front/back pieces really well. I'm about 8 inches into a 50 inch piece. After that is the blocking and lining. Knitting Daily referenced some blocking techniques (here and here) and suggestions so I think I'm going to be okay. The lining... well, we'll see. I'm really excited about picking out a pattern here, but not so excited about sewing although Polly has been very encouraging.

Lucy's baby jacket - tedious as explained before. I'm on row 24 of 36 before a few rows of pattern, some finishing and that's it. The finishing on this one isn't going to bother me. Simple stitching on the arms. The neck, waist and cuffs will be folded inward and the holes you can kind of see will be folded in half and become an easy scalloped edge.

The beach blanket :) I love this one. It's nice and loose on the needles (unlike the baby jacket. I used to be a much tighter knitter.) The color changes motivate me through the potential monotony which so far hasn't surfaced. This is my first project using Continental - nearly a requirement for seed stitch - and what a delight. I actually like the feel of the yarn even though it's partially acrylic. The colors themselves are fun. I'm almost to the end of the first repeat of five. I've been planning on taking a skein to my LYS for a comparable yarn in a different color - reds, green maybe.

Lucy's baby blanket - This might be the first project where I actually felt sadness upon completion. I was so intent on finally finishing it, yet a day or two later I thought to myself, "Oh! I can go knit Lucy's blanket." In a split second I was saddened when I realized it was already off the needles. I don't recall ever feeling that way about a project. Usually it's, "eh I have ____ to knit." So that's the knitting part, the finishing however has me frustrated. You can see them on the left-hand side of the pic - two rows and a partial. Plenty more to go. The bullion knots don't stay likely due to the lace. To compensate, because I HATE going back to secure each and every knot, I've come up with a four-step process: Create knot, put needle on longer tail, needle up through lace and down through knot, tie off. This not only secures the knot but leaves only one knot on the wrong side - a bit tidier.

Two projects not pictured: Linen Tube Clutch - yarn purchased just not on the needles yet. Yoga bag - hate it. Difficult lacy pattern I never got the hang of. Plenty of mistake rows but I'm not much of a frogger. Needles were never long enough for all the stitches. The soft lime green cotton yarn will soon become part of my stash. Be gone you!

And here's my little Ronnie. She's been a little out of sorts for the past 24 hours. While we were at the race track she was home with the roommate when the wind started up. She's a little bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to the howling of the wind and the clanging of the blinds. Had I been at home with her I would have comforted her and babied her through the storm; assuring her everything was okay. Roommate wasn't aware that the ominous but loving pit bull was afraid of something. By the time we got home and realized that she was scared, she was shivering visibly and panting with her tongue hanging all the way out. I cooked dinner with her at my feet; a towel on the floor to catch the drool. (Normally not a slobbery dog.) When I went up stairs she heeled beautifully - not her style, she's usually first to the top. Then this morning she was still a little shaken. G took both of the dogs today while he ran his errands. She's fine now, just a little worn out from all that stress.

First Track Day

2007-10-22T07:04:00.000-07:00

Fun Fun weekend! Friday and Saturday were spent getting everything together for going to the track. U-Haul couldn't fix the taillights they messed up when installing the hitch on the Volvo wagon so we got a good deal on a pickup. Picked up stickers, tie-downs, t-shirts, water cooler and other little odds and ends. Cooked up some food, packed the truck and got to bed early.

Track day - Sunday we got up at 4am so that we could get to the track before the gates opened at 6. Good pit placement is very helpful - this time we got an electrical outlet so we didn't have to use the generator. Unload, set up, racer's meeting. Initial lap times were slow because the track started out really slick but as the rubber got laid down on the track it got more grip. BF was so happy to be out on the track. I watched his times improve and his form get better. As the day went on it got really windy which makes it hard to ride a bike. Imagine your car on the freeway at 65mph getting pushed by the wind. Worse for a bike but even worse when the bike is going 150mph. No crashes to speak of but we were waiting for word from Daytona where the rest of the guys were racing. One guy went down really hard - his bike was taken back to the pits but he wasn't. Thankfully it turned out to be a concussion and bruising. The ambulance had taken him as a precautionary measure because he probably got knocked out. Our day finally came to a close - packed up and made it home by 5pm. Exhausted but happy. I love watching my BF get into his racing and I love being there to help and support. Next track day is next weekend!

***Oh, I took my knitting just in case but there really wasn't enough down time to break it out. Sunday night I finished the second side of my tote and casted on for the sides and bottom. Starting to get a little worried about lining and blocking....

Zuma - I took one trip on the Zuma to confirm tire pressure with the dealer. He laughed a little because our discussion when he set up G's tires was something to the effect of, "Write this down so I don't have to tell you repeatedly like most guys." What happened? I transposed some numbers. I tried - good intentions. My ride over was okay, but the ride back was a little shaky. Laughed at myself the whole way. I would have ridden lots more but the photographer kept taking our scooter out to different turns on the track. Which brings me to ...

Professional photos - Better pics will be coming this week. Without the Zuma I only had a clear shot of one corner. I took the one here of two of the guys we pitted with - Danny and Wil. Actually, the high-speed pics are really hard to take with my camera and for the most part I didn't even know who was in my pics. Let alone get a shot with two friends AND for whatever reason, catch Wil looking over at Danny. But at least this pic shows you what track days look like.

Progress on the Tote

2007-10-18T21:42:00.000-07:00

This is the front of the tote. I've casted on for the back and will hopefully get to the sides and bottom this weekend too. The pic turned out a bit orange, but you can see the texture. What you can't really see are the purls amongst the knits. The little purl knobs will be where the surface weaving will take place. I'll use three strands of the darkest color, wine. I love it so far! Easy going too. Four strands of Nashua wool on size 13 needles. F-F-Fast!

So fast that I started to get worried about the lining. I don't sew. Don't have a machine yet. But while I was reading Polly's blog I was inspired by her recent winnings - cool fabric! I found a site recommended by a good friend, Lorena, years ago when she bought fabric so her mom could make her curtains. Great retro prints of all flavors - Reprodepot Be sure to check out the sale fabric and the purses they're selling. Love 'em!

If I Raced a Motorcycle

2007-10-17T21:14:00.000-07:00

This is what I would look like:

This weekend is my bf's first practice weekend on his new bike. Sure to be lots of fun for both of us. Probably more fun for him, but I like the guys there and maybe there will be some girlfriends. And of course I love seeing him so happy doing his thing.

I requested some more practice sessions on the Zuma (scooter) before I look foolish in the pits this weekend. Seriously. I didn't grow up around motorized anything. My one... oh wait, two instances that demonstrate my potential for cluelessness on a motorized vehicle ...

At a cider pressing party I was one of the older kids (~16) and was asked to drive the tractor full of kids and apples back to the house. No biggie. I was already doing practice drives in the family Buick. I pulled up to the house amidst all the parents, everyone unloaded and I just sat there. Motor running, older people smiling at me. The moment became uncomfortably long and I vaguely recall someone saying, "just turn it off." Oh right, simply turn the key off. Don't know what else I thought there was to do but I was being watched so I froze.
One snowy winter vacation in Montana at the house of family friends, I was last in line to drive the snowmobile around the track which went around the house. Because I was last and it was bone-chilling cold, everyone went inside. I was left circling the house again and again to the point of boredom. I had no idea how to turn it off. I don't recall how my session finally ended but I'm sure somebody rescued me. (I choked on my tea tonight when I remembered this one.)

So, yes, practice sessions tonight included turning the Zuma off and on. Now I just have to perfect getting it up on to its stand. Apparently it's easy but I'm still struggling.

FFBE Weekly Question #4

2007-10-15T20:56:00.000-07:00

What was your favorite Halloween costume ever - for you? for your kids, if you have them?

My favorite costume was in college. A group of us dressed up as the Village People, I was the cowboy. (Was there really a cowboy?) We all added fake black mustaches and the guys at the parties complained we weren't cute enough. Our reply, "So what?"

No kids of my own but my younger sister once dressed up as Rainbow Brite. Mom broke out the sewing machine to tackle the tough project and it was perfect. Just as good as the pattern pic. The two completed costume pics here aren't nearly as good as Jess's costume. She was so cute. Bouncy blonde curls - she had the best costume by far.

Why did you enjoy it so much? Do you still dress up now? Chat a bit about your traditions for dressing up on All Hallow's Eve!

The only reason I enjoyed that one costume was because I was part of a group and we picked out our costumes together. I don't like to be singled out and I am uncomfortable as the center of attention. (Not that I would be necessarily but I would feel like it, singled out.) I tend toward introversion so costumes just aren't for me.

LYS on a Sunday

2007-10-14T16:29:00.000-07:00

I am just so pleased that Jessica Knits is open on Sunday. So pleased in fact that I bought yarn for two projects. The brightly colored yarn I'm drooling over is for the Surface-Woven Tote from bagSTLYE.

This yarn:

Will become this:

The pale yarn is for the Linen Tube Clutch. (Not the pattern yarn but I'm hoping the variegation will make up for the loss of sheen.) It's actually not that pale, the photo's a bit washed out. It's more of a soothing yellow.

This yarn:

Will resemble this:

Hmmm I think I just figured out why I splurged at the yarn store. The baby jacket is tedious. I've knit another 3 or 4 rows since yesterday's post. The baby blanket is frustrating although the LYS provided encouragement on the bullion knots. They are still driving me nuts. And my FFBE bag is done! Gone!

At least one of these bags will make it to the needles tonight!

Trudging Along

2007-10-13T21:32:00.000-07:00

This is the piece that's been keeping me busy. It's knit so tight and probably on needles that are too small. The yarn has no give whatsoever - not happy yarn. Doesn't feel good to knit. The list goes on. Why am I knitting it then? Well, I'm only 16 more rows to the waist band, a little bit of finishing and then it's a baby sweater. I started it up ooooh maybe 7 years ago. I know why I abandoned it, but just buck up Urs and finish.

**Just committed to going out tonight. I'll knit tomorrow.

FFBE Weekly Question #3

2007-10-09T21:50:00.000-07:00

How often do you change the purse or bag you're carrying? Do you change based on seasons? Outfits? Something else? What's your favorite bag in the world (and it doesn't have to be a knit/felted one!)?

Oh boy. I admit. I change my bag to match my outfit. And if I'm running late, I pick my outfit to match my purse. My favorite favorite purse is a Michael Kors metallic bronze satchel. I'm without my camera tonight so this is the style of the purse but in this color. (Ooooh I love those shoes!) I looked for the perfect bronze metallic purse for well over a year. Totally worth it.

Closure for the Closure

2007-10-09T18:33:00.001-07:00

Although I would have preferred a magnetic snap closure, I'm happy with how the toggle will look on the bag. I figured the darker one would look best, but I got both - many more bags to come! In response to my posted plea for help, Aunt Peggy suggested many ways to close the bag. Obviously I'm going with the button method, but I took what she said as, "Urs, just finish it. It's not rocket science." Casting aside my hesitation, it'll be done tonight.

Coincidentally, the toggles look like the crescent rolls my other aunt used to make every Thanksgiving. I'd request them if I were going home for the holidays and if I hadn't removed gluten from my diet. mmmm ... unrolling them ... buttery goodness ... stuffed like a pig.

Oh, yes. I am a little behind on sending this out. I'll see if G can stop by his favorite shipping store tomorrow AFTER I get to take pictures.

BTW picture quality is lacking here. G took my camera tonight so he could document the tear down of his new bike. The quality isn't THAT bad for a camera phone.

I'm In!

2007-10-06T07:26:00.000-07:00

Ravelry called my name! I'm SheThinksSheCan if you're on ... and when I actually get some stuff up. So far I have my needle inventory up. Yay. Yarn inventory and books come next. I sorted and labeled my bins Thursday when there were only 155 people in front of me. I'm a tad ashamed at how many skeins have lost their labels. I'm learning.

Other good news - BF just got a race bike! He is so giddy and I couldn't be happier for him to get back into racing. This is going to be So. Much. Fun!

This bike will NEVER be ridden on the road; strictly at the race track. Stickers are in the works. We picked up numbers yesterday and will get a bunch of logos made next week. She'll be pretty when she's all done up :) Lot's more to do before the first races November 3rd & 4th!

Knitting news: Running errands yesterday included a stop at Discount Tire for a wheel balance. I pulled out my blanket and knit a few rows while we waited. (BTW I prefer Les Schwab, aka Schwabby's, but the closest is in LA.) Apparently the young guy at the counter gave G some errrs and ummms. He's never seen that before?? I can't imagine no one has pulled out their knitting in the waiting area. You ALWAYS have to wait at the tire shop.

****EDIT: The deal at the tire store was apparently due to the comp they were giving us despite not being able to locate the original sale in the system. The guy was going to do it for free buuuut probably didn't fully believe us. When G went up to the counter to finish out the sale I was knitting. The guy basically eyed us and shrugged, "They look honest." Which is of course when G found the right phone number for the account and the guy found the original sale in the system.

Closure

2007-10-04T21:04:00.000-07:00

I'm not done with my bag yet! I completely forgot my pal wants the bag to close and not be open and sloppy. (I'm with her on that one.) But I forgot!!! I checked JoAnn's tonight and they didn't have a magnetic snap closure or so said the airhead at the cutting table.

I can picture a toggle button if I cut a slit in one of the sides. Would that work?

I know a snap would fit the function, but sometimes they can be too hard to open, thus more of a pain in the rear.

Suggestions? Help :(

Recovery in Sight

2007-10-03T21:27:00.000-07:00

I'm almost back at 100%! Latest blood test for thyroid and B12 showed I was low but not outside of the norm. We revised my supplement regime for thyroid support and B complex. (B vites always make me puke. OF COURSE I wasn't taking them!) I should be full time at work next week and going back to the gym (light duty). Yay! Two depressing months but they're over!

The weirdest part of this sloooow recovery was how little things would occur to me indicating I was getting better. The signs went something like this: I could actually think about work, then I could think creatively, I wanted to wear heels, I want to wear make up, oh the A/C's too cold. Last indicator this past weekend was, "I want to go visit the family in Seattle." They were more like revelations. Every few days it was something new; I'm talking BABY steps. My first big illness (besides pneumonia) and we never reached a firm diagnosis. I guess I'll refer to it as adrenal exhaustion, that at least encompasses most of the symptoms.

Couple things I learned:

Always take someone with you into the doctor's office. The first couple visits I forgot so many details it was ridiculous. No matter if I'm of sound mind - I will always bring someone.
A naturopathic doctor is worth the extra money. I actually knew she was listening to all the crazy, seemingly unrelated symptoms and not repeating in her head, "Cuckoo, cuckoo." AND she understood my dietary choices AND provided insight into the symptoms. (The high cholesterol is related to the thyroid and my (mild) eczema episodes are due to a gluten sensitivity which presents itself when my estrogen is low during my cycle.)

New LYS

2007-10-03T18:18:00.001-07:00

Okay, Jessica Knits is not new; they're celebrating their 3rd anniversary. But the store is new to me! I was a bit hesitant because of the location - the further north you get in Scottsdale, the snootier the crowd. Not the case! I was happily surprised at how welcoming they were. I even got there 1/2 hour before they were to close but I didn't feel rushed at all. They're shop has the look and feel of their website but a little bit warmer. Inventory was HUGE! Well, we'll see the next few times I go looking for specific yarn. And to be truthful, it's nice that the shop gals were in my age range. I am just as comfortable at my other LYS but last time I was there I felt weird asking about yarn and patterns for a bikini. This place, I just let loose. (I hope I didn't scare them hehehe)

My reason for going: To spoil my secret pal :) Soooo no pics of the goodies yet. Buuuut I've always been really bad at gift shopping. Translates - I got goodies for meeee! The new Bag Style book so I can join the KAL and the last Rebecca magazine (there's a bikini in there)

Sooner than I thought!

2007-10-03T07:38:00.000-07:00

Oh no, I'm not prepared! ...but I'm so excited!

You signed up on August 7, 2007
You are #23631 on the list.
1782 people are ahead of you in line.
15043 people are behind you in line.
56% of the list has been invited so far

FFBE Question, Entry #2

2007-10-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

The colors of fall tend to be oranges, yellows, crimsons, and other 'leafy' colors - what is your favorite "Color of Autumn" and where do you see it?

I hate to keep hounding on the desert, but all I see here are shades of light brown and light dusty green. Don't get me wrong, I love the desert. I should by now - I've been here 12 years. We just don't have foliage or seasons so I need to draw on my memories of Seattle which are sadly fading.

Orange is a year-round favorite - with white in the sunny months, with brown in the cooler months. ... I can't come up with anything else. Orange. And I see it in my wardrobe.

Race Weekend

2007-09-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

Fun weekend but exhausting. I finished it out with a batch of ginger snap cookies and parsley juice - not together. I'd been meaning to get to both for about a week and what better time than when I should be resting up for the week.

Friday night was a little bit disappointing as described in the last post. Good news though - G's car seems to be running just fine. (In a hurry and forgot my knitting.)

Saturday we had planned on going to the motorcycle race track for a couple hours, turned into the whole day. Days at the track typically mean sitting in the pits, LOTS of guy talk, lots MORE bike talk, and taking the scooter out to turn one to see the big half of the track and the start/finish when our friends are racing. Next year my sweetie should be racing so this'll change quite a bit. Yay! Can't wait for him to race again! Scramble of the day: switching forks and other front end assemblies from the bike with the blown motor to the #2 bike in 12 minutes - just in time for the next race. Impressive. (Didn't think we were going to be there very long so I didn't bring my knitting.)

Sunday - more of the same it just started earlier. No terrible crashes - everyone made it home safely this weekend. (Brought my knitting but left it in the car. It was just too darn hot to knit my beach blanket.)

Off to get a good half hour of knitting in!

I Didn't Chicken Out

2007-09-28T21:24:00.001-07:00

I just don't feel well enough to get my "game face" on. My car is all fixed up and perfect. G not only changed the oil and flushed the transmission fluid but changed ALL of the filters, almost got the driver's airbag in (unexpected part) and replaced the motor mount. I feel really bad but I'm just not well enough and today was a long day working on the cars. :(

Play by play of the night as it unfolds. I'll probably add in pics tomorrow.

Here we are at the track. Lots of Volvos showed up and we're all sitting in tech waiting for the cars to get cleared to race. It's oddly exciting hearing the engines rev, tires screeching near the starting grid and then tearing down the track. You can feel the noise of the cars through the ground. I don't much care to listen to the performance chit chat but I learn some when I can ask questions. And there is a TON of that.

Okaay so I just might race after all... as a passenger. Have to go sign away all liability in tech. Um I'm nervous. I have to pee. Geez! Think if I were actually racing!!

The announcer loves to pick out the Volvos when they come up to the line. There's a red wagon, "Go guy I've met but don't remember your name!" oooh that was slow - a 14 on the quarter mile. G should be faster :)

A pinto wagon with 12! That's another fun thing to watch - the variety of models. Everything you could imagine.

WHOA! An older Mustang just hit the wall at the end of the track! Smoking tires and then flames! FLAMES!!! I think the driver is fine; the crash wasn't loud enough to hear and I'm at the end of the track. It looked like his brakes failed and then with the oil leak caught fire. Half hour intermission. I should have brought my knitting.

Awww G isn't going to race :( the seals on his turbo finally failed; blowing smoke while waiting in line for his first pass. Shoot now I wish I would have brought my car.

Okay. I now have Blackberry Hand. Signing off.

Drag Racing The Yellow

2007-09-27T20:55:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow's the big day! Yellow's heading out to the track. We're getting up early tomorrow to change the oil and transmission fluid, maybe rotate the tires, some other little cosmetic fixes and she'll be show ready! I've already scheduled in a nap tomorrow afternoon; it's going to be a long day. A few of my SOs motorcycle racing friends will be camping out down at the track for races on Saturday. The pressure is growing with the audience.

I finally figured out how to add buttons. Ugh. It should NOT have been that hard to find instructions. Round-about series of links lead me to this page. It's over and now I can move on.

FFBE Question of the Week

2007-09-26T19:26:00.000-07:00

As of this weekend, the season has officially changed on the calendar - but what makes Autumn feel like Autumn to you, and why?

This year all I looked forward to was relief from the relentless heat. I, under normal circumstances, crave the heat but this year my A/C was out for most of the summer, I got heat exhaustion and we broke a record - most number of days over 110. That's not normal. If you want to experience for yourself in your own home exactly how the desert sun feels bake some cookies and when you open the oven door put your face in it. Seriously. Thankfully, the end of Summer actually marked the end of the heat. YAY!

What makes Autumn feel like Autumn...

Baking bread and goodies

Crisp, cool morning air

Hot tea on the patio

Weekend barbecues with friends

Cooking for Thanksgiving

Anticipation of Christmas

Seed Stitch Smorgasbord

2007-09-24T18:56:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I went to the LYS for one skein to finish up the FFBE bag. Two hours and 16 skeins later I headed home to cast on a Beach Blanket entirely in seed stitch. I had intended to find a good bikini pattern if not just to figure out what blend of yarn is best (50/50 cotton acrylic?). Paging through the Summer magazines I stumbled across this pattern in KnitSimple and started dreaming of surf trips to Mexico. Intoxicating, swooning day dreams ... only to be jarred back to semi-reality when she totaled my bundle. And yes, I managed to remember the original skein.

Plymouth Yarns Encore
Knitting on size 7, cast on 217 stitches

Years ago I saw a cute afghan pattern in seed stitch. That's the one for me! And I happily started out on my first afghan. Three rows later I yanked it all out. No way. Never. Seed stitch is evil. Looks great but it's a long, slow torture.

Why the sudden change of heart? Continental knitting. I knit my mom's Fairisle sweater two handed, one strand English one strand Continental. Loved it, worked like a charm. For whatever reason I had only dabbled in Continental since then, like a novelty. Then the FFBE pattern called for stockinette in the round. I indulged until I got to the garter rows. Hmm, I'd really like to learn to purl Continental. A link from Kristen sealed it. Towards the end of the bag I got more comfortable with it and, like a light bulb on a dimmer switch, it hit me. Could it be? Seed stitch is possible? Yessiree!

The stripe sequence repeats five times or so. I imagine I'll swap the colors around some. Unfortunately the LYS didn't have any good greens or reds so I see myself looking for some like-weighted, like-blend yarn. Mm hmm a project!

Anyway, I was knitting away yesterday while the guys were parting the car. Listening to their yammer interrupted only by the screech of the impact drill. Knitting is bliss I tell you. I heard SO boasts to the guys, "My girl's a good knitter. She's knitting us a beach blanket." Awww how sweet :)