I know, it's been kinda lame over here the past several days, sorry 'bout that! I've been busy watching movies and The L Word - Season One and flinging movies back to Netflix and stuff. It's almost like playing frisbee...for the mobility challenged, so it's perfect for me! Ha!
Ok. Knitting. I ripped out that ruffly section on "loggy", picked the stitches up again and reknit the whole section - it's been cast off and waiting patiently for me to pick up stitches for the next section. I'm finding this project to be great knitting for late night, online knitting in low light while the wife is sleeping in the same room. Big needles + thicker yarn = i can knit by monitor light. This is wonderful. It means that i can knit while i wait for email pages or blogs to load on this snail paced dial-up AND i can also knit while playing Lottso on Pogo. LOL! Nooooo, i'm not addicted or anything. To Pogo. Or to knitting.
I've knit my eyes to the point of a bit of blurriness the past two days. "No pictures?", you say. Nah. Do you really want to see 12.5 inches of 2x2 ribbing in a black Trekking XXL?? Or the cuff and first 6 repeats of sock number two of Deb's Yule sock? Right. It's all been seen before. What WILL make a great picture is when both pairs of socks are finished and i take a photo of them side by side. Soldier Sock vs. Stubby Lesbian Sock.
I also finished the heel flap, knit the heel cup, and picked up the stitches for the gusset on a socklette for me...size 3 US dpn's. Let's just say, it's been a very busy sock kind of a day. My eyes need a bit of a break from the needles and wee yarns. I'm gonna roam the web a while and then maybe head over to Pogo...who knows?
Knit on!
~Suz~
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
We Interrupt The Knitting
...to bring you a highly political post. And by "political" i mostly mean environmental issues on this one. If you'd rather not read about political issues and such, then scroll on down to the last post.
I think it was Felicia who got me thinking about joining Netflix (or at least she talked about getting movies "in the mail", here), the more i thought about it, the more it made sense. I'm unemployed and on disability due to mobility issues and so i sit here online or knitting all day and end up with a bunch of crap TV on in the background. Why not watch some good movies instead? I could watch all of those Academy Award nominated films that i've never seen, branch out into some foreign films and catch some documentaries that i've been meaning to watch. So, two days ago i wandered over to Netflix and checked it out. I decided to pony-up the $17.99/mo. to get the "three-at-a-time" membership and then i worked on setting up my queue of films. I think i have a list of close to 200 films set up and it's neat because you rate movies you've already seen and then they make recommendations based on that...the more movies you rate, the closer they'll get to your tastes...but i digress.
So, here it is, two days later and my first three movies arrive. "An Inconvenient Truth", "Memories of a Geisha"(i already read the book...fabulous book!) and Disc One of Season
One of "The L Word"...yes, they have TV shows too! Deb and i watched Al Gore's documentary tonight and i am just floored. I really cannot explain much about it, you really have to see it yourself...but let me say this; every person on this planet really needs to see this movie and then take action.
From an email i just wrote to my Dad (he just retired from a Ford Plant last August):
In a week when Ford posted it's worst loss in it's 103 year history, i am no longer surprised. The United States, of all major countries, has the LOWEST emission standards of all. The truth of the matter is that our cars cannot be sold in foreign countries because they simply DO NOT meet the required laws for emissions standards in those countries. It is not a question of whether or not other countries will allow our vehicles to be sold there, they cannot, by their laws, allow them. Period. If our government would set higher standards for vehicle emissions, then our vehicles could be marketed in other countries. It's that simple.
Edit: My Dad emailed back and said that he's never heard of this, he doesn't think it's true...so i'm looking into it further. Stay tuned.
Do you know who Lou Dobbs is? I've often accidentally had his show on as background noise as it runs after Wolf Blitzer's Situation Room on CNN. I had no idea Dobbs is a Republican. Anyway, i caught him on "The View" today and he talked a bit about how our forefathers would cringe to know how both political parties are not at all "of the people" any longer and how both parties are really only running on the wants of "big business". He talked about how the minimum wage amendment was shot down in the Senate today (probably because there was some tax cut crap for businesses attached to it...as i just read that it was the Dem's who shot it down after Kennedy had challenged it)...whereas Senators have voted themselves 8 raises in the past 10 years.
You take a look at these few things that i've noted and you've just got to scratch your head and really wonder just what the hell is going on here?! Businesses claim if they raise min. wage, they will go under because they have to pay out more, effecting our economy...and yet, pay raises have been put into effect in other countries and they are doing just swell. Our major automakers are going under...partly due to the fact that their products are unsaleable in other countries and our government is really causing this because they will do little to tighten up the requirements on emissions. You'd think that would be some "big business" lobbying FOR environmental issues. So why are we not seeing that? It's just all so frustrating.
All i can ask is if you can do even just one thing to help better our environment - whether it's to write to a Senator, install a programmable thermostat, replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (Even though we don't own our own home, Deb and i have these in our bedroom...it's one thing we CAN do.), car pool, recycle (we are committing to being more diligent about this, we drink TONS of bottled water and have been guilty of tossing the empties in the regular trash!!!). Give it a try every little bit DOES help.
We will return to our regular knitting blog...
~Suz~
I think it was Felicia who got me thinking about joining Netflix (or at least she talked about getting movies "in the mail", here), the more i thought about it, the more it made sense. I'm unemployed and on disability due to mobility issues and so i sit here online or knitting all day and end up with a bunch of crap TV on in the background. Why not watch some good movies instead? I could watch all of those Academy Award nominated films that i've never seen, branch out into some foreign films and catch some documentaries that i've been meaning to watch. So, two days ago i wandered over to Netflix and checked it out. I decided to pony-up the $17.99/mo. to get the "three-at-a-time" membership and then i worked on setting up my queue of films. I think i have a list of close to 200 films set up and it's neat because you rate movies you've already seen and then they make recommendations based on that...the more movies you rate, the closer they'll get to your tastes...but i digress.
So, here it is, two days later and my first three movies arrive. "An Inconvenient Truth", "Memories of a Geisha"(i already read the book...fabulous book!) and Disc One of Season
One of "The L Word"...yes, they have TV shows too! Deb and i watched Al Gore's documentary tonight and i am just floored. I really cannot explain much about it, you really have to see it yourself...but let me say this; every person on this planet really needs to see this movie and then take action.
From an email i just wrote to my Dad (he just retired from a Ford Plant last August):
In a week when Ford posted it's worst loss in it's 103 year history, i am no longer surprised. The United States, of all major countries, has the LOWEST emission standards of all. The truth of the matter is that our cars cannot be sold in foreign countries because they simply DO NOT meet the required laws for emissions standards in those countries. It is not a question of whether or not other countries will allow our vehicles to be sold there, they cannot, by their laws, allow them. Period. If our government would set higher standards for vehicle emissions, then our vehicles could be marketed in other countries. It's that simple.
Edit: My Dad emailed back and said that he's never heard of this, he doesn't think it's true...so i'm looking into it further. Stay tuned.
Do you know who Lou Dobbs is? I've often accidentally had his show on as background noise as it runs after Wolf Blitzer's Situation Room on CNN. I had no idea Dobbs is a Republican. Anyway, i caught him on "The View" today and he talked a bit about how our forefathers would cringe to know how both political parties are not at all "of the people" any longer and how both parties are really only running on the wants of "big business". He talked about how the minimum wage amendment was shot down in the Senate today (probably because there was some tax cut crap for businesses attached to it...as i just read that it was the Dem's who shot it down after Kennedy had challenged it)...whereas Senators have voted themselves 8 raises in the past 10 years.
You take a look at these few things that i've noted and you've just got to scratch your head and really wonder just what the hell is going on here?! Businesses claim if they raise min. wage, they will go under because they have to pay out more, effecting our economy...and yet, pay raises have been put into effect in other countries and they are doing just swell. Our major automakers are going under...partly due to the fact that their products are unsaleable in other countries and our government is really causing this because they will do little to tighten up the requirements on emissions. You'd think that would be some "big business" lobbying FOR environmental issues. So why are we not seeing that? It's just all so frustrating.
All i can ask is if you can do even just one thing to help better our environment - whether it's to write to a Senator, install a programmable thermostat, replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (Even though we don't own our own home, Deb and i have these in our bedroom...it's one thing we CAN do.), car pool, recycle (we are committing to being more diligent about this, we drink TONS of bottled water and have been guilty of tossing the empties in the regular trash!!!). Give it a try every little bit DOES help.
We will return to our regular knitting blog...
~Suz~
Houston, we have a problem!
Look at "loggy"...
Do you see that? You see it, right? Here, let me get in a little closer for you...
Do you see how the rest of "loggy" is laying there all nice as can be, but this last section? This last section is having a mind of it's own. It's all ruffly! Now how in the hell did that happen??
You know what i think? This happened...
Uh huh! It's in her eyes. Luna must've been testing out her knitterly skills one evening while i was out in the kitchen fixing dinner. I bet that's it! I'm onto her. Now.
In the morning while i was serving her that special wet food that she only gets every few days or so, she was probably thinking to herself, "...if Mama only knew what i did with her sticks and string, she'd be really mad and she sure as hell wouldn't be rewarding my cuteness with this ever so tasty wet food. Heeheehee!" I'll even go so far as betting that Luna probably emailed Mindy, Miss LuLu Kitty, Albert and who knows how many other kitty, knitter friends of hers, to tell them exactly what she'd done and ohhhhh just how much fun it was!!
Yep. That's my story and i'm sticking to it! I think i hear the sound of an approaching frog. Sigh.
~Suz~
Do you see that? You see it, right? Here, let me get in a little closer for you...
Do you see how the rest of "loggy" is laying there all nice as can be, but this last section? This last section is having a mind of it's own. It's all ruffly! Now how in the hell did that happen??
You know what i think? This happened...
Uh huh! It's in her eyes. Luna must've been testing out her knitterly skills one evening while i was out in the kitchen fixing dinner. I bet that's it! I'm onto her. Now.
In the morning while i was serving her that special wet food that she only gets every few days or so, she was probably thinking to herself, "...if Mama only knew what i did with her sticks and string, she'd be really mad and she sure as hell wouldn't be rewarding my cuteness with this ever so tasty wet food. Heeheehee!" I'll even go so far as betting that Luna probably emailed Mindy, Miss LuLu Kitty, Albert and who knows how many other kitty, knitter friends of hers, to tell them exactly what she'd done and ohhhhh just how much fun it was!!
Yep. That's my story and i'm sticking to it! I think i hear the sound of an approaching frog. Sigh.
~Suz~
Leave it to Paul
...to get all showy with his stash of Dave's Cabin Cove Mercantile yarns! Since the gauntlet has been thrown down, i guess that means i have to get my stash out and show it off too. I can't let Paul have all of the fun!!
Ok. Ummm...so here's my "stash" of Cabin Cove yarn. I can't wait to get started on the "Shut Up and Knit your Cabin Cove", knit along! I know! Isn't it a huge stash? You're all wondering just where in the world i keep soooo much yarn, aren't you? I knew it! Buncha nosey bodies!
Apparently, Paul's over ther swatching altready. I guess i'd better make up my mind if i'm making "Icarus" or some shawl or scarf from "Victorian Lace Today", eh?
Maybe in the morning!
Nighty nite~
~Suz~
Ok. Ummm...so here's my "stash" of Cabin Cove yarn. I can't wait to get started on the "Shut Up and Knit your Cabin Cove", knit along! I know! Isn't it a huge stash? You're all wondering just where in the world i keep soooo much yarn, aren't you? I knew it! Buncha nosey bodies!
Apparently, Paul's over ther swatching altready. I guess i'd better make up my mind if i'm making "Icarus" or some shawl or scarf from "Victorian Lace Today", eh?
Maybe in the morning!
Nighty nite~
~Suz~
Monday, January 22, 2007
Post #2 for Today
Knitting Update:
While i've been sick, there were actually two whole days where i did no knitting whatsoever. Gasp! I know! Isn't it horrible?
On the days when i was feeling a bit better, i worked on items that needed needles larger than a size 1 or 2 (US). In addition to the mittens for Katie, which i posted about already...i also made a hat for Megan by basically using the "Jayne Cobb" hat pattern.
And here's what i have so far on Greg's "Jayne Cobb" hat. I know it looks enormous, he has a 24" head for goodness sake! I'm on the decreases but it looks like i'm going to have to recount my rows, it looks like i have more yellow rows than orange and they should be the same amount. Hmmm.
And finally! ONE of Deb's Yule socks is done. I worked a few rounds two days ago and then finished the pattern repeats last night. I had Deb try the sock on just to make sure and we realized that it was a bit too long, so i tinked back four rounds = one whole pattern repeat. This morning i did the toe decreases and finished it up. I then cast on for the second sock right away! I'm 6 rounds into the cuff. My plan is to finish the cuff and one repeat of the pattern and then move on to working on my "Socks For Soldiers", which has been sorely neglected while i've been sick. I've posted to larger picture so you can see the detail of the pattern better. She loves it! Yeah!!
Ok, back to my knitting!!!
~Suz~
While i've been sick, there were actually two whole days where i did no knitting whatsoever. Gasp! I know! Isn't it horrible?
On the days when i was feeling a bit better, i worked on items that needed needles larger than a size 1 or 2 (US). In addition to the mittens for Katie, which i posted about already...i also made a hat for Megan by basically using the "Jayne Cobb" hat pattern.
And here's what i have so far on Greg's "Jayne Cobb" hat. I know it looks enormous, he has a 24" head for goodness sake! I'm on the decreases but it looks like i'm going to have to recount my rows, it looks like i have more yellow rows than orange and they should be the same amount. Hmmm.
And finally! ONE of Deb's Yule socks is done. I worked a few rounds two days ago and then finished the pattern repeats last night. I had Deb try the sock on just to make sure and we realized that it was a bit too long, so i tinked back four rounds = one whole pattern repeat. This morning i did the toe decreases and finished it up. I then cast on for the second sock right away! I'm 6 rounds into the cuff. My plan is to finish the cuff and one repeat of the pattern and then move on to working on my "Socks For Soldiers", which has been sorely neglected while i've been sick. I've posted to larger picture so you can see the detail of the pattern better. She loves it! Yeah!!
Ok, back to my knitting!!!
~Suz~
Early Morning Thought
This has been on my mind for a few weeks so i thought i would share it...
I did have one, well two, small disappointments this Holiday Season. For as long as i can remember, i've always made it a point to watch two of my favorite holiday movies when they are aired. This year, i did not see either of them. "It's a Wonderful Life" was probably on TV on Christmas Eve when most people are busy visiting with family & friends. Ya know, that's a really stupid time to air the movie if you want people to watch it...but, maybe that's just my opinion.
The other film that i misssed out on was "Holiday Inn". I love that movie. And for those of you who think that "Holiday Inn" and "White Christmas" are the same movie, they are NOT. Danny Kaye was not in "Holiday Inn", Fred Astaire was! And even if George Clooney himself tells you that his aunt, Rosemary Clooney, was in "Holiday Inn", he's a BIG FAT Liar, she was NOT! Marjorie Reynolds and Virginia Dale were. Bing Crosby was in both movies. And, while i'm here...the song, "White Christmas" was NOT written for the movie of the same name and it did NOT make it's debut in that movie. The song was originally in "Holiday Inn" and then later reprised in the film "White Christmas" due to the popularity of the Bing Crosby version. The song went on to win Irving Berlin an Academy Award for Best Original Song and the 2007 Guinness Book of Records lists Bing Crosby's recording as the biggest selling single of all time with an estimated 50 million copies sold. Just thought you ought to know.
Knitting news later on today!
~Suz~
I did have one, well two, small disappointments this Holiday Season. For as long as i can remember, i've always made it a point to watch two of my favorite holiday movies when they are aired. This year, i did not see either of them. "It's a Wonderful Life" was probably on TV on Christmas Eve when most people are busy visiting with family & friends. Ya know, that's a really stupid time to air the movie if you want people to watch it...but, maybe that's just my opinion.
The other film that i misssed out on was "Holiday Inn". I love that movie. And for those of you who think that "Holiday Inn" and "White Christmas" are the same movie, they are NOT. Danny Kaye was not in "Holiday Inn", Fred Astaire was! And even if George Clooney himself tells you that his aunt, Rosemary Clooney, was in "Holiday Inn", he's a BIG FAT Liar, she was NOT! Marjorie Reynolds and Virginia Dale were. Bing Crosby was in both movies. And, while i'm here...the song, "White Christmas" was NOT written for the movie of the same name and it did NOT make it's debut in that movie. The song was originally in "Holiday Inn" and then later reprised in the film "White Christmas" due to the popularity of the Bing Crosby version. The song went on to win Irving Berlin an Academy Award for Best Original Song and the 2007 Guinness Book of Records lists Bing Crosby's recording as the biggest selling single of all time with an estimated 50 million copies sold. Just thought you ought to know.
Knitting news later on today!
~Suz~
Friday, January 19, 2007
Quiz Thingy
Cuz i'm still feeling yucky and it's all gone to my chest now. UGH!!
| Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence |
 You are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well. An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly. You are also good at remembering information and convicing someone of your point of view. A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary. You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, or translator. |
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Alphabet MeMe
Alphabet Meme because Teyla tagged Kat & Kat tagged me and it looks like fun!
A- Available or single? Nope, totally commited! Head over heels, even! :)
B- Best Friend? Deb
C- Cake or Pie? Cake...carrot cake, if you're baking for me.
D- Drink of Choice? What Kat said...Rum with something if we're talking "adult beverage". Otherwise, iced tea.
E- Essential Item? Knitting needles and some yarn, of course.
F- Favorite Color? Green
G- Gummi Bears or Worms? Swedish Fish, please.
H- Hometown? Dyer, Indiana
I- Indulgence? Yarn, yarn & yarn.
J- January or February? Who cares?
K- Kids and names? Luna & Bear...they're furdren
L- Life is incomplete without? Love.
M- Marriage Date? October 19th, 2002
N- Number of Siblings? Two brothers.
O- Oranges or apples? Clementines
P- Phobias/Fears? House centipedes
Q- Favorite Quote? Most anything by Mark Twain.
R- Reason to Smile? Oh, there are so many!!
S- Season? My favorite is Autumn.
T- Tag three people! I'm not tagging anyone...do as you will. ;)
U- Unknown Fact About Me? I know the Greek Alphabet by heart.
V- Vegetable you hate? Lima Beans
W- Worst habit? procrastinating...<~~~~ditto what Kat said.
X- X-Rays you’ve had? Just teeth.
Y- Your favorite food? Anything Mexican
Z- Zodiac? Gemini, duh!
A- Available or single? Nope, totally commited! Head over heels, even! :)
B- Best Friend? Deb
C- Cake or Pie? Cake...carrot cake, if you're baking for me.
D- Drink of Choice? What Kat said...Rum with something if we're talking "adult beverage". Otherwise, iced tea.
E- Essential Item? Knitting needles and some yarn, of course.
F- Favorite Color? Green
G- Gummi Bears or Worms? Swedish Fish, please.
H- Hometown? Dyer, Indiana
I- Indulgence? Yarn, yarn & yarn.
J- January or February? Who cares?
K- Kids and names? Luna & Bear...they're furdren
L- Life is incomplete without? Love.
M- Marriage Date? October 19th, 2002
N- Number of Siblings? Two brothers.
O- Oranges or apples? Clementines
P- Phobias/Fears? House centipedes
Q- Favorite Quote? Most anything by Mark Twain.
R- Reason to Smile? Oh, there are so many!!
S- Season? My favorite is Autumn.
T- Tag three people! I'm not tagging anyone...do as you will. ;)
U- Unknown Fact About Me? I know the Greek Alphabet by heart.
V- Vegetable you hate? Lima Beans
W- Worst habit? procrastinating...<~~~~ditto what Kat said.
X- X-Rays you’ve had? Just teeth.
Y- Your favorite food? Anything Mexican
Z- Zodiac? Gemini, duh!
Monday, January 15, 2007
Knitter Down, Knitter Down!!
Well, after at least a week of Uncle George walking around here and coughing on EVERYTHING (and even using his eating utensil to dig pickles out of the jar! Yuck!!), i've developed a HUGE HONKIN' cold!
UGH!
I'm serious. We were eating one night and after he started eating his food, he took that same fork and stuck it into the newly opened jar of bread & butter pickles to get some out. I'm so very glad that i'm the one who had opened the jar and i'd already gotten out what i wanted. Later, i warned Deb not to eat out of that jar...anyone else in this house, is on their own!
I must admit that the three socks on needles have been put to the back burner until this cold is over. I'm finding it much easier to concentrate on thicker, chunkier yarns and larger needles. Can you blame me? I fear being overcome by a sneeze and dropping a stitch...especially on the Sock For Soldiers - Big Black Socks (BBS) because it's very hard to see if you need to pick up a dropped stitch.
I've been working on some chunky mittens to go with the scarf that i made Katie for Christmas, i had 2 balls of that yarn left, so why not?!
Edit: Mittens were finished today before Katie went home around 3:45pm. I even picked up stitches on both cuff and added 10 more rows of cuff. She didn't care that the stitches were backwards, she just wanted the cuff to stay buried inside of her coat sleeves. Ah! Smart thinking for that teen, eh?
Here's some yarn that we purchased at the Frederick, MD Knitting Shop - "Keep Me In Stitches", this past weekend. This will be used for a hat that Deb's-nephew, Robbie's, girl friend requested. (Did you follow that?) Can i tell you how hard it is to find yarn in pink & blue color combinations?? Sure, you can often find baby yarn in that color scheme, but that won't do for a winter hat for an older teenager!! Yarn companies...PINK AND BLUE...if you dye it, they will buy it!!! Trust me. This is the second time this season that i've had to search for this color combination...the first example of what i found is above in Katie's stuff.
And, for your viewing pleasure...and much to Luna's dismay, i give you this:...
...doesn't she look thrilled to be wearing my sock cuff?? I'm loving how the colors are forming on this and can't wait to see what will come out of the center of the ball next. Oh, what fun!!
Ok. Dudes. I'm going back to my bed and pillows after i brew a new cup of tea and spray the mouse and keyboard with some Lysol. Maybe i'll get Katie's second mitten finished so she can just take them home today.
~Suz~
UGH!
I'm serious. We were eating one night and after he started eating his food, he took that same fork and stuck it into the newly opened jar of bread & butter pickles to get some out. I'm so very glad that i'm the one who had opened the jar and i'd already gotten out what i wanted. Later, i warned Deb not to eat out of that jar...anyone else in this house, is on their own!
I must admit that the three socks on needles have been put to the back burner until this cold is over. I'm finding it much easier to concentrate on thicker, chunkier yarns and larger needles. Can you blame me? I fear being overcome by a sneeze and dropping a stitch...especially on the Sock For Soldiers - Big Black Socks (BBS) because it's very hard to see if you need to pick up a dropped stitch.
I've been working on some chunky mittens to go with the scarf that i made Katie for Christmas, i had 2 balls of that yarn left, so why not?!
Edit: Mittens were finished today before Katie went home around 3:45pm. I even picked up stitches on both cuff and added 10 more rows of cuff. She didn't care that the stitches were backwards, she just wanted the cuff to stay buried inside of her coat sleeves. Ah! Smart thinking for that teen, eh?
Here's some yarn that we purchased at the Frederick, MD Knitting Shop - "Keep Me In Stitches", this past weekend. This will be used for a hat that Deb's-nephew, Robbie's, girl friend requested. (Did you follow that?) Can i tell you how hard it is to find yarn in pink & blue color combinations?? Sure, you can often find baby yarn in that color scheme, but that won't do for a winter hat for an older teenager!! Yarn companies...PINK AND BLUE...if you dye it, they will buy it!!! Trust me. This is the second time this season that i've had to search for this color combination...the first example of what i found is above in Katie's stuff.
And, for your viewing pleasure...and much to Luna's dismay, i give you this:...
...doesn't she look thrilled to be wearing my sock cuff?? I'm loving how the colors are forming on this and can't wait to see what will come out of the center of the ball next. Oh, what fun!!
Ok. Dudes. I'm going back to my bed and pillows after i brew a new cup of tea and spray the mouse and keyboard with some Lysol. Maybe i'll get Katie's second mitten finished so she can just take them home today.
~Suz~
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Random Bits
In Knitting News:
1). I'm 6 inches into 2x2 ribbing for the leg of my "Socks For Soldiers" - BBS (Big Black Sock), only 6 more inches to go and then onto the heel!
2). I'm about two inches from the toe of Deb's Yule Sock #1, i tried it on her foot last night to make sure.
3). I've almost finished another section on the "Log Cabin".
4). I'm still resisting the urge to cast on some laceweight. It's NOT easy!!
In Knitting Book News:
I couldn't sleep yesterday morning, having gone to bed with Deb at 10pm (much too early for me!). I woke up at 4am, hungry and could sleep no longer, so i got up. I hit the loo first off and then wandered out to the kitchen with "Victorian Lace Today" by Jane Sowerby in hand; set the coffee to brew, grabbed a bowl of cereal and started browsing the book. I had already done a quick flip through to look at the pics, but now i was starting on page one of the Forward and going page by page. I'm not sure how many pages i read, but this book is filled with some amazing history on Victorian lace knitting. The history lesson alone makes the book worth the price, IMHO. I finished my cereal, got my mug O'java and headed into the livingroom with the book...the cat followed along and we settled onto the couch. I continued reading and then got into the first few patterns and then i flipped to the back where there's a section titled, "Techniques, Tools & Talk". There are many useful things in this section; from cast-ons, decreases and yarn overs, to a very good section on understanding charts (Thank the Goddess!!), a chart on Metric/US/UK needles sizes, info on blocking, etc. I could go on and on and on about the photography in this volume. Alexis Xenakis works his magic as always and his amazing pictures make me want to knit almost every single thing in this book.
I'm still resisting the urge.
In UFO News:
Remember that Cobweb shawl i cast on sometime last May or so? Ya know, the one that's still not done?? I've decided it's headed for the frog pond. Rippit', Rippit', Rippit'. I was looking through one of my other new book purchases, Debbie Stoller's - Stitch 'N Bitch Nation, and she has a pattern in there for the "Om Yoga Mat Bag"...what? You can't see me doing yoga? Yeah. Me neither. However, i like the lacy effect of that pattern and think that i would like to figure out a way to use that in a wrap with the yarn from our soon to be departed, "Cobweb". I'm seeing a garter border with that stitch pattern as the body of the wrap. So, stay tuned. ;)
Totally Random News:
I'm still listening to my "James Taylor at Christmas" CD - another of my gifts from Deb. I refuse to put it away. So there!
Well, once i'm off of here, i think i'll go back to knitting on the BBS while listening to the 40th Anniversary copy of "The Sound of Music". I've got it set to listen to the director's commentary while the background noises and orchestral only, plays. It's interesting and great to knit to. Later, i may even watch the movie as it's intended to be watched. LOL!
~Suz~
1). I'm 6 inches into 2x2 ribbing for the leg of my "Socks For Soldiers" - BBS (Big Black Sock), only 6 more inches to go and then onto the heel!
2). I'm about two inches from the toe of Deb's Yule Sock #1, i tried it on her foot last night to make sure.
3). I've almost finished another section on the "Log Cabin".
4). I'm still resisting the urge to cast on some laceweight. It's NOT easy!!
In Knitting Book News:
I couldn't sleep yesterday morning, having gone to bed with Deb at 10pm (much too early for me!). I woke up at 4am, hungry and could sleep no longer, so i got up. I hit the loo first off and then wandered out to the kitchen with "Victorian Lace Today" by Jane Sowerby in hand; set the coffee to brew, grabbed a bowl of cereal and started browsing the book. I had already done a quick flip through to look at the pics, but now i was starting on page one of the Forward and going page by page. I'm not sure how many pages i read, but this book is filled with some amazing history on Victorian lace knitting. The history lesson alone makes the book worth the price, IMHO. I finished my cereal, got my mug O'java and headed into the livingroom with the book...the cat followed along and we settled onto the couch. I continued reading and then got into the first few patterns and then i flipped to the back where there's a section titled, "Techniques, Tools & Talk". There are many useful things in this section; from cast-ons, decreases and yarn overs, to a very good section on understanding charts (Thank the Goddess!!), a chart on Metric/US/UK needles sizes, info on blocking, etc. I could go on and on and on about the photography in this volume. Alexis Xenakis works his magic as always and his amazing pictures make me want to knit almost every single thing in this book.
I'm still resisting the urge.
In UFO News:
Remember that Cobweb shawl i cast on sometime last May or so? Ya know, the one that's still not done?? I've decided it's headed for the frog pond. Rippit', Rippit', Rippit'. I was looking through one of my other new book purchases, Debbie Stoller's - Stitch 'N Bitch Nation, and she has a pattern in there for the "Om Yoga Mat Bag"...what? You can't see me doing yoga? Yeah. Me neither. However, i like the lacy effect of that pattern and think that i would like to figure out a way to use that in a wrap with the yarn from our soon to be departed, "Cobweb". I'm seeing a garter border with that stitch pattern as the body of the wrap. So, stay tuned. ;)
Totally Random News:
I'm still listening to my "James Taylor at Christmas" CD - another of my gifts from Deb. I refuse to put it away. So there!
Well, once i'm off of here, i think i'll go back to knitting on the BBS while listening to the 40th Anniversary copy of "The Sound of Music". I've got it set to listen to the director's commentary while the background noises and orchestral only, plays. It's interesting and great to knit to. Later, i may even watch the movie as it's intended to be watched. LOL!
~Suz~
Monday, January 08, 2007
Goodies Galore!!
I'm sure the mail lady must really be annoyed with me on some days!
Today, both my Amazon.com order and my Socks For Soldiers yarns arrived. One very heavy box and two stuffed postal envelopes. LOL! The poor Dear.
Here's what was in the Amazon box:
And in the postal envelopes:
Three giant balls of Trekking XXL in black for knitting up those Socks For Soldiers. If you love to knit socks and wish to contribute some charity knitting, this is a great cause. Kim runs a great group over there, she really must be running herself ragged and i KNOW that her postal people LOVE her to bits! If you don't knit (i don't know why you'd be readin this then, but just in case), the Socks For Soldiers group also accepts monetary donations to help with the shipping costs of sending the sock filled care packages overseas, as well as all sorts of other items that our Soldiers are requesting. Travel sized toiletry items, drink mixes, beef jerky, cross word books, etc. etc. etc. Kim is in the process of getting the paper work done and the group legalized as a non-for profit so that she can give out receipts for tax purposes and use a tax exempt ID, etc.
This bag of yarn was among the 3000 or so balls of Swish Superwash donated by KnitPicks.com. They could not continue to sell it to their customers because it missed a rinse cycle somehow and was turning customer's fingers blue. We who knit for Soldiers don't care. Pfffft. What's a little blue dye compared to what they are doing?? A HUGE thank you to KnitPicks!!
And, the BEST for last. Here's the laceweight i ordered from Dave over at Cabin Cove Merchantile! It is absolutely stunning. 850+ yards of "Gingerbread" destined to become "Icarus" (sroll down!) i think!
Look at Luna. She was all over my photo arrangements. She really liked sniffing the items from Dave, so i'm wondering if she knows that Miss Lulu Kitty helped pack it up?? ;)
I'm off to cuddle up with books and lots of yarn!
Knit On!!
~Suz~
Today, both my Amazon.com order and my Socks For Soldiers yarns arrived. One very heavy box and two stuffed postal envelopes. LOL! The poor Dear.
Here's what was in the Amazon box:
And in the postal envelopes:
Three giant balls of Trekking XXL in black for knitting up those Socks For Soldiers. If you love to knit socks and wish to contribute some charity knitting, this is a great cause. Kim runs a great group over there, she really must be running herself ragged and i KNOW that her postal people LOVE her to bits! If you don't knit (i don't know why you'd be readin this then, but just in case), the Socks For Soldiers group also accepts monetary donations to help with the shipping costs of sending the sock filled care packages overseas, as well as all sorts of other items that our Soldiers are requesting. Travel sized toiletry items, drink mixes, beef jerky, cross word books, etc. etc. etc. Kim is in the process of getting the paper work done and the group legalized as a non-for profit so that she can give out receipts for tax purposes and use a tax exempt ID, etc.
This bag of yarn was among the 3000 or so balls of Swish Superwash donated by KnitPicks.com. They could not continue to sell it to their customers because it missed a rinse cycle somehow and was turning customer's fingers blue. We who knit for Soldiers don't care. Pfffft. What's a little blue dye compared to what they are doing?? A HUGE thank you to KnitPicks!!
And, the BEST for last. Here's the laceweight i ordered from Dave over at Cabin Cove Merchantile! It is absolutely stunning. 850+ yards of "Gingerbread" destined to become "Icarus" (sroll down!) i think!
Look at Luna. She was all over my photo arrangements. She really liked sniffing the items from Dave, so i'm wondering if she knows that Miss Lulu Kitty helped pack it up?? ;)
I'm off to cuddle up with books and lots of yarn!
Knit On!!
~Suz~
Sunday, January 07, 2007
On the needles
Ok. So, i resisted the urge to cast on something lacey with the yarn i purchased from Dave's Cabin Cove Merchantile. Oh, wait...i never wrote about that, pretend i didn't say anything yet. MmmK?
Instead, i ended up casting on a version of "Log Cabin" from the Gals over at Mason*Dixon Knitting.
And i have a sound reason why i decided to cast on for this, even though i have two different socks on needles, a hat to make, two pairs of Sweet Mary Janes to make and my yarn for my Socks For Soldiers in on the way to me. Eeeek!
I decided yesterday that i needed to get a handle on my smallish stash, because it's becoming unruly. I have very, very little space to store yarn. I have a small three drawer, rolling, cart type thing that i use as my bedside table and it has yarn in it. I also have a basket sitting on the floor and a large tote bag...all full of yarn. The second drawer of the rolling cart has the "leftover" yarn from Mom's browns/tans/whites/ scrap scarf. I need to use this up. If i am able to use it all, i'll empty the whole drawer and then be able to fill it with yarns that are overflowing the floor basket. That would help a LOT!! See! I have a good reason!
I decided that i would cast on for a Log Cabin lap blanket and then send that off to Kele in Indiana for the Lap Blanket Project that she spearheads there. (The lap blankets she collects from our Pagan Community and others are distrubuted to local Nursing Homes at Yule time, after they are festively wrapped, of course!)
There. That's my knitting update. :)
~Suz~
Instead, i ended up casting on a version of "Log Cabin" from the Gals over at Mason*Dixon Knitting.
And i have a sound reason why i decided to cast on for this, even though i have two different socks on needles, a hat to make, two pairs of Sweet Mary Janes to make and my yarn for my Socks For Soldiers in on the way to me. Eeeek!
I decided yesterday that i needed to get a handle on my smallish stash, because it's becoming unruly. I have very, very little space to store yarn. I have a small three drawer, rolling, cart type thing that i use as my bedside table and it has yarn in it. I also have a basket sitting on the floor and a large tote bag...all full of yarn. The second drawer of the rolling cart has the "leftover" yarn from Mom's browns/tans/whites/ scrap scarf. I need to use this up. If i am able to use it all, i'll empty the whole drawer and then be able to fill it with yarns that are overflowing the floor basket. That would help a LOT!! See! I have a good reason!
I decided that i would cast on for a Log Cabin lap blanket and then send that off to Kele in Indiana for the Lap Blanket Project that she spearheads there. (The lap blankets she collects from our Pagan Community and others are distrubuted to local Nursing Homes at Yule time, after they are festively wrapped, of course!)
There. That's my knitting update. :)
~Suz~
Saturday, January 06, 2007
It's rubbing off
Pssst. I have to whisper. Come closer. Real close...
So, this evening, Deb spent hours browsing the internet in search of a vest pattern for me to knit for her. Prior to that, she spent about 30-40 minutes on WEBS looking at yarn. Her niece, Katie came in and showed me this little purse and asked if i, "...could make one, but bigger and ya know, outta yarn?" When i told her i could, that's when her and Deb hopped online and started looking for yarn. Yarn that i get to touch, smell and knit with. Mmmm. After that is when she moved on to hunting for a vest pattern, and then...she whipped out her own bank card, and she bought the pattern!!! Wait. I think i need some air. Hang on.
Ok. That's not all. My favorite LYS sent out a newsletter a week or so ago saying they'd be closed for inventory and would reopen on the 12th and that there would be a HUGE sale going on until the end of the month. I'd already asked Deb if we could go and i'd saved some of my Yule/gift money for that shopping trip, but now...now, Oh this is grande...Deb will be shopping for yarn too!!! (insert Giddy laughter here!) Deb will be looking for yarn for her vest.
As if that's not enough, there's more. But, my Dear readers, the few of you had better make sure you're sitting down when you read this next part. If at all possible, laying would be better but if that can't be managed, make sure that you surround the chair you are on with pillows or many skeins of yarn on the floor, just in case you fall off you chair. MmmK??
Deb actually uttered the words, "...and who knows, i might learn to knit some day..." No. I know. I swear! She said it. The yarn. The wool. The needles. The Books. The fumes. It's all rubbing off. Our plan is working! ;)
In other, almost stranger news...it was 70 dagone degrees here in Maryland today. I went out with a short sleeve T-shirt on. I wore NO socks. You read that right. Bare feet inside of my Birkenstocks. NO. Warm, woolies on my feet. Sigh. What is this world coming to??
Needles to say, the parking lot at the Golf Course we passed today was completely jammed. You could not fit one additional vehicle in that lot, even if you had wanted to. Giddy, hysterical men everywhere; driving carts wildly like it was a day off of school or something. It was totally weird. I looked at Deb and i said, "Do you see that? Over there? It's January 6th and the golf course is completely packed!, I'm not wearing wools socks and you have shorts on! WTF?"
I'm still in search of a bit of snow and i must admit that it seems really foolish to be knitting Winter wear. I really feel like i should be casting on something lace-like.
Colorado. Quit hogging the snow and send some to the East! MmmK?
Thanks!
~Suz~
Edit: Deb is now claiming that she said something more like, "If you don't make me a vest soon, i may have to learn how to knit."
Hrmph! So close! Ya know, i've been telling the woman for months that she needed to find a pattern she likes. Sheesh!
So, this evening, Deb spent hours browsing the internet in search of a vest pattern for me to knit for her. Prior to that, she spent about 30-40 minutes on WEBS looking at yarn. Her niece, Katie came in and showed me this little purse and asked if i, "...could make one, but bigger and ya know, outta yarn?" When i told her i could, that's when her and Deb hopped online and started looking for yarn. Yarn that i get to touch, smell and knit with. Mmmm. After that is when she moved on to hunting for a vest pattern, and then...she whipped out her own bank card, and she bought the pattern!!! Wait. I think i need some air. Hang on.
Ok. That's not all. My favorite LYS sent out a newsletter a week or so ago saying they'd be closed for inventory and would reopen on the 12th and that there would be a HUGE sale going on until the end of the month. I'd already asked Deb if we could go and i'd saved some of my Yule/gift money for that shopping trip, but now...now, Oh this is grande...Deb will be shopping for yarn too!!! (insert Giddy laughter here!) Deb will be looking for yarn for her vest.
As if that's not enough, there's more. But, my Dear readers, the few of you had better make sure you're sitting down when you read this next part. If at all possible, laying would be better but if that can't be managed, make sure that you surround the chair you are on with pillows or many skeins of yarn on the floor, just in case you fall off you chair. MmmK??
Deb actually uttered the words, "...and who knows, i might learn to knit some day..." No. I know. I swear! She said it. The yarn. The wool. The needles. The Books. The fumes. It's all rubbing off. Our plan is working! ;)
In other, almost stranger news...it was 70 dagone degrees here in Maryland today. I went out with a short sleeve T-shirt on. I wore NO socks. You read that right. Bare feet inside of my Birkenstocks. NO. Warm, woolies on my feet. Sigh. What is this world coming to??
Needles to say, the parking lot at the Golf Course we passed today was completely jammed. You could not fit one additional vehicle in that lot, even if you had wanted to. Giddy, hysterical men everywhere; driving carts wildly like it was a day off of school or something. It was totally weird. I looked at Deb and i said, "Do you see that? Over there? It's January 6th and the golf course is completely packed!, I'm not wearing wools socks and you have shorts on! WTF?"
I'm still in search of a bit of snow and i must admit that it seems really foolish to be knitting Winter wear. I really feel like i should be casting on something lace-like.
Colorado. Quit hogging the snow and send some to the East! MmmK?
Thanks!
~Suz~
Edit: Deb is now claiming that she said something more like, "If you don't make me a vest soon, i may have to learn how to knit."
Hrmph! So close! Ya know, i've been telling the woman for months that she needed to find a pattern she likes. Sheesh!
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Living With Ed
Other than me, did anyone stick around after the Tournament of Roses Parade to check out this new show? I have to say, i'm really excited by this show. I think that every environmentally friendly person should invest their time in tuning in to see what we can learn.
In the day and age of "Hollywood Excesses" beyond belief, it is really refreshing to finally see some TV, where a celebrity is putting himself (and his wife) out there for all to see. Some may think he's a kook, some may think he's brilliant...me, i just think the guy's down to earth and has a lot of great ideas to share. We can certainly learn from him...what works, what doesn't work...and how we can all be a little "Greener" for a healthier planet.
Tune in, won't you?? I'll be there...with knitting in hand!
Series Premieres
Sundays at 10 pm ET/PT
Starting January 7, 2007
~Suz~
In the day and age of "Hollywood Excesses" beyond belief, it is really refreshing to finally see some TV, where a celebrity is putting himself (and his wife) out there for all to see. Some may think he's a kook, some may think he's brilliant...me, i just think the guy's down to earth and has a lot of great ideas to share. We can certainly learn from him...what works, what doesn't work...and how we can all be a little "Greener" for a healthier planet.
Tune in, won't you?? I'll be there...with knitting in hand!
Series Premieres
Sundays at 10 pm ET/PT
Starting January 7, 2007
~Suz~
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