Somebody stop the bleeding

To quote Fiona Apple: "I've been a bad, bad girl."

Man alive, people, what is my problem? Why can I not stop buying yarn???

When I started knitting "Summer", I knew that I didn't have as much yarn as the pattern called for. So the other day, I figured I should go ahead and order one more skein of Merino Style so that it would be here by the time I needed it. And I have this disease that prohibits me from buying just one thing. Is there a name for this? spendmoremoneythanyouneedto-itis? So I also bought 3 hanks of Shimmer in turquois to make the Paisley Lace Shawl.

I know you gals are a clever lot and are thinking "hey, Tara, didn't you already buy yarn for the PLS?" Why yes, yes I did. But it's not what I had in mind, and by now, I'm sure you all know how anal picky I am about the colors of my knits. Stop laughing right now, please.

And you know that I went to the yarn store last weekend, right? Well, I thought I did really well.....leaving with only $20 worth of yarn and all. But I made one crucial error. Ladies, when you don't want to spend money at a yarn store, keep your hands to yourself! While picking out my yellow cotton, me glimpsed out of the corner of my eye some Rowan Felted Tweed. Becky is making Salina from Rowan Vintage Style with some Felted Tweed right now, and if ya know Becky, you know that she doesn't do anything that sucks. But to me, "felted tweed" didn't sound too appealing for yarn. It makes me think "itchy" and "old manly". So when I spied it in the store, well, I tried to stop it, but my hand had a mind of its own! The next thing I knew, there was yarn being stroked and little cooing sounds coming out of my mouth. I didn't buy any that day, my friends, but the seed had been planted.

I'm also a big fan of Stefanie Japel's designs, and ever since I laid eyes on Orangina, I knew I wanted to make her mine. It's been a battle these last few days...

"it calls for US3s and more 4ply cotton!"

"but it's so pretty..."

"you already have 2 lacey projects to finish!"

"so pretty.... "

"YOU DON'T NEED MORE YARN!"

"I bet it'd look great in lime green"


Do I have to tell you which of my alter egos won?

I thought not.

THIS IS A MESSAGE FROM JOE: If Tara buys any more yarn, please come to Pittsburgh and chain her to The Stash until it has been tamed back into submission. I need backup immediately.

Lastly, Tara is taking Dulaan hat #3 on the road to Philly this weekend. When she returns, there will be naughty pictures of the Liberty Bell, stories, and no new yarn.

God/goddess/Buddha willing.  ¶ 15:01

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  Baby Got Back

Oh my god, Becky, look at her butt...


Numero uno: Lucky




And check it out - that's sunshine in the picture too! Holy shit!

For those of you who lost count (myself included), I've finished a sleeve and the back so far. I have to admit that I'm getting a little bored with Lucky. I don't really know why b/c I think it'll be cute when it's done, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it has something to do with tiny needles and cotton, which leave my fingers all achey.

I've decided to block the pieces, and possibly start seaming them, as I go. Maybe it's just me, but when I finish a sweater, I get a little impatient and my finishing goes to hell. It's not that I mind seaming - I just hate being faced with all of it at once. Perhaps if I do just a little at a time, it will all be better in the end.

Also, I've given myself a little deadline for Lucky, albeit a very far away one. Joe and I are going to New Orleans in July, and I'd really like to take her with me. Not that I'd be able to wear anything with long sleeves in NOLA in July, but I thought it'd be cute to take a pic with her in the French Quarter since that's the backdrop they used in the book. Damn, I'm such a dork.


Numero dos: the Ruffled Top (this thing has no name, which annoys me, so from here on out I'm calling it "Summer" b/c the girl in the picture looks like Summer from The O.C. And by the way, screw you if you think it's funny that I watch The O.C.)



This baby is just what the doctor ordered. Easy peasy. And on size 8s with KnitPicks merino style, it seems to fly (well, compared to Lucky anyway). I've already got the front halves on the needles, and then comes the scary part - crocheting!!!! Luckily, I've got some hookers at work to walk me through it. Just watching them freaks me out! It seems unnatural or something.

I also made some stitch markers that I wanted to show you guys, but in true form, my camera made the pics look like shite. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow b/c Blogger is pissing me off right now!  ¶ 18:15

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  Last Hoorah for Winter Sweaters

Cathode: a negatively charged electrode.

Whatever that means.



SOME PROJECT NOTES
Pattern: Cathode by Stefanie Japel for Winter 2004 Knitty (and have you seen Stefanie's new design?)
Yarn: Handpainted Yarn Boucle Wool in Velvet Grapes (body) and Louet Gems Opal in Eggplant (ribbing). All yarn was doubled.
Needles: US11 (body), US5 (body ribbing), US6 (sleeve ribbing)
Other: I worked some eyelets for buttons at the neck, but now that it's done, I don't think I'll ever wear it as a turtleneck. Maybe I'll find some cute buttons just for decoration. For the set-up rows, I worked K1fb in all stitches instead of k1fb, k1fbf. I tried it Stefanie's way, but the ribbing just wasn't tight enough. And I don't know why she looks so holey in the picture cause she ain't like that in "real life". Lucky for you guys that I was wearing a shirt under her, I guess!

I hope everyone had a nice Easter or, if you don't do Easter, a really nice weekend. We went to my parents' house on Sunday for dinner and let the beasts run around in their big yard. They're still tired today, so I guess my boys are out of shape. Oh well, they're city dogs!



The Hunt for the Perfect Yellow Yarn

I went to Pittsburgh Knit and Bead after work on Friday, which was a huge waste of time. Mostly because that yarn store is turning into a huge waste of space. They concentrate mostly on novelty yarns, and there aren't enough of the few decent yarns they do carry to make a sweater, so what's the point? On Saturday, I ventured to Bonnie Knits to A) meet Jill and B) find my yarn! I was unsuccessful in both areas. BUT this time I was prepared. I unearthed some purty yellow alpaca in my stash, so I brought that with me to find some matching cotton. Eureka! I left with 4 balls of Filatura di Crosa Porto Cervo, and sometime in the near future, these little beauties will be whipped into Ultra Femme from SNBN. Just needed that yellow fix, I guess.



The bad news is that I am temporarily abandoning my search for yarn for the vintage cardi. *sob*

And look what else I whipped up over the weekend....



Now, don't go accusing me of becoming a turncoat! But I tell ya that sewing is just what the doctor ordered when you need a little instant gratification (or a break from Lucky). That is, if 3 hours counts as "instant."  ¶ 17:52

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  Hump Day Madness

Thank you, ladies, for all the lovely compliments about Tempting: the sequel. Believe me, I came up with many stories explaining to Melissa why I could not give it to her (spontaneous combustion, theft by Bigfoot, etc), but I made a promise and by golly, I was gonna keep it.

But let me clarify this right now - I am all about the selfish knitting. I am soooo done feeling obligated to knit things for people. Last fall, I had 3 babies, 3 girlfriends, and one mom to knit presents for and 7 of my mom's friends who paid me (thank god) to knit them some felted bags (non-knitters are so amused by felted things). All within a span of about 3 months. Oh! And because I can be a masochistic bitch, I decided to participate in a craft fair right in the middle of all that hoopla. Yes, the holidays are a time for giving.

Now. I think I must vent here for a bit. My yarn for the IK vintage cardi (you know, the one I've been rambling about incesstantly?) arrived yesterday. I was, how shall I say this, less than pleased with the yarn. I realize that when you buy yarn online you run the risk that the color may be a bit different. But usually "different" means "lighter" or "darker". NOT a new color entirely.

Witness the picture from the website.



And this is what I got.



I know my camera sucks, okay, but can you see what I mean? I was at a loss for words until Joe says 'that color is more like pear'. Okay, I know it's weird that my fiance will use a word like "pear" to describe a color, but I love him even more for it. Even though it creeps me out. A little bit.

So I threw the bag of yarn in my yarn cabinet, at which point Joe saw the contents of the yarn cabinet and was appalled.

Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!! $(#%&*$#$^(@!^(#!!!!!

I'm sorry for being a bit psychotic. I really am. I'm changing the subject now.

I recall a post a few days ago where I arrogantly stated that Cathode would be done by Wednesday. That is today, folks, and she is not done. Surprised? Probably not, b/c we knitters never keep our words, now do we? I have about 5" of sleeve left (I decided to make them elbow-length), then the weaving and blocking. *sigh*. Maybe I can wear her this weekend.

And yeah, didn't I also say something about the back of Lucky being done this week? I must've been smoking crack when I wrote that post. Apologies all around.

March Madness. It's not just a basketball thing anymore.  ¶ 18:08

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  Interview Time!

Okay, Grumperina. You asked for it.

1. I am dying to know the story behind the picture in your profile and on your button. Is that you?

2. Since you're a pretty new knit blogger like me, tell us about your knitting history. How did you learn? How long have you been knitting? What's your favorite thing you've made so far? (I know I'm cheating b/c there are 3 questions, but they're all related, dammit!)

3. I dig that you are rebelling against the current Clapotis craze even though you love it. So is there anything in particular that will draw you to a pattern so that you absolutely have to knit it?

4. Non knitting question... What's one place in the world you'd love to go and why? Or, if you've traveled alot, what is your favorite place you've been to?

5. So, like, when did your obsession with Louet start and how? (sorry, I couldn't resist!)


I know I promised some FO pics, so here's the unveiling of Tempting:Part Deux.



I'll hopefully get some action shot of her in 2 weeks when I see Melissa. I didn't want to put it on for fear that I wouldn't want to give her away!


And just because I'm too lazy to take another picture, here's the pic of my in my new PJ pants on Georgie's huge ass bed. Please be kind. It was very early on Sunday morning!



Yes, my shirt says "Foxy Lady". I've been told it is actually a curvy girls store in SF. So let's cue the Jimi Hendrix....  ¶ 20:51

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  Manic Monday

I hope everyone had a nice weekend. I must toot my own horn a bit b/c I was muy productive. I don't think I've written about this here, but I've been taking a sewing class at JoAnn's. The last class was on Saturday, and when it was all said and done, I had a cute pair of PJ pants to take home. I'll try to get a decent picture of them to post (Joe took one yesterday but it was after I woke up, so I'm looking rather Bride of Frankenstein-ish). And I started making Georgie a new doggie bed. Okay, I'll stop talking about sewing now b/c I'm sure you guys are bored already!

Oh, it's all gloomy again. Where, oh where, did the sun go? But I have to confess that I kinda want it to stay chilly long enough for me to wear Cathode! How selfish is that??? But she is *almost* done. Okay, I still need to knit both sleeves, then weave in ends and block, but I'm thinking she'll be done by Wednesday at the latest. She is sooo awesome though. Joe had to tell me to shut up b/c when I was working on her yesterday, I just kept saying "oh I love her, she's so pretty". Issues, people! I also finished Melissa's Tempting, which is blocking as we speak, so there are mad pictures of FOs on the horizon!!!

So in the meantime, I asked Tina to interview me. Here are the rules, if you want to play too:
1. Leave me a comment saying "interview me."

2. I will respond by asking you five questions here. They will be different questions than the ones below.

3. You will update YOUR blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.


Here we go....
1. How long have you been knitting and how did you learn?

Picture it. San Francsico. 2003. I'd been working on construction sites waaaay too long and was in need of some estrogen-type activities. One day, I came across a feature in Real Simple about knitting a hat. It was a simple k2p2 ribbed hat, but it made me think "knitting, how retro". So I ended up buying this pamphlet called, appropriately, "How to Knit" and voila! Here I am today...

2. Do you collect anything?

Well, I get bored easily, so I guess the answer is really "no", but I have collected many things at one point in time. After I got my tattoo, I collected unicorns (nothing cheesy, I swear). For awhile, I collected funny salt and pepper shakers like my wino and his keg. But about the only thing I really collect (or try to) are beer mugs from countries I've visited. Maybe I'm still into this b/c I don't travel much, but here's my collection so far.



Once again,sorry for the lousy picture. From left to right - Polar from Venezuela, Belikin from Belize, and Singha from Thailand. And next year, I'll get to add one from Brazil!

3. If you could knit anything in any yarn what would it be?

I'd love to knit a cashmere sweater, but yeah, unless I win the lottery (or even play it), that won't be happening any time soon. Other than that, I'd really like to be able to pick out one of the many Rowan patterns that I like and buy the yarn it calls for without batting an eye. Maybe I'm just cheap.

4. I looked at your blogger profile, you like Tupac. Which of his songs is your favorite?

Good Lord, woman, that is a tough one. There is just no possible way I can answer that question b/c I like different songs depending on my mood. I'll tell ya that my favorite CD is Me Against the World and that I wish they would stop releasing all these other CD's since he's died b/c they're just crap.

5. Do you have a car? If so what kind, if not...do you have a dream car?

Well, I recently bought a 2003 Toyota RAV-4. It's silver with a sunroof and CD, which is all I really care about, and I love it! Before that, I was driving a 1990 Jeep Wagoneer WITH the wood panel siding, thank you very much. But if I could drive anything I wanted, it would be this




I've come very close to buying it a few times, but that was when I lived in California where I could drive it more than 3 months out of the year. So now, I've decided to wait until my midlife crisis. Or at least until I learn how to ride it.

Now hold onto your pants. Pictures of Finished Objects coming up!  ¶ 11:45

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  The Office Manual...

...probably has a rule against squealing at work (although it apparently does not have any rule against old men staring at female employees' chests and/or bums while having conversations). But squeal I did when Joe called me this afternoon to say I had a package from Handpainted Yarn! They must've known that I was just getting ready to start sending them harassing emails. Check it out....



Now I can finish Cathode! And just in time for me to not be able to wear it too...

And I also got my Louet that I won on eBay. Still haven't figured out what to make with this (I'm sure it won't take long to find something), but look how pretty....



Georgie likes it.

I'm also planning to finish Melissa's Tempting this weekend. You know how I like to set my goals, so tonight's goal is to finish the second sleeve (while watching the O.C., of course) and attach the sleeves and body. Then it's smooth sailing.

The back of Lucky also seems to be working up at a decent clip. Dare I say that I could have it done by the end of next week??? Well, I better get cracking b/c yarn is on the way for the Vintage Cardi and, oh my, I just remembered that there's also yarn for the Paisley Lace Shawl in the package from Handpainted Yarn!



This yarn is greener than I expected. Duh, Tara, it is called EM-ER-ALD. But even in my photo, it seems kinda aqua-ish. Oh well, still very excited to have it for my first lace shawl! And it's green for St. Patty's Day....awwww...

Let's sing a little song... It's raining YARN. Hallelujah, it's raining YARN!!! Okay, no more time to blog.... MUST KNIT!  ¶ 17:46

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  Booze-Induced Yarn Buying

Not much knitting news today (I'm chugging along with the back of Lucky. I finished the body of Tempting:Part Deux, so it's time to whip out the DPNs. I think that the rest of my yarn for Cathode is lost somewhere in Uruguay. And Lolly, fabulous minds must think alike!), so I'm going to bore you with random useless babble about my life.

Over the weekend, I finished my Chuck Palahniuk book and started reading Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake. I'm only a few pages into it, so I really haven't formed any opinions yet. But Diary is great. If you like weird, sorta morbid-yet-witty books. It was an easy, fun read and good for a bit of escapism.

I realize that I'm falling behind on my Random Thing of the Week. Maybe it will turn into Random Thing of the Month. But this week's installment is a picture that my friend Dustyne took on her recent trip to Honduras. I don't even have to ask why she took this picture. I'm immature enough to know that I would have taken one too! Does anyone know what this actually is? I henceforth dub it the Sea Weenie.

Now I have to take a minute to vent about wedding planning. Joe and I decided to go abroad to get married b/c neither of us are into the "normal" big fancy weddings. Fine. I've got our hotels taken care of in Belize, and they do everything for you. How nice it that?!? I've talked to a few other brides-to-be and have gotten comments like "but you don't have as much control", to which I reply "SO?!?!?!" That's kinda the whole point. The day is about Joe and I agreeing to spend the rest of our lives together, NOT about what we're eating or if there are centerpieces on the fucking tables. Up to this point, we've been very happy with our arrangements even though we haven't done much else, but whatever, it's over a year away. But we decided on having "something when we get back" and are now conflicted over what this "something" should be. All the typical reception-type places seem too formal for us, and frankly, it seems like a big waste of money for a couple who is trying to save up for a HOUSE. At this point, I'm ready to scrap the whole thing and just rent a bus for us to all take to Kennywood. I mean, how cool would it be to ride roller coasters in my wedding dress?

Maybe I've had too much wine after work today. Sorry! By the way, I just broke down and bought Debbie Bliss wool/cotton to make the vintage cardi. And I think I bought Rowan's Vintage Style too... *burp*  ¶ 23:35

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  No Imagination Today

I have some updates and I have some pics, so hopefully that will make up for the joylessness of this post. I got some horrific news this weekend, which I'm not going to write about b/c it doesn't directly involve me and therefore it would be rude. But if you believe in the power of positive thinking, good vibes, or any of that kind of stuff, please send it my way and I will see that it's sent in the right direction.


UPDATE #1 I finally finished a sleeve for my Lucky cardigan. Actually, I finished the sleeve Thursday night, started the back on Saturday, decided that I want to make the next biggest size, frogged the the back and the cap of the sleeve, and then reknitted the sleeve. Thank goodness I didn't have to frog the whole sleeve or Lucky may be crumpled up in the corner with Marion. I often have the problem of being in between sizes on patterns. In most cases, I go for the smaller size, but with Lucky being a cardi, I figured it'd be better if she was a tad roomy to allow for layers. Last night I casted on for the back (using the tubular cast on) and worked the ribbing. Oh, and check out savannahchik's great post about a better way to bind off for sleeves. I have that book and had totally forgotten about that little tip!




UPDATE #2 I'm about halfway done with the body of Tempting: Part Deux. I really love this yarn. After I finish this sweater for Melissa, I think I'm going to start the ruffled top from the spring/summer knit.1 (sorry, I can't find a pic online) with the hollyberry that I didn't use for Cathode. It has some crazy crochet edging, but I've been stitch-n-bitching with some ladies at work who have offered me their crochet expertise. Ooh, a little adventure in hooking.






UPDATE #3 I finally got around to making something for Dulaan, in the form of one of Norma's butthole hats. Well, not exactly her butthole hat b/c I hadn't printed out the pattern and was too lazy to go upstairs and turn on the computer to look it up. It's a big freaking tube using 2 strands of yarn, so you have to try really hard to screw it up. I used one strand of Bernat Soft Boucle and one strand of an unlabeled yarn that I think was Lion Brand Wool-Ease and US 11 16" circs. And I also copied her idea of using stuffed animals as knitwear models. Mostly b/c the Big-Headed Baby Dog tried to eat the hat when I put it on his head.


UPDATE #4 I took Grumperina's advice and checked out the Louet yarns. And then I realized what a dumbass I am because I am using this yarn (in eggplant) to make Cathode!!! Duh, duh, duh. But I called my LYS and they don't carry Goldilocks. So I checked eBay. They had one auction for Gems Opal in a blue color and b/c it was so cheap I just couldn't help bidding on it. And I won! So WTF am I going to do with this blue yarn? I dunno b/c I'm still hung up on the idea of the cardi being yellow....

I've decided that instead of de-stashing I am stash-upgrading. When I first started knitting and hadn't yet discovered actualy yarn stores, I had the unfortunate habit of buying all my knitting wares at JoAnn's or Michael's or *insert commercial-chain craft store name here*. Now I have one bin that is devoted to scrap yarn and my "undesirables" (aka acrylics). De-stashing seems like too lofty a goal for me b/c what would I do at work when I'm normally surfing the web for yarn? Actually do work? Are you kidding me? So I'm just hoping to replace the bad with some good and hopefully not increase my stash in the process. It's not going well so far as you can see with my ranting about the IK vintage cardi and paisley lace shawl. But I swear that after I get some suitable yellow yarn for the cardigan, I'm done.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  ¶ 14:29

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  Knocked It Out

Today's forecast is disgruntled with a 60% chance of relief around 5PM.

Seriously, I want winter to DIE. I want it to shrivel up and slink back to where it came from. Yesterday, for the first time, I REALLY missed San Franisco. I missed it so much that when I saw J Strizzy's pics I almost cried. And of all the things to miss about SF, the thing I was missing was winter in the Bay Area. I'll take San Francisco's rain, and I'll never bitch about how California people can't drive in the rain ever again if winter will just be over. Please....?

At least this cloud (and there are many in Pittsburgh during the winter) has a semi-silver lining. I've finished Einstein. No exclamation points, just finished. Period. But it seems like so long since I finished anything that, even though this sweater is not for me and heck, I don't even like it, it gives me that little pick-me-up to keep me coming back for more.



Poor Joe. He comes home from work last night and I nag him to model this ugly interesting sweater for me. Maybe it's just the color that I'm not jiving with. And by the way, I know that the jacket's supposed to have buttons, but Deb agreed to sew them on. Thank god. And she offered to block old Einstein too, so she gets a star in my book.

Okay, enough with old Frumpy McGarterStitch.

Einstein wasn't even cold yet, and I'd aleady cast on for Melissa's Tempting (aka Tempting: Part Deux). I'm making hers with Knit Picks merino style in tide pool. This yarn makes me happy b/c it's soft and the color's spring-y. It gives me hope, people! And since I finished something, I feel like I should be able to start planning the next project for myself. RIGHT? What, my logic is flawed? Oh well. But here's my dilemma. Me loves the vintage cardi in the spring Interweave. Loves it! Especially since seeing Grumperina's. But I have become a bit obsessed with the idea of it being pale yellow. So much so that, even though elann has their Baby Silk in stock and it's cheap and gotten good reviews, I can't bring myself to indulge b/c they don't have yellow! Anyone know some fingering weight pale yellow yarn that won't break the bank? The only thing I've found so far is Debbie Bliss wool cotton, but I always get nervous ordering yarns I've never fondled before. Has anyone worked with this yarn? Would you recommend it?

As for my Lucky sleeve, I am *almost* ready to start shaping the caps. I'm just having some hesitation about the length it should be before I start. I'm paranoid that I have crazy ape-woman arms and that my sleeves will end up too short. I've decided to knit one more pattern repeat, which will put me at 18.25" rather than the 17.5 that the pattern calls for. Oh my god, I may have a SLEEVE done soon. I can't stand the excitement.

And before I sign off, I have to give Tina major kudos once again for being a sweetie and making me a banner (okay, she made 2 but I can only use one at a time. right?) to match my buttons! Go check her out and tell her that she rules.  ¶ 08:17

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  Mourning Bubba

It's taken awhile, but I've finally managed to pull myself together. For those of you who haven't heard the unfortunate news, Bubba has moved on to the Big Ocean in the Sky. Let's take a moment....




Okay, on to the good stuff.

Today I am giving myself a big ol' pat on the back. This weekend I knit, knit, knitted away at the Einstein jacket and as a result have about 3/4 of a sleeve left to knit. Einstein has taught me 2 things: I am no fan of garter stitch but slip stitch edges do make picking up and knitting very neat and easy. A little good with the bad never hurt anyone. With any luck, I will have this bad boy in the mail by week's end. At least that's what I'm hoping b/c I am sick of working on it. And as nice as it is to knit a sweater in one piece, it is a pain in the patootie to transport.

In other things-I'm-sick-of news, I am experiencing a bit of burnout from all this sweater knitting. I've been stealing time away from Einstein to work on Lucky for about a week now, and by my calculations, I'm about halfway done with a sleeve. A sleeve! At this rate, I may be finished with Lucky by the time we go to Belize. NEXT April. 13 months from now! Plus, I still have Cathode waiting for the shipment from Handpainted Yarn, and because I just couldn't help myself, I also bought yarn to make this



Mmmm. Pretty. The yarn for the shawl cost a whopping $12. Price tags like that make Tara a happy girl.

But in the meantime, I'm thinking a quickie (of the knitting variety, you pervs) may be in order. A hat for Dulaan, a buttonhole bag, or a Cross Hat-ch to match My So-Called Scarf - how's a girl to decide? Maybe I'll say "screw the sweaters" and do all of them.

I've also added a few more things to the sidebar.

*a link to my email in case you have some burning questions, want to harass me, feel the need to lavish me with praise, etc.
*a link to Amy's fabulous tutorial on recycling thrift store sweaters. I haven't tried this out yet, but I bought a few sweaters at Goodwill this weekend that will be my guinea pigs.
*our second installment of the Random Thing of the Week. This week's feature has been inspired by the return of Motley Crue and the news that Guns n Roses Velvet Revolver is coming to Pittsburgh. I'm so excited I may have to go buy some new panties. So......in the grand spirit of rock, I bring you Metal Sludge. Groupies in the digital age -- enter at your own risk.  ¶ 10:07

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  All over the Place

WARNING: The following post is the result of a loooong day at work that fried my brain and then served up on a platter. Coherent thoughts should not be expected.

First of all, I have to say hooray, I have buttons! A million thanks to Tina for designing them for me (and for being patient with all my "suggestions"). Since I keep fiddling with the colors and layout of this site, I figured it was okay to narrow it down to 2 even though there were at least 2 others that I liked...

I got bored with the Buffy Quote of the Week I was doing (after only 2 weeks, no less), so I started the Random Thing of the Week. In the first installment, we have Bubba, the best world's biggest lobster, who I saw with my own eyes last weekend at Wholey's. He is quite a site to behold. And he made me mighty hungry.

I've also got a brand new button from JenLa's Stashbusting Page. Don't hold your breath waiting for me to count all the balls in my stash. That would take far too much of my precious not-at-work time away from my knitting. I have about 4 medium sized "containers" (ie cupboard, bin, basket and big brown bag)full of yarn and we'll leave it at that. I admit that I am happy to hoard most of it, but I have random partial balls of acrylic yarn or scraps of novelty yarn (ah!) that I just can't bring myself to toss. The question is: Can I guiltlessly pawn these errors in yarn buying judgement off on the people of Mongolia? Calm down, I'm not going to knit them Fun Fur accessories or anything. But wouldn't that be funny...?

Do you want some knitting content? Well, here it is...
1. The Einstein jacket is now moving along quite nicely. I find that if I set myself a goal for each night, it helps motivate me to keep working on it. Leave me alone! I know I'm a dork.

2. Cathode. God, I can't tell you how in love I am with this sweater and the yarns I'm using. In fact, the beauty of the yarn alone is spurring my new obsession with replacing my archaic digital camera b/c all the pictures I've taken of this sweater SUCK! Or maybe it's me.... Anywho, this little baby in on hold until I get more yarn from HY. And on a side note, were they recently ransacked or what? They went from having oodles of gorgeous worsted merino to zilch! I have a sneaking suspicious it has something to do with Knitter's Review letting this little secret out of the closet!

3. Oh, Lucky Clover, how you frighten me. I casted on tonight and just to make things interesting, I decided to try the tubular cast on method (instructions in Vogue Knitting). Whatdya know, it's kinda purty. Once again, I'm going to illustrate how crappy my camera is with some pics.

This is how it looks before you rip out the waste yarn:




And this is what it looks like after (sorry the picture's so blurry!). Cool, huh?




One more random thing before I go. The amazingly cool people who put together Handmade Arcade (the coolest craft fair ever) last year are having a fund raiser for 2005's craft fair. They were looking for "crafty" donations, so this is what I'm forking over.



That's right. A duct tape purse, ladies and gentlemen. And my cute little felted/beaded bag. Awwwww.  ¶ 15:48

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  smallneedlephobia

I'm afraid to say this out loud because then I know it's true: I have to knit Lucky on size 2s! Why oh why do I have to be so loose!  ¶ 09:53

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