A girl, some yarn, and a weinerdog

The dirty 30. The big 3-0. Wowza.

2006-07-15T02:25:00+02:00

So, today is my 30th birthday. Life looks a little different than what I'd planned when I thought about where I'd be at 30. But life is good. I've had a great 24 hours.
Last night, went to have my hair done at my friend Ann's salon. When I went to pay... FREE. She says "I'm sorry--this is cheezy that I didn't get you a gift. I'd like to give you your hair for free." Wow. A $130 cut and color for free? Are you kidding me? Then we went to BW3's and met up with our 2 other friends, and sat on the patio and drank martinis (I'm loving cosmos lately... call me Carrie Bradshaw, I guess...) all night. When we were ready to order more, we'd call the bar on our cell phones and ask for another round...
This morning, I woke up to my very good friend and a handmade card. Apparently he called my house twice and yelled up the stairs, but I didn't hear him (on account of I was passed out from the 7 cosmos and random shots from the night before).
Then I went to cheerleading practice, and my entire squad was waiting with balloons, cake, and these: Too sweet. One rose for each year.
After that, I knitted at my LYS with my great friend Andria. I worked on this: Orangina. Someday I'll finish it.
And I got frustrated with this: Starsky. I hate knitting cables on the wrong side. I'm thinking of how I can make this sweater more enjoyable. I'm going to rip out what I have.
So then I started on this: Pasha the penguin. For my tiny friend Kayla, who is painting her room like Antarctica.
I popped home for a bit to visit with Zoe and found these in my mailbox. My grandma sent them.
Then I decided that since my phone has started to cut off and die during about 3 out of 5 conversations, I deserved to have working communication devices. So I went out and bought myself this: Good, huh? Happy birthday to me.

You old blockhead.

2006-07-13T17:33:03+02:00

This is the scene at my dining room table. I am blocking 3 (count 'em, 3!!!) FO's as we speak. Wrap tank in Plum Patina Cotton Fleece. Somewhat Cowl in Olivette Cotton Fleece. One Skein Wonder in Rue and Truffle Cotton Fleece. Anybody see a theme here? Time for an intervention. I mean, really. Someone needs to cut me off of the Cotton Fleece. STAT. Remember the last FO? The halter top. What did I knit it with? Cotton Fleece, people. What else am I working on? Orangina. In Cotton Fine. Which is like switching from Lamb's Pride Burly Spun to Lamb's Pride Worsted. Not that different.
So, I am thinking that it would be fun to do a stitch marker swap. Any takers???? Let me know. I'll set it up.

Back from the last frontier!

2006-07-12T16:25:51+02:00

Hey!! Hey y'all! I'm back from the greatest vacation EVER!! My dad and I met up out in Vancouver, BC to hop a cruise ship up the Inside Passage in Alaska! Big fun! We saw amazing things and had incredible adventures. Went on a zipline tour over the canopy of a temperate rainforest. Took a helicopter ride to do some dogsledding on a glacier. Chased our sled through the snow when our dogs decided that break-time was over. Went through the Denali National Park in a six seater plane in some pretty bouncy weather. Saw some magnificent wildlife (grizzlies, moose, caribou, wolves, foxes, porcupines, bald eagles...). Sat on my veranda and knitted while the ocean went by... Picked up some Lorna's Laces sock yarn in "girly stripe" for some girlpower Jaywalkers.
Here's what I knitted on my trip: It is a little fake-wrap tank. The recipe was concocted by Sandi, the owner of my LYS. I knitted it in Cotton Fleece (my favorite yarn ever) in Plum Patina. I wasn't sure about this color--it didn't look like much in the skein, but knitted up? I. LOVE. IT. Can't wait to wear it. Still working on Orangina. Sporadically. That is usually how I roll when it comes to lace. I'm ready to start something else. Next project? Starsky.
So when I returned home, I had a short run of REALLY bad luck. The highpoints: majorly flat tire (two times) on the way to pick up my dog from "puppy camp." Of course I was on the phone with the man who is now my ex-boyfriend when the tire ceased to be a working component of my vehicle. He INSISTED that I allow him to rescue me. Urgh. Once we got that sorted out, I came home, pulled my car in the garage, and attempted to close the garage door. It got halfway down, then refused to budge. Stuck halfway, hanging at a 30 degree angle. Terrific. One of the coils had come unwound. Right, and I'm going to be able to fix this. My super marvelous friend Joe came to my rescue and fixed it (much to his own surprise). I love needing to be rescued twice within a 3 hour period. Give me a friggin' break.
But all was well Monday morning when my postman delivered all of the mail from the 2 weeks I was gone, because I got my colorswap package from Dana!!! My dog loved the treat that was in the box for her. Dana, thank you! You rock!
Ok, so is anyone else having trouble with comments that are spam? WTF??? I have been deleting them when they show up, but I had one that showed up on my blog, but not when I went to my comments list. I ended up just deleting the post, because blogspirit is not interested in assisting me in managing my blog. Am I the only one having this problem?????

Bye bye, Pirate!

2006-06-22T21:58:12+02:00

God bless FedEx 2nd day air, people. That is all I have to say. Last week, I went in for my eye exam. I got my new prescription, and decided that it would be more cost effective for me to order from 1800Contacts. So, I get home, and the contacts feel fine for the first 2 days. Saturday, my friend Liz and I went on a shopping excursion, and all of a sudden I felt like I had big gunk in my eye. I cleaned the contacts like 3 times, but they still felt odd. Sunday, I went to see The Breakup with my friends Liz and V, and cried my eyes out at the end (just broke it off with the boyfriend of 8 months, and I swear to god they stole parts of my life for this movie). I get to my car, and feel like I've got a stick in my eye. When I get home and let the dog out, I go take the contacts out, put my glasses on the coffee table, and take a nap. I wake up and the dog has chewed the end of one of the arms of my glasses. Nice. Then, Monday morning when I go to put my contacts in, I realize what the problem is. The right contact is torn. What the F??? So I've been a little ghetto in the eyesight department. But I came home from the gym to a box of new contacts--Yay!!!

this is ridiculous!

2006-06-17T01:50:42+02:00

I can't believe how long it has been since my last post. Inexcusable. Now, granted, life was REALLY crazy at the end of the school year for me, but that is still no excuse...
I have been busy, though. Unfortunately, I've not been busy with the Somewhat Cowl. I'm really not motivated to finish this item at this time. Literally, all I have to do is sew down the collar and I. Can't. Do. It.
Here's the rundown of what I've done instead:
I read Skinny Dip (by Carl Hiaasen) for a book club.
I started another one skein wonder. Cotton Fleece, Rue and Truffle. The ribbing will be in Truffle.
I finished the Preteen Girl Dream Halter (Cotton Fleece, some victorian pink or something, with Stacy Charles Poppy), which may be too short. I'm thinking that if I get a thin orange cotton halter, I can layer like the middle schoolers do, which will solve all problems.
I've started Orangina. Cotton Fine, truffle. Can you tell that A) I love Brown Sheep Cotton, and B) I need someone to make me stop using brown?

I've got the ADD...

2006-05-14T20:51:29+02:00

... and can't a) slow down long enough to blog, and b) stay with one project long enough to complete.
So while I've been gone, I've been working on the Somewhat Cowl. It is Somewhat Completed, but still needs to be Somewhat Blocked and Tamed. I tacked the collar inside, and HATED it. It looked pretty wonky. I think after I block it, I may tack it down flipped over like a turtleneck. That seems to work better with the yarn I chose (Cotton Fleece in Olivette)

So last week I received some terrific Trekking XXL in the mail from Tam, my April Colorswap pal. I've decided to use it for the Jaywalker. Here's how it looks so far:

I was sitting at my LYS yesterday working away, and all of a sudden my yarn gypsy ADD kicked in. I dropped my sock and started this: It is going to be the PreTeen Dream Vacation Halter. It looks like cotton candy and bubblegum ice cream. It is a little bit Pink Panther, and a lot Florida yard flamingo. It will have about 3 inches of 1x1 ribbing all the way around, and then turn stockinette in the front, but remain ribbed in the back. I'm using Cotton Fleece in Tea Rose, and some Stacy Charles Pansy in Reds (although it is more pinks and oranges). It makes me want to paint my toenails and chew some hubba bubba. Can't wait. TOTAL impulse purchase/project. Oh well. It is almost summer.

By the way, here's an action shot of the finished Hourglass. I love this sweater. I've been whining about the unseasonably cool spring we're having (it's been in the 40's more than once in the past 2 weeks!), but it did give me one last opportunity to wear wool without looking ridiculous...

the best swapper pal EVER!

2006-04-20T22:26:30+02:00

I'd like to start this post by apologizing to everyone who did NOT have Tam as their colorswapper, because y'all missed out. Big time.
Oh, Tam. I do love you so. You totally outdid yourself, sister.
Look what I got today, y'all. Oh wow.

some great schoolish supplies, some yummy candy, some AWESOME yarn, a cool magnet, some burts bees lipstuff, and that bag!!! That amazing bag that I have been SALIVATING over on Tam's site!
here's a shot of the inside...
Tam, you are OFFICIALLY the greatest. Ever. Wow.

Planet Dog and the Colorswap Questionnaire...

2006-04-18T22:45:12+02:00

First of all, some funny dog pics from the weekend... Zoe snuggling with her Loofa dog.
A dog's eye view of the world...

And now for the questionnaire.
These are always fun to fill out...

Are you crafty? I'd like to think so!! I have a craft room and everything!!

Would you enjoy things like: Buttons, ribbons and
embellishments? I definitely enjoy these things, but often forget to incorporate them into my projects.

Do you dye your own wool? I have done some Koolaid dyeing, but not extensively.

Do you like to scrapbook or make homemade cards? I like making my own cards.

What are your favorite scents? Lavender, warm vanilla sugar, brown sugar and fig, pumpkin

Do you like stationary and cards? Yes!! The funkier the better!

Do you like to sew or embroider items? Embroider--no. Sewing?? I've been eyeing the Amy Butler swing bag pattern, and I'm leaning towards buying and sewing it! So, eventually, I probably will begin to sew!

Do you like beads? I like beads, but don't use them very often.

What kind of candy do you like? Dark chocolate with peanut butter, real red swedish fish--like from the bins in the candy store.

Do you like hand lotions or soaps? lotion, yes.

Do you like to wear costume jewelry? Necklace,
earrings, bracelets etc. I love funky jewelry. My ears tend to flare up with fun earrings, but bracelets and necklaces are definitely fun!

Do you like to make/or use stitch markers? I TOTALLY use them, and have made a few as well. I am in love with the sushi stitch markers on amyville.com

Do you collect anything? weinerdogs

Do you have any allergies?: Smoke, food, fiber, pets,
etc. nope!

Do you have any hobbies? knitting, knitting, and knitting.

Do you like scented or unscented candles? scented!

Are you a fiber snob? um, yes.

Do you like to play cards or board games? YES, YES, YES!!!

Do you like neon colors, pastel, light or medium
ranges in the color of the month? any green (other than the heinous 80's neon) is great with me!

Do you like kitchen magnets or key rings? yes! again, the funkier the better!

Do you like picture frames? yes!!

Orangetastic, and other stories...

2006-04-14T16:40:00+02:00

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a finished object. Well, maybe. I may be completely anal retentive and re-sew down the neckband, because it may slant just a smidge. We'll see how it looks once I block it. But other than that? I. Love. This. Sweater. I love the yarn. Who knew that the orange would have hints of red and fuschia in it? Who knew that it would be so soft and cozy? Who knew that the shaping would hit each of my curves in EXACTLY the right place? I tried it on for the boyfriend, pre-3 needle BO, and his words, or word I guess, was "Wow."
I really enjoyed knitting this, because it was the PERFECT in-the-car knit for our weekend drive to Columbus, Ohio. Can't wait to wear it. But, considering the, as our weather man so eloquently put it, un-seasosnably warm weather that we are experiencing, it appears that waiting is what I will have to do. Nobody wants to wear long sleeves, ESPECIALLY wool ones, when it is 82 degrees outside...
I'm so proud of myself with this sweater, because I didn't cheat. At all. Well, maybe a little. I didn't start my next project, the Somewhat Cowl, until all that was left of the Orangetastic Hourglass was weaving in ends. For me, such an impressive feat. I am a little weirded out, however, that I am knitting Cotton Fleece on size 4's. Ick. I guess we'll see how it goes...
So, yet again, upon returning from the kennel, the girldog got sick. Violently sick. In the form of some real stinky diarrhea. And what was REAL shitty (pun TOTALLY intended) about it is this: as I'm cleaning it up with my little hand held spot steamer, the piece of crap (again, totally intentional use of wordplay) springs a leak in the tank. And the shitty water (literally) got sucked into the fan, which then sprayed it all back at me. And all over the clothes that were on the ground, waiting to be put away. So, I had to throw (literally) it in the trash, shower AGAIN, and make my way to Hell-mart (you might know it as Wal-Mart) and purchase another steam cleaner. On the bright side, this one works much better. Also on the bright side, it pays to be a worry wart with this dog. Last Christmas, she ate some turkey and got sick, and the vet gave me some stuff to put on her food. When I called freaking out yesterday, they said she had Colitis, and I could medicate her with the stuff I already had! So I dodged a vet bill on THAT one... YESSSS! So, after a day of being completely pathetic, she is back in action, chewing on her tag.

Had a very lucrative day at the LYS... Brought in 2 projects that needed to be fixed. Both had been bound off, ends woven in, etc. One, too small.

One, too big. The way "Too Small" was solved went something like this:
Me: Hey, look at this. It is too small.
Sandi, the Yarn Goddess: Try it on, because I think it will actually fit you.
Me: Look, it is tiny.
STYG: You are retarded. Block it a smidge bigger and it will fit you.
Problem: solved.
As far as Too Big is concerned, we simply ripped back a few inches on the strap. Yay. Two pink projects: done and done.
Also during my visit... Picked up some materials for the next few projects: The Cotton Fleece (Rue and Truffle) is going to be a striped One Skein Wonder. The Cotton Fine (Truffle. Hello, my name is Amanda and I am addicted to the color brown.) is going to be Orangina. I also ordered some Cascade 128 to make Starsky. I can't WAIT to start knitting with that--it is SO soft!
To end what is quite possibly the longest post ever written, I thought I'd share a little gift I brought back from Ohio for y'all--boyfriend's sister in law's recipe. I ate almost 2/3 of the pan. It is glorious.
Super delicious hot wings without the mess recipe:
1 brick cream cheese
1 cup thick bleu cheese dressing--like T. Marzetti's is a good one***
1/2-1 cup hot sauce (we had it with 1/2 cup--I'd probably kick it up to 3/4 myself, but I tend to be on the semi-hot side of mild when it comes to spice)
2 small shredded chicken breasts
grated cheddar cheese
-preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-combine cream cheese, dressing, and hot sauce.
-mix in shredded chicken.
-bake 15-20 minutes to heat through.
-sprinkle with cheddar cheese and return to oven for 5 minutes.
-serve hot with tortilla chips.
Holy crap, is this good.
***Now, don't be intimidated by the bleu cheese. I, personally, am an active hater of the stuff. If I know it is in something, I generally refuse to go near it. This time, I had the good sense to try the dip first, and THEN ask what the ingredients were. And I continued to eat. And eat. And eat. So fear not. This is good shit. I promise.

Jam packed (and how I beat the SSS)

2006-04-03T01:40:00+02:00

So I made it through 28 parent teacher conferences. How did I celebrate? One word- Whirlyball. For more information on this terrific sport, visit www.whirlyball.com. I knew I would have fun, but this was serious fun overload. And I have the bruises to prove it.
Saturday morning, after about 3 hours of sleep, I got up and wanted to knit. And even though this
was OH SO TEMPTING, I resisted and finished the Embossed Leaves socks. Done and done.

Here's Zoe showing her approval... I absolutely love these socks, although they are a smidge big for me. I think they may be more slippers than socks to wear in shoes. We'll see.
Since I'd finished the socks, I rewarded myself by beginning the Hourglass. Finally. I've been wanting to knit it since I first saw it in Last Minute Knitted Gifts last spring.
I decided to do a contrasting edge. I don't love being a big fat copycat, but it was too great an idea to pass up. Here's a pic of the inside. I think it could be a bit neater, so I may rip it out and re-do the hem. I more or less threw it together because I wanted to make sure I'd like it before I got too far in.
So what is next? Besides finishing my Wobbly Circles tote (which I am determined not to do until April 15), I'm planning on doing some Jaywalking in a groovy pink varigated, and Orangina with Brown Sheep Cotton Fine in truffle. I also have some Cotton Fleece in Olivette that I might make the Somewhat Cowl out of, and then I have some more in Willow that I'm thinking might need to be the Ribby Shell from chicknits. I'm also trying to decide what I want to use to make Starsky... because I MUST have that sweater...
In the oven right now??? Yummy tart from Miss Ashley at doggedknits.com. Can't wait to dig into that...