My body family gave up and gave into the cold I've been fighting for the last week on Thursday night. A good friend of mine described her throat as feeling as if she were "swallowing glass". I'd have to say that's a pretty good way to say how I'm feeling. I broke down and bought some "behind the counter" sudafed on Friday. I'm now on the State of Michigan's books as having purchased 48 tablets. The stuff you can still buy on the shelf can't do anything compared to the real stuff. So, I feel like crud and will be skipping the Harlot visit tomorrow. Bummer.
I got my L&V Secret Pal swap box this week. My spoiler was none other than Manda from the Knitting Psychos podcast. She sent me a fabulous skein of hand dyed yarn. A super cool new chibi, bamboo cable needles, some needle clippy things, wool wash, a note book & pen, and some great candy. I have yet to photograph it but will soon. Thanks so much Manda!!
In super fabulous news...Baby Logan will be coming home soon after Easter. How awesome is that?! He's truly a miracle baby. Thank you for all of your good thoughts and prayers for him.
The meds are finally kicking in and I'm heading to bed.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Updates...
It's been a while since I've posted. Sorry about that. Life gets in the way. The last week has been a bit topsy turvy. I can't say much. But I think I've been more angry in the last week than I have ever been in my life. Way more angry than I ever thought I could be. I kept it together and I smiled because I'm trying to rise above and "Be Better". I am still in awe that some people show such a lack of respect for things that are personal and private to their lives. Moving on before I say something I'll regret later....My dear neighbors also experienced an incredibly sad tragedy that really puts life in perspective. I've been doing all I can to help them out, but it never seems like enough to help ease them through it.
Baby Logan is progressing incredibly well. He's almost up to 5 lbs and he's been practicing maintaining his temp in an open air bassinette. I've seen photos of him sporting the cap I made, but I haven't asked for permission to post them. His parents are hoping he'll be home before his due date at the end of April. It's amazing how well he's done.
I've been steadily working on Mickey. Her hot pinkedness is coming along...slowly, but surely. I finally looked at the ball band and it's the Watermelon color of Caron Simply Soft....and it is bright pink. Peanut comes to check it out each time I work on it and repeatedly asks if it's for her. Two things have happened while working on this project. 1) I have confirmed that I am an insanely slow knitter. The pattern is a six row repeat. There are a couple of wrap & turns, but that's 8 rows max. While watching Tristan & Isolde on Sunday, I timed how long it took me to get through a repeat....six rows over 69 stitches = 35 mins of my knitting life. That's really pathetic. No wonder it takes me forever to complete things! 2) I can now do plain stockinette/garter stitch without looking! I had become enthralled with the movie at one point (Irish/English tribes, Dark Ages, forbidden love...who wouldn't get caught up?) and suddenly realized that I had been watching the screen and still knitting! I consider this to be a major turning point in my knitting career.
I got notice today that my Lime & Violet Secret Pal box arrived at the local post office. I am so excited! It almost feels like my birthday. Speaking of my birthday...you may remember that last Summer, the blogless Erin and I decided to do our own Clapotis KAL. I had a project ending moment 2/3 of the way through when I realized I wouldn't have enough yarn. Considering it was Lisa Souza yarn, getting more would not be an option. I put Clappy in time-out while Erin sailed on to finish hers. A month or so ago, I pulled Clappy out and frogged her. She's been resting comfortably in pretty little Shade Garden cakes waiting to be brought out again. After some discussion, Erin wanted to make another one for a gift and I need to give mine another try. So...we launch Clappy2.0 on my birthday. 30 is my year of change and one I'd like to forget, but 31 is the first year of the 2nd 3rd of my life! It's all about new beginnings and a better life, so it's only fitting Clappy get another chance.
It's a busy week for us full of birthday parties, a Harlot visit and a school function. Thanks for checking in on us!
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Springing Forward
I spent an hour and a half tonight updating and bouncing mail servers. What an exciting way to spend a Saturday night. Friday night was spent out celebrating, so I can't complain too much. I'm glad to say the server updates seem to have gone well so far. I can't believe how much work a single decision generated for the IT world. Y2K had nothing on this one. I can only imagine the backlash if the government decides this wasn't such a good idea next year and revoke the change. Oy...I don't even want to think about it.
Yeah, so I've been working on another pair of socks for Peanut. First there was the "I can't handle US0 needles and this will be a great bracelet" pair. I then had a go of it with a heavier yarn. US2 needles seemed huge after the US0s. So this is what it looked like just before it visited the frog pond.
It was a little too small. It fit fine now, but it did require a bit of a tug to get past her heel. That's great. I finally realized by the time I got them finished, they would be too small. I really liked the yarn and will pick it up again, but I think I need a break from the tiny needles.
On that note...Knitty.com Spring 2007 just came out. Totally perfect timing!! I love Mickey. So much so that I did a gauge swatch the night it came out. I have quite the stash of Caron Simply Soft. I found the brightest, most annoying pink I had and went with it. I got a gauge of 6 sts/1" on US5s. They feel like clubs compared to the US2s, but I'll take it! I'm 2.5 repeats into and I can tell it's going to be adorable. I'm already trying to figure out how to make the pleats wider with additional short rows and make it more "twirlable" for the Grand Princess.
Last week marked a major milestone for our family, my Grandpa turned 80. That seems so strange to write. The men in my family tend to have a lot of heart problems. I have a cousin who had his first heart attack at 35. Just a couple of weeks ago, a different cousin in his late 40's had quadruple bypass. Last year, Grandpa had his own scare and now sports a pacemaker. Each gifting event, it's always such a struggle to figure out what to get him. The man wants for nothing. Things he mentions in passing my Aunts or Uncle buy for him. Of course, the "don't waste your money on me" argument happens every time. Gram insisted he didn't need another hat as he babies the one I made him. He won't wear scarves or mittens. Peanut and I sat down last weekend and whipped him up a card. It involved her stencils, markers and LOTS of stickers. Then it hit me...why not do a charity knitting donation in honor of his big birthday? So that's what I've pledged to do. I've chosen the Dulaan Project as the charity of choice for this. I have a lot of odd skeins of wool that will be put to good use as hats. He seemed to enjoy the idea and it sparked interest in the family for the Dulaan Project.
Peanut is wearing the blue dress every where and every moment she can. She's not allowed to wear it to school, but she considers every other waking moment fair game. Even during the strep stint, she wore it to the doctor's office with her cowgirl boots. We went bowling last weekend and she insisted it was what all the young ladies would be wearing. She's covered and warm, so I didn't really care. Funny, two little girls over were dressed in sparkly, red dance outfits.
Peanut is wearing the blue dress every where and every moment she can. She's not allowed to wear it to school, but she considers every other waking moment fair game. Even during the strep stint, she wore it to the doctor's office with her cowgirl boots. We went bowling last weekend and she insisted it was what all the young ladies would be wearing. She's covered and warm, so I didn't really care. Funny, two little girls over were dressed in sparkly, red dance outfits.
That's it from here. I've just lost an hour of my life and my servers are still happy. I'm off to bed!
Friday, March 02, 2007
DST & LV Swap Quiz
Damn DST!! That's all I can say. This is way bigger than Y2K ever was. I'm up late tonight updating and bouncing mail servers. Tomorrow and this weekend will be spent running agents overnight from home. Joy, joy, joy. It's not so much the work from home that I mind...it's the fallout of things not going well. Keep your fingers crossed!!
I joined the Lime & Violet swap. I'm pretty excited about it. I think it should be fun. Here's my questionnaire. Please keep in mind that it's late and I've had limited adult conversation this week...
1. What kind of fibers do you prefer? I don't really have a preference. I like things that are soft and smell nice. I don't buy Red Heart Super Saver because it's not soft enough and I don't like the smell. I don't buy fun fur because it makes me crabby to knit. Those are the only things I tend to turn down. I'm not snobby about my yarn at all. I made a scarf out of alpaca and loved it. I have some cashmere blend that I'm using for a scarf. I am the proud owner of a few skeins of Lisa Souza (sock! (L&V, Miss V's Pink Ribbon) and the wool/silk blend in the beautiful shade garden). I'm totally fascinated by self-patterning/striping yarn. I'd love to try some of the new fibers (bamboo, corn, milk, crab shells, etc). I'm really easy to please. I do tend to lean towards more blues and purples. With a resident Princess, it's also hard to stay away from pinks.
2. What kind of weight do you prefer (sock, worsted, bulky)? I tend to shy away from bulky. Doesn't seem like you get much bang for your buck with it. I just started working with sock yarn in the last few months. I tend to like the heavier sock yarns rather than the thinner. Socks that have to be done on US0 needles do not hold up to my attention span at this moment.
3. Do you spin? I do not, but I find it incredibly interesting and would love to give it a try.
4. Do you crochet? Only if I have to. All of my crochet work tends to be unpredictable. Squares turn into odd trapezoids.
5. Are there any books, patterns, magazines would you like to own that you don't? I'd really love to have the new Yarn Harlot book, A Gathering of Lace, Knitting for Peace or Knitting Nell. My little girl is fascinated with my knitting and I think she'd enjoy Knitting Nell a lot. I have a lot of single skeins of yarn I loved and wanted to have but was a bit pricey. I'd love to get something to help put them to functional use.
6. Are you participating in any themed a-longs like the Project Spectrum? I am not. I did last year, but life's been a bit to hectic to keep up with it this year.
7. Do you have a wishlist on Amazon.com or Half.com? (provide a link) I do have an amazon list. It's kind of a catch all I keep up for birthday & holiday list requests from friends and relatives.
8. Any Etsy stores that you would love to get something from? I've always wanted to get something from To Knit Perchance To Dream. I love her bright colors. She really puts some beautiful colorways together.
9. What other crafty things are you involved in (quilting, drawing, painting)? I once had a dream of quilting but I can't cut a straight line to save my life. Even with the ruler things. I did just inherit a nice sewing machine and I do have quite the fabric stash to taunt me, though.
10. What is your favorite sort of scent? I don't like heavy florals. I really like fruity/citrus scents. I like anything that could be tropical. I got a knock off bottle of the new Britney Spears perfume. It's totally my favorite at the moment. It reminds me of cotton candy. It does not make me want to shave me head or not wear panties, though.
11. Do you have a sweet tooth and what kind of sweets do you like best? I think I have more than one sweet tooth!! I like to try different types of chocolate, but love a good Hershey bar here and there. I'm not allergic to anything and tend to be adventurous in my candy tasting. I absolutely love Gobstoppers and Lindt truffles, too. I actually craved Gobstoppers while pregnant!
12. What kind of music do you like? I'm not overly fond of hip-hop or rap, but I like pretty much everything else. I love the free single of the week on iTunes. I was heavily into music before meeting my husband. I'm trying to get back to that. I've recently developed a fondness for Amy Winehouse's "I'm No Good" and Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back". Those are a pretty big leap from the country I've been listening to for quite a while.
13. What do you like to knit? And for whom? I tend to knit smaller things. Baby sweaters seem to be my niche at the moment. I have a 3 year old daughter and I have yet to knit anything "big" for her. I have all of the Wendy (knitandtonic.typepade.com) patterns, just need to pick the yarn to do one for her. I have a couple of shawl patterns that I hope to one day complete, but my life's just a little too crazy right now to focus on that. I tend to like simple, classic things. I've been working on Shedir from knitty.com for months and I think it's the most beautiful thing I've knitted. I did the Branching Out scarf and attempted Clapotis.
14. What sort of things do you like to collect? Nothing really, anymore. I have an extensive snowglobe collection that's been sitting in boxes for the last couple of years. I used to collect dragons. I still love them, but tended to get the cartoony or gothic ones. I love the Chinese style dragons.
15. Do you want needles? And what kind do you prefer? I don't know that I really need needles. Santa brought me some KnitPicks Classic ciculars. They're helpful for sock knitting. I would love some fun stitch markers, though.
I really am easy to please. I love surprises! I'm so very excited about this swap!
PS: I totally suck. I completely forgot to mention that my awesome package from Amy arrived last week. I'll have to post a photo of it soon. Thanks so much Amy!!
I joined the Lime & Violet swap. I'm pretty excited about it. I think it should be fun. Here's my questionnaire. Please keep in mind that it's late and I've had limited adult conversation this week...
1. What kind of fibers do you prefer? I don't really have a preference. I like things that are soft and smell nice. I don't buy Red Heart Super Saver because it's not soft enough and I don't like the smell. I don't buy fun fur because it makes me crabby to knit. Those are the only things I tend to turn down. I'm not snobby about my yarn at all. I made a scarf out of alpaca and loved it. I have some cashmere blend that I'm using for a scarf. I am the proud owner of a few skeins of Lisa Souza (sock! (L&V, Miss V's Pink Ribbon) and the wool/silk blend in the beautiful shade garden). I'm totally fascinated by self-patterning/striping yarn. I'd love to try some of the new fibers (bamboo, corn, milk, crab shells, etc). I'm really easy to please. I do tend to lean towards more blues and purples. With a resident Princess, it's also hard to stay away from pinks.
2. What kind of weight do you prefer (sock, worsted, bulky)? I tend to shy away from bulky. Doesn't seem like you get much bang for your buck with it. I just started working with sock yarn in the last few months. I tend to like the heavier sock yarns rather than the thinner. Socks that have to be done on US0 needles do not hold up to my attention span at this moment.
3. Do you spin? I do not, but I find it incredibly interesting and would love to give it a try.
4. Do you crochet? Only if I have to. All of my crochet work tends to be unpredictable. Squares turn into odd trapezoids.
5. Are there any books, patterns, magazines would you like to own that you don't? I'd really love to have the new Yarn Harlot book, A Gathering of Lace, Knitting for Peace or Knitting Nell. My little girl is fascinated with my knitting and I think she'd enjoy Knitting Nell a lot. I have a lot of single skeins of yarn I loved and wanted to have but was a bit pricey. I'd love to get something to help put them to functional use.
6. Are you participating in any themed a-longs like the Project Spectrum? I am not. I did last year, but life's been a bit to hectic to keep up with it this year.
7. Do you have a wishlist on Amazon.com or Half.com? (provide a link) I do have an amazon list. It's kind of a catch all I keep up for birthday & holiday list requests from friends and relatives.
8. Any Etsy stores that you would love to get something from? I've always wanted to get something from To Knit Perchance To Dream. I love her bright colors. She really puts some beautiful colorways together.
9. What other crafty things are you involved in (quilting, drawing, painting)? I once had a dream of quilting but I can't cut a straight line to save my life. Even with the ruler things. I did just inherit a nice sewing machine and I do have quite the fabric stash to taunt me, though.
10. What is your favorite sort of scent? I don't like heavy florals. I really like fruity/citrus scents. I like anything that could be tropical. I got a knock off bottle of the new Britney Spears perfume. It's totally my favorite at the moment. It reminds me of cotton candy. It does not make me want to shave me head or not wear panties, though.
11. Do you have a sweet tooth and what kind of sweets do you like best? I think I have more than one sweet tooth!! I like to try different types of chocolate, but love a good Hershey bar here and there. I'm not allergic to anything and tend to be adventurous in my candy tasting. I absolutely love Gobstoppers and Lindt truffles, too. I actually craved Gobstoppers while pregnant!
12. What kind of music do you like? I'm not overly fond of hip-hop or rap, but I like pretty much everything else. I love the free single of the week on iTunes. I was heavily into music before meeting my husband. I'm trying to get back to that. I've recently developed a fondness for Amy Winehouse's "I'm No Good" and Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back". Those are a pretty big leap from the country I've been listening to for quite a while.
13. What do you like to knit? And for whom? I tend to knit smaller things. Baby sweaters seem to be my niche at the moment. I have a 3 year old daughter and I have yet to knit anything "big" for her. I have all of the Wendy (knitandtonic.typepade.com) patterns, just need to pick the yarn to do one for her. I have a couple of shawl patterns that I hope to one day complete, but my life's just a little too crazy right now to focus on that. I tend to like simple, classic things. I've been working on Shedir from knitty.com for months and I think it's the most beautiful thing I've knitted. I did the Branching Out scarf and attempted Clapotis.
14. What sort of things do you like to collect? Nothing really, anymore. I have an extensive snowglobe collection that's been sitting in boxes for the last couple of years. I used to collect dragons. I still love them, but tended to get the cartoony or gothic ones. I love the Chinese style dragons.
15. Do you want needles? And what kind do you prefer? I don't know that I really need needles. Santa brought me some KnitPicks Classic ciculars. They're helpful for sock knitting. I would love some fun stitch markers, though.
I really am easy to please. I love surprises! I'm so very excited about this swap!
PS: I totally suck. I completely forgot to mention that my awesome package from Amy arrived last week. I'll have to post a photo of it soon. Thanks so much Amy!!
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