The Second Side of Me - Part 2

Ok Secret Pal and any one else that cares:

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? Anything that feels plasticy, or bad to the fingers. And I swear I will never knit another thing with Ribbon yarn.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s? Current knitting obsessions are like the rest of the world socks, also learning and stretching my knitting skills.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? If I could only knit two things right now it would be socks and the Clapotis scarf. But really I like variety – but I have found that knitting home things, pillows and afghans is not my thing, guess in the end it is clothes!!

17. What are you knitting right now? Right now I am knitting a black sweater - plain, a scarf, socks, a market bag

18. What do you think about ponchos? I wear tons of scarf and I should be a poncho girl – but I haven’t knitted a one!

19. & 20. Needles I am fussy about the needles – for really knitting I like Addi turbo circs, sometimes I will knit on something else if the needles are pretty.

21. Are you a sock knitter? Of course I am a sock knitter.

22. How did you learn to knit? My mother taught me how to knit when I was 11, European, even thought she knits English. She rarely used a pattern made her own and could copy anything. She gave me that gift.

23. How old is your oldest UFO? My oldest is maybe two years – after that I forget what they are or why I didn’t like them and frog.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird? - Alice in Wonderland of course.

25. What is your favorite holiday? I don’t really have a favorite holiday – like the closeness of the family at Christmas.

26. Is there anything that you collect? - Well let me look around my desk; rocks, boxes, blank books, good quotes and animal print, most things orange.

Kool-Aid and Jack Daniels

Do you know how you peruse the blogs and tidbits stick in the edge of your mind. They are like little worms that grow every time you find a blog reference to feed them. Well two of mine are working their way out. The Charlotte thing, first the word, then a few of the pictures, then the marginal understanding of the color change then the final food was this Koigu color. I broke down and ordered the pattern yesterday. How long till I need the yarn.

Next worm is this Kool-Aid dyeing thing. Yesterday I was digging in my stash and ran across about 1000 yards of Brown Sheep Sport Weight in color Natural - don't you think it would be perfect to try the Kool-Aid?

But I think the first try maybe the worm will need a little Jack Daniels to feed it. Think I will have to unwind the yarn, so the colors can go all the way through, Maybe a lot of JD. Any tips? (in addition to on ice, with coke or straight up.)

What you see is what you get: In 2 parts

This is me (and my desk):

1.Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer high- and/natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you? I am a teeny bit of a yarn snob, but really because how a yarn feels in my hands is critical to my knitting enjoyment.

2. Do you spin? Crochet? I do not spin YET, but have been tempted by a knitting spinning friend and all the knitting spinning bloggers –and by The Woolen Rabbit’s angora rabbits

3. Do you have any allergies? I am allergy free.

4. How long have you been knitting? I have been knitting on and off for 35 years!!!(that is scary) Knitting solid on for 10.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? A little Amazon list

6. What's your favorite scent?. Smells I like citrus, or pear. Not the sweet perfumy smells.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth? Yes I have a sweet tooth – doesn’t everyone? Milk Chocolate, not dark, anything Carmel.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? I am a crafty kind of person and have tried many things, used to weave a lot of baskets, but now I mainly cook, make fused glass and knit? Next I want to try wet and needle felting.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? Music, I like mild country, girl stuff (indigo girls, Sara McLaughlin, some Celtic.) Really anything but the heavy metal my kids like just now. Yes my computer/stereo can play MP3s.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? My favorite color is shades of orange, sometime pumpkin orange, but really more toward squash orange, or rosy, melon orange. Right now I drool over Lorna’s Laces Carrot color

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? My family situation is absolutely crazy, second marriage, five kids from 11 to 16, four cats, one dog, a turtle, and four fish.

12. What are your life dreams? daily dreams, time to knit, a good book, time with the kids, simple stuff. Life dreams I have a vision of Rose from the Titanic, at the very beginning of the film there is about 2 seconds when she is old and working on her pottery wheel. She has great earring and I want to be like that when I grow up.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? I knit with all kinds of yarn. Usually I am attracted to colors – more orange, bright pinks, always bold, never pastel. And I am tactile –it has to feel good in my hands.

Unwound

It was a first for me last night. I always wind. In all the years of my life I have never knit off an unwound skein. My friend LeAnne always does it. I was over the other night and she calmly laid her unwound skein on the arm of her chair and knit. I didn't gawk, I just went on knitting from my BALL of yarn. Knitting in public I can do, no sweat, but from a skein.?

Well last night I broke down. It was 11:00, I was into the Sophie Bag zipping along, (remember in my drugged state this is about all I can do,) knitting from two balls, when one ran out. I went to my yarn shelf and found the third SKEIN - oh no. I broke down, I couldn't wind it, I couldn't get out the swift and winder, I couldn't get the chair in the right spot. I just did it. I untied the skein and laid it over the arm of the couch.

This morning I have a new found freedom and think since I only have 20 more rows to go, I may just not wind. So have you ever done that, been unwound - or do you always wind?

No Suzy Homemaker Here

The pillow is done, and it turned out ok. I am just not thrilled with it. Why if you don't love knitting something, does it not matter how it turns out, you don't love it. I love Entrelac, the colors of this are even ok, so why was it such a chore? I told DH this morning, he may never get his afghan, cause I don't think I like knitting home stuff!!

Beading Through

Oh LeAnne, your stitch markers are ready. Guess you will have to make January not only finishing month – but also the start of Clapotis!!! Hope they make you happy.

O-Rings and Pillow Dreams

Still in my Vicodin haze. My dentist can fit me in February 9^th – guess I mean my ex dentist. Little knitting got done over the past two days. Did finish the back of my Entrelac pillow with Domino Squares. I being the fuss budget (where did my mom get that word from?) I am, am not totally happy with the back. Don’t like one of the seams. Did the squares in the wrong order and instead of picking up 55 stitches on the insides to make the last square I had to pick up one side, CO one side then K2T on the inside. And of course I notice when it is done. Yes I know no one else will. So if I can keep from true confessions everyone else will love it. Am busy stitching the front and back together, cause I still want to get it to the store today. In the end, it does look good and will be ooohed and ahhhhed over and I had another lesson in not liking to knit for the home. Clothes it is, if you can’t wear it, it drives me nuts to knit it. (Bags count as being able to wear.)

Have to run take a picture of the pillow (and Aibhlinn). Okay now I have to run back down with the camera battery and take a picture. Funny how they don’t work too well when you leave the battery out.

Do you know the stitch marker trick? I read it from someone online and it turns Aibhlinn into a really mindless knit. With a two-row pattern you attach two different stitch markers together and switch depending on the row. So for Aibhlinn, I know the green stitch marker is the row I switch the pattern and the black mark is the row I knit just like the one before. From whomever I learned that “Bless you my child.” It has made my knitting life easier. Note the little black ring is a small O-ring from my local hardware store. I bought about 30 of them over the weekend. I like how they feel on the needles. I am going to try some beading on them. Do you think I can make them pretty?

Now I am off to do something fun, cause I am a very touchy girl right now and I don’t like being that way. Finish pillow and take it in to the store see how many have signed up for pillow class, and market bag class, find some hot pink yarn to make D the Kristina Bag for Valentine’s Day. (And maybe even get DH to take me out for a beer.)

Dominos and Vicodin

January 22, 2005

Sitting in a Vicodin haze, tooth pain still there. Why does it happen on a Saturday, and what will my knitting look like tomorrow? I am going to finish the back to the Entrelac pillow this week end, get it sewn together and stuffed by Monday and get it down to Lindy's shop Tuesday. Class I am teaching on the pillow starts two weeks from today.

I am doing the back in four domino squares. Bought the Domino Knitting book last week and wanted to play with this. So this is the perfect opportunity. I have in mind to use one of the techniques in the book to make and afghan for DH. He remembers a knitting afghan his mother used to have that looked like Domino Tiles, the game. Sent an email to Wooly Thoughts, to see if they had a pattern. She did not, but then said I would have to decide if I wanted the tiles lined up - or like at the end of a game. Maybe I should use the game I creamed DH in two turns!!!!!

Am thinking of joining the ThinkPinkKnitAlong, as I am going to do Clapotis in that pink Bamboo. But then I haven't started the Market Bag, maybe next week, and I need a swatch done for the Aran Knitalong by the end of January and I have to finish the beaded sock by the end of January for the 6 Sox Knitalong. And I want to get some knitting done for family Valentine's Day presents - maybe the Kirstina Bag in pink for D. I have one skein of a great Noro in pinks I could use. And am dyeing to make DH a pair of socks in Lorna's Laces camouflage. So Knit adding another knitalong I am not sure.

How thin can one stretch ones self in the knitalong department and will the Knitalong goddess bend your needles if you don't keep up with what you have signed up for?? Or do they send moths to you stash??? Think I should just sign up before the Vicodin wears off.

from knitting to sex and back again

January 19, 2005

My friend LeAnne just told me I have to blog more - of course I do, but sometimes life intrudes.

Crazy few days - maybe crazy week. DH was sick, sick sick. Amazing how much more work there is taking care of 5 kids alone. Must mean he really helps a lot. I am tired tired tired of the kitchen, dishes on the counter, dishwasher not emptied, kids that could help missing.

Even seems like hardly any knitting got done. But I must have done some, other wise I could be totally CRAZY. Oh wait I am!!! But knitting. Finished DH's watch cap without him knowing. Am very proud of myself that he was very surprised. The Cascade 220 tweed Charcoal, in K1P1 rib turned out really nice.

It was pretty funny – was DH’s birthday yesterday. Gave him the watch cap and a pipe –wanted the pipe cause it reminded him of fond memories of his dad. So he was sitting there in watch cap with pipe hanging out of mouth and he looked just like the old man in the sea. I am sure he smelled like fish!

Then at dinner S 16 yrs said D 15 yrs made a joke about wanting the sign from the Tea aisle at the store. The rest of the kids cracked up and she turned bright red. So DH and I knew we had missed something. Someone mentioned some nickname for and DH and I still were lost. Then D could have killed S as he explained the sexual practice the nickname referred to. Even the 11 yr old knew what they were talking about. Sometimes I think we are tooooo open, that the 11 yr old knew, and that we were talking about it at the dinner table. Although the kids were not sure the liked joking about sex with their PARENTS.

Oh yeah, back to knitting

Started the beaded sock for the 6 sox knitalong, it's ok. Knitting is fine, am not totally thrilled with the colors, and I wish the beads were a little smaller - but SD saw it yesterday and LOVED it, so I quickly said - "well I am making them for you." She was so excited - do you know that 15 yr old girls have this squeal when they are excited, bet you can imagine what she sounded like. So the socks will have a good foot that loves them, and I am happier finishing them. Have tried the Magic Loop one needle technique and love that.

Now have to run, may do some knitting and have a cup of tea!!!! (like my kids say JK LOL JK)

So what do you do on days you are snowed in? Me I visited Crafter.org The Blog

And found these places to go play.





So go, like the say, pretend you are in prison and make your own license plate at Acme License Maker


Or you could just go make hearts if you are not feeling criminal.

January 15, 2005

OK ,so I love the quizzes. I likes what knit of knitting needles I was, I like what kind of knitter I was, I didn't like what kind of girl I was until I went back and changed my answers so it told me I was a tom boy. I certainly was not a girly girl.



But I have always been a closet nerd and I guess it is time to come out of the closet. The hardest question on this quiz was "What is the highest level of mathematics you have taken?" It did not give me the option of Advanced Calculus Proofs..

Today we are iced in. What a shame. I spent the morning sitting on the couch knitting on DH's new watch cap. His birthday is Tuesday and I just started it yesterday. But it was in a Cascade 220 charcoal tweed and went really fast. Finished a few minutes ago. DH has been sick the last few days, so I could knit on the hat at home. I definately couldn't knit it in front of him as he actually notices what I am working on and asks when it is something new. That amazes me. Just like the other day he told me he likes that fact that I knit.

I do believe him - just like I believe that he really knows what the cats are saying. Although I think I may have to do something about the language they use. I deffinately do not think a 1 1/2 year old cat should swear like that - and where did the cats learn those words? (oh yeah, I have teenage boys in the house.)

Rewards for Slogging Along

January 13, 2005

I have been making myself knit on the black sweater - I know when I get it done I will love wearing it. And I keep making scarves with it in mind. Knitting in the round and I have about 6 inches done. Only 11 more to go to the armholes. It is a case of I think I can, I think I can. If I knit 1 inch on this then I can knit on......


SOMeTHinG FUN

Went to Northwest Wools today and took back the leftover skeins from 4 projects and got yarn for the 6 sox knitalong beaded sox. Picked up the beads down the street. And new Addi Turbos - got a 40" to try the magic loop technique.



Bamboo in pink -for the Clapotis. I was trying to decide between this pink and another more orange and red verigated Crystal Palace yarn, and decided this although the pink is pretty girly, I wanted to knit the Bamboo.

And some more sock yarn in the orange and green - just because. Doesn't new yarn just make you smile!!!!! Somedays are good days. (Maybe last nights fight with DH cleared the air.)

Missing in Action

January 11, 2005

Where did my pictures go? Why are just some missing - I checked at imageshack and it still looks like they are there? Would reload them, but can't get on the computer they are stored on cause SS2 is on WoW the latest addiction in our house. Everything else stops for that.

Also can't deal with it. Am in a funk today, this week. Something has to give, I will snap out - oooooh - maybe a little knitting will help.

Making flowers to do a scarf from Vogue Holiday 2004, but not in their sparkley s@&t - just some funky variegated soy silk ribbon. What is "soy silk"? Is that like clover honey. Do they only let the worms eat soy? It makes really pretty s#$t. Kaye ( a non blogging knitter) is making one just like mine -we both started last night - only she worked for ages to check her gauge? We knit differently. I just say - "what the h#%l, why would I need a gauge on something where the fit doesn't matter." Kaye says "I want to do it right." I will post pictures of both our scarves when they are done.....if imageshack allows!!!

Meaningless Waves

January 10, 2005

My second wavy scarf is done. I like this pattern, (maybe one day I will make one for me.) It knits up quick and looks fun – this one is done in none other than (drum roll please) Elann Peruvian Highland Wool.

Oh well, I knit a little on my modified Top Secret yesterday, and keep wondering if I want to do something fancier with all that black Debbie Bliss Merino Aran. I must have 1600 yds of it and decided on Top Secret so I would have a basic live in black sweater. Maybe I am just bored knitting all that plain black.

Coffee and my friend Kaye helped - yes I changed this post……….

Cat-Man-Do...

January 8,2005

...make me laugh.

Here is my DH and three of our four cats (Will is missing - walked off .)

(note knitting on bed by pillows -Wavy Scarf and knitted watch cap on head)

What you can't tell from this picture is that this man channels animals. At 10:30 one night, bout three years ago on our first phone call, he told me he has always talked for animals and right then and there I was hooked. (maybe it was this silky deep voice I was listening to, sitting there in the dark?) How that whole phone call happen is a different story.

Some days it is hard for me to tell which cat is speaking through DH, their voices seem very similar. They get disgusted if you guess the wrong cat - or god forbid guess the dog when it is a cat. (the dog doesn't care as long as he thinks you are talking to him - you know dogs.)

Right now this is the ongoing conversation with Will:

DH - good morning Will
Will - call me William today
DH - Alright, William Today
Will - Don't call me that, call me William (pause) today.
DH - Ok William Today
Will - Daaaad (in that tone kids use when their parents don't act right.)

Ya gotta love an man that can channel animals!!!

My Mind is in the Toilet

January 7, 2005

Everyone seems to be doing lists: 100 things about me, 33, 40 things I want to happen in 2005, goals for the year. What a great way to get to know each other. But me, today, I don’t think my brain could come up with 5 things much less 46 or 100. But I did figure out a way you could get to know me (and my family).

This is what my bathroom reading material is:

• No Idle Hands: The Social History of American Knitting, Anne L. Macdonald
• Japanese Garden, Charmaine Aserappa
• Everyday Sacred, Sue Bender
• Dominoes, Dominic Armanino
• Man-Eaters of Kumaon, Jim Corbett
• Guilty Pleasures, Laurell Hamilton
• 100 Selected Poems, E.E. Cummins
• How to Mind Map, Tony Buzan
• Mindful Knitting, Tara Jon Manning
• The Way It Is, William Stafford
• A Woman’s Worth, Marianne Williamson
• Jacob I Have Loved, Katherine Patterson
• Moebius Scarf- The Original Pattern
• Interweave Knits, Winter 2004
• Mustang Plus Catalog
• Mustang Recognition Guide 1965-1973
• Crosswords to Boost Your Brainpower, Will Shortz ( no pencil in sight)
• Vogue Knitting, Winter 2002
• Knitting Tips & Secrets
• Jaeger Handknits JM05
• Roman Numbers I to MM, Arthur Geistert
• Sophie Bag by Magknits Pattern
• Fiber Trends – Easy Lace Poncho Pattern

So tell me a few things to read in your bathroom?

The start of a Movement !!!!

January 7, 2005

Ok Beth over at Big Geek Knit Blog is organizing a movement. Once she gets a manifesto written be sure to join Knitters Against Fun Fur. If you have any questions about joining I hope this will change your mind!!!



The jeans should be enough to make any one come out of the closet againt FF.

Totally Cellular

December 6, 2005

I can sure tell I am on a sophisticated knitting mode - Egg hats, Cellular Pigs, what next?

Am giving SD 1000 phone messages per month for Christmas (which we are celebrating tomorrow) and really hate the white paper gift certificates - so the Cellular Pig cell phone pocket, with white paper inside.

Egg-citing?

Janary 5, 2005

So what are you doing for Easter?



ran across this on my way to the recycling today from Garnet Hill winter catalog.

Did it make you laugh? How long till you make a pattern? Pointy or not?

Reading a Wife

January 5, 2005



I finished this book yesterday and my DH hated it. He was taking a little nap. I was laying there reading the final pages. My crying woke him up. He woke worried asked me what was wrong. On finding it was the book, said "well, quit reading - I don't like that book anyway." Me "But you haven't read it." DH "Its making you cry, I don't like it."

But I did, I thought about it while I was not reading it, this circular vision of lives possessed by the Henry's time travel, the waiting and aloneness. The ending letter from Henry to Clare haunts me.

I have heard of people who read it, then start right over again at the beginning. Maybe in keeping with the book I will just randomly open it and read again in no order.

Have you read it? What do you think?

Too few needles - or too few hands

January 04, 2005

Last night I was looking at Alice "Through the Looking-Glass" for some good pictures to make a blog button when I ran across this Sheep who I think I idealize.

"'Are you a child or a teetotum?' the Sheep said, as she took up another pair of needles. She was now working with fourteen pairs at once, and Alice couldn't help looking at her in great astonishment.'"

There are days I wish I could knit with fourteen pairs of needles at once - well maybe just two or three and today is one of those days. I was looking in my stash, the really old stuff in the storage area under the house - not the one in my closet and ran across this:



KOIGU - one ball attached to a 3/4 finished sock. I think I started it about two years ago to learn how to turn heels. Turned the heel and stopped. The pattern was from an old IK that used short row shaping to turn the heel and toe. Pulled the gem out of stash and finished the sock in about 1 1/2 hours last night. And hard as it seems to believe - that is my first sock. Now I want to start the second one.

But I am also working on a Wavy scarf for Kinne, to give to her when we celebrate Christmas next Saturday morning. I think I have enough yarn to make fingerless mittens in the same Wavy pattern. So I need to get them done before Saturday and have to knit during the day or late evening so she doesn't see, but I really want to start the second sock, but I want to see how the Wavy handwarmers will turn out - so maybe I should just head through the Looking-Glass and pick up some extra needles and do it all at once.

Not Yet

January 3, 2005

The entrelac pillow top is done and I am not thrilled yet. I love doing entrelac - but somehow this pillow top has been work. I am teaching a class at the CozyEwe in mid January and this is the project. So I have been sludging through this pillow top - I love watching the Noro yarn unfold into color squares but it was still was sludging. It became a little better when my friend Debbie said she loved to colors and I realized it would go great in her den. And looking at this picture it is really pretty nice

But I was going to try and find a pillow at Bed, Bath and Beyond to sew it on so I didn't have to start from scratch - no luck. It is an odd shape for the pillow forms - all of which is good stuff to figure out before the class - but.....

Oh well - I need to do some serious blocking of both this and the Obi sweater and maybe I will be more pleased with them both after that. For now back to the green Wavy scarf for Kinne, and maybe I will start my Sophie bag. Or I could start Aibhlinn