Keeping Me in Stitches

Sunday, April 29, 2007

ARGH!!!!

I hate ripping back knitting. But I've had to do it 3 times now. Even after switching over to my knitpicks dpns, I was having a tough time with the newest sock club pattern. I've decided to keep the pattern, but turn all the p2togs, into k2tog. So much better!

And I've got pictures of the monkeys, but they're still on my camera.

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Monkey!!

Monkey socks are done!

Started on my April STR kit. I'm not sure if I like the Silkie STR or not. Don't get me wrong, I think it's beautiful! I've just come to expect something with a little bit tighter twist that doesn't split quite as much when I knit with STR. That's okay though.

Plan for the night is to get through the toe increases, finish watching CSI, watch Over the Hedge, and spin on my Goblin Elbows sock yarn. Yay for weekends!

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Itcameitcameitcameitcame!!!!

My STR kit came in the mail today. That whole ask, and you shall receive thing? Working pretty good right now. ;D

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I still haven't gotten my pictures off my camera, so I've got nothing to show ya.

However, there is other knitting news! First up, I finally finished off the baby kimono sweater from Mason Dixon Knitting. It's completely sewn up and right now I'm debating between buttons, snaps, or ribbons for a closure. I still have to knit the Miss Dashwood hat for the little girl this is going to. Knitting pretty pink girly things is fun!

Monkey sock #2 is two repeats and a toe from being done! I might get the foot done before I go to bed, but leave the toe so I have something to work on at SnB tonight. The CTH Life's a Beach colorway is coming out beautiful with this pattern. I think I'll have to do another pair of Jaywalkers once this is done.

BMFA sock club kit.....I've resigned myself to a year of disappointment and practicing patience. With the February kit, I didn't get it until almost March 10 because it was one of the last ones to go out. This month I'm trying to avoid spoilers like the plague because I don't want to see the color until I get mine in the mail. I have heard about the yarn content and name, but I haven't looked for pictures or color descriptions or pattern descriptions at all. I'm also avoiding the sock club blog until my package comes. I have seen that people east of the Mississippi have gotten their packages. So I was content to sit back and wait. Then about 10 minutes ago, I see that Violet has posted on the LnV messageboard about the yarn. I can only assume that she's gotten her package. And now I will go into a whine.....BUUUUTTT IIIIIII WWAAAAAAAANNNTT MMMMMMMMMYYYYY KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTT!!!!!! *whine*

Ahem....done now.

Monday I stayed awake after working my 3-night weekend to put in calls to 5 different landscaping places. All I wanted was someone to come out to my place and give me an estimate on how much it would be to till up and re-sod my dead backyard. I heard back from one place and the guy came out today to measure and take a look at the mudpit my backyard has become with all the rain. I didn't get a dollar amount, but he took measurements and said he'd get back to me. I may have to finally meet my neighbors to the east....just to ask them if it's okay for the landscaping guys to drive the sod machine on their property to get into my backyard. Because evidently the gates in my fence are too narrow and they'd have to take down a 6-foot section of fence to get the machine in there. Lovely. Hopefully I'll hear from a few more places this week or early next week.

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Sunday, April 22, 2007

Just in time!

Since I decided to try and be tough this year about the air-conditioning (I'm not turning it on until we're consistently hitting 80s), my house was a little warm when I got up yesterday afternoon (thermostat read 81). Opened up all the windows in the house to let it cool down, but then I had to leave for work. Originally the forecast had said it was going to storm overnight, but it was changed to being storms today instead. So the windows stayed open.

Not ten minutes after I walked in the door from work this morning, the heavens opened and we got a torrential downpour. But at least I was home for it. It could have happened while I was at work. Talk about a close call!

Friday, April 20, 2007

So good to be home

As much as I loved traveling the last few weeks, and getting to see a friend I haven't seen in almost three years.....it's good to be home. Phoebe must have missed me too, because she's really been acting out since I got home.

I'll post pictures of Virginia Beach next week. I've got to work this weekend, so free time will be at a minimum.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

As ready as I'll ever be...

My suitcase is packed (mostly), my ipod and cell phone are charging. All that's left in the morning is to shower, finish packing, pack the dog's stuff (might do that before work), get the dog to Cindi's and get to the airport by 10 or so. And I've got to stop by the post office somewhere in there. Oy. Not enough hours in the day.

I tried to start Monkey socks last night at work and they were coming out so small! I was using my KP size 1 dpns. I'll be making attempt #2 tonight at work with some size 2 bamboo dpns. Hopefully that'll be enough of a difference.

And the cute neighbor cop is going to watch the house. He even asked for my parents' phone number so he can contact them if something goes really wrong.

So I'll be missing SnB at Touche for the second week in a row and I miss you ladies!!! I'll be back for the one on the 19th. Hopefully with lots and lots of yarny goodness to show you.

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Monday, April 09, 2007

I'm back!!!....however briefly

Boston was fantastic (except for the supposed "limo tour" of the city....our limo driver wasn't from the area and had no clue where anything was)! And the conference was actually interesting!

The one place we actually got to stop and see was Cheers!
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Sorry to anyone that may have been waiting for me at one of the yarn shops on Tuesday. Our flight was delayed for almost 5 hours at Chicago and we had no time to do anything that afternoon. We did venture out on Wednesday to Newbury Street and visited two yarn stores. Of course we were walking, but it was raining/snowing/sleeting the whole time we were outside and ended up looking like we'd just gotten out a shower fully-clothed.

The first store was Knit and Needlepoint. I wasn't too impressed with the customer service here. As the four of us walked in (looking like drowned rats) the lady behind the counter just gave us a look that said "What the hell do you think you're doing in here". She didn't greet us or as us how we were doing or how she could help us or anything. I did end up buying some yarn that they dye at the shop and then she actually started talking to me, but I was tempted to just turn around and walk out. I've had people tell me that it's just the east-coast mentality, but whatever happened to common curtesy?

Next stop was a couple blocks down and on the opposite side of the street. Newbury Yarns is a fantastic little shop tucked away at the back of a building, but not hard to find at all. I went in and met Meg who it turns out is an LnV listener, but isn't on the messageboards or anything. I bought way too much sock yarn (notice that the counter didn't reset because vacation yarn doesn't count) and had such a different experience there that I was wishing we could have stayed to just sit and knit.

Another day of the conference and we were ready to head out. Two and a half days of knitting during the conference yielded the second sock of the RPMs for my mom. Here's the finished pair.
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The flight's home were uneventful beside a couple of delays. And the view out the window was great!
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Mom had finished the Inside Out socks for me as well.
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And the pup-pups had fun running around my backyard over the weekend and got very very tired out.
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And I think that's it! I've got to work the next two nights and then I'm leaving Wednesday for Virginia Beach. Planning on hitting historic Williamsburg and meeting a bunch of my friend Sarah's film school friends. I've already found a couple of yarn stores and I know Sarah's planning on a lot of shopping (especially shoe shopping) while I'm out there. Lots and lots of pics when I get home next week!

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Tuesday, April 03, 2007

And we're off....

I'm leaving for Boston today. My boss is coming to pick me up at 5:30. So what am I doing? Packing is as done as it can be for the moment (need stuff for my shower in the morning), I'm listening to LnV and in a minute I'm going to head downstairs and watch Amazing Race so I can fall asleep. And I want to finish the first RPM sock for my mom out of my STR Monsoon. Then I can knit the second sock uninterrupted on the planes tomorr.....I mean today. Ooops.

Anyone in Boston, I'll be in town by 2 or so this afternoon (Tuesday). A co-worker and I are going to grab a cab together and try to hit as many yarn shops as we can in the afternoon. I've got a list of 5 that we're going to try and see. Not sure on the order or when we'll get to these though, but here they are.

Wild and Wooly (Lexington)
The Knitting Room (Arlington)
Woolcoot & Co (Cambridge)
Mind's Eye Yarn (Cambridge)
Newbury Yarns Inc (Boston)

I'm going to push for the last 3 as the one's we NEED to go to. If anyone wants to stalk me, those three are the best bet.

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