What's up?!

Sorry for being so absent lately. I just haven't had the urge to blog. It might have something to do with the fact that it's been about 86 million degrees out lately and heat always slows me down. Or the fact that 4+ years of sleep deficit is finally catching up with me and I've been sleeping 10-12 hours on my days off.

Knitting has been slow. I'm still slogging along on the pair of socks I'm making for a Chrismas present. The Rivendell socks are due to be ripped and restarted....again....but I just haven't gotten to them. I did finish the Tulip sweater (did I mention that before?), but haven't started another one. What I really want to do is start a sweater since my huge order of Dream in Color finally arrived. But having a huge pile of wool on my lap in this heat has put me off starting on that project.

Spinning is another matter. The llama yarn that I'm sure I mentioned before is completely done. Twist is set and everything. Just have to measure the yardage. I also finished spinning and plying the BMFA merino/silk in Sea. Twist will be set tonight on that one. Last night, I spun on some Vesper merino/tencel in Jolly Roger. I'm pretty sure I can finish those singles off tonight as well, and maybe ply them tomorrow. So while I haven't been knitting, I've been spinning like crazy.

Tonight I'm headed over to a barbeque to celebrate a co-worker getting her BSN. She's been a tech at my hospital for a few years now, and she's awesome to work with. If you don't hear back from me, I've probably melted in the heat. If I don't melt tonight, then I surely will tomorrow afternoon when I head out to mow the lawn. I know it's supposed to be 99 tomorrow, but I can't let my lawn go until Wednesday. Phoebe is already refusing to wade through the jungle as it is.

Socks!

Another pair has fallen from the needles.

Monkey socks in STR lightweight in Seastone.

Without flash.


With flash.


That's all for now since I'll be out of town for the weekend.

no cookie!

I've been a bad blogger. Obviously, I haven't posted the pictures that I promised. They're still on my camera and I'll be taking a few more pictures to add to them this weekend.

Let's see. Where to start? How about with knitting!

Over the weekend at work, I cast on for the March RSC Leafling socks. I've got the ribbing done for the first sock on magic loop, but I got distracted. You see, E and I had done a joint order from Blue Moon together and my 5 skeins of STR had arrived. I've pretty much decided to make Monkey socks out of all the yarn so those were cast on Friday night at work in the Rockstar (aka Cotton Candy on Acid) colorway. I finished the first sock on Tuesday morning before I went to bed and I'm 2 repeats into the second sock. This is also a bit of an experiment, since I don't know if the lightweight STR has enough yardage to complete a pair of Monkey socks for my ski feet. I've got high hopes that it will since I had a decent amount of yarn leftover from by Lenore socks.

However, both socks have been put on hold since the 4th part of the Mystic Lights shawl pattern came out today. I've been working on that tonight, but it's progressing slowly since there is now patterning on the right and wrong sides of the fabric. I can't just mindlessly purl back on the wrong-sided rows.

I haven't started spinning anything since I finished the CMF Big Yellow Taxi. I'm planning on starting in on some llama roving from a lady in my hometown. I've got 3 different shades, so I think I'm going to three-ply it and make a tweedy yarn. Should be fun!

Letterboxing will also happen this weekend. I've sucked my dad into the hobby and even carved him his own signature stamp so when he finds a box he can stamp in. We'll probably have a 10-box day this weekend while my parents are visiting. Yay for increasing the F count!

And now it's back to the grindstone. I need to finish laundry so I have something to wear to work tonight.

busy weekend

It's been a busy weekend around here.

My friend, Sarah, who I visited last April out in Virginia has since moved back to Minnesota and drove down to visit me. She got here on Wednesday and she'll be leaving this afternoon. We've had fun just bumming around the house and watching movies.

And then Saturday I took her letterboxing. Managed to find three boxes at two different locations and the letterboxing bug that had lain dormant in my system during the winter reared its ugly head. I've got the clues for three more boxes printed out to be found later this week. I might add to that pile since I've got today (Sunday) off and then three days off this week before working the weekend again.

I've also been knitting and spinning like crazy. The Big Yellow Taxi/Hawkeye yarn is done. I just have to set the twist before I send it off to Mom. I also finished the second Monkey sock out of my handspun CMF I've Got You Babe. I do have pictures, but they're on my camera so you'll see them later. And I've been knitting like a fiend on the Mystic Lights shawl. I am actually managing to keep up with the clues. I finished the last few rows of clue one on Thursday night, but since the second clue had only come out on Wednesday, I didn't feel too bad about being slightly behind. I'm currently six rows into the second clue. Since Sarah's in bed, I'm planning on putting on a couple episodes of Voyager and seeing if I can get a couple more rows done before I hit the sack.

Oh! I also picked up the Yarn Harlot's latest book. I'm only 20 pages in or so, but it's already made me laugh at several different points. And I tried baking a chocolate-covered cherry cookie, and they came out sooooo good!

just breathe

I feel like that's what I need to do this weekend....breathe. All week long I felt like a coiled spring just being wound tighter and tighter. I kept expecting to snap, but managed to hold it together. Ten hours of sleep yesterday helped with the relaxation and about 4 hours of spinning so far tonight has helped as well. I'll probably be able to finish of the CMF roving I've been spinning tonight. Plying will commence tomorrow/later today (it's not tomorrow until I sleep, so for me I still count this as Friday).

As is the norm for the weekend I work and the following week, very little knitting has been accomplished. I always take a project to work with me, but I just haven't been motivated to pull it out of my bag. I did manage to turn the heel and start the gusset of my second handspun Monkey sock in the CMF colorway I've Got You Babe. Also got the body of the Sorbet Tulip Baby sweater complete.

Right now though I'm going to focus on my spinning. I've got CMF Big Yellow Taxi that I'm spinning into fingering weight. When I'm done with that, I'll hand it off to my mom and she's going to knit socks for my uncle Jim. He's a huge Hawkeye fan (the colors are gold, black and white), and he has been doing my taxes for me for free as long as I've been working (detasseling since I was 13). He was almost giddy about doing my taxes two years ago when I bought my house. So as thanks for all the years of work he's done for free for us, we're making handspun, handknit Hawkeye socks for him. I can't wait to see his face!

I'm off to get food, watch the last three episodes I've got of season 3 of Smallville, and spin some more.

making the to-do list

I have to find some way to keep myself awake at work!

Weekend to-do list:
-Clean the house, including:
-Dishes
-Laundry
-Vacuum
-Pick-up the living room, dining room, bedrooms
-Do taxes and mail them.
-Do at least one part of secret project.
-Pack for going home on Tuesday.
-Finish spinning first 4 oz of Big Yellow Taxi.
-Finish Sorbet Tulip baby sweater.

I think that's about enough to be getting along with. Anything else I get done will just be a bonus. Like sleep....sleep would be a bonus this weekend.

a night of rest

....and getting rid of the housework looming over my head.

Work is slowing down a little...thank goodness. I just think that a lot of my stressing out over work has been from lack of sleep. I was able to get some good rest on Monday and again yesterday. I'll be in to work tonight, then it's three glorious days off.

I dashed off a quick crochet bath pouf tonight, just to give my hands something to do. I also finished the laundry (so I had a uniform to wear tonight), vacuumed the house, and washed the dishes. Now I just need to find time this weekend to pick up all the general clutter around the house and do a little dusting. Yes....I said the D word. I despise dusting, but when the dust bunnies begin to morph into dust buffalo, then it's time to break out the dust rags and pledge.

And since I finished Mom's socks, I don't know what my next pair will be. I'm kind of waiting for the first kit of the 2008 Rockin' Sock Club to arrive. If it's something that I really like, I want to be able to cast-on right away. I can hear you all now, telling me that I can have more than one pair of socks on the needles at a time. I tried that once and it didn't really work. I hit a point where I got sick of both of them and just didn't knit on either one for about 3 months. So one sock project at a time. That's fine with me. I need to get going on stuff for the finish-a-long anyways.

Tonight I also finished re-writes on the second pattern for my secret project. This weekend I'm setting a goal of writing up three more to get out to the test knitters. More if possible.

A couple days ago I signed up for the Mystic Lights shawl KAL. It won't be starting for a while, but it's knit in fingering weight yarn. So now I need to decide what to make it out of. I'm leaning toward STR in the Oregon Red Clover Honey colorway. I'm thinking that it'll be a warm enough yellow that I won't look jaundiced if I try to wear it. I'll have to look at E's skein of it when I'm out there on Friday.

I guess that's it for now. I need to go try to get warm. My feet are freezing!!! (Even with wool socks and felted slippers.)

I wonder...

....if I'm coming down with something. I don't feel sick or anything, but it's just this feeling I'm getting. I worked Thursday night and didn't have to be in to work last night, so I didn't set my alarm. I went to be about 10:30 or so and woke up at 5:30. Six hours of sleep...not bad. Talked to my parents, went back in my room with every intention of showering and getting some errands run. Instead, I collapsed facedown on my bed and slept until 10:30 PM. Lovely. Errands didn't get run, but I feel great now!

On the plus side, I finished the Green Blanket of Dooooom!!!! It's completely done, ends woven in and everything. I'll put up pictures later when the sun's actually up. I ended up not using the last two colors I had bought for the blanket, but I figure that there's enough there to make myself a pair of felted slippers.

Now for todays' to-do list!
- Shower....I feel like a greaseball. DONE!!!
- Run errands to the Apple Store, the bank, Walmart (contacts) and the grocery store. Grocery store isn't exactly critical since I'll be gone for about the next two weeks, but I need a few staples to make it through until I leave. DONE!!!
- Mow the lawn. It's supposed to be almost 80 today so I'm hoping the grass will dry out enough for me to mow down the jungle. DONE!!!
- Haul out the suitcases and make a packing list. I'm going to have to pack 2 suitcases....one for the conference and one for my parents.

I think that's enough for one day. Off to shower and knit some more.

another one down the toilet

....or the storm sewer. Had planned on mowing my lawn today since it wasn't supposed to rain until tonight. But when I ran out to the mailbox it started sprinkling.....then it rained....then the power flickered....then it thundered loud enough to shake the house several times. All of which adds up to the fact that the jungle is going to be completely soaked and I won't be able to mow it today. I'm hoping this rain will let up some so I can at least mow the front yard so I won't feel so bad when I compare my yard to the neighbors' perfectly manicured lawns. I'm so ready to just hire someone to do the mowing for me.

And the green blanket is into the 6th stripe. I think there'll be a total of 9 if I end up using all the colors. I've got plenty of time to get this done. No problems. Especially with the weekend off and a stack of movies to watch.

To-do list for the weekend:
-do a general pick-up around the house
-finish the dishes
-mow (at least the front yard)
-go to the Apple store and get a new ipod
-go to Borders while I'm out
-try to get two more stripes knit on the green blanket
-swatch for the 5 secret projects that I've got to get going on


.....and I think that should be enough.

no knitting

Last night definitely was not a knitting night for me. I got one repeat done on my Super Monkey socks and that's it. The rest of my night was spent in cleaning.

A group from my church is coming over tonight and the place needed to be picked up, groceries needed to be bought, and I was just going nuts in general.

Well, the house is done, but now I need to get myself ready, make dinner, bake cookies and maybe...just maybe....look over the passages we're going to be studying tonight.

In other knitting news....

I started another Ombre Blanket from LMKG for a co-worker's wedding/first anniversary present. But I need to rip it out and do it again with fewer stitches.

Started the Super Monkey socks on Wednesday at Eliza's. They're the Monkey sock pattern from knitty and I'm knitting them up in the Superman colorway of Cider Moon's Icicle sock yarn.

Eliza also exerted her peer pressure and I'm now working on a Super Secret Project. I obviously can't talk about it, but it's going to be cool!!!

Off to shower, cook and bake!!

And since our last slow-pitch softball game was rained out last week, we're having it this week. Same time (5:00) and place (the softball complex just west of 120th and Fort).

Weekend to-do list

Have to keep track of it somewhere!

1. Pull/spray weeds in the yard DONE!!

2. Mow DONE!!!

3. Knit on something (borg queen sock, Greensburg squares, start koigu chevron or MS3). DONE (borg sock is on the heel flap now, and two squares were finished)

4. Finish laundry

5. Spray/stain fence and deck. DONE (minus about half the deck that will be done by hand later this week when the weather cools down)

I think that's going to be it. I don't want to overdo it and then be disappointed when the weekend is over and I haven't got stuff done.

In other news.....I picked my first cucumber and green pepper out of my garden today!!! The tomatos are still green, but I've got about 12 of them growing. The rhubarb just keeps getting bigger and bigger, but isn't really turning red. And my 5 little strawberry plants that survived (out of 10) are starting to put out runners!!!

Mom and Dad just called and they should be here in 20 minutes or so. Guess I'll go put another load of laundry in before they get here.

What I've learned from my dad....

My parents came down to visit this last weekend and I had a "honey-do" list for my dad. I had some general housekeeping stuff that I didn't know how to do and Dad likes to teach me so I can be as independent as possible. That's how I ended up being the only one of my college friends who had all the tools and actually was able to change her own tire.

So we started off Saturday with the toilet in my spare bathroom. I never use this bathroom simply because the toilet would not shut off. Then I'd have to lift the lid of the tank and pull up the little float to get the water to shut off. Now, Dad's not all that fond of reading directions on stuff and he's replaced the inner workings of a toilet before. So we got the water shut off, all the old innards pulled out and started putting stuff back together. Water back on, tank filling up and suddenly Dad's getting squirted because he forgot to have me connect a little rubber hose to the doo-hickey (highly technical term). Water off again. Connect the hose. Water back on (slowly)...everything's going fine, so Dad tells me to turn the water all the way on. All of a sudden, the inflow tube (where the water goes into the tank) shoots straight up in the air and we have a geyser! Water off again. Directions fished out of the trash. Oh...gee....there's a locking mechanism!! Take the whole thing apart again. Follow the directions this time, and now I've got a toilet that works! Here it is....finished....and looking all innocent. Like it wasn't shooting toilet water at me three days ago.


Next up was a Christmas/birthday present. Mom got this shelf handmade for me by some guys in my hometown called Chips Off the Old Block. It's oak and very heavy. Of course, we had to go to Home Depot and buy Dad a new toy (a studfinder) so we could hang this thing. But now it's up!!


Dad also cleaned out the trap of the sink in my bathroom (now the water actually runs down the drain instead of sitting there being a mosquito breeding ground), and put together a shelving unit for my basement.

And now onto pictures!! Minnie wanted to see...

....a picture of me in band. This is a very bad picture of my concert band senior year. I'm the one smack in the middle of the front row....one of the perks of being first-chair oboe.


....my true sock yarn stash. No, I did not cheat!! I've got everything there for sock yarn that I currently possess. Including my current sock-in-progress.


....all the socks that I've knitted and kept for myself. Yes, there are dirty ones in with the clean, but this was the only way to get them all in there. And, of course, Phoebe had to investigate.


Deawn...I'm working on yours, but I have no clue what your first pic you wanted is. I never took french in school!! So either break out the English, Spanish, or Norwegian if you want me to know what you're telling me to take a picture of.

Photo meme - the first 6!

So Judith and Erin both posted their requests for pics of stuff and here they are!!

Judith wanted to see.....


....pictures of me as a child (I had to ask my mom for scans) so here are two from when I was about 2-years-old.




....a pic of Phoebe being doing something she's not supposed to. This one was hard. I'm resorting to an old pic of her chewing a bottle because it's almost impossible to catch her doing something naughty when the camera is in reach.


.....and *cues the fanfare* a pic of the neighbor cop. You have no idea how lucky you are to get this one, but he was outside washing his motorcycle today, so I grabbed my camera and took an extreme zoom picture from my computer room window. This was the best of the bunch.


Erin wanted to see.....

....my knitting spot (I'm throwing in the view from my knitting spot as well).




....my current favorite WIP (there's only two things on the needles, so this was a pretty easy choice). The Rock 'n Weave socks in STR medium weight Rocktober. I'm working my way out the gusset of the second sock. Hopefully will have them done this weekend.


....and what I'm going to be spinning next. I'm currently working my way through 8 oz. of Superwash merino in Goblin Elbows Blue from The Dyeing Arts. Next up is going to be one of my Crown Mountain Farms Sock Hop rovings....either My Boyfriend's Back or I've Got You Babe.




And that's it for now!! Anyone else have 3 things they want to see me take pictures of? I probably won't post them this weekend because my parents are here, but I'll get to them early next week.

Now I need to finish my coffee so I can go outside and scoop dog poo before my parents get here. My dad's dog likes to eat poo, so right now she'd think my backyard was a buffet.

Still snowed in...

So it's 2 AM Saturday morning and the county snow plows still haven't been by to clear my neighborhood. I can't make it out of my driveway, let alone down the street.

Had to have the neighbor cop drive me into work on Thursday night. Then work almost didn't let me go home Friday morning (ended up staying there 'til almost 9 before they let me leave).

So I guess this whole weekend is going to be spent not able to leave the house for anything. At least I'll get a lot of knitting time in!

Speaking of knitting....I'm 24" into the secret project, almost have the second cuff done on my Rocktober socks, and haven't touched the second trekking sock since I turned the heel. I guess I'll try to finish those three things this weekend while I wait and see if the USPS can make it out here to deliver my STR sock club package. I know it's been mailed, so now it's a waiting game.

And here's a mini-rant for you. The USPS....whatever happened to sticking with their motto....you know the one. Come wind, come rain, come sleet, come shine. But I guess that doesn't say anything about blizzards.

Cleaning will happen this weekend too. My parents weren't able to come down because of the storm hitting everything between them and me, but my aunt and uncle are flying to Reno this next Wednesday. So I told them they could stay over Tuesday night since their flight's so early.

Guess I'll get back to my knitting and movie watching.

Forgot to add that I finally sent Erin her Christmas present, so I can now post pictures of it!!


They're a pattern called Blueberry Waffle socks (which I've lost the link to), knit in Mountain Colors Bearfoot, colorway Crazy Lady. Modified to be done on size 2s. It's hard to tell in the picture, but they're a mix of navy blue, red, purple, burgundy, and a little bit of deep magenta.