Friday, March 30, 2007

Project Spectrum Review for Feb/March & looking ahead at April/May Projects

First of all I have to say that I made it into the LUCY NEATBY class!!! I am so excited about it that I cant even put it into words. I will have been taught by 2 of my knitting idols and I am amazed at that fact. I am becoming a better knitter every day and I never thought I would have caught on so fast.

I worked feverently on my BM sock today and now I am on the cabled part of the leg. The heel was so much fun to do with the short rows, wrapping and the garter stitch. It also fits perfectly and I changed my needles from a US #0 that I used for the toe, foot and heel and now I am using the Addi's #1 which is really a 2.5mm not your normal size 1 of 2.25mm. Everyone on the ROCKIN SOCKS BLOG said they switched to a 2 for the leg but I thought since the Addis run larger I would be OK. Lets hope when I am done it fits because not only is it cabled but ribbed and I know its going to be pulling in more than normal.

Now the title of the post is a review of Feb/Mar Project Spectrum Projects. I did quite a few.
~Mini Sweater that I made for the Finishing Class that was a beautiful BLUE
~Fair Isle hat that was WHITE and green
~Baby Booties that were made with Cashsoft in a BLUE green color
~My DD's slipper socks that were rainbow colors so they count
~My Plastic Surgeon's socks that are BLUE and GREY

I also did a few projects that would go toward April/May Project Spectrum Projects
~Baby Kimono in Blue Sky Alpaca Cotton Honeydew color
~BMFA Feb Sock Kit with the Monsoon colorway (all the colors of green and beyond)
~A baby Kimono I am working on right now with Blue Sky Alpaca Organic Cotton for my DH's friend who had a baby. It has pale geen tones in it.
~A scarf I am working on now from the book One Skein Wonders with Misti Alpaca in a Pink and greyish colorway.

On a side note, my son was very good today and even apologized to the bus driver for throwing the rock yesterday. Whenever he acted up I would tell him that he would have to go to his room and I would take his toys away and he immediately stopped. Its a work in progress and no one said it would be easy. They actually said it would be hard and it is but hes my son and worth it. I also have some plans to spend time with my DD away from my son so she can feel good about herself too. I pray every day that my kids will be safe and healthy and I know God is listening because of all the help he gave me when I was sick. I just have to keep on praying.

One Day at A Time

One Day at a time, with all its failures and fears, with all its hurts and mistakes, with its weakness and tears, with its portion of pain and its burden of care; One day at a time we must meet and must bear.

One Day at a time to be patient and strong; To be calm under trial and sweet under wrong: Then its toiling shall pass and its sorrow shall cease; It shall darken and die, and the night shall bring peace.

One Day at a time-but the day is so long, And the heart is not brave, and the soul is not strong, O Thou pitiful Christ, be Thou near all the way; Give courage and patience and strength for the day.

Swift cometh His answer, so clear and so sweet; "Yea, I will be with thee; thy troubles to meet; I will not forget thee, nor fail thee, nor grieve; I will not forsake thee; I will never leave."

Not yesterday's load we are called on to bear, Nor the morrow's uncertain and shadowy care; Why should we look forward or back with dismay? Our needs, as our mercies, are but for the day.

One Day at a time, and the day is His day; He hath numbered its hours, though they haste or delay. His grace is sufficient; we walk not alone; As the day, so the strength that He giveth His own.

Annie Johnson Flint

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

WIP's and Me

I havent really had any interesting finished objects to post here lately but I have lots of WIP's (works in progress) for the non-fiber addicts out there! I received my Knitpicks Palette a few weeks ago and cant wait to use them. I think the majority will turn into mittens, socks, hats and scarves because of the guage and the needle they advise you to use (#1-#3). I can see some great Fair Isle in the future.
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My cousins birthday was a couple of Sunday's ago and I crocheted this scarf for her from Lion Brand Microspun and Crystal Palace FX. I was so happy that I was able to find a use for the FX and that she liked it! It was so fast and easy to make and it satisfied my need to crochet.
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This is my plastic surgeons socks in progress. I had a slight problem and had to frog back and fix it but all is well now. I am using Artyarns Supermerino and a baby cable rib pattern. So far they are coming out great and I hope he likes them. The colors of blue and grey represent PROJECT SPECTRUM for the months of Feb/March. I am not sure that I will be done with them by the end of this month but they still count!
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The Blue Moon Feb Sock is coming out nicely also. I have to take breaks from it due to the fact that I am using 0's and its hard on my hand. They do look a bit like something I wont mention but I think you get the picture. I think the Yarn Harlot had posted a picture with the sock in an upright position but I will spare you that image! LOL.
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This is my first go at Entrelac and I am loving it. I hear that you either love it or hate it, no in between. The book scarf style has a great pattern called the LADY ELEANOR STOLE thats all entrelac and I want to make it so badly! I need to keep practicing and then I can get started on it. I originally bought 8 skeins of Noro Silk Garden to make Clapotis from KNITTY but now I am thinking I will make the LADY E STOLE with it. Its still up in the air because I have a bunch of other yarns I can use like Patons SWS in a beautiful pink & green colorway. Yesterday I bought a couple of skeins of Karaoke by SWTC thats similar to both the SWS and Noro. If I mix them up they might look really nice also. This sample is Lambs Pride Worsted Wool and Tahki Yarns "Shannon". They look pretty good together. The only pain in the butt is when you have to change colors. Thats why using a variegated yarn that changes on its own is probably better.
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Last but not least with the picture posting I have a progress pic of my hair growth.
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I took that picture this morning before my son got off the bus and decided to throw a HUGE boulder at it. Luckily it didnt break a window or hurt anyone but it wiped the smile right off my face. His behavior hasnt been very good lately and I had a conference with his teacher yesterday. He goes to special ed and has been for 2 years. This is his second year and he has improved greatly with his speech. He now talks VERY well but his behavior and attention span is what needs work. She said that he is extremely smart and intelligent and even helps her run the class because he knows the whole routine. The problem is that he is bouncing off the walls when it comes time to do an activity or skill like sitting and writing. They use special strategies to help him along with this but its getting worse. He has to be further evaluated by their team to see if its a ADD or ADHD related problem. Then I have to bring him to the pediatrician to see what we can do to make him better and believe me medication would be the last option I would chose. His teacher also reminded me that he has no control over this and you cant punish him when he does these things. When he throws rocks at the bus you can certainly reprimand him though! Thats unacceptable behavior in this house and will not be tolerated. He is supposed to start Kindergarten in September and I am stressing over lots of things related to that. They might need an extra teachers aide in the classroom and if they do I think now only will it benefit my son but will also help the other kids in the class. Anyway, this is whats been driving me crazy and its also affecting my DD. I had her parent/teacher conference yesterday and the teacher told me that when they do writers workshop and talk about what they are doing in their lives my DD always talks about her brother and how he causes trouble and so on. Some of the stories are about her going to the park with him but its almost like she cant think of anything else and she does do other things with me and her father that she can talk about. We do crafts, read together, had a bowling party and go over other family members houses all the time. I think I need to have one day a week where her and I do something without the boys. Maybe go to a movie or shopping would be nice. She needs more attention and thats what we have to give her. I am anxiously awaiting for a phone call from my sons teacher.

Today I received a thank you card for the green baby kimono I made my friend. She wrote, "Thank you for the beautiful crocheted sweater you made." First of all it was very nice of her to send a thank you but its KNITTED not CROCHETED!!! Does that sound like some type of elitist knitting statement? I am always the one advocating for the crocheter with my knitting friends so why would I feel insulted that she thought it was crocheted? I probably need to crochet a little more!

The Nancy Bush class is quickly approaching and I am so excited about it. I have all my supplies and I am ready to learn.
Tomorrow is sign up for the Lucy Neatby COOL SOCK class in May. I REALLY hope I get into it because they are limited to a certain number of people.

I finally gave in and orderd the MORE SENSATIONAL SOCKS BOOK from AMAZON. I also picked up some books on making crochet bags and a book on knitting by Maggie Righetti (I think thats her name). They said that the entire order shipped yesterday so I should get it tomorrow. My Grandmother has had a few falls in the past few weeks so I decided NOT to make her slippers or slipper socks. I couldnt live with myself if anything happens to her while wearing my socks.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Is the whole World crazy? Or is it just me?

My surgery sites are healing well and I went to see the plastic surgeon on Tuesday. I have to go in 6-8 weeks for the tattooing of the areolas. Then he checks me a month after to see if they need to be done again due to fading. Its a good thing I have all this time because I am making him socks and havent finished them yet.

My DH went to the dermatologist last week to have a suspicious area on his arm looked at that wasnt healing properly. They removed it and we got some bad news yesterday. He received part of the preliminary pathology report yesterday. Its squamous cell carcinoma. My DH has skin cancer and I am freaking out. He has to go back next week to have more removed to see if they can get clean margins and also to see if it has spread deeper. If they get clean margins then he's done. No more surgery and check ups every 3 months. If its deeper then he has to go through some nasty sh*t that I dont even want to think about right now. Please pray for him and send all the healing thoughts you can his way because I dont know what I would do without him, hes my best friend. Ok, I have to stop crying right now.

Lets see what other good news can I share? Oh, yes! Yesterday while checking my bank account statement I found a bunch of unauthaurized charges there! I called them immediately to report fraud and we got all the paperwork going today. So now we are without a debit card until the new ones arrive in the mail next week. What a pain in the a**. I had to take some cash out of the bank. Who the heck uses cash anymore when you have debit cards. They have made our lives so easy that we are spoiled having them. I am just happy that this issue will be solved within 10 days (I hope).

After I went to the bank to clear up this mess we headed to the DMV to register our car. We purchased the car when the lease ended to we had to go to the DMV to get all the paperwork re-done to state that it was a buy out and no longer a lease. Everything was going smoothly when the lady told me that they couldnt process my paperwork because I was delinquent in paying my property tax on MY OTHER CAR!!! First of all, I wasnt delinquent on anything and I paid it on 3/6. She got me so mad that I started to cry and she then told me not to raise my voice to her! I explained nicely that I did pay and that all they had to do was call the tax office in my town and they would tell them I did pay. She told me that I needed proof by showing them a receipt. I then reminded her by showing her the list of things they tell you to bring with you when registering a car and that was not one of them on the list. If it was I would have brought it! The arguement continued and then it came out of my mouth (and believe me I didnt want it to but I had no choice because the people that work there have no souls) that I was sick and unable to come back. I think what I said and the fact that the sheet didnt say I needed to bring the receipt made her say, "please sit down and I will call them to see if you are delinquent".
As I sat down I met a lovely couple from Germany who have been living in the Midwest for years and just moved here and were having problems also. We talked about how much we hated to come to the DMV and that NY, NJ and CT are the worse. He said that when he lived in Missouri that it was a pleasure to go to the DMV and they were in and out within 15 minutes. That would NEVER happen here so dream on I said! After I filled out another form that the lady told me I filled out wrong she told me to go back to the lady that was originally taking care of me. She handed me back all the paperwork except for my drivers license. I asked her if I could please have it back and she then said, "I havent seen it, I dont have it, you must have it". OK now there is actual flames and fire shooting out of my head and I am MAD beyond all belief. Good thing I had some Ativan with me because I took some of that to calm me down and prevent a mass casualty incident from occuring. It was then my turn with the lady and I asked her for my license and we went through the same crap about her not seeing it and so on. Finally they found it and quess where it was? On the dumb beotches desk!!!! Oh yeah, you havent seen it, you only LEFT IT ON YOUR DESK DUMB A**!!! Have I mentioned how much I hate the DMV? She then hands me new plates for the car which I did not want because I wanted to keep my old ones. The old ones match my DH's because the only difference between the two is one number and they come in a succession like 837 and 838. Now I got very emotional and started to cry to myself. The lady saw this (because I told her the reason I wanted to keep the plates and not get new ones) and said that she was sorry. She also said that the bank needed to mail me a special form to keep the plates. Thats a load of crap. I wanted to say, "you mean that you might have to do some work if I wanted to keep my plates and your to f-ing lazy to do that right?" I let it go because we wasted so much time there that my DD was getting out of school and we had to pick her up. I wrote her a check and while I was doing that she said, "you said you were sick, whats the matter with you?" She and her co-worker pissed me off so much because they treat people like crap in there that I didnt mind saying, "Cancer" Oh, I'm sorry she replied and then she has the nerve to say, "Everything will get better dont you worry." Shut the F up lady and give me my crap so I can get the flock out of here. Bite me too. So I had to tell you about this crazy DMV experience and I am sure many of you have had similar things happen. They are so antiquated in how they run that place its ridiculous.

In knitting news I am trying to make a tank top out of the Tilli Thomas silk I bought but havent found anything thats going to work. I think I am going to crochet something with it. Not sure about that. I also have the Dr's socks and the Blue Moon socks on the needles. My DH's co-worker is giving birth any day now and I think I am going to make another Mason Dixon Kimono. I am waiting to see if the baby is a boy or girl to make an appropriate color. Maybe I'll chose a color thats unisex and start now.

Here is a cute picture of the day since I dont have any knitting ones to post. The fist doggie is our short haired black and tan doxie who is the second oldest of the 3 and the second is our long haired youngin' who is only 5. Our other doxie, the old man, who is going to be 12 this year, didnt want to take any pictures. He was being shy! That kid with them is our son in a rare, happy moment. He's usually grumpy.
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Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Did someone hear a frog?

I cant tell you how many projects I have frogged in the past few days. I wasnt happy with what I was making and frogged most of them. The good news is that I was not that far into any of them. The ARTYARNS Socks for my Dr and the Blue Moon February Sock are still in the works. My dogs unfinished sweater is lingering in the backround gathering some dust but its almost done. I stopped by my LYS, Knitting Central today on the hunt for a tank top pattern for my Tilli Thomas disco lights in Dusty Rose. My goal is to have it finished for a dinner party DH and I were invited to at the end of April. There is a great pattern book with 21 crochet patterns from Tahki Stacy Charles that I bought. Its the 2007 collection and I love every pattern in that book. Crocheting is much easier for me than knitting and I have made many things freeform so I feel very comfortable working with these patterns.

On Sunday we went to my cousins for her, her husbands and her sons birthday. In just 2 days I crocheted a scarf for her with some Lion Brand Microspun in lavender and Crystal FX in purple. The pattern was lacey made up of chains and single crochet. The ends of the scarf I tied into a trellis instead of having the tassels hang. I was very happy with how it came out and will post pictures in the near future of it (and a few other things). I am to lazy to upload any to the computer right now due to a horrible migraine.

My DH surprised me today with a little present. Its not my birthday or any special occasion and he hasnt done anything like this in a long time so I was very surprised when he handed me a book called KNIT Handmade Style by Janine Flew. I havent really heard of this book or the designers in it but its a very nice book with cute patterns.

My grandmothers birthday is in less than a month and I have not yet started on her gift. I am planning slippers/slipper socks for her but cant decide on a pattern and its driving me crazy. There are so many out there to chose from so someone help me make up my mind!!

I am also trying to teach myself Entrelac which is not supposed to be difficult but I am finding it so.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

A Little Update

I never really posted about how I felt after my surgery so here I am saying I am feeling pretty good! I was sore from all the manipulation but overall OK. Thank you to everyone who commented and wanted to know how I was doing. I had an appointment with my breast surgeon Monday (not the plastic surgeon) for a follow up. She was VERY impressed with my reconstruction and asked if I would show her nurse (who also had breast cancer a few years ago). I didnt mind at all. So overall every Dr that I have seen is very impressed with the job my plastic surgeon did. Thats why I love him so much. He gave me something back that no one else could have. This is why people who have been through what I have such an emotional attachment to their Dr. Its very easy to understand.

Knitting has been plugging along also. I frogged the TOFUTSIES sock that I was working on because I was not into it at all and my attention right now is on the Blue Moon Sock which is coming along well. The plastic surgeons socks are in progress right now and I decided on the baby cable rib pattern from SENSATIONAL KNITTED SOCKS. I chose ARTYARNS SUPERMERINO (can you tell its my favorite) and a size 2 needle to make it a very sturdy sock. My Dads sock was knitted in the same yarn and I used a size 5. Since this guy has a size 12 foot I couldnt really follow any pattern, it just wasnt working in my favor. I decided to make my own. I am contemplating putting a garter stitch border on the heel flap right now. I have time to decide. I also started a few other projects. My cousins birthday is on Sunday and we were invited to go. I need a gift FAST so I looked in my new favorite book, ONE SKEIN WONDERS, and am working on a lacey scarf with a ball of Stacy Charles Ritratto. I have 4 inches done already! Only another 56 to go!! LOL. Then I started a baby hat from the Blue Sky Cotton I had leftover from the Kimono. I plan on giving it to the Dr and his wife who had a baby in December. I originally gave them the pink Kimono that I forgot to post a picture of. This Dr is a resident that works with my DH and we are going to a party where he will be in attendance at the end of April. If time allows I will make matching booties. By the way, an awesome substitute for Rowan's Cotton Glace is Paton's Grace. Its less than 1/2 the price and its well worth it! Most of the booties in the book I have call for the Cotton Glace. There are a few other projects I have to finish and my Grandmothers birthday is in April so I have to make her something. I thought about felted slippers or slipper type socks because she is always cold and they are a quick knit. Some eyelash yarn around the cuffs would be cute too! If time allows I HAVE to cast on for this cute cotton bolero that I saw in one knitting magazine (I cant remember which one it was). Its called the Ying Yang Bolero.

My LYS also announced that Lucy Neatby will be teaching 2 classes in May!!! One of them is on Intarsia and the other is Cool Socks. Guess which one I want to take? Registration is at the end of the month and its on a first come, first serve basis starting at a certain time by phone only. It was the same when I registered for the Nancy Bush class and I was one of the 1st people to call. I hope I can get into Ms Neatby's class also. It would be fantastic to say that I was a student of both these knitting gurus!

Monday, March 12, 2007

Blogoversary & FO's

I missed my Blogoversary! It was 1 year ago on March 8th (day I had surgery so there was a good reason I missed it) that I started this blog. In the beginning it was called CURLYBRUNETTES STORY OF SURVIVAL but after a few months I decided to change the title of the blog and make it somewhat more happy. I wanted to blog about my favorite hobby, knitting and crocheting, so I changed it to what else but: KNIT HAPPENS! It also had no pictures when I 1st started out but now I try to post a picture with each post. When I read blogs I like to look at pictures so thats why I post them. I do like to read but I also am very visual so thats another reason why I use pictures in my posts. So while we are on the subject of pictures I have some FO's to post.

The 1st one is my Dad's birthday socks that I made from Artyarns Supermerino. Out of the 2 hanks I bought at 104 yards each I had about 1/2 of a hank left over and he is a size 9.5 shoe size. I used the THUJA pattern from Knitty and used a size 5 needle.
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Here is the Honeydew Kimono that I made for my friend who had a baby in January. I used about 225 yards of Blue Sky Cotton with a size 7 needle. I am going to make a matching hat to go with it and mail it to her by the end of the week. I dont want the baby to get so big that it doesnt fit!
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This is my DH's Fair Isle hat that I finally finished last night from my own pattern and design:
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Pretty good for my 1st Fair Isle! I am surprised it fits his big head!

SInce I have been making stitch markers I have also been making some jewelry. Here is a bracelet with matching earings made from Swarovski crystals.
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Its very hard to take a good picture with my craptastic camera. What do you expect for a camera that I bought in 1998! Yes 1998. We bought it when my DH and I got married right before our honeymoon.
I am loving making all these pretty things! All I need now is for someone to buy them! I havent been able to go to other yarn shops to see if they would be interested in selling them. One shop took my number so I hope they call me. I've thought about selling at craft fairs and holiday boutiques also. My DD's school has one every year in November. If anyone is interested in purchasing this bracelet and earings the price is $30 and I am still selling stitch markers for $10 a set (5 in a set).

In a few weeks I will be setting up my AVON WALK webpage so people can donate toward my walk in October. I am going to have special surprises for people when they donate certain amounts of money to my walk. I wont say anything right now because I dont want to ruin the surprise.

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Its HERE!!!!

Yes, the minute after I posted I heard a bang at my door and my dogs went wild. I knew it was my sock kit, I just knew it! Right on time too! Since my surgery is tomorrow I have lots of knitting to get done afterwards! I am totally determined to make this sock the way the pattern suggests and I am very excited about it. I have NEVER done a toe up or short row heels so there are two things that I am going to have to learn. They suggest a gauge of 8sts/1" so I looked at a sock I made with mediumweight STR and a size 1 Addi Turbo (which is really a 1.5 because its 2.5mm, not 2.25mm) and it measured at a gauge of 7sts/1". I think I am going to be using 0's. We will see how it turns out. Here is a picture of my kit:
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The colorway is called Monsoon and my ballband says, "dont let the grass grow underneath your feet"
I already rolled it up and its ready to go. I want to start right now but I am working on finishing my Dad's socks because his birthday is tomorrow. I plan on starting it tonight when the kids go to bed and there is some peace and quiet around here.

I forgot to mention that when I was in the 2 yarn shops yesterday the owners of both complimented me on my CALORIMETRY. The one that I made with Artyarns Supermerino. They kept asking me where I got the pattern and I told them about KNITTY. I found it quite funny that only Cynthia knew about KNITTY. The other shop owner who is a young girl who you would think would be up on that stuff, knew nothing about it. She had me write it down for her so she could investigate. I cant wait to see a bunch of ladies in Greenwich wearing their CALORIMETRIES! I was also excited to get someone else addicted to knitty. Its my absolute favorite knitting place on the web especially the coffeeshop where you can meet other knitters and share ideas. I have to mention that I bought a hank of Artyarns Supermerino (104 yds) for 95 cents less in 'upscale' Greenwich than in Westport where I usually buy my yarn. Weird right? Iris, who owns Artyarns, just put out some gorgeous new colors and I bought a pink and off white colorway. I want to make another CALORIMETRY or the DREAMSWATCH from the Garter Belt. I also have seen it on others blogs and I really like the way it looks as a headwrap. It can be used as a belt or scarf also. The only thing is that they call for 150 yards and a size 5 needle and I only have 104 yards. If you use the 150 yards it comes out 49" so I think with what I have, even though it will be shorter, it will still be able to wrap around my head. My head is not that big! LOL

Last Surgery, Zimmermania & Where are my Rockin' Socks?

One year has passed since I had my 1st surgery related to my breast cancer (March 2nd) and tomorrow is supposedly the last. Nipple reconstruction is 10am tomorrow and I am a bit nervous about it. I have heard horror stories of how the skin graphs didnt take or infection occured causing implant rejection! Holy crap I dont even want to think about it. I am praying that all goes well and that this is the last time I have ANY surgery. My gastrointerologist wants me to have a colonoscopy but I told him that I need an break from anesthesia so it will have to wait a few months. He said it was OK.

I got another hair cut (trim) yesterday! Not much was taken off but she shaped it so I can wear it curly without looking like I stuck my finger in a light socket! I also was introduced to some new hair products that made my hair less poofy and defined my curls more. I think it was TIGI Curls Rock Spray and Styling Lotion. Right now they are working great but the way my hair works the longer it gets the less products like that work for it. Grow hair, grow! I want to wear it in a ponytail again!

On the way back from the plastic surgeons office yesterday I stopped in one of the LYS around the hospital to see if they had any more Great Adirondack Gemini (50% wool, 50% silk) in a beatiful colorway they call Moonstone (I think, its not in front of me) for the Starry Night Shawl class I am going to take in June. Somehow I thought that 550 yards would suffice but alas, I was wrong. When I stopped into Knitting Central, where I am taking the class, Cynthia said that Jane Elliot (the teacher and genius knitter extrodinaire) said the shawl would take at least 1050 yards!! WOW, I didnt think it would take that much! I dont have a DK weight yarn that would be suitable for the shawl in my stash so I have to go looking. I thought that Great Adirondack would be a wonderful yarn because of the silk in it making it drape beautifully but its $42 for 275 yards and I would need 2 more hanks of it. The total cost would be $168 and thats to much for me to spend. To bad we cant use a lace weight yarn because I have a ton of Misti Alpaca Lace in my stash. Oh well, I have until June to find one.

Zimmermania, yes I have it. I cant believe it took me this long to buy an Elizabeth Zimmerman book. I bought her Knitters Almanac and Knitting Workshop. I cant wait to dive in and make some of her stuff especially the Baby Surprise Jacket. There are so many projects in these books its amazing. What makes it even more amazing as that you can make the pattern your own and EZ tells you exactly how to do it.

Tomorrow is my Dad's birthday and I am almost done with his socks. I want to be able to send them home with my Mom tomorrow night. If I am not done then he will get them on Saturday or Sunday. I also mailed those booties to my cousin yesterday so I hope she likes them.

My Rockin' Socks are not here yet!!! Everyone else has received their socks (well, not everyone but almost) from BMFA except me, boo hoo I am so upset because I want to cast on for these before I go to the hospital tomorrow! I keep checking their blog and all I see are tons of people on the east coast who have received their package! UGH!! Maybe today will be the day? I hope. The anticipation was killing me so much that I looked on others blogs and ruined the surprise. Its all good though because I still will be surprised when I get it. Its a toe-up pattern and I have never done one of those before. I hope that there are detailed instructions included otherwise I am going to make it cuff-down instead. The other day I was attempting to start the toe and it wasnt working well at all so I had to step away from the DPN's and yarn and call it a day. I am going to give it my all and thats all I can do IF and WHEN I get the package that is! LOL.

On the family front my Mom and Dad said that they are going to be speaking to my sister and a big decision is being made by them. I really hope they stick to their guns and dont back down when this 'conversation' occurs because my sister has mastered the art of manipulation with her passive-aggressive narcsisstic personality. This whole situation is weighing heavily on my heart and I cant tell you how much I have cried over it all. I just dont want to continue to write about it if there is nothing happening to solve the issue. However, I will write if there is anything new to write about.

Friday, March 02, 2007

Bootees and First Fair Isle

I made another pair of bootees for my cousins baby girl. I used Rowan Cotton Glace in the color Pier and the little bit of lace that is in this pattern has addicted me already to lace knitting. Its called Lace & Diamond Bootees (this is how the author spells booties). I am going to drop these in the mail to her on Monday before the babys feet get to big. They are made for 6-9 month olds and she is 7 months so they should fit:
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This is my attempt at Fair Isling with my own design that I adapted from a mitten pattern to a hat. I think that its going pretty well. We will see when I have to start the decreases! LOL
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Here is a cute picture of our resident squirrel that has learned to expect peanut butter sandwiches every day from us. If we dont give him what he wants he comes right up to the glass doors on our back porch to taunt my 3 doxies. Its very funny to watch but I think I am creating a monster, a squirrel monster that is!
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I am still anxiously awaiting my BMFA sock kit for February but alas there was no delivery for me today. It should come tomorrow and I cant wait!! I'll be sure to post pictures of the kit when I get it.

My next surgery for the nipple reconstruction is scheduled for March 8th and I am so happy that they finally fit me in the OR schedule. It was crazy there for a while that there were so many surgeries being scheduled. Thats because so many hospitals have been closing in the area (around the hospital I use) and they are picking up the slack.