Early Happy New Year

I'm leaving town for a few days of relaxation and sunburn. Have a happy happy New Year and see ya next week!

Merry Merry!

I'm hopped up on coffee and cream cheese braid (my favorite Christmas delicacy). Today I made 6 pairs of pajamas in 4 hours. It's a personal record.

The gifts are done, and I even had time to make myself a little somethin'. Here's the rundown:

PJ pants for Dad (goldfish), Sis-in-law (flowers) and Bro (monkeys for the monkey):

Curious George / fire engine pj pants for the nephews:

Fair isle snowflake hats for the nephews:

A shawl thingy for mom (which I gave to her last week on her birthday, although it's a birthday / Christmas gift). Back:

Front:

And of course, the Alchemy silk scarf for big Sis:

And the little somethin' for me! Tennessee Titans PJ's!

Now all I have to do is wrap the gifts and try not to eat any more cream cheese braid until morning, which is easier said than done.

Merry Christmas! Hope everyone has a happy happy holiday!

Making Plans

First, a fish picture. Just Fish is just pretty and he's the best roommate I've had since his predecessor went to fishy heaven. He was a Beta too, named Buju Banton, and that poor fish had to live in several apartments, with several roomies, until he died a couple years ago. The nephews are so excited because I'm going out of town for New Year's and Just Fish is living with them for a few days. Just Fish would probably be fine at my house, but it's an excuse for the nephews to have some fun.


I jumped on the Quant bandwagon yesterday and am loving it! This is yet another Christmas gift, and a very manageable one at that. I used a yarn called Teseo, by Dive. It's a soft, fluffy wool that stripes perfectly for this design.


In order to make it through the last week or so before Christmas, I've been daydreaming about my post-holiday plans. I bought some gorgeous yarn yesterday - Lana D'Oro in charcoal and teal for a New Year's present, the Teseo for Quant, and some sock yarn for me - Regia in Kaffe Fassett colors, and some Lana Grossa that I've been drooling over.


I am desperately waiting until I can make myself some socks. I finally bought plane tickets to Florida for New Year's, and then started to remember how much I hate flying. And I have 2 long plane trips planned in the next month. Ugh. So I'm stocking up on plane necessities, like audiobooks, Dramamine, and portable knitting. My idea of a perfect vacation definitely involves knitting, and I'll have plenty of time to relax, but also have to think about which projects will be suitable for planes and boats. Socks are perfect.

It's been over 3 years since I've had a vacation, and cannot freaking wait! It's hard to leave my job for more than a weekend without missing the store and everyone there (I know, it's strange, but I work at the best place in the world). But once I feel the warm sunshine and see the ocean again, I'll forget all about TN and will come home ready to start a new year.

I just have to get through the next couple weeks.

The Titans gave me some great knitting time today - we won!!!!! The final score was Titans 26- Chiefs 17. It was a great day for football. Brett Favre broke Dan Marino's record for all-time yardage, and the Dolphins got their first win of the year. Better late than never.

Next week we play the Jets, then finish out the season with the Colts. The only problem with the vacation is that I will be away from the tv, internet, and civilization in general (which is generally a good thing) but won't be able to watch the game. It'll be tough to stay away, but maybe I can call friends in Nashville to get a recap. Go Titans!

Sugar, Yarn, and Wine

Whew! Yet again, December is doing a number on me. I really tried to have my Christmas / birthday knitting done in time so I could enjoy this wonderful month, but it hasn't worked out like I planned. Oh well. I'm still having a blast!

My favorite day of the year is Christmas Cookie Day. Bro, sis and I made cookies every year as children, and never stopped as adults because it's so much fun. We listen to the same A Very Special Christmas cd over and over, make the same psychedelic cracked-out cookies, and now we have 2 more cute little helpers.


Sis, sis-in-law and I cut out the cookies while bro puts together the colors. This year we had red, green, white, yellow, orange, burnt orange, brown, black, 3 shades of blue, spearmint, and a couple more that I can't quite describe. We make the usual Christmas shapes but don't stop there. There are numbers, elephants, rhinos, monkeys, fish, whales, aliens, hearts, guitars, cacti, pigs... you get the idea.


Note that there's wine in most pictures, because that makes it a little easier to deal with the little boys who have been pouring sugar sprinkles straight into their mouths. After an hour Buddha Bear was running in circles around the table screaming and Hoss was jumping up and down in the corner and then shaking his booty to the music.



These are the bleeding hearts courtesy of bro. The political beliefs in my family are all across the board, so we make fun of each other (and ourselves). I think the grey/green blob is some sort of camouflage camel.


And of course, most of the cookies have been eaten by now (I've got one left - saving it for breakfast in the morning).

I've been using the sugar high to knit even faster. Here's a goofy picture of yours truly in my unblocked new hat - Misti Alpaca Chunky. So pretty! It's now on my hat blocking thingy - a canister with an upside down bowl on top of it. It should be plenty cold this weekend so I'll put it to good use.


Everything is at least started, except the pajamas. Best Friend is getting an alpaca scarf - Cascade's Baby Alpaca Chunky - in her signature color. I got lazy on this one and am using a pattern from a fabulous gift book, One Skein. It's coming up quickly and is so darn soft!!!


My super cool totally awesome project is for mom. She has a big birthday coming up next week and asked me to design something based on a shawl thing we saw this fall. The original was not shaped, made in garter stitch out of cheap acrylic, and the shawl collar was a total joke. She picked out some Pastaza to match one of her favorite outfits and we took some measurements. The fronts and back worked up fine, but the shawl collar was more of a challenge. It's all done with short row shaping and took a few tries to get it right, but that part is done. Now all I have to do is pick up about 300 stitches for the border, weave in ends, and block.

But at the moment it looks like one of those sea creatures that only lives miles below the ocean's surface.


The knitting has taken over my life and I've completely forgotten about dishes, laundry, and general apartment tidiness, so I must clean now. Hopefully there will be more updates soon...

Just Fish

See what I've been up to? Having fun with scarves. I still have a whole lotta knitting to do before Christmas, but am making headway. The boys' hats still need to be blocked, the hat for my "niece" needs to be embroidered, Dad's socks are 75% done, but they're not due until January 2nd, Sassy's present is in the works, and I still have to start mom and Abbie's presents, and finish some knitting work for the store. OK, I don't have a handle on things, but look at the pretty scarves!

The one on the right is an entrelac scarf for me, just because. It's knitty's Danica scarf, and I completely stole the idea from Lauren. And she quoted me on her blog recently. I used K1Ctoo's Paintbox, and it was one of the most addictive patterns I've ever knitted.

The gorgeous red one is for my sister. It's Alchemy's Silk Purse, a yarn that I am completely obsessed with, and the picture doesn't come near to giving it justice. It's the prettiest red I've ever seen in my life. I got all I could out of 163 yards, and it's a good length. The pattern is Fir Cone from one of my Barbara Walker Treasuries. I pinned it to my towel and grabbed my iron to steam it, but realized I made a big mistake by letting my neighbor borrow my iron and now it's broken and they're not home, so it's just chillin out waiting for blocking.


Nephew Hoss and I had a fun little adventure this week. We went to my dad's favorite store, Aquatic Critter, and had a ball checking out all of the funky reptiles and cool fish. I really liked the boas and caymans, but Hoss only wanted to look at the tarantula. He knows I'm terrified of spiders and I think he just wanted to torture me. We decided on a gorgeous orange Beta, picked out some blue marbles and a pretty little fishbowl, and went to Starbucks for a cookie (and Auntie needed caffeine).


We had a tough time picking out a name. I suggested all kinds of crazy names, from Elmo to Orangina to Bob Marley to Macchiato (we were at Starbucks and I was getting desperate). Hoss said "No!" to everything I said. I asked him, for the 100th time, "What should we name him?" and Hoss looked into my eyes and replied, "Just fish." I asked "Fish? Or Just Fish?". He replied again, "Just Fish." So say hello to my new pet, Just Fish. That's what I get for letting a 2-year-old name my pet.

Mmmmmm... Leftovers

There's still some dressing and rolls in the fridge, and my pants are still a little tight. I'm sad Thanksgiving is over. It's always fun to sit around with your family and eat all kinds of good stuff. And this year, somehow, I didn't have to bring any food!

After our early Thanksgiving lunch I went home to drink hot chocolate and watch football and knit with a friend. It's now officially Christmas / December birthday / Hanukkah gift crunchtime, and I am writing and re-writing lists and even made a spreadsheet to see if I can maintain sanity.

I LOVE this time of year! I might seem stressed out and slightly overwhelmed with all of the knitting to be done, but it is so much fun! I've got some pretty things done so far:
(and this is a spoiler alert for sis, dad, nephews, and Carrie)


I've started Dad's second sock with a fair isle border, sis's scarf is looking beautiful (but you can't really tell in the picture). The nephews' hats look great, although I'm still trying to figure out if earflaps will be added. The pale greenish thing in the middle is a crocheted washcloth out of Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille. I bought 3 skeins for 3 washcloths, and think that I can squeeze out a bath mitt from the leftovers.


I'm head over heels in love with Misti Alpaca's Handpaint Chunky Alpaca yarn. It's starting to really cool off here, and every girl needs a new hat for winter. The picture is blurry and fuzzy (kinda like I feel right now when I've only had half a cup of coffee) but the hat is gorgeous. I brought it in to work with me on Saturday and all of a sudden we only have 3 hanks left. The sad part is that I dreamed about chunky alpaca yarn last night - my friend was knitting a hat out of Cascade's Baby Alpaca Chunky, and it was way too big so I was helping him with decreases and it was the prettiest shade of light blue-grey. Wonder if I'll dream about Alchemy Silk Purse tonight...

Prime Time Monday Night

It's Monday Night Football time!!!!!

The Titans are playing the Broncos in Denver tonight, kickoff is in 3 minutes so I'd better hurry. It'll be a close game, and I'm so sad to hear that Albert Haynesworth is still too injured to play. Also, Travis Henry (an ex-Titan who now plays for Denver) is out of the game too, and I was really excited to see our defense give him a good challenge. Oh well. It'll still be a good game.

My pick: Titans 20, Broncos 14.

I've been knitting a lot lately, and have had a ball designing Christmas and Birthday presents. I'm also doing some knitting for hire at the moment, which is keeping me very very busy. I've got 2 scarves on the needles (actually, on the same needle). I fell in love with the design of my sis's Alchemy silk scarf, so I'm using the same pattern for mine, so why not knit them at once? Dad's socks are coming along well, but I'm really psyched about the boys' fair isle hats. I'm toying with double knitting earflaps and have had a lot of fun playing with that.

Here comes kickoff! Time for hot chocolate, knitting, and most important of all, FOOTBALL!!!!!

GO TITANS!!!

Happy Happy Happy Happy

Wow. In the past 2 days I have been completely overwhelmed - in the best way possible. As my Nanee would say, I am so incredibly blessed. I have the BEST friends and BEST family on the planet!

Thursday night I left work to go on a birthday date with a cute boy (my birthday's the 16th) and walked through his door to a big surprise party! Most of my friends are out of town this weekend, which really sucks because it's my birthday and I have a couple extra days off. So the boy organized a huge birthday party one day early with all of my closest friends and a huge, amazing dinner (they even got my mom to cook my favorite food). It was EXACTLY what I wanted. We ate and drank and danced all night - just perfect.

Friday I sat around and played with my birthday present to myself - a gorgeous skein of Alchemy Yarn's Silk Purse in the color "San Francisco Sky" - pictures later.

The next party was with the family. We ate another amazing meal, topped off with chocolate mousse cake. Yum. After dinner I had to step outside for a moment and when I came back in my family looked like this:


They were wearing just about everything I have made them in the last 8 years or so. They were all wearing hand knitted socks, belts, scarves, hats, nephew Hoss was wearing a poncho that I made his mom, everyone was wearing jewelry that I've made for mom and sis (even the guys), dad was in pajama pants - you get the idea. They wanted to thank me for all of the strange little things I do for them, and again, I was completely overwhelmed.

I even snagged a pic of Buddha Bear in his first birthday sweater.


The color is perfect - his blue eyes look electric next to that sweater.

I am so so so so so so so so so thankful for my wonderful friends who pulled off the best surprise ever! I am equally thankful for my family who have been so supportive of everything I do! I am so very blessed!

NFL Week 10

Guess where I went today? Here's a hint:


Carrie has season tickets, and took me to the game! Woo Hoo! But we lost and that sucked. My throat hurts from screaming and my hands hurt from clapping but it was a really fun time. Carrie rocks!

The only thing that really made me mad (besides the way we played) was Princess Frostilocks (he's the one on the right).


I love to play Mullet Watch. This is Music City where mullets are everywhere and you keep thinking that it couldn't get worse, but it does. I wish this picture showed the white blond frosted tips in their full glory. He had a bleach blond soul patch on his chin, and the wife-beater tank was hanging out of the neck of his shirt. He talked on his phone throughout the game and I was waiting for him to tell me to hush while I was screaming at our defense. It just made me scream louder.

This was the only second of the game that his arm was not around his woman (and her hair was almost as bad as his). When he put his arm around her he blocked access to my drink holder and I must have said "Excuse me" about a million times. If he messed with my hot chocolate one more time I would have gone on a frosted-mullet-bashing tirade, but kept my cool and was kinda worried that his girlfriend would scratch me to death with her scary press-on-nails.

I had to take a picture - that's for you, Sassy. She's my hairdresser/ best friend/ cousin/ knitting buddy and appreciates a bad mullet more than anyone I know. I normally don't make fun of people this much, but this guy needs to be in the Mullet Hall of Fame and he really pissed me off.

So we're 6 -3, still have a good chance at the playoffs, but the Titans had better get their %#*! together if they're going to win any more games. I still love you, Vince, and I really do believe in you, but right now my favorites are Keith Bullock and Kyle Vanden Bosch. I really like the way Keith sports the bright red gloves. The man's got style. And Vanden Bosch had a few really nice plays today.

Next week we're playing the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football! I do love Jay Cutler, but we'll be kickin some Bronco butt.

And Betty S. - thank you so much - I had the BEST coffee this morning and am enjoying another wonderful cup right now!

Friday Night Plans

I'm trying to knit myself into a good mood. I've been a little off since the root canal and am still trying to work my way back to the normally happy-go-lucky esp. So, here's the plan.

Step 1: Make incredibly rich mint hot chocolate.

Step 2: Find a knitting project that makes me happy.

This one is tough. I'm designing all of my knitted Christmas presents this year and the patterns will (hopefully soon) be for sale at TBY. There's a book that I really really want but am waiting for it to come in, so some of the designs have to wait a bit.

I've designed something really cool for my sweet best friend, but swatched through an entire ball of Wool Bam Boo before I found the right design and still hold a grudge for that. I have yarn for hats for the nephews, but need the book to finish the design. I started Dad's socks on Sunday, but it gave me trouble (actually, I was unprepared and forgot my supplies and it's all my fault) and again, I'm holding a slight grudge there too. I need something relatively easy that will make me happy.

I think I'll pick up that darn sleeve from my Tangled Yoke Cardigan. It's easy, there's not too much left, and I just might be able to join the whole thing together and start the yoke tonight, which is the most exciting part.

Step 3: Ignore the laundry piled in the corner and sink full of dirty dishes. That's easy enough.

Step 4: Watch Men in Trees and then last night's Grey's Anatomy online.

That's a nice recipe for a good mood. Now it's pajama time.

Knitting Update, with Pictures!

The Clapotis is done! It was pretty wide after blocking, but has shrunk up a little from wear. It's soft, gorgeous, and makes me feel like a million bucks. Just what the doctor ordered. I LOVED working with Schaefer's Lola - it's a superwash wool that's perfect for winter socks - it knits up to 6-7 sts per inch, so they're not like your usual fingering weight socks. I think I need new socks now.


Speaking of socks, this took me about 4 hours yesterday. I ran home and grabbed an extra circular and tapestry needle and wove in my ends, joined the hem, and knitted just a little bit, but had to put this one down for a break.


So I picked up the Tangled Yoke Cardigan. This is my second sleeve, and after this I get to join the front/back and sleeves and start the yoke. That's the super cool part of this pattern, and I'm so excited to see how it goes. This is my first Eunny Jang pattern, from the Fall 07 Interweave Knits, and I'll work on this today while I wait for the winter issue to come in the mail.


These are my dragon socks. It's Colinette's Jitterbug, in the color Toscana, and they're my first toe-up. I started them a while back and took a break and then lost them. Turns out they were in my t-shirt drawer shoved in the back with those shirts that I never wear anymore but can't quite get rid of. I've always loved the Dragon Skin pattern from Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, and the stitch count was perfect. The picture is a little fuzzy, but these socks are awesome and I can't wait to do the heel.


Before I started the Jitterbug socks, these were my dragon socks. It's the Pomatomus sock pattern from Knitty and I am so freaking proud of these socks because it's a crazy pattern done in twisted rib. The yarn is beautiful - my first ever Koigu project. They were so pretty that I ordered 2 more colorways and they're sitting in my stash because I am supremely pissed at this yarn.

I've worn these socks 3 times. I blocked them well and have hand washed them, 3 times, in my sink in the perfect temperature water with the best fiber washes out there, and they look like crap. It's hard to tell from the bad picture, but they're pilled and fuzzy and the pattern is already getting lost. It's not like I'm running marathons in these socks or running around without shoes on sharp gravel. I take very good care of them and they have let me down.

I expect some pilling and wear from my handknit items, but I have 2-year-old socks out of crappy yarns that look a whole lot better than these.

Koigu is so pretty and everyone loves it, and I love the colors. I've talked to a bunch of people who have used Koigu and while a few have had similar issues, most people say it holds up well. I'm asking you, is this just a bum skein or should I expect this from the yarn in my stash?

I loved the Pomatomus pattern so much that I'm getting some new yarn to make them again so I can wear them all the time.

It's time to go see the nephews and do some laundry. I'm also super duper excited about a little errand today - I'm going to the new Whole Foods in Green Hills! Mom went on opening day and went on about how cool it is, and I'm one of those crazies who LOVES grocery shopping.

Football Pajamas Day!

Every once in a while, I get a luxuriously lazy day to relax. And I have really needed it. So, Happy Football Pajamas Day to me!

So far I've eaten blueberry raspberry pancakes and watched the Titans game. It wasn't pretty, but we beat the Carolina Panthers 20-7. It's still frustrating to watch because I know we can play so much better. But a win's a win, and I'll take it.

It's also been a day of knitting. I'm designing some socks, and had to rip out a lot. They involve a provisional cast on, a nice hem, and a bit of fair isle. But I'm not at home, and didn't have a crochet hook for the cast on so I improvised and made a chain with a knitting needle. I knitted the hem, turning row and fair isle section, and got ready to join the hem. To do this, I rip out the crochet chain and put the live stitches on an extra needle, then knit the sock stitches together with the cast on stitches. But there is no extra circular needle in sight, so I painstakingly put the live stitches on a piece of picture framing wire and started to join. But I forgot a crucial step - the ends need to be woven in first because once the hem is joined, you can't even get to the tails. There's no crochet hook or even sewing needle in sight, so I blog.

I also don't have my camera cord so there will be no pictures in this post of my gorgeous clapotis scarf. It was dry by yesterday morning so I wore it to work all day and then wore it to the bonfire cookout. That thing was around my neck from 7:30 am (it looks great with my bathrobe) to about 1:00 this morning. I love it dearly.

Now it's time to watch the Colts play the Patriots and maybe go for an afternoon drive. In my pajamas. With syrup spilled on them. It's Football Pajamas Day and I'm happy!

Waiting...

It's blocking. The Clapotis scarf out of Schaefer's Lola. It's so hard to wait when your finished product looks so darn pretty.

I picked up my halfway done abandoned fall sweater project, the Tangled Yoke Cardigan, and am slowly knitting through the sleeves, but all I can think about is my scarf.

What a Day!!!!!

I got to meet Laurie Perry ( Crazy Aunt Purl) today!!!!!

I might have had to take more Darvocet in order to drag my butt into work, so I was quite out of it, but it was worth it. I just wish that I didn't look so drugged out in this picture. Laurie's just as nice and easy going as she could be. She signed my book, which I still haven't finished, and hung out for an hour and a half and got to meet a lot of Middle Tennessee knitters. She took time to really chat with everyone, and got to buy some new yarn. I also gave her one of the sugar cookies that Hoss and I made, and it was a hit too.

I talked to my good buddy JP tonight to compare Crazy Aunt Purl experiences, and we both had a fun time. The only thing that sucks is that I didn't actually get to see JP while he was in town - he couldn't come to TBY today and I couldn't go to B&N last night. No fun. But we both got to meet an awesome woman, and I'll see him sometime soon. Huntsville is about halfway between us, so maybe there's a mini road trip in our future...

Laurie, thanks for coming to Tennessee! We hope you enjoyed some Southern hospitality, and hope you have an easy trip back to LaLaLand. We'd love to have you back anytime!

Thankful

Woo Hoo! I got my root canal first thing this morning, and while I was in the dentist's chair a new hot water heater was being installed. The water's not quite warm yet, but I'm checking it every 30 minutes like a crazy stinky woman.

Jaime's scarf turned out great and she loved it! She loves that it's made out of wool and bamboo. Here she is with my sweet brother, Captain Redbeard (his hair is blond but his beard is red. Go figure.) She usually doesn't wear big plastic necklaces or flashing red pins that say, "Kiss me, I'm (insert age here)". Like I'd reveal her age, I'm a better sister than that. We go a little crazy over birthdays in this family and there are usually big party hats and balloons and mardi-gras-esque necklaces and other funky decorations.


After the root canal I decided to make Nanee's potato cheese soup, because that's what she always did for me when I was sick. Since I don't have a blender, I went to mom and dad's to make a mess in their kitchen. It turned out great!

My mouth is still really sore and the nephews were a great distraction. Buddha Bear had shots today too, at his 1-year checkup. He didn't feel good either so we snuggled a whole lot.

Hoss (and mom) made pumpkin shaped sugar cookies, so I got to help with the icing. It was orange too (in flavor and color).

While Hoss is pretty big for a 2-year-old, he's not that tall - he's standing on a footstool. I iced the cookies, he was Master of the Sprinkles. Please don't make fun of me for this picture - half of my face was still numb and I haven't showered since yesterday morning and I'm on pills.

The weekend wasn't a total bust. I finished knitting one of the nephew's Christmas fair isle hats, got some work done on my clapotis scarf, and today read the first 50 pages of Crazy Aunt Purl's book, "Drunk, Divorced and Covered in Cat Hair". I don't want to put it down! Hopefully I'll finish it by tomorrow when I meet her. The more I read the more excited I get about meeting her! Drop by Threaded Bliss Yarns if you get the chance, from 12 - 1. She doesn't have much time here, and it's more of a meet & greet and book signing. Bring your copy of the book, and we've got plenty too. I'll show you my pretty front tooth and will hopefully be nice and clean, and maybe a little dopey.

Bring on the Pain

Alright, that's it. I've had it with this crap. I think I finally fell asleep at 6am after tossing and turning all night while my tooth was throbbing. So I called my trusty dentist - the most amazing dentist on the planet - and he told me what I already knew. I need a root canal.

There is a teeny tiny chance that I don't, and I'm going in for x-rays first thing Monday morning and will hopefully get an appointment for the root canal on Monday.

It could be much worse. My first root canal was on Memorial Day weekend and my dentist was out of town and it took 3 days with no painkillers for me to finally get help. The second was on New Year's Eve. That night was fun. I was the most loopy of all my friends and I'm the one that puked when we got home even though I didn't drink a sip of alcohol. Thank the Lord for hydrocodone.

This time it's Halloween, but the dental offices are open. I picked up antibiotics and painkillers today and left work early and came home to attempt some knitting. Before the meds took effect I got some work done on the fair isle hat, but am probably going to start a new pair of socks in a really easy stitch.

The thing about root canals is that by the time you get one, you're so happy to have your nerves deadened that a really sore mouth is not so bad. You've been in so much pain already that you don't mind swollen gums, achy teeth, and not being able to eat solid food.

The tooth still hurts, but I'm pretty loopy and am just laughing about the absurdity of the situation. I talked to Carrie for a while and she said that I have a very "Zen" attitude, so that's a good sign.

Blocking Makes Everything Better

Blocking does make everything better, but this time I'm not talking about making the scarf prettier (although that is quite true). Blocking makes me feel better. It means that I've finished a project and washed it and it's waiting for its new owner, and I am so sick of that lace pattern. It was a lot of fun, but I knitted 20 inches in the last 48 hours to finish it on time. I thrive under pressure.

When it rains, it pours. I'm sick. I also have a nasty toothache, and with my soft, chalky, crappy teeth and history of emergency root canals, I'm freakin out a little. My hot water heater went out this morning. I called my landlord early this morning, but he decided not to check his messages. I finally reached him this afternoon but it was too late to get it replaced today so I'm s**t out of luck until Monday. There's enough going on right now to make my nerves shot to hell. I'm exhausted and jumpy and had a rough spider experience this evening (apparently if you spray a spider with Pledge, it doesn't die. You have to throw it, along with the shoe it's clinging to, out of the door and into the hall because you just can't deal with it right now.) And, because of my general sicky demeanor I had to turn down a ticket to see Widespread Panic at the Ryman tonight. Ouch. Really big Ouch. Enough bitchin.

Life has been so good to me in the past couple of years. There have been hard times, tough decisions, and minor pitfalls, but in the grand scheme of things I am so incredibly blessed. When it rains, it pours, then life goes on. But the good times definitely outweigh the bad. I'm starting to feel better. Tylenol dulled the toothache just enough. I have the greatest job in the entire universe. I also have the greatest family and friends who are always there for me. I have the cutest nephews on the planet. The weekend is almost here. I'm meeting Crazy Aunt Purl soon. My new sis-in-law is celebrating her first birthday as my brother's wife, and she's definitely something to celebrate. I'm going to a bonfire party at my best friend's house tomorrow night. All of that makes up for having to wake up extra early and go to my parent's house to take a shower in the morning because my landlord won't pay extra money to get a new hot water heater put in on a weekend. Sorry, I'm still pissed about that.

But Monday night I'll have something to be thankful for, something that I take for granted every day - a new hot water heater. Maybe I needed to learn how to appreciate it. If only I could learn to appreciate spiders, but I'll tackle that another day.

Sock Appreciation

This is my nephew, Hoss, with my sweet father.

I have never met anyone that appreciates knitted socks more than my father. He gets that they are beautiful, comfortable, and the perfect fit that makes your entire day brighter. He has worsted weight blue socks for cold mornings, thin stripes to match his suits, solid camel-hair socks, blue funky stripes (shown above) and a little bit of everything in between.

There's nothing better than having someone really, truly appreciate your hard work. Sometimes you put a lot of time, sweat, and money into a project and you have that feeling that they're lying through their teeth when they say, "Oh.. wow... er...that's great..." The thing is, he's the greatest dad ever and is always there for me and taught me a lot about how to appreciate the finer things in life. I appreciate my dad so much, and am tickled that he appreciates my socks.

Now there is a new generation of sock-appreciators in the family. When Hoss opened his birthday present, he could care less about his ultramerino green and blue striped socks. To be honest with you, I was worried. But it all changed Wednesday. I called mom and heard Hoss in the background shouting, "Emmmmm!" and mom informed me that he had been touching his feet all morning saying my name. Not only does he love his socks, he understands that his Auntie Em made them just for him. He loves to watch me knit. When he comes to the yarn store he runs straight to the silk and cashmere and pets them - he doesn't throw hanks of yarn across the room or drool on them like most kids - I've taught him well. He doesn't like acrylic, and actually gets that wool comes from sheep and alpacas are very soft. I'm so proud!!!!!

When Hoss showed off his socks, Dad took him upstairs to pick out some of Auntie Em's socks for him to wear, and mom grabbed some of hers to put on. Poor Buddha Bear was left out, but he's getting some soon. He can wear big brother's hand-me-downs until then.

Not only do I have the most wonderful and supportive family on the planet, they really do love my socks and I couldn't be more proud of them!

Shaky Mojo

My knitting mojo is a little off, and I think I figured out why - I'm only (actively) working on 2 projects right now, and it's just not enough. I've been finishing a lot lately, but have been bad about taking pictures.

I finished Buddha Bear's birthday sweater and it was a huge success. The nephews thought it was soft, and the rest of the family was very impressed. I want one just like it. I promise to dress him up in it and take a good picture soon.

I felted some clogs / slippers Sunday night for my friend Nick, and left my camera at home. I'll get a pic soon. Normally I put some puff paint on the soles of slippers for traction, but it's still not good to wear them outside without further protection. He and I were brainstorming about our sole-covering options, and I like the idea of sewing on faux-leather soles - they'll protect the sole without taking away from the design. Being the inventive crazy man that he is, Nick now wants to find some sort of liquid rubber that will harden and bond to the slipper without cracking once it's set. He's researching using bedliner (for trucks) paint and is kind of scaring me. He's not touching those clogs until he's sure that it will work, and has experimented on other fabrics. If he ruins this gift, he'll have to make the next pair himself - without my help. Any ideas anyone?

I have one gift with a deadline that is going along nicely. It's for my sis-in-law whose birthday is tomorrow, but we can't all get together to celebrate until Sunday (why did we have to schedule this during the Titans game? Can't we eat birthday lunch on trays in the den? Do you people not know me at all?) Actually, I'll miss a game for Jaime because she is absolutely wonderful and I am still so so happy that she's family now. I'm really digging the wool bamboo yarn, and the stitch pattern is just interesting enough. I'm a little over halfway done. And it's the most beautiful shade of green.


Last week I fell in love with some Schaefer Yarn - Lola - in a one of a kind colorway. Cheryl Schaefer visited my LYS and place of employment on Sunday, and I had a blast! One of the many perks of working at a yarn store is that you get to really hang out with any special guests that might come to town, and she's funny! It's a clapotis, pattern altered for a scarf. I might be the only knitter who has not made this, so here's my attempt.


Speaking of special guests, I get to meet Laurie (aka Crazy Aunt Purl) in one week!

In order to regain the knitting mojo, I bought yarn for a new project today. When I showed Benji's hat to the nephews, Hoss (the 2-year-old) ran around saying "Hat! Hat! Hat!" and Baby Buddha put it on and pulled it over his face and said "Pee-boo" (short for peek-a-boo). I asked Hoss if he wanted a hat and he firmly replied "Yesssssss!" He wants yellow, but my family looks scary in that color, so he's getting blue to match his eyes.

These 2 boys are 13 months apart and already fight over toys. I'm not sure if I should make 2 hats the same color, or maybe knit one with oatmeal snowflakes on blue, and another with blue snowflakes on oatmeal. They'll be the same size, so I guess they could switch it up every once in a while. They're not twins, but are very close in age (and size). The color selection in Cascade 220 is much better, but I ended up choosing Encore because it's washable. I try to help my sister out whenever I can.

So I'm starting with one that's oatmeal snowflakes on blue, and we'll see what I do with the second. I'm using another pattern from Charlene Schurch's book "Hats On!" - this time it's the Norwegian Star - Hoss picked it out himself. I'm so proud that those boys love my knitting! I'll enjoy it while it lasts.


It's raining and raining and raining here, and I'm glad because we desperately need it but am already sick of the dreariness. So I bought some new nail polish and painted my toes, and they're so fun I had to share a picture. It was hard to get a good shot (and I'm a terrible photographer) but they're a bright, electric blue. Gotta love the little things that make you smile.

Nanee

Dorothy Nelle Lee Stanford Hutts is my grandmother, although I call her Nanee. She has been like another parent to me. We went out to lunch once a week, we talked almost every day, and she is more proud of me than anyone else on this planet.

I lost my Nanee 3 years ago today. It hurts just as bad as it did that day, but in a way it's easier to deal with. When my family is going through a hard time I desperately wish that I could just ask her for advice, or squeeze her hand, or just lay there in her arms, and that's the hardest part. As time goes by I feel like I need her more than ever.

She always had the best advice. When you're in your 80's and survived the depression, divorce, death, cancer, and all of the crap that life throws at you, it gives the most amazing perspective. She never sugar coated anything, but was so good at putting things in perspective and realizing that it's not the end of the world, even though you might feel that way. When she died I thought my world was over and that my family could never survive without her, but somehow we've made it so far.

She is my biggest cheerleader. I will KNOW for the rest of my life that my Nanee is so proud of me. When I won the senior design award in college, she had been gone a few months, and I stood up on stage to receive the award, wearing Nanee's pearls, I just about lost it because she wasn't there. She's the one who introduced me to O'More, and told me that I could do anything - even be a designer - as long as I was willing to do the work to make it happen. When she died she had just gotten out her favorite scarf - one I had knitted - and put it on the dresser to wear it.

She taught me so much about what it means to be a woman. Although she was conservative, Nanee taught us to be strong and be able to care for ourselves before we could let anyone else take care of us. Her first fiance died in the war, she and my grandfather had to get a divorce, and the love of her life died of cancer 5 years after they got married. She lived alone, in her own home, until she died at age 84. She had the busiest social schedule I've ever seen, and at her funeral so many people (who I didn't even know) told me that she was the best friend they ever had. She told me to treat the garbage man the same way as you treat the governor, and valued every person she met.

Her faith was amazing. That (and her wisdom) were probably the result of a long life, but it was a huge influence on me. I still think "How would Nanee handle this?" or "What would she say?". She was so thankful for every little thing in life, and didn't take much for granted.

She was also a whole lot of fun. She loved football and golf. We'd watch the PGA tour together and would talk about the cute senior tour golfers. When my dear friend Carrie took me to the first Titans game in (now) LP Field, I called Nanee so she could hear the crowd and she was so excited! After games I'd call her and we'd re-hash great runs, or dropped passes, and I still pick up the phone to call her in halftime. When my brother got a motorcycle, she had the best time taking it for a spin (clutching on to him very tight). On her 84th birthday my uncle took her out on his scooter and she rode down the street with a huge smile on her face waving to the neighbors like Miss America.

We'd argue about politics (the day she died she was still trying to convince me to vote for Bush), and I didn't understand why certain social graces were so important to her, but whenever we drank a coke at her house she would thoroughly clean out the empty can and take it to the recycling center in Green Hills. I'll never forget the day that my ex and I took her out to brunch after church. When the check came, he took out his wallet but she had grabbed the check first. She said "It's been 30 years since a man took me out to lunch, and I'm not letting it happen now!"

She held her head up high through whatever was going on, and I pray all the time to have just an ounce of her poise and grace. Now I better understand the importance of manners, grace, and family ties. Sometimes I look in the mirror and for a split second, I see her. A friend of hers stopped by my parent's house recently. It was so great to see her, but she left rather abruptly. Later she told my mom that it was so hard to see the family and not see Nanee, and that I reminded her so much of Nanee that she burst into tears. It was the biggest compliment I have ever received.

Since Nanee died I broke up with the man I thought I would marry, graduated college, got my first one-bedroom apartment, and tried my hand at the real world. My brother has lived all across the country, moved back to Nashville, bought a house, and gotten married. My sister has had 2 children, and my parents moved into her condo.

Mom and Dad knocked down a couple of walls, re-painted, updated the kitchen and bathrooms, and put their own spin on her home. Now I take my nephews swimming in the pool I grew up with, and we watch Titans games in the same den, we make her homemade rolls in front of the same kitchen window, and celebrate all of our family's traditions in that same house. It's filled with the same generosity and love that she showed us - and still shows. Tomorrow night we are celebrating Buddha Bear's first birthday and will take pictures of him sitting in the same position that my brother, sister, and I were at our first birthday. Her traditions kept us together, and strong, and it was (and is) always so much fun to be together. When I enter that home I know I am safe, and loved, except now when I pull out of the carport it's my mom and dad waving to me and not Nanee. I can still see her waving outside the kitchen door until I'm down the street.

It still surprises me that it hurts so badly to not have her here with me. I'm crying my eyes out and my stomach hurts and I have a huge knot in my throat just like 3 years ago. But it's easier to switch to "thankful mode" now. It's easier to remember everything that she taught me and to know that I will always have that. I still learn from her every day. I think about her every day - some of her art hangs in my apartment, I wear the silver bracelet she gave me, I think of her when I see an off-white Cadillac, and I especially think about her when I look into the eyes of my older nephew - he looks just like her. And acts like her too. I hate that she never met her great-grandchildren, but in one sense she knew them before we did.

Nanee is still my biggest fan, and I still ask her for advice, although the answers are not as clear. Her favorite Bible verse was Psalm 100 - and I read it when I think of her, even though I've had it memorized for years. It sums up everything that made her smile. Hope it makes someone else smile too. Psalm 100, verse 5:

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
His faithfulness continues through all generations.

Much better than Monday

It's been a busy 24 hours.

Last night was the birthday celebration, and Benji cooked dinner for 4 of his friends. (We offered to cook, but he wanted to). It was one of the best meals I've had in a while, and the company was just right. It was a beautiful night and we ate in the backyard, then laughed and danced. Just what I needed.

While my camera was passed around and we took a ton of pictures, I didn't get a decent one of the birthday boy in his hat. I didn't get a decent picture of anyone in the hat, so here's a bad shot of me, closing my eyes during the flash because I do it in every picture ever taken of me. I am obsessed with this hat because I'm so surprised that it looks so good! I showed it to the nephews and they both had a lot of fun trying it on. Looks like they'll be getting fair isle hats this winter too.


The only bad part of the evening was that I felt a migraine coming on, and it was rearing its ferocious head by morning. I've been completely off-kilter today, so it's time for another night of rest and dark chocolate.

The best part of today was a phone call at work - and the following announcement -

CRAZY AUNT PURL IS COMING TO THREADED BLISS YARNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She will be there on Tuesday, October 30th at noon. Woo Hoo! I can't wait to meet her!!!!!!!! I don't have a copy of her book yet - "Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair' - the best title ever - but I've browsed through a friend's copy and it looks awesome. There are also some really cool patterns in the back.

Now it is knit o'clock, and time to finish Buddha Bear's sweater and wash it and block it. I still have to pick up another gift for him - babies don't appreciate hand knits as much as they should - so it looks like a trip to Target is in order to get a stuffed animal. Probably a bear for the bear. How original.

It is what it is

As my good friend Sheila says, it is what it is. When life sucks, you deal with it. And when I've been dealing with it so much and am just about dealt out, I knit.

So tonight I turned off my phone and locked the doors and poured a big ole glass of good tea and sat down to unwind. I knitted the entire yoke of Buddha Bear's first birthday sweater and had to take a chocolate break with 4 rows left. I don't know what it is about knitting that just melts away the stress and worry in life. There's the rhythm, meditation, and getting lost in what you're doing, but there's also something more than that. You're making something that will make someone happy, and in the process you're easing your own troubles. So I knit. I still worry, and am still so tense that my shoulders are up to my ears, but they've dropped about a quarter of an inch. After a good night's sleep in my own bed maybe they'll drop a little more.

I once heard a story about theologian Martin Luther. When his life was at its toughest, busiest, and most demanding, a friend asked him how he was dealing with his lack of prayer time. Martin Luther was astonished. He replied that when life was tough, he had to pray up to 5 hours a day just to deal with it. He recognized what he needed, when he needed it. We seek solace in prayer, knitting, dark chocolate (one of my personal favorites) and whatever it is that makes us happy. Thank God for prayer, knitting, and dark chocolate all at the same time. So tomorrow morning I'll wake up early to get in some extra quiet time - knitting, coffee, and prayer.

Before the insanity began, I did finish something - Benji's hat. His birthday is tomorrow.



I wish I could post a picture of me patting myself on the back. I actually tried to take a picture of the hat on my head, but they all looked terrible and I gave up. Again, next month I'm expecting a really thoughtful and amazing birthday present from Benji.

Also, here's a sneak peek at Buddha Bear's sweater:



Except for some pattern glitches I've really enjoyed knitting this. I first frogged because after turning to work the neck placket there were too many even rows between decreases, then I frogged again a couple rows later with I realized that the placket wasn't centered - it was 2 stitches to the left. I was made fun of by friends for being a perfectionist, but it has to be damn near perfect if it's for my sweet Bear (or "Bay-uh" as his proud big brother calls him). At first I was bored with the stockinette, but it turns out that tonight it's just what I needed.

UFO Wrangling

First of all, here are some beautiful purpley-blue irises. And some yellow and white things. I forget their names. Having flowers around makes everything a little brighter, and I love to treat myself sometimes, although I go for the cheap stuff.

It's time to lasso some UFO's and whip them into shape. Here's the status check:


Big Snugs from Pick Up Sticks. They've been mostly finished for a while, but I'm still trying to figure out what to do with the sole. I picked up some faux leather at the fabric store and was ready to make my own soles, but of course, I brought the fabric to work and left it there. Whoops. While I am still honing photography skills, the light color is actually baby blue, and the brown is a dark espresso. Also, while I am paler than most people on this planet, this pic makes me look glow-in-the-dark. I'll blame the flash for the pastiness.


Here's the second sleeve of the Tangled Yoke Cardigan. Sorry, but you're on hold. Gifts (with deadlines) take precedence.


The lace cardigan out of Alpaca Silk is on super-hold, stuffed in a drawer with some chocolate organic cotton and an almost-finished sock. I'll get back to it soon.


One felted clog down, one to go! And it matches my little rug so well. While this thing is enormous, it's knit on big needles and I did the entire top in a couple hours. My hands need a break from this one for a night or 2.


This scarf is a gift that is due in a few weeks. I originally did another lacey leaf pattern from one of the Barbara Walker treasuries, but it went so slow and I kept having to tink my mistakes. I restarted last night and it's working up quick. I'm also head over heels in love with the yarn - Wool BamBoo by Classic Elite. It's like butter.


This is fabric for little Buddha (younger nephew). He's going as Bam Bam for Halloween and doesn't need a costume because he fits the part so well. He's on the verge of walking and will probably slim down once he starts moving more. I'll be able to whip out his costume in a night, and have more pressing matters.


The hat for Benji is going great! I've tried it on more guys and it should definitely fit. This deadline is October 16th, and the end is in sight.

There are 2 more gifts that need to be done asap and I haven't even bought the yarn yet. Little Buddha is turning 1 soon, and needs his own cashmere sweater. I'm thinking about the Child's Placket-Neck Pullover from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. The gauge is right to use Cash Vero or Cashsoft DK, and it should work up quick. I'll buy yarn tomorrow.

The other gift is to make up for the fact that I hated the scribble lace. It's a pain to deal with, the big needles make me mad, and it's just not right for the recipient in mind. Since I was leafing through Last Minute Knitted Gifts, I think I'll use the Colinette mohair for the Airy Scarf. It's in the 2-4 hour gifts chapter, so I'll knock it out in a night.

Wow. This list is a little overwhelming. I think I'll drag out Benji's hat because it is closest to the end. It always feels good to cross something off the list.

The thing about having so many UFO's is that it's not overwhelming. This is how I do my best work. I have to have something simple, something complicated, something lacey, and something different going on at the same time. My UFO list is a little long at the moment, but knitting gifts is the best feeling in the world. Right now I'm thinking about all of these people that I love so much and how much fun it is to spoil them.