Happy Belated Mother's Day

One word. Gastroenteritis. So, that is why I'm sending a belated Happy Mothers Day to all the Moms out there. Hope you didn't spend your day barfing up cinnamon rolls like I did. I will be back once I can keep food down. For the record, I won't be eating any cinnamon rolls any time soon.
ps. Got my sister's bday gift in the mail today. The primavera wrap kit from Alice Starmore. IT ROCKS!!!!! Love ya Lea!

Yarn inventory and public humiliation

How much yarn is too much yarn? Do you buy yarn as you use it or do you collect and hoard it? Apparently, I am a hoarder. Last week, I inventoried my yarn stash. This took me two hours. TWO HOURS! I have, officially, 419 balls of yarn in my stash. This does not include fiber that can be spun into more yarn. We won't discuss that. The next two hours consisted of me entering all of the yarn info into an excel spreadsheet. This is how I discovered the actual total once I summed up the quantity column. At first, I misread and thought I had 719 balls of yarn. I was so stunned I believed this to be true for a full 24 hours before I looked at my spreadsheet again. Now, 419 doesn't seem so very high. In fact, I was quite relieved to know I did NOT have 719 balls of yarn but only 419. What's the end result of this knowledge? I have to knit, weave or other wise use 200 balls of that yarn before I allow myself to buy anymore. Moving on now. In other knitting news, I have purchased a copy of Alice Starmore's Tudor Roses. I MUST KNIT CATHERINE HOWARD! Why? Because it's purty and challenging. I must also knit several other items from this book in order to justify what I paid for the book. Trust me, you really don't want to know what I paid. Ridiculous I tell you but if I knit damn near everything in there (and I probably will) it will be worth it for me. In completely non knitting news, my digital camera has died and I've ordered a new one so this post will be photoless. I cannot bear to put up another crappy phone camera photo. Should be here next week so until then, no pics. Now, for the public humiliation news. Thursday morning my oldest son woke up sick to his stomach and had to stay home from school. Magically, by mid morning he felt better so I had him accompany me on many errands. He hates that beyond words. One of those many errands involved me scouring local libraries for other Alice Starmore books. At the final library stop, my son sat behind me while I perused the bookshelf. Keep in mind he had been impatiently whining about going home at each and every stop prior to this. So, when I heard a whisper behind me begging to leave, I naturally assumed this was my son. I went into this long spiel about not whining and leaving when I was done only to turn around and see a stunned little girl sitting beside another grinning mom. No hole was available to crawl into so I apologized profusely as the other mom said that my response to her daughter sounded good to her and to not worry about it. I was mortified!!!! Note to self, ensure child you are scolding is actually your child. Thanks for the understanding to the other mom!

disbelief

Well, I was going to post yesterday a really tongue in cheek piece since I inventoried my yarn stash and all. Then, I watched the news and decided it just isn't the right time. I'm at a loss for words about the whole Virginia Tech massacre. Stunned. Just stunned. I'm so sorry for the victims, their friends and families. I'm also wondering what in the hell would motivate a person to do that? How do you get that damn crazy, brutal and filled with rage? It just is beyond my comprehension. Unreal. At a more appropriate time, I'll be back with my yarn stash post but until then, I'm keeping it to myself. For now, I'll be watching, along with everyone else, to try and figure out just what the hell happened and how to keep it from happening again.

Blocking saved the day

You know those pink tube socks that I was afraid would be too small? Well, I finished them last night and blocked them. I love blocking now. I will block whenever I can. My pink socks don't have to be gifts. They can be for ME ME ME!!! Yes! It's the yarn. I love the yarn. Fleece Artist in some pink and creamy white color. Purty and girly. I also finished about a week ago my Scottish Wave Scarf from Cat Bordhi's Treasury of Magical Knitting. Okay, my shawl is really more like a capelet because, ahem, I didn't check gauge. Now, gauge is something I normally check. In fact, I usually plan one extra skein of yarn just for that. Why not this go round? Well, the LYS I got the yarn and needles from had it as a prepackaged kit. I don't have an LYS so when I was on vacation at my Dad's, I went to the one there. Normally, I shop online. I had to buy the needles special since I don't normally have circulars that long so I was rather stuck with those needles. Okay, I could have bought new needles but I wasn't going to do it. That would have required waiting for a pair from mail order and I've been dying to do that pattern for awhile now. I love it even though it's a capelet and even though I messed up the stitch pattern a few times. No, I did not rip it. It's moebius knitting for crying out loud. I was too afraid to rip it and end up with a mess. The mistake isn't that glaring and if you're that close to me that you'd notice you'd better be my husband. And believe me, he is sure not gonna notice. So, the end result is that I'm likely going to end up with some new knitting needles with really long cables. I might give the knitpicks set a try. So, here are the socks and the scarf/capelet. Ignore the nonmatching pajamas with the capelet. Still using the crappy camera phone but I'll get some new disks for my camera next week. Till later, Alicia

Beads and Wool

Better frame of mind today. Much better. I have an appointment to get my teeth cleaned tomorrow. No cavities I hope. Here are a few pictures of some jewelry I'll be listing for sale on Etsy in May. Why May? That get's me through birthdays and is towards the end of school. Plus, it's enough time to get a nice amount of items made. The pictures are really not great since they were taken with my phone camera. I need to get my digital one some new disks. Till then, the old phone camera will have to do. The shell bead necklace was made with beads I got while in Virginia on Spring Break. They had two bead shops there and it was heaven!!! If you like yarn shops, you'll like bead shops. So much color and texture! Also, I wanted to include a picture of some wool fleece that I bought from SheperdChik. I loved it so much I ordered more. The chocolate brown is from a Romeldale named Pepper. If Oliver (my cat) were to meet her in person, he might be her boyfriend. He loves her fleece. He actually frolicked in it until I caught him and shooed him away. Scandolous little devil!! The grey is from a CVM named Andy. If I had a farm, I'd ask to have Andy come for summer visits. Like Oliver, I would have frolicked in his fleece if I could have. I also got a small bit of black Shetland wool. A bit advanced for a beginner like me but I've been known to throw caution to the wind on occasion. The way I figure, life's short so go for it. If you screw it up, at least you can say you tried. BTW, if you spin, SheperdChik has lovely fleece and I highly recommend her. I'll link to her blog as soon as I, techno doofus, figure out how to do it. All of the fleece I received was so nice! I even ordered a drum carder because I realized that hand carding all of it would drive me batty. Now, for an update on what's on my needles/hook/bead board/etc.:
Somewhat Cowl--I'm waiting on replacement needles since, after consuming two glasses of wine, I sat on my needles and broke one. That sucked but at least I wasn't impaled on the needle.
Tube Sock #2--I'm sick of knitting these even though I like the pattern and yarn. Maybe I'm sick of it because I know they won't fit me and will end up being a gift. Damn.
Crochet Afghan 1-
Crochet Afghan 2--
Scotland Wave Shawl--There is an error in the pattern that the errata doesn't explain. Must sit down and figure it out. Crap!
Coral Necklace--Need to order extra sterling beads and I can string her up and be done with it!
Plus, so much miscellaneous other stuff I may never finish it all. Best get back to work!!!

Spinnin' the Night Away

Okay. I'm channeling the song Tubthumping here. Hit your itunes and search it if you can't remember it. They're an Irish band who had a hit with that song some years back. Not sure why I thought of that but I did. Spinning is such a relaxing thing for me. It is as calming to me as yoga. Probably one of the few times I can smile at my mistakes and not feel overly critical of them. I need to spin right now. Need it like you can't imagine. Why is it that when you move forward in life something comes along like a speedbump from hell to remind that nothing can ever be easy? I have to confess. DH and I have been in the midst of a legal wrangle amongst his dad and uncles over his late Grandmother's property which all of them inherited an equal portion of. The fact that DH inherited an equal portion of that property which seems to have his dad and uncles in twist. To make it worse, one uncle sued to be bought out and that's the legal wrangle. You don't even want to know the drama that caused all that. Dh was willing to do whatever his dad and uncles wanted at first. They want to keep the house at this point. You cannot imagine the grief we've had over this whole thing. They've tried to get us to be part of a loan on the house and even suggested Alan just sign away his portion of the home to his Dad without being bought out. To make a long story short, it looks like we are going to have to retain our own attorney in this matter. Dealing with this while DH is deployed has been a nightmare. After the correspondence I recieved this weekend, we are just insisting that they buy us out. I've had it with dealing with these people, who have no interest in us and only call when they want something. There is so much to all this, so much that it would take more room and energy than I am willing to expend to explain it all. I just wish it would be done with. I want to say, "Buy us out and leave us alone. Don't call, ever again. Don't pretend interest in our kids, whose names you don't even know and whom you tbought were girls until we corrected you. Just go away. Our lives are fine without you and will continue to be fine after you leave. You have only brought stress and frustration to us to this point." But, I know for DH's sake, I cannot say those things. So I will write them here and I will spin when I'm not writing. And I will knit and make jewelry when I am not spinning. I have some jewelry to show you but that will keep until tomorrow. Tomorrow I will be more positive and in a better state of mind. Tomorrow I will not let this stress seep into me like poison. I'll process it today and plan how I'm going to deal with it all. That way, I can enjoy the rest of my week. I'm going to spin up the rest of this fiber(pictured as yarn on the bobbin). It's a superwash merino tencel blend in tamarack spruce colorway. It came from Susan's spinning bunny. I love her fiber. Look her up on ebay. She is a dream to deal with and has lovely fiber and yarn if you happen not to spin. Spinning this blend is so wonderful. It's soft and silky. The colors are better than I even imagined. Susan, can you tell I'm going to be ordering more from you in the future? I'm also going to finish the mate to this pink tube sock. The yarn is fleece artist and I love it. The pattern is from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks. I love that book!! The socks a little tight on me so unless it loosens up with blocking it might be put away as a gift for next year. I really hope not because I love that yarn which is odd because I at first thought the color was too girly. Now, I can't bear to part with it. Guess I'm just feeling girly after all. Till tomorrow and in the hopes of better spirits.

Wicked

Well, here is a really crappy picture of my Wicked. I wasn't actually going to do this one with the SKC but I saw Jeanie's and decided to give it a go. I used Rowan's Cashsoft Aran from Webs. Webs, you are evil and I spend more money with you than I care to think about. Please stay in business forever. Jeanie, quit making things you know I'll want to make. You are also responsible for my making the Simple Knitted Bodice too. Do you know how much that Tilli Tomas cost me??? Still, this was a quick knit and just what I needed for some instant knitting gratification. Now, I don't normally have folks flock to me and pet my knitting but this time they did. This sweater I got tons of compliments on and everyone loved the softness of the yarn. Rowan, don't ever quit making Cashsoft. I love it as much as I love Noro Silk Garden and that's a lot. If it were possible to marry a yarn, I'd marry Silk Garden and maybe date Cashsoft too. If you like casual knitwear and can wear a pocket around your middle (though you don't have to add the pocket), Wicked is nice pattern. I'd recommend it and definitely recommend Cashsoft Aran too. Let me add a note, I was a bit off on gauge even with one needle size smaller (6 I think) with Cashsoft Aran but not by much. I didn't change needle size down more than one size because I felt the fabric would be too stiff. Instead, I compensated by sizing down one size in the pattern which worked nicely for me. If you do this, check your fit often. Oh, a mistake I made was to accidentally use the size 7 needles for my pocket. I liked the larger pocket and didn't feel the difference was so obvious that I had to rip back and change it.

Rumpelstiltskin and straw spun into gold

When I was a girl I loved the story of Rumpelstiltskin. You know the one, where the dwarf, Rumpelstiltskin, agrees to help the miller's daughter spin straw into gold but for a price. She has to give up her first born child for the spun gold. When Rumpelstiltskin comes to claim her first born, the miller's daughter is now the queen and offers her entire fortune to save her child. Rumpelstiltskin agrees to relinquish his claim if she can guess his real name. The queen eventually does guess his name and Rumpelstiltskin jumps up and down and sinks himself into the ground in a rage. Well, I didn't jump up and down in a rage but neither did I spin straw into gold. Instead, using a Spindolyn and some Romney wool roving, I spun wool into some seriously lumpy bumpy yarn. Still, it's yarn I made so that makes me happy. I've been spinning everyday since then. What started all this? Well, Shannon Okey's Spin to Knit , a gift from my sister, started it! Funny, I recall that another gift from my sister, Stitch n Bitch, got me started knitting. I'm sensing a theme here!!! So, here's what my yarn looks like. Recently, I bought a majacraft Suzie and I love it. More spinning pictures will come. Right now, I'm busy spinning! I've also finished a good many projects that I haven't blogged about since I went on vacation. Instead of backtracking, I'll just update you on what I've finished and what is on my needles so far. Just finished, the Simple Knitted Bodice--smokin'!!! I love it! I used Tilli Tomas yarn which was very pretty but I have to say I found more knots that I think acceptable for a yarn of that cost. Would I use the yarn again? Probably so. I believe you have to give a second chance to see if the knots were an anomaly. I also finished Lady Eleanor from Scarf Style. I used Noro Silk Garden. I love Noro yarn!!!! I also just finished Wicked with Rowan Cashsoft Aran. It was a quick knit and just what I needed to satisfy my need to finish a project quickly. My other new love is jewelry making. I have several designs I'm working on both in jewelry and in knitting. I'm not a particularly fast knitter so you will likely see the jewelry before you see the knitting! Till then, here is some yarn spun on my spindolyn and a pic of lady eleanor while she was in progress. I've also included a pic of some lorna's laces sock yarn that I hand dyed with a tie dye tshirt kit I got on sale for $4. I love to do my own dyeing! It's pretty gratifying knowing you have something that was made just by you! Till later, Alicia

Oh yeah,
On my needles/hook/bead board:
Somewhat Cowl
Tube Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks
Cherry Blossom Top (my own design)
two crochet afghans
Prissy Powder Room Towel
Zebra jasper and coral earrings and necklace

Finland is lovely!

Here are some pictures from our trip to Finland. The boys and I had such a great time! It was so good to see my sister again! Finland was so much more than I'd expected it to be. It was so very beautiful. Like a winter wonderland. It reminded me of how I see Narnia in my mind when I read the book. The snow was like sugar powder. We did so much while we were there that it would take days to describe it all so I'll just hit the highlights. We went to Santa's Village and perused around while the kids slid down the ice slide. I even joined in the fun and slid down too! Later, we went snowmobiling. That was a first for me and I pulled the kids behind me in a sledge. It made me so nervous to drive that thing towing them behind because it was so dark outside! We were on a trail and it had lots of bumps and turns so I drove slowly just to be cautious. I totally want a snowmobile! At the reindeer farm, Kai (my oldest son) got to try his hand at snowmobiling on a mini snowmobile. He loved it! We got pulled in a sled by reindeer and they are much faster than I thought. Did you know they run faster than horses? I got to walk a reindeer as well. They are really lovely animals and their history with the Sami people is very interesting. The Sami are the only indigenous peoples of Europe and learning about them was fascinating. I was so inspired by their dress and customs for many designs. We also got to go to the husky ranch and get pulled by a team of sled dogs. Now they are fast!!! It was just like in the movies! The dogs were jumping and barking desperate to get going to pull the sled. You could see that they enjoyed what they did. We did and saw so many things that were so once in a lifetime. The only thing I didn't see was the Northern Lights because it was never clear or cold enough to do that. I know that I'm surely missing some big bits and pieces of our experience but there really was just so much. Thanks to my sister for inviting us! If you get the chance to go to Finland, I highly recommend Rovaniemi and Safartica tours. You should plan some time outside of the tours too because the tours really are full day affairs. It was a great time and I'd definitely do it again! Here's some photos from our time there.

Back from Finland and I've been tagged!

Okay, I'm back from Finland and exhausted. The boys and I had a wonderful time and I'll post with pictures once I collect my thoughts about what I want to say. There was so much there it was amazing. Till then, Thea tagged me while I was gone so I'll respond and tell a few of my strange things. Snicker! Happy New Year!

RULES: "Each player of this game starts with the "6 weird things about you." People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "you are tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

1.) I had a houseplant named Stella whom I fed beer and water.
2.) I clean my kids' ears obsessively because I hate ear wax.
3.) I CANNOT eat/drink after anyone at all-even family--sharing utensils grosses me out.
4.) I can do a tarot reading and know a few hoodoo spells.
5.) I'm a total hypochondriac.
6.) I still like for my Mom to do the little piggy rhyme with my toes. You know, this little piggy went to market, etc.

Since I'm an HTML moron, I have absolutely no idea how to get a link in here I have to bend the rules a bit. If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged!

Encounters with an ostrich and other animals

Mom visited the boys and I for Thanksgiving which was really nice. We damn near didn't get the turkey cooked because it was still partially frozen. Once we managed a quick thaw, I actually forgot to turn the roaster on. After an hour, Mom discovered that mistake. Still, we ate high on the hog and had a great time. I've seemed up the teal sweater and am working on several projects. Today, I am not going to show you those :) Instead, you're going to see pictures my son took from our visit to Fossil Rim in Glen Rose, TX. Fossil Rim is a conservation park where you get to drive through and view free roaming animals from your car. We had a wonderful time and learned a lot about the animals we saw too. Still, the most memorable part was our first animal encounter. Directly after driving in, we stopped to look at this ostrich who promptly strutted and swayed his way to our car. The next thing I knew, I was face to face with this lovely big bird who was looking quite insistently at me. Apparently, I was too slow for the impatient bird because before I knew it he had stuck his head IN THE CAR and tried to yank the bag of feed out. I sat flustered and uselessly telling the ostrich to shoo. Mom, on the other hand, grabbed the bag of feed threw some to him and told me to hit the accelerator and move on. If it had been left up to me, I would probably have sat there till he got in the car with us. So we moved on past numerous deer and wildebeasts until we came to some zebra. Let me tell you, they are bold and quite used to getting fed. As the car ahead of me pulled forward, I noticed one particular zebra parked herself directly in the middle of the road. She had a very determined look on her face and was pregnant to boot. She absolutely would not budge until we threw her some feed. Let me tell you, the look on her face meant business! Next, we came to the giraffes. I have decided I love giraffes. They're so interesting and majestic. That was something I didn't realize until I was looking up at one up close. Nothing makes you feel like you are very small in the grand scheme of things than to look up into the eyes of such a big animal. We also saw a wolf (the wolf was in a fenced in habitat). It's so easy to think of those animals unrealistically when they are so eager to come close to you in order to get a treat. With the wolf, you had to be extremely quiet. (Of course we could not get near him and certainly no feeding was allowed) He was interested but very weary of human interaction. It was a poignant reminder that these animals are wild animals. Unfortunately, we have this opportunity to interact with them because their habitats have been encroached upon by development or they have been hunted into near extinction. That makes me very sad because we are losing a valuable part of our environment. All in all, we had a wonderful day an the kids learned a lot about the animals and why conservation is so very important. So, if you have a conservancy nearby, go to it, If you can't go, make a donation to support it. It's worth it. Here are just a few of the photos my oldest son took from our visit there.
(By the way, just to be clear, the conservancy at Fossil Rim had strict rules about our interactions with the animals. No touching or hand feeding was allowed, People were to stay in their vehicle at all times. No horn honking or driving off of the trail. One very small bag of feed per car with no exceptions to avoid overfeeding. Of course, we were reminded that all of the animals were indeed wild and not domesticated just because they were familiar with human interactions.)

Till later, Alicia

Mom says it's like Mork and Mindi

That's what my Mom said about my pants. She took the photo so you won't be regaled with fuschia thighs but if you look at the hip area you definitely get the idea!!! In other news, I've whipped up some more washcloths. I totally prefer to crochet these. It's way way faster and I like the texture. The teal sweater is my own pattern, if you can even say that because it's ridiculous basic and simple. Still, I'm learning from each of my own knits and that's what's important. My Mom is here for Thanksgiviing so I'm super happy about that. She's helping me get organized which is very nice. Apparently, I'm not very organized. I prefer to think I'm just overwhelmed with projects right now! Oh, since my sister said I wasn't updating my blog nearly enough I am pledging to do better!!! Must throw in gratuitous cute kid shots for the family. Love you guys! Till later, Alicia

The babies are here, the babies are here!!!

Kristi of Red Dog Knits had her babies! Yay!!!! They are super adorable so go check them out! Congrats Kristi and Noel and good luck with your babies!!!

Strange days indeed...

It's funny how a day unfolds sometimes. You think everything is going to happen a certain way but instead it all just pans out differently. That's how my days have seemed lately. Nothing has happened how I envisioned it to. Really, it all started out with the fushia ski pants. The boys and I are going on vacation to Finland for the holidays with my sister. She is graciously ordering most of the clothing and footing the bill for the trip. (We haven't seen each other in a few years.) I thought I'd help out by purchasing the ski pants for the boys and I. The boys' pants arrived and all was good. My first pair of pants arrived and fit nicely. Now, here comes the fuschia pants dilemma. You see, el cheapo here ordered the stuff off of ebay because I refuse to pay full price. I saw this pair of fushia pants in my size for sooooo cheap. I figured even with overdyeing I'd still come out on top. I figured. Uh huh. Right. So, the day comes when my pants arrive and I eagerly put them on. The good news is that I didn't have to suck in to zip them up. The bad news is that all I was lacking to make my outfit complete was a Farrah hairdo and some of the shiniest lipgloss this side of the Mason Dixon line. Topping it all off would have been some serious 70's theme music to add that cheesy touch. Can you say snug? I looked like I was in hot pants ready for the disco floor! Oh, don't worry. I'll post a picture. Eventually. I can't quit laughing long enough to focus the stupid camera lens. My dear sister, (seriously, thank you lea!) is kindly ordering me a new pair of ski pants. In black. Only on the condition that I bring and model the fushia hot pants/ski pants. Me, being a cheapo, has agreed to do it. After the arrival of the pants, the kids have been rowdy. The pets have been rowdy and I 've had crazy dreams about the cycle class I teach. The only thing that hasn't been strange has been knitting. I've done a bit here and there. I'm working on a simple sweater, a hat for a friends' daughter, and just lots of other random things. I may never be able to knit up all the yarn I have. Well, I'll just die trying I guess! Till next time, Alicia

Bed sock, absorba and what's on tap

Okay, so it's been rather hectic here. The kids and I are settling into a routine. Our furry family members, however, have other plans. Last night, or early this morning actually, Chloe the wonderdog woke me up. She did this by pouncing on my bed and trying her level best to get the cat to play with her. He was having none of it and neither was I. I love Chloe but you should know I refer to her as ," My Little Pony". She's just 70 pounds of wiggly doggie love which would be fine if she weren't convinced she was a lap dog. Arggghh! Oliver is steadily assaulting any pair of legs he sees. That little guy is fast! Hopefully, they'll settle down soon enough. In needle news. I finished Tempting II awhile back. It turned out okay but I'm concerned it might grow a bit. Time will tell. From Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush, I finished the bed sock. I used Cherry Tree Hill Superwash Merino. I love the silky feel of this yarn. The fact that I can machine wash and dry it is such a bonus! I might be in love with superwash wool. The Absorba Bathmat is finito as well! The ladies at the Mason Dixon KAL are right. It is like wrestling alligators to knit this thing. For my next one, I'll be crocheting it instead. My idea of looming it did not work at all. The cotton was just too inflexible to easily loom knit. I've also finished some other odds and ends that I'll post a bit later. Right now, I'm hard at work on about four different projects. Big time startitis. I need to develop some finishitis. Oh, before I forget, I have to unveil my first original did it all by myself knit top. I think I ended up naming it the classic white shirt revisited. It wasn't complex but I did have to fiddle with the neckline a bit before I got it right. For my next original design, I'm going to use a lovely textured stitch pattern. I'm fiddling around with the design a bit more to get it exactly like I want it. Till next time, Alicia

Long time gone

I'm sure that some of you might have given up on me but I promise I'm still here. I've had a lot going on lately. DH has deployed so I'm getting into a new routine around here. I promise a post with pics this week. I actually have completed some projects and have a ton on the needles. I've also been doing some writing. I'm contemplating moving my blog but I haven't decided yet. Until Friday, when I absolutely promise to post. Alicia

Yarn Harlot visit and big time catch up

Okay, I'm way way behind in my blogging lately so allow a little bit of catch up on this post. I was fortunate enough to see the Yarn Harlot in Austin, TX on the 29th of July. If she's speaking anywhere near you, it's totally worth the drive to go. She is very funny! I met up with some other bloggers there whose sites I'll be posting on my sidebar in the near future. What a great group of ladies! I don't have an LYS in my area so the knitting community has always been a very virtual reality for me. It's so neat to meet fellow bloggers in person. Once I get the links up to their sites, drop by their blogs and take a look see. I met everyone from college students to grandmothers; sock knitters to lace knitters; and everything in between. The talent at Hill Country Weavers that weekend was amazing. By the way, if you happen to be in Austin, Hill Country Weavers is a must. I swear the first time I went in that store I drooled. The yarn selection is wonderful and of course, I came away with quite a haul. All in all, it was a fabulous weekend and well worth the drive down to see the Yarn Harlot speak. Since then, I've joined yet another KAL. This one is called UFO August. I was hoping to get my UFO list completed before I move on to other projects. I've finished a pair of rustic loomed gauntlets of my own pattern. Right now, I'm trying to finish Tempting II before completing my original white shirt. I'll have to knit like the wind but I think I can do it. I'm also working on a novel I've been kicking around for awhile. My synopsis is due to my Mom (editor) like yesterday. As you can see, I'm quite busy so I'd better get back to work! Till later! Alicia

Toes in the water

Many knitters come to a point in their craft where they feel restless. You've got the basics down; you've branched out and you're learning more everyday. Somehow, it just isn't quite enough. Something is missing. You crave....something. You're just not sure what. I've been restless in my knitting for awhile now. Branching out into lace and cables has helped expand my horizons but I've been needing something more. Awhile back I posted about my favorite white T-shirt and designing my very own homage to that old shirt. Well, I've gone and done it. I've calculated, swatched and decided for long enough. So, this weekend, I cast on and now, I'm just past the underarms. There's something very liberating about doing it yourself. Making your own path so to speak. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed designing. I haven't designed since college. Back then, I sketched clothes I dreamed of creating. Now, I'm working on sketching knitting and crochet that swirls around in my head. I've got four other projects in mind already. Yarn is sourced and the sketches are being fleshed out. Hopefully, my restlessness will be eased. Really I just hope the sweaters turn out the way I see them in my head. That's the real challenge isn't it? To envision something a certain way and mold your materials to make it become real. Speaking of challenges, I'll issue one to you, dear readers. Whatever your medium, push yourself past your current boundaries. If patterns are what guides you, toss them aside, outcome be damned. It doesn't matter if what you render works out, it's the process you take along the way. What did you learn? What worked and what did not? Get where I'm going here? Sometimes, shaking it up a bit can bring life back to your knitting (or sewing or crocheting,etc). Feel free to drop me a line and send me a photo of what you did and what you learned. I'll be posting my progress along the design route as I go. Till next time, I'll leave you with a few pics of some of my finished items. A felted box, a refashioned cami, and progress on the nosegay doily.

Mr Robot-O

Okay, let me start with a quick aside to Jeanie--since you asked, I've modeled the car coar. Notice how I'm not showing my face. That's because I'm dying of shame! No way on earth I'm being photographed in those bloomers either!! So I was feeling, well, a little off my mojo for awhile and really needed something to convince myself I was able to create something that wasn't a home-ec reject looking thing. Eureka! A fellow CP'er issued a challenge on creating a nosegay doily. Now, I'm not a doily girl but the challenge was to interpret it in your own way and do your own thing. That I can dig! So I whipped out the pattern, my yarn and hook and got ta goin'! I now have a newfound appreciation for all things doily. My interpretation is going to be a shawl in mercerized cotton. I thought about doing a purse but I really would have to line it and just wasn't sure I wanted to do that. Maybe for another doily interpretation eh? Feeling really jazzed over my progress on the doily shawl, I convinced DH to wrap me up in duct tape. Oh stop it! It's not what you think! He was kind enough to help me do my duct tape double dress form this weekend. Glad I did it, not sure I'll be doing that again, thank you very much. As DH was wrapping, he said, "Hope you remembered to go pee cuz this is gonna take awhile.!" Once you get going, there's not turning back. You can't even sit down! Gyaaahhh! Towards the end , not only was he singing his own praises about his uncanny ability to mold the duct tape perfectly he was doing his own rendition of the Double Origato Mr Robot-O song. Still, humiliation aside, it was worth it. I've cast on for squash blossom. 462 stitches. I cast on 462 freakin' stitches. There is not enough wine in all of the world to get me to cast on that many stitches again. I had to di it twice because I messed up the first time. A woman can get dangerous after casting on that many stitches twice. Needless to say, I'm only on row one. We'll see if this one makes it to the FO pile. On the sewing front, things are going much better. I've refashioned many things and actually used the dressform already. Two of my grandmother's shirts are now retro aprons. One of my old maternity sweaters has recovered my office chair. So, all in all, it worked out okay!

Bloomers are for girls and some yarn is just crap

Oh my what a productive weekend I've had! I jumped right onto a pajama outfit I'd picked out to sew. Feeling ecletic and basically because it looked comfy, I picked out a junior pattern that was a baby doll shirt and bloomers. Big. Mistake. You know that nagging feeling you get that something just isn't going to turn out as you'd hoped? I should have paid attention. I had that feeling as I was sewing the top. Noting to myself that I looked like I was with child when I tried it on, I thought, "Well, maybe with the bloomers it'll all come together." I decided that the bloomers needed length because my butt hanging out is not my idea of cute or comfortable. Never ever lengthen bloomers. I looked like a cow caught in cotton flannel. Is it possible to look thirty pounds heavier? Oh yes, it absolutely is if you wear this outfit. At least I dissolved into hysterical laughter before I felt very much my age. Still, I'll wear the top to sleep in, maternity look and all. DH actually asked me not to even go out to check the mail in it. I sewed quite well. I just picked a doozy that's all. Add to that my crochet car coat disaster. I whipped it up as part of the stashalong. The yarn was LB colorwaves and I'd had it forever intending to make this coat. Let's just say it wasn't all I'd hoped; that I think colorwaves is craptastic and I'm not frogging it. Why not? Well, for starters it took too long to make. Also, I doubt the yarn could withstand the frogging, it barely withstood the crocheting. Plus, it does actually fit. It's just really ugly but I do see myself wearing it around the house to keep the chill out. Just never ever in public or around guests. In mason dixon warshrag news, I've finished another washrag. Oh how I love that pattern. I'm going to have a whole drawerful by the time I'm done. What next? I'm deciding today but I know for sure that I've got the following on tap:

Nosegay Doily challenge from a fellow cp'er (crochet list)
Shirts into aprons (Wardrobe Refashionista)
Tempting II (upcoming SKC KAL)
loads more warshrags
doing the gauge swatch and starting my own sweater
should I throw in socks? maybe I will!