First Triathalon in the books!!

Well, I finished my first triathalon and am quite proud of myself. I finished second in my age group but must confess that there were less than 50 females in the whole thing so I'm not sure that's such a big deal. Still, I'll claim it! My total time was 1:25:06.9. My swim was 13:20 for 400 meters. Definitely slow but I also made a very conscious effort to pace myself so I wouldn't gas out. I'd like to take some swimming lessons when the kids go back to school so I can improve my stroke. My bike was 35:54 for 11.2 miles. Slower than I would have liked but I'm still pleased with it. My run was 29:58 for 3.1 miles. Very slow but considering that I'd only been running for about a month and a half prior to the event after a several year hiatus, I'm happy. The thing I like about first races, well, any race. It gives you a nice yardstick to try to improve. How can you set goals if you don't know your current limit? So, my goal is to do another sprint triathalon and then an olympic one. Long term, before I'm 40 I'd like to do an ironman.

Stuff I've been doing

Okay. Not sure if anyone still reads this but I'm going to update anyway. I've relocated to Colorado Springs and except for the wind I really like it. My time is very focused right now on training for my first ever sprint level triathalon. Since I am a really bad swimmer this is a big goal for me. Really, I just want to finish and not require any emergency service in the process. So, that said. here are some pics of my projects.

Raw mohair up to my armpits part 2

Let me preface this post by saying that I am assuming you have some basic knowledge of fiber processing. How to use hand combs, etc. My intent in this tutorial is to give hope to those who have purchased some really dirty fiber that they are considering tossing. You may end up tossing a good deal of it but there may be the opportunity to salvage some really lovely bits of it. Before you toss it, at least try to process a small bit of it to see how turns out. I can't guarantee you'll be able to use it but you may. My first raw fiber purchase was on ebay before I knew much about buying fleece. It was hopelessly felted and filthy but I learned a lot from it. This batch of fiber I recently purchased was like a diamond in the rough in many ways. It was seriously filthy but I knew that there was some real yumminess underneath. For a bargain price, I was willing to put in the work. If you're willing to put in some work, you just may get some great fiber from that "what was I thinking" purchase. I recommend hand combs and flick carders in this process because they really help get the fleece much cleaner post wash than hand cards. You can always blend your fiber later using a drum or hand card knowing that you won't be getting it dirty or causing damage to your equipment.

Okay, here goes for part two of "really dirty" fiber processing. Sam (Mrs Pao) adds vinegar to her wash to cut the sheepy smell. I am definitely going to try that because the wet animal smell can be really overpowering!
So, you've scoured and dried and things still look a little full of vm and not so wonderful. Here's how to go about processing the rest of your fiber.

Step 1:
Shake that dry fiber like a polaroid picture to get out any extra vm. Really give it a good look over to see if there are any parts which are just incredibly still full of vm or even tangled. For those really nasty parts, just toss them. Now that your pile of clean fiber is waiting to be processed, let's gather our flick carder and combs.

Step 2:
I personally use a cat brush or a wider tooth metal hair pick to open the locks to the fiber. This helps me get out any tiny vm that the wash didn't and makes my fiber ready for combing. Grasp your fiber at one end and begin using a flicking motion with your wrist to brush out your locks.

Once you get one end brushed out, brush the other end of the fiber  out. This fiber is now ready to lash on.

Step 3:
Lash the fiber onto your hand comb taking care not to stab your fingers!!

Step 4:
Use the hand combs to transfer fiber from one comb to the second. Paradise Fibers has a wonderful video tutorial for this as well as some excellent and affordable hand combs. Pull the fiber from the combs. You can use a diz if you like.

Step 5:
Admire your results. In front of the yarn in the photo are two "puffs" of mohair that were handcombed using this process.You went from icky to lovely! Enjoy your fiber!

Raw mohair up to my armpits part 1

Okay, so I decided it's time for a fiber related post. Long overdue. I got some (well, a TON) of raw mohair, llama, and wool from a local farmer recently. What can I say? I love fiber! During the scouring process, I sort of wondered what the heck I was thinking. How on earth was I going to process all this? This fiber was really really raw (which was disclosed to me prior to sale so I'm not griping!). Had I just bitten off more than I could chew? How much of this fiber would I be able to process into something useable for my purposes? So, I took a deep breath and decided to take a few samples of some of the fiber that was already dry to process. Turns out, it's really nice once it's combed. So, for all you fiber fanatics or fiber beginners who might have scored some really really raw unskirted and not coated fiber, here's my tutorial on how to make it work so you don't throw it out as a loss.

Step 1:
Take a deep breath and get organized! You can do this!! First off, you must skirt the fiber. I like spreading out in my driveway to do this. Trust me, you have to do it outside. It's going to be messy. Go up and down the fleece removing large bits of bugs, vm, and possible matted areas. Set your trash to the side. Grab the fleece and shake it out very well to get more vm and dust out. This may need to be done more than once depending on your fleece. Put all your "keeper" fleece in a clean bag and take a big long break. You earned it.

Step 2:
Okay, get yourself a plastic storage bin. I use a medium size one, a long handled spoon, and some liquid detergent. I recommend dawn. You might also want to have a mesh sink drain insert handy. Place your bin in your tub and fill with the water all the way on hot. Be careful not to touch in order to avoid burns. You might want to wear a pair of heavy duty dishwashing gloves to protect your hands. Fill your bin about halfway full and shut off the water. Squirt some dawn in and gently swirl it around with your spoon being careful not to create suds. Gently place your dirty fiber in the bin and use the spoon to dunk the fiber under the water. Be careful not stir in order avoid felting. Now, leave the fiber alone until the water is cool to the touch. This will take much longer than you think.

Step 3:
Once the water is cool to the touch, secure your mesh sink strainer around your tub drain (just in case) transfer your wet fiber to an empty plastic bin and dump the filthy water out in the tub. I recommend the sink strainer to protect your drain. You should also wear crappy clothes because you're definitely going to get messy. I personally use a handheld shower head to rinse my tub after each water dump to make clean up easier.

Step 4:
Fill your empty bin again with hot water but this time, do not add the detergent. Simply place your wet fiber gently in the bin and again allow to cool to touch for draining. This step should be repeated until your water is basically clear. If you still have some vm bits in the fleece, do not fear. We will handle that later.

Step 5:
You have a few options here. You can use your spin cycle to help drain water from your wet fleece or you gently press the water out of your fleece to aid in drying. A word of caution, if you have a very fine fleece (like merino) which is prone to felting, you may want to err on the side of caution and skip this step. It will take longer to dry for sure but that's better than accidentally felting your fleece. Find an area (in the sun if you can!) to spread out your fleece on a large sheet or even on old clean cardboard boxes to dry.

I'll follow up with a tutorial on processing that raw scoured fiber using a flick carder and hand combs on my next post. Above are some pics of my really raw fleece drying after scouring.

Long Hot Summer

Summer has been scorching hot and unpredictable in my neck of the woods. I drove down at the end of May to help Mom finish up her chemo/radiation and move back to Kansas only to stay longer than I thought. Mom's platelets and white blood cells dropped to the point of having to completely stop her chemo and radiation. It turns out, she is unable to tolerate the temodar (chemo) so she will not be able to continue that. At the end of June, she had three seizures in one day. We ended up in the ER and an MRI showed possible tumor growth but definite swelling. She was put on anti seizure medicine and her decadron (steriods) increased to counteract the swelling. Thankfully, the doctors gave her a blood transfusion and chose to continue radiation. We finish radiation next week. The following week we will be in Houston for another follow up. From there, we will go back to Kansas. The setbacks were disappointing but Mom's spirits are definitely up since we've has some visitors over. In Houston, we'll find out what our other alternatives are since Temodar is off the menu. The boys have learned how to swim since we've been here. My cousin, Renee, has been a saint. She has helped out with the kids so much I can't even begin to repay her. This has been a summer of melancholy reminiscence and bittersweet new memories. Still, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Updates

Well, I know it's been awhile but things have been strange and fast paced here. Mom underwent a successful surgical resection and 90% of her brain tumor was removed. The surgeon confirmed that her tumor was indeed a glioblastoma multiforme. She's currently undergoing oral chemotherapy and radiation. Alan and I have moved into a new house on post that is handicapped accessible. Once Mom finishes her chemo and radiation, she'll move up here with us. Right now, she's in a wheelchair but is working on using a walker. Her goal is to be able to go back to her house by the time we move from Kansas in December. Will that happen? I don't know but I think it's a great goal. Life is now divided into "before cancer" and "after cancer" for all of us. What will it be like having Mom under our roof? I know how much she values her privacy and we certainly have a routine of our own as well. Will her treatment stop the tumor from growing? For how long? What's going to happen when the tumor does regrow? Glioblastomas are uniformly terminal. How do you deal with people who can't understand that this is terminal? If I hear one more "miracle" story about someone who knew someone blah blah blah I'm going to come completely unglued. Right now, I'm just struggling to be positive for Mom and yet maintain a realistic perspective. She bounces back and forth between acceptance and denial. I guess we all do that. Right now, this is an exercise in living in this very moment because that is all we have. That is all anyone really has.

Cancer sucks.

I saw that on a button today on a woman at MD Anderson Cancer Center. That's where I am right now. My mother was diagnosed with a primary brain tumor, probably a glioblastoma multiforme, about the 3rd of March. Time has become too quick and yet slow all at once. We were fortunate enough to get her in at MD Anderson. If you don't know, MD Anderson is the #1 cancer treatment center in America. Mom has brain surgery tomorrow to remove as much of the tumor as possible. That will likely be followed by chemo and radiation. There are so many concerns and issues that I can't begin to name them all right now. For today, I can only focus on the surgery. We can't begin to make any plans beyond that. I've journaled about this and contemplated posting those thoughts to the blog but have decided against it. Right now, I need a place to record my thoughts and fears in a private way. I'll keep the blog updated with Mom's condition and the usual stuff. I guess not much is usual these days. Mom may have to come and stay with us in KS if she is unable to care for herself. I'm not sure she wants to do that but I don't know what other alternative there could be. I know I'm rambling but it is just so unreal. So, tomorrow we wait and pray. Till later, Alicia

Tour de Hamster

The first race is in the books ladies and gents!! The weather was warm and windy. The riders were nervous and excited. Yet, we all did a great job and had fun. Now, I have a baseline to work from in order to improve. Okay, my improve list was really really long but that's okay. Everyone starts somewhere. A few highlights from the day.

Those cat 3 dudes are really fast.

Apparently there are enough men in Cat 5 to sort the groups into over 35 and under. That is not the case for the ladies. We cycled with girls who still had acne and braces. You have no idea how much that sucks.

When an 8 year old on a bike cheers you on while rounding a corner, you will indeed feel old and fat even if they were really sincere and cute.

When you get dropped by the peleton at the very start because you're screwing around with your clipless pedals, don't get an ego and think "I can catch up!" when you are fighting a 20 mph headwind. It ain't happening.

Gear selection and drafting matter. I was spinning like a hamster on some stretches while I screwed around with my gears. Apparently screwing around with gears and pedals was a big part of my race. I should have gotten over myself and drafted with my teammate Paula.

When your teammate is panting like a dog and her heartrate monitor is beeping like mad, she isn't trying to psych you out, she's reached critical mass but can't slow down for fear of not finishing. I had to explain this to Paula who thought I was a little nuts.

When your team captain/coach tells you to warm up until you are nice and sweaty and fairly winded, he means it. It shocked the hell out of my body to go from zero to 90rpm in 6 seconds flat. That might explain why I was panting and beeping all the way around the course.

FYI to the guys on my team, I WASN'T smiling while racing--I was BREATHING!!!! Also, I appreciate the tip on zipping up my jersey. I wasn't ignoring you when you told me that, my bike shorts were hung up on my seat so I was completely unable to sit down and was trying not to plant my face into the pavement before the race even began. This is a terrifying thing to someone who just pushed off towards the lineup. Rest assured, once I "unhung" my shorts, I was able to zip that jersey up.

Just sayin'!!!!
Till later, Alicia

Cha Cha and the first ride

You know how you have a great idea and get some encouragement to go for it; then when you do, you got a lot more than you bargained for in the process. Not that that’s a bad thing, it just takes you by surprise because you’d not been expecting it. That’s how my first ride with Cha Cha turned out. I got this itch to ride “for real” after I became a certified spinning instructor. It was an itch I never scratched till we had some money available and my husband told me I should take the plunge. That’s how I ended up with Cha Cha.
Cha Cha is my new and first “big girl serious” bike. She’s a black and pink Specialized Dolce road bike. Very beginner friendly but with some cool features and women specific stuff that makes her fab. You might wonder why I named her Cha Cha. I’ll give you the background on that before you hear about our ride. Growing up, my cousins, sister and I loved the movie Grease. My secret favorite character was Cha Cha. The trashy girl who rocked the hand jive with Danny. Remember her? I loved that character because she was a bawdy and unabashedly in your face character. Okay, mostly I loved her because she was trashy. Still, whatever. So, Cha Cha became my bikes’ name.
Friday evening I rode 25.3 miles on the bike shops’ indoor trainer. I was feeling confident and comfortable and somehow got bamboozled into the Saturday morning 25 mile ride. Sure, it would be the first time I’d ridden since I was a kid but I was confident I could do it. Sort of anyway. I got plenty of rest Friday evening and got up bright and early for the ride. Once I got all geared up and got myself to the shop, my nerves didn’t have too much of a chance to set in before we were outside ready to go.
I got off to a very shaky start. I instantly fell behind as I wobbled my way toward our intended route. Seriously, I wobbled like you wouldn’t believe. Immediately I wondered what the hell I’d gotten myself into. Then, I remembered how much I’d paid for the bike and inwardly groaned. I couldn’t give up this soon. I figured I go just a bit longer but truly, I was unable to imagine how I would accomplish all 25 miles. I continued to wobble and not stay near far enough right as I should. Plus, I was slow as all get out. I mean SLOW!!!
We got past the in-town stuff with all the stops and starts. Finally, I got less terrified by the vehicles passing and did a better job of keeping as far right as possible. Most folks gave a nice wide berth and just a few honked their horns as though we shouldn’t be on the road at all. Assholes. Still, I wobbled everytime I moved my hands to change gears. That was a lot because I changed gears more than most folks change their panties. Aerobically and muscularly as a whole, it wasn’t so taxing I couldn’t do it at a faster pace for the majority of the ride. The reason for my slowness? I was terrified I would be completely out of control. Shit, I felt pretty out of control already. The unstable feeling of the bike was so incredibly unnerving that my only goal became finishing without having a wreck or endangering anyone else. It was a big mental obstacle for me.
I was so focused on that goal I didn’t feel the cold wind or the steadily numbing crotch I was getting until about halfway through. I ignored it and it went away--mostly. The dog that ran out and gave chase got little notice from me. I was on autopilot and he would have to find another impromptu chew toy. I just needed to finish. Finally I was steady enough to change gears without wobbling, at least on the right hand side anyway. The left hand gears almost screwed me up twice so I’ll definitely have to work on changing those gears while on the trainer Monday. The owner of the shop and the other riders were great. The owner stayed with me the whole time and one of the more experienced riders followed me out of town to make sure I got out to the country road okay.
The thing I learned is that pedaling with very little resistance left me feeling out of control. As long as I kept the gears so I could “feel the road”, I felt more in control. Back at the shop after the ride, the shop owner demonstrated on a wheel how the faster you go, the harder it is to actually tump over. Conversely, the slower you go , the more likely you are to crash. That made me feel better. The downhills will still probably unnerve me a bit but I can get over it. If I don’t, my brake pads might need replacement in record time. I made my ride in 2 hours, 19 minutes, and 54 seconds.
I didn’t set the world on fire. I might have been the last person in but I finished. I finished when I wanted to cry and give up. That was about 1/4 of the way in but I didn't want to look like a big baby or spoil anyone else's ride. I kept going when I wanted to turn around. Okay, mostly I wasn’t able to turn around because the turn would have pretty sharp so I’m not sure how much that counts but I’m claiming it anyway. I rode. I rode when I felt like the bike was riding me. I kept riding until I felt like maybe, just maybe, I might be riding the bike myself just a little. By the time I reached the shop, my crotch was numb; my toes were cold and my legs were appropriately sore. The shop provided a bagel and cream cheese. Let me tell you, a bagel never tasted so good. I'm on tap to do it again Saturday. Here's to being new, being humbled and always learning even if you have to stuff down your fears. Later, Alicia

Finally here!

Okay, so, I took some pics of our house in Texas in all its' chaos during the move. Our house here in Kansas is still in chaos but we're slowly making heads or tails of it all. We arrived here to snow and freezing temperatures! See how glad I am that I know how to knit?! No shortage of warm knitted clothing around here. Once I get the craft room in order, I"ll be posting my done stuff more regularly. I do have a few things I managed to get done that I'll post about week after next. Why that long? Well, because I fly out to NC tomorrow to help my sister with an unexpected move overseas. She's darn lucky I'm in "moving" mode!!! Hope everyone had happy holidays and a good new year! Till later, Alicia
P.S. These pics should be titled, " Why you seriously do not want to move over the holidays. Seriously."

Crazy.Busy.Moving!

Things are nuts! We are PCSing (that's moving for non military folks) to Fort Leavenworth, KS! The movers are here today packing us up so I'm crazy busy! Promise some post holiday pics. Maybe when we are at Mom's for Chrismukkah (we do both-blended family so that's what we call it)? Anyway, I wanted to say thanks for the comments to the blog--I'll be back once I dig out from boxes and craziness! P.S. DH has come to accept the yarn (as if he had a choice!) but swears I own the most stuff in the family. Whatever!! Happy Holidays everybody!! Alicia

Apparently, you can have too much yarn!

Okay, so I haven't blogged about it much. Only a phrase or so but DH was deployed to Iraq for the past year or so. He just got back and so we are steadily getting back into the swing of things. Let me describe this. First, you have the initial honeymoon period. Oh, I missed you so much, etc etc. This lasts a few days to a week. Then, you have the he/she's really beginning to irritate me period. Give that a month. Mostly it goes like this: Why does he put unrinsed dishes in the non-garbage disposal side of the sink?? Grrr! Finally, you have the okay we won't kill each other because we have a good time together period. DH and I are currently in the Irritate period but that's okay. We've been thru this before and once you get past a month or so, you get to being back to normal. As proof of the irritation period, I offer you the following tidbit from DH to me in regards to yarn.
DH: "You know, we really have to talk about the amount of yarn you have."
Me: "What?" Feigns look of complete innocence and ponders current rate of knitting and potential hiding spots.
DH: "Um, it's a lot of yarn." Looks at me earnestly.
Me: "Hmmm, I guess it is." Avoiding eye contact like crazy.
DH:" Okay, here's the thing. You just can't buy anymore yarn until you've used up most of what you have. Your yarn is taking over the house. Also, when you go in Barnes & Nobles, you need to only leave with a cup of coffee and one book or magazine."
Me: Stunned silence. Mulling over amounts of yarn while thoroughly disregarding the low blow B&N comment. In a moment of rare concession, the following phrase popped out of my mouth before I could stop it. I was feeling all diplomatic and crap. : "Okay, I"ll concede I need to use at least 75% of my current stash before I get anymore but that doesn't preclude yarn gifts. As far as B&N, we don't have one here locally so I refuse to address that at this time."
Now, I have to quit blogging because I apparently have agreed to use a buttload of yarn up before I can buy more. Must quit typing and begin knitting. Later, Alicia

On death and life.

All day Thursday I had a prickly uneasy feeling. Something wasn't right. Bank accounts were okay, kids and hubby were okay. I hadn't forgotten about anything really important. The prickly uneasy feeling wouldn't go away. I pushed it aside and waiting for the inevitable moment I would find out why I had it. The next morning, about 6:15 am, my mom called and I found out what the feeling was all about. My grandma had passed away in her sleep the night before. Her health had been bad and it was a miracle she lasted as long as she did after the stroke. Still, I'm not sure why it hit me so hard. Today was her funeral. I don't want to talk about it too much. I just want to say some stuff about my grandma. Her name was Leitha Powers nee Bryan. She was a very accomplished gardener. I don't think there was a thing that she couldn't plant that wouldn't grow. Her home was always meticulously clean. She worked hard as hell all her life. Despite the fact that she never learned to drive, she traveled more than anyone I know. She made beautiful quilts for all of us granddaughters by hand. She loved a good soap opera. She could fry up fish, make biscuits and cookies. She was a great lady and I miss her. That's all I have to say today.

As the world turns..and turns, and turns

Okay, been awhile but that's really nothing new! DH will be home soon!! Yay!! That's the good stuff. The bad stuff, my grandma had a stroke and is recovering. Well, it's not really all bad because they initially did not expect her to survive. She's starting to come around though. That's my grandma. She's tough! I cannot tell you the tears I shed and the anxiety I've had over this. I know that she's had a great life and all but she's my grandma. I would go to her house in the summer time and snap purple hull peas while drinking iced tea and eating fried apple pies. I really have to learn how to make those pies. She rolls the dough paper thin and fills it with the cooked apples and fries them up. Yeah, we can even make fruit fattening in the south. We haven't met a food yet that we haven't found a way to fry. Best part is, those pies are good!! See, this is why I exercise. I'd be as big as a house if I didn't. Let's face it, I'm not giving up fried pies any time soon. My grandma also hand quilted quilts for all of us granddaughters. My Mom still keeps my quilt. Apparently at 33, I'm still not responsible enough to have it. My grandma is a great gardener too. She loves flowers and plants. I used to play in her rose garden and pretend I was a princess. I have a zillion other stories about my grandma. She's really a neat person and incredibly resourceful. I can only hope to be just a little like her. Okay, before I start getting all teary again, I'm going to move on to knitting news. I've finished a good many things up since I last blogged. Let's start it off with the Somewhat Cowl. Okay, I dig it a lot. I used Elann's yarn--I think it was highland silk. Anyway, it was a nice yarn even if it was a bit splitsy. It has to be nice and cool for me to wear it though. Any sign of heat and I get itchy. Now, the pattern is nice and Wendy has added some changes to get a better fit. That said, you have to use your brain when you knit this if you want a good fit. That means stopping and trying it on to determine if you need to make any pattern adjustments. I like that because I get a custom fit. If you want some mindless knitting, this may not be it. Don't get me wrong, there are mindless parts of it because it is stockinette but you do have to watch it in some criticial areas for proper fit. Overall, I like the pattern and the yarn. I'd recommend it. Next up, Not your standard issue sweatshirt. Okay, I'd been dying to knit this for awhile. I used Knit Picks Main Line for the yarn sub. Okay, let me say now that I really like most of knit picks' yarn and haven't been dissatisfied yet. This particular just isn't my favorite though it does have some good qualities. The colors are nice and it is reasonably soft with good stitch definition. The down side is that it seems to show wear very quickly. My sweater has a soft fuzzy halo to it already. That might be okay to some it just wasn't what I expected. So, while I love their other yarn, this particular one is not my favorite. I dont' hate it but I can't say I love it. On to the pattern. It's well written and an interesting knit. The only part that I didn't like was the hood so I left it off. It came up too short and was very pointy. Has anyone perfected the knit hood? There just has to be a better way. I had to do a do over on the seaming but that had nothing to do with the pattern. Let's just say I remember why I prefer knitting in the round. Overall, I'd recommend the pattern sans the hood. You can decide whether you would use main line or not. It was an economical alternative for my purposes but I'd recommend buying a skein and swatching it to see if you like it despite the drawbacks. So, what's on my needles now? Well, lots of stuff! To my kids' amazement, I'm knitting them some stuff. Yeah, I normally only knit for myself but the kids are big martin mystery fans so I've designed a cardi based on his shirt. I'm using Knit picks Swish in red pepper and some bare I dyed yellow. Let me tell you, this is the softest yarn! Even my youngest, who screeches if he touches wool, loves it! The pattern is my own so I'll let you know how it goes, The other kids knit is EZ's moebius vest. I'm using some handspun from a CVM named Andy. I got his fleece from Shepherdchik (her fleece rocks!). The fleece is really springy and is knitting up nicely despite my beginner's thick and thin spinning. I dyed the fleece a blue color that didn't turn out at all how I expected. I actually hated the color but my oldest liked so I decided to make the boy's a vest from it. I've also started the icelandic lace shawl using a kit from Sarah's yarns. I love buying from her. She ships so fast! I'm mulling over which of my own designs to get going on next. I might put the names in a hat and draw them out. Who knows? So, until later, take it easy! Alicia

Out golfing

Yep, I've been knitting, spinning and crocheting. I've also been golfing. I took a beginners clinic in September and October. I suck but I like it. I even have a set of (cheap) clubs and a (expensive) pair of golf shoes. So, I'll post a pic this afternoon/late evening with my log cabin afghan that I finished. Yay! I love it! I'm almost done with my Somewhat Cowl and hope to finish it this weekend. I'm planning on sewing and embroidering a pair of gauchos to go with it. No, I don't care if the gaucho is out of fashion. For us pear shaped gals, the gaucho is a classic friend which should never go away. Skinny pants, on the other hand, are our bitchy arch nemesis sent here to make us look huge. Take heed curvy ladies, skinny pants are not your friend. They will make your thighs look huge and your hips even huger. Who let those things come back into fashion anyway and how much do they hate women with hips? If you don't know, Kristi of Red Dog Knits is shutting down blog shop. I'm going to miss her. Really, I do understand. She's got so much going on not to mention two little babies. How she kept it going so long I don't know. So, stop by and wish her a fond farewell. She and her hubby have set up a family blog so we can keep abreast of her boys' growth. Bookmark it cuz those boys are cute cute cute!!!! Well, my mom has arrived with breakfast in hand so I"m going to run eat. Later ya'll!

Because I'm not a total sour puss!

As promised, here are some pictures of knitting stuff! First, these are my socks from Amy H., my sock pal! Thanks so much for the beautiful socks! I've worn them several times and they hold up to machine washing and drying beautifully! I'm pretty rough on socks so the ability to hold up in the wash was really important to me. I've finished my Fifi for the Sexy Knitters club KAL. I loved working on this top even though I had to frog it twice because I was on the fence on size. Then, I failed to cast on enough underarm stitches so had to rip back and correct that. It was a great learning experience and I highly recommend it. My somewhat cowl is close to finished and I can't wait. I ripped the bind off out to add length. I'll either do a tubular double rib bind off or a suspended bind off. Suspended is quicker but not as elastic. It's probably better to take the time to do the tubular. Sigh. I'm also crocheting a lapghan. Yep, it's acrylic. Any blankie in my house better be machine washable AND dryable. I'd love to do one in a luxury yarn one day but honestly, it would likely get ruined. Still, I'll give a review of the yarn I"m using which happens to be Vanna's Choice by Lion Brand. The price is reasonable at $2.00 per ball and about 220 yards. It's fairly soft and comes in a range of "grown up" colors. I'm finding it a bit splitty but not to the point where it's difficult to work with. As far as pilling, I'll have to let you know after I've laundered it a bit. The pattern I'm using is from Vanna White's new afghan book which complements the yarn line. The only modification I made was to use 4 colors instead of 5. In good news, the man next door paid up. Apparently it's just his wife who is a complete heifer. Really, she was angry with him and not me. Still, whatever. Oh, even better news, I got my ravelry invite yesterday!!!!! I spent half of the day on there. I still have more stash to enter. It's really neat and well worth the wait for the invite. Later! Alicia
PS I threw in a pic of some roving I spun up. I'll get the info on where I got it put up on next post. It's a merino/tencel blend and the colorway is called banded iguana. Thank you Lime and Violet for enabling me to get that.

Ommmm, Ommmmm, Grrrrr, Grrrrr

Sigh. Where to begin? This has been a long summer for me and for the kids. Here we are now with school beginning next week! Tonight we went to meet their teachers. Yay! I really hope they have great teachers. They seem very nice. This week seems to have been jam packed with landmines. On Sunday, my neighbor inadvertently sprayed my husbands' truck with paint. Yeah. That was a joy to wake up to. Of course he sweared up and down he would take care of it. So, I had a truck detail guy come by and clay bar and buff it out and put a new protective coat on. The total damage was $200.00. Much less than a new paint job. Instead of honoring their responsibility to pay, my neighbor is now refusing to pay. Lovely. F***ing assholes! Sorry. I normally try to keep this blog clean but right now I am livid. Just livid. Now, I have the money to cover this repair but that's not really the point. If my neighbor had been responsible and asked me to move my vehicles before painting, we could have avoided this whole mess. Instead, he got paint on our truck. Now, he doesn't want to own up to the responsibility of paying for his mistake. His wife had the audacity to act angry and pissy with me! Uh, hello! Not my fault!!! This has just got to be the universe testing me. I'm trying to transition to a vegan diet and get more in touch with myself etc etc. Why is it that when you try to get all spiritual every crapbutt thing in the world happens to completely piss you off? Now, a lesser me would say screw it all and munch on some cheese toast and down some wine while grousing away. The trying to be spiritual me is still going to grouse (hey I'm pissed what can I say?) but I'll avoid the dairy and wine. I wish I had the wine. I'll just make a vegan curry instead and drink some green tea. Then, I'll knit a bit and think about all the reasons that this, while unjust, is truly just an annoyance. There are bigger things to feel indignant and upset over. This just isn't worth the energy. Lest you think I'm all negative, let me throw some positives in there. I got my sockapalooza pal's socks and they are so lovely!!! Thanks Amy H! I love the rain hat as well! I have to send a thanks out to Alison of Blue blog who organizes this whole thing. You rock girlfriend! Oh, side note to Sam, hope you are doing better and getting ready for your vacation! It's been sort of crazy here. I'm seriously considering a potential destash sale on ebay. I've acquired more than I can knit. The big question is what would I part with? I have issues letting go of stuff. Pack rat-itis runs in my family. I promise some pics on the next post. Ones of my beautiful sock pal socks; my Fifi in progress; my somewhat cowl in progress, and my crochet blanket in progress. You get the idea. Lots of stuff in progress. Must force children to learn to knit and do my bidding! Alas, they show no interest. So, I"d better get on that curry and bust out some yoga and meditate. It's the only thing that's holding me back from making a mad dash to the store for some wine and cheese. I still haven't ruled out the wine. Butthead neighbors. Till next time, Alicia

The week of Mondays

This past week has been like Monday repeating itself over and over again. You know those kind of weeks. The kind where you can't manage to be on time even when you get up early; the kind when the car just seems to suck up gas like water in the desert; where no matter how much you clean the house is dirty in the next two minutes. It's just been that kind of week. Whatever. Last night I watched the season premiere for Monk and for Psych. I love those shows. I have to say of the two, I enjoyed Psych more. Not that Monk was bad, I just really loved Psych. My feelings have been a bit on my sleeve lately so it just felt like such a relief to just laugh. Laughter helps after a week of some expected disappointment that stung a lot more than I thought it would. My husband sent me a great email that made me feel so much better. My sister was also a great encouragement too. Happy Anniversary to my hubby! 10 years and we're still going! I love you hon!! My cousin and her daughter are coming to visit next week so I really must clean my house. Hopefully it will stay clean. Yeah, right! In knitting news, I've completed my pals first sock and am past the heel in the second. My goal is to get it done by Sunday. I've got the Somewhat Cowl on the needles and have done my gauge swatch for Fifi. Now to cast on for Fifi. Did I mention that I love Rowan Calmer?? I do. I love it so much I've composed an letter to it. Here goes:

Oh Calmer, I love your Rowan-y goodness. I'll confess I was skeptical and did not believe in your sproingyness. Indeed you are the most sproingy wonderful yarn ever. You, Calmer, are like a marshmellow without any stickiness. You're spongy, soft and surprisingly fun to knit with. Why, dear Calmer, must you cost $11.95 usd per ball? Why? Don't realize I must knit with you and can only afford discontinued colors on sale? Please consider lowering your cost to $9.00 per skein! BTW, I know that I can get you for $9 usd per skein but that's from overseas. Now, I'm not above ordering you from an overseas source but I lose that lovely discount with the cost of shipping. So, my dear Calmer, you must somehow consider making yourself available at discounted price in the US, where I happen to live. Also, do you think you could manage some tweed and heather selections? If not, I'll manage. You know I'll knit with you anyway even if I have to sell other belongings on ebay to do it. Sincerely, Alicia

Hot Summer

Well, I've been around and very busy lately. I've just decided I won't ever get unbusy so I'd better make the time to blog regardless. DH was home for two weeks in June so that obviously took up much of our time. We went to Sea World again which was lots of fun. Let me tell you, we stayed there for 10 hours. Yes, 10 hours. Our legs were actually sore from all the walking. Still, we had a great time. My friend Carolyn moved to Colorado. Boo. I miss her very much. I made her a pair of socks to wear when the snow touches the ground. Sigh. Her daughter, Cady. whom I taught to knit, graduated high school so I made her a necklace that I hope she gets much enjoyment and use from. (Yep, I ended my sentence with a preposition. My English teacher would cringe!) That is such a special age. Damn I feel old!! My friend Samantha sent me a birthday present from England. It arrived at the perfect time. I was in a bit of funk with Al leaving and sort of sitting around here just doing the same old thing. The summer blues are still here but that's just because I have too much time on my hands. Too much time to contemplate and dream. Time is so funny that way. One day you think there just isn't enough and another it seems to drag on mercilessly. I'm working on my sockapalooza pal's socks. The pattern I've chosen isn't particularly difficult but I'm concerned it may not look as attractive as I hoped. Really what I mean is that I don't want this lady to think I'm some dunce knitter who can't do a complex pattern. I'm a bit scared that the simple pattern I"ve chosen will look too simple. It's a baby cable rib pattern, I chose it for it's elasticity to make sure of a great fit. The yarn I'm using is variegated so I"m concerned it won't show very well. I'm reluctant to break away from knitting for fear of making a too big or too small sock. Maybe I'll whip up two pairs of socks and then decide between the two. I just don't know yet. Well, I'm off to watch some Shark Week stuff I got off itunes and drink the rest of my Merlot. Good wine and sharks. What more could a gal want? Here's some photos of what I've been up to. The fleece in the bag is some CVM from a sheep named Andy that I carded into roving. Dreamy. Andy, you rock. Oh, the couch is my new couch. I ditched the couches I painted because hell, they were old. Also, the new couch was on sale. I love a good sale. I love my new couch. Sorry if the whole post is choppy and rambling. I'll get back in the groove of things shortly. Till then, knit on. Alicia

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!