♥ Down With the Knitty Gritty ♥ ™

I'm Moving

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 05:24:00 +0000

I've decided to do a test drive with a new blog format. So come visit me at my new blog. See you soon!

Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 22:29:00 +0000

Merry Christmas from Scout!

She's excited to see Santa!

But Shawn knows better!

Happy Holidays from Jem and Scout!

And from me too, (I apologize for the crappy picture...my hair hadn't been washed and I was wearing "round the house" clothes)!

Here's to you and all of your families! Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

Celebrate!

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 00:42:00 +0000

I apologize for the lack of posts, though I doubt anyone out there is missing my posts all that much. With that said, this will be a picture heavy post of a whole lot of non knitting related stuff. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Friday, December 21st was my little baby's very first birthday! We had such a great day! Shawn and I reminisced about going to the hospital and thinking I'd be sent home rather than deliver. I honestly can't believe it's been that long. Of course, all moms say that. But I really mean it. It doesn't seem like I've changed diapers 365 days a year, or made 6 bottles a day for 365 days, or waken up to her happy smile:

Yup, that's what I get to wake up to! We started off the morning with Mickey Mouse pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Then we did some retail shopping at Beverly's, (Scout needed fabric), and then had lunch at home with Grandma.

That's when the real fun started, opening presents and eating cake:

She played with the boxes and packages more than anything. But the V Tech V Smile laptop was a hit. She loves the music and that it interacts with her.

This is from when we stopped by Shawn's grandmother house, both wearing sweaters I made them. (It's actually been "sweater weather" the past week or so.)

And let us eat cake! I stopped by a bakery on Thursday after my Dr. appointment to get my favorite chocolate chip Delcos. And since it's my favorite bakery I decided I'd rather pay for a great cake, rather than a good cake. And great it was. (We finished it off last night, Shawn and I.)

It started off with one finger.

Then she switched hands.

Then she became ambidexterous.

And then she just started shoveling it in at top speed.

She was a mess, but she loved the cake and we loved watching her.

Happy Birthday boo boo!

I've been staying quite busy with Christmas too. I'm glad I was into it more this year. Last year was just a drag. I was just too tired to do anything. But this year I've been rocking the Jingle Bell Rock. I did a little "extra" shopping for Shawn today. But I wanted to have one really special gift for him from all of us, so I bought a canvas and got to work:

It's a compilation of Jem's and my hands with Scout's little feet walking across.

At the bottom I painted, "We Will Always Hold Your Hand". I know he will love it. And I think it will look great in the bedroom.

I did, eventually, get my sewing machine back. $128.50 to fix the drive shaft and the timing. He also did a quick cleaning. All the same, what a way to start me sewing career. I started making a Wee Ones Peanut the Elephant from "Last Minute Patchwork", (which by the way, I love this book). I started off with some Quilter's Cotton fabric, in pinks and browns.

Here she is so far:

But that's the end of the good, because this fabric is so damn thin that it's actually fraying even though I was sewing on the 1/4" seam allowance. It still did me no good:

That there you see is the undertrunk where the arms meet up.

And this is the underbelly.

I'm really disappointed because I totally began to understand the construction and I was so excited to see it all sewn together. But the fabric was way too thin. I asked a lady at Beverly's why and she told me it was because JoAnn's doesn't always use high quality products, that's why sometimes they don't have the manufacturing labels on their bolts. All the fabrics I have, (of cotton), from Beverly's are way more sturdy and thick than the one's from JoAnn's. That disappoints me as well because I really prefer JoAnn's printed fabrics to Beverly's, (though I do like them, they just don't have as much of a selection).

Needless to say, I'm not giving up. I am going to try the elephant in a different fabric, (bought from Beverly's), and see what happens. And anyway, I feel successful in having worked this one out. Even if the fabric was crappy, I did good.

So that's what I've been doing. Among other things. I did meet with Jem's school staff regarding his IEP/504 and we did work a few things out and made modiciations in the class room. I'm happy about that. I'm also happy that he's washing my kitchen floor right now. I suppose I did something right!

That's all. Really. Knitting has been quite sparse. I had to restart the left front on my Bed Jacket because I increased in the wrong rows a couple of times, (my numbers were off). I picked up my Chevron Scarf at the Drs. office, but I admit I didn't get much done. Bandit ate the sleeve I was working on for Shawn's Cobblestone and proceeded to eat three Crystal Palace DPN's! You can't even imagine how irritated I was. Especially because this is the second time he's gotten into my knitting bag and tried to eat wool. The dog just might become sheep food!

Really Quickly

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 04:28:00 +0000

Quick update because it's Scouts birthday and I am still taking pictures, (I'll post those tomorrow). I went to the ENT, (ear nose throat Dr.), on Thursday and it turns out that the vertigo was being caused by an ear infection in my right ear. Apparently the fluid is what can cause dizziness. But since I also had headaches and was nauseous he gave me some Amoxicillin for a couple of weeks and said I should have an MRI done if the dizziness and everything else come back. He also noticed that I have a slight hearing loss in my right ear, which both my grandmother and mom have. My great grandpa was Hard of Hearing and almost all the women in our family have had otosclerosis. I guess it's a good thing I know sign langauge huh?

Vertigo

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 23:22:00 +0000

And I don't mean the movie.

I have vertigo and it's killing me. I haven't been able to knit. Just a few rows for Shawn's sweater on Saturday at Jody's house. We went to Beverly's and I picked up a copy of Itty Bitty Nursery. Scout is no longer a baby, not like that anyway. But the book is absolutely adorable. I also had a chance to check out "Son of a Stitch and Bitch" which I was a bit disappointed with. There were a few new books out there, but none to write home about unfortunately. I don't know if it's just my taste or the book. Either way, I only bought one.

Nothing else going on really, since I can't seem to stand, sit, lay down, walk...Blah. I'll be back.

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 22:07:00 +0000

Shop Update today. I also listed the necklace, for those of you interested.

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 22:09:00 +0000

No, I'm not getting married. Yet.

Actually, I have been a bit crafty lately. Not as much as I want. And not really working on what I need to be. (Like the Cobblestone that is supposed to be done by December 24th. Of this year.)

I have been entranced by these crystals:

8 mm Bicones, 6 mm Bicones, Montana, Light Azure, Blue Zircon, Crystal...

6mm Rounded, Montana, Crystal AB, Light Azure Crystal Drops...

Sterling Silver Daisy Spacers, Sterling Silver Bead Caps, Sterling Silver three strand clasp...

I've updated my shop, though it's a very small update. My sewing machine is still being worked on, so I can not add all the knitting needle cases I wanted. Not yet.

Knitting Wordplay:

And Monkey Face, (my personal fave):

I am thinking about selling the necklace. It's beautiful. And I know I would wear it someday. But I don't think I'd wear it often enough. I don't know though. How can I part with something so mesmerizing? It's very eye catching and time consuming. I've been looking at it every which way. If you are interested in purchasing it, please let me know. If I do put it on Etsy it won't be until next week.

It doesn't smell like gingerbread

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 02:37:00 +0000

it sure looks like it!

I finished my first "real" gingerbread house. Last year we didn't finish them. Well, I didn't finish mine. I was pregnant and tired. I wasn't in the spirit one bit.

But this year, I'm proud to show you:

The side view of the roof:

And the back of the house:

I really love the house. It kind of makes me want to make real gingerbread. I just might do that.

On The First Day of Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 18:42:00 +0000

Alright, so I'm a little early. But I finished my Christmas banner last night and I was so excited to show you. It's been a very long time since I've done anything worthy of calling it "scrapbooking". Last February I started to sell off the thousands of dollars worth of scrapbook supplies that just lay in the closet with a slightly thick coat of dust. Knitting has increasingly taken over my life. While scrapbooking was fun and help preserve the memories, it was also a very expensive hobby. For example, you know that $30 skein of cashmere you covet? Imagine spending $30 on some 12 x 12 cardstock, some Hermafix adhesive, some 12 x 12 patterned paper to match the cardstock, a bag of brads, a set of rub on letters, and if you are lucky, maybe, some distress ink. All that for ONE page. And keep in mind, I'd constantly go back and buy the little ephemera and embellishments if the page wasn't to my liking. You get my drift. I get much more out of knitting. Plus it's portable.

But not all scrapbooking is bad. I still love to make cards and little mini albums for special occasions. Shawn has been gifted a couple of them for our Anniversary or for Valentine's Day. I have been thinking of making one for his 28th birthday, (next month). In any case, I felt it was time to do more than the obligatory lights on the windows. We weren't going to buy a tree this year, but I ended up finding a reasonably priced artificial tree. (Hopefully we will decorate tonight.) My stocking is hung, (my mom is working on Scouts and also has Jem's right now.)

Anywhoo, I made this hanging Christmas banner out of some Blitzen by Basic Grey and some embellishments I had leftover in my diminished stash. The theme is "Joy and Love".

So, that's it. I'm pretty darn proud of it. I like it a lot.

More decorating news to follow.

Just a Regular Day

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 21:14:00 +0000

I don't have any new knitting pictures, but that's ok because I still have a lot going on. I will say, I have been diligently working on my Bed Jacket from "Knitting Lingerie Style" and I'm already ready to finish the back. It seems that the work is really in the edging, so the fronts won't take very long either. Yay!

I've been working on my blue Swarovski Crystal necklace as well, but I ran out of 8mm bicones and both colors of the rounded crystals. So I'll be going to the LBS, (Local Bead Store), and buy some more. I think I ran out because I am making my strands longer. I love the design, but there were no instructions. And there were no quantities on the materials list. So we just had to guess. I found this at Absolute Crystal Components and fell in love with Multistrand Golden Copper Bracelet. A plus is that they have some pretty damn good prices for crystals and findings compared to many other shops. I'll price the stuff at the LBS today and see how much they would be. I could totally go for a few of these bracelets in different colors.

Other updates. Well I changed my email address. Long story short, I just needed a new email and I need some extra privacy. That said, I deleted my previous email and forgot to change over the contacts. So, if you want/need my email, leave me a comment and I will get back to you a.s.a.p. I've also had to change my Esty but I haven't set up the new one, so I'll get to you about that later. If you need a custom order, give me a jingle and I will do invoices through PayPal.

I picked up our artificial tree yesterday as well and it's had me in such a holiday mood lately. Last night Shawn put it together, (though we didn't decorate it yet - we will do that this weekend), and I got comfy on the couch in my pj's with my knitting and a cup of hot chocolate. I even listened to the "Holiday Sounds" channel on cable. We chose a fake tree for a few reasons. Most important being that last year Shawn spent $90 on a 7 ft. tree that ruined our carpet. Not only that, but the guy who put the tree on top of the car had scratched the car with the tree stand. This is easier and more economical.

Saturday, Jem has a Holiday Party at his school. The PTA is doing the fundraising and is offering breakfast. They are supposed to have snow for the kids to play in, but supposedly it's going to rain so they aren't sure what will happen with that. Anyway, it's a fun thing for Jem to do. Afterwards we are going to buy our Gingerbread House kit, (no, I don't bake gingerbread...too much work), and decorate that. We talked about going to the mall to see Santa, (for Scout). Scout and I had lunch at the mall yesterday and she got to see him, but not take pictures with him. (They wanted $20 for two 3 x 5's!!! Can you say insane!)

Other than that, life has been...well, life. We are busy, as always. Now that the holidays have crept up on us, we have a lot to do. Scout's first birthday is in 15 days! I can't believe it. She won't be staying this little forever:

I am here, I am alive

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 00:29:00 +0000

You'd be amazed at what all can happen in two weeks time. And almost every day in those two weeks I've wanted to update. I've wanted to read everyone's blogs. I've wanted to participate in the worst way. But it just hasn't happened. There's been so much to do. Thanksgiving weekend is one of those weekends when there is too much happening. I did all the cooking this year. Dinner was delicious, but tiring. It's hard to believe that so many people, (myself included), spend the entire day cooking to have this one great meal and then when it comes down to it, you really can't eat all that more in that one sitting. Believe me, I tried!

Tuesday, the 27th, was my "golden" birthday. (For those of you who have never heard of a "golden" birthday, it's the age you turn that is the same as the day you were born on. For me, I turned 27 on the 27th...get it?) I won't really get into it, but my birthday was pretty rotten this year. That's all I will say about that.

The rest of the week included:

crocheting with Jody
Open House at Simply Knitting last Friday
dinner at Los Toros on Saturday night, (my birthday dinner)
painting the bedroom, (again), this time in an Aqua and Chocolate combination
buying all our Christmas presents, (well most of them)
a trip to the Bead shop

Of course, there was a whole lot more in between these things. But I guess those were the most important of them all. I haven't had much knitting time lately. I have gone to the LYS, but you know how that goes. You talk a whole lot more than you stitch. All the same, I picked up the yarn I'm going to use for the Bed Jacket in "Knitting Lingerie Style". The pattern calls for Cascade Sierra, but I really didn't like the feel of it. So I chose Cascade Venezia and am totally in love! I love the dark brown. It will make a great jacket!

Jody also helped me to start my Tiramisu by Alicia Paulson. I have a confession to make. I love Alicia. If I could live her picture perfect life, I would. Everything is so quaint and cute on her website. The items she makes are to die for. She inspires me constantly. I can't wait to see what for her book.

Her Tiramisu baby blanket is simple enough, (I had thought it would be harder when I first looked at). I had a few issues with my edging. My numbers aren't right, but since this is all mainly single crochet for the time being, I'm ok with that. I'll have to go back to do the ruffle, but all the same I'm happy that I've gotten as much done because I really am not a crocheter. (Doing one blanket does not classify me as a "novice" even.)

I had to go up two hook sizes, from I to K. The yarn I'm using is Vanna's Choice, by Lion Brand. I wanted to try their new acrylic. And come on, how can you not trust Vanna White? (smile) This color is called Dusty Blue. I'm hoping to have this done in time for Christmas. I'm 9" into it, I need another 27". I can do this!

And beading, oh the beads! I just happened to go to the bead shop when they were having a 20% off sale. Am I lucky or what? (I seriously didn't know they were having a sale.) They helped me pick out some crystals for a design that I saw in Fire Mountain Gems catalogue. It was cheaper going to the local bead shop.

This will eventually turn into a 3 stranded Swarovski Crystal necklace:

There's a mix of 6mm and 8mm Bicones, 6mm Round, and drop Crystals. There are four blues and clear crystals in this version. Plus a lot of sterling silver. I would totally make something like this for my Etsy shop, but do you know how much this cost me? $74 with the discount! That doesn't include the fact that I already had the AccuFlex wire, silver spacers and crimps. But it's customized and it's made by me. So I'm ok with it. Maybe I'll be able to do some bracelets. They certainly are worth it.

I've even gotten a little "scrapbooking" done, though it really isn't scrapbooking per se. About two weeks ago, Jem and I painted a few wooden ornaments I bought from Michael's. Somehow the dog ate mine. My poor snowman. Anyway, I had a great idea to make some Christmasy type crafts. I'm making a little J-O-Y sign out of Basic Grey patterned paper I had bought last year for Christmas cards and some other scrapbook supplies. I've actually had a lot of fun with the altered artwork. I'm a bit disappointed though since I sold all my supplies. Then again, I'm not. Because I don't need yet another hobby right now. I just can't keep up.

And because Nora always says my posts aren't really complete without a shot of Scout:

There's my smiley girl. Can you believe she's almost a year old? 18 more days! She is walking like there's no tomorrow. In a way it makes me sad. This is the time when she will start getting a little more independent and then she won't need me. And I need her! We are calling her our "little walkie talkie". She says "hi" now, (mainly in the morning). And she can say "momma" and "daddy".

So that's my story. The. End.

Well, Let Me Tell You!

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 05:48:00 +0000

Life here at Casa Fantauzzi has been chaotic. Busy. Hectic. Soul Crushing. Eh, maybe not really soul crushing. Soul consuming is more like it. This week my energy has increasingly betrayed me. One moment I'm ready and rarin' to go. Next moment it's like I haven't slept in weeks. Of course, nothing changed that today. I was up and making breakfast while preparing the turkey. I was answering phone calls and trying to wake up Shawn. I was feeding a fussy baby and doing laundry. (Btw, remember my leaking washing machine that they fixed but two weeks later was broken? It's still leaking. So much so that the leak is trailing into the kids room.)

I've neglected my blog in lieu of getting the sock swap ready. Answering emails from panicky swap participants. Adding links. Checking blogs. It's done. Everyone is paired off. Everyone is happy, (I hope).

Sewing has ceased all together. I wish it weren't so. I've been sewing the panels for Scout's baby quilt. I'd also been cutting and sewing, (and sometimes re-sewing), knitting needle cases for my diminishing Etsy shop. (Not that I want it that way mind you, it's just that this has been a bad time of year for me with all the holidays.)

All the holidays, get this: October 31sy is Halloween. Third Thursday in November is Thanksgiving. November 27th is my birthday. December 12th is Shawn's sons' birthday. December 21st is Scout's birthday. December 25th is Christmas. January 4th is my mom's birthday. January 28th is Shawn's birthday. Tell me where this is fair?

It's so unfair. Especially after making a decision not to do any holiday knitting. But the past few months we've been a bit tight on funds. Now it seems like the best thing to do is to do a homemade Christmas with a few small packages for the kids. I found the greatest Homemade Advent Calendar to adorn a hallway. Though I don't know how long it would take to cut out 25 red and white squares of felt and then embroider them all. Then find little trinkets in each one. I remember my mom would go to Cost Plus World Market to buy my advent calendars. Of course, they never made it to Christmas. How could they when they had such delicious chocolate inside?

Nevertheless I am working on a few things. Like the Cobbelstone for Shawn. I think I'm about 9" from the edge. For my mom I'm making a pair of socks that won't fall off her calves. (She's convinced that handknit socks won't stay up because they don't have enough elasticity. I'm going to prove her wrong.) Scout will be getting her baby quilt. (Once the sewing machine works. Basically I was sewing a few nights ago and a needle snapped and it seems that a piece may have gotten stuck where the needle should be picking up the bobbin. This is all so new to me.) As for Jem, I honestly don't know. He doesn't seem interested in me making him anything.

But aside from all that, I have been knitting a bit. Not as much as I'd like due to all the stress. I don't like working charted projects when I'm stressed. It just doesn't work for me. But this project has a bit of stress added to it. Somehow when I caked the skein it tangled up inside. So my cake is everywhere but in a nice and neat ball.

Either way, they are turning out lovely, (I think):

Waving Lace Socks by Evelyn Clark from "Interweave Knits Favorite 25 Socks".

Close up of the stitch pattern. They are 20 row repeats, very easy to remember.

The heel. I'm proud of my heels. Someone once commented on a pair of socks I made saying that I had excellent gusset pick ups. That person has given me a complex.

The yarn is from the Yarn Pirate. I absolutely love the colors and I absolutely love the feel of the yarn. I know what I'll be getting myself for my birthday or Christmas! (Just a tiny splurge.) How I lived without this yarn before is a wonder. Not quite as good as Koigu, (then again, what is?), but it's second to it. Most definitely.

Thanksgiving here was great. Everything went smoothly. The pies I made were delicious and it made me think why I only make pumpkin pies two or three times a year. It was just nice to have us all here together. I wanted a peaceful holiday and so far I got it. Unfortunately Shawn is going to work tomorrow. He doesn't have any more vacation days right now. So, while Shawn is at work I'm going to play. I'll be at the LYS and quite possibly the mall, (gasp!). Shawn gave me an early birthday present so I could use it to hit the department stores during their Black Friday sales. So I'm off to find a pair of running shoes. I've been wanting to go running, but with my horribly messed up feet, (I had club foot surgery when I was a few days old, years of corrective shoes...Now I'm just left with an insanely high instep thus limiting my shoe shopping), I haven't been able to go without a good pair of running shoes. It's something I've looked forward to, so that's what I'll be doing. I can't wait for Bandit to grow up, (stop piddling), and go running with me. I suppose I don't really need a guard dog, but one never can tell these days.

That's my week(s) in a nutshell. I am thankful for my family and friends. I am thankful that there is someone out there who can fix a sewing machine. I'm thankful that the LYS will be open and ready for my reprieve, however short that may be. I am thankful for whoever dreamed up Cool Whip. I am thankful I have a fat, warm kitty to keep my feet warm at night. I am thankful for leftovers. I am thankful for hot water cause boy do I need a bath. I am thankful that I've been blessed with such a beautiful little girl who gets me through the day. The list goes on, but I do not. I'm having a piece of pie and then off to bed I go.

My Own Answers

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 02:55:00 +0000

Here are my own answers for the Sock it to Me Twice sock swap. I figured being the hostess I should answer these as well, huh? (Regular post to follow tomorrow.)

How long have you been knitting? Do you consider yourself beginner, intermediate, advanced? I have been knitting for 7 years. I would say I'm between intermediate and advanced.
How long have you been knitting socks? Since February. I've knit about 10 or 11 pair this year.
What are your favorite fibers to work with? I love smooth wools. And I'm pretty partial to soft cotton blends.
What is your favorite color? Blues and dark brown.
What are your current WIPs (works in progress)? I am currently working on a pair of socks from Interweaves Favorite Socks, the Cobblestone sweater by Jared Flood, a Chevron Scarf and Secret of the Stole.
Name your favorite yarns, (brand, fibers, colors, etc.). Blue Sky Alpacas Silk/Wool, Rowan Wool/Cotton, Koigu, Socks that Rock, (lightweight), Karabella, Debbie Bliss Cashmerino...
What are some yarns/fibers that you stay away from. Novelty and most 100% wools that aren't washable. (I had a bad experience with a sweater.)
What is your family situation? (Married, kids, pets?) Hubby, hubby (Shawn), my son Jem (9 years old), and our daughter Scout (11 months old). There's also our furbabies: Dalton (a Siamese cat that loves yarn), and Bandit (our German Shepherd puppy that loves yarn).
Name some of your hobbies. Baking/Cooking, Sewing, Beading/Jewelry Making, Swimming
Name some of your favorite movies? I love mysteries and horror flicks. My faves are: The Godfather, Clue, Murder by Death, the Charlie Chan and Sherlock Holmes movies, The Goodfellas, To Kill a Mockingbird
Do you like to read? I love to read, but I admit I don't get to as much as I'd like anymore.
Do you collect anything? Yarn...not much else than that.
Do you own an iPod or mp3 player? I have an iPod.
What are your favorite type of knitting needles? I used to love bamboo, but I've been using metal more. I love my Inox and, typically, I use Susan Bates. I'd like to try Addi's for lace though.
What knitting notion could you not live without? My sheepy measuring tape. And my knitting stitch markers. Have to have them!
Who are some of your favorite designers? Norah Gaughan, though I haven't knit many of her patterns. She intimidates me. Eunny Jang as well. I'd love to try her Entrelac Socks. And Debbie Bliss. She constantly amazes me.
Do you subscribe to any magazines? (Knitting or otherwise.) I don't subscribe anymore because for a while the issues were disappointing. I'm thinking of picking up my IK subscription again. Not Vogue. They've disappointed me for over a year.
When is your birthday? November 27th
Do you have a "wishlist", (on Ravelry, Froogle, or Amazon)? I do have an Amazon list, blueyedpenny(at)(yahoo)(dot)(com). I also have a big list of patterns I want to try on Ravelry.
Do you have a Ravelry ID? Blueyedpenny
If you had a sheep, what would you name it? Baaaaaad Boy

A Lovely Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 03:58:00 +0000

A lovely weekend indeed.

It started off with homemade carrot cake cupcakes for the SnB at the LYS last night. Carrot cake, with carrots. Get it?

Jem decorated a few with some brown and green Funny Faces:

Bandit had a nice afternoon exercising.

And telling us what he thinks of us:

Jem and Scout played outside too:

Jem and I painted some Christmas decorations, (I'll get a pic of that tomorrow). Bandit got a bath in some yummy Oatmeal Shampoo. I stopped by Beverly's and picked up another package of straight pins so I can work on Scout's baby blanket tonight. Dinner consisted of: Crispy Chicken, homemade Mashed Potatoes, and Cornbread Stuffing.

I only knit about 5 rows of my Secret of the Stole. I'm waaaay behind. I only knit about 2 rows of the Cobblestone Pullover. Looks like I need some extra time. I kind of want to start another pair of socks, but I have to finish the other sock for the Hogwarts Sock Swap. Too many things to do and not enough time = story of my life.

Either way, I had a lovely weekend indeed.

Raven Series

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 19:49:00 +0000

The new Raven Series from Socks That Rock is up. Definitely not what I was expecting!

I saw the new Holiday Interweave Knits and I have so say that I'm pretty disappointed. Same goes for Vogue and their Holiday issue. I checked them out at Border's last night and couldn't find one thing I liked in either.

There seems to be a lack of good knitting/pattern books and magazines out there lately. Maybe it's just my taste. But I don't think I would look good in Russian, color knit, giagantic rose stoles. Blech!

Instead, I bought a sewing book. French couture and all that. I love it already!

And I Leave You With This...

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 17:14:00 +0000

I jumped the bandwagon and started Jared's Cobblestone Pullover from the last issue of IK. Last Tuesday, when Shawn and I went to pick up Bandit, they weren't ready to release him, (in fact, he hadn't even been neutered when we got there), so we stopped by the Michael's in Lomita. I'm not a big fan of acrylic, I've used it for blankets and for one sweater. I would say I'm a bit of a yarn snob. BUT, I could not pass up trying Bernat's Satin yarn. It's very soft, even for acryclic. And let's face it, I need something washable with Shawn. I made him a sweater out of Debbie Bliss' Baby Cashmerino and I can not rely on him to handwash that. Acryclic it is. I'm happy to say that it knits up quite nicely. No snags or pilling. And I love the Navy Blue. This yarn would make a great baby blanket.

Last Thursday, (or was it Friday?), I received a very lovely package from my Monkey Swap Pal! She sent me two skeins of yarn, (there are close ups below); a Monkey pencil pouch with matching pencil, eraser, ruler and sharpener; "Twisted Flower" sock pattern from Cookie A.; a Monkey that sticks on glass, (Jem took that); a little Monkey finger puppet; and a Monkey sweater for Scout.

And she made me the best socks! I absolutely love the colors! And they fit perfectly! In fact, I'm wearing them now.

Here's the Opal she sent:

And some handspun:

I really haven't been knitting much. It's a bit tough with a new puppy. He loves to drink water, it's like he's never had it before. But as easily as he consumes it, he releases it. So we are outside a lot!

Dalton hasn't warmed up to him too much. He really doesn't know what to make of Bandit. But then again, Dalton is getting old and doesn't want to play as much as he used to. Especially not with a puppy. Lately he's spent a lot of time in bed with me.

I've been sick. Not sure what's wrong. Just some tummy problems and a sinus infection. Not bad, but not good either. I haven't had motivation to do much of anything. Yesterday I slept a good 18 hours out of the day. It was great. It would have been wonderful had I not been sick. It's been a long time since I had a chance to just lay around in bed all day.

Ready for the great news? Scout took her very first step on Halloween! We were sitting outside, on the grass, when I held her hands while she stood up. I let go and she was still standing. Then she took a step towards me! I am sooo proud of her. No steps since then. This morning was all about toys!

Happy Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 19:18:00 +0000

Happy Halloween everyone!

Lastnight we had a chance to carve our pumpkins. (My mom has a little garden set up at a friends house and grew pumpkins this year, so lucky us - we have huge, and free, pumpkins to use.) Jem carved a spider in his pumpkin. (He ended up staying up til 10 p.m. to finish it.) This was mine:

They call him the Candy Corn Goblin! He's cute. I love those pattern books that come with the tools. They are fun. We still have three pumpkins to carve, so I think tonight I will do one with Scout.

Everyone got into the pumpkin spirit:

For some crazy reason, Dalton ♥ pumpkins. He likes cornflakes and yogurt, but he ♥ pumpkins. Weird-O!

I didn't get Scout's costume done in time, (which kind of makes me sad), so I won't have any festive Halloween costume pictures. Ah, but I'll get over it. Jem isn't trick or treating this year either, so none of him. So we are staying home with Bandit, and hopefully giving out candy.

I hope everyone has a fun, and safe, Halloween!

Smokey and the Bandit

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 03:03:00 +0000

So, remember how I told you that I really want a puppy. That I really wanted a friend. Remember? Well here he is:

I drove to San Pedro, (big like Will Smith said about Lompoc, "You don't drove to San Pedro, You drive through San Pedro), last Friday. There was a litter of 7 German Shepherd puppies, but only 3 were available. Two girls, one boy. The girls were white/black/brown. The boy was brown. I preferred a boy. And I think he prefers me. We picked him up today, (with a few obstacles in the way), at the vet after being neutered.

He's been very playful too. He loved being outside and playing with twigs. When we walk with him, he looks a bit bow-legged and he loves to stand between your legs.

He's had such a big day of exploring, he's pretty tuckered out.

Bandit, October 30, 2007

Mission Complete

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 05:50:00 +0000

I finally finished my sock pals socks for the Sock It To Me Sock Swap, (you know, the one I am hosting). Shaemful to be so late. But life, and nature, have been throwing some curve balls lately you know? Anyway, the fact is they are done and ready to ship. Now I just have to find a box!

Heel Flap:
And the finished project:

The pattern is from Charlene Schurch's book, "Sensational Knitted Socks". It's like my sock Bible! This is the Garter Rib Stitch, which I have done before. (Remember the River Socks?) But the ToFutsies was much thinner and, unfortunately, isn't plied very well. Not like Koigu. I made these on US 2's. Yay! An FO!

In other news: We did not get evacuated. The fires have pretty been contained, though they are now doing burns around the area so as to get rid of any fuel for another fire. The winds have died down too. It was 86 here today! I don't get how one week it's cold and rainy. The next is week filled with firestorms and crazy heat. Indian summer in October maybe?

I'm hoping to have a puppy post for you guys too. :) Can't give anymore details than that. Off to work on my Chevron Scarf for a bit!

Monday Update

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 20:24:00 +0000

So far we haven't been evacuated. Three blocks north of us has been road blocked. Beyond the road block they have mandatory evacuations. Castaic isn't doing better. Neither is Bouquet Canyon, (that's were we went to the Pumpkin Festival last year, and where I hoped to take Scout). The winds are still high, approximately 50 mph. My windows are rattling pretty bad.

I stayed up til about 2 this morning. I couldn't sleep. The fire isn't that close to us, but it's not that far either. And nobody expected 25,000 acres to burn in 24 hours. There would be a lot to burn before getting to us. Unfortunately there are many small stores, a lot of houses, and a gas station. That scares me.

Here's a picture of the fire on the West side, which is right outside our bedroom. (That fire is much further away, but I took a close up.) The little trailer on the bottom is across the street from us.

Sunday, Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 22:24:00 +0000

Santa Clarita isn't having much of a week I tell you. Last week it was the rain slickened roads that caused a massive big rig explosion in the Newhall Pass. This week it's the Santa Ana winds, (which there have been reports of 100 mph winds at the beach), and the fires that can't be contained. Every year it's the same thing, we get fires, (and of course, this has been the driest year in a long time), and then the winds pick up and the fires go crazy. Right now there are two in are area, but this is the closest one, (from my bedroom window which faces West):

And this is outside my bedroom, facing South:

We talked about what we'd do if we had to evacuate, because, really, we don't have a plan. These aren't the types of things you expect to happen in life. Shawn said I'd have to leave the yarn. I said we'd have to leave a kid. (Just kidding.) So I started thinking of all the things I couldn't replace, that I would have to bring with me, (besides humans): the cat, my box of pictures, my 5-6 scrapbooks, my digital camera, my yarn, the diapers, the sewing machine, my Kitchen Aid mixer...it's a good thing we have a big trunk, but I still would have to pack clothes and some food. Oh boy. I'm hoping those hero firefighters can stop the fires before they really destroy peoples homes.

Other than nature's many wonders, life here has been somewhat quiet. (I say somewhat because my mother came up here this weekend and one thing she is not, is quiet.) I got Hint #3 for the Secret of the Stole, but I haven't even finished the second clue. I'm only about halfway done. I haven't been lucky enough to get much knitting done lately. Shawn worked overtime two days this week and wasn't feeling too great another. Scout has been staying up pretty late as well. (Our mistake was to allow her to sleep in our bed and now we are paying for it!)

I decided to put the second Monkey sock on hold because I still don't know what happened to it. I did frog it and I will pick it up soon. Instead, I decided to start the Chevron Scarf KAL:

It's Blue Moon Fiber Arts, (Socks that Rock), in Space Dust, (lightweight), and In the Navy, (mediumweight). Last night I wasn't so sure if I liked it, but today I saw it in the natural light and I ♥ the scarf. It's going to be a slow knit since I have to finish all 360/380 yarrds of yarn, but it's simple enough that I can handle working on it for a while.

That's about it.

****Update: Possibility of evacuation where I live. *sigh* There are a few fires breaking out and the flames are very visible from our apartments. So, if you don't hear from me, that will be why. Keep your fingers crossed.****

What are the chances?

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 21:38:00 +0000

What are the chances that I would knit a sock, on the same size needles, the same yarn, and the same pattern, and it still be too small? I had been working diligently on the second Monkey sock that I started well over a month ago, in Koigu. Last night I finished the heel, did the gusset, did the foot and started the toe decreases. Today I did the last few decreases and finished it. To my dismay, the sock is too small. I don't know what happened. I always copy my notes from the first sock, so that my second sock is the right size. Where did I go wrong?

My choices are:
a. frog the entire sock and start over
b. frog back to the heel and make the heel and foot longer, (which is obviously the problem, but I don't know if it's due to me possibly knitting with smaller needles - I am sure I used size 1's)
c. frog both socks and start over, just to be sure)
d. frog both socks and make something else with the Koigu

What would you do?

For the Love of Beads

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 19:19:00 +0000

Until I started working on the Secret of the Stole, I never used beads in my knitting. Albeit, the use of beads in this project is pretty minimal, I am glad that I tried the technique. (I had to buy three crochet hooks before finding the right size for these little seed beads.)

And I'm very glad that I am using the Arucania Ranco. Months ago I would have told you that I hated variegated yarns. I loved solids. But now? I love both. The stole is coming along. I'm on Row 117 of 164, ( think), for Clue #2. I love the knitting. I love the pattern. I love the beads. I'm quite content with this being my "big" project right now.

I've also been doing a bit of beading, though not much. I have to take turns with my knitting, crocheting, sewing, baking, painting, beading, and reading. I admit, they don't all get as much time as each other. My knitting has been priority one lately, because I am trying to make deadlines on swap projects. I'm late on one swap, (the one I hosted, how lame is that?), and Oct 31 is the deadline for the Hogwarts Sock Swap. My Monkey Socks have been done for some time. I just need to make time to do a little shopping.

Anyway, beading. I made myself a necklace.

I tend to make things for myself, then give them away to people. I know they appreciate the work. But this time I'm keeping it for me, myself and I. This particular necklace is made with base metal headpins, (2" I think), 5mm Jump Rings, Cream beads, and Green/Cream Glass beads.

I love it. I've even made stitch markers to match, they will be on Etsy later on today. Along with another set. I haven't made much for Etsy, because I want to add the knitting needle cases. (But, with Scout's costume in the works, it might be a while. We'll see.)

I also bought the buttons for the Tilted Duster to replace the previous ones. These are made from carved horn. Pretty aren't they?

There Just Isn't Enough Time

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 19:11:00 +0000

I don't know about you, but for me it seems like there is never enough time to do all the things I want to do or say the things I need to say. I attribute this part of my personality to being Bipolar. The first reason is because of the ups and downs/the highs and lows. When I'm "up" I can do anything. And I mean anything.

It's not always a good thing. A trip to JoAnn's for some pins might end up causing me to spend $50 on fabric because of a new project I thought up once I saw how cute those fabric prints were. A trip to the LYS might warrant buying 15 skeins of Rowan Cashsoft because I loved this pattern I saw, forget that I have a sweater, three pair of socks, a blanket and a stole on the needles. It might have caused me to spend hundreds of dollars on scrapbook supplies because I was going to find a way to get the perfect picture to match the cardstock I just bought. It doesn't end there. Here I am. A Knitter. Novice sewer. Baker. Scrapbooker. Jewelry Maker. And I just checked out a few books on quilting. Looks like Quilter might be added to the list. (Note: this list doesn't include being a Mother, a Daughter, a Girlfriend, a Friend, a Cook, a Housemaid and whatever other labels may be included in my day to day life.)

The second reason is a morbid one. (Please don't read if you are easily squeamish or sad.) Ever since being diagnosed Bipolar, my life was been a whirlwind of emotions. Some good, some bad. Depression is not an easy disease to live with. It's hard to explain. It's hard to understand. But I've always been convinced that I won't live to be 100. There are so many contributing factors. Besides emotional, I'd say mankind is one of the biggest reasons. Since the beginning of time, man has done nothing but destroy man.

Right now I'm reading, "A Long Way Gone", by Ishmael Beah. It is his story of when he was a child living in the war in Sierra Leone and how he was once an innocent 13 year old boy, who within weeks because a soldier of war. It saddens me, his story. But it also saddens me that I knew nothing about this when I, too, was a teenager. Children fighting the war of the rebels. And so it goes today. Eighteen year old boys carted off to fight a war they know nothing about. Rebels, terrorists, suicide bombers. We are not safe from ourselves.

And then there are accidents, such as the one that happened yesterday here in the Santa Clarita Valley. I don't know too many details, and I'd like to keep it that way because it's put me in a deep, dark gloom. Yesterday, Shawn, the kids and I went to Target to get diapers. We went to JoAnn's to get buttons, (for the Tilted Duster). We went to Food 4 Less to buy groceries. We went to the bead shop to get beads. It took up 3 hours to do all of this. A good 2 1/2 hours of traffic. If you don't know California, I should tell you now that we have some of the worst freeways in the world. One of them is the I-5. And yesterday was no exception. Yesterday there was a chain reaction crash in one of the tunnels of the freeway. One big rig crashed, then another, another and then another. They believe 15 big rigs and possibly a few cars crashed and were destroyed in a disastrous fire. They don't know how many are died or injured because a few people have been unaccounted for. But when I think about what happened I can't help but think how horrible it would be to be trapped in a car, with no escape. There is no good way to die, but fire...it's all very sad.

Like I said, there just isn't enough time. There isn't enough time to knit up all the patterns that I like. There isn't enough time to cut up hundreds of pieces of fabric to make a quilt. There isn't enough time to buy all the fruits I enjoy every season. There isn't enough time to make the house look immaculate. There isn't enough time to watch every episode of "Law & Order". There isn't enough time to make all the necklaces and bracelets and earrings in the bead book I checked out just last week. There isn't enough time to write my family the letters that I've owed them since July. There isn't enough time to keep up every blog I read. There isn't enough time to read every book I get from the library. There isn't enough time to try every recipe I'd like to taste. There just isn't enough time to do everything that I want to do.

Another One Bites The Duster

noreply@blogger.com (AJ) — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 02:06:00 +0000

Yeah, yeah, I'm not so great doing play on words.

The fact of the matter in the past 5 days I finished the skirt of the Duster, knit and sewn on the two sleeves and, as of last night, the collar.

Here is the collar that I slaved over, (not really), last night til 1 a.m. As I said on the KAL, I'm not going to keep the buttons I chose on this. They are too small and don't keep the collar buttoned. I'll go button shopping on Friday.

And a horrid picture of me, (because Shawn has no timing when it comes to taking a picture and me smiling):

The skirt is still curling a bit, even after trying to block it out a little. I hope with a little wash and wear it will flatten a bit. Damn those models and the pins they use in the magazines! I love this pattern though. And the yarn, (Berroco Peruvia), is so soft and warm. Here in So Cal we are getting a bit of cooler weather, (finally). Where I live it's notorious for wind. Day and night! (Which reminds me I need to pin down the BBQ cover.) So this will be a staple for Fall/Winter.

In other news: We are still looking for puppies. *sigh* It's not an easy task. I am adamantly against buying from pet stores. (We visited the one by our house and they were trying to sell an English Bulldog for $3,300!!!) And while I'd love to go through a breeder, this isn't really the season for puppies, (number one), and I don't want to pay $1,000 for a dog, (do breeders not know there is a lack of good homes out there?) I've gone through rescues and many don't want to sell to people who live in apartments, (nevermind that I used to be a Vet Tech and that I can provide a good home). So the next best thing? The shelter. And I just haven't found "the one". I would love to get another Australian Shepherd. My mom and I had one for 13 years and he was the best! But Shawn says they are ugly, (who does he think he is?). The next choice is a Golden Retriever. Third choice, German Shepherd. So we'll see what happens with this search.

I'm getting ready to add some knitting needle cases to Etsy soon. I admit I haven't been sewing as much as I'd like. I made the mistake of buying the pattern and fabric for Scout's Halloween costume and now my mom is too frustrated to help and won't stop telling me this was a "bad idea". *sigh* So I'm going to do it on my own. I hope. This year. Maybe. Next year.

As for everything else, well I'm working on my Secret of the Stole. I had to buy three crochet hooks before finding the right size one for the seed beads. But it's looking great. I, like others, am knitting each point separately so as not to be confused. Pictures to follow tomorrow. Maybe. Wednesday?

I wish I could be like some of the other Bloggers out there. You know, the ones who post pictures every day and they are always perfect. No clutter. No disruptive backgrounds. You know who I mean. Those Bloggers who live out of a freakin' Martha Stewart type house, who never have a hair out of place. Even the food they cook looks perfect. Pisses me off.