Knitiot Savant

updated

http://knitiotsavant.typepad.com

A Friend in need

This super cute dog is Oreo and she needs your help. See the cute little blinkie on your right. Please follow it to The Muttering Muse where you'll get the whole scoop on what's happening with her beloved Oreo. She tells it much better than I ever could. If you can help at all, that would be awesome! Slap the blinkie on your blog and maybe more folks can pitch in. I know all of ya'll have wonderful friends like Oreo in your life. Oh, and the Muse is a new knitter! Consider the whole knitting aspect a bonus!

Now, to really rip your heart out, I'm going to share something very mushy and pet related. I've carried this as a beat up clipping everywhere we've moved. I've re-read as I've seen 3 of my kitties off the Kitty Heaven, (the oldest one last year at the age of 19. She was a spry little kitty, too.), taken in a stray or two and found them homes, and done what I could for various animal charities over the years.

The Pet Owner's 10 commandments

...From a Pet's Point of View

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you will be painful for me. Remember that before you get me.

2. Give me time to understand what you want from me.

3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial to my well-being.

4. Don't be angry with me for long, and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, entertainment and friends. I have only you.

5. Talk to me sometimes. Even if I don't understand your words, I understand your voice.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I'll never forget it.

7. Please don't hit me. I can't hit back, but I can bite and scratch, and I really don't want to do that.

8. Before you scold me for being uncooperative, obstinate or lazy, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm no getting the right food, or I've been out in the sun too long, or my heart is getting old and weak.

9. Take care of me when I get old. You, too, will grow old.

10. Go with me on difficult journeys. Never say, "I can't bear to watch," or "Let it happen in my absence." Everything is easier for me if you are there.

...Remember, I love you.

(Reprinted from Fitzsimons Army Medical Center, CO, The Stethoscope, original author unknown.)

Typing that makes me cry like a big baby. (Okay, I've got PMS but I can cry!) I hope I don't sound to preachy, but if you can help Oreo, that would be awesome.

On an upbeat note, I'm moving!!! I've gotten my account over at Typepad up and running. Sort of. It's pretty boring right now but I've got 2 photo albums up and 1 lame-ass post. My goal is to move the whole Blogger blog over on Sunday evening. I don't know what will happen, but I don't want ya'll to lose me! I've met lots of nice people over the last few months! So it would probably help if I gave you the new url: http://knitiotsavant.typepad.com

It's already set up with Bloglines and my goal is to be totally ready at the new site for March's Knitting Confessional.

I've got the munchies

To avoid working on Boogie's dress and coming clean about my lack of progress, I've decided to post about food. I don't remember where I got this recipe but it is incredibly delicious and perfect for the vegetarian in your life. This is a crockpot recipe so those not into crocking their food might want to turn away.

Hearty Bean and Vegetable Stew

Ingredients:
1lb. assorted beans, dry
2 cups vegetable juice
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup apple juice
Vegetable stock or water
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. black pepper
1 cup cooked rice or pasta (I use brown rice)

Directions:
Sort and rinse beans then soak overnight in water. Drain beans and place in crockpot. Add vegetable juice, wine, soy sauce and apple juice. Cover with vegetable stock or water, the amount depends on whether you prefer a soup or a stew. Cook on high for 2 hours. Add vegetables, herbs, spices and cook for 5-6 hours at low until carrots are tender. When tender, add rice or pasta and cook for 1 additional hour.

I serve this with cornbread. Yes, you are looking at a very blurry image of made-from-scratch Southern cornbread. It's a family recipe. You didn't actually think I'd give you the recipe, did you?
It's even baked in an iron skillet! How's that for homey goodness?

I mentioned earlier I have a lot of cute critters in my home and here's one of them:

Cecil is part Cocker Spaniel (mom) and whatever mutt jumped the fence and her (dad). Likes include chewy toys, playing fetch with Boogie and snuggling under the covers. Dislikes include leaving said covers, anything that requires a great deal of exertion on his part and people clapping for him.

I've been toying around with the idea of moving my blog somewhere else. Although I've enjoyed Blogger, there are some features that I'm looking for and am simply to lazy to program into my current template. Right now, I'm trying the 30 day free thing at Typepad. I'll let you know if I make the jump.

Knitting Project Progress

Okay, not the most original of titles but at least it's about knitting and not pics of me going through my a.m. beauty routine. That's a blessing. Am I right?

At the beginning of this month my blog celebrated its first birthday. Yeah blog! I mention this only because of my oldest UFO, the project that got me blogging in the first place, Boogie's dress. I've never posted a picture of any part of it at all! So hold onto your hats kids as I proudly offer for your approval....the back of Boogie's dress:

The pattern is from "Baby Knits for Beginners" by Debbie Bliss. (Boogie's dress on the Debbie Bliss page is the far right pic.) I chose the largest size to knit because I knew that A) I'm a freakin' slow knitter and B) babies grow incredibly fast!! Especially Boogie. She's 21 months old and 3 feet tall. Read it again folks, 3 FEET tall. I'm seriously considering enrolling her in super model school and livin' large off her good looks.

Before I go on about this project and pattern, (or get sidetracked by talking about how beautiful and tall my child is) here's a shot of the front:

No, it's not even done but it's my own salute to the knitting Olympics. I knew that I couldn't finish anything in 16 days but I decided I would attempt to complete this dress by the end of the Olympics or before Boogie grows another foot, whichever comes first.

So why has this taken me so freakin' long? The pattern confused the crap out of me and it's knit on size 3 needles. When I started this dress I hadn't knit anything of consequence for almost 10 years. To say I was rusty would be the understatement of the century. Anyway, I've gotten great help from my SnB gal pals and I'm sure this sucker will be finished well before Boogie's 2nd birthday...in 3 months...when she has to wear it for a picture. No pressure, right?

To keep my brain from oozing out of my ears while I finish the dress I've been working on Wavy, (on the left) and a potential Christmas present scarf on the right. Wavy is being knit with some Alpaca I got as a Christmas gift and I'm using some Highland Wool from Elann for blue boy. I'll give more specific info once I post the finished pics. By the way, ordering the blue stuff was the first time I'd ordered anything from Elann and I think I'm in love! The service was beyond great and the yarn is cool, too!

This is my cat, Zoe. I have a lot of really cute critters at my house and I just don't post pictures of them like I should. So here's Zoe. She's a shelter kitty adopted not long after we found a home for another kitty we were fostering. Zoe thinks she's a dog because she likes to growl at people who come to the door and try to tear up tennis balls. I just don't have the heart to tell her she's a kitty. Yes, her eyes glow like that all the time. Either she's possessed by Satan or she's been smokin' too much catnip. I'll try to get a pic of my feral kitty up next time.

Self Portrait Tuesday-Week 2 - All of Me

Source of Inspiration:
Conversation overheard between two Texas Rangers on special assignment for the Dept. of Homeland Security.

Vern: Shit J.D.! I got sumthin!
J.D.: Yeah.
Vern: 'Pears to be a 40 y.o. white female, bra-less wearing a "Run for the Cure" bandana. Jesus! I think it's one of them granola eatin' Birkenstock wearin' lefty liberals.
J.D.: And?
Vern: Hell, J.D.! She's foamin' at the mouth! I think she's either rabid or angry about cuts in social programs! I'm gonna call this one in.
J.D.: Gimme those. (snatches the binoculars from Vern) Idgit. She's brushin' her teeth. (Pause) Let's call her in to be safe. Those terrorists are a wiley lot.

The generosity of a stranger

Where do I start with this? Thank you is obvious but seems inadequate. That's all I really have, though. A big heartfelt thank you to my Secret Pal! My stash thanks you, my chocolate addiction thanks you and Boogie thanks you for more music to jam to on those boring car rides. Each gift was wrapped with pretty fabric with a little handwritten card attached. I'm not going to list every item but let's just say I love the magnet!

Seriously though. This was such a wonderful treat filled with lots of stuff to learn and play with. I'm thrilled.

I'm so unoriginal

I saw this super cool thing over at Sknitty so I swiped it. It's cool. Also I'm not feeling very witty, Boogie should wake up in about 15 minutes so I've got to make this quick!!!

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Knitiotsavant!

Only twelve people have ever set foot on knitiotsavant.
The most dangerous form of knitiotsavant is the bicycle.
Pacman was originally called knitiotsavantman.
Early thermometers were filled with knitiotsavant instead of mercury.
In Japan it is considered rude to talk with knitiotsavant in your mouth.
If the Sun were the size of a beach ball then Jupiter would be the size of a golf ball and knitiotsavant would be as small as a pea.
Three seagulls flying overhead are a warning that knitiotsavant is near.
The first domain name ever registered was knitiotsavant.com!
South Australia was the first place to allow knitiotsavant to stand for parliament.
Ninety-six percent of all candles sold are purchased by knitiotsavant.

1. Wow. I always thought I was kind of slutty.
2. Damn right! If I'm not hurting myself on a bike you can be certain I'll hurt you.
3. The name didn't take because it was too long and the little yellow ball just sat around wrapped up in its own angst.
4. Bet ya didn't know we knitiots were so filled with liquidy goodness.
5. The imagery on that one alone is enough to keep me from ever speaking of it again.
6. I dig logic. Weird spaceman logic.
7. I think the poop left behind would be more of an indication that a seagull is near, not me.
8. Damn! I knew I should have registered this name!
9. We weren't allowed to hold any seats in any government anywhere else in the world. Although I think our government could use a dose of savant.
10. Did someone mention arson?

The Knitting Confessional

Okay all you sinful little knitters, it's time for the monthly confessional. Actually, I've struggled a bit with my confession this month. My knitting projects are moving along nicely and I don't have any strange knitting accidents to report, yet. I do, however, feel the need to confess my knitting weakness. No, it's not thoughts of Koigu keeping me up at night or regret over not even attempting the Knitting Olympics. (The World's Worst Knitter completing something in 16 days? I'd have to give up the title and I'm fond of my title. It even came with a really tacky belt that has brass stuff all over it.) My confession has to do with a psychological condition. I suffer from Stash Envy.

I don't think it's very common. I mean, almost every knitter I've ever met has a stash. Except me. I just don't have a very big one. In fact, it's embarrassingly small. (It's so small that I keep my back to the other knitters when...wait I'm thinking of something else here. ) I'm so jealous of knitters who, when asked where they found the fabulous yarns for their incredible projects glibly reply "It's been in my stash for awhile." I don't have any yummy stuff just aging away waiting for the perfect project to present itself. What I have, dear readers, is a Rubbermaid tub full of crap.

Don't get me wrong. I have 3 interesting skeins from Russia. Different colors, all hideous. I have 2 skeins from Germany. Different colors, both hideous. These were gifts. Am I going to turn down gifts? (I know it's considered rude by some to even discuss the topic of gifts on a knitting blog, but not everyone is fortunate enough to receive crappy European yarn as a gift.) The rest of my stash consists of sad little leftovers and a few skeins from a grab bag of yarn I bought a couple of years ago.

It's not that I don't buy yarn. Actually, it is that I don't buy yarn. Okay. That's not right. I do buy yarn for the project at hand and just don't buy anymore until I have another project coming up. I made a huge leap when I bought some Koigu just for the hell of it last month. That's knitting out of the box here in Savant world.

Confession is good for the soul and so, to relieve myself of this envy and enter the world of normal knitters who hoard and fondle fabulous yarns right in their own homes all the while wondering where the hell they're going to store it, I will start my stash. It will be tough, but I think I'm up to the challenge. Now where did I put that Knitpicks catalog?

Pardon the mess

I've been toying with the idea of changing to Type Pad so, instead of moving, I'm going to play around with my template...again. Hopefully I'll have everything cleaned up with some nice buttons in place by this evening.

One of the things I'm going to change is adding my blog links. When I subscribed to Bloglines, I stopped putting those links up and I miss them!

Okay. I'm going to run.

A Blogger's (Silent) Poetry Reading

I saw this over at Chris's place and followed the link over to Grace's Poppies to get the scoop. I love this and wanted to share a poem that means a great deal to me.

Morning Song by Sylvia Plath

Love set you going like a fat gold watch.
The midwife slapped your footsoles, and your bald cry
Took its place among the elements.

Our voices echo, magnifying your arrival. New statue.
In a drafty museum, your nakedness
Shadows our safety. We stand round blankly as walls.

I'm no more your mother
Than the cloud that distils a mirror to reflect its own slow
Effacement at the wind's hand.

All night your moth-breath
Flickers among the flat pink roses. I wake to listen:
A far sea moves in my ear.

One cry, and I stumble from bed, cow-heavy and floral
In my Victorian nightgown.
Your mouth opens clean as a cat's. The window square

Whitens and swallows its dull stars. And now you try
Your handful of notes;
The clear vowels rise like balloons.

In the bag

So here's Triangle before being subjected to the violence of felting. Pretty big, huh? I like this look. When I'm old and homeless with a half dozen cats to feed, this is the bag I want with me. Groovy, eh?

Here we see Triangle just after being rescued from the washing machine. Notice the baby bib, baby laundry and dish towel all trying to muscle into the shot. Cheeky little items.

This is the final product. The pattern does have a little asymmetrical flower that you can knit and felt but I had this pretty groovy pin on hand and decided that it looked cool. (It also provides me with a nice excuse to continue to look for groovy pins.)

So here are the specs for Triangle:

Pattern: Designed at Pick Up Sticks! but purchased through Jimmy Beans Wool.

Yarn: Cascade 220 in colors 9477 (MC) and 2403 (CC)

Needles: Size 10 circular and DP.

This pattern is pretty easy to follow. The exception would be shaping the bottom of the bag when sewing it all up. If you're a visual learner, you won't have any trouble at all. The pattern recommends doing the decorative stitching when the bag is damp. DO IT! I waited until it was dry and it was like pushing a really dull needle through leather. I think the top of my bag is too tall and it could be because I didn't allow it to stay in the washer long enough or I screwed up the pattern. Either is likely with me! I also took too much of the base in so you really can't see much of the contrast color when the bag is sitting.

All in all I really enjoyed this project and have plans to make another one!

Now I need a little blog advise. I'm thinking about moving this blog to Typepad. Anyone out with experience moving from Blogger to Typepad? If so, was it fairly straight forward? If your blog is currently hosted by Typepad, what do you like about it? Dislike? I'd love to year your thoughts!

Self Portrait Tuesday Week 5 - Personal History

Source of Inspiration:

Cost of 2 band banquet tickets in 198?: $10.00

Cost of the silk corsage his Mom picked out: $12.00

Married 20 years and still in love: Priceless

He is the love of my life.

Edited to add: Before I tell how old we were in this picture I want to remind all of ya'll that we are from South Alabama and Southerners like their women young! I was 15 and Big B was 16. We both look like we need to be fed. Get that couple a hamburger! Stat!

Self Portrait Tuesday Week 4: Personal History

Source of inspiration:

My parents. I didn't change anything about this photo. Sort of a "what you see is what you get" affair.

I don't know when this picture was taken, but I love it to pieces. I love the way my Mom hangs onto my Dad's coat. I love how cocky my Dad looks, like he's ready to kick the world's ass. I love that they are both dressed to the nines, even though I know that they struggled to put my Dad through college and have never really been good with money. My parents eloped. My maternal grandmother didn't like my Dad at all so my parents decided it would be better for everyone if they just eloped. My Mom was 18, my Dad 24. They each had dates with different people the night they to get married and they kept those dates. Late into the night, after the pretense of seeing others, they and 2 of their closest friends drove from Alabama into Georgia and were married in the laundry room of a local JP. They drove back that night and kept the marriage a secret for a very long time.

When we look at our parents, we see parents. Sometimes it's hard to believe that there was a time before us, when our parents were people without us. People who struggled and loved and wanted us in their lives with a desperate passion. For me, this photo represents the people that are my parents and I'm happy I know them.

It's about food...

For the life of me I can't explain why I've decided to post recipes and pictures of food. I'm no Julia Child or anyone else who can cook decently and yet here I am offering another recipe. Like the chocolate pie, the only origin I have for this is my Mom. I don't know where she got it or if, like a lot of stuff she cooks, she just made this up. For better or worse I proudly present:

Spaghetti Sauce

Serves at least 5 people

You'll need:

1 lb. ground beef (I use ground turkey)

1 onion, chopped

1 minced garlic clove

2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste

3 cups water

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. basil

1 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. pepper

Lightly brown the ground meat, onion and garlic. Drain fat. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer uncovered one hour. (This recipe leaves a ton of wiggle room for jazzing it up the way you want.) I serve it over whole wheat pasta.

Okay, no more posts about food! These are desperation posts!

Secret Pal Foo

I LOVE getting mail. I think it's something that no one really outgrows. The anticipation. The warm fuzzy knowing that someone thought enough of you to put even the smallest of items in the mail and send it your way. Very nice. It's even nicer when you're the recipient of the kindness of a stranger. When you participate in a Secret Pal, you're opening yourself up to the generosity of a stranger and, hopefully, a new long term friendship. At least that's how I see it.

LOOK WHAT I GOT IN THE MAIL!

Look how beautifully it's wrapped. There's a little handwritten note, pretty red ribbons on everything and two other notes explaining the gifties. Sigh. I put everything on top of my piano, (it's closed because it's actually cold here tonight. What the hell?) and Boogie just ran around saying "Pesents! Pesents!" Pretty neat. She got to keep a couple of ribbons and she examined the handwritten note. I think it met her exacting standards. Notice how I'm just sort of rambling away here delaying the inevitable picture of everything opened just so you can experience the excitement of opening "pesents" with me. Enough of that. Here's what was inside:

From the left to the right we have 4 bars of dark, organic chocolate; (and let me tell ya'll right now as I

begin the long decent into PMS that chocolate is more than appreciated.) Targhee roving, a breed that I have never had the pleasure of spinning but which sent me running to my copy of "In Sheep's Clothing" to see what else I could learn in addition to the incredibly thoughtful info provided by my secret pal and finally, Wilton's Icing Colors. That's right kids, food coloring to dye my Targhee with. Who knew? Did you? I never even considered food coloring when talking about dying yarns, just Koolaid, plants and some scary chemicals that require the wearing of a mask. How narrow-minded is that? I mean, it dyes food. Why not dye yarn? (Hell, we drink Koolaid.) This is the coolest thing I've ever seen. SP even provided instructions on how to do this. Holy crap is that awesome or what? (Let me guess. All ya'll already new about the food coloring, didn't you?) I am blown away. So here's a big public thank you to my SP and I'll send my private love later.

Chocolatey Goodness

Okay, if you're diabetic or on a diet step slowly away from the monitor. Otherwise buckle up kids cause this is one super yummy and idiot simple desert. I got this recipe from my mom and I have no idea where she got it but damn near every relative on her side of the family makes this thing.
Without further ado I proudly present:

SELF CRUST CHOCOLATE PIE

(pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees)

You'll need:

1 stick plus 1 Tbls. of butter or margarine

1 cup of sugar

3/4 cup of flour (all-purpose . If you want a more cake like texture use self-rising)

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1/4 cup cocoa

Melt the butter in a 9-inch pie pan. (This step is extremely important as the melted butter provides the non-stickiness for your pan.)

Pour butter over other ingredients. Mix well. Put mixture back in pie pan. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. (My personal preference is ice cream and, if I'm feelin' crazy or have raging PMS, hot fudge on top of that.)

Yummy!

Self Portrait Tuesday Week 3: Personal History

Source of inspiration:

This picture was taken over 30 years ago at my grandmother's home in Jasper, Alabama. I'm the kid with her finger in her mouth and my sister is peeking out from behind the bed. The only "doctoring" I did to this photo was to enhance the color. The original was very faded.

My grandmother's home was filled with antiques. The huge bed we're hiding behind was the one my grandfather died in, at home, surrounded by his children. I never knew him. There are other photos from that day; my sister and I jumping on the bed, running around it. It's somehow fitting that a bed that witnessed the end of a life becomes, in later years, the playground of two little girls. I really love this picture.

Edited to add: Donna, Oakman does sound very familiar! I'm sure we drove through it.

Knitting Foo

Finally, a post about knitting! Let's start with this little gem, Wavy.
I got off on the wrong foot with Wavy but I wouldn't be worthy of holding the title of World's Worst Knitter if every project I started went along smoothly. I'm using some alpaca that my sister gave me for Christmas. I really like this pattern and, even though my scarf will be a bit smaller, all that alpaca snuggled against my neck will feel nice. Of course, it would feel even nicer if the temperature would cooperate and drop about 20 degrees but I'm sure I can find a reason to wear this sucker. Maybe we'll move north.

Ah Triangle. My first adventure in intentionally felting something. At this point, the entire bag is about half-way finished. (I'll give the specs on it once I take a pre-felting pic.) I've really enjoyed knitting this and even though it's stockinette it really is a quick knit. Although I don't think the picture shows it well, the contrast color is a chocolate brown. It's really pretty. Hey, I have a question, should I block this thing before I sew it up and felt it? Any advice about the whole felting experience would be fab.

Last month I talked about re-discovering how much I loved spinning. This humble little ball is the result of that fling. It's a little uneven and the twist did relax though not as much as I'd hoped, but I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out. I have a bunch more of this stuff to spin up. I don't really have anything in mind to do with this yarn. Maybe I'll give it away or something. In the mean time, I'm lovin' the spin. I think I have some undyed Merino somewhere. I played with dyes a few years ago so I might give that another shot, too. Or maybe I'll take it slow and do a Koolaid dye.

A relatively uninspired post

Yeah, this will be a pretty "thisisthedayinmyworldhowaboutyourworld?" sort of post. I just haven't been terribly inspired to sit and write. Maybe my brain needed a break.

I was so unaware of this but this is National De-lurking week! I had no clue! Let me tell you folks, I am the queen of lurking. I lurk and lurk and when I finally decide to comment it either turns out that A: I've said something completely stupid or B: the person posting wasn't necessarily interested in hearing comments from anyone just sort of enjoying the sound of their own voice which is not a bad thing because don't we all love to hear ourselves rattle on and on and on and on...you get the picture. If you're lurking, come out into the sunlight! Out yourself, you lurker you!

This week has just been sort of "uh." You know, nothing great, nothing bad just a week. That's really a good thing, I think. Boring can be nice. (Please keep telling yourself that as you read.)

In the knitting world, I've started Wavy. I managed to turn a simple little scarf pattern into a comedy of errors! I'm just going to leave it at that because I'm still a little raw from my brush with utter stupidity.

I've also started working on my felted bag which is going much better. I love knitting the bag because it's fat and fast. I also frogged Boogie's dress to get some help with it at the next SnB. If any of you have checked out my humble blog from the beginning, Boogie's dress was sort of the catalyst for blogging about knitting. I hit a snag and all but gave up on it. Not to mention the fact that she's so tall I'm not sure it will even fit her anymore. Well, I finally grew a set, frogged back to the beginning of the error and am ready to tackle and beat the crap out of this pattern. I've got knitting attitude to spare. I'll snap some pictures of everything this weekend.

Lack of inspiration is seeping back in so I'm going to wander away from the computer and work on my bag before Boogie gets up from her nap. Poor little thing just isn't jamming on the afternoon nap this week. I think she's sleeping in a little too much. Plus she gets really wound up and has a tough time chillin'. Allergies have kept is inside a bit and I think she might be stir crazy. It's sort of hard to tell in a 20 month old, though.

But I digress. It's off to bag world.

SP7 Questionnaire

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? I don't like Red Heart at all! Other than that, I don't think I'm a snob.

2. Do you spin? Crochet? I spin. I can crochet but I don't do it regularly at all.

3. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? My straight needles are in a case I got for Christmas. Circulars and DPNs share a very crowded shoe box and my crochet hooks are in a felted holder my mom gave me.

4. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I've been knitting of and on for about 10 years but only got serious about it in the last couple of years. I consider my skill level to be intermediate, but I'm not a terribly confident knitter.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? I don't have a wishlist but I can make one if you need it.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.) I like melon scents.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? I love chocolate!

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? I like to sew but knitting is my primary craft thing.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I have really eclectic taste in music. I'll listen to just about anything except rap. I can play MP3s.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand? My favorite colors are black and purple and I love a fall palate of colors. I absolute detest fluorescent colors. (I can't even spell it I hate them so much.)

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I'm married with one child. She's 19 months old. I have 2 dogs and 2 cats.

12. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? I love scarves, hats and mittens but could live without ponchos. I live in South Texas so there really hasn't been an opportunity this winter to wear those things.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? Brooks Farm Yarns

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? Linen! Hate spinning it and won't knit with it. Cotton is a close second, but I've found some pretty decent cottons so I wouldn't mind exploring them some more.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s? I want to learn cables and do felting.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Almost anything that's fast. I like instant gratification.

17. What are you knitting right now? I'm working on a hat, a scarf, a child's sweater, child's dress and a felted bag.

18. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Absolutely

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? I like straights.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? Bamboo

21. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? I own a ball winder but no swift.

22. How did you learn to knit? I taught myself.

23. How old is your oldest UFO? About 9 months.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird? I love cats and dogs. Not really into animated characters.

25. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween

26. Is there anything that you collect? Teapots made in Occupied Japan.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? None

28. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? I'd love to try Noro and I'm a sucker for pretty needles.

29. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? Cables

30. Are you a sock knitter? Sort of. I have issues with the second sock. What are your foot measurements? Oops. I'll measure and get back to you.

31. When is your birthday? (mm/dd) June 9 (Thanks for not asking for the year.)

A Yarny Sort of Weekend

I had a really nice weekend, chock full of yarn, shopping, knitting, yarn and did I mention yarn and shopping? It was really super. Here's why it was just fab; I and 2 of my SnB buds made the pilgrimage to Hill Country Weavers for their end of the year/just before inventory sale. (Okay, that's just the sign. That's how excited I was about this trip. I took a picture of the sign and, just so you'd know I'd been there, I shot the store front as well. Cute, huh?) Not only does HCW have a really great sale but I had Christmas money to burn. How dangerous is that combination?

Christmas money + yarn = something bordering on a euphoric experience.

Actually, I had anticipated my giddiness and made a pretty specific list of what I wanted to look for. The number one rule was that it had to be all about me. No yarn for gifts, Boogie knitting included. I did not stray from that rule.

My gal pals were pretty giddy too and as proof I offer up this pic: Kim is on the left in a state bordering on ecstatic.

She's brandishing her Cascade 220 in the left hand and my Koigu in the right. Janna, also feelin' the high, is sharing her stunning Koigu as well. All sorts of goodies found their way home with us. It was a lot of fun and a treat to be in a REAL yarn shop. (Don't even ask about my LYS. You'll just get a long ugly rant.)

Shopping made us hungry so we dodged traffic and had some really tasty Italian food at a small cafe. No, I'm not so insane that I snapped pictures of us stuffing our faces. I'm not saying I didn't consider it, I just decided against it.

So what, specifically, did I buy? I bought some desperately needed needles and yarn. Here's my humble haul:

I picked up some Cascade 220 to make Triangle, a felted bag pattern from Jimmy Beans and 3 little skeins of Koigu. I didn't shoot pics of the needles because don't they all really look the same; pretty straight, short of sharp and a little sad when empty?

Today was our coffee shop SnB but the coffee shop was closed so we went to a nearby Borders. It was nice enough, but not the same without the worn out granny furniture and music courtesy of Lilith Fair playing in the background. Still, it's knitting with friends and coffee so that's a pretty cool end to a pretty cool weekend.

Freakin' Meme

I'd like to thank JenLa for permanently damaging my eyesight and my ability to sleep through the night without chemical support. I've never been tagged before and it had to be this one. Geez.
P.S. He's not wearing a fuzzy hat. That's his brain.

Self Portrait Tuesday: Personal History

Source of Inspiration:

This photo was taken in April 1990 in front of the West side of the Berlin Wall. The wall had fallen about 5 months earlier. I was living in Germany then and it was a surreal moment in history.

For me, looking at this picture is like looking at a stranger.

The Knitting Confessional

Welcome to 2006 and the first of many installments of the Confessional! Since this is the first day of a new year, there aren't any pictures nor much confession to be had today. (Trust me, pictures of horrible knitting tragedies will come.) Instead, I thought I'd provide a list of knitting resolutions. We know that resolutions don't usually stick, but isn't that the fun of being a bit retrospective this time of year?

1. Consistently swatch. I know, I know; we ALL knit to gauge and just don't need to make that pesky swatch. Let's face it kids, how many of us are that consistent and accurate? I'm not sure I trust someone who's that reliable. Yes, swatching takes time away from the fun of starting the project, but look at it as sort of a toy that enhances the knitting experience rather than a chore that makes you want to blind yourself.

2. Review a pattern before knitting. Do you know how many patterns are published every year with errors? How many hours of frustration that can cause a person? Not only that, think about the most difficult instruction you've ever had to translate. Did it leave you feeling lucky you passed the 1st grade? Deciphering a knitting pattern can be like trying to crack the Rosetta Stone; it can be done but it might leave you broke and sick in the process. While reviewing won't solve everything, it might give you a leg up on your potential screw-ups.

3. Burn your oldest UFO. Seriously. Take a match, some gasoline or your crusty Yule log and say Adios to that thing that you really haven't touched or even thought about in 3 years. Why hang on to it? If the motivation and love are gone, contribute to global warming and set a match to it. Think of it as the ultimate in penance for the confessional. A sacrifice worthy of any of the saints and a quick way to ditch that knitting albatross.

So that's it. Yes, only 3 resolutions. I wanted to at least attempt to be realistic. I'm going to print them out and stick them in my knitting journal right next to a picture of the vest I didn't swatch, the most complicated set of instructions I've ever read and a 10 year old afghan that I just can't part with. See, resolutions do work!

Happy New Year!

I don't know about the rest of you, but New Year's Eve makes me sappy. I get really sentimental about the past year and jazzed about what's to come. For me, 2005 will always be a year of lessons learned and all at the knee of the best teacher I know; my beautiful, smart and extremely fabulous Boogie Baby.

I learned that I have more patience than I believed, that sometimes accomplishing one really small task is better than a whole lot of big ones, that a hug and a kiss can cure damn near anything and that I'm married to the most remarkable, supportive and outstanding man in the world. I'm weepy now! See what happens when you combine PMS and New Year's Eve?? Not a pretty picture, is it?

Seriously though. Thank you to everyone who has read or breezed by this blog. It's gone from a pretty lame little endeavor to something I'm pretty pleased with and I hope ya'll will keep on reading me through the new year. I promise to do my best to keep it interesting and funny in the coming year.

Have a wonderful New Year! Take time to get a kiss and hug from someone you love best. See ya in 2006!

FO in the house

I finished Clapotis and it was fun to knit but gave me no gristle for the Knitting Confessional. That's a GOOD thing!

It was so much fun to knit and I have to give a huge shout out to Brooks Farm Yarn. Easily the best yarn in the universe. Just to review, I used "Harmony", composed of 55% Mohair/ 22.5% Wool, 22.5% Silk Blend. I just hope the picture really captures how beautiful this yarn is. We took Boogie to the park this morning and I had Clapotis on, (until my brain realized that I live in Texas and it just ain't cold right now. Vanity never listens to reason.) and Big B was blown away by the colors. Really spectacular.

We had a nice holiday. It was so much fun to see Boogie really confused by the presents, ripping paper and the tricycle that Santa left for her. She loves her trike. Big B pushed her around on it Christmas Day and Boogie kept yelling, "Faster!". I think I have a little daredevil on my hands.

This is a truly uninspired post this evening. I'm feeling tired. My grandmother was hospitalized this week and should be released tomorrow or Saturday. She is 94 years old and treats life like one big adventure. I really admire her spirit. So here's a cute grandma story. (Actually, we call her Ma.) Ma was riding the elevator in her retirement community one day. She was sharing the ride with another elderly lady who was wearing a square dance dress. Ma told her fellow traveler how beautiful she looked in the dress and how pretty the dress itself was. The new friend said, "I think we're about the same size. Come back to my apartment and if they fit, you can have a couple of my dresses." Ma takes her friend up on the offer and walks away with a couple of swanky square dance dresses. She promptly buys matching tights and scarves for these wardrobe additions. Ma loves wearing these dresses to go shopping, eat out, or just chill with her buds in her retirement community. She gets compliments everywhere she goes. The hell with wearing purple when I'm old. I want my very own square dance dress with spiffy tights, beautiful scarf and even a little handbag. We should all be so spunky. I love you, Ma.

Self Portrait Tuesday

Source of inspiration:

Doesn't everybody want to be on T.V.? Here's my 15 seconds of fame. (There are 2 people in this shot. Look very closely!)

Happy Holidays!

The Insane Elfcat and I would like to wish each and everyone of you a wonderful and joyous holiday season. No matter what you're celebrating, enjoy your friends, family and the alcoholic beverage of your choice. (Makes those family gatherings a weensy bit less painful. So I've been told anyway.)

Self Portrait Tuesday

Source of inspiration:

I've played the piano since I was 8 years old. It's a love that, although I haven't always had the time and energy to devote to it, has refused to die. My grand reflects a great deal about my life.

This was shot off the fall board of my grand piano. Yep. The sucker is just that reflective.

I was playing a Beethoven Sonata that I've been struggling with for a few months.

I've got the Clap and the burn is good.

I am completely obsessed with Clapotis. I'm not knitting much of anything else. Well, something small but I don't really count that project. I have one more repeat to go in section 3 then I start the decrease stuff. I'm really excited about how this is turning out. Honestly, the credit goes to the yarn, not my knitting. This picture doesn't begin to do the colors justice but trust me when I tell you that it's just a stunner. My next picture will be a completed Clapotis with the specs.

In other news, the Savant household is completely ready for Christmas. All the shopping is done, wrapping is wrapped up and now we're just waitin' for Santy to make his app

earance. This Christmas should be a lot of fun because Boogie is older and sort of gets the whole gift idea. Which reminds me that I just can't talk about Christmas without the obligatory picture of our tree. Yes, Boogie is holding a watering can. She's very concerned about the tree getting enough water. No, the can did not have water in it. She's sort of missing the tree and jamming on the can. Most of the presents under the tree are for Boogie. We worked very hard not to overdo it but in the end we gave in to "new parent buying frenzy". It's frenzy in a fun nobody gets hurt sort of way so that's cool. I hope she likes everything we got for her. I already know that the boxes the stuff comes in will be a big hit! Maybe I should have just saved our money and raided the dumpster at the grocery store for boxes. Hm.

Self Portrait Tuesday

Source of inspiration:

I was washing my face the other night trying to come up with something fun for my next self portrait. I glanced at the faucet and thought:

"Gee. It really sucks to live somewhere where the water is so hard and it leaves spot on everything I bet Martha Stewart doesn't have spots on her faucet and if she did I bet some poor maid has to scrub them off with her very own toothbrush that Martha barely pays her enough to afford and Whoa. I can see myself in there."

Spin, Span, Spun

A few years ago I used to spin regularly. I even took a class on novelty yarns. About 11 months ago, I cleaned out most of my fiber stash. I kept my two spinning wheels and some fibers that I just really loved.

I don't know what got into me but I had the strongest desire to spin again! I had a chat about spinning with my friend Annie and with a little encouragement, I dragged out my wheel and decided to go for it.

The roving is combed Merino top from Misty Mountain Farm. This poor roving has seen the dark side of a Rubbermaid tub for a few years now. Okay. I know what you're thinking. You're frightened by the prospect of the World's Worst Knitter attempting to make yarn. As if I don't mangle enough of it without the help of a spinning wheel!

Here's the result. I spun it up on my Joy wheel set at an 8:1 ratio. Probably a little too fast for someone just getting her spinning legs. I found that my treadling was uneven an a little quick. You can see some of the super tight twist on the bobbin. I'm hoping some of that will be dispersed once it's plied. Maybe I'll go back to the 6:1 ratio. Honestly though, I did a whole lot better than I thought I would. More importantly I had a really good time. I missed spinning and now I'm just thrilled to have rekindled that passion. Sort of brings a tear to the eye, don't it?

Now to share another passion wholly unrelated to fiber. I refer to snacks. These may look yucky, but I'm not pregnant and they really are a great treat with cocoa on cold winter nights. Here are the specs:

4 saltine crackers

1 piece of American cheese divided among your 4 crackers

16 marshmallows (or more) divided among your cheesy crackers.

Set under a broiler until the cheese bubbles and the marshmallows turn a golden brown and you've got cheesy/salty goodness. (I like to smash the marshmallows flat before I eat them. This picture was taken in the pre-smashing moment.) My mom used to make these for me when I was a kid. I think they're just "Poor College Kid" snacks but they're pretty darn tasty.

Self Portrait Tuesday

One day while I was eating lunch with my daughter she started doing the strangest thing. She would look at her spoon, point to it and yell her name. Being the absent-minded mother I am I said, "Honey that's a spoon. Not you." (She's only 18 months old. Poor baby. Looks like she might be dipping into that therapy fund I started for her a little early!) When I managed to give her my full attention, I realized she saw her reflection in the spoon. She gave me the idea for today's portrait. Hey, it's better than the overly used reflection in a Christmas tree ornament.

The Knitting Confessional

Welcome to the December edition of The Knitting Confessional. As the World's Worst Knitter, I feel compelled to lay out my screw-ups for ridicule and as an act of contrition. This month's confession addresses the act of frogging or, more accurately, the de-construction of a really crappy garment.

EXHIBIT A: The Garment

I started knitting this vest...hell, I don't remember when. I thought it would be a great first garment project. Here are the specs:
The Pattern: SeaBreeze from "Knitter's Magazine" Spring 2005 edition.
The Needles: Size 13
The Yarn: Knit Picks "Wool of the Andes" in Cranberry.
Let's think about the name of this pattern. SeaBreeze. I smell sea salt and feel the sun. Don't you? Did you believe for one minute that The World's Worst Knitter would make this sucker as suggested? Hell no! Instead, I thought it might make a cute winter vest. The 3 days of cold we get here in South Texas are perfect for a little number like this. Throw it on over a tee, slap on your shit-kickers and you have yourself one hot cowgirl. At the very least you have a cowgirl that looks like she raided Granny's closet. This turned out Granny. Big Granny. Granny with a capital G.

Exhibit B: A comedy of errrorrs.
I did not even make the attempt to check the gauge. How on earth could I retain my title as The World's Worst Knitter if I checked the gauge on every little thing I knit? Especially something as little as a piece of clothing. Notice the lovely eyelet pattern. Cute, huh? Pretty simple, too. I bet that it would have looked really cool and perhaps less Granny if I'd checked the gauge, used better yarn, anything. Nah. On second thought I think this vest would have sucked like a fashionless blackhole no matter what I did.

Exhibit C: I am undone.
This is all that remains of my ugly vest. Well, this giant ball and 2 small skeins of the same yarn. Pretty swell, if you ask me. It's just screaming to be made into a scarf for a niece or nephew. Or maybe I'll let it age in my stash until I'm struck stupid by another idea.

A lesson can be gleaned from every knitting tragedy and as a continuation of penance, here are the lessons I learned:
1. Gauge. Sort of a giant "DUH", don't ya think?
2. I learned the 3 needle bind off. Too bad it didn't stop the sucking/Granny effect.
3. Recycle, reuse. I'm feeling very environmentally friendly since I didn't set fire to the vest.

Anyone else out there feel the need to confess? Come on. The booth is warm and cozy, I've got my nice starched collar on and confession is good for the soul. Join in the fun.

Self-Portrait Tuesday

This picture reminded Big B, (or Mr. Savant) of a Star Trek episode. The original Star Trek. Anyway, it's the episode where this scientist has been stranded on a planet all alone for years save for the brightly colored alien lights which envelope him and give him hours of good lovin'. Since Big B couldn't remember the title of that episode, he yelled the first Star Trek reference that came to mind; "Twelve quatloos for the knitter!" Can anyone out there name either one of the episodes? Twenty-five quatloos for the knitter with the right answer.

A fun post

I liked my photo for self-portrait Tuesday but wrote some of the most self-important trash! Sorry about that! I'm really not that melancholy. Although my Inner Sheep might suggest otherwise. I'll try not to be so, well, just yucky next Tuesday.

Which flock do you follow?
this quiz was made by

Self Portrait Tuesday

This is my piano. In point of fact, it is a grand piano. It sits in what should be a formal dining room along with shelves of books, and a really cheap stereo. Sometimes the area underneath my piano is home to push toys, wagons, small cars and a dog or two.

I bought this piano one month before I found out I was pregnant with Boogie. I've played since I was 8 years old and my current instructor felt I had outgrown my upright. She was right, but the purchase of a grand piano is not something done lightly. I could afford a Yamaha but dreamed of a Steinway. ( Did this stop me from heading out to the local Steinway Gallery and spending the better part of an afternoon playing their grands? Hell no.) The Yamaha I chose spent one year at a local university in a practice room. Students sweated out their performances over it's keys. They left their pencils in it's innards and small rings where soda cans rested. When I played this piano in that cramped room, I knew she was for me. She had a sweet, rich voice even when out of tune. I'd waited my whole life to have a grand and this abused little instrument was the one.

I don't get to practice as often as I'd like. Truth be told, I simply don't make the time for it. I keep her tuned and Boogie likes to pound her keys with small baby hands. When I do play, Boogie twirls around the room; a little leaf fluttering about to the likes of Chopin and Mozart. My piano stays tuned, enjoys a relatively spacious room and the occasional loving touch of one who waited a lifetime for her and a child who, hopefully, will share her Mommy's passion for this instrument.

The Knitting Confessional

All those stupid reality shows have a confessional of some sort. You know, a place where the pathetic participants can go and share how they hate Cindy's hair or the fact that Bobby just doesn't seem to pull his weight on the team. I think a knitting confessional is a good idea. All of us have dirty little knitting secrets. I think you all know what I'm talking about: maybe stretching the truth on the fiber content of your yarn, not bothering to correct a mistake but just forging ahead and telling everyone that "it's supposed to be a little lumpy." Here's my knitting secret: I am the World's Worst Knitter. Seriously. I'm not fishing for compliments. I really do suck at knitting. Like Salieri was to Mozart, so is my mediocrity in knitting to those around me. That's why my blog carries the title it does. (Just puzzle it out. If you don't get it, email me and I'll help out.)

Being the World's Worst Knitter is tough. It leads to lack of confidence in one's knitting skills and, most notably, the complete unwillingness to post a photo of a knitted garment on one's blog. So we have the second part of my confession: I just don't want anyone to see how badly I knit! I love knitting, but it doesn't love me back with the passion I'd like. That being said and this being my confessional, my act of contrition is to post some pictures of what I've knit.

Exhibit A: The start of Clapotis
I have never knit Clapotis before. In the world of knit/bloggers, it seems to be all the rage and, for the first time in my life I decided to follow fashion. (It's also one of the coolest scarves I've ever seen.) The pattern scared the hell out of me. As the Emperor said: "Too many notes," or in this case, too many abbreviations. (Lots of Amadeus references tonight.) For the life of me, I did the pfb wrong no less than 5 times. I frogged and knit 5 times. Hey, I may suck at this, but I'm tenacious with a capitol T. This is the Brooks Farm Yarn I picked up last weekend and I'm very happy the colors. I think it's going to be just beautiful once it's finished. For the record: those are not my hairy arms. I swear.

Exhibit B: My first sock.
I can't say that I knit a pair of socks because I haven't. Just this one lonely little sock. It's really more of a footie because the leg is pretty short. I knit this for Boogie months ago fully intending to knit it's mate. We all know what they say about the road the Hell? Right? Right? Knitting this sock was pretty tough. You can imagine what knitting on dpns does to the World's Worst Knitter. Talk about trauma! I had pretty much decided that I could live with having only one little sock until tonight when Boogie let me take this picture:

If that sock isn't the cutest little thing on the the cutest little baby leg, I just don't know what is. It positively screams for it's mate! I just have to knit it before Boogie's feet get any bigger.
Fortunately for me, I have plenty of sock yarn, (leftover from when I seriously believed I would become a sock knitter) and I'm willing to jump back on this wild sock horse so that my kid has cute feet. Isn't that the best reason in the world to knit a sock? I mean socks. Plural...'cause there should be a pair of them.

Exhibit C: A hat.
I mentioned this hat a couple of posts back and included a horrible scanned picture that came with the pattern. This hat was knitted with the wrong type yarn for that particular pattern so it doesn't fit me. Even though it flops around Boogie's head like a really bad wig, she looks cute as a button in it. (That takes the sting out of the fact that I can't wear it.) My plan is to knit a little flower to pin up the brim so that Boogie can see where she's going.

So thanks for sitting through my confession! Even though I'll always be the World's Worst Knitter, from now on I'll proudly post my finished projects warts, babies, and all.

Kids, ewes, llamas and car wrecks

Let's cover the car wreck before heading into yarn. Thursday evening on my way to my piano lesson, I was hit from behind by a girl who was in a hurry to get back to work. The good news is that I'm fine, Boogie was not in the car with me and the damage to my car is minimal. The girl who hit me was not injured, but we can't say the same for her car. It's inconvenient and I hate dealing with insurance companies, but both parties in this are fine and cars can be repaired.

Saturday, a group of us went to Boerne for Kid 'N Ewe and Llamas Too. This is usually a nice little event with lots of vendors, livestock, spinning wheels and food. Unfortunately, due to some problems with the contract for use of the fairgrounds, this year's event was a lot smaller than previous years. It was still wonderful because of this stuff.

This yarn is Brooks Farm Yarn . My pictures don't begin to do the colors justice. Seriously. It's just lush and beautiful and the price is outstanding. You are looking at 500 yard hanks. I'm not sure what the blend is here, but most of the yarns are a blend of mohair, wool, and silk. Check out the website for more info. Look, here's more:

If you look very closely, you can see a Clapotis
on display along with the fabulous yarn. All of us
just hung out in there putting hanks around necks to see if the color was right for us, carrying hanks that we weren't sure if we wanted to buy or not but the stuff just felt too good to put down! I was seriously struck by indecision. Here are the two I was considering:

Both are from the "Harmony" line and are composed of Mohair(55%), wool (22.5%), and a silk blend (22.5%). I actually had a project in mind for this beautiful yarn. Well, several projects but the one I'm aiming for is my very first Clapotis. I know what you're thinking. Any frenzied knitter would throw caution to the wind, buy both hanks and see what looks best. I may be frenzied, but I'm not the world's best knitter so I'm pretty conservative when I'm about to drop a considerable amount of money on yarn. (Especially since I used to do a lot of spinning and could probably make what I wanted, if I wasn't so damn lazy.) Anyway, I picked:

These three alpaca! I figure riding them around town is a hell of a lot safer than my car! Who would run over something this cute? I could hitch them to a wagon or something. They get really good gas mileage and their only pollutant actually fertilizes the land! Car manufacturers should take a lesson from these babies.

Okay. I picked this one. I love the goldish/brown earth tones playing against the pinks, purples
and browns. Just beautiful! I think that this will make a really gorgeous Clapotis!

In keeping with the whole Clapotis theme I've got going here, my last picture has to do with my most recent obsession; making beaded stitch markers. Originally, I was wrapping the wire per the instructions on Chris Knits. After some experimenting I changed things up. My wire wrapping leaves much to be desired. I bought myself some better tools, a few more beads and have pretty much lost my mind to making these things! I've branched out into earrings, too!!

This is just too much! Well, they are fun to make and I pretty sure I have more than enough for Clapotis!

I keep threatening to post FO pictures but keep putting it off. My model is teething right now so she's not at her most cooperative. This afternoon we're taking her out for ice cream. My hope is that this will engender a spirit of cooperation and I can at least get one hat on her! In the meantime, I'm going to snap off some pics of little knitted things and get them up here. I know, I'm like a lame husband who promises to do better but continues to drink beer, watch football, and scratch his crotch in public. Trust me honey, the pics are coming and I promise not to touch myself in public any time soon.

Happy Halloween!!

I LOVE Halloween! Saturday we carved our pumpkins ("Punks" as Boogie likes to say) and it was so much fun! Here's a before picture. Just your standard punk or three. The one on the right turned out to be a little bit riper than we had thought. These punks also sat on the kitchen table for about a week waiting to be transformed into temporary works of art. (Primitive art, but art none the less.) Maybe the stress of knowing his fate and not being able to avoid it got to the punk on the right. He aged before his time.

Boogie, of course, did her part. She helped scrape out the punks, said "yucky" a lot but was not allowed to carve. Duh! What sort of a parent would I be if I let the 17 month old use a knife? I'll tell you: the kind of parent that ends up on "Dr. Phil" trying to explain why she stupidly gave a small child a knife. Instead, we let her stand in a chair. Perhaps not as dangerous as a sharp instrument but when this baby gets excited about punks, she likes to engage in the Punk dance, moving perilously close to the edge of the chair. That would explain Big B hovering behind her. So we come to the finished product:

TADA! Punks have been transformed into Jacks! If the weather cooperates tonight, I'm going to try to get a shot of them in all their wilted glory on the front porch.

So knitting. The original purpose of this blog. I do have some stuff to discuss and share photos of, but I've been a little consumed with Halloween and the punks. Next time, heavy on the knitting, not so much on the punks.

Monday

We had a really wonderful weekend. Originally, the plan for Saturday was to go to a music festival at the local Unitarian church. Not much festival to be had and very little music. Feeling disappointed, we wandered over to Borders and spent way too much money on books. Actually, Boogie and Big B got books, I got the new Vogue Knitting, Simply Knitting, and the Stitch 'N Bitch Design Journal. Probably no designing in my future but it has some neat pages for stash organizing, needle inventory and all that cool stuff.

Sunday was our hunt for the Great Pumpkin! Boogie had a whole lot of fun walking around the pumpkins! She talked to them, tried to pick them up, and was forced to pose among them by her cruel and freakish parents! Poor baby! This will be something to discuss with her therapist during her teenage years. (Or a photo I can show to her prom date.) Look at the shock! The horror! The whole "What the hell am I doing on this giant vegetable?" confusion. I was kicking myself for not putting her in her costume to go pumpkin hunting. Might as well add to the humiliation while I add to her therapy fund!

Perhaps the look of horror/fear came not from the pumpkins but this strange sign that was just behind her. Christ-o-Lantern? Never heard of such a thing. I sort of like my Halloween a little, well, spooky. A dove of peace or some representation of the Holy Trinity just doesn't put me in the Halloween spirit the way a rubber Scream mask does or a bag of miniature Snickers.

The folks running this pumpkin patch were just beyond nice. Lots of beautiful pumpkins to choose from. In the end, we walked away with three. (No, it has nothing to do with the Holy Trinity!) Papa, Mama, and Baby pumpkin all to be transformed into Jack 'O Lanterns tonight. That was the plan anyway. Before Monday hit.

Actually, I should blame it on this guy. This is Cecil and he is a very

good dog. Really. This
afternoon, during Boogie's snack and my coffee
break, Cecil let me know that he needed to go outside and "do his business." I should stress that late afternoons are super important at the Savant household. Boogie snacks, I drink coffee and eventually one of us starts dinner.

I let Cecil out and back in and head to the sink to cut up some more yummy pear. As Cecil passes I catch a whiff of what I was sure was Boogie having a serious stomach problem. I look at Boogie, she's munching away. I look at Cecil and his beautiful dog face is covered on both sides by, well I'm not going to be delicate here, something that looks like shit and smells like death. He is covered in it. Seriously. I corralled him in the kitchen and, while making sure the baby doesn't take a header out of her booster seat, used every single diaper wipe at my disposal to get the poop out of his ears and off his head. Of course, he still stinks so I run Boogie upstairs and plant her in front of the T.V. Run down, grab Cecil and run to the bathroom. I spent the rest of the afternoon de-stinking my very good dog and trying not to hurl.

So, our Jack 'O Lantern got put off until Wednesday evening. All of us were wiped from just the fact that it's Monday. Except Cecil. He smells great and wants to play.

The Finished Product!

Here's the cutest little witch in the world!! Big B is sort of holding her in place because Boogie's tendency is to run at the camera so that she can see herself. She has striped socks to wear with this but we took this picture about 30 minutes before bedtime and I didn't want to press my luck with trying to get her into socks! (Bedtime is also the reason she had a death grip on that bink!)

In knitting news: I've finished binding off one shoulder and the back of the vest I made. Boy, is it an ugly piece of knitting. You know, with every project comes a lesson. The vest taught me the three needle bind off and not to take the pictures of finished garments very seriously. I'll have a picture of it up shortly. It's definitely good for a laugh....and a serious example of what knitting should never look like!

Quick, but not dirty.

Okay, I should probably wait until the whole costume is finished to post, but this is just such a cute picture!! Boogie is going to be a witch for Halloween and we did a mini-fitting this afternoon. No, she's not particularly happy to be in the costume but I'm hopeful that will pass. I should have the hat done tomorrow and the bottom of the dress ripped up just like the sleeves. We'll take another picture then. Sometimes, sewing is better than knitting. Today it is anyway!!

Bye bye weekend

My weekend got off to a nice start. Friday afternoon, Big B surprised me with these beautiful flowers. They were his way of saying thanks for everything I do. What a sweetie! We've been married 20 years and he still manages to surprise me with sweet little gifts. (No, I am not making this up. Yes, we are one of those couples that many couples hate...happily married after 20 years.) I think Big B will do just fine for my first husband. Guess I'll have to hold off looking for hubby number 2 for awhile.

Saturday was just plain hectic. I've been sewing like crazy to get Boogie's Halloween costume done. My goal is to have it finished by the upcoming weekend. It's a pretty simple little pattern and, barring any weird sewing errors on my part, it should be finished with plenty of time to spare.

In the midst of the sewing, I managed to finish something. (Actually, I have a number of "somethings" finished, but only have a picture of one of them.) Yes, it's this lovely baby....I mean hat. Yes, the hat. How'd that baby get there?

This hat was made with some yarn my wonderful Secret Pal from SP5 gave me. The super simple pattern is from "The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns" by Ann Budd. The book is wonderful! Not only does it provide a bunch of standard patterns, but it forces you to deal with gauge. Like many knitters, I struggle with gauge. (i.e. generally hate and ignore gauge) Budd's book really takes a great deal of the stress out of it and gives me a bunch of basic patterns to play with. Plus Boogie got a cute hat out of my lesson.

Sunday was SnB and we met at this kitschy little coffee house. (Yes, I'm a geek. I love my digital camera so I took this picture. At least I don't have a sock in front of it.) I was really looking forward to conversation, coffee, cake and some knitting. I have this super cute chunky sweater pattern picked out for Boogie and, since I recently mastered the concept of gauge, I was ready to complete a swatch, check the gauge and start the sweater. Well, my mommy brain betrayed me and I forgot the damn pattern. Oh well. It was a great afternoon and I worked on a shawl project that's probably older than any piece of clothing I currently own. Note for anyone struggling with mommy brain: always have back up knitting or all you do is bitch with no stitch.

A New Toy!

No, not the carseat or the baby! The digital camera!!! Don't tell me you actually thought the first picture I'd post would be of knitting. Are you smoking crack?? Look at her!! She's fabulous and very photogenic.

Seriously, I love my little camera. It's small enough to carry everywhere and very easy to use! My plan is to start posting pics of finished objects now that I've gotten the hang of it. I'm just thrilled!

So admire my child and share my joy! I'll post knitting stuff later!

Desperately seeking....

A PROJECT!!!

I'm really in the knitting doldrums. (That doesn't look like it's spelled correctly. Hm.) I'm searching around for something to knit and I'm just uninspired! Well, not totally uninspired. I guess yarnless might be a better way to put it. There's this really cute cardigan in "Hip to Knit" by Judith Swartz that I've been dying to try. The weather here is a little cooler and I just really want a sweater project. So what's holding me back?

Well, it's Christmas. I have quite a few things that I have to make, (all sewn, no knitting this year) for Christmas gifts and I need to get off my lazy ass and just do them! Plus I need to get Boogie's Halloween costume done.

The plan this weekend is to get all the fabric for all the Christmas gift stuff. While I'm out, I may search around for some yarn for the cardigan. Or I'll be good and I won't. Hell, I don't know!

Last night I played for an Artwalk held at the school where I used to work. The Artwalk is supposed to expose kids to the arts and encourage them to give their artistic side an outlet. The piano had been put on the stage in the cafeteria along with 3 tables of students from a local college who were singing with the kids and showing them rhythm instruments. I don't think we exposed the kids to music so much as we exposed them to a potential hearing loss. The acoustics were terrible!! I could barely hear myself, although a couple of people said that they could hear me. Not only that, this poor little upright probably hadn't seen a tuner in years.

I played really easy pieces so I was guaranteed to play well. (Pretty lazy, huh?) But, when I realized that I really couldn't be heard, I grabbed the stuff I'm working on and practiced instead! Most of the kids just wanted a chance to bang on the piano really. I only had 2 people who were interested in their child learning the instrument. (Okay, that's not why I went. I'm not cruising to teach piano lessons. Both been there and done that.) There were other artists; local theater groups, some painters, a cheerleading squad. Yes, you can read that twice if you need too; a cheerleading squad. I guess art really is in the eye of the beholder. Or the pompoms of the beholder.

Eeewwww! I've got spam on me!

I got comment spam! Yuck! That's going to leave a greasy spot! I changed the way folks can leave comments so, although it's a little more effort on the part of someone wishing to post a comment, it should eliminate spam.

This weekend was a little busy but mostly wonderful! Big B took Thursday, Friday and today off to spend time with his chicks. Boogie was just diggin' the fact that Daddy was around so much! She followed him everywhere. Thursday and Friday we all chilled and enjoyed each other's company. Saturday we went to an art festival. Some art. Not much festival. I picked up a picture of Frida Kahlo. (All Frida, all the time.)

Sunday was SnB at a really neat coffee house. Very comfy chairs and a whole two hours to knit. Sweet!

This leads me to discuss the hat. Yes, the hat that was a simple distraction has become, let's say it together now, an obsession. I'm almost finished with the damn thing. Right now, it's on dpns. It started life on circs and ends on dpns. I hate dpns. Maybe that's why socks frustrate the living snot out of me. I feel like I'm wielding some medieval torture device. Stand back, folks! The dpns are out and someone in the room is going down!!

The question game that got started on Annie's blog is going to be a monthly thing. I think Annie is going to host them. We had such a great response from folks that this should be pretty fun. If you're in a blogging funk and need some inspiration, we hope to provide a topic or two to get you started. We'll keep you posted!

One more bit of exciting news then I'm off to finish the obsession....I mean hat. By the end of the month I should have a digital camera!! Just like a real girl!! We're all very excited. It will be such an awesome way to share Boogie photos with family and friends. Oh yeah, there's the knitting thing, too. I can't wait!! Guess I should finish some things in anticipation of pictures. Better get moving on this hat!

Through the Looking Glass

I asked a blogger that I regularly read to post a question for me. ( The blog is Knitty Gritty http://www.knittygritty.net/ ) The question was:

Here's the question: Has blogging about knitting (or just blogging in
general) enhanced your knitting? If it's blogging has been a benefit
to your knitting, how? If not, why?

The question was posted and I've really enjoyed reading the responses. The part that's a bummer is that it's on somebody else's blog, not mine. I didn't post it here because, quite bluntly, I have no readers and am not really part of the online knit/blogging community.

An interesting side effect of the responses is that a lot of people are talking about the culture of blogging, i.e. being part of a larger community, rather than simply responding to the question. I suspect that the reason is simple: the two are very much intertwined.

I think I'd be a total wimp if I didn't answer my own question. For me, the answer is a resounding yes and no.

My knitting has been enhanced in that my curiosity was peaked by what others were working on. That curiosity led me to surf the web, find more blogs, patterns, yarn...etc. No because it takes time away from knitting and family with minimal return.

Am I whining because my humble blog goes unnoticed? As I've said before anyone who doesn't get a kick out of receiving a comment here and there is either dead or a liar. So I suppose a little whining is present. At the same time, I don't exactly go out of my way to find readers, commenting on every little aspect of someone else's life in the blogs I read. That, it seems to me, is how you get folks to read your blog. The day is just too short for me to make the effort.

I think this question was interesting and I've really enjoyed reading the responses on Annie's blog. A big public thanks for posting it!

Victory is sweet!

Yes, I have defeated the evil vest. It's now awaiting blocking, but I beat it into submission. Okay, so one shoulder has one more stitch than the other side and the whole thing is a little lumpy looking, but I finished it and isn't that what's really important here?

More important than the finishing was the fact that it helped me get my head around a problem I'd had with Boogie's dress so it's back to the dress...but I started another project.

I love this hat! Okay, the colors sort of suck but the shape is just great! This pattern is from a knitting calendar. I'd been looking everywhere for the perfect yarn and found it in a gift from my Secret Pal. The yarn is Red Tail Hawk from Moutain Colors Hand Painted Yarns. Neat, huh?

So this is my new, easy to carry about project. I've already cast on and worked the first row. My plan is to just knit away on it when Boogie's dress drives me nuts. Of course, there's always the possibility that I'll simple obsess over the hat and finish it quickly, but let's hope not!

The vest that wouldn't die

I think I've figured out where I screwed up on the super quick vest that was supposed to be a mindless break from Boogie's dress. Instead, the vest has completely sucked my energy leaving me tired and annoyed. I've decided to completely ignore the pattern, (okay. Maybe not completely ignore the directions...more like massage them toward my way of thinking) and just knit on! Damn the results! Let's see how this bad boy turns out!

I was bummed a bit today to discover that the local SnB doesn't meet tomorrow night as I'd thought, but meets next Tuesday. Hey, it's another week to get the evil vest either completed or burned to a crisp in a fit of frustration. There's an up-side to every disappointment.

I'll keep you posted on the vest. It's a fight to the death.

Instead of knitting.....

I'm blogging. Again. Kind of in fits and starts these days. Actually, I've been looking at other blogs and I continue to clean house a bit on this one.

Knitting Foo: I have been working on this vest. No, I do not have a link to share and, to be quite honest about it the pattern is so simple and I've screwed it up so royally that I'm a little embarrassed to share it. I had been working on Boogie's very cute knitted dress, ran into a snag and decided to knit something simple and mindless to help me focus on the problem with Boogie's dress. Now the problem with the dress is no longer my sad attempts at knitting, but Boogie herself.

Boogie is 16 months old and in the 100th percentile for her height. I think I should repeat myself here: 100th percentile. I'm not bragging here. This makes buying clothes for her very difficult. Her little waist is that of a 12 month old but her height...well, you see the problem. I'm not stunned by this. Big B is 6 ft. 7 inches tall. Not exactly a short guy.

It's pretty clear how this relates to her knitted dress. I'm knitting it for a 24 month old child. At the rate she's growing, it's more than likely not going to fit her!!! I'm going to make her wear it anyway!! Isn't it now the fashion to wear dresses with jeans?? Get ready cause she's going to make a fashion statement!!!

Back to the vest. I'm going to finish it. I have this pithy essay in my head making the case for why I am the world's worst knitter. We'll see how Mr. Vest fares and I'll decide whether or not the essay will see the light of day.

And now for something completely different.....

Okay, not really. But it made ya think! Huh? Huh?
I think I have a case of blog envy. My little blog just languishes away. I don't really give it a whole lot of attention and I think my posts reflect that. Also, once Boogie is taking a nap, is pretty difficult to justify staring at a computer screen instead of reading or even knitting!

I've been cruising around the web, burning up naptime and daydreaming about my blog. I need to add pictures, check. The digital camera is a Christmas gift both Big B and I want so it's a family deal now. In the meantime, I have some things scanned in that I can post from time to time.

I need to write stuff. Whether it's interesting or not, whether it gets looked at or not, the fact is the purpose of a blog it seems, is to see your thoughts made semi-real by posting them for the whole world to read. Well, not all your thoughts. I'm sure that there are some thoughts that all of us would rather not share, especially embarrassing ones. Like re-living a keg party at a scary frat house or the time I lost my shirt in...Okay. You get the idea here.

I need to update my links! Geez! I have three little blogs I supposedly follow and, let's be honest, I only actually read two of them. I've grown weary of one. (When it's gone I'll bet you can figure out which one it is!) I actually look at a bunch of other blogs that have absolutely fuck all to do with knitting but are funny beyond belief! I need to get those up!

I need to backtrack here to the whole "purpose of a blog" thing. Actually, the real purpose is highly egocentric. I think most everyone would love to be read by someone. Let's be honest here! Don't you get a kick out of the odd comment or two? Sure you do! It's not the only reason, but it's awfully fun! I also think that people use it as a way to make friends. Think about it. You have a captive audience. You can go on and on about your life without the inconvenience of having a person to interrupt or make comments. You just keep talking! It's like having a giant ear in your house whose sole function is to listen to you talk. Pretty cool, really and a hell of a lot cheaper than therapy.

So I've now fed my ego. My giant ear is listening and happy and hopefully wax-free. I'm going to go delete a couple of links.

Get up and get goin'!

This is one of those moments when I wish my blog was amazingly popular, read by hundreds of admiring fans and that I could influence those fans to do something worthwhile. I'm just me though, and I write this with the hope that someone will bump into this modest blog, take what I'm about to say to heart, and get up.

People, New Orleans looks like a third world country. Yes, I'm quite sure that the news exaggerates to great effect but the facts are that people, thousands upon thousands of people are homeless and losing hope. As a member of the human race you have a sacred duty to help your brother. Religion is irrelevant. Country of origin is insignificant. Let's get up and stop waiting on big brother to fix this mess.

For my part, I've posted a willingness to make phone calls, mail supplies, whatever. In under 8 hours I had 2 responses: one from a woman offering to help me and one who needed the help. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR A SUFFERING HUMAN BEING SO JUST DO IT!!!(Some of this is tinged with anger because, although "mandatory evacuation" looks great on paper, if you don't have a car or the money for gas/hotel/food, you ain't going nowhere.)

So let's help. Put down your needles and pick up the phone. Give your money/time, whatever you've got because, right now, you probably have more than any one person hit by Katrina.

Nothin' funny here

Originally, this post was going to be a bunch witty observations about my first week as a stay-at-home mommy. Instead, I find myself completely at a loss to say anything funny. My funny bone got sucked dry by Katrina.

A dear friend of ours lives in Metairie. I tried to call him just before Katrina hit and he wasn't home. I hadn't heard anything from him until today. He left a message on my answering machine saying that he and his family were fine and in Philadelphia, MS. (I was in the shower when he called!!) He sounded tired and he completely forgot to leave a number but that's fine. At least I know he's alive.

My heart is breaking for everyone affected by Katrina.

I have nothing else to say right now. I'll be witty next time.

Look before you leap....

Tomorrow, I'm resigning from my position to stay at home full time with:

This is Boogie. I love her more than life. More than chocolate and BtVS. More than knitting. I made a promise to her that I would stop working before she saw 1 1/2 years. This picture was made when she was 1. She's 14 months now and I'm keeping my promise to her.

I'm so scared. All my adult life I've worked, or been in college, grad school...whatever. My income is extra and it's nice, but Boogie is nicer! We're going to live cheap and love every minute of it.

Tomorrow I tell the owner of the clinic that I'm out of there. She'll probably be angry, and I can understand that. She has a business to run. I'm making sure to give her more than 2 weeks notice but, honestly, there's such a shortage of folks in my field that it will be difficult for her to find a replacement.

In other news, I've been running more than knitting in a desperate attempt to shed baby weight. I'm going to by a jogging stroller so that Boogie and I can run together in the morning. (Actually, she gets to enjoy a mellow, groovy ride while I puff my ass off trying to make it up hills!!!)

I've found another knitting group in my area that meets on Sunday afternoons and I'm hoping to make it this month's meeting. My regular group meets next Tuesday night. I'm also desperately searching for playgroups so Boogie can have friends and so can mom!

I'm going to run...literally.

P.S. Yes, those are tears in her eyes. She was really not liking the chick who took her picture. Not a good scene at all!! But she still looks fab!

Long time, no write

Wow. This month has just slipped away from me. We've been busy here at Boogie central!

Boogie changed daycare last week. Her previous daycare kept her in the infant room because, even though she's 12 months old, she's not walking confidently yet and that skill is a prerequisite for placement in a room with kids her own age. (At the time we moved her, she was pulling up and that was all.) That's serious bullshit. Most children walk somewhere between the ages of 12 and 15 months. (Gotta say up front that I can back this up with professional knowledge.) Boogie is developing normally and fabulously and we got really tired of her being treated like half her age but Lady Luck stepped in and gave us a big kiss on the forehead!

At her new daycare, Boogie is in a room filled with crazy, wiggly, fabulous peers! I'm friends with the owner of this daycare and we'd been on the list a couple of months. I'd said upfront that we were willing to pay a full-time price to get Boogie in. No need for that, friends, because we scored a much coveted part-time slot! (Boogie is only there 2 1/2 days a week. For anyone out there with kids, I know you know how tough it is to find excellent care, let alone part-time.)

On the walking front, Boogie takes an average of 5-6 steps before she plops down. She's all stiff-legged and it's the most precious thing I've ever seen in my life. Babies are so brave. If I failed at doing something as many times as she does, I'd just curl up in a big ball and cry. Not my Boogie! Like all babies, the drive of curiosity just propels her crazy little butt forward. Anyway, on Thursday we're going to see a pediatrician who specializes in orthopedics. I'd like to rule out the possibility of something physical hindering her walking. (Boogie's pediatrician felt her hamstrings might be too tight. I was concerned about her left foot turning in so dramatically.) We'll see what happens! In the mean time I just keep on encouraging her!

Big B has been in Denver this week so it's just been us chicks and a house full of critters. I've done pretty much no knitting except for this really pathetic scarf that I do just to kill time. I'm searching around for a new project. Maybe at the next knitting group meeting I'll have something in mind.

I'm also looking into getting a digital camera but, at the same time, considering whether or not I want to continue to blog. It's been fun and I've learned some cool computer stuff, but I'm not sure I want to devote the time to it. I don't know. I think I'm just a little whiney and tired.

Celebrate!

Today is my birthday and I'm 40 years old. I got a wonderful, sentimental card from my parents and a fab gift certificate to KnitPicks! http://www.knitpicks.com). Do I have the best parents in the world or what? Big B. made it a "Buffday" with lots of BtVS stuff...1st season on DVD, some books and a few comics from the series. I may be 40, but I still love Buffy! Tonight, our little family is going out for dinner, with Miss Boogie!

The best gift of all, though, is seeing 40. I have a wonderful little family, a nice new job, and I don't think I've been more satisfied with myself in my entire life. Everyone I know who's over 40 says it just gets better! I totally believe that! I can't wait to see what the next 40 years holds!

Okay, knitting. Still plugging away on Boogie's dress. My secret pal has already hit me with a wonderful, thoughtful gift: self-striping yarn, (which I've never used and can't wait to try), and a set of little teapot salt & pepper shakers from Occupied Japan! Secret Pal, you rock! My plan is to have my person's stuff in the mail by next Thursday. I think my pal will be my role model for organization! This girl's on top of it!

I'm going to indulge in a little birthday niceness that I like to call, the nap! Big B took the day off to be with me and he and Boogie are all snuggled in and snoozing. Think I'll join them!

Peace, ya'll!

Holla at ya!

Shout out to my 'tators! (Short for commentators which I don't really think is a word but sounds pretty good. I'm not even sure it's fair to call ya'll 'tators. But that's sort of cute, too!)Thanks, ladies!

We had a pretty good weekend. This time of year is really packed for us. Lots of birthdays fall in the Spring and early summer. This year is really special because Boogie had her first birthday, I turn 40 and we celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. (Go ahead. Do the math. I was a child bride and a late bloomer.) Big B and I decided to get a new car for our anniversary. Not terribly romantic, sort of practical and dull even, but we hadn't bought a new vehicle in 10 years. That's right, 10 years. Anyway, since I'm sans a digital camera, (and will be so for a bit longer), here's my car: http://www.saturn.com/saturn/gallery/index.jsp?viewme=2&nav=520&starthere=0 That's a pretty sweet ride, huh?

So now that I've channeled my inner bitch and shared my car news, let hit some knitting. I think I may have mentioned that I knit my very first sock. It's pretty ugly, and lumpy, but it's all mine. (Actually, it will be Boogie's once I get the pair done.) I'm working diligently on the second sock and, while working on the heel flap, I drop a couple of stitches. No biggy. I start to pick them up and it seems new stitches are appearing out of nowhere. I'm tired, it's late so I start froggin' the sock. Before you know it, I'm pretty much back at the beginning. Fortunately for me, baby socks are tiny and fast so I'm just going to start the whole thing over. I'd rather do that than wrestle with mysterious stitches.

I start my new job Wednesday. This will be the first summer that I've worked in 8 years. (Guess where I used to work? :-) ) I've been going there off and on for about a month, but now I'm all in. We'll see where this change takes me.

Okay, I'm going to go spend some quality time with Big B watching a little basketball. Uh oh, Boogie's crying!

A Controversial Post

One of the benefits of no one reading your blog...wait, let's insert "my blog" instead. It's more accurate not as accusatory sounding. Anyway, one of the benefits of no one reading my blog is that nothing I say in it will ever be interpreted to be controversial, bitchy, rude...pick an adjective. With that in mind, the writer of one of the blogs I read is apparently being put in her place by other bloggers because of an opinion she posted. Her blog is pretty mellow and groovy. She talks about life, knitting, life, knitting...pretty normal. But let's try to get our heads around this one: She posted her opinion on her personal website and some people don't like it. As a result, according to this blogger, she has been dropped from some bloggers links and some commentors have stopped commenting. What the f**k is going on here?

The internet has no real rules to govern it. We all hope that folks will be on their best behavior when they come out to play in it's murky waters. Unfortunately, the occasional petty tyrant/freak will rear his or her ugly head and attempt to force conformity. Knitting and blogging are hobbies and, like any hobby, folks have they're own way about doing them. There is no deep, philosophical meanings behind either act. If you want to get up in arms about something, let's talk about war, poverty, starvation, the millions dying every year of preventable disease. Those are topics that demand heated debate, not one person's opinion on a hobby for god's sake.

Blog or knit because you love it. Because it relieves stress/is fun/is a creative outlet...to do either without something positive behind it is foolish and destructive. If anyone does happen to read my blog and doesn't like what I've said, screw off. I'm not writing to please you anyway. (Thought I should end on a childish note. Pretty childish, huh?)

Secret Pal 5 Questions

Okay, here are my answers. I'd planned on posting something silly, but I'll put these up for now.

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
I admit it. I’m sort of a yarn snob, I just can’t always afford to indulge my snobbery. I don’t mind Lion Brand, they can have some pretty decent stuff. I won’t touch Red Heart with a ten foot pole!

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
I spin, but I don’t have a lot of time to do it these days. I can crochet, but don’t enjoy it as much as knitting.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
Strong perfumes give me migraines, but that’s it.

4. How long have you been knitting?
About 10 years

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
No.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
I love lavendar and some really subtle floral scents.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
Yes!! I love chocolate!

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
I make stitch markers, sew and scrapbook.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
Almost anything. I love classical music, but I’m sort of particular about the artist. Love Celtic music, some country (Dixie Chicks), heavy metal, I’m really pretty open to any music. I can play MP3s.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
My favorite color is purple and almost any shade and my favorite color palette are fall colors: rich reds, golds, oranges…stuff like that. I really detest pastels.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Married (20 years this month. I was a child bride.) with 1 child. We have 2 dogs and 3 cats.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
To be independently wealthy. (Is this supposed to be a realistic dream?)

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
Anything but acrylics and llama. Don’t know why I don’t like llama, I just don’t.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
That would be llama again. And cotton is a pain in the butt.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
Socks and making this weird earflap hat for my husband.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Right now, I’m loving socks.

17. What are you knitting right now?
I’m working on a dress for my baby, the above mentioned weird hat for my hubby and socks.

18. What do you think about ponchos?
At first, I thought it was cool to see them make a comeback. Now that everyone wears them and really, not everyone should, I’m not so sure they’re a good thing.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
Straight.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Bamboo.

21. Are you a sock knitter?
I knitted my first sock this month. I’m very excited!

22. How did you learn to knit?
Completely self-taught…and it shows.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
1 year.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
My favorite animals are dogs and cats.

25. What is your favorite holiday?
Halloween.

26. Is there anything that you collect?
Teapots from Occupied Japan.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
none.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
Not really. I have a ton of books and I just haven’t made time to read any of them.

My baby is growing up

Okay, the title is a little melodramatic. Boogie turned one on Friday the 13th. I can't believe the year has gone by so quickly. I'd do every minute of it again in a heart beat.

We took her to the zoo and then she had cake and a big gift in the afternoon. At the tender age of one, none of this means much to her. But for Big B and I, it was tremendous. We made it and we're doing a damn fine job as parents, too! I'm so proud of all of us!

On the knitting front, I finished my first sock!!! I'm still keeping my fingers crossed to score some cash on my birthday towards the purchase of a digital camera because this sock is adorable! I made it for Boogie Baby because I knew that it would go quickly. I can't wait to make some for Big B! It's rough in places, but I'm very pleased with it. Also, the mistake I thought I'd made on Boogie's dress was not a mistake at all, just me freakin' myself out. I should probably not look too far ahead when I knit. Sort of like reading a mystery novel; it's fun to know some of the clues and read ahead a little, but the shock of the ending is the best part!

Too much fun!

I had the best time at the Knitting group last night! It was jus fabulous! Everyone was super friendly and, since it's held in our LYS, we shopped. That's just evil. Pure, unadulterated evil. I think everyone left with something they'd purchased.

I bought needles for some new projects, specifically some shorter needles for socks. My grand plan is to make socks for Boogie. I got some skewing of really cute yarn, two of them from the sale bin! Sweet! Unfortunately, I didn't check my needle inventory very closely and wound up buying a set of DBL points that I already had. I guess I'll have to make another trip to the yarn store to return those needles. I just hate that!

So here I am at my first meeting, and, like an idiot, I volunteer to start a blog for the group to keep folks informed. Originally, this group was using MeetUp to stay in touch and notify members of what was going on. MeetUp has made some unpopular changes and so the group is taking it's business elsewhere. Hence the blog. The group leader is going to forward the blog's URL to the current members and I think we're just going to rely on people picking up the notices at the LYS for new members. Talk about jumping in with both feet! Guess I did that in spades!

Mother's Day

Yesterday was my very first Mother's Day and it was just great! I got a dozen roses, some perfume, cards from Big B, Boogie Baby and the pets, and a super cool dinner with the most handsome waiter in the world, my very own Big B! It was just a really wonderful day.

Then, after Boogie Baby was in bed, I sat down to work on her little dress. Still basking in the glow of a fab day, I'm knitting my head off when I discover a mistake. A big one. Well, maybe not too big...okay it's an extra stitch. Have I mentioned how anal I've been about counting the stitches over and over and over again to make sure I have the correct number? How I've started this sucker over? I'm at a stage in the knitting where I can't start over...that's just insane!

This is a testament to how much of a novice I believe myself to be so I'm taking up the gauntlet on this mistake. I'm going to fix it and, in the end, have a really cute dress for Boogie. I also plan on taking it to my very first ever trip to my local knitting group.

Here's the scoop on the group: I found them through MeetUp. I've tried a Mommy group with MeetUp and the experience was less than great. I have really high hopes for the knitter's group and I'm excited about meeting other knitters in the city. Yippee!

Marking Time

I am currently making the cutest damn stitch markers in the world. I would give a body part to have a camera so I could show you just how cute they really are! I mean it! You would happily give me lots of money so I could make some for you. Never fear! I have a cunning plan. I have Mother's Day and a birthday coming up. Should I be fortunate enough to score some cash, the plan is to buy a digital camera. I'll backtrack and take pictures of stuff. It'll be Picturepalooza on this blog. Especially when the stitch markers make their debut. (I'm certain that they'll be even cuter then!)

Gotta give credit where credit is due. I got the directions from this blog:http://chrisknits.blog-city.com/read/1138307.htm Super directions and it was just so cool that she posted those directions. I'm a major visual learner and the pictures are just a godsend.

So I have beaucoup stitch markers. Now I need a project big enough to use all of them.

Not much

Not much knitting went on this weekend. I attended a mini-conference all day Friday and manage to get most of a scarf finished for the Dulaan Project. Check them out here: http://www.fireprojects.org/dulaan.htm I finished up the scarf once I got home and started another one Sunday evening. I'm taking a break from Baby's dress, but I don't want to take too much of a break. Babies grow so quickly that it might not fit her by the time I'm finished.

Actually, knitting during a meeting says more about the meeting than anything. This chick was just boring! She read her overheads to us and I just hate that. I can read! I'm pushing 40 and I'm pretty confident that I can read! So I knit under the table, glancing up every once in awhile to look at the overhead...which was exactly what I had in front of me in the form of a handout.

I started running this weekend. I've run off and on for awhile now, but now it's different. I want Baby Boogie to see that her mom is in shape and takes care of herself. I jus want to set a positive example for her. Also, running is "me" time and it helps with stress. I anticipate a bit of stress as I head for my new job in June.

Speaking of jobs, I'm blogging at work so I'm going to cut this short.

Just a random thought or three

I'm leaving my job this year. I've mentioned before that I wanted to leave and may have even written that I have a new job to go to, but I'm leaving this one. I've worked here for 8 years, practically right out of grad school, and I feel like a fish out of water.

In this current job, I work 20 hours/week and have summers off. In my new job, I'll be working during the summer and make twice my current salary with absolutely no change in the numbers of hours I'll be working. Let me say that again: twice the salary with no increase in hours. Not too bad.

So why am I sad about this? Well, the hard truth is that I'm sad that I've left no mark on this current job. I've had some of the worst parents imaginable, really tough kids, and my co-worker, (the one I taught to knit) seems to believe that I work for her. She doesn't communicate ANYTHING to me and, in fact, makes snotty remarks about working part-time. Okay. One snotty remark...........and we eventually talked it out. She feels better, it still chaps my ass.

What does this have to do with knitting? Not a whole hell of a lot except that knitting has recently become my constant while the world seems to fall apart around me; while I feel like I'm falling apart with it.

After a lot of soul searching, I decided that having my summers off just wasn't worth this amount of bull. (There's more, but why waste more blog space on it than it truly deserves.) So I'm going to knit, not second guess myself, and be the best possible mommy I can. That's all anyone can do, really.

It's me!

I finally have a picture on my blog and I'm very excited! It's old, but it's me. I think it's my birthday party, but I have no idea how old I am in that picture. I'm just happy to have one up!!

Enough already!

Big B comes back tomorrow, the car is fixed, and Baby went to the doctor. I'm spent! This is brief because I'm going to sit down, quietly knit on Big B's crazy hat, and just chill. My plan was to post a couple of pictures just to brighten the blog up a bit, but I just don't have the patience to puzzle this out. Probably won't have the time, either.

Poor Me

Today is simply a pity party. Big B is out of town for the whole of next week and I miss him terribly. (He flew out only this morning.) This is the first time we've been apart since Baby was born. He's worried about us; I'm worried about us and him. I think we'll be fine, but I'm a little nervous. My car started running hot on the way back from the airport. We just had the damn thing repaired, too. I'm sticking to short trips all week and just hope for the best. I just hate car trouble.

Knitting, well, making good progress on the Dress project. I have a hat going for Big B and I'm thinking about starting some socks for him.

Taught my co-worker to knit Friday. You know, saying you "taught" someone to do something implies that is stuck with your student. I'm not sure I can say that here. I'm confident that every single knitter out there was pretty awkward the first time they picked up some needles. The pattern directions are confusing, figuring out a comfortable grip on the needles can be dicey at best, and starting with crappy materials can really add to that frustration.

Well, this chick's first mistake was the "crappy materials" one. She didn't want help looking for anything and I had the distinct impression that she knew what to look for from the pattern she'd chosen. Boy, was I wrong. This poor girl is VERY concrete. The directions said look for a "ball" of yarn. That's exactly what she looked for and, when she found that yarn is not sold in nice, round balls, it threw her. Let's take this same concrete individual and try to teach her to knit. I'm pretty sure you can see the struggle brewing here.

It wasn't that bad, I guess. I left her with some better yarn, (not the "ball" of cotton she'd brought) and suggested she try larger needles to more easily see the stitches. We only worked on casting on and the knit stitch. Purl stitch? Are you high? That's a lesson for another day.

Anyway, I'm feeling sad, lonely, and not entirely in the mood to knit. Just whine. And eat chocolate. And wait for Big B to call.

Goodbye to Pink

I finally ditched the pink template and settled on this pretty plain one. Yes, it's dull. I think once I'm able to post pictures it will look tons better! I've also fooled around and added a couple of links. I think I might actually be getting the hang of this!

On the knitting front: Big B has always wanted a hat with earflaps. I've finally found a pattern that I like and I've started work on it. This will be my quick, mindless project while Baby's dress comes together. This hat will be amazingly ugly and that's exactly what Big B wanted. I'm not sure why, but that's what he wants. Posting a picture of that crazy hat will be well worth the cost of a digital camera!

At lunch tomorrow, I'm supposed to teach a co-worker to knit. We'll see how this goes. I'm self-taught so I'm not sure how much I can pass on to her....except maybe what not to do! She's already chosen a scarf pattern from the current issue of "Vogue Knitting". You can see it at: http://www.vogueknitting.com/ It's the one on the cover. That seems simple enough. I copied all the yarn and needle info for her. We'll see how it goes.

Wish me monsters! (Gotta be a BTVS fan to get that one!)

Croup de-tat

Baby is finally past the croup and into the lovely, "I'm just a bit congested" stage. (Actually, I've joined her in congestion. The pollen here is horrifying and everyone's nose is just nasty!) She's sleeping better which means we're sleeping better. Well, Big B is sleeping better. I've become a raging insomniac. Did I use my awake time to knit? Not this time. I looked at other blogs, played some blackjack and lamented the fact that my blog is just so damn dull.

I need pictures, a better template...something! I'm super new to blogging and, although I've actually made a couple of webpages, that was a while back and I remember nothing of it!!! I'm considering backing this blog up and trying something fresh. Hm.

Our home has completely gone to hell while Baby's been sick. Poor Big B is trying to catch up on yard work and, in between checking on Baby, checking email and cleaning up, I'm trying to get our laundry done.

So back to the boring blog issue. I'm going to do a little research and see what I come up with. This pink template is just killing me!

What's the croup?

My, my what a long 3 days it's been. Baby has not been sleeping well. At first, I chalked it up to teething and allergies. (We are absolutely covered in pollen. My car is a brilliant yellow as opposed to it's normal dull gray. In any other circumstance, that might be a nice change. But not when it makes your eyes all gritty and your nose run like the mighty Mississippi!) Poor baby was waking up at roughly 3 or 4am with an amazing fever and a cough that would make a lifelong smoker proud. I bailed out of work today and took her to the doctor. My little punkin has croup and an ear infection in her left ear. I got antibiotics for the ear infection but croup is a "wait it out" sort of illness. For the first time in the past three days, poor Baby has actually settled into a deep afternoon nap, vaporizer humming along beside her. Big B and I are seriously sleep deprived but at least now we know what we're up against.

In the few moments of down time I've had, I actually made some gains on the dress. It's looking pretty good. I have other projects lying around so, if I get bored with the dress, I can move on to something else. Got to get that digital camera! Hey, I have a birthday coming up. Cool gift idea for me, huh?

Friday is my first day at my new job. I'm pretty nervous but in an excited way. Should be interesting. I've been agonizing over what to wear. Do I go semi casual which equals comfortable or wear hose, nice dress, and shoes that no human should have on their feet? Hm. Guess it actually depends upon what's clean!

Reading is fundamental

especially when it comes to knitting patterns. I'm knitting along, very pleased with myself that Baby's dress is progressing so nicely, when I realize that I had completely misread the pattern. Hours of knitting, which are very hard to come by when one has a small child, have just been flushed down the knitting toilet. I wanted to die. As I saw it, I had three options: 1) rip back to the error and plug away, 2) cast on again and just start over, 3) throw a big hissy fit, cry, and vow never to make anything even remotely difficult again.

As I've mentioned before, dear reader, I'm not the most adventurous of knitters. Sewing, hell yeah. Knitting, not so into risk taking. I was determined not to be hampered by my inability to accurately read a pattern. So, after a little bit of option 3, I just cast on again and started over. (I have more than enough yarn for that option.) This dress will not defeat me, although it does make me cast a longing glance toward my very spiffy sewing machine, or, at the very least, consider that Baby really only needs a baby-size scarf from her mommy. Or maybe a simple, baby size hat. Even a poncho!

I cast on, knit a couple of rows, and read ahead in the pattern VERY carefully so I don't make a similar error. We'll see how it goes from here.

I feel pretty, oh so pretty!

The weather is nice and cool so I took the opportunity to wear my spiffy little scarf. It's super cute! (This is one of those moments when I wish I had a digital camera. I should get off my cheap/lazy ass and get one.) Everyone should share in the glory that is my simple little scarf.

Work on Baby's dress is progressing nicely. I'm only about 10 rows into it, but it's so cool knowing that I'm making something that she can wear and maybe pass on to her daughter one day. Maybe I'll invest in that digital camera when Baby's dress in completed.

I really consider myself such a new knitter. I think I've mentioned before that I just haven't been as adventurous as I probably could be. Turning 40 has sort of changed that! Time to break out! (A mid-life crisis maybe?)

Speaking of breaking out, I submitted my letter of resignation today. Love the fact that's its April 1 and, irony of ironies, no one is here to take the damn letter. Only a chick at human resources knows for sure. I feel so much happier and lighter! It's just amazing how wonderful change can make you feel!

The rest of my work day should be very uneventful. I'm the only one here, making me wish I'd stuck some knitting in my backpack. I'm caught up on my paperwork and I have the T.V. following the Pope's passing. I'm not a Catholic, but you just can't deny the impact this man had on the world. Amazing.

Knit once, measure twice

After struggling with the gauge for Baby's dress project, I finally got it! I'm super excited! I cast on the required number of stitches, knit 2 rows and got really sleepy!

I spent all of today in an extremely boring workshop and actually got a little knitting done on a shawl that I've had on my needles forever. I made sure the my knitting was pretty low, (read: practically under the table) and made sure to glance up at the speaker to at least feign interest in what he was talking about. Hey, at least I made some progress.

Now, I'm playing around with the name of my blog. Screwing with the spelling and stuff. I'll settle on something one day.

Gauge Sucks!

Okay, gauge sucks. You know my skinny scarf that was going to be a distraction and stress reliever while I worked on Baby's dress? Finished. It looks great, but I finished it. So, I knit a swatch to check the gauge for Baby's dress. Knit on #3 needles, it's 1/2 inch larger than it should be. AHHHH!

Taking a deep, relaxing, calming breath and loving the gauge hating knitter that I am. The plan is to try again tomorrow, on smaller needles. I suppose I could blow this whole gauge thing off and make a dress that will be a bit big. She is a pretty tall baby after all. And it's not likes she's going to stop growing while I struggle with this very cute dress. I think I smell the rationalization of the loss of gauge.

Gauge is good. Gauge is your friend. I'm going to think about this while I sleep tonight and hope that my wrists recover from the numbing pain endured while knitting on teeny tiny needles!!! Just kidding folks. It's late and I'm a little frustrated. Scarf knitting is looking better and better.

A beginning

I changed the name of my blog. Maybe not the most creative name in the universe, but I think its pretty cool.

I finally committed to a long-term project this weekend. I went to my local yarn store and picked up the yarn to make the Dress with Eyelets from Debbie Bliss's book "Baby Knits for Beginners." My LYS didn't stock Debbie Bliss yarns anymore so a super nice chick helped me pick out a comparable yarn. I chose a soft, sort of shell-like pink cotton. Some of the pinks were just a little too harsh for my taste. Baby has a really fair complexion with beautiful blue eyes and pastel colors look very pretty on her.

I also picked up a little something for myself. I saw a beautiful skinny scarf hanging near the fab novelty yarns. The directions were pinned to the scarf so I snagged a skein for myself. It's sort of a boucle meets eyelash yarn with vibrant, rich colors: deep reds, purples, greens, blues...it's just beautiful and super soft. The scarf itself is only about 4 inches wide on size 15 needles. The large needles have made the pretty boring knit stitch look exotic! I love it!

So, my plan is to knit up a swatch and check my gauge on Baby's little dress. Yes, I'm going to check the gauge. I'll use my mini scarf project as a mindless distraction when I've had enough of Baby's dress.

An end to illness

Just when I thought we were all better, Baby started throwing up Tuesday. I had no idea that a person that small could hold that much stuff. YUCK! Let's just shorten a pretty gross story and say that, when I stayed home from work Wednesday to take care of Baby, Big B had to come home and take care of me! Brutal! I haven't had decent food since Wednesday morning. Lots of crackers and water. Sort of an extreme weight-loss plan.

Not much knitting going on! I have a shawl that I've had on my needles forever that I pick up. The afghan is my long-term project. Tomorrow morning is a Mommy's Day out for me so I may try to hit the local yarn shop. Wish me lots of yummy yarn!

No yarn hunt!

No way did we make the yarn hunt. My other half, Big B., ( Not because he's a baby or anything, but because his name starts with B) has been at home sick adding to our already congested world. Everyone is finally drying up this weekend. The weather is beautiful and Spring Break is over. Big B spent over half of today waiting for my car to be repaired. I don't know what the hell was wrong with it but, thankfully, it didn't cost too much to have it fixed. We've got to keep that sucker running until I start my new, higher paying job!

Yes, I chose the second job. The pay is remarkable and the opportunities are seemingly endless. I start June 1 so I'm not breaking the contract I'm currently bound to. That's a nice bonus. I hate leaving a job on bad terms. I mean, I think my current job sucks, but why let my supervisor in on that.

I jumped out of the house for an hour Friday night to pursue yarn. I went to one of those chain craft stores. What the hell was I thinking? Did I actually expect to find some fab wool, nifty needles or anything remotely cool that was knitting related? Ugh. I'm just going to wait and make a super special trip to the local yarn store.

I worked a little bit on my crazy afghan. I have a scarf idea rolling about in my head and I think I'll try to get that on the needles next. I'm going to try to knit most of my Christmas gifts this year. Should be an interesting challenge.

They like me! They really, really like me!

Second job interview today. Over and hour and a half later, I walked out with an offer. A really good offer. Now I have to decide which job I want. Could someone else do that part for me? I really suck at making decisions.

I've been looking at a lot of knitting blogs and have been totally inspired to pick up my needles again. I'm always such a chicken about trying complex patterns or something that doesn't provide practically instant gratification. (Scarves spring to mind in the "instant gratification" category.) Enough of that! Baby and I are going on a yarn hunt tomorrow morning, if she's feeling okay. We've all been hit hard with head colds. It's a snotty, snotty world I currently live in.

Let's play catch!

Taking a little break from baby right now. She's sleeping peacefully in my bed, wrapped in a beautiful afghan knitted for her by a friend of my husband's. I'm not a good crafty mom. I have yet to knit anything for my poor little pookie, but I have lots of patterns picked out! I guess that's a step closer to getting something done for her!

Job stuff has really come to a head for me. I don't like the idea of Baby being in daycare but we really need the cash to pay down some student loan debt. Am I shorting her if I continue to work for nearly the first 2 years of her life? Will she really know the difference if I'm around for all by 3 eight hour periods a week? I struggle with this daily. I think all parents do.

Back to job stuff. I'm seriously looking at other positions. I have an interview tomorrow afternoon. My interview last Friday went fabulously and I'm pretty confident that they'll offer me the position. I'm also pretty confident that I'll accept...unless the job I'm interviewing for tomorrow afternoon is just way better!!

The reality of my situation is that I have to work right now. I don't want to, but I don't have a choice in the matter. Baby seems happy. She loves the girls at daycare, (she always gives them hugs and kisses) and she always seems happy to see me, come home with me and just be loved. She is everything to me, but I don't want to make the same mistake my mother did by losing myself completely in her. I need to do something on my own. Whether it's working, knitting, playing the piano, whatever, I need that space. I think that's probably true of most parents, it's just difficult to admit that.

I was cruising around the web looking for some neat sites to link my blog to. I think I've found some knitting sites that are particularly cool and some neat parenting sites. Now to just getting around to doing it!

My first entry

Gee, what an original title! I'm not sure why I started a blog. It seems like an interesting thing to do...just not sure how much I'll have to say to the world and if anyone will be interested.

Dropped my baby off at day care and, of course, it was hard. I really miss her and would much rather be a stay at home mommy than working, even though it's part-time. I'm such a whiner!!! I'm entirely lucky to be able to work minimally and have time with baby.

So, I'm looking at other people's entries and feeling a little blog-envy going on here. Blogging is pretty tough. It's my first entry, but I'd hoped to be a little wittier. Practice makes perfect so I'll just keep writing away!

Knitiot Savant

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

updated

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Thursday, February 23, 2006

A Friend in need

Monday, February 20, 2006

I've got the munchies

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Knitting Project Progress

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Self Portrait Tuesday-Week 2 - All of Me

Monday, February 13, 2006

The generosity of a stranger

Friday, February 10, 2006

I'm so unoriginal

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Knitiotsavant!

Monday, February 06, 2006

The Knitting Confessional

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Pardon the mess

Thursday, February 02, 2006

A Blogger's (Silent) Poetry Reading

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

In the bag

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Self Portrait Tuesday Week 5 - Personal History

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Self Portrait Tuesday Week 4: Personal History

Monday, January 23, 2006

It's about food...

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Secret Pal Foo

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Chocolatey Goodness

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

I've been tagged, and it's not a scary tag

Self Portrait Tuesday Week 3: Personal History

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Knitting Foo

Friday, January 13, 2006

A relatively uninspired post

Monday, January 09, 2006

SP7 Questionnaire

Sunday, January 08, 2006

A Yarny Sort of Weekend

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Freakin' Meme

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Self Portrait Tuesday: Personal History

Sunday, January 01, 2006

The Knitting Confessional

Saturday, December 31, 2005

Happy New Year!

Thursday, December 29, 2005

FO in the house

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Self Portrait Tuesday

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Happy Holidays!

Monday, December 19, 2005

Self Portrait Tuesday

Friday, December 16, 2005

I've got the Clap and the burn is good.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Self Portrait Tuesday

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Spin, Span, Spun

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Self Portrait Tuesday

Thursday, December 01, 2005

The Knitting Confessional

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Self-Portrait Tuesday

Friday, November 18, 2005

A fun post

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Self Portrait Tuesday

Saturday, November 12, 2005

The Knitting Confessional