Plath's Adventures

2007-03-04T15:07:00.000-05:00

If you're still reading here, you're missing the blog!

I moved to http://plathsadventures.com!

Come subscribe at my new blog :)

2007-02-08T15:38:00.000-05:00

I've moved! Come visit me in my new home :)

2007-02-08T09:10:00.000-05:00

Times they are a Changin'!

Lots of things going on behind the scenes at Plath's Adventures. Look for news sometime later this week. I'm packing up and moving.

2007-02-07T08:57:00.000-05:00

Issues

I'm having blog issues. I upgraded to the new blogger and my archives disappeared because there's now an "archive template," which I can't get to because I'm still using the classic template. If I upgrade to the new template, I can't use my own template because it's not beta blogger compatible. *sigh* I'm sure there's a way around it, but I really don't want to fiddle with it right now. I just bought a domain name, and am trying to determine if I want to stick with blogger or use something else. Any recommendations?

I'm currently spinning some merino, which I'm finding a challenge, but I'm trying a bit each day, so hopefully I'll get the hang of it.

2007-01-31T09:58:00.000-05:00

Get Your Tivos ready

The Discovery channel's program How It's Made will show how wool is produced. It will air later today at 5:30 pm and again Feb. 7 at 12:30 pm.

For those of us without DIY, HGTV is showing Knitty Gritty episodes through February 19th. I believe they're on at 11 am every day. New ones will be premiering Feb. 1st! See Vickie's blog for more details.

Next Wednesday, Lost is back! Don't forget, they're moving to 10 pm.

Next Thursday, Survivor is back. Looks like they have a lot of ~~trampy~~ young girls this season

Ahhh just what I need-- couch potato time. Hopefully I can get cracking on these:

Just a basic shortie sock with Regia 6. No real pattern, for when I don't feel like spinning.

2007-01-30T12:51:00.001-05:00

Brown Sheep Mill Ends
Originally uploaded by plath.

I ordered two pounds of roving from Sheep Shed Studio's huge bale sale, and I really wish I'd ordered more. Here's my loot-- a mix of wool and a bit of mohair. They included a little bag of the red roving for free. It's only $6.50 A POUND. Go snag some before it's too late!

I also got my Coffee and Yarn swap package yesterday from Maia. It may have been a bit late, but she made up for it in the amazing yarn (one skein has beads!), and delicious smelling coffee. I can't wait to brew some this weekend. Good thing I took a picture right when I opened the box ,because the chocolate is already gone ;)

I've been spinning a bit as well. Here's what's currently on my bobbin. It's an alpaca blend with a touch of glitter.

This is the first batch of roving that I'm not doing to much pre-drafting with. I've been working with sliver, and have predrafted almost everything ahead of time, but I'm trying to actually draft this as I spin so I can get the hang of it.

And this is waiting for the twist to be set:

2007-01-26T10:45:00.000-05:00

Winter Weather Advisory:

Issued at: 10:25 AM EST 1/26/07, expires at: 6:30 PM EST 1/26/07

Winter weather advisory remains in effect until 7 pm est this evening,
A winter weather advisory remains in effect until 7 pm est this evening.
Snow, heavy at times, will impact most of the region this morning with visibilities reduced to less than 1 mile at times. Snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches are expected along and north of the m 59 corridor, with up to an inch possible further south. This snow will change to freezing drizzle by late morning along and south of the m 59 corridor, and by early this afternoon along and north of interstate 69. This will lead to some light glazing of ice.
A winter weather advisory means that periods of snow, sleet, or freezing rain will cause travel difficulties. Be prepared for slippery roads and limited visibilities, and use caution while driving.

Why can't it do this on days when I can stay home? Sigh. I want to hole up and spin and knit. I don't want to drive in this crap!

2007-01-23T14:57:00.000-05:00

I've been spinning a bit this week:

It's Spunky Eclectic African Fine roving. I can't remember the colorway... I was all set to ply it last night, after a huge spinning fest, and a hinge on my wheel is loose, so I couldn't. Grrrr.

We ran into some delays at the Detroit airport before taking off for our Chicago trip, so I made sure to pick up a few books for the return flight. The first book I snagged was A Bride Most Begrudging

I didn't notice when I purchased it that it's a Christian Historical Romance. I knew it was a historical romance (that much is kind of obvious), but I didn't notice the Christian slant. I must say, I was pleasantly suprised that it wasn't heavy handed at all. In fact, I didn't even know it was until I took a look at the dedication page (which is a bible verse) after I was halfway through, and it clicked. There are a few biblical references here and there, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. A bit cheesy, but still a very good read, even if you're not into Christian romances. Definitely not as naughty as the Philippa Gregory novels, but still good.

I also picked this one up:

I'm trying so hard to like this one, but it's just not working for me. I usually like the chicklit books, and I also like knitting related novels, but this one is almost as if they took a bad chicklit novel, already written, and decided to throw the slightest bit of knitting at it to make it have a niche market and sell.

I also decided to do something drastic this week. I joined this:
I've decided to work through my yarn stash, at least for a few months. Fiber doesn't count, though, so I'm kind of cheating.

Speaking of fiber, Shannon RAOK'd me with some fiber she had in her stash.

A non-spinner, non-knitter with fiber? That's cuckoo! Thank you so much Shannon! I can't wait to spin it up :)

We didn't have time to do a ton of things in Chicago, but we did make it to the Art Institute, Sears Tower, and a nice big Giordano's pizza . Oh was it good! We also ate at a Portillo's/Barnelli's restaurant in Schaumburg (where we stayed), that was very tasty and kitchy, with a 50s diner feel.
I wasn't super-impressed with the Art Institute's collection, though I did enjoy a few paintings they had. I leave you with my new favorite: Farm Near Duivendrecht by Mondrian. I really don't like Mondrian's later work, but this just struck me.

Finished mittens

2007-01-19T10:20:00.001-05:00

Finished mittens
Originally uploaded by plath.

Just in time for Chicago! Wish me luck in the windy city-- I've never been ;)

Handspun mitten

2007-01-18T10:23:00.001-05:00

Handspun mitten
Originally uploaded by plath.

And you thought I'd just let my handspun sit and look pretty. Nope, I cast on for a mitten last night, and here's my progress. My gauge is a little small for the pattern, but I have small, narrow hands, so it works ;) I'm hoping to finish this one and knit up the match tonight, as we leave for Chicago tomorrow night. I think these will be just the thing to keep my hands warm.

The pic was taken with my camera phone at work, so sorry for the quality.

First plied yarn

2007-01-16T09:41:00.001-05:00

First plied yarn
Originally uploaded by plath.

I have 90 yards of plied yarn :) I have no idea what I'm going to do with it, but I'm happy with how it turned out. I think I could have plied it a touch firmer, but for my first shot at it, I'm pleased.

I haven't forgotten the knitting, though. I cast on for this hat:

It's Debbie Bliss tweed, and Jason and I are heading to Chicago this weekend where it will be collllld, so I need a hat to wear. I've just started the decreases.

Not a lot going on here, just slugging through the days. I just passed the estimated due date of my miscarriage yesterday. I did better emotionally than I expected, but it's still hard to realize that we would have a child right now. It hurts.

2007-01-12T09:08:00.001-05:00

Close up of my first yarn
Originally uploaded by plath.

Here's a shot of my first yarn, all skeined up. More pics here. I'm so happy with it, and just giddy with glee at spinning my own yarn.

I also did my first batch of dyeing last night with Gaywool dyes in colors Avocado and Garnet.

I love how easy they are. I just mixed the dye powder with water, poured it on the roving, sprayed with vinegar, wrapped it in plastic wrap and then microwaved it. I wish I'd put a bit more green in, and diluted the garnet, but it turned out ok I guess. Can't wait to see what it does when I start spinning.

I also received a spinning book this week:

I can already tell this is a fantastic book, and I've only really browsed through it so far. I can't wait until this weekend when I have more time to thoroughly enjoy it. There are great pictures showing everything from carding to dyeing to spindle spinning and wheel spinning. The patterns are kind of ick, which is what I've heard from other people, but there is a nice sock pattern, a basic pullover sweater and a few nice hat patterns (and a few fugly garments). It's completely worth it for the spinning instructions though. I highly recommend!

2007-01-11T11:48:00.000-05:00

The chiropractor visit was weird. They took lots of x-rays and did an adjustment. He said I was way out of alignment. It felt immediately better though. It's a bit sore today, but he said that was normal. I have to go back on Saturday for him to review my x-rays with me and do another adjustment.

Pics of my skeins of handspun yarn soon-- I have them hanging and drying as we speak. My niddy noddy came yesterday :) I also picked up dyeing supplies this morning before work, so maybe I'll feel up to some dyeing tonight. Or maybe I'll just snuggle up with the wheel and the first season of Big Love on dvd.

To the person who found my blog by searching "girls sweaty sock sniffing," I hope you found what you were looking for... or not... Ewwww

2007-01-10T14:29:00.000-05:00

I just upgraded to the new blogger, so sorry about the pain in the ass re-upload for bloglines.

Here's a picture of Marzipan with her all-time favorite toy to make up for it. It has an incredibly annoying squeaker, which Jason drilled out of it so we wouldn't have to hear it anymore. She has one in purple and red, too because she's constantly losing them. I think they're hidden under various car parts in Jason's man-cave (the garage).

Isn't it Pretty?

2007-01-09T09:27:00.000-05:00

Yarn
Originally uploaded by plath.

Here's a nice close up of my first yarn, using Spunky Eclectic's wool roving in the Swimming Lessons colorway. I now have a full bobbin, and have almost spun up the entire four ounces. I placed an order for a niddy noddy, so as soon as it arrives, I'll wind it off and set it and things. I'm going to keep it as a single, as it varies between thick and thin.

I've also started spinning up some new roving. I bought this pencil roving from Crown Mountain Farms

I cannot rave about Crown Mountain Farms enough-- I placed an order last Thursday, and had my roving on Saturday packaged great. I love the little stamp they put on their painted rovings-- certified work of art :) That just makes me smile. And of course the roving is gorgeous, too. Here's what I have so far:

I plan on trying to ply this one, so I've split the pencil roving lengthwise, and am trying to spin a bit thinner. It's the Twilight colorway.

I'm trying not to spin too much, though, as I've been having major shoulder/neck pains. I could barely move on Saturday, and laying in bed was a nightmare. I couldn't turn over, and Jason had to help me roll over. It's definitely better, but still feels really pinchy, and typing all day long doesn't help, I'm sure. I've had recurring pains in my right shoulder since high school, so I've made an appointment at a chiropractor for tomorrow. I've never been to a chiropractor, so wish me luck. I've even good things about fertility and getting adjusted, so that intrigues me. I'm pretty much willing to try anything at this point ;)

I'm going to try and dye some fiber tonight, as I also ordered some white roving from CMF, and my gaywool dyes have arrived. Jason's out of town again, this time to England (oh how jealous I am!). I've given him a list of things he must buy me though.

Patches Loves My Roving

2007-01-06T10:56:00.000-05:00

Originally uploaded by plath.

And we have yarn!

2007-01-03T08:50:00.000-05:00

Spinning!
Originally uploaded by plath.

I think I've finally got the adjustments down, and I've made some yarn! I used Spunky Eclectic's Wool Fiber in the colorway Swimming Lessons. I love the blues and greens, and the fiber seems to be super-easy to spin.

And of course, here's a picture of my wheel:

Jason and I are going to take it apart this weekend, hopefully, and get it oiled up, since it's unfinished. I plan on probably using teak oil. Now where to purchase my next order of fiber... I already purchased some Gaywool dyes! I also need a niddy noddy...

2006-12-29T08:10:00.000-05:00

Fibery news

I got my wheel! Jason tried to trick me and told me we couldn't afford it until January, and he had it waiting for me to open at my mom's house, which is where we spent Christmas :) It's an Ashford Traveler, double treadle, single drive. Remember how I said I was making yarn in mere seconds at the spinning shop when I test drove some wheels? Turns out it's not so easy when someone hasn't made all the adjustments for you. I keep going from breaking the fiber into little bits (underspinning?) to super-overspinning and not having it even wind onto the bobbin it's so overspun. I got lots of fiber along with it, and my MIL gave me some as well, along with a set of hand carders. I did, however, already purchase a little more fiber from Spunky Eclectic and Crown Mountain Farms. I couldn't resist the hand dyed pencil roving-- they say it's good for beginners!

I also taught my mom to knit while we were down visiting! She mentioned a month or so ago that she needed a hobby, so I jumped immediately into setting her up, and gave her a beginner embroidery kit, a cross stitch kit and some yarn and needles with free lessons (from me of course). After proclaiming that she'd never be able to learn, she caught on quickly and knit a few inches before we had to leave. She even told me that it was easy.

I'm still alive

2006-12-16T07:35:00.000-05:00

Two pair
Originally uploaded by plath.

Yes, I'm still alive, just not feeling too cheery this Christmas season. Things aren't going so great on the TTC (trying to conceive) front-- the clomid I'm on is giving me night sweats and making me a crazy woman, but it isn't doing what it's supposed to do, and my estimated due date on my lost pregnancy is in January, which is really rough. I really thought I'd have a big belly and be uncomfortable and happy over the holidays, but it wasn't meant to be.

We didn't even put up a tree this year. We usually go and cut our own every year, but we were in Florida last weekend, and Jason is still gone until tomorrow, and then we leave for my parent's house next weekend, so there really isn't much point in putting one up. I do have a tiny tabletop tree up with all the Ornament Swap ornaments I've received though.

In other happier news, I did finish two pair of socks ;) Ok so one's a mini pair-- it still counts, right? Work has been super-crazy, and I'm not done with all my Christmas shopping yet. I think I need to relax with a nice boring scarf project, a big cup of hot cocoa and all my favorite Christmas movies. Maybe that will make me feel less bah humbug.

I got a package!

2006-12-06T11:01:00.000-05:00

One Skein Secret Pal
Originally uploaded by plath.

Ok, so it's a little late, but believe me, it's worth it! My one skein secret pal sent me this great box yesterday just full of beautiful Rowan Tweed yarn and a cute little satchel. Isn't it adorable? Thank you so much Tiffany!

Mini socks

2006-11-13T08:32:00.000-05:00

Mini socks
Originally uploaded by plath.

I may not have been able to get a lot of work done on my Retro Rib socks this weekend, but I did get 9 FOs. Sure they're mini mini socks, but they still count, right? teehee

These are for the Holiday Ornament Swap I joined. I absolutely LOVE Christmas ornaments, and I adore all things handmade, so this was the swap for me. Hiding under the mini socks are some small beaded wire ornaments I made up as well, but I don't think they're as cute. I also joined Rox's Ornamental, and did a little work on those ornaments this past weekend as well. I'm stressing about Christmas quickly approaching! I have two handknit presents finished in addition to the ornaments, but I'm truly stumped on what to knit anyone else, so maybe I just won't. I'm undecided.

In spinning news, why the heck didn't anyone tell me that spinning was so stinking easy?! MIL took me to a spinning shop on Saturday, and I was able to try out 5 different wheels. I was seriously making yarn in 30 seconds. Decent, non-novelty yarn, too. I was able to try the Ashford Kiwi, Traveler, Traditional, the Majacraft Rose and a Louet (the Anniversary edition one?). I think I'm leaning towards the Traveler, although the Majacraft was simply lovely (but a tad out of my price range). If you're in the Howell, Michigan area, go and check out the Spinning Loft. Beth, the owner, was simply wonderful at letting me try out all the wheels and really boosting my confidence :)

1 Retro Rib completed

2006-11-11T08:54:00.000-05:00

1 Retro Rib completed
Originally uploaded by plath.

I've always been able to get much more work done with a deadline. Sure, I would procrastinate, but I always got it done when it came down to the (k)nitty gritty. That's the only explanation that I can give on why it's taking me so fracking long to finish this sock. Socktoberfest is over, and I no longer have that deadline to finish, so I'm ambivalent. Grrrr... At least one sock is finally done.

I'm heading out today with my MIL to check out wheels. They don't stock Lendrums at the shop we're going to, but I'm going to check out the Ashfords. I'm nervous. I know-- I'm wierd.

Socktoberfest over

2006-11-01T08:26:00.000-05:00

Retro Rib
Originally uploaded by plath.

Well, I wasn't able to finish my Retro Rib socks, but here is my progress as of the end of Socktober. I just managed to start the heel last night, while watching House. It takes a few rounds to really get into the rhythm of the pattern, but it's smooth knitting once you do. I'm really happy with how they're turning out :)

Just a reminder, I'm using Socks that Rock in Moonlight Revel. The socks look perfectly autumn! I'm sure many bloggers are mentioning the fact that Blue Moon opened up registration for their Rockin Socks Club for 2007. I had told Jason a few months ago that I wanted a subscription for Christmas this year, so I was really disappointed to see how much the price had jumped. I won't be joining. I really can't justify spending $35 per pair, when I could buy just the yarn for $19 (lightweight) or $21 (mediumweight). It is nice, however, that for next year's club, the colorways really are special, because they won't be available to the general public until 2008. BUT, I've decided to ask for a wheel (just need to decide between the Ashford Traditional or the Lendrum Saxony) and that's two high priced gifts. I'd rather have the wheel than 6 pairs of sock yarn, even if it is fantastic! I did, however, add a few of their newly listed colorways to my wists.

2006-10-30T17:46:00.000-05:00

New colors of cotton ease:
Click here!

3rd Socktoberfest Pair Finished!

2006-10-30T08:11:00.000-05:00

Chocolate Waffle aka Monster Man Socks Finished!
Originally uploaded by plath.

Even though this weekend was super-hectic, I still managed to finish my Chocolate Waffle/aka Monster Man socks. Here they are in all their glory.

Pattern: Blueberry Waffles with 66 stitches
Needles: Size 1bamboo
Yarn: hand-dyed from a SP. I believe it was a Knitter's Review secret pal who never revealed herself

Not that I'm finished with Socktoberfest. After kitchenering these (I LOVE to kitchener), I promptly cast on for a new pair. I scoured all my old IKs and flipped through my sock pattern binder yesterday, and decided on the Retro Rib socks from the Winter 2004 issue of Interweave Knits. I'm not into the leg pattern yet, only the cuff, but here they are so far:

I'm using Socks that Rock, in the mediumweight. The colorway is Moonlight Revel. I'm not sure if these socks will be for me or for a Christmas gift.

Not to be outdone, Jason did a little stash busting as well this weekend. He turned this huge bag:

Into this:

and this:

Yep, my hubby makes an awesome apple pie. He spent all day Sunday replacing a window in our dining room, and then came in to make two apple pies. I'm so lucky.

Socktoberfest Progress

2006-10-27T06:28:00.000-04:00

Dimple Socks Finished
Originally uploaded by plath.

My Dimple Socks are Finished! I'm really happy with how they turned out. I did have a few design changes: I didn't do as many repeats on the leg of the sock as the pattern called for because I was afraid the tops would be too snug on the calves for the recipient if I did. I also only used size 3 needles, instead of the called for needles 3 & 4.

Pattern: Dimple Socks from Designedly Kristen
Yarn: Super Glitz from Cherry Tree Hill, Old Rose
Needles: Size 3 Bryspuns

My next pair of socks are my Chocolate Waffles, which I pulled out of my WIP basket. I haven't worked on them since last fall, so I'm really determined to actually finish them this time. Here's my progress so far:

I'm actually a bit farther since I took this picture-- I just finished the gusset last night. I've dubbed them my Monster Man Socks, as they're huge in comparison to the last few pairs I've worked on. They're going to be for Jason for Christmas.

Natural dyeing & a ton of pictures

2006-10-23T15:00:00.000-04:00

Yarn in the dyebath
Originally uploaded by plath.

Here is my yarn soaking in it's black walnut dye bath. I took about a dozen fresh black walnuts that I stole from the squirrels (not the rotted ones), put them in a pair of old panty hose, and tied it off. I let the walnuts soak in the water with a handful of rusty nails for about a week, then brought them to a boil and let them simmer for 2 hours (keep the lid on-- it's kind of sweetly stinky). Then, I pulled out the walnuts, and added my soaked yarn, that I soaked for about 2 hours with a little dish detergent and room temp water. I brought the water back up to a slight simmer and let the yarn simmer for another two hours. Then, I took the pot off the heat, and let the yarn stew overnight. The next morning, it was time to rinse:
And here is the finished yarn, after drying:

I simply love it. It's a tad washed out in this picture, but it's a delicious color of chocolate-brown, with a very slight color variation of a darker shade. This will become a pair of socks (as it's Knitpicks Color Your Own Sock yarn-- the 100% wool), but I'm excited to try dyeing with the black walnuts again. I think the squirrels may have swiped all our black walnuts though...

I'm moving along great on the Dimple Socks, much farther than this picture attests:

In fact, I'm just about ready to cast on for a new pair.

In house renovation news, we have a hole in our house:

The resident handyman (my dh) replaced a huge window in the living room this weekend. Too bad it poured rain all Sunday, or the other hole in the house (I failed to take a picture) would be fixed, too. Arg.

I also made a little jelly.
What started out as this huge bag of grapes from MIL:

Became this:

16 jars to be exact. I'm thinking it will make a great office gift for Christmas. Yep, I'll probably still be here around Christmas-time. I wasn't initially planning on working here for that long, but last week I got a promotion. It's definitely not my dream job, but it's a great opportunity (and I can get up to pee whenever I want LOL), and it is a bit more money. I started out as a temp, was hired full-time as the receptionist, and am now a legal administrative assistant. It's amazing how much differently I'm already being treated. Isn't that sad? Attorneys who would never say more than two words to me are now asking me how my weekend was, and trying to start a conversation with me. Grrrrr.

Finished RPM Socks

2006-10-17T08:57:00.000-04:00

Finished RPM Socks
Originally uploaded by plath.

They are finished! I love the way they turned out, and they're oh so cozy in my new Crocs. Yes, I joined the Crocs bandwagon. I'm such a lemming. They truly are very comfy, and incredibly light. And I love the bright green-- my favorite color.

As I mentioned yesterday, I've cast on for a new pair using the Cherry Tree Hill Superglitz yarn, and I'm already past the gusset and on the foot. It's a heavier weight sock yarn, so the knitting is fast, just the way I like it. I'm a little unsure about the yarn though. It has a strand of glittery yarn mixed with the wool, and it feels a little scratchy as I'm knitting it. I'm going to give them a good soak in conditioner when I'm done, and I hope that helps to soften them up. They'll definitely need a good blocking, too, as the Dimple Sock pattern I'm using draws in a LOT.

I also have some yarn pr0n to share. The last I will be purchasing for quite a while, as we need to save money for new siding for our house.
Spunky Eclectic Super Sport in the I Love Fall colorway. Marzipan took an interest in this one. She couldn't stop sniffing and licking it once I opened the package!

And 3 beautiful hanks of Socks That Rock:

All Medium Weight, from left to right:
Rolling Stone
Farmhouse
Moonlight Revel

I did not know that you could just email them and ask them if certain colorways were in stock. This may be a very dangerous thing to know! I really wanted a hank of Puck's Mischief, but they didn't have that one in stock, so they suggested Moonlight Revel, which is very similar. I love it!

BLOGLINES update already!!!!!

2006-10-16T09:36:00.000-04:00

Socktoberfest Socks completed!

My socktoberfest socks are finished, and I'm super-happy with how they turned out. I've already cast on for my next pair of socks, but don't have pictures yet. Be back later this week with lots of yummy pictures. I had a busy, busy craftaholic weekend with Jason out of town :) Previews on my Flickr page if you're feeling nosey and just can't wait ;)

P.S. Go Tigers! I watched snippets of the game and caught the winning home run while flipping back and forth from the Nascar race. Jason was *in* the pit during the race in North Carolina, and I think I caught him on TV! I Tivo'd it so he can verify when he gets home. I'm not much of a sports fan, but I watched sports all day long on Saturday.

Snow in October

2006-10-13T09:45:00.000-04:00

Snow in October
Originally uploaded by plath.

Brrrrr.

It is just the day to stay inside, cuddle up with some knitting and hot cocoa and watch tv. And that is exactly what I have planned for the weekend. Jason will be out of town, so it's just me and the animals, and nothing special is planned except for the weekly trek to the grocery, and I plan on getting lots of knitting time. I'm also going to finally start on my natural dyeing process with the black walnuts I've had steeping all week.

Snow in October
Originally uploaded by plath.

More pictures of our snowfall yesterday. We didn't get much, but it's the earliest recorded snowfall ever for our area.

Newest yarn acquisition

2006-10-12T11:15:00.000-04:00

Going to try this again. For some reason, bloglines isn't updating my blog.

Newest yarn acquisition
Originally uploaded by plath.

Here is my newest sock yarn stash enhancement. Sweet Georgia Yarn in the Speed Demon weight, English Bay colorway from Pickup Sticks. I ordered this with the Socktoberfest discount, and received it very promptly from Canada, with three free stitch markers included in my package. I highly recommend! I also purchased and downloaded the Dimple Socks and Flatiron Clog socks patterns from Designedly, Kristi. I'm planning on knitting up the Dimple Socks pattern next, but I may use another sock yarn stash enhancement that's on it's way to me first. Pictures forthcoming, of course! It would be perfect with the Sweet Georgia yarn, though, too, so I may have to knit that pair up for me.

Lolly's questions:
Do you have certain patterns planned for some of the yarns? Do you buy yarn and then choose a pattern?

Usually I don't have a pattern in mind for the socks (of course I broke the rules above!), just whatever looks like fun to knit at the time.

Does a certain sock yarn you have in your stash take you back to a certain event? (where you were when you bought/received it? what was going on in your life at the time?)

I really would like to get in the habit of buying sock yarn on vacation. it's a great, relatively inexpensive souvenir. I regretted not buying some on our road trip through Northern Michigan last summer, and again in England in January. I just couldn't find the right sock yarn in England (although I did buy yarn). I do have memories connected to the sock yarn I've purchased at fiber festivals though. This beautiful yarn I bought at the Wool Gathering Festival in Yellow Springs, Ohio last summer became these socks (read about them here), and this yarn from the Michigan Fiber Festival this year, waiting to be knit. I also have great memories of finishing these socks while in England in January. They've been dubbed my England socks, even though the yarn came from the States (more specifically Knitpicks-- their Parade yarn).

Brand new Philippa Gregory book
Originally uploaded by plath.

I also received a new book in the mail recently. I'm fortunate enough to be on Simon & Schuster's bookclub list, and they occasionally send me Advance Reader's Edition copies of various books. I email them to give a short review, and let them know whether or not my book club would consider reading the titles. Imagine my surprise when I opened my mail to find Philippa Gregory's newest book, which isn't available until December! I'm so excited to be given the opportunity to read it before it even comes out. You can preorder it on Amazon--The Boleyn Inheritance if you're interested. I can already tell you it's a good one!

One done, one to go!

2006-10-10T09:05:00.000-04:00

One done, one to go!
Originally uploaded by plath.

One sock finished, and the match on it's way! I promise to take a good, well lit picture once both socks are finished. The flash really washed out the colors this morning, but that's what you get when you take a picture at 6:30 am.

This is review week for Socktoberfest, and I already started a thread on the Flickr Group about favorite sock books, but I figured I'd offer a little yarn review on the Socks that Rock yarn I'm currently using. When I first balled up my yarn, I fell in love with the squishyness and the wonderful super-saturated colors. I've never been a fan of pastels, and almost all the socks that rock colorways have turned me on (as Vincent would say LOL-- pardon me if you don't watch Project Runway). Once I began to knit with it, the love only grew stronger, until... the second night I was working on these socks, my fingers turned blue-ish purple. Eeek! My love was definitely questioned. However, I haven't noticed any dye transfer since. I don't know if there was just something particularly sweaty about my hands that night or what, but I'll make sure and soak them well after I bind off. In fact, I love the yarn so much that I just purchased another skein of Socks that Rock in the Farmhouse colorway.

In other fiber related news, Brenda Dayne's adventures in natural dying as of late, as well as Lime n Violet's recent mention of it had me intrigued, so I decided I needed to dabble in it as well. I've had a hank of Knitpicks Dye Your Own sock yarn hanging around, and a yard full of black walnuts, so I put two and two together and decided to try dyeing with black walnuts. I found this great resource online, so I stuffed a dozen black walnuts (in their green husks) into the legs of an old pair of nylons, and then put them in a big pot with water to soak. I also added a handful of old rusty nails, as I read that iron makes the color deeper, even though black walnuts are so acidic they don't really need a mordant. Our water is a tad rusty as well, since our water softener is currently low on salt. I'm going to let them soak for a few days and then I'll boil the whole mixture, strain it, and then attempt the actual dyeing.

Freaky magnolia tree seed pod
Originally uploaded by plath.

I leave you with a very creepy picture of a seed pod on our magnolia tree. It scares Jason and I to death-- we envision it sneaking into our house at night to attack us.

2006-10-08T17:43:00.000-04:00

Yarn Aboard Sock package
Originally uploaded by plath.

I received my awesome Yarn Aboard Sock package! Thank you so much Michelle. Dh and I have already devoured the delicious chocolate, and I can't wait to drink the decaf Caribou. I've added the yummy Cherry Tree hill sock yarn to my waiting to be knit pile, and I think I'm going to knit dh a pair of fingerless gloves with the great brown tweed sock yarn.

The Francis Drake box will be on it's way to it's next recipient tomorrow!

Socktoberfest
Originally uploaded by plath.

Here is the progress on my Socktoberfest sock. I poured a glass of wine (not from Shelton Vineyards, although dh is going there again next weekend to buy us another case), and knit away. I'm actually quite a bit farther, I'm going to start the toe decreases when I get home from work, and hopefully cast on for the second sock! Stay tuned :)

Socktoberfest Questions

When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?
I taught myself using the Lion Brand basic pattern.

What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?
My first pair was this pair out of Magic Stripes yarn in Jellybean. I
still wear them, and they're one of my favorites. I kitchenered one of the toes inside out (don't know how), so they're far from perfect, but they fit great, and are so durable.

What would you have done differently?
My first few pairs, with the exception of the Magic Stripe, should have been knit on a smaller needle. They're a little floppy and not as tightly knit as they should be.

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?
My favorites are Socks that Rock, Cherry Tree Hill and Regia. I just recently purchased some Vesper sock yarn, though, and I have a feeling it's going to be one of my favorites, too.

Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?
Definitely dpns, knit only (I don't know how to crochet). I love my bryspun dpns. I tried the magic loop method once upon a time and kept ending up with the stitches all on one circ. So frustrating!

Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)
Flap--usually the eye of partridge for durability, and I like the way it hugs my heel, but I've been wanting to try a short row again. My one attempt was not so great.

How many pairs have you made?
Between 10-15. Not so many. I've been on a sweater kick up until now ;)

Coffee Crisp

2006-10-06T13:38:00.000-04:00

Coffee Crisp
Originally uploaded by plath.

Did you know these were available in the US now? They used to be only available in Canada, but not anymore!
(picture taken on my camera phone)

Thank you so much to everyone who left a comment about my doctor appointment. They are going to run a few tests, and if everything comes back ok, I'm going to be placed on clomid. I have my fingers crossed so hard that everything comes back ok.

My socktoberfest socks are coming along nicely.

Socktober Progress
Originally uploaded by plath.

Just finished the heel flap, and should be picking up stitches and cruising along the gusset tonight! I always make sure to catch up on housework on Thursday nights, so Fridays are my nights to sit back and relax. We have 3 dvds full of last season's Nip/Tuck to get through sometime this weekend.
Weekend plans are boring. We went to the apple orchard last weekend, so I have laundry and other mindless things to catch up on this weekend.

Socktober Start

2006-10-04T09:18:00.000-04:00

Socktober Start
Originally uploaded by plath.

Here is the start of my socks for Soctoberfest. I'm using the RPM pattern from Knitty, and STR in the Seal Rock colorway. This yarn is truly amazing. As soon as I wound it up into its squishy little ball, I knew I was hooked. I'm already having to restrain myself from buying more.

~personal information/rant below~~you've been warned

In other news, I have a doctor appointment today to hopefully start us on the path to our family. It's been almost a year since we started trying, and although we were able to get pregnant but couldn't get him/her to stick, something is not right if it's taking us this long, especially since I'm charting and know when I'm ovulating. It almost seems silly--all those years of using birth control. What a waste. You always hear about infertile people, but you never align yourself with them. Never think for a minute that you could be included in that group. It's hard when you finally come to terms with the fact that you *could* be in that group. It's terrifying. I've wanted two things out of my life ever since I could remember. To be a teacher, and to be a mother. Currently, I'm neither. Teaching jobs are next to impossible to find up here, especially if you didn't go to a Michigan college, so I took a job out of my field--an entry-level crappy job, taking comfort in the fact that one day soon, I would quit anyway, and become the full-time mom I've wanted to be when my kids were young. Ha. Kind of funny that now we're having issues in that department. Not really funny though. Sometimes I feel as though my life is running away without me.

Socktober yarns

2006-10-02T15:04:00.000-04:00

Socktober yarns
Originally uploaded by plath.

Well, it is officially socktober! Here are my recently acquired yarns, just for Socktoberfest. One skein of Cherry Tree Hill in dusk, two skeins of sock yarn from this Ebay seller: robbin7880, and my first ever skein of Socks that Rock in the medium weight of the Seal Rock colorway. Yummy!!!

Now I just need to find the perfect pattern for the STR. Any recommendations?

2006-09-30T18:10:00.000-04:00

Yarn for sale

I just listed a few yarns over on Knitters Review for sale. Mostly laceweight, but also some Elann Esprit.
Linky here
Please don't comment here if you're interested-- please send me a pm on the KR board.

I just organized my stash! I plan on listing some novelty yarns on Ebay this next week as well.

2006-09-23T14:29:00.000-04:00

It seems like only a few days ago that I was complaining about how hot it was. My hands were slippery on the needles while knitting, and I had to wipe them off as I went along. Well, fall is definitely here!
I've hit a stand-still with my knitting, but I find that knitting urge is bubbling up inside with the crisp feeling in the air in the evenings. I've decided to frog my Something Blue. I made an error a few rows back, and I was going to just ignore it and try to cover it up with some creative weaving in of ends, but to the frog pond it shall go. Hmm.. my last two projects have ended up in that pond.

So, with all that frogging, I decided I needed a boring, basic, quick to finish project to curb the knitting embarrassment I've been feeling. I pulled out the boring brown top-down raglan sweater I started so long ago, and pleasantly found that I only have 1 1/2 sleeves to go. The *perfect* knit for those chilly evenings we've been having.

I've also been feeling the sock bug lately, just in time for Socktoberfest. I just ordered some beautiful Cherry Tree Hill supersock from Ebay, and I'm seriously eyeing Socks that Rock in the Seal Rock and Lagoon colorways in the medium weight. *drool* I need some squishy colorful yarn to perk up my knitting. I think Lime n Violet's yarn pr0n is rubbing off on me. Darn those two! I think I'm going to hold off buying the Socks that Rock for a bit, if I can, though because I do have a Yarn Aboard sock package that should be arriving *sometime.* Can't wait until it makes it's rounds to me! Oops I caved and picked up a skein of the Seal Rock...

Oh, and I've heard from more than one source now, that Lion Brand is bringing Cotton Ease back in new colors. Squee!

I recently also discovered the joys of Japanese craft magazines, especially with the embroidery designs. I *must* have some! Cotton & Paint looks especially fantastic, as well as the Vogue Embroidery books. The prices are a little eek-ish, of course, so it'll be awhile. Meanwhile, I've added them to my newly created wists!

Flaming Martinis

2006-09-08T08:45:00.000-04:00

martini
Originally uploaded by plath.

I promise that I have been knitting. In fact, I just divided the sleeves on my Something Blue last night while watching old episodes of The Gilmore Girls.

BUT I've been embroidering too. Here is my flaming martini on a kitchen towel, and I also just completed a Trogdor.

Not much else happening at my house. The weekend was nice at my parents. I enjoyed my favorite pizza and Indian food, and then Jason and I went to the Wright Patterson Airforce Museum for a day. It's his favorite place in the whole world.

Heading out of town

2006-09-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

Frog
Originally uploaded by plath.

I'm leaving today to drive down to my parent's house for the weekend. Jason has been on a business trip all week, and I have to pick him up in Indianapolis on Saturday. I'm really looking forward to all that great Dayton, Ohio food-- Donato's and Cassano's pizza, Amar India, Graeter's ice cream. I'm going to gain 10 pounds this weekend, I can already see it.

Anywho, I leave you with this picture of a frog we found in our backyard a week or so ago. He was a fast little sucker, but definitely a cutie. We actually found another teeny frog in the yard that same day.

Favorite Color Swap

2006-08-31T08:44:00.000-04:00

Favorite Color Swap
Originally uploaded by plath.

My favorite color swap package arrived the other day, and here it is! I got some wonderful green Knitpicks Wool of the Andes, some orange novelty yarn, great stitch markers, a fantastic tinkly frog windchime, a mini garden gnome (so cute!), and there's also a copy of the Summer IK hiding under there. Thank you so much Missprissknits!!!!!

2006-08-27T11:06:00.000-04:00

I've done a little knitting this week, but my focus has primarily been on embroidery as of late. Here is my first embroidery work:

And here is my second:

They're both tea towels, and I used patterns from the Stitch-It Kit. I really love her patterns. In fact, I've already ordered her new book Sublime Stitching: Hundreds of Hip Embroidery Patterns and How-To. I can't wait for it to arrive! I also ordered a few patterns from her regular site, as well at Sublime Stitching. I also plan on attempting to trace a few coloring book pages for ideas to stitch, and I have a couple of tattoo flash pics from one of Jason's tattoo magazines planned, too.

I guess you could say that I've definitely caught the embroidery bug ;) I mentioned before that I did find a little something to purchase at the Michigan Fiber Festival, and here is my lone purchase:

Sock yarn from Shelridge Farms. I love the colors. We also checked out the animals, and Jason is actually considering getting alapacas! I doubt it will happen, but we are zoned agricultural, so it's definitely possible for our area.

2006-08-24T10:05:00.000-04:00

Awesome new search engine with prizes to win, like Blingo!

Whenever someone in your "group" wins, you win, too. Ahhh I love stuff for nothing. LOL

2006-08-22T11:08:00.000-04:00

The Fiber Festival was nice, but I didn't buy much-- only 2 hanks of sock yarn. That was a bit of a disappointment, and I almost hate to say it, since we drove 6 hours round trip, but I think I like the Yellow Springs Wool Gathering festival a bit better. There were definitely more animals at the MI Fiber Fest, though, and Jason appreciated that. I may have him almost talked into getting an alpaca! We shall see.

The Nascar race was a blast, but unfortunately both Jason and I came down with food poisoning that night. We're still recuperating, so I'll post more later this week. Took a sick day yesterday, but I'm at work today, and feeling awful still, although definitely better than yesterday. I have *never* been so sick.

2006-08-18T18:59:00.000-04:00

I hope to come back with lots of exciting pictures for you after this weekend. Thanks for those of you who left tips on my Green Gables, but I went for broke and this is now what she looks like:

I lost a little yarn in the ripping process, so I'll probably have to buy a new skein or two, but I plan on casting on for the smaller size sometime soon. I'm not as torn up about it as I thought I would be. It was actually sort of empowering to know that I did it so I will have a fabulous fitting (crosses fingers!) sweater that I'll actually wear.

I did, however, get to wear my other FO-- Cavern Cardi to work this week. It was super-comfy and I love the little ties.

I've been in the mood to start a new craft lately. I even stopped into a big box craft store on my lunch hour this week for some inspiration on what to try next, but I came out empty handed. But I was stopped dead in my tracks after seeing the embroidery on the Sublime Stitching Website. Embroidery it is!
I bought this kit from Amazon:

It has instructions, 2 tea towels, 35 iron on patterns that are cool and retro-y, a hoop and a needle. I'm so excited to try it out! Just what I need-- another obsession. I already added her newest book with patterns to my Amazon Wishlist:

It comes out in October ;)

Well, I have lots to catch up on house-wise. We have an exciting weekend planned, so I won't be able to do the whole clean the house routine I normally do on Saturdays. Saturday is the Michigan Fiber Fest, and Sunday we're going to the Nascar race. We're not huge fans, but Jason got us vip tickets and pit passes, so it should prove to be fun. The last time he went, he got to meet a lot of the drivers.

2006-08-15T18:55:00.000-04:00

Sitting here at work, I'm feeling an overwhelming urge to create. Darn silly job!

Anyway, I have good news, and bad news.
I cast off on Green Gables last night! (that's the good news)
Modifications:
I made mine a bit longer than the pattern called for, and did 5 rounds of ribbing at the hem, instead of just 3. I also added a row to the sleeve ribbing as well.

Pattern: Green Gables by Zephyr Style
Yarn: Knitpicks Main Line yarn in Silver Sage. 5 1/2 balls. I really do love this yarn, contrary to what you might believe from my previous post. I think it was the bag they put the yarn in that added a bit of stinkyness. I'm already eyeing more for future projects ;) Too bad it's not 40% off any longer, but I do have a little stash of the Dusty Lavender.
Needles: Denise size 7 and 5
Cast on: August 6
Cast off: August 14
Size: 34

Overall, I was pretty happy with this pattern, but not so happy with the fit (that's the bad news). Other than a few typos (which always annoy me), it seems to be pretty well-written, but it's a very basic knit, if you don't take the lacework (which is easy, too) into consideration. I know a lot of people have issues with the Zephyr Style patterns because they don't provide schemantics, but the patterns have no seams, and I'm a sucker for seamless patterns. I'm awful at finishing. Really bad.

Now on to the fit. I know I have narrow shoulders-- always have, always will, but the neckline on this is huge on me. I've peeked around at all Green Gable FOs out there in blogland, and no one else seems to have this problem, so it must just be me. Unless I want to wear it slightly off the shoulder with a tank, ala Flashdance, it's a no go. So throw the no finishing out the window, I'm going to have to come up with some kind of "taking in" to make it work, or it will be frogville for Green Gables. Sigh. I guess I should have knit the smaller size, but I'm pretty happy with the fit elsewhere.

Full body picture:

Sorry for the crappy bathroom mirror shots-- Jason is out of town, so it's all I can get right now.

The offending neckline:

Next up? I've joined the knitalong on the Cotton Ease Yahoo Group, and have started a Something (Red) Blue in Blueberry Cotton Ease. I should have lots of knitting time available to me in the coming weeks, as dh will be out of town tonight, and then most of next week and the week after. I actually cheated and cast on last night while watching the finale of Hell's Kitchen. Boo. I wanted Virginia to win.

However, I do have more good news (cross fingers!) --we're planning on going to the Michigan Fiber Festival this weekend. I've neglected to post about this as of yet, because it's 3 hours away (think of all the car knitting!), and I felt for sure that Jason would back out, but he still seems game. Cross your fingers he doesn't bail! After the Fiber Fest, I must go on a yarn buying curb. I just bought 4 skeins of Southwest Trading Company's Soysilk Ribbon from Wild String's going out of business sale. I don't even like ribbon yarn really, but it was only $5 a skein and I've been dying to try soysilk!

2006-08-12T12:47:00.000-04:00

I am now officially cool

I finally have one of these courtesy of my mom and my belated birthday present:

I've been listening to podcasts non-stop.

Definitely love:

Lime & Violet
Really cute and quirky, with lots of stash enhancement and yarn raves.

Tim Gunn's Project Runway Podcast
He provides great insight to the show and behind the scenes tidbits.

Knitcast
Really nice interviews.

Cast On
I didn't think I would like the music interspersed throughout the dialogue, but I really enjoyed her music choices, especially in the latest-- Josh Woodward's song. I also liked the little snipets into her life-- much like a blog, I love reading/hearing about people's lives along with their knitting.

D.I.N.K.S. on TV- Project Runway Now I do like their Postshow podcast, but not their pre-show. I really do enjoy their input on what happened on the show, though. Their preshow felt like it just kept going on and on.

Not for me, but you might like them:

Knitting News
Seemed a bit redundant to me.

Knit2bTied
Difficult for me to hear what's going on, and not a lot of actual knitting content.

While listening to knitting podcasts yesterday, I managed to weave in the ends to my Cavern Cardi, and get it blocked. Here's a sad blocking picture. I had to mess around with the flash to get it to take right, and it looks splotchy because it's still damp.

Yarn: Cotton Ease in Licorice (can't remember how many- sorry!)
Needles: Denise
Pattern: Cavern Cardigan

As I mentioned last week, I did cast on for Green Gables as well. Here was my progress as of yesterday afternoon:

And here is what she looks like this morning:

I'm using the Knitpicks Mainline, and I do like it quite a bit, although it seems to be a bit sticky and stinky. Has anyone else experienced this?

I didn't do much yesterday except laze around listening to podcasts and knitting. It was quite nice. Here's my lazy Saturday Sky. I stepped out onto the porch to take it-- it's a view from my front yard.

2006-08-09T06:48:00.000-04:00

I'm contemplating signing up for Tote Exchange 2, but I think I'm going to pass. I'm getting a bit panicked about Christmas being here in only a little over 4 months, so I don't think I should commit to something that takes up a ton of time. I love drooling over the totes everyone came up with for Tote Exchange 1, though!

However, I did sign up for Rox's dishcloth exchange. I found a great pattern for a dishcloth that I had to test-knit over the weekend, and I love how it turned out, so I figured why not? Alternately, there's also the mystery dishcloth along if I get bored with the pattern I chose.

I just realized that I hadn't won anything on Blingo in a while, because I switched back to Google for some reason. So don't forget about Blingo! If you're not already signed up, click on my linky to win movie tickets, visa gift cards or ipods just by searching. It's super-easy, and I've already won at least 5 movie tickets.

Yarn Junkie let me know that unkymoods is back, though now renamed punky moods! I love the cute little graphics, and was just thinking of how I missed them the other day.

Finally, I swiped this from someone's blog and don't remember who. If you've read this far, consider yourself tagged!

Five items in my freezer:
1. Breyers Lowfat Mint Chocolate chip ice cream

2. Quorn "chicken" nuggets

3. Morningstar parmesan ranch "chicken" patties

4. various bits and ends of homemade bread, waiting to be defrosted and whirred into homemade breadcrumbs

5. frozen veggies

Five items in the closet:

1. giant pile of shoes which need to be sorted

2. giant pile of purses which need to be sorted

3. some cotton yarn I picked up a thrift store a while back

4. England things waiting to be scrapbooked

5. a rug I haven't seen since I put it in there because it's piled full of the above LOL

Five items in the car:
1. a book-- Goodbye, Jimmy Choo

2. first aid kit

3. emergency tampons

4. my sing along cd mix

5. a pencil. no I do not know why I would need a pencil while in my car, but it's there.

Five items in my purse:
1. dark chocolate and mint candy bar

2. Orbit cinnamint gum

3. Whole Foods grocery bag

4. the book Lolita, which I'm reading for the Knit the Classics read/knitalong

5. 3 sugar in the raw packets I stole from starbucks (before you lecture, I got decaf!)

In exciting knitting news, I finished my cardigan, and now just need to weave in the ends and block! I also promptly cast on for Green Gables on Sunday, and am already past the lace part, and onto the main body. Woohoo!

I leave you with a very addicting website http://www.oceangram.com/ You can send a virtual message in a bottle to be picked up by any random person, and you can also pick up other people's bottles and add to their messages. It's very addicting waiting for that bottle to appear! (yes I do actually work on my job, kinda)

2006-08-02T16:21:00.000-04:00

Ranting and Raving

Yes, you're reading about it everywhere, but it's been so hot, I can barely think. Yesterday we were in record-breaking temps, and a heat index of 110*, so I was really looking forward to vegging out for the evening in the a/c. Imagine my ~~rage~~ surprise, when I arrived home to find our power out. No a/c, no fan, and, as we have a well, no water either. It was not an enjoyable night, to say the least. I managed to take a sponge bath to wash my stinky butt self, and washed my hair with a gallon jug of water, but I'm sure I'm a little unfresh today. The power did, eventually, come back on, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's back out when I get home.

Have I ever raved about Zephyr Style patterns? I probably have, but they definitely deserve some more raves. I love that all their patterns have almost zero seaming, and the gauges always go well with my stash yarn. I'm thinking green gables for my next project, and I've already purchased one of their newest patterns, Glee, as well. I'm seriously eyeing Rusted Root, too. I'm hoping to try the Knitpicks Main line as a sub for the cotton fleece of the Green Gables, but my gauge may be off. We shall see.

I know this is old news, but why oh why does Lion Brand do this to me? First they discontinue cotton ease, my favorite go-to cotton blend yarn, especially pricewise. Then they discontinue magic stripes. I must confess, while magic stripes was not my favorite yarn to knit with, they are definitely my favorite pair of socks to slip into. I used Magic Stripes jelly bean yarn to knit my first ever pair of socks, and I wear them constantly. I love that they're a little bit thicker than most of my other handknit socks, I love that I can throw them in the washer and dryer and not worry about them stretching or shrinking or felting, and I'm sure that part of that love is that they were my first pair, but the love is definitely there. It's quite sad really. I know they don't have a lot of variety as far as the color selection goes, but I do love them. I have 3 balls of Magic Stripes in my stash, and I feel that hoarding urge coming along. Sigh. They definitely rank up there with the regia socks I knit Jason. In fact, I think they quite compare to regia sock yarn, for much less moolah. Hmmm... I could buy a couple balls to knit Jason a few pair with the Magic Stripes... I know he would probably like the denim stripe, regatta stripe, lumberjack, and maybe even the stonewashed blue...
see? the hoarding urge is taking over!

Remember this post about well-loved books? Well, I just have to show you what arrived in the mail yesterday.

I didn't want to post about it, lest someone *gasp* try and outbid me, but I won my favorite book ever as a child on ebay. Our copy was so worn out the cover was completely off and had been masking-taped back on at least a dozen times, pages were lose, the binding was crumbling... I barely recognized it when it arrived because it looks so pristine, but re-reading the stories, I hear my dad's voice in my head saying the words. One of the stories was
"The Ass, the Table and the Stick", and my dad always substituted donkey for the word ass. But my favorite stories were Rapunzel and the Princess Who Lived on a Glass Hill. I asked for those two over and over and over.

Libby also reminded me of another favorite from my childhood -- Fashion Plates. You mixed and matched patterns and styles to create your own "fashions," which you rubbed onto a sheet of paper. It's no wonder I love Project Runway, since I was a fashion designer as a mere child!

2006-07-30T09:23:00.000-04:00

I've just realized that I signed up for Knit the Classics, and never participated. Oops. So, I've vowed to actually participate. I nominated a few books for the next few months, and I'm looking forward to reading a few classics. If you're not signed up, go and do so quickly-- nominations for September, October and November end August 2nd!

Here's my Saturday Sky:
As you can see, it was taken from inside,
where I stayed for most
of the day yesterday. It was HOT. Sure, not as hot as those of you with temperatures in the 100s, but it was still hot. It's 81*F right now at 9:30 a.m., with 75% humidity. Yuck. Needless to say, I'll be spending most of today inside too, I think.

Nothing like coming home from a long day of work to a big box of yarn just waiting to be squished and knit with. Here's my Knitpicks order I received Thursday. I like the mainline yarn-- I took a gamble ordering it, since I'd never knit with it before, but it lived up to my expectations. It's smooth and soft, and will be great for a short sleeved pullover or camisole pattern. There's actually 6 skeins of the green color, not three (the other 3 are hiding below). The Shamrock yarn is gorgeous, although a tad rough, but I was expecting that. The Swish superwash has a great feel to it-- I may need to stock up on this one. It would be great for some heavy weight socks.

Marzi sums up what I want to do for the rest of the day, nap in the air conditioning.

2006-07-29T08:11:00.000-04:00

ETA: I think I have the kink worked out now! Yippee! ~~Ok, it's still a work in progress, as my later posts are screwy and I'm not sure how to fix it...,~~ but the new template is up. What do you think?

Not a good week. Yesterday I got into a small accident in a parking lot on my lunch hour, so the back of my jeep is smashed in. No fun. I love my jeep, so that was devastating (not to mention scary-- my first accident without Jason). Then we're also having neighbor issues. I don't really want to get into it here, but our neighbor is seriously crazy, and Jason had to call the cops on him yesterday morning. Fun. Then, we're also having septic issues (oh the joys of living in the country), so we need a whole new system and field to be installed which is MAJOR money. When it rains, it pours.

On the other hand, I did just stumble across an awesome deal on the discontinued cotton ease yarn, thanks to the cotton ease yahoo group.
Smiley's Yarns has it for $1.99 a skein!
I picked up some cherry, bubble gum, orangeade and candy blue. I'm thinking this sweater will be a good use of some more of my cotton ease stash. Then there's Green Gables, too....
Too bad smiley's didn't have licorice, vanilla, ice blue or blueberry. I've never been able to find the vanilla, and I'm using up the last of my licorice on my cardigan now-- I really hope I don't run out, but I'm on the last skein (I think-- I'll have to root through my stash later), and I'm not quite finished with the first sleeve yet. Yikes.

a strange search this week to get to my blog this week:
Can pregnant women go up the CN Tower?
in answer to your question, yes they can...

2006-07-26T19:29:00.000-04:00

Favorite Color Swap Questionnaire

1. What are your top three favorite colors?
all shades of green, sapphire and ocean blues, deep orange (ie not hunters orange LOL more like this shade http://www.vitralii.ro/filme/transparent/216-Deep-Orange.jpg ) I don't like pastels at all.

2. What crafts do you really enjoy?
knitting, although I do dabble in scrapbooking and soap making, and I would love to learn to sew if I could ever talk dh into helping me un-mystify our sewing machine.

3. What products do you really covet?
wool yarn (especially merino) like manos, malabrigo, cascade 200 or superwash, Aracaunia Nature Wool , merino sock yarn --mountain colors bearfoot, cherry tree hill, spunky eclectic, or any of the fabulous squishy sock yarns I always see on etsy, cute bags/purses (especially handsewn ones) to carry knitting projects. I've also been wanting some cotton blends (mission falls cotton, cotton ease, aracaunia nature cottom) for easy-care tanks and pullovers or blankets.

4. What other activities do you enjoy besides your favorite crafty things?
reading and cooking

5. Is there anything you collect?
garden gnomes and vintage/retro kitchen things like old mixing bowls and measuring cups, neat christmas ornaments. Not hallmark or anything, but ones from different places, vintage-y ones (like blown glass) or handmade ones, etc

6. What is your zodiac sign and/or Chinese zodiac symbol?
cancer

7.What are your favorite…

…scents/smells?
orangey scents (especially satsuma), ocean-y clean smells (no florals like rose or anything spicey-- dh can't stand spicey smells)

…types of music and/or bands?
I like just about everything except rap and "modern" country. I especially like singer/songwriter stuff and groups like the killers, modest mouse, etc

…authors?
I do my share of reading Chick-lit, but I also like the classics like Jane Austin, Fitzgerald and Hemingway. I'm more of a true-life, coming of age book reader. And then of course I love my knitting books! Currently I'm reading The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards.

…animals?
I like frogs and turtles, but not to the point that I collect anything with them

…places to shop?
Amazon, Knitpicks, Elann, garage sales and thrift stores.

…season?
fall-- I love autumn colors, the crisp feeling in the air, and treks to the apple orchard. And there's nothing like slipping on a cozy sweater and a pair of jeans on a cool morning.

…yarn/fabric/paper/other craft supplies?
I would love to learn to sew, so I've started a very small fabric stash of adorable fabrics. When I scrapbook, I do 12x12, and I love all the great stickers and papers I always see in Memory Maker's magazine (I'm not a victorian style scrapper-- more modern).

…candies or goodies?
salt water taffy, dark chocolate, caramels

8. Do you have any wish lists?
an amazon one and a froogle one (see my sidebar for links)

9. Are you allergic to anything?
smoke

10. Do you have any pets? What are they?
yellow lab- marzipan and a cat-- patches

11. Please include anything else you would like your secret pal to know about you- anything that would be helpful in finding you little gifts that you will really enjoy.

I love anything handmade-- handdyed yarn, handspun yarn included. Etsy is certainly my friend in that regard! But overall, I'm pretty happy to please. I also love cards, cool pens and notebooks-- I'm a bit of an office supply fiend, especially cute ones (I'm always surfing etsy for cute notebooks and stickers). When it comes to knitting, natural fibers are my love-- I don't like acrylics or novelty yarns, although acrylic has it's place blending with cotton in my fav cotton ease!

My blog will probably be a little under construction the next few weeks. I'm hoping to upload a new template and such :)

2006-07-22T08:31:00.000-04:00

Random Blatherings

Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day. We woke up, took the top off the Jeep and headed out to the farmers market. We loaded up:

Here they are unveiled:

peaches, raspberries, blueberries, sweet cherries, pie cherries, corn, blue potatoes and summer squash. Jason made blueberry waffles this morning, and we had corn with dinner last night, along with nachos topped with our own homegrown tomatoes and jalapeno peppers.

Then we headed out to Quake on the Lake, which is literally two minutes away-- we could hear the boats from our house. It's hydroplane boat races. I love living in Michigan-- there are so many lakes. I drive by 3 lakes just on my way to work. Here's a couple pictures. They use a crane to load the boats in and out of the water:

See our beautiful Saturday sky? I wasn't kidding when I said it was a gorgeous day.

In cardigan news, I've completed the body of the sweater and am working on my first sleeve.

Knitpicks has unveiled new yarns! As if you needed a reason to shop there, Knitpicks is also having a big sale-- 40% off a few lines. I picked up enough for free shipping of the Mainline pima/wool blend. I've yet to try it, but I've been wanting to, and what's better than 40% off? I also picked up a few of their new yarns to check them out-- a ball of the Swift superwash wool and a ball of the Shamrock twisted peruvian wool.
Click for sale here --not affiliated ;)

Stolen from Booga J and Chappysmom-- and from Booking Through Thursday.

#1 What is most battered book in your collection? The one with loose pages, tattered corners, and page edges so soft that there's not even a risk of paper cuts anymore?

My most battered book is the edition of Pride and Prejudice I had in high school. I wasn't crazy about it when I had to read it then, but re-reading it in college really made me fall in love, and I've since read it so many times it's ridiculous. In fact, I think it's about time for another re-read. I enjoyed the new-ish Pride & Prejudice movie (dh did too which shocked me!), but I far prefer the A&E version.

#2 Why is this book so tattered? Is it that you love it so much that you've read it a zillion times? Is it a reference book you've used every day for the last seven years? Something your new puppy teethed on when you weren't looking?

Definitely because I've re-read it a million times. I love that the pages are so soft now.

Other heavily tattered books in my collection:
the entire Little House on the Prarie series. I've read the entire series hundreds of times
Fairy Tales retold by Katharine Gibson published in 1950. This was my favorite bedtime story book of my childhood.
Little Princess & The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I read and reread these constantly as a child and as an adult.

Why is it that I find such fantastic mugs AFTER I give up coffee?
Cool mug

Yes, I could use it for tea, but it just wouldn't be the same...

And to add even more fuel to the fire, Kittycafe has asked us to post pictures of our coffee machines. Here's my lonely machine with decaf in the pot. And yes it's filthy-- I need to clean it.

Fall VK preview http://vogueknitting.com/magazine-preview.shtml

Wouldn't it be great if we got previews of the online mags like Knitty and Magknits? It would make the anticipation so much greater. Maybe they could do just snippets of the garmet, so as to not give away the whole pattern. That would be such a great teaser...

Another fun link: The Island of Misfit Patterns There are some great patterns here. Have a pattern that you submitted to the "big" online knitting mags, and it got rejected? Want it to be published SOMEWHERE? This is the place! (Or you could just go there and check out all the patterns, like the loser non-designer I am).

Here's something adorable to purchase. A mini sock blocker for your keychain. I can just see myself knitting up different colors of mini socks to match my bags or outfits. teehee

2006-07-19T06:39:00.000-04:00

Did I tell you I gave up caffeine? I did. No more coffee for me, unless it's decaf. It's a rather heartbreaking tale-- I LOVE my coffee. The whole routine, getting so much accomplished in the morning on my caffeine-high, that little perk in the afternoon after a nice nonfat latte... BUT my obsession with coffee was not so healthy, especially with the whole trying to conceive thing, so I've given it up. It's been almost two weeks, and I still miss it. Once upon a time, I drank at least a half a pot of coffee a day, so I was an addict, for sure. A few months ago, I switched to mostly half-caff, but a few weeks before deciding to go cold-turkey, I was indulging in almost daily grande nonfat lattes. I'm not getting the headaches anymore, since it has been almost two whole weeks, but Jason has noticed I'm a wee bit crankier. I told him to go take his delicious cup of caffeine elsewhere and shut up. Ok I didn't say that, but I may have been thinking it. I've already decided-- once I have my little ones, I'll definitely be drinking the delicious cuppa again.

Anyway, in knitting news, I've nearly completed my One Skein project for my pal. It's a Sophie bag waiting to be felted, but I want to do some sort of embellishment on it-- perhaps I'll try my hand at needle felting. I'm still uncertain. I do have another month to decide though.

I also made a recent stash enhancement. It's handpaintedyarn's delicious wool:

I really just can't get enough of their yarn. I'm also eyeing the hemp yarn at elann and their cotton/acrylic blend they just put up-- I'm thinking it would be similar to cotton ease, which of course I love!

And I'm still plugging away on my cardigan. Getting close to the bottom, and then I can start the sleeves.

I'm seeing so many awesome, beautiful, loverly Green Gables lately, that I'm really tempted to buy the pattern and cast on, but I want to finish my cardi first.
I'm also coveting Ms.Marigold like the ones here and here and many other places...
Or maybe Ballerina from Magknits... or something from Wrap Style... or a new pair of socks... oh the knitting bug has hit again! Yippee for that.

I signed up for another swap this week, but I've lost the link somehow. I hope my information got submitted. Eek. I know I read about it on another blog, but I subscribe to so many knitting blogs on bloglines, that I can't find it. It's for a favorite color craft swap (it's not for project spectrum though). Does anyone remember reading about this? Nevermind! I read about the Favorite Color Swap on Labradorable's blog. She kindly filled me in that the blog link is here-- so go sign up! Be quick about it, because sign-ups end today. I got my match for the Yarn Aboard, and I can't wait to start picking out goodies. It looks to be so much fun. I recently read on ~~someone's blog~~ Labradorable's blog that ~~they were~~ she was kind of over the whole swap thing, after being very underwhelmed after a few sp swaps, as though people were just going through the motions. I must say, I feel the same way. I have had a few WONDERFUL swap pals-- Christina and Rox to name just a few, but overall I was feeling eh about the whole swap thing. Until now that is. I think I just needed a change in the type of swaps I was doing. So, I've joined the "cooler" (haha) swaps-- One Skein, Yarn Aboard and the Favorite Color craft one if I can find it again...
Oh and a special note to secret pals, I failed to mention it, but I'm obsessed with garden gnomes :)

2006-07-12T06:37:00.000-04:00

Another FO

Remember what I said about the Mason Dixon dishcloth being addicting? Here's further proof posing in front of a vase of lilies from my garden:

I love how it matches my Fiestaware vase. This color combination is my favorite out of the three.

Hurry and sign up-- the deadline is today!

TMI alert:
Remember my post about the keeper? Well, I used it all through my period with no problems whatsoever! I'm a total convert-- I'm not going back to tampons again.

2006-07-10T06:20:00.000-04:00

Weekend Knitting

Look I have two FOs from the weekend! One I cranked out while catching up on Grey's Anatomy, and the other was during the World Cup finals (yay Italy!). I love games that go into shoot outs.

Round One:

Crazy colored round two posing next to our bottle of pinot grigio last night. I must say, that bottle was purchased because it was pretty and on sale, but it was pretty good.

As far as the pattern goes, I figured everyone was doing it, so I may as well join the herd. It's the Mason Dixon washcloth pattern if you've been living in a cave for the past few months. Yes, I found it every bit as addicting as every other knitter has recently!

Don't forget-- the new Project Runway starts on Wednesday! My tivo is ready and waiting!

2006-07-08T16:22:00.000-04:00

New Do

I decided it was time for a change. My hair has been long and stick straight for too long, so I got it chopped off and layered today:

2006-07-08T10:43:00.000-04:00

Mountain Colors Twizzle
85% merino wool, 15% silk

Isn't it yummy? The colorway is absolutely perfect-- I love the richness in the green, and the subtle blue mixed in with brown. Sigh. Does my One Skein pal know me, or what? I LOVE it one skein pal! Thank you so much :) I have no idea what to knit from it yet, but it will certainly hold a special place in my stash until I find the perfect project!

2006-07-04T11:54:00.000-04:00

I feel a little out of touch with the whole knitting world lately. I don't know what the current pattern craze is, the current knitting book must have, or even the current yarn in vogue. It's all quite sad really, and kind of overwhelming to muddle my way back in, but I'm trying! I just placed an order for my One Skein pal's July yarn and of course a couple skeins for myself. Still plugging away on my cardi while catching up on my Tivo'd Gilmore Girls episodes and the Fourth of July Twilight Zone marathon.

Here is my progress. I'm bummed I couldn't get a very good picture, especially since I got a brand spanking new digital camera for my birthday courtesy of Jason. It's this one in case you were wondering, and I love it. It is hard to photograph black though.

*TMI alert*
I'm giving The Keeper a try, after picking one up at Whole Foods this past week. Today's my first day using it-- I'm very thankful my period is cooperating by giving me a day off work to give it a whirl-- while I'm a little weirded out by it, it's interesting, and seems to be working without leakage. I'll keep you updated if anyone's interested ;) If you're interested in other options besides the keeper, check out this livejournal post comparing menstrual cups. Here's the actual lj.

2006-07-02T13:54:00.000-04:00

Our trip to Toronto and Niagra Falls last weekend was great.

Here was our view outside our hotel window. We stayed at the Intercontinental, which was ok. I thought it would be a little nicer since it was so pricey, but it is a big city, and of course everything is expensive. And then there was that fire alarm at 1:00 in the morning. We stayed on the 25th floor-- the top floor of the hotel, and had to walk down 25 flights of stairs for the fire alarm. Ugh. It was just a false alarm.

We had a beautiful view of the CN tower.

Here's another picture of the CN tower, taken across the city at night. Sorry it's a little blurry, I took it after 2 pints of Guinness! LOL

We also went up the CN Tower and you can go out on two different observation decks. One of them has glass windows, and one of them just has fencing. It was SO windy on the one with fencing, and I wore a skirt that day. I felt like Marilyn Monroe, and I know I ended up mooning people. There's also a glass floor that you can walk on and can see all the way to the ground. It was the scariest thing I've ever done.
Here's a picture I took while standing on the glass floor:

A picture of the falls. It was so misty and wet that the pictures don't look that spectacular, but it was beautiful:

Another:

Then we also went to an attraction called Behind the Falls, where you get to go down in an elevator through tunnels to get close to the falls, and then behind a section of them. Here's a picture of me close to the falls:

Another:

They give you ponchos to wear because you get wet. It was hard to take pictures because it was so wet, but we managed to snag a couple. We drove across to Buffalo, too, (I'd never been in NY before) but we didn't have time to go down to the falls on that side. We just drove along the rapids and whirlpools.
I'm bummed I didn't get any pictures at the St Lawrence Market we went to that every kind of food imaginable, or in China town, but they were both really cool, too.

I did manage to find my sock needles before we left (literally minutes before we left--they were hiding in another unfinished sock project), but I didn't find much time to knit. I managed to cast on, and that was it. I am still working on the cardi I posted about last time :) ALMOST to separating the arms.

Thank you all so much, once again, for the comments and support on my miscarriage. It pains me, but also gives me a sense that I'm not alone, to know that so many of you have experienced the same thing. My heart goes out to each of you.

2006-06-24T06:46:00.000-04:00

Well Jason and I are heading to Toronto with a day trip to Niagra Falls for the weekend to celebrate my birthday. We can both use the pickmeup I think ;) I'm bummed because I can't find my sock needles, and socks are always my vacation project, but oh well. See you soon! We'll be back Monday night :)

2006-06-11T12:15:00.000-04:00

Heartfelt Thanks

I just want to thank everyone so much for their support. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

I have found some time to knit this week, especially while watching Season 2 of The Gilmore Girls (which Jason wouldn't like me to tell you that he secretly really likes the show). teehee

I hope to have pictures posted soonly. I'm working on this with black cotton ease.

2006-06-05T19:09:00.000-04:00

This is not the post I wanted to make

I had expected to be sharing wonderful news with you all (if I even have any readers left, with my updates so few and far between) in a few weeks. However, that's not the case. Jason and I have been trying to start a family for a few months, and we found out May 8th that I was pregnant. We were elated, ecstatic, and absolutely in love with our growing baby. I read somewhere that when you're pregnant, it's love at first thought. I think that's the perfect way to describe how we felt. We were going to wait to tell our parents the news until after our first doctor appointment, but they unexpectedly decided to come up to see us over Memorial Day weekend, so we broke the wonderful news then. As Jason and I are the eldest children, both sets of parents were just as excited as we were, and were looking forward to being grandparents for the first time.

I'm sure you see where this is going, but Wednesday morning, I was having a bit of spotting, so Jason and I headed off to the doctor for an ultrasound. I was a little worried, but I'd read some spotting can be normal, so while apprehensive, I was also looking forward to seeing our little bean on the ultrasound, since our first appointment was still 2 weeks away, and the waiting was making me crazy. However, the news wasn't good. Our little bean was measuring over a week behind, and although there was a heartbeat, it was only around 40 bpm. The doctor told us it was probably the beginning of a miscarriage.

He was right. I miscarried Thursday night. 6/1/2006 at 7 weeks. The worst day of my life.

People say all sorts of things when they find out someone miscarried. Yes we're young, yes we can and will try again, yes it was early, yes it was probably "meant to be," but you know what? Knowing those things doesn't take the pain away. I'm lucky, though, in that I've had wonderful support from online message board buddies, my husband and my family. It's hard to say goodbye to someone you never got to meet, but we're doing our best to make it through.

2006-05-21T12:44:00.000-04:00

Just a lil update on me. Things are going great in Plath Land! I've even managed to get my knitting bug back and have had 3 FOs in the past week. Here is one:

The other two are secret projects that I hope to be sharing soon :)

I just heard from my One Skein swap pal this morning, and have emailed my pal this past week as well. Now I just have to figure out what to send her ;)

Hope things are going well with everyone else in knitting land! Crossing my fingers I'm back to posting regularly soon with some news to share :)

2006-05-07T16:33:00.000-04:00

Still Around

Just not much knitting going on. Hmrf. I just realized it's been almost a month since I last posted, and I'm still working on the stupid stupid socks I started way back when. sigh.

It does seem, however, that I do tend to go into a knitting funk every spring. The garden is usually calling my name and interferes with my knitting. This year, though, it's not really the garden, but work that is distracting me. Remember my temp job as a receptionist at a law firm? Well, I now work for said law firm permantently, not as a temp. The pay is much nicer, the job is steady, but it's not teaching. Although, I am making more than I was teaching at the private school I was with a few years ago. So, I shall just deal for the time being. :)

Not to mention the fact that I'm rather tied up with a personal issue I really, really hope mends itself sooner rather than later.

I really hope the knitting bug bites again soon. I have all this yarn to use ;)

P.S. Thanks for thinking of me Rox! {{HUGS}}

2006-04-15T07:13:00.000-04:00

Book of the Week: Marley & Me : Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan
The story of an incredibly destructive, fiercely playful and loyal male yellow lab. Sounds EXACTLY like our late lab, Otis. How could I not love this book?

Tea of the week: Lipton cold brew. Yes, I'm still trying to cut back on the caffeine, but when I absolutely need it, this is convenient and much healthier than the 20 oz Mountain Dew I used to drink in the afternoon.

My knitting is dull. On the one hand, I have a sweater so close to being done. It's at the point where it actually looks like a sweater, and I'm aching to wear it. On the other hand, it's a plain brown WOOL sweater.

My tulips are coming up, my crocuses and hyacinths are blooming, the birds are chirping. Spring is in the air. My every pore is screaming out for sunshine and flowers. Not brown. Not wool. I can't believe I just wrote that. I love wool. 99% of my stash is 100% wool. Cascade 220, Wool of the Andes, Manos, Peruvian Wool, Malabrigo... The list goes on and on... Don't even get me started on merinos. Soft, squishy merino sock yarns... I'm drooling just thinking about the possibilities. The color combinations. The pretty little hanks all wrapped up and waiting to be squeezed, let alone knit.

But wait, I think. That's the perfect compromise. Bright, colorful, merino sock yarn. I can make spring socks! And so began my newest WIP. Meet my prescription for dull knitting.

Now my spring socks are fine and dandy for bringing that breath of fresh air into my knitting, but I decided I needed something to brighten up my mailbox. Imagine my surprise when I came across the One Skein Secret Pal Swap. I've been steering clear of secret pal swaps, as we're trying to save right now, but I've been working full time for almost two solid months now (yep, same temp job as a receptionist in a law firm), so I felt I deserved the little splurge. Besides, it's only two skeins of yarn over a two month period (one per month), and a knitted finished object from another solitary skein. It's being organized by Interweave Knits, the publishers of the book One Skein, so go sign up!

New knitty? Nothing I want to knit, but it's still nice to see a new issue. Maybe I'm getting snobby, but a few of the sweaters just didn't look as polished as I'd expect coming from Knitty.

New obsession? Animal Crossing. I bought Jason a Game Cube for his birthday a few weeks ago, and because my brother has had the game for a few years now, I knew I liked it. So of course I bought it. Well now I'm hopelessly addicted. I'm thinking of stocking up on memory cards so I can create new villages to visit. I'm such a dork. Really, you don't need to tell me; I know it already.

2006-04-02T12:59:00.000-04:00

Little Knitting Progress and My Week of News

I haven't managed to get much knitting done this week, but there is a little progress. I'm on the first sleeve of my brown top-down raglan.

Temping as a receptionist, even after completing all the busy-work they throw at me, lends me a lot of time for reading. Therefore I've decided to unveil my

Book of the Week

I always wanted to be one of those kids on Reading Rainbow, so I guess this is the next best thing ;)
This week's installment is Popco by Scarlett Thomas
If you're at all mathematically inclined, like puzzles, are against big business or are a toy lover, then this will intrigue you. The ending was a little iffy, but the book as a whole was so interesting, I still think it's worth it.

Disappointing news of the week:

My alltime favorite toothpaste brand, Tom's of Maine, a family owned company, got bought out by Colgate this past week. If you're as upset about this as I am, you can let them know how you feel here.
The full press release is here.

Tea of the week:

It goes along with the cutting back on caffeine thing, and it's that great slightly sweet calorie-free "snack" for the afternoon.

Treat of the week:

Ginormous chocolate birthday cake. Not my birthday-- Jason's.
Storm Trooper shown for scale ;)

2006-03-28T06:04:00.000-05:00

Place an X by all the things you've done. This is for your entire life:
(x) Smoked a cigarette
(x) Drank so much you threw up
( ) Crashed a friend's car
( ) Stolen a car
(x) Been in love
(x) Been dumped
( ) Shoplifted
(x) Been laid off/fired
(x) Quit your job
( )Been in a fist fight
( ) Snuck out of your parent's house
(x) Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back
( ) Been arrested
(x) Gone on a blind date
(x) Lied to a friend
(x) Skipped school
( ) Seen someone die
(x) Been to Canada
( ) Been to Mexico
(x) Been on a plane
(x) Been lost
(x) Been on the opposite side of the country.
(x) Swam in the ocean
(x)Felt like dying
(x) Cried yourself to sleep
( ) Played cops and robbers
(x) Recently colored
(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(x ) Made prank phone calls
( ) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
( x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x ) Danced in the rain
(x) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(x) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(x) Watched the sun rise with someone you care about
(x) Blown bubbles
( ) Made a bonfire on the beach
( ) Crashed a party
(x) Gone roller-skating
( ) Ice-skating

2006-03-25T14:40:00.000-05:00

Things I'm Loving This Week

1. Fridays! Need I say more?

2. Raspberry Leaf Tea. I've been trying to cut back on my caffeine lately, and I always crave a big cup of tea in the afternoon, but I've never really liked regular herbal or fruity teas. Raspberry leaf tea tastes a lot like regular black tea, but it's caffeine free, and it's supposed to help with PMS symptoms. Good on all accounts!

3. Ralph Lauren's new perfume, Hot. It's musky and slightly sweet, but still a little bit floral, which means it's perfect for a new sexy spring fragrance! I'd been looking for a new perfume; I was still wearing my tried and true Body Shop's Satsuma, and it was definitely time for a change!

4. Philippa Gregory's new book, The Constant Princess. It's about Henry VIII's first wife, Katherine. A great read-- as good as any of her previous British royalty books, although my favorite is still The Other Boleyn Girl.

5. Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner. You hang it in your shower, and then after the last shower of the day, hit the button, close the door or curtain, and it sprays your whole shower with cleaner. It's awesome! I expected it to smell really bleach-y, but it actually smells nice.

6. Pride & Prejudice. We just watched it last night, and even dh liked it. I was fully prepared to hear him whine and complain at having to watch it, but I was proven wrong. At the beginning he kept having to ask me what was going on, because he couldn't catch onto the language. Once we got into it a bit further, though, he exclaimed that if Elizabeth didn't end up with Darcy, he was going to be mad! Then when he asked me to pause it when he went to the bathroom, I knew he was hooked.
I still like A&E's version better, but for a two hour movie, it was still really good.

7. Knitpicks sock yarn sale. Parade is only $2.49! I just did a little stocking up :)

2006-03-19T15:43:00.000-05:00

(this post was written on Friday, while at work and later typed into an entry)

Well, it's St. Patrick's Day. Yippee. (note my sarcastic tone) It's business casual day at the office, which means it's ok to wear khakis (which is crazy to me since khakis are being "dressed up" in my mind). So, I'm wearing them, and guess how many other people are. One. One other person. Everyone else is in their usual suits and heels. Ugh. That's so pretentious and boring. It just reminds me once again why I'm truly a teacher. Teachers go all out for holidays and casual days. Yes, partly because kids love it, but also because teachers are such kids at heart. These people.... aren't. There are a million adjectives I could come up with to explain what they are, but none of them are nice things to say, so I will merely refrain from commenting. Most of them are nice enough, just a little stodgy and boring. It's a world of dark colors, clipped voices and the tictac of keyboard keys.

I broke down this morning and bought the Something Red cardigan and the Somewhat cowl patterns. I plan on casting on this weekend. I'm almost finished with my secret project-- only 5 more rounds to go and then I can bind off. Have I mentioned how much I love seamless projects? You bind off and you're done. No seams to sew, no fretting if one side is accidentally longer than the other, no concerns with pinning straight. You just admire your work and be done. Of course I do have a bit of kitchenering to do...

Anyway, the temp job is going well-- insanely boring but I'm getting caught up on my magazine and book reading. I get an incredible amount of free magazine subscriptions, and it's nice to be able to pitch them almost as soon as they arrive, since I'm reading through them so fast at work. Not to mention the book reading. I'm almost embarassed to admit I'd never read 1984 until yesterday. Very good and thought provoking, as well as a little scary, but a tad heavy to be constantly interrupted by phone calls. (haha my job is interupting my work!)

I thought I would also mention my new favorite yoga dvd-- Vinyasa Flow by Seane Corn. I took a yoga class way back in college (after 13+ years of dance it seemed a natural fit), and I loved it, but I wasn't finding that same spiritual connection in any of the dvd yoga workouts I tried (and a class isn't in our budget right now). I finally found it in this dvd. After reading the Amazon reviews, I notice that people either love her or hate her, so you might want to check it out from Blockbuster or Netflix first, but it's a perfect fit for me. Sorry to sound like an infomercial, but it's refreshing to find a yoga dvd that just fits, know what I mean?

Here are my Knitpicks Dancing socks I finished recently. I just wore them today-- no concerns with sagging or fit; they're comfy!

Remember this old thing? It's a Knitting Pure and Simple Top Down Raglan Pullover pattern I started a while ago. I decided to pick it back up again the other day.

And here's a cutie picture of Patches the cat.

Who me?

2006-03-04T14:15:00.000-05:00

A Flying By Inspiration Post

Not good news for my checkbook-- Knitpicks unveiled a few new yarns! I'm so tempted, but we're saving our pennies right now, so it must wait.

I did happen to pick up the Spring IK this morning at Joann Fabrics. I love these:
Waterlily Tunic:

Simply Lovely Lace Socks:

I'm also tempted by a few patterns over at The Garter Belt: Somewhat Cowl and Something Red both by Wendy Bernard of Knit and Tonic. Now I just need to figure out if they're knit in the round or not. I abhor seaming.

Anyway, Jason is out of town; he took a business trip to North Carolina. He was supposed to be back today, but he needed to take a few extra days and won't be back until next Wednesday. Ugh. I miss him :(
One of the reasons he's staying down there longer, is he has a job prospect. We shall see how that works out. We've talked about him trying to find a job in North Carolina before, but we always came to the conclusion that we'll stay here (Michigan) for now. Well now it could possibly be happening. He'll find out more early next week!

Speaking of jobs, my temp agency called me last week and set me up for a job in a law firm for the next few weeks. She said I was answering phones, which I initially thought meant being a receptionist, but she didn't say that so maybe it's different. I hope it's at least an assignment where I can get some reading done or something. Answering phones is so boring, but we need the money right now!

I have been knitting the past few nights, but it's a secret project so I can't show my latest two FOs.
Back to Gilmore Girls Season 1 and some more knitting.

2006-02-28T15:50:00.000-05:00

Happy Paczki Day!

Don't know the joys of the Paczki? It's a huge thing here in Metro Detroit. I had never heard of them until I moved here, but heck, I think we could all use an excuse to eat a paczki or twelve. (you can read more about them here)

I've been feeling a little uninspired on the knitting front lately. Perhaps it's all the sugar and fat, but in all seriousness, I've been feeling that way for a while. I really haven't been knitting much. Sure, I knit a round or ten while watching Season 2 of Nip/Tuck with Jason, but there hasn't been a project that's screamed out to be knit in a while. I'm trying though.

I love Gidget Casts On's neckwarmer from this pattern. I also dig Starsky, though I only have 5 hanks of Knitpicks Sierra in Tide languishing in my stash instead of the necessary 10. Jason has even entered the knitting arena (no, he hasn't learned to knit, although I really wish he would!) and asked for a pair of fingerless gloves a la this pattern. I just feel eh though.

Perhaps the new Magknits will inspire me when it arrives. I haven't been able to read the new Spring IK. My subscription expired, and I haven't been able to find it in the stores. I need my inspiration fix!

2006-02-20T10:58:00.000-05:00

Catnip Crazy

We took a little shopping trip at the pet store on Friday and picked up some a few new catnip toys for Patches (and of course some things for Marzipan, too; we love spoiling our pets). Do you think he liked them? LOL He laid like that for a good 15 minutes.

I do have a FO to unveil:

and have already started a new pair using Knitpicks Dancing. Managed to get into the gussett while watching Saw 2 (liked the orignal better) and disc 3 of Nip/Tuck Season 2 (strange strange episode on that disc!) yesterday.

It was so cold this weekend, but we did venture out into the frigid temps. Yesterday we checked the temp oustide around noon and it was 5 below zero. Brrrr. My parents and brother came up for Saturday, though, so we headed off to Frankenmuth for their famous roast chicken dinners (sides for me as I'm a vegetarian of course), some fudge and salt water taffy, and a little yarn. I ran into Rapunzel's and picked up some more sock yarn. I really don't like that store much-- they've never been nice to me. Ignore me completely, in fact, while chatting up the "older" more "wealthy looking" customers. Grrrr.

It's Regia 6-- I'm thinking they'll be another pair of the shorties I have pictured below in the blue stripes.

I'm in a sock funk. It's strange, but I started off 2005 with the same obsession. Must have something to do with the cold weather. I've been in a bit of a winter blah the past couple weeks; haven't been reading my bloglines list, and haven't even been checking out the knitting boards. I'm trying to catch up a little today though, and pull myself up a bit. Hopefully spring will be just around the corner!

2006-02-13T13:22:00.000-05:00

My boring update ;)

Not much going on in Plath-land. I've continued to knit away on my socks. Here's a picture-- I just finished the first sock yesterday, and am starting the gussett on it's match.

Not much else to report. I wish we got the snow that the Northeast just got; I would love to be snowed in! We do still have about 5 inches on the ground though.
I have plans to start a few secret projects in the coming weeks... Can't say when I'll unveil them, but hopefully not too long from now :)

See, even Marzi thinks I'm boring:

I stole this from the Yarn Junkie; I thought it was really cool. It creates a graphic from the words on your blog. Here's mine:

2006-02-06T19:56:00.000-05:00

Just a little tiny post to say I'm still alive. I'm a little preoccupied with other things right now, but I am getting a little knitting done. Still working on the sock I mentioned in my last post-- on the gusset right now.

We got a big snowfall over the weekend-- 6 inches. I LOVE it!

Cross your fingers for me-- after this week, I'm going to be stopping substitute teaching for the year, and will be temping full time again. Ugh. We need the money though, so I know it's the right decision.

2006-01-29T11:30:00.000-05:00

It must be Picture Posting Sunday

That title would work much better if Sunday started with a p, but we can pretend.

Here are my socks, already dubbed my England Vacation socks, since I finished them in the hotel in London. I used Knitpicks Parade sock yarn and this sock pattern.

Of course any trip to England wouldn't be complete without bringing back some fine British ale. Here's what we brought back

mmmm British beer is SO much better than the American nasty beer. I never liked beer until I tried "real" beer.

I also snagged some tea to bring back. My absolute favorite, which isn't pictured because I already drank them all was Twinings Green Tea with orange and Lotus Flower. I'm really bummed that I didn't buy a ton of it to stock up, because it's delicious and I already miss it! I also really love the Blackcurrant Ginseng & Vanilla herb tea-- only one left. Figures that the two I love are the hardest to find!

Here's my candy stash I posted about earlier. If you didn't already know, I'm a vegetarian, and the American versions of Skittles and Starburst contain gelatin-- a animal based ingredient, while the UK versions are veggie friendly!

Last but not least, here is the yarn I bought while in England. We shopped at John Lewis in London, and I just loved that you can buy yarn and other crafting supplies in a department store! I also picked up a bra and some knickers there, but no pics of that! LOL The photo is kind of dark; sorry. Jason was chilly for a few days while we walked around the city, so I let him borrow my scarf to wear, and now he wants me to knit him one. I'm shocked-- he's never expressed an interest in scarves before! He picked out the brown yarn for me to knit him one. Now to just find the perfect pattern.

I also bought a lot of toiletries in Boots. I'm going to miss them when I run out, too! I especially love the Mediterranean line by Boots. Mmmm the lotion, scrubs and body butter smell delicious. I also bought some Fcuk brand toiletries, but Jason had those shipped with some of his work stuff so I haven't gotten to try them yet.

I was bored with my WIPs last night, so I cast on for a new pair of socks. Socks are always perfect at getting me out of a knitting funk, so I hope these do the trick. I'm using some yarn I bought off Ebay, and just a generic pattern. Not even really using a pattern really.

2006-01-28T17:06:00.000-05:00

Little List

1. Finish Unit 1 of Spanish Lessons
Check! Got a 96% on the test!

2. Keep drinking my daily cup of green tea
Check! I've even upped it to two or three cups on some days (only one caffeinated) ;)

3. Find time for knitting again
Check! I've picked up my hat this week and knit quite a few rounds. I'm planning on casting on for another pair of socks as well. Not much happening with my WIP basket, but that's ok

5. Organize yarn stash so it fits in the shelving unit
Check! I must say, my yarn was spilling all over the floor in the study, and with the exception of my WIP and yummy yarn basket, it's all organized and back where it needs to be. Sure, it LOOKS like it's about to pop, but it's all wedged in there LOL

6. Posts pics of my vacation socks and my England yarn purchases
Still working on that one

2006-01-24T10:07:00.000-05:00

** I want to thank everyone for their compliments and welcome backs. For some reason, I'm not getting emailed when people make comments so I can't reply, but please know that I sincerely thank you!!!**

Well, I return with a few more pictures today, but no knitting pics as of yet. So if you're bored with hearing about my vacation, just skip right on by this post. I promise it'll be the last one-- I really don't want to seem like I'm bragging. Sorry! I just don't have the patience to pull things out right now and take more pictures and upload them. Since we've gotten back, I've found it hard to get used to even just being here, so I haven't picked up my knitting since the socks I finished on vacation. I'm sure I'll find my knitting urge again soon though.

I do have a few things to share. Check out this Lost movie (click on Watch This Movie next to Charlie's pic). I need to go and find a synopsis of the 2 episodes I missed while we were gone :p. I tried to catch up last night on the two episodes I missed of Project Runway, but I fell asleep 10 minutes into it. I swear I didn't think it would be this hard to get over the 5 hour time difference! I've been waking up at 3 or 4 am every morning and it takes me forever to get to sleep again, and then I find my eyes closing by 8 pm. Sheesh!

Anyway, a little more about our trip. So, I expected England to be cold, but doing a little research before we left, I discovered that they don't get as cold as Michigan. However, I was completely stunned to see roses blooming in January!

Crazy isn't it? I have forever loved the book The Secret Garden, and it was wonderful to see all the little gardens behind brick walls. Sigh; I absolutely want one now!

Here is a somewhat dark picture (I really need to get into photo editing more) of dh and me in front of the trebuche at Warwick Castle. Some of you might remember that dh built a trebuchet 2 Halloweens ago, so he was very excited to see this one.

We managed to fit in TONS of sites while we were there: Buckingham Palace, Roman, church and castle ruins in York, York Minster, West Minster, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Shakespeare's birthplace, his tomb, the houses of his daughter and granddaughter, Warwick Castle, Harrod's, Science Museum (not worth it), Imperial War Musuem (a great museum that dh wished we had more time for. We spent 2 1/2 hours there and didn't even see half of it), Parliament Square, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben... I'm sure there's more that I can't remember...

I just loved soaking in all the little nuances of being in another culture, and trying to pretend that I wasn't an American (although I know everyone realized especially once I opened my mouth LOL). I've been reading Brit chicklit books for years, so it was so neat to go into all the little "regular" shops that I always read about. Here's a list of the little things I just loved while in England (besides the usual sites):
* coming back to the hotel in the afternoon for a cuppa tea
* full fry up breakfasts
* the toiletries at Boots
* sandwiches from Marks & Spencer
* hand pulled real ales
* the whole pub experience
* the Brit soap operas (on in the early evening, not at the time ours are) and game shows (they take them really seriously!)
* Cadbury hot cocoa-- delish and so rich!
* candy candy candy-- maltesers, flake, veggie friendly skittles & starburst (I came home with a bag full!)
* sheep everywhere!
* the tube (mind the gap)
* newsagents
* oatcakes
* the houses, cobblestone roads
* how open they are about certain things (page 3 girls-- topless-- of the Sun newspaper, the fact that they can say the f word on tv, etc)
* food packages being labeled "suitable for vegetarians" I was worried I wouldn't be able to find things to eat in England, but surprisingly, I had more choices than I do here! Every restaurant we ate at had numerous vegetarian options and they were all clearly labeled as such.

One thing I won't miss is the coffee. UGH. awful awful awful. Yes yes I know they're known for their tea and not coffee, but I really need my coffee fix in the morning. Needless to say I didn't learn after numerous truly terrible cups. However, we did find a fantastic Italian cafe in London that made AMAZING cappuccinos (and a really good egg & cheese toasted breakfast sandwich as well) so we ate there every morning we were in London.

2006-01-22T12:55:00.000-05:00

We're back!!

We took TONS of pictures, and saw so many wonderful things. We had such a great time; I'm ready to move ;) I absolutely loved it in England, but it's so expensive, so it won't be happening any time soon LOL. Knitting wise, I did stop at a John Lewis store, and I snagged some Rowan yarn. I love that they have a huge craft section in a regular department store. I also was able to finish my socks there, which is a great thing since I ran out of clean ones over there! Had no problem carrying my knitting on board on the way over and on the way back.

Both Jason and I absolutely fell in love with the tube (subway) in London. I wish they had such a great service here like that. We took it everywhere in London; it was fantastic. I also got hooked by the Brit soap operas and Project Catwalk (their version of Project Runway)-- I already miss them! Ugh; I'm ready to go back already!

On to some pictures! These are just a few-- the grand total was 353!

Here is Jason and I at church ruins in York:

Here we are at an old castle tower in York:

Here we are at Warwick Castle:

Here I am at a huge lion statue in Trafalgar Square:

Here is Harrod's where we bought some delicious truffles:

This is one of the guards at Buckingham Palace. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the changing of the guard as it was canceled due to rain:

Here is Buckingham Palace:

We did get to see a mini changing of the guard at the Horse Guard station though:

Here is the Tower of London where we got a tour from a Beef Eater:

We also saw the green where many people were beheaded at the Tower of London including a few Tudors (Tudor is my maiden name--Henry VIII was also a Tudor!):

Here is West Minster Abbey: It was absolutely beautiful, but you couldn't take pictures inside.

This picture is dark, but this is in the church where Shakespeare's tomb is:

I will post a few knitting related pics tomorrow; I have lots of online catching up to do.

2006-01-09T12:46:00.000-05:00

It's almost here!

My bags are packed (well almost-- I still plan on slipping a few more things in there ;)). See that great felted bag on top? It was a gift from my Knitter's Review Gift Elf, Jane. She just started a blog, so go say, "hi," ok? I love the bag-- it's going to be my flight purse-- just the right size for a snack, reading material and a little knitting project!

I've also started on a vacation pair of socks. I think I took them a little too far. I just wanted to get the second sock cast on before we left, and then yesterday I decided to go ahead and turn the heel, and then do the gusset, and well, you get the picture ;) I may have to throw an extra ball of sock yarn into my bag. I'm using KnitPicks parade yarn and the BMG's Footie pattern. I love this pattern because it's so speedy!

I'm also bringing some yarn to knit the Garter Brim hat from Weekend Knitting. This will be my last post before our flight leaves tomorrow night-- we return on the 20th. I'll be sure to bring back lots of pictures!!!

2006-01-03T15:21:00.000-05:00

That's right! 7 days!! (unless you're reading this post at a later date, then it'll be even less!!). I'm seriously freaking out about it, I'm so excited. We haven't booked our hotel for our 3 day stay in London yet, and I spent all weekend researching hotels to stay at. Made a nice long list for Jason to look at, and then we'll decide. We have tall orders-- it can't be too expensive (which automatically rules out 90% of the hotels over there!), I'd rather it not be a US based chain, and we'd like it to have at least a little local character and charm. Being close to somewhere we'd like to visit (like Portobello Road, Hampstead Heath, Tower of London, Big Ben or Buckingham Palace) would be nice as well. I hope we make it to all those places, but just being over there is so exciting, so if we don't have time, then I'll live.

Because of all my planning and freaking out, there hasn't been much time for knitting. I did pull out my Brown Raglan sweater to work on, but I've only managed a few inches. I have been eying the Spiral Rib sock pattern from January 2nd of the Knitting Pattern a day calender, so I may cast on for those. Speaking of which, I still need to determine what knitting I'm taking with me. I'm thinking socks will be perfect, but I want another option, too. Maybe a hat... I should be able to take my knitting on the plane on the way over (crossing my fingers), but I'll check it on the way back. I've heard many cases of people getting it taken away traveling back from the UK.

Not much else to report! Jason and I did both manage to stay up for New Years. We watched part of Season 1 of Nip/Tuck, but paused it to watch the ball drop. We even opened a bottle of bubbly to celebrate the new year.

I've been thinking for a little while, that I'd like to speak Spanish fluently, so I was seriously considering buying this software. Well, I just found out today that my mom's local library offers Levels 1 & 2 online for FREE. Seriously. I was going to buy Levels 1 & 2 for $329! So, I've decided that's one of my goals this year. I need to create a daily or weekly plan of getting through the lessons, but I've managed 3 lessons today. I took 3 years of Spanish in High School, but I really don't remember much beyond some very basic vocabulary.

I usually don't do resolutions, so I'm setting forth a few goals for the year:

1. Learn Spanish with above mentioned software
2. Not be so bitchy, and savor and enjoy my time with dh to help build an even stronger relationship :)
3. Be more positive!
4. Drink a cup of green tea and take my vitamins every single day
5. Take time to breath and relax, and not so much time stressing

2005-12-31T09:50:00.000-05:00

Sigh. Only a few days of Christmas break left. Do you get that panicky feeling when vacation is almost over and try to think back to everything you accomplished on all your days off? I don't feel like we got anything done, but at least we relaxed. The Christmas decorations have all been packed away, the tree is waiting to be taken outside to the burn pile, and all the presents have found new homes somewhere in the house.

Speaking of presents, Jason really spoiled me this year. I really didn't expect to get much, since we're leaving for England in 10 days, and he bought me a hardtop for my Jeep, but he also got me an ice cream maker (I made yummy homemade vanilla last night!), a personal dvd player (great for the airplane trip!), and Tivo! Talk about spoiled! We probably won't be able to hook up the Tivo until we get back, as we have to buy a $50 adapter to hook it to our wireless network since we don't have a phone line. We went cell phones only a few months ago.

I also got a gorgeous Hand-knit Aran sweater from MIL. Yes, I could knit it myself, but will I ever do it? Who knows. She also got me the Lion Brand Just Scarves book, and there's a cabled scarf pattern in there that looks interesting. The other knitting related gifts came from my Mom and Dad-- the Knitting Pattern a day calender, Yarn Harlot and Wrap Style. Yarn Harlot, is, of course, hilarious, just as I suspected. My mom also gave me, among other things, a fantastic Diane Von Furstenberg carry on bag for our trip.

Jason's favorite gift this year was the Bad Mother Fu**er wallet I gave him. He can't wait to show it off to all his friends, since they love quoting Pulp Fiction anytime they can manage to fit it into the conversation.

I hope everyone has a great New Year's Eve. We don't celebrate too much around here-- we'll probably go see Narnia and pick up some Blockbuster movies to watch. I may be able to convince Jason to stay up to watch the ball drop. We'll see; I haven't managed to do it the past 2 years. We always seem to start the new year that same way-- me ticked at him for not being able to stay up. teehee

2005-12-29T13:34:00.000-05:00

2005-12-23T14:26:00.000-05:00

Christmas Eve's Eve Craft Project

While Jason is still working, I needed another craft project to occupy my time. Yesterday was the day of the knitted Christmas tree, and today has become the day of the beaded snowflake.

Another pic, a little closer:

I used this pattern from Craftster. It's an amazingly easy way to use up all those beads I bought to make beaded stitch markers! 1 more to finish up.

Also noteworthy today; I recieved my Ornamental Swap package, just in time, all the way from Australia!

Here is the beautiful package before I opened it:

And here it is after I tore into it ;)

Thank you so much Rachael!! I love everything :) She sent the cutest yarn & needles ornaments and Australian candies. Yum Yum. Just what I need, more sugar *wink wink* LOL.

Before I go, Marzi wanted to wish you a Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas

2005-12-22T17:19:00.000-05:00

Thanks for all the compliments on my Knit Christmas tree, but the compliments should really go to the Crafty Modster for such a great pattern ;). I will warn you though; if you're planning on knitting one up, they're addictive! I've already knit up two, and am about to start my third! Here's a pic of the first two together:

I already posted what yarn I used for my first one, but for the second, I used the same Red Heart Symphony and Target flag yarn, but combined it with some lime Target cotton yarn I bought in one of their yarn kits. It's a bit washed out in the pic because of my flash; it's not yellow, it's a nice pretty lime green. I'm now noticing, however, that I need to dust LOL. Boy the flash really picked up the dust that I can't see IRL.

And here is a picture of Patches displaying what I made for my Dad (and will be finishing another for MIL once Jason is around to help me sew):

It's a microwaveable rice pack. The outside is knit and felted, and then Jason sewed up a little muslin pouch which I filled with rice and lavender buds. I used some Hemp/Wool yarn I had in the stash and it felted up beautifully! I really like the texture it ended up with.

2005-12-22T12:23:00.000-05:00

The tree pattern is up, and here is my version.

Here is a pic with the right side out

but I think I like it better with the garter stitch side showing

I cheated a little, and didn't stuff it or sew up the bottom, but because I knit it so tightly (on size 5 needles I believe) it stands up and holds it's shape quite well. I used one strand of Red Heart (the green), one strand of Target's "flag" yarn, and one strand of Red Heart Symphony. Talk about a cheap project!

2005-12-21T15:16:00.000-05:00

That's it; I'm done!

My last bit of Christmas knitting is going in the washing machine to be felted shortly! Just a few last minute touches-- sewing on a button, and using the sewing machine a tad, which I'll more than likely make Jason do anyway. He's great at sewing!

I'm so relieved. All the wrapping is finished, except for the 3 gifts that are not entirely finished yet. Still a last minute present to buy, but it's so great to have the knitting and wrapping done! The chocolate fudge, Christmas cookies and peanut butter fudge are all finished and mostly stored away except for the little containers I saved for us to nibble on :)

The only problem? Now I'm drawn to create more stress for myself by knitting up a few cute Holiday projects! Check out Tara's adorable Santa Hats or the Crafty Modster's upcoming knitted tree pattern (she plans to post it tonight, but you can see the ones she knit up here), which Lolly was lucky enough to test drive, or even these cute little munchkins from Knitty.

We'll see how I do in fending off new projects. I've already flip-flopped a lot of gifts I started in November. This felted lunch bag for my mom will not be given to her. I wasn't happy with how floppy it was once I finished it. Remember these Chocolate Waffle socks I started for my Dad, way back when? After I realized I wouldn't get them done by Christmas, I figured I'd keep them for myself. Well, once I kitchenered the first sock, I noticed how stretchy they were, and they just happen to fit Jason as well as me. So, since I didn't knit him anything for Christmas, I'll be giving them to him once they're done. I really like the idea of the Naked Stix by 2006 knitalong, but I'm not feeling like a joiner right now. Too much pressure. Besides, I know that if I join, then I'd immediately want to start a new project. Currently, only two projects left on the needles-- the Chocolate Waffle socks, and my brown Raglan sweater. I do have the urge to cast on for a quickie pair of socks for myself though. See what I mean about the Naked Stix? It just ain't gonna happen LOL.

2005-12-20T11:29:00.000-05:00

A Christmas Story in 30 seconds.

2005-12-19T08:45:00.000-05:00

I have pulled a good old Christmas disappearing act. And I was being such a diligent poster. Oh well, you'll have to forgive me.

Just working on the usual holiday madness. I am thisclose to having all the gifts done. Just one more gift to buy, and I'm finishing up the gift knitting. I have what I thought was the last one felting in the washer right now. That is, until Jason saw what I knit for one person, and told me his mom would LOVE one of those. Arg.

The butter is softening right now for the Christmas cookies I plan to bake later, and I have all the gifts sitting out in the living room as a subtle reminder that I need to wrap today LOL. Yesterday I made peanut butter fudge, and will make chocolate fudge later this week. I love my (ok, it's really Alton's, but I can call it mine) peanut butter fudge recipe. It's so easy!!

Terribly fattening, yes, but hard? No way!
(courtesy of Alton Brown's Good Eats)

1 cup butter, plus more for greasing pan
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pound confectioners’ sugar

Microwave butter and peanut butter for 2 minutes on high. Stir and microwave on high for 2 more minutes. Add vanilla and confectioners’ sugar to peanut butter mixture and stir to combine with a wooden spoon. Pour into a buttered 8 by 8-inch pan lined with waxed paper. Place a second piece of waxed paper on the surface of the fudge and refrigerate until cool. Cut into 1-inch pieces and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Oh and one more thing:
.
\ | /
\\ \ | | / //
\\\ \\ // ///
\\\ ######### ///
\\ ### ### //
-- ## ## --
-- ## squish!! ## --
-- ## ### --
// ## ### \/// ######### \\/// // \\ \\// / | | \ \/ |
You have just been hit with a blog snow ball!

(The first one of the winter.)
It's the start of..... Snow Ball Fight 2005-2006 !!!!

One rule to this game....
You can't hit someone who has already hit you!

Now... go out there and get as many people as you
can, before they get you!

I got you first! and you can't get me back!

We do not stop playing because we grow old; we grow
old because we stop playing.

If you read my blog... I got you!!!!

2005-12-12T07:45:00.000-05:00

Stolen from Rox

10 Random Things about Me…
* I hate talking on the phone
* I have acquired a nasal Michigan accent that I don't like
* I've never had chicken pox
* I love camping
* I hate to be tickled and don't find it funny at all
* I drink my coffee black
* The darker the beer, the better
* I love animals and don't eat them ;)
* There is, quite possibly, nothing better than fresh homemade bread with butter

9 Places I’ve been…
* Windsor, Ontario
* Hollywood, California
* Gatlinburg, Tennessee
* Macon, Georgia
* Mackinac Island, Michigan
* Traverse City, Michigan (home of the National Cherry Festival)
* Mitchell, and Wall, South Dakota (home of the Corn Palace and Wall Drug--stop in for their famous 5 cent coffee)
* Evansville, Wyoming (home of Independence Rock)
* Fairborn, Ohio (home of the Wright Pat Air Force Museum, possibly Jason's most favorite place on Earth LOL-- I went to school at Wright State)

8 Ways to Win My Heart…
* Clean up the house
* Make me laugh
* Cook me dinner
* listen
* give me flowers
* be silly
* make me a gift
* send me mail (unless it's a bill! LOL)

7 Things To Do Before I Die…
* learn how to sew
* have children
* be more patient
* complain less
* see my family more
* travel travel travel
* iceskate

6 Things I’m Afraid of…
* heights in tall buildings
* drowning
* not having children
* not being able to say goodbye to a loved one
* big bugs
* being deeply in debt

5 Things I don’t like…
* mosquitos
* bills
* meat
* the blankets on the bed messed up
* fake people

4 Ways to Turn Me Off…
* men being sexist!
* call me a name
* make a mess and expect me to clean it up
* act like you're the $hit when you're so not

3 Things I Do Everyday…
* Tell Jason I love him
* drink coffee
* daydream

2 Things That Make Me Happy…
* our animals
* family

1 Thing on My Mind, RIGHT NOW…
* The fact that I spent WAY too long filling this out

TAG; you're it!

2005-12-09T10:05:00.000-05:00

Snow day!! Yippeee! I was supposed to work today, but we had about 7 inches of snow fall last night, so schools were closed :)

No major knitting news. I'm halfway done with my dad's present, and all the way done with my mom's. Now I just have to do my sis and her bf's present. I don't think I'll knit anything for MIL & SIL, but perhaps I might knit up an ornament. I'm really happy with how quickly and nicely these knit up, so I'll probably knit up a pair for my mom first, and then if I have time, SIL and MIL.

I do have new vacation news, though! Jason's work booked the hotel we're staying in at Stratford!
The Alveston Manor The legend is that the very first performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream was performed there on the Cedar Lawns! I can't even imagine staying somewhere so old. It's amazing!

Here's some more info on it taken from their site, if you're interested (I know I am!).
"The Macdonald Alveston Manor has a long and interesting history dating back from before the Norman Conquest. The name Alveston is derived from Aeuulfes a Saxon mans name and Tun meaning town.

The first building on the site is thought to have been an Anchorite cell, circa 960, and later a small monastery was built by monks from Worcester who erected the first wooden bridge on the site of the original ford. The Monks Walk also dates from this period and it is said that the front lawn is the same width as the nave of Worcester Cathedral, while the gardens themselves cover the same area of ground as the Cathedral.

Alveston Manor was first mentioned in the Doomsday Book and in 1086 it was seized from Wultan, Bishop of Worcester, but was bought back in 1090 for ?15. In 1100, Henry I excused all taxes on five out of fifteen hides of ground for the good of his soul and that of his wife, Queen Maud. In 1392, John Green, Prior of Worcester granted the Manor to
John Att Hall de Alveston at a rent which included 10 quarters of wheat, 30 quarters of barley, 8 hogs (value 24s), 20 geese (value 6s 8d), 20 hens (value 3s 4d), and 200 eggs (value 10d)

In 1542, Alveston Manor was granted by Henry VIII, at the dissolution of the monasteries, to the Dean and Canons of the new Church of England at Worcester, who gave it back to the Crown in 1545, in return for being released from the obligation of maintaining 12 divinity students at Oxford which cost ?6 7s 41/2d each per year.

In 1562, during the reign of Elizabeth I, it was sold to Sir Ambrose Cave for ?1007 3s 6d who then sold it to Ludovic Greville. His son sold it in 1603 to Richard Lane whose fathers effigy is affixed to the walls of the remains of the old Saxon church at Alveston. It passed into the Brown family and then in 1767, into the Knottsford family. At one time, the grounds were famous for bowling alleys and in fact both the Nut Walk, in the orchard, and the Monks Walk are thought to have been bowling alleys at one time.

The Present building has been erected at different periods. For instance, the bar contains 16th century panelling; the centre of the house is Elizabethan; the gable nearest the road is William and Mary; and the windows in the centre of the building are Queen Anne. The Elizabethan Gazebo facing the bridge is of considerable interest.

Underneath the lounge is an interesting vaulted cellar leading to an underground passage that was at one time used by the monks.

The first performance of A midsummer Nights Dream is said to have been given on the Cedar Lawn and in fact the original stage directions relate to the garden as it was before it was altered at the beginning of this century. "

2005-12-05T08:48:00.000-05:00

The Mad December Rush

Why do I do this to myself? Is it the knitter's curse? I decided way back in July that I was NOT, repeat NOT going to knit gifts this year. The endless knitting I did last year went far less appreciated than I would have hoped, so I decided that I wouldn't put myself through the stress this year.

Fast forward to mid-November when I decide that what my non-handknit wearing brother needs is a pair of socks. (what am I thinking?) So I dash off and knit a pair in a week. No problem, right? I'm done. Well, then I decided that if I'm knitting him something, I should knit my sis something. Then I decide I should knit something for her and her bf as a together gift instead of a separate one. Then I think of something I could make my mom. And dad. ARG. I'm sure I'll have decided that MIL and SIL will need something by the time the big day rolls around, as well.

Not to mention the fact that we just got back from vacation (we had a fabulous time!), and had barely gotten started shopping, I mean as in one gift had been purchased so far. We don't have a tree yet, no goodies have been made; we haven't even decided where we will be spending Christmas day yet--my family or his. Oy. So, I'm a little stressed. Please don't tell me you're finished with all your gifts and decorating and baking. I may just have to stab you with a size 1 bamboo.

I do need to share what my sp sent me for my second gifty (sorry no pic!):
a really cool beaded bracelet knitting kit, an issue of Knitting magazine from the UK, a wonderful scented candle, a great novel set in Britain (looks like it might be good airplane reading!), and a London Travel Guide. Thank you so much sp :)

So, in an attempt to divert your attention from the fact that there are no new knitting pics:

1. The winter knitty is up!
2. Family Circle Easy Knitting magazine has changed hands and is now Knit Simple. See my rant about it here.
3. Here's two more pictures from our vacation:

The view of the sunrise from our hotel in Orlando:

Jason walking on the beach at St. Pete Beach:

4. A cartoon that made me giggle:

2005-12-01T14:44:00.000-05:00

I'm back from Florida!

I'm too pooped for a regular post, but here's two pictures to tide you over.

A goofy one of me at Cocoa Beach:

Totally didn't see the wave coming.

One of the palm trees in front of our hotel in Orlando:

SP: I got your gift-- thank you so much. I've already read through the magazine and will copy down the addresses of yarn stores close to where we're traving in England ;)

I'll try to post a pic sometime after Jason gets back. He doesn't fly back until Sunday. I would post a picture of our weather outside, too, but he has the camera. Flew back from 80 degree weather and now it's snowing!

2005-11-19T13:22:00.000-05:00

A little knitting progress

I've been jumpy with my knitting this week. I've worked a little on this and a little on that, so my pictures aren't that exciting, but I still have pictures today.

Here is the felted lunch bag I'm working on for my mom:

I had to order some more Kureyon for it, since the two skeins in my stash were not enough. I really don't know what I was thinking when I cast on for it with my measly two skeins. BUT, I got super lucky, as an Ebay seller had three skeins for sale in the same dyelot. Whew!

Here is my brown Raglan:

I'm gaining ground slowly but surely.

The good news, is that my replacement Denise cable arrived this week; that's a big relief off my shoulders, so I can bring them on our trip! I'm trying to determine what projects I'll take with me. I already packed 2 balls of Knitpicks Parade for a pair of socks for me. I'm not sure what else to bring... I'm thinking a simple scarf of some sort. I cast on for a boring garter stitch out of the Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed I bought at the LYS a month or so ago (go figure that Elann is selling it now), but I think I might frog and try the wavy scarf from Knitty. Rox's looks great, but I'm not sure it's the right choice for this yarn... I probably don't have enough either... I only have 3 skeins... Decisions Decisions!

I have picked out my vacation reading, however. I've already packed Middlesex. I've been meaning to read it for a while, and the Detroit-area references intrigue me as well.

In other reading news, I finished Tess of the D'Urbervilles and while I greatly enjoyed it, I really wish I hadn't read the inside cover before reading it. Knowing Thomas Hardy's style, I knew it wouldn't be uplifting, but the inside cover gave the entire story away! How dare they. I also picked up and read Ash Wednesday by Ethan Hawke (yep, he writes books!). It was surprisingly decent. I had read his first book, The Hottest State back in college, but I don't really remember it much.

I also joined

It looks to be great fun, especially as I'm in a classics frame of mind right now. I just started The Return of the Native (and made sure to get a copy that didn't give away the ending!). I also picked up A Tree Grows in Brooklyn at the library this morning.

I'm looking forward to the new Pride and Prejudice movie, as well, although I don't know if it can compete with the fanstastic version already out there:
.
Sigh. I love that movie (and book)!

Back to getting my list done for today. Lots of things left to do before we leave!

Weekend List
1. Clean kitchen
2. Clean bathroom
3. Clean out refridgerator
4. Empty litter box and clean it
5. Finish packing
6. Knit!

Florida here we come!

2005-11-18T13:14:00.000-05:00

Friday's To Do List

~~1. Struggle to move furniture and rugs from entryway, hallway, living room, kitchen and dining room.~~
~~2. Curse at said furniture and scratch up the floor~~
~~3. Vacuum entire house~~
~~4. Open up the cabinet and find box of Swiffer wipes empty and no cleaning solution. Curse again.~~
~~5. Brave the cold weather to buy said cleaning supplies and other groceries I must have since I stupidly went to the store without eating breakfast~~
~~6. Swiffer entire house~~
7. Piss off fuel oil delivery man who tried to deliver fuel oil when we didn't order it from his company, we only called for a price, which was 50 cents/gallon more expensive than the company who will be delivering it on Monday.
8. Give Marzi a bath
9. Find time to knit.
10. Scrounge up something for dinner.

2005-11-15T13:27:00.000-05:00

!!!!!!
I started my mom's felted lunchbag yesterday. I decided to use the Noro Kureyon I was saving for a felted stocking. After all, my mom's worth it, right? ;) No pics yet.

2005-11-14T07:47:00.000-05:00

Another present down!

I decided, a few months ago, to not do the whole knitting presents thing this year. I thought that maybe I'd knit a few things for Jason, and that would be it. Well, the bug hit me. Grrrrrr. Here are my finished socks for my brother.

I used this free pattern for footies, and knit the largest women's size.
Yarn: less than 2 skeins Knitpicks Parade in Checkers.

I'm thinking my next project will be a felted lunchbag for my mom, but I'm nervous to start a felted project after my pumpkin massacre a little while ago. Yeeks. She recently took a job at the library after 27 years of being a stay-at-home-Mom. I'm so proud of her for that. I also need to work on the Chocolate Waffle socks, that I think will be for my dad, but I'm dreading them for some reason. I think if I finish the first sock, I'll feel much better. They feel as though they take sooo much longer because of the pattern that travels down the foot and the fact that they're knit on 1s.

No idea what to knit MIL or SIL or if I'll even attempt something for them. I know MIL wore one of the scarves I knit her last year (which shocked me!), but I'm not sure SIL appreciated her gifts (mittens and a scarf)... maybe I'll just knit them some dishcloths or something. I *might* knit up one of the ruffley scarfs in Handknit Holidays in the kidsilk haze I have in my stash for SIL just because I want to knit it with that yarn. Perhaps that'll be one of the projects I take on vacation.

I've still been scrapping a bit. If you want to see a slideshow of some of my pages click here.

2005-11-10T05:52:00.000-05:00

A Quickie Before Work

The past few days, I've set aside my brown knitting (although thank you all who left me compliments on it!), and cast on for some new shiny projects. Ok, maybe not so shiny, but still new and non-brown. I like brown as much as the next guy, but the repetition was getting to me.

First up, we have my newest FO:

It's the ruffley scarf from Handknit Holidays. I used Elann's Peruvian 100% alpaca, and it's so soft. The problem, however, was that I thought I had 3 skeins of the yarn, and got halfway through and realized I only could find two, so I had to skip the last increase section, and it turned out not much different from my other ruffley scarf I knit before. I pulled half the yarn out of my yarn shelf looking for the missing ball and still couldn't find it. Well, what did I find yesterday? Yep, the lonely ball of alpaca. Grrrr!!! The scarf is super-soft though and decadent. It's going to be gifted, so it went right back into my basket so I'm not tempted to wear it myself.

I managed to complete a few more FOs yesterday as well.

Sorry the picture sucks; my camera batteries were about to die and it's dark in the living room.
I joined a couple ornament swaps, and I'm thinking these would be perfect! They turned out so adorable (and MUCH cuter in person). I used this great, easy to follow pattern.

I also cast on for a new pair of socks. These will be for my brother. He only wears tiny ankle socks, and they're in his school colors; he goes to Miami University.

They're working up fast on size 2 needles with the Knitpicks Parade yarn; I've already turned the heel!

P.S. SP, I did notice your little mistake, and I must confess that I clicked it, but I read no more than a few words, realized what I was doing and clicked out. I edited your comment, as well, so I won't be tempted in the future to go back and check out your blog until the SP round is over! So, your secret is still safe, because I can't remember your blog URL. :)

2005-11-07T08:13:00.000-05:00

Shades of Brown

I took a look at my knitting today and realized every WIP is brown. Brown socks, brown sweater, blah blah blah. Which is rather coincidental, because looking at the trees earlier this week, the vivid oranges and scarlets were losing their color and turning... you guessed it, brown. My knitting matches the environment. Am I trying to camouflage? Or am I expressing my mood?

I haven't been in a good mood this week, some crap went down at work that I don't want to post about, Jason has been very busy and stressed out at his job and is frantically trying to finish up the garage before the snow hits, so I haven't seen him as much as I'd like, I've been PMSing which is always a joy, LOST has been reruns, and I'm just being a big cranky baby. Boo hoo. Maybe now that I've posted about it, I'll feel better.
I need to keep reminding myself of my things to look forward to.

Things to look forward to:
Our Florida vacation! We leave Nov 22nd.
LOST is a new episode this week!

Brown Knitting

Chocolate Waffle progress. I haven't worked much on this at home this past week, but they have been my "work" project for lunchtime and prep hours. I cast on for this for Pixie Purl's Solid Sock-a-long, but I'm not sure if she approves of the yarn. It's a hand-dyed brown that's slightly variegated perhaps, but I think it's more kettle dyed in my opinion. Oh well.

I picked up my (wo)Men's Knitting Pure and Simple Top down Raglan this week, as well. I'm calling it a (wo)men's, because it's the Men's pattern, but it's going to be for me. I've been wanting a floppy boyfriend-type sweater and think this will fit the bill nicely. However, while working on it yesterday, one of my Denise cables snapped. Again. This is the second problem I've had with it and I'm really bummed because I was planning on taking them with me to Florida and don't think a replacement will show up in time :( I wanted that particular cable length for a scarf pattern I wanted to try.

I've really been scrapbooking more than knitting this week. I scrapped quite a few pages of our wedding (3 years ago!), and a ton of pages of Marzi and Patches. When I was a kid, I loved looking at my Mom and Dad's old pictures, so I hope our future kids enjoy looking through my scrapbook albums. It's funny how I think of these invisible kids we have when I'm scrapping. Does that make me weird?

P.S. Thank you SP for the ecard!

2005-11-02T12:18:00.000-05:00

Books listed on Ebay.

I've been feeling like crap the past two days, so I'm going to go huddle down with some hot tea and a book. Just started Tess of the d'Urbervilles, a classic I've never read before. It's by Thomas Hardy; and I loved Jude the Obscure , which he also wrote. I'm enjoying it so far, but it's very depressing.

Rox asked me how I liked The Amityville Horror (2005)) and Saw (Uncut Edition), so I figured I'd post in case anyone else was wondering. Amityville Horror was a little scarier, it seemed to me, with more "jump out of your seat" scariness, although I thought the original The Amityville Horror was much better, although I haven't seen it in MANY years, so it might not be scary to me today. I read the book a long time ago, which is supposed to be nonfiction, and the family was involved with the first movie. They were unhappy with the making of the newest version, I read. The Saw was definitely a better movie, and I'm looking forward to the sequel. It had me going, "What?" at the end, which I rather enjoyed.

Since I'm on the topic of reviews, I ordered

from Amazon a few weeks ago, and am in love with it! I don't know that there's a TON that I'd knit from it, but the felted ornament balls are definitely on my list, and the Ruffled scarves are already in the plans for a couple gifts! It definitely ranks up there with Last-Minute Knitted Gifts and Weekend Knitting. 3 books I can just browse through and feel inspired anytime I need a little knitting pick-me-up.