Bad Blogger. BAD!

I have not posted for a number of days. Here is what's been going on:

1. Knitting. On a break from anything that resembles knitting progress on the Gibson Girl Pullover.

2. Beading. I did a super fun jewelry party at Cece's house on Friday night- there were several guests and lots of beads and snacks. What could be better! Sadly, it was followed by a craft show on Saturday that was an incredible waste of my time. I used an extremely gross metaphor that involved infested dead animal parts, but I will not repeat it here... my mom reads this sometimes! (See, mom? I AM capable of filtering my comments!)

3. Keeping up with the jogging- I am super happy I'm participating in the Good Times fun runs... it makes me feel like I MUST run in between races, or suffer the consequences... and today was incredibly beautiful out! I keep wondering if running will get fun and easy again like it used to be... the verdict is still out... I'm getting faster, but haven't hit 'the zone' yet. I passed a couple of people I knew, and jumped around and waved hello at them. It was at the beginning of the run, when I had a bunch of pep... I did have a couple of weird moments during my run today where it felt like my view was from the perspective of a camera strapped to my forehead, rather than through my eyes... like, if you've ever watched the show "Fear Factor" ... they'll put cameras on the contestant's head when they're doing stunts, and you can see from their point of view... it was really weird, I assure you . I guess the good thing was that it acted like an interesting distraction for a while!

4. What I have been doing instead of blogging: Bikram Yoga. It is a 'hot room' style of yoga, where you do the same 26 poses each class, in the same order. I had been feeling some old hip problems flaring up recently, and figured that it was time to do some serious strengthening and stretching. Every day I can, I plan to go and get sweaty. I am horrible at the balancing poses- super duper wobbly. I am wondering if I'll ever get any better, or if I'll eternally flail about, distracting other yogamates and feeling unbalance-y!

What's funny, is that it turns out that a woman who lives on my floor also goes to the same yoga studio. I knew she looked familiar, but then when the instructor called her by name, I knew it was her! I introduced myself to her- she didn't remember me from the one interaction we've had... she knocked on my door several months ago to apologize for some drunken friends who had evidently been zooming up and down my hall in a shopping cart- NO IDEA how I slept through THAT one! She was probably too embarrassed to remember what I looked like, and I had been wondering if she remembered me or not, since I have laid eyes on her a few more times since then, and she had totally blown me off. One time, she and I were both waiting for the elevator, and I said hi, and she totally ignored me and then instead of taking the elevator, she ran off. Weird. Well, now that I've introduced myself, she's all like, 'Let's carpool to yoga and go out for a drink!' So, either she is weird and fake, or is shy and had a couple of flaky days. I'll go with #2 until I get evidence otherwise. I'm good like that.

And still, no pictures. So it goes. But if I were to post pictures, they would be of my Gibson Girl progress (the front and back up to the neck, awaiting joining and then neck knitting; one finished sleeve, and one partially finished sleeve). It was a gorgeous day out today, so I was also thinking I'd love to take some pics around town and take some photos of some of the spots I like a lot. Bridges, old buildings, the river, and a various assortment of what have you...

My Laziest Self EVER!

Well, April vacation has now come and gone, and I do believe I managed to only check ONE thing off my humongous 'vacation to do list'. Only ONE. I went and got my passport photos taken. And that is it. Was there spring cleaning? Nope. Was there any cleaning of any kind? Well, I did do my laundry once, and I did run the dishwasher once or twice. I also managed to bathe most days. Did I work on getting up a business website? Nope. Did I pay bills? Hahahaha, do not be silly with me. There were so many other things on the list that I just did NOT DO. However, I enjoyed every darned minute of sitting around flabbily and feeling like a glob of silly putty. I did go running. I did go for a bike ride. I even went to Bikram yoga... hot hot hot, baby!

And... I did some knitting. I am now done with the front, back, and one sleeve of the Gibson Girl Pullover... which still has not been captured on camera... BECAUSE I AM TOO LAZY!

I think I am enjoying this lazy thing a little too much. In a few months, my apartment will look like one of those creepy pack rats lives here... the dishes at the bottom of the pile in the sink will have started biodegrading, there will be piles of paper waist high everywhere, with a path from the bed to the bathroom, from the sofa to the computer... and I might get a parrot or something. It will say ominous things like, 'Careful of that tilting pile of documents' or, 'why clean dishes when you can wait until the food crusts over it so hard that you can eat off of it again' or, 'at least you're not a weird lady with eleven cats'...

Then again, I might just start ticking those things off of my list any minute now. Annnnny minnnnute nowwwww........

Resistance was futile.

So, I broke down and bought some yarn yesterday afternoon. I am (naturally) a subscriber to Interweave Knits, and have marked some of my favorite 'to do' patterns with little sticky flags. The Summer 2004 magazine had a pattern called the 'Gibson Girl Pullover', which is a fitted, long sleeve sweater with an allover lace pattern. The pattern is not like other lace I've done before, with the 'fancy stitches' on the right side and straight knitting or purling on the wrong side... there is 'fanciness' to be done on both sides, which keeps it very interesting. I picked a dark blue/green color in Classic Elite's yarn 'Provence', which I believe I have used before and liked.

I had a swatching fiasco last night due to partial tiredness... I didn't notice at first that the gauge instructions asked that you find the number of stitches over SIX inches rather than the usual FOUR. That, paired with my loosey goosey knitting, caused me to do about 6 swatch attempts before finally hitting it right. Then, this morning, I had to redo the FIRST ROW three times (three's the charm) before getting it right. Luckily, I got over whatever mental block I was having and was cruising along today. I am feeling too lazy to do pictures right now, and still don't know how to make words become highlighted and do the link-y thing (Cece? Since you're the 'expert', how about some help?)... so it's all just words today. How extremely boring. Total dullsville. ZZZZZ. But, at least it's a prelude to something interesting to come, right? :)

In other news, last night was week 3 of the Tuesday night 5k. And, I ran it in 28 minutes, 57 seconds, which was my fastest time so far on that course! Yippeeee! They give you a medal each time you set a personal course record, so I got to run up and jump up and down like a geek... no one else did... they all walked up and acted cool. NOT ME. And, I might add, I got a LOT of cheers for that silly behavior, which is just what I like. I am hoping I'll get another medal or two here and there... both because it's fun to be recognized, but even more that it is fun to be fast! I did have a couple of things work out for me in my favor... because I'm not working this week, I could eat well before the race so I didn't have a loaded down belly, and it was nice and cool out, which I like, and finally, one of the kids from my school just happened to see me running, and he was on rollerblades and rolled along with me for a while. It took my mind off things, and acted like a pace car or something. I offered him five bucks for either a piggyback or a loaner of the rollerblades... he declined graciously.

Well, back to the knitting... I am naturally a woman possessed!

Excitement in Downtown Lowell

So, I was craving some hot coffee and a focaccia bagel from "Olive That and More" this morning, so I wandered through the alleyway behind my building to the other side of the block... the street and the parking garage were all blocked off with police barrier tape. There were a lot of people standing around watching, and I quickly found out that there was a 'mysterious package' underneath a park bench. The dude with the big, green puffy bomb suit was on hand, walking over to the package like an astronaut on the moon. I stood around watching for a little while, and then my belly said, 'You know what would be better than standing around? Eating a bagel and drinking some coffee!" I obeyed. So then, I was back home, eating said breakfast, and suddenly I heard a man's voice shouting, "Fire in the hole! Fire in the hole! Fire in the hole!" AND THEN??? A BIG BOOOOOOM! I kid you not. It was very exciting. AND, I was glad I had gone back home. Sure, it might have been exciting to actually see, but I liked being nice and safe at home rather than in the line of fire. I'm assuming it happened in a controlled manner, since I didn't hear rubble raining down afterwards or anything. They'll probably have something about it on the news tonight.
And people say that Lowell is boring. That shows what THEY know!!!

SUCCESS!

Beading Marathon Monday, AKA 50 FO day, was a success. I managed to make 32 pairs of earrings, 9 bracelets and 9 necklaces. I have managed to take a pic of my work table, (scary messy!) and all of the items I made today. I hate that the pictures don't show how nice some of the beads look, but my setup is not professional. So it goes. I also developed a blister on the pinky of my 'plier hand' from all of the wire bending and such. What a day.

Messy beading table: I find that everything mashed together helps me see combinations I wouldn't think of otherwise!

Here is the shot of all FO's from today:


And, shots of the four quadrants of the FO array:

The above pic shows some earrings made with cool river stones, which are really cool.
This one shows a few necklaces and earrings made with handmade lampwork beads from Grace Beads.
This one has some cool silver foil lined glass beads. Very summery.
Yes, the ear thread earrings helped bump up those FO numbers!

Well, this might not be a feat I attempt to accomplish very often, but it was certainly a productive day.

The day of 50 FO's?

Well, today is day 4 of a 10 day hiatus from work. I don't feel like I've checked very many things off of the 'to do' list, but so it goes. This morning consisted of sleeping late (for me), getting up, munching on some cereal, watching Maury Povitch's top 10 awesomest paternity test guests (HI-Larious!), showering, and taking a brief walk outside (no, the salon is NOT open today, yes, I DID remember to plop my Netflix movies in the mailbox, and YUM for coconut hazelnut iced coffee!) While flip-flopping home from the coffee place, it hit me: today could be the day of 50 finished objects! I felt a wave of self doubt: could i really do that? Maybe I should make it only 20. But I've done THAT before (earrings are fast!)... so, in honor of the Boston Marathoners, I am going to have a marathon of my own. I am going to dust off my bead table, and see what I can see. Speaking of the bead table, I should probably show you a pic of the disaster that I fondly call my work station. I'll get right on that. In addition to the bead table, I also have several workshop type organizers with little drawers- you can either be a sucker and buy the pretty purple organizers at a craft store, or you can go into the hardware section of whatever store is to your liking, and get the 'let's separate the nails from the screws' organizer. Sure, it's not purple, but whatever. Okay, enough time off task. I will check back in later. Possibly with pictures. It is now 11:12 AM. Let the "Day of 50 FO's" commence!

Please stand by... we are experiencing technical difficulties...

Well Blogger is being a jerkass punk and is not allowing me to upload pictures... so I guess I'll try again tomorrow... stay tuned for the Easter update, one day late!

Easter Stash Busting!

So, a couple of years ago, I bought a large quantity of lace weight yarn from Knit Picks, to knit a very complicated entrelac shawl that I was simply drooling over. I had originally started it in a different yarn, that was just so mohairy that it got all tangly and was untinkable in the case of an occasional error. (What can I say, I get distracted sometimes!) At the last minute, I bailed and made the shawl below, which is I think called "Cherry Blossom" from some long ago Interweave Knits magazine. Sorry, I do not have the energy to look up which one right at the moment. Here it is in all of its glory:

Here is a pic of the edging:


And, here is a pic of the center:


It has been worn a total of one time, to my grandfather's wake. I honestly have not found another occasion to wear it. One odd thing about the construction of the shawl is that you start with the outside and work in... and even with blocking, it would never quite lie flat. Not a problem when wearing it, fortunately... After knitting it, I had almost three skeins of the yarn left, so I started "Eva's Scarf" from the book, Scarf Style. Sure, I was already a little tired of the yarn, but my yarn funds have been quite dry ever since buying my own home... Needless to say, I put the project deep down far away after a while... I kept making mistakes, and was so tired of the yarn! Plus, you start with the outside scalloped edge and continuously decrease, so at the beginning, it was extremely tedious. Every time I made a mistake, I would just want to scream! A couple of days ago, I pulled it back out and decided that this was the time to FINISH. And I did! True, I spent almost the entire weekend on the darned thing, to the detriment of anything else I could have done... like leaving the house... Here she is, blocking away... sorry for the grody background of mismached towels...


And, a closeup of the edging...


Today was Easter. I went out to breakfast with Laurie and Tarsha, and it was really nice, relaxing and yummy. I do like me a good breakfast! Well, my darlings, it is officially Mr. Bed Time. Sweet dreams! (Hopefully not of that yarn... have I mentioned that I have over 1 1/2 skeins of that blasted stuff left? Anyone interested in it? I'm willing to talk...)

V-A-C-A-TION!

Okay, folks, today is the first day of a 10 day April vacation. I know that a lot of people think that teachers and other school employees are 'lucky'. However, please remember the post below where our kids lit a brush fire during school hours... and remember that I am the ONLY social worker at an alternative school. Over the past week, there have been two girl fights, several almost girl fights, three cell phones stolen, (and then confiscated by the principal, re-stolen out of her office and then sold to another student) two cases of assault against the principal, uncountable cases of 'shut the F up', 'get out of my F ing face you ugly F ing bitch' (to which I replied, "I might be a bitch, but don't you DARE call me ugly!"), numerous kids stomping out of class when all the teacher asked them to do was sit and do their work, kids throwing desks (and pencils, tennis balls, books and whatever else is handy), spitting, and a generous smattering of general mayhem. And who gets to deal with all of these unpleasant situations? Myself and the principal. When things get too ridiculous for the teachers, we step right on in. I am pooped. If teachers and school employees did not get ample vacations, trust me- there would be no one left to teach.

Okay, I'm done with that rant. 10 days off. Wheeee! I woke up right at 7 this morning. (ever noticed it's much harder to get up on time on a work day, but on a day off, you pop right awake? HATE that!) I did some laundry, lounged around a little (and did some bead crochet), then went for a run. It's getting warmer out, and now I remember that I tend to get overheated when it's warm out. Hmm.

In crafty news, I did try to do the stash diving thing the other night, but nothing sparked my creativity. For now, I am continuing on the bead crochet. No current pics. Over the vaca, I'm assuming I'll make a whole bunch of jewelry and will post some pictures then.

Ugly buns; stash diving.

Here are the EXTREMELY ugly yet DEVASTATINGLY DELICIOUS Chinese buns I made yesterday. The dough is hideous looking, but tasted puffy and great just like in Chinese Dim Sum restaurants. The filling is ground chicken, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, white truffle oil, and other stuff I forget. The dough involved kneading and rising and the whole shebang.

Now that I have finished the Odessa hat, I again find myself without a knitting project. I am going to go stash diving again and see what I can see. Or, I could stop feeling overwhelmed by the giant number of beads I have and just start making new jewelry. Now, that would be smart! But diving it shall be for now.

Today was a weirdly quiet day at work where I basically felt like a high paid paperweight. Funny how I'm tired after a day like that... just as tired as if there was a lot of action. Hmm.

Okay, off to view the stash.

Odessa hat; Onion Soup.

Well, the Odessa hat turned out just the way I hoped it had- the right size, plenty of beads and plenty of yarn! Wheeee!
I am currently making a five onion soup. My eyes have been watering for about 2 hours now! It's tastin' time... I'll be right back... **10 minutes elapsing** Oh. My. Goodness. It was like French onion soup but BETTER. It involved red onion, yellow onion, leeks, scallion, shallots, scallops, my homemade chicken stock, and seasonings. The scallops were rolled in coriander powder and steamed over curry water. I am a happy girl- full of onions, with a nice, new, soft, beaded hat! Now, I'm off to Lush Beads to do some bead crochet and to eat a brownie, evidently, that Liz is saving for me!

Jaywalkers complete, battling the sniffles.

Well, my lone Jaywalker sock now has a mate. These have a nice zebra thing going on, that I am quite enjoying! I am padding around my nice concrete floor (see picture) feeling nice and cozy. Aaaaah.

I am fighting off a cold. How am I fighting? I decided to go for the 'power of orange'. I am working on a 3 quart jug of orange juice, and believe it or not, my throat and sinuses don't hurt any more! I will make sure to try this method the next time I start to get a cold, just to make sure it's not a fluke... but this is much more delicious than those nose sprays and such!

I made my own chicken stock today! I have done other semi-adventurous cooking things that other people say that they haven't done (roasted a chicken, made tomato sauce from scratch, baked whole wheat bread, made gnocchi... I can't think of anything else off the top of my head... ooh, made meringue and folded it into a souffle- that was exciting!) Anyway, the chicken stock is nice and chickeny and the sad pile of leavings (floppy chicken parts, faded celery and carrots, wilted parsley and onions and so on) is sitting in a pan on my stove... not sure how to get rid of it without creating a drippy disaster... but I'll figure something out! I made the stock with the idea that tomorrow, I'll make this great sounding onion soup that I found in a Chinese cookbook- it involves FIVE different kinds of onions, which sounds simply sublime to me! This soup also involves scallops. MMMM. I also got stuff to make those great, puffy Chinese buns. I have no idea how they'll turn out, but I think it is worth a try. Bunn-y goodness. (The hyphen there is important- otherwise, it sounds like I am eating a bunny! Not that there's anything wrong with that; I just wouldn't want to mislead my faithful readers. You know, all 3 of you.)

I do not have a new knitting project in mind. I do, however, have a giant slew of beads that I need to do something with, so maybe I'll hit them up tomorrow. HOly smokes, I just thought of something!!! Wheeeee! I THINK I might have enough of this great purply mauve cashmerino left to make the "Odessa Hat" that I've been wanting to make. AND, since I am a beader, I just might have some beads I could use. Hmmmmmm... Investigation shall commence! EEEEEEEEE! (I will report back on progress at a later time/date)

BEAD SHOW!!!

I took the day off from work today to schlep down to Providence, Rhode Island to "The Whole Bead Show", at which a few of my fave bead vendors were in attendance. I was the proverbial kid in the candy store, and I think I did pretty well, finding good stuff. Here is a picture of most of the stuff I got:

Lots of seed beads, including some size 13 cut charlottes, which are the ones on the strands... so sparkly and pretty! The stone beads are river stones, polished and drilled for jewelry usage. Here is a closer shot of the lampwork beads in the center, which are from Grace Beads. I love her stuff, and she and the river stone dude are two of the people I had been hoping to visit! She had a great wholesale deal- 25% off everything- and her prices are good to begin with for handmade lampwork beads. She is more of a production beadmaker, as opposed to some people who focus on making huge, dramatic focal beads that cost tons of money. See below for one of those!


Okay, I walked past Joanne Morash's table (Blue Iris Designs) about 4000 times and touched all of her beads about 11 times each, before I found the one that would come home with me for an extra sinful price. Her beads have been featured in magazines and are incredibly luscious. See if you agree... of course, it's prettier in real life, as usual:




It's like, how in the world did she get hot glass to do THAT!?!?! If I lived near her, I swear I'd camp outside her house promising to do ANY menial tasks she needed done if only she'd teach me her secrets. That would rock. I would even scoop kitty litter for her. Or clean her oven. Really, I would!

However, I am feeling another cold coming on- ever since I fought off shingles in the late Fall, I have gotten a terrible cold every single month. I hate this winter. UGGH, it is not even winter any more, and I'm still getting winter colds! Now, that just ain't fair!

Jaywalker; and what I LIKE about running!

Don't worry, there are no pictures this time... don't want anyone to cringe every time I mention running! Now that I'm done with the bead crochet frenzy, I am back to the mate for my first Jaywalker sock. Yee haw!

And, although the weather has turned frosty again and it rained all day, I ran in a 5k this evening. It was the first of a 10 week series, and the race starts a couple of minutes from my house. TRES convenient. It was about 37 degrees and sleeting during the race, but I pulled a good one out of my butt and managed to finish in about 29:10, which is PHENOMENAL for me! It's good to have people to work on catching up with. I plan to run the race every week. Sweet.

Okay, time for a celebratory supper of some low fat pierogies. (Whoever heard of low fat pierogies? Whatever!) Ooh, speaking of food- I was in a pizza mood last night, and so I got one of those premade crusts and put on sauce, thinly sliced eggplant, garlic, and grape tomatoes with low fat mozzarella cheese.... less greasy and gross than restaurant pizza, and turned out super yummmm.

I'll post Jaywalker pics when I'm finished...

Bead Crochet Pics!!!

Well, I have been working on some bead crochet bracelets, and had a good time coordinating colors and thinking of what patterns I wanted to try out. Here is a shot of the results, although I again feel that the picture doesn't do them justice... but then again, of course I'd say that, since I made them!

In Jaywalker news, completed sock #1 does not yet have a partner... the knitting was put on hold for beading. You know how that can go... and even buying new yarn was put on hold when I visited the Hub Mills/ Classic Elite warehouse yarn sale- prior to heading over there yesterday morning, I had made a list of projects I'd like to do, and didn't end up finding yarn that would work out! How does THAT happen? I left empty handed! I guess that is for the best, seeing as I have been trying to keep up with the 'wallet lockdown'...

I've had a nice weekend. Friday after work, a couple of my coworkers came over to look at my jewelry, and one of them redeemed her Xmas gift certificate, and the other one bought a nice bracelet. Then, we went over to Caffe Paradiso and had fabulous martinis (I had an apple martini and a blue raspberry martini) and delicious sandwiches. I love it there! On Saturday, I was awake by 6:15, and was at the gym in the pool at 7. After my swim, I ran two miles with a couple of women I met last weekend- and then went home and made whole wheat banana walnut pancakes. Super yum. Then, I strolled over to the Tsongas Arena, where they were having the opening ceremonies for the world curling championships... as best as I can figure out, curling is a lot like shuffleboard...
After I wandered home, it was 'lounge time', until the power went out at 3:30! I high tailed it over to the bead store (after calling to make sure they had power) and crocheted until she closed for the day. And, the power was still out when I got home! I knocked on a couple of neighbors' doors, and we ended up having an impromptu candlelight wine and chips party until the power went back on at 9:30. My neighbor who will remain unnamed, got so drunk that she called 911 and complained about the power outage, and they asked her if she was having a medical emergency, and she slurred out, 'No, but this is certainly a SOCIAL emergency!" The rest of us were trying to get her to hang up the phone and finally she did. I was embarrassed for her, to say the least!

I am still a bit groggy today after drinking all that wine last night, but still managed to go for a really nice bike ride (in groggy 'next day after wine mode') and am pleased to see that it's only 1:30. That leaves plenty of time for 'whatever' for the rest of the day!

Bead Crochet; Hilarious 'Advent of Spring' Story!

I don't have any photos today, but will add some probably over the weekend of my latest bead crochet escapades. I have been trying to make up some of my own patterns; that did not work so well, so you won't see THOSE pics... but the things that come out well? Sure, I'll share those!

So, I work in a middle school that is especially for kids with serious behavior issues- a lot of them already have probation officers and criminal records and such. Well, today, we bagged a few of them outside around the corner during recess, smoking... they don't do that in the winter; it is too cold or something. Later on, I was sitting at my desk with the window open, and was enjoying the warm, fresh air, with the scent of someone sparking up the barbecue for an afternoon burger... or so I thought! Turns out, one of the cigarettes that the kids had tossed to the side had started a brush fire that burned a big area of grass and small trees... luckily, it was in an empty lot across the street from where there is a house! Those crazy kids. The fire department put the fire out pretty quickly and handily, and then, as usual, we called the police and made sure the guilty persons were held accountable. One of the kids was one that JUST returned this week from a 45 day suspension for selling drugs! What a clown.
Well, reader(s), tonight it's bead crochet, Survivor, and whatever else comes on later. Pics of progress to come soon!

Socks Aplenty!

Tonight, there be socks. First, a brief update on my Jaywalker progress. I must confess that I'm not going as speedily as usual- This weekend, the urge to clean my apartment and such got in the way of my knitting time! Sorry, haven't figured out how to rotate pictures yet... Like the pink towel the sock is on? I inherited those foxy towels from my grandma when she and my grandpa closed down their 'summer home' a few years ago. You should have seen the hot pink rugs and fuzzy toilet seat cover that coordinated with the towels. Man, that woman has style!


Next, is an ADORABLE pair of baby booties, made with some delightfully fluffy angora yarn. The pattern is out of the "Last Minute Knitted Gifts" book, and if you ever come across a little ol' ball of angora yarn, snap it up and make these... sooooo cute!




And finally, I am copying a play out of Cece's blogging handbook and have taken a picture of my large sock collection. And yes, please recall that I don't actually get to WEAR them all that often, but I love having them and love making them!


I guess the pic doesn't necessarily do justice to the various things that are going on with each pair of socks... there are some with groovy lace patterns, cables, and so on. I really like the lace pattern in the all black pair, (yeah, I know, completely not visible to you) and I always like doing socks in a knit 3 purl 1 ribbing. It is pleasing to me. :)

Well, Blogger gave me a run for my money tonight... I have been trying to upload pics since perhaps 5 pm, and I was finally successful at about 10:30!

And in closing, I have just received important instructions from my pal Laurie for me to make her some bead crochet bracelets. I am excited, because I haven't made any bead crochet bracelets recently, and I'm itchin' to get to it! Wahoo! I don't know if I'm pressing my luck, here, but here is a picture of a couple of the bracelets that I've made:


Yessss! They uploaded on the first try. Yayyyy! Well, that is all for tonight. Try to survive until next time!

WIP, FO, and one thing I hate about running.

Well, first, let's show off the WIP, my Jaywalker socks. I am making them out of some nice yarn, but I can't remember what kind it is at all. Shame on me. I bought it a long time ago, and then wound it at either Cece's house, or possibly my mom's house... for some reason, I didn't keep the label with the yarn, which I usually do! Anyway, I love the simplicity of the pattern and the fantastic zig zag effect you get! Next time, I might try a different cuff that will zig and zag along with the rest of the sock... we'll see what I can come up with. The sad thing about knitting socks is this: I have extra sweaty feet (more on that later for those of you who can stomach it), and wool socks are probably a little more than I can handle. Therefore, I have a bunch of hand knit socks that I don't wear very often! I lovvvve making them, though, and will therefore continue.


And now we move to my latest FO, the "Leftovers Scarf that looks like a Caterpillar." Every single stitch was done with yarn left over from an old project! I like the way it turned out, but I don't like the way this picture makes it look. I did get a positive compliment from someone about it already, so I stand by my caterpillar! The pattern (if you care) was simple: 5 rows of black, 3 rows of 'reddish' yarn, repeat. I cut the yarn at the end of every row so as to create mass quantities of fringe, and after every half dozen rows or so, I'd tie the fringe together in pairs. Fringe-tastic!

And now, for the third and final installment for today. For those of you with weak stomachs, please skip this portion and never ever read it. Ever. If you have already seen the picture, please just imagine that it is some sort of abstract art. Okay, now let's see if this lives up to the hype. I went running today. Just about 3 miles or so. I have cranky foot-skin. It blisters like a bastard. I have tried various shoes, socks, powders, taping, lubing, and any other suggestion that has been thrown at me by a variety of doctors (chiropractors, physical therapists, dermatologists, podiatrists, and so on), runners, and general know it alls... I have also tried to allow time to toughen up my feet. It does not work. Instead, the toughened skin merely serves as an extra thick cover on top of the new blister. This is a nice picture of the bottom of one of my feet after my run today. I hope you enjoy it. Lucky for you, it's blurry! The damaged area is about 2 inches long and 1 inch wide. Why, might you ask, do I still run? Because I am a gigantic idiot. Plus, it is good exercise, and I'm kinda used to the whole blistery horribleness by now. And, it is somewhat important to run if you're going to do a triathlon. I do those. Also because I am a gigantic idiot. I find them fun, blisters and all...

And on that note, I had better slink out of here before you all (and by you all, I mean the two people who know I have a blog) start hurling tomatoes and gauze pads at me.

Doom. That is the future for my argyle vest... unless, of course, I manage to grow about half a foot! Considering that I'm already 5'11", and am 33 years old, I"m thinkin' that's not going to happen any time soon. Plus, the deep V turned out not to be a good pairing with a small bust... it just kinda gaps open in a most unflattering way! Live and learn. However, I really enjoyed making and cutting the steeks, and intend to try to incorporate steeks into future projects as might be helpful.
Now, I have just cast on a pair of Jaywalker socks. I started them up, then frogged them after a couple of inches... my feet are extra skinny, so I am reducing their size. Luckily, the pattern is simple (but packs an adorable punch!), so I was able to modify it with no problem. I will include a picture when the progress warrants one!
This 'emergency wallet lockdown' is tough business. I managed not to go to a local bead show today, where I invariably would have spent money I shouldn't. I did stroll on over to Lush Beads http://www.lushbeads.com and hang out with owner Liz and her trusty bead slave, Kathy. I worked on a right angle weave bezel for a nice cabochon, but decided that the bead colors I picked were sucky. So, once I gave up, I went home and looked through back issues of Interweave Knits. The Hub Mills factory store http://www.hubmillsstore.com is having a clearance sale on their Classic Elite yarns, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to find some super cheapo yarn for some of the patterns I've been wanting to tackle. I figure it would be best to go in there with a game plan, rather than just randomly buying yarn for projects that don't even exist yet!
I am sitting, knitting, and watching piss-poor horror movies on the SciFi channel. I am completely loving it!

Here we are, blocking... I'm a little concerned that it's going to be a bit 'large' in the top region... I am not a busty lass by any stretch of the imagination... and that it's going to be longgggg overall. However, I really liked doing this pattern, and would actually consider giving it another go if it fails utterly to be a wearable object!

In other news, I am working along on my 'leftovers scarf', which I think looks quite pretty. Let's see what you think! It is like a giant caterpillar at this point in time... which, if you know me, is right up my alley. The only thing I don't like about it is that every row, I cut the yarn to make the fringe. Good because I don't have to go back and do the fringe later, but bad because it breaks the 'flow' of the knitting every row. I am having fun strolling down memory lane about the projects I used the original yarn for: a pair of thrummed mittens; a 9 foot long scarf that I made in college; a boxy sweater; a cool lacy cotton sweater; a scarf as a gift; and so on and so forth. The weather is still chilly here despite its being spring, so I'm hoping I'll finish before the weather turns! If I don't, it will be the first thing I try out next winter!