Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! We are spending a quiet day at home. We had lunch at the buffet at the Cherokee Casino which is about a mile from our house. And we didn't have to clean up the kitchen! It is just the two of us and it isn't worth buying and cooking all that food.

I have a few WIP to show you. The only finished object I have is the socks I showed you Nov. 8 made from the Vinca yarn. Here are some WIPs.



The first is a dishcloth from Peaches 'n' Creme cotton yarn. Notice the yarn is in a giant ball? Some little Bunny got the cone, unraveled it and tangled it all up. So I spent a long time untangling and winding it back up. It is not very handy in this ball, but I will cope.



This blue sock is made from Regia that has some elastic in it. I think I like it, but I'm not sure how it will hold up. I believe I won't dry it on a sock blocker.



Here is the shades of pink Vinca that I have started. It is way down the line of what I want to work on. But it will wait for me. I do like the colors.



Last, here is the beginning of my first sweater. It is Knit Picks Swish in a Kimono Style sweater pattern from Plymouth Yarn Company. All the pieces are rectangles (how hard can that be?) and then there is a band around the front and neck. No Buttonholes! Again, this is down the list from my Christmas knitting. But it is so soft and mindless that I want to pick it up everytime I sit down to watch tv.

I have some beautiful alpaca laceweight yarn from Knit Picks for a smoke ring that I want to work on. My shortest circulars are 24 inches and I want the 16" ones. So I ordered them today. I'll try to finish the socks before the circulars get here. I also have some gray for a stole, but I'm not going to start on it until at least Jan. 20 (a KAL project).

On Thanksgiving this year, I'm thankful for my family, immediate and extended, near and far; good friends old and new; and all of you who encourage me in my knitting. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. (And Happy Thanksgiving Buster and Bunny!)

Friday, November 21, 2008

This is so exciting!

That's what she said in her first e-mail. My friend was glad to hear from me and she wrote me a nice long e-mail about her life from sophomore year to present. We have a lot of catching up to do, and we are starting with one e-mail at a time.

So thanks to those of you who encouraged me. I'm glad I took your advice. We have many, many years to cover. And it is strange what events you choose to relay first.

This is way more fun that knitting round and round on a Christmas gift sock!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Woo-Hoo!

My yarn came in the mail today! It is beautiful! Unfortunately, I'm at work today so I can't take pictures until later.

Also unfortunately, I just found out that there is a pair of socks to knit before Christmas. I'm going to have to stay up nights or get up early if I'm going to get done what needs to be done before my deadline.

The smoke ring has to be done before Jan. 20. The sweater has no deadline, but the socks need to be done a week or two before Christmas. The shawl will be started on Jan. 20 or after.

The Harmony needles are beautiful. I ordered size 4's and 5's, also 8's and 9's. Can't wait to try them out.

Wish me luck on meeting my deadlines. I'll post pictures later!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Still Waiting

It is hard to wait when you have yarn ordered.

I ordered enough Knit Picks yarn to make my first ever sweater. I chose a camel color worsted weight superwash merino. The next day I ordered some almost red lace weight for a smoke ring KAL and some steel gray for a shawl KAL that will start in January. Of course, I "had" to order some Harmony interchangeable needles for each project.

I was notified on Monday that the sweater yarn was shipped. I was notified Tuesday that the other yarn was shipped. I'm so excited it makes waiting very difficult.

In other news, I finally talked a sweet woman out of her Opal Petticoat 1290 yarn. She sold it to me from her stash on Ravelry. Thanks fibercrone.

I finished the Vinca socks. They don't even come close to matching, but I like them anyway. And since I don't have my other yarn yet, I started another pair out of the Vinca, this time the pinkish-lavender yarn. I'm in a rut here with all the pastels. I need to pull out some bright colors and cast on!

The dogs are sleeping more during this cold spell. So I don't have any funny stories to tell about them.

I'm thinking about getting hold of a woman who was my best friend when we were kids. My dad took a job and we moved from Fayetteville, Arkansas, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, just before I turned 16. It was a traumatic move for me, and I didn't stay in touch with her. Now that I'm "old" and have time for more than running after kids and jobs, I'm wishing I could catch up with her. What do you think? Should I or should I not? Would you want someone to look you up after all these years?

Saturday, November 8, 2008

What a Relief!

What a relief! I got my hair cut yesterday and it is soooo much better.

I called my regular barber (yes, she is a barber) and she was unable to get me in. She has her surgery on Monday, so I knew I'd have to find someone else until she gets better. So I went to the nearest Supercuts and signed in. There was only one stylist there, and he was the manager. He actually listened to what I wanted and gave me a great cut. He also gave me some tips on styling while drying. So I am a very happy camper today.

I've been knitting on some socks from my Vinca yarn that I bought a while back. (The second one from the left.) I love the way the colors are going from one color to another. The downside (to me) is that I wasn't able to match the colors from one sock to another. I'm a little bit particular about that, but I'm just going to loosen up and wear them.

Today I am being adventurous. I'm going to try a new nail salon. My favorite tech moved to a neighboring suburb to manage the salon in the Wal-Mart there. It is not too far away, but there is a salon a mile from my house that I'm going to try. (Wow! a new barber and a new nail tech all in the space of two days! I am being brave!) You can tell I'm not a very flexible person. I get in a rut and stay there.

The dogs are being couch potatoes this morning. Hopefully, they will stay in this mood until I get back. Yesterday they emptied the trash can, spread trash all over the kitchen and dining room, shredded the trash bag, and ate the last slice of cherry pie that was left out on the kitchen cabinet. I'm not sure if they have separation anxiety, or if they just think it is funny to make a mess. This time I will be sure everything is put away before I leave.

Well, I'm back from the nail salon. They did an OK job. I still like my regular girl better.

As for the dogs, they didn't make a mess! Yay! How big a mess can they make in an hour? You'd be surprised!