Amything Can Happen

Let's go fly a kite!

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It's official!

I really am the worst blogger in history! :0)  I haven't had time to post or really anything knitting related to post in so long it's shameful.  I have finally completed a couple of projects after all this time.  I finished some fuzzy feet slippers for my mother for Christmas.  This was fun because I taught my mom to knit last year at Christmas and she's done such a great job of learning on her own.  I gave the slippers to her unfelted!  It was fun to show her how to felt things in her washer.  I hope that she will try a felting project on her own now that she knows how simple it is.  I also gave her tons of dishcloth cotton, the Mason Dixon book, and some sock yarn and needles.  Then we started sock knitting camp! In two days, she had learned to knit a sock all the way past the gusset and down into the foot.  I think she did a fantastic job and I can't wait to see the finished sock!  I gave her enough yarn to do two pairs of socks to keep her motivated. 

I also have finished a pair of Koigu socks for me.  This was my first time to use Koigu and I liked it fine, but after long extended periods of knitting, the texture of the yarn began to hurt my hands.  I really like the look of the socks though.

I've finished the third row of squares for my throw of many colors.  I hope to sew them together tomorrow night when I get home from Louisiana and maybe be able to post some pictures then.  That will put me at 30% finished.  I might finish that blanket by the time Savannah graduates High School!

I am on Ravelry now and I do keep it more up to date than this blog for some reason.  I guess it's because I'm on there more often.  I'm BizEdTeacher on the site.  See you soon!

Absolute Worst Blogger EVER

Well, I think we've established that I suck at blogging! I cannot believe I haven't posted here since July.  I suppose this could be the longest catch up post in the history of the internet but I think maybe instead I'll break it up and catch up over a few days instead. 

We are presently in Colorado Springs, CO, on a sort-of vacation.  Sort-of because Toby's actually here working and Chandler is at his dad's house in Denver and that leave Savannah and Me to vacation.  We've had an interesting trip so far.  I drove the 13.5 hours out here on Friday, alone, with both children, who don't get along all that well.  It was f.u.n.!!! 

Sunday, Toby drove us up to Pike's Peak.  It was 47 at the base of the mountain and 15 at the peak.  The wind was blowing a bagillion miles an hour and the windchill was below zero.  We were all bundled up for the most part, but froze half to death anyway.  We did get a few good pictures:

(Click for big!) 

 

Today, Savannah and I went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.  I have to say that as impressed as I was with the Kansas City Zoo, this zoo was just as awesome if not more so.  I've never been to a zoo where you were as physically close to the animals.  I was amazed at how many hands-on experiences they offered.  The grounds were spectacular!  Savannah was blown away with the giraffe feeding.  It nearly cost me an arm and a leg at 3 crackers for a buck!  She was breaking crackers into fourths to make it last longer! We had to go back again before we left.  Here are a few of the pics from the zoo:

More zoo pictures here.

And even some video:

Finished Object

Project:  Monica Tank from Knitty

Yarn:  1824 Cotton

Date Started:  June 24

Date Finished:  June 26

Modifications:  The pattern originally called for Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece of which I had none and my LYS doesn't carry in stock, only special orders.  So, I picked 1824 Cotton even though I knew it's a heavier weight yarn.  Brown Sheep calls Cotton Fleece a worsted weight but it is truly more of a dk weight yarn.  The gauge for the pattern was 5 st./in. and with the 1824 Cotton, my gauge was 4 st/in.  They called for size 6 needles, I used size 7 because it gave a prettier and much less stiff fabric.  When I swatched the 1824 Cotton on smaller needles, it was difficult to pull the stitches through and it hurt my hands, so I was much happier with the larger needles and looser gauge, but that also meant that I had to adjust for the differences in the pattern.  I also modified the pattern to work in the round instead of flat.  This meant only four rounds of purling in the whole top which made the knitting go much faster.  There was of course no seaming because it was in the round.

I made the top with a 25 inch circumference, but I will make it bigger for the next one.  Yes, I said next because I have been literally begged to make another one, ten as a matter of fact.  I told her I'd make one more and then we'll see.  So, the NEXT will be just a little bigger and also longer. 

The final modification was to knit the straps in one piece.  The pattern called for two straps that were to be seamed together.  I knit the straps in one piece then did a three-needle bind off to join them together.  The 3NBO blended perfectly with the garter stitch border and strap. 

Savannah loves her new top and she won't take it off.  I'm glad I thought to steam block it and sew in the ends before I let her try it on!  I may have never gotten it back otherwise.  She's already asked me if she could sleep in it and also if I would not only make 10 for her but could I also make one for Junie and Marki, her Build-a-Bear Bunny and Kitty friends.  She said she just has to have matching tops for them too.  It looks like I may have quite a lot of Monica Tanks to knit to keep up with the demand of a four-year-old princess in training!

Hey Swatch Where You're Going!

I've joined Mystery Stole 3 along with about half of the knitting world!  It's my first big lace project with laceweight yarn.  I chose to use the elann.com Peruvian Baby Lace Merino in an off-white color called Parchment.  Here's my swatch done on size 5 needles.  Too loose? Not loose enough?  Hmmmm.....tell me what you think.

Ripple What?

I had every good intention of making a ripple with the blue/brown/linen yarn.  I did!  I've tried 6 different patterns, and each with a different color sequence.  I finally had decided on doing a plain double crochet ripple.  Nothing special, just simple and pretty.  I had swatched.  I never swatch.  Here's the sample on the right.  The husband says it's "fugly" but I thought it looked ok.  The swatch is an idea of a full color repeat, he says that a) the colors don't go to together, and b) it just looks weird.  What do y'all think?  Do I need to scrap this project and give up on my idea of a blue/chocolate blanket?  Do I need to find a new pattern?  Do I need to find a new color pattern? 

Sidewinder Socks

Ok, first let me say that I love this pattern.  I intend to make myself a pair for the sheer novelty of the construction.  They look so interesting.  Grumperina showed us her pair today and they look so fun and most of all DIFFERENT!  Sometimes different is good!  However, when I saw this:

I immediately thought of this:

Does anybody else even remember Slim Goodbody?  When I was searching for an image of him, I learned that he is STILL AROUND!  My goodness!

Anyway, back to the pattern!  I think this may be pure knitting genius!  I can't wait to make a pair, although I think I will forgo the Socks that Rock and perhaps choose a more solid colored sock yarn.

Ripple to the Left....Ripple to the Right!

Ok, so I cannot resist.  CANNOT!  I am going to do a ripple.  I picked the new Lion Brand Vanna's Choice acrylic yarn in Linen, Dusty Blue, and Taupe.  The "Dusty Blue" is much more of a teal color than blue I think.  All of the colors are "dusty" but not at all heathered.  I love them!  The yarn is very soft and I hope that it will work up as pretty as it is in the skein.

Now I'm left to find the perfect ripple pattern.  I had been leaning toward doing a round ripple, but I'm not sure it would be the right pattern for these colors.  Any suggestions?

We All Just Wanna Be Big Rock Stars

7 Random Things

I got tagged by Lisa for this meme.  It's been a few days but I've had a lot going on and needed to process this one since I'd done one similar to it on the old blog.  So here goes:

1.  I am a hopeless soap opera fanatic.  I only watch The Young & The Restless, As The World Turns, and Guiding Light.  I began watching these shows when I was a very small child with my grandmother.  I love these shows so much that I tivo them everyday and either watch them at night or on the weekends.  I also think that somehow I feel closer to my grandmother and my great-grandmother (who also watched daily) even though my grandmother rarely ever watches them anymore.  She somehow evolved and I didn't and don't really want to any time soon.  Oh, and yeah, WHY OH WHY won't they bring my beloved Nick back on Y&R??????  It's so unfair! 

2.  I only complete about 1 in 30 knitting projects that I start.  I get started on a project and get busy and then lose interest and rip it out.  I go through random period where I will rip out all of my wip's and rewind the yarn.  I wish I could be more of a completer.  I think also part of the reason is that I like to start things, learn a new skill, and then move on.  I don't feel the need to knit miles and miles of the same thing over and over sometimes, and then other times....all stockinette for me baby!

3.  I am a relatively smart person, BUT I can do and say some of the stupidest things man has ever known.  For example, this week a couple of my friends were complimenting me on my new hair.  One told me that the color made me look "Brighter" to which I said "Like smarter-brighter?  Cause if it makes me look smarter-brighter then I'm going to go bleach the whole thing tonight!" My other friend was also in the conversation and she too was complimenting me on my new hair and also complaining again about her dye job.  I told her "Why won't you just go find someone else?  You complain every single time you go to this woman and she NEVER does what you ask for?"  She said that the woman was the mother of a friend of her daughters.  I replied "SO?" and she tells me that because she associates with her at basketball games that she felt obligated.  And then it happened.  I opened my mouth and the stupid just rolled right on out like a runaway freight train.  I said to her: "Well, if I were to associate with a dentist, that doesn't mean I'd let him look in my mouth."  They just looked at me with the dumbest looks on there faces and then every single one of them just burst out laughing.  Why on earth is it so easy for me to sound so stupid?  I knew exactly what I mean to say and that just was NOT it!  I do this stuff all the time!   

4.  I'm also a NASCAR fan.  I think Jeff Gordon sucks, and I love Carl Edwards.  I think the Busch brother's are cry babies and Dale Jr. made the right decision to leave DEI.  I love Michael Waltrip and his brother Darrell, but I think that Michael should not have gone with Toyota.  I like Tony Stewart and I wish someone would just whip Todd Bodine's ass just for being a punk.  I think NASCAR showed their butts at Daytona this year.  I like to watch races with my husband, but I don't like to watch them when he's not here.  It's something I like to do together and to watch on my own just isn't the same.  I know I'll probably take some heat for my opinions on this, but whatever, it's my blog!

5.  I'm on a diet.  I've lost 16 pounds so far and I'm excited about it.  I've never stuck to a diet this long without going psycho and then giving up.  I'm taking an appetite suppressant, eating between 1200-1300 calories per day and exercising for 30 minutes a day.  I'm proud of myself and I'm finding that this is much easier than any diet I've ever done before.

6.  I have a stack of papers about a foot high on my desk waiting.  I haven't been able to bring papers home to grade all week because of things going on at home and I am really feeling super guilty about it.  I hate making my students wait for their papers.  I'll have to get as much done as possible tomorrow and Friday because I do not want to bring home papers over the weekend because my husband is coming home!

7.  I've decided to be more random or spontaneous and leave the list at SIX random things. :0)