Happy Halloween!

Me and the devil dog!

And my heroes!

It's my birthday!

So, this year i turn 26. I have started a child in school. I have potty trained a child. I have knit a little every day. I've learned to spin on a drop spindle. I've sent a husband to war, and wondered if he will make it home. I've reconnected with my two oldest friends, and gotten them hooked on my favorite hobby. I've started practicing Wicca (again). I've driven halfway across the country and back 3 times with my kids in tow. I've found an antidepressant that works. I've lost 20 pounds and dropped a size. I've met my first celebrity (The Yarn Harlot). I've adjusted to a new home in a new state with a strange new environment (it rains here).

All in all, a rather busy year. I just can't feel bad about the end of my first quarter century. I'm a real grownup now. Here's to the future.

Happay birthday to me!

Oh, crap, it's almost here.

30 October 1980

Your date of conception was on or about 7 February 1980 which was a Thursday.

You were born on a Thursday under the astrological sign Scorpio.

Your Life path number is 4.

Life Path Compatibility:You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 4, 8, 11 & 22.

You should get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 6 & 7.You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 1, 3, 5 & 9.

The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2444542.5.

The golden number for 1980 is 5.

The epact number for 1980 is 13.

The year 1980 was a leap year.

Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 2/16/1980 and ending 2/4/1981.

You were born in the Chinese year of the Monkey.

Your Native American Zodiac sign is Snake; your plant is Thistle.

You were born in the Egyptian month of Tyby, the first month of the season of Poret (Emergence - Fertile soil).

Your date of birth on the Hebrew calendar is 21 Heshvan 5741.Or if you were born after sundown then the date is 22 Heshvan 5741.
The Mayan Calendar long count date of your birthday is 12.18.7.6.18 which is12 baktun 18 katun 7 tun 6 uinal 18 kin
The Hijra (Islamic Calendar) date of your birth is Thursday, 20 Dhi'l-Hijjih 1400 (1400-12-20).

Found here http://www.paulsadowski.com/BirthDay.asp

Birthday angst coming soon.

And the Mother of the Year Award goes to....

Well, it ain't gonna be me. I have the determination, but not the follow through. Yesterday, my angelic oldest son came home from school all excited about the field trip today. He was going to a pumpkin patch, and could he please borrow my furry I-skinned-a-muppet blue scarf to stay warm? How could I say no? So he starts putting his outfit together (yes, my son is a budding fashion guru), and decides he MUST have a blue hat to match the blue scarf. This could be a problem. I do not wear hats, so there is no matching hat. My solution? Go stash diving. There has to be some blue wool in there somewhere. And sure enough, at the very bottom of the last drawer there was a lone ball of the blue wool yarn I used to make the scarf. He would have to live without the fuzzies. I immediately cast on and knitted like a maniac. I stopped only to make dinner in the microwave (which also subtracted mommy points) and to tuck the kids in bed. I just had to make a hat that night. My son's faith in me was at stake. Around midnight I noticed the ball was getting rather small. This is where a normal person would have changed the plan or given up. It was obvious there was not enough yarn to cover my kid's big head. What did I do? I knit on. I just knew I could change reality and squeeze a hat out of this yarn. Around 2 am I ran out of yarn. The hat wouldn't even cover my younger son's ears. There was no way. I had been defeated. Did I go to bed? Make an emergency Walmart run? Find another hat? Of course not. I dug into the stash and found a ball of red wool. I would make a Superman striped hat. It was perfect. It was 3 am. I knit, and knit, and knit. I blinked once, and woke up to my alarm clock blaring and my son jumping on the bed. There I was, sitting up in bed, holding a four inch piece of knitting that was supposed to be a hat by now. I had been defeated. There were tears (mostly mine), and a tantrum (mine again), and my son cheerfully reached into his closet and picked out his favorite blue baseball cap. I had wasted an entire evening and got 2 hours of sleep, and my son went to school happy as a clam in a blue hat that I didn't make. Sometimes mothering is confusing.

My pirate name is:

Red Bess Read

Passion is a big part of your life, which makes sense for a pirate. Even through many pirates have a reputation for not being the brightest souls on earth, you defy the sterotypes. You've got taste and education. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

I'm having an unusual obsession with pirates lately, anyone have some cool links for me?

The Dangers of Knitting in Public

For most of my life as a fiber artist (oooh, I've given myself a title!) I've kept my obsession in the privacy of my own home. It was not an intentional or well thought out plan, but it made sense for several reasons. For one thing, I have no life and so I have nowhere to take my knitting in public. The places I did go, for example school or church, frowned upon anything but sitting and giving your total attention, so they were not knitting friendly. When I did go somewhere else, I was typically on the move a lot, and most of my projects were bulky and not suited to travel. This didn't bother me. I would sit in the evening and knit or crochet away and be perfectly happy.

Recently, however, I have taken my habit public. Maybe it's the current popularity of KIPing. Maybe I finally have more places to go (I know this is part of it. Kids do that to you.) so I'm in public long enough to knit. Maybe my projects have gotten smaller or my purses have gotten bigger. Or it could be all of the above. All I can tell you is I suddenly find myself sitting with a group of people with my needles in my hands quite often, almost daily. Most of the time I am the only knitter present. This has lead to my present annoyance: the public.

When one is knitting among others who do not knit (or pursue some other form of craft), one is likely to hear a variety of standard reactions. The first and most common is something along the lines of awe and wonder. You know, "Wow, you're so patient, I could never do that!", or "Oooh, can you teach me?" At which point I usually inform them that it is painfully simple and if they are interested I can teach them. This does not irritate me. It is a chance to educate, or at least impress. This response is acceptable.

The second most common response is the nostalgia bomb: "Oh, my wife/mother/aunt/sister/second cousin thrice removed used to do that!" This is a little higher on the irritation scale, since it usually means I get to listen to their life story or the relative in questions various health issues, but is still an acceptable response. I will nod politely and refrain from booting you into next week as long as you keep the graphic details to a bare minimum.

The third response, and the one which is most likely to make my blood boil, is the capitalism reflex. "Hey, that's cute, you should make a bunch and sell them!" My standard response is to politely inform the filthy troll that my knitting is a hobby, something I do to relax, and to sell my handcrafted items would make it WORK. There are those who just cannot let this answer be. I encountered one yesterday, and it was this person who drove me to this rant. She insisted I could make oodles of money by knitting for a year on something like socks or baby blankets, then holding a huge garage sale and selling my knitted items for $5 a blanket or $2 per pair of socks. I literally could not speak. I just stared at her like a trout for about a minute. I then very calmly informed her that the ball of yarn I was knitting into socks was a middle of the line brand, and retailed at about $20 per ball. It was her turn to gape. I then told her it usually took me about 30 cumulative hours of work to complete a basic pair of socks (no lace or cables, just plain vanilla socks), and even if I paid myself minimum wage I would have put around $150 in labor into them. And if we were being fair, I should be making over minimum wage as a skilled laborer. So her basic pair of socks that she would sell for $2 would net her a loss of nearly $200. (What? She deserved it for pushing!) This is why so many people try and fail to make a living from selling handicrafts. It can be done, but I personally don't want to turn my relaxing and fun hobby into a 60 hour a week job.

There is a fourth and much less common response to a person knitting in public. In fact, I have only encountered this once, and it has scarred me forever. This person saw my knitting, yanked it from my hands, waved it around (dropping several stitches in the process) and hollered to anyone nearby that SHE had been knitting forever and this was such nice work for a BEGINNER (I had been knitting for almost 2 years at this point, and the project in question was a lacey sock), then sat down and knitted several rows WRONG to show me how it was done before returning it to me. I was stunned into silence. I wanted to kick her in the shins, but I was too shocked to move. In the end I tucked my knitting into my bag, went home, and poured myself a stiff drink before ripping out the entire mess. I am a wuss. This will not likely happen to many people, but just in case be prepared. Carry sharp metal double points at all times to poke interloper with so you can run away with your yarn. I'll testify in your favor.

Honestly, there are very few dangers involved for the knitter in public. Most of the dangers are to the public. I swear, the next moron to try to convince me to sell my knitting at the swap meet is gonna meet the pointy end of my addis....

Wow, that was fast!

Socks of Doom Part 2 are finished and in an envelope! I shall mail them after dropping Nick off at school tomorrow. I've never been so glad to see a project leave.

What now, you ask? Back to the Christmas knitting! Or maybe a nice warm sweater for me.... Who says I have to knit for everyone this Christmas? The chocolate brown alpaca is calling my name.....

This is what I deal with on a daily basis. I mean, really, people, i deserve a nice sweater for putting up with these heathens!

And I never even read it....

take the WHAT BAD BOOK ARE YOU test.


and go to mewing.net. not as good as reading a good book, but way better than a bad one.

Catching up

So I kinda forgot about updating and all those pictures I promised. Hey, I warned ya, I'm a flake. I did get pictures though. Granted, some of them were taken about 5 minutes ago after someone reminded me, but you will have pictures!

First the blue sweater. It is finished and being modeled for you here for the first time. I love it, but I'm glad I added 4 inches to the ribbing at the bottom. I have more there than the original allowed for. I also shortened the sleeves about an inch to a long three-quarter length. I'm gonna wear this as soon as the weather cools down enough.

I also wanted to show off my late roses. These are on the bush my hubby gave me for Mother's Day this year, and they bloomed just in time for my birthday later this month.

I started the sweater for Nick again, but I just could not get the original pattern to do what I wanted, so I switched. Now all my boys will be getting Ripley from Knitty's Summer '05 issue. It's just zipping along, and everyone who sees it keeps telling me how cute it is. It's rated as an advanced pattern, and I agree to a point. The cables are complex, and you have to be pretty confident in your math skills to start, but it's really not all that bad. I can't wait to start the next one.

I got this yarn in the mail yesterday, and I just couldn't wait to cast on for some socks. It's Monster Mash Instant Gratification Superwash from Hill Country Yarns. I'm knitting it in the official Sock of Doom pattern to keep my hand in. These are my no thought required knitting for computer time and other braindead moments. It's soft and yummy, and the socks are going to be so thick and warm.

In other Sock Wars news, guess what landed in my mailbox today!

I live still! These are unfinished socks to kill off my next target. They were sent to me without the toe of the first sock and the second unstarted, so I got my needles out and started knitting. They look sorta purple here, but they're more pink in person. The yarn in Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Wisteria. I will not be buying this yarn for personal use. It feels stringy, and it tends to make my hands hurt, plus the color is not really a favorite of mine. Good thing I have to knit them as fast as I can and send them on, because if i had to keep them I'd bury them in the Bad Project Pile. I'm aiming for a Monday morning mailout. I'll keep you posted.

How funny is this?!

What Puppy would you be most like.
Chihuahua Puppy You Are a Chihuahua Puppy. Small, high strung, and loyal. You do best in the city with a adults - young kids could crush you!
Take The Quiz Now!	Quizzes by myYearbook.com

I do not have time for this!

I have only 9 weeks before I head home for Christmas. Get that? Nine weeks to finish all my knitting so my family has presents this year. Um, panic much? So I shall now present to you my list of shit to do:

1) Knit the edging on the armholes of the SVoD (thought I forgot about that, didn't you?)
2) Finish the blue sweater for me (only have 2/3 of the second sleeve and the seaming left)
3) Knit a sweater for Nicky

4) Knit a MATCHING sweater for Ben

5) Knit a red sweater to match the blue one for Karri

6) Finish the stole for Mom (2/5 complete)

7) Knit a hat for Grandpa
8) Knit 2 1/2 pairs of socks for various people
9) Knit a sweater for Alex (I actually have until the end of January for this)

Hmmm, it would appear I must complete each task in a week to meet my deadline and not succumb to Seasonal Panic Disorder. We all know what this is. The Yarn Harlot charmingly refers to SPD as It. It is the growing disconnect with reality as the knitter frantically tries to warp the space time continuum in order to provide everyone she cares for with a bit (or massive hunk) of knitted love. Do not ask the question of why we must do this, or even if the people in question request or value knitted items. It is encoded on the same gene that causes us to fondle yarn and follow strangers with interesting sweaters.

To really put the pressure on, I have been having hand and wrist pain for the past couple of days. I've had trouble with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome during both my pregnancies, and sometimes it will flare even now. I do not have time to be out of the game. I must knit massive amounts of yarn before the middle of December. It's sitting in it's box, taunting me.

I also have the added temptation of all the yarn I've stashed for the upcoming Year of the Me Knits. I have vowed that next year, I'm going to knit for me almost exclusively. I've knitted and crocheted for almost ten years now, and I have ONE handknit sweater and TWO pairs of socks to my name. I've been knitting for my kids and friends and family for years, and it's my turn! I have the yarn for about 5 sweaters and 20 pairs of socks stockpiled, so I can start as soon as the Christmas knitting is done. It calls to me.

Next year, someone remind me to buy everyone a giftcard.

Bet you never would have guessed!

Take the quiz:
What School Of Magic Are You?

Evocation
You are evocation, the art of manipulating energy like fire and lightning! Energetic and dynamic, you are often hyper without having to try. A little detirmination makes your enthusiasm a wonder to behold and often causes third degree burns.

Quizzes by myYearbook.com -- the World's Biggest Yearbook!

Stranded in Sleeve Hell

I love knitting sweaters, I really do. I love the whole shaping and measuring and making a sweater shaped piece of fabric out of string thing. There is only one part of the sweater I hate. The unending sleeves. First of all, most sleeves are an uninteresting tube thingy that starts small and gets bigger. No real creativity or vision needed. (This from the woman blindly following the pattern.) And the whole start small and get bigger thing. What's up with that? Every single boring row is longer than the last boring row. By the time you're shaping the sleeve cap you just want to scramble your own brain with your needles. This is why I will never knit a point up shawl pattern. Well, I might. The fun lacy stuff might help. The sleeve in question, however, does nothing to keep my attention. Plain old 2x3 ribbing all the way up. And when I finish this one, I get to do it all over again. Yippee. Excuse me while I make enough room in the garage for my still running car. And for those of you who see the obvious solution here is to alter all my sweater patterns to be sleeveless, um, no. I have granny bat-flaps. I would rather not have the danger of knocking someone out or taking flight as they jiggle and sway around. Not pretty. So, anyway, I'm done with the amazing body of the sweater we are all imagining (what, you thought I'd actually have pictures today? Hah.) and I'm knitting the first sleeve. Stay tuned to find out which is finished first, the sleeve, my trusty bottle of red wine, or my ever weakening hold on sanity.

I keep forgetting to tell you!

I wasn't going to post today. I have been knitting, so I have something to show you. I just keep forgetting to take the pictures. I've been working on the sweater on the cover or Big Girl Knits exclusively for the past few days now. I started it ages ago, and would pick it up and work a couple rows at night before I fell asleep, and it's added up. I've finished the back and most of the front, I should be able to cast on for the sleeves tomorrow if I don't get distracted. I'm knitting this in Knit Picks Merino Style in Storm, a really pretty deep blue with just a hint of green. Very similar to the color of the sweater in the book. I'm so original. Just imagine all the pretty pictures here. While you're at it, imagine me modeling the pieces about 50 pound lighter. Haha.

I didn't intend to use this yarn for this pattern, but I randomly decided I didn't want to think as hard as the original intended pattern wanted me to, and I wanted to test knit this for my sister's Christmas gift, so it sorta jumped on the needles without asking. I really like this yarn, it's lush and squishy feeling, and not at all pilly. Hopefully I'll have a finished sweater to model before the end of the week.

I've been on a finishing kick recently, digging back into the abandoned project pile and remembering why I loved them. This is not a good time for this kind of activity. I have new projects lined up with a deadline in about two months. I cannot get nostalgic about the soy silk clapotis, or the Trekking XXL socks. I could work on the Wisconsin Winter Stole, since it's for Mom's Christmas. Maybe I'll finish that next to get the nostalgia out of my system...