May 2006-July2006
Monday, March 19, 2007
Progress...of a sort.
Some of you may recall that I signed up for Stashalong on January 1st. Well. It has been nearly 3 months and here is how far I have gotten.
1)Sizzle: DONE - even though it didn't fit : -(
2) Anemoi Mitts: 1 DONE
3) Baby Blanket: No progress
4) Shae's Darling coat: DONE
** 5) My stinkin' Noro hat already - Since the weather has changed I am going to switch this winter project out with 4 dishcloths: 2 DONE
7) Mary Janes: DONE
8) Absorba the Great: DONE
9) The felted Oregon Tote that kickstarted my knitting frenzy 4 (I think) years ago: Felting as I write!! so...DONE
**10) The project that started the Blog: The Ravenclaw Raglan. WILL NOT BE FINISHED - does not even begin to fit so I will choose a different UFO
I am going to switch this out with socks 3 pairs as I have a LOT of sock yarn: 1 out of 6 DONE
(this might seem like an uneven switch - but actually the only thing left to do on the RRaglan was to attach the sleeves and knit the shoulders/neckline - total bummer)
11) Bejewelled: No progress
12) Purple Roving Scarf: DONE
13) Le Slouch: DONE
14) Uniscarfity: DONE
15) Surprise Baby Gift: 1/3 done
I have 1 strike at this time - which is fairly impressive for me!
I think this has been a great excercise in self-restraint for me...but I am not sure if it is something I want to do again!
Next time I am going to choose a method that allows me some free shopping days. This has been much more difficult than I anticipated - but has saved me money!
:-D
As it stands I have: 1 mitt, 1 baby blanket, 2 dishcloths, 6 individual socks, 1 scarf and 1 baby gift to go.
Or: 10 items before I can buy some yarn.
Aaaarrrghhh. Just when I thought I was close to home free!
The socks will be perfect for PS2 since I had decided that I would dye sock yarn in each sections colours. Now I just have to get back into my socks. Shouldn't be too hard.
ETA: Friends of another knitblogger lost their child in an accident last week. If you would like to help make a square for a comfort blanket please visit YarnIt.
Labels: Comfort, KAL, Project Spectrum 2, Socks, Stashalong
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Some Fo's
It certainly took long enough - here is Uniscarfity blocking in the sun. (well, it was in the sun earlier)
After FINALLY finishing the Endless Scarf, I cast on for the new pattern at FunDishCloth KAL.
It was a quick easy pattern - a welcome treat after the tedious boredom of the ES. These were so fast to knit up - one in the morning, one in the afternoon. Excellent knitting for Rome and Season 2 of the Sopranos (finally in @ the library).
The yarn is Peaches & Cream in an unknown colourway (ball band disappeared prior to posting!) that was gifted to me from the author of Unravellings.
This is the first time I have used Peaches & Cream cotton - it seems like a nice thirsty yarn, perfect for a dishcloth. Slowly, slowly there will be no more storebought dishcloths here. Then...the face cloths are next to go!
I saw Zodiac this weekend. It was very long - but maintained the tension and interest throughout. Pretty high praise, since I had already seen the documentary on A&E last year. Robert Downey Jr. does brilliant work - there are quite a few famous to familiar faces in this film. I would recommend the film without a soda! I love Dennis Fincher's films (maybe not Panic Room so much...)
I also got out in the garden to cut back some old growth and dead stalks and check on what is growing. Looks like 2 of the 5 raspberry canes I planted last year have survived the winter. 1 is really thriving. Could have some better fruit this year! Yum.
Up next: The Oregon Tote and Baby Surprise Gift
Thanks for all the congrats for my brother - really we don't know who to be congratulating. His fiance is the best woman - we are all so happy!
Labels: Family, KAL, Movies, Stashalong, TV
Monday, March 12, 2007
Have you heard the news?
Eunny Jang is the new editor for Interweave Knits!!!
Her patterns are so inspired and inspiring. Seriously, if you haven't done this yet - you need to go check out her Galleries. Gorgeous knitting.
And if you are an Interweave Knits fan, you might like this KAL.
Labels: KAL
Saturday, March 10, 2007
If I had a Soundtrack to My Life...
Opening Credits - The Flower Duet: Lakme - Delibes
Waking Up - A Day in The Life - Beatles
First Day of School - Inana - The Tea Party
Fight Song - Daughter - Pearl Jam
Breaking Up - That Song - Big Wreck
Happiness - Mia Babino Caro - Puccini
Life's Okay - Today - Smashing Pumpkins
Mental Breakdown - Scentless Apprentice - Nirvana
Driving - This category is way to big! Driving music goes with the mood and location you're heading to - sorry, leaving this one blank.
Flashback - Just Like Starting Over -John Lennon
Getting Back Together - With Or Without You -U2
Wedding Song - Love Song for a Vampire - Annie Lennox
Birth of First Child - Ode to Joy - Beethoven
Final Battle Scene - Jungle Boogie - Kool & The Gang
Death Scene - Blackbird - Beatles
Funeral Song - Piano Concerto in D Minor, K466: 2nd Movement - Mozart
End Credits - Clarinet Concerto in A Major,K622: Adagio - Mozart
As found at zeitgeist
And here I thought I was going to get some sleep before the Madness descended!
Oh, and before File 2 was uploaded!
ETA: Apparently I was accepted as an observer for Sock Madness , not a contestant! Annnnd Round 2 doesn't start until NEXT week. Oops. Looks like I will have a quieter day than expected!
Monday, March 05, 2007
Dribs and Drabs
This is a pic that didn't make it into yesterday's post. But I really like it.
This post is going to contain a little of everything - 'signifying nothing'.
1st let me just say what a difficult time I am having with this tragic news-story. When I first saw her missing person's report on Nancy Grace I already knew how this was going to end - that it already had ended. Who didn't know the outcome before we heard the entire report?
It infuriates and sickens me that women are brutally slain by the people they should most be able to trust. There is nothing wrong with divorce. WALK AWAY. Her children were upstairs for goodness sake. It is just dreadful because there is never any punishment that can recover what has been lost. Despicable. Cowardly. Selfish. There isn't even anything more I can say.
Sorry - usually I don't post about things that upset me. But this, this is a big one.
Anywaaaaays.
I am out of the running in the KnitOff. What a relief. I was not making quick progress with this scarf at all. I do think, however, that it will be perfect for my cousin Richard. Just his colours. Here is Kira letting me know how she feels about me spending another afternoon with needles in hand! Edited to preserve her dignity!
I watched the Queen yesterday. I really enjoyed it. Initially I had no interest, but so many people I trust loved it, and Helen Mirren did win an Academy Award...I quite liked it. It is so hard to believe it has nearly been 10 yrs since Diana's death. So sad. I distinctly recall all the negative press directed at the Royal Family. I too thought the Queen should have spoken up sooner, but I really felt for her in this movie. She reminded me of my Nana a little - same generation. I loved her line to Tony Blair about the press turning on him one day. If she really said that, how right she was.
I ordered some soap from here. Go check out the shop - all of the soaps sound delightful. And she is thinking of adding bath salts and teas - if you haven't tried a bath tea, you really must. They are heavenly.
A pic of my loony cousin playing around with my camera....shhhh. She doesn't know about this blog! She hates pictures of herself. I love them.
My Mom and I watched Lifeboat. A Hitchcock Oscar winner. It was so good. Riveting from the outset. I highly recommend it. I grew up on the Hollywood greats and I was sure I would be one of those tough talking ladies who could put everyone in their place, down two fingers of scotch and then apply their lipstick just so. We've come a long way baby! ;-D
I also read a book. I didn't love the book, in fact I had some real problems with some major parts of the storyline, but I did read it in a day and a half. I cannot recall the last time I read a book so voraciously. Apparently I needed the distraction! I have a major craving for Cinammon Rolls too...they are mentioned perhaps more often than vampires in this book. Please do not take offense if you are a fan (I know there are a lot of you) but this book really reminded me of This Book - which was a very painful read for me.
Perhaps it has become clear why I was not a real contender in the Knit Off? It was fun and I will definitely check out the patterns for the next few rounds. Thanks YarnMonkey!
Spring continues to make itself known. On Thursday I saw Robins! Lots of Robins. In the morning the birds are chirping before my alarm clock goes off and...nestled next to our living room window in a sheltered spot we have this:
Flowering Plum! Check out those leaves!!! Let the gardening begin!Just realized that yesterday was my 200th post! How cool is that? Soon I will be announcing a contest for the 500th comment...stay tuned.
Labels: Books, Contest, Etsy, Family, Garden, KAL, Movies
Friday, March 02, 2007
Of virtues and vices
Patience is the most oft mentioned virtue. It is also in rather short supply here this evening.
I joined YarnMonkey's Knit Off and Round 1 begins on March 3rd. For some reason I thought sure it began from her time and so expected the pattern to be up when I got home from work this evening. Ah me. Still no pattern. But here is the yarn I will be using - and you can also see a sneak preview of a little sewing project that has been in the works the past few days - just a peek because my virtuously patient SP9 recipient will be receiving one of these projects.
Reading, commenting and posting on blogs takes time. Time that some of my pets would like to share with me. This is a common sight while I am on the computer.
The blur is becuase of Jeeksy's rapid movements - he is truly an energetic beasty.
You can see right above his head, the sliding thingy that our keyboard sits upon. The other day I was typing away and talking on the telephone when all of a sudden...
No more waiting! Time to play.
Jeeksy had reached his paw up from behind the sliding thing-a-ma-jig and 'caught' my hand. A noisy surprise that sent him flying out of the room.
Persistence led me to knit on though injured and here is a pic of my Ravenclaw House Scarf in all it's rolling glory - yes, those are straight pins you see holding it in place - I had no choice or you would not be able to see how much I had actually knit.
Gee - only 11.5 more sections to go! Talk about a fast knit.
While I await the release of the pattern I have been blog surfing. I found this Meme that clearly highlights the vice I most often give in to (2nd only to peanutbutter and chocolate in all it's various forms). Movies.
It’s been alleged that if you’ve seen over 85 movies you have no life. Mark the ones you’ve seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own blog, paste it in and put x’s by the ones that you have seen. Add them up, figure out whether you’ve got a life or not, and post it.(X) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(X) Grease
(X) Pirates of the Caribbean
(X) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
() Boondock Saints
(X ) Fight Club
( X) Starsky and Hutch
( X) Neverending Story
(X) Blazing Saddles
(X) Airplane
(X) The Princess Bride
(X) AnchorMan
( X) Napoleon Dynamite
(X ) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
( X) White Oleander
(X) Anger Management
(X) 50 First Dates
() The Princess Diaries
() The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
(X ) Scream
(X ) Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
( ) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
() Scary Movie 4
( ) American Pie
( ) American Pie 2
( ) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
( X) Harry Potter 1
(X ) Harry Potter 2
( X) Harry Potter 3
(X ) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(X) The Wedding Singer
() Little Black Book
(X) The Village
( ) Lilo & Stitch
(X) Finding Nemo
(X) Finding Neverland
(X) Signs
(X ) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
() White Chicks
(X) Butterfly Effect
(X) 13 Going on 30
() I, Robot
() Robots
(X) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
() Universal Soldier
(X) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(X) Along Came Polly
( ) Deep Impact
(X) KingPin
(X) Never Been Kissed
(X) Meet The Parents
(X) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
() Joe Dirt
( ) King Kong
( ) A Cinderella Story
(X) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(X) Dumb & Dumber
() Dumber & Dumberer
( ) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
(X) Halloween
(X) The Ring
(X) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving Christmas
( ) Flubber
( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(X) Practical Magic
(X) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
(X) From Hell
() Hellboy
(X) Secret Window
(X) I Am Sam
() The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
() The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child’s Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
( ) Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
( ) Gothika
(X) Nightmare on Elm Street
(X) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
( ) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(X) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
( ) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
(X) Lucky Number Slevin
(X) Ocean’s Eleven
(X) Ocean’s Twelve
(X) Bourne Identity
(X) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
( ) Bedazzled
( ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
(X) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George
(X) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
(X) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(X) E.T.
( ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Bosses Daughter
() Maid in Manhattan
( ) War of the Worlds
() Rush Hour
( ) Rush Hour 2
( ) Best Bet
(X) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
( ) She’s All That
() Calendar Girls
(X) Sideways
(X) Mars Attacks
(X) Event Horizon
(X) Ever After
(X) Wizard of Oz
(X) Forrest Gump
(X) Big Trouble in Little China
(X) The Terminator
(X) The Terminator 2
(X) The Terminator 3
(X) X-Men
(X) X-2
() X3
( ) Spider-Man
( ) Spider-Man 2
( ) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(X) Catch Me If You Can
(X) The Little Mermaid
(X) Freaky Friday
( ) Reign of Fire
( ) The Skulls
(X) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
() The Hot Chick
(X) Shrek
(X) Shrek 2
( ) Swimfan
(X) Miracle on 34th street
(X) Old School
( ) The Notebook
(X) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf’s Tribe
() A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(X) The 40-year-old Virgin
(X) Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
(X) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(X) Lord of the Rings: Return Of the King
(X) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(X) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(X) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
( ) Base-ketball
( ) Hostel
(X) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(X) Elf
() Highlander
( ) Mothman Prophecies
(X) American History X
( ) Three
( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(X) Monsters Inc.
(X) Titanic
(X) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
( ) Shaun Of the Dead
(X) Willard
( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
( ) Hulk
( ) Dawn Of the Dead
(X) Hook
(X) Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
(X) 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
(X) Waterworld
(X) Kill Bill Vol. 1
(X) Kill Bill Vol. 2
( ) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) the Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
(X) Army of Darkness
(X) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(X) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(X) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(X) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(X) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(X) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks: Caravan Of Courage
(X) Ewoks: The Battle For Endor
(X) The Matrix
(X) The Matrix: Reloaded
(X) The Matrix: Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
( ) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
(X) Team America: World Police
(X) Red Dragon
(X) Silence of the Lambs
(X) Hannibal
Total: 124 movies out of 239. Apparently I do NOT have a life. Since I have seen over half of these films. You would kind of expect me to have more FO's wouldn't you? But then you are not taking into account one of my other vices - procrastination combined with a short attention span when it comes to projects!
ETA: Boo ya! The pattern is up. And boy it looks like something I would never have done - let the game begin. It is only 3:48 am --- don't worry I am not knitting yet, I just had to take Kira out and thought I would check!
Grey's Anatomy
Buttons
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
HP and the Philosopher's Stone
