Today's Sky

It's been raining on and off all day but is still quite warm. The wind is blowing like mad. It will settle for a little while and then suddenly blow all the blinds in. I wish you could catch a whiff of the heavily scented autumn air, it's one of my most favorite smells ever. Sadly, this video doesn't do the angry sky justice at all.


(it's not showing just yet, but it should soon)

Thank You!

After I returned home from a long day in the city, I was totally surprised to find a box from my SP waiting for me! The swap officially started on October 15th and runs through January so I wasn't expecting anything until November at the earliest. What a tricky pal I have to send me stuff so early.

I wanted to blog about it last night but I couldn't get on to the site at all, not even to read anyone else's blog. Did anyone else have that issue? Sorry, I get easily sidetracked, back to the booty....

So look, my pal even made my gifts match the season/upcoming holiday! She sent me some soft thick burnt orange colored yarn, Halloween themed Jelly Belly candy assortment (YUM & half gone already) and none other than the infamous light up knitting needles, even they matched in their pumpkin orangeness! Since I first discovered these in one of my knitting magazines I've been wondering about them and now I finally get to try them out for myself. And yes, I will be bringing them to my next knitting group so everyone can play too.

My pal also included a card mentioning that I could use the needles for knitting in the movie theater - - it was meant to be a joke, because she's right, it's a bit absurd to use them there. What she doesn't know is that I once did knit in the movies, but in my defense it was just the knit stitch and I did it on bamboo circulars so as to not disturb those around me. Bright glowing plastic needles clicking in the dark would probably not only distract the person whose doing the knitting but all those around you, so I vow never to bring them there. However, later tonight I will be playing with them in the dark, I promise :-)

(It's hard to take a picture of light. I actually got one of them glowing in the dark, but of course it won't upload. So you'll just have to use your imagination.)
Thanks once again SP for my great gifts, I'll be sure to keep you posted on how the needles work out.

"This show was taped live, before a studio audience"

Yesterday I went into NYC with some of my family to see Montel Williams (my aunt got us free tickets). Re-capping the whole adventure would just wear me out, so I'm not even going to bother. I will tell you about my funny grandma moment though.
On the train ride in I was knitting (of course) and finally working on finishing my second Fetching glove. My grandmother asked me what I was making so I should her the completed one, but she informed me that it didn't have any fingers. I tried to explain that it's supposed to be like that but she wasn't understanding why I would want finger-less gloves. She finally said if I like them that's fine "but don't bother making me any of these things". Moral of the story, Fetching isn't for everyone.

Montel
My aunt, cousin, grandma and me (Mom's taking the picture).
As we were leaving I caught a glimpse of this from the cab and was able to get my camera out just in time. I don't know why, but I find cults to be so interesting.

Gimmie Your Stuff!

I'm so excited about finding this swap. I know, I know, another ? But believe it or not this is something I was actually looking for but never thought I'd come across. (Of course, don't expect me to put it together myself or anything adventurous like that!)

Anyway, you get to swap all sorts of goodies, really anything you and your partner agree on, with people all over the world. How cool is that?!? Sadly, I'm already mostly excited about taste-testing everyone's candy (Nikki & I went nuts over all the fun snacks to try in Ireland. Geez, come to think of it, I never did get those pictures up here. That's terrible Tracy, just terrible!)

If you also want to participate just click on the link in my sidebar and fill out the form. Then post a list of things you would like to give or get and then let the magic begin.......

Things I'd be willing to trade and/or would like to receive...

yarn & other knitting items
crafty stuff: fabric, buttons, stickers, what-ever else you can think of
postcards
magazines/newspapers
candy (of course)
other interesting food stuffs (unusual flavored chips, jams, gum, coffees/teas etc.)
knick-knacks (little items that serve no purpose but are interesting to look at)
I have a few books I'd part with if that's your thing
soaps/lotions
jewelry
I also like vintage stuff including pictures (I don't know if I could really offer anything like that but I could look into it)

I like surprises and pretty much anything I can't get here would be interesting to me. I didn't look into what can and can't be sent here yet so that may limit things a bit. Also, from scanning other participants blogs a few things to consider: how much we're willing to spend on items and shipping fees and how much shopping we're willing to do. Don't forget, one persons trash is another person's treasure - gently used items can be fun too.

The Little Girl Giant

Found this on Rikki's blog (from Gimmie Your Stuff) and also fell in love. It's something about her face.
...And yet, she kinda scares me a little. I don't know what it is but I can't help but stare at her.

Bunny Blanket

Here is my most recent FO, a blanky for a stuffed bunny (it was a special request). That's all I'm going to say about that. If I can get a picture of the two of them together I will, otherwise you'll just have to use your imagination.
I know I messed up the pattern and yes I could have fixed it but I actually thought it kinda looked cool that way. Plus, it's for a stuffed bunny. I don't think the bunny is all that picky.

Funky Scarf!

Here's some better pictures of the funky scarf, I'll let you figure out which ones are meant to show off the color and which are there to show the detail....



My beautiful scarf plus goodies which included snowflake bath fizzies (I love me some bath time!) and a little notebook/pen set which is perfectly purse size.
Thanks again Cathy, you rock!

Funktified!

New pad visit continued, AKA random things to mention regarding last weekend's trip. First off, as knitters you can appreciate my joy when I spotted not one but two items I made for the couple... Green scarf on the coat rack was for hubby last Christmas and the blue & pink blanket was a housewarming gift for wifey when she first moved into her old apartment - and yes those colors matched the place!


Here's JJ modeling how to use the blanket after she caught me taking pictures of her coat rack.
Sunday afternoon we took a walk around her new town and found a yarn shop/ antique store (what a fabulous idea!). I was so excited to find that they had 3 different yarns in the window that would have been perfect for my funky scarf exchange pal but sadly, the store was closed :-(

Ahh, last Tuesday Chris helped me with the whole knitting two socks on two circulars thing because I just couldn't get it started (it was too tight for me to get the needle through). Today, the socks look exactly as you see them here. They are on my to-do list :-)
Before I sent my funky scarf off I wanted to add some beading to help jazz it up a bit. I kept playing with different things to do to it but I was stumped. I brought it to knitting where some of the gals helped me layout a few pattern options which seemed very promising. But when I got home I realized none of them would work because the V's on each end of the scarf faced in different directions which meant it wouldn't looked balanced. I decided to just add a few clusters on each of the three corners and call it a night (I'll make myself nuts with stuff like that).
Then on Friday I got my funky scarf packed up and sent out to my pal (I accidentally had the stitch markers under the paper for the photo shoot- duh. And don't even get me started on how I had to re-wrap it because I couldn't fit it in the box and I ended up totally messing up the tissue paper). Anyway, she got it yesterday and seemed very happy with it which makes me happy.
And then today I came home from knitting to find MY funky scarf waiting for me!
It's absolutely beautiful and totally my style. The colors are warm reds, oranges, browns and green (Where was this yarn when I was looking for something to use for my pal?). I took a few pictures but of course blogger said I can't share them with you yet. I think it's being picky because it knows I need to take the pictures in natural light in order to properly show it off. Hopefully tomorrow I can re-shoot it and then finally post some pictures.
Thank you Cathy once again it's truly fabulous!

Doing nothing is something for me

So once again I find myself a bit behind. I get the pictures up lickity split but the writing part, not so much. Tonight I will be very brief. Last weekend I went to visit my favorite couple in their at their new pad and also got to hang with Nikki and Irene - Nikki one of my bff's and Irene one of Terry's who we got to know and love through JJ & Terry's wedding happenings. We got our drink on early in the day which included a cheese spread, wine and champange! Then we went out where we managed to repeatedly publicly humiliate ourselves by allowing perfect strangers to over hear unlady-like talk at top volume. I love those kind of nights!
(me and JJ on her new front stoop. It was a little chilly so I was able to test run my new scarf. YAY!)
(The food barely hit the table when I pulled out the camera, yet you can already see where everyone started digging in--- a sure sign of good eats!)

(On the way to the bar, believe it or not, this is just how silly we be!)

(The whole gang - Terry, JJ, Irene, Nikki and me)

Oh, and I started my second MDS on the train ride up there but I don't have a picture yet. But, as we were all relaxing about the house, I was working on it and Terry pointed out that my knitting gets very intense and fast the more we talk about politics. I thought that was quite a funny (and accurate) observation.

{Stinky, stinky blogger won't let me finish uploading my pics. Now I remember why I never finished this post! I had a couple of knitting related things to also mention but I guess they'll just have to wait}

Crapola, I left it in draft once again!

I'm a dope. I uploaded these pictures meaning to blog later and totally forgot I had them in here until about 3 seconds before I was about to upload the same pictures again. Aduh.
Well anyway, here is my green kitty that I made for the first half of this months dishcloth KAL. Green was not the suggested color but I like to live on the edge. Not really, the reason I made her in green is because with this KAL they give you a few rows of directions each day for about a week so that you don't know what you're knitting. I love the mystery of it. They do two a month and the first is always a picture which is my favorite. I did pick up some other yarn this weekend so maybe they'll be a black and/or orange kitty coming real soon.

Oh and this bad-boy is my second attempt at a pair of socks. I started it a few months ago but as the heat rose, my desire to knit wool socks fell. Now it's time again, plus, I'm using it as my something gray for the Grey's KAL. So many KAL's so little time. Next KAL to plan for is the Sci-Fi one which I'm pretty darn psyched about because I can't wait to start brainstorming on what to make. Oh, and there's also the Fiberflix KAL (Geez how many did I join?!?) for which I think I will attempt some lace. Thank goodness Stitches is right around the corner so I can stock up. Next thing I'll have to join is stashbuster I think ;-)

Atlantic City

For Adam's birthday we went to AC on Saturday. Of course within the first five minutes all the guys ran off to the tables while the ladies headed over to the slot machines, ain't that always the way?
We taste-tested a bunch of the machines for fun but none of us would have thought that the penny slots would be the place to win big! OK, not huge, but $50 profit ain't so shabby, especially when you think it was all in pennies. Maybe it is a good thing they don't spit out change anymore (you print out a coupon now). We also learned the secret to winning, one person plays while the other 2 stand behind and cheer them on. The folks around us were getting a little annoyed but after two cosmo's each neither Chris
nor I seemed to care. A favorite quote from her, "Did I order a glass of cranberry juice?" (when the waitress came back with what was supposed to be Vodka and Cranberry juice)


Eventually we met up with the rest of our group and headed over to the Hardrock Cafe for some dinner where Adam was serenaded for his birthday.


After dinner we decided to take a stroll on the boardwalk and somehow Joe (Chris's hubby) talked us into trying out the Go Carts. Elise and I were both not so sure about this at first, but guess who ended up kicking butt? Oh yeah I did! Of course the guy working there ended up telling me to park in the wrong spot when I came in so I looked like a doof parked in the corner while everyone passed by me to neatly line up, but what-ever, I beat the boys and that's really all that matters right? (sorry about the blurry pic, I didn't have the camera on the right setting)

I took a lot of random shots on the boardwalk, but Chris posing with what not to wear nor ever knit, just screamed to be shared.


Oh, and here's a picture of my $4.00 bottle of water. Mind you it only held 12 ounces which is nothing, but it was made of thick glass and looked like a shampoo bottle so I guess it was worth it, right? It's all about the packaging. (Really, I was just so friggin' thirsty the bartender probably could have gotten me to pay double for it.)


And for the icing on the cake, while I was out on Saturday look what showed up. It's the rest of the spinning supplies!!! At some point this week I will be playing with this. First on the agenda is to finish off some UFO's to free up my needles. Oh, and I have to work on a couple of gifts but luckily they're small items.

SP 9 questionnaire

Yup, I signed up again! So here it goes, the good old SP9 questionnaire:

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I like lots of stuff, I'm not that picky. Anything soft; cotton, wool or silk blends, of course the fancy stuff is always fun. For me it's mostly about the colors or the project. I also like to try new things. The only yarn I'm not such a big fan of is fun fur. I tried to use it in a project once but it just wasn't doing it for me. Oh, and the 100% alpaca makes me itch (blends are ok) :-(

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
A few different things, I have the straight needles in a roll-up case (some of the fatties are in a needle bag), the circulars and double points are in a plastic box along with some other random knitting supplies. I like to keep them in the bag they came in so know what size everything is, but it's still a bit of a messy solution.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
Some days beginner, randomly I'll feel advanced, but mostly just intermediate. I guess it's been around 3 or 4 years now, I taught myself out of a book and then I relied on the kindness of other knitters to help me through the tougher stuff.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Sort of. I do, but they also have a lot of gifts for other people listed. I'll have to condense my wishlist later.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)
Cinnamon, spicy/woodsy, citrusy stuff and things like that. Not a fan of soapy or super flowery scents. I hate walking down the soap aisle in the foodstore ;-)

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Yes! Hard to pick a favorite. My favorite chocolate is Lyndt by far, but all chocolate, well all milk chocolate, is good (I especially like things in my chocolate like nuts and crunchies). I also love old school candies; candy buttons, pixie sticks, fire balls, red hots, candy cigarettes etc. etc.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I like all sorts of DIY stuff. My problem is lately I like reading and planning for it more than actually doing it. I have however just started to play around with spinning. We'll see how far I get with that ;-)

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
Yes, my car stero does mp3's. I like a little bit of everything. Mostly rock (classic, hard etc.) and folk music, and a few favorites from Motown, jazz, metal, 80's pop and so forth.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I like deep bold colors- red, purple, blue green and earth tones- tans, browns, greens, rust. I'm not a big pastel person or much of a fan orange but even those have their place.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I'm living with my parents and my brother. I have five cocatiels (long story)

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I like scarves - I make more than I'll probably ever be able to wear but they're so much fun! I'm not a hat person but I am trying to find one that doesn't totally make me look dorky. Mittens are ok but I prefer gloves and ponchos just never work out for me.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I really don't have any favorites, I do end up making a lot of scarves and blankets. I just started playing with socks and fingerless gloves. I suffer terribly from second sock syndrome so my next plan is to learn that fancy-dancy double circular method or stick with singular items.

13. What are you knitting right now?
A few things, finishing up 1st sock of a pair, making the other Fetching glove, baby blanket for a stuffed bunny (don't ask) and about to start a dishcloth for the KAL. Oh, and I need to frog a sweater - yes, the whole thing, and restart it. I think I may not be so good at focusing on one thing at a time.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes, especially if they serve a purpose. I'm trying not to accumulate any more knick-knacks because I'm not good at parting with them when I run out of room.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Just starting to appreciate circulars (that was harder for me to get used to than double-pointed, go figure). I like bamboo and aluminum the best. Bamboo is good because it's quieter, therefore I can knit while watching TV wit non-knitters and I won't get the evil eye.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Nope and nope. I'm thinking a ball winder wouldn't be a bad thing to have.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
Well, if you count having to re-do my sweater, then over a year. Otherwise it's the sock which is a couple of months old but I purposely put it off to the side because knitting wool socks in the summer seemed odd.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas and then Halloween but it's a close race. I'm a sucker for all holidays really.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Dust. (kidding)
I seem to collect a lot of yarn and books. I love old things, but I'm not a real collector of anything specific. I like randomly coming across stuff (old pictures are a fav, even if I don't know the people).

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I've been hunting for a deep v neck sweater pattern that can be knit in the round (the less seeming the better.) I've spotted a few Knitting Pure & Simple patterns that look good - a friend shared her copy of their v-neck pattern with me that I might be trying. I'll have to get back to you on the books, I know there's a few I'd like to check out. Needles are tough, I usually only know which ones I need when I have a pattern. Can't think of any yarns that are on my wishlist right now, but I'm sure there's a few. I subscribe to Interweave Knits and Knit Simple. I was also getting Knit n' Style but I won't be re-newing it because it just didn't do it for me.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
The magic loop method and knitting on two circulars. I need to get better at seeming and sewing but that just takes practice.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I'm just starting to get into socks. I don't know my foot measurements but I wear a size 7.5-8 shoe. Whatever the standard woman's size is works for me.

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
11/22/76 (I'll live on the edge and give you the year too)