Of socks...

I haven't had as much time to blog lately as I would have liked. Between numerous ultrasounds, doctor's appointments, and being extra incredibly tired, I have just a little time to knit and no time to blog. The real hurdle for me, I find, is getting my act together to take some photos of the things that I am working on and a blog post without photos is, in my humble opinion, just boring. So, this morning, I comitted to taking some photos of the socks that I have been working on. Proof that I have actually been working through the sock yarn that I have stockpiled over the last year. On the right there is a skien of pinkish/purple sock yarn. This is my absolute favorite color of Colinette Jitterbug. I must love it as I bought 2 skeins at Make 1 on two seperate occasions by accident. On the far left, is a pink/green striped sock. This is being constructed out of a stretch yarn that I just love. It's the Cascade Fixation yarn that was used to make the Broadripple socks in the summer '03 issue of Knitty. Words can not express my love for this yarn. In the middle, is a sock that I am working on for my mom for her birthday. She choose the yarn (Trekking XXL self patterning) and I am knitting them up for her. I sure hope she likes them. I have actually never used Trekking before (can you believe it?) and I must admit that despite the slight scratchiness of the yarn, I love watching the patterns play out. Everytime I whip these out and KIP, I get comments on how clever I am for making the patterns. Sometimes I explain that its just the yarn. On the right is a pair of socks that I am making for Bunny. She needs some warmer socks for skating as her little feet get so cold that it makes skating even more challenging than it already is. I'm using some Drops Alpaca for this and doubling it (hence the two balls shown in the picture). This is some of the softest yarn I have ever worked with. Softer even than Malabrigo (shhh... don't tell any of the die hard Malabrigo fans out there... ) and its 100% alpaca. I lurve it. As soon as I am done with the socks, I plan to use the rest to make her some mittens for skating. She is becoming quite the little skater. Wanna see? Of course you do. Cute huh?

(Click on the photo to make it bigger).

Weird? Moi?

OK, as usual, I am the last to the party again. I was late with Clapotis, I was late with Jaywalkers, and I am going to be late to the six weird things meme. But, better late than never right?? So, without further ado... Six weird things about me:

1. I love sushi. Love it. But, I hate fish. Hate it. Raw fish? Gag. So, when I go for sushi, I order without fail, a green salad, assorted tempura (I like the sweet potato best), a California roll, and a tempura shrimp roll. That's it. Just enough food and no raw fish.

2. I go down stairs sideways. I never had good enough balance to go down forwards. I have tried it and I always feel like I am going to fall on my face.

3. I hate feet. They gross me out. I have always hated feet. I hate the way they look and I hate the way they feel. I won't touch any other feet and the thought of touching my own makes me gag. I never paint my toenails and I feel inexplicably sorry for the person who does my pedicures. I know it's my issue, but I still apologize the whole time I get a pedicure. Strangely enough though, I think my daughter has the cutest feet on the planet and I have no issues touching her feet at all.

4. I have huge and inexplicable fears of a good number of things. I am afraid of sharks, birds and dead things. The thought of any of these things makes me shudder. I have been afraid of all three for as long as I can remember and am not likely to get over any of them any time soon.

5. I am a super light sleeper. I can only fall asleep if there is absolutely no noise whatsoever. I can, however, fall asleep with all the lights on. I also wake up several times during the night and always at the same time.

6. I have almost no sweet tooth. I never eat cupcakes, cake, ice cream, and almost all types of pudding (except rice pudding and bread pudding). I made my mother crazy growing up because she would bake a cake every year for my birthday and I would never eat it. I also prefer hot food to cold food every time (except for sushi for some reason).

That's it. Six weird things. All about me. Next post - some pics of the new scarf and two new pairs of socks that I have been knitting.

Yarn... and another year older

New yarn!! I recently found Yarn Pirate's ETSY shop (who doesn't love etsy?) for hand dyed yarn and found two new colors that I just loved. One color that I bought through a different site is called Malamute and I am still waiting for it in the mail along with a skein from Zen Yarns and something else (can't recall the name at the moment). However, I did receive a skein of the Yarn Pirate swag yesterday and I absolutely adore it!! The colorway is "Mermaid" and the name is very apropos. It's a very subtle mix of greens, silver, blues, and is very soft and shimmery. A 50/50 merino blend makes for a very shiny and strong yarn. I can't wait to knit it up and since this is the year of the sock, I hope I get to it very quickly. For some reason, I am not wanting to wait to knit this up at all. Ohhh... shiny.

Ok, so, I am turning 29 on Sunday and I am starting to feel a little... well... old. Sort of like my young-ish exterior is starting to crack and the old is coming through. I feel like time is starting to slip away... My kid is already 4. I have another one on the way and soon I will be 30. 30 is old. So old. Ok, maybe not that old, compared to say, 50, but it sounds old to me. I have always had this feeling that I stopped aging at around 24. Every time someone asks me how old I am, I always have to stop and think because my first instinct is always to answer 24. And, the other thing I realized about this birthday is that I am deliriously happy with my life. When someone asks me what I would like, I can actually think of nothing that I need to make my life complete. I have everything I need. Weird isn't it? Not to be able to think of a single thing that one wants? Ok, there is one thing. A healthy baby. But, that isn't a real birthday gift is it? And it pretty much goes without saying. I suppose if I could choose one other thing, it would be my own yarn store. But, I doubt I will ever have that and it's more of a life goal than anything right? So, I suppose if pressed I would have to say yarn. Yarn works well. If in doubt, a skein or two of sock yarn will not go unloved. A safe bet to be sure.

A Belated New Years Resolution

I have been contemplating the idea of making a New Years resolution as it seems as though this is still something that people do without fail every year. And the other day, it hit me. I was surfing blogs and was doing some archive reading on one of my favorite blogs (you will have to scroll down to the entry dated November 4, 2006 to read the post that caught my attention) and I realized that I have the exact. same. problem.

I have a serious addiction to sock yarn. I realized it a while ago. I have tried (unsuccessfully) to ignore the nagging guilt that I get everytime I look at the growing pile of yarn and make yet another web purchase. I suppose the first step is to admit the degree of the addiction, but my husband reads this blog and I think he might put a hold on my Visa. Ok, its not that bad, but there is a growing stash and no completed socks in sight. I think that main issue for me is that I fall in love with the way a skein looks when its in its natural state. Once you place it on a swift and wind it up, the properties of the yarn change. Where there was distinct seperation of colors before, you now get a mottled mix and this changes further when you begin to knit the sock.

Another issue that's holding me back is the idea that many sock yarns require, if not scream to be knit in a pattern that shows of its essence to the fullest. And, I must admit, I love nothing more than to knit socks in plain stockinette stitch. Intricate patterns, charts, lace and other complicated designs scare me. I am afraid that I will be unable to master the pattern and it will take forever to complete or that it will be full of glaring mistakes when I am done. So, what's a girl to do?

In light of this (and to get to the original point of this post), I am resolving this year to make it my year of the sock. I know that this has been unofficially done a number of times, and so, I am starting my own year of the sock. I aim to knit one pair of socks for each month this year (with the possible exception of July and possibly August for baby related reasons). That should leave me with 10 pairs of socks. I plan to work it this way - I will start with all the sock yarn that I have balled already with the previous intention to knit into socks. I know for sure that I have at least one ball of Anne sock yarn, as well as one ball of Sweet Georgia Yarn in the Rainforest colorway, and one ball of Knit Picks sock yarn in verigated green and blues all wound and waiting to be knit up. After this, I think I will let Bunny pick the yarn to be knit. Seems like a fair system to me.

Everything Random

It seems as though it has been forever since I posted an actual picture of something that I knit. Although, I think that the lack of knitting is directly and inversely proportional to the amount of puking that I was doing over the last eight weeks. But, since I have gone back to work, I have felt hands down better. So much better in fact, that I have started to knit a storm up in the last week or so. I cast on for this sock before I got sick and have been working on it at work over the lunch hour. I can't say enough good things about this yarn. I was turned onto it by one of the ladies on the knitting retreat that I went on back in November and fell in love with it. The yarn, Cascade Yarns Fixation, is a cotton/elastic blend which makes for a snugly, soft and springy yarn. I am not even to the heel yet and already I can't stop touching, squishing, and fondling the knitted sock. The colors are amazing and the way that the sock hugs your foot while you are wearing it makes this a sock yarn that I can see myself knitting a lot. I have only one small complaint about Cascade Fixation. The packaging that encases these socks is so non-knitter friendly that I seriously doubt many people have gotten beyond the outer shell of the yarn to discover its amazing softness and knit-worthiness. For some reason, Cascade has decided to package the yarn completely in cellophane wrapping which goes against every instinct that one has as a knitter. How can you seriously consider buying a yarn when you can't even touch it to determine its softness. If I hadn't already seen the yarn knit up, I would have never even considered purchasing it and it has been in stock at my LYS for months. Trust me on this, you will be thrilled this yarn. If you buy it and hate it, I will buy it from you. But, you won't hate it. Again, trust me.


I also have some time now to post some pics from the knitting retreat that I went on with Make One (my LYS). This is just some of the fun that was had by all. Both Amy and Sandra (who own the store and put on the retreat) really made us feel comfortable and the knitting workshops put on by Jillian Moreno and Amy Singer were amazing! In one weekend, I learned to customize any sweater pattern to my body, as well as determine at a glance, what commercially designed pattern would work for my body. You know what it all boils down to? Math. And a good gauge swatch. I can't thank these ladies enough. Oh, and how cool is it that I got to meet the creator of Knitty and the authors of Big Girl Knits? Too cool. To think that I have only been knitting a year and a half and already I have gotten to meet two knitting celebrities (and seen them in their pj's). And I have pictures to prove it. I don't want to make this post too photo heavy, so I will post the rest of the pictures sometime later this week. I think everyone had a lot of fun and learned a lot too (I know I did).

There is a lot of talk already about next years retreat, but I don't think I will be able to go given the new addition to our family expected in July.



Oh, one last thing, I have been working a lot in the last week on Bunny's sweater and I think at the rate that I have been going, I will be done very soon. I can't wait to see the look on her face when she realizes that I have actually knit something for her. I am sad to say that this is only the second project I have made for her. Of course, she doesn't give much incentive to make her things. The last thing I made for her were the felted clogs that everyone is raving about. I brought her to the yarn store, let her pick out her own yarn (and she promptly choose a skein of 30.00 yarn) and knit them up for her. Now she won't wear them. The last time I asked her to she told me she didn't like them because they made her feet look like "mitten toes". Kids.

A brief glimpse of my office.

One of the things that I love to do in my spare time is surf assorted knit blogs. I took the day off work today because I caught Bunny's cold at the beginning of the week and its currently kicking my ass and totally aggrivating my nausea. Blah. So, I stayed in bed all morning and this afternoon, I have been surfing blogs and it looks like I am certainly in good company. Every second blog I find tells me that someone is sick in bed for the day. The kleenex companies must just clean up in January and February.

Guess what else I did today? I got a spurt of energy for about 10 minutes and it led me to reorganize my knitting stash. This is what I accomplished in 10 minutes. Not too shabby eh? The top left box has all of my scarf/shawl yarn and anything that has wool content. I realized once I started to reorganize that I have two kinds of Lion & Lamb (in Georgetown and Black Purl) and enough Handmaiden yarn in a luscious green color to make Clapotis. I want to make a number of Clapotis because they are such a great pattern; easy and fun to knit. I also have a darker green yarn from Knit Picks which is destined to become the Backyard Leaves scarf from the Scarf Style book. On the bottom left is all of my cotton yarns. I have enough of the Rowan 4-ply cotton in the greyish color to make the Lucky Clover Wrap from S&B Nation. On the bottom right is all the fiber that I have collected over the past six months or so. There is a mix of merino, silk, alpaca and various other blends there too. On the top right is all the sock yarn that I have bought in the last year. There is a good ammount of Art Yarns, Sweet Georgia, and Lorna's Laces. And then a bunch of various skeins that I have picked up off the internet and gotten in the swaps that I have participated in. Is it horribly obvious that I have a weakness for handpainted sock yarn?



Of course, my small ammount of energy could not sustain me long enough to tackle this mess. This is the other corner of the office that I share with Hubby. Pretty nasty huh? In the various boxes are my knitting books and magazines, as well as all my texts that I have from University. In the tupperwear bins is fabric that I bought when I was sewing that I am still holding onto for no particular reason. And in the white tupperwear bins and in assorted baskets on the floor are my odds and ends of yarn that I don't have room for anywhere else. I need to get a shelf and a system for organizing this stuff. Anyone want to come do this for me? Anyone? Didn't think so. Oh well, one of these days, maybe the nesting instinct will kick in and I will get it all organized in one afternoon. That could happen right?

I'm Baaaaack!!!

I am finally feeling better. This has sure been a marathon. Making babies is hard work. I am happy to report that I have started knitting again. Thanks to the retreat at Make 1, I have a ton of Misti Cotton in color 6314. Enough for a whole sweater actually. Since I don't see the point of making a whole sweater at this point (since I will be getting bigger and bigger), I thought that this yarn would be the perfect softness and shade for a baby blanket. I am making one out of a book that I picked up a while ago: 100 More Afghan Squares to Knit. I love this book. The afghans are not at all "granny-ish" and there are so many patterns to try with tons of different themes. I really like that each square has its own picture because I can never seem to be able to visualize what a pattern will look like when knit up.

I also have to send out a very belated and very huge Thank You to my SP9 pal. She sent me a lovely package with some more spinning fiber in the most amazing purple, green, and teal colors. Its a nice mix of merino/silk and I think it would spin up at a dk weight and be perfect for a lacy scarf. I can't wait until I am feeling well enough to start spinning again. She also sent me some tea (cocoa spice!) and some more bath dye for Bunny. What a great pal I have. The coolest part? It was hand delivered! The doorbell rang and there was the package on the step. I wish I would have been feeling well enough for a visit, but I just wasn't up to it, so I missed out. I was so bummed. I would post some pictures of the swag, but I have used the tea already and the bath stuff was much enjoyed by Bunny too.

Now that I am on the mend, look forward to more pictures from me this coming week. I will be blogging regularly again soon.

Last post for December

Ok, Just a quick happy New Year to everyone. In case you are wondering, as per SP9 rules, I had to have 4 posts for the month of December to be allowed to stay in and so, here they are. Ta da. Have a great time tonight, whatever you are doing. Drive safe!

On the Needles? Nothing.

Just a quick update as to what I have been knitting these days... nothing. I have been too sick even to pick up my knitting. Virtually nothing has been knit in this house for the last six weeks. Sad, I know. I just haven't felt up to it. I did however, force myself to get out of the house for an hour to go to the Make One knitting sale. It was great to see everyone and I got a lot of very good deals on everything. I bought 3 skeins of Lorna's Laces Lion&Lamb in Georgetown for another Clapotis. I also bought some sock yarns from Art Yarns and a cotton stretch sock yarn, both in blue colorways.

Other than that, I am sadly behind in all of my knitting and am hoping that soon I will feel less like puking and more like purling.

Its... A Baby

Yup, to those that didn't know, those that guessed, and those that just don't care, I am pregnant again... and for the last time ever.

I seem to be one of those few women who hates being pregnant. I HATE it. With a passion. I have been so sick with both pregnancies as to render the first trimester and beyond so terrible that it is impossible to get excited about anything. And, if the last pregnancy is anything to go by, I am predicting that I will get a few good weeks at the end of the second trimester when the vomiting and extreme 24/7 nausea will let up. At which point, the baby will then lodge its head under my ribcage and stomp incessantly on my bladder for the next couple of months until it is born.

Sounds pretty miserable hey? Why do I do it? Because I LOVE the end result. And, if you know Bunny, you can see why I think having kids is so great...

I just wish I wasn't the one that actually has to have them.

So Darn Sick

I have been away from the blog for a while now. Worse yet, I haven't knit anything in 2 weeks. Not even picked up my needles. Odd, I know. I haven't been out of the house except to the doctor or the hospital in two weeks. I throw up at all times of the day and generally feel tired and miserable. But, it will all be worth it. Can you guess why? I am not telling now, but very soon all will be revealed. Very soon.

Sale Stuffs...

Time sure flies when you are having... fun. Actually, I have just been too busy to sit down and post something substantial. Plus, I promised some yarn for sale/swap. So, without further ado, here is the stuff that I want to get rid of. I just really want to make room for some of the things that are coming in, so I will be more than happy to make a very good deal with anyone that wants anything. This post will only contain a portion of what I need to get rid of though. My camera battery died halfway through the photos so I will post the rest of the stuff as soon as the camera charges.

This is some super 10 cotton that I bought for the Calla tank. I actually have 3 skeins and will gladly frog the one which is still on the needles if you would like.






















I bought this to make Bunny a cardigan from Knitty. Just after I bought it and swatched it, she proclaimed that she didn't like purple and that was the end of that. I actually have one more skein of the purple that was on the needles and then frogged.









This yarn comes from Elann. I bought it to make this. It's actually very soft with quite a bit of stretch to it. Its a 40/30/30 mix of wool/poyamide/acrylic. I love the color, but I don't want to spend the time making the sweater, frankly. There are 10 balls still in the bag and two that were partially unwound and then promptly rewound again. Enough to make the medium size of the sweater.

















This is a very different yarn. Its a slubby peach color and I have about a dozen (give or take) skeins of this. I bought it thinking it would make a cool sweater, but never got around to it. I don't know much about the manufacturer since I think that they may have gone out of business. Its a soft mix of cotton/viscose/acrylic and has some pretty shine to it.







If anyone is interested in any of these yarns, please email me at lawsontrisha(at)hotmail(dot)com -- you know to put in the @ and the . right? We can also discuss shipping then. I promise not to charge any more than it costs me to ship.

Otherwise, all things are good. I will also have some pics of the knitting retreat that I went on last weekend (including pics of the 2 special - and famous- guests that accompanied and imparted copious amounts of wisdom on us).

Coming Soon...

Stash Busting!! In the next week or so, I will be trying to streamline some of my stash and pare it down to the basics. I am running out of room in the office that Hubby and I share and he has asked me to get rid of some of my stash as its starting to crowd him out. So, I agreed and will be taking it down a notch. I don't really want to, but I realize that its necessary, so watch for a large batch of very nice yarn at great prices over the next week or so. And one lucky buyer will also win a surprise gift! As soon as its posted, you will be able to PM me and let me know what you would like. I will be taking any reasonable offer. Keep your eyes peeled.

NaNoWriMo

Ok, so I have signed up to join NaNoWriMo. What the heck is that? Well, when I break it down into its non-acronym stage, its National Novel Writing Month. See the counter at the right hand side of the blog? That should show how many words I have written over the course of the month. The goal, of course, being 50, 000 words. Lots hey. I worked it out - that's 1666.66 words per day, every day. Big challenge, but I have to say, I think it's worth it. I have always wanted to write a novel and now I am doing it. In a month. Heh. I started this morning and have completed 401 words in the space of a half hour. I think this is something I could actually complete and stick with to completion. Of course, that's what I thought about going to the gym too.

So begins the journey. And so begins the writing process. I am happy to say that I think that I have a fairly good idea to work with and am excited to see where the story will go from here. They say, write about what you know. I think I will.

Keep on Swimmin...

Check this out. Fishy Mittens! How cool is that? I think that I am in love! I have so much sock yarn and this is such a great use for the leftovers that always happen with a pair of adult socks. I can't wait to cut my entrelac teeth on these socks. I think that they will be such a great present for Bunny.

I also have a ton of clogs to make for family this winter for Xmas. I absolutely love that I can make people presents. It always seems to me that Xmas has become so commercialized and has lost its true meaning. Somehow when stores start their Xmas push in October, I start feeling nauseous and the feeling doesn't really pass until January. Hopefully people like handmade gifts. I sure do.

What's on the needles right now? A hat for Bunny to match the one that I made my Mom and some socks. Seriously. I think that this is the least that I have ever had on the needles at one time. Of course, I still have a 3/4 finished pair of clogs for me, Calla, and my design project on the needles right now waiting to be finished, but I need some serious inspiration before I pick these UFO's up again... Someday they will get finished. Someday. Until then, Fishy mittys, here I come!!

Snowdays.

I have the day off of work today. What does one do at home all day by herself? Clean? I probably should, but no. Study? Nope. Not that either. Let's see, I slept in, sent Hubby to drop off Bunny at daycare, drank that coffee that he brought me from Tim Hortons (yummy!) and sat down at the computer. That was an hour ago. I am thinking that next I will probably go and watch some tv and then have a nap. I love snowdays. I used to have a lot of snowdays in school, but once you are working, it becomes very difficult to just take a day off whenever you feel like it. People tend to get upset if you don't show up when you are supposed to. Phhhft... whatever.

Not much on the needles right now. I am a bit stumped actually. I haven't unpacked my knitting books because we are waiting on shelving in this room. And, I can't put up any shelving or anything until the room is painted. So, there you have it. I am planning to paint tomorrow afternoon after Bunnys swimming. I am thinking I will just go down to HomeDepot and buy one of the "mistake" cans -- you know, the cans of paint that someone has decided that they don't like the color of. I will try to find one that is the most neutral color (its a basement room) and just get it done tomorrow so that on Sunday I can buy my shelves and have Hubby set them up. I can't wait to get the boxes out of the garage so that we can start parking in there. Seems sort of a waste to have a nice big garage and still be parking on the street right??

Check out how big Bunny is getting. Seems like only yesterday she was a little baby. Every morning when she wakes up, I bring her in our bed and can't help marvel at how much she has grown up and what a nice little lady she is becoming. How lucky are we? See what I mean? So very grown up. And the things that come out of her mouth... She even talks like a grownup.

I wonder what the future will hold for her.

Being an Adult is HARD...

I am having a no good, terrible horrible, very bad day. Today I have a sick kid. I hate when she is sick. Sunday, I broke my glasses and haven't had a chance to get them fixed yet. They snapped in half while I was drying them. Hubby super-glued them together. I am waiting for them to come apart and fall to the floor during a meeting. I have been dreaming about this happening for 3 nights now.

I was late to a meeting this morning. Traffic sucked. It's snowing. I have cold feet. I need to pee.

I know I have probably exhausted my share of whining for the next month, but sometimes you just need to get it out. Right? I bet tomorrow will be better.

And All the Good Things

You know you have become officially obsessed (is it even possible to become officially obsessed? Maybe we need to have a ceremony or something) when you get almost pant-wetting excited at the thought of going to a... wait for it... Knitting Retreat!! Yeah, I said it. A knitting retreat. But wait, before anyone thinks that I have gone off the deep end, check out the details. This is what the gals at Make One Yarn Studio have posted on their website about the trip:

November 10 - 12 at Emerald Lake Lodge in Field, BC. Authors Amy R. Singer and Jillian Moreno will join for the weekend to teach fit, flattery, and alterations. At the end of the weekend, you’ll have one fully customized pattern based on your body shape and measurements. You’ll also receive one-on-one consulations on any commerically available pattern, and a set of your own measurements. But, it’s not all about fit and flattery! We’ll also party it up, make one style, with fashion shows, games and great prizes all weekend long. Emerald Lake Lodge is known for five star accomodations, dining, wine, and priceless views. The lake is yours that weekend. Knit in front of your own fireplace, enjoy a glass of wine on your balcony, or join others. The all-inclusive price includes all food, drink, accomodation, and round-trip transporation from Calgary, plus every activity and class all weekend long.

How cool does that sound? I know, to non-knitters, it may seem a bit pricey to spend a weekend away with a set of pointy, inanimate objects and a bunch of string, but to me, its a weekend with a bunch of people who share the same obsessions as me. Good food, good conversation, and pointy inanimate objects and a who truck load of string. I can't wait!

And, I have more good news, I finished Clapotis! It took a little while, but I have to say that I enjoyed knitting this pattern more than any other that I have knit so far. And, I am happy to say that it took only 3 balls of the Curious Creek Oban. Side Note:You have no idea how long it took me to upload this picture though. I have been having some issues with Blogger over the last little while and the uploading of pictures is a major bone of contention. I think I have found a solution though; upload pictures through Flickr.
Regarding the the Clapotis though, it came off the needles last night and all that is left is to make sure the stitches drop the rest of the way down. The Oban is a little fuzzy and seems to not want to drop more than a few stitches on its own. I can't wait to block it and wear it. Its supposed to get very cold here and possibly snow over the next few days, so I am planning to have it blocked and ready for monday.

As well, I got a new knitting bag. My fave knitting store got a new shipment of these wonderful bags in over the last month and of course, I just had to have one. I love that it is professional enough to carry to work. Cute hey? And yes, what post would be complete without a mention of The Wall. So, here is the bag in all her splendor featured in the great Thibodeau wall project of 2006. Gotta love it.

And, I was all ready to publish this blog entry, when I decided to take a quick break and go get the mail. Lo and behold, my first SP9 package had already arrived!!! I know! How the heck did my SP9 pal already get this fabulous stuff in the mail to me? Alpaca fibre no less and organic dark chocolate. How could my pal know that I don't really have a sweet tooth, but if anything, I would never turn down a piece of dark chocolate. Yummy. And, for Bunny, some stuff that turns bath water pink. How cool is that?? She will be thrilled and since MIL is coming tonight, this will make bath time even more special. Thank you thank you thank you secret pal. How you have already gotten this out, is beyond me! You are one speedy lady. I guess this means I need to get my butt in gear and send something out to my secret pal. I know what I will be doing this weekend. Shopping!!

And more about me...

Well, the first contest of SP9 has been posted and here are my answers....

The question was; what is my favorite:


Actor - Anyone who knows me knows that JOHNNY DEPP makes me swoon. Literally. I would give my right arm for an evening alone with him. Sigh.
Actress - Stockard Channing. Seriously. I lurve her.
Animal - Cat. Who doesn't love cats? I know that there are people out there that hate cats. I Just. Don't. Get. This.
Band - The Philosopher Kings - who by the way, I have never seen live and I have loved them for years. But, they have just gotten back together and I am making it a goal to see them play this time.
Beverage - Cosmopolitan. Yummy. And pink. Oh, or Sangria.
Book - Anything by Diana Gabaldon or Wilbur Smith. I really dig historical fiction.
Bubble Bath - I don't get bubble bath. I just don't.
Candy - I am also not a huge candy person. Give me a big ol basket of fries any day over candy.
Color - Any and all. Except, maybe, neon or pastels.
Flower - Red Calla lilies. And, yes, I know they don't grow that color.
Food - See, now this is a tough question. I like most food equally. I think if I had to choose though, I would say sushi.
Lip Balm - Burts Bees or anything from Lush.
Lotion - Bedhead Lotion in Oatmeal Cookie
Movie - Six Degrees of separation. Nobody but me has ever seen this movie though. I think I must have been one of only 10 people that have ever watched it. Of course, now they have a new tv show out on Wednesday nights that is based on this way cool movie that no one has ever watched.
Song - How do you have a favorite song? There are so many great songs out there...
TV Show - Lost or ER or Prison Break or Men in Trees or Gilmore Girls or Heroes or... Ya, we watch a lot of tv.
Vacation Spot - Hawaii. Although I really want to go to Bali and Africa.

Ok, SP9 Pal, here are the answers to the rather lengthy list of questions that I got off the website. Hopefully they will help you make the difficult decision about what to get me...



1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I really like silk right now. I am currently knitting Clapotis out of some Curious Creek Oban and it makes me happy every time I knit with it, no matter what mood I am in before I sit down.
2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I have a Namaste bag that I LOVE, but I am finding that I really would like a sturdy DPN holder that I can put all of my DPN's in so that they aren't floating all over my bag all the time.
3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? I have been knitting for about a year how. Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? With as much modesty as possible, I would humbly consider myself an intermediate knitter. I know all the basic stitches and have tackled some of the more complex patterns and techniques such as cabling without a cable needle.
4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Nope. I abhor Amazon though. Their customer service is crap.
5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.) Pink Grapefruit and cranberry. Basically anything natural and light. Artificial smells give me a headache.
6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? Not really. I have more of a yarn tooth :)
7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I have just started spinning and am getting better, but always seem to run out of roving quite quickly. For some reason, I can never seem to just sit down and spin a little bit. I always need to spin all the roving I have at one time, LOL. I really wish I had more bobbins for my Ashford traveler though... hint hint :)
8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I like all kinds of music, but find that I mostly listen to the radio and my MP3 player. We don't have a CD player in our car.
9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? Anything earthy toned or jewel toned. I don't really dislike any colors. If pressed, I guess I would say that I would prefer not to receive anything neon.
10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I am married and have a 4 year old daughter. I also have two cats.
11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Scarves, hats, mittens good. Ponchos, shawls bad.
12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Oh, that's easy. Socks. Any kind of socks. And baby stuffs. So many people around me are pregnant right now.
13. What are you knitting right now? Fetchings, socks, Clapotis. Check out the progress bars on the right of the blog.
14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Sure. I love when someone spends a lot of time on something for someone else. As long as its from the heart. Isn't that what knitting is all about?
15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I only knit on Circulars and DPNS. I would love to own some Knit Picks Options, but haven't bought them yet. I do have two other interchangeable sets - Denise and Boye. I wish I had some shorter sock needles in sizes 0-2.
16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Yep. Both.
17. How old is your oldest UFO? Oh jeez, I am embarrassed to admit that my oldest UFO is from May of this year. I started knitting Calla and hated it. I should really frog it and make something else with the yarn.
18. What is your favorite holiday? Thanksgiving. I LOVE Turkey and all the trimmings, but hate the commercialism of Christmas - hence, Thanksgiving.
19. Is there anything that you collect? Does yarn count? LOL. Seriously though, I was just saying in a previous post that I have never collected anything before I started knitting. Now, I think I have a bonafied sock yarn collection. Its almost too large to store in the bins that I have it in.
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 can't really think of anything right now. There is a book out there and I can't remember the name, but I liked the idea that it has a ton of different patterns in it for almost anything which are like templates. It gives you tables so that you can convert any pattern into any gauge of yarn and make any size of the item. Jeez, I bet that's as clear as mud. If I figure it out, I will be sure and update this post.
21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? I can't think of anything at the moment. Mostly, I would like to become a better designer. I have taken some courses and have the SnB nation book that breaks the design process down for you, but I am a little nervous to take the plunge and start writing my own patterns.
22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? I think I may have mentioned that I love to knit socks... Heh. I have a size 7 foot.
23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd) Feb 4. Every year.

Hopefully that helps. Shopping for other people is so hard. Especially when you don't know the person. I can't wait to see what you send though!! I'm sure I will love it!