Happy Holidays!

Pattern: Flowers on a Grave
Yarn: Galway (hat) Red Heart (flowers)
Needles: size 10.5

I had a nice Christmas, and I hope that Santa brought you all the yarn you could ever want!

Happy Knitting!

A really honest to goodness update on my knitting post!

I know, you are all in total shock. I am posting. There are pictures of knitting. I bet you thought that I just stopped knitting, and this blog was just a sham. You thought that I just went on and on about grad school as a way of deflecting the focus from the lack of actual knitting content. The lame Internet quizzes, the "I am too busy to post" post, and the endless MEMEs were all part of a plot to make everyone BELIEVE I was a real life knitting blogger when in fact I was just a poser. Well, you were wrong. I do actually knit.

Pattern: Sweet Mary Janes
Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes
Needle: size 7 dpns

Here are some finished Sweet Mary Janes. They are all done, and Sly is bundling them off to work to give as gifts as I type this.

And here is the Sweet Mary Jane carnage! Don't look at the poor, tragic, unfinished little dears. Mommy will take care of them!

Pattern: We Call Them Pirates (Lesa's worsted version)
Yarn: Lamb's Pride
Needles: size 9 16' circs

I did another "my version" of this hat for Sly since he liked Randy's so much.

Pattern: I just made it up
Yarn: Lamb's Pride Bulky
Needles: size 7 dpns

Here is a lonely mitten I made for Michelle for Christmas. Since Michelle has two hands, I need to make another one soon.


Last, but not least, my loot from the 2nd annual Yarn Ho Christmas party. I just love all my gifts, and thank you so much to all the givers!

I hope you all get your Christmas knitting done on time!

I am 1 year today!

The Molly Knits Sweaters blog is one year old today!

I just wanted to get that out of my system first.

weird meme

“THE RULES:Each player of this game starts with the ‘6 weird things about you.’ People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says ‘you are tagged’ in their comments and tell them to read your blog.”

1. I am a nerd. Granted, if you have been reading this blog for the past year, you know that I love all things nerdy. I am a fan of Mythbusters, James Bond, Monty Python, Star Trek, Harry Potter and other completely nerdy forms of entertainment. The sad part is, I have actually been to not just one, but THREE Star Trek conventions! The name of this blog is inspired by Harry Potter, and to date, I have done THREE school projects (two in graduate school) on Harry Potter (2 on Star Trek I have even done a presentation deconstructing Star Wars with video clips)!
2. I am a karaoke diva. I used to go to karaoke bars at least twice a week. I own a karaoke machine.
3. I can recite the famous "two all beef patties special sauce.... yadda yadda yadda" Mc Donald's commercial backwards.
4. I was a Girl Scout for seven years.
5. When all my friends in school took ballet and tap dancing lessons, I took 2 years of belly dancing lessons.
6. My grandmother named me after Lisa Marie Presley. When asked by my husband when I was 29 if she really named me after Lisa Marie, my grandmother answered "No, that is just where I got the idea."

My mom is the one who spelled "Lisa" wrong on my birth certificate. To this day (38.5 years latter) she insist that L-E-S-A is the correct way to spell my name and every other woman in the world with my name is spelling it wrong.

true to the terms of the meme, this is the part where i tag people. I'm not gonna. If you want to steal this meme, just leave a comment so we can find out about your 6 weird things.

That last second scarf pattern we all need

Here is the perfect thing to knit up at the last second when you need a gift. This can be knitted in the car on the drive to grandma's house. It is a one-skein-less-than-five-hours kind of pattern that we all need. I suggest using the nicest bulky weight yarn you can. I used Misti-Alpaca Chunky so this is very soft and warm.

Materials
1 100 gr ball, hank, or skein of luxury bulky weight yarn (if you have more time or want a longer scarf, you can use two)
size 13 needles

Finished Measurements
About 6'x45'

CO 17

Row 1 K1 P1 across row
Row 2 K

Repeat rows one and two until you run out of yarn.

End with Row 1 BO

FOs!

Okay, so I know all of you out there believe that I haven't been knitting anything at all. You think that because there are no pictures I have just been sitting on my hands all this time. Well, you are all wrong! I even have the photos to prove that I have been knitting.

Pattern: Irish Hiking Scarf
Yarn: Philosopher's Wool (2 hanks)
Needles: Size 7

Here is the Irish Hiking Scarf. While I got tons of practice making cables, I have to say, I really don't like making scarves. They just take too long and are too boring. I thought the cables in this scarf would make it more interesting, but they didn't.

Pattern: We Call Them Pirates (Lesa' worsted weight version)
Yarn: Lamb's Pride (about half of the silver and 1/4 of the red)
Needles: size 9 16' circs

I changed up pattern from Hello Yarn to make the hat in a worsted version for my DD's boyfriend. Worsted is just so much faster, and I had this in my stash. Sly loved the hat so much that I have to make another for him.

Pattern: something I am going to call the last minuet gift scarf
Yarn: Misti Alpaca chunky (Every bit of one skein)
Needles: size 13

Okay, he is a great last second gift (you can make this in less than 5 hours). The trick with this one is to use a VERY nice yarn. This scarf is all about the quality of the yarn and the knitting. I'll post the pattern latter, but it is a broken rib stitch.

Latter this week you will get to see all those Sweet Mary Janes I have been knitting. Seriously, I think I have about 6 pairs in various stages of done, and many more on the way.

Happy Knitting!

I'll do a real knitting post tomorrow

I am just too sleepy now. I swear, there is TONS of knitting to show off, but for now, a little MEME to keep you all entertained.

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Both are nice. Hot chocolate has chocolate going for it, and egg nog can be spiked with rum, so I would say it depends.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Wrapped

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
The past few years it has been white. But I would love to find those old-fashioned color lights from when I was a kid. Those rock!

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
Used to, but it is poisonous and we have several animals.

5. When do you put up your decorations?
When I have the time. This year we are just using a table top artificial tree, so it is up now.

6. What is your favorite Christmas meal include?
mmmm, I make a mean ham dinner. Then there is potato soup and bean soup for a week afterwards.

7. Favorite Holiday Christmas memory as a child?
A boyfriend of my aunt's (long since for gotten as this memory is about 33 years ago) dressed up as Santa for his family. My aunt convinced him to drive by my grandparents house to play Santa for me and my sister too.

I was really messed up by that. Everybody said it was my dad, grandfather, or uncle, but as they were all in the room (and none of them would EVER dress up as Santa), I really really believed for years and years.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
What truth about Santa?

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Yes.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
Well, we put hooks in the ornaments and hang them on the tree. Is there another way?

.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
I don't mind looking at it.

12. Can you ice skate?
Never tried. I used to roller skate a lot. But it was the 70's and everybody roller skated..

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
I got a telescope one year. I thought that was cool as hell. Then there was the year my dad bought me a racecar set because I don't have any brothers and he always wanted one. I would get boy toys every now and then.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays Christmas for you?
family.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Christmas Dessert?
My mom's fudge

16. What is your favorite Holiday Christmas tradition?
There was that year that New Buffalo was snowed in. My parents walked about nine blocks to the only store that was open and bought all our presents. We sat at home and played games for three days and had a big meal. We didn't get out to see family until New Year's Day. But, I would have to say my first Christmas in Florida was cool. My grandparents came down to visit. We didn't get a tree until Christmas eve that year. It was crazy. The guy said "hey, here is a great tree" and half the needles dropped off just then. Everybody laughed and he sold it to us for $5. It was a nice tree.

17. What tops your tree?
The dog keeps knocking our trees down and breaking the top. I am going to knit something this year. Any ideas?

18. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
"Here we go a Wassailing among the leaves so green"

Really, I have been too busy to post!

It is the end of the semester, and I have been totally SWAMPED with work. Things are starting to slow down a bit. I have one paper to write and two short stories to revise, then I am all done for the year. My grades are still high, and I hope to get straight As the semester.

Sadly, there has been NO knitting. I have only finished one thing in the past two week. My Irish Hiking Scarf is done (but, I don't feel like hunting down the camera to take a picture). I have actually gone a whole day with out knitting a stitch. I have gone two and three days with not so much as a purl.

I did start a sock on Thanksgiving that is now languishing in my WIP basket. I do have a really wonderful alpaca scarf nearly done for my Aunt Kim's birthday. It is soft, warm, and PURPLE!

I have been putting a lot of thought into my Christmas gift giving knitting. I need things to be down and dirty, fast. I know the new Knitty is coming out, and it will have lots of things to add to my list, but I have several things I want to start making so that I am well prepared.

Lots of Sweet Mary Janes are at the top of my list. I have about 20 balls of Wool of the Andes to help with that.

These and those are also high on my list of things to make this year.

My DD would just die for Pasha. She would die a second time for this!

and I am sure this hat would be great for lots of people on my list. The BOYFRIEND of my DD would enjoy We Call Them Pirates.

I just wish I could find something cool with a guitar or sax on it for my son. Then my list would be complete. Any ideas?

Happy Knitting!

Crisis over

After this post, you will find that my career as a high school English teacher is secure (despite my tendencies for typos on this blog!)

I am feeling much better (emotionally, I do have a slight cold) since my last post. I have reviewed my bingo sheet, and I am happy to say I have 7 classes to take before I student teach. It would seem that objects in the mirror really are closer than they appear.

I wish I had some FO pictures to share, but alas, I haven't finished any knitting lately. I did finish a very successful (and difficult) short story for class. I wrote it from the point of view of someone with autism. I had it workshoped by the class last night (a humiliating process where the class tells writer what they think a story is about), and it seems I have very little revision to do. Most people not only *got* the story, but they were full of praise for it as well, which is great! Often, workshop means that people pick apart the stories and find lots of fault. I just need to cut a few things and clear up one or two small points.

I should (finally) have my Irish Hiking Scarf finished in the next day or two, and I am working on the Christmas rush of Sweet Mary Janes.

Happy Knitting!

What did you expect?

Your Language Arts Grade: 100%

Way to go! You know not to trust the MS Grammar Check and you know "no" from "know." Now, go forth and spread the good word (or at least, the proper use of apostrophes).

Are You Gooder at Grammar?
Make a Quiz

Just bitchin'

I have nothing knitting related to post. I have only been doing a few rows here and there, so there is little progress to report. I am bogged down with school.

I really don't want to be in school. It gets in the way of my life. I am bored by my classes. I many respects, I am "doing over" things I did to get my first BA.

I know that sounds like a bit of a pity party, and it is. I am honest. The thing is, I want to work and get paid well for the work I do (let's face it, my job is work, but I am paid pretty poorly). My life may be one of wanting to have my cake and eat it too.

Honestly, I feel like I could be out doing someone somewhere some good, but I am back in school spinning my wheels. It is depressing. I don't want anything grand. Just a job that uses my skills, educations, and talents with pay that at least honors the fact that I work to pay bills and buy food.

I don't post. I don't work out how to do all the patterns I have in my head. My life is getting in the way of my knitting. I just can't seem to find my way out of the fog of doubt and unease.

So, I'll trudge on and hope that I am doing the right thing.

Thanks for reading. I feel a little better now.

Happier Knitting!

just a dumb quiz -- i am being lazy

You Are 64% Open Minded

You are a very open minded person, but you're also well grounded. Tolerant and flexible, you appreciate most lifestyles and viewpoints. But you also know where you stand firm, and you can draw that line. You're open to considering every possibility - but in the end, you stand true to yourself.

How Open Minded Are You?

Socks 2 and 3 and the great big tree

I am not doing so well with my Socktoberfest goal of 5 pairs of socks. I should get four pairs done, but I just will not be able to get 5. :(

Any way, I do have pairs two and three done. Here is the FO pic for you all to gaze in wonder at. I had already worn the brown socks, but I didn't wash them before taking the photo. They may look a bit dirty on the foot.

My next question would be "Does anyone need any firewood?" Cuz we lost a really big branch (more like half a tree) during the high winds today.

There was no damage to the shed (seen in photo), and the tree is well away from the house. We do, however, have a very large mess to clean up. It is just a pain in the ass to have another thing to worry about.

Happy Knitting!

Book Meme

1. One book that changed your life: Man, that is really hard. Gone with the Wind was the first grown-up book I ever read. I found Interview with a Vampire in 1981 as I was entering my dress in all black before people invent the word *goth* phase. Jane Austin's books are always there when I need them.
2. One book that you've read more than once: I read most books more than once.
3. One book you'd want on a desert island: Either the Complete works of William Shakespeare, or if I am feeling really masochistic, I could use the time to slog my way through Ulysses again. I think I'll go with Shakespeare.
4. One book that made you laugh: The Stand by Steven King, don't ask. Here is an odd fact, I don't read books that make me laugh. I wonder why?
5. One book that made you cry: There are several. Angela's Ashes, Little Women, Frankenstein to name a few. I'll go with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I still get a huge lump in my throat when Cederic is killed.
6. One book you wish had been written: I don't have a clue what to say about this one.
7. One book you wish had never been written: Sister Carrie, I just read it for class, and I had to FORCE myself to turn the pages. I wanted to throw the book across the room.
8. One book you're currently reading: Lolita, it is for class.
9. One book you've been meaning to read: A Passage to India
10. Six people to tag: Eh, do it if you want to.

Look for a knitting update tomorrow (or the next day). I have been a busy sock knitting bee this week.

Happy Knitting!

Meme from Erin

1. FIRST NAME? Lesa

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Lisa Marie Presley, my parents were expecting a boy. Jeffery Lee was the only name they considered. My grandmother suggested Lisa Marie, who is a couple of months older than me, because she thought it was a nice name. Years latter, when my husband asked if I was really named after Lisa Marie Presley, my grandmother said, "no, that is just where I got the idea." For the record, my mother believes that "li spells lie."

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Tear up or a good blubber? I tear up often. I tear up at commercials for the phone company. I had a good bawl about a week ago.

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I don't know. I can't read it.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Olive loaf, blaaa!

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Most likely.

7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? A blog is a journal.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? yup, but I most likely shouldn't. I never knew why they were left in. They made me sick twice a year until the age of around 15.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? HELL NO!

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? oatmeal

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Not really. I wear a lot of clogs.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? yes

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Chocolate, but chunky monkey is pretty damn awsom.

14. SHOE SIZE? 8.5

15. RED OR PINK? pink

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My hair.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My grandmother who was the greatest person I ever knew.

18. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? faux faded blue Jeans, burgandy tee shirt from Gratty's bar and grill, black socks, and huckleberry sweater.

19. LAST THING YOU ATE? Peanut butter on toast with coffee, cling peaches in heavy sryup.

20. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Some guy banging around my basement fixing the furnace.

21. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? The deepest moodiest shade of purple.

22. FAVORITE SMELL? Roses, lavender, rosemary.

23. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? The furnace guy who said he was coming to fix the furnace.

24. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? eyes.

25. FAVORITE DRINK? Rum and coke, milk, coffee (black two sugar)

26. FAVORITE SPORT? Football, only watching

27. EYE COLOR? Take your pick. Blue/green/orangy starburst thing, and a purple ring around the outside of the iris.

28. HAT SIZE? I don't know

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Nope, used to but only in one eye. I get a weird double vision when I wear corrective lenses (glasses too). It is hard to read a book when there are two of them.

30. FAVORITE FOOD? pizza.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? I like weepies; I love a good cry.

32. SUMMER OR WINTER? fall

33. HUGS OR KISSES? hugs

34. FAVORITE DESSERT? cheesecake

35. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald, it was for class.

36. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? The Daily Show.

37. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Laughing babies, children playing, my son's music

38. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Elvis

39. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Depends. I have lived lots of places. I went to New York when I lived in Florida. I go to Florida all the time from Indiana. I have been to Canada a few times.

40. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? I am a damn good cook. I am also one of those disgusting people who can write a kick ass 10 page A paper in six hours.

Piddleloop Bag

First, how do you like the black? I love black, and it is Halloween, so I thought I would give it a go. I don't know if I will keep it. Black can be hard to read.

So, anyway, I was asked to post a picture of my Piddleloop bag. Yesterday, Blogger was being a turd.

I love, love, LOVE my Piddleloop project bag and all the little notions I keep with me. The bag has a long strap that I loop around my wrist while I knit in the hallway during passing period (I work in a high school). I have a tape measure, chibi with needles, scissors, steel crochet hook, a stitch marker that you can't see well, and a little booklet that has things like sizes and grafting instructions in it. This bag makes all my on the go sock knitting possible. Now, doesn't that sound like a Piddleloop commercial?

Happy knitting!

Socktober Fest WIPs

The weather turned on me this weekend. It was VERY cold here, and my furnace didn't work. We were a cold bunch huddled around space heaters trying to keep warm. Keep your fingers crossed that the repair bill isn't too bad!

On to more pleasant topics, Soctober Fest is going well for me. I am nearly done with socks 2 and 3.

The orangy sock is being made with the two circular method and a double wrap short row heel. It is made Meileevweit Multiringel (I hope I spelled that right). The brown pattern sock is Lorana's Laces Shepard Sport in Mocha. I thought both were *fally* and perfect colors for Sockotober Fest.

I was going to share my traveling sock bag, but blogger is being stupid. I'll just have to share that picture tomorrow.

Happy Knitting!

Poor Mitters

My poor little cat, Mittens (aka Mitters) had to vet today. The poor soul hates to leave the house, but she is trying to eat her tail off. So, now I am treating a cat for allergies! She had a rough day, but her scabby skin is doing much better now.

The good news, the vet was shocked to learn that Mitters is 9 years old. She (the vet) was sure the cat wasn't a day over 5. It is nice to know that the cat is healthy; just scabby. Since I have never shown a pic of my cat, here she is:

As promised, the Socktober Fest questions.

When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?
I started *trying* to learn about 5 or so years ago. I did fine learning to knit in the round. What confused me was turning the heel. I am largely a self-taught knitter, but my pal Jen did help me a bit with socks. Anyway, I played around with learning to knit socks for about 2 years (everything takes longer when you are teaching yourself). I knit my first pair of real socks 3 to 3 1/2 years ago.

The reasons I love to knit socks are:

1. There is a great deal of instant gratification when making sock. In about a week or so, I can have a lovely and useful hand knit item to wear.
2. They are a portable project. I just don't spend much time at home. I can knit socks anywhere. Thanks to the lovely bag I got from Piddleloop, I can knit socks while standing in the hall during passing periods.
3. They are budget friendly. Even the expensive sock yarns don't cut into the family finances too much. Unlike sweaters, sock rarely require more than two skeins of yarn.
4. Sock yarn is the perfect yarn souvenir. It is small, fairly inexpensive, and useful (unlike the gaudy crap that normally passes for souvenirs).

What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?
My first pair was a purple self stripeing pair made with Lion Brand Magic Stripes (can be seen here). They have held up well, but I lost one about a year ago.

What would you have done differently? I wouldn't do anything differently. Like all things knitting and writing, making socks was a process that I had to learn. I am very process oriented. That is why I don't mind taking so long to learn a new technique or finish something. I am not product oriented.

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?
Fortissima, Sunshine Yarns, Kiogu are faves, but in practice, I haven’t met a sock yarn that didn't have at least *some* charm for me.

Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or Magic Loop method?
I haven't tried it yet. I was a firm DPN gal until this summer when I tried two circs, which is becoming my preferred method.

Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)
I am sick of flaps. They seem to interrupt my *flow* when knitting, especially on two circs. Short rows are my new favorite heel for the two circ method. I think that a flap is fine and no biggie on DPNs.

How many pairs have you made?
About 20 pairs of socks but if you count Sweet Mary Janes and Special Occasion Slippers about 40.

Jumping on the Bandwagon

It seems everyone is doing Socktober Fest. Since I knit lots and lots of socks during the school year (they are so portable), I thought I would join in the celebration. Plus, those witchy socks on the button are too cute!


I would like to finish five pairs of socks during Socktober Fest. I have the first pair done (to be fair, I may have cast on for these socks on September 28th). I posted the WIP photo Saturday night, and here they are all spiffy and finished. They are the plain Jane socks knit with two circs and a short row heel. The yarn is Fortissima Colori (which now comes in 100 gr skeins). Sly, who hates bright colors, calls them the clown socks.

Please note how perfectly these socks MATCH! I have never tried to make socks before. Too much of a hassle, and the couple of times I did try, disaster. Also, I am sure my knitting mentor, Molly Weasley, would prefer the lovely uniqueness of matching mis-matched socks. For those of you who don't know, Molly Weasley is a character in the Harry Potter series who knits wonderful things. Well, these socks match, and I didn't even plan to do it! And before you ask, those are my legs.

These were my "knit-while-out-of-the-house" socks. So, the orangy pair (see Saturdays' post) that were my "knit-while-at-home" will become my "out" socks, and I'll cast on new "in" socks tonight. I did manage to finish the first orangy sock this past weekend, so I should have a second pair of socks to show-off this up coming weekend.

I'll post answers to the Socktober Fest questions in the next day or two. Happy knitting!

I do actually knit sometimes ...

It has been a long while since I have posted any of my knitting. I finished the black and purple socks that were posted as a WIP (okay, it is just a picture of me knitting the second sock). They are in the wash now. I wear them all the time. I have since started two new pairs of socks, one for in the house and one for when I am out.

This is my "out-of-the-house" pair of socks. I have been experimenting with short row heels. This pair was my first attempt. I do have the little holes along the sides of the heels, but they are well lined up and are somewhat decorative. I LOVE the short row process. It seems much faster and easier than a heel flap to me. For these socks, I didn't use a pattern; I just played around a bit to see what would happen.

Here is my "at home" pair (now consider both pairs were started on the same day). I used the double wrap short row on this pair to get rid of the holes (check out this tutorial). I like the look much better, but it is a somewhat fussier method. I'll have to keep working at it a bit.

A friend recently told me she was expecting, so that means I HAD to knit something!

Just a couple of the little hats I like to make for babies so much.

Also, a bonnet made with Erin's free pattern. I think I'll be able to get a bootie to match, so look out for that!

Well, Monty Python's Flying Circus is on soon, so I'll leave you all with this.

Happy Knitting!

Two Post in a Row!

I know what you are all thinking, how come she is posting two days in a row? Well, Lisa (with an i) had a list of 10 knitterly things about her, and I thought I would use it over here.

10 Knitterly Things You Don't Know About Me (or maybe you do)

1. I learned to knit in a dream. It was during one of those huge spring snowstorms where everything shuts down for days. I figured I would use the fact that it snowed 2 feet in 12 hours as my excuse to knit since I wasn't going anywhere. The first day was a total bust, but that night when I went to sleep, all I could see were needles and yarn. The next morning, I picked up the needles again, and I had one of those light-bulb moments where everything makes perfect sense. I haven't stopped since.

2. I started knitting about 3 years before Stitch n Bitch. There were no hip, young books about knitting. Nobody knitted at that time except grannies who had huge stashes of Red Heart. So, I have always believed I was a bit of a trailblazer in this one trend.

3. I inherited my grandmother's knitting stuff when she died. I figured that if I didn't learn to knit (and put her things to good use), she would hunt me. . My mother, who gave me the knitting stuff, insisted that these rather personal items (that none of my aunts or uncle wanted to sell) should go to me because I would take the time to learn how to knit if I had them.

4. I am convinced that knitting is a major theme in Harry Potter. I believe that knitting will play a role in the downfall of Voldamort. I am serious!

5. I always have at least a dozen things on my needles at any given time. Sly believes this demonstrates a serious character flaw i.e. I don't finish what I start. I wonder where he thinks all those hand knit socks, scarves, shawls, hats, mittens, and sweaters come from?

6. The worst job I ever had was at a LYS. From the moment I said I would take the job until the day I quit, was the most unpleasant month of my life. I don't even know why I took the job; I hate (loathe, despise) working retail.

7. I knit plain things because I like them, not because I can't do fancy stuff.

8. I once knit my noodles with chopsticks before eating them.

9. My son has been wounded by my knitting needles. He has a scar.

10. I love to knit while watching James Bond movies, Mythbusters, and M*A*S*H.

Where the hell is my camera?

Just when I have pictures to post, I can't find my camera. Sigh, but I didn't want you all to think I have died or anything.

School and work keep me very busy. Right now, I am reading The Age of Innocence. What I should do is go out and rent that lovely movie with the fetching Daniel Day Louis. The book isn't bad, but I have read it before. It just isn't holding my interest this time around.

My back is much better, so I am back to running after students.

Since I can't find the camera to show you all the knitting I have been doing, I thought it would be fun to post a self portrait that my daughter drew. She is very talented.

It is a great representation of her. She'll kill me if she knows it is here, but I am a proud mom.

Happy knitting!

Where does the time go?

I swear, I mean to blog. Really, I do. I think of things to blog about while I am driving all over northern Indiana back and forth to school. Then I come home so beat that all I want to do is sleep.

I did have really great plans I had to blog this weekend, but I threw my back out for the first time ever. I highly suggest you all miss this experience if at all possible. The good part is the lovely medication the nice doctor gives to you when you are screeming in pain! It still hurts, but I'll live.

So, since photos are really important to a blog, I thought I would share a photo my mother sent to me in e-mail a while back.

Yes, gentle reader, that is actually a picture of me at my first birthday. There are no pictures of me in color before the age of 2. Color photography existed, but it was expensive.

There is knitting to talk about, mostly socks, but I am too lazy to take a picture now.

I promise to post this weekend.

Happy knitting!

I am still here

I always seem to drop off the face of the planet when I am in school. Working on a master's while working at a high school does keep me on my toes. I love that I get to do lots of reading (since I am working on becoming and English teacher, it is expected), and work gives me time to do some mindless sock knitting (I plan it so that I am doing plain St st legs or feet at work).

What I don't have lots of time for is blogging. I have plans to share bits of my knitting and life with you all, but my plans are dashed by changes in assignments and plain being tiered all the time.

Last weekend, Sly and I were able to get away for the long weekend. We took our RV to Spring Mill State Park in southern Indiana. It is really wonderful there. We explored caves, visited the pioneer village (I swear I took pictures of EVERY spinning wheel and quilt in the place), and saw the Grissom Memorial (very nice but small to someone who has visited the Space Coast in Florida as much as I have). So, here is a small selection of my photos from last weekend. Enjoy!

Me knitting outside of Granny White's house. I actually met one of her descendents while sitting here. BTW, see my project pouch from Piddleloop? It is my all time fave knitting bag.


A wonderful little scene with a knitting basket. I did get to talk with the woman who made the quilt as well.

The best spinning wheel picture I took all weekend. I think it is just charming. :)

Another "traveling sock!" Not to mention the charming Midwestern town in the background. I don't remember where I took this. Indiana small towns all have the same feeling to them, and after a while, you can't tell one from another.

I also worked on my Irish Hiking Scarf. The thing I hate about scarves is that after about 4 feet I get a little tired of them, but a 4 foot long scarf is just too short.

Just in case any of you were wondering, this is what I do with my ball of yarn while in the truck.

That is all for now, happy knitting!

Over the hill, stitching, and yarn sales

First, I must give a shout out to Sly. It is his 40th birthday today! Happy birthday dude; I love you!

Now, for the crafty stuff. I haven't been doing a whole lot of knitting (I have been making slow progress on my Cozy and my Irish Hiking Scarf), but I have continued to practice my stitching.


I was having so much fun that I decided to add some interest to a denim jacket I bought for less than $10 a while back.

While I haven't been doing much knitting, I have been using up all those tiny little balls of cotton left over from a dishcloth blitz. These are ugly as sin dishcloths, but what the hell? I am going to use them to do DISHES, so who cares how ugly they are?

In other knitting related news, I have been doing some serious yarn shopping. I bought Noro from Webs because they are having a sale. It is unlikely that I am going to find Kureyon cheaper than $6 anywhere else. I also got 10 skeins of Lamb's Pride on eBay for $50 (including S&H). Between these two good deals, I have all the yarn I need to make the Sandy Cardi from Big Girl Knits!

There is actually a color in the Noro that matches the Lamb's Pride, but the photo doesn't do the color justice. I am very happy with the color choices. I am also happy that a sweater I was sure was going to cost around $130 to make is going to be more like $90.

I also bought this vintage red wool from England on eBay. I am not sure what I am going to use it for, but 26 ounces cost $21 (that is including the S&H). Erin told me about this charity, so that is a good use for the wool.

Well, I am off to go make frosting for Sly's cake!

And Now for Something Completely Different

In the past, I have used this blog to demonstrate my complete and utter nerdiness. I have posted a love of Mythbusters, James Bond, Harry Potter, and Star Trek (while that post was pertaining to the more acceptable Star Trek the Next Generation, I am in fact, a walking storehouse of totally useless knowledge on the Original Series, which is the only REAL Star Trek).

I own up to my nerd status. I am comfortable with my completely un-cool nature. I am the antithesis of hip. I married a comic book geek who surprises me with the depth and breadth of his knowledge of Spiderman, X-men, and the Fantastic 4 (to name just a few of the fictional worlds he is well versed in). I am, however, just not sure why he should spend good money on totally useless plastic dolls (I mean action figures). We are a family of nerds.

I am sure believing this to be funny is uber-nerdy; however, being able to identify the title of each episode involved (I love that "Operation Annihilate," aka Attack of the Flying Boogers, represents Spam but "Devil in the Dark" for jam is a bit gross, and I won't even discuss "Journey to Babel" for ham), the names of ancillary characters (isn't Trelane a great dancer? And did you know that William Shatner played the dead body of Kirk's brother, Sam? Christopher Pike is NOT in a pram!), and relevant dialogue ("Aye, they're in the machinery" and "Bunk bunk") makes me so nerdy that nerds look at me and say "whoa, check out that nerd!"

I am also sure that taking the time to find all those relevant links is over the top nerdiness too!

Majorly HUGE Edit:My son has informed me that this post isn't nearly nerdy enough, so I offer you all this, and that!

Okay, so fess up! What is your nerdiest moment ever?

Embrodering the Truth

I know I haven't been a good blogger the past few weeks. It's not that I am not working on my knitting. It's just that I am working on *big* projects, and no one wants to see pictures of the nanometer of progress that I have made on everything anyway. Constant WIPs photos are just boring. I should just set aside a day that I post WIP photos.

Sly and I went shopping yesterday. He needed underwear, socks, and shoes (I am sure he is happy that I am writing about his underwear). While rooting around in the Bargain Books store, I found the Stitch It Kit by Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching for $8 (and a Miss Marple).


The kit was pretty complete, with floss, hoop, booklet, reusable transfers, needles, and fabric. I added the mini pin tomato, scissors, and Altoids tin with needle threader. Since I had everything, I thought I should start to stitch. Now, I did do some pretty ugly embroiders when I was younger. I have also stitch a few knitting totes recently, but I was pretty rusty at the time. I think I have got the rust pretty well oiled now, what do you think?


First, I did this sweet little strawberry.


Then I did the cute coffee pot and cup. I think both turned out really great, and neither took long to do. I was in need of some instant gratification crafting. Knitting is all about delayed gratification.

After my success, I bought this:


Good ol' Walmart, more floss then I'll ever use for $10!

I also ordered new Sublime Stitching patters: Krazy Kitchen, Day of the Dead, Craftopia, Pinups, Gothic, Om Sweet Om, and Dainty Days.

I have a black hoodie that I bought on sale for $5 a while back. I am going to start stitching all over it tomorrow.

That is all for now,
Happy Crafting!

Socks, RVs, and Jeeps

Here is my version of the Harlot's traveling sock. It is the Vine Lace sock from the Socks, Socks, Socks book in Koigu. Sly and I went away to Michigan for the weekend. We had loads of fun, and it was good to get out of the house for a while. The heat has kept me inside with the AC for two weeks, and I was in need of some fresh air.

We stayed with some friends who have a weekend place near Irons Michigan. There are motor sport tracks all over the place up there, so Sly and I got to do some Jeep-ing. We were able to use this red Jeep for the weekend. I have never done any kind of off road adventure before. It was like hiking without all that pesky walking. We turned down dirt roads to get to two track roads, and finally, paths! After a while, I wasn't even sure I was still in Michigan any more. I wish I could remember this little guy's name. Everybody had *D* names, and I just can't make myself remember. He's a funny little guy who can drive a tractor all by himself, at the age of 4! I mean a real tractor, not a ridding lawn mower.

I did plan to go to yarn stores, but the two we past on the way up were closed. Saturday, my shopping time was spent trying to find a new LP tank for the RV. It was $70, so shopping was a no go for the weekend. I don't really need the yarn, but a LYS that I had never been to before could have been fun. Instead, we drove all over Cadillac Michigan trying to get propane and propane accessories. Where is Hank Hill when you need him?


Buddy had the time of his life! He was able to run around a bit off his leash with Buster the boxer. Buddy couldn't help himself. He ran 2 miles down the road and then went 2 miles the other way. Silly dog. BTW, his tongue really is black and red like that, and even his vet is not sure about what breeds Buddy can claim. He is listed as a chow mix because of the tongue.

He is Sly after a bumpy ride in the woods and a nice hot shower (thanks to the $70 LP tank). Isn't he cute?

He is my sock just before we left to go. As you can see, I didn't get much done. I was pretty sure that Jeep would not have been safe with metal DPNs.

So, what did all of you do for the week end?

Happy knitting!

Cooking, baking, and sewing -- OH MY!

So, I do more than knit. While I have been knitting everyday (despite the stoopid hot outside), I don't have much to show but progress on WIPs. WIP pictures have got to be the most boring thing to put on a blog, so I am showing what I did today BESIDES knit.


I made this little quilted books for Jess, Erin's daughter. She is turning 5 this week!


I made zucchini bread from my mother's recipe. MMMMM, this is a real recipe made back in the days before the low fat police spoiled all cook books. It is downright yummy. I am going to wrap several in my heirloom aluminum foil and take to S&B tonight.


And last but not least, turkey stock. The stock will be frozen and used for various soups and stews. The turkey breast will be cut up and turned into delicious turkey salad for lunch. The veggies will have spent all of their goodness into the stock and be tossed out.

So, that is my day. What are the rest of you up too?