!finalmente!

I have finally knit a sweater that I don't hate. After a few years of knitting, I have made something I will actually wear. Well, besides the countless hats, scarves and gloves I've made. I made my first sweater (lumpy bumpy tri-color trainwreck cardigan in a sweater making class only to find (1) The pattern ugly and assymetrical on purpose b/f modifying it (2) The yarn uber expensive (3) The class did not teach any finishing techniques. Reason number three explains why it has one puffy cap sleeve and one flat. I wilnevr wear that thing. I'm ripping the hell out of it.


I later found a sweater pattern with no seaming required and although I got gauge it was tent size. To make matters worse I knit it in white. People could throw a party under this thing. I used the same pattern but went down a needle size amd knit the extra small and ta da! A wearable sweater is born! Even though nothing on me is an extra small I'm pleased this one turned out.

Blue sky alpaca cotton
pattern is from michaels called trendy knit tops.

ungraduation day

My lil monster Albert Is supposed to graduate from obedience class today. It's more like taking boards than graduation. A graduation by definiton marks a completetion. i think in this case it is a misnomer. It should be called obedience finals, or better yet, obedience practical examination. He has to sit and stay with me 15 feet in front of him for 30 seconds and do the same for down and a bunch of other impossible tasks. There is a whole points system. I didn't even ask how manypoints it takes to pass because Honestly there is no way in hell Bert is gonna pass. Even though I gave him a pep talk this morning that stated otherwise. ( The people in the whitecoas are probably coming to take me real soon.) he can do most of the tasks at home eh say 70 % of the time. But never in a room full of dogs and exciting smells. I was going to skip out of the whole embarassing event until I decided not to take his slow learning curve personally. So Albert is being help back from basic obedience and we will keep on truckin in another class.

Why do I love this critter?

Currently this cat of mine is eating his hairbrush and hasn't slept in at least 22 hours. On Average cats sleep 16 hours a day and I'm not sure how it is possible that he is still alive except that he is being sustained with crazy by his morphine patch.

Beau has surgery yesterday to remove an absess tooth. It was an expensive lil procedure but I agreed as I promised myself I would make myself a dentist appointment first. There is something wrong with a the cats dental care taking a higher priority to my own no matter how much I hate going to the dentist.

When I picked up my lil buddy at the vet yesterday I had no idea what was in store. His little arm is bruised from the IV and he has a yellow sweater to keep his morphine patch on. He never looked so stoned in his life. HUge Huge pupils. I was handed some kitty painkillers and a bottle of antibiotics and sent on my way. I was warned he may act a lil loopy on the morphine. This critter has not slept. he keeps running into walls and rolling over.

I didn't sleept much last night because Beau kept pestering me. It made me think of my friends aaron and Jen who just had a baby girl. They also must be oretty sleepless right now. Nothing was stranger than seeing my highschool friend be pregnant...on purpose! After staying up and trying to soothe kitty last night I'm starting to think I wouldn't be able to hack motherhood. Yet, I have yet to meet a newborn that can stay awake for 22 plus hours.

I'm afraid to write this as it may jinx it all. But as I type, Beau's eyelids are getting heavy. I put a book on CD in cause he loves to hear mens voices and it seems to be doing the trick.

knitting marathon:1 marathon = 46 145 yards

I've heard lots about knitting marathon in blog land. In order to knit a marathon, I'd have to knit 46,145 yards. I think i'm going to do a knitting light jog instead. I'm going to see how long ti will take me to knit 1 mile/1760 yards. so far in 2007 I have 164 yards down and 1596 to go!

madonna mania

(1) I'm terrible at blogging and this new camera. 30% of my pics come out sideways and I only sort of care. Jus like my blatent disregard for capitalization.
(2)These are a few photos from madonna mania a few weeks ago. The posters advertised prizes for best costume and look alikes. therefore, i figured if I dressed slightly madonna-like i's be in good company. WRONG! Pretty much just Devon and I dressed up. Ah well I don't care. Kept the lace gloves i hot glued together myself on all night.

SP9 reveal

My secret pal Jennie revealed herself in a delightful package. Everything was indidually wrapped in fun stripey paper. I recieved some blue sky alpaca sport weight in red, a felted bag of delish choclates and some Caron super soft. I also scored a mix CD that you can't see because it's playing on my ;aptop as we speak. Thanks Jennie!

In the year 2007 I resolve to: Remember how many times to rinse and repeat. Get your resolution here.

landlordly hats

I recently knit a hat for my old landlord because I wanted to and because he is such a fantastic guy. I also knit one for his wife too cause it was the right thing to do. I was a little conflicted about this for a few reasons. (1) When I moved in Jamie was a single dude and officially was the only landlord until this August, and even then if I needed anything wifey was useless. Except for blocking me in my driveway, which she did with great skill and timing. (2) His wife is a total brat. Hey, I don't have to like everyone. (3) The hat turned out so well I really wanted to keep it for myself. Yet, I let it go because it was the right thing to do (and I had another ball of debbie bliss cashmerino super chunky in cream).

resolutions

I often felt very mixed about making resolutions just because it is new year. and they all seemed to be, in general, deprivation oriented. I still decided to try to make a few. A few of my new year resolutions:

1. Maintain a mostly caffeine free 2007 with the exception of choclate and the occasional green tea.

2. Try more vigilantly to be on time. For some reason I hate being early which leads me to being late, but I shouldn't make people wait for me.

3. Knit one project at a time. This one may be pretty futile but it is worth a try. Happy 2007!

way overdue shout out to my SP!

In the hecticness of the holiday season and my unique ability to suck at life I photographed my secret pals last fab package and promply misplaced my camera. So, I'm left to rephotograph it and finally post. It was an amazing package that arrived just a few days before Christmas. She sent me an adorable "great yarns knit froends together" mug. And some delish Tazo teas. my pal is a mind reader because I recently quit caffeine and they had a great selection of herbal and decaf teas. I'm lovin the decaf chai. It also has some great caffinated teas taht i'll keep on hand for company. There was a great little bag stuffed with 3 skeins of handpainted merino yarns. I'm going to make socks with it once i try a few pairs with some less fabulous yarn. Can't wait!
There is also something that I cannot photograph even with the new camera. My SP is a baker. Well not by occupation i don't think but she or he (she i think)baked delsih choclate orange bread that was promptly consumed by my family this Christmas.

I also have a photo of thr handknit ornament she made for me for Christmas. So adorable. I'd love the pattern for next year.

snow: love it or hate it?

I personally love snow. one word: skiing. Downhill. Not wussy cross country but I did tell james I'd give x-country a second try. Thing is we would have to actually get snow in the northeast enjoy it. I feel like if it's going to be cold there should at least be sonme snow to recreate in.
I have lots of photos to upload but the damn digital camera is missing. In thr mist of the chaos that is december my camera has gone missing. I'm going to give the car one more search and if not i'll have to take some more photos using the worlds crappiest camera phone. ah well. -K

I've been a lil bad but my secret pal soooo good.

Okay so my secret pal sent me a fabulous fabulous goody package almost a month ago and I have yet to post about it. they should really kick me out. But you know somme people suck at life a little bit. i am one of those people. I can't juggle moving, christmas, quitting caffeine, and blogging. Just can't.

But, better late than never. It was an amazing package. It was housewarming and christmas. So nice.

She knit a beautiful lace scarf using kid silk haze. Can you believe she did her first lace project in kid silk haze. Amazing. I recieved a quilting book and a handknit cloth and yummy smelling soap. she also thoughtfully included double pointed needle holders. i never used them and I'm so excited to be a more organized knitter. The cutest thing of all i almost missed. it was at the bottom of the boxed and I'm sad to say almost went out with the recycyling. She knit the most adorable sweater ornament for my tree which is finally up, sigh. Secret pal you are amazing.

My first socks.

I made my first pair of socks! yay! I used the magic loop technique and I think I'm in love. I'm also happy I was able to finish both socks without any single sock syndrome. They aren't perfect but they knit up quickly. I knit them in the car on my way to and from Boston. I used some nashua handknits wooly stripes in rolling thunder. The colors were different than I expected. They came out huge! I knit huge!. I swear I got gauge. Therfore, I'm giving them to the largest man I know... my grandpa. I'm glad I sent them before I called him on Thanksgiving. I'm a lil mad at him or all my petulant child relatives. He's pissed b/c I haven't talked to my dad since august and My dad is whining to them. of course I'm to blame and "family is Family" yet, my dad hasn't picked up the phone or answered any of my requests to get together. Even if he is being a hoser at least his feet will be warm.

What's a snug

i compleed this iem for jenny's birthday. at knit club the girls were perplexed what a snug was. The responses were, " you mean a shrug, right? is it a capelet? ". some even thought it was a slug. basically it is a scarf/wrap sewn together. jenny is modeling it. she has an oh so jennifer beals off the shoulder style so i thought it suited her perfectly. i used debbie bliss cashmerino chunky and a size 10 needle.

finished cable hat.

I finished the hot pink cabled hat. It turned out fairly well. There were no decreases in this hat just sewing and folding that gave it an elf like appearance I ran out of yarn to make a pom pom as substantial as i would have liked. I think the pom pom looks a lil wimpy. The yarn was decent.
Nashua handknits chunky in wildrose.
from one skein book.

I'm also working on my first pair of socks for my grandpa. Almost finished them on the car ride home from Boston but i ran out of light. they are turning to be quite huge. More like slipper socks. Fortunately my Pops is a big guy.

this can't be good.

What American accent do you have? Your Result: North Central "North Central" is what professional linguists call the Minnesota accent. If you saw "Fargo" you probably didn't think the characters sounded very out of the ordinary. Outsiders probably mistake you for a Canadian a lot.
The Midland
The West
Boston
Philadelphia
The Inland North
The Northeast
The South
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

Man I thinjk it was the quiz. I took phonetics and I hope this isn't what I sound like.

my secret pal rocks!

My secret pal is by far the coolest person. She is apparently also a mind reader. I don't know if it was all the kids and the Halloween candy that made me jealous coming home the other day but I was craving something sweet. Delaying the gratification wouldn't do, but there was nothing sweet in my house except maybe some baking choclate. I opened my mail and recived my first secret pal package with not one but 2 Halloween cards, fantastic burts bees lip balm. Love that stuff and last but not least all the choclate I coukd desire. Thanka SP!

contest questions-my favorite...

Actor- Owen Wilson

Actress jodie foster

Animal-sloth. After a trip to Costa Rica I've become found of sloths.

Band-hmm it's hard for me to pick just one of anything but the band thing almost impossible. I'll have to say Down to earth Approach cause my brother is a member and they are all amazing guys.

Beverage- toffe nut latte

Book The Alchemist

Bubble Bath- mr bubble fragrance free.

Candy-Nerds

Color-Blue

Flower- orchid

Food- again so many to choose from.

Lip Balm-kiehls tinted lip balm and burts bees

Lotion- don't use it, skinis too sensitive

Movie- ferris buellers day off

Song-no favorite

TV Show- It's pretty ridiculoud but I like reys anatomy. The Daily show and Colnert report too.

Vacation Spot- holden Beach, NC I love to grab a handful of friends and rent a small beachhouse and listen to the ocean.

Secret Pal 9 questionaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? Anything blue sky alpaca, rowan pretty much anything that feels nice and isn't 100% acryllic. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? 100% acryllic.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? Man I need to find a good way to store th double points but the straights go in a vase.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? Well, I learned to knit from debbie Stollers book 2 years ago. i have since taken a few classes and just completed my 1st sweater. I'd say I'm an intermediate knitter.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? yes I have an amazon wish list and I think it's mostly book and makeup go figure.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.) I love coffee, vanilla and jasmine scents.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? yes! choclate and nerds cause I am one.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? other crafts, hmm. I don't think I have any.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) Yes y computer/stereo can play MP3s. I'm into lots of usic but I dont' like country or hardcore rap.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? colors colors I love colors. I love all blues. I tend to stay away from primary colors in knitting and clothing.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I live alone with my fat kitty.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? I love scarves. Wear hats and mittens too. Ponchos, uh not so much. I cant really pull it off.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? I like hats for a quick knit. I like to knit bags too. I just started obsessing over socks.

13. What are you knitting right now? where to start. Some sweater socks, a baby blanket and a wrap.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? YES!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I like aluminum and bamboo. Plastic it hard for me. I've been using circulars more and more.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? yes, both. It's been life changing. I like to buy yarn just to wind it.

17. How old is your oldest UFO? Since July. 3 months

18. What is your favorite holiday? Thanksgiving.

19. Is there anything that you collect? yarn

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? no subscriptions yat, but I really should get knit one or interweave.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? continental. It's been hard for me to pick up/

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? yes. heel to toe 9 inches.

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd) 05/04

wrapping up wedding season.

Well 2 weddings down and and 1 to go. I brought some knitting but with all the work that goes into being a professional bridesmaid I was only able to knit a few rows while at the hairdressers. Man, there was the helping pack for the honeymoon, cleaning out the fridge. nThis girl was in no shape to leave there house for 14 days. I was thinking about leaving her to deal with her consequences and closing the bedrrom door and settling in for some reading, knitting and some shut eye. After all I have to look presentable in my incredibly shiny dress. After all, I didn't decide to go on my honey moon immediately following the wedding. And what has she been doing this last week with work off? brides, I tell ya.

anyways, my knitting is resembling that of the tent in which the event took place. It's a cowl next sleeveless sweater with a cheap pattern from Joann's. I've substitutes some Blue sky cotton for the acryllic and chose white. I'm the spill queen what was aI thinking. I eventually got gauge but this thing is looking huge. A huge white tent. I think. I'll probably end up dyeing it some deeper shade if it starts to look less tent like. Will post pics soon.