Please don't eat the needles

I'm baaaaaackkkkk.....

2008-07-23T17:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, not sure if any of my original readers are still out there, but we're going to give this puppy another whirl.

I think it will be easier for me to connect with other knitters if I keep a separate blog. This way if ever am fortunate enough to meet any of you IRL, you won't feel all weird about knowing all the personal business I spew out on my other blog.

Lots has happened since my last post here - my son is now almost two. And well, I still haven't knitted him anything bigger than a hat.

And I've found Ravelry, which I totally love. Find me here.

Right now I am frantically trying to knit baby gifts, there are 5 babies that need my hand crafted goodness and another two on the way. People, can you please stop procreating long enough for me to finish a small sweater, I beg of you.

So far this year, I've made a pair of socks:

Pattern: Azure from Knitty
Yarn: Risata sock yarn from Knitpicks
Method: Toe up, two at a time using magic loop
Comments: These were my first toe ups and I really liked it. First time doing two a time too - because I'm crazy like that. Although I had to do the heels one at a time, but in the end not having SSS was a major plus! The yarn was just eh. The pattern is totally awesome and I can't wait to make them again in better yarn for myself.

I've also made three hats for my friend and fellow adoptive mom Sig, who unfortunately has been going through chemo.

Pattern: A basic crocheted hat I modified from a fellow raveler
Yarn: Peaches N Cream in Strawberry Creme - one ball
Hook: I forget - F or G I think
Comments: Alternating the single crochet in front loop and then in back loop made a pretty ribbed pattern.

Pattern: Basically the Gulf Shores Hat

Yarn: Red Heart Carefree Cotton in lilac - one skein

Hook: F or G again...

Comments: I made more single crochet rounds before starting the shells.

Pattern: Koolhaas

Yarn: Red Heart Carefree Cotton in Black - one skein

Needles: 6? Whatever the pattern says, I forget now.

Comments: LOVE this pattern. I didn't do as many ribbing rounds to start, but I should have because it's a tad short. Easy and well written pattern and knitted up quicker than I thought it would.

Now excuse me while I go slog away at another baby wrap.

Yarning Over

2007-09-21T20:58:00.000-07:00

Over to my main blog that is.

I won't be posting here anymore - all knitting stuff will now be incorporated into my other blog Hell & High Water.

Come see - there has been fiber related activity!

Yarn Swap!

2007-03-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

Hello! Sheesh it's been a while. Life sure gets in the way sometimes..what with having a new baby and a new job, my old hobby is feeling the neglect. So I decided to force the issue by starting my own new swap! Lord knows if anyone will participate, but I'm going to give it a shot.

It's the "Dyeing to Dye Socks" swap on Swap-Bot. Go check it out. And if you've never dyed yarn before, this is the perfect swap for you!

I've always wanted to participate in a dyed yarn swap, but was never confident enough in my dyeing skills to do it. So this swap is for those of you who have either NEVER dyed yarn before, or have done it only on occaison.

You will dye 100g of sock yarn, using whatever dyes and methods you'd like. KoolAid, Wilton cake dyes, acid dyes, whatever...there's tons of tutorials out there to help. Color choice is up to you, although I'm asking that if you are adamant about receiving (or not receiving) certain colors, you post your preference on your own blog or in the swap-bot comments if you don't have a blog. Knitpicks is just one source of dye your own yarn - you can also purchase light colored sock yarn and overdye.

The idea is to be flexible here, because first time (or relatively inexperienced) dyers know that what you wanted is not always what you get! If I get a good response I'll set up a flickr album to display all the yarny goodness.

And speaking of swaps!

For Favorite Color Swap 2, I was paired with Ruth once again! I felt bad that I couldn't communicate too much with her this time, I know she felt like she got a lame partner, but I couldn't give anything away. She seems to have liked everything I picked for her. Can't wait to see her make something fabulous with the quilting fabric.

Also, I have been most remiss in thanking the partner who gifted to me. I have met another new cyberknitter friend - Mark...(yes, a man!) who did an awesome job of picking out fab yarn and other treats. You can see here (I stole Mark's pic until I can get mine up ) he did great job of obtaining yarn in my three favorite colors: Raspberry pink, aqua and periwinkle. I really drove him crazy with those very specific color requests, sorry Mark! Along with the yarn I got some delish minty chocolate and a GREAT CD! I was so excited to get that..I just love music and am always interested in hearing new stuff. I hadn't heard any of the songs before, so it was a real treat listening to each one. All of it got immediately loaded to the old ipod to add to the collection.
Please check out his blog - he has become quite the knitter, and is a hell of a movie reviewer too (I agree with him on just about everything that I've seen). Hope you had fun on your first swap Mark. Now howz about dyeing some sock yarn??

Favorite Color Swap 2

2007-02-08T09:30:00.000-08:00

I have recently joined the second round of the Favorite Color Swap. This swap was a great success last time, and I had the opportunity to meet my new friend Ruth...someone I still keep in contact with today. Below is the questionnaire:

1. What are your top three favorite colors?
Raspberry pink
Aqua/ Teal
Periwinkle

2. What crafts do you really enjoy?
Knitting/Crocheting
Decorative painting (on decorative wood items, and wall murals)

3. What products do you really covet?
Yarn (anything very soft or interesting non wool fibers; colorful sock yarn)
Knitting/crochet patterns (particularly for socks or kids)

4. What other activities do you enjoy besides your favorite crafty things?
My husband and I are warm weather outdoors people, so hanging out at the beach, nature walks, etc. I enjoy cooking and baking (mostly baking) using new and interesting recipes, going to good restaurants (especially Indian), drinking wine with friends. Playing with our son.

5. Is there anything you collect?
I tend to collect nautical things for our home…decorative items with shells, crabs, starfish, etc.. The whole entire house is kind of Pottery Barn meets Coastal Living (at least that’s what I aspire to).

6. What is your zodiac sign and/or Chinese zodiac symbol?
Cancer

7.What are your favorite
……scents/smells?
Caramelly sweet smells.

…types of music and/or bands?
Adult Alternative (favorite band: Counting Crows)
My favorite Satellite radio station is XM Café (45)

…authors?
Stephen King
Diana Gabaldon (obsessed with the 0utlander series)

…animals?
Crabs!…

places to shop?
Despite the fact that I can afford to shop at much higher end stores, I still prefer good old Target & Walmart for almost everything besides work clothes!

…season?
SUMMER

…yarn/fabric/paper/other craft supplies?
See “What products do you really covet?”

…candies or goodies?
Any and ALL! Though I am partial to mint chocolate and raspberry chocolate flavors.

8. Do you have any wish lists?
Nope

9. Are you allergic to anything?
Nope

10. Do you have any pets? What are they?
Two tonkinese cats

11. Please include anything else you would like your secret pal to know about you- anything that would be helpful in finding you little gifts that you will really enjoy.

As most of my readers know, I just adopted a baby boy from Colombia. My adoption blog has all the details you never wanted to know about it, along with some other tidbits about me you may or may not find interesting. See my sidebar for the link ------ > I am trying to get my butt in gear to do some scrapbooking for him, so boy themed stuff might encourage me to get started.

Getting back into the groove

2007-01-13T10:07:00.001-08:00

Well, I'm back from all the big adventures. Believe it or not, with three weeks waiting around in Colombia, I hardly did any knitting. Who can knit when you have this adorable little thing to play with:

Now that we are back home, I am starting to think about all the little things I want to knit him. We like to dress him in real little boy clothes, not baby stuff. I didn't think I'd be so picky about his clothes, but I am! This has really made me rethink the stuff I knit for gifts. I don't think I'll be doing any more powder blue babyish stuff anymore. Take his hat...it's the first thing I have made for him since he's been home. He has a green and gray hoodie sweater from his aunt, so I made this to match. Ain't it just the cutest? Here's the details:

Pattern: Max's first hat
Source: The yarn girls' guide to kid knits

Yarn: Bernat chunky in gray (less than 1 skein) with a little green and blue

Mods: This is not the right yarn for the pattern, so I cast on 22 stitches with size 10.5 needles (8's for the ribbing), which fits his head perfectly.
Comments: Great, easy, quick pattern. Someday I'll learn to step away from the acrylic and go with natural fibers. This would be even better with a nice cotton/wool blend.

Also, see the cute little fuzzy black cat the boy is holding? That adorable little toy was knit by the amazing Del. We had this wonderful little package waiting for us when we got home. Thank you Del, it is really great. Thank you so much for thinking of us, it is truly appreciated. And the boy thinks it's pretty ~~good~~ tasty too.

Now I am crocheting a new christening blanket. The one I had done previously (and almost finished too) was too lacy and stretched out of shape too much. I have a smaller, more dense pattern in the works.

Thank you to all of my knitting friends who have followed my adoption story. It has been great sharing the experience with all of you! I'm sorry that I haven't been keeping up with your blogs as much as I should have. I promise to get caught up and to start commenting regularly again!

The baby knitting will now commence....

2006-11-23T20:35:00.000-08:00

I HAVE A SON.

Forgive me blogger...

2006-11-18T05:43:00.000-08:00

...for I have sinned. It's been over a month (!) since my last post. Well I did finish my Bubble Wrap sock in October, I swear. I didn't knit it's mate yet, and well, I'm going to argue the technicality that it was Socktober, and not Sockstober. The fit is pretty darn good, and I do plan to do the other one sometime ~~soon~~ eventually.

I have been knitting other stuff as well. The Lace Wrap continues to grow, but I still have a ways to go. I think it will be done in time for Colombia which now appears to be in the Jan-March timeframe (boo). I also did what typical knitters do, in that, I stopped all projects on my list and started completely different projects. These included a scarf for my mom's birthday:
Pattern: Dreamswatch scarf (adapted from this pattern).
Yarn: Lion Suede in Teal; 2 skeins
Needles: I don't remember now....6's? 8's?
Comments: This yarn, like any chenille is tough on the hands (no sproing factor) but it is really soft and cozy. It's hard to get any great pattern to show with chenille, so this did the trick nicely I think. The color is my mom's favorite so she loved it. And it's short, because she's short.

I also made a scarf for myself, because one day it was cold and I thought I needed to hurry up and make one before my neck froze. Little did I know it would be over 60 degrees every day since then. But I'm all set for when winter really does set in:

Pattern: Winged it garter stitch scarf. CO 135 stitches and knit for about 30 rows.

Yarn: Catalina Chunky (in claret) & Moda Dea Prima (in burgundy) - one strand of each held together throughout.

Needles: Circular 17's

Comments: First time knitting with Alpaca and it is DIVINE. The Prima yarn is just enough to make it interesting without being overbearing. I LOVE the color of this and now want to find similar colored yarn to make some fingerless mitts. Thanks again to Kerry who gifted me the fabulous Catalina. Here's a closer pic, but the picture is way too pinky, it's more of a rich, well, claret is really the best word! I think I need to block this sucker better.

Lastly, I did start the crocheted white baby blanket as planned, in fact I'm almost done. Here it sits in it's usual resting place, waiting for me to work on it while I watch tv. Next post should have a finished pic.

Well, if you read my other blog, you know that's all thats going on in my life right now...hence the lack of posting. Now I have to do some Christmas knitting. I want to do two lace rectangular wraps, oh and I got a bright idea to knit a table cloth out of cotton for my MIL. I'll let you know how that idea pans out. Yes, I know there isn't much time left before Christmas, don't remind me!!

My so called stash

2006-10-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

I am making progress on my sock:

I think I am okay on the sizing, and everyone loves the colors. The Lorna's Laces was a good choice for this project. As I am used to knitting children's socks, I keep looking at this thing every few rows and glancing at my feet. I am so worried someone is going to look at this on the train and be like, why are you knitting socks for a giant?? I think I just need to get used to the bigger size.

On the socktoberfest site, we were asked to flash our sock yarn stash. Okay, ready? Prepare to be dazzled and amazed:

Yeah, that's it. How pathetic is that? And if not for the kindness of secret pals, it would be even worse. I should have my knitting license revoked. So all of you with your ridiculously large sock yarn stashes...I'm thinking you should just randomly pick out a few skeins and send them my way...I mean, you won't even really notice, right? And it will make such a difference to my stash, really. It's the only decent thing to do.

I've received some generous donations from several people for my Warm Feet Warm Hearts project...

I am very grateful for the generosity of internet friends who have sent me some really great stuff. However, instead of asking for yarn scraps, I think I may start asking for full skeins of Lorna's, Koigu, STR...you know, for the kids....

In other knitting news, I have started the Lace Wrap I was dying to knit.

I love this wavy lace pattern, and I envision using it alot more in the future. I want to make a table runner out of kitchen cotton with it...the wavy pattern will be perfect for the beach look of our house. I think it would also make a neat baby blanket...not too lacy that it wouldn't be practical. I may be using too small needles, as after a few rows my hands are killing me, but it is knitting up very dense but soft and springy. It will be very warm, which is good.

I better hurry up though, despite my denial, fall is here and winter is fast approaching.

Socktoberfest

2006-10-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

I've joined Socktoberfest! This was the perfect thing to join...all you have to do is knit socks. In October. That I can handle. Especially since I am doing them anyway. I've cast on for the Bubble Wrap socks from Sockbug using Lorna's Laces in Vera.

I've never really made adult size socks before so I'm not sure how this sizing this is going to work out. I can't seem to get myself to swatch for socks. With the time it takes, you might as well just start knitting the darn sock. So I'm using size 1 addi's and the pattern calls for 8 spi. I tried size 2 at first but it was immediately obvious that the fabric was too "loose". I was on a business trip and didn't have an opportunity to find a better pattern. The Bookland bookstore didn't have any sock knitting books, and neither did the Hancock Fabrics, the only two stores within walking distance of my hotel. Apparently there was a Hobby Lobby nearby, but since I didn't have a car, or shoes without heels, and also since Birmingham Alabama is apparently not a fan of having sidewalks, I didn't attempt it.

I suppose my problem is that I don't knit enough socks. I'm sure all of you know off the top of your head what your guage is with the most common sock yarn. Anyway, we'll see how this goes. Here is the questionnaire from Lollygirl:

When did you start making socks?
I think I first tried it last year, but really started to do it seriously this year.

Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?
I took a class at a LYS, but I was sorry I spent the $75. It isn't that hard, and I could have taught myself.

What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?
My first attempt was not a "pair". I tried two worsted weight patterns using wool-ease. One came out good, the other did not. I never made the mates to either one. My first real pair was a gift for a child who has probably outgrown them by now.

What would you have done differently?
I still have the mateless socks, so I should probably make a second one.

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?
I really liked the Knitpicks sock yarn to start out with. It was inexpensive and came in pretty colors. Great for learning and you can even buy dyeable sock yarn there. Now I enjoy superwash or cotton...I wish more sock yarns came that way. Wool socks are nice but they are hot and a pain to clean, not to mention impractical for kids. I am dying to try socks that rock and koigu though. The colors are amazing. I love variegated yarn, can't get enough of it.

Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?
I think I have crocheted some baby socks before, but I wouldn't do them for adult sizes..too cheezy looking. I prefer magic loop (thanks to Kerry)! I really don't understand how people prefer dpns..too much fiddling! Magic loop is so easy to learn and really makes things easier. I use 40" addis.

Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)
I've only made a flap heel...guess I should branch out, huh?

How many pairs have you made?
I have never made a pair for myself. The socks for Socktoberfest will be my first pair just for me! I mostly make them as gifts for babies and children (see my Warm Feet Warm Hearts project over there on the side bar ---------->) I think I must have made about 7 or 8 pairs so far.

I have to seriously rethink my knitting list. Apart from my socks, I have the following:

Entrelac baby blanket (20% done)
Jasmine edge baby cardigan (1% done)
Some kind of pink scarf with sock yarn I love
White baby blanket for Presentation Day

Booga Bag
Cotton table runner for new fabulous dining room table

Crappy list, I know. I really want to knit myself a cardigan and the Lace Wrap from VK Fall 05. And I haven't even THOUGHT about Christmas knitting (I'm leaning towards THINKING I'm not going to do any this year). I want to do the wrap NOW, like go to AC Moore (Patons classic wool is all I need for that) tonight and cast on. I see everyone in the city with these chic wraps now that the weather is cooler and I want to be just like the cool kids too. If I wait much longer I'll need to be knitting a parka. Okay so wrap, white blanket, then Booga and then table runner. Screw the baby cardigan, the entrelac baby blanket can wait some more, and I still have time before I'll need a scarf. Now I have to research which cardigan to make and fit that in somewheres. I need to measure myself this weekend. I'm terrified to make a sweater that I'll hate.

That's why I love socks.

Favorite Color Swap

2006-10-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

My favorite color swap package arrived this week! Thank you Karla for a really great package! She sent me some really great yarn (including my first skein of trekking and some really cool chenille), a hand knit funky scarf and some really great beachy things. My favorite are the little shells she collected from her very own beach. I love everything Karla, thank you so MUCH!
Alas, this will probably be my last major swap for a while (yeah, I say that now), I really need to start preparing for this baby's arrival. I am trying to formulate a plan for the nursery, the creative crafty type in me just won't allow for a gender neutral room. So I actually need two plans, and each one must be able to be deployed very quickly. We will only have about two weeks to get our asses in gear from the time we get "The Call" and having to travel to Colombia. Of course, boy or girl will both get a beachy room, it's just a matter of the details. Right now I'm thinking mermaids for a girl.

We recently found these two gorgeous mermaids in a nautical shop not far from us. If we have a boy, I'll just leave them where they are in our dining room, living room. Aren't they beautiful? The nursery (formerly a guest bedroom) is currently a soothing shade of dusty turquoise. I think these white mermaids will look great in there.
Of course you realize, this means we're getting a boy. No matter, I'll come up with something!

Randomness

2006-09-23T20:02:00.000-07:00

As I sit here watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (am I the only person who thinks Johnny Depp is hilarious in this movie) and surfing the web, I am fascinated by the wonders of Statcounter. I love seeing where all of my visitors are coming from. Hello Rancho Cucamonga!! Oh, and if you are the person from Merrick, please come back! I do not have ONE friend IRL who knits! Who are you mystery knitter? You leave very near me!

Yeah, that ought to do it. Scare the friendly knitters away why don't I. That reminds me, a month or so ago I was taking a different train to work. This was back when I was knitting Ene's Scarf. A woman sat down near me and starting knitting too. We noticed each other and smiled, and briefly spoke about what each of us were making. When it came time for me to transfer trains, I did something WAY out of character for me. I wrote down my blog address, and as I was leaving I handed it to her and told her that if she ever wanted to get together to contact me. It didn't seem like she thought I was a psychopath or anything...but she never contacted me... Are you out there? I'm not crazy I swear. Was my knitting that bad? Was my outfit wrong? Maybe I misspelled my blog address in my rush. Who knows.

Today I convinced my husband to go to my not so L LYS, Granny's. Love this store! I bought 2 skieins of Noro to make a Booga Bag (and later realized I needed 3, oh well, I'll have to go back) and 3 skeins of some Wildflower dk to make a baby sweater for a friend. Sorry I missed you Kathleen, but Granny tells me you are having a wonderful time in Buffalo.

Thursday I had to fly to Florida and back for a meeting so I finished the mate to the toddler sock that I made during my one day trip to Buffalo. Traveling sucks but at least it's good for my knitting progress. I'm going to Birmingham AL in a few weeks, more knitting time! Picked up the entrelac baby blanket again which will be my tv watching project. Not on Thursdays though...I'll be riveted to The Office (she didn't marry him!), Grays (he's in love with her!)and ER (I'm in love with Luca!) thank you very much. No one is allowed to talk to me from 8:30 on. Train knitting will be the mate to the Fetching fingerless mitts. Although now that these came out, I may be sorry I started Fetchings.

*Yawn* Off to bed. Wow this was a boring post.

Contest: Who's a bigger idiot than me...

2006-09-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

Apart from yesterday, I haven't been knitting much. I think I have arthritis in my shoulders. They ache like hell these days, and the damp and rainy haven't been helping at all. I am not one of those people where knitting relaxes me. I am a product knitter, not a process knitter, so I find the need to go as fast as I can so I can be on to the next fabulous project. Sock! Done! Scarf! Done! Next! Hurry Up! So the fast and furiousness has aggravated the aforementioned shoulders, so I gave myself a rest. Until yesterday that is. I had to fly to Buffalo and back in one day. And no self-respecting knitter would endure an airport wait and plane ride without a project. So I knit almost an entire toddler sock, which is pretty good considering I spent more time traveling than at the actual meeting I attended. Oh well, can't complain about getting to knit on company time. Even though I had to endure every flight attendants comments, including 'Oh I wish I could do that". What do you say to that? You can learn? Yeah, too bad? Shut up and get me my diet coke, we land in 15 minutes and I've got limited time with this tray table in the unlocked and non-upright position?

Anyway.

I entered this photo in this contest:

Actually, I guess I technically entered Kerry in this contest, since she did the beautiful knitting and the buying of funky shoes. Don't worry Ker, I will gladly share the spoils if we win. I knew when I saw the contest I had to enter in the "Best use of Color" category, I mean, does it get any better than purple socks and pink crocs?? The funny part is how this photo caused me much pain and suffering (okay, just really major embarrassment).

I was lounging around the house on Sunday because, well that's what Sunday's are made for. Getting up late, not showering until you absolutely have to, bad tv, good snacks...you all know. I'm wearing this kind of raggedy red t-shirt and worn out high-water grey sweatpants. (You know, the kind you've had since 8th grade and maybe even has the year right on the shirt and you only wear it to bed now because who keeps a shirt for that long and advertises it, and it's been through the washing machine the exact number of times it takes to be perfectly soft and fit just right). I don the socks and crocs, which go so FABULOUSLY with my outfit...pink, purple, grey and red..I'm quite a sight. I grab the digital camera, and go out my sliding glass door into the backyard to take the picture. My fenced in, tree surrounded back yard, so that no one can see me in this get up taking pictures of my feet in odd positions so that I don't get a shadow. I take about 5 pics and head back into the house. I start to slide the door back open and it stops.........in this position. Oh shit. Push. Push Push. PUUUUUSSSSHHHHH. It won't budge. Then I notice this: Can you see it? There was a box leaning on the other side of the glass door that I pushed out of the way when I opened it from the inside. However, when I closed it behind me, it fell back into place, preventing the door from opening. Oh crap now what. First I take pictures, because such idiocy needs to be documented. Then I pulled up the little wrought iron garden flag holder in the flower bed and wedged my arm in that little opening and tried to push the box out of the way. No dice. I tried the extended watering nozzle. All that did was get my carpet wet. I tried the metal pole from our tikki torch. All that did was get dirt on the now wet carpet. The cat meows at me from the opening and I'm pretty sure the translation was "What the F#%$ are you doing and what is with that outfit??".

Ah Ha! My mom lives down the street a ways. I could just walk down there and ask her for the key. So what did I do? Did I walk down there looking like a white trash clown or did I take off the shoes and socks and walk barefoot (just white trash)?

I went barefoot. And my mom laughed at me. And the two neighbors I passed thought I was insane. The picture isn't even all that great in the end. But I did enter the contest. Maybe we'll at least get an honorable mention for the effort. Only fair, no?

Better

2006-09-14T19:29:00.000-07:00

Before:
After:

So I ripped back as planned and added length to both the wrist and finger portions of this pattern. Although it was definitely cute as the original, this way is just much more functional for me. I probably could have added another row of cables at each end, but I am not ripping this back again. On to number two!

Okay, Kerry, you asked I delivered. Here is a new project with the fabulous Lang Tosca you sent me. I give you Entrelac! (or Interlock as my husband says!) A baby blanket was perfect for this yarn, as you predicted.

This is a brand new technique for me and I LOVE IT. It is so much easier than it looks. Really. Right after you go and learn magic loop, you need to learn this. I read somewhere, and it's true, that Entrelac is kind of like turning the heel of a sock. You just need to trust and follow the directions, and then magically it turns into something great! I love the way the variegated yarn makes solid blocks of color. I basically followed the Lady Eleanor Stole from Scarf Style, except I made 11 base triangles instead of 7.

And the best part? I'm saving this one for ME.

You won't believe your eyes...

2006-09-07T17:33:00.000-07:00

My SP8 Pal is Revealed. I had the privelage of being spoiled by the one and only Kerry. She was a hostess too, good thing I behaved! I am so glad that I got matched with Kerry. We've really made a connection and I am glad to call her my new friend. She is a wonderful mother to 3 great kids, and I can only hope I can learn a thing or two from her on how to raise kids right. Not to mention her sock knitting skills - amazing!! Thank you so much for all your great gifts Kerry, and your emails too. You are an amazing generous person.

Her final package was chock full of all the things she loved, that she was thoughtful enough to share with me:

Cherry Tree Hill, Catalina Alpaca (DIVINE), Artyarns Supermerino

Lang Tosca (she suggested Entrelac baby blanket, I'm thinking YES) & Melody Sock Yarn

RubySapphire Yarns in "Stephanie", Fleece Artist Mohair * Blue Face Leicester (YUM), Catalina Chunky Alpaca (AMAZING)

Adirondack Treats (mag, maple syrup, apple butter & Indian spices), Knit wash and Prespot (there's a story)

Greenies cat treats (this is the best picture I could get of the feeding frenzy, I think they liked them)

THE BEST PART: My first pair of knitted socks just for me on beautiful sock blockers. (*sniff* just the BEST). And hand made dishcloths (or maybe washcloths cause they're too nice for spills)

They fit like a dream and the Crusoe pattern is awesome

And last but not least CROCS!! Woo Hoo - Don't hate me cause I gots me a pair of funky pink crocs!! I am so cool now, just like all the kids. Also two adorable flip flop keychains (cause I'm all about the beach - in my crocs).

Thank you Thank you Thank you.

Your thank you package is in the works. Shut Up. Yes it is. And you will like it!!

A Productive Labor Day

2006-09-05T17:50:00.001-07:00

Well rainy days are good for something...finishing very old ufo's. I took out all my yarn from it's various hiding places for the purposes of consolidating and re-organizing. It was quite a surprise to see it all in one place. Even more surprised was my husband when he walked in. He had no idea my habit was so big! I managed to get the stash down to three bins and one bag. The three bins now hold (1) baby yarn, (2) all acrylic and (3) what I dub "the good stuff". The good stuff being "real" yarn that I am proud to own (most of it from my secret pal - who by the way shall be revealed when her final package gets here any minute now - she deserves her very own post). In the mix I found some unfinished objects and I found the courage to deal with them. I frogged a couple, threw out a couple (acrylic, no love lost) and decided to finish three:

The lavender ombre one is another Pixie Cables cardigan from the "Soft and Sweet" Red Heart Book. I think the sleeves are way too big for this sweater (would you agree?), so I'm not sure what to do with it..donate it maybe. The deep pink one is the Sweater with Square Set-in Sleeves from Baby Knits for Beginners by Debbie Bliss. I made this in Lion Brand Soft Baby to see if I could do it before I invested in better yarn. I think it came out great and would definitely make it again. The white one is the Wraparound Top from Crochet for Babies & Toddlers. I made this eons ago with the intent of putting it on our first child. Well our first child will likely be too big for this (he/she will probably be about 4 months old), but I'm not sure I can give it away. It is so soft and adorable I need to do something special with it, but I'm not sure what yet. Maybe I will donate it to the orphanage. So now the only UFO in my possession is a matching soaker to the wraparound top. I still have the required yarn and I couldn't bear to frog it. I am so proud of myself!

I did start to knit something for myself as promised. I've been meaning to make the Fetching wrist warmers for myself for some time now, especially since it uses only one skein of Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran. Over the weekend I got the first one done:
Don't ask me what color it is, I lost the band already, but needless to say it is a deep rosy pink. I think it came out really nice, but I'm not sure I am going to keep them as is. They are really more like palm warmers, and therefore not exactly what I was hoping for. I need them to be longer so that they help with the draft I get from the sleeves on my winter coat. And I need them to cover more finger...I really just want the tips of my fingers sticking out. So I need to frog this back to the the thumbhole and make the necessary adjustments. Of course this means this project is now double the price. Oh well, I'm worth it, right?

I am soon to start a lacey scarf with some pink (what else?) Fleece Artist Merino sent to me by my secret pal. It's too gorgeous to go on my feet. I am playing around with a few patterns, I'll let you know which I settle on.
I leave you with a Book Meme since I was recently tagged by Cozy. I read a ton of books, but I have a bad memory...but here goes:

1. One book that changed your life:
I don't think any book really changed my life..but the only thing that comes to mind is Watership Down by Richard Adams. This book was in the young adult section of the library, and being the voracious reader I am, I read it very young, like 11 or 12. I remember this being my first "real" book and it opened up a whole new love for reading, especially big epic novels.

2. One book that you've read more than once:
The Hobbit

3. One book you'd want on a desert island:
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon - romance, adventure..the whole series is so awesome, I'd want to bring them all.

4. One book that made you laugh:
Any "number" book by Janet Evanovich

5. One book that made you cry:
The Grapes of Wrath - not really cry, more like anger and frustration. I couldn't believe it ended that way after that whole big journey.

6. One book that you wish had been written:
How to know when to stop fertility treatments and get on with your life. I wish I read it three years ago.

7. One book you wish had never been written:
The last 4 books by Richard Patterson - I think they were all the same with different covers. Yikes, what happened to him.

8. One book you're currently reading:
The Husband - Dean Koontz (it's just okay).

9. One book you've been meaning to read:
The Great Gatsby - Can you believe I never read it??

10. Tag 6 people:
Play along if you'd like!

Steriogram

2006-08-31T17:29:00.000-07:00

I am working on an updated post, but can't seem focus to do it. In the meantime, check out this crazy fiber themed video. All this is done with yarn.

I suck as a friend

2006-08-21T14:14:00.000-07:00

I haven't given one baby gift yet. Even though I pared my list of 5 down to 2 worthy baby having recipients, I haven't gifted a thing. I finished the buttercream kimono but I don't particularly like how it came out. (This is NOT blocked)
First of all, I did stockinette this time, and while my stitch guage was fine, my row guage was all off. When I got 40 stitches on the needle from knitting the front flaps, I was already even with the back. So there is no room to put two ties. I tried picking up and knitting some garter stitch rows which helped slightly (mostly to hide a sucky seaming job), but I didn't have enough cotton left over to make much of a difference. I also screwed up something when I decided to make the sleeves straight so the sleeve seams are a little wonky. Methinks I didn't pay enough attention while I was knitting this. But on the bright side, I made some matching booties and a hat, which I got from my recently purchased copy of Natural Knits for Babies & Moms.

LOVE this book. Simple designs in dk weight yarn but very adorable. The only complaint I have is that the hat, booties and little stuffed animals instructions are to knit flat and seam. I guess I could just do that in the round, huh? Not rocket science. I am not sure how the hat will fit, it seems a little mushroomy and too big compared to the kimono.

So now what. Well, Ms C-Section had the nerve to have a girl and spoil my plans of giving her the crocheted blanket I had. Since she already has a boy, and does indeed deserve to have a girl, I will forgive her and knit her something else. Not sure what yet. I need to get me some non acrylic dk cotton and make her something from the above book I think. Wool is so impractical for new moms. The crocheted blanket will go to my co-worker who's wife did in fact have a boy this very day. Not only do they already have a girl, they are irish too, which is a plus because the pattern is an irish chain. The kimono set I think I will give to my neighbor who is pregnant.

Wow, see how these things all work out in the end? Okay, now. I need to start something for myself. I just need to set aside 5 minutes and think about it. Socks or wristwarmers. I need to do a little pattern / stash comparison and I'll get back to ya....

Merry Christmas!

2006-08-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

My Secret Pal had the ingenious idea of sending me Christmas in July! Yes, technically it's August, but blame the postal service and blogger, what can I tell you... But it's the thought that counts and it sure made things brighter on the hottest freaking day of the year.

First, an out of print pattern book for knit Christmas stockings, complete with red and green yarn, addis and my very first chibi! Very special because my SP has made these for each member of her family and are part of her Christmas tradition. As she knows, we hope to have our new addition to the family before Christmas this year and need to start making our own traditions. I am very touched that she went through the trouble of providing me with everything I need to make them a part of our new family. (I swear this woman has given me a complete addi collection!)
And what's Christmas without the goodies? Awesome cookie cutters with a family cookie recipe. Yum. These will definitely be put to good use. And last, but definitely not least...are you ready for this...it's truly amazing:

Check out these stitch markers!! On the left we have tiny little santas! How freaking cute are those?? Makes you want to bust out singing Jingle Bells, no? On the right, CUSTOM MADE SANTA HAT WEARING PINK SHEEP!!! I can't get over them!! She had them made especially for me and I am so grateful. What a unique and wonderful gift!! I love them.

Well, I really should get cracking if that kid is coming soon, but I really did promise myself I was going to knit for myself once I was done with baby gifts. I decided that I couldn't possibly knit 5 baby gifts before all of those breeders popped, and so far I'm right...one already gave birth and the other is having a c-section tomorrow. So I have to pare down the gift giving...3 out of the 5 are work people who aren't expecting anything anyway, so they go to the top of the "if I have time" list. I have a beautiful crocheted baby blanket that I may give Ms. C-Section if she has a boy (light a candle for me) which will leave me one gift to have to make, which will probably be this:
I picked up the butter cream kimono again, and actually I had to frog this somewhat after this picture was taken...I cast off for the neck hole to late so I had to fix it...I am modifying this one to eliminate the sleeve decreases. So Ms. SP8 hostess, believe it or not, that is all that is on the needles right now. Oh, and I do have this mysterious little project that I am working on, but more to come on that if it works out how I plan:
I suppose after these two things are done I will do some baby knitting along with some "me" knitting...haven't decided yet what exactly that means. Oh, and for those that may be interested, the Ene's Shawl was finished and gifted to my aunt a few weekends ago. Yes, I gave someone a wool scarf in August during a heat wave, you gotta problem with that? She loved it, and besides, I wasn't going to knit a bikini for my 70 year old aunt...they're always cold any way those old aunts.

Pattern: Ene’s Scarf
Source: Scarf Style
Yarn: Knitpicks Shimmer in SweatPeas
Needles: Size 6 addi circs
Comments: Quick and painless, a pleasure to knit. I think I am going to make myself one of these in some pale pink alpaca cloud.

I also finished my first pair of socks using magic loop. Love it love it love it! I am so glad I learned this instead of investing in a million double sets of short circs. While two circs is certainly preferable to dpns, magic loop kicks ass. No seriously, it does. It is not even hard. It just sounds hard. It’s totally logical once you do it. Trust me. Now I must join the legions of other converts on their quest to convert everyone else! Go learn. Now. You’ll thank me. Anyway, no pics of these because they are adoption socks and I need to send them out still. I really want to learn how to do two socks at once with magic loop. I just have to sit down and concentrate on it…a little difficult to do these days, with all the craziness that is my life.

Is it me??

2006-07-29T07:02:00.000-07:00

....or is lace a BITCH to block?? The tips of my fingers are numb from inserting and removing pins. I guess you just have to suck it up and realize that you need to put a bazillion of them in there and not try to cut corners. Oh Well. Ene is done and is blocking.
Now on to baby things. There are 5 people who are expecting in my life and most of them close to the end! You would think with all of this blatant fertility around me, I wouldn't have the problems I do but whatever!!! So I need to spend some time today experimenting with super quick baby gifts. I may even *gasp* crochet, because it's 100 times faster than knitting and for babies it's cute. I may even try a crochet version of the baby kimono...I'll let you know what I come up with. If anyone has any suggestions for a baby gift using chunky yarn (other than a blanket), please let me know.

Oh and lest you think that my kitty up there only has a penchant for knitting needles, she also LOVES McD0nalds's French Fries! Proof:

Hope you're all staying cool!

Favorite Color Swap

2006-07-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

I've recently signed up for the Favorite Color Swap. Below is my questionnaire. I just love these swaps, they do so much to improve your mood.

1. What are your top three favorite colors?
Pink (especially raspberry)
Teal/Aqua
Purple

2. What crafts do you really enjoy?
Knitting, crocheting, making decorative things

3. What products do you really covet?
Covet is quite the strong word. If you mean what kinds of things make me drool these days...Nice yarn, particularly sock or baby yarn. Chocolate.

4. What other activities do you enjoy besides your favorite crafty things?
Reading, listening to my ipod, going to the beach

5. Is there anything you collect?
Beachy stuff (crabs, starfish, shells)

6. What is your zodiac sign and/or Chinese zodiac symbol?
Cancer the crab. Not sure of the chinese symbol.

7.What are your favorite
……scents/smells? Desserty smells or tropical smells
…types of music and/or bands? 90's music; adult alternative
…authors? Stephen King, love horror/sci-fi/fantasy books.
…animals? Crabs, fish, ducks (beachy animals)
…places to shop? Yarn/craft, home stores, nautical stores
…season? SUMMER
…yarn/fabric/paper/other craft supplies? any yarn
…candies or goodies? anything & everything!! love it all!

8. Do you have any wish lists?
No

9. Are you allergic to anything?
Nope

10. Do you have any pets? What are they?
Two tonkinese cats

11. Please include anything else you would like your secret pal to know about you- anything that would be helpful in finding you little gifts that you will really enjoy.
I am especially interested to receive things that have some meaning from the person who gives them, things they like that I may not know about, or things from their part of the world. I like these swaps not only to get goodies, but to meet others and learn new things.

We are adopting internationally and are starting to buy things for a new baby. I am crafty in general, I like to make decorative things I see for sale in stores, so I'm always looking for crafty bits to use. Our home is decorated very beachy like. Anything goes really!

My stash is officially born

2006-07-17T09:32:00.000-07:00

It was a very good birthday. I woke up early and went to the beach by myself. We live about 10 minutes from Jones Beach, which is one of the reasons I love living here. At 8am, the crowds hadn't started, especially since it was pretty hazy out. I parked my butt away from the lifeguard stands and about 10 feet from the edge of the surf. I spent the morning jamming to my ipod, breathing in sea air and learning magic loop. Of course, being someone who never does anything the easy way, I didn't start out with a magic loop pattern, but converted one from Knit Socks! as I learned. Fortunately I picked it up much quicker than I thought I would. I think that was mostly because I had originally learned with dpns, and then tried two circs. So by the time I tried this I was familiar with sock construction. I have to say that I LOVE IT! The best part is that there are no jogs between dpns, and no clanking of 2 circs. Plus, the addis (thanks again SP) are so smooth that I am sailing through this sock. I would show you a pic but this is another pair of my project socks that will be gifted.

After the beach I went to a going out of business sale at a LYS. I have only been in this store once before and didn't care for the owner. I guess no one else did either. She was still snotty when I went in (owners like that wonder why we all buy on the net). I picked myself up some birthday presents, all at 50% off! And I may go back before they close for good. Here's the loot, mostly Debbie Bliss, which I've never knit with before (too pricey for baby stuff normally):

After that, my mom was running a neighborhood barbecue so I helped her with that..it was a beautiful day and it was great to sit outside and eat good summer food. Yesterday my family had another barbecue especially for my birthday. I got no yarn related gifts from my family though...weird. Well, my brother gave me a gift certificate to Michael's which doesn't really count (good for books at least), and at work I got a gift certificate to a spa, and not that I'm not appreciative, but I work right next door to Seaport Yarns, and I'm not sure why they didn't go there! But I also got some more goodies in the mail, so yes, I continued to pretend they were sent especially for my birthday.

First, since I officially deemed my SIL unworthy of a homemade gift, I needed to find a home for all that Patons. Then I remembered a very good thing: the Knitty boards.

For the Patons I got 8 balls of cotton from Leslie (no blog!) and the satisfaction of knowing that the shitzu yarn found a loving home. More kimonos to be made, and I even got blue to try to even out the karma from the pink kimono already made, not to mention some karma free gender neutral beige mix. The pink yarn is Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud in Peppermint that I swapped with Sharon for some Shimmer in a color I had alot of. Both were quick and pleasant swaps..knitters are just the nicest people!

Speaking of very nice knitters, Anonyknits graciously sent me some sock yarn leftovers for my knitting project. She was so generous, just look at the great stuff that came. I can't wait to make little precious socks from all of it! Holy cow I think there's actual Koigu & Lorna's Laces in there...I've never knit with those. (Seeing a pattern here? I am very sheltered...now that I got pretty good using Knitpicks, I think I can start justifying the use of some more expensive yarns).

And what to knit with all of this sock yarn? My SP has the answer to that (and everything else!). She got me a wonderful copy of Friendly Socks which is signed by all the authors and came with a beautiful stitch marker. I can't wait to delve into this gem! What a unique gift, and this one actually arrived ON my birthday!

It's been a great birthday weekend, alot of it due to lots of great yarn acquirements. With this and all the great stuff from my SP, I think I officially have a real stash now! I feel like I'm an actual official knitter!

Hey You!

2006-07-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

FREE Y@RN

Okay now that got your attention, didn’t it? Well sorry, no free yarn, but I had to find some way to get all you SP8 participants to stay here for more than 2 seconds (my secret squirrel counter thingie tells me many of you come but seldom stay long). I guess you are scanning the blog to see if I’m your SP? Chances are I’m not. But hey, stick around! There’s knitting here! And witty banter! And, and ….cat pictures!

Okay fine, go…but at least leave me a comment? If you do, I promise I’ll come read your blog too..and who doesn’t want more blog readers, right?

Well if you’ve stuck around this long, let me show you some yarny goodness. Did I mention my super fantastic SP sent me a ball winder?? I am so excited. Not only because I can whip up neat little yarn cakes in record time, but because I no longer have to BEG my husband to PLEASE just sit STILL for 10 minutes and HOLD this (no not like that, like THIS) so I can wind (stop moving!) up this (let up some slack!) yarn!! Sheesh! And here is some evidence of my winding prowess:

This yarn is my further attempt into the world of dyeing. I used Wilton Cake dye this time (on Patons Classic Wool), but apparently I didn’t get the memo on how some of the colors are unstable and break, particularly violet. If you can possibly believe it, these two balls came from playing around with only Violet and Moss Green. I found out too late that applying straight vinegar to some parts made the dark purple finally stick. I think the result is quite nice, although now I'm not sure what to do with these single skeins. Someone recommended the Sophia bag, which is a great idea! I was thinking some kind of small baby sweater, but I wonder if the worsted wool would be too heavy/itchy?

And, why am I so obnoxiously cheery you ask? It's my BIRTHDAY! Well, Saturday technically, but I've been celebrating all week with some very excellent packages. And Ah, technically they weren't sent for my birthday, but let's just pretend. First up:My latest SP package was (as usual) filled with awesome goodies (sorry for the crappy picture, it's non stop rain here). I got not one but TWO fibertrend patterns for felted clogs (child & adult), plus 4 skeins of lambs pride and two pair of addi's. Gotta love it when the SP gets you all the ingredients for a fun project, especially one I've been meaning to try! Also included was some great sock yarn. Two balls of Regia in nice denimy colors (has bamboo! very soft!) and a pretty Opal. If I can just get caught up on the gifts I'm making, I can actually get started on stuff for me! My SP is great, and I can't wait to find out who she is. Since we trade novel length emails every other day, it would be nice to at least know her name!! Apart from the great gifts, it has been so great to make a new friend.

Okay, enough gushing....Next up:

Debbie, A fellow adoption blogger, knew I was a knitter and convinced her Grandma to clean out her closet! When she emailed me and told me she was sending "a box", I never dreamed of this! She is awesome!! Lot's of great baby yarn here, very excited. (Debbie, just say when and knitted baby garments are yours darling). But look at those CONES. The pink on the left is unmarked, but it appears to be a gazillion yards of acrylic fingering. The pink satin and blue pearl on the right are about 4800 yards each! I assume this is machine knitting yarn, it's all acrylic from Kraemer Textiles. Not sure what the heck to do with all of this! I think maybe I could make a cobweb lacey something. Or I read somewhere that I can double (or triple) this up for heavier weight yarn. My SP suggested a solid afghan using different textured squares - a definite possibility... Any other suggestions out there? Has anyone actually hand knitted with machine yarn out there?

Well if you're still here, thanks!! Dont' forget to leave a comment (can a girl at least get a Birthday shout out??) so I can visit you and see what yarny fabulousness you've been up to!

Knitted Gifties

2006-07-05T14:03:00.000-07:00

Why does it always seem that when I am ready to sit down and knit something for myself, a new slew of birthdays, births and other events come along and I feel compelled to knit everyone gifts? I always do this to myself and I never have enough time. The latest crisis is a gift for my aunt who is turning 70 this Saturday. I didn't know it was such a milestone birthday until several days ago. Now this aunt knows I'm a knitter and not giving her a home made gift would be an insult. So I rummage through the stash and the books, and I came up with Ene's Scarf from Scarf Style using the left over yarn from the Leaf Lace Shawl. I was hesitant to start another lace project after the monotony of the last one, but I am actually really liking this pattern. Here is what I have so far: I think the biggest difference is that with this shawl, you cast on a large number of stitches, and then decrease as you go along. This gives you the sense that you are actually accomplishing something! Also, the charts are extremely clear and easy to follow, and the repeats are easy to memorize. I am so confident with this pattern, you'll notice I am doing lace on Addi's! I won't be done by Saturday, so I plan to give her a card with a little snippet of yarn giving her a glimpse of the surprise to come (hopefully) soon after.

I finished the baby kimono.... ....so freaking cute I now want to make one in every color sugar n' cream comes in. For the ties, I just took a double strand of the yarn and twisted it on itself. Much quicker than sewing in ribbon or making i-cord. I already started another one (I always like to have a portable project) in Butter Creme Ombre. I love the changes in colors. As for my SIL's gift, I am definitely ditching the wrap. Any ideas on what to do with 2 skeins of Paton's Divine? Think anyone will swap for this stuff? I am not sure if I am going to make her anything after all. She was a complete jerk last weekend and doesn't deserve anything. My MIL cooked a huge meal because friends of ours were coming over to help them with some estate planning. These are the friends who were integral in getting us hooked up with the orphanage in Colombia. Being italian, the woman cooked for an army, despite the fact that she has a seriously bad back. My SIL, who needed to come over and sign some papers, calls 15 minutes before we were supposed to eat and says "When are they coming over because I'm going out to dinner you know". My in-laws were floored that she wasn't eating with us. But you know, they didn't say one word to her. Wierd family. My mother would have screamed at me and insisted I eat there since she spent all day cooking (not that I would have been so rude to begin with). So now I'm supposed to knit for her?? Oh and I remembered that for my last birthday, she got me a cat figurine that was sitting on a purple base (reasoning: because I like cats and I like purple). First of all, I like MY cats, and that's pretty much where it ends. I don't have many knick knacks around the house, but the ones I have are NOT cats. Second of all, yes I like purple (but pink is my favorite color), but there is not one drop of purple anywhere in my house so where exactly would I put it? And third of all, did you think I was so stupid to not realize that IT IS A HALLOWEEN DECORATION??? My birthday is in July, so let's just guess how much she paid for that baby, huh?? Man I wish I could find that thing so I could show you how awful...

Excess Fur All Around

2006-06-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

I couldn't do it. Even for her, I just couldn't do it. I am hoping it's the pattern, but the wrap I was making was just too heavy and furry and fake. When I told my mom I was frogging the "dead dog shawl" she laughed and said, "I dont' know why, she would have given you the dead dog". HA! Go Mom with the funny joke. I am going to try to do a more open pattern and hope that does it. Any suggestions are welcomed, right now I am thinking of a feather and fan sort of thing. If that doesn't work, I'll scrap the idea and think of something else. Hey maybe a cute little felted bag...okay gotta go shopping now. See how these things spiral out of control?

I did try to sneak in a little project in between...

My girlfriend just had a little girl, and last Thursday we made plans to see her on Sunday. I decided to see if I could knit the infamous Baby Kimono from Mason Dixon Knitting in 3 days. I bought two balls of SugarnCream in Strawberry and set to work. I didn't make it. I did end up getting her something else, so once this is finished, I will decide if I will give it to her or keep it for myself. But I am convinced that if I buy girl things, I'll end up with a boy or vice versa. Anyway, I didn't have enough yarn, I guess with the SugarnCream (as opposed to the Peaches nCream) you need 3 balls, so again, need to go shopping!

Oh and look at this :
Is it some great new roving just waiting to be dyed?? Have I lost my mind and decided to learn to spin? Well.....no.. In reality, I just didn't brush my cat in forever. I know it's kind of icky, but it looked so much like roving I had to take a picture. I could make a whole 'nother kitten out of that! So she's all sleek and pretty again, probably wondering what took me so long to take off her winter coat, now that it's almost July! See how nice?

Okay, now I really AM going shopping because my friend just called and offered to pick me up! Happy Knitting!

I have an excuse...

2006-06-20T08:06:00.000-07:00

This is what I am knitting right now:

This is the "Elegant Wrap", a free Patons pattern using Brilliant and Divine. This stuff is God awful to knit with. It feels like I'm knitting with dead shitzu hair (and I'm no yarn snob either). I am hoping that after it's washed and fluffed it will be a little better. But I kind of have an excuse for doing this...

On Father's Day, we were at my in-laws having lunch. My SIL comes strolling in un-announced and everyone exclaims "Happy Birthday!"...everyone, that is, except me because I HAD NO IDEA. My IDIOT husband and I have this unwritten rule that we keep track of our own families birthdays, and remind the other accordingly. He apparently forgot this rule, and not only didn't tell me, but didn't get a gift or anything...how embarrassing. But I couldn't feel too bad, because my SIL, well, she's kind of special. She's basically a good hearted person, but she's very, well, self-centered and well, CHEAP when it comes to gift giving. My first Christmas with them I got a periwinkle blue fleece scarf and matching baseball hat beanie thing. DH and I still crack up over that gift, and how he wore it around the house just to make me laugh. The best story though, is the birthday story.

For her birthday a few years ago, I bought her a gift certificate to Kohl's department store. It came in a little cardboard sleeve thingie on which I wrote in pen, something like "$50; Happy Birthday M, Love me and DH". My birthday is about a month later, but for whatever reason we didn't see her for it. Every time I spoke to her on the phone she would say she had my present waiting for me. Finally she said she would put it in the mail because she wasn't sure when we would see each other next. I get a card in the mail, and in it was - can you believe it - the SAME Kohl's gift card, in the SAME envelope, with big black magic marker writing over my writing. You could see my words if you held it at the right angle. I didn't even acknowledge the gift...that may be rude, but I knew I couldn't hold my tongue about it. Don't get me wrong, I am not greedy, I would rather have NO gift than a thoughtless one. So, for her gift, I thought I would make her something, but nothing that required too muchmoney or too much time. This project is cheap and is done on size 17 needles - fits the bill nicely.

It's just the way she is though, and after almost 15 years with that family, I've learned to laugh about it. I mean, we couldn't get her to commit to plans on Father's Day because she wanted to "play her life by ear for one day". Her kids are exactly the same. Neither one could spare more than 5 minutes to spend with their grandfather on Father's Day. Oh well, all we can do is learn what NOT to do with our kids.

Anyway, in happier news, my crazy insane SP sent me a ball winder! Woo Hoo! I will wait to post a picture until I actually attempt to wind a skein. She also included two more addis for magic loop! She is the best!

My first set of socks are finished and are drying as we speak. I hope to have them wrapped and mailed tomorrow. Once they are received I can post the pics!

So, What's your worst gift story??