The Goldings arrived....

Yes, my kittens, I took a spining class last weekend - more on that later.

The news for the day is that the 3 Goldings I ordered Monday arrived last night and they are amazing. Pictures and further info to follow as soon as I get home from work.

evidently I be jamin' too loud....

Just got a call on the inter-house-intercom.... I should be in bed, asleep.... I'm Minesweeperin' to the jammin' tunes of The Artist Formerly Known As Prince Who's Known As Prince Once Again Now That His Slave Contract With Warner Brothers Has Exprired. (TAFKAPWKAPOANTHSCTWBHE)

She saw me walking down the streets | Of your fine city
It kinda turned me on when she looked at me | And said, "c'mere"
Now i don't usually talk to strangers | But she looked so pretty
What can i lose, | If i, uh, just give her a little ear?
"what's up little girl? | i ain't got time to play."
Baby didn't say too much | She said, "are you gay?"
Kinda took me by suprise | I didn't know what to do
I just looked her in her eyes | And i said, "no, are u?"
Said to myself, said | "she's just a crazy, crazy, crazy
Little mixed up dame. | She's just a victim of society
And all it's games."

Now where i come from | We don't let society
Tell us how it's supposed to be | Our clothes, our hair
We don't care | It's all about being there
Everybody's going uptown | That's where i wanna be
Uptown | Set your mind free
Uptown | Got my body hot
Get down | I don't wanna stop, no

As soon as we got there | Good times were rolling
White, black, puerto rican | Everybody just a-freakin'
Good times were rolling | She started dancing in the streets
Ow, girl, she's just gone mad | U know, she even made love to me
Ooh, best night i ever had | Ah yeah

I never talk to strangers | But this time it's all right
See, she got me hot, ah | I couldn't stop, ah
Good times were rolling all night all night, yeah

Now where i come from | We don't give a damn
We do whatever we please | It ain't about no downtown
Nowhere bound | Narrow-minded drag
It's all about being free

Everybody's going uptown...{snip}

d~ (spent golden years in UPTOWN.)

So much to do, so little time

"196" - my coworker's sweetest sheep.
Not the one who's wool I've been carrying around in a big sack, but a cute one nonetheless.

Just to check in - - things have been crazy and I've had little time for knitting or posting. Seems to be a recurring theme for me. Hmm.

Started a variation of the checkerboard baby blanket that will be in the 2008 Stitch 'n' Bitch calendar (see photo on left channel). Using Berroco Touche yarn in green and yellow with a rust/orange *seed stitch* border. Pictures to follow as soon as I get at least 2 rows of blocks knit up.

The big news, however, is that a coworker (in corporate america) runs a side business raising "grass fed" cows, pigs and (hold on to your hand knit socks!) SHEEP.

He brought me a big bag (about 5 lbs) of fleece that he shaved off one of his sheep (Aries) who is part merino. It feels amazing. I start a hand spinning class next weekend and I can't wait to take a sample in to see if the experts can give me an idea if it is "spinable" or not.

Free fleece. Could mean Free Yarn.

I quiver.

Week off = Finished Objects

The Blanket, circa 3/8/7, being attacked by Brewster T. Butterworth

Quite a busy week, for a vacation. I took this week off as p~ was on spring break and I figured it would be a great time to hang out and do nothing but knitting and housework. (3 Doctor's appointments for me and 2 for p~ kept us from going out of town for the week.)

I finished the blanket, pictured above - washed and blocked. Finished a sock for p~ that I started at xmas and immediately plowed through the first half of the mate for it.

Meanwhile, I had to phone in Monday morning for my 2006 performance review and found out that effective Tuesday I had a new boss. Dialed in Tuesday to prep the weekly stuff for review and shipped it off. Ensured that someone would run my Thursday morning meeting and by Wednesday afternoon I shut down all work related electronics.

Still have a few items on needles and just about a whole room of yarn waiting to evolve into something fabulous. 2 more days of vacation and so much to do.

Where Did February Go?

The blanket, circa January 19, 2007

Goodness! My, oh, my. Where the heck did Feruary go?

Things at work have gotten very busy and I've had little time for "me time" or "p~" (my spouse) time. Trying to dig out of the groundhog blues and get caught up at home; that seems to be the March-ing orders this month.

On the knitting front, I hit "afghan burnout" on the baby blanket about the same time that my collegue started to have pregnancy issues. Coincidence? I think not! I got back into the blanket frenzy just as she stopped coming in and had hit "I MIGHT MAKE IT!" stride just as notice came in that she was bed ridden. "I still have time, that kid 'ain't due till first week of March!" I knit 24x7 for 2 weekends solid. However, it wasn't to be. Health issues dictated an early C-Section, so the kid beat me. I just started up the first border edge last night. I lost the race.

I did finally send my parents and my Sister/Niece[1] their xmas presents....

Socks for my StepDad, Sweater for my Mother and an iPod Nano cozy (which I designed, shown blocking below) for my Sister/Niece [1]

Yes. I sent xmas presents in February. I'm just that buried with stuff. I've promised myself to put more time aside for personal stuff. It's become a critical priority.

d~

[1] My parents adopted my sister's kid. No wacky incest stuff going on, I assure you!

I'm an idiot

My problem wasn't only row gauge, but reading comprehension.

"36 Garter Ridges" are not the same as "36 Garter Rows"

Once I stopped counting rows, started counting ridges and only picked up every other row when starting the next block, things have gone swimingly. (pix to follow)

Yummy yarn broke my heart

Under the heading of "never too experienced to be humbled by gauge" I bring you the following tale of heartbreak and (row) gauge betrayal.

With the combination of a pending birth within our circle of friends and a %30-%50 sale at the LYS around the corner from where I work I went a little mad and bought a mess of Silk; Silk and Cotton; Cotton and wool. I got gauge (stitch per inch) on all yarns and started out making the Modern Baby Blanket from Mason-Dixon Knitting. mmmmm 3 different textures, 4 different colors... this is going to be WILD!!


Some of you out there already see the problem, don't you?


After doing 4 blocks of this modernized log cabin blanket, I stood back and looked at what should have been a tidy rectangle and saw this:I DIDN'T CHECK THE ROW GAUGE!!!

I tried to convince myself that "it will even out with steam blocking" but let's face it; there ain't enough steam or pins in the world to fix this!

So, I'm ripping the faded blue denim block at the top by frogging it out as I knit it into a baby kimono (also from M-DK). Meanwhile, I must plan another trip to LYS to try and come up with enough of the Berroco Touche in 3 other colors. That yarn feels like the perfect yarn for a baby blanket.

Guess I'll just have to come up with something for myself out of the silk and cotton/silk yarn.

Darn. ;-)