Mystery Knitting, iP*ds, and More Packing

Well, maybe not "mystery" knitting, but it sounds more ... well, for lack of a better word, mysterious that way.

Whatever. I'll blog about it sometime later.

Anyway, isn't the yarn just scrumptious? It's Misti International Baby Alpaca. SO soft.

I got a new iP*d last night. Finally. To replace the one I had that drowned about 6 months ago. Poor thing. My old iP*d was a 4th generation iP*d - the one without the color screen, even. I got the 80 GB Video iP*d (in black) last night and omg quite a bit has changed. There are obvious differences which I won't bother to blog about (size, screen, etc.)

I'll just state the other differences. The ones that irritate the crap out of me.

- No more Firewire connection. Steve J*bs, WHY?

- The new iP*d needs USB 2.0. My computer has 1.1. It connects, but it's slooooooooow.

- The new iTrip FM Transmitter sucks. Instead of paying a buttload of money for one of the competing FM Transmitters, we're having a new stereo installed in my Tahoe that has a line-in connection. Yes, that seems extreme, but it's actually only a few more dollars than the competing FM Transmitters (of which, none were recommended by the Apple store.)

- The earphones are a different size. I know, you're asking, "Why does that matter?" It shouldn't. Except that on my other iP*d earphones, I had put on these neat little things from Griffin called "Earbuds" which increased the bass output and the volume. Plus they made the earphones more comfortable to have in your ear for longer than, oh, 30 seconds. The new earphones are smaller and don't fit in the Earbuds. grr. I could use my old earphones, but the right one kind of skips in and out and sometimes decides it just doesn't want to work at all. I think it's got permanent PMS.

But - on the plus side - the new iP*d sure is beautiful. Well, what I saw of it, anyway. As soon as it was out of the box I put it inside the new "skin" for it straight away. I did that with my old iP*d, too. Since, of course, breathing on these things incorrectly will scratch them.

I'm just sayin'.

We're leaving tonight to head down to Wisconsin to the old apartment to finally get all of the rest of our crap out of there. I'm SO not looking forward to that.

It doesn't help that I'm sick as a dog right now. I've got this bug... I think it's one of three things. A really bad cold, the flu (regular flu, not stomach), or the start of walking pneumonia. I'm hoping it's either one of the first two. Not that I really want the flu, but that would be way better than walking pneumonia.

So another weekend full of long and exhausting drives. YAY! Do me a favor? Stay home, be comfortable, drink some yummy hot beverage, and knit a little for me, ok?

Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!

And also to all of you!

Happy Holidays!

Hope you have a wonderful Holiday filled with much love and joy!

I'll see you in a few days!

A Year in Yarn, Part 2

And for the Crochet goodies!

There are too many! So I decided to just do highlights.

The months of March and April were big afghan months here.

In the middle of the year, I began making stuffies. Soon this was also a passion (read: obsession) and then I had a plethora of stuffies, large and tiny.


And then there were all the baby hats I made!


And a sole bookmark I designed and made for a friend.


There were so many other things that passed over my hooks this year, but these were truly my favorites.

As of right now I've got a few crochet projects in mind for 2007: I would eventually like to do another Prairie Star, I'd like to make another tiny bear (what for, I haven't got a clue - they're just fun to make), and hubby has requested an afghan.

Sounds like between my knitting and crocheting, 2007 will be another great year for yarnage!

A Year in Yarn, Part 1

While perusing around Blogland, I've seen many posts in the last few days that showcase the aggregate collection of objects made. Fantastic idea.

I'll focus on the knitted goodness in this post... it will take me a while longer to organize the mass quantities of photos from my crocheted goodies from earlier this year.

My first finished object that really counted was a felted purse. That started a fascination (read: slight obsession) and soon there were more of them to carry!

Then came the socks. Socks were new, fun, and oh so heavenly to wear. Although, Second Sock Syndrome really sucks.


There are more that are on the needles, but they're not done yet.

Moving on to scarves, I did two similar but different scarves. Danica and Lady Eleanor. Love love both of them.


And what's a scarf without a hat? Plus one for my niece.


Finally, to close out my year of completed knitted projects, we've got my first knitted stuffie: Santa.


As for projects planned for 2007 knitting, too many to list! I want to continue on with new and challenging projects and maybe sometime I'll cast on for the requisite sweater!

Stay tuned!

Gift Exchange

Doesn't this look like fun? I saw it on Brandy's blog earlier and had to make one, too!

Get Your Own! | More Flash Toys

Hey Santa

He's finished! Yay!

Oops, let me back up. I just realized I hadn't formally mentioned working on him in a blog post other than worrying about whether I'd have enough yarn in this one.

I started this little guy on Sunday during the afternoon football game. I had no idea at the time that it would be a passion that would keep me occupied like nothing else for the next two days.

I started out with this pattern: Knit Father Christmas. I had to change and rework SO much of the pattern because I was working with a teeny amount of the red wool, so mine doesn't really look the same at all.

Oh well... I like my Santa the way he is.

He went by pretty quickly when you consider all the tiny bits and pieces of him. Oh and you know, regular boring old housework getting in the way.


Details:

Pattern: Knit Father Christmas, Ann Budd
Yarn: Classic Elite Montera (Blackberry red), Sugar & Cream Cotton (Cream), Red Heart Kiss (Cream), Classic Elite Princess (Brown)
Needles: Clover Bamboo US5 (3.75mm), dpns
Started: December 17, 2006
Finished: December 19, 2006
Dimensions: 10"

I love Christmas stuffed animals and it occurred to me the other day that we didn't have a Santa.

So the logical solution was to make one. ;) Hey, why not?

He is my first knitted stuffie. I've done many crocheted ones and have been wanting to try a knitted one. Not nearly as hard as I thought it might be, which was nice.


Now my only problem is finding somewhere to put him!

Oh, and after the season is done, actually having to put him away. *Sniff.*

The Further Adventures of Wisconsin Johnson

Remember, kittens, the weekend before and during the move? You heard my side of that dreadful story. Now it's the hubby's turn to tell his tale. A tale of misfortune, exhaustion, anger, and ... coughing fits?

If you think that's bad, wait till part III, when he completes his trilogy and discards his self-acclaimed title of Wisconisn Johnson and becomes none other than....

Minne-snow-ta Meister.

Planes, Trains, and yes Automobiles...

cue : Learn to Fly by the Foo Fighters

Sunday 4:15pm

Our intrepid adventurer leaves the cozy confines of home, heading forth into the great unknown. Actually, most people in Wisconsin call it I-94. Nevertheless our hero makes his way to The People's Republic of Madison. Land of pot smoking, tree hugging, socialists. Dodging tree huggers and taxes, he finds the bus station. After showing Mrs. Wisconsin Johnson the secret route out of the communist block, they proceed to the bus station. After a fond farewell, he boards the bus for uncharted territory.

His first mishap is accepting a young college student for a traveling partner. As soon as the bus leaves the depot, she is consumed by a coughing fit. Realizing there's literally no place to go, W.J. girds his loins and faces the window. Determined not to breathe the same air, he tries to catch some sleep. It's not possible, though as his jammed packed companion is coughing and sneezing every five minutes...

The bus ride takes forever. Five hours of coughing, cramping, and sleeplessness, surely our hero will get sick!

12:15 (am or pm, whichever midnight is) St Paul, MN

The bus was late and now the terminal is closed. Leaping from the back of the bus our hero dodges people and runs to the only cab outside the terminal. With luck he secures the cab to transport him to the airport. The cabbie deposits W.J. at the airport by 12:45. He's made it...

Made it in plenty of time, tons of time in fact. His flight won't leave until 7:30am...

The waiting game.

Wisconsin Johnson has been blessed. He possesses a rare ability. Two abilities actually. The first is the ability to occupy himself in moments of boredom. The second is his uncanny ability to sleep anywhere, anytime. Both powers are pushed to the limit as the minutes tick slowly by. If only there was an early morning bus, this wouldn't have happened.

2:40 am

He drifts off.

3:15 am

He wakes to people. Lots of people. A deserted terminal is starting to fill. By 4:30 the line is huge. He shakes his head in disbelief. Apparently he's not the only crazy person.

9:45 am

Dallas Baby!

The Wisconsin Cowboy fan exits the plane in a flourish. He's excited beyond belief. The first business trip with the new company, the first time in Dallas. After a quick train ride to the other part of the terminal, He and "the man" check into the proper gate. A couple of hours and the last plane will leave for Amarillo and journey's end. He can see the promised land (food and bed). The helpful attendant has reminded us to come back to the gate early as some gates might change.

1:30 pm

Change of plans...

Wisconsin Johnson and "the man" bumped for luggage? What, What, What, What? Tired to the bone, W.J. stares with disbelief at the attendant. Apparently luggage is more important than passengers. blah, blah, weight restrictions, blah, blah, safety. We're going to fly your luggage to Amarillo but you are getting bumped. He and "the man" are faced with a choice. Flight tomorrow or rental car. The airline is not going to spring for a hotel or car. It's six hours to Amarillo by car. If we would have been told when we checked in, we'd be halfway there by now. W.J. feels a rock bottom coming on. If you smell what he's cooking...

Well, in our hero's many travels, he's never seen rural Texas. Well, he has now. It's a lot like central IL. Flat, treeless agriculture. Just cotton instead of corn.

The narrator hopes you can see where he's going with this. Pushed to the edge of exhaustion, W.J. arrives in the hotel room and sweet, blissful sleep. He has traveled for roughly 28 hours, by SUV, bus, cab, plane, train, and rental car. Wait till he completes the trilogy: the trip home...

Thank you, God, for I-Pods and books.

A Letter

To the Yarn Gods,

If you could please, somehow, help me stretch the amount of yarn I have to finish this project, I would be most grateful.

Thank you.

Me

PS: I was told to tell you, dear readers, that "Wisconsin Johnson" is planning on posting another guest entry...

Eleanor, Finally!

As promised, here's Eleanor. I blatantly paid homage to the photograph on Fig & Plum's blog simply because it's such an elegant way to photograph her.

Details:

Pattern: Lady Eleanor, Scarf Style
Yarn: Patons SWS (color Natural Earth) 11 Skeins
Needles: Clover Bamboo US9 (5.5mm), 29" circs
Started: October 19, 2006
Finished: November 28, 2006
Dimensions: Big (yet to be measured)
Unblocked


I have actually worn her - once. It's unseasonably warm in Minnesota right now and the night we set up our Christmas Tree, hubby and I walked out into the front yard to see it from the window. (Weird, I know, but we do this every year.) Anyway, being that it was 50 degrees or so outside I didn't really need a proper coat, but Lady E was perfect.

Look at all that color! She's the largest and most exquisite thing I've knitted so far. I'm immensely proud of her.

Prettee Clapotee

Clapotis is coming along nicely! I'm about 18" into it and really enjoying the pattern. It's so much fun dropping those stitches - it's like revenge on everything I've ever had to frog. Who knew carefully dropped stitches could be so therapeutic?

I had to pin it down to the floor to take these shots. Unfettered it has a tendency to lay all squashed together, as if shy to show its true beauty. Blocking will definitely be in order.


Here it is in all it's {small} glory so far. I altered the pattern to make it much thinner. I would have liked it wider, but was afraid that I would run out of yarn. This fiber came in a huge 560 yard hank (with a price tag to match), but without knowing exactly how much I would need to achieve the length of a scarf, I played it safe and went a little thinner. After blocking it should be about 6" wide.

The yarn is very soft and will feel heavenly as a scarf.

We've got a Holiday Party to go to on Saturday... I would LOVE to have this finished in time to wear to that, but I don't think there's any way, what with taking blocking time into account. Poo. It would really be stunning.

Oh, and because Brandy has been doing much teasing of the palette lately, I'll throw in a little too. I spent the better part of Tuesday in my kitchen baking Ginger Cookies and Crispix Mix. My most favorite holiday snacks!

Speaking of that... I'm off to have a cookie!

Or, um... three.

Christmas Meme

Attach a photo of one of your current holiday displays: Here’s a little Santa that my mother in law gave me sitting next to a small Christmas tree my mother made years ago.

1. Egg Nog, Mulled Cider, or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate, Baby! That’s yummy stuff. Especially with a dash of vanilla extract, lots of whipped cream, and topped with just the tiniest sprinkle of cinnamon.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Oh, Santa wraps them.

3. Do you decorate the outside of your home with lights? Any other displays? We’re probably not going to do outside lights this year. If we had more time we definitely would!

4. Poinsettias, Holly or Mistletoe? All of them!

5. When do you put up your decorations? The day after Thanksgiving, normally.

6. Do you prefer to give or receive? Give.

7. Cut tree, live tree, artificial tree, or Festivus pole? Cut, live tree! It’s our tradition. Mmmmm that fresh pine smell!

8. Have you ever made a gingerbread house? Yes, when I was in 1^st grade I remember all the moms came in and we made them together. What a miserable experience that was! My mom and I both hated it and it came out pretty revoltingly. I’ll never do another one! And this year I don’t have to – the World’s Biggest Gingerbread House is over at the Mall of America right now!

9.Do you display a nativity scene? Nope.

10.When did you learn the truth about Santa? Hey, that magic never left. I still believe.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? Um, it’s pretty and all, as long as it stays off the streets. I do like a White Christmas, though.

12. Can you ice skate? Yup! Well, not all fancy-like, but I can stay upright. ;)

13. Do you open your gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning? Hubby and I always get so excited buying gifts for one another that we normally open them early. We have a tradition though that all of us open one gift on Christmas Eve and then the rest of them on Christmas Morning.

14. What is the most important thing about the holidays for you? Family.

15. What is your favorite holiday cookie? My family’s old Ginger Cookie recipe.

16. What tops your tree? Sadly, our poor tree hath no topper.

17. What is your favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night.

18. What is your favorite Christmas movie or story? National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation!

19. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? If Yum, how do you eat them? I’m not really big on candy canes. I’ll maybe eat one quarter of one the entire season.

20. Do you send Christmas cards? If yes, do you enclose a letter or picture? I normally do, but this year with the move we just couldn’t.

21. What kind of lights do you decorate your Christmas tree with? White lights, or another solid color, multi colored, candles, or a novelty light such as bubble lights? Small white and red lights.

22. Favorite Christmas memory as a child? I can’t narrow it specifically down to one. I know what I loved most about Christmas every year as a child was the love and closeness of my family. It was something that my mother and I looked forward to and she and I went crazy over decorating. Our tiny house looked like Santa’s Village and we loved every minute of it.

23. Best present that you have received? The continuing love of my husband and children.

24. Turkey, Ham, Seafood, or Soup for your holiday dinner? Ham! Uggh, No. More. Turkey.

25. Describe your favorite Christmas ornament. Hmmm… It’s not really an ornament. It’s a votive candle holder that my older son made for me two years ago when he was in Kindergarten. Here’s a picture of it:

Happy Holidays!

About Last Night

Whew!

Hello, kittens! So much to tell!

As you know, I moved to MinneSNOWta. And lived for over a week in the hollow depths of a house without internet. What TORTURE!

But I can say that cable was installed yesterday, I got our phone all hooked up today (we use Vonage), and we're now good to go on outward communications sans use of horrible cell phones.

But I digress. I mean, there IS a photo of yarn right there. Of course that means I'm going to talk about fiber something.

A few weeks ago when we leased this house I looked on the internet to see if there were any local yarn shops nearby. Well, I struck the jackpot, kittens, because there's a beauty of a yarn shop three minutes from my house. I'm in heaven.

Not only is said yarn shop sinfully close, but it also hosts many many get-togethers throughout the month. One of them is what they call the "Second Monday Starbucks Knitting" (or S.M.S.K.) where a bunch of knitters from the area meet at the local Starbucks and knit. Together.

Awesome. Take a minute to realize what this means for me. In Wisconsin where we were, there were no local yarn shops anywhere near me. Not one. So no chance to meet other knitters/crocheters that way. And I didn't know any other knitters or crocheters to even start one myself. So sad for AJ.

But now here, wow. Anyway, if you haven't guessed, last night was the Second Monday of the month and I went to the S.M.S.K. It was SO much fun! There were only a few of us there which they said was probably due to the holiday craziness and the rainy cold weather we were having. Still though, there were five of us there plus the yarn store owner, Steven. He's awesome!

The second I got there, I introduced myself and he asked if I'd ever knit before. I told him yes, and then he asked me what I brought to knit. He then dove (and I really mean dove) into my knitting bag to see what goodies I'd brought along. Fun!

So to commence on with the knitting and chatting. What a blast! We all sat around two tables FILLED with baskets of beautiful, scrumptious yarn that Steven had brought from the store. He'd also brought along projects he's worked on with some of the newer stock and new patterns. It was an absolute fiber field day. I saw and felt yarns I'd never even heard of before and now deeply covet.

As we knit, he gave advice if anyone had questions or helped them with a difficult part of the pattern they were working with. We talked a little about everyone's experience and how they got started. They were also very welcoming to me about just having moved here and were delighted that I joined in with their knitting group right away.

Now for details about the above photo of yarn. I bought that on Sunday at the yarn shop. It's Schaefer's Yarn called "Anne" - a very soft dreamy fiber. It's a hand painted blend of 60% Merino Wool Superwash, 25% Mohair, and 15% Nylon. I'm using it to make a smaller gauged version of Clapotis from Knitty.

I started it yesterday and actually had a pretty good start going when I got to Starbucks last night. But while I was there and chatting I made a mistake I couldn't trace back so I frogged it all this morning and will start again in a little while. Oh well.

One bad thing about the evening? I didn't bring Eleanor. Why? Well because it was raining, mostly. But also because I guess I'm a little shy. It's one thing to show something that I'm in the middle of making. It's another to bring something along that's already finished... I didn't want to seem pretentious or boastful. But oh was I ever kicking myself halfway through the night and I was telling them about her. I will bring her next time.

Hell, I didn't bring anything with me that I've finished. Not even one of my felted purses nor did I wear one of my pairs of knitted socks! *sigh*

But I sure did have a good time!

Brace Yourselves...

I'M BAAAAAAAACK!!

The Move is On

(sung to the 80's rock hit The Heat is On.)

Ok. I've calmed down.

Things are better. It finally stopped snowing but the 40 mph wind gusts are blowing around the snow that's sitting on the ground causing near white-out situations in some areas.

Hubby is 3 hours away from here by car and is nearing the area that was in the huge snow storm. I hope he makes it ok.

We're still pressing on with the move. I've called in every favor with every family member I've got to make this happen. (I actually wanted to postpone it till next week, but everyone said they'd help.)

This will officially be the last time you hear from me as a Wisconsinite. I'm disconnecting my computer tomorrow morning.

I hope that since we've been through the worst that could have happen, things will start to run more smoothly from here.

Wish me luck, please.

And I do apologize about my language in the previous post. But I was angry and this is a blog about my life, as nasty or wonderful as those parts may be.

I'll see you on the other side.

-AJ

Major Expletives Below. Skip If Offended.

H O L Y . S H I T .

This is the view out of my front door. We can barely see the outline of the house across the cul de sac. Can we say blizzard, people? Let's try: B L I Z Z A R D.

Zero visibility. Sub-zero temperatures. No husband and I don't know when he's coming home. Flights are canceled everywhere.

The walls are caving in on me. Wisconsin is angry that we're moving apparently and it's trying to keep us here. Well here's a big F U C K . Y O U . to Wisconsin.

I'M STILL MOVING.

Come hell or highwater I'm getting the fuck out of here this weekend.

** I apologize for my language if it offends you. **

A Letter

Dear Higher Power, Mother Nature, & well, Anyone Who Can Help,

If at all possible, could you maybe hold off the huge snow storm that's supposed to hit Northern Illinois and Southeastern Wisconsin until, say, maybe Wednesday?

I have to move this weekend and this storm could really put a damper on my plans.

Please and Thank You.

Me

Lady Eleanor Teaser

I finished her! She was off the needles last night and I just finished the knotted fringe.

She's stunning!

BUT, you'll have to wait to see a full picture of her until after we move.

Until then, here's a teaser pic of the fringe. It was a lot easier to do than I thought it would be!

Ok... and now for the not so great news. This might be my last post until after we've moved and got internet back up and running. If it is, wish me luck this weekend! I'll miss you all!

Hell & Candy Canes

Welcome to Hell.

Seriously. That which was the peaceful calm of our lives is no more. We have torn our home apart. There are boxes everywhere. There is stuff everywhere. WE are everywhere.

I feel like we're in limbo. Literally caught between two places; suspended in time. Not fully here, but not really there, either.

Hubby went up to Minnesota last Sunday and worked Monday and Tuesday, then came home late Tuesday night so he could spend Thanksgiving with us and our families. He leaves again tomorrow to go on a 5 day business trip. So this time with us around Thanksgiving feels more like he's visiting rather than coming home.

Because, let's be honest, our home isn't much of a home right now. And who would want it to be? We have already detached ourselves from here. We're in the process of getting our things out of here. All that's left is getting us out of here.

And it's that one task that's driving me crazy. You see, we're making good progress, but unfortunately I can't see past what's still left to be done and then I feel overwhelmed. It makes me sad. It makes me feel scared. It makes me want to cry.

And, um, I'm not big on crying.

So instead of dwelling on the fact that there is still so much to do, that we are running out of boxes, that hubby will be gone next week leaving the remainder of the packing to me, that I still have to run a household in the piles of drivel around me, I've decided to try to focus on something much sweeter.

Like candy canes. And what they represent this year to me.

Hope. And a new home. I will always remember moving right before Christmas, and not only decorating our new house with our everyday things but also with our Christmas decorations.

And that, my lovely readers, is why I'm focusing on candy canes. They're my salvation.