Oh My

Ok, this is a horrible horrible photo, I know.

But that's because it's still on the needles and unblocked. It wouldn't cooperate, either, no matter how many times I tried bribing it with stuff, to lay nicely.

So the photo had to be taken with it pinned on my blocking pad. Which of course creates a really sh*tty background.

Trying to see how wispy it is with little red grid squares underneath is asking a lot, I know.

But bear with me.

Can you see? If not, feel free to click on it. I made this photo larger than I usually do, just so you could see more of the stitch detail.

Or rather, the space and loveliness between the stitches.

Lace is quite an adventure.

Countdown!

Hello, Kittens!

All right, I decided to join in on the Blogiversary celebrations! My Blogiversary is coming up on March 8th. (See the little ticker up there?)

You know the drill. We're going to have a little contest.

Each time you comment over the next nine days, I'll put your name into a drawing. On March 8th, I'll draw a name, and that person will be the winner of a prize! Or maybe a few prizes, we'll see. I mean, after all, I work at the coolest yarn store ever, I got hookups. (I like this way better than whoever comments most like I had it originally.)

So all of my dear and regular readers, please keep commenting. Also, all of you dear and lovely lurkers who quietly read, it's time to come out of the woodwork! I'd love a little check in from you, too! (I mean, again, I can guarantee ONE of the prizes will be yarn. And who doesn't love yarn?)

Happy reading (and commenting)!

For Future Reference

Wool? Yea, doesn't smell so good when it burns.

Don't ask me how I found this little gem out.

Third Time's A Charm?

Man, I hope so.

This is the third lace project I've started in the last month. The first was out of superwash variegated that hindered the lace pattern more than anything. The second was from the same yarn in the photo above, but I just didn't like the pattern.

And then I saw this. It's from Interweave Knits 2003 Summer (?) issue. It's absolutely exquisite.

But I didn't know how to get hold of the pattern. Then I looked closer at the picture. Hmm... that looks an awful lot like Entrelac. Hey, I can do that!

After deciding that Susan Pierce Lawrence's Branching Out from Knitty would be perfect as the lace part, I did a little calculating and cast on.

So, yet another Entrelac project. Will there never be an end to that for me? Honestly, I hope not. I really enjoy it.

And if I'm going to do lace, it might as well be lace I'll really enjoy knitting.

Doin' The Work Dance

I get to go to work tonight!

I'll be back later with details!

The Knit-Out!

Whew! What a busy weekend! I'm still recovering.

And all I did was sit!

Well, that and teach.

I taught a lot.

I was supposed to work just an hour shift both Saturday and Sunday teaching crochet. But, there were so few volunteers to teach crochet that I ended up teaching for 3 1/2 hours on Saturday and 4 1/2 hours on Sunday.

There were so many people who wanted to learn - it was great! My favorites (and the ones I consider the greatest achievements and privileges to teach) were:

• A four year old little girl who picked it up so fast I think she just might be a prodigy. I mean, this girl, after about five minutes, stopped doing the basic single crochet stitch and started with all of the other stitches, complete with doing things like shells and what not. And she only needed to be shown once.

• Four different left-handed crocheters. One of them was an elderly woman who said her aunt refused to teach her when she was young simply because she was left-handed. Imagine that! Missing out on something you wanted your whole life just because of that! After a couple of minutes, she too had that hook flying. Not to mention she had the biggest smile on her face.

• A very special little boy who was very eager to learn. His mother thanked me for my patience with him.

• Basically all of the knitters that I taught.
  

Even though teaching was great, I was exhausted when I left the mall both days.

I did get to wander the exhibits a little bit on Sunday after I left the teaching area and got some free samples of yarn, hooks, needles, and patterns. I also turned in the square I made for Warm Up America.

I unfortunately didn't meet up with anyone from blogland or the knitty board, but maybe some other time!

All in all, I'd say the whole event was a raving success. And I scored a sweet job out of it. Yay!

Guess What!?

I'm sure you're all waiting to hear about the Knit-Out & Crochet at the Mall of America, but you'll have to wait a little bit longer.

I have bigger news!

I have a job!

Steven, who I'm sure you'll remember from my posts about the Yarn Garage, offered me a job yesterday while I was at the Knit-Out!

A job! To work in his yarn store. And not just any yarn store - a really cool yarn store!

I'll be working Wednesday nights and Saturdays, starting this Wednesday night!

Yay me!

Ok, enough gloating.

Back soon with the regularly scheduled blogging!

Ta Da!

It's finally dry!

And without further adieu, I give you...

(drum roll)

My Entrelac Bag!













Loving it. Absolutely loving it.

Details:

Pattern: My Own
Yarn: Patons SWS, Natural Denim - 5 skeins
Needles: Clover Bamboo US 10.5 (6.5mm), 16" circular, Clover Bamboo US 10.5 (6.5mm) dpns
Started: February 6, 2007
Finished: February 13, 2007
Dimensions Pre-felting: 15" w x 14 1/2" h
Dimensions Post-felting: 11" w x 9" h, sitting (13 1/2" from top to center of star on bottom)

The bottom was something I was nervous about. I worried that the felting process would hide the beautiful star closing, but it didn't.













Of course, it helps that I didn't fully felt it as much as it could have. I literally was in there sticking my hands in scalding hot water (scalding, people - the nerves in my hands hate me) every couple of minutes to see how the fibers were agitating. I didn't want it to felt too much to lose the Entrelac texture.

Speaking of texture, look at that! I really like the way the Patons SWS felted. The little nubbies make for a great textural complement to the Entrelac lines between the diamonds.













There is one thing that I'm not quite as happy with: the way the handle came out. Because I didn't want the bag to shrink too much, it came out earlier than I would normally let something go. But the handle, in my opinion, still could use more felting. For that, I'm going to hand felt it.













I love the way that felting dulls the colors just a bit and makes the contrasts more gradual and soft. I'm really happy with how it turned out!

Heart Day

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!

But especially to the man who holds my heart in his hands.

Entrelac Finished, Not Felted

Look! It's a star! No, wait, it's the bottom of my bag! Is that not the neatest little bottom for a purse? Makes me want to carry it upside down. Seriously!

I've finished it. I took it to the Sit, Sip, & Knit! at Starbucks last night and finished the i-cord edging around the top of the bag. After that I had to figure out what to do for handles.

I had been thinking a few days ago of making three i-cords and then braiding them together, but wasn't sure about that. So I asked Steven last night if he had any ideas for handles for it.

Guess what? He said exactly that same thing! So! Braided handle it was. I ran out of yarn, er, decided to do only one long handle, but I like the way it looks.

Wanna see?













Another view where you can see the i-cord edging on the top of the bag:













Steven also suggested that I might not want to fully felt it completely. That would flatten it out and lose the texture that makes entrelac so beautiful. He said maybe just leave it in the wash long enough for the fibers to start to shrink together, then take it out. Just enough to where it won't be so floppy, but will still have that textured beauty.

I think that's a great idea and hope I can achieve that.


I love how it all spirals in toward the bottom.














Brandy already told me she wants the pattern for it once I write up what I did and all that. I'll probably end up posting it on here, so keep an eye out for that!

Oh, and because I feel like shamelessly plugging myself (again, in case you didn't see the link above), go on over to the Yarn Garage blog and read about last night's Starbucks knitting night!

For the Love of Socks

I love this yarn. I was at the store looking for sock yarn and boy did I find it. I absolutely can not wait to cast this on and start socks. Socks for me. Me.

The yarn is Anne by Schaefer Yarn Company. I believe it's the Rosa Parks colorway, but I'm not quite sure. I honestly don't care. I will enjoy every minute of knitting these. The colors are stunning.

These aren't they only pair of socks to grace my needles: I've got another pair in the works for hubby. I'm using Austermann Step Sock Yarn in the Jeans colorway.

The entrelac bag I'm working on is off the needles and waiting for handles. I'm having trouble figuring out what kind of handles I want to make to put on it. Long or short? Fat or thin? Since the bag will be felted it's not its permanent size right now. That makes it tougher to envision bag and handles together.

But it turned out beautifully, as far as the knitting and the shaping goes. Love it. It's almost too pretty to felt.

Almost.

Oh and tonight is Second Monday Starbucks Knitting night! YAY! When I was at the store yesterday Steven told me to bring my camera tonight to take pictures for the blog. Stay tuned for that!

A Glimpse

The other day, I mentioned that I felt the need to felt something.

Sometimes I'm amazed at how strongly the urge to felt hit me. I mean, I'm happily going along, doing whatever, and BAM!

Must. Felt. Must felt NOW.

Alas, but before felting can commence, there obviously needs to be some knitting. I mean, cause and effect here, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Er, well, sort of. You get it.

Anyway...

I looked in my stash. Not having a specific project in mind meant I didn't want to go yarn shopping.

Wait, did I just say that? Geez, I must be sick.

In my stash, I found five and a half skeins of Patons SWS in Natural Denim. Oh so pretty and oh so blue. Fabulous. Now... what to make?

I've been wanting, for quite some time, to felt entrelac. Entrelac, see, is probably one of my most favorite things to knit. I don't know why. It's become sort of an obsession.

I browsed Google images the other day looking for entrelac bags for inspiration. I found quite a few that I liked, but only bits and pieces of each. So instead of looking for a pattern on the internet, I decided to design my own.

Cast on, joined, and away I went with blissful entrelac knitting in the round. It's tedious and I don't even have to look at my hands while doing it. Just zone out and let my fingers go to work. Now that's my kind of knitting!

I'd like to show you a larger shot of the whole thing, but, it's big and, well, it's really more fun to tease you this way.

You'll just have to wait till sometime this weekend. Hopefully I'll have it done by then and can do before and after felting pics.

Or maybe I won't finish it this weekend. Monday night is Second Monday Starbucks Knitting with the store and I'd kind of like to take this to work on there.

We'll see. I've got two other projects on the needles right now: a sock and my lace scarf. The lace is a definite no-no for working on while socializing. Just can't concentrate and then I mess up.

And then I would probably swear. A lot. Because even though lifelines are great, I always ALWAYS seem to mess up the last row in the pattern repeat. Which of course, means ripping back TEN ROWS to the lifeline to start again.

So not fun.

Unlike this bag. Entrelac is fun. Big fun. And felting is even more fun. I hope this satiates that need.

All Kinds of Good Stuff!

Guess what, kittens?

Not only am I GOING to the Knit-Out event at the Mall of America, I'm going to WORK there, too!

Last Friday when I was at the yarn store for Knit Nite, Steven had us sign up to be his "Glitter Knitters" to volunteer to teach and help out at the Knit-Out.

When I went to last night's Knit Nite, Steven told me he put my name in as a volunteer and told me they'd be contacting me for times within the next couple of days.

I got a call from a woman named Mary this morning about the event! We set up my shift times and what I'd be doing.

So if you're going to be there, stop in and see me on Saturday from 11-12 and on Sunday from 12-1! I'll be teaching crochet during those shifts (she was thrilled to find out I can do both - she said they hardly have anyone to teach crochet at the event) and told me she'd let me know later when I could teach knitting. There are a lot more volunteers for that so the scheduling is more hectic.

After my shifts are done I'll be hanging around the event and watching the shows. (Or teaching some more, depending on if they need me!)

I'm really looking forward to this - I mean, how fun to meet a bunch of other knitters and crocheters!

If you'd like to drop me a line to meet up, my email is
myyarns at gmail dot com. I'd love to meet you!

And for my other piece of great news!

I'm writing a blog for the yarn store! How cool is that? It's very very cool.

I pitched the idea to Steven last Friday and he loved it. We talked more last night about what kind of a feel he wants to it, etc.

I sat this morning and set it up. Steven thought it would be cool to take a "Lois Lane" perspective and write it directly from my point of view. I like the idea and think it will be easier to write and come up with topics if I'm going off of my impressions and experiences there.

Please stop by!

Yarn Garage blog

Goosebumps and Jewelry

A few days ago Karen related a tale that gave everyone shivers. Then Brandy chilled us all with a story of her own.

I've been debating over the last two days whether or not I would share my experiences. The reason why is that I'm still trying to find some logical reasons for them.

But no matter how I try, I can't. There simply aren't any.

Without further adieu, here are my stories to share.

__________

My grandparents had a good relationship. They were the love of each other's lives and had many blissful years together. Unfortunately life is unfair and Grandpa passed away. After a few months, my grandmother would tell us that she knew Grandpa visited her. And that he sometimes played tricks on her. He was that kind of guy.

You see, Grandma sometimes would lose things. It happens. But the things that went missing were usually things that Grandpa gave to Grandma. Like jewelry.

More times than I can count Grandma would complain she'd lost an earring, a necklace, or a ring. She'd look endlessly for the item. For weeks she'd drive herself crazy trying to find it only to give up hope.

Shortly after she'd resigned herself that it was completely gone, it would show up. Just appear. Where would it appear? Always in the same place. On her nightstand. In plain sight.

And of course she would then call my mother and tell her what had happened. I always got chills hearing that the lost item just showed up like that. I mean, Grandma is an extremely neat and organized person. Her house was always impeccable. It's not like she could have missed seeing the lost item on her nightstand - there was never anything on it except a lamp.

She swore it was my grandfather. I believe her.

__________

Something I haven't mentioned on my blog is that I lost my mother six and a half years ago. She was young. The circumstances were tragic and unnecessary. I miss her every day.

After her funeral, I was given her watch, wedding rings, and a few other pieces of jewelry that she wore every day. I cherish these pieces. I put them in a little burgundy velvet bag and stored that in my jewelry box. The jewelry box was kept on the top shelf in my closet in the back, where even I couldn't get to it without a stool. My boys certainly would not be able to reach it.

Somewhere around three years ago when my youngest son was two and my oldest son was five, we came home from running errands. My two year old went to walk into their bedroom and stopped halfway there because something on the floor caught his eye.

He came running to me with his hand outstretched, face beaming with his "found treasure."

That treasure was my mother's watch.

The watch that was supposed to be in my closet. That I hadn't even taken out in maybe a year. That my two sons had never even seen because I hadn't ever shown it to them.

But here it was, in my two year old's hands. I remember my heart started to beat really fast and felt like it was too big for my chest. I took it from my son and examined it, just to make sure I was actually seeing what I thought I was seeing. I just couldn't make sense of it.

I then went into my closet and got the jewelry box down. It was still where it had been for the longest time. I don't know what I was expecting to see when I opened it - maybe a duplicate of my mother's watch so that I could somehow wrap my mind around what was happening.

But no such luck. The watch in my hands that my son had found was most definitely my mother's watch and the one that was supposed to be in that jewelry box.

I still don't know how it got on the floor. Maybe my mother was trying to leave a sign for me that she's watching over me. I've no idea. But I do know that I will probably never understand.

__________

This next story is much more recent.

For Christmas a couple of years ago my husband gave me a beautiful pair of opal earrings to match a ring that he'd given me the year before.

When we were moving all of our stuff out of our old apartment the first weekend, I noticed that my opal earrings weren't in my jewelry box. (This is a different jewelry box than the one I keep my mother's items in.) I figured they'd gotten packed in something else and I'd find them when we unpacked here at the new house.

As you know, we left a good amount of our stuff at the old apartment because we couldn't fit it on the first trip. After unpacking here and not finding those earrings, I reasoned they must be somewhere in the old apartment.

When we went back there over New Year's weekend to pack the rest of our things and clean it out, I looked for those earrings.

For three days I looked and looked and came up with nothing for my effort. The boys' room was emptied and clean. Hubby's and my bedroom (where I kept the earrings) was emptied and clean. And with a heavy heart I vacuumed in there, all the while hoping that the earrings weren't getting sucked into the vacuum. I'd pretty much given up on finding them.

Soon enough everything was packed and we were about ready to leave. Last step was to vacuum the living room and we'd be as good as out of there.

I was talking to hubby about something when something glittered in the sunlight on the floor by my feet. I thought maybe it was an aluminum candy wrapper or something. I figured the vacuum cleaner would get it and almost didn't bend down to pick it up. But something told me I needed to take a closer look.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I picked up my opal earrings off the floor. I stood there, mouth agape, at the thought that here all weekend long we'd been walking right where they were and never saw them, never stepped on them, nothing.

I just couldn't believe it. I told my hubby and his eyes widened at how odd that was. I told him I thought it had to be my grandfather or my mother. And then told him the story about my grandmother's nightstand. And reminded him of the time our youngest found my mother's watch on the floor.

You have to understand, all weekend long we'd had a very bright work lamp sitting on the floor in the living room, its light beam shining in the path where the earrings were. If they'd been there all weekend long, we'd have seen them glittering in the light. But we didn't. Because I'm sure that they weren't there all weekend long.

I'm sure that my grandfather and my mother helped to make sure I found those before we left that place for the last time.

I Feel the Need...

The need for speed.

Er, no wait, that's not it.

The need to felt. Yes, that's better.

Must. Felt. Something.

Check THIS Out!

Listen up!

My hubby finally has a blog! About time, eh?

He's been borrowing mine here and there for a while now and finally decided to take up and start one himself.

Check it out!

Oh, and go get yourself a copy of "Goodbye Horses" to listen to while you read it.

No, you won't get it, but it will make US laugh.

200

I was going to post something else, but when I went to my dashboard, I saw that I had 199 posts.

So I thought I'd make some sort of a ... recognition ... to the 200th?

*imaginary noise-maker* yay.

---

Ok, I got that out of my system.

Anyway.

I'd like to make a public announcement that I take issue with the severe cold we're having.

Jack Frost? Yea, you. I'm suing your ass.

Oh don't think I won't figure out a way to do it.

Knitting and Lace

*sigh*

I am in love with knitting lace.

At the knitting get together on Wednesday, I bought some lace weight yarn so I could really do lace.

It's Misti Alpaca Lace and the color is Mauve.

This yarn.

This yarn is so soft.

Soft.

And will drape beautifully.

Steven (the yarn store owner) looked it up on a chart and found the suggested needle size is US 2. I'm using US 7. L A C E.

Steven and I brainstormed and he asked if I wanted a cobweb look or a tighter look. I said the cobweb-like look. He recommended any size needle between US 6 and 8.

I think it will be pretty.

See? Very open and airy. And this wasn't even pulled taut.













Ok, now for the Knitting Nite. :)

It was SO fun. There were about 4 of us there that were just there to knit, and there were two there that were taking a class for knitting. We all sat around in these great antique chairs surrounded by walls of yarn. I can't even describe how cozy and utterly fabulous it was. This is the neatest Yarn Store ever. Ever.

Steven was all over the place checking in with the knitters to see how we were all doing and if we had questions. The class knitters were doing great. Oh and get this - there's a little girl that has been coming for these classes. She's eight. Eight.

How awesome is that? I wanted to hug her. But I refrained. I mean, I didn't want to be That Weird Lady.

So anyway.

We sat, we knit, we chatted, we laughed, we oohed and ahhed over everyone's projects, we drooled over the yarn that literally is EVERYWHERE in the store, we exchanged ideas about what new things we want to try, and then we laughed some more.

It was a totally fun night.

And! There's another one tonight. I'm still debating on whether I'm going to go or not....

Aww hell, I'll probably go. I mean, what knitter could resist that kind of fun??

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Whilst looking for a lacy scarf pattern on the internet earlier, my 8 year old son asked me, "Mom, why make a scarf that won't be warm? Why make a scarf just because it's pretty?"

Aghast, I replied, "Because I can!"

Squee!

I'm going knitting tonight!

Just called and reserved my spot at my local yarn store for tonight's Knit Nite.

The yarn store, if I haven't mentioned before, is only 3 minutes away from my house.

I know, I'm bragging. But 3 minutes, people. How friggin cool is that?

That's right. It's awesome.

Ok I'm off!

Twofer

Miss Maggie.

She's 13 1/2 weeks old now and has grown about 3 1/2" since we got her. My goodness, she's really sprouting.

Her legs? Ya. Long. She's all kinds of gangly.

It was really hard to get a good pic of her because everytime I'd kneel down on the floor to take one, she'd come over to cuddle. (She still has to lay on my lap or near it if I'm anywhere near the floor.) Had to just settle for taking this pic standing up looking down at her. Which distorts her size and alters perspective. Oh well. At least she sat still long enough.

And here's my Sam looking every bit the powerful and robust Rottie that she is.













Ahem, yea, immediately after this shot she came over and planted a huge lick on my cheek.

Good times.

Karen asked me to post a new pic of Mags. So you get two for one today!

Ooooh Lace

Apparently I like to torture myself.

And my newest form of torture is knitted lace.

Nah, actually it's not that bad. I've gone through three pattern repeats so far and I like the way it looks.

Here's the full progress so far:













So I had this yarn that started to become a Clapotis, but after about 2/3 of the way through the pattern, the yarn told me it didn't like that pattern. So I bought different yarn for Clappy and told this yarn to think about what it would instead like to be.

It took a while, and sat pouting in ball form for over a month.

And then about a week ago it came to me with the absurd idea of being something pretty. Something airy. Something lacy.

To which I immediately responded, "Have you lost your mind?"

But, to show I'm not against the yarn choosing its own project, I started looking for a lace pattern that I liked and that wouldn't kill me in the process.

Um, yea. That's harder than it looks. There are a lot of great free patterns on the internet, but none really struck me. (Well, there was this one, but wow, when swatching for it I realized that particular pattern was a tidge over my head. Someday, though.)

I didn't want to buy a book on it just in case it turns out that I don't enjoy knitting lace and then I'd be out the money for said book.

Finally, I found a pattern. I looked it over, swatched, adjusted it for the size I wanted, and started in last night.

It's going pretty well. I've only had to tink back twice and each time was only about 15 stitches or so. And let me just say, lifelines are you friend. I haven't had to rip back to one yet, but it does lend a loving security blanket in the scary depths of lace knitting.













It sure looks like a bunch of crap when it's still in the knitting stages, doesn't it? In the first two photos, it's lightly pinned so you can see the pattern. But in this pic, it shows what it looks like all the time. A pretty nasty bit of stitches and holes, almost seeming to have no rhyme or reason.

I sure hope it's worth it.

Clapotis, Post Blocking

And look at that - blocking was a success!

It no longer smells of funk.

In fact, it smells a bit of Chanel No. 5.

(That could be because I sprayed it with my perfume. I did that so that while it's wrapped around my neck I wouldn't smell the funk. And more importantly, no one else would, either.)

Isn't it pretty?


Check out those corners! I'm totally amazed by the blocking process. I was able to produce corners where there were none and change the shape of this from awkward parallelogram to perfect rectangle.

I'm simply in awe.

This is the first project I've blocked - the first I've really had to block.

And other than the ... ahem ... odor, I can't imagine not doing it on further projects.

It's so light and airy, yet warm and cuddly at the same time. I can't wait to wear this.

It's Blocking

Baby Alpaca lets off the most pungent odor when wet.

Gah.

I wish now I'd had a better ventilated area for this. I'm not keen on all of my clothes smelling like... well whatever funk is coming out of Clapotis right now.

Oh How I Block Thee, Let Me Count the Pins

Four-hundred and four pins, to be exact. Delicately and intricately distanced to perfectly shape my beautiful Clapotis.

My back is killing me.


Ahem.

Excuse my stuff. The only room that I can do this in where Maggie won't get to it is my closet. So there you have all my crap. How embarrassing. Hopefully my next blocking project won't take up more than 5 feet of floor space.

I went to JoAnn's a couple of days ago looking for a blocking board or something that would work for this process.

After wandering around the store not finding much of anything, I stumbled upon this Perfect Press by June Tailor. It folds up for easy storage (man I sound like an infomercial) and it was a great price. Success!

Oh, and it worked too. Unfortunately it was about 6" too short for Clappy, but I improvised (read: garbage bag with towels over it.)

Hey, whatever works, right?

I have yet to actually spritz it though. That's kind of hard to do without a spray bottle for said spritzing. More shopping.

---

On a sad note, I just want to say that my heart goes out to Brandy.

Behold!

Clapotis is done!!

I finished it yesterday afternoon. Next will be pinning it to shape, then spritzing. That should be an adventure!

Details:

Pattern: Clapotis, Kate Gilbert
Yarn: Misti Alpaca
Needles: Clover Bamboo US9 (5.5mm), 16" circular
Started: December 17, 2006
Finished: January 23, 2007

Another view:













You just wait till I block it. *wink* I promise a better picture then.

And!! Get ready -- I had not one but TWO finished objects yesterday! How productive am I?













This originally started off as a hat for me, but it came out a little small. I'm going to send it to my niece, who has almost grown out of the one I made for her back in November.

Details:

Pattern: Braided Hat Pattern, Anise
Yarn: Classic Elite Princess, Cream (2 strands)
Needles: Clover Bamboo US10 (6mm), 16" circular
Started: November 10, 2006
Finished: January 23, 2007

I love cables! And these braided cables are so fun to do.













I bought Scarf Style yesterday. There are tons of beautiful scarves in there that I can't wait to make. Yet what did I buy yarn for and cast on last night? A mini Lady Eleanor.

I know, I know. I just can't seem to get the Entrelac Monkey to leave me alone yet.

I Want to Knit

I want to knit. I want to knit. I want to knit. I want to knit. I want to knit. I want to knit. I want to knit. I want to knit. I want to knit. I want to knit. I want to knit. I want to knit. I want to knit. I want to knit. I want to knit. I want to knit. I want to knit. I want to knit. I want to knit. I want to knit. I want to knit. I want to knit.

UGGGGH!

I haven't played with yarn in days. I haven't bought new yarn in a few weeks. I haven't been inside or anywhere near a yarn store in weeks.

I miss my knitting needles. I miss my yarn. I miss my time alone to myself to enjoy the skill of creating something.

I love Maggie, but I do look forward to when she's quite grown up and won't need constant attention.

I want to knit.

Did I Just See That??

I moved to Minnesota, right? Where it's cold (currently 20° F) and snowy (we've got about 5 inches on the ground.)

Ok, that doesn't exactly sound like the atmosphere where one would see tumbleweed blowing down the street, right??

Take a minute to digest that.

Tumbleweed.

I've lived in four states (one of them was in the South-Central region) and I've never in my life seen tumbleweed. But after living here in Minnesota for less than two months, I've seen it twice.

Twice.

Let's back up.

A few weeks ago, I'm driving home after shopping. I see ... something ... floating across the road. My eyes and brain recognize it as tumbleweed but logically I don't believe it because this is Minnesota. I mean, tumbleweed in Minnesota?

So I promptly put that in the back of my mind (read: forget about it) and go on my merry way.

Jumping back to present.

I'm driving my son home from school enjoying the silent majesty of a Winter's Morn (well, not really silent as there's traffic and my son and I are singing at the top of our lungs to Sheryl Crow's "Real Gone" from Cars, but let's ignore those little details as they mess up the story) when what do I see before me but an enormous tumbleweed flitting across the road.

And just to clarify, when I say enormous I mean like the size of a friggin Christmas tree. No exaggeration. I looked for a trunk to see if it was in fact a very yellow and dried up Christmas tree, but no, it was definitely just a bunch of twigs and whatnot all bound and wound together happily floating along the crisp Minnesota landscape without a care in the world.

What?!

As I watched this enormous blob of sticks float right past the hood of my truck I seriously started to question my sanity.

I mean, isn't that typically something one sees say, in the middle of a hot, scorching climate somewhere? Surely not here in the dead of Winter with snow and crisp air.

I wish I'd have had my camera.

---

On a side note: Have ya'll seen Cars? Absolutely great movie. My 4 year old got it for Christmas and watches it every day.

And these little guys? Luigi and Guido? Best characters in the movie, in my opinion.












Now if I had seen them floating across the road I really would have thought I lost it.

A Sneak Peek at Clapotis

Our sources sat down with an exclusive interview with Clapotis in the making.

TLOM: So, Clappy, may we call you Clappy?

C: Sure.

TLOM: Great. So, Clappy, how long have you been in the making?

C: Well, officially I guess about 3 weeks. At first I was being put together pretty quickly but I've had a nice vacation recently.

TLOM: How do you like the yarn choice?

C: It's great! It's really soft and the colors accent my beautiful shape perfectly.

TLOM: Wow, you're not shy at all, are you?

C: Good heavens, no. Have you seen how many of me there are out there?

TLOM: Ok, tell us more about you.

C: I'm about 2/3 of the way finished, I believe. My dropped stitches are looking lovely and I'm sure after knitting is complete I'll be soaked in a nice bath and then blocked. That's where my true beauty will come shining through.

TLOM: Are you having any trouble working with your team of yarn and needles?

C: Not a bit. They get along well. There were some issues at first with stitch markers. The ones we started off with were hard, arrogant, and completely horrid to work with. We fired them and found some new markers that promised to be soft and reliable. They're working out famously.

TLOM: Sounds like you've got it all figured out. Anything more you'd like to tell us?

C: No. I really have to go. There's a hat in the bag with me that's competing for my attention right now. I have to show how pretty I am so I can get some progress on me. Thanks.

Hmmph!

My butthead husband dragged me up here to Minnesota then went to Florida and left me with two kids, two dogs, and sub-zero temperatures.

And all I got were these lousy shirts.

I mean, come on.

Guess What?

It's snowing in Minnesota.

Seriously!

Who'da thunk it?

Ok, that's it. Carry on.

Resolutions - Who Needs 'Em?

I've been trying to think over the last 12 days what New Year's Resolutions I would torture myself with, er, make this year. I think I finally came up with it.

I'm not going to make any.

Seriously.

I mean, what's the point? I never stick with any of them. All they've ever done is make me feel guilty once I break them. And who needs more self-appointed guilt? I sure don't.

An example of past resolutions that I never stuck with.

- When I was 9:
I resolved to say "Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit" the second I woke up on the 1st day of every month. My grandfather had told me if you do this, it will bring you good luck. Yea, I think I remembered all of one time.

- When I was 12:
I resolved to write in my diary every day about things that were going on in my life. You should see how many days I skipped.

- When I was 14:
I resolved that I would only date nice guys. Er, yea. I dated a lot of Shits.

- When I was 18:
I resolved that I would never, ever have kids. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

- When I was 22:
I resolved that I would never get married again. I'm so VERY glad that I broke this one when I was 25.

- When I was 25:
I resolved that I would stop yelling at my kids. ... Excuse me... I need a tissue. I just laughed so hard I cried.

- When I was 26:
I resolved to take a picture every day and post it on my photo site. I actually kept this one.

- When I was 28:
I resolved that I would ... hmmm... I don't remember what resolution I made last year. Probably didn't.

So there you have it. Past resolutions that I never kept. (Well except the Photo-A-Day one. I'm proud I kept that one.)

To those of you who DO keep yours - I so admire you.

My Girls

Aren't they sweet?

Things are going well as far as adjustment goes. Our older dog, Sam, is getting used to the new puppy. She even let Maggie nap with her last night!

My Sam is about as good a dog as you can get. She's such a sweetheart and will do anything to please us. She loves my sons desperately and is such a good sport about some of the things they do to her. (She's been stepped on, sat on, laid on, poked, pulled, you get the idea.) Still she never does anything more but look at them, then lay her head back down.

She certainly does not fit the horrible stereotypical image of the Rottweiler. Granted, I know, there are mean Rotties out there, and that's unfortunate. They have to be trained to be that way. Rottweiler natural temperament and personality is loving, sweet, and loyal.

And believe me, she's exactly those things.

Oh, and an affection whore. Yup, I said it. She will literally nudge and bully her way into trying to sit on my lap, and she loves to come over and rest her head on my shoulder (her way of giving me a hug.) I've had several dogs in my lifetime and my Sam is the best dog I've ever had, hands down. I'll miss her when she passes.

We were worried about what bringing a new puppy into the household would do to Sam. I expected the growling and the aloofness toward the puppy, both of which we've seen. But I didn't expect her to start to like her so early. That so makes me happy. Being that Sam is 10 years old with some health issues, I'm glad to see that this didn't stress her to where she'd start to fail.

I warned my husband and sons that if Sam's health suffered because of the new puppy, or if they just couldn't get along, we'd have to find another home for Maggie. Sam's been with me since she was just a baby and has a well established place in my heart, the hearts of my husband and sons, and in our home. Nothing will threaten that position. The puppy, however, is not as indispensable as Sam and would certainly adjust to a new family if necessary.

Fortunately, things are going better than I'd hoped and I think Maggie has found herself a home here.

Puppy Pics!

And for today, I give you lots of puppy goodness!



































That's all for now - I have to see what she's gotten herself into!

**edited to add this for Karen:**

Thanks, Karen!

Ok, as for the difficulty:

It's really not that bad as long as you know what you're walking into. Puppies require a lot of work and a lot of love. BUT it's totally worth it. You have a companion who is loyal and loving - and they are that way almost right from the start.

Maggie's very eager to please us and responds well to praise. When necessary, she responds quickly to a sharp, loud, and firm "NO!"

She has peed in the house a few times, yes, and pooed inside twice, but she's done these things OUTside far more. After only two days of working on housetraining, she's already learned that if she goes by the door, she'll be let out to go potty.

Granted, if I don't see her there right away, she'll go ahead and go inside... little puppies can only hold it so long.

The easiest ways to housebreak are:

- As soon as the puppy gets up from a nap, IMMEDIATELY take them outside to go potty (and when they're this young, it's even better just to pick them up and carry them outside, that way they don't get distracted by smells and eliminate inside.)

- About 10 minutes after they eat, they will need to go outside to poo. After all, what goes in, must come out.

- They will most likely need to go potty after play time or if they've just had something to drink. Both of these activities send messages to their bladders.

The sleeping part has actually gotten better as the nights have gone by.

We're using the Crate Traning method with Maggie. This helps in many ways. She's got an area that's all hers where she can go to feel safe and it also helps keep her out of things when we're not around. Also, it's good for house training because dogs (blessed creatures that they are) do not believe in peeing or pooing where they sleep. (Unless you leave them there too long, then they just can't help it.)

The first night we had her, she cried and whined (and even barked) for about 5 minutes after being put in her crate for the night. My husband (who's never had a puppy before) didn't get this. I explained that dogs are pack animals and that Maggie came from a litter of 10. She and her brothers and sisters all slept in one big pile all over one another. So that first night with us here was the first time she'd ever slept alone. She didn't like the sensation and the whining was a protest. I told him she'd stop and eventually go to sleep. She did.

The second night, she only whined for a couple of minutes, and it was really more of a half-hearted effort.

Last night, she barely let out a small cry, then went to sleep.

We bought her all kinds of chew toys to play with and each time she tries to mouth and chew on something she's not supposed to have, we tell her a firm "NO!" and then give her one of her chew toys. When she starts to chew on that, we praise her. So far, she hasn't eaten anything she's not supposed to. But I also keep a keen eye on her when she's awake because I don't want my furniture destroyed by teeth.

She is learning what "No Bite!" means. Each time she tries to mouth on our fingers, or any other part of us, we'll use this command. I told my sons (and husband) it has to be the same command every time or she'll get confused. Consistency is very important with puppies.

She loves to lay near me and chew on her toys and when she's tired, she'll plop herself down on my lap, or as close as possible, and pass out.

She eats three times a day, just like we do, and each time, I sit next to her and pet her while she eats. I'm doing this because I don't want her to be one of those dogs who is so territorial about their food that they snarl if anyone comes near them while eating. I want her to be well adjusted enough to where I don't have to be afraid if my kids walk past her while she's eating.

She seems to prefer this and actually will stop eating and come find me if I walk away from her after I've put the food in her bowl.

It's a very rewarding experience raising a puppy. Sure it's got its hard parts, but it's worth it.

I hope this helps!

Maggie!

Look at our new baby!













She's a 10 week old Black Lab puppy that we bought earlier this afternoon. Is she not the sweetest?? She's got a great temperament and absolutely adores the boys.

And our Rottweiler, Sam. Maggie lurrrrves Sam. Sam on the other hand? Well, she's 10 years old. She wants to like Maggie, but on her own terms.

I think their first exchange went something like this:

(sniffing butts)

Sam: Look, scrappy, I'm going to lay down some rules. Don't touch my food.

Maggie: Ok!

Sam: Oh and those toys they bought you? Yea, those are all mine now. I'm the older dog, I get all the toys.

Maggie: But, but, they're mine! That new squeaky ball? It looks like so much fu--

Sam: Forget it kid. I said their mine, and I've got bigger teeth. I'll eat you if I have to.

Maggie: Ok, but, can I play with it just a little? Like when you're sleeping?

Sam: Sure.

Maggie: Really??

Sam: NO! Gee you fell for that one didn't you? Ohhh you and I are going to have so much fun together.

Maggie: Uh oh, I think I'm in for it. (thinking in her head: I sure hope I get bigger than you.)

For A Friend

You ever have one of those days where one of your friends is emotionally hurting so badly and you just want to take their pain away?

Yea, today's that day for me. Brandy and I talked earlier and I could just hear all of the pain, exhaustion, and helplessness she's going through in her voice. I can't go into detail about it because it's her story to tell, not mine. I will say for her though, that she's really busy with personal things right now, but hopes to be back into the swing of things soon. Maybe drop her a line and tell her you're thinking about her?

When we hung up, I knew I wanted to blog something for her, but not sure what. Then I took a "walk" through some of my older photo albums from a few years ago and found two totally crazy pictures that I hope will bring a smile to her face.

Are you ready, Brandy??


Woohoo, baby! Get down with your disco self.

(Don't ask how this photo was taken - it was a long and tedious process and it's boring to read.)

One of my favorite movies is "Saturday Night Fever" with none other than the very talented (and YOUNG at the time of production) John Travolta.

Mmmmm those tight little disco pants.

...

Um... What was I saying? Oh yes, one more picture.













And what's a little disco fever without the Village People? YMCA, everybody!

Come on, you know the words.

It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.

They have everything for young men to enjoy,
You can hang out with all the boys ...

It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.

You can get yourself clean, you can have a good meal,
You can do whatever you feel ...

Hope these brought a little smile and maybe a giggle your way, Brandy!

Finally!

Well, here it is. The promised final saga in the epic Adventures of Wisconsin Johnson.

Hold onto your hats and prepare yourself for unseasonable weather, leaky hotel rooms, fearful gauntlets, and completely idiotic airline staff.


Episode III: The Return of the Johnson

When we last left our intrepid adventurer, his stamina had been pushed to the limit by the evil planes, trains, & automobiles. Well, fasten your seat belt, because the trip home was just as exciting...

The first trip with "the man" was planned when Wisconsin Johnson thought he was going to be Minne-snow-ta Meister. So with a flight planned to MSP (a Twin Cities airport) instead of MKE (Brew City airport) our hero awaits the day he returns to the beautiful Mrs. Wisconsin Johnson...

Amarillo is in Texas (here's my sign). Texas is warm. Much warmer than WI. Or so he thought. The shorts our hero packed stayed in his adventure duffel. The last night a storm hit. November rain. Nope, it was a snowstorm. In Texas. WTF? The ancient hotel was poorly sealed. The cold wind blowing off the plain came through the wall heater. And the bottom of the sliding glass door to the balcony. Then the snow came in. Yes, snow. In the room. Wisconsin Johnson braved the blowing wind and sealed the door with pillows. The unit became the mummy with all the towels. A warmth filled the room and he slept. And let's not lie, he snored too...

Wisconsin Johnson awoke to a winter wonderland in Texas. More snow than MN or WI had seen all year was lying on the ground. With an afternoon flight, he wasn't worried. Leaving the job site before close to make the airport, he goes through the security checkpoint. He finds the flight delayed. Calling the cubicle buddies who hadn't passed the security gauntlet, they decided on the adult beverages featured in the beautiful airport adult beverage area. Back through the gauntlet he went. After partaking of bathroom inducing barley pop the new time arrives. WJ is chosen for the gauntlet crossing again. He makes it quicker this time as his bag is left with cubicle buddies. He returns in a few minutes to inform the crew of more delays. Another adult beverage or two, and another gauntlet run.

This time the gauntlet becomes a formality as the security people are familiar with our hero. "Good afternoon, Mr. Wisconsin Johnson" as he breezes through almost without stopping. Canceled. It's now night...

After being "taken care of" by the attendant who guaranteed the first flight the next day they return to the leaky hotel. Our hero is supposed to be home tomorrow to pick up a moving truck in IL. So the truck can be in WI on Saturday and MN on Sunday.

The flight leaves for DFW at 05:45 am. They make DFW and find the helpful attendant has not booked the next flight for MSP. With another delay on the horizon, WJ seeks an alternate flight. Going straight to MKE would save precious time that's slipping away. With the delay and screw up, the evil airline made the switch for free. Now he can avoid the rental car and five hour drive from MSP to WI. He calls Mrs. WJ to tell her the good news.

Mrs. WJ cringes in terror as the word comes through the phone. Didn't he know MKE was in a white-out? The DFW board is lying. The airport is all but shut down, businesses are closed, schools are closed. The roads are treacherous.

The only stroke of luck that WJ has had on this trip finally comes through. The attendant never canceled his flight to MSP. So he switches back to that flight and leaves later that day, getting to MSP by early afternoon. The day is shot, the moving plans shredded like government documents.

Renting a spacious, quick, and stylish Hyundai Accent he braves the drive after grueling flights and delays. Getting home has been another and final adventure for Wisconsin Johnson. And so the trilogy ends with Mrs. Wisconsin Johnson experiencing:

The Return of the Johnson...

A Cursory Look at Christmas

So.

What happens when one wants to blog, but one doesn't really know what to blog about?

I mean, I would love to be witty (and more than likely verbose as my posts tend to be) but I'm lacking the inspiration for something to reflect on.

There's been no real knitting progress. This is due to our busy weekend.

Which brings me to that. Our busy weekend. Consisting of cleaning out our old apartment. Of which you don't want to hear, and quite frankly, I really don't want to relate.

I'm still sick, but again, another subject I don't want to delve further into.

My beautiful house is a mess. This is due mainly to two things: Christmas and all of our crap from the old apartment hasn't made its way into whatever nooks and crannies it will permanently live in. Not that I'm really excited about doing it either. Oh well, that's stuff I wasn't going to talk about.

So.

That brings me back to the beginning. What happens when one wants to blog, but one doesn't really know what to blog about?

Well, of course! One blogs about the loot they received for Christmas.

Well, why not? Admit it, you're curious.

From my father and his fiance:
- smoothie maker
- perfume
Thanks Dad and L!

From my husband's parents:
- Tim McGraw calendar (it's seriously like prOn)
- gift certificate to Target
- Longaberger Horizon of Hope Basket (this made me cry)
- tin of Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Squares
Thanks D & K!

From my sister in law:
- a snowman tea light lamp
Thanks, J!

From my hubby:
- wool peacoat with hood (love. it.)
- Dansko shoes (sinfully comfortable)
Thanks, babe!

From my sons:
- the best gift ever: their happiness.

So there you have it.

I truly love everything I received. I did find it humorous, though, that after many months of hinting that yarn would be a fabulous Christmas gift, not one skein wrapped in pretty paper was given.

After Christmas I pondered upon this.

And this is what I came up with: I think my family is afraid to buy me yarn.