Restocking some fibers

Shiver. Me. Timberrrrrrrs!
Wow! It's barely 5 degrees here, without the wind!
I just got back from class right now, barely making it home in the frosty storm. The sky is white, the snow like sand particles whipping across the pavement and spiraling up into the sky like a sand storm...
It. Is. Cold. With the wind, it's probably negative 10 or 15...or even negative 20.
My face is lobster red. My fingers finally thawing. I doubled up almost every layer...yet my body was still going numb. My new knit hat almost flew off my head along the way. That would have sucked. Big time.

But, anyways, her 'be some new fibers:
A Valentine's Day feature: "Sweet Hearts"
(Silk blend fingering weight yarn)

[2 in stock]

"Butterfly"
(Silk blend fingering weight yarn)

[2 in stock]

My absolute favorite...and I might snatch it first..." Japanese Blossoms" (almost named "courier")

(merino laceweight yarn)

[1 in stock]SOLD




Spring feature: "Spring Tulips"
(Silk blend fingering weight yarn)

[1 in stock]













A many thanks to those who sympathized with me about my lost phone. My mother and I share the same plan (and same looking phone), so she went to verizon in IL and turned off my phone. But, I will be using hers, with my same old number, while she enjoys her new free phone (with a rebate). She made a point to brag about it. It was a "blessing in disguise" she exclaimed.

Time to cram food & knowledge into my head before my 11:30 class. Adios.

Anna's "LT Rib" Cap (KUAS Original Pattern)

Note: This free pattern has been removed 10/17/12. It may or may not return, but if it does, it will be tweaked and pdf’ed and available for an inexpensive $1.99 price.

Yarns suggested: Cascade Yarns Pastaza

Yarn weight: Worsted / 10 ply (9 wpi)

Gauge: 6 stitches and 6 rows = 1 inch

Needle size: US 8 - 5.0 mm     US 10½ - 6.5 mm

Yardage: 200 yards (183 m)

Size: large

Pleading "temporary" insanity.

Lost cell phone, lost ID card, not watching traffic, (same) lost cell phone. This is certainly turning into a sick cycle. Unfortunately for me, I have to whip out some explanation for all of this chaos. I plead "temporary" insanity, because I'm too young to tag myself with Alzheimer's. So, please. PLEASE. If someone has seen my brain, please return it. It is probably with my cellphone, which I still cannot find.

For all of you sockclub peeps, the pattern should be done within a week. I received the yarn a few days ago, and am working diligently on it, as well as tweeking the pattern as I go. Your package will be sent before Valentine's Day, and I am hoping that everyone will just love my lovey-dovey pattern. And Liz's colorway. And the "unknown" item. For everyone else, I should have a finished picture up around or after Valentine's Day.

I'm quite pleased that my Intro to Prehistory book that I ordered through a third party on Amazon came today. I don't have time to mess with fraudulent sellers right now. I also spent the majority of today at Starbucks, knitting and reading the intro to the Friday Night Knitting club, which I spent my precious Borders gift card on (as well as two Nicholas Sparks books). I really do mean "precious." How easy is it to spend 40 bucks? I can't believe how much books cost now. I can buy movies cheaper at Walmart. This book says that it will tug at my heart-strings...so let's see. However, after reading The Notebook, A Bend in the Road, and At First Sight in a row, it has a little competition for my "tears." But we'll see, won't we?

Ah, Linguistics. It's useful, but retched. It shows me that I should have gotten "hooked on phonics" as a kid. I might just be bald by the end of this semester. It wasn't required for me, but I jumped onboard, hoping to learn a few things. I just hope I don't regret my decision. If it doesn't help my English, or diction for singing... it will at least work in conjunction with my Prehistory course. Or maybe I can leave the class happy to at least know that linguistics means "the study of languages."

The last minute survival hat

I had another ball of my bulky green Cascade yarn. So I knit up another hat. Do you have lots of spare sock yarn lying around? Well, a great way to destash is to combine them with other yarn in your projects. I thought the result with my hat was interesting, even though next time, I'll knit a more fitted one. For now, I don't care. When the weather is hanging around zero, you start to get less picky. This hat is sure to cover your ears.

There will be more yarn up in my shop really soon. I dyed them at the end of break, and they are waiting to be rewound. You'll see my "butterfly," "sweet hearts," "Japanese blossoms" lace, and a couple more colorways.

The Paci Profile

Name: Al Paci

Birthday: 07-20-06

Birthplace: Pepperidge Farm

Parents: Micheal & Winifred Paci

Likes: Snuggling in bed, reading, dark chocolate, and staring

Dislikes: being lonely, baths, shaving, and bugs

Achievements: being the first alpaca to jump over the moon, winner of the longest staring contest, winning second in the international "softest fur" contest (lost to a hamster), and keeping constant tabs on Joe (inside joke).

Thank the Lord

When you are thanking the Lord left and right in one day, you know you have someone looking over your shoulders.
Thank you Lord for....
1. My Life (and not getting run over by a bus. [my fault]).
2. A warm place to come home to (goodness gratious. I felt like a giant icecube from just walking from class to class all bundled up.).
3. Food in the belly ("Is there a deal on ID cards--buy 3, get 1 free? NO? Dang." [I finally found the card after skipping 2 meals]). I'm also grateful for hot chocolate. And coffee.... to warm the bones.
4. A couple classes easy enough to knit in the back rows. Hurrah!

The one foot pose.

It's that time again.... the ever speedy clock has tocked and the wallet is shocked.

Let my last semester begin.

On the way back to Iowa, I grabbed this WIP and starting trudging through the first sock. Amazingly, I finished. I didn't even plan on it. It wasn't that I had much left to do, but I was so busy worrying about packing that I didn't even obsess about how far I "should get" with a few hour car ride. It was kind of refreshing. I love not having deadlines.
Nature's thermostat is set back to winter again here. I don't like being cold, but there is something therapeutic about the way that the chimneys look smoking outside, while walking downtown in the crunchy snow. It's cold, but silent. I love that. Even the sky gives off a smokey grey-orange hue. It's time to snuggle up and hibernate again with a good book (Nicholas Spark's The Notebook) and some mocha. Maybe I'll even knit a little more of my "in between blahness" socks. To put it in other words, all of my stockinette socks will now be the socks I knit only when I have some spare time in between events. I don't have to worry about patterns, or dropping stitches while shoving it in my bag(it's just stockinette), or deadlines. It's just "me socks." It's just "brainless work" type of socks. And I'll have to admit...that's my favorite kind.

I'm starting to think I have a "one foot pose" thing going on. It's almost starting to be my thing as much as Rachel Ray's "EVOO." Here she be, guys. I think the pattern is cute and feminine. It will be a great Valentine's Day knit. Now, if I just write up the pattern, we can be on our way.
If you're wondering...the dress was from my senior prom dance. It's the most beautiful dress I've ever worn (and definitely the most expensive one I've ever bought). I'm glad to know that it served more than one purpose now.

Coffee is my Prozac

Coffee is my Prozac. Especially in the morning. However, I've lived long enough to just say "nay" to the those delicious smelling brews while... enjoying one's cycle. Coffee & any form of pre-existing cramps do not mix. Ok, well, hot cocoa would have to do. I've been working (somewhat) diligently on my "Castle Corridors" socks. Here's a little preview.

I've been listening to Nicholas Spark's "At First Sight" while working today and knitting the heel. Just a couple more discs and I easily finished another book. Until now, I've always thought audiobooks were "cheating." Now I just think they are "practical," unless the voice is utterly annoying (like a lot of audiobooks).

Tuesday, I'll be gone all day hanging with my mom, Watching this diva above teach a (vocal) master class at Northern Illinois. If you don't recognize her, Renee Fleming is a famous soprano who just happens to be teaching a master class in between doing some gig in Chicago. After that, I'll be chillaxing for the rest of the day while my mom (trying to finish up her masters in voice) sings Verdi's Requiem all night long. I've got my audiobook on hand, another book, and lots of knitting to do. If I knew the score more, I would chirp in a few notes here and there...

To those who read.

If you're here for just pictures. Sorry. I've just got some ramblings, sore fingers and very tired eyes. I'd be lucky if anything you read is semi-coherent.

If you missed the owlies, they're back! I just made three more! Plus, a new kind of pendant. I only have 4 more owls left after these...because I bought out all of the pendants while I still had a chance. Maybe I'll save them for later this year? Who knows.

I also present to you my awesome idea called "sock memory tabs." Take a look-see on Etsy. Unfortunately, I only have three out, and a whole stack of paper left to cut. (eugh!) It doesn't look like it, but I labored for several hours already one these babies. But...they are worth it. I wrote a whole shibang for you in the description of the item.

I just bought a cheap book on making (the normal way) jewelry at the Borders outlet in our mall. (Our mall is notorious for sailors and outlets...and disgusting bathrooms.) I'm quite excited though. I'm also thinking about making cards! God save me. I'll be broke, and begging for more hours in the day. Wait... don't I already do that?

The "Castle Corridors" socks are going slow, but...., well, actually....there's no "but." They're just going slow. That's partly because I'm too tired to work on them, and just want to read. I do have to finish them before I leave for school next weekend... so "ready or not, here I knit." I'm not about to bring my prom dress and other such props to Iowa. No thanks. I'll just bite the bullet this weekend and get a move-on.

Can anyone enlighten me why sometimes, the only motivation to finally exercise is not from watching in horror that you grow size by size each year in pants...but knowing that you're a "bride"...and that's what brides do. I can't be a fat bride. It's not like Joe cares (out loud) how big I am. I just don't want to walk in the shop one day, and have the lady do that "oh... are you planning on losing a 'few' pounds by that date of yours, or should we plan on getting you one of these in a size up. Just in case?" I'm not one to weight myself regularly(I probably should), or obsess over how many exact calories I just consumed (once again, I probably should)...but I might just have to do everything against my nature to loose the freshman 15, the high school 5, and the 10 hideous pounds I gained since I totally fell out of exercising. Dang.
But the good news is... I just bought new exercising clothes (important! non-flattering clothes that accentuate a bubble butt=no motivation), and I just got back in the groove today. I'm about to turn this sick-cycle around.
I have to.

A "blizzard" on a nice warm day.

My goodness! What is going on with the weather right now? I'm not quite sure where you guys are residing, but in the midwest, it was about 60 degrees today, as was yesterday. It's quite ironic that I decided to share with you this "Blizzard" sock pattern from my winter sock club... but what can you do?

The picture isn't really revealing, but there are eyelets in between the "confused" cables. I called it the "Blizzard" boot sock, because I added ribbing on the bottom of mine, which seemed more...boot-like... for lack of better words.

I started my beloved "Castle Corridors" sock pattern the other day, which I have been dreaming up for quite some time now.

Unfortunately, I've been very busy lately working and getting sick. I have a head cold...or should I say, the ugly nose-cold. However, my teeth have been hurting and my paranoid mother thinks that I might have walking pneumonia...just like a church guy-friend of hers had a weekish ago. So, I think I have an appointment tomorrow. I still think they'll just give me the obvious "you have a cold. Sorry. Blow your nose and drink plenty of fluids. Wash your hands too, for goodness sakes."

Right now, I'm skipping the needles, and reading the newest book from my Guilded Age Mystery series from P.B Ryan. Suspense! I just started the book last night, and I'm sure I'll finish within an hour or two.

Pattern: my own ("Blizzard Boot Socks"), and on my Etsy shop!
[RAVEL-IT!]

Etsy is finally updated!

13 new skeins of yarn and 3 owl pendants. Pheuf! Take a look-see in my shop!

I decided to take the whole day off and work on all of time-consuming things for my shop. I was busy dyeing up more yarn, winding up the dry skeins from last night and reskeining them, making yarn labels and stamping them, and also making owlrific necklaces...which, by the way, I'm in love with. "Razor Edge," the yarn below, is my all-time favorite yarn of mine, and I'm way too excited to start selling them.

A FO and a doggie.

Well, I finished the socks yesterday. Although the socks look normal on my new sockblockers (which by the way I love-love-love!), I was really doubting that these socks would fit my FMIL. Joe said 7-7.5, and I was thinking more like 8. However, I did knit about a 7ish, because I was part lazy, part stupid, and mostly ignorant when it came to measuring the sock before decreasing the toes. I was hoping that It would turn out mostly 7.5, just in case she did have larger feet. Thankfully, Joe was *right*. I'll admit it.
I was really hoping to get an action shot of her opening her gift. She really loved it, but it all happend so fast, I felt too awkward to ask her if I could take a picture by the time she put it away in the box. She's not the blogging type (and probably has never heard of a knitting blog), and for times-sake, I just left it at that and let her move on to the other things she was doing. I'm such a chicken. But, I have some cuter pics for you all today:
Meet Spetzee. She's Joe's "little" doggie. I felt it was time that I actually took some pictures of her before she got any sicker. She seems quite camera shy, and these are about the only decent pictures of her. I've learned over the years that she loves to bug you at the dinner table, because she knows that you'll feel sorry for her and give her something yummy; she loves to steal your shoes because you'll come chasing after her. She'll even take out the insoles to piss you off even more. She knows the shoe isn't useful without it; She loves to snuggle under bedding; She barks everytime you leave the house...and her worst enemies are SQUIRRELS!
The left squirrel died a most painful death. It was bitten carefully and thoroughly over the course of one year, than had his stuffing ripped out, a limb detached, and finally his heart (squeeker) removed. Only after she could feel the heart in her mouth did she consider the squirrel finally "dead." But alas, what use is spetzee-kill? I went out and bought her another one! Take that, doggie!
Does she remind you of some sort of Egyptian monument? This one cracks me up.
On another note,
I have been quite busy this whole night, dyeing up 9 skeins of yarn! You can only imagine what my bathroom looks like right now. I have a few themes going right now. I'm still debating whether or not I want to dye up 2 or 3 skeins of each kind of colorway for the rest of the yarn.