BOO! Happy Halloween!!

Although I was quite depressed that I didn't/couldn't dye up orange & black sockyarn, I decided to start my Gryffindor "Quidditch" sock while watching Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban.

The best of all worlds:

We ate pumpkin icecream from Whiteys after my Botany labratory exam, and carved pumpkins!

Here's mine:

Joe's pumkpin is on the left:

Random Friday #1

I very well will be knitting this WIP for the rest of my life, but I thought that this view was pretty interesting, and definitely a photo-taking chance that I couldn't pass up under any circumstances. Cries for more battery juice just had to wait.

Although my empty battery really did shut the camera off right after this shot, I walked home as happy as a drunk, with a nice comparison of my colorway to this seasoning tree.
You can almost hear my sigh of knitterly pleasure...
But, I've got to get a grip of reality. Seriously.
I need to work more diligently on this WIP, so I can finish it before Winter! Part of the whole problem revolves around my insistance on knitting a shawl with small needles. Now, if I were a normal person, which I'm not (lol), I would be knitting this shawl on size 7's or such.
Nope, I'm knitting the dang thing up on size 4's. Tisk Tisk. It better keep me warm.

~the dreaded "senior's project~
As a Religious Studies Major, I'm required to do my "senior's thesis" project (research paper) on a subject of my own particular liking that relates to my professor's theme, "the part and the whole." You can almost laugh at the dramatics of the theme. As you can see, I've already snatched several books at the library. I've decided to do something related to desert fathers or other such persons who seclude themself from society to inhance their spirituality. As you can see, they generally are more in the "part" category, but I've got to somehow figure out to incorporate how their search for salvation through seclusion & feirce deprevational practices connects them to the whole. The quest is on. (later.)

Good thing it's due at the end of the semester. I've got time to procrastinate.

~me writing??~
Speaking of books, I've decided to work more on my own knitting mystery book.
I'm beginning to realize why I insist on reading mystery books lately: I'm in love with good "cozy" mystery books. I don't like the gore, I love the spice of romance, and a dash of supense within...kind of like a "Ross & Rachel" relationship on Friends, and how everything isn't too intense. So, last night, I decided to look up the criteria for a cozy mystery book.
So ok, don't get me wrong, I realize that my book may never actually be published, but I feel this urge to get my "creative writing" tingle out. I may stink at writing clear and concise essays, but I've always had a nack for writing good fiction snipits. Remember, creativity first, grammer later. lol.

The Calm Before the Storm (a.k.a "filler")

Knitters beware! Knitting related info on the bottom of post...lol.

Hey everyone! As you can see from the change in scenery, i've already moved back to Iowa to finish up my last year at school! Of course, my room was organized and put completely together upon the day of arrival! Not to gross anyone out, but I think I sweated buckets of water! It's just soo darn hot here!
Anyways, I had the freetime to do a few things for myself. I read "Without Sin" within 2 days! It was such a good page-turner! I'm noticing a change in my reading...i've been clinging to mystery/fiction/thriller lately! Yikes! I usually read a mixture of fantasy/fiction and religions genres...
Because i've been soo into books lately (so much that I visited the thrift store again and got a whole bag of books for the price of one retail price!!!), I decided to officially make a "bookworm club" blog, so I can have an outlet to discuss good-reads, instead of boring you all on a knitting blog! HA HA--suckers!! Did you really believe I would stop giving you all non-knitting junk?? lol. In reality...less non-knitting junk will be on the blog then! Hee hee. Are you a bookworm?

Take a look-see. If you wanna join, you know what to do! :)

I'm hoping it will be a great place to discuss books and recommendations!

I finally cracked open into the Kinder Surprise eggs that Joe gave to me, from Paris! The thin layers were quite a "surprise" in itself.

Before I left, my mom went to our "World Market" store by our house and found this wonderful bottle of wine! Isn't it just too pretty to crack open? I even have a plastic cup with a picture of a sheep on it!

---"Baa," it says! However, in english, he's really saying "fill me, damn it!"

This bottle is a reminder that I still need to read the book "Dyed in the wool," that our library ordered for me! (yippie!)

--Ok, onto the good stuff!--

Can anyone take a gander at what this is?

If you look closely, you'll notice that i'm not bonkers, and that this really isn't lace-work, or knitting at all!

My thought, "holy flying monkeys"....

I've been taking a peak at my Botany book before class starts on this Monday, and was amazed to find a thin section of Magnolia wood looking like a piece of lace work.

Ok, well I was designing all day long...but you've gotta give me credit...were you surprised that this photo was in fact, wood?

The whole plant aspect of biology really intrigues me...which is probably a "duh" factor that I changed the look of my blog into something naturey. Plant life is soo interesting.

Anyways, I've been designing these past couple of days (...when not reading. I'm such a geek.)

Today, I spent the majority of the day starting & finishing from scratch my sock design for the premier (or so to say) of the sock club that I mentioned in the last post. It's called "Dobby Socks!"...or something to that effect. It has mucha mucha ribbing, eyelets, bobbles and cables! I'm just waiting for the sock yarn that i'm supposed to knit it with! I'm so proud of myself!

Yesterday, I designed "The Cabin Shawl," using my "September" colorway that I dyed up this summer. I'll take an action snap of later on. It's much to early to take one now. Let me get some more inches done first.

It's truly an amazing colorway...and goes great with the Fir Cone pattern going on in the shawl. The leaves really remind me of fall. (*sigh...ahh...*)

I've gotta get some major work on it soon, so it can coincide with the "September" and "Cabin" and "Fall" categories.

Sleep tight.

Bat Story #1 (as promised):

It was 3:30am, I was disturbingly awoken by the presence of something flapping across my right cheek & eyes. Was it a moth?

Shit, I thought... It was too dark to see, and the two girls rooming with me were fast asleep. I really didn't want to wake them up....but Oh well, I thought, they might not wake up if I turn on the light.

*Light clicks on*

"Oh--my--gosh!!!" I screamed, in a very weird and high pitched way. The two girls groggily sat up and wondered what the commotion was.

A vicious, foaming-mouthed brown bat circled around the ceiling and swooped in around me, and then back by the door again. The two girls let out a nice yelp too. There might have been a curse word in between this point. The covers were over my head faster than "911."

Peering out of the covers, the bat was still making his swoops around the room.

"Who's going to get someone?" was the next question. Um.....I guess I'll do it.

I pulled the covers off the bed, and covered it over me as I crawled across the floor.

[yes, we were all out-of-it, and didn't know if it would bite, and especially didn't know if it had rabies or not.]

Once I got to the door, I flung the covers off and quickly exited the room. They thought it wise to "contain" the beast in our room, lest it be harder to capture it in the house. Adios, chicas.

Ok, so I ranwalked down the stairs and knocked on Joe's uncles' room and told him calmly, "Um, sorry to wake you up....but there's a ....bat.....in our room!" Whaaaa??

Ok, so at THIS point, I'd like to say I went up there with him to see his bravery at capturing the dang thing...and the hillarity of it, but no. I stayed downstairs and explained to everyone that there was a bat in our room. Whaa?!? was everyone's response (Hey, they are Mal's. They all speak the same from birth.)

Apparently, after Uncle Jim's failed attempt to scoop the bat in the bucket, in the air, he hit it with a straw hat...and (thank God) a spare pillow on my bed (not my own).

Bat Story #2

One of Joe's cousins went upstairs to her room (across from mine). Her scream told us that the darn flying rat was back again! This time, I was ready with a camera I had (luckily) on hand.

The picture is bad. The ending goes a little black.... but the dialogue is hillarious. I almost peed my pants.

.....This is my future family-in-law. lol.

--Before you click on the video, make sure your volume is UP....the dialogue is the funniest part---

What Did I Do All WEEK?!?

Hey Everyone! I'm back from an entire week of my fioncée's family reunion....that's right....from Saturday to Saturday of, ummmm: fun, silly & confinement with Maliszewski "strangers." lol. I actually was proud of myself...I had everyone's (roughly 28 new peeps) name down by the first day. I actually had a lot of fun. We were up in MadisonGreenbay (oops!), Wisconsin, bunking in two large cabins. We basically didn't have an organized agenda, which allowed me to get a lot of knitting & reading done, as well as swimming, rowing, and corn hole/bags playing. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that the Mal's are crazy for games? We played a card game called "99" almost every night. If you think you've had crazy card nights with your pals....think again! Take almost 30 players-most being of drinking age or a lot OLDER-plus the rowdiness of normal people times a gazillion! You could almost pee your pants during those games, dying of laughter! The only things we didn't do were hike & tubing.

PAST WEEK:

...and yes fellas, that Aqua Float does actually flip over! "I told you so."

...A common Mal' salutation. No questions, please.

Paddle-boating along an inlet. (Ok, paddling AND reading AND knitting.)

...Proof of "knitting in nature." Ahhhh.

...Proof of reading H.P 7, AND knitting.

OH.... I have a "nighty night" story to tell you all later....plus a video to go along with it....DON'T let me forget to post it later on this week. Just remind me if I forget. ;)

Finished Reading during my vacation:

Harry Potter 6 &7, plus C'est La Vie (a very interesting book about a woman starting life over in Paris, after her husband dies. I recommend it to anyone interested in abroad.)

FO:

"Simply Ginny."

WIP:

The first sock in the pair, from my colorway: The Secret Waterfall.

NEW STUFF:

Dyeing! This completes my "summer dyes 2007." These were the last 3 skeins of my bulk. I can anticipate me being too busy to do more dyeing on my last week of summer vacation, before I leave to start my Senior year... whoot whoot!
Top: "Rain Forest"
Middle: Rockin' (my own take of a skein already created. I just loved the colors. However, the grey is lighter than the original.)
Bottom: "Starry Night"

FYI: My blog should be fully updated after this post. I'm taking down the poll, adding skeins to my sidebar and updating my completed reading list. Thanks for your patience. ;)

Debear62, I'll mail your skein out to you sometime this week, now that I'm back. :)

Work tomorrow, plus Cubs game! It's my first baseball outing...ever! (Can you tell i'm not into sports, lol.)

Never Leave Your Socks Unattended

Dear all future and present socks:

I solemnly swear to do my darnedest
to finish your pair before starting another.
However, if there's no more yarn for you,
you can always be a monk or nun.
You choose.

I solemnly swear to to do my darnedest
to not gaze so heavily at the other sock skeins,
oh so juicy and appealing.
Don't forget the endurance that takes,
for pete's sake.
(p.s- I get a couple of freebie glances, but that's it.)
My love is pure and faithful.

I solemnly swear to do my darnedest
to never have more than one socks on the dpns
unless it's your other half, your soul-mate.
I'll tell it like a lover.

However, the exceptions are
Christmas, (other High Holy days) & Birthdays...
when it's not just about you.
There are just too many feet to serve at once.
You must not get envious.
Be patient, you'll have your hours of glory
in a few weeks.

I solemnly swear to try my darnedest
to dye you beautifully, if bought in white,
so you can shine magnificently
for years to come.

I solemnly swear to try my darnedest
that some of you will be laced and cabled-up,
not just plain-jane style.

I solemnly swear to try my darnedest
to never wear a hole in you,
even though I'll wear you
over and over again.

Thus said, I'll do my darnedest for you all.
I'll never leave you unattended.
(but only relating to socks.
Sorry, I'm just not that good.)

Sincerely,
Your loving creator,
~Anna~

Busy busy bumblebee yet the honeycomb is empty

John Angotti is here in Illinois, and I get the privilege of performing with a few others in my church choir at the concert tomorrow night. So, I've been really busy today rehearsing, as I will be tomorrow... leaving the poor sock a wee bit neglected. Hmm. well let's do some math. 1 1/2 hours in the car ride for tomorrow, that will be be, oh, at least 10 real enthusiastically indulged rows on size 1's before I start feeling car sick...

Seriously though, the *first* sock is just about done. The second sock syndrome kicked in (oh let's just say) by the cast-on of the first. Hee Hee.

I'm planning on ripping the giant green blanket-using homespun in a gentle dark lime color- which I started before I began blogging, and will knitting it in a basketweave stitch, soon. I'll double up the strands and knit them on nice and big circular needles that will knit the blanket up quickly. I don't plan on knitting it all up right away, but I want to finally get a good chunk done (finally) by a week or two.

Other than that, i'm going to crash right now-- cuddling up to Maggie Stefton's A Killer Stitch. Hopefully I won't fall asleep right away.

P.S-- thanks for putting up with all this music talk lately. I promise that I will return to a more knitting focus (with mucha pictures!) after tomorrow. Merci beaucoup! Je t'adore tous!

Andre Rieu in Concert

I just came back from Andre Rieu's concert in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. What a performance! His selection was mostly waltzes from Strauss, but then diverged into more hippity know-its from "O Mio Babbino Caro," "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again," "America the Beautiful," "Amazing Grace," etc. It was an amazing show! The symphony were actors as well, having funny cues in between playing. There was never a dull moment! At the very end, they let hundreds of balloons fall over us. If Andre Rieu ever tours nearby you, I highly recommend you attending! He even played a waltz that people got up and dance in the isles to! He also has dvds that you can buy (probably over the internet) that is recordings of his various performances all around the world!

Now relating to knitting....i've been knitting my blue & green striped socks while traveling and waiting for my meal at Applebees, and such. You know that routine. Update with a pic tomorrow. I'm way too tired. I went to six flags for several hours before the 8pm concert...

However, the sock looks great though!

Scrumptiously soft & wonderfully real

Storytime! That Trip to the LYS:




So, ok. Today was a pleasant, warm and breezy Saturday.

Me and my fioncé biked to Starbucks, and decided to bike to the LYS that's about a 10ish minute (uphill!!) bike from his apartment. Yeah, i'm out of biking shape, but that wasn't entirely the problem.

Anyways, we finally make it to the knitting shop, and it starts to drizzle, ever so slightly. oh crap. We walk in the shop, and the lady running the shop tells me that she is actually closed, but if I needed something fast, I could get it. So, I told her my intentions with the tanktop-- that I need some cottony green yarn, and something with the texture of lacey yarn. That took a little while. Prices were steep, so I chose something with the most bang for the buck. So, I grabbed two 100g skeins of Cascade Yarns: Sierra (80% prima cotton & 20% merino wool) and finally foud some (unfortunately darker) "Misty Alpaca" yarn (100% baby alpaca).
$23 dollars later (OUCH!! poor college student), we left...... it was.....POURING OUT!! (with lightening). Yeah, oh crap.

It was definately pouring.... and flooding. We biked as hard as we could to his apartment. Luckily, it was mostly all down hill by that point. However, the rain was sooo cold!
Soaked to the bone for at least 8 minutes by now, with the chilly wind, it starts to HAIL! By this point I was screaming at the sting on the face from the hail, the cold from the soaking wet clothing, rain flooding the streets, and the lightening nearby.
We finally get home, dripping wet as we walk in. The water just drains from our clothing. I finally (after some labor) got my sopping clothing off of me, and hit the hot shower. I'm just praying that we don't get sick.

The Moral of the story: There is nothing wrong with going to the LYS in April. However, there is something wrong with your noggin' if you think a perfectly beautiful day won't turn on you in a blink. You better bring a car next time...not a bike! lol. ;)

Hopefully I bought enough yarn for the tank-top, and I don't get sick in a day or two. My lungs still burn a little bit...an hour later.