My own little Africa

So, ok, I ordered some yarn last week. That doesn't make me a bad person. Heck, everyone deserves a treat once in a while. I just passed over hurdle #1 of my first week of "hell." I finished one heck of an awesome 14 page short story, a prehistory paper on Australopithecus afarensis, a small quiz in Earth Systems, a major quiz in Linguistics, and an exam in Earth Systems. Just in one week mind you, not to mention assigned readings and other such things to do to make you pull your hair out. But, what I didn't anticipate was Joe introducing me to another sweet evil of his last weekend, the show "Lost," that abc.com has loaded almost 4 full seasons...all for the taking. So, I watched a couple. And a few more. And a few more...just clicking away on my "Ripple Reading Afghan." WELL, I studied, wrote, studied wrote. Than I watched, watched, watched, and watched (while still knitting with bleeding eyes [ok, strike the bleeding eyes]). And I watched, watched, watched all week all until today, when I'm about several episodes into season 2. That's what, 29 or 30 episodes times 45 minutes. You don't think I need to seek a little E.A (episodes anonymous) meetings, do you? If my eyes aren't bleeding, than my fingers are probably going to. I'm up to, what, 576 stitches p.rd. on my afghan.

But this is my little Africa. My break. My new obsession(s).

I'll rondez-vous again with you all when I get back from the Safari in a few days. I've got 2 more exams to kill still.

A little twist of decor

So I've been spinning a little bit the past couple of nights because I've gotten back into the mood. The other night had been dedicated to my teal & silver blend, while this night has been focused on my new design idea bubbling in my head (instead of studying...). It's funny how creativity is switched on when things need to get done, academically speaking.
However, here is a snipit of the first color. I won't need a lot, so I'll probably be only spinning a little more of this color, with equal proportion to the silver. Teal will be the main color, and I'll need a lot more than this when the time comes. I thought at first that maybe I should order the yarn for this project, but I immediately dropped the notion when I realized that this project deserves rough yarn...and these rovings are just the fibers for the job. Plus, I have the perfect colors, and who knows if I'll find that deep teal & soft seagreen shade. If you don't know it already, seagreen is my ultime favorite color, with teal gaining up on the lead. My eyes are attracted like flies to garbage to these colors, whenever I pass by them. No joke.
I won't tell you right now what it will be, but I'll tell you that the three colors are here, above, and will be felted into something of sweet decor for my future wooden coffee table. By jove, I better get a wooden coffee table, because I have so many decoration ideas for it.
I'll keep you updated when I spin some more.

Do you now?

I'm so in love with these socks. They're just so long and festive! I can finally get my game on, come next qudditch match (ei- next movie)

Pattern: just stockinette

Method: top-down

Yarn Used: Knitting up a Storm Yarns, Colorway: Gryffindor

Needles used: size 2 dpns

Co: 64 stitches

Ribbing: 1x1 (lurve it!) for 1.5''

Leg length: total of 8''

Shoe size: 8

Cah! I even casted on for Sytherin already.

It's ready for me whenever I'm bored (if that's possible, lately).

I guess the game is on! It's always G-vs-S in the movies.

Gettin' back on the horse.

(Sorry Morrie, I'm not a gymnist. -Zoolander)

Hey All.
I wanna thank everyone who wished me well & gave me their awesome tips on how to feel better. :) You gals= greatness.
It's been a rough journey, I'll tell you that...with just about everything that a flu can give you, besides yaking (yeah, surprized me too). Monday, I even almost blackedout in the shower. Yowzers. But I'm finally at the point where I can walk around fine, without worrying...but my voice is still shattered (and my throat still hurts from hard coughs). I have skipped all classes so far this week, except for trying to make my Tuesday night class (mistake!), which my eyes and brain were going haywire. They were spazz-ing & shifty. Weird. So, when I'm finally well enough to go to classes today, I learned that they are cancelled, due to extreme wintery weather. Sweet? maybe. That means I only will have a Thurs. class (because I don't have Fri classes this semester). I'd like to say it was a vacation, but it wasn't! I played catchup on reading at home all day yesterday. Yuck.

I watched HP 1 last night, and got a good chunk of knitting done. Picture update real soon.

It's almost like dying, or something.

Uh.................. *Crash*

I find it amazing that one could feel completely fine one day, and than completely miserable and approaching the "deathbed" the next. And to think it only started with a couple coughs. I assumed it was from finally vacuuming my room. I was so wrong.

You may wonder why the heck I'm actually on the computer writing these rants to you all, in this condition, but honestly...I can't stand lying down for any more minutes. It stinks.
My head hurts. My body aches. My cough rips open my trechea, esophagus...chest...whatever technical. Next is the constant party in your throat that doesn't stick around long enough for you to get to the sink, to bring them a drink. What jerks. My eyes are plastered to a half-open look, and cannot be solved with a few decent minutes of sleep.

I'll say it. I made some bad choices this weekend...sleeping in on Friday (no class), partying at two bars; taking a "nice" and "lazy" saturday, while I catch up on stuff I need to do, knitwise: taking pictures of the finished product of my sockclub sock, fixing & pdf-ing the pattern, etc.

Now, I'm left with bad luck, and piles of reading assignments
(while being perfectly on schedule reading all last week)...with no braincells & energy to do it. C'est la vie, I guess. C'est la vie.

Quidditch Socks

So, the knitalong is on! I'm beginning to start trudging again through my second sock while watching HP and the Chamber of Secrets. I just turned the heel. It's way too late for more words, but if you want to participate, the info & place for you to post your WIPs & FOs will be under my title all month long. Have fun! :)

Getting hit on in a bar...while your Fionce is next to you

It was this crazy boy's birthday Saturday, so we hopped over to DC's and Jake's to celebrate.

However, that night prooved to be something of a surprize.

So, the fun began at DC's, where we ordered 3 dollar (gallon-sized) mugs of beer and 4 dollar fish bowls. Lo and behold (the funniest part being me not being into sports), Drew Tate, our (past) infamous quarterback for our university insists on buying me a drink. Really? Wow! How can I resist an offer like that?? Feeling quite flattered, I went back to our group with a fishbowl in tote and began the long passing minutes of nursing my drink and watching guys in tight outfits throwing eachother on the floor and making quite....curious.....moves there(a.k.a college wrestling). Toward the end of the night, a guy from our group (no one really knew who he was) walked up to me, started socializing in that friendly-guy-in-a-bar-that-really-wants-your-number sort of way...in front of Joe. Now, Joe was a great sport about Drew Tate, but this time, Joe had to set his foot down...or maybe just his hand on my thigh, that finally drove that guy away. Sorry, I'm already taken.
It took me an hour of nursing this bowl to get this far.
We played drunken card games. To my surprize, I did pretty well. However, I was yet again feeling quite awkward when another guy from the group (I've never seen him before) began to "whisper" loudly to my neighbor of whether or not I was single. "I" said no, revealing that he wasn't even close to being remotely subtle about it..and he asked her "well, then married?" What the frick. Does it matter... Hello?
If I were single, it would have been a very sucessful night.

Aye karumba.

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.

A blank slate

Every New Years is a time of excitement. Refreshment even. It is the one time where you take a good look at what you have achieved and (unfortunately) failed to do, and strive to do better with the coming of the new year. Your dusty slate is wiped clean over night, and a whole 365 days of working for (and ignoring) all of your new (or same) goals commences.

I have a whole sundry of goals that I have failed to do this year, mostly because I wasn't smart enough to write them down on something other than scratch paper and I forgot them all, except my foremost goal of the infamous "loose the flab" plea (which I didn't do). Between now and next year ('09) when I get hitched, I've got some time to diet, exercise, forget, curse at myself, get back on the horse, forget, and than finally get into the groove. Piece of cake, right?

I have just 3 major knitting goals I'd like to scratch onto my 2008 resolution list. I would like to start knitting more continental-style because, quite frankly, I'm sick of feeling like I'm a slow-poke-knitter. I'd also like to strap on a pair and officially do some intarsia or double-stranded work. If I'm feeling pretty bored, I'd also like to start knitting socks toe-up...just because it seems more practical. Who doesn't want to try on the sock while it's a WIP?

I promised a bountiful January on this blog, and I am sticking to that. I've got 24 skeins of fingering weight yarn (10 bamboo blend & 14 silk blend) and 4 skeins of lace weight yarn to dye up for my shop, and I have a couple of WIP's, one being two "secret" objects, and a sock.

But enough of all of this New Years chitter-chatter! Let's rewind a bit. I hope you all had a great holidays! I hope you enjoyed your family and relaxation. To me, it's always a little ironic that they consider the holiday season a "vacation"...because I felt stressed out and fatigued until only a few days ago. You've got the whole house to clean, food to cook, presents to buy and wrap, people to entertain and visit. Unfortunately Christmas wouldn't be the same if you eliminated any of those stressful factors out though. Oh well. Did anyone get anything exciting? My dad is handy at the workshop, and made me a set of 2.5 sockblockers (funny, really)! I've been waiting in anticipation for these puppies for months now! Now, my most satisfying present is from some gift returns and clever timing! I bought a knitting machine! I've never felt better at cheating!

The original price was a whopping $160... but I only payed $18! Here's the secret: 50% coupon, plus $30 returns and a $25 gift card. I couldn't have played that out better. It really does work well when you use it right...but it's the most temperamental machine I've ever laid my hands on, which frustrating because my dying computer works better than the knitting machine. Here's the thing. It likes to jam up and drop stitches. It's all about weight distribution and keeping the needles *perfectly* aligned at all times. But, on the bright side, *when* it works...it saves hours. I've already finished half of a sweater messing around with it.

This is what's on the needles right now--a belated Christmas gift for Joe's mother. Like I said, I'm a little slow (and procrastinate when I feel I have time). Well, time's up. This needs to be ready, pronto! Remember this skein? The colorway looks pretty neat. I'm sure she'll love it. I'm trying them two at a time, because I can guarantee that I'll get "second sock syndrome." The ugly matchy woody table and chair set is from the *new* Starbucks. What happened to their modernism? It's not like they have a fireplace like Caribou's.

Mais, j'aimerais du plus tea "passion fruit" a la Starbucks.

HAVE A GREAT NEW YEARS, EVERYONE! WE'LL MEET AGAIN IN 2008!