Busy Week

We had Sarah's shower on Sunday, It was a wonderful turn out. The look on Sarah's face made all the stress and expense all worth it. The girls from my work are incredibly generous and gave her some wonderful gifts, as did the family. I'd say the kids are pretty well set and it is nice to have some new things to start out married life with. Sarah told me she plans on leaving most of it packed up until they move in a couple of months. New place with new toys!

 This is the towel wedding cake Kelpy made for her shower. Just beautiful, and we figured since Sarah did not have a "real" wedding cake, this would be even better. ( you can't get cellulite from a towel cake..LOL)

I had found these adorable matching aprons, Domestic Diva and Diva in training for both Sarah and Raine, on Sarah's I pinned a bunch of household cleaning aids and kitchen items. Feather duster, pot holder toilet bowel brush, kitchen scrubby etc. and made her wear it. She is a real trooper and didn't even whine about it, however, Raine, who loved her apron, was not so enamored of the photo session. These last four days I've had off have been exhausting and my arse is really dragging tonite.

On the knitting front,  did not get much done, just a little bit here and there.  I haven't done diddly poo on my toe up sock. I have had to rip it out two more times down to the toe. I keep screwing up the heel. I really need to pay attention to the pattern I guess, since it has spent more time in the frog pond than I like to admit. By the time I get to the second sock, I will have forgotten how the hell I cast on and will have to play the trial and error game all over again at this rate. 

Sheer desperation, boredom and freezing fingers prompted this project. While I was waiting to figure out why the hell I bought that pretty green yarn, and waiting for Hobby Lobby to restock their beads, I made these fingerless mitts out of some stash yarn I had laying about the house. I was too damn lazy to look up a pattern and just started knitting. Not my best effort but the do the job!

Saturday night that boy decided he was going to make french onion soup with Salisbury steaks...YUM. We had our usual Saturday night gang over plus a couple more for dinner. After dinner, the brothers played their stupid Wii golf, while us girls decided on an impromptu knitting lesson. Poor Kelp had left her knitting at home since the original plan was for the girls to go back to her place and leave the boys at mine. I gave sister in law Tammy and niece Gina each a skein of yarn and some needles and they were off. I love teaching other people to knit. Both are well on their way to a nice hand knit scarf! 

In the meantime I started another multi directional scarf.  Sunday night I got Kelp going on the same pattern. 

Yesterday I finally sewed the straps on my bagstopper and it is officially finished. Don't ask what took so long, I haven't a clue why I left it sit so long. Just laziness I guess.

I bought 4 more tubes of beads (it was all the store had) and worked some on the beaded alpaca. I wish I had a better idea of how many beads I needed. Next time I do one of these I will buy the beads from someone who sells them buy the count. I thought I had guestimated around 1600 beads, but I am not going to count the little buggers and string them too. I will just knit until I run out of beads again and buy some more.

Thank God for Ravelry! I was at a loss as to why I bought that green yarn, and was going through my queue when it dawned on me duh!  Aliens!! of course... I bought the yarn for the alien scarf. OMG I love this pattern!  This has to be one of the coolest patterns I have ever knit!

I haven't even finished one motif yet and already you can see the little green mans face forming.

Now if I can just figure out how to design one myself. I can think of tons of stuff I would like to knit this way.

My arm is still hurting but I have ditched the sling. it was too much of a pain in the butt.  And now that my arm feels better, I think on my next days off I will start my TKGA course. I am anxious to learn some new things. Now that Sarah's shower is behind me I can relax for a while and concentrate on me. 

My New Toy!!

SURPRISE!!!!

ISN'T SHE PRETTY??

Ok no not really, but I had you going for a minute didn't I...LOL Actually this is a concept car that we saw at the Chicago Auto Show this week end. Very Pretty, and Very Red!! Just my color! In fact, I think in two years when this baby is released I just might have to take one for a test drive! I should be just about ready for a trade in by then...I am hoping it will be good in snow...






Now... for the real toy... Friday night I finally took the plunge and we went to the Apple Store to that I could test drive this little beauty instead. Yup I am a convert. I turned Mac!! Bill Gates are you listening? I got tired of all of the IE errors and OS replacements, and Office upgrades, and all of the additional software purchases, and that infernal hourglass! I was going to get the Macbook Air, which I was seduced into, but then thought better of it and sent it back as soon as it got here. And Apple, bless them, paid for the return shipping even though I had changed my mind.


It is too bad these don't come in red though... I may have to look around for a skin for it. So far, I am as happy as a clam with it. Not that there was anything wrong with my Dell. It wasn't even 2 yet. Other than the fact that I bought a too big 17 inch laptop. I am streamlined down to this sexy little 13 inch now. Much lighter and much much faster. (No hourglass)
That boy has been researching Macs ever since I said I was thinking about converting (which I knew he would do). He looked into all of the techie stuff that I knew I wouldn't. I just needed to know it will do what I want it to do without coughing up a lung to make it do it.

My biggest decision came to this, did I want the 13 inch Macbook or the 15 inch Macbook Pro. I opted for the smaller, for the money I could not really see what I needed the Pro for. And who knows, since I have been without a desk top since lightening struck the house in '06 I have rarely missed it, but if I ever change my mind on that score, I will have more power in the IMac anyway. The only thing I don't like is the finish, I have to wipe the fingerprints off every time I use it because they glare at you. That and there was no little slot for my memory card :(
I can live with that! It works great!



Now here is another surprise... That lovely lady Lynda from California wrote to me and told me she had 10 more hats to send for our homeless shelter here. The package I received at work today had not 10 but 23 hats and 24 scarves!!! What an amazing woman! She sure knits way faster than I do!! There were some knitted and crocheted hats, as well as some fleece scarves, some were hand made and some were purchased. She puts me to shame!! Friday I will be making another drop off at the shelter with the hats and scarves that Lynda sent, and the hats that I made. I still need to whip up those fleece hats so I am hoping to have that done on Friday too.

Dawn here are some snow shots for you from last weeks blizzardy weather....

Gratuitous Disclaimer: DO NOT TRY TO TAKE PICTURES WHILE YOU DRIVE IN A SNOW STORM... I know, Duh. But I couldn't seem to help myself.

Here is the scene through my windshield.

I had to roll the window down for this one

...and well, I might have been driving too fast for conditions here. And actually this one is from the week before, I just think the picture looks so cool wizzing like that.

Just as I suspected for this week, not much knitting going on, just work and , lots of party planning, Sarah's shower is Sunday and I can hardly wait.

The sock swap shopping is done, I can't show any pictures of the goodies yet, but it will be on it's way across the pond by tomorrow. All that is left is to pack and ship!

An alarm just went off on my computer...it just said "it's 1 o'clock" Think someone is trying to tell me something?

I can still knit!

I finally went to the clinic for xrays. The doctor said I fractured my elbow, put me in a sling and sent me to the bone doctor. Just flippin wonderful I am thinking! What a pain in the arse the sling is. Of course, I am defiant and say I am not going to wear that damn thing. But I found out quick enough that it really does help with the pain. Yesterday I saw the bone doctor and he tells me, no there is no fracture (phew) but... I ruptured the bursis sac on my elbow and that is why it feels like raw meat. I did not take my knitting with me because I was afraid I would get yelled at for using my hand when I am not supposed to...LOL

Well the good news is - I can still knit. The bad news, it is going to take about 6 weeks to heal and no heavy lifting, and no leaning on it. Duh, of course I am not going to lean on it, it hurts like hell!

So here is what I have been up to in the mean time. I crocheted these little Ipod socks for my two Ipods out of some left over sock yarn...fitting doncha think. Just a simple single crochet in the round until I got to the top and then I crocheted the flap flat, added a bobble for the button and viola! Thanks Dawn for the idea.

I finished my Noro Silk Garden multi directional scarf and wore it to work tonite. I love how the colors blend. I could not gauge the best place to start a new ball tho so that it blended in the same manner. I used a little over two balls for this and they seem like they wind each one with a different color starting. Still, I am happy how this one turned out. I made this one about 60 inches long.

I have almost a whole ball left over so I started Calorimetry last night and am about half done with it. It doesn't even look like the same yarn, does it. I am hoping to finish this tonite. Very easy pattern.

I did work a little bit on my toe up socks and started the heel gusset but that is as far as I got with those. My bagstopper is finished but for the straps, which I have pinned to, but not yet sewn on. No clue what I am waiting for. It is only 4 simple seems and I was at the sewing machine this week fixing a glove for my nephew.

I had just received my Basics Basics Basics course from TKGA right before I fell on that stupid car booger. I had wanted to start it right away, but I decided to wait until my arm was a little better first. Yes, I know, I have been knitting up a storm anyway, but I don't want pain to distract me from the course. This is something I have been wanting to do for a really long time, and I want to do it right. Plus these swatches are going to be examined by people that know what they are doing, so maybe I am a little nervous about it.

I joined an international sock swap on Ravelry and I get to swap sock yarn and some other goodies with a gal fron England. I plan to get the rest of my swap shopping done this week end so I can get it off in the mail to her.

I have pretty much peetered out on my Knit a Mile challenge, I have almost knit two miles of stash, and have reverted to some fresh yarn at this point. I met my original challenge and it was just the kick start I needed to get moving.

Saturday night the girls from Kelps work are supposed to get together, they have been knitting fools since the first session. I asked Kelp if they maybe wanted to learn the Multi directional scarf this week, so I think that idea is still on. I thought it would be fun to all be working on the same thing... I have plenty of yarn I can use for another one of those. Plus both of those girls are making afghans and we all know how boring that can get. A sassy scarf is just the thing to keep their interst peaked and this one is easy enough for a beginner.

I have Sarah's shower to finish planning, that is next week end and I am getting pretty excited about it. It should be lots of fun. Sarah told me this morning she was going to go dressed like a bum, I said the hell you are! I told her she did not have to dress up, but she had to look nice, after all, I am going to be showing off my beautiful daughter to my friends from work too.
She just gave me that... "Oh mom" look. Friday it it will be a trip to the party store for deocrations and games.
Knitting is probably going to take a slow down for the next week until her shower is over.

A funny thing happened on the way to the forum...

Chicagoland got another hefty snow fall this week (well two of them to be precise) and you know how the snow tends to build up around the wheel wells and all. Well I hate that part of winter. I always knock those chucks of ice off my truck. So, I did so on Saturday, right before I went to work. A Huge car booger! Solid like a rock too. I have to admit, this was my own stupidity, but I was too damn lazy to kick the big ole car booger out of the driveway and into the snow bank ( I guess I thought maybe the car booger fairy would take care of it while I was at work...not so). Well it was still there, laying in wait for me when I came home at 2 am.
Somehow I managed to back my lil ole truck right up next it. I gather all my crap, my purse, my feed bag and my tote bag, grab my cup of coffee with my other hand, kick the door open and step out...yup you guessed it, right on top of that friggin car booger! And down I went! Right on to my mother freakin elbow! Not on my ass where I have plenty of cushion and could have bounced back with only my pride hurt...Oh no, right on the very point of my elbow, with all of my weight.
I am stunned, sitting on the ground, I did not even have a chance to drop anything and grab the door. I think I sat there for a few minutes waiting for my breath to come back. OMG I have never felt such pain. Not the, I hit my funny bone kind of pain, it was the OMG-I think think I jammed my elbow through to the other side of my arm kind of pain.
I tried to stand after a few minutes, and realized I cannot even pick up my conglomerate of crap that was laying about on the ground. I don't have the wherewithal to move away from my truck and close the door. Just stood there in the cold contemplating an emergency room trip. For those of you that know me, you know it was bad if I was thinking of going to the emergency room...I do not do hospitals except under extreme duress!

Well, thank goodness the brother's came out the door about that time, they realized I was not quite myself, picked up my things and got me inside the house...Phew and good thing too because once inside the house I felt I could solidify my decision not to go. Good brother's that they are they immedialty blamed that boy for not plowing properly. And, being the kind of person I am, I shifted the blame and explained about the car booger, which gave everyone a good chuckle and then they went home and that boy went to bed. I however, grabbed an ice pack and sat up watching tv, bemoaning my stupidity and wondering whose Cherrios did I piss in to cause this bad karma.

Well here I am two days later, and my elbow still feels like someone is sticking a knife in and twisting it! That cannot be a good sign! I had almost talked myself into an xray quickly changed my mind this morning when it did not feel quite so bad...that is till I put on my uniform shirt and OMG...there it was again!
The really sucky thing is...this happens to be my favorite leaning elbow...it is the one I wear out all of my uniform shirts on. Hurts like the dickens, does not accurately decribe it. The good news I can still knit... if I rest my arm just so.
Maybe I will have checked tomorrow....maybe.

Ok here is the scoop on my Clapotis...Not going so well. I think I made a mistake somewhere, because I am at the dropping stitches point and something does not seem to be adding up. I know, you really can't tell from this picture, but at least you can see how far I got. So I am going to tear the whole thing out and start over... I just keep reminding myself frogging is good for the soul. Clearly this is not a tv project. I will start over at some point when I can give it my full attention until I get the rhythm down pat - then I'll turn the tv back on.




Remember I said I order yarn to go with those beads?? Yah... well... This yarn does NOT go with those beads. Not to say I am dissapointed in the yarn, it just cried out for something different! Now this is how I visualize the multi directional scarf to be be! Noro Silk Garden Lite (it was on sale for 5 something a skein at Webs). This is the coolest looking yarn I think I have ever bought!! I love this! Looking at the ball of yarn, I have no clue how it is going to knit up and all three balls that I bought are wound different so it looks like each one is a different colorway. I have checked and rechecked the labels to make sure of the dyelot and they are all the same. But side by side, they sure don't look it. This is the first time I have used Noro, and I can see why people love it. I can't tell you what the colorway is because I never did learn to read Japanese (yah like they offered that in my school...LOL) but I can tell you that I am using a size 6 needle :) Crazy stuff, this yarn is.

As for the beads, well I strung them on some gray Andean Treasure I was using for Ivy...which is clearly going nowhere and probably never going to... So I shall re-allocate the yarn!

This is Christmas prezzie yarn from my friend Jackie- Knit Picks Felici in Hummingbird. You know, in the begining I was not so impressed with Knit Pick's sock yarn, I always found it a little on the scratchy and unyeilding side. But this yarn is soft and yummy and as you can see, I have already had it on my foot and my foot is liking it! My first time with a toe up pattern. I must have frogged this toe 25 times before I got the cast on looking right. I was all the way up to heel gussett and realized it was a tad big, about 8 stitches too big, so I frogged it back down to the toe to used my usual number of sock stitches. My foot is fat, but not quite that fat.

I have decided that I have way too many WIP's and am going to seriously get down to finishing them. Starting with the Bagstopper I restarted and promptly put down.

Now, to all those that are wondering what thing I bought myself for Valentines Day... Keep guessing...LOL.

It could be used in knitting, in a manner of speaking.

The one I ordered did arrive today, but you will still have to wait for the results because I decided I wanted a bigger one before it even got here so I am sending it back for exchange. ;)

Life is too short to be stingy with yourself!

Right now you are all probably thinking words that are not fit for print..hehe


Foot note: I appologize for any mis spelled words...my spell check appears to be broketakated.

Oops, I almost forgot, Here is a picture of the shower invites Kelp and I made for Sarah. That Kelp is pretty darn clever with the paper isn't she.