Happy Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Here I am!!! I dressed as a freelance photographer for Halloween, could you tell?? Ok maybe not really freelance since the Chief requested my presence at the annual Hot Dog Roast to take pictures, but hey, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Note that I am all bundled up in my newly completed Noro Beret and Noro Stripe Scarf and my new fingerless gloves. Not so much a fashion statement since the gloves don't match my hat and scarf but it was darn cold here today!! And of course I had to stand outside (miss going trick or treating a-gain!) freezing my patutie off taking pictures of the hordes of masked masses coming for their free hot dog and chips.

When all that was said and done, go back home so I can sit and veg for a couple of hours before going back to work for my regular shift and ermmm that extra hour while ya'll got to sleep that I got to work.

As you can see, I am on a Noro kick. I picked up some Noro sock yarn on Ebay about a week ago and I am naturally diving right into yet another pair of socks. I don't want to get to crazy or anything but I am trying to be more like TN Dawn and shakin' up my sock knitting with a little stitch pattern. True to Jeanne fashion however, this Twisted Sock pattern (Rav link of course), had to have change up in it. I didn't care for the cuff so I used my standard cuff, I also found that the first few stitches in the pattern aggravated me. It had some purling in the set that make it look like it has a seem...um no! Isn't that the whole point of knitting in the round? Anyway I took out the seamy purls and continued in a smooth twist ;)
Here is my completed Beret

Pattern Scoop:Pattern:Last Minute Purled Beret
yarn: Noro Silk Garden (worsted weight)

Needles size 6
(I used 80 stitches to cast on but I think in this yarn I could tighten it up a little for my head)

Poor Sarah had surgery on her ears A-gain! The poor kid has been chronic with ear problems since she was about two and her right ear was severely damaged. So on Monday we all spent 11 hours waiting in the hospital (fun times) for the doctor to work his magic on her - while I knit away on my wimple...slow going for me and slow recovery for Sarah.

A marathon audio book session seemed to be the ticket after that ordeal. I downloaded Nora Roberts Sign of Seven trilogy for my little lazy fest. OMG! That series was so intense that I could not make myself turn it off to go to sleep! I went right from one to the next, and was damn annoyed when I had to stop to take a nap before going back to work. Usually Nora Roberts books don't intrigue me but this was these had me from the first.

So while I had the crap scared out of me I managed to finish my no name slip stitch sockies. Pretty pleased with how they turned out I might add.

Project Scoop

Pattern: My own no name socks... ;)

Yarn: Zen Yarn Garden Art Walk sock yarn - Petunia (very very nice to work with)

Needles size 2

I gotta tell you- I have had more trouble getting this post out. Is it me...or Blogger?? 3 times I have had to re-up load my pics...WTF! Lost all of my links I pain stakingly put in, had some wonky stuff happen with the font formatting....and lost my sig!!! It has taken me two days but here it finally is sans sig ;)

My ever-changing view

From my deck, I get to look at this view every day. I can't tell you how soothing it is. Just a little to the left or right, houses spoil the illusion that there is nothing else out there. But this draws my eye every time.

Twice now in the last two weeks I told myself I would take off for a day trip to Starved Rock that never happened. I used to make this small pilgrimage several times a year, but in the last few years I let work get in the way of that. Which is a shame since it is one of all time my favorite places to visit.

Last week work got in the way because I had worked so many extra hours, and I was just too tired to go anywhere- translate to- I slept away my days off. This week again work got in the way- shift changes equaled one real day off, which I spent cleaning...blah! Next week for sure I am going! I'm worried if I wait too long I will miss the color changes. Nothing more beautiful than the arrival of fall in my mind.

My Noro striped scarf is finished. I am not one for blocking a scarf so I draped it on the deck rail to dry, soon realized that if I left it there I risked having it blow away so I had to move it indoors.

I'm still plugging away at my sock and occasionally my wimple, but my mind is racing head to a matching hat.

You move your car first!

I rarely do this, but at the Mall the other day I found a parking spot right up front in the second row in front of Bed Bath and Beyond. Generally speaking I park as far away from other people as possible. Having spent so many years living with a man that always parks in the back 40, it is pretty much second nature to me to hike my way through the parking lot.

This particular day, however I whipped into a closer-and more crowded spot. I really don't like when other people park next to me, I am not a big fan of door dings you see and I find most people are ignorant in public places. Coming out of the store with my cart full of my sale bounty I run into a couple who was trying to force a baby carriage through the barricade opening. Really??Laughing at the dad I tell him "hey, if you just walk 10 feet that way it will fit". But no, He was trying to prove a point... What ?? that he was too lazy to walk the 10 feet?? I'm thinking.

As I walk to my car the parking lot sharks are circling...I take my time and stow everything into the trunk, as a car waits for my spot, looking at me like I am wasting her time. Now that really tweaks me! I turn around, give the driver my best disparaging look and continue to sloooowly rearrange my trunk, muttering to myself.

Really?? You can't drive you lazy ass over two freakin rows?? and you're going to look at me like I am wasting you're time??? Piss off!

( I understand now how it is I hear so many altercation calls at the Mall over the police band) I take my time putting the cart way ( it is my day off after all, and shopping is my therapy), and leisurely get into my car, make my self comfortable and turn to back out and that lazy biotch is too close for me to get out!

Are you kidding me??? I put my car in park and waited.

Naturally we have the stare down, and eventually she backs up to give me room ( I got all day honey). Don't mess with me today, it's been a baaad week at work and I am not in the mood for your ignorance!

I slowly drive out of the parking lot and back to my sanctuary.

Given the ugliness of my work week, it is no wonder I did so much knitting! My Noro Stripe scarf seems to be growing by leaps and bounds and is nearly finished. I have to agree with TNDawn, it is not a comfortable yarn to with, definitely on the scratchy side, but the end results are worth it. And it does wash up very soft. I find that using two Noro colors is a bit of a pain however, they like to grab onto each other and I am constantly untangling them.

But like I say, the end result is worth it!

My lace wimple is even growing! I am taking my time with this one since I am not a lace knitter and really need to pay attention to what I am doing...

This is my favorite this week. I dug out a ball of yarn I bought early in the year, from Zen Garden, Artwalk sock club. You might remember this one, Petunia. I couldn't find a sock pattern I liked for this yarn so I improvised. Ya'll know how I like to improvise. Not that I am a pattern designer or anything like that, But I am really pleased with how this sock turned out. I think the slip stitch pattern is just enough to shake up the colorway so.

Smells like Fall

It's that time of year again when the crisp smell of the air hits me, leaves are starting to fall and I start thinking cold weather accessories. Oh wait... I do that all year long.



Last year at Stitches I bought this huuge hank of lace weight yarn. Why? because I mistakenly thought I was going to make one of those pretty lacy shawls like CA Dawn makes. Rrriiight! Like that is going to happen.



I have had my eye on this hood/ snood/wimple/cowl or what ever you want to call it, for some time now. Wavy Feathers Wimple (Rav link) is a lace project, and we all know how those usually go for me. Still, all in all it seems to being going pretty well for me. The original is made from Quvit, which we saw at stitches for a mere $70 a teeny tiny ball. Mine is a merino wool if I remember right, and somewhere in the 6 or 7 balls of yarn I got out of it there is a label. Probably not going to keep me warm in the dead of winter or even on Polar Plunge Day, but I should look awful darn cute in it.



Raine spent Saturday night with me and decided she was going to take up knitting, again.

"For real?" I say.. " and you're going to finish it? Remember the bean bag you never finished?"

"Mommy lost the bean bag" (naturally she blames her mother)

"Ok" I say, and I dug out some chunky yarn and chunky needles, taught her to cast on and gave her the refresher on the knit stitch. 3 rows later I was fast asleep on the couch!

She went home on Sunday and well, there are still only 3 rows.

Not content to have an unfinished sweater, or the unfinished wimple and now a stole, and probably some other stuff I don't remember, but I needed the mindless knit of a scarf too.

I bough some Noro at Stitches this year specifically for the Noro Stripe Scarf by Jared Flood (Rav link). Of course, I never do things exactly the way they are written and I had to make my own modifications here.

To start with, I like my scarves skinnier than what Jared recommends so I started with 36 stitches, and I hate starting a row with a purl so I made it even. I love that it is mindless but doesn't look like it is mindless. And a girl can't have too many scarves now can we? I'm thinking maybe if I have enough yarn I may make a matching hat too.

Now to just figure out where to set up my sewing machine this year to start my hats for homeless project.