Commuting fun

Saturday was a fun filled day of keeping up with a 9 year old. First we road the train into the city. I tried to annoyed Raine as much as possible by taking her picture every time she turned around. I let her take a few of her own too.

We went to the Museum of Science and Industry for her birthday and Raine got her first look at the U-505 Submarine. Unfortuantely the tickets to go inside were sold out and she did not get to see what it was really like inside. But there was plenty of gadgets for her to mess with.

She got to play on an old time trolley car.

And a Gianormous John Deere Tractor.

And play with trains. Of course after the over priced taxi ride back to the train station, waiting an hour for the train home, we were both bushed! Raine snoozed on the train ride home and I nearly snoozed. After eating dinner and dropping her off at home, I crashed and burned myself. 

I added this picture of Brodie just because he has been blog neglected, and just because he is so darn cute! And actually.. I'd say the blog itself has been neglected. 

I worked on my BBB course and have started swatch #4. I plan to do all my end weaving and blocking when I have finished the last swatch for this lesson. 

I have no clue how many lessons there are in this course since Adrena sends them to you one at a time with your swatch evaluations, but so far I would say it is worth the cost of the course. I can't wait til I can move onto the next level.

My Holly Berry cardi had to take a back seat since I was, A) too stupid and B) somehow managed to loose the only copy of the instructions. Ann at PW is great! I shot her an email telling her what an IDOT I was and she promptly sent me a new copy of the instructions at no charge.

Swatching has been about all I could handle right now anyway.  I am back on noons for the next couple weeks so I should be in a knit/blog routine again for a little while.

Pedi Break

Last week I took a much needed pedicure break! Even tho my appointment was really too early in the day for me, it was heaven! Heated massage chair, warm bubbly water, pampered feet and good friends sure made up for the lack of sleep I got.

I did manage to bring my head out of the fog long enough to get in another pattern set on my Tidal Wave socks without any mis-haps. (Not that you can see the waves in this picture, but it is finally turning out right)

A year ago (almost to the day) I decided to order the Basics knitting course from TKGA. My intention is to work my way up through the Masters course. Right after I got the course in the mail, I took that nasty fall in the driveway and was incapacitated for a while. Just long enough to lose my steam over the course. Good thing there is no time limit!

I had a couple of nights without my trainee this week so I dug out my course and finally started. I figured the lessons would be simple enough in this phase that my half brain could comprehend them.

Swatches...I can handle swatches this week.

Other than that, well... Internet house shopping and stupid Vampire Wars on Facebook is the only other thing I have had the energy to do.

Next week I switch back to days for 3 days for a class I am going to attend, then afternoons for two weeks to finish up training New Girl, then- just maybe I can settle into and comfortable routine on mids.

I am a knitting Fool!

NOT!

Oh yah! I am going to get sooo much knitting done while I'm shift!! Yah Right! Between the switch from semi normal living to the lifestyle of a vampire, and the 12 hour shifts I have been bombarded with during the last two weeks I find that I have no higher brain function what so ever and can only manage the most basic tasks. Straight knitting in the round is the only thing that I can seem to manage at this particular time.

Hence...the only picture I have to show you is this one of my sleeve. And now that I am at the next phase of the sweater I find that I cannot comprehend the instructions and I am waiting for some nice person from Ravelry to explain it to me in words that my feeble mind can understand.

We have lots lots more snow, but no pictures because, this week, that too requires higher brain function.

Brodie seems to be adjusting to the change in schedule better than I am, but then he does have a dogs life. I think we are now at the stage where I can throw all of his toys into the bedroom and close the door and let him have at it while I sleep without any mischief.  That was not the case last week...there was all kind of mischief while momma slept. He seems to be over his little snit now, and when I work the 12's either his cousin Jay or Auntie Kelp and Uncle Twig will rescue him for a while to let him potty and play. 

How many days does it take to write a blog post? Well for me this week I think it was at least 3.

Two more nights and I can enter the real world again-at least for a couple of days.

I'm Walking in a fog!

Happy New Year!!

In with the New Year and In with a new shift! That's right, I am on a new shift. For the last four years I have been on the afternoon shift and I have just gotten bumped to midnights this year. In a way I dreaded it because I have never been able to get the hang of that daytime sleeping thing. But on the other hand, it will be nice to fly under the radar for a while. Maybe I will finally get caught up with my work.

So until I get myself and little Brod-man adjusted to the new schedule I am walking around in a fog. Worse, I actually feel intoxicated and am having a hellava time keeping these peepers open tonite! Today fairly sucked! I just came off my second midnight shift after having worked a 12 hour shift, I get home around 7 ish...had to wake Brodie up to go potty (turn about is fair play doncha think?). I let him play for a while then I could not keep my eyes open any longer and told him " lets go ni ni". Of course he looks at me like I am cracked. Finally, I convince him to go back to bed and I slept all the way to...10:30!!! Wow...was that ever refreshing! Yah...two whole hours! Boy this is going to be a fun adjustment. I did go back to sleep from about 2pm to 5:30 pm but it sure wasn't enough.

You know that panic feeling you get when you are so tired that you are afraid you are going to over sleep and be late for work? That was me today, waking up every half hour to watch the clock to make sure I would not over sleep. Catch-22!

Naturally I am way too bleary eyed to accomplish much knitting. Even so, I managed to make some headway on my Tidal Waves sock. I am using Tofutsies instead of the soysilk. Huge difference in size. I ripped it completely out about three times before I was satisfied with the way it looks. The pattern doesn't call for it but I finally figured out that I had to knit through the back of the yarn over to keep it from looking lacy. Of course since I have knit the same section over and over again that I have the pattern memorized already. (Note the cute little dice stitch marker courtesy of TN Dawn) And if you look closely you can actually see the waves this time!

Another ripped out project! You might remember a while back that I had bought a sweater kit from Philosophers Wool at Stitches Market and it did not come with the color schematics. Well I did start the sleeve but I did not like how it was looking with my own randomizing so I emailed them for the color pattern. What I got instead was a large picture file. Since they apparently do not track the way they use the colors, no two sweaters look alike. I am all about the free spirit thing but I really wanted mine to look like the one in the picture! I was able to blow the picture up and figure out to the best of my ability, in which order the colors were used. Close enough for government work I always say!

I am pleased with the way the sleeve is turning out so far... and thank goodness, I can do this mostly with my eyes closed or I would not have even this much done.

I did also manage to finish Sarah's socks so I can give those to her when ever I become conscious again. I actually have not knit in a couple of days at all. I was too afraid to puck up my projects. A couple of more days and I should be back in form.
I did get a little itchy in my fingers and bought myself a new sketchbook the other day. I have not picked up a graphite in several years so I was a little nervous and afraid I would draw like a kindergartner. It felt so good to be drawing again. By Jove I think I still have it! I am pretty pleased with how these impromptu drawings turned out, especially considering I haven't put pencil to paper in several years, I think they turned out pretty ok.

I have been seriously considering going back to school while I am on mids to study art - something I have always wanted to do since I was high school, but I took a detour into the Army instead of school.



I don't know if I am going to do that yet but it bears careful consideration. For right now, it just feels good to hold a pencil in my hand again.

An Experiment In Thrumming Mitts

CA Dawn told me I need to explain what I am doing. Said it looked like I was knitting with my hair...LOL I guess she is right. 

It did look like I was knitting with my hair.

 So here we go - Not that I have ever done this before and I really don't know what I am doing yet, but Google is a wonderful tool isn't it. I have been wanting to try a pair of thrummed mittens for a while, the frigid cold this week prompted me into a little impulse shopping of some Wool of the Andes to make it happen.

I already had some roving from a spindle kit I had purchased a couple of years ago. (not so good at the spinning thing)- See Dawn...roving :) 

I found a website that explained how to make the thrums. Basically you pull off a few inches fold it like a cute little bow with the ends in the middle leaving little loops at the outsides. Of course my thrums don't look like her thrums. But they are at least as thick as the yarn I am using.

I don't have a pattern for them so I used my standard mitten pattern, then added 4 more stitches after the ribbing to accommodate the extra bulk of the thrums.

They are knitted in every 4th stitch in this case. I have had to pull the thrums out several times and start over before I finally got the hang of knitting in the roving pieces. I am sure that by the time I'm on mitten number 2 it will look a lot better than this one does.

Here is what the mitten innards look like. I am not sure if my thrums should be closer together or not, or even if they should be bigger, but usually when I'm winging it my stuff turns out pretty ok ;) 

And since this pair is for me they don't have to be perfect or even pretty. The next pair are for a gift -but that's only if this pair turn out acceptable...LOL

Now back to knitting with my hair ;)

Best Ever Christmas Eve!

It Just wouldn't be Christmas without a new project on the needles!

 I've been wanting to try my hand at a pair of thrummed mitts, so I Googled the " how to" and started making the thrums...takes a little getting used to knitting with them.

 I also started a pair of socks for Sarah in more of that same alpaca yarn. One down and half of one to go. I took it to my brothers to work on in between stuffing my face full of spinach dip and bread.

I had to have her try on the completed one too since she has those itty bitty little kid feet. 

Vicki's husband and I have had this long standing joke about my knitting...and in particular Beer Can Hats... NO I DID NOT MAKE THIS! I have never made a beer can hat, but unfortuately, I have had to watch my mother make them.  So one night last week I found this on Ebay. Yes...apparently they are a hot item. Personally I have never understood the draw, but Vicki and I decided she should get this for him for Christmas. And knowing Jimmy like I do...he will wear it, in public even. We laughed so hard about it that I almost peed myself!

The grandbabies had a great time at Uncle Bob's... He has one of those up one side and down the next type of staircases that make running through the house that much more fun.

Raine and Ethan are the only little kiddies left now... it is sad when all the little monsters finally grow up. My eldest nephew was working late so I did not get to see him. (Usually that is my line)

And no one was disapointed in their gifts, not even when Raine unwrapped a can of black olives from Auntie Pam. The look on her face was priceless!!! The girl does love her black olives, and she definately got the joke.

This of course was my Merry Christmas to me gifts.

And the kids gave me this...The Rocky Horror Picture Show! 52 times at the 812 Cinema!!!

 "Sci-ence fiction..wooooo...double feature...Doctor X...will build a creature..."   Oh Sorry, I guess I went back in time for a bit. Damn...Now I have that song stuck in my head.

And this awesome handpainted alpaca yarn came from Kelp. And Brodie got more stuffies of course. 

But the best gift of all was a phone call from my long lost son!! And what a welcome surprise it was to hear his voice!! Maybe next year I might actually get to see him.

I hope every one had a wonderful Christmas too.

A Fridged Winter Solstice??

Jumpin Josephat is it ever cold!!

This must be by far the coldest winter solstice that I can ever remember. I am sure The Farmers Almanac could tell us otherwise, but I can't remember one this cold ever in my life. Tonite it is -4 degrees!! Not including the wind chill of course. And we have so much snow that poor Brodie has to leap frog through it because it is up to his chest. Unfortunately he can't get back to his favorite potty spot. Uncle Twiggy shoveled out a section for the dogs...needless to say two out of the three are still adjusting to the snow shock. 

The frigid wind is another story. It is so painful to be outside that even Brodie doesn't want to be out.

I am so glad that I bought those boots when I did, my tooties have stayed nice and warm in them.

You just can't seem to take a picture of cold. 

While the wind howled outside I made this headband for a last minute Christmas gift for Mr Man, it matches his Mossy Muffler.


And this Drops 86-10 headband for Vicki, to go with the Woven Cord scarf (Rav link) that I gave her for Christmas. (we have already exchanged at work so it is safe to show you this)

Another Christmas Surprise came in the mail. CA Dawn, not to be outdone by TN Dawn in the gift giving department sent me this little beauty along with some of the best smelling strawberry soap that she and her husband made together! Not only does her soap smell fantastic but it is heavenly on the skin!

This has certainly been the Season of Surprises for me!!

Dawn this is beautiful thank you!!! You must tell me which pattern this is.

I am now off to brave the fridgid cold weather to look at a couple of townhouse, then finish up some odds and ends so I can get the kids prezzies wrapped and ready and out of the way.

I'm In Yarnitopia!

There's some kind of Christmas conspiracy going on!!

Yesterday I went in to work early so that I could "work my magic" on yet another last minute Power Point for the Chief (oh - yea) and the girls at work tell me I have presents. What??? Presents??? "What happen to we exchange with our partners?" "Well... we love you". 

So I open my gifts and what do I find? The cutest ever Brodie picture frame from Jackie!

Look how they go together..."Like peas n carrots"

Pammy had this for me...a bounty of Andean Treasure!!! I absolutely LOVE Andean Treasure, baby alpaca is the softest ever yarn.  Mystery Heather, Embers and Woods! All my favoritest colors too!

And this adorable glass ornament- Which Brodie thought was real interesting too. 

Then I get home and find this in the mail box!

This I knew was coming from

Irishgirlies Blogaversary Contest. 

Socks that Rock Hollyday yarn!!! This is even yummier in person than it was on her blog!

Accompanying STR was a lamp work (looks like) stitch marker by Sunneshine in red, a pad cutey sheep note paper and a sample of Soak to wash my finished Frismasy sockies in. This is my first STR yarn so I am pretty darned excited about it.

The biggest surprise by far was this package of goodies.

TN Dawn -queen of cutey socks and berets, sent me these yummy Lornas Laces in Watercolor

These adorable stitch little dice markers...obviously for the gambler in me ;)

And this crazy Jingle Bell pen!  This is such a Jeanne-like pen, I played with it half the night...Already I have had to move it out of Brodies reach and he tried to snatch one of my skeins of yarn. I think he thought it was another bungee baby.  

I'll tell you why this was such a surprise...Dawn is a sneaky girl...I would have sworn I just exchanged address' with her on the ...oh -15th according to my email. Yet this little surprise package was shipped on the 12th!! SNEAKY SNEAKY DAWN! How did she do it?? There is no way that I am that forgetful! (somehow I think I am going to be really embarrassed when she finally tells me)

I am so blessed in my friends! And do they know me or what! I could not have asked for anything better!!  

Many many thanks to my dear friends!