For the Love of Brodie

I realized it has been a very long time since my last post. Part of the reason is because I haven't really been knitting much. I am still working on my tofutsie sock (yes singular) I am at the toe, but not had the ambition to finish. I did start the Koolhaas which is turning out very Kool indeed! But that is as far as I have gotten. 

Something very exciting has come into my life and I have been more than a little bit distracted by it...or rather him. Meet Brodie, the new love of my life. Isn't he beautiful!!!

Last week, after scouring the Internet for a Sheltie pup, I finally found THE ONE. This little man has a face that reminds me of my old Sheltie Kashmir, and the has some of the same personality traits of the older one Eros.  In fact, he looked just enough like Kaz that it prompted me drive 700 miles on Saturday to pick him up. So Raine and hopped into my truck and took off to pick him up, we arrived back home at 4 am Sunday morning with our little bundle of joy. Little Brodie and Raine were both troopers during the long drive, no complaints out of either one of them.

The other exciting thing is that we have decided to move to a smaller, more energy efficient house. This house (rental) is waaaay to big for me to upkeep, and way too hard to heat! Our winter utilities are astronomical! We have been spoiled for so so many years here, with the large 3K house and the 4 acres of land that it will be a hard move for us, but it makes sense. So I have been spending a good deal of my off work time packing. Not one to wait til the last minute for something like that, ya know. This is a great time to get rid of crap that has been sitting around in boxes or on the shelf for the last six years. (deadables not included). 

A large garage sale is in the making ;)

So with all that going on, is it any wonder I haven't picked up a set of needles?

Summer of Socks? Maybe

Ever notice how shopping can make you feel better when your down? Ok, so maybe it is only a temporary fix, but sometimes you just need to indulge yourself. The Internet has been my friend this week. I immediately went to my favorite Lorna's supplier on Ebay (emtnstr) and located three colors I have been musing over. Red White and Blue, for some patriotic 4th of July socks. I found a couple of patterns through Ravely that just might suit. 

I wanted to make the Girls Best Friend Socks too, but had a little problem... they were GINORMOUS! Apparently my kankles are not as big as some.

So I had to shelf that project while I waited for some smaller needles. I naturally ordered the new Harmony double point set. These are awesome needles. So so smooth and silky. I love that they come in sets of six, I will inevitably break one, and in a nice little case to keep them all together.  

Of course I immediately cast on a sock, Loopy- one of my favorites, in some Tofuties that I picked up last year at Stitches.  Since I have so much sock yarn, I figure this should be my summer o' socks.

 I already have my days off scheduled for Stitches in August, and I need to make room in the closet for a new batch of yarn. Maybe some more kits this year too.

I couldn't very well pay shipping just for some needles, so I ordered Artic Lace. I have been wanting this book for a while, I probably should have just gone to the library for the one pattern I wanted out of it, but what the heck, maybe I'll find something else in it I like.

Here are the fingerless mitts I started on my Vegas trip. My hand looks like a big ole' meat hook in these...good thing they are for a boy ;) I think I will be putting these away until Christmas.

Then there is the red white and blue plaid that I started, was it last year or maybe the year before. I actually crocheted a few rows on this the other night. Good project for chilly weather.  Once the body is crocheted I will weave the yarn in the opposite direction to create the plaid effect. Poor Sarah has been waiting for this one for a while. I am making this one bigger than the one I made for myself, and I really have no clue how big yet. I plan to just keep crocheting until it looks right to me.

I will be helping the kids move on my days off this week. So I don't expected to get much of anything recreational accomplished. But I would like to get this afghan done this year to give to them, hopefully before the 4th. We'll see how that goes.

Knitisiums

I think I might need this shirt.

Is that even a word? Knitisiums? Oh well, it is now. I have been browsing the net tonite looking for something to buy. Very bad I know but I figured I have enough overtime in the last two weeks to make up any shopping I do tonite. I can remember not to very long ago that I could not even find one t-shirt or one coffee mug with any type of knitisium on it. Tonite I have found page after page of them. So many in fact that I cannot decide.

Decisions, decisions.


What I did find that I could buy tonite was this....from realmofredheads.com

This shirt along with a few others that celebrate my belonging to the top 4% ;) of the population.

My natural born redheadedness has been causing some dissension in my peace of mind lately.

Ever feel like you are nearing your boiling point? That your level of tolerance for ignorance and stupidity is being reached? I have recently been feeling like a volcano ready to erupt. Quite likely to erupt at work and at home. I am thinking that somebody is going to be the recipient of a tongue lashing and it is not going to be pretty! I try hard not to lose my temper, but sometimes...ok.. It is not even one particular thing that is causing this feeling, but a series of events, rude and whining remarks that is bringing me to this point.

Plus the fact that I am overwhelmed with work, my house is a mess and I can't seem to find the time or energy to put it right, I am working too many hours and my favorite police officer went to a busier department. :(

Top that off with a shitty vacation (I know my butt is fat, and I do not need anyone to remind me, thank you very much!) and there you have it... a volcanic explosion just waiting to happen!

Perhaps it is the reason I felt the need to buy a t-shirt that says "Consider the hair a warning"

On a knitting side note, I did finish the fingerless gloves for that spousal-type-person who does not deserve them (picture to come at a later date). And I discovered that my own fingerless gloves are great for wearing outside and in that cold ass work out room at work, but they are not so good for typing. Way too bulky, I kept hitting the wrong keys. I shall have to make another fingerless - fingerless glove to cover cold hands for typing.

I am having a bit of a knitting slump as well Dawn, don't feel too bad.

I'd rather be Knitting!

Vegas was a pretty good time, and it was pretty good to me. Four days and four nights only cost me $300 in gambling...not too shabby. That means they gave me way more than I gave back since I came away with almost as much as I took with me.

(shopping not included-that is an entirely separate fund of course).

We stayed and played at the Big Apple (NY NY)

Then played at the MGM Grand and watched the men play with the big kitties.
(not on your life would I ever get inside there!!)

POWER WALKED our fat butts all the way to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch one day (and more shopping of course). Then we found out there was a shuttle that could take us the three flippin' miles back to the strip!
The lunch and shopping was well worth the long walk tho, (at least us girls thought it was).
My crazy brother-in-law-type-person (A fellow hillbilly) decided he wanted to ride the XScream at the top of the Stratosphere (insane). So we all dutifully watched him take his ride from the very windy observation deck at the top, with our hearts in our throats. I don't think these pictures do the height of the building and the rides justice.

We were waaaaaaay up there!

Here is Tuck (third one from the front with his hands in the air- crazy fool) Mind you this patricular ride throws you over the edge of the building and suspends you there. Towards the end of the ride we all heard Tuck yell out that he could not feel a certain part of his anatomy that is better left unmentioned. Altho it did generate a hearty chuckle out of the onlookers on the deck. ;)Our last full day we went about in an nice easy stroll. (That power walking spousal-type apparently decided he had enough and spent the entire day in bed- so much the better for the rest of us).

We stopped at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. The figures were so real looking it was totally creepy. Creepy but very cool. There was also a surprise in the museum, which I won't spoil for anyone who might go there. I highly recommend taking a camera to the museum and making sure you make a pit stop prior to the surprise show!!

(Note the Caution sign above)

Tuck and Twig with the Blue Man Group

Tuck bumping it up with erm- somebody or other.

I'll just bet you never saw a Twig pole dance before...LOL
We were worried that he might throw a branch or something.
( I think this was Britney Ho - I mean Spears)

Tuck and Stevie singing Ebony and Ivory... ok -so Tuck was singing, Stevie just sat there.



And here is the result of my airplane knitting. Fingerless glove #1 for that boy who probably won't even wear them if he runs true to form. I slept the entire way home so I really only knit on the way there.

Quite frankly, I was so exhausted after the trip that I could not wait to get back to work and the two 12 hour shifts waiting for me this week!! I think I truly would have rather have stayed home and knit on my vacation.

Viva Baby!

My Baby Surprise Jacket is all done, barring sewing the seams, of course. I had a much better understanding the second time round. Putting it together was like a Chinese puzzle. I twisted it this way and that way, and the finally - I figured out how it went. Thank goodness for that little neck line dip or I would have stuffed it in a drawer.  Since I have lots of this baby yarn I think I will make the little hat too that matches. I will stash it away for a future occasion when I finish. 

I also finished my Hooray for Me gloves. My very first time making fingers I will have you know! I did say I was going to challenge myself this year, didn't I. To some it may seem like baby steps, but for me I am breaking away from my comfortable norm.  Altho, once I get the hang of a pattern, I make it again and again and again, thus making it my new norm. 

My next pair will be for that boy. In a manly dark sagey color. Altho why I don't know, because I am sure he really doesn't deserve it, he has a definite evil side for sure! 

 I think I mentioned last time that we were planning a Vegas trip this week end. I was planning on getting myself a nice little base tan before I left because , I know, once out in that Nevada sun, I will be toast! 

So I take myself off to my friend's tanning salon, and have a very successful 10 min session. (red head, ya know) I am feeling pretty comfortable about it (having burnt myself badly last year) and decide I can handle the normal 20 minutes (seriously, I used to go almost daily). 

Well I left the shop on Sunday feeling life was good, however, by Sunday night my backside was burnt to a crisp! Talk about frying the fat!! It is really too bad you can't loose weight that way.

I break out the Solarcaine because I can no longer stand the pain late Sunday and realize  am never going to sleep without it. Ask my (evil) spousal type person to kindly spray my back. Which he did, along with my backside! Ok, thank you, I could reached that part myself, but he seemed to get a big kick out if it. So much so, that as I stand waiting for it to dry so I can re-dress, that evil person thought how funny to take sneaky pictures of my red backside with his damn Iphone!!

Worse yet, he had me convinced he put it on You Tube!!!  (no, don't go looking for it, he was just teasing) Men! Unfortunately he also seem to find it funny to show people at his work... oh and please did we have to magnify the dimples??

You're probably wondering why  I am making him a pair of fingerless gloves after that??? Because I stupidly do not hold grudges. Besides, it gives me a safe airplane project. I intend to forget about that horrible incident and plug my ears into my Ipod and knit my way across the country!

Finally- as I sit here waiting for my sheets to dry, I have finished my other slouchy sock, and will be styling at O'hare Airport. 

By Jove, I think I've got it!

Not too much happening in the knitting world for me last week. I had to attend a CTO class, (that is "Communications Training Officer" to the non-police world.) I felt like I was back in High School cramming for a test on Wednesday night. When the instructor announced that it was not an open book test, I started to panic!! My memory is like a sieve nowadays, lack of oxygen or something I'm sure! So naturally on the last day of my class, the day of the test, I brought my knitting and knitted in class right before my test to calm my nerves. Musta worked because I only got two wrong! Woo Hoo!  I am now fully certified :) We also had to give an impromptu demonstration in front of the class during the week, in which I naturally taught knitting... and ladies, I taught it to a man with two pens and a tie from a classmates hoodie. LOL

Since I was stalling the grafting of my beaded scarf now for well over a week. I finally got out my  Knitters Handbook and followed it step by step. I am not completely happy with the final product. It seems like this scarf was doomed from the start. Not being able to get all the beads I needed in a timely manner, then to top things off, I was a stitch off, somewhere along the line I increased and did not realize it until I started grafting, WTF. The original pattern called for a 3 needle bind off, which leaves a big ugly seem. I kinda wanted to try to graft with the beads included so there wasn't an empty row, but that wasn't working out either.

You can see my big boo boo here. I broke all my personal rules about leaving in a mistake, but I just did not have the heart to start all over again. So I left in the glaring mistake and fudged it. Not so great at the garter stitch grafting either. This is what I call a fk it project! At least is not a gift and nobody probably notice when I wear it, at least I hope nobody notices. Design feature..yah that's it design feature.

Remember that toe up sock that went nowhere? Isn't it funny how quickly a project can go when you enjoy the process? Well I got back into my sock groove, and managed to get the first slouchy one finished (top down of course) and I am determined to get the hang of the Kitchener's stitch. It has been eluding me forever. Every sock I do I have had trouble with it. FINALLY I think I've got it! I got out my handy dandy book and talked my self through it (yet again) and this toe turned out perfect!! Even better, I think I actually grasp the stitch!!! 

(note the impressive balancing act on one foot while taking photos - yoga does have some unusual benefits)

Having a smooth toe was really the only thing that prompted me to try a toe up in the first place. I like the way normal sock knitting flows, and altho I am not confident that I can do it again without the book, this was the first time I had the "Ah ha" moment.  

I love this yarn (Felici) it is very soft and comfy, much much nicer than any of Knit Picks previous sock yarns, I predict a long and happy relationship with this pair of socks, even though it makes me look like I have some really fugly kankles.

I think I had the "Ah ha" moment with the Baby Surprise Jacket too. I re cast on the other night and now realize that I had been making a major mistake, like, oh you know, like following the directions!  I think I get it now, and it is starting to look like everyone else's :)  Funny how a little thing like following directions can make such a big difference!

We are still counting down- 9 more days to Vegas.... hmmm what knitting to take on the plane with me. 

What a froggy week.

It has just been one of those froggy weeks for me. Never never try to knit a complicated pattern when your eyes are trying to close. 

I apparently have too many things going at once again- go figure. I was happily knitting away on my baby surprise jacket thinking I had a handle on it, when I realized something was rotten in Denmark. I was all the way to the neckline decreases and somewhere along the way I lost track of my increases. Now that I have a visual of how it is supposed to look, I realised that I had a stubby sleeve. WTF Chuck! 

So yesterday I ripped the whole damn thing out. Rather than try to figure out where I went wrong, I will just start over with a fresh mind. 

My poor Alien guy ended up with a lopsided face too, I lost track of where I was on my graph and skipped a couple of rows. Don't worry, I am not going to frog the whole thing. I am on motif #4 and I am only ripping back about 4 rows so it is not a tragedy. 

 

Since things were not going so well on those two projects, I worked on my bath mat. I  think I only need about 10 more inches and it should be a good size, I am trying to keep shrinkage in mind for this since it is 100% cotton.    The Rug is only 17 inches wide, I figured this way it will be about the width of floor space between the potty and the tub. Yes I know, not much space at all. I am planning the length for right around 37 inches. So yay- I am almost done with a project! I have found that commercial rugs are either ity bity or they are too wide for my bathroom. I think this one was an after thought in the house, because the other bathroom is much bigger.

 When we first moved in here I called dibs on the big bathroom, but that boy vetoed me. How does that happen? And since when do men need the biggest bathroom, I have way more junk than he does!

I finally gave up on Hobby Lobby getting my beads in. Whoever does the ordering for that department completely sucks!! I ran out to Michael's last night and picked up 5 more of those little flippin' tubes of beads. Paid more than twice what I paid for them at Hobby Lobby, but I am annoyed with them, so for now, they are on my boycott list. To top things off, the damn things, are just a little off in color and size. I am hoping that I am the only one that will notice there are actually 3 different beads in my scarf. But, even so, I happily sat watching the X-Files and stringing beads onto my yarn. Once the beads are strung, the knitting goes PDF ( pretty darn fast) so I should be finishing up the scarf in the next couple of days.  Not that I plan on being able to wearing it this year, I think we had our last freaky snow yesterday, but at least it will be done! 

Raine and I are going to see Horton Hears a Who today, so it will be good theater knitting ;) 

I am really going to work on finishing up some of these things here before I start yet another project. 

Peter Snow Tail

Friday we had another huge snow storm...gotta love the Midwest! The official recording was 10.5 inches but I  am thinking I should have stuck a ruler in my yard to see the actual.

Dawn, here is a big 'ole snow pile for ya after that boy finished cleaning the driveway two days later. Keep in mind we have several piles like this and a lot of it has melted already.  Apparently Saturday night the brothers decided to go 4-wheeling through it. The Goof Balls!

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter!! Mine was uneventful, which is as it should be.

Those folks in the Bluff are industrious. On my way into work yesterday I spied three mature adults building this right across from the station. Too Flippin' Cute! Peter here is taller than the average man, and I know that 3 people can stand behind him without barely being seen.

My co-workers tell me the trio had been out there on the Village Green for over two hours building him.  Since it was such a beautiful day everyone on the east side of town seemed to be out for a walk. And of course, they all stopped to take pictures of Peter Snow Tail with their camera phones.

Thank goodness for camera phones or I would have been pissed about missing a picture of this. 
It will be interesting to see how much of him is left when I go to work today.

Don't you hate it when someone moves your stuff???  Ok so maybe it wasn't the neatest looking conglomerate of things, and maybe I did over take the dining room table but, dammit, we never use that room! 

I think I have mentioned that the brothers play Wii on Saturday nights. I would not think this Saturday would be any different than any other right? Well - I guess it sucked to be me. Apparently the sisters were tired of not being included in the Saturday night ritual and when I came home from work, everyone was playing a dice game on the dining room table!!! 

Where were my projects you ask? Piled on the card table thats where!!!! Is nothing sacred? Men! He would have had a conniption fit if I moved his things!

Since I have ADD this month and am working on so many things at once, I really haven't made a lot of progress on any one thing. My bath mat is coming along, ( my standard mindless project for when I am too tired to concentrate). I am making pretty good progress on that one, so I must have been tired alot this week...LOL

I was seduced into starting the EZ Baby Surprise Jacket by a KAL group on Ravelry.  Yes, I have officially joined the ranks of EZ Knitter! I think it is coming along ok. It is kinda hard to tell. I am not real crazy about how the psso's are looking, but I keep going forward. I am blindly trying to follow Elizabeths pattern because I can't get the visual in my head yet. 

I haven't done squat on my alien piece, I haven't had a real clear mindset to work on it so it just sits for now.

Remember those toe up socks I was trying to work on? Well F@#%  those toe up socks! I realized if something is sitting in ZZZ land for too long, it is just not meant to be. If you hate the process, frog it! Because it will be a UFO forever!

So that is what I did, frog the damn sock that was going no- where, and started one I knew I would like. 

I love this yarn, and I think it was just crying out for a great pair of slouchy socks. :) Now I am a happy sock knitter and have a portable project again.

 Isn't it funny how, when you like what your working on, it goes pretty darn quick.

ET phone home

What have I been up to?? Oh Boy...well where do I start. Hmmm I guess with work, work and more work. My department hosts an annual Polar Plunge for Special Olympics.  March 1, it was a balmy 29 degrees...yes, that's right, I said 29 degrees! The water temperature was posted at 34 degrees, I seriously think that was completely false! I was not one of the 219 insane peoplethat plunged into the icy waters of Lake Michigan but I did get wet and it did not feel like 34 it felt more like minus 34!!   

The park district had to bring in a back hoe to clear a path for the plungers. The beach was so covered in snow and ice that you could not see any sand at all and it was exhausting to walk through.

 Usually myself and my fire department cohort sit on the rocks to take pictures of the event but there was so much snow and ice covering it that we could not climb the rocks, we could not tell where there was a solid place to stand. Not only that but the Chief strictly forbade us to even try (WTF)! I suppose it did not help my cause that I fell right in front of him.  You can see in the picture below how much snow and ice was on my usual perch. 

My poor son-in-law was coerced into plunging, actually I believe my exact words were " if you're going to marry my daughter you have to do the Polar Plunge" Good hearted boy that he is, he braved the elements and plunged.  (That is him with his arms in the air.) And, bless his heart, he plans on doing it again next year! I don't know how he did it! I personally did not think I was ever going to thaw out. In fact this was the coldest I have ever been!!

Note the shelf of ice where the photographer with the tri-pod is standing. I am not sure if he realized there was nothing but water beneath him. 

For anyone who is interested, our Plunge raised $110,000 this year for the Special Olympics!! The best one we have had in 9 years! More plunge pictures here!

Still in charity mode, Lynda from California sent me two dozen hats and two dozen scarves to donate to our local homeless shelter. Lynda is amazing!! This is the second installment of hand knitted and crocheted hats that she has sent to me, the scarves are made from fleece about half of them were made and the other half purchased. I've been feeling pretty lax, because with everything that has been going on the last month or so, I haven't been able to make anymore myself. Lynda sure puts me to shame when it comes to this endeavor. I will have to kick it into gear and get that sewing machine out and make those fleece hats I planned on making a couple of months ago. 

Here is what is happening on the home front. A big fat nothing! I am so disgusted with Hobby Lobby! Probably my own damn fault for buying the beads there in the first place, but at the rate they replenish, I will not get this scarf finished until next year. I have learned my lesson, I will buy beads online from someone that counts them!

My pretty beaded alpaca scarf has been living unhappily in this basket in the meantime. I had to ask for the beads to be ordered today since the last three times I have been to the store the hook as been empty.  And go figure, the damn things were 50% off today. 

My toe up socks have been placed on the back burner as well because I was being too retarded with them and have had to rip back several times. I guess I am not in the right mind set for them right now. 

Yesterday my sock swap package came. Sarah and I opened it together and what fun, she kept pulling stuff out of the little read bag, 3 balls of Peruvian alpaca, a ton of adorable stitch markers, a little bag to keep them in, beautiful hand painted sock yarn and the best....a pound of Brazilian coffee...absolutely divine!!

The one thing that I have been able to work on is my alien scarf. It is slow going because it is my first real experience in chart reading and I don't want to screw it up. I am so enjoying the process of this scarf. I keep stopping to stare at it as those little green faces start to pop out at me. I am in love with illusion knitting!! It is so magical and I am still in love with it. Of course my daughter wants one too now. And freak that I am, I have been showing everyone at work pictures of it like it is a new baby or something. 

Of course, I am pretty darn sure I don't have enough yarn to finish... yet again, poor planning. I would have sworn I checked the yardage when I ordered, but clearly I do not have enough yarn. How aggravating!

Here is ET

Now you see them...

Now you don't!

It has been a sad day on Sesame Street today. I had to go back to the bone doctor about my elbow. Apparently when he said "don't lean on it" he really meant DON'T LEAN ON IT!

Ok, so maybe I leaned on it, a little bit. I couldn't help it, I don't do broken or sicky very well. The damn thing started filling up with fluid and, instead of getting better, the pain was making me nauseous.

  He had to aspirate it today. In layman's terms that means take a big freakin needle, jab it into the most painful part of your elbow without warning your first or numbing it. Then draw out this disgusting liquid, and show it to you. Then give you a shot of cortisone in the same freakinplace, which burns like a MFr! Lie and say it will feel better soon. Well apparently his definition of soon and mine are two different things! 

Ok - to be honest, it is starting to feel a little bit better, but I still feel nauseous from the pain and had to take some Vicodine to take the edge off. I've been feeling pretty muzzy today and just wanted to whine about it. I know, got any cheese to go with that? I am going to try really hard to take better care of it. 

I need to find myself something mindless to work on, since there isn't much mind to work with today.