baskets

As if I needed another hobby...

I took a basket weaving class. Or rather, more appropriately, I AM taking a basket weaving class. Our first class was tonight and my napkin basket is all but complete. All it needs is the edging. OK. so I know that's a yarn term but I don't know what else to call it. There are 3 more classes and two more baskets. I had a lot of fun tonight and really enjoyed making this basket.

I can't wait til next tuesday.

Pepper, BTW, thinks the basket smells like it would feel good to her teeth. I told her otherwise and have put the basket up until next week's class.

socks!

OK, still haven't learned how to do the whole button thing but I joined Socktoberfest 2006 today. Thankfully it's not a knit along or anything just an excuse to make socks :) and I will use Socktoberfest to finish the sock that's been on the needles since springish? and I will at the very least start on its mate!

http://lollygirl.com/blog/?p=499 (<- apparently I don't know how to do links either...)

hmm, just dug the sock out and I have more done than I thought! woo hoo!!

complete with buttons

I've had this sweater finished for a while but today, it got buttons. I never realized how difficult shopping for baby buttons was but I made it out of Hancock fabrics with only one skein of yarn in addition to the buttons so I think it was a good trip. :)

felt lite

my purse all felted. Mom and I decided since its not a thick heavy felt we'd call it "felt lite". I'm right pleased with how it turned out and can't wait to carry it to work and around.

I included a ruler for size comparison.



the best part is I have a whole 'nother skein of this yarn. I've already promised a similar purse to a good friend. I've added that on the list of items to make. The yarn is Paton's classic merino in the "harvest" color. it took one skein for this purse with some left over. Not a lot but some.

the good the bad and no ugly

The bad was this week has already been like 5 days long and it's only tuesday. crappy crappy week.

the good (and to me at least the no ugly) is my finished purse. Well, its ready to felt so its not QUITE done but the hard part is done.




woo hoo!! I'm very happy about this.

and on an unrelated note, I renewed my license plates for 2 years today. a full 2 months before they were due :)

icord

Pictures will follow, probably tomorrow once it's all ready to be felted, but tonight, I mastered the icord! woo hoo! I know (now) it's not hard but the directions always sounded... vague, daunting, odd? so when my purse pattern called for it I found a website, sat down with said purse and yarn and my dpns (that I had to run out and buy today because I didn't have 10.5 dpns) and did an icord. I was about to break down and call Mom and ask what I was doing wrong when low and behold, I had a tube. I had successfully mastered the icord.

Days like this, I think Mom wished I didn't know how to knit. :) I'm not sure how I got through this stuff when I learned how to crochet, I had no one to ask. I guess I just faked it and hoped it turned out right.

buttons

one more thing, if anyone out there would want to help me with blog buttons or point me in the right direction on how to find out how to take them from places, save them, get them on my blog and link them appropriately, I'd be forever grateful!

stuff about me

Well, lets see here... this is in preparation for the secret pal swap so first I'll ramble a little about me then I'll ramble a little about what's on the needles and hooks :)

or the other way around :) right now I've got one dishrag on the needles and a purse. My first purse, to be exact and I'm at the point where I have to pick up stitches around the side. I've done this before on socks but not a rectangular purse bottom. so I've been waiting til today to sit down quietly and try it. Also, today I got day one in the mid september KAL (knit along for you non knitters) in the Monthy Dishcloths KAL group on yahoo. I must admit I have a love/hate relationship with this group. I've fallen madly in love with knitting dishrags, quick, simple, you get to try new techniques and make pretty pictures, but it's caused me to go out searching for more patterns and now I have a list longer than my arm of dishclothes I want... or NEED LOL... to make. :) And I also bought yarn to make a baby sweater for a guy at work and his wife. Once the weather turns for good, I'm going to dig out my massive afghan I'm working on for ME. it's done with a super huge Q hook and 2 strands of good ol' worsted weight Red Heart. Its a 'holey' stitch but it's so very warm. I can't wait til it's done.



I thought I had a picture of just the afghan but no, you get to see Bartholamew snuggling up on it :)

And lastly, I have a sweater I want to make. I've never made clothes. I'm a touch nervous and the yarn I have (a soft baby pink alpaca) is most luxurious and well, I'm nervous. I'll get to it though :)

That's what I'm working on or fixin' to work on.

Now about me. As I've stated I do have 2 cats, they are my babies. I enjoy reading in addition to my yarning (as I call it). I've mostly read horror/mystery/sci fi type books but am trying to branch out and read new things.

A friend of mine got me hopelessly addicted to the whole Build a Bear thing. I currently have 2 bears - a boy, Chuck the Bear, or CB, and a girl, Mary Jo - and several outfits for them. Very sadly, there are many more clothes and bears/animals that I'd like to have :)

I enjoy watching NASCAR. My absolute favorite driver is Tony Stewart but there are a handful of other drivers that I root for. My sister and I go to the races when we can.

I enjoy keeping in touch with my friends both on the internet and by snail mail. I like having different not cards on hand for just so purposes.

I guess that's about all for now...

is this working?

OK, so I'm just wondering why the blog looks all updated and the last post I posted shows up under all the previews and all but when look at the blog, it shows up the old way...

I think i'm going to stop trying tonight and see how it looks tomorrow...

oy...

OK. so I thought I had changed all the templete stuff but now I'm not so sure...

I went to my acupuncture appt today. It's still all fairly new to me. Today was my 6th treatment. My tummy/gut problems are ALL gone. I really do feel normal again! woo hoo! What was really amazing to me was I went in today with my thumb hurting, as it has off and on for many many years, and after 3 needles in my left foot, my thumb did not hurt. At all. Not even a little. Wow.

this means, I'm gonna be able to knit tonight while watching survivor! :) speaking of which, its on.

Maybe another post tomorrow? maybe not... I have dinner plans with an old friend a trip to the mall... either way, in case I do decide to do the secret pal thing, maybe the next ramble will be more on me and my hobbies and interests and such :)

I'm on a roll!!

OK, so I was kinda idley thinking of making this a more regular blog, although I"m still right confused (or more appropriately ignorant) of how to do all the cool things I see on other blogs like the little buttons on the side and whatnot so I'm not so sure. BUT this is a post with purpose. I found out that there's this secret pal swap over the 'net ( http://secretpal9.blogspot.com/ ) and I'm kinda thinking about joining. But being a new blogger (yes, I know i've been doing it all this year but just HAVING a blog does NOT make one an accomplished blogger LOL) I need more posts. and more fiber related posts. So in an attempt to try my hand at this regular blog thing and to build up my stash in case I decide to do the secret pal thing, I'm posting again.

SO, Just to ramble a bit here, I'm new to blogging but had a website I half kept up back when having your own website was the thing. lol I'm an admitted computer/internet junkie who watches WAY too much tv. Right now, i'm grossly involved with Project Runway and dying for Lost to come back on.

I've been crocheting for over 10 yrs and never would let Mom teach me how to knit. I didn't need to know how to knit, I could crochet. I can make whatever I needed. I was/am mostly into the smaller things, some doilies, dishrags and scrubbies - that everyone couldn't get enough of - a few afghans, scarves hats and such. Then the more patterns I looked for the more I kept seeing knitted things I wanted. Well, one night a earlier this year, I went to Walmart and picked up some size 11 straight needles and a booklet. I tried to teach myself how to knit. I was knitting wrong. LOL I finally broke down and called Mom. I had wanted to suprise her by going, "look what I knitted!" but I needed help. Much to one friends amazement, she talked me though knitting on the phone. Then proceeded to tell me how to purl on the phone too.

I won't by any means try to say I'm especially talented with yarn but they say everyone has their skill and I think yarn arts is mine. Mom is thoroughly impressed with how quickly I've picked up knitting. I tell her it's in my genes :)

So what have I knitted? the requisite scarf, a few felted bowls, a handful of felted cat beds, a baby sweater and more dishrags than I care to count right now. I know there are people who swear by scarves for beginners, I say forget that, lets felt!! it hides your mistakes and is still right usable! :) OH, I've also made some socks and some felted booties. I'm working on my first felted purse right now too.

Can you tell Mom had the felting bug and subconsiously pushed it on me? Its ok though. All the cats I've given beds to appreciate them, my friends have liked the bowls way more than a ton of scarves and my feet will love the booties this winter in my icebox of an apartment. :)

I have two cats (as previously mentioned) who thankfully don't help me knit or crochet. Bartholamew is old enough and wise enough and snuggly enough that just sitting in my lap is good for him. I can work over him. Pepper... she still thinks yarn looks suspicously like floss... but she's still young. She also thinks the needles may be awful fun to chew on. And well, most anything else she can get in her little mouth!

I guess that's enough for now. If I'm gonna make the minimum amount of posts I suppose I should save some rambling for later in the week. :)

WOW

Two posts in one day! this is amazing... I figured since I'd been prattling on about my hair, I should point out something funny about my two hairy beasts.

Bartholamew has a long sleek very personalitied tail. You can't really tell, but his tail is curled around his feet here...




Pepper however has a little stumpy tail. How she got so big when she started out so little and stumpy is beyond me...




You have to look closely, but her tail isn't even as long as her little legs...

Sept

where oh were has the time gone?? Its now September and I"m not even sure I want to know when the last time I posted was. The good news is that I believe my goal will be reached way before the end of the year. Why do I think this? I had a friend measure my hair and in the first picture from my hand down is 10 inches. :) woo hoo!! so I figure once I come back from Terlingua it'll be time to get it all cut off. In more ways than one.






I'm starting to get tired of having my hair long. As anyone with long hair will agree with, there are days you just want to shave it all off. I'm having one of those weeks. But thats why they make clips and scrunchies... and to take a whole 10 inches now would leave it way to short for my comfort.

Plus it'll be good to get back from Terlingua, wash out all the dust dirt grime and smoke (is there still a burn ban?) and go down to see Scott to have it all cut off. Or cut off to a level that does make me happier :) I wonder how in the world did I EVER have hair down past my waist...