I don't have the right kind of fortitude to not know what there is!!!

Know how I was going to clean my office today? Yeah, that wasn't happening. See, there's this small problem. If you can't bend over, it's ridiculously hard to clean. Seriously. So instead, I did some homework and watched TV all day. Sound fun? I also got a little bit done on the sock. The bad news is that this month's second sock (broadripple, for those of you keeping track) is NOT going to get done. The good news? I'm casting on tonight (or maybe tomorrow) for this hat. I'm using my new yarn (The Nashua creative focus stuff) and... wool-ease sparkley stuff. I know, not the best compliment...

But I think it will look ok. I hate to pair such an amazing yarn with such a blah yarn but... if I don't like it, it's no big deal, I can just rip and find something else. It was only like, 1.90 or something insane. I also had to do this... I bought, you guessed it, more buttons.

And I bought a little vase to store them in, cause I'm cool like that. Also, it was only .77 cents.

Pandas are the new Penguins

Ok guys, I had a bad day between my back KILLING me, getting a cold, and... other things. So words are failing me. So we'll keep it short but sweet. Today, besides mailing my spring swap gloves, I did this.

Which looks like this on the back (or front. Haven't decided. I think it's the back though.)

Tomorrow, I'm doing this.

Any questions?

It's a popsicle for cannibals!

Hi Everybody!! :) Sorry for the serious space between posts, but we've been busy and/or lazy for the past several days. Before we get into what I at least have been busy with, you all should know that this is a seriously heavy picture post. Sorry bout that but I have lots (and lots) to share with you all! First of all, I got my very colorful scavenger hunt swap package!!

Thank you Teresa! Wanna see what I got? First, the yarny goodness.


And, the fun stuff! (Not that yarn isn't fun. Not at all. Just the opposite.)

Here are the categories and what each one was:
Something Hard: Two skeins of "Nashua" in a dark rose pink color (She said it was because it was hard for her to give up!) It's 75% merino and 25% Alpaca and I LOVE it!!
Something Funny: (also kind of local, if you know anything about NC, their beaches have these stickers, like OIB for Ocean Isle Beach) A sticker for your window or bumper (or, in my case, fridge) that says "AYK" which stands for "Admit you knit."
Something Local: A pepsi glass and postcard because the pepsi company was founded in her town.
Something round: Ferrero Rocher candies (My absolute Favorite, how could she know???) and a skein of Classic Elite yarn in black (so soft).
Something related to the letter T: Stitch 'n Bitch Calender (Time or from Teresa)
Something Green: The Holiday Interweave knits and leaf stitch markers which I LOVE so much they get their own picture!

And Spoilers Choice: Skein of Austermann Step sock yarn, which is probably my favorite thing in the package. I mean, you all know how much I love socks. That was something soft. :)

Thanks again Teresa, and don't worry about being late! No worries, I love it!

So on Saturday, Emmy and I decided to dye Easter eggs. (As an aside: I met with my group for a team project at school online, and I told them I was going to dye eggs, and one guy said "For tomorrow?" Duh. Seriously. No, actually, for Christmas next year. Really.) Wanna see our mess?

That's right before we got really started. I was so excited! I haven't done that in years. Here's the eggs after we dyed them.

But we weren't done there. We went on to paint them with acrylic paints. And no, we weren't drunk.

My husband was doing some work stuff while we dyed eggs, and he found this thing that he brought home for me. I told him if they ever got rid of it, he should give it to me, I can use it to display hats. I was kidding. But, he brought it home, so meet...

My new blue head. I'm going to ask you guys for your help in naming her (has to be a her. I don't know why. Just is.) And before you ask, my husband works in a home health care place and she was the display for these mask things he sells. Ok, half done. So, Monday, I decided to dye some yarn that I bought with some easter egg dye.

That was it with the first tablet. It was way too bright. So I added another tablet and, after a seriously long fight with the red food coloring, some of it. And, I decided the stove was too slow, so I moved it to the microwave.

That's pretty much exactly how it looks now. No matter what I do, it won't take any more dye. I don't know if it was me, the dye, the yarn, or what, but... all the dye didn't set. So I give up. It's drying now. Hopefully it doesn't run or something. *sigh* And, Last but not least....

Finished my swap gloves! They're being mailed out tomorrow. Yay!!!

Phew, that's spicy rat poison!!

E is for... Education. (Sorry Carly!! Don't mean to be a copy-cat!) As you all should know, I am taking classes at Franklin University, which is located in Columbus, Ohio. I'm not actually going to campus for these classes, I'm taking them online. So this picture is what my desk usually looks like when I'm doing homework.

Ok, I'm totally joking, it never looks like that. It's not THAT bad. Everything you see there is what I am using currently or will be using in the next two weeks for school. Yes, including the computer. Yes, including "Ice Age." No, not including the Valentine's Day teddy bear. :) The course I'm taking now is "Learning Strategies" which is a required course for this school... and which I absolutely hate. It's stupid, and I really see no point to it. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't know how to do this stuff, it's self explanatory. But whatever, there's only a little over a week left in it, so that's ok. We are doing a project on the movie "Ice Age" in a team setting., which explains that. Starting on March 30, I will be using the excel book and the two popular cultures books. Under almost everything is the "Academic Bulletin" which tells you what every degree they offer at Franklin is, and what you have to do to get the degree, which is actually pretty helpful. Now, as I'm sure I've bored you all to tears... Knitting content!!

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Ok, so I don't have anything to show you. I will tell you that I am half done with the second spring swap mitt, and I still haven't gotten my scavenger hunt package, though it should be here by tomorrow. I haven't redone Dave's glove yet... Oh, and I think I might make this hat (ravelry link) with my pink yarn from the other day. Seriously. It's the Cabled Newsboy Cap from Stitch 'N Bitch Nation. I fell in love with it when I saw Grace's at Kathryn Ivy. Isn't it gorgeous? Go comment, tell her how much you love it. Go on. Then come back and check out....

My new bed!!

Cool, huh?

You think he's crazy now? You should see him on bubbles

Wow, I have lots to share with you guys. First and foremost, before I forget, my scavenger hunt partner got her package! So, go see Jenn's blog to see pics of the stuff I sent her. :)

I bet you're all wondering what I've been up to? Or, more likely, you're thinking "when do I get to see more pictures of yarny goodness????" Well, then, today's your lucky day. (If you don't come here for the yarny goodness, but instead are interested in fish or to see what the elusive (and late) letter "E" for the ABC-along is, keep walking. Nothing to see here.) I have knitting content. First, I'm to the fingers on Dave's gloves. I thought they were going to be too small (I still think it) but Dave likes the way they fit. The pinky is too small though, so it needs adjusted.

I like the way it fits me, almost. It's just a tad too tight. Strange, since his hands are too big, but he likes them, so whatever. I spent the rest of the day (after soaking Dave's gloves to see how they'd grow...) Working on this.

It's a horrible (colorwise) Picture of my Spring Swap (ravelry link) partner's glove. I'm making the symmetrical braided gauntlets for her. I like them a LOT. It's going to be a bummer to give them away. But, it's ok, because this came in the mail yesterday!

I LOVE them. Love love love them. So very, very much. It's my gloves from my spring swap partner. They are Victorian Gloves (beadless), made from Manos del Uruguay Cotton Stria (ravelry link) yarn and I absolutely love Mary for making them for me!! Thanks!! She took much better pictures than I did, so go check them out on ravelry.

I also wanted to share with you a couple of my recent purchases. First, I bought this.

That is a ball of Trekking, in a "denim" colorway. I'm going to maybe make myself a pair of socks from it, but more likely I will be only making more baby socks with it. Boy baby socks. On the right is a ball of "Galway" worsted weight yarn which, I'm told, is exactly like Cascade 220 in texture, size, and felting, but without the color selection, but I digress. It's this... isanely bright eye-searingly pink color that I LOVE for, what else, probably fingerless gloves for me. (I dunno, could be that button hat I think I talked about before... we'll see. Or a set!!! Nah. I'm not that... pink-y). Anyway, I finally have to share with you my latest obsession.

Buttons. I've decided that every time I go into a craft store or wal-mart, I'm going to at least look at the buttons. The first thing that calls out to me, I buy. I will eventually buy bigger sets, but for now, that's what I have. I mean, Angie has a button collection, and wouldn't it be a cool thing to pass along to the next generation? I need a cool tin now.

Cause, if I was a slip knot, I would be nice

Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long, I didn't have internet for a few days there. I'm back now though! I have lots of fun things to tell you. First, I got a new cell phone! I got a LG Chocolate from Verizon and I LOVE it. Love love love it. My favorite thing is being able to text. So much fun. Not much else went on this week. Other than a mad dash to do a paper that was due today that I hadn't gotten to start because of lack of internet. I know, that's no excuse, as I knew it was coming and put it off. Guess what the title of the paper is? "Time Management: Avoiding Procrastination." *facepalm* Oh well, at least it's done now.

Knitting wise, what have I been working on? Well, a little of this and that... I worked on Dave's gloves a bit (but not much, I'm really getting burnt out on that pattern...), I restarted the endpaper mitts and did about half of a pattern repeat on those... oooh yeah I made this.

It's a cell phone case! It was super easy, so much so that I'm not even going to write up a pattern. Really. It's the same color as my phone, and the button matches the one that is currently on my Calorimetry but will probably be coming off of there to go on this hat (Angie made one too, we should make her show us pictures...) or on a purse or something. I'm not sure yet. Anyway, what else have I been making? What do you think?

I think I have a problem. (Hey, number six is 5 rows away from the toe!) Yeah. Definitely have a problem.

Swifflepops!

Hey there! Once again, still alive. I'm still not 100%. I heard somewhere that this thing that DH and I have can take up to 6 weeks for all of the symptoms to go away. Which is just great. lol But it's ok. Cause Miss O was here (she's gettting sooooooo big!), I have a ginormous pile of romance novels to read, and the only real problems I'm having is I'm quite fatigued and I have a sore throat. And I cough a little too. But really, I'm good. I'll be back in a few days with the free pattern I promised. Just to tide you over, here's a picture of the swatch I knitted to show the stitch pattern.

Fingers are bigger than nuggets

Okay, first, I need to answer a question. Yes, I've been making baby stuff a lot lately, almost obsessively. (And having it made FOR me.) No, I am not pregnant. I just want a baby so much that it makes sense to start making as much baby stuff as much as possible. Proof?

I've been making these from the leftover (what will be leftover) from this months sock. I already separated the yarn for the broadripple, so this is just extra. They don't match exactly, but I think that's ok. I want my kid to be weird. Only problem is, even the blue/green one looks a little girly, so here's hoping I have a girl. :) Look how stretchy they are.

Here's the pattern. That's right. The pattern. Muah ha ha! I beat you Angie!!!!!! Ahem.

Stretchy Rainbow Baby Sock

Yarn: Leftover sock yarn, any brand. I used Opal Feelings, in a Rainbow colorway.
Needles: Size 3 dpns, or size needed to get gauge.
Gauge: 7 spi in stockinette stitch- row gauge doesn't really matter, but I got 10 rows per inch.
Size: Newborn, or 3.5 inches around and 3.5 inches long.
See them on Ravelry.



Cuff: Cast on 24 stitches. Distribute on 3 dpns, 12, 6, and 6, and join to work in the round, being careful, of course, not to twist.

Work 10 rounds in k1p1 ribbing, or as many as you want to make the cuff as long as you want. Then work the next round as follows: K12, then finish the round in k1p1 rib. You're now ready for the heel.

Heel: Work a short row heel. There's a tutorial for doing a short row heel here, (that's actually a short row toe, but it's exactly the same. Really.) I would try to tell you how to do it, but that is MUCH better. Really. Work until there are 4 unwrapped stitches in the middle, then pick up your wraps a la the tutorial.

Foot: Rejoin to work in the round, and work the top of the foot in k1p1 rib, and the bottom in st st, until the foot measures 2.75 inches from the back of the heel to the bottom of the working needle.

Toe: Knit one round plain. (The start of the round is the bottom needle, the one that was the only one in st st.) Then work one decrease round as follows: *Needle one: k1, ssk, knit to last 3 stitches on needle, k2tog, k1. Needle 2: k1, ssk, k to end of needle. Needle three: to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.* Work one round plain, and then work the decrease round (between the *) every round until you have 8 stitches left. Then graft the toe (scroll down to where it says "kitchener stitch.") Weave in your ends on the inside of your sock, and then go in search of a cute baby to try it out on. You know you want to.

Quote of the day: "To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it." -GK Chesterton. This spoke to me today because my sister and I were talking about paparazzi... enough said.

Right... Cause that's where I keep my crazy!

Yay! I'm not dead and Blogger is letting me blog! lol I am feeling much better today. I'm still coughing and there's still crud in my lungs but it's not so much that I'm wanting to die to make it stop. Compared to this time last week I'm great!

So anyway, what have I been doing?

Well, I started a ripple baby blanket. I'd show you the pattern but I don't remember where I got it (blame the fever). It's just your basic ripple blanket done in two row stripes. When I was very sick this was just about the only thing I wanted to work on. No thinking required.




For about 4 days there I didn't knit at all. Not a single stitch.

Then I made these.




These are baby mittens from my own pattern. I'm a little concerned they might not be long enough, but as I have no one around of the newborn persuasion (Miss O is too big for these now. You'd never know it from the pics at that link!) I guess I'll just have to send them to Krystal as is and hope for the best. If I weren't unsure about the length issue I'd post the pattern. I call it "Itty Bitty Munchkin Mitties". Ah the cuteness.

And then I made these.




These are also from my own pattern. I don't think I've ever made a pair of baby socks from a pattern. In fact, it's hard for me to make any socks at all from a pattern since I understood the basics of sock construction. This will be a freebie once I work out some gauge issues and get it written up. I'm working on a pair in adult size right now. The pattern will be for baby, toddler, child, and adult sizes, I think. I'm calling the pattern "Twisty Toasty Toes" because, even though you can't see in this picture because it was taken in bad light, they're done in a mini cabled rib. I adore this pattern.

I love the yarn too. Krystal dyed it. It's knitpicks bare sock yarn and I call the colorway "Who Stepped in My Fruit Loops??" It's so squishy and soft. The problem is it's a smidge chunky for fingering weight. So I'm adjusting the pattern to work with Patons Kroy. I think I'll be casting on for another pair in the baby size in the cream colored yarn I used for my Loksins to show the stitch pattern better. And because I've made two pairs of these baby socks and I haven't gotten enough yet.

Anyway, that's what I'm up to!

Wait... there's a blog post without a title!

Snow Day! Anyone wanna see some pics of our snow, and the puppies' idea of a DARN good time? I'm not going to caption them... but do leave comments telling them how cute they are, they love that!


Also, I made an loldog of Storm!


moar funny pictures

Everyone go here and vote for him! (Actually, that link takes you to the lolcats website, but he's on both. You just can't vote on the loldogs site yet.)

...And who needs a finger cover?

Yup, it's me again. I guess Angie was going to blog but didn't get to take her pictures until it was after dark, and she "needs" natural light, so... ;) Just teasing you hon. Glad you're feeling better.

Update on Brutus. I don't think he's going to be in our family long. I think there's something wrong with him. He spent most of the day at the top of the water, practically just inhaling air, not going down for anything. Then I finally noticed that he had some white stuff on his fins, so I thought there might be something wrong with his water... speaking of, dangit, I forgot to add the stuff that makes your tap water safe for bettas, I need to do that... ok, that's done. I think he might be blind now though. I mean, he was fine this morning, but there was something weird going on with his water, it was just... strange. So I changed his water and stuff, and then put him back in, and he seemed to be ok. But, when he breathes, bubbles come out of his gills. So I think we'll be taking him back to the store tomorrow. Provided it stops snowing sometime. :( Poor Brutus, he'll probably be sad, but I'm not keeping a fish that's sick, ya know?

So, today I watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix again. While watching it, I got all of this done.

That's about a quarter of a fingerless glove for Dave, and all of the cuff on the rainbow socks. I'm really liking the way the cascade 22 works up on the size six dpns. And actually, I really like the way broadripple's working out now, although... it might end up being a TEENY bit bigger than the other one. My gauge has obviously changed since sock number one was knit. I like it though. Then, I was going to rip out the endpapers and pick up the stitches at the ribbing, and change to size threes. But... that didn't happen. I couldn't get the ribbing back on the needles, so...

They're a redo. And then, out of sheer boredom with everything I'm knitting, and jealousy over the speed with which Angie's popping out baby socks, I cast on for a pair myself.

Look how LITTLE! I loves it. :) They're precious... And... I guess I don't get to sleep in the bed tonight. This is what my side of the bed looks like.

Yup. Not my bed. Theirs. :)

Oh, yeah. I've decided that I'm going to share a quote with you all a day. I doubt that you care but... It's interesting to ME, so that's all that matters. So there. :D So, here's today's quote of the day.

"Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, 'Where have I gone wrong?' Then a voice says to me, 'This is going to take more than one night.'" - Charles M. Schulz, from "Peanuts."

Wow. Pee almost came out my nose

Hey guys! I have good news, bad news, and more good news. The first good news is that I finished the heel on my broadripple sock and picked up the stitches, ready to start the gusset decreases.

The bad news is that I am an incredibly delusional person. I finally conceded that this yarn was knitting up much tighter, the stripes weren't quite lining up, and the heel isn't the same size. So I recounted each colored section... and discovered that sock number one had 9 rows per stripe, and number 2 has 10 rows per stripe. Meaning....


There is no more sock. But the sock has been restarted and I've decided to reverse the order of the stripes, so it will start with yellow instead of light blue. I think the intended recipient will rather enjoy that. :) The other good news is that Brutus DOESN'T hate me. He, in fact, doesn't care about me one way or another. See, he was only upset when the light was on. But I've figured it out. He's puffing up at his REFLECTION. He thinks he's surrounded by other male bettas, and he's trying to defend himself. The only reason he puffs up when I'm near is because he was forced to look beyond his immediate surroundings, and then he sees himself in the glass. I figured it out because he didn't puff out until he got close to the glass, and I saw him doing it in the OTHER direction from me, when he was really close to the glass. So, hopefully he'll get used to himself.

Angie says that really says something about Jack, that he wasn't scared of his own reflection. Oh, by the way, she's not dead. She's actually slowly but surely getting better, I think. So hopefully she'll be back very soon. With pictures. And baby socks. And baby mittens. :)

mp[r. zi drr

I'm pleased to inform you all that while I am still mourning the loss of my beloved Jack, I couldn't handle seeing his tank sitting there all forlorn and... empty, anymore, so we had to go out and get a new fishie today. I'd like you all to welcome the newest member of ma famille....

Brutus. Aka, Brutus Buckeye. I ALMOST posted a poll on what you all thought his name should be, but I was trying to explain the actual color that he is to Angie, and I said "He's really Buckeye Scarlet" and... it just hit me. He's BUCKEYE Scarlet. Now I feel stupid for buying the green and blue rocks... next time, he gets gray all the way. I might even try to find a buckeye related thing for his tank...

I think I'm going to get rid of the plant. He keeps running into it, and I have to say, it really seems to freak him out. And, I had to put SOMETHING in there for him to hide behind, so I TEMPORARILY gave him Jack's treasure. I think Jack would've been ok with that. Except, Brutus is a little... er... temperamental. No, that's not it. He's... well...

Mean. That's how he ALWAYS looks at me. I'm afraid he may not like me as much as Jack.

Look! Knitting has been done. When I'm not casting on and frogging Dave's fingerless gloves (not going so well...) or inhaling romance novels, I've been doing this.

I'm starting to worry that I'm using the wrong needles. Which will REALLY be sad. But I KNOW the other sock just... grew and grew. So I'm hoping I'm wrong. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Your crotch is not a good place to store buttons

Thank you guys for your well wishes. It really means a lot.

I know you're all dieing to know about the cookie thing. It IS a Samoa, and Heather again wins, because she said something about a coconut allergy. I am really allergic to coconuts, but they're my favorites. I LOVE them. So I endure and hope my throat doesn't close. :)

I started the Broadripple sock. See?

In the midst of this bad bad bad week, I've started a LOT of projects. I'm not going to add them all to the wip list, as they are just "busy work," and won't likely get completed. Sorry for the short, basically wordless post. I'll try to be better later!