why you don't knit socks for loved ones

So I finished Patrick's socks last night at the meet up. I gave them to him when I got home but it was late & he decided to try them on tonight. He put them on, wiggled his feet around a bit, then switched feet & said "that's better". I walked out of the room to get the camera to take a picture of the blessed event. What a good thing I did! I'm so sweet! I knit socks for the man I love! When I came back in the room he had his finger in a sock. The following conversation happens:

Me: "What? What's wrong?"
Him: Nothing they are fine
Me: No, really, what's wrong I want to know?
Him: nothing, really.
Me: Other people knit socks as gifts & the people they give them to never again wear store bought socks! You think they suck.
Him: laughter
Me: What? Tell me, I really want to know!
Him: hysterical laughter then - I don't want to say
Me: I really really want to know you have to tell me!
Him: It's not that they suck, it's just that they hurt.

Me. Shocked silence. Him. Laughing hysterically. So hard he has tears in his eyes. Not wanting to disappoint me, but man, I made him say it, right?

Sigh.

PS - ignore the " real" sock in the background. I'm also doing laundy.

Whew. What a weekend.

Patrick is a member of the Texas State Guard. Besides the fact that I am very proud of him for serving our country in a volunteer capacity, what does this mean to me? That I have one weekend a month to piss off & do whatever the heck I please. Like most such weekends, this weekend was packed with knitting & knitting related activities.

I must address Podcasts. How these snippets of other knitters going on & on about knitting has taken over my life in a week is simply beyond me. I have found loads that I like and have listened to them nonstop in every moment I have in my car or alone not working or {gasp} I even went for a freaking walk just so I could listen guilt free. I have TURNED OFF MY TELEVISION to listen. Well, turned it down at least. Who do I like?
Lime & Violet - very cliche of me I know since they are uber popular
Stash & Burn - if you don't recognize yourself in their chatter, you aren't really a yarn buyer. And I don't know what to do with you.
Cast On
Knitty D & the City
It's a Purl Man
Lixie Knits It - because I swear everything sounds better with an English accent.

Ovewhelmed yet? Dude, I KNOW! If those aren't enough for you, my friend Manda also has a podcast and she has links to tons more on her blog. I always love listening to her because despite being informative, I am highly intrigued by the fact that she owns & admits to owning over 71,000 yards of yarn (and is on the road to knitting it up). There is also a chance that she'll mention me or someone I know & it makes me feel famous. I'm so lame.

Back to me.

I was looking over my list of FO for the month & it is once again pretty lame. I am making progress though - I am on row 44 out of 60 on my Noni Adventure bag so I could conceivably finish it this month. Doubtful, but I'm an optimist if not a realist, so don't rain on my parade. Today I got all the way to the toe on Patrick's wool ease socks, just in time for spring! (did you catch the sarcasm?) So all I have to do is kitchner the toe. For the love of all things that are holy, if you see me, please ask me about it & mock me if I'm not done. There really is no excuse for me not finishing them & then I can get on to some socks that are pink, I mean pretty, for myself without an ounce of guilt.

Saturday after going for a walk.....don't freak out, it's not like I'm doing it for my health or anything. I leave for Disneyworld 3 weeks from tomorrow and I'm deathly afraid that I'll miss a chance to see Mickey - or worse - Cinderella because I am dead from walking. Somehow I don't think the hours I spend sitting on my ass knitting up these gorgeous items are helping in the quest for walking miles & miles for a damn week. And I do have have to keep up with nieces - ages 8 & 5. And walking did give me more time to listen to podcasts. But I disgress.....

I dyed some yarn:

This was my attempt at using more than one color of Wiltons in my crockpot. It looks incredibly similar to the yarn that Liz dyed for me at the retreat last weekend. I think I'm stuck in another rut - albeit a pretty rut. Both of those hanks are drying in my garage as we speak so I'll put up their hanked up pictures in a day or so.

I cast on for a scarf from my Victorian Lace Today book. I can't find a decent picture of this scarf online so I took a picture of the damn book open to the page (actual pattern on page 90). I doubt I'll be wearing it along with the come hither look that the model has, but ya'll are welcome to hope.


This is my first attempt at what I call "real" lace knitting since it's small yarn. Jaggerspun Zephyr in Charcoal.

I gave this Multidirectional scarf a lavendar bath & prepared it for it's receipent (my Aunt Annette):

I have to say this. It pains me because I feel like I'm about to curse on the yarn alter...but I don't like the Noro Silk Garden. I think it's scratchy. And what is up with those sticks in it? The color changes are so beautiful but I don't think I'll be working with it again. It's pretty though, huh?

I added up the yardage of my stash. Let's just say it's not pretty. I was really fighting the urge to add it up - I have it logged in an excel spreadsheet and all I needed to do was the formula to add it up . Scary. More than a marathon worth. geeze - I was happier not knowing - this brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "the number".

This is how I spent my Sunday. At The Bead Market in Fort Worth. Don't fool yourself, all those beads that look purple aren't. They are pink. Forgive me, I have a sickness. Now I have loads of pretty beads to make even MORE stitch markers. Because wow, even though I have hundreds surely I need more right? It's also a sickness.



Tool of the week:

I know what you are thinking - "big deal, it's a row counter". But it's not just any row counter. And it's not just any PINK row counter. Dude, it has a lock. It's the best invention since Tivo. Please don't ask me where I got it because I don't know - it was a gift.

And I'll leave you with the picture of the week. My cat Chicken in lamb ears. Who on this day qualified for the most unhappy cat in the whole wide world. Hands down. But ain't it a hoot????

Sidenote: in case anyone is worried about the inhumanity of subjecting my poor cat to this torture, don't. He never bothered to leave my lap. He's that kind of cat. Had I attempted this trick on my other cat, I wouldn't be able to type this entry because she would have scratched up my hands along with my eyeballs. I'm just a little bit mean but I'm not stupid.

Oh geeze, does this really make me a loser?

Jennifer posted this on her blog & I thought I'd play along. I'm seriously about to tell on myself - I know I've seen tons of them & I probably own most of them....

"It’s been alleged that if you’ve seen over 85 movies you have no life. Mark the ones you’ve seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own blog, paste it in and put x’s by the ones that you have seen. Add them up, figure out whether you’ve got a life or not, and post it."

DAMN - By my count I've seen 160 of them. And I own 58 of the ones listed here. I think as knitters we will have unusually high counts since we can mutlipurpose our time. That's my story & I'm sticking to it.


(X) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(X) Grease
(X) Pirates of the Caribbean
(X) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
(X) Fight Club
(X) Starsky and Hutch
(X) Neverending Story
( ) Blazing Saddles
(X) Airplane
(X) The Princess Bride
( ) AnchorMan
(X) Napoleon Dynamite
( ) Labyrinth
(X) Saw
(X) Saw II
(X) White Noise
(X) White Oleander
( ) Anger Management
(X) 50 First Dates
(X) The Princess Diaries
(X) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
(X) Scream
(X) Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
(X) Scary Movie
(X) Scary Movie 2
(X) Scary Movie 3
(X) Scary Movie 4
(X) American Pie
(X) American Pie 2
(X) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
(X) Harry Potter 1
(X) Harry Potter 2
(X) Harry Potter 3
(X) Harry Potter 4
(X) Resident Evil 1
(X) Resident Evil 2
(X) The Wedding Singer
(X) Little Black Book
(X) The Village
(X) Lilo & Stitch
(X) Finding Nemo
(X) Finding Neverland
(X) Signs
(X) The Grinch
(X) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
(X) Butterfly Effect
(X)13 Going on 30
(X) I, Robot
( ) Robots
(X) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
(X) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(X) Along Came Polly
(X) Deep Impact
(X) KingPin
(X) Never Been Kissed
(X) Meet The Parents
(X) Meet the Fockers
(X) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
(X ) King Kong
( ) A Cinderella Story
(X) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(X) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
(X) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
(X) Halloween
(X)The Ring
(X )The Ring 2
( )Surviving Christmas
( ) Flubber
(X) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(X) Practical Magic
(X) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
(X) Hellboy
(X ) Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
(X) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
(X) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child’s Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
(X) Bride of Chucky
(X) Ten Things I Hate About You
(X) Just Married
(X) Gothika
(X) Nightmare on Elm Street
(X) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
(X) The Grudge
(X) The Grudge 2
(X) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
(X) Bad Boys
(X) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
(X) Lucky Number SlevIn
(X) Ocean’s Eleven
( ) Ocean’s Twelve
(X) Bourne Identity
(X) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
(X) Bedazzled
(X) Predator I
(X) Predator II
( ) The Fog
(X) Ice Age
(X ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George
(X) Independence Day
(X) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
(X) Darkness Falls
(X ) Christine
(X) E.T
(X) Children of the Corn
(X) My Bosses Daughter
(X) Maid in Manhattan
(X) War of the Worlds
(X) Rush Hour
( ) Rush Hour 2
( ) Best Bet
(X) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(X) She’s All That
( ) Calendar Girls
( ) Sideways
(X) Mars Attacks
(X) Event Horizon
(X) Ever After
(X) Wizard of Oz
(X) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
(X)The Terminator
(X) The Terminator 2
(X) The Terminator 3
(X) X-Men
( ) X-2
( ) X3
(X) Spider-Man
(X) Spider-Man 2
( ) Sky High
(X) Jeepers Creepers
(X) Jeepers Creepers 2
(X) Catch Me If You Can
(X) The Little Mermaid
(X) Freaky Friday
(X) Reign of Fire
( ) The Skulls
(X) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
(X ) The Hot Chick
(X) Shrek
(X) Shrek 2
( ) Swimfan
(X) Miracle on 34th street
(X) Old School
( ) The Notebook
(X) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf’s Tribe
(X) A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(X) The 40-year-old Virgin
(X) Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
(X) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(X) Lord of the Rings: Return Of the King
(X) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(X) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(X) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
( ) Base-ketball
( ) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(X) Elf
( ) Highlander
(X) Mothman Prophecies
(X ) American History X
( ) Three
( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(X) Monsters Inc.
(X) Titanic
( ) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(X ) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
(X ) Hulk
(X) Dawn Of the Dead
(X) Hook
(X ) Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
( X) 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
(X) Waterworld
(X) Kill Bill Vol. 1
(X) Kill Bill Vol. 2
( ) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
(X) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) the Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
(X ) Army of Darkness
(X) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(X) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(X) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(X) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(X) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(X) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks: Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks: The Battle For Endor
(X) The Matrix
(X) The Matrix: Reloaded
(X) The Matrix: Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
(X) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
(X ) Team America: World Police
( ) Red Dragon
(X) Silence of the Lambs
(X) Hannibal

Retreat! Retreat!

And we did. 10 members of our local DFW Chicks with Sticks group went on a weekend knitting retreat at Arabella Gardens in Lindale, TX. First I must give a shout out to the B&B - the food was so freaking good & our hosts were uber hospitable. We basically took over the whole place and they let us leave our knitting bits everywhere. We left our bags in the main house, walked around in our pjs, everything I do at home so it felt...well....homey. We had a stitch marker class where I made these:

I know it's a bad picture & to be honest most of my stitch markers were total cheaters. I found some cute bracelets at a garage sale for less than a dollar so I took it apart & just added jump rings to the charms. Cheater stitch markers are still functional. Three of those are authentic though.

A needle felting class where I fixed my Noni carpet bag. It deserves it's own post so I'll talk about it later.


This is what I bought at the yarn shop near the B&B - Rose Path Weaving
This is such a great shop & if you are ever in that area I suggest a visit. It's a small friendly shop with an amazing selection. Clockwise from top left:
Rio de la playa yarn (much like Manos), Berroco Lazer FX mirrored yarn that was in the clearance bin, naked sock yarn - lots of it, Lorna's Lace (gifted from Lise - since it's my favorite colorway in the world & so me), Koigu KPPPM in green/yellow, Lorna's Laces in Camouflage, Zitron Loft yarn - isn't it beautiful? Pink Wildfoote. Proud of me? I didn't even BUY that pink & brown yarn. Ok, I bought the pink Wildfoote but whatever. I'm back on the yarn diet, that really did a lot of damage to my budget.


This is the yarn that Liz & blogless Betty dyed. It was all so freaking gorgeous. Mine is an aqua/purple silk and I completely love it. I just put it in a good smelling bath so I'll post it as soon as it's dry again.

We had much fun & lots of memories, I'm sure I'll be back to tell a few stories or will at least mention it again. The highlight of the trip for me was going into "town" in sheep ears - the ladies are the yarn shop didn't seem the least bit surprised but I think the people at Walmart questioned our sanity. Whatever they need to have some fun!

Lise blogged much more about the retreat if you want to go visit.

Priscilla is Out of the Closet

Yep, she's back! In case you haven't met her yet you can read her full story here
Patrick kind of hates her because being true Texans (ie, gun owners) he is afraid that he'll see her, assume it's someone in our house to do us harm, and shoot holes in her. For her own safety she lives in my craft room. But he's out of town & the minute he was packed I pulled her out and let her model for me.


Truly Tasha Shawl

Go ahead & ohh & ahhh, yeah, I know it's pretty. But it's not that big - as it stands it might fit an anorexic model - or come to think of it a transexual manequin. The worst part of this whole story is that I KNEW IT WAS SMALL. When I started the edging I thought it looked small but thought that the edge would be bigger. When I saw that it wasn't that much bigger with the border I should have stopped right there. I didn't. I just kept knitting the lace border which definitely took me longer to knit than all of the garter stitch. I have no good explanation for this ridiculous and irrational behavior but I do know what my punishment is. I'm going to pull out the lace border (you have to pull it all out because it starts at the top right), continue the most boring knitting ever, then knit the lace border back on. What a pain in the ass. I'm glad the cold weather is over so I can do this over time.


My So Called Scarf

I loved loved loved this project. It went really quickly though I do attribute some of that to the multiple loves mentioned. It's relatively easy with out being boring. I really wasn't thrilled with the bind off edge thus the fringe. I hate doing fringe.

Side note: if you read that original post on Priscilla & are wondering, no I never did learn to sew. It's on my list for 2007 but so far no progress. Also, I gave Priscilla boob job - I put a bra on her & stuffed it so she'd be more feminine. I do recognize that even having done this means that I need help.

February FO

Man I did a lot of knitting & didn't finish much. I was more of a starter than a finisher this month.

* Truly Tasha Shawl
* Square for Warm Up America - Superbowl Knitting
* Fast Finish Homespun throw

The sad part is that I'm going to frog that Truly Tasha shawl any minute now. It's just not big enough & I don't like it. You have to understand, I always lose love for my projects when I'm finished with them. This time I actually have reason. It's knit to the measurements in the pattern but I don't find that it drapes as well as I wanted it to. The really sucky part is that I realized this when I started the lace border & instead of addressing it, I just kept knitting it. Now I have to frog the lace border all the way around the damn thing & knit more garter stitch. Ick.

Counting down to the Knitting Retreat next weekend......