Saturday, September 29, 2007

Ignore The Yellow

The yellow Cascade will now be used as a stitch holder. But, one half of the new Babies and Bears Sweater is now done. I had just enough tweed to do one half. The rest of the rows as you can see or the solid red, blue and olive that I found in various shops. Knit 4 Together had a new shipment of the tweed in but not in the same dye lot, so I picked up a skein on Thursday night. I'll see what it looks like with what I have while knitting on the second half.





I'm not married to the stripes yet, and so we will see!

Monday, September 24, 2007

Sunday, September 23, 2007

She Laughed!

On Friday, at lunch, when I was telling a few people about Thursday night's Knit Nite and how we decided that sock yarn does not count when you buy it ( I called it my souvenirs from my trip to St. Louis) and if we trade amongst ourselves it does not count either.

And you know what that Jo (one of the Radical Knitters who did not sign the pact)did?

She laughed! Can you believe that?

Saturday, September 22, 2007

This Is Post #601

Can you believe it? Who would think I would have 601 things to say?

Today was going to be a cleaning day and a knit day and maybe I was going to go to Dunlap just to see if they got any more of the Green Cascade Tweed that I needed for my Adult Babies and Bears Sweater I am working on. Regular readers will remember that I had bought only four skeins of the green and was going to use it for the Ribwarmer. After several starts, I decided that the Cascade was just not substantial enough for it.

So, I decided to use it for another Adult Babies and Bears Sweater. My plan was to knit with for as long as two balls would go and then take the red, blue, and yellow that I picked up along the way to finish 1/2 of the side up. I found a solid olive green that would go good for the button bands and finishing. That was the plan.

Then, as I was knitting I kind of like just having a tweed one. At that point I was hopeful that I would have enough tweed. Not happening. Not enough. So, now I am going to revert back to the original plan without the yellow and see what the blue and red look like and use the solid olive as I first intended. I'll try the two colors toninght. If they don't go, then maybe have Char pick me up a skein of the tweed next weekend down in St. Louis.

So, why didn't I go to Dunlap? Well, around 10:00 this morning, we discovered that the tilet wasn't flushing quite right (remember a couple of weeks ago, when there was no water?), well, now it seems that the roots from the tree out front was clogging our wastewater line. So, we had to call Roto Rooter out and $230 later, we have an unclog line.

God, what else? No, really, I don't want an answer, I was just questioning! Or maybe, yet, just inquiring, I don't really want to know the answer.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

The Yellow Is Gone

I have tried working the yellow Cascade in again to my latest Adult Babies and Bears Sweater and it is gone. Never to make another try again. It just does not go. It jumps out at me every time. Even when I try to add just a blip of it my knitting it from the wrong side.

It just doesn't go, no matter what. It is making it's way to the stashbin for a future felting project.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

In My Quest

to use up some leftover balls of sock yarns, I am hoping the book I preordered will have some ideas. I just can't toss the leftovers, and I have this need to use them up.


I am also hoping that there will be some ideas for some of those balls that I bought that may not make it into socks. Not, that I don't like doing socks, it is just sometimes, they seem to take forever to complete a pair.

I have taken a couple of classes from Candace at past Stitches Midwest. It sometimes amazes me as to how a designer's mind works.. Just how do they come up with new and fresh designs that make people want to knit them.

I wish I could figure that out.

Monday, September 17, 2007

Does Sock Yarn Count?
Or are they just souvenirs of my trip?
If it does, then, this was in my stash. If it doesn't, than I bought these in St. Louis last Thursday.

First stop on my way to training on Thursday was Knitorius. Can I say un real? Cascade, Aracuna, Debbie Bliss, Encore, (Trekking, Opal, Regia Sock Yarns), Rowan...okay I can't remember them all, but I was impressed. The needles, the books, the yarn. It is one that I would go back to and shop for yarn if I could.

Second stop was Hearthstone. Not as impressive as Knitorius, but that could be that by the time I got there, I was ready to beat the rush hour traffic and check into my hotel.

I couldn't NOT buy anything, after all of the time I spent wandering. Consider kind of a rent payment for the fun. My sock stash really does not have too many solids in it, and there are a couple of patterns from the books I bought a couple of weeks ago that I want to try out and need some solids to show the stitches off.

So, I really did just buy souvenirs. When you go on a trip, isn't that what you are suppose to do?!

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Is It Against The Law?

To go down the highway with your MP3 Player Headphones on? After all, as I discovered going to St. Louis on Thursday, the State Police do not always turn on their sirens when they are zooming down the interstate in pursuit of someone.

No, they weren't after me, but they could have been....and when he continued past me I just knew it was the other guy I was following along, but no, not him either.....we both survived.

Back to the original question. I think my mom always told me it was, but I don't remember what the rules of the road really says. So, I put mine on today on the way home and tried to catch up with some Knitting Podcasts. It sure maded the trip go by fast. Normally, if I put them on at night, they put me to sleep, but today it was quite entertaining. Only thing, I wanted to make a couple of notes, and writing and driving aren't easy.

Later this week, I'll tell you about my working/learning weekend and yarn shop finds! For now, I'm going to sit in my chair and do some knitting. It's back to work tomorrow. It's going to be a long week!

Thursday, September 13, 2007

I'm Off To St. Louie

For training for work all weekend. But, when you go alone, you can do a little sight seeing once you get there. So, I am checking out a couple of yarn shops. Got my directions to Hearthstone and Knitorius.

And of course, I have my knitting. Do you think 4 projects are enough to take along for the evenings! I can hear you laughing!

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

There Are Worse Things

Than not having access to email and the internet. Try no water for two days, well not really, we were getting water from our neighbor via a hose from their house to our house. And as of yesterday, we have our own water, but boiling it for drinking and eating.

And finally, I have a computer that I can actually see what I am looking at while typing or reading. It seems after a second trip by the Dell tech that it is some bad memory. Everyone needs their own personal IT Dept to come and actually trouble shoot a computer problem. Thank goodness for mine. He will be back tomorrow with new memory to bring me up to speed.

Life then will perhaps go back to somewhat normal!

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Don't You Just Love Em

My mug from Jen the Potter arrived on Saturday. I got to choose my color. The funny thing was the business card Jen enclosed is in black and Caribe Blue too. Amy at Knit Camp had hers in the lighter blues and I just could resist owning one myself. It was kind of expensive, but a nice add to the collecton.

I hope I have enough yarn for my Cobblestone. This is going to cut it close. But, I do think that I am going to be able to cut down both the length in the sleeves and the body. I am going on blind faith that it will. Once I get the right gauge , I am going to be just knitting merrily along for some time. I hope this does not come back to bite me in the butt.

I think the last of the hot weather is behind us. It won't be long now, and Fall will kick in and sweater wearing weather. I had better get moving, there is so much to accomplish!

Saturday, September 08, 2007

Willpower

Char, Linda and I made a pact at Knit Camp 2. No new yarn purchases for a year! We are all having a tough time holding to this. We also said we would eat sensibly, I am having a tough time with that. But, in today's paper it is possible that my Losers are Winners Team could win more than $3000 in January, so I have to at least try for the team!

And today is a new day. Hopefully, I'll get a call from Dell and we can get my computer issues resolved. It's been a week now. I think it is time for a tech to come out and take care of it. Did I say that yesterday?

Today, I am at Baby Boy A's computer, so no pics.

Back to the willpower thing, so I was so close to yarn shopping today, when I ran across a blog that had knitted the Cobblestone Pullover out of Cascade. So, today, I am going to the stash to see what might be lurking there in either Galway or Cascade.

I think I can make it....healthy eating, exercising and staying true to the pact! We can do it!

Friday, September 07, 2007

I Love My Dell

But, not necessarily the service. And anyone who has tried to talk to them know what I am talking about. At the moment, I am almost typing this blind. I'm getting strike throughs all over the place. One week later, and my problem is still persisting and now, I am waiting for Dell to research the problem. Now, you cannot tell me I am the only one who ever had this problem.

And when you say call after 4:30 pm CST, why would they try to call you at noon? Then, have another Dell person call and say wait for my call and not call back.

Here I sit and wait! Love the product when it is working, but NOT when it isn"t!

Bear with me, hopefully, I'll be back in commission before I go to St Louis on Thursday.

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Computer Problems

I'm having computer problems so I will be in and out for the next few days. Dell sent a Tech out to replace Motherboard on Tuesday, but the same problem was back last night. So, I called Dell again. Oy! That is all I am saying. The problem is starting back again this morning which means another phone call. Oy again!

Tune in for more details or a rant on how I hate computers. But love what they can do.

Saturday, September 01, 2007

Yesterday Was A Good Day

Bob and I both took the day off and went over to Bloomington Normal area. Me to check out two of the three yarn shops, him to check out a place that might have guns. We had lunch, no big deal at Arby's.

The first stop was Mary Lynn's. I had directions via MapQuest. We must have drove around the area three or four times before we found the building. Bob was so patient. Mary Lynn's is located on the fourth floor of an office building. I, vaguely rememberd that when we found the number on the side of the building. We found a parking place on a side street (has a couple of antique shops that look interesting if you are into antiques, I'm not), but Bob actually came in with me and sat at the knitting table while I looked around.

I held tight on my deal. I bought the two sock books below and a ball of Encore to go with my ongoing new Babies and Bears Sweater. Oh, and I bought a Hanukkah present, but you can't see it, you'll have to wait.


Then onto, Ewe Knit in Normal. It was easier to find and I only came away with yet another skein of yarn for the Babies and Bears Sweater. Almost the exact color as the Encore I bought, but it is Cascade and I liked it a little better.

Finished off the day with grocery shopping and we were home before it would have been time to get off from work! It was a beautiful day for being off!