The Knitting Wounded

Here Today...

2010-12-30T12:46:00.001-08:00

Well, I'm back, but goodness knows for how long. There will be knitting content and yarny goodness ensuing, but probably in short bursts instead of long posts.

If anyone's out there, how do you like the new layout?

2010-06-29T19:14:00.000-07:00

I had

Wollmeise

in my cart and didn't buy it. My will is iron dammit.

That is all, carry on.

Desert Island Knitting

2010-06-28T23:18:00.000-07:00

I should be sleeping right now, and if the Husboy asks I was in bed hours ago. The reason I am not in bed yet is because I had an itch to start something for myself, which turned out to be Hey Teach in Valley Yarns Colrain that I picked up two Stitches ago. The reason that I am blogging instead of casting on is because I was looking for the recommended size 8 needle amongst my circulars, grousing and fretting because I have strictly forbidden myself from buying any needles, and found a 16" (not quite enough for the back) and this:

A relic of my early knitting days when all I wanted to do was knit hats and either couldn't afford or couldn't fathom dpns (most likely a combination of both). What I would do is cut out the middle of the cord and melt the two ends together. I can't even think of how I did the crown at this point.

What a different time it was. I had no contact with the fantastic online knitting community, access to an incredible assortment of terrible knitting books from the 1970's at my public library, and no idea that there was better yarn than the crap I was picking up from the clearance section at JoAnn's. I couldn't even purl at this point, darn it. That little charred nubbin in the middle of that cord symbolizes the frightful place I was in at that point in my life, struggling through and making my own solutions to a lack of resources that did not stop at my knitting. Next to that, my little island looks pretty sweet.

Now here I am, with fabulous yarns languishing in various cubbyholes around the house, a world of patterns at my fingertips, and still no decent size 8 circulars to speak of. I'm going to suck it up, grab my very nice size 7 needle, and enjoy my desert island knitting.

Or sleep. Whatever.

Dishcloth Mania

2010-06-26T10:56:00.000-07:00

Hopefully everyone knows that I have a lovely little Etsy shop: Knitting Wounded Yarns, that sells re/upcycled yarns rescued from sweaters that have seen better days. Everyone also probably knows that no one wants to buy a bunch of recycled cotton when you can get a ball of new for a buck. Next time, could someone tell me please?

So, long story short, I have a huge Ikea bag full of cotton that I can't sell and can't bear to throw away after investing so much time in taking it apart. What to do?

First: Magic Yarn Balls!

These are not just any poorly hand-wound balls of yarn. Layered inside are little treasures that follow a theme, like Kitty Lover or Foodie. They were a lot of fun to put together, but then what?

How about dishcloths?

I traded some sock yarn for the first Mason Dixon book, and was inspired to knit up a few of these stupid-easy cloths.

Okay, now what? How about I design a few of my own dishcloths? Say "hello" to Knitting Wounded Designs on Ravelr y.

Joy Kanji Pattern: $1.00

Chibi Kitty: $1.00

I cannot tell you how much I am loving Intwined Studio right now. It makes it so easy to translate your ideas into a workable pattern, and if I sell 40 more patterns (at $1 a pop) it will have paid for itself, a very reasonable investment.

Of course, I have some free patterns in the shop as well. I want to rewrite the Spaced Chocolate Beanie and Dizzabelle Scarf in Intwined, but the first versions are in there. I cannot seem to bring myself to ask for money when basing a pattern on someone else's concept, so here's the newest freebie, special for my fellow Firefly/Serenity fans:

Leaf on the Wind Wash Cloth: Free

Next on the design roster, bullet hole socks.

How To Ruin A Diet: Now With Links!

2010-06-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

This fiber/book/needle/everything diet is actually going pretty well. I traded some sock yarn I was probably never going to get to for some new books on Ravelry, sold some books on Amazon and gave away a few on Freecycle, so we're going in the right direction.

So, here is a short list of folks trying to sabotage my good intentions:

Interweave's Hurt Book Sale: 50-75% off of books with slight cosmetic defects (and who doesn't have slight cosmetic defects?). Ends June 22nd. I could really use the Compendium of Finishing Techniques, sigh.

Knitpicks' Inventory Clearance: Save up to 25% on overstock and discontinued colors. Discontinued colors people!

The Dizzy Sheep: This neat shop sells one yarn/fiber a day at a pretty nice discount. During Memorial Day weekend they did a spin-off, where as soon as one thing sells out another takes its place. I thought I was going to faint from the strain.

Three is probably enough for the day. Now, go forth and buy this stuff so I can't. Thank you.

Circle Of Ooooooh

2010-06-14T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hey there folks. Been too busy and too tired to be coherent in any facet of my life, so here's some homework from last semester for you:

Color wheel of Cascade 220, images sniped from The Loopy Ewe. Enjoy.

Blame It On The Yenta

2010-06-11T01:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm sitting on the couch, whining about how much my boobs hurt and pretty much minding my own business when the Yarn Yenta busts up my craft diet. Now, before we all start calling her filthy names and throwing shoes in her general direction, let me explain. The Yarn Yenta, also known as the fabulously talented Heatherly, is one of my favorite people in the world. Not only is she wicked talented and smart and funny, she is also one of the very few absolutely genuine people it has been my pleasure to meet.

She's even photogenic! Heatherly at Stitches West 2010.

Anyone who has been around me for very long usually figures out that I'm not really religious, meaning that I've tried a few out and have decided that the Universe is entirely too smart for me to figure out, so I'm going to wing it. This puts me in the awkward position of having to explain myself to anyone who is religious, then having to explain to them that I like myself that way and yes, I know I'm going to burn in the Lake of Fire for all eternity, but thanks anyway.

Heatherly is what I consider a true believer. She is deeply committed to her beliefs, so much so that she actually lives by their teachings instead of pushing those beliefs in your face to prove something. This not only makes it enjoyable to be around her, it makes her a completely and utterly delightful person. In other words, she is so perfect that she can pull it off without making you hate her for being perfect. Heatherly is who I would want to be if I wasn't completely happy with being myself.

Okay, back to my falling down. I swear, I wasn't even on Ravelry. I was on Facebook for cripes sake, letting it suck some time when Heatherly does an update congratulating someone else for winning the Sock Madness 4 competition and includes a picture of her own submission.

It is called Cool Beans people. I say, "Cool Beans", all the time. Really, ALL THE TIME. I have people who work with me all over the country saying it now. And it is really gorgeous colorwork and I had popped onto Ravelry and bought it before I could even think about it. I can't kick myself too hard for it; I have the perfect yarn already wound up and ready to go.

Do me a favor, go onto the Yarn Yenta website or her Ravelry page and buy it too so I don't feel so silly?

Dieting Pains

2010-06-04T10:34:00.000-07:00

Ever get to the point in stash culmination when it starts to hurt a little? Not like a physical pain (unless you try to pick it all up at once or something), more like the emotional burden of far too much unrealized potential weighing you down.

Oh yeah, I'm totally there. Not only are my two yarn storage receptacles overflowing, but there are also two large knitting bags floating around full to the brim. I did a quick inventory one night and discovered that I have over 40,000 yards of yarn in my stash. This is not counting partial skeins or scraps or the boxes and boxes of yarn and sweaters I use for the shop.

The worst part? I keep finding more! I'm afraid that if I bring one more skein into the house the foundation will buckle and we'll end up falling into the creepy hobo basement apartment that hasn't seen the light of day in years and years. If there's an earthquake there is a real danger of us smothering to death. I can almost hear the wingbeats of millions of Hercules Emperor Moths (Coscinocera hercules) making a special trip from northern Australia to come devour this Vegas-style buffet.

A severe diet is apparently in order, and I have decided to go big or go home on this one. For the rest of the year I will be knitting exclusively from my stash. Doesn't sound too big, huh. Okay, how about, for the rest of the year I will be knitting with yarn, needles, and books exclusively from my stash. That's right folks. No new yarn, books, or needles are coming into this house. If I really need something I need to either dye it or trade for it. The Husboy has stated that new magazines are fine, but their number has also been steadily multiplying and is making me uneasy. The only exception is my Etsy shop; I will of course be maintaining and growing my inventory and may buy from myself if needed (technically no new yarn coming into the house, right?).

The prize at the end of the trail? Less guilt, more room, and, oh yeah. I will be coming home from Stitches next year with either a spinning wheel or a proper loom, my choice. I like it because it will be earned, the Husboy likes it because I'll finally shut up about it for a bit.

Anyone want to trade some needles for an unused copy of Kaffe Knits Again?

I'm A Big Underground Success in the UK

2010-06-03T10:16:00.000-07:00

A while back I picked up an alchemy request from April Winchell at Regretsy.com, a delightfully snarky website that has been turned into a book: Regretsy: Where DIY Meets WTF (BTW, buying from this link will donate her royalties to the American Cancer Society. Woot!).

The mission was to knit a whole bunch of knitted knockers for the Knitted Knockers Program.

April was contacted by Yarn Forward magazine and forwarded (ha) them onto me for information on the project. I sent her a bunch of pictures and almost all the information in the article and, wouldn't you know it, I was the only party involved that didn't get a website listed. Anyhoo, the article is in Yarn Forward Issue 26, check it out!

Understanding

2010-06-02T22:46:00.000-07:00

Boy, it has been a long time. Months and months to be precise but not exact. I'm going to level with the two people who have not yet unsubscribed from my increasingly neglected blog.

I was seduced.

Blogging, even in my limited capacity, without regular features or even regular publishing, can be a lot of work. On the other hand, the Ravelry boards and Facebook don't even require full sentences, let alone cognitive thought. So I got lazy and, with a few sweet words and a little tickle under the chin, I was reduced to quick-and-dirty one-liners. Before I knew it I was having to be careful about what I said because I was being broadcast directly to coworkers: superiors and subordinates, far-flung family members, and random acquaintances I linked up with during my brief flirtation with Farmville.

And for keeping up with family and friends and figuring out who's bbq I'll be ~~mooching from~~ attending, Facebook is awesome. But the blog is not necessarily for the general public. It is for me and it is for a more select audience. An audience that will flinch with me when I share the 200g of meticulously rescued laceweight cashmere that I ended up selling for a paltry $7, and understand my struggle as I submit myself to the most stringent knit-diet I have ever devised in order to finally land a spinning-wheel guilt-free. I missed you, my fellow fiber nuts.

So I'm back, hopefully for good but we're far too smart to bank on that, right? I'll go into the diet and share about my latest and last (fingers crossed) surgery another time. Thanks for hanging in there or just showing up out of the blue. Cheers!

The Inappropriate Sweater Story

2009-12-20T22:52:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday night the Husboy and I were reminiscing about our past Christmases together and what we had gotten for each other each year. At some point the conversation went like so:

Me: "What about your sweater I knit you?"
Him: "Oh yeah! I love that sweater!"
Me: "You've never worn it."
Him: "But the weather is perfect for it now."
Me: "Ha, you don't even know where it is."
Him: "What?"
Me: "You don't know where it is."
Him: "Yes I do, I think it's in the closet somewhere."
Me: "I'll tell you what. It's 7:02. If you can find it by 7:05 I will give you $50 dollars and (insert special marital activity here).

Poor thing didn't find it until 7:15, but he wore it out afterward and received many compliments. Little consolation for him, lots of giggling for me.

CrafTea & Coffee Too

2009-12-16T07:09:00.000-08:00

This semester I took marketing communications and small business entrepreneurship at LBCC. One of the best things about taking these classes at once is that I needed to build a dummy company for the small business class and I needed to build a dummy advertising campaign for the marketing class, so a lot of my research was utilized twice. Holy efficient use of time and energy, Batman!

The company I set up (academically, not IRL) was called CrafTea & Coffee Too, a crafting studio with an indie cafe attached to it. Think of a place where you can get a great cup of coffee, a cranberry-oatmeal cookie, AND try out spinning wheels or take a scrapbooking class. Yeah, I got a little warm and fuzzy too.

I wanted to share the ads that I made up for the campaign. I ~~stole~~ fairly used for academic purposes without permission all of the images in the ads (remember, the store doesn't really exist) and will give credit where I am able:

Here's where it gets tricky; I snagged a lot of these images from Google image search and did not think enough to keep track of the original sources. I know at least the star candles are from Better Homes and Gardens: http://www.bhg.com/holidays/christmas/crafts/quick-and-easy-holiday-crafts/?page=1

Same thing here. I am ashamed of my academic malfeasance, so if you can identify any of these images please let me know so I can correctly identify the source.

Next time, the best color wheel ever.

Knitting on Medication

2009-12-11T23:50:00.001-08:00

I am home recovering from last weekend's reconstructive surgery, which went splendidly! Between the stress and the pain medications and the simple fact that, when giving something small and knitted, colorwork is always impressive, I am happy to report that I had the foresight to start a few felted bags before the big day. Why felted bags?

Felted bags are usually pretty small projects that use mondo needles.
Felting projects are an easy, fast way to burn through some of those half-skeins of wool lazing around the stash.
Felting is very forgiving in times when your gauge may be, well, less than perfect.

I have not uploaded any pictures lately, but I've been loving the Ballband Bag Recipe from Monica Knits and the Mini Skull Tote from Hello Yarn. Of course, my tried-and-true staple pattern is the Booga Bag from Black Sheep Bags.

I've been trying not to buy any more yarn until I can fit the yarn I have back in to the storage I have, but I was thwarted three times recently; once by the Loopy Ewe (free Romney Ridge 2010 Calendar for Loopy Groupies snagged me, but not in time to get a Swedish Fish mitten pattern before they sold out).

Another shop that pinched me was up by my cardiologist's office (don't even get me started on the cardiologist) was Ursula's Yarn Boutique in Santa Ana. The shop is a crowded mess and Ursula, the proprietress, was not too happy to see me coming in twenty minutes before closing, but she warmed up to me once we found out we were both breast cancer survivors. I can't leave a local yarn shop without buying something, so I picked up a few skeins from the ample 40% off section.

Before that I ran into Daily Fiber Yarn in Murrieta on my way up to see my father before I spent the weekend in the hospital. The store layout was impressive and easy to navigate, the owner Debbie was an absolute joy to talk with, and she also had a very impressive clearance section where I picked up Wendy Keele's Poems of Color for 50% off, score!

I'm hoping to post more now that school is over and I am laid up. Next time I'll talk about my phony craft cafe and show off some ads.

Free Pattern - Dizzabelle Scarf

2009-10-10T23:58:00.000-07:00

Dizzabelle Scarf Pattern

Let's Move On, Shall We?

2009-09-21T23:12:00.000-07:00

My once momentous infatuation with Facebook has quieted down to a passing interest, but I can feel autumn coming and feel like talking, so here I am! Not that Facebook isn't fabulous; it is how I organize the new party craze that I'm developing: the Make and Munch. Make & Munch... (munches? munchies?) are just a poorly disguised way for me to make all my friends and neighbors come over so I can feed them and teach them the ways of the fiber.

Sure, it seems like a lot of work, but imagine being able to give someone the ball of yarn instead of the finished project every year! Incredible time savings are to be had here, people!

The Joys of Self-Involvement

2009-04-28T23:14:00.000-07:00

Sorry, sorry. I'm still at the point that I'm either working or sleeping trying to recover from it. Not much time to knit or blog or anything... the Husboy's grandfather passed last week, so we have had a hard time of it lately. I made homemade challah for the various services, and my baby-challah drama finally paid off in some pretty decent bread:

The color is more realistic in the top one, but I had to show you the braiding job I did on the round one below, lousy color or no...

I had the honor of being with the family and holding my grandfather-in-law's hand as he passed into the next world. I can only hope to have so many loving hearts around me when I go.

In other news, I also took on a temporary training job at work, earning the nickname "Plan B" from my newest boss. This has entailed a little extra work, eating up my little extra energy. When I have any time I've been a skeining demon. I have a good two loads of recycled yarn to wash and put up in the etsy shop, I just need good weather and some free time. And I bought a freakin' electric mandolin. Good news is that the strings are the same as on a violin, and I played violin in elementary school. I still suck, but it's a suckiness that doesn't sound as much like cats screwing as it did when I was eight.

Oh, and we bought Rockband when I got back from Texas. That's not helping either.

Deep in the Heart

2009-04-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been just about forever since I've blogged, right? I swear I've sat at the computer almost every day intending to blog and... nothing. So, for being so patient, I have a story:

Once upon a midnight dreary a knitter was sitting around after a long drive home from work waiting for her husband to come home from the graveyard shift. As she sat and read and thought about napping, the house phone began to ring. Mildly irritated by the phone that only telemarketers and other weirdos call ringing so late at night, the knitter decided to ignore it.

But the phone kept ringing.

And ringing.

And ringing.

Until the knitter, fully prepared to give the persistent telemarketer/weirdo the riot act, picked up the phone and heard: "Is The Knitter there?"

The voice on the other end of the line ended up being one of the knitter's long-lost sisters (though opinions do differ on which one of us was long-lost). It turns out that the sister had been trying to find the knitter (who knew she'd be in the phone book?) for months and months and had been calling the listed number when no one was home and had decided to try one more time just when the knitter was home reading and contemplating a nap.

So, when the Knitter got sick, not one but two sisters came to visit her, just in case (though no one mentioned the "just in case" part). Once the knitter got better, she went out to Texas to visit not two but three sisters. It was the first time all of them had ever been in the same room and all were pleased to discover that they were a lot alike and even liked each other, especially the part about the knitter usurping the position of the youngest sister.

So the knitter discovered that she wasn't quite so alone in the world as she thought she was, and the sisters probably discovered that they are much more like their mother than previously suspected, since her four daughters are so alike.

We Appreciate Your Patience

2009-03-13T12:05:00.000-07:00

Thank you for visiting the Knitting Wounded blog. All of our bloggers are currently busy either sleeping or working or doing something IRL that the blogger thinks "man, this is so blogworthy" but never makes it onto the blog.

We appreciate your patience. Blogging will resume shortly. Thank you!

It's A Good Life

2009-02-03T13:29:00.000-08:00

It has been brought to my attention (repeatedly) that it has been a while since I've blogged. I can only say that the wonder-fullness of my life lately has been to blame, but when I start getting "reminded" by people "irl", it's time to get to bloggin'.

I started work about three weeks ago, and I am actually having a wonderful time. The people I work with have been very nice overall, the hours are good, and the dude who does the scheduling has only had me working 3-4 days in a row, so I get to recuperate. Now, are there days I'd rather be sitting in bed watching trash television and knitting? Hells yeah. Then I remember that I have hair now, and with great hair comes great responsibility, so I put on my stockings and a nice shirt and go out into the world.

I was in a bit of a sock-knitting funk for a while, but now that I am once again working a job that creates no tangible product I am once again knitting socks.

The Husboy wanted cables, so my baby gets cables. I haven't done top-down socks for a while, but this is turning out to be loads of fun. I may put out the pattern if there's any interest.

I also started a sweater for myself, the B-Side Cardigan out of Curry Telemark I picked up a while back while it was on clearance.

I knit and washed a gauge swatch (gasp) and could not get the 6sts/inch gauge the pattern calls for without going to US1 needles. Yuck, no. So I'm knitting with US3's at 5sts/inch, did some math, and viola!, I am following the directions for a smaller sweater and will get one that fits me. Bonus: fewer stitches=less work. I will need a longer Addi Turbo to whip this bad boy out, but I can probably pick that up in Pasadena when we go check out a culinary school for the HusBoy.

And although I feel terrible about it (and have been called filthy names besides), I will be missing the annual Knitting Wounded and Bob's Lame Life dual-birthday shindig this year. I normally wouldn't miss this event for the world, but apparently Stitches West is even better than the world. So, if any of you will also be in Santa Clara that weekend, don't forget to say hey. I'll be the one with short, curly hair and a Happy Birthday pin from Disneyland. I wonder if they'll write "Knitting Wounded" on there for me?

Things I Have Learned So Far

2009-01-05T10:37:00.000-08:00

I know that 2009 is young yet, but it's never too early to learn something:

1) There are Knitters everywhere. I went to a New Year's party at the girls' house (finally "legally" married, yahoo!) and met someone wearing socks in a pattern and yarn I had used, though not in conjunction. Of course, I wore store-bought socks and was not nearly as impressive (lesson: always wear your best socks to parties). The best part? The Husboy recognized Reptilian Lace socks without the beads. Despite his gigantic feet, he's a keeper.

2) Semantics matter. According to the insurance company, I was as good as cured as soon as the ball dropped New Year's Eve. Although nothing really changed at that moment, I have been feeling much better. I've even been busting my rear on the skates I received for Hanukkah. Sorry, no pictures. I am so glad I asked for a week of vacation to enjoy my newly declared wellness.

3) Stinker spelled backwards is Reknits. Sometimes having a nerdy husband works out.

Knitting Wounded Yarns Live

2009-01-03T18:33:00.000-08:00

I am super-duper happy to report that Knitting Wounded Yarns is up and running! I still have a ton of stuff to put up and do, but the first wave of yarn is up for your perusing pleasure.

And, because we loves our blog readers, put "Husboy" in the comments for free shipping in January.

Regular blogging will return soon. Happy New Year and Happy Knitting!

Finished Projects 2008

2009-01-01T22:35:00.000-08:00

Fawn Evangelines
Brown Evangelines
Garbo Garden Hat
Olive Spaced Chocolate Beanie
Blue Spaced Chocolate Beanie
Shedir
TKGA Level 1 Project - Hat
Claret Yorick
Black Cherry Yorick
TKGA Level 1 Swatches
Big Airy Scarf
Not Secret Airy Scarf
Alpaca Hand Warmers
Misti Hand Warmers
Ribbed Blue Socks
Death by Discount Rowan Hat
Bespoke Pillow
Secret Airy Scarf
Moose Hat
Circular Stockinette Scarf
Glossy Baby Socks
Green Baby Booga
Baby Vogs
Pretty Pink Vogs
Beaded Diamond Fantasy Shawl
Blue Booga Bag
Chocolate Almond Short Sox
Becka 'Vog On Socks
Calmer Tit-Bit (C)
Kyoto Tit-Bit (D)
Kyoto Tit-Bit (C)
One noRow Scarf
Raspberry F&F Socks
Kyoto Clapotis
Snail
Lion Raglan
Scrappy WoTA Bag
Red Chapeau Marnier for Knit for the Cure
Baby Booga Bag
Chapeau Marnier
Yet Another Swell
Red-Hot Jaywalkers
Binary Hat for Hat Attack
Reptilian Lace Socks
HusBoy's Swell
Hand Dyed Baby Socks

Holidaze

2008-12-29T00:48:00.000-08:00

One of these days I will have a post that's not just a photo montage. Today is not one of those days.Spaghetti was returned to his home in time for Christmas, and though we expect he will make a full recovery, he does not have enough feathers to go outside yet. The less scruffy-looking bird is Meatball, Spaghetti's bird-raised nest mate, brother, and protector. I was a little afraid that they would not get along, but they seem to remember each other. Whenever I went to see how they were doing, Meatball would try to get between Spaghetti and I while Spaghetti tried to get near me in hopes of getting fed.

The Husboy and I had an adventure day up in Idyllwild to enjoy the snow and try out our woolys. Yes, he has his Swell on backwards; we didn't notice until we were back in the car, trying to get some traction on the ice so we could head home and defrost.

And one of the reasons I love my father. For those without ladders (I am one, don't laugh), the sticker between my dad's feet says: "Do Not Stand at or above this level. YOU CAN LOSE YOUR BALANCE.

I am also happy to report only one holiday knitting disaster: I gave my step-mum an elbow length Evangeline with an IOU for the second. On our last night visiting I am knitting away and run out of yarn. One row, a bind-off, and a thumb away from completion. So much for stash-busting.

Wyoming 62 UCLA 113

2008-12-24T11:25:00.000-08:00

If anyone was watching the UCLA basketball game last night and saw a woman with short dirty blonde hair knitting up a storm in the audience, it was me.

Happy Holidays, and may your IOU's be few.

Why I Haven't Blogged

2008-12-22T22:31:00.001-08:00

If there is anything at all you can expect from this blog, it is excuses. This post is no exception; in fact, it is all excuses for why I haven't been a good blogger:

According to Ravelry, I am the only person on Earth to actually finish knitting the Greta Garbo Garden hat from Lace Style. Unfortunately, it won't be getting to my sister by Christmas, as the box I needed to pack it in ended up too big to be sent priority without investing a considerable sum.

Speaking of the holidays...

The various holidays we celebrate during this fabulous winter season have kept me on my toes, as has the economic downturn that unexpectedly turned the Husboy into a Houseboy. Don't worry, we're sure he will get something new soon (if I don't kill him before I go back to work myself). In the meantime he has picked up all the cooking and did all the holiday cookie baking this year.

I have done an unprecedented amount of holiday knitting (see the Evangeline mitts, knitted last-second for the HusBoy's grandmother's Hanukkah present below). I have pictures of the hemp dishcloths I knitted for my grandmum on my cell, but darned if I remember how to get them off.

Another thing to note in this picture is the "new" storage bench in the background. I picked a Lane cedar storage bench from the local rescue mission thrift store for about sixteen dollars. I then took it to my dad's, where we proceeded to rip off the broken bottom support, strip, stain, carve and attach new feet, and reupholster the seat. It still looks a bit beat up, but along with the various materials this fabulous and functional beauty cost me less than $50. It pays to know your way around the power tools.

This is Spaghetti. The yellow stuff around Spaghetti is splattered baby food. Spaghetti is a baby dove (pigeon, whatever) who got his little head nearly pecked in by another pigeon in the enclosure. His mum, probably seeing him as a lost cause and wanting to ensure the survival of his sister, decided to stop feeding him. When Dad and I found the little guy we thought he was dead. If he hadn't moved his little beak when he did we would have buried him (I'm not kidding; Dad had his shovel out). I took on the job of Mommy and am proud to say that the little dude is much better. We have introduced him to solid foods and have flying lessons every day. He will be going home Christmas Eve, and we have every faith in his successful re-entry into dove society.

And finally, I have been bitten by the Molehill Empire and letterboxing bug. Lime 'n' Violet screws me again.

Happy Holidays!

Spaced Chocolate Beanie Pattern

2008-12-06T20:55:00.000-08:00

Taa-daa! My first published pattern! Well, published here anyway:

Spaced Chocolate Beanie Pattern

This can't be good...

Ghosts of Knitting Past

2008-11-24T15:50:00.000-08:00

I am usually the first one to walk into any one of our many fine local retail establishments, take a look around the "holiday" section, and begin to spout obscenities. I normally do not see the need for Christmas lights right next to the jack-o-lanterns, and most years the premature shoving of Christmas cheer down my throat tends to make me a little crabby.

This year, on the other hand, I am ready. Bring on the eggnog!

What? You don't have a Chrismukkah tree decorated out of wee socks? Some knitters you are... (just kidding, I love all of you slackers).

Oh, and just as a reminder: there are only 27 days until Hanukkah and 30 days until Christmas. Block carefully people:

You may want to head over to Threadless's $5 sale instead of knitting. Won't you please think of the towels.

Hat Fancier

2008-11-22T16:27:00.000-08:00

I don't know what it is, but this little knitter seems to be on a hat jag:

Button Cap & Wristlets, my own design. Yarn by See Jayne Knit

See that "my own design" above? That means I saw something similar on the Lime 'n' Violet Chum, was too lazy to look it up or knit a gauge swatch, so I farted around with the yarn until something worked.

TKGA Hand Knitters Level One Project. Cascade 220 in Mocha and Azure

I think I should just move into the Loopy Ewe's crawlspace; now that they have every Cascade 220 color imaginable I don't see any reason to leave...

Dream Swatch. Yarn unknown

Okay, not technically a hat, but still a head covering. Check out the hair!

Garbo Garden Hat from Lace Style. Louisa Harding Nautical Cotton

I knew I had all these stitch markers for a reason... Thankfully there is a millinery shop near the Husboy's work, so I can pick up the needed wire sometime next week.

Shedir from Knitty's Breast Cancer Special Edition. Alpaca/Silk blend yarn

Don't worry, I haven't completely gone over the edge. In fact, I just started a bag. Of course, the bag is solid bobbles...

Maybe you should worry.

What Recession?

2008-11-12T15:53:00.000-08:00

I know that the world economy is slowly swirling towards the septic system right now, but I have to admit that I've been doing a little bit of ~~shopping~~ investing in my favorite hobby (next to beating the kitty, of course).

I was out of town and just this side of broke when The Loopy Ewe uploaded their new stock of Namaste bags, including the very desirable Laguna in the might-be limited Peacock colorway. I had missed it the first time it came around and had been holding off buying another bag because I had my sights set on this specific bag. I had also just made an order a few days before and was, as previously stated, just this side of broke. Did I let the opportunity slip by?

Heck no. There was no way I was going to be left in the dust by another gaggle of equally fashionable (no insult intended) knitters. It took some juggling, but I got it, and I have been extremely happy with it. My previous bag, the messenger bag from Namaste was just a little too clunky and the flap made it a pain to access when you're knitting on the run. This bag is easy access with lots of little pockets and zippered compartments and the color is to die for.

Of course, a few weeks later The Loopy Ewe had a 20% off sale on bags and selected yarns. I checked and, thankfully, my bag was already sold out. Nothing miffs me more than missing a great deal. To get over my almost anxiety attack, I used my newly acquired $25 loyalty credit and picked up some Farmhouse Yarns sock yarn in Chocolate, which was also on sale and looks good enough to eat.

I don't even want to talk about all the yarn I've been buying; the idea of photographing it all for Ravelry is laughable. The Husboy is absolutely no help. Even after telling him that one more skein of yarn in the house meant that we would have to rent a storage unit for him to sleep in, he still bought me a skein of Manos when we unexpectedly (honest!) found ourselves at Strands and Stitches in Laguna Beach. They had an excellent selection of knitting and cross-stitch supplies (for you poly-craftual folks), though I can't say I loved the sorting by color. Definitely worth a stop if you find yourself in that neck of the Pacific Coast Highway.

I am also still producing yarn, though I haven't taken any pictures of that either. I need to shake a leg; the shop opens in only a month and a half! I hope you all like lace-weight cashmere!

Let me distract you with my latest antique store find:

Stocking blockers! They're a little smaller than my feet and need some major sanding and a coat of varnish, but for $7 how could I refuse? I may pick up some more next week, though they looked a little huge... Maybe I'll paint them and do something fun with them?

Have to run; I need to fold laundry before heading out to Knit night. Be safe out there!

The Reluctant Blogger

2008-11-10T22:36:00.000-08:00

Hello out there in Internets land! If it seems that I had another abra-cadabra moment, it is because I did in fact disapear for a while. I seem to have hit the point in my recovery where I'm getting better, but not fast enough dag-nab it, so I am constantly either pushing myself too hard or sitting around as a tired, depressed lump. In an attempt to nudge me out of this, the Husboy has ordered me to blog and go to knit nights. I have done the latter and am now doing the former.

Now for the requisite catch-up montage:

Went to the Torrance Fiber Festival this year. I only bought one little skein of sock yarn from Chameleon Colorworks, though I am regretting not picking up one of the infant-sized skiens of sport (?) weight that everyone else seems to have gotten.
I have also been working on my TKGA hand knitting assignment; I have all the actual knitting done and have made an outline for the paper I have to write. The paper will get more attention when I drop the Monkey Cousin at school on Friday. I don't know how everyone gets all the information you're supposed to submit on these little labels, but I need to do that too. Le sigh...
At some point I promised someone that I would knit the Greta Garbo Garden Hat from Lace Style for someone else that is related to the both of us. I then bought a bunch of cotton for it, then forgot to start it. It is now on the needles (thank goodness for voice mail) and seems to go pretty quickly. I may make another in wool for the 2009 county fair, but I think I'll wait until I see how this turns out.
Hate me if you will, but not only do I have some of my holiday knitting completed, it is blocked and wrapped. Ugh, I hate myself a little...
Husboy is good, Stinker is well, my hair is growing back like the dickens, and all is right with the world.

There has to be more, but for the life of me I can't think of it now. Big hugs!

Back in the Box

2008-10-14T23:41:00.000-07:00

I know I just posted that Stinker was missing, but it has been reported that the Husboy brought our baby home less than an hour ago! Our downstairs neighbor informed him that she had just seen a cat matching Stinker's description on the corner. He was out a moment later, and after much cajoling, bribery, and not too much blood-letting he got her back in the house. She is now eating and acting like she didn't just scare the beejeezus out of us for a week. She is getting a name-tag stuck on her tomorrow, and is going to the vet for a full check-up as soon as possible.

I'm just so happy!

Have You Seen Stinker?!?

2008-10-13T15:00:00.000-07:00

Just a quickie post. Stinker went missing a few days ago and I've been too flustered and dispondent to blog. I will be back soon with pictures and updates and whatnot.

Knitted Together

2008-09-30T23:37:00.000-07:00

My father got married this weekend, which explains why I have been sleeping for the last few days and am now up way too late (that, and the inexplicable heat). It was a beautiful ceremony and I am very pleased for the happy couple.

If anyone out there is in need of a wedding gift for the well-established couple in their lives, I cannot over-recommend the Bespoke Pillow from Interweave Knits.

It's lovely, personal, and who really needs a punchbowl anyhow? This only took a few days in Knit Picks Shine Worsted and will remind them of my regard whenever they take a nap on the couch.

The Husboy and I also critter-sat for them while they honeymooned overnight (don't worry, they're spending a whole week together at home as well), and I took advantage of the desert location to wash and dry a few more skeins of inventory.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like my etsy shop will be open any time soon; my oncologist wants me to take it nice and slow for a few more months. After this not-too hectic weekend and the two days of solid sleep afterwards, I can see his point. It takes longer than you'd think to get back up to full strength... please send patient vibes in my direction if you can spare them.

Oh, and in case you were worried about Stinker being alone all weekend, don't fret. She has a big feeder, water-er,

and fresh batteries in the remote.

Music Meme

2008-09-30T23:23:00.000-07:00

I remember when I wasn't older (or that much older) than my fellow knit-bloggers, but as I stole this from (witty title) and she graduated in 2001, that makes me ancient...

The rules:
A.) Go to musicoutfitters.com
B.) Enter the year you graduated from high school in the search function and get the list of 100 most popular songs of that year
C.) Bold the songs you like, ~~strike through~~ the ones you hate and underline or italicize your favorite. Do nothing to the ones you don’t remember (or don’t care about)

1. Too Close, Next
2. The Boy Is Mine, Brandy and Monica
3. You're Still The One, Shania Twain
4. Truly Madly Deeply, Savage Garden
5. How Do I Live, LeAnn Rimes
6. Together Again, Janet
7. All My Life, K-Ci and JoJo
8. Candle In The Wind 1997, Elton John
9. Nice and Slow, Usher
~~10. I Don't Want To Wait, Paula Cole~~
11. How's It Going To Be, Third Eye Blind
12. No, No, No, Destiny's Child
~~13. My Heart Will Go On, Celine Dion~~
14. Gettin' Jiggy Wit, Will Smith
15. You Make Me Wanna..., Usher16. My Way, Usher
17. My All, Mariah Carey
18. The First Night, Monica
19. Been Around The World, Puff Daddy and The Family
20. Adia, Sarah McLachlan
21. Crush, Jennifer Paige
22. Everybody (Backstreet's Back), Backstreet Boys
23. I Don't Want To Miss A Thing, Aerosmith
24. Body Bumpin Yippie-Yi-Yo, Public Announcement
~~25. This Kiss, Faith Hill~~
26. I Don't Ever Want To See You Again, Uncle Sam
27. Let's Ride, Montell Jordan
28. Sex And Candy, Marcy Playground
29. Show Me Love, Robyn
30. A Song For Mama, Boyz II Men
31. What You Want, Mase
32. Frozen, Madonna
33. Gone Till November, Wyclef Jean
34. My Body, Lsg
35. Tubthumping, Chumbawamba
36. Deja Vu (Uptown Baby), Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz
37. I Want You Back, 'N Sync
38. When The Lights Go Out, Five
39. They Don't Know, Jon B.
40. Make Em' Say Uhh!, Master P
41. Make It Hot, Nicole Featuring Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott and Mocha
42. Never Eve, All Saints
43. I Get Lonely, Janet
44. Feel So Good, Mase
45. Say It, Voices Of Theory
46. Kiss The Rain, Billie Myers
47. Come With Me, Puff Daddy
48. Romeo And Juliet, Sylk-E Fyne
49. It's All About Me, Mya and Sisqo
50. I Will Come To You, Hanson
51. One Week, Barenaked Ladies
52. Swing My Way, K.P. and Envyi
53. The Arms Of The One Who Loves You, Xscape5
4. My Love Is The Shhh!, Somethin' For The People
55. Daydreamin', Tatyana Ali
56. We're Not Making Love No More, Dru Hill
57. Semi-Charmed Life, Third Eye Blind
~~58. I Do, Lisa Loeb~~
59. Lookin' At Me, Mase
60. Looking Through Your Eyes, LeAnn Rimes
61. Lately, Divine
62. Quit Playing Games (With My Heart), Backstreet Boys (I'm as surprised as you are)
63. I Still Love You, Next
64. Time After Time, Inoj
65. Are You Jimmy Ray?, Jimmy Ray
66. Cruel Summer, Ace Of Base
67. I Got The Hook Up!, Master P
68. Victory, Puff Daddy and The Family
69. Too Much, Spice Girls
~~70. Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are), Pras Feat. Ol' Dirty Bastard and Mya~~
71. How Deep Is Your Love, Dru Hill Featuring Redman
72. Friend Of Mine, Kelly Price
73. Turn It Up [Remix]/Fire It Up, Busta Rhymes
74. I'll Be, Edwin McCain
75. Ray Of Light, Madonna
76. All For You, Sister Hazel
77. Touch It, Monifah
78. Money, Power and Respect, Lox
79. Bitter Sweet Symphony, The Verve
80. Dangerous, Busta Rhymes
81. Spice Up Your Life, Spice Girls
82. Because Of You, 98 Degrees
83. The Mummers' Dance, Loreena McKennitt
84. All Cried Out, Allure Featuring 112
85. Still Not A Player, Big Punisher Featuring Joe
86. The One I Gave My Heart To, Aaliyah
87. Foolish Games/You Were Meant For Me, Jewel
88. Love You Down, Inoj
89. Do For Love, 2Pac
90. Raise The Roof, Luke
91. Heaven, Nu Flavor
92. The Party Continues, Jd
93. Sock It 2 Me, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott Featuring Da Brat
94. Butta Love, Next
95. A Rose Is Still A Rose, Aretha Franklin
96. 4 Seasons Of Loneliness, Boyz II Men
97. Father, LL Cool J
98. Thinkin' Bout It, Gerald Levert
99. Nobody's Supposed To Be Here, Deborah Cox
100. Westside, TQ

Wait A Minute Mrs. Postman

2008-09-30T22:13:00.000-07:00

I have been uncharacteristically dreading mail service this last week. You see, I slaughtered a knitter and am fearing retribution through the USPS. Before the authorities come to my house to investigate a possible homicide or misuse of the postal service, I should explain that I am participating in Hat Attack 2.

For those who may not have heard of it, Hat Attack is a knitting competition of sorts. The participants are all assigned assassins and targets. On a predetermined day in a predetermined time frame, the pattern for a hat is released. The object is to knit the hat to the specifications of the pattern, then mail it to your target. When your target receives it, they are dead, and must forward what they have finished of their hat to you so that you may kill their target. All this time your assassin is knitting and trying to kill you with their knitting.

This round is being sponsored by SWTC, and the yarn suggested is their Therapi line. Of course, I substituted something in the stash, white Rowan Cashsoft Baby DK and frilly Rowan Kid Classic. Firefairy always comes up with these amazing patterns that are challenging and make beautiful hats, but I'm not sure I would do if my knitterly life was not at stake. It's like eating tough ribs: too much effort, not enough reward. I think I will use the colors and stripe pattern again, but the Fibonacci ribbing is just too much.

So right now I am hunkered down in my apartment, for the first time hoping the extremely pleasant mail carrier doesn't bring me anything. Well, except for this:

I really lucked out with my SP12 pals, both downstream and up. My secret pal sent me a box chock full o' goodness, including the pattern and yarn for one of the oldest projects in my ravelry queue. She also sent me some wonderful yarns and teas and so many squee-worthy goodies that were exactly what I wanted but wouldn't admit to myself. You may notice that the novel in the picture is rather uncomfortably sitting on it's open spine. She was kind enough to leave a little note in the front proclaiming this as her favorite book, so I cracked the book to see what it was about and ended up reading a third of it before I knew what hit me. I had to force myself to put it down and take a picture of all my fabulous loot before heading out of town to my father's wedding... but that is another post.

Second Place is First Loser

2008-09-24T21:36:00.000-07:00

The HusBoy's birthday was last week (he gets older and older every year), and as usual we did what I wanted to celebrate. He took off of work and we went to the Los Angeles County Fair in the middle of the week. We had an altogether better time at the fair than we did last year, when we went on the last Sunday of the fair and entered through the fairway (yuck). This year we went through the Blue Gate, which goes straight to the animals, our favorite area.

As it turns out, we were the animals' favorite too. We were both mauled by goats in the petting zoo.

I am only grateful that someone warned me that three goats were trying to eat the back of my skirt (which is not made of any natural fibers whatsoever, thank you) before I was arrested for indecent exposure.

I witnessed my first shearing:

and learned the fate of my county fair entries:

I am very happy to get my little red ribbons for my first fair entries, but I can't help but be a tad disappointed with second place, especially with the shawl. I think my blocking was better and pattern more complex than the first place shawl, but since we do not get notes from the judges, I may never know why. The HusBoy couldn't be more proud of me, and bought me some hand-spun alpaca from the Heritage area in celebration.

In other news, only two more radiation treatments and I am done. Yippee! I cannot wait to get rid of this strange tan, but will miss having people draw on me everyday.

I have survived the first round of Hat Attack, but may not be home to receive my next weapons shipment, as my father is getting married this Saturday. Good times all around.

Stitch N Pitch, Take Two

2008-09-15T23:21:00.000-07:00

Back in June the Dodgers hosted our area Stitch 'n' Pitch, and I was far too sick from my last chemo treatment to go. I was heartbroken, but sent my excellent emissaries (HusBoy, bil, mil, & aunt-il) in my place and resigned myself to having to wait until next year to enjoy my peanuts and purls with my fellow knitters at the ball park. I mean, it would be unreasonable to ask Major League Baseball and TNNA to schedule another event just because I was unable to attend the first one, right?

Well, it turns out that I didn't even have to ask. The Angels, who must have somehow heard of my plight and known that I take their side in every freeway series, unexpectedly hosted their own Stitch 'n' Pitch late in the season. And though I came home utterly exhausted and in no small amount of pain, it was totally worth it.

Though I and the HusBoy may have initially grumbled a little bit about being corralled into the nosebleed section, our seats were in the shade and we had a nice breeze for the entire game, making the epic climb very worthwhile.

I even made a point of talking to my neighbors and met some very nice local knitters, Cre8vleigh and Hipcheck11 (Ravelry), though I have to admit not a whole lot of sock knitting got done.

I also have to admit to sneaking down to the field level for the end of the game. My sister-in-law was there with a friend and two extra tickets; we didn't even know that the other was at the park until the HusBoy sent out one of his smarmy "wish you were here" text messages and received a "we are here, dingus" reply.

The Angels won a spectacular game in the bottom of the ninth inning, the fireworks went off, and I got back a little piece of normal. Life is good.

Hat Attack Two starts tomorrow morning, so if you're in, I hope you have gauge, because I sure do. The HusBoy and I have both investigated our shipping options and, before the week is out, someone will have Death by Discount Rowan on their doorstep.

Catch Up

2008-09-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

I wish I had new batteries for the camera just now; the house is dripping in freshly-washed skeins of yarn. I know that I've neglected the blog again and am ashamed, but if you saw all the work I did between power-naps I think you would forgive me. Since there is so much to tell, I am resorting to a bullet post:

Thank You's: I won Trek's Box Top-palooza and, in addition to helping out the Neatnik's school, I used my prize of $25 at Amazon to pick up Franklin Habit's new book and the Red and Blue Fairy Books. I would also like to thank the Yarn Yenta for sending me the pattern for Hansigurumi's Cuttle Fish. I love everyone who is so nice to me when I'm feeling so "oh poor me".
Knit Night: I went to Knit Night last week (and will be going tomorrow night, barring disaster of course). I had an absolutely splendid time and had everyone rub my head. One of my fellow knitters said my new baby hair felt like cashmere! If anyone wants to make my day, all they have to do is compliment my new 'do.
Secret Pal 12: The final box for my pal went out yesterday, we're hoping it gets there before the hurricane does; think "tropical depression" real hard for her, please?
Knitting Progress: I have been working half-heartedly on the socks for my dad and the pillow for my dad and his blushing bride. I really want to start work on a sweater for myself, but the wedding is coming up at the end of September and I really need to get hopping. I'll be taking the pillow with me to knit night tomorrow to try to get through the endless seed stitch.
Skin: I and my little burn are doing much better. All the broken skin is healed up and the bit of dead skin is gradually clearing up. I have two more weeks starting Monday; thank goodness they are upgrading the machine and I get this little break.
Pimping: Check out my friend's comic site: http://bobslamelife.blogspot.com/. She is hysterical and you don't want her soul to be swallowed by corporate America, do you?

There's more stuff, but I really can't remember any of it right now. I will try to come back later this week with fresh batteries in the camera and show you some of the new wool.

Cottage Industry

2008-08-27T15:09:00.001-07:00

Bad news today: apparently I am so over-cooked from the radiation treatments that my skin is going all gross and gooey. The nurses wanted to give me a break from treatment to heal, but the doctor overruled and I will be going back for more zapping tomorrow. Of course, if I still hurt this bad I will ask for Friday off. In the meantime, I have been ordered to go shirtless as much as possible to let the ucky-gooey dry up and heal, so no knit night tonight, again...

Work on the shop is going slowly but surely. Recycled yarns undoubtedly require less financial output to build inventory than if one were starting with commercial yarns, but there is a lot of processing involved. The Husboy quipped that I am really unknitting the sweaters, first taking out the seams, unravelling the sweater into balls, then creating skeins from the balls. What can I say, the man pays attention.

As promised a while back, here is a sample of what will be in the shop in a few months:

Purple Nerple: lavender dk weight, 70% lambswool, 20% angora, 10% nylon, approx 75 grams

It is obviously not washed yet; I'm trying to get a lot of skeins ready to wash-n-weigh so I can use someone else's backyard for the inaugural scrub. The issue I am grappling with is, how do I price my yarn so that you (the yarn-purchasing public) want to buy them, but also be fair to myself and the amount of time I've invested in each little ball of yarn?

My energy levels are slowly improving as well, and I try to cook dinner at least every other night. To make up for my sporadic house-wifery, I try to make really special meals when I feel up to cooking.

Cardamon Chicken Thighs with Chickpeas, from The Best Recipes In The World by Mark Bittman

I bought this book for the HusBoy a few years back, but I have found it an indispensable source for spectacular looking and tasting dishes that really aren't as difficult as they look. They are a bit like socks in that way. I can highly recommend the devilled pork chops and vanilla souffle.

Ninja Knitter meets Kung Fu Panda

2008-08-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

First of all, thanks to everyone who left a comment on the last post. I need to stop leaving these moody posts! All is pretty well now, my chest is technically medium rare from the radiation treatments, but the doctor gave me some new goo that should help the itchy red pain-iness.

This weekend the Husboy and I met up with his aunt, uncle, and baby cousin and went to go see Kung Fu Panda at the last-chance cheapie theater. The last movie we had gone to see was Sweeney Todd last December, so I was really looking forward to sitting in the dark and getting some movie knitting done on my dad's socks.

I am at the cuff of the sock now, which is 2x2 ribbing all the way around. Easy right? Well, I caught myself a few times with my count off and had to do some tinking, and I dropped a stitch during a night scene and had a heck of a time picking it back up, so I figured I would probably have to do some clean-up the next day.

Yet, when the lights came back up, there was not an error to be seen. Ninja Knitter - 1, Kung Fu Panda - 0.

And, in honor of the end of the Olympics (and because I haven't done it in a while), here is your daily dose of Stinker cuteness:

She's won gold in synchronized napping.

Cuttlefish

2008-08-14T17:49:00.000-07:00

Remember last winter? I know it is hard to do, what with the dog days of summer inflicting themselves on the Northern Hemisphere, but give it a try. Or go back and read my blog entries for December and January, whatever works. I wasn't really living at home, I was living in hotels while working out of town, coming home on weekends to do laundry and pet the cat. I was still in this state of location limbo when I was diagnosed. My super boss at-the-time cut my assignment short and sent me home.

This may upset some folks, but I came home fully expecting to die. Don't get me wrong, I was obviously hopeful, but you hope for the best and expect the worst. There were at least two points in the last six months (wow, really only six?) when I was found lying on the floor, thinking that I was dying right then and there and geez, why hadn't anyone vacuumed/mopped? I limped home and crawled into my tiny apartment, into myself, thinking that there was a good chance that I would never come out again.

So, now that we're (yes we, you all helped) past the worst of the treatments and it looks like I am going to be okay, I find myself still firmly entrenched into this little shell. I force myself to go out and run errands, but only because it's good for me, not because I want to. I go to the pool to swim (17 laps so far) to help lose the chemo weight and to help my arm heal, but I don't talk to anyone. I visit with friends if they have the time and I feel well enough, but I keep my hat on and try to keep things short. I am mysteriously sleeping or sick every knit night. I am afraid.

It is going to take a lot of work and much tugging, but I think I can pop myself out of this shell. I might be able to function as a snail, but I haven't heard of that many happy snails. I want to be a cuttlefish.

HusBoy on Knitting

2008-08-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

I totally stole this from the Samurai Knitter, (thanks for commenting Julie!). Here's an interview with the HusBoy:

What is your favourite thing about my knitting?

You makin' me stuff. Plus the joy that it brings you, I really love that.

What is your least favourite thing about my knitting?

That's a loaded question.

What is something I have knitted, that you recall as good?

Favorite thing that you've knitted for yourself: the Buck Fifty cardigan. Favorite thing you've knitted for someone else: the penguin you knitted for Short-Stuff (our little cousin).

Do you think knitters have an expensive hobby?

It depends. It can be for some, but for you it's an investment in your happiness (awwww).

Any hobbies?

There's the cooking, the reading, the book collecting. Especially finding books written by my favorite authors under pseudonyms.

Do you have a stash of any kind?

Books, oh god, the books.

Have I ever embarrassed you, knitting in public?

Uh, no. Can't think of a single time you've embarrassed me. I know you've made other people uncomfortable.

Do you know my favourite kind of yarn?

Noro (he said that realllly fast).

Can you name another blog?

You mean besides the Yarn Harlot? Samurai Knitter (I just mentioned her, he's cheating).

Do you mind my wanting to stop at knit shops wherever we go?

No.

Do you understand the importance of a swatch?

Yes, oh god yes I know.

Do you read my blog?

Occasionally, but I know you put stuff in there you don't necessarily want me to read or hear.

Have you ever left a comment?

Yeah, I am pretty sure I have.

Do you think the house would be cleaner if I didn't knit?

No (laughs). I think I'd be more injured/maimed, if you didn't knit.

Anything you'd like to add?

I especially don't mind the knitting as long as you churn something out for me at least once a year.

Dynamic

2008-08-07T12:23:00.000-07:00

On a bit of a whim I ended up at the swimming pool yesterday. I went at the end of adult lap swimming and the beginning of adult recreational swimming in an immature attempt to avoid anyone who would point and laugh at bald, one-boobied me. Of course, I walk out of the dressing stall to a waiting audience of over a dozen little girls lined up against the opposite wall. Poop.

I somehow managed keep my head high as I put my stuff into a locker and make my blinded way to the pool. Thankfully there was a set of actual stairs set up (I'm not sure how I would do on a ladder just yet) and an empty lane right next to it. I swam 4.75 laps and walked 1.25 laps for a total of six glorious turns across the pool. The older gentleman swimming next to me was very nice and made a little conversation every time I had to stop and remember how to breathe again. After catching my breath and letting my heart rate settle back down, I showered, dressed, and came home to take an unexpected three-hour nap, forcing me to miss yet another knit night...

The Husboy and I have decided that swimming is a good habit for me to get into (and the doctors agree), so I will be going to the pool twice a week to improve my strength and the range of motion in my arm. The Husboy said that, with my still mostly bald head, I am probably very hydro-dynamic. I think my having the physique of a manatee may have something to do with it as well, but who wants to start an argument?

Speaking of dynamic, I stopped at my LYS on Tuesday and picked up my first set of Addi Turbos. Despite everyone dancing at the altar of the Addi's and extolling the benefits of these needles, I had resisted picking them up previously, mostly because they cost sooooo much. In fact, the only reason I bought them (US#3 & #5) now is because these are the only needles my LYS carries and I wanted to start this hat now.

The 2.5 inches of cotton and inch or so of color work went like the wind. The Addis are smooth like glass, but without the sharp-ended stabby-ness of the Knitpicks Options. I will probably still lean on the Options needles for most of my knitting, just because the Turbos are just a tad out of my price range, but I think I will start to slowly amass these beauties as the economy and my project needs allow.

This is the last you will see of this hat (unless you look on Ravelry, of course) because it is for one of my family members who knows where the blog is and may take a look around.

The sock is for my dad, who does not check the blog but who has been wearing too-small socks knit with twisted stitches for far too long.

And here is the circular scarf with the little blue bows to really make it look finished. This will also be going to a family member, but one who I am pretty sure doesn't know where the blog is, so I'm not too worried.

The yarn shop work is coming along; I will try to share some of my future inventory next time. Stay tuned!

Delayed Reaction

2008-08-04T08:50:00.000-07:00

Imagine, if you will, that you are alone in the middle of the desert building something. I dunno, a shed or an outhouse or something of that sort. You are holding up a bit of wall and are about to attach it to the rest of the structure when you feel a little tickle. You look down and notice an inexplicably irate scorpion seconds away from stinging your bare left foot. Without a thought, you pop the scorpion with your nail gun before it can harm you, then continue on building your outhouse or whatever.

A while later, as the sun is starting to set, you pack up for the day and notice the dead scorpion impaled by your nail. Only now do you realize how close you were to disaster, either by scorpion sting while alone in the middle of nowhere, nail through the foot while alone in the middle of nowhere, or a sad combination of the two. This further leads to your wondering how the swirls and eddies of your life landed you here, in the middle of the desert, building I-don't-know-what in your bare feet, yet miraculously armed with a battery-operated nail gun and decent aim.

Ladies and gents, I am so there. Now that the crisis is mostly behind me (and my hair is growing back, can't forget that), I am having a hard time figuring out how the heck I survived. Not only survived, but survived well and with sense of humor intact, none the less. I am not saying that I did not have any breakdowns, because I did have a few, and I'm not saying that I did it on my own, because I had a whole lot of support, but this bastion of strength is apparently very tired, because the whole ordeal seems impossible now. Yay for moving forward.

As part of the moving forward process, I have an announcement to make. Remember all that secret hush-hush stuff I teased about earlier? Well, I am opening an online yarn shop:

Everything is still in the early planning stages, but with any luck the shop should be ready to go once the doctor clears me to start making an honest living again. I will be giving sneak-peeks in the coming weeks, but right now I am spending a lot of time harvesting inventory, and you will not believe some of the fibers and colors I have come across! Once I do open up for business, there will be a sale for blog readers, so I do hope you will stop by. More details to come!

One thing I will be keeping hush-hush on this year is the holiday knitting. A few of the in-laws have found and been reading the blog, and while they are welcome, I don't want to be spoiling anyone's surprise (that's my fun, thank you). So if it seems like I've been working on my dad's socks (a holiday gift, but he doesn't read the blog) forever, you'll know why.

Earthquake Damage

2008-07-29T14:36:00.000-07:00

There was a 5.4 earthquake late this morning. It felt like a strong rolling and the entire building swayed back and forth, but nothing fell and no one was hurt. Except for me:

Stinker was too freaked out to realize that her mummy was holding onto her while standing in the doorway for her own good and gave me a good clawing for my trouble, but what if the ceiling fan fell on her or something? We have since forgiven each other and life has gone mostly back to normal. Going to swap laundry now, be safe all.

Elephant Pox

2008-07-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

I have an excuse for being so tardy with my post this time (I mean, other than being myself)! No, really! Okay, first of all, a couple of good buddies of mine asked me to the Orange County Fair (this is not the one I entered the shawl and scarf into, the Los Angeles County Fair is in September). I had a lot of fun and ate way too many fried foods. For the record, chicken and Krispy Kreme sandwiches are icky (especially when made with jelly doughnuts) and the churro funnel cake was totally worth my turning green on the ride home.

The little glossy socks (which required me to dig into new skeins of the cocoa and the burgundy, thank you very much) had a lovely time as well.

They saw a very large bull,probably the same one from the LA fair last year. Just goes to show, same bull, different year (and different sock, thank goodness).

The sock had its picture taken with an immense horse's ass. I usually don't pay a dollar to see large horses' patooties, but it has been quite a while since I've been to .

Have we said "ass" enough yet? Well, check out this next picture:

It is me, sitting on an elephant's ass. The elephant in question is named Kitty, and very nicely allowed me to ride on her for five dollars. I, thinking that I hadn't ever ridden on an elephant and may not see the chance to do so again, figured this was a good deal...

Little did I know that, the very next day, none the less, that I would begin to suffer the ravages of elephant pox. Don't tell me that clap-trap about it just being an ordinary cold, this is a pox. I am the only one of our party that caught this pestilence, and the only thing I did differently than everyone else was ride that elephant. Well, that and chemotherapy, surgery, and now radiation (started today, woot!), but other than that it is all the elephant's fault. Of course, I would do it again in a heart-beat, but I believe in laying blame where it is due, squarely on the broad shoulders of an innocent animal.

So the Glossy Baby socks are finally done (did I mention that I had to go into new skeins of yarn to finish this "destash" adventure?!?) and the green Booga bag is finally felted (took at least six runs through the washing machine).

This leaves me with one single, solitary project on the needles, and it has been slow going on that as well. What have I been up to lately that my knitting has been so neglected? Fear not, I will let y'all know as soon as I get my act together.

In the meantime, if anyone is looking for anything fun & spooky, check out my cousins' at 31 Skullduggery Lane for all your necromantic needs. Don't make me start breaking out the bone jokes, because I totally will.

Anti-Tech

2008-07-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

I don't know what to tell you guys. The last few weeks I have just been avoiding the computer. No posting, no reading blogs, no nothing. I may have popped on to check email a few times, but that's been it, sorry.

There has been knitting:

Done: Pretty Pink Vogs in Panda Cotton, color Rosewater

These socks were promised to one of our dear buddies years ago, but wool allergies and my picky-picky-ness about sock yarn delayed them for quite a bit. I'm secretly hoping they don't fit her so I can keep them.

There is a half-sized knapsack that I keep sock leftovers in, and folks, the bag is getting mighty full. My newest stash-busting effort is to knit up one colorway of left-over sock yarn before starting a new sock project. I started with the leftover cocoa Gloss from the Chapeau Marnier I knit earlier this year:

Done: Baby Vogs in Knitpicks Gloss, color Cocoa

These are very cute and are just knit at half scale (one repeat instead of two on each needle). I still had a bit of cocoa left, so I bust out the burgundy leftovers and started some plain little socks.

Nearly done: Baby Gloss socks in Knitpicks Gloss, colors burgundy and cocoa

The only reason these socks aren't done is because, now that I'm at the heel, it ends up that I may not have enough cocoa to finish it. I have another skein in the same dye lot, but that's not really the point, is it? So I'm sitting on these socks, waiting for the little bit of yarn to grow a few more yards.

The stash-busting exercises may be in vain anyway; I am so horrible at figuring out the size, length, and shape of children's feet that I cannot guarantee that these two pairs of socks will fit anyone I know (or who exists outside the realm of the supernatural). They may be toddler socks, they may be a complete disaster. I think I put the odds in my favor by knitting them way longer than I think they should be; this needs to be done with all my socks as I live with the delusion that everyone has much dinkier feet than they actually possess.

After this little sock and my perpetual stockinette scarf (you don't need a picture, honest) I will have nothing at all on the needles. Nada. Zilch. I do have two projects in the wings, both for the upcoming holiday orgy of gift giving. We are going to be a handmade holiday household (say that five times fast) this year, and there is no time to waste.

Tata-Tada

2008-07-15T23:59:00.001-07:00

This:

plus this:

equals: Ta-Daaaa!

Trust me, the results are dramatic.

Hurt Book Sale!

2008-07-08T19:28:00.001-07:00

Interweave Press' Hurt Book Sale started today! Go! Go! Go!

Yes, I already made my order... No, I'm not sorry.

Why are you still here? Go now! Order books!

Secrets

2008-06-30T16:27:00.000-07:00

I don't have a lot to talk about right this second. Actually, that's an all-out lie, I have lots to talk about, just nothing I can talk about here.

I am working on a new project, the Surprise Party Lace Scarf for my secret pal, but I don't wanna talk to much about it since she may have figured out who I am (I accidentally gave some insanely broad hints, mea culpa). Everything else looks exactly the same and I am itching to start a new project, but I will at least finish my friend's socks first.

Actually, I have started a new project, but I don't want to talk about it here just yet, mostly because my little plan is just in the preliminary stages and I'm not sure if I'll go through with it or not. So a lot of my time is spent plotting, planning, and discussing things with "consultants", most of whom are related and won't let me pay them. Good thing I can knit while I plot and plan, eh?

Instead of being a huge pain and providing a completely enigmatic post, I have an answer for you all. The SP12 question this week (or maybe last week) is: What would you consider the perfect amount of stash? I am currently wrestling with that question at home, as another sweater's worth of yarn arrived at my house this morning (10 balls of Rowan Soft Lux at 71% off? Tell me you could let that go). I have enough to knit in case of an extended zombie-related siege in which I could not escape the house and had no access to sheep or yarn shop. After the stash is gone, I figure I'll be the best-dressed flesh-eater to stumble the Earth.

I have an appointment with my oncologist tomorrow morning; let's hope that more chemotherapy is off the table for now. In any case, I am hoping to have another hint as to my secret wheelings and dealings soon. Hugs!

Hostage

2008-06-26T14:35:00.000-07:00

The United States Postal Service has been holding my happiness hostage. My normal mail carrier is a delightful woman and has made a point of bringing my packages to my door and talking to me a little bit since I have been home ill. Unfortunately, when she takes her well-deserved days off and vacations, her stand-ins do not bother to buzz my apartment and either leave a note telling me to claim my package at the post office or don't do anything at all. Two weeks later I may receive a FINAL NOTICE slip informing me that my package will be sent back in three days if I don't get my butt down there and fetch it.

This, understandably, pisses me the hell off. It's not like I'm gallivanting around the town meeting and greeting and enjoying myself. I'm usually home, generally sick and hurty, and need the incoming packages to keep my little spirits up.

Like this last week. The lace blocking kit I ordered from Knit Picks came in on Wednesday, and since I was in surgery and unable to sign for it, a little note was left specifying that a white tube from Artist's Connection was awaiting me at my local post office. So far, so good. The HusBoy offered to do the fetching for me, then procrastinated until Monday. Irritating, but since I was still working on the shawl I needed the wires for, still good. He came back from the post office on Monday with a fair-sized box from Naomi from Knits In Church.

This was a fabulous box. It contained a bit of hand-spun silk, a hat made from the same that fits my head like a dream and is uncommonly comfortable. It also contained yummy dried pineapple and something for someone, maybe you:

Yes, this is a huge hank of Corridale roving hand-dyed purple as well as a hand-made lace-weight spindle. Folks, if I wouldn't feel entirely guilty about nabbing something that was supposed to be a prize for the Knit-Tit-Along (I forgot all about it, and everyone who participated got something anyhoo) I would seriously consider giving spinning another whirl (get it, whirl?) and take this for my own. I haven't figured out how to use this for the greatest good yet, but I'll think of something.

Back to the hostage situation. Problem was, this faboo box was not the package the HusBoy was supposed to bring home. The box from Naomi had a scribble on it stating that we had been given a notice early last week, but we had not. I called the post office to let them know what happened and see if I could dispatch the HusBoy to get my blocking wires. The guy who answered said that he was sure that I had been given everything I was supposed to get. I reiterated the situation, pointing out that the notice they had been given specified that we were to receive a white tube, and we had gotten an envelope box. The guy then said that it may have happened that way, but that the clerks would not search for my package unless I had the delivery notice that we had already provided.

Thankfully, the HusBoy ran into the bestest mail carrier ever and explained what had happened. She brought my blocking wires the next day. That way, I could finally turn this:

Into this:

Yes, the Beaded Diamond Fantasy Shawl is finally completed! Knit on US6 (4.25mm) straight needles from Lorna's Lace Helen's Lace in the Tahoe colorway that I picked up during an Alamitos Bay Yarn Company anniversary sale three years ago. Wet-blocked after washing in citrus Soak and pinned out on the new bed, though it was towelled well enough that it won't void the warranty. It is probably already dried, everywhere except where Stinker is sleeping on it.

I want to apologize to everyone for last post's pity party and thank you all for being so encouraging. I'm still getting used to this no hair no boob sort of thing and there are bound to be some setbacks along the way. I think my great-fairy-god-yenta said it best: remember someday he (the HusBoy) will be bald and instead of you having breasts, he will have them and YOU will love him just the same too! The HusBoy whole-hearted agrees.

I am happy to report that my pathology report came back with clean margins and only teeny-tiny tumors left over from chemo, so I am probably all clear at this point, but we will still at least microwave me, just to be sure. I am also proud to report that I have a quarter-inch long hair on the back of my head (according to the HusBoy, I can't see it myself).

The posts just keep getting longer, don't they? I'll have another one out this weekend; we'll catch up eventually.

Pretty

2008-06-23T07:48:00.000-07:00

In case you're new to the neighborhood (hi!), I went into the hospital last Wednesday to have my right breast some lymph nodes removed. I and my entourage (HusBoy, father, and mother in law) arrived early and checked in. Since we had time before they took me into the back room, I showed off my newly purchased mastectomy camisole with matching boobies. My mil promptly started asking me why I wasn't using my new knitted boobies and didn't I say I wasn't going to use the store-bought kind.

First of all, I never said I wouldn't use commercial prosthetics; if the insurance company will pay for them more power to them (and I don't think we could knit a good swimming breast). Second of all, I couldn't wear a bra right after surgery and the fiberfill breasts came with the camisole.

Thirdly, it looks terrible. I'm sure that the plastic boob folks are doing the best they can, but when we went out last night for ice cream I felt completely and totally unattractive. I'm sure the ice cream guy was staring because I was tearing up and not because of my lumpy body under an over sized Hawaiian shirt buttoned all the way up to the neck, but it was a terrible experience.

My mother told me more than once that I could be pretty if I would just try. I know that these are just temporary set-backs and that I should be happy just to be alive, but I cannot help thinking that I will never be pretty again, no matter how hard I try. I'm sure that my attitude will change once I grow my hair back (or at least get rid of the tubes coming out of my side), but for now I'm just in the dumps.

But enough of the groaning, there are worse things... What if I wasn't able to knit?

That is the never-ending BDF shawl, which should be done today (barring any unforeseen catastrophes) with a card I received from my Secret Pal. Yay, thank you Ms. Snapdragon!

And this week's SP12 question: As a kid, what did you look forward to most about summer vacation/break/holiday? Sleeping in. I love going to school, love reading and learning, hate having to get up at the butt-crack of dawn to do so.

Home

2008-06-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

I'm home. Hurty, but home. Surgery went well. Be back in a few days. Hugs!

It's Official!

2008-06-16T22:46:00.000-07:00

Surgery is officially scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, the day after tomorrow. I'll be really busy between here and now, but the HusBoy will be in touch to let y'all know I made it through okay. Wish me luck!

Missed It By that Much

2008-06-15T15:55:00.000-07:00

I knit in public all the time. Really, all the time, almost constantly. On the bus/train, in doctor's offices, at work, at sporting events, in restaurants, everywhere. I've had people ask me to stop knitting at their parties because it made them feel weird (only once, honest). I am a public knitter, no question.

Except on WWKIP day. Somehow I miss this knitting holiday every freakin' year. I've either had to work or I was sick or something was amiss that kept me from joining my knitting buddies in a quest to ~~freak out the normals~~ share the knitting love with the world at large.

Not this year though. This year I missed WWKIP day because I was finally well enough to receive my winter holiday present from the HusBoy. So we went to see Wicked in Hollywood, then stayed in a hotel to save me from driving all the way home afterwards and to keep me out of the house for as long as possible. I read the book a while back, and while the musical only vaguely follows the book I thought it was absolutely fabulous as did the HusBoy, who hadn't read the book. I have one gripe, but if you haven't seen it I don't want to give anything away (and it's a stupid gripe anyway). I had an absolutely smashing time; if you have a chance to see this musical I highly recommend it. We are planning to see the Phantom of the Opera early next year, the same musical we went to see on our first date over a decade ago (romantic, ain't it?).

So I didn't knit a stitch on WWKIP day, but there's always next year, not to mention tomorrow.

Drinkie-Poo

2008-06-13T04:52:00.000-07:00

The SP12 hostesses have posed a weekly question, and since I am up at, uhm, 3:30 this morning (not my idea, I assure you), I actually found it and have an answer:

Sun Tea.

My grandmother used to put a big jar of water and tea bags out on the patio at her house and let the tea bake in the sun for a few hours. I don't know why it tastes better than regular iced tea, but it totally does. I don't have a patio here, but I still make herbal iced tea using four bags of fruit iced tea and two bags of this health tea that the Yarn Yenta sent me to help make me feel better. It really balances out the fruitiness of the other tea bags as well. We have been alternating between peach and blackberry teas, but I'm almost out of peach, so who knows what I'll pick up at Trader Joe's next? Actually it might be Whole Foods since they carry the soy sour cream I covet (it's a little too thick though, fair warning). I am so spoiled!

In knitting news, I had to pull the shawl back to the lifeline again (too much knitting while tired, wonder why?), but while it was off the needles I checked the size and we're looking good. I would have just started the binding-off process right there, but I put my lifeline two rows into the repeat, so it's pull back two rows (eek!) or soldier forward and finish one last repeat. I think you know the plan.

Wee Living

2008-06-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

We live in a small apartment. I've lived in smaller places, but our one-room (not one bedroom, just one room) apartment can be a little tight at times. We make due remarkably well; our bookshelves serve double-duty as a wall for our office area, I opted to take out the murphy bed and use the area it was stored in as a second closet, and almost every piece of furniture in the place is used for storage. Even our refrigerator and microwave are smaller versions of their standard counterparts, which works out fine for the two of us unless we're cooking Thanksgiving dinner or some other large affair (we buy a frozen turkey and let it thaw out for a day or two in a cooler to save space for pies and whatnot).

Maybe that's why I'm so fond of wee socks:

Turtlemom (Ravelry) sent me this little gem as part of the June Wee Sock Swap.

I was looking at my stash and pondering my guilt over the size of my stash when it hit me. I'm not uptight about how much I've spent on yarn; I worked hard for every cent spent and have never put our roof/food/utilities in jeopardy. The problem is that my yarn stash takes up a lot of real estate in our tiny little quarters: one storage bin, one half of the toy chest/window seat that the HusBoy got me for my birthday, and two drawers of my nightstand are full of knitting/crocheting/crafting accoutrements. That is a lot of room taken up by my little hobby, especially when the HusBoy is leaving his swim trunks on the top of the dresser because he says he's run out of room for his clothes. All this and my various knitting bags and in-progress projects make for a lot of lost floor space. Now that we've invested in a larger bed, all this knitting stuff, stored on my side of the bed, also makes it hard for me to get in and out of bed without breaking my little neck. Am I going to change anything? Probably not, but it's kinda cool to get to the bottom of my neurosis.

Good news: my little genetic test came back negatory, so my surgery will be minimally invasive instead of completely and totally invasive. I am still having the mastectomy and they will still have to pop out some lymph nodes, but I will be keeping the left breast and my ovaries, yay! Surgery may be as early as Wednesday, I will keep y'all posted, promise!

Have-To Knitting

2008-06-09T09:46:00.000-07:00

Everything happens for a reason, and though the sudden loss of my surgeons to bureaucratic bull-hockey freaked me out, I could not be happier my new surgeon. As the HusBoy put it, he wore shoes, didn't answer his cell phone in the middle of our consultation, and made sure I understood what he was talking about. He was also very enthusiastic about making sure that I come out of this in the best health possible and the entire staff was very nice. I meet with my new plastic surgeon today, and depending on how healthy the surgeon thinks I am and the results of my genetic BRAC test (which I should hopefully get tomorrow), I will be in surgery either June 18 or July 9.

I will be happy with either date, but I am leaning towards July 9, not only because I will be healthier and have more time to prepare, but I will have more time to get this done:

I have finished ten repeats of this beautiful shawl, and I am reaaaaally tired of working on it. Not that it's not a lovely pattern, because it is. It is essentially two rows with very small differentiations that make the knitting fast and very nearly mindless. I just want to work on something else, but I need to get this done before I go into surgery so it will be ready for the county fair submission deadline next month. I am thinking two more repeats will do it.

I am also working on a pair of socks for a friend that I promised her years ago. Again, lovely pattern, pretty quick knit, but I don't want work on it because I "have to". Instead, I've been plotting and planning my next projects and doing housework, of all things. Speaking of which, I am supposed to be doing laundry before my doctor's appointment (gives me a chance to felt some bags as well).

SP12 Debriefing

2008-06-05T23:05:00.000-07:00

I am so glad I decided to join in on SP12! Here's my questionnaire:

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

I don't have anything against acrylic, but after finding myself inundated with other fibers I liked better I got rid of it all. I love anything with a little bit of silk in it.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

I have a needle roll for my knitting needles (one for straights, one for dpns), a binder-clip keeping my circulars together, and a pencil case for my crochet hooks and other doo-dads.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I learned how to knit out of my mother's Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Needlework I can't even tell you how long ago. Learning to purl, on the other hand, took years of trying and divine intervention (I woke up one morning and had it all figured out). I have only been knitting correctly (not twisting my stitches) for a few years, so I think I'm a intermediate knitter. I am supposed to be working on the TKGA Master's program, but I have been slacking. I have made a few slap-dash attempts at designing, but I'd rather just alter someone else's hard work.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Sorry, no.

5. What's your favorite scent?

I don't usually like to smell like anything, but I am partial to rosemary.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

Chemotherapy has ruined me for chocolate, but I love ginger people candies.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I honestly tried spinning, it just didn't take. I'm a mostly one-craft kind of girl; our apartment is too small for me to take on anything else.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I've been listening to a lot of soundtracks lately, especially Sweeny Todd. I can handle any format you can dish up.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

I love any color with the word "chocolate" in it, so mostly browns. I have not found a color that I could not live with (please don't take that as a challenge :)

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I've been married to my HusBoy for a little over a year. We don't have any kidlets, but we loves our Stinker kitty.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

I wear a lot of scarves and hats (especially hats now). I've never really been comfortable in mittens or ponchos, but I love fingerless gloves.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

I knit a lot of socks, but not enough to keep up with my sock yarn stash. Hats and sweaters are tied for second favorites. I absolutely love knitting cables.

13. What are you knitting right now?

A little bit of everything; a scarf, a shawl, some socks, a sweater. I have had a hard time concentrating lately!

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

I love handmade gifts!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I will use anything, but I prefer bamboo. Easier on my little hands.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

I have both a yarn winder and a swift, thank goodness!

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

My Beaded Diamond Fantasy Shawl is just under a year old. I have to finish it before it expects a cake.

18. What is your favorite holiday?

Thanksgiving. I love to cook a big meal once a year.

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Yarn.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I have a subscription to Interweave Knits, but I usually pick up Vogue Knitting as well. What I would really like is enough time and energy to knit the yarn and patterns I already have!

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

I take on new techniques as I come across them. I won't avoid a project because I would have to do something new, but I don't seek them out either.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

Oh boy am I a sock knitter! My feet are 8.5 inches around and long.

23. When is your birthday?

February 26.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?

Yes, and I am the KnittingWounded.

A Knitter's Will

2008-06-05T20:37:00.000-07:00

I was on the phone this morning with a RN from the insurance company trying to get my coverage straight before I meet my new surgeon tomorrow (things should be all set). She asked me a series of involved and very personal questions, and the only one that she hesitated to ask was if I had a living will. I don't, but I will have one set up before I go into surgery, no worries. My philosopy on the matter is, if they can't fix me, just let me go. Of course, if they can fix me then get to work, but there you go.

Then I started wondering what would happen to me if I didn't make it. The money stuff is already taken care of, set up before one of my cross-country airplane rides for work. Really all that would be left to care for is all my knitting paraphanalia. So today, I set up a Knitter's Will, stating where all my books and yarn and notions should go if I cannot collect them. I'm not going to go into the specifics; I don't want you all arguing about who I love more and whispering about who got cut out of the will after our last stitch 'n' bitch.

Boy, this is morbid. We need a distraction...

The Yarn Yenta not only knit these gorgeous socks for me (Shushan Socks on Ravelry), she designed the pattern in my honor. I have the bestest fairy yenta in the whole world!

Boobie-Palooza!

2008-06-03T16:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry about not posting this sooner; the insurance company cancelled my surgery and I've been scrambling trying to find a new surgeon and get things running again.

Without further ado:

Thanks to everyone who knitted in this year's Boobie-Palooza!

KT120 (Ravelry only) - Donated the big green boob
WannaGarden (Ravelry only) - Stonechat & Cookie Monster Boob
Valeria - So many boobies with little rosette nipples
KEJReeves (she's on etsy!) - Big pink buffy boob
Peanut's Mommy - The most life-like boob
FarmGroupie (Ravelry only) - The pinky-pink boob and organizer of the Malabrigo May tit-bit-athon
ZZWhiteJD - the nipple's on her nose!

If I've forgotten anyone, I owe you some chili-fries.

Thank You!

2008-06-01T05:09:00.000-07:00

First of all, thank you to everyone who participated, supported, and made this KAL so much fun. Discovering that I had breast cancer and then having my entire life suddenly revolve around fighting it off has not been easy, but thanks to great people like you I have been able to keep things in perspective (mostly).

Prizes have been awarded, check your flickrmail and please get back to me with an address if I don't already have one. I am pleased to report that everyone who posted a picture won a prize at some point in the KAL. Even I got a prize; I will have the privilige of donating some of your hard work to my treatment center and the local Wellness Community center.

Thanks Again and Happy Knitting!

Last Chance!

2008-05-31T06:15:00.000-07:00

Hello all! I'm not feeling too well today, but I wanted to gently nudge everyone and remind you that today is the last day to add your knitted tit-bits to the Flickr group to be eligible for the drawing.

Going back to bed now, good luck!

My Beads Smell Like Ketchup

2008-05-27T15:44:00.000-07:00

I swear if I have one more sweaty hot-flash I am going to lose my little chemo-brain. My nightly ritual of throwing the blankets off and then grasping and cocooning myself inside of them is causing a weather system in my apartment that is probably good for the plants, but ugh, the humidity!

This sort of metabolic behavior is what I blame for my dropping so many stitches on the Beaded Diamond Fantasy shawl I've been slaving over. Saturday, right before we were supposed to leave for an impromptu taco night at a friend's house, disaster struck and I dropped two stitches, which of course promptly wiggled their way down to the yarn over from whence they sprung. I then spent twenty infuriating minutes trying to get the stitches back up to the needle, but I just could not get it together and ended up frogging sixteen rows back to the lifeline. The tangled mess of yarn that ensued represented three days of knitting and I don't even want to think about how many stitches, but it was worth it to not have a big wonky hole in my masterpiece shawl.

Thank goodness for lifelines! I have been putting in a lifeline every row #37, and the thought of having to toss the entire shawl made it much easier to yank out those paltry sixteen rows. I have dropped a stitch or two in reknitting what I lost, but so far I have been able to do tiny crochet-hook surgery to pull them back up.

And, yes, my beads smell like ketchup. I love these tiny little condiment bottles; if you get anything from me you may find a little jar of mayo snuggled in there.

In other news, I popped over to the yarn shop to pick up our tickets for Stitch 'n' Pitch next week, and as I was popping out Lime 'n' Violet on the iPod, Kevin 'n' Bean were talking smack about the aforementioned event. Hey, at least the knitters got some airtime, huh? Yeah, I'm peeved too, but I think they were promoting an interview on the air tomorrow. Anyone listen to them?

I have good news: my last chemo treatment is tomorrow, yay! Surgery is scheduled for June 23, so I get an extra week of recovery beforehand, so I'm planning a booby bon voyage bbq for the afternoon before. Who doesn't like cupcakes with gumdrops on top?

Update: Now With Pictures!

2008-05-22T11:29:00.000-07:00

Before I left home the HusBoy and I went out and bought a brand new mattress in anticipation of my surgery and needing to sleep on either side of the bed without falling out. I came home last night to a bed that is taller than my dresser and requires that I step up on the chest at the foot of the bed to get into it. It is an incredibly comfortable bed, but I feel like I am in the Princess and the Pea. I would be one of the peasant girls that gets sent home, because I slept like a rock.

Want to see what I've been up to?

Becka Vog's On: Done

I'm so happy I finally finished a pair of socks for myself! Me me me me me!

Panda Cotton Shorty Socks: Half-Done

These are for my grandmother who will be visiting next week. I'd better get a move on the second sock...

Beaded Diamond Fantasy Shawl: Getting There

I have making some serious progress on this shawl in the last few weeks. It is now at scarf size, but I'd really like to use up the yarn and go for full shawl status. I'm hoping to get this done in time to submit it to the county fair... Do you think it's worthy?

Circular Stockinette Scarf: Just Started

I love this little scarf. 60 stitches around and around and around, no thinking required. It is perfect for car rides, television watching, and right before you go in to a scary doctor's appointment.

Speaking of scary doctor's appointments, yesterday I met my plastic surgeon. He has Dad and HusBoy's stamp of approval, so I should be getting a surgery date soon. The best part? I'm just fat enough that my little pot belly is the right size to replace my soon-to-be-missing bosom. Just another example of small favors...

Mine Mine Mine

2008-05-16T00:34:00.001-07:00

For a while now I've been knitting things for myself that end up going other places. The Reptilian Lace Socks that went to my Quilting Aunt, the Raspberry Sorbet socks that went to my dad's fiance. Now I'm making these plain vanilla socks for my grandmother to give her when she visits early next month and you know what? I want to keep them.

I wish I could post a picture right now (I will later, promise), but the colors are combining in such a way that it looks like camouflage. If you were trying to hide in a winery. The yarn is Crystal Palace Yarns Panda Cotton Print in Chocolate Almond, and if all cotton yarn is this easy on the hands then I have been lied to. I imagine the bamboo makes a huge difference, so I won't vetch too much. The sock in question is knitting up very quickly and should be done in plenty of time to hide from my grandmother, except that the much-neglected Beaded Diamond Fantasy shawl has been making unexpected appearances in the line-up and absorbing some much-needed knitting time.

I was thinking of joining Summer of the Stash 2008, but I've already joined Secret Pal 12, and having someone else send you goodies is just as stash-filling as buying it yourself. I know I'll be in surgery and recovering from surgery and undergoing microwaving (also known as radiation treatments) during the exchange, but I figure I could use the boost during the trying times ahead. Anyway, if I'm simply unable to put something together to send myself I know lots of folks on Etsy who can help me out, right?

And to everyone who left such lovely comments on the last post, Dad is taking excellent care of me and probably would even if I was 80 and feeling under the weather. He appreciates your support!

Going-To-Do List

2008-05-13T15:04:00.000-07:00

I've been in a bit of a funk lately. Apparently this is "normal" when you're this close and yet sooooo far from the end of chemo, but I'm tired of hearing that all the horrible things that are going on are "normal". This, too, is normal. So, instead of letting myself obsess about how badly my lace shawl of a life is looking right now, I'm trying to think of how it will be once treatment is all over and my life can be "blocked" into the beautiful shape that it is meant to be.

Towards that purpose, here are my Top 5 Once I Get Well things to do:

Lose Some Weight - Now, I know what you're thinking. We're trying to be all positive and I start with that tired old line? I can say with a certain amount of clarity that I have never been and will never anything but a Big Girl, but I've swollen up considerably during treatment and would like to start out not aching and wondering if I have anything to wear out that fits. As soon as I can be more active I am going to (I even got a new bellydance dvd in anticipation of my astounding recovery).
Get Out More - I like to go camping. I like to take trips in the car and go to museums. I like hiking and b&b's. Why we didn't do more of this sort of thing before I got sick, I'm not sure, but we're going to do it now. Look forward to more pictures of socks on-the-trail once I'm able to get out again.
Meet More Knitters - I've gone to a few knitting events in the area, but I've always been a bit shy and never talked to anyone. Nuts to that. I'm going to Stitches West this year and whoop it up, hope you'll be able to join me.
Watch Less Television - If I watch another episode of Family Guy I swear I am going to lose my stitch-picking mind.
Be A Better Blogger - My blogging has been, well, sporadic in quantity and quality over the last few years. This isn't how I wanted it to be; I wanted to be one of those bloggers who pours themselves out onto the page and demonstrates decent story-telling ability as well as the latest sock heel. I'll never get a book-deal at this rate...

Dad's telling me that it's nap-time again (would someone tell him that I'm damn-near thirty?), so I'd better go. The Knit-Tit-Along is still in full swing, let's see some pictures!

Can't Type - Squishing

2008-05-12T12:16:00.001-07:00

Hi there everyone, just a quick note to let y'all know I'm back out at my dad's for another week or so. I will try to check in and post occasionally, but there are moths the size of your fist floating about and I have to be wary. I only brought so much yarn with me and what if one follows me to the motherstash?

Becka & The Bee

2008-05-06T16:46:00.000-07:00

I was powering through the last few inches of my Becka Vogs sock and watching garbage television (COPS is amazing in digital) when I heard this buzzing noise. I thought it might be the hunk of new electronic hooey that makes it possible for the weather guy's previously unseen wrinkles to freak me out, but I powered down and the buzz went on.

I crept over to the window and found a bee (big surprise). A bee in distress, which made it a Bee. The fact that I have a nasty bee allergy then made it a BEE.

Not the BEE, picture swiped from Wikipedia

Thankfully, the BEE had the singular objective to get the hell out of my house, which mirrored my own desire. I tried opening the lower window over the upper pane in which the BEE was buzzing against, blocking the opening at the top and popping the screen open to give the BEE access to the outside world. It took some convincing to get the BEE to go down instead of up (note: yelling "go down stoopid bee" does not work), but in the end a bit of water was utilized to drive the now Bee down into the free area so that it could escape and continue its bee-existence.

Then I finished my sock:

I think I may just follow the pattern next time I knit these socks instead of imposing my short-row heel onto it. All in all a good fit, the pattern breaks up the colors nicely, and my first picot edge, yippee!

Jimmy Beans Made Me Cry

2008-05-01T10:14:00.000-07:00

I met with my surgeon yesterday and mapped out a plan for my de-boobing next month. Today I called and made appointments with two plastic surgeons and did not make an appointment with a third (apparently my need for radiation treatments would ruin the aesthetic of his work). Then I sat down at my computer and checked my email, including one from Jimmy Beans Wool with the title "Becca's Last Day"...

Turns out that Becca's Last Day is a very nice limited-edition colorway from Lorna's Laces, but reading that line was just enough to pop that little stress bubble that's been building up and I started bawling. I've decided not to buy this yarn, if only because the overwhelming temptation to the Fates may be too much to resist (and it looks like an over-dyed version of last month's color, but that may just be me being catty).

A now calmer Becka has a Calmer boob:

Tit Bit (C), Rowan Calmer 474 Khaki, knit to 30 stitches per needle on US size 6 & 5

For someone trying to become a (drum roll please) Master Knitter, I have been blowing off gauge in favor of knitting for a while and then doing math to get the right size (we hope). It may not be the most efficient way, but I'm liking the resulting fabric, so there.

And watch out for Random Llama:

She spits.

Show Us Your Tit(bit)s!

2008-04-29T05:59:00.000-07:00

Just a quick reminder, the first drawing for the Knit-Tit-Along is this weekend, so sign up on the Flickr site and show us your tits! Tit bits with "donation" on them somewhere get double entries, so don't forget to tag them.

Kyoto

2008-04-29T05:07:00.000-07:00

When I say that the HusBoy and I planned our honeymoon in San Francisco last year, planned may be too strong of a word. I did book flights, and a room in a lovely, historic b&b. I even arranged for a CityPass (totally worth it if just for access to the bus and cable cars) for the two of us. Past that, we didn't have any idea what we wanted to do or where we wanted to go. This lack-of-plan actually turned out splendidly. We ended up passing on the most popular destinations (the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz) and spent a lot of time walking around the Pacific Heights area.

Actually there was one planned excursion, one must-do on ~~our~~ my list: Souviner Yarn Shopping. I did quite a bit of research on the yarn shops in San Francisco, signed up for their email announcements, and came up with my must-see shop: ArtFibers. Nothing against any of the other yarn shops, but ArtFibers only has ArtFibers yarn, so I was sure to get something I couldn't get at home. Little did I know that I would fall in love...

... with Kyoto, a silk, mohair, wool blend that is the softest, most luminous yarn I've ever blown my entire honeymoon yarn budget on (once again, totally worth it). Clara does a better job of describing it than I ever could, but this yarn is worth every penny, and not that expensive for what you are getting. I got an entire cone plus 100 grams for under a hundred dollars, enough to make myself the sweater that the lovely woman in the shop custom-designed for me. It actually turned out to be enough for a nice-sized Clapotis,

and two large tit bits,

and I'm not sure what else just yet. I have a nice-sized ball left as well as a bit of blue that I scrounged off the only person on Ravelry willing to trade this lovely stuff.

The only issue I've had with this yarn is that I can't seem to get a decent photo of it:

I think this will be another one of those yarns that will make me sad once I've used it all up, but tis better to have knit and loved than to have never knit at all.

Becka Debuts

2008-04-27T22:33:00.000-07:00

I've had a big family day today with lots of visiting and driving around, but I really wanted to keep the good blogging times rolling, so meet Becka, now in near-wearable squeee form:

Vog On Socks, Ruby Sapphire Yarns Sapphire Sock in Becka (exclusive colorway)

When Lauri said I could have my own colorway, I asked for shades of peacock blue and green with some dark burgundy thrown in. It's a tad hard to tell from these pictures, but that's exactly what I got, and it works beautifully in this simple lace pattern.

Doesn't look too shabby from the sole either. I cannot recommend Ruby Sapphire enough; they were enthusiastic, wonderful to work with, and I actually got what I wanted. (By the by, they're having a sale on bulky yarns in cute colorways, go look).

I wish I was spending more time on them, but when I'm able to do lace I've been trying to work on the Beaded Diamond Fantasy Shawl, also known as The Project In The Stitch N Pitch bag that I have been hiding from for months. I'm thinking that this impressive little bit of knitting might be county fair material, but only if I get it done before the needles rust around the yarn. In any case I'd like it done in time to send to my aunt for the holidays (hey, it will match her bitchin' socks).

Fun Summer Boobs

2008-04-26T10:01:00.000-07:00

I made the decision long ago to work every summer. It keeps me in corporate-sponsored air-conditioning and away from your children (both very good things, trust me). This also keeps me close to the radio, and last year one of the featured commercials was for a breast augmentation service. Imagine a youthful, perhaps slightly intoxicated, female voice asking you to consider costly and possibly dangerous surgery:

"Really think about it, how would your life change with fun, new summer breasts?"

We made fun of this commercial well into the winter, and as swimsuit season (yeah, y'all heard me) approaches faster than we'd all like, the question of new boobs comes to mind again. I'm going to end up with at least one new breast anyway. Don't I want a fun, new summer breast?

And really, what's more fun than rhinestone nipples?

Tit Bits (C & D, respectively). ArtFibers Kyoto #30 & #44, little pink and rhinestone buttons from Etsy.

I am going to keep the C and donate the D. I could (and may just) sing the praises of Kyoto from the rooftops, but it may be a little warm and fuzzy for my everyday titty. So I went on Ravelry and asked someone to trade me some Rowan Calmer for some sock yarn so I'd have a few more utilitarian boobs. Wouldn't you know it, the wonderful woman just sent it to me?

Tit Bits (C). Rowan Calmer #474 Khaki.

I am time and time again flabbergasted by the generosity of all the fabulous people I've met since joining this online knitting community... I can only hope that I'm that person for someone else.

I have lots to talk about, but I'm trying to avoid the tell-you-everything-at-once-and-have-no-personality posting, so I'm going to go nap some more. I'm also trying to use some of these pictures that are lying around in my camera:

The Reptilian Lace Sock and I waiting in line for Astro Blasters at Disneyland before my ick-ening. I am trying to decide which I miss more: being able to go out for a day of fun or being able to knit lace while mildly distracted...

Jammie Days

2008-04-18T05:57:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for the Knit-Tit-Along: click here!

Due to some pretty low blood counts, there has been a family decision that I am to stay in bed for a few in-my-jammies days (Stinker had the deciding vote). Please forgive me if it takes a while to respond; I will be on my feet (well, butt) and posting/answering boob-related questions in no time.

Hey look:

Random Lamb!

Extending the Campaign

2008-04-17T06:22:00.000-07:00

For anyone who frets about this sort of thing (Yarn Yenta), I have been up since 3:30, but I can assure you that it wasn't my idea.

First of all, I'd like to welcome the Malabrigo Junkies Ravelry group to the Knit-Tit-Along and thank them for taking up the cause for their May Charity project.

To allow them (and anyone else who'd like to join in) I have made the executive decision to extend the KAL until May 31st. This date will be right after my last chemo treatment, so the prizes may have a hard time leaving the house, but I am hoping to have everything squared away and ready for the postman to haul off when the time comes.

To give credit to everyone who whipped out their completed boobies early, the "Save Second Base" shirt and my own personal copy of Museum of Kitschy Stitches: A Gallery of Notorious Knits by Stitchy McYarnpants (along with whatever else I can find toss in) will be awarded on the original May 4th date. Everyone who participates will be eligible for both drawings.

If there are any other groups who'd like to join in, please send them along to the flickr group and sign up. I am also looking for donations for prizes (more prizes=more fun), so any suggestions in that area would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks to everyone who has been participating in the various forums! I look forward to showing off my first pair of tit-bits, just as soon as my nipples arrive from Etsy.

Investing In Myself

2008-04-16T04:50:00.000-07:00

This will be a painfully picture-bereft post; it is far too early to be snapping pictures, and I cannot wait because, while there is no sleep the day before chemo there is plenty of sleep afterwards.

I don't know if it's the blooming of spring outside my little house, or if it is the fact that I am on the downhill slope of these damn chemo treatments, but I have been on an improvement kick. I was exhausted tonight, but I drove to pick up the HusBoy from work because I NEEDED us to have matching silverware in the worst way (Swirl Sand from Target, hoping the reviews are wrong). I then wandered into the lamp area and insisted that the Husboy choose a smaller lamp and shade to replace his ~~ugly~~ unstable nightstand light. I also picked up a lampshade for my bed lamp, which is both stable and beautiful as well as rewired by your's truly, but was cursed by a poor choice of shade made while I was trying to be a funky college student. The new shade is beautiful and dark enough to limit the golden light to my side of the bed so I can read or knit comfortably when insomnia only hits my side of the mattress.

I also went to my LYS's Tax Relief sale and did a bit to replace the stash yarns that I've been donating to the Knit-Tit-Along (BTW - Congrats to Peanuts Mommy for winning a leetle prize for posting the first completed boob). I seem to be craving deep, fun reds lately, so I picked up a skein gorgeous red Jitterbug as well as an armful of 50% off PaintBox in Tourmaline for some sort of future felting. (Don't you wish I'd taken some damn pictures?) The woman ahead of me in line make a crack about how she needs to take in a few knitters to make a dent in her stash. I made a crack about how I was buying more yarn to dare myself to outlive my stash. Thankfully they took it in the dark-humor spirit it was intended and I did not rain on their fiber-parade.

As of late I've been bemoaning my lack of a proper dedicated knitting bag; my other bags are more suitable for large projects as they have no pockets and tend to become a catch-all as I take my knitting all over the damn place. A few days ago I noticed that The Loopy Ewe finally had the chocolate Namaste Messenger Bag in stock (already gone again, suckers!), so I grabbed one of those along with two skeins of Panda Cotton to (also finally) make my Hawaiian grandmother some socks and push me over the free shipping threshold.

A few days before that, I decided after much deliberation to join The Knitting Guild Association (at least for the year) and attempt the first level of the Hand Knitting Master's Program. Do I think I'll actually complete it? Who knows, but the burning urge to do things better, including my knitting, seems to require a little investment in myself.

After spending so much of my time eye-to-eye with Death, the mismatched silverware and yarns, clumsy lampshades and stitches that I've lived with for years and years are simply not acceptable anymore. It is not "good enough isn't" so much as that I have spent so much of my life denying myself the better thing; giving my little brother the bigger pork chop, dropping out of college to care for sick relatives, offering my coworker the last parking spot in the management parking lot. If this program pushes me to learn how to do things "properly", then I'm all for it, but until I take a good look at it, I'm not sure if I'm going to push myself to finish; it might just be a nice tool for me. In any case, it will make me a happy knitter and I's worth it. If I'm going to be around long enough to knit up my stash I may as well do it right, yeah?

she sheds a lot

2008-04-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

A while back I took Stinker for a "day of beauty" at the local LaunderPet because she had somehow contracted itchy bugs (we blame the HusBoy). As I'm picking her up the "stylist" mentioned that another customer brought in a cat of the same breed for biweekly desheddings. I, excited to learn anything about my little orphan kitty, asked if she knew what the breed was. "No," was her reply. "I just know that they shed a lot."

This morning as I was using her Holiday prezzie to remove a cubic ton of fur from her little cat person, it occurred to me that, try as I might, I cannot guarantee that the stash is fur-free. Hell, I can't even guarantee that the jar of pickles in the pantry is fur-free. That being said, if I'm sending you something (like a prize or a trade or what-not) and kitty is one of your allergies, please for the love of Benedryl let me know. I'd rather figure out a new plan of action than be the cause of anyone turning blue and falling over.

Stinker also would like to avoid making anyone turn blue and fall over, but she likes knowing that she can.

Holy Crap It's Noro!

2008-04-15T01:49:00.000-07:00

Wow, you guys really like chicken! The Random Chicken had the same effect on me when I first saw it crossing a rather busy street (which was experiencing a lull, thank goodness).

Remember my quilting aunt that I talked about just a few days ago? She sent me a package while I was out of town, and the post office had decided to hold it hostage until I came down and picked it up. I bring this big envelope full of bulky I-dunno-what home, break out the scissors, open up the Tyvek and exclaim: "Holy crap, she sent me Noro".

My auntie loves me more than yours does. She sent me more stuff too:

And a copy of One Skein. Booyah!

I also got my yarn and stitch markers from See Jayne Knit Yarns:

Stinker became slightly more famous today:

moar funny pictures

Prizes!

2008-04-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

I did mention prizes a while back, didn't I? (If you still want to get in on the Knit-Tit-Along action, you still have plenty of time! Details are on this post.)

Well, here are the prizes lined up so far:

One "Save Second Base" T-Shirt in your choice of style and size from Carmel Turtle (the HusBoy and I absolutely love ours).

Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Brights, a taster skein of Hill Country Yarns Sweet Feet in Raspberry Sorbet, a set of Red-Hot Hooters stitch markers from Dragonlady Designs, and a handmade porcelain pin from GinPins.

Collinette Jitterbug in Sahara, a taster skein of Hill Country Yarns Sweet Feet in Raspberry Sorbet, a set of Bright-Eyed Hooters stitch markers from Dragonlady Designs, and a handmade porcelain pin from GinPins.

The ever-wonderful Yarn Yenta has donated a copy of Knitting Circles Around Socks.

And the elusive CableNeedle (only on Ravelry) has offered up a set of her handmade stitch markers.

There's still plenty of time to join in and knit a tit with us! Check out Peanut's Mommy's Tit-Bit; it's eerily lifelike!

And, just because I can:

Random Chicken.

Peer Review

2008-04-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

I got the cutest email from my quilting auntie, recipient of the Reptilian Lace Socks, and had to share (names changed to protect, well, everyone):

Hi Becka,

How's it going?

I was in the fabric shop in Arcata the other day and the lady, D,
behind the counter was knitting lime green socks. I told her about the
socks you had made for S and me and told her that mine had beads in them....she was dumbfounded. So, I took them in yesterday and left them for her to see with a note on them about who they belonged to . Then, this morning, I went in to pick them up. Every lady in the place, it's half fabric, half yarn, was oohing and awwing over them. They all want you to be their niece and if you came up, they would probably try to get you to teach a class. They loved the yarn and pattern you used for S's also, the orange and yellow variegated. Then they all, these women are dangerous in mass, got on be about having to wear them. Even though I feel so unworthy, they insist that I put them on my somewhat football shaped feet. Ha-ha. so now, I'm looking for an occasion, other than work, that I can wear them for. Special something.

I just wanted to let you know, they don't even know you and
everybody up here in the fabric shop loves you. Bye for now sweetie,
love aunt q

Nothing like a room full of knitters to make you feel appreciated, even from hundreds of miles away. Now I have to get the matching Beaded Diamond Fantasy Shawl done and really wow them!

Sweater Math

2008-04-11T23:43:00.000-07:00

I've cast on the Threepenny Pullover by Veronik Avery. I know working a pattern this delightfully complicated is probably a disaster waiting to happen, but I am hoping that I will have the common sense only to work on it when my faculties are at their peak. I actually have very high hopes for this sweater, I even knit a full-sized gauge swatch instead of my usual two inches (don't ask if I washed it, there's only so much one can expect).

So I'm up to Row Three and looking at the lovely pictures in the copy of The Best of Interweave Knits I picked up on my first trip to a book store in months (yay!), and while I love the cabled-smocked-craziness on the front, I don't want it on my back. I want the back to be a sea of moss stitch, and since I'm the one putting this together, I can have it my way. Problem is, the center pattern sucks up more stitches than moss stitch, so if I knit it with the stitch numbers provided, I will have a sweater suitable for a hunchback. Unless I want to get that job ringing the bells, I'll have make some adjustments (past substituting the yarn, I already did that).

Let's do some math:

22 inches (width of the back) times 5 stitches per inch (gauge) = 110 stitches at maximum width
110 stitches (new total) minus 56 stitches (moss stitch increases) = 54 stitches at cast-on

So far, so good. But, what about the neck shaping? We're gonna need some algebra here:

After following increase and arm decreases as directed we have 76 stitches left.
29/126=x/110
x=25 and some change (just a little change...)
Work 25, bind off 26, work 25 (this leaves 14 stitches to decrease on each side).
Bind off 4 three times, then 2 once. 11 stitches remaining on each side (as directed).

Anyone brave enough to check my work?

Path of Hope

2008-04-08T18:07:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all! Just a quick note to let you know that I am doing well. The country air, bacon (protein people!), and someone insisting I quit fighting and go take my nap has been very good for me.

I also wanted to very quickly pimp some sock yarn for my fairy-yarn-mother the Yarn Yenta. She and Sarah of Perfect Day Yarns are taking pre-orders for Path of Hope sock yarn to help her daughter go and serve at an orphanage in Rwanda. Check out her blog for more info here.

I'd better go, I'm supposed to be napping...

Gone Knittin'

2008-04-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Sorry to KAL and run, but Dad is picking me up in a couple hours to ~~babysit~~ spend some time with me and give the HusBoy a break.

I'll be back in a week; keep playing with your tit-bits while I'm gone!

Knit-Tit-Along 2008

2008-04-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

So, this breast-cancer thing has become a cause that's near and dear to my heart lately. In fact, one could say that it is a cause that is currently swelling from my bosom, but not for long. Nope, in a few months my right breast and I will experience a parting of the ways, and this freaks me the hell out. Thankfully, this amputation is one of the few medical procedures where "just knit a new one" is a viable option. Yes folks, I'm knitting myself a new titty. Want to join me?

Beryl Tsang, proprietress of Tit-Bits.ca and designer of the Tit-Bit pattern on Knitty.com, has graciously agreed to let me hold this Tit-Along to coax everyone to knit up some boobies. I have some (selfish) goals in mind for this undertaking:

Raise Awareness: People, my breast cancer didn't come with lumps. If I had waited for a discernible lump to show up before seeing my doctor the HusBoy would soon be stuck with a stash and no knitter. Self-examinations and mammograms are vital to early detection and make treating and curing breast cancer much easier, but being aware that, yes, this can happen to you can be just as important.
Support Survivors: I will be knitting my Tit-Bits for myself, but hopefully most folks signing up for the project will never actually need a replacement breast. While having a spare booby around the house could be endlessly entertaining, I am hoping that some of you will consider donating their 'bit to a local breast cancer survivor or support group that could use something perky to perk up their day. If anyone has difficulty donating I would be happy to act as a clearing-house and donate to a group local to me, but I think that most folks would like to keep their efforts close to home.
I Like Giving Out Prizes: Hell yeah there will be prizes! Every Tit-Bit completed and posted to the Flickr group gets you one entry into the random drawing held May 4th. Pictures tagged with "Donation" get two entries. We will be operating on the honor system, and since we all know that cheaters go to that special part of hell where everyone has to knit with knotted barbed wire that sheds everywhere, we don't have anything to worry about.

I will be supplying at least three goodies (details soon to come) myself; if anyone is interested in contributing a prize for advertising/good karma, please please please email me at lastinsite AT verizon DOT net.

You're enthralled and chomping at the bit to sign up, right? Go ahead and join the Flickr group here. I've set it up so that anyone can sign up, but put some rules in place to try to screen out any non-knitting perverts. Anyone interested in moderating the group please let me know; I will take all the help I can get. I am also setting up a group on Ravelry, but this KAL will be based on Flickr since everyone doesn't have access just yet.

I think that covers everything. Any questions just let me know.

So, go join, grab a button, get the pattern, grab some needles, and let's start making titties!

New Button!

2008-04-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

Psst. Hey. Hey you, yeah you! Want a new button?

Yarn is my own poor attempt at hand-spinning, bandage by Band-Aid, font is Tall Paul. I am much happier with this new face for the blog... You likey?

Flying the Geek Flag

2008-04-03T05:15:00.000-07:00

Which Firefly Character Are You?

More on Firefly. Created by BuddyTV

Give A Little - Get A Little

2008-04-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

Look what I got! A wee sock has come to live with me, compliments of Liz. Thank You!

Got It!

2008-03-31T17:12:00.001-07:00

Got it, read it, love it. I dunno how the Yarn Harlot keeps on doing it, but she amuses me no end. Her next book (which she finished, uhm, today) is already available for pre-order on Amazon if you're so inclined.

Mind Over Wee

2008-03-31T09:46:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to be good. I have gone through some arguably serious mental and physical upheaval, and I have done it with (I think) remarkable good humor. I coped with going from semi-big-shot corporate-type to apartment-bound recluse without too much whining. I was a trooper when suddenly walking to the mail box was a big accomplishment, and while I am mourning my crowning glory of hair that I just got the way I liked it, I have not been screaming and crying in the streets.

But, there are some things I will not stand for. When my hands suddenly say, "you know what, all these funky chemicals are making our nerve connections screwy, so we're not going to listen to you anymore", chemotherapy has gone too far. I know that it is a necessary process and that I'll die without it, but damn it, I will not be a big lump of chemo-brained, neuopathy-plagued silly putty. I am going to go screaming and kicking into that good night, and when I come out of it I will do everything in my power to have my sanity and self-worth still attached.

And if that means that it takes me four screamingly frustrating hours to knit a wee sock, then bring it on.

Keychain Sock Pattern: Knit Picks Bare - Superwash Merino/Nylon Fingering Weight, Kool-Aid dyed by myself

I am exceptionally proud of this teeny sock. This made it in the post (yep, made it to the mailbox today!) for Elizabeth this morning. Check out her blog for some really fabulous colors; she's an amazing spinner. As for me, I'm going to try working on the bigger needles and get some more Clapotis done while I wait for all my en route deliveries to show up. Wee!

Status: Not Too Shabby

2008-03-28T05:58:00.000-07:00

Hey Y'all, just a quickie post to let you know that I'm still kicking after my third (halfway done, whoo-hoo!) chemo treatment. I'm continuing to respond very well to all the goop they're pumping into me and, though the pills are growing larger and more numerous every day, it's okay because I'm going to survive this ordeal. Another quick thank you to my local and online little family (and you know who you are) that have helped me through so much of this so far and will hopefully not get too tired of my bitching before it is all over.

Stinker thanks you too; it's hard taking care of sicky mommy, expecially with all these "in her jammies all day" days.

Mail Call!

2008-03-25T11:33:00.000-07:00

Making the transition to being gone most of the time and only coming home on weekends to being cooped up the the apartment all the freekin' time has been, well, a struggle. I have become remarkably dependant on the mail for fun and excitement, and, thanks in part to Etsy, I have not been too lacking in that department. Of course, Etsy can become quite an expensive habit, and it's always more fun when it's a surprise.

Case in point: look what the Yarn Yenta sent me:

Lots of yummy and tummy-soothing ginger goodies, a lovely hand-knit cloth from the lovely Tirzah. I'm thinking of a scarf out of the brightly colored yarn. What you can't see in the box is four boxes of Thin Mints which have mysteriously become three boxes overnight. I may have been partially (okay, primarily) responsible for the mystery, but dagnabit, I wanted cookies. All in all, totally worth putting pants on for.

Knit Picks was also kind enough to send me some mail yesterday: replacement cords for the one that pulled apart last month.

Things moved along very quickly once they responded to my initial email; they seem to have quite a backlog in online customer service, but I was willing to wait the couple weeks until they got around to me. It was absolutely no hassle, all they wanted to know was which size I needed replaced. All in all, good experience!

In the pursuit of more mail that doesn't involve PayPal, the Yarn Yenta gifted me with one more thing; the gift of Swap:

A teeny sock, a notecard, and a little bit of love is all it takes folks. Sign up before Thursday though, or you'll miss out on all the fun!

And since Stinker is not feeling all that photogenic today (we both have runny noses), I leave you with a picture of the in-progress Kyoto Clapotis made from my honeymoon yarn.

I won't wax poetic about it too long, but I'm absolutely loving the yarn and the pattern. I'm just hoping I can get it done before our first anniversary next month.

Rawhide!

2008-03-21T11:49:00.000-07:00

I'm not quite sure how this all came about, but I have suddenly moved out of a hoarding-like-mad phase in my stash-management to a get-'em-up-move-'em-out phase. I want all of this yarn gone, out of my stash and off my conscience, ASAP.

Here's the thing though. Excepting the few balls of acrylic I gifted to my mother-in-law and a few skeins of sock yarn I have offered up to various give-aways and what-not, I don't want to destash by sending the yarn away. I want to knit all the yarn out of the stash, now now now now now. This effort has been somewhat hampered by my busy lifestyle of napping and eating, but the stash is being busted slowly but surely:

Knit Child's Raglan Cardigan size 4 years, 4 skeins of Bernat Haven in Honeysuckle

Yarn cost: $2.00. Getting said yarn out of the stash: Priceless. Haven sheds like Stinker in Spring; it may be the alpaca trying to escape the mostly acrylic content. Now I just have to figure out what to do with the other four skeins.

Snails and Slugs (Snail Version), Leftovers of Koigu KPPPM P814 and Mountain Colors Bearfoot, Juniper

This cute little stash-busting buddy from Mochimochi Land used up the very last of the never-ending Juniper I used for the HusBoy's Cable-Ribbed socks two Christmas' ago.

Stinker attacked it as soon as it was off the needles, but lost interest as soon as we grabbed the camera.

Feather and Fan Socks, Hill Country Yarns Sweet Feet, Raspberry Sorbet.

These socks aren't quite done, but I can tell that, once again, they're not for me. I've been starting all these socks and, by the end, I'm handing them off to someone else. No one's asking for them or holding a set of dpn's to my head, it's just this vibe that I'm getting. These are either for my visiting half-sister or Dad's girlfriend; only time will tell.

As for Stinker, she's just happy that Spring has sprung. May the shedding begin!

I Said "Semi"

2008-03-17T09:48:00.000-07:00

Before chemotherapy, I would have five things to do in a day and the energy to complete six. Most days I would actually complete four and procrastinate on the fifth, but if that task needed doing it was physically possible. Now I am down to four or three things to do in a day, but only have enough oomph to get through two or three. Instead of taking a walk, knitting, paying bills, and blogging, most days I walk, knit, and nap. Today I paid bills and am blogging; we'll see if anything else gets done today...

I've done quite a bit of frogging in the last month or so; life is too short to work on something you don't love. I didn't love the Honeymoon Bolero anymore, so it has been frogged; the yarn will be repurposed as a Clapotis (lookout bandwagon, here I come) and my first Tit-Bit. The Rowan River Wrap was fun when I started, but after a while I just couldn't look at it anymore:

Logan River Wrap, Interweave Knits Winter 2007, Rowan Kid Classic in Frilly

Does anyone else remember biology class and looking at all those damn cell slides stained pink? I couldn't stand the idea that I was knitting something resembling my biopsy lab work, so the wrap went into the pond as well.

There has been felting as well as frogging in the Knitting Wounded tent. Check out my Boogas!

Booga Bag, Chocolate, Hush, Artic Pool Heather, and Coal Wool of the Andes

Booga Bag, Noro Kureyon (colorway unidentified)

The Noro Kureyon bag (bottom) is a little under-felted, but I decided that I was tired of working on it and it was felty enough. Why do I have such difficulties felting Noro? The top bag was made with my leftover Wool of the Andes and felted without much difficulty into a fine, sturdy fabric. Both were coveted by the HusBoy's aunts, so I have a feeling that more of these fun bags are in my future. Heck, I may even get to keep one eventually.

And, lastly, Stinker keeps falling asleep in front of the television.

It wouldn't be such a big deal if she didn't hog the remote.

Semi-Hiatus

2008-03-15T08:36:00.000-07:00

I have tried to post in the last few weeks, honest. I've even sat down and uploaded some pictures for posts that never went anywhere a few times, but I've recently come to a realization:

I have nothing.

I have things, knitting and health-related, to report, but most of the time I just don't have the mental capacity/clarity/whatever to turn what's in my head into a post that makes any sense. Even now I'm starting to drift....

So the blog will be on a semi-hiatus while I try to concentrate on getting better and maybe knitting up some of my stash before some nice orderly has to spoon-feed me corn mush. I will pop in from time to time as the mood strikes, but I cannot promise anything regular for the time being. I will try to stay active on Ravelry and a few message boards and will make a point of commenting on the blogs I read. If anyone gets worried or just misses my sweet banter, please leave a comment or email me at lastinsiteATverizonDOTnet.

Cool Knitting Stuff Wednesdays - Stitch Markers

2008-03-05T00:29:00.000-08:00

I am cheating and writing this post really late on Tuesday night and will post tomorrow. I'd like to tout the wonder and usefulness of the humble stitch marker. Stitch markers are quite simply items that go onto your needle between stitches to hold a place and mark the end of a row, pattern repeat, or when you've cast on 100 stitches and don't want to count them any more.

The truly fabulous thing about stitch markers, in my little book, is that there are so many shapes, colors, and styles that everyone can find a knitting decoration to bring them joy on every round. Stitch markers range from cheapy plastic rings and those dinky rubber bands that go on kids' braces to millefiori, glass work, and beads to name a few. My favorite stitch markers were a custom job from Etsy.com:

I'm such a egomaniac, but at least I know which shawl is mine. I particularly like shops that provide customized stitch markers; wouldn't it be more fun if you were purling 300 stitches across

E-C-A-L-D-I-P-O-O-T-S?

You can also get black sheep, flying pigs, and freshwater pearls, darn near anything you could desire.

As with most of my Cool Knitting Stuff entries, you can get stitch markers damn near anywhere and even make your own. My Etsy recommendations are shops that I've either dealt with or coveted deeply and heard good things from knitting acquaintances: Dragonlady Designs, Zero Markers, & See Jayne Knit Yarns. Go forth and purchase, my good people.

In other news, I will be extending my Wednesday repertoire to include yarn and book reviews because, frankly, I'm running out of cool gadgets to talk about. Of course, if anyone would like to send me something to review, I'm not above ~~being bought~~ trying new things.

I Didn't Forget...

2008-03-04T23:20:00.000-08:00

Does anyone remember the What Would You Do To Your Becka contest? I do, though I admit I lost track of it momentarily. I am happy to report that Trek, as the only entrant in the contest, is our winner! Unfortunately, Stinker has already nosed the good stuff and has made Becka unavailable to anyone with allergies. Trek, please email me your address and if there's anything in particular that you'd like!

No Yarn Left Behind

2008-03-04T17:26:00.000-08:00

I could not get to sleep last night, so I got some organizing done. Insomnia + Headlamp = Yarn Sortin' Fun! I won't flash my stash just now, but I will tell you that I have twenty-four pairs of future socks dancing around in my little plastic hutch. This does not include all my sock leavings, which is not a small collection.

As these sock yarns start new careers as toes, heels, or on to other folks making blankets or other projects, I have decided to start cataloging the yarns I have known and loved and to keep a bit for posterity in the form of teeny-tiny key chain socks, marked with brand, name, and color on a metal-edged key label.

Knit Picks Sock Garden "Zinnia", Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock "Tahoe", Mountain Colors Bearfoot "Juniper",

Koigu KPPPM "Orange F", and Knit Picks Gloss "Burgundy"

They are super cute and super fast to knit, and give me something to remember the socks that have gone on to friends and family, perhaps worn out in the heels. I'll also have something to grope on when I start buying yarn again and am overwhelmed with the choices available.

Stinker-rific Picture of the Day:

I'm not sure if she's sneezing or yawning, but it's damn cute either way. I have chemo tomorrow, so I can't guarantee a Cool Knitting Stuff Wednesday, but I'll certainly try. Happy knittings!

Broken

2008-02-29T14:18:00.000-08:00

Nope, not me. I may be bald, but I'm mostly okay with it (thank goodness for woolen caps).
This is what's broken:

The connector tip on my Options cable fell off whilst I was doing some stash-bustin' and making all my Wool of the Andes leftovers into a bad ass Booga Bag, as seen below. I can understand if the cord fell into disrepair as I was using it to strangle the neighbor upstairs who somehow feels it necessary to play the same song over and over and over loud enough that we can all enjoy it, but this was not the case. I've sent an email to the Knit Picks customer service folks; I'll let y'all know what their response is.

I am falling more and more in love with knitting Booga Bags every day. This one is being made with the leftover WoTA that I've been collecting over the years, knit using a Fibonacci sequence of sorts. So far I have 13-Chocolate, 8-Hush, 5-Arctic Pool Heather, 3-Coal, 2-Artic Pool Heather, 1-Hush, 2-Chocolate, 3-Hush, 5-Arctic Pool Heather, 8-Chocolate, 13-Coal... I'll have to see how the colors hold up to figure out the rest of the sequence.

Oh, and I got my Loopy Ewe order of birthday goodies!

Cherry Tree Hill Supersock DK - Mariner's Compass

This was in the Specials section; sale prices on exclusive colorways? Sign me up!

Malabrigo Lace - Cypress

I have been wanting some Malabrigo for I can't tell you how long, and, even though I need more lace weight like I need a swift kick in the head, for six bucks I could not resist. Anyway, this and my latest Knit Picks order (which should arrive tomorrow or Monday) represent the last of the yarn purchases until I can get my stash back in it's little storage area. Well, except for the sweater yarn, of course. That would be madness. Madness, I tells ya!

Why the sudden change from yarn splurging to yarn dieting? I've decided that Stitches West 2009 is in my future, and I have to make financial and physical room for all the pretties I will be shipping home because they won't fit in my luggage. It gives me a definite quest and reward for making it through all these treatments with my knitting mojo intact.

And, finally, a cute, random kitty moment:

The flash makes her look like we've been torturing her for days, but check out the claws on my baby! She's definitely a fan of the Mountain Colors Barefoot sock yarn.

Cool Knitting Stuff Wednesday - Needle Rolls

2008-02-27T14:33:00.000-08:00

I considered skipping this edition of Cool Knitting Stuff Wednesday; today is Fallout Day in the Knitting Wounded tent and, like clockwork, my hair is falling out in handfuls. On the other hand, the show must go on, and with all the vacuuming I'll be doing, today's focus is on keeping organized.

Gaze then, on my beautiful needle rolls:

Needle rolls are the best way I've found to keep knitting needles organized and safe from loss or injury. It has not kept me from buying four sets of size 15 needles, but it does keep your tools at hand. I am also partial to wooden size 15 needles, but I digress.

The larger case holds my straight needles and was bought from the seemingly-inactive Bean's Stock back in April 2006. The smaller, pink case was bought from a stand at the Santa Monica Fiber Fest last year and is made by the local company Boogy Bags, whose website seems to be out of order.

Be not distressed though, equally useful and gorgeous needle rolls are to be had all over the internets, including Etsy.com. Prices average around $20 and range from $5 and up.

Handy with a sewing machine? Make your own damn case; free patterns for sewn and even knitted needle rolls abound. Then you can start your own Etsy store, expand your repertoire to project bags and whatnot, become a famous designer, get all sorts of awards, and eventually settle down into a life of quiet luxury. At least you can avoid buying four sets of size 15 straights.

The Knitting Wounded

Here Today...

Wollmeise

Desert Island Knitting

Dishcloth Mania

How To Ruin A Diet: Now With Links!

Circle Of Ooooooh

Blame It On The Yenta

Dieting Pains

I'm A Big Underground Success in the UK

Understanding

The Inappropriate Sweater Story

CrafTea & Coffee Too

Knitting on Medication

Free Pattern - Dizzabelle Scarf

Let's Move On, Shall We?

The Joys of Self-Involvement

Deep in the Heart

We Appreciate Your Patience

It's A Good Life

Things I Have Learned So Far

Knitting Wounded Yarns Live

Finished Projects 2008

Holidaze

Wyoming 62 UCLA 113

Why I Haven't Blogged

Spaced Chocolate Beanie Pattern

Ghosts of Knitting Past

Hat Fancier

What Recession?

The Reluctant Blogger

Back in the Box

Have You Seen Stinker?!?

Knitted Together

Music Meme

Wait A Minute Mrs. Postman

Second Place is First Loser

Stitch N Pitch, Take Two

Catch Up

Cottage Industry

Ninja Knitter meets Kung Fu Panda

Cuttlefish

HusBoy on Knitting

Dynamic

Delayed Reaction

Earthquake Damage

Elephant Pox

Anti-Tech

Tata-Tada

Hurt Book Sale!

Secrets

Hostage

Pretty

Home

It's Official!

Missed It By *that* Much

Drinkie-Poo

Wee Living

Have-To Knitting

SP12 Debriefing

A Knitter's Will

Boobie-Palooza!

Thank You!

Last Chance!

My Beads Smell Like Ketchup

Update: Now With Pictures!

Mine Mine Mine

Going-To-Do List

Can't Type - Squishing

Becka & The Bee

Jimmy Beans Made Me Cry

Show Us Your Tit(bit)s!

Kyoto

Becka Debuts

Fun Summer Boobs

Jammie Days

Extending the Campaign

Investing In Myself

she sheds *a lot*

Holy Crap It's Noro!

Missed It By that Much

she sheds a lot