Tuesday, March 29, 2005

MIA

Well the move is almost here. Just 3 more days! I can't wait for this to be over & I can start getting the new place organized! I am falling soo behind in my groups & blog reading. LOL

In knitting news, I got a little more done on the first of my sister's sox. I have about 1" left before I begin the toe shaping. Unfortunately I don't have much time to knit right now, what with packing & cleaning. :(

Anyways... I will probably be MIA until sometime next week because my home pc is being packed up tonight & I don't know how long it will take for it to get connected at the new place.

Dont forget me!! ;)

Thursday, March 24, 2005

Meme

Stolen from Liberty's Yarn

Are you up to the MeMe challenge? Here's a different take on the MeMe, whereby you put your answers in the comments section of my blog. When you are through, copy-paste the MeMe to your blog, and I'll stop by and do the MeMe for you! I will post the answers to everyone's three questions. . .


A. First, recommend to me:

1. A movie:
2. A book:
3. A musical artist, song, or album:

B. Ask me three questions, no more, no less. You may ask me anything you want, but I can decline to answer anything which makes me uncomfortable.

C. Copy and paste this in your blog.

Knitting as stress relief

Grrr.. so, March 1st our health insurance changed carriers. I hate when this happens because it never is smooth. Last night I stopped by CVS to pick up my very necessary prescriptions on my way home only to have them tell me that according to MCare my account doesn't exist! Of course, they would happy to have me pay out of pocket for the presriptions until this is rectified.. only a mere $300 for 2 prescriptions. I can't imagine what it is like for the uninsured!! After much calling around by hubby, it seems that mcare is showing us in their system but the group its through (hubby's employer) is shown as deactivated! LOVELY!

All this hassle made me throw myself into my knitting last night & I currently have about 12" completed on the Irish Hiking Scarf. I know some of you are anxious for pics, but the camera appears to have been packed so you will have to wait until after April 1st! (sorry)

Anyway, all I can do is thank god for knitting or I would probably have spontaneously combusted!

Done venting now.

Feel much better! :)

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Busy busy busy

Despite all the packing I managed to finally cast-on for the Knit Red KAL. I frogged it once because the sts were really uneven, but it seems to going nicely now. Got 5 pattern repeats knit last night while watching 24! :)

Honey really likes it, so maybe it will be for him even though its being knit to promote heart disease awareness for women... I will have to see. I am hoping to do the variation on a frill for this as well, since the kal doesn't end until december. If that turns out well I am thinking of donating it or auctioning it with proceeds going to WomenHeart.

Monday, March 21, 2005

Weekend Update

Lots & lots of packing done.. but lots & lots to go. The thing is I could have packed a lot more, but was afraid I might need the stuff before the move. I just wish April 1st would hurry up & get here!!

I finally finished spinning up the ruby merino & plyed it last night. Now I just need to wait for it to dry & I can finally cast-on for the Knit Red KAL I will definitely have enought to do the Irish Hiking Scarf & omg! is this stuff scrumptious!

Of course, pics will eventually be posted.... (did I pack the camera already??)
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Saturday, March 19, 2005

I've taken the pledge!

Ok. This was posted by someone on Rebecca's Blog in regards to the "say no to the poncho" webring.


the manolo no-poncho pledge

"i, kim, swear on the head and/or the grave of my sainted granny to never wear, buy, knit, crochet, or fashion from the old throw rug, the poncho. and if the poncho it is given to me as the gift, i will graciously thank the giver and then, when she has left, put the poncho into the dog's bed and/or the trash as the case she may be. only by doing these things faithfully can i help end for the good of the humanity the scourge that is the poncho."

LMAO

In other news, saw Ring Two last night. AWFUL! complete crap! Stay away! Beware! Sure, I new that the odds were against it, being #2 in a series means that its going to be crap. (for excepts to this rule see Empire Strikes Back & Aliens) But still, the only thing it achieved was to make me miss Seattle, what with its sweaping panoramas of the sound & evergreens, not to mention all the wonderful architecture.. sigh.

Got a few more rows done on sis' sock. Probably won't get much knitting done today. We move in just under 2 weeks & I have tons of packing to do!

Friday, March 18, 2005

Nothing Much

Last night we watched "Out Foxed".. I don't even know what to say. It made me so mad at one point I actually had to leave the room! If you haven't seen it yet, you probably should. I will leave it at that.

On to knitting news. I didn't finish the sock last night as hoped. I got a few more rows done & then my wrist started acting up , so I set it aside. I decided to switch to spinning & am almost finished with the ruby merino!

I have been trying to decide what to make with it & have finally settled on a pattern. I have been admiring Mel's Irish Hiking Scarf & finally looked at the pattern. Only 350yds! I can totally do that with the merino! Oh won't that be a treat! Woo hoo. I think the variation on a frill will just have to wait a little longer...

Thursday, March 17, 2005

What the Bleep?!

Last night we rented "What the Bleep?!" It just came out on tuesday & Kris was very anxious to see it, being a huge quantum physics geek. Overall I must say I disappointed. It started out very well & the cuts to the marly matlin storyline were fun, but about half way through it devolved into new age crap! No longer were they interviewing scientists & physicists.. they were focusing on a chiropracter & Ramtha (a women who believes she is channeling the spirit of a 3500yr old enlightend being). What a waste! :(

On the plus side I did get the heel & gusset finished on the first sock for my sister & should finish it up tonight! Woo hoo! :)

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

100 Things About Me

Ok. I have been seeing this on other blogs & think its quite a good idea. So here is mine.

1. I am utterly in love with my husband.
2. We will celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary in July.
3. We have no children.
4. I have been struggling with infertility for 7 yrs.
5. Last year I was diagnosed with PCOS.
6. 6mo ago I was diagnosed with Metabolic syndrome.
7. I need to lose about 80lbs.
8. I wore a size 5 when I graduated from High School.
9. I wear a size 20 now.
10. I have a very difficult time making friends.
11. I only really have 4 friends: Brian, Joanne, Kris (my husband) & Dawn (my sister)
12. I have an anxiety disorder.
13. I am terrified that I will turn into my mother.
14. My mother has severe rheumotoid arthritis & has been in & out of the hospital since I was 12yrs old.
15. When I was younger I wanted to be an actress.
16. I majored in Theater for a short time.
17. I have dropped out of college 3 times.
18. I currently am 20 credits shy of a degree & have no desire to finish.
19. My last major was Psychology.
20. I think most of it is crap.
21. I want to own a yarn store.
22. I want to make a living selling my own yarns & knits.
23. I don't think this will ever happen.
24. I don't believe in my skills.
25. I have wanted to join a local spinning guild for 4 years but am too afraid to go to the meetings.
26. I am afraid everyday.
27. I love my niece Autumn as if she were my own child.
28. I miss my friends terribly since they have moved to Seattle.
29. I love horror movies.
30. I love to laugh.
31. My favorite musician is Tom Waits.
32. I love fantasy books & movies.
33. I once made my own renaissance garb.
34. It is the only article of clothing I have sewn for myself that didn't fall apart.
35. I am addicted to Tea.
36. It is all I drink.
37. When I was 8 I was diagnosed with nerve damage to my ears & can't hear high frequencies.
38. I have a slight lisp that is very pronounced when I meet new people or am nervous.
39. I had to wear corrective shoes as a toddler because my feet were turned inwards.
40. I love my mother & miss the relationship I had with her when I was young.
41. I can't stand to be around her now.
42. Its because of her illness.
43. I hate myself for that.
44. I am having a hard time thinking of a hundred things! LOL
45. I am a natural blonde & I am intelligent!
46. I am a liberal.
47. I am a democrat.
48. I HATE Bush.
49. I am against the war in Iraq.
50. I support our troops.
51. I was raised Catholic.
52. I don't believe in religion.
53. I do believe in a higher being.
54. I consider myself Agnostic.
55. I am terrified by the direction this country is moving.
56. I believe we should have socialized medicine.
57. I believe most americans think too highly of themselves.
58. I believe most americans are ignorant & easily fooled.
59. I sometimes wish I was born in Canada.
60. I am pro-choice.
61. I am pro-adoption.
62. I believe our country spends far too much on war and not enough on education.
63. I believe the Daily Show is the only non-biased news source on TV.
64. This scares me.
65. I procrastinate far too much.
66. I hate housework.
67. of the 7 deadly sins, I am Sloth.
68. Ethically I wish I could be a vegetarian.
69. I love the taste of red meat.
70. My husband hates vegetables.
71. I am afraid I will die of a heart attack.
72. I don't speak to my fathers family.
73. I don't miss them.
74. They never liked let alone loved me.
75. They hate my mother.
76. My father is a different person around his family.
77. I don't like that person.
78. My father was a firefighter for 20yrs.
79. I am very proud of him.
80. I am sad for the way his life has turned out.
81. I am envious of my sister.
82. She has always been surrounded by friends & love.
83. I don't understand why I have not.
84. She is envious of me.
85. Because of my husband.
86. I don't know why my husband hasn't left me.
87. I am a huge fan of Joss Whedon.
88. I am a geek.
89. I believe in the supernatural.
90. I believe in extraterestrials.
91. I don't believe aliens have ever been here, or are likely ever to be here.
92. I believe in Tarot readings as psyhological tools, not as predictors of future events.
93. I don't believe people who think they are psychic.
94. I am a skeptic who wants to believe.
95. I loved x-files (can't you tell)
96. I hate romance novels, soap operas & chick flicks.
97. Except for Meg Ryan movies.
98. I love british comedy.
99. I like true crime shows.
100. I am so glad this is finished. LOL

WIP & Kitties

Two days ago I started on a sock for my sister. I made her a pair for xmas that she has already worn through! LOL She begged me for more, so I am planning on making at least 2 pairs for her b-day which is May 10th. This is what I have so far...
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I'm using Sockotta by Plymouth yarns which is a Cotton/Wool/Nylon blend & should wear well. I am almost done with the heel flap & should turn the heel tonight. Isn't the color fun? My hubby (Kris) called it "Happy Socks". LOL They certainly are!

In other news, yesterday I went upstairs to discover my oldest boy Barnum indulging in string licking...
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He seems to love the metalic tang of the steel string guitars, because he only does this on the steel & electric guitars! LOL Drives honey crazy..
So, while I took a pic of Barnum I decided it was unfair to only highlight him, so for your kitty pleasure here are the others...
Image hosted by Photobucket.comThis is our eldest, Klio. She is quite the daddy's girl & it has taken her 10 yrs to warm up to me, but finally accepts me. Here she is looking her aloof best. Poor thing is starting to decline at age 17 & has recently exhibited signs of senelity. :(
Image hosted by Photobucket.com Here is Keetcha, our other "biddy kitty". She is 17 as well & is technically my MIL's cat. We have been watching her for over a year & she will be returning home to her mommy soon. This will be hardest on our youngest, Windle, who is quite attached to her.. She beats him up all the time (she likes em young, LOL) Here are a couple pics of their "Harold & Maude" relationship.
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Windle is just over 3yrs old & entered our lives shortly after the passing of my FIL. He is quite the scamp & is extremely affectionate.. he's my little baby!
Image hosted by Photobucket.comThis is Bailey, Barnum's twin sister. They will be 8 in May. She is highly neurotic, quite stupid & very sweet.
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Lastly, 2 pics of our pretty boy Arlo. He is a big boy. 30lb Maine Coon, about 5 yrs old. The second pic is him playing body guard to the water dish.. this always cracks me up!

So there are my babies. All were rescue kitties except for Barnum & Bailey, who were from a friend's cat's litter.

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

More silliness

Ok.. so I am kinda addicted to stupid little quizes.. I really need a 12-step program! LOL

Deb
You are Deb and you could drink whole milk if you
wanted.


Which Napoleon Dynamite character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

And its purple too! :p

You are Merino Wool.
You are Merino Wool.
You are very easygoing and sweet. People like to
keep you close because you are so softhearted.
You love to be comfortable and warm from your
head to your toes.


What kind of yarn are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Sunday, March 13, 2005

Red Heart KAL Fiber

Today I dyed 1lb of blue-faced leicester & approx. 4oz of tussah silk to be used in the red heart kal. I am really happy with the results & am thinking of using the leicester, silk & merino in the project. I'm not sure what combo I am going to use, but I think they will work soo well together!

Ok, so here is what it all looks like!
First off, the bleached silk..
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And the raw leicester...
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Now, here is the dyed silk...
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And the dyed leicester...
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Here is a pic of them together.
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And a pic of the merino that was bought predyed.(This one is a little dark)
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The silk didn't absorb as much dye as the wool, but thats okay. It will spin up with dark red, pink & white spots that should compliment the wool nicely. Of course I will post pics once I get everything spun!

Happy Sunday! Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Saturday, March 12, 2005

Red Heart Knit A Long

I have decided to make Variation on a frill from Knitty for the Red Heart KAL. I was waffling on the pattern because I had my heart set on using the ruby merino for this project & there is no way I will have enough of it. Well, caution be damned! I am just going to dye some of the blue-faced leicester I had slated for another project & augment the merino with it. If that doesn't work, maybe I'll just save the merino for something else & ply the leicester with tussah silk... mmmm, that's an idea Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Friday, March 11, 2005

Haiku Meme

Ok.. so this goes off livejournal users but it sooo suits me! LOL


LiveJournal Haiku!
Your name:elvenwhimsies
Your haiku:and dude what am i
gonna do with it i am
thinking of spinning
Username:
Created by Grahame

New Blog Design

So, what do you think? I absolutely love my new blog design! Whee!
Extra special thanks to Kitt for the html help & artistic rendering of my crappily taken picture! I could never had made it look so cool! You ROCK!

Archive Swap Finale!

This is the last installment of my archiving. There is a lot of stuff that I just don't feel I need to transfer, stuff I wasn't that impressed with in retrospect. This last batch is my recent dye day results.

I have 3lbs of Blue-faced Leicester that I am painting & it will eventually be used for a sweater FOR ME! :)

This was my first time dyeing with Jacquard dyes & I was very impressed by the vibrancy of the colors. I used the technique outlined by Laurie on Yarn Harlot's Blog

So, here is the yummy fleecey bits before...

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And After...


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Ok.. from now on its all new stuff! Woo hoo!Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Thursday, March 10, 2005

Archive Swap, part deux

Submitted for your approval. 3 ordinary items, hand knit with care. But there's a twist!

You have entered the Handspin Zone... (do di do do, do di do do..)

(Can you tell hubby just got the first season of TZ on dvd?) ;)

Item #1 Handspun Merino/Silk Blend French Market Bag



Item #2 Handpainted/Spun 100% Merino Hat (Ann Norling Pattern)





Item #3 Handspun 100% Mohair heating pad (insert made of rice & dried ginger mmmm)




That concludes tonights episode. Good night.

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

Frustrations of an HTML Idiot

Ah.. the woes of one who has no clue what they are doing! I have a perfect image in my head of what I want this place to look like, but I lack the skills & patience to make it work! Even when I "give up" & download a template I can't figure out how to use it! LOL

Here are a couple pics I took that I had a mind to use as headers.. maybe one of you lovely people out there.. (ugh hm, kitt, ugh hm) could help me figure out what the heck to do! :)


Header1

Header2

header3

header4


Any thoughts? Comments? HELP!



btw- sorry so image ladden

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Archive swap

So I could either try to figure out how to archive my livejournal blog here, or just repost pics.. guess which I am chosing! ;)

Here is the first batch.
Finger Down Glove.




Finished Glove

These are pics of the finger-down gloves that I made without a pattern! I was so proud of myself! They actually fit too! The wool is really scratchy so I don't wear them, but they are a great prototype.

More to come. :)

Monday, March 07, 2005

New Blog

I have decided to join the hordes & am changing my blog site!

I have been very disappointed with the available options at livejournal & I think blogger is easier to figure out & adapt. I envision great things coming once I learn HTML (yeah, right).

Who knows, I may even update it regularly! LOL