ABC Tag

TAG ABC's of you. Each player then tags 3 people and posts their names, then go to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

I grabbed this from Saving9's blog and filled it out for myself...

A- Attached or single: Attached
B- Best Friend: Tie between my husband,my mom, and my dad
C-Cake or Pie: Cake. Definitely cake.
D-Day: Saturday
E- Essential Item: ATM card. That way I can buy whatever I don't have. Or the iPhone to keep me entertained.
F- Favorite Color: Purple
G-Gummi Bears or Worms: Bears
H-Home town: Northern California
I- Indulgences: Sock yarn, particularly the stuff that's hard to get like Wollmeise and Sundara
J- January or July?: January
K-Kids: 3 dogs and a cat
L-Life is incomplete without: Family
M- Marriage Date: January 21st, 2002
N- Number of Siblings: one that I don't really acknowledge and a dog-sister that I adore
O- Oranges or Apples: Oranges (if they are mandarins)
P- Phobias or Fears: Barf, bats, and bridges
Q- Quote: "5 minutes! No talking!"
R- Reason To Smile: My life may feel tough right now, but I really do have it pretty good.
S- Season: Winter
T- Tag Three: Tag! You're it!
U- Unknown fact about me: I can't think of one right now...maybe that I am very forgetful lately?
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals: Oppressor of Animals, though I am so picky about meat that I really should be a veggie
W- Worst Habit: Smoking
Y-Your favorite food: Movie theater popcorn
Z: Zodiac Sign: Aries

Favorite Color Swap - Holy Purple!

This is a cross post from the FCS3 blog...

**************************************************************************

Okay, so can I tell y'all a story about being spoiled completely rotten? I am ruined for swaps from here on out, I'm sure of it.

So, I had the great swap pal who contacted me regularly and very obviously asked the right questions or stalked my blog or Ravelry or something. Make sure to read to the end of this post to find out who my swap pal was...you'll be jealous when you see the spoiling she did!

I came home today from a rather stressful day and was all excited because I was pretty sure my sock club kit from Woolgirl, my Loopy Groupie package from The Loopy Ewe, and my April shipment from Harmony Semi-Solids would be in the mail (yes, I do have a problem). But there was this mysterious 4th package and the HECK if I could figure out who it was from! The name and address were unfamiliar and I was baffled. Had my yarn problem grown to a point where I have ordering black-outs? Very possible, I suppose.

So I tore into the box. Within the box were all these little things wrapped in beautiful tissue paper and black ribbons. Well, many yarn stores wrap things up all fancy, so maybe this was a new supplier for my habit? I tore open the first one and was REALLY confused. It was a stunningly gorgeous yarn that I have heard of but I just knew I hadn't ordered any. Or had I?

Yes. I am a little slow on the uptake. But suddenly it dawned on me. This was my Favorite Color Swap Gift!

I quickly put the yarn back in the tissue and set up the package contents for a photo session (photo quality is not great as I used my iPhone).

Here is what my first glimpse was (we won't discuss that I already ripped into one package and then quickly rewrapped...):

Now that a picture was taken and I realized that I had not yet reached the blackout-yarn-ordering stage of my habit, I allowed myself to savor the opening of the contents.
Since you probably can't tell what everything is, I will share a complete list. There were little notes on many things, which I will include as well.

• Black Currant superwash fingering weight sock yarn from Have You Any Wool? This is lovely. Gorgeous deep plum colors, and oh so soft. I cannot wait to knit it, but I also want to admire it in the skein for a bit.
  


• Handmade (by my swap pal!) dishcloths. 1 black, 1 purple, 1 black and purple. I have never received a knit item before. I almost cried. They are fabulous and I can't decide if I should use them or frame them! I love these, and I love that my pal went to the effort to make me something special. Little note: "Handmade by me! I absolutely love these dishcloths."
  


• 2 Bath & Body Works hand lotions...Sea Island Cotton and Sensual Amber. My pal knew of my hand lotion habit and my favorite supplier, but somehow managed to find two scents that I have never tried. I love them! These go on the list of favorite scents. For the life of me I cannot remember if I told my pal about my hand lotion habit or if she stalked that info. Either way, it cracked me up! The little note on these said, "Feeding your hand lotion addiction - hope you like the scents!"
  


• Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate bar. Oh yum. How I managed a picture before scarfing this down, I do not know. Oh how I love the chocolate! And my pal has magical powers. The chocolate is NOT MELTED! It is 80+ degrees today, and it is fully intact. But to be on the safe side, she thoughtfully packed it (and the lotion) in an individual ziplock. Little note: "This is my favorite chocolate!"
  


• Stitch Markers. Beautiful, tiny, PURPLE stitch markers for sock knitting. I do not own tiny stitch markers! The best part? Also made by my pal! And I really need tiny stitch markers cause I am getting ready to try some fancy sock patterns and they will be a life saver. Little note: "Handmade by me, from my Etsy store! Thought they would be good for socks." Etsy store is here, and I highly recommend that you visit and buy buy buy. I can tell that these will never be in the way and will never snag, but will distract the heck out of my because they are SO PRETTY!
  


• Big bag of Starburst Berries & Creme. Oh. My. Gawd. Yum. I love these things. And when I say big bag, I mean a BIG BAG. I have to hide this and the chocolate from DH. He tends to steal, and I do not want to share. Little note: "I know you said you liked berry flavors - I hope you like these!" Well, pal, I do not like them. I love them with every fiber of my being.
  


• Wee little teeny tiny bamboo crochet hook for picking up dropped stitches. Now I know I did not say anything anywhere about this. What are you, a mind reader??? I have the hardest time with picking up stitches and making repairs, and a lot of it is due to a lack or proper tools! I have a zillion crochet hooks and they are all too dang big and awkward to use. I seriously had no idea such a tool as this existed, and I am crazy about it. I use a small bag for my sock projects and I like to limit the amount and size of tools to conserve space. This is the most perfect thing EVER to add to my essentials. Little note: "I love this for picking up dropped stitches. It's a life saver!" I'm sure it will be.
  


• And last but not least by a long shot! 5 gorgeous postcards from her homestate. The pictures are beautiful. I think I need to move to New Mexico now. Seriously. These are going on the mirror in my knit room. I love them and they really make me want a vacation.
  

So, wow. Has anyone read this far? Can you tell how happy I am? I've had a very rough couple of months and very few things have made me smile this much in quite some time. But dang! This may be getting me out of my funk.

Thank you so much to our lovely swap hostess and my secret pal (told you I was spoiled!), Nichole D. aka SavingNine.

Personal Sock Challenge

I made a goal for myself at the beginning of the year and never really told anyone about it. However, I seem to be doing a fine job with it so far, so I can tell y'all about it.

I want to complete at least one pair of socks every month this year. The goal is very loosely stated in that there really aren't any major rules involved. The socks do not have to be for me (though that is the primary purpose) and they do not have to follow any particular specifications other than to have been completed. In other words, it doesn't matter how many pairs I have on the needles and it doesn't matter when I started them, I just have to cast-off and weave in the ends of one pair of socks each month.

On this last day of March 2008, I will state publicly that I am on track. In January I completed a pair of socks for DH, in February there were 2 pairs for me, and in March there was a pair for Mom and a pair for me.

April should be easy, as I have 2 pairs halfway done already. One pair includes a completed sock and the other pair includes one completed sock and one that is about a third done and should go fast.

Can you tell that I love to knit socks? I have a desire to make some other stuff right now, but I want to always have at least one pair of socks on the needles at all times. They are portable and the most likely item to actually be appreciated and used. Also? I currently own enough sock yarn to knit over 60 pairs of socks, and I am in several sock clubs for the year. That's a lot of sock yarn.

3 Long Months...

I haven't posted to the blog in 3 months! I am so sorry! Life got in the way. I can't promise to post often, but I am going to make an attempt. Primarily because I joined a couple of knit swaps on Ravelry and secret pals sometimes like to read and post on blogs.

The first swap I need to post about is the Favorite Color Swap 3. I am totally excited about this swap, and our first task is to fill out a questionaire, so here it is:

Favorite Color Swap Questionnaire

1. What are your top three favorite colors?

• Purple, blue, black

2. What crafts do you really enjoy?

• Knitting! I am exclusively a knitter right now. I used to cross-stitch, but lost interest.

3. What products do you really covet?

• This is a tough one. Generally if I was something badly enough, I just go get it! I guess my main things as fancy sock yarn (or any yarn, really), and most anything from Bath & Body Works. I am a major hand lotion and lip gloss fanatic.

4. What other activities do you enjoy besides your favorite crafty things?

• I love to gamble, fish, and read.

5. Is there anything you collect?

• Yarn and books! I'm not really much of a collector other than that though. Well, maybe lotion and lip gloss...

6. What is your zodiac sign and/or Chinese zodiac symbol?

• Aries

7.What are your favorite……

scents/smells?… Almost anything fresh or fruity or spicy. I don't care for anything floral, however.

types of music and/or bands?… I like most anything, but my favorites would probably be 80's music and classic rock.

authors?… Mostly the mainstream stuff, like James Patterson, Janet Evanovich, etc.

animals?… I am definitely a cat person, but I have 3 dogs and I adore them. Really, I love all critters. Oh, that is something I covet...a ferret! I would totally have one if they were legal in my state.

places to shop?… Bath & Body Works, Bed Bath & Beyond, and just about any yarn store. My favorite is The Loopy Ewe.

season?… It's a toss up. I love the colors of spring, the coolness of fall, and the coziness of winter. I really hate the heat, so aside from the swimming part, I dislike summer.

yarn/fabric/paper/other craft supplies?… My top two favorite yarns would be Wollmeise and Socks That Rock, but I am a fan of just about anything that resembles yarn.

candies or goodies? Ohhhhh...anything salty or sweet. I like chocolate, but I also really enjoy things like jelly beans and other fruity flavored goodies. By fruity, I guess I mean berry flavors, because I really don't like things like banana or coconut and that sort of thing.

8. Do you have any wish lists?

• I did start a wish list on The Loopy Ewe: http://www.theloopyewe.com/wishlist/show/19598/?token=85742e82a54a, but that's it. I haven't been organized enough to make an Amazon list or anything...

9. Are you allergic to anything?

• Nuts! Peanuts are fine (and I love peanut butter), but all other nuts are off limits for me. :-(

10. Do you have any pets? What are they?

• 1 cat and 3 dogs. My kitty is a generic long-hair that rules the house. She is beautiful and spoiled and generally rude to nearly everyone but me. My dogs are all Llewellyn Setters and they are gorgeous and rotten and they leave fur and toys everywhere.

11. Please include anything else you would like your secret pal to know about you- anything that would be helpful in finding you little gifts that you will really enjoy. Also, if you have a Ravelry ID, please include it here.

• Hmmm...this is tough! I am really pretty easy to please. I can promise to be happy with just about anything I am surprised with. Honestly, I just really love to get things in the mail. I am on Ravelry under sunnybiss77. I have an iPhone so chances are good that if you send an email with a question, I will probably get back to you pretty fast! I am open to any Q's you have, so bring em on. This is gonna be fun...

Loopy Girl

I got a new kind of sleeping pill because the other ones weren't doing a lot of good. They would keep me asleep, but I had to fall asleep in the first place. Which is an equally difficult task. So now I am taking Ambien. My beloved Ambien. I think perhaps that I should start taking a half a pill because they seem to make me loopy. And forgetful. I also need to not have access to the computer after taking one because the loopy kicks in FAST.

For example the other night I was perusing shirt.woot.com and came across what seemed to be the most fabulously cute shirt ever. And evidently I ordered one if the email confirmation is to be believed (it was only $10!). http://shirt.woot.com/Blog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryId=3617

I mean really. What could be more cute than 2 bears playing an accordion together and sharing a beer? You really should read the description in that link. I think this is the line that got me "And as you can see, they certainly do have cute noses." And I am fond of cute noses on critters. Just ask my dogs and cat...their noses are pet all too often for their liking.

On a separate note, my pill is kicking in so I will make it quick. I am now doing the new job and I am crazy overwhelmed and freaked. But I do this with every new job, so I hope it will pass like it always has. Wish me luck. I have a fabulous boss and that makes all the difference in the world.

So Much To Report, So Little Time

Where to start? This will not be detailed as I need to go to bed, but I am way overdue for a blog.

• I got a promotion at work. I start in 2 weeks. I'm totally stoked. I'm also very nervous.
• I got an awesome bonus and have purchased a few toys.
• One of the toys is a Roomba Scheduler. I named him Jeeves, and DH did not like that name, so he has been renamed by DH. His new name is Mr. Belvedere.
• Tomorrow Mr. Belvedere's partner in crime should arrive. DH has pre-named the Scooba to Snork.
• Can you tell that DH grew up in the 80's?
• Mr. Belvedere scares the hell out of poor Deacon and he chases Cassidy. It's about the funniest thing ever.
• I have purchased way too much yarn lately.
• And about that, I got a knitting "job" today. Someone was seeking a test knitter will be sending me the yarn and pattern this weekend. I will knit socks and return them with pattern correction and will be paid a decent sum. I'm pretty excited.

I think those are the major developments for the day. I will try to get back to regular posting here soon, but I can't promise anything...

Terrible Blogger

Yes, you have again been neglected. I have so much going on right now that I just can't keep up! Mostly work stuff...going for a new job and very antsy about it. And I won't know anything for about 3 weeks, so the antsy will continue.

What else? Oh! I won $500 in a raffle today. Cool, huh?

Ummmmmmm. Not a lot to report, I guess. I am working diligently on my knitting. I am making the Tilted Duster for my best friend for her b-day/x-mas gift. It is turning out very nice and is a pretty quick knit.

So, that's it for now!

iPhone Irritation

So I am about to head over to the mall to get my third iPhone of the weekend. The first one wouldn't hold a charge, and the new one they gave me Friday won't ring when it is in sleep mode. Very irritating.

I still love the product, but I'm a little peeved right now.

On the knitting front, I have a ton of projects going and not enough time to finish them.

Not much to report, but I thought I should post something...

Weekend Report

Last weekend was awesome. Mom and I decided to visit grandma for the weekend, so we headed up there on Friday afternoon. During the drive, I got a text from one of my employees that she was offered a job/promotion and it made my day. She is awesome and we had been working on this for quite a while. Anyhow, I was thrilled.

When we got to the casino (yes, this is where members of a gambling family meet up) we both bought our bingo cards and then went to play cards and slots for a bit. Bingo was pretty boring and we did not win, but we sat by some fun people and had a good time. After bingo we went out to the casino to play some more.

After a little while at the Pai Gow table I got a hand of cards that shocked the heck out of me. They dealt me a royal flush! It was one card off from the big payout (a 7 card straight flush), but it still paid out about $650. This was awesome.

Mom and I ended up staying for quite some time and she got a 4 of a kind which paid $125. Overall it was a very profitable, and late, night for us. We were having breakfast at Denny's at 3:30 in the morning. Eek!

The next day we slept in rather late and then spent the day being lazy at grandma's. I worked on my Cardigan for Arwen and we fixed the sound on grandma's computer (the speakers were unplugged). Grandma made us what I would consider the be the perfect meal: Macaroni & cheese and her special carrots. She makes these carrots that are just so yummy and that none of us can duplicate. They are just made using butter and brown sugar and salt and pepper, but they taste fabulous. Anyhow, see the picture below. I know, it doesn't look very exciting, but it tasted awesome.

After dinner, we went to the other casino in town for more playing. I didn't win, but I didn't lose much either. My uncle joined us for this trip and we had fun. We also got home before 1:00 am, so it was less of a late night.

One of the funniest things ever happened when we got back to the house... Grandma's DH was in bed sound asleep with the radio playing old country music at full blast (neither of them can hear worth a darn). Mom and I were cackling about it and figured they would turn it down or off sooner or later, which they did. But the next morning, grandma's DH told us that he woke up to see grandma in putting on her PJ's and brushing her teeth and dancing around the bathroom. This just cracked us up! They are such happy and goofy old people.

Grandma had such a fun time having us visit and we had a great time as well. I realized something important while we were there that probably had a lot to do with it... I have spent so much time over the last year worrying about grandma and her husband and how they are getting old and shouldn't drive and so forth. Over the last few months, my other grandparent's health has declined dramatically and it made me realize how well these grandparents are really doing. It's a sucky comparison, but I will not worry about them as much for now.

So what else to report? Oh yeah, I started my Cardigan for Arwen. A pic is below of my progress. Oh, and the Baudelaire sock? Doesn't fit me. But it fits grandma perfectly so I will make a second sock and give them to her.

Here is a pic of my new favorite yarn. I have no idea of what to make with it, but I have plenty of it.

Oh, and a cute picture of Deacon. Just for fun.

Well, I can't think of anything else that should be reported for now... Just cross your fingers for the internet to get fixed!

Reader Neglect

I am so sorry. My internet is giving me an incredible amount of grief, so you all have been sorely neglected. I am going to try to post this and hope for the best. Then I will attempt to do a real post! Wish me luck...

Mail Call!

I love getting yarn in the mail. I did some swaps on Ravelry (and maybe a little buying on elann.com) and here is what was in the mailbox today.

And there is more to come! I also did a big swap with a knitter in Canada, so that will be a picture all in itself when it shows up.

FO Report!

The Trellis is complete! Okay, it still needs buttons. But I know me...once buttons are on, I will forget to take a picture and will send it off to be given to it's intended recipient. So here is a picture of it blocking.

This is a really cool pattern. It took a lot longer than any other baby sweater I have made, but I like the finished product. The hardest part was all of the seed stitch. That is not something I do very quickly. Also, the collar instructions did not make a ton of sense to me at first, but I finally understood. If I were to do it over again, I would pick up the stitches as I went rather than attaching the collar when complete, but it's really fine either way.

Anyhow, it is now blocking and I need to figure out the button situation. This is one of those things where I don't want the buttons to overtake the pattern, but I also don't want them to be boring. I'll have to do some searching with the sweater on hand for comparison.

Now that this is done, I can get back to the jacket for Bugs. I think it has been in time out for long enough...

My Poor Readers!

You have all been so neglected. Please blame Ravelry, not me. There was a lot of set up to do and it's really cool. By set up I mean entering info and pictures. My yarn stash and I had a little photo session over the weekend just for this purpose.

Anyhow, not a ton to report. I have been so busy with stuff lately that I am exhausted every evening. I have accomplished very little knitting, which sucks since I need to finish that baby sweater for mom soon! I will probably get most or all done by this weekend. At least, that is the plan.

So what other knitting content might I have? Oh! The cool part about Ravelry is just what I expected...I can see what other people have in their yarn stash and offer to buy or trade. I have snagged several cool yarns so far, and have sold a few as well. All with $0 out of pocket. I found someone to trade some of my sock yarn with for something I like much better, I sold a yarn that I absolutely hate, I found someone willing to sell a favorite yarn that is no longer being produced, and I have a big trade in progress. I will be making a post office trip in the next day or so...

Well, that's about it for now. Just a lot going on, but I will try to keep the blog up to date!

I'm In

And it's awesome. Off to snoop...

The Suspense is Killing Me!

I am now #78 on the Ravelry list. ARGH!!!!!!

And in other news, the back of the baby sweater is done. So cute! And surprisingly, the seed stitching isn't driving me completely batty like it usually does.

Random Notes

First, for the Ravelry update since I know you are all on the edge of your seats about it: 619. Almost there!

Now for the knitting content. Lots to discuss! One unplanned project has been completed and a few others started. For the completed item, the New Toy needed a sock to keep it safe in the purse. So I made one with some sock yarn scraps in lieu of spending $$$ on an official iPhone case. I really like mine. It's soft and exactly the colors I would want. It took 2 evenings to make and was very simple. I will plan to write up a recipe for it and put it on the blog. Here is a picture...it still needs either a button or some Velcro, but I haven't decided which yet.

One to the new projects. First, I decided that it was getting about time that I knit some socks for myself. I have admired the pattern for Baudelaire for some time and am now making them using Lorna's Laces in Blackberry. They are awesome so far, and the pattern is great. Easy enough to zip through, but not so easy as to bore me. Here is a pic of my progress so far:

While I would love to just keep working on these socks, mom has a friend that just had a baby boy and there is a need for a hand-knit gift to be made and mailed. I am going to make Trellis in Knitpicks Shine Worsted in the color Bachelor Button. I intend to get started on this item tonight.

As for the other UFO's, well let's see. The jacket for Bugs is pretty much in time out. Having to rip out various parts multiple times has really peeved me, so I am going to focus on other projects for the moment. But I will finish it sometime soon. All the errors have been user errors, but I'm kind of frustrated with it. And the socks I am making her are kind of boring, so they are on hold for the moment. Poor little Bugs!

For a pet update. All of the dogs got to hunt for quail this weekend and then they got baths. They look so pretty and they are so soft! Here is a picture of the three of them on the couch after their long weekend.


It's a wonder DH and I can ever find a seat in this house. Starting from the left, you see Deacon, Daisy, then Dino. It's a pile of spots!

Well, I think this is about all I have to report for the moment. Wish me luck on all the knitting I need to accomplish!

Love at First Sight

Well, the poll indicates that the iPhone is the preferred purchase. Which is a good thing, since I went and bought one today!

I just couldn't resist it. While they did have the 4GB in stock, I decided to go with the 8GB. It seemed silly to spend that much $$$ and not get the better one.

I played with one in the store for quite a bit and I was sold. This thing rocks. Right now I am at my parent's place so I am waiting for iTunes to download so that I can activate it.

I am so in love with my new toy.

Ravelry Update: 1,136

BTW, this was obtained while checking out the iPhone at the store. Yes, I tested the iPhone by checking my Ravelry place. It is a sickness. Between the iPhone and Ravelry, if y'all don't hear from me for a bit, don't be surprised! :-)

Things I am excited about with the iPhone:

• Pulling up knitting patterns while away from my computer
• Viewing movies away from home
• That new toy smell

New Poll About A New Toy

There is a new poll up. Please help me to decide. If you have been paying very close attention to the blog (AS YOU ALL SHOULD BE!) you noticed that I won some $$$ last weekend playing cards. I really want a new toy. Now that the new iPods are out and they reduced the price on the iPhone, I think I might want one. But which one???

The iPhone looks super cool. I think I would buy the 4G because it costs less. But now the Nano plays videos, which is one of the capabilities my iPod does not have and that I want. The iPhone does that too.

So, please help me by voting in the poll.

Ravelry Update: 1,285 ahead of me

Dammit.

The knitted jacket I am making for Bugs is just such an issue. Here is the list of mishaps since I started it earlier this year:

• Started knitting it in Elsebeth Lavold Angora in a beautiful teal color. The yarn is aran, the pattern calls for bulky. I thought I could get away with it. Nope...a little too thin, but I pressed on.
• Sewed most of the pieces together (I think I finished all pieces before I gave up the first try). I didn't fit Bugs. The arms were too short. I thought I could knit on a cuff.
• Looked at it some more and realized that I had set the sleeves in wrong and that had a lot to do with the poor fit. At this point, I realized that I needed to just rip and start over from scratch.
• Put it in a bag for several months before ripping. Finally ripped and lost a decent amount of yarn because angora is not the easiest thing to frog.
• Decided to make new using double stranded worsted weight pink yarn. Working well, but a pain in the ass to use two strands. I finally learned that I could wind two into one and it was easier. This was my first success.
• While knitting the first front piece, I did the arm hole and neck shaping on the wrong sides. Riiiiiiiiiiipppppppppppp! And reknit.
• Now, I just finished the second front piece. Can you guess what I did wrong this time? I forgot to switch from size 11 to size 13 needles on the 13th row (where the ribbing ends and the cables begin). *Sigh* I guess I'll be frogging again tomorrow. And I was so happy to be finished with these evil front pieces. *Sigh*

On the plus side, I am now #1,382 in line for Ravelry. At least that is something. And I am pleased to know that Tama will be getting in at about the same time and Pam will probably already be there, so I will have friends. Friends that can sympathize with such frustrations.

Yay!

Thank you, Mother of Chaos! I was able to delete the stupid spam comment.

Also, I am now in spot 1,412 on Ravelry. I AM IMPATIENT, DAMMIT!!!