Catch Up

Guess what's back? My knitting mojo! Coinciding with the return of fall TV shows, my drive to knit came back full force, and I couldn't be happier. Of course, I didn't pick up the multitude of wips shoved in a basket in the spare bedroom. It called for a new, big project!

Faroese Shawl from "A Gathering of Lace"

I've been working on this for just over a week and am on the 36th row. Doesn't look like too much progress, but that's around 14,000 stitches. I'm using Malabrigo lace weight in "Orchid" and Knitpicks Options US4s. All around enjoyable project thus far, and the Malabrigo is sooooo soft.

Saturday, I received my Knitty Sock Swap package from Ms Pixie Riot. She knitted the Clementine socks from Socktopia using her very own Yarn Oddity sock yarn in "We Want the Airwaves". They fit wonderfully and are beautiful - thanks Pixie!!

Clementine Socks from Ms Pixie Riot

Hubs got a new toy over the weekend - a Canon EOS 40D digital camera. It's big and it takes wonderful pictures. Oh, and it has a wicked fast burst mode...see?

CHOMP!

Sock Swap Windfall

Most of my day's been spent at a local car dealership having Hubs' car fixed. Nothing quite like coming home to find out that Hubs' car had a bad rattle last night coming from a loose panel over the drive shaft. That did give me 3+ hours to work on Grandpop's socks and read more Dresden Files. :) I came home to a package from Knitchick07 on my front porch. Oh, how spoiled I feel! My socks fit wonderfully and are made from a very soft Targhee wool. I've never knitted a pair of toe-up socks and after seeing how well the short-row heel fits, I have to learn how to knit toe-ups. :)

Diagonal Cross-Rib Socks from Favorite Socks
A few short pages away from the Meida's Socks pattern
I used for her socks!

Mickey toy met Bandit's approval easily :)

Thanks a bunch, Knitchick07!!

Dust Bunnies

Has it really been over a week since I've last posted? All my free time lately has been spent with by eyes glued to books. Kris and I picked up our copies of Deathly Hallows last Friday and spent all of last weekend enraptured by the audiobook version. I laughed, cried, and had two of my theories confirmed. Recently, I've become hooked on the other wizard Harry series, the Dresden Files. In a fit of multi-day migraine induced yuckiness yesterday, I finished the third book in the series, started and finished the fourth book, and started the fifth. I may have to send Hubs to Borders on Monday to pick up the next few books in the series.

Now, don't think I haven't been knitting, because I sure have. It's just all been for my Knitty Sock Swap downstreams, PixieRiot and KnitChick07, so I won't post pictures till I've mailed them out. Pixie's are finished and blocked, just have to drag my tired carcass to the post office sometime. I'm on the foot of KnitChick07's first sock. Hoping I don't run out of yarn!

Instead of knitting progress pics, I'll share a pic of Bandit this afternoon. Since he hurt his paw on his crate a few weeks ago, I tore down the crate and moved his bed from the office into the kitchen. His replacement office bed arrived earlier this week.

Dog Days of Summer

Harry Potter Goodies

Two weeks of having my HP Secret Pal goodies, and I'm just now getting to posting them to my blog. Shameful, me! My upstream pal was none other than the fab KnitChick07. She must have been as busy as a house elf knitting all these lovely gifties for me. :) Thank you very much, I love it all, Knitchick07!!

Messenger Bag in Ravenclaw Colors

HP Scarf Bookmarkers in SS/CoS Style for Gryffindor and PoA Style for Ravenclaw

Knitchick07 must have hit Honeyduke's to find Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Jelly Slugs, Chocolate Frogs, and Blood Pops. Dalegarn Ull in Ravenclaw colors (I'm thinking....socks!!), Sirius Black bookmarker, and yummy hot chocolate.

In other HP news, I saw Order of the Phoenix last night and was completely blown away. I'm a huge stickler that movies should follow canon as closely as possible and don't enjoy when movies stray too far from the book. (Don't get me started on the dumbass shrunken head in Prisoner of Azkaban...) David Yates did a wonderful job directing this movie and stayed very close to canon given the huge size of the book. Only complaint I had is not with the movie, but with someone who sat in front of us in the theater. Right at the emotional climax of the story in Dumbledore's office after the fight at the Ministry, someone let out a loud fart. Yeah, Chelsea and I then giggled through the whole scene. :)

Surprises!

Something came in the mail this afternoon...

A Package from my Spring Fling Pal, Bluetangle!

It had an awesome knitting card, froggy notions pouch (too cute!), Artyarns sock yarn, hand lotion, guitar shaped note paper (have I mentioned that I play bass guitar?), Hello Kitty pen, and Lego magnets. The little frog pouch has made it's home in my Beatle knitting bag - perfect size for stich markers and my Chibi!

Artyarns Sock Yarn - so summery!

Thanks a bunch, bluetangle! You ROCK!

Absolutely Stunned

On my return home this afternoon from running errands, I was greeted by my final package from my Knitty SP8 Secret Pal,Rincaro! She pulled together an absolutely fabulous black and blue themed package.

Chocolate, gothy black nail polish, blueberry Lip Smackers, 2 skeins of Misti Alpaca lace in black (so wonderfully soft!), skein of Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille (I see this being a small scarf), Austermann Step (LOVE this yarn!), and bestest of all, a sock blocker!!

Rincaro, I want to know who your spies are in Indy because not 10 minutes before I opened your package, I was eyeballing this bag in Target! I love it so much I've all ready moved my D&D and sock knitting stuff into it!

Thank you very, very much Rincaro! You were a fabulous Secret Pal!!

The Good and the Fibery

First off, let me take a minute to say "Thanks!" for all the good healing thoughts for Bandit. I dropped him off at the vet's office this morning for a thorough check-up after noticing he had developed a limp overnight. At lunchtime, I got a call from the vet that Bandit has a sprained left shoulder. He'll need a week or so of painkillers and lots of rest. He's in a bit of pain, but he'll get better soon. :)

Catching up a bit on blogging backlog. After a very tough day last Thursday, I was greeted at home by a wonderful package from my awesome Knitty Spring Fling SP, JayneHat!

J Knits hand dyed sock yarn in "Indiana", bath bomb and Dreamtime bath melt from LUSH(!!!!), and yummy Vosages hot chocolate

On Saturday, April 14th, I went to The Fiber Event at the Putnam County Fairgrounds. There were lots of fiber vendors from all over the Midwest ranging from yarn stores to alpaca farmers to dyers. I was so happy that the sinus infection from hell eased up in time for me to get out and enjoy the event. The weather was horrid - rainy and cold. Shortly after I got into my SUV, sleet and snow started to fall. I was very happy when I picked up an elephant ear for Hubs at a food vendor that they were selling hot chocolate.

Of course, I couldn't go to a fiber fest with multiple buildings worth of yarn-y goodness and not buy some.

2500 yards of alpaca lace weight Angel Face by Briar Rose Fibers

Fleece Artist Sea Wool sock yarn

Fleece Artist superwash merino sock yarn

Opal Rain Forest in "Bumble Bee"

Springy SP Package

Big thanks going out to Fab4LkManitou! I received my March SP box when I got home last night. Oh, it's a good one :)

Wonderful SP Goodies

From the uh...left back to the right, beautiful spring card with R2D2 action figure made by Fab4's son (too cute!!!), wool wash, Lantern Moon bee measuring tape (!!), sheepy Pez dispenser, Silly Putty, crochet hook (for grabbing those pesky dropped stitches), Silly String, and FOUR needle sizer and gauge checkers. In front, there's a little bag of caramels (yum!), and a huge skein of laceweight yarn. The yarn is Baruffa and is made of the softest merino wool in an olive green colorway. SP, you sure know what colors look good with red hair. :) I'll be perusing Arctic Lace and Victorian Lace Today to find a lace project worthy of this yarn. Thank you very much for the package; I loved it and it really brightened up a crummy, dreary day!

Good Mail Day

I received a call from my grandma this afternoon; her surprise birthday socks I mailed last Tuesday arrived safely at her house today. Both of us and my mom were convinced that their vile neighbors nabbed her socks and were wearing them. I even started an emergency back-up pair of socks to send to her if the first pair were lost in transit.

I returned home to a big surprise sitting on our snowy front porch, a package from my Knitty Secret Pal. My SP is fabulous!!! Look at the pretties!

A very cute card, Spring '06 issue of IW Knits magazine, Favorite Socks with 25 sock patterns from IW Knits, a chocolate/mocha bar, Gold Mine bubblegum, bath fizzies (I love bath fizzies!!), and a wee pack of Nutella. (Which as I was writing this post, Bandit STOLE and ATE my Nutella, the little ass!)

Look Bandit, this is for you, but not my Nutella!

Bandit decimating his cookie; he LOVED it!

Oh, and what's this?

Wildfoote Sock Yarn in "Symphony" Very soft and beautiful colors!

Thank you very, very much Fab4Lkmanitou!! :)