Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Ghouls

Connor is the Grim Reaper...Campbell is Buzz ("Bug") Lightyear...Patrick is, well, Patrick. He feels he is too old to dress up. But notice he isn't too old for a pillowcase for his haul!

It's been a slow week knitting-wise because it has been a crazy week life-wise. I did finish one hat for Rachel's Soaring Eagles Project on Sunday, and cast on for another. Am still working on the lace panel on the Simple Knitted Bodice. Have about a half an inch done on the 2x2 ribbing cuff of Amy's Lorna's socks. Not much to show...or to tell.

I am off to man the door, dole out chocolate and grade (or try to grade) a stack of Ghost Stories that some brilliant mind assigned today.

What was I thinkin'??



Sunday, October 29, 2006

Progress?

The lighting today is weird...this is much more pink than the actual yarn, which is a deep, dark, ruby red. The blue yarn you see is waste yarn to hold the sleeves, and to mark out the lace pattern repeats so I don't mess things up. They have worked, for the most part. Apparently not even waste yarn markers can help me when I am tired and have a migraine.

Today, I am going to cast on for some charity knitting. Rachel is trying to get hats and headbands for her students at her school, with her Soaring Eagles Project. If you have the time, and the stash yarn, please help her out!

And lastly, a Bug in Lightyear clothing...

The middle boy (in the background) is going to be some sort of hellish ghoul type thing. I will take pictures on Tuesday so you can see. It's his first year as a gross, scary thing. Apparently, he is growing up...

And I didn't get the memo.


Sunday, October 22, 2006

A Brush With Blogging Greatness


...aka, "Jaimi is a Bumbling Idiot"...

So, I woke up this morning with a true Rhinebeck hangover. Tired legs, hips, and feet from all the walking--a bit of a cold from the brisk Autumn air that blew all day--a still-full feeling from all of the yummy food. Spacey Tracy's Pickles?? Tres yum!

I did manage to top my yarn purchase of last year (all $9.00 of it). I went this year with specific projects in mind and no children to help facillitate the purchasing ability. It was a smashing success!

I absolutely had to get yarn for my Clapotis, a winter scarf for myself, and a pair of pink hand-painted socks for myself. Sense a theme?? It was all about me this year!

Our first stop (it was myself, Amy, and Stephanie [not THAT one...but just you hold on, my pretties]) was the Brooks Farm booth. It was there that I had my brush with blogging greatness and also proved myself to be an idiot...but I am getting ahead of myself.

Brooks Farm Four Play ; 3 skeins for my Clapotis

More Four Play for my new winter scarf

Pink and rose sock yarn with china blue accents; from Spirit Trail Fiberworks

Once the must-have purchases were made, then I let the whims carry me. I mean, how could one not buy this?

I mean, seriously...it is the cutest thing I've ever seen. Well, almost:

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

The Bug is holding some of these cute little finger puppets that I got, and cannot remember from whence they came. It got to be a bit of a blur after awhile. A serious, wooly blur with some alpaca and llama thrown in for fun.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Aren't they adorable?

But now?

Now we come to the point of the story where I shame all my English teacher colleagues with my utter lack of communication skills and illustrate for the knitting world how completely unelegant, awkward, and socially challenged I can be.

I was standing in the aisle of Building A at around 11:00 am just outside the Brooks Farm booth. I had just spent almost an hour trying to decide between two colorways for my Clapotis and then had finally purchased the Chosen One. I was standing in the aisle, trying to recover from the euphoria, when who do I see gliding toward me, elegantly, effortlessly, but Knitting Royalty Herself?

I looked.

I looked again.

I may have gaped.

I decided in the hazy part of my brain that was still somewhat functioning, albeit at a slow-motion, surreal, dream-like rate, that I.Must.Do.Something.

Say something.

Anything.

Now.

Before she goes past.

Anything.

I panicked.

I reached out and touched the wedding shawl (I am still horrified at my audacity, the boldness, the complete lack of respect for her personal space) and I stupidly said the obvious, "It's beautiful!". To which she graciously replied, "Thank you!"

She moved on and I immediately began looking for a rock to climb under.

I am a bumbling idiot.

But, yet? Neener-neener-NE-NER! I touched the wedding shawl!

I apologize, Stephanie (yes, THAT one), I really do. I'm not normally such a moron, I'm really not.

Shut up Amy!

Friday, October 20, 2006

Rhinebeck Ho!

(and I do mean "ho"...)

I am like a kid on Christmas eve waiting for Santa.

I went to the ATM today and took out moolah and my husband actually raised an eyebrow at the amount.

I am ready.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

I Keep Forgetting...

Rachel over at The Procrastiknitter has started a charity knitting project for her school. She teaches at a school district very much like my own, poor and needy. Her kids really need warm winter accessories. She has a blog set up for information about her Soaring Eagles Project. Please visit and see if you can help her...I mean, really, who doesn't have the time to knit a hat with some acrylic stash yarn? We all do. And shame on us if we don't.

Show and Tell

First, Show:

The breakup was difficult for us both.

We are both trying to move on with our lives. Case in point, I have a new love...at least until I cast on for some new stripey socks.


And now the Tell...no, that isn't your eyes, there is some sort of a hole on the left front where it joins the left sleeve (on the right here on the screen). I just found it when I put the thing on to test it's sizing. I could rip back and try to fix it. Or I could just go to the fabric store and get some thread in this same gorgeous ruby red, and make a tiny little stitch that closes up the hole that no one but me will know is there.

Well, no one but me and you fine people.

Saturday, October 14, 2006

The Point

I have learned that there comes a point in some knitting projects (let's face it--in life, too) where you just have to admit defeat. You have to come to terms with the ending that is inevitable, and then move forward with as much grace and humility as you can. I have been listening to the new John Mayer CD Continuum non-stop lately, and there is a song on there that captures how I feel right now, it's called "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room":

"It's not a silly little moment
It's not the storm before the calm
This is the deep and dying breath
Of this love that we've been working on
Can't seem to hold you like I want to
So I can feel you in my arms
Nobody's gonna come and save you
We pulled too many false alarms

We're going down
And you can see it, too
We're going down
And you know that we're doomed
My dear, we're slow dancing in a burning room

I was the one you always dreamed of
You were the one I tried to draw
How dare you say it's nothing to me?
Baby, you're the only light I ever saw
I'll make the most of all the sadness
You'll be a bitch because you can
You'll try to hit me just to hurt me
So you leave me feeling dirty
Cause you can't understand

We're going down
And you can see it, too
We're going down
And you know that we're doomed
My dear, we're slow dancing in a burning room

Go cry about it, why don't you?
My dear, we're slow dancing in a burning room
Don't you think we oughta know by know?
Don't you think we should have learned somehow?"

I have reached that point of grief over a hopeless cause with Amy's Birthday Socks.

The love is, in fact, dead. We are definitely going down. Apparently, the flames have consumed me. It is over. I have no feeling left for them. Except sadness. I am trying to "make the most of all the sadness", and the socks are definitely mocking me in a bitchy way as they sit in my bag, daring me to make up my mind about our future.

I have been knitting on these socks for weeks. A little bit every night. I have had to frog and rip back so many times, that I am sure that I have knit about four socks by now, and I still cannot get the pattern (Jaywalkers) to work out correctly. I know for a certainty that it is me, not Kathy's pattern. I just can't seem to pay close enough attention right now to the details to keep everything going well. Too many plates spinning in the air. Too little love. Too many flames to see clearly.

So, I am at The Point.

I feel defeated. I had wanted to have a pair for her by this weekend so she could wear them to Rhinebeck. I mean, her birthday was two months ago! It just isn't going to happen with this pattern. I'm sorry Amy.

Maybe it's the yarn's fault. Maybe it just doesn't want to be Jaywalkers.

Anyways, I have decided that I am going to frog what I have (a cuff, a leg, a heel flap, a turned heel, and about twelve decreasing foot rounds), re-wind the ball on my ball winder, hope that the re-winding is therapeutic, drink some wine, look at some sock books, and find something else.

If all else fails, I may just do a boring old stockinette sock. Stephanie's always look great. And she does have something when she writes about the simple humble sock. Maybe the Lorna's just wants to be humble socks , not fancy, show-offy, and all shee-shee-poo-poo. Maybe it's self-striping is enough for itself. Maybe I was pressuring it too much, trying to make it be something it just doesn't want to be.

That must be it, and not that I am a freakin' moron, right?

If I have the emotional strength I will share a picture of my humiliation the frogging and re-winding with y'all tomorrow.

Friday, October 13, 2006

Sacrilege?

So, one week until Rhinebeck. Amy and I still have to figure out who is driving. (By the way, if it isn't me, I can actually work on her socks. I'm just sayin' ! wink, wink)

Anyway, I was thinking of what to wear. After my fiasco last year, I have to dress more appropriately. Layers, layers is key. Layers and a waterproof coat in case of rain.

Do I own a waterproof coat?

Umm, no.

A long sleeve T-shirt is a must. And on top. Why a sweater of course.

Only problem?

The only sweater I have that I have actually made for myself, is my Knitting Olympics sweater, Chamonix.

So, what is the problem you ask yourself?

Good question.

It is made out of acrylic yarn.

I will be wearing a synthetic yarn sweater (not something I usually care about overly much as it is very practical and washable...important for teaching and mothering) at a Sheep and Wool festival.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Very Interesting...and also, Seriously??

So, for fun and to compensate for no knitting content. I present My Celebrity Look-Alikes.

This was actually pretty funny.
MyHeritage - create your own Celebrity Collage

I had to Google Meredith Monroe. I still have no idea who she is! And seriously? Rod Stewart?? He really only resembles a wallet at this point...all old and leathery. Please, say I don't really look like Rod freakin' Stewart! If you put your mouse on the pictures, there are comments from me about them. Funny stuff.

And what is up with my secret Asian heritage? My parents lying to me?? I thought I was Irish, people. My mother has got some 'splainin' to do!!

There is a link on there...go on. You know you want to.

Saturday, October 07, 2006

KAL = Kiss of Death?

So, I joined the Simple Knitted Bodice knit-along.

My first ever KAL.

And now?

Now, I have no desire to knit said simple knitted bodice.

What gives?

It's as if joining the KAL zapped all of my desire for the thing. I mean, I still love my yarn, I still love the pattern...but I cannot bring myself to knit on it very much.

Any idea what gives??

Friday, October 06, 2006

Navy Blue

I found out this week that one of my best girlfriends from work has breast cancer. She has had two surgeries in the past two weeks to try to get it all out (lumpectomy). Finally, it looks like they did.

Anyway...I've decided to put my other projects on hold for the next week or so while I try to make her a quick prayer shawl. I'm improvising, not using a pattern from the Prayer Shawl Ministry or anything. Just a feather and fan stole on big US15 Brittany needles out of navy blue wool/acrylic blend so that it can be washable. I plan on knitting the two halves separately and then grafting them together in the middle so that the ends will both have the pretty scallops in a more symmetrical way.

I'm hoping I can get it done this long weekend so I can give it ot her this week. She'll be back on Tuesday for about a week until her first round of chemotherapy. I'm going to buy some cashmere yarn too, to make her a chemo cap.

Navy blue. It's her favorite.