I’m Beautiful Like Me.

This is the awesome yarn TheSockKnitter sent to me for my first pair of socks. I love the colors! Thank you sooooo much, girl. You are too sweet!The MeiMeis I ordered.
Fifteen 60″ circular knitting needles US size 0-15.
I’m going to make so much stuff with these!

The yarn I bought for P.
She wants a Circles to Square blanket like I made for mom’s birthday.
I may take it back for sock yarn, though!

Some shots from Sunergo’s last night. Joy took most of the pictures.

She models Ila’s hat. Looks great!Sonnie’s daughter and Joy were fast friends.
I can’t believe I’m knitting socks!
Thanks again, Sonnie, for showing me the ropes (yarn?!) in magik looping.
I am really enjoying it and really rather be doing that now

I went to Sunergos again tonight for knitting with the locals. I didn’t bring my camera tonight as I mistakenly thought I was running late (turns out I was early!), but you can check Sonya’s blog in a day or two to see pictures from the get-together. She took one of me spinning for the very first time. Thanks, Sonya!

Babybear loaned me her drop spindle and showed me how to use it. She also gave me some light coopworth roving to practice with. It’s so cool how you start with this fluffy stuff and finish with yarn! Thanks, Rebekah! I’m really having fun learning this craft.

Again, she brought her spinning wheel and I watched intently. It’s fascinating! She even let me try it, but her wheel is… quirky and kept spinning in the wrong direction for me. I gave up rather quickly. Too hard to focus on the foot getting the wheel turning properly and the hands pulling the roving.

A close-up:

Obviously, I’m not very good yet - slubs everywhere (see, I can remember technical terms!). But I am absolutely infatuated with the whole process and hope to get my very own spinning wheel in the very near future. The one I’m really impressed with is the Mach 1. The LYS (local yarn store) Grinny Possum’s carries it for a very affordable $495.00, which includes a spinning class (valued at $50) and 49 “Grinny Bucks.”

This year on August 31, I will be celebrating my Golden Birthday. I’m turning 31.

Every year, people ask me about what I want and every year, I feel totally unprepared and clueless about what I want. Well not this year! My yarn lust has prompted me to add favorites on Etsy.com and update my Amazon.com wish list. I’ve also got my eyes on a really great needle set over at Knitpicks.com.

Visit the site to find out how you can enter to win 100% alpaca wool, made right here in America.

The past few days have been slow and lazy around here.

Husband has been focusing a lot on school work. He’s overwhelmed by Statistics. We went ahead an ordered him a book because reading from the screen just isn’t the same and it would have been more costly to print the entire thing out.

I have been plurking a lot. Damn thing is addictive! I insist that - if you haven’t yet joined - you do so at once! And be my friend! I’ve broadened my network of knitting acquaintances and am hopeful to learn something from them. If nothing else, I know that they will appreciate my learning process.

Yesterday, Buddha and I went to the library. I picked up a number of knitting books, including Debbie Stoller’s, which I have already read in it’s entirety. She is just so well-written and easy to read. The boy picked himself out some books, too, including one about baby signs. I’m pleased that I already know most of those signs!

After Buddha went to bed, (which, by the way, has been going much better with Husband home at night) I practiced some different stitches and learned how to increase a couple of different ways. I wanted to keep going, but the boy refused to be cooperative last night and stay asleep, so I called it a night around 1:30am.

I picked up a skein of wool-blend sock yarn a few days before Husband lost his job and I’m very eager to get to that place where I can use it to make a pair of socks. However, I admit I’m a bit intimidated. I’ll keep working my way up to it, though.

And the crochet breakfast project has just went into hibernation. Turns out the yarn I had for toast and bacon is all wrong. I did finish the fried egg, though. It’s really cute and I can’t wait until I can finish the rest of breakfast.

In the meantime, I think I will continue to work on some new amigurumi projects. I’ve got some things in mind, but until I can grow my yarn stash some more, I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to actually do. Yarn is so addictive. A very expensive hobby. Sigh. Just browsing online sites gives me yarn lust! I’ve also got to finish the Circle to Squares project for my mom. I’ve got about half of it sewn together. Once the whole thing is sewn, I’ve got to get a border on there. The local knitters were disappointed I didn’t bring it last week, so I’d like to bring it this week to show off!

Husband had a busy day. He had a PT appointment, followed by a doctor’s appointment. Afterwards, he had a pile of paperwork he needed to take by his job. While he was away, I mostly lazed, napped a bit with Buddha. Our stimulus check arrived late in the afternoon. Husband didn’t return home until a bit after 5pm.

He brought home with him thee.most.excellent news! He got day shift! YAY!!! When he told me, I squealed, jumped up and attacked him with a hug. He starts right away. He has different days off now, too - Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I’m thrilled about this. We can have dinner together as a family now. He’ll be home to help with the boy’s tough evenings and to help with the girl’s homework. We’ll sleep together at night! Weee! Great news, indeed.

So, we went to Wal*Mart to cash the stimulus check and immediately went out to buy a tool box for the truck. Trying to squeeze 4-5 people into the cab of his truck is tough enough without needing to deal with all of his tools and work gear. We’ve really needed some sort of solution for our travels and for the time being, this is a good one. T made sure it was big enough for us.

Then we went into the Highlands yet again. We stopped at Twisted, a tattoo/body piercing parlor recommended to me by a student at the Hair Design School that Joy and I went to a few months ago (see post). I am interested in pricing some tribal body jewelry. Unfortunately, they are closed on Sundays and Mondays. Phooey!

Then we headed to KT’s. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s my most favorite restaurant of all time, so I was pretty tickled. It was nice outside, so we sat on the patio. I’ve had better service, but the food was outstanding (as usual). I forgot to snap photos before we ate (in my defense, we were all pretty hungry and it is so good!), but I got a couple of good ones anyway. I had the chicken pesto tortellini, while Husband and T both got the Hot Brown. The pictured portions are about half-size.Waiting patiently for our food…
T was less patient. Damn energy drinks.
Her impression of Mr. Napkin Head.After dinner drink?YES!

We lounged for a good while at the restaurant. Buddha was exceptionally well-behaved. He ate crayons, scribbled, nibbled on fries and bites of our food. After my daiquiri, we left. We took the scenic route home (read: surface streets as opposed to the highway).

I decided to stop by the Hobby Lobby for yarn. It was 8:30pm by then and it closed at 8pm. Curses! So then, Wal*Mart again. Different location, though. I was reluctant, as it is a much smaller store than the one I typically frequent. I expected the selection to be more limited. But I was pleasantly surprised. Not only was their selection pretty dern good, it was better than the selection at the nearby Wal*Mart. I bought a boat-load of yarn and some additional knitting needles. And a big, clear plastic bin for storing my growing collection of yarn. Husband bought a new office chair. We’re tired of arguing over the single one we have! On the way home, we spotted a gas station that had gas cheaper than we’ve seen in a while ($4.08 - how frickin’ sad is that?!), so we stopped in for a fill-up.

Once home, Husband assembled the new chair, Buddha played happily with the new box and I photo-documented my additional stash. Buddha got a bath, then he and I snoozed a while. Husband came to bed and I got up to knit. I completed my first swatch and want to get started on a project of some kind. I browsed Ravelry for some patterns, but everything requires much smaller needles than I have. Impatient as I am, I’m going to improvise a black and red stripey scarf. I knitted (and purled!) 4-5 rows while watching Forensic Files before turning in. When I went in to bed, Husband was still awake. He and I ended up staying up way too late, talking. Much needs to be done today again, particularly for him. I was unable to sleep with all these things swirling around in my head. He set the alarm for 8am and set the coffee pot. Time to condition ourselves for a new schedule.

Now, he’s away at another PT appointment, stopped by the Post Office and the bank. Afterwards, he went by his school to talk about his major and then to Lowe’s to see about J hooks or U bolts or somesuch for the new toolbox. I drank way too much coffee this morning to compensate for lack of sleep and ended up with the shakes because I didn’t eat. So, I ate my leftover chicken tortellini just now. I’m so tired, but I’ve got things to do as well. I need to make a call to pay off a rather large debt of mine, do some laundry (*groan*) and some serious cleaning. Obviously, I’m ignoring all of those demands by blogging, uploading photos and creating slideshows.

Later tonight, I am going to meet up with some people from Ravelry to do some knitting together. I’m excited. I haven’t met new people in real life in quite some time! Plus, they all enjoy the same crafts I do and have gobs more experience, so I look forward to learning lots.

I’d be finished by now because the boy has been playing quietly, letting me do my thing. I turn around to see what he’s up to, and well, it was just so darling, I had to get out the camera:

While I am here, I meant to share this cute one from the other day. Daddy got Buddha to fall asleep in his arms. These types of things are really, really rare for our little guy.

My supplies and yarn stash!

Today was a really nice day. After waking up rather late (1pm-ish) and having breakfast with Husband and Buddha, we packed up, told a sleeping T we were leaving and went out for a bit.

We went by the aforementioned house again, this time stopped and peeked into windows. The neighborhood is still not great, and while the house has major potential, it would require way more work than I am willing to put into it right now. Husband is more in love with it now than he was before. Frankly, I just want a house I can move into, not one that needs that much work before it becomes livable! Turns out the house next to it is also for sale. It’s a bit smaller (still 2200 feet!) for the same price, but it’s clean, painted, has new carpet and is ready to move in. Meh. I’m interested in looking around more. A lot more.

We then drove into the Highlands and hit the Knit Nook. It was textile heaven. I want to break in, throw all the yarn on the floor and roll around in it! I purchased a small bit of yarn, my first skein of wool, a bamboo crochet hook (size F) and my first pair of knitting needles. The skein of wool is for the needles. Tonya (the girl at Knit Nook) suggested a large pair (I got the 10.5) and the wool because it is chunky and only 1 ply. I could spend a large fortune there, but I restrained myself.

Then we went to Heine Bros. for a mocha latte and chilled out front for a long bit. I was sorry for not bringing my camera. I bought Buddha a Kizito chocolate chip cookie, which he promptly fed to the sparrows. I reminisced while Husband browsed cameras for T on ebay (he brought his laptop).

On our way home, we stopped at the grocery to get stuffs to make wraps for dinner. When we got home, we found everything very, very clean. Thanks, T! She helped construct wraps and the four of us ate. I called Joy and chatted with her for a bit. They were headed out to Busch Gardens, so we kept our call short.

Later, I went and hid in the bedroom with a book from the library, my skein of wool and the new knitting needles. In the span of 45 minutes, I managed to cast on about 4 times and to do the knit stitch! I am *so* proud of myself!

Casting on

Knitting! I am knitting!!!