Knitting PodCasts

What a great idea, for someone to decide to creat podcasts about knitting. While I was looking around today for other exhanges, etc. that I might be interested in joining, so that I might avoid the Great Missed Deadline for Knitters Tea Swap of 2006 (or other swaps of interest) again, I came across a person's blog where they listed what podcasts they listen to. I am so excited!

I do realize that by admitting that I knew of podcasts but that I really had no idea what they were about, that they could be free, or that they might contain information about something I am really excited about, that I am making myself look quite silly. I'm okay with that.

So I subscribed to Knitting News Cast (which will tell me all sorts of cool new things happening in the knitting world) and to KnitCast, because they have interviewed some people that I am reallym interested in hearing what they have to say.

I can't wait to go and listen!

All good things come to an end

What a great long weekend I had...am having! Sorry, when it gets to be the night before work, I figure it's all downhill and it's not really the weekend anymore.

Regardless, we had a great weekend. Saturday, I knit and did some chores in the morning, and then Karen, Hillary and I went shopping and then came home and ordered Chinese (mmm sesame chicken...so good!) and watched Finding Nemo (so cute) and then If Only, which is a movie starring Jennifer Love Hewitt that I had never heard of before and it was really great. One of those movies that you ball your eyes out in, but it was very good. Sunday we spent some time over at the barn with Karen and the kids, helping her take video of her horse. Then John and I went out for lunch and then went to see The DaVinci Code at the Strand theatre in Brockport. I really enjoyed the movie, but I think I liked the book better. Things seemed to move faster in the book, but it was a great story. Then we came home and bbqed dinner and then watched some TV. Today we got up and got flowers for the flower beds and then I weeded for about three hours....I had done a preliminary weeding a while back, but clearly it had all come back. I haven't gone to plant the flowers yet, I'm waiting for the heat of the day to pass. So after I weeded I was drenched in sweat so John hosed with me off (man, did that ever feel good) and then I got cleaned up and we went out to Point Breeze to walk on the pier. It was so much cooler there, and there were a lot of people out and about, having picnics and boating and lying in the sun. Then we went to Brown's Berry Patch for ice cream...I love Brown's, they have such neat things there. And it is only 2 minutes from my house!!! Then we went grocery shopping, which will save me from doing it on weeknights like I normally do.

And that brings us up to now. I'm catching up on my computer stuff while the laundry is going, and I'm trying to figure out how to make a great macaroni salad.

I hope you all had a great weekend too!

A long weekend....AHHHHHHHHH!

Memorial Day weekend....ripe with possibilities and promise. And what a great start I had to it. I got home from work last night and John had dinner all ready. He had bought a pre-cooked chicken and made noodles and broccoli. He even set the TV trays with cups, utensils, and napkins (John really likes to watch the news, so often we will eat dinner in the living room on our TV trays...but sometimes I put my foot down and we eat at the table, like this morning for breakfast.) It was really nice...and pretty good too.

Long weekends are also a great time to accomplish tasks, or to at least make significant progress on projects.

So what are my projects?

1. Try to do something with my weed garden at the front of the house (I was going to post a pic, but that's just embarassing....it really does look bad). I just don't have a green thumb.

2. Knit

-continue working on lace shawl (I am still working on the border before the pattern part
begins)
-begin Honeymoon Cami (nope, still haven't started that)
-try to convince SIL and niece that I need to spend a lot of time looking at yarn books when we go shopping today.

Must go get started.

Oh, Secret Yarn Faerie

Oh Secret Yarn Faerie...I would love to have some Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in River. That would make gorgeous Cable Footies from One Skein.

Just a thought, in case you need any ideas.... :).

Knitters Tea Swap...I missed it! GAH!

I was reading on my friend Lynne's blog about the Knitters Tea Swap and this is one swap that I wish I could have been part of. I desperately hope there is a part two.

You see, I am a tea junkie. And you already know that I yearn for yarn, so really, a Knitters Tea Swap is the ideal swap for me. Here is a pic of my messy tea shelf....it is almost full! I was part of a Tea of the Month for a whole year (last year), which was great...I got a package of loose tea in the mail every month. But that shop is in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada so I neglected to sign up for another year. But I would definitely do it again.

The rest of my kitchen has a tea theme too. I didn't take pics of everything, but here is my cookie jar that I got as a wedding shower present, and a little tea light my girlfriend Ashley got me.

All along the top of my cupboards I have a teapot collection...most of them are $5.00 yard sale or Sally Ann finds, but the one of the left was lovingly made by my friend Anna. She is a very talented potter. Isn't it gorgeous?

I also have a 2006 teapot calendar in my kitchen, as well as two pictures of teapots that my SIL gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago. It's funny how this theme really fell into place, and then I cultivated it by getting more pieces to go.

So please, who ever is coordinating the Knitters Tea Swap, please do another! I am meant to be a part of it!

Lilac Festival....and TEDDY GEIGER!

Last Sunday, we headed off to the Lilac Festival. It was a cold, dreary, rainy day...had it been just any regular day I probably would have bailed on going anywhere. It was the kind of day where you just want to sit and knit with a warm mug of tea. But I toughed it out and we saw....TEDDY GEIGER! His CD is incredible, and I definitely wanted to support our hometown boy as he performed in front of his home crowd. He is a pic of him singing...note how close we are to him. That's what you get to enjoy when you stand and wait for hours upon hours in the sometimes rainy, windy weather.

This is a shot of the crowd. Can you believe how many people are there? It was wall to wall people...I could hardly even raise my hands above my head.

Here are my fellow concert goers: my SIL (sister in law) Karen, my niece Hillary, and her friend Rebecca. It was a great day.

Mind whirling with projects

Catching up on my TV has both helped and hindered my knitting. I have made pretty good progress on my other dishcloth for my friend, which I'm just doing in plain ole knit stitch, most because it is easy to knit in front of the TV.

I have yet, however, to start my Honeymoon cami or my lace shawl...yes, that's right! I'm going to TRY to make a lace shawl! Turns out that the yarn I bought for Lucky will not work to the gauge, because I cannot knit a sweater on size 0 and 1 needles. So I have a lot of very thin, purple yarn...which just happens to match the dress I'm wearing to my three weddings this summer (thankfully, the only people I know eat each wedding are the bride and groom) and I don't have a little something for my shoulders for during the ceremony. The latest Interweave Knits has a little article about lace that seems pretty straightforward, so I think I may try my hand at whipping something up. My first wedding is June 17 though, so I have my work cut out for me (I am a not so fast knitter).

I just looked up how to do my stitches so I am ready to go...I'm off to knit!

I believe in knitting karma

Picovoli has been laid to rest. I have thought about it long and hard, and I think that the reason why I had to start it again...and again...and again, is because it was not meant to be. I just didn't realize that at first. I am not supposed to conquer that pattern. Why? Well, maybe because it just so happens that the yarn (KnitPicks Shine) also looks like it could be used for Honeymoon Cami, which I have been drooling over for months. There are some things I would need to overcome there too, but it's doable...definitely! I was clearly meant to make Honeymoon Cami instead of Picovoli. So tomorrow at Knit Knite I will pick up the needles I need for that project...I have been thinking about some Lantern Moon needles, those would be so delicious to knit with.

I have decided that I am going to try to stop working as much as I have been lately. It is really taking a toll on me, my moods and how I feel, and on my house and my husband. My house looks like a train wreck, and I have hardly seen John in the last two weeks. I need to be home to mellow out and relax...and knit! And watch all of my shows that I haven't watched in forever. It is killing me that I have three hours of Grey's Anatomy to watch! GAH! So I decided today that I am done with that and that I am going to start better prioritizing things in my life...less working, more exercising, more knitting, more vegging out with a cup of tea, more time with girlfriends, more time on meaningful things that I find fulfilling.

Speaking of fulfilling, I really want to try knitting a lace shawl. In fact, I have been obsessing about it. And then, what do I come across? Articles about lace knitting in the KnitPicks mailing I got, and a pattern for a gorgeous lace shawl in the latest Interweave Knits. It is clearly meant to be. I have three weddings this summer and I think that would be perfect with a little summer dress. I don't have much experience with it, but I'm hoping that the ladies tomorrow night can help steer me in the right direction. I'm pretty down with yarnovers from my poncho, so it should be pretty good.

Finished Objects!

Well hello! Yes, it has been a while since I've written. Yes, I did drop off the face of the earth. Yes, I will TRY to get better at posting more frequently! GAH!

So this weekend I went back to Canada for Mother's Day. It was great, had a nice weekend. And for the first time in a while, I got some hardcore knitting done. FINALLY! So here are some finished objects (well, I say finished in that I finished knitting them, the actual finishing part is yet to come but really, that's neither here nor there):

Okay this doesn't look like much, but it is a second attempt at a cell phone cozy. The first one I made when I followed the pattern was too big and the BO/CO for the antenna was messed up. This I managed to knit on the drive home from Canada, in 2 hours. This is my quickest EVER! It works well to knit when John is driving because I criticize his driving way less...it's a win/win. It was also the first time I tried to change a pattern ALL BY MYSELF! I know you knitting pro's are laughing at me right now, but there is a first for everything!

This is a dishcloth for my girlfriend who just moved into her first house with her boyfriend! I don't know why, but it took me a while to get this done, probably because I didn't have a deadline (their open house isn't until June sometime). I plan to make another one for her in yellow, but I think I'll look for another pattern.

I'm hoping to post (and knit) more after this week. Work is crazy insano and I have been working lots of OT, hence the lack of posting. I will be at Knit Knite, however, for anyone who is reading! :)

Oh, and a special shout out to my Yarn Faerie from the One Skein Secret Pal Exchange. I know you will be reading, so you will be my motivation to post and knit!

Secluded

This weekend, my husband is over at my in-laws helping my father in law do some work in the garage. I opted to stay here at get some work done. The house has been pretty quiet during hte day. But I like being alone sometimes with my thoughts, so it was nice. The house is much cleaner than it was before...and thank goodness because it was starting to look a little desperate around here. So in between the chores and the laundry, I got way caught up on my TV. I watched two episodes of Girlmore Girls, the other half of the season finale of Ghost Whisperer, last week's Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy, and then 3 episodes of Lost. And it was even better because I could fast forward through the commercials. Whilst watching said TV, I managed to finish my sister in law's felted marsupial bag. Sorry, no picture, it's felting as we speak, but it's pink with dark brown handles...very pretty.

I have seen some very cute felted bag patterns lately...I think I need to make an all purpose bag to carry around this summer...like a big tote bag with some funky colors. I will have to try to search out a pattern.

Here is one pic of my other latest work. My cell phone cozy, from the first S n B book.

The yarn is super soft and so cozy. But I have a couple of issues with the pattern and finished product. The pattern calls for increases and decreases for the phone's antenna that result in the little front flap to not be as wide as the rest of the piece, so it looks lopsided. And I didn't really adjust the pattern for the width of the phone, so it's a little big. Plus, the yarn is really pilly and the cat deciding that the cozy is his new play toy hasn't helped the pilliness either. I have had to chase him away from my phone two times in the last two days. So I will make another...well, I was going to make one for my friend Sarrah anyways, but I am going to reknit mine too and try some modifications.

I have a terrible urge to buy yarn, but I know that I must focus on what I have and use some of that up before I buy more. But that doesn't mean that I can't buy books, does it?

My Music

This is the music that defines me and who I am today.

http://www.hotfreelayouts.com/music.php

Not much knitting to report

Not much knitting = not much blogging, apparently. I have a million projects running around in my head, some on needles, some not, some with deadlines, some without. Too much thinking, and not enough doing. That seems to be a common theme lately, I can't seem to make up my mind about anything.

I did make a cell phone cozy for my emergency cell phone. It is super cute and super soft! A little big though, think I might make another one and change the pattern just a bit.

I was so hoping to go to Knit Knite tomorrow night, but then I got a call from my brother in law. He asked if I could watch my niece and nephew tomorrow night so of course I agreed. I love those kids. So cute! So no Knite Knite for me, for the second time in a row. But if I get into school in the fall, I won't be able to go anyways so I guess I might as well get used to it! BOOOOO! I really needed some knitting needles too. Maybe I'll have to make a trip out this Saturday.

I am exhausted, so off to bed with me.