My secret dream

To be a dancer. Is there anything more beautiful than the synchronized movement of bodies to music?

Snozzberries

The first 10 minutes of SuperTroopers is some damn good entertainment. Maybe juvenile, but fucking hilarious.

I had dinner last night at Sekisui with two of my best friends ever. It has been almost a year (maybe more?) since we've all been together. Growing up puts a real damper on your social life! I also got to meet Alisha's friend Krista from Dallas and her mom, Sally. Krista was highly entertaining, and aside from the complete overkill conversation on needles and eyes and how they interact, I enjoyed the evening immensely. Ah, but she tries.

Spent the majority of the week in training to master a new (really cool, powerful, versatile) piece of software that I'm going to be responsible for implementing for three different properties. Yes, I am a HUGE nerd in relation to computer-related arenas. I can't help it, I actually DO love my job!

Now for some WIP pictures for my Wheat Ear Cable Yoke sweater Knitalong ... I have the front and back pieces completed (with pictures) as well as one and a half sleeves. With any luck I'll finish the sleeves tonight, maybe getting to piecing it together tomorrow.

I hope that I actually finish this...it would be my first grown up item that wasn't a scarf!

Next, I finished a SOCK! Yay! Big news for me since DPN's are not a favorite, and I tend to get frustrated and just rip everything back. But I got some cheap-o Red Heart self striping yarn and went for it!

Now, I just have to make the matching sock...

Next is Alisha's future husband's DNA Helix scarf (found on www.twosheep.com) .

The first picture is after I had to rip it back due to a tragic chart misreading incident. I had only gotten one and half repeats of the pattern done (correctly) so it was still tiny.

These are current pictures...I have 5 repeats of the pattern done so I am halfway there. I tried (desperately) to get the horizontal line thingies in the helix to show up but it's hard as hell to do that. So I hope you can see them.

The last WIP is this random multi colored scarf with cable in the pattern, which is also painfully difficult to get a photo of.

Another cool thing on the horizon is that I might get to meet Alisha's buddy Jackie from St. Louis! Yay for road trips!

And that's my thrilling update...

Christmas Yarn Swap Questionnaire!

1 Are you religious? No. My morals resemble a fair amount of religous teachings, but I do not belong to any specific faith.
2 How long have you been knitting? Would you consider yourself a Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced? I've only been knitting for a little over a year, and I would peg myself as Intermediate. I can't quite get Intarsia!
3 Do you have any other hobbies besides knitting? I crochet, I love to read, I tried sewing but flunked out.
4 Favorite color(s)? Deep, rich colors like dark blues or reds are good.
5 Do you collect anything? Books, yarn, and clutter!
6 Are you allergic to any fibers or animals? Not that I'm aware of
7 Do you have any pets? Oh goodness, yes. 3 dogs, 2 cats, 1 lizard, 3 fire bellied toads, 1 frog, 2 hampsters, and well over 100 fish (in multiple aquariums). My boyfriend is an animal nut and I kind of got sucked in. My yarns are kept separate from all of the animals, though.
8 Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate? I cannot even stand the smell of coffee (aversion developed during a pregnancy). I like sweet rich hot teas like the Wild Sweet Orange at Starbucks. I like chocolate but not a huge fan of the hot chocolate.
9 Cookies or Sweets? Both! But NO Nuts! I'm not allergic but I just don't like the taste of nuts.
10 Do you knit socks? I am knitting my first pair now...and they're turning out a bit...big. Really they look more like boots. :(
11 If not socks then what? (tell us about your favorite knits): I like to knit baby clothing mainly because it's a relatively small effort and you finish more quickly. I like scarves, mittens, sweaters, blankets, etc.
12 Do you put up a Christmas tree? If not then what do you do? Yes, I have a four year old son so we celebrate Christmas and Santa.
13 Favorite holiday treats? Fudge, brownies, pumpkin pie, Cherry cordial hershey's kisses (they only sell them around Christmas in my area)
14 Favorite holiday smells? A brown sugar ham being baked! gingerbread, vanilla, pine.
15 Do you celebrate Christmas in a traditional or unconventional way? Please elaborate. I would say traditional...we buy gifts and Santa comes and adds more on Christmas Eve, we put up stockings, and on Christmas morning my son rips through yards and yards of wrapping paper. :)
16 What are your favorite holiday traditions? Time off work! Just being around family and friends, really.
17 Finish the sentence: "For me Christmas is all about...."being thankful for what I have and sharing as much of my good fortune as possible with others.
18 If you were a Christmas ornament you would be…….?Probably one of those homemade contraptions that your kids make in elementary school, with the popsicle sticks and glue showing around the edges. Imperfect, but lots of value. :)
19 What was your favorite gift you've ever received? Or given? Gosh, I don't know.
20 When do you start your Christmas? Christmas Eve. Although the cooking starts a couple of days before.
21 Do you send Christmas cards? Do you make them or buy them? Yes, I send them, and I generally buy them from a printer online so I can get them personalized.
22 What is your favorite Christmas dish? My dad's homemade twice baked potatoes or his Christmas ham.
23Carolers are at your door. What do you do? I would bring my son out to see them and listen. We don't get carolers much in the south!
24 When do you open presents? Christmas eve or Christmas morning? One on Christmas Eve, the rest on Christmas morning.
25 Do you celebrate with family or friends or both? Both. Some of my friends are practically family!

Hello! and some past projects

This is my first post on blogger, and I thought I'd start by showing some of my past (and in progress) knitting items.

I've been crocheting for years but just picked up knitting from a friend about a year ago. I've kind of gone crazy since...my yarn stash is pretty shameful for someone relatively 'new' to the craft. Maybe I'll take a few photos of it sometime...

First, this adorable baby shrug I found in Debbie Bliss' Baby Knits

It looks kind of fuzzy in the picture, but it's adorable.

Then I tried some cabling on a hat and made some matching mittens:

And finally, this Odessa hat that I found on MagKnits, I think. It was a real pain in the ass to bead everything prior to starting, and even the smallest mistake shows up on the finished product, but I love the hat! Except, I (of course) measured incorrectly and instead of it being posh winter wear item for myself, it fits my 4 year old. And he's a boy. Damn the luck.

And 0ne of my current projects...my first set of socks. Right now, a singular sock. That looks more like a boot. For someone with an enormous ankle.

Don't laugh too much. And ignore the stacks of magazines in the background. I'm a hoarder.

I also am participating in my first Knit A long...which I will post on later.