skittermagoo!

Note to self:

Attempting to teach oneself Fair Isle knitting late in the evening (especially if the evening in question follows a busy day at work after a night which yielded only 2 hours of actual sleep) is a very bad idea indeed.

I hate insomnia. And now I hate Fair Isle, too (though hopefully that one can be remedied).

Cotton Kills!

Kills my hands, that is! I think I've gotten spoiled knitting socks out of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock or something . . . and now I'm all wussy. My hands hurt!!

And what is the object of my pain? This:

It looks innocent enough, but it's not!

I decided it was high time I made the cotton dishcloth that every beginning knitter except for me seems to make . . . mostly it's because I'm a tiny bit germ-phobic, and sponges are icky. So my thought was to make a bunch of dishcloths out of this pile of Sugar & Cream cotton I bought ages ago.

Instead of a bunch of dishcloths, I ended up with one dishcloth and a pair of cramped clawlike hands. Which isn't good when your sanity depends on being able to knit!

Okay, maybe I'm being a bit melodramatic . . . I'm still able to knit. But I wouldn't be surprised if this stupid dishcloth thing makes millions of would-be knitters run away screaming in pain and instead they become scrapbookers or something. Not that that's a bad thing or anything, but I bet it's easier on the hands than knitting cotton dishcloths.

I'm just saying.

Who ever said . . .

that scientists aren't any fun?

(Well, nobody said it, that I know of. If they did, tell me so I can go to their house and pinch them! Scientists, in my experience, are very fun)

Yesterday at work, the director of the research center I work in planned a party for "Spring Holiday" (we can't call it Easter because it's a state university) . . . she had tables brought in and we had pizza and cupcakes and then colored eggs!

Here's what it looked like:

And a closeup of the action . . .

labcoats and gloves come in handy when using paas egg dyes!

Wanna see a closeup of the eggs I dyed? Click here!

We also had an egg hunt, in which plastic eggs were hidden all over the labs and a few of us enthusiastically ran around and found them . . . two of the bunch had prizes inside, and I found both of them!! Yay, me!

And double yay, I have tomorrow off for "Spring Holiday", and I'm going to get together with some of my knit girls (you know who you are) and go eat lunch at VietNam (the restaurant not the country) and hopefully get some fun knitting time in afterwards. Three cheers for random state holidays!

One fish, two fish . . .

Ever at a loss as to what to do with small bits of leftover sock yarn? I always seem to have just a little bit left, so yesterday I made this:

(okay, I admit it, this isn't made from leftover yarn . . . some of you may remember an ill-fated attempt at a short-row heel sock that ended up getting frogged over and over . . . this is from that yarn)

Isn't it cuuuuute? I got the pattern from the Knitting Pattern a Day calendar (July 14) . . . and while I'm at it, is anyone else more than a tiny bit disappointed in this calendar? I thought a lot of the patterns were just plain fugly. ANYway, instead of making an ornament out of mine (and instead of making it from Koigu), I stuffed mine with polyfil and catnip! Cat toy!!!

Incidentally, I had to shut the cats out of the room while I stuffed it, and Abby sat outside and cried. Seriously. So that was the first hint that it would be a hit.

And here's the proof.

Yep, she likes it!

By the time Aubyn and Lara showed up to eat pizza and watch a movie, it had been tossed around and kicked and already looked a bit worse for wear. But seeing as it took me about half an hour or so to whip up, my feelings weren't hurt!

And what else did I do yesterday? Why, funny you should ask . . . I finished my first Iris sock (which is also my first Lorna's Laces sock ever! Yum!)

I really love the way the striping and pooling was so random!

Sock #2 hasn't been started yet, because I'm spending a bit of quality time with the flame sweater and Clapopotomis. But I'm sure that Iris Deux will be on the needles soon!

Oh, and I almost forgot that I also taught someone to knit yesterday! Fun!!

FAHBULOUS Friday!!!

It all started normally enough . . . went to work, did an experiment, etc, etc. I had decided earlier in the week to take a half day off today, so I figured it would be nice to go home early and knit . . . little did I know that it would be such a great day!

This morning I got hold of NanC, and we decided to meet up for lunch and stuff. Lara, unfortunately, was otherwise occupied and we couldn't join up with her. :( First we went to VietNam (the restaurant, not the country), and ate a ton of yummy food. Then we went briefly to the White Rock Weaving Center, where my desire to buy a spinning wheel was compounded by the minute. After that we came back to my apartment and did a bunch of sock knitting. Which brought up the subject of Sockapalooza, and I speculated that I would be getting my socks soon.

SO (yeah, I'm getting there), when NanC left, she took a stroll to the mailbox with me, and what did I find, but TWO packages with my name on them!!! Wheee!

When I pulled the first one out, this is the first thing I saw:

It's a package of Socks! From ENGLAND!!!! OOOOOH!

Of course I had to open the mailer right there in the parking lot! And we stood and oohed and aahed for, oh, 20 minutes or so (not really, it was more like 3).

Wanna see? Of course you do!!

The most beautiful socks in the universe!!

Wow . . . Mary totally knocked my socks off (pun very much intended) by making me Retro Rib socks out of Koigu! They are the softest, loveliest, most gorgeously wonderful socks I've ever owned. And she sent the cutest bon bon postcard with them . . .

If you want to see a closeup, here is one. And here's another! Aren't they stunning? Yes!

Of course I couldn't wait to try them on, and when I did, ohhhhh, they are the softest things I've ever put on my feet. And they fit perfectly!

Thank you so much, Sockapal Mary! I hope the pal I sent socks to likes hers as much as I adore mine (may not be possible).

And what, pray tell, was the other package?

It was this:

A package from Stacey! I'd totally forgotten that she was going to send me a giftie. (I love it when that happens). And the sheep cartoon on the mailer? Adorable!

And inside? First, I have to show you the card envelope -- y'all, this girl is talented and clever (but we already knew that, right?)!

That's the front, and click here to see the back! EEP!

Here's what was inside . . .

Noro and Botan candy (yum!) and a journal, oh my!

And inside the journal, a special touch that made me just grin and grin:

Stacey, you're sweeter than Botan candy! Thank you!!!

Last but definitely not least

My gal Aubyn finished everything but the trim on her first sweater last night!! We made her go try it on in the bathroom at the bookstore, and I think she actually sprinted back to show us:

look how proud!

It fits perfectly!!! I'm so pleased for her -- what a milestone, eh? Too bad she doesn't have a blog, or I'd send ya over there to give her some props.

Wow, all those photos just about wore me out! I think I'll go eat some Botan candy wearing my new socks and write a bit in my journal. And all will be right with the world.

I'm waywayway behind

on reading my bloglines feeds. Bloglines is currently beeping at me that I have 99 unread feeds, which is just way too many for this time of night. I'm supposed to be in bed reading and getting sleepy right now, after all! (Getting to sleep is a whole big process for this habitual insomniac)

Why is this, you ask? (yeah, I know you really didn't, but let's pretend)

Well, because I worked like a maniac today at The Job, and after I came home I made some birthday stitchmarkers for my pal Lilyan a/k/a Botgirl, and then I had to go eat chinese food with my girls*, and then we had to go and do some knitting and laughing and eating of cupcakes, and then I just got home and discovered that I had over a hundred freshly (or not so freshly, but freshly to me) updated blogs to read.

And if I read them now, I won't be able to really read them, so I will have to wait for tomorrow. I'll have lots more free time then.

Goodnight!

*Who all liked the womb, by the way!

Family day!

I didn't plan on taking a half day off work today, but it ended up that way, and happily! See, my sister-in-law and niece are in town this week from Memphis, and today was the day they scheduled to come visit us. I found this out only last night, after I'd planned to take Friday off. But then this morning's events in the lab combined with some all-out-working-like-a-maniac gave me enough time to come home in time to go to lunch and hang out with the family-in-law.

Of course I couldn't keep my hands off the camera . . . here's what Niece Katie and the Hub did while sis-in-law, mom-in-law and I chatted:

Why, yes, that IS Super-Bust-A-Move!

It was a fun afternoon, but I really am afraid what kind of "fun" I will face in the lab first thing tomorrow!

A womb with a view

I warned y'all that I'd be making one of these for my newly-hysterectomized friend Rebekah . . . didja think I was kidding?

Admit it, you think it's kinda cute!

It's a womb! On my laptop! EEK!

Frankly, I'm amazed I haven't seen any of these around blogland (maybe I'm looking in the wrong places?). . . though I admit I was kinda skeered the first time I saw it. But now that I've made one for Reb, I want one for myself!! And it really took no time at all -- I started it yesterday and finished it this evening -- we're talking a couple hours, tops. The hardest part was getting the pipe cleaners into the I-cord fallopian tubes.

I can't wait to give this to Rebekah . . . I hope she gets a kick out of it! I may have to make one for myself, too, and maybe one for my OB-GYN (though I don't know if I know her well enough for that -- she might be frightened by a random once-a-year patient presenting her with a wool uterus. I would be a little frightened, anyway).

In other knitting news, another stitch was dropped on Clapotis, and I got 4 rounds done on a sock yesterday while waiting at the dentist's office. That's all, folks!

Interview thingie, the sequel

Wow, it's harder to come up with interview questions than I thought it would be! Well, anyway, here goes:

Chrissie
1. What’s your favorite thing about Lexington, KY?
2. Favorite yarn? Why?
3. You learned to knit from a book (I learned from the same one!). What other books do you love/use on a regular basis?
4. Dylan or Brandon?
5. What knitting technique do you most want to learn?

Deb
1. What is your favorite knitting technique, and why?
2. I see that you’re reading “Surely you’re joking, Mr. Feynman” . . . what are your thoughts about the book (so far)? Have you read any other Feynman books?
3. Wow, you have a LOT of books! How do you store them all?
4. What is the first thing you ever knit?
5. Do you have a favorite knits designer?

Natalie
1. What was the best thing about hosting the DNA-along last year?
2. If cheesecake is pie, what is your favorite cake?
3. What is your best-loved online source for yarn/supplies?
4. Please give us another “fun fact” (I love this idea on your blog!)
5. What is your favorite Loony Tunes cartoon character?

Look what I did!

Can you tell what this is?

Yes, my dearies, it's the first dropped stitch on my Clapotis! It's not the best photo for seeing the corner, but I only managed to get the one shot before my camera batteries died. By the way, I LOVE the close-up mode on this new camera!!! Dropping that stitch was, well, a little strange. It felt wrong and scary, but at the same time fun in an outlaw-knitter "you're not supposed to do that" way. I can't wait to get to the next one.

It was a crazy day at work today; I spent the first half of the day in a marathon meeting across town, and didn't even get a chance to check email more than twice all day. All that time away from my computer means I am way behind on blog reading (shhh!) . . . hopefully I will be able to catch up tomorrow! Things just don't feel right if I don't get all my blogs read -- it makes me feel all out-of-touch and stuff.

I'm compiling questions for the Interview Thingie (see the previous post), so if you volunteered to be interviewed by me, I should have the questions done tomorrow! (Because right now I have to go knit more on Clappy so I can drop another stitch. You understand, right?)

I'm also getting ready to mail out my Sockapalooza Socks tomorrow!!! I can't wait to send them off . . . I hope my pally-o likes them as much as I do. And I didn't realize how difficult it would be to find a postcard from Dallas until I actually tried to find one. Hopefully tomorrow before I go to the post office . . . if not I will have to figure out how to make one myself.

Oop, and I also have a couple of neat photos from my weekend, but I didn't get them ready to post. So maybe that will be in tomorrow, too -- a delayed weekend update.

Off to cram in just a little more knitting before it's pajama time!

Interview thingie

This Blog-a-Thon thing that Natalie came up with is cool . . . I wonder how far we can keep it going!

Here's how it works:

1. Leave me a comment saying “interview me.”

2. I will respond by asking you five questions here. They will be different questions than the ones below.

3. You will update YOUR blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

So here goes! Ask me to be interviewed, and you can be next!

1. Since you didn’t use the EL Silky Wool for Clapotis, what are you going to use it for?

I have no idea, really. I don't really have enough for a top, but too much for a scarf. I might end up making another Clapotis, or I may go buy some more and make a summer sweater.

2. The pink wool that you spun…you hate it…why? I think it looks pretty! Maybe it looks different in person than in the picture. Unless you just hate pink. Are you planning to knit anything with it?

Awww, thanks! I didn't really hate it as much as it probably sounded. I like some pink, but it was more of a "dusty rose" that I really didn't like. There wasn't enough to knit anything with it, and my friend Aubyn loved the color, so I gave the little skein to her! I'm glad she has it -- I know she'll give it a better home than I would.

3. Ooh! You read “Why Girls are Weird!” I’ve been wanting to read that book for a long time. I had it on my Xmas list the year before last but no one got it for me, and I had forgotten about it. What did you think about it? Are/Were you a reader of Pamie’s blog?

I thought it was hilarious -- there were several places that I laughed out loud, but they may have been about distinctly "Texas" things (the book is set in Austin). There were some parts that were predictable, but I didn't really mind because I was busy enjoying the rest of it. I wasn't a reader of Pamie's blog, and I've only dropped in to read it once or twice since I read the book. I can't wait to see what she writes next -- I'll definitely read it!

4. What was your favorite project you knit in 2004 & why? You can only pick one!

Hmmm, that's a tough one. I think I would have to say my first pair of socks, because it felt like a huge accomplishment when I got them done and they actually looked like socks and fit my feet. It made me feel like a "real" knitter -- I figured if I can knit socks, I can knit just about anything!

5. Have you kept up with your diet/exercise plan you started in December?

Sorta-kinda. I try and go to the gym at least 3 times a week (though I don't really have a set routine), and I have been paying a lot more attention to what I'm eating. But I also have weeks (like this one) that it all kind of falls apart. But the net result is that I'm keeping up (albeit slowly)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch . . .

It's a beautiful day here in Big D, so I thought I'd share a photo I took outside my building at work.

Nope, this pic hasn't been retouched or altered in any way!

I not trying to torture those of you in the parts of the world that haven't seen Spring yet . . . I'm trying to share my Spring with you! Really!!

Sigh.

Well, it looks like the Poncho trend may not be over after all, thanks to Martha Stewart. I was hoping that Vogue's knit.1 magazine had finally killed it with their Man-cho, but alas . . .

And maybe it's just me being a cranky-pants, but I think Martha's jailhouse poncho is butt-ugly. I don't understand why the masses are clamoring for a pattern (at least according to the email update I received this morning from Lion Brand).

Other than my general annoyance of the poncho sticking around, it's been busy-busy around here . . . so much so that I've barely had time to skim the blogs for the past couple days. I hate it when that happens (stupid work!), so I'm making a concerted effort starting today to not only read, but also to leave comments. What a novelty!

Sunday Stuff

Yeah, I couldn't come up with a better title for this post . . .

I didn't get as much knitting done as I would have liked this weekend, but I do have pictures to share! I lurrrrrve my new camera, so you can look forward to lots and lots of photos here at Skittermagoo.

Clap-grow-tis

I just finished the fifth set of increase rows, and chugging right along!

I can't wait to get to the first dropped stitch!! As a matter o' fact, that's what's keeping me going on this right now.

Oops, I just realized that this isn't even the same Clapotis as previously shown . . . I ended up starting over with size 8 needles because the size 7s were yielding a fabric that seemed a bit stiff. I haven't actually measured the gauge, but I may end up with a bit of an oversized Clapotis. Am I okay with that? You bet!

Flame Sweater

Yeah, this is getting a bit of action from time to time. Not a lot, though -- the blackness of the black yarn keeps me from working on it after about 7pm (when I can't see anymore)

The photo is really boring (just more black k6p1 rib), but if you really want to see it (trust me, you don't!), it's linked off to the left under "In the Mix"

The other thing that is threatening to take my eyesight is the

Iris Sock*

I saved the best for last with this one! This is my first time working with Lorna's Laces sock yarn, and ooooh! It's like buttah! Except without the grease. Seriously, this is the smoothest, silkiest wool sock yarn I've ever touched. It's knitting up at 9 st/inch on 2.0mm (US0) addi turbos, which is why my eyes are currently crossing involuntarily.

The other cool thing about this yarn? It's making crazy stripey/spirally/pooly patterns! Now, I know that some people don't like this kind of thing, but I do!

Because of the patterning, I feel compelled to show you both sides:

the A side

the B side

Isn't it cool? I'm just about to start the heel flap.

*So named because the colors remind me of some of the Irises in my mother's yard.

Another amazing thing happened today around here: I went grocery shopping! Now, those of you who know me well know that this is the most hated of hateful chores to me. But, the desire to make and take my lunch to work won out, so off to Kroger I went. And then spent almost an hour prepping veggies so that making lunch the evening before will be a quick affair.

This is what I made for my lunch tomorrow:

Isn't that a gorgeous salad?! I can hardly wait for lunchtime tomorrow! Oh, except that it means I have to go to work tomorrow. Drat.

Scary phone calls

I just got a call that made me shiver and shake . . .

My good friend Rebekah had surgery yesterday; it was supposed to be a very minor out-patient sort of thing. Well. Her husband just called me to tell me there had been complications, and that R is stable and improving, but that it had been very touch and go all night. Seems that an artery was nicked during the surgery, and she had internal bleeding that was undetected until they were getting ready to release her. Thank goodness they hadn't already gone home!

A blood transfusion (or two) and a hysterectomy later, and she is out of ICU and in a private room, with lots of IV drugs. She won't be visitor-ready for a day or two, and she will be out of action for 6 weeks, but she's okay. My hands are still shaking as I type this . . .

I think I'm going to make her one of these -- she's just the type of woman who would appreciate and get a kick out of it!

Feelin' the lurrrrve

Wow, this has probably been the longest, most drawn-out birthday I've ever had! The actual day was Wednesday, but last night I had a leetle celebration with my bestest knitting girlfriends. I honestly wasn't expecting anything besides our normal laugh-til-some-of-us-cry and be-loud-until-the-barrista-shushes-us knit night, but they surprised me with cards and gifties*!

NanC made the little heart markers, and Pamelalala made the little knitting goddess. How clever are they? (very)

And Aubyn gave me this tiny little box of very, very fine chocolates:

Wanna see what's inside? Of course you do! Click here to see very very fine chcocolates!

And NanC also made cupcakes, homemade, from scratch! I don't think my own mom has ever made me such a delicacy!

Even the icing is made from scratch!

Okay, so I know that all of you out there are jealous that I have such fantastic friends who knit and laugh and love and make cupcakes from scratch.

But you can't have 'em -- they're MINE!

*not pictured are the monogram cards and the gift certificate that were in the pile of goodies . . . I don't want to gloat too much!

Finished stuff!

Well, okay, technically it's only one thing . . . two if you count parts of a pair:

It's a finished pair of Voodoo Wrist Warmers! For some reason, these have been lost in the bottom of my knitting bag for ages . . . I think I started them before the holidays! The yarn is Noro Silk Garden, from my Super Excellent Secret Pal 3.

Do you want to see what they look like on? Why, sure you do!

Here's Voodoo #1

And just for good measure, Voodootoo

And this is what I had left over from one skein of Silk Garden:

Cutting it close, no? Well, I would have panicked, but I had a bit more left over from the Silk Garden Beanie I already made from the other skein. Ooh, just as I typed that, I realized I'd forgotten that I made a matching hat!

The big bummer about having just finished these is that it won't be cold enough to wear them until next winter. Maybe. If it gets that cold.

Anyway, I also put a pop-up image of them in the "finished" links to the left. In case you ever want to look at them again and don't want to fish through the archives. Yeah. Right.

Oh, and the most fun part about tonight's entry? I took the photos with my Brand Spanking New Nikon Coolpix 4100! The Hub is so good to give me such an extravagant birthday gift . . .

P.S. Happy Texas Independence Day! Way back in 1836, a little battle at a place called the Alamo was raging; meanwhile the declaration of Texas Independence was being drafted. Now go eat some barbecue and drink a Shiner Bock!

Woot!

Stitch-n-Bitch Dallas made it into the local newspaper! It's been ages since the reporter came out to do the story, and I had almost given up on ever seeing it.

How cool is that?!?!

Thanks to Purling Pirate Pamelalala for the heads-up!