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Nov 27, 2007
Oh GeeWow. Where do I begin?! Normally, I'd say "at the beginning", but I am not even sure where that is. Let us work backwards then, shall we?
 Crap. I just somehow managed to delete my entire post about Thanksgiving. And I didn't really feel like writing this in the first place. So just...enjoy the mosiac. I'll give you some details about my Mouse encounter and the Harlot's Unoriginal Hat (which I revamped ever so slightly to work with a worsted weight yarn instead  of bulky). Oh, and of course, as always, lots of pictures. Whilst in Georgia with my family, I visited with Mouse! Not even sure I mentioned I'd be doing that on here. If you don't already read her blog, she is totally awesome. We talk pretty regularly and I am convinced we share a brain. lol Really, it's a little scary sometimes. Our first attempt to get together was thwarted by a freak illness! The little Ky bug got a horrible fever the day before I was to meet up with Mouse. We just rescheduled though. So, I went to the House of Mouse (sorry, I had to) and we hung out. She showed me all her super amazing soaps, and scented oils, and jewelry...and I think I almost died. She gave me some super cute stitch markers that I apparently forgot to *gasp* photograph! A Converse sneaker and a little devil ducky! SQUEE! Then we went to a yarn shop, oh, it was so much fun. Too bad the Crazies were shopping as well. And wanted all of the expensive stuff. I might have walked out with some things. Malabrigo may have hopped into my basket. Possibly. I can't be sure. It hopped onto the needles so fast that I am still not sure. That whole bottom row on the pictures is Malabrigo pics.  You may (or may not) have noticed that the Unoriginal Hat is what I decided to use my Malabrigo for. Actually, it was what I picked the yarn out for. Except...the hat is written for bulky weight, and this is a worsted weight. After toying with the idea of leaving it in the skein and using the skein as a scarf (I wore it like that almost the entire time I was at Mouse's), no, I decided I must actually knit with the famed yarn. After swatching, and doing some maths I CO using size 9 needles. Then...about 5 rows into the pattern, I realized that the cables weren't looking at ALL the way I wanted them to. Nope, nope. So I did what any crazy good knitter would do. I re-charted the cable. That's what you would do, right? Right?! lol Even though I had to do a lot of tinking (yeah...at first I just re-charted in my head, then I realized I might actually need to write it down), I love the finished product. Here is the low-down:  Pattern: Unoriginal Hat by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Loro Barranquero Needles: Size 9US/5.5mm Gauge: 16sts over 4" in cable pattern Notes: There are a lot of these, bear with me. I loved this hat. I might do it again with the proper yarn weight. Anyways, I decided originally to add in a few purl stitches and add an extra repeat of the cable. 16sts x 5 reps = 80 So I CO the 80sts and got to work. Then I realized that the one cable wasn't opening up as wide as it did in The Harlot's hat, which is what I had wanted. That was really my favorite part. Tink back, twist a stitch here, one there, ah, much better. Knit a few rows...and now the other cable isn't looking quite the way I'd like. *sigh* At this point I decide to print out some graph paper and chart what is going on in my head. It's very late at this point. I had just gotten back from Mouse's, then hand wound the yarn (singles can be tricky, they don't like ball-winders), and I had dinner of course. By the time I re-chart the pattern, it's far past 1AM. Off to bed I go, but I have a plan now and that hat will be gettin it, oh yeah. As you can see, the chart worked beautifully. If you would like...I can write down the chart row by row...or maybe I'll find a scanner and scan it in. Really, all I did was add in 4 extra rows, and 2 extra stitches.  When I got home there was plenty of mail. To include two skeins of STR, the new Raven Clan...like I was going to be able to resist it. They are Rook-y and Corbie. I am really happy with Rook-y, which is good, because I had been eyeing it for awhile.   Labels: blogging, busy, family, finished object, food, friends, hanging out, hat, knitters, life, mouse, pattern, pictures, purchases, rambling, updating, vacation, wool/fleece/roving, yarn 13:59 | | 
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Nov 16, 2007
Get Me OUT of Here!!!Oh effing hell. Do you know how badly I cannot wait to get out of this house/city/state?! My brother comes tomorrow to help us drive back down. I wanted to take him to Wilmington to party, but the way I am feeling...I just want to leave. Like, pick him up and turn around and GO!
My house is a disaster. Despite spending hours cleaning. Cingular is charging us $42 to reserve a phone number. Seriously. Oh, and I am not actually getting any service right now. The kids are crazy, not like that is unusual. We are out of food. Which, I mean, I was trying to do.
But at least I have my beta shirt!!
 And no knitting to show you. So...I'm out. Peace. Labels: blah, life, rambling 18:34 | |
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Nov 12, 2007
Bad Blogger, Bad Eh, I guess I should post, huh? It's only been almost a week. There couldn't possibly be that much to talk about, right? Oh...wait. There is. Agh. I have two finished objects, and a really crazy weekend to talk about. Guess I should begin where I left off.
The pedicure socks are finally done. I don't know why I waited so long. Of course...I still haven't sent them. Speaking of, if I said I was going to send you something...expect it after I get back from Georgia around the 27th. lol Maybe I will try to get them out this week, before I leave. Anyways, a friend I hadn't talked to  in ages called me up to see if I could alter his wife's ball gown. Sure. I don't see why not. The sewing machine was still out from Nolan's costume. Oh, in case you don't remember this from last year, or I didn't mention it, every year the Marine Corps has a huge formal event to celebrate the Marine Corps' birthday. It's a blast. Even when your Marine is deployed, they still throw ya a party. It's just...smaller. I'll get to that. I meant to take pictures of this gown after I altered it, but forgot. Gonna assume it fit since she never called me to fix it again.
That was...Monday, Tuesday? Sure, why not. On Thursday-ish, my friend/date for the deployed spouses ball, Brandy came over so that we could decide which dresses to wear. Ha, I told her what I planned on wearing and she said, "You know it's tomorrow right?". Um. Duh, of course I can alter a gown in one day. Who can't? lol Anyways, it was a simple alteration. Cut the top half of the gown off, toss it,  sew some elastic into the bottom half, ta da! A skirt. I also used a bit of the straps from the top half to make little loops next to the zipper, which I pulled some purple ribbon through. Actually, I have to credit Mouse with that idea. Oh, now you are all going...wait...what are you wearing as a top? A corset baby. Hellz yeah. I was hawwwtttt. But you don't have to take my word for it. :)
Friday, I actually did the gown alterations. Got ready...and went to the ball. It was a blast. Even if the DJ was trying to make us all cry. After the ball (er...as soon as possible), Brandy and I went back to her place so that we could change. I pimped Goddess. :D Then we headed out to this RIDICULOUS, redneck karaoke bar. Oh man, we've been before, and I really dislike this bar. Makes me feel really out of place. Clubs baby, I want a club. So, I order my first drink and call text  Tyler, who makes any bar more fun. He played pool, I got drunk, everyone had fun! Really, it was an okay time after the third drink. lol Hey, who can argue with Cristal singing Du Hast. She did a good job too. Scared me anyways! At some point we decided to leave and go to Cristal's. Once there we played Cranium...sorta. I was way more interested in playing catch with this one guy, Joe. No idea how I was even catching those balls either. :D Everyone crashed at her house, at around 5am. Too bad her twins woke up at 8! Ugh. We left around nine-ish, and Tyler took me back to my house, where we made breakfast. The kitchen was trashed though. :( I was a little upset with Kyle and Emily (who watched the kids), but...they did watch my kids overnight for me. Oh, btw, apparently Tyler loves to cook, and misses it. Which works out wonderfully for me because I hate cooking. I told him to come use my kitchen ANY time. Seriously.
Ummmm...I basically did nothing the rest of the weekend. Well, I finished Swell. What? I didn't  mention that? Oh. Right. Probably because I started it around that same Tuesday. Or maybe Wednesday. Either way. Anyways, it was supposed to be a Christmas gift for Tyler, but apparently he hates Christmas. So, I just gave it to him when I finished it. Actually, there were some gauge issues, and I was afraid that it may not fit. To make sure, I had him come over and try on the hat. It still needed the ends woven in and blocking...but he didn't want to leave without it. He has to go to the field this week and wanted the hat to keep him warm. Guess I should be flattered that he loved it so much!! How adorable is that picture by the way? Even if I did have to lean over all awkward to get it. My couches are ridiculously comfy, and nobody ever wants to get off of them. lol There is enough yarn to make another hat, I'm thinking of either doing it in reverse or making a beanie with a brim/bill on it. Like the one in the picture of me above (at the bar). As always, click any picture to see it bigger.Labels: blogging, finished object, hat, rambling, socks, Swell, updating 22:55 | |
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Nov 6, 2007
Magical Trevor I don't know why that song is stuck in my head. But it's a much better title than "I'm a lazy bum and don't want to do anything, including update my blog". Right?
We are going back to mostly pictures again. Sorry. There hasn't been much knitting. Even the second pedicure sock isn't done. Still 12 rounds from finishing. Actually, I did turn the heel on the Nermal socks. No pictures of that though. I did take a picture of Kyle and Emily, figured that I talk about them so much, might as well get a picture, right? See Heather there? That was before we went on a hair cutting rampage. Yes. Everyone has short hair now, except Nolan, who didn't have much to start with. So we left him alone. Kyran looks so much like my brother now that it's a little disturbing. I even called him Daniel once last night. Heather looks SO adorable! Not that she wasn't cute before, just that she looks much better now. You can see her adorable little face.
  Now, for the best part of my day. Er. Yester-day. lol First, actually, a bit of background on how that day went. Heather had been up and down all night, we didn't get to sleep until 3am, and she didn't wake up until nearly 11 btw. I spent the morning paying bills and balancing the checkbook. Always fun. Not to mention I was missing Mr. Shad particularly badly. *sigh* Anyways, I was in a mood. Enter Super Pal! AKA Dawn. She is really a great pal, and this box couldn't have been more perfect unless she had found a way to put my hubby in there! It made me so happy that I teared up, actually. Anyone who knows me will know just how fitting these gifts were for me. Oh, and Dawn, it's okay you couldn't find the Turquoise Jeans. I love the Ingrid's Blues, the Claudia Handpainted is so soft and squooshy! Had to resist temptation to cast on! Must finish current projects! Here, have lots of delicious pictures. I didn't want to make a mosiac because then you couldn't see anything.     What you are seeing here is: a skein of Universal Deluxe Chunky Tweed in Ocean, some yummy-licious sounding hot cocoa mix (Green & Black's Maya Gold), a mug/cup in which to put that cocoa, a PotC loofah/squirter, a journal (ps, have I ever described my affinity for journals on here? I'll go find some of the ones I have...just you wait), a cheshire cat keychain (CUTE!), Claudia Handpainted in Ingrid's Blues, there was a cute little bag thing that mug was cozied into it is adorable, some iron-on patches, and temporary tattoos. I assume those last are for the crazies. If not, it's too late, I already said they could have them. :) Seriously Dawn, you rock. Thank you SOOOOOOO much! Labels: babies, hair, kids, pictures, PRGE, rambling, socks 11:20 | |
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Nov 3, 2007
A Little Less Sixteen Candles.... Actually, there should be more talking and less pictures this time. Or at least more talking. Sorry to be so out of it, the kids and live have kept me pretty busy. I think today is the first day I've really been able to pull myself together enough to actually post. You're going to have to scroll down for knitting content though. :D
Halloween was great, even if Nolan didn't get to wear his ice cream cone costume! He fell asleep before we went trick-or-treating and I didn't want to wake him. It had been a long day already. We went to the mall to buy Kyran (p.s. He is Cry-Baby, not The Fonz) some new shoes, and then just to kill time. You know how it is. Kyle and Emily are finally back, I don't know if I mentioned that. It has been GREAT to have them here. Finally I have someone to hang out with during the day. Emily and I have been hanging out most of the week. Monday she came over so that I could take her to a doctor's appointment. Wednesday (Halloween) we did the mall and hung out until her husband got off of work. Then he  and I took the kids around the neighborhood.
Then, of course, we got paid on Thursday. Emily really wanted to get some grocery shopping done (they had basically nothing in their house, since they had been gone for some time), and I needed to do fall wardrobe shopping for the kiddos. Where else to go but Wal-Mart?! First we stopped in at Fantastic Sams so that I could tame my mane! Actually, I have been wanting to cut my hair again for awhile. Really tried growing it out there for a bit. Still, I could not resist the temptation of short(er) hair when Elizabeth cut hers! The whole experience was fantastic, when you get a haircut, a good one, it should make you feel like a ROCKSTAR! You should start peeking over your shoulder for paparazzi! lol So, I go in there with an image in my head, a magazine, and a vague description. The magazine didn't have exactly what I wanted, instead I had to kind of combine two different pictures. The girl who had originally been my stylist was slightly unsure of her ability, and called in a more senior  stylist. She was ECSTATIC by the idea that they would get the chance to really have fun and do something new! That made me very happy, I have found that conservative stylists are more apt to mess up my hair. Mostly because they are too afraid to take a chance with it. The cost of the cut was only $15 in the end, so I gave a 100% tip (technically it was 50/50 because the two of them split it as they both worked on my hair). I had budgeted for $40, and they really did an outstanding job! From there we went to Wal-Mart where I blew $300 on food and clothes. Still in budget, btw. Thank goodness for the separation pay! Heather and Kyran badly needed new wardrobes, Heather still needs new shoes. Kyran's pants all were 2-3 inches above his ankles, and Heather was wearing socks with her sandals because none of her real shoes fit her anymore. Nolan has loads of hand-me-downs, so he wasn't an issue. Though he became really attached to this red shirt I picked out for Heather....
 Whew, we are now up to Friday, yesterday. I dyed my hair black to cover the faded purple and give me a uniform base to work with. Besides, I kinda like it black. Especially when it is short, gives a sharper contrast. Anyways, I was really just killing time. Then plan was to meet up with Kyle, Emily's husband at a new tattoo shop. Actually, it was an expansion of the shop that I went to for my phoenix, and my tattoo artist was made the manager of this new shop!! So, I had to go pay my respects, as well as getting a much longed for tattoo (hey, I budgeted for that too, I'm not completely insane). Well, I ran late, as usual, and Emily decided that she really wanted to bring the babies to the shop. Or, she wanted to be there. She is feeling that "have fun while I still can!" vibe right now. I told her that was really up to her, that it would probably be easier to keep an eye on them at home, but if she had her heart set on going out that I didn't think Nik would mind. We drove off to Bombs Away 2 with crazies in tow.
 Now we get to the knitting part. Remember, I knit while getting tattooed, it keeps my mind off of the pain. Really, I have a low tolerance for pain and I know if I'm knitting and focusing on the simple in, around, out, off motions I will be fine. Nik loves it because he says it keeps me still, which makes it easier for him to do his job. Also, with my last tattoo he said that he has seen full grown men complain more than I do! Which made me feel rockin. Okay...I lied. Here are all of the pictures. Trust me, this isn't even half of them. Kyle took LOADS of progress shots. You can literally see the tattoo develop. One of my favorite shots was an accidental one, he meant to photograph the tattoo, and instead got Nik's hands in there. lol But I think that is kinda cool. Oh, those are the Nermal socks I am working on there.
    Labels: blogging, hair, Halloween, kids, knitting, life, tattoos, updating 09:57 | |
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