Rainstorms, Knitting and the Dogs

So last night I finished the leg on Ry’s sock, and just as I was getting ready to start the heel Ry lured me out on the porch to listen to the rain and enjoy a drink with him. By the time we came back inside it was almost midnight. If the painters hadn’t removed the porch light, I’d have probably brought the sock out with me, but it was not to be.

It’s been a long time since I’ve sat outside and listened to the rain and thunder. I forgot how soothing rainstorms can be, especially since in the summer the rainstorms are harbingers of humidity, nasty weather and mosquitos, but in the fall they are perfection. The dogs, however, did not like the rain as much as we did. Molly and Sam hid behind our chairs whenever there was a little thunder and Sam kept walking to the edge of the porch and looking in wonderment at the rain pouring down. He absolutely refused to go potty before bed; the rain was too much for his delicate sensibilities; so he woke us up barking this morning to go out. Molly didn’t go out before bed either (she too has delicate sensibilities), but she’s a camel, she can wait until we’re up before going out.

Tonight we have a potluck dinner with some friends, one of whom has been asking me about knitting. I was thinking of giving her one of my books, some yarn, needles and a pattern and letting her experiment. The thing is…what yarn? What pattern? I have to figure that out first. I have some stuff in my stash that I bought before I became a bit of a yarn snob, which I can’t bear to get rid of because it seems like a waste. So it has been relegated to hats, dog sweaters and experimental uses. I hate to give her some of that lest she think that’s what all yarn is like, but I can’t see giving her some of my more expensive stuff, because it will probably not be appreciated for a first time project, or she’ll have a heart attack if she messes up or breaks the yarn (I almost did). I have multiple colors of one brand, but it’s kind of scratchy and stretchy and I wonder if stripes might be too challenging. Although, I think something like that is fun to learn because then you have something to change up the mindlessness of garter or stockinette stitch. Hmmm…I may have to ponder this further…I’ll have to decide by tonight though! I have some Lionbrand…that’s soft, and it tends to be good for beginners because it’s easy to work with and there will be no heart attacks if you screw up royally….maybe that’s the way to go?


p.s. Do you like my new fall theme?

Mystery Swap

Ok, like an idiot I didn't really "get" what my ideas should be, so here are a few more:

1. Italy (I am in love with Tuscany.)
2. Arizona and the desert. (I grew up there, it's still my home.)
3. Pumpkins and the fall. (My favorite season.)
4. First snowfall
5. Christmas (I used to have red & green Chuck Taylors and broke them out right after Thanksgiving...I should get another pair...)

That's a little more along the lines Kim was looking for, I think!

The Weekend

So, Friday night was "date night"! We went out to dinner and we were going to see a movie when a sudden and vicious pain began attacking my neck. I didn't sleep on it in an unusual way, because it hadn't been hurting since the morning. I think I strained it, here’s why:
Monday through Thursday I carry around a laptop bag at night. It’s easily the cheapest laptop bag that money can buy. It has a narrow strap, no padding for your shoulder and it distributes the weight unevenly. In addition to this monstrous laptop bag I carry a giant purse. Seriously it’s giant. In this purse I carry my lunch, my pens a law book or two, my planner, about 5 lipsticks, a change of shoes (if I am wearing heels) and my knitting…just to name a few things. The weight of my purse is probably about 25 pounds, and it can only go over one shoulder, it’s not a messenger bag type thing. It’s a one shoulder, two strap purse. The weight of my laptop bag (with assorted documents) is probably about 35 pounds. So between the two I am carrying about 60 pounds, unevenly distributed onto one shoulder. Is it any wonder my neck was hurting?

Anyway, back to date night…My neck was killing me by the time we were going to see a movie, so I had to beg off and we compromised by renting a movie from the local video store so I could lay down. We got home, I popped 4 Aleve and we watched Death Proof. Let me say Tarantino ALWAYS makes a good movie and an even better soundtrack. So after the movie I went to bed and crashed out.

On Saturday, Ry & I went to the fair! The first thing we did when we finally got there (3 hours of traffic to get in, thank you very much), was have corndogs and fresh lemonade. Yum! Then we hit the buildings, saw the exhibits. There was a butter sculpture,


a cow that had the same coloring and marking as Sam,


and of course the FOOD! We had cream puffs, lobster rolls, quahog clams, seafood, blueberry crisp, and of course, beer! My neck was still bothering me, but 3 Aleve and 2 beers made me forget all about that! We had a ton of fun, even though Ry turned a little green on one of the rides. (Too much food!)



Sunday was a gorgeous day, so I studied on the porch and pseudo-enjoyed the day.

I only did a little knitting over the weekend due to the neck pain, but overall it was a fantastic weekend!

Quickie

Weekend in review:

Friday: I hurt my neck :(
Saturday: Loaded up on Aleve & went to fair
Sunday: Studied & cleaned house.

...More on the fair tomorrow...

Ravelry

Ahem.

"Your invitation was sent on Yesterday."

Hot Damn! I knew I should have logged on-line yesterday, instead of knitting Ry's sock and doing the copious amounts of laundry! WooHooo!!!! I am extraordinarily excited about this. This means all day Saturday will be spent shooting the stash! This also means that all hopes for paying attention in Crim Pro tonight have just flown out the window. Yaaahhhoooo!

Package Delivery!

So my package from The Loopy Ewe arrived yesterday! Hooray! I have been wanting some Cider Moon Glacier yarn forever and when I had finally decided what to buy, they closed up shop! (The blog says that's temporary and due to a legal matter, so hopefully this won't be too long.) So then I began a quest for Cider Moon, and wouldn't you know? The Loopy Ewe had it! So I ordered two skeins of Taos and a skein Superman. I also ordered a skein of Perchance to Knit in breezy. YUM!


Taos is on the left, Superman is in the middle, and Breezy is on the right

Score!

Here's where I am on Ravelry....

You signed up on July 6, 2007
You are #14529 on the list.
589 people are ahead of you in line.
18893 people are behind you in line.
41% of the list has been invited so far

I am sooooooooooo excited! Can you tell how excited I am? Can you? Can you!?!?!

Ok, I'm out, but I did get my awesome package from The Loopy Ewe yesterday, so tonight there will be sockporn!

No More Humdrum Mittens Questionnaire

HA! I joined the "No More Humdrum Mittens Swap". I am really excited, I've never participated in a swap before, mostly because I always found out about them too late! Well, not this time, baby! Below is the Questionnaire. Lalala! I'm so happy!

NO MORE HUMDRUM MITTENS QUESTIONAIRE

1. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn?

I have been knitting for a little over a year now, and I am self-taught. I learned through the videos on the internet and the back instructional sections of knitting magazines.

2. Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I would consider myself to be an intermediate knitter that accepts challenges.

3. What are your favorite colors? Any you dislike?

I LOVE reds and turquoises and purples, the only colors I don't really like are olive greens and mustard yellows.

4. Do you like Latvian type patterns? If so, what are your favorite patterns?

I do like the Latvian patterns, however I do not have a favorite style. Although I can say that I do not like the fringed bottoms I see on some of the styles. I'm a no fringe kinda gal.

5. Do you desire mittens for yourself, your "special someone else" or your child?

I know it sounds a bit selfish, but I'd like the mittens for myself. I've never really owned mittens before, mostly because until recently I lived in VERY warm states.

6. What other things do you enjoy knitting?

I enjoy knitting socks and sweaters and hats, of all kinds. I have been on a sock kick recently, but I am also enjoying the sweaters that I have going on as well.

7. What sort of needles do you enjoy working with? (straights vs circs, bamboo vs aluminum)

For socks I like working with DPNs, for sweaters and hats I work with circulars. I recently purchased some Brittany wooden needles for my socks and fell in love with them! Although, I have been trying to hunt down some swallowtail casein needles to try them out.Usually ai Work with my Denise needles for the Circs and Pony needles for my DPNs.

8. What’s one project you’ve not yet tried but are dying to make?

The embossed leaves socks from IK, possibly something entrelac, the lace leaf pullover by Teva Durham. Something entrelac or fairisle. Umm...that's all I can think of. I really just enjoy knitting anything, except shawls.

9. What’s one yarn you’ve not yet tried but are dying to work with?

I have been dying to work with Alpaca, cashemere or a wool/silk blend. I also would like to try working with some Socks that Rock yarn from Blue Moon, I love their Christmas themed colorways.

10. What other hobbies do you have? Do you spin? Sew? Garden? Cook?

I enjoying baking, cooking, photography and sewing. I also love to entertain and go for hikes with our dogs when the weather is nice, and this year is the year I am going to learn to ski and snow shoe!

11. Besides yarn, do you collect anything?

I like to collect oddities, kitschy/tacky things that I can place in various places around the house, they make me laugh. I have a poodle ornament that hangs around and is all coated in feathers. It's so tacky it's cute!

12. What kind of goodies do you enjoy? Sweets? Salty? Anything you hate or are allergic to?

I have a HUGE sweet tooth. I love cupcakes and candies and chocolate, and sweet combined with salty things too! I'm a food nut!

13. Do you have any kids? Pets?

I have no kids, but I do have two dogs and a live-in boyfriend.

14. What is your favorite part of Winter?

The mugs of hot chocolate while you're inside watching the snow come down, warm fires, the holidays and time with family.

15. What is your least favorite part of Winter?

Finals and the never ending grayness that lasts until April!

Sabbatical

After a long sabbatical, I am officially back. There was time there when it was touch and go. When I wasn’t sure I even wanted to continue with this blog, not because I don’t like having a forum on which to “let it out” as they say, but because it seemed like such a useless commitment. Let’s face it, nobody really reads this blog and there’s the commitment of writing on it and taking photos of my knitting and various other things going on in my life. It just seemed like…a waste of my “me time”. However, the realization struck me that the blog can be part of my “me time”. With that in mind I have returned to you, my non-existent public.

What may not be known is that in the interim of this break several things have happened. The first of which is that I had a birthday. Ry, Mom, and Stevie did everything in their power to make it very special for me. It was the nicest birthday I have had in a long time. Among the gifts I received were a sewing machine from Mom and Seinfeld DVD’s that I take such delight in I watch them nearly every night. My brother got me a jewelry box from his travels in Europe that is apparently made from Camel bone, but the dogs seems to think it’s made of the most delicious kind of doggie crack on earth. In other words, all Molly wants to do is sniff and lick the jewelry box and all Sam wants to do is eat it. I have sewn a few blouses on the sewing machine and I love it, the patterns are fairly simple, but they are lovely. I have already committed myself to sewing curtains for the bedroom, and a friend of mine has inquired as to whether or not I’d be able to sew her a Snow White costume. Ummm…we’ll see on that last one.

Another big occurrence is that I am able to afford law school again, so I will be able to continue my education. I have mixed feelings about this. I am still not sure that this is my path, but on the other hand my pride will not let me be a quitter. I have done some research, and I can pursue an alternative legal career or perhaps just maintain my hobbies to be a well-rounded person.

My major difficulty this summer has been Sam. I am having a hard time adjusting to having a puppy in the house, particularly one who is still not fully house-broken nor crate trained. Let it be known that I did not want a puppy, I wanted a dog. To be more specific, I wanted a dog between the ages of 1.5 and 2 years, the same age that Molly was when I got her. I’m not going to fool you, Molly was tough when I first got her, there were accidents and chewing incidents, but I crate trained her and the accidents and chewing stopped. I hired a dog trainer and taught her most commands. She is now a good girl, she can be left in the house with no accidents and no chewing, unless an errant cotton swab finds its way out of the bathroom. She behaves. Sam on the other hand wakes me up in the night to go outside (3:00AM people) he chews everything, he barks his fool head off in the crate (yes, even when we’re right there with him), he pees if left alone for any extended period of time. He kind of knows his commands, he does come when called, he does know “inside”, and he knows “No”. But he needs his shots he needs to be fixed and he needs to be trained, both crate trained and command trained. It was my hope that we could have accomplished this before classes began, but that was not to be. So now we have Sam, and it’s like having a difficult child. Ry, of course, thinks the world of him, which is wonderful. I wanted him to have a dog to love and bond with, and now he does. We just need to work on the obedience aspect of Sam. He has potential and all we have to do now is get him fixed and hire a trainer. Ry & I discussed it and decided that those things need to be done asap, because neither of us want to continue to worry if Sam's incessant barking will cause us to be evicted, nor do we want to walk with dread into the house wondering what he has destroyed this time.

The next big thing that happened is that I paid a surprise visit to my Mom over Labor Day. She had no idea that I was arriving, and was shocked beyond imagining when I waltzed through her living room door. It was a wonderful weekend, and my brother and I got a wheelchair for her (because she has a lot of leg pain which prevents her from doing most things) and took her to the Farmer’s market, the craft store, and lots of other places. We all had a lot of fun.

And last but not least, Ryan had a birthday. It was his 31st and among his gifts were some books, picture frames and a few other little things. I am also having party for him this weekend, which should be perfect, the high is only going to be 68 and we’re going to have a bonfire. How exciting!

In knitting news, I have finished one of Ry’s socks, I have cast on for a Beret and I have the back piece of Simply Marilyn done! I have a thousand other projects in mind, but I realize I should pace myself, 3 projects at a time is probably enough, especially with the sewing I want to do. However, I do need to get some more Christmas gifts onto needles. By the way, does anybody out here have a cool, basic pattern for a hat and scarf with sock yarn? Well, I guess I have some projects to think about!

Here's a pic of Molly and Sam. They are cute together...