Addicted to knitting

Changing Blogsites

2006-11-27T20:15:00.000-06:00

I'm changing blogsites. My new site is: http://knittinggalnokc.wordpress.com/

Hope to see you there!!

Black Friday

2006-11-25T10:04:00.000-06:00

While I did not want to stay home Friday, I sure wasn't going out with the masses to shop. So what did I do? I spent my Black Friday as a Knitting Friday at Gourmet Yarn. Yes, I think I left a butt-print on Margaret's sofa. I arrived before 11 and did not leave until closing time.

The question came up of what Black Friday actually meant. I always thought it was one shopping day of the year where retailers were guaranteed to be in the black on their books for sales that day. Or maybe that one day could put the business in the black. If you know what it really means, leave a comment and let us know.

Yesterday, I spent most of the day knitting on the Regia Silk sock (above). As you can see I turned the heel and picked up the stitches. Yikes!! This is the part that I'm shakey on. Let's hope I don't mess this up at this point.

Here is the Irish Hiking Scarf. I'm on my third skein of Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran. Needless to say the scarf is getting longer. Hmmmmm, I heard on the weather yesterday that by Wednesday we'll have the coldest weather so far this season. Do you think I can have this finished by then? (I wouldn't hold my breath!! lol)

And of course I HAD to buy this Schaefer Anne yarn. After all, it's in my signature colors, green and blue. It reminds you of a peacock, doesn't it?

I have a feeling if I dug in my stash, I'd find about 4 other skeins of Schaefer Anne with somewhat similar colors. Sigh!!!!

Poor Lexi. She isn't used to company and especially company that spends the night. Let alone a BIG BROTHER!! Michael tried and tried to win her over. Let's just say Lexi isn't easy. She's one tough nut to crack. She did come sniff his foot and she did finally lay down in the floor across the room from him. She also gave him an early wake up call by playing with her jingle bell fish. He told me she'd grab it and pull and make it jingle and then she'd stop and look at him to see if he was awake. What a girl!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-23T14:48:00.000-06:00

Ok, no this is not Lexi. I "borrowed" this picture from another blog I read. I thought it was a funny shot for T-day. I cooked this year. Not only did I cook I invited my mother and her boyfriend and my son to dinner. And other than the fact that my kitchen is the size of a postage stamp, I think everything turned out pretty good. With a table full of the traditional feast items, the best thing of all........the iced tea. The turkey was great, brined and baked, moist and tender. The dressing was pretty good, great mashed potatoes and gravy, English peas, fruit salad, cranberry sauce, black and green olives, pickled okra, yeast rolls, cherry and pumpkin pie. All great...but the iced tea was the BEST! lol The reason? I have not made any iced tea for months!! My mother and I have this "thing" about our tea with our holiday meal. The tea is always fresh brewed and sweet. Anyone who helps clear the table knows the rules...never, ever remove our tea glasses. We will sip, refill and sip all day into the evening. I did take a tip from Alton Brown....I made a simple syrup to sweeten the tea this year. It does make a difference. And since my mother does not have a computer or one that is connected to the internet and will never read this, her boyfriend was semi-social today!!!!!! lol Long story, but believe me it is a definite improvement.

I tried to show my mother how to knit. I finally decided she was going to get more frustrated than me so I gave her a set of needles, some cotton yarn and my Debbie Bliss How to Knit book and told her to practice. I had to do a "show n tell" and then hooked the boyfriend into it by saying she could knit him warm woolen socks to keep him warm in the winter months. He seemed to like that idea.....lots more than she did! lol Anyway, we'll see if she makes any progress by Christmas.

I am thankful for having the small bit of family I have in this state here today. I am thankful for all the friends I've made thru my hobby. I am thankful for this beautiful day.

And Lexi says: Dude, there are strangers in my house and they keep TALKING to me.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Sleepy Saturday

2006-11-18T10:02:00.000-06:00

This is the newest on my knitting front. I started a gift sock. I'm using Regia Silk and I LOVE the yarn. It has some really nice cush to it. It's a little hard to tell in the pic but I'm doing a seed stitch rib. Thought it would be less boring than a 3 X 1 rib! lol Still on the needles: Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Irish Hiking Scarf, Blue Heron Rayon Metallic Clapotis, Nina Shawl out of Classic Elite Provence (I don't know if this will ever get completed...I'm very disappointed with it), a hat out of Teseo Dive for my niece. Darn, some of those have been on the needles so long that I had to look in my bag to see what I had. That's not good is it? Oh well....I have knitting to do.

Lexi says: If I lay here long enough she might come by and give me some foot lovin's.

A Bowl of Red

2006-11-16T09:38:00.000-06:00

I know I said I'd post this recipe a couple of weeks ago but I forgot. So here it is. This is a two day chili and I hope you will find it well worth it. Other chilis always have that "bite" from the chili powder. Not this one. It's very smooth. It's also important to let it set a day in the fridge as this allows the spices to blend together. Also, in my humble opinion, true chili has no beans or tomato in it. That's why this is called a True Bowl of Red. Any of this can be adjusted to your own preferences.

A Bowl of Red

4-8 dried chiles
2 lbs of coarse grind chili meat
1 to 2 cups of beef stock or water
2 T minced garlic
1 yellow onion finely chopped
2 T cumin
1 T ground oregano
2 T paprika
Salt to taste

Trim the stems and remove seeds from the dried chiles. Place in a small saucepan and add water to barely cover. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Transfer the chiles and their soaking water to a blender or a food processor fitted with metal blade. Purée until smooth. Set aside.

Brown the meat in a large skillet over high heat for 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the meat and juices to a heavy pot and add the puréed chiles. Place over low heat and bring to a simmer. Add enough stock or water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Add the garlic, onion, cumin, oregano, salt to taste, paprika and cilantro and continue to simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender, about 30 minutes. Add a little liquid if the mixture begins to stick. Cool and place in refrigerator overnight or for several hours. Next day remove hardened fat and reheat. Makes 4 servings.

Would You Look At This!!!

2006-11-14T18:49:00.000-06:00

It's a SOCK!!! I didn't plan on doing the Kitchener tonight. I just came home and sat down and decided I'll try this. I had a website with good picture instructions and I followed it and here it is! Yarn: Opal Chameleon Needles: Size 2 Addi Turbos Pattern: I winged it. Sorta. lol I started out looking at a pattern and then decided a pattern would be foolish with this self striping yarn so I morphed into a rib stitch. Rosemary assisted at many points so props to her!

The Sock minus my ashy leg. Isn't she pretty?? Don't ask when the second sock will get started. It may NEVER get started but I now know I can knit a sock!! Yippee!!

And Lexi says: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Lemons, Cats, Hats and Calendars!

2006-11-13T17:42:00.000-06:00

Yes, that is a lemon under that tiny itty bitty hat. Someone told me the hospitals often needed hats small enough to fit over a lemon so I thought that might be a good way to display. My intention was to make that cute little umbilical cord thing at the top. But after knitting a few rows with this yarn I thought I'll get finished with this as quick as I can. I'll probably step on a few toes with this one but whoever said Caron Simply Soft was soft doesn't have the same touch I do. This stuff irritated my fingertips so much they felt like I'd been rubbing them on fine sandpaper! I'll use something else in the future. And yes, there were oranges nearby so I used those to help support the lemon! lol

This is a picture of my 2006 November calendar page at work.

I love this calendar. It's Cats on the Greek Isle. So not only do I get a great cat picture I also get to see scenery or buildings in Greece. You'll notice this is one unadulterated picture. I have a boss with a sense of humor. He loves to use stickies and make hats or flowers or bows or something to "dress" up a cat each month. Last month the cat had the Billie Holiday look with a bright yellow flower to one side of her ear. lol He used to sneak into my office and do it while I was at lunch or away from my desk but that was hard to do I guess. So now when he comes to sit down and I see him grab a pad of stickies and scissors I know what he's going to do.

I talked to Susan this afternoon. She sounds so chipper and upbeat. You'd never know she'd was one week out of brain surgery. She hopes to get out mid week and return home to her sweet Sugar. She misses her a lot.

Today's question is this: What type of dressing do you have on Thanksgiving? I grew up with cornbread dressing with what some may think is one unusual ingredient, pecans. My grandmother made her dressing with pecans too. We had to change a bit when we discovered my son has an anaphylactic reaction to pecans soooooooo we started making two dishes of dressing, one with and one without for my son. These days there are so few of us for Thanksgiving dinner we only make one dish of dressing without pecans. So leave a comment and tell me your family's tradition with dressing.

Speaking of cats, this is the cat I came home to yesterday.
She looks a bit relaxed doesn't she? That's because I left the

ceiling fans on while I was gone!!

I'm making progress on the Irish Hiking Scarf although not enough to show you any pictures. Lexi has taken a liking to that yarn. If she sees it dangling anywhere she'll try to chew it into. I think it's jealousy.

Fraidy Cat

2006-11-10T20:21:00.000-06:00

As most of you know this is Lexi. Those of you who have been reading this blog for awhile know of her fear of ceiling fans not turned on. Lexi had a traumatic day today. Before I left to go out of town I turned off BOTH ceiling fans. When I turned the bedroom fan off she was in the bathtub which meant she had to walk thru the bedroom to get out. I thought I'd carry her into the bedroom and if I spoke to her gently she'd hopefully be ok and maybe accept it if I was with her. Wrong. She nearly tore me up trying to leap out of my arms when she saw the still blades. I turned the fan off in the living room just before I walked out the door. I offered her the traditional "goodbye" foot lovins standing in the hallway to the living room. Nothing doing. She wasn't budging out of the den. So I left. I did not get home until after 6 and she was hiding in the extra bedroom closet. I've turned the living fan on but she isn't buying it. She has not gone past the hall and did at least peek at the MOVING fan. Any suggestions?

On the knitting front....this is the Irish Knitting Scarf. I've completed approximately 14 inches. I will need at least 2 more skeins in addition to the 4 I bought the other day. This is Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran in Quartz. It is a lovely lucious yarn. It does not split easily at all. It's an easy knit both the pattern and the yarn. I'm hoping with some blocking that the width will expand a bit. I like how the beginning edge of the scarf does it's own "ruffle" effect. I don't think it needs fringe at all.

Knitting or Football???

2006-11-09T03:07:00.000-06:00

Give me a break!! lol Click on this link to see further details.

Fannie Pie

Make sure you leave a comment on the blog she links!

Mid-Term Election Day

2006-11-07T11:46:00.000-06:00

I'm taking my lead from Fannie Pie in Tulsa. Please remember to vote today. I'm not going to push one party over the other. Just vote.

November Knit In

2006-11-05T12:07:00.000-06:00

We had quite a show at the Knit-In last night at Gourmet Yarn. I've been to many knitting events and while all are great company and great motivational opporunities I always have the most fun at Margaret's.

Could it be the company I keep? lol As you can see Karen is very tickled by something. Anita is looking on wondering what on earth she's laughing so about.

Karen sees that she has some "gifts" and I'm sure Anita is thinking....what on earth??

Now Karen is really laughing hard. She knew the joke that Terri thought of and the rest of us were in on. Anita is biting her lip wanting to know what's so funny in that paper bag.

Last week Terri and Karen had a conversation about travel and hotel stays. It seems that Karen has a little "habit" that goes beyond what the norm is. Not only does she take the little soaps and shampoos in the room, she takes the toilet paper also!! So Terri decided it would be a great joke to gather bunches of partial rolls of toilet paper and "gift" Karen. It really was hilarious.

Speaking of Karen, I hope she doesn't mind that I'm going to tell about the contest she participated in recently. A local radio station was giving away $500 to the best time saving tip. Karen entered with her tip of using white vinegar in the dishwasher instead of the expensive rinse agents. I thought it was a GREAT tip!! Well, it was good enough she won $50. Not the top prize but still yet. Congratulations Karen!! I have the dishwasher running as I type with white vinegar in the rinse dispenser.

We also had ENTERTAINMENT at the Knit-In!! Anita is an accomplished autoharp-ist. (Is that the appropriate way to say that? lol) Not only does she play well she sings too! She played a couple of songs for us. Here she is just starting to play.

This is Anita singing the next song where she taught us to yodel. I could tell she's taught more than one crowd how to yodel. Yay Anita!! Thank you so much for playing and singing for us. You made it a very special evening.

On the knitting front: For some reason the Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran in Quartz caught my attention last night. As usual I had to take a skein to the table to see if I could bond with it. No problem. It's nice and cushy so it passed the squeeze test. Then I rubbed it over the inside of my forearm. Wow. It is a lucious feeling yarn. I found the pattern for an Irish Hiking Scarf on the net the other day and fell in love with it. So!! That is what I'm knitting with the Silkroad Aran.

If you read Knitter's Review you probably read about these needles on the newsletter Clara put out this week. (If you haven't discovered Knitter's Review please do!! It's a great resource plus a fantastic enabler for knitters! www.knittersreview.com) Anyway, I discovered these needles a few months ago. I rarely ever use DPN's but I fell in love with the tin. My hardest decision was whether to buy a size I might need or to choose the tin color I liked best. Sigh!!! the size of needles won out. These needles are very pricey for 5 DPN's. $28. Yikes. I'm almost embarrassed to admit I paid that much but I was really buying it for the tin. I was a bit disappointed when it arrived and I saw it was so small. I thought it would be a larger tin. Anway, I won't be paying that much for anymore. I had made that decision previous to the not-so-good review Clara gave the needles. But since there seem to be issues with them maybe they'll reduce the price OR maybe they'll sell the tins for needle storage!! Hey! That isn't a bad idea!

This is the latest on the cuff down sock I've been knitting. As you can see I'm at the end of the toe. No, I've not done the killer kitchener stitch yet but I will once more attempt to do so. Grrrrrr!! I'll be using a video on the internet that is supposed to be excellent. Keep your fingers crossed for me!! If I'm successful with this toe, I'm going to start a pair of gift socks immediately. By the time I finish those, I'll be ready to finish the second sock of the Chameleon.

MIA at the knit-in last night: Emily, Linen and Nina, Christy, Shelly and Rosemary. Ya'll missed a fantastic Knit in!!

All Saints Day

2006-11-01T07:52:00.000-06:00

In my last post I asked for soup recipes. I got a few that sound really good. I haven't tried any of those yet as I had one recipe I found on a blog a few weeks ago that I was dying to try. It was for Potato Cream Cheese Soup. It was a comedy of errors trying to make this recipe. First I didn't have many of the called for ingredients. So I made a run to the store and got what I thought was everything. You know how that goes!! lol I had to make like 2 trips to get everything. Then we had a warm spell...I want soup when it's cold outside!! Anyway, last night was the night. I got home early and changed clothes and got in the kitchen to start this soup. It called for two large potatoes, shredded or a package of the Simply Shreds. I have a food processor so I shredded two large potatoes. I started the onions and celery saute'ing and was excited about this soup. Well, when I added the shredded potatoes to the chicken broth/onion/celery mixture the picture didn't look so good. The mixture turned into an instant thick concoction and long story short, the shreds did not cook very quickly. I thnk I stood and stirred so the mess wouldn't scorch for over half an hour. I went ahead and added the milk and cream cheese hoping that would be the miraculous turn and it was not. I ended up pouring the whole thing down the garbage disposal. So!!! I'm ready to try one of the other recipes posted on my blog. Surely I can't mess one of those up!! lol

Can you believe this? (Plaque in picture above) SOMEONE (aka Margaret) had the NERVE to give this to me! I don't have a single clue why I'm to blame.

Sunday I dropped by Gourmet Yarn to knit a bit. Nina and Linen were there. Linen has to be the sweetest dog in the whole world. Here she is loving and soaking up lovin's from Susan. Linen later give my arm some good doggie kisses. Lexi sure was sniffing me when I got home. She knew Linen had kissed her mama.

This is what I've been working on in the knitting area. I am so determined to learn how to knit a wearable sock that I started this cuff down and will conquer Kitchner if it KILLS me!! It's not too much further until we find out if it does. Maybe I'll live to see Christmas this year. :-)

And the lovely Lexi says all is well with the world just let me sleep.

Soup/Stew Recipes

2006-10-27T09:21:00.000-05:00

Ok, this will not be a knitting post obviously. I thought I'd ask you for your favorite soup or stew recipes. I love a good soup or stew. I have a great made-from-scratch (yes, that means from chile pods) chili recipe I'll share with you later when I'm at home and have access to it. I also have a veggie beef soup recipe that is cooked in the slow cooker. So please share your soup and stew recipes with me!

Also, today is the day Susan B. is having her surgery. Please keep her in your prayers.

Blog Filler

2006-10-26T10:14:00.000-05:00

1. FIRST NAME? Kay
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My dad said Kaye Starr but the aunt who was like a mother to him was Katherine. She and my mother didn't like each other so he knew he couldn't name me Katherine so he got close.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? last night
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? No, I hate it. In my old job when I had to leave notes for someone, I'd type them out.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? pastrami
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? yes.
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? This is as close as I get these days.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?No lost them at age 5.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Hell no.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? My fave is Sugar Crisp. The one I eat most is Rice Chex.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? not if I can slip out of them.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? yes.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? B & J's anything chocolate
14. SHOE SIZE? 8 1/2-9
15. RED OR PINK? Neither, I have my daddy's red headed complexion...I have enough red and pink without adding to it! lol
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? That I can't get motivated to lose weight.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My daddy
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? nope.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black slacks, blue sweater, black mules.
20. LAST THING YOU ATE? A bagel
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? two coworkers talking in the other room
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Willow Green
23. FAVORITE SMELL? Thanksgiving Dinner smells
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Margaret
25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? If they come across as sincere and real
26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON YOU GOT THIS FROM? I don't know her, I just follow her blog!! She seems nice!!
27. FAVORITE DRINK? Coke or fresh brewed iced tea
28. FAVORITE SPORT? You've got to be kidding.
29. EYE COLOR? Blue
30. HAT SIZE? have no idea.
31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? no
32. FAVORITE FOOD? Comfort foods
33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? happy endings only
35. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter over summer but Fall is my favorite.
36. HUGS OR KISSES? Assuming this means man/woman, kisses.
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? German chocolate cake or chocolate cheesecake
38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? i dunno
39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? everyone??? lol
40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Knitting Rules by Stephanie Pearl McPhee!
41. WHAT’S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? None, I use a tracball
42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Desperate Housewives (recorded)
43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? a voice
44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Beatles
45. THE FURTHEST YOU’VE BEEN FROM HOME? Mexico City or San Francisco
46. WHAT’S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? good listener.
47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Hominy Oklahoma
48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? nobody, i copied from Vanessa

Yarn Accountability

2006-10-21T09:32:00.000-05:00

Ok, I decided this would be a yarn accountability post a few days ago. I was just slow in getting pictures taken.

This is a skein of Hempathy (you know, the kind Terri has an affinity for!). It's mostly hemp and cotton. I'll be knitting washcloths with it.

This is another skein of Blue Heron Rayon Metallic. Yay Margaret!!!! If you haven't been in this week, she has a beautiful display of this same yarn in several colors plus some rayon seed or is it bead?? Anyway, it's equally as gorgeous with a slub like texture. This is what I used to start my clapotis and found out 550 yards in a dk weight isn't enough to finish the clappy. So many thanks to Gourmet Yarn.

This is a skein of Anne by Schaefer Yarns. The different greens called to me and we bonded. Needless to say that means I had to buy it. I was reading an old Vogue Knitting the other day and read that Anne by Schaefer is Nancy Bush's favorite yarn to knit socks. Available in many lucious colorways at Gourmet Yarn. (Margaret, about that deal we made for shameless plugs.........) :-) Inspection by Lexi.

This is some sale yarn I found in Texas a few weeks ago. It was too good of a deal to pass up and the plan is to knit a sweater for CIC kids.

This is another purchase that will end up in a CIC sweater. Either the yarn or the color has been discontinued, can't remember which. Sorry.

In the book 25 Cushions to Knit there is a pattern for a pillow called Dewdrop. It's lace and is beaded. I couldn't resist. Although this isn't the color I had intended, again the price sold me. Now to get some beads that will fit the yarn. I need 2800. That sounds like alot of threading. It may take awhile, or weeks, hey...maybe years!! Stay tuned.

And last but not least some kitty porn. I realize there are a great many who will NEVER see this side of Lexi. She only poses like this when it's just me around. Unfortunately I didn't capture the best shot of those beautiful spots she has. Oh well, you'll have to make do with her lovely white tummy.

Hope ya'll have a great weekend and enjoy the crisp cool air!

Love of Animals

2006-10-14T22:03:00.000-05:00

One of my earliest memories is of living in Cushing in this house that had the entire front and back yard fenced. I remember this small dog who came up to the fence gate in the front yard. She came up to me several times over the course of a few days and I petted and loved on her. I knew not to open the gate, I wasn't allowed to but I did. I wanted a dog so bad I was willing to break the rule and let that dog into my yard. I latched onto that little mutt and I guess my love of her was so great my folks caved. We didn't have alot of money back then and the care and expense of a pet wasn't in the budget. A few weeks passed and my parents realized this dog was pregnant. There was no way they could afford the one dog let alone a whole litter of puppies. So one Sunday after going to Sunday School and church we came home to a yard missing one dog. I cried and cried but the dog was gone. Fast forward about 25 years and some how the topic of that dog came up and my folks told me they had a friend who had a farm. He agreed to come pick up the dog while we were gone and take it out to his farm and give it a home. I felt tricked. Even after 25 years...but then I had a shoe to drop also. That is the same time I told them I knew who that dog belonged to and didn't tell because I wanted the dog. My, my, my...the lengths a 4 year old will go to in order to get a dog! lol I have a feeling that family didn't want her as we lived right down the street. They had to see that she was in our yard...so I don't carry much guilt about that.

When I was 10 I had to walk home from school and cross this one lane wooden bridge. We'd moved to Sapulpa by then. I remember a big bunch of us kids on the bridge when a large Buick or Oldsmobile tried to cross. The car tires had planks to run on and even though it was a one lane bridge we kids had plenty of space on either side to walk. This day there was a puppy on the bridge. It was so cute and I had not quite made it to the puppy when the lady driving the car rolled the window down and asked me to call the puppy to the side so she could pass. I called the puppy but the lady was in a hurry and started driving and ran over the puppy before it could get off the plank. I remember screaming and screaming that she was ON the puppy and she finally just drove off. She didn't stop to see about the dog or me. I was pretty hysterical by the time I made it to the house. My mother called my dad and told him he needed to come home from work and why. He came home and gathered the shovel and a box and walked down to the bridge. The puppy was dead by then and he picked up the puppy and buried it by the creek. Needless to say that was a very traumatic event in my life. One I've never forgotten.

All of this telling of stories to explain that I am a great animal lover. I cannot stand to see an animal neglected, mistreated or abused. I truly believe that you can tell the true character of a person by how they treat animals including those who don't belong to them.

This is Linen. I believe I introduced her on my blog a few weeks ago. She is a service dog. No, she doesn't always wear her little coat that announces that. In fact, I think myself along with many others know Gourmet Yarn is her second home. There aren't many who come into the back sofa section that don't get a very friendly happy greeting from Miss Linen. She does not jump on anyone. She just sniffs and wags her tail. Happy to make new friends. Notice her pretty bow on her collar? She had a beauty appointment earlier today. She was bathed and groomed and feeling very beautiful. If you go someplace where there is a pet like this and you don't want to be bothered, kindly ask the owner to get the dog. Linen doesn't realize there are people out there who don't want a beautiful four legged friend like her. She's just giving her unconditional love.

This little girl usually sniffs me over when I've come home with Linen scent on me. She didn't sniff long today....I think she is used to Linen's scent even if she's never met her. Lexi knows her mama has a lot of love to give to not only her but other cats and dogs she may come in contact with. That's the way the world should be in my opinion. Hope everyone has a great weekend!! Rain is coming and I can't wait!

Felting

2006-10-09T22:13:00.000-05:00

What is this??? It's the Market Squares Entrelac Bag!!! FELTED!! Actually it's drying. I placed a small bowl inside the bottom and then inverted the felted bag over it so the bottom of the bag will have some flatness to it. I'm rather pleased with how this came out. I used Cascade 220. It always does so well. I was a little surprised in that it shrunk more in width than it did in height. It appears to be very sturdy. I was afraid it would come out a little wonky as my black edge at the top was not exactly perfect. lol

Another shot. The bottom "flower" in black came out more like a flower than the starburst of the other tiers. It's drying and I'm guessing it'll take a couple of days. My plan is to buy some black leather straps to attach to the bag and then give it to my favorite bag lady, my oldest niece who happens to be a sophomore at Colorado State in Fort Collins.

Miss Lexi was wanting to perch on a high spot tonight. Something about the blinds caught her attention and she would not turn to face the camera. The little toot!!

She later jumped down and again wouldn't look at me but I snapped the shot anyway. Hope everyone had a greet weekend. I'm still trying to rest up after the retreat. I swear I didn't know knitting could wear you out so!!!

Fall ReTREAT

2006-10-08T19:56:00.000-05:00

Ok, I can't believe I just had a fantastic knitting weekend with a great group of gals and I have NO pictures to share of that group!!!! I'm definitely slipping in my old age. Oh don't let me forget that the most wonderful golden retriever in the world was there too, Linen. I understand why Nina loves her so....she is such a good and sweet dog.

So besides laughing and talking and getting to know others better this is what I accomplished this weekend. I finished the Market Squares Entrelac bag. AT LAST!!!!!!!!!!! I started this bag in August of 2005. I worked fast and

furious on it for a few weeks but then the guilt and panic set in because of my move. So I put it down to pack and didn't pick it back up until January or so. I think I worked on it for a few evenings and put it down again. I had to have Margaret's assistance to get started. (Funny how I forget in between times!!) But then realized I had to complete the next to the last tier and then the final tier! I can't believe I put it down that close to the end. But I did. So here are two pictures before it goes into the washer for felting.

And I worked on the 2nd sleeve on the CIC boatneck sweater and completed it!! Yippee!! Now to weave in allllllllll those ends and block and seam. Hopefully I'll have this done in the next few days.

I also worked on Nina a bit, sorry, no picture.

And finally, I started this sock at least five times. I finally got it started and hopefully will get it to the short row part in time for class next week.

To those of you who haven't attended Margaret's knitting retreat, you need too. It's so much fun to have a big room full of like minded people, working on beautiful objects. It gives me great motivation and ideas.

Thank you Margaret for putting on such a great retreat.

What Season Are You?

2006-10-05T07:01:00.000-05:00

You Belong in Fall

Intelligent, introspective, and quite expressive at times...

You appreciate the changes in color, climate, and mood that fall brings

Whether you're carving wacky pumpkins or taking long drives, autumn is a favorite time of year for you

What Season Are You?

A Social Hobby

2006-09-27T19:39:00.000-05:00

I saw this book at Gourmet Yarn the other day. The title obviously caught my attention. I know I picked it up but I guess I didn't really pay attention to what was inside. So today I thought I'll look it up on Amazon and see what it says about it. There was one review, I'll not go into what the person said but one thing that did jump out was her comment about knitting becoming a social hobby. That caught my attention. I picked up needles (after 20 years and a less than dismal start) about 2 years ago. I knew pretty quick that I needed some lessons so I'd learn how to do it right this time. That desire led me to take some classes that fueled a spark I'd never felt over a hobby before. That ultimately led me to Gourmet Yarn and to a never ending group of women, many I'm happy to call friends, and the socialization I'd yearned for ever since I moved to the metro area.

When in a conversation with someone I used to say so-n-so told me there is a new store going in at X Y intersection. Now I often have to say....who was it who told me there is a new store going in. Did I lose you? lol Before I knew the small circle of people I'd talked to and now I talk with so many more (from my social hobby) that I have to THINK and remember who told me what! lol That is not a complaint. It amazes me what each individual can bring to the table, be it a cool pattern they found, their humor and wit, some beautiful yarn I'd overlooked, or a sincere desire to learn more. I hope this never ends.

Oh, the only person who hears that line from me is poor Lexi. Bless her little kitty heart.

Sunday Update

2006-09-24T10:10:00.000-05:00

Although I have neglected my blog for a bit, I have been knitting. So I thought I'd take today and give you an update on my WIP's.

This is the boatneck sweater from Minnows, Too. This is the one I'm knitting for CIC. As you can see I have one sleeve completed. The hold up? Picking up stitches on the other side. Sigh!! I'm rather clumsy at it and cuss like a sailor while attempting to do so. Because of that it isn't a task I want to do while at Barnes and Noble or at Gourmet Yarn. I'm sure you understand.

Bet you thought you'd never see Nina again, huh? lol When I hesitated at picking up stitches on the boatneck, I hastily grabbed Nina. The Nina Shawl from Mason Dixon Knitting has a sure and steady stockinette stitch. No heavy concentration just sure and steady rhythm with enough color change to keep it from becoming boring. A project easily knit while visiting with friends or distracted by traffic in a book store. I even did fair isle while in Barnes and Noble the other evening!! I don't know why I cringe so, it isn't all that hard. I can do continental in the knit stitch but I have to drop each color while purling. It's just not as smooth and rhythmic as single color knitting. I'm half finished with this last section of fair isle. As you can see it's a rather short rectangle. I think since I appear to have sufficient yarn that I'll add some color on each end before I complete the ending ruffle. What do you think? Any suggestions on how I should mix the colors?

Lexi votes for spots. Too bad I don't do intarsia.

Enjoy this beautiful weather!!!

What kind of knitting needles are you?

2006-09-23T10:48:00.000-05:00

What kind of knitting needles are you?

You are "turbo" charged.Fast moving and classy, you get things done with power and grace. Your expensive tastes can be deceiving, since what you really value is quality and efficiency. As you're careening around those corners in life, finishing a dozen knitted objects each month, stop and smell the roses. Don't miss the beauty of process!
Take this quiz!

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Boatneck Sweater

2006-09-14T08:44:00.000-05:00

Last night I finished the front or was it the back? Is this the front ? This is the Boatneck Sweater from Minnows, Too by Jil Eaton.

Or is this the front? lol Who knows!! But I'm glad they both came out pretty much identical. I hope I didn't offend too many people in Barnes and Noble last night. Shelly, Shanidy and I grabbed some comfy chairs and knitted and visited. It was so nice to see Shanidy again. And as usual she was knitting on some great looking socks. Oh...back to my offending comment....I did my first three needle bindoff and I'm afraid I said more than a few choice words aloud. Shelly didn't shush me so I think the worst was damn. lol So now the next step is to pick up stitches to start sleeves. What fun!!!!!!!!!!

And here it is opened with the two shoulder seams completed.

Btw, Shelly was practicing her creative writing skills last night....so if any of you hear any stories from her about ME....that is what she's practicing. :-)

And Lexi says....thank you for not making me model that sweater. This is her basking in her sunbeam yesterday morning. She has the softest hair on her tummy. Too bad she doesn't like it touched. I think I have a scratch on my arm from not resisting!!

September Knit-In

2006-09-09T21:42:00.000-05:00

I think this was the most popular gal at tonight's knit-in. This is Linen and I hope her mama doesn't mind I'm showing her sweet baby's picture on my blog. Isn't she gorgeous!? She is the sweetest dog. She's a service dog and has a very important job to do but she also manages to charm everyone in the room.

Once again we had many new faces. The crowd was a tiny bit thinner than last month but not by much. MIA: Emily, Karen, Jan, Susan and Kristie. I know Karen was on her way back to Oklahoma. I don't know about the rest.

We had plenty of good desserts tonight. Cookies, cheesecake, more cookies, Hello Dolly's, and many more I can't recall. We had some good olive spread and some other goodies. And I won first prize for my cocktail meatballs! Yay!! Oh wait...I finally spent my last gift certificate (won for my Better Than Sex Cake months ago) last week!! lol Darn, I just can't seem to get rid of those things. (Just kidding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) lol

I saw Margaret's new yarn. It is gorgeous. Lovely fall colors and soft soft touch. I apologize as I didn't take pictures of anything except Linen it seems.

I finished the back of the CIC sweater tonight and cast on the front. Rosemary finished the sleeves to Jamie's sweater tonight and she was very happy.

This little girl was happy to see me but boy did she sniff out my hand and arm that was covered in Linen kisses!!

This was taken a few weeks ago. No, she is not cross eyed, just enjoying her "sit" in the cool tub. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Loops on Labor Day

2006-09-04T19:50:00.000-05:00

I had a great day today. Shelly, her daughter Amanda and I drove up to Tulsa. Shelly drove (I think she's afraid of my driving....although I am a first hand witness AND survivor of a red light infraction) and so I had LOTS of knitting time. As you can see in the picture to the left I am nearly finished with the front of the CIC Boatneck Sweater. I do have to admit that navy tweed is a sharp looking yarn. First we stopped at Chimi's on Cherry Street. I think Shelly and Amanda fell in love with the fresca salsa. Chimi's does it up right!

Next we traveled to Utica Square and went to Loops. It was Shelly and Amanda's first visit there. With Gourmet Yarn as my all time favorite yarn shop, Loops comes in at a close second. They had a 25% off sale on the project wall and this is what I left with. Three skeins of the softest Blue Sky Cotton in natural color. I swear if you didn't know it was cotton you'd think it was cashmere or alpaca. It's soooooo soft!! Speaking of alpaca, I knew Plymouth did a smaller weight alpaca than the Baby Grande and I found some. So I have three skeins of that in lime. One skein of Cotton Classic for some bright washcloths and two skeins of Claudia Handpainted sock yarn. It may become a triangle scarf or something other than socks but it sure does have a nice squishy squeeze to it!!

And when I arrived home Lexi let me know it was a nice day to sleep while the rain came down.

Chalks and Startitis

2006-09-03T09:41:00.000-05:00

I just read in The Yarn Harlot this week that she suffers from startitis as I do. Terri and I went to Gourmet Yarn yesterday to spend the afternoon knitting and visiting. I had the Nina Shawl and a washcloth to work on but that just wasn't enough. Shelly has been tempting me to knit for the CIC kids and the idea formed in my head that a sweater for a child in Russia would serve two purposes: one for me to cut my teeth on a sweater!!! and two for some child to have something to keep him/her warm during the freezing cold. So here we are, to the left is the picture of the front of a boatneck sweater in navy with red stripes, barely started! I love the look of tweed and this is 100% superwash wool. CIC requests at least 70% wool. The navy had some slubs of red in it so I thought the red tweed would be the appropriate color for stripes. The yarn is Smart and in DK weight. The pattern calls for size 5 or 6 needles and wouldn't you know it, after swatching I have to use 7 and 8's. ;-( Size 8's are almost like telephone poles to me. Although the up side is the knitting goes faster.

Terri was telling me yesterday about her class at SNU. This past week they had to bring a momento that meant something to them. I was thinking of that this morning and immediately thought I would have taken a box of conversation hearts. Seven years ago today, I lost my Daddy. He was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in March of 1999 and died in September of 1999. Looking back, the spot on his lungs showed up a few years before he was diagnosed. But because it was contained and showed no growth and since he was a former smoker, the doctors just made him have lung x-ray's every six months to keep watch. No diagnosis at that point. Once he was diagnosed, the doctors wanted to blame it on smoking even though he quit 25 years before his death. He was a career Southwestern Bell employee and in his early years had handled asbestos coated telephone lines long before they knew how dangerous that was. He was very fortunate that it didn't show up for 36 years after exposure. In most cases it shows up 20-30 years after. I believe it was the asbestos that caused the fibrosis. Anyway, I look alot like him as I have his round face,his pale skin, his true blue eyes and his upturned nose. He had a good sense of humor and he was never mean to anyone. He had a soft spot for animals and as you probably already know I took that and "perfected" it a bit. lol Daddy was a freckled red head. His mother died when he was two so his grandmother and aunt raised the sibling group. Since he was the baby, my great aunt doted on him. She was the other bread winner in the extended family group (in addition to my grandfather). The lived in Cleveland, Oklahoma but she worked in Tulsa. She often went to Tulsa to shop too. She'd always ask the kids if they needed anything as she was going to "the Brown Dunkin" in Tulsa. My dad would say "Aunt Katherine, would you please buy me some freckle cream?" She'd smile and tell him he should be proud of his freckles as they were the marks left on him when the angels kissed him. I get my storytelling affinity from my daddy also. He always had some interesting stories to tell and of course, as small kids we'd beg him to tell us things about his childhood. He's the one who when I asked how he came up with my name told this story: He claimed the Kay was for Kaye Star who he thought was a great singer. And when I asked where my middle name came from he told me this story. He was in the car driving to the hospital to pick me and my mother up to bring us home. On the way he saw this bum laying in the ditch. He stopped to give the guy a ride. He started talking with the bum and learned his name was Lee. He decided that was a good name only I needed the girl's spelling of Lea. That was just a joke but that was my dad. Always teasing. When we grew up and left the house, Daddy started buying us candy for Valentine's Day. It started out as a card and box of conversation hearts, which we called Chalks. My sister and I didn't like chalks but Daddy did and that was his signature gift to us. I finally convinced him after years of boxes of chalks that he needed to put the "lates" on the chalks.....choc-o-late. And he then started giving us the signature box of chalks plus the 4 piece box of Russell Stovers. lol It took me awhile but I started saving those boxes of chalks. I probably have 7-10 boxes stashed in different places. The one in the picture is the only one I could lay hands on today. It just seemed right to post a picture of his signature Valentine's gift today. I know he's in heaven, getting to know the mother he never knew and playing Yahtzee with his sister and listening to her squeal when she rolls seven of a kind, talking with his dad and oldest brother and hugging the aunt who was like a mother to him.

The Face of Innocence

2006-09-01T20:37:00.000-05:00

You've probably seen my comments on other people's blogs stating that Lexi never bothers my yarn. I can practically drape it across her and she might chew on it (if I let it happen) but she wouldn't go after it or anything. I was very cautious when I first started knitting because I was worried she might get into my yarn and not only mess with my knitting/yarn but could possibly get herself tangled in such a way that it would hurt her. Oh don't think that can't happen!! lol YEARS ago when I had sister cats, Thunder and Lightning, I left some balls of yarn in a basket at the end of the sofa. This was back in the days when Michael was in grade school, I was working on my degree at night and we often didn't get in for the day until almost 10 at night. I walked in and found Thunder suspended almost in midair an inch or so above a dining room chair. She was suspended in yarn!! Apparently she and Lighting had a yarn tossing party and Thunder was so tangled it was nearly cutting between her toes and wrapped enough to suspend her. So I have personal knowledge of cats and yarn possibilities!! lol So today I came home at noon and walk in the house and this is what I find. It was in the den when I left for work this morning. Hmmmmmmm how did it get from the den to the hall?

"Yarn? What yarn?"

Strreeeetchhhh......."let's see what you are talking about."

"I swear I don't know how it got in here."

Right!!! lol

Closing with a pretty sunrise from a few days ago.

The Queen of Procrastination

2006-08-27T20:08:00.000-05:00

I am the Queen of Procrastination. Why? This picture of two WIP's or UFO's, however you prefer to word it, are prime examples. The Market Squares Bag to the left was started a year ago this month. I put it down when I moved the end of September. Well, I put it down before then as packing became the number one priority but I didn't pick it back up until December or so. I knitted on it until I reached the point I only have 2 or 3 tiers to finish. Now these are small tiers. It's the bottom of the bag. They do not have all the stitches the regular sized tiers have. But I lost interest. I started something else, although at the moment I can't recall what. Fast foward to this summer and here is the Nina Shawl. I only have one more striped section, the fair isle section and then the ruffles on each end to complete it. I am dreading doing the fair isle and it was not that difficult! So I procrastinate. And instead of using the knitting time I had this weekend to finish one of these items, I started another project.

This is it. Not a major project. Another one that will bring some gratifcation pretty quickly. It's a washcloth. One that I plan to use!! I am one of those who prefer a thin washcloth. So I went to Hobby Lobby and bought some Sinfonia yarn for $3.99. It's not actually yarn. It is really several strands of thread twisted together but it would make a thinner washcloth. So I started this one Friday and it's the Baby Fern stitch. It has a hint of lace and this is a learning project. So far, so good. Size 4 needles so it may take awhile longer than the last one.

This is Number Twelve. Yes, I have a new knitting bag. Lantern Moon with lime green silk lining. It's made from a sturdier substance than the origami bag. So it should hold up better. It flares at the top and when I transferred everything I had in the origami bag to this one, it only filled it up 3/4 of the way full. And it isn't bulging on the sides.

And to add that girly-girl feature, it too has a sash to tie at the top. No pockets in this one but I found I really didn't use those I had in origami bag.

And Lexi says the bag matches her eyes perfectly. In addition to that, she's a pretty contented kitty.

Finished Object!

2006-08-24T22:25:00.000-05:00

This is Swish with a Twist from Creative Knitting Magazine. Karen, thank you for bringing this pattern to my attention. I was in dire need for a quick and easy gratification item. This was it. It's too pretty to use. I'll just tuck it away probably. I have a few I knitted a year ago out of cheap cotton Hobby Lobby yarn and I don't use those either. lol It seems like such a waste of precious knitting stitches. I guess I'm more of a process knitter.

Now I never noticed how much the camera could mess up a color. But this is the same washcloth as in the above picture. It looks blue not aqua! How strange! Anyway, the color in the picture above is true this picture is not.

And Lexi says: do you see what I have to go thru? Sigh!

Hot August Night

2006-08-20T21:27:00.000-05:00

I grew up hearing how hot the month of August was the year I was born. My mother told me they were so poor that she couldn't afford to buy but one or two maternity outfits. Because of this when she'd stay home and not venture outside, she'd put on a skirt she wore previous to pregnancy but the skirt had the stomach cut out. She wore a maternity top that covered her swollen belly but she'd never go anywhere in this. She also told about putting a wet towel over the fan so the fan would blow a cooler stream of air. One evening while she was trying to find some relief from the heat, someone knocked on the door. She was so embarrassed as it was the local preacher and his wife coming to call. You can't exactly turn them away at the door!! So she sat there trying to keep the top over her bare pregnant belly. Oh wait....I went waaaaaaaay off my point here. lol Like that is a surprise to any of you who know me?? lol The point was that the summer of 1954 was one of the hottest on record. I do remember a summer a few years back that broke that record. But I think THIS summer is breaking all records. So with that in mind it would stand to reason that my air conditioner pooped out a month ago with a freon leak. Two weeks later my whole block lost electricity for 6 hours. A week after that my car battery dies with the strain of this wicked heat. Then last night my whole block loses electricity AGAIN for 6 hours. And as I woke up this morning I realized my air conditioner is once again not working correctly!! I was very fortunate that the heat and air company came out and got me cool again but it's not over. They will come back tomorrow to see if there is a leak in my unit out in the garage. And if they find no leak, they know someone is tampering with my AC unit. It seems when they came today and looked at the unit outside some cover on the box was put on upside down. They didn't cover it like that last month. I haven't touched it, shoot! I haven't even looked at it. I asked if this was possibly how a thief would turn off the unit in order to steal the copper from it and they said absolutely. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!! I can't believe people could stoop so low period but especially so when it's so miserably hot!

Ok, I'll step off the soap box now.

Today was August Guild meeting. I think we had the largest group so far!! I counted 34 heads. I took a few pictures and if Blogger cooperates I'll have those posted with this blog. We had a program on socks. Ginny had many nice pairs of socks she's knitted over the years for the group to see. She had plenty of reference material she has obtained. She will post those links to the Metro OKC Knitter's Guild site so they'll be accessible to guild members. We had show n tell and I have to admit that is my very favorite part. We even have some jr. guild members who knit some mighty fine looking items. Susan wasn't able to make the meeting today because of health issues. I'd like to ask everyone to keep Susan in their prayers.

After guild I had the best group of friends meet me for dinner tonight. Margaret, Karen, Emily, Shelly, Rosemolly, Terri and Jan met me at Alfredo's in Moore. We had a great time and we didn't get kicked out or told to be quiet a single time! lol (And Margaret calls us troublemakers!!!) I got some great birthday cards and some lovely gifts. I noticed a couple of "themes" to my cards. There were two cat/kitten cards and SEVERAL seemed to have old ladies on the fronts. Hmmmmmmm, do you think they are trying to TELL me something??? Ok, ladies, I may be the oldest of that group but only by five months!!! lol I took my camera into the restaurant to take pictures and then forgot all about it until after Terri left. So I didn't take any pictures at all. Sorry!!

These are some of the gifts I received. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! And can you imagine this? I got three gift certificates to my favorite yarn shop!!! Yippee!!!!!! Oh? what shop? Gourmet Yarn of course!! And just to step over to the mushy side, all of you really make me feel good that I have all of you as friends.

I started the washcloth from the pattern Karen gave me. After four aborted starts, I think I finally have it now!! lol It sure does help when you read ALL the instructions. This is called Swish with a Twist from Creative Knitting magazine.

My name is Kay and I have an addiction......

2006-08-13T14:38:00.000-05:00

Count them, ten knitting bags. Oh, make that eleven, one is in the car trunk.

These are thirteen of the WIP's that I can find.

This is the Market Squares Bag I started last August. I only need a couple of more tiers to finish. I don't care for the colors so I lost interest in it.

Next to it is the Nina Shawl. It could very well become a finished object. In fact, it shows more possibility than any of the others. lol

There are supposed to be 4 WIP's in this picture but I turned the camera angle a bit so Susan would see I too have an inspector. For some reason she was really showing an interest in that green/blue sock yarn. But the coils of the circulars also capture her attention and she likes to try to chew on them.

Here is the unfinished Clapotis. As most of you may know I don't have enough of the Blue Heron Yarn to finish. The shop where I purchased it doesn't have anymore. Margaret has sent a couple of emails plus David called the company trying to arrange to start selling it and they won't answer!! If anyone has an in with Blue Heron please let me know. Otherwise, this clapotis is going to the frog pile. The white/black/green/red is Lexi's Christmas Stocking and the pink on the dpn's is a hat for my niece.

The lavender is an unfinished baby blanket, the fushia/purple is a hat for another niece and the lime green is a second hat for a niece.

This is an unfinished pillow cover. This is Classic Elite Summer Tweed 03. My first purchase at the Woolie Ewe. If you recognize this yarn you are remembering it from the yarn I keep in a decorative basket. Oh, I heard a rumor the Woolie Ewe is up for sale. Please, please, please let it not be true or if it is please let good people buy it.

These are my needles I have collected in the beginning. I found out pretty quickly that long sticks and I do not get along. I was soooo happy to discover bamboo and nice wooden needles and then Addi Turbos!!

Ahhhhh, here are some better needles. Well, except for those horrid plastic telephone poles. Ugh. I had to buy those for the first knitting class I took. I still can't believe they had us use such huge needles.

Notice those adorable pointed ears and the faint stripes on that kitty face. She has to inspect everything I photograph. More wooden and bamboo needles. Yes, I know there are 3 bamboo needles there. I found the fourth later.

Oh boy!!! Circulars!! Lexi's fave! I didn't count the needles but as you can see I have bunches. And Lexi wants to leave teeth marks on every cord.

This is my latest acquisition. Haven't used them yet but I will. They are lightweight, pliable cords, nice pointy tips and smooth joins. I highly recommend them.

I bought this swift last summer. I wasn't too adept at using my feet or the parts of furniture to hold skeins for me while I wound yarn.

And the winder.....two wonderful pieces of knitting equipment.

Notice the expression on her face? See how her eyes are almost glazed over? What on earth is she looking at??

This!!!

And this!!

And oh wait.....

There's more!!

I got up this morning thinking I'll clean and do laundry today. Knit in between chores, relax, fix a very late lunch and relax in my gown. About 30 minutes after I got up I thought I know I have another 40 inch circular size 1 or 2 Addi Turbo. I'm having a devil of a time trying to learn wrap stitches and I wanted to swatch and practice on yarn other than my Regia. I turned and looked around me and realized my "nest" was encroaching on my chair. No way could I find those needles without going thru everything. It was time to organize my yarn stash and knitting bags and needles and oh dear.....books, magazines and patterns too!!!

So I started by pulling all yarn not currently attached to a project and started filling big bags. I found unused needles and projects I knew I'd never finish. I frogged those and put the needles in the needle pile. I pulled loose pages of patterns I've copied and tried to get them all in a single stack. Then I remembered I had a couple of bags in the closet. I go and load my hands and realize I can't get them all so I turn and work on what I have in my hands. Go back to the closet and get the others I see, sort thru all of it. Then I remember...there's more!! In the other bedroom I find several sacks of yarn that I'd just piled up when I brought it home. Grab that and sort thru it, not remembering some of it. I sit down and think....where's that Olive Berroco Suede? The purple Brown Sheep yarn in the zip-lock bag? Oh wait, I have some Kid Silk Haze somewhere and four skeins of Noro Kureyon too!! I start digging and searching and I pull out more. As soon as I get finished with one load I remember some other yarn and start searching. It took me most of the morning. I have an addiction. It's really bad. I've only been knitting for 20 months!!!

So here's the challenge....I dare you, no I double dog dare you to show your stash of yarn, bags and needles. (Lord, help me I didn't even try to show the knitting books I have. lol)

Oh, I do hold the right to update the stash pictures....why you ask? Because I know there's more hiding in the closets somewhere.

Yarn, yarn and yarn!

2006-08-12T19:34:00.000-05:00

I was on the road by 8:25 this morning. You know it has to be something really good to get me up, dressed and driving by that time on a Saturday!! I drove over to Karen's and we jumped in the car and headed north. Why? Today was the big anniversary sale at GOURMET YARN!! I missed the first anniversary sale last year as I was out of town so I was ready for the second sale. You can never tell how long it will take to get from Norman/Moore to Gourmet Yarn because of the traffic. Today we made great time and pulled into the parking lot at 9:30. The lights were out, was Margaret there? I called and she wasn't answering. I know she comes in early and always gets a bunch of work done before the doors open. I understand the calm and peace of no interruptions or phones ringing etc. But Karen and I wanted in!!! So we drove around back to see if Margaret's car was there, yep!! So I pull up to the back door and Karen hops out to knock. She turns to come back to the car when Margaret opens the door a little surprised at who she finds. She thought it was Sandy but nope only two of her problem children. She kindly lets us in but we have to behave. So we chat a bit and then people are starting to gather at the front door. Margaret says we're gonna get her in trouble and kicks us out with everyone else until the store opens. lol Okkkkk, we'll be good. Karen and I had pretty much planned on what we were going to get anyway. So once the store opened we immediately gathered the definites we knew we wanted.

We started a pile on the table. After all, I'm really into "bonding" with my yarn before I make my final purchase. Sometimes I need the yarn to talk to me for awhile before I pay for it. This is my pile and you can catch a glimpse of Karen's stack in the background.

This is Terri's modest pile. Emily shared the loveseat with Karen and knitted on her aran afghan. She was very good as she'd hit some yarn shops while on vacation.

It's kinda funny Terri, Karen and I all sat down to knit with our potential purchases in front of us. Here is Terri working on her toe up sock she started last week.

Here is Karen checking out a new book and Emily browsing thru some vacation pictures on her camera.

These pictures were taken before lunch. It's probably a good thing. lol We piled into Margaret's van and ran to Bahama Breeze. We decide we need a nice drink with our lunch. While we are pouring over the drink menu it occurs to me that we are laughing and carrying on so that they might just refuse to serve us as one MIGHT think we've had a few before we walked in the doors. lol I ordered my first mojito. I have a friend from Cuba who has always told me how good those are but I've never had one. It was decent. lol You have to remember I'm not much of a drinker and when I do a nice margarita on the rocks is good for me. By the time I ate my lunch and finished the tumbler sized mojito, I was very glad I wasn't driving. We make it back to the shop safe and sound but I know I'm not getting behind the wheel any time soon. I'm such a cheap drunk!! lol And just for the record, I did not get behind the wheel for at least two more hours. So OKC was safe!

And here it is!!! This is the pile of my purchases. Can you see the theme? Blues and greens....I'm so predictable!! lol

This is Cascade Quatro and I plan to make a felted bag out of this yarn.

This is an ambitious purchase. Regia Silk Sock Yarn!! I'm gambling on the fact that I WILL learn how to knit socks. lol I can do a toe up and I can start a cuff. It's the heel and wraps that is the challenge. Rosemary tried to show me Thursday. I was getting the wrap down ok, it's the one single stitch that I kept pulling up that was wrong. lol

This picture is a little dark. The outer two skeins are a heathered olive. One of these days....lol....I plan to knit a child's sweater for two reasons. It will be a learning lesson for me and as long as it's wearable it will go to some child who needs a warm winter sweater.

And this is the Angora Karen and I spotted last week while at the Knit-In. I love how soft this yarn is and the color just looks so elegant. I think I'll knit a scarf out of this but for the meantime it's fondling yarn.

And that is it. We arrived before the doors opened and left at 3. I love spending time with my friends who share a common passion. I think we'd have a great time together even if we were not knitting but that just puts icing on the cake. Mmmmmm, angora cake? fluffy fuzzy icing......the colors and skeins are floating thru my head.

Socks, fairies, feet and crayons

2006-08-07T19:43:00.000-05:00

Did I get your attention with that subject line? lol It means this is a hodgepodge of subjects in my post tonight. Saturday Terri was talking about Stephanie aka The Yarn Harlot and her recent post on the fairy doors in Ann Arbor. I had to admit it caught my attention and I went to read her post that night to see exactly what she was talking about. They are very whimsical and I can imagine how excited children get when they find one. Then it occurred to me, I keep fairy food in a bowl just in case a fairy comes to visit me. I've had this for over five years now and thought I would post a picture. For some reason

I find it very soothing to pick it up and let it run thru my fingers.

A few weeks ago I was talking to some people about old dishes. I read a book a few years ago and one of the characters had an eggcup collection. It was called Carlton Walkingware. It piqued my curiosity so I looked it up on eBay and sure enough it really exits! I ran across my salt and pepper pots, as they are called in England, a few weeks ago when I was unpacking some boxes. I still haven't located the tea pot. It's hiding in some box somewhere but here is a picture of the salt and pepper pots. And below is

a close up of the feet. I understand these are no longer made and so are collectables. Some have striped socks, some have dots. They come with different colored shoes and socks.

This is the toe up sock I started Saturday in sock class. I love this yarn. It reminds me of a box of crayons. Which brings me to another topic I was discussing with Shelly awhile back. I have a friend who seems to disapprove of my yarn purchases. Her comments are: have you finished with what you were working on the other day? what did you do with the blue you bought when we were there last time? or everytime I come over I find another bag full of yarn. It doesn't sound very supportive huh? lol I've even heard other knitters make similar comments. I have decided this might be the best way to "explain" the need to buy new, more or different yarn when we may have a room full untouched. Do you remember when you were grade school age and you were into coloring? Remember how you'd grow tired of using the sky blue, or the orange-yellow or the salmon crayon? Remember how you'd grab a different crayon say maybe the burnt sienna or the periwinkle or midnight blue and you'd feel invigorated again? Well, that's how I feel about yarn and projects. I get tired of the melon colored yarn with the stockinette stitches and feel the need to work on Bathing Beauty in lace with the sage green yarn. It's a different crayon and it invigorates me. When I grow tired of that one I can always go back to the melon crayon and work towards the end. So if you have someone in your life who makes those disapproving comments to you about your stash, remember you have the right to color with a different crayon color.

The Problem Children Sock Class and Knit-In

2006-08-06T09:22:00.000-05:00

Well, as you can tell by the first picture, we found some humor in our toe-up socks. I don't know exactly how this came about. I mentioned it looked like a duckbill and then someone else said a nose cover and before you know it Karen and Anita were modeling for us! Aren't they adorable?

Here is a different view. Anita was disappointed yesterday when I didn't label her a problem child, well Anita, I don't think you have to worry anymore. You fell right in step with the rest of us!! lol See what Margaret had to deal with??

See?? lol

We came to the conclusion that Margaret may have a note at the counter that reads something like this: Karen, Terri, Anita, Jan, Kay, if any of these people call to schedule for a class DO NOT under any circumstances let them be in the same class together. Terri or Karen one hinted that it was by 2 that Margaret started her first drink. lol If only she had!! Maybe she would have felt a bit more relaxed. lol (I promise she didn't drink anything harder than pop.)

This is Cathy. Do you notice her sock and how it compares to the rest? One MIGHT think she was the good student who knitted right along while the rest of us played. Well, there could be some truth to that but she was actually on her second class while the rest of us were just starting the first. Whew!!

Fast forward about an hour and here are some shots of the Knit-In. It's getting very crowded on Knit-In nights. Margaret, David, it's time to elbow the people out of the office next door. Can you imagine how many people would come to knit-in if everyone had a chair?? lol I've also noticed there are many new faces at the knit-ins. And as always, plenty of good food. I'll name a few of the faces at this table (or the backs of heads as the case may be lol) Jen if in the red with her back to us, Susan to her right, Nina, Judy. Across the table, the lady with the long hair is Carolyn's daughter I'm guessing. I didn't meet her but she looked like her mother so I feel my guess is a good one. lol And Carolyn is sitting next to her. Sorry I can't see the other faces at the table.

At the table behind ours is Beverly, Susan, Jennifer, Sherry and Margaret. Karen is knitting at our table on a bag for the Pursenalities contest. I think it will be gorgeous. I don't know how Jan and Terri slipped out of the picture taking but they did. There were a couple of faces missing, Emily and Christy. I don't know Christy was but Emily made a call to us from Beaver, Utah. Emily, if you only knew what kind of conversations started after your call. You would blush, I know I did. lol There were three immediate beaver stories. Jen told one about her using that topic (bald) in class and how in her innocence she didn't realize what it's "other" meaning was. Jan told a story about one that was shaved. And Terri told one about a beaver sighting that became "hers". lol It was so funny. The room was rolling. Margaret did give us some assurance that when we feel guilty or sheepish that we are the ONLY ones who talk about such "blue" subjects in her shop, that we were not the only ones. lol WHEW!!! And now I'm wondering how many hits I'll have on tracksy from some young boy looking up naughty things! If you are one of those who hoped to find the naughty stuff, all three of our stories were innocent!! lol

And here is Rosemolly knitting away with her Harry Potter scarf wrapped around her. Sometimes I wonder if she ever thinks...what is with these older women??? lol

If you missed knit-in you missed out on some good fun. Anyway, that is how I spent my Saturday. I'm sure Margaret and Terri will have their own posts about this. So be sure to check their blogs in the next few days.

Nina and Bathing Beauty

2006-08-05T09:02:00.000-05:00

Here is Bathing Beauty 3/4 finished. This has really been a fun quick project to knit. Karen taught me how to do a provisional cast-on. I made it up the center section only having to frog a couple of times and even then it was only necessary to frog a few rows. I learned one new stitch while knitting the top section and that was sk2p. Just in case you don't know that one either it's slip one as to knit and then knit 2 together, slip the slipped knit stitch over the k2tog. Pretty easy in my books! I was really smiling when I saw that V lace pattern appearing in the top section. Now I have to undo the provisional and pick up 45 stitches to do the same on the bottom. I feel confident.

Here is the Nina Shawl. That wide black section at the top of the picture is the halfway mark. Wednesday night I completed the hot pink section so I'm on the downhill side. I have to reverse until I have the other end looking like this half. Then it's pickup time again to knit a black ruffle on each end. I think it's looking pretty good if I do say so myself.

Tonight is Knit-in at Gourmet Yarn. I made Paula Deen's "Not Yo Mama's Banana Pudding". It looked pretty tasty before I put a cover on it. Today promises to be a knitting filled day. I'm taking a Toe-Up Sock class with Karen, Jan, Anita and Terri. I hope we don't cause Margaret too much trouble. With the exception of Anita, I'm afraid Margaret has a class of problem children. Oh well....I bet we have fun no matter what. A one hour break and the knit-in begins!! Oh this will also be probably the earliest Jan and Karen have ever made knit-in. ;-)

And this is the lovely Lexi asleep. I was trying to get a picture of her little clay-colored nose peeping out and I did but look at those feet, spots, stripes and touches of white. She is the true beauty.

Knitting and staying cool

2006-08-01T19:43:00.000-05:00

As most of you know Lexi is my sweet four legged daughter. What you may not know is one of her fears. I didn't discover this fear until I moved from Tulsa to OKC. She is afraid of ceiling fans when they are turned off. I guess in the condo in Tulsa she didn't notice that ceiling fan as it hung from a vaulted ceiling. But when I moved to OKC I had two ceiling fans. One was in the living room and the other was in the dining room. I noticed when I took her there for the first time but it didn't click with me that she was afraid of the fans. I just thought she was scared period. Once she got out of her carrier, she growled, hunkered to the floor and tried to find a hiding spot. It wasn't until a day or two later that I noticed she would sit in the hall and not enter the living room or dining room. Once she did she growled and did the hunker to the floor-get across the room as fast as she could-thing. She was also staring up at the ceiling fan. That's when it dawned on me and I turned the fan on. I can't imagine what she may think they are when turned off except possibly huge insects or spiders on the ceiling???? lol Anyway, we moved to this place last fall and now I have a ceiling fan in the living room and one in the bedroom. It's right over my bed. Needless to say, for six years now I've left the ceiling fans on year round. When the temps started getting so hot this summer I turned the ceiling fan in the bedroom up to high. Lexi doesn't like this either. She hates to have a fan blowing on her. So she has been sleeping in the extra bedroom this summer. Last night I gave her a bit of dry cat food. I feed her every morning and I only had enough to give her one last serving for this morning. So when I woke up this morning (which was about an hour earlier than normal) I sat up on the edge of the bed and all of a sudden she is at the doorway of my bedroom and meow's at me in a very loud and annoyed tone. Then she turns and runs from the doorway. I guess she was impatient but not impatient enough to enter the bedroom with the fan blowing so fast. lol She wanted her food!!

Ok, knitting stuff. This is the start of Bathing Beauty. I've only had to frog it once. That's a new record for me. lol Or maybe I should keep my mouth shut or I'll jinx it! This is the center section and you start with a provisional cast on which Karen taught me. Once I have the center section finished I'll pick up and knit the frilly top and bottom. It's a quick and fairly simple lace pattern. Talk about quick gratification!!! Yay!!

I ordered a new circular needle from Knit Picks a couple of weeks ago to try it. I love it! The points are more pointy than Addi Turbo's but sometimes that is very desirable. Also the cable is very thin and flexible. The only downside I can see so far is the needles are not marked. Anyway, I was impressed enough that I ordered the set tonight. I also ordered the size coded discs so I can easily see what size needle is in use.

This promises to be a week filled with knitting! I'm taking toe-up with Karen, Terri, Anita and Jan at Gourmet Yarn on Saturday. Then Knit-In is at 4! Yippee!! I LOVE knit ins! Hope to see you there.

What a week.....

2006-07-30T09:41:00.000-05:00

This has been a great week of knitting. As most of you know here in OKC the week started when Stephanie aka The Yarn Harlot came to town. I'm posting more pictures taken at the library and at Gourmet Yarn at the book signing. I thought this was so cool. The pictures I posted earlier in the week had two ladies I didn't know. It was a "crowd" picture I'd taken at the library before Stephanie came into the room. I got a comment on my blog the other day from one of the ladies telling me they were the two on the front row. How cool! They are from Kansas and drove all the to OKC to see Stephanie.

I have heard from other attendees that we had a group of ladies come in from Fort Worth. AND we had one lady from Alaska!!! It is so thrilling to hear about people coming from afar to this event.

Here is another shot of Stephanie taking her sock/crowd picture.

This is Ellen, a lady I do not know, and Sue waiting patiently in line to get their books signed.

Here is another great shot of Margaret and Stephanie, each holding their sock.

This is Sandy, Margaret and Susan (all Gourmet Yarn shop people) getting their books signed. I believe that is Anita with her back to us and Linette who was part of the reception committee in the background.

And this is Susan and Carolyn holding their books with Stephanie.

And Jennifer, this is another picture of your mom!

Oh, in the first picture on this post, that is Rosemolly and Katie on the front row knitting away!!

So this has been my knitting week: The Yarn Harlot on Tuesday, Wednesday I met up with Shelly and Rosemolly and knitted, Thursday Karen and I drove up to Gourmet Yarn and sat on the sofa to knit. It was pretty funny.....when we arrived the sofas were full. One sofa cleared pretty quick so Karen and I grabbed seats. Eventually we noticed Katie and Kevin were on one sofa and Karen and I sat on the other so we had a K group. Yeah I know...silly but funny in any event. Then Saturday Karen suggested we go sofa sit again so we went back to GY. Eventually Anita and Terri joined us. And I understand we'd just missed Susan and her visiting sister. With weeks like this I wonder what I used to do before I knitted. Hmmmmmmm?

Knitting WIP's: I'm still slaving away on the Nina Shawl. I've reached the halfway point and am on the downhill slide but barely. I started a cotton bathmat Friday night. It's addictive. Then Saturday while sitting next to Karen and seeing her do a provisional cast-on, she taught me to do the same. So we both started our Bathing Beauty washcloths. Yayyyyyy!!! Next week Terri, Anita, Karen, Jan and I are going to learn toe-up socks. Margaret, I'll be in the special needs group so I'll need LOTS of assistance. :-) I hope you are ready. lol

The Wonderfully Funny Yarn Harlot!

2006-07-26T08:10:00.000-05:00

The crowd gathers....Anita said there were 138 chairs (hope I got that number right). At first I thought Ok, nice crowd I bet we'll have around 80. Someone did a headcount at some point and said 113. I was close!! Originally I guesstimated between 80-100. People LOVE the Yarn Harlot.

Susan and Karen both while away the time by knitting a few stitches.

And here she is!! Taking our picture. With The Sock. She truly is one funny woman. She had the whole room laughing. Even the few guys who braved all the women were seen laughing. Could it possibly be the first time they had heard that a knitted Willy Warmer pattern exists?? lol And the way she explained the "engineering dynamics" was a snort and a laugh into itself.

I LOVE this picture. I think Margaret should put it on her website, permanently. For that matter, maybe Stephanie should also.

Below are pictures taken at the book signing. Emily gave Stephanie a tornado! Thank God it's only a toy and not the real Oklahoma deal!!

The line for the book signing was long but it moved pretty quick. Stephanie was a real trouper about personalizing any and all books. She jumped up for constant pictures with other knitters and their socks. She also started collecting quite a few gifts. The girl was making out like a champ!

And this was after all the books were signed and the nerves were gone. My biggest regret is that the place was so loud I couldn't hear the conversation, darn it.

But the best thing of all is that Stephanie and Jayme both were left with one helluva good impression of Oklahoma knitters and I don't think they'll forget us any time soon. Not to mention that any time they hear the song Oklahoma!! they will remember how the whole room stood up and sang our state song. We did a mighty fine job, even the newer Oklahomans!

Sunday Sunday

2006-07-23T14:45:00.000-05:00

These are some pictures of two pots of petunias I have out on the patio. As you can see the purple and whites are doing very well.

Even though I planted in self watering containers, I find I have to water every day. This heat has been so intense I think it evaporates or the plants are needing more water than usual.

I took these pictures a couple of weeks ago when this pot of petunias were doing well. I went out this morning and every bloom appears to be eaten back to the spines that hold the bloom at the base. It almost looks as if someone took a lighter and burned the flower except it's not singed. This is the second time I've gone out and found this pot of petunias like that. Does anyone have a clue? Is it some kind of insect? But I can't figure out why whatever does it to this pot and not the purple/whites. Weird!

I found this picture somewhere in my travels on the net. I thought it was sweet.

On the knitting front, I spent most of my Saturday at Gourmet Yarn. I sat on the comfy sofa and knitted while Margaret taught classes. I feel a tiny bit guilty as I heard some valuable tips in the seaming class. lol Hopefully, when I ever knit an item that has to be seamed I'll remember what I heard. Anita came in and sat and knitted for awhile also. Of course we talked about the upcoming visit of Stephanie, The Yarn Harlot.

I knitted on the Nina Shawl while at Gourmet. I also fumbled around and figured out how to do a provisional cast-on. BUT, it's very very messy looking. lol This is a new washcloth pattern and I thought I was doing pretty well when I realized I had 47 stitches and not 46. It was going to mess up the whole pattern so I frogged it. Isn't that what I do best???? lol I've also started a baby blanket for charity knitting. I pick it up when I want something mindless and a different color to stare at for awhile.

If you haven't been in Gourmet Yarn in awhile you need to stop by. Margaret has gotten some beautiful wood cabinets and the whole front of the store is completely different. It amazes me how the different display shelves show the yarn so well. Two of the cabinets make the novelty yarn just POP. I also found out yesterday that Margaret has carried some yarn that I've never noticed in her shop before, Rowan Summer Tweed. I knew she carried Rowan but I'd never noticed the Summer Tweed. Anyway, the shop is looking great. She still has the sofas and they are as comfy as ever.

My Bloginality

2006-07-21T07:17:00.000-05:00

My Bloginality is ENTJ!!!
My Bloginality is ENTJ!!!

Let it snow! Let it snow!! Let it SnoooooooW!!!!!!

2006-07-20T08:59:00.000-05:00

With all this talk of global warming, I had a discussion with a friend of mine. He believes this scorching July we are having across the country is a result of global warming. I'll have to be honest, I haven't read that much on it. I have enough concerns with taking care of my job, my chores, my life and Lexi. When I start reading about what's going on in the world I tend to get very depressed. Now please don't think I totally stick my head in the sand. I do pull it out every now and then and read or listen to a bit but then I have to go hide again. But back to the weather. What I have noticed more than anything is it seems our seasons have jumped up a month. For instance, I had to turn the ac on in April instead of May. I believe the last two summers July was our warmer month and August was unseasonably cool. Sorta like September used to be. Has anyone else noticed that?

I'm at work and don't have access to my pictures. So I found some on the net that I hope brings some relief to those of you who read this. I could really use some good wet snow right now. If that happened right now, then I might take some notice!! lol

I put Tracksy on my blog several months ago after Shelly told me about it. I love that little feature as I find it so interesting to see who is reading my blog. Well, it doesn't tell me WHO but it tells me (most often) where they live. I have noticed two "faithful" readers who I don't know in Atlanta, Georgia and the other in Manassas, Virginia. Hi!!! Whoever you are!! lol Thanks for reading my blog. Ok, enough with the shout outs, back to my original train of thought. lol Often times I'll have someone who plugs in some words to search on and my blog will pop up on their list. I have been pleasantly surprised at how many people search for "terms of endearment" and my blog pops up because of my post on that subject a couple of weeks ago. I had another search yesterday that was a search for "kay". Hey!! I was smiling that my simple name and my blog amongst hundreds and thousands popped up in that search.

This morning though, I found out someone did a search on some words that I don't know if I like. They did a search of "fondling + petting + pictures". Yuck. I have a sick feeling they were not looking for a blog that talks about fondling and petting yarn and showing pictures of knitted items. That kinda gave me the creeps.

Stay cool out there!!! Winter is on its way!!!

Nina Shawl and record breaking temps

2006-07-18T20:28:00.000-05:00

If it wasn't bad enough locking my purse, keys, knitting and lunch in the car on Saturday, I woke up Sunday feeling a little warm. I thought it was just me. Got up, got around. About noonish I was getting ready for guild and realized I was perspiring like the house was warm. Check the thermostat and it's reading 5 degrees higher than I keep it. Hmmmm, I close all the blinds and leave for guild. Come home and yep, it's 80 degrees in the house. It was a little warm that night, stuffy and warmer the next morning until the a/c guys got here and gave me a freon fill. Ahhhhhhh. I actually got cold last night and had to bump it up. Nice feeling then but it made outside feel all the more brutal. I do not know how people who have to work outside do it. I'd die. lol Of course, the fact that I'm lily white and have worked indoors all my life might contribute to my intolerance of the sun. lol Something has to give and soon. Please!!!!!

Guild had around 27 people attend on Sunday. Kathy showed us some entrelac examples. She had a felted entrelac bag that looked great. Maybe it will motivate me to get my market squares bag out and finish those last few rounds. Some day. lol

The picture above is the latest of the Nina Shawl. It's moving along nicely. Please ignore the drop of condensation from the can of Coke. It did dry and there are no spots.

I want to ask a question of you. I am thinking of knitting my first sweater. I have some requirements (as far as my desired yarn). I want a DK weight yarn and a natural fiber. I do not want anything that pills. I'd prefer cotton since I'm pretty warm natured. What yarn would you suggest?

This picture of Lexi was taken a few months ago. She was a sleepy girl tolerating me taking pictures of her in my bed and the flash going off in her face. She's such a sweet baby.

Sweltering Saturday

2006-07-15T22:13:00.000-05:00

When I moved to Oklahoma City in August of 2000, everyone was complaining about how hot it was. I was very puzzled as I thought it was a pretty mild summer. I was talking to my mother on the phone about the fact and she mentioned something I had not thought of and that was the wind blows more here and the humidity isn't nearly as bad as it is in Tulsa. That's the area I had lived in most of my life until the move here. Hmmmm....that made sense. Well, since then I still thought the summers here were mild compared to what I was used to. That is until this summer. I wished I could pack up

and move to San Francisco or somewhere in that area where it's so much milder in temps and doesn't have the humidity we have here.

I left the house mid morning with plans to go to Gourmet Yarn to pick up my flyers to post regarding The Yarn Harlot's visit on the 25th, and to have lunch with Margaret. I made a few stops, picked up a few items and then went to Gourmet Yarn. I have this purse I bought a month ago. It's the largest purse I've ever owned. I now hate it. It's so big and cumbersome. I put it on the passenger seat when I drive.

I had the purse and several other items on the
passenger seat. I turned the car off, cracked the windows and I guess I hit the electric lock. I sure don't remember hitting that lock. But I also put my keys in my purse. I got out of the car and shut the door. Walked around to the passenger side to gather my items and the door is locked. I locked my keys in the car!!! lol This is the second time in my life I've ever done that. I went into the shop and got the phone book and started calling locksmiths. Did you know those 24 hour/any day places are often not open? They have a message machine to gather messages.
And you know how that could turn
out. You might hear from someone by Monday! lol I kept calling and finally caught a man who was on the road, the Hefner Parkway, and heading north. He was there in about 12 minutes and unlocked my car. Whew! I was sooo glad. I felt so foolish. But when I told him this was the second time I'd ever locked my keys in the car, he informed me I had one more time coming. Ugh!!! lol I carried my keys with me in the yarn shop for awhile after I got in. I felt so much better with that key in my hand.

On the knitting front, I'm still working on the Nina Shawl. It's coming along nicely and I have to tell you, I get bunches of comments from people about the color combo and pattern. It's an attention getter I guess. I managed to spend the rest of the day knitting on the sofa while Margaret taught a sock class. Karen was taking the class but I think we sat and talked on the sofa most of the time. I was teasing her and Margaret about the sofa being the special needs spot. lol

For tonight's viewing pleasure, I took some pictures of the clouds the other day after one of our very needed storms. I love how the sun lights up clouds behind stormy clouds.

Tomorrow is the July meeting of the Guild. It's at Belle Isle library, north side entrance, 3-5. Bring your knitting, any show-n-tell items you have and enjoy!! Hope to see you there.

The Assembly of the Blanket

2006-07-11T20:09:00.000-05:00

I promised Susan I'd post pictures of our earlier efforts. This is the only day most of us got together and put this together. I was rather surprised we made so much headway. We not only made the decision of where to place the blocks (this was NOT easy lol), we managed to stitch all the blocks into two larger sections.

Rosemolly, Anita and Shelly.

Terri and Emily.

And this is Susan looking at her blanket for the first time. I think it would be safe to say she was stunned. In a very good way!!

Our Newest Knitter....

2006-07-08T20:14:00.000-05:00

This is Ginny. Rosemolly's baby and Shelly's grandpuppy. She is our newest knitter. Need I say more?

Nina Shawl Update

2006-07-07T21:41:00.000-05:00

STRIPES!! I just love this color combo. I never would have dreamed I'd like a bright pink but with the zinnia orange, I love it. This is a very simple knit with the fair isle being the biggest "challenge". And it really isn't much of a challenge. Believe me. It's the colors that just reach out and grab me.

As you can see I've made some progress but not a lot. Isn't it funny how a job can get in the way of our knitting? Hopefully I'll get some serious knitting done this weekend.

You didn't think you'd read a post without some Lexi content did you? lol I wished I knew how to put those captions in that Crazy Aunt Purl uses. I could really have some fun with this picture because contrary to popular believe cats can talk. When I got Lexi she wasn't much of a talker. My previous cat, Thunder Kitty, was a talker. I'd ask her a question and she'd reply. So it took me awhile to get Lexi to respond to me. Yesterday morning I was gathering my stuff to leave for work. The eastern sun was shining thru the back door and kitchen window and Lexi LOVES her sunbeams. She was rolling around on the floor in the sunbeam talking to me. What was she saying? She was telling me she needed some foot lovin's before I left for work.

And this is the routine we go thru most mornings. It always includes foot lovin's but the sunbeam is a nice extra. It was difficult taking this picture. lol I usually have to put a hand on something to keep my balance and she went out into the middle of the room (that's where the sunbeam was) so I had to pull a chair over to hold onto, balance, rub my foot down her side AND snap the picture. lol She rolls from side to side so I can rub each side with my foot. Once in a blue moon she'll roll over onto her back and let me give the tummy spots some foot lovin's. But most often the tummy spots are off limits.

A Lexi Post

2006-07-06T21:29:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you've all heard some people say cats have no personality. I tell anyone who says that to me that they have not paid enough attention to a cat long enough to know. lol As I was starting to type this post I heard this strange thumping in the bathroom. I knew what it was but got up to investigate anyway. Lexi was in the bathtub chasing her tail in the dark. When I stepped in she froze to look up at me. She was so excited and ready to zoom thru the house. lol Last night I had put her freshly washed and dried blankie on her chair. As you can see in the first picture she was enjoying it very much. She showed her tummy spots!

In this picture she is contemplating trying to capture that tail again. She knows she'll never really catch it, that isn't the goal. It's the chase that matters! I think she also knows she's entertaining her Mama also.

This is when she settled down. She loves to sit in the cool dry tub in the summer. I think she likes to cool "things" off. lol

I knitted two nights in a row on the Nina Shawl. I'm past the fair isle section and into the melon and orange stripes. I'll take some pictures in the next day or two for an update. It is such a striking color combo. I'm really pleased with it.

I also joined the Mason Dixon KAL. Someone on that site modified the Nina Shawl and made a dish towel!!! I might just have to do that. It would be a quicker gratification, that's for sure.

Don't forget, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee aka The Yarn Harlot will be here in OKC on 7-25-06. If you can make it into town we'd love to see you there!

Happy Fourth of July!!

2006-07-04T16:07:00.000-05:00

This is not only the birth of our country but the first anniversary of my blog. lol I didn't realize until the other day when I went back in archives that my very first blog entry was on the 4th last year. Time sure does fly.

The Nina Shawl Begins!

2006-07-03T10:20:00.000-05:00

Here it is, the beginning of the Nina Shawl from Mason Dixon Knitting. I fell in love with the color combination used in the book so I had to pick the same colors, although, I saw a picture somewhere on the net of a beautiful blue and green combo. Oh well. This is Classic Elite's Provence. The book called for the hot pink (more melon to me), zinnia orange, black and celedon. Now I don't know about you, but when I saw the picture in the book, that did not look like a pale seafoam-ish color to me on the checkerboard section. So, I opted for white. I think it goes better and looks more crisp and clean. I also decided I wanted a seed stitch border instead of the garter stitch. I also wanted it wider than the 5 stitches called for in the book. The checkerboard is knitted in fair isle. I have no problem using two colors on the knit rows. The purl rows, well let's just say I drop and pick up. lol It seems to be working just fine. This is a very easy knit with the fair isle section the most difficult but it isn't even that. Probably just a bit more tedious.

If you were at the last guild meeting you'd know what this is. But in case you didn't make it, this is a CD container. JoEllyn gave us a tips presentation. This was one of her tips. I work with a couple of new college grads who burn CD's alot. I asked and one guy brought me an empty in days. This particular case is a soft plastic and not the easy-to-break type. I used an ice pick to make the hole. If you have a delicate yarn, JoEllyn suggested you roll up a piece of sand paper to file down any rough edges. As you can see, my yarn cake of Provence fit pretty well. I'll admit at the very beginning I didn't know if it was going to work. It was a bit snug but has been fine so far. Usually with Provence I do an outside pull as it tends to tangle up on itself but the inner pull has worked really well with the CD case. Yes, it does have a spindle on the bottom and the yarn cake fit fine around it. Pretty cool idea, huh? Thanks JoEllyn!

Margaret carries the colors of Provence for this shawl at Gourmet Yarn. After seeing that blue-green combo, I might have to check her stock and see if I can find those too.

This is Miss Lexi, acting nonchalant and cool. Isn't she doing a marvelous job?

Knit-In Cookout

2006-07-01T22:32:00.000-05:00

Tonight was the cookout at Gourmet Yarn's Knit-in. We had a pretty good crowd (considering most of my buds didn't show up!! ;-) ) I think Margaret's knit-ins are getting so popular she's going to have to rent space to hold all of us. lol We had a great time. Rosemary commented on how neat it is to see what everyone is working on. I know what she means it gives me motivation and inspiration.

This is David, Margaret's partner, who just also happened to be the cook for tonight's cookout. He did a darned good job.

Here are some pictures of tonight's group. As you can see, heads are bent, fingers are flying and we're getting somewhere.

Rosemary caught me aiming my camera and smiled for the picture. She doesn't have her cardi on in this picture but I noticed the green in her cardi lights up her green eyes. She also won the first place prize for her guacamole.

A clapotis update: I need another skein of yarn and the shop I purchased the yarn at is out. Margaret is one smart woman. She has seen how people love that yarn and love the feel and touch of it. She's ordering some and I'll wait until she gets hers and then I'll finish the clapotis. Which if you read my blog very often, you know it just gives me a reason to start something new!!!! lol So I cast on and managed to knit about 11 rows on the Nina Shawl from Mason Dixon Knitting. There is something about that color combo that just grabs me. I'll post a picture when I've made more progress.

But to finish off tonight's post, I'll leave you with a picture of the Lovely Lexi, Queen of the top of the office chair.

Terms of Endearment

2006-06-27T12:32:00.000-05:00

It occurred to me last night that we all have some rather different terms of endearment we use for those we love or care about. You see, I talk baby talk to my Lexi. I also talked baby talk to my son when he was a baby and my nieces and nephew. Humans grow out of the baby talk era but my pet never does. So needless to say, I have a quite a list of terms of endearment that I use with Lexi. She is: sweetie pea, sugar plum, cute toot (don't ask lol), honey bunny, love bug, pretty kitty, good kitty, my striped girl, loosey goosey, cuddle buddy, snuggle girl, silly goose, and my sugar puddin'.

So this got me to thinking of the terms of endearment I've been called by my family members. And those are: snickle fritz, hon, Lady Astor, Kallee (my sister couldn't say my first and middle names when she was little), sweetie, K-K, Katrina, and sugar puddin (my grandmother gave me that one). Funny, when looking at that list my mother only had two: snickle fritz and Lady Astor which she called either myself or my sister so they were interchangable.

My son had a few special terms of endearment: Mr. Peepers and Snookums to be precise. My mother warned me very early (like when he was 1 week old) that some of those nicknames hung on for life so to be very careful what nickname I used. She also hated nicknames. I can understand that considering her grandfather dubbed her Runt when she was just a few hours old. lol She was called Runt for years and of course, after she shared the story with us we used it when appropriate. Such as when playing Monopoly: Rent! Runt!! the Rent!! lol She had one other nickname that she still is called to this day and that is Nunna. Her brother couldn't pronounce her name and while he can today, at 60 something years old he still calls her Nunna.

My dad was a freckled redhead. Those of you who are or have a family member who is a redhead know what teasing goes along with those ruby locks. His name was Charles so his list of nicknames were: Charlie, Red, Carlos (his daughters gave him that one), and Popsicle Louie. NO ONE ever called him Chuck. He didn't like that one for some reason.

My grandfather's name was Elvest. Not Elvis but Elvest. He had no middle name. People called him Pete. Go figure. He named his second son Elvest Junior but for some odd reason my uncle had a middle initial and signed his name E.D. But we all call him Uncle June. The youngest sister of the sibling group is my Aunt Duane. I bet I'm the only one in the world with an Uncle June and an Aunt Duane. :-)

Ok, I could go on and on about family nicknames, terms of endearment and just regular ole odd names but I won't. But I would love to hear your terms of endearment.

Startitis

2006-06-25T13:14:00.000-05:00

Ok, Terri says I have startitis and I know I do. I knit and knit and knit and never have any finished projects to show. Well, not very often. I remember when I was in Bluebirds when I was a kid, one of our oaths was to finish what we start. I fail that miserably. It applies to sewing, knitting and any other craft project I start. So with that in mind, I started digging in the finished object pictures I have taken in the past year. And guess what? I do have a few finished objects.

Next Saturday will be July's Knit-In at Gourmet Yarn. It's going to be a cookout and should be a lot of fun. And speaking of July, that will be the month The Yarn
Harlot comes to OKC. We have the locations and time set. We're waiting for
posters and postcards. The marketing committee and reception committee has
met once. This is the first time the Guild has attempted something like this. I'm
sure we'll make some mistakes. I hope I don't step on any toes. There is so
much to cover that I believe anything is possible. lol I hope the end result is
that we have a great time with Stephanie and that her talk and the reception will
be everything we hope for.

Goodbye Vanessa!

2006-06-24T08:35:00.000-05:00

This is Vanessa and I know her most from our Sit n Stitch group here in Norman. Thursday was her last night with us. She's moving out of state for new adventures!!

This is a picture of her latest pair of socks she is knitting. Vanessa is just amazing in that if she sees a project she wants to knit she doesn't let it intimidate her. Correct me if I have this wrong but Vanessa wanted to knit a sweater with intarsia and went to Guthrie and got a pattern for some elaborate gorgeous sweater with a TON of intarsia. She brought it one night to our group and it is gorgeous. She did a fantastic job.

Vanessa picked up another skill and hobby in the short time we've known her, spinning. This is a skein of merino/silk that she spun herself. If she had not told us she'd spun it I would have thought she bought it at the store. Anyway, we are going to miss her so much. But hopefully she'll stay in touch with email and her blog.

And just in case you've missed my little Lexi girl, here she is hiding under the towel from the fan breeze.

Ramblings

2006-06-20T21:40:00.000-05:00

I put Tracksy on my blog several months ago. And I just realized one of the features of that program just the other day. I always look to see who (no names just locations, that's what it shows) reads my blog. I've had a reader from Singapore, London, Japan, a few from Canada and I guess I have a "regular" from Manasass, VA (whew I hope I spelled that right!!) and various other spots in the US. I get regular hits from readers of other blogs because then it shows knitterswonderland or hazelnutreflections or susinok. And almost daily I get hits from msn.com or yahoo.com. I just found out that when I click those links it will tell me what the person used in their search that brought them to my blog. Cool, huh? I was very pleasantly surprised when I found a couple of people who searched for hollyhock dolls and found my blog. I bet they were disappointed as it was only a mention in my blog and no pictures of the dolls. But I thought that was so cool.

Lots of interest going on about Stephanie aka The Yarn Harlot. We're gearing up and trying to get all the details taken care of so we have a great crowd for her. I'll tell you something very honestly, I didn't know I'd get this excited about it. lol The marketing committee is meeting for the first time tomorrow. We have lots of stuff to cover. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to put them in comments.

I've been so busy I feel like a top with my string pulled. I haven't picked up the needles much. I manage to knit a row or a partial row and that is about it. I had a nice response to a post I put on Knitter's Review yesterday. A knitter from Amarillo said she came to OKC to shop and discovered Gourmet Yarn. Bless her heart, they only have a very small knitting shop in Amarillo in addition to the regular chain retail spots. She said she loved Gourmet and the people there were very nice. I told her to schedule a shopping trip around the first Saturday of the month and to join us for a Knit-In. And that reminds me!!! A lady visited us at Guild Sunday from the Austin area. She comes up about once a month to visit her parents here in OKC and discovered Gourmet Yarn on an internet search. She said she loved the shop! (Yes, I pass this all on to Margaret...she needs to beam with pride when she hears these comments.)

Not much else to report. I swear I wish it would cool down. Here we are having August weather in June. I am scared to death to think of how the August weather will be. Stephanie, if you by chance read this, be prepared for a heat wave when you arrive!!

Have you heard??

2006-06-19T07:22:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd post this just in case you had not already heard. You'll never guess who is coming to Oklahoma!!! THE YARN HARLOT!!!!! Ok, I'll calm down now. (sorta) Your OKC Metro Knitting Guild is bringing Stephanie (aka The Harlot) to Oklahoma City. She will grace us on Tuesday, July 25th at the Village Library. She will speak at the library and then afterwards Margaret at Gourmet Yarn will host a reception and book signing at her shop. I understand Margaret is offering something special in conjunction with this so be sure and check her website/blog to see more about it. It is going to be one special evening that is for sure. If I have a reader or two within a decent car trip, come on up! or come on down! lol This surely warrants a road trip if any reason does. The Harlot is coming! The Harlot is coming!

I have Bette Davis........yarn

2006-06-17T18:55:00.000-05:00

I HAD to go by Gourmet Yarn today. Margaret got the Schaefer in this week!!! As you can see I had to buy Bette Davis. I love the red and purple color combo. There is some pink and orange in the mix but the red and purple are the dominant colors.

It's a lace weight yarn so I'm trying to find the perfect pattern. I am pretty sure I'll knit a wrap or stole from it. But I am fairly picky. I don't like frilly, foo-foo stuff. No hearts or floral motifs for me. I think I'll use the same pattern Karen was using on her buffalo wrap. It is nice, a lace pattern, no foo-foo frilly stuff.

Speaking of Karen.......She came in while I was there. Excuse my picture taking, she was NOT asleep.....I caught her mid blink. But as you can tell, how content can a woman get....pizza in one hand and YARN in the other!! My kinda Gal!!!

There is an exciting announcement that will be made at the OKC Metro Knitter's Guild tomorrow. I know some know the WHO but not the WHERE. Belle Isle Library, North Entrance, 3-5!!! Bring your current project and/or show-n-tell.

Petting Yarn

2006-06-16T21:05:00.000-05:00

I've been contemplating this yarn for a few months now. As you can see, I am weak. I went to Dallas for a couple of days and I just couldn't resist the urge to go to the Woolie Ewe. I didn't see a whole lot I couldn't live without. But I did pick up a pair of Crystal Palace circulars. Their selection was very limited so I'm guessing they are no longer going to carry those needles. Darn! My sources are drying up! lol

I was reading someone's blog the other day. And as I'm sure you must do I start clicking on other blog links and on and on until I don't recall how I find some of the ones I read. But I'm telling you this to give credit to the "unknown" blog. I read a blog where a woman talked about being a yarn collector. Eureka!!! That's me! I'm coming clean right here and right now. I don't have to pretend that I'm going to knit every skein of yarn that I own. And I don't have to have a project in mind for every skein I buy. So there! I've said it, I'm posting it and proudly admitting it. Whew!! That is such a relief and such a powerful free feeling. I was talking to my Yarn Priest on the phone when on the way back today. I gave my "confession" of my purchase. lol And I told her I might wear it out before I got back to Oklahoma. I was fondling and petting the yarn while I was driving up I-35! But as you can see in the pictures, the fondling yarn came home intact.

Stash building

2006-06-11T17:12:00.000-05:00

This is the clapotis. I haven't made much headway on it as I have not picked it up too much in the last month. But as you can see I'm to the section where I get to drop a stitch and let the yarn ladder. This is a fun pattern for me. Reminds me of the compulsion to pop the bubbles on bubble wrap. lol

This is a piece of fabric I picked up at Hobby Lobby this week. They had all spring fabric on sale for half price last week. I fell in love with the red poppies. My intent is to make a skirt from this. But reality and honesty pushes me to say it might just become another piece of a newer stash I've slowly worked on in the past two years. When I left Tulsa 6 years ago and moved to OKC, I gave away huge garbage bags of fabric. I was moving to a place where I had no room to sew or to store fabric. Somehow that little bug or worm that is inside me and causes me to look, feel and rub fabric also made me start buying fabric again. It wasn't until I'd gotten a good start on the yarn stash that I realize it's ok to have fabric just to fondle also. And to be even more honest, it is freeing in a way to admit that I do and can buy fabric or yarn just for the enjoyment of having it. If I manage to make an article of clothing or knit whatever then great, if not, I'm just stash building. And it feels good.

And another "area" I tend to build is buying books. These are some I found at Overstock.com. I surround myself with books just as I do yarn and fabric. I wonder is there a name for people like me who lust, drool and buy these items??? lol

My name is Kay and I'm a ........................

A scorcher of a day

2006-06-10T23:25:00.000-05:00

Ok, it's only June and not even mid-June and we're having August temps. I swear the heat and humidity in this state make me want to move!

I wanted to get some Bemberg Rayon sometimes known as Ambiance today. I thought if any store had it it would be Helen Enox Fabrics. Well, they don't carry it. Grrrrrrrrr J. Boyer Fabrics in Tulsa carried it but they are no longer in business. I guess I'll be ordering it online. While I was there I ran into Susan F. We looked at fabric for awhile and I didn't see anything I couldn't live without, today. lol

I later went to Gourmet Yarn and sat and visited with Sandy and Liz while they wound some feathery yarn by hand. I managed to not buy any yarn either!! Then I ran up to Barnes and Noble to visit with Emily for a bit. Then we went to get Susan B. and the three of us had dinner at Abuelo's to celebrate her birthday.

So after all the shopping I did today you'll never guess what I did buy.......a cotton thermal blanket!!! lol In this heat.....lol

Not much else to write about. No pictures. Hope everyone is staying cool.

Contagious blogging

2006-06-06T18:36:00.000-05:00

There is a person around here who has been spewing all this sewing talk. She tells all the tips she knows about alterations, fitting, fabric finds, etc. Then she pushes it even further by posting pictures!!! Doesn't she know that stuff is contagious!! It permeates your sleep and haunts your waking hours. And especially those "tween" times when you aren't quite asleep but not truly awake either, that's when I have all these color combinations floating in my mind. I promise I give her total blame for posting that contagious blog. As you can see to the left I purchased some sheer floral print for the overskirt of the as-yet-unpurchased underskirt and the solid will be an unstructured jacket. Thank God her desire for tailored items hasn't taken hold of me yet. Pray for me.

I realized at the Knit-In at Gourmet Yarn (when I forgot to bring my teacup) that I should share some pictures of my old dishes that I started collecting a few years ago. When I was a child my mother had two pieces of this pattern. She had a tea pitcher and a pie plate. Both were used in the kitchen early on and then both were put to use watering plants or acting as the saucer for outdoor plants. Needless to say, both were in poor condition. Shortly after I moved from Tulsa to OKC I went to Affair of the Heart. While browsing there I spied some dessert plates from this pattern. Wow! did it bring back some memories! I always wanted to stir the Koolaid or tea that was served from the pitcher. (We rarely used the pie plate.) But the reason I wanted to stir was because I loved the sweet pattern of festoons, pink roses and the gold trim. So when I spotted those dessert plates I had to have them. That is when the collection started. I then asked my mother about the two pieces she had and luckily she still had them. When my grandmother had to be moved closer to family, another serving bowl joined my collection. And then I started searching on eBay and in antique stores and lo and behold I think I have 45 pieces. These dishes are made by Universal Potteries. The book I have on Universal Potteries states no one seems to know the name of this pattern. Some call it Heritage. UP made many patterns and some are flat ugly. lol But this one makes me think of my youth. I don't use any of these. The quality is such I don't think they could withstand much use and especially no dishwasher! I traded emails with one lady who seemed to be one of my constant competitors on eBay. She lived in Pennsylvania and told me she never had any luck finding any pieces up east. She had a friend who she visited in Missouri once a year and that was when she collected many of her pieces.

My mother told me she thought this pattern used to be sold in the Sears and Roebuck catalog.

She also told me that back when my grandmother married many people didn't have the money to buy wedding presents. So it was common custom to take a piece or two from your set to give to the new bride and groom. That is how she obtained the pitcher and pie plate, from her mother.

You can see parts of custard cups on each side of the sugar and creamer set. They are in very poor condition. But I found them in an antique store for a very good price. So I had to have them. lol

I still haven't unpacked all the boxes marked China. So these are the only pieces I've put in the china cabinet. One of these days I'll get them all out. Probably two months before I move again!!!

June Knit-In

2006-06-03T21:33:00.000-05:00

We had the June Knit-In at Gourmet Yarn tonight. It was a tea-party theme although some of us forgot our tea cups!! lol This first picture is of Margeret, owner and gracious host. Doesn't she look gorgeous in that outfit? I really liked it and think she looks so pretty.

We had several new faces (to me) and I don't begin to know everyones name. But there are several shots of various people who were knitting with us tonight. And naturally there were so many projects that made me want to have 12 sets of hands so I could start knitting all of them! lol

This lovely lady is Karen. She is modeling her latest project. Actually it's a felted bag but we were laughing that it could be a hat and I believe Jan said like Mushmouth from some cartoon. It does sorta remind me of that character! lol

And last but certainly not least, Terri won the prize for best costume...er tea hat. She wore a pretty vintage hat and I wished I would have gotten a better picture. And Jan is pointing out her newest acquisition, her Harley Davidson shirt. I think it goes along with a bike her husband may have bought.

Next month's theme is a July Cookout. Mmmm mmmm it makes my mouth water already. Margaret and David are cooking burgers and we will bring side dishes and condiments. I think it sounds like a lot of fun. If you can make it we'd sure love for you to join us. We always have a great time with lots of laughs and good conversation.

One of my early soapbox issues

2006-05-30T16:05:00.000-05:00

This will be a quick post. Please read this article. Email me privately if you want to know the brands of products this company sells.

Memorial Day

2006-05-29T10:06:00.000-05:00

It has been a nice quiet weekend around here. But my muscles are screaming like crazy. You see, I did something I NEVER do or at least I haven't done in 16 or 17 years. I did yard work. I weeded my flower beds yesterday. I got up and was outside at 7 AM. (I also don't do the sun or heat very well either lol) So now the muscles in my butt are really sore. The last time I remember being this sore was when I planted azalea bushes many many years ago. The other "casualty" of yesterday's yardwork is my pointer finger on my right hand. There were several stubborn patches of field bermuda in the beds. I didn't realize at the time but I guess I hooked my pointer finger under the soil in an effort to grab under the roots to pull. Yesterday afternoon it was already sore and stiff. Today it is a touch better but it sure does make knitting awkward. lol

I had a lovely Saturday. It started when I went to pick up Terri for Knitty Committee and had to take a stroll through the backyard. Does anyone else remember Hollyhock dolls from their childhood? I am not talking about something you buy in a store but the kind you made from Hollyhock blossoms and toothpicks. This is a very very distant memory but when I was 3 or 4 we had a neighbor lady who lived across the alley from us in Cushing. Her name was Suzanne and she had the most fantastic braid. During the day she'd pin it up in a coronet on the back of her head but if I got over there in the morning hours she'd most often have it dangling down her back over her robe. I digress, we had a bumper crop of Hollyhocks on each side of the alley. And she is the one who taught me how to make Hollyhock dolls. Terri has some beautiful Hollyhocks and every time I see them I talk about Hollyhock dolls.

Terri and I had an early breakfast at Don's and then drove into OKC to Knitty Committee. It was a nice group. I got to visit with Emily and Susan. As you can see Susan had on her Queen of Everything shirt that Bette brought back for her from Vegas. Doesn't she look regal? After Knitty Committee we went to Gourmet Yarn to see if Margaret got the Schaefer yarn in. It wasn't in yet, darn it!! So Terri, Susan and I roamed and sat and visited with David, Liz and Sandy who were untangling a very tangled skein of yarn. Margaret was in Dallas for the weekend and happened to call while we were there. I teased her and let her know we'd emptied her office and rearranged the front of the store while she was gone. (David put me up to that lol) I wished you could have heard her response. I think for a few seconds she believed me. lol

You know how I'm always talking about how you buy some yarn that just ends up being fondling yarn? Well, over a year ago (my first visit) I was in The Woolie Ewe. I found some yarn in the sale corner that I fell in love with. I had eyed this pattern in my How to Knit book by Debbie Bliss that I wanted to knit. It's pillow covers. I found this gorgeous sage green tweed (Classic Elite) yarn. It was in the original bag. Not understanding how their sale corner worked, I noticed there was a red sticker and guessed that was the sale price per skein. So I took the yarn to the counter only to find out the final price was HALF the red sticker price. Hey! That's my kinda sale!! So I bought enough to make two pillow covers. I started knitting on it that very evening. But you've never seen a pillow cover knitted by me, have you? lol It's one of my many WIP's that I haven't touched in awhile. But I love that yarn and when I bought it I didn't have my own swift and ball winder. So I decided I needed to find a way to enjoy it's beauty as it was. And this is where it has been displayed at the old apartment and now in my Norman place.

Well, you see Officer, it was really very simple.....

2006-05-24T19:29:00.000-05:00

I've done some amazing things regarding yarn since I've started knitting but I think Monday had to be the funniest. My Yarn Priest aka Margaret asked me when I was in her shop if I would mind taking some yarn back to Norman with me. It was a bag of 20 skeins of some very soft Merino yarn for a customer who lived here in Norman. The customer had already paid for the yarn and said she'd pick it up the next time she was in but Margaret knew a way to get it to her more quickly. So Margaret calls the customer while I'm there and gives her my work number and name and tells her I'll have it and she can reach me on Monday. Monday rolls around and about midmorning the customer calls and asks where I work. I tell her the nearest corner, find out what type of car to look for, find out she's only 10 minutes away and tell her I'll be outside watching for her to just pull into a parking spot. So I'm downstairs standing on the sidewalk along beautiful downtown Norman on Main street with traffic whizzing by. I notice there are no parking spots to be had. (It gets that way sometimes until the Ticket Nazi comes around but that's another story.) Pretty soon I see a dark blue car and notice the driver is looking at me as she comes around the corner. No parking spots still so I'm walking towards the street. The customer/driver has stopped now and is smiling at me and trying to find the right button to roll down the passenger window. Cars are piling up behind her and now blocking the intersection waiting for her to move. I sling the bag of yarn into the car seat and yell "Enjoy!!" as she waves and takes off!! I felt like a drug dealer. Seeing the customer, rushing out to the street, making the drop and her taking off!! lol Ok, maybe I don't have a clue how a drug deal goes down but if you use your imagination......and I sure do hope that was the right lady!

My Yarn Priest

2006-05-21T22:10:00.000-05:00

I have a Yarn Priest. You've probably never heard of a yarn priest before but it is the name I've given Margaret who owns Gourmet Yarn. A priest you say? Yes, I ask her for guidance and she gives it. I go to her to confess my yarn sins. She either shows me the way to fix those sins or gives me absolution. She will gladly provide me with all the yarn my bank account will allow. She provides a safe haven to come and knit. She welcomes all those who desire to learn a warm and comfortable environment to learn this addictive pasttime. She doesn't know I've given her this new title. But I hope it makes her smile and beam with pride. (Can you tell she is a
bit camera shy?)

Cheap Thrills

2006-05-20T10:56:00.000-05:00

It's really sad when your highlight of the day is the thrill of buying a new electric toothbrush head and you are more tickled because of the "stitch markers".

Made some headway with the clapotis. Finished a piece one of the secret project.

Guild tomorrow. 3-5 at Belle Isle Library. I will be there but it may be in body only. Allergies/sinuses are getting the best of me.

Soap Box Time

2006-05-17T20:12:00.000-05:00

Someone has found a new hidey hole.

Ok, here is my soapbox issue. If you've listened to any of the local news stations in the past couple of days you've surely heard about Bobcat's Disease. This is a deadly disease for which there is no cure or vaccination. It is transmitted by ticks. If your cat is allowed to go outdoors it is in danger of getting a tick that carries this disease. The vet interviewed on KOCO this morning recommended Frontline. I believe it can be purchased at your vet's office. The best way to protect your feline baby is to keep him/her indoors.

Not much to report on the WIP's. I've been working on a secret project so I can't show the item. Let's just say that when trying to meet certain specifications, it slows this gal down. :-)

OKC Guild is this Sunday, Belle Isle Library, downstairs, north entrance, 3-5, bring your current project or show-n-tell.

Sunday Sunday

2006-05-14T18:09:00.000-05:00

Ok, Susan F., you've given me "permission" to post pictures of my new shoes. And no, I don't have any funny story to go along with them. No banned shoes at work, no collection to add them to. Just cute shoes I thought would go with many things in my closet this summer. Now if I can get my toes used to the thong between them, I'll be ok. lol

This is the fabric I purchased at Helen Enox a month ago or so. It will eventually become a skirt. I had it spread out on the table, pattern pieces trimmed and ready to lay out. Then had some unexpected company coming and had to put everything away. It hasn't come out since except to take this picture.

I'm a little irritated with myself for forgetting my camera yesterday. Emily, Pam and myself went to the Fiber Rendevous in Arcadia. Emily remembered her camera and hopefully will post some pictures of the event. I did get to see three darling alpacas. They are so soft and these three were freshly sheered. Later on I was sitting on a bench in the shade and I heard this child whining. It sounded like the child was pretty worn out and the whine was real low like he/she had been whining long enough he/she was worn out. I kept looking around trying to figure out where the child was. It wasn't a child. It was the alpacas. That is the sound they make. Cool, huh? There was also a baby lamb with a red bandana around it's neck. I'm not into spinning or dying so the animals were the highlight of the trip for me.

There was one sight we observed that made us laugh. We were sitting on the same bench in the shade and noticed the three alpacas were standing nose to tail, nose to tail and nose to tail. Pretty soon one lifted it's tail and did his business. The next one "observed" this bodily function very closely and then lifted it's tail and did his business. The third "observed" this same bodily function and then lifted it's tail and did the same. We started laughing about how it was such a "group event". Then we remembered when we stopped earlier in OKC for Pam to use the restroom that all three of us trooped in to do the same. Have you noticed women do that a lot? We must not be too far from the alpaca chain. lol

And to end this post, for your viewing pleasure Pretty Little Miss Lexi.

Stitch Markers and Lantern Moon

2006-05-07T09:15:00.000-05:00

Its been a great knitting weekend. Shelly and I trekked north Friday evening and met Rosemary for an evening of good food, good knitting and good company. I had been lusting over this bag for several months:

Doesn't it have a summery look to it? It's lined and that was a big draw for me. It also has pockets! One side is a slim pocket sewn at an angle for straight knitting needles and the other side has different compartments for whatever your little heart desires. I think the tie at the top just appeals to us girly-girls who love a sash to tie. This bag is made by Lantern Moon.

Saturday night Shelly and I once again traveled north only this time we headed to my favorite knitting event, Gourmet Yarn's monthly Knit In!!! Margaret chose a Cinco De Mayo theme and asked those who desired to bring their favorite Mexican dish to share. I don't think I've ever seen a spread that big before. We had chicken enchiladas, Mexican wedding cookies (my fave), sopapilla cheesecake, 7 layer dip, chile verde, queso, guacamole and many others. Margaret gave out prizes for the best three and I apologize but I only remember the chicken enchiladas and the Mexican wedding cookies as winners. I know there was a third but I don't recall what dish won that prize. Here are a few pictures from last night for those of you who could not join us.

Notice how Margaret slips her hand up to block her face from the camera? But if you'll notice in the picture with Karen, I managed to get Margaret there. lol Kristy is diligently working on her sock. From what I saw, she was doing an excellent job. Emily was working on her cowl from the Knitty site. It looks wonderful and she is almost finished. And the lady in hot pink is Jan. She was winding some yarn she'd bought to make a Pool Reflections afghan. There were several new faces of people whose names I don't know, hopefully I eventually will! I apologize for the blurry pictures, I guess I shake when I take them.

Emily suggested I post this. I have some favorite stitch markers. If you'll notice the pink and blue stitchmarkers, they are narrow bands. The reason I love them is they are flat rings. They don't "stand" above the stitches on the needle. If you'll notice the green and purple stitch markers, they have some "stand". It's my little quirk but they bother me when I can feel them standing on the needle. So what are these flat stitch markers? They are the color coded bands you get when you buy a new electric toothbrush head. lol Lexi doesn't need a color coded brush nor do I, so I use these for stitch markers. I love them so much I emailed Gillette to ask if they'd let me buy some. Would you believe they didn't even respond to me? Hmmm!! If they only knew.........

Terri and Susan, we missed you!!

Thank Rebecca for this! :-)

2006-05-02T20:48:00.000-05:00

Post a comment and...

1. I'll respond with something random I like about you.
2. I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3. I'll name something we should do together.
4. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me (or just me).
5. I'll tell you my first/clearest memory of you.
6. I'll leave you a quote that is somehow appropriate to you.
7. I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
8. If I do this for you, you must post this on your blog so you can do the same for other people

Screwdrivers, pliers and me

2006-04-30T19:30:00.000-05:00

There is a very good reason God made me a female. He knew I could do things with my hands and that my fingers would be nimble and fly at times. He also knew I probably couldn't talk very well without my hands to use for emphasis. So today I got up and my plans were to go to Hancock's (patterns were on sale). Then I remembered I wanted to go to Lowe's also to get a grill. So I get up and get around and drive over to Lowe's where about 1/5 of Norman was also shopping. Found a decent parking spot and grabbed a cart and saw all the beautiful flowers and plants. I knew the spring flower bug had nipped at my heels and especially since every day on my way to work there is a certain pot of perky petunias that wave at me from a neighbor's yard. Ok, I can look at the flowers and then go get a grill. So I passed by the zinnias and those are always good late into the summer so I grabbed four small pots of those. Then I went inside and found some purple and white petunias. They are sooo pretty. I put some of those in my cart and then saw some purple, red and pinks and had to get those also. Then I remembered I needed to get my tomato plants. I'm patio gardening so I only got two but they are heirloom tomatoes. Yippee!! I go inside and they don't have my grill in stock. Darn it. So I check out and load my trunk. Wal-Mart is just across the street and I could park on the side and slip into the garden center door. The grills are just inside. Eureka! I found my grill plus a small patio table. I load everything in the car. Off to Hancock's. I found several patterns I wanted, browsed the fabric for a very short bit, checked out and left. I decided to skip the grocery store and head home. I had a grill to assemble and some swatches to knit not to mention the usual laundry and cleaning screaming to be done. I had planned on breaking that grill in this afternoon. But that is when the assembly of the grill got to me. I thought you screwed the nut over the end of the screw but I quickly found out that I had to hold the nut and use the screwdriver to screw it into the nut. Geeez, that seems so backwards. But it was the only way it was going to work. Those nuts were in some tight, small spaces and my fingers couldn't hold it and twist at the same time. The handles, whew!!! Is there some engineering reason why the holes on the handles were placed about 1/2 inch wider than the holes on the grill?? I had to fight and squeeze this metal handle to get the holes to line up with the holes on the body of the grill and it just flat wore me out. Assembly on the grill took me two hours. God knows my hands and strength are better used on yarn, knitting needles, fabric and thread than to fight and twist and fumble with metal, screws, nuts and pliers. Thank you God. I prefer being a woman.

So this is the reason I went out:

This is what I bought:

The plant fairy gave me this pot of New Guinea Impatiens:

Susan may have the Yarn Inspector, but I have the Grill Inspector:

Linen and Koigu

2006-04-29T20:54:00.000-05:00

Terri, Rosemary and I took a road trip today. We braved the torrential rain and drove up to Tulsa to visit some yarn shops. We first stopped by Fringe. Small shop but it's more a knitting lounge with some yarn, needles and books to pique a knitter's interest. We then drove to Utica Square to Loops. There were a group of knitters at the table up front and one of those knitters was one brave man who was knitting also. I met Kendall and Shelly. Shelly owns the shop and Kendall is a designer who works there as a second job. They have some gorgeous designer yarn. I saw some Debbie Bliss Silk. I have never had such a difficult time putting a skein of yarn back in the display as I did this yarn. It is not only gorgeous but so silky soft!! No wonder it's called Silk. Lucious, lucious yarn. Next we drove over to Stitchworks on Sheridan. We were good yarn dieters there. We managed to fondle and drool and then walked away. The last store we hit was Naturally Needlepoint on South Lewis. And as you can tell by my pictures, I caved. I have been pouring over Mason Dixon Knitting and recognized the Euroflax Geneva Linen yarn Ann and Kay use for the linen hand towels. I've read before that linen washcloths are THE BEST. So I turned and fretted and couldn't decide which color to choose and finally decided to get the pinky-peach color. Then I noticed they had a pretty decent selection of Koigu!!! Yippee!! I don't know what it is about that yarn but I LOVE it! I think Rosemary and Terri do also as all three of us bought some.

By then the rain was just an annoying sprinkle or two. And we made a run to Wild Oats. I think Rosemary fell in love. She wanted to do some serious grocery shopping. But of course we had no way to keep any refrigerated items cool so that wasn't practical. We did notice a man in the parking lot loading his Wild Oats groceries into three separate coolers he had in the back of his SUV. Terri figured he drove a good distance to do his shopping and had come prepared. And all three of us were wondering why on earth Oklahoma City doesn't have either a Wild Oats or a Whole Foods Market? If any of you know the answer to that, please let one of us know.

So after picking up a few healthily prepared items from Wild Oats, Terri and I drug the vegetarian Rosemary over to Coney I-Lander. Terri and I wanted EXIT Coneys. I'm sure you are scratching your head wondering what on earth is an exit coney. Let me tell you the rules when I go to Tulsa. I am not allowed to get on the road heading west to OKC unless I've had a coney from Coney I-lander. Therefore: in order to exit Tulsa, I have to get an Exit Coney. :-) If you've never had one, you need to try it. Terri and her husband Kevin tried them for the first time last week. I think they were very pleased as they sent me a text message to say how good they were! And Kevin sent his order for coneys for Terri to bring home. lol

Once we got back on I-44 and headed west the rain was ending. Doesn't that just figure? lol We talked on the way back trying to decide what to take to the Knit-In next week at Gourmet Yarn. It's a Cinco de Mayo theme and I think I know what Rosemary is bringing. Terri won't make it as she has a birthday party to go to. I was trying to think what would be good and Mexican that wasn't salsa as I'm sure there will be several batches of homemade salsa. So I think I've come up with an idea. It's going to remain a secret for now. But I think it will be delicious!!!

Completion Issues

2006-04-27T20:35:00.000-05:00

I was a Bluebird for a year during the 2nd grade. I seem to recall there was a pledge about finishing what I start. Maybe that is why we only had a troup for one year, we couldn't finish what we started?? lol I read knitting blogs almost every day. I've tried to branch out and read some I've never seen before. While on this mission I've noticed most knitting bloggers have COMPLETED ITEM pictures. It made me realize I have INCOMPLETE ITEM pictures. I have the never ending baby blanket, the entrelac bag, socks that might get cast on but never finished, a Christmas stocking for Lexi that might be 2.5 inches long, a knitting bag I've cast on two times and frogged, several unfinished washcloths. Hmmmmmm I think I have so many incomplete items that I can't remember them all. I tried to figure out why I don't finish my projects and the only reasons I can come up with are 1. I get bored with the project and lose interest and 2. I get "startitis" and have to fulfill my need for the adrenalin rush I get starting a new project.

I also realize this problem occurs in other things I do like sewing and reading. I've thrown out so many unfinished items of clothing it isn't even funny. I can honestly say there are fewer books I've started reading that I haven't finished. Does anyone else suffer from this problem??

For your viewing pleasure, I have up close and personal pictures of Norman's Favorite Son in statue, James Garner.

Trivia question: What did his character Maverick always keep pinned on the inside of his coat?

Alphabet Meme

2006-04-25T08:23:00.000-05:00

Thanks, Emily. I will follow your lead.

Accent: Definitely Tulsan with just enough ya'll thrown in to sound deep south.

Booze: Margarita's on the rocks (I'm not much of a drinker)

Chore I hate: Cleaning the refrigerator

Dog or Cat: one adorable kitty girl

Essential Electronics: Computer, television, digital camera

Favorite Cologne: anything patchouli

Gold or Silver: Silver

Hometown: Sapulpa, OK

Insomnia: when something is on my mind upsetting me

Job Title: Sr. Case Manager

Kids: One son

Living arrangements: Lexi, yarn, books, fabric

Most admirable trait: You'll have to tell me

Least admirable trait: Negativity (I work hard to try to curb it)

Number of sexual partners: what is sex???

Overnight Hospital Stays: I've only been hospitalized twice, don't recall how many overnights it was but when I was 5 I had tonsils removed and then I was in for about 5 days when I had my son.

Phobias: Heights, snakes.

Quote: There's nothing more attractive on a man than good manners.

Religion: Raised a Methodist

Siblings: one younger sister (can you tell I'm the oldest by how bossy I am? lol)

Time I wake up: 6:30ish-7:00

Unusual talent or skill: I don't think I can tell that on here. :-)

Vegetable I refuse to eat: brussel sprouts

Worst habit: procrastination

X-rays: teeth, arm

Yummy foods I make: brined turkey; tuna casserole; salsa

Zodiac sign: a Leo of course!!

WARNING! This is a bitch/soap box post

2006-04-24T21:51:00.000-05:00

I just reached a high on the frustration point scale today. My bitch? Why is it so difficult for people (men in particular) to put information on paper?????

I worked with the public for 30 years. For 13 of those years I helped people find jobs. I know filling out forms/applications is a pain in the rear. But how else is an employer going to find out if you are THE ONE for the job?? To me, the epitome of laziness is the person who writes "see resume" on an application. Grrrrrrrrr!!!!! I used to deliver this story in the workshops I conducted. There are some companies (mainly large ones) who are so "by the book" that when they receive applications, they have a person remove everything attached to the application. You know EEO, AA guidelines, make everything fair and equal etc. etc. So if you attached your resume because it would require too much effort to complete their employment application AND you wrote "see resume" on the application, where are you now? You are nothing but a name on a piece of paper, an incomplete piece of paper mind you, and what exactly is it about your name and address that is going to tell the interviewer/manager that you are THE ONE for the job? Your resume was tossed before the application went to the person's desk who reviews and makes decisions. Also an employer knows their application well. If I needed to hire an employee and I had applications that were half completed or had "see resume" on it, I'd turn it over into the reject pile. As an employer I don't have time to read YOUR format to see how you fit into MY format.

With that in mind I now work in a law office and I still have to extract information from people. The type of work we do requires submitting information to the federal government. I don't make up my own rules and regulations. The Feds do that all by themselves and I have to dot all the i's and cross all the t's just like they say OR they deny our applications. Their application requires things such as work history to include complete addresses and the name and phone number of the supervisor you had on that job. When the program had major changes last year, I wrote a questionnaire for our clients. This questionnaire does not have alot of fluff on it. In fact, every single question on there, is required on the Fed application. You'd think that these people know their very livelihood depends on this information and that they'd bend over backwards to supply all the details. Nooooooooooooooooo! Not true. And since I have over 30 years experience dealing with people/the public, I have noticed the majority of the troublesome individuals are men. Why????

Ok, I see I am rambling way too much. Maybe I just needed to vent. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day. :-)

Manners, Kids and Knitting

2006-04-21T18:23:00.000-05:00

As you can see, I've made little progress on the clapotis. I've found I have to knit on this while I'm at home alone. I've also made a couple of mistakes that I was able to fix! Yippee!! The first one (this time around) I was sure I'd have to start over but I managed to get it repaired. This yarn is sooo soft. It has a tendency to curl as you can tell by the needle point I have placed at the tip.

This is the neverending baby blanket. I took it to the doctor's office yesterday just in case I had to wait. Oh boy! Two solid hours and that was BEFORE I got to see the doctor. So needless to say I knitted many rows instead of the several I had planned.

While I was waiting yesterday, I had the misfortune of witnessing children gone wild. What is it about a parent who lets their child run wild in a store or office? I know when I was a kid I knew I would get spanked if I misbehaved like that. When my son was little I kept him beside me, with his hand in mine (although he didn't always like that). I was the mean ole lady at my former office in Tulsa. When people let their children run around unattended, I'd gather the kids and take them to their parent and tell them this is a business office and you need to keep your children by your side while you are here. The parent yesterday, thank God, left with the children when she heard her doctor had been called out for an emergency. Whew! So today I come home and I'm sitting here in the den and I see bicycle wheels cutting across my yard. I noticed this the other evening but didn't make it to the window or door in time to see exactly who it was. Today I saw one go by and ran to the door, again the child was past the fence and I couldn't see who it was. So I waited, and opened the door again just in time to see this little girl (about 7 or 8) cutting right across my grass to go to her house. I guess because my yard has a bit of a slope to it that it makes for a more daredevil ride?? You would have been proud of me. I NICELY asked her to stay on the sidewalk and to not ride across the grass anymore. So far, so good. Keep your fingers crossed!! lol

Terri and I went up to Gourmet Yarn last night to crash the sweater club. We had a nice time. Saw some pretty items in progress. I noticed Margaret has posted the pictures so you can access them at her website.

And to close, I want to share my own little saying I came up with years ago.

There ain't nothing more attractive on a man than good manners. - Kay

Lazy Easter Sunday

2006-04-16T13:32:00.000-05:00

I think this is the first weekend where I've had nothing I HAD to do in quite awhile. So how have I filled these two lovely days? I finished the pink bunting. I managed to make a bigger mess in the extra bedroom (it has been filled with boxes ever since I moved here). I've done laundry and I sewed. That's why I made the bigger mess in the extra bedroom, digging for sewing supplies. Today I went to Wal-Mart in the hopes that everyone else in town would be at church, hunting Easter eggs and having their Easter dinners. lol No such luck!! I stopped at Sonic on the way home to get something to drink and even it was completely packed!! lol Ok, maybe my thinking was a little naive.

This is what I've been sewing on. And yes the front is shorter than the back. My natural waistline is 2.5 inches lower in front than it is in back. Maybe because of all the junk in my trunk? lol Anyway, that is an alteration I make to the pattern so HOPEFULLY my hemline hangs even when I wear the skirt.

And guess what this is??? (I think this is the fourth time I've started this and the furthest I've gotten, cross your fingers for me!!)

On the way home I heard Different Drum by Linda Ronstadt. I have always liked that song. Nice melody and easy to sing along with, she and I have a similar range...lol But there is one teeny tiny lyric in that song that just bugs me every time I hear it. It reminds me of a row of perfect strawberries and then realizing there is one bitter brussel sprout right in the middle. The line that says I'm not ready for any person, place or thing......did anyone else remember that is the definition of a noun from our grammar books? So every time I hear it I wonder did the song writer just have a mental block and that is all he/she could come up with? Had they just left their English grammar class and it was fresh in their mind? lol How about I'm not ready for any noun. It feels like a bump in the middle of the road. Oh well. Maybe it's just me. Oh, by the way, I looked up the lyrics and saw who wrote it, Mike Nesmith, the Monkee who wore the stocking cap. The one who's mom invented Liquid Paper.

Will it ever make it?

2006-04-14T19:34:00.000-05:00

Oohhh, look what I bought today. Opal sock yarn!! And Terri!!! It's in MY colors!! lol

As you can tell Margaret got some Opal sock yarn in today. She had six different colors and this is the one that had to come home with me. I wondered why the Opal page had a link to "how to read the Opal label". Now I know why, it's all in German!! lol Anyway, six colors and more coming. She said there are some new colors and she is on the list to receive them. Yippee!!

I told my boss today that I needed to leave early as I was running up to OKC to my yarn shop. Now most of you would wonder how he'd respond to that, right? He told me had heard an interview on NPR of a gal who knits and has written a book. He turned around to his computer and pulled it up, Debbie Stoeller and the Happy Hooker. lol Now isn't that cool? Of course, he knows I knit and I've even taught a co-worker how to knit. But I am just guessing that the title of that book caught his attention also. lol

Now the big question is: Will the Opal sock yarn ever make it into socks?

The Magic Lexi ball says:

It's doubtful.

Wikipedia Info

2006-04-13T22:13:00.000-05:00

1846 - The United States annexes New Mexico
1901 - Cadillac Motor Company founded
2001 - the Trojan room coffee pot is switched off for the last time.

1893 - Dorothy Parker, American writer (d. 1967)
1920 - Ray Bradbury, American writer
1934 - Norman Schwarzkopf, U.S. general

1977 - Sebastian Cabot, English-born actor (b. 1918) 1991 - Colleen Dewhurst, Canadian actress (b. 1924)

Does this tell you I have nothing new going on? lol

Guild Meeting

2006-04-11T20:49:00.000-05:00

We had a pretty nice group this past Sunday, 29 total I believe. I see lots of new faces or at least new ones to me! each time. We had three newbies who came wanting to learn how to knit. Yippee! Susan did a great job showing us how to figure gauge.

We had several donations for the charity knitting. We also learned from Anna that the hospital would like hats for babies in addition to the preemies. I liked the sound of that, especially since I was having a hard time trying to knit a tiny hat. I was very resistant to using DPN's and had just about decided I was going to break down and do so. It would not have been a pretty picture. lol

This is Anita. Sorry for the quality of the picture. I had several that turned out blurry, some worse than this one. Anita is one of our members who is with the Metro Library System. Yay Anita! She must carry a big stick that I never see as she makes things happen at the library when we have our guild meetings.

And this is Emily. I hope all of you have gone to her website to see the very nice ass she has posted. :-) (You didn't think I'd pass up that opportunity, did you Emily?? lol) She knitted the turtleneck shrug from Scarf Style and asked this very gracious lady (I apologize I cannot remember her name) to model it for her. I do remember the gracious lady had a sweet and lovely daughter who was knitting jewelry.

We had show-n-tell and Susan made us go around the room to say our name and show our items. Darn her. As usual, I had NOTHING to show. So I dazzled the room with my frogging abilities and offered to frog projects if they needed my services.

That's the guild update. For those of you who haven't been, we do hope you'll join us. Next month we'll be back to our regular schedule of 3rd Sunday from 3 to 5. Belle Isle Library on NW Expressway and Villa.

How to Cause Kay to Have a Heart Attack

2006-04-10T18:59:00.000-05:00

Ok, those of you who know me very well, or even those who only know me a little bit, know how crazy I am about my cat. In order to tell this story I have to backtrack about 7 years ago. I had two cats previous to Lexi. They were sister cats and littermates, Thunder and Lightning. I had Lightning 13 years and Thunder for 18 years. Thunder was my lovebug. I also have this "thing" about how cats are INDOOR pets. In my books, if you love your feline babies you keep them indoors out of harms way. I used to let Thunder go out on the balcony of my condo. She felt rather safe there and loved the feel of a breeze ruffling her coat. One night the guy I was dating at the time was leaving. He was on the steps and I was in the doorway talking. Usually when Thunder would come to the door she'd meow to let me know she was right there. This particular night she did not do that. I closed the door not knowing I'd shut my precious baby outside. Outside for the first time since she'd been a newborn kitten. I went to bed right after that and still didn't miss her. She sometimes slept with me but not every night. So the next morning I got up and got ready for work and had keys in hand to walk out. I always told her I loved her before I'd walk out the door. Most often she'd be laying on the windowsill in the living room and she'd poke her head between the curtains and meow back at me. Not this morning. I put keys and purse down and started looking in her usual places but to no avail. I finally called the boyfriend and jokingly asked him if he'd taken my kitty home with him. He said nooooo, then realized I was crying. So he jumped in his pickup and came over to help look. I'd looked all over inside, turned up anything she could get under and didn't find her. When he drove up he said let's drive some of the streets around here. He didn't say it but I knew he was looking for a body. We drove back and started walking around the building. As we were coming down some steps he and I were talking back and forth when I heard her meow. She heard my voice and started meowing. He found her under some shrubs under the stairway. He picked her up and put her in my arms. I was so happy but just bawling away. If only that had been the happy ending. As it turns out she was very stiff and moved very slow. I thought an 18 yr old cat spending the night out on a frosty March night, she'll be ok in a few days. Wrong. I took her to the vet and left with my precious baby in a box. That was March 1999.

I wasn't going to get another cat for awhile. But Lexi had other plans. She woke me up one Sunday morning late July meowing at the top of her little kitty lungs and I went out and scooped her up and she became mine. But in those almost 7 years I've had many recurring nightmares and all of them have one central theme: Lexi getting outside and in dangerous situations. So with this background story in mind, my friend who kitty-sitted for me while I was in California asked me to go to lunch today. We had talked but had not seen each other since I'd gotten back. We sat down and ordered and immediately she said I have a confession. I was being the smarty pants and said let me guess, the reason why Lexi hissed and growled at you is because you pinched her? lol I was making a JOKE! My friend said no, it's worse than that. She came over on Wed. of the week I was gone to feed Lexi her kitty treat. She was a bit concerned because it didn't appear Lexi was eating much since I'd left. Lexi wouldn't come out when she was here so on Thursday she wanted to come back to see if she'd eaten the treat (it's the Iam's pouch of food, Lexi's candy). The bowl was clean so she freshened everything and went to leave. She couldn't get the deadbolt to lock with the key so she came back in and left via the backdoor and locked it. She decided to come back over Saturday morning to make sure Lexi's box was scooped. She came in the front door only to find the back door standing wide open. She freaked out running into my bedroom to look for Lexi. She knows Lexi will hide inside the box springs but Lexi wasn't there. She called another friend in a panic and asked where else would Lexi hide. The other friend told her to go check the middle bedroom closet. She did and thank God!!! Lexi was there hiding and that is when she hissed and growled at her. Anyway, all of that to try to explain this odd day and the odd mixed emotion feelings I've had. I almost wished she had not told me. I hate those nightmares I have, they are unsettling and I know they go back to shutting Thunder outside that night. Thanks for listening.

Guild Note Cards

2006-04-09T10:27:00.000-05:00

Aren't these note cards darling? These are the winning lamb names/colors. Each of us received these notecards as our prize for our winning entries.

Purl: myself
Phlox: Terri Derrick
Bedlamb: Emily Schnabl
Aran: Debra Spindle
Tink: Susan Barrington

The back of the cards has our logo and website info, email and our mission statement. Pretty cool, huh???

We have our monthly guild meeting today, one week early, because of Easter. It's at the Belle Isle Library off NW Expressway and Villa from 3-5. Bring your current project and any show-n-tell items you 'd like to share with the group. We have a class on gauge and swatches. And we'll be discussing a secret pal event. All knitters or wanna-be's are welcome. The meeting room is downstairs so the north entrance is the closest and most convenient.

This isn't a note card but a semi-sleepy kitty girl soaking up some late afternoon sun.

Sleepy Saturday

2006-04-08T18:29:00.000-05:00

I slept until 8:35 this morning. It felt sooo good. This time change kicked my butt and I'm sure coming back from PST to CST didn't help it any. lol I've been so bummed out over the tax news that I haven't been able to focus on much. I had several false starts on preemie hats. I started my clapotis only to make a mistake I didn't know how to fix about 4 inches into it. I think I need to practice knitting into the front and back of a single loop. Purling too. Ran up to Gourmet Yarn today to see the new books and to see Margaret. Walked out with some soft pink Rowan cotton yarn, hopefully for a preemie hat! Not much to say, I'll just let you "suffer" with a few more vacation shots.

This is Francis Ford Coppola's building:

This is one of the views from our room:

Name Calling

2006-04-04T21:03:00.000-05:00

Blogger doesn't seem to be accepting pictures tonight. So you are spared more vacation pictures. lol

Ok, a few days ago I mentioned that my sister and I were called lesbians and nasty sluts while in San Francisco. Here is the story:

My sister had this wild hair that we had to go to the Castro district. Don't ask me why, I don't know. So we catch the F Line across from our hotel and it takes us all the way down Embarcadero, through the Financial District and all the way down Market to Castro. It was a very nice ride. I love those old antique (but refurbished) street cars. Anyway, we reach our destination and hop off. We wander down one street and then cross to the other side. We went into The Body Shop and chatted for a bit with the person working there, got recommendations of where to eat in the area. She/he warned us NOT to eat at Harvey's. lol She/he explained that they did not hire women nor were they kind or helpful to women. Good thing to know as it was a nice looking restaurant in the center of the area we were in. (BTW, I'm not being ugly about she/he, it was a man who preferred to dress as a woman.) So we scout out the recommended restaurants and settle on Slider's. Great burgers and a fantastic condiment bar. We wander into a few more shops and then my sister is ready to go. We are walking back to the F Line stop and I notice there is an obviously gay man standing there ranting and raving about something. There was also another person standing close by so upon first glance I thought they were engaged in conversation. Wrong. By the time we get to the median the other person was gone and the raving man is still carrying on. He's upset over a poster that was put up "underground". He said it used to be a poster of two men kissing but now it was just two men looking at each other. He is going on about how it makes it look like gay men are wrong and so on and so forth. And if this doesn't make sense to you, then you will understand how it didn't make sense to either of us! lol We get on the street car and get our seats. The raving man follows a minute later and stops to explain his upset to the driver. The man goes on about the posters and continues to say that it's those damned lesbians. They are always fronting us men. He yelled he was TIRED of those lesbians. The driver told him to pipe down and go to his seat. So the man takes a seat across from us. He has some bags and puts those on the seat beside him and then leans over so his head is blocked by the metal panel by the doors and takes a long sip from his beer can. He then gets up and goes to rave and rant to the driver again. A few minutes later he goes back to his seat mumbling and repeating the same things over again. We are going back up Market street by this time and he raises his voice again and looks at my sister and I and yells: I'm tired of you lesbians!! You Nasty Sluts!! Now I don't dare turn around. I know my sister is trying not to laugh. I'll have to pinch her if she starts and if I look at her she'll laugh out loud. So I keep my head turned to the front. There are a few others on the street car but no one is looking at or giving the man any attention. After a few stops he gets up to get off. Once he gets off he turns around and glares at us over the top of his sunglasses. If looks could kill. lol I then turn back to my sister and she is grinning and the man behind her raises his eyebrows at me and grins like "sorry"! lol I laughed and said if the raving man had said something true I'd be offended.

Ok, that's the story. The rest of the trip my sister and I took verbal punches at each other (all in jest of course) calling each other a nasty slut. Maybe in our dreams!!!

Artfibers in San Francisco

2006-04-03T18:43:00.000-05:00

When I knew for sure we were going to San Francisco I knew I'd have to go to yarn stores. After consulting with Rebecca I decided to just visit one store and use the rest of my time on San Francisco things. The closest yarn shop to our hotel was Artfibers on Sutter close to the financial district. Not knowing exactly how far it was on Sutter, we walked a good distance to get there. And of course, it wasn't open yet. lol We went across to Crocker Galleria to find a ladies room. I swear for a city to be such a walking city I wished they had more public facilities available. lol The most consistent sign I saw in all the places we walked by was "restrooms for customers only". I digress. From Crocker Galleria we had the perfect view of Artfibers.

I told my sister I needed to get lots of shots of this yarn shop as I had to tease Emily about not making it to a single yarn shop while she was in Berkley a short while back. So I have several more snaps my sister will send later on. To get to this yarn shop we used this old small "open the doors yourself" elevator. lol

This shop specializes in unique yarns, most of which they are directly involved in the dying and packaging.
This is one of my "oops" shots of some of their yarn. I hope my sister got some better shots than I did. lol

This is what I couldn't leave without:

As you can see the cone is just a foam tube and the labels are printed on a home computer and printer attached with a simple rubber band. I loved this yarn. It reminded me of peacock feathers. It's 100% cotton tape. It will probably exist as fondling yarn for a long time.

By Friday after my sister had drug me through several art galleries I decided I would go visit one more yarn shop. I plotted our destinations that morning and wrote our street car and bus routes. My yarn shop, because of logistics and transportation, would have to be our last stop. By the time we'd visited 2 destinations the rain started. It was heavier than it had been earlier in the week. We made it to 2 more destinations and then got on the bus to take us out to Atelier on Divisadero. I should have called the shop to see which bus route went closest to their store. When we got off on Union and Divisadero, we were many blocks from the store. And these were not regular blocks. These were steep blocks. lol I have never walked down a street and had my toes hitting the inside of my shoes like they did while walking down some of these hills. lol The rain was coming down harder, the umbrellas were only keeping our heads dry and I cried uncle. I was soaked, my sister was soaked so I said forget it, lets just get back to the hotel. Which is exactly what we did.

My sister had an interesting story to tell me while we were there. This might be PG leaning towards R rated, so read on with caution. She teaches in a public school and had to take a day off a few weeks ago. The school contacted a sub list and made arrangements for this one woman to sub for her. Unfortunately, this would be this person's first and last time to sub at that school. It seems she told one of the classes an inappropriate story. She told the class that when she was in college she took her knitting to class one day. She was sitting in class knitting when the professor walked up to her and told her knitting was masterbating. The woman responded to the professor by saying when I knit, I knit. When I masterbate, I masterbate. Hmmmmmm and she didn't realize probably every kid in class would go and tell someone else (including parents) that story???? lol

There's no place like home......

2006-04-02T10:55:00.000-05:00

Ok, I can see Blogger is up to no good today. So I'll write my post for a SECOND time!!!

I'm so glad to be back. My very first visit to San Francisco and I happen to be there when the city breaks it's 100 year record for the rainiest March on record. I do have to admit the rain they receive is very different than the downpours we get here. Until Friday, the rain was soft, light and gentle. On Friday it was a bit heavier but still nothing compared to what we often receive.

I met my sister (Colorado Springs) in the Oakland airport and then we motored to the Radisson on Fisherman's Wharf. We had to share a king sized bed, ok.....we'd deal with it....after all, she quit wetting the bed years ago. lol The bed was a sleep number bed. Small pitch here, but that thing was GREAT! My number was 80 and my sister's was 35. lol

We dumped the bags, changed shoes and headed to the wharf. It was a beautiful site even though it was damp, nearly dark, overcast and windy. We saw the rowdy boys of Wharf 39....

For the seven days we were there, my sister dragged my behind over every square inch from the wharf to Market Street. I swear we walked a hundred miles (slight exaggeration but I felt like we did). She wanted to visit Chinatown on Sunday. Little did we/I know, that would be worst day to visit. It was soooooo crowded, people everywhere, many doing their weekly shopping. We spent the entire day there and I told her she was lucky she got this out of the way on the first day because I wasn't going back! lol Famous last words. She missed the fortune cookie factory and we had to go back the very next day. Ugh!!! The "factory" is nothing more than a small shop in Ross Alley. Three cookie making machines manned by three ladies and one man. Although his English was rough at best, he managed to tell us he had a relative in Grand Junction, Colorado. It was pretty neat, he couldn't say Grand Junction well but finally got the Junction over by joining his fists in a junction movement. Cool, huh?

The next day I wanted to visit the yarn shop, Artfibers, close to the financial district. (more on that shop later on)

We went to Union Square and saw some fantastic shopping. Nothing I could afford but hey, it's always fun to see. The next day we went to Westfeld Center which is more or less an upright mall with Nordstrom's occupying the top five floors. It was going to be a rainy day so we walked over to Yerba Buena Gardens and the Loew's theaters and saw Inside Man (good movie). This is just a cool building I saw while there.

The next day we ate breakfast at Mama's on Washington Square. It was worth every step.

The day after that, my sister wanted to visit the Castro district. I was a bit hesitant as it was the furthest distance we had traveled (on bus/streetcar) but we went. Met a nice woman/man who made some good lunch suggestions. The burger at Sliders was great and had the best condiment bar I've ever seen in a burger joint. We got on the F Line and had the lovely experience of being called lesbians and nasty sluts. lol I'll tell this story in more detail later. But I did tell my sister if he had said something true, I would be offended instead of laughing about it.

Friday started out sunny and pretty and then turned into the rainiest and almost miserable day. We went on a wild goose chase for a second yarn shop that we never made it to. Those maps make places look so much closer than they are!! lol

We didn't have any earthquakes while we were there but part of a Sausalito hillside slid off due to all the rains. On the way back to the airport I saw several trees that slid down a hillside due to rains. And we happened to be there when the whole BART system shut down because of a computer software upgrade. Thank you, God for not letting that happen while we were on it!!

Yarn Fix

2006-03-24T14:46:00.000-06:00

I went to Tulsa for a couple of days. I went to a new yarn shop (to me) in Utica Square called Loops. She has a very lovely shop. I visited with her for about 20 minutes. She has some gorgeous yarns and some brands I've not seen in our local shops. I did tell her next time she comes to OKC she needs to stop by and see Margaret at Gourmet Yarn. She has heard of Margaret and her shop but hasn't visited it yet. Yarn shop news must spread fast! She knew Luff had gone out of business. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly yarn shop news spreads in this world.

You know, being the good ole yarn-o-holic I am that I came home with some yarn that just wouldn't let me leave the shop without it. My plan is to make the clapotis from it. The tag states 550 yards but does not tell the yarn weight. To my inexperienced eyes, it's DK weight. But Yarndex states it's worsted. Yarndex also says it is 325 yards. I hope Yarndex is wrong!! lol This is Rayon Metallic by Blue Heron Yarns in melon. Don't know if the pictures show the color variation very well. It's a medium melon to a light melon with a bit of sweet pea pink and a metallic gold thread.

March Guild Meeting

2006-03-19T21:23:00.000-06:00

We had a pretty good show for a rainy Sunday. The total head count was 23. Not too bad!!

Betty gave a great talk on socks and gave us several very good tips. Now if I can get the Scribe to lend me her notes. lol

Susan had on a beautiful cardigan sweater she knitted herself.

Anna (I hope I got the name correct) talked to us about charity knitting.

Jennifer showed us several items Mercy uses for PRIDE.

I had a very nice surprise when I discovered two ladies from my former job. Hi Melissa and Beverly!! Both seem to have been bitten by the same knitting bug and are we glad!!

Ten Things You Probably Don't Know About Me

2006-03-18T13:13:00.000-06:00

1. I was born in a town called Hominy.

2. My dad told me a “story” when I was a child that my middle name was after a bum he found laying in a ditch who he gave a ride to.

3. I have a degree in Spanish.

4. I am not fluent or anywhere near it.

5. I have always had a secret desire to be a singer.

6. I graduated Cum Laude.

7. I have the largest short term memory capacity.

8. At one time I thought I wanted 20 kids.

9. I came to my senses.

10. I used to have baby dreams and now I have death dreams.

Wouldn't this yarn in vanilla make a gorgeous clapotis?

A Quiet Group

2006-03-16T21:19:00.000-06:00

It was noticeably quiet in Border's tonight. We couldn't decide if it was because most of us were tired and out of it or if it was because all the rowdy girls were not there. lol Okkkk, I'm just teasing. We know it was because we were out of it. Even the store was noticeably more quiet. And guess what??? A Border's employee came wheeling up a WHOLE STACK of extra chairs!!! What a shame!!! We didn't need a one. As you can see we had Terri, Vanessa, Susan (with her moohaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiirrrrr scarf), Donna, Janelle, Rebecca and Shanidy. We had a new person join us and her name is Shel. We hope she comes back and joins us again. We had another lady approach us and ask if we knew who taught knitting in the area. Her sister wants to learn to knit. I think we sent her away with several possibilities. Karen, Jan, Rosemary and Shelly, we missed you! Oh, when I was checking out I asked if we ever made too much noise and the guy assured me, no. :-) Just a reminder, OKC Knitting Guild meets this Sunday at the Belle Isle Library from 3-5. Bring your current project and join us!!

Yarns a hanging

2006-03-15T19:18:00.000-06:00

The yarn was hung by the chimney with care in the hopes that St. Smoke Removal would soon be there. Ok, so I'm not very original. lol I checked on said yarn that is hanging in the GARAGE as I have no chimney and while it doesn't seem to be as strong, it does still smell. I did see on Yarndex that the rayon Fiesta yarn is hand washable so I figure if I can get it to a point when I can knit with it, then I'll hand wash the scarf when it is completed. I also haven't made it to the liquor store to try the vodka cure yet. I will do that eventually.

Not much to report. Went to Barnes and Noble for the Monday knitting group. I was a little out of it from lack of sleep but I made some progress on the baby blanket. I also found a cool book on container gardening! I probably didn't need the book but this man has a system. I'm a sucker for systems. lol

Isn't she a good sport??

I forgot!!

2006-03-12T15:37:00.000-06:00

I had a great Saturday. Met up with Rosemary, Vanessa and Shelly, reveled in yarn, good company at lunch and then spent the afternoon knitting and talking in Starbucks. I was laughing at myself because I couldn't leave my new yarn in the car. I had to fondle and adore it in front of others. lol Vanessa and I both bought one skein of some LaFiesta yarn. It is a rayon boucle and we both wanted to knit this ruffled scarf. I took my lovely skein of yarn out of the bag and inhaled. Ugh!!! Febreeze with a cigarette smoke afternote. Why I didn't notice it in the store is beyond me. I am the one with Super Nose!! Plus I have been warned. I pulled out the other two skeins of novelty yarn I bought and couldn't smell those. Got home last night and pulled the yarn out to try and figure out what to do. Inhaled all 3 again and WHEW!!! it is strong. I put some baking soda in a bag and then put the three skeins in another bag and zipped up the top. This morning it still reeks. So I decided to find a plastic container to pour the baking soda into and then lay the skeins on top of a piece of plastic. Of course it's only been several hours but I can't tell it has done any good what so ever. Lesson learned.

Doesn't she tolerate her mama's picture taking well??

Burger King Moon

2006-03-09T21:37:00.000-06:00

Can you tell we had a full house at Border's tonight? I counted 15 at one time and I think that was before Shanidy, Karen, Jan and Shelly showed up. Our group is growing!! Susan B., Emily and Polly drove all the way from NW OKC to knit with us. I'm so glad they did.

Shelly brought her cone of Zephyr and it had "squeezability". An important factor for me. lol Shanidy brought Hadley pictures. It's so incredible that they can show such wonderful detail with ultrasounds.

Rebecca was working on a beautiful blue clapotis. Vanessa started her lime basket weave tank. Karen was working on a pretty blue variegated baby blanket. Susan was making fast work of I-cord. Jan started a hat. Angeli had on a beautiful sweater she had knitted. Susan F. had on a pretty cashmere sweater. Rosemary was working on some pretty pink socks. Madea was working on a fun fur scarf. Emily was working on her shrug. If you come to Border's to knit, you cannot leave without inspiration for all kinds of projects.

Does anyone else walk out of Border's at night and (in their periphial vision) think the Burger King sign is a full moon?

PS: If you see Jan and she looks a little tired, please understand that paying for a Rolex can wear a girl out. ;-)

Some progress

2006-03-08T18:50:00.000-06:00

I seem to have overcome the knitting slump. I bought new yarn at the Knit-In last Saturday and cast on late that night. I haven't had to frog yet although I did have to tink over 173 stitches. Ugh! That's what happens when you don't READ the instructions carefully, which I'm very guilty of doing. At work today, we had a case meeting which can go on for hours. I asked ahead of time if the attorney I work for would mind if I knitted. He did not. Thank you!!! I managed to get several rows completed along with my usual input at the meeting. He told me about a conference he attends regularly where a female attorney always brings her knitting to work on during the sessions. He said if you watch her you'd think she was so absorbed in her knitting that she wouldn't have a clue what was going on. Wrong. He said she will look up and address the leader of the session and always manages to "bust his/her chops" regularly by taking up some issue about a subject and still not miss a stitch!!! You go, girl!!!!

I'm toying with the idea of a container garden. I'm wanting to grow tomatoes (not cherry tomatoes), cucumbers, okra and maybe green beans. Can you grow Kentucky Wonders in a container?? lol I've grown tomatoes before but in a regular garden. It has been many years though since I did. I live in a neighborhood where the lawns are mowed for us, so I don't want to dig up any area or interfere with an area that would impede the mowers. So I'm thinking of containers. I'm pretty much ignorant of many gardening skills. Does anyone have any recommendations about containers, soil and where I can find plants that are raised for this area of the state? Also any websites that might have some great information? I did find today that some green beans are either pole or bush varieties and I'm sure that would be important info in reference to growing in containers.

And for your viewing pleasure: White boots, aren't they adorable?

Knit-In pictures

2006-03-05T14:30:00.000-06:00

I forgot to count how many people we had at the Knit-In last night. But I am guessing 20 or more. Rosemary gave Susan her handknitted socks. And I managed to capture the moment! Doesn't Susan look properly surprised? Especially after all that whining and begging and trying to guilt people into knitting her socks. ;-) It worked Susan!!!

Just FYI, there is no booze served at the Knit-In....just women feeling free to act out their knitting fantasies!!! Although I'm told we do get a little loud. I guess it's a good thing the shop neighbors are closed during these Knit-In's.

I know of four first time attendees, Kristie, Shelly, Shanidy and Vanessa. I also heard Margaret tell someone our Knit-In's will start having themes....sounds very yummy to me!! Although I regret I didn't get a picture of Emily's face when Margaret mentioned May's theme would be obvious. Poor Emily was thinking....Mother's Day??? Bless her heart, she didn't grow up here and Cinco de Mayo was not obvious to her. lol BUT.....there is hope....she suffered a little mishap with her car after a long and tiring day......and fixed it the good ole' Okie way......DUCT TAPE!!!

Saturday

2006-03-04T22:00:00.000-06:00

I had my post close to finished and the darned browser died on me! Grrrrrrr.....Great time at Margaret's tonight. Bunches of pictures and a great group of gals. Will post pictures tomorrow.

Thursday at Border's

2006-03-02T21:38:00.000-06:00

We had another great time at Border's. Rini joined us for the first time, but certainly not the last!! Jan and Karen came back. Whew!!! I was half afraid they wouldn't after Jan's entertainment comment. Glad you came back!!! See you at Gourmet Yarn on Saturday at THREE!! ;-)

Now the reason why I'm posting this picture of Shelly's forehead is because she wanted her chubby cheek picture taken for Susan B. And it's my fault it didn't turn out. My batteries were dying and I was trying to eek out one more picture and well, you can see what I did. Sorry Susan and Shelly. I'll do better next week.

As you can see, some people take their knitting conversations seriously. Some of us cut up, but Susan and Angeli are doing some serious yarn selection here.

Terri called. I think she was really feeling the regret that she was flying back from a business trip instead of with us. She did miss a good time. In fact, she was the topic of conversation since she gave all of us something to laugh about last week.

Had to call Margaret tonight. I tell ya what, Karen, if you'd been at the table you could have kicked me and I would have shut up. I didn't know I was busting you. It seems Karen had Jan believing the Knit-In starts at 3 and lasts until 8. I didn't know it was Karen's ploy to get Jan there at a reasonable time. lol Anyway, Jan and I are talking and she says it starts at 3 and I said no, 4. So I called Margaret to settle it. Stupid me!! I didn't catch on and Karen was off looking at books. I wonder if I can get Margaret to change Knit-In to three??? Margaret???? lol

For those of you who have never been, Margaret hosts a Knit-In at Gourmet Yarn on N. May between Britton and Hefner in the Collonade Center the first Saturday of each month from 4-8. So that will be THIS Saturday. Bring a snack or goodie to share, your current project (knitting or crochet is welcome) and come join us. I meant to make the announcement at Border's tonight and I forgot. We have a great time and see lots of neat projects. Please join us if you can.

OH!!! Remember the nice knitter lady I met at the doctor's office 2 weeks ago?? She came by just to see if we were meeting. She promised her daughter she would bring her so she didn't stay but we have her email address to add her to our list and I introduced her to the group. I'm so happy!!! I think I recruited four of our attendees (counting Debi who dropped by) tonight!! Where's my gold star??? lol

Tummy spots

2006-03-01T20:12:00.000-06:00

Now why can't I relax like that? Do you see those tummy spots? Did you know I'm not allowed to touch them? Shortly after I took this picture I reached over to smooth the hair so they'd show better. She immediately meowed and turned on her side. I think she must be very sensitive there as she has never allowed me to pet her there. Or if I've continued sometimes she tries to bite me! lol She has another little habit of throwing herself on the floor in front of me when I'm walking down the hall. That means, stop, I want foot lovin's. So I slip off my shoe and stroke her side from neck to tail with my foot. She'll roll from one side to the other soaking up this thing we call foot lovin's but if I accidentally rub my foot over her tummy and tummy spots, she either jumps and runs or turns to her side so I can't get to them.

Had an interesting day at the doctor's yesterday. Do you know what it's like at age 51 to be told you are going to take a pregnancy test? Thank God the next thing she said was, don't panic. Panic?? How about drop dead??? lol I still don't know why she had me take one. I was so flabbergasted that I didn't think to ask why. Maybe I had that second sense that said to my brain...this is to get hormone levels?? When I see her again, I will ask. lol Btw, the answer is no, I'm not.

Sorry, the knitting just isn't striking me at the moment. I've been playing with a simple washcloth. It's pretty mindless and I think it's just what I need right now.

Knitting Story

2006-02-28T22:17:00.000-06:00

I heard an interesting story today. A friend of mine told me about a conversation she had with a woman from Cuba. This friend was telling the Cuban lady that she was going to join our knitting group this coming Thursday. The lady was very excited to hear about knitting. It seems when she was in Cuba, she used to knit. She said that knitting needles were very expensive and she couldn't afford to buy any but she wanted fashionable garments to wear. You'll never guess what she used? Sticks? Pencils? No. She said she used the spokes from a bicycle wheel, and ground the tip to make it more pointed. Talk about creative!!! She also mentioned she sometimes used a fork!!! Just goes to prove, where there is a will there is a way!

Manners Poll

2006-02-28T07:12:00.000-06:00

Ok, since the html on the eye quiz isn't working.....I thought I'd post on manners. I was surfing for blog etiquette or manners. Honestly looking for buttons that are ok to use on your blog, stuff like that. But then I ran across a blog by Dave Barry, the humorist, on manners. Bingo!!! One of my favorite topics!! So I thought I'd take my own poll, of all my many readers ;-) and ask "what is your number one pet peeve when it comes to manners"?