Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Ya'll! (Sure, it's a traditional looking pic, but you get to be cheesy your first Christmas hitched...right?) 

The Tall Guy and I have been up to our ears in snow since arriving in Michigan last Friday. I hope you're warmer then we've been! 

passing through

I'm just passing through this evening, to say Hello!!, show you something funny I saw and then say "I'll be back, I Promise".

Last night, when meeting up with Joanna, I saw this.
Yup. Urban Outfitters is selling "You can Knit Socks" kits. I didn't find the $20 worth spending, since it was cheap looking yarn, steel double pointed needles and well. I know how to knit socks, but just the fact that Urban is selling these kits gave me a giggle. Apparently, being a sock knitter is hip and cool! Yay Me!

The Tall Guy and I had Christmas on Sunday, as it was the only time we would have to have some quiet time together for a while... I was lucky enough to get some sweet, knitting related gifts which I'll have to show soon... We head out of town soon for a bit and then more family will be here... needless to say between family and work (year end, total chaos), blogging may be sparse for a bit. I'll be back... I promise!

Happy Birthday, Little Monster!

Happy Birthday Annie!
We aren't really sure how old the little monster is, so based on our best guess, we decided she would turn two on the anniversary of her adoption.
Here's to many more years of adventures!

Darn you Blue Moon.

Are you sick of my "shopping" posts yet? I'm trying to distract you from the lack of pretty knitting pictures.
That said, I'm shaking my first at Blue Moon Fiber Arts right now. Home of Socks that Rock, they are having a huge sale on Saturday. Really, guys? Less then three weeks before Christmas, you are tempting me with 15% off of everything? That's just mean. And you know I can't pass it up.
Jerks.

Edit: In case you've never seen it before, the picture in my header is of STR Silkie in Rocktober.

shopping...

So on Friday evening, I made a purchase with JimmyBeansWool. While they weren't having a massive sale, I could actually get onto the site and they had what I wanted.
Long story short. They were the last of my shopping on Friday and the first to arrive. The package was on our doorstep yesterday. This means, it got out of Reno NV Friday, and to us in two days via normal First Class mail.
I know where I'll keep going back to in the future!

stupid black friday

The only thing I wanted to look at today was eatsleepknit.com, because they were having a good sale today (anywhere between 10% and 100% off, it's a surprise once you hit "order") and yet, the traffic caused from this sale is making the site totally shaky and impossible to get through.
Very. Sad.

Giving Thanks

Perhaps most people reflect on the past year around December 31... I was thinking this morning, however about how much has changed over the last year and just how much I have to be thankful for

I'm thankful for my family... both new

and "old"

For longtime friends who "knew me when"...

And for newer friends who have helped me realize DC really is an okay place




I'm thankful for the Tall Guy; a girl couldn't ask for a better partner-in-crime...

I'm thankful that all of the above people love me and all of my imperfections.

I'm thankful for Annie. For as much as she's a little monster, she's also one of the sweetest dogs I've ever met.


I'm thankful for liking my job a lot more now then I did a year ago.
I'm thankful for having a job.
I'm thankful that I'm learning the difference between being a good friend and getting walked on.

And finally. Well, I'm just thankful that life is on the upswing and my friends and family are happy and healthy.
I'll be back to my usual cynical self by tomorrow or Friday. In the meantime, enjoy your holiday!

A knitted object!

Look! It's a finished object!
My best friend in SF got the package today, so I can show you.

Details:
Pattern: Gloria Cowl
Yarn: Woolarina, Shimmer. It's a fingering weight yarn knit two strands together and I'm too lazy to go find the ball band to tell you the colorway. It's a bamboo, wool, nylon blend.
Needles: Size 8, 16inch Addis.

This was a fun knit and I'm peeking into my stash yarn for another one!!!

a little something

I was thinking. If I can't tell you all about what I'm up to, I can at least give you a few tastes. See.

I'm a one woman sweat shop with zero direction. Every year I find myself thinking I'm ahead of the game, casting on socks for myself on December 20, only to be found knitting, blocking or felting furiously at 8pm on Christmas Eve.


What you're looking at tonight are glimpses of the works in progress (yeah, none of them are actually complete)
And, I figure post Holiday gifting, I'll tell you more about them.
The Tall Guy's parents left this evening and we had a really nice time with them. We checked out the Newseum (very interesting) and today we hit Mount Vernon, which I hadn't been to since I was about 7.
In the meantime, the temps are dropping in DC, so I'm thinking I may need to keep knitting reinforcements for my sock drawer!!!

and we're done!

The Tall Guy and I were in Tampa this past weekend for a wedding. Our last for the season! With a record 5 this year (one being ours, that counts at least double, I think), we had lots of fun, danced our butts off, had a few drinks and spent quality time with all sorts of loved ones along the way. This is the lovely bride and I on the dance floor. Only she can make me look tan. Her dress was amazing, I wish I had a better shot of it...

In my mind, this being mid-November, my knitting deadlines start looming and I see it as the beginning of the Holiday season. As it gets cooler I curl up on the couch to knit and watch bad TV (um Hello... Gossip Girl on Netflix...dangerous!)
I'll show knitting as I can, but too many of you read that will be getting things!!!

The Tall Guys Parent's will be in town this weekend for a last minute trip in. It will be nice to spend time with them without any really agenda except to see some sights, spend time together and eat good food!

YES

We can and we did.



Another factoid: This speech was made in NH.

with bated breath...

We are glued to the TV and will be late into the night (edit..just I am glued to the TV. My company just went home and the Tall Guy is in bed with a cold). I am cautiously optimistic and too afraid to go to bed.
The Tall Guy and I were in and out of our polling location in about ten minutes. I'm a big fan of voting in the late afternoon/evening, seems in Silver Spring, the lines are shorter in the evening. I had friends in line for an hour, two hours, three hours...craziness.

That said, I'm not showing you much in the knitting world. It's not because I'm not knitting. Quite the contrary, I'm knitting a whole bunch right now, it's just all presents for people who read about my goings on here.

In the meantime, check out this new yarn. Isn't it pretty? It's from here, I got it at the DC Craft Mafia Fair on Saturday.

short and sweet

I won't climb back up on my soapbox again.
I'll only ask if that if you're thinking about not voting for whatever reason, please take a moment, read this and think about it.
If that doesn't convince you, maybe this will.

Holiday Craft Fairs begin

In the hopes of trying to do the Homemade Gifts challenge again this year for Christmas/Holiday giving, I figured I'd share information I have as the Fall Craft show season is in full swing
I'll be knitting, but there are just some folks who knitgear isn't quite right for...

This weekend, if you have time, check out the DC Craft Mafia Event. It's close to my house, so I plan to swing through.
Info: It will be this Saturday, Nov 1 from Noon to 6pm at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad, 5020 Battery Lane, Bethesda, MD. 50 + vendors

Website: http://www.dccraftmafia.com/events.html

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!!!!
Annie got into the spirit last night with her pumpkin squeaker toy (I told you she was spoiled, she always has holiday themed toys). She was in motion the whole time, so please excuse the photo quality. This is my entry into the Tall Guy's family pumpkin carving contest.

And this is his. (We all carve and then email the results, it's always fun)

Side by side...

And, while I went the "normal" route of using a pumpkin carving knife the Tall Guy bought a Dremel this year. So, yes, he carved outside with his new power tool, while Annie assisted. (We discovered that Annie likes raw pumpkin last night. She really is a very odd dog.)

Have fun tonight, hopefully tomorrow I'll have pictures of our costumes!!!

to all the knitters out there...

I have owned Malabrigo yarn for at least a year, maybe two. I've started projects with it, and frogged it, never getting too far.
Well. Tonight I cast on for one of a good handful of holiday projects (i.e., you don't get to see the result until post December 25) and OH my LORD.
I am in love with this little cake of yarn.
I may only knit in Malabrigo worsted weight yarn for the rest of eternity.
Really. I'm not kidding. I recognize the error of my ways for not joining on the Malabrigo bandwagon long ago.
It's that soft and the color is just that amazing.

i love my couch

Whew. I'm back on the couch.
48 hours in NH. It was awesome, I love my family, but I do wish it didn't take a plane to see them for a day, a meal, a celebration (Grandpa just turned 80, hence the trip) etc.
Plane rides do mean good knitting time, so I've wrapped up some long lingering projects.
The Spring Forward socks were stitched up on the flight home today.
(This is a recycled picture, I admit).
I also finished the labor of love novelty yarn scarf for my aunt in time to see her this weekend.
I nearly went blind with it. The good news is that my aunt loved it and really. When it comes to her, that's what matters.
(This is recycled too. Clearly, I suck)

We have one more trip coming up in two weeks for a friends wedding Tampa. After that, I won't be on a plane or in a car for longer then an hour until Christmas. You have no idea how happy this makes me.

Alarm Clocks.

Alarm Clocks.

Such a mundane part of everyday, 9-5 life, right? I've had quite the drama with alarm clocks the past few years and it shows no signs of stopping.

A little background:

• I'm not a morning person. At all. I'm grumpy, dizzy and unable to speak before a cup of coffee and an hour of movement.


• I have terrible eyesight that keeps getting worse.


• I always have a glass of water on the table

Anyway. I had a great alarm clock for quite awhile that was about 80% of what I wanted. The numbers were HUGE, it had settings for an "A" and "B" alarm, so I could have a weekday alarm set all the time and an different one for weekends etc and a big snooze button. It did not, however have digital radio settings , only the tuning wheel.

Well, this alarm clock met its demise when I knocked over my umpteenth glass of water right onto it and it finally called it quits. It was around this time that the Tall Guy and I were "shacking up", so we just used his.



The Tall Guy's alarm clock, however has small numbers which I can't see from my side of the bed. (Remember my opening bullets) That's not why I don't like it though. See, when you turn the alarm button to "on", nothing on the face of the clock lights up. Call me crazy, but I don't trust that the alarm is "actually" set, unless the Tall Guy does it himself. This is resulting in some issues, to put it mildly, as when the Tall Guy is out of town, I refuse to use the alarm clock and just use my cell phone. This all said, we've been shopping for an alarm clock. Do you realize how hard it is to find a "normal alarm clock"???

Here is what I would like and can't seem to find.

1. Normal to large size numbers


2. An indicator that the alarm is set on the face of the clock (this is not completely needed, but a wish)


3. A digital radio, not a tuning wheel which always results in our clock radio moving from NPR to CSPAN without warning


4. The "A" and "B" alarm were nice but, once again, not absolutely needed


5. I don't need or want the ability to plug in my iPod. My iPod is downstairs in my bag for work and I like waking up to NPR, thank you very much.


6. Waterproof would be amazing, but yeah, that's not going to happen. I'll just be more careful with my water.

So, now if you're still reading, you probably think I'm completely anal and insane all in one ball. Truth is, I'm really not, but the Tall Guy and I have been on such a search (every time we're near a Best Buy, Circuit City, Target etc,) That it's getting to be nearly funny. I will happily accept any alarm clock radio suggestions or donations you may have.

My love of fall continues

Yesterday the Tall Guy, Jessie and her Partner-in-Crime and I went on a fall adventure much like last year's trip. A bunch of farms in the Leesburg area have "open farms" one weekend a year. It was another gorgeous day.

We went apple picking (I have one in my mouth, excuse the weird face)

And we went to a winery, which I have no photos of, and we went to two more farms who's name are escaping me, but one had a rather daunting looking corn maze (which we didn't participate in, it looked like we'd be in there for hours!)
Today, I spent part of my day making a pie...the fruit of my labors (ha ha):

I'm currently working away on this scarf. I frogged the original piece, started over this week (yeah, I know it was sitting for a long time, but you can't blame me...). I have put a deadline on myself for this weekend, when I see my aunt. And then I'll be free from the novelty yarn curse.
Bleck!
Off to watch the red sox game! Go Sox!

winner of weirdest LYS

While in New Buffalo last week, I managed to locate a Local Yarn Store mere blocks from where we were staying. On Sunday, we made our way over to take a peek. 

Now, before I say anything, I'll say that everyone in this "store" was really. really. nice and friendly. 

I suggest you check it out if you're ever there for the sheer gawk factor. I regret not taking photos. 

See, the website looks normal. Check it out here. Flash and everything!

But, then you walk in the door and you are clearly in someone's house. Not like, oh maybe they live upstairs, but no, you are in their living room. And it's FULL of people! Yarn hung all over the walls. A TV, side tables, with magazines (like a house, not a waiting room). I walked back into what I think was the eat in kitchen to see an espresso machine on the same counter as Ella Rae yarn. There were cubbies around with yarn in them, and the table in the middle of the room was covered in yarn with a half eaten hamburger and fries on it. 

The owner, I would presume, offered us a latte and told us they were having a sale and I think I was so disoriented I may have just stared at him. Oops. 

I'm sure, if I hadn't been still recovering from the night before, perhaps this wouldn't have seemed so odd. I think it was the hamburger on the table that really threw me off. 

Deja Vu?

If you've been reading for awhile, this may look familiar to you. See I knit it about a year ago. But, this isn't the original scarf.

Sometime between the Tall Guy throwing a ring on my finger in front of a few people and our trip to NH the following month, the scarf went missing. I had no clue where it had gone. I searched high and low, checked cars, sent out an All Points Bulletin and we both moved out of our respective houses, leaving no stone unturned as we went. (below is the original)
Finally, this summer, I called it quits in the search and bought new yarn. Yup. The colors are nearly identical, though they may not look it in the photos. I used Tiny Toes instead of Fleece Artist for the green, but I'm 99% sure that the multi color stripe is the same colorway of Koigu (who can keep their shades straight with that numbering system? Not me.)
So there you go. I didn't advertise this project much because it seemed silly in my head to be knitting something all over again, but I loved that scarf so much and it had such good memories attached to it. Chevron 2 got to go to Indy this weekend,(me with the soon-to-be-bride and if you look close, Chevron 2)
so it starts its new life of travel along with me. Hopefully, I can hang on to this one.

Another state off the list

This weekend the Tall Guy and I were in South Bend, Indiana and the Western area of Michigan (mostly New Buffalo). I'd never been here and yes, western Michigan is gorgeous, the lake is pretty and the dunes are cool, but I'm still an ocean girl.
We were there to assist in friends getting hitched,

Do some hanging out
And enjoy the weather.
Knitting got done and I'll show you tomorrow.

Have you ever had to go from one terminal to another in the Detroit Airport? There's an underground tunnel that is one of the stranger installations I've seen in awhile. This photo does not do it justice, but the colors are all trippy and it changes hues to the music. It's all very odd.
In the meantime, cooler weather means I'm cooking and baking again. Yay!!!

Worth a read...

Given how much stock undecided voters are putting on the debates, actually knowing the facts is a pretty smart idea, dontcha think?
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/factchecking_debate_no_2.html

(Factcheck is a nonpartisan, nonprofit somehow attached to Newsweek.)

another blog to get sucked into...

The Tall Guy's buddy Rob sent me a link today...and I love that he thought of me when he saw it. Check it out.
Seriously, this is one of the more entertaining sites I've seen in awhile.
Enjoy.

Edit: I should note, while there's nothing particularly rude on this site, it's not all for the faint of heart, please take it that way.

I love Fall

It's probably the best time to live in the greater DC area, as far as I'm concerned.
Yesterday, Jessie and I took a field trip down to Virginia for the Fall Fiber Fest. It was held on the grounds of James Madison's house.
So, in addition to seeing Llama's

and buying yarn


and more yarn...
we also toured Madison's house.
It was a gorgeous day!

So, I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but Annie is kind of a weather wimp. As in...if it's raining, she refuses to go outside...at all. Last winter, she would act all crazy when it was cold outside and would hop all over and howl on every walk. We're not sure if she was just acting nuts (it was the first few months we had her) or if she was reacting to the cold. So, I bought her a vest today (and it matches her new collar). This dog is the most spoiled, bratty hunting dog I've ever met.

I would be remiss to explain part of what has had me missing this week. Since last Sunday, I've read almost the entire four books in the Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer. I'm not sure what it is about a young adult series revolving around teen romance and vampires that has me sucked in, but I'll be sort of happy when I finish this fourth one (oh year, they're each at least 500 pages) so I can go back to everyday life.

i suck, i know

First. I love David Letterman for this.

Second. Have you seen It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia? It's totally inappropriate, but the Tall Guy and I are kind of obsessed with it.

Third. I'm off to Boston tomorrow morning to hang out with some peeps. It's spose to rain all weekend, but who cares. It's going to be chill and I love just being in New England.

Fourth. I know. There's been knitting. Some of it's gifts. I have no pictures. That's why I suck!

Fifth. We just booked a vacation. It's not until January and I've decided I'm going to start a count down... probably today.

Have a great weekend, I'm trying, I'm reallllly trying to be a better blog-girl, but sometimes life just gets in the way.

yummy

Tonight, the Tall Guy and I met friends for happy hour and afterward we stopped into TangySweet. Even the Tall Guy, not normally a yogurt fan in general thought it was tasty. I had the original flavor with Raspberries and chocolate chips...yum!
Seems like its probably a bit of a copy-cat of the ever popular Pinkberry. Even the websites are eerily similar.

a new family member

meet the new Mini!
She's a Clubman, which means she has a little more junk in the trunk...


No name yet, but I'll be taking her for a spin today, so maybe the name will come out..

It was a near tearful goodbye with Randy last night, but my Protege' was tired, was going to need work in the near future and the shiny new Mini made it just a little easier to part with my dear Mazda.

In the meantime, with Fall coming (sure, its over 80 degrees right now) I've pulled out the Gathered Pullover out of the closet to work on. I've just got the sleeves left, so I'll bet this is done and blocking by the end of the week.

Off for a drive!!!

Fun series...

If you know anything about me at all, you know that I love a good cupcake.

(case in point, this was the centerpiece for the tables at the wedding)

That said, this ongoing series will keep me, for one amused.

when the tough get tired

the tough knit wash cloths.
Weird? A little. Cathartic, when you're exhausted, recovering from wedding and trying to sort other assorted life drama out? You betcha.
At least I have a hobby that even at the most mindless of times produces a pretty cute gift for some totally deserving friends right now.
The Tall Guy is traveling this week (Barely a week married! So sad!). I think the one who misses him the most is clear, however.

whooo hooooo!

And I'm back! It was a cloudless day in NH, we both said "I do", everyone danced and seemed to have fun. If you were there, Thank you so much for being a part of our day. I learned this weekend there's a lot more secret readers out there then I realized!
It's safe to say the blog will return to our previously scheduled programing of knitting, Annie and occasional cute baby photo ops.