Friday Fill-In #113

Waiting for spring.....

 

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Friday Fill-In #113
(get yours here)
 

1. I’m silly, I’m not good at small talk, I love candy.

2. Why do I have a newish computer and not have it hooked up to my printer yet?

3. How does this being good & knitting from stash thing work, anyway?

4. Every morning, I put some kind of perfume on my collarbone & the inside of my elbows.

5. I consider myself lucky because I have a really happy marriage.

6. One day we’ll see if I can ever use up all the sock yarn I own.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to knitting & hanging out with R. Darling, tomorrow my plans include knitting some more & then meeting Troy at our LYS for a Luxury Yarn Retreat, and Sunday I want to hang out with R. Darling!
 
The rest of the weekend is dedicated to napping & getting over this stupid lingering cold.  Ugh.  Hope your weekend is wonderful!

Stink. Doesn’t Stink.

Sniff.  Sniffsniffsniff.  Sniiiii-fffff. Yep.  I smell like wet pencil shavings sprinkled with coconut.  I guess that’s what happens when you decide it’s finally time to destash your bath and body baskets.  Oh yes.  There is more than one.  See, not only do I indiscriminately hoard yarn, I also seem to be under the impression that I must buy every half-priced beauty item that I stumble upon, perhaps out of some fear that the world will end and I’ll be caught as the last woman on the planet reeking of BO and without a steady stream of smell-good-stuff to redeem myself.  Usually I stick to a few favorite, tried and tested flavors.  But every once in a while I make an attempt at branching out and come home with something new.  Hence, the wet pencil shavings (which is actually Bath & Body Works’ discontinued flavor: White Tea & Ginger).  Sometimes, one of my flavors will go “off” in storage, and rather than throw the offender out, I will attempt to live with the hideous smell until it’s gone.  Let’s see, that would be the last two months I’ve spent smelling like sketchy ice cream when I should have been smelling like Victoria’s Secret’s Tahitian Vanilla Flower.  Perhaps it is only I, that senses these strange scents don’t smell right on my skin.  R. Darling never fails to tell me I smell good even when I am quite certain that I don’t.  What smells “sugary sweet” to him, smells like something entirely different to me.
 
But even if I stink, there is something I have to (finally) show you which absolutely doesn’t.  May I present a completed 28thirty for your non-sniffing pleasure…….
 

 

 

 

Pattern: 28thirty by Zephyr Style (on Ravelry here)

Yarn: Filtes King Koala – pretty much exactly 8 skeins in color #703

Needles: Size 8 bamboo circ

Mods: Worked only 2″ of K2,P2 pattern on cuffs (instead of 4″), added an extra buttonhole and an extra 4 rounds of K2, P2 pattern at bottom edge of sweater.

New Techniques: Nope.

Time Lapse: June 9, 2008 – February 20, 2009 (Oy!)

Comments: This sweater languished for way too long in my knitting UFO pile before I finally picked it up again around the beginning of Febuary 2009.  What can I say?  It shouldn’t have taken me nearly this long to complete something so ultimately wearable and enjoyable to knit!  Somewhere along the way I’d gotten distracted, couldn’t make head or tails of my poorly written notes, and had kept putting it aside.  Well, as 2009 is the year in which I hope to finish up my stray UFO’s, I figured it was time!
 
I adore this sweater!  As my very first completed long-sleeved sweater, I find this one ultimately more useful than the short-sleeved ones I’ve previously knit.  I’m always cold.  Always.  So what better way to warm up than with a long-sleeved beauty like this?  I love the little, simple details: the purl ridges on the sleeves, the cowl neck, the cute cropped shape, and the perfect fit.  And of course, that pink!   Though the yarn is a bit shoddy, the color was just too perfect to resist when I saw it that first time.  My only gripe is that the cowl neck doesn’t really lay as I would like it to, but I noticed that if I unbutton a few of the buttons it will unflop itself and lay nicely.   So happy to have finally finished this one!
 
So sorry, but there are no outtakes this time :(  In case you can’t tell, I have had a nasty cold since last Thursday and in these photos I actually feel like ass warmed over, so there was no hamming it up for the camera as I usually do.  So sad.  But I promise one next time!

Friday Fill-In #112 – New Sneaker Edition

2 miles last Friday & 2 more last Saturday.....

 

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Friday Fill-In #112
(get yours here)
 

1. Give me money and I’ll just buy more yarn.

2. Whenever my garden starts to awaken for spring, I experience a sensation of intsense optimism.

3. I wish I was independently wealthy and could travel my life away.

4. A greasy spoon hamburger was the last thing I ate that was utterly delicious.

5. To live in this world is to become increasingly affected by people with a disproportionate sense of entitlement.

6. Other than The Friday Fill-In blog, Knit One Blog Too is (probably) the last blog I commented on.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to resting (as I’ve caught myself a cold), tomorrow my plans include finishing up cleaning the house as my SIL and her fiancee are arriving tomorrow night for two nights, and possibly taking photos of my finished 28thirty if I can get the buttons on today, and Sunday I want to knit & rest some more!
 

Have a happy shiny weekend Bloggy Peeps!

Crush

Well hello handsome.

 

Ella Rae Lace Merino - Color #110

 
You caught my eye that Friday, casually unaware of my presence in the shop.  You weren’t my type at all, but I stood transfixed. My heart fluttered with the impact when I brushed against you. Did you feel it too?
 
Our future together billows out before me like a blanket on sunlit grass.  Will you keep me warm on diamond bright winter mornings? Or will you wrap yourself around me as we dance the night away in our evening finery?  Whatever comes to pass, I know you will feel glorious across my skin.

Valentimes

This year there were no flowers, no chocolates, no expensive dinners, no jewelry, no dressing up, no gifts & not even a single card.  But I don’t need all that tradtional stuff when I get to spend the whole day with my sweetheart, celebrating the day of love in our very own special way.
 
Instead, there was some cuddling, a couple coffees & some breakfast burritos, about 80 miles of pavement and some knitting, $7 for parking and a two block walk to this………
 

Seattle's Iconic Space Needle

 

……..then there was some waiting in line, admission, sitting in a giant chair, a smooshed penny, a visit to the treasures of Ethiopia and a glimpse of our ancient grandmother Lucy – majestic under glass, the butterfly house……

 

Inside The Butterfly House

 

……where multi-colored beauties fluttered in the sunshine, then fish & chips, more coffees and this……

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

…….back to the car, breathing in the sunshine, finding the gigantic REI and a darling sculpture on the way…..

 

If Only Pacific Northwest Rain Was This Lovely!

 

……an hour in the REI playground for R. Darling, then back to the highway, killing time in the Sephora and Borders, 2 tickets for admission to Coraline, 1 large popcorn & 1 large (real) coke, then shivering in darkness, the car ride home, curling up in bed, cuddling and blissful sleep.

 

Thanks for a beautiful day together sweetheart!

Nothing To See Here

Who me?

Why, I have no idea how that ginormous box of yarn got on our doorstep.  Did you ask that sketchy dude that lives a few doors down?  He seems like the type that would get his jollies off of leaving suspicious packages on people’s doorsteps.  Of course, I imagine they are usually on fire and filled with dog poops, but maybe he was feeling generous on Monday. ~whistles quietly to oneself~

Oh alright.  You caught me.  I’m a naughty little stitch monkey!  Would you like to spank me now or later?
 

The damage……

 

 

• 10 skeins of Lamb’s Pride Bulky Seconds in Blue Heirloom (for Warm Woolies sweaters)
• 10 skeins of Lamb’s Pride Bulky Seconds in RPM Pink (for Warm Woolies sweaters)
• 10 skeins of Cotton Fleece in Soft Gold (for the naughty stitch monkey)
• 10 skeins of Cotton Fleece Seconds in Pinkaboo (for the naughty stitch monkey)

 
Okay okay.  So I went a little nuts.  But dang it was hard to be good all month last month.  I’m rationalizing this purchase by telling myself that half of it is for charity knitting so it’s not really all that bad.  And, I bought seconds so they were super cheap (I got each skein for about $3.50 including shipping).  Not to mention, I paid cash.  Much better than burning up my plastic like usual. With the Blue Heirloom I’m planning on knitting the Twisted Tree Pullover (Rav linky here) for Warm Woolies.  This year, I’m going to participate in the Warm Woolies challenge for the year which is 10 items for kids ages 10-16 by 2010 (more here), so I think this sweater will do nicely.  The pattern only goes up to age 7 sizing I think, so my evil plan is to use bulky yarn instead of the yarn it calls for, in the hopes that that tweak will be able to size it up closer to a ten year old’s size.  Should be fun.
 
In addition to my own stash acquisition “problem”, my favorite Y-knitter Troy has been feeding me a steady stream of goodies as well.

 

Knit One Crochet Too Ty-Dy Socks - Color #1289

 

Huckleberry Knits Trillium Superwash Worsted Merino in Apple Yarns McIntosh

 
Saturday over coffee, he presented me with 2 balls each of Ty-Dy in 2 colorways (the green/pink colorway isn’t here ’cause my picses turned out like craps), and a couple weeks before, a sweet hank of our LYS’s custom colorway from local Huckleberry Knits. How sweet is this guy?  Seriously.  I don’t deserve half the stuff he does for me, but for some reason he still does it anyway.  Thanks Troy!!  You’re supa fantastic ;)
 
So what am I working on?  Believe it or don’t, I’m about 4 rows, some blocking & some buttons away from a completed 28thirty.  I know right?  You can’t remember that one either I’ll bet.  I started it – oh – only about a year or so ago (blogged here if you’re remotely interested).  I also recently joined the Random Acts of Kindness group on Ravelry and am working on a pair of fingerless mitts for a lovely lady in Germany.  No picses though in case she’s curious and comes a-lookin’ here.  I have to thank my blogfree friend Kathy ever so much for inviting me to join the group.  Though I’ve only received 1 RAK myself so far, I’ve sent out 3 and have 3 more in the works.  I really credit these desposits into the karma bank with helping me feel better lately.  Doing something little for someone else, though not an unknown feeling to me, is far more therapeutic than I’d ever realized.  Thanks for getting me involved Kathy!!
 
And before I forget…..  Did you see the IK Spring 2009 Preview is up??  I’m dying for that Millefiori Cardigan.  Stash, don’t let me down now!!  Enjoy & happy hump day!

Warning: Lots Of Wordy Word Words Ahead

What is up knitty peeps?

I think I have finally decided that the time for e-cation has run its course.  I don’t know if it helped to have time off.  I seemed to have found a way to fill that time with other crap that wasn’t useful or productive and I’m still not sure I feel rested. But I think I do feel like it’s time to put my game face back on.  Trouble is, you take a few weeks off of blogging and you start to feel apathetic about it.  You start to wonder if it will be awkward to come “back”;  can you pick up where you left off?  Will things be weird?  Will anyone care to hear what you have to say after your pause for the cause?

Despite all my agonizing, I’m jumping back into the bloggy pool.  Off the deep end of course.  The exercise of posting about Dahlia last week was good for me and it got me back in touch with so many of you that I hadn’t talked to for a while (or what seemed like a while) and that cheered me greatly.  See, January has been all about change here at Chez Funkytown.  Not all of it good change.  Being someone who doesn’t initially deal with change very well (despite the fact that I tend to do a decent job masking this trait by being amiable & unassuming) it’s been a tough month.  That’s a true Virgo for ya – routine, routine, routine.  But sometimes you don’t realize a change is good for you until you are forced to just deal already and face the aftermath.

The biggest difference has been going back to work on Mondays.  You would think that a measly 8 more hours a week would be no biggie.  Yet somehow, losing that day to do things around the house, knit a little, and blog, has sucked the fun right out of things.  I feel like all I do is work.  Rationally, I know this is not the case, but I just don’t know how you 5-day-a-weekers manage to do everything it is that you do.  I am exhausted!  Strangely, the only time I have to knit anymore is during work at lunch and even then it’s not a whole lot of time.  Getting that first bigger paycheck did make the situation seem a little rosier and now that I feel like I’m a more equal contributor to the household finances, I actually allow myself to relax just the wee-est bit more from day to day.  Dirty dishes?  I think I feel like leavin’ ’em.  And I can ’cause I makes me some money baby.

But enter – dun dun dun – EXERCISE!  Ugh, this necessary evil has made a new entrance into my life, and with it goes the last vestiges of free time each day.  Winter is always hard for me in terms of dealing with the blues.  Exercise never fails to make me feel better, but amping myself up for the activity always proves difficult after a long hiatus.  But I’m doing it and trying not to complain too much about it.  It’s actually alleviating some of my symptoms and keeping me on more of an even keel until the sun decides to make its appearance again up here in the northern regions.

I’ve also retired from helping my wonderful knitty pal rchrispy co-moderate the Sexy Knitter’s Club on Ravelry.  The energetic and ever so knit- speedy Robin of YarnCrawl has replaced me and she and rchrispy are doing a bang-up job between the two of them.  Though I do miss the involvement and the excitement of such a fun group, I do feel it’s been the best choice for me in terms of freeing me up to do other things I didn’t have the time for in the past.  In fact, I actually finally finished a project during one of the KAL’s (Dahlia) for the first time probably ever.  I think it was the best choice for both me and the group to bow out of those responsibilities as I never felt well-suited to the moderator role.  Though I am forever grateful for the experience, it’s been fun just being a “normal” participant once again :)

On the knitting front, I am focusing heavily this year on finishing WIP’s and knitting from stash.  For shits and giggles I’m keeping a little excel sheet for myself of how much yarn I am using each month and it will be fun to see, at the end of the year, what kind of progress I’ve made.  For the month of January I used 755 yards of stashed yarn and for February so far I’ve used 190 yards.  In January I spent only about $30 dollars on yarn and that was for one hank of sock yarn and 2 balls of Patons Classic Wool for the Cable Rolling Socks (Rav linky here) from the most recent issue of VK.  Not too shabby.  I won’t tell you how much I spent on yarn already this month though ;)

So hello again bloggy peeps!  If you read this far I’m suitably impressed and honored and thanks for taking some time out of your life to read my nonsense!  I know it’s 5 minutes you’ll never get back.  Next time I hope to meet you here with pics of new yarny goodness and a soon-to-be FO.  Until then, take care!