Random Things

Seven Random Things about the Knitfloozy…..I’ve been tagged by UrbanKnitrix to say seven random things about myself so here goes…

1. I love to sing at the top of my lungs in my car when I’m driving alone not just the featured singer – the background parts too.

2. I love peanut butter and cheese sandwiches

3. I have a crush on LL Cool J (Todd Smith) – those dimples are just amazing!

4. I can fall asleep when DH listens to Pink Floyd in the car at top volume and not hear a thing until the album is over. (Crazy but true)

5. I have a shoe fetish (rockin my stilettos)

6. I am addicted to buttermilk bread

7. I’ve never seen Pulp Fiction all the way through – I fall asleep at the same place every single time in the same spot in the movie and wake back up at the end when they are at the diner at the end of the movie.

Tight Knitting

Hey folks! I’m still here. I haven’t been anywhere except work and home. So what have y’all been up to? I’ve been teaching myself how to read charts and how to actually follow instructions on a pattern. Some patterns you just can’t help but wing your way through and they come out just right. So in my never ending search for patterns I came across some cool socks here. KnittyCent found the coolest yarn on Esty and I just had to have that color. I got my bubble burst when I went to purchase the candy corn yarn and it had all been sold out. Needless to say I was not deterred – I have some purple striped sock yarn that I had frogged from other socks patterns I thought were boring. So in frogging the socks and thinking that I could use the toe up pattern – I managed to mangle the cutesy lace pattern beyond recognition. So guess what I did? I started over only this time from the top of the sock. Did that help? Nope! So I have put the socks down until I can figure out how the heck I can loosen my death grip on the needles and stop knitting so darn tight!!!!

In the mean time I’ve started the Big Bad Baby Blanket from the SNB Nation book. This thing is HUGE!!!! I love it though. I’m about halfway through it and I don’t think I’ll be giving this one away. ? I’ll post some photos of the progress later of the Big Bad Baby Blanket later.

This will end up being for the Knitfloozy’s lap when watching tv or reading a book. Speaking of TV has anyone seen Nip/Tuck? I love it already and it’s only the first episode! I love Christian!!!! He thinks he’s all that and it’s just not happening the way he wanted to! The upcoming episodes look hilarious!!! My favorite reality tv train wreck New York – aka Tiffany Patterson is on one of the episodes. I mean how can you watch the show and not see how twisted folks are and not just love it cos it’s not you? Y’all have a lovely knitting and or crocheting day!

Finishing aint so bad!

In the spirit of finish-it is I have finally completed my Lady Eleanor Shawl!!!! I love it. It’s nice and warm and got lots of compliments on when I went to the Knitting& Crocheting convention in Oakland on Sept. 29th. Many ooh’s and aah’s and can I touch it – I felt like a proud mother! However, I did not add the fringe – I’m not a fringe kinda chick. But for those who did - it looks wonderful on your shawl. tee hee
So again with gauge and measuring – I had no idea it would be so big after I blocked it - I say that because I knitted two extra patter repeats. Yes I feel like I’m still learning about some of the new things that I just keep ignoring about knitting. I can no longer ignore all of the instructions that come with these more complicated patterns. But you know - since it's for me and I found that others have modified patterns they used I guess it's not really a big deal.

I am loving finishing things. I feel so much better emptying out my UFO basket.

Oh the pink baby blanket – I forgot to take a photo of it when I finished it. But the little princess I made it for will be here in four weeks! I’m so excited and cant’ wait to meet her. Here I am with her and mom at her baby shower. Her mother is a fantastic friend and will be a great mommy!

UFO's

I was cleaning out my knitting emails and came across this cute video on unfinished objects. UFO's. I do not feel so bad now about having so many unfinished projects all over creation. I am happy though that I am making progress on the many unfinished items in my knitting basket.

New Baby interruptis....

I got an invitation for a friends baby shower last week and immediately started knitting several of the burp clothes from the Mason Dixon book along with some matching bibs. (Isn’t this the cutest invite?) I wasn’t satisfied with that so I started to knit a blanket I saw on Tricotine’s site. I originally started it with some white Lion Brand Jiffy yarn and immediately frogged it. That yarn just about drove me nuts cos I frogged it three times before I switched yarns. I finally settled on the pound of love and size six needles. I’m glad I switched yarns. (Shawn if you’re reading this before the 15th stop so you won’t see your baby’s blanket!) The I switched to is definately gurly. If she has a boy .... I will be forced to knit a blue blanket...or better yet white cotton. I know, I know - white cotton for a baby blanket - but why not? Cotton is washable and dryable and easy to maintain. Anyway -she will have a blanket and a stack of burp cloths for the new baby.

Now that I’m about half way through this small project I will definitely complete some of the other projects I’ve started. Has anyone else started the Breeze socks in the summer issue of Knitty? I started them and was happy to know that with my limited knowledge of cables that I really was doing them right. I want to take a break from this baby blanket to work on them – but in the spirit of finish-itis I will press on with the baby blanket. Wish me luck in my continued spirit of finish all of the gazillion projects I have started. I hope that all of you are able to catch it as well.

Knit 1 Tea 2 Questionairre

Knit 1 Tea 2 Color Swap Questionnaire
1. Do you like loose tea or bags, or both – something you want to try?
I prefer bags….but I’m willing to try loose tea

2. What is your favorite kind of tea (Brand, flavor, variety, etc)?
Any flavor of mighty leaf tea found here

3. Favorite color in regards to tea or one you would like to try? (black, green, red, and white) (keeping in mind that this is how this swap is set up).
Green

4. Would you say you were a tea pot kind of person or just a hot water heater kind? I like tea pots.


5. What tea accessories would you like but have never purchases for yourself?
I’d love one of those tea pots that sits on top of the cup – like they’re all one piece.

6. How do you prefer to be pampered? (examples: mani/pedi, bubble bath, yummy treat, etc). Mani/Pedi!


7. If you were a kind of yarn what would you be and why?
Cotton – useful in all types of weather….

8. If you had to knit/crochet baby booties, a fun fur scarf, or a fair isle sweater, which would you choose and why? I would knit the baby booties….much easier and I love to see them on their little feet.

9. What other event would make you skip a tea party? (A garden party? A book club meeting? A yoga class? Opening night for a new action thriller? etc?) A chance to get from free Tilly thomas Yarn – the one with the beads on it.


10. What treat would you consider essential at your tea party? (Sweet? Salty? Scones? Those petite pastry trays with a couple of all sorts of things? Little crust less sandwiches?) Petite Fours….you need something to go with the tea….


11. When buying yarn for a project how do you choose - do you buy the one called for or do you substitute? I try to buy the yarn called for if I can get it. Otherwise – I’ll buy one of the suggested substitute.


12. What do you carry your knitting/crocheting in when on the go?
In my ridiculously large purse.

13. Favorite movie to watch while knitting/crocheting?
Any movie will do….

14. Are you a traditional tea cup kind of person or a mug type of person? Do you care if they match? I like traditional tea cups and yes the plate has to match.

15. Favorite childhood birthday party?
5th birthday party…..lots of friends and food

16. Favorite type of scone and jam?
I haven’t tried a scone yet – but I prefer anything that would go with peach or strawberry jam.

17. If you use candles, what is your favorite scent?
Vanilla from Bath & Body Works

18. If you could choose 3 people to have 'tea' with, who would they be and why? (famous or not, living or dead). Oprah, My Mother & My Aunt Cherri

19. You've been invited to a tea party, what 'props' will you wear (formal or casual)? Formal – I love playing dress up – definitely the gloves


20. Any allergies/preferences you have or are willing to admit to?
No allergies
Anything we missed that you want your pal to know? Nope

Finishing is catching on!

Apparently I’ve had a burst of finishing itis – and here is proof! I finished all the ends of all my many dishcloths that I’ve been making for most of my friends. So what did I do to reward myself with the finishing of all my dishcloths? I started making the Argosy Baby Blanket – found here in the Bernat Cotton. It’s pretty cool cos I bought the yarn on ebay about two years ago and found it when re-organizing my stash.

Now I must tell you – I hate reading instructions or working on patterns that require a whole lot of attention. I hate to admit it – but if the pattern doesn’t have an easy pattern to memorize – I’m not real interested in working on it. I see all the cool patterns that I aspire to knit and probably bought all of them so as I grow in my knitting – I will have a pattern to work on when I reach that point in my knitting maturity.

The other thing about knitting complicated patterns – I have tried using all of the cute knitting gadgets that allow you to count the rows as you knit – but nothing has worked for me better than my trusty pencil and post it. I guess every knitter has to find what works for them. Anyway – when I started the blanket the first time – I just about tore my hair out because I thought I had lost my mind completely with the pattern. Turns out it was my lack of attention to the pattern and not tracking where I was with my post-it and pencil. I think I tore it out about seven times before I put it down for about a month. Well some quiet time opened up in my schedule (ok I was knitting at two a.m.) because I refused to let myself be defeated by an easily memorizable pattern. Well lo and behold – the Argosy and I became friends! (I wish I had the same feeling about the Mason Dixon Ball Band Dishcloth) As you can see – I’ve made some progress on this lovely blanket and hope to have it finished by Christmas. We shall see.

I hope all of you had a great weekend. It was a balmy day weekend in Northern California. By the way –go see the The Bourne Ultimatum…..action from the first minute to the last. Matt Damon did really well in this movie.

Dog Days of Summer

I've been so busy reading all of your blogs - I just realized I forgot to post about all the cool stuff I got in my "Dog Days of Summer Swap" My pal is just so generous and we even share the same birthday! How cool is that!?! Here is a photo of the lovely box I received. Im searching for the perfect pattern to use this dishcloth yarn on she sent me! I got two not one cloth!!!! I may become a swap floozy (not ho - that implies that I will do anything for a swap) Ok that one tickled me. Thank you so much swap partner for all my goodies! She even included a minature shoe sure to enable my other fetish....loving my swap partner. I have to say though - I finally got my box together for my partner and it will be going out in the morning. I know for shame for shame....But I hope she really likes it. She is a dog lover so I included some stuff for folks who love dogs and helped with her chocolate fetish. I do believe I'm gonna be a swap lover. I really do like searching the stores and for the things that my swap partners like. Oh to be rich and afford all of the swaps that I want to do....One day...

I have no idea what Ravelry is and I had to just try to sign up. here is my status:

You signed up on August 7, 2007
You are #23623 on the list.
14281 people are ahead of you in line.
2626 people are behind you in line.
34% of the list has been invited so far

How come this silly thing never seems to change? It's been that way for the past two weeks. I'm beginning to think that y'all are making this up....Ravelry is not real. Ok - I've had a glass of haterade cos I'm not one of the cool kids on the ravelry site....

Starteris Progress

Well solving starteritis is easy....start finishing the projects you've started. I finished one! Yay! im on step two.....Step one is admittance - I've admitted that I have starteritis. Step two is picking up one project and finishing it. Here is a photo of one of the many projects I've started. I'm sending this lovely little project to our newest family member. I made this from the lionbrand diagonal baby blanket pattern. It was boring using one color so I went ahead and added a few more shades of blue to make it more interesting. I also made two more dishcloths from the biggest ball of cotton dishcloth that I came across when re-organizing my yarn. I'm on a mission to see how many cloths I can make from this one ball of yarn. I made the princess crown found here and a plain garter stitch cloth to go with it. Boring I know - but I had to knit something.....

Knitting bloggers of the free world….i have an illness – I discovered a name for this illness on the Mason Dixon blog. It’s called starteritis….. Does you have this affliction as well? I swear off all trips to the local yarn store – this only makes the illness worse. Why you ask – because I can’t keep my hands off all of the yarn there intent on seducing it’s way into my stash. Being broke can help this and so can not going to the yarn store. But what is a knitfloozy to do when she finds herself on this side of town to get some calm away from the storm?

I started counting the amount of unfinished projects and projects that I bought yarn for and have yet to start and yes my feelings are hurt and I too have starteritis. I right now have about 13 projects on various sets of needles. I keep telling myself that I will not start another new project until I finish them all. Has this worked? Absolutely not!!!! I seem to keep knitting myself into a deeper hole. I mean - how can one not be excited by all of the cool patterns to knit and since we only have two hands to knit with we must try to knit all of them at once. The good thing is – I’m not alone in my starteritis. I know there are many of you who have this same disease. Hopefully one day I will catch finishingitis so that I can get all rid of this starteritis guilt. *insert big sigh here* Does anyone have the cure in a bottle so I can take two and finish in the morning?