Tuesday, April 29, 2008

From time to time, I become slightly obsessed with things. Currently I am overly obsessed with the following:

1. Knitting
2. Blog Reading
3. Podcasts/Audio Books

As always, I have my regulars (wine, cigarettes, coffee, etc)

I want to say thanks a billion to the Cursing Mama for encouraging me with adding an additional blog to the list! TECHknitting was just down right fabulous. I stopped listening to “Me Talk Funny Sometimes” by David Sedaris so that I could become thoroughly engrossed in reading about making a hat. You never know when those skills are going to come in handy, you know.

Knitting blogs have opened up an entirely new world! Never before would I have thought to search the internet to see if anyone had used a certain pattern before and what type of yarn they used! And to top it off, I got onto Ravelry! Oh my sweet friends, angels were singing the day I used that to find a pattern for a Crest of the Wave Scarf. I still decided to adapt it a bit; however, it was just downright inspiring to see all of the other scarves. I felt better about my yarn choice, the size needles I had decided to use – I just had a downright severe case of the warm fuzzies.

I have, for the most part, taught myself to knit, and have no one close by to help me when things go horribly wrong (which they do). The blogs that I read, and the new blogs that I have been exposed to through them have solved many problems, dried up many tears and have exposed me to a whole knew world I never knew existed!

I’m like a kid in a freakin’ candy store! It’s my daily escape from things that drive me crazy…

Like my job, for instance, which I shall ramble on about at a different time.

Monday, April 21, 2008

And We're Moving On To Cat Hair

Holy toledo batman, I think I have the hairiest cat EVER. Ok, so maybe not really, but I certainly do feel like it! The cat, Two Fingers, likes to participate in a multitude of activities! Among them are:


  1. Playing evil tricks on Megan while she is sleeping.

  2. Running through the house flinging around the $38 make up brush

  3. Sitting directly in front of the Wii remote so that it fails to work and it ruins the game.

  4. Waking up children WAY before it's time for them to get up.

She's a crazy cat. CRAZY... I could go on for hours at the bizarre escapades that she embarks on, but that's for another day. Today my problem is CAT HAIR.


Knitting a dishchloth (yup, still on the kick) I notice that tiny puffs of white were wrapped around the yarn at odd times.. Huh? It called for further inspection.


CAT HAIR. Oh yes. Princess Two Fingers is shedding and my cotton yarn is picking up stray fluffs of it. NICE. I must say she is completely trained to stay away from yarn and knitted objects, which is GREAT, because when I'm running late and leave projects out around the house, I return to find them in an unadulterated state but... I don't think I can escape the cat hair....


She sure is purdy though, and I do love her... I just wish she enjoyed her "Furminator" as much as I do!


Here she is, on her favorite place. And when I sit in the chair and knit (it's my place to do knitting) she likes to act like my hair is a toy and tries to play with it.

I love her dearly.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Hair, hair, hair


If you say it in a witty little pirate-esque sort of way it sounds like "Har, har, har".


I am obsessed with two things... knitting and my hair. I love both dearly. My knitting skills, I think, are genetically linked. My mother used to knit superb items. She's much more into beading these days, but she does crank out fabulous scarfs from time to time, and they are all amazing. On to hair!!


The Amazing Miss Wendy Lee does my hair. It's currently two shades of brown on the bottom half of the back of my head its dark chocolate, and the majority of the rest is done about two shades lighter. On the crow I have a fun diamond shaped area of straight blonde. It's so much fun.. That's me in the pink shirt... The dark portion is much darker now, but you can get the idea. It's a great cut AND a great color.
Wenders (AKA the Amazing Miss Wendy Lee) even gets new product for me to try! I'm currently back on a Paul Mitchell kick. I get on the wagon, fall off and get back on again from time to time, but I have certainly decided that there are a few items I cannot be without:
PAUL MITCHELL the color - it's long lasting and the colors are very true... Love it.
Extra Body Daily Boost - as an avid proponent of utilizing bleach to attain the perfect color, I have to use products that don't dry my hair out. Most volumizing products always seemed to dry my hair out or made it feel nasty. This one does neither and assists me in my daily quest for not so flat hair.
Lavender Mint Moisturising Shampoo (and conditioner) - My daughter has scalp issues - she's had them since she was a baby. This is sooo good for her and I don't feel like I'm having her use a harsh treatment - so gentle and yummy, I even use it on myself!
I love my hair, I love hair products, I love Wenders... Life is complete.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Teaching a child to knit!

You would think I have lost my mind! Yes, I am back to teaching my beautiful child to knit. She and I have done this off and on for the last year or so and it's a monumental feat every time.

We have made definite strides this time, friends! My beautiful baby is a stubbord little lady who does not always take lessons well from mom. Period. Miss Maddie has always taken instruction better from other adults, but I'm her only local knitter, so I take many deep breaths and instruct. Some times all I need is a little assistance as well as some trial and error.

I've managed to figure out a perfect way for her to cast on, which she has definetly masterd - THANK GOD. I thought about just casting on for her, but what's the point in that? Girl's gotta know how to do it all if she wants to make things - and boy does she ever!

She's got the understanding of the knit stitch, and she's quite capable but she holds the needles soooooo tightly that it makes it hard for her.. No clue how to remedy that one. I just remind her to relax, because that's what knitting is all about - finding your little bit of zen!

I did to go Knittinghelp.com so that she could watch the videos that they have there and I think it did help out a lot, I've just got to get her to loosen up some how.

Any ideas? Seriously, I'll try anything because the girl has got all her moves down and is capable, but her tight little grip is just getting the best of her. I'll make a fabulous knitter out of her yet.

Ok.. I'm off to a BBQ with my friends. The weather is devine down her in the 'ville today and I've got a great bottle of wine I'm going to share. Yay!

Thursday, April 17, 2008

I Love Reading Certain News Websites...

Because some of the news is utterly useless and at times bizarre. That being said, I am a HUGE fan of Fox News. Love it... Can't live with out it. If you visit the FoxNews website, you have the opportunity to read a plethora of not so news worthy articles.
Now. Don't think that I delight in the pain of others, because I do not. What I marvel at is the fact that the most obscure news stories manage to make it into National News. For those of you who have been to this website, you know that if you scroll down past the article you are reading, you find a box on the right containing the "Most Read" Headlines that weren't listed on the home page. It's the titles that get me every time!

Today, for your reading pleasure we have:
"Medics Face Sack After Taping Removal of Canister From Man's Buttocks" - relevant to your daily life and necessary in order for you to remain up to speed on your current events - seriously.

What should amaze all of us is the fact that it's a "Most Read Headline"!!! Are you serious??? I'm laughing at myself, and the rest of the readers who have turned this article into something that qualifies for "Most Read". That means me and millions of others have nothing better to do with our morning than read all about some poor individual and his unlikely predicament with a canister of perfume....

I love Fox News. My friend Toby and I comment to each other almost daily on the crazy stories that are on there and giggle the entire way through at the ridiculous goings on in the world and our own fascination with strange stories. I love Toby dearly - she's just as cynical as I am and it makes me happy.

Just wait until I rant one day about world politics - she and I come up with the best plans, yet strangely, Washington isn't listening... God only knows why that is!

Thank God for Thursday... Cause tomorrow's Friday!!!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Wednesday... It's only Wednesday?

Crap-o-la friends! It's only Wednesday.. That means two more days of slogging through work. I work for a company that staffs doctors, nurses, techs and all sorts of other medical personnel at military hospitals. It's not a bad job... I spend my days scheduling people, putting out fires, monitoring staffing needs and tending to the various craziness that happens when you have to manage a situation.



Luckily, I have a trusty sidekick, Katie, who is a most fabulous individual. Accurate, no nonsense, witty, laid back - she's my kind of girl, and she loves to laugh. If it wasn't for Katie, I would most definitely poke my eyes out with a dry erase marker. I recently knit her a dishrag. I used some self striping yarn and a nifty new vine lace pattern which I found very easy and quick to knit up. Alas, no pictures.



Yes, cupcake, the excitement from Monday has left the building.



I did spend time today pondering ways to get people to visit my blog, other than just sending my entire address book the link and insisting that they visit and read what I have to say. I've decided to get myself into some blog rings. We shall see how that goes.



At any rate, I hope that everyone has been watching the John Adams series on HBO. It's an intimate look at the actual people involved in the Revolution... I love to experience other people's thought processes and this series really takes you into the minds of our Founding Fathers. Last week John Adams was vote out of Presidential office... Now it's time for Thomas Jefferson to rule the roost. I'm not a huge history buff, but I sure do love this time period and the insights that this series provides.

Have I rambled enough for everyone??? I know. I am a wee bit ADD - you all will learn to enjoy it and consider it part of my charm.

Love, peace, and a hefty dose of hair grease!

Monday, April 14, 2008

Ohh! Look What I Did!!!

I'm so excited.. I mean, super, squealing with delight and jumping up and down excited!

Yes!!! I made a box (using the pattern from Mason Dixon) with a few tweaks, as I am in a LYS deprived area and I think it's freaking outstanding!!!

Wanna see??


Here it is, pre - felt (notice that I put an average coffee mug in for size reference - cause I'm a smarty):

I knit it up using some inexpensive Teal Paton's Merino. Mason Dixon used worsted, Paton's is only medium so I used 3 strands on US 11 needles.





Here it is in the washer with a pair of jeans! I was so excited that I made Maddie come and watch, and my poor mother... Of course I had to get her on the phone so I could tell her all about it! She had to listen to us "oooh" and "aahh" over a knit box in the washer.. What a good woman!
OK... not the best picture, but you get the idea.

I made a freakin' felted box!!!!!!!!!!

And I have several "Notes to Self"
1. The first trip through the washer was enough... I got a bit zealous and washed it twice. Superior felting produced superior shrinking!
2. When doing small box with smaller yarn, opt for no handles.. Yeah, there are slots there, but it ended up so tiny, that they were really un necessary.
3. Go on line. Purchase yarn utilized in pattern or reasonable substitute just to see the difference and come up with inexpensive alternative.

I'm going to start on another one. Whut! Whut! Who's making felted boxes??? Megan is!

(Just humor me... It's always been the little things that excite me)

Sunday, April 6, 2008

More Sunday Blah Blah?

Yup! That's what it is time for!


So I've been out of town for the majority of the week, doing business in St. Louis - blah blah blah. It's a nice city, and although I only experienced Busch Stadium, I think I can dig it up there. I did knit on the plane ride to and from, which definitely made the plane rides go by much faster. I hate planes, by the way.


I took a simple project, a dishcloth (my latest obsession other than the many unfinished objects I have) and I really like this one.. It looks almost tie-dyed. I'll take a picture and share, so no worries. There are a few things about dishcloths that I really like:


1. You can use them for alot of things!!! As a dishcloth, for sure, but also pot holder, a trivet, a washcloth, or even as a nice absorbent place to put a big pitcher of sweet tea when you have it sitting out for guests.

2. Using a dishcloth allows you to save on paper towels and it allows you to WASH IT. As in a sanitary item - rather than the nasty stinky sponge you currently use.

3. They are pretty! Why go to your local Wal-Mart and pay for something that looks like your grandma used? Who likes the prints on dishcloths that are available at the store that are inexpensive? Not this girl!

4. Its a fun gift item. I like to give handmade gifts. I like getting them. I put a little bit of me in each and everything I make and I like that.


Awe! Don't we all like warm fuzzies?? I think they are rather environmentally friendly, too which is super duper. Now I just need to find some spiffy organic cotton yarn to use that won't cost me an arm and a leg. If any of you know of one - please speak now.


I know who this dishcloth is going to... My favorite hippie =)