12,810

Today I got up and decided to take a walk early. I've been doing battle with the blues again and walking is the best way for me to get some adrenaline. Plus, I'm not fitting into my summer clothes. So I packed up the Boy and away we went. It was warm, but not too warm. It felt great to get the blood flowing. I usually come up with the best excuses for not exercising. If you need one, let me know.

There's a used book store 1 mile away. They never have knitting books. EVER.

Anyways, we walk. And walk. And finally get to the book store. And sitting on the counter is a knitting book! I got Meg Swansen's Knitting for 9 bucks! I don't do color work, but after browsing through this, maybe I'll start. I can always trade it or sell it.

And the best part about it- I walked 12,810 steps. Over 3 miles. I feel like treating myself to some ice cream.

Wanna see Kiri on?

Here you go.

(Photos taken by Sami, the new Yale grad. I'm so proud of her!) And why didn't we take the photos in a nicer area? We were on Yale's beautiful campus for goodness sakes! Don't ask me. Sami kept trying to guide me to a nicer area....I dunno.

I've started the October birthday girl surprise sweater. It's been a long, long time coming. This girl has been a close friend of mine for years and she deserves it greatly. Plus, she's always complaining that her house is cold. I know it's perfect for her.

I've made my required mistake early and it's quite noticable. I don't know if I should rip the couple of stitches back (it's down about 2 inches), retwist the wrong way stitches to the right way or if I'm just going to convince myself that it's the back of the sweater and no one will notice.

Hmmm.

Yeah, I'm probably ripping.

Perfectionist....who, me??

The stitch pattern is pretty easy and since I no longer need the cable needle (dare I even say this?) it's going very quick. (Why did I even write that out loud????) I find that with most charted things I can convince myself that I need to finish both the even and odd rows. Makes it go much quicker if I force myself to do that.

Off to get my hair cut. NHSnB'ers, I'll see you tonight!

Kiri Shawl- Done (Well, Almost)

I started this shawl (pdf) about a week ago. It's a fast knit and an easy peasy pattern to remember- and to find your mistakes. (That's the biggest trick that no one tells you with doing lace.)

I love lace. And it's all her fault.

The yarn is Mystical Creation Yarn's cotton in their Tempest colorway- which I got 20% off when she closed her etsy shop. She's still selling yarn, don't worry. Check out her ebay store. Trust me when I say it's worth it!

Was this yarn supposed to be for someone else, yes. Is the shawl staying with me? Yes. Sorry, Tanya. I'll make ya something else- I promise.

Mesilla is in a holding pattern until I can find more Gedifra Beauty Cotton in white. I had no idea that I'd use a whole skein, but I have. All that needs to get done is the neckline. Sooo close.

Up next? This. I did a swatch and have the back started. It's been awhile since I've done a full blown cabled sweater. It's going to be fun. (Bless you, Lilith, for non-teaching me how to do cables without a needle.)

And to the person who emailed me and to the anonymous commentor (same person?? I have no idea)- no, I never make sweaters to sell. I say check your local yarn store. They typically have people there (or know others who can knit what you want.) Thanks so much for the compliments. I'm glad you guys like the blog and the knitting. ;)

Creative Fibers- Windsor, CT

This store was on the way back from Mass. Sheep and Wool fest. We got directions from a super sweet girl who's mother just happened to work at Creative Fibers! It's right off of 91 on route 75, in a strip mall with a few other stores.

We walked in and were amazed at the selection and how organized everything was. I enjoy organization in others, especially my yarn stores.

The employees were nice, but not too nice. They asked each of us if we needed help, but didn't follow us around. When I asked if they had a particular designer, the woman said no, but would be happy to order it for me.

There was also a large seating area with a few comfy chairs and a big table for classes.

All in all, they were helpful, kind, and if they were closer, this would definitely be a lys that I'd support.

I will make mention that their prices were slightly higher in the store than some other places I'd seen. But I'd be willing to pay extra for a quality shopping experience.

Creative Fibers in Windsor, CT. I like 'em. Go see them if you get a chance.

Maryland Sheep and Wool Did Me In.

Today a couple of fellow New Haven SnB'ers went on a journey to Massachusetts Sheep and Wool fest.

This is the last good sized fiber fest for awhile, or atleast within driving distance for me. I was excited for it. I've never been and I had such a great time at Maryland. I knew this fest was smaller, but I really don't need much in the way of fiber these days.

Maryland had everything. Barn after barn of fibery love. Mass. had some good stuff- don't get me wrong. But it wasn't an overwhelming amount like Maryland. It was larger than CT, but much smaller than Maryland. I guess I just thought there'd be more. OR maybe Maryland just ruined every other fiber fest for me for the rest of my life. Either way, we finished the whole fest by 1:30, including taking time to eat.

That just meant we had time for me to formally begin the State of CT Yarn Crawl 2007. (With an added trip to Webs, just for good measure.) Tomorrow I'll talk about the store though.


So, here's the haul from Mass. Sheep and Wool:

I bought this book. Pretty, different patterns for my homespun. Perfect.


These are the 2 rovings I purchased:

The photo doesn't do the colors justice. There's 2 oz. of pumpkin and 8 oz. of hand dyed BFL. Both are soft!

I bought a WPI gauge from The Wheel Thing, which I meant to do at CT's Sheep and Wool and Maryland.

That's all. End of list. Disappointing, isn't it??

At Webs I bought a Lantern Moon small project bag. Everyone should have one. I got the pretty dark green silk one.

So, tomorrow I'll let you know what I think of Creative Fibers. It's good, trust me.

33

I laugh whenever someone tells me that they hate their birthday.

I *LOVE* my birthday.

It's the one day that I don't feel guilty for needing (or expecting) some attention.

It's the one day that I don't care what I eat.

It's the one day that I look back and give honest thanks for what I have, what I am, what I will be.

Happy birthday to me. Can't wait to see what this year has in store for me!

This is me hugging some roving at MS&W. My friend Suzy took the photo of me. I'm wearing the first sweater I ever made. Life is good. (Except that I was hugging mohair, which made me sneeze.)

Yarn Closet

Someone asked me the other day about the status of the yarn closet and my stash that I had on hand. They were unaware that the closet had been completed for awhile now and added to.

Here's what it looks like today.


At Webs I got the bag of reddish oatmeal colored Elsbeth Lavold Silky wool (down by the floor, between the hangers). One bag was 27 bucks, coming out to less than 3 bucks a skein. Love the color, love the yarn, love the price. I got 2 cones of cotton lace weight- $5.00 each. There's enough to make atleast 2 shawls of each color- red and black. Those are up on top of the left side hangers. They are cut off in the photo. I also got 6 skeins of a certain color wool for a certain special October birthday girl, it's a secret surprise. I'm about 99% sure she visits the blog, so I'll have to be discrete when I start the project.

I want to say that the closet is full and closed, but I can't do that. See, there's still room in the middle!! Lucky for me, Mass sheep and wool is this coming weekend! Heeheee. I know I'm not getting any birthday money (bummer...I'll miss the grandpa check.) but I'm babysitting Tues. so I'll have some cash.

Yahoo! Bring on the sheeps!

Decisions Made

I've decided to visit every yarn store in my state this summer.

It starts tomorrow, if I can find one open. If not, then Monday. I'll take photos when I can and blog about each store. I'll be nice, I promise.


Also, we- meaning some NHSnB members and I went to TWO yarn sales today. Yipee! Yes, I made some purchases and yes, you are just going to have to wait to see what I got.


And in good news, my mother lovingly told me that she'd be happy to watch The Boy on my birthday, so CAKE FOR EVERYONE! Or atleast those at ABP on Weds. I will have a curfew, but I don't care. Come if you can.

Dear Lost House/Car Keys

Please come out of hiding. I know your loving friend- Jack Henry- had them in his grimy little baby paws just a short time ago and now they are no where to be found.

I can live without my sapphire earring. I can not replace these keys. Enough is enough.

Sincerly,
Your owner

PS. I started a diet yesterday. So not only am I PMSing, I'm also super crabby over not having sweets AND having to eat applesauce. Oh my poor family.


9am Update: Still no keys. I have torn my entire house apart. I just had my sectional apart for the second time, looking through the cushions, under the whole thing, behind it. Ugh. I'm fearing that he might have swallowed them. But how can a baby swallow 5 keys, 3 key rings, a mini flashlight and a keychain? Please tell me it's not possible. He chokes on raisins, he can't swallow keys! There's just no way.

11:12am Update: Found them. They were shoved inside another toy, then tossed over the baby gate and into the kitchen. Brrreeeeeaaatttthhheeeeee.

Thanks, SMK.

(That's Swim Mom Knits for those who were wondering)

She tagged me for a meme.

Here it is:
Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs the 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog. Here are my facts:

1. I have issues with parking. I can only park straight if I turn left into the space. Ask any of the Maryland girls- they will tell ya how true it is.

2. I have a love/hate relationship with the weather, namely bad weather. I'm amazed at strong thunderstorms and tornadoes, yet fear them to death. I live less than one mile from a neighborhood that was demolished by a rare tornado and I swear some day the same thing is going to happen. (Yes, I laugh at this thought too). Anyways, spring is coming and I constantly check the weather channel for updates. No, I'm not planning outside activities, it's just precautionary. 1:24 pm UPDATE! There's a tornado watch for my state. GRREEEAAAT. Just what I needed (to fuel the obsession.)

3. Along with the left-turn only rule when parking, I have to park in the same general area if it's a place I go to often- for example: when I go to class, I park in the left side parking lot, in the first row. But because of the left hand parking rule, I need to go down the second row and circle back down the first row. If I park anywhere else, I never find my car.

4. I cry when I see shows about charities, especially if the involve school children getting new things. If I was a millionaire, I wouldn't be for long because I'd just go around buying stuff for kids.

5. I leave change in (or around) gumball machines for kids to find. When I was a kid my mom never gave us money for gumballs and my sister and I would search for lost change on the floor near the gumball machines while my mom checked out. When we'd find some, it was like magic! I think there needs to be more magic in kid's lives. If it costs me 75 cents, it's worth it.

6. I'm super selfish about my birthday, which is coming up on the 23rd. Hubs is going to be on a business trip and I'm afraid to ask people to watch the boy so that I can go out with friends. I know I'm going to be stuck at home, alone, feeling pathetic. This fills me with a mix of anger and depression, to the point that I don't even want to think of next week.

7. I have issues with random noises- namely dogs barking and the mystery alarm that goes off daily, but no one seems to be able to tell where it comes from. This morning the alarm blared at 5:42 am. We had the windows open to let in the cool spring air and I swear I thought a bomb was going to go off and the noise was an air raid siren. That didn't go well.

Um, I need 7 people to tag.

How about-
Rebecca
Soozies
Lilith
Eklectika
Emily
Jennsquared
and Marla (You are still alive for real, right?)

Basically, that list is New Haven SnB blog hop. Enjoy. (There's more too!)

I'm Amazed.

I had no idea that there were that many people from around the world who read knitting blogs! Yipee! You are awesome!

Here's a Mesilla update:

Up to the color change already! Yep, I'd say the knitting mojo is back and flowing freely.

I'm back to spinning atleast 20 minutes a day. It helps that I now keep the wheel out of it's travel bag. That way I can grab 10 minutes here and there and not have to fiddle with taking it out or putting it back in (which always seemed like it took an hour to do).

So, Do You Come Here Often?

After reading knittingajour's comment about being from the Netherlands, it made me wonder about the internet and how everyone came to be here (here, meaning the blog- not here, meaning Earth.)

Yes, I have sitemeter on the blog, but that's no fun- no one sees it but me and I don't remember to check it all that often.

Leave me a comment telling me where you're from, will ya? It doesn't have to be exact- there's no need for exact town or city, unless you feel comfortable doing that.

I'm just being nosy. :)

Thanks

Getting My Mojo Back.

For over a week I didn't knit on any sort of regular basis.

I had no excuse. I just wasn't "into" my knitting.

But, if you'd look at this-

I started a short sleeve cotton sweater for myself. (it's Mesilla, from Knitty. I'm interested in Fitted Knits and wanted to make atleast one of her patterns before investing in the book.)

I guess I got my mojo back!

(Deep down, I was nervous.)

Maryland Sheep and Wool 2007

A full mix of Maryland Sheep and Wool, Flickr style.

Enjoy.

More stories tomorrow. I need to unpack, unwind, and rearrange the fiber closet. I have no idea how it's all going to fit. (Yipee!)

The Devil's Water.

"They say the devil's water, it ain’t so sweet
You don’t have to drink right now
But you can dip your feet
Every once and a little while"

The Killers- from "When You Were Young"

We're off to dip our toes into the wool fumes.

Be back in a couple.

One More Sleep

First, thanks everyone who emailed or commented on yesterday's post. It was a rough one to think about, never mind write and share. The support means the world to me.

I'm amazed at some of the great advice that I've gotten from people, here on the blog, by email, and face to face with the NH SnB girls. Thanks for sharing your stories.

I think I've decided to write to him. It's neutral, there's no strange silences, I can say what I want and it's over quick.

One more sleep then I'm going to be playing with the sheeps! Yippee!

More later, the Boy is up and yelling, "Hello!!! MMAAAMMMA?" from his crib.

Only 2 More Sleeps.

Just in case I haven't repeatedly told everyone who will listen, I need this vacation.

Hubs' grandfather passed away on Monday night. It was expected and honestly, a blessing. We will miss him. He was a cranky bastard, but had a soft spot for me. The past few months his health had steadily gone downhill. His service will be next weekend.

Rest in peace, Grandpa.

I also got a call from my sister on Monday morning that my father has colon cancer. I'm still trying to process this information. Please note that I said my sister called to tell me, not my dad called to tell me.

My father and I have been estranged (god, I hate that word) since...well, since I was born. He came in and out of my life randomly, when either my grandmother guilted him into traveling the 200 miles or when he felt like it. Typically I saw him two or three weekends a year. Not much.

As I grew into a teenager, I noticed he favored my sister- she was 4 when my parents split and he had a chance to bond with her more than me. They also had similar interests, whereas all I wanted to do was pout and tell the world how miserable I was.

In my 20's I saw him even less. I was busy doing things 20 year olds do and he was doing his thing.

After meeting Hubs I figured it was time to have him meet my dad. We trekked up to Boston for the afternoon, took in some of the tourist things up there and that was it.

I invited my dad down for a house warming party at my house over 4 years ago. He came, which was nice. My friends met him and everyone said what a great guy he was. I'm sure they thought I was nuts not to have him in my life more often.

Hubs and I started to plan our wedding shortly after that party. I wanted my brother to walk me down the aisle. Jay was going through a rough patch and I thought it would help if he had something to look forward to. Plus, to me, he was my closest male relative. My father at that point met Hubs twice- in 3 years.

So I emailed my dad and explained that I wanted Jay to walk me down the aisle. I told him why. My dad never emailed me back.

A few weeks went by, the wedding was getting closer. I sent out the invites- no word from my father.

I called him one night and blurted out, "Dad, are you coming to my wedding or not?"

"No."

So, I think I mumbled something like, "that's your decision to make" and hung up.

Somehow I wasn't surprised. I knew he was going to do this. I hate to say it, but I didn't even think of him on that day. He wasn't missed.

I haven't spoken to him since that day. It was May 2, 2003.

My mom called yesterday and asked me to call him.

I can't do it. I can't. I know if or when he dies I'm going to be so disappointed, but I can't do it.

Life has been coming at me in waves lately- good and bad. I really think talking to him is going to be a breaking point, throwing me over the edge.

Any advice?