Four Things

I drop in on Needle Tart from time-to-time (she is a neighbor..Altoona, PA and all) and today she lists four things and inspired me to do the same. Here goes...

Four jobs I've had:

1. Shipping clerk in a large warehouse
2. Teller and Customer Service Rep in a bank
3. Waitress
4. Freelance artist


Four movies I can watch over and over:

1. Dirty dancing
2. Top Gun (I hate Tom Cruise now for his idiotic comments about mental health, phsyciatry, and post-partum depression and won't watch anything he ever does again but I love this movie)
3. Born Free
4. My Fair Lady ( my husband's favorite movie)


Four places I have lived:

1. Harrisburg, PA
2. Shaker Heights, OH
3. Opelika, AL
4. Indianapolis, IN


Four TV shows I love to watch (only 4???):

1. Survivor
2. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
3. Any Law and Order but SVU is the best
4. Project Runway


Four places I have been on vacation:

1. Sanibel Island
2. Boston, MA
3. San Francisco, CA (our honeymoon)
4. San Diego, CA


Four of my favorite dishes:

1. Chocolate (this is a food category in and of itself and I could make a meal out of it--trust me).
2. Shrimp
3. Pasta with olive oil, garlic, and parmesean
4. Ice cream (same theory as the chocolate)


Four websites I visit daily:

1. Yarn Harlot (I don't even check my own blog or my e-mail daily. This is the only site I MUST check)

Four places I would rather be right now:

1. The PA National Horse Show (going on now about a mile from me)
2. Knitting anything anywhere
3. asleep (this is always a good place to visit and I so seldom get there)
4. Riding a horse (ok, so first I need lose 60 pounds to be thin enough to get on one and not break it's back)

Here's a new one...

Four women I have "met" through their blogs that I admire:


1. The Yarn Harlot (ok, we're talking more of a worship kind of thing here and I have actually met her in person in addition to her blog but hey...)

2. Eunny This girl is the best at tight, crisp, wow! designs. I am afraid to knit what is a simple design for her...they are so intricate and exacting. She is also a wonderful teacher (see her lace tutorial!)

3. Ann and Kay (Mason-Dixon Knitting). (yea, I know they are 2 women but they can count as one if I want) What a funny pair with cool designs and great stories.

4. Needle Tart Not only is she a neighbor but a Jewish one (I was raised Jewish but have considered myself to be a Christian for the last 9 years or so but can't tollerate ANY organized religion. But there are still times I miss some of the things I experienced as a small child). She also gets the not enough time for all the things I love to do aspect of life (as I'm sure most people do).

Awesome Fair Isle Technique

Ok, ok...I know I have a bazillion and one things already on the needles that needs to get finished. I know I have no business even looking at new knitting books that have cool new techniques that I have been dying to try. And, yes, I know that the last thing I need is another pair of socks on the needles.

However, it just so happens that I just got Knit Picks Essential yarn in the purple, turqoise, pink, and black along with a new 32" 2.5mm circ (the perfect sock needle!)

Now, I have had these new materials in the house since Thursday evening (2 and a half days for those of you who pay attention to this sort of detail). Had it not been for an emergency trip to the library so that the eldest won't fail his science fair project, I would have been fine.

So, there I was in the library in the science section of the Dewey Decimal System arguing with a testerone-ridden 13 year old about the merits of simply TAKING a book home with you to peruse for possibly usefull information versus dismissing it out of hand; when the knitting book section called to me....

I spent last evening reading the wonderful history of Philosopher's Wool and marveling at Ann Bourgeois's fair isle technique. I have been designing some things to do in fair isle but had read that my floats shouldn't be longer than 5 stitches. That really put a damper on my creativity! Then, I went on-line to the Philosopher's Wool web site and watched a short demo video of the technique. I couldn't wait to try it!!

After I awoke with a wicked back cramp at 4:00 am and put the Midget (cause of said back cramps) back in HIS bed, I couldn't go back to sleep. So, I picked up the book again and marvelled at the colorways and patterns and how simple it all looked (all but that steeking thing). Their pattern called "Trilliums" inspired me to design a heart motif. I never did go back to sleep.

When the little one and I got up for breakfast and morning cartoons, I rolled the purple, turquoise, pink, and black into balls and cast on for my first fair isle project....heart socks! I didn't swatch and have no experience with this technique so I have no idea if they will fit me when I am done. That's ok, I have 4 nieces and there's always baby Regan. They will fit SOMEONE!

For anyone who's counting (or trying to) I think this is knitting obsession #5....

Crazy knitting...

Today is a quick and dirty no pics post. I have been knitting like a crazy person. I will find a new design, or style, or "trick" and knit it like there is no tomorrow and/or until I meet the next obsession and away we go again.

I have to say, "Thanks" to Ann and Kay of Mason-Dixon Knitting for their wonderful book as well as the mitered squares, ball band dishcloth and the log cabin knitting ( three of the recent obsessions).

I also have to give a HUGE thanks to Kory Stamper and Knitty Magazine for the awesome article on knitting two socks at one time (one INSIDE the other). Too freakin' cool!! Even non-knitters who roll their eyes anytime I talk about knitting were impressed!

I am currently just over half way done with the baby blanket....
Am designing and knitting 3 different sets of scarves and coordinated hats (one lace, one ruffley, one modified garter stitch)...

I have at last count 6 socks on needles (yup, two of them are on the SAME needle...I only use the magic loop method)...

I have designed a hoodie for the Monkey but have not so much as even swatched for it yet.

I still have to finish the sleeves of the EZ sweater I have almost finished for the Midget.

I only have to tuck tails on a pullover for the Monkey but at this rate it will end up going to the Midget (it is short sleeves)

I still have to finish a pink and orange bag that is to be felted, the rug for the downstairs bath, the huge pillow cover in outrageously huge Lion brand stuff, the Harlot's snowdrop shawl in worsted weight cashmere blend, the Buzzy scarf/wrap, the poncho's I didn't finish for last Christmas for Leslie's girls, and about a bazillion more pairs of socks for Christmas presents.

Not to mention the fact that I have made two (yes, count em...two) attempts at making mittens for the Midget and both were hideous failures. I guess there may be something to that whole measuring thing...who'da thunk it?

Sleep? who needs sleep? I just need to learn to knit things one-handed so I can work on twice as many things at once....now there's a trick!