Friday, December 21, 2007

Cast On

I'm not referring to the podcast, although I do enjoy it (yay Brenda!). I'm referring to the Sweet Baby Cap. I bought some Plymouth DreamBaby DK the other day, and sat down last night and cast on for the hat. I didn't have the needle size, and am curious to see if the pattern is written correctly, since it has size 2.5mm needles (I know those exist, just not in US sizes) and 3mm needles. I've never heard of or seen 3mm size needles before. I'm not sure if they truly exist, or if it's a misprint. It could be like the Loch Ness monster...mythical to some, but to others, as real as can be. :)

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Grr...Argh...

I think I'm going to start planning Christmas for next year now. Last Christmas, I was too busy being pregnant to plan for this year. This time around, I'm going to attempt a countdown, and make more gifts. Making gifts seems to be an easier proposition for me, since people can always use a hat, gloves, scarf, and socks. Socks are one of those gifts you can repeat, but since you make them, you can make them different even though it's the same. Make sense? Sock knitters know what I'm talking about. They're also great because the project itself is portable. I'm contemplating a few other items, bigger projects, but I'm not sure how much I really want to tackle in 2008. I'm hoping next year will be a slower year for me. I kow I won't have a baby due, and I should be able to bypass the 4 weddings. The funeral is not something one can predict, so oh well to that one. I'm off to finish some Christmas shopping!

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

The Frogging Pond

The sock yarn was being obstinate, so it went to the frog pond. The toe-up sock is no more. I'm going to try and do them while I'm off work for the holidays, but there's no telling what I'll actually get done. I'm planning on getting up early, just like normal, and I should be able to get some progress on a project or two for the week. At least that's my plan. We'll see how it turns out.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Dear Knitter,

I'm really sorry; this just isn't working for me. It's not you, it's me. I'm not ready for this kind of commitment. Maybe if you had cast me on a different way, or chosen a different pattern, or had done a gauge swatch first, it would have turned out differently. But I just don't want to be knit this way. I hope we can still be friends.

Sincerely,
Toe-up Socks (aka Secret Christmas knitting project)

Almost progress

I am still having issues with the secret Christmas knitting I was doing, that's not really going to make it to Christmas. The Baudelaire is still stuck, and I really need Elizabeth Zimmermann's books. I didn't realize that those books apparently hold the key for me. I'm going to attempt to find them either at the library or cheap somewhere. Maybe I can order them off Amazon cheap, or I'll get them for Christmas...but I don't remember putting them on my list. They'll be there next year. Off to work...I only have 2 more days this week, then I'm off for a whole week! Woot!

Monday, December 17, 2007

Just for fun...

Buttercup

Which Princess Bride Character are You?
this quiz was made by mysti

Lazy weekend...

Well, in respects to knitting, it was lazy. In every other conceivable way, it was far from it. Friday, I went home, took care of my little man and my big one, and dove into baking. I made 2 kinds of cookies: molasses and chocolate. I then cleaned up (a little). Saturday morning, I was up at 5:30 and fed Little Man, finished cleaning the kitchen, started working on lasagna for lunch, ran to the store (I realized we didn't have what I thought we did, and then we didn't have enough of what I was going to substitute to use it either, so a trip was a necessity). When I got back, I finished the lasagna, then moved on to breakfast. Realize, by this time, it was 9 a.m. when I sat down to eat breakfast. By 10, we were all out the door to go shopping. We dropped off our angel at my parents' house, then cruised on over to finish Christmas shopping, or so we hoped. We got through Wal-Mart and Target and Books-A-Million and were starving, since it was after 3. We finally made it home, I baked the lasagna and some garlic bread, made salads, and my parents joined us for dinner. It was tasty, that's for sure. We finally got to sit down around 7, and by 8:30, all were in bed. Sunday didn't prove any easier...I was up around 6, cooked green beans for lunch at a friends' house, fixed breakfast for myself and Little Man, then got ready for church. Since church is about an hour away, it just takes some time. When I got home yesterday, I attempted to take a nap, but Little Man was having none of it. So, we all got up, and ate dinner, played, and I started folding clothes. I also baked another batch of cookies (shortbread this time) and iced the chocolate ones. I still have a minimum of 2 loads to fold, and more cleaning to do. The front bathroom is getting an overhaul with cleaning, and the tree still needs to be decorated. I have my plan for Friday through Monday, and it actually does give me plenty of time to get everything done and still be able to prop my feet up for a few minutes. I might even get some knitting done then.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Baking, baking, cleaning and baking

That's what my weekend looks like. I'm going to attempt baking several items this weekend, and then cleaning (in detail) at least one room (the front bathroom). I figure if I can detail clean it this weekend, then next weekend I can give it a quick swipe and I'm done. I have lots of work ahead of me...no sitting on my keister this weekend! We have to finish decorating the tree, cleaning the house, Christmas shopping, and wrapping presents. We started doing some of it last night, and tonight will be a long one. I'm going to try to get 2 kinds of cookies done for work on Monday, and then I'm going to clean like I've never cleaned before. There's also some organization that will need to occur (the front closet is a mess and we need to pack more stuff in it). Hopefully it won't take too long. I'm thinking while one batch of cookies are baking (the shortbread takes 70-85 minutes) I can scrub the bathroom. The closet will be a simpler task. I'm looking forward to the holidays. I'm not sure how much knitting I'll get done. I'm thinking about making my hubby drive on Saturday for all the errands we have to do, and I can have some knitting time in the car. I'm almost a quarter of the way through with the Christmas knitting. That's not bad. If I can do a little more before I'm off, I might have a day when I can focus on just knitting before Christmas actually arrives. It's a good thing I have a backup present in case this doesn't work out!

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Christmas is coming...

and I'm trying to get everything in order. Fortunately, I have a handy-man at home during the day to help out with regular chores and some special things, like putting books up. I love my hubby dearly. He works hard to make sure our sweet boy is taken care of and the house is mostly clean. I say mostly clean, because, well, let's face it, men just don't clean like women do. Men don't see the dust on the tops of the curtains, or blinds, and they don't see the grime that's wedged itself into the crevices of the baseboards. It's not their fault...they're just men. Women, on the other hand, see each speck of dust, dirt, grime, muck and filth, whether it's visible to the naked eye or not. We're hyper-critical of cleanliness...surely something we've developed over the centuries. Let's face it...when our ancestors had dirt floors, it was hard for things NOT to be dusty and dirty. Not to mention we could barely see inside, because you were lucky if you had more than one window. Glass was expensive, and electricity hadn't been harnessed yet. However, it has allowed us more things, and better technology, even if that technology isn't always the best. We'd get mroe exercise without washing machines and dishwashers, but we also wouldn't get as much time to play with our children. It's a toss-up.

At any rate, Christmas is quickly approaching, and the knitting is not progressing as well as I had hoped. Fortunately, I have a back-up plan. I already bought a gift for the one person I was planning on giving a handmade gift to, so if I don't finish it for this year, it's not a complete loss. We're on budget for Christmas giving as well, which is nice. I've started a spreadsheet (can you say OCD, Type A, Anal-Retentive personality coming out now?) for this year's Christmas gifts. The good thing is that it will make next year a little easier to track, so we don't repeat gifts. Here's another fun option...something some people will think is cheap, and others inventive. Don't hate...appreciate. Try the Dollar Stores for gifts and decorations. Some times you can find some really nice little gifts for stockings or even just as regular gifts. You can create a gift basket for less than $10, and although it's not name-brand items (Bath & Body Works, FAO Schwartz kinds of things), most people don't know the difference. You can get nice decorations there as well, if you're picky. I found votives there for a centerpiece, and it's going to be awesome looking. Shoot, if you're willing to put in a little work, you can do a lot of things on a little budget. As a matter of fact, I think this year we might have a better Christmas than ever, with cheaper gifts than ever before. I believe we should focus on the people, rather than the gifts. After all, isn't Christmas all about One Person? It should be about Jesus, and a focus on the Ultimate Gift God gave us...His Son.

Back to knitting and off my soapbox, I haven't decided what to do about the yarn for the Baudelaire yet. I also found my LYS is having a sock club this next year for $95 for 12 months! That's an incredible deal. I'm thinking about signing up for it, and using that for my Christmas gifts next year. What better gift than handmade socks for each member of my family?

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

MIA

Somewhere, I have a couple of knitting needles that are missing the rest of their family. Somehow, I have lost them. Maybe lost isn't the right word...misplaced? Temporarily hid? In any case, I've still managed some progress on the Christmas gift and Baudelaire. I have to admit though, the Baudelaire has lost its appeal since the yarn has become tangled beyond control. This is getting to the point where I feel like cutting it and starting again.

I'm still convinced about trying the whole double-knit socks and I'm thinking about doing them on a magic loop, if I get a good gift at Christmas. I asked for the Knit Picks Options set, but I don't think I'll get it. If not, I'm going to a LYS and picking up a LONG circular needle and 2 balls of sock yarn. I want to be the knitting wizard, and do 2 socks, toe-up, at the same time. I don't know if doing a lace or cabled pattern is possible that way, but it sounds like fun to me.

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Not much progress...

due to terribly tangled yarn. For some reason, center-pull balls just manage to become a tangled mess for me. When I do the second Baudelaire, I'm starting with the yarn on the OUTSIDE of the ball. Yes, go ahead and gasp you center-pull-ball fanatics. Say ten Hail Brendas for me. That should be enough. :)

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Very little progress to report

I have worked very little on any project the past couple of days. I managed to get a couple of rows done on the Baudelaire, but other than that, nothing is moving forward, because of work. I have however, managed to figure out a better way to knit the Starbucks bird. Remember that? It hasn't been completely forgotten...it was just put on hold. Fortunately, work was slow a week ago, and I managed to re-chart the increases, and I'll be test knitting it before long. Hopefully after the first of the year, I'll have a cute little bird to show you!

I spent about 2 hours last night putting away the Thanksgiving decorations (yes, some of them were still out) and started decorating for Christmas. The living room and dining room are almost done, and that leaves the kitchen, sunroom, and the rest of the house. It's less about putting things out currently and more about putting things away. It's slow going, but it's going. Tonight I'm deciding between choir practice and going home to put things away. We'll see...a lot of it depends on how late I stay at work tonight.

Monday, December 03, 2007

Progress...but not where it should be

Well, I made progress, but it's all on Baudelaire. I did NOTHING on the Baby I.Q. Afghan this weekend. I didn't even repair my baby's afghan. Most of the weekend, I was incapacitated due to a front moving through. I am the local barometer for the area apparently. Between the killer headache and nausea, I spent most of Saturday in bed. Sunday I finally got up and was able to do a few things, mostly get ready for the Children's Choir Christmas program we had at church last night. It was short, but went fairly well. It wasn't bad for a first year program. I'm hoping next year will be more involved, and we did manage to pack the chapel at church. If we do a bigger program next year, we may need the sanctuary. In any case, I'm hoping to do something on the afghans today. Or I'll finish the first Baudelaire sock...whichever. I need to be knitting on holiday and gift items, but I just can't seem to make myself get there. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll make some progress on something other than a sock.