Knit-along Little Doggie!!

another finished object

Earlier in the week, I finished my mom's Boyfriend socks.  I made sure to take photos this morning (they will probably look like crap) and will post them when I get home have finally posted them.  I made the just to the ankles as my mom requested and not I want a shortie pair for myself from alpaca.  They are the softest and warmest darned socks ever!

Yesterday I finally decided to cast on for a Boogie Vest.  I need to use up my Gjestal Naturgarn that I have left over from my friend Tiffany's wrap and I think it'll work out nicely as the first time I ever knit this pattern (which came out great) I used a yarn that was too loose and it draped over every imperfection on my body.  I just hated to wear it because it made me look fat (at a size 6!).  It wasn't the pattern by any means!  It was my poor choice of yarn.  So I'm giving it another go.  I also plan to buy some yarn from Knit Picks to knit a Magical Earth shawl from A GATHERING OF LACE and to knit a Hug for myself (the straight stitch/cable version).  I'll keep you posted as I go.

Endpaper mitts finished

I seem to be in a flurry of finishing things that I started quite some time ago, so I went ahead and finished off my endpaper mitts.  My natalya's are just worn out and I really needed these.  Now to decide what to do with my Natalyas.  I don't have a recent photo of the completed set so this will have to do, and imagine that there are 2 of them finished. 
Next stop... mom's alpaca Boyfriend socks.

Icarus takes flight

I finally finished the Icarus shawl, and it's a beauty!  I took it for a little test drive on Easter Sunday to see how it would "perform" and how it would be received.  It was comfortable and warm, and lightweight.  I want a shawl of my own now for non-winter mornings when it's a bit chilly.  Everyone who saw it just loved it, and most people were amazed that it was hand made.  That was the best compliment I ever got.

This is the first shawl I've made that  came out a big as it was supposed to.  I think it has a lot to do with the cast off.  This shawl uses a very stretchy cast off and if I had my Shetland Tea shawl, I'd redo the cast off so that it could grow to full size.

Hopefully, Cristina will love it. 

eyes bigger than my knitting needles

Lately I've been trying this thing that I saw on the learning channel.  The doctor was talking about the secrets of skinny people (I used to be one) and one of the things he was saying is that you should eat every time you feel hungry.  Starving causes the body to panic and as soon as you go off the diet, you store up fat again.  Then he said that you can eat what you like.  He said to eat "consciously", or pay attention to your stomach while you eat.  Don't eat in front of the tv or read the first few times you do this.  You don't have to finish everything on your plate and stop feeling guilty if you leave food.  He said "is my getting fat going to help the starving children in Africa?"  Chew slower and actually *taste* your food. 

So I've been doing this for the last week and have found that I only eat about 1/3 of the food that I used to eat, and that I haven't been hungry.  I've been in the gym at work and I think this will work out really well for me and I hope to take off the 20lbs that I need to get rid of to be at the right weight for my height.  And you're wondering what this has to do with my knitting?  Well I'll tell you.

When I put food on my plate, I put way more food on than I actually need to feel full.  I'm trying to get used to how much I really need to put on there and be more realistic about it.  So I was trying to finish the Icarus shawl last night and I only had 4 rows to go, but I forgot about the border.  Then I figured I could bang out those 4 rows before bed and have the shawl soaking and blocked in no time.  Well, I forgot that each row is about 500 stitches now and that the cast off row counts so I actually have 5 rows, and that I've never been able to spend less than 30 minutes blocking a shawl, so finally after midnight, I gave up and went to bed.  Non-realistic knitting goals.  Just like my idea of how much food I really need in a day.  I have a lunch box stuffed with snacks and sides, and I can't even finish a PB&J before I start to feel full.  But I *will* finish this shawl today if I have to knit till I explode or have to unbutton my pants at the table. 

Someone pass the Alka Seltzer.

Mid-terms and Shawls

Hello!

Oh how I have missed you all.  I've been studying my lesson and trying to get prepared for my mid-term next week.  And when I haven't been doing that, I've been trying to finish the Icarus shawl.  I have 4 rows left and they're all the same so it's gotten very boring.  But I'm going to finish this! and I hope to have it done so that I can test drive it for Easter before giving it to its final owner.  Then I'll start my mom's boyfriend socks, although I'm still not sure which yarn I'll use.  Photos of the shawl as soon as it's done.

Shetland Tea Shawl

I finally broke down and frogged the knitted border of the Shetland Tea Shawl, and used a 4.0mm needle to cast off.  It's upstairs right now having a soak, and will hopefully be off to it's new owner by the end of the week.  She's only had to wait a good year for it!  This is by far the longest running project I had going and it would have made two years this May.  I really want to start a new shawl but I needed to get the other ones off the needles first.  next up, Icarus.

Welcome little Nielson

One of my best friends had her baby boy yesterday while I was sitting in church.  He was 9lbs, 3ozs and has a head full of dark hair, just like his big brother and sister did.  If he follows the same trend as they did, he will end up a very blond baby before he's a year old.  It will be a few months before he fits the socks that were named for him, and I took them to him today to be sure he had them in time to grow into them.  He has surprisingly small feet for a baby as big as he was and as I knit them, I had my boys in mind (and they are monsters) so the foot is pretty long for him yet.  luckly, babies grow so we're okay.  And I have to say that being born on March 9th is the second coolest day to be born on, next to March 8th!

Happy Birthday to Me!!

tomorrow is my birthday.  i turn 31.  my co-workers all signed a card for me and my buddy Eric wrote "you are now a prime number." which i thought was hilarious.  My wonderful husband bought me a DVD of the best of Will Farrell, and "Dirty Jobs" season 1.  I love that show, and he really doesn't so it's all the more special.  right now, he's out with a buddy and i'm home watching it, and knitting away on Niomi's socks.  i finished the first...   finally..   and cast on for the second.  i hope to finish it while i have a few days off from my school work until the next module starts.
alex is sick, and after leaving work early to take him up to the pediatrician, i stopped by my friend's house and asked her husband to give him a blessing.  it was tough as he was home alone with his own 2 small children, but he was so generous with his time and took it all in stride (he did wonderful).  i was go grateful that he was able to do that last minute, and alex has been much better from that time forward.  he even ate half of his cheeseburger, and is sleeping very soundly.  this is just another one of the times that i'm thankful for our church and the organizations of it that makes sure no one falls through the cracks.  i always know that i can ask for help from any other member of the ward, if i should ever need it.
and now i'm off to finish the second sock, and then try to get my last Endpaper done as my second Natalya is unraveling as i wear it and is beyond repair.

Mid-eval torture

or the DMV as most people know it now a days.  Yes, I had to leave right from work and drive to the RI Mall to have my license renewed.  And to add insult to injury, the woman who printed out my paper copy asked me if the photo was me, and then asked me if I wanted to take a new picture...  and I did...   but really, how bad does the photo have to be in the terms of drivers license photos that the woman at the DMV would ask me if I wanted to take another?  When I told my husband, he asked me if it was *that* bad?  Well, the truth is,   it was.  And now it's still not a head shot quality photo or anything, but it's better than it was.
I finished the assigned reading for the week, finally and participated in the discussions.  Now I have to tackle the assignments for class.  I have managed to sneak in a few rows on Niomi's socks tonight, and yesterday as well.  The plan is to do school first, and if I finish with a little time before bed, I'll put in a few rows on the socks and hopefully they will be finished before she out grows them.  And after these, I have to start on a pair for my mommy.

did anyone get the number of that bus?

so i'm still sick but at least i don't feel like i was in a fight with The Big Show anymore.  now i'm just congested and trying to clear out my lungs.  i sound horrible and i'm still tired but i'm getting better and i hope to be feeling much better by Saturday... cause no one wants to be sick on their birthday.  i've called in for a blessing so hopefully i'll be good soon.
on other news, i finally finished my Endpaper mitt in the correct size and i really like the Knitpicks palette yarn.  it's nice against the skin and warm.  now i just have to find the time to get the second one finished.  i don't know when that will happen now that my online class started up.  i have a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to get it done in so i'm cutting this short to go log into class and get some work done.  i have to pass with a C or better as my job is paying for this class and i don't want to have to pay them the $1000.00 back if i fail.  good motivation.