KnittyOtter

Eye Candy Friday: In the Garden & Ten for Dulaan

This year the honey and I are trying to start a garden. Again. I think y'all remember the sun fried pumpkin patch of last year. o.0

In all honesty the honey is doing most of the work. He asks me what I want and then surprises me with stuff he'll think I like and a few times a week take me on a "tour" of our garden. Sometimes I have helpful advice and sometimes I just ooo and ah over how cool it is. When I was out of town he planted some mini old fashioned roses in my favorite pinky coral color. Such a thoughtful sweetiehead! :D I don't have a picture of that to show you just yet.

What I do have is a photo of Pumpkin Patch 2007. (Clickety Biggety: All Photos in this post)

The sun is taking it's toll on a few of the leaves already. I'm thinking we'll have to put some kind of sun shade over the poor things. It almost feels like one of those storm watch things when the news/weather people get so excited they almost wet themselves. *L* Maybe we'll have Pumpkins this year and maybe we won't. Stay Tuned to find out!

Those are just some of the pumpkins. They are sharing the planter box that self waters with some green/yellow pepper thingies. You can eat them when they are green, or wait until they are yellow and a bit sweeter. The honey picked those out for me, even though he's not a huge fan of pepper thingies. That's love. ♥

While I was out there yesterday enjoying the afternoon breezes with the honey in the garden/backyard I did a little knitting. Still working on the honey socks. But I'm already thinking of all the other socks I wanna knit SOON. That darn Cookie has been talking up Kew to me for a while now and yesterday seeing her progress kicked my sock fever into over drive. So I went ahead and picked out the yarn I'm going to use for those socks too. I love me a lacy sock and that one looks uber fun. :D

Dave Cabin Cove Mercantile Yarn in Tencel & Merino for Kew: So Soft, Glossy and Wonderful!!

I think a cool refreshing pair of green socks is just what this already hot summer needs... well to wear when it gets cooler. But still knitting them will be like a cool drink of water in the shade. :D

Now I just need to knit more and dream about future socks less. I blame Cookie. Just Say'n. :P

TKK wanted her own picture taken after I took the Dave Yarn away. She loves her some Dave yarn. I'd need some attention too if someone took away my Dave yarn. o.0

You can almost see in her eyes that she wants that yarn back. I'm not kidding when I say she loves Dave Yarn. *L*

And finally several weeks ago before I went out of town I sent off my Dulaan Box. (Many Thanks to Cookie for keeping me up on the deadline to mail. *hugs*)

I had pledged to knit 5 pieces and managed to knit 10. :D

*Super Happy Otter Dance*

Here's George showing off The Ten Pieces/Sets for Dulaan.

From the top, left to right we have The Patons SWS Fuzzy Kiddie Scarf, My First Sweater Ever, Toddler Scarf & Hat Set, The Double Knit Stripe Hat, My First Attempt at Fair Isle, Candy Hat, Mohair Monstrosity, My First Socks , My First Hat and the Magic 28 Socks.

That's a lot of firsts in there for me. :D I have REALLY enjoyed knitting all of these for Dulaan. It's also helped me try things sooner than I might have. I dunno. It's different when you're knitting for someone in need than for yourself or friends/family. It's pure. No strings, no history. Just helping.

That's not to say I don't have plenty of people I could knit for. Though recently someone who obviously doesn't know me very well suggested that I knit for charity because I don't have anyone to knit for. As if knitting for charity was the only way I could knit for others and that it must be nice to have people to knit for because of this. *L* Well I doubt that person will be getting a handknit anytime soon. Not a knitter, btw. Not a charity helper either. Just plain ol' clueless. I could spend all my time knitting for people I love and still not have time to get to them all the way I'd like. Like I said, knitting for charity makes me feel good. I guess you gotta be happy to spread happy though. Miserable people who can't see past the gloom on their nose wouldn't understand that.

I don't know if they are going to do Dulaan again this year or not. I hope so, but if not I'm sure I can find a lot of other charities to participate in. Such as the upcoming Red Scarf Project 2008. The deadline is a bit earlier this year and the standards & practices have changed a bit for anyone interested. Looks to be lots of fun again. :D

Alrighty then, well tomorrow I head off on an adventure with some friends. It should be fun and fiberlicious. Details if we make it and return. You never know about these things. *L* It feels kinda like we are going off on some hobbiting adventure with a precarious chance of making it back. If we make it back I'll have to pull a Bilbo and write the tale. But I promise not to have Leonard Nimoy sing about the adventure. I don't think they even make those kind of drugs anymore.

To top it all off, like some sort of fabulous cherry on a sundae I've been promised a pair of Prized Squishy Balls!!! My Precious, Precioussssss Squishy Balls.....

How do I say this delicately...

I have a bit of a tan from recent outdoor activities. Now I'm not much of a tanner. Burner yes, Tanner No. So this is a bit of a shock.

Growing up as a kid I was burned by the sun's horrible death rays more times than I can count. I'd never even heard of sun block until I was 10 or so when a cousin brought some over for a summer visit. It was disgusting and vile, smelling like a sickly sweet concoction of coconuts and chemicals. It was greasy and burny on the skin and to hell with you if ever accidentally forgot it was on your hands or face and rubbed yours eyes. It didn't just sting and burn, it was hard as hell to wash out. Ouchie.

So as you can see I never had much use for that hifalutin nonsense as a kid. You can't run around and play when you are coated in icky nasty stuff. Not only did you feel oddly uncomfortable BUT you were like some sort of magnet for free range cat fur that might come your way. A very real possibility when your mother insists on having more cats than fingers on her hands at any given time. Now it wasn't all fun and play when I was a kid. So you'll have to add in plenty of dirt, sweat and hay bits sticking to you as well. Which lemme tell ya, really didn't need the assistance to cover you in a layer of work grime.  So that sunblock really wasn't my friend. You ever try wipe sweat off your face when you got sunblock & all that all over ya?

More trouble than it's worth.

But as I grew up they improved the sunblocks more and more. Now they have stuff for sensitive skin, greaseless and even active stuff that goes on dry and doesn't get all funky when you are trying to have fun and just happen to be in the sun. It still smells pretty weird, but not so assaultive on the nose as it once was.

For several years now my dear best friend has been nicely nagging advising me to wear sunblock and be prepared when I go outside. I've done a better job of listening to her and have therefor been less whiny overall about my skin being red & ouchie and my summer part time job of being Lobster Girl.

She's also been telling me about these things called "hats". Even going so far as to send me several. I've been wearing those and doing much better... when I remember that is. It's a lot easier to remember to wear a hat in the backyard than it is other places. Partly because I'm "Nagging it Forward" and tell my honey he needs to wear a hat in the sun. Even going so far as to help him select several at various stores that I think look good on him. *L*

Proof of Sun Hat Use @ Home in Backyard (taken a bit ago before 7:00 am, so yeah no direct sunlight out there just yet. *L*) Oh and that's My Coral Sweater.

Bonus: Kitty doing her usual morning inspection of the backyard. She gives it her approval as she likes the grass. It's like her own personal salad bar. Furry Freak. ;^) Clickety Biggety!

I really should carry a hat with me in my car. I did a few years ago after Cookie suggested it. (She's the smart one and tells me the stuff you'd think I should have figured out for myself. *L*)

But at the end of one summer I brought the hat back inside and promptly forgot all about it.

Note to Self: Put a sun hat back into the car!

This would have come in handy recently on several occasions.

Sometimes I meet friends for coffee in the morning and we sit outside. For some reason I can't seem to grasp that the sun is out at 8:00 in the morning. In my backyard the patio doesn't move out of the shade until 10:30 or so. Can my brain be so preoccupied that I have forgotten that other locations still get direct sunlight? This has caused a few uncomfortable situations due to my lack of foresight. So next time I am so taking a hat.

Between those bits of sun exposure, knitting in the backyard and the occasional getting caught off guard by the sun or just doing normal outdoor activities I have found myself with a bit of a tan. Well a tan for me anyway. :P

But the funniest part is that it's a specific activity tan. Much like that of the Farmer's Tan of my youth in a way. Only this time no scratchy hay throwing, cow corralling or fence mending was involved.

I have a Knitter's Tan. *L*

It's the freakiest damn thing. Hold your arms/hands as if you are knitting and see where the sun would hit. Now extend them out and turn them a bit. The top is a peachy shade of tan and the bendy part and bottom part is a stark shade of winter white.

I'm two tone, Baby!

I wonder if this is how the tiger got it's stripes and the leopard got it's spots. *L*

Saturday when I next get together with some knitting friends I'm going to look at their arms to see if they have the tell tell Knitter's Tan as well. Or if I'm just some kind of half tanning freak. :P

And yes Cookie, I'll bring a hat & sunscreen. ;^)

Tiny Echoes & Sock Fever

Do y'all remember a few weeks ago or so when I mentioned how we are all connected like strings of yarn. Well I forget to mention how they make echoes. There are many types, good and bad, attached and cut, but still they move through you like a wave of history.

Echoes of regret, joy and sadness and a myriad of other emotions that wash over you all unexpected like. When one of those strings gets tugged or strummed, much like that of a guitar string, an echo vibrates out it's like reliving a part of that relationship or the strongest emotion you last associated with that situation. Even if you cut the string the echo remains for a time.

Sometimes its a good thing, these tiny echoes. They can remind you just how important something or someone is to you. Like this little bear I have in my purse. It's an echo, a reminder every time I see it of just how important my best friend is to me. It also reminds me I can do anything and should have faith in myself. That's a pretty freaking awesome echo. A wave of emotion that centers me and reminds me of what's important.

You wouldn't believe how many bad days I've had or dealing with stupid people and while looking for something in my purse I come across that bear and it reminds me just how little so much of the nonsense really matters. Why let the stupid shit bother you when next week, next month and next year it just won't matter. That doesn't mean I should stop dealing with life though, just to keep it in perspective. :D

It's ironic that I can say that now, cause last Saturday boy was I letting some stupid shit piss me off. Poor MonkeySocks had to witness just how high strung I can be when irritated. Rather than just laugh off some really stupid and trifling bullshit I let it get to me. Worse It wasn't any fresh bullshit, but a build up of irritation, tiny echoes of the nasty kind.

These nasty thoughts and emotions were associated with some people who have historically been complete and total butt munches. People who on their own and with each group of events separate wouldn't rate to waste my time or thoughts on. But over time the buildup of irritation has led to a complete and utter disgust at the thought of dealing with them.

It's like when people do a series of mildly irritating things and then the last one, no greater than the others happens you just snap and it all seems huge. Well just the thought of dealing with this situation has left me quite frankly on the edge of snap. And it's not fair, to me or anyone involved. Perhaps if I could just me more honest with people, without being rude as they are, and tell them just when they have done something inappropriate and unacceptable. I should really figure out how to do that. *L* I'm sure it would make life easier. For me at any rate. ;^)

But even if I ever did everything just right, and that is mighty damn unlikely (heh), there is still a world of other peoples echoes. Though I'm starting to think most people don't understand that the world does not in fact revolve solely around them. So not only are you dealing with others echoes, but half the time they are contaminated echoes that have too much history and confusion surrounding them. Rather than clearing up a miscommunication often we let it fester and become this whole other thing. Then any new history built upon that falsehood is tainted and the foundation starts to crumble when people no longer know what or how to talk to each other.

I think that kind of echo is the most painful. When you realize too late that a mistake was made. Or that someone else made a mistake and there's no way to go back and fix it.

And sometimes other people cut the strings and there's nothing you can do but wait as the echo becomes softer and softer until it becomes so soft you can barely tell it's there. Though they often creep up on you long after you think they've stopped sounding. Do they ever really stop. I guess that's for each of us to decide.

In other news I have The Sock Fever. Cookie keeps reinfecting me. :P

Today she sent me a link to  Nicole's new pattern over at All Buttoned Up. It's called Nine - to Five and is too totally cute! It's added to the list.

The list is getting really long I gotta say. o.0

Good thing I signed up for the Summer of Socks. In addition to knitting up my Campfire Socks, before I start ANY other socks I am going to finish My Honey Socks.

Here's the latest progress shot for my Honey Socks. Clickety Biiggety!

Notice my shadow camera hands. *L*

One of the reasons these socks have taken me so long is well because they are TALL ASS SOCKS. I didn't realize how big they'd have to be to cover his man size feetsies. Freaky. o.0

A while back I realized that the two skeins of Claudia Hand Painted that I'm using for his socks would not be enough. They'd be fine for me, but for him I needed more. This is where I deeply regret telling my friend Freddie all about the yarn when we were at our LYS. She went and got the last two skeins and I cheered her on. That was before I realized how damn big his feet were... and yes it's true what they say. >:^) Just Say'n.

*looks all sweet and innocent*

So now the lovely Freddie has a kickass pair of Jay walkers (I think that's the pattern she did) and I'm up the creek without a paddle. Or rather to the foot without matching yarn. Thankfully I was able to get some neat looking Louet Gems (base yarn for Claudie so the fiber will match) from The Loopy Ewe to finish up the foot. It will be fine. More than fine actually. The color matches shades in the yarn perfectly. In fact the yarns are both called Caribbean Blue. :D Just that one is variegated and one is solid. If I was really concerned with being super nifty matchy matchy I'd rip back and do the heels and just the toes in the matching solid. Although I still don't think I'd have enough to do the body of the foot with the Claudia that way. Plus these are huge socks and I think I will like them just fine as is. He's said he will like them this way. The solid part will be in the shoe and the top will be the variegated. :D

I realize I could have gotten another skein of the same color from The Loopy Ewe, but I think I'd be more freaked out if the dye batches weren't perfect than if it was supposed to be an obvious difference. Yeah my brand of weird is fun for the whole family. Heh. ;^)

Oh and I got those awesome Sheepie Socks Blockers at The Loopy Ewe too. So Cute!

Fires, Random Weirdness & I seem to be NC-17

It's a little hard getting back into the swing of things. Right now I'm just happy to be home. There is something about a warm strong hug from the person you love that just sets things right. A little distance isn't always a bad thing either. Makes coming back all the sweeter.

I will say this though coming back in the midst of all these fires hasn't been so great for my sinuses. I'm glad our home is safe and far from the fires and that I'm just dealing with a little smoke. I've seen several fires that weren't even reported on the news because the Tahoe Fire is just so big. At least the fires down here haven't done that kind of damage.

All the same here are a few photos I took over the weekend of the fires here in Reno. (Clickety Biggety all three photos)

This was taken Saturday when I was with MonkeySocks. I like the airplane in the photo. Looks kinda weird just floating there.

This is a different fire than the one I saw Saturday. I took this Sunday with my honey after we went to see that Scary Stephen King Movie, 1408. That was a really good scary movie.

If there's one thing you should always remember though, ONE THING, it's never to wear flip flops to a scary movie. I felt entirely uneasy the whole time. Cause you know if you are ever in trouble you should have proper running shoes so you can get away with ease. *L* Don't ask me why but I always feel better when I'm prepared. Of course this could be a childhood thing. As a kid there were several years where I wore shoes, or more accurately fully dressed including shoes to bed. You know in case I had to run for some reason. Nothing worse than trying to run through the woods in a night gown and bare feet.

So yeah no flip flops even in summer if the movie is scary. Plus you don't want the floor monsters to eat your toes anyway. :P

Oh and in super exciting news Eli Roth is going to be making Stephen Kings movie Cell. *Girlish Squee!!* Granted I haven't seen his last few movies (well the Hostel Duo) due to fear of being mentally warped for the rest of my life. BUT I think he will do this well. It's a GREAT book. Heh. I hate cell phones. I only begrudgingly use one and even then I don't answer often. *L* In defense of the cell phone though I don't care for all phones. Especially a ringing phone. *icky shudders* I love coming home and seeing I have no messages. The phrase the honey and I use when there's no beep indicating a message is , "No news is good news".  *L* Granted this mainly applies to work and family and a few other irritating people whom I'd rather not call me.

Oh and this was just too icky not to share. When I was south of AnnLand last week I found this nasty ass bug in my hotel bathroom. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! o.0 What the hell is it. I smashed it with the phone book. Opps. My bad for grossing up the phone book, but a MONSTER bug was in my room. *shudder* So wrong.

Double Gross. There's a hair on the floor too. *gags*

In knitting news I've decided I need to finish the Honey Socks (nearest to being complete of my sock WIPs) before I start my Traveler Socks or my other soon to be started socks. I have the yarn all picked out. Just need to finish these socks and cake the yarn. Wheeeeee!! :D

I saw this on some blog and decided to give it a go. That's way more naughty than I thought it would be. I'm not so much naughty as I don't see the harm in using cursy words. I just call it as I see it. *L*

Mingle² - Online Dating

Happenings & SoS/SU&KYCC Socks

Well I finally made it home. Finally. I was gone WAY too long.

It was awful not seeing my Honey and Kitty for so many days. Missed them muchly. I also missed having email access to my Cookie whenever I wanted. That was hard, but it always is. It was also weird not seeing my Florrie and MonkeySocks for so many days. Thankfully I got to see them and lots of other people I missed and adore muchly on Saturday. I was with MonkeySocks from abut 9:20 in the morning until 10:00 at night or so. Good thing we enjoy one another's company so much. *L*

One of the things MonkeySocks and I did  Saturday was attend a really kickass birthday party for a very special friend of ours. It was SOOOOOOOOOO much fun. :D T was turning 70 and her Daughters planned a superb party. Well they claim she was turning 70. Hard to buy it though. She doesn't look 50 much less 70. o.0 Knitting must keep you young cause I know several other people who claim a certain age but don't look anywhere damn near it. Or act it either I should add.

MonkeySocks and I have decided to start lying about our ages. Only we'll round up instead of down. The funny thing is I've been joking with Cookie for years along those lines. I look GREAT for 82!! *L* That combined with the fact I act like I'm 12 half the time and I'll be young forever. W00T!

The party was at a Mexican Restaurant and the food and drinks were super yummy. :D In addition to having her family come in from all over her daughters invited her friends and knitting family. Florrie even closed the shop up early to get there on time. It was the best birthday party ever. It was muchly fun to see all the knitting peoples. (well most, Rachel wasn't able to show up) Especially since a few very special ones will be gone for most or part of the summer. Damnit people. Don't they know they're supposed to hang around handy and accessible for my amusement.

:P

MonkeySocks drove me home so I was able to partake in Resolution #10 freely. Wheeee!!

I did that a lot on my travels. Well when I was with my brother I did. Not too much, but way more than my normal everyday life. Since I was sick most of May I'd hardly had anything to drink. *sigh* I never was that great at keeping New Years Resolutions.

I'll just have to try harder. ;^)

Here is my sock in AnnLand having a few drinkies. Clickety Biggety!

Have y'all noticed that my socks like to drink in AnnLand. Heh. Sadly I wasn't able to see the actual Ann while there this time. See you in the Autumn, my sweet!

Oh and we were sharing the beers so that we could try several. Never even made it to the Otter Head. So much to drink and so little time. *sigh*

Here's a clearer shot of my Dave Socks in Progress. The colorway is Campfire from the Cabin Cove Mercantile and the pattern is Tropicana by Sabine Riefler from MagKnits.

I am loving these soooooooooo much. I was a bit concerned about the pattern at first. Cookie pointed out that we generally wear 72 stitch socks. That is true, but the gauge on these things is so big that it makes up for the lack of stitches. I think I had to use US 5's to get gauge that's how crazy it is. *L* The pattern moves between 11 and 17 stitches for the pattern repeats, so you go from 55 to 85 stitches. Magically it works. *L*

Because they don't have any ribbing on to the top they look kinda big even. One lady recently asked in a shocked manner why my sock was so big. (See now I'd think that was a dumb thing to ask somebody, or at least sorta rude/clueless, what if I had huge feet and ankles and I was uncomfortable about it and she'd said that. o.0 Dear Humans, please think before opening your yappy heads. Thanks, The Rest Of Us. The Common Sense is not so much common these days eh...) They fit very comfortably so far, though If my feet were smaller than average I'd say you'd have to adjust them to be less big though, either through stitch count or needle size and a smaller gauge.

I love how these are knitting up SO MUCH that I'd recommend anyone who got any of the awesome yarns from Dave's Summer Collection to try this pattern with them. It's like they were made for each other. I think they are cool enough yet not too detailed that you could make these for a guy and it'd be okay. I know a lot of people think guys can only wear plain socks, but it's not like their penis will fall off with a little extra flair. :P

These socks fit into two of the KAL's that I'm currently Participating in. The Shut Up and Knit Your Cabin Cove Knit Along which is rapidly drawing to a close, so let Cookie know if you'd have anything going or whatever. These also count towards the Summer of Socks Knit Along.

I started these on June 14th. Cast on during Takeoff. *L* Well the final cast on was during take off. It wasn't until I understood how many stitches I would have during each of the pattern repeats that I finally got it. Well I'd always had it... I just thought I'd messed up. *blush*

Since I cast on a week prior to the start on the 21st I asked my Blog Reader Jody if that was okay to do these socks as part of the KAL. I also explained I wasn't doing the most socks knit part of the KAL. She said that was fine since I wasn't in that portion of the KAL. My hope is that I finish these socks by the time the SoS is done. Although after seeing Cookie's recent Traveler Socks I really REALLY wanna make those. Lots of new stuff to learn with that pattern and they are uber cute. :D So Maybe my personal SoS Challenge will be to finish these socks, the honey socks and the traveler socks. I also still have my second Socktober Sock to finish. Just haven't been inspired by Autumn Colors since last year. I imagine I'll take care of those in August when I start getting Autumn Fever. :D

I've also got the Coral Sweater going and I'd like to finish that up. I've got a bit at the bottom to do yet and then the sleeves and collar. *Happy Otter Dance* I'm so happy with how this is coming out. I may not even mind weaving in all those ends. Heh.

Random Thoughts & Events

Scattered on the wind are my thoughts and emotions this day. Perhaps as much as my actions have been of late.

So hang on. For the ride.

Right now I'm listening to William Shatner on my iPod. The CD/Album/Digital collection of music or whatever the folks are calling it these days is his Has Been. Much Love. Poignant are many of the songs... or perhaps just today.

Before I tell you about my travels (so far) I want to show you all a photo I took last week when I was home in Reno.

It's so beautiful there. And there's no humidity. Reno how I miss you!

I suppose I'll start by saying that I went to a yarn shop Thursday. In fact you could say... I cheated.

You see I went to another knitting group. o.0

Shocking, I know. *blows kisses @ Florrie & The Girlies* Love you! ;^)

I had a very good time. I still think I should perhaps maybe consider handing out little cards with some sort of warning.

Warning: Prone to saying weird things. Possibly offensive, likely embarrassing. It should also read that I'm nervous and weird the first time I meet people. Or if bad traffic was involved. o.0

I showed up after a weird cab ride unsure what to expect. I almost choose to stay at the hotel and forget it... and maybe six months ago I would have done just that. It's so much easier to not do anything, not try anything new and put yourself out there. That is until you realize you aren't happy alone in your safe little hidy hole. So out I went.

I met a very lovely yarn store owner @ Threaded Bliss and a nifty groups of knitters. Including the not so mean knit blogger, MeanGirl. Lots of interesting conversation and stories, as well as fantastic knit items taking shape. I don't think I was as nervous as I used to be. Strange yes, but what can you expect I had flown in two thousand miles mere hours before going there. Heh. That's right I hopped off the plane, hit the hotel for a shower and then went to a yarn store.

But I can stop at anytime. :P

In addition to meeting an interesting group of knitters I made a yarn purchase. It was all in the purple family. I guess that's where my mood was at the time. Or just the yummy yarns in those shades were too tempting to pass up. I went in initially thinking to look for their stock of Dreaming in Color yarns. I didn't see anything that struck me as a must have (the bright otter friendly colors were already taken *L*) so I went onto some handpainted sock yarn and the Malabrigo. Sweet!

The rest of my time in that town was spent taking care of business. When I was hopping on my next plane I found myself in the security line with Olympic Snow Boarder Shaun White. I did one of those weird double takes and then turned away. He grinned when he saw my recognition so I smiled and did the nod thing to which he replied in kind. It was early Sunday morning and I didn't have anything to say so I left it at that. Even though I was kinda squeeing inside a bit. I briefly considered a photo for the blog, but decided to be polite and allow the man his freedom to privacy. /dork

Plus I had just about 'sploded my head after dealing with the airline people regarding the fact they canceled my flight. Yay that was fun. Thankfully the honey double checked my info and found out the previous evening. All the same waking up for a 3:30 flight is not my idea of fun and having done that twice that week already I was just plain done.

When I get home I will hug the stuffing outta my honey and kitty then sleep sleep sleep! Or at least sleep a bit later. This is why I think sleeping in until 6:30 or 7:00 is pretty good. Anything later and you're just wasting the day though. :P

So now I'm in AnnLand. She's not here now since she's off living the high life in Hawaii though. :D

Lots of work and weird. But more on that later.

Knitting on: Sweater just a bit and the socks a little bit more. Love how Dave's Yarn is knitting up!!

Hope y'all are having a great week.

*OtterHuggles*

Otter's First Sweater!!

Last Friday I finally took the time to weave in my ends and wash all the items I made for Dulaan.

This is my Tenth Dulaan Project!! I am SO HAPPY WITH IT!!! :D

Though I must say I really don't care for weaving in ends. It's so slow and tedious. *zombie face*

I've decided I'll weave in my ends to all future sweaters as I knit along. Though I've yet to actually put that into action on the Coral Pink sweater for myself since declaring that. Heh.

Here is the first sweater I ever knit inside. The photo is kinda dark, but the color is most accurate in this image.

I took the next photo outside. It's way too bright. And yes that is George's hand in the photo. heh. Clickety Biggty!

Sweater Details:

Pattern: Knitting Pure & Simple Children's Neck Down Pullover # 9730 Largest Size 10 to 12

Yarn: Heirloom Easy Care - In Dark Green #793 & Navy Blue #787

... er out of time. I need to run off to beddie bye land now since I have to wake up at 3:10 tomorrow morning. Flight leaves crazy early. Fun!

I'll just say that knitting this sweater was a wonderful experience and I love sweater knitting muchly. :D

I'll be taking the new Dave Socks, yet to be cast onto and my sweater for my travel knitting. Plus a book my friend Florrie lent me. It's about a yarn shop. Heh. ;^)

I loves me some time in a yarn shop.

See y'all next week.

And go Poke Cookie extra much since I won't be able to.

Blah. I wish I was home already.

Knitting Life

One of the great things about knitting, for me personally anyway, is that nothing is permanent.

Mistakes can be ripped back without too much worry, angst, anger, shame, regret, fear, hate, doubt or denial.

It's pure. You can create and destroy that which you have created without long term pain. Got a bad cast on? Rip it. Got a funky row of P2Togs? Rip it. Yarn not as faboo as you thought. Rip it.

I wish people were yarn. Or rather that I could think of them that way. Without the long term lingering thoughts.

Yarn can keep. That yarn from the rock star scarf sits balled up waiting for it's day in the sun. I don't have to think of it unless I choose to. Even then I can logically, in a cold manner even, think of it and not resent the time I spent on it. It was a learning experience. I was with it for a time and got from it what I could at the time. It could even be something else totally fabulous right now and it would be okay.

Yarn you can rework and move on with.

People are what they are and have that history clinging about them.

They go on, forward on their own and work things out for themselves. Doing what they are meant to do. Knitting themselves up into something new. Without you. In some cases yarn that is better off without you. 

They don't need you when they are done with you. It's the yarn that knits itself up. The yarn that never really needed your input or creativity to become what it would be. Although certainly the lives we touch we alter. For better or worse.

Recently in my personal life some people who are no longer in my life and very little in my thoughts have been brought up. Made to think about. Some of those people are worse off. Some are better off than when we last cared about each other. Some I wish I could comfort in their time. Others I wish I could congratulate.

But that time is passed. And nothing I could do or say would mean anything. Furthermore it's water under the bridge. A bridge I no longer wish to cross.

Once upon a time a man I used to know told me how we are all strings connected to one another. Some people we don't want to be connected with. That you have to mentally cut those strings. Make your peace and envision cutting their string that connects you.

Easier said than done.

Some choices are good solid ones that are worth making. Others not as clear.

But we all move on. Knit our lives forward.

In knitting you generally learn from your mistakes and it's easy to sit back with some clarity and see where you can use that information in your future projects. Relationships are not that easy. It would be nice to be able to do that. But then again the cast on that works for your socks may not work on the shawl you are about to start.

Knitting Blind.

Projects that never really end.

With knitting if you do it right you should have a finished object at the end of the experience. You weave in your ends and it's done. Then you move on. Learning something new. Knitting up some new fiber. Sometimes knitting on yarn you've been with before, but always moving forward.

I love knitting. The simplicity of it. The fact that no mistake is too big or heart threatening.

Last night I cast on to a new pair of Dave Socks. The colorway is Campfire. The pattern is from Sensational Knitted Socks, Ridged Feather and Fan. Rip. Tonight I'll start over.

And it will be okay. No matter what it will be okay. No matter how many times it takes me to get it right.

Even if it becomes something else.

Nothing is too permanent.  The yarn will not hold a grudge and hate me or miss me.  The stitches fade as they are tinked back. Their uncertainty and mistakes are lost forever. As if they never even existed.

While in life that would seem to be a good thing I don't think it would be. Yarn can't learn from it's mistakes but we can. In theory anyway.

But just as some yarns are plain wrong, so are people. Some  have no good intentions at all and you are better off without them. The suffocating selfish ones that would use you given the chance are better left in the past where they belong. Or if you are really smart and/or lucky you will avoid them altogether. Dangerous poison that you are better off without.

There is also a lot of yarn that is pure delight. Baby Alpaca comes to mind. As does Cookie.

Some people are just plain wonderful and remind you that it's worth the struggle to keep trying new types of fiber. Meeting them and giving them a knitting chance. Sure you might make a mistake or the yarn might not be the right fit for you. But at least you tried.

Thanks to knitting I've had the opportunity to meet a lot of interesting and fun to play with yarn... Er People. Heh.

I wish I had more time to interact with the yarn. I've got lots of it. More than I have time to knit on.  But yarn that is worth it nonetheless. I think about the yarn I want to knit and instead I should knit it. Or at least say hello to it. Let it know it's on my mind. ;)

I don't know what today will bring or tomorrow.

But I'll keep knitting and see where it takes me. 

ECF: Pink Edition - Dulaan #9 & Sweater Progress

This is a rushed post, but I wanted to update before I ran out the door.

I've been knitting so much blue this year that I HAD to go pink in order to save my sanity. It was just too much blue. So here are some of the recent pink things I've been knitting on. :D

I have finished washing and blocking all my Dulaan stuffs. More of the big picture laters. Today I want to show you a Toddler Scarf & Hat set I made for the Dulaan Project. These would be completed objects #9. :D

These were super easy knits and took one night for the hat and scarf. LOVE!

It also represents my first Garter Stitch scarf and first time putting fringe on something. *L*

I'm also going to post a peek of my yummy Coral Cotton sweater. It's for ME!

It's kinda hard to see what's what. There was too much light. *L*

o.0 No Really.

I am loving knitting this sweater for myself, although working with cotton is a bit different than wool.

Well no more time to  update. Gotta run out and get some champaign for a celebration laters.

Resolution # 10, after a harsh long month of no attention I am coming for YOU Baby!

*GRIN*

Also many kudos to the lovely and talented Cookie on her one year Blogoversary. You am Faboo, Honey!! :D

Saturday Sky, Kitty & a Swatch Oh My!

So today is Saturday Sunday and yesterday in addition to taking advantage of the yummy 50% all yarn sale that Florrie had going on down at Deluxe Yarns I took some photos of the sky... and some other stuff. :D

Post was started yesterday, but due to weird no rain electrical storms that made the power flicker and feeling like hell I had to shut the computer down and go stare at the wall and make faces at the cat.

Here's a colorful Reno Sunset as seen from my comfy backyard. (Clickety Biggety!)

These next several photos feature TKK as well as the sky. She is such a good photography subject. :D

Kitty with a blue sky background - Clickety Biggety

That's her bone in the background. She STILL loves that thing.

Later in the evening The Honey and I were tossing around a ball and she got all excitde and started chasing it. Ya know I think my honey's desire to have a doggie and my kitties desire to please us and play with us is making her more puppy like everyday. She's an old kitty so she can do whatever she likes, including act like a puppy if she must. *L* It was crazy cute to see her run after the ball though. When she finally got in she sat on it. *L*

You probably noticed her lack of fur in that photo. I shaved her Friday. Couldn't take the fur anymore.

She's a very patient kitty and enjoys being shaved. Purring the whole time. It's weird over here.

But in a good way. ;^)

Well mostly. We do have a crazy bird situation going on. More of a Bird Gang Situation really. o.0

For the last several weeks every time we put TKK outside and she's alone or ten feet away from us this crazy ass bird tries to attack her. The first time it happened the honey didn't believe me. She was walking over to me from the fence and this bird swooped down and took a dive at her. TKK jumped and flipped around in shock. I called out to the honey and told him what had happened. He said birds don't attack cats. Then a little later it happened again. Only this time crazy assed bird brought along a few friends. o.0 Since that day TKK has not been allowed outside on her own due to this crazy shit. Too weird! Also the honey has seen it a lot more and is now ready to kill the damn bird. Nobody messes with our wittle furface and gets away with it. This is war. He chases the bird away when he see's it and TKK has taken to trying to lure it over. I think she believes this is some kind of kill it yourself birdie delivery system. She knows a snack is involved somehow. *L*

The weird thing is that the lead bird is always the same one. It has a feather sticking out oddly on it's right side when he sets down on the tree or fence. I'm calling him Spike. Here's a photo of the offending bastard.

I'm mostly peace loving and all that shit, but this bird is living on borrowed time as far as I'm concerned. Leave my cat alone, ButtMunch!! o.0

I caught her meowing into the wind. I think she might be telling me to go get her a birdie snack. Too cute. ;)

Finally here's the swatch to my current project. I finished the swatch and took the photo on Tuesday the 29th.

When I started the swatch I was planning on doing sweater pattern A. The pattern called for a size US8 needle, so I swatched on a 9 since I'm a tight knitter. I didn't like how the fabric looked even though I got gauge, so next I went to an 8 to try. Well I meant to. In actuality I grabbed a 10. Then my gauge was WAYYYYY off.  So I went to the 8, not understanding how my gauge could be SOOOOO off. When I  went to measure my swatch this time it occurred to me that  somewhere in there I decided to go with sweater pattern B which had a much smaller gauge than pattern A.  *sigh* It's not easy being this brilliant.  The new pattern called for a US size 6, so I tried it with a 7 and got gauge. *L* I like the fabric I'm knitting up much better and the overall patten a lot better for my very own sweater. *Super Happy Otter Dance*

I cast on for my Neck Down Pullover Tunic Tuesday night and am loving it muchly so far.

I still need to weave in my ends and wash the one I did for the Dulaan project. This week I will finish up all that and box my stuff off to mail. :D