Knitamazoo(tm)

Well I had a quiet but busy Thanksgiving holiday. Quiet as in we stayed home and made our own feast. No traveling. No fuss. No muss. Busy as in the day after, I decorated for Christmas. I have decked the halls and then some. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Let’s back up to Thanksgiving day. I got up and was greeted by this view out my front window. Mother Nature was a little confused as to what holiday it was. And when she was done, she had dumped around 6 inches of the white stuff on us. I couldn’t resist singing that holiday favorite, I’m Dreaming of a White Thanksgiving.

After giving thanks that I wasn’t traveling in this horrid weather, I decided to make the pumpkin pie so it would be done before I had to put the bird in the oven. I made the crust and then started in on the filling. Now you must understand that I am a multi-tasker. I can’t just do one thing at a time. So while I’m making this pie I’m on the phone calling up my family and yelling “Gobble, gobble, gobble!” Suffice it to say that this is a very old (read: 20 years) family tradition. While on the phone with the Boo (that’s what we call my brother), I finished up the pie and put it in the oven. I then went to the pantry to start gathering up other things I would need for this feast and what do I spy on the shelf. The can of condensed milk I bought for the pumpkin pie. Now I realize that we don’t really need the pumpkin pie. Afterall it is only hubby and me and heaven knows we certainly don’t need the extra calories. But I wanted a pumpkin pie. What’s Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie? Hubby being the sweetheart that he is, drove me to the grocery store so I could buy another can of pumpkin. After triple checking to be sure I included all the ingredients this time, pumpkin pie take 2 went into the oven. It came out wonderful as did the rest of the meal. The kitties were very excited to be fed “bird” for dinner. They didn’t hang around the kitchen all day while it was cooking though. But they thoroughly enjoyed the fruits of my labor.

Friday was decorating day. Since I am hosting Christmas this year I went all out in my decorating. Lights in the front window, the tree is up and twinkling, Christmas villages abound all around the house, my lighted Bethlehem scene with nativity adorns the top of my piano, there are stockings and mistletoe and lighted garland all around. I had a lot of fun putting it all up. I just love Christmas and can’t wait for everyone to be here!

In knitting news, I didn’t do much knitting over the holiday weekend. But the last couple of days have been busy knitting days. I’m almost finished with Mom’s Christmas gift and then all I have to do is finish up the hat for hubby. So that is going well. I still need to figure out what to get my brother and his fiance. It’s hard because I haven’t met his fiance so I don’t know what she would like and everything I’ve suggested to my brother he’s shot down. Some help he is!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and that the triptophan has left your systems so you can finish up your Christmas knitting!

P.S. A big shout out to my awesome Mom on her birthday today. Happy Birthday Mom!! I love you!

I must apologize for my recent lack of blogging. My only excuse is being terribly busy at work (which is rare) and then being so tired when I get home I don’t even want to look at a computer. I haven’t even been able to pop into knitty chat lately and I miss all my chat friends terribly. Today it has slowed down enough that I can get out a quick update as to what I’ve been doing.

Well I’ve been knitting. Anything and everything except what I should be knitting. Well actually that isn’t all true. I did start the second half of my Mom’s Christmas gift and had every intention of working on it all day Sunday but a migraine thwarted those plans. But I did work on it last night as I watched the start of a hockey game that ended much sooner than anyone expected. (Click here for the story.) Very scary! But I kept on knitting and I’m making good progress. I even forced myself to take a break at work this morning and knit for a little bit.

I’ve also made some progress on Clappy II. I’ve dropped two stitches so far. You may noticed that my yarn is wearing a yarn bra. My LYS just started carrying these so I picked up a package of four to try out. So far I really like it. It is keeping the yarn all nice and neat. The real test will come when I get to the end of the ball. While at the LYS I also picked up a ball of Nashua Creative Focus worsted yarn in a greenish blue. It’s 75% wool and 25% alpaca. I started some Voodoo wrist warmers for myself. I’ve completed one and need to do the mate. I even managed to do my first buttonhole! Very exciting!

So I am busy finishing up my Christmas knitting. I can’t post pics of Mom’s gift even though I’m sure she’s figured it out after all the measurements I’ve asked her to take. She does visit my blog and so even if she does know what I’m making for her at least she won’t know what it looks like til Christmas morning. Maybe I’ll be able to post a picture of her modeling it!

(PS - I want to thank all of you who have left good wishes for my hubby and his job situation. I really appreciate all the friends I’ve made through Knitty. You guys rock!)

Just a quick update as to what’s been going on. I spent the weekend knitting and finished up this pair of mittens for hubby for Christmas. I even think I have enough yarn left over to make a hat to go with them. I started a hat but I’m not sure I like how it’s turning out so I put is aside and I’ll think about it for a few days. Now I just have to finish up my mom’s Christmas gift and I should be done with the holiday knitting.

I also received my last package from my SP this weekend. She has been wonderful but I still don’t know who she is! She gave me three clues in the card she enclosed in the package and I haven’t had a chance to do any sleuthing yet. Things have been busy at work and I just don’t want to turn the computer on at home. I’m hoping that things slow down a little and I can try to figure out who she is. But just look at what she sent me! Some lavender scented stones for my stash, a choker with my name on it and two luscious skeins of knitter’s crack (aka Kid Silk Haze)! She has spoiled me to no end! Thank you just doesn’t seem like enough to express the appreciation for all you did. Each gift was so thoughtful and I loved every single one of them!

In other news, I just got an email from my hubby that his temporary job in Grand Rapids will be ending this Friday (3 weeks early). He was filling in for a helpdesk tech that was working on a project and the project will be finished early. So it’s back to unemployment for now. He does have his resume in with the hospital in Paw Paw, the hospital in Battle Creek and there is a possibility that he could get a job working at his former place of employment in Kalamazoo. The company where he is working now did tell him that they tried to work it out to keep him on but the budget wasn’t there. They do want him to contact them after the first of the year as they will probably have some IT openings then. I’m sure glad we didn’t pack up and move to Grand Rapids right away! So who knows what will happen over the next couple of weeks. At least it will be easy for him to go to interviews now. Isn’t life fun?

the clapper! I’ve been working quite a bit on the Clapotis II (aka Clappy II or Clapper II). The yarn is so soft and yummy I can’t put it down. I started the third section last night and I have one more row to do and then I will drop my first stitch. This one is going so much faster than the last one. It’s still in that Kong Thong stage but I thought I’d post a progress picture anyway. A few more rows and it will no longer look like a thong. When I bought the yarn last week, hubby asked what I was going to make with it. I told him I was making another Clapotis and he said, “Oh, that thing that looks like a thong?” Between the fits of laughter I managed to confirm his suspicions. I was pretty impressed that he knew what I was talking about when I said Clapotis. I guess he pays a little more attention to my knitting than I think he does.

My last post, Shetha asked if I had said what yarn I was using for my Kepler. I could have sworn that I had but after searching my posts I found that I had neglected to include that important piece of information. So Shetha, I am using KnitPicks Wool of the Andes in chestnut for Kepler. Love those cables!

I think that my calendar is defective. In fact I’m sure it is. The calendar says that it is November but it can’t be true. I walked out the door this morning to go to work and it was 66 F! I didn’t need to wear my coat. This is Michigan and there is no way that I should be walking out of my house in November without a winter coat, gloves and a hat. So I’m sure my calendar is defective. I’m thinking about returning it to the store and asking for my money back.

I had this wonderful plan in my head for a nice relaxing weekend. My kitty, Cosmo, had other ideas. It all started innocently enough Saturday night. Hubby and I were holed up in the rec room knitting and watching a hockey game. (Well, I was the only one knitting but that’s not important to the story.) Around 8:30 we decided that we wanted to have some ice cream, so we paused the game (gotta love TiVo!) and went upstairs. I got the ice cream out of the freezer to soften up a bit. A couple of minutes later we scooped out the ice cream and were getting ready to return to the hockey game when we noticed lightning and thunder. Hubby went to the front door and stepped out on the front stoop to watch the show. I didn’t want to step outside because the front stoop looked wet and I was wearing my fuzzyfeet. So I cracked the door opened and stood in the opening to block any escape attempts by the cats. We stood there for a few minutes and for some reason hubby looked down and the next words out of his mouth were, “The cat’s outside!” I never felt the cat go by my legs. As hubby bent down to grab Cosmo, he took off into the neighbor’s yard. I whipped off the fuzzyfeet and grabbed a pair of shoes from the kitchen and took off after the cat. This is not the first time he’s escaped, and his usual MO is to head for the neighbor’s back yard and hide out under their deck. Of course I couldn’t see him under there as I neglected to grab a flashlight but I knew he must be there. Then the rain started to fall. So I ran back inside our house and started to cry. Poor kitty is out in the rain, poor kitty will get hungry, poor kitty is going to get hit by a car, poor kitty is all alone . . . and it’s all my fault! Hubby just sat there while I blubbered and tried to tell me that the cat would come home. No way, I said, he’s free now. He won’t want to come back. By this time the rain had let up and I decided that I was going to go look for the cat again. So back outside I go, calling him like you would a dog expecting him to come running to me. What was I thinking? Hubby came out into our backyard with a flashlight and we’re looking for this cat. I hear something rustling in the leaves along our back fence and I’m sure it’s Cosmo. I tell hubby to shine the light back there and what do I see . . . a possum . . . walking on the top edge of the fence not more than 3 feet away from me. I hear the rustling again and it sounds like it’s coming from the back corner, so I tell hubby to shine the light there and what pops out of the leaves . . . a rabbit . . . his eyes turn red in the glare of the flashlight and he proceeds to charge right at hubby. (Later, hubby told me he felt the rabbit go right past his leg.) As hubby swung around to watch the rabbit I caught a glimpse of Cosmo in the neighbor’s driveway under their SUV. I yelled at hubby that I found the cat and he told me to run around the front of the house and he would chase the cat towards me. As I rounded the corner to the front, I saw the cat on the front stoop with his paws up trying to get in the front door. I cautiously approached but he spotted me and jumped down into the bushes along the front of the house. I tried to trap him between the bushes and the house but he was too sneaky (read: fast!) and managed to get by me. He took off around the side of the house, paused to look at the kitchen door, looked back and saw me gaining on him, then he bolted towards the backyard. As I rounded the house, I saw him on the little porch to the four-season room on the back of our house. I had him trapped but I knew he could easily squeeze through the railing. He looked at me and then at the railing. He stopped to think about whether or not he would fit through the opening and I pounced. I snatched him up and hauled him in the house, yelling to hubby that I had captured the cat. So he was home safe and sound, my white sweats had streaks of mud from his paws, and my ice cream had turned to soup. But the cat was home where he belonged!

Now on to the less stressful part of my weekend. After being tossed into the “attitude adjustment pile” for a couple of days, I pulled out my bed sock to see if it would behave. I compared it to the first one I made and wouldn’t you know it, I knit way too far on the foot before starting the toe decreases. I carefully figured out (read: guessed) how far back I would have to frog. I ran a lifeline, frogged, slipped the stitched back on the needles and finished up the sock in no time. AND it actually is the same size as the first one I made. I must be a good guesser!

I also worked on Kepler for awhile this weekend. I love making the cables! I finished one cuff and started the second one. Here’s a closeup of the cable pattern. The color is a little off in the picture but the cable pattern shows nicely. Once I get the cable bands done then it’s just a stockinette sweater. Hopefully that will make for some good tv knitting. I have to concentrate a little too much on the cabling to do it while I’m watching tv. It’s more of a throw in a movie that I’ve seen a thousand times and knit away.

I also purchased some new yarn Friday right after work. I finally had enough money in the “yarn fund” to get this yarn I’ve been drooling over for the last couple of weeks. So as soon as work was over on Friday, I zipped right over to the LYS and purchased three hanks of this yummy Artful Yarns Jazz in this lovely autumn colorway. It makes me think of changing leaves, apple cider and all things fall. The yarn is 50% alpaca/50% wool. It’s soft and warm and I’ve loved working with it so far. Oops! I guess I just admitted that I cast-on yet another project. And just what is this scrumptious new yarn going to become . . . why Clapotis II. I love the first one I made and this is great mindless tv knitting. It’s already to Kong Thong size but I will spare you the picture until it gets beyond that stage.

So, now before I bore you completely, I will stop rambling. Happy knitting!

The fuzzyfeet are done! I got home later than normal last night and then when hubby got home we went to pick up a pizza so I didn’t start felting them until around 7 last night. It went pretty quickly and they are just awesome! Here they are pre-felting in all their gigantic glory. I placed a highlighter on one for reference. I thought about stuffing our smaller cat in one of them but he gave me an evil look and ran away before I could catch him. The Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride worsted felted really quick for me. I think they were the right size after about 10-15 minutes in the wash. I spun the excess water out of them and immediately put them on so they would form to my feet. I left them on for a couple of hours and they enjoyed watching hockey with me. Though the game didn’t turn out like I had hoped, the fuzzyfeet were all I had hoped for and more! The definitely live up to their name and I can’t wait to wear them tonight when they’re all nice and dry. After wearing them awhile last night, I left them on top of the dryer to well . . . dry. This morning they were almost completely dry so I’m sure I’ll be able to wear them tonight. Here they are post-felt after I had worn them. I bought 2 skeins of the Lamb’s Pride and only ended up using one skein. So I offered to make my mom a pair when she is visiting at Christmas.

Speaking of my mom, she made her first ever visit to an LYS yesterday. I gave her a wishlist of sorts for Christmas. She had a lovely time petting the yarns and seeing the knitted garments hanging around the shop. She had such a wonderful time that she now wants to learn to knit! Yippee! So I’m going to get her started over Christmas! I’m really excited about that. Maybe I’ll have her make her own fuzzyfeet!

While I was watching hockey and blocking my fuzzyfeet, I worked on the second bedsock. I’m 6 rounds from finishing and I’ve run out of yarn. It’s the same size of the first one and I had enough yarn with a little bit left over. So now I don’t know what to do. The sock has been put aside until I can decide what to do with it. I have some of the Elsebeth Lavold Angora left over from the other pair of socks I did in another color. Maybe I’ll just finish off the toe with that color and call it good. They are for me, for around the house so noone will see them. I’ll have to think about it for awhile though.

And I’ve cast on for yet another project which is not a Christmas gift. (I know, 1000 lashes with some wet alpaca!) But the lure of cables got the best of me. I’ve started Kepler and I’m in love with cables! I have to stop after every row to see how the cable pattern is coming out. I look at it, giggle, oh and ah, giggle some more and then knit another row. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. (Can you tell this is my first foray into the world of cables?) I’ve done 2 repeats of the cable pattern and just love it. But I plan on working on some Christmas gifts this weekend. Roscoe plans to make sure that I do. Just check out the evil look he’s giving me. Either he’s using it to motivate me to knit what I should be knitting or he’s just mad that I took his picture. (Those green eyes just freak me out!)

Wow! I can’t believe that this is my 100th post. Who knew I had so much to say? If you would like to send congratulatory gifts, feel free to send lots of yarn. I’m not too picky, but please no 100% acrylic, scratchy, itchy, ucky stuff. What? This isn’t one of those occasions where I receive gifts? Phooey! Well you can’t blame a girl for tying!

So last night I get all settled in to watch Criminal Minds and CSI: NY in high definition. I get the lighting just where I need it so I can continue knitting on my fuzzyfeet, turn the tv and all the related electronics on, find a comfy spot on the couch, cuddle up with my favorite blankey and tune the high definition receiver to CBS. Static and snow! That’s it. Nothing but static and snow. Our stupid local CBS affiliate can’t seem to get the hang of broadcasting in high definition. Usually the sound is screwed up but this time the whole thing was screwed up. We ended up watching something off our TiVo until CSI: NY came on and we watched that on regular tv.

As I’m sitting there watching tv a particular commercial came on that bothers me. I can’t tell you the name of the product being advertised because the commercial just creeps me out. Is there a particular reason why these people feel it is a great marketing idea for them to get on national television and tell me all about their latest outbreak of genital herpes? I don’t want or need to know about that. Why do you have to tell me all about your herpes to try to sell your herpes medication? And then I got to thinking, what about all those commercials with these women yelling to the world they have yeast infections? TMI people! TMI! Just tell us your product is good for clearing up these personal issues. I really don’t want to hear all about your personal experiences with these “plagues” while I’m trying to take a break from life.

OK, enough ranting. On to knitting news. The fuzzyfeet are ready to be felted. I didn’t get a picture last night but I’ll take pre-felt and post-felt photos tonight. I’ve picked up the bed socks again and maybe I can finish them up tonight as well. I should probably try to finish up the Christmas gifts after that. It will be here before I know it and I won’t have everything done.

Well that’s it for my 100th post. Pictures and FO’s tomorrow, I promise.

Just a quick post today. Not much to talk about except the fuzzyfeet. One down and one at the gusset decreases. Soon. Very soon. I too shall have the coveted fuzzyfeet. I love Theresa’s description in the pattern . . . GIGANTIC! It’s absolutely accurate. That’s a 7″ dpn lying on the sock. Eeep! I can get both of my feet in one of these. I am knitting frantically so I can felt them soon. I toyed with the idea of putting the first one through the felting process but then thought better of it. I may be off kilter but I don’t need two different sized fuzzyfeet to prove it. I’m just too excited and anxious. The only drawback to these is the yarn. Now I really like the yarn but it does seem to “shed” quite a bit. When I’m done knitting I have a “fuzzylap” due to the shedding mohair.

That’s all I’ve been working on. The bed socks sit languishing as the fuzzyfeet have my complete and utter attention. I feel badly for neglecting them but I’ll soon be done with the fuzzyfeet and will be back to my regularly scheduled knitting. (And if you believe that, I have some ocean front property in Michigan to sell you . . . cheap!)

And since I think this post needs another picture, here is a fat cat for your enjoyment.