Starbucks-In-A-Jar Drama

This morning I had major issues. MAJOR ISSUES. I don't usually use caps, but today, MAJOR ISSUES. First off, I had to be up before the sun. Yep. 4am. I haven't seen 4am in a long time; probably the last time I saw 4am was on the flip side of the time frame after a long night, rather than a nice sleep! I had to be at work at 5:30am, so I needed backup! Backup consisted of Starbucks-In-A-Jar from the convenience store.

On the way into the office, I opened the bottle, drank some of the Starbucks and ever so casually slipped it into my knitting bag. Why did I do that?? Oh the misery! The pain! The sticky yarn! Yes, the bottle tipped and leaked.. leaked all over my friends baby sweater!

I don't know what to do about this one.. I think she may be getting a gift certificate for her shower present instead of the sweater.

On the upside, I got to go home early today, and I got some overtime too!

On the up-upside, we get our house tomorrow! Woo!

You have Died of Dysentary (No yarn in this post!)

If anyone knows the reference, then woo to you! My inner nerd just waved at you. For all you other people.. Welcome to old school video game references day! This past week, I have been searching online and around to remember the good old days, back when games were cool even though your little hero dude looked like an orange blob with legs.

So I went back.. Way back.. to Zork! Yes, Zork: The Great Underground Empire, was the first video game I ever played. It was released in (don't quote me) 1979, and I played it when it was obsolete, 9 years after it was made. Zork came on floppy disks, it was played solely by typing to navigate your way through the maze of text-descriptive rooms. My friends and I would draw maps of Zork. I am not sure we ever won it, but it was very fun.. so long as you didn't get eaten by the Grue!

After that for me was Oregon Trail (reference already been made), Montezuma's Revenge, Jungle Hunt, Dig Dug..

Then onto Nintendo! Oh NES, how I loved thee. The only game I ever beat was Mario Brothers II.

Then Super Nintendo.. And for some reason I am now hooked on Harvest Moon. I downloaded an emulator (and no, I am not going to tell you how to do it or where or any of that such, I am not sure of their distribution copyright stuff) for Super NES,and I am having a blast wasting my time.

Does anyone remember Jones in the Fast Lane? There is an external link from this site so you can try it out if you were not so fortunate to have it in the 90's.

These were my favorite old school games. Then there are RPGs and all that happening of the inner nerd running amok in my life.. but that is another story.

Happy gaming!

Hockey, My troubles with Legalese, and some Gratuitous Yarn Shots

Tonight is a normal night at home. Husbando and I are in our Shark's Jerseys and we are yelling at the TV. Ivan can't stand it and so he starts squeaking at the TV. I gave him a Wheat Thin, but it only silenced him for about 15 seconds.



Let me vent quickly about my troubles with legalese, or legal writing. I am a creative person. I never was the greatest essay writer, and if you have made it through more than one of my blog posts, you probably can tell that it is a good thing I have a day job.. "Therefore, your request is not in alignment with our goals for ____" Therefore.. according to the merits of your case.. you are not in compliance with the requirements stated therein.. It really just isn't my style. Oh well.

And now.. What am I working on? Well, let me tell you! I am making the cutest baby boy hoodie ever! My best friend's daughter had one made for her in white, and I have been looking for this pattern for a while. Here is a link to the Robin Hood Sweater, by Zoe Mellor and her book Adorable Knits for Tots: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0873498526/ref%3Dasc_df_0873498526745710/%3Ftag%3Daskcomel-20%26creative%3D380333%26creativeASIN%3D0873498526%26linkCode%3Dasn

There are some beautiful cable crosses in this pattern, and other than the easy moss stitch on the edges, it is only a 4 row pattern. You can see a beautiful finished object on Jennifer's Website: http://loopyknitter.wordpress.com/2008/10/30/robin-hood-jacket-2/

Visit her site and tell her how cute the Jacket is!

Here is the photo I have so far. I am hoping to finish the back tomorrow. This next week, we are going to be working on getting paint, and painting our new house!! Also, I have to get up at 4:00 for work on Wednesday and Thursday, so no promises on hearing from me this week, but I will try. Have a great week!

Pup Sweater, Food Dilemmas & Hockey, Oh My!

This is the sweater I made a while back for my cousin's puppy. He just ran around and enjoyed himself in his little sweater. I love how the turtleneck looks on him, and how the color changes were pretty clean.


Working on a little baby shower surprise for one of my friends. She is having a boy! Ah babies, what a good excuse to start a new project. I got a nice cotton blend yarn in navy for the project out of my stash.

It was yarn for husbando's sweater, but that is on hold because he is exercising and changing sizes, so I do not want to put effort into a sweater that will be too big for him by the time he is all done resizing himself. I will post the finished project after the baby shower. I don't know if my friend knows I even have a blog, but just in case, right?

Headache all weekend.. I don't know if it is allergies or sick, but it is definitely sinus, and there is drainage (Yeah you really wanted to hear that!) and pain.

Nothing tastes good due to this stupid clogging. I have tried to tantalize myself with an asian salad (bad dressing brand choice, ruined the salad).. bbq pizza.. chocolate.. really healthy right? Nothing is good. Ooh. A thought. Be right back.

*********Intermission Music***********

Ok. Making Ramen. When all else fails, go basic. Much better.

San Jose Sharks vs. Anaheim Ducks.. 1,1. Go Sharks! Never knew I was a hockey fan until the beginning of this season. I like the skating and the play better than the blocking and the fighting. Hockey is a hard sport! It is constant sprinting, very aggressive; you have to be tough, athletic and quick thinking to play this game. Very impressive to watch. We have been lucky enough to get to a game, and we may be able to make a playoff game this year. 12 minutes left. See ya.

V&L cont. + something I forgot

So to continue with Lime and Violet.. Usually I am able to finish a podcast in a single drive. Wait. Let me back up. At my old job, I used to listen to my iPod for 9 hours to make it through the day in a sane state of mind. Needless to say, it was a breeze to spend time with Lime and Violet and my other favorite podcasters in the morning and then get serious with War and Peace or Pride and Prejudice or another audiobook for the rest of my workday. Now, I just get my 30 minute drive and my wind down time in the evening for my podcast listening.

Yesterday I listened to the man talk on Lime and Violet and today I listened to the interesting travel talk. But the best part, other than the yarny talk, was the Intellectual property topic, about yarn patterns. Seriously, if you haven't listened to this Lime and Violet, and you are a fan of Knitty and what it represents, definitely listen to this podcast. http://limenviolet.blogspot.com/
There is a link in the middle of the page. Snaps to you, Miss V, for bringing this up.

Another thing that I need to mention, and need to thank Trina for (Thanks Trina!) is about learning to knit. Since I am, well I am weird, no other way around that. Some people learn from books because they don't much like to make fools of themselves public until they are experts. That would be the category I fall into, so I try to teach myself things. However I have to say local yarn shops, craft centers and community centers that offer yarn classes can really be the way to go! Not only do you get help picking supplies and first patterns, you get hands on assistance through your first efforts. You have someone verbally and visually explaining it to you. So have a lot of fun and don't be afraid to make mistakes, that is how you learn! The idea I really want to get across to new knitters is that this new craft will probably be frustrating to them because it may not happen perfectly at first, but don't give up.

P.S. My Janet Shawl is Done!!! Perfect example of not giving up. Restarted a billion (probably 7) times, and started almost 2 years ago.. Just needs to be blocked! I decided to leave off the last ruffle edging for now, it is so pretty to me as is.

L & V

Just downloaded the new podcast from Lime & Violet. It great, they are a yarn podcast and the first 40 minutes of this latest one, they talk about men. All different kinds of men; and then they finish up with straight, knitting men that glow in the dark. Nice transition to knitting, ladies!

So, if you aren't one of their 30,000+ listeners, and you have an mp3 player, give this and other knitting podcasts a shot. They are informative, give up to date info about yummy yarn and patterns, and many are just a nice shot of hilarity for your drive home. I like listening to Lime & Violet for new inspiration. They talk about patterns I have thought about making, cute sweaters like the Snow White Sweater: http://ysolda.com/store/sweaters/snow-white/
(I have the pattern, just waiting..)
And give awesome links to the new things out on the internet for us to find.

My Janet Lace Shawl is ALMOST DONE! 2 more rows!!! I will post pictures of it tomorrow.

Ivan says Hi! (I love this picture, so Deer-In-the-Headlights!)

New Knitters

Got a comment from a close friend, she wanted to know how one starts to knit? Well.. I started knitting just by working it out and messing up and trying something different and messing up again and reading the directions over and over again. Working it out on my own. I wanted to be independent about it.

The best thing to do is get a basic book. Here are two:
The Knitting Handbook:
http://www.amazon.com/Knitting-Handbook-Instructional-Guide/dp/1592231756/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239766562&sr=8-11

The Knitting Answer Book:
http://www.amazon.com/Knitting-Answer-Book-Solutions-Question/dp/1580175996/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239766562&sr=8-5#reader

Basically, and many people have said this, Knitting is taking two sticks and some string and turning it into something else out of it. It is no longer yarn, it is a sweater or mittens or socks. If any of you have ever experienced this magic of creating something out of something else, well it is marvelous, and you just can't stop. So this is my warning and my disclosure about knitting.

Here is a pretty good You Tube video about how to knit, if you are a visual learner: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uw-nUvGrBY

And if you want to explore the net, don't hesitate! There are tons of sites out there on knitting, you would be suprised!

One last link: www.ravelry.com
That one is for knitters and crocheters. It is a community for patterns, groups, friends, everything. If you haven't been there... go!

The parrot has the hiccups, see ya.

Need A Clutch Purse!

Ok so I have been really busy. Not only a new job, but a new house closing in less than a month! I haven't felt like I have had a lot of knitting time in the past month but also I but I still had a little time to do a clutch purse for myself. Where I work has high security and I need to have a bag for all my keys and I.D. and such, and this fit the bill! Next post I will show you all what little progress I have made on some projects, about some local happenings and maybe about some knitting goodness I have encountered..

I hope you all enjoy the pattern and appreciate that this is my first pattern I have ever offered, and realize I am not a professional at this (AKA don't be too harsh with the criticism!).
____________________________________________
Need a Clutch Purse!
You will need:
One skein (or more if you want some cool colors)
10 ½ U.S. Circular (16 inch) Knitting Needles
10 ½ U.S. Double Point Knitting Needles (2)
Tapestry Needle
Regular Thread and Needle
1 slip ring marker

Stitch Pattern:
It is a moss stitch pattern, two rows, piece o cake!
Round 1: *K1, P1… continue through round in pattern.
Round 2: *P1, K1… continue through round in pattern.

Pattern:
CO 40 stitches, join into round.

Start Stitch Pattern, continue in pattern for 2 inches.

Increasing Round:

K1, M1, continue in pattern for 18 stitches, M1, K1. Place Marker. K1, M1, continue in pattern for 18 stitches, M1, K1.

(Every Increasing Round is K1, M1, continue in pattern until 1 before marker, M1, K1. After Marker K1, M1, continue in pattern until 1 before marker, M1, K1)

Knit 4 rounds

Increase round

Do Pattern of knit 4 rounds, Increase round, 2 more times. (3 increase rounds total)

Decreasing Round:
(Every decreasing row will be SKP, continue in patterns to 2 stitches before marker, K2tog. SKP, continue in pattern to 2 stitches before marker, K2tog.)

Knit 4 in pattern rounds

Decreasing Round.

Continue in this pattern (if you like how it looks, or adjust the knitting and decreases to the shape you like) until clutch measures 6 ½ inches. Bind off in 3-needle bind off. Here is a good link to a 3-needle bind off (its at the bottom of the page): http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/casting-off

I-Cord strap:
Cast on 5 stitches with double point needles. Knit an I-cord that measures 18 inches. Here is a good link to making an I-cord (again, towards the bottom of the page):
http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/knitting-tips

Sew the strap together using the yarn and a tapestry needle. The ends of the strap must face the same way. Sew the strap into the inside of the clutch on to one of the decrease sides.

Felting:
Throw the clutch into the washer with a pair of old jeans. Turn the top loading washer (hint hint) onto hot, and let it run a cycle, you don’t have to put any detergent into it. Then just let the purse air dry. You can pin the purse to shape if you want to but I let mine free-dry, and did not get any drying wrinkles in mine.

Sew in the zipper:

Just find the shortest zipper you can (mine was 7 inches and I just folded it into the bag) and sew it in with regular thread and needle.

Enjoy: Do I really have to explain that one?