strawberry knits

It's been years...

2005-08-10T16:44:00.000-05:00

Almost two months since the last post. We're here in MN, we're fine, we're unpacked, save a few boxes of books. But it's too much. I have much too much going on. I didn't knit for over a month. I have been watching too much TV--who knew reality TV could be so engrossing when you are trying to avoid cleaning the house? I feel uninspired to blog about the drivel that my life is lately, even though that is not even true. We moved to a great city, we have wonderful friends and family around us that we see all the time now, Tim will start his job next week, and school starts after Labor Day and there are other very wonderful things happening...but. I don't feel like my blog is worth it. I have about 20 blogs that I read nearly everyday, that give me inspiration and laughs and a sense of camaraderie, but I've realized that having my own blog does not help me in those ways. I feel tied down by the responsibility--"I haven't blogged this week, that's bad, better get to it." I didn't want this to be homework, you know? And recently, I've been thinking that I have been using my knitting as a crutch. If I am sitting at home and knitting, then I don't have to deal with all the things I'm thinking and worrying about. Because then the excuse is: I'm doing something--I'm knitting. And that's not at all the kind of knitter, or person for that matter, I want to be.

So I'm not killing the blog. If something is happening that I want to share, I'll give a little post. I want to work on living my life, and not worrying about the things in it or the things I'm not doing. I'm still out there, and I'm reading your blogs and loving what your making and doing, and occasionally I'll give a shout-out to let you know I still love you, like you, Noelle, Amy and Audrey, whom I never would have met without the stinking ole blog.

I'll be fine--I just need to work on a few things.

Finished Object Friday (on Saturday)

2005-06-18T13:29:00.000-05:00

First of all, thanks for all the compliments on the new look!! I'm pleased with the final design--I think it's a keeper.

So, yeah, I know it's Saturday, but that's me lately. A day late and a dollar short. But I do have a very nice finished object for you!

Fiber Trends' Felted Clogs! In the middle of a New Mexico heat wave! Oh well. The story is that I found some super cheap Lamb's Pride at the Fiber Fiesta--the woman was getting rid of stash, and she had full skeins for $4!!! I couldn't pass that up. My plan is to make clogs for Tim and 2 pairs for me--one to wear around the house and one to bring to peoples' houses. In Minnesota, everyone takes off their shoes in the house, I guess because of all the snow and salt and mud and stuff. We also have hardwood floors in the new house, and I don't want to mess those up. This was my first attempt at the felting of the clogs, and they came out great. They would have been better if they actually fit one of us, but that's a little beside the point. I made the woman's size 8, figuring they would fit me, since I am a 8 1/2, but they were gargantuan pre-felting. I felted the living daylights out of them, and they're about 2 inches too big for me,

and just a little bit too small for Tim. I'll probably end up giving them to Charles, who's got the smaller feet.

So I decided to make the women's size 6 for me, and watch them while they are felting, and I think that will work out just fine.

Please pardon the hairy legs. We've been married 3 years--he's lucky if I shave my legs that often.

I really like the color combo for this one. I didn't have enough purple for both soles, so I made the inside one red, so there's a little red stripe showing through on the outside--cute, I think.

So the movers come on Monday to pack, Tuesday to load, and then we're gone! Adios New Mexico, Hell-oh Minnesota!! (say that with very Fargo "o" sounds) I really can't wait to be in the new house and be settled in and to get to know our new city. It's old hat for Tim, since he grew up there, but I am looking forward to seeing what's out there. The one thing I've noticed already is how friendly everyone is. Growing up in New England, I am still used to a very business-like, head-down-and-do-your-business attitude, so it's a little unsettling when people you don't know are actually friendly to you. I called Comcast the other day to set up cable for the new house, and the woman in St. Paul spent 5 minutes chatting me up about the weather! And I was like, look, lady, I just wanted some cable. But there are worse things than people being nice to you. I shouldn't complain--it's just weird for me.
I will try to get in one more blog before we head up North, cause it may be awhile till we are set up up there. If I don't, hugs and kisses and see you in St. Paul!!

I Got a New Attitude

2005-06-09T13:04:00.000-05:00

Well, I've got a new look at least. I wasn't ever really happy with the way the old blog looked--too many colors, and I futzed with it a bit too much. I did like the header lettering, as that was a gift from the lovely Amy, my SP4, so I'm hoping to do something with those in the new look, but here it is for now. Noelle designed my header for me--isn't it cute? Does it work in IE? Because I never use that one--I only use Firefox, and you should too, by the way. It's much better and more secure , and it's got really handy little tricks, like opening up all your bookmarks in tabs. Just my 2 cents.

So no knitting news. I've been getting headaches a lot this week, and they seem exacerbated by TV, which is when I usually knit. I'm going to shoot for a FO Friday, but we'll see if the head lets me.

Finished Object Friday

2005-06-03T21:13:00.000-05:00

So last week Noelle had a "Finished Object Friday" and I thought, what a great idea! I should do that too--it will motivate me to actually finish things or at least make progress. So today rolls around, I'm reading blogs, la dee da, and I read Noelle's latest post, awww...I totally forgot about FOF. So here's my lame attempt at a finished object.

This is my two-color, toe-up koigu sock. I started it way back in February, when I flew out to New Hampshire and Dad and I drove to Williamstown, MA to see if I could live there. There was no way I could live there, and there's no way I will knit socks on #1's again. Way too tiny needles and way too way the hell out there. I learned I was a city girl on that trip.

Here are some of the way cool flowers in our front yard. Of course, now that we're leaving is when we have all of these beautiful flowers and plants I've never seen before suddenly showing themselves. It may actually be because of all the rain we've been getting, but I like to think it is New Mexico being spiteful. Click the thumbnails to make 'em big.

And finally, this is my new obsession. I LOVE these. So cute--I'm imagining three of them, all different sizes, hung at different lengths, in different colors in front of the windows of our sunroom. Once I find the pattern, I am so there (I think it's a Fiber Trends).

image taken from Mason-Dixon Knitting

DVD Meme

2005-05-30T10:06:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it? Two posts in a row! But I just noticed I got my first tag, so I had to hop to. Thanks, Noelle!!

DVD Meme

1. Total number of films I own on DVD or video:

Probably 5, definitely less than 10. I rarely find movies that I would want to watch over and over again, so we own the ones that I would.

2. The last film I bought:

I got Tim the first season of SCTV for his birthday. That's not a film, but it was on DVD, does that count? "Five Neat Guys" kills me. When you watch, you can see Joe Flaherty is playing drunk and he's just a little bit off step with the other guys. HILARIOUS.

3. The last film I watched:

We went downtown and saw Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. I humored Tim. It was okay, people. I just wish that Lucas would let go just a little bit and use some of those billions he's got to hire his damn self a scriptwriter. Good actors reduced to cardboard. And, I'm sorry, but Hayden is Horrible. Did you see Shattered Glass? Terrible film, even with the fabulous Peter Sarsgaard.

4. Five films that I watch a lot or that mean a lot to me (in no particular order):

Garden State. I love this movie. When I saw it last year, I was thinking about the theme of this movie anyway--the idea that you create your own sense of home and family. In your twenties, you don't fit in in the house you grew up in, or the neighborhood or sometimes even with the friends you had in high school, so you spend your twenties (at least I have) trying to create a new place where you belong, where you can be who you really are and be accepted for that person. Natalie Portman is so cute and amazing, and Zach Braff, performing the amazing trifecta of writer, director and star, blows me away. Zach is my boyfriend, by the way. I love him none too secretly.

The Graduate. I saw this for the first time when I took a film class with the amazing Peter Mascuch at UNH. It was the first time that I saw the artistry that went into making a film, not just the performances of the actors. The way Nichols sets up his shots...he's brilliant anyway, but this was the film that won me over. I wrote a paper arguing that The Graduate is a modern day western, and compared it to a very traditional western, Stagecoach I think. It is too--the outcast, trying to save the day and get the girl--his horse is that sexy red convertible he drives over the bridge in that one great long shot. Anyway, Peter called me into his office and said, "What the hell? There is no way that The Graduate is a western!" and I was all scared that he was mad or was going to fail me or whatever my 19 year old self thought, but he told me that he had never thought of it that way, and that I argued my point very well, and he could see it if he looked at it that way, but I was still wrong and crazy. He gave me an A.

The Anchorman. Will Ferrell can just stand there and I will laugh. This movie is my current favorite funny movie, and one of the five DVD's we own. It is sublimely riduculous.

When Harry Met Sally. I can watch this movie again and again and still enjoy it. Billy Crystal ruined me for boyfriends for a while. And this is Meg at her finest. All those other romantic comedies she did are just trying to recapture the magic of this movie.

Amelie. A Perfect Film. Hands down, probably my favorite of all time. This is my desert island movie. The combination of adorable story, quirky humor, and beautiful cinematography-- cinematic bliss. We own this one, too.

5. Tag five people and have them put this in their journal:

Yipes, I don't think I know 5 bloggers well enough to tag them. I'd have Alyssa do it, but the bitch doesn't blog. Something about too busy or something. Well, if you read this and want to do it, I'd love to read about it. Otherwise, it was fun to do, so there you go.

Blog Fodder

2005-05-29T17:35:00.000-05:00

I've been back for a week now, but I just haven't felt like posting. So many things are going on right now, so many of which are blog-worthy, but I guess the sheer amount of potential blog fodder is a bit overwhelming. We have a sold house in Albuquerque, we have a new house in St. Paul, I have progress on Audrey,

you know what I just noticed? Those sleeve caps are totally different sizes. ARGHHHHH. Looks like there will be some ripping...

a first Koigu sock that I didn't even bother posting about when I started it cause it was seriously 6 months ago (at that rate I will have a pair by christmas...ugh, how I wish I loved to make socks, cause I sure love to wear them...), and I have a buttload of stash enhancement, thanks in large part to the wonderful yarn shops of the Twin Cities and the Albuquerque Fiber Arts Fiesta. I am so looking forward to being somewhere where there are a myriad of yarn shops to choose from, rather that the one in town that has spotty customer service. But like I need the enabling of my addiction!

Speaking of enablers, I was very happily impressed with the Fiber Fiesta. Noelle and I decided we didn't need to drag the husbands along, and the two of us happily spent the afternoon on Thursday blowing our yarn budgets. The highlight had to be Textiles a Mano, simply beautiful, hand-dyed, made with love yarns. Laura had some absolutely lovely lace weight mohair that I kept petting and wanting to take home, but I am trying to stick with buying yarn for a specific pattern, rather than on the fly as I've done in the past. I did buy some soft-as-can-be, very lovely cotton in a aqua/seafoam color that I'm hoping to turn into a copy of Kim Hargreaves' Harmony sweater. I can't swing the UK price and shipping to get her kit, but I'm pretty sure I can design a copy myself. I also got to visit with Black Water Abbey Yarns and Marilyn, the lovely owner. She remembered me from sending me a color-card a few months back, and we chatted for a bit while I made my color choice. I picked Moss, mostly green with blue and brown mixed in--so earthy and yummy. It's going to be a simple, in-the-round gansey for the very lucky Charles, one of Tim's best friends (he's worth it). Marilyn will be at Stitches Midwest in August, so I will see if I can get someone to come to Chicago with me so I can go. But I'm not sure if the budget can handle the insanity that is Stitches.
After the budgets were blown, Noelle and I went to lunch at Cafe O, a combination comic book/video game and Asian food delight place, where I had my very first bubble tea and some very delish fresh spring rolls. Bummer that I discover this place 3 weeks before we leave ABQ for good. And double bummer that I met Noelle this late in the game. She is so sweet and I feel like we've known each other for ages. Well, we can still be online friends, right?

So yeah, we got a house. Finally. We went for two weeks, and the first week pretty much sucked. We looked at tons of houses but they were all dumps or just not "the one." Tim's mom came and looked at one we thought was "the one," but after looking at it a second time, we all said "no way." Actually, what we said was a little naughtier than that, but this is a family show. My Memere reads this, for heaven's sake! So after the horrible first week, we took a break, went to open houses on Sunday, talked to the mortgage loan guy about what payments would actually be instead of what we thought they would be, and on Monday looked at a bunch of great houses, the last of which we made an offer on, got and close on June 24th. I couldn't be happier. Cute as can be and so close to just about everything we need. We can walk everywhere, people. Charles is a bikeride away, Tim's mom is a quick hop to 94 away, and school is a five mile drive away. Can't beat it. I've only got one little crappy picture of it, 'cause numbnut that I am, I totally forgot the camera. Our house is way cuter in person, promise.

Okay, so more to come soon. I have progress on a Belize top for me, out of some smooshy silk blend I got for a STEAL in Minnesota and hopefully I will have pics of all the goodies I got at the Fiesta, if I can remember to take pictures when it is not thunderstorming. Isn't it a little early for monsoon season?

Leavin' on a Jet Plane...

2005-05-08T10:09:00.000-05:00

We're leaving today for house-hunting in Minnesota. Our realtor is one of Tim's long-time friends, so it should be a much less painful process, because we can make poop jokes in the car between seeing houses. I've decided, since we put our house on the market on Thursday, and had a gazillion and one people in here to see it, that I hate real estate. I hate looking, I hate selling, I hate everything about it. What makes it at least bearable is that we have great people working for us. If you ever want to move to Albuquerque and want to buy a house, just let me know, 'cause I got your woman.

So school is finally over, and I am going to miss all of those jokers. UNM has a cohort program for its Elem. Ed. majors---basically a group of 25 people who all take the same classes together and do their student teaching in the same school. Our group was so fabulous--we really got to know each other and we learned so much from each other, and I ended up making so many good friends. I have pictures of my girls, but they are still trapped in the camera. Next time. I hope that MN will be as good of an experience.

Mom was in Belize last week, and she had an amazing experience, so I will leave you with a picture of her and her best friend Sharon walking through the town market place. Wish us luck for a new house, and hopefully I will be able to blog and tell you how it's going. Ciao!

click and make it big!

They say it's your birthday....

2005-05-01T12:33:00.000-05:00

...so Happy Birthday to ME!!!!! Yep, I'm the big 2-7 today. We celebrated yesterday, since my favorite restaurant is closed on Sundays. So we got in the car and drove up to Santa Fe. Tim drove

so there was car knitting

That is the beginning of Audrey from Rowan 35 in Coral Calmer. I know I'm late jumping on the Audrey bandwagon, but better late than never, n'est ce pas? I am such a fan of this yarn--so soft, so smushy. But no one in this god-forsaken state carries it. I got mine on ebay last week with the intention of using it to knit Elspeth, but after 3 cast-ons and 3 rips, that was just not happening. I guess others have been having problems with it too, so I decided to save myself the headache. Summer knitting list? Out the window. The new list, as of this moment today:

1. Rowan Audrey
2. Apricot Sweater from Rebecca
3. Soft Kid wrap sweater from Rebecca
4. Belize tank for me in mango Bali

As always, the list is subject to change.

Anyway, back to Santa Fe. We had lunch at the fabulous Tia Sophia's, where I had my favorite beans and rice burrito and Tim had the Saturday special. No pictures, as we were too busy eating. After stuffing ourselves silly, we had time for silly tourist pictures

before I got down to the birthday shopping. I had to get this bag and the matching scarf--so cute, such a splurge. We hit the outlets and I got some deals--a couple of cute tops and a pair of capris. But you know I'm saving the real goodies for last

10 skeins of All Seasons Cotton for the Rebecca Apricot sweater, some Koigu that Tim picked out for me, and a couple of Addis. I had to upgrade for my future projects--no more Susan Bates! (not that there's anything wrong with that....)

And this morning I finished all of my homework. You read that right, ALL OF MY HOMEWORK IS FINISHED!! I am officially done for the summer. The couple of classes I have to attend next week is nothing. I don't have any more work to do--I am officially Checked Out. Couldn't have a better birthday present. :-)

off to eat tiramisu for lunch...

...must...do...homework...

2005-04-24T13:05:00.000-05:00

It's a rainy, sleepy day, and all I want to do is sleep in and knit on the couch under a nice blanket. But no, the homework gods have deemed today "It's Now or Never" (does anyone else have the Elvis song in their head now? mwahahaha...). I have two journals to complete, an Observation paper, a paper about the tutoring I did, a worksheet about our Literature Circle, and a Lesson Adaptation to do, all this week. I want to finish it all this week so I can relax next week, which is THE LAST WEEK OF CLASSES!!!!! I'm telling ya, it can't come soon enough.

So no pictures, nothing interesting--I have to get back to work. But I do have a FO to show later this week. It's a little gifty, so once I send it out, I can post it, just in case the recipients read my blog. :-)

Belize and Lilacs

2005-04-16T19:16:00.000-05:00

I've been holding out on you. For the past two weeks I've been knitting a secret present for my mom, and I couldn't post about it because she reads my blog (hi, Mom!!). But I gave it to her today, so I can finally talk about it.

It's my Belize tank top. Mom is taking a trip to Belize at the end of the month to visit her best friend who is in the Peace Corps there, so I decided to make her something she could wear down there. The pattern is an amalgamation of patterns from Vogue Knitting and Creative Knitting magazines, with a little of my own creativity thrown in. I even knit a gauge swatch, people. It's made from Cascade Yarns Pima Tencel, at 5 1/2 sts per inch on US5's. The yarn is deliciously soft, and very nice to work with, my only caveat being the shedding. I have bits of green everywhere. I'm thinking that will be improved with a washing. I *love* how it came out--I just hope it fits.
Here's an in-progress shot:

and a lacy stitch detail:

On weather news, last week's snow barely lasted that day, and we had GORGEOUS weather all week--almost 80 yesterday. Today we had huge thunderstorms and as we were driving home we saw a thin funnel cloud off to the south!! Yikes! I'm telling ya, I think Albuquerque is giving me quite a send off--throwing all potential weather patterns at me, all in one week.

But the best part of last week? The first Lilacs...

click to make it big!

Unbelievable

2005-04-10T12:41:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day, albeit a bit windy. But this is New Mexico--when other states get spring showers, we get wind. But still, a gorgeous day nonetheless. Tim and I worked in the yard--fertilized and seeded the lawn, weeded the old garden plot and put down cedar bark mulch, trimmed all the bushes and cut out the dead branches. It was looking pretty good out there.

But look at what I woke up to this morning:

SNOW!!! In April!! In Albuquerque!! I mean, come on!! It's not as if we live in the tundra that is, oh, Minnesota. It's just not right. Maybe it's just to spite me for thinking I could plant flowers in April.

Oh well. Here are some more things I liked in the spring Vogue Knitting. Not going on the list. Not yet anyway. Ask me again AFTER we move.

Very pretty. I would tighten up the neckline a bit, so I can wear a bra with it and not get all Flashdance.

So cute. I would get rid of the lace-up part and just continue the pattern across the bust, and make it in a prettier color, maybe a dark pink or coral.

Anyway, back to homework. Sundays are for homework...:-(

The New Knitty is up!!

2005-04-07T12:52:00.000-05:00

I already have a must-knit, Jordana Paige's Spring Fling. Totally cute. So does this mean I have to rearrange my summer knitting schedule again?

The current list:

1. The cover sweater from Rebecca 29 (the one with the Honeycomb cable details). I've already got the Bali for it in a yummy mango color.

image taken from Rebecca Online.

2. The wrap cardi from Rebecca 29. Yes, the one that everyone else is making. But it's so darn cute!

image taken from Wendy's blog, who took hers from Kristine.

3. The twist sweater in the new Vogue Knitting. I don't want to make it out of the silk that they suggest. I want the drapey-ness of the silk but not the high-maintenance and high $$$. Any suggestions?

4. Now I have to add Spring Fling. Do you think I can do it all AND move?

GET OUT!!!!

2005-03-31T15:13:00.000-06:00

I was driving home from school today, thinking to myself "gee, I really should get on Amazon today and order The Yarn Harlot's book. No one around here will have it for months." When I got home, I went to check the mail and there was a mysterious package waiting for me, from Amazon! And what was inside?

Oh my lord. My ever-lovin' Secret Pal ordered the book for me. I cannot even tell you how excited I am. It's little and pretty and just waiting to be devoured. Damn you, homework! Secret Pal--you're the bestest! I'm giving you a big, giddy hug. Now if only Ms. Harlot would come near me on her book tour so she can sign it for me...

2005-03-30T17:12:00.000-06:00

So sad. So very sad...

A Woman Possessed

2005-03-27T10:36:00.000-06:00

That was me yesterday. I am starting to freak out a little bit about moving. We only have two months, people!! And we have a whole house full of crap. So I've started to go through our stuff and throw out and pare down. Just the essentials and the can't-live-withouts. This is what the craft room looked like in the eye of the storm:

I didn't think I had this much yarn. Not until it was all together and in 3 18-gallon rubbermaid containers, 6 15-qt storage bins, and one shoebox size container. But that is seriously all of it. I have things I've forgotten about--like 10 balls of gorgeous-red Debbie Bliss Cashmerino. But I was good too. I got rid of some bad knitting magazines (the title of which shall remain nameless, but wouldn't you think that if your name included a certain attribute, say creativity, that maybe your designs would portray said attribute? and not totally suck? I'm just sayin'...) and some doubles of needles that I bought before I knew what good needles were.

Speaking of needles, I was crying last night. As part of the cleaning spree, I organized my needles and put them all back in their little envelopes or in their special little needle cases. As I was going through my DPN needle case, I noticed a set of #7 DPN's in their little slot. Which was odd, because I was using those for the Turtleneck Shrug. Or so I thought. Nope, I was using my #5's, which are the same brand and have no distinguishing marks other than the size. You would think that after all of my years of knitting, I would go by something more than "those are the right color, those must be the #7's." For cripe's sake. I had been knitting all week, ribbing in the round, on dpn's, for 20 inches, WITH THE WRONG SIZE NEEDLE. So before all the ripping, let's have a moment of silence for the first Big Bonehead Moment of 2005 here at Strawberry Knits (with a nod to the Skinny Rabbit, who has bonehead moments, but still produces some of the best knitting out there).

Today's lesson: check your needle size twice, knit once. Adieu, too small sleeve.

Super Sexy

2005-03-21T20:53:00.000-06:00

That's right. It's Super Sexy Alyssa...

sorry, guys, she's taken

and her super sexy Buttonhole Bag! Her bag is my personal favorite--if I didn't love her so much I would have totally kept it for myself. I love knowing my knitted gifties are being used and enjoyed as much as I loved making them.

Loot!!

2005-03-20T20:10:00.000-06:00

I spent a day relaxing at home on Friday and got this surprise in the mail:

Some yummy bath salts, cute notecards and some mini M&M's (that barely made it past taking the photo)! Tim loves him some M&M's, so I had to share. Happy March, indeed! Thanks, SP!!

I also got some things I have been hankering for when we were in Minnesota. Tim and I took a trip to tres chic Grand Ave. in St Paul, where I stopped into The Yarnery and got these:

Finally!!! The new Rowan and Rebecca spring issues, and 4 balls of Rowan Kid Classic---none of which the local shop had. They were going to order them for me, but come on, why wait? The Kid Classic is for the Turtleneck shrug in Scarf Style. I think that thing is just the cutest and have been wanting to make it since I got the book way back last fall. Here's what I've got so far:

It's taking forever because I have to use the DPN's. I may have to get myself a 12" circular, just so I can get on with it and not quit out of boredom--because I really want the shrug, and before summer would be a plus!

And speaking of finally, I finished my Clapotis!! And I have to say, I just love it to pieces. I started that damn thing last fall sometime, and finished it Friday morning. I had to give it a good bath, because the hand-painted yarn I used rubbed off something fierce--I would end up with red hands after an evening of knitting. We went to see a show today and then out to dinner, so I got to dress up and wear the Clapotis out.

oh la la, tres chic, n'est ce pas?

Some good, some bad...but that's life

2005-03-18T11:10:00.000-06:00

I have been away from the blog for a while--I try to post at least once a week, but Life has been getting in the way.

We were in Minnesota this weekend, because Tim's Grandma has been really sick. She went into the hospital about a month ago because she was fainting and very weak. They found blood clots in her legs, arms and lungs, and when they did a test on the clots in her lungs, they found lung cancer. Because she was so weak, they couldn't do further tests, but because she didn't have any specific tumors, they weren't too concerned to let it go until she got stronger to do chemo or raditation. She was moved to a nursing home to get stronger, but she hated it there--too many people at death's door, nothing to do, no tv or phone--so the family brought her home this past Monday. She still was so weak, and couldn't do the simplest things for herself. Tim's mom was spending all day with her cause she couldn't dress herself or wasn't confident enough to be sure she wouldn't fall in the bathroom, etc. So when we left on Tues. night, we were still pretty concerned about her. It turns out when she woke up Wed. morning, she couldn't move, so they rushed her to the emergency room. The oncologist came to see her, and did some tests, and her lung cancer is much worse than anyone thought. He recommended, and they have decided, to move her to a hospice. Grandma is in very good spirits considering--I think she is relieved to finally know exactly what is going on and she agrees that the hospice is the best place for her. Tim is very close to his grandma, so it has been very hard for him, but he is relieved that she will be in good care now.

Our good news is that Tim has formally accepted the job with the University of Minnesota and we are moving there this summer. We looked at houses while we were in Minnesota, and we know we will definitely be able to find a house we like and can afford. We are planning on selling our house and our realtor says we won't have any problems doing so. We'll put the house on the market at the end of April, and we're planning a trip to Minnesota for serious house hunting after school is out in May. So if all goes well, we'll be up there in June! I am not looking forward to the cold and snow, but we will have a good time in the Twin Cities---there is so much to do and all of Tim's family and friends are there. And don't even get me started on all the yarn shops!! I have applied to the University of Minnesota to finish my degree there, and if all goes well, it won't be too much longer till I can get a job--2 years?

So stay tuned for some actual knitting content--you know I got some stuff in Minnesota while I was there, and I think there's something about a finished Clapotis.....

Quick Knits and Mondays are the Best

2005-03-08T10:10:00.000-06:00

Look what I wore yesterday:

It's Gesta from Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton's Book Two, knit in some sort of Noro on US 10 1/2's. I think it's Blossom, but don't quote me on that. I had gotten the yarn many moons ago, and it was living life as a very thick, never worn scarf. I decided that I would recycle the yarn and make something I actually would wear. So I ripped, wet the kinks out, and after only a week of knitting, voila!! I love this vest. It was actually warm, and it's flattering without resembling a corset. No one likes corsets. Let those babies breathe!!

So I wore it to school yesterday, and when I was helping a pair of my fourth grade girls on an assignment, one said about the vest, "Pretty colors!" I answered, "Thanks. I made it myself." The girls said, "YOU DID??!! Cool!!" One girl called the colors "like fall and spring mixed together." Aww! How great are they?! Best compliment I could have gotten. I swear, those kids are the only thing getting me through this semester. Mondays are the best.

Happy Birthday!!

2005-03-03T16:50:00.000-06:00

Today is Tim's birthday. We had lobster for lunch, and after we stopped at Flying Star to pick up dessert for later. I got him SNL's Best of Will Ferrell, the first season of SCTV on DVD, and a cheapo bin Cars cd. Pretty good haul, if I do say so myself. He is currently playing Xbox, which I would say is pretty good for a Thursday afternoon. One of the perks of being a college professor!

I could go on and on about my honey, but I will break it down Harlot-style into a few choice points:

1. He is smart. I don't mean in the 2 masters degrees AND a PhD kinda way (which he does have) but in a way that makes me stop and think. He's got a more thoughtful point of view about things, and is one of the best people I know for explaining things.

2. He is funny. Every day we laugh. Even on the bad days when things are stupid and grey and yucky, he makes a joke about poop that makes me roll my eyes and laugh my head off.

3. He is nice. Way nicer than me. He is naturally a kind and generous person, and I am continually impressed at how his kindness comes naturally to him, whereas I have to work on mine.

4. He puts up with my yarn habit and actually appreciates the things I do. He has gone up to the Taos Wool Festival with me twice now, and I think he may have enjoyed himself. At least I think so.

5. He is a good liar. I made pumpkin cheesecake last year for Thanksgiving, and I only found out thins year at Christmas that he really didn't like it. I can appreciate the skill it takes to pull that off (although the cheesecake was really good, so I don't know what his problem was).

6. He puts away the dishes from the dishwasher. 'Nuff said.

7. He loves my cooking (except for the whole cheesecake thing). My cooking is really good, but he is so much fun to cook for because you really know when he likes something. He gets all excited and makes yummy noises the whole way through. Although it may be a ruse to keep me cooking so he doesn't have to. :-)

8. Everyday he makes me feel more and more loved. I feel beautiful on my ugly days, cheered on my sad days and comforted on my anxious days because I know I am loved. I am a lucky woman to have this guy in my life.

How sweet it is to be loved by you, honey. Happy Birthday.

Yarn, Secret Pals (yay!) and Water

2005-02-23T17:46:00.000-06:00

Look what came in the mail for me yesterday:

Three lovely skeins of Douceur et Soie in Pimento! So soft, so delicious, and so thanks to my Secret Pal!!! She got me a gift certificate to Herrschners, where I happily couldn't make up my mind. I wanted to buy yarn to knit up some specific projects I've been craving ( Rowan 35's Audrey, the Apricot Jacket from Rebecca 27) but couldn't find something suitable. So I just decided to treat and get some yummy confections instead! I'm thinking a lacy, cobwebby scarf, but I haven't really decided yet. They have to live with me some more, and be petted and fondled until I'm sure what they want to be. This yarn is so soft, people!! Thanks so much, Secret Pal!!

Living in New Mexico, we don't really have much chance for green things, especially in the winter. At least I don't, because of my guilt. We are so short on water--Santa Fe has water shortages and bans on usage every summer and the bark beetles have killed almost all of the pinons in the Sandias 'cause of the drought. I just feel that no-one with a good conscience should water a lawn of non-native grass when that water could be used for real things--like drinking,or maybe food?! I'm sure our neighbors make fun of us with our half-dead, brown lawn, but I'd rather a brown lawn than no water in 10 years. So here's my ode to the only green thing in our yarn--the mystery bushes in the back--don't they look great against the red of the yarn?

The Blog!!

2005-02-20T15:16:00.000-06:00

Found this today:

Hilarious! The small text says, "She wanted to stop reading it- but she had nothing better to do! Produced by average people who seem to think their lives are interesting. Filmed in thrilling HTML-O-Scope with exciting new fonts!"

Found on t-shirthumor.com

Sick as a Dog

2005-02-19T10:27:00.000-06:00

That's me. Sick as a dog. Those damn elementary school kids got me sick. I was planning on going through the whole semester without getting sick, but the kids had other plans. I felt it coming on Monday, but it hit for good on Thursday. Not the flu, thank goodness, but a massive head cold leaving me with a disfunctional nose (oh how I took my nose for granted...) and a head 5lbs too heavy. So while there was knitting, there are not pictures as it takes too much effort to get all the camera crap out. I started a Flower Basket Shawl from IK Fall '04 out of some lovely alpaca from Royal Fiber Spinnery in Ruidoso, NM. They are the nicest folks down there, so if you have a yen for some gorgeous alpaca, check 'em out. I finished the first pattern repeat of 7, so I hope to have a few more done by weekend's end and a picture to show, assuming my nose cooperates and starts working again.

Buttonhole Bags

2005-02-13T12:54:00.000-06:00

Look what I did this weekend:

I LOVE them!! The were so quick and easy to make--the pink, purple and brown one I finished last night during some Champions: Return to Arms and Saturday Night Live (which, by the way, was one of the funniest shows they've had in a long time--Monkeys throwing poop at celebrities? Brilliant! And Jason Bateman was terrif--I so had a crush on him when I was younger.)

This one is for Alyssa:

And this one I modified a bit. I cast on 12 sts, and then increased each end twice to get more of a round bottom than the rectangle the pattern has you make. Then I increased all the way around every other stitch to further get a round bottom. Then I followed the pattern as written. Cute, I think.

Pattern credit and kisses go to Kay at Mason-Dixon Knitting! Love it!

So Bad it's Good

2005-02-08T11:52:00.000-06:00

I'm bad. Very bad. But what's worse is that I don't feel bad about how bad I've been. I am just excited!!

Exhibit A:

Michelle and I went to the Fiesta Yarns Outlet, and I couldn't help myself. They have gorgeous stuff!! And the prices aren't too bad on some of the things--definitely there are bah-gains to be had. I got some of the "Heaven" Mohair and some little samples to make a tiny kerchief. They also had a great selection of needles, so I got another set of #1 DPN's for socks and some #15 DPN's for a hat and mitten project I've been thinking about.

Exhibit B:

I couldn't help myself. The buttonhole bags over at Mason-Dixon Knitting are TOO. DAMN. CUTE. This yarn is going to be a bag for Alyssa--purple with the green for contrast at the top.

And this is for my bag, also known as Exhibit C:

To be fair, the lovely tan Manos was given to me for Christmas by Tim, aka "boy-I-know-how-to-make-my-wife-happy," so that doesn't count. Well, it counts for points for Tim. And yes, that is sock yarn. I'm going to try it out for some tiny-yarn, tiny-needles socks. I love the happy pinks--pink stripy socks are happy goodness.

So a jury of my peers would find me horribly guilty, on the charges of yarn-diet breaking and public indecency in the presence of innocent fibers, but I don't care!! I'll be good tomorrow.