Froggy And Whatnot

I'm Such A Slacker

2008-12-22T08:18:00.001-08:00

This is the cat toy that I finished a few months ago. I guess I forgot to post pictures because about ten minutes after I finished it (and the cats even liked it, it was amazing) the dogs shredded it and I threw it away. It seems like a pretty familiar story, the dogs tearing up something that I've worked on. I have to say, it gets a little old.

Also, I have been needing some sort of cuticle cream because my fingers are horrible. Instead of chewing my actual fingernails off, if I have a hangnail or anything on my finger I absolutely cannot leave it alone until my finger is bleeding. As you might guess this can get quite painful and definitely not very attractive. So I decided to quit tearing up my hands and started looking for products to put on my fingers. Well, if you haven't looked around for stuff like this, the stuff you can buy in stores seems expensive and it is hard to tell what the texture and smell of the stuff on Etsy is going to be. I even looked up recipes so I could make my own, the only problem is around here it is pretty much impossible to find some of the ingredients. Plus, most of the recipes have about twenty different oils and waxes in them, and if I can buy a tube of this stuff on Etsy for three dollars, buying the ingredients just doesn't seem worth it. So, long, pointless story short, last night I gave up and bought the Etsy stuff. Good story, right?

Guess Who Came To Town

2008-11-02T18:30:00.000-08:00

Well, technically not this town, but one that is only an hour away.

If you can't tell, yes that is our future President speaking at a stadium in Springfield, Missouri on Saturday night. I heard there were about 35,000 or 40,000 people. Now, that may not be the 100,000 people in St. Louis, but for this part of the state, which is pretty convincingly Republican country I think it was a very impressive crowd. Actually the whole Obama family was there and the four of them looked like tiny little specks from where we were sitting.

I have totally been slacking in the knitting department, so I have nothing to say about that. What I will say, in all seriousness, no matter what your politics are VOTE ON TUESDAY! Seriously, voting is cool and I think it is fun and everyone should do it (if you doubt any of this, let me just say that I am such a nerd that I actually registered to vote on my eighteenth birthday).

Vote, vote, vote, vote.

How Knitting Makes Me Green

2008-09-22T11:17:00.001-07:00

These little squares are what I have been using instead of cotton balls. I have not used a single cotton ball in over a month. It is a small way to reduce the amount of stuff I throw away, but really if you think about it, using two cotton balls per day really adds up. I was actually using four cotton balls every day, one in the morning, one at night and one for each eye to remove makeup. So I made some of my squares into rectangles to use for makeup removal. I love them and I can't believe I did not think of this earlier. I still catch myself going toward the trash can out of habit, but that should decrease over time. Unfortunately the yarn is just that cheap Peaches & Creme stuff you can find at Wal-Mart and just about everywhere else and the colors fade very quickly. Although, with mine, it is not a big deal partly because I just don't care and partly because the green stripes fade to yellow, which still makes them yellow and white.

Next topic:
I don't know how I heard about this or how I found it online, but there is apparently a raw food diet for cats and dogs. Now to me, feeding your animals raw makes perfect sense. Depending on the food you might buy at pet stores there are different amounts of nasty stuff in them. Whether it is meat by-products or grain or corn or even ash(I have seen that on a cat food ingredient list) even if those things aren't doing anything bad to your animal, at the very least that is the stuff you are picking out of the yard or cleaning out of the litter box. Cats and dogs have no use for corn or ash, that stuff is just filler. Now, that being said, if I had the money and the places to buy quality organic meat for my animals (granted I don't even eat that well) I would do it. But I don't have a lot of resources, plus I am not an animal nutrition expert so I would not feel comfortable feeding my cats random kinds of meat and nothing else. I would imagine that feeding cats and dogs whole animals like rabbits or small chickens with fur and everything else still attached would be ideal, and you probably would not have to add vitamins or vegetables. But, that assumes the whole animals you buy were able to run around and eat flowers and grass and were not pumped full of hormones and other bad things. Also, raw bones are supposed to be good for keeping teeth clean (apparently chicken or turkey necks, as gross as that sounds, have softer bones so there is less worry of the animal choking). If I can do something to make my cats' teeth and breath better without spending hundreds of dollars at the vet for teeth cleaning, I am willing to do that. So basically, I have decided I am going to try to add raw food to my cats' normal kibble/canned food diet whenever I can get it. I have a feeling it will take some time to get them used to the idea of eating bones, but I think they will like it eventually. It might even make them feel like big wild cats, and what house cat wouldn't like that?

Mmm, Yarn

2008-09-05T11:33:00.001-07:00

It's here!!!!!!

It is even better in person than I expected it to be. The colors are so saturated and bright and wonderful that I found out it is nearly impossible to take pictures of it that show the true colors. The colors are Red Hot Chili and Pfefferminz Prinz (Prince Peppermint in German, or Bavarian, I'm not sure which is correct or what the difference is) and I'm not sure what color that little guy is (it is just a test skein/freebie) and I have no idea what to do with it other than just look at and pet it. Now, I have read a lot about how this yarn is supposed to smell really good because of the kind of soap it is washed in. To me it just smelled lightly of laundry soap, possibly a little like what Gain smells like, which is a good smell, but I guess I was expecting it to smell like candy or something.

Luckily I got into the Wollmeise Sock Club, so I will have more opportunities to smell this yarn. This Sock Club and the fact that I actually got into it is excellent and surprising news. You see, for those of you not familiar with sock clubs(yes, I am aware how ridiculous that statement might sound to people who are not knitters or who do not care about it at all), and I am by no means an expert, but they are basically any number of shipments of sock yarn spread out over a period of time. In this case there will be four shipments every three months for one year. For each shipment the colors are a surprise (I suppose depending on the club, even the kind of yarn could be a surprise) and there is also a pattern in every shipment and some double pointed needles in the first one. The process of getting a spot in this club is the surprising part. There were three days for people to sign up and then there was a lottery for the actual spots in the club. So, as I understand it she had about 500 spots available and ended up with over 1,000 entries. Typically I am very unlucky when it comes to winning things, so I signed up for the club assuming I would have no real chance of getting in. Then, as the day for confirmations approached, I started to think that I possibly should not have even signed up because I most definitely do not have the kind of money required to pay for it (I will spare you and myself from having to see the obscene amount in print). As soon as I started to regret signing up I knew I would get in. But all has been worked out, because it is now going to be the Christmas gift that keeps on giving. Sadly, because I have no control over myself and because some people already have their first shipments and because of those dang spoiler threads, I have already been spoiled. But I don't care, it was worth it to see those beautiful pictures.

I am feeling very wordy today, apparently yarn does that to me.

I have already decided what to make with the Pfefferminz Prinz (a Clapotis if you are interested) and after I struggled with wanting to knit versus keeping the yarn in the perfect skein, I decided to knit. So I wound the yarn into a ball last night and discovered something else about this yarn:

There is a ton of it in each skein! The other two balls are different kinds of sock yarns that I have. The middle one is my hand-dyed stuff which I got from Knitpicks.com and according to their site, the skein has 462 yards. The smallest ball is Regia 4 ply, which has 231 yards. The Wollmeise skein has 574 yards. Wow is the only thing I can say about that.

Two other off topic comments: I fixed the double title thing in the corner. I actually saw the same thing on someone else's blog, but I have no way to explain it, the extra title just showed up one day. Second, what the heck? There is a new season of Project Runway on and I had no idea about it. I kept seeing it on the satellite guide thing, but thought nothing of it because reruns seem to be on literally every day. I don't even know how long this new season has been on. What is with the lack of advertising or have I just not been paying attention? I am very disappointed in you Heidi Klum. Also, and I do not mean to pick on Tim Gunn, I think he is great, but hearing him walk in to check on the designers and say, "Suede," in that voice of his is too funny.

Decisions, Decisions

2008-09-02T07:58:00.000-07:00

While I am waiting for my Wollmeise to get here I am going to occupy myself with torturing the animals. However, with so many wonderful animal torture devices, I am having trouble making a decision. So, look here, skip over the baby hat obviously, and help me decide. I am leaning toward the ninja or the beret, just because some of those look like a lot of work and the ninja hat would be harder for them to get off.

Also, more uselessness.

The pattern is called DoKnit, of course. It is now hanging on the wall underneath what else but a beautiful piece of "art" that involves a mouse and a doughnut that looks exactly like this one.

And then,

Yes, they are cute, but I hate them. For such small things, they caused me a ridiculous amount of trouble. I had to rip them not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES! That is just stupid.

I am also working on a cat toy right now. It is my mission to find a toy that my cats will play with, one I don't have to buy at Petsmart and that is not a rabbit fur ball. It is impossible, I am aware. So basically, very soon I will have a cat toy to give away.

Wollmeise Is Mine!!!

2008-08-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

I have not mentioned this yet, but I am a huge, dorky yarn stalker. But it finally paid off. I got two skeins of Wollmeise this morning! Now, if you don't know what, or who, Wollmeise is allow me to explain. The Wollmeise is a yarn dyer in Germany, she is just one person and she usually updates her site on Fridays, which is usually very early in the morning here. She makes beautiful yarn (either look around her website or look here, I suggest clicking on any of those pictures and going through the slide show). I heard about her while listening to the Knitters Uncensored podcast, and if you are like me, when you see the pictures of her yarn you will see why I was instantly obsessed with it. The yarn is wildly popular with the people who know about it, and when she does update her site, the yarn is usually gone in less than an hour. Just to prove my dorkiness, the last update was on August 8th, and I set the alarm on my phone for every hour, starting at one in the morning. When I woke up at 3, the yarn was gone, and the site was updated at 2:30. I am so beyond excited. I cannot wait to get the yarn and take pictures of it and pet it. (By the way, if you look at that Flickr group slideshow, keep in mind that each skein averages out to a little over $20, so when you see those huge piles of yarn, try to add up the amount of money people are spending on this yarn.)

Okay, I need to get these out of the way:

This is the treat bag for dog training class. the training is working, by the way, it is so cute to see her start to understand things. Especially stay, which has been really hard for her. But she is really good, she just sits there and stares so intensely at the hand the treats are in and wags her tail the entire time.

Also,

Sorry for the terrible picture, the camera battery was about to die and it did not want to focus. These socks are called Crazy Monkeys. The non-crazy Monkeys (at least you can see what they look like better there) are knit from the cuff down, but the Crazy Monkeys are toe-up. Other than that, they look the same.

That's it for now, except that I would like to say that sushi is really good (and that is in no way a dirty joke about Michael Phelps[see my last post], I promise).

Knitting Takes A Backseat To A Fish

2008-08-16T17:34:00.000-07:00

A real, real purdy one. Good grief.
(As if everything else has not been saturated with Michael Phelps pictures, but I can't help it.)

I am finding it difficult to knit and watch men's swimming at the same time. In fact, I can't be expected to knit and watch at the same time. I really don't know how anyone can drag themselves away from the tv. By the way, just for this post, and for research purposes only, I was forced to look through 55 pages of a Michael Phelps image search. Oh the torture.

Edit: Somehow I must have forgotten what I was going to say. While I fully support Speedo wearing in men's swimming, what I don't understand is why the women's volleyball players have to wear little bikinis. Don't get me wrong, they look amazing in their little bikinis, but it seems like a pair of shorts and a tank top would be just as functional. The men volleyball players don't have to wear skimpy little things, but most of the women marathon runners I am watching now are wearing practically nothing. By the way, why would you air a marathon run live?

Another Edit:

How's that?

Just to be completely sure, I also had to go through every page of a Ryan Lochte search. I definitely deserve a gold medal for each picture.

Tested On Animals

2008-08-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

Kip approved.

Ah yes, knitted olives. Possibly the most pointless thing I have ever knitted. Their redeeming quality is that it took minutes to make each olive. Great for when you get tired of bigger projects and need a break, though.

This picture is kind of weird, I couldn't get the light to work with me. But, this is what the olives are doing right now. Sitting in a martini glass on a table. Totally pointless.

By the way, I tried to fix the extra header but I don't know how to. When I go into layout and page settings there is no option for deleting page elements. I did edit the header that should not be there, but that changed both headers. Why can't it just be an easy fix?

Also, I made soap. Soap from scratch, with lye and coconut oil. In hindsight, I probably should have done a little more research than I did before jumping right into soapmaking because I don't think I did it right. The research I did do recommended using an immersion blender to mix the soap because that way it only takes about 15 minutes, while if you mix by hand with a whisk it takes at least an hour. Well, I don't have an immersion blender so I mixed with a whisk. My arm got tired after the first hour so I quit. The next morning the soap was thick and perfect so I poured it into my mold (metal baking sheet thing with plastic bag lining). I let it cure for a couple of weeks and took a vegetable peeler to each bar to smooth out the edges, which then made a thin layer of the skin on my hands peel off. Nice, right? I haven't touched the soap since then, which has probably been about three months now. I think there was too much lye and not enough of everything else. From now on I think I will go to Michael's and buy the melt and pour stuff they have. That way I can keep that layer of skin on my hands.

I'm Not Even Busy And I Don't Post For Two Months

2008-08-04T12:47:00.000-07:00

What have I been doing? I had no idea it had been so long since I posted. I guess I will get to it then and quit wasting time.

Finally, even though I finished it a long time ago, embarrassed dog pictures:

These are useful for two reasons: the sweater and the toy. Because both of the dogs like to tear up my yarn. More specifically, my wool yarn (they don't seem to care about cotton, acrylic or anything else). I made them toys out of wool that I felted. There was no pattern, I just made it up as I went along. When I finished the sweater and was going to take these pictures

he would not drop the toy. So I went with it and took the pictures anyway.

It has been so long since I finished the sweater I don't really remember if there was anything I wanted to say about it. I really am going to try to get back into the posting habit. I have some knitted olives that I need to put up here, and I have some socks that are very close to being finished, then there is the dog treat bag that I finished today (we have to take our insane dogs to training classes, so treat bags are a must). So that's what has been going on, except for my growing obsession with sock yarn, which I buy whenever I see it with money I don't have.

How Long Until A Dog Destroys These?

2008-06-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

They are doomed. I know it. It is only a matter of time before I will be picking shredded parts off the floor. But until that happens I can enjoy how cute they are. The actual knitting took maybe a couple of hours per animal and then they took about a day to dry after felting. The finishing is what kills me with every project, and these had so much finishing. The inside of the ears, the eyes, the teeth and the noses are all cut out of felt and sewn on. They are stuffed with little plastic beads in the bottom and batting in the heads. Luckily these are so small, or else they would have never been finished. The first animal I finished was the fox, so I took pictures of him by himself to put on Ravelry, and just because I like the picture, here it is:

I have noticed in the upper left corner of this page there is sort of a double title thing going on. I have no idea why it is there twice and it is possible that this computer is the only one showing it. Is anyone else seeing that?

More Adventures In Dyeing

2008-06-07T06:48:00.000-07:00

Last week I took over the kitchen and made it into my dyeing lab. And I successfully made brown out of different fruity flavors of Kool-Aid, which is more complicated than you might think. I mixed Kool-Aid and tested on small amounts of yarn. From left to right there is the squirrel body color, then the squirrel tail color, then beaver color (I used black for the tail), and finally, fox (I used some of the white, un-dyed yarn for the end of the tail and the face). As much as I'm sure I could bore you with the detailed descriptions of the color mixing, and as much as I would enjoy that, sadly, I can't remember how I mixed the colors. This might make my next dying experiment a little difficult. I guess I will have to turn the kitchen into my lab again.

That's it, just a short one today. By the way, I still demand everyone go look at the Crafty Alien site.

I Am A Negligent Blogger

2008-06-02T18:42:00.000-07:00

I have finished projects that are backed up just waiting for me to stop being lazy. I think the problem is that I just don't have that much to say about coffee cozies. This one is for mom, even thought it is too small for most coffee mugs and has to be stretched so much the XOXO cables disappear. Both of these are the Adjustable Coffee Mug Wrap. I had to change the pattern because the original pattern was to wide for my mug. I would have been drinking coffee and getting wooly hairs stuck to my lips. So I had to take care of that problem.

If you remember my last post (I'm too lazy to find out if I can link to my own blog, even though I am pretty sure you can, plus I don't know if anyone actually looks at the links I put up here.) you will also remember that I made a Calorimetry and that it did not fit. Well, I made a new one that does fit. I will spare you the picture of me wearing it so that you can enjoy the button I used. I have no idea how old this button is, I would guess it is at least 20 years old. But it is a pig, and it is funny.

Right now I am working on a dog sweater, hilarious pictures of a sad dog are to come, I'm sure. Also I am working on the Beaver, Fox and Squirrel patterns from Crafty Alien. I beg you, even if you never go to another link on this blog, go to this one and look around. These things are ridiculously cute.

To Rip Or Not To Rip

2008-05-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

I can't decide. I just don't know about this yarn for this pattern. It is hard to see the lace pattern, which is a little sad. I think I really need a solid color sock yarn. Plus, this sock has been sitting for so long because it is attached to a giant knot of yarn and I made Mom promise she would untangle it because her skanky dog messed up the yarn. But she hasn't done it yet. So, I think this sock is going into official hibernation until I figure out what I want to do.

In the meantime, I made a Calorimetry and had to adjust the pattern a little because the yarn I used was bulkier than what the pattern called for and I read on Ravelry that the finished headband was too big for people. By the way, this yarn was wonderful. It was just another case of the wrong yarn for the right pattern. The yarn is cashmere and wool and it is hand-painted. It was so nice to work with. But anyway, the pattern says to cast on 120 stitches, but I did 80. So when I finished it, it took literally one day, I tried it on and it was about 4 stitches too small. Then I frogged it, bought some new black yarn and finished the new one. I am just trying to find the button I was going to use before I take a picture of it.

Also, what is with all the tornadoes lately? I guess there were more last night, or this morning technically, the sirens went off at about 6:30. Just a couple weeks ago there was a really bad one around here. Craziness. Is it all just part of global warming, or just a streak of really bad weather, or is it this guy's fault:

Stupid Dog

2008-05-08T15:27:00.000-07:00

This is why animals are the devil.

This is my hand dyed yarn that was such a huge mess to untangle when I dyed it. This is also what happened to it after the dog got it, for probably the third time. I know after the first time it is completely my fault because I forget hide it when I want to stop knitting (this used to be attached to my sock, but the dog broke the yarn and then strung the yarn literally from room to room and then finished making it into a giant knot). Yet it still makes me incredibly angry and makes me want to hurt the dog, just a little. So for now the sock is on hold until I am ready to sit down and untangle it.

I also made these on Tuesday and finished them on Wednesday for someone my mom works with that I have never met. The yarn is an alpaca/silk blend, so it is hand wash, which may not be the best thing for a baby. But the yarn is so soft I think it is worth it. I have to say, I don't want a baby of my own, but I like knitting for other people's kids.

Socks. Finished Socks.

2008-04-23T17:56:00.000-07:00

Oh the excitement! I finished them on Sunday night and they are in the washing machine as I type. Hopefully the ends I painstakingly weaved will not be ripped out. I would really hate to pull a tangled mess of yarn out of the washer and not socks. I used the Universal Toe-Up Sock Formula and I won't go over the yarn again because I think I did that earlier. Just scroll down if you are interested. They are just plain stockinette stitch all the way up the cuff so that they roll, which is exactly what I wanted them to do.

I had to use a little yarn from my second skein, luckily I had a second skein, so next time (I have already cast on for next time using my Kool-Aid yarn and this pattern.) I will know to cut the yarn in half before I start so I will have enough yarn for both socks. Speaking of Baudelaire, I am slowly working my way up the toe and these things have the pointiest toes ever. It looks a little weird right now, but hopefully it will look better when they are on my feet. Also, they made me finally learn how to do a M1 the right way. I have looked up the technique before, but I always forget if you are supposed to pick up the ladder with the left or right needle or from front to back. So I usually just make it up, which works but does not look very pretty. Now I know to pick up the ladder from front to back with the left needle and to knit into the back loop, which I never did on my improvised increases. So now my increases are much nicer and they don't leave a big, gaping hole in my knitting.

Finally, Willow's birthday was Monday. Because I got her at Petsmart from an adoption agency who had her mother before her mother had her they actually knew when she was born, so I also know. It is kind of nice to know the exact day, because Kip was a stray that I caught and brought inside, the vet had to guess that he was about six months old at the time, so I don't have the exact date. She got some Whisker Lickins, moist of course because who likes to go to all the trouble of chewing on your birthday, and a new cat teaser. She is so obsessed with cat teasers that she even plays with the old ones that don't have any feathers anymore. She not only drags them around the room in her mouth, but you will sometimes hear the bell on the featherless stick jingle because she drags it up the stairs. She drops it and it slides to the bottom of the stairs, she runs after it and drags it back up the stairs. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. So, happy first year!

Introducing Bob

2008-04-12T12:30:00.001-07:00

Bob joined the family last night. I love these tiny projects that can be done in a few hours. Bob is the definition of instant gratification. Sadly, one of Bob's legs is longer than the others. I originally thought that he is the Nemo of Bobs, but really Nemo's special fin was smaller than the other. So I guess he is the opposite of Nemo of Bobs with his special leg.

Bob had a very exciting morning. As you can see he went kittyback riding. Kittyback riding is so much fun until you slide off the cat and land on the floor, as Bob discovered.

I have a confession. A non-Bob related confession: I like movies about dancing. I have no idea why, because I am in no way a dancer, although there is a dance club kind of place here that is fun to go to just to watch people. Hours of entertainment are to be had sitting at a table in that place. One time there was a group of girls who were dressed up, and I would not even say they were just wearing fancy dresses, but they were more like prom dresses. One of the girls was so drunk she fell up the stair going from one room to another, in the poofy, glittery prom dress. It was fantastic. Anyway, off the tangent and back to dancing movies. I inexplicably like movies I can admit are pretty bad, but I also don't like some movies that are, I suppose, classics. For example, I do not like Flashdance (If you owned that strip club, why would you continue to let her try out her routines on stage? She doesn't even get naked and if you do not get naked while working at a strip club then what is the point?) But I did not mind You Got Served (don't judge me). Maybe it is not technically dancing, but Bring It On has been a favorite of mine for many years. I love, love, love Center Stage. The acting might not be perfect and the plot is not really original, but the dancing is amazing and I can't even tell you how many times I have seen it. I even bought it because I got tired of paying to rent it so often.

So, to further my love of dancing movies, I Netflix-ed Step Up. It was horrible! Not only was the acting bad, but the dancing wasn't all that great either. I assume the only reason to watch this movie, unless you are like me, is because of the lead actor. And really I don't even understand that, but he is probably very attractive to those people who like non-smiling, muscular, military-esque types. So whatever you do, avoid this movie at all costs!

Model Pets

2008-04-11T06:46:00.000-07:00

I finished My So Called Scarf yesterday and put it outside to dry. It was so windy yesterday the scarf dried in about two hours.

And because I have very little in my life, I made the animals try it on.

Surprisingly they dealt with it pretty well.

Again with this cat's whiskers! Amazing, or maybe I am just biased.

I saved the best for last. I think the reason Kip likes getting his nails trimmed and being held upside down and that he doesn't mind modeling things is because he is desperate for attention. Not because I completely ignore him, but because I could never give out enough attention. He loves to butt his head against my chin and believe me, he does it all the time. Usually after I have let him rub his face on my chin a few times I am done with it, but he is not. He gives me 'the look', which tells me to lean over again, and of course I do, because I'm pretty sure he has me trained.

So when the scarf was wrapped around his neck 'the looks' did not stop and I had to push him away and hold him back just to get him far enough away to be able to get a picture.

So I got the angry look after I kept pushing him away. I walked away from him, to the other side of the table he was standing on, so he would follow me. That is when I got this:

Kitty Concussion

2008-04-09T08:11:00.000-07:00

Let me paint a picture for you. There are cabinets in the room we call the utility room, they are both connected but there are two doors, one above the other. The top part of the cabinet is where the cat and dog food and treats are, along with about a million other things crammed as tight as they can get. There is also a desk next to this cabinet. The cats have gotten into the habit of jumping up on the desk when someone opens the top cabinet door, thinking they are about to get treats.

Last Saturday I went to the cabinet to decide what I wanted to make for breakfast (the bottom part of the cabinet is where cereal, rice and other things are kept) and the little girl cat followed me. I opened both doors and as they swung open the cat, who was in the doorway, jumped towards the desk but smacked into the cabinet door pretty hard. It was obvious that it hurt quite a bit, her left eye was closed and she ran away from me when I tried to pet her, which she never does. I watched her all day and am still watching her. Her pupils are the same size and they are responsive to light and she is walking and eating like normal. So, I guess she is fine, but I was pretty worried. I'm not sure if cats can get concussions, but if they can I would guess jumping into a door would be enough to cause one.

Enjoy the videos, I know they make me laugh. But attempt to ignore my extremely messy room.

Now for my knitting related incident. I am working on a very popular pattern called My So Called Scarf. Just to let you know, on Ravelry 2,497 people have already made it or are working on it. It was going pretty well if you don't count the two times I had to rip and start over when I first started it. It is now about two and a half feet long and I was knitting away when in the middle of a row I had some sort of brain block. I could not for the life of me remember how to work the next stitch. I tried as many ways as I could think of and nothing looked right. I finally had to look up the pattern again to remind myself and it turns out I had forgotten an entire part of the pattern. It was so crazy I don't even know how to describe it. It would be one thing if I had not been working on the scarf for a while and forgot how to do it, but I was in the middle of a row! One stitch before I had known what I was doing. My brain is a weird, weird thing.

Dyeing Is Fun

2008-04-08T13:15:00.000-07:00

I ordered this yarn a few weeks ago from knitpicks.com and was so excited I read everything I could find about dyeing yarn with Kool-Aid. Apparently 100 percent wool takes dye better than wool blends. So, being the loser I am, I ordered 2 skeins of sock yarn that is a wool/acrylic blend. When I first ordered the yarn I thought I would take my time before I got around to dyeing it to figure out exactly what I wanted the yarn to look like, the best way to accomplish it and to look around in more than one store for just the right flavors of Kool-Aid. In my brain I could see a mixture of blues and greens for one skein and a mixture of reds, pinks and purples for the other and I knew it would be either variegated or self-striping. I have to say, that yarn looked amazing in my head.

So I immediately ran out to Walgreen's to buy Kool-Aid. What do you know, Walgreens does not sell Kool-Aid in the typical little packets, they only had bottles of pre-made Kool-Aid. So I sucked it up and went to Wal-Mart where they had the full Kool-Aid collection. I started grabbing packets and ended up with Grape, Pink Lemonade and Cherry for the red/pink/purple skein and Lemon-Lime, Black Cherry and Berry Blue for the green/blue skein, don't ask me how I thought Black Cherry fit into that category.

A few days later when I got the yarn I broke out the baby shampoo and gave the yarn a bath, rinsed it a few times and left it to soak while I mixed each Kool-Aid packet with a few tablespoons of water (I bought three packets of Grape and Lemon-Lime and two packets of the other flavors). Then I went looking for a turkey baster or something similar to use to squirt the Kool-Aid on the yarn in stripes. This is also when I realized we do not have a turkey baster or anything remotely like a syringe in any way. I had to get super creative, so I used a spoon. Not ideal, but it worked well enough. It looks a little weird in this condition. Like a colorful toy snake after being washed. I originally decided to hang the yarn outside to dry, but I heard thunder and brought it back inside seconds before it started to rain. The yarn took a full day to dry and somewhere along the line it turned into a huge mess and I spent three days untangling it and rolling it into a ball.

On to the next skein, I wanted to try out another approach, so I washed the other skein and set up the Kool-Aid glasses in a circle, or triangle I guess, since there were three of them. I put a third of the yarn into each glass and microwaved it. It was kind of strange because the Kool-Aid/water combos in the glasses before I put the yarn in them was very dark, and after it was a slightly cloudy white.

I was extremely careful with the second skein, so it did not tangle as badly as the first one, and despite all the problems, I enjoyed myself thourougly. I recommend everyone dye some yarn, and then send it to me. So there you have it, just look at those balls.

By the way, has anyone seen the commercial for these crackers that are a pretzel on one side and a cracker on the other side? It is just weird. Why would you ever need a double-sided cracker pretzel?

Wide As A House Or Broad As A Barn?

2008-04-04T06:52:00.000-07:00

What a dorky picture. I sometimes wonder if it's not that I don't photograph well, but maybe I am just ugly. Who knows.

The sweater is finally finished! I'm pretty sure it took about six months to finish. But I go through phases, as I have explained before, where I knit on it obsessively for a while and then don't touch it for twice as long. Anyway, I was trying to decide if the sweater makes me look as wide as a house or as broad as a barn. Technically a barn would be bigger, so I will go with broad as a barn. By the way, I am not fishing for compliments when I get all self-deprecating, I am just kidding.

After I blocked the sweater I left it to dry on a towel on a table. Not so surprisingly this happened:

Who knew drying sweaters become cat beds? The funny thing is, if I actually knit her a cat bed, she would not go near it.

Plasma For Yarn: Fair Trade?

2008-03-31T12:24:00.000-07:00

How wrong would it be if I donated plasma to get more money for yarn? Sounds like a pretty good idea to me. Helping others while satisfying my growing wool habit. I actually just bought some sock yarn that has not been dyed, and I am going to dye it myself with Kool-Aid. I am so excited about this prospect that it is truly sick. It really is a disease. A dream of mine is to learn to spin and then buy a sheep so that I can make my own yarn from start to finish. Plus, sheep are cute. Maybe I could have a goat too. A cashmere goat.

I tried to take more cute animal pictures, but I did not have very much luck.

Kip just gets annoyed when I take picture after picture of him and refuses to look at me. Willow, however, seems to love having her picture taken. While I was trying to get Kip to look at me I happened to look over to my left and saw this:

Just staring at me as if to say, "I can wait until you realize that I am also pretty and very willing to have my picture taken." She is always staring and watching everything. She is an odd little cat, but look at her whiskers. I have never seen whiskers that go in so many directions. I caught Kip in his favorite chair a little later and tried again to get a good picture of him.

No such luck. His whiskers were smashed against the arm of the chair when I woke him up, so his mouth looks a little weird. His eyes also never look right in pictures. I think it is because he is a little evil.

Changing subjects, my sweater is almost finished. I am pretty excited. The only part I have left to do before finishing is work the ribbing on the collar.

I am watching the BBC Office again and in the second episode of the first series there is a moment that I thought was worth sharing for those of you sad, sad people who have not seen it. Just to explain a little, the office manager David Brent saw a picture that was being e-mailed around the office with his head on a woman's body (you will have to watch the episode to get the rest of it, I don't want to ruin it for you). Then Gareth, the office weirdo, to describe him very briefly, investigates to find out who made the picture. So, Gareth is the sick-looking one and Tim and Dawn are the other two. I dare you not to laugh.

Tiny Project, Hilarious Results

2008-03-13T11:22:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, Greyhounds and other dogs like them, have very little hair and very little fat, therefore they get cold. We have Italian Greyhounds, one of which is skinnier than the other, so he is constantly cold. Also, his ears don't fold over like they should unless he is warm. So, there are these things called snoods, I'm not exactly sure what the word means, but my best guess is that it has something to do with a hood.

In this case it is more like a tube to keep the dog's head and neck warm. I used some acrylic yarn I had in my stash and after measuring the dog's neck and making a gauge swatch I cast on and there you have it. I like to think of it as a Fetching for dogs.

When I finished the snood I got the camera out and luckily the dogs heard me moving around and came into the room. My victim knew something bad was about to happen, as you can see he does not look like he trusts me for anything. I called him and made high pitched noises, but he still would not come to me. After a few minutes he either forgot or gave up and came over, so I trapped him and slipped the snood over his head.

I took a couple pictures in between my fits of hysterical laughter. Just look at his eyes, how sad and mortified is he? Why is it that animals don't think they can move when they are wearing anything they weren't born wearing? Like, say you put a dog sweater on a cat, just for fun, and if they do move they act like there is a 20 pound weight on their back that is weighing them down so much that they can barely drag themselves across the floor? And why is it so completely hilarious?

Cute Animals

2008-03-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

I decided last night that this blog should really be about more than just knitting.

Like this picture of an extremely rare quiet moment (As I am typing I can hear the dogs running and barking at each other, just to illustrate my point). This cat gets chased and poked and barked at almost constantly, but she still doesn't really care. The other cat gets mad and chases the dogs and slaps them a lot, but the little girl just goes with the flow.

By the way, I like taking close-up pictures of animals. I think they photograph much better than people.

There is another dog, but she is still a puppy. And for anyone familiar with Italian Greyhounds, you know they will not stand still long enough for a good picture.

There is also another close-up of this cat, Kip, that I like. Even though it kind of focuses on the inside corner of his eye, which is a little gross looking. Also, his mouth is hanging open a little. It makes me laugh.

So there you have it. Cute animal pictures.

I've Got Socks On The Brain

2008-03-09T18:07:00.000-07:00

Well, sock at least. The second one is only at the toes. This is my second attempt at socks, my first try is at the bottom of my stash box, I had to steal the needles to work on something else. The yarn is Schachenmayr Regia Silk Color and it is a blend of wool, silk and nylon.

Just to tempt you, as I will not be showing the socks in their full glory until both are finished and I can take a picture of them on my feet. The pattern I am using is not like any pattern I have used before because you customize the pattern yourself to your feet and the yarn you are using. Universal Toe-Up Sock Formula is it for those who are interested.

Flip-Top Mitten Pattern

2008-02-16T19:49:00.000-08:00

This is my own pattern for flip-top mittens, I could not find a pattern that I liked so I got all creative and designed my own. When making these things it is really important that you try them on all the time to make sure they fit. That way you can make the fingers as long as you want. I designed them to fit my hands, and I have small, child-sized hands, but I think these would fit a more average sized hand too.

Materials:
2 balls Bernat Alpaca Blends (I used dark grey)
Size 8 double pointed needles
Crochet hook (I used a size N)
2 Buttons

Glove:
CO 24 sts.
Work in 1 X 1 rib for 2 inches.
Switch to stockinette stitch and work two rounds.
Choose one of the needles to start the thumb shaping and Inc2 on that needle every rnd for 5 rnds.
Work 2 rnds without shaping.
Inc1 on same needle as before every rnd for 3 rnds (37 sts).
Work 5 rnds without shaping.
Put 13 stitches that are closest to the increased side on needles and put the rest on holder.
Pick up 2 sts and work thumb around, begin gradually decreasing closer to the top of the thumb.
Draw yarn through, pull yarn through the inside, tighten and cut yarn.
Put remaining sts back on needles, join yarn, pick up 1 st at the join where the thumb is.
Work 3 rnds, then inc3 on next rnd and 2 sts on next rnd.
Put 8 sts opposite from thumb on needles and put the rest on holder.
Pick up 2 sts and knit around, BO and cut yarn (I stopped halfway between my first and second knuckles).
Put remaining sts on needles, join yarn, pick up 2 sts and Inc5 throughout rnd.
Put 11 sts next to pinkie on needles and the rest on holder.
Pick up 1 st and knit around, BO around first knuckle, cut yarn.
Put 11 sts closest to thumb on needles and put the rest on holder.
Join yarn, pick up 1 st and knit around, BO around first knuckle, cut yarn.
Repeat with last 12 sts.
Weave in ends, using tails to close any holes between fingers.

Cap:
CO 30 sts, work in 1 X 1 rib for 4 rnds.
Switch to stockinette stitch and work until the cap is as long as the fingers on the glove are.
K11, k2tog, ssk, k11, k2tog, ssk.
Knit 1 rnd.
K9, k2tog, ssk, k9, k2tog, ssk.
Knit 1 rnd.
K7, k2tog, ssk, k7, k2tog, ssk.
Knit 1 rnd.
K5, k2tog, ssk, k5, k2tog, ssk.
Knit 1 rnd.
K3, k2tog, ssk, k3, k2tog, ssk.
Knit 2 rnds.
Cut yarn and draw it through remaining stitches.
Using crochet hook, chain a few times and pull tail of yarn through to other side, keeping the chaing on the outside, forming a loop at the top of the cap.
Weave in ends.

Finishing:
Sew cap onto glove.
Sew on button on glove cuff.
Block if desired (I didn't).

Repeat everything for the second mitten.

Everybody Loves Cake And Warm Wrists

2008-01-26T10:40:00.000-08:00

There are so many patterns out there for knitted toys that are really, really, ridiculously cute that I have decided I am going to start knitting them. I don't know any kids to knit for and even if I did I would keep the toys for myself. Although I do know two dogs I could knit toys for.

As you can see, they love cupcakes too. I got this picture literally half a second before the new girl (the black one) grabbed the cupcake and tried to run with it. Luckily she only got a few steps before I caught her. I really would not knit cute toys for them because they would immediately shred them.

Of course I realize that any toy-like object in this house that you want to keep away from the dogs is doomed. If you like something chances are very good that you will be picking up its stuffing off the floor at some point. Anyway, back to the topic at hand, the cupcake was really easy and only took a few hours to make. I used some super old acrylic and the frosting is Christmas present yarn. I cut up a water bottle and put the bottom of it in the bottom of the cupcake and then put two stones in that to make it heavy and then stuffed the whole thing with batting. Therefore, it is a paperweight for Mom to put next to this hideous paper holder rabbit thing I made in middle school.

Moving on, I finished what I assume will be my first of many pairs of Fetching last week and have finally gotten around to taking pictures of them.

I seriously heart these things despite the rolling edges. I blocked them and bound off normally instead of using the picot edging the pattern said to use, then I wore them and realized that whenever I bend my fingers the edges are pushed back, and there is really nothing that can be done about that.

This was another pretty easy pattern. You could very easily get both of these done in a day, but I took a little break between them. It has been really cold here for the past week so I have actually been able to wear them. As a little side note, I know it might sound crazy that I want it to be cold outside, but I really don't think non-knitters understand this. When you make fingerless gloves or scarves or anything designed to keep you warm and you have put the time and effort into personally making them instead of just going to Old Navy and buying a scarf made by a tiny Indonesian child, you want it to be cold enough to wear the things. Because there is time, money, in my case usually some cat hair, and dare I say love woven into each little stitch. So if you ever receive a hand-knitted something think about my little spiel and maybe you will appreciate it and the person who made it more.

Now on to the details. The yarn is Classic Elite Wool Bam Boo which is 50% wool and 50% bamboo. So it is so, so soft and nice, I love this yarn. Both gloves took not even an entire skein, so I have plenty more of the yarn. So if you are reading this because you actually know me and would like a pair you probably also know how to contact me, and I will be glad to whip up a pair for your wrist-warming pleasure.

Head-dresses

2008-01-08T19:53:00.000-08:00

Just when the weather gets cold enough to wear them, here comes the headwear. Here you have Vinter Lue. It is not completely finished because the yarn I used is pretty gross, but I have to say I am pretty impressed with my first Fair Isle project. I have more yarn that is waiting to be made into a Vinter Lue, I just have to finish the twenty other things on my list first.

Drumroll please: Super-duper! Neat-o gang!

I'm pretty excited about the Quant. Even though it is too wide for my head, I have decided that Noro is my favorite yarn. Just look at those colors.

Have A Look-See

2008-01-06T09:41:00.000-08:00

Pictars and FO's abound today. I finally got around to taking pictures of my sweater in progress.

It has short sleeves because I am not quite ready to make long sleeves and I did not want to make a vest.

I have a few inches done. I have this problem where I start on a project and I get really excited about it and can't think about anything else. Then I put it down and can't make myself pick it up again and I have no idea why. Maybe I need a knitting psychologist to resolve my issues with follow-through and committment. Or maybe I just need a general psychologist. Probably so.

I just decided that I will save the other pictures and projects for another post. For some reason the spacing or formatting or whatever it is gets a little messed up the more pictures I put up. So Quant and Vinter Lue will have to wait for another day.

Mmmm, Scarfy

2007-12-18T17:02:00.000-08:00

Well, good news, we got our electricity back on Friday night. My second thought is that anyone actually reading this who is not a knitter (although the only reason I can think for anyone to read this is if they knit or unless they are my mom) may not know what Ravelry is. The idea is so huge and there are so many parts to it that explaining it pretty much impossible. The only way I can explain it is to call it a knitters Myspace, but so much more. I don't know, if you are that curious you can go to Ravelry and get a tiny idea of what it is.

Moving on, I am getting closer to finishing my Cable Access scarf so I thought I would put up pictures of it now.

Purdy huh?

Woo-Hoo!

2007-12-13T16:50:00.000-08:00

I am now on Ravelry!! Check me out yo.

I have been furiously putting my stash, needles and projects in and have had zero time to knit. Partly because of Ravelry and mostly because we had a massive ice storm here last Sunday and have had no electricity since Sunday morning. Luckily we borrowed a generator yesterday and have lights and heat but we still do not technically have electricity. Only parts of the city have power back and the entire place looks like a war zone. Trees either have no limbs or have been completely uprooted. You can finally drive down the streets without having to dodge huge limbs. But if you walk outside the front door everything is black. Also, finals were supposed to be this week but they got canceled. Normally this would be a positive thing, but people can petition to take their finals if they will improve their grades. The way this school does things, I know this will be a huge mess.

Allow me to say that having no electricity for a couple days is not so bad, but by the four or fifth day it gets really cold and is not so fun anymore. Hopefully we will get power back very soon.

One might ask why I am doing this when I actually have the time to knit the scarf that has to be done before Christmas. I would say that is an excellent question and I will immediately stop writing this and go knit.

Update: Ravelry Watch

2007-12-06T16:37:00.000-08:00

Alrighty then, I am getting closer, by very tiny increments.

For today:

* You signed up on November 24, 2007
* You are #61819 on the list.
* 2358 people are ahead of you in line.
* 5269 people are behind you in line.
* 87% of the list has been invited so far

Also I have a couple WIPs at the moment. First there is Vinter Lue. My first foray into Fair Isle and then I am working on the Cable Access scarf which is a variation on the Cable Access bag in Not Your Mama's knitting. I couldn't find a link to anything related to this pattern (Hello, that's why I need Ravelry!) so you will just have to trust me that it is flippin' sweet, I just hope I will get done in time for Christmas. I am a little more than a third done with it and when I do finish it and block it I am wanting to rinse with some hair conditioner (the scarf mostly, but maybe my hair too). The yarn is already soft, but fot a scarf a little extra softness couldn't hurt.

Ravelry Watch

2007-12-04T15:31:00.000-08:00

I signed up pretty late, even though I had known what Ravelry was for a while. I finally gave in and from what I have read, there is no going back.
As of this minute these are my stats:

* You signed up on November 24, 2007
* You are #61819 on the list.
* 3759 people are ahead of you in line.
* 4376 people are behind you in line.
* 87% of the list has been invited so far

I'm just happy there are finally more people behind me than there are in front of me.

City Cat Attacked By Hippos

2007-11-17T18:56:00.000-08:00

The mug shot of the accused:

First Kip came face to face with his attackers. As you can tell, he immediately knew something was not right about the situation.

The crime in progress.

As is expected, Kip became quite angry with these hippos.

Thankfully, Kip got away from the hippos and is now recovering with the help of some canned pumpkin.

This was a huge day for finishing, which reminds me, I really hate weaving in ends. If someone wants to invent a machine that will do that for me I will buy it immediately. The hippos were made with some 1/2 inch black buttons, Lion Brand Wool in color 147 Purple, Patons Classic Wool Merino in That's Pink along with some scrap yarn for the teeth.

The ears were not too hard once I sat down and tried them. I'm not so sure they really look like hippos, I think they are more like pigs or horses with bad teeth, but oh well. I guess I will have to tell the recipient she can decide what they look like to her.

The Whole Gang

2007-11-17T09:37:00.000-08:00

You must have played your cards right because you are about to meet the whole gang. They are finally finished, I actually put the face on the last one about an hour ago.

Here they are, from left to right: The Octagon, Dr. Kenneth Noisewater, James Westfall and Dr. Neil Clark Warren. Welcome to the world boys.

Dim Sum And A Little Butta

2007-11-11T11:11:00.001-08:00

I've been thinking about making a dog toy for a while now so yesterday that is just what I did. Here is some background for you, back when I had only one cat I took the time to knit him a mouse with catnip and a bell inside, which he of course refused to touch, then I got the other cat and she loved the mouse I made. Then the dog stole the mouse and basically destroyed it. The mouse is still around, but the yarn has been snagged and pulled so now it does not resemble a mouse at all. So I thought I would make him a toy, knowing he would probably never play with it because it was actually made for him. So, looking around on line I found a few things that were OK, not great, until this: Kitty Dim Sum. Awesome, right? So I made the egg roll for the dog.

I had to seam around all the edges, even though the pattern doesn't call for it, because this dog plays rough. Even though it doesn't look like it in the picture (He was sunning himself by the front door, so he was not really in the playing mood).

Then, since I liked the wonton pattern too I decided to make it for the cats. I used the same kind of yarn for the egg roll and the wonton, just some really old really gross acrylic that makes my hands hurt because it is so stiff and tough to knit with. But I did not have enough yarn to make the wonton a perfect square so I changed the plan and made candy instead.

Here is Willow sort of playing with it.

Finally, a couple weeks ago I bought the greatest yarn ever. It is Bernat Bamboo, which is 89% bamboo and 11% acrylic. It is so ridiculously soft. The color is called corn, but to me it looks and feels like butta. So I made it into just a basic stockinette stitch scarf, so it rolls in on itself. Sadly it has not been cold enough here yet to wear it.

Here she is, I'll call her Linda Richman.

Can't Sleep For All My Thinking About Hippos

2007-10-19T22:06:00.000-07:00

While I am thinking about it. Anyone who does not listen to the Knitters Uncensored podcast should be ashamed of themselves. To pique your interest, they are three hilariously funny people who live in Germany, knit and drink (among other things). Go to iTunes and subscribe immediately, you will laugh, and who doesn't like that?

All my thinking of how I am going to make these hippo mittens work has lead me to do a google image search (I don't recommend it, unless you want to see the very disturbing picture of "Hippo Man")(Don't do it, I beg you!).

I came up with this really cute picture, which I believe is just as good an inspiration as anything. The ears are the most troubling part. I had planned on using google eyes and then either embroidering the nostrils or attempting the tiniest bit of fair isle for them instead. I have no clue about the ears though. Like I have said, I can see them in my head, but the translation to reality is the hard part.

Ta-Da!

2007-10-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my second pair of monster slippers, but they, just like the first pair, still need faces.

Also, I finished a pair of the Later Gator Mitts from Stitch 'n Bitch Nation.

My next project is, using the same pattern as the Gator Mitts, to make purple Hippos and then Armadillos. I have finished the mouths for the Hippos, which are pink, but I have not completely figured out how the ears, eyes and noses are going to work. I can see them in my head, the problem is getting them to come out the same way I see them.

Edit: Mostly as a reminder to myself, just in case all the ball bands around here mistakenly end up in the trash, the Gator Mitts were made with Patons Classic Wool Merino in Bright Red and Red Heart Soft Yarn (I know, I know, it's acrylic but it is really soft, for acrylic that is) in Guacamole, with scrap yarn for the teeth and eyes.

WIPs

2007-09-28T17:55:00.000-07:00

I attempted to take pictures, but the camera is low on battery, therefore the pictures were blurry. But I did manage to take a few pictures a while ago when the camera still had some battery left.

This is the first half of the sole for the Felted Furry Foot Warmers From Stitch 'N Bitch Nation. They are made with Lamb's Pride Bulky in Supreme Purple and when I get to that point I will be adding Rasberry Fun Fur. I had a breakthrough while making my first pair and decided to make the second pair at the same time. It worked because now I have finished the soles and they are the same size. Now I am in the process of picking up stitches around the edges. My first pair is mostly done, I just have to finish gluing on the monster face stuff. They are made with Lamb's Pride Bulky in Lemon Drop and Lime Green Fun Fur and I will put up a picture when I am completely finished.

Here is another thought on these slippers, the first pair I made was for me and I wear size 6 shoes, these purple ones are made for someone with size 11 feet. So I figured out that I needed to make the soles two inches longer if I wanted them to be the right size. Since the original pattern says to make the soles 14" long, which is what I did for my pair, and they shrunk 5" after felting, I made the purples ones 16" long. Since I wouldn't really call this a problem, here is my discussion/question: In the pattern the number of stitches you pick up around the edges is set at 120 or something like that, but with these longer ones I really don't want to do any math and figure out how many extra stitches to pick up. Instead I am picking up every stitch, no matter how many that turns out to be. The issue is this: when I get to the forming the toe part of the project, should I bite the bullet, do the math and figure out how to make it fit my modified pattern, or should I just keep it the way it is? Looking at my finished ones, I am not sure if it will make a difference that a couple more inches of sole will be showing. In reality, I'm sure I will be lazy and not change the pattern, I just like to overthink things and torture myself.

This is the earwarmer also from Stitch 'N Bitch Nation, modeled by Kip.

This is a headband/earwarmer I made without a pattern, really I was just messing around and this is what resulted. Yet again, good old Kip is the model, he was not happy with the idea of another earwarmer so he is wearing it as a necklace.

This is another patternless project, i just liked the yarn and wanted to make a simple hat out of it. I am also working on a scarf out of the same yarn, but it was one of the blurry pictures. Kip was becoming less happy as these pictures were taken, here he is at the height of his anger. Although he never ran away, he just likes to give me dirty looks for doing stupid things to him. Oh well, models can be so temperamental.

What's in a name

2007-09-24T17:48:00.000-07:00

Just in case anyone actually reads this I thought I would explain who I am. I am Froggy because I usually have to frog everything I start. Generally several times before I can get past whatever is causing me problems. I am a fairly recently turned 25-year-old and I live in Joplin, Missouri, but hopfully that is just until I am finished with school. I have two cats, yes I am the crazy cat lady and I wouldn't have it any other way. Although, just to defend myself, I like dogs too and someday I will have my retired racing greyhound. I become slightly obsessive about things I enjoy, like kniting and The Office (both versions) and music. I work at a horrible desk job where I freeze every day and am forced to listen to the most annoying people I have ever met. I do have a myspace, but until I get my Christmas presents done and gifted I will not be telling anyone I know about this, and will also not be putting a link on my Myspace. After that I will tell everyone I know and force them to read every word of this. Pity them.

First Post

2007-09-23T17:24:00.000-07:00

This blogging business looks like fun, so I will attempt it. Hopefully I will write about knitting, and by hopefully I mean I hope I do enough knitting to write about. Mostly I want to keep track of finished projects and talk out, or write out in this case, the problems I know I will have with projects in progress. Because I don't know anyone else who knits, and because no one wants to listen to me talk about doing it, this will be my outlet.

At this point I have crocheted two scarves, one of which is apparently lost forever, knitted two earwarmers, a change purse, two sunglass bags, two fuzzy monster slippers that have literally just been felted and are drying right now, three hats and one armwarmer, I ended up not liking how it turned out so I will not be making the second one until I can come up with some alterations to the pattern and until I get some better yarn. Right now I can't remember any other FO's, but it is very possible that I am forgetting some. Then I have in progress a scarf, a sock, and my second set of fuzzy monster slippers that will be a gift, assuming they turn out remotely presentable.

Here's to more knitting and less homework, hence, more procrastination!