NaKniSweMo

I have no idea why I'm doing this to myself. I've frogged the Hermione Hat 3 times now because I keep losing count in the cables.

I am finishing another pair of socks though. I'm using Interlacements Toasty Toes for ankle socks, so it has been a quick knit. I'm guessing this is going to take about three days total to finish a pair.



I've signed up for NaKniSweMo in hopes it will force me to knit the sweater Dad wanted in Knit Picks Shine Sport (Cloud). I'm still trying to wind up the Peace Fleece and finish off a Lucy bag that has been on the needles for over two months. All I have to do is the handles but it is so boring now. So I'll cast on yet another project that I know will put me to sleep. Oh well, it is for a good cause. Mom and Dad constantly argue over the heat in the house (Mom says she's too hot but then steals his blankets). Maybe this way, she won't snag his warmth LOL!

My baby's growing up

Tonight was my son's first homecoming dance. I find it hard to believe that this handsome young man was the tiny baby I used to cuddle. It doesn't seem like it has been that long since I was rocking him to sleep and changing his diapers.... I feel rather depressed and old tonight.

I got two new shipments of yarn. One from Knit Picks and I''m about halfway done with my DD's Hermione Hat. It was relaxed at work last night so I got to make some progress. Hopefully I don't doink up the cables again. I have four balls of WOTA in Hyacinth and I'm thinking either a hat and scarf or a hat and fingerless gloves. Finally, I got Palatte in black and white to make a We Call Them Pirates Hat for DS. The second shipment was a great deal I couldn't pass up. Seven skiens of Peace Fleece in Georgia Rose for $3/ skein. Sweater or shawl?

October & Halloween

I took the DD shopping for some Halloween stuff tonight. They had a Harry Potter Sorting Hat that talked. Sold out, of course. I looked at the usual stuff-- spiders, rats, fake webs. . . I decided to skip the fake spider stuff this year and just refrain from killing the monster frickin' spiders in my yard. I don't know who spread the spider Miracle Grow this year but OMFG! These suckers are anywhere from 1" to 3" and I am not exaggerating in my fear. One of the 2" freaks has taken up roost on the rain gutter off the front porch. I can't even sit on my porch swing because the thing is right in my line of vision and it moves when I do. BLEARGH! I'm too afraid of the blasted thing to get rid of it and it never seems to leave the web so I can knock it down and force it to move. With my luck, it would move over the dang doorway anyhow . . . It is almost time to pick up DS from his soccer game and go to work. Sigh. I hope I don't have to restrain anyone tonight. I swear I will never say the word "bored" on an easy night again. Last time I did that, we had two restraints (and one restraint bed) right at the change of shift. I didn't leave until an hour after my shift was supposed to end.

The Bugaloos (intro)

Remember "The Bugaloos"?

I love to watch my kids. They run, play, sleep and just LIVE. I remember sitting with my grandpa and watching Saturday morning cartoons, playing with that horrid "Slime" with the eyeballs in it, hopscotching, and double dutching. Speaking of Saturday mornings, does anyone remember "The Bugaloos"?

I have sock!

I did it! I finally finished an entire sock! The Bellatrix sock in Claudia's Purple Earth colorway is squishy, soft and done! Yes, I now have to knit the second one. Right now, I have been walking around in a lone sock and looking a bit foolish. DS just looks at me, rolls his eyes in that expressive teen way, and shakes his head. DD at least gave me a high five!



I need to can it with these quizes, but I just loved the results of this one. I've been fascinated by her for most of my life.

You are Maryiln Monroe

A classic tortured beauty You're the dream girl of many men Yet they never seem to treat you right

What Famous Pinup Are You?

Exhaustion

I am recovering from a busy weekend. I hate wasting half a day in sleep but my son felt that 3-4 hours is adequate for this old woman!

Anyway, I did finish Kimmy's poncho and she looks lovely in it! She said nobody will know that Mommy made it because "It doesn't look knittted. It looks bought!"

And in honor of "Talk Like a Pirate Day" (a little late, I know), here's my pirate name:

My pirate name is:

Dirty Grace Vane

You're the pirate everyone else wants to throw in the ocean -- not to get rid of you, you understand; just to get rid of the smell. You tend to blend into the background occaisionally, but that's okay, because it's much easier to sneak up on people and disembowel them that way. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Mindless Knitting

I woke up to the phone ringing; my job was calling to see if I'd work the day shift on a unit I haven't oriented to yet. Sigh. I work nights. This means that if the sun is up, I am probably sleeping. Why is this such a difficult concept for daytime dwellers? Oddly enough, check out the results of this quiz:

You Are Sunrise

You enjoy living a slow, fulfilling life. You enjoy living every moment, no matter how ordinary. You are a person of reflection and meditation. You start and end every day by looking inward. Caring and giving, you enjoy making people happy. You're often cooking for friends or buying them gifts. All in all, you know how to love life for what it is - not for how it should be.

What Time Of Day Are You?

Since I was awake after this call, I decided to knit Kimmy's Very Harlot Poncho. The nights are getting pretty chilly and she never remembers to bring her sweaters home because the afternoons are warm. The more items she has in rotation, the better chances are that she'll bring something back. The green Nature Wool really sets off her olive eyes. Thank goodness she dislikes fringe. I think I'm going to do a picot edging on this one.

Fall is on the way

I'm still working on Bellatrix. The Lisa Souza wasn't doing anything for me. The yarn is soft and smooshy and pretty, just not the right match for something named after the evil LeStrange sister. I frogged those and started again in Claudia Handpaints Purple Earth. OK, these are lovely! I'm working on the foot for the first sock (wish me luck). There is a lady I work with who also knits and she constantly knits socks; when she saw these, she asked for the pattern. (I don't envy her the task of knitting for a size 13 foot!) She is a wonderful person: kind, patient, soft-spoken, and caring. I gave her some of my sock yarn that I knew I'd never use and she has almost completed a pair. I also let her borrow a 36" Inox circ when she asked how I was doing the Magic Loop. I hate DPNs. They always seem to get caught up on each other, the yarn or may hands. I do need to set the sock to the side for a few so I can crank out a poncho for Kimmy.

Yes, Fall is coming. The past few nights have dipped into the 40's. Luke loves it because the weather has been great for running on the soccer field. Kimmy and I get to sit on the freezing cold metal bleachers and try to cheer through chattering teeth! This is such a simple pattern (A Very Harlot Poncho) but I keep forgetting which row I'm on. I've frogged it 3 times now!

We did manage to go to our local arts festival on Sunday (I worked 12 hours and had been awake for 20). There was a booth for "The Two Bag Ladies" and they had some fantastic hand-made totes for $35 and under. I hit the $10 bin and found a messenger bag with a skateboard theme (a guy completing a 360). It has two pockets on the inside and I love it! Of course, my son is hinting that it is "pretty cool". I'm not giving this one up, darn it! The guy who sells hand-turned wooden bowls was there too. He uses "junk wood" but manages to work with the knot holes and flawed grains to make beautiful works of art. He uses box elder with this orange-red color flaw and the bowls look like they have flames or Northern Lights worked around them. I've coveted one of these for the past three years, but at $145, I just can't justify it. (Hah! Don't ask what I spent in yarn this year!) I need to save up a bit to go to the RenFest this year anyway.

Now that I have a blog, I decided to complete a sorting hat quiz. Here's the result:

Which Hogwarts house will you be sorted into?

My exciting life

I recently returned to work at a place I've worked before. I loved it there but I left for $$$. Now I'm back because it was really fun, I've missed it, and the bennies are good. I get to spend this week in orientation. Things have not changed since I left so I am struggling to stay awake. I also realize how old I'm getting. The doctors are starting to resemble "Doogie Howser" and the clinicians are closer to my son's age than mine. Plus, my gray hairs really shine under the florescent lighting! The "kids" in orientation today are talking about adjusting to life after school, parties over the weekend, and plans for the coming weekend. My weekend consisted of working, taking care of two kids coming down with the "back to school" bugs, and getting sick myself. Today I had to scramble home, spend SIX hours cleaning the house, and cooking. Tomorrow, I get to go to orientation and then go to the grocery store. Wow. Exciting.

I've decided to attempt knitting another pair of socks. I love the "Bellatrix" pattern and I'm on the third repeat of dropped stitches. The yarn is Lisa Souza's "Berry Poppins" and it has been languishing in my stash for ages. I can knit socks until I get to the foot and somehow I manage to futz them up without fail, then frogging the whole thing. One of these days I am going to buy a book that teaches me how to fix mistakes rather than start from scratch every time.