These sticks were made for mitering....

I received a shipment of cotton yarn in the mail yesterday from Elann.com. I've been eyeing up the Mitered Square Afghan since before I even bought the Mason Dixon Knitting book. I originally started a garter stitch version of the squares using an abundance of Cascade 220 I had laying around from when I bought it at 50% off, but wasn't too thrilled with the garter stitch or the size of the squares. When I saw Mason-Dixon's version I decided I would give it another try.


I knit my first square last night, and plan on knitting another one tonight. I'll order more yarn for it as I get through this, but so far it seems I can get 20 squares out of these ten skeins so it might be a little while. I'll post pics eventually. One mitered square doesn't make for an all that interesting photo.

Just look at those colors together! I love that they're not garishly bright, there muted and I think I might just stick with those ten colors, maybe adding one or two more into the mix. The possibilities with this project are endless and that's what I love about it.


Before starting the Mitered Squares, I finished up another repeat on my Backyard Leaves Scarf. I love the way the leaves pop out while you're knitting this, I also love how those slipped stitches form the stems of the leaves. It's just too cute.


My order of soaps from Breezy Willow Farms also came in yesterday. I love them. They all smell so yummy. I had a hard time deciding which one to part with to send off to Gabe's friend Ginger along with a few Washrags as a Thank You for having us gift. Eventually I choose the Lilac. (I didn't originally order Lilac, I ordered Lavender, but they were out of the Lavender.)


I used the Totally Mango this morning, and I am more then pleased with it. The scent is invigorating, it actually woke me up a little more when I used it, and it lathers rather nicely. I will be ordering from them again in the future.

And now I leave you with a picture of Ginger's thank you gift. I still have to package everything up and pick out a card to send along with it. I made little labels for the Washrags and have some really cute tissue paper to package it all with. I'll probably be sending it out early next week, as since this is from both Gabe and I, I have to wait for him to sign the card as well.

At last... Victory is mine!

I had yet another amazing weekend.

Friday night, one of my best friends, Kristen came over. We went out for dinner, picked up some coffee ice cream and spent the night watching Grey's Anatomy Season 1 and knitting.

Saturday, I hung out with a few friends before Gabe came down. We ran some errands, picked up some dinner and then had a party at my house. It was a lot of fun, but also bittersweet since it was the last official party before Kristen moves down to South Carolina. Since she won't be here next weekend for my birthday, she ended up giving me my birthday gifts this weekend, and I must say I was floored by her generosity (and by her knack of getting me the perfect gifts.)

She bought me this stunning wood carving from Pier One that I am absolutely in love with: [As always, click on image to enlarge]


Also, this really cool candle:


And this candle plate that matches the new decor in my bedroom perfectly:


She also gave me a copy of the 2005 Pride and Prejudice, which I watched last night and absolutely loved.

Sunday morning, Gabe took Kristen and I both out for breakfast before Kristen left to meet up with some of her family. Gabe and I crawled back into bed to watch Primal Fear.


Then we met up with a friend of ours, Christian for sushi before Gabe had to head back up to North Jersey.

Monday was an extremely lazy day for me. I started a Kingdom Hospital Marathon and also gave Backyard Leaves another try. This time, it worked. I think the problem was before that there were just too many people around. Reading the chart, counting the stitches and holding multiple conversations just wasn't working for me.

I love this pattern. It's simple, in fact I'm only two repeats in and already I find I only have to glance at the chart, I can tell from looking at my knitting what happens where. I'll post some pics in a few days when I get a little more progress on it.

Tonight, Kristen is coming over and after cooking dinner, we'll end up sitting around watching TV, knitting and laughing. I'm looking forward to it tremendously.

I'm also looking forward to this weekend tremendously. I've decided to cook dinner for Gabe. He's earned it. He put up with not only me, but Kristen this weekend, and together, that's no easy feat. I'm leaning towards Baby Lambchops with Cucumber Mint Relish. Everyone who has ever tried this dish loves it, and if you're ever at a loss as to what to do with that lamb you have in the freezer, I highly recommend it.

How accounting has changed my life!

What a week and what a day it's been thus far. Time sure flies when you're busy at work learning new things.

I work as an office manager at an accounting firm. Not just any accounting firm. My dad's accounting firm.

To be honest with you, I never thought I would be working in the accounting field, and neither did anyone else who knew me.

I'm not the kind of person who is content sitting behind a desk, crunching numbers, day in and day out.

But once in a while a great opportunity comes along, and you just have to take it. That's what this job was.

At the time I was fresh out of high school with no idea what direction I wanted to go in life. My dreams when I was a child were constantly changing. First I wanted to be a lawyer, then I wanted to write for Rolling Stone Magazine, for a while there I thought about Marine Biology, hell when I was 7 I wanted to be Storm from the X-Men. But once I took my first sewing class, I settled on fashion design. And that's something I carried with me through out high school. I even applied to first rate design schools. But somewhere in my senior year, I realized that while I had fun making clothes for my friends, it wasn't something I wanted to do for a living.

I was pretty much lost when my father and his business partner decided to split and go their separate ways. All of a sudden, I had a job offered to me. Needless to say, I took it.

At first it was terribly boring and confusing. Then I got to know the clients, and truth be told, they are what make this job amazing to me. From the ones I see on a weekly basis whom I take a few minutes of my day to chat up, to the ones I see once a year who bring in all kinds of homemade treats for us. Their just amazing and I feel honored whenever any of them say something nice or bring in something nice. It feels good to be doing something that people appreciate and while I might not be saving lives like a doctor would, or saving manatees like a marine biologist would, I am helping people in my own way.

I've also learned a lot over the years, and that too is exciting. Right now I'm learning to do a closing. And while numbers are boring, changing it up and doing something I don't do on a regular basis provides a nice breath of fresh air.

Thinking about where I was when I started this job to where I am now is something I've been doing a lot lately. When I first started out, I had absolutely no people skills. I've always been kind of a hermit, I never liked interacting with "strangers", it's the social anxiety, but working here forced me to deal with people. It was my job to call clients, to talk to them when they came in, at first I was so nervous, I would mumble, stutter, ramble. But now, well I'm a professional.

I've also learned quite a bit about being a boss. The business is primarily a family business. Mostly family has worked here, all though on occasion, we've hired people not related to us. But it wasn't until recently that I've been the head hancho, the top dog, the person in charge of overseeing said employees. And while I still might not be the perfect boss, I'm finding my way. I've learned how to balance work and friendship better than I ever thought I would and suddenly I find myself truly concerned with the business. I don't like it when employees slack off constantly, I find myself thinking about the future of the business a lot more, suddenly I care about this.

I've also learned a lot about how the real world works. I had no clue about payroll taxes, sales tax, tax returns, it was amazing to me that I went through life so clueless. Now, while I might not be an expert on certain things, I have a good understanding of how to run a business, what actually happens when I receive a paycheck, why I get a tax refund, or owe the state every year.

I think while this isn't something I want to do forever, it's been a great opportunity for me. I've learned so much, it's helped me to grow as a person, and when my father retires, I have all the tools I need to go in pretty much any direction my life wants to take me. Maybe I'll use what I've learned about business to open a yarn store....

Things are looking up.

Things seem to be picking up for me as of late. There's been a lot of good news and good luck.

On the car front... I got my car back about a week ago from the garage after having a new engine put in along with other misc. work. It was making a funny sound when I accelerated so I dropped it back off to the garage, worried sick that something else went wrong and picturing yet another huge car repair bill. Luckily, it was just a bolt that needed to be tightened. I got it back today and everything seems to be in working order!

On the family front... My brother Dave joined the Marines awhile ago. He took a delayed entry so that he could stick around for my birthday and was scheduled to leave June 23rd. He found out yesterday that his date got pushed back even further and he will now be here until July 10th.

On the friends front... Seeing Gabe on Monday was awesome. I hadn't seen him for about two weeks and was seriously starting to miss him. I don't know how I would classify our "relationship." There's no doubt that we're more than just friends and both care about each other tremendously. The timing is just not right for a serious relationship, but neither of us are dating other people, and as of right now neither of us have any interest in seeing anyone else. He's coming back down here this weekend. Saturday night, my brother Dave, Lauren, Gabe and I are all going out to dinner before Lauren's birthday party. Sunday Gabe and I are heading down to Smithville, a historic village with the cutest little shops, then going out for dinner before catching The DaVinci Code. I'm looking foward to spending some more quality time with him.

On the knitting front... No progress has been made on the Lady E stole. I haven't touched it since Sunday. I cast on last night for Orangina, but had to frog it a few times and finally just gave up. The yarn just doesn't want to be that top. So after a quick inventory of the stash, I decided to cast on for yet another Wavy. In royal blue Cascade 220 Superwash I bought months ago to make a scarf for my friend Val. She's been waiting patiently for awhile now, so I figured I might as well just get started on it.

My insane addiction to washcloth knitting has me also craving fancy soaps that I can give away with my washclothes. I stumbled across Breezy Willow Farm's website and promptly ordered their Totally Mango Soap, Emerald Seaweed Soap, Patchouli & Wilde Rose Soap, Earthly Lavender Soap and their Ginger Yuzu Soap. I can't wait for them to get here!

On the vacation front... I'll be leaving the day after my birthday to go out to Ohio for a week to see my sister. I'm really excited as it's been a few years since I've been there. I've already looked up yarn stores, and there's one in Dayton that I'm hoping she'll take me out to. I'm sure she would if I ask nicely.

Finally... A Monday to be excited about!

I finished up a Felted Box from Mason Dixon Knitting a while ago, and finally got around to taking a few pics. [Click pictures to enlarge]


It was a very easy knit. I used size 10.5's instead of the size 15's you're supposed to use because I didn't check the errata. I also used some Reynolds Lopi I had laying around as opposed to the Lamb's Pride Bulky the pattern calls for. It was knit without incident, and almost no allergy due to the fact I wore long sleeves and kept everything that touched the yarn away from my mouth.

All in all, I like it. I'll probably knit another one eventually. It was a quick knit, and it's the perfect size to store my circs!



I've made some pretty decent headway on the Lady Eleanor Stole. I really love knitting this up and can't wait to see the finished product.



A close up:



And the wrong side:




This weekend was very relaxing, which was exactly what I needed. I spent Friday night with my good friends Dave and Robby. Dave and I went shopping. The best part of the night was when we hit up Pier One. They were having a big sale so I ended up buying some curtains. He also gave me a bulletin board that he had no use for. I decided to use it for knitting related purposes. [You can also see part of the curtains I bought in the pic.]



Tonight Boondock Saints is playing in select theaters as a promotion for the special edition DVD releasing tomorrow. I bought four tickets a few weeks ago and after grabbing a quick bite to eat, my brother Dave, my friend Lauren, and Gabe and I will all be heading out to see it. I'm uber excited about this. Boondock Saints is one of my all time favorite movies and I imagine that seeing it on the big screen will be quite the experience.

I'm also excited about seeing Gabe. I haven't seen him since the weekend we spent in Massachusetts due to life just being a little busy for us both the past two weeks or so. I really enjoy spending time with him and am starting to miss him a little more than I thought I would.

Lady E.

Last night I cast on for the Lady Eleanor Stole from Scarf Style.


Instead of the recommended yarn, I'm using Noro Kureyon in colorway #150. I love the subtle color changes, and the shocking blue in a sea of greys.


Having never tried Entrelac before, I was quite nervous, however the pattern is well written and I was pleasantly surprised to learn how easy it really is. My favorite part? Picking up stitches for the next rectangle or triangle!

This weekend I plan on teaching myself to knit backwards so that I don't have to turn the work every 8 stitches.

D'oh

I had a moment of sheer stupidity last night that has me almost too ashamed to even share it with you.

I haven't been knitting. Correction: I have been knitting, but nothing is sticking. I've started 8 different projects since Saturday when I finished up the lone washrag I was knitting as a thank you gift. But none of the projects have been able to hold my interest. I have a ton of yarn, but I don't have the urge to knit any of it. [I hope that doesn't make me seem crazy to you my fellow knitters. Apparently it makes me seem crazy to some of my non-knitting friends.]

Last night out of sheer desperation for something to hold my attention, I decided I would turn the five balls of Karabella 8 I bought from Webs lat weekend into the Backyard Leaves Scarf:

This:


+
Size 6 Brittany's

Should Equal:

I am by no means a beginner knitter. I've knit lace before and I've used charts before. Yet for some reason last night I made the mistake of reading the chart for this scarf entirely from right to left. Every row, from right to left. D'oh. I realized my error about an hour after I frogged what I had started and decided to give it another go tonight. Maybe this time the scarf will actually look like backyard leaves!

The Karabella 8 is lovely yarn. It's soft, it's springy and it frogs beautifully. If you get the chance to use it, go for it. You will not be disappointed.

And because I feel guilty for not taking pictures of my felted box from Mason-Dixon Knitting over the weekend as promised, I'll leave you with pictures of my stash enhancement that took place last weekend while in Massachusetts. Webs is an awesome store, and everyone there was so friendly. I'm glad that Gabe let me stop there, and I'm hoping to make another trip up there sometime soon!

9 skeins Silky Wool in a chocolate brown color that will hopefully one day become a Somewhat Cowl:


One hank Artyarns Silk Rhapsody which I am dying to knit up. This yarn is beautiful. If anyone has any pattern suggestions, I'd love to hear them. So far I haven't been able to find any that would do it justice:


9 skeins Lopi (two more in the tweedy beige color are not pictured)


9 skeins Plymouth alpaca which I have tentative plans for, but nothing definite yet.

A near FO + Dye-O-Rama Meme

I have finished knitting the Felted Box from Mason-Dixon Knitting. All that's left to do is felt it, which I will be doing when I get home from work this afternoon. Pictures over the weekend I promise.

All in all, it was an easy and quick knit. Even the chain stitching the sides together wasn't hard, and I've never crocheted before.

I have a very hectic weekend plan. Lots of putting together furniture and moving things around. I should have started two weeks ago, but I was having a little too much fun knitting. Hopefully things will go smoothly and I won't run out of steam before I'm finished.

The rest of this post is the Dye-O-Rama Meme, so feel free to skip over it if you aren't my secret dyer or don't really care. I won't hold it against you!

Your favorite colors?

I genuinely like almost all colors on their own, with the exception of yellow. However, in varigated yarn, I'm not a big fan of all pastels. Think baby yarn in that light green, pink, yellow, purple colorway. It's just not me.

Preferred yarn weight (Fingering, Sport, DK, maybe even Worsted)?

For socks, I'd have to say I prefer fingering weight, although outside of socks, I tend to knit with mostly Worsted or DK weight.

Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn?

It depends on the project really. If it's something with a complicated stitch pattern, or lace, or even a cable, I prefer solid yarn, although there are exceptions to that rule. If I had to choose between a solid or mulitcolor for this swap, I'd have to go with multicolor please.

If your buddy is able to do so, would you like a variegated, self-striping, or self-patterning yarn?

It's really up to you. I'm not going to be picky here and I don't want you to over exert yourself or drive yourself crazy trying to make something complex for me.

Would you be interested in a wool blend sock yarn (nylon, tencel, silk, acrylic, alpaca, etc.)?

Again, I'm not going to be picky. Personally I prefer sock yarns that are a wool/nylon blend, but I do have some that are just Merino.

Imagine the perfect colorway. What would you name it?

I don't know what I would name it, I often name yarns after I dye them, the inspiration just comes to me that way, but I think it would be a colorway reflecting one of the seasons, either dark rich oranges, golds, browns and reds for fall, or grays, blue and a hint of white for winter.

What was the biggest appeal to you for joining this dye-along?

I've tried dying yarn once or twice and figured this swap would be a good way for me to really get into it and learn more about it.

General yarn/fiber questions:

Have you dyed yarn/fiber before?

Three times actually. My first attempt was horrible, I used koolaid. my second attempt I was very happy with and my third attempt I don't really count since I died the yarn a solid color. The last two attempts were using Wilton's.

If so, what’s your favorite dye and method?

Out of the ones I have tried, I prefer the Wilton's.

Do you spin?

Nope.

Have you knit socks before?

I have attempted to knit socks before and then frogged them because I no longer liked them.

Do you use sock yarn for just socks or in other patterns too?

So far just for socks, but I would be open to using sock yarn in other patterns.

What are some of your favorite yarns?

Noro, Lorna's Laces, Knitpicks Andean Treasure, Plymouth Suri-Merino, just to name a few.

What yarn do you totally covet?

I don't know if I would say I covet this, but I really want to buy some Euroflax Sport Wieght after my self imposed yarn diet.

Favorite patterns?

Mason-Dixon Washcloth. I'm addicted to them, Elfine Sock Pattern, and that's all I can think of at the moment. I'm drawing a complete blank.

Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object?

Oh there's so many of them. I would love to make the Mitered Square Afhgan using Tahiki Cotton Classic for starters. It's beautiful.

Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)?

I love my addi's for sock knitting. Brittany Birch straights or Fiddlestick bamboo DPN's.

If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be?

I'd be Noro Transitions.

Nothing to do with knitting/yarn/fiber in any way but seemed kinda fun:

Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack?

I like chocolate, especially Choxie, or truffles.

What’s your favorite animal?

Dogs. I have one now, she's a mutt and the biggest sweetheart. Before her I had a huskey whom was a character and unlike any other dog I ever met.

Do you have pets? What are their species/names/ages?

As I mentioned before, I have one dog. Her name is Peaches and she's a little over 2 years old. We also have a cat named Mittens, who's about 7 now.

If you were a color what color would you be?

A bright kelly green.

Describe your favorite shirt (yours or someone else’s)..

My favorite shirt is a kelly green tank top. It's just plain cotton, but I love it.

What is your most inspiring image, flower, or object in nature?

I'll do one better then just describing it to you. You can see a picture of my favorite nature image here. It's the third one in the first row, w003.

Tell me the best quote you’ve ever heard or read.

"The stone that the builder refused shall be the head corner stone." From DJ's by Sublime

Do you have a wishlist?

I have an amazon wishlist. There is a link in the sidebar, or you can look me up by name or email address.

Proof I have been knitting.

I finally have some pictures of my FO's to share with you.

Ballband Washclothes

Pattern: From Mason-Dixon Knitting
Yarn: Lily Sugar n' Cream in various colors
Needles: Brittany Art Deco Straights Size 6/4.0mm
Modifications: I only did five repeats of the pattern before ending with another repeat of rows 1 - 8. They turned out to be the perfect size for a washcloth.

Basketweave Scarf

Pattern: Crazy Aunt Purl's Magic Scarf
Yarn: 2 balls Noro Silk Garden in Colorway #205
Needles: Brittany Art Deco Straights Size 6/4.0mm
Modifications: I cast on an extra six stitches. Before starting on the basketweave pattern, I knit 5 rows of Garter Stitch. On the basketweave pattern, I knit the first three and the last three stitches of every row to form a garter stitch border. I ended the scarf by knitting another five rows of garter stitch before binding off.

Clapotis

Pattern: Clapotis
Yarn: Plymouth Suri Merino, Color # 500, A little over 7 balls
Needles: Clover Bamboo, US 6/4.25mm
Modifications: I added an extra repeat in the increase section for a wider Clapotis.

Alien Illusion Scarf

Pattern: Alien Illusion Scarf from Stitch n' Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook.
Yarn: Brown Sheep Nature Spun I skein each of #109 Spring Green and #601 Pepper
Needles: Brittany Art Deco Straights Size 6/4.0mm
Modifications: I followed the pattern exactly as written. However, I opted not to fringe.

Buttonhole Bag

Pattern: Buttonhole Bag: The Unpattern from Mason-Dixon website
Yarn: Reynolds Lopi. 2 balls each of #9972 and #9983
Needles: Clover US 15 24" circular needle
Modifications: I followed the pattern exactly except that I decided to change colors right as the decrease section began.

There's no place like home.

I'm back from Massechusetts. Gabe and I got home last night around ten, settled in and went right to bed.

I'm exhausted, but had a great time despite a minor setback. I started getting sick Friday night, and by Saturday night was so sick, it hurt to even move.

Despite that, it was a great time. I went to Webs where I bought a ton of yarn, we visited the JFK Museum in Hyannis and found some interesting shops there as well.

Pics and a more detailed update to come sometime this week.

Secret Pal Questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

I love knitting with soft natural yarns, such as Merino or Alpaca. (On the Alpaca front however, I seem to be allergic to Frog Tree Alpaca...) I'm not a big fan of cotton as it kills my hands to knit, but I'll use it when I must. I haven't used anything acrylic since the first month I started knitting, although my avoidance of acrylic yarns is based mostly on the fact I'm lazy. It's easier to knit with wool or alpaca and spit splice rather than have to weave in ends. As far as favorite brands, some of mine include Lorna's Laces, Knitpicks Andean Treasure, Noro, Plymouth Suri Merino and Plymouth Alpaca.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

I have a needle roll I made myself, however I'm not very fond of it so it's currently stashed away empty. I have old metal needles given to me from my mom and grandma that are displayed in a vase, and the bamboo needles I've collected are in a wine bottle holder. My dpns and circs are pretty much just thrown around. I've been looking for something to store them in and just haven't found anything I like as of yet.

3. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I've been knitting for almost two years. I'd say I'm intermediate. There are a few things I haven't tried yet, such as Fair Isle and steeking, but I'm sure when I get around to it, I'll have no problems with them!

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Yes I do. There's a link in the side bar to my Amazon wish list, or you can look me up by name or email address.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)

I tend to stick with baked goods scented things, like pumpkin pie or sugar cookie. I'm also a huge fan of buttercream frosting, orange, caramel and lilac. I like lavender as well as long as it's not too overpowering.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

I do at times. My favorite would have to be chocolate, especially Choxie.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I don't really do any other DIY crafts. Once in a while my friends and I will get together and sew or plan other crafts, but nothing has really stuck yet. I do enjoy dying my own yarn, so far I've attempted Koolaid dying which was disastrous, and I've used Wilton Icing Dyes with some success.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I listen to a little bit of everything, but tend to lean towards the Classic rock or alternative side. A few of my favorite bands include The Who, Billy Joel, Queen, Springsteen, Less Than Jake, older Greenday, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Sublime.

9. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?

My favorite color is light pink, but I tend not to buy much pink yarn. There really aren't too many colors I can't stand. I'm not a big yellow fan or a neon fan. I also don't like pastel colorways, like the baby yarn colorways. I like rich deep colors, and neutrals with some unexpected spots of colors thrown in.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I live at home with my parents and two brothers. I have a dog, Peaches and a cat, Mittens.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

I wear scarves like they're going out of style. I have quite a few of them and they all get their fair share of use. I'm not really big on skull caps, but I do wear bucket hats. I'm not a fan of mittens, and I have a strong dislike for the Poncho.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

Scarves. I've knit other items, and I tend to get these spurts where I'll knit hats or mittens, or my latest kick... Washclothes. But there's something fun about knitting a scarf. It can be as simple or complex as you like, and they're usually finished in under a week. For someone like me who gets bored easily, it's the perfect item to knit.

13. What are you knitting right now?

Right now I am finishing up a buttonhole bag using some stash yarn and trying to find something to do with 2 skeins of Noro Silk Garden. Usually I have at least 4 projects on the needles, but I've been putting off casting on for something new until after I go to the yarn store this weekend.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Of course. Who doesn't?

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

straight if I'm knitting a scarf or another flat object, circs for something that's knit in the round. I tend to stick to Bamboo, all though I'm also seriously in love with the few pairs of Addi Turbo's I own. I'm currently hunting for some of the smaller sized needles with a decent point on them for lace work. My bamboo needles are just too blunt.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

No I do not. I don't mind hand balling my yarn. I actually enjoy it most of the time.

17. How did you learn to knit?

I taught myself using the internet. I actually posted a post back in April titled History that tells the story of how I came to knit if you're interested in reading it.

18. How old is your oldest UFO?

I have a ruffled neckwarmer from one of the K.1 mags on the needles using Lion Brand mohair that I haven't touched since around Christmas time.

19. What is your favorite holiday?

New Years Eve. Traditionally all of my friends come over and we party until the clock strikes 12. Then we take a walk into the field behind my house and remember the good times, the bad times, and those we lost. My friends are the most important people in my life, they're more than just my friends, they're my family. Being surrounded by all of them on New Years Eve is one of the best feelings in the world for me.

20. Is there anything that you collect?

Yarn and knitting books. I used to collect faerie statues but have officially run out of room to put them anywhere so that has since stopped.

21. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I don't have any subscriptions, although I always buy Vogue Knitting and Interweave when they come out. As far as books, you can check my Amazon wishlist, I have some listed there. I am looking to buy the Somewhat Cowl Pattern eventually, although I'll probably hold off on that until I get the yarn for it first. Otherwise I'll never get around to knitting it.

22. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

I'd like to learn how to fair isle. I bought The Deep V Argyle Vest pattern, just haven't figured out what yarn or what colors to knit it in.

23. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

I have successfully completed 3/4 of my first sock. Then I moved on to other projects. However I do have every intention of getting back into sock knitting. I do enjoy it. I'm a US size 8.5.

24. When is your birthday?

June 4

Time flies when you're knitting like a fiend.

I can't believe how quickly this past week flew by. It seems like just yesterday I was waking up, grumbling about another Monday at the office.

Gabe is coming down tonight when he gets off work, and the two of us will be headed out to dinner. His favorite place to eat (around here) is a Japanese/Chinese restaurant. We go there every time he comes down here, and my friends and I often order take out or go there ourselves once in a while during the week.

It's a great place, with great food, and I love that you can get both Japanese and Chinese cuisine all in the same place. I always order the same thing. Fried Dumplings with a scrumptious ginger sauce and either a Krispy Kani (crab) roll with Eel Sauce drizzled on top or an Apolitan Roll (red tuna) with Eel Sauce drizzled on top.

I've been eating there so much recently that I am starting to get a little sick of it, and was hoping that Gabe and I could go elsewhere for dinner tonight. Naturally when asked, he agreed and told me to pick the place.

We'll still end up going there though. I can't keep him away from his favorite restaurant down here, especially not after everything he's doing for me this weekend.

On our way to visit his friend in Massachusetts, we'll be stopping at Webs. It's a little out of the way, but he doesn't mind making the side trip for me. Despite the fact his friend we're going to visit is making a huge deal out of it, and making it well known that she doesn't want him to stop at the yarn store because it will take time away from her, he's still insisting on taking me there.

I can't help but feel a little special and want to do something nice for him in return. After dinner, we'll probably end up hanging out with a few of my friends and my brother. He's having a birthday BBQ this weekend, and as tempted as I am to stay up most of the night and party with all of them, we'll be headed to bed early since we plan on leaving around 4AM to head up to the yarn store.

I still don't have any pictures to share of my knitting over the past week or so. But Gabe is letting me take pics with his digital camera and I should have them uploaded by Tuesday at the latest. Waiting patiently to be photographed are five washcloths, one scarf, two bags and a clapotis!

Yarn just might be the death of me.

Things have been pretty hectic lately and for some reason, I'm actually enjoying it. I still have no pictures of my finished Clapotis. The batteries in the camera are dead and I haven't had a chance to run to the store for new ones yet. However, I will get some by this weekend.

Friday night after work, I decided to get my hair cut. I told the woman that I wanted a couple inches cut off, and she took off 8. Initially I was highly upset, but after a few hours, it really grew on me. [Click picture to enlarge. Picture is of Lauren (on the right) and I sporting our new hair cuts.] It's the perfect length for summer, although I am a little annoyed that it's too short for me to put back in a ponytail anymore.

On the knitting front, I knit a Buttonhole Bag using two different colors of Reynolds Lopi. I love how it turned out, although I felted it a second time and as a result it's a little smaller than I would have liked it. Lesson learned.

While I enjoy the finished product, I didn't enjoy knitting it as much as I thought I would. This however is no fault of the wonderful pattern. This is a result of my now apparent allergies to Lopi.

At first it wasn't that bad, I was just a little itchy, but as the knitting continued, the discomfort grew. In the end I ended up breaking out in hives, and even worse, I did something incredibly stupid that could have turned out more serious than it did.

I didn't have any stitch markers big enough to fit on the needles, so I used the ones that you clip on to the actual stitch. When I would get to the beginning of the round and the half way mark, I would remove the stitch marker, hold it in my mouth, knit the stitch and then replace the marker. I didn't think anything of it at first, it didn't dawn on me since I was allergic to the yarn, it was probably a bad idea. It finally clicked when a small, stray hair from the yarn ended up in my mouth and then being accidently swallowed.

My throat started closing up [luckily it's a mild allergy and it didn't close up to the point where I couldn't breath] and my insides felt all wonky. Even with the Bendryl, I still didn't quite feel all that great the next morning.

This isn't the first time I continued to knit with a yarn I was allergic to. But rest assured it will be the last. I finally learned my lesson.