Let's do the time warp again...

Well readers (if there are any of you left!), it's been awhile since I last posted. When I first started blogging, I read all the newbie articles explaining how to have a good blog and make it inviting to readers. One of the first suggestions was keep it current like a diary and write about what your doing now in real time. So, much for that on this blog!!! I've been criss-crossing back in forth in time with my posts and projects! but...

I can't let 2007 close without a December post! So, here goes...


I joined Ravelry awhile ago and have been having some fun meeting up with other ravelers at different events! The first one was Rhinebeck and the most recent was at a Ravelry meet up in Fairhaven, MA (12/8/07). Pam of Lick my Sticks organized a Sunday Brunch meet-up At Eva's Yarn Store. It's a beautiful store with lots of wonderful yarns, patterns and more. She was very gracious and opened the store 2 hours before the normal Sunday time and offered a nice discount for any purchases. (Oh, you know I bought yarn!!!). The food was plentiful and it was so much fun meeting everyone. Lots of shopping and lots of conversation and new friends. Even without another meet-up (one's in the works for Spring!), I'd go to Eva's again. Eva is a knitter and her shop is very welcomingt o knitter's with places to sit, knit and chat. There's coffee and of course lots fiber to drool over . Thanks Pam and Eva!!! Eva was a good sport and modeled Cadbury Keeper's knitted Punk Mohawk. The picture og her shop is just a small part of it . Believe me there's much more to be seen! While there, I bought some Artyarn to make a seafoam scarf (2008), new sock yarn from J. Knits. It's a hand-dyed yarn in an almost solid color of burgundy red called "Massachusetts". It's a super wash too. I'll let you know how it knits up. It hasn't decided what kind of sock to be, so I'll decide later or maybe even have a contest with suggestions and a fiber prize. I've never had a contest, so maybe 2008 is the time to have one! I also bought some Chrystal Palace -"Taos" . I love the colors. It's 100% wool and very soft.


Now,onto the F.O.'s! The first is the "Lace Leaf Pullover" This was a fun and easy knit, until I got to the grafting part of it. This sounds crazy, but I actually enjoyed seeing the grafting as it was completed and the fact that once done, It was not obvious where it was grafted. However, I pulled it and my hair out 4 times before doing it my way and looing the way I wanted it to- invisible!. Teva's directions has the have the upper part of the sweater bound off and the lower half of the sweater with live stitches. When I tried to graft it , I kept getting a line showing exactly where it came together. Finally, I undid the bound off edge and grafted both pieces live. Voila, a whole sweater. Would I make it again? Yes, but would make just a few modifications. Should I make it again, I'll share those mods. A year ago, I would never have thought of making my own modifications! I think this means I've grown at least a little bit in my skills! I used the recommended yarn and loved it. While making it, anyone who saw it commented on the beauty of the color. Believe me, my photography just doesn't do it justice. The yarn is Filites-Van Dyck. It's a chunky yarn and very warm! As you can see it's not fitted, but was comfy and went great with my jeans. here is a close-up of the wooden buttons I used. I found these at my LYS. This store sells sewing,quilting, and other craft supplies. What I didn't realize was the extensive button section at the back of the store! If I hadn't procrastinated for so long, this sweater would have been finished last spring instead of his November! My next project is one that just made me smile and think of summer every time I took them out of my bag to knit... watermelon socks! These were fun to make and I was fascinated by how the stripes and the watermelon seeds appeared just as they should as I knitted them up! The yarn is from Freshisle Fibers in Canada. It is 100% suffolk wool. I was obsessed from the moment I saw this yarn and had to have it. Only so many batches are made each year. 2007 was my lucky year! Initially, I wanted the fingering weight for socks, but like vesper yarn (which I scored this year too!) disappears 5 minutes after its put on the website for sale! I went with the worsted weight to make boot socks or around-the-house and am very happy with the results. These need to be washed before being worn ( I was in a hurry to post them), because the yarn is minimally processed ( I found straw in it). After the wash, they will be fluffier and whiter. So consider this a before picture and I'll post an after Pic later. Lastly, I make a the Noro scarf from Ocean Wind Knits. I loved the pattern and the scarf came out beautifully!. The pattern calls for Noro, but I substituted Plymouth Yarns - boku. It was easy to knit with and the color runs are similar to Noro. The pattern in the scarf is called Orca scale stitch. It's a free pattern. Check it out!


Well that's my end of the year knitting and I'm ready to start 2008 with enough projects to keep me going till the next millennium! I want to say thanks to everyone whose stopped by to say hello, offer support and be the wonderful people you are!! Hope you'll join me again in 2008. I'll certainly be dropping by your blogs with my coffee and knitting in hand! This last post for 2007 ends with Pictures of my sweet cats(although they look more haughty than sweet ...they really are sweet!)and me wishing you a:
HAPPY, HEALTHY,AND KNITTY NEW YEAR!!!

Rhinebeck... It's stuck in my head!

It was really stuck in my camera, which decided not to give up the pictorial memories!!! I don't why the computer couldn't upload them, but I finally found a way to get them and without further ado...Rhinebeck!

As a newbie to I jumped in with both feet by going with a group of knitters via Yarn Safari Tours. I met some great knitters/bloggers and despite a few bugs with bus route and and late start, it was a good way to go. Next year, I like to go for the weekend. Besides the festival, the area itself is absolutely beautiful! Fall is my favorite season and the Hudson Valley area was a dream! I played blogger bingo and even before getting into the festival, I met one of the other players, Pam! She has a great blog called Lick my Sticks. I was so excited to meet my first blogger bingo person, I called her by the wrong name and then forgot to get a picture! Pam remembered. It was great to get to meet her!

There was so much to see that I walked around in awe not sure of what to do! I decided to stroll through several areas to get my head together and then shop. First, I walked around the outside vendors and animal pens and then went into some of the buildings. There were lots of knowledgeable 4H students and farmers talking about their animals and products. People for the most part were pretty laid-back and friendly, despite the large, sometimes slow moving crowds.strollers, shopping bags, etc.

Here are a few pics of some animals I saw. The little boy in the picture was great at answering every one's questions about these sweet alpacas. One was making little cooing/chirpy noises and snuggling with the other one. Sometimes, they'd snuggle around the boy and put their heads under his hand. You could tell he was very proud of taking care of these animals.

For me, it was a real eye-opener learning about all the different types of sheep there are! Here is a picture of two peaceful looking sheep. These two seemed totally unfazed by all the visitors looking at them and touching them. After seeing all these great animals and having time to get myself together, I was ready to shop! Here are pictures of the great stuff I Bought!

I promised myself not to even think about spinning... hand spindle or wheel! Seeing all those different spindles and wheels, put me over the edge! I broke down (It didn't take much !) and bought a Rakestraw Spinner and some beautiful roving (new vocabulary). I also got some lace weight yarn from Briar Rose Fibers. They also sold patterns. So, I bought a pattern I'd seen online called the bumblebee shawl. I was good and only bought two skeins of sock yarn. The pink one is made out of wool and soy silk. I haven't knit with this blend and it's so soft! I bought a few patterns (not shown) and I had to get the Ice Wine after taste testing some of the wines.

I didn't think of eating until later in the day and stuck to my usual fare... sausage with peppers and onions. Everyone was talking about how good the lamb chili and lamb kabobs were. Never, never, never...not Me! I just couldn't think about eating those cute little lambs! I know what your thinking...hypocrite...she ate the sausage. I have to draw the line somewhere. Dessert later in the day was much less of a dilemma. I had chocolate pudding cake drizzled with chocolate sauce and raspberry sauce. It was delicious!

I had a great day and can't wait till next year. I figure this post is better late than never. If your in the area next year and have never been to Rhinebeck. it's worth your time!

Now... Spider Man 3 is waiting for me

Rhinebeck here I come...I'm a Player and a Square!

When I saw the date of my last post, I almost fell off my chair! Yikes!!! All I'm gonna say is "Ditto" cause I have the same reasons for not blogging that you've read on other blogs and I don't want you to have read them again!

I'm very excited aboutgoing to the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival. I've never been before, but always read about how much fun it was and of course, there's all that beautiful fiber! Like I'm in dire need for more yarn(LOL), but I just have to feed my addiction. I'm also going to jump right in and play Rhinebeck Bingo. It's a chance to meet lots of other fiber lovers and knit bloggers. I heard it was a blast last year, so I'm jumping in with both feet this year and being a player and a square! The object is to find all of the players who are on your bingo card. I got mine via e-mail and the countdown to Rhinebeck begins. 2 days and counting. There will be prizes for bingo and who doesn't love prizes!

I'm going by way of Yarn Safari Tours. It's run by a woman named Peta Bailey who arranges bus tours to the various fiber events in New England. I'll be able to meet fellow knitters and sit back, socialize and knit. Who could ask for more? No driving to New york for

me! Anyone else out there in blogger land going on the Yarn Safari bus? Drop me a comment!

Now onto knitting...

I really have been knitting . I finished a pair of socks that have been sitting around since March and another pair is close to being done (clementine's). Of course, I can't leave sock knitting alone until I completely finish all my UFOs. I've started another pair "Watermelon"...love these socks! Last but not least, the lace leaf pullover is finis! I really like but the grafting....aaaaaaaaaaaah! That's all I'm saying for now. I'll give more details in the next post when I show it off! Despite the screaming, I'd make it again! I don't have any pictures of the above for this post (no batteries in the camera), but I'll have some for the next post.

Almost time for the "Bionic Woman" gotta go!

Boston, yarn and duck ponds

Today is the end of a much needed and enjoyed vacation. Tomorrow I return to work..ugh! However, I want to share a fun day I had with my niece and mother! I was born in Cambridge, MA. and lived there on the second floor of my grandparents house,until I was 11 years old. My mother had grown up in that house. We lived between central and Harvard square and by the time I moved to the suburbs, I knew the area like the back of my hand. My parents worked Monday-Friday, but weekends were family time and they kept us busy! One of the places we loved to go was the Boston commons and the garden to ride the swan boats and see the ducks. It was, and still is a great place to people watch, or as my father would say: "Take in the sights".

On Friday, I called my mother to find out what she was doing. I thought we could go to lunch together. She said she was babysitting my niece and maybe we could take her to a park to play. That's when it hit both of us at the same time, Boston! So I picked up commuter rail tickets and we were on our way to Boston. This was my niece's first train ride and she loved it! It was a little crowded on the train and I ended up sitting one seat behind her. We played peek-a-boo and hiding games that sent her into the giggles. I got this picture when she peeked around the seat. She thought It was great that the conductor gave her a green ticket. After that, every time he walked past she waved and said: "Hi!" I was kicking myself a little bit for not bringing some knitting with me. It's a 30 minute ride on the train. I could have knit in-between games of peek-a-boo ;-).

We arrived at South Station ready to hit the pavement! I like walking though south Station. There are book and magazine stands that seem more like bookstores and plenty of places to get food and "take in the sights". We stopped for a light snack because we knew it would be a while before we actually sat down to relax. This is what the building looks like from outside the station. While we were drinking coffee and deciding what we wanted to do first, I was looking around for some lunchtime knitters. I know the Boston SNB group members sometimes meet at lunch or after work at the station to knit/crochet. However, no one was there today.

One of the side trips we took was to the Windsor Button Shop. I didn't know this until I mentioned where I'd like to stop my mother used to buy most of her buttons and zippers there! When I was a kid, she used to sew a lot (she was damn good!). I had never been there myself. I was so excited to see all the different yarns they sell and all of the knit related books and magazines. The only problem I had with the place was the heat. It was really warm in there and I couldn't concentrate on all that yarn goodness. I plan to go back and spend some time there looking at everything and buying! I don't know about anyone else, but all stores seem to be holding out on the AC. Anyway, off to the Commons! My niece was enjoying her stroller ride and every few minutes we'd hear "LOOK!" She's two years old and is talking in sentences, but when she's excited you hear real sentences mixed with jargon. It sounded like: "Nana, look jargon-jargon over there! " Eventually, we figured it out. That kid's really a hoot and so smart!
We walked though the Boston Commons and sat on a bench near the frog pond so my niece could stretch her legs. She had a great time seeing other children and watching the pigeons . Look, Bird! Hi Bird! Me, I'm thinking rats with wings. Time to head to the gardens. Here's a picture of the swan boats. We took my niece for a ride, but had no one to take a picture from the dock. So, here's a picture of some people riding the boat. It doesn't hold the same kind of excitement as when I was a kid, but I loved watching my niece's expressions and chatter.

The ducks are really used to people and swam really close to the edge of the pond and then hopped on the grass to visit. My niece giggled,waved and told all the other kids to look at the ducks and then it was a jargon-a-thon cuz all the toddlers were talking to each other and the ducks!

There's a sign that asks visitors not to feed the birds. It didn't stop a woman from throwing bread in the pond. The ducks came for out of the water for more food and a visit. They're really not afraid of people.

This duckling seemed to be the smallest and youngest in the pond. It walked right up to us, stood for a few seconds, shook itself and proceeded to groom as it stood in front of us. It was really cute! It was a really nice way to spend the day and a nice intro for my niece to the city and the commons. We spent the rest of the day walking through Copley square, stopping at the Church and square across from the Copley Library. There was a farmers market there with lots of beautiful flowers and vegetables. We ate at Legal Seafood's in the prudential Center and strolled through the shops on the way back to South Station. By the time we got back to South Station, I was wishing I was young enough to be pushed in a stroller! (If you live in the area, you can appreciate what a walk that was!) Have a good week everyone and the next post will be knitting updates.

Wow, I'm in!!!

I play well with others!

After reading about it on a few blogs,I signed up in early June for Ravelry and got my invite on Saturday. I can't believe how much is going on there and how good it's going to be to find so much information in one place. When it comes to knitting sometimes I have amnesia and end up buying more needles, stitch holders, etc... I already have. Ravelry allows one to keep a personal inventory of yarn,books, and other knit related stuff. I had some time today to go through two of the boxes I have in my closet and talk about amnesia! I swore I had not one acrylic yarn in my stash. Imagine my surprise when I discovered I had quite a bit! When I went back to knitting 5 years ago, I wasn't as choosy about yarn as I am now. My only thought was how much I needed, weight and softness. Blasphemy I know, but I didn't think much about the fiber. Oh...color was the only other consideration. However, I thought I had given most of it away, but obviously hadn't. I still like the colors and tended to buy the Caron-soft and I actually have red heart-soft. Looking at the yarn now, I think they might make great sweaters for my nieces. I don't tend to make sweaters for young children because they grow so quickly and I don't want my sisters worrying about taking special care. So, know I can knit some cute everyday sweaters that can be tossed in the washing machine. Everyone's happy. It can also be used to make toys, or bratz/barbie clothes for the girl's dolls. A little charity knitting would be good too.

Looking though my stash and thinking about what's in the other boxes, I'm seeing my progression as a knitter from newbie to intermediate/advanced (more in the intermediate)with the variety of projects I now like to knit and the kinds of fibers I've learned about and choose to use. Like everyone, I'm always looking for bargains. On occasion, I splurge and buy the "to die for" yarn. The other thing is...MY STASH IS SCARING ME TO DEATH! If I want to knit everything I've bought yarn for or are thinking about making, I don't have time to eat,sleep ,or work for a living(scratch that one, gotta work!) (hmm, perfect diet though-knit your way thin! ;-) ) Do I want to stop buying yarn? NAH!

Knitting updates:

1.I'm on the heels of the socks that have been hanging around on my needles.

2.I'm working on MS3 and loving it! I'm not as up to clue 5 yet. Melanie told us this years theme is Swan Lake. Cool, huh! She recommended using black or white yarn, but I chose indigo with gunmetal seed beads (they're blue and a little metallic looking) and a perfect match to the yarn!

3. Kauni Kal - Is on my list to do. I've put it on hold until I finish #1,#2, and#4.

4. My green sweater (Teva Durham) is coming along. I need to make the sleeves and graft the top and bottom pieces and voila, a sweater! I'm loving making this sweater using the Van dyck yarn. The search and wait for it was worth it!

Sorry for the long post. I've been too quiet on this blog! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

OOPS...Caught!

In my last post, which was eons ago (June!), I stated I would not be joining any KALS for the summer ,because I get too stressed trying to finish everything. After writing that post, I was net surfing and found the Kauni KAL. I just had to join ,despite my post about a join free summer!(So, much for my resolve 8-o ) !). I got a comment posted by a reader (who had a good chuckle while reading it). Why you ask? Cuz she found my blog though the KAL! BAM, caught joining another knit along! When I read her comment, I had a good laugh and a laugh AT myself!!! I must remember to take off my invisibility cloak! Here is a picture of what made me join the KAL ! Many people are making their Kauni sweaters in the original rainbow color seen in the picture. I like it ,but wondered whether it would be too bright for me. So, I ordered the yarn in a different multicolored shade. Mine will be made in shades of Autumn. Here is a picture. It has golds,browns,reds and a couple of other fall colors. I really like the look of it and can't wait to make this one. I'm not starting it until I finish a couple of other items. I'm actually glad I joined this KAL because some of the gauge information and sizing in the pattern is as clear as mud to me! Knitters participating in this KAL are unbelievable! There has been so much sharing of information that by the time I'm able to start this sweater, I should no problem making it. Thanks in advance to any Kauni Kal readers!

In other knitting news, my Teva Durham sweater is coming along. The bottom half of the sweater is done and the top half of the sweater is nearly complete. I had to go to the frog pond once and rip it back to the collar. That was a big rip back! It was almost completed, but the look of the leaves at the neck was bugging the hell out me. They looked wonky, while the leaves at the bottom looked beautiful. That was not going to do, so...rip it. rip it. I have two pairs of socks and both are close to the heel. I'm a little stuck on one of sock heels, because instead of making it on 2 circular needles, I chose DPNS. I think I just need to find a quiet few minutes to read and mull it over to figure out the orientation for knitting the heel and gusset. It's a really cool sock pattern I got from a Socktopia knitting competition. My team came in second, but it was a fun re-match!

Non knitting news... Harry Potter! I reserved a copy at my local borders and picked up yesterday. I can't wait to see how it ends. I have all I can do not to look at the last page! I did not go the Hallows Ball bash all the borders had, but heard it was fun. I was too tired Friday night to stand in line after midnight waiting for my reserved copy of the book. Instead, I picked it up the next day and still got a free poster and magic wand! (will I every fully grow up? Hope not!). I think my 9 year old niece will enjoy the extras. All of you enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Sending out happy knitting thoughts!

Keep It Simple

Ever since I started blogging, I've joined a million (feels like that many!) KALS or other virtual group activities (i.e. summer reading) . My problem? I overwhelm myself and treat them like "must get dones" rather than enjoyable activities and nothing gets done. Then the fun factor disappears. Not this summer! No sock-along, color a-longs, read-a-longs etc. I've joined one and that's it!!! The Mystery 3 stole along. Every week each person in the group gets a clue (part of the pattern to knit). There is a theme to be revealed later. The other groups I joined over the winter are ongoing, but I haven't done much. So, I'm wiping the slate clean! I still want to read (can't live without a good book! 8-} ) or stop knitting, but as my little friend above so eloquently states:Simplify. It's gonna be a no pressure summer!

I haven't any progress pics yet for my sweater, but I have been working on it. The bottom half is completed and I'm making progress with the top half of the sweater. I'm working the separation rows and increases. Once the increases are done and armholes made, the sweater is joined again and worked in the round. Once both pieces are knitted, the upper and lower body will be grafted together using a Kitchener stitch (that's when the language on this blog may become quite colorful!!! ) The sleeves look like fun to knit. We'll see... So far, I'm enjoying it. My socks are UFOs right now, but I keep them in the car in case I need something small to knit. That's it for updates. Hope everyone is having a good week so far.

I'm a wordpress dropout, knitting, and back to blogger!

Well my blogging friends , you must be dizzy going back and forth reading postings between word press and blogger. Despite, the number of issues blogger had, I was one of the fairly lucky ones in terms of posting. I wanted something new, so I switched to word press. It's been a very frustrating experience for me. Learning to post and have pictures wasn't difficult (well, maybe the pics upload, a bit...), but most of my frustration was with the post loading to my blog. It was either lost in cyber-land someplace or I'd get a 404 message! Every time, I posted it took 2 - 3 rewrites to attempt to post. It's one of the reasons, I haven't been posting lately. So, here I am! I kept the new blog name (I really like it) and ditched the blog. From now on you'll find me here. Thanks for hanging in there!!! Now onto actual knitting content!

I have been making socks for ages and decided I needed a change. Last year, I bought some really beautiful yarn and it's been sitting in my stash, waiting to become a sweater. When I bought the Loop-de-Loop book by Teva Durham, I fell in love with the green sweater that many knitters have already made. Here is a progress photo: The yarn I'm using is Van Dyck. The photos don't do justice to how beautifully shaded it is. It's a chunky yarn that's soft and easy to work with. I've finished knitting the lower body of the sweater and have starting the neck up to the leaf section. When the upper body is finished it is grafted to the lower body. I've never done this before so it will be a new learning experience. That's it for now, Enjoy the long weekend!!!

Moving time...come visit

I am still learning how to use wordpress,but have been posting to both blogs. I've decided to stop using blogger as a crutch and just move! Today's post is at www.knittinginfinity.wordpress.com. It's been fun starting my blog and making friends here! I hope you'll all come to the new blog. all future posts can be found there. I'm leaving this one up for a while. I still have to export my archives.That'sthis weeks goal. Enjoy the week and stop by!

Happy Easter

First off, I want to wish everyone a Happy Easter! If you don't celebrate Easter, then Happy Weekend or whatever you enjoy! It's been a blah kind of week for me. I haven't felt like doing much of anything. I need some spring weather fast! I will post more next week, until then hope to get some knitting done.

Counting sheep...er blogs

I have been thinking about moving to wordpress, but was having trouble posting. For some reason ,my posts were disappearing into thin air or cyberspace. Who knows they might be in outer space! So, I am using both blogger and wordpress ,until I feel ready to make the move to wordpress permanently. Chris from http://www.stumblingoverchaos.com dropped by and left a welcome message. Thanks! I don't think she knew that it was me...then again, Chris knows all the news in the knitting world! Want to know about the latest blog contests , blog news or need a book recommendation visit Chris and say "Hi" to chaos and mayhem..what? Just go visit! I decided I needed a name change for my blog too! The posts for each blog site is different or a variation on a theme and there are links to all you wonderful regulars under the Blogroll, with plenty of room for more! I'll post a last message here before I move on to wordpress for good. Still time this evening for a little knitting. I'm outta here!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

Who can resist colorful birthday balloons!

Today is my birthday and so far it's been wonderful! I love that it's on the first day of Spring! It's one of my favorite seasons, Autumn being my most favorite! I think anyone having a birthday should shout it out to the world, so we can all celebrate your special day with you! To all of you having a birthday today: HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND MAY YOUR WHOLE YEAR BE SPECIAL!!! Leave a comment if it's your birthday. I'll visit and wish you well!

Post surgery, books and...

I have a bad case of spring fever! (what's a post without a picture!)

In the list of books below, bold the ones you’ve read, italicize the ones you want to read, cross out the ones you won’t touch with a ten-foot pole, put a cross (+) in front of the ones on your book shelf, and asterisk (*) the ones you’ve never heard of.

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien) Will never read
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien) Ditto
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien) Still no!
8. Anne of Green Gables (L. M. Montgomery)
9. *Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. *A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. *A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15.+ Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. *Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J. D. Salinger) (read twice)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. *Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis) (read all of them!)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom) (IDK if I want to read this)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks) (saw the movie)
33.Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. *The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. *The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. *The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40.* The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. *The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella) (won't read)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom) (not likely to read)
45. Bible (Only what was assigned in sunday school and confirmation classes)

46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. *She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. *The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens) (in H.S. for a class)
53. *Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. *The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood) (saw the movie)
60. *The Time Traveler’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) (never read it/probably never will)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy) (never again!)
64. Interview with the Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. *Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. *One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares) (not likely to read)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery) (read it in H.S. french class)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. *Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett) (4x's favorite childhood book!)
76. *The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. *The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. *Not Wanted On the Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. *Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen) (saw the movie)
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. *The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. *Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. *Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. *In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. +The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S. E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch) (saw the movie)
98.* A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Hmm... I watch to many movies (not complaining!). I say from the list above that I read to many books, but in truth, one can never read too much!!! I said in a previous post, I wouldn't do too many of these, but I couldn't resist this one! I just might have to make up one for knitters and see how many knitting books are on people's shelves or one related to yarn. I'll have to think about it for a while.

My knee surgery went well. The surgeon took care of that mean old meniscus tear and I was only on crutches for 3 days. I didn't need to take too much pain medication after the surgery. Overall, it wasn't a bad experience as surgery goes. Right now my knee is stiff and I'm icing it, but still , I can feel a difference from pre-surgery status. The only bummer was the surgeon told me I have arthritis in my knee and down the road (I'm hoping years from now) I'll need a partial or full knee replacement... for the moment things are good. So, I'm not asking for more!

I lasted for one round of Sock Madness. My surgery prep and surgery kind of clashed with the start of the competition, but I did pretty well for my own personal record! I actually knit a sock in one day! That's a record for someone who usually makes a sock in a week. It took longer to get the second one done and that cost me the round. Win or lose, I still get the newly designed patterns. This makes me a happy camper! I'll post some pics of the socks a little later.

Have a great day, enjoy the sun!

Sock Madness, Mad cow and Meniscus...

One of these things is not like the others, but all the items listed in my blog today have one thing in common...knitting or not knitting well! I joined the Sock Madness competition and it's going to be a fun! We got the first pattern this a.m called Mad Cow. I can't say anything else about the pattern except that it's done in two colors. Here is a picture of the yarns I'll be using.

The varigated yarn is from knitpicks in a color called Sock Garden and the solid is wildfoote's Lullaby. Both are 50 gram skeins. The fun thing about this competition is even though I may be eliminated, I will still receive all seven original patterns! So, even if I lose, I win! This first round is a timed one and the first 16 competitors from each team to post their socks on the flickr group will advance to the next round. I'm a team member of Nancy Bush's traditional knitting. Each team is named for a well known knitter/sock designer. My weapon of choice: magic loop and top down. Wish me luck! I'll need it. I'm not the fastest knitter on the planet!

The sock you see on the left was the current sock to keep me busy while waiting for sock madness to begin. It's a simple self-striping sock in spring colors done in a basic pattern I found at: http://www.chicknits.com/socklove.html These are bare bone directions, but clear and easy to follow. Actually, at this point, I could knit basic socks with my eyes closed! The basic directions are like a security blanket for me. 8-D So, for now until the madness ends, these socks have been banished to the Stash.

In the mood for something medical...

I said that the items in my post today were all related by knitting. The fact is my knee is not knitting together! Boo Hoo... I had an MRI done about two weeks ago and met with the surgeon, who has now become my surgeon. I have a horizontal tear in my right medial meniscus with effusion (no, I'm not cursing at you...just fluid in the knee). It will not heal by itself, so I will be having arthroscopic surgery this Friday to fix it. Here's what a picture of a normal knee and a torn meniscus looks like (always need pics in a blog..lol) The picture on the right is normal knee anatomy with a nice smooth intact medial meniscus. A tear can cause the knee to lock or be unstable. I'm of the unstable variety and every so often my knee gives out. The tear you see in this MRI picture (not mine) is what a horizontal tear looks like. The surgeon feels it will be an simple repair and many people are up walking on crutches one to two hours after they wake up from surgery. Well that's nice Doc, but I'll also take that ice pack and the percocet Rx (or whatever they give for pain these days) thank you very much! Now for the good part..11 days home from work and LOTS of knitting! Anyone not a knitter reading this must be thinking I touched in the head, but that's how we knitters think and I know I'm not alone! Thanks to everyone to who has sent me well wishes since I started this topic. You're all the BEST!

Have a great weekend !!!

137movies and counting...

This is a non-knitting post. I love movies and have since I was a child. It states below that if you've seen over 85 movies, you have no life. Believe me, if this were true, I'd win the award for no lifer of the century! The list below doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the number of movies I've seen in my lifetime, thus far! I thought I'd add brief comments or my reactions to some of the movies to make it more interesting! Try this quiz yourself or save it for a rainy day, when your lacking a topic for a post! I'm trying to post more regulary. Also in over the time, I've had a blog, this is the first quiz of this type I've done!

It’s been said that allegedly if you’ve seen over 85 movies you have no life. Mark the ones you’ve seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own blog, paste it in and put x’s by the ones that you have seen. Add them up, change the header adding your number, and post it.

A lot of these are horror or science fiction movies. I watch a variety of genres. So, maybe sometime in the future, I'll have to come up with a more varied list or even do one for indie movies. I took this quiz from http://short-n-craftysista.blogspot.com thanks!

(X)Rocky Horror Picture Show -Saw it during a summer in N.Y. When friends found out I hadn't seen it, They took me to a midnight showing with props and all. While waiting, to get in I thought I was being indoctrinated into some strange cult! It turned out to be a blast and actually ended up seeing it 4x that summer!

(X)Grease

(X) Pirates of the Caribbean

() Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest. I love johnny Dep, but once was enough

( ) Boondock Saints

() Fight Clu

() Starsky and Hutch

(X) Neverending Story

() Blazing Saddles

() Airplane

(X)The Princess Bride

()AnchorMan

(X) Napoleon Dynamite: I've seen this a few times/funny movie!

(X) Labyrinth

(X) Saw -suspense and surprises

() Saw II - Oh no, I couldn't bear to see the sequel !

(X) White Noise

(X ) White Oleander

() Anger Management

(X) 50 First Dates

(X) The Princess Diaries -Cute!

() The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Total so far:12 out of 22.

(X) Scream

(X) Scream 2

(X) Scream 3

() Scary Movie

() Scary Movie 2

() Scary Movie 3

() Scary Movie 4

(X) American Pie

() American Pie 2

() American Wedding

( ) American Pie Band Camp

(X) Harry Potter 1 - YES, I admit it, I'm a harry potter fan and have read all the books and seen all the movies. Can't wait for the next ones!

(X) Harry Potter 2

(X) Harry Potter 3

(X) Harry Potter 4

(X) Resident Evil 1

(X) Resident Evil 2

() The Wedding Singer - I do want to see this one. Just haven't gotten around to renting it!

(X ) Little Black Book

(X) The Village ..and I was the idiot to rent this one. really bad. Actor talents wasted!

( )Lilo & Stitch

Total so far:24 out of 43.

(X) Finding Nemo

( ) Finding Neverland

(X) Signs - This M. Shamylan movie was better than The Village, but...

(X)The Grinch - Now who hasn't seen it...I'm talking animated not Jim carey

(X) Texas Chainsaw Massacre - Too scary . I switched channels after the first 15 minutes and If I'm ever stuck on the side of the road, you can bet I won't be walking into any condemned looking house or going with anyone who looks like they haven't had a bath in a year! (just a helpful travel tip).

( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning - What did I just tell you? Stay away from scary looking farmhouses!

() White Chicks

(X) Butterfly Effect I was glued to this movie, but in the end my thought was...huh?

() 13 Going on 30

(X) I, Robot - I love me some Will Smith!, Oh ya the movie...lots of action!

(X ) Robots - very cute! Tho, I think adults would get more of the humor!

(X) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story- Had no desire to see this when it hit the movie screens, but saw it on HBO and laughed my ass off in some spots. Has anybody seen it..the movie not my ass, believe me I found that!

(X) Universal Soldier - Jean claude ...sigh. The movie was okay

() Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events - still in the wrapper. I'll save for a rainy day when my neice visits and we need a movie

() Along Came Polly

() Deep Impact

( ) KingPin

(X) Never Been Kissed

(X) Meet The Parents - I liked it better than the sequel

(X ) Meet the Fockers

( ) Eight Crazy Nights

( ) Joe Dirt

(X) King Kong - too long and just alright. There were some good moments...

Total so far: 38 out of 66. YIKES

( ) A Cinderella Story

( ) The Terminal. Sounded too claustrophobic for me.

( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie

( ) Passport to Paris

(X) Dumb & Dumber I watched this for about 30 minutes and had to change the channel..ugh. What a waste of celluloid. This was even a movie to knit by.

( ) Dumber & Dumberer - I didn't even think about seeing the sequel. Please readers, tell me you didn't do it!

(X) Final Destination ok, ok I watched it..my excuse? good movie for knitting!

( Final Destination 2

() Final Destination 3

() Halloween

(X) The Ring The japanese versions of both 1 and 2 was much better and more suspenseful.

(X) The Ring 2

( ) Surviving Christmas

() Flubber

( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle

(X) Practical Magic

(X) Chicago

(X) Ghost Ship

( X) From Hell Johhny Depp was good in this movie. Alittle bloody tho..had to peek between my fingers at time. Damn, I dropped the knitting a few times during this one!

(X) Hellboy- fun comic book movie!

(X) Secret Window - suprise ending!

(X) I Am Sam - had my tissues for this one. I have to say Sean Penn was pretty good (I'm not usually a fan of his movies) and dakota fanning a cutie.

( ) The Whole Nine Yards

( ) The Whole Ten Yards

Total so far: 50 of 90.

(X) The Day After Tomorrow

() Child’s Play

() Seed of Chucky

() Bride of Chucky

( ) Ten Things I Hate About You

(X) Just Married

(X) Gothika

(X) Nightmare on Elm Street - earned my 2 nighlights and a "no doze "or pot of coffee rating. There'll be no dreaming in this house tonight.

(X) Sixteen Candles

( ) Remember the Titans

( ) Coach Carter

(X) The Grudge - I sound like a scratched CD,but the japanese version was better!

( ) The Grudge 2 -

(X) The Mask

(X) Son Of The Mask

(X) Bad Boys

( ) Bad Boys 2

(X) Joy Ride - I liked this one. Here's another travel tip: Don't be scamming the truckers on the CB radio when you get bored. Play the usual in the car games like licence plate or looking for certain brands of cars. You'll still be bored as hell, but you'll live to tell about it!

( ) Lucky Number Sleven

(X) Ocean’s Eleven lots of eye candy, but the movie..

( ) Ocean’s Twelve

(X) Bourne Identity eye candy and action . who could ask for more!

(X) Bourne Supremecy- ditto

( ) Lone Star

(X) Bedazzled- no, no, no. This movie is good for 90 minutes of steady knitting!

(X) Predator I

(X) Predator II This time the sequel was better than the original!

(X) The Fog. It's okay

(X) Ice Age - very funny watch it with or without kids!

( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown

( ) Curious George

Total so far: 68 out of 121.

(X) Independence Day

(X) Cujo

(X) A Bronx Tale - crime movie. Well done

(X) Darkness Falls

(X) Christine - be nice to your car or it won't be nice to you.

(X) E.T. Seen this one a few times!

(X) Children of the Corn another travel tip Stay out of weird towns. Get recomendations from your friends and STAY out of the cornfields. No good has ever come out of walking or running for your life out of cornfields, except in that movie with Kevin Costner...

( ) My Bosses Daughter

() Maid in Manhattan

() War of the Worlds

(X) Rush Hour - Funny the first time around

(X) Rush Hour 2 - I didn't take my own advice on sequels!

( ) Best Bet

() How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days - I don't need a movie for this one!

(X) She’s All That

() Calendar Girls

( ) Sideways

() Mars Attacks

(X) Event Horizon - The best part of this movie.. The end!

() Ever After

(X) Wizard of Oz

(X) Forrest Gump

(X) Big Trouble in Little China. I loved this movie. It was fun! I found it as a rental .It's an older movie with Kurt Russell.

(X) The Terminator

(X) The Terminator 2

() The Terminator 3 I didn't bother. I was terminatored out by then.

Total so far:84 out of 147.

(X) X-Men

(X) X-2

( ) X3 x1 +x2 does not = x3.

X) Spider-Man

(X) Spider-Man 2

(X) Sky High

(X) Jeepers Creepers- Travel tip Don't go looking for trouble. Just dial 911 and then drive the hell out of town and don't stop until you reach your destination. Also, don't drink any liquids cuz you can drive without stopping so often. And another thing...get your car checked and serviced BEFORE you hit the open road. Nobody ever has the part you need in creepy towns and there's no way out!

() Jeepers Creepers 2

() Catch Me If You Can

() The Little Mermaid

() Freaky Friday

() Reign of Fire

(X) The Skulls

(X) Cruel Intentions

( ) Cruel Intentions 2

() The Hot Chick

(X) Shrek

() Shrek 2

Total so far: 100 out of 165.

() Swimfan

(X) Miracle on 34th street

( ) Old School

(X) The Notebook - See it and have tissue ready

(X) K-Pax

( ) Krippendorf’s Tribe

( ) A Walk to Remember

(X) Ice Castles - politics in skating for dummies for the rest of you its just a movie

(X ) Boogeyman - I still don't like leaving my closet door open or let my feet dangle over off the bed. It's just a precaution..

( ) The 40-year-old Virgin

(X) Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring

X) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

(X ) Lord of the Rings: Return Of the King

(X) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

() Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

(X) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Total so far: 110 out of 181.

( ) Base-ketball

( ) Hostel - Travel tip not all hostels are the same. check em out carefully. I only saw a trailer of this at the movies. It was enough to know I would be passing on this one

( ) Waiting for Guffman

( )House of 1000 Corpses

( ) Devils Rejects

( ) Elf

(X) Highlander

(X) Mothman Prophecies again , I say huh?

(X ) American History X This was a powerful movie, that still gives me chills, when I think of certain scenes, one in particular...if you've seen this movie. I bet it the same scene.

( ) Three

( X) The Jacket

(X) Kung Fu Hustle

( )Shaolin Soccer

(X) Night Watch Ewan Mcgregor is in this. Need I say more.. It's a thriller with Nick Nolte,patricia Arquette, Loren (gilmore girls) and josh Brolin. It's pretty good and you can knit at the same time.

(X) Monsters Inc.

(X) Titanic

() Monty Python and the Holy Grail

(X) Shaun Of the Dead

() Willard

Total so far: 119 out of 200.

( ) High Tension

() Club Dread

(X) Hulk

() Dawn Of the Dead

() Hook

(X ) Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

(X) 28 days later - This was not the one with Sandra Bullock (drucg/alcohol rehab). It's the sci-fi movie movie about a virus that causes rage. It was really well done and Cillian Murphy was great. I'll tell you one thing, 28 days later ...the last thing you be thinking about is drugs. Tho you might wish for a drink or 20..

( ) Orgazmo

(X) Phantasm

(X) Waterworld This movie was water logged This would be rated a 4 skein movie. Lots of knitting to be had!

(X) Kill Bill Vol. 1

(X) Kill Bill Vol. 2

() Mortal Kombat

( ) Wolf Creek

( X) Kingdom of Heaven

( ) the Hills Have Eyes - only saw a trailer for this one and I'm telling you all the above travel tips should be heeded to avoid a shortened life span.

() I Spit on Your Grave -

( ) The Last House on the Left

() Re-Animator

() Army of Darkness

Total so far: 126 out of 220.

(X) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace - The star wars movies are check your brain at the door fun. It doesn't hurt that Ewan Mcgregor is in ep. I, II, and III!

(X) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones

(X) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith

( ) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope

(X) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back

(X) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi

( ) Ewoks: Caravan Of Courage

( ) Ewoks: The Battle For Endor

(X) The Matrix

(X) The Matrix: Reloaded

(X) The Matrix: Revolutions

( ) Animatrix

(X) Evil Dead

() Evil Dead 2

( ) Team America: World Police

(X) Red Dragon - scary - too close to real life possibility!

(X) Silence of the Lambs

() Hannibal

Total: 137 of 239

Surgeon general's warning:On second thought... don't do this to yourself. You'll get a migraine.

Labels: quiz

Irregular Socks ...How'd I do that!

When I was a kid, I'd go shopping with my mom and she'd sometimes buy an item labeled something like: "Irregular sheet" or just a white tag with "irregular" written and stuck to the outer packaging. I asked her one time what this meant. She said "It means that the item wasn't perfect. It had a little defect", but was still good to use. I thought to myself: "Hmm, in that case, I knew a lot of irregular things and people!" I did wonder why she'd purposely want something "irregular". Especially, when she had to pay for that way! Funny thing, I usually coudn't find the little defect and when I did it was usually a little extra stitching where a small tear might have been or the color was dyed evenly. My mom was right. It was just fine. Perfect in it's own way.


Well, my just finished socks are just a bit "off". First of all, I used a pattern from the Plymouth company that was supposed to be a a simple top down sock with short-row heels. I've knit several pairs of socks and thought this would be a breeze (all my other socks had stitch patterns). These socks had a little bit of ribbing and then it was just knit until I got the length I wanted for the sized needed to fit. The pattern wasn't well written and a beginner would've sworn off socks after knitting these. Now, despite how the pattern was written, I should have been paying more attention to setting up the sock for the toe portion. Instead, I blindly followed what I thought was the right place to start the decreases. Having knitted for a bit, I should be able to look at a pattern and modify as needed or least know how to set up a toe. I had already kitchnered (real term?) the toe and was admiring my work, when...damn! My seam was going right down the center of the sock! So, I have one sock that's irregular( 8-D ) and one that's done the usual way. They both fit/feel fine and mostly knitters would be able spot the mistake. I decided to leave it as knitted ! Can you tell which one is irregular?

It also counts as a project spectrum color FO for February/march!



I haven't blogged for a couple of weeks. It's amazing how time flies! When I last blogged, I was moaning and groaning about my knee. First of all thanks to everyone who wished me well ! I didn't get to e-mail everyone back. So, here's the scoop: An X-ray was taken and the only thing it showed was a little degeneration and free floating debris. Not enough to cause the pain I was having. I finally got to see the orthopedic Doctor this week. He thinks I tore the meniscus (cartilage). So, I'm having an MRI on Monday and then have a follow-up appointment a few days later. So, I'll keep you updated. It is definitely feeling a lot better than when I last posted. The only time the pain worsens is when the knee gives out on occasion. That's the part the Dr.'s not happy about. However, I'm feeling much better now, I'm also a knitting maniac again!

It's 11:19pm , but I had to post and now...Good night and dream well!

THANK YOU SECRET PAL!

What's all the shouting about? I got my final package from my secret pal and the reveal. This wonderful package came from Vicki over at http://vickiknits.blogspot.com . I've had so much fun getting to know her! She is making sure that I get some new experiences in knitting. In her last package she sent me a needle felting kit. In this package she sent me some items to learn a new skill. I'll show you the picture. See if you can figure out what I will be learning to do this year!

I've been thinking about dyeing my own yarn to make socks for the last few months and I couldn't believe it when I opened the box and saw the yarn and kool-aid. Vicki also gave me some sock yarn in "Morning Glory" . I've never used malabrigo yarn, but have wanted to try it. The color is a yummy looking and soft to the touch "velvet grape". Now I just have to pick out a pattern! I love it all. This should keep me blog postings for a while.

In the box was also some delicious dark chocolate truffles and Milk chocolate clouds (with caramel and pecans). Both are natural /no preservatives. See, a secret pal can even keep you healthy. I also go a really pretty journal to keep track of my knitting adventures or...

The tea light candles (didn't make it into photo) made the whole box smell awesome. I have had a great time getting to know you Secret Pal! I love the packages, e-mail and cards. I'm glad I got to know you!!! I'll be dropping by your blog to see what your up to!

P.S Vicki, I bet you didn't know even the box you sent is a gift. As soon as I had taken everything out of the box to photograph, Samantha took one flying leap and landed in the box. She got herself ready for photo op! Her green eyes are so hard to capture on camera sometimes. She looks like an alien!!! Thanks again, for such a fun time!

The person I got to spoil was Adelle from http://www.girliscrafty.com She is a very talented knitter with a great blog. She also travels more than anyone I know! I'm envious!!! Go visit her!

Well that's it for this post. This round of secret pal is done. I've done the last 2 rounds (SP8& SP9). I'm going to sit the next one out and go back for more in the summer!

Update Sunday

I've changed to the new blogger. Let's see what issues pop up here. I was planning to move to the free word press blog, but have found it to be very frustrating in terms of posting. Pictures haven't been a problem, but many of my post disappear after I hit the publish button. I'm already tired of writing my posts twice with a 50/50 chance of going to the land of lost posts. Blogging used to be so easy! For now, I'll put my effort in here and hope for the best.

Just when I think I'm healthy and had my share of flu bugs, I'm on the injured list. I hurt my knee a few weeks ago and it seemed no big deal at the time. Now it's back with a vengeance. I finally got an M.D. appointment on Friday. Her thinking is that it's a bad tendinitis (my ankle and leg hurt too) due to possible compensation in my walking when my knee was injured. In my opinion today (Sunday), it's a lot more than tendinitis (practicing without out a license). I went for the x-ray she ordered on Saturday. Walking toward the hospital, my knee gave in and I felt a horrendous pain. At that point, I think I invented a few never before heard curse words! The x-ray was taken and I was sent on my merry way. I'm on 800mg of Rx ibuprofen 3 x a day until I hear from my M.D. I think maybe I'll go to bed until 2008 and see if that's going to be any better. I hurt my knee bending down to floor level and leaning way in the back of the shelf to get a bottle of Arizona brand of diet green ice tea. My sister once said: "I wouldn't care if I weighed 1,000 lbs I'd never drink any diet drinks" I'm beginning to see that diet drinks can be hazardous to your health! I'm going to try to settle down and knit to take my mind off of my knee.

Speaking of knitting, I'm finally near the end of knitting the second self striping sock. My plan is to start the 2 socks on 1 needle (magic loop) for the KAL that's going on with the "For the love of socks "yahoo group. It ends the last day in February, so I'd better get started. One of the women in the group is nursing us through this technique for knitting socks. We have a pattern that spells it all out with colored notes and everything. Plus links to other tutorials. It's nice because everyone has similar questions and gets stuck in the same places, our host is good at explaining how to get past these issues. So, maybe at the end of the KAL, I'll have learned something new for 2007!

I finished my swatch for Beadwork and will be casting on for the actual sweater. I'm doing the this gansey style sweater as written . Other's in the KAL are doing it as a pullover, pullover top down or modifying it in other ways. It's been interesting to learn new info about sweater construction and making modifications.

Lastly, I don't know if I mentioned it in a previous post, but I've signed on for Project Spectrum.

I'm telling you folks, I'm a glutton for punishment! 8-)