So Much to Talk About

I wrote down a list of what I wanted to blog about, and just a warning, it's a long list. Hopefully dividing it into sections will help.

Podcasts:
I've been doing some podcast listening and thought I'd review the Knitpicks podcast. I have really enjoyed the 3 episodes that I've listened to so far. Episode 4 is downloading as we speak type. The podcaster (whose name escapes me at this point) has a great voice and I love hearing her stories and great book reviews. I thought the podcast would be all about Knitpicks yarns and needles, but that's not the case at all. I highly recommend this podcast to any of you out there looking for a new one to add to your collection.

On the Needles:
I have the sweater on the needles.

upclose to see the yarn

Tape measure from Scout's Swag. And I love it.

Okay, here's the problem with the sweater. I have redone the collar/neck portion twice and ripped it out. My son's head circumference is 21". To put that into perspective, mine is 22". The size pattern that I am using is not even in the Handy Book of Sweater Patterns. The smallest size was a 26" chest and I needed a 22", so I altered the pattern a bit. The problem is, that I've knitted the crewneck option and it was too small for his head to fit through. So, I ripped out and a few rows before starting the crewneck stuff, I bound off a few stitches to have a kind of slit in the middle, no good (and that looked better than it sounds...trust me...think ripped sweatshirt in the front kind of). So, I don't know what to do.

See the bottom of the sweater? I want it to roll like that on purpose. I like how it looks casual like that. So, I wanted the neck/collar to do the same thing. But, if I get it at a circumference that works for his head, it looks like he's auditioning for a gender bending role in Flashdance. However, I think I might like the kind of neck that it presents for myself with a cute tank. I need to figure that out later I guess. Anyway, any suggestions? I don't want to go with a V-neck, but I might have to I guess. Or, maybe I could stop the raglan decreases and just knit a few rows without decreasing for the neck? That might roll a bit much and look even more "Flashdance" I guess. Any suggestions are welcome.

Book Review:
I breezed through Back on Blossom Street in one day. Great book! If you liked the first two, you'll love this one. I hope she continues this "series" of books. If you long to have a knitting group (like myself) or have one you absolutely love, this is the book for you. I love the strong community it presents.
I am going to join up with my library's summer reading program for both myself and LittleMan. I'm kind of pissed that Back on Blossom Street should have counted, but they say that you have to read books from the library. Do you think if I check it out and then return it that I can count it? I mean, I read it! I'm even more pissed that the kids books are that way because we have some Thomas books that I would love to read to LittleMan and have them count. He loves them. I might have to get creative with that.
But, I started back on a book series that I was enjoying (well, the one whole book I read) and I'm definitely counting these somehow.


Surprise!
Did you see it in the picture before? I scored the illustrious Vesper yarn! I got Aquamelon and Strange Little Mama. I can't wait to start socks with these!


Weekend:
We saw the coolest Coast Guard demonstration this weekend while we were shopping.
LittleMan was amazed by the helicopter (those are his new fixation for the moment) and the demonstration was really cool to see all up close.



We were shopping with LuckyHusband's sister, brother in law, and nephew. We got some ice cream and celebrated nephew's 1st birthday. He's such a cutie!!

We also did some swimming in LittleMan's new blowup pool. Until I, in an effort to do a little outside tidying, hosed down his little John Deere motorized truck and tumped it over to get the water out, and out came a wasp nest. So, we were in the house for the rest of the day.

Television:
I finally finished the Ugly Betty season finale. Wow, I think that was left a little unfinshed. What is up with that lately!?!?! And sad, very sad. I love Hilda and Santos was pretty HOT. I also watched the Desperate Housewives season finale last night. I totally saw through the Bree thing from the beginning, but the ending was quite the shocker. I thought the episode was the best finale of the season.
Also, CBS announced that some closure would come to Jericho fans. Just not sure in what form. I'm glad. It was left so unfinished.

Hope you all have a great week! I'm off to eat lunch!


Melissa

Zoo Trip, TV, and a Little Knitting

Today at lunch I visited the zoo and met my little brother who had decided to hang out with LittleMan and take him to the zoo.
First off was a trip to see the new Percheron draft horses. These things are gigantic. The one pictured is actually one of the smaller ones according to one of the zoo workers.

Look how little LittleMan looks on the horse. I swear a grown man would look tiny on top of the horse.

We looked at a few exhibits before I had to go back to work.

I tried to get a pic without the bars, but couldn't manage. I'm sure they'll have a great time hanging out there for the rest of the afternoon. They were about to take a boat ride when I left.

As for TV shows, I'm mad upset irate that Jericho has been cancelled. If you are a fan of the show, go here and see how you can help try to change the minds of the powers that be.

Grey's Anatomy was a little disappointing last night I thought. Since when do season finales end like this. I swear the first show of the new season is actually the one that is more exciting than the last now days. I DVRed Ugly Betty, but haven't had a chance to watch yet. Maybe tonight after the Dr. Phil special (even though I swear I'm boycotting CBS after the whole Jericho incident starting next week).

I have started on LittleMan's sweater. None of the patterns in the Handy Book of Sweater Patterns was small enough, so I made adjustments based on LittleMan's size and the fact that my gauge was a dead on 3.5 sitches per inch which of course was not an option. I re-measured quite a few times, but there was no denying the 1/2 stitch per inch. I'm making it a straight stockinette stich sweater that will probably have a crew neck and add some ribbing on the sleeves. I really hope he's not old enough yet to be embarrassed to wear it. Surely not.


Finally, after reading about it's release on a few blogs, I went and bought Back on Blossom Street. I loved the first two books and really wish I'd been picked to review this one. I reviewed the other two last year and so far this one is a page-turner!


Have a great weekend!
Melissa

3 Days in a Row!

I am posting for the third day in a row. Wow!! That may be a record for me.

Thank you for all of the comments about my Mother's Day sock yarn. Don't give the hubby too much credit though. I wrote down Lisa's telephone number and a few ideas. All he had to do was let his fingers do the walking.

I have big plans tonight to begin a sweater (or at least swatch for one) for LittleMan with my new yarn and find something interesting on TV. Usually on Wednesdays we watch Jericho, but it has already had its Season Finale (did anyone catch it. I cried like a 2 year old!) so who knows what's in store. LittleMan and his dad will be bringing home the bacon tonight, on a pizza, so cooking is not required tonight. Yippee!

I also have a surprise on the way which should be here Friday or Saturday. Stay tuned to see what is coming my way!

Pictures!

Here is the yarn! The smaller skein is the Blueflame Sock! and the multi colored is the Joseph's Coat and the black and red is the Little Devil. All are from the very talented Lisa Souza.


Here is the candle. It smells so wonderful!


Here are the 1/2 price flowers that we got while grocery shopping because LittleMan thought I needed them.


I also won this awesome needlecase from Nicole who had a contest over at her blog. It's a splityarn needlecase which I believe Scout has in her store. Too cute, and it holds dpns.


Have a great day!
Melissa

Weekend Wrap Up

I hope you all had a great Mother's Day. I was super spoiled this weekend! My LittleMan was sooo proud of a blue candle that someone (not sure if it was my mom or the hubby) gave him the money to go and pick out. All day yesterday he would tell me, "I sure like the blue candle I bought you. Can I see it again?". He was so proud of himself!
My mom also got some fingerpaints and made a collage in a frame with pictures, cute little quotes and a handprint with the year. It was wonderful!

I knew that I was set to get a great gift from the hubby also. A big bag from Lisa Souza arrived in the mail on Friday. I couldn't wait until he got off of work at 3 on Sunday to get my gift. Unfortunately, he had to work over until 11 pm last night and called to tell me to go ahead and open the gift. AMAZING!! He ordered Sock! in Blueflame (the pictures do not do it justice. It is fabulously gorgeous) and Big Wool Heavy Worsted in Little Devil (for matching hats for me, Hooker, LittleMan, and Scuba Steve) and in Joseph's Coat (for a sweater for LittleMan). The Joseph's Coat is gorgeous also. Thanks so much for helping the hubby Lisa!!

We were supposed to eat at our favorite local Mexican restaurant last night and we didn't let the change in work plans affect that! I had a wonderful date...

And we had a great time, just the two of us.

(taken with the auto timer...I always look way too smiley with those type of pictures)

We also went fishing this weekend. LittleMan was more interested in the crickets than fish, but he did reel a couple in.


I also tried some of the new Sugar N Creme Twist yarn this weekend. Is it just me or is this stuff softer than the original? I set out making dishcloths, but they were so soft that we used them as bathcloths. They are wonderful. I really like this yarn!

Melissa

Has it really Been a Week??

It's been such a crazy week around here that I haven't had time to blog, or comment on many blogs. Sorry y'all. I'll catch up soon.

First of all, big announcment (okay, not big, but I was excited!). I finished my HSP sock. I really believe that this is one of the prettiest socks that I've made. The picture doesn't accurately show the detail, but I'm hoping my pal will like it. It's the Milanese Lace from More Sensational Knitted Socks.

The yarn is Lisa Souza's Sock! in Periwinkle and it's gorgeous. It has a sheen that is unbelievable and was great to work with. If you have never used Lisa's yarns, do it now.

Which brings me to a realization. I love, love, love handpainted yarns and I am very much drawn to them when browsing websites. However, when it comes to the finished product, I usually find myself drooling over solids or heathered solids. I really need to try to order more of these for myself and turn down the temptation of the multicolor handpaint. I really want some handpaint self striping though. Like Vesper...oh Vesper. I want the Aquamelon and Strange Little Mama so badly. So, if anyone has any that they want to get rid of, e-mail me. You have a buyer! (but not at Yarn Pirate on ebay prices...$130 is a little steep for a skein of yarn)

I got an order from Scout the other day. Let me just tell you, Go Knit pouches? Buy one. Now. Seriously, I'm in absolute love! I wish I'd had one of these a year ago! I also got the cutest cow tape measure that LittleMan has tried to claim for his own. But, I stuck to my guns, and it's in my cute GoKnit pouch now! I also got one of the Yarn Ball Boogie key chains which is absolutely beautiful. A great little gift for any knitter (I sound like a Scout infomercial!). And, as always, Scout has the best customer service ever. She is wonderful, stays in communication with you after an order and goes out of her way to make sure you are happy.

I also won a contest over at Nicole's. I can't wait to get my needle case from Splityarn! I've been drooling over those for quite some time.

The ipod is still working great! Here's a pic for Karen of the ipod and the wireless transmitter for the radio.


We've been busy this past week with graduation (I hate speaking in front of crowds!) and Teacher of the Year celebration for our parish schools. Jen asked people to post graduation pictures. I know I have some, but they are all put up in storage, but here is a pic of most of my class from our senior year. Can you figure out which one is me??



And, here's another one from high school, probably sophmore year I guess that I found when looking for a picture of my senior year


The couple is my cousin and her date. Which is hilarious to think now that the two of them were even in the same room at the same time! My date was probably still fixing his hair. He was such a pretty boy. But, then again, that's why he was my date! :)


LittleMan had a little dental procedure yesterday and this is what I did to keep from worrying to death.


But, I have a good start on a few extra Mother's Day gifts!

(The pink bag is the Go Knit from Scout. )

To answer a few people's questions, the plant in a previous post was a jasmine. The tag from Home Depot 4 years ago said it was a Confederate Jasmine. It was pretty tiny when I bought it and it's HUGE now. It stays green and cliimbs year round.

I hope you all have a very Happy Mother's Day. I have a feeling that mine will be great thanks to Lisa!
Melissa

MAIL CALL!!

I received more mail the past few days. I got a letter from Seedless Grape (I wasn't sure if she gives her "real" name on her blog). She included some great recipes and a cute little mitered square and a couple of yarn samples. She is taking finals this next week (I think that's right) to be finished with law school. Stop by and give her good luck vibes.



I also wrote a bunch of letters. I decided to join up over on swap bot and needed something to get a few ratings, so I joined a few postcard and letter swaps.



Do you see what else is in the picture? My $92 ipod from ebay. Perfect condition, the earbuds and USB thing were still in the original packaging. No scratches or anything, and the seller gave a 7 day exchange or refund if there were problems. It works just fine and has no signs of use at all. I would highly recommend this seller to anyone (which reminds me that I should probably send some feedback his way).

And finally, some pictures of my front porch. The smell is unbelievable. So wonderful.






Melissa

Sock progress pic

I can't accurately convey how beautiful I think this sock is. A HUGE Thank You to my Lime N Violet exchange pal for the gorgeous yarn and the push in the right direction to try size 0s. Not only has my husband gushed over the beauty of these socks, but two co-workers who are normally nice-enough about my socks have talked about how striking they are.


I should have been able to go through one more 4 row repeat and then finish the toe today at lunch, but my boss brought me pizza in exchange for working through lunch and who am I to turn down the best pizza ever? Or free food for that matter.


So, here goes. I'll finish this one tonight while watching Jericho I'm sure.

The pictures don't do this justice, seriously. Keep in mind that I am in no way bragging on my skills as a knitter, but this yarn (Trekking), using size 0s (such a nice fabric), and this pattern (Stansfield 30 from More SKS) was just a magical trinity.

On tap for tonight? Jericho (loving, loving, loving that show), playing outside on the "playground" if it isn't raining, a big bowl of spagetti, and knitting. I plan to swatch for my Hurricane Sock Party pal's sock. The yarn? Awesome. The pattern? I think it's gorgeous, we'll see what my pal thinks later. The goodies I've been buying up? Sooo cute! I hope she likes it all.

The ipod should be in by tomorrow I would imagine and then I'll let you know how it is. I've been doing some downloading in preparation. My new love? Dashboard Confessional. You should check him/them (not sure if it's one guy or more). Great stuff.

Edited to add: Mandy just got a report that she is cancer free!! Go congratulate her. These are words she has been waiting quite some time to hear.

And finally, the banana pudding recipe from yesterday's picture.

1 large box of instant vanilla pudding

2 cups 2% milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 8 oz Cool Whip

1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

4 large bananas

1 box of vanilla wafers

Combine the instant pudding and the 2% milk according to directions. Add vanilla, cool whip, and sweetened condensed milk and blend well. Layer vanilla wafers at the bottom of a casserole dish. Layer sliced bananas on the wafers and then top with pudding mixture. Repeat the layering again and then put a final topping of wafers. Refrigerate and then serve. It's good after it's been in the fridge for a while.

Melissa

I'm Hot...Sticky Sweet

My son and I have had a blast dancing to the 20 greatest videos of the 80s that I DVRed on Sunday. But, since my favorite, as referenced above was not on the countdown (who votes on this stuff anyway?), I took it upon myself to educate him on the greatness that is Def Leopard. He can now sing parts of the song, so one point for me in the good parenting column! :)

I've been doing lots of knitting, but lots of other stuff too. Saturday morning we woke up, ate breakfast, and participated in our parish Clean Up Day. My neighbor and her mom and grandmother were out and about, so we made about a 3 mile round trip picking up trash. I had a stroller for LittleMan and we had a good time strangely enough.

After we got home, I collapsed into my chair for some knitting while LM played on his "playground". I finished the second of these two hats for the Afghans for Afghans Mother's Day event.


Then, LittleMan and I got ready and went to visit a neighbor whose husband passed away on Friday morning. Afterward, we came home and made this.


We also had a rotisserie chicken, chicken flavored noodles (those Pasta mix things), corn, green beans, and crescent rolls.
Sunday was the funeral for our neighbor and I cooked a brisket and took over to her home after the funeral and helped put up food and things like that. So, that was pretty much all I did on Sunday.

In other news, I received a letter yesterday from my Knitterly Letter Swap Savior, Jane, who lives in Australia. I enjoyed her letter very much and can't wait to start on her letter this afternoon. I bought new stationery last week and have been itching to use it.
I also was a Knitterly Letter Swap Savior and the person I wrote to received her letter also. She has finals coming up soon, so go over and wish her luck!!


In Hurricane Sock Party news, I have picked out a pattern, and a yarn, and should start the sock this week. I have really enjoyed reading my partner's blog and hope that she likes all the goodies and the sock that I have for her!

I'm almost done with my first Trekking sock in the Easter colorway (my name, not theirs). Using size 0s takes a little longer, but the result is well worth the effort.

I have also had a tragedy. My beloved CD player has passed away. When I was informed of what the replacement cost would be, I decided that I couldn't bear to part with such a good friend. So, I just bought something to keep her company. (yes I said her. I think my car is a female also. Her name is Irene.) I found a "like new" ipod from a seller with excellent feedback who gets ipods from national retailers where they have been exchanged. I only paid $92 for the 2G version and it should be here by the end of the week. I've missed podcasts on the way to and from work!!

I hope you all have a great week. We have graduations coming up, so the school board thing is kicking up in high gear. I had to buy a dress the other day and that is so traumatizing!!

Melissa