Hello, Dear Blog...I've Missed You

So, there for a while, I didn't write because there wasn't anything new to write about...and now all of a sudden there is so much to write about, I will have to stretch it out over a few days so as not to overwhelm you with all that has been happening.

First of all, I would just like to say how proud I am of my boyfriend's son (son of my heart). He is on the golf team for his school and I was able to go see him play last week. He did such a good job (the best on his team) and his school won the match! They've let me tag along when they've been to play golf for practice and instruction and I've seen his game improve by leaps and bounds. He's not only a good golfer, he is a good kid, er, I mean young man. I love him very much.


Secondly, I will be able to blog more regularly now because I have my own computer!!


My very cool roommate has been letting me use her computer to blog, surf the net, etc. but it was time for me to have my own "surfboard" so I shopped around, talked to a friend who knows something about computers (because I know nothing) and I'm so pleased with my little Acer...or the Drea-cer as I affectionately call it. It's super portable, light and it does everything I need it to do. I love it.

That's the news for now...yes, there's much more to tell but like I said, it's so nice to have blog fodder again that I'm going to stretch this out for a few days.

Here's a preview:

I'm stalking my favorite band.

I'm not in Orlando anymore...only temporarily. Where am I and what have I been up to?

New project? or two?

Found...and Finished

Last weekend was so much fun...well, not this past weekend but the weekend before. It was a long weekend and I slept and knitted and lifted very heavy things. Allow me to explain. My super-cool roommate, Diana, got me all set up with new shelves for my yarn. How cool is this?


I've got all my projects and yarn unloaded from the plastic tubs they were in and out on the shelves. Diana is going to be able to use the tubs to store Christmas decorations so it's a win-win! She had to work that day but her best friend came over with an idea. What if we surprise her and rearrange the living room! Fantastic! We tried several arrangements before we decided on a new layout. It's soooo different and she was very surprised when she got home. She really likes it but I don't think she'll leave us to our own devices on a long weekend again. Ha!

The shelves aren't very organized yet but it's sooooo much easier to find things. As a matter of fact, I found a couple scarves that I hadn't totally forgotten about but didn't know exactly where they were. This one was almost totally done so I just finished off the edging and it's all finished.


I love the popcorns on this scarf. I made a pink one recently in this pattern and I think I'm going to make it again. I love the edging on the end, it's really cool and it was fun.

I also found this scarf.


It's made with a thick crochet thread rather than yarn and it's pretty but it's rather tedious since there are so many color changes. I really like this thread and would like to use it again but maybe just have two color changes instead. I HATE weaving in the ends...although, I haven't run across a crafter yet who enjoys it. My only dilemma now is deciding how long to make it. I was thinking of keeping it short this time...haha!! Totally kidding. I asked Diana when I first discovered it in the stash and she suggested I just keep going until I run out of thread. They're small balls so I think I might do that. I still have several sections left so this could turn into another shawl incident. You'd think I'd learn.

The rats have gone back home now. They were really fun to have and highly amusing. They would run laps around their cage and they cracked me up. The cats never showed much more than a passing curiosity. As a matter of fact, I put the rats in their ball while I cleaned the cage and my cat gave them a wide berth when he walked by. It makes me wonder how he ever ate when he was a stray. He's such a scaredy-cat. Everything startles him, although, maybe that's left over from his stray days.

Well, before I start babbling, as I so often catch myself doing, I will close. I'm going to work on some knitting tonight. I've been going back and forth between The Classic, the Princesa and the sock. I've been using the Magic Loop technique for the sock and I like it pretty well but I think I might try using two circulars instead. I have another ball of the same sock yarn so I'm going to try to cast on and see which is easier. I was reading a site earlier where people were duking it out over their preference to use dpns, two circs or magic loop. I think it's only fair if I give all techniques a try. And I've got to learn something more difficult than just these simple patterns. I'm ready for a challenge. You hear me, Angi? :-)

Remember Me?

I know it's been quite a while since I've posted. I wish I could tell you that I started a lot of new things and I have, in a way. I've started the same sock about five times and had to rip it out each time. Yep, right on the heels (haha) of learning to knit, I'm learning to knit socks. This is my progress currently...


It's a good start and I feel pretty good about it. I need to get some tutoring on how to correct mistakes. I dropped a stitch last night and instead of putting the project aside and asking my friend to help me correct it later, I ripped it back. Knitting is so fun and I'm enjoying it so much but it's been a little frustrating. Crocheting was never this difficult.

Speaking of crocheting, I feel like I'm cheating on it a little bit. I've barely worked on anything lately because I'm having so much fun with the knitting. I did start the baby blanket for the Princesa and it's looking so pretty.


This is absolutely my favorite baby blanket pattern. It looks very delicate but is very simple to make and it works up so quickly.

I finished the Monster Shawl. It ended up being so huge that when I drape it over my shoulders, it reaches the ground on both sides. Oops! It's so pretty and I love the color.


The green is a little darker than the picture shows. Here's a close up of the edging.


My roommate is going to give this to her sister, thank goodness she's tall!!

On a really cool note, I'm pet sitting for my friend while she's on vacation. Want to take a guess what kind of animal I'm caring for?


Meet Boo. She has another rat named Harriet but she's very shy and prefers not to come out of her house when I'm around. Boo is not shy and she's very curious. I'm having some much fun watching them. Rats are such cool pets. My friend is also going home for Christmas and I get to keep them then too. The cats were very curious when the rats first got here but they haven't paid too much attention to them since.

Well, it's movie time. Gotta run!

Finished

I have finished the scarf I started a while back. Remember this?


Now it looks like this...


The colors don't quite translate, it's so very bright and I am so happy with it. It turned out better than I pictured. My boyfriend called it my Dr. Seuss scarf and I love that name.

I've almost finished the scarf for my friend's mom. It turned out very classic.


I'm very pleased with it and I know she will be too.

The "Classic" looms large and unchanging so I won't bore you with another picture. I've been working on the green shawl again. It is so soft and it's going to be so long when it's all finished. It will be big enough to wrap around you a couple times. Yum. I'm going to try to get something else started this week so there is more fun stuff to show you.

I'm still enjoying bike rides when I can. The weather today was really sketchy and I didn't get out there...which meant that I had energy to burn and I was driving my roommate a little crazy bouncing around singing. She kindly suggested I turn on the music channel!! HA!!

Lost and Found

I FOUND MY CROCHET HOOKS! I'm giddy with relief. Apparently my Queen Ditz title is still in effect. I went to a friend's house last week for Creative Night but she had asked us to help her with a big project she was working on so I knew I would be doing that and there wouldn't be an opportunity to work on my scarf. It was pouring, I mean absolutely soak-you-to-the-bone-in-a-second pouring when I got to her house and the only thing I can figure is that I grabbed all the bags on my seat (change of clothes, munchies, etc.) and dashed into the house not realizing that I had also grabbed my crocheting. Since I didn't know I had taken it IN, I didn't know to track it down and take it OUT. So, why was the scarf in my car at all? Why didn't I think to just call my friend to check? Well, I apparently enjoy my reign and rule of Ditzland. I'm not going to give up that gig.

Randomness

This is going to be so random...all kinds of little things going on. The worst thing is I lost my crochet hooks. Each and every one of them. I have looked EVERYWHERE. I had them at my friend's house and somewhere between her house and my car or my car and my house, they disappeared. Luckily, crochet supplies are on sale this week so after several days of looking and hoping and wishing they'd return, I have replaced almost everything...which pretty much guarantees that I will find it all tomorrow. Ha! I had a zippered pouch that I bought at Walmart before but this time, I've decided to get a handmade crochet roll, I'm going to support my fellow Etsians. I will be sure to post pictures once I get one.

I had another knitting class today and I was able to follow a pattern!! It's so exciting to be able to make progress and feel pretty comfortable with the stitches.


If ONLY the yarn were actually that color. In reality it is a day-glo orange. Why is this color, the color that is used to make sure hunters are visible in the forest, why is it in my stash? Well, a few years ago, I made a rainbow afghan. It turned out very pretty but the orange all by itself is just a touch glaring. Anyway, that's my progress from the class this afternoon. I do believe that I can say with some confidence (and a little pride) that I am a knitter.

The "Classic" is coming along...


It got delayed for a couple days what with the lost hook but I should be able to get back to it this week.

I went on a bike ride this evening which was awesome! It felt soooo good to be out in the fresh air with the wind in my face, pushing myself to make it a little farther...and then make it back to the house. It feels good to be getting exercise, I definitely need it. While losing some weight is a definite goal, I think the most important thing is to be healthier. It makes me think of a website I ran across recently called Operation Beautiful. As women, we are so prone to putting ourselves down and maintaining a negative body image and this website encourages everyone to take little opportunities to leave notes in public places to remind others that they are beautiful. There is something amazing in all of us and sometimes we need to be reminded. I highly recommend you check out this site and participate! And don't forget, you are beautiful.

Wow!! My First Award!

I am so excited and honored. Puddles of Sunshine has given me the Honest Scrap award!! It's my very first award and this is just...exciting. I know, I'm being redundant...I have a tendency to do that in conversation. hehe The rules of this award are:

1. I, as the recipient of said award, have to list 10 things about me that no one knows (this is going to be tough).
2. I need to pass this awesome award to ten new bloggers worthy of such glory.
And, 3. I have to notify those 10 lucky bloggers who follow the same forum- I'll be leaving comments on your pages, so be on the lookout! And when you post your ten things, be sure to post a link back to me!

My "secrets" are:

1. I LOVE to watch game shows on TV. I am unable to change the channel if I run across one. It's a seriously good thing we don't get the Game Show Network through our cable company or I would never go to work.

2. My friends at work call me Monk sometimes because I'm soooo particular about how my Excel spreadsheets are formatted. I mean, seriously, they'll thank me later.

3. I have a very strange recurring dream about smoking. Sometimes I'm actually smoking and sometimes I spend the whole dream either looking for a cigarette or looking for a light. I've searched dream dictionaries but haven't found a satisfying interpretation.

4. I also frequently dream that I'm naked, which is probably pretty common and not much of a "secret". In my dreams, after the initial realization and embarrassment, I'm usually pretty casual about not having any clothes on. I've read that being comfortable in naked dreams means you're comfortable in your skin in real life and I like that.

5. I'm totally afraid of walking over the grates in roads or sidewalks that cover deep holes for drainage and will walk around them.

6. I have always wanted to learn sign language.

7. I love to write poetry. A friend of mine is publishing a book of his own poems and has a chapter devoted to guest authors and one of my poems is going to be in his book.

8. I would love to audition for America Idol but I'm too old and too shy to sing in public.

9. I'm a really good secret keeper.

10. While I typically LOVE a good list-making session, I'm not super secretive and this list has been really difficult to think of things for. I'll think about it and you all stay tuned for another secret or two in future posts.

Now...the blogs I'm nominating are:

Julie King Art
Life At Willow Manor
Crochet With Dee
Hooked On Crochet
Wendy Knits
Karen D Creations
Supplies Overflowing
Stepford Dreams
Thinking Out Loud
Puddles of Sunshine I know this is kind of cheating but if she hadn't been the one who sent this to me, I would have DEFINITELY sent it to her. Her blog is interesting and funny and poignant. Lovely.