January 26, 2010

Orbiting...

I'm slowing down on Drops...
and my ravelry queue is gearing up for Ravelympics.

I'm supporting Team GoPugYourself - from my Pug Lovers forum in Ravelry.

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I have these projects in the queue.
360 Vert Indy Porom - Pattern by Brooklyn Tweed
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Events: HatHalfpipe (hat) and speedskate (one skein)
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Yarn: I skein of Rowan Felted Tweed - Sage
I'm stash busting this baby - it's been marinating for about 3 years.

Tangled Cardi

I feel that I have to be honest...because if I can't truly let it all hang out on my blog...well. WTF.

I hate knitting the Tangled Yoke cardi.
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The yarn is gorgeous...but the cables (only 17 rows mind you) are driving me mad.
mAd i saY.
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I even took this over to the lovely Ei's house and got some (liquid) courage and began the first row of the cables. It's times like this that you need a knitting intervention, to help reintroduce yourself with the joy that you once felt for a project...and only another knitter (especially one who knit this blasted sweater) can tell you "it's just yarn" and "beautiful work" and "you are so close to finishing H!" (thanks ei.)

I dont have time to just sit and get through them in the house.
I have too much going on!

These are the things I have been telling myself.
I just have to come to terms with PROJECT FuGUE...
number one it's become a dread
number two I have this feeling that in the middle of a bobble...the yarn is going to SNAP.
number three I began knitting this in one of the hardest periods of my life. This project has sat in a (fabulous) knitting bag for almost 3 years.
Number four it's on teeny needles

The last time I had this feeling was when I attempted to knit Audrey out of Calmer. I ripped that sucker with vigor and never looked back.

I am going to finish this sweater that I call my opus (dei). it requires penance to complete.
What better way to overcome than with an olympic effort. ha!

Until the cast on of Feb 12 - I am working on this lovely
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I have the sleeves and the right front to finish. I am GOING to get this done before mass cast on.

Here is another project I have been working on for about 2 years...
my HAIR!
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About 4 more inches and I will be happy with the length!

Lookie what I gots...
I keep hearing on the rav...
Sanguine Gryphon...
and I found in their Little Traveller sock yarn they have a colorway known as Boring, Maryland.
Guess who lives within that tiny little border? ME!

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DELISH! and that would be 560 yards. I forsee a shawl with this lovey stuff.

that's all for me.
stay tuned for I shall be blogging ad tedium during the ravelympics.

January 4, 2010

2009 - a year in knits

This year of 2009 has seen me get married to a wonderful man, be a stepmother to one and a mom to another, and best of all regain my knitting mojo. At the end of the year I pulled out the needles and began in earnest.

here I am - Spacetricot on ravelry...if you want the deets.

December 2009
Citron
Yarn: knitpicks bare that my sister and I dyed a few years back...used all of it.
Mod: left off the 5th section and only did 7 ruffle rows. Ran out of yarn.
Quick and fun knit to keep idle hands warm and to add to the pile of knitted lovelies I have.
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Dec-November 2009
Shalom Cardi knit for me! ( I added sleeves)
Yarn: Brown Sheep Worsted in Oak. 3 skeins
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December 2009
Cabled baby hat
Yarn: 1/2 skein of Aurora 8 - size 4 DPN
A baby hat for CeCe to keep out the arctic Chill
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Oct to November 2009
Raglan Baby Sweater for CeCe (Gender neutral knitting)
Yarn:Cotton Ease - 3 skeins total
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Back View
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October 2009
A sweater for my darling pug Prince, Gus...
Howl and Cowl - Stitch and Bitch pattern
Yarn: Noro Kureyon 2 skeins
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August 2009
Fingerless mitts for my two tweenie girls\
Yarn: Whorled Peace - 1/2 skein
Jmm's
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Em's
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For Twenty Ten I believe this shall be the year of my first men's sweater, socks for JMM and finally finishing my tangled yoke cardi! Oh and Stash Busting!!!

First on the needles though...
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DROPS Cardi

This color...
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This yarn is Green Mountain Spinnery Green - LOVE IT!
The back has been completed!
This is a stash buster too!

Welcome to 2010!

November 17, 2009

A Roundup and A Catchup

let me tell you about my latest obsession... National Parks. (thanks Ken Burns!)
I saw that week long documentary...and wow.
Somehow after thirty hours of watching it on the telly, I got national park fever and we went to Harpers Ferry
Something about aquiring/stamping the park passport and watching it fill up...it GETS me! stamp stamp stamp!

The girls clambered on rocks and trees.
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We only ended up with one wet foot. M and I were white knuckling it while they were up on the tree...
Someone may have inherited my apprehension of heights and falling into cold water.
I like the direction provided to the faint of heart...lets just go up that way...
skootching on yer butt up a log...ugh. Scary!

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But, closer to the bank, courage returned!

They apparently make leaves bigger in Harpers Ferry. This one was particularly Blog Worthy
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Yikes!
I was expecting to find some sort of tree nut the size of an ostrich egg with a leaf that big.
This was my view for most of the trip...I guess I am slow
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A sign that echoed what I had been saying all day.
Tweens are notoriously clumsy...especially when they are eating, walking, bickering, looking about, and not listening to their parental unit.
I made this one pose with the sign so I could say...
See I told you! Now eyes in front of you!
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Here is M - probably herding us toward the exhibits. Tweens love to dwindle and dwaddle.
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I'm getting good at these! My freakishly long limbs do come in handy!
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happy newlyweds...
Next excursion...we are going to DC... there are 4 stamps to be had in the district and I am going to get them.


This past weekend I went to Georgetown with these fine ladies...
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Tanya, Donna, and Ei

What would we do without our PDAs?
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I think it went like this...
Synchronize iphones/Blackberries!
Right, where are we now?
Ooh I got a text!

My favorite text was the "what are you wearing" sent by tanya at many given points during the weekend.

We had a fine old time!
There was yarn shopping, regular shopping, SWISH dinners, and cupcakes...
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There *may* have been a small mishap with my lovely cupcakes...but they tasted FABULOUS just the same.
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We stayed at the Fairmont Hotel in DC...and it was a lovely place to rest and recouperate.
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Even with all this cavorting about...I've managed to get 2 items knitted and off the needles.

I finished the 2nd pair of the fingerless mitts - with plenty of yarn to spare!

and I knitted a sweater for my GUS.

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This is the Cowl and Howl pattern from Stitch and Bitch...I took a little cowl off the howl. . I also added a hole for his harness for when he takes me for a drag. He has so much energy!!
PS that coke can is empty...but he is always looking at me (see below) and I had M distract him with something that smells tasty.
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here he is in his favorite spot..curled up anywhere he can find on me.
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Although this morning, he elected to stay in bed with M. When no one is looking, they are best buds.

November 2, 2009

First in Two

here is the pair of fingerless mitts I made for Jen.

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They have been lovingly worn every chilly day since they were off the needles.
Notice the GUS hair...it's EVERYWHERE!!
he's moulting he's moulting!!!!

I gave these to my baby early in the morning of her birthday.

Someone told her on the BUS that they looked like they were bought from a STORE.

Nice compliment from a tween indeed.

Here is one mitt for Em - and the other started/restarted while watching the Ravens game at a friends house.

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I sacrificed color for stitch definition on this pic.

Not too shabby I must say!

And just because I thought I would share with you... geekout for a minute...

Here is a jar of silica sand now residing on my desk - from the White Sands National Monument.

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A very good close friend of mine... Bill brought this to me from New Mexico last time he was in town. He managed to get a whole water bottle full...and brought it to me.

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Get your NASA geek out...and marvel at my contraband silica sand.

Recessionista-in-training

This is a clear indication of when you know your 6th grader is aware of the recession.

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I remedied this today.
But how is that for "using what you got"??
**hand cramp**

October 29, 2009

Baby Cables brought to you by ZOMBIES

Zombies aren't really crazy about the knitting...but they sure do love BRAINS!!!
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here is the beginning of my latest pair of fingerless mitts.
I knitted a pair for Jenna...Cast on 60 - *k2p2*
so these are Em's...Cast on 54 - *k2,p2,c2,p2,k2*
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Same but different. I am addicted to this Whorled Peace yarn. I got this on my recent trip to Lancaster PA. I think I can get a pair of baby socks and a hat out of it too! This yarn I can't get tired of...look at this color!

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Yowsza!
Nasturtium.. is a flower. I had to google it.
here is a picture of the real flower...I think the dyer got really close.
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This halloween Jen is with her dad...so I will be going it alone. Which means no new zombie costume. I love being a zombie for halloween.
Staying true to our traditions...We watched It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. Good Times.
Happy Halloween!
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Dish DeJour :One Pan Paella at Casa K

Casa K's Paella...
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and our secksy in house resident chef, M

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He is the BEST cook...I NEVER cook. SERIOUSLY.. packaged box/frozen dinners have taken a financial hit in the last year...hamburger helper is so 2008.
Sorry, Betty C. and Chef Boyardee.
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Our resident obstacle courses... always underfoot when M is whipping something up in Kitchen Stadium.
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M...who also knows how to keep the romances alive...
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after all what is better than roses on your piano?
heh. heh. heh.

October 28, 2009

Sock Number-o One-o

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I'm into the gusset shaping on the second... keeping true to the sorta colorwork on this one.

Here I am with my little lapwarmer...GusMan
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This is a gift for the holidays.
I'm way behind. Everyone wants socks. and they all have big feets.

I'm forecasting stash busting at it's best. The TUBE SOCK.

Just because I live someplace beautiful...
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Happy Fall from Northern Baltimore Country.

Gustopher Lee

Gus for halloween...
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When I put the hat on him...he refused to get in the car. He hates the hat.
Can you tell?
It's not a manly hat.
he was offended.
He came to work with me for our halloween party. I was the beekeeper.

Keepin' Watch for lunchtime passersby...
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he manages to keep his Joe Cool mojo rockin...


Gus Looking for crumbs..
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Snoozing Smushface Style...
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Gus says...keep it real...and only wear your hat when Mum makes you wear it!
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G-man out.


October 15, 2009

By Jove! I think you've Gusset!

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look at that thumb gusset!

SpaceTricot Photo Gallery