Girl Gone Loopy

…since I posted???

::sigh::

I’ve been stupid busy.

The job is still the job.  It is what it is and it’s what pays my bills…it is not what feeds my soul. 

I have been knitting…  I even have finished projects to prove it, tho you’ll have to wait for photo’s, since I’m at work…and the photos are not.  I have finished a cabled scarf, a cardi for my niece (of my own design), a pair of fingerless bagpipe mitts for The Poet (my hubby-ish), two hats….um….  WIP still out number finished items and I think they always will.  I’ve accepted that about myself and moved on.  : )  I am working on the Anniversary Mystery Shawl, the Boteh crocheted scarf…and others, but those two are my main things right now.  I’ve even been spinning a little…

I’ve joined the pipe and drum band that The Poet belongs to.  I’m learning side drum (snare to most people)…  It’s harder than I thought it would be…but I am enjoying it.  It is yet another HUGE time suck for me, tho… Like I needed something else..right?? 

So, let’s look at my typical week…. We have 13hr work days (including the commute) Mon-Wed…  Thursday is band practice right after work, so that makes it a 16.5 hr day by the time we get home.  Friday is knit group after work, another 16 – 17 hr day for me…  I don’t get much time at home or much sleep.  I know, I know…a lot of people have it just as bad, if not worse…  But “A lot of people” aren’t ME and I can whine if I want to…  ::whiiiinnneeeeee::  See? 

So…I’m still sleepy…just starting my first cup of coffee this morning…  I just wanted to get a few new words on here…try to get back in the grove, so to speak…

I’m done with my whiney-butt post…  It’s the rain…it just won’t stop.

::sigh::

…unless you want an hour long rant about how you should really listen to your gut when it’s telling you this job isn’t for you…

With that said… I’ve been lucky enough to get a job…I’ll be even luckier to get a DIFFERENT one.

Grrr…

Now…on to knitting news…

My felted bag exchange is going strong and I am not posting pic’s because it isn’t a secret exchange and I don’t want her to see what she’s waiting for.  So, you’ll get pic’s when it’s all done and she has it in her hands.

BUT, I will say that it’s FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC and I wish it were for ME!!!  And so does everyone else who sees it.  LOL  I hand-dyed the yarn…one is a shaded-solid and one is a variegated and WHOO-HOO do they look fabulous together!!  (TOOT-TOOT) (In case you couldn’t hear my own horn honking).  : )  I just bound off for the main body (it’s my own pattern) and am now adding the details/straps/and whatnot to it.  And that’s all I’m going to say about it.  I hope she likes it as much as I do!!  : )

My February Lady is going again…  I’m using StSt with a seed st border/button band instead of the miles of mind-numbing garter stitch.  I also changed the increases from a M1R, M1L to a YO raglan increase with two twisted stitches in between the YO’s.  Looks like a little cable between the YO’s.  I likey.  I haven’t touched it since I started the felted bag…so its waiting patiently for me.

I’m busy organizing a Hand-dye Yarn Exchange on Ravelry…  If you aren’t on Ravelry….  WHY THE HELL NOT?????  If you aren’t my friend on Ravelry…. WHY THE HELL NOT??????  Get your yarn-loving tushy on over there…  Geez.  >eye roll<  No, seriously…lots of good stuff there.  I have about a million groups that I belong too… Four that I “run”… 

I haven’t touched my food blog… With the commute I have now…I am not cooking like I used to…  No one wants to read that I made sloppy joes……..out of the CAN…. >shudder<

In other news…  I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it on here or not…but back in June of last year my dear husband-like decided to learn the bagpipes.  Yep…BAG PIPES.  (It’s a really, really good thing I actually LOVE the pipes or I’d have killed him by now)  He is part of a pipe and drum band here and it’s going really well…  He marched in the York St. Patty’s Day Parade on the 14th and the Harrisburg parade yesterday.  It’s so super cool…  AND I get to see him all decked out in a kilt all the time now!!  WHOOT!  I love it!!!

Anyway… I’m feeling chipper… Spring has sprung…so back to cleaning for me!

Happy Stitches!!

I’m in a funk and it’s ticking me off.

hrmph.  (see what I mean…it works nicely)

I am very impatiently waiting for a felted bag exchange to start.

I am very impatiently waiting for a mystery shawl KAL to start.

I am wrapping up a scarf exchange.

I frogged my February Lady Sweater so I could start over minus all the ugly ass garter stitch…(no offense to anyone who likes garter stitch…not my personal favorite)

I feel bored.  I need to go back to work.  On that note, I do have an interview tomorrow.  I’m saying nothing else til it’s done and over with…so Nah!!  (keep your fingers crossed for me!)

I’ve been brainstorming lately.  A lot.  Since I’m out of work and have some time on my hands I’ve been trying to think of creative items I could make to possibly earn some coins while I look for a day job…

Here’s what I have so far:

A: nothing
B: nothing
C: nothing

Looks pretty good doesn’t it.  Should rack in TONS of dough.  >sigh< 

My brain just isn’t spitting anything good out.  A dear friend wants to go into business together.  She see’s that awesome hand dyed sock yarn pie…and wants us to cut a piece for ourselves.  I am willing to give this a shot.  I love to dye, I love sock yarn…  What could go wrong, other than it doesn’t sell at all and she ends up with a TON of sock yarn dyed by me (she’s fronting the money, so it’d go to her if it didn’t pan out.) >wink<

But other than that… I’m running dry.

I tried knitting wire…thought I could make knitted earrings.  That was about as much fun as cramps.  I tried the crocheted jewlery thing…and this might work, I just gotta fine that “one thing” that really does “it”… (oh, shut up, you know what I mean.)  >grin<  I have other ideas that I’m running around with…but nothing concrete.

The February Lady sweater is coming along well, if mind-numbingly.  I HATE GARTER STITCH.  It rots my brain.  I *KNEW* I should have done the garter stitch top section in seed stitch, but NOOOOO, I wanted to knit the pattern as is.  AS IS?!?!?!?!  I’m a dumb-ass.  I know I hate garter stitch…  I should have went with my guts.  It looks okay…but I would have liked seed stitch better, but there is NO WAY I am ripping it out.  I’m almost (like 2″) away from starting the lace section. 

I have 874 yards of candy apple red fingering weight…  Any ideas of what I could do with it???  Please don’t say socks.  : )  I want something creative and intricate.  Give me your best shot!!!

It’s name is:  That’s Good Chewin’!  It’s the blog for my other self…the Foodie.  It’s still a very wee tot…don’t yet know what it will grow up to be, but check it out and tell me what you think of it so far.

That’s Good Chewin’!

Thanks,

me

I’m trying to knit with wire.

It’s akin to nailing jello to a tree.

I’m being to develop a twitch just below my left eye.

This is the scarf for my Internat’l Scarf Exchange pal.  It’s 64″ now and will prolly be around 75″ when I’m done knitting (before I add fringe).  That’s the unblocked measurement.  When I’m done blocking it will be about 80″ or so (I don’t want to block it too hard, it would lose some of the squishiness)…after I add the fringe, we’re looking at about 100″ or so.  That’s over 8 feet of gorgeous squishy soft giant cablely knitting to wrap around someone’s neck.

The yarn is Moda Dea Tweedle Dee  in the “Blue Heather” colorway.  It’s a chunky yarn (using size 11 needles).  Now…normally I don’t go in for:
A. Acrylic yarn
B. Chunky yarn. 
This stuff…WOW!!!  I really LOVE THIS YARN.  I am totally going to make me one of these scarves…prolly out of one of the red colorways.  It is super soft and smooshy and the way the colors melt into one another is just amazing.  I think when I make my scarf with this yarn, I do a big chunky entralac with it, tho.  I’m in love with this yarn and if you haven’t used it…go get some.  Seriously.  (Maybe Moda Dea will hire me…???)  LOL

Happy Stitches!!
Me

Ta-da!!!  (click on the pic’s to make them bigger)

This is my niece’s cardigan all blocked out.  I’m super excited!  I can’t wait to seam it all up and crochet the border…  Ohh….  I’m all wiggly!!

It’s out of Fisherman’s wool that I hand painted.  I’ll post the pattern when I’m done with it.  : )

See you tomorrow!!

me