July 31, 2006

Lace knitting take 2

If you were a fly on my wall this weekend you would have observed:

Started the shawl again on Saturday. Got to row 17 and had 2 extra stitches. Hummm..... Rip back. Cast on 5 and did the first 2 rows, mumbled something about this being stupid and shoved project back into the WIP basket. Pulled out socks and knit those all day.

Sunday read the paper, sip some coffee. What? No, I can't hear you little shawl. I'm not going to work on you today. Ok, Ok, I'll try again. This time I'll use a lifeline. The kids complaining that my counting out loud and sighing were interfering with their TV watching. But all the counting seems to be working because I'm up to the second repeat on the body.

July 28, 2006

How many socks?

This is my first and last try at koolaid dying yarn. I had some while yarn that I wanted to use for socks but white yarn and little kids don't really mix so I dyed them. My fingers were more red than the socks and I can't say I was wowed with the results.
And this is my collection of socks for CIC. Wanna take a guess how many?
No I'm not addicted to sock knitting. I can stop any time. Really I can. Yup any time.

July 27, 2006

PR3 show 3 and socks

Blogger is having issues so I can't load the pic of my pile-o-socks. Maybe tomorrow.

To all the people of the United States: People in Ohio do not dress like Angela. I am origionally from Ohio and I know this for a fact. If you go to Ohio you will not see anyone wearing an outfit that gathers at the top of the thigh unless it's orange and a part of a pumpkin Halloween costume.

I loved last night's show because they were designing for dogs. Yes, little tiny dogs. They were adorable! Each designer selected a dog and designed an outfit for their model and their dog.

Michael's design was once again one of my favorites. He really is talanted and should get some more camera time.

Keith did a good job but decided not to design anything for the dog. Not only that but he took credit for sewing the dog's collar when all he really did was sew a piece of fabric to a bracelet taken from the Macy's wall. What a liar he is!


Vincent's dog was hysterical. He spent the entire time walking the runway trying to take off the little hat Vincent made for him. Vincent's outfit was ok but the dog was priceless.

Alison's outfit was very nice. So was Uli's. Either could have won but Uli pulled it out for using 2 very different and bold patterns.

Jeffrey designed something that looked like actual clothing someone might wear.

The bottom two were Katherine and Angela. As the judges were tearing apart Angela's outfit you couldn't help but laugh because Angela was wearing almost the exact same skirt. But in the end Katherine went home. Hated to see Katherine go and Angela stay.

I'm going to admit that high fashion escapes my understanding. Here's why:
Bradley: Simple blue skirt with a top that looked like an inflated yellow/gold balloon. The side view was beyond words but the judges loved it. LOVED IT! At least the dog only had to wear a simple collar so the other dogs didn't point and laugh.


Laura: Simple skirt and jacket with fur that looked like brown seaweed at the cuffs and collar. The poor dog was dressed the same. I felt bad for the poor dog because it's not like she's got a chance at a spread in Elle magazine. Plus Laura didn't really even like the dog. Cutiest dog and she didn't like her.


The best part of the show was a commercial with Jay from season 1. They gave Jay a car and he used it to drive to Bryant Park with a mannequin. He wanted to show the mannequin the park where he would be showing his collection in September. They sat a while, chatted, and took a ride on the merry-go-round. It was hysterical. I'm back to loving Jay.





July 24, 2006

Ever try taking a picture of your arm?

It's not as easy as I thought it would be. Anyways, I finished another mitt for Jennifer. She's collecting items to sell at a craft show. The project is called Socks for Sheep. A worth while cause for sure.
The yarn is Knitpicks sock memmory yarn that I got on sale. The origional plan was to use the 10 skeins I picked up and use them for socks for myself. But when I was blog surfing and saw Jenn's project I thought they would be better used so something else.

July 22, 2006

Two polite people and a set of double doors

I'm 47 yrs old and I'm a bit old fashion when it comes to manners. To me manners are the simple rules the assist people live together in this world. They aren't hard. Most stem back to the simple thought that you should treat others the way you would like to be treated.

When my children were going up manners were inforced. Please may I haves and thank yous were something you said to brothers and sisters. The teachers in school were always telling me, "Your daughter/son is so polite. It's a pleasure to have him/her in class."

When a waitress brings me water I say thank you. Guy at the grocery store bags my groceries? Thank you. It's part of their job but good manners dictate that I thank people for doing nice things for me. Please and thank you's make the world go round.

I hold elevators, pick up things that people drop in front of me, say hi to strangers, and wave at my mailman if I happen to see him one my walk around the block. I don't think this makes me a wonderful person; it's just the way my parents raised me.

So this morning after playing at the park with my grandsons I stopped at Dunkin Donuts to pick up a couple blueberry muffins for my youngest daughter. I got to the outer door to go in the same time someone was opening the inner door to go out. Of course I didn't even look up, I just automatically stopped, took a step to the side (figuring the person coming out probably had a tray of coffee and box of donuts), and held the door waiting. No one came forward. Hummmm.

I looked up and there in front of me holding the inner door open and stepping to one side was a guy who had to be about 75 yrs old, a cane in one hand, hat in the other. What to do? An issue one almost never runs into. Two polite people holding different doors for each other. I smiled and moved forward thanking him and wishing him well for the day. Sometimes the most polite thing you can do is accept kindness from a stranger.

July 21, 2006

Hard to like someone with Size 12 feet

My latest Opal yarn ... Dreamcatcher. It's actually shades of grey not a purple tint as it appear in this picture. I was thinking of using it for the next pair of socks for my son in law. I really like my son in law but knitting socks for someone with a size 12 foot is definately an act of love. I'm going to have to encourage my other 2 daughters to marry men with smaller feet. I finished a pair for him last night. The yarn is Opal Batik which is a little heavier than regular Opal. The color claimed to be red but it's very orange. He's into tie-dye stuff so I think he'll like these. I still have this skein of Opal Batik but I think I'll leave it in my stash for a while and use the dreamcatcher.

I couldn't find a suitable cat so I decided to pose the yarn with some Thomas the Tank engine trains instead. I must say the the trains don't try to eat the yarn as you are setting things up so that's a definate plus.

July 20, 2006

Project Runway 3 show 2

Well so far Bravo is 2 for 2 this season. Last week Keith won the challenge. Don't get me wrong, it was a beautiful dress but I would have given it to Robert, Laura, or Michael over Keith. Those 3 were innovative in their design and use of the materials. This week Malan Breton was sent to clear out his space in the workroom. I would have sent Angela back to Ohio.

The challenge was to make an evening gown for Miss USA, Tara Conner, to wear in the Miss Universe pageant. Hummm, Kayne designs pageant gowns. The designers were given 30 minutes to design something and then pitch it to Tara. Tara decided on the 7 designs she wanted to see as a final product. 7 dresses, 14 designers so that could only mean one thing. Yes, you are working in teams.

I loved the team of Kayne and Robert. Robert didn't agree with fabric selection but stood behind the project. He and Kayne made a wonderful team because they are both really nice people.

Laura and Michael were another great team. Who would imagine the mom of 5 and the hip hop dude could work together so well? Again, they are both really nice people and had a lot of respect for each other.

Watching Angela and Vincent was terrible. I couldn't help but feel that Angela was trying to get rid of Vincent by being as bitchy and unhelpful as possible. I'm not a big Vincent fan but I felt sorry for him.

The gowns were each unique and really overall I'd say they all had possibilities. But in the end Kayne was the winner with a killer dress.

Left on the runway at the end were Vincent, Malan, and Angela. Vincent was allowed to leave in spite of Angel's negative comments before, during, and after the challenge. Malan lost because of his poor design. And while I understand the design wasn't exactly on target I think he should have been allowed to continue. The challenge was design and team work and Angel's lack of teamwork outweighed Malan's design in my mind.

The reason I think Malan should have stayed is what he said on the runway. He told the judges that out of his team he should be the one to leave because the gown was his design and vision. That took a lot of class and courage on his part. It was true but he didn't try to put a spin on anything. The dress was what it was.

Malan cried. I cried. My daughter cried. Now we're waiting for karma to catch up with Angela. Good things do not happen to bad people.

I think Tim Gunn is contracted to use the phrase "Carry on" or "Make it work" 4 times per show. In show #1 we had 2 of each phrase. In show #2 we had 4 Carry on's. One of them was thrown in quite haphazardly because obviously the editing staff must not have counted correctly and only had 3 up to that point.

July 19, 2006

You call this pumpkin?



I'm a great fan of knitpicks yarn. It's a decent quality for a decent price. I use it a lot for my charity knitting projects and socks for my grandsons (why use something expensive for little feet that grow at an amazing rate?). Usually I'm pretty happy with the colors but this pumpkin reminds me of something you'd find in a bady's diaper. I tried fern on the pair in the upper left hand corner but really can't say I'm wowed with the combination. What color do you think would best match?


Project Runway3 tonight.


July 17, 2006

CIC socks

The bitch turned on the AC yesterday!!! And already has it on today. Gonna be another scorcher in CT. Over the weekend I did a little toddler sock knitting. Still need to get rid of the ends on most of the pile but at least they are done and will be able to join the rest of their sock buddies in the box shortly.
I wanted to show you the difference between a mistake and a variation on a pattern. The sock on the left has a mistake (knit 3 rows, purl 1 row instead of knit 2 rows, purl 2 rows). I didn't see it until after the sock was finished and I was attaching it to it's sock life partner. I can only hope that the toddler who will be wearing this sock will not be shunned by the rest of the toddlers for second rate socks.

The sock on the right has an unintended pattern variation. Note how the second block which should be k2,p2 for 2 rows is k2,p2 for 3 rows. Now you may be asking, "Diane why isn't that a mistake?" A good question. It's not a mistake because I saw it before casting on the sock's life partner and therefore was able to do the same variance on the second sock. Almost like it was a plan.

July 15, 2006

The Bitch Won't Turn On The AC!!!

It's hot and humid.
It's only 9 am and the temp is 84 in my work area.
And there's no AC.
NO FRIGGIN' AC!!
WTF is wrong with the chick in charge around here.
I'm melting. Melting I tell ya.
She talks about the high cost of electricity.
Put on a fan; it'll move the air and make you more comfortable.
Drink plenty of fluids to keep cooler.
What a cheap bitch.
And the part that pisses me off the most?!?!?!
The cheap bitch is me; I'm a telecommuter and I work at home.

July 14, 2006

On High Alert!

I'm on high alert. I am ready to spring into action upon receiving a phone call day or night. Clothes put just so to be thrown on my body in 3 seconds. Check. An actual pair of shoes. Check. Full tank of gas. Check. I know where my glasses are, car keys, and socks in progress waiting at the ready.

Military operation? Firefighter? Crime scene tech? Hardly. I'm a grandma waiting to do what I do best ...... babysitting my grandsons. High alert for childcare day or night? We're all waiting for the call that means our granddaughter wants to come out and get spoiled.

Little man W is 3 1/2 yrs old. Little man N is 19 months old. So when the little lady makes her appearance my daughter and her hubby will have 3 children under the age of 4. My daughter knows that she will survive the hectic household because she grew up around here where there were 4 children with the oldest being 5 1/2 yrs old.

But I don't care about any or that at this point. My only thought day or night is, "When are they going to call? What if I'm at the grocery store? Out for my nightly walk? What if I trip in the driveway and can't get to the phone due to a broken leg?" Talk about stress!!!

Gotta go check to make sure I have a dial tone.

Don't you just love when the mailman brings you this?

Oh the wonder of the internet. One evening your just sitting around surfing CNN when all of a sudden it hits you, "I'm going to have to make socks for the little boys (aka grandsons) because their feet will have grown by the end of summer." Do I panic? Of course not. Knitpicks is just a click away. And faster than you can say, "Where the hell is my measuring tape!" the order is complete and you are left standing by the mailbox waiting.


Please note my assistant Charlie artfully helping me arange the yarn for picture taking. His quiet guidance and support offered balance and style to the picture for sure.


This is my project I'm working on while on a training call for work. Why waste good knitting time since it's all done over the computer and on the phone so they can't see what I'm up to. Notice again Charlie's assistance. That hooking tail gives the perfect balance to what would have been a dull picture.

**IMPORTANT NOTE** No cats were asked to wake up during the shooting of this posting.


July 13, 2006

Project Runway season 3

Project Runway 3 started last night. Since I can't really sew all that well I envy people who can so I was hooked the first time I saw the show. This is Tim Gunn who I just adore. He's a mentor to all the designers giving them feedback and guidance thru each task.
All of the designers are interesting but Laura caught my eye last night. She's a 42 yr old mother of 5 who is always dressed up. No sweat pants and sneakers for this lady. Got me thinking, "How much do you think this woman spends on dry cleaning?" Seriously, I thank God for the label, MACHINE WASH TUMBLE DRY!!!!

I can wait for them to show Jeffrey the door. I know it's a competition but I don't understand the need to be rude to other people on the show.

On season 1 I was all for Jay Mc Carroll. He was creative and had a different point of view. Well after watch the pre show last night I'm just so over him. He competed, won, and yet has to launch a line of clothing. If anyone else on season 1 had won they would have done much better at taking the fame and moving it into $$$$.

Knitting Happy

This sock is my favorite thing to knit. The yarn is TO DIE FOR! The colors of course are 1 million times better in real life. The yarn is soft and a tight spin. The color combination is perfect. I would highly recommend this to anyone. Carol has a wonderful Esty shop with something for everyone. If you don't see what you want just email her.
I actually had to stop working the day this yarn came to cast on and start knitting. Since the socks are for me I keep putting them aside to work on other things. Anytime I need a little knitting pick me up I do a couple rounds and smile the whole time.

July 11, 2006

The Evil One

Here the Evil One lurks. Doesn't look like she's lurking does it? Well I assure you she is. This is a never used corner in the living room. Nothing lives in the corner except dust. But today dust has company. Is she there because it's hot and she's catching a breeze? Nope. She there because you'll never see her as you come down the circular metal stairs on her right. She'll then hiss, reach out and scratch the unsuspecting foot of the person who has ventured down the stairs.

The Evil One is really just a nickname for her. The real name of this female cat is Oscar as in Oscar the grouch. She was thrown from a moving car 16 yrs ago and picked up by my brother. After 3 days we understood why her owners got rid of her. She's an awful cat. Mean, grouchy, and doesn't get along with anyone or anything. But we figured that every creature deserves a safe place to call home so here she lives. We're pretty sure we'll all die before she does.

Laundry

As a mom of 4 I've done my fair share of laundry. When the kiddles were small I use to do about 14 loads of laundry a week. As they got a bit older they started to take over doing their own laundry. This wasn't because they felt I had too much to do, needed a break, or just wanted to be kind. It was becasue Mom's thinking was if you have 10 clean pair of jeans in your closet then I don't need to do a small load at 10:30pm on a Thursday night (laundry room is located outside my bedroom door) ..... even if the child was sure she would DIE if she couldn't wear that one pair in the dirty clothes.

As things continued the kiddles started to do more of their clothes and I was down to about 5 loads a week. So Friday I sorted my stuff and started the whole washer, dryer, basket cycle. I got down to just a half load of whites by the end of the day. Saturday, D2 did laundry followed by Sunday with D3 getting her's done. Perfect, someone will throw my half load in with their whites to make a full load.

Yup, in my friggin dreams that'll happen. So I wandered into the laundry room this morning. Not only is my half load still there but D3 decided that it's somehow easier to walk down a half flight of stairs, go into the dryer, pull out just the clothing needed for the day, walk back up a half flight of stairs, get dressed, and leave for work. Did this Monday and Tuesday. UGH!!!!

July 07, 2006

The Story of the Shawl

You know how you read blogs and see all the wonderful things other people are making and you think, "Gee, I need to make a *********." **** could be socks, a sweater, a cover for my car. Well I was reading one day and blog after blog was shawls. Light lacey shawls. Beautiful wonderful shawls. I needed to make a shawl.

I ordered a pattern and some yarn . This is my first attempt before frogging.

Now I could blame my inexperience at lace knitting. I could tell you that the sun was in my eyes. The pattern was hard to read. I'm not use to knitting on anything but bamboo double points. But all that would be a lie.

The real reason was my old stitch markers weren't lace friendly (aka if you don't put it on the needle between the right stitches then you'll have issues). Damn those nasty old stitch markers. So I did the only thing I could think of and bought new split stitch markers. We'll see how try #2 goes.

July 06, 2006

Welcome


Well, here we start on the new adventure of blogging. Pictures to follow.