Runs With Needles

Notes and comments

My kitchen sink is fixed. Lots of sweat and plenty of cursing was involved, but it is repaired. I discovered a couple of things while doing this repair and both are in the picture:



A 40 lb. bag of dog food is the perfect size to lie on when fixing the sink. It's exactly level with the cabinet, so you don't get that hard wood in your back. Also, if I put the dog bed next to me, Kishka laid on that instead of trying to get under the sink with me.

I've gotten some questions in my comments lately, so I need to respond. I don't want to be rude. :)

Actually, I owe Maus all the answers. She's been full of questions! I finally met her yesterday, but didn't really get a chance to talk to her before she had to leave. Hopefully next time I can speak with her.

First, Maus wanted to know what kind of dog toy I posted the other day. It is simply the best dog toy ever. Seriously. I don't buy my dogs stuffed toys because they tear them apart in under 5 minutes. Last year, I was at PetSmart and saw this new 'tough' dog toy. It had a money back guarantee, so I decided to give it a try.

Over a year later, the toy is still around and is still intact. The dogs play with it every day and the thing won't die. I've been looking all over town for another one and finally found a store that carries them (PetSmart on Powers). I bought one of the last ones, but the clerk said that they were selling very fast, so they had already ordered another batch.

Maus also asked about Cotton Ease: "Did you ever use cotton ease and did you like it?"

I have never used Cotton Ease, but I will. (See pics later in this post.)

Kirsti sent along this link in response to my post from yesterday. I almost died laughing. Thank you, Kirsti!

Kirsti also begged for pictures of my newly aquired stash.

Here is the yarn I will probably use for myself:



The bright pink will probably be a scarf and the mint green might become a large blanket. The rest of it hasn't told me what it wants to become.

The other yarn I bought was for making Warm The World projects:



I haven't posted the Sassy Stripes scarf in awhile. It's coming along, slow and steady:



And the progress on J's blanket:



The only time I've knit all weekend was at the Knitters With Altitude meeting yesterday. It's just too damn hot. I took a couple of cold showers today and had a bowl of ice cubes out for the dogs.

Here's Kishka, looking hot (as in temperature):



And Samantha, who staked out the bed under the ceiling fan:

posted by Kathy at 7/31/2005 09:54:00 PM | 7 comment(s)

Non knitting musings

What on earth has happened to common sense and personal responsibility?

I was winding yarn tonight and watching the local news. One of the 'top' stories was homeowners complaining about the noise coming from Fort Carson .

I can sum up my opinion of this with two simple facts:

• Fort Carson (then called Camp Carson) has been there since World War II.

• The homes have been there less than 10 years.

Why on earth do people buy a home near an army base and then complain about the noise? Likewise, why do people buy homes near the Air Force Academy or the airport and complain about low flying planes?

Unfortunately, I'm not kidding. The local news regularly reports such stories.

Such idiocy is not limited to city dwellers. I live in the rural area of the county. New homeowners here receive a "Code of the West". Among the nuggets of wisdom:

• It is important for you to know that life in the country is different from life in the city.

• Emergency response times (sheriff, fire suppression, medical care, etc.) cannot be guaranteed. Under some extreme conditions, you may find that emergency response is extremely slow and expensive.

• Unpaved roads generate dust.

• Farmers often work around the clock, especially during planting and harvest time. Dairy operators sometimes milk without stopping and hay is often swathed or baled at night. It is possible that adjoining agriculture uses can disturb your peace and quiet.

• Farmers occasionally burn their ditches to keep them clean of debris, weeds and other obstructions. This burning creates smoke that you may find objectionable.

• Animals can be dangerous. Bulls, stallions, rams, boars, etc. can attack human beings.

Aren't these items common sense? If someone can't figure these things out for themselves they have no business living in the country. Hell, they belong in an assisted living environment.

We were talking about this lack of common sense at the KWA meeting this morning. I shared a story about an email that was posted to one of the many Yahoo Groups I read. One person gave everyone a heads up about the clearance sale this weekend at Joann. A woman replied back to this email and requested the link to Joann's website.

Excuse me?

She couldn't Google Joann? Hell, she couldn't type "www.joann.com" into her browser?

I've discovered that this type of request is very common on Yahoo's knitting groups. Why? Are people this stupid? Are they just lazy? I don't understand it.

Besides yarn winding, my other project tonight has been fixing a leaky pipe under my kitchen sink. Shockingly, I learned how to do this by Googling how to fix leaky pipes under kitchen sink.

What a concept! :)

posted by Kathy at 7/30/2005 10:59:00 PM | 5 comment(s)

I'm drunk. On yarn.

Oh, good lord, I am insane. I stopped by Joann's this morning. Their clearance yarn was 50% off (today through Sunday) and I bought some a lot. I binged.

I got just about everything for $1 or less a skein. How can I pass that up?

In my defense, I'm going to use a lot of it for Warm The World projects. But, I did buy some just for moi, too.

So, this is my public declaration that I cannot buy ANY more yarn. I am on a yarn diet.

I have no idea where I'm going to store all this yarn, so this weekend will be interesting.

I've gotten some good comments lately and will respond to them later. I'm not ignoring you. :)

posted by Kathy at 7/29/2005 11:24:00 AM | 4 comment(s)

Focus and distraction

All of my knitting focus is on J's blanket:



She's due September 14th and I want to have this to her before the end of August. Therefore, I'm only allowing myself to knit this until it's done.

I'm actually quite pleased with how it's turning out. The garter stitch is just mind-numbing at times. On the up side, that just gives me time to perfect my knitting and reading!

Speaking of reading, I'm very distracted by this lately:


I'm taking my time deciding what I want. I'll probably order this weekend.

The dogs got a new toy today. I slipped it into the toy box when they were outside an hour ago and no one has found it yet:


For any fans of Cotton-Ease in the Springs area: Joann has it on their clearance rack. There's tons of colors, too.

posted by Kathy at 7/27/2005 08:33:00 PM | 2 comment(s)

Today, at a very special Knit Group......

The Knitters With Altitude had a knit group/doggy play date today. AntiKathy and Tegan (the Poodle love muffin) were our hostesses, along with her husband, Chris. We had a wonderful morning of knitting, eating, drinking (lemonade) and watching our dogs play. Of course, it was nasty hot, so Anne, AntiKathy and I ended up moving inside (to the AC!) and chatting the afternoon away. There was no knitting, just talking and mocking the awful designs in knitting magazines.

I'm afraid I only have a couple pictures to share. Hopefuly Anti will have more. (Hint, hint!)

Here is Max, Anne's adorable puppy.




Max is the CALMEST puppy I have ever been around. He spent most of the morning snoozing on the bench next to his mom. Then he spent the afternoon on the couch, under the AC. (Anne raises smart dogs!)

Here's a picture of Kishka, enjoying the shade and grass:



Anne also tipped me off about something this morning. Kishka is not a Husky mix. She's a Malamute mix. I've owned Kish for 2 and a half years and had no clue! Thank you, Anne, for correcting me. I guess this is what Kishka has been trying to tell me with all of her wooing. :)

I have a FO!



What: Hot Pink Washcloth
Yarn: About half a skein of Hot Pink Sugar 'n Cream
Needles: Size 7
Pattern: Ripple Washcloth
Lesson Learned: I followed the pattern exactly, but next time I'm going to knit more rows. Then it'll be square. :)
Destination: It's already in my shower. :)

The Weather Geeks are saying that our heatwave is supposed to break tomorrow. Hopefully it does. Then maybe I can finish up a blanket!

posted by Kathy at 7/24/2005 12:50:00 AM | 3 comment(s)

Tag

Roxanne tagged me!

*******
10 years ago: I was single (Part I) and living in Allegan, Michigan. I was working a full time job I tolerated and a part time job that I loved. I was playing in two softball leagues, had a great boyfriend, was doing volunteer work and going to Chicago on weekends with my friends. That was a wonderful time in my life. I could never keep up with that schedule now, but it's a great memory. :)

5 years ago: Damn. This is embarassing. I don't really remember. All I can recall is that five years ago this week, I started my current job. I intended to stay 2 years. Oops.

1 year ago: One year ago I was living my life, totally unaware that it was about to be blown to bits. I was about to discover that my now ex-husband was cheating on me. It's been a hell of a year, but I can finally say that I am happy.

Yesterday: I went to work, came home and watched a "Little House on the Prairie" DVD and tried to knit a sock. It didn't go very well. (The knitting, not the DVD watching. :) )

Today: I went to work, came home and ate dinner. I had ice cream for dinner. (I love being a grown-up.) Later I will watch "Lost" and maybe knit (if it's not too hot).

Tomorrow: I'm getting my car fixed, so will be at the fix-it shop from 9am until who-knows-when. Is it bad that I'm looking forward to all that knitting time? I took the day off work, so after that I will come home and relax. (Probably knit and read.)

5 snacks I enjoy: Pretzels, chocolate (any kind, I'm not picky), potato chips, chips and salsa, anything with cheeze.

5 bands/singers that I know the lyrics of MOST of their songs: Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Tears For Fears

Things I would do with $100,000,000: Give enough to my parents, brother and best friend so that they never had to worry about money again. I would buy at least 1000 acres of land, plant my house in the middle of it and collect dogs. Seriously, I would probably start a shelter or a rescue group for abandoned adult dogs and try not to keep them all myself. I would also do a lot more knitting and keep my favorite knitting charity well stocked in yarn.

5 locations I'd like to run away to: Australia, Switzerland, Rocky Mountains, the U.P. of Michigan, the Florida Keys

5 bad habits I have: nail biting, I hold grudges, driving too fast, can be a worrywart, I'm always running late

5 things I like doing: Knitting, reading, traveling, watching movies and old TV shows, sitting outside and watching the world go by

5 things I would never wear: bikini, stilleto heels, a Kentucky Derby style of hat, mini-skirt, poncho

5 TV shows I like: The Amazing Race, Survivor, Lost, Desperate Housewives, ER

5 movies I like: Somewhere In Time, Escape From Sobibor, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Shawshank Redemption, North and South

5 famous people I'd like to meet: I'm assuming this means alive or dead so.......George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Charles Darwin, Laura Ingalls Wilder

5 biggest joys at the moment: my pets, knitting, reading, lazy summer days, living alone

5 favorite toys: crockpot, breadmaker, DVD player, computer, digital camera

And now, I think I'll tag Melanie!

Would you believe it's too hot to knit? It's 94 degrees here right now. (I don't have AC.) If I try to knit, my hands start sweating and I can't hold on to the needles.

posted by Kathy at 7/20/2005 08:23:00 PM | 3 comment(s)

Anyone check the temperature of hell lately?

Because I think it's frozen over.

MJ, darling, if you're reading this, you best sit down. I don't want you to have an attack of the vapors.

Two astounding facts:

1. I bought a pattern. Yes, a pattern. (Actually, I bought more than one, but who's counting, really?)

2. One of the patterns was for an article of clothing. For me.

I'll wait for you to get up off the floor.

Isn't this wonderful looking?

Of course, we won't discuss how I've never made clothing and have no clue what I'm doing. Both with a clothing pattern and choosing the proper yarn.

Isn't that what I have my knitting buddies for?

posted by Kathy at 7/18/2005 09:56:00 PM | 7 comment(s)

A record

I've always been a fast reader.

But never this fast.

I have finished Harry .

I wasn't able to knit for the last 1/3 of the book because I was so transfixed by the story.

Since this is a spoiler free zone I'll just say this:

The book was worth the wait and I can't wait for the next one.

posted by Kathy at 7/18/2005 01:42:00 AM | 4 comment(s)

Sock!

Presenting......my first sock!!



Mucho, mucho thanks to Felicia and AntiKathy. I literally couldn't have done it without them. Their patience was endless. Especially when my eyes glazed over and I stared blankly at the needles muttering "I don't get it."

The sock knitting literally took the whole day. We met at 9am and said goodbye around 5pm. There was, of course, a lunch break. We went to a nearby Asian buffet, stuffed our faces and oogled nearby men. :)

I am going to make another mini sock soon, but for now, my time is being spent with Harry . I am knitting on this while reading:




This blanket is the Reading Harry Blanket.

Just a note to fellow Harry fans: I'm making this blog a spoiler free zone. It's become a chore for me to avoid all the news out there about the new book, so please be assured that I will not give away any plot details here.

And yes, I was knitting and reading last night. Yay! I was using my sandal to hold the pages in place, but Jane has suggested a clothespin and I think I'll give that a try this afternoon.

posted by Kathy at 7/17/2005 12:41:00 PM | 4 comment(s)

Non knitting chatter. Well, maybe a tiny bit of knitting...

Go here and then come back.

:: patiently tapping toe ::

If you're not familiar with Landry's, they're a seafood restaurant.

Yes, that's right. The Denver Downtown Aquarium is owned by a seafood restaurant.

Isn't that a huge conflict of interest?


I have finished Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and am anxiously awaiting the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. This will be the weekend I learn how to knit and read at the same time. The new Harry Potter book will be in my hands and Felicia is teaching me to knit socks. How on earth could I ever choose between those two things?

The knitting has been sparse around here lately, even though I finished my book . It's just too damn hot to knit. All of my projects are big enough that they have to sit in my lap. If the heat continues, I'll just start casting on for projects and knit them until they get too big.

26 hours and 28 minutes until The Half-Blood Prince is in my hands.

I'm just sayin'.

posted by Kathy at 7/14/2005 09:32:00 PM | 8 comment(s)

Not knitting. But important.

Go here and read this article. Pay attention to the details.

Then, come back and tell me:

Why do we let these monsters out of jail?

And after they're let out and caught again....

Why do we give them bail?!?!?

I'm generally a pretty tough cookie, but that story has made me sick to my stomach.

posted by Kathy at 7/12/2005 08:31:00 PM | 3 comment(s)

Stash Enhancement

The other night I was inspired to cast on for another blanket and found this:



No cords long enough!

What's a girl to do?

I trotted my behind (and a 40% off coupon) to Michael's today and bought this:



I also hit the clearance aisle and was in heaven. At least it was heaven for this Acrylic Queen.

This yarn was $3 a skein:


And, this yarn was $1 a skein:



Yay! I am inspired!!! But, I am going to set the knitting aside this week, for I must finish Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (I have 300 more pages) before Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is delivered on Saturday.

I've been knitting up a storm on the Orange Sherbert blanket:



Thank you to everyone who has responded to my request for help on choosing a color combo for the Big Bad Baby Blanket. (Which I'm going to knit for Warm The World.) And if you haven't weighed in yet, please do! Melanie came up with a wonderful idea (border in white and opposing squares in blue and green), but I don't know if I'm talented enough or patient enough to pull it off.

Tonight I will leave you with this. Very cool.

posted by Kathy at 7/11/2005 09:17:00 PM | 3 comment(s)

7/7/05

In Memory

posted by Kathy at 7/11/2005 12:11:00 PM | 0 comment(s)

Too hot to think of a fancy title

At the Knitters With Altitude meeting this morning, I worked on the Blanket Formerly Known As Angel Creamsicle:



MJ took one look at it and declared that the blanket had to be called Orange Sherbert. So, now it is. :)

I also worked a little bit on my Mom's shawl:



While we were stuffing our faces knitting, Anne was telling us about how much yarn she has. She has more than her neighborhood LYS (seriously!) and Anne made the bold statement that she wasn't going to buy any more yarn this year.

A couple hours later, Anne and I were in the checkout line at Joann with this:



We both bought these two skeins of yarn, not knowing what we'll do with it. But, the colors were too fabulous to pass up.

I usually buy yarn and have no idea what it will become. I let it ferment in my stash until inspiration strikes.

I'm currently inspired to make the Big Bad Baby Blanket in the Stitch 'N Bitch book . I've pretty much got my yarn picked out, but am stumped as to which combination to use. Will you, my lovely readers help me out? Here are your choices:






Do you like the green and blue on their own? Or, do you prefer the off white yarn mixed in with them? Please, drop me a comment. I've been going back and forth for almost a week and can't take the stress. :-)

Amanda and Kirsti both stopped by to compliment my mindless Blue 'n Purple scarf. Thanks, ladies!

Kirsti is a Brit living in the U.S. and I just want to take this moment to extend to her my sympathy.

It's a hot night here on the plains and I have big plans. I'm planting my butt under a ceiling fan, popping in a DVD and knitting. This is the life.

posted by Kathy at 7/09/2005 06:19:00 PM | 6 comment(s)

FO!

What: Blue 'n Purple Scarf
Yarn: Unknown (from my Warm The World stash, which doesn't have labels)
Needles: Size 15 circular
Pattern: Simple garter stitch, baby
Lesson Learned: Great for knitting while engrossed in Sex and the City DVD's
Destination: Warm The World

And here's a picture of Parker, who's annoyed because I'm snapping pictures and not petting him.

posted by Kathy at 7/08/2005 10:08:00 PM | 2 comment(s)

Addiction

I received the following in an email today. I refuse to admit how many I can relate to. :)

YOU KNOW YOU ARE ADDICTED TO KNITTING AND YARN IF . . . . .

• You have a room in your house devoted just to knitting.
• You buy yarn just because it's pretty, even if you don't know what you'll do with it.
• You have been to at least one trade show (convention) or knitting camp.
• You have traveled across state lines to increase your stash.
• You have spent over $100 on knitting (yarn/patterns/books) in one day.
• You have spent over $400 at a knitting trade show (convention/camp) market in one day.
• You have lied to hide the fact that you have bought more yarn.
• You have put the name of a grocery store in your check register for the check that was for yarn.
• You try to beat your husband (or significant other) to the mailbox (so you get to the yarn deliveries first).
• Most of your friends are knitters.
• You have called in sick to stay home from work to knit.
• You have called in sick to go on a knitter's field trip.
• You stay up at night to knit, even if it means you only get a few hours of sleep.
• The employees at the local yarn shop know you by name and have memorized you credit card number.
• You find it hard to sleep because of your UFOs or new ideas whirling around in your brain.
• You get up in the middle of the night to work on projects.
• You get up in the middle of the night to read online knit list messages.
• In your dreams, you are knitting.
• You have more than two knitting totes.
• You have an email address that reflects the fact that you are a knitter.
• You have a personalized license plate that reflects the fact that you are a knitter.
• You have some kind of knitting accessory(ies) in every room in the house.
• You are the only one in your family who knows what a yarn bra is.
• You can recite the names of more knitwear designers than past presidents.
• You knit and read at the same time. If you are unable to do this because of a complex pattern, you will forego the reading.
• You have used knitting and the acquisition of yarn as the theme for a vacation. Here's an idea - let's look for all of the yarn mills in (Prince Edward Island, British Columbia/ Virginia/Wisconsin/etc. - place your destination here) for this year's vacation!
• You joined a knitting Web ring and keep a knitting blog.

posted by Kathy at 7/08/2005 07:11:00 PM | 1 comment(s)

There are no words.

posted by Kathy at 7/07/2005 09:48:00 AM | 1 comment(s)

Day is done, gone the sun.

Tonight's sunset..................................

posted by Kathy at 7/06/2005 08:40:00 PM | 2 comment(s)

Knitting my life away

Presenting..........................



What: Crayola Blanket
Yarn: 4 skeins of Red Heart Grande in the color Wow
Needles: Size 17, circular
Pattern: My own
Lesson Learned: None, really. This was an easy, fast knit that's earned rave reviews from everyone who's seen it!
Destination: Warm The World

And for the close up:

I'm very happy with the way this turned out. If I make another one, I'll probably use five skeins, so it's a tad bigger.


The Touch of Red Ruffle Blanket is meandering along:




J's baby blanket needs more attention:




The Blue 'n Purple Scarf is almost finished:




There are new friends on the needles:

The Hot Pink Washcloth:




The Angel Creamsicle Blanket:




My Mom's Shawl:


My Mom's Shawl is going to be a repeat of my Good 'n Plenty Shawl, except in blue. My mom liked my shawl so much that she requested one for herself.

And soon to be on the needles....

The yet-to-be-named scarf:



Whew! Think that's enough knitting?

Melanie commented about her use of Lion Brand Microspun and how it kept splitting when she was knitting with it. She was wondering if using Denise Needles makes it any better.

Nope. That's one reason I frogged the blanket I was making with Microspun. It kept splitting and was just all around pissing me off. I thought I loved this yarn, but apparantly I just love to fondle it. Knitting with it isn't much fun. I love how soft it is and adore the colors, but it's just not easy to knit with. I'm hoping I can use my stash of it to make some scarves or something.

I'm off to knit for the evening and avoid the reality of tomorrow. Back to work after 10 days off. Ugh. The dogs will miss me, I'm sure. They've gotten very accustomed to having me around all day, catering to their every whim.

Enjoy what's left of Independence Day!

posted by Kathy at 7/04/2005 06:54:00 PM | 4 comment(s)

What I did on my summer vacation

My parents and I transformed my deck from this:



to this:



Since the weather wasn't cooperating (very hot during the day followed by thunderstorms), this project took us the whole week to do. We had a lot of fun and are quite proud of our handywork.

After my parents left, I did this to my living room:



and to the bedroom:



I'm very proud of my ceiling fan installation. I wasn't sure I could do it, but decided to just go for it and I was successful!!

Today, I'm replacing window screens in my house. Why must I do this? Because of her:



Adorable, isn't she? It's because of that precious bundle of fur that my bedroom windows look like this:



Yes, those are baby gates in the windows. I have to do that or Kishka will jump out the window when she sees something interesting. Both of those screens are shredded, so I'll be replacing them today.


I frogged the Summer Somthin' Project last night. I don't know what I'll use the yarn for now, perhaps a blanket.

At some point today I hope to take knitting pictures. I have lots of progress to report!

posted by Kathy at 7/04/2005 11:10:00 AM | 2 comment(s)