Runs With Needles: March 2006

Runs With Needles

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Sock it to me.

The sock is almost done.

Kish and sock


It just needs a heel:

Max modeling back of sock, where heel will go


I've very happy to have (almost) completed this sock. Kishka, however, found it quite boring:

Kish

posted by Kathy at 3/30/2006 11:31:00 PM | 0 comment(s)

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

What do you think?

Is it too soon for this?

I'm not talking about the 'right' anyone has to make these types of movies. This is America. They can make any darn movie they want to make.

What's your personal feeling? Will you be seeing this movie?

For me, it's way too soon.

I'm a big fan of historical type movies (Escape From Sobibor is one of my favorite movies.) I also loved Schindler's List and found Pearl Harbor enjoyable.

I think the difference is that I don't have memories of those events. To me, they're historical events.

However, it's not even five years since 9/11. I can't understand a movie about that day. I remember every second of that day (probably because I was on a plane, flying across the country) and don't care to see it on the big screen.

Is it just me? Or are there people out there planning on going to see the movie?

posted by Kathy at 3/29/2006 03:04:00 PM | 7 comment(s)

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Completely....utterly.....obsessed.

sock


I'm hoping to have this finished down to the toes by the weekend. Blogless MJ is going to give me (another) lesson in afterthought heels on Saturday. She showed me how to do the first one, but then the one I did on my own looked like total crap. I understand how to do it, but my hands just don't move the needles the right way. I'm sure another lesson under Blogless MJ's watchful eye will show me the error of my ways.

posted by Kathy at 3/28/2006 10:36:00 PM | 3 comment(s)

Monday, March 27, 2006

A crime. And a sock takes shape.

I arrived home from work tonight to find a crime scene:

yarn on couch 032706


When I left the house this morning the yarn was in this bag, which was on top of the laptop:

scene of crime 032706


I had my usual suspects, but quickly zeroed in on just one:

Kishka wants the treat

Kishka was put on trial based on the following evidence:

1. Samantha and Max eat things that they steal and the skein of yarn was intact.
2. The yarn was soaking wet and Kishka has a history of sucking on yarn.

The verdict?

Guilty of yarn theft and the defacement of said yarn.

The punishment: me wagging my finger in her face and saying "You're damn lucky you didn't hurt Mommy's yarn!"

The yarn is currently drying out. It should be back to new when I'm ready for it.

Here is the current sock progress:

kish and sock 032706


And some action shots of The Three Stooges:

all three 032706


Check out Sam's face in this picture:

all three funny sam 032706

posted by Kathy at 3/27/2006 09:41:00 PM | 5 comment(s)

Sunday, March 26, 2006

More! Socks!

The obsession continues. I completed this while parked on my couch today:

Socks! Pair #2

Just so you don't think I knit on my ass all day, I also vacuumed, did laundry, baked bread, and made enough chicken for my lunches this week.

Whew. Was I channeling Molly Homemaker or what?

posted by Kathy at 3/26/2006 10:30:00 PM | 0 comment(s)

Socks!!

Presenting....my first pair of socks!!

First pair of socks

First pair of socks

What: My first pair of socks!
Yarn: Crazy Monkey yarn, in the color “Tiptoe through the Tulips”.
Needles: 2
Pattern: None. It’s just a basic sock with an afterthought heel.
Lesson Learned: Lots. There are many, many mistakes design features in these socks.
Destination: Moi!

Look at how much yarn I have left over!

First pair of socks with leftover yarn

I knit the first sock on 56 stitches and did the heel over half the stitches. The result was a sock that was a bit too tight, with a heel that was a bit too small.

For the second sock, I knit on 60 stitches and did the heel on 34 stitches. The result was a sock that was a bit too loose and the heel was definitely too big.

So, for my next sock, I think I’ll do 58 stitches and the heel on half the stitches. Stay tuned for results.

Last Saturday, Kishka spent the day with me, running errands and going to knit group. The dog was pooped when we got home!

Kishka

Kishka

She didn't even open her eyes to scratch an itch:

Kishka

posted by Kathy at 3/26/2006 12:17:00 PM | 6 comment(s)

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Hooked on a cable (or two).

The winner of my blog contest is Brie! She guessed that I had 217 skeins of yarn. The actual total is 295.75. Since Brie was the closest (without going over) she is the winner of two skeins of Crazy Monkey yarn.

Brie’s in my knit group, so I’ll hand deliver the yarn to her on Saturday.

Inspiration is coming along wonderfully:

inspiration 031506

I had a comment asking for details about this scarf. (Blogger won’t let me access my comments, so I can’t link to the blog of the person who’s asking.) I found the pattern for this scarf here. The yarn I’m using is plain ‘ole acrylic:

inspiration yarn

A gold star also goes to the person who asked if my last blog title was from the song “Reunited”. Yes, it is! (And, since Blogger isn’t playing nice, I can’t link to the person who correctly identified the song.)

Cute critter pictures alert!!!

I think Sam has a new favorite toy:

Sam and toy 031406



Here’s Parker roaming the hall:

Parker 031406


Here’s Max, attempting to guard Sam’s favorite toy (he was not successful):

Max 031406


Kishka often hides her head while sleeping:

Kish hiding head 031406


The other night I was relaxing on the couch and Kishka kept looking at me upside down. So, (of course), I had to snap some pictures:

me n kish 031406


Kish n me 031406

Please ignore my wild hair. It had a mind of its own.

posted by Kathy at 3/15/2006 11:00:00 PM | 5 comment(s)

Monday, March 13, 2006

Inspired, and it feels so good. *

Monogamy (in knitting) is overrated.

Presenting....Inspiration!

inspiration

I found this scarf while surfing blogs and just had to make it. So, I cast on in this yummy coral yarn (color not accurate in the picture) and cabled the evening away.

Don't you just love doggy kisses?

Sam kiss Max







* A gold star is yours if can id the song lyric I ripped off.

posted by Kathy at 3/13/2006 10:44:00 PM | 4 comment(s)

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Monogamy

This has never happened before. I'm a monogamous knitter.

touch of red 031206

A Touch of Red will be my only project until it is finished. I frogged everything else that was on the needles.

I ran Pinwheel through the washing machine and it worked! It's no longer puckered in the middle:

pinwheel post blocking

I frogged all of my other WIP's because they no longer inspired me. Then I spent two hours going through all of my blanket patterns and NOTHING inspired me.

Zilch.

Nada.

Nothing.

:: sigh ::

So, I'm asking for your help. Is there a blanket pattern that you love? If so, please let me know.

Reminder: the Guess My Stash contest ends in three days.

posted by Kathy at 3/12/2006 10:03:00 PM | 2 comment(s)

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Friday is for feasting. And this week: an FO!

As always, I'm feasting on Friday:

Appetizer
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how intuitive do you think you are?
7
My gut reaction to people and situations is usually very accurate. My problem is learning to listen to my gut.

Soup
What is your favorite kind of gum?
Extra. And now they have Watermelon flavor!

Salad
Name a CD you own that you would never get rid of.
The soundtrack to Somewhere In Time. This is my favorite music in the world. I fall asleep to this CD almost every night.

Main Course
When was the last time you said something you didn't mean?
Today at work and that's all the detail I'll give.

Dessert
What is the sum of the numbers in your birthdate? (Example: 3 + 2 + 1 + 9 + 7 + 9 = 31)
27


Finally, Pinwheel is done!!

FO pinwheel

What: Pinwheel Blanket
Yarn: 2.5 skeins TLC Essentials in the color Citrus
Needles: 8
Pattern: Pinwheel Blanket
Lesson Learned: I really enjoyed knitting this blanket. It became a bit tedious near the end, but I will definitely be making more Pinwheels!
Destination: Warm The World


The yarn is doing something funky with this blanket. It's not spreading out as it should. I'm hoping a trip through the washing machine will help, even though it's acrylic.

The toys around here got quite a workout tonight:

Kish and Max chewing


I may be biased, but this is one of the cutest faces I've ever seen:

Kish

posted by Kathy at 3/09/2006 11:53:00 PM | 6 comment(s)

Required reading

This column is brilliant.

It should be required reading for every politician in this country. The politicians with a Y chromosome should be required to memorize this information.

posted by Kathy at 3/09/2006 11:24:00 AM | 1 comment(s)

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

The end is near!

Pinwheel edging

It's edging time for the Pinwheel Blanket! I'm doing a seed stitch edge. I should be casting off this weekend.

To mask my lack of knitting content, I will distract you with cute puppy pictures:

Sam in car


Sam


Shepherds


Max


Kishka on couch

posted by Kathy at 3/08/2006 10:08:00 PM | 1 comment(s)

Sunday, March 05, 2006

A prize, a couple FO's and stash enhancement

Here's the prize for the winner in the Guess My Stash contest:

crazy monkey contest yarn




Of course, I had to buy myself some Crazy Monkey yarn:

pinkgreen crazy monkey yarn


When I was computer-less, I felted the Fruit Loops bag:

Fruit Loops bag


What: Fruit Loops Bag
Yarn: 1 skein of Crazy Monkey yarn
Needles: I don't remember
Pattern: My own. It's i-cord that's then knitted.
Lesson Learned: I love this technique and will do another bag like this. (Only bigger!)
Destination: Me


Tonight, I finished my neck warmer:

finished neck warmer 030406


What: Neck warmer
Yarn: 1 skein of Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Oxford Grey and 1 skein of Cascade 220 Superwash in color 802
Needles: Size 7
Pattern: My own
Lesson Learned: Next time I'll do it wider and not as long
Destination: Me!

me in neck warmer

The Pinwheel Blanket is coming along nicely:

pinwheel 030406



I'm hoping to cast this off during the Oscars. Blogless MJ made one of these and it took her a couple of hours to cast off. I figure Oscar-watching is the perfect time to do such a mind-numbing cast off.

posted by Kathy at 3/05/2006 01:33:00 AM | 5 comment(s)

Friday, March 03, 2006

Feasting on Friday

As usual, here is Friday’s Feast:

Appetizer
How many pillows and blankets do you sleep with?
Four pillows (one king size, one regular size, one body pillow and one contour neck pillow) and usually one fleece blanket. I sleep with at least one dog, so don't need a lot of blankets!

Soup
What are you currently "addicted" to?
Tivo

Salad
If you could make a small change to your current routine or schedule that would make you just a little bit happier, what would it be?
Sleeping later during the week. I am not a morning person and getting up at 5am just about kills me.


Main Course
Which adjective do you find yourself using often?
I think it's probably either 'cool' or 'awesome'.


Dessert
Have you ever picked up a hitchhiker?
Hell, no!



I should finish this tomorrow:

neck warmer


Knit group is also tomorrow. Yay! Christy should be bringing her yarn crack. I'm going to be awarding some of her hand dyed yarn to the winner of my Guess The Stash contest. I'll probably end up buying yarn for myself, too. I can never resist Christy's yarn!

posted by Kathy at 3/03/2006 09:17:00 PM | 0 comment(s)