I Need Your Advice

I need your advice on Ribby. Until I make this decision I am stuck. I completed the armhole shaping and I ran into a dilemma. My mom requested that I make her top in medium. I am worried that if I use the length the pattern calls for on the medium size that the armholes will be too large. She has a short torso like I do. We are only 5'2". I was thinking that I would use the medium width and the small length. So what do you think? Mom you are probably reading this. What do you think? My gut says to go with the smaller length, but I would still like to hear your oppions.

New Image Host

You will notice that some of my pictures are reappearing now. That is because I am trying a new image host. I have never heard of ImageShack.us before, so I'm not going to upload every single one of my pictures. I am just going to try a little at a time. Thanks so much for your patience.

Getting It Done

Well we survived yet another hurricane. That makes number 4 for Florida. I just can't get over it. I move to Florida, and they end up having a record making hurricane season. I can't remember ever wanting winter to come as bad as I do now. My nerves are completely frazzeled. At least I have my knitting to keep me calm, and I am really moving along on Ribby.

I have been keeping my promise to work on Ribby faithfully until it is done, but working on one project without touching another is really hard for me. I don't know what my problem is. I'm seriously wondering if I have ADD or something! My mind just keeps wondering while I'm working on Ribby, and I keep thinking of other projects that I could start/work on. 

I am now to the part of Ribby where you stop working in the round and knit the back and front seperately. I am almost done with the back and will be starting the front soon. I would really like to show you a picture, but my mom (Hi Mom!) reads my blog everyday, and it is her Christmas present. I will post pictures of it as soon as I give it to her. Heck, my image hosting isn't even working, so I couldn't post a picture of it anyways. Grrr! I really need to consider some different hosting options.

Late Night Bloggin'

It is 1:24am and I just got back from hanging with my knitting buddies :) Rhonda's hubby went out of town, so she decided to host a PJ party at her house tonight. Unfortunately, I have to work in the morning, so I couldn't sleep over. Janette made lasagna, avacado, and spinach pie. It was sooooooooo delicious. Nancy brought some no bake cookies that you make with oatmeal, peanut butter, and chocolate I believe. Yum! We all just sat out on Rhonda's back porch laughing, eating, chatting, and doing very little knitting! It was so nice to have a night out with the girls. Nancy surprised me with felting needles. She had ordered some for her and her sons and they decided to share with me. They are too sweet! I'll take pictures and go into more detail on that later. I'm too tired right now.

I hope that I will have power after tomorrow night. It looks like Jean is about to pay us a little visit. Have you watched the tracking of that hurricane? It is unreal. It was headed out to the Atlantic and then she thought, "Hey I forgot to go and kick the crap out of Florida! Everybody else is doing it!" and she turned around. Well thank you Jean! Thanks so much for not neglecting us Floridians. Click Here and you can see the crazy path for yourself....

See what I mean! It is unreal. We really thought we had nothing to worry about with Jean and now we are right in the path. As a matter of fact, I am more in the path of this one than any of the others. We may get a good whoopin' this time. Can you believe that I just took the darn tape off the windows about two days ago?? Well it's bedtime for me. Hopefully Jean will be kind and I won't be without internet for too long. I'll keep you posted. Goodnight :)

PS.

You may have noticed that I cleaned up my project list on the side. I have decided that I need to stop messing around and start getting stuff done. I have taken way to long on them. I am now just going to focus completely on finishing the Fair Isle Bag and Ribby Shell. I'm not even going to look at another project until their done. I need to get on the ball!

Fiber In

I figured out my camera issues so now I can tell you about my weekend. I had a wonderful time. It was great to see that there were so many Fiber Lovers in Florida. I had a hard time dragging myself out of bed that morning, so I missed some of the demos. Thankfully I managed to make it there in time to catch the Spindle Spinning Demo. The demonstrator was selling spindle kits for $3.00. This is what you get.

What a wonderful deal.  The fiber spun easily, the spindle was very well balanced, and the pamphlets where very informative. After Gina showed us how to use the spindle, she taught us how to Andean Ply. It is incredibly easy. The link that I just gave explains it very well.

After the demonstration I bought some fiber from a nice lady that gave me and Nancy a demonstration in Needle Felting.




She makes the most adorable sheep! That snowman was pretty darned cute too.




Now I have to try this! Like I really need a new hobby! I can totally justify this new hobby however. It is a way to use up the bits of fiber that gets torn away while spinning. So there! After that Clarice brought out a little friend of hers that I was quite anxious to meet.




If that face doesn't melt you, then something is seriously wrong! Didn't she pose so pretty for the camara! When I was a kid I always had pet rabbits, but I have never owned an Angora. As soon as Rob and I get out of this apartment and into a house, I plan to get one or two. You get a wonderful pet, and you get the added benefit of their wonderful fiber to spin. Getting to pet this cutey patootey was worth the two hour drive I tell ya!

As you can see I had a great time at the Fiber In, and I can't wait to do it again next year. Honestly, I wish we could do it a lot sooner.

Eeyore

Jenn wrote:

OMG! I LOVE Eeyore! Where did you find that book? I have been looking for some patterns of like eeyore afghans or something. If you could let me know where I could find the book, if possible, that would be so totally great and I'd love you forever. LoL, yes I'm a freak over eeyore! Haha, but I cant wait to see how it looks, I know it'll look great! As soon as I saw the picture of the ear, I was like eeyore's ear! haha anyways, I'll stop being stupid now and go :) see ya



Jenn,

Above is a picture of the cover of the pattern book that I am using. If you click on the picture it will take you to Herrschners.com where you can buy it for 11.95. (no affiliation just the first link I saw when I googled) I got my book about two years ago from Michaels, and I'm pretty sure that they still carry it. You can also click here to go the the Leisure Arts web site where I found a list of the different books they carry with Winnie the Pooh characters. There are books for knitting, crocheting, cross stitch, and more. Have fun!

Stacie :)

Latest Crochet Project

What is that?? You mean you don't know?? Haha! It's an ear! No I didn't cut it off of some poor defenseless crocheted creature. I just crocheted it last night, and one day it will belong to Eeyore. He will be 18" tall sitting up. The pattern is from the Leisure Arts book Pooh and Friends, and it will be a Christmas gift for my nephew Devin. Last year I made him Tigger. The picture of this ear does not really do it justice. Even with the flash turned off the color looks really washed out. I will try taking future pictures in sunlight to see if that will help show the true color of the yarn. I am using acrylic for this project because it is durable and easily washed.

Tomorrow I am going to St. Augustine for a Fiber-In. I'm so excited. It isn't going to be a huge event, but it will still be fun! This is the first year, and I hope that it won't be the last. One of the gals from my knitting group is going to be vending and she will also do a demo on Rainbow Dying. I wish my camera battery didn't stink so that I can take a bunch of pictures. I'm going to charge it overnight anyway and hopefully I'll be able to snap a couple. I'm so excited that I can't sleep!


I should be exhausted right about now. I have been suffering with an abscessed tooth all day. Luckily I was able to be seen by a dentist. That is no easy feat on a Friday. He wasn't even open, but said he would see me anyway. He prescribed me some Amoxicillin to clear up the infection. I expected him to charge me an arm and a leg for the impromptu emergency visit (especially since I was a new client), but he only charged me 45. I was shocked. Yes folks there are still nice people out there.

Too Cool

When I decided to put together a list of poncho patterns I thought that a few people would be interested. I had no clue I would end up getting over 1,000 hits a day! I also have about 70 people who are on my update notification list, and people are actually linking to my blog. Bev from Bev's Country Cottage put a link to me on her website. Thanks Bev :) I got so excited when I saw that. Nancy, one of the gals in my knitting group, went to Georgia during hurricane Frances and shopped at a place called Cast On Cottage in Roswell. She gave me a little flyer that they were passing out when you made a purchase. It is a link to my blog!! How cool is that. She said she started jumping up and down when she saw it! To top it all off I found out that Amy Singer the editor of Knitty put a link to my blog in an entry she wrote for the Interweave's Webwatch Blog!! Thanks Amy!! That was just too cool! I guess my poncho list was a good idea after all! Now hopefully I won't bore the people to tears that happen to read my entries. If I do, just sneak on past them to the Poncho List! Haha!

I'm Baaaaaaaack

Yahoooooo! My internet connection is finally back. It took me a while to get all caught up on everything after a week with no internet, but I'm back up and running now. Thank you so much for all of the prayers and well wishes. That had to be the longest hurricane ever! The police had us all get in our homes by 12pm on Saturday, and Frances just stalked us right off of the coast until Sunday. She then kept us all under seige until Monday. We were very lucky and did not have any damage to our home. We did have a bit of excitement though.

As you know we decided that it was safer to stay at home instead of fighting the traffic as thousands of people evacuated. I was getting slightly calm about it until the paramedics came through our neighborhood. They had their sirens blaring and were shouting over their loudspeaker, "YOU ARE IN A FLOOD PRONE ZONE!! YOU ARE IN A FLOOD PRONE ZONE!! YOU ARE ADVISED TO EVACUATE TO A SHELTER!!" It was unreal. I felt like I was in one of those disaster movies. I had the inevitable panic attack until Rob convinced me that the water wasn't going to rise all the way up to our second story apartment. That calmed me down and we decided to stay.

After that we were sitting in our apartment having some lunch when we started smelling smoke. We ran around trying to find the source of it, but we couldn't find anything. That is when we realized that it was coming in from the vents, and it was getting stronger. Rob started gather up our important papers and belongings, and I dialed 911. I ran out the door to try and find out which apartment was on fire. Now keep in mind I was barefoot, in shorts and a tank, and running through a full blown hurricane. I'm trying to talk to the dispatcher while I'm getting blown every which way and fully drenched.

About that time two police officers were patrolling my area and spotted this crazy lady running around half dressed in the middle of the storm. They figured something was wrong. Haha! Well I took them up into the apartment and they confirmed to dispatch that there was smoke coming through the vents. They then began checking all of the apartments in our building. Rob and I were getting our stuff ready to go out the door when we heard the officer call up the stairs. "We found the problem you guys. You don't have to leave." He explained to us that one of our neighbors decided to heat up their food by burning paper in a metal trash can INSIDE THEIR APARTMENT!! People are just brilliant I tell ya.

On the bright side of the incident I got to be on the radio! The station we were listening to was asking for people to call in with their Hunkering Down stories, so I decided to share mine. They started cracking up and called it the Mike Tyson Grill. They got such a kick out of the story that they mentioned it a few more times during their show. My grandma even said she heard a different station warn people to not burn paper in trash cans to heat up meals. Too funny!

Well that is my crazy hurricane tale! I did manage to get some knitting done believe it or not, but I didn't work on my Christmas presents. Instead, I knit up three 9x9 squares that will be collected and knit into an afghan for a woman who lost her husband in Iraq. If you would like information on how to participate, contact me.

Things are about back to normal now. We thought we were going to get Ivan, but it looks like the poor people in the Panhandle are going to get it instead. My prayers are with them and the people Ivan has already left in his wake.

Still No Internet Access

Unfortunately Frances did a number on the cable in my area. I am still without internet access, but I consider myself lucky. Thousands of people are still without power. I can live without the internet for a little while! Can't I??? I don't know! Haha! I think I'm going through withdrawls. I am at my grandmother's house using her computer to post this and check my email. I have lots to share, but I am still on limited time and I can't upload my any pictures from my camara. I figured that you all would understand :) I promise a nice long entry with lots of pictures as soon as I have internet again! Take care everyone! I miss you!!

We Survived!

I am on a borrowed computer with limited battery charge, so I'll have to make this really quick. We survived Frances. At present we don't have phone or power, but our water is not contaminated. That was honestly my greatest concern. It looks like Ivan is on his way now. Yahooooo!! I have lots to tell you, but as I said my time is limited. Thanks again for all of the well wishes and prayer. They were greatly appreciated. Take Care Everyone!!!

Hurricane Posts

Correction!

I stand corrected. Frances isn't quite here yet. She seems to be hanging out right off the coast. Click here to check the latest satelite image. I think they said that the eye is right over the Bahamas, but we are starting to feel the effects of her. I lost my cool for a minute when a paramedic truck drove through our complex saying over the loud speaker,"You are in a flood prone zone. You are advised to evacuate to a shelter." Now I have been watching the news religiously. Why are they just now saying we are advised to evacuate?? My husband says we'll be fine since we are on the second floor. More later...

She's Heeeeeeere

Hurricane Frances is making land fall soon, so I don't know how much longer I'll have power. As you have probably seen on the news, she has weakened. Who says prayer and postive thinking doesn't work! I really appreciate the support you all have given :) You are great! I'm not really scared anymore. Now I'm just wondering if I'll be without power for a long time. I think that my complex is on the same grid as the hospital so we may be up and running pretty quickly after all is said and done. We shall see. I will let everyone know how we faired as soon as this is all over. Thanks again!

Prepared


As you can see we are prepared for the hurricane. My husband got a little artistic with the window taping! Haha!

Zoe is obviously not worried about a thing...

This is what's coming right at us!

We Can't Leave!!!!

Thank you so much for all of the well wishes, prayers, and finger crossing. I really really appreciate it. I think we may need them now more than ever. It appears that we waited too long to evacuate and the roads are like parking lots. There is only one way out of this state and thousands are trying to leave. The authorities are saying it will take 3 to 4 times longer to reach any destination. If we left now, we could be stuck on the road when the storm hits. I would rather take my chances inside my house. Fortunately, we aren't in the mandatory evacuation zones. Unfortunately, we are still in the path of the hurricane. My greatest fear are the tornados that the hurricane spawns. I won't be sleeping Saturday night I can tell you that much for sure. Hopefully, I won't be too nervous to knit.  I'll keep everyone posted as long as we have power! Thanks again so very much! You guys rock!!

Evacuating

It looks like my home is in the direct path of hurrican Frances which is now a category 4. My husband and I are packing up our two cats and getting the heck out of town! God only knows if we will even have anything to come home to. I am already packing my best yarn in a big bag that is coming with me! The rest is going to go in trash bags and I'll just hope for the best. This is going to be my last post until it all blows over. Wish us luck and if you pray send some prayers our way! They'll be very much appreciated! If you don't, then please cross all your fingers and toes!! Haha!

Image Hosting Downb

My image hosting is down yet again. However, I can't really complain since it is a free service. I am now considering moving shop and getting my own domain name. I have been doing some shopping and found webhosting for about 9 bucks a month. That isn't horrible when you consider that just some image hosting sites charge that much to store pictures. I will keep everyone posted on this decision, and I'll make sure that the transition is as painless as possible.

Yarn Sale

It kills  me it just kills me! You have to work to be able to buy yarn, but you don't have time to buy the yarn cause you have to work! I went to the "crack of dawn wear your jammies" yarn sale, but I didn't buy very much. The place was packed, and the line was long and slow moving. I had very limited shopping time because I had to make sure I got through the line in time to make it to work. I still had a great time, and I got my name entered in a raffle to win a $100 gift certificate. I think that if I had won I would have heard from them by now though. So what did I buy? I bought two balls of Sockotta which is 45% cotton, 40% Superwash Wool, and 15% Nylon. The colors are beautiful! One ball is shades of brown and cream and the other is shades of blue and white. I also got the new Interweave Knits Crochet Issue. I am really happy with the patterns in this magazine (more on that later). I wish that I could have bought more. In fact I almost called in sick so I could shop! I just grabbed the prettiest sock yarn I could find. I figure you can never go wrong with sock yarn! My grand total was about 20 bucks. You can't beat that! I'm sure that she'll have another sale. Next time I'll go the day before to decide what I want to jump on, so I won't have to worry about time.