Faery Crafty

The Reason for my Disappearance

2008-04-28T15:09:00.002-05:00

First Horse Show of the Season
One more blue ribbon :)

4 Hats

2008-03-07T19:28:00.004-06:00

The hats that killed my mojo. Do NOT get me wrong, I was very happy to make these hats, and I love the people that they went to. Unfortunately, knitting the same hat in the same color four times in a row was a bit boring, and I haven't felt like knitting for a while. I have a strict rule of NEVER forcing myself to knit when I don't feel like it. So I pick up my knitting when I want to, and I leave it laying when I don't. In the meantime, I have officially lost my 20 lbs and am no longer on a diet but on maintenance, and I have been spending every bit of good weathered free time with my horse. Show season is on the horizon, and we are both trying to get prepared. Lots of work but lots of fun :)

My Birthday

2008-02-01T17:46:00.000-06:00

I must say that I had one of the best birthdays EVER! The only way it could have been better is if Rob could have been there. I went out to eat with four of my friends from the barn, and we had a blast as you can probably tell from the picture above :) From left to right is Carissa, Marietta, Melissa, and Heather. Yes the crazy fool (note the sweater, wink) they are holding up is me of course. Thank God I lost 19 lbs for this moment!

I loved all my gifts! I got a Brighton bracelet, a horsey coloring book (and crayons) in which everyone colored a page to look like their horse, fun cards, a horse puzzle, gloves for riding, and a Black Beauty dvd ya'll!! What was so cool was how horse related it all was. I swear it was the birthday party I dreamed of when I was a little girl. I felt like a kid all over again. Even our waitress had horses. We made her sit down with us and have a piece of cake, which was made by Melissa (as well as my own personal baby cake) and was quite delicious I might add. Thanks so much girls for making my day so special!! You made turning 33 a whole lot easier than I thought it would be! I'm blessed to have such wonderful friends :)

A Place to Bark

2008-01-29T13:01:00.000-06:00

There are ONLY 3 MORE DAYS LEFT to help A Place to Bark win the $50,000 grant!!

Woohoo!

2008-01-17T14:13:00.001-06:00

I made it! I'm Twenty Thirteen ya'll!!

Pictures soooon

2008-01-05T23:30:00.001-06:00

Ok so I've knit 4 hats and made a ton of bracelets. I'm actually quite proud of the bracelets. I still can't show you until they make it to their recipients.

Things have been going really well for me. I have been getting out to the barn as much as possible. I guess that's the main reason it has been so quiet here on the blog. All I really have to talk about is my horse. It's actually kind of funny, I have always loved horses, but I had no idea that I would become quite so obsessed. I had only known one person in my life that owned a horse, so I wasn't quite prepared for the obsession. DC and I have been doing a lot of bonding. He comes to me when he hears me call at the gate. I guess he has finally figured it out that we belong to each other :)

In other news, I turn 33 on Thursday, and I decided to go nuts with my hair! Does that make me a cliche? I have been on this whole beautification kick for a while. I started losing weight and getting in better shape. I have lost 19lbs so far! Then got on this awesome skin care system prescribed by my dermatologist. I really feel better, and I think I'm starting to look better too. Here are some pictures Rob took of me :D It was fun goofing off and taking fun pics of my fun new hair!

Merry Christmas!!

2007-12-22T02:06:00.000-06:00

I hope that you all have a blessed and merry Christmas! I'll be compiling pictures of all my creations that I am unable to show right now. Christmas is hard on blogging. Who am I kidding? I hardly blog anymore anyway. Bad me.

Before I go I wanted to tell you about the bestest Christmas gift our family recieved this year. My brother Nick returning safe and sound from Iraq!!! Yay!! What more could anyone want for Christmas!

Swatchin'

2007-12-03T00:01:00.000-06:00

Bias Fair Isle Pullover
by Teva Durham
From Loop-d-loop
Yarns suggested Dale of Norway/Dalegarn Free Style
Yarn weight Aran / Worsted
Gauge 20 stitches and 22 rows = 4 inches in Stockinette stitch Fair Isle pattern
Needle size US 7 / 4.5 mm
Yardage 1548 - 2752 yards

Notes:
I am subbing with Cotton Ease

Upclose on Lace Leaf and a New Hat

2007-11-25T20:21:00.000-06:00

I love pairing teal with this green. It's a nice color combo. Pink would also be a good color under this. I love this sweater and would probably wear it every day! Also, I bought way too much yarn for the project, so I knit up a hat.

Project info

Pattern: Natty by Wendy Bernard
Needle: US 9 / 5.5 mm US 11 / 8.0 mm
Yarn: Patons Shetland Chunky
How much? 0.75 skeins = 111.0 yards (101.5m)
Colorway: Leaf

Notes: This hat only took a couple of hours to knit. You gotta love bulky yarn.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T02:09:00.000-06:00

Here are some of my notes for this project on Ravelry...

Lace Leaf Pullover
by Teva Durham
from Loop-d-loop
Needle: US 13 / 9.0 mm
Yarn: Patons Shetland Chunky
How much? 4.5 skeins = 544.5 yards (497.9m)
Colorway: Leaf Green

Notes

I would have finished this a lot sooner, but I put it on a time out after a disaster when I tried to graft the two body pieces together the first time. I had debated on not knitting the sleeve that had the yo's and just make both sleeves the same, but decided against it. I did not make any modifications other than substituting the yarn, which I am very happy with. I bought the button about 3 years ago. I am not usually a button collector, but I fell in love with this one and had to have it. I think I just have a thing for trees. I'm so glad that I finally found the perfect sweater for it.

10/28/07- casted on 11/23/07-finished

Bad Blogger!!

2007-11-18T02:14:00.001-06:00

I have been awful! It's not for a lack of knitting. I have been knitting a ton. I am almost done with my Lace Leaf Pullover from Loop-d-Loop. I just have to sew up the sleeves. I have already cast on for Hourglass Sweater and have several more planned for the future. I am just so insanely busy that I just don't have time to blog. Also, I have been having internet issues since Friday evening, but that is all taken care of now. I'm going to post pictures soon and also blog with more detail about all the stuff I have going. I am in a mad rush to knit up sweaters for this winter. After living in Florida for almost 4 years, I don't really have any winter clothes. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!

Oh Happy Day!

2007-11-01T19:54:00.000-05:00

BEST HALLOWEEN EVER!!!!!!

2007-10-31T15:30:00.001-05:00

Happy Halloween!! DC is officially MY horse!! Without a doubt, this is the second happiest day (happiest was my wedding day of course) of my life!!!! I have dreamed of having my own horse since I was a very little girl. Thank you Dad for making my dream come true!!!

1950's Barbie Revisited

2007-10-29T11:44:00.001-05:00

I didn't expect to be dressing up for Halloween this year, so I ended up dressing as 1950's Barbie for a recent Halloween party. I was actually happy for the repeat, because I was able to fit in the dress that I had originally wanted to wear last year! I think I was a much more convincing Barbie wearing pink :)

Cats love sweaters...

2007-10-25T10:38:00.000-05:00

Have you seen this? How cute! I'm not sure how my cats would feel about wearing a sweater though. I dressed Kayne up one time, and she just fell over. I'd set her back up straight, and plop she fell right over again and just laid there. It was quite amusing, for us not her. She didn't seem very amused. Here is a picture of all three of my kittehs when they are super amused. They love their entertainment center.

Origami Cardi

2007-10-19T22:37:00.000-05:00

Final Stretch!!

2007-10-17T12:26:00.000-05:00

I'm almost done with the knitting of the Origami cardi! I have both sleeves and the back completed. I decided to knit both of the fronts at the same time. I have about a 1/2 inch more of the cable to knit and then I will start the St st which will flyyyyy!!

In other good news, I have lost 10 lbs!! Here's hoping that 10 lbs will be enough to make me feel confident enough to model my own cardi for the blog!

My First Horse Show!

2007-10-07T01:45:00.000-05:00

Could it be?

2007-10-05T03:12:00.000-05:00

I have more knitting to show! It isn't much but I think it is pretty cute.

In my opinion, it is a perfect project for an introduction to cables, and you can find the free pattern here.
I am almost to the decreases on the second sleeve of the Origami Cardi! Maybe I'll actually finish a sweater!

Free Burma

2007-10-04T09:54:00.001-05:00

Proof I Still Know How To Knit...

2007-09-27T21:29:00.000-05:00

This is the finished sleeve for the Origami Cardi from Summer 2007 Interweave Knits. I changed the edging to from the Berry-in-a-Box pattern to the Woven Cable Stitch found on July 10 in the 365 Knitting Stitches A Year Perpetual Calendar. You can see the stitch up close here.

The Cutest Thing Ever!!

2007-09-23T02:23:00.001-05:00

I couldn't help but share this...

Horsing Around...

2007-09-20T12:41:00.001-05:00

One of the main reasons that I haven't been blogging as much, is that I have been spending all of my spare time at the barn. For the first time since we moved here a year ago, I feel like I have found a place where I fit in.

I have been in love with horses ever since I found out what one was. I would play with toy horses, draw horses, read books about horses, dream about horses, and even pretend I was a horse. When I was 4 1/2 years old, my mom and dad brought my baby sister, Misti, home from the hospital. My reaction?

"Take that baby back! I wanted a horse not a sister!!"

True story. As you can imagine, working with horses is a dream come true. I keep expecting to wake up at any moment. I remember how green I was on my first day at the barn. I didn't even know how to put a halter on the horse's head, and my first real riding lesson was probably one of the most humbling experiences of my life. I asked the owner of the barn how I did after my last ride, and she said, "You had some moments." I jumped up and down doing the happy dance shouting, "I'm getting better! I'm getting better!" You see, "you had some moments" is way better than "you're doing everything wrong". Haha!

On October 6th I'll be competing in my very first horse with the awesome horse you see in the picture above. His name is DC, and I must tell you that I am in love :) That camera phone picture does not do him justice. He is absolutely stunning in person, and I need to get my real camera out to the barn to get better shots. I'll be sure to have it with me when I show.

I don't think I will ever have the words to tell Rebekah how much I appreciate her letting me be a part of the barn. I really admire what she does for her rescues. I just didn't realize I would end up being one of them :)

So much going on...

2007-09-14T02:44:00.000-05:00

I have so much going on that I have very little time to blog. I cast on for the Origami Cardi from IK. I am using a different stitch pattern for the edgings. I've been working,playing with horsies, taking care of my zoo, working out almost every night, helping a friend with a website, and on and on and on. Marco was just diagnosed with asthma, so I've been dealing with that, poor baby :( My knitting classes have picked back up again, so that's one less free night a week. It's no wonder that I'm up at 3am blogging. When else do I have time?? I'm just going to stop sleeping. Who needs it! For now here is a slide show with some random pictures. I hope to get back soon with a better entry. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Go to ImageShack® to Create your own Slideshow

Luciano Pavarotti 10/12/1935 – 9/6/2007

2007-09-06T01:56:00.000-05:00

Your voice will never die...

Janet Martin Square

2007-08-31T12:05:00.000-05:00

Kiss Our Butts Cancer!!!

2007-08-23T15:56:00.000-05:00

Terry's radiation worked!!! Praise God!! Cancer you can kiss all of our butts!! Get on out of here! Congrats on your clean bill of health Terry! We love you!!

It's Caturday!

2007-08-18T14:06:00.000-05:00

Smoldering

2007-08-14T17:19:00.000-05:00

A big thank you to all you commiserators out there. It helps to know I am not the only one that had this *expletive deleted* problem. I am just going to channel this energy into cleaning my house and try to forget about it for now. In the words of my dear, oh so helpful hubby, "It's around here somewhere." That has always been his answer to...

"I have lost my..." "Hey have you seen my..." "Do you know where so and so is?"

I'm sure you can guess my usual reaction. I am a redhead through and through after all.

So Mad I Could Cry

2007-08-14T01:49:00.000-05:00

I actually lost the back of the Adrienne Vittadini top. Can you even believe it? I have torn this place apart looking for it, and I can't find it anywhere. Any volunteers to come help me look!? Waaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!

Susan Rainey Square

2007-08-08T04:27:00.000-05:00

**Update** I'm sorry I didn't explain this one better. This is a square from The Great American Aran Afghan. This individual square was designed by Susan Rainey and won first prize.

Chain Maille: not just for Re-enactors Part 2

2007-08-05T14:05:00.000-05:00

This necklace is made using a European style of mail called Helm/Parallel Chain. It is a much more simple weave than the bracelet, but still quite beautiful. Here is a great website with amazing Chain Maille weave patterns. It is a wonderful resource, if you are interested in learning this yourself.

Chain Maille: not just for Re-enactors Part 1

2007-08-03T22:52:00.000-05:00

The bracelet above is my first attempt at Japanese style Mail (Kusari). The Japanese 6-in-1 (Hana Gusari) was used by the Samurai to link together plates of armor. Isn't it amazing how something used for war can so easily transform into a beautiful piece of jewelry. I can't tell you how long I have been wanting to learn this art, and I am very pleased with the way it turned out. A girl can never have too many hobbies right?

Poor Pups

2007-08-02T17:45:00.000-05:00

My friend and I found these two little skinny little puppies in our neighborhood. We searched and searched for the owners, but we had no luck. *A big group of kids said that they had been dropped and had been wandering around for TWO WEEKS!! Now why would anyone let puppies wander through the streets for two whole weeks and not do anything!? I just don't get it. The bad news is we never found the owners, but the good news is we found them a home!

*The kids had asked their parents if they could keep the puppies. The parents told them no and made the kids leave the puppies to fend for themselves on the streets :(

Knitting and Ravelry

2007-07-30T11:27:00.000-05:00

While Ravelry is an amazing idea and website, it can also get you in a lot of trouble, and by you I mean me, and by trouble I mean 20 balls of Plymouth Encore and the pattern book for The Great American Aran Afghan.

Beading Project Reveal

2007-07-27T00:53:00.000-05:00

I finally get to show you the amulet bag I made! It is being modeled by Helena, who also happens to be wearing my wedding dress :) I'm pretty proud of this piece, as I designed it 100%!

Silliness last week at 1:30 am

2007-07-26T02:42:00.000-05:00

Poppy (1:30:26 AM): Alpaca yarn, which is one of the world's rarest natural fibers, has outstanding qualities that make it ideal for the production of high quality knitwear.
Me (1:30:37 AM): rare??
Me (1:30:48 AM): hahaha
Poppy (1:30:51 AM): that's what a sales thingy for a sweater says
Poppy (1:30:53 AM): HAHAHAHAHAHA
Me (1:30:53 AM): are they serious
Poppy (1:30:58 AM): yep
Poppy (1:30:59 AM): dead
Me (1:30:58 AM): lololololol
Poppy (1:31:02 AM): lololol
Poppy (1:31:11 AM): *Link given here...we won't embarrass the store*
Me (1:31:13 AM): crikey! it's the elusive rare alpaca
Poppy (1:31:29 AM): HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Me (1:31:36 AM): hahahahahahahahaha
Me (1:31:43 AM): one of natures oddities
Poppy (1:31:46 AM): oh look! what's that? oh! it's the rare alpaca and its mate
Poppy (1:31:50 AM): shhh
Poppy (1:31:53 AM): be vewy quiet
Me (1:31:52 AM): rarely seen in nature
Me (1:31:57 AM): hahahahahahahah
Me (1:32:03 AM): the alpaca is very dangerous
Me (1:32:07 AM): and deadly creature
Poppy (1:32:13 AM): HAHAHAHAHAHA
Poppy (1:32:25 AM): they will charge at you for no reason
Poppy (1:32:35 AM): which explains why they are so rare
Poppy (1:32:36 AM): hunted
Me (1:32:38 AM): and bobs your uncle they will bite off your head
Poppy (1:32:40 AM): to near extinction
Poppy (1:32:47 AM): hahahahahaha
Me (1:32:46 AM): lolololol
Me (1:32:59 AM): yeah that and the fact that they are invisible
Me (1:33:04 AM): magical
Me (1:33:06 AM): creatures
Poppy (1:33:08 AM): HAHAHAHAHAH
Poppy (1:33:16 AM): live only in the vicinity of unicorns
Me (1:33:19 AM): hahahahahahhaha
Me (1:34:10 AM): and the blood cures disease!
Poppy (1:34:15 AM): lololol
Me (1:34:20 AM): lolololololololol
Poppy (1:34:34 AM): there are whole communities that have been wiped off the planet
Poppy (1:34:43 AM): from the wild alpacas
Me (1:34:42 AM): HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAA
Poppy (1:34:46 AM): roanoke
Poppy (1:34:49 AM): it's a theory
Poppy (1:34:50 AM): you know
Me (1:34:49 AM): oh yes
Me (1:34:51 AM): i heard that
Poppy (1:34:56 AM): lololol
Me (1:34:57 AM): lololololol
Poppy (1:35:00 AM): omg
Poppy (1:35:01 AM): blog it
Poppy (1:35:03 AM): lololol
Me (1:35:08 AM): lolol ok
FaeryCrafty (1:35:15 AM): i am so blogging this

My Room and More

2007-07-23T18:01:00.000-05:00

I'm so happy that you all liked my room. I looooove it. I would probably live in there if the futon were a little more comfy. The coolest thing about my room, in my opinion anyways, is the fact that very little money went into it. Everything in the room was recycled, re purposed, gifted, bought for a pittance on eBay, Craigslist or a yard sale, or handed down over the years. Even the 1941 Life magazine was a yard sale find. If you look close you will see a pair of red white and blue knitting needles attached to the frame. You can read about them here. They were found along with a matching stitch holder and dpn's at a yard sale in a big box of knitting notions that Grandmommy bought for next to nothing. The desk belonged to my father and was handed down to me when I was a kid, all the sheep pictures and sheep doodads (3 bags full) were $15 from another yard sale, the cool knitting/spinning plaques were only 10 bucks on eBay, and my cool hubby made the yarn shelves. I made the wreath :) Maybe we can get a job with Design on a Dime :D

This is one side of the Adrienne Vittadini Diagonal Stitch top that I am knitting. I had to rip the armholes six times to get it the way I wanted it. AV patterns tend to say, "Keep in pattern and decrease and oh yeah do the neckline too, but I'm not going to tell you where to start/stop your yo's so that it looks nice and uniform on both sides. You are a genius. You figure that one out"

I am very pleased with the way it is turning out so far. I just hope I remember what I did when I get to that part on the other side, 'cause you know I didn't write that down. That, my friend, would just be way too easy, and we can't have that now can we.

I'm alive!

2007-07-19T02:13:00.000-05:00

I have just been lazy. I'm working on a post slowly but surely though. I have actually knit something! Yay! See you soon :)

My Room!

2007-07-10T04:09:00.000-05:00

Click Images To Enlarge

He's crafty and he's just my type...

2007-07-08T13:47:00.000-05:00

Nope you aren't seeing things. That is my husband scrapbooking. We went to a craft store the other during a big sale. Rob came up to me carrying this big scrapbook, and said, "I want to get this so I can finally get all of our pictures out of that box." I was like, "You want to scrapbook? Like in a scrapbook? With scrapbooky things?" He then emphatically denies that it is a scrapbooking project that he is going to undertake, until I point out that you can't just slide the the pictures in. You have to get card stock, and glue, and pens, and they have to be acid free, and yes Rob you are scrapbooking because these are the things scrapbookers buy. So Rob embraces the scrapbooking nature of this project, and we begin to pick out supplies. Let me just say that I know NOTHING about scrapbooking, so it was like the blind leading the blind. (I was reminded of a blog entry that I once read, that had me crossing my legs from laughing so hard) We were finally rescued by an employee, who helped us pick out the bare minimum, because this was after all, a manly scrapbooking venture and heaven forbid anything too scrapbooky gets put in there. He got all of his goodies home, turned on some music, made himself a drink cause he is a man and this is how manly men scrapbook , and proceeded to take over the dining room table.

We have a metric ton of pictures, so I'm guessing this is going to take a while. But no matter, he really is doing an excellent job so far, and I can't want to see it completed. I just love a crafty man, and he's mine all mine!

In Memory Of

2007-07-04T18:06:00.000-05:00

I just found out, from a good friend of mine, that Annie Modesitt's husband has just been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. She is collecting donations for all the added expenses beyond health care (man oh man does it all add up), and in return you get a pattern called Red Carpet Convertible. I donated in memory of my loved ones lost this year to various forms of cancer. If by some chance you read this, Annie, I want you to know that you, Gerry, and your children are in my prayers.

No News Is Good News?

2007-07-03T23:12:00.000-05:00

I haven't heard anything from the doctor, so I'm hoping no news is good news. I really appreciate all the support that you have given. It makes a huge difference I assure you. My craters are healing and the one on my face looks like it isn't going to leave much of a scar!

I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July!!

mygirlyspace.com

:)

2007-06-25T02:12:00.000-05:00

By faerycrafty

So how was your Thursday?

2007-06-22T00:51:00.001-05:00

Mine pretty much stunk. I'm sitting her with 5 craters in my skin in various parts of my body trying to decide if I want to talk about my day or not. I figure by the time I get to the end of this I'll either hit post or just close the window. I guess if you're reading this I must have just said $#!# it and posted.

I went for a skin cancer screening today, expecting not to have any problems, and I ended up having 5 suspicious areas removed for biopsy. Now you have seen pictures of me and you know that I'm a red head, with very fair skin, and freckles. I have also had a few blistering sunburns as a kid, and members of my family have been diagnosed with skin cancer. My beautimous Grandmommy just had a melanoma removed. If you have ever read up on skin cancer, you would know that puts me at a very high risk. Needless to say, I'm worried. Yes I do know that I could be totally fine, and it's just possible that I have a great doctor who is just being cautious. Let's hope that is the case. I still can't help but worry. I mean to add insult to injury, one of the spots is on my face. Do you know how much flesh has to be removed if it turns out to be melanoma? Ugh, I don't even want to think about it.

On the way home from the doctor's office, I learned that my Aunt Peggy lost her battle with lupus and cancer today. She is the fourth loved one I have lost in about six months, three were lost to cancer. I realize that as you get older people in your life will start to pass away, but this is just ridiculous. These were not old people. My cousin Debbie was just in her early 40's. I know that they are all in a better place now, but I mourn for those of us left behind to miss them. I mourn for my Uncle who had to make a really horrible decision today. I mourn for my cousins who lost their mother, and for my Grandmommy and her surviving siblings who lost their little sister. I pray for their comfort.

So if you pray, please throw one up for my family and maybe toss one in for a clean bill of health for me. If you don't, cross your fingers and your toes and send us all some happy thoughts :) All will be very much appreciated.

And please, for the love of God, and all that is holy, wear sunscreen, with zinc!! Go get a skin cancer screening!! Can't afford it? Don't have insurance? That's ok. Here is a link to a website where you can find dermatologists in your area who are participating with the Skin Cancer Takes Freinds campaign and are offering free skin cancer screenings.

Ignorance is not bliss!
It is deadly!
Sorry for yelling.
I'm a little emotional.
Here is a hug.
I'm going to bed.

Knitters Who Crochet

2007-06-19T18:22:00.000-05:00

I have noticed quite a bit of crochet projects on knitting blogs lately, and I think that is great! It seems that the old stigma with crochet is finally lifting, and people are starting to give it a try. It's a wonderful skill to acquire as a knitter because it offers you more options with edgings and also with finishing. I have also seen many crochet/knit hybrid patterns that are quite beautiful. The Beachcomber Tunic from the Spring Interweave knits comes to mind. I bought the magazine for that pattern alone.

Heather at Craft Daisies have been kind enough to offer free tutorials (with videos even!) on her blog. If any of you would like to learn how to crochet, just follow the links below. Have fun!

Learn to Crochet: Lesson 1
Learn to Crochet: Lesson 2
Learn to Crochet: Lesson 3
Learn to Crochet: Lesson 4
Learn to Crochet: Lesson 5

Pictures!

2007-06-17T01:22:00.000-05:00

Ok this is one of those posts where I'm not really sure what to say but I do have some pictures to show you. This predicament usually creates major blogging procrastination. I decided to just upload the pictures and just start typing. Let's see how that goes.

I was lucky enough to marry a guy that came from a super crafty family. Rob's a great artist, does amazing work with ceramic tile floors, and is a pretty darn good "Builder of Stuff" if you ask me. We are also a very recycle friendly couple, and Rob often builds things from recycled materials. Remember my yarn shelves? After a trip to the pet store, Rob decided that he could "totally build one of those cat thingies". Let me just tell you, when Rob gets something in his head you better watch out. First thing he does is go to carpet stores to get some free scraps and then made a trip to the homedepotlowessomethingorother store to get what we didn't have around the house. He showed me all the materials he had acquired for the project and I basically came up with a design. He called me the Executive Creative Producer hahaha. Anyways, he did most of the work and I did the "here hold this and grab that over there and hey could you please bring me this..." A day and a half and a bunch of sweat later, and our kitties have this...

Is that not the coolest Cat Thingy you have ever seen!? I have seen towers half this size for $164, and the only thing we paid for was the rope, staples, and a cardboard tube. The rest of the materials were all recycled/re purposed. I think the post used to be in our flower bed before Rob replaced it with rock he got out of the river. The cats absolutely love it, especially this guy...

Wow he's getting so big isn't he. I realized that I have never posted a picture of Kayne. This is mostly because she is in a constant state of motion when she is awake. After about 20 blurred pictures, I successfully captured this one.

She is such a pretty cat. She really ought to stand still more often. Of course I could take a picture of her sleeping, but then you would not be able to see those beautiful eyes!

I haven't been doing much knitting lately. I lost my freakin pattern for the shawl I was working on, and I got bored with the 3 sweaters. I will definitely finish them (they are awesome sweaters), but I am taking a bit of a break from them.

I got the urge to crochet, and started on a Carnival Throw. Technically the pattern is for a shawl, but I thought it would be more useful as a throw. Here is a picture of two motifs seamed together using an invisible seam.

After seeing other people's motifs, I realized I made a mistake on mine. Luckily the mistake I made is just on the last row, and crochet is so easy to add to. The yarn I am using is TLC Cotton Plus in Kiwi which is a cotton/acrylic blend.

Well that's enough pictures for one entry. I'll be back with more! I hope everyone has a great weekend! Mine has been awesome so far. I went to a spa on Friday courtesy of the best bosses ever, and got a Swedish massage and a body polish. Can you say, HEAVEN! Today I helped out with my very first horse show! I got to ride (not in the show just for fun) two of the most beautiful horses I have ever seen!! One was a jet black Tennessee Walker stallion, and the other was a black and white Paint. The stallion was hands down the most powerful and amazing horse that I have ever had the pleasure of riding. The most amazing thing is how gentle and well behaved he was, because a horse like that could really be a handful. Tomorrow will probably be quite uneventful, but after those two days I am fine with that!

Summer Knitty

2007-06-11T13:43:00.001-05:00

Just a heads up that the Summer Knitty is out :) I'm gonna go check it out now... I'll be back later with my favs!

Thank You!!

2007-06-08T00:13:00.001-05:00

Thank you for all the happy anniversaries :) You are all too sweet!! We had a wonderful weekend together. Hey girls my hubby made me breakfast in bed. Heaven!

So I have been quite the Slacker Blogger lately haven't I? I hate to say this, but I guess I simply haven't felt like blogging. I had stuff to blog about, but just didn't get motivated enough to get out the camera, take pictures, upload the pictures, edit the pictures, try to type something half way interesting... I used to feel bad about not blogging often, but now I am of the attitude that if you don't feel like it, don't force it. I think that once you start having to force yourself to blog, you start resenting the blog. It becomes a chore, and what good does that do? It takes all of the fun out of it, and wasn't that why you started the darn thing in the first place?? I toyed with the idea several times to give up blogging all together, but could never bring myself to do it. Despite the decline in the frequency of my entries, I would honestly miss blogging. I would miss reading your comments and visiting your blogs in kind. Yes even though I'm slow to answer, I truly look forward to reading your comments after I post an entry. So I'm going to keep blogging for as long as it is fun, but I'm not going to feel guilty anymore when I don't post. I don't feel guilty when I don't watch a movie, go shopping, and any other fun things like that. Ya know?

Ok so let's see. Here are some things I do have pictures of. I finished one of my Baubles....

I really, really, really love this bracelet. I wore it out tonight and got lots of compliments. This was a very easy project. Once you get all that stringing done the knitting part is done in a flash. I have an idea for a necklace to go with it. I'm going to start stringing that tomorrow.

That up there is the turquoise and sterling silver bracelet I made Mom for her birthday, and here are the gold threader earrings I made to match a bracelet I made for her once upon a time ago.

I hope you all have a great weekend!! I'm gonna go play with my rescue horsies on Sunday. I'll see you Monday, or Tuesday, or Wednesday...

The Best I Told You So Ever

2007-05-31T20:19:00.000-05:00

I met Rob in '91, and we became close friends our Senior year of High School. I always thought he was one of the nicest guys I had ever met, but like so many girls my age, I was not interested in the nice guys. My mom would tell me over and over, "You need to dump that one you are with and date Rob. Can't you see the way he looks at you." I would always reply, "But Moooooooom," in that whiney teen voice, "Rob and I are just friends. I don't see him that way." She'd drop the subject for the time being, but it was a conversation we would revisit from time to time.

Rob and I remained friends after graduation, and through a series of events we ended up roomies in '96. It was at that point when the conversation with my mom changed. "Stacie you need to marry Rob. Can't you see the way he looks at you?" Again, I would reply, "Mom we are just friends. I don't see him that way." Well as it turned out, Rob agreed with her, and he wasn't the shy kid I met 5 years before in High School. He knew that this was his chance, and he began to literally court me. He would write me poetry and have flowers sent to my office. Rob made it abundantly clear that he was in love with me and that was that.

It took me a little while, but I remember when I finally realized that I loved him too. He took me on a hiking trip up a mountain called The Priest. I don't know if it was getting away from all the drama, getting out in the fresh air, or both. But whatever the reason, it was at that moment that I realized how incredible Rob really was. It was like I woke up, and truly saw him for the first time. The night I told Rob that I loved him too, he cried. He says to this day that was one of the happiest days of his life.

One beautiful starry night, Rob took me for a walk in a field. When we came to this really pretty tree he stopped, got down on one knee and said, "I brought you here because I have always loved this tree, and I couldn't think of a better place to say this. You are my best friend, and I have always loved you. I cannot imagine growing old with anyone else but you. Will you marry me?" I remember feeling my legs shake, and my heart felt like it could just explode right out of my chest. The only thing I could manage to say was "YES!"

Now it was time to tell the family, and I guess you can imagine what my mom had to say.

"I told you so! I told you so! I toooooooooooooold you soooooooooooo!!!"

And that was the best "I told you so!", ever.

Happy Anniversary Rob. My Best Friend, my Husband, my Life.

Click on pictures to flip through the book.

Some Gave All - Billy Ray Cyrus

2007-05-27T22:48:00.000-05:00

I knew a man called him Sandy Kane
Few folks even knew his name
But a hero was he
Left a boy, came back a man
Still many just don't understand
About the reasons we are free

I can't forget the look in his eyes
Or the tears he cries
As he said these words to me

All gave some and some gave all
And some stood through for the red, white and blue
And some had to fall
And if you ever think of me
Think of all your liberties and recall
Some gave all

Now Sandy Kane is no longer here
But his words are oh so clear
As they echo through out our land
For all his friends who gave us all
Who stood the ground and took the fall
To help their fellow man

Love your country and live with pride
And don't forget those who died America can't you see

All gave some and some gave all
And some stood through for the red, white and blue
And some had to fall
And if you ever think of me
Think of all your liberties and recall
Some gave all

And if you ever think of me
Think of all your liberties and recall, yes recall
Some gave all

Some gave all

Whew

2007-05-24T15:14:00.001-05:00

You could tell I was really tired on that last post.

Thanks Everybody!!

2007-05-24T01:16:00.000-05:00

Marco is home and doing great! Kittens are so resilient. You wouldn't even know anything happened to him. I had them give him something for the pain and he slept for a couple of hours when first got home. After that, he just walked around checking the house to be sure that everything was as he had left it.

My mom got her jewelry in the mail today!! I'll post pictures a little later. It's been a very long day and I am having trouble keep my eyes open. I'll see you soon :)

Wish Marco luck...

2007-05-23T08:52:00.000-05:00

Better yet wish us both luck. I just took my baby boy to the vet where he is, as I like to say, parting ways with his fuzzy dice. Needless to say, I'm not talking about the ones you hang on the rear view mirror. Mr. Esquandoles just so happens to be the sweetest cat the world ever did see, and I am a total bundle of worried momma nerves right now. A true testament to his sweetness, is the fact that when I walked in the bathroom and saw this...

the only reactions were hysterical laughter and a photo. I mean come on, that's a pretty impressive mess right there. Don't ya think? Yes folks, he is truly a unique and special little flower, and as if you had any doubt of that by now...

Upload your own video

Yep that's my boy! As you can imagine, the house is unusually quiet at the moment. There are no screaming sisters. STOP TOUCHING ME!!. There are no sounds of falling objects, which is probably the biggest indicator of his absence. If you hear a crash, it usually has his name on it.

Me: Did you hear that? What was that?
Rob: I have a pretty good idea what it was, and it begins with an "Es" and ends with a "Quandoles".

Recharging

What a week!

2007-05-22T01:51:00.000-05:00

Last week was very busy, but honestly I think I am happier that way. I got more hours at work which is always good, and I have been quite busy outside of work as well. My friend Nancy and I have been going on 2-3 mile superduper power walks ever day, and then when it gets darker I take another 1-2 mile doggy walk. I spend my Sunday afternoons volunteering at the stables and my spare time in the evenings helping organize the patterns on Ravelry. I have managed to do a little knitting and beading in between it all. Here is the progress I have made on Debbi's sweater...

Honestly, I could be done with this sweater, as bulky as the yarn is, if I were able to knit more. At least she'll have it by next winter. Bulky yarn knitting in the summer. Now that's love people.

I am pretty much done stringing the beads for Bauble. I just haven't had the energy to unwind it from my lipgloss tube and measure. Tangles at 2am happen and are not pretty. And just because I couldn't wait until my beads arrived, I started stringing another Bauble...

I have some pictures of jewelry that I made, but I can't post them here until my mom gets them. Don't hold your breath, we're waiting on the USPS.

Knitting Meme

2007-05-16T22:21:00.000-05:00

I found this over at Samantha's blog and thought it would be fun to do :)

Bold for stuff you’ve done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and normal for stuff you’re not planning on doing.

Afghan/Blanket (baby)
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with your own handspun yarn (does swatch count??)
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art I think all knitting is art :)
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair (have considered knitting with zoe's hair)
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

What have you done?

Hey Mom!

2007-05-12T21:39:00.000-05:00

mygirlyspace.com

And to those of us who have FurKids...

It's About Time

2007-05-09T00:18:00.000-05:00

After a year of living in Tennessee, I am finally getting out of the house and meeting people. One of my many obsessions on the Internets is Craigslist.org, and knowing how much of a sucker I am, I always avoid the Pets section. For some reason, I decided to visit the forbidden section and saw an ad asking for help with rescued Arabian horses. I could not believe my eyes!! I have been a horse fanatic since I knew what one was. I read every single horse book in the school library and would spend hours drawing from them. I would draw on just about anything I came across, including my school desk. While my teacher did admire my artwork, she was not too pleased with the chosen medium. Arabians have always been my favorite horse by far, and I would dream of having one of my own. Working with these horses is like a dream come true for me. I have spent the last two weekends giving them baths and nursing wounds from neglect. I can't wait to go out there tomorrow and see how far they have come in a week. Volunteering is such a rewarding experience, and I have always tried to be involved with some sort of animal rescue group. Never in a million years did I think that I would have the opportunity to work with the horses of my dreams!! I didn't want to bring my camera out so I took some pictures with my cell phone. The first three mares are the rescues. They already look so much better than they do in these pictures. I can't wait until I can show them completely recovered.

Get Your Own!

Rob and I have also been doing some landscaping. Check out the new entertainment center for the cats. They sit at the window watching the birds all day. And you know I just had to buy the birdfeeder with the faery!

I have been knitting. I am nearly finished with a sweater for my friend Debbi. I will get you a picture really soon I promise. I am also in the process of stringing the beads to make Bauble. Unfortunately, I ran out of beads and have to wait until they come in the mail to finish stringing the 3.5 yards of beads. I haven't worked on my shawl lately because I have been a bit distracted and I do not want to screw it up. Ariann and Deli are snoozin' in a basket at the moment. I have Oragina screaming for a swatch, and I just bought more beads for another Bauble. I am making myself tired just thinking about all this stuff. I'm goin to bed!

Ravelry Invite

2007-05-05T12:35:00.000-05:00

I have one Ravelry invite up for grabs. The first person to leave a comment gets it :)

Time flies when you are having fun...

2007-05-03T00:37:00.000-05:00

I just realized that I have not posted in a week. Why? I have been completely and utterly obsessed with Frecklelgirl's new website, Ravelry, and have been participating in its beta testing. What is Ravelry and why is it so cool? Wow, where do I begin? When you sign up, you get a notebook. In this notebook you organize of all your knitting/crochet projects (with all the juicy details), yarn and needles/hooks in your stash, books in your library, and you have a queue to list all the projects in your future. What's really cool is that all of the patterns that people have listed in their project details/queues and all of the yarn they've used or have in their stashes get compiled and listed by popularity, and you even get a list of people that have knit the same projects as you. As if that isn't enough, you can send messages to other members, post in the forums, leave comments on projects, and find out about the latest knitalongs and events. If you can believe it, I am actually leaving stuff out! You'll just have to go and see how cool it is for yourself. Tell your blogless friends too! Ravelry is perfect for someone that doesn't feel like blogging but would like to have a place to keep track of projects. Just remember, it's quite addictive, and you may go missing for a week or so. Don't say I didn't warn ya! ;)

Friends, partners, and neighbors...

2007-04-24T23:04:00.000-05:00

You never know what to expect when you walk into your knitting class and meet a student for the first time. Will they be friendly? Will they have patience? Will we get along? So far, I have been very lucky to have many wonderful students over the past 4 years. In Florida I had a group of regular students that came to class every Friday without fail. They were a such a wonderful and diverse group of women, and I'm proud to call them my friends today. It broke my heart to leave them, when I moved to Tennessee. My classes have been very sporadic since moving here, and I have yet to recreate the camaraderie I had with my Floridian group. Maybe that will never happen again, they say you can never go home, but I still continue to meet some great people in my classes. One of my more recent students is an incredibly interesting woman who always has the best stories to tell. When we first met she told me about how she taught herself to crochet when she was just 8 years old by watching her aunt. Armed with a steel hook and variegated thread, she would make chains long enough to wrap around the house several times. Once she tired of chains she watched her aunt enough to learn how to single crochet, double crochet, and triple crochet. Now this is the part of her story that really tickled me. She didn't know the names of these stitches, so she just made them up on her own. She called the single crochets friends, the double crochets partners, and the triple crochets neighbors. She could make just about anything you can think of just from looking at it, and she said she showered her family and friends with doilies. I swear, the ingenuity of children absolutely amazes me. I always say that children do not know the meaning of the word can't, and they could probably fly if only we didn't tell them that they couldn't.

Rona Lace Shawl

2007-04-21T18:44:00.000-05:00

I had 3 sweaters on needles, and my fingers started itching for something a little lighter and more challenging. I have wanted to knit a shawl for quite some time, so I checked the stash. I decided to knit the Rona Lace Shawl from KnitPicks.com. I chose Alpaca Cloud in Iris Heather which is 100% Baby Alpaca. Let me just tell ya, I love me some Baby Alpaca! If you have not knit with it, you are missing out. Go get some! Hurry! Now this shawl is knit in the round, so getting a good detailed picture while it's all bunched up is a little difficult, but here's Rona 44 rows later.

Here is Rona posing with a gorgeous bag that Michelle made for me. It matches and everything! The bag is the perfect size for this project. It's not so big that the shawl and yarn tumbles around inside of it, and it's not so small that I have to squish it inside. Thank you Michelle!! I love it!

Something I should mention is that so far I have found an error on line 43 of the pattern. It reads *yo, k2tog, yo, (KB,p1) 6 times, KB, yo, SKP, yo, K2P. It should read *yo, k2tog, yo, (KB,p1) 6 times, KB, yo, SKP, yo, SK2P. I'll let you know if I find anything else.

Virginia Tech Tragedy

2007-04-19T00:12:00.001-05:00

Words fail me. All I can do is pray.

Welcome!!

2007-04-17T01:25:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my new blog. Feel free to take off your shoes and stay a while. You'll find a few changes have been made (for the better), but for the most part it remains the same. All the links, free patterns, and tutorials are floatin' around. I am working on the whole entry notification issue. I have a couple of options I am exploring. In the meantime, I'll just post to the old blog whenver I post here. If you click the button below you can update your bloglines subscription to the new blog.

I think moving my blog was more work than any physical move I have ever made. I had to move every single entry. One. At. A. Time. This took for-ev-er. I think it was all worth it though. I also knew that I would risk losing readers and bloglines subscribers by making this move, but my quality of blog life is so much better with blogger. You'll notice one great feature (that will make navigating my blog so much easier) is the labels. I love the labels! I went label crazy. It greatly appeals to my OCD :)

Please let me know what you think about my new place, positive or negative. I really hope you end up liking it as much as I do.

Just for fun here is my break up note from the old blog...

Dear John,

I am leaving you. I know we have been together for more than 3 years, and you were my very first blog experience. I know that when I typed my first words to the internets it was through you. I am also very aware of the fact that I have met so many wonderful people because of you, and yes you did introduce me to my new boss. For all these things I am grateful, but I am still leaving. To be honest, I have been wooed by another blog host. One that understands my needs so much more than you seem to. How many times did I ask for my pictures to show up on bloglines? Could you do that for me? Nooooooo. Well, my new blog host shows my full entry with pictures. It also lets me change the fonts and colors with a click of a button. The imageshack toolbar drag and drop feature actually works. I can label my posts, and the page element feature has made managing my side bar so much easier. And you know how you insist on that banner up there? My new bloghost doesn't do that. I know you'll probably bring up the fact that it doesn't have entry notifications like you do, but that is something I'm willing to have to live with. I hope that we can remain friends because I do love you. I'm just not in love with you.

All My Best,
Stacie

PS: You'll find that I have taken all the links and tutorials with me. I think I got everything, but if you happen to find anything could you please send it to my new address...
http://faerycrafty.blogspot.com/

From Us To You

2007-04-07T18:54:00.000-05:00

PC Trouble

2007-04-05T02:27:00.000-05:00

I haven't been posting lately because I have been having a really hard time with my computer. Almost anything I do locks it up. It won't even let me upload my pictures to Imageshack.com. I have lots to show you because I've been doing lots of knitting. Plus I got some new books I'd like to show you and some other fun non craft related pictures that I'm sure you will enjoy. This problem should be remedied within a week, and I hope to get this blog up and running again. I just hope I don't forget what the heck I was planning on blogging about!! Another thing I'm having trouble with is answering your comments or leaving comments. My computer has decided it hates haloscan. This thing is older than dirt (if you remember our other two broke simultaneously and we are stuck with a dinosaur) and locks up if you do more than one thing or if you blink when clicking on a link, or breath. Cross your fingers for a quick end to this madness, and if you walk past my window and hear screaming. Duck!! You don't know if a certain laptop may be flying out the window.

Looky!

2007-03-29T00:31:00.000-05:00

My cousin drew this sketch of me! Didn't he do a good job :) I think it only took him about three hours to draw it. Thank you Josh. You are too sweet.

For some reason I have a mean case of writer's block tonight. That's usually solved by writing until it comes to you but that doesn't seem to be happening. I think maybe I'm just tired. I just started rambling about watching the movie Just Friends and it was so lame I had to delete it to save your brain. I'll be back once I'm rested with more pictures and hopefully more interesting blogging. Thanks again for the sketch Josh. I love it.

Thank You

2007-03-22T02:29:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to say thank you for all the kind words. Your support means a lot to me. New blog coming soon. I hope you have a wonderful Thursday.

In Memory of Dale: Wonderful Wife, Mother and Friend

2007-03-16T13:53:00.000-05:00

My dear friend, Dale, passed away today. Dale was the very first person to reach out to me when I moved to Florida 4 years ago. She sent me an email, after reading one of my posts on the Knitlist, inviting me to go to her knitting group. She was such a blessing to me in a time of great loneliness, and I will be forever grateful for her. My life was just one of many touched by this incredible woman. She was kind to everyone she ever met, and made me feel at home when I was so very homesick. If I had to sum Dale up in one word it would have to be, Mom. I will always remember her as an incredible mother. If you spent any amount of time with her, it was so obvious that she adored her children. I think my tears today are mostly for them, and I will pray for their comfort.

I will never forget you Dale. I will always remember how much of a friend you were to me; how you loved the color pink; and every time I see a butterfly, I will think of you. Until we meet again...

Love,
Stacie

To donate to the MPD foundation, click here.

This is what Marco thinks about all the organizing.

2007-03-15T03:57:00.000-05:00

His daddy will be so proud.

Obsession for Knitters

2007-03-14T00:11:00.000-05:00

One of my many obsessions as a knitter is collecting knitting books and magazines, and I especially love the older ones.It is so much fun to see how styles change throughout the years, and how some remain timeless. A couple of years ago, Monica sent me some very cool vintage magazines and patterns. I got the biggest kick out of the advertisements that were in the magazines. Girdle anyone? Hair tonic?

Just the other day, I got an email from her asking if I would like her old Vogue Knitting magazines. Yes my friends, Monica rocks! They arrived today, and I spent the evening flipping through the pages and putting them in order. Yay!! Fun fact about me: My entire house could be wrecked, but you can bet I have my books in alphabetical order, magazines in chronological order, and my yarn organized by color. It's a whole lot more fun that dusting! Thank you Monica for making my evening so much fun and adding to my collection!

You know you have the best bosses in the world when...

2007-03-10T01:13:00.000-06:00

this arrives unexpectedly with a note that reads...

"Just a little something to thank you for always getting projects done so swiftly! :)"

Yay Spring Knitty!!

2007-03-07T15:25:00.000-06:00

The Spring Knitty is up, and it reminds me that I really need to make some knitting friends or join a knitting group. I miss flipping through the pages of magazines/books and snickering or ooohing and aaahhing over the patterns. So then I said to myself, "Self, why don't you just oooh and aahhh a little on your blog." Yeah yeah I talk to myself, but at least I don't answer. Well not loud enough for anyone to hear me anyway <wink> Man oh man I need to get out more...

Tahoe is a cute cardigan, but the best thing about it is the yarn! It's knit with Debbie Bliss Cathay, a cotton, microfiber and silk blend, which has long been on the list of yarns I would love to knit with. Gooooood choice by the designer!

I love the ribbing on Ribena! What a fun and easy way to dress up a sweater. I think it would look great with long sleeves as well. We also have another great yarn choice with this sweater. I haven't knit with Tencel yet, but it has peaked my curiousity. According to Yarndex.com, "Tencel is made from wood pulp cellulose and drapes and feels like silk". Pretty cool, eh.

I love how the cable runs down the front of Torque and the collar and hem are split. The yarn is a cotton/acrylic blend which makes me wonder if Cotton Ease would be a good substitute. Let's face it when you have a stash of cotton ease like I do, you wonder that about everything.

Last but not least is Bauble. It combines my two favorite thing, knitting and beading, and it is GORGEOUS! Don't be surprised if you see one of these show up on the blog. Sure, I do have a lot of things going on, but this wouldn't take that long to knit. I think any woman in your circle of friends and family would LOVE to be gifted with one of these.

So many patterns, so few hands. I need to figure out how to knit in my sleep. That is just so much time going to waste every single night!

PS. Marco says...

Hi there! Mommy has been knitting, and I am helping as much possible. She doesn't seem to appreciate it very much, and I don't understand that at all. She told me to tell you that tan thingy is growing and she was going to take a picture,but I wanted her to take my picture. I'm way cuter than that stupid tan thingy. Don't ya think!

Yep It's Monday

2007-03-05T23:40:00.000-06:00

So how was your weekend? Mine was pretty uneventful which is not uncommon for me these days. Anyone out there work from home? It's actually a great gig, but you really have to make an extra effort to make friends that you wouldn't have to make working out in the world. I do miss the human interaction I had at my old job, but I surely do not miss the two hour (total) commute. I totally prefer the 30 second commute from my bedroom to my desk. Now ask me how cool it is to work in PJ's. Oh it is very cool.

I have to admit that I don't really make much of an effort to get out there and make friends like I should. This is probably because of the falling out I had with a friend I made in my neighborhood. I got blindsided by the whole situation, and I think a little shell shocked as well. But let's face it, I just need to get over it and move on. In my defense, I do make somewhat of an effort to dwell amongst the humans by teaching knitting classes. If that place would get their crap together and fire one awful woman, I am sure I would have more students. But I digress...I had a great student this past Friday. She was a very enthusiastic and fast learner, but the best thing about her was that she didn't want to jump 10,000 steps ahead in a 2 hour class. In my experience with teaching, you tend to have students that push and push to learn as much as they can in as little time as possible. These are the ones that end up coming back because they can't remember how to cast on. My best advice, hold your ground and stress the importance of crawling before you run a 5k.

Now I will abruptly change the subject as I am apt to do, by mentioning Interweave's book- hey look a squirrel!!! Ahem, by mentioning Interweave's new (at least to me) book, Lace Style. I have seen this book on several blogs, and will most likely add it to my library. Click here to check out the book on Knitpicks.com which gives you a look at the inside pages. I am loving the cardigan on the front cover already. I am such a fickle knitter, jumping from project to project like it ain't no thing.

Picture Day (click images to enlarge)

2007-03-04T15:31:00.000-06:00

Marco has Daddy wrapped around his little paw!

Z looking quite sphynx-like, and Hunter giving his best sad puppy eyes.

My new do :)

Deli and Ariann

2007-02-24T01:22:00.000-06:00

Here is my progress so far on Deli and Ariann. Deli is being knit with Rowan Cashcotton (yum) and Ariann is being knit with Patons Canadiana. Did ya notice how the yarn is in those cool cakes. I just love that! Thanks for the ballwinder Elizabeth!!

And just because I feel like it...

Been A While

2007-02-17T00:24:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I posted, but believe it or not I have been doing A LOT of blog stuff in my spare time. It's nothing that you can see right now, but all will be revealed soon. I hope. I have also been knitting. I got a little distracted from knitting Ariann, and I started on Deli. I think it is just because Cashcotton is so darn soft and wonderful to knit with. I got the new IK in the mail, and I can't say that I like the new layout. It's not that it is a bad layout. It is the fact that it is the same layout as Vogue Knitting. If I were publishing a magazine, I think I would try to be as different as possible from the competitors not the same. Once I got over my initial disappointment, I found a pattern that I really like, the Dollar and a Half Cardigan. Now this is important info if you are planning on knitting this pattern. A lot of people are having a heck of a time finding the Reynolds Soft Linen that the pattern calls for. I did some googling and found it here. At $6.00 a ball the price isn't awful, but I'm not really impressed with the colors. While I'm working on Deli and Ariann, I'll be thinking of a good substitute. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking that my Reynolds Saucy would work. Check out all the colors and the price. Plus it doesn't hurt that I have ten balls of Olive in my stash. Well, I'm off to do some more work! I'm hoping to be back soon! Have a good Sunday!

PS. Thanks for all the compliments on the bracelet. I will be offering a video tutorial. I can't promise a time. It all depends on how long the other stuff I am doing takes. Stay tuned!

Smile!

Knitting With Beads And Wire

2007-02-07T19:58:00.000-06:00

This is a knitted bangle I made for my mom for Christmas. It was knit with 28 gauge wire on size 8 needles. It is so amazing to me how something so simple can be so beautiful!

Blogs I Read

2007-02-04T12:20:00.000-06:00

Knitting Survey Anyone?

2007-02-03T11:43:00.000-06:00

Jennifer blogged about a knitting survey, and I thought I would share it with you. A student has put this survey together as a way to gather information for her thesis on knitting. I think that is great! I took the survey to help her out. If you want to add your 2 cents, Click Here.

Silent Poetry Reading

2007-02-02T16:08:00.000-06:00

New Addition

2007-01-31T20:45:00.000-06:00

Meet the newest member of our family, Marco Esquandoles. While I was staying with my sister, Misti, I happened to fall in love with this little fellow. Lexie, Devin, and I named him one night (that's another fun story, ask me later), and it just stuck. He was seriously campaigning to go home with me all the way up until I walked out the door. I was already sad about leaving to begin with, and leaving him behind broke my heart even more. A few days later Rob, the most awesome husband ~~on the planet~~ in the universe, spent his entire day off flying to Virginia and back to pick him up for me. Yes you guys, this is one important baby or maybe I'm one important wife...ok maybe both! The flight attendants became so smitten with this kitten (I could not resist that), that they upgraded him and Rob to first class. "No kitten that cute is gonna sit in coach! You're coming up to first class!" Hmmm that's a thought. Maybe we should all fly with kittens every where we go.

It's really hard to explain or even understand how much happiness one tiny little furball can bring to your life. I have been quite down lately, and he is just the sunshine I have been looking for.

Klaralund and Thanks

2007-01-23T21:30:00.000-06:00

Hi everybody! Thank you so much for all of the birthday wishes! They meant a lot to me!!

I'm still here for the time being. My computer is hanging in there, but still threatens to break on me daily. I just have to remember not to breath as I am typing. I had a wonderful time visiting with my friends and family in Virginia. Rob was able to make it out for my birthday party making me one happy girl. I stayed at my sister's house, and spent some much needed quality time with my niece and nephew. I had fun helping her decorate that awesome birthday cake you saw in the slideshow. I got to dye the fondant to match the flowers and do the black diamonds and pink circles. I can't tell you how much fun I had staying up all night working with her on that cake. It was a 2 day job, people! That cake was no joke. I snuck out just in time to avoid the mound of dishes. Muhahaha! That is so big sister like of me isn't it.

Rob's mom decided to go on a little (haha little) road trip with Rob and I back to good ole Tennessee. We had a blast. We stopped off to visit with his little sister, Amanda, and checked out her AMAZING house. Her house is 200 years old, and it used to be an old post office/store. I am J-E-A-L-O-U-S!! Talk about a home with character, not to mention history.

We made it home safe and sound (not without sniffles on my part), and Rob's mom stayed with us for 2 nights. It was great spending time with her, and I loved having the company. It would have been very hard to come home to an empty house after leaving my friends and family.

As promised, here is a picture of Klaralund in her non-stripey glory wavin' at ya! I am very happy with the results. I wanted a simple sweater to show off the yarn, and that is what I got. I knit the smallest size in width and the largest size in length. Did that make any kind of sense?? I like my sweaters to go past the waist of my pants even when the are the low rise variety.

I'm gonna sign off for now. I think I've set a record holding my breath, and it is time to come up for air. I hope to be back again soon! I still have things to share with you :)

Birthday Slide Show!!

2007-01-21T13:20:00.000-06:00

Gonna Party Like It's My Birthday

2007-01-17T13:18:00.000-06:00

I'm blogging from my sister's house in VA :) I'm here to celebrate my Twenty Twelfth birthday! I finished Klaralund!! I was going to wear it tonight, but I decided I looked a little ummm...well let's just say I want to lose about ten more pounds before I wear anything made with a heavier weight yarn. I'll just get Helena to model it for you when I get home. In the meantime, Rob showed me a really cool video he found on youtube. This isn't his airlines, but it is what he does every day. No wonder he loves his job. I'll be back with pictures!!

If you can't see the video click here.

YAY!! I'M A WINNER!!

2007-01-07T13:59:00.000-06:00

Thank you soooooooooooooo much for my yarn winder, Elizabeth!! I have always wanted one of those!! For those of you that don't know Elizabeth, she is the wonderful creator of the Knitting Bloggers Cookbook.

You can click on the book to download your own copy. She put soooo much work into making that book, and didn't get a penny for it. How cool is she!! Thank you again for making my day, Elizabeth. Maybe my luck is changing!!

Fair Warning

2007-01-06T19:43:00.000-06:00

My laptop died and now Rob's is dying. I can't explain it any better than this excerpt from Wikipedia.com.

"On a number of Inspiron 5150's, a design flaw has been found due to the positioning of a tab on the C panel on the underside of the laptop. Any pressure applied to the top left hand corner of the laptop causes this tab to be pressed against the motherboard and in particular the "LVC14A" chip. This causes the solder between this chip and the motherboard to be broken. This causes sudden shut downs of the system due to any movement of the laptop and in certain cases for the laptop to not boot at all. Later models of the 5150 have been redesigned to avoid this problem. On some models it has been noted that the tab has been manually snapped off the C panel by hand during the manufacturing process."

So basically even though the cord is plugged in, it's not charging the battery. I can tell Rob's is starting to go because the screen is blinking. That's the same thing that happened to my laptop. Soooo considering that brand new pilots make peanuts, I don't see a new computer in our near future. This means that once this thing goes, I may be gone for a while.

Knitting Content YAY!

I have finished about 8 inches of Ariann. This is a fun knit! It has a pattern that is easy to memorize, but keeps you interested. I was swatching for Nantucket, and rediscovered some great yarn in my stash, Austerman Caprice (40% Superkid Mohair/ 35% Acrylic/ 15% Nylon/ 10% Wool). It didn't work for Nantucket because it's too fuzzy from the mohair content, and the pattern is lost. I decided that it would work great with a simple sweater pattern. I didn't want a raglan, so I opted for Klaralund. Although this pattern is usually knit with the self striping Noro, I think it will look beautiful with this yarn. So far I have finished the back the back knit, and I'm working on the front :) I hope to have pictures soon, but I'm busy backing up my hardrive. I hope to see you soon!

PS. I hope you all had lovely holidays! Just for giggles, I thought I would share a video of my two kitties with what they consider the BESTEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER!!!

Zoe and Kayne say, "Thanks Nana!!" If you can't see the videos on this page click here and here.

Pssst!

2007-01-01T01:11:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year Comment Graphics

Dear You,

2006-12-24T11:35:00.000-06:00

"
http://www.123glitter.com/

Six Weird Things About Me :)

2006-12-23T09:28:00.000-06:00

I got tagged by Gigi and could not resist sharing the weirdness that is me with all of you.

THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with the 6 weird things about you. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says you are tagged in their comments and tell them to read your blog

Six "weird" things about myself:

1. I was born with brown eyes that started turning green in my mid twenties. Now my eyes are hazel. Yeah so this isn't super weird, but i'm warming up.

2. I can't kill anything not even a spider. (Not because I'm afraid. I will pick up the spider and put it outside) I can't put a worm on a hook to fish. I can't squish a bug. I can't even eat meat anymore because I feel too guilty. Not too weird to look at this alone but extremely weird considering I come from a LONG line of hunters and carnivores. I'm probably the only person in my entire family that doesn't eat meat.

3. I was a Vet Assistant and saw all kinds of blood, gore, puke, poop, pus, you name it!! Usually ended up with a bunch of it on my scrubs by the end of the day. It never phased me one bit. Oddly enough, I can't handle any kind of thing like that if it is from a human being. I am a major, major germaphobe, and yet I'm not concerned about Zoonotic diseases at all.

4. Even weirder...I had at least three cleaning jobs in my life and cleaned public restrooms. Now I am scared to death of them. It's a huge production every time I have to use the bathroom when I'm out and about. You should see me trying not to touch ANYTHING. It's quite comical.

5. I grew my hair super long once inspired by Lara Croft played by Angelina Jolie...then chopped it off, gave it to locks of love. The weird thing is that I'm not a superhuge fan of Angelina Jolie or Lara Croft. I just thought her hair was really cool!

6. I never cry from getting hurt, and I have an insane tolerance for pain hence all the piercings and tattoos. If I throw up, I cry like a little baby, huge tears, sobbing, the whole production.

This was fun!! I'm not usually a rule breaker,(I'm one of those annoying goody two shoes) but I think I'm gonna break the rule and not technically tag anyone. If you are reading my weirdness and think you might have some weird qualities yourself, TAG you're it!!

Amazing Discovery

2006-12-21T14:27:00.000-06:00

1. Get one Dark Chocolate Mint Truffle, one packet of hot chocolate, and hot water.

2. Place all ingredients into mug.

3. Die and go to Heaven.

Miss Dashwood

2006-12-18T17:43:00.000-06:00

Here is the hat I knit for Bethany's new baby girl, Tali. Isn't she precious!! We didn't have a baby to model here in TN, so my sister's fiance, Mikey, got to do the honors. He is quite the character (yes you can talk him into about anything) and fits in my family perfectly. Remember Rob's modeling debut? Yeah we'll keep him too :)

The pattern is Miss Dashwood from Knitty, and the yarn used is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran color 300602. Yummmmm! It only took a day to knit, and it was a pleasure. I opted again for 2 circs instead of DPNs, and I learned how to do a picot cast on. I also chose not to put the buttons on the inside of the hat to pin up the flaps. I thought they might iritate the babies head. Two thumbs up across the board from me. Baby knitting is fun!

PS. Today is my blog's 3rd birthday!! Oh they grow up so fast! Next thing you know she'll have her own domain name.

Oh Yeah! It's gonna be that kind of Sunday!

2006-12-17T10:22:00.000-06:00

Pinwheel Blanket "The Earth"

2006-12-15T19:39:00.000-06:00

As you can see I have my camera now! This blanket was knit with Plymouth Fantasy Naturale 100% Mercernized Cotton on a size 8 circular. I opted to begin the blanket with two circulars instead of DPN's. The blanket is nicknamed "The Earth" due to the main color's resemblance to the colors of the earth from space which is why it is edged in black. Now to the final stages of washing, blocking, and shipping! I can't wait until I know the last present I sent was opened so that I can tell you about that!!

Knitty

2006-12-08T22:38:00.000-06:00

The new winter issue of Knitty is up! I'm gonna go check it out. Wanna come?

For Every Problem There Is A Solution

2006-12-02T11:59:00.000-06:00

Problem #1: Broken Camera

Solution: I found the answer here, and it should get here on or before December 14th. Yay!! Canons rock! I don't know what I was thinking when I bought another brand. We found our old Canon digital (still working) and ordered the missing accessories on Ebay. Now we have a backup camera, and Rob will have a camera to take on his trips.

Problem #2: Broken Computer (I can't win for losin' can I?)

Solution: Rob was kind enough to trade me his laptop for my MP3 player. I took the hard drive out of my computer and put it into his. Tadah! Problem solved. Now it is time to start saving my pennies for a new laptop. Any recommendations?

Problem # 3: What shall I knit next?

Solution: I started Ariann from Chicknits (am I the only one that can't stop pronouncing this Chick Knits??), started a pinwheel blanket, and swatched Serrano. I have lots of variety going to insure no knitting boredom. Details on each project to come.

Problem #4: Z's Confusion

Solution: We found a wonderful online tutor for Z, and I think he will learn great things from him. <wink>

Oh yeah! I almost forgot! The afghan I knit was from the book Afghan Medly by Leisure Arts. It called for a size 15 needle, but I used my size 11 ebonies and just cast (cast? is that right? should that be casted?? hehe) on more stitches. The yarn was Caron's Simply Soft in Bone (i think) chosen for easy care. For being such an inexpensive yarn, it is incredibly soft and holds up very well.

Grab Your Man Quick!

2006-12-01T22:44:00.000-06:00

Maybe you'll get some help finishing those holiday gifts after this!!

World AIDS Day

2006-12-01T22:43:00.000-06:00

IN THE U.S.

*An estimated one million people are currently living with HIV in the United States, with approximately 40,000 new infections occurring each year.
*70 percent of these new infections occur in men and 30 percent occur in women.
*By race, 54 percent of the new infections in the United States occur among African Americans, and 64 percent of the new infections in women occur in African American women.
*75 percent of the new infections in women are heterosexually transmitted.
*Half of all new infections in the United States occur in people 25 years of age or younger.

AROUND THE WORLD
*There are 14,000 new infections every day (95 percent in developing countries). HIV/AIDS is a "disease of young people" with half of the 5 million new infections each year occurring among people ages 15 to 24.
*The UN estimates that, currently, there are 14 million AIDS orphans and that by 2010 there will be 25 million.
*Over 22 million people have died from AIDS.
*Over 42 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, and 74 percent of these infected people live in sub-Saharan Africa.
*Over 19 million women are living with HIV/AIDS.
*By the year 2010, five countries (Ethiopia, Nigeria, China, India, and Russia) with 40 percent of the world's population will add 50 to 75 million infected people to the worldwide pool of HIV disease.

E For Effort

2006-11-27T22:34:00.000-06:00

So I finished that blanket I was working on, but the only thing I have to take pictures with is my cell phone. Here are the wonderful results of this fabulous photo shoot.

Z also gets an E for effort. We've been trying to teach him basic commands. He's trying really hard, but I think he might be a little confused.

Click Here If You Can't See The Video
Make sure to have your sound on.

Hi There

2006-11-23T09:09:00.000-06:00

Myspace Codes: MyNiceSpace.com