Today's the Day

I'm up, showered and waiting for Mom to pick me up and take me to the hospital. Needless to say I got very little sleep last night. No deodorant, no lotion, no make-up, no food, no drink..... check, check, check... ugh!

Thank you to everyone for your well-wishes. There's a part of my that knows everything is going to be OK. This is a procedures that is done alot now-a-days and I have a great doctor who is also an excellent surgeon. Then there's the other part of my that is still scared since I have never had surgery and never spent a night in the hospital.

See you when I get home!

SP12 Question of the Week #4 & 5

Sorry with all that is going on with me I completely forget to post question 4!

1) What yarn (that you don’t have/haven’t used) would make your stash “complete”?
That's a tough one! There are so many!! Great Big Sea, Double Seasilk, Silk Rhapsody, and I'm sure I could probably list a whole bunch more!

2) What yarn do you never want to be without? I think after completely my first shawl with Handmaiden Seasilk, I would say that yarn. Since making that one shawl I have replenished my seasilk 4 times over!

WEEK 5:
1) Where is your favorite place to go for vacation/holiday?
I don't know if there is one specific spot, because to me what makes the vacation is the people you are with :) But anything withing walking distance to a beach is always a good thing!

2) Where is one place you’d like to go? ITALY! My folks took me back when I was 9 and I would love to return there one day. I was really hoping to go before my nonna passed, but I ended up spending saved money on my divorce.

Just 5 More Days

Well, Tuesday was my pre-op appointment. Turns out no miracles have happened to me because my fibroids are still there. *gotta keep a sense a humor about things, right?* So, we are set for an abdominal myomectomy at 8:45 Monday morning. I have to check into the hospital by 6:45 AM *yeah, I'm not getting any sleep Sunday night* The doc is pretty confident that she can remove all the fibroids that were showing up on the sonogram without any problems. She did warn me that there could be more than the five that were visible on the test. She also understands that preserving fertility is my ultimate goal, so if there are an unexpected fibroids that could cause problems in trying to remove them, she will leave them in. She said the only downside is that I will have to have a C-section when I get pregnant, due to the removal of 2 specific fibroids. I personally don't think that a tremendous downside, so I'm OK with that.

I will be in the hospital for two nights and as long as I don't have a fever, can keep food down and can pee, they will let me go home. Once home I will pretty much be confined to the top floor of my house with the bathroom and shower. I am told I will not want to be doing stairs for a few days. There's a good chance I will be cleared to drive at my post-op appointment 2 weeks later, but we will have to wait and see how I heal. She did warn me that even if she does clear me to drive after 2 weeks, I probably shouldn't go to far in the afternoon and evenings as my body is still re cooperating and I will get very tired in the afternoons.

As soon as I feel up to it, she said I can start my walking again. Shorter distances at first and working back up to my 4 miles. She doesn't want me going to the gym, doing any heavy lifting or having sex for 6 weeks. *sheeeeeeeeeeeet, I'm not having sex now, so I don't think that's going to be a problem for six weeks* Then she says, "and after about two months you can go for it and get pregnant." *sigh, if only* Though, if something doesn't change soon in my personal life I just might have to make the decision between being a single parent or never being one. Lord help me when I try to explain that one to Catholic Italian parents!

As the World Turns...

Well, I am back from my mini vacation. I went to Chicago this past week and spent some time with Mr. X and his daughter. She is just precious! I was really nice to spend some time with him and relax before having to start a new job and my surgery.

I did manage to get the baby dress finished before the Sunday visit, but the little girl is teething and fussy, so I didn't get to try the dress on her. Mr. X promised he'd get me a picture on his next visit. When I get it, I will post - along with the other photos of her.

In some ways, I thought this trip was going to be hard on me - with his daughter and all, but surprisingly it wasn't too bad. Maybe because she looks so much like her daddy that I just didn't see "the other woman" in her at all. I think the harder part was actually his reservedness *is that even a word?? - I guess it is since spellcheck didn't catch it* I know he still has some things he needs to work through and stuff. It's just so hard to sit by and watch the person you love go through things and know that there isn't a damn thing you can do to make it better for them, except to just let them know you are there for them and to be there when they turn to you.

*God, if you're listening, I really do understand the lesson you are trying to teach, but could you just speed it up a little here - I know, that was counter-productive, so I will wait*sigh*

SP12 Question of the Week #3

What would you consider the perfect amount of stash?

Oh Wow! I don't think there is one perfect amount. I think we knitter's are such unique individuals that we all have different ideas of perfect. Me, I buy yarn in colors that talk to my eyes and in textures that my fingers refuse to release. I buy these yarns in such varied amounts that it could be years before I find the perfect pattern for a skein(s). Now, my gf KozyKitty, on the other hand is the complete opposite of me. She's very disciplined when she goes yarn shopping and will only buy yarn when she knows what she will knit it into. Sometimes I wish I could be that disciplined when I walk into a LYS or go the S&W festivals.

Now, my idea of the perfect stash would be kind of like the Room of Requirement. When I need to go stash diving I would just find the secret passage and be able to walk up and down aisles touching, fondling and groping yarn till I found exactly what I wants and *poof* there would be exactly the number of skeins I need there. *yeah, I can live a bit in a fantasy land*

Goodies for Me!!

I just love getting gifts! *yeah, I know, who doesn't!* A few weeks ago my Secret Pal sent me an email saying that she had sent out a teaser package. The swap hadn't even started yet! I was excited to say the least! Lookie what I got for a teaser!! A knitter's keychain and Harmony cable needles! My secret pal must have done a background check in me to know I just love anything with cables! Right now, I don't have a single project that requires cables... I must find something with cables to cast on!! *I know, like I need to cast on anything right now with so many UFOs on my needles, but that's an ADD knitter for ya!*

Thanks Secret Pal!!



And that's not all I got! Last Friday, I went to happy hour with my girlfriends KozyKitty and Tracey. KK gave me a belated birthday gift! Isn't she adorable!



Kozykitty knows of my weakness for fairies. This beauty is a Jessica Galbreth Zodiac fairy! I have been eyeing the Gemini fairy for quite some time now, but I never did buy it. Lucky me that I have a friend that knows me so well!! She is sitting in my china cabinet as you are reading this :)

One of these days I'll get arround to unpacking all my Amy Brown fairys and put them in there as well, but for know the Gemini has the stage all to herself *just as any Gemini should!*

All Moved Out!

Well, today was my last official day at my old school.

No more crazy Sally, no more crazy Sally!!

It was very sad for me to see my library so empty! My library was filled with colors, stuffed animals, house plants gallore, toys, shells, student projects... anything that made this huge space attractive to the kids. As you can see in the pictures below, I have large glass windows EVERYWHERE so this area was constantly on display! You can't have a space like that look uninviting. You can see that every shelf top had oddles of stuff displayed.





Now it just looks like a ghost town...







How the hell did I accumulate so much shit in 7 years?!?! *laugh* I kept probably about half of my stuff. It's all packed up and in my basement right now. Next week I need to rearrange my basement so that I don't have these boxes everywhere! I took home almost all of my stuffed animals and the toys - just in case I end up not liking high school and want to go back to the little guys.

The other half of my stuff I gave to friends who were still working in elementary schools.

Most of my friends that started the same year I did have made the switch to middle or high school. I am the 2nd to last one to make that switch. I really do enjoy working with the little guys because they are just so excited about reading and learning. Not to mention that they give the best hugs! My girlfriends that have made the switch keep telling me that I'm going to love high school, but I think that's more because the teaching atmosphere is different than elementary, not because the kids are any better. I am looking forward to the experience though. Since my certification area is really K-12, it will be nice to the ability to put down the varied experiences on my resume for future job prospects. It would also be good should I ever decide to go back and get my doctorate to become a county supervisor or a college professor. I do admit though, the idea of writing a dissertation and having to defend it - scarey the begeezus out of me!

Anyhoo, I packed up my last few things, said goodbye to the few people that were there as I left, *and yes, I broke out in tears* Although I left on my own accord, it was more for my own sanity then dislike of the location and community, and due to the fact that my program was pretty much destroyed within the last two years and reduced down to babysitting so that teacher could have additional planning time. Don't get me wrong, planning time is important, but if it's important of one teacher then it should be equally important for all teachers. It should not be at the expense of another educational program.

Well, enough dwelling on the past and time to look forward to the future.... High School...

Holy Cow Batman, She's Been Knitting!!

No more crazy Sally, no more crazy Sally.....

oops, sorry, I'm still on Cloud 9 over that one :) It was amazing quiet and calm at work today. The crazy woman has left the building for the rest of the week, so I get to finish out my days in peace. *There is a God*

Well, as we all know WWKIP Day was last Saturday and of course my SNK group participated! We went to a local strip mall and hung out in the court yarn area. It was terrific. Harris Teeter had just opened up and our fearless leaders went over and demanded that they cater to us *just kidding!, but they did inform HT that we were there and if they could do anything for us we would greatly appreciate it* They brought us this cart of bottled waters, bins with ice to cool down the water, boxes of cookies, bags of chips, platters of veggies, it was AWESOME!



Looks like one of the local kids had fun putting some soap in the fountain!


And, what you have all been waiting for..... drum roll please....

Knitting updates!!

First up is a hand towel.

Pattern: Mason-Dixon Moss Grid Hand Towel
Yarn: Kraemer Tawany Tweed DK in Lime (1 skein)
Needles: Addis size 5
Modifications: 11 repeats instead of 12.

This yarn was very nice to work with, and the pattern was quickly memorized.

With some leftover cotton yarns I made a Swiffer cover. I'm tired of buying those damn pads all the time and throw them away after just one use. So I've decided to use left over cotton yarns and make me some swiffer covers!

Pattern: Ballband Dishcloth Reusable Swiffer Cover
Yarn: left over cotton yarns
Needles: Bamboo size 7
Modifications: None

All I need to do is sew up the site and put that sucker on my swiffer and start swiffering! This was such a quick knit, I have a 2nd one started already!!



I started a pair of socks for my father. They were suppose to be a Father's Day gift. As you can see, I did not get them done in time, but since it's summer and my father rarely wears socks in the summer, I don't feel guilty, Well, that and the fact that my sisters and I went in on a Bocci Ball set for him :)



Next up in the Luna Moth Shawl. This is my sister's birthday present *we won't linger on the fact that her birthday was back on June 9th* Do you see a slight procrastination theme here in my knitting?? I'm not sure I'm going to have enough yarn to finish it! Bummer!! I have to call the store that I bought the yarn from and pray that by some miracle of miracles they have another skein in that same dye lot. If not, I'm screwed. I also added beads to jazz it up a bit.



Dum-dum-dum!! *music crescendo* That dreaded Shetland shawl. I have finally finished it, but I'm not sure it's big enough! I am debating on frogging back the edging, winding up the other skein of yarn and continuing in the pattern till it's a bigger size. Then Tulabug can arrange the dye party she wants to have in Sheila's studio. But I need to make a decision quickly, because I need to have it dyed and blocked before my surgery since my other sister's birthday in August 9th!



I am still knitting along on my Secret of the Stole II mystery knit. Although the KAL is long over, my shawl is only about half-way knit. I have completed clue 4 and am starting clue 5.



And last, but certainly not least...
Finally, something for myself and I do plan to finish this one *that is if I can ever get gauge* I purchased this neat cardigan pattern at MDSW this year along with the yarn - Autumn House Sagamore in Antique Garden. The problem is that I did not pay attention while at MDSW *I blame is on the high from the yarn fumes and my fondling obsession* The pattern calls for a yarn that is thicker than the yarn I purchased! The pattern was on display right next to this stunning colored yarn that I just naturally assumed *yeah, I know what assume breaks down to, you don't need to remind me* it was the yarn called for on the pattern. Live and learn. But I wasn't giving up,. I hunted my LYS and online to find a yarn that I could add to the Sagamore to make it the thickness that I needed. I bought some nice light fingering weight yarn in bamboo. Unfortunately, I knit up a swatch last night and I don't have gauge *grrrrr* I don't think the bamboo yarn is thick enough. I'm thinking of purchasing linen to add to it this time. Maybe some Euroflax. I just love how the colors look in the swatch. I can't wait to have this cardigan finished! I swear I'll wear it in bed while I'm healing from my surgery! *giggle*



To wrap up this post.... I have discovered that my kitty likes Spinach and Artichoke Hummus! Who'd a thunk it??

SP12 Question of the Week #2

As a kid, what did you look forward to most about summer vacation/break/holiday?
You mean there was something else to look forward to BESIDES not having to get up early and do homework?? *giggle*

Hmmmm, let see.... Things that I most looked forward to at summer break was sleeping in *now does that really surprise any of you?* and going down to the local pool and hanging out with friends all day. The pool was about a 30 minute walk from my house. The main road that led to the pool was a rather heavily driven road and as my sister's and I look back on these times we wonder What the hell were Mom and Dad thinking letting us little kids walk by ourselves on these busy road???. My sister's and I would usually set out right around 11 AM (earlier if we had swimming lessons) and we'd pretty much be there all day. My parents would get home from work around 4:30 PM and come pick us up, If was a really hot day, they would join us and we'd be there till about 6 PM.

Another big part of my summer breaks was always the Summer Reading Program at the local library. I LOVED to read. I still enjoy it now, but since I haven't really mastered knitting and reading at the same time, my reading has suffered a bit. I can remember setting out at least once a week with a bag full of books and walking up Sunnyside Avenue *and yes is was a monster of a hill* to get to the Mt. Pleasant Public Library to report on all the books that I had read for the week. Sometimes I went twice a week. *Is it any wonder that I ended up being a school librarian?*

As for other school breaks and holidays, it was pretty much sleeping in, no homework, chilling out with friends and being able to read all day.

You Can't Fix Crazy

My sister told me that one night when I was on the phone with her in frustrated cry telling her of what SHE did this time. As I was ranting, she calmly said "You can't fix crazy." And she's right! I have to keep reminding myself of this every time I have to deal with my current boss *technically she is a principal, but she is no leader, she's a boss*

You would think that if a person is leaving, going, out the door, out of your life, you would let them pack up and just say "Asta luegga!" or however you spell it *or if your a smartass like me.... yeah, I know you are so don't even try to deny it!.... "don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya!" as the person is leaving*

But nooooooooooooooooooooo, this woman just can't leave well enough alone. She has to continue to dig her claws in and twist till the very last day. Unbelievable!

Monday, I spent the first half of the day at the new school talking with the person who I will be replacing. Getting the info on high school, what she ordered for next year and all that good stuff. Then we went out for lunch. Now mind you, the county that I work for allocated 10 work days for media specialist that are beyond the normal school schedule. These days are for us to get all of our other responsibilities taken care of. Sooooo, I decided to use 1/2 of one of my days to go to the new school.

I don't know what caused the panic, but you would have thought that Osama had taken over my school. My phone starts going off like crazy. The secretary from the school I'm leaving is calling me trying to find out where I was. When I call her back, she puts the crazy lady on the phone *you know, Jekyll and Hyde* She starts out all sweet "Where are you?" and when I tell her that I was at the other school ... swoosh out comes Hyde.... "You are suppose to be here at this school. They don't have you till July 1!" It was all down hill from there! I came very close to going back to my school, packing up the rest of my office and walking out without doing another thing!

Last year, I stopped checking my work email from home because this crazy woman would be sending emails at all hours of the day and night that would just grate on my nerves and ruin my nights or weekends. So my solution was not to check and only respond to her emails when I was at work. It took her a while to understand that I no longer check my work emails from home. But last night, I broke my rule. I don't know what possessed me *maybe there's a Hyde in me ..... naaahhhh* and sure enough the very reason why I stopped doing that was staring me in the face. An email from HER. She was really going to push it to the limit and make my last few days there miserable.

You want to know just how bad it was..... I search my medicine cabinet to find my bottle of Valium and stuck it in my purse to take to work with me this morning - just in case.

I responded to her email as politely as I could without letting her get to me, but she just couldn't leave well enough alone. She wanted to meet with me and she wanted to make sure I knew that she didn't think I was doing my job. I could feel my blood pressure going up. My assistant could see that SHE had worked my last nerve and she started telling me to take my medication *laugh* *30 minutes before this meetings I popped a pill* And she was going to try and prevent me from working my last few hours *a sudden reality check of what was happening to me this summer made me remember that I really did need a full last paycheck*

I had forgotten how loopy Valium can make me when I first take it, but shit, I thought better for me to laugh my ass off with her, then strangle her and have to use my one phone call to get bailed out of jail. *Isn't there a saying that goes something like -smile it makes them wonder what you've been up too. So a full on laugh would really have her wondering!* Needless to say the meeting was over rather quickly when she realized I wasn't going to let her get to me *Thank you Valium* And I had my hours back.

Then Valium and silliness kicked in full force when I realized that I would not have to deal with HER the rest of this week! She will be out. I started doing my happy dance in the media center. *my poor assistant, but she's known I'm crazy*

Do you watch the show Two and a Half Men? There was an episode where Judith (Alan's ex-wife) announces that she's getting married and Alan comes to the realization that this means he won't have to pay alimony anymore. He started doing this little dance and sings "No more al-i-mo-ny, no more al-i-mo-ny" Did you see that episode?? Well picture that dance, except I'm singing "No more crazy Sally, no more crazy Sally" Then I kicked it up a notch and started dancing around like a Conga line and kicking my leg out and I was singing it. *yeah, those of you that know me are picturing it right now aren't you? Aren't you! HEY! Stop laughing, I don't look that funny..... hmmm.... OK maybe I do* Maybe I'll get my assistant to take a picture of my Happy Dance tomorrow, and if you're really good I might post them. I had my assistant laughing and now she was saying I better not take anymore medication! *laugh*

"No more crazy Sally, no more crazy Sally" Oh, sorry, got off track there for a minute :)

After work I headed to the gym. I had been slacking at the gym these last few months as I've been dealing with my health issue crisis. Not my best plan of action, since the exercise would have kept the depression and worrying more at bay, but when I'm down and out I just forget the other benefits to exercise besides the waistline. But I want to drop another 10 pounds before the surgery. Since I'm not going to be moving around very much afterwards I anticipate that I might gain a bit afterwards.

When I got home from the gym, I was pouring myself a glass of ice water and getting ready to ice down my knee *yeah, on top of everything else my knee inflammation decides it wants to start acting up* when my phone rings. It's Mr. X *yeah, I know I haven't said much about him lately, but you all remember him* and he starts asking me how long is his list. A while back he dubbed me "The Steel Trap" because I remember almost everything when it came to us. This "list" is a running record of all the slaps and punches I owe him for stupid things he says that I will of course inflict upon him the next time I see him. I had no idea where he was going with this, but I played along and said it would have to be at least 10-15 pages long by now. He then tells me that he gets to remove 10 pages of it. Apparently, when I emailed him today in my Valiumed-state-of-mind, I added my "knitting" signature to the email that includes this blog address. (Hi, Mr. X. Now that you have found me, I have a feeling that you are reading this) and he followed the link. From my blog, he found my flickr site and looked at all the pictures *which included about 10 pages of yarn pictures - can you see where this is heading* I laughed my ass off. You all know what those pictures are for, but I could just picture him going through these pages wondering what the hell I was doing taking pictures of my yarn! *LAUGH* I laughed so hard that my fibroids started to hurt! Of course, after my last two days, I needed a good laugh like that.

Anyhoo, he was trying to tell me that because he suffered through all these photos of yarn porn, 10 pages get to be removed from "The List" Nope, un-un, not happening! I did not tell you to go look at all that yarn porn *and I know right now he's thinking -yarn porn??* but that's what ya get when you go snooping! *hee-hee*

OK, time for a shower. I'm off. I promise project updates next time *I know I prmoised that last post, but I just had to share this first*

She heads off to the shower singing "No more crazy Sally, no more crazy Sally, no more......"

Where Do I Start?

Oh my, where do I start? So much has happened and right now I feel like I am melting! It is too damn hot!

OK, I think I left off with a doctor's appointment. I went and got a 2nd opinion and felt much more comfortable with the 2nd gynecologist. This woman was very thorough in her explanations. She had all kinds of pictures showing me all the different kinds of fibroids that I have. *yeah, lucky me. I don't have just one kind. No, nothing can ever be that simple when it comes to me* She also had a model she used when she was explaining everything to me. She took her time to make sure I understood everything. As it stands right now, I have five fibroids that showed up on the sonogram, which means I probably have more. I have various kinds of fibroids, so the less evasive procedures are not possible and that currently my uterus is about the size of a 5-month pregnant woman *that is something the other doc did not tell me* She also told me that I could possibly conceive in my present situation, but that she was 99% that if I did, I would miscarry because with all the fibroids and their current sizes, there would be no room for the baby to grow. She does recommend a myomectomy since my ultimate goal is to preserve fertility. She informed me that normally she recommends this procedure 6 months before a woman wants to try and conceive, but that with the current size of my uterus and the effects the fibroids are having on me currently, she would perform the surgery now. I do understand that they could come back and since we have no time frame for how long these took to develop and grow, I might need to go through this procedure again since I am not currently in a position to take on the responsibility of being a single mom *kudos and praise to all the women out there that are single moms in this economy.* I will be having an abdominal myomectomy where they basically go in as if it were a C-section - remove all the fibroids that they can and stitch me back up. Due to the way certain fibroids developed and how they need to be removed, when I do have my kid it will be C-sections all the way. And you know, I'm really OK with that.

So, my surgery is set for July 14th, first thing in the morning. And yes, I'm scared. I've had oral surgery several times, but I was always home and in my bed withing a few hours. This is my first major surgery and first hospital stay. I don't know if I'd be this nervous and antsy if the surgery was for anything other that my uterus *OK, so yeah heart and brain surgery would be right up there, but let's just not even go there.* I know, I know, I need to be more of an optimist and I'm trying. I swear I am!

My mom has already volunteered to come down and stay with me the week of my surgery *Percocet might be just what I need for that week! - LOTS* Don't get me wrong, I love my mother to death, but there is a reason that I moved out and live four-hours away. I also have several friends and several wonderful gals from my knitting group who have offered to help me out during this time. I'm not use to being cooped up in my house for weeks, and the idea that I probably won't be cleared to drive for several weeks! I just can't fathom! But I will do it all so that one day I can be called "Mommy"

I will obviously not be able to work my summer job, so my bank account will be awfully tight this summer. I don't even want to think about what my electric bills are going to be like since I will be home all days during the hottest days of the summer.

The transmission in my car needs to be rebuilt or replaced, so I guess it's a good thing that I won't be able to drive for a few weeks after the surgery. *See, that's me being optimistic. I told you I was trying!*

Anyone want to give me a winning lottery ticket?

On a happier note, I HAVE A NEW JOB!! ALLELUIA!! I will be saying goodbye to the little rugrats I've been teaching these last seven years in elementary school and come July 1st, I will be teaching the big rugrats in high school!! Yeah, a little scary. But at least I won't be dealing with the crazy principal that is currently running the school I'm in. And folks, when I say crazy, I don't just mean difficult, I mean there is seriously something wrong with the wiring in her attic! Anyone who can just outright lie to people and think nothing of it, and not just lie, but something I think she really believes what she is saying to be truth! I can't even begin to explain the craziness. You would think that the power-that-be would take notice when ten or more people on the school staff leave EVERY year! But, after June 20th - it will no longer be my problem!

I have several friends and colleagues that work at the high school level and I will be relying heavily on them for support and guidance as I make my way through my first year of high school.

I have dome some knitting through all this termoil, but I am too tired right now to find the pictures and blog about them. Hopefully tomorrow night :)

SP 12 Questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I would have to say that silk and silk blends are my favs! I like yarns that are soft and cozy to the touch like merino and alpaca - oh and of course silk and cashmere *dreamy*. I'm more into natural fibers. I do have a huge tub filled to over-flowing with dishcloth cotton yarn!

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have a plethora of needle and hook holders. I am on the hunt for some sort of neat way to display my needles at home instead of keeping them all packed away in the holders. I want to display my tools as art - after all, that is what they create!

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I have been knitting for about three year now. My Nonna taught me when I was a little girl, but I never really took to it back then. I would say that my skill is Intermediate at this point. I have been crocheting for 18 years thought!

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes I do!! The button is in the sidebar :)

5. What's your favorite scent?
I have to be very careful with ALL scents as they trigger migraines with me. Yucky! But vanilla bean, apple orchards and very subtle ocean scents are great. Mild, subtle scents. Nothing that is over-powering.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Unfortunately, yes. I would have to say my favorites are Baci, Ferrero Rocher Chocolate , Chocolate Torrone, and Nutella. Yes, I'm Italian and like my Italian sweets :) I also love raw almonds.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I have been a crocheter for 18 years. I enjoy painting ceramics. I create Christmas wreathes as gifts. I do not spin.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
Wow, this is a tough one for me. I'm some what eclectic when it comes to music. I am not much for country music, heavy metal, or punk. I enjoy most of today's hip-hop, classic rock of the 70s & 80s, Elvis Presley, James Brown, Barry White, music from the 50s & 60s, Italian music (old and new), any of the great musicians (Bach, Mozart, Vivaldi, etc.). Yes, I can play MP3s.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
Another toughie for me because I tend to love various shades of all colors. I guess my favorite colors would be red, black, smokey grey, rich teals(more blue than green), rich shades of purple. I am definitely a lover of winter colors for myself although a bright fuchsia or turquoise do look good on me too. I tend to stay away from pale colors as my skin is very pale and makes me look washed out. I stay away from yellows, golds, light or bright greens, and oranges.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I live with my kitty, Frisco, who is 13 years-old now, but I swear he still thinks he is a kitten! I have an older sister who lives 10 minutes from me and I adore my two nieces. My folks live in NY as does my younger sister.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I am definitely a scarf wearer. I haven't worn mittens in years - it might be a nice change from gloves. Fingerless gloves and arm cosies are great. I'm more of a shawl or shrug wearing woman than I am ponchos.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Right now it seems to be the 3 S's - Scarves, Shawls and Stoles. I do enjoy knitting bags and hats. I have not tried my hand at sweaters yet, but I have a few I'm dying to start as well as some legwarmers, tanks and shrugs for my nieces. And I crochet afghans a lot. I've just started knitting socks, but I don't think that's really my thing.

13. What are you knitting right now?
Oh goodness, you want a list?? Arm cozies, 2 different scarves, dishcloth, hand towels, baby dress, 4 different lace projects. On the hooks I have 2 different afghans started. I really think I'm ADD when it comes to projects - I need variety! *giggle*

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes. Knowing someone put thought, time and love into creating something for me is special.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I *heart* my KnitPicks Options needle set and I *heart* my Addi turbos circulars. I also prefer wood straights. I stay away from plastic and aluminum in knitting needles, although I do have a set of Pony Pearls DPN that are really great!

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Yes

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
I'm sorry can you repeat the question, we must have a bad connections. *giggle*

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas and New Year's Eve.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Faeries

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
Most definitely! Check out the Wish List section of my blog!

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
Not right now :)

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I've only knit 2 pairs for myself. I'm a size 10 ladies.

23. When is your birthday?
June 8th - a Gemini :)

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID? Pheelya

I've Been a Bad Girl.... Happy Birthday to ME!

I know that I have been neglecting my blogging duties lately - both here and on my group blogs. Things in my life have just been a little hectic lately. I am too tired right now to catch you all, but I promise to write a full post by Tuesday and catch everyone up. No, really, I swear I will!!

On a happy note..... Happy Birthday to ME! Today is my birthday. I enjoyed the day just hanging out and knitting with friends. My older sister's birthday is tomorrow, so we went out and had crabs for dinner *YUMMY*

Does That Look Like the Same Color to You??

OK, so I went to my Wednesday night S 'n B and everyone was asking me about my hidious color disaster. So here it is again, This first picture is the picture off the web site. That is what they call "Hot Winter" See, more darkish brown with reddish over tones in it. That rusty/fall orange is more along the line of what my sister wears when it comes to orange. But this is not the color that came in the package!



This is the color that came in!! Now, I know at times that I am not right in the head, and I see things very differently then other people at times, but does that look ANYTHING even remotely close to they picture that they posted on the website?!?! I don't think so!






Thank you to everyone in regards to your sentiments and advide to my health issue. I have been doing some research on my own and talking to people and now know there are alternatives out there. It's just a matter of find a good doctor.

I'm Still Alive...

WARNING: Heavy with photos!

even if I am a little battered and bruised... Sorry I haven't blogged much this past month, my life has been rather hectic. It seems that when it comes to my life the rule of three seems to be a minimum number and not a max.

I'm trying very hard not to dwell on the curve balls that have been thrown my way, but when the ball shooter goes crazy and several balls are coming all at once it's really hard. I had some womanly issues so I made an appointment with the doc, as an ex-bf used to say "the below the belt doctor" because the word gynecologist made him queasy *yeah, that relationship didn't last very long* Anyhoo, issues were found and the first course of action this doctor recommended was a hysterectomy. Being that I have not had my kids yet and very much want to have some, completely lost it in the office when that news was delivered. After doing a little research on my own and talking with others, I've decided to see another gyno for a 2nd opinion. I requested a copy of all the test results. Of course I had to try and read through them all to see what I could understand, and of course had to look up all the medical terms that I didn't understand and that was just getting me more depressed. So I put it all away, took some deep breaths and just waiting to hear what the other highly recommended gyno will tell me. I have the appointment next week on the 22nd and I already feel my anxiety building up. I seriously need a chill pill.

Then I learned that my car needs a new transmission and of course I tried to get Honda to replace it since this is the 2nd time the transmission went bad on this car!! Needless to say, they will be doing nothing and this will probably be the last time I buy a Honda. One pays the extra money for certain things because of the reputation behind those names and I feel that Honda has not lived up to its reputation with me. Right now it's all too much to think about, so I continue to drive my car cautiously and check the transmission fluid at least twice a week!

I am interviewing around at middle school and high schools because I really need to get out of my school and away from a very bad boss. Talk about stressful!

In April there's was National Library Week and on Wednesday of that week is usually "Thank Your School Librarian Day." One of the parents in my community remember this and had her little girl deliver these!



Don't they look yummy!!



She gave a box to me and a box to my assistant! They tasted three times better then they looked! *licks her lips*

So, is it just my cat that loves to crawl into things?? Can you see him??





Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival!!!!

I know I'm really behind the eight ball on this one. I had a blast!! On Saturday I met up with a bunch of the gals from my Wed. night S'nB group. We met at 6:30 AM at Dunkin Donuts, had breakfast, hit the ATM machine and then the festival! We were eager beavers that were parked and walking around by I think 7:45AM. We walked around, fondled and caressed yarn, laughed a whole lot, ate lunch, met other friends while meandering around, laughed some more and of course purchased a whole shit load of yarn!! I practically blew my wad at the first stop: Brooks Farm. OMG! Talk about some heavenly goods. I think Denise, Suzanne and I were ready to topple over the stand, get butt-nekked and roll around on their yarn! I don't know how I managed to miss their "orphans and widows" section last year, but I found it this year and man I cleaned up! I found enough yarn for TWO sweaters/cardigans and TWO shawls from the orphans rack! And I was the last one in our little group to search this rack! And the people running that booth were SO helpful!! I was very disappoint to hear that someone had stole a shawl from that booth. I mean, knitting is what we do! How could someone STEAL someone else's work and try to pass it off as their own?!?! It was really disheartening to read about all the mishaps that occurred at the festival, especially all the occurrence that happened over night with animals being let lose and barns being broken into!

Here is all the luscious yarn that I purchase over the two days of the festival. Denise is such a bad enabler! Don't even think about trying to save money while going yarn shopping with her! She could talk a worm into buying dirt!! But I still love you Denise!


row 1: Unique Sheep - Tinsel Toes, Spritely Goods - Sylph, Knitswithsticks - Sock, Tess' Designer Yarn - Super Socks and Baby
row 2: Tess-Super Socks and Baby, Prism Yarn - Cable, Brooks Farm - Acero, A Twist of Peruvian - Alpaca
row 3: A Twist of Peruvian - Alpaca, A Twist of Peruvian - Alpaca, Autum House Farm - Sagamore, Brooks Farm - Primero
row 4: Brooks Farm - Primero, Brooks Farm - Mas-Acero, Brooks Farm - Mas-Acero, Unique Sheep - Luxe

Sunday, I took my niece, Julianna to the festival. It was part of her birthday present. She's a real animal lover and I knew she would get a huge kick out of seeing all those animals. But this girl floored me when she said she really wanted to see the Alpacas! I had no idea of what an alpaca was till I started knitting! That doesn't seem like a common animal that a third grader would just know about! As you can see from the pictures, she just had a field day with the animals. She kept picking up the straw and trying to feed the animals. I think the funniest pictures are of her with the llama. Look at the llama pictures - one she's just reaching to touch it and the other she is actually touching the llama, tell me it doesn't look like that llama is smiling when she touches it! I laughed so hard when I saw that!



Man, I thought Denis was bad to go yarn shopping with, my niece is WORSE! We went to Tess' Yarns first and I told her to pick out a skein of sock yarn and I would make her a pair of socks. Temporary Insanity on my part - I don't think I've seen my niece wear socks except when my sister makes her wear them when they are going to the airport! But you think Julianna reminds me that she doesn't wear socks?? Nooooooooooooo.

After she picked out her first skein, it was all down hill from there! She was caressing skeins left and right and when she touched something she really liked, she found a color she liked and hand to me saying, "Here, buy this!" Can you guess what she hands me? Just take a wild guess! ...

A $60 skein of cashmere!! When I asked her what she wanted me to make... "a Poncho!" Sheeeeeeeeeeeet. That's one hell of an expensive poncho! So, being the nice Zia that I am, I tell her to look at some of the "fun" yarns for a poncho. What does she find?? A very nice skein of some really neat yarn that would make a great poncho! Go ahead, ask.

How much was the skein??

$140!!

I nearly fainted! Now, don't get me wrong, it would have made one hell of a neat poncho for the girl, but I was not spending that much on a girl who's been lovingly nicknamed Pigpen in the family! Need I say more? I then explained to her how you shouldn't just buy yarn. *HA! Can you believe these words were coming out of MY mouth??* That you really should know what you want to make so that you know just how many skeins you need to buy and what the WHOLE project will cost in the end! *Boy, I really should learn to take my own advice!!* After that, she was saying, "Here... oh never mind YOU won't buy it at that price!"

*LAUGH*

I have no idea where she got the idea that I was Rockafeller's daughter! Well, by the time we left the festival, she had picked out that brightly colored Tess yarn for socks, the Unique Sheep Luxe for some fingerless gloves, and the huge skein of Prism yarn for a poncho. She also had her first corn dog at the festival!! She was nice enough to bring home the cotton candy to share with her sister *with a little consumption control assistant from me* and a bag of Cinnamon roasted pecans for the rest of the family.

Well, I may not have been bloggin much lately, but I sure have been knitting!! Here's is the Shallowtail Shawl I made for my mother for Mother's Day. It wasn't done in time, but she will be back down here in two weeks for my aunt's 70th birthday party and I'll give it to her then so she can wear it to the party.


Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl
Yarn: Handmaiden Seasilk - Capri clorway
Needles: KnitPicks Options size 4, 5, 6, 8, 10
Modifications: I did not make the nubbs and instead added beads. I also slowly increased the size of the needles I was using as I work the shawl. When I got the section there I added the beads I went up to a size 5, then size 6 when I started the final chart and increased from there. I wanted to get nice pointy ends. I wish I had done an extra repeat of the section where I added the beads, because I think I had enough yarn left over to do that. And It would have been nice for the shawl to have been just a tad bigger. I love how it turned out!



Here's is a simple shrug that I made for my niece for her birthday. She wore it all day at the festival!


Pattern: 6 rows of garter stitch, ST st to desired length, 6 rows of garter stitch, bind off, seam sides
Yarn: Moda Dea Ticker Tape - Charade
Needles: size 19

Next up will be an experiment! I purchased this yarn online. I bought 3 skeins of this lace weight yarn (2 for myself for a lace shawl and 1 for a friend for her birthday). The picture that was one the website did not clearly show how bright the orange really is in this yarn. The picture on the website was much richer with more of a red tone to it. I was flabbergasted when this was in the package! I panicked a little because I am not an orange person by any stretch of the means, and it would have cost me more to ship the yarn back then what I originally paid for it! But I knew KozyKitty does wear orange (she's the birthday friend that I ordered the skein for). And when I gave it more thought, I knew my younger sister did wear orange as well, so I thought OK, I'll make my sister a shawl with the yarn. I pulled the yarn out of my stash over the weekend and decided to go ahead and cast on the Shetland Triangle for my sister. I wound up the skein and then re-wound it doubling the yarn by pull the yarn from both ends, thus cutting the skein from 990 yards of lace weight to 495 yards of doubled up lace weight. That color that looks grey in the photo is really a camel tan color! I'm really not liking this colorway. I'm sooooooo not an orange person! Now I'm second guessing whether my sister will like it. It might be a tad to bright of an orange for her. So what's my solution? I'm going to go ahead and finish the shawl. With the left over yarn I'm going to make a swatch and send it to my sister and get her opinion on the color without telling her what for. If she likes it, then I'm done and she will get the shawl as is. If she doesn't... I'm going to over dye the shawl, probably in a deep red or rich brown and then give it to her - depending on how the dyeing comes out!

I bought several skeins of yarn from 100purewool.com and this is the only colorway that I am disappointed in! Will I order from them again? Probably, because the yarn really is very soft and nice to work with and the other colors I got were just gorgeous! Of course, I will probably check around on Ravelry first though :)



What you opinion of that colorway?

Next up in the Luna Moth Shawl which is to be a birthday present for my older sister. You know, I have really got to start knitting things for myself!! I went on a yarn crawl back at the end of March, and I bought two skeins of Plymouth Yarn - Buckingham (80% Baby Alpaca 20% silk). OOoo la la! It's like knitting with Buttah! This yarn is so soft! Now the color in the first picture is not the true color of the yarn. Check out the picture under neither. That's the true color of the yarn!!



Below is the true color of the yarn.



And yes, I am adding beads to this one too! Kozykitty helped me find the perfect color to go with this yarn! These are Miyuki 6/0 Seed beads in Matte Met Patina Iris.



Last Wednesday, I got home from my S'nB group to find this:





He managed to dig into the center of the skein to fin the tail and then managed to pull it all over the living room! I shit you not, that is exactly where he was when I walked though the door! Silly me for thinking that if I tucked in all loose ends he wouldn't touch the yarn, and for several days, he didn't! I guess he was just biding his time!

Here's is my little ADHD Frisco again sleeping next to me while I knitting on the couch.