Muggle's beware!

Friday night I had a gf over for dinner. Nothing special, just threw some burgers and dogs on the grill. The special part were the margaritas that kept us going till it was time for the movie!

*note to self: need to stop at liquor store for more tequila, contruae and margarita mix*

I can't believe the shit that is advertised in movie cinemas! Our show started at 9:40PM and we got there at about 9:15 *yes, we had purchased our tickets online* From the time we sat down in the theater till the movie started there were all these advertisement clips running on the screen - commercial for the new Bill Engvall show, even a Sure deodorant commercial! I felt like I was home watching TV *though at home I tend to DVR my shows so that I can FF through the commercials* Come on people! We go to movies to get AWAY from commercials!

Then the movie started 5 minutes late and of course there were like 20 minutes of previews for up coming movies. Apparently lots of children's books are being turned into movie. We saw a preview for The Spiderwicks and another for The Dark is Rising. It was during one of these previews that I had turned to my gf Karen and said, "You know what book I would love for them to turn into a movie? The Golden Compass Series." AWESOME series! And guess what! The last preview we saw before the movie started was one for The Golden Compass! I am so excited that I actually squealed in the theatre 3 seconds into the preview because I knew immediately what movie it was!! *unacceptable behavior for a grown woman I know. I'm a dork! But I rather enjoy being young at heart, much more fun :) * It's coming out in December, guess it will be a Christmas release. So I know what I'll be watching over winter break!

The movie was great. I actually think they could have gone just a tad longer with it. Some things were a bit rushed. We had the funniest guy sitting behind us *and I'm not talking looks since I have no idea what he looked like* he just made some appropriate comments at apprapo moments in the movie that had us cracking up. It was a very enjoyable evening.

It's been neat watching those characters grow up. I was watching the 2nd movie not to long ago and it's so weird to see all of them looking so young! Anyhoo, now I am looking forward to the last book coming out and hope now that the book series in complete, that the other 2 movies won't be too far behind considering the actors are growing up!

Knitting News!

Can I just tell you how neat Ravelry is! *hey, don't player hate! I hear you grumbling. I was there too* Anyhoo, I'm in the process of uploading my stash *I should probably stop now considering I have heart palpitations every time I review my stash to figure out what to make next* So, getting back to the stash, I had purchased several different skeins of yarn from A.C. Moore a while back. *huge sale, couldn't resist* From the skein wrapper I figured out that the brand is Fantasy Yarn *but I can't find anything for that company online* and I have never seen that yarn ANYWHERE else, not in other stores and not on any online vendor *very frustrating* At this point I am guessing that this is simply just an AC Moore line of yarn. Anyone out there know or seen this yarn elsewhere? I lost my train of thought... oh yeah, Ravelry! So, I was cruising through Ravelry to see if anyone else had this yarn, to see what they've made with it *and to see if anything could be made with one lonely skein* and a few people did. Then there was Ellen! Ellen had this yarn in her stash and she had it marked "Trade/Sell" When I took a look at the details, I couldn't believe it! The same color # and more importantly, the same dye lot #! What a co-inkydink! I was actually thinking of giving my one lonely skein away *very difficult since I love the color and well let's face it, I'm a yarn ho!* till this. Of course I contacted her immediately and asked her if there was anything in my "trade/sell" stash that she would like as a trade. Sadly, she didn't want anything, but Ellen must believe in Good Yarn Karma because she mailed me the 2.5 skeins she had anyway! THANK YOU ELLEN!! *rubs her hands together and cackle maniacally as she tried to figure out what to turn these lovely skeins into* And the bonus is that I didn't buy this yarn, so I didn't break my goal for Stashalong! Yippee!

Moving on with the knitting news. The first Monica is OFFICIALLY done and turned over to it's rightful owner! *isn't she the cutest devil in disguise!* I had finished the tank back in June, but when she tried it on the straps were too long and the top was too wide. It too me forever to fix these simple things! I resized the straps, but I was somewhat at a loss as for how to fix the top portion. After asking various seasoned knitters, I found the simplest solution was elastic string! Whalla!

I am currently working on the same patter in a different color for her older sister (minus the ruffle). I made the adjustment of knitting it in the round so I don't have to deal with seaming, and I will be adding a few decreases in the last couple of rows to avoid needed the elastic. That tank should be done fairly soon!

Funny Video...

NB Portfolio almost complete!!

It has been a long, hard haul, but I have my National Board portfolio 95% complete!! ALLELUIA!! For a while there, I really didn't know if I would actually get it completed. Shit just hit the fan in my life this year. Why is it that whenever I have something major to accomplish, everything else goes to pot? I know there's the saying out there that "God never gives you more than he thinks you can handle" but, come on... GOD, Don't trust me so much! The year started out with my grandmother, who lived with us on and off while I was growing, slipped into a coma in October. Not a single doctor in Italy could tell us why. No stroke, no heart attach, no blood clot...nothing, nada, zilch as for why. Then my brother-in-law is in and out of the hospital. On December 28, my grandmother passed. It was very hard. She was my last living grandparent, and my favorite. On February 28, my boyfriend of almost 2 years, breaks off our engagement. Talk about just wanting to give up and spend the rest of your life in bed. You think God could have stopped there, but noooooooooooooo. One week later a friend and co-worker of 6 years lost her battle with cancer. So yeah, I was in a SUPER depression funk for most of March. But somehow, someway, I managed to teach all the lessons I needed for NB. I have all my entries written up and have been sent off to various people to get feedback, and I still have 4.5 more days to edit and tweak till the absolute deadline to mail this sucker off. Friday I will definitely need to pull out and wear my t-shirt that has the slogan "Sometimes I amaze myself" written across the chest, because that is what I am feeling right now. And this monkey will be off my back just in time for Spring Break! Then I can go back to knitting!!

Of course, spending all this time planning lessons, video taping them and writing them up did not detract me from SEx of yarn! I tend to purchase a good amount of my yarn online through various stores or ebay. This was an ebay purchase that I took a chance on. I can't remember if I found this yarn or if my friend KozyKitty told me about it. It's 100% merino wool and it looked as if it would be as soft as Malabrigo Merino yarn which is super luscious soft! I just loved the color combo of the turquoise and black that I took the chance and order 2 skeins to make the My So Called Scarf with it. It finally got here this weekend, but I've been so busy with NB that I didn't have the time to post till today. This yarn is just as soft as the Malabrigo! I was ecstatic! Talk about willpower and not succumbing to the yearning of wanting to playing with this yarn and foregoing my work! Temptations!! As if God hasn't toyed with my life enough at this point! I just need to hold out a few more days and then I can bite the apple in the garden and eat it all up. YUM! *laugh*

Special Delivery!

I just love it when I come home and find goodies in my mailbox! I had purchased some yarn on ebay over the weekend and 1 of the purchases was in my mailbox today! Ebay can be so addicting! There are several really nice yarn stores on ebay. Here are just a few of the ones that I have purchased from - Yarnbow, Affordable Yarns, Ewe-phoria Yarns, and HandPainted Wools. Over the weekend I had purchased this skein of Great Adirondack Nassau Yarn. I'm not quite sure what I plan to make with it yet - maybe a thin scarf, some short socks (whenever I get around to learning how to knit socks that is), or a summer tank for one of my nieces. Who knows. I'm really bad about purchasing yarn without a pattern in mind. I really need to change my mindset on how to purchase yarn. The purples are what drew me to this yarn. I am such a purple person. Red too. Well, when a pattern jumps out at me for this yarn, I'm sure you all will be the first to know.

Well, that was not the end of my suprises today! A while back I had placed a special order with Mystical Creations Yarns. I haven't the foggiest as to how I found this site, but they have some really neat stuff at fairly affordable prices! I have been searching for a 50/50 wool/silk blend yarn in the right colors to make the Clapotis from Knitty. When I found Mystical Creations and read that you can create your own colorway, I just had too! I know the "in" color combos seem to be brown and pink, or brown and baby blue, but for some reason, when I bought my current house after my divorce, I really fell in like with how brown and purple look together. So I like to be differnet! The spare bedroom on my house is painted in "Victorian Mauve" and I am dying to paint an accent wall in "chocolate" but I personally painted every single wall in my house before I moved in, and if I don't touch another paint roller for a decade it would be too soon. Of course, knowing me, that might very well be a summer project, but that will have to be after I repaint all the doors in my house white!

So, getting back to my goodies! When I got to my front door, I saw a white box hiding behind my snow shovel! Ooohhh excitement! Sure enough, it was the order I had places with MCY back in January. Special orders take a little longer, and this one took even longer because the first time they tried to dye the colors I wanted the purples came out too light. But look at how gorgeous these colors are! Deep purple, rich brown, milky tan and silvery grey! I just absolutely love it! I know the purple looks a bit blue on the photo, but it is definitely purple in the yarn!
I was a really bad girl when I placed my order! I saw so many yarns in colors that were just "OH!" that I couldn't resist! Yes, I definitely have a yarn addiction. So I admit it! Anyone know of a good 12-step de-stashing program *LAUGH* I just want to make so many things! Here's is a little cashmere! A beautiful and soft 100% cashmere yarn. The colorway is Wild Raspberry, Teal, Purple & Charcoal. It is a lace weight, needle size 0-3, gauge 10-16 stitches per inch over a 4" square - each are appx. 500 yards - 1.4oz. in weight. So, I definitely have my 1st lace project coming up! I even think I have a pretty lace pattern in my books that I want to create. I'll have to look and see.
Then I saw this lovely 100% Bamboo yarn in the colorway they call "Merlot" and I thought this would be great to make the Cozy from Knitty. Bamboo is nice and light so I'd be able to wear the shawl all-year-round. It is a DK weight, needle size 7-9, gauge 4-5 stitches per inch over a 4" square. I think I will need to buy a pair of bamboo circulars for this yarn though. I think the yarn might be a bit too slick to work with on my Knit Picks Options.
I told you I was a red person, right. Well, they had this kit on sale for Valentine's and the pattern just looked really nice, and I am a shawl person, so I went ahead and added that to my list. Actually, the sale was 15% off your total purchase! This yarn is hand painted - hand dyed 65% Wool-35%Silk Yarn. The colors of Cotton Candy, Wild Raspberry & Lipstick Red. It is a worsted weight, needle size 6-9, gauge 4-5 stitches per inch over a 4" square.
And lastly, yes, there was one more thing I ordered. 100% Alpaca *mmmmm* talk about dreamy yarn to work with! The colorway is called "Hummingbird" and it's a combo of Turquoise, Moss, Burgundy and Purple. It is a sport weight, needle size 4-6, gauge 5-6 stitches per inch over a 4" square.
I can't wait to cast-on with all my goodies! I wish I could do it this weekend, but I have got to work on my National Boards portfolio. And I'm suppose to be going with KozyKitty tomorrow to check out a new yarn shop down in Hyattsville called A Tangled Skein! I think after tomorrow that is the end of my yarn shopping for a few months. It is time for me to go into "Stash Busting" mode!

Today's Goodies!

I got a call from Cloverhill Yarn Shop today that the alpaca yarn I ordered a few weeks ago was in and I could come by anytime to pick it up. Well, anytime was right after work! I had ordered 4 skeins of Plymouth Yarn's Baby Alpaca Worsted in this pretty blue-teal. This stuff is soooooooooooo soft. That's my biggest problem when I go into a yarn store. I'm a very tactile person and I touch everything and when yarns feel so nice I just have to buy some. It's a curse! Now I just need to find a pretty scarf pattern so that I can use this gorgeous feeling yarn.

While I was at the shop looking around, I picked up 2 skeins of Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted in the color Aubergine. I am debating on using this wool to make the Saffron Cables blanket from Fall 2006 Interweave Knits Magazine. I feel in love with this color last time I was at the store, and the color would look great with my living room decor. The yarnage and needle size is a little off from the pattern requirements, so I wanted to test it out before I shelled out the money I will need to purchase enough yarn for that blanket! Of course the notion that summer is around the corner kind of puts me off to wanting to start a blanket. Then again, I should probably think in terms that if I start this over the summer it will be short, then by fall it might just be long enough to cover and keep my legs warm as I work on it. I'm thinking of doing some sort of cable scarf with this yarn so that I can see how the cable details would look like. Not to hunt the pattern! Of course, I could always just look though my copy of The Vogue Knitting Stitchionary Volume Two: Cables and see what pretty cable designs are in there and create a pattern off of something in there.

Of course while I am typing this all up Frisco is snoring away behind me on my chaise lounger. I couldn't resist taking his picture. Yes, you might have noticed the bald spot on his belly. He seems to be allergic to something, I think it's new carpet *yikers* and he's been licking his tummy bald! I need to take him to the vet to see is they can prescribe some sort of antihistemine for him.

He was a little annoyed that the flash woke him from his slumber and he was letting me know that.

SEX and Entrelac

Those of you that don't knit or crochet probably thought you were going to read some sort of a racey posting, sorry to disappoint you! *laugh* SEX actually stands for Stash Enhanceing eXpedition, and you all thought knitters were boring people ;)

Yes folks, with as big a stash is this:

I added to it today. I know, like I *need* more yarn, but I couldn't help myself. Is there a Yarn Addicts Anonymous for yarnaholics like me? I was taking an Entrelac class today at Lovelyarns with my girlfriend Vicki and these yarns were just calling to me while I was sitting there, minding my own business, trying to learn to knit this new style. I swear! No really, they were whispering "touch me, buy me" I just couldn't resist! *giggle*

Anyway, here is the neat stuff that I have added to my stash. Here are two skeins of the oh-so-soft Malabrigo Merino! I will be using them for the My So Called Scarf pattern.

Here is what I worked up with scrap yarns while I was in the class. Horrid, itchy, cheap acrylic yarn! The pattern is actually a lot easier then it looks, but it does use up quite a bit of yarn.

Since I had just taken this Entrelac class, I just *had* to buy yarn to make a scarf in that pattern. I simply had to! So, after learning this tecnique I browsed the store to find some nice yarn to make a scarf using the entrelac technique. Here's what I found! Trensetter's Tonalita!

A pretty self-striping yarn that when you knit using the entrelac technique makes each square a different color and should make a really neat looking scarf. I will post pictures when I begin!

Yarn Sale!

OK, the worst thing you can do to a yarn addict is advertise a big 25% yarn sale over Super Bowl weekend! Needless to say, I purchased more then I should have! Here are the yarn I bought. There are Cascade 220. I think I'm going to make 2 shrugs out of these yarns.

Next here I have some more Casacade 220 in brown and lavender to make a neat bag out of:

Here is some Ultra Alpace a purcahse to make shawls out of: