Another Month has come and Gone

But it sure has been productive. :)

Socktoberfest wrap-up: My goal was to knit 5 socks during the month of October. Instead I knit one. I did however learn a lot from this sock. Toe-up cast ons, chart following, etc. And I finished it today, just in the knick of time. Here's a sneak peak for my Harvest Sock swap friend, I'll be sending it along soon.



The other 4 socks were neglected due to Wayne's sweater and some other Christmas knitting, but I still feel like I celebrated some socks and will definitely do this again next year.

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Coming up soon: More Christmas knitting - I just picked up yarn for a gift for a new, but dear friend. Some baby knitting for a baby that has the audacity to be born around Christmas. :)

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Duration: 30 minutes
Average Speed: 12 MPH
Distance: 4.7 miles
Calories Burned: 260
Did I fall? Nope.

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Pumpkin Madness

My creation
Originally uploaded by princess_bleck.

Today, just because Alison wanted to, we made some pumpkin pies from a pumpkin.

We started off with a visit to the pumpkin patch. Some handknits joined us - we used my French Market Bag to collect our little pumpkins and brought along Emmy's quickly finished pixie hat. For a mere $5 we got our baking pumpkin and some little ones to draw on.

We gutted the pumpkin and cut it into chunks, set them on the stove to boil and got to coloring. A word of advice to anyone who attempts this, boil the chunks with the skin on and peel once it's cooked - it's lots easier.

Mixed in some spices and ta da, after an hour in the oven, we had pumpkin pies!

Happy Autumn! Enjoy your weekend!

OMG!!

I may possibly have the BEST SECRET PAL EVER!!!

The dog started barking, which is not cause for alarm, but then I heard a package dropped off on the front porch. Curious, I'm not expecting anything.

I go out to get the box and it's from Amazon.com. Even more curious, I know I haven't ordered anything from there.

I open the box and I'm mystified that it's a copy of Stephen King's new book!! But I didn't order this, I'm still thinking. Then I see the note - it's from my Secret Pal!

She has apparently been researching me and shares my love for all things King and knew I'd want this ASAP. It's true, I've been calling the library on a daily basis waiting for it to come in.

THANK YOU SECRET PAL! You're awesome!

Autumn is Here

The crisp air has been good for the Megaknits family. We've been getting out of the house, spending family time together and not watching as much TV.

Or knitting.

I'm a little bummed about the lack of knitting time, but I'll live.

We had a busy weekend, the highlight was a trip to the Orlando Science Center. It was really fun watching Alison explore. It brought back lots of great memories of visiting similar places with my sisters when we were young. Plus, we got some funny pictures.



I've been working at my Harvest Swap Sock and it's coming along nicely. Last night I threw caution to the wind and worked the chart during knitting. I was really impressed that I didn't make any mistakes - and I made it through a whole chart repeat! I'm starting the gusset today.



Amanda brought this little pixie baby hat that she had knit for a friend. We tried it on Emily and I almost died because it was so cute. I stalked Amanda down on craftster and found the pattern she used. I'm going to have to modify it to make it bigger, but I'm going to try to knit one up quick since it's getting so chilly here.

Also, Wayne's sweater is not doing much. I started the first sleeve, but haven't gotten very far. Adrienne made me feel a little better about the increases in the rib pattern last night, so maybe now I'll stop dragging my heels.



And in the wonderful mail today I got my baby sling from drewbabydesigns. It's gorgeous and Emily and I really like it. It's like she's always being cuddled. :)

Vanity thy name is Megan

After learning 100 things about me, don't you want to know 48 more??

1. FIRST NAME? Megan

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My Mom’s college roommate.

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Last night when Emmy woke up screaming for the 5th time – teething, ick!

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Love it. And I get lots of compliments on it. I’ve considered making it a font.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Really thin roast beef.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes.

7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Nope, but I have a blog.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes, although in college I came dangerously close to parting ways with them.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? If I was on the Amazing Race.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Honestly, Lucky Charms, but I never buy them. Sans marshmallows, my fav is Cinnamon Life.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Nope.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? I'm a Mom. Hell, yes.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Mint Chocolate Chip, preferably white.

14. SHOE SIZE? 9.5

15. RED OR PINK? PINK!

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My belly.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? I miss my sister Aileen.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? I want my friends to post this. :)

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Jeans, hunter green shirt, barefoot.

20. LAST THING YOU ATE? Granola Bar.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The People’s Court.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Robin’s Egg Blue

23. FAVORITE SMELL? Coffee. Lime. Clean baby.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Wayne, stuck on the Turnpike.

25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Eyes, height.

26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? Sure.

27. FAVORITE DRINK? Gin & Tonic

28. FAVORITE SPORT? Cycling

29. EYE COLOR? Blue

30. HAT SIZE? Medium.

31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yes, I just started 3 weeks ago.

32. FAVORITE FOOD? Moe’s Billy Barou nachos, with steak, black beans and bunches of sour cream.

33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Scary movies.

34. COFFEE OR TEA? Coffee, definitely.

35. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter.

36. HUGS OR KISSES? Both.

37. FAVORITE DESSERT? My Mom’s Junior Mint Chocolate Cake – a birthday favorite.

38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Nicole.

39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Jessica.

40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Pop Co. by Scarlett Thomas; Eat the Seeds by Sheldon Armitage

41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE Pad? Laptop, no mouse.

42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? America’s Next Top Model

43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Ali singing, Emmy ‘talking’

44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? The Beatles

45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? In miles, the Grand Canyon.

46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? Um, knitting.

47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Rutland, VT

48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Saw it in Fricknits. :)

Mail-O-Rama!

I'm playing a little bit of catch up on wonderful things that have come in the mail.

I won a contest that Nicole had to move some liquid chocolate bars that she tried and didn't necessarily fall in love with. Since winning she's celebrated her wedding anniversary and been in her sister's wedding - I love marriages! Congrats all around Nicole! I still haven't tried the 'bars' since I had to go get a bunch of diabetic labwork done recently and didn't want to jinx myself, but as soon as I do I'll post about it.

And today I received my yarn winnings from Aija from her 'kindness of strangers (with yarn)' contest. She was gifted with some Noro for her Lizard Ridge and wanted to pay it forward. She sent me 2 hanks of lovely Koigu. I love it! She's making some crazy-fast progress on her Lizard Ridge, stop by and encourage her if you get a chance.

Underneath the yarn you can see a) a maple leaf that Alison brought in and informed me meant that it is now autumn. So if you weren't aware of the season change, Alison has declared it autumn. b) the packaging from my sz. 2 16" addi circulars that I ordered to start - - -

My Harvest Sock Swap sock!! This sock is very important. It's my first tow-up sock. It's my first sock on two circulars. It's my first texture-driven versus colorway driven pattern. It's all so exciting! Thank goodness I only have to knit one. :)

Fast, like lightning!

No, I'm not referring to how quickly Wayne's sweater is working up - just to how quickly I have to get this post up and back to the busy-ness.

I have been working the sweater and this morning I happily made it to the end of the body portion, now I need to dig around for my 16" needles and start arm #1. Unfortunately, Wayne has equally long arms to match his long torso - pray for my sanity. And for arm #2.


And isn't this the cutest sweater! I fell in love with the hint of shimmery silver tinsel.

Did I knit it? Nope.

Could I have? Yes. But it was so much easier to buy at Target. :)



No cycling this past weekend, my partner in crime was on a family camping trip. But hopefully tomorrow I'll be back at the gym and Saturday I'll be back on the trail.

I'm a Soccer Mom!

Alison had her first soccer practice on Wednesday evening! She was so excited and can't stop talking about soccer. Wayne went with us and it turns out he's excited about soccer too. There are a bunch of drills that Ali has to do between practices and they did them when we got home. Then again last night. It's really great daddy/daughter having fun time. :)

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I think I suffer from knitting A.D.D., I can't seem to work on anything for very long lately. Granted Wayne's tall and that's making his sweater take forever - miles and miles of endless ribbing. And it's hard to feel like you're getting anywhere.

So I started a sock - I have a goal of 5 for Socktoberfest, right - not any particular sock, just a sock. I wish it were my Harvest Sock Swap sock, but I'm still waiting for the needles. Back to the sock, you can feel a lot of accomplishment with a sock. Woo hoo, I turned the heel! And then, woo hoo, I'm done, that didn't take too long. I'm not quite to the second woo hoo, but a little accomplished feeling goes a long way.

Last night I felt that I could revisit Wayne's sweater - only about 4 more inches to go before I start the raglan shaping. Just keep knitting, just keep knitting.

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To further my A.D.D., I bought more yarn. To start yet another project. I ordered the Plymouth Tweed I need for Knitty's Twiggy Tweed. It's gorgeous! I ordered it from kpixie and it was cheap - a whole purse for just $12!! So while I was ordering, I looked around the site and found a great kid's learn-to-knit kit. Soon there will be photos of the 'Teach Ali to Knit' process.

Sidenote: those kpixie chickies pack a wicked cute package. :)

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sight
a flipped Escalade
the much-better-than-the-first, second episode of LOST
'sporty-sportsteam' Alison

smell
coconut body spray
yummy wool wash
cookies baking during SnB

touch
legos
sand in the sandbox
hugs from my girls

sound
soccer ball kicks
emmy crying
lots of acoustic guitar

taste
chocolate chip zucchini cupcakes
juicy roast
dark chocolate, chocolate chip cookies

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cool links wrap-up:

Thanks Aija! I won her contest for some free Koigu!

Check out Chris' blog for updates on contests and swaps, she updates almost every other day.

Interested in designing?? Check out this great contest. (Adrienne definitely should.)

4 x 4

I must first comment on the beautiful weather we've had the last couple of days. No 90-degree heat. A nice cool breeze. Very clear with no rain. It's gorgeous.

But it's gotten so, so dry. Poor Wayne has at least 2 nosebleeds everyday, I can't seem to get a dryness out of my throat. You can tell someone was thinking ahead at Walmart - when I walked in last night, one of the 'featured items' on that aisle where you walk in was a huge humidifier. I have to imagine other Floridians are suffering the same symptoms as us.

I almost didn't knit all day on Saturday, but managed to snag 1 row of Wayne's sweater before bed. A little more on Sunday, but most of my progress since last post was made yesterday.

Saturday started with a very long bike ride. Andria and I rode 20 miles and it kicked my bootie. You know how when you workout you're either super-energized after the fact or practically dead in a ditch?? I was definitely closer to dead. I managed to eat some lunch (I was ravenous) before crashing for a nap. Saturday night I made the most delicious zucchini and chocolate chip cupcakes (inspired by Jody's dad) for the church picnic on Sunday.

They were a hit and we had a lovely time making new friends and eating some grilled food. Plus Alison got to run around like a maniac for a couple hours. All that fresh air made me still sleepy on Sunday night, so I only managed a few more rows.

Last night was filled with more 'architectural' endeavors that kept me from knitting. All told, I'm right around 10 inches of the 4 x 4 ribbed body of Wayne's sweater, only 7 more to go until the raglan shaping starts. :)

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Duration: 1 hour, 55 minutes
Average Speed: 12 mph
Distance: 20 miles
Calories Burned: 1176!
Did I fall? Not a chance. :)

Happy Friday

Somebody got her very own Auntie Beanie quilt today!! Woo hoo!

My sister, Aileen, is a very talented quilter. And when she's not conducting scientific research in the lab, she steals moments to make some good looking blankets. This is the third one our home has been blessed with: Alison has one on her wall from when she was born, Aileen made a t-shirt quilted playmat (made completely out of used t-shirts) for Ali when she was a baby, and now Emmy's blanket. I need to run to Target and get some wall clips so we can hang it.




More good news: both chickies are feeling better! They're not 100% yet, but no one is dripping and there are a lot more smiles.

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sight
'Mystery Men' - thanks Harriet!
Barbie Fairytopia Mermaidia & Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses
lethargic Alison

smell
chili
grape cough medicine
lovely flowers from my husband

touch
crusty noses
KnitPicks gloss - soft!
wool for Wayne's sweater

sound
coughs
sniffles
finally today, laughter :)

taste
diet dr. pepper
orbit gum - Wayne's got me addicted
brownies mixed in with ice cream

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I'm up to 6 inches of Wayne's sweater done. And all with one ball of yarn - I'm getting the impression that for once, instead of too little, I've ordered way too much yarn. Maybe I'll make a matching hat.

This morning I recast-on my magKNITficent 'No Sugar Added' sock. The twisty rib pattern is much more noticeable in the solid-colored yarn. I'll post pics of it soon.

And I ordered the needles and finalized the pattern I need for my Harvest Sock swap sock. That's 2/3 of a knitting post dedicated to socks! Viva la Socktoberfest!

...sniffle, sniffle...

There are times when you know you’re a Mom: sitting through a 2-hour ballet recital just to see your princess dance for 2.5 minutes, going to see every Disney movie the weekend it comes out even if it’s during naptime, and days your kids are sick.

A horrible cold has visited our home and laid out a full-on attack of anyone under 4’ tall. We’ve had days of runny noses, watery eyes, aspirators that make little girls scream, coughs, nebulizer treatments that no one wants to sit through . . . it’s starting to take it’s toll.

Only a Mom, when faced with a dripping kid (eyes, nose, mouth) will succumb to the request to sit in your lap. You’ll give up all hope of staying healthy (although so far I am) just to comfort them. You’ll sit through Barbie Fairytopia Mermaidia, not knitting to hold them. And when it’s over, you’ll sit through Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses, still not knitting because this the first time in 3 days that she hasn’t cried in over an hour.

I have gotten started on Wayne’s sweater though, in those moments when both chickies are sleeping and the house is quiet, except for stuffy nose snores. :)


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In other knitting news, I’d cast on a worked a bunch of rounds on my magKNITficent ‘No Sugar Added’ socks with some ArtYarns Ultramerino that Nicole had given me for my birthday. I’m not in love with this yarn in conjunction with this pattern. It’s a verigated colorway and the verigation is too busy for the pattern. I think I’m going to scrap them and start over with a solid color – maybe my new Knitpicks Gloss from Harriet.

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The first five people to respond to this post, will get some form of art, by me, about [or tailored to] them. I make no guarantees about quality or type, but I will assure that I will give it good effort and that the art will be individual to you.The only catch, of course; as with most memes, if you sign up, you have to put this in your own journal as well. Don't be afraid. :)

Name Game

Nicole posted this and I thought it was cute. If you'd like to be 'tagged', leave a comment so I can see your funny names. :)


1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: ( pet and current street name)
Brewski Valiant
2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandfather/grandmother on your moms side, your favorite candy)
Jack Milky Way
3. YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: (first initial of last name, first three letters of your middle name)
T Del
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Blue Elephant
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Della Rutland
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 2 letters of mom's maiden name and first 3 letters of the town you grew up in.)
Timekumay
7. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The", your favorite color, favorite drink)
The Blue Gin (& Tonic)
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first name of both your grandfathers)
Jack Harley
9. FUTURISTIC NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne and the name of your favorite shoes)
Happy Converse
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother/father's middle name )
Dolores Joseph

Socks, Swaps, Sweaters and Stash Flash

Sock yarn stash flash

Socktoberfest is upon us. I've already cast on my first pair of socks - the aforementioned magKNITficent 'No Sugar Added' socks in ArtYarns Ultramerino 4 - and they are coming along well. My Socktoberfest goal is to finish 2 pairs and my Harvest Sock Swap sock. A total of 5 socks. I may do more, but I don't want to set too lofty a goal and then get dissapointed. Plus, there are other things on the needles (or about to be) that demand attention as well.

Which brings us to the first great thing I got in the mail today. The yarn for Wayne's Men's Raglan Sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I went with handpainted yarns in Black Forest and I love how it looks. The colorway is a little darker than the picture shows, but I wanted to show the colors so I took the pic in natural light. It has blacks, grays, dark greens, a little deep purple, but not too much. Very manly. And nice to touch.

More great things in the mail: my KnitFlix package from limedragon. This chick has got to be the greatest swap partner ever! Every little thing seems very well-researched. Here's a list of my goodies:

* Sugar-free Dove Mint Chocolates. I love mint and chocolate. I love sugar free. Woo hoo!

* Light, natural flavor popcorn. I love popcorn that isn't too salty or buttery.

* A sheep plushie for Alison - she's excited to have a friend for Lamby.

* A caterpillar toy for Emily - Ali had a similar one that was an alligator that we called SlobberGator, this is perfect.

* A pack of post-it flags, with things like 'go', 'see' and 'enjoy' on them. Perfect for dreaming through vacation pamphlets and knitting books. These will seem even more perfect when she gets her package.

* A neat-o photo album keychain. It's magnetized so it stays closed and holds two little pictures. Maybe of two little girls. But Wayne may get jealous if I don't include him too. Maybe two little pictures of Wayne holding two little girls.

* A fun, purple pen which has already been spirited away by Ali whose favorite colors happen to be pink and purple.

* Okay, now the very great part - 2 skeins of lovely, soft KnitPicks gloss in a gorgeous dark blue. It's really soft. Really.

* And the flicks - I lucked out and rec'd 2 movies. Mystery Men, a favorite which I only previously owned on VHS and American Flyers, a cycling movie from the early 90s with Kevin Costner and lots of Specialized brand stuff. My bike is a Specialized. See how great that matches me. Well researched.

THANKS HARRIET!!!

And I did a lot of talking about the amount of cotton I own. Well, here it is. This isn't actually all of it but some of it is leaving the house as whole balls and not knitted items, so I figured it didn't count. Each of these balls equals 2.5 knitted items. That's a lot to get working on.

Secret Pal 9 Questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

I love all things superwash, or machine washable in general. I’ve had one too many things get felted accidently, so know all knitted items have to be machine washable in our house. I’m especially taken with ArtYarns Supermerino – it’s so soft and comes in great colors. I also enjoy knitting with Cascade 220 and Noro Silk Garden for felting projects. KnitPicks Shine Worsted is wicked nice to work with too. And cheap.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

My straight needles are in two separate handmade needle rolls, divided by length. My DPNs are in a Clinique makeup bag. My circs are in their original packages, stacked on the side of my knitting basket (they really need a home). And my hooks are in a short, plastic tube that most of them came in.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I’ve been knitting just over 2 years. I originally learned in 2000 from my Mom. We went on a family trip, driving from Florida to Maine, and I needed something to do. We stopped at a WalMart and I picked up some needles and yarn and proceeded to make the most God-awful “scarf” the world has ever seen. I was discouraged and gave up, never really learning what I was doing. A couple years ago, the February issue of Martha Stewart Living included instructions on how to knit and I re-taught myself. I’ve been going strong since then. I would say I’m an intermediate to advanced knitter. I’ve matured past the scarves and more scarves stage, I’ve knit socks, I can knit cables and bobbles, I haven’t tried lace, but I don’t think I have the patience for it.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

I have a wist: http://www.wists.com/megaknits

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)

I like light scents, like citrus and green apple. I also love ‘clean linen’ scents. I wear Clinique Happy and Bath and Body Works Coconut body spray.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

Yes. But I’m also diabetic, so I have to limit my sweets, or make sure that they carry a bit of protein with them. I’m a big fan of fun-size candybars. I love chocolate. I love caramel. My favorite candybar is MilkyWay, but a Snickers is better for my bloodsugar. I love plain and peanut M&Ms. My favorite color M&M is green.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I make cards and have a ridiculous collection of rubber stamps. I tried spinning, but Wayne told me he’d just pay for me to buy yarn.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

Here are some bands I like: the Fray, Indigo Girls, Sarah MacLachlan, the Killers, Dashboard Confessional, Audio Adrenaline, Jars of Clay, Switchfoot, you get the idea, right? And yes.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

I like blues and greens. I love black and wear a lot of it, but not in a goth way. I really like pinks. I’m not a fan of yellows and oranges, but can dig them as accent colors. I like some browns, as long as they aren’t too yellow.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I have two great kiddos, Alison is 4 and Emily is 3 months old. I’m married to the love of my life and we also have a dog named Brewski.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

Not really, I’m in Florida and it gets cold here for about 2 hours a year. I could maybe rock a hat, but flip flops are much more appropriate.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

I like to make little sweaters for my girls – they’re whole garments, but knit up lots quicker than adult stuff. I also discovered the joy of knitting socks this summer.

13. What are you knitting right now?

Christmas presents. Socks. Washclothes. A sweater for me. About to start a sweater for Wayne.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

I love handmade gifts.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I am a die-hard fan of Addi Turbo circular needles. I buy them from some guy in Taiwan thru ebay for cheap.

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

I have a swift, but no ball winder.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

Maybe a month or two. I will either finish or give up so nothing sticks around too long.

18. What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas. I love how people’s attitudes change for the better around the holidays. How they’ll go volunteer at a soup kitchen or donate a bunch of old clothes.

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Lately it seems like I collect sock yarn. But besides that, nothing really.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I’m going to revist this question. I don’t subscribe to any knitting magazines, but would love to.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

Ooo, I want to learn Magic Loop. And how to knit one sock inside another.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

Yes. Length = 10.5 inches (tip of big toe to back of heel); Size 10 shoes.

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)

June 12th

So Many Secrets

No great detail on knitting stuff 'cause everything is a secret.

I'm working on Nicole's Christmas present which is working up quickly - I've only spent about 3 hours working on it, but it's crochet and my hand keeps cramping up weird. I should really be finished with it by now.

After becoming totally addicted to a smaller project I make this summer, I've decided that they will be my go-to gift. So I'm all stocked up on cotton (hint, hint) and burning out a pile of these little gifties. And by stocked up, I mean STOCKED UP. It seems like everytime I go to Michaels, Joanns or WalMart even - and I'm at WalMart almost every other day - a ball or two of cotton sneaks into my bag. I've got a serious pile of stashed cotton.

On the list of things started and things to be done for swaps/holidays/etc is a big pile of socks. I've been stashing up yarn for these as well and just need to finalize which patterns I want to try. I'm making a goal to do something a little challenging for my Harvest Sock Swap partner - any suggestions?

Things I can talk about in greater detail: My Bad Penny gained a few inches at SnB on Tuesday night, but I'm still in the tediously growing raglan section. I doubled checked the numbers and by the time I get to the body, I'll be halving the stitches I'm working up to. It'll be a relief. The yarn for Wayne's sweater will finally ship out today. Then it's just a matter of Priority Mail getting it here - quickly I hope. And I cast on a magKNITficent 'No Sugar Added' sock and I'm really digging the pattern. It gives you a little to think about so it goes faster, but not too much so you don't miss a minute of CSI. :)



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sight
gorgeous felting yarns
Jody's fiber treasures
glow-in-the-dark mini golf

smell
basil
mint
Wayne's gum

touch
Jody's angora
icky acrylic for a good cause
soft UltraMerino

sound
workout grunts
Alison singing
'did you just say shut up to me??'

taste
gummy worms
basil crusted tilapia
tuna fish sandwich

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The end of the list. :)


91. I ship virtually everything via Priority Mail.
92. I’m diabetic.
93. I’m right-handed.
94. I’ve considered trying to write a children’s book.
95. Wayne and my ‘song’ is ‘Everlong’ by the Foo Fighters.
96. I like to sing loudly in the car, whether I’m on-key or not. It’s starting to rub off on Alison.
97. I used to work at a Market Research firm, I put together focus groups.
98. I love a good pedicure.
99. I can be bribed with chocolate, preferably dark chocolate.
100. I am excellent at memorizing phone numbers.

Just keep knitting

Bad Penny is coming along nicely. I was able to get a little knitting time this weekend, amid all the craziness - I can't figure out why, but this weekend was tiring. The raglan shaping, while wonderful in it's seamlessness, is trying right now. I have to increase 8 stitches every other round so each successive round is bigger than the last and it's getting BIG!

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Saturday Ride
Duration: 45 minutes (due to technical difficulties on the trail and scheduling conflicts)
Average Speed: 12 mph
Distance: 10 miles
Calories Burned: 549
Did I fall? Nope, and I really think I'm getting the hang of my pedals.

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81. My first car was given to me, it was a 1986 Mazda 626 with no paint.
82. The first hurricane I went through was Hurricane Gloria in New Jersey.
83. My favorite sweater is a turquoise-striped sweater from GAP.
84. I love Old Navy and can spend a mint there when there’s a good sale.
85. I love Johnny Depp and Gwenyth Paltrow and will see anything they’re in.
86. I enjoyed ‘Lady in the Water’
87. I can’t get enough of LOST.
88. The Amazing Race is the best reality show ever.
89. I saw the Philadelphia Philharmonic Orchestra perform the 1812 Overture when I was in 4th grade.
90. I lost my wedding and engagement rings, well Alison did, and Wayne replaced them for me last year on our anniversary.

Prizes-a-go-go!

I promised some more prize info for my Tour de Cure raffle a few days ago and here they are.

First, you could win a ball of Trekking XXL in colorway 134 plus a set of 5 sz. 3 DPNs to knit up a pair of socks:

Next up: A Stitch and Bitch Knitter's Handbook by Debbie Stoller, autographed by Debbie Stoller ! :)

And lastly, for today, a great deal! My wonderful knitting friend, Maggie, wrote a sock pattern and is letting me sell it for donations. Hooray!

I named it the magKNITficent 'No Sugar Added' Sock pattern and it can be yours for just $4. All proceeds to support me in the Tour de Cure. You can get your copy here.

It's on

I stayed up late last night, after everyone had gone to sleep and snuck in a little extra knitting time. Just long enough to cast on my Bad Penny. Woo hoo! I thought I was never going to start this sweater. Mostly because my Christmas Gift-o-Rama - or the gift to give to many and random people - requires my 16" sz. 8 needles. I had to stop knitting those to start this. The addicition was hard to break.

To make it easier, I borrowed my Mom's 16" sz. 8s so I can relapse if necessary, but Wayne's sweater requires that same needle too, so I'll have to finish Penny quickly, or suffer some withdrawal for a while. I ordered the yarn for Wayne's sweater earlier this week. I'm knitting the Men's Raglan Sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts.

I do not believe that this will take a minute. Nor my very last minute. But if I start it when the yarn arrives, I'll have all the minutes from now until Christmas to work on it.

I went with Handpainted Yarns handspun bulky in Black Forest. Lolly used this yarn when she made this sweater for her husband and it turned out very handsome, so hopefully I'll have the same amount of success. A word of caution to those of you considering ordering this yarn. It take 9-12 days to ship! So don't wait to the last minute, order early.
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Distance: 10.5 miles
Average Speed: 11 mph
Duration: 55 minutes
Calories Burned: 539
Did I fall? Nope, not even close. :)

SUPPORT ME & win fabulous prizes.


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71. I once slept almost the whole way from Orlando to Portland, Maine.
72. I failed my driving test the first time.
73. My dad took me to 7-11 for a Slurpee to make me feel better.
74. I love Splenda.
75. In high school, I taught 2nd graders Spanish as part of my Spanish 4 class, it was really rewarding.
76. My favorite poet is Wallace Stevens.
77. I won’t read the latest book in a series if the next book isn’t out yet. I’ll wait, so there’s always one more I could read.
78. I’ve read everything that Stephen King has published.
79. Even the stuff under his nom-de-plume, Richard Bachman.
80. I drive a Ford Expedition that guzzles gas.

Ouch!

Last night I went on my first 'training' ride with my new bike. This is the second time I've riden a bike since just after college (and very much before two babies).

I went with Wayne since I was learning my new pedals and Nicole promised he'd try to catch me if I screamed that I was going to fall.

Let me explain something about my husband, he's one of those guys who has to seriously let himself go for a while to seem not-fit. Everytime we go on a diet together, he's dropped his target weight (5 lbs.) in a day and I'm left eating like a rabbit while he's at McDonald's. While I was pregnant with E, he had the audacity to lose 16 lbs. And he mentioned last night that he's lost 2 lbs in the last two weeks in which he has not gotten on his bike or gone to the gym.

Irritating, right?

Instead he was wonderful last night. He stayed with me at my slow-for-him 11 mph. He was really encouraging throughout the ride, pointing out things I was doing well and things that impressed him.

He did tell me lies, like if I went a mile further he'd buy me a soda when we took our break. I didn't get a soda. And told me that the ends of hills were closer than in reality.

Distance: 14 miles. From Ingram Rd. to downtown Winter Garden.

Average speed: 10 mph

Duration: 1.5 hours

Did I fall? Not really. I almost fell, but managed to run into a bush and column and stay upright. Another almost fall, Wayne tried to come up behind me to catch me and jammed his handlebars into my back, but it was well intended so I tried not to get upset.

Don't let this all be for naught. Make sure you

SUPPORT ME

in the Tour De Cure!

Click the button on the left.

So much to report

My gorgeous Alison turned 4 on Sunday! I can't tell you how amazingly blessed I am to have her in my life.

When Alison was born she couldn't breathe properly and it took 2 weeks in the NICU for her to be healthy enough to go home. Those two weeks were surreal. I had this person that I just met that I felt so much love and worry for and didn't even know very well. Since then Alison's health has done nothing but improved and her pediatrician is shocked that she hasn't had any long-term effects.

Alison is a bright, independent little girl and I can't believe she's growing up so quickly. This year she'll be continuing dance class, this year with a little tap and starting soccer.


We threw a pretend sleepover birthday party for Alison on Saturday night and it was a ton of fun. The kids all came in their jammies and we decorated washclothes, popped popcorn, and played flashlight limbo.

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Monday night my wonderful husband took my to Orange Cycle and we bought a ton of cycling stuff, including my NEW BIKE. If you thought there was no ceiling as to how much knitting stuff you "need", you've never been a cyclist. Every time we turned around there was something else we needed to buy.

Here she is. She's a Specialized Dolce, which is a Women's Specific Bicycle. That means that the 'reach' from seat to handlebar is shorter to accomodate a shorter chick torso. The handlebars are more narrow to accomodate slimmer set shoulders. And the seat is awesome to protect my girl parts. This is the most important part in my opinion.


Then you have to consider the equation of cycling gear: lighter = more expensive = faster. Wayne kept making my bike faster and faster and now I'm a little scared of it. :)


But what I'm most scared of are my pedals. Their called clipless pedals and they work with cleats on your shoes to connect you to the bike. Now Wayne started cycling about a year ago and since that time I've heard lots of stories about people just falling over 'cause they couldn't unclip. The guy at the bike shop said that I could wait and get them later, but Wayne said no, I have to jump right in. I'll let you know when I fall over. It shouldn't take too long.

Now I'm ready to really start training for the Tour de Cure. I think it's important to point out at this point that I am not a skinny-minny. This is a serious undertaking 'cause I'm a big girl, but I'm encouraged by the fact that this is not only an opportunity to raise some funds, but also to slim my bootie down.

Won't you SUPPORT ME in this venture??

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And I managed to bring my cross-stitch to jury duty yesterday and finished quite a bit. It took me a week and a half to stitch the footprint of the left (I'm a slow cross-stitcher and it's slowing down my knitting) and one day of jury duty to stitch the footprint on the right.

It was an interesting experience. I didn't actually sit on a jury. I was interviewed for one case about cocaine possession, but they didn't pick me. I lucked out and got to leave at 3pm, so it wasn't even a whole day.

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61. My sister Aileen and I are frequently referred to as ‘the girls’.
62. I’ve only lived alone for 6 months of my life.
63. All of the furniture in my house was given to us.
64. I love gin and tonics, with lots of lime.
65. I know how to play a mean game of Texas Hold ‘Em.
66. I’m thrilled that Care Bears and My Little Pony are popular again so I can buy them for my girls.
67. Wonder Woman is my hero.
68. I had Wonder Woman underwear when I was 3, they were a reward for getting potty trained.
69. I found a place online where I can get adult Wonder Woman underwear but haven’t had the guts to order them.
70. I visit the library once a week with Alison.