No witty title today

Lots to talk about today...

I finally found the Monday knitting group (would it kill the people in Columbia to put up some signs so you can actually find Panera bread?!?) and have been to a couple of the knit nights. They're a fun group, and this Monday, Amie helped me figure out how to graft the straps for this:


Melinda at Tess Yarns hired me to knit samples for her, and this is the first one. It's the Honeymoon Cami from Knitty.com, and I knitted it in microfiber ribbon. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, but grafting the straps was a bitch. I must have done each strap 6 or 7 times before I got them presentable. The ribbon is so slippery that the stitches in the previous row slide around and get misshapen, so I just did the best I could. I hope Melinda likes it well enough to have me do more for her, because she pays me in yarn...

...which will come in handy, since I went to Parkville last weekend to see my friend Lisa's new baby, and she wants me to knit her another blanket like the one I did for the shower. Baby Georgia (although her parents call her Beach House, since now they won't be getting one) is one month old already, and what a little cutie she is!


Lisa and Mark told me that Georgia likes to be swaddled, but Teeny Houdini keeps wiggling out of all the blankets except mine. Lisa called it (ahem) the Miracle Blanket. That's it in the picture of Georgia, and here are some pictures with really bad color that I can't seem to fix:











The colors in the closeup of Georgia are more accurate--they're bright primary colors with navy blue stripes. I got the instructions from one of Mary Walker's books, and was really pleased, because for once, something turned out just like I had imagined it would. I've ordered the yarn for the new blanket, and it will be Peach Melba (bright peach, fuschia, raspberry, and purple) with dark purple stripes. I think that will be pretty for a little girl.

Yesterday, I knitted a Mason-Dixon Dishcloth from Mason-Dixon Knitting.

















I'm going to knit two for Xmas for my grandmother, who lives in an assisted-living place and has trouble holding things. I am going to put a bar of soap inside and knit an i-cord cord to gather it like they showed in the book. That way, she should be able to hold it better than a bar of soap when she takes her showers. I might knit a couple for my mom and Amy, too. I also saw the Garterlac dishcloths on this blog, so I will probably throw a couple of them in the mix, too. I took an entrelac class at Cloverhill last year, so it won't take me long to do them. I'm one of those weirdos who likes to knit entrelac, so any excuse will do.

Finally, a progress shot

As promised, here are some shots of my finished FLAK back.




My original plan was to use moss stitch/double seed stitch as the filler, but then I saw a cable pattern in one of Elsebeth Lavold's books that I liked. The repeat fits in with the other cables, and the gauge is about the same as the filler stitch, so I went with it. (It's the cable on the left) I'm happy with how the back turned out, and I've been trying very hard to remember to check the cables at the end of every row. The stitch markers really help me keep track of the cables, so I haven't made too many mistakes.

I've started the front, but I can't go too far before I have to figure out how to fit the short rows into the cables. Kelly at Cloverhill told me she'd help me, so I'll have to go up there soon. It seems like every class I take is taught by her, and I'm glad. She explains the mechanics of things very clearly, and tells you why you are doing something, so you really understand the process. I took a class on short rows from her recently, and took my FLAK with me. She seemed really pleased at how well I was doing with cables. I told her I couldn't have done it without her, and it's true. She demystified cables and gave me the courage to do something as advanced as the FLAK.

I went to Ollie's for the first time yesterday. I'd heard about it from Mom, so stopped in to check it out. $150 later, I left with a whole cart full of stuff! That place has all kinds of stuff, from sheets to hair dye to carpeting to drills to slot machines! I got a new set of glasses for $14, to replace my 20-year old set that is missing about half. I got some things for Xmas gifts, and a bunch of little things like extension cords and shower cleaner. My big score was a large Scunci steamer for $30, and it included a Swiffer-like mop set. Apparently, people use the steamers to clean things--who've thought? Hey, maybe I'll try steam-cleaning my shower! Nah.

Looking up

Been feeling better the last few weeks. I still haven't found a doctor to see about my meds, but taking them twice a day has helped, so it doesn't feel as urgent as it did. My therapist is on vacation until next week, but she gave me homework. I'd forgotten that they do that. I know it's stuff that's good for me, but it's hard. I guess that's what I pay her for.

I went to Rehoboth Beach last weekend with my parents, Auth Ruth, Uncle Paul, Julia, and her two kids. It was nice to get away for a few days, but I don't know how relaxing it was with 8 of us in that little cottage. That's the bad thing about having everyone there--you do everything as a group. The Delaware Symphony Orchestra gave a concert by the water in Lewes, followed by fireworks. I think Julia and her kids were bored, but I enjoyed it, except that I forgot to bring my knitting! It was the perfect knitting situation, and I blew it. Sigh.

On Saturday, there was a sandcastle contest on the beach, so Mom, AR, J, Ridgely, Daniel and I went to see the entries. (See what I mean about doing everything as a group?) There were some amazing castles and sculptures, but they were mixed in with the people on the beach, so it was crowded and hard to take pictures. Here are a few that I really liked:

A melting snowman and igloo



I'm a sucker for dripped-sand trees




Front view...
...and the back yard










What's that you say? How did I get those pics on my blog? Funny you should ask. I used my birthday money toward a digital camera, and got a Canon PowerShot A540. I'm used to using an SLR, so I was glad to find one that lets you choose the aperture, shutter speed, or both. Not that I know how to make it do that yet, of course. I think I'm going to have to learn one new thing a week, because just looking at the menu screen turns me into a blithering idiot. This thing sure does a lot of stuff! The last two pictures were done by "stitching" two pictures together. I decided to play around with that setting, and it seemed to work pretty well. I also took some shots of my completed FLAK back, so stay tuned for that post, coming soon.

Inertia

People always think I'm such a cheerful person, but most of them don't know that I suffer from depression. For years, I walked around feeling not quite right, like some of the color had been washed out of everything. While my marriage was heading downhill, I was diagnosed with double depression--disthymia, or chronic low-grade depression, punctuated by periods of major depression. I started taking antidepressants and seeing a therapist, and I pulled myself up into the land of the living. Leaving my husband helped a lot, since our mutual misery kept feeding on itself. I felt like I had a new lease on life: I went to the gym, started dating, and generally started living, instead of just existing. I stopped seeing my therapist after about 2 years, because I felt like I was to the point where we were just doing some fine-tuning.

Things were great. Then I met John.

We only dated for a few months, but it was so intense, it felt like we were together for a lot longer. One day, out of the blue, he said he couldn't see me any more. I had known all along that I wouldn't want to marry him or anything, but I still didn't take it well. I lost my momentum, and thus began my long slide back into depression. Over the last couple years, I could feel myself slipping back into the old feeling, but a few weeks ago, it hit hard. I knew I was in trouble when I didn't want to look at a pair of knitting needles. I usually pick up my knitting almost as soon as I get home, but for the last few weeks, I haven't touched it. Then I woke up one day and could barely get myself out of bed. I called out sick, and called my insurance company to find a therapist. I've seen her twice so far, and I think she'll be a good fit--she focuses on the body as well as the mind. I'll get through this eventually, but right now, it all feels overwhelming. I know I shouldn't have waited this long to start back up, but inertia is a powerful thing. I've got to find something to get me going again, to get my momentum back. I don't know what it will be, but I hope it shows up soon.

Happy birthday to me! (you too, Julia)

Today is my birthday! To distract your attention away from exactly which birthday this one is, I will share a trivia tidbit with you: my cousin Julia and I were born on the same day. As I used to remind her, and she now reminds me, I'm 11 hours older. So my one grandmother became a grandmother for the first time twice in one day. Growing up, we called ourselves "twin cousins", and since I have just one brother, she was the closest thing I had to a sister. (I've got to write about some of her escapades sometime. I told her that I don't need to watch soap operas, I've got her!) When my sister-in-law was pregnant with The Cutest Kids in the Whole Wide World, people would ask if twins run in my family. Now, to be polite, I wouldn't mention that the female makes fraternal twins, so it wouldn't matter if they did run in my family. However, I missed months of chances to say, "Why, yes, they do. In fact, I have a twin cousin", and watch them try to figure it out. Sigh. When will I get another chance like that?

Enough toying with peoples' brains. Years ago, I came up with my two rules for life:
Rule #1--Never work on your birthday. It doesn't matter what I do, it just matters that I'm not at work. I haven't worked on my birthday in about 20 years. Some people think I'm a litle odd for that one, but hey, a person's got to have priorities.
Rule #2--When you go out to dinner, always get dessert. See what I mean about priorities? I've eased up on this one now that I eat out more, but failing to even ask if I want dessert is an automatic deduction on the tipping scorecard. I mean, at least give me the option!

After I split up with my husband and started dating, I had to add a few more rules, but we won't talk about them right now...

So, happy birthday to me, and happy birthday to my twin cousin, Julia. Sorry I forgot to send you a card again this year. Out of all the birthdays, you'd think hers would be the one I wouldn't forget!

Ay! Oh! Where did you go? Ohio*

Last week, my mom, aunt, cousin and I drove to Ohio to see the exhibit of Princess Diana's dresses. Luckily for our budget, my aunt and uncle have friends who live near Dayton, and they invited us to stay at their house. My first thought when we finalized our plans was, "Oh boy, all that time in the car to knit!" I wasn't really in the middle of anything, and I don't like to start a project on a trip, because you never know what will crop up once you've started, but I picked up the stitches for the back of my FLAK and took along the yarn and pattern to start the Fairy Net Blouse from the latest issue of Knits. Things did not go well. Problem #1: I found out that I get carsick when I knit in the car, so I could only knit for short periods of time. Problem #2: I only had time to pick up the stitches on the FLAK before I left, not start the pattern, and I really didn't want to do it in the car, where I wouldn't be able to concentrate on getting it right. Problem #3: I brought what looked like plenty of yarn for the Fairy Net Blouse, but I ran out before we even got to Ohio. Smart move, eh?

I did find some quiet time Sunday to do the first couple of rows of the FLAK back, and did a few more rows on the way home, but I had added a cable at the last minute, and didn't look too closely at the pattern before I left, so I wasn't sure if I was doing it right. I stopped at row 5, figuring there was no point going any further until I was sure I had gotten the pattern right. Naturally, I hadn't, so I frogged the whole section and started over last night. I'm almost through one pattern repeat, and I'm being careful to check my cable crossings after every row so I can catch any mistakes in time to fix them easily.

As for the Fairy Net Blouse, I did some tinkering with the pattern, but it was while we were in the car, so I don't know if it'll work or not. I did it my usual way--add a few stitches here, leave out a couple rows there--without sitting down and figuring out if it will actually make the pattern fit better. Before I go any further, I really need to sit down and do some calculations to see if I can salvage what I've done so far. Also, I didn't read the pattern ahead of time to see that there is a turned hem. I have instructions for doing a no-sew version, which I would prefer, but since I hadn't read the pattern, I didn't know to take them.

So despite all my dreams of uninterupted knitting time, the most I will have accomplished is 5" of one sweater, and the least is nothing. Great.

By the way, the Princess Diana exhibit? Awesome!

*With apologies to Chrissie Hynde

Time flies

Wow, I didn't realize it's been over a month since my last post. I worked retail for 20 years, so I hardly ever had a weekend off. Now that I work at my company's main office, I have weekends off, and even after three years,I'm still reluctant to give up any of that time. As chance or luck would have it, I have had exactly one weekend free since the first of April, and won't have another one for another two weeks. On April 1st, we had a surprise birthday party for my sister in law at my aunt and uncle's house in Dover. The following Sunday, we had one for my mom's 65th birthday. Now, my family never throws surprise parties, so two in two weeks was our lifetime quota. What's funny is that my mom suggested and planned the one for Amy, and Amy suggested and helped plan the one for Mom. Two weekends ago, Mom and I went to the Sugarloaf craft show in Timonium. We both bought some gourmet food (what is it about these shows? I would never pay $25 for three little jars of chocolate sauce at the grocery store!), and I bought a dichroic glass bead to use in a necklace.

Last weekend, Mom and I went to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. It was packed! I bought 2 skeins of this yarn,

a beautiful mix of sage green and shades of blue and purple. Now I just need to figure out what to knit with it. Each skein is only 108 yards, so I might have to wait until my library gets its copy of "One Skein" before I decide. The yarn is so soft and has such a wonderful sheen, I want to make something special with it.

I also ordered two skeins of this yarn from Seaport Yarn. Mom exclaimed over how much she loved the yarn, so I ordered it to make something for her. I must not have been thinking clearly, because 950 yards isn't enough to make even a short-sleeved top that would fit her (we've both been given plenty of "frontal real estate"). I'll call them this week to see if I can add another skein to my order.

We were both drooling over the yarns at the Tess Yarns booth. I bought a pattern for a darling baby sweater to knit for my friend Lisa, who is due August 2nd, but they didn't have the yarn I wanted in stock, so I'll be placing an order with them, too. I loved the colorway Twilight, and they had a really pretty scarf knitted in Seabreeze that I want to try to dulipcate. Of course, the yarn I liked the best, Silk & Ivory, was $50 a skein. It's a 665 yard skein, though, so it's not quite as bad as it sounds. The problem with this yarn and the Blue Heron yarn I ordered is that 2 skeins isn't enough, but 3 skeins will probably leave me with a lot of extra yarn. What to do? What to do?

Almost Finished

I finally finished the knitting for the Christmas sweaters for my niece and nephew. My brother and sister-in-law have boy-girl twins who are 20 months old, and they are truly the Cutest Little Boy and Girl in the Whole Wide World. The Cutest Little Girl is a ham, always showing off and trying to be the center of attention, while The Cutest Little Boy is quieter and more of a cuddler, and I love them to death. Anyway, I knitted them sweaters for their first Christmas and first birthday, but this Christmas, I didn't quite make the deadline. I had the bodies done for both, and one sleeve for the Cutest Little Girl's, so I did a three-needle bindoff on the shoulders and wrapped them up just like they were finished sweaters, with a promise to finish them after Christmas. Here are pictures from the book with some of the actual sleeve showing:


Both are from Pipsqueaks by Kim Hargreaves. There are some really cute kids' designs in there. If you knit for kids, you should give it a look.

I feel like I've been knitting these sweaters forever, which is kind of true, since I started them in late October. That is probably the worst thing about twins--you have to knit two of everything. I already feel like I'm behind on birthday knitting, especially since I chose this pattern

















from Double Knits by Zoe Mellor. (Another book full of great patterns. All the sweaters are designed in complementary pairs, perfect for twins or sets of siblings. She is awfully fond of seed stitch, though.) Now, I've never done intarsia in my life, being more of a one-color knitter, but I bought the yarn and even knit a few inches of the blue sweater. And I found out something: I HATE INTARSIA! Since I'm sort of stuck with the yarn and I really like the pattern, I guess I'll have to knit them, but I can only stand to knit a few rows at a time before all the dangling bobbins get on my nerves. I feel like all I've been working on for the past two years is kids' sweaters, and knitting this pattern (twice!) will be less fun than the other ones I've done, so I think I might take a break and not knit any birthday sweaters. That way, I can take my time and do the sweaters for Christmas and not feel so pressured. I have plenty of knitting for grown-ups to keep me busy in the meantime, although I do have a book of patterns for kids' toys...

Coming soon: FLAK progress shot!

Easy come, easy go

A couple of months ago, I paid off my car. I was only halfway through my 5 year loan, but I was tired of paying double-digit interest, so I used some of the money I inherited from my grandmother, requested a payoff amount, and sent in the check. I got the paperwork back saying the loan was paid off, then a few weeks later, another envelope showed up in my mailbox. It looked like a check, so on the way back to the house, I started dreaming about the ways I was going to spend this windfall. Should I buy yarn? Books? Clothes? Then I opened the envelope. It was a check, all right. A check for $8.12. You read that right, eight dollars and twelve cents. Why did they bother? It probably cost them more than that to process and mail the stupid thing! That will barely buy me a steak quesadilla at La Fiesta, so the Margarita will come out of my own pocket. Sigh...

You've got mail?

Which is worse: going to the mailbox and getting nothing but junk mail, or getting no mail at all?

I knit at traffic lights

Well, what else am I supposed to do when 15 of the 22 miles I drive to work have traffic lights? I must have ADD, because I get bored sitting at traffic lights, even though I have a book on CD going. I always have something in progress that has plain stockinette or a simple knit/purl pattern, and when it takes me an hour to get to work, like it did two days in a row last week, I don't get all crazy-mad about it because I have my knitting to keep me busy.

My Traffic Light Knitting is also my Magic Knitting. If traffic is really slow, I pull out the Magic Knitting so I'll be ready when it stops, and like magic, the traffic clears up! (True, it doesn't always work, but the two days last week were beyond even the powers of the Magic Knitting.) Next on the agenda: world peace.

Today, Stephanie had the medals ceremony for the Knitting Olympics. OK, it was only a blog entry with a button to use, but I was quite moved. Here, in all its glory, is my gold medal in the knitting and felting event:



Thank you, thank you, everyone.

Crossing the finish line

Well, I did it! I finished my Knitting Olympics project last night during the closing ceremony. The tam looks pretty good, but now that it's dry enough to try on it feels a little big, so I put in back in the washer to try to felt it some more. I knitted all evening Saturday, and might have finished then, but I was putting too many plain rows between the decrease rows--a knitted dunce's cap just isn't a good look for me--so I frogged about 2/3 of the hat and started again. Hopefully, I can post a picture soon. (Still no USB cable. Apparently no Cingular store in the area has had the brilliant idea that if they're out of them, maybe they should order some.)

It's been really cool to be part of something like this. We've been getting a lot of press for something that started as a mention on someone's blog. Somebody said they even saw something about it in Time magazine! Congratulations to all 4000 knitters who entered, even those who didn't finish. To quote that woman on Seinfeld, "We're all winners!"

Strange happenings

Last Tuesday, Valentine's Day, I didn't leave work until 6:30, and on the way home, I decided to stop for Mexican on the way home. It was packed, and I didn't feel like waiting, so I decided to sit at the bar and eat. I don't usually do that, because how desperate is that? Sitting at the bar alone? On Valentine's Day? Hey, I was hungry. While I was eating, these two guys came in and sat down one seat away. One was average looking, but the other one was really handsome. We started talking, then Cute Guy suggested I scoot over into the empty chair. I'd had a Margarita, so hey, I'll talk to just about anybody, so scoot I did. The three of us were just talking and laughing, and Cute Guy was sitting so his knee would bump against mine, and when one of us said something funny, he would sort of lean against my arm with that little nudge you give someone when you're flirting with them. Average Guy was nice and talked some, but he was also watching the basketball game on TV, so it was mostly me and Cute Guy talking.

Around 9:00, I figured I should get going. Cute Guy asked if I wanted one of them to walk me to my car, and I said sure, even though my car was about 20 feet from the door (see mention of Margarita drinking above). Cute Guy asked Average Guy if he wanted to walk me to my car, and he said "No, you go ahead." So Cute Guy and I walk out to my car, and he hugs me and says how it was nice to meet me, then starts making out with me! Well, that was kind of a surprise, but I went with it. (See, guys at that level of looks don't usually pay much attention to me, so I was busy thinking "A good-looking guy is kissing me! Me, who hardly gets a second look from the really cute ones!" Yes, I am still in junior high school, why do you ask?) Then he stopped kissing me and said why don't we sit in my car for a little while. I said no, that I should go, so he said "OK, see ya later," and left! I sort of scratched my head for a minute and wondered what that was all about, then I just shrugged and drove home.

Now, my first thought when I saw two men eating dinner together on Valentine's Day was that they might be gay (not that there's anything wrong with that-tm Jerry Sinefeld). Before we all started talking, I heard Cute Guy say something about Brokeback Mountain, but that could have meant any number of things. And they didn't act like they were anything more than friends. But when I saw his shoes, I really started to wonder. They were way too fashionable for a straight man--sort of square-toed and Italian-looking. But since I don't think fast on my feet or when I've had a Margarita (see above), I couldn't think of a way to ask what was the scoop without being obvious. The whole thing was strange on so many levels. First, if they were together in a more than friendly way, why did Cute Guy kiss me like he did? And if he is straight, why did he walk away without asking me for my number or giving me his? After I thought about it I realized that he didn't say anything especially flirtatious, yet he kept making contact with his knee or arm. And what was with the whole charade of asking Average Guy if he wanted to walk me to my car, when Cute Guy was the one talking to me all night? I just don't know what was going on, not that that's so unusual for me. Now, I know I haven't dated in a few (OK, five) years, but have things changed that much? Maybe I need to take some kind of class or something.

FLAK and Olympics progress to report

You know, it's funny how when I'm at a place or time where I can't write anything, I have a gazillion ideas for posts, but when I sit down in front of the computer, I draw a blank. So for a lack of anything better, I will post a knitting progress report.

I finally finished step 2 of the FLAK--the cable swatch. (Let's not mention that step 6 is due to be posted any day now.) I'm using Elann Peruvian Highland Wool in Periwinkle. I didn't really want to use wool, since I apparently have sensitive skin and can't stand the scratchiness, but several people on the FLAK list talked about how soft it is once washed, especially if you use conditioner (!) on it, and it is what Janet is using for hers, so I decided to try it. It's pretty soft for wool, but if I decide to do a pullover, I'm still going to have to wear something under it. I got gauge on size 4 Addi bamboo needles (I much prefer bamboo to metal) in what this site calls Box Stitch, and others call Double Moss (or Seed) Stitch. It's basically K2P2 for two rows, then P2K2 for two rows. You can see a bit of it on the left in the picture below.

If you look closely, you can see where I messed up about 1/3 of the way from the top. I had to frog back, and apparently started back on the wrong row. Oh, well, it's only a swatch. I haven't done the measurements yet, but after holding it up to me, I think the cable pattern may be a little too narrow, so I plan to add an additional 1/1 cross on either side of the group of open twists, which are my center panel. I think it will look better from a design standpoint, too. That will have to wait until my Olympic knitting is finished, though.

With the Olympics a shade over halfway through, here is a scan of my progress on the Urban Necessity Tam :

(Sorry for the crappy scan. I haven't gotten a USB cable for my camera phone yet.) I am planning to felt the tam, so I made the ribbing 1/3 longer and will do the same for the body to account for the additional shrinkage in height. I think I will still do the snowflake pattern on the top, in case it shows when I felt it. I hope this works--I would hate to crash and burn in my Olympic debut! If traffic continues to be as bad as last week, I will hve no trouble finishing in time. I always take knitting with me when I go somewhere, in case of traffic or long lines. Good thing--two days in a row, it took me an hour to drive the 22 miles to work!!! Having some knitting to work on keeps me from getting as frustrated as I would be without it, and I'm doing something productive with the time.

Well, it looks like I didn't have writer's block after all. Maybe I should start a list of things I want to write about so I don't freeze up when I sit down to write. I don't know, that sounds awfully organized for me. We'll see.

The Olympics start tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the start of the Olympics (knitting and regular). I listened to an interview with Stephanie about the Knitting Olympics, and it's kind of neat to be able to be part of something like that. I know there are at least 3000 participants, which is 600 more than regular Olympians. I told my mom about it, and after her initial skepticism, she thought it was a great idea. Too bad she doesn't knit.

I am planning to knit the Urban Necessities tam from Magknits.com and felt or full it. I like the shape of the hat, but want it to have more body. I'm using some mottled denimy blue Araucania Nature Wool I bought at AC Moore. The pattern gauge is 21st/4", and my yarn is 18st/4", so some adjustments may have to be made. I haven't swatched, but I think I will just knit the pattern as it's written and run it through the washer until it fits. If not, I'm only out five bucks (yay, 40% off coupons!) and an Olympic medal.

I finally got a new cell phone, one with a camera, so once I figure out how to get pictures from the phone to my computer, I will be able to post shots of my progress. This was the second phone I ordered. I ordered the first one from inphonics.com two weekends ago. The phone was free, and they said they would swich my number from the old phone to the new. When I checked my email a couple days later, there was one from them saying that I had to verify my order before they could ship it. I called the number, and much to my surprise, the woman I talked to told me that there would be a fee of $244.95 to switch the number over, plus the $36 activation fee. I almost fell off my chair! I asked her why Cingular did it for free the last time I got a phone, and she said that it was the way they did things. Bastards. I told her to cancel the order, and went to cingular.com to get a phone. Guess what the fee was to switch the number? That's right--ZERO. All I had to pay was an $18 phone upgrade fee. So now I have a nice new phone to play with, and $262.95 in my pocket.

You think I was kidding about tinking?

I was working on my cable swatch for FLAK today, and I was on row 10 of my second 12-row repeat when I noticed that I had miscrossed a cable 4 rows back. I decided to try laddering it down and using DPNs to fix it, like some people on the FLAK list suggested. Well, I made such a mess that I decided to frog back to the mistake, pick the stitches back up, and continue. That was fine in theory, but it's hard to find a good spot to pick up cables, and I pulled some more stitches out, so I ended up frogging back more like all 10 rows of the second repeat.

I was in the middle of picking the stitches back up when my mom called to say that they were coming back from Timonium, and did I mind if they stopped by in 30 minues? Of course, I couldn't say no without a good reason, so I said yes. A mad scramble ensued as I tried to make the place presentable. I had knitting stuff lying all over the sofa except where I sit, magazines here, there and everywhere, you get the drift. Yes, I confess: I am a slob. When my parents showed up 25 minutes later, I was red and panting from my mad decluttering. They wanted to go out to eat, and when we went out to the parking lot, I found out the real reason they wanted to stop by--my mom bought a new Cadillac yesterday. I still think of Cadillacs as a old man's car, but she seems to like it.

So now, I'm back, and I'm going to spend the evening drinking wine, watching "Jaws" on A&E, picking my swatch stitches back up and and trying to figure out what row I'm on. Such an exciting life...

Welcome to my blog

Well, here goes, my first blog entry. I decided to bite the bullet and start a blog so I could post progress photos for the FLAK Knitalong, and so I would have a place to put some of the buttons from the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics. Of course, I have no idea how to add the buttons, so I might be doing all this for nothing (not really, but you know what I mean). Seriously, if anybody happens to read this and can tell me how to get stuff on the sidebar, especially buttons, please leave me a comment. In the meantime, I'll poke around the site a little more to see what I can find.

Although I plan to write about my knitting progress (or lack thereof), I know I'll spout off about other things like, what's up with the repeats of Lost already? We go six weeks with no new episodes, then they throw us a bone and air three, and now we're back to repeats. And an old repeat at that! Same with Desperate Housewives! There, I feel better now.