Hip Hip Hooray!!!

I finished one of my WIP which has been sitting in my sidebar for awhile...my magic stripes socks! They took several several weeks, but are actually quite quick. I made the entire second sock starting Thursday night and ending Saturday night...and I didn't even work very hard on it. Speaking of not working hard, I spent last night at some friends' apartment playing poker with a bunch of ppl I didn't know (cept the 2 ppl who lived there). It was muchos fun...and I only lost about $1...hehehehe.

Well I am slowly chugging through my yarn stash. I think I am going to try to keep only one knitting and one crochet project going at a time. I am now down to one knitting project (except for the mouse-a-thon...that doesnt count) and am gonna start a crochet one tonight. I think I am gonna work up a sweater out of Wool-ease sport. Awhile ago I got a ton of woolease sport super cheap (less than $2 a ball). I think I wound up buying 4 balls of royal blue, 4 balls of turquoise, 4 balls of purple, 2 balls of yellow, and 2 balls of fuchsia. Well I used up the royal blue and yellow and am now going to attack the turquoise. I think the purple will be saved for a knit sweater for myself, depending on what patterns I find and if I feel up to knitting a sweater in sportweight yarn for my first huge handknit project. The fuchsia I have no idea and am open to suggestions (maybe a nice textured scarf). Well I am gonna go and try to get gauge now on this sweater...usually I don't bother but since yarn may be tight on this I will do a quick check. Pics of socks tomorrow!

Glamour Thug!

Thanks to Marie over at Knitti-Me for finding another fun way to waste time...virtual makeovers! I had a lot of fun doing this, and avoiding my work...teeeheehee. Check me out and have your own fun at Makeover Solutions!

Patterns I am lusting after

Finds of the Day

While looking around for challenging crochet patterns to keep my interest, I ran across 2 things. First is word search puzzles with various craft themes. The second is a website that sells magazines. This may not sound so amazing but what they do is reduce the price of the subscription and send you extra ads via email (1 per week)...not a big deal but lots cheaper. And membership is free. I was planning to renew my Crochet! subscription for $20 a year but instead I found it there for $10, picked up Crochet Fantasy for $7 and Knit N Style for $10. How super! There were several other crochet and craft mags (not much knitting tho). Enjoy!

Not to sound like even more of a commercial, but from Aug30 - Sept4 there is free shipping at Joann.com with NO minimum purchase if you use the code LDAYEFS2 during checkout. The reason I am putting this here is because they sell Lion Brand Magic Stripes sock yarn (self striping) for only $6 a ball and one ball will make a pair of socks! So you can try it out...just one ball...with no shipping charges. I am using it now and it is great stuff, I highly recommend it. :)

"I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down..."

This title is appropriate because I am SO completely tired and I have been listening to Elvis Costello in the car a lot lately. hehehe. Vance and I were up late last night taking care of some stuff (all my lights work now, I can seeeeee) and he had to fly back home this morning...so I didn't get much sleep. Despite my tiredness, I had a decent day after this evil rent-a-cop yelled at me at the airport. I would probably be bitter too if I had her job & face (haha!). Anywayyys, I was actually able to pay attention almost the entire time in my classes, although afterwards I was sooooo tired. Now I am getting back to some knitting (too tired to do work). I have a long weekend coming up, wheeeeeee. What am I going to do? Well I think tomorrow I am going to a friend's who is having people (math grad students) over for poker (and possibly heated math discussions...that always happens). I might take my knitting along, hehehe.

What am I knitting? Well I finally cast on my second sock and am almost done with the ribbing (which is only the top inch). If I actually stick to working on this I should have it done in a day or so, depends. Tonight I am gonna work on it, and read my Interweave Knits mag. Fun fun. Ok I think I am being random now (not sure) so I had better get back to my knitting (whee)

Arrrrrr Mateys
My boyfriend came in late last night so I got zero crafting done today (yay!). I did skip a class (bad me!) but went to school anyways to meet with my research advisor. And then we went to deal with Sprint stuff and to see Pirates of the Caribbean!!! I have been wanting to see this movie for soooooo long (well before it came out). Those who know me well know that pirates hold a special place in my heart...and the fact that this movie had a female pirate was all the more inspiring! Plus Johnny Depp was super awesome in this film (I'm not a huge fan of his, it was just a great performance). Vance bought me the Interweave Knits magazine which has an article on fair isle in the round...so tomorrow after he leaves I will find consolation in immersing myself in that...fun fun. Sleepy time now..nite all!

Ugh what a terrible day. Besides not feeling well (still) I ate breakfast this morning and then was too full for lunch and then was starving all day! Plus I still have more analysis to do, with more adding up for next week and got a HUGE handout of algebra problems. This will be fun, seeing as I understand virtually nothing in algebra. The amount of algebra that I understand is a set of measure zero :( . Anyways the highpoint of my day is when hot grease hit my eye and DIDN'T hurt...go figure. I got a postcard today from my mom from when she went to mexico back in june, how odd. Another good point is that when I emailed the needlecraft shop about not receiving my Crochet! although they never wrote back they did send me a new issue (today)...so now I have two. I guess the first was just lost in the mail for awhile. Hopefully my boyfriend will make it in tonight, since he didn't last night. About the only thing that can screw it up now is the president (he is flying back out of st louis tonight and that shuts down the airport for awhile, which would make him miss his connector if it coincides with his departure time). Wish me luck on that...cause I need it.

Lot of work to do so I will make this fast. First I made another boa (I couldn't resist) and a quick & fun hat and scarf combo (better pic of that later hopefully). The hat and scarf I just kind of made up as I went along. Initially it was just going to be a scarf but then I decided my starter chain was too long and made it shorter...then I realized I was gonna have a lot of yarn left over so I worked a hat from the other end of the skein to see if I would have enough yarn...and I did! Amazing! So I termed this my "Amazing Hat and Scarf Combo" and put the directions for it up on my Patterns Page. Sooooooo soft and really light...the yardage on this Bouclé will never cease to amaze me. Enjoy! This chica has got to get some work done now.

OK after that huge distraction and fighting with my isp...I've spent many many (many many) hours working on Analysis...and to think I was planning to get some research done today as well! Only 3 more problems to go though (out of 9...but at least the 3 left only have 1 part each). Lucky thing I found the page to the homework...since the profs link is all wrong. If I didn't get it til tomorrow I woulda been screwed with a capital S. Off to watch the restaurant for some relaxation time. Oh yeah...crafts....well I whipped up a boa and have been working on some xmas presents...fun stuff. I am crocheting a scarf now...it's coming out nice...I may post the pattern (if you can call it that...it's super simple) later.

Way to waste time!



Which Reese Witherspoon are you? Find out!



Which Part of a Meal Are You?Find out!



Which Holiday are YOU? Find out @ RelentlessDivas.Net!



You are Morrissey! Hailed as a lyrical genius,
you've gone on to have a long and successful
solo career after the break-up of The Smiths.
You are mostly depressed. Cheer up, you're
brilliant!


You are "Panic," a song written about the
hated, hated DJ and horrors of pop music. Hang
the DJ!
-There's panic on the streets of London, panic on
the streets of Birmingham, I wonder to myself,
will life ever be sane again?


Which Smiths song are you?
brought to you by Quizilla



Which monkey are you?
Another pointless diversion from Bijouriel


Your Heart is Black

What Color is Your Heart?
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You are a Parisian.


What's your Inner European?
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You Are Ichabod Crane From "Sleepy Hollow." You're a deep thinker - most times logically. You're a bit of a neat freak and a wuss (hey, you do faint a lot!) but you do have the ability to overcome your fears and come out stronger in the end. And you never lose your head over things. (Gufaw gufaw!)

Take The Johnny Depp Quiz!

Some more finished products, real quick. First the crocheted beret made out of lion brand imagine...again modeled by Julius (he's happy to do it...really):

Next, a baby blanket I crocheted on the diagonal out of lion brand homespun:

The color is everglade and is much prettier than the picture shows.
My textbooks came yesterday so I am off to study more!

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Ok, well I am finally getting up the pics I promised. Life has been busy...I didn't get out of class til 4:30 yest then had to go to the mall to get new shoes (mine were giving me blisters). I stopped at Michaels on the way home...that store has horrible customer service. I did get my first ball of Lion Brand Imagine (20% Mohair) yarn, which I am crocheting into a beret. That should be done soon, prolly pics of it tomorrow. Anyways here is a picture of another hat I made to go with my Winter Warmer set (modeled by Julius).....the scarf is coming along slowly but surely (seed stitch is boring and slowwwww). Also, here is my Kureyon yarn...it is color #87.

Doesn't Julius look sassy? His head is a little smaller than a normal persons...so it won't be quite so overpowering on me. The flaps are really nice to keep my ears warm...woohoo!

I may have found a way to support my (yarn) habit...details on that later if it works out.

My internet has been down for a couple of days...but finally seems to be working again. Since then I have gotten my Kureyon yarn (#87 yippee) and chugged along on my current WIP...and I ripped out the hat I was making (I was certain I was going to run out of one of the colors eventually). I think I will be able to finish a sock today....woohoo...and my scarf is getting quite long. Also, I crocheted this hat as part of my winter set. I have another hat with it too but this one has earflaps which are nice and toasty. Expect pics later on today...if my isp is still agreeable.

Yesterday I walked over to the new campus bookstore (which is way out of the way) to buy my books and they were out of 2 of them and aren't getting more in...ugh. So I ordered them off barnesandnoble.com with rush delivery in hopes of getting them soon. One of them still said ships in 2-3 days so I was worried but this am I got a msg saying my order had shipped (which I hope means all of it)...woohoo I should have it tomorrow or saturday...at least something is going right.

My boyfriend is an uncle (again!) His second niece was born Tuesday night, woohoo! The lucky parents will be getting my handknit cardigan and hat for her. :)

Griping & Moaning
Ugh sometimes I really hate where I leave. Not only are all the children so completely ill-behaved that they run around SCREAMING and probably beating each other at 7:15 am, but the parents aren't any better...playing music late into the night...oh they are so cool when they drive in with their stereos blasting rap. In addition, on Tuesdays the grounds people come in at around 7:30 (right after the annoying little brats depart on their bus) and mow grass (not so bad) and use the blower and the weedwacker (very bad).....ugh! And they park right across from my building and start there, of course. Life is so unfair and the majority of people are utterly worthless.

Ok, now that that's out, I finished my crocheted bag I started last night. Here is a pic:

Find out which But I'm A Cheerleader girl you are.

Bleh bleh bleh
Had my first day of the new semester and school day today...just one class tho. And how was it? Expensive! Besides having to buy the textbook for class which is a new edition (meaning there will be no used copies), the professor made a bound version of his overhead notes that he will be using to teach the class. These are also "required" and how much are xerox's??? $45! What a rip off. On a happy note my Suki made it's debut to much applause (or something). Two officemates (guys) were amazed I had made it and one told me I could sell it in a store for like $120! Which isn't a bad price considering it took only about 2 days. I guess the people I go to school with actually *do* have some idea of the amount of time and money that goes into something like that. Woopah. I do have plans to make another "Suki"...altho I hesitate to call it that cause it may end up looking nothing like it other than the fact it is felted. Am thinking about making it bottomless (like a tote bag) with perhaps just a single strap and deeper than wide...perfect shape for books. Basically it wll mimic some crocheted bags I have around. Well, we will see about that. Time to figure out where the heck this engineer's bookstore is that I have to buy that expensive pack of notes at.

Tuen of the Day:
Back to school
Back to school
To prove to dad that
I'm not a fool
-Adam Sandler

Stepping Out
I finished my Suki......wooooo *bells* *whistles* *fireworks*. Ok so maybe it's not such a big deal cause it didn't take that long or anything, but I am happy that I have it and that I can debut it on the first day of classes (woopah). So here are the before and after pictures, Suki being modeled with a lovely Topology Book for size comparison.

The colors did in fact become a bit more washed out upon felting, which only increased my wish that the main color was orange. Maybe if I wish hard enough it will change...well I can try. Time to settle down, read about geishas, and cook my favorite meal for dinner to close this vacation once and forall (I can't say I'm happy to see it go).

Took some pics of things I had made ages ago but had never catalogued. See homespun jacket on crochet page...and then just a scarf and some hats on my knit page. Suki is going good...I decided on 6 stripes but then some extra strippage on the bottom. I am really wishing I had done orange instead of the dark pinkey color...gotta love hindsight. If I had done the blue and green first I may have thought of this. Am having a hard time resisting the temptations to start new projects...the other day I started something and worked for an hour or so and then got hold of my will and ripped it out. I'm hoping the Suki will be big enough to hold a notebook, maybe small books, but not too big that it's annoying. It should be done (knitting at least) tonight! (Provided I don't run out of yarn). Classes start tomorrow...I think I only have one noon chemistry course for an hour tho...what a pain to drive all the way there for an hour...once things get started I may use MWF as research days.

Suki'ing Along
I'm already on the fifth stripe on my Suki...woohoo! It is quite LARGE...I had prepared for this but the size of items that will be felted will always shock me. I am trying to decide if I am going to go for the 6 or 8 stripe version...I think it will depend on if I feel like dying more yarn, cause I am pretty sure I don't have enough to finish the 8. I think when I am done I will sew a liner and use it for school...fun stuff. It would be way too large for a craft bag...I have a canvas tote for big projects. I am loving it tho...can't wait to felt.

Free Your Mind...Matrix Style Crafting
Woohoo I finally decided what to do with my afghan that was giving me so much problems...quit! Well...only sort of. I decided it was big enough for a throw when turned sideways so I just did edging and let it be at that. It works for me...I don't have to stress over it anymore and it's DONE. Now I just have to figure out what the heck to do with it. Anyways it's done, see it here

Being done with that...I would up my now dry Suki yarn in 2 strand balls and it is now ready to work up. I was right, there is some slight variation in the colors...but I think I like it. Kureyon yarn still not here, but I did get 2 magazines today (woohoo...I'd rather have my yarn tho).

Tune of the day:
I hate bugs, any kind of bugs,
Every kind of bugs, crazy little bugs.
I hate worms, any kind of worms
Every kind of worms, crazy little worms.
I like hash, and I like stew,
And I like mashed potatoes too.
But I hate bugs, any kind of bugs,
Every kind of bugs, crazy little bugs.
(cheep cheep)
-Some crazy guy with a harmonica and ukelele

Progress?
Well, here is the afghan I am working on:

It is quite large, as can see by the fact that it is only 2/3 done and covers a good bit of my queen size bed. I have to say that I now know why I had abandoned this for so long.....it is a PAIN IN THE BUTT and it's not working out how I'd hoped. The squares aren't fitting together great and the yarn (tho all the same dye lot) is changing colors, ugh. On top of that my gauge has changed in all this time and I didn't bother to recheck and now the bottom rows are larger than the top rows......double ugh! I washed it to see if that would help...it did a little. The border may help a little more but I think this is definitely going to have to be a give away thing.....it will drive me NUTS if I keep it. And from now on I need to remember: I hate pieced together afghans!!!!!! ESPECIALLY when the pieces aren't all the same! (Someone remind me of that on occasion, please)

Got bored with current projects and took a little break to whip up a scarf out of a lone skein of Homespun I had lying around. Here it is:


I also set up a page to sell off the many projects I have lying around. I am one of those "craft for craft's sake" people who make all this stuff with no real purpose for it. I just like making it and end up with a stockpile of finished crafts in my closet, so I thought I would see if anyong wanted to buy them at, in my opinion, reasonable prices. If anyone thinks something is mispriced (too high), then let me know. If it's priced too low then I don't really mind...it's not meant to be a business. (Just click on my button in the sidebar "Tifff's Craft Emporium" to get to my main page.)

Besides that I am hoping my Kureyon yarn comes soon...I probably won't start on it right away but I am anxious to see what colors I'm getting...woohoo.

Suki-To-Be
I dyed the yarn (and my hands) to make the Suki Bag yesterday. Here is a pic:

I decided to change the colors because I wanted to make sure there was enough contrast. There is some variation in the skeins but I think that since it will be double stranded and since it will be felted (which makes that white fuzzy stuff appear) anyways, this won't be very noticeable. And if it is, I will call the colors heathered, hehehe.

Other Crafty News
I am chugging away on my afghan...slowly but surely. Still waiting with baited breath for my September issue of Crochet! (why is it so late and WHY have they not responded to my e-mail?) and my Kureyon yarn. Perhaps by the time it comes I will be near enough to done on my afghan that I can justify starting another project, hehehe.

What's on the docket for today?
Well, supposedly my boyfriend is flying in around midnight. Luckily, that still gives me all day. I think I am going to dye some yarn for the Suki tote (I just can't resist)...I think maroon as the main color with red and orange contrast...I'm gonna skip the fru fru as well (not that I hate it, I just havent found anything that is machine washable that I can just pick up and that will match my maroon. Perhaps I will make another later on with this. We will just have to see. I am still chugging away on afghan #2 and the scarf...but I want to do the Suki so that all my excess yarn can go to mice for the mouseathon. Also I am feeling guilty about the massive quantities of kool-aid I have bought. I also bought some generic to try out, in hopes of some other colors. Fun stuff. That's about it for today...for now, anyways.

Went to the mall, saw the Dance Fever junk...I think it wasn't really going yet. They had the dance machines and music going but I think MC Hammer and stuff was coming later.....I didn't stick around for that. I had a horrible time at the post office and got lost in Macy's...twice! Ugh! I did get great deals at Penny's tho...didn't even know it. I got 2 pairs of jeans and a plush red sweater for $20......I knew they were on sale but they rang up way more off when I got to the register...woohoo.

Took the Ethical Philosophy Selector and here are my results:
1. Jean-Paul Sartre (100%)
2. Nietzsche (94%)
3. David Hume (91%)
4. Stoics (77%)
5. Thomas Hobbes (73%)
6. Cynics (70%)
7. Kant (70%)
8. Ayn Rand (69%)
9. Spinoza (57%)
10. Jeremy Bentham (54%)
11. Nel Noddings (53%)
12. John Stuart Mill (50%)
13. Aristotle (46%)
14. Epicureans (46%)
15. Aquinas (43%)
16. St. Augustine (42%)
17. Plato (36%)
18. Ockham (32%)
19. Prescriptivism (31%)

I am quite happy with that...I have always felt drawn to Sartre (love his plays...esp the Wild Duck.)

Here is a picture like the hat I wanna make:

It doesn't have to be that furry (altho I could get a skein of eyelash and hold it with it for the brim)...but the shape is so nice.

C'est finit!
I finished the Birdhouse Afghan last night....yeah! There are 2 pics of it on my crochet page...altho I will post one here. Here it is:

Although I was cursing the edging last night, I really like the way it turned out. I always do like reverse single crochet edgings...they look so finished. It's more like a throw than an afghan...as it is pretty small. It is for my boyfriend's mom tho...who is pretty small herself...so all is good. At least noone will probably steal it from her. :)

2 out of 4 ain't bad...
After I finished that I got out my other afghan project...this one has been lingering for YEARS. It is a sampler afghan with 63 squares of different stitches in purple, blue, and grey heathers. I remembered this being horrible and ugly but when I got it out I was like "why the heck did I ever stop working on this?" I even stopped midsquare...I may have to rip that out and restart it as I have no idea what was going on in it. Well at least I am once again motivated to work on it. I am guessing it was too hot to work on (my mom loves turning the ac off in summer even when it's super hot) or that I just got interested in another project. Well I control the temp here so mwahahahah. And plus it's all done in small squares which helps a lot. Oh yeah...what's with my title? Well a couple weeks ago my boyfriend said he would buy me new yarn if I finished all the projects I had started (at that time). So far I am done with the baby cardigan and hat set and this afghan...only got my scarf and the other afghan to go. Although...last night I talked to him and told him I was working my little fingers to the bone and had blodshot eyes and all from working so feverently and he adjusted the workload somewhat...but I still do want to finish them all. I don't know what kind of yarn I am going to want to buy....hrmmmmmm.

BTW does anyone happen to know of a hat pattern (knit or crochet) which looks like one of those russian style hats (with the fur trim)? I have 2 skeins of lion brand woolease in white with the shimmery nylon flecks stuff...it's called white frost...which I wanted to use to make a hat like this. I can get more if it requires more. Although if I can't find one I may give up and make headbands...but I would really prefer the hat.

The tune of the day is:
Sitting alone on a cold bar stool
Your cold, hard eyes make me feel a fool.
Pastel-white features, high cheekbones,
Scarlet blooded lips, and deathly tones.
The girl of my nightmares,
Sultry and Corpse-like.
The girl of my nightmares.
-Pulp

Project Progress
I'm making mad progress on the Birdhouse throw. Yesterday morning I had half the motifs done and sewn together...as of right now I have 6 out of the 8 remaining done and the other 2 I just need to do the final border on. Then I need to sew these together and do 2 rows of border on the entire afghan. Woohoo this just may be done tonight...or tomorrow.

Non-Craft News
As for tomorrow, I am planning on going to the mall to buy some jeans and to mail my package. And why am I going tomorrow? Supposedly the show Dance Fever will be at the local mall...and it should be good for some laughs...heehee.

Anyways, I don't want to take a pic of the afghan til it is finished...but here is a pic of my funky green sandals I got last week when my mom was here. I got them on clearance for only $5 at Walmart...they are a fun lime green and really cushy...I just love them (despite the fact that the backs flop when I walk). Don't judge my feet...just my shoes :-P


The tune of the day is:
Conversation Intercom,
You hear what i say but
It comes out all wrong.
Conversation Intercom,
You say what i see still
You speak in different tongues.

-Soulwax

Oooooo the Kureyon bag shall be mine! I talked to my stepfather and he was wanting my eeyore and piglet for his little cousin. I was only willing to depart with piglet...and when I said I would send it he said he would buy me the yarn for the Kureyon bag I want to make! Yays! I chose a bunch of colors I liked then said surprise me...I love surprises :)

More finished projects...
Well I am done with baby items for now. I think I am going to actually try and finish up some of my larger projects...like the birdhouse afghan. I was wanting to give this to my boyfriend's mom for xmas since she collects birdhouses. Anyways I wanted to make the hat match the sweater but ran out of blue and green yarn so I used some yellow to finish it off...and then made some yellow booties out of the remaining yarn. At least I have little leftovers...just a tiny bit of yellow. I think I will put these booties, the blue booties, this hat, and the sort of matching cardigan all together as a gift...maybe for xmas if it is a boy (my bf's sister's baby, that is). Well here's the pic:

One thing that I can say about this Baby Coordinates yarn is that it makes faboo pom poms. I attribute this to the fact that it frays like mad as soon as it is cut. While I am not wild about the blue pom poms on the sweater...these ones...in which I used all 3 yarns...are so full and soft. Wonderful!

The tune of the day is:
i said a hip hop a hippie to the hippie
to the hip hip hop, you dont stop
a rockin to the bang bang boogy say upchuck the boogy,
to the rhythm of the boogity beat.

Yeah!!!

I couldn't have said it better myself...



*looks at the current world's population* You must have a lot of frustration then.

What pisses you off?

Oh, I forgot to mention. I found a 2 oz. tub of catnip at PetSmart for $5...it seems to be more filling than the other kinds I have looked at (it's called Cosmic Catnip)...in case anyone is interested.

Alright...I'll let you in on a little secret...just don't tell anyone. The secret is: I crochet a LOT faster than I knit. Ok, so it's not such a secret...anyone who knows me probably knows this. But anyways, here is what I have been up to yesterday and today.

If you have browsed my site you may have noticed that I have made this pattern before (view it here). This time I used Bernat Baby Coordinates in green for the main color and Caron Cuddle Soft in blue for the trim. (The blue tends to look purple against the green...but I am ok with that). I mixed yarns for the main reason that I wanted the softness and shimmer of the Baby Coordinates for the main part of the project but I wanted the trim stitches to stand out really well. Both are baby weight pompadour yarns...so it is all sparkly (which unfortunately doesn't show up much in the picture). The Bernat yarn is some pretty neat stuff...it IS baby weight but it has sort of a homespun feel to it. Of course this means you can't use it for any texture work (I originally tried working the knit cardigan set in this and ripped it out early on because none of my hard work was showing up). The yardage is a little less than normal baby weight yarns, I think...but it is cheap, soft, and really pretty. It splits some during work and the ends fray as soon as you cut them...but it isn't that bad. I still recommend it. I really like the pattern I used, but the amount of yarn it calls for for the contrasting color is very inaccurate. It calls for 1/2 ounce and I ran out and had to go purchase more. I should probably make a note of this so I don't fall into this trap again. I am working on a hat out of the scraps...if I have enough I will finish it tonight and post a pic.

BTW Smiley's is introducing Lion Brand Homespun yarn to their site at a special intro. price of $1.99 a skein (through Sunday)...what a steal! The catch is (there's always something) there is a minimum purchase amount of $30...however on the up side there is a flat rate shipping charge of $8 or so. So even with shipping it's still a great deal. They have lots of other yarns there too...some are quite nice. I would LOVE to buy some of the Mardi Gras and Aquarium homespun and some woolspun and some Cha Cha and probably some other stuff...but I really don't need to spend any more money on yarn right now...oh well.

Alright, I'm back! (Maybe...hopefully not). Well, I didn't really go anywhere...but my mom flew in to visit me for the first time last Saturday and left yesterday morning. We had lots of fun: saw Seabiscuit, went on a shopping spree (woohoo!), went to my school (bleh), and ate out bunches. It was good fun. Why am I hoping I'm not back? My boyfriend, who lives in St. Louis and works for United Airlines (I am in Atlanta) has been trying to come visit me for several days. He flies standby on his benefits and lately the flights have either been full or cancelled (due to weather in Chicago)...so I have been waiting since last Thursday for him to come visit. Yesterday was his birthday by the way...24 years old (and I mean old! haha).

Anyways...what have I been up to on the knitting front? Well, I've made a mouse for Wendy's mouse-a-thon. Here is what he looks like: . He is all sewn up and ready to be stuffed with catnip. Actually, I made 2, but one has mysteriously gone missing (ok, I confess, I gave it to my mom to take home to Napoleon...our Siamese). I am hoping to make several more mice...but I was shocked to find that catnip is quite expensive...$3 an ounce and it may take the whole ounce to stuff one! Ack! Anyone know of a cheaper place to get this stuff at? This chick is a student and does not have the big bucks for cat drugs.

Well, besides mice...I have been inspired (teehee). After falling in love with a cardigan which I bought at Macy's...I re-realized my love for tons and tons of random stripes which make a lovely pattern. I have always wondered how people do this...is it truly random or do they plan it? So I dug through my scrap heap and picked out a bunch of yarn which I then used to knit a scarf with stripe lengths determined by the roll of a die. I used off-white on every other stripe and inbetween that I alternated shades of blues and greens. Used up a small pile of my odds and ends. Used up even more when I made the tassels (next time I may forego the tassels...am still undecided). Since this is all in stockinette, I did it doubly wide then folded it over to make it doubly thick. Anyways...here is the pic...tell me what you think:

I am still planning on evening up the tassels and then washing it.....but so far I think I like the results. I am gonna try some more with lots of random colors and hope for less white in them.

Taaadaaa!
I am completely finished with the cardie/hat set (and it feels good). Here's a pic:

I think my next project will be to work up some of my new sock yarn, yay!

Finished! (sort of)
Woohoo! I finished the sleeves and sewed the cardigan together...complete with buttons. Here is what it looks like all finished:

The only reason I'm not really finished is that I am making a matching hat (the hat is basically a large version of the sleeve). Well that shouldn't be too long...and minimal sewing involved! Plus I will just knit til I run out of yarn so no leftovers...yeah!

Progress!
I finally got out the baby cardigan again...and made quite a bit of progress. Last night I finished the back and one front side...today I did the other side, and then did all the edges (neck and the 2 button sides). It is looking a little warped now but I think after I finish it I can take care of that. All that's left is to knit and sew in the sleeves and then the side seams...yay! Oh yeah, and buttons. Well, here is what it looks like now...basically done cept w/o sleeves and buttons:


In other news...
I don't know how much more progress I can force myself to make on the cardie...as this came in the mail today:

Lots of fun sock yarn...I can hear it calling my name to knit it and see what it looks like. My mom is flying in tomorrow so if I don't play with this yarn tonight it might be several days before I can...well we will see.