Seeing Your Handknits In Use

This is Amelia. She's just 8 months and cute as a little button. I went to visit Christy, Jeff, and Amelia tonight to have a little after-Christmas Christmas. She's modeling the scarf I made her. Better pictures weren't possible. All of you who have or had 8 month olds know what I mean. ;)

That's all. I'm sleepy. I have much to share in my next post. :)

Have I Ever Shown You My LYS?

I didn't think so. I popped in tonight to pick up some needles appropriate for lace knitting. Elizabeth was wearing this gorgeous knitted jacket, so I ambushed her and took a picture. She was gracious enough to let me post a couple of pictures of the shop too. :)

I also bought a little yarn, but it's for a friend's scarf and she reads the blog. Creative license and all that. ;)

I'm off to continue recuperating, feed the bunnies, and work on some homework.

Fibery Decorating

I finally took Christmas down last week and I needed to put some sort of decoration on the fireplace. So, I looked around my house for inspiration and what do you think I found? Why yarn, roving, and fibery tools, of course! As fiber and its many manifestations has taken over my life in the last few years, I decided to make a display with some of my tools, yarn, and other fibery things. Hence, my first picture of this post, my fireplace with fibery pursuits.

I also managed to block my scarf, though it became more of a short shawl, and wash my socks. That was about it though as Beau and I are still sick. Here's a pic of the blocked shawl/scarf. I made several mistakes in this, but as it was practice for the heavy lace knitting I'll be doing this year, I chose not to correct the mistakes. I love the way this blocked out, though I should have encouraged it to be longer and skinnier.

I'm going to go curl up in my chair and work on Will's socks. Well, maybe my sweater. No wait, the shawl that I started! Or maybe I'll cast on a scarf. :)

I feel icky

And Beau does too. He looked so sad in his little bed last night that I took a picture just to prove it. Doesn't he look sad and a little under the weather? I know I feel like he looks, achy head, stuffed up nose and ears, and a sore throat. I've had two cups of tea this evening and I think I need a third. ** That is his pillow and blanket. He just happened to be in a position that I could cover him with the blankie to get the picture. :)


I did manage to get a bit of knitting done this weekend. I finished up this scarf from Victorian Lace Today, but haven't blocked it yet. Better pictures when I do finally get it blocked. I used Alpaca With a Twist laceweight leftover from Grandma's Scribble shawl. I went down a needle size from the suggested and used a US 6 for the body and a US 4 for the border. I had some trouble with the edging as I apparently can't read the corners correctly. I fudged it since this is just a practice piece.


If you're keeping track, this meant that I only had one project on the needles, my sweater. Instead of working on my sweater, I promptly cast on for something else for me. Gloves! Then I went and finished them since I'm feeling icky and didn't want to leave my chair.

Yarn: Scout's Swag, Appletini, ? yardage, 100% wool
Needles: US 1 Britanny Birch DPNs
Pattern: Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns (slightly modified to fit my hand better)


Of course, I now only have the sweater on the needles again, but I'm about to remedy that. I'm going to cast on toe-up socks for Will in the Ebony Fleece Artist, and another lace weight shawl in the next day or two. I may not be up to posting in the next few days, but I'll try my best. :)

Violets on Parade

Several months ago, I bought some african violet cuttings from Optimara. My cuttings have grown into beautiful plants (I lost two of the ten cuttings that I bought), and I'm finally getting some blossoms. Both of my Little Cheyenne Girl plants have burst into flower.

One of my unnamed (bought from Lowe's) plants is flowering. Plus one other plant is flowering again (no pic, sorry).

I had a little help while I was taking pictures today. Namely, one squeaky clean and mischievous Zoie-cat. She was peaking around the table in such a cute way, that I took a picture to show you. :)

As proof that you can knit while pedaling on Wesley, I give you finished Fleece Artist Amethyst socks!

Specs:

Yarn: Fleece Artist "Amethyst" 100% Wool, 325 m

Needle: US 2 Brittany Birch DPNs

Pattern: My standard 2 inch K2P2 cuff, stockinette leg, short row heel, stockinette foot, and four point toe (love my plain jane socks)

I love the Fleece Artist. I can't thank Sherri at the Loopy Ewe enough for sending me my yarn quick quick when I ordered it in December. I'm already planning to crack into the third skein to make socks for Will. :)

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Kitty?

I'm not. She's soaked, and yowling, and I found it very funny. So I snapped a picture for you. :)

Monica decided to give Zoie a bath tonight so that she wouldn't shed as bad for the next few days. I didn't know that she was soaking Zoie until I heard a terrible yowl come from the bathroom when I was on the phone. As I was sitting at the computer, searching for Magnificent Mittens by Anna Zilboorg for my friend, I heard a soft yowl followed by several louder ones. Thinking that Zoie had been caught somewhere in the house, I rushed to the source of the sound only to find that she was getting a bath. hee hee

Last night I had a yummy dinner and I wanted to share it with you. Tasty taco spiced meat, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, and fresh lettuce all wrapped up to make a delicious meal.

Tonight I cooked up a wine reduction with a lot of tasty flavors thrown in and tossed some roasted chicken in it. Then I piled the chicken high with all of the flavorful ingredients that I used last night. Mmmmm, mmmm, crunchy! :)

I've also ridden 18 miles on my bike in the last week. I'm trying to use it everyday and just ride for three miles. So far, so good. Hopefully when I go to the doctor for my forced weigh in this March, I will have lost weight compared to last year.

In knitting news, I'm still plugging along on my lace scarf (which I really need to take a picture of), my sweater (still doing ribbing), and my socks (I'm on the second foot). Hopefully, I will have knitting pictures to show you all in the next few days.

Meet Wesley, Part Two

Wes and I got to know each other better after my post last night. We took another leisurely stroll through 3 miles (94 miles to go). I'm thinking of hopping on him again before I head to Michigan today. I'm headed up to judge bunnies again this weekend and I'm meeting Kristi (yes, Red Dog Knits Kristi!) for dinner. I'm super excited and trying to kick my butt into gear so that I can be gone by 1. See you all next week!

Meet Wesley

This is Wesley (aka a Weslo stationary bike) and he has come to the Knitter Bunny home to whip the flabby knitterbunny into shape. Wes is now occupying the spot where my wheel was residing and the wheel has found a home near the fireplace. I'm thinking of joining the "100 miles by April 1" KAL and getting my weight under control. College life certainly packed on the pounds. I was a meager 125 (and 5'6") during my senior year of high school. One Bachelor's degree, the beginning of graduate school, and five years later, I'm leaning toward 165 pounds. I don't really know how much I weigh because I refuse to buy a scale. So the last time I went to the doctor, I weighed in at 165. Not that I'm going to go crazy or anything, but I want to lose 20-25 pounds.

I took 12 years of dance lessons and miss the activity. My parents also had a two-story house and I live in a one story. Plus I didn't eat very well during my undergrad. I think you see where I'm going with this. I want to have more energy and feel better about how I look. Cutting pop from my diet was the first step, I don't drink any at home (though I do still drink pop occassionally when we go out to eat). Cooking more at home and expending some energy through food preperation was the next step. Learning to shop after I've eaten, sticking to my list, and attempting to buy healthier foods is what I'm working on now. Plus I have Wes as my secret weapon now. I biked for 3 miles this afternoon according to the readout. And I'm working on how to knit and pedal at the same time.

See the green bag on the bike handle? Oh yeah, I'm going to find a way to knit from that bag while I pedal. Socks and gloves here I come. ;)

If you haven't wandered over to Purly Gates lately, Suzie is selling a few stash items, magazines, books, etc. to help pay for her "boot camp." She has some lovely items up that she needs to sell to fund her way to boot camp. You can read more at her blog. I bought the Morehouse Farms Merino book that she was destashing.
Also, if you haven't been to Bezzie's blog in the last week or so, she's running a program called KAYE. The "Kootchie Awareness Yarn Extravaganza" is simply a way to raise awareness of cervical cancer. Bezzie says it best in her post.

And keep the Yarn Harlot in your thoughts, her laptop "bricked." Seriously, how bad is that for the Harlot?

If you haven't noticed my clever deception, I don't have much more to report. Bunny barn gets fixed tomorrow. I'm off of work until the Chief gets back on Monday. I have a new litter of baby bunnies that were born here in the house and if I can figure out how to put it up, maybe I can show you a baby bunny at the dawn of life (it's a bit after birth, but not much).

Snow Finally Makes it to Indiana

And a decent amount of snow too, if I so say so myself. Wait, I just did. I've been traipsing around in it all morning with the repair guy. Repair guy? Yes, as in my heating/cooling unit needs a new brain and the bunny barn heater needs a new gas valve. (sigh) This means that I will be forced to wait to replace the watering bowls with the automatic watering system until later this spring. Will is going to continue to work on designs and I'm hoping to have it at least partially installed by the end of March. I'm judging some rabbit shows and I'll be putting as much of the money as I can towards upgrading the bunny barn.

I've been knitting some on my sweater and started another pair of socks, Fleece Artist socks in the color Amethyst, because they make me happy. I also bought myself some flowers, pretty roses. I took a picture to share with you all. While there is some sun out, it hasn't hit the back of the house yet, so these are still a bit washed out in color. The petals are a bit more orange, but the edging is that pretty coral. :)

I'm off to take care of things before I go into class. I'm reading everyone's blog even if I'm not commenting and I apologize for not popping in to say hello more. I'll try to leave a comment on everyone's blog in the next few days. :)

Loot :)

Way back in October I sent my buddy Cynthia some moo-lah to buy me some happy yarn at Rhinebeck. Cynthia not only bought me happy Rhinebeck yarn, she also bought me a birthday present. Due to the "sleep inducing virus" (aka, hello you're having a baby, when are you going to figure it out?) she has been trying to muster up enough energy to even knit, much less remember to mail a package. ;) But to my wondering eyes, on Firday evening, what should appear, but LOOT?!?!?

I give you Morehouse Merino Laceweight 100% Merino wool, Fingering Weight, 660 yards. yummy

Hand Maiden Sea Silk, 70 % Silk, 30 % Seacell, and it smells so good! 400 meters (See, that second skein? Happy Birthday Kelli from Cynthia!) Blue Moon Fiber Arts Sock Candy 96% Cotton, 4% Elite, colorway Diva, 200 yds

Spirit Trail Fiberworks 100% Superwash Merino Sock Yarn, 200 yards. These are totally going to be sexy red socks. Hot, sexy red socks. ;)
And then, there was this and this. OH MY HOLY GODDESS OF SPINNING! Can it be? Yes, silk hankies. Handpainted by a little old man (who I do not know the name of, but Cynthia might). She was inspired to get me some when she saw Amy Singer spinning them at Morehouse Merino, and the kicker, Amy Singer knew who I was and I wasn't even there!

Fleece Artist Rocks

I love these socks. Knit in my usual sock pattern, 2 inch K2P2 cuff, short row heel, four-point toe. But these are scrumptious socks. I love the feel of them.

Yarn: Fleece Artist 100% Merino Wool, machine washable, 325 m per skein, color "Midnight" (and my picture really doesn't so them justice, the colors are so brilliant in person)

Needles: US 2 Brittany birch DPNs

Such love, I can't wait to cast on another pair. I'm swiftly creating quite a collection of socks for myself. :) I can't tell you how happy it makes me to slip into a pair of my own handknit socks.

My small package from Scout came today as well. Two cute felted flower kits, the pattern for a Poinsettia wreath (getting a jump on next Christmas), and samples of Soak, the gentle wool wash that Scout is now carrying. I'm going to try one out on my socks that I've been wearing this week. I have several pairs that need a good soak. ha ha I asked Scout to send my order sometime in January to surprise me and she did! I was pleasantly surprised and it was a day that I certainly felt like giving myself a treat. :)

Happy Day :)

I have finished one fleece artist sock. My house is getting cleaner. My first two days of classes went well. But more importantly, I'm funded for a half time assistanceship! Money, and working with what I'm interested in! Yeah! Woo Hoo!

While I'm in a great mood, and I can remember to ask, what are your favorite yarns to knit large projects (such as sweaters) with? I really want to find good solid colored yarns to make some lovely lightly cabled or textured sweaters with. I'm partial to wool or wool blends, and decent yardage/price ratio is always nice. :) What yarns do you like? What yarns should I stay away from?

Distractions

I've been meaning to photograph this African Violet to show you for a week. Isn't this strange? One of the flowers is half purple, half pink; one flower is puple with a pink edging; and one flower is pink with purple "splatter" spots. All of the flowers are supposed to be pink with purple "splatter" spots.I'm still treating rabbits. One of the does that I thought I had cured sneezed a HUGE snot ball today. If she isn't cured with the second round of treatment, I will have to put her down to prevent it spreading any more. I'm very distressed, because I particularly like this doe and her bloodlines. My favorite buck is also sick, but with something else and I'm hoping that the antibiotic I am using will cure him of this other infection. While I'm hopeful that I will be done administering shots in the next two weeks, I am also praying to the Great Bunny God that I don't have to kill any one else. They are all my babies and I don't want to put any more down.

With no real knitting to show you, I thought you might enjoy a picture or two of Colt aka fugly. hee hee Will hates it that I call his dog fugly. I must admit that he is a smart little puppy. Monica and I played "puppy ping pong" with him. To play it, one person sits on one side of the room and the other sits opposite. You call the puppy's name and each time he comes to you, he gets a treat, but only if he sits. Colt caught on very fast. He is still learning his name, but he came to us 75% of the time. My fiance thinks I'm crazy for trying to teach him already, but Will can stick a fork up his nose. Puppies are never too young to learn, and besides, he's very inquisitive at this age. The quicker he learns, the faster Will can start training him to hunt.

Nothing Important

This will be a phenomenally boring post so feel free to skip this one. Call it your freebie for the the month. ;)

I've been cleaning and organizing and getting things ready for my new semester which starts today. My closet is cleaner than it has been in two years. I finally parted with all of the shirts that I was wishing would fit. My yarn stash is organized, at least to me. :) My kitchen cupboards and refrigerator are clean. I am getting my school papers cleaned up and filed away to go to class tonight. My bunny barn is cleaner (still working on that), and Will is designing my watering system.

I had a tiny set-back with the bunny barn though. I run a small LP heater in the barn to keep the water from freezing in the bowls. It is better for the bunnies and somewhat warmer for me (I keep it at about 40-45 degrees F), plus my pump doesn't freeze. Unfortunately after four years my heater's gas valve has gone bad, and at $282 I don't really want to replace the part. So I'm looking at replacing the heater with another LP or possibly with an electric heater.

No worries though, I will still be able to buy my watering system. On the knitting front, I cast on for some socks using my Fleece Artist "Midnight" skein last night, but I only have the cuff of one foot done and it's not really that exciting yet. I also did a few rows on my sweater, but I may have to make it a shorter sleeved sweater, it seems that I only had 8 skeins of the Kimono Angora and not 10 like I thought. (This was what precipitated the stash cleaning. lol) So I may go with a short sleeve or a 3/4 sleeve. I am also ignoring the lace scarf that I am nearly finished with as I am stumped on the corner and I just don't feel like figuring it out right now.

I must get back to organizing, I have class at 6 tonight and I want to get the book before I go in. Have a great evening!

So, I'm a Day Late, Oops!

I was so intent on knitting these last night, that I completely forgot to post. Not to mention that I had a delicious dinner of whole wheat penne with tomato basil sauce, roasted asparagus with parmesan, and sauteed zucchini with parmesan.

Back to the socks, my usual plain jane cuff down k2p2 ribbed socks. The yarn is Spunky Eclectic Superwash Merino in the color Bloomin', 500 yds. I used US 1 DPNs and a short row heel.

My house has been invaded by Colt, Will's puppy, and Will. This is a bad picture, but it is as good as it gets tonight. Is it improper if I call him fugly? I mean it affectionately, sort of. :)

It's 2007 and I'm still just as busy

So, I've been on bunny duty the last week, giving shots, trying to keep up with the increasing number of rabbits that are sick in the herd. I have money saved to buy an automatic watering system. I had grand plans to buy yarn, but I've decided to purchase the auto watering system to provide clean, clear water to the bunnies at all times instead. I think that the investment is worth it. I can't stand the crock waterbowls anymore and the constant battle to keep them clean. I'm exhausted from the bunnies and the holidays and work and getting ready for the next semester. Not that I'm asking for pity, I just want to set my thoughts in order on how to make it better.

I'm unhappy with my weight. I'm unhappy with my current rabbit situation. I want clean water and cleaner cages for the rabbits. I'm going to rent a power washer and clean the "uck" from my cages. I'm going to buy my auto-waterer system. I'm going to lose 20 pounds and be happier. There. Hold me to it.

I started my healthier year last night with this salad. Spinach, green leaf lettuce, mushrooms, alfalfa sprouts, sunflower seeds, cheddar cheese, and a poppyseed dressing. This was delicious and made me feel like I was treating my body better. I had a banana for dessert and a glass of milk to go with it.

I also finished the mittens that go with the Checks and Charms Hat. Right now I have a lace scarf, socks, and a sweater on the needles.

If you've made it to this point, thanks for reading along. I have so many things that I feel are cluttered in my life right now. I need to clean and purge my house and my barn so that I can feel better about myself and make some positive healthy changes. And I have GOT to start drinking more water. I just like flavor in my drinks, so I'm going to buy some lemons and have lemon in my water. Vent over. I promise a better post tomorrow.