Halloween's a'coming

Scary isn't it? I'm thinking either a "Norwegian FisherWitch" or a "Trend gone sadly wrong". And could those diamonds be placed in a more inappropriate spot? Wait, don't answer that.

It is indeed frightful!

The weather, that is. Cold, blustery (ok, downright windy!), and it's slushing from the sky. And me without my snow tires on yet! Grrrrr...and brrrrrr.

So as soon as I pay bills and catch up on emails, it's back to Grammie's Hearts armed with a cup of Stash's Lemon-Ginger Tea (a close second behind coffee in my book) and Pride and Prejudice in the DVD player. And probably a cat or three curled up with me for good measure.

But before I go, I must share a yarn story. Went to my LYS to pick up a top-down swing coat pattern posted in their online newsletter as well as a fill-in skein of Colorlash (yep, you guess it - not enough to finish Autumn Sky). *sigh* Pattern sold out, Colorlash discontinued (for them). I did pet some Cherry Tree Baby Loop boucle (1000 yds for $36.00 oo-la-la!), but you know how it is when your mind is focused on something else? I did find the Colorlash on sale here, which I promptly ordered. I'll keep you posted on service and delivery.

In the meantime, any thoughts what to do with this? I mean, my mind might have been focused on something else at the time, but now with the immediate crisis resolved, I'm thinking this is too good a deal to pass up!

Once a scarf knitter...

Always a scarf knitter it seems. Lethargy had set in while working on Grammie's Hearts, so I thought a little cure may be something quick from the stash. Witness Autumn Sky:

This little scarf is 10 stitches across, knit on one #9 and one #13 needle. I think alternating the needle size gives a neat stitch pattern, not too tight, not too open. The yarns are Fonty Serpentine in a cloud-like blue/grey (hence the name of the scarf - it perfectly matched today's sky) and Color Lash in medium blue. The scarf looks a little wiggly, since Bizzy Izzy decided to walk across it right before I snapped the pic.

And here's one pattern repeat of the CatMan's Aran - I can't wait to finish and block this. I think the cable will really pop and the seed stitch edges will be nice and straight!

The CatMan went to Oregon

And all I got was this lousy picture.

Ok, so it's not a lousy picture. It's actually a very very nice picture of Multnomah Falls. In fact I like it better than this one you can purchase online from a website.

The Catman took the color photo with our camera which explains why you haven't been seeing much in the way of Catty knitted stuff for the past few days. (Well that, and the fact that I haven't made a ton of progress, but there is knitting in short, controlled bursts.)

He had a wonderful time and resisted the urge to bring wildlife home (specifically the bat which he nicknamed Otis Myotis, the two snakes, and the 4+" slug he found in his various climbs and travels).

Thanks honey. The picture is enough. Really.

In the words of Henrietta Pussycat

meow meow meow meow me-OW. purrrrrr. (And I ain't talking about no stinkin' scarf, y'all.)

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall05/PATTyorick.html

Notice how I restrained myself from saying I wish "I knew HIM well", accompanied by a nudgenudgewinkwinkknowwhatI mean.

Knitting Happy

I've calculated just how long I want Grammie's Hearts to be = ~40". So imagine my joy when I realized that I'm halfway through (insert Kermit-arm-waving dance here). Since the day was rainy and glum here, I cheered myself up by doing a little work on the CatMan Aran. The fall/winter stuff is out of storage, the bed is made up with fresh sheets and the down comforter, and the cats are curled into assorted balls throughout the house.

It's a good night to knit.

A new addition to the Blog world!

Now you all can see my LYS up close and personal. Stop by and say "hey". And I'm loving this sweet thing. I'm seeing a visit in the very near future.

Dear Mr. Thompson

This particular "creative jacket" may cause the Sweet Baby Jesus to cry. And he's a much stronger soul than I.

Sincerely,

Catty

I gotta stop!

...taking these tests. First Merino Wool, now white hair? A girl could get a complex.

Your Hair Should Be White

Classy, stylish, and eloquent.You've got a way about you that floors everyone you meet.

What's Your Funky Inner Hair Color?

Now this one makes a little more sense -

Your Power Color Is Lime Green

At Your Highest: You are adventurous, witty, and a visionary. At Your Lowest: You feel misunderstood, like you don't fit in. In Love: You have a tough exterior, but can be very dedicated. How You're Attractive: Your self-awareness and confidence lights up a room. Your Eternal Question: "What else do I need in my life?"

What's Your Power Color?

Who opened the can of Whupass?

Hello? Bueller?... Bueller?

I'm just now recovering from the week that was. And when I find the culprit, it's gonna be whupass right back at ya.

Amount of knitting this week? 3 rows of the CatMan Aran and about 6 rows on Grammie's Hearts. At this rate, they should be receiving their knitted items in about a year.

The weather is turning along with the leaves. At some point this week, I have to enter the Black Hole Cubby to bring out the fall/winter clothes, the down comforter, and the flannel sheets. I'm already tired just thinking about it.

So maybe I'll just veg out with a cup of tea and the new In Style. Tomorrow is Another Day.

Goodies

The pretty sock yarn is from Dorchester Farms in MA (purchased at the Sheep and Wool Fest) and the T-shirt and Suede ($4.00, baby!!) is from my LYS's annual tent sale. I really tried to restrain myself since there are so many items on the to-make list and stash space is limited. (No I'm not putting skeins in my planters/oven/microwave!)

"Leggo" says Lego

Somehow Lego wasn't bonding with me like she was with the CatMan. Maybe she knew I was eyeing up her coat.

Can I bring him home?

At the Sheep and Wool Fest, there was a "Llama Walk" where llamas were led through a series of obstacles. After the kids did their thing with the llamas, it was our turn to "Lead a Llama". Here's the CatMan bringing Lego out of the trailer.

This was for DRINKING?

Here's Joe after his runabout. He decided he wasn't thirsty, but still needed to cool off.

Penning

Belle is penning the sheep. Right after this picture, it turned out the attempt was unsuccessful.

Herding

At the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival, the CatMan and I enjoyed watching the herding demonstration. This is Belle moving the herd.

Photo Extravaganza

Lookee! The camera's back and do we have pictures. First up: Completed Bubby.

And here's progress on CatMan's Aran.

(Note to self: remember to flip page to verify continuation of pattern repeats. Just saying.)

And a close-up of Grammie's Hearts.

Insert picture here

As you can see by the sidebar, Bubby is done. He's received many oohs, ahhs and offers of women sleeping with him. [This would be where I'd show you a picture, but the CatMan is holding the camera hostage.]

I also started an Aran scarf for the CatMan - hey! maybe we can have a hostage trade! I'm using a cable pattern from Debbie Bliss' Cathay book. [ayep, another picture goes here]

Driving into work today, I was mentally listing knitting to-dos: a black, 3/4 sleeved alpaca sweater, the Leaves shawl, Java socks, Lucy Lu, Oat Couture T-sweater... *sigh* Just not enough hours in the day.

I'm not procrastinating!

Really. I'm just updating you all before I clean my house. See how kind I am, thinking of you and your needs? Work progresses on Bubby and Grammie's Hearts. For the lap throw, I decided to go with a design pattern of 2 garter rows/yarn over - dropped stitch combo rows/2 garter rows interspersed with stockinette panels, edged with a seed stitch border, thus eliminating the need for a bazillion stitch markers.

Bubby's head is done, stuffed and the ears are on. But before the ears, he bore a strange, kinda creepy resemblance to this:

To allow the rest of Bubby knitting to go smoothly, I purchased some birch Brittanys doublepoints. Let's not make this harder than it has to be, eh?

And on a sad note - remember the Yard Crows? Seems someone stole 4 of them! Bastahs! So the Crow lady has hidden them away until she can figure out a way to keep them safe while on display. Why do some people insist on ruining other people's fun??

Bubby's Bod

Why do I always forget this? Chinchilla and metal needles = bad. Not like the devastating effects of Katrina or a death in the family. More like someone pulling out in front of you at the last minute or your husband drinking your last bottle of tonic and all the nearby stores are closed. I sucked up the first few rows (which are always the hardest on doublepoints) and I'm this far into it (about 2 hours). I'm sure if I had used a different needle material or different yarn, I'd be close to finished.

This lovely skein is one of two from my friend Annie's own sheep. I'm debating whether to leave it natural (and do a fisherman scarf for the CatMan while also fulfilling my desire to do more cabling) or to Kool-Aid dye it . Annie has no idea how much is in each skein, so I'll be measuring as I wind.

Goodnight!

Lullaby is done. I haven't mastered the art of self-photography, but you get the gist. Of course, it's now a bit chilly here for sleeveless, but Lullaby will be ready for Spring/Summer 2006. And for all my pattern tweaking (including yarn substitutions), I had EXACTLY enough. Yes, you read that right. EXACTLY. I'm just so pleased I could spit. I must be absorbing alpaca traits.

Next on the needles? Bubby in the chocolate Chinchilla leftover from SerendiPatti.

How do you spell relief?

F-R-O-G. The Grammie Hearts lapthrow was just not working for me. Stitches were dropping left and right, the heart pattern was not showing up like I thought. It was giving me heartburn. So it's frogged. I cast back on with the burgundy and rose alpaca held together. Bing, bing, bing - we have a winner (so far). I've added the extra rows of seed stitch on the border and I'm thinking of a purled argyle-type design alternating with rows of stockinette. Here's a pic of the new cast-on.

And the sticky, hot, non-September in Vermit weather? Is just now starting to go away. Thanks, Ophelia!

Hit with an ugly stick

Ayep I was. It started off a great day - up in plenty of time, legs shaved, the Catman made the coffee and I was at work before the bell rang. Then? A sharp careen downhill after that. 8:15 AM: Mystery zit #1 appeared at the inside crux of my right nostril. 9:30 AM: Mystery zit #2 surfaced near the right corner of my mouth. The hair? Flatter than a crepe. Somewhere about 4:30 PM, deoderant chose to stop deod'ing. The comfy flowing dress? Stuck to skin surfaces I didn't even think it touched. So now, hot, sweaty, stinky (to me), pustule-ridden, and humidity-trodden, I go grocery shopping.

The upside? Tonic water and Paul Newman's Limeade freshened with a good snort of Bombay. And a shower.

We can all just get along

If it's cold enough. Witness this.

Senor El Cinco and Jackablope = mortal enemies. Bellie and (thebigfat) Shew= bane of each other's existence. Yet, happy nappies abound here at the CattyAbode when the weather starts turning cooler. Is the solution for world peace as simple as just buying everyone an air conditioner?

Baby Mac Hat. It almost makes me want one. The hat that is, not the baby.

Hold your applause

Until the pictures are posted. The BabyMac hat is done and so is Lullaby! Well, Lullaby is almost done. I finished the neck, seamed the shoulders, and tried it on. And I love it...except for the length. Seems the rolled hem took up more length than I bargained for. Fortunately, it's easy enough to undo the edge, pick up the stitches and knit a few more rows. Since the rest of the sweater is done, I'm motivated to finish.

Which is a good thing since the new fall knitty is out. And I'm eyeing up this little lovely for me and maybe this cutie to go with the baby hat.

WIP

So I labored over Labor Day and this is all I have to show for it. (And no, I haven't finished Lullaby, but thanks for asking!)

This little cutie is for a virtual baby shower coming up in the next month. Once again, I've defaulted to my favorite baby hat pattern. I love it because you can use any gauge yarn or size needle - you just can't mess it up! Of course, it might not be newborn size, but a hat is a hat is a hat! I'm using Plush in celery green with Salsa in the pastel colorway. Better yet? It's all from the stash, baby!

Progress slowly continues on the Grammie Love lap throw. The alpaca is not being very cooperative with my Addis. The edge is curling a bit in this pic - I should have thrown another couple of rows of seed stitch on there. I'm just about to place the markers for the heart motif. The color in this pic is closer to the true color, but it's not quite this bright.

Fresh start weekend

I love fall. I love the colors, the cooler temperatures, the clearness of the air, the lack of humidity, the increasing excitement that leads up to the holidays. And I love the fact that as the days get shorter, the knitting time seems to get longer.

I got the new Patternworks catalog, eliciting the same response as the JCPenneys Christmas Toy catalog did when I was 10. It's next to the bed, so it's one of the last things I peruse before I go to sleep and have lovely knitting dreams.

In keeping with the time of year, (another reason I love fall - school supplies!)I did a little organizing of my knitting patterns. My patterns are currently kept in pockets or sheet protectors in a large three-ring binder. I sifted through them, throwing out the ones that I knew I wouldn't knit (a lace patterned scarf written in 1890's knitting code - I know I know, I thought it sounded cool at the the time) and the cat-chewed (I just can't get Cinco to chew in a graphed pattern). I found some patterns I had forgotten about and got excited all over again.

I've also started a throw for my grandmother with the burgundy alpaca. I'm making it up as I go, right now I'm doing a seed stitch border all the way around, and am thinking about a heart motif knitted in alternating bands.

And finally, just a reminder to support relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina victims. Here are just a few:
Red Cross
ASPCA
Christian and Missionary Alliance CAMA Relief Fund

Happy Birthday to me

Tonight's celebration will include a gin and tonic, House MD, and finishing (hopefully) Lullaby. The front neck stitches are on a holder, and the back's armholes are at the second set of decreases.

And the fun project is done. Remember the crows? I knitted them MINI scarves.

If 'stashing' means hoarding all remnant inches of yarn in hopes of one day using them up, then yeah - I've got it bad! But look! It's paid off. When the Crow Lady dons them for the autumn, I'll post a pic.

My Man in Lima

Ok, I really don't have a man in Lima. I have a man who visited Lima and brought me back these gorgeous cones of pure alpaca. The picture colors are a little off of actual - the pink is a dusty, antique rose, the middle one is a deep red/burgundy, and the end one is black. The yarn is sooooo soft and I already have some ideas. Stay tuned!

I finished Mom's dishclothes. The top one is a garter stitch with eyelet hem, the bottom one is basketweave stitch with garter border. Quick and easy out of Artful Yarns in a cotton blend, color is a rose/cactus green twist.

Shyeah, right!

"You are Merino Wool.You are very easygoing and sweet. People like to keep you close because you are so softhearted. You love to be comfortable and warm from your head to your toes."

I'll have to get back to you all when I'm done cackling hysterically.

Popping in

To say:
Not much more done on Lullaby - it was too bulky to work on during the car ride. I did however start a fun project I'll tell you more about later, as well as delved into the stash to knit up some cotton dishclothes for Mom.

Lake George was fun as demonstrated by the CatMan.

And the weather was perfect.

Frustration breeds the creeps

We are off to Lake George for the weekend so I'm scurrying about - packing clothes, toiletries, knitting. It's supposed to rain/be on the cool side, so I'm looking for my black 3/4-sleeved cardigan.

Still looking.

Looking.

Did I mention I was looking?

Right. No cardigan anywhere. Frustration/low blood sugar/exhaustion set in. I blame Meepus for dragging it up into the boxspring. I blame Cashew for making it a kittybed. I blame Izzy...well she's trouble and I just blame her 'cause I can. I even check the CatMan's dresser/closet on the off chance he's taken up cross-dressing. Rest easy - he hasn't. I've made a list of places to call tomorrow morning - I may have taken it off at our favorite restaurant or left it at church. To dissipate the residual frustration, I blogsurfed.

Look at this. Ok, now try NOT to look at it. This was created by a UK artist named Freddie Robbins. While the object is a bit repelling, the technique is a bit compelling. Maybe it would be less alien with an actual human being present in the pic. Or maybe not.

Wow. Just wow.

Here's the Update

Wendy jinxed me! After some blog commenting back and forth re: the trials and tribulations of knitting with Lullaby, I encountered my first issue today. I must have had an invisible snag on my fingernail which caught every. single. stitch. I have now filed that nail into oblivion. Next stop? Amputation.

I'm just finishing the second set of armhole decreases on the front half, then it's some straight-on knitting to the shoulders. I've got 48+ hours to my self-imposed deadline. Gentlewomen, start your engines.

Here's a pic of progress so far. 1 skein had some serious pooling issues. I'm leaving it - no time to frog. I'll see if it drives me "guano loco".

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MIA Camera

Seems the digital went MIA again. Mr Catty took it with him to the Adirondacks this past weekend and promptly downloaded the pictures when he got home Sunday afternoon. But now? Not on my desk in its place of honor. Rassin' frassin'!

The Lullaby Shell is done to the underarm point, split onto two circs, prepared for the underarm shaping. From this point on, it's "front and back" until I seam up the shoulder seams and work the neck stitches in the round. Love the idea of putting live stitches on the needles to finish the neck - no annoying stitch pick-up (hate that process with the fury of a thousand nuns!)

So to satiate those of you who like a pic in the post, here's my next project. Remember Olivia the Poncho then Olivest that never happened? The Koigu is now designated for this sweetie. I think the "Meadowflowers" type colorway will be well suited to the Leaves and Flowers design.

Reality Check

Look at this beauty! For a woman constantly in search of the Holy Bag Grail, this one has angels singing, doves descending, and beams of light radiating from the lovely espresso lining. I reach for its funky rubber dotted body, but lo - it's $345.00+. Um...er...ah...

Let's take a moment to ponder this wicked twist. What else will that $345.00 buy me?
--4 new snow tires, mounted and balanced.
--1 very nice weekend in Quebec City, food and lodging included.
--1 month's worth of groceries.
--1 month's worth of lunches, tip included.
--150 gallons of gasoline.
--LOTS of yarn.

Sorry Orla Kiely! I'm gonna have to pass.

Potential Black Hole

I have a feeling the Lullaby Shell is going to be a time-sucking black hole. This is just over one skein's worth of knitting, started Sunday afternoon. Part of the problem? I've altered the pattern (I know! What a surprise!) to knit the body as one piece to the underarms, then split it out. I hope what seems like a endless knit now will be saved when I don't have to seam up this puppy. Other pattern alterations include a rolled hem (vs. rib) since the neck is rolled. It's all about balance.

Lullaby is fine to work with - there's a little issue of splitting with a too quick stitch and the yarn doesn't seem quite as soft knit up as it does in the skein. I'm thinking the post-knit wash and block will take care of that issue.

The question remains - will I have this done for the weekend of the 20th?

The Best Cat in the World

Mosa

May 4, 1984 - August 7, 1999

Meet the best cat in the world. I picked her out of the litter 2 weeks after she was born and she was my faithful friend up to her death 6 years ago. Mosa taught me some very important lessons:

1. As Queen, exert your authority quietly and without violence. Stare at the offender until the clue is received.
2. Be vocal in your happiness, not just your needs.
3. Bed is the ultimate happy place.
4. It is possible to retain cuteness, even in old age.

Even now with a household of cat personalities, I miss her peridot eyes and her wise love.

Bag Lady

I'm not a shoe person. I'm really not a jewelry person. But a display of bags/totes/carryalls? Get outta my way! Yet just as I'm on the endless quest for the perfect purse, so it is with a tote. This one's too big. This one's too small. This one has too many pockets. This one has none. Witness this:
This would be my collection of totes/bags. Most of them were gifts, not quite the Grail.

I can safely say the Monkey Bags are not going to satisfy my search, but I do believe they are going to bring smiles to the faces of their new owners. (And to me, because I'm finally moving on to something else!)

Downhill Slide

The end of the Monkeys is in sight! Can you see it? Over there? Maybe this weekend? Maybe if nothing else gets done for the next4 days? Ok, I'm not just hallucinating then! Lucy and Lullaby are starting their siren call from the stash.

Must...not...give...in...so...close...now.

It's baaaaaack!

It's amazing what a little flyby of your LYS will do to your get-up-and-go. I picked up this little ditty (pattern called for Eros, but I'm going with the cool tones of Lullaby).

And then of course there is the obligatory skein of scarf yarn (for a friend who I promised a scarf to over a year ago - oops!), another skein of fringe yarn for the Monkeys (cause you know how I am with trying to use up skeins and running out before the project is done!), and a skein of sock yarn.

Yep, I'm jumping on the Cherry Tree Hill bandwagon. KYarns just picked up the line and surprise surprise! They're Vermontian! Which explains colorways like "Champlain Sunset". This is Java and even the closeup doesn't do justice to it; it's a lovely coffee brown with subtle striations of olive and eggplant. It's drinkable! This skein is destined for socks, but if it knits up as lovely as it looks in the raw, I will have to find another project to knit more!