Some more ways to procrastinate

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Progression

I'm making some progress - at least in the KYarn Charity knitting. The knit on the needles is a ski hat using some acrylic yarn left by another tenant (who also left a pair of #10 Susan Bates scratchy aluminum needles. No wonder the poor thing didn't take it with her.) You gotta have the right tools for the job!

Presenting the legless Bubby (and its companions, still in the embryonic stage)

And finally, Jack checking out the non-progress on the CatMan Aran.

Of Yarn and the 4-Day Weekend

I'm thankful. I'm thankful I have a four-day weekend of grand, glorious, fun-filled nothingness stretching ahead of me.

I've got a to-do list, cause that's the kind of girl I am. But I'm not compulsed about it. It's just a guideline/course correction for when I get to the point of 3 days in the same pair of jammies.

1. Finish the CatMan Aran (stop cackling now)

2. Finish another Bubby (ok, really? Finish Bubby 1 and hopefully Bubby 2)

3. Knit a hat for the KYarn Charity Knit (2 scarves done already, baby!)

4. Update the blog with some links (and hopefully some pictures if I can find where the CatMan put the camera)

5. Pay bills (Verily, 'tis better to pay bills by the due date rather than incurring the charges of the finance)

6. Clean out my desk's inbox (this will make me very happy!)

7. Watch the AKC Dog Show tomorrow (while in my jammies, knitting)

8. Start thinking about Christmas (I said "think", this implies no other action verb)

9. Go see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (mmm...popcorn)

10. Make a yummy T-giving dinner for just the CatMan and me

This is just a list. If this had been an actual take-action list, you would have been instructed where to reach the nearest exit. Happy long weekend, everyone!

Giving of the best kind

My LYS is hosting a holiday knitting bash for some local VT charities. Here's why it's a "good thing":

1. Use up the stash (sh-yeah...like that could really happen!)

2. Quick knits - hats, scarves, mittens

3. For every item you knit, you are entered in one of two drawings for $75.00 KYarns gift certificates. (and no, two mittens are not two entries BUT a pair of mittens and a hat are!)

4. Out-of-state? No worries - one drawing is just for the internets peoples!

5. Your lovely knitted items benefit someone who needs them terribly during the very long, cold winters here in the Green Mountains.

So go check it out! I raided the stash last night and I think I'm gonna have a great long Thanksgiving weekend of knittin'.

Nicknames

We've got a lot of cats. But we've got even more nicknames for them. I will probably be the crazy old cat lady who can't get any of their names right. The nicknames evolve on a regular basis as witnessed below:

1. Cashew = The Big Fat Shew or (insert Ed Sullivan voice here) The Really Big Shew.
2. Cinco = Senor El Cinco, Fluffy White Cat (usually sung to the Foreigner tune "Dirty White Boy"), and because he has two annoying habits, Chewbooka and ChewbookaPeeBoy (he has a little Alpha Male issue with the CatMan)
3. Jack = Jackalope, then JackaBlope, now just Blope.
4. Pip = Pipperdoodles, Doodles, sometimes Dudes (usually sung to the Aerosmith tune "Dude Looks like a Lady" Dudu, dudu, Dudes looks like he's crazy)
5. Meepus = Meepy, Meepy-deepy-dooze
6. Muffy = Duffy, Duff, Duffydooze (they're sisters - what do you expect?)
7. Isabelle = Bizzy, IzzyBellie, Belle, Bellie, and when she's spoiling for a fight? Belli Cose and Belli Gerent.

And our parents wonder why we don't have children...

Back to our regularly scheduled programming

Finished!! Grammie's Hearts knitted with 1 strand Antique Rose and Burgundy Alpaca from Peru held together, using #8 Addis. There is a 5 row seed stitch border all the way around, with alternating rows of stockinette and drop stitch (note: the part of Vanna White is being played by Bizzy Izzy Bellie).

And here's a quick knit - Nights can get a bit chilly up here in the North Country and with electric heat, we tend to keep it cool in the apartment. Ta-da! A Oranginee Beanie! This was made from a skein of Paton's Divine I picked up last Christmas at an AC Moore in PA. I love the fluffy orangey color flecked with yellow. I did not love the texture as it slid across the Addis. I used #4s, dropping down to my Brittany DPNs for the crown. The design is my own.

For those keeping up, there will be no snakes knitted onto this beanie.

And now a word from our sponsor

Actually, I'm sponsoring her and it's very well deserved. Please check out my friend Fan's stamping website to see some of the gorgeous work she does. She's finally put up a site - with a contact link to purchase! Click this here button to take you away (but be sure to come back and visit me!)

And I hate to tell you Fan...but I made out on the barter.

Not a whole lot of knitting goin' on the past few days. I did finish Grammie's Hearts - all that's left to do is block and take a pic. Worked a little on the CatMan Aran last night. And then ripped it out. Grrr (note to self - insert a lifeline. Stat!)

I spent tonight catching up on my blog reading. Girls - you are inspiration! You might be picking up old projects, you may be starting new projects, some of you are planning adventures, and others could be struggling with the current WIP but yea verily, are not being defeated.

I salute you! Oh, wait. I need a cocktail to do that properly, right? *toddles off to the kitchen to rustle up a gin and tonic and some of those loverly little garlic stuffed olives*

The Barter System

The Barter System works, people. Look at these loverly cards my friend Fan made in trade for 3 Bubbies. She does gorgeous work, and I'm encouraging her to sell them (whether on the Internet or locally).

In knitting news, I'm on the Grammie's Hearts home stretch and rounding the bend on the CatMan Aran.

A Confession and Confection

First the confession - I am not a cable girl. Nosireebobcattail. I'm enjoying the CatMan Aran, but it's not a mindless car project. It requires some focus and attention. So I'm thinking cabled projects larger than a breadbox are not for my needles. Sometimes, it's good to do a project that confirms these things.

The confection is this:

My nickname is "Dusa", short for Medusa so how funny would it be to knit this in a big person size? Of course I don't wear hats, and I would be even harder pressed to wear a hat with knitted snakes, but dang. This just made me laugh out loud.

On a clear day

You can see the Autumn Sky (sorry, Babs!) It feels so nice to take an item off the WIP list! It will feel even better to add one. I'm 31" into Grammie's Hearts and hope to have it done by next weekend. I'm thinking the Leaves Shawl is next onto the needles since I want to wear it over my winter coat (and it is that time of year!) I've also had a request for a Bubby or three, but those don't get started until the CatMan's Aran is out of the small project bag.

I'm not in the market to start a knitalong right now but if you are, be sure to check this one out! It's already promising to be fun.

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.