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.