A Good Monday

It's a good day* today. It's not snowing anymore. The temperature is in double digits. It's a "holiday" so the work schedule is a bit off, which makes it more like a 4 day weekend (we had a cold day on Friday). And most importantly - the Steelers are going to the Super Bowl!!! There were a few sketchy moments yesterday (the third quarter) and I was banished back into the living room (where I watched the first half, and most of last week's game) and since I am a creature of superstition like that (can't be helped, I'm surrounded by athletes) I went and finished watching the game there. Now comes the waiting, I'm not so keen on the 2 weeks of down time (except that it gives Hines Ward a better chance at being healthy).

That's an awful lot of side comments in one paragraph! Anyway, I'll move onto the knitting stuff. I started a pair of socks last week. I couldn't help myself, it had been a while since the last pair, and not having a pair of socks on the needles just feels wrong. I know, I'm weird like that.

These are the Herringbone Rib Socks. They're in a relatively new book called "Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn" that is on order (yet another purchase from Amazing Race gift cards), but this pattern also appeared in the Winter '08 edition of Interweave Knits, which is how I have it. The yarn is Arucaunia Ranco Multy, colorway 304 (very inspired name I know).

Most of my knitting time has been devoted to the Behemoth. That's the new name for the Hidcote Shawl - because it's getting huge! I think I'm up to more than 400 stitches per row. Oi.

I'm done with chart 8 (out of 10 if you'll remember) and I'm faced with having to order more yarn. I'm on the last ball and I know that it won't last the remaining 36 rows plus loose bind off. Boo. I was hoping not to have to get more. Oh well. So this might go on hold briefly while I have to wait for yarn, but it's in the home stretch.

I managed to get through the first half of the Flutter Scarf last weekend, haven't really worked on it since, if that tells you anything.

So pretty, but so frustrating. The pattern is simple, the running out of yarn and therefore having to rip and reknit not once, not twice, but three times is crazy annoying. Not to mention having to fight with the second ball of yarn in a futile attempt to match the color repeat. I mean really - 3 rows to go and I run out of yarn, and then it takes an hour to get it wound into a ball because it knots itself terribly, only to find out that the specific combination of bright purple and pink does not exist in the second skein of yarn? Freaking unbelievable.

I got some plying time in yesterday while waiting for the game to start. This is the superwash merino I got in my last spindle and fiber club shipment (for links, scroll through the last post, I'm feeling lazy).

So to review, 3.77 oz of superwash merino in "Nan's Cottage". And a photo of the finished "Rockin Around".

I got some booty in last week too. I used two of the KnitPicks giftcards (and $10 of my money to get free shipping) and managed to get all this:

I need to get cracking. Somehow, St. Patrick's Day is turning into a second Christmas for me with all the knitting I'm planning on getting done. Wish me luck.

Finally, I can show you one of the last Christmas presents. The Selbuvotter mittens I made for Elizabeth.

Finally convinced her to come to the East side yesterday, and I made her wear a Steelers sweatshirt even though she's turning back into a Browns fan (yuck!). As a disclaimer - these photos were taken around 10:30 pm, and Liz had been called into work at 3:45 am after the sprinkler pipe in the lobby of her hotel burst. She then got to go back to work a few hours later, when another pipe burst. I promised that I would explain that, since she didn't feel that she was looking particularly well.

The Mittens of Doom will be posted about this week (I promise) and that will be the end of this year's Christmas knitting. Just in time to start next year's... I'm not waiting til the last minute this year. You'll see.

Now for the pretties. My wonderful sister brought me back some presents from her vacay in Key West. Amazingly she found a yarn shop while down there.
That's a skein of Fiesta Baby Boom in "Tutti Frutti" because it just looks like it's vacation-y. And it does. The blue, is some Tilli Thomas 1oo% silk with beads. How cool is that? I can't wait to find the perfect pattern to knit it up.
And finally, since she hasn't had any blog time in a good while,
it appears that Miss Maddie has finally accepted the new couch into her home.

*This was written 1/19/09, but not posted until 1/20/09*

The Usual Shenanigans

It's a good day. Why is it a good day? Anyone who knows me, knows that Monday is not my favorite day of the week, but I make an exception every once in a while. Like today. Here's why. Let's start with Saturday. It started not so wonderfully - it rained, sometimes poured, for the entire Homecoming game. But we won. Happiness and elation though, later in the day after Iwas dry and warm again, when Notre Dame took it to Michigan.

Liz and I had decided, based on the weather radar map, that we weren't going to the Indians game. Of course, watching the little on TV that we did, it didn't rain at all. Stupid weather channel. But we had a good time at home anyway, ordered some Mama Roberto's, had a visit from Bridget and Kaylee, went and got some Coldstone. Mmmm Coldstone. Proceeded to watch OSU get embarassed by USC. I'm not an Ohio State fan, but there are two teams that I will absolutely root against, USC and Michigan. I am a fan of whoever those two teams are playing any given Saturday. Oh well. The Indians lost, btw.

Yesterday, was Mason's first birthday party. The pictures will speak for themselves. And let's just say, my nephews are very very similar in their love of cake.
Getting close to the downward spiral at this point....
And there it is. That's the money shot. What's even funnier, is that he kept doing this. To heck with these hands, let's cut out the middle man. Seriously, you do not want to get in between Mason and his food. Trust me.See what I mean? Even with a fork, Elliott can't stay neat with cake. So we had some cake shenanigans. More was to come though...

Onto THE game. That's right Steelers-Browns v. 1 2008. Ellie decided that we needed to "get our game face on". Need I say more?
Yep, game face = eye black strips and powder puff hair. And it was all downhill from there...

Note the intensity on Ellie's face. Click the picture to make it bigger for full effect.Check out that stiff arm. Yeah, we're that crazy. But look how cute we can be.
Yeah, crazy game day shenanigans, that's just how we roll. But the main reason that today is a good day... STEELERS WIN!!! It may not have been pretty, and I'm sure that I'm going to hear about how the Browns were robbed, and some elaborate conspiracy theory that would have had the Browns winning when I go to work later, but the bottom line is, Steelers win the 10th straight game against the Browns. Woot!

And because this is a knitting blog. I'll show you my knitting from yesterday. I started yet another Christmas present. So this will probably be the only photo you see of it until after it's gifted. It's using Hill Country Yarn's Superfine Superwash sock yarn in "Salmon".
And because I couldn't be knitting something orange while the the Steelers were playing the Browns, I pulled out the long neglected November Ruffle. Perfect football knitting. Got several inches done on it, and have several more to go before I get to the ruffle part.
Here's a pic trying to convey the scope of the piece. Doesn't really do it though. Oh well, when it's done and off the needles you'll understand.
See, 11.5 inches done. I think I have to get to 15 before the ruffle?! Have to dig out the pattern to be sure.
Don't you just love the tweedy effect? Can you tell I do? And the lusciousness of the alpaca....

Holy Crap

Somehow the impossible has happened. Peapod is complete. That's right, the slog of all slogs is done. And only a week and a half later than I wanted. I can't even wrap my mind around it. I don't think I'll miss it. I can finally move onto new stuff without feeling too guilty (mild feelings of guilt due to the fact that Mason's blanket isn't finished - once again due to lack of yarn). But I plan on starting Flore, and finishing Elliott's BSJ, and the second Jaywalker within the next week to week and a half. I'll remain hopeful on those fronts. Even more hopeful that Mason's yarn will arrive at Knitting on the Square this week and I can make some head way with that.

Once again Maddie's gotta get in on the action

Pea Pod detail

Elliott's BSJ

Not too much to report on in my non-knitting world (big surprise). Mason is doing well. And Elliott loves being a big brother - don't try to walk out of the room with Mason while Elliott is stuck in his high chair - trust me. Still awaiting the arrival of Sarah. Tried to talk to C4 on the phone tonight- he wasn't interested because I wasn't grandma and he'd been rehearsing saying "Happy Anniversary grandma!" No love for Aunt Annie (Happy 35th anniversary to my parents by the way). Sarah's christening has been scheduled for 11/11/07. Of course, that is the day of Steelers v. Browns in Pittsburgh. The game that Elizabeth requested tickets for. On the 50 yard line. So of course, because this is my life after all, she'll get them, and I won't be able to go. Now, if my life were to be different, she wouldn't get them because the christening would be on a different day, but because it's that day, she'll get them.

Kisses for Mason

On a happy note, going to the Indians playoff game on Thursday!! Charlie got the parentals tix for the big anniversary. Can't wait. It's been too long since the Tribe has been playing in October. And I need them to do well to make up for the abominable season ND is having - and for the loss my Steelers suffered today - darn you Ken Whisenhunt!

Nearing the Finish Line

So it's been a while since I checked in. Still here. Still training and knitting. I'm getting down to the wire with all three projects on the needles, and have started something new. I know it's bad - but it's for a class.

So first up, the Peapod. Two minutes ago, I finished the sleeves. So I promptly photographed all the pieces together. Yay. The major knitting bits are done. Now I have to sew in the ends so that I can block and then sew it together and add the button band. Which means that I have to go out and find buttons. Like this week. Note to self. Here it is, in it's almost completed state:

Haven't worked on either of the blankets since last weekend. I have 23 inches of Mason's blanket done and am waiting on more of the grey yarn to arrive at Knitting on the Square, so hopefully it'll be there when I go in on Thursday. And I've got 19 inches of Sarah's blanket done. Sadly I don't think that I'll be done with it by Wednesday when my sister is leaving for a mini-break to NJ. If only I didn't need to sleep...

And for the new project... it the Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman, subject of my knitting class. It's a relatively easy project, and yet I've had to rip out sections twice already. Just a lack of concentration, and a mix up with the marker that denotes where to decrease. So all is well again with it. I'm doing it in Plymouth's Galway in a deep eggplanty purple and a light rosy pink. LOVE it so far.

I also signed up for the Secret of the Stole. It doesn't start until October (so my blankets and Peapod will have already been given to their owners). I've never done any lace, so I'm really excited, and super excited because I missed out on the Mystery Stole when I was on vacation. I also signed up the the Football-Along swap. First swap, and it should be fun.

Well, that's it from Mentor. Can't wait to go to work tomorrow - I've heard nothing but crap for the last month about how my beloved Steelers were going to get worked over by the hometown Browns. Hehehehehe. It's the end of the 3rd quarter and the score is 31-7 Steelers. Nothing but smiles. Now if only ND could beat up on Michigan on Saturday......

Knitting Content Only

So I thought that today would be a good day to focus on the knitting part of the blog - seeing as I'm still a few weeks away from the taping part of it. Anyway, haven't knitted since last Friday. Very bad. But it's still ridiculously hot here in Mentor and I needed to get some other (knit) things done and out of the way. And I found some fun new things - to be discussed a little later.

So today after work, I went to the office supply store and got a new (pretty) binder and folders and page protectors and other stuff, but all that was to better organize all my WIP's and all those wonderful things I long to start to knit. And then I proceeded to figure out the blankets to be made for soon-to-be-arriving niece and nephew and wrote them out. Then I wrote out the pattern that my sister expressed some interest, and then the "Ballband Dishcloth" pattern from Mason-Dixon Knitting, so that all my library books could be returned on time tomorrow after work. Woohoo. No I just have to organize and put them all away. No problem.

The other knit related thing that took up some of my time this evening was me joining some KAL's. Maybe I've gone a bit crazy, but I found a link on a blog I was reading for a list of KAL's, and wouldn't you know it, the second from the top is a Football-Along. Now, anyone who knows me will know that there was no way, absolutely no way possible, that I would not click on that link and sign up as soon as I figured out that it combines football and knitting. So I did. Then I go back to the list and scroll down. And what do I find? One called "Black and Gold KAL". Hmmm, could it possibly be that somehow there is a sight devoted to combining my love of the Steelers and my love of knitting in a way to meet other people just as obsessed with those two things as I am? Surely not. So I clicked on it.

And there it was, a knit-along devoted to people who love the Black and Gold - whether it be the Steelers, the Pirates, the Penguins, or any other team with the colors of black and gold. But seeing as it is done up by someone in Pittsburgh, I think it's safe to say that I will see many wonderful idea for some Steeler knits for the fam. Now I just have to get all my other projects done so that I can start something. So excited. Can't wait to figure out how to get the button on here somehow.

I promise that tomorrow night, there will be some knitting. Hopefully some finishing of a pair of socks and a right front panel to a cardigan in seafoam green. (It's supposed to be significantly cooler here tomorrow, can you tell?)

P.S. I can't tell you how bummed I am that I missed out on the Mystery Stole 3 PHENOMENON that is taking place over with Pink Lemon Twist. Silly vacation getting in the way of new knitting projects. So jealous of everyone who is having fun with the lace making and beading. Next year......

A Black Black Day

It is a black, black day in my world today. This weekend, as you all know, was the NFL draft. So far as I can tell my beloved Steelers did alright. Who can really tell for sure at this point, but they always pick very smartly. But the reason that today is a day of mourning, is that somehow, beyond my comprehension, the Browns were able to finagle 2 first round picks. And who did they choose with that second pick??? None other than Brady Quinn, former quarterback to Notre Dame. This is unacceptable. I would have been fine with Brady going anywhere but to Cleveland.

Wait a minute, don't I live in Cleveland?? I'm sure you're all asking how a girl born and raised in Cleveland is a Steelers fan. Simple, my dad is originally from Pittsburgh, and we were not permitted to live in his house and be Browns fans. So why do I not want to see Brady in Cleveland? Most people will assume that it's because I don't want my team to have to compete against him, that I'm afraid that he'll beat the Steelers. Not so. I don't want him in Cleveland because they don't have anything that resembles an NFL offensive line, which means that poor Brady is in for a beating, every Sunday. So in two years time, he'll be injured and burnt out and will never reach his full potential.

Now, why do I care so much about Brady Quinn? Simple, I am also a huge Notre Dame fan. So I want the boys who graduate from ND to do well.

So today is a black black day. And come The first Sunday of September, my Steelers are going to have a field day with poor Brady, if he starts, and run him into the ground. So sad.