Knittin' and Lovin' It

Knitting, RA, and Other Ouchies

I think I remember posting awhile back that my RA meds weren't working anymore and that it feels like my joints are constantly trying to kill me. There have been quite a few mornings and many more nights where I wished they'd hurry up and finish the job already which led my doctor to give me Humira but my TB test came back positive which means nine months of TB meds and a swap to a new medication because I guess Humira is super dangerous to take while being treated for TB. How I managed to contract TB I have no idea. It's been in the last 11 years since my last TB test was in 2001 and it was negative. It's not like I make a habit of jotting off to third world countries or anything like that. I have almost 3 months of TB treatment done and 6 more to go. I finally got the approval from my insurance for the Enbrel and the foot doc gave me the green light to start. I was waiting on her because of the two toenails that I had removed. I took the first shot yesterday and so far so good. No serious reactions so now it's time to sit back and see if the meds help reduce some of my RA symptoms. This complicates our move a little more since I'll have to find a suitable way to keep the meds cold because they have to stay refridgerated. I did some research on how much this medication costs and from what I've found if you don't have insurance you're looking at $2,000 to $3000 per 30 days for most of the basic biologic meds, Humira, Enbrel, Orencia, etc. Makes me very thankful for the health insurance we have and will continue to receive after Shawn retires but also makes me sick thinking about the people who aren't getting the help they need because they don't have insurance. It's a rather scary thought. I don't know what Shawn and I would do if we didn't have insurance to cover my meds.

Moving day is happening 5 Sept. WooHoo!!! I'm not looking forward to the drive back and all the stuff I have to do to prep for the move but I'm so looking forward to being home again. MyiPod will be loaded with music and I need to find a good bluetooth headset for my iPhone. Budget gave us one hell of a deal for a moving van rental since we're military and they gave use 150 extra miles since we have to drive over a 95 miles to pick up the truck in Helena. A little over $300 for 5 days is an awesome deal and they frickin rock!! U-Hell wanted over double that. We've opted to move essential stuff that we need since we're living with my sister for awhile so most of our stuff will go in storage until we get our own place. Plus there are things I just don't trust the movers to pack and move, ie family photos, computers, my yarn, etc. I'm already in contact with a realistate agent. I've found several houses that I would absolutely love to have but buying isn't an option yet.

I've been working on a few things on the knitting front.

First up is my It's A Wrap shawl.

 

 

I'm using Miss Babs Yowza in the Tulipa colorway. Right now there is a knit along over in the Woolgirl group. You don't have to have the kit to participate in the KAL. The pattern is available for sale seperately. We're running the knit along through the month of March.

Second on the list is my Love Bug socks. 

These are knit using Sanguine Gryphon Bugga! and the colorway is Longhorn Beetle which is a drop dead gorgeous red!

 

Next is my knitting on the go socks.

Toe up socks knit with Opal 6 ply sock yarn. I think this one is called Lollipop. These are my basic toe up short row heel socks. Nothing fancy but they always fit great.

 

I'm working on a baby blanket for my cousin.

 

 This is actually a mish mash of patterns to get the look I want. The basic look and layout is a modified version of the Bedtime Story Afghan (ravelry)(non ravelry). The original pattern called for duplicate stitch to put the animal pictures on the blanket. Since I'd rather cut off my foot then work duplicate stitch I'm using a knit elephant dishcloth pattern (ravelry). I had to cut a couple of knit stitches on each end but all in all I think the elephant looks pretty damn good on this blanket. I'm alternating the elephants with the blanket blocks. I'm actually working on the 3rd row of elephants now. I think I need a total of 6 rows to hit the right size blanket.

I knit these lovely socks for my last TLE Swap partner.

The pattern is Twinkle Twinkle (ravelry)(non ravelry) and the yarn is Studio June Super Cash Sock. To add a little twinkle to the socks I used 6/0 Toho glass beads.

I finished my fingerless mitts and cowl for the TLE Q1 challenge.

The yarn is Malabrigo Silky Merino in the London Sky colorway. I asked the fine folks at Malabrigo if they were going to be doing this colorway in their sock yarn base but sadly they are not. I think it's rather gorgeous and would love to make a shawl or socks with it in the sock yarn. The fingerless mitts pattern is Princess Mitts from The Knitters Book of Yarn (ravelry)(non ravelry). The cowl is Diamond Leaf Cowl (ravelry)(non ravelry).

Kaity has a new pair of socks.

These were knit from some ONline Supersocke that adopted  from someone who hated the way it looked. Kaity liked it so I paid for shipping and gave it a new home.

Bree has a new pair too.

It's just my basic toe up sock with some ribbing on the foot and cuff for a better fit. It's funny how much she loves her handknit socks.

I'll leave you with a shot of the boys in their new birdy McMansion.

This thing is super roomy. We went with PetCo's parrot cage. Between the sale, discount coupons, and free shipping it was the best deal over all the other cages around the same size. They have tons of room for toys, perches, etc. I have to very happy birdies now.

Until next time.....Happy Crafting!

Retirement Time!!!

Shawn submitted for approval to retire. Shawn hit 19 years of active duty Air Force service on 7 Dec 2012 so he submitted his eligibility check for retirement earlier this week. We're done and ready to move on with our lives. It's time to take control of our life back from the military. I can't begin to explain how much stress was relieved with that decision. So barring any unforseen issues we will heading back to Boise, ID on or around 5 Sept 2012. I can't believe we're down to the last 8 months. We were originally going to drop retirement papers in Sep/Oct of this year so we could move during the summer of 2013 but the AF dropped High Year Tenure (HYT) for Technical Sergeant (TSgt) from 22 years to 20 years which meant it was up in the air on if they would extend Shawn's time out from April of 2012 to Sept 2012. If they refused to extend him out it would have meant a move in the middle of Dec or Jan for us, something neither of us want to be doing so we decided to take the money and run.

Uncle Sammy and his cronies are really screwing with the lives of military members right now. You use to be able to retire from the Air Force as a Staff Sergeant (SSgt) with 20 years of military service. Now you can only do 15 years as a SSgt meaning you have to make TSgt to retire from the military. Add injury to insult that they also want to keep retiring military members from drawing their retirement pay right away. They want to make it to where we have to wait till we're 65. Screw that! The average american citizen doesn't have to pick up a gun and fight in a foriegn country to earn their retirement. They don't have to worry about if they are going to make it home safe and sound to their family. Just because you come home from a deployment without any external injuries doesn't mean you came home unharmed. PTSD is a very common and very serious problem. I can't tell you how many people I've personally seen flinch or flat out drop to the floor when they hear a car backfire, fireworks and other loud noises that sound like gunfire after spending time deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. I wonder how many military members wake up in the middle of the night to some nightmare of what they saw over there? Until ALL of Congress puts on full battle rattle (military protective gear), picks up an assult rifle, kisses their family goodbye, gets on a plane and spends 12-16 months away from their loved ones to stand on the front lines worrying about getting their asses shot off, not knowing who is the enemy and who needs help, they don't have the right to the decision to take away our armed services ability to draw our retirement until we're 65. There are only a few current members of congress who know what it's like to go to war. I know Sentors John McCain and Jim Webb both served in Vietnam. There are also a few that were cops so they know what it's like to put their butts on the line every day but the bulk majority of them have never went to war and have never even served in the armed forces so how can they make such important decisions about the military when they haven't walked a mile or two in our shoes. 

My sister and I are so excited about the move. She's in Boise and I can't wait to get home. I desperately miss my best friend and shopping buddy not to meantion my most trusted babysitter for the girls. I miss my family and this move will put me closer to them again.

Yes I know I know I'm rambling and I need to get to the knitting content. Lets me think for a moment....ah now I remember where I need to start my post.

I finished my Marilinda socks (ravelry)(non ravelry).

This is a CookieA pattern and can be bought as a seperate pattern or it's in the book Knit.Sock.Love which comes in a print or pdf version. The yarn is Wollmeise I picked up from a destash. The colorway is we're different Ruby Thursday. I love the red color but bought it more for the name since it has sentimental value to me. I love these socks. I'm only so so on the Wollmeise base. The base yarn is OK but her colors are what draw me in. There are indie dyers out there with much nicer base yarns in my opinion. Will I buy more Wollmeise? Yes I will but it will never be one of my favs. I'd love to get my hands on a skein of Wollmeise lace in the Ruby Thursday colorway for the next shawl I'm planning for my mom. I've seen a few being destashed but can't spend the money right now. With the move coming up the only way I could do it is someone was willing to trade and most people want to trade lace for lace. Oh well, maybe after we get settled after the move.

One of many candy cane ponies (ravelry)(non ravelry).

This is a quick and easy pattern. I really love these and have plans to make more this year for my cousins, nephews, my girls, and some other family members. I have wiggle eyes and ribbon for the next handful of ponies I plan to make.

I picked up some new to me sock yarn on sale at JoAnn's the other day.

The yarn is Premier Yarn Serenity sock weight yarn. It's a merino/bamboo/nylon sock yarn. It's übercheap. I think it was like $3.99 per 50 gram skein. JoAnn's was having a buy one get one 50% off so I figured why not. It's the cheapest sock yarn I've found so far.

Finally I picked up some Malabrigo Silky Merino for the 1st Quarter TLE challenge.

The challenge is to knit something with yarn that has silk content. I'm planning on making fingerless mitts and a new cowl for myself. 

Until next time......Happy Crafting!

Knitting Away

Shawn and I have been toying with the decision for him to stay in the military if he makes rank this testing cycle. I'm trying really hard not to think about another 3 years of military hell. I'm so ready for retirement and my own home. If I think about it too hard I'll end up with a flippin ulcer so denial is the river I'll be floating down for now.

Shawn will be heading out the beginning of Nov for 6 weeks at the NCO Academy. I can't even begin to explain just how much I'm dreading those 6 weeks. He'll be heading home 3 frickin days before Christmas providing the weather doesn't keep him from getting home. Between here and Colorado anything is possible and it doesn't help that he'll have to drive down there because they expect him to bring his own printer. You so don't want to get me started on that rant. Who has two thumbs, hates the cold because of her arthritis and will be in charge of shoveling snow....that's right "This gal". OK so no I won't be shoveling it because we have a snow thrower but it's still not easy work and who in the hell wants to be outside clearing snow at the ass crack of dawn when it's -20F outside? Not this lady but that's exactly what I'll have to do so I can get the kids to school. I'm really hoping the snow won't be bad this year or at least wait till Shawn gets home but it flurried a little bit today so I have a feeling this is going to be the year for Snowmageddon. Snow flurries before Halloween is never a good sign. OK, Mother Nature prove me wrong!!

So on to knitting. Lets see what have I been up too. Well I finished some test knits but for obvious reason I can't show you those.

I did finish Bree's Christmas sweater.

Not the greatest picture. I'll get a better one after blocking and sewing on the buttons. I opted to put a third button hole in. The pattern is Tiny Tea Leaves (ravelry)(non ravelry) and the yarn is Miss Babs Yowza. I really love Miss Babs yarn and her Yowza worsted weight yarn is wonderful. Who could argue with a 560 yard skein of yarn?Awesome! The colorway is Blue Teal. 

Finished shot of my Choix Entrelac socks.

I test knit this pattern for Woolgirl and Miss Babs quite awhile back. I haven't seen this pattern for sale online but I'm pretty sure Miss Babs sells them in her booth during fiber fests. I got my pattern by contacting Miss Babs through email. I like that this one has some entrelac in it but not enough that the socks don't fit correctly. Most entrelac socks end up being to tight for me. The main color is Miss Babs Yummy 2ply sock in the Smooch colorway. The green yarn (Kiwi)  and the purple yarn (St. Clematis) are Miss Babs Yummy Toes sock yarn. They're mini skeins perfect for heels and toes. I worked two colors for the heel and a stripe of green before starting the toe decreases in purple.

My attempt at a crochet drink coaster.

I think there are like 20 stitches in the base chain then row after row of single crochet until it was long enough to double over. Then I worked a row of single crochet to bind the two halves together. After that I worked 5 double crochet stitches in one stitch then skipped a stitch and repeated that all the way around. I think the end product came out pretty good. The cotton is nice and thick and soaks up the liquid that sweats off of cups with ice in them. I think I'll make a few more.

The buttons I found for the girls cardigans. 

The dragonfly buttons are for Bree's sweater and the purple stripes are for Kaity. I found them at JoAnn's. 

I've started Kaity's cardigan but haven't taken any progress shots. I have about 6 inches to go before finishing the body. After that it's two sleeves and the button bands. It'll definitely be done before Christmas. I have it set aside right now because I'm working on test knits.

I'll leave you with some shots of Penny trying to be a little dog.

That's Zeus' bed she's trying to sleep in. I should have snapped pictures of Zeus sleeping in her bed. I need to find Penny a bed with sides on it so she can snuggle in it. I found some nice ones at PetCo but they want like $75 for a bed big enough for Penny. I'm hoping Sam's Club will get dog beds back in again. One year around Christmas they got in a bunch of dog beds like what I'm looking for.

Progress Progress Everywhere

This post was suppose to post on the 24th of Sept but somehow ended up posting with a date in Aug. So now I'm posting it so it's the next post in my blog. I'll be back in the next few days with some new progress shot of current projects.

I've finished my Bernhardt (ravelry)(non ravelry) cardi for my third Camp Loopy project and received my prize of Wollmeise and  a pattern.  

I cast on at midnight, on 15 Aug and finished 7 Sep with plenty of time to spare for photos. The pattern was really easy to follow and it's one that I definitely wouldn't mind knitting again. 

I finished my Bubbles Down the Drain socks (ravelry).

I really love this pattern. It's simple enough I can take it with me when I go out or work on while watching tv. It's a very easy to memorize pattern. I definitely see using this pattern for more socks. I could easily down size the pattern to make socks for the girls.

A new shot of the sock yarn blanket. 

I almost have 3 rows done now. By my calculations I need a total of 36 rows, so 33 more to go. I know this is a very long term project. Right now I'm trying not to repeat the colors but I'm sure I'm going to end up reusing some of the yarns again. I know I want to put some kind of edging on the blanket but I haven't decided what I want to use yet. I'm thinking of using either Cascade Heritage or TLE's fingering weight solid series yarn for the edging. Both are good yarns although you get more bang for you buck with the Cascade Heritage. Either way I won't have to worry about that for awhile.

Pic of the girls in their new skirts.

Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook have probably already seen this picture. Bree wasn't very happy with me interrupting her play time. They both love their new skirts and have been wearing them every chance they get. We're starting to cool down now and are back to wearing jeans again because it's to cold in the morning for skirts/shorts.

I finished Kaity's socks.

They're just a basic toe up sock with a short row heel. The yarn is Knit Picks Felici and the colorway is called hummingbird. It's an older colorway.

Bree's ripple blanket (ravelry)(non ravelry).

She needed one since her big sister has one. I'm using Caron's Simply Soft. It's great for a blanket. It stands up to the abuse and washes really well plus it's super soft. I'm only using 4 colors (purple, yellow, blue and green) for Bree's. I used 5 colors when I made Kaity's blanket several years ago. 

My prize for finishing Camp Loopy.

Wollmeise 80/20 Twin and a Breath of Fresh Air Scarf pattern. The colorway is Clemintine and I love love love it!

TLE order from the other day.

I wanted a new crochet hook since I've started a ripple blanket for Bree. I didn't want to pay the shipping just for a crochet hook so this lovely skein of Three Irish Girls Adorn sock yarn jumped into my cart. The colorway is Kate and I'll be using it to make something for my Kaity.

George says hello.

He's waiting for his birdy McMansion to get here. I destashed some yarn to help pay for a new bird cage so he could have more toys and lots of flapping room. 

Happy Crafting!

Years Fly By Fast

Shawn's and my 13th wedding anniversary was Aug 7th. It's crazy to look back and see that we've made it through 13 years of marriage without killing each other. I have a few people in my family laughing as they read this because they know me so well. It's surprising that my parents didn't throttle me when I was a teenager. I was difficult to say the least. Shawn and I are both very stubborn. Now mind you stubborn has it's own good qualities but some times we're a bit too stubborn. I look back and see 13 years of ups and down but we've managed to make it through. The military has caused some of those ups and a lot more of those downs. We irrate each other frequently and have heated debates on anything and everything you can think of. We're on the opposite ends when it comes to politics which makes for some very fun and interesting arguments. I guess you could say when we vote we're so opposite we'd cancel out each others vote. I like to argue and I think I missed my calling as a lawyer. Can't say it's always been fun and easy but I wouldn't change anything.

I finished Bree's new socks. Sorry no photo. Bree took the socks as soon as they came of the needles. So I'll have to try to snap a shot after they're washed. They're toe up with a short row heel and a k1,p1 ribbing on the cuff. The yarn is Jo-Ann Sensations Bamboo and Ewe sock yarn. Feels like a typical workhorse yarn. It's cheap and easy to get so it's the perfect yarn for kids socks.

Kaity's skirt is done. 

Dang that bout killed my hands. Now I remember why it's been awhile since I knit cotton skirts. That stuff is rough on my hands. I swear on all that is holy I'm never knitting another cotton skirt/shirt/dress every again.

Started a pair of socks for Kaity. 

Toe up using Knit Picks Felici. The colorway is Hummingbird if I remember correctly. It's an older colorway that they no longer sell.

Started a new pair of socks for myself.

The yarn is Rainy Days & Wooly Dogs GothSock Laudnanum, the colorway is called multipass. Of course the first thing that popped into my mind is the movie The Fifth Element. Not sure if that's what the dyer was thinking about when she named the yarn but it sure works for me. The pattern is Bubbles Down the Drain (ravelry). I really like this pattern. It's simple enough to knit while watching tv but it's not plain stockinette which is something I'm going to be knitting a lot of when I start my cardi for Camp Loopy.

I got the yarn in for my 3rd Camp Loopy project.

Cascade 220 Heathers, colorway is Red Wine Heather and it's perfect. I'm knitting Bernhardt (ravelry)(non ravelry). 30 days to knit a full size cardi with sleeves. I could have picked something easier since the only requirement is that I use 800 or more yards of yarn for the project. I'm going for a bigger size too since this is going to be for me to wrap up in on cold winter days. 

Until next time.....Happy Crafting!

Busy Busy Busy

I can't believe its been over a month since my last post. Ok ok so yes I have a horrible track record for posting. Ravelry sure hasn't made it better either. 

I have a temporary solution to the yarn winding situation.

It's not the best but it does get the job done. Ecxuse the mess. I'm a crappy house keeper and will find any excuse not to clean. This was taken during Tour de Fleece so spinning was much more important then cleaning. At least I fed the kids and did laundry. :)

Speaking of Tour de Fleece, this is what I accomplished.

Well there were a few more but I haven't gotten them skeined up and soaking in a nice bath yet. The one on the far right was spun before the start of Tour de Fleece and was waiting on a bobbin to be plyed.

Bree's skirty skirt is now done.

Pattern is Hip in Hemp (ravelry) and the yarn is Elann Camila. I really like this pattern. And now you know I use a Maytag Bravo washing machine. Best damn washing machine ever!! We opted not to get the matching dryer. They wanted $400 more just because it had a steam function. Ah, nope no thank you. Water going into an electric dryer just doesn't sound good to me.....more to go wrong and more costly to fix when it does. The guy actually tried to sell me the dryer purely because it would give me a matching set.....as if I give a flying fig about that. The washer and dryer are both Maytag and they're both white. Good enough for me. I wanted red but it would have taken several weeks longer and it would have cost me more. Why more for the red washer/dryer? Who knows.

I started and finished my 2nd Camp Loopy project.

The pattern is Dawn Gnot (Ravelry) and the yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy. I ordered some Cascade 220 Heathers in Red Wine to make my 3rd Camp Loopy project which will be Bernhardt (ravelry)(non-ravelry). 30 days to knit a cardi. I'm pretty sure I can do it without a problem. 

I found these adorable stitch markers.

I was hunting for stitch markers for a swap I'm in and came across these. The cutest little s'mores stitch markers ever made by JL Yarnworks.

I also started Kaity's skirt.

I'm also using the Hip in Hemp pattern but the yarn is Knit Picks Cotlin which I think works up better then the Camila for this skirt. It has a better drape then the Camila. The best yarn is still Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy but I couldn't find it on sale so I had to use an affordable substitute. Kaity picked out the eye blinding bright colors. I much prefer the softer colors that Bree picked out for hers but Kaity's the one that will be wearing it so if she's happy then everythings all good.

The tomato plants are doing well although the big ones haven't produced any red tomatoes yet.

I did manage to get a handful of cherry tomatoes so far.

Till next time.....Happy Crafting!

New FO's Finally!

I'm still hunting for a solution for my ball winder and swift dilema but for now I'm using the chairs from the old table. I'll figure something out eventually. I have time since we're holding on to the old table and chairs for an airman that works for Shawn. He's being told he needs to move off base so we're giving him the table and chairs to help him out. 

I've finished a few projects since my last post.

First up is Bree's Sydney sock (ravelry).

The yarn is The Unique Sheep Footprints sock yarn and the colorway is Echinacea. The yarn is sports weight so I had to use the smallest size in the pattern to fit Bree. She loves them and I see more of these in the future. 

I also finished my Embossed Leaves socks (ravelry).

The yarn is Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20 and the colorway is Wine Storm. I love ZYG's yarn and the Serenity 20 is a 70/20/10, Merino/Cashmere/Nylon blend.....very soft and squishy. 

I also started a new skirt for Bree. 

I'm making the Hip in Hemp (ravelry) pattern again. It's been reworked for smaller toddler sizes. I really loved working this pattern before. I only wished I could have found a deal on the Hempathy yarn I used for Kaity's skirt. That yarn wears really well and I always washed it in the washing machine. The yarn I'm using this time Elann Camila which is a 50/50 linen/cotton blend. It's a little rough on my hands but seems to be a fairly nice yarn.

My Camp Loopy project is done.  

In the Land of Oz (ravelry) with Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine. I added 6/0 TOHO glass beads where ever there was a central double decrease. I'm really glad that I opted to add the beads.

I've recieved some goodies in the mail too since my last post.

This was ordered from The Loopy Ewe. The yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy and I'll use it to make Dawn Gnot (ravelry) socks for my second Camp Loopy project. The fiber was added in to keep the yarn company and to hit free shipping. I'm participating in Tour de Fleece this year so I'm in a fiber buying mood. 

Lovely BFL.

It's from Spinneretta's Studio. The colorway is called Peony II.

My tomato plants are doing great

While I haven't seen a single tomato on my big plants my cherry tomatoes are starting to multiply. 

I really can't wait to have some yummy home grown tomatoes. We had such a wet, cool spring. It took forever to warm up so the tomatoes are probably going to have a shorter growing season this year.

George had a bout of illness a few weeks ago. The vet thinks he was coming down with a upper respritory issue so he ended up on on anitbiotics and antifungal meds. Birds deteriorate very quickly when they get sick so an emergency trip to the vet was necessary. Lets just say that giving meds to a cranky cockatiel is not very fun and it's a slow process. Be prepared to have meds flung in your face. George is feeling better as you can tell from the video.

== There is a video embedded but doesn't show up in RSS feed readers. If you want to see it you'll have to go to the blog. 

 

I'll leave you with a pic of Penny and Shawn. 

Penny thinks she's a lap dog and loves to lay in Shawn's lap. It's not uncommon to see the two of them snoring together like this.

Until next time....

Happy Crafting!

Crying Shame

We finally found out how hard our school was hit after the failed school levy. It's not as bad as some of the others in the district but it's definitely not good. We lost the HIP HOP program for the whole district, which was an after school program that helps K-8 students with math, reading, writing and study skills. We lost our Para in the resource room, all of our library aides, 15% of the building budget (who knows what that will do, guess the kids will have to do without lights and heat for 20 minutes every day to save money), and our intervention specialist (she helps teachers with ideas for dealing with academically and behaviorally challenged kids.

Sadly, most who voted against the levy were doing so because they do not have kids in the school system and are on this no more taxes kick. It's one of the drawbacks to being in a town where there are a lot of empty nesters. Every year the cost of living goes up. Taxes and death are the two constants in this world. Do they really expect that the cost of running a school is going to stay the same? What freakin bubble world do these morons live in? See the levy would have raised property taxes around $15 per year for someone with a home valued at $100,000.....if I remember correctly. I know it was a small amount. $15 per year isn't much when you think about it. Hell one less trip to the casino would make up for that. That's 3 less trips to Starbucks for me. The school district was asking for a little shy of 1 million dollars. When you factor in that the school district is comprised of 15 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 2 high schools, I'd have to say that 1 million dollars is pretty damn reasonable. So instead of paying a little more each year on property taxes they voted no and now the kids are the ones paying for it. 24 teachers have lost their jobs, classroom sizes are going up, German language classes have been cut from Middle School and the kids are without the ability to recieve tutoring for free. What's next, band and art? Sure as hell won't be sports. It drives me crazy that schools put more priority on sports then actual education. 

Needless to say I'm sick of schools taking the beating from people who don't want to pay taxes. Watching these idiots in town with their picket signs for their tea party braggin about how they won because the levy was defeated and talking about doing away with our government and going back to a simpler Montana. One boob in town actually has a sign is his yard that says impeach Obama. Impeach him for what? That ignorance makes me laugh every time we drive by it. I swear our country's founding fathers have to be rolling in their grave with all the political BS going on right now. Never mind that some of these people who want to do away with our government completely, are now standing in the freebie line with their hands out for help from FEMA and the Red Cross because they had homes and property destroyed from all the flooding we've seen in this state. Oh shoot wait it's the presidents fault that we had heavy snowfall in the mountains this year or that it's been raining like crazy (gonna have to insert the sarcasm here and a few eyerolls since you can't see or hear me). Don't bitch about taxes and the federal government and then stand in the line to get help from said government when you need it. Talk about being hypocritical. 

Anyways, I could rant on and on about this place and the serious problems and lack of progression in this town but that would probably shoot my blood pressure through the roof. Instead I'll just move on to the knitting portion of the post which calms me and keeps me sane. Plus every city has it's problems so it's not as if Great Falls is any different then any other city in the US. Find me a perfect city and I shall flock to it when retirement hits in 1 year, 3 months. If not I'll be bloggin from Boise, ID and happy to be away from the messed up town.

I powered through my moms Rosalind shawl (ravelry)(non ravelry) so that she could take it home with her. 

The yarn is Dream in Color Baby and the colorway is Blue Sage purchased from TLE. I used 4mm megatamas from Earthfaire. DIC Baby is a really nice yarn but I'm really wishing I would have used a thicker yarn. Baby is more like a light finger weight yarn and the pattern called for fingering weight yarn that is on the heavier side. I'm thinking I should have gone with Smooshy instead. Oh well, I'll just have to make another shawl for mom. Maybe this time I will make one out of worsted weight yarn for those chilly days. 

I finished the dishrag made with Knit Picks Dishie.

I really enjoyed knitting with this yarn. It has great stitch definition and worked up beautifully with US 7 needles. It's been pressed into service and I'll report back after a few trips through the washer and dryer on how it's holding up. No bleeding in the dish water so that's good. I have a few dishrags using the Peaches and Cream and Sugar and Cream that still to this day bleed and they've been used countless times. 

Bree's socks are making great progress.

A few more trips into town and I'll have these babies done.  They actually have about two inches more on them since this photo was taken. My parents were here for a visit so the blog post got pushed back until after they left. I need to have Bree pick out a solid yarn for the next pair since they have a lace pattern and a fancy ruffle on them.

I'm joining in on Camp Loopy. It's my kind of camping. :) The yarn has been ordered so now I just need to sit back and patiently wait for the yarn to get here. I order Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine in the Berry Pie Mix and Salt & Pepper colorways to knit Whippoorwill (ravelry).

On the gardening news front I planted 4 tomato plants. Two cherry tomatoes, one early girl and one big beef. Even with all the rain and lack of sun they are doing good. The cherry tomatoes each have one tiny green tomato and tons of blooms. The early girl and big beef still haven't shown any tomatoes yet but they are blooming quite well and some of those blooms have closed so I have a feeling I'll soon be seeing more green tomatoes. We're going to have sun for the next two days so I'm hoping that will help.

Happy Crafting!

Not Much Accomplished....

Well not much that I can post about anyway. I've been working on test knits mostly. I did finish Bree's toe up socks but that's about it. Between test knits and spring cleaning I've been pretty busy. I've been going through the house room by room eliminating clutter, cleaning windows and vacuuming the screens on the windows. The window screens get crazy dusty considering they are located on the the side of the window in the house. I'd expect the dust outside but not inside. It's slow going because I have to make sure I don't over do it. It can be rather aggravating  because I'd much rather get it all done and over but can't. Well I could but I'd be in so much pain I couldn't move and frankly that's just not an option nor is getting all the work done worth the pain. It's not as if it's going anywhere.

I finished Bree's socks. The sock blockers are mini sock blockers that I received from The Loopy Ewe as part of a promotion they were doing to get pictures in their photo gallery shortly after they opened their virtual doors for business. They don't sell these. 

The pattern is my basic toe up pattern with a short row heel and a k2,p2 ribbing on the cuff. Nothing fancy but I have the pattern memorized and perfected for the girls and I. The yarn is Apple Laine Apple Pie sock yarn. It's yarn I bought from The Loopy Ewe a long time ago. I was going to knit a ruffle at the top but I don't think it would have worked very well since this yarn is a little on the thick side. I'm going to knit the next pair with a thinner yarn and I'll knit the lace pattern on the foot too. I'm not sure what yarn I'll use yet but even with the ruffle I'll need way less then 50 grams of sock yarn. These socks only took about 25 grams.

I placed a small order with Knit Picks.

I wanted to try out their new dish cloth cotton called Dishie. Since I was ordering I tossed in a skein of Chroma fingering weight for a shawlette. I'm planning on using this to make Bakersfield (ravelry). I'm from a small town near Bakersfield, CA and this pattern has been calling me ever since I saw it which is funny because I really don't wear shawlettes or shawls. The dishie is soft and it feels like it's a little bit thinner then Peaches & Creme or Sugar'n Cream. I'm going to cast on a dish cloth for my take a long project. I'm curious to see how well it wears. 

I'm test knitting all the patterns this year for the 2011 Woolgirl Sock Club.

Here's the socks that I knit for Aprils shipment. Since I knit both socks Woolgirl gave them back to me as payment along with the kit because I also knit the shawlette too. Normally I only knit one sock but these left and right socks are different. I absolutely loved knitting these socks. The pattern is awesome and the Stricken Smitten sock yarn was a dream to knit with. Never mind that the color is my all time favorite color!! If you want to see the whole kit Click Here to head over to my Flickr page. I'll definitely be knitting these again!!

I also got the Little Women Kit from Woolgirl. 

Seriously what's not to love about this kit. A pattern from Sivia Harding and 770 yards of MCN from Plucky Knitter not to mention the teas and other little goodies. Yum yum yum! If you want a great beaded shawl pattern go check out Sivia's (ravelry)(non ravelry) patterns. I didn't test knit this one.

April's shipment from Twisted Fiber Art.

This ones named Foxy. I have one more shipment coming this month and sadly the club will be done. I really loved their yarn.

I'll leave you guys with a shot of my demon dog. 

I snapped this shot just as Penny was jumping off the couch. She was playing of game of "Find Daddy". Shawn was hiding under a blanket and Penny was looking for him. When he didn't pop out from under the blanket Penny would jump down and run around the house in a big circle then hop back on the couch at the other end. Zeus was in his supervisory position to make sure that Penny didn't do anything she's not suppose to. For a 7 pound dog he's very bossy. It's a little dog thing.

Happy Crafting!

Still Rolling My Eyes but It's Time To Move On

Things have been interesting around here to say the least. Congress still hasn't come to an agreement so it looks like my lack of faith in Congress isn't misguided. Oh well, guess what will be, will be. Can't expect me to pay bills when you don't give me a paycheck. Add to it that the drama llama has decided to run a stampede through my family.....sheesh! To include some not so lovely Facebook messages from a complete stranger well lets just say it's been interesting. We're generally pretty good about keeping drama in check but when it does cut loose man does that poor herd of llamas make a mess. It's a headache inducing mess that I hope clears up quickly and without anyone being maimed.

I've spend a large amount of time trying to fix a mess up between flickr and iPhoto. Something glitched and I lost a lot of photos on Flickr. If you're my friend on Ravelry you probably got to see the parade of pictures from old FO's and stashed yarn that I lost the photos on. If you're on Ravelry and we aren't friends and you want to add me feel free. I'm luvs2knit on Ravelry.  I think I have it all fixed now but I'm sure I'll find a few pictures missing here and there. Needless to say I've gone back to using the Flickr uploader.

Stormy our cockatiel died a week ago. I think we all suspected that he was sick but the little tell tale signs didn't pop out until after he was gone. We took him to an avian vet but unfortunately there wasn't much she could do for him. It's the last time we will ever buy a pet from the major chain pet stores. The pet store and the breeder they use are suspects in my book. I think the breeder is doing something seriously wrong. If you ever want a small pet go through a reputable breeder or contact your local shelters. People don't just dump off dogs and cats at shelters. Lets just say that when we decided to get a bigger (more expensive) bird you can bet your butt we'll be looking at shelters and breeders. We're contemplating getting an amazon parrot, african grey or senegal parrot. We won't be able to do this until we have our own home after Shawn retires from the military. I have a friend who adopted her amazon parrot from a local bird rescue place so adoption would definitely be an option for us. 

I finished my Feb YOSS socks in March. 

They are knit using my basic toe up pattern with a short row heel and picot cuff. The yarn is Twisted Fiber Art Kabam! and the colorway is Saucy. I love love love Twisted Fiber Art yarn. I don't think I can say that enough. It's probably why I joined in on their spring self striping socks club. I've already gotten March's colorway in. If you want to see it GO HERE. 

I finished the dishrags for my Granny. 

I was slowly working on them because she was staying down at my moms house for the winter. She's home now so I need to get these dropped off in the mail to her. I was suppose to make some scrubbies but the nylon netting that I have sucks so I need to go find some slightly more abrasive nylon. The stuff I have would be excellent for shower poofs though.

I finally got my hands on some numma numma doppio.

All I can say is yuuuuuummmmmy! I love me some merino/cashmere sock yarn. Stuff wears a lot better then I thought it would too. I have a few pair made from yarn from various dyers and they all still look great.

I also got my Hot Cocoa Kisses kit from Woolgirl. CLICK HERE if you want to see it. I also signed up for the Margaritaville kit and picked both colors because I couldn't decide between the two different Margaritas. 

I picked this up from The Loopy Ewe last week.

I've been trying to get my hands on some Zombie BBQ from Lorna's Laces since it came out. TLE finally got some more in so I snagged it. I love Lorna's Laces colorways but this is one of my favorites.

My on the go socks are close to being finished.

I'm just about ready to start the ribbing cuff. The last few pair have had picot cuffs so it's time to switch it up and put ribbing on this time. Normally I love Opal sock yarn but this one has been one big disappointment. So far in these socks I've had to cut the yarn twice because of knots and once because the yarn was really thin.

I've put a few more stripes on Bree's socks.

I'm using some leftover self-striping yarn from my Rainbows and Clouds socks. A few more stripes to go before starting the heel.

I've made some good progress on Shawn's sweater.

I need to run waste yarn through it and have Shawn try it on to make sure it's big enough. It looks small but it's on a 32 inch circular needle so the stitches are a bit cramped. Plus I need to see if the neck is going to be fine or if I need to rip and tweak the neck myself. The neck is the same number of cast on stitches for all sizes. 

I'll leave you with some shots of the mutts and bird.

Zeus chillin in his favorite spot in the winter by the heater vent.

Doesn't he look comfy. It's nice and warm right in the spot plus it's close to me because this is where my computer desk is which is generally where I am. 

Penny the ferocious.

Penny in her "I wanna play" stance. This was right after I told her I was going to kiss her freckles on her nose. When I snapped this pic she had a deep growl going and when I set the camera down she hopped into my lap and tried to lick me to death. She's 30 pounds and takes up my whole lap. She is definitely not a lap dog regardless of what she thinks. This dog is a serious crack up and loads of entertainment. Amazingly enough Penny made it through the healing period after getting her fixed and having a dew claw removed off her back leg that was causing problems without a single ripped stitch. Man that was a pain in the butt I'm glad I won't have to repeat.

Meet George the cockatiel. 

 

He's the newest member of our family and most definitely a boy. George is a yearling and still getting use to us. He's already trying to say pretty bird and he whistles at you every now and then. George has real potential to be a talker. He appears to he a heavy pied cockatiel. He seems to like me more then Shawn which is funny since most of the animals flock to Shawn. Petey our parakeet loves Shawn but Petey wasn't handfed so Shawn was the one to hold him the most when we first brought him home since he was a bit bitey. I think Petey bonded with Shawn and they are now buddies. 

Well that's it for now. Until next time.

Happy Crafting!