Making the productive non productive

The top 6 ways i've procastinated writing my paper today





1. I should take a few moments to rest before getting into working and catch up on all my tv shows for the week





2. Maybe A few games of Prolific will clear my mind





3. It can't be bad for me to go to the gym can it? (another hour gone)





4. Laundry (file these last two under things i'd normally procrastinate about if I hadn't gotten a more compelling thing I didn't want to do)





5. Petting these guys





6. deciding that making my favorite quinoa recipe was better than ordering a pizza.
yes its healthier
no its not getting my paper written.

Argh

Making choices.

Hey all,

I have decided that if i wait to have knitting-related content I may never post.
I mean how often can you say "i started a sock, and then abandoned it and I need to go buy more size 1 needles because I'm too lazy to frog the @#$% thing?"So I"ll be posting in between knitting events, because we all see what can happen when I don't. Which is not to say I'm abandoning the knitting content. I'm just talking in between.

I honestly don't know how people manage school, even part time, with real life. I truly don't.
It seems i'm always behind on something. I don't know if I worked less hard when I was in school the last time, or whether it was easier, or if my memory is playing tricks on me. Blessedly, I should be graduating this semester. I was pretty sure I wanted to go to graduate school but I honestly don't know if I have the stomach for it. I'm guessing I should wait until the semester is over to decide.

I'm getting a new computer this year, and I've decided I want a Mac. I can't say I really have a preference between Macs and PCs, I really don't. Whatever is in front of me, I'll use. But I have PCs, and I need a new machine, and blah blah blah. The question is..
The MacBook, or the MacBook Pro. I'm not going for the Air, that much is certain, I need more Oomph than that has, but I can't decide whether the Pro is worth the extra money to me, given that I don't do video editing and what not.

Anyway, I hope all are well..
More tomorrow.

So what to knit next

Its been very very hard to get any knitting time in this past year. Between the wedding, moving, school, work, and a variety of health problems, I feel like i have no free time.

But it hasn't stopped me from buying yarn.
Or starting projects.
I have purchased more size 1 40" addis in the last year, and all of them reside in 1/4 finished socks. And I'm still amassing sock yarn.

That said, I really don't feel like knitting socks right now. I keep picking them because they are quick and portable and i can get off a quick round or two between other things, but I really want something else.. And two sweaters from the current Knitty have caught my eye:

Marjorie (the coral colored sweater) is a more wearable shape. But Jaden (the green) has these cute belled sleeves.

So.. What do you think? I'll post a poll in the sidebar for the week.. your opinion is greatly welcomed.

Its nice to be back.

I can't believe i still remember my login info

Thats how long it has been since i've done this.

Periodically my husband asks what has happened to my blog.. and my answer is "the same thing that happened to my knitting." Its been eaten up by school, work, trying to sell my house and general busyness.

But I seem to be developing a renewed interest in updating, so maybe i'll suprise everyone, most of all myself.

Anyway, hope you all are well, if anyone out there forgot to take me off your bloglines and happens to read this ;)

I hope to update more regularly, truly I do, but I won't be surprised if you don't believe me until you see it.

Now where did I put that giant yarn stash...

Anyone still out there...

Hello there.

The last few months have been a blur of planning, packing and throwing things away.
I've not had an ounce of time to knit, or think about knitting (though i miss it terribly and hope to be doing more of it soon.)

I've missed posting but since all i'm generally able to do is babble about moving, i won't put you through all that, however, i will put you through this...

My cat's favorite toys are those miniature toy mice you get at pet stores.
I buy them by the handful and she promptly loses all of them.
Or eats them.. I've never been quite sure where they go.

Today I found out. I moved a credenza that had been previously too heavy to move and found these.
Save yourself the trouble of counting.
Its 45.

Forty Five toy mice!

My cat has spent the morning in absolute toy heaven :)

While you were out...

Oy.
So um.. I haven't updated since november...
How did "that" happen..

I hope, if any of you are still around to read, that all is well..

Significant highlights since november..

1. I got engaged! About 3 weeks ago..To my wonderful bf who i've been with for over 2 1/2 years.. I will give you more details on this in an upcoming post, including ring pictures, moving details and other goodies, but for now I wanted to make sure I let you all know.

2. I've knitted squat. Less than squat, the square root of squat.
I've put time in on knitting, worked on a few things, but I've not devoted my time and energy to it and I miss it!

3. I turned 40.

4. I found out that it will be possible for me to graduate by the end of 2007 (I feel very 25, what with the college graduation and the engagement :)

5. i got a Treo 700wx, which is great!

6. My blood pressure got kinda high.

Aside from that last one, things are pretty damned good!

I hope to be doing a lot more of this in the coming weeks!

And I hope, with significant grovelling on my part to reconnect with you guys..


:)

Help Wanted, A poll

I'm taking a poll. Check the sidebar to vote, and leave your own suggetion in the comments!

I want to start my first sweater.

I've got for it roughly 2000 yards of Brooks Farm's Harmony (55% Mohair, 45 % wool/Silk )
Its knitting up at between 5.5 and 6 stitches an inch (at least that's the fabric I like best.

I can't for the life of me decide what to knit with it and i'm at a standstill. I've considered those above (and below) and like all but i'd love something interesting, but perhaps in the round.

Some contenders have been the Knitpicks Kimono Styled Sweater, Elsbeth Lavold's "Hild",
and Knitty's Ivy

I'm completely open to option 4 btw.. if i were sure of any of these I'd just be doing them -so please please please feel free to make your own suggestion :)

Thanks!

Well hello there..

Hi all, its been a while since i've popped in here, and I think I can blame school for that.

I'm only taking one class, but somehow this has managed to entirely screw me up in terms of what i can get done. The class is a good one, but Its been so long since i've been in a class that requires a paper that I have no memory of how to write one.

Other things occupying my mind..
Garbage. Yes, really, Garbage. First I got a sanitation violation re: garbage on my property. Why? because "I" called to complain that the city had left garbabge on my property. I got ticketed on my own complaint. the nerve.

There is more to this story but I don't want to live it right now :)

I have a camera full of pictures i've been meaning to post and i'll get to them, i will but for now let me fill you in on the knitting life...

Most recently I went to Rhinebeck with Karen who was kind enough to pick us all up at the crack of dawn (we left around 5:30 from my house, I got up at 4:15. I usually go to sleep at 4:15
Tamara who was the first person picked up, and Val who made me buy yarn :)

I exercised restraint for most of the day, picking up only some Socks that Rock (in Farmhouse, and Downpour - medium weight, and Lagoon in lightweight) a purchase made possible by an 8:30 arrival time :) They were sold out very quickly.

Purchase two was the Tongue River Farm Sock Collection.

I walked around for much of the rest of they day before going back to where i started and picking up roughly 2000 yards of Brooks Farm's Harmony in an exquisite blue-purple (pictures soon).


I'm getting ready to do my first sweater. I could use the Harmony , but i may save it until i've tried and ruined my first attempt ;) I'm thinkingof the Kimono Styled Sweater from Knitpicks since the one I've seen was just gorgeous...

I'm open to suggestion tho..

All Whining, all the time.

So what is it with clothes shopping?

I went on a multi-store crawl today

I started at 79th STreet where I went to Filenes.
I tried on about 20 different things, none of which did much for me,
and left.

I repeated this at Ann Taylor
Two Gaps
Banana Republic
and Daffys

and purchased ::::drumroll::::
nothing.

Very frustrating. I realize i have kind of a hard to fit body (doesn't everyone?) but please..

I tried on 6 skirts in the same size.
1 was too big
2 were too small
1 was too long
and one was bit in the waist, tight in the hips and hit in the wrong place.
I tried on a dress where the waist was in an awful spot, and every shirt i tried on fit either in the bust or in the shoulders, never both.

I need to learn to sew.

All Knitting All the time

As usual, I've dissapeared.

And I have so much to say,
and so many pictures to get off my camera
and so much to resume here.

I guess i'm going to pretend i went on hiatus for the summer.
Consider this a preview of the new fall season ;)

This weekend was a big knitting weekend.
The wonderful Amy Singer from Knitty at the Point.
The fabulous Yarn Harlot at Barnes and Noble
The New York Knit-Out
and many many lovely knitters allw eekend long!

I'm invigorated
renewed
excited about knitting and excited about blogging.

You don't have to believe it, but i'm back :)

Pics come off the camera tomorrow.

It's all about the socks.

This will be the first in a series of
"Why my poor neglected secret pal" deserves accolades posts
And her gifts will be admired, as they should have been all along!
I made her wait so long for these posts, that I feel the only way to do her gifts justice now is to make several posts, paying homage to some of the stars of my packages!

These gorgeous creatures were sent to me by my fantabulous secret pal in my SECOND package (Oy vey am I behind!)

They were accompanied by beatuiful stitch markers, and equally beautiful homemade stationery envelopes, but this post, is dedicated to the socks.

My secret pal made me the most beautiful socks ever
and they feel just as good on as they look :) (maybe even better!)
Thank you Thank you Thank you.

Watch this space over the next few days to see more of my beautiful secret pal gifts.

I think i've got it....

I think i know who my secret pal is :)


I think I think I think....


I still owe her some big posts.

For all the wonderful stuff she gave me.

And I promise to spend this weekend photographing so i can put stuff up.

She's awesome, you know.

You shoudl see the socks she made me!

And you will, soon, I swear.

Project Forgiveness

Looking to forgive someone? Need forgiveness for something you've done/said? Check out this blog...it's called Project Forgiveness.

http://projectforgiveness.blogspot.com/

If I were less of a bum

I would have posted by now about the following

1. my wonderful secret pal gifts
2. the healing of my feet
3. my finished jaywalkers
4. My partly finished other socks
5. My summer

But i'm a spaz.
and got overwhelmed by life
and haven't kept up.

My mid-august resolution is to catch up on all this
so stay tuned.
no reallyh
for some real posts.

Thank you for your patience.

Signed
Dingbat

Happy Summer -

Before I begin - Please please please visit my friend Dani's contest here and help support an excellent cause


Hello all.

I am sorry for my absence - I had a busy few weeks, first with my leaky roof, then with work and now with a truly obnoxious injury.

I was walking down a small set of stone steps, heading toward the one train on 49th street and broadway when i fell, badly spraining my right ankle and fracturing a bone in my left foot. Yep , you got it, I hurt both feet, fun eh?

This did make for a couple of fun New York moments - including the homeless guy who ran to my aid and offered tobe a witness if I decided to sue, and a cop, who when I commented that we were drawing a crowd said "They probably think we (meaning the cops) did this to you".

I spent that night in the ER, the next two days at R's house where I was well cared for by friends, and coworkers, and I'm now out at the BFs house, keeping my feet elevated, and hobbling to and from the bathroom as needed. I got to shower yesterday - I'm sure everyone around me is applauding ;)

Oh- and the picture above? I'm watching goofy movies to entertain myself, and found this moment, right at the beginning of the Poseiden Adventure (the original). Shelly Winters- Knitting! How cool!

Speaking of knitting - . I finished my Jaywalkers and they came out great! I LOVE them, I can hardly wait till the weater is appropriate to wear em (september maybe?). I'll post pictures the next time I'm home since I dont have them with me here at the BF;

I visited The Yarn Tree in Brooklyn
which is a delightful store - with quite a bit of unique yarn, good service, decent prices, and, if you are into that sorta thing, fiber.

I picked up some Alpaca with a Twist "Landscapes" (an ultra-squishy soft alpaca silk blend) and i'm using it to make the fingerless mitts they had sampled in the store. Its a fast easy knitand I picked up the one in the store and it was too yummy for words so I decided to get the pattern as well as the yarn.



Nice stuff - I'd love to make a sweater out of it.

I also picked up some exquisite handpainted sock yarn from Capistrano Fiber Arts Studios (By Lori Lawson) A 50/50 silk and Merino Blend in Brambleberry. This is a truly outrageous yarn, soft, silky , firm, I'm almost afraid to knit it!

Its slightly light on yardage- 300 so as far as socks go, I dont want to use a hight yardaage sock pattern (a lower yardage one would be perect) .. anyone have any ideas on what might be a good pattern for this most beautiful yarn?

WWKIP day..

So.. Any of you all going to be in Central Park on Sat?

I was planning on going and knitting regardless, and i'm good at mingling - but I'd much rather go "with" people :)

And thank all of you who offered kind words and support re: my house :) I really appreciate it!

Whine.

Warning: This post is just one non-stop whine fest.

For those of you outside the area, we had a LOT of rain in the last two days.
I came home today to find water and ceiling material on the floor on the top story of my house. The roof looked ok (which doesn't necesarily mean anything, it could still be leaking), but there was a fair amount of water sitting in the gutter, which could mean its not draining properly.(it looks like its not pitched properly)

I need someone HONEST to assess the problem, whehter its the roof or the gutter, and to deal with it. Without ripping me off.

I hate hate hate this crap.
I hate looking for contractors
my handyman guy got too busy to take my kinda jobs
And I don't have any good recommendations.

Signed - Leaky in Brooklyn.

Yay! Loot!!!

I received my first SP 7 package (from the Knittyboard SP7) yesterday, and I am absolutely delighted with it!

It arrived, neatly packaged from overseas - far faster than I thought it would, and it was full of such beautiful stuff!

First up is a pic of the haul as a whole. Please disregard the mess in the background.
I had to take at least one pic of the ingenious shrink-wrapped packaging of the yarn, before I tore into it.

I couldn't wait for long. I tore open the package and it contained two substantial balls of Ewas Sockenwolle. Both are STUNNING, the pics don't do them justice! And what texture! delicious, positively delicious!

Next up are a set of gorgeous Holz & Stein ebony dpns. They feel amazing to the touch - I keep rolling them around in my hands just admiring the feel, the weight and the look. They are gorgeous, sturdy works of art. I can't wait to try them out on socks!

Gummy!

And then we have these.

I'd like to pretend I still have both bars, but one has um... mysteriously dissappeard ;)

Delicious! I've never had this chocolate before and I'm hooked. It is REALLY good.

Last but certainly not least we have a lovely yarn note card, with a very nice note :)

I was pretty surprised to get a package already, and I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy with what was in it! :) Thank you, thank you THANK YOU!

DC Follies

Hey all..

I just came back (well not just, I've been back since monday) from 4 days in the DC area, where me and the BF attended my nephew's graduation from George Washington University. (My nephew was mentioned by name during the president of the school's speech! very exciting!)

We had a very nice time in DC, except for the "getting up early every day". We did some sightseeing -- Went to the American History Museum, which was great fun... I got to see
Ted Baxter's Jacket! (which was pretty exciting for me, I am a huge fan of the Mary Tyler Moore Show)

We also went to the Zoo where I got to meet a distant relative


I normally do a ton of research before I go away and plan out places to eat - but I didn't really have time so we sorta winged it - and with the exception of the lunch on the run at the zoo, we ate pretty well.


This is a restaurant we happened upon when coming back from a long day of sightseeing. We had parked in Silver Spring for easier Metro access, and were on our way back to the hotel, and figured we'd grab a bite to eat. We were headed to another restaurant when we walked past this one and decided that Ethiopian food sounded good and went here instead. Very good decision - we had a really nice dinner.


We found this restaurant on our first night in town by searching online for something near the hotel. This restaurant was in nearby College Park. The food was good, and the staff were very very friendly.

I really had a great time.

I was pretty fortunate to be able to knit the whole ride down in the car... I've never successfully knit in a car before, I usually get queasy - but I got lucky :) I am just about to turn the heel on Jaywalker #2, and so far, at least, its coming out at least close to the same as the first.

I had posted on the Knittyboard that I'd planned on paying a visit to Stitch DC when in town and was lucky enough to do so. I went to the Georgetown store, and the very very nice person who worked there, knew who I was from my post and greeted me! I had a lovely time in the store which was a comfortable and quiet oasis in the middle of a mob of people, and picked up some Karabella Aurora 4, and Lornas Laces Shepherd Sock on sale, as well as a 40" size 5 Addi.


The Aurora 4 (above) is ostensibly DK weight, but it seems thinner than that to me. It wasn't significantly thicker than the Shepherd Sock (below).
They had used it to knit Embossed Leaves from the Winter 2005 Interweave,
and the stitch definition was beautiful!

A FO/2 :)

I finished the first Jaywalker!!!! :)

I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO proud.

I immediately cast on for the second one and hope to finish it on my trip to DC this weekend.

It's a beautiful fit - but if i were starting from scratch i'd make the leg a little longer since as is it has some trouble staying up. (it hits an unusually dainty part of my leg ;)

SO cute! So Comfy! I'm very happy! :)

ON to number two!