Where is all my knitting time??

I think that the corporate world and rat race are eating up all of my knitting time. Last night we did the Target, gym, dinner, then I finally got out the Christmas card stash and made the motorhead sign, etc. them and now the small stack is ready to mail. I of course had to add DIY to it and stamped them with cute stamps, etc.
I would have liked to have a photocard with us and the furbabies you know in front of the tree...oh wait we don't have a tree. Christmas isn't all that Christmas-y this year..we are all doing very small pocketbook Christmas with my parents getting ready to move out to Hawaii..(LUCKY)...and I have bought one..yep one present so far..
I did buy myself a present...some coveted yarn....I can't wait!! Once I get the package I will have to take pictures. I also keep going over the theloopyewe.com but am forcing myself to wait, must bust out some of the stash first.

Alpacas as promised :)

Friends....

So I have recently been going through what I would say is a friend breakup of sorts..I guess it has been going on for about a year or so. Everyone that is close to me tells me not to be upset about it, but there are times I guess that I can't help myself. Basically I had a friend that didn't like my new guy, who now is my fiance and it grew from there. I chose not to have her in my wedding as she didn't support my relationship with my FI and instead chose two of my best friends with full intent on inviting said friend. Well she then deleted me from her friends and didn't return my emails, etc. I then recieve a response that here is an early wedding present to FI, have a great life, good luck and goodbye.....

I guess that I am the kind of person that wouldn't do anything like that.

Anyways just getting it off my chest...

So that being said if anyone in the Camarillo area is up to making new friends drop me an email :) I am down to earth, like to do all things crafty (knit, make jewelry, attempt to sew, etc.). I also love to scuba dive, all things related to the water, travel, watch funny movies, cook, etc. I am pretty open minded so hey if your in the market for a new friend drop me an email :) (but please no guys trying to get a date..I have a man..thank you very much) :)

Done!

So I just got back from Denver on Friday, well mostly Winter Park. There wasn't much snow as of course the big storm was coming in the weekend that we left to come home, but oh well. Had a great time, drank way too much beer, ate naughty fried food...and gained about 5+lbs. Came home, my wedding dress was awaiting (I bought a designer dress used because I couldn't afford it otherwise). It's beautiful but snug I tell ya!! That week of naughtiness didn't do the body good :( Now its back to the gym and operation fit into dress is in effect.
In knitting news, I did finish Wendy's knit and tonic Natty Cap. I did make some modifications and didn't follow the pattern to be reversible but I do like the way it came out. I want to make another one and follow the pattern this time.
I visited the Lonesome Stone Natural Fiber Mill & Alpaca Farm http://www.lonesomestonefiber.com/index.html while I was in Winter Park. I must say that it was great to be able to visit the farm. Linda was so sweet and gave us a complete tour of the Alpacas and the Mill. Once I am home I will try and post some of the cutie pictures that I took. I of course bought 4 skeins and will need to upload them to my ravelry flickr set so that I can put them into ravelry. Oh how I love the ravelry...Now only if they wouldn't block the site from work..hehehe...bastards!

Is it Friday yet??

Well okay, its close..well close to quitting time at least!! I caved...I bought yarn..I think that it was induced by having a bad day, rounded out with groucy and wedding planning stuff. So I did it I bought yarn..oops...I am supposed to be buying wedding invitations. Hmmm..why do the pretty invitations have to be so dang expensive anyways..
So now I am going to wait for my Duet sock yarn and my loopyewe order and I know that it will make me very happy :) The loopy ewe I just got some Colinette Lapis ( I have a skein already but discoverd that one skein wouldn't even come close to enough yardage for the massive socks I need to knit for my motorhead)..so I ordered another one :) and..some louet (for handwarmers) and the variety pack for the soak yarn wash..and then..I went and visited aswellyarnshop.com and bought two, yep, two skeins of their xxl...I am going to maybe use one to do a claptois for me and the other for socks for dad or motorhead. Now if I could only find time to knit..
I will post pics once my lovely packages arrive!

Yarn

I love yarn...soft yarn, pretty yarn..must get more yarn...NO..I don't need it..I swear its like having a devil yarn conscious and an angel yarn conscious..One says ooohh you must buy more, so soft, so many things to make..the other says suck it up sister your planning a wedding and face it your poor :)
But its okay...I have a stash..now I just have to figure out what to knit with it..I have some WIP, socks, socks, sorta sock...
I think that I need to knit a warm fuzzy hat...for where you say?? Well I am going to Denver in a few weeks and since its about 20 degrees cooler there..I bet I will be cold. I need to gather my "cold" clothes and probably purchase some new stuff..maybe some super warm socks and some new boots?? Another thermal?? Hmm..I think that living down here in SoCal has made me forget what you need to dress cold? Help...

Sometimes..

Sometimes..I just want to tell people..duh..use your common sense..and then I think to myself, do these people lack common sense?? Or maybe I should use problem solving words..like figure it out?? Okay..maybe I am being a little harsh, but then again I work in an office space enviroment and sometimes I just wonder...
So isn't this supposed to be a knitting blog, well a knitting blog that nobody reads...Maybe I should give away prizes and make people leave comments. Hmm...must find something cool in the stash..maybe that will do the trick.
So right now I am working on two pairs of socks, both toe up but I started each of them with two different methods, on one I am using Wendys www.wendyknits.net her detailed toe-up sock pattern. I am using Claudia Handpainted in Hawaii with turquoise toe, heel, cuff..coming along nicely..I just keep worrying when I need to to switch back to the turquoise for the heel. Funny that my first pair of socks will be toe up..I just figured that if I run out of yarn then I will know and be able to frog back to make the legs the same length. Or I can go out and buy a fancy smancy digital scale like I have seen some other sock knitter do before. I might just dig up that 20% off coupon and splurge..I mean how expensive can it be?
My other sock is in duet sock yarn..super pretty color tide pool. I really like the colors but the yarn seems to be wound a bit tight and curls on itself sometimes. Hopefully it will work itself out soon. I did this using the ann budd interweave knits toe up socks guidelines..its funny how pointy the toe is compared to the Wendy method of provisional cast on.
Although I think that I messed up and increased too fast or something..looks like I might be frogging it if I cant salvage it..size 0 needles is not something that I have the desire to re-knit...Next up I say worsted..big needles baby.
Maybe a hat for Denver in November...yep another trip..this time no sun, no snorkeling..snow..more snow...maybe I will snowboard..although its been awhile..

For making me laugh!

Again, I must say that Cabincove Dave is just so funny..need a pick me up..visit ass-watch and to top it all off you can drool on some beautiful fiber

or just take in the scenery..

Speaking of some scenery..here is another pick of Hawaii

Home

So I am home for a couple of days..home home, back home with the folks home. My dad had to have some surgery so being the worrysome kid that I am I wanted to come home and make sure my pops was following doctor directions. Plus it gives me a chance to get lots of doggie love. My parents have five..oh yes count them five dogs. Now don't get all worried here they aren't some crazy dog collectors or anything they have four adorable Yorkshire terriers and one crazy Chihuahua.. Here is spike..the man dog of the house, the keeper of the harem.. So once I get home maybe I will take some pictures of actual knitting and post them..hehe..

So many things on my mind, oh yeah and I need to plan a wedding..OHY!

Uggh

So I am at that weird crossing I think...I have been at my job for five..yep count them five years. Have moved up a little, made some small pay advancements and in the last year I transferred my location. Anyways....thank goodness knitting keeps me sane most of the time after work..but right now I am bored...

Bored of inputting and typing and all of the stuff I just have decided that I really don't like. I have got to find a solution.

I have always wanted to be a nurse and have taken all of the pre-reqs some years ago and am wondering if a 30 year old would be smart to quit her job go back to school (yep I already have a bachelors in business) and be a nurse..or ..or I could win the lotto...hehe...

I would love to do something crafty, dye yarn, make jewelry and make a little cash. I either make things for myself or friends and wonder if anyone else will want to buy my stuff??

I have often wanted to move to Hawaii and do crafty stuff, work for a dive company..guess I am just daydreaming.

If anyone has any stories where they actually followed their heart and are much happier now I would really like to hear it. I need some inspiration, some motivation, something right now...because what I am doing now just doesn't cut it..

All I have to leave you with is me..happy snappy on Kauai..we were there wedding planning...I just love Hawaii!! Can I go back and not return, hmmm...not sure if I can do the hippie thing. Motorhead might not like that so much, he enjoys the smooth legs..hehe...

So if you are reading this and want some more enjoyable pics I saw that Dave (cabincove) http://www.cabincove.com/ ..he has some ass watch going on...Gotta love Dave, he always makes me laugh!!

Friday! yeah baby!!

So right now I should be working but all I can think about is...is if five yet?? what about now? Now? Ugh...so tonight the motorhead is going to yep a motor type thingy for work and won't be back until tomorrow. So tonight I am going to be a dork, take pictures of my measly WIP on my knitting and upload some pics to flikr for my posts. Maybe some pictures of Hawaii...ah yes Kauai, it was beautiful and it rained almost every night which was soooo nice. I guess living in SoCal makes you appreciate the rain, because it rained like twice this winter, no kidding..I think I might move to Seattle, rains a lot there, right?? Oh and I wonder if there are more crazy crafty knitting peeps like me up there? Then there is the whole online community thing, people reading other peoples blogs (like me...) and then online people meeting in person, so cool...Now I just must get people to read my blog....

So tonight its gym..maybe..they gym.. Well then for sure movie, knitting and downloading pictures :)

So I found this cute map of Kauai, it was so beautiful, so green, so wish I was still there!!!

I have got to find a more craft friendly job...any ideas?? Its either that or I might go back to school (although I already have my business bs)..and go to nursing school? If there are any nurses out there I would love to hear from you I have been thinking about this for a long time and have always had an interest in the medical field.

Stash..what stash?

So I have been bad..surfing the internet, looking at glorious fiber..and then PURCHASING IT!! bad, bad, bad...


Maybe if I am lucky tonight I will arrive home to another cute box from the loopyewe.com (which I must say is the fastest shipping company ever!) That would certaintly be a happy friday for me! Add a mojito and that would just put the cherry on top!
Here is a picture of one of the colors I ordered from loopyewe.com (plus I must give photo credit to the loopyewe as well) Just in case someone actually reads my blog...right...sure...
Anyways, I also cast on for my toe up socks in another Claudia handpainted colorway, Hawaii & Turquoise...I will have to add a picture once I actually conquer the short rows and have some toe to show at least. Yeah friday..and guess what even better next Thurs I will be leaving on a jet plane to where...Kauai..
Why? That is a whole different story..to be continued

Just not right being all cooped up...

Ah,

Its so nice outside..I just want to leave the computer, report writing and red staplers..Ah...vacation is in about a month. So I have been knitting away on my toe up jaywalkers but let me tell ya, the progress is slow. Knitting on size 1 needles is a feat in itself for me. So I have to switch in between the cable footies (size 8 needles) and the jaywalker socks, (which are my first pair of socks ever). Might have been done by now if I had not frogged them more times than I can count and had to go back because somehow I dropped a stitch, or got off on the pattern, but for now I think its all good. Armed with the toe-up and the regular pattern side by size progress is slow but coming right along.

I also spoiled myself and made a purchase from knitpicks...new books, a couple skeins of new yarn and a few other goodies, all for me :) I tried to get some more vesper sock yarn, but in between adding the color I wanted and trying to check out it was gone, wah! This led me to the thought that I still would love to learn how to dye up some of my own yarn and wished I lived closer to Scout http://www.scoutj.com/ . She has taught some yarn dying classes and has some awesome colors in her shop...Oh yes if money and knitting time grew on trees!!

In other thoughts, I have been wondering how to get anyone to read my blog? What the heck I visit all of these other blogs, but I never get any comments on mine? So if you happen to stop by, drop me a hi.., something...if not I am going to take the red stapler and move to the basement willingly for goodness sakes...(please tell me you have seen office space!)

Is there anyone out there?

Sometimes I wonder if anyone has even seen my blog..even glanced at it once? After I moved down south I had some hopes of finding other crafty gals but I have not had much luck. So I read others blogs for inspiration and to feel like there are others out there that have the crafty bug like I do. Now I wish I could quit my job, and deliver crafty goodness all day to the masses, but I am not even sure where to begin in regards to that adventure.

Maybe I need to talk about more exciting stuff, or post more pictures, or just get out there more..who knows.

At least its friday I guess..homefront stuff is not that great. I think that spending most of our free time remodeling and trying to organize is taking its toll. Time for a time out for both of us.. Car Fanatic (CF for short) and I are up in arms about couches..couches of all things. Maybe its hormones or me just being a woman, who knows, but we aquired hand me downs that are the most uncomfortable pieces I have ever owned and I have been wanting new inviting, please sit in me and fall asleep couches, doesn't even have to be new, just something that doesn't feel like quicksand and require a crane to get out of..So I scour discounts, craigslist, etc.. and find some nice ones that I think would look good, good price..show CF..nothing, oh well cant really see the pciture, do we really need this, where are we going to put it... ( I know how about I use quicksand loveseat (not even big enough for two, let alone big enough to lay on) as the cat couch? Ugh...ending my rant..

So I leave you with funny things.. cabby modeling for me ,cute fuzzy completed booties and a funny laugh.. I was at the gym the other day and there are some characters there let me tell you, old men in spandex, chicks in butt baring shorts looking for prey and funniest of all, headband lady on the elipictal machine working away in some weird rotating out sort of stride at which point I thought she actually might injure her neighbor...wish I had a video..so much funnier in person..

Ravelry

Ravelry is awesome I must say....I am alreadyso excited to take pictures of all my stash/projects and put them up. I have already put up a few things, but I think that most of it will have to wait until the weekend, then there will be light and I can lay out everything and have a photo session..Ya!
In other news..we are currently in the process of remodeling our bathroom (one of many projects that we have to complete) Lets just say the condo has a lot of the 70's stuff it was built with.
I leave you with a screen shot of ravelry...

Red Stapler

I think I need to take my red stapler and move down to the basement...

Birthdays..

So today is my birthday..yep 30 years OLD..ok I guess I am just feeling pretty old right now, but hey..whatever. Now if I could only get some love on my knitting blog...anyone...

Daylight Savings...

Well I must say that I do like the extra hour of daylight at the end of the work day, but my body does not like the weird feeling that its just too early in the morning, although every day is getting a little better. Monday was touch and go let me tell you. I am getting ready to move in a couple of weeks and the only thing knit worthy are my futile attempts at a toe up sock, I want it to be perfect and look like all of the beautiful socks on flickr..but alas it does not, little holes or ripping back to find that I dont know where the heck that dropped stitch fricken goes, riippppp all over again...So I need some toe up sock help, there is the provisional toe with the short rows and the wraps, and I did find some tutorials but I still can't get the two sides to look like perfect toes, any suggestions on working into the wraps? Pleeeaassseee I need it! Or then there is the magic toe where there are no wraps but then the joins on the side just looked horrible, am I doing the M1 increase wrong, well maybe.every book shows it a different way...Must find magic sock book with many pictures and many descriptions that can reveal the secret of the toe up sock....before I turn my yarn into a frogged fuzz ball...and my bf gives me the look again, like didn't you just do that last night?? ...uggh..

Crafty goodness...and no love..

So this awesome little case here is from splityarn, she has an awesome tutorial in her flickr pictures, Once I can find all parts to the sewing machine I am so going to try attempt to construct this case, in the meantime I will have fun searching for all the necessary elements!

I keep wondering when the magic is going to happen and I might be interesting enough for people to read my site.....

I guess moving to an area where you really don't know a lot of people makes one want some more person to person contact..or in my case I want some crafty person to crafty person contact..Hey don't get me wrong my BF is great but he lack that excitement that I have for anything craft..his excitement factor is usually for the automobile..which I can't complain it could be worse, say all things sports, video games, booze..so I consider myself lucky :)

Pop ups??

I was visiting one of my favorite sites Scout's Swag and read the following about Julie Amero, I thought that I would help spread the word.
I'm taking advantage of this space for today to make sure that you all read and learn about Julie Amero. For those of you who don’t know, Julie Amero is the seventh grade substitute teacher in Connecticut who is facing 40 years in prison after pornographic popup ads came up on her computer screen during a class in 2004.Forty years. It takes about one second to Google this story. Please take a few minutes to read about what is happening to this woman. We all know the power of the internet. We can make a difference in this woman’s life. Steve Bass also talks about the power of e-mail. The State’s Attorney responsible for supervision of David Smith, the prosecutor in the Amero case, is Michael L. Regan. You might want to write him and strongly urge he help Smith file a motion to vacate the conviction. An e-mail to the Chief State’s Attorneys of Connecticut Kevin T. Kane and Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell can’t hurt, either. (There are more e-mail links on the Julie Amero site.) http://julieamer.blogspot.com/

To dye or not to dye...

So I have been wanting to try my hand at dying some yarn, because to be honest I am in the middle of buying my first condo and can't really afford the super beautiful $25/per skein yarn..nope, its top ramen here and for a while I think.. (and yes mom I know when you buy your first house you will be poor..)
So I visit all of these great sites everyday and wonder, how do they do it?? How do they get such beautiful color combinations, stripes, vivid colors, etc.? If anyone has any advice I will sure appreciate it :)

Oh yes the picture is from http://www.adamknits.com/

His sweet doggie Dallas is modeling with some of his hand dyed yarn, so check it out!

So cute!

So I saw this fabric on
craftoholic.blogspot.com and I really thought it was cute. I especially like the green dotted and the multi color fabric above it, but I need to figure out where to buy it. Right about now I am in baby gift making mode.. I have three friends that are having babies..well second and third babies (one is having twins!) and so many cute things that I want to make, but so little time... If anyone knows where I can get this fabric let me know :)

Sleepy Cabby

Sleepy Cabby,

Here is my secret yarn eater..hiding under the covers.. sometimes it gets cold here in Ventura and Cabby Cat likes to cuddle, which is fine by me, she is an excellent cuddler..now the yarn eating part, not so good..but hey what are kitties for?

knitting rocks!!!

Ok..So I have moved ( well in September 06) to Ventura and am looking for some knitting groups or just a group of cool people that want to get together, chat, knit have some nice drinkies and hang out..yep a knitting sworiee... nothing better than some wine, some needles and some fiber goodness.
I must say that it does help to be able to go online at anytime and find people that share in the yarn love :)
More to come soon, complete with my list of favorites to satisfy the urge to knit!