Bucket List

I copied this from some one else's blog and thought it might be fun.

(x) Donated Blood
(x) Skipped school
( ) Watched someone die
( ) Watched a baby being born.
(x) Been to Canada
(x) Been to Mexico
(x) Been to Florida
( ) Been to Hawaii
( ) Been to Africa
( ) Been to Russia
(x) Been on a plane
(x) Been on a helicopter
( ) Been on a Glider Plane
(x) Been lost
(x) Gone to Washington, DC
( ) Hugged a homeless person
(x) Swam in the ocean
(x) Seen a Glacier
( ) Swam with Stingrays
( ) Been sailing in the ocean
(x) Cried yourself to sleep
(x) Played cops and robbers
(x) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Ran a marathon
( ) Sang Karaoke
( ) Volunteered at a soup kitchen
(x) Paid for a meal with coins only
( ) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch
( ) Seen the Northern Lights
( ) Been Para-sailing
(x) Been on TV
(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
( ) Been Streaking
(x) Made prank phone calls
( ) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
(x) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
( ) Fed an elephant
(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
( ) Fired a gun
(x) Danced in the rain
(x) Been to the Opera
(x) Written a letter to Santa Claus
( ) Serenaded someone
( ) Seen a U.S.President in person
( ) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(x) Watched the sunrise with someone
( ) Driven a race car
(x) Been to a National Museum
( ) Been to a Wax Museum
( ) Eaten caviar
(x) Blown bubbles
(x) Gone ice-skating
(x) Gone to the movies
(x) Been deep sea fishing
(x) Driven across the United States
( ) Been sky diving
( ) Gone snowmobiling
( ) Have seen the "Green Flash" at sunset
(x) Lived in more than one country
(x) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
(x) Seen a falling star and made a wish
(x) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
( ) Seen the Grand Canyon
( ) Seen the Statue of Liberty
( ) Been to Times Square
(x) Been to Las Vegas
( ) Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
( ) Been on a cruise
( ) Traveled by train
( ) Traveled by motorcycle
(x) Been horse back riding
(x) Ridden on a San Francisco cable car
(x) Been to Disneyland OR Disney World (How about Euro Disney?)
(x) Been in a rain forest
( ) Seen whales in the ocean
( ) Been to Niagara Falls
( ) Ridden on an Elephant
( ) Ridden on a Camel
(x) Swam with dolphins
( ) Been to the Olympics
( ) Walked on the Great Wall of China
( ) Seen the Pyramids in Egypt
(x) Been snow-skiing
( ) Been to Westminster Abbey
( ) Been to the Louvre
( ) Swam in the Mediterranean
(x) Been to a Major League Baseball game
(x) Been to a National Football League game
( ) Swam with sharks
( ) Been White Water Rafting
( ) Written a book or screen play
(x) Kissed a total stranger
( ) Been to Europe

Kinda fun......but I'm not sure if all of these are really on my "Bucket List," but a few are!

I've got more to blog about, but I'm being lazy.....and still working on the whole job thing and that's really been zapping my energy. That and the new foster dog.......grrrrr...... NOTE TO SELF: Never foster puppies!!

In a much better place

I had another job interview yesterday. It went very well, but I'm not sure I want the job. It would be a great job, it's just that it's part-time. It would allow me to get my children on and off the bus in the mornings and afternoons, and still allow for time to volunteer in each of their schools. So the positives are pretty darn positive! But, I really need to make some money - and part time pays, well, part time.

And last week, hubby and I came up with a PLAN. And if this job doesn't work out, I'm a perfectly content to go back to the PLAN. So I'm in a much better place this week - mentally at least :)

And I'm still on my rather selfish knitting streak. I started a Shalom cardigan with some modifications. I had some black Patons Classic Wool that I planned to use to make the Must Have Cardigan, but black and cables just didn't work for me. So this black yarn has decided to become a Shalom. (Minus the 2+ balls that were used for other things.)



This is a super quick knit. I started on Monday and I'm over 1/2 done! Since I might not have enough yarn, I decided to go ahead and knit the sleeves before I finish the body. That way I'll know exactly how much yarn I'll have for the body. If all else fails, I can always go and buy another ball at Michaels or Joanns.

As for my other projects, my Monkey socks are coming along. I finished the first (second) sock and frogged the original first sock knit in the Sunday Swing pattern. The second sock has been cast on, but I've only done a few rows of ribbing.

I've also got a new sock that I need to start soon. I'm test knitting a beautiful pattern for a designer on Ravelry. I'm not sure if I can share pictures, but since I haven't started it yet it's really not an issue. (I'll be sure to ask though, I can't wait to share!)

Knit on!

Misc life crud.....

I'm having a crappy week. I found out that I didn't get a job I interviewed for. I'm pretty bummed. It wasn't even a very good job - but I'm getting pretty desperate in the job department right about now and I would take anything offered. I'm trying to remain positive, but this whole job search has me completed depressed. (I'm not a crier as a general rule, but lately I start to bawl when someone looks at me sideways. The stress is getting pretty darn bad.)

On a lighter note, we got a new foster dog! Meet Rosie. She came to us named Baby, but I just could NOT call a dog Baby. Kirk and Charlotte came up with Rosie and I liked it. It's what we are using for now. (If you are interested in adopting Rosie or any dog, please visit the MARS site.)

This dog defies all description.....she's cute, incredibly playful and as sweet as can be. As for her breed - your guess is as good as mine. She's got a very long body, very stocky front quarters, and a triangular head. And she only weight about 30 lbs. Feel free to leave any breed suggestions! Kirk and the kids wanted to adopt her into our family, but she was too much $$.

I've been knitting up a storm trying to beat the stress. But I think it's starting to back fire. I'm so stressed I don't even want to knit right now. Yikes. The Sunday Swing socks in my last post have decided to become a pair of Monkey socks. As I was going through all of my socks last week I noticed my red monkey socks had worn through on the heel. Time for a new pair!

Knit on.

Lots o'Socks

I've been a rather selfish knitter lately. I can't seem to stop casting on new socks! (I did finish the Paraphernalia socks, but I don't have a picture.) Here are my current socks in progress:


On the right is a pair of Sunday Swings in Knit Picks hand painted Stroll - colorway Playhouse. I like the yarn, but I don't really like how the colors stacked up on the leg portion. I'm not concerned enough to rip it out though - so I started the second sock at a different part of the color repeat - maybe that will help.

In the middle is my Montgolfiere. The first one is done, but I learned that I simply cannot knit this pattern and chat. KNitting with my pal Michelle yesterday, I did three rounds of color instead of two. No one will notice but me, so I'll forge ahead. So instead of continuing, I cast on the other Sunday Swing sock.

And on the left are a pair I cast on last night during family movie night. (We watched Ice Age in case anyone is wondering.) People frequently ask me how long it takes to knit a pair of socks and I usually say I don't know. So last night I decided I should keep track. The first sock took me about 9.5 hours. It was knit on size 1's and I usually use 1.5's, so it might have taken a bit longer than necessary. But it's a plain stockinette sock - no pattern what so ever. So now I can tell people it takes between 18-20 hours for a pair of socks! (Hey Michelle - thanks for the yarn, it's fabulous!)

Next time I blog - I'm really hoping that I'll be able to say that I've finished all these socks and only have one pair on the needles. Yeah, right.

Knit on!

A few Finished Objects (and even more WIPs)

It seems that the more things I finish, the more I cast on. I finished the Badia tank - LOVE IT!! It came out fabulously. I made a few minor mods and the fit is perfect.

I also cast on a sock - Paraphernalia (Rav link) using some Knit Picks Essential Kettle dyed yarn. I just love this yarn and the sock is beautiful! (I actually completed one whole sock, but cast on a different sock when it was done. This is a WIP pic, but you get the idea.) I'm in love with this kettle dyed. I got it when KP had it on sale - they have changed it from 50 grams balls to 100 gram balls because they were getting complaints about dye lots not matching. I gotta tell ya - I don't care - it is beautiful and so soft and squishy to work with - LOVE it!! (And KP is chaning the name from Essentail to Stroll - same yarn just with a new name.)

It's hard to see the cable, I'll try to get a better picture when I finish the second sock.

And last, but not least, I finally cast on for the Montgolfiere (another Rav link). I'm using some TyDy sock yarn and Knit Picks Essential Black. The pattern says that it only uses 50 grams of each yarn, but it seems to be using a lot of black. I'm not sure if I can finish these with only one ball. Not to worry - I've got about 4 more balls in my stash! I love, love, love how this one is looking. But a word to the wise, the pattern is a bit vague in places, so you have to trust yourself. I made a few mods to the heel section to make it easier for me.

This was the first time I attempted a short-row heel. All I can say is that I need more practise! Thank goodness the heel is in black - no one will notice. And one more picture becsue this sock looks much better on:

(Is this not the coolest pattern?? I'm busy planning other combinations in my head!)

Tonight is knit night - I can't wait! I was only able to stop by for a bit last time around because the kiddos had soccer. But this time I'll be one of the first ones there and one of the last to leave!

Knit on!

Easy, Peasy, Lemon Squeezy

Some of you may know that I "teach" a craft class at a local Independent Living/Assisted Living apartment complex. Every month I need to come up with a project/projects that are pretty, functional and SUPER EASY! Here is what we are making for August:

The post-it/picture thingie is a refrigerator magnet. I cut some strips of paper and added some of my beloved Martha Stewart butterfly punches. If you don't own one of these - you should. It's the best $7 I ever spent. I got mine at Michaels, but I think WalMart has them too. I plan on having some flowers and misc stickers for people to use to decorate theirs if they don't want to use butterflies.

The card - while incredibly easy - is adorable. (If I do say so myself!) I pre-punched a ton of butterflies (out of cardstock left over from last months project) so all my "students" need to do is pick the colors they like and glue them on. I usually stamp the sentiment - it just works better that way.

I planned on doing something like this for this months project, but I didn't realize that I only had 9 magnets......DOH!! I put in a quick "HELP" cry to my good friend Kimberly, who supplied me with the first batch. Thankfully she had more that she was willing to donate to the cause. Thanks Kimberly!! (And now that I have a supply of them, I plan on making a calendar project for my Nov or Dec class.)

Enjoy!

Not Meant To Be....

I love the Hey Teach pattern. I have some worsted (I think??) weight recycled blue cotton that would look fabulous in this pattern. I have tried to knit this several times now. After swatching (multiple times) and starting (multiple times), I have decided that this yarn and pattern are not meant to be together. It makes me sad. I will knit something with this blue yarn, and I will knit the Hey Teach - someday.

The blue yarn has already started on it's journey to being a Badia tank. This pattern is also written for a worsted weight yarn, but this patterns gauge fits my knitting much better. I think it will be quite lovely when all is said and done.

Mods thus far:

• I'm knitting this in the round. I will have to split at the arm holes and work back and forth, but this eliminated most of the seaming - and I *hate* seaming.
• I only knit 3.25 inches of the 2 x 2 rib at the bottom.....I just was not going to make another 1.25 inches. I don't think this design element will be noticed :)
• I'm only knitting the lace /cable pattern on the front. I don't see the need for a pattern on the back since I will never see it. Yep - I'm selfish that way.

I was a bit surprised that the lace/cable section was not charted, so I charted it myself. There once was a time when I would refuse to knit a pattern if it had a chart, and now I'm irritated when they don't have one. It was simple enough to do so I may find myself doing it more often. Go figure!

Knit on!