Duck a l'Orange

They're done!!!



Except for the backstitching, my square of Anne's RR is complete!! It will be ready to mail out on the November 1st mailout date. I was so worried I wouldn't have it done in time.


I received a lovely RAK in the mail from the very sweet Heidi with a 'hello' from Fudge (her *adorable* feline companion). She made me a very chic cuff-style beaded bracelet, a (what else?) kitty notecard, and also included the chart to Knotwork Garken (which I forgot to inlcude in the photo). Thanks, again!!




Thanks to everyone with the comments about the polarfleece socks. I don't have the pattern itself anymore, I just have the pieces cut out of polarfleece and I make sure I cut out of another set of pieces before I sew them up, so I can make more...kind of like sourdough starter... I tried searching McCall's discontinued pattern site, but it must be too old to make that list. I'll try to post a picture of the pieces tonight.

I did find a similar pattern on the Green Pepper pattern site here. You'll need to scroll down a little and on the far left is pattern #504, Polar Socks. The only difference is that the cuff on my pair of socks is just a 1" hem.

What I've been up to...

I've been knitting DSis' shawl on metal circs (which were just a bit too slippery), and even though I know I shouldn't change needles mid-project, I was at a spot in the project where it wouldn't be obvious if the needles were slightly different size. I made a trip to a LYS and picked up some new Addi bamboo circs, some circs to make the Skull Flap Hat and of course, I couldn't leave without some sock yarn jumping into my arms. I finally have my hands on a skein of Trekking XXL and two skeins of Regia Bamboo in the coolest pink color with flecks of darker pink and burgundy that reminds me of strawberry ice cream.



I'm very disappointed in the Addi bamboo circs. I bought two 32" US#4 and US#5. Overall, I love Addi needles and have never had any issue with any of the umpteen other pairs I own. But, on these, there's just enough of a space at the join, that with laceweight yarn, it gets caught on it. Both needles have the same join.

Here's a (bit blurry) picture of the join. I like the feel of wood needles over plastic, so I'll be looking for some replacement needles.




I joined another knitalong, this one is 'Who Wouldn't Love a Handknit Gift' (new button in sidebar -->), which draws all of us knitters madly stitching up gifts for our loved ones, while nervously glancing at the calendar, hoping that we won't have to pull an all-nighter on December 24th (which, BTW, I have done before!).

My Knitted Gifties:
1. Mom Scarf (MIL)
2. Mum Scarf (My Mum)
3. Swallowtail Shawl (DSis)
4. Skull Flap Hat (DSis' BF)
5. Knitted Cap (My Dad)

My Sewn Gifties:
1. LLBean type socks (MIL, Mum, Dad, DSis & her BF)
2. Black Polarfleece pants (My Dad)



Fabric designation:

Card Suits - My Mum
Snowflakes - My MIL
Skull & Flames - DSis' BF
Green Dinos - My Dad
Princess - DSis (this is SO her)
Kitty - My Mum (and me!) I LOVE this fabric, I bought extra for a pair for me
Camo & Puzzle Pieces - Not sure yet, might make something for DH

The black snowflake sock (just sitting there all pretty) is from a pair I've made for myself a few years ago. It's from a (now discontinued) McCalls's pattern that I am going use as a basis. It's made from three pieces, sole, back and top/front. I have an elastic stitch on my sewing machine that I use, because it has give so the thread won't break when you pull them on.


And keeping with the sock yarn, I finished my Socktoberfest socks while watching Sunshine (Sad, but very, very good) a couple days ago.

As good as it gets...

I looked at the last time I posted and, WOW, it was almost a week ago! I do have some things to post, but I must find the charger for my camera...

So, until that happens, you get a meme. I don't typically do these, but it's good filler until we get back to regularly scheduled programming.


The rules; List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether or not they have words, or even if they're not any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they're listening to.

OK, here are seven songs from my AList Favourites iPod Playlist...

1. The Winner Takes it All - ABBA
2. Boys Don't Cry - The Cure
3. Effigy (I'm not a) - Ministry
4. Book of Days - Enya
5. The Way You Look Tonight - Frank Sinatra
6. True Faith - New Order
7. Eden - Sarah Brightman


I know this meme has been going around for ages, so if you've read this far down in my post and haven't done this one yet, please consider yourself tagged.

Hockey Knitters KAL

I signed up for a new knitalong called the Hockey Knitters Knitalong (the button is in the right sidebar). While watching hockey games this season, everyone works on knitting projects for charity. I used to be a huge hockey fan, but got away from it. I've always meant to get back into watching, but never have. This is a great way to get back into watching games, and also to knit for a good cause.

I'm knitting for the Snugglie project I mentioned in yesterday's post. So last night, during the Pens-Devils game, I made the following snugglie for a local shelter:



I used double strands of acrylic yarn and a P(?) crochet needle. It's about 15"X18", perfect for a kitty to curl up on. Yes, it's crochet(and not knitting), but I had the correct crochet needle handy so I went with it (I also crochet faster than knitting). And it's cool that it woked out to be Pens colors, too!

Crafting for a cause

My maternal grandfather always said he never trusted anyone who didn't like animals. Not those who are afraid of big dogs or those who just can't warm to fish in a tank, but those who don't treat animals with respect. I firmly believe this.

We've dubbed my Mum 'Mother Nature' because if anyone can nurse a sick animal to health or get even the most unfriendly house pet to be putty in her hand, it's my Mum. She even has all the neighborhood birds, squirrels, chipmunks and deer coming up to her back door when she's late putting out snacks for them! She can tell you, at any given moment, what her companion kitties (and ferret) are feeling and want. (Thankfully, this is a skill that I have, too)


I've grown up seeing kindness being paid to all living creatures, so it's only natural that animal advocacy is near and dear to my heart.

My kitties are Shelter Kitties, and for all the joy they've added to our lives, I've tried to find ways that I can give back to those animals who have not yet found their 'permanent' home.


One thing I've done is participate in the Snugglies project. Snugglies are knitted or crocheted blankets made from machine washable yarn to give the animals still at the shelter something warm to curl up on. (It's a great way to use up all of that acrylic yarn hiding in your closet!)

You can find out more about the Snugglie program here. And if you're interested in helping, you can even find a shelter local to you that accepts snugglies. (If you do decide to help out, I'd suggest contacting the shelter first, to get a contact name.)

Cold winter months are coming up, and what kitty or puppy wouldn't like thier own wubbie to cuddle up with? :o)


At very least, give your companion animal(s) a big hug tonight! :o)

A Smidgeon of Wigeon

Sorry, but there's really no end to the cheesy blog titles I can come up with.


Debbie left a comment about yesterday's post:
Great furniture, and what a great dad! For the wallpaper, I highly recommend renting a steamer (cheap!) from Home Depot (or whatever). It will cut the job down to 1/4 of the time and you'll save the walls behind.

Well, Debbie, we have an easier solution. If you notice in the picture of DH's dresser, to the right of the dresser, part of the wallpaper has been removed. When MIL comes out to visit, we just lock her in the bedroom while we're at work and tell her if she wants dinner, she has to remove the wallpaper. ;o)

Heh, heh. Actually, she was a sweetie and removed a bunch as a nice surprise for us while we were at work. She also did a part of the wallpaper in the master bath, which is just about as hideous as the bedroom paper. But the steamer is a great idea, and we might just rent one next time she comes out to stay with us...


I did promise you all an update picture of Anne's RR. I had hoped to get a little more done than I did, but there's quite a bit of color change to this design. I primarily worked on the ground and the second little duck (which are a bunch of half stitches).

Furniture!

Remember when we got our new chair for the cats from MIL at the end of July? We also were given two antique dressers for our bedroom. The dressers went straight to my parents' house so my Dad could strip and refinish them for us (because he's such a great guy!).

He finished them last week, and we brought them home this weekend. He used a mahogany stain, and because a number of different woods were used in the construction of these dressers, the stain varied in color, which really adds some wonderful character to them. MIL figures that these dressers are probaby somewhere around 60 years old. I love them and as far as I'm concerned, we're finished looking for bedroom furniture.

Here's DH's dresser:


And here's mine:


And isn't that wallpaper in our bedroom just the ugliest you've ever seen??? It was in the house when we bought it and it reminds me of dollar store wrapping paper. I hate it! I didn't inherit the 'wallpaper/paint gene' from my Mum (who changed the wallpaper/paint in any given room in their home on a 6mo rotating basis), so I'm pretty much waiting for it to fall off the walls. LOL! No, actually, now that we're starting to have a fully furnished room, I want to do some decorating in it.


I took a vacation day today and besides staying in my jammies all day, I cross stitched and knitted and listened to podcasts. Abner doubled as feline velcro and didn't move much from my side or lap, except when I went to the loo or refilled my coffee cup.

I'll post a picture of my duck progress on Anne's RR tomorrow. (my cross stitch is downstairs and I'm upstairs, computing from the comfort of my bed and don't quite feel like moving right at the moment - at least I'm honest! :o)


Since I'm on the home stretch of the Mom scarf, I'll need something to work on during the commute with DH. Mum's lace scarf and DSis's lace shawl require my undivided attention. So, I started a sweater that I've wanted to make for ages (probably about a decade). It's from Tweeds and Friends V from Tahki yarns. I started it a couple years ago, but it has some small lacy areas. I had never had done any lace back then, so after about three futile attempts, I just gave up. Since I've been knee-deep in lace since July, I found this time around, it was much easier.

Between knitting while waiting for dinner to bake and watching Vertigo (can't get the U2 song out of my head, either. Hello, Hello I'm at a place called Vertigo) this evening, I was able to complete the lace rows on the bottom front, so that now it's just plain stockinette (knit on the right side and purl on the wrong side) for about 13", which is perfect mindless knitting for the car.

The yarn is Rowan Calmer in a beautiful, deep vivid purple and I'm knitting it with US#7 Addi Turbos.

I can play with beads

I'm not a girl with a lot of good jewelry. I've got three important pieces of jewelry and that's it: my engagement/wedding rings, a diamond heart pendant necklace, and diamond stud earrings (all from DH). That's it. I'm just too hard on it to put the money into good jewelry. I either lose it or damage it. I've already knocked out one of the baugettes from my engagement ring.

Costume jewelry is right up my alley because it's inexpensive so if something happens to it, so what?

A few years ago, a neighbor introduced me to making my own jewelry. I don't do much more than string pretty glass beads on an elastic cord. (Nowhere near the fabulous designs I've seen on other blogs) I make them long enough that I don't need to even add a clasp.

Here are some I've recently made:




And how could I not add this gratuitous kitty picture? We have pretty much lost use of this clothes basket (there is a clothes basket under there!). A few weeks ago, I put a folded up piece of polar fleece fabric in the bottom of a basket that's in a corner of the guest bedroom. Itchey loves curling up in out of the way places, and as soon as she saw me with the polar fleece, she assumed it was for her. (No, they're not spoiled) Last night, she was curled up in the basket, and it seemed a little chilly, so I took a shawl I knitted a while ago and wrapped it around her and the basket. It was really cute, when I brought it in and before I even wrapped it around the basket, you could just tell from the look on her face that she knew it was for her.

Why I shouldn't attempt simple math

Firstly, thanks a HUGE bunch for all the anniversary well wishes. Thank you! From both me and DH!


I've always loved calculus, solving deriviatives and integrals. But, why is it that addition and subtraction elude me?

You may have noticed (or not!) that my ticker (just under my blog title) has been moving along a bit slow, but in the correct direction! That's OK, because I've been going for slow, steady weightloss. I realized this morning that my math was off by 5lbs.

I'm not totally hopeless as it seems with subtraction, because my bathroom scale is off. (It's always the scale's fault!) Whatever number you see when you step on, you must add 5 and that's your current weight. My ticker shows my net loss, and at some time, I started doing the same thing to that number. So, instead of -13, I'm actually at -18.

This is why DH won't let me near the checkbook!


My weightloss has been slow, but for good reason (the -18 is since the end of July). I really haven't posted much about it, just updated my ticker each week. I've tried many fad diets over the years, with the last one being Atkins, on which I actually lost about 50 pounds, but got tired of the menu and gained 28 back after stopping.

I've done a lot of thinking recently about why most diets don't work for me. Based on this, I've decided that I didn't want to do any fad diet, not follow a program that I have to pay for or deny myself foods I really like. They just don't work for me. I have years of my life to prove that.

So, I decided to go with the most basic (but hardest for me) approach - portion control. This means working with the brain and once and for all recalibrating it. After most meals, I would leave the table uncomfortably full. The brain would think I needed more food to satisfy my hungry feeling than I really did.


These are the two things that I think are my worst habits and have been working really hard to change:

1. No matter how hungry I am, I am still filling the same stomach (so being really, really hungry doesn't require more food than when moderately hungry)

2. No matter how good a food tastes, I don't need more of it to satisfy my hunger.


I've also found that, by working on the above, I've been thinking about food much less, and am just as happy only eating what my body really needs. I've also tried to eat more healthy, by adding more side salads and fruits to my diet and drinking more water. (It's amazing how much walking you can log just by walking to and from the ladies room a thousand times a day!) I do indulge in 'bad' foods when I want, too, just not as often and with a smaller serving size. I probably should be exercising more, but I really, really hate it, and am prefering to 'move more' than actually 'exercise'.

I'm far from perfect, and getting it totally right will take a long time, but this isn't a diet. I'm working on something to follow for the long haul.

We'll see how it goes! :o)

My Bestest Friend (or, The Kid in My Calc Class)

Once upon a time, back in January 1988, there was a young miss who attended her Linear Algebra classes at university. In one of the first classes, a cute boy came late to class and sat in the back of the classroom. She would sneak looks at him, only to see him not so subtly staring at her. She was smitten.

Her poor mother had to endlessly hear about this wonderful, stupendous 'Kid in My Calc Class', as he was referred, particularly the weekend she came home after seeing him talking to a girl, which obviously meant the girl had to be his girlfriend.
(She wasn't)

As fate would have it that evening, when she saw him talking to this girl (and, of course, he happened to look her way), she was walking out of the dorm to meet her Dad to go home for the weekend. It was late in the evening, so she had on her glasses, no makeup, totally straight, just-washed hair, her scrungiest sweats, and dragging a full laundry bag behind her. Oh, where was the nearest hole to crawl into?!?

January turned to February. Lots of staring went on during classes (When he actually showed up. It was a 9:00am class, afterall) and every so often they might utter a word to each other.

On February 29, 1988, they happened to be in the same computer lab, sat next to each other and actually struck up a conversation. When the lab closed, they walked back to their dorm and rode the elevator up. He came to her room with her, and they talked and laughed and joked the entire night, just like old best friends.

The next day, they decided they were a couple.

On October 10, 1998, they decided to keep each other for good.


The Kid in My Calc Class (circa 1989):



At the altar:

Crazy Cat Lady Exchange (Part 1)

I was so happy to read on Sylvie's blog that she received my package for the Crazy Cat Lady Exchange on The Robin's Nest BB! (And check out the adorable viedos of Plume!!)

I made her a kitty cat tote bag (DH even picked out the belting for the straps) so when she's out and about, not only can she carry her cross-stitch projects, but also proudly show the world that she's one of those crazy cat ladies!

Itchey and Abner wanted me to include a little something for Plume, too, so I made her some cat nip toys with some of the left over lining fabric. (I'm really glad those made it through customs and didn't get picked up by those drug sniffing kitties! ;o)




And the inside is lined with kitty fabric:

An update and a plan that's just ducky

This weekend has been one of studying for my Statistics exam (next Tuesday) with a little knitting thrown in to save what's left of my sanity. That's the nice thing about knitting, I could study a chapter, then do a row or two and get right back to studying. (Repeat as needed)

I was able to finish my one sock (and cast on the second), and get some more done on DSis's shawl. I do recommend, however, NOT to attempt knitting lace after the effects of Nyquil Sinus have begun to take hold. I had to spend a good hour first thing this morning correcting whatever "free form" knitting I was doing late Saturday night.

The lace is symmetrical, so I only pinned down 1/2 of it to show the design. Imagine the left half.




Panic is starting to set in about getting Anne's RR completed by the November 1st mailout date. Don't worry, this is just what I do. I also have a cow to do for Gill's quilt (I hope she hasn't given up on me! I'll be in the mail very, very soon, Gill, I promise!), and a scissor fob for an exchange at The Robin's Nest.

Since we're not having class after our exam, I won't have anything going on until the following Tuesday, so, I'm doing an extended Stitch-A-Thon. Sounds like a plan.

Mom and Mum

Mom is DH's and Mum is mine. (Can't tell you how many birthday cakes we had to have the top of the 'o' scraped off because someone made my Mum a Mom! :o)

Here's the progress on the Mom (blue feather and fan) and Mum (gray lace) scarves:




Also, a plea to all of you HTMLettes out there, can someone email me (or comment) the code needed to add a web link to an image. (For example, on the Socktoberfest jpeg, I'd like to add the link to the blog of the lady who's organized it)

Thanks!!!

UPDATE: I found that I was missing a closing ". Both buttons now have working links. Mischief Managed.

Me and My Sister

I've never introduced you all to DSis. You'd know we were sisters if you just saw our faces and talked with us. That's pretty much where the similarities end. I'm the Soccer Mom type (and darn proud of it!) happily settled in Surburbia. My sister, who is nine years my junior, loves non-stop excitement and is the Urban Girl. (She's the one who encouraged me to get my tattoo!) She's a psych nurse and I remember talking with her one night on the phone after she got home where she told me excitedly that she was briefly taken hostage by a patient. (I'd be looking for another job ASAP! For her it was all in a day's work.) For as different as we are, however, we're thick as theives and any time we talk, we're laughing and are totally goofy! She now has an office position, and rarely does a work day go by that we don't email each other at least 100X.

It was funny, she texted me this past Saturday night, saying 'Hi' from her pub-crawl with some friends. I was happily at home, in my jammies, ripping CDs to my laptop, while knitting, kitties sitting with me and I could hear the engines of DH's plane roaring in his den above the Parlour...


DSis has been a long time Detroit Redwings fan, so to celebrate her highschool graduation in '95, we went to 'The Joe Lou' for a Redwings game. (Wow, what a hockey town!) This picture (a picture of a picture, sorry for the crappy quality) is of us right before we left. (I'm the one at the wheel)




Recently, she worked really hard to lose 50 pounds and now she's a tiny size 4. (She's my inspiration!) This picture was taken at The Race for a Cure in 2005. I love this picture! It reminds me of an Audrey Hepburn paparazzi shot. I even had an 8.5X11 print made that she autographed for me and it's hanging in my cubicle at work. I can't tell you how many times someone has stopped to look at the picture, trying to figure out who it is. (I always tell them she's a Victoria's Secret model ;o)




Anyways, the point (and there really is a point) is that last night I cast on for her Christmas present. While texting her during her Saturday evening activities, I subtly asked her if she had something that was knitted lace, would she prefer a scarf or a shawl? She'd like a shawl, hypothetically speaking, of course! (I'm so glad, I've never knit a lace shawl before!)



This design is the Swallowtail Shawl from the fall issue of Interweave Knits. Carolyn was my inspiration. (You must check out her blog - her knitting is gorgeous, and she's only been knitting for a couple years!)

I'm knitting this using Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud (same yarn as my Mum's gray scarf) in Iris, which is a beautiful amethyst color, DSis's favorite, on US#5 circular needles. (I may have to switch to a less slippy needle, like bamboo) What you see in the picture is two hour's worth of work, and with some figuring and writing out of instructions. I was really surprised at how fast it went, much quicker than the scarf. Of course, this gets bigger as I go. The pinned side that's not on the needles is the top, which is the part closest to the model's ponytail.

Note: I wanted to share a podcast I found (and you can still listen over your PC if you don't have an MP3 player): KnitTunes. Maura has created a number of episodes with music conducive to knitting differnt types of projects. I listened to the Lace episode last night while working on DSis's shawl. I highly recommend tuning in!


And here is an update on the Widgeons. The big duck is almost complete, I've done some 'ground' and a little on the little duckie.