Things I think while I at work

1:25 p.m.
Do I have guacamole on my ass?

posted by Kristin @ 1:32 PM 0 comments

Breathing easy, one half-skein at a time

Please notice that to your right, Scribble Lace has been crossed off the list. This is mostly true. It's done, but I think I might need to tweak it before I hand it over. I'm still thinking.

You'll also notice that Clapotis still isn't finished. How could that be? I was cranking along on it just last weekend! I was 13 decreases away from the end.

Someone ran out of yarn. And when I say "someone," I mean "I am a dumbass."

Normally, this would not be a big problem. Except that this yarn was hand-dyed by Axelle. And she's not selling it anymore. And can you believe I didn't blow a gasket the evening of my birthday when I discovered I was almost out of yarn? Instead, I very calmly e-mailed the lovely Axelle and she responded tout suite that she had some half-skeins left that she could dye for me. Hurrah! Hurrah! I didn't post about it because I didn't want anything to jinx it, but the yarn arrived via Rodney today around 11 a.m. and I'm not worried anymore. I'm hoping to finish it up tonight, after I build my shrine to Axelle.

posted by Kristin @ 1:20 PM 0 comments

I can talk about it now because the tremors have stopped

So I'm in the bathtub Saturday night, reading some soft-core porn* while I prepare for a date with my suddenly-adventurous man, and the phone rings. I let the machine pick it up and I hear the following, "Kriiistin, it's Denise. I wanted to warn you about tomorrow. Put bells on your toes and your nose and anywhere else you can have bells. I volunteered you for a birthday party. And it'll be great and we'll have fun."

Click.

Huh.

The birthday party in question hosted seven little girls and one boy mistaken as a girl by yours truly, ages five through 11. The five year-old didn't learn to knit, but the six year-old did. And really, she was pretty good. Just kind of slow (one hour=20 stitches cast on). The parents were very nice and brought a cake and drinks and cucumber finger sandwiches. Which is totally what the kids want. So the assorted parents ate them.

It was a lot better than I expected, and a lot less stressful than the usual Learn to Knit class. But they kids? They had acrylic yarn. I'm always all, "I love Red Heart - I make all of my blankets out of it. It washes really well and it's cheap." But I used some of the kids' yarn - Bernat or something - and I swear to god, it was like fingernails on a chalkboard. Egh. It makes me shudder even now.

* The soft-core porn? The Webs catalog. Hardcore would be, of course, Patternworks. And Herschnerr's would probably be a fetish magazine or something. Not that you can't find perfectly acceptable things in Herschnerr's, but there are a whole lot of felt-and-glue items.

posted by Kristin @ 11:07 AM 2 comments

All I'm sayin', pretty baby

The week is over! Hurrah! Hurrah! I cleaned my whole apartment! I even mopped! Hurrah! Hurrah! Roo's new wheel came! Hurrah! Hurrah! It's blue and red! His cage is purple, green and yellow! Boo. And I'm listening to The Pixies and I changed my sheets and I'm going to have weenies for dinner and I get to go to Target and IT'S SNOWING!

posted by Kristin @ 7:15 PM 0 comments

My eye? It hurts.

It's Friday, it's Friday, la la la la la and I can't wait to go home and finally clean my house and clean the mouse's house and then I'm going to put all my yarn ALL OF IT on the floor and roll around in it because I could use some fiber therapy.

What I would like to do this weekend (in no particular order):
1. Spin. It's been awhile, and I bought the latest issue of Spin-Off last night and I'm feeling the urge to drop my spindle every few minutes.
2. Finish the scribble lace so we can hang it up at the shop. Some high schoolers were staring at me last night at Barnes and Noble while I was working on it and I wanted to beat them over the head with my 17 US Addis.
3. Start some toe-up socks, ala Lucy Neatby.
4. Bobbi? Bobbi Bear?
5. Finally take the Peace Fleece off my clothesline (yes, it's still there from when I showed it to you two weeks ago) and wind it.
6. Sleep.

What I will most likely do this weekend (in no particular order):
1. Sleep

posted by Kristin @ 9:06 AM 5 comments

Hey there, Chief - you're an idiot

WHY DO I EAT FRITOS? WHY? THEY ARE NO DIFFERENT IN SCOOP FORM. AND I ALWAYS THINK I'M GOING TO THROW UP AFTERWARDS. NO. MORE. FRITOS.

posted by Kristin @ 7:42 PM 1 comments

Things I Think at Breakfast

"Oh, wow, we just made disgusting."

posted by Kristin @ 10:43 AM 0 comments

It's ridiculous to even think I did this by myself

But I did! I redid my site, added a banner, made some buttons and linked some buttons all on my very own! In under two hours (spread out - people have jobs, you know). I win, I win. I'm trying to get the green of the background to match the green in the banner, but that's proving a little hard - I think the colors are hard-coded in. If they're not, I must be blind. Which isn't entirely out of the question.

(To pre-empt any questions, the quote from the banner is taken directly from the birthday card Roo, shown at left, gave me. He's real big on personal sentiments.)

I'm hungry. Which shouldn't be happening, since I had a big lunch including cheesecake and pine nuts (not all at the same time). But I am. Knitting FREAKING HUGE slippers must take more energy than I thought.

I'm indeed working on some FREAKING HUGE slippers. Gifts. I'm going to make myself a pair, too, but I want the gifts to be finished first. Beth was so not kidding when she said one slipper takes two hours. I mean, you can't even finish a washcloth in that amount of time.

I am such a bitch.

posted by Kristin @ 8:52 PM 5 comments

Happy birthday to me!

I threw myself a birthday party at The Yarn Shop yesterday afternoon. Justin offered to put together something for me a few weeks ago, but I decided that my perfect birthday would be spent knitting with my friends. So I did.


We happily took over the classroom at the shop and painted vinyl Daisy Bags from Timeless Totes before we settled down to knit.


There was a lot of concentration and a lot of Windex.


The big purple chair I'm sitting in (which I adore), is covered with the Ab Fab I made before the shop opened.


Kim made yet another delicious confection - this time a white cake with whipped cream icing, covered with sprinkles and filled with jam and rum. There wasn't a single crumb left.

It was a great party - it's so much fun to see all of my friends laughing and knitting together.

Justin and I had a nice dinner at Carraba's after that, and then some friends came by his place for snacks and Gamecube.

I've never had a more exhausting birthday, but it was so much fun. Now I'm trying to put my house back together. Justin kindly removed the carboard box jungle from my living room, and I think all that's left to do is clear off the kitchen table and vacuum. And then sleep for days and days and days.

posted by Kristin @ 9:22 PM 6 comments

Every party needs a pooper that's why we invited you George Baaaanks

On this, the eve of my birth, I woke up sad. It's been a few days coming, and then I just had a dream about Roo getting so small that he disappeared (now he just hoisted himself onto the keyboard - I think he has something to say). It's strange how attached I've become to him in the past year, considering our rocky start and that he's turned into a horrible teenager. (Now he's sitting in my lap, washing his face.) But we're buddies, so for Roo, I'm going to try to cheer up.

I'm going to take a shower. I'm going to eat some cereal and do my daily crossword. And then, I think, I'm going to watch The Muppet Show.

posted by Kristin @ 6:52 AM 2 comments

I noticed the stars on my way to and from Knit Night tonight. The stars are always there, and I'm often out when they are. We never take much notice of one another. But these were the stars from three (already? three?) summers ago, the stars that kept me cool during the hot nights in a -30 degree sleeping bag for protection from black widows and brown recluses, the stars that introduced me to Sampson, my golden retriever companion to the porta potty and back, the stars that watched over my campers as they slept, the stars that gave me enough light to unwrap Colin from that tree. As I looked at those stars tonight, I could only think, "What am I doing?"

I don't know. I don't know. But I've got to change it. I don't know what that means or how I'm going to do it. All I know is I need to get back to those stars.

posted by Kristin @ 10:38 PM 0 comments

A new feature!

We (me) here at Spinning Athena (speaking of which, should I change the name? Thoughts?) have decided to start a new feature: Things I Think While At Work. I hope I don't get sued.

10:40 a.m.
I have more lipstick than...Jesus?

posted by Kristin @ 10:41 AM 3 comments

Everyone wins with e-commerce. Nobody wins when you play games with traffic safety.

Dear Internet,
I love you. In the past two weeks, from the comfort of my chair-that-came-with-my-computer-desk, I've purchased a mess of yarn, tiny sheet protectors, two pairs of shoes, some buttons, birth control and Prozac.

Internet, you have saved me from the general public, and I thank you for that.

(And my shoes? Amazing.)

Love,
k

posted by Kristin @ 7:36 AM 1 comments

The post where I become a photo-whore.

Pictures! Lots of 'em! Can you tell I've been in the house in my pajamas ALL DAY LONG?

First of all, the most important, a gift from my Secret Pal! Yay, Secret Pal! I was worried about you.


A lamb Pez dispenser, Lantern Moon needle case (absolutely gorgeous) and two skeins of Lamb's Pride fuschia. Thank you, Secret Pal! I already have a plan for that yarn.

And here's what I did all day.

I'm going to make this:

Accordian from Knitty.

I ordered a mess of Peace Fleece from Knit Pixie. I've never used it before, but like I said before, Beth said I had to wash it first. So I did.


Before washing. The orange will be the main color of the body, with green and fuschia edging.


This is what the fiber looked like before washing.

The washing was pretty simple. I filled the bathtub with some warm water, put in a few drops of dish soap, and unknotted the skeins. They had a nice soak in the soap and I worked it through the yarn, and then they had two rinsing baths.


Apres bath.

After the bath, I cringed and put all ten skeins into some pillowcases and spun it dry in my washing machine. By God, it worked. Woo-hoo! I was so scared something would felt.


Drying in the luxurious space that is my laundry closet.

And look what happened!


Look how much it bloomed! It's a lot softer, too. The only downside is that my apartment now smells like a sheep farm after a big storm. Mmm, wet wool.

What is Peace Fleece? For my non-knitting friends, it's wool made through collaboration between the former USSR and USA, using fiber from both parties to make something beautiful.


The Peace Fleece label.

I don't know when I'll get around to make this, since I'm currently on a little-project/finishing binge, but I'm very excited to wear it next fall, so that can be a goal. Of course, wearing it in February would be nice, too...

posted by Kristin @ 7:47 PM 4 comments

The first rule of Knit Club is "Don't talk about Knit Club."

Gretchen said that Thursday and I totally didn't get it until last night when I watched Fight Club. Everyone said it was icky, but luckily, I was spending some quality time with Charlotte, so I didn't see the icky parts. I'm really good at keeping my head down when I sense impending blood.

My private lesson this morning was canceled. Woo! It would have been fun - she wanted to learn to do socks on four needles - but this means I don't have to get out of my pajamas ALL DAY. (She has a bad cold, so we're going to reschedule, which is really too bad because she was so excited.)

Justin is out of town this weekend - his great aunt died, and the funeral is today. He left last night, but I did get to see him before he left. It's so weird to me that I can kiss him goodbye at 7:00 and then he'll call me at 10:00 in a completely different city, hundreds of miles away. We both have the day off Monday, which I'm very much looking forward to.

Oh oh! Roo is up! I think he really like music. Or else he wants part of my breakfast.

My yarn from Knit Pixie came, and it's absolutely perfect. I'm going to give it a bath today, per instructions from Beth. I should probably also give some of my sweaters a bath, too. I was going to buy some Euclan the other night, but then Caroline told me that she doesn't use it, she just uses regular soap, and she's the best knitter I know. Most prolific, too. And I want to be just like Caroline.

posted by Kristin @ 8:59 AM 2 comments

The word "anger" doesn't even scratch the surface.

Remember when I was mad last week because of the ice storm and I had to go to work? Multiple that by a trillion and you're halfway to where I am right now.

Here's a good idea: Let's have the girl with the scary-high bloodpressure for her age (who may have a heart attack, says the doctor) sit in the waiting room for ONE HOUR while she waits to get her blood pressure, and only her blood pressure, checked. Because she won't get angry or anything. In fact, let's put her in front of the receptionists, who keep looking at her for the entire hour, and let's not have them say ANYTHING. And then when she asks why the hell she's been there for so long, say, "Oh. I don't know if that nurse is here today."

YOU DON'T KNOW IF SHE'S HERE?

So then take her back to the lab and have her blood pressure checked by someone else, someone who doesn't have the authority to say, "Hey, looks like you don't need that medicine that you can't afford anymore," and send her on her way TWO MINUTES LATER. And let's make her pay a $10 co-pay, because that's the only cash she has. SERIOUSLY.

And when she gets back to her office (an hour and a half late, thankyouverymuch) and she calls the office manager to complain, make her sit on hold for FIFTEEN MINUTES and then have the office manager, who doesn't have the clearest accent, say, "Well, that nurse is out sick today." LIKE I GIVE A FUCK.

posted by Kristin @ 10:45 AM 1 comments

Hey, she told me to do it.

FOUR NAMES YOU GO BY:
1. Kristin
2. Kristo
3. Buelly (back in the day)
4. Kid

FOUR SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD:
1. ezleamusd
2. kristinbuel
3. kab5e2 (I know! Thank you, Mizzou!)
4. yeah, that's it

FOUR THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. The way I can make myself laugh
2. I'm a good friend, I think
3. My brain. I'm pretty smart.
4. My breasts. They're fabulous.

FOUR THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. I'm very sensitive, and it would be a lot easier just to get drunk and forget about everything, but I can't do that. I internalize.
2. I tend to be somewhat self-destructive.
3. I hate having depression. I've tried to "come to terms with it" or whatever the counselor and I worked on for an entire semester, but I can't. It sucks. It's horrible and it hurts everyone around you and sometimes I cry and cry and cry and it is never. going. away.
4. I can be very territorial when it comes to Justin.

FOUR PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:
See, the thing is, I don't believe in all of that heritage stuff. Unless you're like, first generation American-born. Because anything else and you're pretty much American. Why is it that Americans are so quick to say they're actually some other nationality? Because you're not.

FOUR THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
1. Dying
2. The underside of boats
3. Trying to call Justin and not knowing where he is for, like, five hours. Same with my parents.
4. Arthritis

FOUR OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:
1. Chapstick
2. Water. Lots and lots of water.
3. A snuggle from Justin. The days are a lot worse without one.
4. A day without knitting is like a day when I just start knocking people down with my car because WHY CAN'T YOU DRIVE LIKE A NORMAL PERSON?

FOUR THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:
1. Green robe splattered with toothpaste
2. Aquis (hi, Dave!) towel
3. What can I say?
4. I'm an after-shower blogger. Just be happy I showered.

FOUR OF YOUR FAVORITE BANDS OR MUSICAL ARTISTS (of all time):
1. Stevie Wonder
2. Alicia Keys
3. Joss Stone
4. *NSYNC

FOUR OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS (of all time):
1. "What I Like About You" The Romantics
2. "Centerfold" J. Geils Band
3. "Interjections" School House Rocks
4. "Uptight" Stevie Wonder

FOUR NEW THINGS YOU WANT TO TRY IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS:
1. Write. Because I used to and people said I was pretty good and it felt good and I need to do more of that.
2. Take a pottery class
3. Figure out that whole life thing
4. I would really like a massage

FOUR THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP
1. Laughter
2. Security
3. Shared goals and ideals
4. Really good hair

FOUR THINGS ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX (or same) THAT APPEAL TO YOU:
1. Hair. I'm really big on hair. Good thing Justin is, too.
2. Lips. Thin lips just don't do it for me. I have to be able to imagine - nay - yearn to kiss them.
3. Has to be taller than me.
4. And he has to make me laugh. Now, Justin makes me laugh when he doesn't try. Because if you've talked to Justin? His jokes aren't funny. He's the only one who laughs. But when he doesn't try, he's hysterical.

FOUR OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES:
1. Knitting
2. Crosswords
3. Reading
4. Napping

FOUR THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:
1. Skip work
2. Dry my hair
3. Put Roo in my pocket. He hates that.
4. Dance to Outkast. So hang on while I do that.

FOUR CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING:
1. 3rd grade teacher
2. Writer. Of any kind. But not the sucky kind.
3. Mom.
4. I would LOVE to be an editor of a knitting magazine. Swoon.

FOUR PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:
1. Park City, UT. I always want to go there.
2. Greece
3. London
4. The Cayman Islands

FOUR GIRLS' NAMES:
1. Lily
2. Jane
3. Ellie
4. Beyonce?

FOUR BOYS' NAMES:
1. Jack
2. Fat Charlie
3. Lance the Lamb
4. Johnny Depp

FOUR THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:
1. Get married
2. Have children
3. Laugh every day
4. Knit all of my yarn

FOUR WAYS I AM STEREOTYPICALLY A BOY:
1. Yeah, I'm not real big on showering. But Mary Barton taught me that "Whether or not you shower or not, you need to not smell." And I take that to heart.
2. I have a quick temper.
3. I don't like to cuddle afterwards.
4. I like to tromp around in big boots.

FOUR WAYS I AM STEREOTYPICALLY A CHICK:
1. I refuse to drink beer
2. I cry a lot. I'm all about the crying.
3. I love all animals and try to take them home, even polar bears.
4. I KNIT. HOW STEROTYPICAL IS THAT?

TEN CELEBRITIES I'D TOTALLY DO (in no particular order):
1. Johnny Depp
2. Justin Timberlake
3. Judd Law
4. Taye Diggs
5. Brad Pitt (Damn you, Oceans 12 and 13 for changing my stance on him)
6. Orlando Bloom
7. For some reason, I think I had a dream last night where I referred to Michael Keaton as "a very sexy older man." And so let's go with that.
8. Johnny Knoxville
9. Did I mention Johnny Depp? Oh. Then...Michael Vartan, when he was in "Never Been Kissed"
10. And, um, the kid who plays Harry Potter. I CAN'T HELP IT!

FOUR PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO TAKE THIS QUIZ NOW:
1. Jennifer
2. Elizabeth
3. Kate
4. Abby

posted by Kristin @ 7:45 AM 4 comments

Appreciating the finer things. Like J-Lo.

I am greatly appreciative of anything that makes me remotely happy these days, which is why I bring you: Napster. Since I downloaded my little friend last night, I have become reacquainted with such I'm-not-going-to-buy-the-whole-album favorites J-Lo, Jay-Z and Destiny's Child. And the new Britney song (yes, the Bobby Brown one), but that's only because I already have all the other songs on that CD and I don't really need it. Roo seems to be a big fan of Destiny's Child.

My awesome MP3 player is actually Napster/Best Buy brand, and it came with a two-month free trial and ten free songs. And the songs are regularly only about a buck. Unfortunately, I can't find "99 Problems," but I won't give up. Well, they have the acapella version, but I want the music, too.

I don't talk a lot about music on my blog because that's kind of my boyfriend's forte. And I'm not nearly as snobby as he is about it. But I love music and I would love to sign the petition to stop Ashley Simpson's music career, if only I wasn't too lazy to search for it. I love me some good dance music, especially Britney and J-Lo (but not when she's in love, that's horrible music), and I think that's all people know about me. Especially my penchant for *NSYNC. But I'd like to point out that the first half of Charlotte was knit entirely while listening to a Pixies' mix and The Postal Service, and Earth, Wind and Fire's greatest hits haven't left my car since Justin gave me the CD before Christmas. And I listen to Joss Stone when I get ready in the morning and when I cook dinner. And my favorite song of ALL FREAKING TIME is The Romantics' "What I Like About You." If you don't like that song, I don't like you.

posted by Kristin @ 7:22 PM 5 comments

Someone please stop this mouse before he gnaws his entire cage like one giant cob of corn

Dear Roo,
I know that I might not be the best mousekeeper in town, but come on, is it that bad? You've turned into Crazy-Spider-Type-Boy-Who-Refuses-To-Let-His-Paws-Touch-The-Ground and I'd love to put you in your ball for awhile so I can freshen things up a bit, but I'm afraid you would chew me up with a side of soy ball. Take a Xanax or something, will you?

Love,
That lady who's been staring at you for the past hour and a half because you are a FREAK

posted by Kristin @ 7:58 PM 0 comments

The plight of Roo.

I seeeeeeeeee you.


Hey! I'm hungry! Give me food or I'll climb all over this cage!


Please?

posted by Kristin @ 8:18 PM 2 comments

Finished socks!

Mine are knit using one circular in Wildfoote Brilliant Bouquet, using a pattern from Lucy Neatby's Cool Socks, Warm Feet. (This yarn came from a guild garage sale, hence the name "Garage Sale Socks.") His were done on four dpns in Wool Ease, using a free Lion Brand pattern.


It's a good thing I don't have a foot fetish.

posted by Kristin @ 8:14 PM 1 comments

Bad dreams abound

I don't like being awake earlier on a Saturday than I am on the weekdays. But I do like being awake when Roo is awake, which is rare. He's all hopped up on something and is just so adorable and ready to play.

Justin and I saw Kinsey last night. We were going to see Sideways, but a few things happened: I was late getting home from work and the gym (I didn't even really make it home - I met him for dinner because it would take too long to get to my apartment) because of horrible traffic and the line at Chipotle was, as usual, really long. So we get to the theater just as Sideways is starting. It was in a tiny little theater and there was literally nowhere to sit. So we movie hopped. WE MOVIE HOPPED. I've never done it before and I loved it. Of course, the Kinsey theater was very near empty.

It was such a good movie. I remember learning all about Alfred Kinsey during my Human Sexuality class and I am very, very thankful for him. Liam Neesen and Laura Linney were very good, but I thought they were too old to play young professor/college student at the beginning of the movie. But anyway, I really liked it. (Mom, don't let Dad watch it. He won't like it at all.)

I think Roo was a crazy jungle monkey in another life. Or Evil Knivel.

posted by Kristin @ 6:23 AM 2 comments

B. U. T. Ful.

Okay, I showed off my new stash at Knit Night, so I'm free to show the world (I would never dare show new things before I could tempt Jennifer in person).


Manos and Wildfoote. Mmm.


Manos, up close and personal. (And the sparkly stuff in the background? Not the night sky - my parents' kitchen island.)



Cherry Tree Hill Supersock.


Classic Elite Lush, 50% angora, 50% wool. This picture doesn't even begin to capture the color. It's a soft, mossy green. And I want to eat it.

And in Things I Finished news, the Phone Sox, a somewhat delayed Jesus-birthday gift for Justin, are finished. Pictures to come.

(As I wrote that, Roo hopped onto the bars of his cage and started gnawing and climbing like his life depended on it. I think he's jealous. But this is his wild time of night. And if I made him socks, I think he would eat them.)

posted by Kristin @ 10:55 PM 2 comments

Yes, I have a problem. And I don't care.

I stumbled upon a GREAT new online-only yarn shop last night - Knit Pixie. Reasons why I adore this store and why it'll be the first place I'll look for awesome yarns I can't get here:

1. Amazing selection of yarns not in this area. Peece Fleece (which, I, um, bought), Blue Sky Alpaca, and more I can't remember now. They're going to get some hand painted stuff starting this month. And they also carry patterns by independent authors. Woo!

2. A great site design. It's so easy to navigate and the picture colors are great (they use a "true light" when taking pictures of the yarn, so they color shouldn't be very different when you actually receive it).

3. Fair prices and $5 shipping anywhere in the US. I always want to buy things, but then the shipping is too high (Amazon, I'm looking at you) and so I back out at the last minute. Not here.

4. Super customer service. I signed up for an account so I don't have to fill in my shipping info again, made my order, and had my reciept in my e-mail instantly. Also, they're out of stock of one of the colors I ordered. Missa e-mailed me to ask if I wanted what I could get now or wait until early next week when the rest of it comes in. And they're so nice and helpful and I, my friends, am in love.

posted by Kristin @ 7:14 AM 0 comments

And now for something completely different.

I'm trying to put more than one photo in a post. I like Hello, but sometimes I also like a little more freedom in the layout. Ren. E. Gade.


My dad's sweater. Pattern concocted from Ann Budd's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns. Six skeins of Arcuna Nature Wool on Denise 7's.


Bathing in the sunlight. I really liked that the colors didn't stripe, but they didn't exactly pool, either. The only bad part about this yarn is trying to skein it - it really sticks to itself.


Raglan detail. I love the way a raglan decrease looks.

Woo-hoo! It worked! It took a few steps, but I did it. Biggest accomplishment of the day.

posted by Kristin @ 4:26 PM 1 comments

Madder than hell

I. AM. HAVING. A. MAD. DAY.

The short version: Ice storm. Boyfriend doesn't have to work. I do. My car is frozen shut. (Boyfriend, luckily, is darling and de-iced it for me after he woke up at 11 a.m.)

I believe, however, that we can go home soon because the weather is getting worse. When that happens, I will post a ton of pictures and tell you why I have the best boyfriend EVER (he's taking me to San Francisco! To go to ImagiKnit! And he got me a Yarn of the Month Club subscribtion there! Okay, so I guess I just told you.)

posted by Kristin @ 1:35 PM 1 comments

I am very, very proud of the sleeves. I didn't even try, but the increase ribs matched up into perfect V's when I seamed the edges. A-mazing. 

posted by Kristin @ 9:52 PM 2 comments

Cable detail. This is actually my first cabled project. Can I mention that it took nine months to make? Because it did. 

posted by Kristin @ 9:51 PM 0 comments

Full body shot, baby. The back and front are the same. 

posted by Kristin @ 9:51 PM 0 comments

My mom's Christmas sweater. Bed & Breakfast Pullover by Kathy Zimmerman, Interweave Knits, Winter, 2003. Knit with nine skeins of Cascade 220. 

posted by Kristin @ 9:50 PM 0 comments

Impasse

I don't know what to knit. Everything I'm working on is for myself. My yarn secretly reproduced while I was gone, and it's spilling off the little bookshelf and onto the floor, IKEA chair, into shopping bags - it's overwhelming.

Why does a new year bring so much expectation and, eventually, disappointment? Justin and I agree that New Year's Day is probably the saddest holiday of them all. I feel the need to be organized, calm, adjusted to being back home after only 24 hours and in full control of the coming year. Instead, I feel the way I did when all that Kureyon tumbled onto Carol's head today during inventory - I want to catch it and make everything okay, and I know I should and not make a mess, but there was just too much and it was actually pretty fun. And God love Carol - she thought it was fun, too.

Even Roo is in kind of a poopy (hah!) mood. He's so sleepy and I think he misses Penny. Or else he's living in fear that she's in the next room.

Positive things about January and being back in Kansas City:
1. My birthday is in 20 days.
2. Knit Night!
Is this a bad sign that I'm having trouble thinking of positive things?
3. New calendars: Mary Englebreit in my kitchen, Golden Retrievers for my cube, a daily crossword, a daily Get Fuzzy for work, and the Knitting 2005 day-by-day (thank you so much, Elizabeth! I love it!)

Yeah. That's all I have.

posted by Kristin @ 9:40 PM 0 comments

Uh-oh! Looks like little Henri hitched a ride back to OPK. He looked so cold by the pond that I couldn't say no... 

posted by Kristin @ 7:35 PM 1 comments

Happy New Year, from the Sofia Coppola champaign we had at Biaggi's last night. Complete with straw still in the wrapper! 

posted by Kristin @ 7:33 PM 0 comments