Knitter in Progress

Not a lot of finishes this year; I don't see my output increasing too much over 2007 either. As the kiddos get bigger life gets busier. Knitting: (1)Jaywalker socks--Steinbach Wolle Aktiv Color 100--pattern Magknits (Jaywalker KAL) (2) 2 mini sweaters--leftover sock yarn--pattern from Last Minute Knitted Gifts (3) Novelty garter stitch scarf--gift yarn (4) Hooded Sweater--Plymouth Encore Worsted--Debbie Bliss(Vogue Knitting on the Go) (5) Raglan Sweater--Plymouth Encore Worsted--Knitting Pure and Simple (6) Sweetheart Hat--JS yarn--She Ewe Knits freebie(Norwegian KAL) (7) Afghan squares(3)--Cascade 220 Superwash--"pebbles" from 100 Afghan squares to knit(a gift for Michele's wedding) (8) Hooded T--Classic Elite Flash--Artful Yarns pattern (9) Nancy Drew socks--Trekking XXL(110)-- Teri's pattern(for Trek Along with Me KAL) (10) 2 mini stockings--leftover sock yarn--one pattern from the Interweave Holiday Issue(2006) and one from the SOCKS book. (11) Hat--Lorna...

PMS induced RANT ahead--proceed at your own risk. Okay, I've tried VERY hard to restrain myself from venting about the--excuse my language--piss poor snow plowing job here. If you recall, last week we were "blessed" with 33 inches of snow. They didn't plow our street until mid Friday and then they only plowed a one lane path(leaving a good car length between the end of driveways and the actual plowed path)and don't get me started on the joy of having to back up if another car was coming because if you tried to move to the side you got stuck. I didn't complain--we dug out to the path and dealt with the challenges it brought. Today--when I'm not sure--they plowed "lane two" leaving the lovely 2.5 foot pile of snow down the middle of the road(preventing anyone from turning into their driveways without--you guessed it--getting stuck in the f-ing snow bank). This pic was from my cell phone; hence the poor quality. I was afraid I'd throw my camera ...

Now … Year in Review meme The drill: Go back through your blog and post the first sentence of the first entry in every month. January: What do I want to accomplish knitting, stitching, writing, and life wise this year? February: : This week's SBQ was inspired by my visit with Dawn and is: With the exception of your online stitching friends, do you have any other stitching buddies? March: Where in the World? April: Here are a few buttons you can use to proudly display your Stashalong Survivor success. May: Magic Witch--9760 stitches June: Drum roll please. . . I have chosen #110, the orange colorway, (I really want to see what it looks like knitted up). July: Storykeeper was my Project Spectrum focus piece for June. August: Howdy--long time, no blog! September: Okay--here's what I'd like to accomplish knitting/stitching wise this month. October: This will be my second year participating in Socktoberfest and I've set myself up with quite an ambitious sock schedul...

Merry Christmas, everyone! During the holiday season, I find myself thinking of holidays past. This ornament reminds me of my Grandmother. She loves cardinals--loves them. They always remind me of her and I find myself buying cardinal things because of her. She always fed them her in backyard. She had three pairs that came by on a regular basis. Their color always captivated me; they are such beautiful birds. I'll never forget when one of her cats brought her a present--a beautiful, red, dead cardinal--seriously, it's the first time I saw that she was capable of murder--that cat almost lost all of it's nine lives. Needless to say he didn't go after a cardinal again ;) She has to spend this Christmas in a rehab center because she broke her arm and needs physical therapy. I always think of her over the holidays. Her cooking(the delicious smells, the "Granny slices" which were usually a quarter of the cake or pie) , the way she decorated, all the effort...

Here you have it. 33 inches of snow. Tuesday we went to bed to dry roads. Wednesday and Thursday brought continuous snowfall leading to the grand total of 33 inches. Luckily I went out early Wednesday morning to pick up some supplies(mostly for the kiddos) and the drive home was dicey at best--thank God for four wheel drive. Today DH and I spent the day shoveling--now if they would only plow our street. Shoveling almost three feet of snow does no good if there is still three feet in the street, you know. In other news, I upgraded to the "New-no longer Beta-Blogger" which took ALL day to upgrade, by the way. The jury is still out; I'm cautiously optimistic.

Pattern : The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns by Anne Budd Yarn : Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Springer Needles : 16 inch size 4 and size 4 dpns

I didn't plan on starting anything new until later in the month BUT(famous last words) this was just screaming at me and it was too loud to ignore. I mean, I had the fabric, the floss, and the time(well maybe not the time but I made the time). Here's how far I got over the weekend: Piece : Blackstone Fantasy Garden Designer : Ink Circles Fabric : 28 count Antique White Jobelan Stitched : 2 over 2(for the Celtic Knots), 1 over 2(for Blackwork) Started : December 7, 2006 Modifications : If you look at the orignal, you'll gather pretty quickly that mine doesn't match. I'm attempting to change the colors. So far I've substituted DMC 803 and 814 for Carrie's Creation Threads in "Coffee" and "Gator Green". Those are the only two solids I'm using everything else will be varigated DMCs. I'll post the specifics once I get to each color. Just some random thoughts on this. It's been quite a while since I stitched 2 over 2 and...

My red sweater. I want to get it done and I HAD made great strides in that direction until. . .I bound off the bottom of the sweater and tried it on. It's shorter than I wanted it and I didn't like my bind off, SO I ripped back and I'm adding more length. I love the yarn(Cascade Quattro) and I love the pattern (Knitting Pure and Simple Men's pullover--I want it big). ******** I want to get back to stitching and I've had many things tempting me in that direction as well. Hopefully I'll have something to report next week--after the HAED General SAL. Did you ever notice what enablers we crafters are? I have purchased no less than 4 patterns this month because of some beautiful charts I saw on the HAED BB. And knitting. . .well it goes without saying that my stash wouldn't be nearly as large if it weren't for the pretty stuff I see with my knitting grrls(online and IRL). Even though it cuts into my budget(the kids don't NEED to eat, right?), I'...

Lifted from Kimberly (great name, by the way): 1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? I'm going with Hot Chocolate; although if I'm in the right mood I can put away a lot of eggnog. 2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Santa always wraps the presents(at least until Diva and Rage get bigger). 3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? WHITE--I had more than enough of colored ones in my youth. 4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope. 5. When do you put up your decorations? The day after Thanksgiving. 6. What is your favorite holiday dish? I don't think I have a favorite holiday 'dish'. I like cookies and all the yummy finger foods around the holidays. 7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? My favorite memories always revolved around the anticipation of the night before Christmas. I'd spend all night listening for Santa and it was even more magical if we woke up to fresh snow. 8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't remember, but I ...

What are your projects for this knitalong? I'm going to start with a pair of Latvian Mittens and move on from there. Is this your first colorwork project? If it isn't, what was your first, and has it survived the test of time? No, I've done three hats and a small bag. My first was a Dale of Norway hat. It's a little too big--my tension was off in it, but I love it just the same. Here it is: Dale of Norway Thunder Bay

I've been burning the midnight oil for this entire month(although I did take a couple days off) and it's paid off because I have completed my second novel for National Novel Writing Month. I've beat the sophomore slump and I'm thrilled!! I can't wait to make it three times next year :) Off to bask in the glory of my win(and get some sleep). Now I can fill my evenings with knitting and stitching again, because I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping too. Today is definitely a good day ;)

I've been up late writing(just like about every other night this month)and as I was logging in my numbers I stumbled across this. Let the countdown begin! Hopefully Book 7 will be out by then too. I'd heard a tentative date of July 7, 2007 for that.

I got Magic Witch back from framing on Tuesday. I broke down and had her put under museum quality glass--I normally don't put my pieces under glass when I have them framed. And in case you are wondering, yes I did have them put in spacers so the piece doesn't touch the glass. She's lovely sitting on my mantle. I'm finishing up the gridding on my new start--not telling what it is though--you'll have to keep an eye out for it's first appearance in December.

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop." The Midland The Northeast Philadelphia The South The West Boston North Central What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes Wow--eerily accurate for me. In my defense, I have not called "soda" "pop" since I left New York. Lifted from Cara

Booking Through Thursday Mary wants to know... Do you keep a list of books to read? Yes Where do you keep your list (computer, PDA, paper, etc.)? On a Post-It on the computer monitor--to remind me to get off the computer and read LOL How often do you refer to your list? Every time you go for a new book to read? When book shopping? Or? I see it whenever I go online and I update it as necessary. ***** Today's SBQ was suggested by Jan (http://www.alpinemeadow.com/stitchery/weblog/index.html) and is: How many different brands of "complete" embroidery floss sets do you own? How do you keep track of it? (i.e., spread sheet program, index cards, palm pilot, etc.) I only have a complete set of DMC and I have a print out of the floss list on the top of each of the four containers the floss is in.

I joined a new KAL and I already have two finishes for it. Two finishes and a new start I'm using my leftover sock yarn to make stocking/sweater/mitten ornaments for my Christmas tree. They are pseudo quick knits although that cabled stocking was a challenge(read pain in the butt). Underneath the stockings is a new start(which I really don't need by the way). It's the Danica scarf from Knitty made with Patons SWS(thanks Nachaele ). I've never done Entrelac before and it seems pretty easy. It's also great practice for picking up stitches. Sorry I've been MIA--I've been spending my time writing(at night) and working with Little Diva on reading. Things will hopefully get a little better in December(who am I kidding LOL). Colorado knitters--do you know of anyplace where I can get teeny tiny needles--like 00-0000? Don't ask what they are for yet--obviously something teeny tiny ;)

Laura tagged me for this one--I've done it before but I'll update. Here are 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 are any good but they must be songs you’re really enjoying right now! Post these instructions in your blog along with with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to. 1. Vertigo--U2 --Little Diva insists on listening to this(over and over) in the car. 2. Hung Up--Madonna I would NOT say I'm into this song--it serves a purpose 4 days per week***see below*** 3. Miss Murder--AFI 4. Love and Peace or Else--U2 5. Twisted Transistor--Korn 6. Miseria Cantara(The Beginning)--AFI --I like to listen to this one when I write. 7. Sin(Long Version)--Nine Inch Nails --you really didn't think I would make a list and not include at least one, did you? ;) Consider yourself tagged if you're interested :) ***I have no idea how Madonna snuck into the ...

Booking Through Thursday Yesterday, November 1st, began the annual NaNoWriMo challenge--where lots of marginally crazy people try to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. What do you think about that idea? Crazy? Inspired? Challenging? I think it's all of the above. I think there is a writer in everyone; you may not know what story you want to tell or how to get it out but it's there. Would you/Have you tried it yourself? In other years? (Or this one, in which case, shouldn't you be writing and not reading blogs?) I did it last year; see yesterday's post. I was introduced to it by my SP6 pal(the one I got to spoil), Jacqueline . And, clearly, I'm participating this year. And no I don't need to be writing right now. When it comes to my Nano writing I have to think like a vampire and only come out at night. Diva and Rage provide too many distractions during the day. I start writing after they go to bed and if things are flowing well I can meet my daily qu...

Sing along won't you? ;) It's that time already. Time for Nanowrimo 2006. Last year was my first year doing this and it was a blast!! There is something so liberating about disciplining yourself to write every day for a month. You let the story and the characters take you were they may with no worries about how it may sound later. Last year my story ended up being 65,190 words(although I was only a little over 50000 at the end of the month last year). And I only got a quarter of the way through my original outline. SO this year I though that I would write book 2--since my characters still have more to say and do. But then another idea popped into my head, so now I have a decision to make. I'll have to figure it out by tonight because in order to finish in time I have to do about 1666 words per day. Anyone else writing this year? Good luck to you if you are and if not, give it a shot(even if your story stinks at least your typing speed will improve LOL)

Happy Halloween!! Sorry the picture is dark, but it was the best way to let you see the spider. I still can't believe I carved that thing. Part 2

What Color is Your Brain? GREEN: At work or in school : I work best by myself. I like to focus on my ideas until my desire for understanding is satisfied. I am easily bored if the subject holds no interest to me. Sometimes, it is hard for me to set priorities because so many things are of interest. With friends : I may seem reserved. Although my thoughts and feelings run deep, I am uneasy with frequent displays of emotion. I enjoy people who are interesting and of high integrity. With family : I am probably seen as a loner because I like a lot of private time to think. Sometimes, I find family activities boring and have difficulty following family rules that don't make sense to me. I show love by spending time with my family and sharing ideas and interests. Take this quiz ! Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

HAED Magic Witch QS--finished 10/28/06 Stats: Piece--Magic Witch ACEO, S Butcher(artist), charted by Heaven and Earth Designs Fabric--25 count white lugana Stitches--1 over 1, full crosses, 31350 total Time--April 1, 2006-October 28, 2006

Booking Through Thursday Christine wants to know... Do you make notes in books as you read them? In college I did in everything I read. When I teach I make notes in the teacher's edition. In my personal reading, I rarely make notes in my books. Why or why not? In college it was a way of isolating important information. In teaching it's a way of emphasizing something I want to teach or knowing when to insert an activity. If you do, do you make notes only in certain kinds of books or all of them? In college and teaching, I made notes in both fiction and nonfiction. Now if I make notes in something it's usually nonfiction--like a knitting pattern book. Booking Through Thursday Do you read in bed? For how long? Do you fall asleep reading? Will a good book keep you up all night? Yes, I try to read every night for at least an hour. I have stayed up all night for a good book many times. Where do you keep your nighttime reading? Do you have a special table next to the bed? Ar...

Sorry I've been MIA this week. DH and Little Diva are on vacation, SO needless to say free time is few and far between. Also, I've been stitching like a fiend in hopes of having a happy dancing big finish by Friday! Today's SBQ was suggested by Vash (http://seasidestitcher.blogspot.com/) and is: Which way do you stitch, i.e. do you stitch /// followed by \\\ on top, or the other way around \\\ followed by ///? Are you left- or right-handed and do you think that this affects the way that you stitch? I stitch /// followed by \\\. I'm right handed but I don't think that makes a difference. I was taught to stitch right slant then left and that's what has stuck. This question looks familiar--did we have it before? If you were to come across a sampler chart that caught your eye and appealed to you, would you or would you not stitch it if it had a morbid or “creepy” saying on it? If not, why? Look who you're asking! Morbid. . .creepy. . .bring it on! That is...

Bailey(aka--BB) Kahlua(aka--Cracky) First--totally unrelated to stitching or knitting. I'd like to wish my kitties, Bailey(aka BB) and Kahlua(aka Cracky), a very Happy 10th Birthday! They are my first babies and now they are the senior citizens of our house :) If I can get them to sit still for a picture, I'll put it up(they still have loads of energy and it's difficult to catch them sitting still in the same place at the same time). Magic Witch 93.3% Magic Witch. . .still not done. Very close to being done--a mere 2090 stitches away. I have a new start already to take her place, but I refuse to start it until she is finished SO that's what I'll be working on this weekend.

One down, one to go! I have finished one of my peds and will be casting on for number two sometime this weekend. The yarn is STR Farmhouse. This yarn was actually already a sock that wore out on one of the heels so I reclaimed it for this project. I just love the colors in this colorway. I cannot wait until I finish Magic Witch(which is what is taking up a majority of my time), because I have the sock bug--bad. I want to start some more. I think my sock burn out is finally on the way out.

I promise that tomorrow I will have a Socktoberfest and Magic Witch post. This week has been crazy busy and next week doesn't promise to be any better with Diva and DH on vacation for the week. I guess we are heading into that time of year where things just start building up. I'm trying not to even think about November yet--holiday shopping, Thanksgiving, the usual grind, and Nanowrimo. Very busy. I lifted this from Laura : 48 Things You Could Care Less About 1. FIRST NAME? Kimberly 2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No. And my maiden name was the most unoriginal name ever--EVER I say. 3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? It doesn't take much to get me to cry if I'm in the right mood. I'd say in the last month. 4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? No, not anymore. I type almost everything and my handwriting has suffered(but my typing speed has much improved LOL). I really have to make an effort to have legible handwriting anymore. 5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? I'm no...

If all goes well, she will be done next week. I'm at 27480/31350 which means I only have 3870 stitches left!! Magic Witch 87.6% ***** Today's SBQ was suggested by Lee (http://lakestitcher.blogspot.com/) and is: As we all know, stitching in the winter can really be rough on the hands. What do you do to treat your hands well in the cold winter months? Do you have any suggestions for creams or soaps? Or perhaps a special regimen that you would like to share? I use Udderly Smooth, because it goes on smooth and absorbs quickly. I also like Oil of Olay Quench. That's really all I do to take care of my hands all year round, not just in the winter.

Here's my progress on my not pedestrian peds(these socks are in some reclaimed STR in Farmhouse): Socktober Socks I also bought some yarn(for my Stashalong free day in October)--all Lorna's Laces(3 skeins old Rose and 2 skeins of flames). The Old Rose is for Bayerishe(unless the yarn I ordered from another LYS comes in soon) and pink is not normally one of my colors but I need a light colored solid for the socks and October is Breast Cancer Awareness month so this yarn fits the bill for both! I have been coveting the Flames colorway forever--that and Black Purl are my Lorna's Laces favorites--now I finally have enough for some socks, I just need to find the perfect pattern. I ordered it from Yarn 4 Socks . They are giving a discount to all the Socktoberfest participants(see Lolly's blog for the code) and I have to raise my needles to them. They had great prices on Lorna's and they are super fast with shipping. So run, don't walk over there and order some So...

Since the finishing of Magic Witch is looming on the horizon, I am in the process of trying to come up with a rotation that would fit both my knitting and stitching habits. I need to find more of a balance but I still need to feel like I'm making progress on everything. Knitting is much faster than stitching so doing something like 2 weeks per project wouldn't work for me. Anyone have any ideas--anything that works well for you? UPDATE: Thanks for all your comments--they definitely gave me food for thought. Cynthia : If I don't have some sort of rotation/schedule, I get NOTHING done. Seriously, maybe it's the way my brain works or the fact that I have two kiddos that demand a boatload of my time and attention. Left to my own devices when I have free time, if I don't schedule something, I just sit and stare into space or at the TV and I hate wasting time. Laura , Dede , and Margene : I like all of your ideas and I think I'll probably come up with something...

Your Element Is Earth You excel at planning and strategizing. You could be a champ at chess or Survivor. Well grounded, you are able to be realistic and rationalize. On the inside, you have a hard core. It's tough to phase you. You are super productive, and you are able to think anything through. Focused and super charged, your instincts are a good guide for your next step. What's Your Element?

There are only so many hours in the day and although I pride myself on being able to get a lot done in a short amount of time, sometimes something has to give. This month it's been reading. I just haven't had time to read; I'll get through my second Poe and maybe Magician's Gambit and I'll have to be happy with that for the month. See, Cynthia , I can't do it all--even if I really, really want to ;P Here are my five choices for this latest challenge: (1) Magician's Gambit(Eddings) (2) Castle of Wizardry(Eddings) (3) Enchanter's Game(Eddings) (4) The Premature Burial(Poe) (5) The Pit and the Pendulum(Poe)--DONE--I've actually read this before(always read it in October when I was teaching school. Poe is perfect for Halloween short stories. Booking Through Thursday Tell us about a book that you had to read, but didn't want to, but that you ended up liking. Something for school, perhaps? A book from your Mom for Christmas that she insisted on you...

Well, I didn't get her done in September BUT she WILL be done before the end of this month and I guess it's fitting that I finish a witch cross stitch before Halloween :) Magic Witch 81.9% Today's SBQ was suggested by Sharon (http://crossstitchobsession.blogspot.com/) and is: When you find yourself making a lot of mistakes in various stitching projects do you find it better to muddle your way through or do you take a brief break from stitching? If you do take a break, how long do you take? When I start making a lot of mistakes I need to take a break. Usually the more tired/distracted I am the more mistakes I start making which frustrates me and gets me making even more mistakes. I usually need to put the piece down for at least a day or two. I'll try working on something else OR switch to knitting instead to give myself a stitching break.

When did you start making socks? I knit my first pair of socks in April 2004 My First Pair of Socks Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class? I taught myself how to use the double points and my Utah knitting group taught me how to turn the heel and some other tricks of the trade. My absolute favorite basic sock patterns are in the book/pamphlet, Classic Beginnings Socks for the Family by Michele Wyman. It's been my sock knitting bible from the beginning. What was your first pair? A basic top down sock made from some kind of Regia I believe. How have they "held up" over time? What would you have done differently? I still have them although the tension is too loose and they have lots 'o mistakes. I keep them and wear them to remind myself how far I have come. I'm not sure I would have done anything differently--my first pair of socks was a milestone for me. It was exhilarating, frustrating, rewarding--all at the same tim...

This will be my second year participating in Socktoberfest and I've set myself up with quite an ambitious sock schedule. There are three projects on deck so far: 1) The Not Pedestrian Ped pattern from Teri . I'm using some reclaimed Socks that Rock in the Farmhouse colorway for these. I actually got a headstart on them last night; it's the first time in a long time that I've spent the evening knitting instead of stitching and IT FELT GREAT!! 2) Arrgyle from Moth Heaven . I'm using some Knit Picks essential sock yarn in gray, burgundy, and black, as well as some of the bare superwash sock yarn. It will be my first time with intarsia, so that will be a challenge in and of itself. 3) Bayerishe from Eunny . I'm planning on using Lorna's Laces Shepherd sock in the turquoise color. I had to order the yarn and I'm just waiting for it to come in so I can start. And if you're looking for inspiration or a tutorial, hop over here for a gansey sock pat...

I decided to particpate in the HAED UFO SAL this weekend so that I could work on something besides Magic Witch(not that I don't like working on her, but I needed a little break). It was a great break--I LOVED it. I just love the blues in this piece and it goes sooooo fast after stitching Magic Witch which is loaded with confetti stitches(not that there is anything wrong with that). So here is what I ended up with: Storykeeper(3.6% OR 4800 stitches) Now it's back to Magic Witch until she is done :) Today's SBQ was suggested by Elisabeth (http://sew-in-love.blogspot.com/) and is: How many pieces have you stitched? I've been stitching off and on since I was 12, but I don't have that many finishes. I've done 5 Precious Moments, 2 Garfield, 12 Cherished Teddies(months of the year for a baby quilt), 1 Lavender and Lace, 3 random--craft store kits, and 1 Shepherd's Bush needleroll. I also have a bunch of WIP/UFOs. Out of these, how many have been for you? 1--on...

It's a bummer I was born a Pisces then. You Should Be A Virgo What's good about you: you have a quiet determination and aren't swayed by emotions What's bad about you: you are an insane perfectionist and easily find faults in others In love: you are obsessed with making your partner happy In friendship, you're: helpful and giving - eager to be a true friend Your ideal job: poet, flight attendant, or natural healer Your sense of fashion: casual, upscale, revealing, conservative - you look good in all of it You like to pig out on: a well prepared five course meal What Sign Should You Be?

Magic Witch 75% Moving right along on Magic Witch. 23700/31350 stitches done. I have had to amend my timeline on this one just a bit. The tentative finish date right now is October 19(I really want it done before Halloween and before HAEDs New Start SAL). Magic Witch will be taking a break this weekend as I work on Storykeeper for the UFO SAL. I am also making progress on my top down raglan as part of my Project Clean Sweep month--hopefully I'll have the body done soon(I have about 4 more inches before the ribbing), then just 2 sleeves and I'll have a nice red sweater for winter. Booking Through Thursday Do you tend to read more books written by one gender over the other? Yes If so, which one? Men? Or women? Is this a deliberate choice? Or just something that kind of happened? I tend to read more books by women, but it's not a deliberate choice. The story is more important to me than the sex of the author. And (without wanting to get too personal), is this your gende...

Tis that time of year again. Talk like a Pirate Day be here again, so grab a pint of grog and celebrate. Black Bess Cash speaks,"Do Capt'n Jack and t' rest o' t' Black Pearl Crew(or is it Black Purl to all ye pirate knitters out thar?) proud on this joyous day o' all days! Dress in your pirate finery and show t' lubbers out thar what good pirates ye be."

Your Hair Should Be Purple Intense, thoughtful, and unconventional. You're always philosophizing and inspiring others with your insights. What's Your Funky Inner Hair Color?

Magic Witch 73% I am definitely heading into the final laps with Magic Witch. I have 22900/31350 done. And I have pretty much all of her face. I am unfortunately behind in my goal to get her done by the end of the month. It's still possible but it's going to take a big push between now and the 30th. This week though stitching has felt like a chore(and that's not why I do it). I really, really, really want to get this done but I don't want to hate it when I'm finished either. The knitting bug has pulling at me big time this week. Eunny posted the rest of her sock pattern--and her sock looks spectacular! I want to make that sock--I REALLY want to make that sock--I even got my computer to cooperate and print the charts for me. I think it may be my Socktober piece(along with Arrgyle ).

I love this . I could sit and read Eunny's blog forever--all her work is amazing. I would love to try those socks; I'm going to wait patiently for a pattern. If I could see all of the charts I'd print them out, but for some reason my computer only puts up the top three rows of chart 15 and half a row of the chart to the left of that. The whole key shows up though. For now I'll just enjoy the pictures :)

Stuff: My Secret Pal, Valerie , has started a shop to sell her stitch markers. She made me some when I was her pal and I bought another set from her shop. This is good stuff--she finds such unique beads. Go check it out :) And, Cynthia must have been up bright and early(or very late) over on the East Coast, because I was greeted with an email early this morning bidding me to check out these . They were in the new Knitty and I'm fighting the urge to purchase them asap. My only problem is that I rarely, if ever, knit with size 13 needles(WAY too big); SO they'd be purely decorative(and really there is nothing wrong with that) ;) Nonsense: Remember my autumn knit list ? Well the new Knitty has provided even more fodder for the list. I already printed out Viveka (I love the sleeves on that) and I'm thinking Sherwood might work for Diva(I have some nice lilac colored cotton fleece I think would work well) or Rage. And I haven't decided if this is brilliant insanity ...

You Are Apple Cider Smooth and comforting. But downright nasty when cold. What Part of Fall Are You? This description is pretty accurate as Fall is tied with Winter as my least favorite seasons.

Booking Through Thursday We asked last week about what draws you to your favorite kind/genre of book. This week, we want to know--how often do you depart from that comfort zone? If you love mysteries, do you ever read fantasy? If you primarily read cookbooks, do you ever read a good romance? This is such a great question. When I was teaching, I always told my students that you need to be open minded to all types of literature. I used to insist that they give a book at least a chapter before they decided they didn't like it. That being said I am one of the worst offenders in pigeon holing myself into a very limited genre. How MUCH variety is there in your reading? Do you mostly stick to one type, with just the occasional toe-dip into a different style? Or do you generally read a variety of things, just, maybe more of your favorite style than anything else? As far as fiction goes, I read predominantly fantasy(narrowing it even further to things with werewolves, vampires, fey, dra...

Magic Witch This week I'm up to 20900 stitches which is 66.6% done. I'm a little behind but I should be able to catch up to my personal goal of 25456 stitches by September 16. I'm loving this right now; it's so nice to finally be working on the witch :)

Moving on into fall. Amanda talked about this challenge and it's perfect for me because it runs through the end of October. I won't be reading much(if at all)in November as it will be Nanowrimo time again--hurray!! Here are my five choices for this latest challenge: (1) Magician's Gambit(Eddings) (2) Castle of Wizardry(Eddings) (3) Enchanter's Game(Eddings) (4) The Pit and the Pendulum(Poe) (5) The Premature Burial(Poe) The first three may not be in the exact spirit of the challenge but I want to finish so they're staying and the last two definitely go with the theme.

Lord of the Rings The Belgariad The Black Jewels Trilogy Eldest Knit the Classics(1 summer book) rereading HP4-6 rereading Dark Hunter series : finished Dark Side of the Moon : finished Danse Macabre : finished Sword of Darkness : finished How Full is Your Bucket? : finished Pawn of the Prophecy(Book 1 Belgariad) : finished Queen of Sorcery(Book 2 Belgariad) : finished Now for a little non fiction. My husband asked me to read How Full is Your Bucket? by Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton. First, the print is HUGE and it's only 111 pages(barely a book as far as I'm concerned). Personally, I wouldn't have paid $20 for it. It's all about being positive and creating positive interactions. It was okay. Did it make me more positive? I doubt it. I finished 6 books total over the summer and I'm pleased with that. I am really loving the Belgariad and I'm enjoying savoring each and every page. Thanks to everyone who recommended it to me!

This is the booty from my August Stashalong Free Day--I'd bought some and ordered some and wanted to wait until I had it all in one place to post it :) Stash Enhancement Bottom up: 4 skeins Blackberry Ridge DK in Joyce's Choice for a Clapotis 2 skeins Lorna's Laces Sport in Springer(Diva picked this out for a hat--so technically it's not mine--it's also not a colorway I would pick out) 1 skein Knit Picks Superwash sock yarn in Bare 3 skeins Knit Picks Essential sock yarn in black, burgandy, and ash 2 skeins(only on pictured) Socks that Rock in Lucy(eventually for socks because one of my kitties is the same color as Lucy) All the Knit Picks yarn is for the pirate argyle socks. And the STR Lucy yarn is something I'm going to covet for a little while ;)

Dark Purple To others, you seem a bit dark, mysterious, and moody. In truth, you are just a very unique person who doesn't care what others think. And you really enjoy your offbeat interests and friends. You've decided that life is about living for yourself - simple as that. What Color Purple Are You?

Okay--here's what I'd like to accomplish knitting/stitching wise this month. (1) Finish Magic Witch(April Project Spectrum piece)--a lofty goal, but doable(if I'm determined enough) (2) Finish my top down raglan(March Project Spectrum piece) I know it's not much but I'm trying to set "realistic goals" rather than ones that I can't reach--the eyes bigger than your stomach phenomenon; or in the case, the eyes bigger than your ability ;)

Booking Through Thursday What is your favorite kind of reading? Novels? Biographies? Mathematical textbooks? Novels and Textbooks What do you like best about your favorite kind of reading? What keeps you coming back to that kind of book? Following a gripping story? Watching characters develop? Being educated about things and places you didn't know about? Letting your mind relax into someplace completely different? I love novels because they take you to places and introduce you to characters that you would have no hope of coming in contact with in real life(at least in the books I read). I like textbooks books because I love to do research(that's weird isn't it?)--if it's a topic I'm interested in then I'll look up everything I can about it. I also really like learning about learning--I guess that's why I went into education :) Booking Through Thursday Have you ever wanted to travel to a place described in a book? Yes. I have read so many books set in Ne...

Magic Witch(18720 stitches) We have a face!! Finally :) I really feel like I am heading for the homestretch now; I'm almost 60% done and I hope to be 100% done by October 1. It's a lofty goal but I think I can do it. I started Magic Witch as my April Project Spectrum piece(for the yellow in the candlelight) and since September will be the tie up loose ends month with Project Spectrum I'll try and finish this and my top down raglan(March's red project). Today's SBQ was suggested by Carolyn (http://www.takingonestitchatatime.blogspot.com/) and is: How do you share your finished pieces with others? Do you frame them, scan and/or photograph them, or do you have another method that you would like to share? I frame them if they are gifts or for display in my house. I photograph them for my finished object album and for different bulletin boards and my blog. Today's SBQs was suggested by Anna M. (http://annamspeed.blogspot.com/) and is: What do you keep your WIPs ...

Trekking Socks--for Trek Along with Me Trekking Socks(#110)--fini!! I used Teri's Nancy Drew pattern and, of course, Trekking XXL in colorway 110. I even have enough left over to make some socks for Little Rage.

This is actually a knitting post!! Can you believe it? With Fall quickly rolling in, my knitting mojo seems to be returning. Besides the Autumn Knit List I posted before, here are the current WIPs that need to either be finished or ripped: (1) March Project Spectrum --red top down raglan--this will get finished. I love the yarn(cascade quattro) and the pattern(knitting pure and simple). Top Down Raglan(Project Spectrum March) (2) Beginner's Triangle--for Amazing Lace --I'm on the decreases so the end is in sight--this will get finished. It's in Knit Picks Shimmer Turquoise Splendor Beginner's Triangle--homestretch (3) Clapotis--I love the yarn(Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Rosehips) and love the pattern(great for knitting group knitting)--this will get finished and I have yarn for another. Clapotis (4) Diva's sweetheart scarf--okay here's the thing, I LOVE the yarn and the pattern BUT it takes forever and I don't think Diva will wear(let alone keep tr...