Whole lot of updating going on!

When I got home today, I had two, count 'em two, packages waiting for me. *insert gleeful squeak here*

First, I got this from Wendy:



Some lovely mohair that I have a few ideas for what I will do with it. Oh yes... But I won't tell you now. It would spoil the surprise. ;) She also sent along some Filatura di Crosa Brilla.



All I can say is... Wendy... I love you.

The other package was from my Secret Pal! Lookie what she sent me:



I've been wanting this book for some time. She's so good to me. :)

This past Saturday, Eric was home and we got invited to our friend Ully's new house for a party. His house is a condo that is part of an old renovated cotton mill. And of course, what makes any old cotton mill a home? Why a 200 foot phallus that's what!



All I could say was "Holy crap!" Here's a pic of another friend named Ken (no, no Barbie came with him... I asked long ago) looking at said massive tower:



As the sun went down, the exterior lights came on and we were greeted with a lovely, quiet, cozy area to sit in:



Of course, this was the perfect time for me to pull out my needles. I had brought my I Do shrug with me so I pulled that out and got to work. I have finished placing all the beads on this sleeve and the knitting is going a lot faster now. Wow I didn't realize how many beads I was working with and how much it would slow me down. But that's okay, I think it's going to be beautiful when it's done. Here's how it looks so far:



I've finished the bell of the sleeve and am now working on the increases at the elbow. I love it!

When I got home, I pulled out my Clapotis and did a few more rows on it. This is an easy, watch tv and knit project. :) This Andean Silk is knitting up fabulously and I think this wrap will be divine when it's done! Although, I'll be honest, I am getting nervous with the thought that at some point, I am going to have to drop those stitches. I've never had to do it before... I feel dangerous! (No really, I do.) *insert sly wink here*



I realized as I was going over my previous posts that I forgot to post a pic of a bird that Azuredrake and I saw last week. This little guy was washing himself in the fountain outside the Children's Hospital main hall:



Gotta keep the wings clean. The ladies dislike a stinky wing. (I sure as heck know I do!)

Speaking of wings, time for me to fly off to bed but before I go...

In response to comments:

From Monkeemaven: I love you. Marry me.

and from Wendy: No no marry me!! ME ME!

Ladies, ladies. There's no reason to fight. *insert best imitation of schmarmy lounge lizard suggestive eyebrow wiggle here* There's plenty of urbanpagan to go around! Besides... I already have a husband but there's no law saying I can't have a wife. Oh wait. There is. Dammit!!!

And this would make it the fourth time I've ever thrown up in public.

Oh I know I have your curiosity piqued now! *sly grin*

On Friday, I went down to Charlotte to visit Eric. He's still living down there with a colleague of his, Jeffrey, while he has a reserve line with PSA Airlines. We had thought that he would have a line (meaning a set schedule) for June so he could move back home, but we were wrong. He's literally the most senior person on reserve right now. That means he did not get a line but that if they add even one more line, he's guaranteed one even if it is a crappy one. So yeah, we're both a bit bummed but I digress. I went down to Charlotte so we could all go to Carowinds. Who's all of us? Myself, Eric, his colleague Jeffrey, his man Dean, their other colleague Kristen and her man Matt. We were supposed to have one more person but sadly she was unable to get to Charlotte on time. (All the flights were full already.) :(

Anyhoo, I got to Charlotte on Friday. Eric, Jeffrey, Dean and I all went to see Episode III. All I can say is, of Episodes I, II, and III, it was most certainly the best. But no, I can not agree that and of Episodes I, II or III were any better than IV, V, and VI. Can not I say!

Saturday we went shopping and looking for comic book shops. Can I just say one thing? Citysearch sucks! We were looking for comic book shops. Of the four we went to find, three did not even exist anymore and the one we did find was just poo. :( So we decided to go see Unleashed. I like Jet Li. He's the reason I went to see it. The fight scenes were pretty good but in my opinion, even they could not save this movie. I personally think it's worth seeing but paying more than $5 for! We also went to a restaurant called RuSan's. Wow this is one of the best sushi restaurants I have hands down, ever been to! If you ever get to Charlotte, go to RuSan's!!!

On Sunday, it was time for Carowinds. See:



I have no idea who those people are but they were standing there so nicely, I just took their picture. :) I hadn't realized that Carowinds crossed two states. But here I am, standing in North and South Carolina with the all original, 'standing in two states' picture! Whoo hoo!:



So we got right to riding. After the first ride, I realized I was getting a bit hot and needed some water. Keep in mind, I know already that I dehydrate easily. I know that slowly drinking warm water is the best way to get yourself rehydrated. So what do I do? I guzzle a 20 oz. bottle of freezing cold water. Exactly five minutes later, I an throwing up in the grass. *sigh* We've got seven more hours to go and already I feel like absolute shit! Yay me!

Oy.

But does this stop me from getting on rides? Not exactly. Out of the 16 total rides that everyone got on, I skipped three. Eric skipped one (to sit with me). Jeffrey skipped one because he didn't want to get wet. Kristen skipped two because she began to feel ill after we stopped for margaritas. (No, I did not partake of the margaritas. Oh I wanted to but I knew that would be the worst thing for me to do!) Only Matt and Dean were the die-hards! Go boys! :)

When we were down to the last hour before the park closed, we all wanted to do different things so we split up. Jeffrey and Dean got on the Borg ride. Kristen and Matt got on the Top Gun ride. Eric and I went and got an Old Tyme Photo done! :) See...:



Yes I know, it's a picture of a picture but I ain't got a scanner here. (And boy howdy do I want one!) We're both really pleased with how it came out. Now do me a favor and take a peak at that dress I have on. Do you know that there is a rule that says women are to leave their pants on when they put on the costumes. Um hello! I was wearing black jeans! I really , really did try to roll them up to go under the skirt but I valued my circulation more than anything. So I took them off. Breaking the law!!! *wink!*

We added it to the wall next to the other Old Tyme Photo we took the day after our wedding back in 1998. Here is pic of that one:



I've always loved this one because it's framed with a marriage certificate. In the picture, I look bored and Eric looks terrified! LOL! :)

On Monday, we recovered! Yikes was I whooped after Sunday! But it was a good day. A very good day. Once we got moving, we went to go see Crash. I had never heard of it. Eric had seen one trailer. We decided to go check it out. Wow you must see this movie before it leaves the theater! Stop reading this blog and go see it now! Right now. This instant. Don't make me come over there... It's not at all what you think it's going to be like. It's harsh, cruel, makes you angry as hell but also makes you cry. I can tell you there was one scene where Eric was crying before I was because I was still so in shock...

Go see it.

Today, I left him at 5am and drove home so I could go to work.

Yes I'm tired.

So no, I didn't get hardly any knitting done.

*wanders off to bed mumbling promises pics of knitting and kitties for tomorrow.*

WARNING! Quota exceeded!

Yup... my Dumbass/Whine-ass quota got completely out of hand today. By about 3pm, I was done dealing with Dumbasses and Whine-asses. Done I tell you!

My day started out with driving to work. Normally not a big deal. Today... apparently I wrong. It took an extra five minutes to drive through the parking deck because not one but two people decided in their infinite wisdom to back into the parking spaces. Now I know this makes me a whine-ass for complaining about it but for fuck's sake.. just pull in! There is a line forming behind your fifteen point turning ass and we are not appreciating your inability to drive backwards! Grr.

The day goes on with me getting into my office and finding not one, not even two, but three, three faxes from three different people for the same exact thing they faxed me for the day before. Why is this a problem? Well... I don't need that information. I need different information. Once again, I know this makes me a whine-ass for complaining about it but come on people! Look at the email I sent you. Look at what you are faxing me. Make a connection! Grr.

By lunch time, I'm ready for a break. I start reading the Knittyboard and there, I start shaking my head again. There are some new surprises out in Knitty. Really cute ones too. A sweater for a baby, a nursing tank top, and some doll clothes. Now work with me on this... I have no children. I am not nursing. I have no dolls. No, I will most likely not knit any of them and yet, I still think the patterns are cute. Apparently not everyone agrees with this. And they are entitled not to like something but whoa people! Whoa! There have been some not too kind comments about these suprises. *rae* Well now people.. I have news for you. I have not nor will I ever be interested in any of the baby things that are in Knitty. This does not mean I do not think they are cute and/or skillful patterns. I will not be interested in any of the ponchos. I think ponchos are a horrible creation especially on a busty woman but this does not mean I will dog on the designer. Some of them are quite lovely in complexity, style, layout and design. Yet I ain't knittin' any of 'em! So why oh why are people bitching about these suprises? *shrug* Yes, I know this makes me a whine-ass for complaining about it but come on people... you don't have to dog on the designer when you don't want to knit the item now do you? Grr. (as a matter of fact, I may make the nursing tank top but I'll sexy it up and make it for the bedroom. Raar!) Oh my goodness! Go fig! I can convert a pattern into something I like. Who'd have thunk it? Now I know I've offended someone... and I could care less. As I've said before... you are entitled to your opinion no matter how wrong you might be. *Sly wink* LMAO!

So after posting my mind on the board, I get back to work. The rest of my day is filled with phone calls. Now, I've said it many times before... there is no such thing as a stupid question, but there is pretty frigging close! This afternoon all the questions were pretty frigging close. *sigh* I can't really complain about it because I know I'm going to get these sorts of questions but I'm in the zone so I'm being a whine-ass! :P

5 o'clock hits and I am out the door! I pull out of the parking deck and then had to put my head on the steering wheel so I wouldn't scream at the idiot (work with me here...) walking in the diminishing suicide lane right in the middle of the busiest stretch of road near the hospital. Did I mention that this particular stretch of road is under construction? No? Well it is... and this moron had decided in his infinite wisdom to stand in the suicide lane right next to where it becomes the turning lane where a bus is trying to turn! Do you see the problem here? In the words of Inigo Montoya of the movie The Princess Bride, "Let me explain. No, it's too much. Let me sum up." I have a bus and a pedestrian blocking all three lanes of traffic and of course, I have an idiot behind me honking his horn at me, you know... the person actually in the correct lane. Mind you, he is now blocking the intersection behind me and the light has changed. There are now more cars honking... at him. Has this pedestrian moved yet? Oh no. He's waiting for the light to change so he can run out in front of on coming traffic so he can get to the parking deck. *My right eye begins to twitch* I make it out of the campus only to come to the scene of an accident right outside the police station. You have no idea what this did to the traffic. It is truly beyond words. I can not find the words (and I even looked some up in the thesaurus) to describe to you, my wonderful blog readers, what exactly began to occur on the streets of Chapel Hill this evening. You have those people that are worried about passing the police station. You have those that will not move lanes until the last possible second. Then you have those that will not let anyone in their lane so we can all get past the accident and all the cop cars. Then you have the busses that need to move lanes, dropping off and picking up passengers at the same time... right next to the accident scene. Then you have those that, upon seeing all the traffic lined up all the way back up the hill that decide to drive in the suicide lane. Then you have those that, once again in their infinite wisdom, decide they need to turn around. Did I mention that this is a five lane road (including suicide lane)? No? Really? Well it is. I saw not one but two very nearly head on or t-bone accidents because of these maneuvers. Now of course, this makes me a whine-ass for complaining about it but people... didn't we pass a driver's exam at least somewhere?! *Starts grinding teeth* Grr.

Needless to say, I got very little knitting done today but I did get the opportunity to release my inner sailor at the top of my lungs within the confines of my vehicle.

O_o

And I'm feeling much better now...

^_^

When I got home, I can tell you it's nice to pull in my driveway because of the flowers blooming on the porch:





When Eric was home this past weekend, we decided that we are going to buy some trellis material and connect the posts so that it frames the porch a bit and will allow the vine on one side and the roses on the other to grow. I think it will look beautiful!

When I went inside, I was greeted by my kitties. Velvet wanted some loving. Here she is tapping me on the leg asking me for scritches:



She is the cutest thing in the world when she does that! Trouble does it too... but usually only when you are on the toilet. *sigh* She loves to invade your private time if you know what I mean... I think she figures, "Hey, you aren't going anywhere any time soon." *Taps you with paw* "Pet me."

Of course, I got comfy and sat down just in time to see the cats start wrestling. Trouble came over and sniffed Velvet. Apparently, Trouble felt Velvet needed a bath.



Velvet disagreed.



A lot.



But apparently Trouble's policy of baths no matter what the circumstances was in effect.



I have the strangest cats. *Laugh* Where's my knitting bag? *Wanders off in search of my needles and yarn*

In response to comments:

Tamara said: 'I Do' is coming along beautifully!! Are you using the same yarn for Clapotis too? Thanks! But no I am not using the same yarn. I am using Tahki Cotton Classic for the I Do shrug and Knitpicks' Andean silk for the Clapotis. :)

Christine said: I'm all about the lace knitting these days and I've been looking at the "I Do" pattern and contemplating making one of my own. Maybe after I'm done with my shawl knitting kick! Oh I highly recommend the I Do shrug. It's very lovely and very easy to knit. :)

Knittin' n Purlin' in the sun.

I met up with Azuredrake today for lunch. We ate our lunch in the Women's and Children's Cafe in the hospital then moved outside to one of the atriums to knit. The weather was gorgeous and the knitting was fine! Too bad lunch is only an hour... I'm sure we both could have sat out there and chatted and knitted for hours. :)

When I got home, I kept working on the I Do shrug. I'm nearly up to the elbow now. Here is my progress so far, modeled on an oh so fashionable roll of paper towels!



While I was at work, I also dropped off a "beginners kit" of knitting supplies for one of the men in the Med IT department. He's commonly seen me knitting before meetings or outside while I'm eating my lunch. About a month ago he asked me to teach him. I said sure! We'd tried to meet up a few times so I could teach him but we are both so busy in the average day and out lunches are never at the same time. Usually when I'm at lunch, he's walking across the quad to a different meeting... (Ah... meetings. Gotta love 'em.) So, I was at home last night, done with my knitting and getting ready for bed when the idea hit me! I really don't have the greatest amount of time at work either to be able to teach him but he has plenty of time after work when he's home with his family. So I put together a few things to help him learn. :) See:



The book I learned from: 20 Minutes to Learn to Knit (...with this book it took me three days...), a spare set of size 8 Boye needles that I got in an eBay auction, and two skeins of Encore that I won in Elizabeth's contest. I told him that he could call me anytime or just drop by my office and I'd be more than happy to help him out. Maybe I'll bring him to the Stitch N Bitch some time so he can see how everyone else knits.

Oh and nifty, nifty! I rejoined Crafter's Choice's Book Club. (Hey, they sent me a smoking deal to re-up and I took it!) When I got my books, they also sent me a nice little tote.



It is the -perfect- size for my sock knitting! So, I dubbed it my sock knitting bag. It feels special. It really does. *wink*

Lookie what we have here... a weekend update!

This weekend was a busy one. It started with a rough day on Friday at work. I was so happy when Azuredrake stopped by with her most recent yarn purchases. I had so wanted to go with her but I had so, so much to do! I laughed when I realized she posted the pics she took of me on the phone. Yes, I was that stressed! But yarn makes all your troubles go away... aaaahhh! *wink*

Saturday I went to my younger brother Donny's graduation from NC State:



and:



The whole family was there. It was nice to see them all. Too bad Eric and I couldn't stay longer but we had already promised our friend Ullyses, about a month ago, that we would help him move and our moving karma demanded satisfaction! He had helped us move so we owed him! So to answer your question, no, not much knitting got done at all on Saturday.

Sunday though, I caught up on my I Do shrug:



and:



I am very, very pleased with how the beads are looking knit in with the lace! I think this will be lovely when it's done. :)

I even started on the Clapotis:



Talk about an easy pattern! I did that while watching the Chronicles of Riddick. :)

Of course, the kitties could care less:



I guess it's also about time that I did this meme. Azuredrake tagged me some time ago and well, I just keep forgetting to do it! :P

Here's the rules:Pick 5 of the following and then complete the sentences. Then pass it on to 3 more of your blog friends! But no tag backs!

The Premise (pick 5):

If I could be a scientist
If I could be a farmer
If I could be a musician
If I could be a doctor
If I could be a painter
If I could be a gardener
If I could be a missionary
If I could be a chef
If I could be an architect
If I could be a linguist
If I could be a psychologist
If I could be a librarian
If I could be an athlete
If I could be a lawyer
If I could be an inn-keeper
If I could be a professor
If I could be a writer
If I could be a llama-rider
If I could be a bonnie pirate
If I could be an astronaut
If I could be a world famous blogger
If I could be a justice on any one court in the world
If I could be married to any current famous political figure...

Well here I go:

1. If I could be a scientist, I would be a forensic biologist. There is noting more exciting to me than watching how science can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt what really happened at a crime scene when no one else can.

2. If I could be a doctor, I would be an animal doctor and I would hope I would have as much fun as James Herriot.

3. If I could be a bonnie pirate, I would try to be as cunning as Jean Lefitte. Always seemed to be able to get out of just about any trap and still make all sort of mad cash. I like it!

4. If I could be a gardener, I would grow peonies absolutely everywhere. I would try and breed a variety that would bloom longer in the year.

5. If I could be an architect, I would design my dream house.

Now who do I pass this onto? Well how about Tamara, Jill, and Heather because I only just found their blogs and I would like to know more about them. :)

In response to comments:

Koh said: Geez youre making me want a cat now! *laugh* Tortoiseshells are great cats! If you want a snuggly, playful, and lovable cat, I recommend a tortie. :)

Tamara said: Something I've gotta know. What kind of ring do you use for your stitchmarkers? I've been using regular 18-20 gauge wire and mine look tacky next to yours, which look really pro. and my ends are always snagging at the yarn... I mainly just use pre-made jump rings that you can buy at any bead or craft store in the notions isle. When I make my own jump rings, I use whatever wire I can find laying around be it copper electrical wire, telephone wire or what have you. To make the ring smooth, wrap it around either a dowel or pencil or what have you. Wrap a bit extra so there is overlap then using some very sharp wire cutters, snip off the curled edges that inevitably result from wrapping wire, and then using two pairs of needle nose pliers, just align the edges so they connect to make a nice jump ring. ...I hope that makes even the slightest bit of sense! *laugh*

Jill said: Also - I was thinking of using the Andean silk for Clapotis too - I was so psyched to see you purchased it. That clinches it! This andean silk is knitting up great! I really think you'll enjoy it too. I can already tell, I'm going to love this Clapotis when it's finished. :)

Monkeemaven said: I love you. I love you too!

Bensmumma said: You rock. Can I be your friend? I need more FUN people in my life! Of course we can be friends! Hello friend! Call me every ten minutes! :)

Tesoro said: *SNORT* Can't......get......air......in...I'll type more after I resuscitate myself from this laughing fit! Breathe now! Breathe!

To everyone else, thanks so much for reading my blog and commenting. I'll be honest, I really like seeing comments. It's good for my ego. *snort*

Back to the needles!

Time to roll in the yarn.

I got my yarn today from Elizabeth's contest. I was so excited, I could hardly wait to open the box! And once I did, I was so excited! I wanted to just touch it all but... which should I touch first? I couldn't decide so I decided to touch it all at once!



So lovely! So luxurious!



After a few minutes of basking in all those glorious fibers... I'm spent.



That's when it hit me... someone could be after my yarn! They can't have it! It's mine! All mine! Muwhahahaha!



I had to take drastic measures and hide it from all those that would have designs on stealing my yarny cache!



It wasn't until later on that I remembered that I had promised the Cone of Power a shrine to it's yarny goodness! I got right to setting up the offerings:



A broken circular needle. A torn strand of Lamb's Pride yarn and a 750mL bottle of Bacardi. Please oh Great Cone of Power! Bestow upon me the mysterious techniques of Intarsia, Fair Isle, and Steeking!

Both cats could care less about my ravings on the bed or the yarn shrine. it doesn't involve petting them so really, they have no interest. They seem more interested in sniffing my foot.



Of course this made me wonder if my feet actually smell. Nope. They are just odd. Go fig. I have odd cats. *insert sarcastic snort here*

So did I get any knitting done today? Yup. And because I'm a idiot, I had to frog it all. *shakes fist at self* Sure I can read a pattern. Sure I can understand it and follow it. But can I actually put those two tasks together coherently? Well today, apparently not! I'll get to it tomorrow. For tonight, I'm going to pet the Knitpicks yarn I got in the mail. *purr!*



That navy Andean silk will be a Clapotis and that sock yarn will be... well... socks! :) I also got something for my Secret Pal but I'm not going to post it here just in case she reads my blog. ;)

Yarn swap! Yay!

Today was a great day! The weather was perfect. I got to meet a new person from the knittyboard and I got to be part of a yarn swap. :) Who did I get to meet? Well Fschmom, that's who! And here she is with her little one, Shawn:



Isn't he a cutie? :) And so polite too. He shared his trail mix with me. *laugh* Of course, Azuredrake was there too, showing off her lovely Honeymoon Cami.



Isn't it great? It fits her perfectly!

Here's all of us on the mat with all the yarn:



I was pretty surprised at all the lovely stuff that was in the box. I'll be honest, I would have thought all the good stuff would have been taken by now. I was happily wrong! :) Here's what I took out of the box:



Some great cotton. I'll make these into ankle socks to wear around the house in the summer. And:



And I have no idea what I'll do with this but it was fun to pet it! :D

So when I got home, I started on my I Do Shrug. Now of course, in my infinite wisdom (yes that is sarcasm!) I decided to add beads to the pattern. I had planned (key word -had-) to chart out where I would be placing the beads. Did I chart it? Nope. So I cast on and by the third round, I realized I had to frog the whole thing. Thankfully I figured this out on the third round! No I still have not charted out where the beads will go but instead, I have decided to place them on the purl or knit stitch that is after the yarn overs. Here is how far I've gotten so far:



Here's a closer shot of the beads:



Yeah I know it's all scrunched up (I'm only on round 7) but I have high hopes it will look pretty good. :) But I had to put it down because my eyes are about to fall out of my head trying to read this pattern and watch tv at the same time. I had to give up on the tv but by then, it was too late. Besides, it is after midnight and I really, really should go to bed.

On the kitty front, I have proved two of my greatest theories.

1. Put a blanket on the floor, a cat will lay on it within five minutes...



and 2. Stick your finger out and a cat will sniff it no matter how many times they have sniffed it before...

I want to be a Knitster Grrl!

Okay, so about a month ago, I decided to get a DVR. Why? Well Eric has gone absolutely crazy for a tv show called Deadwood. Of course, I started watching it too (once we got HBO) and got hooked as well. :) No it is not for everyone and if you are easily offended by swear words... it is most -certainly- not for you! Either way, it is a great tv show. :)

But anyhoo, I got the DVR so I could record Deadwood (along with other shows) for Eric while he's out flying. Of course, I started recording things I wanted to see too. I found this great show on DIY Network called Knitty Gritty. I love this show! I've recorded about a dozen episodes already because it plays a few times a day (different episodes even) and just about everyday. I've learned so much watching this show that I've already noticed a change in my knitting for the better. :) The hostess, Vickie Howell, always has guest knitters on the show that she calls Knitsters or Knitster Girls. I'd love to get on this show and knit with them! :) Yeah it's goofy but dang it... it looks fun. *laugh*

But on to what I'm up to. I got my yarn for the I Do shrug. I also decided to get some beads to knit into the bell sleeves. See...:



I went with the recommended yarn sub of Tahki Cotton Classic. I had originally wanted to do this pattern in grey but I wasn't able to find one I liked so I went with black. That's why I got the beads as well. I wanted to liven up the black a bit. Now I just need to figure out where I need to place the beads in the pattern. Sure... make it harder right? :P

While I was at Yarns Etc., the clerk there, Ivy, showed me the sale bin and I ended up taking these home.



It's Lane Botgosesia, Oceano. 54% Cotton, and 46% Viscose. It feels like silk! And they were only $3 each. Score! I am so checking that bin more often...

I also whipped out a bunch of stitch markers. Once again, I was feeling the need to bead. See...:







These will be some more RAK's. :)

Of course, through all this the kitties were doing their own thing. Here they are, eyeing a bird:



In reply to all the comments on my Cleaves... thanks so much! A lot of people have told me it looks great and I can honestly say, I agree. Modest? Me?! Never! Ha! Bring on the compliments! *wink*

Well I'm off to start on that I Do shrug. Now where the heck is my calculator? *ponderponder* Oh great... I guess I'm going to have to plot out the pattern for these beads by hand. Doh.