NOOOOO!!!!!

Ok. Sweater done by Christmas didn't happen. That's just the way it is. I was hoping that I would have it done by the last day of our vacation. AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN!!!! But....I guess I didn't buy enough yarn, because I RAN OUT! 27 rows from being finished and I have to go out and buy another giant hank of the yarn. 478 yards for 27 rows and stitching the sleeves on. That's it. I am going to end up with a big chunk of yarn hanging out in my stash mocking me because I had to buy it for that tiny little amount. ARG. And it doesn't help that this is holiday season and I have no clue whatsoever what KnitWicks hours are going to be. I am praying that she will be open tonight. I have to go to Tulsa tomorrow with my mother to pick my brother up from the airport and I am not looking forward to the 2 hour ride there and back. Of course the final sleeve will be done in about 45 minutes, but still. It will help pass the time! Otherwise I will have to wait until Friday! That would just be torture seeing the sweater starting at me almost finished. Sticking its unwoven ends out at me and taunting me like a stinky kid on the schoolyard. What will I do?!?!?!

Stuck

I have about 5 or so inches of the second sleeve done. I have run out of steam. I need to work on another project to get going again, but I have promised DH I will get it done by Christmas! Tomorrow is Christmas Eve! EEEEKKKK!!!!! I tried so hard to work on it last night, but my hands were cold and I kept finding them under the blanket on my lap. I just can't concentrate on it. I have had so much going on that I haven't had much opportunity to work on it. I was going to work on it this past weekend but we spent most of it shopping.
I need to decide on a new project when I am done with this one. DH thinks that I should knit exclusively for him from now on, but I really am thinking about a fair isle hat.

I have finished one of the sleeves! This picture was taken after finishing the sleeve, but before starting on the neck. I can't help it, I needed something different to work on before starting sleeve #2. Plus I was travelling yesterday so I didn't want to mess with all the dpns. I am so ready to be done with this thing. I have about about an inch left on the neck. I would have more done if I had worked on it during the car ride to Kansas yesterday. Well actually I did work on it but realized I was off a couple of stitches and ripped it out. I didn't start again till I was at my grandparents house. It is looking good though. So all I have left is one inch of the turtleneck, sleeve #2 and sewing the sleeves on/weaving in ends! Yay! It is about time too. Yesterday was my birthday and I got snow again this year for it! : )

Finished with the front!!!!

I still have to seam and now that I look at the front, I am not so sure that I shouldn't go back and redo it... but it is done! I am going to figure out tonight if I am off on it or not. I just can't tell. Something isn't matching up with the seams. Oh well. I am not too worried. I will figure it out soon enough! After this all I have is the neck and the sleeves. I pinned it and DH tried it on last night. Perfect fit!!!! YAY!!!

Goals

So I am setting for myself some goals, as far as the fiber arts are concerned....

1. color knitting--- I know that once I try it, I will have no problems, I just haven't tried it yet! : )
2. lace--- I can knit lace, but I have never knit anything big and complicated as far as lace is concerned. I have a shawl in mind....
3. spinning--- LOL! spinning in general, both spindle and wheel
4. dying
5. crocheting--- I only know a few stitches and I am not real sure I know what I am doing when I do crochet. I have done a couple things that were nice looking, but not consistant looking.....

I am sure that the list will go on. I want to have most of this accomplished by this time next year. No promises though! : )

Well it is going to be big

For the record this is not my fault. I explained to my husband that the size that he wanted would probably be a little big for him. Then I got started and I have been telling him, well a lot, that I think that this thing is going to be really big for him. I am just slightly large on the gauge, but not enough to make any real difference. I am talking like 1/4 of a stitch off of gauge so it is coming out to be almost exactly the right size. I am going to finish the front and try it on him with the front and back held together at the shoulder seams so he will get a real good idea of what size this will really be. I don't think that it is going to be horrible, but I think that a size or two smaller would be better. Maybe just one size because I don't like sweaters to be too fitting on guys.
Other news. The bookcase looks great. We are going through the rest of the house deciding on different things that we want to do. We have the loft area kind of figured out. Not completely but it is coming together. We have been starting to discuss our shop (even though it is 10 years from now) and I have to say I am so excited. Even though it is so far off, it is exciting getting ready for it. I am hoping that this will bring my husband and I even closer together.

Finished the back

I finished the back of DH's sweater last night! Yay. Some sense of accomplishement on it anyway. I had fully planned on working on it all day Saturday, but there were too many errands to run. I only got to knit for maybe an hour or so Saturday. That made me super sad, but at least there was a lot of stuff that got done around the house. My bookcase is painted now, so hopefully it will be dry and ready to go by tonight. We are waiting to see if there will have to be any touch up spots before we move it in to the house. Now the living room is almost done. Well I should say that it won't look like it is still packed anyway. Plus the garage is going to look a little more empty now! I just need to find a good place to put my big tub o' yarn. I just don't know where it is going to fit. I need some sort of visible storage thing where I can easily inventory what I have. Soon. Jim and I started working on our 10 year career plan. It has made me very excited for the future as well as helped me so I will be able to get on track. I need to work on financial aid for school very soon. Just have to wait for w-2s to come out. Then we can do our taxes and everything will start falling into place. : ) Have my 1, 3, 5, and 10 year goals started. Of course there will be some changes here and there (I would love to be at 5 years where I want to be at 10, but that probably won't happen) but I am so excited for everything. Will reveal more at a later date.

Well, I am almost finished with the back of The Fog sweater. This picture is actually not very recent. I took it earlier this week when I had just started the back. I have just a couple inches left to go and I am hoping to have it (the back) finished tonight. Then all I will have is the front, sleeves, and neck. I am thinking mock turtle, but DH doesn't have any problems with a full turtle, so we will see. Anyway with just those little bits left and most of a weekend to work on it, I will hopefully have it done by next Thursday. That is my goal. If I can get it done then, it will be within this month (I know I probably won't be knitting on Halloween so it has to be done Thursday) and DH will be VERY happy.

In spinning news, I have been spinning a little bit again. I haven't hardly touched my wheel in forever. I think that I may actually be getting the hang of it. Still trying to understand the whole drop spindle thing. Not quite getting the hang of it (ha! Hang. Get it? Drop spindles hang? I crack myself up!). I even bought a subscription today for Spin Off magazine. I would like to get more into spinning, just not real sure if I am doing it correct most of the time. I guess that is a good goal for the remainder of the year. Just learn to spin. Of course AFTER DH's sweater is finished!

Let's see. Other areas of my life... I am looking for a part time job in the evenings/Saturdays for some extra dough. DH and I are going to Georgia in December 25 or 26 to see his family for a long weekend! I am just a little worried about money. Plus I have a doctors visit in December that will more than likely all be out of pocket. $107.01 for my shot and then who knows how much for the procedure. Have I mentioned that I hate going to the doctor? I was sick for a month just recently and finally broke down and shelled out $69 because I had bronchitis. Ug. Plus $18 for Amoxicillin and some really fun cough syrup. Good thing is, I am feeling much better now. Yay. I am hoping to start going back to school next fall. I am thinking seriously about getting a degree in Apparel Studies. I am weighing my options before I commit though. I just don't know. There are so many things that I would like to do and I just don't know if I can do them. I know that probably sounds dumb. I know. I know. You can do anything you put your mind to. That is just the problem. I don't know if I will enjoy it and I don't know if I will do anything with it if I do it. Of course I would love to own my own yarn shop someday, but that will probably never happen and even if it did, I am pretty sure that a degree in apparel studies will only help me so much. However DH works for a testing company that has a branch for textiles and IF I were to get the degree, I might be able to get on there and use the degree. Not completely sure, but whatever. Honestly I really like my job that I have right now (most of the time LOL!) and I don't have any plans anytime soon of leaving. I just don't know. I want to do so many things with my life, and life is so short, that it is hard to plan accordingly.

Speaking of life being cut short. Very dear friends of our family were killed this weekend in a motorcycle accident. http://www.legacy.com/palestineherald/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=119185094 Mr. James and Miss Gwen have been there as far as I can remember. We have known them since I was 2. I was at their house all the time. I remember Miss Gwen taking me to the park that was near the house. I remember when the screened in porch was added. I have so many memories from there with them. They were the kind of people that make such a huge impact on your life. People that you will never forget. It was such a tragedy to see them go, but at least they went together.

Knitting tonight

Well I haven't knitted in over a week because I have had a bad cold and I don't like the idea of infecting my knitting. I am going to go to KnitWicks tonight to knit, I think. I am still not feeling great but I don't feel near as bad as I did. I went to bed a little after 8 last night so I am not near as tired this morning as I have been. I can't wait to go knit. I need to hurry up and finish Jim's sweater so I can start working on the afghan for him mom. I doubt I will have it done by Christmas when we go to see her but I would like to give it a try. That will mean though that I can't work on my sweater. :(

Hmmmm. Lofty goal

Ok with being sick and all of the distractions I have not been able to knit near as much as I have wanted to. Last Saturday was supposed to be completely devoted to knitting, but I went to breakfast with my dad Saturday morning and ran some errands with him. Then my mom and I went shopping. Then my husband and my stepson go back from camping and wanted to eat and play and well I got maybe an inch done on his sweater. :( I didn't go to the late night knit last night because I was sick and didn't want to leave the house. And I didn't feel like knitting the night before because I was starting to get sick, although I didn't know it yet. Tomorrow, just me and the needles. If I don't get it done this weekend (which I won't) then my new goal will be for Oct. 15. Good goal.

Mmmmm....wool......

I have this bad habit of getting into things late at night and not being able to put them down. I have on many occasion been too close to finishing a book and stayed up until 5 or 6 in the morning to finish. I do this with video games...just one more thing before I shut it off, then next thing i know it is 11 PM and I am so tired when the alarm goes off at 5 I can hardly function. Well last night I had to make myself stop knitting. I finished the bottom edge of the Fog sweater. I normally hate the back and forth of ribbing, but last night it was almost hypnotic. It wasn't 11 when I went to bed though. I put it down and took the dog out just before 9. I think that it helped that my husband, who was laying beside me, had been asleep since just before 8. I was tired anyway and I was finally just done for the night. Of course I can't wait to go to the yarn shop tonight and knit. I have a goal of having this thing done by the end of September. I know big goal for a big sweater and slow knitter, but I am determined. It took so long to knit that stupid scarf for him last year that it was warm before he got to wear it. Of course I despise knitting scarves....... Anyway, I want to get this done and a sweater for my mom done by Christmas. A nice little argyle. She is smaller though so maybe it will go faster. : )

The Fog begins

again and again... *sigh* i got all of the first skein balled up nicely. Spent a couple hours Friday winding away. Then I started casting on. Remember in school when you were given a test and told to read all the direction first before starting? ...Yeah wish I had done that here. I didn't give myself enough tail first off, so I took it out. Then I got all 100 some odd stitches on there and looked back at my pattern. PM CO 100 some odd more. Needless to say I did NOT leave enough tail for almost 300 stitches. I didn't get much done on it when I started back over again. I was tired. Then Saturday I smashed my hand in the door of my grandmother's van.... I can use most of my fingers again today. :( No knitting for me yesterday. Maybe tonight. Maybe tomorrow..... ow.

The Fog.......

I have decided on the sweater that I am going to make for Jim....The Fog.... I can't wait. I am going to try to stop by Knitwicks tonight and pick up another set of needles so I can start tonight maybe. I am not going to go to knitting tonight though. It is rainy and I am tired so I just don't feel like getting out for long. Just long enough to run by the grocery store and the yarn shop for needles (and mabye yarn :) ???)

Wicked

I have started Wicked. I am done with the collar and part of the shoulders. It is coming along nicely. Almost to a point to put the sleeve openings on waste yarn! Should have that done by Thursday, anyway. Since we have been moving and all I haven't had as much time to knit as I would like to have, but even with just 5 minutes here and there it is still growing. This is my first project knit continental. I just learned how to do it. I am excited. It is something that I have wanted to learn for a long time, but have never understood how to wrap the yarn. It is way easier than I thought it was going to be. Of course since I have knit for so long the other way, when I pick up the yarn it automatically wraps around my right fingers without thinking. But not a single stitch has been knit that wasn't continental. : )
I got the wool in for DH sweater on Thursday. I am still looking for the perfect pattern, but since we just moved, I can't find any of my patterns or books. I know they will turn up soon. We have like 10 boxes of books and I am sure that they are mixed in with non knitting books. He is supposed to sand down the bookcase today so that it will be ready to paint next weekend. Then we will be able to unpack all of our books. My bookcase upstairs in our bedroom is just waiting to be filled with knitting books!
The house is starting to look good. We don't have a lot of decortive items at this point, but it is looking good anyway. The bedroom looks nice, thanks to DH. He worked very hard yesterday getting the master bed and bath set up while I was at work. I still have to wash our comforter so I can put the duvet cover on, but that requires knowing where it is! That will really set it off. The living room is kind of bare. We have the small sectional couch down there with a rug borrowed from my mom. There is a picture on the fireplace that is holding the spot where the flat tv will go once I have enough saved for it...Maybe by Christmas..... And of course the cat jungle. The giant fake plant (named Gordon by my father years ago) that Jack has decided is his little kitty paradise. We got our new kitchen table all put together. When we were asked if we wanted to pay them to put it together, DH asked if was going to be a difficult process. "Just 3 or 4 screws" is what she said to me. There are more than that in each chair leg. 3 hours after we started putting it together, it was done. It is so beautiful. I am very excited to be in a home that I can be proud of. It isn't huge but it is very nice. After the places that I have been living, it is even nicer!
Knitting/crochet projects that I am wanting to work on:
1)Wicked (started)
2)Odessa (have yarn for this)
3)Sweater for DH (have yarn for this)
4)Sweater for Mom
5) Harry Potter scarves (maybe) for my stepsons
6)Circle to squares afghan
7)Fireside afghan in black/red for our bed
8)cabled afghan for MIL (if time permits before we go to Georia)(have yarn for this)
9)Christmas stockings at least for DH and I. Boys too if time permits.

I have been kind of out of the knitting loop for a while. It isn’t that I haven’t had the desire; Quite the opposite. I just haven’t had the inspiration (or money) to do it. I think I need to see other people knit so that I get jealous of what it is that they are knitting and want to do it too! Anyway so I met Mary Ellen the other day at church. We both knit so of course everyone wanted us to hang out! Great idea! I had so much fun going to Knitwicks. I bought yarn and after a while I was inspired. I knew that I wanted to make a sweater, or anything really out of this beautiful Cascade 220 heather yarn. Mary Ellen got me a pattern to use and now it is in the making. I had a couple of false starts but now it is coming along. I haven’t been working on it much. Done with the collar, not much else. Can’t wait to see how well it comes out! Moving has put roadblock in the process, but soon I will be all unpacked and can work on it once again.