Shut Up & Knit!

Thankfully Thursday

And not just because Survivor is on tonight.  :p

If you read knitting blogs, by now you know that our Carole had a fabulous idea and asked some of her friends to join her.  I can't (really) say no to Carole, so here I am.  Although, my first thought was "blog button", but that should come as no surprise.  I love me a blog button.

Shut up.

I love the idea of posts in which we talk about things we are grateful for because I don't think as a nation/culture we do that enough.  Just one day a year is not nearly enough, and I, for one, am grateful every single day.  Occasionally, even grateful for the days themselves.  Unless there's PMS or annoying people involved or something, but y'all knew that.

1. My amazing friends, who know me and still talk to me.  From the boy who never says no to the woman (our Manise) who never takes no for answer.  I am truly blessed in the friends that I have, the bonds that have grown over time out of silliness and playfulness, and am grateful every day that such wonderful people are a part of my life.  Let's be honest... I'm not sure I could stand being friends with someone like me.  I'm just a little bit annoying and the tiniest bit naggy. /ahem
2. The rented wheel and all that it has brought into my life.  Minus being covered in fiber bits, of course.  I've had it five weeks today and cannot believe how far I have come, how much I have learned or how encouraging and supportive you've all been.  (Although, the encouragement did start long before the wheel arrived.  I wouldn't be where I am without Manise's boot in my back loving encouragement and support.)
3. & This blog.  Hello!  How do you think most of you found me?!  It's been an opportunity to show off, share parts of myself and network with and learn from a truly amazing group of people.  Plus, after not being able to get comment notices, I am in love with being able to reply to people via email.  Yes, I'm that easy.

Don't judge me.

Just ponder what you are thankful for today.

It's A Beautiful Day... Don't Let It Get Away

Spinning!

The fiber is cormo and it came from our Joan.  There is an ounce on the bobbin and the fluff is part of the ounce I am currently spinning.  I am aiming for lace weight, but I'll get what I get.  If you spin, you know what I mean.  If you don't, count your lucky stars.

Sock!

Not exactly the right colors, but I'm sure that doesn't surprise anyone.  There's a gold shiny thread in the yarn that gives it a slight DISCO! feel that I was unsure of at first.  Now, however, I sort of like it. 

This sock and it's life partner-in-progress have been to the DMV, the lab (twice) and on a long somewhat weird drive through the burbs (and that was just last week).  Yes, I am showing a sock a good time. 

Shut up!

You're just jealous.

Lyra & Her Corners (Scroll Down!)

Compare the above and below photographs and I think you will be able to see the difference and how the corners are forming.  In the above photo, I am knitting the pattern as charted.  This is what you do if you want to end up with a round Lyra.

In the photo below, I am knitting the same marked area as above, but am knitting it twice.  Rather than YO K1 YO, I am knitting YO K1 YO YO K1 YO before moving on to the rest of the pattern.  As you can see in the photos, the corners are getting bigger and bigger and really will look like proper corners by the time I'm done.  (Right now, it's all so unblocked that it's hard to see what all is going on.) *

Lyra is over 800 stitches right now and I'm more or less 30 rows away from being done.  Well, 30 rows and a really long cast off away from being done.

Ya know, I never would have guessed that Lyra would be such a simple knit.  The chart made my head spin at first and it looks so impressive all finished and blocked.  But really?  Totally simple and easy if you've knit socks.  It's just a lot of round and round and round with yarn over increases and leaning decreasing with the occasional passed stitch over the worked stitch to keep you entertained.

Who knew?

Everyone who knit Lyra before me, of course.

Oh! 

& The title? 

A U2 song that I listen to in the car every day.  (Don't ask.)

Yes, I sing along and, yes, I tend to spend the rest of my day wandering around humming or singing that under my breath. 

Yes, I'm really that weird, but the singing is a good sign.

& No, I'm not swinging wildly between different moods.  (Believe me, I thought about that for a while this morning.)  I'm fine.  Just having a good day and enjoying the ride.

Try not to be too afraid.  ;^)

Happy Hump Day!

* Did any of that make sense?  o.0

Reports of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

Thank you, Mr. Twain.  I couldn't have said it any better.

Although, I did love that CarrieK emailed yesterday to see if I needed a get-away car and/or bail.  That's a friend.

I'm not feeling the blog right now and I've been crazy busy.  I apologize to the six of you who are reading along and worry when I'm quiet for too long.  I'm mostly okay and full of the cranky.

10 Ways to Waste Time on the Internet

1. Sex Blogs
2. Knitting Blogs
3. Random Blogs
4. Photo Blogs
5. Following the links in any (or all) of the above.
6. TMZ.com  (I love Harvey Levin!)
7. Teh Goggles  (What's better than being able to look up any random thing that pops into your head?)  (Not to mention stalking former loves.)  (Not that I would ever do that.)  (/ahem)
8. Ravelry.com  (If you ever want to feel like a genius, poke around the message boards over there.  It will make you fear for the future of humanity.)
9. Etsy.com  (If they don't have it, you don't need/want it.  No, really.)
10. ZUMA!

Speaking of how much I hate people...

The same thing happens every year... 

(Yes, I love Mr. Cosby, too, but not like I love Harvey Levin.)

It's fall.  The weather is getting cooler and some whiz kid over at Ravelry points out that knitwear is HUGE! this fall.

Ummm...

Hello!  It's getting cold.  Sweaters/scarves/hats/yatta are always popular when it's cold!  You are not some trendsetting visionary, deary.  You're watching tv while eating Funions and noticed an Old Navy ad for cheap machine knit sweaters.  That does not make you the next Anna Wintour or something.  FFS!

Then there's the coming invasion of the shopping holiday and how Halloween decorations were taken down the Thursday before Halloween at my Target.  By Halloween itself, there were tacky shopping holiday crap hanging from the ceiling and I'm realizing that I need to hurry up and stock up on supplies so I don't have to go over there again until the new year.,

I'll spare you from my rant about stealing from the pagans, fake faith, the religon of greed, and how annoyed this time of year makes me.  Because, frankly, y'all know.

Cranky enough?  ;^)

Oh, and the wind has stopped, the computer has stopped making that noise, I found a teapot I sort of like and need to knit for, and I got that email account back.  (Although, I can't find the comments left here last Tuesday.  :?)

Tomorrow, spinning, a sock in progress and how Lyra gets corners*.

Happy Tuesday!

*Or nothing at all if I'm really not feeling it.  It's not like I get paid to blog, ya know.

This Just In...

I am officially canceling the rest of the week.

(The Chicken & Dumplings were amazing, btw.  Cheryl's momma is fabulous!)

Feel free to leave a message, but don't hold your breath on me getting back to you.  Because 1) the computer is making noises, 2) Gmail disabled my knitblog email account, 3) it's windy as hell here, and 4) I have a raging headache.

Please send all offers of support, love, fiber, and pretty young men to the usual address.

Thank you,

The Management

It's the Return of Capt. TightPants!

10 Favorite Movie Moments

1. In A Room With a View when George grabs Lucy and tells her how his rival is the wrong sort of man for her.  /sigh
2. Mal's ass when he gets up from his nap talk to the crew after discovering the discs on the dead planet in Serenity. 
3. Mrs. Blandings talking to painters about colors in Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House.
4. The posing in the locker room after being awakened in Aliens.
5. The men giggling in the line up in The Usual Suspects.
6. The reveal of the main course in The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover.
7. The scene before the last battle starts in Kingdom of Heaven. Orlando being intense.  Yum!
8. The bathroom scene in The Great Escape.
9. The chase scene through the village in The Pink Panther.
10. Anything involving Oded Fehr in The Mummy movies.

/ahem

I hadn't really planned on posting today, but, after watching Castle last night, I had to.  I love me some Nathan Fillon.  Review on EW.com with spoilers.  You've been warned!

Anyway, the lovely and talented Cheryl also commented to yesterday's post with a link that explains mothproofing yarn.  Had to share that.  Thank you, Cheryl!

Speaking of our Cheryl, I'm making her momma's Chicken & Dumplings today.  If I don't ruin it, we'll talk about it later in the week and I'll link you and shit.  If things don't go well, it'll be like the crackers.

Ya'll know.