things i'm adoring at present

1. hugh laurie's lisp.
2. the sproingy ornament nik gave me last year.
3. being my own boss.
4. being snowed in.
5. getting birthday cards in the mail.
6. naan.
7. netflix dvds of british tv series.

i love my city

we are snowed into albuquerque. all the out-bound interstates are closed, as is the airport. nothing to do but cuddle up on the couch with the kitties and watch a movie. so...

i just finished 'little miss sunshine.' i imagine that the writer made the hoover family albuquerqueans because there is something phenomenally humorous about the word 'albuquerque.' but, whether intended or not, this family is extraordinarily albuquerquean. case in point: the pageant scene. or, rather, the pageant scene. if you're from here or have visited for any length of time, you totally know what i mean.

december rocks!

wow... things have been busy around here. early last week i got a box from my sp9. so much great stuff!!! (more on that later.) friday was my birthday, celebrated with a lovely holiday open house at my place and a fierce, alcohol-fueled game of trivial pursuit. and i spent every waking hour this weekend on the job for my last event of 2006 - the smith-kuhfahl wedding.

i'm sick and i'm tired. but, damn, am i happy!

oh, the pretty mens

here in albuquerque the sun is shining bright and the highs are in the region of 34 degrees. if that doesn't mess with one's head, nothing will. i have all the extraneous rooms closed off (read: every room except the livingroom and my bedroom) as my home is a testiment to 1950's architectural engineering. this beasty in the livingroom


is meant to warm the entire house - around corners, down halls, two or three doors away. between the temperatures in town and the beasty's inefficiency, there has been a goodly amount of 'hybernating' under the blankets on the couch watching dvds and under the blankets in the bedroom attempting to sleep.

i've watched all my christmas movies and i've moved on to television series that need catching up on. i am on the final dvd of 'lost: season 2.' you know, there is not a single unattractive man on this program. last season i was absolutely enamoured of sawyer. this season, my affection - and, i must say, lust - have turned to locke. i'll be interested to see what next season brings, though i'll wait until the entire series is on dvd to find out.

(p.s. i will hang, draw and quarter any soul who attempts to spoil a single second of season three for me.)

it's official

it is now christmas-time. my tree is up, it's snowing, my birthday is only a coupla weeks away and i'm partaking in the annual watching of 'white christmas.' i cannot tell you how big a crush i have on danny kaye.

this afternoon i'm off to find a copy of 'love actually' to purchase - about the only other christmas movie i am driven to watch each year.

tra la la.

tra la la!

i've been remiss in not posting a big fat 'thank you' to my secret pal.

i was at a conference last week and didn't return home until wednesday afternoon. while i was gone, my parents had moved into my house because my mom was scheduled for a handful of major surgeries. the tuesday i was gone she went under the knife and the day i got back from conference, dad and i began running around taking care of mom and other business. and we've only now slowed down.

when we finally came home wednesday night to sleep, i discovered that a box had arrived in my absence. oh, the joy! a box to open! something to enjoy in the midst of chaos! fun fun fun!! included in the box were:



1. lovely lovely pirouline-esque, dark chocolate filled and dipped 'nestle's crunch' deliciousness. (not pictured as i gobbled it up immediately.)

2. flying star farms plum chopotle jelly. i can't wait to try this on chicken or pork chops. num num num!

3. the cutest vintage kellog's note card set. it'll be fun to send friends written notes - mostly because, who expects to find a letter in the mailbox these days?

4. a rocking ikea ice tray that makes cubes to fit in water bottles. let's see... i live in the desert and i have two high-energy jobs, what do i need? cold bottled water!! oh, yeah!

5. two balls of black cotton yarn and two skeins of white tencel wool yarn. nice light yarns for use in the - everybody now - desert!

thanks so much sp9. i needed a pick me up and you certainly filled the bill. i hope you receive(d) extraordinary goodies from your sp9 in the spirit of good karma!!

whoa!

i just got back from the annual international conference for association of bridal consultants at the broadmoor in colorado springs. man, alive! what an amazing experience!! my mind is absolutely reeling from all the information. i'm going to have to sit down with all my notes and hand-outs this weekend or i'm afraid i will lose the info forever.

one of the highlights was the presentation by and booksigning with this piece of man-candy:


oh... so freaking beautiful

the incomparable preston bailey!!

done. and done.

i voted. i'm very proud of me as i am not the most disciplined voter. yay, me! however, there is one thing i need to say:

PAPER BALLOTS BITE MY LEFT PINKY TOE!!!

which bureaucratic mental giant decided it would be simpler or better to have an entire state vote on ballots that look like an sat exam? isn't this anti-evolution? argh!! i want my ballot machine's back. they make me feel like a super hero.

kickin' it witchy style!

or perhaps i should say, cookin' it witchy style. tomorrow is samhain, celtic new year. which means today is halloween and new year's eve. so i'm flexing my feminine muscles by cooking and baking. it feels so good. here's the shepherd's pie before it got 'shepherded.'


shepherd's pie... mmmmm...

and for the finished product. with some homemade soda bread. delish!!!


shepherd's pie and soda bread... mmm...

and dame maggie wants me to add that i couldn't have made this lovely spread without her supervision.


the baby cat

get well soon

my beautiful gramma hasn't been feeling top notch these past few months.


gramma

so i knit her a washcloth a few weeks back. i got it in the mail to her yesterday and can't wait to hear how she likes it. it's no fun to be 222 miles away from the gramma, but it's fun to make stuff for her.


gramma-cloth

lookit!!

we're famous!! i've said how cute heather is, now there's photographic evidence. good times!

soooo busy

a coupla people have asked me for the pattern for the fingerless mittens. and sp9 requires posting. thing is... i'm swamped. the good kinda swamped, but swamped none the less. so, it'll have to wait another few days. sorry. and thanks. and... yay... someone reads my blog!!!

hoo-ray!!

so, during my annual autumn watching of the entire twin peaks series - don't ask unless you really want the answer - i designed fingerless mittens. yup, me... i designed something. my first something. my very very first something. i'm so proud of me.

i finished the first one this morning and wore it around the house until i had to run away to teach teenagers. now i have to figure out how to successfully reverse it and then i'll share the pattern and a photo with you.

oh, you will like it. yes, you will.

my knitting shame

okay... here it is... *gulp*

i don't enjoy making socks.

i feel as though i have betrayed some sort of sisterhood by admitting this, but it is true. i simply don't enjoy making socks. i'm thankful to socktoberfest for teaching me this. it's not that i can't do it. i'm pretty freaking good at it, but i find it to be no fun at all.

love me anyway?

now... i have this gorgeous koigu i intended for socks, but i've no idea what to make with it. i am officially taking suggestions. thanks muchly.

still on overwhelm

oh, the colors!

we had a blast in taos! what a great road trip! as a knitting newby, i was completely overwhelmed by the yarns and the roving and the spinning and the felting and the weaving and the knitting and the crocheting and the shearing and the...

whew! i'll blog a bit about taos later. for now...

pictures!

mine
jody's

taos! woot!

going to taos for the taos wool festival tomorrow. travelling up there with jody, a friend from stitch n bitch who actually lives in maryland. and before we hit the road, we're picking up nicol from the airport. she is a friend of jody's from a previous secret pal thingy and she's flying in from las vegas for this road trip. too much fun!!

i've never been to a wool/knitty festival before. i don't know what to expect, but with these two sister-friends in tow, it can't help but be a blast. and i think we'll bump into a whole crew of knitters from albuquerque.

sp9 questions

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

i enjoy knitting with veriegated yarns. cotton, bamboo and wool make me happy. i find acrylic yarns very upsetting.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

i have some antique suitcases stacked in my living room. my needles are sorta thrown in there with everything else.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

i've been knitting for about nine months. i taught myself from books - god bless the library right across the street from my house - and i consider myself an advanced beginner.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

sure do. but it is so large it might frighten a secret pal.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)

vanilla and amber. also, heady eastern scents like sandalwood, cumin, coriander, curry, etc.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

i love dark chocolate. any cadbury's chocolates. and red vines.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

paper arts, multi-media art, sewing, decoupage. i don't spin.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

old-school jazz (sarah vaughan, lena horne, etc.), sting, u2, folk rock, acoustic/classical guitar, alternative, classical... just no country or rap (unless it's french or middle eastern.)

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

green will always be my fave. but i'm going through a red phase at the moment. i can cope with anything except pink and yellow.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

i'm single and i have two cats.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

all of the above.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

bags, throws, shrugs...

13. What are you knitting right now?

some washclothes for christmas presents, a sock, a soon-to-be-felted bag.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

shoot, who doesn't?!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

i like circular aluminum.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

a who and a what?

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

a few months old. i was working on a shawl that i think i'm going to frog and turn into something else.

18. What is your favorite holiday?

bring me halloween!! (and dia de los muertos - which coincides with halloween. how lucky am i?)

19. Is there anything that you collect?

peacock feathers, irises, dragonflys, china tea cups and saucers, tea pots, handmade pottery

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

i would love to work with some manos. books: knit 2 together, yarn harlot, socks soar on two circular needles, stitch n bitch nation.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

cabling bewilders me.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

i'm learning. i'm a us size 9.5.

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)

december 15

fourteen yarns

indulged in these fourteen yarns for a throw i found in a library book. i based the color scheme on the 'sari yarn' (top row, second from the left). it just captured my heart with its richness and indian flavor.

it is meant to be put together completely randomly. the plan is to keep it random within fourteen rows, that way i can make sure i'm using the same amount of everything. i'll post pics when it's done.


fourteen yarns

stitch n bitch bags

i made these from the pattern in stitch n bitch. i picked up the fabric from hobby lobby. i loved all three as fabrics, but once they were bags i fell in love with the brown corduroy & paisley.


stitch n bitch bags

unearned confidence

after my two - count 'em two - felting victories, i decided i was a knitting pro and moved on to a fairly difficult pattern. while the result is a gorgeous little handbag, alas, it isn't sound enough to take out of the house.

front:


purse front

back:


purse back

felting 102

having followed directions pretty darn well with the felted tea cozy, i decided to take on some really cute slippers. boy, i had no idea why i was doing what i was doing in regards to the pattern. but, sure enough...

before felting:


slippers - before

after felting:


slippers - after

felting 101

this is my first foray into knitted felting - truthfully, this is also my first foray into following a knitting pattern. that is, knitting with wool on large needles, then washing it in hot water to shrink it and create a felt fabric item. the yarn for this came from frogging an wrap i hated knitted in my all time favorite wool. (the colors remind me of the ocean.) and will probably be making a number of things out of this wool.

before felting:


tea cozy - before

after felting:


tea cozy - after

ikea plus

i bought this great cd holder at ikea, but knew that unfinished wood would drive me batty. i can't tell you how much i enjoyed doing these a few years ago. now, if i could just organize the cds within.


decoupage, woot!