Who It Is?!*

So Monday night I'm watching the Sci-Fi Monday night Stargate SG-1 marathon, when an episode I'd never seen before came on. The episode is "Avenger 2.0", where the "brilliant" Dr. Felger designs a virus to target certain stargates in order to disable them. The plan backfires when the virus spreads to the entire stargate system, rendering them all unusable and stranding several Stargate Command teams off world.

This Dr. Felger character had been in one other Stargate SG-1 episode that I had seen, where along with two other scientists, he helps to rescue SG-1 from the Jaffa that had captured them. So I recognized him from that other episode, but the more I watched the show, the more I felt I recognized him from somewhere else. I can typically make these kinds of connections, but I can't always figure out what the specific connection is.

This time, however, I was right on it. It didn't even take me until the end of the episode to figure out where I'd seen him before. (Actually, it was a lot of his movements and voice inflections that tipped me off.)

Dr. Felger is...






Harold Green from The Red Green Show!






Both characters are played by the actor Patrick McKenna. Sorry for revealing all this nerdiness, but I was very excited to make the connection, especially with how much I enjoy each of the two shows.

*The title of today's post relates not only to this ever-so-intriguing information about Patrick McKenna, but it also relates to the Mr. Robinson sketch by Eddie Murphy on SNL, where he answers the door by yelling, "WHO IT IS???" Heh.

-------------------------

I have actually finished a couple of things this week, but they cannot be revealed in their ultimate fullness until next week. So here are a couple of teaser pictures, and you can make up your own mind based on what you see.

Other than that, I've been trying to figure out what to pack for the Thanksgiving trip. Clearly the knitting projects take first precedence. I've narrowed it down to two for-sure projects (the CTHJ socks and the LLLC socks) and two probably projects (the mini-gansey and the other front to A's sweater). I've even printed out the TSA list of acceptable items and highlighted "knitting needles" in case anyone tries to stop me. Here's the full itinerary if you don't already know it (that means you can stop reading, Kimmy... ;)

Thursday morning Anthony and I are driving up to my parents' house where we'll have Thanksgiving dinner with Mom, Dad, Aunt Karyl Lyn, Uncle Larry, Aunt Nancy, Aunt Marilyn, Uncle Karl, Karla, her boyfriend, and Kevin. Around 4pm, Mom, Anthony and I will drive down to Columbus to stay the night near the airport. Our plane leaves Columbus at not quite 6am, and we arrive in Seattle at 10:46am PST. We'll be there through Monday night, and we'll take the red-eye, have a four hour layover in Texas, and be back in Ohio on Tuesday at 12:25pm.

No word on the nephew yet. As my brother said, it's still "anytime now".

I'll post more next week. Until then, happy knitting, and have a great Thanksgiving.

Any Time Now...

... I should have a new nephew. I'm very excited.

In other news, let's play weekend report, shall we?

Friday night was awesome. Kim had her craft/card party, and I stayed way too late talking and eating and teaching a couple people how to cast on and helping Kimmie with her felted purse and random other things. Kim and I brainstormed a plan for the bottom of her felted purse (from Holiday Knits), since she didn't want to buy the pre-made one online. That's what I worked on for most of the day Sunday. It was really cool to work out all the math and figure out which structure would work best and how to implement it... very fun.

Saturday I worked at the yarn store again from 10-5. They were pretty slow in the morning, so I started this:
Back to the Cherry Tree Hill yarn. (No, the second Liberty sock is not finished yet. I am well aware of the dangers this may pose.) This time I'm starting toe-up, as Brenda suggested. (Don't worry, Joy... I haven't forgotten your question. Tomorrow, perhaps.) Anyway, I think it's good to work on stuff from the store when I'm working there. Makes sense, methinks.

In the afternoon, I got to take a class in between hopping up to help customers. The class was Knitting Ganseys, based on the book of the same name by Beth Brown-Reinsel. I'll admit, the main reason I signed up for the class was that the newsletter for the store listed it as an advanced class. Plus, the book came with the class. (Since I get to take classes for free, I did have to purchase the book, but I'm really glad I did.) This is not a book I would have picked up on a random day or even considered. It previously did not have any appeal to me. But now that I've gotten into it and already learned so much from it, I'm really eager to read more and learn more of the techniques.

The book teaches you how to make a mini-sweater as a sampler before you attempt a person-sized sweater. So that's what we worked on Saturday afternoon. This is as far as I've gotten with mine. This is the front of the sweater... the back isn't complete yet. Ganseys are worked in the round, divided for the front and back once you reach sleeve height, then the shoulders are attached and the sleeves knit down from the shoulder.

The first new thing I learned was a brand new cast on. New cast on methods were developed for ganseys (basically, fisherman sweaters) in order to make the bottom edge more sturdy. This cast on is called the Channel Island cast on, and creates pairs of stitches with a bead of doubled yarn between them. It's sort of like our beloved long-tail cast on method, only there are two strands wrapped double around the thumb, and the technique is slightly different. Perhaps some time I'll document the technique here, but there's a great step-by-step in the book if you simply cannot wait. I think it looks super cool.

Not so much a new technique, but something that I was previously unaware of, is that the intended recipient's initials were worked into the plain section at the bottom of the sweater. This "B" is from the purl chart, but there's also a seed stitch chart in the book that you can work from.

See this mini-cable-twist in the body of the sweater? Easiest "cable" ever. Maybe you already know about this technique, but I didn't, and it may now be my most favoritest thing ever. Knit two stitches together, but leave them on the left needle. Knit once into the first stitch and drop both stitches off the needle. There you go. Mini twist. I adore it.

The last technique that I made it to was the sleeve gusset. Apparently this diamond patch in the armpit gives the wearer that much more freedom of movement without causing more stress to the sweater. I've been unaware of sleeve gussets in the past, but they fascinate me now. I can't wait to get further on the sweater so I can work on picking up the sleeve stitches and working the rest of the sleeve gussets and on down.

This book has a ton of charts and ideas and techniques, and although it does give a handful of specific patterns at the end, the idea is to combine your favorite techniques and patterns into a one-of-a-kind sweater. I feel like I'm beginning to understand that concept even more (even though I've pretty much done that before... especially with Maggie's birthday sweaters). This class has given me additional confidence to tackle my gorgeous Latvian Mittens book, which is almost all color charts and techniques, and good luck combining them into real mittens. I'm excited to look back through that book as well and attempt some of the more complicated techniques.

Regularly Scheduled Programming

You know what's fun? Getting birthday presents a month and a half after your birthday. It stretches things out, you know? Like... makes the celebration that much longer. Well, last night I got this AWESOME birthday present from my friend Joy. She got me this book (which contains all 7 books in the Chronicles of Narnia in one volume) because I had told her the sad story of my previous Narnia collection.

See, a couple jobs ago, when I taught language arts in an inner city charter school, I would bring in books for the students, and make them read for a certain amount of time each day. (I won't talk about the scads of library books I would cart in, only to have them stolen so I had to pay the library for them.) I had gotten this great set of Narnia paperbacks from Scholastic (for the measly amount of $15.00!!!), and I took them in, and I had a student who wanted to read them. I'll admit, it wasn't the smartest idea in the world for me to let him take the whole set home to borrow. Especially when a week or so later he was expelled, and I never saw him again. I guess the good thing about it is that now this disadvantaged kid at least has a nice set of classic literature at his disposal.

Anyway, so I went over to Joy's last night for some Tuscan onion soup and salad, some good reading (Clifford and Thomas the Tank Engine and Bob the Builder and Dora the Explorer), and some hang-out-and-knit-and-watch-Survivor-and-Apprentice-with-Joy-and-Heather time. It was pretty sweet. I'm fortunate to have such a fun place to go when my apartment drives me crazy. Thanks, pweez, guys!

I'm still working on the washing machine cozy (or baby sweater, whichever you want to believe), and I'll post pictures when there has been good progress on it. I have a couple of deadlines rapidly approaching, and not every deadline is a knitting deadline. Tonight there's a holiday craft/card party at Kimmie's house, and I'm really excited. I'm not sure how much crafting I'll be able to do on my own projects, since I have at least three different people that I promised to help, but it should still be a good time.

Tomorrow I work at my yarn store again, and in the afternoon I'll be working in the store and taking a gansey class at the same time. It will be interesting to see how that works out. Updates, of course, on Monday. Until then, be safe, stay warm, and happy knitting.

Hope you're having a GREAT birthday, Morgan!

This Is Getting Old

First: KnitPicks.
Again, no local yarn store has the monopoly on yarn. In fact, each yarn store chooses what they want to sell and typically does not have room to stock every kind of yarn available, in every weight available, in every color available. I have been to quite a few yarn shops in the area, and I buy different kinds of yarn at each one. *GASP!!!* That's right, I don't spend my entire yarn allowance at the yarn store I work for. Some companies make their own kinds of yarn. That means that you cannot buy that type of yarn anywhere else. Such is the case of KnitPicks. If I want a kind of yarn that is only made by KnitPicks, then I have to buy it through KnitPicks. The good thing about KnitPicks (and some other online yarn shops) is that the quality of the yarn is, in my experience, very high. Calling KnitPicks the "WalMart of the yarn world" is simply ignorant. Yes, they have nice prices. No, I would not want to use every kind of yarn they offer. But isn't that the case for any yarn store, local or online? If I want Rowan Wool Cotton, I go to O'Bryonville. If I want Manos or some ArtYarns, I go to Hamilton. If I want Cherry Tree Hill, I go to West Chester. If I want a new selection of stuff to choose from, I find a new yarn store. That's the beauty of it. There are options. There are choices. I can support multiple yarn places, thereby increasing the demand across the board, which eventually increases the supply and increases the options. Where's the downside? All the customers of my LYS are not going to run out and ONLY buy yarn from KnitPicks just because I mention on my blog that I have bought yarn from them in the past and plan to buy more in the future, because that is the case for EVERY YARN STORE FROM WHICH I HAVE PURCHASED YARN. I love yarn. I have stash issues. I want more yarn. My options are not limited. No one is going to go out of business. Oh, and I also buy yarn on eBay. Clearly I'm only hurting myself.

Second: My now-frogged, previously ill-fitting sock.
Yes, it was a mistake. Yes, I "broadcasted" said mistake to all of my faithful blog readers. Yes, the students in my sock class were aware that I messed up, and yes, I am a horrible person because of it. However, I fail to see how all my "credibility" is based on that one sock. The first night of the sock class I took in at least six pairs of previously completed, perfectly fitting socks to share with my students. Hmm, perhaps there's some credibility in that. Let's look at the other 20 some posts I've made in the young life of this blog. There are over a dozen different projects talked about, most of them completed, and all of them well-made and fitting for whichever recipient they were intended. I think that might establish some credibility, so that when I mention a project that isn't going perfectly, one might not think that because of that one project, I'm a complete failure at this hobby. Oh, what? It's a hobby? It's not life or death? Interesting.
The other thing about this sock, which, if you'd been reading all the posts about this particular yarn and pattern, you'd know already, is that while I was working on the sock, I was fascinated with both the yarn and the pattern. (How's that for a run-on sentence? Can you start ripping on my grammar now, please?) I'm clearly a process-knitter. Yes, it's nice to have a finished project once in a while, but the reason why I keep casting on for so many new projects is because I am in love with the process. I love learning new stitch patterns, using new yarns, seeing how variegated and self-striping/patterning colorways work out. So it's not really all that surprising that I waited until after I turned the heel to try it on. I love turning the heel. It's usually my favorite part about making socks. So again, not surprising. Process knitter. Remember that.

Next (third, for those of you keeping track): The Alien Scarf.
I know it's a darn cool scarf. It's a darn cool pattern, and OOPS! I didn't have the pattern with me when I bought the yarn. My brain, unfortunately, is not an encyclopedia of yarn yardage and pattern details. I really wish it was. I did not blame the yarn store I went to (not a local one this time, but thanks for trying) for telling me that the Lamb's Pride would be fine, because frankly, the yarn worked perfect for the project. There just wasn't enough yardage. Yes, my mistake. But I fixed it: I bought more yarn, and finished the scarf. When I told the story in my blog, I wasn't blaming anyone, I was telling the story of the scarf. I was explaining about the yarn, the process, the finished product, the handsome scarf model... all of that. I'm pretty sure that even in this public forum, I am permitted to tell my stories the way that I'd like to tell them. In fact, I think that's what blogging is all about.

Fourth, and last: This Knitsie Character.
Did someone pee in your Cheerios? Was it me? Do you wake up in the morning wondering how horribly I've messed everything up this time? If so, stop wasting everybody's time. I'm not perfect, I never claimed to be, and this blog is for me. You don't like what you see? Then stop reading. I'm not hiding behind some made up name throwing out insults and holier-than-thou comments on random blogs. I'm going to tell it like it is, good or bad. I'm not going to share only the perfect projects; I'm not going to share only the mistake projects. I'm going to share it all, because again, this is my blog, and that's why I started it. I have some really good friends who read this blog and enjoy what I do, and the same goes for why I read their stuff and can appreciate them. We support each other, we encourage each other, we laugh with (and sometimes at) each other, but we're always real and up front about it. It's never with a spirit of piousness or that we feel we're better than someone else, but always with a desire to learn more about something that has become a favorite pasttime.
I don't need to take a beginning knitting class, and many people will back me up when I say that I define myself as a qualified knitting instructor. I understand gauge, I understand yardage, I understand the process, but I will never say that I have nothing left to learn. I will never say that I am perfect, and I will never hide behind some internet facade to rip on someone else's hard work.
Either come out from behind the nickname and tell me what your real issue with me is, or leave me alone. This blog doesn't need readers like you.

Somebody Stop Me!

I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?

Anthony always wants the bad news first, so here it is:
I started another new project last night.

There are two good newses though!
1. The new project can be found on the project lists on my door.
2. The new project is being made with yarn from my stash!

Any guesses as to what it is?









(Joy, your toe-up/cuff-down quandary will be answered shortly in its very own post.)

Catching Up

I spent the first half of my weekend celebrating Anthony's birthday, and the second half (plus Monday) trying to sleep away some sinus issues.

Friday night we went to the Hofbrauhaus in Newport, Kentucky, since Anthony had never been there before. We ate a ridiculous amount of food. We got the combo appetizer: sauerkraut balls, fried pickles, pretzels and potato pancakes. We got the Schmankerlplatte: platter for two featuring schweinsbraten, smoked pork chops and three wurst. Served with your choice of three side items: onion rings, schnitzel, and fried cabbage. Then to top it all off we got dessert: Schokoladen Torte (Mile High Chocolate Torte Cake). It might not have been mile high in size, but if you're looking for something unbelievably chocolatey, this is your dessert. Anthony has a low tolerance for extremely rich foods, so he was ready to run beside the car on the way home. It was pretty funny.

Saturday we had to run some errands, nothing too exciting, then we went to Half Price Books and Chipotle for lunch. Anthony got a couple of books, a pair of homemade owl boxers, a Chipotle t-shirt, and a scarf for his birthday.

The pattern is the Alien Illusion Scarf from Stitch & Bitch. The pattern calls for Brown Sheep Naturespun, but the yarn store I bought the yarn from said I could just use the Lamb's Pride, it would turn out the same. Nice try. The Lamb's Pride only has enough yardage to make five of the pattern's six alien heads, and that would be without fringe. So I splurged (cuz he's worth it) and bought a second skein of each.


I first learned of this scarf on another blog: Words And Wool, and when I showed the picture to Anthony, he told me that if he didn't get that scarf, he'd die. Rather than test his theory (and since he bought me the book), I thought I'd appease him. He doesn't ask for much. Happy coupla-days-after-your Birthday, cutie.



Here's a gratuitous photo. Mostly because I like the word gratuitous, but also because I took a bunch of pictures last weekend after I finished the scarf, and this was my favorite.









Okay, so since I bought that extra skein of limeade Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted... and since I had some other colors of the same... and since AmandaMonkey joined a fuzzy feet knit-a-long, I decided I should make some, too.

I finished the first one Sunday between passing out on the couch and taking sinus medicine. Some of you may recognize the pretty blue thanks-for-reading-a-poem-in-my-wedding yarn from Brenda. It goes pretty well with the Limeade, methinks. I'll have to take these to my parents' at Christmas to felt them along with my Knitty pumpkin. Speaking of, this fuzzy feet pattern comes from Knitty, too.



Lastly, a word to Knitsie:
I've been reading knitblogs for almost a year, and have been writing one for almost two months, and in that amount of time, I've never seen such a mean-spirited, snarky comment as yours. I was convinced that knitbloggers and knitblogreaders were a very supportive and helpful group, so thanks for proving that there are jerks out there, even in the knitblog community.

As for the Cherry Tree Hill sock, I frogged the thing IN FRONT OF my sock class last night, and they both said they appreciated knowing that even an experienced knitter makes mistakes. I have yet to meet someone who has been knitting for any length of time who hasn't made a mistake. She who is without dropped stitches or whacky gauge may cast the first stone, as they say.

Secondly, the owners of my yarn store are well aware that they don't carry every type of yarn imaginable. They understand perfectly that I (or any other customer) might want to purchase yarn elsewhere. They have never been misled to believe that they hold the monopoly on yarn. I have spent at least as much money at my yarn store as I have made there (sorry, Mom). My yarn store will not lose money because I desire to purchase yarn from another source.

Three cheers to Joy and Brenda for defending me in comment world. You'll be happy to know that as soon as I frogged the CTHP sock, I cast on for the second LLLC sock. Snap.

They Don't Fit

I don't know about you, but when I knit things, I try them on. I don't try on baby things or socks for Brenda, but if there's a scant chance the thing might be for me, I try it on. I love trying on socks. But there are rules for trying on unfinished socks. First, the sock has to be on at least four dpns, or on two circular needles. Second, the heel has to be turned and you have to be knitting at least on the instep. Third, if I adore the yarn and am in love with the pattern, it has to fit.

This.
Sock.
Does.
Not.
Fit.








I've said before that I have a "Cinderella Theory" about socks. You know... whoever the sock fits, that's who gets it. Ha ha... me so clever... until this so-called theory bit me in the butt.

I tried it on Tuesday night, which explains the lack of blogging yesterday. I've been so upset about this stinking sock that I couldn't think about it, let alone write about it. So I've decided, based on TV philosophy, that if I make a list of all the things I've ever done wrong, and I fix all those things, that then and only then my sock will fit.

Okay, that's silly. The truth is that I have other projects I should be working on. Projects that have deadlines. Deadlines that are coming soon. We're still not even talking about Christmas yet. I shouldn't be working selfishly on a me-sock when I have other stuff that's more important. This is my penance. This is my due.

Thing is, I love this yarn. I love the color, I love the texture, I love the weight, I love the fabric it's making. I love this pattern. What do I do? Should I finish, make another, and *gasp* give them away? Should I frog the whole thing? (I choke back sobs everytime I picture ripping that sock apart...) Should I start over, altering the pattern, perhaps making it toe-up as Brenda suggested? Should I make something else? Gloves, perhaps? For now, it's in my work bag, in the little clear bag with the LLLiberty sock, and they're both taunting me now. It's not nice, people. I need your help.

Last night I didn't even knit one stitch. I worked on a sewing project instead.

In much much happier news, there are new pictures of my niece to be looked at. Here are a couple of her in the 3rd birthday sweater. It looks way better on her than it did on the hanger, as if we didn't know that would be the case.

Check out the My Little Pony in her hand. It came with a tea party set. How perfect is that?













Pattern is Knitty's Accordion, by Leigh Spencer.
Yarn is KnitPicks Shine in Grass, Cream, and Blush. Machine washable.











And speaking of KnitPicks, I have a wild desire for this box to show up at my door. And for only $15.99, I have a crazy feeling it's going to happen soon. Mmm... laceweight.

Ooh! And this shawl pattern.







Umm... and this shawl pattern. Heh.








Deadlines? Did someone say something about deadlines?

Sock Report

Sock class part one went well. I had two participants, one who had knitted on double pointed needles before, and the other who hadn't. The one who had (she had made mittens in another class) got started on her own and pretty much didn't need any help. She was very self-sufficient and was an encourager for the other participant. She might try the heel between now and next Monday (part two), or she might wait. I'm sure she could do it if she read the pattern. She used Cascade Fixation yarn which has elastic in it. I've never used it... it knitted up very soft and looks like store-bought socks.

The other one had never knit on double points before, and it had been a while since she'd knitted at all. I taught her the tip that I had learned when first using double points: cast on and knit a few rows back and forth on straight needles, and then pick it up with double points after you've knitted a little bit. That reduces your chances of twisting the row at the join, and you just have to seam a tiny bit when you weave in your cast-on end. She really liked that idea, and seemed to do well with it. She had a little trouble with the k1p1 rib that makes up the cuff, but once she hit the plain stockinette, she flew. She got Lorna's Laces in the Lorikeet colorway: pale yellow, indigo/blue, and dark purpley red. Her socks will be very cute when finished. Homework was to knit until they were ready to start the heel, and that will be our lesson on Monday.

All in all, it was a good class. We were there for three hours, and I got to work on my Jaywalker sock while they were knitting and in between helping them. I finished and turned the heel and started decreasing for the gussets. I've felt very proud of myself lately when I've picked up stitches. I think I've finally gotten the hang of picking them up consistently. Slipping the first stitch of each row really helps.

When I got home, I finished my seven inch square of eyelash yarn. I'm making this. It's super easy to sew together once your knitted square is finished, but you know how I am about knitting squares. This square took me months to finish, since I can do a few rows at a time and have to put it away and get out something more complicated. My bunny turned out exceptionally fat (pictures later). I have plans for him. Oh yes. Funny bunny plans.

This afternoon I organized all the digital pictures I've uploaded so far. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to keep on top of organizing them, since I don't always erase all the pictures on the camera before I upload any new ones, and I end up having tons of copies of the same pictures on my computer. It seems I have the problem under control for now, with minimal categories, even.

I'm looking for suggestions for knitting projects and paperbacks to stick in my bag for a five day trip to Seattle at the end of this month. Said projects and books will mostly be for the plane, since I have other plans for while I'm there. Any ideas?

Autumn in November

Over the weekend, I did many things.

This might have been my favorite:
Pattern: Jaywalker by Grumperina.
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill "Potluck".
Needles: US1 dpns.
This is the first CTH yarn I've used, sock or not, and I have to say I am in love with it. This colorway has been haunting me from my LYS for about a month. Autumn is my favorite season; the changing colors of the leaves is one of the reasons. I simply cannot find anything wrong with this yarn. The colors are gorgeous, the stitches are beautiful, the fabric is soft and firm at the same time. I spend as much time staring at the sock as I do knitting it.

I've been reading January One lately, and Cara is using this pattern over and over again for her Socks That Rock, and that's what inspired me to use it. I'm glad I did. The pattern calls for 465 yards, and my CTH contains a scant 420 yards. My solution? Shorten the distance from heel to cuff. I've found that the longer-legged socks don't stay up well anyway. And these socks are most definitely for me. Greedy maybe, but I have lots of clothes to match. Besides, I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE how it's turning out.

The one concern I have is that my lovely, gorgeous, precious CTH is having to share a project bag with the Lorna's Laces Liberty Chevron sock and yarn. Every time I open the bag, I hear things like, "Remember when you loved me?" and "I'm toe-up! You love toe-up socks!" and "Don't abandon me! I need a mate!" Sometimes the crying echoes long after the zipper is zipped. I fear the emotional anguish that might be inflicted upon my sweet and beautiful CTHJ by the bitter, disillusioned LLLC. I mean, sure, the LLLCs are for someone else, but I at least need to finish the first CTHJ to see how it turns out, right? Right?

Anyhow, what else did I do this weekend?

Anthony and I went to a movie. We saw the Disney Digital 3-D version and we got to keep the glasses. Cool, eh? It was a really cute movie. Zach Braff (of Scrubs fame) voices Chicken Little. My favorite character was definitely Fish Out Of Water, and if I could take any of the characters home with me, I'd want Kirby. More good news we heard at the theater: The Polar Express is coming back in IMAX 3D this Christmas. That was one of the highlights of my holiday season last year. If you need something to get you in the holiday spirit, I highly recommend it. The DVD comes out on November 22, but I'm still planning on seeing the IMAX version again. It is the most realistic CGI I've seen, and the 3D really enhances it. I'm looking forward to seeing it again.

I received gift #3 from Brenda on Thursday, and it was definitely worth the wait. She wrote a "little story with little props", and there were 14 tiny gifts to open as I read the story. One of my favorites was the knitted embroidery floss on toothpicks.I'm already gathering tiny things for a reciprocal story... perhaps a sequel? We shall see.


I opened #5 on Friday. Qiviut! It's yarn spun from the layer of down on musk oxen! I was looking at some of the brochures that came with this little kit, and you can order scarves and hats and shawls and sweaters made from qiviut... if you have a small fortune. I don't know where Brenda got this, but it's definitely the most unique yarn I've ever had. It's actually a little lighter in color than the picture shows. I can't wait to see how it works up. It came with patterns for three different hats. I'll be sure to post pictures when I make one. Thanks, Brenda!


I did some other crafty things this weekend, but I can't show you yet. I can show you part of it next week, the rest next month. Sorry for the secrecy, but gifts have to be like that, you know? Besides, my brother thinks I'm a rat, so I can only assume the same of him.

Sock class numero uno, part one tonight. I'll let you know how it goes.

Happiness Is...

Elusive.

(Due to the increasing quantity & quality of cranky-causing-ness lately, I've decided to go ahead with my happy list idea so as to battle back. Granted, it is a feeble attempt, but it is my attempt nonetheless.)

Things That Make Brooke Smile (tm)

1. Chipotle

2. Reading my book at Chipotle, and finding a typo on page 290 that names the hitherto known character of Mrs. Higgler as Mrs. Higgins.

3. Halloween owl sippy cups on sale for 49 cents.










4. Receiving the first issue of a gift magazine subscription that your mom had told you about but you forgot about until you got the first issue.

5. Making silly jokes about pictures I took out the side window of my car as I was stopped at a stoplight on my way home from work. (Click the picture for a larger view.)

6. Opening #4 to find my most coveted knitting book AND a SpiderMan card!

7. Sleepy fuzzy kitty face.

8. Lastly, sending Happy-Birthday-I-Hope-You-Get-To-Come-Home-Today-If-You-Didn't-Get-To-Come-Home-Yesterday wishes to the best dad I've ever had. I love you.