Knitting progress is slow but sure

I've been working on so many non-knitting related things lately, it's been slow going on The Boy's x-mas gloves. But here is the one I finished over Thanksgiving. They really don't take long. If you knitted in a marathon, you could do it in one day. Or like me, it'll take you 3 damn weeks. They aren't made from "one" skein either. It's going to take 2 and a partial 3rd to finish. But then again, they're small balls and the book probably used a huge one (huh, the book has huge balls. y'all know, I had to say it). Anyway The Boy also has huge......... hands (tricked ya!) so that is also why the gloves are gobbling up yardage as we speak. I have the second glove cast on and half the cuff finished. This weekend I'm going to sit down and finish it completely. And none too soon, because it got COLD here in Flagstaff. Observe:

Jingle Bells, Yummy Smells, Batman laid an egg...

Well, we still haven't put the lights on the tree or anything of that nature, but I did start some beginning holiday decorations. The lovely Kim helped me wrap the front door. Thank goodness we did it right after Thanksgiving because now it is too cold. We ended up putting the cats in "daycare" (aka the bathroom) and wrapped the door while it was wide open. I think it looks good though. I wish I would have put the cross piece of ribbon higher up near the bow, but eh it's my first year to do this. Mistakes are bound to happen, and happen frequently. Actually I think the door looks pretty boss. You can't even see the peephole, but it can see you!

The further plans for actual decorations are a lighted, dinky tree and some electric candles in the window. That and many batches of x-mas cookies. I have been baking like a mad woman. I am not sure what has come over me, especially since I haven't eaten all the cookies yet. This is a rather large accomplishment. So far, Birds' Nests, Brown Eyed Susans, Spritz, Walnut Fudge, and Butter Cookie Christmas Trees are all baked and frozen, ready to be thawed closer to time. The linzers are also baked, but have yet to be filled and decorated. Still, it has filled my house with all kinds of yummy smells. And this weekend I'm adding Banana Nut Muffins and Zucchini Brownies to the baking schedule. Oh yeah.

I just realized...

I've been giving primary blogging real estate to Tweek and Frodo exclusively. Only one photo of Evie and absolutely no photos of my Mia. This will not do (Also, I'm tired of working on school projects and without any photos to post of recent craft and baking work, I'm basically going to throw photos of my cats at you).

Mia:
The girly girls (Mia and Evelyn):

Computers and cookies and Christmas

It's 2 weeks till finals and we've all been a little crazy around here. Large presentation due the yesterday, and even larger SQL project due Thursday. I've been dividing my time between homework and baking christmas cookies. I thought a little baking and a little sugar might ease my tired ol' brain. And Christmas is quickly approaching. I started the decorating (photos coming when I get time) and the X-mas knitting. And today it finally started snowing for the first time this winter, so I also spent some time prancing around outside. I have to confess, I actually did prance. I've missed my hand-knit hats and scarves. Sadly all gloves have been given away. OH NO! Excuse to make more gloves. *score* I really hope there's a white Christmas this year. We had a brown and wet one last year, and from my experience not very many good things are both brown and wet.

I'll post photos of the cookies and other stuffs after the rush of finals are over.

Ate turkey, must contemplate cookies

With much feasting and general stuffing of faces behind us, I decided to turn my attention towards Christmas cookies. When I was a child, we lived out in the country where people still brought over a fruitcake at Christmastime... only we were REALLY lucky because our neighbor pooh-poohed the fruitcake and brought over a mad plate of cookies. There must have been at least 20 different kinds (the same neighbor also baked a cake each year for grandma's birthday on Christmas... what a lovely neighbor, no?). In a fit of nostalgia, I decided I wanted to recreate the Christmas cookie plate of old. But on my scale, i.e. 8 to 10 kinds of cookies and not 20. I raided our Christmas decorations today, trying to ferret out those tacky old cookie tins so I can pass out home-baked goodness to all my friends (that and I'm a bit poor this Christmas, so cookies are about the only gifts I can afford to give). I might end up dropping some dough (HAH, I'm such a dork!) on quality disposable plates and go the Easter-basket-cellophaned route. Anyway, here is the menu this year:

• Brown Eyed Susans
• Birds' Nests
• Walnut Fudge
• Linzer Cookies
• Spritz Cookies
• Basic "I Need Comfort" Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Chocolate Crackle Cookies
• Surprise!!!!!

That last cookie is not so much a surprise as a "I haven't decided on the last kind to make yet" kind of cookie. I was thinking of making peanut butter cookies for The Boy, but I really want to make some sort of pumpkin cookie. Maybe a pumpkin spice ginger snap type thing? I need to find a recipe though.

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all.

I must go stuff my face with pie now. Otherwise I'm too incredibly full and happy to care that I am not posting regularly. Just a quick update though, I'm feeling a lot better and my back is not hurting hardly at all. So all is happy.

I hypnotize you. Feeeeeeeeeed me now. You want to feeeeeeeeed me.

Oy

Well, I have gotten almost nothing done lately. Test week from hell + wicked bad head cold + excruciating back pain = no posts. It goes like this... I had all my crafting stuff piled on the guest bed, waiting to be put away in my nice, clean bookshelves. Well, I guess I worked too hard organizing because I've been laid up lately with awful back spasms and, until a few hours ago, I couldn't get out of bed. It sucked. Thanks to my amazing mother (who drove 2 hours at 3am to come take care of me), I am now able to sit up in bed. Since I'm not able to do much of anything else, I should be getting some much needed knitting done. I've missed it. The last time I went this long without knitting was when I got frustrated and had to put away all knitting for a few months.

On a different note, I've been researching some bread baking techniques for uber-high altitudes. Now that it's getting chilly, we could use a little heat in the kitchen. Our ceramic tile floors are pretty harsh on bare feet, and I've given away all the FuzzyFeet I've knitted. Must stop doing that. Bad hobbit. Bad.

Oh yeah, and I recently had a job interview. With any luck, I'll soon be employed at the local hospital doing SQL programming. Go me!

Survey says!

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I love to knit with merino, and soft wool blends. Anything that is so soft that it induces fondling. I fondle my yarn people. I HATE red heart. It's such a scratchy yarn, its awful. Oh, and chenille. @#$&*%! chenille. Soft and cushy yes, but a bitch and a half to knit with.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have a couple needle rolls, one for straights, and one for DPNs and circulars.

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 a couple years now. Taught myself everything, from reading books and online tutorials. I'm intermediate. I'm not afraid to try anything, the only thing that defeats me are long projects. Sweaters and garments have eluded me thus far.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
http://www.wists.com/halblingefrau

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)
I love the smell of real orange blossoms, but it tends to be too intense in its manufactured form. I also like patchouli, and this scented oil called "Egyptian Goddess." And just in case you're wondering, I do in fact shave my pits.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
I love sweets a bit too much. Chocolate is my vice over other types of sugar. Dark chocolate is best, but good quality milk chocolate is also appreciated. I have recently found an affinity for gummi Life Savers too.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I sew on a machine, and I'm teaching myself to crochet. I spin with a drop spindle, but I am salivating over the pretty Kromski wheels I've seen. I also stencil and make jewelry.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like a lot of music but I hate rap and R&B. Don't particularly like Country but there are some exceptions. I love old rock (Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd in particular), as well as some of the old 90s alternative bands.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I have a lot of browns and blues in my closet. I'm trying to branch out though. I'm told that rosy pinks and deep reds look good on me. I like black but usually don't dress in all black except when I'm trying to go a bit more formal. Pink is ok for me, but I like it paired with brown a lot more. I dislike yellow, pastels, and bright colors (eg. I prefer navy blue to royal blue, sage green to bright green, etc.).

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I live with my boyfriend and our 4 fur children... our cats. We have 2 boys and 2 girls and they are spoiled brats. I also have 2 gerbils and 2 fish tanks (one 30gal planted and one 2gal betta tank).

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I hate mittens but I will wear gloves. I like fingerless gloves a lot, since my computer is close to a drafty window. I used to not wear scarves until I started knitting. Now I love them, but only if they're soft. My neck is sensitive and itchy-ness is bad. Ponchos make me look like a barn... I generally avoid them. Hats are necessary here at 7500ft. and I wear them often, even in summer (ok, the real reason is that I have disobedient hair and it's easier to cover it up than try to fix it).

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I love to make fingerless gloves, hats, and I'm starting my first sock project (I've made felted slippers, but those are on huge needles and I don't consider them a "sock"). I don't particularly love scarves mostly because I get really tired of them about halfway through. I love to knit bags, as I am a bit of a purse-a-holic.

13. What are you knitting right now?
FuzzyFeet for my dad, socks for me, bag for me, scarf for friend.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Oh I love it. I love it as much as getting tools to MAKE handmade gifts. :)

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I love circs and DPNs. I will knit on straights, but I prefer wood or the flexible Bryspun. I hate aluminum straights. They hurt my hands. I just ordered the KnitPicks Options set, but I wish it came with a 16" length. I guess I'll have to learn the magic loop technique.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
I have two swifts, one made by my dad. I have a notespinne, but I suck at hand winding. I want a ball winder for Christmas.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
Longer than a year. I have a tank top out of microspun that is about 66% finished, but I just can't seem to pick it up again.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
I LOVE halloween because I love spooky movies and stuff, but overall I love Christmas. I just love the cozy winter, the decorations, cookies, carols, etc. Plus the presents. I mean come on, everyone loves presents.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Yarn (my stash is growing), boxes, interesting glass bottles, cool pens. I guess books too, I have literally almost a ton.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
Gosh, I would just love some Lantern Moon needles.... pretty. I also absolutely love Addi Turbo circulars and bryspun DPNs. I would love some great books on socks, but I mostly already have the books I have coveted (manic spending spree on Amazon one night). I have no knitting magazine subs, however. I don't know which are good and interesting, and which are (what I call) obnoxious and pretentious. Any suggestions?

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I'm trying to learn fair isle, and I would love to make a chullo. Getting better at lace would also be nice. I can read a pattern and all, but I have never had the patience to make anything large and lacy.

22. Are you a sock knitter?
I am just starting socks. I love handknit socks, but I'm not sure how I like knitting with 0's... it sure takes forever. Maybe I'd like it better if I did something other than just stockinette stitch the whole time. Booooring.

Spam Fried Rice

I used the recipe from Cooking Cute with a couple modifications (I used soy sauce instead of sake, and I didn't have any onions on hand). The Boy loved it, and was quite visibly sad when I told him we had eaten the whole batch. Now he's begging me to make it for dinner tomorrow night. I had a little spam leftover after making the recipe, so I sliced it thin and heated it up in a pan with some teriyaki sauce and served it along side the rice.

So yeah, I am officially saying that Spam is, in fact, not disgusting. Amazing, no?

Coffee, coffee, coffee.

I just finished my last swap for awhile (I'm so broke, y'all). But at least it was a success! I did a caffeine molecule on a shirt, as well as made some earrings out of coffee beans, and sent a coffee recipe book. Most of the recipes use coffee liqueuer, cuz I kind of am a drunk. Ok, not really, but sometimes? I don't know. It's late. This week has been a week of hell. 5 tests and homeworks and a project due... so alcohol is definately in the cards for the weekend. I just realized I went from talking about legitimate crafting to booze. Yeah, it's been a long week.

Weird

Today has been very strange. For some reason I didn't hear my alarm this morning and slept through two classes. Then, as I went to my car, I discovered someone had written "I love cats" and other such silly things in glass chalk on my windows (eventually found out who it was). My third class (computer lab) gets cancelled, The Boy's cell phone goes into no-signal-land for awhile, and I dropped a cordless phone on my foot while shopping for such items. Now it's 10pm, and the doorbell rings. No one is there, but there is a book about cats and a Jelly Belly gummi rat on my doorstep. Is today Freak-Out-Mary-Day? Because it's working. I mean, yeah I love gummi rats, but still, this is too weird.

HaPpY hAlLoWeEn!!!

Posting About Not Posting

Hey all. I have a huge database project due this week so I haven't had much to post about. I did get a little more done on the Sandy cardigan. Got one whole back panel finished and started the second. Unfortunately photos and further progress will have to wait until the database of doom is finished.

Here's a little somethin' to tide you over 'till next time...

My Knitting Spot

Woo hoo! Got the house cleaned this week (with great amounts of help from me mum) and now I have a knitting spot! Check it:


And a shot without flash, to show the relaxing lighting...

Socks and box

I finished my dad's birthday present, a pair of slippers. I have not yet felted them, but I plan on doing that tonight. They are SOOOOOOO easy to knit and knit up really quickly. I did one whole sock in 2 hours while watching Court TV.

Also, I finally started using my lovely bento box. I will try to post photos of them regularly. Here is today's bento (more info on flickr):

Cats in the Night

So y'all have heard me rant on our kitten, Tweek. Tweekie McTweekersons. Well he's got a new name now. Spazmondo the Psychotic Feline. Last night, The Boy and I went out to get some late night fast food. It was a normal night, dark and chilly and smelling of fires in fireplaces. Cozy Flagstaff. Then the storm broke.

We no more than cracked the door to come in when Tweek streaked out into the front yard. Too stunned to close the door fast enough, Frodo was able to follow. Normally when the boys get out, they go down two apartments and flop in the dirt to roll around. Nope. Not this time. Tweek takes off at light speed. I mean seriously people, he was a streak. You couldn't have told the difference between him and any other cat.

So the boys race around the back of the building and into darkness. I grabbed the treat jar and started rattling. I hear a galloping noise and some strange cat-like grumblings. Fur flies past my feet. Then Tweek approaches me in the hopes of treats. I grab him, hand him to The Boy who promptly puts Tweek inside. NO! Tweek escapes again, although luckily contained by the back yard fence. Quickly grabbed and stuffed inside, I go in search of Frodo.

Frodo totally blends into the shadows. He's the Ninjacat. Luckily for me, the neighbors cat was staring intently at a corner of its yard so I was able to find the Fro. I called him once and he came over like "Hey mom, there's cat poop in this yard. I was just smelling it, but I'll go inside now." The ordeal over, I take my cat and go home.

...

And Tweek escapes AGAIN! This time he's running light speed across the front yard, back and forth, back and forth. His tail is bushy. He's doing the sporadic kitten-jumping-sideways-while-running thing, and generally being completely insane. It takes The Boy and I almost 20 minutes to catch the little bastard. If that wasn't enough, we then had to listen to Tweek wail and moan at the doors of the house begging to be let out.

I swear, I don't know how we deal with him.

*sigh*

A Day In My Life

The following photos are from October 17th. I didn't have time to upload them until today though.

7am

8am

9am

10am

11am

12pm

1pm

2pm

3pm

4pm

5pm

6pm

7pm

8pm

9pm

Tasha, Tasha, Tasha!

Well, part of it anyway. I have the bottom and one side done. This is my first foray into cabelling and I am liking it so far. The simple cable on Tasha is perfect, and very easy to memorize with only a 7 row repeat. Sorry for the crap photo. Late night combined with poor lighting means blurry photo. The flash photo was worse. Ah well.

LA Loot and Angry Cat

So my parents recently took a cruise to Mexico that left from the Port of Los Angeles. I just had to jump at the opportunity to make my mother go to Mitsuwa and bring me back goodies. And bless the lovely woman, she got me what I wanted and more! Check out the goods:


A ton of Pocky in my favorite flavors, a bento and toys, strawberry gummies, an awesome steamer, and all the Ramune I can drink. Go mom.

In other news, Evie was apparently quite angry with me for cleaning up the house and destroying her hiding places... dirty laundry, open closets, unorganized yarn stash. You get the idea.

Unproductivity and Felting

Today has been spent mooning over new projects and not working on any current ones. I'm planning on knitting Sandy from Big Girl Knits, and I'm still working out what colors and changes I am going to make. On the upside, I did finish knitting my mother's scarf. It's in Patons Bohemian, and I will get a pic of her wearing it when she visits cold Flagstaff.

Over the weekend, I was productive. I finished and felted my new bag. I knit it out of Paintbox in a lovely blue and purple mix. However, when I pulled it out of the washer, it had holes! Two large holes! People, I'm talking holes the size of half dollars, not dimes. I swore loudly and still can't figure out how that happened, unless the makers of Paintbox did something to denature the wool. All is not lost, as I plan to sew in a pocket and use one hole as a cell phone pouch. The other hole I'm going to disguise with some sort of felted flower. It is sitting in shame in my mom's washing room. I'm not sure if I forgot it, or left it purposely out of spite and frustration. But anyway, on her visit she will bring it and I can hopefully salvage the thing.

Grrrr.