Friday, March 16, 2007

I'm a hooker now. Kinda. Sorta.



I decided I had to make more room in my stash for more stash and the bulk of the mess was a ton of tiny little odds and ends. And not all of them nicely coordinated so that I could use them to make a striped sweater. So, my goal is to make the world's ugliest afghan in a crochet ripple pattern so that I can use up these bits and add to the afghan whenever I feel like it.

It took me a while to get the hang of the pattern and it's a basic pattern, folks. I still don't think I have it 100% right but the beauty of it is that I don't care if it's perfect or not!! I love it! It's long enough to cover the length of the sofa, so hopefully one day, the whole fam can sit underneath it while we watch a movie together.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

The sleeves are done:

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That purple thing hanging down from the jacket is some grosgrain ribbon that I'm going to cover the seams with. The two purples are so pretty against each other. I also made some matching leg warmers and found another ball of this yarn under the sofa (what ? your yarn doesn't travel around your house?) and am toying with the idea of a bag.



It was my birthday this week and my husband's last week. We took a weekend trip to Chicago to celebrate. Our splurge was on one of the best meals I've ever eaten in my life at Le Lanwhich is a French-Vietnamese restaurant. It's not traditional but delicious and BEAUTIFUL food? Yes. Reservations are strongly recommended. So are the Stuffed Tiger Prawns. It was so warm that evening, we were able to walk back to our hotel. I love walking in Chicago at night.

Knitting wise, I've been wandering around without any serious projects on the needles. I'm finishing a sock from Regia yarn that I bought on sale (60% off!) at one of my LYS. I'm waiting for the muse to hit me over the head. I've had several ideas of ideas kind of float through, but nothing that I have.to.make.


For that reason, I've been searching for someone's design to be compelling enough so that I will want to make it for myself. Any suggestions?

Friday, March 02, 2007

Happy Birthday, dear Hubby!!

Today is blustery and snowy and icky. And it's a good thing, because Dominic and I will be staying in today and baking this the most delicious carrot cake recipe I've ever tried. You grind the carrots and then marinade them in brown sugar so they get all juicy and delicious. The cake is moist, and amazingly big.

My MIL outfoxed me yet again. I'm not sure how she does it, but she's damn good at it. I called her up and invited her and her husband to meet Hubby and I tonight for a drink to celebrate his birthday. She agreed and said NOTHING to me about dinner at her house on Sunday. When hubby called his sister to ask her to meet us tonight, he found out his mom had been planning a birthday dinner at her house on Sunday. Damn. There I go again, getting burned for being nice. To normal people, this wouldn't seem so big, but I don't like my in-laws and spending time with them twice in one weekend is too much.

Catherine has suggested 3/4 sleeves for the jacket. That's a good idea, Catherine. I'm going to try to screw up my courage today and finish some sleeves.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

To sleeve or not to sleeve.

I can't decide. I keep picking this up, start some sleeves and then putting it back down.


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I think I'll make some matching pants and see how I feel after that. This is some lovely vintage Shetland wool yarn I picked up at an estate sale. I am in love with the color--a heather pink/gray and wish I had much more of this yarn to play with.



The Valentine's sweater for Dh is done, but in a holding pattern until he decides if he likes the collar or not--now the stinker is leaning towards a V-neck. If he changes his mind and wants the V-Neck, I may need to pull out the scissors and so some cutting rather than ripping back.

I've been reading Elizabeth Zimmermann and she'll give me the courage if necessary.