Olympic knitting is finished!

I have finished my Olympic knitting. (Due to a "no kneeling or squatting" order from my PT, I can't block it, but I'm placing this in the "win" column, because with two days left- I clearly have time to block it otherwise, AND it's a knitting contest for me, not a blocking one. The alpaca hat is 2 years old, worn constantly, and still hasn't had the ends woven in. It's about knitting for me.)

So anyhow- I made the seascape stole, but it's really more of a seascape scarf, even with agressive blocking, it is going to be very narrow. I did an extra repeat for length, and so glad I did- this thing is tiny.

Elsa is pretending to be a cat, and helping me take a picture. I decided that was cute enough, so you get no good picture of what it actually looks like. Later- I promise.

On an Olympic note- I love ever minute of them- I watch every sport except hockey. I can't get myself to care about hockey. But the absolute highlight of the game for me was Mirai Nagasu's long program- and even more than that, her "Oh my gosh" and ecstatic cheering as the final standings were announced- never before have I seen an athlete be so excited to have just missed the podium. But man, there were so many doubters when she was named to the Olympic team, and boy did she show them. WOW- what a skater. Hopefully she and Rachel skate just as well at World's and the USA gets it's 3 spots back.

Today we start priming the living room, and need to go find a nice neutral beige-ish color for it. How boring.

Storage Solution!

I am a messy person. My whole life I've always wanted to be a clean person. One of my favorite things is to organize. I'm just really bad at keeping it that way.

I've had show racks that are metal bars in plastic holders since middle school-ish. Most of Kevin's shoes went in those, along with my shoes that I didn't wear much. The shoes I did wear went in an over the door plastic thingy that we actually bought for our cruise (a cruise lifesaver- btw- a place for key cards, sunglasses, lip balm, all organized at your finger tips.) But we have accordian doors- so it had to hang on the outside. Not pretty.

I think I mentioned we are taking all the carpet out upstairs- along with painting all the rooms (will post pictures when we are done). So everything is getting emptied out and I am being very picky about what gets put back. In addition to having multiple goodwill bags of clothes (how did I get so fat?) Kevin told me he hates the racks because his shoes barely fit. I went to target and found a hanging shoe organzier for me, and a sweater organizer for his shoes (much larger than mine!). All his shoes fit in his, although 2 of the places will have to be shared once they are all in, and all my regular wear shoes fit in mine. My boots and shoes that rarely get worn are in an under the bed organizer.

In the end, I think it takes up a bit more space, but it looks SO much nicer. And we really have never used all of our hanging space in our main closet, since we also have a second closet in the guest room for all our non-regular wear clothes- suits, formal dresses (most of which are going to goodwill), skating dresses, and biking/skiing clothes

What do you think? The best part- both were on sale $9.99 each. I've seen similar things for $25, though these are normally only $15.



Olympic knitting update: I don't think I'll make it. I lost a full day yesterday due to horrible headaches, and for length I'm adding an extra repeat. That's like asking Apolo Ohno to do an extra lap :)

The Knitting Olympics

I decided this year to participate in the Yarn Harlot Winter Olympics. My project is Knitty's Seascape Stole, in Knitpicks Gloss, and I can already see that I won't finish it. But that's okay- not every Olympian can get gold, and instead they shoot for a personal best. So hopefully I can get a good chunk done.

That means that Daffodil is being set aside with 6 rows and an edging to go.

My "Hearts Afire socks" are also on hiatus. I'm not sure what to do with them. I don't love the knitting- way too fiddly with the cable needle, and the foot is just a little bit too big (I hate toe up socks for that). SO I'm not sure if I should just suck it up and knit them, cast off the first one and call it an anklet and make a mate, or just rip it out. If it was any other yarn I'd make the anklet- but this is fuschia wollmeise- one of my favorites, and I feel like it could be put to better use. So i'm leaning towards ripping out. But I hate wasting a serviceable, if not perfect sock. Opinions?

My other project is Tiger Socks at work. I did the first one on 44 stitches and after the heel went on I decided that was too few- the stretch around the foot distorted the pattern, even though they fit nicely. So I restarted with 48 stitches and those are ready for the heel flap. I didn't rip out the 44 stitch one though, in case 48 is too big. They are "at work" socks, but will have to wait until after the olympics, anyhow. But when I finish this second heel I'll rip out whichever I'm not keeping.

I think that's all I have on the needles right now, but I do need to make a second sock for my Dad. He LOVED the first sock I sent him, and said it fit perfectly. He wants the mate right away, so this will be first priority after the Olympics.

For Sale.

For a few years I was a very very avid card maker but my craft room has overfilled with many hobbies. I haven't stamped much lately, and figured that when I start again styles will be different, so I should destash the stamps while they are still fairly current and others might like them.

These are all Stampin' up products, and I believe all are retired.

All are mounted on wood blocks, and in good, but used, condition. 99% of these have the set name and are numbered (i.e., 1/6) on the side of the block. I don't have the original boxes, because I stored multiple to a box, but will ship them in clamshells appropriate for the size of the sets you buy.

Shipping based on the order total, willing to negotiate prices for bulk orders. USA only, please. If I've met you in real life, I'll ship for free.

Blooming with Happiness $15
Warmest Regards $14
Loads of Love $13 (one of my first sets, a little messy on the blocks)
Loads of Love Accessories $15
Friend to Friend $15
Sincere Salutations $20
Tag Alongs $13
Happy Harmony $10
Bud Basics $7
Bitty Borders $3
Small Script $6
Made From Scratch $4
Curvy Verses $12
A is for Adorable $8
Very Punny $10
Perfect Petals $10
The Fine Print $6
So Very $6
En Pointe $9 (messy blocks)
Delight in Life $5

If you don't want the wood blocks, I'll unmount before shipping (to save shipping costs) but the price will be the same...

Kiva.org

A loan through Kiva is something I've wanted to do for a long time. Soap Queen blog posted about it this morning and reminded me. You can start with as little as $25.

It's different from normal charitable donations- in this case, it's not a donation, it's a loan. (And since the default rate is very very low- you have a pretty good chance of it TRULY being a loan, and getting the money back) These loans won't earn you interest, though the lenders do charge interest to the entrepreneur. After Grameen (?) bank won the Nobel Prize, microloans became very interesting to me. I'm so happy to have finally gotten involved with the idea. If my $25 is repaid, I will give it right back out again. I love that the same money can keep working for people who need it over and over. Kiva even offers gift certificates- so your recipient can choose who they want to fund. A cool spin on "a donation in your name"

The group I gave to is looking for money to buy wool for sweater knitting. There are so many loans I decided to use my interest to help narrow it down. Kiva rates the lending partners, so you have an idea of the risk of the loan. You can also look at the history of loans that have defaulted to get an idea too. Many loans being repaid have a journal of sorts that tells you how the money is being used. These are real people, and it's making a real difference.

I've read a lot of critisim of the micro-loan saying that they only help individuals, and not the country- because the entrepeneurs won't ever hire an employee, therefore building the economy. But you've got to start somewhere, and this is something I can do to help someone.

Wow, I'm bad at blogging.

But- I have excuses. One of the reasons I'm bad at blogging is I can only do it from home, and the computer is downstairs. And it's freezing downstairs. Therefore, I rarely go down there during the winter. I try to remember to update on weekends when Kevin has his laptop home, and upstairs, but then the second excuse comes into play. Blog posts without pictures are boring- and I don't have pictures. So that's why I never update.

But here, here is a post that will have no pictures.

Knitting round-up:
Fireworks socks: Finished and fabulous. Will post pictures eventually.
Dad's socks: First one is finished, and getting ready to be sent to Austin. I won't start the second until I get his comments. It fit's Kevin well, so hopefully it will fit Dad too. I'm most worried about the leg being baggy. I ribbed the gusset, so it should fit regardless of the size of his arch.
Tiger Socks: Started last night and restarted last night. The Opal 6-ply is THICK. I'm doing 44 stitches for my sock. I started with 48 and had to rip out. But this yarn knits fast because it's bulky, and faster because it's fun to watch to see what stripe will come next. Still thinking these will be knee highs, but I'm not sure. I think these will stay at work, so they will be slow going.
Daffodil Design: Slow progress, but almost there! I didn't do any knitting on it this weekend or last. It's not going to get finished that way.
Hearts Afire: February Sock Knitters Anon sockdown sock. Will use Fuschia Wollmeise.


Why have I not done any Daffodil Design?
Well, last weekend was my birthday weekend, we hosted a party, and then I knit Dad's sock on Sunday. So there was no knitting time. This weekend, well, the house has been a disaster because we are redecorating. There hasn't been SPACE for me to sit and concentrate on lace knitting. We took all the furniture and stuff out of our green room, and it's all over the living room. This doesn't get in the way of sock knitting but I need a tranquil space to concentrate for lace! We (mostly Kevin) scraped all the popcorn off the ceiling, then Kevin primed the walls and ceiling, then we selected paint and new flooring, and Kevin painted the ceiling, and tonight we will paint the walls. Probably this weekend we'll get started on the flooring and reinstalling the baseboards. Our entire upstairs, minus kitchen and bathroom, will be laminate wood flooring. I'm very excited about this, but a little nervous- what if we spend all the money and then it doesn't look good?

Also- did you know laminate is less expensive than carpet. Weird...

A day of finishing...

Today was supposed to be a day of cleaning. That didn't happen. (Though yesterday it did, so I made some progress on the house this weekend. Instead, I finished up a few things.

First- the dishcloths I started not too long after Christmas. These are all folded in quarters, each has 2 stripes and is about 25" long, though they aren't all exact, and the yellow is shorter than the rest. The single yellow cloth is because I had yellow left on my shuttle from a practice project and wanted to empty it off. I actually had warp left to make it longer, but didn't want to reload the shuttle. These were taken before they were washed, so the fringe hasn't been cut yet- it's about 1/2" long now. I love them so much- so soft and really thin. I've never thought of knitted fabric as excessively thick, but this makes it seem so.

A close up of the yellow, before washing. During the wash it shrinks a bit and becomes tighter, though it didn't shrink as much as I expected. The stripe is done with the warp- which means that it is put onto the loom when I start, and not "woven" in using the weft.

Then, I finishd some stitch markers I started around Thanksgiving. I needed a second plier to do them. Sadly, I broke my favorite one by squishing a bead, it just exploded everywhere. Oops. Small problem- what do I do with all the stitch markers? Need some?

A friend recently asked if I finished the Daffodil design yet. Nope, I haven't, even though the babies are here, and out of the NICU!!! I'm so excited for my sister that they are home.

But there was a milestone- I finished off a spool of thread! Here's the new one that I started (I will not need all of it, thank goodness) and the empty one. I am on row 152 of row 168. This sounds almost done, but I have about 20% left... The rows are all getting smaller, but only by a little, they are all massive. I did 4 rows today, and it took me about 8 hours, including time to fold laundry and play on the internet a bit. My goal is half a row a night on worknights.

I also started 2 new pairs of socks- one for me out of gorgeous Dibadu yarn in Feuerwerk colorway (fireworks), and a pair out of Knitpicks Essential for my Dad. I've never made yarn for anyone else.

The last thing that happened this weekend- US Nationals part 1: Men's and Pairs. It was a thrilling weekend, I am so excited about the upcoming olympics, and even Four Continents (where some of my favorites are heading...)

And today's project is:

Another pair of fingerless gloves :) The pattern is called "fitted mitts". This is yarn I dyed myself- first with a million colors of wilton frosting color and then overdying with Jacquard black to even out the tone a bit.

I love these. I started them while sitting on the runway for 3 hours due to "snow" in Newark, and the first one was finished very quickly. The second took a bit more time because I never sat and worked on it. The gusset for the thumb was very easy to do, and makes a much better fit than my other mitts. I also made the "mitt" longer on these for more warmth, but they roll down for typing. I like the extra length of the arms too.

I think I'm ready to try gloves with actual fingers

What I did on my winter vacation: Part 2

Visit Ice Rinks! And skate at some.

First a good part of the family went skating at the Fritz Diedl rink in Westwood, NJ (I think). My Dad said this is the rink he used to skate at as a kid. My cousin Catie showed off some of her skill (nice jumps! She has a beautiful waltz-loop) and I got to show off my spins (she isn't doing a backspin yet, and mine was functioning nicely). My cousin Julia just started lessons and she showed off her swizzles, and my cousin John is a wanna be hockey player. Other cousins came too, along with some Uncles. My Dad skated with me and it reminded me of when I was little and he would hold my hands so I could skate backward and do spirals at North Cross Mall. I had talked about ice dancing, so we held hands and I showed him how you do the strokes in time to start a dance. Kevin also skated and he did great but had a really bad fall. I don't think he'll be skating again. He doesn't really like it, and his abs hurt for days. Thankfully he didn't hurt his knees.

Then I went skating at Hackensack Ice House. This was a meet up with two ladies from skating forums. It was FREEZING. Probably the coldest rink I've been in. (Seriously don't think I'll do the adult camp. That would be a LONG day in the cold) But on the ice, it wasn't a problem at all. I don't remember being cold at all (and I had feeling in my feet the whole time.) The ice was really hard, but it was very beneficial for my spins- they were centered and long. Very happy Jessi!

Then in New York we visited the Bryant Park rink (so crowded and the ice looked horrible) and the Rockefeller Center rink (not too crowded, suprsingly) but we didn't skate at either.

I'm sad we didn't skate Rockefeller Center, but with Kevin hurt and Dad already getting the chance to skate, it just seemed like way too much money to spend. It's an experience I'm okay without.

I checked the bag with the skates due to the terrorist attack on Christmas day, and I felt that the time with my family and internet friends was well worth it.

What I did on my winter vacation: Part 1

Hey look! I still exist! I'm going to try to do 3 or 4 posts about my super trip to NJ. We left New Years Eve (Kevin and my 5th anniversary) and came back on the 4th.

So what will post 1 be about?

SHOPPING! My Aunt Nancy needed to return something to Macy's and I jumped on it. Their Macy's carries LUSH! products: something I've been dreaming of getting my hands on since I found out solid shampoo exists. Although many of their products still contain "bad" ingredients, LUSH is a socially conscious company. They've eliminated SLS from some of their soaps and shampoos. (I didn't pay attention to which ones though) and recently they've eliminated palm oil from others- in an effort to help save the orangatans. Additionally, if it's possible to not use plastic to package their product, they don't!

Since I love my solid shampoos from praireland herbs, I didn't get any of theirs (man are they pricey! And no sale on them this time around). I did get the one thing I was really hoping to try. Jungle conditioner. It's a solid conditioner- one place I haven't gotten rid of plastic bottles yet. The smell is, uh, different. But my shampoo right now is rosemary, so I tend to smell like a pizza, so I think it will be okay. I'm not sure how to describe it. But when I think "organic" (even though I don't think it is) this smell fits right in. The website says to slide it along your hair, like a shampoo bar, but the saleswoman recommended getting a small amount in your hand and mixing it with a tiny bit of water to make a creme.

Then I got a solid massage bar. It's basically just massage oil. Your body heat melts it, and then it rubs in just like any other oil. Very cool! This one is supposedly good for sore muscles, which is why I picked it. The smell might be a BIT strong for me. A massage right before bed and the sheets smelled yummy for 4 days- which means that first night it was really strong.

Then I got soaps! The soaps were buy 1 get 2 free. And thank goodness, because they are expensive. (The one I paid for was almost $12 and the two free ones were about $10) I've been told their soap is hard and lasts though, and it all smells amazing. I went with "Angel's Delight" a Christmas special, "Honey I washed the kids", and "Karma"- their most popular scent. They are all "bulk" products, and they are all so pretty. Some of them were precut so I picked an affordable piece of Angel Delight, and when the other two didn't have any pieces close to the same price, I asked her to cut some that would cost abou $10. (The conditioner was like that too).

No pictures, but I also got 4 new votive candles. Aunt Nancy burned tons of candles and it made me wanting yummy scents in my house too. I got Christmas scents from Yankee Candle- a store I usually don't go in because the smell is too strong!

A somewhat expensive foray into bath and body products, but I don't do it much, so I'm thrilled!