Thursday, September 25, 2008

A MeMe from Opal!




Your Autumn Test Results



You are a energetic, warm, optimistic person. You approach everything with a lot of enthusiasm.



When you're happiest, you are outgoing and expressive . You love celebrations, and you enjoy showing off a little.



You prefer change to come slowly. You need a long transition period when your life changes.



You find solitude to be the most comforting thing in the world. Being alone with your thoughts feels very peaceful.



Your ideal day is active and full. You like to keep busy with your favorite things, and you appreciate a routine.



You tend to live in the moment. You enjoy whatever is going on, and you don't obsess over the past or future.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

How many WIPs does one girl need?

Well, apparently I need a few! Not that I need to have a few going, but between gifts and my personal projects, I've got a houseful! Here is a peak at what's going on!

First, let's discuss what's on my mind. This so-called thing called a "jogless jog".
I've been working on the "Turn A Square" hat by Jared Flood. I like the simplicity of it, and thought, what the heck - I've got spare wool for that! Well, the "jogless jog" that is used on this project is apparently unattainable. I just can't seen to get it right - when it looks right, I have a hole, when I have no hole, it looks like, well, crap.
Daniele (who had a super blog, so read it) is having difficulties with it as well. Why is this so hard?? What in the world is wrong with my knitting brain? Anyone have a solution - I promise I will share with Daniele. If I can't get this thing down soon - I'm gonna be very done with this project. I won't even frog it - I'll just pull the needles and toss it. It's a flippin hat, for Pete's sake!! (Jared, if you are listening, I think you are divine and I want to lick you, however this hat - which is very simple - is upsetting me. Can I send it to you and you can finish it? Promise, I will love you forever.)

Moving on! I've been working on the fingerless gloves for my friend, Gabe. I love them, and have had a lot of folks ask me to make them some. (NOTE: MsKnottyKnits is not accepting new projects at this time, unless you want to pay. Ahem.) It's actually a very easy pattern, and I am enjoying it. I'm half way through the second one, and I almost think I'm going to need my own. I am enjoying the color - It's Plymouth Yarn Happy Feet, in color 6 on size 2 DPNS.


Next, I've obviously been busy with the drop spindle! Ohh Baby. I decided to put some thought into how I break up the roving. My friend Opal brought up using fractal spinning to control which colors end up where. Here's what I did:
I unbraided the roving and laid it out on the floor, splitting it in half.
I then took one half, and split it in half. It's very dense fiber and has required a lot of pre-drafting, as well as some help while spinning.
I took the remaining half and put it in a bag. It's resting until I'm done with the first bit, but when I go to use it, I will split it up into 4 pieces, and spin another single.

Eventually, I will ply the two together. I'm hoping to have a very lengthy color repeat and a much shorter one. I think it will add interest to the final product. Did I mention that I am aiming for thin? (Shoot me, please, now, shoot me.) I picked this roving up from Allspunup. It's very soft and springy!

Yesterday, I headed out to my A Row of Purls and hung out for a bit. They are such nice folks there! We have been collaborating on the Great American Afghan, and are putting on the final bells and whistles. The Afghan itself will be raffled off to raise money for a scholarship at the local high school. If you are interested in purchasing one, it's $1 for one or $5 for six, you can contact me via email, and we will hook it up through Paypal. Easy Peasy.

While I was there, I had a Malabrigo moment. See, what had happened was... I bought the wrong size of needles. I could for sure have gotten a refund, but why not just trade them in? I love the colors in this - they go from purple, to blue, to green - lovely. I'm going to use it to knit my Morning Surf Scarf, using size 8 needles. I think everyone should knit with this yarn, mainly because it's just so soft and their colors are just outstanding. Apparently, the good ladies at my LYS are going to order more colors - as well as different types. (I plugged the silky.)

Last week, I hopped on the Tempted Yarn bandwagon - I've held out for so long, and it's been soo hard, but I finally found a lace pattern I just knew I needed to knit, and then Stacy posted her Lace Grrl yarn. I picked up Horn of Plenty, and I am going to use it to knit the Ring of Lace Wrap. I am really excited about it, because I really think I'm going to be able to get a lot of use out of it! Here's a sample, and because my camera doesn't do it justice, I'll link you to her Etsy site.Alrighty, fair knitters! I'm done blabbing for now. I know I am falling short of my 3 posts a week goal, but I figure that one major post could count for three!

Happy Sunday!

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Pass The Cheese Please!

I'm tired.

It's Tuesday, but it's really Monday. (gah.)

My shoulder hurts because I am an idiot and decided to spin for hours this weekend. Back to the pain med chest I go... (happy trails, to you...)

I managed to get housework done tonight, but when I look around, there is still more. (Crap.)

I am perfectly happy with the fact that I really didn't do jack all weekend, but it was a difficult one emotionally, and I am so spent. (Geesh... some people just know how to kill a weekend)

I can't get my blue tooth and my phone to cooperate. (Who can turn wool into yarn, but can't work a phone??)

I definitely do not want to go to work tomorrow. (blah.)

Oh - I lost the link to the Cabana Boy I was going to buy to handle all of this crap for me. (Damn it!!)

Can you see why I am drinking fermented grape juice tonight?

At any rate, here is what I think about whine - err.. wine!

Favorite wine: Tintero's Muscato D'Asti.
I'm not really into sweet wines, but this one is not that bad - I think the bubbles kind of help. It's a white, and it is fruity, but very light on the fruit - think pears and citrus. It's got a lovely case of "buttery Chardonnay" going on, and it just makes me smile. For the record, I do not like Muscatos. Ew, yuck, blech. However, this one is so divine that Georgia boy and I used to drink this all of the time - it was the official wine of the "Fruity Wine Night." We found it at a local wine store here in town and every time I am near the place I stop and buy a bottle. Delish.

Least favorite wine: Shiraz
Mainly because it gives me heartburn, but also because I just don't find it that appealing unless it is dry and paired well with a meal, even then It's only something that I will sip. Nothing I will go out of my way to purchase.
(Note, Megan likes to drink wine - not just taste wine)

Favorite Cheap Wine: Bohemian Highway, Merlot, please.
Yes folks, it's the hippie in me coming out. We drank this at my favorite Hippie's house when we went out for my birthday... Oy. Costumes, Woodford, and Bohemian Highway, all the while wearing 4 inch stilettos. Seriously, the stuff is about $5.00 a bottle. It doesn't leave you feeling like you got run over by the cheap wine delivery truck, and all of their varieties have been nice. It's a great wine when you feel the need to entertain a crowd because it's just a generally descent wine, and everyone likes it. It also works well for a Girl's Night celebration.

I know that there are some of my friends who have a difficult time with the sulfates in wine. I did a bit of research, and here is what I have come up with:
  • There is, unfortunately, no wine that is truly sulfate-free. It's a naturally occurring thing that happens when during fermentation, however, sulfates are added by winemakers to as a preservative and to prevent oxidation.
  • European wines have higher levels of sulfates than US wines.
  • Organic wine has NO sulfates added. So.. Instead of being able to have 350 ppm, organic wine makers are held to 100 ppm. The lower level of sulfates can make a good glass of wine possible for those who have had adverse reactions to the "s" word.
  • Sulfate free wine does not have a long shelf life - sulfates are preservatives. They are also darker in color because of the oxidation process.
  • Some wine snobs think Organic wine tastes like poo - well, I happen to think that some very expensive wines taste like poo as well. (Yes, that would be you, Mr. California and the $200 bottle)
  • Taste is personal. Try it.
Ok fair blog readers - your mission is to tell me what your favorite wine is. If you feel so inclined, I would also ask you to seek out some Organic wine and report back! There is a Plurk buddy out there who deserves a great glass of vino and will thank you for it!!