So Wednesday night the family watched Blades of Glory and I worked like crazy to FINISH the last piece. It's done. I finished it that night. I folded all the pieces into a nice neat pile. All that they need is for me to find a good 2 hours that I can set aside to piece it together.

Baby as usual likes to get up and close with my work. She doesn't hurt anything. She just likes to lay on it.


It's done..... almost....

Nice and Quiet

I am spending more and more time away from my computer these days. I have been caught up in other things that have been distracting me.

I know this picture looks very similar to the one I posted in my last post. I assure you it is not. I finished that piece and I'm working on the second. This is the last piece of the sweater so when I finish that I get to sew it together! I'm knitting like mad on it because I need exactly those needles in order to start on a Christmas gift. I thought about buying another set but I know once I start working on that gift I will NEVER finish the cotton sweater. I'm doing this for my own good and so I can be fair to the cotton sweater.

The mystery stole group has been over for a week now but I am still knitting on it. I am working on the very last chart and have about 30 rows to go. Once I finish the last chart it's onto blocking! I'll have about 1000 yards of yarn left (I ordered too much) so maybe I'll make a lace scarf with the extra.


And in being a yarn whore. I have to buy new yarn every once in a while. Here is my new yarn.

First. Alpaca Cloud for a new lace project.

Oh, I almost forgot. I finished something small. A felted purse. It's a small purse but really cool.


Back to the new stuff. These three are all different yarns. The gray is Andean Silk The peach is Andean Treasure and the mint is Ambrosia. All of these yarns are made with Alpaca and some have silk and cashmere blended. They are VERY soft and make great baby sweaters.



Cotton is also a favorite of mine. The pink is Shine Worsted The blue is Main Line and the hot pink is CotLin.



Ok so I know it doesn't make much sense to buy only one skein of each yarn. However while I can't really make anything of it I can make guage swatches. Which is why I bought the yarn in the first place. It doesn't make much sense to buy enough yarn for a whole project if you only come to realize that they yarn will not even work. Not only would it be unwise but it would just plain suck.

I did buy enough KidSilk Haze for a whole project. It's for a Christmas gift. The gift that I need those other needles for. KidSilk is beautiful Mohair yarn. It's so soft and light. It almost feels weightless. It's a very pretty shade of purple called dewberry. As you can see by the price tags (which I just now realized I didn't remove) it's kinda expensive. The yarn is worth the price though.



I also bought yarn to make myself feel a little better. I went to the dermatologist last week just to get my skin checked out and make sure everything was normal (which I thought it was) and come to find out, I have Rosacea. I am on some oral meds and some gross smelly face cream to try and get it to clear up. There is no cure for it, it can only be controlled. So I now have a list of things to stay away from. No more Dove, Dial, Irish Springs, Neutrogena, fabric softener, Mary Kay, Bath and Body Works, Spicy Foods, body products containing alcohol (body sprays, etc...), Mouth wash, whitening toothpaste, chocolate, and caffeine. Now while I won't be able to stay away from all of these the all the time (asking a woman to give up chocolate is wrong) I am going to watch for these things. It gets worse with age so if I take care of my skin now it will stay healthy and should continue to look fine. I never had issues with my skin, not even as a teenage. Controlling it now is what I have to do and it is what I plan on doing.

I love being a woman

In life there are moments when a women comes across an item that she sees and go "I must have those. I WILL have those." I came across this moment not too long ago while shopping for work shoes (shoes that you look for comfort more than looks). While looking at a pair of shoes that I eventually bought for work I saw these lovely must haves.


I picked them up and declared that I would buy them no matter how expensive. I HAD to have them and I now have them. My wonderful grandmother bought them and my work shoes for me. Being the only grand-daughter has MAJOR perks. She bought me three pairs total (I bought my work shoes in black and brown so I would have shoes to match any outfit). I have already worn these shoes on 4 different occasions and I have only had them a little over a week. Impulse shopping is not always a bad thing.

Also this past Sunday I went to a movie with my mother and our friend Cindy. We went and saw Becoming Jane and I must insist that every woman I know go see this movie. As everyone who knows me is aware, I am a hardcore Jane Austen fan. So hardcore I own as many books about her and her novels that I can get my hands on (and also afford). This look into the inspiration for her most famous novel Pride and Prejudice (anyone who has not read this MUST read) is so moving. The movie really brings the writer to life. Many times we as readers tend to forget that the people who wrote out favorite works are still human. They had lives, struggles, feelings and emotions. And in understanding their life their writings take on a whole new life. I have several copies of Pride and Prejudice (and am always looking for a very tiny pocket book size of the novel). It has been my favorite novel for some time now. I don't see that fact changing any time soon.

In knitting news not much big has happened. I'm getting ready to start on my Christmas gifts. Of course those will not be posted online simply because I do not wish to ruin any surprises this year. I want to keep them a secret. The pictures will be put up when the gifts have been opened but not until then.

Still working on the big cotton sweater. I finished the sleeves and have moved on to working on the back.


A failed attempt at a simply baby bootie by using a different yarn. It's too big. The kid will have to have duck feet to fill it..


And the Mystery stole continues to be a work in progress. The last clue has been posted and I'm working on the next to the last clue. It should be done and blocked soon hopefully. It doesn't look like much now but it will. I hope.

Damn

It's so sad.

short and sweet

Well this is short and sweet simply because I don't have a whole lot of time right now (I should be cleaning the bathroom right now). Work has been fine this week. Still trudging along. I had yesterday off and I spent it with Ben and then spent the evening watching movies with my parents. I have gotten completely caught up with the Mystery Stole 3. I've knitting through clue 5 and am waiting for clue 6 to be released (it will be tomorrow). So far the stole is quite pretty.

Saturday is the day we move Ben into his dorm. I took the day off to help with the move. It's going to be odd not having him around all the time.

Home again

Well I am home from my short (too short) vacation to New Smyrna Beach in FL. It was a good trip and I needed the break from work. But I'm back home and back to work. Gross. I did find something special while at a Flea Market in Daytona Beach.

And antique sewing machine. I saw it at one of the booths and it didn't have a price tag on it so I was curios and asked the guy running the table for the price. He didn't know so he called the owner and she said she could let it go for $15! So using my best poker face I said "yeah I think I could take it." This machine is worth around $200-$300. I got a deal. It's a hand crank sewing machine which is something I've not actually seen upclose before.

It even came with the cover and the original key along with the original instruction book.


While on vacation I continued knitting on the mystery stole. I've halfway through clue #4. It's getting longer. It looks great too. I've just got to keep knitting.

Life has been good. I am refreshed from the vacation and am almost through what has so far been a rough work week. I'm ready to get back into my work schedule (having my set days off) which should start this Sunday. That's all I have time for today. I shall write more later.