Molly's Headband

I'm knitting a second Molly's Headband with my leftover sweater yarn. I think lace is one of my favorite things to knit.

I've cast on and knit a few rows of the Lotus tank, but not enough to register on the project percentage bar.

Happy Birthday, Sheila

Thanks for the 42% discount for your 42nd birthday! When do you turn 75?

This is Artyarns Ultramerino 8, 100% merino wool. I will make a clapotis for myself with it!

Here's a pic of Dodger sitting before we go outside for his evening constitutional. Apparently my big, green beach tote is the featured background today. I take all my stuff to work in it.

My First Sweater--DONE!

Knitting by Sarah H.
Pattern by Leslie Scanlon (Essential Indulgence, Interweave Knits, Fall 2005)
Yarn by Blue Sky Alpacas (Alpaca & Silk)
Illusion of breasts by Victoria's Secret

Hoorah! I'm all done! As I look at My First Sweater, I can't help but think about all the things that aren't quite right about it. But I'm not going to dwell on them here. Knitting and sewing are learning experiences and screwing up here and there is just part of the deal!

Now I can start the Lotus Blossom Tank! But first I will make Molly's Headband with my leftover sweater yarn. I bought an extra skein and I think that may be a good idea for every project.

This week I bought another ball for the Lotus tank because I measured the length of the tank from the base of my neck and it lands exactly on my natural waist, which is fine for a dress, but too short for a top. So I'll do an extra lace row to make it longer, and really to make it wearable because I would be uncomfortable if I felt my midriff was showing all over the place.

Things I covet

Anthropologie has new, gorgeous knitted items.

There are two Butterick patterns I may run out and buy this weekend (Hancock's has them on sale for 99 cents). One is a dress that reminds me of a silk dress I saw (and caressed) at BCBG. The other is a messenger bag, although truthfully, it would probably be cheaper to buy the Old Navy canvas green messenger bag that I like.

Amy Butler has such cute patterns, it's hard to choose just one.

I also want to steal Hilary Lang's brain and talent. Check out her new, devastatingly adorable dolls! Anyone have a futuristic, villainous, brain-sucking device?

One down, one to go

Ka-POW! I finished knitting the palm, finished the thumb, wove in the ends--hoorah! Won't mom be thrilled?

I'm pretty sure you can't see any of the cable details in my grainy picture; please bare with me and trust that these are indeed the Fetching fingerless gloves!

Confession

Uh oh. I bought yarn at Threaded Bliss today. Just one beautiful skein to make my mom some fingerless mitts! It wasn't on sale. I can't help it! You can't keep the yarn from the girl or vice versa!

Wonderful!

Lookee at my kitty toy, from Wee Wonderfuls! I also knit her a cardigan, which is a free pattern from the website. (I found some mistakes in the pattern, but they were easy to foresee.)

The fabric, felt, and yarn were items I had on hand. I've been a on a craft-buying diet, but I thought making an exception to buy buttons to finish up my kitty was acceptable.

I also sewed up the sleeves to My First Sweater while watching The Commitments. I'm blocking the last piece, and I hope to have the sweater completed in about a week. We'll see.

Gift for me

Abby and Chad sent me a mysterious package. I couldn't figure out what in the world they would send me. Then, I opened the package and underneath tons of bubble wrap I saw a long skinny paper bag that said "Trader Joe's," which is a grocery store chain they have in Chicago. "TWO BUCK CHUCK!!! TWO BUCK CHUCK!!" I yelled with glee. Dodger started getting excited by the yelling.

Trader Joe's is the only store that sells the celebrated Charles Shaw wine. Not only do people love the taste but also they love the price, and that's where the nickname "two buck Chuck" came from. (Abby says it's more like three buck Chuck, but I think anyone would agree that is still a low price.) I had mentioned this wine in passing when she said they'd shopped at Trader Joe's. Wasn't that thoughtful of them??

Abby also sent me a postcard from a store in Chicago, Hazel. Apparently a local artist knits monkeys inspired by sock monkeys and sells them there; aren't they cute??

Gift from me

Here's a UT orange puppy toy for my boss, based on Jess Hutch's bunny. Made with leftover Cascade 220, ten inches long.

Cozy

Dodger goes into snooze state every night. Here he is wedged in a cozy position in his favorite place to lay down in the living room, the far left side of the couch. You can click on the image to see it larger.

Dodger recovering with a friend (Mother Bear bear).

Photo update

Last night I subscribed to Match.com. I have been on eHarmony before, so meeting dates online is not an entirely new concept. Annnnnnyway, I put "hand on rail" as my primary picture, and included the one of me and Dodger in my profile, plus a couple from trips early this summer. Well, I just checked and 149 people have viewed my profile. Oh, my! It's been about twenty hours. So thanks for the input, y'all!

Even his X-rays are cute

Today I had to take Dodger to an unplanned vet appointment. Good news: he'll be fine! Being in the vet office heightened my concern, and it made me reflect on my love for my chicken-bone-scavenging dog. I love Dodger so!

Because I knew he ate a chicken bone Saturday and he was having digestive problems, the vet and vet tech took X-rays. Now although X-rays aren't 100% reliable, they did not find any not-so-mysterious chicken bone shards poking his innards. HOORAH!

The X-rays were adorable. They were definitely the size and dimensions of Mr. Dodger. One was of his side, and one was taken looking down at his belly. The vet and vet tech said he was so cooperative, especially for a small dog. He charmed them, as usual.

So she gave him a couple of injections, prescribed some pills, and sent me home with instructions and special dog food for in the morning.

I don't know about Dodger, but I feel better already.

Attn: Nashville Knitters

From LYS Stitchin' Post:

Surprise Sarah H.,

The big day is almost here so here are the surprise specials in honor of my 55th birthday:
--55% off loads of knitting and crochet books
--55% off loads of kits including quilt kits, Lori Birmingham beautiful kits some with baskets and tins and lots more too numerous to mention
--55% off all knitting and crochet kits (these make great kits for gifts and Christmas)
--55% off all fashion knitting and crochet yarns
--Christmas and beginning kits 25 to 27 cents
--all readymade frames in the sale room (are you ready for this one?) buy one get 2 (that right 2) frames FREE
-- loads of other kits at almost 90% off--lots of $5 kits reg. up to almost $40
--Knitting and cross stitch pattern a day and knit bits calendars for $1
--Purchase any Just Nan book (except the newest releases) and get fabric free (limit $7.50 worth of free fabric)
Most items are very limited in quanity. Shop early.
Sale continues through Saturday (if we can stand it)

Join us on Wednesday August 16th for cake, nuts, and mints in celebration of my real birthday. . . .

Pat
Stitchin' Post
2811 Columbine Place
Nashville, TN 37204
Store Hours 10:00 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat. Until 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays
615-383-3672

You can get things here you can't find anywhere else.

Hey, Leslie!

Lookee, Leslie, it's the beginning of your Kate toy.





See the BellSouth (i.e., Batman) building in the background? I took this picture on Broadway from my car. I don't recommend that for safety reasons!





Dodger's post-dog-park glee.

Buddy

Buddy likes to sun himself on my parents' deck for long periods of time.

Opinions, please

OK, for online dating purposes, which of these do you like? (1) window, (2) hand on rail, (3) with Dodger.

Clothes line

Some sewing projects: cotton and gauze top, Amy Butler cotton print dress, seersucker skirt.

Fin

Early Saturday

Taking a picture of yourself in the mirror is harder than I thought. Here's a cotton dress I sewed. Still need to hem it, d'oh!
Smile, Dodger! Be still! Look at the camera! Oh, never mind.
Sweater blocking begins, and a new Mason-Dixon Washcloth.

Dandie Poodle

Top: Dodger Boy, who looks more like a Dandie when he has whiskers; a gray ("pepper") Dandie; Dandies are a rare terrier breed in the UK; a smiley English family with their Dandies--check out the one on the far right--he looks like Dodger after a bath; a white poodle

Obviously Dodger is part mini poodle: his long legs, nonshedding fur, curly hair, and long fluffy ears are a dead giveaway. But what else is he? He's a pound puppy, but someone cared for him before he became homeless: he was house broken, walked on a leash, played fetch, and had a docked tail.

The first night I got him, my youngest sister, then an avid readers of dog breed books, snapped her fingers and said, "He looks like a Dandie Dinmont!" Unfortunately, my parents and I sort of scoffed at her and wondered aloud how in the world she could know that. Well, a day or so later, we felt remorseful because sure enough, Dodger had many Dandie characteristics: turned-out front paws, black-lined eyes, large eyes (not almond like a poodle's), gray coloring, killer nails, a longer back, and a muzzle that's slightly shorter than a poodle's. Check out the photos and see for yourself!

Dandies aren't a common breed; I've tried finding a place that would breed them in the Middle Tennessee area and I've never found a scrap of info.

Lookee here, here's a sleeve laying on top of the front of my sweater. It's poorly lit and not a great quality photo, but there it is!

Here's a picture of my craft table before I cleaned everything up. I actually pulled out more stuff than this before I tidied.

If we were listing hilarious things to do in Nashville this weekend, this movie would be number one!

Cover boy

Here's a pic I took of Dodger with my camera!

He got groomed about a week and a half ago. Doesn't he look like the red Fraggle with pigtails? But, you know, also like a very pretty poodle boy? Heeheehee!

What I've been reading

In addition to sewing, knitting, watching movies, and taking care of Dodger's needs, I read in my spare time. Currently I'm reading three books:

1. The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way
by Bill Bryson (1990)

I think about English A LOT. I mean that's most of my workday right there. And while I know or can look up the bizarro English rules about ninety percent of the time, I am often exasperated by our language. The spelling, the pronounciation--how illogical and made-up everything seems. I mean, Why???

But Bryson explains that there are reasons in the madness. He made
English make more sense to me. I'm still reading, but so far I really enjoyed the chapter "The First Thousand Years," which shows that we have so many synonyms because English adopted words from other languages (still does). From the Vikings we get: freckle, leg, skull, meek, rotten, dazzle, husband, sky. From the Normans we get: justice, jury, traitor, petty, damage, govern. Isn't that amazing?

2. We Thought You Would Be Prettier: True Tales of the Dorkiest Girl Alive
by Laurie Notaro (2005)

The li-berry finally got this installment of the Notaro books! She is hilarious and constantly telling on herself. I usually sit down and read her books very quickly.

3. Knit Lit: Sweaters and Their Stories and Other Writing About Knitting
edited by Linda Roghaar and Molly Wolf (2002)

There's a story behind my copy of this book. I bought it when LYS Stitchin' Post was having a big sale in which their books were half off. When I opened up the cover the evening I bought it I realized that it said "Shop Copy"! D'OH! I emailed the owner and told her I'd bring it back, but she told me she had an extra copy and to keep it. There are dozens of essays that were contributed, all pretty short. I think you have to be a knitter to enjoy this book.

Day Twenty-five

Has it been that long?! I finished the second sleeve for My First Sweater! I always imagined knitting a sweater would be a long ordeal, but it's really not too bad if it's a simple pattern and not a tiny yarn.

Now I need to block the sweater pieces, sew them together, and knit a few more rows at the neckline. Then, voila! A sweater! I want to completely finish before I start on the Lotus Blossom Tank.

I will have extra yarn left over from My First Sweater, and I'm thinking of making it into a cute lace headband.

Took the iPod to work and it was fun, fun, fun.

Christmas in August

"Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday!" dad said yesterday after we'd set up the new computer and fumbled around trying to get songs on the iPod nano--both gifts from dad! Yay!

(Last summer I got new tires for Christmas from dad. He said, "This is your Christmas present. Really. I'm not kidding." "I know!! Thank you!" I said.)

I've spent the past twenty-four hours loading songs for the iPod like it was some sort of race. I'm obsessed. I think I've gotten the "must have" CDs already: Beatles, Clash, Costello, etc. I've still got some good stuff to add, and I've got a little more than 25 percent of the memory left. I stayed up too late playing with it.

I finished the first My First Sweater sleeve and cast on the second sleeve Friday night. I've probably done the majority of the knitting for the second sleeve, but I haven't begun to block. My apartment space is limited, so that should be interesting. Probably have to block the pieces in turn.

Speaking of space--also Friday night I pulled out all my fabric (many bounteous hand-me-downs), yarn stash (larger than I'd like to admit), and assorted craft stuff from the corners and hiding places, and piled it all in the middle of the living room. It was a sight to behold. I went through the fabric and decided what I didn't want. I found a new place for my patterns ("the stash that dares not speak its name"), put the works in progress in separate grocery bags, and folded up and rolled away the craft table. Ah! Space! I had to make space for the new 'puter.

Upgrading my technology

Wheeeeeeeee! I've organized all my fabric, yarn, patterns, and rolled away the craft table. I cleared off my computer desk too, all in anticipation of the new computer my dad is bringing me tomorrow! Yay, what a pleasant surprise!

I also bought a new camera phone. It has all sorts of exotic features my circa 2002 cell phone did not have: it flips open, has a color screen, and voicemail. And of course, it takes pictures. I took some cute ones of Dodger and hopefully I'll soon figure out how to email them from the phone and put them up on my blog.

Dad's also buying me an iPod, which I've always wanted, but it's just not been in the budget, and my computer was so old (nine years; 64MB hard drive) that buying one seemed pointless. So I really appreciate dad's generosity, and on top of all that, it was his idea. I hate to ask my parents for stuff, and although I feel a tinge of guilt about accepting nice gifts like these (I just feel I should be able to afford them myself, but truthfully I can't unless I buy on credit), I overcome my guilt. Life's so hard, boo hoo.

Knitting update: I only have two or three inches left on the sleeves, but I haven't knit for days; just been too busy doing errands every evening. I may be too busy playing with the electronics to finish it anytime real soon, but I'm still enthusiastic abut it, so I'm not worried that it will languish like the Mandarin dress. Poor Mandarin dress.

Digital hopes

Before the week is out, I should have a new cell phone, a camera phone. I'm hoping I'll be able to finagle photos from it and onto my blog. That would be wonderful.

Last night I sat down and finished my Mother Bear Project bear. It had been laying about, taunting me. I'd like to get a few current projects wrapped up so I can work on new projects, specifically a Wee Wonderfuls doll, and the Lotus Blossom Tank (from Interweave Knits, Summer 2006). Also, my living room needs attention in the craft realm--it's nearly exploding with fabric my mom and sister gave me. Everything's a jumble.