Let it snow, again, I guess....

Yes, I am jealous, and so I'll do what I can to make you sorry for us still stuck in winter... Here's how gray and gloomy it's been here this weekend,

with a total of maybe 8-10 inches in two days... It was pretty until the snowplows turned everything back to gray, and all I want to do is get out and go skiing or something but I can't. boo!!

Still winter in WV....

Hiya girls!
First, I want to thank you Jill for posting my flickr badge so quickly. I love it. This might end up being a very long post, because I have lots to cover. I'm also really sad about the quilt. Porter definitely deserves a time-out for that. It almost made me cry too. What a sad day.

News about winter: While it is sunny and flowery in Alabama, we still have snow (5.25 new inches, this morning; And to clarify, the picture above of Kane and I is not from WV, but from Northern VA-close enough, in Shenandoah NP, but you get the idea. Also, the picture is for you Molly, so you'll know who I am). To celebrate, I just got a new snowboard. It's a Never Summer Infinity 151. Made in the USA with a 3 year warranty. I've tried it once so far and I really like it and I'm looking forward to our Park City, UT vacation coming up at the end of March.



News about knitting: ENTRELAC! I went to an entrelac workshop yesterday at Y2Knit (my LYS). And I learned a new technique. Backwards knitting! Jill, I think this will interest the speed demon in you, as you already knit at lightning speed. So, I've decided to show you with step by step instruction. This really speeds up the process and eliminates the need to turn and purl, which in turn will eliminate many "yarn management" issues (Kane's term for gigantic tangles of yarn) when you are working with several colors. It is a great help with entrelac and with short-row heels on socks.


Step 1: I've knitted 5 stitches onto the right needle (purple yarn). Now, instead of turning to purl...


Step 2:...insert the tip of the left needle into the back of the first stitch on the right needle.

Step 3: Wrap the yarn around the left needle counter-clockwise.

Step 4: With the left needle, pull the newly wrapped stitch through the loop on the right needle.

Step 5: Slip the completed stitch off the right needle and onto the left needle (like we would normally do, just in reverse). You can see that there are now 4 stiches on the right needle.

Voila! Backwards knitting. It was a really big help for me and I really wanted to share it with you guys. Maybe you can try that with the new socks you are knitting....by the way, I am pleasantly surprised at how well the yarn we dyed turned out, and you are certainly welcome =).

Another Thing To Be Jealous Of...

SPRING IS HERE!!! Well, in Alabama, at least... Its been blue skies, shining sun, birds singing, sweet breezes blowing, and flowers growing!

And since the weather's, been nice, Ive been able to spend lots of time outdoors with the pups... Frazier's current favorite toy is a frisbee that he chewed the center out of. He loves it so much, he remembers where he leaves it everytime he has to come inside. As soon as he is out the door, he goes straight for it (And we all know that he can't see...)

He loves it so much he shakes it so hard that he has to spin in circles to accomodate for the force at which he shakes.

And when he's tired, he likes to wear it around his head, as a sort of frisbee crown.

And now you're probably wondering what Porter has been up to, right? Well, let me tell you. Remember that lovely quilt I made for Bill. Take a looky at it since Porter got to spend some time with it:

I will admit, I cried. I guess I can patch it up, but it will be really noticable & icky looking. I guess thats what you have to deal with when you have dogs, but couldn't he have chewed something less valuable?

Not to leave on a sour note, here is one last picture. The start of my sock. This yarn is incredible! I love it, thank you so much, Jamie. It is going to make the neatest socks around!

I can see!

So I did get some new glasses which I wont think about how much I spent on them (hey, I needed them, my other ones have been broken and fallen off my face for like three years now) so I sent mom and dad a picture of me and I'll share it with you, too... and now if you ever see me on the street you'll know who I am, Jaime :)

I can't wait for spring break, either. The week before, I have two tests and I know I'm going to need it bad. I can't wait for sunshine and warmth and big, open water!!!! YES I want to camp!!! And YES I want a convertable too.... just in case the opportunity arises......

ps check out how WHITE I am... uuugh.

So here are the reasons I am jealous of you:

1. that quilt is beautiful
2. The sweater is actually beautiful too but I can see how it might look funny on. You should show a picture of it on you.
3. You seem to have a ton of time on your hands to do these types of things. I don't even know if I'll have a chance to finish my simple little scarf before spring rolls around!

But today it was 40 degrees although its supposed to get cold again, at least cooler. I don't know if I can handle it if it gets below zero for any extended period of time, though. Time is flying by because I have so much to do!!!!!! I am a champion procrastinator, I realized. Ok this is just another effort in that, so back to physics. (I hate physics)

oh, and only like two weeks til I'm coming there!!

(the picture is where I was last year this time... for your viewing pleasure, since any pictures of my life recently wouldn't be too exciting)

Not so cashmere

This one is not so much a winner. It is the cashmere sweater pattern from Weekend Knitting. Except instead of cashmere, I used el-cheap-o Lion Brand yarn. I guess there is a reason it called for cashmere. It is comfy, but not attractive. And I have got to somehow learn how to bind off loosely. I just can't do it. As hard as I try and concentrate when I am binding off, it is always tight and icky. Any suggestions? I really like the idea of the sweater, but it is awkward. The body is kind of form fitting & the sleeves are huge. I wanted it all to be kind of big and warm and snugly, like a sweatshirt. Oh well, I'll wear it around the house... and I got my first lesson in bad yarn substitution. I find it is really hard to find a good yarn substitute, when you don't even know what the original yarn was like, and 99% of the time I can't possibly afford the original yarn, so I'm not going to be using it. Ah, the trials and tribulations.... (I don't even know what that means in this context, but it sounded good).

Next up is a Honeymoon Tank, although, unfortunately I don't foresee a honeymoon in my near future. But hopefully it will be wearable for our trip to the Gulf next month. I am also gearing up

for some new socks from the lovely yarn Jamie dyed for me. It is patiently waiting on my windowsill. Okay, I just put it there for the picture, but doesn't it look happy? I thought maybe it would grow if I left it there, just like my plants...

I lied...

I said I wasn't going to have any finished projects for a while, but I forgot about this one. I didn't go to school on Friday so I could finish it! I am relieved it is done - it was such a big project and I didn't have anywhere to work on it because it is so big! I am very satisfied with how it turned out and I have a new admiration for quilters because it is much harder than it looks!

How do I?...

Alrighty, now I've seen the blog for what it is really worth, which is extremely cool (in my opinion). At work when I view the blog I can't see the flickr badges for the two of you, and I just saw them for the first time tonight. So, I made my own, but I don't know how to edit that portion of the page to include my badge too. I'm sorry, I work with people who are all over the age of 45 and I swear, just by being in there prescence I've become more technologically challenged. So, maybe the two of you could give me a hand because now I'm really excited to add my badge to our work of art. I appreciate any help you could give with this matter. =)

Sorry so long!

Hey girls. Sorry, so long. It has been crazy-icy weather over the past few days here and all in Maryland FREAK out when they hear the word SNOW. So, my work was cancelled over the past few days and I got some much needed rest, relaxation and knitting time. I would have posted at home, but ah, dial-up.
No, I haven't had a baby since I last posted, but this is one of my finished products in action. This is baby Alex, newest addition to my friend Tiffany's family. Isn't he cute? Isn't the hat the best? It's made with Filatura Di Crosa Pom-pom. Partial skein of white and blue.
Bummer on the root canal. Hope you are feeling better. Give the boys a valentine hug for me and I'll post more later.

The exciting life of Jill

I had a pretty exciting day today - a sort-of-emergency root canal. I went in to get my tooth checked out and ended up having the root canal right away... well, part of one. I have to go back two more times to have it finished. It actually wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it was going to be. More expensive, though.

And the other exciting thing. I finally finished Mom's other sock:

It is self-patterning yarn (Lana Grossa Fantasy) that one of my friends gave me. Thats all for now - I won't have any more projects for a while.... so someone else is going to have to carry the blog. Jamie, where are you???

Oooh, and Happy Valentine's Day!

Bird Nerd

Ovenbird. My favorite. Have you ever seen a bird with more personality?

Northern Flicker. It is absolutely beautiful, don't you think? The yellow coloration on its wings comes from what it eats. Birds from the west have redish/pink wings & birds from the east have yellow wings. Interesting, huh?

These pictures were taken last fall at a bird banding station that was run by one of the other grad students in my department. They caught a ton of birds migrating south for the winter. A friend and I went one day to help out, and these were pictures he took.

And I present to you the entrlac scarf:

Travel Thoughts

Hello & welcome Jamie! :) So I'm $200 pooerer but in exactly a month and a day, I'll be on a plane to the dirty south once again!! I'm excited and hopefully a week or two before when you know your schedule, Jill, we can figure out fun things to do. But if nothing else I'm excited to see Nashville at least! In other travel news we are trying to fundraise money for our Scotland trip. You'd think it would be easier since it is a school trip for credit, but we have a huge amout to make... any big money-making ideas??

Thanks for the invitation

Hi girls.
Jill, thanks for feeling sorry for me and inviting me to join your blog, and Molly, thanks for allowing me to share . And Molly, it's nice to meet you. I don't have much to share today, but I promise to come up with something good.

Procrastination, etc.

Thanks for the compliments. Yeah, I have been doing lots of knitting lately. Its mostly an avoidance technique. Avoidance of any real work, that is. For me, doing the dishes, taking the dogs for walks, watching Live with Regis and Kelly, going thrifting, and cleaning all fall under the avoidance techniques also. I've been working weird hours at the coffee shop this week because Pete is out all week due to some surgery he had. I work from like eleven until three every day. Its messed everything up. How could that schedule allow me to get any real work done? - I guess i will just knit instead.... So I have been working on another sweater - one of the pullovers from Weekend Knitting. I photocopied the pattern from the library when I was home. Its grey yarn. I'm not too far yet, but I'll keep you posted. The front panel of Bill's quilt is done & now all I need to do is get the batting and the backing and put it all together! I'm excited & I think it is going to look really nice. I am also trying to make one of those cute bags from the coat that Iris made. I'm not sure how it will turn out. I couldn't find any military jackets, so I just got a woman's old wool jacket. Its not quite as thick, I don't think.

So, I was talking about the coffee shop earlier. I am having problems. One of my co-workers is out to get me, spreading nasty rumors and telling on me. Yes, a 25 year old tattle tale. But, of course she is sweet as pie to my face. It think that's what they call southern hospitality... Anyway, I thought she was my friend, but apparently I thought wrong. I have been fretting over it. But I don't want to fret because it isn't worth my time. But the more I fret, the more I get mad for fretting, and the cycle goes on. I don't know how to deal with it because we are pseudo-friends and she doesn't know that I know all the stuff she said and I don't want a confrontation or anything, but how can I act all nicey-nicey around her? And she's in the knitting club too. I HATE this kind of crap. I was soooo over this kind of drama around 1992, so why should I have to deal with it now? Of all the personality quirks and traits out there, I think fakey-ness is the most evil to me. Why can't people just be genuine, who they are... I am much more likely to respect someone if they are genuine -even if I don't really care for their personality- than if they are nice, but its fake. Which, I believe, brings up a whole nother ball of wax - self confidence. Why is it so hard to find women our age that have self confidence? Why is it that so many people I meet are so lacking in self confidence? Do you notice that with people you meet? I mean, yeah, every now and then I have bouts where I'm not that fond of myself, but for the most part, I am happy with who I am. It almost scares me to have children, because I don't want to raise kids that have such self-esteem issues. And the rest of the world doesn't help. I was watching Oprah yesterday (another great avoidance technique) and the whole show was focused around 'older' women (around 40-70 years old) who looked much younger & what their secrets for youthfulness were. Well, most of them said that they were truly happy, they did things that they loved and were passionate about, they ate well, and exerciesed etc. But they really focused on the part where they did what they loved and found things that they were passionate about. Well, hell, I could have told you that and I'm only 28 years old! I think that when we are young, in our 20's, we have so much to look forward to, so much to dream about for our future, but then as we get older, somehow we lose that passion for life and that's what drags us down... And I think that is what the fear of getting old really is. As I am approaching 30 (God, it is scary to even say that outloud), I think that the fear is that I will turn unhappy, that I won't be 'cool' anymore, although, I don't even know what that means. That I won't meet anymore amazing people to energize my life (major concern, especially considering my track record since moving to Alabama), that my career won't excite me, that my lofty, yarn filled dreams (and others) won't be fulfilled. Or maybe I'm just worried about getting a big butt and all my hair turning grey. Its hard to say on days like these.

I must get to bed. I'm thinking too much. Love you. Can't wait to see you in a Month!? Yes?

Not Much

That sweater is gorgeous. I am so jealous of all the knitting you've been doing, and I hardly hardly have time to work on my three projects....Everything is near standstill. But I have been reading The Sun Also Rises which I really enjoy. I know you said you really liked one of Hemingway's books but I can't remember which it was.

So, that's why I'm at a loss for photos and really at a loss for crafty updates....Although I can't say I'm too unhappy with my busy life... I've been finding time to just enjoy things like, last night I made delicious dinner for some friends, and tonight I went to see a comedy show tonight atBryant Lake Bowl, a pretty cool restaurant-bowling alley-theatre in Uptown. The photos are of the Winter Carnival. Notice how they don't due the temperature justice. This weekend we had a pot-luck in Pillsbury, the geology building on campus. The geo club is trying to make a habit of having pot-lucks every couple weeks or so, and it's cool because so many people go (undergrads, grads, and profs) and everyone brings delicious food and wine or beer. I never knew geologists were such drinkers, but turns out, they have quite a reputation.

Venus Completed

Its done. In 4 days! I love it. Its a little boxy around the bottom, but very cute and I got 2 compliments at the superbowl party last night - from people that didn't even know I knitted it! I added about an inch to the lenght, which I'm glad I did and I made the neck four stitches smaller because I didn't want an off the shoulder thing to happen. Its definately better than the basketball jersey!

And one more thing...

I absolutely love, love, love the bag Knitting Iris made. You have to check it out. It is made from an old wool military coat. I want one. Must have one. I am in love. I am heading to the army surplus store immedietly.

Check this out!

Snow! I woke up to snow in the yard this morning, and its almost 11am, and there is still snow on the ground... I was so so so excited, and so was Frazier (he LOVES snow), but it is really wet and slushy, so no snow angels or snowmen. :( I wish I would have been up when it was actually snowing, because that is my favorite part, but it was in the middle of the night and I was asleep.


So, I got some yarn for the Venus sweater. It looks really purple in this picture, but its more pinky-purply. I was kind of hoping for a steel grey color, but I had a hard time finding yarn, so I couldn't be too picky. It was either this or bright pink. It is actually a really similar to the color of the one on the model. Its 100% wool, which I didn't want, but it is really light and soft, so I hope it makes for a good sweater. I worked on it quite a bit last night, I think it will be fast - I'm using size 15s.

P.S. Love your scarf. Very retroesque. Can't wait to see the finished product.