Yarn, lots of yarn

I have yarn, lots and lots of yarn . . . now, to be fair, it is not all for me and my projects.

I have yarn that I received from swaps.

I have yarn that I have purchased for swaps.

I have a wonderful neighbor who goes garage sale-ing, and buys me yarn. She says that it is only fair since I took her to my most favorite LYS.

I have yarn that I just had to have because . . . . ummmmm . . . the stars were correctly aligned and in conjunction with some such thing and the yarn was good price and, to be honest, I wanted it.

The biggest problem that I have is TIME. I just don't have time to do all I want to do. I know I have to organize it into projects and such and I did. Once. Not too long ago. But that was just the stash that I had at home. It doesn't include the "work" stash. The "work" stash consists of stuff that I have delivered to the office . . . swaps, knitpicks, online purchases . . . I don't have packages delivered to the house because usually there isn't anyone home to accept delivery.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Phew, I am so glad that I unburdened myself regarding my stash.

On Thanksgiving, my older sister was talking about her spinning. I looked over at my husband at one point and he was just shaking his head. Well, he was until she mentioned alpaca's and fleece and yarn . . .

I'm itching to remodel the bathroom

We remodeled our house in 2004. We knocked out the back wall on the first level (38 feet) and added 8 feet of room and then added an additional 8 feet of roofed porch. Here are some pics of the process:

ugly old kitchen . . . looking from family room through dining room to kitchen: Looking from part of the new kitchen, through the new area of the dining room into the new area of the family room (with the fireplace at the end)

And finally, the kitchen . . . which is what the whole thing was about . . . we were only doing the kitchen, except that the entire kitchen and dining room would have to be rewired and taken down to the studs. So, if we were going to that expense, why not do what we really really wanted to do:

this is the breakfast bar side:

Finished back porch Summer 2006 The porch has a roof and is 38 feet long and eight feet deep. We have three double rockers on it and can put picnic tables on it if needed. We have two sets of sliding doors and it is a lovely place to read, eat, knit, do homework, write letters, reflect and just hang out.

Anyway, last evening, I mentioned to my darling, incredibly patient husband that I thought we should redo the downstairs bathroom. He said, "wallpaper or paint?" I said, "ummmm, take the tub out and put in a large shower, replace the floor (and ceiling . . . . we had a leak from upstairs many years ago and their is an access panel that looks hideous) and, oh yeah, paint with a border print." Our 20 year old daughter started laughing and then I looked at my husband's face. You could just see the visions of what started out as a simple kitchen remodel reflected in the stark terror of his face!

48 Things You Could Care Less About

48 Things You Could Care Less About

1. FIRST NAME? Mary Lynn
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Last week when I read a letter that my sister sent a year after our Mom died. It was lovely and kind.
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes, but I tend to do a combo script/print thing.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? salami
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Definitely. I can be fun and loyal
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Does a blog count as a journal?
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Absolutely not.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Wheat Chex.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? My personality is but I'm not physically strong.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Butter Pecan with hot fudge.
14. SHOE SIZE? 7-1/2 to 8 Wide
5. RED OR PINK? Red.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I'm fat. It is overwhelming my life
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My parents
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? No, not really.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black pants/black t-shirt, brown/black tweedy jacket, black
20. LAST THING YOU ATE? Corned Beef hash (gee is it any reason that I'm fat?).
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? WMJI - Cleveland, Ohio
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Green
23. FAVORITE SMELL? Clean, lotioned babies
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My husband
25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Eyes.
26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? Definitely.
27. FAVORITE DRINK? Rhine wine
28. FAVORITE SPORT? is knitting a sport?
29. EYE COLOR? greenish-greyish-blueish-hazel (depending on my mood)
30. HAT SIZE? large
31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Nope.
32. FAVORITE FOOD? Pizza with a pan crust, lots of cheese and just about any topping.
33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings.
35. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer.
36. HUGS OR KISSES? Kisses.
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? Apple Pie.
38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? This is an irrelevant question, as I'm not sending it to anyone.
39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? See above.
40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Hounds of the Baskervilles, Echo Park, You - the Handbook (highly recommend this one).
41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE Pad? I don't use a mouse pad.
42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Didn't turn it on.
43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? My five year old running to me and screeching "Mommy's home"
44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Rolling Stone
45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Hawaii
46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? I'm a great organizer.
47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Cleveland, Ohio
48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Copied and pasted from Sundara's blog http://purlywhites.typepad.com/ .

October Birthday Swap

I participated in the October birthday swap. My birthday is October 9 and Dorothy (from Wyoming; blog spindledreams.com/serendipity). She told me up front that she wouldn't be able to get me my present by my birthday.

It was well worth the wait. The picture does not do it justice. I received a felted bag, a small change purse that had cat stitch markers, Wyoming rocks (chocolate covered fun), two skeins of Boku Plymouth Yarn (95% wool; 5% silk), a calendar, a couple of Wyoming postcards and then just yesterday, received a hand made row counter from Fiber & Designs.

Thank you Dorothy. It was great fun having my birthday last a month

I made the mistake of deleting this picture from an earlier post and wanted to put it back . . .

Even if I do say so myself, he is the cutest kid. 95% of the time he is incredibly happy and kind . . . and then, of course, his sisters get in his face and he is not happy (and sometimes not even kind . . . but he learned it from them).

I actually have been working on this sweater. Both sleeves are done. I am about six inches into the body and then you go back down and add the pouch. I hate the pouch. First of all, I frogged the whole body . . . well at least to the ribbing. Stupid thing to do. Then I re-knit the six inches and started the pouch again. Did I say that I hate the pouch??? I hate the pouch. I've played with it, tried to do it. It says to make sure that the first stitches on each end are "tight" plus you have those extra needles just hanging around being a pain in the butt and getting in the way. But, of course, that is what Zachariah loves about the sweater. So, we shall see. I am determined to get this baby done . . . before he turns 12.

Knit Mitt Kit Swap

I am participating in the Knit Mitt Kit SWAP (http://www.ksks.scoutj.com/) . . . . and here is "The Questionnaire":

What are your favorite colors? Green
Are you a new mitt knitter? Yes
How long have you been knitting mittens? Never. Socks yes, mittens, no
Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn? Either or tweedy would be good
What fibers do you prefer in mitten yarn? Wool . . . probably superwash
Where do you usually knit mittens? in my head
How do you usually carry/store small projects? zip lock bags
What are your favorite mitten patterns? I download bunches but have never done any
What are your favorite mitten knitting techniques? watching someone else do one
What new techniques would you like to try? fingerless
What are your favorite needles for knitting mittens? N/A
What are some of your favorite yarns? wool, silk
What yarn do you totally covet? Koigu Kersti
Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object? nope
Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)? I have options set; use it a lot; often use bamboo dpns for many things; generally prefer circs as I can use magic loop for just about anything.
If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be? Malabrigo Grueso Lettuce or Olive colors
Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack? Heath bars
What’s your favorite animal? my hubby
Would you prefer super warm mittens or something more like fingerless mitts? fingerless
If you were a color what color would you be? Malabrigo Grueso's Lettuce or Olive colors
What is your most inspiring image, flower, or object in nature? Fall Leaves or the first heavy snow fall that sticks to the tree branches -- well until they start cracking and pulling down electric lines
Do you have a wishlist? nope
Anything else you’d like to share with the group today? I really and truly loath acrylics and will give them away . . . I love natural fibers.

our pumpkins . . . .

gutting . . . .
. . . . . . . .

and cleaning up . . .



and the final product . . . drum roll, please . . .


(isn't it bizarre that we have carved pumpkins and pineapples on the same counter. I have to tell you that when we remodeled the house my goal was to have enough counter space and always to have beautifully clean counters and such. Well, as you can tell from these pics, the only thing that having more counters are good for is that my kids have more surface to put things on! Makes me crazed!

oh, yeah, and earlier we took pics in the back yard . . . trying to get the perfect Christmas photo!

and the winner is:

Its in the Mommy manual

My kids are great. They really are (no matter my complaining)!

Anyway, my oldest daughter is in her third year of college and has started her nursing clinicals. She feels overwhelmed as does most students. Sarah is usually the kindest most gentle of people and she has been having meltdowns over the most stupid things. Of course, it didn't help when her 12 year old sister pointed out that she was being stupid.

After one of her meltdowns and after I threw up my hands and said that I didn't understand what she wanted and I resented the fact that she was not being very nice to any of us, she told me that "you don't have to like me, Mom. But you have to love me. Its in the Mommy manual!"

You know what, she is right. We don't always have to like our kids, but we do have to love them, warts and all!

I forgot . . . duh

I forgot that I had ordered these books on Amazon. Actually, I had a number of things and got free shipping because I was waiting until they all were in stock. The order arrived yesterday and I had FOUR knitting books in the order. The order was held until the newest Vogue Knitting Stitchionary Volume 3 was available. I had previously order Volume 1 but gave it to my sister so I ordered a new one for me. The other two were books that I was just lusting after and I had a discount (and a credit) coming from Amazon so, ta da . . .
(ignore the pile of papers behind the books . . . that is work that I am trying to avoid . . . sigh . . . no little work fairies come in and do my work for me at night).

Also, I was trying desperately to finish the scarf to go with the unfelted hat in time for the Whoduknit October 15 deadline. Whoduknit is a group of knitters from all over the place who read a book and knit a project. The bowl didn't felt (I posted about the silly thing) and Lindsey decided it made a lovely hat. So, I decided to make her a lovely scarf. It is a simple cable pattern, using bulky yarn. K2, fc the next 8 stitches, follow the 2x2 pattern for the next 8 stitches, then follow the pattern for the cabled stitches, P2 . . . so you have a total of 20 stitches on big needles and I couldn't get it done. DUH.

But here you go, you can see how far I got . . .


I have to get a better picture of the scarf. It is really a lovely thing.

Anyway, it is a lovely, rainy day in Cleveland. I am glad I opted to braid my hair than wear it down. My slacks are soaked from mid-thigh down.

It would have been a great day to pop in some movies, grab some knitting and snuggle down. Ah, well, that pile of work is still on my desk and no little work fairies are going to take care of it for me.

Have a great day.

Birthday update

I had a wonderful birthday . . . go figure. Dave and Zachariah picked me up and we went to lunch. I went home with them and Zachariah and I spent the afternoon playing and watching some movie (what it was, I don't recall . . . as I slept through it all!!).

I had made cabbage roll casserole (stuffed cabbages without stuffing the cabbages) the day before (along with about 100 meat balls that were frozen). I then made mashed potatoes and bread. It was delicious . . . well Dave, Sarah and I liked it. Lindsey and Zachariah were fine until they realized it was cabbage that they had been chowing down on.

I also talked to two of my sisters (I have four sisters and two brothers). We chit chatted and carried on a bit.

My youngest sister's middle son is home from Iraq and we are all getting together on the 21st. This was his second tour. He is in the Marines and might switch to the Air Force. He is investigating it. He just turned 21 on October 2. Her oldest son is in the Navy (working with the DEA making drug busts in the Gulf Coast). Her youngest son has enlisted in the Air Force but doesn't leave for basic training until mid January. It does put everything in perspective doesn't it!

September colorswap

I received a most awesome package from Sam for the September colorswap. Knit 'N Style, Twizzlers, red Silly Putty, Christmas ribbons, a Mary Engelbreit 2007 calendar, a photo album and three skeins of Plymouth Suri Merino in a rich, rich red (it is so wonderfully soft and luscious).

Isn't it just totally wonderful.

I am feverishly working on my WhoduKnit scarf. I am using the left over yarn from the bowl that wouldn't felt:

and am making a scarf for Lindsey since she decided that she really wanted a scarf to match her hat . . . which in a previous life was supposed to be a bowl . . . the colors are richer than the picture shows. I am making the scarf with the ends being the darker pink and the middle being the lighter (I have substantially less dark than light). We shall see how it goes.

Anyway, I am making a lovely cabled scarf and it is really a lovely thing and I will hopefully have it done to post by the deadline of October 15!

two down . . . more to go

Human Resources and Marketing are done. Well, I assume they are done, depending on my grade. Unless I totally blew the final in HR, I will end up with an "A." Marketing on the other hand is a hideous thing filled with prats and pitfalls.

At Tiffin I had one teacher (for two classes, no less) that I disliked. But I disliked him on a personal level, not on what he was teaching us. He was not a very nice person. At all, at all. But, we suffered through him and I ended up with a "B" and an "A" from him.

This Marketing teacher is a pain in the arse. On some homeworks, I received a 90. There were no notes or comments on the homework, just the grade "90." You might ask "why" and I did too! The answer was "because." Ahhhh, because . . . . oh no, nothing more, just "because." What a bloomin' idjit!

The one homework assignment I mentioned that one of the costs that would have to be considered was the needs to get out of a "contract" for a licensing program. "So, what makes you think that these companies have a license? There is nothing in the case that indicates that the licensing that Company A was doing was driven by a written contract with Company B." Hello, hello, I work for a law firm. Of course, they had a contract. This is 2006. They have lawyers and accountants. They WOULD HAVE A CONTRACT IN WRITING.

So our syllabus states that we have to do homework everyweek, except for the weeks that you have to do your personal case or present your group cases, which leaves four weeks that you have to do homework with an optional homework due the last week. Except of course, the last week he said, no, you have homework due every week. You do not have to turn in the "optional" homework and you do not have to turn in the small written assignments for your individaul or group cases. Plus, he will throw out the lowest two scores on the homework. Therefore, for nine cases, you would have to turn in seven (eight if you do the optional), and he will throw out two. Except that there were some people who read it and thought he had explained it to be that at the most you would have to turn in was five. I was not there the first week and missed the mixed message people received and was fortunate that the person that explained it to me thought that we had to do seven. Are you confused??? We sure were.

Anyway, we are now on to Financial Policies (Saturday mornings 8 to noon) and International Business (Saturday afternoons 1 to 5).

So, last evening, I pulled out the sock. I hate the sock. It is a stupid sock. And, of course, it is for Lindsey. She looks at it and says, "I thought you were making me a pair of socks that I could wear with flip flops." I hate the sock.

what kind of art am I

You Are Impressionism

You think the world is quite beautiful, especially if you look at it in new and interesting ways.You tend to focus on color and movement in art.For you, seeing the big picture is much more important than recording every little detail.You can find inspiration anywhere... especially from nature.

What Art Movement Are You?

non knitting things

The recent spat of school shootings has made me so incredibly sad. It is sad in all instances but I find these murders in the Amish school to seem to be even more horrifying. This is a community, a people who believe in peaceful co-existence. And yet, this man choose to attack these innocents.

So sad. So sad.

the unfelted bowl

I'll post a picture later of the unfelted bowl. But it is a sad tale that needs to be told.
For my September Colorswap, I knitted a bowl (One Skein). It is a pattern that I have done before with the same yarn . . . which will remain nameless (only because I cannot remember right now).

Anyhow, I knit a bowl. I felted the bowl in the usual manner (hot water wash/cold water rinse with a towel on regular wash). I took it out of the pillow case and NOTHING. The stupid thing didn't felt. So back in the washer it goes . . . same thing happens. Check the lable of the yarn: 100% wool . . . not superwash or whatever it is that doesn't shrink. It just didn't shrink. Period.

So now, my 12 year old has an oddly shaped hat. She loves it. It is soft and lovely and a dark pink with a stripe. Anyone willing to make bets that the first time the hat gets washed that it shrinks?

It was a real itchy time

Okay, where else, except at a Yarn Harlot's presentation (or other similar function), is it acceptable to knit at meetings or presentations? sighhhhhhhh

I spent a little more than two hours at a meeting last evening. My youngest daughter/middle child is making her Confirmation in April. She attends a Catholic elementary school so the only requirement for us is to attend five meetings (the first of which was last evening) and she must also attend a retreat. The additional four meetings do not start until February 26 and then run for 3 additional weeks! I have to admit while one part of me was paying attention to the speakers (two out of three were very good), another part of me was itchy. I really, really wished that I had brought my knitting. I can listen and knit. I do it all the time.

It was a real itchy time.

You know when you start fidgeting because you need something to do with your hands and the yarn you left at home is calling your name (psssst . . . you forgot something, didn't you???)

The problem lies is that some people perceive that if you are knitting (or crocheting), you are not listening. It is a ridiculous perception but one that I have come across on several occasions.

Why is it acceptable for people to sit and doodle or even meditate (i.e., snooze) but not knit? It is just WRONG!

Seriously, if my sisters and I can get together, yak up a storm (and drink . . . and sometimes we are drinking coffee) and knit at the same time, then surely, I can knit during a meeting that discusses the reasons for Confirmation. So I have this plan, next time we will sit in the back which should work fine if they set up the room like they did last evening . . . set us up at tables and I'm in serious trouble. Or, better yet, I'll send my darling, loving hubby to the meeting and can stay home and knit in peace!

So, when I leaned over and whispered to Lindsey that I should have brought my knitting, she whispered back that she should have brought a book. I mean, seriously, THAT would be rude!

CASP Summer Secret Pal from Knitty

I received a great package from my CASP! In yesterday's mail, I received hand made stitch markers, two English knitting magazines with very cool stuff (Knitting and Simply Knitting), two sets of 22.5cm chopsticks, a lamb magnet, a lamb chocolate, bookmark and natural paper notebook. Really, really cool stuff. I've posted a picture on my blog.

Here is a picture.


The stitch markers are a wonderful green and brown (they would also make great earrings . . . so if I'm ever desperate for the perfect earrings, you may see me wearing my stitch markers!!)

The name on the package looks like Covey Googh(?). Thanks again so much. 19Thrifty4, you are a great Secret Pal!

You Are A Rowan Tree

You are full of charm and cheer. You light up a room. And while you crave attention, you do it without ego. You are an interesting mix of contradictions - and very unpredictable. You are both dependent and independent, calm and restless. You are passionate, emotional, gregarious, and (at times) unforgiving.

What's" Your Celtic Horoscope?

get her out of the oven . . . she's done

There I am knitting away, listening to an Artemus Fowl story on CD and not paying attention to what I am doing. What I am supposed to be doing is making a bowl. Instead, right now, it looks like a cowl because it is just WAY TOO BIG!! Now this wasn't all my fault. I was on the bus. Traffic was horrible and what should have been a 30 to 40 minute trip was 70 minutes. Seriously, I was so involved in the book (because the knitting is mindless) that I wasn't paying attention until the CD ended and two things happened: 1) I realized that the bus was still on the freeway and 2) the bowl was huge. Now the question is what to do. I didn't cast on enough stitches to make a large bowl and I just don't want to frog the thing. So, do I start decreasing and felt it and see how it goes or frog it.

I had an accounting quiz on Friday evening, a Human Resources essay exam on Saturday morning and a case due on Saturday for Marketing. The accounting mid-term is this Friday evening. Why am doing this to myself???? The accounting and HR professors are wonderful people. They are interesting (seriously, how interesting can accounting be but she is making it interesting rather than dry and boring) and kind of funny. The marketing teacher is a pain in the butt. Isn't it interesting that the good teachers both have Ph.Ds and the marketing teacher doesn't?

Plus, he is an old fool. On Friday night, one of the other women in the group suggested that she thinks that he is a sexiest and would love to get the total scores of everyone. She said that she would be willing to bet that the scores for the women are lower than the scores for the men. I have received a 90 on the last two homeworks. There weren't any notes or comments on them. So I asked him. His response "they were fine, nothing wrong, be happy with your grade."

The funniest thing happened just prior to one of the groups presenting their case on Saturday. The group consisted of four young women, all attractive and bubbly. First, one of them says to the teacher, "you look pretty spiffy today." Another then makes some other comment to him about his "wonderful help in helping her get her head around the numbers." They are all standing in front of the class while he is pulling up their powerpoint presentation. At that point, I turned around and looked at the three guys sitting behind me and asked them "are they doing what I think they are doing." They all nodded and said it sure looked like it. Then another one asks him about what should she do with her palm tree (he had mentioned a couple of weeks ago that he and his wife are involved with various horticultural efforts). He was putty in their hands. During everyone else's presentation, he would interrupt and was incredibly rude "did you check your figures because I don't see . . . " etc. With this group, he says "I can understand why you addressed this case in this manner." HUH??!!?? Now, the question is, was this a planned flirtation? Or do these cute young things just do this type of thing naturally? I have to admit that I have a friend that is an equal opportunity flirter and can and will flirt with everyone. But this just seemed to planned. It will be interesting to see what he gives them for a grade.

I did get an email from Mr. Warm-and-Wonderful wanting me to explain some of the conclusions on my personal case. He said that they needed clarification. I looked at them again and they made sense to me, so I just added some formulas and resent them. Arghhhhh.

May as well put a fork in me, cause I think I'm done!

Tooth of Time Felted bowl

As part of the WhoduKnit read/knit-a-long, we read Tooth of Time. As part of my knitting piece, I decided to make a bowl. The book is set in New Mexico and I was looking for something that would give the idea of a New Mexican bowl. Obviously, the colors aren't necessarily compatible with New Mexico but I do like the end product.



Here is my unfelted bowl. It is really fun. This is Knitpicks felted bowl pattern, using KP's memories yarn . . . pansy is the colorway. It knits up quickly and the yarn is lovely to work with.


Then after I felted the bowl (two washings . . . but the towels I had with it came from the kids bathroom and could use the two washings!), I shaped the bowl using a balloon.
After the yarn is dry, I popped the balloon and ta da . . . actually, the bowl ends up a lot rounder than the photo shows. The shadows and such make it look more lopsided than it is. The colors pooled wonderfully and I do believe that I am going to have to buy more memories yarn in different colors to make more bowls. This would be a perfect receptacle for holiday gifts for school teachers and such. It is the right size and unique.