Do I have yarn??? :)

Just a quickie today but this made me laugh!!!  DDK needed a bit of yarn for her Fashion Marketing class and asked me last night if I had any yarn!!!  With some scrounging around I was able to accomodate her :)

p.s. Classes starting on Feb 6 with a prequel this saturday 1/30 are now posted on Only Ewe's Calendar  - The Sausalito sweater designed by dolce handknits and Every Way Wrap from Fall 2009 Interweave Knits.

Can Women Really Multi-Task?

Or is it really just a myth?  Way too many tasks makes them get lost in the archives!!:)  I am still holding out hope that I can "do it all"  but it seems as if with everything on my mind, I am dropping the ball way too often!  I should thing that I would start to be more organized and efficient with my time pretty soon.  I am loving working at Starbucks just not having the inconsistent schedule...hopefully the manager will be able to level out my schedule pretty soon once I am just as good as the other Baristas.  Yesterday I worked from 5 am to 11 am which kind of threw me for a loop but I think it wouldn't be so bad if that was pretty much my regular schedule.  The shift went pretty quickly and there were different things to do to open up the store so all in all pretty good! 

DSJ turned 19 yesterday!  I can't believe my baby is nearly a full-fledged adult!  We didn't see much of him on the big day and will need to have a little party later in the week as we had not heard from him on when he was coming home.  He is moving in with a friend which makes Mommy sad but I think it will be good for him.  No parents nagging at him about a job (at least not his own) - his friend's Dad has told him that he can officially move in but that he needs to have a job...adults with their one-track mind! :)

Off to OE today to meet up this morning with a group of Knitting friends that I don't get to see very often and then later on with the regulars:)  Sausalito class starts this Saturday 10 am - 12 pm and also "Every Way Wrap" from Interweave Knits Fall 2009 at 1 pm.  The Every Way Wrap is the prequel so that students can learn a great way to cast on for 2 X 2 ribbing (I know I am turning into a cast on freak!) - after the prequel, the class will meet Saturdays, Feb 6 and Feb 20 1 - 4 pm.  This class is the first in a series "By the Book".  I will be teaching 2 other projects from the Fall 2009 Issue of Interweave Knits - students can attend all 3 classes or pick from the menu :) 

Stil (Obsessed with) Casting On!!!

Today's learning is with regards to the Long Tail Cast - on which I still believe (especially now) can be used for nearly every application.  You can actually put your slip knot on the needle and then hold the needle in your left hand (this is a good one for you, FSB :)) and the yarn ends in your right hand.  WHen you have finished casting on you are ready to do a right side stockinette row (the smooth side is facing instead of the bumpy side) - the only drawback to discovering this is that I have some swatches to re-re-knit again :) (I have officially lost count on some of them)

It's Tubular Man!!! (Pronounced with surfer dude accent :))

Ok...I am obsessed with casting on...I am having a ball learning about different techniques while doing the Master Knitting Program.  This program has far outreached my expectations!!!  I highly recommend it (you will get over the self doubt portion which occurs at the beginning :))

I learned how to do a tubular cast-on this morning which is perfect for k1,p1 ribbing.  See.....:)

Now...it's not blocked yet so the knitting is not as uneven as it looks here (I hope!)  Just check out the cast-on edge - it grows out of nothing!  :)  Off to Only Ewe this morning and then gotta make the coffee tonight!  Only Ewe is having a fair to show off what's going on in and around the shop on Saturday...everyone should go check it out...Lookee here - the Knit Witch blogged about my shawl!:)

On Coffee and Cast-Ons :)

First of all, when you must try a lot of different coffees (you know, dedication to the job and all), be sure to make some of the tastes DECAF!!!  At least I made the wise decision yesterday of no caffeine after 2ish but a whole bunch of caffeine (and I mean a WHOLE bunch - those of you who know me well know that I usually drink a half bunch :)) doesn't make one feel one's best!!! Yes DFS, there is such a thing as too much coffee :)

Also, did you know that you can cast on in purl stitch using the long tail cast-on?  I am learning so much doing the Master Knitters Program - I have to admit that I didn't think there was that much room for improvement but boy was I wrong!  When you cast on using the regular long tail, it actually forms the first knit row so if the piece you are working on should have purl bumps on the WS, the first row after casting on should actually be a ws row...  Anyway, I was preparing to reknit Swatch 3 (seed stitch) and thought since I was redoing it, I might as well find THE perfect cast-on...I alternated purl and knit LT caston to be like the opposite of the first row I would be working and it looks amazing - very cool!!!

Well ...

Maybe I did fall off the planet!!!  Friends, I am so sorry that I haven't gotten my groove back!  I understand that it is difficult to follow a blog when the writer is not consistent with posting!  A few bits of news...

Got to see Knit Witch and the Man behind the mesmorizing Yarn Bowls over at Only Ewe the other day!!!  We selected 6 amazing colorways for Spellbound (just testing out a new name option - feel free to let me know how you feel about it) that Only Ewe will offer in kits at Stitches South in April!!!!  So exciting :)

Also wanted to let you know that I will be back on the class schedule at Only Ewe.  One of the classes I will be teaching will be Sausalito from Dolce Handknits - A GREAT Cardigan pattern, wearable by all and though not so difficult, the pattern provides for some handy tips and techniques to be shared :)

Still plugging away on Masters I - I have completed swatch 11 of 16 (although I am sure I will be reknitting at least some of them...this course has a way of making us a little nutty)

Hope I made it up to you a little bit!!!  Talk to y'all soon! 

Bear with Me!!!

Yay - finally over the bug and now I just need to get in sync with the new routine:  Knitting Masters Program, Personal Knitting Projects, Knitting Designs, New Job with Starbucks, Family and Friends (Absolutely not in that order!)...Please bear with me as I adjust to find the right time to blog - it's not now! (Gotta dry my hair and get to work) At least they give me coffee (but I gotta beware of  the forced tasting of treats!) :)

No...I didn't fall off the planet

Baaaaaad stomach bug - so far no one else in the house got it which is good.  But energy just ran out...sorry....hopefully back soon

TKGA Master Knitting - Just getting started

Q: How can knitting be stressful? 
A: When one is pretty comfortable regarding the quality of one's knitting and then one decides to let a panel of experts examine and critique your work!!!

I am just getting started and this organization is VERY particular about technique and preparation of your submissions including lots of research (yuck)!  I have completed the first 2 (of 16) swatches for Level I (there are 2 more levels after this) I think it will be good for me to really concentrate on my technique and no matter how much angst is caused, worth the effort to earn the credential.  MFD and MFE may be working alongside me to do at least Level I - I will be working to earn all 3 Levels - it will take a while - I will keep you posted.

It's Magic You Know

I LOVE LOVE LOVE to knit (as you all know) but I also love the satisfaction of finishing knitting!!!  First,  you must see what warranted another day off from school.....

It's a lot less than it looks like!!!

Here's Glenda - all done

I have to show you before blocking!

And shedding some more light on the subject :)

And here she is blocking...must say I am darn near pleased about this one :)  I wish all of you could see her in person!

On Snow in Atlanta...

Had a little chuckle last night when a school early release day was announced for today because of (possible) inclement weather!:)  We may get up to an inch of snow so the kids get a snow day :)  I remember as a child huddled by the radio waiting eagerly to find out if we would get a day off when there was a blizzard going on outside!  To be fair, snow doesn't happen here very often and so the equipment to handle it is pretty much non-existent...so I will just take a moment to revel in the joy of all the kids getting a break from their normal school-day routine (just a little smile)

Knitting-wise, I have been working exclusively on  DHJ's vest (almost to the front armholes) and Enchanting Glenda's knitted on border.  Today (after the dentist - yuck) I will be focusing on the shawl to meet my Saturday deadline...Pictures soon :)

Now Vacation is Really Over !!! :)

The massive To Do list was slightly impacted yesterday...need to knock off some more items today even though I am on a quest to complete Enchanting Glenda by Saturday when I will be meeting with the KnitWitch to choose another yarn to use in the kits.  I had a couple of splitting issues with this yarn (very dissappointing as the results are truly lovely) There are a LOT of beautiful yarns out in the universe that have some "splittiness" to them and it is manageable but these were not apparent until the point of no return (at least for my natural aversion to frogs :))  That combined with the potential future inavailability led to the decision to switch directions with the yarn... so I will get to knit with some more Witchy Concoctions :)))))))))

Vacation is Over

Time to do all the things that I have been procrastinating - maybe I will need to hire someone to do all the things other than the fun designing and knitting - one can dream anyway!!!  We are freezing here in the "Deep South" - makes me VERY thankful for the timing of our furnace woes - we are grateful to have a cozy house in the midst of this cold snap...crossing our fingers for real snow at the end of the week...it's been cold enough that it might actually stick (for a bit)We don't get snow very often and we are about due for a Snow Day (I know a certain high schooler who would be happy about that:))  I have got a long "to do" list so I had better get doing!!!

Still Rearranging!!!

It's a good thing that we have a couple days to get things back in order (and also good that I have a husband who likes to organize :))  We got all the Christmas decorations put away yesterday and a few areas back in order (but with a new twist)...it's always fun to put accessories up in a different way - feels like new :)  I want to rearrange the family room but DHJ won't let me :( (I will keep working on him and let you know how it goes :)

And Here's to the 10's...

Happy New Year to all!!!  Question for you - what are we calling the decade 2000-2009?  Lot's of Holiday clean-up today (and knitting, of course) - as much as I love Christmas decorations, it always feels good to get the house back in order :)

Here's Glenda Enchanted ...have gotten into Spell 5

I just LOVE this yarn KnitWitch!!!  Can't wait until I finish and get to block :) 

As a reminder, the yarn is "Witch's Brew" superwash superfine BFL - it's totally SUPER!!!

and finally, a quick shot of our "kittens" - Magellan is 11 pounds at 8 months and Bella is 8 pounds at 6-7 months!!!  Here they are enjoying a little lounge time :)

Jelly needs to learn how to relax - don't you agree???