To all the moms out there who are moms, were moms, or will be moms, in any traditional and non-traditional sense of the word, have a great Mother’s Day! May your children or partner or yourself spoil you today and make you feel like the Queen you are!

I’m mom to a lovable, furry, 12 lb child who looks nothing like me or Yannick but I’m still proud to call my own. Ok, maybe the stubborness and cat-ishness comes from me, but the laziness is pure Yannick! 🙂

Tomorrow I’m going to the Bead Emporium for the first time ever and will probably be really inspired to make tons of stitch markers when I get home, so I’m taking today to knit! I know I shouldn’t bring anything too complicated tonight so I’ll be bringing the felted bag which means today is my day to lay around and work on the hard stuff…or at least deal with charts. I’m up to row 40-something of the right front on Enchanted Forest, so I want to get as much done as possible.

To Laura from the comments: I hope I didn’t come off in my FiberRAOK email as if I was expecting to sit back and receive. My only reason for feeling “left out” is because I had put in time and effort to visit blogs, to post and even sent out some not-very-inexpensive RAOKs. I guess my problem was that I “expected” to receive something in return, even 1 thing, from anyone. I know it’s all about being generous and loving and that was the attitude I joined with…it was only after months had gone by that my feelings changed.

To Karla from the comments: Thank you so much for coming on by! I was happy with the little smileys too. My LYS wants some that are more “jewelled” to sell there, but when I made the smiley ones I was home sick with strep throat and feeling awful and had just broken my 5th little plastic flat ring marker, so when I decided to make a couple to cheer me up, nothing from my bead stash worked but those happy little guys. The bright glass beads were the perfect add-on, and they were really just to cheer me up. I never get how my work can intimidate anyone. Even though I technically learned to knit as a kid, I didn’t touch it until last year. I’m still new, I just don’t let myself get worried about anything. So a pattern is listed as experienced? So what? There are always only 2 stitches, knit and purl. If you have to use them in any weird combination the pattern will tell you, and if you really get stuck there are groups or blogs with people you can ask for help, or even local people like at a LYS. I’m no expert, I just make whatever I want. Sure, the cable trees on the Enchanted Forest LOOK hard, even Super-Difficult-So-Hard-Oral-Surgery-Would-Be-A-Pleasure. But are they hard? Nope. And why does that make ME intimidating? So I can follow a chart…I didn’t design the thing. Personally, I don’t think anything in knitting is difficult. Sure, it might be “hard” to get the point of some needles into 2 or more sts for some decreases, but that’s only because of the needle, not the pattern. Sure it might be awkward to follow some instructions, and maybe my grafting doesn’t look professional. Does that mean it’s difficult? Nah, it just means I need more practice. And the only way to practice is to do it! Please don’t be intimidated by me. I’m just a 27 year old girl who works for her dad and knits in her free time, which is a lot since she doesn’t have kids and her boyfriend’s not usually home. There is nothing I’ve knit that you can’t. Trust me.

To Atouria from the comments: If we ever go KIP together, I’ll eat your shrimp. 🙂 Until I got my Palm I always had a puzzle book (Dell or Penny Press, crosswords and other types of “pencil puzzles”) and my gameboy with me. I got the Palm right after my gameboy Advance so I haven’t used it much, but it’s really cute in pink LOL. I love the idea of a knitter carrying knitting in something they’ve knitted, which is partly why I’m working on a felted knitting bag for myself. Good luck with the sari silk, I hear that yarn is simply gorgeous!

Other news: I just found out my uber-friend Bernie is engaged, so a huge CONGRATULATIONS go out to him.

Lastly, when I’m not knitting I’m working on a little something with my brother Mike. You see, Mike and I are both really smart and really competitive, especially in trying to prove that we’re smarter than the other. A few years ago we each bought a puzzle book (the same one), carefully cut out the answers in the back, and proceeded to race to finish the book. Over a year later it still wasn’t finished (I don’t like the math puzzles, and he can’t top me on the crostics) but I have more done. At Hanukah last year he bought us each a new book- 562 pages this time! One of the big books! Anyways he’s always trying to see if I’m beating him, so later on today I’ll put a link up in the sidebar with my progress.

Well it appears my blog feed still isn’t working. I’m not sure why. I’ve already changed the location I tell Blogger to publish the feed to, and I’ve already published the blog once since. I hope I can get this working!

To Jodi from the comments: I’m trying to get this working! As for the bar last night, I got there baout 15 minutes before my friend. I really wanted to knit, but chickened out. I did, however, pull out my Palm and play poker for a while. I figured if anyone were to ask what I was doing, it was cooler to say I was playing Texas Hold ‘Em than to be reading an ebook or something. I wish I would have had the guts to knit. Maybe if I was with a group of people. I felt odd enough sitting there alone. In a place like that, being alone means you want to be picked up.

To Dani from the comments:
1) I’m really glad you like the stitch markers. Speaking of them (since you brought it up lol) I have some good news! I’d brought them to my LYS last Monday and showed my knitting teacher (who works there). She loved them, as did the girls in my knitting class. I know I didn’t reinvent the wheel or anything, but none of them use the internet in relation to their knitting, and so don’t know how popular/common beaded markers really are. Anyways, I left her some to show Beth, the LYS owner, and she told me the next day that Beth loved them but wanted to see them more “jewelled” style. I called the LYS the next day for something and Beth answered the phone, so I asked her what she thought of them. She said again that she wanted to see them more beaded, but that she liked them. I asked if she wanted me to show her some after I make them more jewelled, and she said no, that she’d take any I made and she’d sell them at the LYS! How cool!!! Again, I know how common they are, but my LYS doesn’t sell them, just the plain black rings, so I’m really excited about it. I even got Yannick to sit with me Wednesday night and make a couple with me. (He’s really talented at the wire bending/cutting part).

2) I’m such a geek. Yannick and I have been borrowing books on cd from the library lately to listen to in the car instead of the radio. Guess how thrilled I am that Wednesday night I managed to get the 4 books in the series (I always forget if there was a fifth after So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish), unabridged and read by Douglas Adams! Score!

3) I know I’m really slow on the pics lately. I seem to have so little time to sit at the computer. I will post progress report pics by Monday latest. For the Enchanted Forest I’ve finished the left front and have 4″ done on the right front, the Funky Fur Magic bag is about 5″ high in total, and the Felted Bag won’t be touched until tomorrow. On top of that I have a black mohair shrug I’m dying to make, and I went to the LYS tonight and bought yarn and a pattern to make a baby outfit for my friend who’s pregnant. At least I have until October for that one.

Thanks for writing! I really appreciate all comments!

I just realized that when my server went down I never updated my feed path to the new server location. I hope I’m coming through now…can anyone let me know?

I really like knitting in public. I know I’m not alone- what are blogs but windows to exhibitionist knitters?

Not only do I like KIPing, but I’m not shy about it either. I’ve knit in Reno Depot while waiting for them to mix my paint, at the theater waiting through intermission, at Bocaccino’s Restaurant while waiting for my breakfast, at Cote St-Luc BBQ Restaurant while waiting for my take-out order, at…well, you get the point.

So what does this say about me (other than the fact that I eat out way too much)? Well, for one, it shows I don’t like to wait and be bored. I used to smoke when I was bored. It’s been almost 3 years since I quit, so I’ve had to resort to finding other things to do to fill my restless time. I used to write religiously and had bought myself an AlphaSmart so I could use that waiting time to write. [Note to any aspiring writers: the Alphie is one of the Coolest Inventions Ever.] When I cross-stitched, I’d fill long bus rides with balancing acts, trying to manipulate the needle, canvas, my pattern and a highlighter all without hitting the person sitting next to me. Now that I drive I use the “waiting” time to listen to books on CD since I haven’t yet figured out a way to knit while driving (although I did once sneak in a few rows of i-cord at a red light). Now my waiting time is filled with knitting. I make sure to always have at least one project that doesn’t have complicated charts or too many details, so I can pick it up when I might only have a moment or two.

Beyond hating sitting around doing nothing, I just really enjoy knitting in public. I go to the knitting meetups, and when I arrive an hour early I never just read a magazine to wait for everyone else to come. I don’t need the presence of other knitters to make me feel comfortable enough to pull out my needles, I just do it. So for an hour I knit by myself. So what? Eventually people show up, right?

So why all this babble about KIPing? Probably ‘cus I’m trying to decide if I should do it this Thursday. I promised my friend Debbie I’d meet her at Babaloo’s, which is a wannabe trendy resto/bar, pretty upscale (for me anyways) and full of 27+ year olds (average age is probably 38-43) acting NOT their age. The men cluster in groups and try to pretend they’re not checking out the women, or sit at the bar in mixed company and laugh just a little too loud trying to look cool, and the women sit in groups of 2-6 and sip martinis, pretending they’re Carrie and Miranda and Samantha. Not Charlotte. No one really ever wants to be Charlotte.

I’m obviously not going there to pick up, but that’s where Debbie likes to grab a bite to eat after teaching (she’s a physical trainer and teaches exercise classes) and plus the food is good. Tries a bit too hard to be ritzy but I really enjoy the Shrimp and Avocado Martini, which really gives you many more shrimp than you’d expect for the price of an appitizer.

In any case, I’m going to arrive there about 20 minutes before Debbie. I told her I’d get a table for us, rather than wait in my car. I’m not shy about sitting alone, I’ve often gone to movies by myself. What I am wondering though is how rediculous I’d look if I pulled out something to knit on while I waited.

I know, I know. KIP is one thing. Knitting at a bar on a Thursday night is something else. *sigh* Fine. I won’t be the loser sitting there knitting while everyone else is either flirting or backstabbing (or both). I’ll play games on my Palm instead. Maybe that will make me look professional and sophisticated.

You didn’t need to all laugh at once. Besides, you just know there will be knitting in my purse.

Just in case.

I’m now officially finished the left front piece of the Enchanted Forest cardigan. I was almost finished at 4pm this afternoon, but then…well..my brain decided to kick in.

See, I was looking down at the stair-steps of all my BO rows (I’d forgotten to slip the first st of each BO section) and thought that there must be some better way. Then I remembered short row shaping for doing a 3-needle BO for the shoulders. “How clever of me!” I thought. Sure I was on row 134 of the 136 row piece. It didn’t matter, I’d just rip a few rows and start over at the beginning of the BOs.

So I frogged down to row 112, then tinked back to place the stitches on the needle, ready to begin at row 111.

Then I looked at my pattern again.

Ahem. Those unattractive BOs? Yeah, those were my NECKLINE BOs. Last time I checked, necklines weren’t seamed shut.

I breathed deeply for a few moments, calmed myself, and re-did all the knitting I’d spent the afternoon doing.

On a postive note, this time I DID implement the short row thing on the 3 big 12-st BOs for the shoulders, (on the armhole side this time). I verified the pattern, and since there is a division for the back neck, and both shoulder sides have the same no of sts as the 2 front pieces, I’m golden.

Next time I’m reading the pattern FIRST, listening to my brain LATER.

I’m now officially finished the left front piece of the Enchanted Forest cardigan. I was almost finished at 4pm this afternoon, but then…well..my brain decided to kick in.

See, I was looking down at the stair-steps of all my BO rows (I’d forgotten to slip the first st of each BO section) and thought that there must be some better way. Then I remembered short row shaping for doing a 3-needle BO for the shoulders. “How clever of me!” I thought. Sure I was on row 134 of the 136 row piece. It didn’t matter, I’d just rip a few rows and start over at the beginning of the BOs.

So I frogged down to row 112, then tinked back to place the stitches on the needle, ready to begin at row 111.

Then I looked at my pattern again.

Ahem. Those unattractive BOs? Yeah, those were my NECKLINE BOs. Last time I checked, necklines weren’t seamed shut.

I breathed deeply for a few moments, calmed myself, and re-did all the knitting I’d spent the afternoon doing.

On a postive note, this time I DID implement the short row thing on the 3 big 12-st BOs for the shoulders, (on the armhole side this time). I verified the pattern, and since there is a division for the back neck, and both shoulder sides have the same no of sts as the 2 front pieces, I’m golden.

Next time I’m reading the pattern FIRST, listening to my brain LATER.

I’m now officially finished the left front piece of the Enchanted Forest cardigan. I was almost finished at 4pm this afternoon, but then…well..my brain decided to kick in.

See, I was looking down at the stair-steps of all my BO rows (I’d forgotten to slip the first st of each BO section) and thought that there must be some better way. Then I remembered short row shaping for doing a 3-needle BO for the shoulders. “How clever of me!” I thought. Sure I was on row 134 of the 136 row piece. It didn’t matter, I’d just rip a few rows and start over at the beginning of the BOs.

So I frogged down to row 112, then tinked back to place the stitches on the needle, ready to begin at row 111.

Then I looked at my pattern again.

Ahem. Those unattractive BOs? Yeah, those were my NECKLINE BOs. Last time I checked, necklines weren’t seamed shut.

I breathed deeply for a few moments, calmed myself, and re-did all the knitting I’d spent the afternoon doing.

On a postive note, this time I DID implement the short row thing on the 3 big 12-st BOs for the shoulders, (on the armhole side this time). I verified the pattern, and since there is a division for the back neck, and both shoulder sides have the same no of sts as the 2 front pieces, I’m golden.

Next time I’m reading the pattern FIRST, listening to my brain LATER.

The left front piece of the Enchanted Forest cardigan has 136 rows.

I was just on row 134.

I looked down at the stair-step rows of bind offs, and thought, “There has to be a better way.” I’ve done a 3-needle BO on shoulders before, but not with short row shaping for the bind offs on the sides, just on the remaining sts on top. I thought, “This won’t be too hard!” and decided to use my book on finishing to walk me through the short rows in preparation for a 3-needle BO. I was so proud of myself. I was invisioning how nicely my shoulder seams would be, and how clever was I for coming up with this?!?

I looked down to where the BOs started. At row 111. I thought, “That’s nothing. I can frog down to row 112, tink the row to put the sts back on the needle, work the short rows and be finished the front with the piece on a st holder before dinner time.”

I frogged down to row 112.

I tinked down to row 111, putting the sts back on the needle.

I looked closely at my pattern.

That’s when I noticed that the BOs I was planning to short row were the NECKLINE decreases. Last time I checked, neck openings weren’t seamed shut.

Oh well. At least I had the idea, that’s what counts right?

Now to redo the next 25 rows. Again.

I can’t believe I ripped from row 134. For nothing.

The left front piece of the Enchanted Forest cardigan has 136 rows.

I was just on row 134.

I looked down at the stair-step rows of bind offs, and thought, “There has to be a better way.” I’ve done a 3-needle BO on shoulders before, but not with short row shaping for the bind offs on the sides, just on the remaining sts on top. I thought, “This won’t be too hard!” and decided to use my book on finishing to walk me through the short rows in preparation for a 3-needle BO. I was so proud of myself. I was invisioning how nicely my shoulder seams would be, and how clever was I for coming up with this?!?

I looked down to where the BOs started. At row 111. I thought, “That’s nothing. I can frog down to row 112, tink the row to put the sts back on the needle, work the short rows and be finished the front with the piece on a st holder before dinner time.”

I frogged down to row 112.

I tinked down to row 111, putting the sts back on the needle.

I looked closely at my pattern.

That’s when I noticed that the BOs I was planning to short row were the NECKLINE decreases. Last time I checked, neck openings weren’t seamed shut.

Oh well. At least I had the idea, that’s what counts right?

Now to redo the next 25 rows. Again.

I can’t believe I ripped from row 134. For nothing.

The left front piece of the Enchanted Forest cardigan has 136 rows.

I was just on row 134.

I looked down at the stair-step rows of bind offs, and thought, “There has to be a better way.” I’ve done a 3-needle BO on shoulders before, but not with short row shaping for the bind offs on the sides, just on the remaining sts on top. I thought, “This won’t be too hard!” and decided to use my book on finishing to walk me through the short rows in preparation for a 3-needle BO. I was so proud of myself. I was invisioning how nicely my shoulder seams would be, and how clever was I for coming up with this?!?

I looked down to where the BOs started. At row 111. I thought, “That’s nothing. I can frog down to row 112, tink the row to put the sts back on the needle, work the short rows and be finished the front with the piece on a st holder before dinner time.”

I frogged down to row 112.

I tinked down to row 111, putting the sts back on the needle.

I looked closely at my pattern.

That’s when I noticed that the BOs I was planning to short row were the NECKLINE decreases. Last time I checked, neck openings weren’t seamed shut.

Oh well. At least I had the idea, that’s what counts right?

Now to redo the next 25 rows. Again.

I can’t believe I ripped from row 134. For nothing.