Time Warp

So this is what has been taken up much of my time lately:



Looks like a weird science project, eh? Actually, I've been growing zucchini seeds in them for 4 weeks. And FYI, there is absolutely no dirt in the container. Just SumiBalls. These seedlings were actually ready to be planted by week 2 but I've been carrying them around town showing people how cool this stuff really is. Check out the blog to learn more about these SumiBalls.

Knitting

In addition to cool science projects, I've also been casting on. I started these socks back in May. Look at them now:







The yarn is Indigo Moon and you can get it (where else) at the Loopy Ewe. The pattern is Paraphernalia (rav link) and I got the yarn during our travels to a magical land called Lanigan back in May of this year. It's in Saskatchewan (that's in Canada if you weren't paying attention in geography class back in high school) and the landscape reminds me of all the other boring plains states like the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, etc.

It was so much fun being up there with 4 dogs, 1 cat, several different humans, lots of alcohol, and of course knitting. It was my husband's family reunion so we had a good time. The yarn is super cool to work with and is from British Columbia, Canada. That's why I got it. I know, I know. I told you a few post ago that I didn't need any more yarn. But vacation yarn doesn't count! Besides, people always buy t-shirts that say "I went to __________ and all I got was this stupid t-shirt" even though they don't need any more clothes. And who of you out there need another shot glass that shows famous landscapes and iconic structures of whatever city you are visiting? I didn't think so.

I can't take the Empire State Building home with me, but I sure can go to Purl in Soho and pick up some cashmere. Now THAT'S my type of souvenir.

Raining Cats & Dogs

So last night it was raining like buckets. The thunder was so loud that it actually woke me up! My husband couldn't sleep either. Poor thing is a light sleeper so even a cat meowing can wake him up.

When I woke up this morning, the sky looked like it was done peeing on us, so I thought it was appropriate to let you guys know that we have added some new family members. No I did not have a baby during my hiatus. These family members have four legs and are hairy.

You all remember my first cat. Here she is all grown up:



Well then we got a dog for my husband's sake (he loves those things). His name is Abby (short for Abigail, which I will explain in a later post why we named him that):



Then for good measure, we picked up a stray male cat and named him Jackie Chan (can you tell why?):



Now we have 3 animals and a house that is always in shambles. Good thing we don't have white carpet!

What? You Finished Something!

Yes. I do have an FO. I actually finished these socks Saturday night. I've been working on them for like 2 months. Not to say that I'm a SLOW knitter. I've just haven't been a FOCUSED knitter.







The yarn I used was Araucania. It's from Chile, and like the wine from that region, it's nice yet cheap! I have another skein of this in a dark plum color that I'm not sure what to do with. The semi-solid colors in this sock is gorgeous. The pattern is Baudelaire without the cable. I did a short-row heel instead of what the pattern called for, which some purest would say that what I made was not Baudelaires but something else. Sometimes I like learning new knitting techniques, but that day when I got to the heel, I said "No thank you!" and kept it moving. In other words, it's my party and I'll cry if I want to!

Too bad I got to wait till October to start wearing them. Off to the storage bin it goes!

Simplicity

Lately, I've been longing for simplicity. Simplicity in my career, in my marriage, and in the way that I relate to my loved ones. So quite naturally I've also been longing for simplicity in my knitting. Unfortunately, whenever I actually start to do the knitting, I find myself changing my mind for more complication, with the excuse that it will be boring if I just do plain old stockinette. The only problem with this is that it's not great for TV knitting or waiting on lines or for helping me pass time.

Do you ever struggle with this? You definitely want your knitting to be interesting, but you do need something to occupy your hands as you are occupied talking on the phone or doing a long distance drive. I mean stockinette is great for long car rides over night, because you can't see anyway, and if you can't sleep, you can do a couple simple rows before you drop your head again.

The simple solution is to have a few complicated projects and a few simple projects on the go at all times. The problem that I tend to run into is I always have grand plans for my knitting (don't we all) and I really want every project to be spectacular. But at the end of the day, whenever non-knitters compliment me on my work, they don't know the difference between intarsia and cables. They just say, "Wow! That's so cool you can make socks! I can't see myself doing that!" (don't you hate when people say that they can't learn how to knit for whatever excuse. You learned how to brush your teeth, certainly you can learn how to knit).

So in honor of my new found need for simplicity, I started these Sunday night:





I love the bright colors of Perchance to Knit by Susie. This yarn actually was gifted to me by her a little over a year ago when she was doing a destash sale on her blog and I opted to take some yarn off of her hands. I thought I was getting a sweaters worth of yarn and enough sock yarn to make a pair of socks, but when I got the package, she through this lovely skein in as well.

I have to admit that as a skein the colors looked really garish, like something I would have loved in the 5th grade but not as an adult. But as I'm knitting this up, it makes me so happy! The colors are stripping really well and I can see myself pulling these socks out on cold winter days when I need a little pick me up. I'm looking forward to this being done in a few short weeks.

The Marriage

So you're probably wondering when I signed my life away (i.e. got married). February 2, 2009 was the date we did it (my brother-in-law's day of birth). It was the cheapest wedding I've ever seen - $60 (for the license and the judge to come and perform the ceremony). It was great! I wore a turquoise cocktail dress with shiny red stilettos and one of my hand-knit scarves (a Clapotis actually). He wore work clothes (he's a man, not a peacock). Here are the obligatory pictures:







As you can tell, we were happy that day.

In Like Forever

Blogging shouldn't be that hard, you know? I mean your just saying a few words about your day and having people come by to read up on you. Unfortunately, for me, I need to be inspired to write, and as of late, I haven't been.

The last time I talked to you all was November of last year. Since then, I've gotten married to this guy:



I now have another cat and my husband just got a cute all black dog. That brings our animal count to 3. Lord help us all!

Don't worry, I'm still knitting. Not as much as I used to though. That pesky thing called work keeps me busy (which I guess is a good thing because it does support important necessities like food and my yarn habit).

Last month, my husband, his brother, and I went to Canada (Lanigan, SK to be exact) and I was able to get some souvenir yarn, under the agreement that when we got home, I would count all my skeins of yarn and not be allowed to exceed that number ever again. So that means, I would have to knit up a lot of yarn before I could buy anymore to replace it.

Tell you the truth I was scared to face my stash (has that ever happen to you?). So on Memorial Day, I did it. I counted my stash. My results were frightening:

Total Skeins - 140
Total Projects - 38
Total Pairs of Socks - 28
Total Shawl projects - 10

In other words, I have enough yarn to make 28 pairs of socks and 10 shawls. Not to mention the one skeins of worsted, chunky, and cotton yarns I have. I also did not add the yarn for projects that I have on the needles (which right now is about 3 sweaters, 3 socks, and 1 crochet baby blanket for my sister who is having a baby in July).

Thankfully, I learned a lot from this experience. One major thing is that I really like sock yarn (that's an understatement) and like buying lace weight. I'm always looking for slick deals, and in my mind, $20-$25 for a project isn't as bad as $100-$150 for a sweater. Lately, however, I've been wanting to make more sweaters. But the yarn just sits there. I wake up every morning to a beautiful display of colors in my bedroom. Whenever I get stressed, I literally go up to my room, and start petting the yarn.

After I counted everything, a thought came to my mind. I hate to admit it, but my husband was right. I don't need anymore yarn! I already barely have time to work on the projects I do have on the go right now (hahahaha)!

At least if the world really does come to an end, I'm prepared with enough projects to keep me occupied for years.

My First Time

Yesterday was Election Day in America. It was also my very first time voting in my life. At 24 years old I figured well I'm not getting younger so I might as well do this thing while I'm not senile and incapacitated.

I knew Obama was going to win. Not because I really wanted him in office. In fact, I didn't like any of the candidates. I preferred Obama over McCain but tell you the truth I wrote Ron Paul's name on the ballot and kept it moving.

I then knocked on doors in my town and asked people to vote. It was fun cause I got to meet all sorts of people.

I went back to the Republican headquarters in my city and saw sad, scared faces. People were hoping that their candidates won. The energy was not there though. It was a dead scene.

Later on that evening I went to the Democratic headquarters of my city. BIG DIFFERENCE. There was probably 300 people there. All sorts of people. They were cheering and laughing and happy with one another and the election results. Surprisingly, Obama had won Indiana, which is a very red state.

So as I watched Fox News Network in HD, I looked at Obama go on stage to say his acceptance speech. I was scared out of my mind. Mainly because there are still crazy people that would try to assassinate this. Truthfully I only watched, mainly because 50 years from now, when I'm a grandmother of 20, I wanted to let my grandchildren know that I was there watching that thing happen before me, kind of like men who fought in World War II or Holocaust survivors. They were there and that's what makes them cool.

So even though I really wanted Ron Paul in office, it's still kind of cool that Obama won last night. Are you happy with the election results? Doesn't matter if you live in the US or not, let me know.

Where Da' Hell Have You Been?

I know what you all are thinking. Is she dead? Did she fall off the face of the earth? Did she decide that knitting wasn't for her anymore? None of the above, thank you very much. Many things have happened over the past 2 months of my life. I am now working full time from home with my business (check out the links on the side for my online store if you'd like to learn more). Since then I've been traveling to many places and have met tons of new people.

Currently I'm in a bathroom of my hotel room in Los Angeles. I'm with a group of other work collegues for a company convention and am super excited about meeting all the top producers, learning new strategies, and just having a good time. The month before I was in Detroit for more company training and next weekend I'm flying to Dallas for even more training. I figured if I don't constantly keep up, then my business will slide. Repetition is the mother of skill.

I have been knitting but obviously there are no pictures to prove that. Today, however, I am more interested in what you guys are doing. Since I haven't been keeping up with this blog, I also haven't been keeping up with you guys blogs. Let me know how things are going in the comments section. Just a quick blip so that I know you all are doing alright.

Doom & Gloom

I would like to take this time to talk about the US economy. Everyone is pessimistic about it. How our financial system will collapse and the effect will be worst than the Great Depression of the 20th century. The economic climate doesn't worry me because in my line of business times like these are were we see our largest growth. There will always be a cycle of 7 years of plenty and 7 years of famine. Right now is that time of famine and we are paying for it because we did not prepare for it during the time of plenty.

The funny thing about this whole mess is that our political leaders have tried and failed to step in to soften the blow in the financial crisis and not make it so harsh on everyday Americans. The fact of the matter is that it's not fair for everyday Americans to pay for the mistakes of irresponsible people (investors, people who got into homes they knew they could not afford, etc.) I don't care if financial Armageddon happens next week! Capitalism is about paying for what you do (good or bad), not someone else footing the bill when you fail and only you benefiting from the upside. I guess Congress has forgotten that people are inwardly selfish. Even when we give to charity, there is something that we get out of it personally and we only do it because it makes us feel good about ourselves.

In the end, instead of focusing on doom and gloom, continue your work, continue living your life. That's what people did in the Great Depression and that's what people will continue to do now. Besides if you have food, a home, and clothes on your back, you're better off than half of the world's population who live on less than $1 a day.

Anyway, that's all for today. I hope I didn't sound preachy. I'm off to get professionally trained!

Stitches Midwest 2008 Splurge

So like I said, I really did break the bank with this trip. The money wasn't an issue for me, though. I wanted to have fun and that's what I did.

A quick rundown of the trip. I met a woman named KallieKY on Ravelry. She's a sweet person and she, her mother, and I drove to a certain point in Indiana to board a bus that was coming from Kalamazoo to pick us up to take us to Chicago to get to Stitches Midwest. Needless to say we felt like hitch hikers waiting in the McDonald's parking lot for our bus ride.

We got on the bus and then we were all each given this lovely bag:



Doesn't it look like a knitter's tool kit? Each of these bags had some little trinkets like a pen and notepad, animal crakers for snacking and this wonderful ball of yarn:



I've never knit with this stuff before but I do plan on making a hat or maybe some fingerless mitts. Something small and great for a holiday gift.

Two hours later we got to the convention center and began the frenzy. For a Friday, the place was already buzzing. I was glad we went that day because we probably would have not gotten to every single booth due to the crowds. I bought a ton of stuff and then we got back on the bus to go home.

On the bus ride, I got to know KallieKY personally. We learned that we like knitting pretty much the same things and are always ready for a challenge. She's been knitting longer than I have and is older than me, but I believe we established something special together last Friday. She's also a spinner and promised to teach me how to do it on her wheel some day soon. And you guys know my boyfriend knows how to knit but he's not very passionate about knitting. It's nice to meet people like KallieKY who are just as fanatical and crazy about yarn and needles as you are. Great trip and a great knitter!


The Goods





Two skeins of Noro sock yarn and a skein of Kauni (remember the Yarn Harlot made that crazy cardigan out of this stuff). The yarn itself is not the softest, but those colors are just spectacular.



I got this whole bag of orange DK weight yarn to make a sweater out of the Fall 2006 issue of Interweave Knits. I can't remember the exact name of the pattern, but it is a turtleneck with tons of cables. Couldn't resist this yarn (Mission Falls DK to be exact).



Malabrigo silk/wool blend. I only got it because it is Malabrigo and I wanted to try out this new yarn. Pretty colors. Christmas presents? Maybe.



Of course I could not leave that place without some sock yarn. From left to right:

Arucania from Chile, Shelridge Farm from Canada, Creatively Dyed Yarns, and and STR mediumweight in Farmhouse. I would have linked the other companies, but they should be well known by you guys, right? Moving on to...


The Luxury Goods

I did not really go to Stitches Midwest with a plan. However, I did tell myself that I wanted to get things that I did not already have in my stash. Here's what I got:





Some angora/wool blend and a drop spindle from Illinois Green Pastures Fiber Cooperative. I also got...







SOME CASHMERE!!!

Sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. I had to get this stuff. The price was right, the vendors were friendly, and the yarn was GORGEOUS.

And that of course is the climax of our Stitches Midwest 2008 review. This weekend is Labor Day weekend in Canada and the United States. Therefore enjoy the holiday and everyone else, happy knitting!

Birthdays Are Fun...

When your family drives all the way from New York to play in your garden:







When your friends bring their baby:



When your father gives you a hug:



When you look this damn good at 24 years old! Well, maybe not so much this picture, but trust me I am quite hot in person (hehehe).



It was a good day.

Next post I promise pictures from my Stitches Midwest trip last Friday. Oh yeah. This trip did break the bank!

Since Last Post...

Lots of things have happened in my life. So much so that I will share them with you in bullet form.

I quit my day job this past Wednesday. I am so FUCKING excited about that (sorry had to curse for joy there). I have accepted a position at the country prosecutor's office as a caseworker. In the interim, I will work on my nutrition business and even do some translation work on the side to keep things interesting for me.

I turned 24 years old this past Sunday. My family drove all the way from New York City to see me. My grandmother baked me a cake and made yellow rice. We grilled salmon, had many salads, and had a good time. I did not feel like a foreigner in Indiana with my family here. It was great!

Tomorrow is Stitches Midwest and I scored a bus ticket to go. Now I can spend more of my money on yarn than on gas. Perfect! I am meeting some new knitters and do intend to splurge. Down US economy or not, I intend to have some expensive fun.

We started the renovation of our home. We're starting with the easiest room in the house--the office. We have most of the plaster off the walls and we have to clean up and get the electrical work done. We have been taking it slow. No rush. I like it that way.

I have been knitting somewhat. A plain sock and some not so plain socks. I plan on bringing both of them to Stitches tomorrow.

Anyway, off to bed I go. If you're going to Stitches, holla at me. If not, tell me what are your plans for this weekend? Take care!

Twist Collective is Here!!!

RUN DO NOT WALK TO THIS SITE!!! I literally want to knit EVERY SINGLE PATTERN on this site! Remember that you heard it here first. I will say it right here, right now. Twist Collective is definetely the best thing that has happened to knitting on the interwebs since the dawn of Ravelry. Now that's a bold statement.

Noro, How I Love Thee

Uh, I think I have a problem.



I finished a Noro and Malabrigo hat a couple weeks ago and love the result. I took the stitch pattern for Ziggy and felt that it would look cool in a hat form.



I have also found a local gem. Erica's Craft & Sewing Center is mainly a sewing shop but has an amazing selection of quality yarns. One of them is the Noro Kureyon sock yarn you see above and I couldn't resist.



I also could not pass up trying the new Lion Brand Sock Yarn. I love basic sock yarn and this fits the bill. The only bad side is that the color selection is rather limited but I'm sure this yarn will get a good response and they will come out with new colors soon.

Wollmeise Rant

Am I foolish for thinking that I would be able to buy a skein of Wollmeise sock yarn? I guess so. Last week the sneak up at The Loopy Ewe came up at 9 p.m. Central Standard Time. By 9:05 p.m. Central Standard Time, all 300 skeins were gone! Can you imagine the amount of profit Sherry is making right now. I can't even imagine. Maybe more or less than we all think, but either way, that's good for the knitting industry. As long as someone buys it, yarn (and might I mention good yarn) will still be available to the rest of us.

I guess what I'm more upset about is the fact that I checked the website every day several times for a whole month and a half. I figured if I checked multiple times a day, I would catch the sneak up and have my chance to knit with this stuff. But alas, I did not check the site when it really mattered. This reminds me of American football. You could have a perfect field goal score in practice, but if you do not kick a good field goal when the Super Bowl is on the line, you're toast.

What disturbs me more is how obsessed I became with getting the yarn. It was almost like I forgot why I knit. I mean many of the yarns I have in my stash are good quality stuff. However when I was thinking about Wollmeise, it was almost like I thought my stash was really balls of twine and skeins of acrylic. I felt when it came to knitting, nothing else mattered and my stash would finally be complete with some of this stuff. Wollmeise is like the Holy Grail of sock yarns right now and unfortunately I can't get any of it.

And for those of you on Ravelry, just look up Wollmeise and see what you find. It resembles more of a stock market or trading bazaar than a place to display your stash. There are tons of people on there looking to trade Wollmeise for other Wollmeise sock yarn. It kind of makes me think that maybe a lot of the people that bought last week were just trying to get what they could and if they didn't like the color, they figured they could trade for something they liked on Ravelry. I must admit that was my plan too, but again, I failed.

Wollmeise is like crack for knitters. And even though I'm jealous of all of you who have a skein, I will be a big girl and wait till the next sneak up. Hopefully I will be clicking on the Loopy Ewe at the right time. Otherwise, I'm just going to have to get over this obsession I have with this lady's stuff. Or fly to Germany and take her hostage and force her to dye some yarn specifically for me. You know, I'm just saying (LOL).

Tejedora Autentica

Everyone, meet Bullseye:





Isn't she cute? My boyfriend and his brother (we all live together) surprised me on Saturday with a cute little kitty. Now I feel like an official knitter because I have a cat. I already know that she likes string, so I'm keeping my stash away from her. You know, just in case.



And yesterday said boyfriend got a little dirty working in the fireplace (isn't he cute, well actually, don't answer that). He took out the old frame and in a week or so will put in a new fireplace insert. Experts say this fireplace insert will be 70% more efficient than a normal one. We plan on using the fireplace to heat our house since it is well known that Natural Gas prices (in the Midwest, at least) have doubled since last winter. Whenever I hear news like that, I just scoff and say, "Man I'm glad I'm a knitter!"



See ya!

Traveling Again

Tonight I shall begin my journey to the wonderful land of Canada. I love that place. It's so clean and the people are friendly and the natural beauty of the place is gorgeous!

We will be driving (Lord help us with the gas prices), and I do plan to knit for most of the trip. I'm so excited because my boyfriend has agreed to take me to a yarn store in Toronto and I do plan to purchase some soveniers.

Therefore, I wish everyone in the States a Happy 4th of July and I'll post when I get back.

I Love New York!

Came back from New York City last night. What a trip! I did everything that I could for the short 3 day trip. So much so that I am completly sleep-deprived, but in a good way. Most of the time was spent with family and friends. But I also got to do some very New York things like ride the subway, drive in rush hour traffic, and even go to a night club that played only dancehall, soca, and reggae music. I felt right at home with my Caribbean people, food, and culture.





As soon as I got off the plane, my mother, sisters, and I went to this fabulous Japaneese restaurant for lunch. Later on that day I went to see my grandmother, some cousins, and some aunts. The next day I went to see some more aunts and a very good friend of mine. Later on that night I went out to a club with my best friend. Can you tell that we had fun?



The next day I spent it with my very good friend all the way from Argentina. Guess where we went?







To the Empire State Building! I only mention this because just like her, this was my first time up there. Isn't that a shame? How many New Yorkers do you know that have never been on top of this building? I've traveled to Rio de Janeiro to visit O Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) statue and Machu Picchu in Peru but I've never been to the Empire State building until this past Monday. I'm sure there are people who live in Rio de Janeiro that have never stepped foot on Corcovado to see the Jesus Christ statue but have been to the Empire State building. I guess in the end, we never really appreciate what we have till we loose it.



I had a great time showing my friend the city. We haven't seen each other in 2 years and the only reason she was able to come up here is because she won $5000 pesos in this contests that a Spanish bank called Banco Santander was having in Argentina. I would have done the same thing. I mean how often does a person get that much money at one time? I'm just glad she came. We only spent a few hours together, but I enjoyed ever momemnt. Siempre estara en mi corazon. Es muy buena esa chica.

But alas, even though I love NYC, there are just certain things about it that I can't live with anymore. Like how dirty everything is. Or how expensive living there could be. So in the end, even though I don't see myself moving back to my hometown, New York will always be in my heart.

I did get some knitting done on the plane but sorry, no pictures today. I do have a great surprise to show you guys but that will be later. Right now I really need to rest up. Traveling can really drain you man.

Mi Patria

I'm flying out to New York this evening to see family and friends. A friend from Argentina is going to be there too and we are going to hang out. We haven't seen each other in 2 years so we have a lot to talk about. Needless to say I am super excited to be going home.

Que tengan un buen fin de semana! See you next week! Happy knitting!

Pretty Yarn

Recently, I heard a report on National Public Radio talking about the rise in lipstick sales in the United States of America. The journalist stated that usually in hard economic times, women cut back on more expensive cosmetic related items like facials and day spa trips, but lipstick seems to be a cheap "pick-me up" type of consumer good to buy. I mean let's think about it. Women, even in hard times, want to feel beautiful. And if a new tube of red lipstick or sparkly lip gloss will give them the "pick-me up" they need to get through the week, why not? Seeing that I don't wear lipstick, yarn has replaced that "pick-me up" that I need so badly right now.





Yesterday I went to the world famous Thread Bear yarn store in Lansing, MI. Sorry, I didn't take any pictures of the store itself because I forgot to bring my camera. But I will say that if you are anywhere near Lansing, MI, pay a visit to this store. It is huge, carries a wide selection of yarns and knitting notions, and they even sell spinning wheels, drop spindles, and fiber. I even got to meet with the owners of the store, Rob and Matt, who were both very funny, pretty nice and hospitable. Love that place and do plan on returning whenever I'm in the Lansing area.





I'm sure you're wondering what type of yarns are these. From top to bottom, some worsted weight Malabrigo, some gorgeous hand dyed sock yarn by Susie (hmm, that makes 4 skeins from her), some Colinette Jitterbug, and some more Malabrigo in the chunky weight. I only picked up the Malabrigo because that fire in Uruguay really destroyed a lot of the inventory. I hear it will take them anywhere from 6 months to a whole year to get back to full capacity (anyone can correct me if I'm wrong). Therefore, Malabrigo addicts, you need to snatch whatever skeins you can up before it is all gone for a while (see I wasn't crazy when I talked about "THE END"). The Jitterbug was too beautiful to pass up, as the colors were just so whimsical and pretty.

As for the pink variegated yarn above, I must take a moment to talk about the Perchance to Knit sock yarn. I saw this skein and knew that it had to come home with me. The price was a little steep, but quite frankly, the dye job on this skein was hard to beat. Like I said, I have about 4 skeins and from time to time I just admire and pet them. GORGEOUS!!! I command all who read this to run over to the Loopy Ewe and buy Perchance to Knit because I would do anything for Susie and the work she does is phenomenal.

Remember the secret hat I was working on? Here are the pictures.



This was my first time using Noro Kureyon and each time I picked this hat up to work on it, I felt such peace and calm with my knitting. I only mention this because whenever I knit, I'm completely obsessed with getting the project done ASAP. That definetely makes me a project knitter. But seeing the colors transition so well in this hat was really intriguing. A very enjoyable project for me indeed.



So today I'm cooling out. Lots of knitting and getting some housework done (you know the usual).





Later! Ate logo! Hasta luego!