Pretty Little Thing

So, I've been feeling fairly frustrated at knitting lately. I'm suffering from chronic start-a-new-project-every-day-itis and I just can't seem to get into any of them. I'm chalking it up to the fact that I still haven't unwound from the summer season, even though I've been traveling and trying to relax a little.

Consequently, I was on the lookout for a very mindless and easy project that I could complete quickly...a project that could somehow escape the clutches of my knitting A.D.D. I finally settled on Pretty Thing (Rav it) by Yarn Harlot.

I used exactly one skein of Sarah's Yarns Mongolian Cashmere DK 4-ply in Natural White. I've had the yarn for awhile and I wasn't sure what project I'd eventually use it for. I was hoping that I'd find a project that could be worn close to the skin, as this yarn is so soft and buttery. Pretty Thing fit the bill.

I used the Magic Loop method with my Harmony interchangeable circs in size 5 with a 40" cable. Because it seemed like this pattern was written for a munchkin, I cast on an extra repeat of stitches so that there would at least be a fighting chance that I could fit my noggin through the opening. And I added an extra repeat of the middle lace pattern to increase the length a bit.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with it. Heck, I'm just tickled pink that I actually finished a project.

Oh, and it appears that my Maplewing Shawl will have to wait a bit to get finished. While using my size 5 tips on Pretty Thing, I carelessly set my knitting on the floor at the foot of my knitting chair while I took a break. Upon return, I didn't see that the needle was sticking out and I stepped on it, breaking it in half with a heart-sinking snap.

Of course, these are the same size needles I'm using on Maplewing...and my only pair in size 5. (Maplewing was resting on its long cable, needle-less while I had an affair with the cowl.)

So, it looks like I'll have to make a quick order to KnitPicks before Maplewing becomes destined to live in the UFO pile indefinitely. And since I'm already ordering some needle tips, I might as well throw in some Swish Bulky in Squirrel Heather, because I've been itching to start this DROPS jacket for a long time now...and if I'm already getting that yarn, then I might as well try out some Imagination Hand-Painted Sock Yarn...and then...oh no, this could get ugly...

Maplewing Madness

So, I didn't get as far as I thought I would on my Maplewing Shawl while I was traveling. It turns out that there is something that I'd much rather do than knit: hang out with my family! Who would have thought?

Here's my progress so far...
I'm almost to the end of the bottom lace section, however I'm thinking I might add another repeat (or four) to make the shawl a little bit longer. Even though I'm making the tall size, I'm still worried that it will be too small. Although Anne Hanson, the shawl designer, is modeling the petite size in this photo, I'm fairly certain from other photos on her blog that she is pretty petite as well. So, I'm thinking that even though the tall size is bigger than what is shown in that photo, I don't know if it will be big enough. I'd rather knit it a little bit bigger and not take my chances that I'll end up with a neckerchief instead of a shawl.

I am, however, a bit concerned as to how those extra repeats will play out. I think I have a picture in my brain of the concept of the shawl and I'm thinking that a few more rows won't do any harm. I guess we'll see. I'd hate to rip back all those rows of tiny stitches, but if it isn't right then the tiny perfectionist inside of my brain will bug me until I do. But I have a hunch it will turn okay after some intense blocking.

As for the particulars, I am LOVING the Malabrigo Sock for this project. It is just the right amount of softness and durability. I have had recurring daymares about knitting a lace shawl with true lace yarn and then snagging it on a doorway or other object (because, let's be honest, I'm pretty klutzy like that) and crying my eyes out for days at the destruction of such a precious piece. But I don't get that paranoia with the Mal Sock, so let's all keep our fingers crossed that it holds up to regular wear.

And I can't say enough about the pattern itself. Anne Hansen does an amazing job of laying everything out in such a logical order, so it makes even the more difficult projects easy to understand and accomplish. It's written out line by line as well as charted, so you can take your pick of how you'd like to go about it.

Here's a couple shots of the stitch work. I can't wait to block it and open up the lace a little, although I am rather liking the way it is right now as well...all dense and squishy.

I will hopefully be getting some more time work on it as I will be traveling again here shortly. I'm headed to Reno for a conference for about a week and then to Seattle to visit some friends for a couple days. Of course I have already scoped out all of the local yarn store locations in both cities! I had no idea that Jimmy Beans Wool was located in Reno...and it's right down the street...so I just wouldn't feel right if I went all that way and didn't go visit...right? I thought so.

I'm Back!

Well...I got back two weeks ago...I just haven't had the energy to blog about much! Many of you have asked where I went in my travels. Well, I'll tell you! The first week I was gone I was in Fairbanks for a work conference. It was fun, but it was work and I don't have any photos to show for it. :(

And then the day after my conference ended I flew from Fairbanks to Cincinnati for nice two week visit with my family in Ohio. That's such a long-haul day of flights, so I upgraded to first class to make it a little bit easier on me! It was my first time on the other side of the curtain and boy did I get spoiled. The leg room alone was enough to hook me, but they stuff you and wait on you hand and foot. What a nice gift to myself after a looonnnnnggg and stressful summer.

The first thing I did when I got home was scope out a yarn store, of course! Well, actually, the first thing I did was have my mom pick me up at the airport and we made a beeline for Bloomington, Indiana, where I could meet my nephew, Jackson. He's the most perfect little guy in the world and I can't wait to see him again in a few weeks.

But the second thing on my mind was yarn, so my sister took me to one of two yarn stores in Bloomington: In a Yarn Basket. It was a lovely store with very friendly staff...and here is what I came away with...

Two very generous 250 gram hanks of Alpaca with a Twist Baby Twist. They had several colors, so of course I had to get two shades! I had never seen this yarn in person before (only online) so it was a real treat for the eyes. And it's so freakishly soft that I just want to snuggle with it all day. And the yarn is local to Indiana, which is also pretty cool. I got a pale heathery pink, to break out of my mold of usual colors, and a deep eggplant. I have no plans for them yet, so they'll hang out in my yarn basket so that I can pet them regularly.

They were also having a clearance sale on Cascade Luna, of which I also got two different colors: the first is very pale lavender, which I thought would be great for a little girls shrug, and the other is a bright in-your-face green, which I have no plans for as of yet.

And the one thing I was REALLY excited about was my Namaste bag. I have had my eye on them for a while and I finally caved and got one. I originally wanted red, but they did not have any red in stock so I settled for teal, which I am now glad I got. It carries SO much and it's been by my side every since I bought it...and I'm not really a purse kind of gal, but I love this thing.

I was disappointed that I did not get to visit the other yarn store in Bloomington, Yarns Unlimited. I was only in Bloomington for two days, but the one day we decided to go, it was closed. And I found out that the day before they were having their 30th anniversary celebration and even had a trunk show/booking signing by Alison Stewart-Guinee, the author of Fairy Tale Knits. Maybe next time...

Other than knitting, I packed in quite a bit of stuff into my two weeks at home. First off, I got in some much anticipated snuggle time with the little man.

Then once we had enough of the snuggling, we took little man to a pumpkin patch. By the time we got there it had been pretty well picked over, so we tossed him into a big barrel of gourds for a photo op. As you can see from his face, he's not too thrilled about it.

Then, after picking out a crazy big pumpkin, we took it home and promptly cut it open and threw the little man inside. He even got to cull out the insides of his very own mini-pumpkin and loved every messy minute of it. Seriously, does it get any cuter than this?

And how about our matching shirts? I got these shirts made up just to take photos in them. Jackson's nickname is Kitty (much to grandpa's chagrin) so I got my sister and myself t-shirts that say 'I Heart Kitty' and Jackson a shirt that says 'I'm Kitty'. I know I'm a dork for doing it, but I'm obsessed with ordering personalized gear from zazzle.com. Just ask Jeff how many coffee cups he has with our picture on them. ;)

Then after all the excitement of the t-shirts, we took a trip to Paint Creek Park, where Lib and I used to play all the time when we were little. It's so weird how small everything looks once you're grown. The slide that seemed to be a mile long when we were younger just didn't seem to match up to the memory I have retained. Anyway, here we are posing along the path to the creek.

Jackson had a really fun time swinging until his mean mommy stopped him.

Then one evening we had a campfire by my grandma's pond. Apparently they happen all the time in the summers when I'm not around, so I told my mom when I was home I really wanted to have a fire. It was totally worth the wait....and it's such a beautiful setting.

So, without my consent, The Ohio State University has been making a ton of changes to campus since I've been gone and I was none too pleased that the area is now almost totally unrecognizable. Where are the dive bars I used to go to? And the gritty storefronts of High Street? They've all been replaced by brand new trendy shops and eateries and campus just doesn't have the same heart that it used to. Begrudgingly I put aside my feelings long enough to take a personal tour of the new student union, still under construction. My childhood friend, Sara, works for the construction company that is building it and she gave me and my friend Molly a tour one evening. Here we are looking dead sexy in our hard hats in the main entrance hall. All feelings aside, it's going to be an amazing place, although it will never hold a candle to all the memories I have of the old student union. *sniff*

And in the further adventures of Allison and Molly, here we are next to the float that hitched a ride on through the Fall Festival of Leaves parade.

Every year that I'm home for the FFL, Molly and try to sneak onto float so that we can wave our way through the parade and pretty much make jackasses of ourselves. Molly, of course, being the extrovert that she is, loves every minute of it. Me, on the other hand, not so much. It always seems like such a good idea in the beginning and I get all high on adrenaline as we run out to a float in the street and clamber on up. But then reality sets in when the float starts to make its way through the huge crowds of people...and then I get the urge to jump off the float before I have a massive panic attack. But I have to just grin and bear it and wave...but in the end I'm always happy that I did it, as I am with most of the things I do with Molly. By being friends with her I've done a lot of things I wouldn't normally have done on my own. And that's a good kind of friend to have.

Special thanks to Joel and Cathi who let us ride on their Lazy H Cabin Rentals float! It was a blast!

And after all that excitement, it was time for me to fly back to AK. I was definitely sad to leave, but I knew that I would be back soon for the holidays so it was a fairly easy goodbye. At least there were no hysterical crying jags while at the ticket counter at the airport. Because that's been known to happen a time or two. *ahem*

Here's one last look at the frosty morning that I left. The sun was just beginning to rise over my parents' front yard. Can't wait until I'm back again!

Travel knitting

*sigh* I leave on Sunday for three weeks and I should be overwhelmed with packing and the bazillion other things I have to get done before then, but I'm more concerned about sitting here in my knitting chair and surfing Ravelry while making a mental list of all the projects I want to take with me while I travel.

I've been making piles of yarn and setting aside needles and pattern books for projects I want to take with me/start while I'm out. I suppose I'm being a bit overzealous in thinking about what all I want to take. I mean, let's be honest. I'm probably overestimating the amount of time I'm going to have to knit.

The first week of my trip will be spent in Fairbanks for a work conference, so there's not going to be a lot of time there. And the other two weeks of my trip are going to be spent with my family. And, yes, I will happily set all my knitting aside to focus all of my attention on my cute nephew, Jackson.

But, it's those in between times when I'll be sitting in the airports on layovers and the 14 hour drive to Fairbanks on Sunday that I know I will be thankful that I have myriad projects to choose from.

What to take, what to take...of course, I'll be bringing my Maplewing Shawl. Things are moving right along and I'm more optimistic about the finish date. Now that I've gotten in a rhythm, I'm really thinking that it could be done by the end of my trip.

Of course, I'll be taking along my stealth projects I have going on. Got a few deadlines coming up, so I'm hoping to have enough time while I'm out to get those designs finished. If not, I won't be too worried about it, as having family time is way more important to me than any publication.

Well, I think I'll continue to surf Ravelry for the perfect travel knitting projects. Something small enough to fit into my carry-on but interesting enough to keep my attention through multiple flights.

What about you? What do you like to knit while traveling?

I LOVE my new earrings.

Some of you may know of my undying love for etsy.com. If you haven't already shopped around on there, you will thank me later for introducing you to it. It's where I spend a bulk of my disposable income. If you don't already know, it's a place where artisans can sell their handmade items and it's an awesome place to find one of a kind gifts for yourself, er, I mean other people.

While browsing around there a few months ago looking for earrings, I found these cool little ditties from Dream Spiral Art. They're enamel on copper and my new favorite (and for a girl who has about a hundred pairs of earrings, that's saying a lot!).

And then a few weeks ago I got an email from Ann Drewing, the creative force behind Dream Spiral Art. She was letting all of her customers know that she had made the decision to quit her day job and put all her efforts into her jewelry. Because I think she is incredibly brave (and because I'm secretly jealous of her decision!), I decided to support her and have her do some custom order earrings for me.

While I adore the first pair of earrings I got from her, I'm also a fan of BIG earrings. So I decided to have her make me the same thing (the enamel on copper discs), only larger and in a different color. The results are amazing!

Thanks so much to Ann for inspiring me AND creating me some gorgeous earrings!

Maplewing Shawl

So, I've been in a bit of a knitting funk lately. I have a bunch of design ideas bouncing around in my head, but I'm so A.D.D. right now that I'm having trouble getting them down on paper and even more trouble creating them in yarn form. I think I'm just putting too much pressure on myself, trying to get some designs done for various deadlines coming up.


Finally the other day I made myself put all my UFOs in my knitting basket and put down my knitting for a few days. I think it helped somewhat, as I don't feel quite so frustrated when I pick up my needles.


With the knitting hiatus, I don't have a whole lot to show for my efforts lately. I have, however, been knitting on my Maplewing Shawl. I haven't gotten a whole lot done though...only completed to row 14 out of a few hundred...gulp! I just can't seem to focus, but I'm hoping with some upcoming travel over the next few weeks that I'll break out of my rut and get back into my knitting groove!


Here's my progress so far...of course it looks like nothing more than a jumbled ruffle all crammed on that circular needle, but I assure you that it's turning out beautifully. I love the stitch definition of the Malabrigo Sock and it's so soft and squishy. I'm hoping to have the shawl done by Christmas, but with all the other things I want to get done by then and my current knitting state of mind, we'll see...

I got my own headline!

So, I'm finally getting around to blogging about something that happened over two months ago...yeah, it's been a crazy busy summer.

I once again entered a few things into the SE Alaska State Fair. Of course, every year I vow to plan ahead and have some really cool stuff entered. And then life totally overwhelms me and I end up scrambling at the very last minute to pull things together. Luckily, I had some decent FOs on hand to show off.

This year was apparently my year at the fair. And I even have a headline to show for it! Yep, that's right. You're following the blog of a local celebrity. ;)

Here's a close-up of what the article says:

Remember Lina? Well, the judges just loved that little sweater and I can't say that I blame them! Here it is being completely blotted out by all the ribbons...for those of you counting, that's a first place, class champ and judge's choice ribbon!

Next up is the Granny's A Square Afghan. It received first place and best in class!

And I don't have a picture of the final project, which won class champ, division champ and judge's choice. It's a felted purse that is a precursor (and, thus, sort of similar) to a design that I am currently submitting to a publication. Even though it's not the exact design, I just don't feel right posting it on here, just in case. But the judge did say that it was so great that it should be published, which was very encouraging!

It's such a beautiful autumn day here...blue bird sky, crisp air and a quiet calm that has not been felt since last winter. I love the stillness that comes with the mass exodus of summer people. All of us locals now have our town back! And what better way to celebrate the fall than with a little...okay, a lot....of knitting! So I'm going to wrap up in my granny afghan, gather up a project and knit my little heart out. With a view like this from my front window, one can't help but be happy!

What a beautiful day...

So, as promised, here are some shots of my drive to Whitehorse today. This morning it was a little bit rainy and cloudy, but still amazing...the fall colors were out in force. Yukon Territory turns bright yellow in the fall, with some various shades of red thrown in when the fireweed turns.

I had a lovely lunch with friends, braved the Canadian Superstore (never a fun place, always a panic attack), and by the time I drove home this afternoon, the day had turned from beautiful to absolutely stunning. It was my favorite kind of day: fall colors, crisp cool air, and big puffy cottonball clouds.

This is the view looking south over Mine Mountain from Emerald Lake.
Coming south out of Carcross, nearing Bove Island.

I love the way the clouds play up the contrast between the light and dark.
Look at all the gold! Driving south along the Klondike Highway almost to Carcross.

Here is the only shot that I took while actually pulled off to the side of the road. (The rest of them I took while driving. Sorry, Mom.) An amazing view over Bove Island and Tagish Lake.

Okay, so, thanks for sticking around through the non-knitting posts. I'm excited to get back to knitting this weekend. AND I just got a bunch of packages in the mail today, so be on the lookout for a post on the contents of those!

Only three more weeks...

...until I get to meet this little monster!

This is my nephew, Jackson, who was born in December and I haven't gotten to meet him yet. He's the most important reason that living all the way up here is so darn difficult sometimes.

I'll be flying into Cincinnati late the night of October 9th and instead of driving to my parents house (about an hour and 45 minutes away from the airport), I'm making my mom take me directly to Indiana (two and a half hours away) so I can meet Jackson as soon as possible. I don't care that we'll be driving until almost 3 in the morning. I can't wait any longer!

I'll be hopefully posting some knitting-related things soon...I'm fried and it's my Friday so a cute picture of my nephew was all I could muster today. But, I'll have some knitting time this weekend so I'll get some shots of what I've been up to.

Plus, I'll hopefully have some great scenery shots of my drive to Whitehorse, Yukon, tomorrow. The fall colors are out in force and there's snow on the peaks...my favorite combination!

One of the many many UFOs in my knitting corner.

A while back (goddess only knows how long), I began a crochet shawl. I was basing it on a shawl I saw on Ravelry, only I wanted mine to be much much larger. So, I set out with no real pattern in mind, only that I want it to be large. All I'm doing is 4dc clusters across and reducing the number of clusters by 2 each row, so that eventually it will have a fairly triangle shape.

However, this project has been put on the back burner because, although 4 dc clusters are great tv watching mindless crocheting, it also get VERY tedious so I put it down for awhile. But it's been put on my UFO list of projects I want to get done by the end of the year.

I'm using Trekking XXL sock yarn in color 185, which is various shades of teal. It's going to be great when it's finished, but I'm afraid I'll turn 40 before that happens. FYI - I'm 30 now. But maybe I'll surprise myself and get it finished this fall when I'll have much more time to think and do what I want to do.

Only 5 more ship days to go!

Finally...a fast internet connection...and Simple Shawl!

So, a couple weeks ago our internet was taken away at work. Well, not all internet sites. Only social networking (Ravelry--the horror!), personal storage sites (Flickr, Snapfish, etc.), any streaming media sites...you get the idea. Now, this really didn't bother me much, as I'm much too busy at work in the summers to pay much attention. However, this put a serious kink in my blogging routine, as I used our fast internet connection at work to upload my photos after I was done working for the day and then I'd write the blog posts when I got home. (If I tried to upload even one photo from home on our crappy connection, the photo uploader would time out, frustrating me to no end.) So, right or wrong, I used my work resources to make my blogging life easier. Anyway, we had awful dial-up forever here at home, because after being so connected at work all day, I don't like to be on the internet that much while at home and Jeff only used the internet for fantasy football stuff. So dial-up has served it's purpose over the last couple years.

Well, that time has come and gone. Today I felt like a grown up when I called and signed up for DSL. And now that I'm all connected, I don't know why I didn't do it sooner. DSL is SOOOOOOO much faster it's not even funny. Now, it's not lower-48 kind of fast, but it definitely makes my life so much easier.

So, this means that my blogging is back! And I've got a few photos to share of my newly completed (as of last week) Simple Shawl, with a few minor adustments.

As previously blogged, I used Misti Alpaca Handpaint Sock in the Birds of Paradise colorway, which now apparently seems to have fallen off the face of the earth. Or maybe it's just been discontinued. Either way, that final skein was harder to find than a woolly mammoth egg. Thanks again to yaanluvah for selling me her partial skein. Without it, this shawl would not have been complete!

I ended up using nearly three full skeins of the Misti and I knitted the entire shawl on 40" KnitPicks Harmony Wood size 5 needles.

My modifications to Laura Chau's original pattern were minimal: I threw in a row of (yo, k2tog) every seventh garter ridge. And I crocheted a 3dc shell edging to finish it off, which I'm still not sold on, but we'll see.

I'm also still not sold on the colors. Originally I thought I really liked the colors, but the more I look at it, the more I'm not so sure. One minute I really really like it and love the fact that the colors are not the usual shades that I'm normally drawn to. And then the next minute I feel like it looks like a clown threw up Skittles all over my shawl. It's that bright and loud. But, I'm sure it will grow on me. And I've already worn it out several times and have gotten many compliments on it. Maybe it's not so bad after all. Or maybe they're just being nice. Hmmmm...

A Well Deserved Sigh of Relief

*big sigh*

It's September. And anyone who lives in my tiny Alaska town knows what that means. No more tourists!

Well, almost no more tourists. We've got about two weeks left and it couldn't come soon enough. I've reached my limit of rude, clueless, and annoying tourists. I don't want to have to tell one more person that Alaska is apart of the US and they don't have to change their money into Alaskan dollars. (You'd think that the whole Sarah Palin thing would have given Alaska enough exposure that people would know that we are indeed the 49th state, but, alas, that is not so.)

But, of course, for every bad experience there are good ones as well. It's always nice to come into contact with people who are truly thankful to be experiencing Alaska and who make me remember why I choose to do what I do. The people who have literally scrimped and saved up their entire lives to come ride the White Pass train and see the scenery that I take for granted every day. Those are the people that make it all worthwhile. Working for weeks on end with no day off; dealing with train delays and angry people; keeping up with the hectic pace of the office; digging myself out from under a mountain of emails. All of it is worth it in the end.

But what is most exciting about the fall is that I will now have a LOT more time to do what I really love: knitting!

I've been trying my darndest to finish some of the projects that have been taking up my knitting corner for far too long, namely the simple shawl and Hemlock Ring Blanket (yes, it's STILL lingering).

Just tonight I finished the shawl FINALLY! I cast off the final knit stitch last night and then this evening I added a crochet border, because it ended up being just a little too plain without it.

I'll be taking some photos within the next couple days and posting them soon. Then it's on the that insufferable and never-ending, er, I mean wonderful Hemock Ring Blanket. That project will officially be finished this weekend, or I'll poke out my right eye. And after that, various stealth projects that need to get done for some deadlines coming up.

Ah, I can feel the fall in the air and I love it!

A little ambitious, aren't we?

So, I've been eyeing this shawl for awhile now, and I finally caved yesterday and purchased the pdf. It's the Maplewing Shawl by Anne Hanson (Ravel it) and I am absolutely in love.

Considering that I have about a bazillion projects on the needles right now (including at least one shawl), it doesn't make much sense that I will be casting on for this tonight. But, I've never proclaimed to make much sense and I hardly think that I should start curbing my knitting ADD now. I'm sure this will take all winter to finish, but I'm confident it will be one of those projects that will feel so good to finish and show off. I say that now...

However, I don't think I want to knit this in the laceweight yarn for which the pattern calls. In the spirit of destashing, I have decided on using Malabrigo Sock in Tiziano Red that I purchased awhile back with no known intentions for it at the time. I think it will fit the autumnal feel of the Maplewing Shawl just perfectly. Don't you?

Back to Normal

Whew! Just yesterday I put my parents on the ferry for their loooonnngggg trip back to Ohio. They stayed with us for 9 days and I was surprised at how quickly the time flew by. I'll admit that I was very nervous for them to stay with us, as our house is rather tiny and some days it feels too small for even Jeff and I. Also, I was nervous because they've never met Jeff and, after nearly three years of dating, that's an awful lot of pressure and anticipation that has built up. Of course, I don't know what I was afraid of, because I happen to think that Jeff is just about the best guy on the planet and I'm happy to report that my mom and dad think so too.

Here are some snippets from their time here:

My dad outside the Yukon Transportation Museum, checking out the DC-3 on display. The Transportation Museum chronicles the history of transportation in Yukon and surrounding areas and it's pretty interesting. Needless to say, I think this was my dad's favorite spot.

A shot of my mom and dad along the Haines Highway. It's widely considered one of the most beautiful and scenic highways in the world, however the weekend that we drove it the pass was pretty much socked in so there wasn't a lot of sightseeing to be had.
My dad was SO happy that I arranged a ride in the engines for him. I think he fell asleep smiling that night.
My mom, dad, and Jeff checking out the Haines boat harbor as we waited for our ferry ride back to Skagway.

Of course, because I was busy with visitors I have no new knitting to report. I am still working on my simple shawl as well as numerous stealth projects. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be making the deadlines for those projects as I had hoped, but I'll be forging ahead nevertheless and we'll see what comes of them all.

A very long-term project

There's a project I've been working on for quite some time. Actually, when I think about it, I've been working on it my entire adult life.

As far back as I can remember I have struggled with my weight. This struggle has become so familiar to me that it is deeply entrenched in my psyche. It affects the way I view the world and, consequently, the way the world views me. The outlook for my entire day is dependent completely upon how I feel about myself first thing in the morning. If I don't feel okay about myself, which I usually don't, then my attitude is not the best and I'm sure I'm not always a joy to be around.

Now, I'm sure you're saying to yourself that you also suffer from bouts of self-doubt. I'm sure there are many women out there who feel the same way. However, in the last couple years I have reached new lows in the self-esteem arena and it's gotten to the point where I am forced to do something about it.

What has happened in the last couple years, you ask? Well, a lot.

I got my first boyfriend, which at 28 I was forced to navigate new emotional situations that most people learn about in their teens. Having gotten through most of my twenties single, it was quite the adjustment to have someone in my life. Of course, it's nearly three years later and I wouldn't trade him for the world. That part of my life has all been worth it.

But I also got a promotion two years ago and was thrust into an entirely new realm of the company for which I work. My job is very stressful for 6 months out of the year and the rest of the year it's only moderately so. However, that stress has all taken its toll on me for sure.

When I changed jobs, I also went from being on my feet all day and walking around a lot to sitting on my butt for the duration of my workday. Also, around that same time I fell and hurt my knee pretty badly, preventing me from working out even if I had had the time.

So, what does that all add up to? Well, without divulging exact numbers, it equals approximately 70 additional pounds on my body that has crept on over the last 32 months. That's about 2.2 pounds gained per month...when you put it that way, it doesn't sound THAT bad. But, trust me, you wouldn't want all this hanging around. I'm about 5'11" so I can hide some of it, but the muffin top doesn't lie. It's gotten pretty bad.

Those 70 pounds came as a result of some major emotional eating. The new relationship, the new job, and the abrupt decrease in activity all came together to form the perfect storm for the pounds to pack on. Some people drink or do drugs to cope with stressful situations, but I've never had a taste for either of those. Nope, when things go south, I eat. And knit. (But not at the same time, because no one wants crumbs in their scarf.)

So, what does all this mean for my future? It means I've got some major renovations to do. I've probably lost and gained several hundred pounds in my lifetime. But what I've come to realize in the last few months is that the older I get, the harder it is to lose it. Gone are the days when I could place ridiculous expectations on myself and actually attain those goals. (Lose 50 pounds in a month? No problem!) I've come to realize that these days this is going to have to be a slow, methodical process.

So, in stark contrast to how I normally internalize everything, I'm choosing to say out loud that I am committing myself to losing 115 pounds over the course of the next 2 years. What?! 115 pounds? Yes, you heard me correctly. 115 pounds. Gone. History. Never to be seen on this ass again.

I know for a fact that this won't be easy, but I'm ready. You hear that? I'M SO READY.

This will more than likely mean that I'll have to cut back on my knitting time. (Although I have read that knitting burns about 100 calories per hour, that's just not going to cut it.) It's back to working out for me. It will hurt and it will completely suck for the first few days, but once I get through that, it will get a little better each day.

What does all this mean for you? It means that in addition to hearing about my knitting adventures, you'll also get updated on my progress. Lucky you!

Now, on to our regularly scheduled programming...

Speaking of long-term projects, take a look at this gem. It's the Simple Shawl from a few weeks back, but it's definitely grown quite a bit since then.

I'm still in love with the colors, but knitting a large shawl with sock yarn is driving me a bit batty. However, the end is in sight! I am nearly to the end of the second skein of Misti Sock and I'm going to assess the situation then. I'm thinking it's going to grow a helluva lot when I block it, so it just may be big enough. But, if not, I've always got that partial third skein just in case.

I'm hoping to have it done by the time the fall rolls around. I can just picture myself all wrapped up in it while taking a walk in the misty October mornings. Mmmmm.....

Flattery at its finest

There's nothing quite like receiving a compliment. And even better when that compliment comes from a fellow fiber artist. And what's even better than that? When the person lavishing praise is a friend.

My friend, Allyson, recently started a quilting blog. She's wicked funny and talented, two essential ingredients for a successful blog. (Yes, yes, I'm still working on possessing at least one of those things.) She does amazing things with material and a sewing machine. I can barely sew a seam while she can produce works of art.

On her blog this evening, Allyson gave me a very nice shout-out. I'm flattered and humbled, so I thought I'd return the favor.

To say that Allyson is quite the quilter is an understatement. She is amazing at what she does. Not only that, but we also happen to share the coolest name on the planet. (I'm of the opinion that her name is spelled incorrectly, but we won't mention that right now.)

She also happens to have the patience of a saint. She once waited almost three years for me to finish making her a scarf. But I did finally finish it. I'm still waiting on my quilt. Hint hint.

If you're so inclined, you should visit her quilting blog here. I have to warn you, she's really funny. And her cats are really cute.

Words I never thought I'd utter...

...I'm enjoying knitting socks!

For whatever reason, since the dawn of my knitting career I have been absolutely and completely against even the thought of knitting socks. Maybe it's the fact that I don't want to spend a lot time on something that will then get worn on an appendage that naturally comes into contact with the floor at all times. Maybe it's the fact that I don't really like knitting with size 0 needles (gah, the torture!). Maybe I like my fiber in a heavier weight than dental floss. I have found excuse after excuse for not learning this new-to-me skill.

Maybe the biggest reason that I have never had the urge to knit socks is that I am extremely picky about what I put on my feet. Socks either have to come up well over my calf and sit snugly under my kneecap or they have to barely graze my ankle bone. Anything in between totally creeps me out.

But, the days of sock knitting aversion are no longer, as I am officially a convert. I've enjoyed reading/stalking Wendy Knits blog for quite some time, but it was only about a month ago that it hit me that I really wanted to make myself a pair of knee socks. So, I shot over to Amazon and ordered her book, Socks from the Toe Up, and then impatiently waited for its arrival.

I also bought the pamphlet for the Magic Loop, as I had heard all about this method of working in the round, but had never learned how to do it. Save your money and just Google it. I was floored that someone would need a pamphlet to learn this trick. Perhaps I had built it up in my head to be this difficult technique, but it is in reality very simple. Granted, for $5 you got a sock pattern in the pamphlet as well, but still. You can find plenty of free instructions on the internet. I can't believe that yours truly the Queen of Google herself didn't figure this out in the first place.

Anyway, to my surprise, after just a few minutes reading Socks from the Toe Up, I caught on to the cast-on methods very quickly and I was off like a prom dress with my first sock. I decided to wing it in terms of what stitch I wanted to use. I eventually chose a simple and mindless lace pattern that plays very well against the color of Mal Sock (leftover from Lina). I decided on a short row heel and am a little concerned with the fit (might be a little snug), but I am too stubborn to frog it now. Hopefully it will loosen up a little bit in the blocking process.

I was a bit lazy yesterday when it came to taking photos, so I apologize that I decided to take the photos on my keyboard as opposed to on my back deck, which is my usual photo shoot locale.

However excited I may have been in the beginning of this new venture, my sock knitting enthusiasm has definitely dwindled ever so slightly. I have been stuck in this same place just above the ankle for a couple weeks now. It's been sitting right by my knitting chair, but I always seem to grab something else to knit on while watching tv mindlessly. Perhaps it's because I've reached the daunting part of the piece: from the ankle to the knee. That's a LOT of knitting in a tiny gauge. Especially with the size of my calves. (As a little twit in my junior high days put it: "Allison doesn't have calves. She has cows." Wow, that one still stings after almost twenty years.)

I have full faith in myself that I will finish this sock...someday. Now, finishing two of them so that I have an actual usable pair....I can't promise that. If I've learned anything from all of this it's that I need to make the socks two at at time on the next go-round, so that I'm finished with them at the same time.

So thankful

I'm so thankful for all the help on finding the skein of eternally backordered shade of Misti Hand Paint Sock in 03 Birds of Paradise. Yaanluvah on Ravelry was able to ship me 3/4 of a skein she had leftover from making a cute little pair of socks. Thanks again to everyone for reaching out in my time of fiber desperation!

Really?

Okay, so when I used to read about my fellow knitbloggers freaking out about not being able to locate a store that carried the elusive skein of yarn that they needed to finish a project, I'll have to admit I really felt like they just weren't looking hard enough. I mean, with all of the buying options these days, it was hard for me to fathom not being able to find a fairly common skein of yarn in a specific colorway. I scoffed at their panic and was confused by their frantic actions.

I have now learned my lesson. Consider me a changed woman.

I started out last week with two skeins of Misti Alpaca Haind Paint Sock in color 03 Birds of Paradise for my Simple Shawl, thinking that I was overdoing it with that much yardage. I figured that I'd have a pretty good sized remnant ball when I was finished with the project that would dwell indefinitely in the box of random balls of yarn at that bottom of my stack of stash tubs.

Well, I just finished up with the first skein last night and with all of the knitting that I have yet to do on it, I'm a little worried that the remaining skein is just not going to cut it. I forget that being a tall and bigger gal--my friend Alissa likes to call us voluptuous--that the things I make for myself are going to have to be a little larger than normal. Even though shawls seem to be typically a one-size-fits-most kind of garment, I know that I'm going to have to do a few (and maybe a few more) extra repeats to make it look right on my frame.

Anyway, I'm saying all of that to say this: I can't find a skein of this color of Misti Hand Paint Sock ANYWHERE! I've scoured every online store I can find and every one of them has that color backordered. I've searched all over Ravelry for this color and anyone who has it in their stash doesn't have it listed as 'For Sale or Trade', and I really don't want to be a bother and PM them to the point of stalkerdom.

But, I REALLY need another skein. Anyone out there who can help me? Do you have a LYS that carries this yarn that could ship to me??? The problem with being way the hell up here in the north is that the only store that carries yarn nearby doesn't have a lot of the yarn I like to use in my work.

*sigh* I suppose it will look alright with only two skeins. And you know that things always get bigger after blocking. And even though I'm in love with this yarn, I REALLY don't want to knit at this small of a gauge for very much longer. So, I guess it's not all that bad. I'll have to make it work.

Grandma G's shawl

This is the other shawl that is currently on the needles, in addition to the Simple Shawl that I blogged about yesterday.

My grandma has been wanting me to make a sweater for her, but I'm just too afraid to make her one because I didn't think I would be able to make it fit her correctly.

But I purchased this yarn in hopes that I would find something suitable for her. It is truly the perfect color for her. I know this because I've seen this color on her many times before and I feel so lucky that I found the Berroco Ultra Alpaca in this shade of Flannery Red.

The only thing that I would change is if I had chosen Ultra Alpaca Light instead of the regular Ultra Alpaca. This yarn is pretty heavy and I'm afraid that it's going to overwhelm her tiny frame. But I guess if nothing else this shawl will be a nice layer of warmth on chilly nights as she sits on her porch and watches the world go by.

I'm using the Feather and Fan Comfort Shawl Pattern by Sarah Bradbury (Ravel it). It combines my newfound obsession with shawls with my all time favorite, tried and true feather and fan stitch that I love so much.

Should be another quick knit and when I'm finished, on to some more complicated lace shawls. That is, if I have the brains for it. I'm currently eyeing either the Adamas Shawl or Andromeda Shawl by MimKnits. Or knowing me I'll cast on both of them and work on them at the same time. Typical behavior for my knitting A.D.D.