You are currently browsing the monthly archive for February 2009.
Ok, I am having an OMG-overload.
This is what I’m loving right now:
Isn’t that gorgeous?
And just look at the Tutu’s in this little girl’s room!
So freekin ADORABLE!
I’ve been perusing the selby site. These photos were taken by photographer Todd Selby. He’s looking for interesting people and their creative spaces in syndey, london, stockholm, gothenburg, and tokyo.
S.O. ..M.U.C.H…. TO. L.OO.K. AT!!!!
Inspiration galore!
Love you guys!
-L
I didn’t blog yesterday because I was busy blog-surfing. There are so many wonderful bloggers out there, from crafters, photographers, interior designers, architects, you name your poison, there are at least a dozen out there to amaze you. I get so much inspiration from these creative bloggers. If only I can quit my day job and craft and blog all day long. sigh. If only.
Anyhooo, I’ve been in a knitting funk lately. There’s nothing much inspiring me to cast on these days. On Valentine’s Day I bought myself a sketch book and a 24-pack of colored pencils to try my hand at drawing again. Back in high school, I loved to draw. LOVED it. I drew portraits mostly. I drew a lovely (if I do say so myself) portrait of my best friend Marsh and gifted it to her. To my dismay, she gifted it to her then-boyfriend, Jody. Needless to say, that boyfriend is no longer around. I don’t know whatever happened to that portrait. It’s probably in trash heaven (or hell). If you are out ther Jody and happen to have that portrait. Can I have it back? Please? … There are also drawings I did in the journal I kept in high school. I still have that hidden away somewhere. I’ll have to take a picture of it to show you.
For the last week, I’ve been working on some sketches with my new color pencils and find that I am quite rusty. I’m finding it hard to find inspiration. I think with practice, I’ll be able to one day frame my pieces and put them on display in my home. But for now, I’m just “practicing”.
I’ve noticed too that Bubba and Ty have a knack for drawing and arts as well. I’d like to hone their skills by spending time with them drawing. That’s what will be happening at my house this weekend. Arts and Crafts with MOM. I’m so looking forward to that.
I finished TWO pairs of fingerless gloves in some yummy 100% merino wool I had in the stash. I only had one skein and surprised-the-heck-outta-me, it was enough for both. After bind-off, there is only 3 yards left. Yay! The second pair will be my mom’s….
I jimmy’d a pattern. On 48 sts.
Ain’t it purty? It’s so comfy, too! We have a few short weeks ’til spring, so I’ll be wearing the crap out of them til then. Tomorrow’s supposed to snow.
Well, family and friends. Have a great weekend. Keep in touch.
-L
You’re welcome!
Ends still have to be sewn in, and they are done!
Specs:
Yarn: Online Sport 1 skein
Needles: Addi circs US2
Pattern: My own (CO 64 on mine, 48 on Lai’s, short row heel)
Love!
Right now, I am knitting some flowers for potential sale items for the future. They’re looking very cute and each one only takes me 30 minutes to complete. I’ll post pics of those when I get some more done.
Also, I just finished a pair of fingerless mitts for me in some 100% merino wool goodness. mmmmm…. Pictures of that coming as well.
Stay tuned!
-L
*Update on Ty-
He went back to school yesterday and did fairly well. He said that his knee was throbbing all day 
The doctor has ordered physical therapy for Ty three times a week for 36 weeks!
I imagine this is such a burden for someone his age. We’re trying to make him comfortable as best we can, accentuating the positive, and rooting for him to get back to “normal”.
I spent some time with him last night while he worked on his art project. He made a poster of Romeo and Juliet. It’s quite good. I doodled a little while we chatted. Good times.
My FIL’s visit was a short but sweet one. He arrived here Thursday morning and left Saturday morning. He spent a lot of time with Ty and the 2 little ones.
Here’s how they spent a lot of their time together:
At the bus station on Saturday:
Click to biggie:
It was a nice visit. Hopefully next time we’ll get to see Mom too.
He called yesterday morning to let us know that he made it back ok.
You know, life gets so hectic that you do not realize how much you miss someone until you see them again. And if it’s been a long time, it shows. Reunions like this are bittersweet. Happy that you are finally together, but sad that it’s taken so long. Happy that he spent some time with the kids, sad that the kids don’t really know him like they should. His visit this time left me with a mixture of joy, sorrow, sentiment, regret and relief. So much emotion that I cannot describe it to you. I wish we were closer to them, in all sense of the word. I wish my kids could have ALL their grandparents nearby. I know that they would, if they could. One day, hopefully we will get our wish. But if we don’t we will just have to try harder to get together more often and for longer visits…
See you soon, Mom and Dad. (And Dad!)
-L
Things are a whirlwind around here lately. Even my thoughts. And stuff.
Just a few things to update:
Bubba had his award ceremony on Sunday:
My father-in-law, Savala/Frank, is in town visiting. He arrived yesterday morning on the Greyhound from Missouri. It’s sweet that he came to see Ty after his surgery…
I got a very nice call from an old friend from high school. She still sounds like the girl I knew way back when. Friendly and full of sunshine and cookies. 
Her phone call made my day. Hi Lisa!
My sweetie is working 7 seven days this week. Overtime is picking up again. What bad timing, since his dad is here visiting…
On the knitting front:
I finished the orange socks for me and I am just about finished on the pair for Lai. I have enough yarn left over from most 400 yard skeins to knit a pair for her. Ok, I’m not into being all matchy-matchy with my daughter, but socks are different. Right? I’ll post pics of those when I can manage a photo shoot.
My FIL will be leaving tomorrow morning. There are no set plans for the rest of the weekend since DH has to work, but I want to check out the knitting group meetup at the Starbucks down the street. They’re a new group set to meet every Sunday 2pm-6pm. Chris mentioned going to this on the train yesterday. Oh, and the forecast for tomorrow is… SNOW!
Yeah.
Exciting, right?
OK, dear reader. Enjoy your weekend.
-L
Spring’s around the corner. During the winter, it is dark out when I get home from work. Yesterday, it was still sunny outside and we were having an unusually warm day, so I decided to take a walk. Bubba, Nacho, and Lai wanted to come too.
So adorable. Check out her little purse.
She was picking leaves like they were flowers. Where does she learn that being surrounded by boys?
The kids really enjoyed our walk. So did I.
“This is SOOOO fun, Mommy!” Nacho said. “Can we do this again in August?”
heehee. I said yes, of course.
It’s the simple things they will remember. And the ones I cherish.
-L
The surgery went well.
Tuesday at 5:30 am before checking in.
All smiles walking with Dad to the surgery center.
Talking with the anesthesiologist before the surgery.
He’s home, resting today.
Thank you everyone for your prayers and thoughts.
My baby will be ok.
-L
It’s beautiful outside today. 60’s and sunny. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. We don’t have any plans. I just want to hang out with hubby and the kids and enjoy the 3-day weekend.
Ty will be having surgery sometime next week. He’s scared. So am I. Please pray with us that everything will be ok.
I have been in a rut this past week as far as my knitting. I’ve been working on my orange socks and trying to finish the striped hat I started a month ago. I need to get my mojo back. I am planning to open up shop sometime in the fall to supplement our income. I would like to sell my knitwear online. I have some ideas on where and how, but right now, it’s still up in the air. Just an idea.
Last night in bed I had a little conversation with my two little angels.
Nacho: Mom, why did the little chicken go to the playground?
Me: Um, I don’t know. Why?
Nacho: It’s just a joke.
Me: ?
Lai: Mommy, Nay-ton found hee pidah-man, tan you do dat, Mommy?
Me: No… Can you?
Lai: Yep!
Me: Goodnight Lai-lai, goodnight Nate.
Lai and Nacho (in unison): Nite, mommy…
Life is good.
Have a great weekend…
Meet Kiwi
And a knitting animated short…
* I don’t know about you, but these videos are not showing up on my PC. I’ll leave them here for now. I think the site is having issues….
I received a call from the doctor today about Ty’s knee. He said that he will need surgery to reconstruct his ACL.
My poor guy will be out of football for at least 6 months.
We are also getting a second opinion. DH scheduled an appointment with someone at Vandy.
I’ll keep you posted.
We are having some bad weather here. We are on tornado watch until 5 pm. At lunchtime today, the winds and tons of rain pounded on us. There are downed trees everywhere, along with everyone’s patio furniture and lawn decor… It’s a mess out there.
Gosh, what I wouldn’t do for a nap right now.
-L
A cute little song I’ve been listening to…
Just popping in to give you a little sneak peek of my little (big) FLOWER…
Shhh. She’s getting some beauty sleep.
-L
I finished a pair of knee-highs a while back, and I finally took some proper pictures yesterday…
Specs:
Yarn: Onlinie Sport
Needles: US 2 40inch addi circulars on Magic Loop
Pattern: My own (CO 68 dec at ankle to 58, short-row heels)
I did the heels and toes in a solid yarn because I was afraid that I would run out of yarn. I was right. I had only a couple of yards left after casting off. I think it turned out pretty awesome.
These are for Kara. They’ve been in my bag for over a month since I don’t see her often (maybe once a year). I’m thinking snail mail would probably be best…
Also, I FINALLY blocked my shawl. The one I knitted on our trip to Spartanburg back in October. Gords was away for the weekend so I used this opportunity to use his room for blocking…
This was a pain-in-the-arse to pin down. It took like 40 pins. ugh
…but SO. WORTH. IT.
Specs:
Yarn: Knitpicks Palette in Red
Needles: Addi Lace US7 circular
Pattern: Kiri Shawl by Polly Outhwaite
Started: October 16, 2008
Finished: October 25, 2008
I LOVED knitting this. It’s an easy lace pattern. I highly recommend this for a first lace project for anyone who wants to try a lace shawl.
I wore this to work today, too. Love it.
So what did I do this weekend?
I went thrifting with Mom.
Did some laundry.
Picked up some paint cards and I think I made my final choice!
Got lost trying to find the church where DH’s cousins were doing worship.
Took the kids to the park while DH and Ty watched the Laker game.
Grocery shopped.
Knitted a little.
And, of course, cooked, cleaned, washed dishes.
Only one checked off the list.
Wow, that sucks. At least the weather was nice.
How was your weekend?
-L
I have so many things on my TO-DO list.
-Paint a mural in my formal-living-room-turned-kids-playroom.
-Paint whole first floor one color (Or different shades of one color)
-Sew dresses and skirts for baby girl.
-Start any one (or two) of 20+ knitting projects in the queue.
-Hang out with mom preferably: sewing or taking our monthly Goodwill shopping trip.
-Weed the so-called-garden (ick)
-Stain the deck. (ick-er)
-Power wash the outside of house. (ick-est)
-Clean out garage. (mondo-ick)
-Paint the upstairs. Or choose colors first. duh
-and on and on and on
Oh, man. I have a lot to do. Better get crackin.
It’s supposed to be “spring-like weather” this weekend. In the 60’s. And sunny.
I might just let the kids run around at the park. Or maybe take the bikes out and finally check out the greenway. Or maybe even go to Cheekwood garden!
Dude.
I wish the weekend was longer so I can at least do HALF of my list. AND have a whole day with the family!
If only.
Have a great weekend.
-L
This morning, at the butt-crack of dawn, my mother called me. She asked if I was wearing red today.
“huh?”
“It’s heart day.”
“huh?”
“Everybody will be wearing red today.”
“uh…okay.”
I got to work today and googled. It’s GoRedForWomen day.
Even Bubba asked me last night to wash his red shirt so he could wear it today. And Ty wore red socks.
“Wear RED on Feb 6th to support the fight against heart disease in women. Everyone can participate in National Wear Red Day. It’s a simple, powerful way to raise awareness of heart disease and stroke….”
So, today I urge you to:
Know the signs of a heart attack / stroke.
Get checked out by your doctor.
I wore red today. How about you?
-L
I need a new camera. Anyone feel like sponsoring a thirty-something-wanna-be-photographer? Come on. Please?
My camera lens broke about a year ago. It’s still functional, if not a bit fickle. There are particles in the lens that have snuck their way in through the missing/broken piece that was the edge. Excuse my lack of knowledge in camera-speak. Because of the bits in the lens, the poor thing is struggling to focus, thus eating up batteries like nothing. ugh.
Don’t get me wrong, I have loved this camera. It takes wonderful shots, but I think it is time for an upgrade. Well, now that I think of it, maybe I just need to take it to a camera place and see if they can fix it. And if they quote me a price equal to the price of a new camera. Well, duh, then I’ll NEED a new camera.
I’m babbling.
Here are some pics I took waiting for the train last week…
I’ve been trying to take pics of my FOs, but I get home too late (no natural light=crappy pics). I’ll upload them asap.
Happy Hump Day!
-L
Last weekend I finally got around to taking pictures of my sock yarn stash. I still have a boat load of other yarns to photograph, but sock yarn is my crack.
For 2009, I plan to knit more socks. I completed around 20 pairs of socks this past year. I’m just guessing, it’s probably more, I have to look in my FO notebook to get the real number. I still have socks that need the toes kitchenered and socks with only one completed (suffering from second sock syndrome) sitting in the UFO baskets. There are at least 10 pairs of unfinished socks. I imagine I will get to these soon. 
While it is still cold outside, I am working on a scarf and plan to make a few more hats for me and my family, but as soon as the weather warms up, I will be a sock-knitting fool.
On to pictures:
A crappy overhead shot of all the sock yarn:
The solids:
The self-strping:
Self-striping:
A closer view of the solids (the Cotton Fleece pictured here will probably be a lace shawl)
And finally some of the UFOs:
And just for kicks, here’s where my stash sits in my bedroom.
This last picture was taken a few weeks ago. The UFO baskets are on top (I told you I have a lot of abandoned unfinished objects!) It was taken on a cloudy day, which explains the lack of light. It’s just as well, I wouldn’t want you to really see how bad it really is. REALLY. These are those assemble-yourself-bookshelves you buy at those big-chain stores. I know, you can’t even see that they are bookshelves, much less what color they are.
There are more yarn balls stashed in various hiding spots throughout the house, but this is their main home. It is plum-full. Some mornings, I find balls of yarn on the floor. I think they are trying to escape, or maybe just out for a walk. And I think they really want some attention. They need to be knitted up into beautitul pieces so they can finally be appreciated.
I need to get organized.
Anyway, now that I have shown you my crazy yarn fetish, I have to defend myself by telling you that most of this yarn was bought on sale, clearance, from thrift stores, or yard sales. Heaven forbid I buy yarn full-retail! I have a few skeins that I paid full-price for, but only because they were for presents, or for a particular project, or I REALLY wanted it….
For you non-knitters, this isn’t that bad. Honest. My stash is pretty small compared to most knitters/crocheters (is that the word?)
Here’s an example:
No, that is not a yarn shop. This is actually someone’s basement in her home. There are more pics on her daughter in laws blog here.
I told you so.
I am only mildly crazy.
But who isn’t?
-L
**Updated to add a better view of the bookshelves:
