i must have some kind of sickness.

yesterday, while on my lunch hour, i went over to nordstrom rack, where they had an entire wall of scarves, hats and mittens... yes, they were very cute, but when i looked at the price tag? $12.99 for a hat? yes, that's *super* cheap...and in my non-knitting days, i would've bought it in a heartbeat. of course nooo... i could knit one that's better. (but forget the fact that the yarn *i* like would probably drive up the price at least threefold.)

case in point:

while perusing the internet last night, i came across this website called funwithyarn.com, and fell in love with one (well, multiple, but this is what was available), called 'citron baby' - it reminds me of cupcake frosting: (must've been the cupcake that i bought at sunflower market earlier this week.)



it's absolutely gorgeous, and i knew i just couldn't pass it up. but what am i going to knit out of it? a hat, of course. a hat that's three times the price! :) oh well. i *lurve* it.

anyways, this past monday was my birthday, and, my boyfriend and i were going to go out to dinner after he picked me up after work... so, i opened my presents (build-a-bear chippendale cow...he's cute, but only wearing a bowtie and carrying a box of chocolates and roses, hence the 'chippendale') and flowers (of course) - which i actually took a photo of, but forgot to upload it for this post - but, he was super sleepy, so i told him that we'd just go 'next time'. it's okay. after running a stop sign, and then almost hitting this woman in the crosswalk, it was definitely for the better. he got home, and (almost) immediately went to bed. sheesh!

ok...time for work...until next time!

i can't sleep...so here are my answers for:

a contest...in honor of tali's first birthday! (happy birthday!)

1. where is your favorite knitting spot?

anywhere and everywhere! i've actually found that the time i spend on the cta has been a great help - i actually *have* fo's now!

2. if you suddenly could never knit again (shudder) - what would you do instead?

i'd take up piano lessons again. learn how to sew really well. and i'd *master* the craft of baking really, really, really delicious goodies.

3. if you could travel anywhere in the world - where would you go and why?

i'd love to go to ireland - i'd love to see two things: the sheep and the yarn!

4. when you were little - what did you want to do "when you grew up?" are you doing it?

one of the things i wanted to be was a lawyer. and no, i'm not doing it.

5. what is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

strawberry or apple pie

(i actually have a few finished projects to show off, but, with all the excitement of the going-ons today, i totally forgot to photograph them! next time, i promise!)

so with my birthday coming up (next monday), i told my boyfriend that i wanted to go to the pumpkin farm that was advertised on a few billboards along i-55 and lagrange rd. on the way to his place - and he agreed to take me. anyways, i guess he talked to a few people, and found out that this one in hobart, indiana - county line orchard - was *way* better, so, we ended up taking a little trip out to indiana yesterday morning... what a fun morning it was!

we took the little tractor ride out around the place, and went out through the apple orchards...since it was so late in the season, there were only a few varieties left, and i was unimpressed with everything but the suncrisp apples - totally delicious! (kinda similar to my beloved honeycrisp) we ended up picking a few dozen of those. (as my boyfriend says, they're totally fresh off the tree!) we headed to the little 'pumpkin patch' nearby, and picked up a few small pumpkins, and this is the part that cracks me up... when you're finished with your apple and pumpkin picking, you go to this little tent at the front of the orchard so you can weigh & pay...and we were behind this dad, son and grandma that had this wagon with *two* bushels of apples. they weighed the first one, and it was like 28 pounds, the other was like 36. and while they were doing this, the grandma was like, "how much are the apples per pound?" and had this kinda astonished look on her face... anyways, the point of my little story is these people had like $80+ worth of apples, and i really don't think they had intended on spending that much. but what are you supposed to do? say, "oh, let me take some of these out...i didn't want this much..." anyways, after weighing and paying (and, i should add that we weren't surprised by our amount) we dragged our apples and pumpkins back to the car, and then headed to this little petting zoo that they had in the back...i wish i would have brought my camera! you feed these goats and lambs and llamas this seed stuff from your hand, and let me tell you - these guys loved it! a goat even bit my hand (not hard) because he was so excited - and i didn't even have any feed at that point! (we still had to go and buy some!) i even bottle-fed a baby calf (ella) out of this *giant* baby bottle...it was the cutest thing *ever*. (again! the camera!) so, after that, we went and had lunch from their little outdoor grill, and then our last stop for the day was back inside their big red barn where we picked up a few things and i also bought a apple cookbook - i mean, what *else* am i going to do with 9# of apples? (actually, i probably only ended up with 6...my boyfriend kept some.) so this afternoon, i came home, and started my little project:



apple streudel muffins, from my apple cookbook! (they did turn out quite delicious, if i may say so myself!)

okay...well, i have a knitters tea swap package to prepare and i'm gearing up for sp9 tonight...until next time!

secret pal 9 questionnaire!

since i can't sleep...here we go!

1. what is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? what fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

i like wools, especially "different" ones (think: colinette) and handpainted yarn as well. i don't really like acrylics and "novelty" yarn such as eyelash or fun fur -that type of thing.

2. what do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

i'm using this bucket from garrett's popcorn. i'd love to be more organized and sew up a knitting needle organizer of some sort (so i can actually *find* my needles when i need them!), it's just that i have *so many* needles that i'd have to make an organizer for every kind (ie. shorts, longs, bamboo, birch, bryspun, etc.)

3. how long have you been knitting & how did you learn? would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

i've been knitting for a few years (maybe three?) now. my mom had orignally shown me how to cast on and knit, however, by the time i actually *did* these things, i had totally forgotten. so, i bought one of those long, chunky scarf kits with my 40% coupon at michael's, and taught myself from there. i would consider my level to be intermediate.

4. do you have an amazon or other online wish list?

yes, i do.

5. what's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)

i'm super-sensitive to all body products that are scented, but i absolutely *love* bath and body work's 'sweet vanilla sugar' scent for candles and home fragrancing oils. i also love 'birthday cake' fragrance as well!

6. do you have a sweet tooth? favorite candy?

oh my gosh, yes! i absolutely *love* those brach's caramels from the bulk bins. they're the best! ooh! and i love cupcakes, too!

7. what other crafts or do-it-yourself things do you like to do? do you spin?

sewing. i just upgraded my singer (that i just bought) to a viking. i'm not that *serious*, but i guess i am a bit ambitious.

8. what kind of music do you like? can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a cd)

i *love* soundtracks (grey's antatomy - the best music *ever*!), musicals, and i guess what they'd consider to be "pop" or "top 40" as well.

9. what's your favorite color(s)? any colors you just can't stand?

i absolutely *lurve* pink, or a pink/brown combination, or a blue/brown combination... i also love the "fall" palette when it comes to handpainted yarns, and i absolutely adore the color silver sage, especially when it's combined with a khaki or taupe color (like my tiles!)

10. what is your family situation? do you have any pets?

my two cats, madeline & griffin, allow me to live with them. (sometimes.)

11. do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

i definitely wear hats, scarves and mittens. not too much into the poncho thing, though...

12. what is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

probably hats and scarves. they're so quick to knit up.

13. what are you knitting right now?

i'm currently *obsessed* with cabled hats, so, i have two on the needles currently, and i'm sure i'll have more very soon. (i've made two so far in the past month or so.) i'm also knitting this scarf from french girl, which i've been knitting *forever*. (i started last thanskgiving, ripped it back, and, am in the middle of it again just now.)

14. do you like to receive handmade gifts?

yes, absolutely!

15. do you prefer straight or circular needles? bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

i usually knit on shorter (10") needles if my project allows it; and i absolutely *love* brittany birch needles. i also like bamboo, and am really liking bryspun for my lace-y projects. i *love* addi turbos for circulars.

16. do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

yes, both. bring on the yarn in skeins, baby!

17. how old is your oldest ufo?

so old, that i can hardly remember. i don't think i ever finished my *first* project (after the scarf-from-a-kit) when i first started knitting, of a hat/scarf/mitten set in a super bulky weight yarn.

18. what is your favorite holiday?

christmas!

19. is there anything that you collect?

does yarn count? :) i have amassed a small collection of maneki-nekos, and really, that's almost all that i collect (although my house is just *filled* with stuff...)

20. any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? what knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

i'm always dying to get my hands on something new; i just saw colinette's 'skye' in the 'dark umber' colorway at this yarn shop (it was part of a kit), but, it's absolutely, absolutely gorgeous. i would also love some 'lobster pot' yarn, in their slightly variegated pink color, although i can't seem to find the non-cashmere version anywhere. also, i'd love to have this cabled beanie knitting kit. i currently do not have any knitting magazine subscriptions; i usually just buy them if there are enough patterns inside that strike my fancy!

21. are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

i'd really love how to knit continental-style. it'd make my ribbing on all of my hats go so much more quickly!

22. are you a sock knitter? what are your foot measurements?

no, i'm not a sock knitter. small needles scare me. (i'm doing a hat on a #6 right now, and it's taking me *forever*.) that, and the fact that i lose all my socks. but i do wear a size 8 shoe, though!

23. when is your birthday? (mm/dd)

october 23! right after all this fun begins! yay!

happy anniversary!

today marks our (my boyfriend & i) one-year anniversary. woo-hoo! in celebration, we went to go and see "hamlet" at the chicago shakespeare theater at navy pier last night. since i only live in the city and have *never* been to navy pier previously, after we saw the play, we walked around navy pier a bit to check it out, and of course, no visit to navy pier is complete without a ride on the ferris wheel:



i can't believe a year has gone by so quickly! happy anniversary, baby!

it's monday already? seriously?

the weekend went by way too fast! it was a 'lil hectic, though, for a bit...so, as i enjoy my breakfast of my farmer's market poundcake and a diet coke, let's recap!

friday night, i couldn't sleep worth anything; i ended up going to be about 3 am or so, to be woken up by the loud, crinkling sound:



6 am and yup... that's a hole in the bag. my cats (particularly griffin) are very good at finding food to eat. i think he's a little upset that the vet told us last sunday that they had to go on a diet. (i should also be included on that diet.) nonetheless, he found a little shopping bag with some samples of food that my sister had gotten for us at a street fair recently... sneaky, sneaky!

so, at that point, i'm up, and decide that i'll head on over to the farmer's market. just the usual stuff:

baked goods

honeycrisp apples. yay!

and a treat for myself (as if all the yarn i've bought recently *isn't* enough):

pink flowers

so i actually was *productive* for the rest of the morning; i cleaned up my kitchen (i mean, *really* cleaned...i even polished my stainless steel stuff!), but then right before i was about to jump in the shower, i noticed griffin laying on my bed, acting weird. and then he got up to use the litterbox, and he was straining. i called the vet's office, and they told me they had walk-in appointments from 2:00 to 3:30...so i jumped in and took a quick shower, packed griffin up, and by the time we signed onto the walk-in clipboard, it was 2:13. not too bad, considering that a.) it was raining, and b.) i could hardly find parking. so we sat. and we sat. and eventually, i let griffin out of his kennel because he was crying so much. but he just sat next to me on the bench. and i got a whole lot of knitting done. so much so, that i ran out of yarn. (i didn't think that i was going to have to wait *that* long. but that's okay.)



yes, that's the french girl scarf. again. i'm determined to finish it this time.

anyways, back to griffin. the urinalysis came back showing crystals. uh-oh. i was sent home with special food and antibiotics. my sister called me on sunday morning, and was asking me about the food (because she knows i only feed my cats the really good, human-grade foods from the specialty pet store), and so i was reading her the ingredients off of the back of the can...and then i noticed:



oops. i bought the *dog* kind! and to think that i had just fed them a spoonful the evening before, and they *ate it up*! (go figure!)

so that began my errands for sunday: a.) go to this yarn store in the city that i haven't been to before so i could buy a #10 16" circular needle; b.) go to exchange the *dog* food for *cat* and c.) go to pick up my mom's prescription. easy-schmeasy.

about this yarn store: i went there once, and i will probably *never* go back there *again*. *again!* so yes...they have a pretty large, organized selection of reasonably-priced yarns. they have patterns there that i've not seen before. but their staff? (well, the one little punk-rocky girl that was working there, with presumably, the owner?) forget it. first, we got into it about this yarn that, the gauge given was #3.5 stitches per inch on a #10 needle. right or wrong, she *insisted*...i mean *insisted* that it was a worsted weight. (and i mean, worsted weight. not like heavy worsted. just worsted weight.) to me, that gauge and needle size suggest to me a chunky weight. or maybe even a heavy worsted. but definitely *not* a worsted weight. who knows; i could be wrong. i probably am. but i've never knit up a true worsted weight on a #10 needle. so whatever. and then so i'm finally done looking around, and after she's done ringing me out, she proceeds to tell me just how much she hates using the needles i was buying (bryspun). umm...honey. you try doing a p3tog with a pair of brittany birch. sure, it'll happen, but the points on the bryspun just make it so much easier. whatever!

despite the drama, though, i was able to pick up a skein of unlabeled farmhouse yarn on sale and started to knit up my chunky cabled beanie (which i will make longer, into a hat) during the last half of desperate housewives last night:



it's a bit 'masculine', the color, it is - but i really liked how they had that hint of bluey-green in the mix. it's a bit rough to knit with on my #10.5 circ, but i'm sure it'll prove to be a warm-warm-warm hat this winter. (that is, if i *finish* it.)

speaking of somewhat (99%) finished projects, here is my basic cable hat from stitch 'n bitch nation:



it's knit out of lorna's laces shepherd worsted in the colorway child's play - and it's probably one of the softest and easiest to knit with yarns that i've come across so far. and the hat looks weird because well, it's only 99% finished. i still have to attach the pompom to the top and then weave in my bottom edge. (i don't know why this last 1% is taking me so long!)

anyways...let me go and be a little productive before i head into work...

ffffuuuuuudddddddggggggeeeee.

i can't believe it. i really can't believe it. i was just talking about it, and i forgot about it. what am i talking about? grey's anatomy, of course!

i waited the entire summer for the season premiere episode. i even watched the last few episodes again on sunday in preparation! and then...

i totally forgot.

what can i say? i was just so excited about my discovery of bi-o-kleen laundry detergent at the new sunflower market on clybourn, doing laundry, and my general 'i-don't-watch-tv-anyways' that i just totally forgot. forgot! oh well. i'm sure *somebody* taped it...

but anyways. about sunflower market. clybourn's been a nightmare these past few months, with them digging it up and construction and all, so, i've had plenty of time to sit there and see that they were building it. so, on my way home from work today, and after i visited arcadia knitting (photos to follow), i decided to pop in. what a cool place! i *totally* like it better than trader joe's or whole foods. not to mention that they have a *very nice, perfectly-sized selection* of "healthier" junk food! (how about that for an oxymoron?)

as for knitting news, i finished up my cabled hat from stitch 'n bitch, and am currently re-knitting my french girl scarf (again). i bought some 'donegal tweed' yarn today to knit up another cabled hat, and am currently looking for other cabled hat (ahem...chloe's cabled hat) projects to start.... i'm obsessed! :)

photos coming soon!

stash enhancement

i *heart* sundays. for some reason, i'm usually pretty productive (relatively speaking). but, when i woke up this morning, it was so dreary out. cold, dark, gloomy and rainy. so, i started doing my weekly chores, and as i was doing laundry, i realized that it'd be a good idea to go and visit one of my local yarn stores that i haven't been to yet. i received a bunch of coupons and flyers in my goodie bag from stitch 'n pitch a few weeks back, and one of those was for my sister's knits, so, after a quick google search to make sure they were open, i hopped in the car and headed over to beverly. i swear, i spent almost as much time *getting there* (dan ryan traffic? on sunday afternoon? apparently, it's not unheard of) as i did in the shop, but, it definitely was worth it. the shop is filled with just *fabulous* yarns, some which i've never seen previously, and the owner, carol, is super-sweet (as are her two dogs) and helpful!

i actually went on my yarn shop mission today with a few projects in mind (much unlike my usual lys trips), so, i was able to purchase yarn that is actually *useful* to me, instead of just drool-over gorgeous... :) but now for the best part: the photos!

'rustic' by filatura di crosa, from the sale bin. i just couldn't pass it up. can we say fabulous cabled scarf with this one?

'ritratto' by s. charles. also from the sale bin, and hence not 'passable'. for a fabulous evening shawl of some sort.

'prism' by colinette, color #84, cinnamon. utterly fabulous. i'm planning on a scarf and hat for this one. or maybe just a scarf.

'henna' by manos del uruguay, color #26, variegated purples. intended for the falling leaves scarf for my boyfriend's mom's christmas present.

'multicolor' by filatura di crosa, color 4053. absolutely gorgeous with a slight shimmer. intended for the 'misty garden' scarf from scarf style.

'magic ball' by be sweet. made by a group of women in south africa. absolutely *flippin'* gorgeous. i couldn't resist. the colors are just *so* me. this will knit up to a scarf, on #35 needles.

and for my most indulgent purchase of the day:

'kid silk haze' by rowan, color #590, pearl. intended for the 'daphne shawl' from french girl.

the overall verdict of my sister's knits? an *absolute* go-to. this store will definitely be on my list of favorite local yarn stores. yay!

(by the way, one of these days, i'll have to figure out how to do one of those flickr (is that how you spell it?) accounts that everyone has on their sidebars... that way, i can admire my stash slideshow-style!)

can someone teach me how to crochet so i can make these, please?



are these not the *cutest* things that you've ever seen? i *need* to have a pair.

not too much to report this time around; we made a very last-minute emergency trip up to the dells over the labor day weekend, and i was able to get a bunch of progress what actually is a *lace* (yikes!) scarf - the one that i mentioned in a previous post, that i didn't realize was actually a *lace* pattern! let me tell you, i've found out that lace projects are *not* commuter-friendly at all, although this one only has an 8-row repeat, so it's not that bad. my problem is, is that i just keep on losing my place! one of my repeats has two extra rows; i haven't the slightest what i did... but, i didn't discover it until i was another 12 rows into it that there was a mistake - and, because it's really not *that* noticeable, (although i notice it *a lot*), i decided against ripping it out. after all, it took me *four* days to un-knit and figure out what i messed up at the end of the stitch 'n pitch game! (why does un-knitting take so much longer than just knitting?)

so...after stitches midwest, i really vowed that i wasn't going to buy any more yarn for a while...but, it's been about three weeks now, and, while i'm definitely not buying tons more, i'm not truly adhering to what i had said! i bought a few skeins of yarn while out in oak park last saturday morning, to knit up that cabley-looking scarf in stitch 'n bitch nation and i bought some bulky yarn to knit up something, but who knows what that was... (isn't it awful?) i also managed to purchase this scarf kit off of ebay, but, that isn't making any progress as i can't really follow the weirdo stitch combination (well, not all that weird, i just can't figure it out) of a yarn over-slip one as to purl-knit one combo. ah, one of these days...

other than that, not too much has been going on with me... i signed up for the second round of the knitters tea swap (which i had *so* much fun with last time around) as well as secret pal 9. i'm eagerly awaiting my matches so the fun can begin! yay! i'm so excited! i can't wait! :)

so, as i'm sitting here, knitting up my mid-month dishcloth kal (you know, instead of getting ready for work...), i was reminded of a particularly nasty person yesterday, and, had an amazing revelation:

"these people who are just so dissatisfied with everything...these people who are just not happy with anything you do for them, even if it's to *their* benefit...these people who complain about *everything* and *anything*, despite your best efforts... could it be that, their problem is not with *you* or anybody else for that matter...it's with *themselves*?!?"

i think so.

on a happier note, though, i got some (and ripped back some) knitting done this weekend, despite running around *all day and night* saturday to weddings and receptions. i'm knitting up this lacy leaf shawl (something like that), and, while i don't think it's technically *called* a lace pattern, there's a lot of yarn-overs and k2togethers, so, i think it is. i ripped back my first three attempts, but was *finally* able to make it work yesterday morning. (what's with the morning knitting?) i'll knit up a few more repeats, and i'll post a photo soon!

cta-schmeeteeae.

so yesterday, i was determined to get to joann fabrics on elston, because their interfacing was 50% off. and, i actually *need* interfacing so i can make my knitting tote and cut out the pattern for the knitting tote, etc. so, i decide to look on transitchicago.com and plan out an itinerary and see what time i'd actually *get* there. okay. one transfer, no problem. my eta? 7:17. not too bad. about forty minutes or so. sure, it'd take me fifteen to actually *drive* there, but, i don't have a car this weekend. so, it's okay. it's *public transportation* after all, right? well... i end up leaving at about 6:30 to catch my first bus, only to find out that i have to walk six blocks because that particular bus was only going so far northbound. fine. so, i get to where i need to catch the other bus, and, wait around. ten minutes. fifteen minutes. i start walking. i end up walking eight blocks before a bus comes. fine. i get to joann's, and check out my stuff. they don't have magnetic snaps there. what the heck? so, i buy my boatload o' interfacing and grab a small bite to eat, because by this time, i'm seriously hungry. a bus doesn't go by the entire time (well, fifteen or so minutes) that i'm waiting. i start walking east. i don't want to go *too* far east on foot, because it gets really kinda sketchy... so i wait. and i wait. i say to myself, "i'm going to catch the next taxi." by the time the next taxi comes, i say, "i'll wait five more minutes." and the process just repeats itself, until i *finally* catch the bus...40 minutes later. so fine. it's the cta; this shouldn't be surprising. so, i've got to make a transfer. i start walking, because i know that's what i'm going to have to do. it's getting kinda cold out now. i end up walking another ten blocks before the bus comes. sigh. i finally get home; i'm exhausted. this little excursion to joann fabrics took *four* hours. and to think, it's probably only like three miles away. i should've biked.

but the whole point of this story is, is that, it's just crazy.

i woke up early this morning; i walked over to the grocery store and bought a few things... i guess today, a car-less day, was really *not* a good idea to buy a diet coke fridgepack, a sunday chicago tribune *and* an 8-pack of yogurt, in addition to the other things i was *already* buying. but that's okay.

i have my breakfast, and decide that i was going to put my interfacing to good use today. i didn't want to use my green cat fabric to make my first knitting tote, because i didn't want to ruin it, so, i just found some fabric in my stash. i cut out the pattern, i cut out the pieces, and, i get to work. as i'm sewing the handles on, i start thinking about this trinity kimono pattern that i saw at stitches midwest, and how i should've bought it. i start obsessing about it. i look up interlacements, and the pattern is nowhere to be found on their site. damn. should've just bought the thing. i glance at my watch, and, it's only 1:20. i look it up, and the stitches market closes at 4. i could really make it. less than five minutes later, i'm out the door.

i'm a little delayed; considering that i was supposed to arrive at the rosemont stop at 2:17. it's more like 2:40 now. i walk the three blocks to the convention center, go in, and, ask about the kit they were offering. they ran out of yarn, and it is now unavailable. *great*. but, they *did* have the pattern. so i bought that. sigh. i think to myself, what was a $78 kit, is going to end up being like $150 by the time i find whatever it is to substitute their unavailable yarn. oh well. i decide to take a quick look around the market once again. *bad* idea. i just went there for that kimono kit. but nooo...

yarn. (note the kimono pattern in the corner.)

*more* yarn.

i bought the irish yarns for the felted bowls out of the one skein i got last week - look at how *fabulously* they coordinate with my flooring:



so anyways. even *after* wandering around there until they closed at 4, and having to walk back to the blue line, and having to take the bus back here... i was back here shortly after 5:00 pm. that means = it took me *less* time for me to go out by o'hare (appx. 25 miles), shop around for an hour and fifteen minutes and come back than it did for me to go *three* miles from my house! craziness! only with the cta!

this is going to have to be my last yarn purchase for a bit, though. i've just got *way* too much. and, considering my massive yarn purchases over the past few weeks, and after the serious yarn shopping spree this afternoon, well, yeah. i've just *got* to. let me finish some projects first, and, we'll talk about it then!

on a happier note, though... despite the distraction of going out to rosemont again today, i was able to finish my knitting tote:



i think it turned out pretty well, considering that i really had no idea what i was doing, although this time, i did have a pattern. i'm really pleased at how well the webbing turned out - i thought that was going to be my total downfall! (and it's even *lined*, too! so now, even though it isn't my *real* knitting tote, i still need to show it off to everyone! i'll post again, when i have the real one finished! :)

buttload 'o photos!

so, this week has been a relatively (shopping and such!) productive week, and, the majority of it involves *yarn*, so, i just *had* to show...

earlier this week, i popped into nina to check out some yarns for this cabled hat knitting obsession i have lately... (it all started when i saw that pattern on knittingcentral.com's website...i just fell in love with their chloe's (mona lisa's) cabled hat! it's just so cool looking because there aren't any "ribs" between the cables... so, in order to *not* spend $90 (to buy the two skeins of yarn) so i could get this hat pattern, i ended up flipping through all of my books, and came across a few (although they have ribs) to knit up, and, well, despite the plethora of yarn that i already have (and have no room to store) here, of course, a new project = new yarn. so anyways. back to my original point. i stopped in to nina, to buy some worsted weight yarn, and, i end up leaving with a few more things in my bag:


not too bad, if i even say so myself. (i'm getting a *little* better at the not buying mass quantities of stuff at yarn stores. okay. maybe *not*.) i ended up with a kate gilbert pattern, to knit up (yet another) hat, my worsted alpaca that was the purpose of my visit in the first place, and, some manos del uruguay yarn, which will end up being another hat. (what else?) i'm really starting to think that nina is probably my favorite yarn shop in the city; it's a pretty trendy, laid back, lounge-y kinda store, where i don't feel under any kind of weirdo pressure (unlike a certain other yarn store which i won't mention the name).


secondly, my purchase from mountain shadow ranch. this is an absolutely *gorgeous* handspun yarn, which i just *had* to have...it's called 'primrose'. it's a light blue, with all kinds of little flecks in it - basically, it's just really, really fabulous. the lady who owns the ranch/runs the store/spun up the yarn, teresa, is just absolutely, fabulously helpful as well - she was the one who convinced me *not* to knit up a trinity scarf with this yarn. *now* i understand. i think, though, that it will probably end up being the kate gilbert hat - that way, there's enough stockinette to show off the yarn, but it'll keep the yarn looking cutsey, girly and flirty with the pattern. (who would've ever thought!)

yesterday, my sister and i went out to rosemont to go to the stitches midwest show. now, i know i'm going to get into a lot of trouble saying this, but, geez, people - be polite! i know that there are some good deals. i know we're all hot to look at the same thing. but geez. when we're all loaded down with these giant bags, full of yarn, and trying to get down these little narrow aisles, browsing the yarn - would it be that much to say, "excuse me..." rather than barreling your way through the herds of people like a bull (literally...figure out what that means), running down the streets of barcelona? or, when i'm looking at some yarn, is it really necessary to *snatch* the bag of yarn out of my hand, because you're just *that greedy*? (geez! i'm getting so flustered about this again! my blood pressure!) anyways. despite the few slight altercations we ran into there, we managed to make it out a.) *alive* and b.) with a few purchases:

these are just mine, but, the funny thing is, is that my sister - who, btw, doesn't know how to knit - ended up buying *way* more than me. and she wants to knit herself a sweater. (mass laughter.) i bought some yarn, and a few patterns and notions, and, the most favorite thing that *i* bought was:

this fleece-lined mitten kit. it comes with worsted weight yarn, and fleece stuff that you apparently knit into the mitten - and, well, it's just going to be *gloriously* warm. (the mitten in the middle of the photo - the furry one - is what the *inside* of these mittens is going to be.) i can't wait.

but, my most favorite thing that *my sister* bought me is:

are these *not* the cutest things you've ever seen? *ever*? size 15 birch needles, with a cat head topper. no, they don't look like either of my cats, but, geez. they are just *the cutest thing ever*. *ever!*

this morning, i finally ventured down to the farmer's market (for the first time this season! shame on me!) and, bought my usual raisin challah loaf, and, i treated myself to these:

sigh. i'm happy now.

i actually had a *very* productive - well, not really, but for saturday morning - *very* productive morning. since my mom borrowed my car for the weekend, i biked down to the post office, and picked up a *fabulous* little surprise from my sp8, jody! she seriously must've been reading my mind.


first, i got an adorable (and *totally* useful) kitten hot-mitten! not only does it have cats on it, it has photos of *my* two cats (well, a black and a calico) on it as well! yay! then, i got some cheese/spread spreaders - i *literally* was just thinking that i need to get some of these earlier this week, so i can eat my cheese (in the little foil triangles) and crackers. what else is in this photo...she even sent me cat treats, as well! (my cats are *very* appreciative of this, because they know that jody had to make a special trip to the cat treat section because she only has dogs!) she also included a bag of cracker jack (with my love of all things popcorn), which, unfortunately,didn't make it to the photo. (it *did* serve as a delightful lunch, though!)


*more* yarn. and worsted weight, too! this is just so *incredibly* soft. i think i'll knit this up into a hat for my dad! he'll *love* it! (btw, the color is *totally* off in this photo...it's more of a brown-y color, like in the corner of the kitten hot-mitten photo!)


the *coolest* notecards, ever. they're vintage "kellogg's" - like the cereal - ones! i especially *love* the sugar bear one though! :)

thank you so much, jody! you're the bestest!

ahh. so much excitement today! but, last but not least, i was able to knit up my swatch for my sweater:



it's in bulky lopi yarn, which, as i was knitting it up, the thought that it feels really similar to a natural coir doormat crossed my mind. sigh. oh well. i bought the yarn based on the recommendation in the book. they forgot to mention the doormat. it's okay, though. it'll be my first sweater, so, i'm sure it'll have issues of it's own! :)

happy happy mail day! happy happy mail day!

today was an *excellent* mail day. (after arguing with the people at the post office, that is...)

i picked up tons of crafty stuff today. first, i reeceived my mason-dixon knitting and one skein books:



and then, my fabric for my knitting tote came in...



i'll be using the green cat fabric for the outside, the pink stockinette for the lining, and the black skeins fabric for the inside pocket. i picked up some pink nylon webbing at joann's today for the handles, as well!

i was also very exicted that my yarn from knitpicks.com came in; i ordered some yarn from their new fall lines:

knitpicks "shamrock", in flanagan (red) and dougherty (green)

knitpicks "sierra", in coal
and last, but not least:

knitpicks "wool of the andes bulky" (finally!) in spumoni

i'm a bit bummed, because we were supposed to go to cafe iberico tonight for sangria and tapas, but, that fell through due to some bad news from my boyfriend's eye doctor yesterday. hopefully, everything turns out alright. but, on a brighter note, at least i get to figure out what to do with my new yarn! i've already decided that my 'dougherty' yarn is going to be knit up into a trinity scarf, after getting the idea from a scarf on etsy.com. (i've got to stop looking at that website! i keep on getting more and more ideas for stuff that i just *need* to make, and therefore, buy *more* yarn or other crafty stuff for!) i'm not sure how great the tweediness (is that a word?) will look as the scarf, but, hey...we'll see. i was thinking about even doing an irish hiking scarf with it, as well, but, we'll see. the possibilities!

so, i'm not really sure or not if i'm the only person who does this, but, i don't know...it seems that i can spend hours on end, going through links from one person's blog to another. it's amazing to see what other people are crafting, and what they are knitting, and ultimately, what everything comes down to is, is that i get ideas for *more* projects that i just *need* to start. for example:

today, while i was cleaning, i decided that i needed to take a break. so blog-surfing i went, and, i came across this knitting tote that i just *have* to make. i *have* to make it so much, so much so that i even bought fabric for it, off of eBay:



isn't it *perfect*? i just absolutely love it. i originally came across the same fabric with a red background, but, when i saw this green one, i just fell in love. i'm currently inquiring about a pink "stockinette" print to line it with. i think it'll be absolutely fabulous!

in my last post, i had mentioned that i had joined a montly dishcloth knit-a-long group. last sunday, i was going through some of the new messages, and and there were several people who had made mention of the $1.00 sugar & cream yarn on sale at michael's last week. i was kinda bummed, because there is not a michael's store in the city. and anyway, i rationalized that i still have a *ton* of cotton yarn all over the place. but, luck had its way, and, i ended up having to go out to the suburbs last night. and where did i go? michael's, of course! (see evidence below.)



so, what else this week... oh, i know! i'm sending my sp8 her 3rd package pretty soon, and, i thought it'd be cute to make a little bag to contain it all. (actually, i got the little "bag" idea from etsy; i was like, 'i can make that!') in retrospect, i should've had a pattern to follow, because apparently, i'm not very logical when it comes to sewing order. (ie., i sewed the sides and bottom first, before i added the handles.) it's not very fancy, and it's not lined, but, i thought it was really cute, and it turned out pretty okay. it'll be *perfect* for going to the library with her kids, i think!



i'm also very excited that i was able to find a lining to make my betty shopper:



doesn't it look just fabulous together? and to think that the lining only cost like $3.50 a yard! yay!

that evening i went to joann's was a pretty productive one. not only was i able to get my lining for my purse and the fabric for the snail bag, i was also able to get my halloween costume pattern (on sale! yay!):



i'm going to try my hand at making my own halloween costume this year. i'll be making the pilgrim costume on the top right-hand side.

and, if everything above wasn't enough crafty stuff for one week, i present to you my newest creation:



my fall wreath. now that i'm looking at the photo, it's in some need of some minor adjustments, but, overall, i'm really happy at how it came out. it's finally replacing my christmas wreath that i still had up (i know, i know), but couldn't bear to take down, because it was just *so* gorgeous and just *so* me. but - my christmas wreath will be up soon enough - it's almost august! yay!

so i joined this monthly dishcloth knit-a-long group because, even though there are a plethora of dishcloth patterns out there, I keep on knitting "c" initial dishcloths as well as my commuting-friendly "grandma's favorite dishcloth". (commuter-friendly meaning that it's a very simple pattern that is easy to keep track of.) so anyways. i just thought i'd check it out.

so, what happens is, on the 1st and 16th day of the month, the group moderator sends like seven or eight lines of the pattern, and, the following day, the next eight lines, and so on. i joined right when they were starting the mid-month knit-a-long on the 16th, and, quickly knitted up my first eight rows or so. but me, with my knitting obsession, and not being able to just stop a project when it's not the middle of the night, found myself thinking, "i need the next few rows!" turned out i made a mistake, and, ended up having to rip the thing back anyways, and then re-knit again, and ended up being a few days behind in the end. the mid-month dishcloths are usually more involved stitches; stitches that people probably wouldn't just try out on their own, so, in that aspect, it's very cool. i'm trying out this new stitch pattern, and i'm not using expensive yarn, so, i don't feel bad when there's a few minor mistakes. my completed project ended up being this cabley-looking/holey (yarn-over) dishcloth, which i will take a photo of as soon as i charge my camera's battery. i think it's actually very cool-looking.

so this past friday, i had to go back to my dentist's office, because despite having a few cavities filled two weeks prior, i was still in pain. and the weird thing was, was that the pain was increasing - it definitely got worse during that second week. anyways, after getting stuck in *major* traffic and him just recommending for me to go and have a consult with an endodontist (great!) i needed some much-needed shopping therapy. i ended up at closeknit in evanston, and, although i didn't buy anything really fancy this time around, geez - their inventory has increased tenfold since when i used to live around those parts. i ended up buying some malabrigo yarn in this beautiful salmon color, some plymouth encore for my green/white/orange st. patty's day scarves (yes, already!) some much-needed point protectors and a few yards of this gorgeous kaffe fasset lotus print fabric. (again, photos forthcoming.)

so, after my little excursion to my not-so-lys, and discovering that i hadn't taken my credit card along with me, i decided that i'd still go up to old orchard to buy some wedding presents for the two weddings i will be attending in august. (still a few weeks away, but still. i might as well!) *bad* decision. it ended up being this entire afternoon/eveing ordeal - and let me tell you - i was *totally* cranky by the end of it all. i ended up purchasing my favorite standby, a vera wang 'classic' vase for one couple (my coworker), and ended up buying a few things at field's for the other couple (one of whom i went to high school with), but ended up at target later that night, checking out whatever else they had on their registry. (target = bad idea. now i have all these miscellaneous boxes to wrap for them, and, well, i have no idea what i'm going to do. (and did i mention that i went to *three* different stores looking for gift wrap? i'm going to the container store to see if i see any wrap that strikes my fancy.

*but*, what i am *very* excited for is, is that i was able to get a copy of the marshall field's cookboook! i went to the state st. store last week, and, they were out. but old orchard had boatloads! yay! (now i can try to re-create my favorite oriental chicken pasta salad that they sell in the marketplace!) yay!

saturday, my boyfriend and i went to this surprise birthday party for one of his friend's best friend. (did that make sense?) it was a pretty good time, although smoky as anything in there (at the pool hall). oh well.

sunday, i spent procrastinating about cleaning, as usual, but managed to block my mid-month dishcloth. so now, considering that i did almost *nothing* yesterday, let me get at least a *little* done before i go into work today...

so now i understand what all the craze is about!

i can't believe how quickly it came, but, my boyfriend and i finally went to go and see "wicked" yesterday evening. i bought the tickets before his birthday, nearly three months ago, and had to wait until now in order to get decent seating! we had a very nice evening, starting with dinner at the ristorante we at the w hotel.

(total sidenote: i was late for dinner because i didn't go and *buy* something to wear to the performance - i actually wore something out of my closet! (in retrospect, it would've just been easier to go and buy something.) the most amazing thing is, though, is that we managed to walk approximately seven blocks, with me, in these totally uncomfortable, strappy heels? and when i took the shoes off, i didn't have one blister on my feet! unbelievable!)

but now i understand. what a spectacular performance! i just downloaded the soundtrack, and, geez, i just *love* it! i want to go again!

ok! i've been meaning and meaning to post these photos, but, well, you know how i am... here are my much-awaited photos from my last secret pal box! (and i'm really sorry, secret pal, for not posting them sooner!)

photo #1:
some absolutely gorgeous and *soft* blue sky alpacas yarn - this'll be absolutely perfect to knit up a panta with! and, a novel...with knitting patterns and recipes included as well! talk about all-inclusive! (of course, the first thing i flip to are the recipes...)

photo #2:
antibacterial soap and hand sanitizer from bath and body works, in my most favorite scent *ever*, warm vanilla sugar. (secret pal, you'd better have bought these during the sale! :) )

photo #3:
a maneki neko...from chicago! this is one of the most adorable ones that i own yet. i've never seen this size/color/style before! now *i* want to go to the store that's "on the main avenue (i'm assuming michigan) by the river (the chicago river) close to the park with the ampitheater (millenium park - somewhere south of lake)" to go and check it out!

so *thank you so much* again secret pal...you definitely made my day! (and i'm all excited about my presents again! yay!)

but now, for the real reason i haven't done *anything* lately:



ok, so maybe not the only reason, considering that i just picked this up at the ups facility last night, at 9:00 pm... (but it *does* give me another excuse...)

this wasn't a good idea.

i have a tendency to start a *lot* of projects. i also have a tendency to enjoy a *lot* of different types of crafts. these are the two main reasons that i never seem to accomplish anything, even though it seems like i'm always working on one project or another. so what did i do last night? i set my knitting aside (currently, *boatloads* of "c" initial dishcloths), and set up my sewing machine. i was up until nearly 1:00 am playing around with all the different stitches, and figuring the machine out. and then what did i do this morning? same thing. and the worst part? i was even late to work because of it. sigh. i'm obsessed, what can i say?

after work, i found myself going to joann fabrics and then i made another pit stop at hancock fabrics as well. i decided that i would need to find myself a reasonably small project that i could sew up in an evening, to "test out" my new machine. and here is the fruit of my labor:



i found this fabric with some chihuahuas printed on it, so, i decided to make my sister a placemat for her dogs! (being the pseudo-perfectionist that i am, i *couldn't* make one for my cats just yet...) it didn't turn out perfect by any means, but, i do have to admit that i'm reasonably impressed that i was able to manage sewing the bias tape along the edges...

let me backtrack a little bit, and add one more photo...

after i got off of work, i ended up going shoppping down on state street, and, ended up taking a taxi back here so i could get to the ups facility to pick up my packages before they closed (at 9:15)... i get there, retrieve my packages, and stop over at target a few blocks away, and then head back home. i trudge up two flights up stairs with this massive, heavy box containing my sewing machine, and this is what i find hanging on my doorknob:



flowers from my boyfriend - in my favorite color, pink! such a nice thing to come home to! :)

more excitement next time. we'll see what other projects i can start (and hopefully finish) this week!