Cupcake, Cupcake



On Saturday, I met up with a few friends for knitting at the Cupcake Royale. The yummy cupcakes were great but I have to admit to being a bit disappointed in their flavor selection. After a few licks of the buttercream frosting, I quickly got over that and got to knitting.

Jessica was attempting to break the knitting speed record by knitting a devil hat for a party she was attending later that evening. She got prettty far! I hear she accomplished her goal.



Julie started her very first hat from Stitch and Bitch.



These colors are so perfect for her!



My friend Kim also showed up for some cupcake time even though she doesn't knit. Unfortunately I neglected to get a picture of her! Bah on me! She did say she had a good time and Jessica threatened to teach her how to knit. I don't think Kim was adverse to the suggestion.

I knit some more on my Manos sweater and am about half an inch from the armholes on the back! Jessica and I discussed adding a pocket to the front of the sweater which I am seriously considering. I need to check my yarn supply first and then consult the Rogue pattern for this.

Oh, yes Lara, I finished knitting her on Saturday morning. I started seaming her on Saturday evening. I did something wrong and had to rip the seaming out. I think this finishing my take awhile (especially since I put Lara in timeout yesterday) but I have set a deadline for myself. I shall seam a bit every night this week and I want to be wearing this sweater by next Monday. Yep, that is my goal!

SO. VERY. CLOSE

I can see the finish line!

BEER!

Last night under direction from Kenn, I went to Hale's for a beer out of my mug.


Stella! Do you see that I have your name on MY mug?*

Before Kenn up and left and moved himself to San Diego, we used to visit Hale's on a regular basis to partake of some Wee Heavy out of our beer mugs. Sadly, I have been left alone to keep up this tradition and what I have found is that it was really Kenn who made the tradition so much fun!

Well no more! Last night I went to Hale's with my friend Darcy and we talked and talked and talked. It was wonderful! Of course this meant that there wasn't any time for knitting but I'm ok with that because tonight I plan to take a day off from exercising (bah!) and knit before my Espanol class at a nearby coffee shop. I'll also be finishing up my homework because BEER doesn't leave time for homework either!

I completely lust after Stella Artois Beer and when I got the chance to name my mug, I had to name it Stella after the beer of all beers. And I do like to yell "Stella" like they did in West Side Story.

Sleeve Watch

Here at Supergirl Knits, we are on Lara sleeve watch. Unfortunately just watching a half knit sleeve does not help it get knit any faster but I'm giving it my all! I'm about halfway though the sleeve which means I'm almost done knitting the sweater.



Of course this does mean that then I'll have to dive into the finishing but I think I'm up for it. Just need to knit faster on the sleeve and stop getting distracted by other projects, like socks on two circular needles!



What a fun way to knit socks! I love it! You may have to drag me kicking and screaming back to knitting socks on double pointed needles. Screaming and kicking!

Last night I skipped PurlyGirls and headed over for a spinning class which kicked MY ASS! Kicked it! But I also secretly loved it. I'm planning on riding STP this summer and so I need to get my cycling back into gear. No worries, I will be at PurlyGirls next week.

Ags



This weekend, a friend (Alithea) from high school came up from California for visit. Ali and I hung out EVERY day in junior high and high school along with Mot. This weekend we had dinner and this morning we met again for brunch. The hoots of laughter coming from our table at both restaurants caused other patrons to turn and stare at all of us. Ahhh this weekend was filled with some fun belly-laughing times!

I also went on a photo day with some other friends and afterwards stopped by the yarn shop where I picked up some sock yarn in GREEN!



Can you see that this GREEN yarn is made by FROG Tree? I had to get this alpaca yarn in green when I saw it was made by Frog Tree. And tonight I started my first pair of socks on two circular needles. So far, so good!

Little to Report

I have little upon which to report today. I did update my Reading Blog and am very happy to say that I have 23 more books to read over the next 10 1/2 months to reach my goal of 30 books this year.

I'm also thinking about which picture to submit for Photo Friday. This week's theme is "Rural" and I'm positive that I have the perfect picture. The only problem is that it is in storage which means I need to head over there and dig through some boxes to find the right image.

After Spanish class last night I was much too tired to knit on Lara so I watched ER and went to bed. Tonight I'm having dinner with a friend who lives in California. There will be a large group of us there and I'm looking forward to the guaranteed fun time!

All Lara, All the Time

This week has been a race to finish Lara and I can see the finish line. I feel like I'm at mile 20 of a marathon and I know that the last 6.2 miles will be rough but are very do-able.



Last night I attended the Seattle Knitting Guild and heard a presentation on Swedish Knitting. The speaker also talked about different styles of knitting which I am now very keen to explore but the best part of last night was the knitting time! I finished up the very long and boring 42 rows of St St over a billion stitches and started binding off toward the sleeve. I go to the top few rows of the sleeve.



Right now I wish I didn't have to work today and could just knit the sleeve! My goal is to have this blocking by Saturday morning. WOW-WEEE!

Jessica and I are also plotting together about attending the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. I'm VERY excited at the prospect but need to figure stuff out. Anyone else planning on attending? Has anyone attended and has great tips?

Ahhhh off to plan!

Putting You On Notice

The Seattle Knitting Guild meeting is tonight at the Wedgwood Presbyterian Church starting at 6:30 p.m.

Tonight's meeting features Carol Rhodes who is the technical editor of Spin-Off magazine and she will be presenting a slide show and a talk on Scandinavian Knitting.

Also check out Self Portrait Day. I love this idea!

And a self portrait (wiht LUCY!) in honor of "Self Portrait Day"

Interweaving Lara

I've been hard at work on Lara, knitting through the endless rows and rows of St St but I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel! I have 10 more rows of straight St St before I head into the homestretch of decreases and sleeve formation!



Of course the endless knitting distraction continues to strike! Last night I received my Interweave Knits!


See that cute pink heart in the corner? It was my valentine from Zubin! I love it!

The best part about receiving the magazine was that last week, I received a notice to "ACT NOW" and extend my subscription.



BUT at that point in time, I hadn't even received the very first magazine of my subscription (which was wonderfully gifted to me by my friend Krista). Now that is EARLY subscription extension!

I didn't have time for much more than a quick glance through the magazine when I got home last night but there are some wonderful designs! I think I spied a sock pattern that might be in my knitting future.

Last night in honor of what a good friend calls, "Black Monday" (he always makes me laugh so hard!), Mot and I went out to the Stranger's Valentine's Day Bash with Dan Savage. We also brought along a new friend named Heather. (For reference, Mot and Heather attend school together.) So the Bash was both fun and sad. People bring in mementos of failed relationships, share their sad story of woe and then have Dan destroy the item on stage. People brought in everything from handmade vases to a box of tampons and a wooden pear. People had such tales of woe that one's heart broke for them but I could also see how the destruction of a love momento could be healing. We left around 10 p.m. BUT I do wish that we could have stayed longer. Heather and Mot were very understanding about leaving since it was a school night and I do need my rest in order to do something resembling work!

My Name is Ixie

This past weekend, I dogsat my nephew, Phoenix. He is about 5 months old and quite the handful. There are constant potty breaks outside, toys to be fetched and cats for him to chase. And most importantly (for him), there was yarn to be chewed on!


I rescued the yarn shortly after this was taken!

Julie and Zubin got the chance to meet Phoenix. Zubin LOVED Phoenix and they played for over an hour. It only took a short time for Phoenix to get over Zubin's size and get chomping on his tail and paws. Phoenix has NO fear and Zubin did his best to get down to Phoenix's level so they could play. Phoenix was worn out though and slept the entire way home.

Phoenix thought Julie was the Bee's Knees and followed her around. She asked if he had a nickname and I said I didn't think so. After some careful thought, she whispered, "I'm going to call him Ixie!" AND I think he likes it!

Ixie also liked Julie's boyfriend, Eric and devoted time to sitting in his lap while chewing on his leg.



There was fun! There was chewing! There was leaping! In the end, I think Phoenix had fun. I know Zubin did!

I'm sure that right now Ixie is missing me. Yep, my brother may deny it and my sister-in-law might think otherwise, but he misses me right now. Yep, he does!


Lady, Give me the yarn and no one gets hurt!

So Much Cuteness

Because I too can post animal cuteness like Rachel, I present Roux of Peanut Butter Parfait fame! His Mum recently sent me these photos which made me want to snuggle him. I think I need a Roux visit!



Here is Roux after attacking the snow in search of those peanut butter parfaits.

and Roux resting up from an especially busy day of barking and sleeping.



And yes, I've used Roux to distract you from the fact that there is no knitting to show today!

This weekend I'm watching my brother's pup! *Mwhahaha* I'm going to undo ALL the training they've been doing! He will become *Mad, Crazy Pup!* "MWHAHAHAHAHAH*

Overflowing

It is time for a round-up of all projects Rebecca is working on! This is so I can try to gain some control over them (but in reality, I know it won't work but this is still fun!)

1. Hooded Weekend Sweater: I've finished two sleeves and the hood. I'm about five inches into the back.

2. Lara: I'm about halfway through this project and just need to stay on task!

3. Shedir from Knitty: I have to admit that I wasn't paying attention and got the cables messed up. There will be some ripping involved in getting this project back on track.

4. Flower Basket Shawl from Interweave Knits: I haven't started this project as of yet but I did make a photocopy of the pattern so I could color-code the graphs. Unfortunately I discovered last night that the yarn I wanted to use isn't right but I think I may have the right kind in the stash. If not, to the store!

5. Scarf from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts: I've just barely started this and really have nothing to show. It is supposed to be a quick knit so when I actually knit on it, I'll have something quick!

6. ChicKnits Sitcom Chic: I have that yarn, I've done a swatch, I just need to knit! This would be perfect for spring!

Hmmmmm maybe I don't have too many actual WIPs going on or maybe I'm forgetting a lot. I think I'll need to check up on stuff to see what is going on once I get home from Clasé de Español. I know there are lots of socks that I've either started or want to start but now I'm wondering if I have more projects that I want to do versus ones I've actually started! This could be good! For now, I'm concentrating on the list above.

Off to concentrate!

Spring

As I walked out to my car this morning, I spotted the first sign of Spring in the neighbor's yard.



The tulips and irises were peeking out. I think they were confused over the high temperatures we've had in the last few weeks. Unfortunately for them, this week has been in the 20s so I think they might be in danger of freezing!



Yesterday I cast on for the back of the Hooded Weekend Sweater and quickly knit along. Now I just wish I had time today to knit away!

I do get to meet up with PurlyGirl Megan for happy hour tonight and that will be fun!

Departing Sleeve Island



I decided to do things a bit differently around here. I went to sleeve island first for this sweater. And it has been worth it! Last night I finished the second sleeve (well up to where the sleeve cap shaping begins and then it went onto a stitch holder) and cast on for the back this morning.

For now I'm trying very hard to stay focused on the Hooded Weekend Sweater and on Lara. I realized last night at Purly Girls that both of these have been hanging around much TOOOOOO long. I realized how long they had been hanging out when Jessica said, "You are STILL working on Lara?" Ermmmmm, well while I may have started this in September, I didn't work on it from October to January -- PRIME LARA WEARING SEASON! So now I need to get these done so I can potentially wear them this year. Yep, new focus....must focus....focusing....Jessica! I'm not focusing! Look at all the pretty shiny yarn everywhere!

Check out Jessica in this article. What stars!

UPDATED:

Are you people trying to distract me? A few months ago, when Norma was my Secret Pal, she sent me two skeins of gorgous alpaca yarn. I have finally realized that these two skeins would be perfect for the flower basket shawl from Interweave Knits. And now I need to cast on for this project! Oh the distractions! (they are lovely though!)

Scrappy

With inspiration from Wish Jar Journal, I did a bit of journal collage today and since Lara progress is slow, I needed something to distract from that project.



Yesterday at lunch, I visited Home Depot and grabbed handfuls of paintchips. Once I got home last night I found a photo contact sheet and began mixing up the samples. Disney does their paint chips in the shape of a mouse so I knew I had to include at least one of those. Then I did some sketches to fill out the white-ness. I have to say that I like it. It is a start. Not sure where I'm going but the journey is always more fun that the end destination.

Now I need to go and think on the
Photo Friday theme for this week. It's "Distorted". Hmmm now that is a CHALLENGE!

Aburrida

Estoy muy aburrida. I am very bored today. VERY very bored. The office is quiet and the sun is shining outside but here I sit, bored. I've been browsing blog sites and was very inspired by Wish Jar Journal. I even visited Home Depot to pick up paint chips to use creatively. So now those ideas are percolating around in my head but I am still bored. *sigh*

I also noticed that the newest theme for the Month of Softies is up and I have some ideas bouncing around for this on! I'll definitely be participating this month.

And so in closing, here is a photo I took at the National Cathedral when I was in Washington DC. I love doors.

Knitting, Knitting


Again, sorry for the bad photo! Winter lighting early in the morning is not working out so well!

Lara is still going strong at Supergirl's house. I've completed the right front ribbed band and am now knitting the 42 rows of a billion stitches. I have a bad feeling this part will drag on! But this does mean that I am getting closer to actually finishing this piece and really close to wearing it!

If you are looking for a new project, check out Ryan! She's "sponsoring" The Dulaan Project which will ship knitted projects to those in need in Mongolia. Go check it out and then Participate!

Gidget


I apologize for the dark and not so good photo but I took this in my car with the dark gloomy winter sky as my light.

Mail brought me a wonderful prize today from Gidget Casts On. A few weeks ago (or something like that), I suggested a pattern stitch for her father's scarf and today I received a PRIZE for my suggestion. Not only does her Dadscarf look awesome but I have more YARN! I really like how she combined two pattern stitches to make such a wonderful present. Now I need to sit down and decide what to do with this new treat! I love thinking about new projects and exploring all the possibilities. Sometimes the pre-planning is more fun than the actual project. In pre-planning you have so many opportunities and so many choices, your imagination can take you anywhere.