Bron's Blog II

Happy Halloween!

How about an FO on Friday? Now there's a scary thought!

This bit of neckline is done with almost one full ball of yarn. I'll knit one more in, then cast off. I've done a couple of things differently but I'll go over that during the big reveal. ;)

Just cross your fingers it fits, OK?

Colin & I have today off (P/T conferences at school) but alas - not much time for knitting. I have a few errands to run & then loads of floors to clean over at the old house. Sigh.

Then tonight it's trick-or-treating!

Have a happy & safe Halloween - I'll see you on the Day of the Dead!

Goals Met

(For once!)

Abi's sleeves are finished:

(The second half of The Soprano's 6th season is out - great knitting time!)

Dylan's party went smoothly with lots of Halo3 time:

Pizza:

And cake:

Just to give Emma equal time because Arnold's been getting all the hoopla:

The only thing that didn't get finished was the old house & truly...I think it is the house from hell & will NEVER be finished! We did, however, finish filling up the dumpster. They'll be by for it today. This week the boys & I will mop floors & finish cleaning up inside. The it's just the stuff still left in the garages that Doug will have to get since we don't know what to keep & what to throw.

It should get listed on the MLS in another week or so (for some reason our real estate agent will be having computer down time & won't be able to list until around Nov. 6th) and then we can quit worrying about the damn thing. It'll be out of our hands...and into St. Joseph's. ::wink:: 

Hey - I swear it worked with our rental so of course I'll bury another statue!

I have two half day jobs (orchestra) for today & tomorrow but I bet I'll be doing some clerical work of some sort to make a full day. Then Wed. (Halloween! Yay!) Colin & I have off due to P/T conferences at school. Thursday I have Sped. science & then Friday no job as yet. It's shaping up to be an easy week....here's hoping that's what happens! :)

For all of us, eh?

A Sweater This Weekend?

Probably not. Sigh.

The final push for the old house is on. Doug's taking the kids over today & getting the last of our crap out & doing last minute things (like switch plates) then we're turning it over to our real estate agent. Hopefully by Monday we won't have to go over there ever again - except to fix what comes up on inspection!

In the meantime, I'll be at THIS home cleaning & spiffing for Dylan's Halloween/Birthday party. With only 4 guys coming over this evening it's probably going to turn into a Halo party instead but still - I haven't really cleaned the place in weeks and it makes a good excuse for me to do it.

Work is going well - for me at least. I got to sub for a teacher who's my buddy yesterday and had a great time. Some of the Sped. classes/teachers, however, aren't so lucky. The new teacher didn't show yesterday (this was her first week!) so subs had to cover the classes. (These are Sped. kids with behavior issues.) One sub had to call in an officer, the Dean of Students and two other helpers to have any kind of control over the kids. That's nothing against the sub either - it's the kids who are uncontrollable by any teacher. The foul language, the threats of violence, etc. No-one should ever have to put up with that.

I did "take one for the team" on Thursday and taught several inclusion science classes instead of another sub. Unfortunately the teacher doesn't want to be there at all and it shows in his non-control of his classroom. It was...exhausting.

But last night I got some more done on the sleeves:

Which gives me hope for at least finishing them and joining all the parts this weekend. Once that's done, the yoke shouldn't take long at all.

I've been meaning to mention that I bit the bullet & subscribed to "Sandra":

Last month's issue had some interesting things in it but this one didn't really do much for me. I kinda liked these:

And if you take away the fun fur cuffs and scarf, the vest underneath is nice & basic:

Have you all seen Giselle by Marnie MacLean offered through Stitch Diva Studios? I'm really taken with the knit/crochet option. The wrap style would be flattering too......Hmmmmmm......

In the same email I learned there was a "Bead-A-Day" Beading calendar. I'll have to look for it at B&N today. :)

Here's one last thing: How many of you pay attention to links to other blogs on sidebars? I still do (even if only to notice a long-time knit buddy has dropped me from their blog lists! Yikes!) But I'm wondering if anyone surfs the blogs through those links any more? Since newsreaders came to the fore I've been very bad about updating my blog links with new blogs I've discovered. (No - I don't drop "old friends" unless they disappear from blogland - I hate to hurt people's feelings.)

Just curious - if you have an opinion, please weigh in!

I know I still get a little thrill whenever I see someone has linked to me. :)

 

Endless Sleeves And A New Book

But then again, don't all sleeves seem endless at one point or another? I'm almost to my elbow with these:

And I'm glad I bought a few more balls of yarn. I might not need all 4, but I'll probably need an extra 2. I'm really resisting the urge to start something new - I want to have an FO before moving on. But....this book was tempting me last night:

Young and hip, like Crochet Me the online magazine, this has some really fun patterns and good tips. Most of the clothing calls for DK weight yarn and thinner (yay!) so the garments will be light and "drapey" - not like you're wearing a bathroom rug. ::grin::

I really liked these patterns (yep - one's by Annette as usual):

And this - this fascinated me:

Man, I've GOT to try it! It's so 20s with a 60s flair. That makes sense, right?

There is a rug, a basket and a shopping bag...and even thigh highs for the adventurous out there. For crocheters wanting something new and a little edgy, this one's for you.

I'm keeping it 'cause I'm edgy at heart. ::wink::

Now - I just need to buy more DK weight yarn!

Happy 15th, Dylan!

"What, you want a picture of me looking like a little golem?"

"Sure - it's cute."

"Aaaaargh!"

Hehehehe

Amazing What A Little Paint Can Do

Remember Doug's new truck?

For his B-day (the 16th) he got it painted. Here's the new version:

Doesn't even look like the same truck. It's so sporty now - He's totally psyched. ;)

Dylan's birthday is tomorrow - I'm post something totally sappy I'm sure.

In the meantime I managed some significant sleevage while watching "Rise of the Silver Surfer" last night:

I wanted to thank everyone who weighed in on the new Knit Picks wooden needles. I did order a couple of sets along with this book because it has this cardigan in it.

Why on earth have I ignored all the lovely cables in that book for so long?

This yarn:

Would make a lovely "Jack's Cardigan." Although I'll switch the buttons to the other side & call it "Jill's." ::wink::

I Want Them Just Because They're Pretty

So there!

Those new Harmony wood needles from Knit Picks really look intriguing. I'm going to order some today because I've been having trouble with my Denise set. The connections are wearing down with use. I've had to throw away two cords because the plastic nub that snaps into the needle has rubbed away and won't stay in the little hole any more. Bummer! Of course, the set IS plastic and I've had it for going on 5 years now. I'm thinking a certain amount of wear and replacement is to be expected.

I've never, ever used wooden needles but I'm thinking the interchangeable option would be a plus for me. I'm also going to order the set of Harmony cable needles. I prefer a J hook cable needle, but again - the pretty wood is too much for me to resist! Has anyone out there used these yet?

Hmmmm....now to decide if I want enough from Knit Picks to hit the free shipping at $45!

I have two large turquoise rectangles now:

And am working on the sleeves. I'll be doing a reverse single crochet edging on the bottom and cuffs, while making the neckline about 3" higher - I want to be able to wear this to work!

CPAD

I received my free copy in the mail the other day:

And although I was disappointed in the contents - way too many yarn company patterns not enough "regular folks", I was tickled to see my pattern (and my head!) in print!

There are many crocheters that I know who have patterns in the calendar (Deneen has three!) so it was fun "finding" everyone. :)

I'm "working" up to my work rant - I'm thinkin' it'll be along tomorrow. ::wink:: Let me just say: just when you think you have everything figured out, they change the rules. Isn't that always the case??? Sigh.

Guess What's Coming Fast?

Lowe's has all their special Christmas light up/sing/dance/do back-flips decorations in & I just couldn't resist this one. Once the stock is gone, it's gone and there were only two of these left. Gingerbread houses were on my mind because I'd just found the pattern to one I'd made years ago at Annie's Attic and was going to order it to make again.

I'll still order the pattern - you really can't have enough gingerbread houses and the one I made is on it's last legs...or is that lollipop sticks? ;)

But that got me thinking of another Christmas project I wanted to make:

I bought all the yarn in January of last year and finally, while watching "Hostage" last night, I got a start on it:

The pattern is a lot easier than it looks - I'm already finished with half of the first chart...just 9 more wedges to go!

During "Flight of the Living Dead" I got some more work done on Abi - my turquoise sweater. I'm almost finished with the back.

On a whim at Michael's I picked up this mag:

I didn't look through it until I got home. I kind of liked the Christmas pillows:

But I can't decide about this coat:

Is the collar too much? Or does it "make" the coat?

Here's Arnold, just 'cause I can:

Happy Monday!

I Bought Beryl

Have you?