CraftyME: Watch it now....

Hey YOUs,
 Just popping in real quick to show off my current project. I finally did it...Cast on for my first sweater!! Yay. Go ME go ME.

It's the $5 in Paris sweater. But my version is Phree in Philly. So I'm not staying here long cause I gotta get back to knitting. More details to come. Catchya later.

CraftyME: Prepping for Stitches East....

CraftyME decided to prep for Stitches by actually using some of the fiber-y goodness I acquired on my visit to Maryland Sheep & Wool Fest back in May. I mean I did kinda splurge a bit, so I should at least know if those were good purchases or not, right? They all pass the pretty test, but how are they to work with and will they make a pretty FO as well.

 Let's start with the biggest splurge, shall we?

Tess Designer Yarns MicroFiber Ribbon

Had I not purchased this yarn, I would have probably stayed pretty close to my MDS&W budget. It was a bit pricey. But I had I not purchased this yarn, I would not have been able to make the awesome-ness known as my RockStar Coachella. I loved working with this yarn. If $ were no object, I would def add this to the SE list.

Tess Designer Yarns Superwash Merino Lace

Um yeah, no. I can't say that I care for this yarn. But it has nothing to do with the quality of the yarn. I just came to a realization after trying to make the famed Citron. Me and lace weight yarn do not equal a match. It is entirely to light for my tastes. I felt like I was gonna break it the whole time. I considered adding beads to try to weigh it down a bit. But yeah, I tossed this project in the "Sure I'll finish this....one day..." basket with the quickness.

Miss Babs Yummy Superwash Sock & Baby Yarn

I like this yarn. I like the way it feels to work with it. I like the color. I don't love the color. That's the only thing. I'm not a fan of variegated yarn. I wasn't sure how this was gonna knit up, but it was so pretty in the skein. Luckily, it's not uber-pool-y like some variegates. So it gets a like. Maybe in another color-way it could get a love. Now as for this project, it's in time out. You know how I posted about life lines? Yeah, well some how one of my life lines didn't stay put like it was supposed. And it just happened to be discovered as I was finishing up the last row in a chart.  The row that as soon as I finished it, I would have been adding a lifeline into the next one. Yeah that one.  So instead of a FO we've got a TO until I feel like frogging back to the previous lifeline.

Miss Babs Windsor Handpainted Sock Yarn

I LOVE this yarn!! The color is beautiful and working with it is a dream. It's slightly heavier than the other sock yarns that I have used to knit sox. And that makes the sox just fly off my needles. Had I not taken the time to work on some other projects, I would have been finished with my Iris Ivys. I'm definitely buying some more of this stuff.

Tess Designer Yarns Super Socks & Baby

The color of this yarn is so pretty. And I have 2 skeins. I just don't know what to make with it. But in the efforts to sample, I did go ahead and wind it up. I'm torn between making the Revontuli wrap or just casting on some sox. I don't really know if this yarn is gonna be stripey, variegated, or some where in between. Hmm what to do, what to do? We'll come back to this one.

Creatively Dyed Yarn Beaches

Ugh this yarn is the bain of my existence right now!! I love the colorway. Such a pretty green. So much yardage. And I even have the project picked out for it. Well 2 projects that I can't decide between, Fizzi or Multnomah . But IDK what happened. After I wound up the Tess SuperSocks, I put this one on my swift. Very quickly it became apparent that something was amiss within the skein.

 And now I'm left with this. I spent a whole night trying to detangle and wind by hand. Dude if I didn't spend damn near $30 on this yarn, I would so be throwing it in the trash right about now. So it too is on TO until I feel like diving back into the detangling process.

As it stands right now, I will be adding Miss Babs Windsor to my must purchase list. And Tess MicroFiber ribbon will go on the splurge list. Next up we'll see what vendor list stalking will turn up. Stay tuned.

WannaME: Gearing up for Stitches East.....

Good Morning YOUs,
 What a beautiful, crisp, sunny October Saturday. I say this as I lounge in bed, with absolutely no plans to venture out there. Today will be filled with laundry, knitting, blogging, and prepping for Stitiches East 2010. I think WannaME and TouristyME may be just a tad bit over-excited about Stitches. This will be my first time attending and I can't wait. It will also be the first time in years that I will be traveling all by myself. No MOH. No MiniME. Just ME. Calgon has finally responded to my pleas and will be here in 2 weeks to take me away on a mini-vacation to be filled with yarny, fibery, goodness. Ahhhhhhhh.

 Luckily, Stitches is taking place in Hartford,CT. Have I mentioned that I am FROM CT?!?  And that all of my family is in various parts of CT?!? So yeah I get to go visit my Mommy and Sis, and cousins etc. This also means that I don't have to worry about lodging. Although Mom  & Sis live about 45 mins to an hr away, I have tons of cousins who still live right in HTFD. So if I don't feel like driving I can crash somewhere.
 
So how exactly does one prep for an event like this? Well if you are crazy like ME, that means making lists and lists and lists. Lists of where to go. Lists of what to bring. Lists of what to make. Lists of lists to make. lol. See, crazy right? No,I'm just trying to keep WannaME in check. Cause I know as soon as I get there one of two things is gonna happen. I'm either gonna want to buy like everything I see. Or I am going to get soooo overwhelmed at the amount and variety of stuff and then not know what to buy or not want to buy anything. So I am researching and researching some more.

I've been all over OCS trying to find patterns that I'm really interested in making. Reading forums, looking at O.P.P. (Other People's Projects) seeing what yarns are getting good reviews. I've stalked the Stitches website for months waiting for the vendor list to be posted. Then I'm on the vendor sites, checking out pricing and yardage. Seeing if I can just order from them online.

 Dude, I'm so hyped about this trip. By the time it gets here I am gonna be missioned out. I'm going into that convention center with a plan, man. Armed with a budget and a shopping list. And I will stick to it! WannaME will not lose her frickin mind like she did at MDS&W, where I may or may not have spent double what I brought with me to spend. No sirree Bob. Not this time!  I'm gonna put my plan out there for you all to see. And when I get back I'll compare what I got to what I said I would get. I'm issuing the challenge to WannaME...control yourself. Will she be able to?.......Stay tuned.

CraftyME: sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY!

Can I just say I F'LUV Sundays. More than just Sundays, I luv Football Sundays. In Casa de ME, Sundays in the fall are certified "Be a lazy bum all day long, lay on the couch, snack, watch football. ALL DAY" Well for ME, I try to get most of the chores done on Saturday and then finish up what's left bright and early Sunday morning. No sleeping in for me.  But it's so ok. Cause come 1pm I'm chillaxin til bedtime.

Do you know what this means to a Crafty person such as myself??? 8-9 hrs of basically free knitting time. yessirre bob. Of course that includes bathroom breaks, and snack breaks, and checking on MiniME, oh and a nap. But yeah I just sit and knit and watch the games. Ah that's living man, that's living.

This Sunday was devoted to knitting slouchy, cabled hats. This past week I cast on the SYTYCD hat in hopes having a cute little "I'm a lazy bum who doesn't feel like re-twisting my locs this week" hat.You know just a little something to toss on in case I went out Sat nite. Unfortunately, just because size 8 and size 6 dpns are the same color, they aren't the same size. And if you knit a hat on size 6s instead of size 8s, you end up with a cute little hat. Emphasis on the word LITTLE. Luckily, it's just small enough to fit MiniME, so she will be rocking it to school this fall.

So Sat morning I ran out to AC Moore (after doing a little bit of damage at Old Navy's $16 jacket sale) to pick up some size 10 dpns and a size 11 24" circular needle to try my hand at the Star Crossed Slouchy Beret. Just to change it up a bit. Got the ribbing done on the 10s no prob. But once I switched to the circs, things got a little dicey. The pattern says you have to magic loop for a little bit. Um hello, either I was doing something really wrong or you can't really magic loop on 24". It wasn't happening. Yeah, Sunday morning, I kindly drove all the way back to AC Moore and exchanged those circs for some dpns.

Now cableing is tricky in and of itself with that pesky little cable needle. Then toss in a set of 5 double pointed needles and it becomes a whole new ball game. 

However, I'm very happy to say it was so worth it. Cause now I have a jaunty little cap to sport on my so in-need of being re twisted locs.

 Oh by the by. Let me introduce my new hat models Violet and Blue.

 I picked up Violet for MiniME on Saturday's outing. Of course MOH took one look at it her and was like "It's like a real life Chuzzle!!!! Do they have it in Blue?!?!?" He loves that game. So Sunday I had to get one for him too. Soon they will be joined by Scarlett because now that I look at them, they are kinda really cute. WannaME wants one too. lol.

RememberME: Memory Monday... Comfort foods revisited

So last week we talked about comfort foods. There was one more that I wanted to mention. Unfortunately I had run out of it at the time. Since I made a trip to Target for some staples yesterday and remembered to pick some up, I bring you....

Lipton Noodle Soup! This stuff makes me think of my Mom and only my mom. This is her one of her absolute fav foods second only to my Gram's spaghetti. We would eat this stuff all the time! Now that I'm all growed up, I buy the kind with the extra noodles. But I still put an ice cube in the bowl before I eat it. Just like Mom used to make. Lol

InterestME: Books

One of my first loves has basically been abandoned since I've become so obsessed with knitting, crafts, blogs, etc. Way back in the day I used to crochet and read. And way way back in the day, I used to just read. All the time. I would pick up a book and not put it down until it was done. Even if I had to stay up till all hours of the night to finish it.

Yeah, then came knitting. Anytime I have a free moment or two, I pick up the ol pointy sticks & string. Or I hop onto a computer and look at patterns to make in the future. Or I look at what other people have knit. Or I listen to people talk about what they have been knitting. Obsessed I tell you obsessed.
Several months ago WannaME decided that I was gonna become a well-read individual again. Yep. I was gonna read like there was no tomorrow. Um yeah, I'm sure we all know how that turned out. Put it this way, I couldn't even begin to tell you how long ago I started this book. It has to be about at least 6 months ago. Oh wait I when I started it, the movie hadn't come out in the movies yet. I wanted to read it before I saw it.

So I have good news and bad news. The good news: I finally finished reading The Time Traveler's Wife. The bad new: it's no longer in the movies. It's not even showing on HBO anymore. Yes folks it took me THAT long to read 1 book. At least it's on Netflix. I know this because I had to keep moving it down in my queue because I was still wasn't done.

I'm gonna try this again. This time I'm starting the book while they are just now beginning to shoot the movie. I WILL finish The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo before they start showing it on network t.v. I'm 15 pages in. But I did want to make a hat to match my blue jacket. And of course then I'd have to make matching fingerlings. And a matching scarf. And.... Oh hell, wish me luck. Lol

CraftyME: SpinME Got me going in circles...

So, Remember way back when I went to MDS&W? I got a little intrigued with the idea of spinning.

But then I tried it in a demo and was like nah maybe another time.

 Later in the summer I got the idea again. This time I ordered a couple of spindles from Etsy. I keep trying it and I keep not getting the hang of it.

And then I keep trying some more. This time the try came courtesy of a chance finding on OCS (onlinecrackspot aka ravelry.) I had been taking a little bit of a time out from OCS just because I wasn't feeling particularly crafty/sociable. But one Sat morning when I was determined to put myself back out there in the world, I saw a single post on a local board. Come spin with us today for WWSIP day. That's World Wide Spin In Public day for my non crafty friends. There were only 3 people signed up for it. I decided to take a walk on the wild side and drive on down to Franklin Square Park.

So I get there and all I see are kids playing in the playground and riding the colorful carousel.

 And a bunch of teenagers gathering around the beautiful fountain. Yeah no spinners. I sat and waited and waited and sat. After a while I started to give up on my chance to learn from some real life spinners and began to walk back to my car. Well sitting there at the far corner of the park was a lady with drop spindle spinning away.

 And she was talking to another lady who had a spinning wheel folded up on a little cart next to her! Yay! I could get some help after all!

Soon we 3 became more. And just as one hopes when you have a WWanythingIP event, people were intrigued. Some even shyly inquired about our activity.

I got some really helpful tips on getting started with my drop spindle. Come to find out my spindle may be a little to heavy for the type of roving I was using.

That's why I kept having such a hard time drafting. So you know what this means right? I get to add a new spindle to my shopping list for Stitches East!!! Now to find some $$$ to pay for it. lol. Hey man I've gotta master this here spinning thing. I just gotta.

HungryME: Comfort Foods

Karen Smith: " I can't go out (fakes cough) cough cough, I'm sick"
Regina George: "Boo you Whore"
---Mean Girls

Hey YOUs,
 I'm back. And I'm sick. But for reals, not like Karen Although my head is really cloggy so I feel about as airheaded as her right about now. So anyways I'm sitting here in bed watching one of my fav movies, the aforementioned Mean Girls. It got me started thinking about a post I've been  meaning to write for a while now. Comfort Food!
 You know how it goes, you get sick and all you wanna do is lay in bed in your fav pjs and watch your fav movies. And sometimes eat your fav comfort foods. Now for me those pjs are my red flannel footed pjs along with my red & gray fingerless mitts and Eeyore hoodie. Don't forget the fuzzy slippers.

 At first I thought it would be easy to pick my fav sick day meals. But then I realized that I actually have a couple of go-to stand-bys. Let's discuss the top 4 shall we...

1.Tea and peanut butter toast...

For as long as I can remember my mom's default response to any complaint of illness or injury was "Take some Advil and drink some tea"  Headache? Upset Stomach? Broken rib? "Take some Advil and drink some tea." Ok well maybe not to the broken rib. But only because I've never actually broken a rib. And if you are gonna have tea and Advil, you need to eat a little something with it. Enter the peanut butter toast. Now it's just what you do.

2. Cream of Wheat...

a.k.a creamaree. The best breakfast of all time. That stick to your ribs warm you up from the inside out goody goodness. Add a little butter, milk, & sugar yum. Don't forget a couple of tiny lumps for that homemade taste.

3. Pot pies....

Oh not just any pot pies. No it has to be Swanson pot pies. Period. The End. And you know what sucks? They only carry them at certain markets around here every now and again. I don't want Banquet or any of those other kinds. Swanson's have the best crust on the top & BOTTOM. 5 mins in the microwave and mmmm. Just be careful that you don't burn your tongue by being too greedy and not letting the steam cool off.I'm just saying...

4. Grilled Cheese & tomato soup...

If you know me IRL (in real life) then you know I have a couple of dogmas that I'm kinda adamant about. One is that if I'm gonna watch a scary movies it has to be on Sunday mornings. (GOD's a little less busy that day so he can watch over me a little more) And another is that if I'm gonna eat grilled cheese & tomato soup  it has to be on Wednesdays. This stems from my days as a waitress in college. We had the same specials every week. Mon Hot Turkey Sandwiches. Tues Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches. Wed Grilled Cheese tomato soup. Thurs Meatloaf. Fri Fish Sandwich. I got to eat for free. So I usually just ate the special. Now it's just what I do, it doesn't taste right on any other day.

So there you have it, HungryME's top 4 comfort foods. There are a few more but we'll just save those for a later date and time. Oh wait I just thought of a really good one. Here's a bonus:

FRENCH FRIES!!!! ...

I F'LUV french fries. Morning noon or night. And you know when they are really good? After a good night of drinking and dancing with friends.  So tell me guys, what are some of your fav comfort foods?