Merry Christmas!

Mele Kalikimaka!

I hope everyone's Christmas or other winter holiday was all that they wished for. We're still celebrating although Bernie is at work today. The kids and their friends are in the next room enjoying the Wii. I think they're playing baseball.

We enjoyed dinner at the fire station on Christmas Eve. They guys cooked a fabulous meal with deep fried turkeys and some ham with all the side dishes we all love. They had a whole table devoted to desserts of all kinds. The best part? They cleaned up after the whole thing!

Santa brought me the umbrella swift that I asked for. I have a ball winder already. I also got a craft store gift card that will be put to good purpose. The evening was spent in the hot tub being serenaded by Il Divo. They weren't really there, but it sure sounded like they were!

I have been busy knitting also. On Saturday, I knit a cap from a ball of Noro Kureyon that I forgot I had. Then yesterday, I made a pair of fingerless mittens, also out of one ball of Kureyon. I wanted to see if I could make the pair with one ball so they're not as long as I would have liked but will still fit nicely under a coat or jacket. Unfortunately, the cap and mitts are not from the same colorway so I'll have to make another cap in the same colorway as the mitts. Awwww shucks!



I have lunch to cook so I'd better log off.
Aloha!

Felted soap part deux

Steph, Sidra and I had a very impromptu get together today at Nancy's Quilt Shop. Barb was teaching a class on knitting washcloths and soap sacks as well as the making of felted soaps. We were too late for the class but stayed and knitted with some of the "regulars" for awhile. Instructions from HGTV on soap felting here.

I had already tried my hand at felted soap last night with some roving I already had but had to pick up more at Nancy's because she had some awesome colors. I came home and immediately felted another 7 bars of soap. Bernie was ticked because he thought I felted every bar of soap in the house and has no desire to use my felted soap. I did manage to leave a few bars unfelted, honest! My favorites to felt are the Dove bars and a soy soap I had because they are both rounded. I did felt a rectangular shaped bar but the corners weren't fun to deal with. The roving was under $12 for an 8 ounce bag and it looks like I haven't made a dent in the amount after felting 7 bars. Now I want to pick up more colors but will probably go to Wooly Wonders because it's closer to my house than Nancy's is. I'm sure there will be many more bars of felted soap in my future. Hmmm...I'm already thinking that these will make great Christmas gifts tied with raffia bows and little tags explaining their purpose and care instructions.

Felted soaps

Barb Tolleson, who is a member of our group, Las Vegas Knitters, will be holding a free demonstration of the felted soaps tomorrow (er, um, later this morning) at Nancy's Quilt Shop. They had several bags of wonderfully colored roving the other night when we went to knit with the regular ladies. I coveted but could not fondle as they were bagged. I also set aside a few skeins of Noro Kureyon that I have absolutely no clue what they will become. I'm considering putting them back on the shelf and just grabbing a bag of roving. Here is a picture of my felted soap. Okay, you should know that I am never one to leave an idea alone. While I was scrubbing away half the bar just to get the roving felted onto the bar of soap, I thought that it was such a waste of soap. I used an inexpensive bar of Dove soap this time, but what if I used a hand made soap? I thought that I could just knit or crochet a small bag in feltable wool that over time with use will felt down just like the roving, in theory anyway.This one is made with Paton's Soy Wool and used a very small amount of yarn so that if it works, I could get several felted soaps from one skein. I'll post after I've given it a go in the shower. Aloha!

Christmas is just a little early

Bernie and I ordered our Christmas gift today. We're so excited! We should have it in a couple of weeks. Here is a little sneak peek. Our only problem right now is figuring out how to get the dang thing into our back yard, which is almost all pool. We will probably have to hire a crane. We do feel very comfortable with the electrician, who just happened to walk into the showroom as we were talking to the owner of the store. He said that he is also a satisfied customer of the store. Cool! Overall, so far, we feel very good about the purchase. Cross your fingers, okay? It's not over yet.

I guess this means I won't be needing Homedics Shiatsu massage cushion that was on my list. I just really wanted that wooden swift, though. That's okay. Our anniversary and my birthday are coming up soon. Woohoo!

Belated Congratulations!

Following article as it appeared in the Las Vegas Review Journal:

A smiling Chris Faircloth summed up the feeling as his Las Vegas High football team celebrated on Saturday.
"It's great to be a Wildcat, at least it is today," Faircloth said.
It's been awfully good to be a Wildcat for the last six seasons. Las Vegas turned in a dominant second-half performance on the way to a 33-6 victory over Galena for the Class 4A state title at Sam Boyd Stadium.
It was Las Vegas' second consecutive title, and its third in six years. The Wildcats have played in four consecutive finals and five in six seasons.
"Last year felt great, but this year -- winning back-to-back -- feels even better," senior quarterback O'Ryan Bradley said.
Galena outgained Las Vegas 104-92 in the first half and the Grizzlies trailed only 7-6 at the break. Faircloth said the coaches challenged the team at halftime.
"We went in there and said, basically the team with the most heart is going to win this one, that's what it comes down to," Faircloth said. "We work all year for this opportunity, and if we let it go, it's because they deserve it. And if we win it, it's because we deserve it. And the kids responded and did a phenomenal job."
Las Vegas wasted no time taking control in the second half. On the second play, Bradley hit Daniel Durnian with an 86-yard touchdown pass that put the Wildcats up 13-6.
Durnian caught the ball near midfield, cut to his right and sped toward the end zone, diving over the goal line for the score.
"That's what won the game for us," Bradley said. "If we didn't do that, I don't think we would have won the game."
The Wildcats added another score while the wind was still at their backs when Robert Hackett scored on a 2-yard run with 3:03 to go in the third.
"The momentum turned completely and we took them completely out of the game," Faircloth said.
Bradley added a 16-yard touchdown pass to Chris Kelly on the second play of the fourth quarter to make it 26-6, and Jovan Massey returned an interception 12 yards for a score with 3:06 to play to cap the scoring.
It was Massey's second interception of the game. Las Vegas forced five turnovers.
"The defense, those kids love to play football," Faircloth said. "That's probably the biggest reason they're as good as they are. They like to run, they like to hit. You don't have to beg any of them to work hard, because they all work hard."
Las Vegas allowed only 47 yards of offense after halftime.
"Our 'D' just played phenomenal like they always do and got us the win," Bradley said.
Galena running back Jimmy Sargent rushed for 62 yards in the first half, but the Wildcats shut him down in the second half. Sargent finished with 68 yards on 27 carries.
"We had to stop the run," Faircloth said. "They were getting after us a little bit in the first half and getting some plays out. We knew if we didn't get that stopped, it was going to be a long second half."
Instead, it turned out to be a long half for Galena. Bradley was just 6-for-15 for 61 yards and one interception in the first half. But he was 8-for-11 for 169 yards in the second half to help the team march down the field.
"We had to get on him a little bit there," Faircloth said. "The kid always steps up to a challenge. He knew where to throw the ball, and made some great placements as to where to throw it.
"He really has control of this offense. If you don't have a quarterback to throw it where it needs to be, it's not going to happen."
Bradley completed passes to five receivers. Kelly led the way with six catches for 71 yards, and Durnian had four grabs for 137 yards.
"They showed us they could stop the run, and coach said, 'Let's go to the air,' " Kelly said. "That's what O'Ryan did. He spread the ball out. He's a hell of a quarterback."

Finished objects

Just finished this crochet moebius shawl the other night. I was too lazy to take pictures at the time. I think it was 2:00 a.m. Just had to get it done. I'm sure you know how that is. It took a little over one skein of Red Heart Plush, which is just like TLC Amore, in a deep purple color. I crocheted it on a size I hook and just made it up as I went along. When I started, it was going to be a shrug, then as it progressed I thought just a shawl, then it morphed into this moebius. I happen to have a dress that will go with this rather nicely.







I have been obsessed with coffee cozies lately. I have been wanting to make one for a long time and know how easy they are to make, but have had so many other things to make. I was working on a project for my sister and just had to take a break from that. I made myself a cafe latte and jumped right in. I was inspired by another coffee cup cozy that I found online. Mine are a bit different though. I made a few of these and gifted some of my friends while we were knitting together the other night. We were all matchy-matchy except for the colors of our fur.

Back to work!

Our new puppy, Sophie

Here is our little Sophie. Austin's mom had a dilemma. She had given her puppy, Sophie, to her mom. Her grandma just moved in with her mom and brought her dogs. It soon became apparent that there were too many dogs in the house and Sophie had to go. Since we had just lost Thor, she asked if we wanted another dog. Because of her pending homelessness, I relented. Anthony wanted another Maltese to fill the void that Thor left. Sophie just happens to be a Yorkshire Terrier/Maltese mix.
Not exactly what he was hoping for but since he had become aquainted with Sophie at Austin's house, he was cool with her coming to live with us. We got her on Friday and she did quite well. Today she peed and pooped in the house for the first time (that I know of!) which is surprising because she is housebroken and has been using the doggy door since she arrived. I think Sam is getting more comfortable with her. They seem to play during the day. Sam is so used to having a senior citizen for a friend that they never had much play time.
Here is a picture of Anthony and his friend, Austin after their first varsity game. They actually got in on a few plays after halftime. They won the game 46-7 and advanced to the Sunrise Regional semi-finals this Friday. Please wish them luck!

Goodbye, little man.

Our little Thor passed away this morning. He was 15 years old. He had been a very loyal companion for the 13 years he was a part of our family. I miss him dearly but I know that he is no longer suffering and has crossed the Rainbow Bridge to join his friend, Missy, who preceeded him 4 years ago. I take comfort in knowing that I will see him again when my turn comes.

We love you and miss you, Thor!

For those of you who don't know about the Rainbow Bridge, here is a copy of the poem:

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Is it a shrug or shracket?

Saw an episode of Uncommon Threads last week and it was about crocheted projects all starting with a very basic shrug and how you can change it up by just adding rows starting at the neck opening of the shrug. I think I'm making the shracket. I started late last night using some black RH Light & Lofty that I had in my stash. I originally bought it for an afghan but I can always get more later. I have made several shrugs in the past but I'm just getting back into wearing them. I only wear them around the house so far but if we go to the movies tonight, I'm definitely bringing one of them. This reminds me that I had never posted a picture of the shrug that I made out of the Paton's Soy Wool. Here it is. I'm pretty happy with it except that this yarn is very itchy. I have yet to wash it, which might help reduce the itch factor. We'll see. I crocheted it using an N hook and a simply 2dc, 1sc shell. I don't remember how many chains I started with but it's nice and loose and goes from my neck to my waist in the back.

Gotta run and get the little one from school.

Our San Diego quickie

Bernie worked the San Diego State vs Cal Poly game this past weekend so we took the opportunity to take Chris to Sea World and Legoland.  Anthony went to Disneyland with his friends, so didn't come with us.  We were lucky enough to have our two nephews, who go to college in San Diego and the surrounding area, join us for the football game.  It was great seeing them again.  Chris and I did Sea World while Bernie was doing his pre-game activities.  It was so cool watching him interact with the animals.  He loved feeding the sea lions, and inadvertently feeding the seagulls as well.  Those things are so aggressive!  Since Anheuser Busch has a presence there, we were able to see the Clydesdales.  There is even one named Chris.  At Legoland there was a boat made of Legos named Chris.  Too cool!  I got pictures!  I'll have to make Chris a little photo album with all of his vacation pictures in it.  Since I'm not a scrapbooker, this will really be a stretch for me.  I don't want to just slap pictures in a book.

Here is a firefighter and dalmation vignette made entirely of Legos.  How cool is that?

San Diego Oct 06 - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Are you ready for some football?

Are you ready for some football????????

It’s here!  It’s really, really here!  This is the time of year my husband impatiently waits for.  He salivates.  He drools in his sleep dreaming of it.  He is now in Reno, Nevada awaiting this evening’s kick-off of his first ever Mountain West Conference football game in the match-up between University of Nevada Reno and Colorado State.  He very carefully carted his zebra suit off to the airport yesterday morning in preparation for this battle on the gridiron.  He is in the big time now, baby!  I just wish this game was being televised so that I could record it for him.  I’m sure he can get a copy of it from UNR.  I’m glad his next three games are on TV.  

9/11/2007

Another anniversary begun with a feeling of dread. I've mentioned before that my husband is a Fire Captain and I am so proud of him. I also try not to think of what he encounters on the job. I try not to think of the dangers he faces every day he is at work. If I did, I'd go crazy. I would cease to function. I would be useless to my kids and to him until he's home safe and sound and then it would start again the next time he walks out the door. When he expresses concern over things that I do, I casually say, "Hon, I could walk out our front door and get hit by a truck." But I'm a smart-ass like that. I live in denial.

We just finished watching a documentary on 9/11 made by two French brothers who happened to be filming a documentary about a rookie NYC firefighter on 9/11/01. They revisited the firehouse where they filmed and interviewed firefighters that were there that day. It brought back all the fear and anger I felt back then. Part of me wants films like this shown every year so that people don't forget but then another part is afraid that the more people are reminded, they will get tired of seeing it and begin to avoid that part of our history. It's kind of like me averting my eyes from the mirror when my fat ass gets out of the shower. I know that I should look to remind myself to stay on my diet but then I figure if I don't look I won't see how fat I really am and, therefore, I'm not all that fat at all.

Why should I be so worried about a terrorist attack in Las Vegas? I think everyone who lives in a large city, especially a popular tourist destination that is easily accessible, should be worried. Do you remember that the 9/11 terrorists all met here in Las Vegas in the summer of 2001, supposedly to hash out their plan? ( And get lap dances and give lousy tips. Honest!) The authorities also think they were gathering surveillance footage of our city for future attacks. That's why I'm worried. That's why I won't sleep until my husband walks through the door after his shift is over. And he wonders why I can stay up until 3 a.m. when he's working but can't stay up to watch TV with him past 11 p.m. when he's home. Hmmmm, dunno!

Tubey is finally done

If you remember, I started Tubey as my Knitting Olympics event and Bode'd (Bode Miller, who?) it. I just got tired of carrying that albatross around my neck so I finished it last weekend. It took me a few hours and had to do the bind off twice. Can I just say that I don't feel that this pattern is attractive on my plus sized body? It is comfortable, though. I'll probably wear it around the house this fall. What is really stupid is that I, who never wears anything that exposes my arms, want to knit a tank top. Shouldn't I have started this when the weather was cold so I could wear it this summer? That's what's dumb. Now to find a plus sized friendly pattern.

Get well soon

Yesterday, my son, Anthony, had his first football scrimmage against Valley HS and Green Valley HS. He plays on the Freshman team at Las Vegas HS. Anyway, this scrimmage was the first test of how well all the kids play under pressure and gives the coaching staff a better idea of who belongs in the starting positions versus the 2nd and 3rd string. Anthony did really well and had some excellent blocks and tackles. He is a 1st string defensive lineman. There is talk of moving him up to the Junior Varsity (JV) team after just a couple of games, but we'll see. The coaches were trying to give all the kids a chance to play. Pretty hard, seeing that we have over 60 kids on the team. We were up against Green Valley and it was nearing the end of our scrimmage so the coaches put in our 3rd string quarterback. This kid was very small and skinny. I had never seen him before but I could tell that he didn't have a chance. He was too slow on the snap and couldn't run very fast. In fact, I turned to my friend and said that this poor kid is going to get his ass kicked. She told me that during practice, Anthony got a good hit on this kid and made him cry. After that incident, the defense wasn't allowed to touch him during practice. Back to the scrimmage...on his first play in, he tried running the ball and was tackled. On his second play he again tried running the ball. I remember thinking that this kid runs like a girl and shouldn't be running the ball. He's too slow! He was sacked by three players and didn't get up. Oh my God! He isn't moving. Everyone stopped. His father was on the sidelines taping the whole thing but he was on the opposite side of the field and couldn't see past the coaches who were now surrounding his kid. His mother didn't move. After Anthony got hit last season, I know the shock and denial of seeing your kid getting injured. You look on, thinking that he is going to jump up any moment. He just got the wind knocked out of him, right? I sat watching, reliving, hoping. They didn't remove his helmet. Oh no! Is it a neck or back injury? What's going on? I see one of the coaches on the phone, presumably calling for an ambulance. Dad walks slowly onto the field then puts his hand on his head. Mom comes on and looks as if she's crying as the coach grabs her hand. We learn minutes later that he suffered a compound fracture to his femur. You hate to see this happen to any child. Anthony told me that all of the players he knows had a feeling this would happen to him. They couldn't believe he was playing football. I give him credit for trying. I'm so sorry that his first experience ended this way.


Chris and I put this arrangement together this afternoon and we all were going to go to the hospital but found out that he wouldn't be out of surgery until 6 p.m. and I'm sure he would still be asleep long after that. I told Anthony that we'd have to visit tomorrow morning. I hope the flowers last until then.




I started this shawl yesterday because my shoulder was hurting too much while knitting and I wanted to see if crochet would aggravate it. I thought how much the colors reminded me of my sister, Sherry, and that I should send it to her for those cold Ohio nights. Funny thing is that she called me today to tell me that her husband got a job in Coral Springs, Florida and that they're moving in the next few weeks! Perhaps a charity could benefit from it. I'm sure if I thought hard enough, I could think of a friend who could use a "hug".

Another moebius done

This one was a quickie. Just finished it tonight and it is nice and cushy. It was done on size 35 needles with 2 strands of yarn. Perfect for sitting in bed reading or watching TV.

Instant gratification is a good thing!

The progress on my "traditional" moebius was going too slowly for me.  I wanted a moebius shawl NOW!  So I cheated a bit.  With the same yarn my current moebius is being made from, I cast on 35 stitches on size US 19 needles this morning and by midnight I had a completed shawl.  I just kept knitting garter stitch until it was long enough to go around me with a long drape and then I put a half twist in it and sewed the edges together. How cool is that?  Now I want a red one and a black one and maybe a purple one.  It only took 2 skeins of TLC Amore.  It's so snuggly and cushy.  Of course, I'm going to finish the other one I started.  Okay, off to bed.

Moebius progress

It's going slowly. I can't wait to see it off the needles. I want to see how really big it actually is. I went to DIY Network to see the pattern for the one Cat Bordhi made on Knitty Gritty and that scarf was only 80 stitches. Hopefully my gauge is off. Did I just say that? Who hopes their gauge is off? Obviously, an idiot knitter like me.





Guess what Chris is watching? Roll Bounce, again! I almost got suckered into it but quickly left the room.

Roll Bounce, Baby!

OMG!  This is the 4th time I've watched this movie today!  Today! 

I love this movie!  For those of you who haven't seen it yet, it's set in 1978 Chicago during the rollerskating craze.  Damn, but it brings back so many good memories of my youth.  My sister, Gina, and I used to skate every weekend from middle school through high school.  My husband was doing the same thing 3000 miles away.  In fact, he looked exactly like the kid, Naps, in the picture below on the far left.  I couldn't believe it when I saw the movie.  I screamed to my son, Chris, that that's what his Dad looked like when he was young.  I made Bernie sit and watch the movie and even he started laughing when he saw this kid.   Chris now wants to go skating tomorrow.  I'm afraid I'll break something, or fall and can't get up, or some other humiliating shit like that.  We'll see.

My Moebius Scarf

I'm just so happy that Cat Bordhi was on Knitty Gritty to share her Moebius cast on technique.  My friend, Sidra, tried to show me but as soon as I got home and attempted it on my own, I couldn't remember it.  I googled until I found a pattern that explained one version but it wasn't Cat's version.  That one involved doing a regular e-loop cast on using two needles so that the stitches were very loose.  Then you had to go back and pick up along the bottom of the cast on stitches.  It is twice the work of Cat's technique.
I have 150 stitches (which I think equals 300 stitches in moebius land) crammed on this size 10-40" inch cable.  With this number and my gauge, it will be a large scarf but not quite big enough to fit over my NFL linebacker sized shoulders.  Next time, to get a shawl, I'll need to cast on over 250 stitches. 
I've pretty much told Bernie that I'll be making one of these for my MIL in her favorite color, purple, for Christmas.  I'm always trying to find new garments and accessories suited to my MIL and her ability to wear them comfortably.  She is missing one of her arms so I figured that a Moebius scarf would be ideal so she doesn't have to constantly fidget with it to stay on.  Last Christmas I made her a poncho to not only keep her warm but help disguise the fact that she's missing a limb.  She has a prosthesis but chooses not to wear it.  I don't blame her one bit. 

This is my little girl, Sam

She doesn't look quite this shaggy at the moment.  You see, we had a bit of a storm recently and the grease trap of our grill flooded and overflowed.  Sam got into the grease and we had a big mess.  I called the groomer and begged to get her in.  They couldn't save her hair and she is now completely shaved to within  a 1/2 inch all over.  She doesn't even look like a Schnauzer any more.

Watermelon socks

These are Trekking socks in the #107 colorway.  The colors remind me of watermelon.  These were knit on size 2 needles, toe up with a short row heel for my size 10 feet.  I still have quite a bit of yarn left.

FO

This pair went to my sister, Joslyn.  I tried very hard to finish it while I was in Hawaii but ran out of time.  It was a nice surprise for her when she got it in the mail.  Good thing I didn't tell her it was coming.

Anchor from the Arizona Memorial

Here's one of Anthony from our last trip to Hawaii in December '05.  My son is 6'0" in this picture, so that just shows you how really large these anchors are.

Bernie & Chris chillin' in the pool

Hawaiian Steak - Spam!

Here's my sister, Gina at the Spam-Mobile waiting to try a free sample of Spam burgers.  We were shopping at the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet (a MUST if you're ever on Oahu) and saw this vehicle parked at one of the entrances.  Had to check it out!  Did you know that the state of Hawaii is the #1 consumer of Spam in the US?  I think that only applies to the original flavor.  I don't think the hybrids have done too well there, except the Tabasco marinated version, of course, which also has a large following on Guam.

This is my friend, David

Ala Moana Beach Park.  Chris is taking the picture.  Shortly afterwards, we headed for the concession stand right behind us for some Icee drinks.   Diamond Head behind us.

Yep, it's Diamond Head

I didn't take too many pictures on this last trip back home but here's one of them.  We just took a quick trip to Ala Moana Beach Park to let Chris play in the water before we headed out for Mongolian BBQ at Hickam AFB with my sister and her family.

It's been a month and a half since my last confession!

I can't believe it's been so long. I have been busy, but who hasn't? It's summer. My whole routine and schedule has been completely thrown off kilter. For one, this is my first summer home with my children. I was scared to death! I have always worked and they have always been in some form of summer program to keep them busy. Now I'm glad I'm home with them, don't get me wrong, but how can you keep your kids busy and not spend a fortune or lose your mind?

Our trip to Hawaii was nice but very hot. I know it's hot here in Vegas (110 degrees today!) but Hawaii's humidity kicked my ass! It was nice to see my cousins, some of whom I haven't seen in 15 years. My sisters and I got to have a nice lunch together and I was able to spend time with them individually as well.

Bernie and I went to Denver a couple of weekends ago for a football conference meeting. I didn't see very much of the city, though. We stayed at the Denver Marriott Tech Center and we didn't venture out much. I did manage to go to Anderson's Strawberry Tree, which is a yarn shop, not too far from the hotel. Since I had a non-knitting friend with me, I tried not to stay too long. I did manage to buy a couple of skeins of Noro Kureyon and one of Noro Daria, some sock yarn, point protectors and a Noni bag pattern. They only accepted cash (get with the program people and start accepting credit cards!) or I would have bought more than that.

Last week I finally went to a LYS that I haven't been to before. It's called Two Crazy Ladies Yarn Shop and they've been open for a year. Luckily for me, they were having a big sale for their anniversary. Every yarn in the shop was 50% off! I spent about $100. Enough single skeins for small projects for my sister, a skein of Noro Kureyon (I'm collecting this yarn, apparently), and some other yarn for a couple of shawls. Forgive me, but this yarn is upstairs in my stash and I'm downstairs and too lazy to go up and get it. I need to go back to the shop and wind up those skeins into balls. The winder was busy. Remind me to put that on my Christmas wish list...a swift! I've had my ball winder for years and for now, Bernie is content to hold my skeins for me but that's because they're only about 100 yds each. I bought some lace yarn that's 440 yds per skein from Knit Picks (with more on the way) and I don't think he'd sit still for that, especially since I need to attach my winder to our dinner table. Oh, BTW, those Knit Picks Options needles are great! I love the flexible cable! Only bad thing is that when I cast on for a Moebius scarf the needles kept unscrewing from the cable. I think it was the coiled action of the Moebius that was the culprit, don't you?

Gotta run. Aloha!

Another addiction, I fear

I'm really enjoying making these washcloths and soap sacks. I'm currently working on a lavender colored set. I can't wait to give them away as gifts. I'm also planning on designing my own round washcloths but I haven't figured out which lace pattern to use. Perhaps the vine lace that I used for those socks I made not too long ago?

The MWC 2006 football schedule is up!

Bernie just found out which games he's working this season and here they are! His first game, however, at University of Nevada Reno is not on this schedule.

The full schedule can be found by going to the official Mountain West Conference web site: http://themwc.cstv.com/

2006 MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL TELEVISION SCHEDULE

Sat., Sept. 30 New Mexico at Air Force mtn. 12 p.m. MT

Sat., Oct. 28 Cal Poly at San Diego State* mtn. 5 p.m. PT

Thurs., Nov. 9 Wyoming at BYU CSTV 6 p.m. MT

All dates and game times subject to change.

An asterisk (*) denotes games where the kick time may be adjusted to better serve the fans.

Yummy washcloths and flowers galore

I've been busy. Not working on what I should be working on, but busy nonetheless. I haven't worked on my black felted bag, nor have I worked on my Tubey sweater (it will be 102 degrees by Sunday) and I haven't finished my second Trekking sock. I have wanted the Bathing Beauties washcloth and soap sack patterns from Fiber Trends for a very long time and finally gave in to the urge and ordered the patterns as well as some DK weight cotton with which to make them from OneFineYarn.com. I had been making some face cloths with Cottontots and they're great but I just loved the idea of these delicate looking cloths and matching soap sacks to give as gifts. They make a great presentation.

The day the patterns came in the mail with some of the Petit Mandarin 100% Egyptian cotton yarn I ordered, I dropped everything and cast on for the round Old Shale Lace washcloth. I used a ball of yellow crochet cotton that I had in my stash. It's not as soft as the Petit Mandarin but I knew I'd be able to see the stitch definition and get the size cloth (approximately 9")that I was hoping for rather than a tablecloth size I'd wind up with using worsted weight cotton. It was supposed to have a picot cast off edge but because I had made another round petal edge washcloth prior to casting on for this, I didn't have enough yarn to do the picots. I was happy with the way the regular cast off edge looked, though.

The next day, I went to one of my LYS, Wooly Wonders, to see what type of cotton they carried that I could make more of these cloths with. Luckily, they also carried the Petit Mandarin so I bought one ball. I was also curious to see whether Paton's Grace would do well, so I picked up a ball of that as well. I am pretty happy with how Grace feels. However, the Petit Mandarin is a better buy because it costs less, has more yardage and is softer than Grace. I should finish the Grace cloth tomorrow as I'm ready to fall asleep.










A crocheted rose with knitted leaf made from Paton's Classic Merino of my own design.





I saw a scarf very much like this one on an episode of Surface this past season. I coveted it and vowed to make one of my very own. This is "my precious floral scarf".