Ms. Knit Sox: Executing Stitches, One Stitch at a Time...

I'll See Ya In the Next Life Brotha...

I think that's my favorite Desmond line. Cracks me up every time! Enjoy! : )

Channeling Josh Beckett...

I felt for Josh Beckett last night.  I really did.  He was not at the top of his game last night.  It happens.  But it doesn't mean he has to like it.  I love watching Josh Beckett pitch.  I love his brand of confidence that he exudes when he's on the mound.  Every Red Sox fan gets caught up in the emotions of the game.  I think my emotions were in overdrive last night because I was right there with Josh last night spewing out the f bombs, among other choice words.  That is definitely his style, but definitely not mine. lol.  Here are some of my favorite quotes regarding last night's game:

"You're supposed to get outs," Beckett repeated. "If you don't execute pitches, you don't get outs. It's pretty simple."

"It was a [expletive] pitch," said Beckett. "It was right down the [expletive] middle."

See Boston.com for complete article.  I see the perfectionist in him...  And, don't ya just love Tek?  Always putting things in perspective.  Just another reason why I "heart" the Boston Red Sox.  : )

A Little of This, A Little of That...

I am not a rain person.  I'm sure I've mentioned this at least once twenty or more times, lol.  Normally, I do not venture out into this type of weather, unless I have to for work.  But, this afternoon, before the real downpour began, I decided I needed to get out of the apartment.  The clouds were making me very sleepy, so I decided a trip to my LYS was in order.  I don't spend nearly enough time just hanging out and knitting there and I decided I wanted some knitterly company today.  I also might have purchased the Leaf Lace Socks pattern.  I can't wait to use some of the MamaE for that - its going to be perfect!  : )

Things on the work front are going very well.  The retirement party for the person I supervise was on Friday and it was a great success.  My new FTE officially starts tomorrow - and as this person has been with us on a temporary basis for a while, I know its the right move.  I'm very happy with the state of things. 

Last, but not least, I should do a short recap of my Maryland Sheep & Wool experience.  I commuted with some fun people from my LYS.  I had a short list of places I wanted to visit (Cloverhill where some of my favorite local indie dyers had items up for grab:  Neighborhood Fiber Company, The Sanguine Gryphon, MamaE, among others; Ellen's Half Pint, Tess Designer Yarns, Oak Grove, and Misty Mountain Farms), as not to overwhelm myself by looking at it all.  I did go to The Fold for STR, but waited for the line to go down - and still found something I loved.  Perhaps I missed something that might have been higher on my list, but really, I was okay with that.  Besides, there's always Rhinebeck - they have all the vendors I listed too!  Although, seriously, I need to be saving for my future condo.  Which means less yarn.  : ( But, its not like I don't have plenty of beautiful yarn already.  I saw some cute sheep and alpacas.  I resisted the food.  I got to meet Jess & Casey from Ravelry!!!  And, I was home by 2 pm on Saturday.  All in all a successful trip.  I forgot to take photos of the yarn I got (I know!), but will do so soon.  Instead, I'll leave you with this:

 

And, last but certainly not least, Happy Mother's Day!!!

Spring Fling Web Gems...

Can I just tell you how sad I am that I lost a ginormous post recapping the best knitting weekend I've ever had?!  So, instead of recreating a post, I'm just going to post some fun pictures to mark the occasion.  Web Gems, if you will (baseball lovers will get the reference) - in no particular order:

Maya & I at baseball game:  Cardinals vs. Astros:

Little Loopy with Perfect Day Yarns - gift from roomie, Sarah:

My First Nice Knitting Bag:

Partial View of "my haul" :

Sheri, Janice and I:

New Fling Friends:  Maya, Susan and Sarah:

 

Loopy Central (SO COOL IN PERSON):   

The Yarn Pigs (Kellie from New Zealand & I):

Wollmeise Claudia's Feet:

 

Wendy, Cookie and I:

Again, Thank-You, Sheri for letting us be "Part of Your World!!" 

Can't connect to Ravelry, so I'll console myself by watching LOST...

...since I missed the episode as I was at the Spring Fling.  A proper recap of my time there coming soon. 

ETA:  The Lost episode was great and I also finally got on Rav to chat with my fellow Spring Flingers.  And, I just want to know, how could I have missed Talking With Henry Ian Cusick (aka Desmond)??? as it was happening, FPS?!

Static Guard Kills Bees...

So I just completely freaked out about an hour ago.  I got home early from work, went on a 30 minute walk and sat down at my computer to check out my email while drinking a glass of water.  Well, all of a sudden, I heard this "thunk" type noise and see a bee sitting on my window seal.  I must have a hole in my screen (remind me to call management about this), otherwise I don't know how it got in here.  It really grossed me out to watch it crawl along... Ewww!!  I didn't want to touch it without killing it first, so I grabbed the first thing I could find - yup, you guessed it, Static Guard.  After successfully killing the bee (I smashed it with a wad of paper towels just to be safe), I thought I was going to be ill.  Static Guard doesn't smell so good.  Yankee Candle Spiced Pumpkin to the Rescue!!  I just had to get that out of my system...

Rigoletto...

So, we all know I like opera.  When I got an email from Generation O (sadly, this is my last year of eligibility), I decided to take advantage of the great ticket prices.  I loved this opera.  I still have La Donna E Mobile (Track 26) in my head...its such a catchy tune.  Overall, the music was beautiful as was the singing.  I'm glad I went.

In other news, I finished one homework assignment for the Spring Fling.  I'll probably start the second assignment during the Sox vs. Yankees game on ESPN tonight.  How about Manny's performance yesterday?!  Which means my baseball boyfriend got a win!  : )

I really need to get back to reading the book club book.  I have about 300 pages left and kind of blew it off...we meet Thursday.  I also need to research suggestions for next month.  But, if I don't, I'm sure one our the ladies in the club will have something interesting to suggest.  That's one of the great things about our club - I have a chance to try books I might not normally read otherwise. 

Okay, I think I need a nap...until we meet again, Happy Knitting!!

P.S.  You know how I got rid of everything I didn't need?  Then why do I still feel like I have a lot of stuff?  Might need to address this issue next post. 

M.I.A. ...

That's what came to mind when thinking about a blog entry, since I haven't posted for a while.  Part of the reason for the delay is that I needed batteries for my camera - and I wanted to share a picture of the two new (yes, I couldn't resist) WIPs.  The other reason for the delay is that I just really haven't had that much to say.  I really do need to focus, though.  I need to finish the 4 socks I have on the needles.  My goal is to finish at least one of the socks this weekend.  We shall see how that goes.  I just spent all morning doing that fun task called house cleaning.  And, naturally, I'm a bit tired after that.  I don't know why cleaning tires me out, but it does.  So, I may do some reading, even though a nap is really calling out to me, lol...

So, I've been wanting to cast of for Child's First Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks for ages.  I just could not decide which yarn was calling out to me for this pattern.  Well, the winner is:  Dream in Color Smooshy Go Go Grassy.  I'm really liking how its turning out.  And, I know I've said it before, but if you haven't tried out Dream in Color, you just must.  I absolutely love knitting with it.  So much, in fact, that I also cast of for the Central Park Hoodie (CPH) in the Classy weight, Midnight Derby colorway.  I'm also in love with how its knitting up.  Just did the ribbing for the back and also started the ribbing for one sleeve.  I did this because I noticed a slight variation between skeins (I'm alternating between two for the back) and wanted to see how it looked.  Someone on Ravelry who is in the KAL I'm in suggested using a skein apiece for each of the sleeves.  There are definite lilacs and lighter blues in 2 skeins, so I'm planning to use these for the sleeves.  Based on what I've done so far, I am happy with how it looks.  Have I mentioned how much I just love this yarn?  Oh, I have, lol... : )

Check it out: (don't you just love my cute little stitch markers.  They make me happy):  : )

                       

Okay, off to see the fate of the Boleyn gals.  Oh wait, I already know, lol...  Not sure how I feel about our latest book club selection.  Or, maybe I should say I'm not sure about the author's interpretation of this historical fiction tale.  Its an enjoyable read, but I guess I just have my own interpretations based on the biographical information I've read.  Until next time... LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!

Kickstart My Heart...

Who knew that a little Mötley Crüe was all I needed to get my workouts going?  I like pretty much all music (well, except country, which I dislike - sorry, Josh) and have a wide variety of songs on my shuffle, Woodstock.  However, my step always seems to pick up whenever a Crüe song comes on.  I noticed this several months ago when I was trying to get back into my walking routine.  Maybe I need a 30 minute power walk session with the boys, lol... 

I feel a little better because I actually walked twice this weekend - once on Friday and once today.  I like that its staying lighter longer and that nicer weather is coming.  I do so much better if I can walk outside.  You see, the gym and I don't exactly get along all that well. 

And, some additional good news:  Josh Beckett was able to throw today without pain.  He won't be making the trip to Japan, but I for one, am glad.  We need him to recover at his own pace and be healthy down the road. 

Full story here

That's all.  Just felt the need to share.  Carry on...

Thank-you, Rachel...

I received my Loopy Ewe Swap Package last week.  I sent Rachel a private email thanking her and now I'm doing on a public forum.  It was full of goodies and yummy yarn - and a very cute hat!  Thanks again!  Check out my goods:

And, yes, that is some yummy Dream in Color Smooshy.  I just love this yarn.  And, also included is Vesper Sock Yarn by Knitterly Things.  I haven't tried this yarn and am very much looking forward to doing so...  I'd also like to thank TheSheepGeek and KnottyDaisy for all their hard work on putting this together - you both have done wonderful in your respective contributions!

I know regular readers must be shocked by the discussion of yarn and knitted items.  I keep saying I'm going to do a proper post on a few of the FOs and WIPs, but I just don't seem to get around to it.  I think part of it is because I've been working hard on my "clear the clutter" projects - which, by the way, is in the home stretch.  I want to go through my keepsake boxes one more time and try to cull it down a bit more.  I kind of forgot about chose to ignore the items in the storage space under my bed (since I have to lift the mattress...).  I had cleared out a lot of stuff from that storage area the last time I cleaned about a year ago - and really did get rid of a lot of things, but it will be good to go through it again this year to see if I can trim more fat.  I will probably do this every year with my keepsakes.  One, because it will allow me to re-evaluate what I want to keep.  And, two, go down memory lane one more time.  I got rid of some t-shirts last year that I wish I would have kept.  But, I have to get over that because they are gone forever.  I didn't think to take pictures - I just chucked the stuff into the donation bag.  Why would I want to keep them?  Well, I watched a quilting show the other day (I now have a fondness for recording and watching quilting shows because I don't really get into the knitting ones.  Is it so hard to ask for a conservative and practical knitting show?) about recycling t-shirts into quilts.  My mom started one years ago for my brother's baseball t-shirts, so I don't know how I could have forgotten about this concept, but I had.  Its a great way to keep memories and turn it into something practical - a quilt.  But, I will be doing that with the t-shirts I did save and couldn't let go of...  What do you think?  Otherwise, I'm done and clutter free.  Yes, folks, its true!  I'll still have a few projects to complete, but something that I'm okay with putting off for a bit.  They are:

1.  Organize crafts.  This is pending moving into a new space and buying new furniture (which was discussed last entry).  Everything I have, I want to keep, so its just a matter of transforming it into "my vision."  Its current location would be empty space in a closet, so its okay where its currently housed.   

2.  Along with number one, I need to take photos for Ravelry and keep up with the organization tools they offer.  I have no stash on Ravelry, but that folks, is highly misleading - I have plenty of yarn to last some time at the rate I'm knitting, lol...

3.  Organize photo albums and scrapbooks.  I have almost all the photos in their albums and notes on what everything is, I just haven't put it all together. 

And, that's it.  Now that I've went through this little exercise, I think it will be easy for me to keep it up.  I keep it up in my work environment (remember I'm the model for office neatness according to all current and former co-workers)and now I'm ready to keep it up at home.  I'm not sure where it ever went wrong at home (only hidden messes).  I've always been highly organized and a neat freak.  I think maybe I thought my neatness bordered on obsessiveness (my college friends once moved some of my knick knacks to see how long it would take for me to notice - for the record, it was fairly quickly - something similar happened at my last job, which was 4 years ago) and I think I decided to rebel, lol...  But, I'm in a better place all around these days, so I am able to move forward...  And, if I'm ever in doubt and need tips or a push, I'll go here - my favorite resource for keeping things organized!

What's that?  This was supposed to be a knitting post today?!  I'm still not making much of a dent in my WIP list.  I'm thinking something might get frogged.  But, not the 3 socks I have going.  But, of course, I want to start something new.  So, instead of knitting, I've been looking at my pattern books and yarn - and have found new things I want to start, like, right now.  Help!  I'd share photos, but my camera died and I need to replace the batteries.  I was lucky enough to squeeze out the photo I did include.  Hopefully, I can do that soon, because I may need some advice. 

Have a wonderful weekend!  : )