Where have I been?

Around. But not doing much interesting stuff. I am sooooo busy with school. Only TWO weeks left (three if you count the week of finals). One research paper down, one presentation down. Three research papers and one presentation to go. ARGH. I can't wait for summer. I have been true to my word, no sewing. But as soon as school is over, I am on the second tie bag for my friend Jessica. Then maybe I will make something for Tara, I am after all trying to bribe her into buying me a ticket to Alaska! I need a little visit!

So I really should be working on my papers, BUT I just had the urge to go cast on for THE sweater. Yes, the cable knit cutie from Loop D Loop! But... I shouldn't. I did cast on for a sock with the leftover yarn from Kyle's socks. I knit about 4 rounds and tried it on. GOOD THING, it was way too small, I couldn't get it over my heel. I just haven't had it in me to tear it out and start again.

I did join the knitter tea swap (see button to left). I know what tea I want and sent Kyle to the store to buy some. They had none! I may have to order it off the internet (I am also out).

Off I go to do some homework stuff.

A post is just not a post without a picture, so here is one I dug up from the good ol' my pictures folder. Trout in her bed.

Project Spectrum

I never really joined project spectrum and don't think I am going to knit anything up. But all of a sudden I noticed several items that fit the colors this month: Orange/Yellow. Probably because I LOVE orange. So I took one picture and then another and then another. More and more stuff kept popping out at me.

So all this stuff. Wow. We have my water bottle. I carry this with me everyday, everywhere! The lid on it is called gription and can be purchased from REI. I recommend it to anyone who has one of these types of water bottles (it doesn't have to be Nalgene brand).


You will also see my hand dyed yarn (it is much more orange in person. The yarn next to it is pink... for reference) and the napkins from our wedding in the background also pink yellow and orange! Also my teapot pin cussion. Yellow with brown flowers.

Then the carrot man. This legged/armed guy is from Kyle's crop. Kyle then carved a face on him. He likes to hang around the strawberries or the mixer!


Next is one of my yarn baskets. This I bought from JoAnns on clearance. It is all yellow, orange, white and green. Next to it is some tissue paper, also the orange/yellow/green/pink.


And finally. This is my tea kettle pot holder. My sister had one and I fell in love with it while visiting her. She let me know hers was from the stuff my grandma, Moner. I took all these pictures so I could make my own. I love the way it is open and just hangs on all the time. Perfect. Then I came home and went through my box, I had before but somehow I missed this gem! I dug it out and now it always hangs out on the tea kettle. I drink a lot of tea!! A LOT!!! Kyle and I just bought some chamomile. I don't know how to make tea with it, but once there is something there, I will be searching the internet and picking some brains.

I have been knitting a little, I am working on a pair of felted slippers for my mom for Mother's Day. I did a poor job of ordering yarn so they won't be done, but I will have something to give her!

However I have sworn off sewing until I am done with school. Only 5 weeks, I must focus. I do intend to keep knitting, but must also cut back on that. It will fly by!! I hope ;(

I can't believe how cute it is!

Teagan received her package yesterday. She loved the M&M's and chapstick. Then she got to the kimono and said "OOOOOOooooooo, a blanket" (it was all folded and wrapped up). Tara said "no, I don't think so." Teagan was not too excited about anything but the candy. I should have known. Tara tried to get her to try on the top, but Teagan was NOT having it. She tried a few more times to no's from Teagan. It was as I expected, she does not really like to wear the stuff I make for her. (even though there has been progress, she wore the hairy brown pants two days in a row and the swing coat cardigan one morning... YEA). Then I got home last night (Kyle, my dad, and I went to Brewbakers, a great brew pub for dinner and to see a friend play some music, Kyle played too) and there was a message from Tara: "she's wearing it!!" And then these GREAT pictures were in my inbox today. SO CUTE!

Just a Quickie

I have completed the bag. It is fabulous. It is BIG. I love it. It has adjustable straps and hangs down sooooo low. I am still fiddling with the best handle length. I want to wear it across my body, but I don't want it smacking my knees. Work on the handle length will progress for weeks I'm sure. But that is the nice thing about adjustable stuff... you can adjust it all you want. I also got my haircut and when I came home, Kyle saw me and said how cute the combo... new haircut and new bag. He is a silly one! So on with the pictures already...

Here comes the bag.

It has been rough. A bad back, a bad sewing machine, not enough ties. This bag is taking some effort. Plus ties are great but you have to sew each of them together to create a piece of material.

The back is a little better, I did not spend all of today in bed like I did for most of Friday and Saturday.

The sewing machine is a little more on track. I never should have tried to adjust the bobbin tension. But I think I have it working okay. Always try the simplest thing first too, I think I did not have the machine threaded correctly. Now it is going much more smoothly!!

I am still short one tie, I think I am going to take one of my dad's funky seventies knit tan ties. I just need a little bit for the back edge of the bag. I changed things up a little. The pattern just had you use the bottoms of 10 ties, 5 for each the front and back. Well, it was hard getting so many ties and I thought instead of wasting the top 2/3 of the tie, I could cut each of the tops of the front five ties in half and use these 10 pieces for the back. Then the front and back would match and they would very obviously look different, more like a front and a back. Plus I could save money on ties (they go for between $1 and $4 each at thrift stores, I really expected them to be cheaper) and I would not need the 14 ties the pattern calls for, just 9. Well I need a tenth because the back is requiring a little extra. So it has been tie crazy and I have been to most of the thrift stores in town. Here are some pictures, both showing my new pair of scissors. Wow - they cut so goood!!

Finished First Pair of Socks... (almost)

Yes that is right, my first ever pair of socks is near completion. So close I can taste it. How close you ask??

One end to weave in, that's it. ONE END. I finished them yesterday morning, wove in three ends and had Kyle try them on. He LOVES them! Woo-Hoo. They are a tad big but not bad.

There has been some bag progress, but nothing worth photographing. Spring Break is next week, so expect much done then.

So this is short, check out the pics. I must go, The Amazing Race awaits me. (How could they move it to Wed, it used to be on Tues, perfect. Then this week, to Wed. I have school and had to set up the good ol' VCR to record it.