I can't believe it's already Thursday. Busy week, and yet I didn't seem to get much done. We were supposed to have a couple of soccer games tonight, but with the cold rain, they were (thankfully) cancelled. With only a few hours of sleep last night, I am glad to be here at home.

When I was at my LYS, I fell in love with Fair Isle Sweaters Simplified. I bought it from WalMart.com, and it came in yesterday. Be-ute-i-ful! I am amazed by the sweater designs in here. It shows yarn color schemes that can be used for any sweater. Someday (soon) I'll try one of the sweaters in here.

WIP--Green TLC cardigan. I've got 20 more rows or so to go. I'll work on it a little tonight. I haven't worked on my socks since Monday.

On a side note, I was very saddened to hear of Mr. Fred Rogers passing away. I grew up watching him, so it feels like a little more of my childhood has slipped away. Another note, apparently Buffy the Vampire Slayer is ending the series this year. There might be a spin-off (fingers crossed!).

Hey everyone!! Drinks are on me!

I'm in a good mood tonight. My sink is shining, I've filled out my application to Lincoln Memorial University (for my Education Specialist Degree), and I drug out a UFO. It's a solid cardigan from "The Big Book of Quick Knit Sweaters". I had finished everything except one sleeve when I ran out of yarn. At Michael's the other day I happened to look and found the forest green TLC I needed to make this UFO an FO. I had a third of the sleeve done, and after working on it this evening, it's now about half done. It's been a nice change going from size 2s to size 9 needles.

Speaking of my socks, I did some KIPing at the school workshop I went to today. During our first break, I went and asked the presenter if it would bother her if I knitted while she spoke. People have said that it keeps them more focused on the presented material. She said it was fine with her, and away I knitted. I'm about half-way done with the heel flaps, and everyone who asked about them loved my socks.

I had to get a prescription filled and get my front passenger tire patched this afternoon. I had lunch with a very good friend of mine, and I visited another friend at Johnson this afternoon.

All in all, it was a very productive day. We all need those!

Ahh. Gotta love Saturdays.

I went with a couple of teachers at school to the High Museum in Atlanta. We mainly went to see Paris: The Age of Impressionism. I also enjoyed the African Art collection. It was fun getting out and experiencing a little of Atlanta's cultural offerings. I mentioned the AGATHA'S - A TASTE OF MYSTERY dinner theater, and they all seemed interested. Make sure you check out the preview of their next show, "Comic Book Capers". Looks fun, doesn't it?

Today is laundry day, kitty litter day, and knitting day. I stopped and picked up a new pair of circular needles to try the 2 socks on 2 circs again. This time, however, I bought 32" instead of 24" needles. I've got about 4 1/2" done on the first and about 3" on the second Ringel sock. As soon and #2 is the same length, I'll switch the #1 onto the longer needles so they'll be together.

While at the LYS, I picked up another hank of Brown Sheep Handpaint Originals. I hope I picked up the right colorway. Even here at home, I'm not sure, and I can't find the original band from the first hank. Grrr.

I want to say thanks to Amy for adding me to the QueerKnit webring. Could I be in a better spot? I don't think so! I love Joe's blog and I love She's Crafty. Those are two blogs I try to check, at the very least, every other day. I've received a lot of visitors from Joe's blog (waves to everyone). Keep coming, and don't forget to Tag me or sign my guestbook.

On to other breaking news.

I need sleep!! We had three soccer games this week. We lost one 2-3 in penalty kicks on Monday. Wednesday, we lost 2-3 in overtime. I told one of my students that I didn't want to write the same score tomorrow. He promised a win--he scored all three goals tonight. A hat trick! We won third place in a tourney- 3 to 0. Our school's first soccer win. We didn't get a trophy, but we got a soccer ball. So, the kids all decided to sign the ball, and coach is going to put it in the trophy case. Oh, and they made sure I got to sign the ball, too. (Very cool!)

On the knitting front, I've worked a little on my Regia Ringel socks. I'm just about to begin the next full stripe repeat. I did a few rows on the bus tonight. Some of the guys want me to teach them to knit. Maybe I'll have to start that knitting club, after all.

Came home today to find two packages. One was a book I had ordered from WalMart. They have great prices on books! I bought The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns for only $21.04. (It was $15.72 before $4.00 shipping. Amazon has it for $17.47 before shipping.) It's list price is $24.95. I thought I did really well. I can't wait to flip through it.
The second package was from ebay. I bought yarn (go figure!). I now have 12 skeins of Phildar Preface. Six different colors: blue tweed, light blue tweed, brown tweed, black, light blue and medium blue. SOCKS! SOCKS! SOCKS!

'What a great day to stay inside! It's rainy, very windy, and 34 degrees. Brrr! I ran out early this morning, fed some kitties I'm watching for a friend, and then decided a fire was in order. I've got one burning away, some mac and cheese on the stove, and I should be able to finish Mom's socks this afternoon. Yippee!

Good evening, everyone!

Today was a great day! Soccer season has started. Woohoo! I loved going and seeing my former students play my current students. Johnson is the best team in the county, and my new school, Flowery Branch, tied them, 1 to 1. It was supposed to rain heavily today, but it didn't. (Whew!)

I even got to knit a few rows on Mom's socks. The guys sitting with me were pretty impressed with the socks. lol. I'm now on the toe decreases. Yeah!

Now, time to plan for my next project. I'm thinking of using the raspberry Noro I bought last Saturday and add some white or cream CC cheesylove hearts. But on what? I'm not sure. Not another scarf (not enough yarn. A headband might be cool, but I don't know what I would wear it with. Hmm... Any suggestions?

On another note, I wanted to say hello <waves enthusiastically> to mayuri. Check out her new blog. She said on her blog:

Saturday, February 08, 2003
( 2/8/2003 ) mayuri
I feel I have just hit the jackpot. While surfing the newsnet, I found a weblog
totally focusing on knitting. Here, go nuts. This 'discovery' has made my day.
The past week has been pretty bad with two of us being sick. But we are recovering.

Too cool! Thanks for the plug, and I hope you'll visit often, mayuri.

LOL! I love my Gostats counter! It's an ego trip to see how many people have visited my site. I can click on the counter and find out how my guests have come to see my site. Most people type or bookmark; some people are sent to me by other sites (for ex. FFFA). One particular guest came from yahoo search. He or she had typed in, "So much yarn, so little time". What are the odds of my having typed the same phrase on Saturday and someone searching for this on yahoo? What are the odds? Yahoo, upon searching their thousands (maybe millions) of sites, came up with mine. Number one hit. Makes my "leo-ness" want to roar! (Yes, ego trip. Yahoo knows about me.)

Yes, I'm a leo. I like to show off my skills. I like to be admired. I love teaching and leading. I have a head full of hair (mane). I am proud, and I will fight for my (and others') rights. I am leo--hear me roar! And in honor of my recognized leo-ness, I have inserted a horoscope button. Enjoy!

Just thought I would post quickly before my favorite show comes on (BUFFY!!). I've got just a few rows left of yarn for my "Peaks and Valleys" scarf. It's about 3 feet long. Do I want to make it longer? How is it going to look after it's blocked? Should I order the special detergent that was recommended to me? Hmm..

I've worked a little on Mom's socks. I love the colors, but I'm a little worried that the cuff is a little, um, little. I think they'll be fine. I know she'll love them!

I thought I had been doing really well on Mom's socks. It was until I tried to fix an error three rows down. I forgot to decrease on one side of the gusset, so I tried to drop to the point to fix it. Still working on it...

On a brighter note, I've finished decreases on one sock and I'm ready to knit the foot. As for the second one, well, see above.

I'm really tempted to break out the Noro that I bought Saturday. Don't know. Except that I'm ready for a color change. Maybe I sould cast on for Miguel's Fuzzy Feet. But then, they're going to be blue (again) and charcoal. Hmm... Maybe the Noro after all.

:)

I worked on Mom's socks last night. (Yes, I did resist starting a new project!) I didn't like having both socks on the same needle, so I've been working one at a time, pulling it off, and then working on the second of the pair. I have the heel flap finished on one, and I've got half of the heel flap completed on the second. Woohoo! I plan to work on them today and starting Miguel's Fuzzy Feet in blue and charcoal.

I knew it would be ugly. I just knew it!! Oh well. That's why I work, right?

What was ugly, you wonder. Well, I had SEX today. What?? Well in the knitting world Stash Enhancement eXperience is the ultimate in knitting (besides beginning and finishing projects, that is). So much yarn, so little time (and too few hands!) I decided to run to Magical Threads which is about 30 minutes away. Farther away than my LYS, but their selection is so worth the trip. Last time I went, just before school began, I came home lighter in the wallet, and the stash was in healthier shape. So, it's been a while since I've been there. Amazingly, they've grown! Talk about yarn heaven!!

Here's what I bought: ()
* Katia Mississippi 3 (one in a light blue and one in dark blue x2). I'll make a pair of striped socks.
* Araucania in a beautiful varigated dark blue. This is the same yarn I used to complete Miguel's socks. They will be matched with the leftover charcoal yarn for his Fuzzy Feet. I'll probably stripe this, too.
* Regia 4 in dark blue with rings of different color (x2).
* Noro Cash Iroha in raspberry (yum!). This yarn is so incredibly soft and silky. This will either become a pair of fingerless gloves or a hat.
* Kiogu for socks in purples, pinks, and blues (x2). Everyone on the socknitters list says this is great yarn for socks. Couldn't resist. What can I say?
* Catania Color in yellows, reds, and oranges (x2). The band says it's good for summer (in German!), so these will be fun summer socks.
* What's yarn without another set of size 2 circs (x2)? This way I can work on two different socks and not get bored. (Right?)
* Jo Sharp Number One pattern book. I love all the sweater designs in here!
* Knit it Your Way by Cynthia Yanok Wise. I want to try the Karisma Vest, Lace and Cable Socks, Twin Leaf Lace Scarf, Baby Cable Socks, and the GORGEOUS Andean Artistry cardigan. I want to do some Fair Isle, and I think this project will be my first (not including the black Kool Wool hat I made with pink CCs). It's a simply stunning book!

Now can you see why I seldom visit this yarn shoppe (heaven)? Badness, I tell ya. I have no self control. (Actually, that's not true. I could have easily spent $500 in there. So, I did restrain myself!)

Right now I'm listening to my new Juanes CD. It's very mellow. Very romantico. (
Now, what to work on?

I borrowed a digital camera from school today, so my evening plan is to take photos of my knitting FOs. First, here is a photo of my Fuzzy Feet.

Bleh! I'm home sick.

I've been working very hard to get this blog up, and now I'm pleased with its format. Last night I worked on my "Peaks and Valley" scarf. Just before coming down to check my email, I took off the one sock I had begun for my mom, cast on the second sock, and I hope to catch up the new one to where the old is. I'm achy and glad I'm home. I shoudl get a lot done while watching Colin Powell on TV (go get 'em!).

I finished my first Fuzzy Feet! Woohoo! They are too cute. I loved working with the Lamb's Pride in pink that I had chosen. I can see why everyone loves them so much. While drying, I wore them around the apartment so as to stretch them out (just a little). This morning I tried them on without socks, and I love the fuzzy, comfy feel of them. Very cool! Now, to post a pick of them.

While getting ready to run errands this morning, I was listening to the Today Show where they were discussing the loss of communication from Columbia. Then they showed the pictures which looked eerily loke the Challenger expolsion from 1986. As I ran my errands, I kept the radio on the news channel to hear updates. When I went into my LYS, they, too were listening to coverage of the apparent explosion and resulting crash. Absolutely heartbreaking.

Last night I signed up for the FFFA (Fuzzy Feet Felt Along). I went to my LYS with the intention of buying the needles and yarn for these. Ouch! Too expensive. I bought the suggested Lamb's Pride Worsted in Pink for $6.25 each, a set of Skacel set of 5 dpn for $11.00, a 16" circular from addi Turbo for $17.50 (OUCH),and a Dalegarn patternbook, NR 122, for $12.00.

Later today I'm heading to the Mall of Georgia to see Chicago with a good friend. I'll probably check out Michael's and Hobby Lobby for better prices. (I think I will, at least for the dpn.)