Knitting Confessions and Other Crap

2006-02-16T19:40:00.000-08:00

Okay. I have been a knitting fool for the last few weeks. Of course, I am posting pics of my latest and greatest: Hand warmers that I knit for my daughter. I was so impressed that I am going to make another pair for the Dawner. If those turn out, I am going to make another pair for myself. However, right now I am in the middle of making a cow hat for Owen(Dawner's littlest at the moment) and also in the middle of a baby blanket for Dawner's unborn littlest. Unfortunately, I didn't buy enough of the yarn I need in the dye lot I started with, and the other ones are way different looking so now I have to start over. I was quite a ways done on it too. On the bright side, I hated the colors I choose. They looked cool next to each other in the store but not so cool now that they are knitted together. So I will bring back the yarn I didn't use, but I have a whole bunch now that is already knitted that I don't know what to do with. I guess I will have to make some more wash cloths. Ugh. Not a big fan of that except when I am trying out new patterns. Oh, and I have 3 new words to add to my List of Fun Words. They are:

1. Piffle
2. Scootch
3. Mackeral

My homies got me a gift certificate to Monteray Yarn for my B-day. Yes, I am another year older. But yaaaay! I survived! LOL. I am now going into week three of trying to abstain from sugar, wheat and all flour. It requires a lot of reading in the grocery store (labels) but I am surprised at how good I feel, how much more energy I have, etc. I have lost around 14 pounds so far, but I have decided to follow the program better and not weigh myself so much. I don't want it to be about a number on the scale,but more about good health. The group I joined is wonderful and very supportive. We have an email loop where we encourage one another, andthere are on-line meetings. We also have a meeting here in town, which is how I joined in the first place. When I give it over to God, I find thatit isn't as hard as I thought it would be, but I still have to take it one day at a time! If I think too much about doing this for a life time, I get overwhelmed in a hurry. Mostly, though, it kind of reminds me of when Iquit smoking. I loved smoking but hated what it did to me, how I smelled,etc. So there are times when I feel very tempted, but then I think about black lungs and stinky hair and gross yellow walls, and my kids smelling and suddenly the craving goes away! I hope I can continue to view swf that way when I am tempted- to focus on why I quit in the first place. I also just got a sponsor, so that will help a lot too. It keeps you focused and honest, and they help you work the steps (it is a 12 step program). I feel good about it overall- it is hard sometimes but it is hard to be a food addict who is using too.

2006-01-20T18:39:00.000-08:00

I've been torturing my dog with more dog sweaters. Here he is modeling the purple one I made for my friend, Debbie. If looks could kill. People keep asking me to make them. I can't seem to get away! Right now I am finishing up a bright blue and black on for my sister's other dog. Hopefully then I can move on to a baby blanket and hat for my friend, The Dawner. Her 3rd one is due in March. So this is what my life has come to. Knitting doggie sweaters and baby blankets. Who knew?

On another note, my mom is in the hospital. My dad called and said she had chest pains today, so they are keeping her overnight. Dad is upset but he doesn't want anyone to come up and stay with him tonight. Stubborn, he is. Anyway, it will depend on what the Dr. says tomorrow, but I may be making a trip to Marinette. I don't like that my parents are getting old. They have too much left to do yet. Too much traveling to do. Too many nights left to sit and watch tv together. Too many days left to argue on the golf course. Too many Sundays to cheer the Packers (or take walks during the game-depending on how the Packers are playing). My oldest sister turned 50 this year. I guess we are all getting old.

I joined a self-help group (can you say "self-help" and "group" in the same sentence? Don't they cancel each other out?). It's to help me eat healthier and to abstain from some of my bad food habits/addictions. More on that in another post. I have to go catch up on my email.

2006-01-05T14:43:00.000-08:00

In viewing my blog, I realize I really need to use bigger font. Holy crap it's hard to read. Hellooooo Donna Kelley, in case you are out there reading this.

I currently have a crabby son because he can't get his bike together and he is at the throwing the tools around point. And I think my dog is in the back room eating the cat poop, so I guess I better go. Later-
Peace out.

2006-01-04T20:11:00.000-08:00

I finally finished Lottie's sweater. I have to say that it pissed me off on a regular basis as the collar first was too small, then I dropped a stitch the second time around. Grrrrr. I'm taking a break from doggie sweaters and started a preemie hat for Jason at work. He and his girlfriend just had a preemie baby, a little girl named Riley who is only 3lbs 14oz. Yikes. My LIndsay was 9lb 4oz and Matt was born a toddler at 10lb 14oz. Yeah. You heard me.

You know, sometimes my mind wanders and I end up thinking of things like "words that are fun to say" and then obsess about them and share them over and over again with the people who sit by me at work until they duct tape my mouth shut. So I feel the need to spare my co-workers and share my list on my blog, with the dim (yet ever optimistic) hope that someone out there might read them. Most of them come from other people, like Snoop Dog (c'mon, who doesn't like to say Fo Shizzle?), Adam Carolla (Let's get crack-a-lackin'), Mike Myers, etc. And some of them actually belong in their own subset called "Leroy-isms" cuz they originated with my hubby's co-worker. LeRoy plays a few cards short of a deck, and has kind of become a legend when it comes to making shit up. And I'm not talking like he is some kind of bard or anything. I mean he MAKES SHIT UP. Like that he has a helicopter. Or a girlfriend who is a model. Or that he moved out of his mom's house. Anyway, like I said, he ain't got all his marbles, and if I met him in a dark alley I would run like hell. But he does have a way with words.

By the way, I just have to say that living in Wisconsin currently sucks. We haven't seen the sun in over two weeks and it's been raining/slushing out off and on for the last 5 days. We get up in the dark and go to bed in the dark and it's dark inbetween. I just walked the dog and almost fell on my butt about 10 times because once again the sidewalks are slippery. HELLLLOOOOO. Big lady trying to walk in the slush! Flailing arms and feet, and a damn good thing my coat is too tight or the girls would be flipping around hazardously, endangering innocent bystanders. Okay, just had to get that off my chest. Get it? HAAHAAHAHAHHAAAAA. Easily amused I am. Okay, on with the list.

WORDS THAT ARE FUN TO SAY

1. Fo Shizzle

2. Crack-a-lackin'

3. Verklempt

4. K'vetch

5. El Guapo (the villian from The Three Amigos)

6. Hoochie Mama

7. 'tainer (short for container. A LeRoy-ism)

8. Nesterday (Yesterday - A LeRoy-ism)

9. pah-kern (popcorn)

10. fiddy (fifty), tirdy (thirty)....it's really fun to say "Let's get some pah-kern for fiddy cents"

11. 'taminated (Contaminated - A LeRoyism)

12. 'kini (bikini - A LeRoyism...best heard in the sentence "Davey, I saw yer old lady in her 'kini! Yer old lady likes me, Davey" accompanied by a leer. For the record, Davey's old lady does NOT like LeRoy. Truth be told, Davey's old lady is a little freaked out by ol' LeRoy)

13. Okay, this isn't really a word but it's fun to talk like Darth Vader. You just cup your hand over your mouth and do the deep breathing thing and then say something Vader-ish. Don't you wish you sat by me at work? Hours of entertainment I am.

14. Yoda and Chewbaca. And if I could do a wookie yell, that would rock. Sadly, I am unable to do so and must amuse myself and talk like Yoda instead, who is basically a version of Grover from Sesame Street. Don't you just love Grover? Dang. Best Muppet EVER.

Well, I see am starting to ramble and have obvioulsy run out of words. I'm getting tired and my brain is turning into a pumpkin, so it's off to bed for me. Peace out.

2006-01-02T18:50:00.000-08:00

I decided to also add a couple of pictures of my kidlets. The first one is my son Matt and Lucky dog, and the other one is Lindsay with her best friend, Adam. Yes, he is gay. Lindsay says every girl should have a gay boy best friend- you get the best of both worlds and he doesn't try to kiss you.

2006-01-02T18:46:00.000-08:00

Okay, I am posting pics of my first dog coat EVER. As you can see, my model appears to be very pained by his experience! LOL. But wait until I get the pink one done. I am making it for Lucky’s sister, Lottie (my sister’s dog). I already put it on Lucky- who promptly went to sleep in hopes of ending the doggy sweater nightmares. Too bad Lucky! I am making another for Chance as soon as I have Lottie’s done, and then I have orders for two more for my sister’s friends dogs. I have been experimenting with the pattern a little. I may make the next one ribbed across the back instead of garter, and Lottie’s I only did half garter, and the back half is in stockinette, which I made wider also. I like how it looks a lot better. I have to make another one for Lucky too, because his green one is too drab. Now that I know more what I am doing I feel more confident in experimenting with more color and different yarns. I also want to make one with lighter yarn and smaller needles, but I know it will take a lot longer. I want to try to get some of the bulk out of it, though, and make something that is good for warmer weather.

I went to Barnes and Noble and almost bought Stitch N Bitch Nation. There are some cool patterns in there I want to try too, but I think I better do the ones I have planned from the first book before leaping off to the next one. I am just so full of myself though that I learned to knit in the round. Anyway, I need to make a baby blanket and hat for my friend Dawn yet, and if I don’t quit making doggie coats I will never get there. Plus my daughter wants me to knit her a bikini. She has way more faith in my knitting skills than I do! I think I will be able to do the top okay, but I am not so sure about the bottoms.

I found a use for my oddball yarn. I plan on making pom poms for the cats to chase around. Hopefully Lucky won’t be trying to eat them. He is like a little kid. He tries to eat everything except his food! The little shit was up on the end table yesterday, and had gotten into a piece of chocolate. Thankfully I caught him right away, cuz even though it was a small piece, he is only a small dog and I don’t know how poisonous it would be to him. Even the cats aren’t that bold. I’m sure they dance on the table and counters when we are all gone, sticking their fuzzy butts at Lucky, who probably barks furiously at them thru his kennel. Neener, neener, neener!

The kids went back to school today. Matt came home in indignation at his math teacher who dared to make them do an extra worksheet because nobody understands what they are doing…except him of course. It would figure that the one time he knows what is going on in math that nobody else does.

Christmas

2005-12-29T04:32:00.000-08:00

I had a great Christmas. My DH actually got me a knitting book on my Christmas list- Stitch n Bitch. I LOVE it. Lots of good ideas and finally a book I can actually understand the knitting instructions on.
Right now I am working on the dog sweater in there for my yorkie-poo, Lucky. I never thought I would like a little dog, but my sister got one a couple of years ago and I was hooked. My dh thought I was whacked. We already had a large, hairy collie/shepherd plus two cats but my sisters breeder had another litter and I just had to get one. What a change from our big dog, Rocky, who was Mr. Mellow. Little dogs, esp. terriers, are all attitude packed in a tiny body. They think they can rule the world, and we probably should have named him Dogbert instead of Lucky. We have had him now for just over a year, and he has been worth every piercing bark, every pee spot, every pain in the ass moment he has produced…which is a lot for a 6 pound piece of rat fur. Esp. now, since we lost Rock-o on the 15th of December. He was my old man, and I was so sorry to see him go. Not a better dog out there- he grew up with my kids and was the daycare ride on toy of choice. But he couldn’t get up anymore and his heart was giving out. He went downhill very fast over a short few days, and we had to say goodbye. My dd went with me, and we had each others shoulders to cry on. It’s so weird to go for walks without him and to see his empty spot where he used to lay all the time.

Okay, this day had been just dragging. I’m at work and it’s the first day back from being off for 4 days, and I just don’t want to be here. Big surprise. I brought my knitting with me, even though I know I won’t have any time to really work on it here. I am pretty sure Big Brother would frown upon my productivity. I am caught up and should really be helping others get caught up but then I think… naaaaaah.

Dawn, Doreen (two bf’s) and I watched the 40 Year Old Virgin last night. Very funny movie. Two…uh…er…appendages up. Friday night I went with my sister and ds to see King Kong. Waaaay excellent-ay. Loved it. Jack Black plays a jerk- you almost wish the bugs would have got him. Or the freak with the axe thingy. I will definitely buy it when it comes out on video, plus I think I will need to see it again when it gets to the cheap theatre.

Hey, I'm typing

2005-12-26T08:51:00.000-08:00

Okay, I finally succumbed to the blog. I actually started one a few years ago, but never kept it up. My friends all think I should write a book, but I guess I will just start with this first, and see what happens. Wow, I had a hard time just picking out a font. Decisions, decisions. Anyway, I wanted to start a blog to talk about my favorite things: My family, my friends, my faith, my pets, knitting and bmx. God only knows what tangent I will be going off on, so read at your own risk! Hey, I changed color...woot woot! And again! Okay, I have to end now so I can finish setting up my site. More later! Or sooner!