Pssst- hey you! =)

Psst - what are you still doing over here? =) Come read my new typepad blog and update your links! I'll be having a blogiversary contest over there shortly to celebrate two whole years! =)

Happy knitting!

Moving, Koigu and a Contest!

Hi Everyone!
As most of you probably know by now I'm moving my blog from blogger to a cozy new typepad- pad! I would hate to lose anyone so I hope you come visit and stay for awhile and don't forget to update your links/bloglines!

I'm running a mini contest over there, comments will be open from now until Tuesday morning (5/30/06) 8:30am EST. Go over there and leave me a comment and tell me what your favorite part of a blog is. Is it the reading list? search buttons? links to patterns? etc.... I'd like to hear your feedback so I can build my blog and make sure I incorporate what people are interested in seeing. And hey, I think this will be pretty interesting.
So, leave a comment over there, tell me what you like to see and you'll be entered in a drawing for two skeins of lovely pink koigu!

Good Luck!


Reminder, you must leave a comment on my new blog to be eligible for the prize, thanks!

Whistle while you work

Last weekend I spent my time demo'ing our guest bathroom. We ripped out the floor, wallpaper, counter top and mirror. I, somehow was designated as the wallpaper remover. What a bad job that turned out to be! Somehow, in a weird way, I'm pretty good at it, but sheesh! that is some hard labor! I'll show you some pics when it starts to get put back together (probably this holiday weekend).

Over the weekend I went shopping and headed over to whole foods for my Tea Swap Pal's pressie. I had fun wrapping it up and mailing it out on Monday and I really hope she likes it.

I also put together a basket for a baby shower in a few weeks. I filled it with cute little baby clothes (they're like ruffles, you can't buy just one) but it needed a little handmade touch.

Hence, I whipped up a little baby hat of my own design, that is really a combination of the sorts of baby hats you normally see. It's made with DB Baby Cashmerino I've been hoarding in a lovely teal green. I castoff during the final Alias show, and washed it this morning. I love, love love this yarn to work with, it's so very soft. I think I may get at least one more hat out of this with this pattern. It's a two-for-one special!

PSST: Why are you still reading this over here? Come to my new blog....

Tea and Swaps!

I'm a little behind schedule, everyone already posted a picture of their tea last week but I figured better late than never. So, here's my "stash" in all it's glory. You can see from the picture I don't have too much tea in my cupboad.

There's some green tea, lemon zinger and assorted herbals and chai. As
well as the HUGE jar of lipton which I keep for my MIL when she
visits. Myself I prefer the herbal although during the summer I drink
a lot of Passion Tea by Tazo which brings me to....

Summer Passion Tea Lemonade Recipe
Sidenote: You may remember a while back Starbucks used to make a Passion Tea Lemonade. Well they stoppped selling it and I missed it so much I had to make up my own. I think this one is very tasty and perfect for a hot summer day!

1) Brew a big pot of passion tea (12 cups) with 2 tea bags and sweeten to taste
2) Make one jug of raspberry lemonade from concentrate (you can find it in the frozen foods section)
3) Mix the two to your preference (I prefer 50/50) and serve over ice with a mint garnish.

Enjoy sipping it on your porch on a hot summer day, with some knitting!

I also wanted to say a big HI!!! to my tea swap pal who has been teasing me already in the comments. This is so much fun!

I have been out of touch on internet and email lately. Last week was one of those weeks where the internet is down and the computer keep crashing (memory leak and driver issues) and I was just about to burst from frustration. The past weekend I went up to visit my hubby in North Carolina. He's back up training there again and yes, this is the second time this month. Anyhow, so we went exploring and saw a few yarnstores, more on that later and we ran into this really neat tea at a boutique near Duke, pictured above. The tea is loose-leaf and wrapped in a pyramid shaped silk infuser. It's so unlike anything I've ever seen before, I couldn't resist!

Anyhow, better run! Knitting wise, seraphim is done and waiting to be photographed. My entrelac wrap is 2 repeats away from being done, and I have a few socks on the needles. Happy Tuesday!

Reminder, this post is x-posted at my new blog: Knitty Gritty Thoughts
Please update your links!

Browser Problems.

Sorry everyone about the browser incompatibility. I've heard from a few people who use firefox that my panels are all messed up! Thank you for letting me know.

I've spent the past few weeks moving my blog over to typepad, for a myriad of reasons. I love the easy point-and-click editing of templates and posts. I managed to get all of my old posts over there, however, I can't move comments over from haloscan so I lost all of them. But, on the upside, the new blog is browser friendly!

And hey, did you know I've been blogging since september 2004, sheesh, how time flies! I didn't even realize it until I was checking to make sure all my archives got moved.

Anyhow, the new blog is here, I'll be posting at both blogs for a little longer and then just before I make the switch I'll let you all know. I even have a contest formulating in my head to encourage you to come visit me!

Happy Tuesday!

Tissue Holders!

Last week I saw this great tutorial over at stardustshoes for cute little tissue holders. I knew I immediately had to make one, then two, then three! They're very quick and easy and look great too. Check mine out below:

I used some quarters of fabric I had picked up in Pacific Grove. You might recognize the Amy Butler fabric at the far right. The other two are gorgeous Japanese Fabrics that I couldn't resist because of the beautiful interplay of colors.

Happy Monday!

Badcaul Sock

I have totally been loving all of Anna's socks that she's been designing, so when she came out with a collection of sock patterns for purchase I didn't even hesitate to click the "buy" button. Here's one of the socks from the series, the "Badcaul" Socks knit in a gorgeous color of Koigu I've been hoarding for something special. They're knit toe-up (my very first!) with the Magic Loop. The color is actually more true in the second photo, gorgeous purples, pinks and blue with a little tan mixed in. I tried cableing without a cable needle and royally failed. I found it hard to keep track of the stitches once I had to pull them off the needle and then rearrange them and knit in a different order. The brittany cable needles are really light-weight and a great choice with socks, I didn't find it cumbersome once I got into a groove.
These socks also answer another question, how much sock can you get out of a skein of koigu??? I have size 10 feet and knit and knit until the very end and I had less than a foot of yarn left. They come up about a third of the way of my leg. I also highly recommend this pattern if you've never tried knitting toe-up, the instructions were great and I had no problem with the short-row heel, well, except maybe for the holes (shhh! don't tell anyone).

One down, just one more to go!

Cool new product!

You all may know about my knitting accessory problem. Everytime I find something new, I have to try it and that's amounted to about 4 giant makeup bags worth of accessories, not even including all my needles. But hey needles aren't an accessory, they're a necessity, right?

Anyhow, last week I was reading Jodi's blog. She was offering samples of a new product she created called Yarnminders. I figured, sure, why not give it a try? Well, yesterday I got them in the mail and they are really cool. I used the yarn minder immediately to wrap around my WIP, the seraphim shawl and placed the ballband in the handy pocket for reference later. She also sent a Needle Minder that is a really neat thing. It's designed as a wallet sized needle-inventory that you can take with you to the yarnstore. I think it's really handy because now you're never standing at the never-ending wall of needles wondering, "Do I have that size? Do I need that size?" Sooo many times I've gone home with extra needles I found I didn't need OR I walk out without that size than have to make an emergency trip later.
Anyhow, no affiliation or anything, I just love supporting knitbloggers that come up with new and cool ideas. If you are interested in checking it out, her page is here
Now, back to your regularly scheduled blog program!

Miter Mania

First off, I have to say a huge THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!! to everyone that posted to my knitting etiquette conundrum. Each and every word of support meant so very much to me, I am so very appreciative of this wonderful community of knitbloggers. Thank you!

I have to admit I've succombed to miter mania lately...it all started with all those lovely blankets the ladies at Mason Dixon Knitting kept displaying. They drew me in until I couldn't resist any longer. I considered it kismet, because just at that moment, the fab Christine was having a stash sale with some Mission Falls Cotton. That yarn fit the bill for what I wanted to make, nice pretty colors, machine washable, and Aran weight. (Fewer squares to make =) ) Hey, I said I wanted to make a blanket not spend the rest of my life doing it!

So, on Saturday the yarn arrived along with the new Mason Dixon Knitting Book, the new Yarn Harlot Book and Debbie Stoller's Happy Hooker (for another afghan I'm craving to make, but hey, one at a time)

Squares are incredibly liberating because they go so incredibly fast (I clocked it about 1hr 20mins per square) AND, here's the best part... They let you experiment with color. I'm trying to be creative, and drop all my pre-conceived notions of color. IRL I only use blue's, green's black and tan so using yellow, pink and purple, even if it's just for a square opens my eye to possibilities.

So... here's my progress. These are knit on US7 needles (addi of course) and the cotton does make my hands hurt a wee bit, white worse than others. Why is that??? I find it so odd!

I've also been knitting on a few other things as well including my second sweater, Jemima, some badcaul socks with Koigu I've been hoarding and the Seraphim shawl with some hand-dyed yarn rounds out my WIP basket.

I finished up my very first Norweigan Mitten a few weeks ago and am just now getting around to post it. It was my very first stranded project and knitting with two hands was tough. I'm hoping it will get easier as I start the second one...I keep eyeing KaffeinatedKnits as motivation!

Oh, and hey did you know Grey's has a soundtrack?? I just had to order it off amazon!

Knitting Store Etiquette, Advice Needed!

Hi Everyone,
I know it's been a long time since I posted, life has gotten me by a stranglehold lately with work (which is just crazy right now!) and my DH coming home from Iraq. I've been trying to desperately get a good work-homelife balance which zaps my energy for blogging, but not knitting thank goodness!

I was finally pushed to get atleast a word out there because of all the dear people out there checking up on me and making sure I'm OK. (Thanks KnittyCath!) I was also motivated cause I had to ask for some advice.

**Advice needed**
See, I'm taking a entrelac class at the red needle in Savannah and I signed up a few weeks ago. In December I had seen a pretty entrelac shawl identical to Lady Eleanor in Scarf Style, just knit on bigger needles with less repeats. They didn't have any classes going right then and I hadn't decided if I was going to wait and take a class or teach myself.

In the meantime, my mom asked me if she could send me some yarn (yay mom!) So I asked for 5 balls of the yarn to make that wrap. I practiced by casting on for Danica and left it at that. Earlier this month when I was in the Red Needle, yarn shopping, I saw they had classes (at $40) which I thought was a little high, but finally decided to go for it, thinking I needed to get out a little more and be social and meet some local knitters!

When I signed up the store owner told me what supplies I needed, and I told her I already had 5 balls of that yarn but would need to buy 3 more balls to make the class project. I went to look for the yarn in that color, and they did not have any and were sold out of most other colors. So, I called the yarnstore where my mom purchased the yarn in CA and asked them to ship me 3 more balls.

I thought nothing of it until today, when the RN owner called to confirm the class this weekend and this is what happened:

She said, "You still need supplies right?"
I said, "I actually have the yarn that I need for the project."
She- "Well you didn't buy it from here did you?"
Me- "No, my mom bought it for me for Xmas before I thought about taking this class."
She-"Well, that's not fair to the other people."
Me (Not yet getting what the big deal is)- "Well, it's the same yarn as the class project, so I will be able to follow along. I tried to buy more yarn from you but you were sold out of that color."
She (Getting huffy now)- "Well that's not fair to the other people."
Me (Starting to get bothered)- "Well, that's fine, I didn't know I was going to take the class when I bought it, if it bothers you that is fine, I won't come to the class and you can just refund me my money."
She- "Well it's really not fair to the other people, just come to the class and we will talk about it."
Me- "Well, if it's a problem then I don't need to come. I live an hour away so I don't want to drive in if it's going to be a problem when I get there.
She- "Just come, we'll talk about it then. Bye."

So...although I'm no longer a newbie knitter I have to admit I'm a newbie when it comes to knitting with other people, especially in yarnstores. I took some classes at the fab Monarch Knitting in Pacific Grove, CA when I lived there and we were encouraged to always use whatever yarn we wanted to, and if it was stash, all the better. They were lovely and very supportive.

I realize I must have stepped on some toes here, by not buying the yarn at the store but I guess I don't completely understand why. I think if I had known I was going to take the class, and then went on the internet to find the yarn cheaper that may be slightly wrong (although it's my money and I should be able to do what I want).

I think when I pay 40 bucks for a class I should be able to use whatever yarn I want, not be stuck with the specific brand, in store with the 4 colors they carry. Then mine would look just like everyone elses, what if I wanted to use Noro for heavenssake? I realize that's a sidepoint because I already have the yarn but I had to make it.

I'm bothered now because all the fun has just been taken out of the class. It's going to be uncomfortable, she's probably going to try and embarrass me in front of all these people I don't know and the yarn will forever have negative karma.

So, please, help me. Throw me an opinion if I'm right or wrong and tell me what I should do when I go to the class tomorrow.

Thanks,
Signed helpless in hinesville.

Word Cloud

Word Cloud
Originally uploaded by kmckiernan.

I saw this on a few blogs and couldn't hold out any longer, I think the words are rather inspirational, and makes my dreary Thursday a wee bit more fun.

http://www.snapshirts.com/custom.php

Sew? I knit!

sewiknit
Originally uploaded by kmckiernan.

I saw this over at Stephanie's and had to join! It's Sew?IKnit! It's designed for those of us who are knitters, but also wish we could sew a little too.

I know I've been inspired to dust off my old sewing machine with all the creativity over in blogland, and I've wished many times I was talented enough to sew some of the gorgeous confections. Here's my chance to give it a try!

Morehouse Mittens

Morehouse Mittens
Originally uploaded by kmckiernan.

Hmm... flickr photo issues...

Gotta fix this!

Too much FO to go around!

"Well, hello every--body!"

"Hi Dr.Nick!"

Those of you who read my meme, probably get the quote from above. It's from the Simpsons, one of my favorite shows of all time. It's been awhile since I've stopped by here, lots longer than I imagined. I almost had a heart-attack when I saw I hadn't blogged since last month.

In the process of getting knee surgery aka "scoped" I did manage to get lots of knitting in, although not too much in the first few days. I thought I was going to be amazingly productive with time off from work, but actually when you factor in anesthesia wearing off (sooo not fun!) and painkillers and being absolutely on your own with two dogs it just didn't happen. Because, see that would mean I would have to get up with the crutches, maneuever my big old knee immobolizer around, and manange to not trip, fall or get nauseous. Hehe, looking back it was probably pretty funny if anyone was around to watch, but back then, it was NO BUENO! I was trapped in the house for 10 days, I couldn't leave because I couldn't drive and I couldn't hardly eat because the sheer effort of being up made me either nauseous are too painful. Let's just say I don't recommend that diet to anyone! Luckily, I had a savior, one of my friends Sara (not a knitter) stopped by, brought me groceries and maintained my sanity, and for that I'm forever grateful. Sara, you rock!

I did eventually however pick up the needles and churned out a few things... In no particular order I give you...

Husband's Blue Socks
Yarn: Sockotta I've had in my stash for years...yea for stashbusting!
Pattern: My own generic sock pattern
Needles: Magic Loop 2.5mm Inox
Time to knit: 4 days (yea, I had nothing better to do, round and round is easy =) )

Old-Fashioned Slipper Socks from the 70's or 80's
Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 in Navy
Pattern: It came on the packaging for the slippers
Needles: US 5 to get gauge, Ebony Circs (knit flat)
Time to knit: A week or so with other stuff in between

Morehouse Merino Troubador Mitten KnitKit
Yarn: Silver
Pattern: Came with the kit
Needles: US 5 to get gauge, Magic Loop with Inox's
Time to knit: 3 days (they go quick!)

Clapotis Scarf
Yarn: Axelle's lovely superwash Merino in Highland Heather (note: I bought this yarn over a year ago, and the Merino is now discontinued. *Sob* Her yarn is gorgeous and the colors are amazing. I've been saving it for a long time for this particular pattern. 1.25 skeins used)
Pattern: Knitty's Clapotis with only 2 increase sections
Needles: US 7? Addi Turbo's
Time to knit: 6 days, couldn't put it down and loved every minute!

Here's a better picture of the colors, so lovely!

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Give me a M - Meme!

Erica tagged me and I’ve seen this one all over Blog-dom.  I’ve enjoyed reading everyone’s answers, so I had to participate.
4 jobs you've had

1. Software Developer


2. HR Minion


3. Temp Worker


4. Geek Squad tech at Best Buy (before they had the weird clothes and the cool car, darn!)

4 movies you could watch over and over

• Movies, huh?  I’m more of a cartoon person….


• Ok, ok, let’s see…..


• Hmm…can’t think of a one….


• And I’m having waaaay too much fun with the bullet points in Word, so I’ll stop now... =)

4 tv shows you love to watch

1. Alias (until they ruined the whole plot, and killed you-know-who off =( )


2. The Simpsons!


3. Scooby Doo and assorted cartoons, including x-men or spider man =)  I know, I know, I’m a child and I’m not too embarrased to admit it.


4. NCIS and sometimes Dog the Bounty Hunter

4 places you have been on vacation (I really, really want to make it to europe…but… here you go)

1. Cabo


2. Lake Tahoe


3. DisneyWorld


4. The Bahamas (going again next month for a big va-cay with hubby on a cruise!)

4 websites you visit daily

1. Bloglines


2. MSN / Hotmail


3. Gmail


4. Hmm…any yarn store site depending on what I’m looking for

4 of your favorite foods

1. Chocolate chip cookie DOUGH, raw!


2. Brownie mix, raw! (Am I the only one?? Or, do you think I’m just gross.)


3. Lasagna and garlic bread


4. Bacon and cheese quesadillas

4 places you would rather be right now

1. Cleaning my craft/guest room


2. Driving anywhere!


3. Sitting in a coffeeshop, knitting and drinking the good stuff


4. Not sitting in my home office working

4 bloggers you are tagging:Yep, everyone’s been there, done this and I’m on the slow trolley….So, if you do decide to do it, let me know.  I love reading the answers!  Happy Monday!

Testing...

For some reason bloglines isn't picking up my last update...how strange! So I thought I'd give it another try and see if this one comes through!

=)

Happy New Year to you and your family!

Where have all the bloggers gone?

(I'm channeling Paula Cole right now)

Wow, can't you just hear the tumbleweeds whippin' across this old blog while I've been gone. Boy, didn't really expect to disappear for that long! Thank you all for your wonderful wishes and encouragement on the big transition east. I'm doing much better thank you! And I must apologize if you asked me a question via comments and I didn't respond, I managed to get quite backlogged in a short time.

So! What's new?! Anyone still out there!? I'll tell you what's been going on with me. I've been working a whole lot, and while anyone out there who has ever wanted to work at home can probably imagine, THE COMMUTE IS GREAT! The hours, however, are less than spectacular. I find myself working morning, noon, night and weekends. I answer emails at midnight and there is no end to the work in sight. Must--find--balance!!

The past month has brought a lot of emotional growth, I mourned the second anniversary of my father's passing the day after thanksgiving and succombed to the unfortunate cycle of the shoulda woulda coulda's that threatened to take over my thoughts. It always brings me sadness because he passed from this life just 3 weeks before my wedding and even though he saw my husband in pictures, I wish dearly they could have met. For reasons unbeknownest to me, I managed to pick someone quite similar to him and I think they would have gotten along. The fall season is a time of turmoil for me. I quite enjoy october with its chilly nights and warm mugs of tea. November no longer brings me the joy it once did. And now, December. Christmas time for me has always been filled well, atleast if not with fond memories than with wonderful tranditions. I miss decorating gingerbread houses, cutting down the tree and setting out my mom's christmas village along the window, sometimes complete with train. This christmas, the first in my very own house, I have attempted to continue these traditions. Eventually, when I have kids I'd like them to have traditions that they look forward to and bring a joyous spirit to the season. My genuine hope is to teach them about the "spirit of the season" than the commercialism of the season. I'd like them to find happiness in mugs of hot cocoa and christmas stories than the latest toy.

I'm afraid this year I haven't quite succeeded in the spirit of the season, quite honestly I've been a wee bit grinchy. When I mean grinchy I don't mean stealing other peoples fun, I mean that I've had a hard time finding that christmas joy. Part of my heart is still awaiting my husbands return (Just after the first of the year! Finally!) and we've put off celebrating until he returns. It's also a little hard to get in the spirit when it's just you and your dogs. Although, I did buy special candy cane colored rawhides for them (which then proceeded to stain my carpets red, but that's beside the point =) ) I've definitely tried to find the joy, I put up the lights, decorated the tree, and succeded in burning a turkey to smithereens, so I suppose I'm halfway there!

In honor of christmas, and well, the color green, I started the paisley lace shawl from Interweave in luscious green zephyr. No pics yet, but definitely when it gets bigger. I did make a few christmas presents this year, mostly hats and slippers and socks and scarves.

I'll have plenty of knitting time soon. Tomorrow I'm going in for knee surgery. :( Oh, yeah that's another thing I didn't mention, I tore it up running when my dog stopped, I tripped over her, went flying in the middle of the highway and now I'm getting surgery on it (Long story short) :). Did I mention I'm taking a cab to the hospital and I'm going through it all alone? I have a friend driving down to pick me up, but after she drops me off I'm going to be stuck at home; me, crutches and dogs. I guess you could say I'm moderately freaked out. I'm a pretty independent person but the idea of going to sleep alone at the hospital without out family or my husband kinda freaks me out. In preparation for the freak out I found some nifty pants with snaps that will fit over my knee afterwards and I ordered a few luscious mitten kits from Morehouse Merino to keep me sane. What's that girl scout motto, "always prepared?", that would be me! When I'm ready to leave the house I expect to have a new pair of mittens to wear and be stylin' in comfort. :)

Well, in preparation of all that I figured I'd show you a few projects I've been working on. Without further ado...

Rogue, just part the armholes.
Funny story about this one and gauge, I'll have to tell it another time...

For my holiday exchange pal, we had to send a cookie recipe with an ornament.
I decided to hand-craft a mini weasley sweater, pattern from Last Minute Knitted Gifts with a "R" on it.
I think it turned out rather cute, even if the picture is dark!

And of course a Harry Potter scarf, POA style! The colors in life are much more muted, more burgundy and burnt orange. I really should have thought this one out before I CO, I'm 3 trapped bars in, just ran out of the first skein of yarn and only have 1 left of the MC! I'm either going to need 2 more skeins atleast, or off to the frog pond is goes. Any ideas???

Well better run for now, I will talk to you all soon...Wish me luck!

************************************

Your Birthdate: October 23

You're not good at any one thing, and that's the problem. You're good at so much - you never know what to do. Change is in your blood, and you don't stick to much for long. You are destined for a life of travel and fun. Your strength: Your likeability Your weakness: You never feel satisfied Your power color: Bright yellow Your power symbol: Asterisk Your power month: May

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?