INTRODUCING:  "HARLEY"

When I lost my little girl a few weeks ago I said I would NEVER get another dog.  I should have known better than to say never.  Because within a week I had begun to consider getting another little baby.  I had started wondering aimlessly around my house, sad and lonely.  It started out with me getting up in the morning ready to go for my daily walk only to remember that the walks were no longer necessary.  Which inevitably lead to short crying jags.  And so began the search to determine what kind of new bundle of joy I might want.  I flip flopped back and forth from a cat to a dog (a small dog of course).  And I was leaning more towards a Chihuahua.  I had been researching Chihuahua's for as long as I could remember.  I just never thought I'd want to spend that kind of money on a new best friend.  In passing on my first day back to work, I mentioned to a good friend that I was "thinking" about getting one.  He went home and in passing mentioned it to his wife.  And her response was, "I just saw an ad for someone selling them."  He called and found out she only one had left.  He called to let me know, and I said I'd call her the next day (Friday).  I figured if she still had the puppy, then it was meant to be.  And she did still have him.  At a price that I still find hard to believe.  So Friday after work off we went to see if he and I would bond.   And as you might be able to tell from our first picture, we did!  And home he came to join my family. 

So without further ado, meet the little dog with the big personality and name to match,  "Harley Davidson G."

You can probably tell, it had been a long day for me.  8hrs at work.  An hour long drive to my friends house.  30 minutes to the breeders house.  45 minutes bonding and getting to know each other. 30 minutes back to my friends.  And an hour and a half visiting with them, and letting their dogs get to know "Harley".  45 minutes in PetSmart getting the essentials, and an hour home.  I didn't get to be until close to 10pm, and I had to go into work this morning. 

Like a said, a really long day.  With a great gift in the middle.

THERE HAS BEEN KNITTING

And I have the pictures to prove it.

With everything going on the last few months; the strike, my dad's visit, and my granddad's birthday.  I wasn't sure there would be much knitting.  But there has been loads of it.  Most of it has been due to my "Startitis", and not much completing.

The "PinWheel Baby Blanket" that I have been working on for my Tuesday knitting buddy has come to a stand still until I can get another ball of yarn for the edging.  I'm very pleased with how the blanket came out.  But I wanted to add a bit of oomph in the edging.  I just hope my friend and her little one likes it.

I finished the "Bandwagon" socks last week.  And all I can say is, I am in love with this pattern.  It's was easy to memorize, even for me.  And the resulting lace design is gorgeous on the foot.  The ribbing on the back of the leg makes for a very comfortable and cozy fit.

I used the Wollmeise I got in my May Loopy Ewe sock club package.  I have heard about the fabulousness of Wollmeise mostly from the Lime and Violet podcast, but I had yet to actually get my hands on some.  So as can be expected I was excited when I unwrapped my sock club package and discovered the yarn was a skein of Wollmeise in the gorgeous "pillar of fire" colorway.  Woo Hoo!

The size of the skein was also a very pleasant surprise.  Over 500 yards. After I finished my socks I had almost half the skein left.  so I decided to cast on another project I had been wanted to make for some time, the "Dream-Swatch" scarf.  And it's coming out beautifully.  I've got about half of it done.  And I think I'm still going to have quite a bit of yarn left over.  Maybe I'll make a pair of footies with what's left over.

Now that I've worked with Wollmeise, I'm on a mission to get my hands on some more.  There are several colors that I think would make beautiful shawls.  But after joining the Wollmeise group on Ravelry I discovered that the wonderful dyer has temporarily closed her shop due to an illness.  I'll have to wait until she's feeling well enough to start production again.  And I'll be waiting with baited breath.

Since I completed my first article of clothing a few weeks ago.  I've been thinking about what I wanted to make next.  After looking around on Ravelry I remembered a sweater that I had fallen in love with a long time ago.  It's called "Stargazer".  The pattern was originally published in "Magknits" in June of 2007.  And is now available as a Ravelry download, for $1.00.  That's right I said $1.00 people.  I couldn't believe it either.  I cast on this project in Butterfly Mercerized Cotton and hated it.  It was too heavy.  Then I cast it on in Berroco Comfort.  After I had finished about four inches I realized that the tight fabric was also going to be a lot heavier than I wanted.  So off it went to the frog pond.  I went back to Ravelry to see what some of the other Stargazers had been knit in and found that one was knit in Lion Brand Micro Spun.  And I remembered that I had bought a lot of the Micro Spun in purple when I first started knitting.  So I cast on again, and so far I'm loving it. The sleeve ends, neckline and waistband are knit going to be knit in black for the contrast. With the bright and shiny light purple body and sleeves.  I'll probably finish this just as it gets too hot to wear it.  But so far I'm on a mission to complete it.  I'll post some pics when I get a little further into it.

Back to knitting I go.  Happy knitting!!!

S.

TO THE PRUDE IN ME

Last night I went with my aunt and cousin to see "The Color Purple".  I must say I was thoroughly disappointed.  I had heard such great things about the play.  From people who saw it on Broadway.  But I'm afraid to say the traveling show didn't live up to the hype.

My mother saw the play in New York, so I now know that the traveling production is very different from the Broadway version.  For starters, there was way to much unnecessary "bumpin' and grinding" for my comfort.  Hence the "prude" in the title.  There were quite a few children in the audience under the age of 16, and some of their parents were not pleased with it either.

I was also disappointed by the fact that not one song from the movie was performed.  And according to my mother, at least two of the original songs were performed in the Broadway Production.  A fact that my aunt couldn't let go of.  She was really looking forward to the gospel song from the movie.

The actual context of the movie had been greatly altered too.  Several points from the movie were skipped over.  And one issue in particular was addressed and forced on us.  Over and Over Again!  It was almost like a completely different story line.  What a shame.  I hate being forced a minor point, while more important issues aren't even addressed.  

I thought it was strange that the play has been hear for several days and I hadn't heard a thing about it.  No one has been singing it's praises, or raving about what a great production it is.  I really wish I had seen it on Broadway.  I think the traveling company is not doing it any justice.

Or maybe it's just the "Prude" in me...

THE STRIKE IS OVER!!!

It's over, and all I can say is we got screwed.  But, looking on the bright side, at least I still have a job.  I'm going to have to make some really big changes in my lifestyle.  But it will all work itself out in the end.

I hope the workers at the Big 3 realize they are next.  The cuts are definitely coming everyone's way.

Knitting content tomorrow.

WHEN HIGH-LIGHTS BECOME LOW-LIGHTS

We got the supposed highlights today for our tentative contract.  And my, what a joke it all has been.  We have been on strike since February 27 and our "Tentative" agreement is just shy of what we were offered before we walked.  That's right my friends, 80+ days and thousands of dollars of my savings later, to get almost exactly what we were offered prior to the strike.  Oh well!

What does any of this mean?  Well, I won't know anything for sure until after the ratification vote tomorrow.  What I do know is that I can't afford not to vote for it.  And in my opinion, no matter what others have said, none of us can.  The options here are slim to none.  Because if we don't vote for it their intentions are to close the doors and move their business to Mexico and China.  Or bring in non-union workers (scabs) to continue to produce.  And there's not a thing we can do about it.

IT'S TENTATIVE!!!

The announcement went out late last night.  Our union and company have reached a tentative agreement.  I won't have any details until the informational meeting tomorrow.  All I can say is my hopes are not high on what we are going to end up with.  Our future is definitely not looking very bright.

HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY

With everything that's happening.  I almost forgot.  Happy Blogiversary to me.

More later.

GOOD-BYE MY SWEET LITTLE GIRL

I had to have my sweet little dog put to sleep this morning.  And sad doesn't even begin to describe how I'm feeling.  I know it was time to let her go, put it still hurts.  She had been with me for almost ten years.  Samantha was between 6 and 10 when I adopted her. Which put her over 16yrs old.  And her health has been deteriorating for over a year, and I finally had to make the decision to let her go.

She will be missed.

26 HOURS AND COUNTING

Dad will be here in 26 hrs.  I'm so not ready for this week.  Don't get me wrong.  I love my dad more than anything.  But the stress I'm under right now is only going to be compounded by my dad's presence.

Wish me luck!  I'm going to need it!

S.

OH MY GAWD!!!  OH MY GAWD!!! OH MY GAWD!!!

I just received the latest Loopy Ewe Sock Club Package.  And to my surprise the yarn  was none other than "WOLLMEISE"!  That's right folks, Wollmeise!  I scared my dog have to death screaming and jumping around the room.  I am so excited!

As you can probably tell, I have been wanting to try this yarn.  But was never able to get to the Loopy Ewe updates quickly enough to order some.  So "Pillars of Fire" is going to be my first.

Also in the package is a cute key ring with a tiny crochet hook on it, Loopy Mints, and a great sock pattern in the same name.

I'm off to do the Happy Dance!

My "Day of the Dead Gal" sitting on my head.

Being with my knitting friends always bring out my silliness, and is always so much fun.

HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!!!

I did a quick search to educate myself on the true meaning of this day.  Here a little history I found.  And here.

S.

THIS ONE HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD

you are darkslateblue #483D8B

Your dominant hue is blue, making you a good friend who people love and trust. You're good in social situations and want to fit in. Just be careful not to compromise who you are to make them happy. Your saturation level is medium - You're not the most decisive go-getter, but you can get a job done when it's required of you. You probably don't think the world can change for you and don't want to spend too much effort trying to force it. Your outlook on life can be bright or dark, depending on the situation. You are flexible and see things objectively.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

I'M FINALLY GROWING UP

At least as far as my knitting is concerned.  I've moved into a new realm of my knitting life.  I'm actually knitting a piece of clothing.  I know, I know, I said I would never knit clothing.  I should have lived by my own words, "Never say Never!"  But thanks to a great new knitting buddy I'm eating my words.  So as I keep saying to her it's all her fault.  The day I met her she was working on the "Perfect Periwinkle Turtleneck Tube Vest" from the book "Fitted Knits by Stephanie Japel" and I immediately fell in love with hers and had to make one for myself. Anyone who knows me knows I'm an impulsive knitter.  I get things in my head and want to cast them on and finish them as soon as possible.  And that's exactly what I did with this project.  I put down everything else I was working on and cast on.

Here's what I have done after several days of knitting and frogging and re-knitting.    I chose Berrco Comfort in a Denim Blue colorway.  The pattern was originally knit in Cascade 220, and I couldn't for the life of me imagine knitting what I perceived as a summer tank in wool.   As you can see, I shortened the neck ribbing.  A most because my neck is way to short for 5 inches of ribbing.  I frogged the front panel at least three times in as many days.  I had major problems with the "LLI" and "RLI".  And it's still not perfect, but I said what the heck.  This is my first attempt at a piece of clothing, and there is no way I can get everything right the first time.  I decided since I am fairly certain I'm going to knit this again.  This attempt will be my model.

Here are the pics I took this past weekend.  This beginning of what I will affectionately call: Ribbing Hell.  But believe it or not, I'm loving this project more and more, the more I knit on it.

Wish me luck.  I'd like to have this done by next week.  But only time will tell.