Freckles & Purls: October 2005 Archives

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October 31, 2005

Boo!

I hope that everyone is having a spook-tacular halloween!

My friend Roz showed up at work today with a little bling on her left hand! We've been waiting for this to happen for years (I'm talkin' YEARS, people). Yay, Roz!

This past weekend was a blast, too. Geoff and I headed up to Greenville, SC where he ran a relay marathon with three of our friends. Geoff volunteered for the "hilliest" leg of the relay which he soon discovered was 7 miles of hills from hell. The relay station where he was tagging off with the next team member was at the top of yet another hill! I saw him come around the bend at the bottom of the hill and he put the pedal to the metal and passed about 5 people on the hill. I was so proud. They came in 11th place for relay teams. Go team FUBAR!

As for knitting, now that I've finished the secret stuff I can get back to my other projects! I started on the front left of Trellis and am speeding through! It was nice to be able to pick it up again.

And I experimented a bit with the sweater Christmas ornaments...

The one on the bottom is from Weekend Knitting, the one on the top left is one I knitted in all one piece and the blue one is one I created on my own taking ideas from the other two. The turtle neck one from Weekend Knitting took a few hours because of that damn turtle neck that I knitted with dpns. That's when I decided to venture into the crew neck variety! The garnet crew neck that is knit in one piece isn't bad, but I think I like the look of the separate sleeves. I knitted the blue one on the car ride to Greenville (about 1.5 hours). That seems like a good amount of time to make a little ornament. I wanted to make several of these to give to people throughout the holidays. I think I'm going to buy some pipe cleaners and bend them into little clothes hangers to put them on. This is a great way to use up the leftover yarn in my stash!!

Before I sign off, I leave you with a must-see this halloween. You've got to visit Alison's blog and see the awesome halloween costumes she knit for her twin boys. She even knit the hair! Those boys are just too cute for words...

G'night! Oh, and I'm starting back with the running tomorrow! Yay!

Posted by allison at 10:01 PM | Comments (1)

October 26, 2005

Stick a fork in it!

I'm finished with my secret knitting project! Of course, since the special recipient could be lurking around, you'll have to click on my extended entry to see a pic.

But first, a little poll! I'm thinking of making some little sweater/stocking ornaments to give people for Christmas. I have both Last Minute Knitted Gifts and Weekend Knitting and both of them have very cute mini-sweaters (and Last Minute Knitted Gifts has a small stocking, too). Have any of you knitted any of these or know someone who has? Which of these patterns is best? Or is there a better one available online? I want to be able to make several of these so the quicker and easier the better!

Ok! Click on my extended entry (not you, Jane!) to see a pic of my secret knitting!

This is, of course, a pic of it pre-blocked. It shall grow grow grow when I block it (which will be a feat since it will be too big for my blocking board). Click the pic to make it big.

And I finished it with a WEEK left before my sister-in-law's birthday! Plenty of time for some good ol' blocking...

Posted by allison at 10:00 PM | Comments (1)

October 24, 2005

Brrrrrrrrrr...

Can I just say it's FREEZING outside! It's supposed to get down into the 30s tonight! And it's so windy! It's like we've skipped right over Fall and headed straight into Winter. Good knitting weather, though!

This weather makes me want to accomplish things. Geoff and I got a lot of cleaning done around the house this weekend and I even got some cleaning done in my office today. And I've been making good progress on my gift knitting! Pics to come in the next couple of days.

I got my Vogue Knitting in the mail the other day and I was a little disappointed. Who wears those things? Most of the patterns remind me of those ridiculous clothes you see these super models wearing on the runway but never EVER see ANYONE wear out on the street. Who's their target audience? Supermodels or real women?

I'm hopelessly behind in my blog reading! I'm trying to catch up! If you haven't heard from me in a while, you will!

Posted by allison at 07:59 PM | Comments (1)

October 17, 2005

Slow and steady

That seems to be the theme lately in my life. From my progress on the secret knitting project (which I will update with a pic at the end of this post) to my new exercise routine. But slow and steady wins the race, right? God I hope so.

So I haven't run since Sept. 18. A month! I took it easy for a couple of weeks until my legs stopped hurting. Since then I've been committed to SOME sort of exercise every day (even if it's only walking). This has included riding my bike, doing a bunch of cardio, lots of weight training, and trips to the gym. Yesterday, I did 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer at the gym and a few weights. Today it was 45 minutes of "body sculpting" with weights. My ultimate goal? Lose some weight and start running again. I think that if I get toned and work on my cardio, the running will come a bit easier to me.

Anyway, now to more interesting stuff... KNITTING! First of all, I just got the email that the Knitty surprises are up! I didn't want to get my hopes up too high because I have been disappointed in the past. There are three of them so I thought that there was a chance I would like at least one of them! First up there were the knitted boobs that made me go "huh?" That was the first link I clicked on in the email so I was frightened to click on the other two. But they turned out ok! The felted pumpkins are very cute! And at first I was turned off by the skull scarf but then, upon further review, I think it might be a cute scarf to wear to work on Halloween. Maybe next year...

And now for the update on my slow and steady secret knitting! If you're not Jane, click on the link below to read my extended entry and see a pic of my progress!

My blogging has been sparse because I've been knitting on this every night! I'm over half way finished though! I'm well into my second skein of yarn and there are only two in this project! Yay! And you can see my lifeline in the picture. I don't want to risk messing this thing up!

I can now see that the rows are getting shorter! They really are!

Well, that's all I got for now. I'm exhausted. This past weekend marked 3 years that Geoff and I have been together. I'll leave you with one of the many reasons I love him so much. He cracks me up out of the blue! Case in point, this email I got from him at work last week...

Subject: shampoo

I don't think I like that new shampoo. My hair does
not have the luxurious feel I am accustomed to. I am
unhappy.

xoxo

Poor guy. For the record, he was the one that bought "that new shampoo" that I am now forced to use the rest of. The things I do for that man (and his hair)...

Posted by allison at 10:28 PM | Comments (2)

October 12, 2005

Got my Knitscene!

I got the new mag Knitscene from Interweave Knits in the mail yesterday. I really like it! And I've found two projects that have caught my eye. The one I really like is this:

It's a really cute twinset. My only worry is the way it looks on the model. It may just be the way she's sitting or the angle or something but it kinda makes her look like a linebacker. Her shoulders aren't very defined. But the more I look at the picture the more I think it's just the angle. Or I hope it's just the angle. I guess we'll see whenever I get around to knitting it!

On the opposite page is this silk tweed cardigan:

Cute! Now tell me, what's up with those paper doll looking things on the couch? They're a little scantily clad, eh? Weird.

Anyway, the mag is great and there are a lot more things in it that I want to knit (a tweedy vest, a cool striped scarf...). The only thing that disappointed me was the layout. All of the patterns are laid out like Vogue Knitting with all of the pics in the front of the mag and all the patterns in the back. I never liked that about Vogue Knitting and always loved the way Interweave Knits would have the pic of the pattern and the pattern all together. That way I could follow the instructions and look at the finished product without having to flip back and forth! Oh well. Just a small annoyance.

In other news, this past weekend marked Geoff and I's six month wedding anniversary. I can't believe we've been married six months already! We got each other little gifts to mark the occassion. He gave me an iTunes gift card and some truffles. I got him some chocolate as well (a big Galaxy bar) and some international beers from World Market. Of course I also had to get some Pumpkin Ale, too! So now our fridge looks like this:

Mmmmmm... beeeeer...

And I do have an update on my secret knitting! If you aren't my sister-in-law click on my extended entry for pics!

I've been knitting away on Ene's Scarf and it feels like I don't have THAT much to show for it! Damn these long rows! But they are getting shorter! I must keep reminding myself of that!

Here are a few pics of my progress so far... click 'em to make 'em big...

I've mapped out a schedule for it and if I stick to it I'll definitely have it finished in time for my sister-in-law's birthday. Speaking of which, better get back to it...

Posted by allison at 10:01 PM | Comments (1)

October 05, 2005

I have the best friends!

Well, I arrived home from work today (dripping wet because I can't find my umbrella) and found this in my mailbox!

It's from my friend Jenn in Denver! She and her husband have recently acquired (much to her dismay) a ton of books and books on tape and she sent me this gem.

It's "One Frog Can Make A Difference: Kermit's Guide to Life in the 90's." Sure it's soooooo last decade but I'm sure I will learn a lot. One of the chapters is called "I'm OK, You're a Pig." Love it! What a great surprise! Thanks, Jenn!

All of my friends know that I am HUGE fan of Kermit the Frog. In fact, in college my friend Jonathan (who does an amazing Kermit impression) recorded the outgoing message on my answering machine so I actually had Kermit taking my messages!

Anyway, Kermit is the best frog ever AND he's now 50 years old!!! Doesn't he look great for his age? The US Postal Service has come out with stamps to celebrate the occasion! You can bet I'll be getting some of these!

Jim Henson was a genius. A real genius. This world is so lucky to have had him in it.

In other news, Geoff and I dined for America tonight. We used it as an excuse to try the new Bonefish Grill that just opened near us. So. Friggin'. Good. The service was great, the food was great, and our money went to a great cause! What more could you ask for?

And I do have some knitting for you! Really I do! If you are NOT my sister-in-law Jane then you may proceed to the knitting content by reading my extended entry...

So yeah, my sister-in-law's birthday is coming up quick! It's Nov. 3! And I just started her gift this past weekend! Like I've mentioned before, it's Ene's Scarf from Scarf Style.

Here's what I have so far...

I'm using the exact same yarn and color called for in the pattern because I think it's just beautiful. I'm pretty sure I'll finish it in time. I keep reminding myself that with every row, I have fewer stitches! Gotta love projects that decrease the whole time!

I had to tink back an ENTIRE row this afternoon because I forgot to do a k2tog and yo at the VERY beginning of the row. I'm thinking that maybe I should put in a life line in case this happens again. Tinking back over 300 stitches is NO FUN.

So, the Fiery Bolero and Trellis are on hold right now while I deal with this more pressing deadline for Ene's Scarf. I'm working on it every spare moment I have so hopefully the bolero and Trellis will make a cameo soon!

Posted by allison at 10:40 PM | Comments (1)

October 03, 2005

Exhausted!

Well we returned from Auburn last night completely exhausted. It's amazing how a "vacation" can be more exhausting than relaxing! Anyway, it was a fun trip overall (except for that damn football game).

Geoff and I ate at the famed Price's Barbecue House TWICE! They have THE BEST chipped pork BBQ sandwiches (with a pickle and slaw on them) that I have EVER eaten. Also ate at Guthrie's! That sauce they have there is like crack. Dippin' your chicken fingers in crack. Very very good...

Of course there was even more gorging on gameday where we had the honor of tailgating with some friends at "Corn Dog Corner"

There was this guy who actually made corndogs from scratch and funnel cakes, too! I must have gained 20 pounds.

Of course, to get any parking we had to get there at 10 a.m. (for a 6 p.m. kickoff). So there was a LOT of time to fill. So to keep myself from eating EVERYTHING in sight, I knitted!

I got a good start on Ene's Scarf (no close-up pics of it yet, though).

Geoff and I, being in a mixed marriage of sorts, enjoyed egging each other on about the upcoming game. He proudly wore his "Beat More Chikin" pin. We were both in good spirits BEFORE the game...