This is fun...

Yes, I do have a new project on the needles, and it involved cable-casting on 423 stitches! Talk about new and exciting ways to torture yourself! But the yarn is gorgeous, and I'll post a pic as soon as I make a significant amount of progress.

Until then, my time is being consumed by my anticipation for my surgeries next Friday. I'm excited, and apprehensive at the same time and I'm really NOT looking forward to the recovery period. Well, I'm trying to get as much advice as I can, but I know that my experience will all depend on me and my own reaction to the procedures. I'm just one of those people who has to do a bunch of research and get as much info as I can in order to feel somewhat at ease, even though it's mostly pointless. Of course, the most important part of my recovery perid will be the knitting projects I'll be working on...that is IF I'm able. I certainly hope so, and am planning accordingly.

Anyway, here's something fun to do...I think it was pretty accurate for me, because believe me, I've been low lately, and I REALLY need some attention and some outside affirmation from others. And I absolutely adore blue :-)

Your Power Color Is Indigo

At Your Highest: You are on a fast track to success - and others believe in you. At Your Lowest: You require a lot of attention and praise. In Love: You see people as how you want them to be, not as how they are. How You're Attractive: You're dramatic flair makes others see you as mysterious and romantic. Your Eternal Question: "Does This Work Into My Future Plans?"

What's Your Power Color?

Knitting on Google

Hey, if you get the chance today, go to Google.com. They've got 2 knitting kangaroos as part of their logo today! Very cute!!

Get your FO here!

Ladies & Gents, with absolutely no ado, here is my most recent Finished Object:


Yeah, I know the one pic is crooked, but I never said I was a wiz with the camera. But I'm really happy with the sweater, and it'll be even better once I break down and block it. Here are the specs for those of you who are interested in such things:
Pattern: "Woman's Cardigan" (such a catchy name), the cover sweater on the Fall 2006 "Knit Simple". Smallest size.
Modications: I shortened the body by 3" and lengthened the sleeves by 3". I also mirrored the cable twists on the fronts and the back, and made the center back cable a horseshoe-like cable which I also used down the sleeves.
Yarn: KnitPicks "Sierra" in the color "Tide". I really like this yarn as it is soft and thick and shows the stitches very well. However, there were an average of 2 knots in most of the skeins, and I was too lazy to deal with them correctly...you know, cut out the knot and splice the yarn ends. So, we'll see how that decision pans out for me. Oh, here's how much I had left...


This was such a quick knit that I really didn't have time to get tired of it. So, I've already wound the skeins for my next projects. Yes, I'm going to start two: One for mindless knitting, and the other for when I have time to concentrate. I figure I'm going to have some awesome knitting time on my hands while recovering from my surgery in less than 2 weeks. Also, I may be flying out to Hawaii at the end of this week for my grandfather's funeral, so that will also need a project. I'll let you know once things are "for sure".

Another year

Well, I survived my birthday on the 5th, and I made it through yet another year! I never in a million years thought I would be where I am at this point in my life, but it's all good.

Alas, this is yet another post scarce on the fibery stuff. My poor Cardigan remains sleeveless, although I have sewed one sleeve seam together. So close, and yet so far. I'll work on it later after I finish off these:

My mom has the kids tonight, since she'll watch them tomorrow, and I'm relaxing w/my faves...Hornsby's Hard Apple Cider & a Godiva Macadamia Nut truffle. MMMMMM, talk about heaven! I had stayed up till midnight last night working on a report for my stress-inducing job, and I am so going to bed early tonight. I'll just stay up long enough to watch "The New Adventures of Old Christine", and them I'm out. Maybe I'll work on my cardigan while I zone out. Then I'll actually have something related to wool to show you.

Hmm, speaking of showing you something, looky what I did this weekend to commemmorate my birthday:

This is on my lower back, and is my second tattoo. It still stings. It's actually based on a sketch I drew up, and it didn't turn out like I had expected, but it's growing on me, and I'm starting to really like it. Either that, or I'm mind-screwing myself into liking it because IT'S FREAKING PERMANENT! But, it's really not that bad, right? For those of you who can't really tell, it's supposed to be the Harley Davidson shield with plumerias around it. At least the colors are pretty.

So, anyway, you've suffered through this post, and I feel that I must mention something related to knitting. After all, this is supposed to be about the Tales of a Spinning Knitter, not a man-less, depressed, stressed out freak. So, here goes: I'm debating on what my next project should be...

These are both from the Holiday 2006 issue of Vogue Knitting. I'm LOVING the pretty Frost Flowers ruffley cardigan, but I think the cute cabled, bell-sleeved jacket would be perfect for work. I have the yarn for the jacket, but I've already decided on KnitPicks Gloss in black for the Frost Flowers...I just have to break down and order it. Wouldn't black silk & merino be just lovely?

So, you'll see soon enough what I decide. If you'd like to vote, I'd be more than happy to take your opinions in consideration. :-)

Hope springs eternal

Advisory: Before you read on, I just want to warn you that there is no fibery content in this post, nor are there pictures. But it's short.

Wow, I'm just a posting machine lately, huh? Y'all sick of me yet? I'll bet you wish I would go back on another depression-inspiried hiatus. Well, I do still cry a little every once in a while when I hear certain feelings expressed in songs or even some sappy TV commericals, but that's all you're getting from me. I'm tired of feeling unhappy. If you have Evanescence's new album "The Open Door" (and if you don't yet, what the hell are you waiting for?), the last song "Good Enough" is one of those songs. I LOVE LOVE LOVE me some Evanescence!!

But, you'll be happy to know I'm feeling much better. I went out with my aunts & cousins last night & I saw the cutest guy (light eyes, dark hair, late 30's/early 40's, wasn't drinking nor smoking, and wasn't acting like a horny-assed jerk) at the Boiler Room in Redlands! We made eye contact & smiled a couple of times and my aunts said he was checking me out when I wasn't looking, but I was having a tough time getting up the nerve to say anything to him. He was with 3 other guys, and just when I was going to say hi (he was standing really close to me), some FREAKY dude came right between us and started talking to me. Then the guy & his buddys left while I was stuck w/long-haired weirdo! I figure that if it's meant to be, the fates will bring ol' blue-eyes and me together once more (although I'm sure fate would have had an easier time if I had given him my number)...and by then I should have nicer boobs, a flat tummy, and a finalized divorce :-) He was really cute though, and he's inspired me to believe that there are, indeed, other fish in the sea. Of course, he could have been a total jerk, and it could have been the best move in history for me not to talk to him, but this is my fantasy, and I'll assume he was a prince if I want to!

Yes, dear ones, hope springs eternal. It's a character flaw of mine I'm trying to work on ;-)

Halloween in December

Hey, better late than never. Besides, if I didn't keep my promises to you, kind gentle reader, what kind of person would I be?

As promised over a month ago, here I am as Satan's Bride (as if I even have a chance in hell - pun intended - of being anyone's bride - HAHAHA!):

Please don't mind my sister-in-law's butt in the background. And, yes, that is my very own felted bag being used as a "trick or treat" receptacle (I was collecting candy for my littlest guy. Really!). Who said knitting isn't useful?

Oh, and one more of me & my bros:

Good times!

Therapy in its various forms

Well, I survived the week at work as a lone HRO in a department which requires 2 HRO's to stay on top of things. My partner in crime has been out because she was in a car accident over the weekend, but she's scheduled to come back next Monday. Believe me, I have been freaking and tweaking these past few days, and was soooo ready for the weekend.

So here's what I did to unwind...


That's right, baby, I hit the slopes at Mountain High for some serious snowboarding therapy. It was absolutely SPECTACULAR!! The snow was perfect and the weather was 55 degrees, so I was riding in my tanktop & hoodie. There weren't too many people and the lift ticket was discounted because it's still early in the season. And I rode better than I ever have; the wind rushed past my ears, I rode up the sides of hills, and I carved the hell out of that mountain. I rode until my calves started aching...

And that was my signal to chill out because my friends had planned on taking me to an Indian casino for some pre-birthday clubbing action, and I didn't want to wear myself out too much. So I only spent 4 hours on the mountain, but it was soooo worth it!

Anyway, long story short on the pre-birthday trip...this was the first time in like over TEN (10!) years that I've been to a nice club; soon-to-be-ex didn't like clubs. This was also the first time in like 5 years I got to go out with these friends; soon-to-be-ex didn't like me going out with friends. So, there was a nice big group of us, we got a little jiggy with it and got our groove on on the dance floor, and went back to the room at a respectable 1:30 am. I didn't get (too) drunk, danced with some decidedly unsavory guys, and just had an outstanding time. I've known most of these girls for like 6 years, so we always get crazy and have a blast together. It was nice to get out with people who care so much about me.

What's funny is that, although I loved the company of my friends, going into the type of situation where it's basically a meatmarket is very unnerving to me. I feel like I'm constantly being judged against the other girls (very young, cute girls, mind you), and am being found lacking. I draw this conclusion based on the fact that no normal-looking guys approached me. Although, at one point I did have an opportunity to approach a really cute normal-looking guy, but I chickened out because I just couldn't survive rejection. I found out later that it was his birthday too, so that could have so been my ice-breaker, us having close birthdays, but it was too late to try it out. Oh well...

Anyway, I find that I feel really down about myself in that type of atmosphere. And, even if I was to meet someone there, I'm not sure he'd be the type I'd want to hook up with. I don't know, it's hard to explain. I guess I just wanted to say that I expected that going clubbing would make me feel better about myself, but it just kind of amplifies my aloneness and my total lack of hope that a single, good-looking, successful guy will ever be attracted to me, a 32-year-old, soon-to-be-divorced mother of a 1 & 3 year old.

And, yes, I know it's too early to be thinking of getting back into a relationship, and yes, I know that I need to enjoy being alone and use this opportunity to get to know and like myself for myself, but I have security & self-esteem issues. I'm still at a point where I would like to feel like someone cares about me and my day-to-day life. You know, just to know that there's at least one person, besides me, out there in the whole world who really cares about what's going on in my life just because of the simple fact that he cares about me.

Hmmmm, now that I'm reading that, I think that's part of what my idea of love is at its core...an unselfish caring that prompts self-sacrifice to ensure the happiness of the other without expectation of external reward; the reward is the happiness he/she creates in the other person. That would be magic, wouldn't it? It's a freaking pipedream for me at this point.

Moving on (much like I should be doing), I've got some knitting to show you.

I am currently working on the collar. I don't want to sound too confident for fear of angering the knitting gods, but I'm pretty optimistic that I may be able to finish this without running out of yarn. I've already seamed the shoulders, so once the collar is done, I'll just sew the sides, sleeves and then set the sleeves in and I'll be in FO Heaven.

I've already got my eye on another project, but more on that later....