Quickie Update

This is going to be an impacted week for me, this weekend is my last face-to-face meeting in Tucson for my class. Before we can leave for Friday, I need to finish a webliography that was supposed to be a group project but haven't heard a peep out of my cohort. I should also finish up my website for the class so I don't have to mess with it once I get into class. My paper is not due until the 5th so there's a little reprieve, but I really should work on it. Workwise, I need to submit the April monthly report before I leave, and I should really go to the City Council meeting on Wednesday to speak up for my job. My position is being hard-hit this year, but I think I have enough senority to be safe. Normally I'd be fighting mad, but with school, I just don't have the energy right now.
I did finally finish my green nest tote for the Nest Tote KAL. The pattern was easy enough but I figure it must be much easier finishing if knitting in the round. I'll put that on my to-do list; I have lots of Sugar n Cream yarn I bought last year off of Amazon at about 45 cents a ball. They were supposed to be made into dishcloths...maybe everyone will get a cotton mesh bag for Christmas this year...

FOs: Brothers' Birthday Hats

The nest tote has had to take a back seat to these two hats. With one applied I-cord and handle left to do, I set it aside to knock out one hat for each of my brothers. Their birthdays are two days apart.

The one on the left is for my brother Dwayne. He lives here in San Diego but I figure he can use a knit hat anytime since he has to walk his dog in the middle of the night. He has a Siberian Husky named Simon Blue and boy is that dog spoiled! Good thing he's a Husky though, that means I won't ever have to knit him a sweater.

I used the hat pattern in LMKG. I really like the idea of throwing in a round of purl stitches; it really does give the hat some interest. Maybe I'll make another one for my sister, her birthday is in early May.

Sitting proudly on the right in big bold San Diego Charger colors is a Halfdome for my brother William. He lives in Florida, where I'm sure there is probably very little need for knit hats, but since he does shave his head, hopefully it will come in handy some time...maybe when he's walking his own dogs? He has two dalmatians, Roxie and Elvis. Do dalmatians need sweaters? Probably not in Florida.

So now that the hats are out of the way, it's back to finishing the nest tote. I have six days before the end of the KAL...

Happy Bobmas!

Anyone familiar with Ravelry should be aware that today is Bobmas, the day that Casey came up with the idea of a social networking site for knitters and crocheters. But it's much more than a social networking site, it's also a place to organize yarn and projects. I know I'm not giving it justice with my humble descriptions, but I can say that I certainly spend much more time on Ravelry nowadays than I do on Neopets.

So last night I went to the Bobmas Eve meet-up, hosted here in San Diego at The Grove. I'd say there was a good 40 or so of us Ravelers there, and I recognized many from their Ravatars. The event was organized by (Ravelry names) smittenkitten and juliblue, who kept things going smoothly and made everyone feel welcome. I'm hoping to make it to the regular Knit Salon that happens at The Grove a couple times a month.

I have to show you these! Yarny cupcakes made by CraftyCupcake:

Yes, those are little needles and balls of yarn decorating the cupcakes. Martha Stewart ain't got nothing on her!

Many people on Ravelry seemed to be boasting about the yarn they got for Bobmas. I think Bobmas is a fabulous excuse for ordering yarn. I bought a few things from the Webs Anniversary Sale last week and they just happened to come yesterday, so here's my Bobmas yarn:
Cascade 220 Superwash and Plymouth Encore for some hats/scarves to give as presents later this year, the purple is for the hat I promised my Mom months ago, and the teal-colored Stockbridge is one of several skeins (they're at the bottom of the box) I will use to make Alene's Wrap.You can barely see it, but inside the Bobmas wrapping is some blue/purple sock yarn I got at the swap last night. I brought some extra Elann Adara that I hope someone will find useful.
Last but not least, the Lambs Pride Worsted I bought there at The Grove, that will be for a hat for my friend Christine, the one who's going to Peru.

I guess that means I don't have to buy any more yarn for the rest of the year?

FO: Chevron Scarf

My first ever Chevron Scarf is done and gifted, and I'm pleased to say that my good friend Christine was overjoyed by it! I don't have a picture of her wearing it, so I hope my own humble neck will do:
I was in a bit of a hurry to take pictures, since I had to wrap it for gifting, so we'll all have to settle for the obligatory bed shot.

I used Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Lightweight in Grandma's Flower Garden and Rose Quartz. Unlike many of the scarves you can see in the Chevron Scarf Flickr Group, I used one multicolor colorway and one shaded solid colorway. You can't tell from the pics I took, but it's quite long. I only knit to about 65", but after blocking it measured over 80"! I'm satisfied with the results and so is my friend, who promptly put in a request for a hat. She's going to Peru and I am soooooo jealous! However, she has promised to bring me back some yarn.

It being April and all, I guess I'm finished with knitting scarves for a while. Hopefully later on this year I'll be able to choose colors for a Chevron scarf of my own. One thing though, I hope I'll have a swift and ball winder by then, we certainly don't want a repeat of this:

To Vegas or Not To Vegas?

We're leaving for Oxnard tomorrow for hubby's uncle's funeral...the plan is to stay overnight, attend the burial on Fri, then come home some time after that. Now, one of his cousins has invited us on an impromptu jaunt to Vegas because they have some tickets to the Pacquiao fight on Saturday. There's not enough tix to go around, so we'd just be hanging out. As much as I'd love to go, I just know it's not logical when I still have to finish paying tuition for this semester. The last time I checked, there was an available room at one of our timeshare properties for Saturday, but not Friday. So that should mean no Vegas, right?

(but it would be soooo fun to go...)

I've got pictures somewhere...

I'm ashamed to admit that I've missed a day here and there for Ravelry Project365. But, I did get in some good and bad ones this week which I kind of proudly present here:
This was my picture for Feb. 27. One of the week's assignments was to take a picture of where you live, and since I didn't want to go to the beach, the statue would have to do. I actually took several shots and didn't know which one to post, so here's a different angle with the USS Nimitz (and a homeless guy) in the background.
Friday was February 29, Leap Day. In honor of this, I give you my poor attempt at a leap/frog picture:Leap because I was jumping while I took the picture.
Frog because I had to frog about 10 rows, I skipped a row somehow and the stockinette got reversed. So much for knitting while getting the tires rotated.

FOs too!

Yesterday I talked about WIPs. Today I will talk about FOs. I'm in a happy place right now because I just got caught up with homework, submitting my reflections and field notes from my first service-learning stint at the Chula Vista Public Library. It was fun, if a little nervewracking, I hadn't felt that uneasy behind a reference desk in quite a long time. But reference work is pretty much the same wherever you go, for me it was harder to figure out the nuances of the copy machine!

This Saturday we're going up to Oxnard for a barbecue. Hubby and I are planning the whole thing after the fiasco last year when no one wanted to take responsibility, and therefore no one brought anything to barbecue. Hubby was so pissed, and I honestly don't think he's gotten over it. This time will be different, because I'm in charge. Steve and Anna are coming down from Santa Rosa, they're bringing our wine club shipment from the Robledo Family Winery. I'll finally get my Moscato! Since it's always so cold up in the Bay Area, I made Anna a really cute hat.This is Coronet from Knitty. I had some leftover purple from my Mom's scarf, which was barely enough to make the cabled band. I did 15 rows, and it's a little snug, but I think my head is bigger than hers so hopefully it'll be okay. If not, I guess it'll go to one of her daughters. I also started the crown part on the wrong side, so the band doesn't flip, which means I also had to shorten the actual hat part. I think I did about 5 and a half inches before starting the decreases. Aside from all that, I really like the pattern. It's girly without being too girly.

I also made a bunny, isn't he cute?
I was looking ahead in the Knitting-pattern-a-day calendar and found him on April 4. He's made out of leftover pink Jiffy. I'm going to give him to the Children's Librarian I'm working with for my service hours; I think he'll fit in quite nicely in her Easter display.