Never a dull moment

On my way home from work yesterday the traffic slowed abruptly.  As we inched along I finally saw why (and I'll bet you'll never guess).  It wasn't a critter running into the street.  There was no rain, sleet, snow, or hail.  There wasn't even an accident up ahead (thank God!).

Nope.  It was a guy with a dog, a pack, and giant earth ball.

Really.

You can't really see the dog, but he's there.  I couldn't get more than the one shot since traffic started moving again, but I did get a good shot of the website www.worldguy.org.

This guy (Erik Bendl) has walked over a thousand miles for diabetes awareness with his pup 'Nice' and his large earth ball.

Yep.  Never a dull moment.

CAL - Beach Jacket update

The armholes are finished and the jacket is blocked!!!!  Yippie!!

The next post of the crochet-along promises to discuss seaming and sleeves.  Then this will really start looking like a jacket.  I hope it fits!!

I have a sock!!!

I've finished my first sock!!  The yarn is Yarn Bee's Walk Away Sock Yarn in 'Footloose' and the pattern is on the back of the label.

I started working on this sock the day after Christmas and just chipped away at it slowly but surely.  Special thanks goes to the ladies in my knitting group, without them I would have had a much harder time turning the heal.

It was fun, and I do recommend socks to my knitting friends.  But now I need to knit the other sock...

CAL - Beach Jacket Update

I'm plugging along on my beach jacket.

I wasn't entirely certain that I'd like the meshie look of this, but I think it works really well with the squishy yarn (Nature's Choice Organic Cotton).

I only have 8 inches more before I start shaping the harm holes!

When I Turn 28

Here it comes.
Guess for years I have tried to calm
What's inside me but something's wrong.
I don't know what to say
To give me away.

The dream's the same:
I'm alone on a moving train.
Wake up here and I can't complain,
And there's the first mistake
I tried not to make.
Next time I'm around that's a habit to break
When I turn 28.
Things are gonna be great at 28.

So don't sit so close.
Can't you see that I'm already yours?
Every day I've been living indoors.
Tell them I was brave.
Tell yourself the same.
Tell everyone that I plan to go straight
When I turn 28.
Things are gonna be great at 28.

They said that I would get used to the change
But I can't keep my eyes on the page.
Shouldn't be writing these songs at my age.
The candle's lit
Waiting patient for me to sit,
But none of last year's clothes still fit,
And I keep waiting for you to enter the room.
I made my wish let me give it to you
When I turn 28.
Things are gonna be great at 28.

At 28, tell everyone they'll just have to wait
When I turn 29.
Things are gonna be fine at 29.


Lyrics by Lorene Scafaria.


I really can't think of a better song to hear for the first time the day before my 28th birthday.

I am in love....

I've always been a Mac girl.  Right now I have 2 iPods, an iPhone, and a very pretty PowerBook.  There was that brief time in college when I had a Dell laptop.  But it was college...that's when you're supposed to experiment... right?

Anyway, it really did take me longer than it should have to admit this, but I love iTunes!

If you haven't signed up for their free e-mails - do it.  NOW!  You can come back to the blog later.  I'll wait.

Besides the weekly reminder to download your free weekly song and free weekly music video you get to hear about all their cool stuff like iTunes U.  There are literally hundreds of universities (i.e. Stanford, Yale, MIT, Oxford, and UC Berkeley, etc.) that allow you to download free classes and seminars.

Right now they are featuring a series of Environment, Development, and International Studies from The Open University including classes on: biodiversity, bottled water, earth and life, hope in a changing climate, ecosystems, environmental responsibility, environmental ethics, energy policy and climate change, reducing your ecological footprint, and exploring the science of climate.

Looks like I've got a little learnin' to do.

CAL-Beach Jacket Progress Report

Let the wild swatching begin!!!

I don't know anyone who enjoys swatching.  There are some that will even go as far as to hate it.  I see it more as a necessary evil I must overcome before starting my project.

In the beginning of most patterns (where gauge matters at least) you'll see something like this "11 hdc + 8 rows = 4 in. (10 cm)".  In translation: if you crochet 11 half double crochet stitches by 8 rows you should get a 4 x 4 swatch using the suggested hook... should being the important word here.

I don't know how the designers work, but none of them ever knit or crochet as tightly/loosely/frantically as I do so I always end up switching my hook or needles to find the one gets me gauge (i.e. 11 hdc + 8 rows = 4 in. (10 cm)).

I always try the recommended size first though...must be the optimist in me.  In this case, the patterned called for an I hook and make my swatch 15 hdc over 10 rows, just so I have a little border.

This gave me 12 hdc x 10 rows after blocking.  Now, logic would be seeing that I have two many stitches per inch so I should go up a hook size (to a J).  This would make the stitches bigger and give me more stitches per inch.

But instead of trusting my thought process, I decided to trust the thought process of a professional and go down a hook size (to an H).

This gave me even MORE stiches/inch and using up more of my pretty, squish, pricey, organic cotton in the process. ::sigh::  Maybe I'll try to reuse this yarn for my next swatch try.

CAL - Beach Jacket

Every so often Lion Brand Yarn hosts an along (either Knit or Crochet).  They are usually interesting and typically beyond my skill level... but this doesn't stop be from trying.

This time, they are doing a Crochet-along for a Beach Cardigan and you can ALWAYS use a beach jacket.  Especially whey you live so close to the ocean.

I decided to work with the recommended yarn: Nature's Choice Organic Cotton in a nice slightly off white that they call 'Almond'.  It was a little on the pricey side, but it sooooo soft and squishy.  I could probably wear this yarn even when I get sun burnt.  I'm very pale, so it will happen eventually.

For the free pattern go to: http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/70258A.html?noImages=