Good Knitting Mojo Needed -- PLEASE!!

Ok, I am going completely CRAZY with this no knitting crap -- and I have decided that I HAVE to get back in to it like NOW before the men in the white coats come and lock me up. Seriously! It is THAT bad....

But, instead of working on socks, I thought that perhaps it would be better if I worked with larger needles for a bit and cast on for a lovely lace shawl because I am so jealous of all the lovely shawls that my friend The Yarn Snob has been turning out on a freekin' daily basis (ok, so it's not every day, just seems like it from this side of the pond :gg: sorry, E!!). Have a peek and be prepared to drool, she's truly amazing!!

Only problem is, I can't read charts to save my life. BUT, I found a beautiful shawl that includes written directions as well as a chart (the designer, I ♥ HER to teensy pieces!!!!) has a FANTASTIC tutorial on her site for those of us that cannot read charts that has ME, yes folks, ME...the person that has always believed she would never, ever be able to knit from a chart in this lifetime that she may just be able to do it! Can you believe that one -- she is THAT good!

The Shawl is called the Forest Canopy Shawl. I am using the yarn recommended in the pattern, Mountain Colors Weavers Quarters -- and I ordered the color that this the original was done in (Sierra) BUT, what I got is U G L Y with a capital U so it's a good thing I got another color too!

I got the Meadow colorway also and it's gorgeous -- it at least looks like it's supposed to ( I don't know what's up with the Sierra I got, but it doesn't look like it should! (Please see below for sample) so I am all set! I just hope it doesn't make the pain worse, or that I don't do more damage to my shoulder/arm by doing this.



I figure using the larger needles will be a change and I will use circs so there won't be any pressure on the wrists or arms at all...I just have got to do something before I go completely out of what is left of my mind. I have been so depressed all I have been doing is sleeping -- and this is my favorite time of year -- so it's very out of character for me to be doing this now...I have got to snap out of it!

So, if any of you have any extra mojo hanging around, I would be most happy to accept it and put it to great use on my first lace project!!

I am as excited as I was when I first decided that I was going to learn to knit and started my first sock!! (yes, socks were my first real project! Thanks to Silver and her wonderful tutorial, I had no idea socks weren't something that new knitters were supposed to be able to do!! You should have seen the tongues wag around here when I showed my Mom's friends what my first FO was! They didn't believe I did it. Some of them have been knitting for 50 or 60 years and they still have not done socks, and here I am knitting for about a month and have socks done already, thanks to Silver! She is AWESOME too!

Anyone that wants to learn to knit socks that needs help, I cannot recommend that site enough. It is written for someone that has never knit before, so it's quite detailed and may be repetitive for someone that has been knitting for a while -- but it's so easy to follow you'll be addicted knitting socks in no time!

This makes things all better :)

This is the photo of the day from The Daily Puppy -- something I found while surfing this evening. Now tell me, how can you have a bad day when looking at THAT face??

This is a site that I am sure I will be visiting often, for sure!!

Faythe Levine's Documentary "Handmade Nation"

It's Faythe Levine's Documentary "HANDMADE NATION"!

(click on her name to view her blog -- I have not had a chance to look yet -- but the design is AWESOME!).....

She promises to try to keep us updated with snippets here and there to keep us interested -- because I guess (Have not seen the whole clip yet) it's going to be a WHOLE YEAR before it's released!

Thanks to Kate @Knit Lit for the heads up about this!!! I had no clue! Kate is also the creative genius behind the Fake-a-gamo bag that everyone loves so much, including moi! :) Another project on the MUST KNIT list!!

Scout's Swag

Scout's Swag, originally uploaded by scouts_swag.

I have been doing some surfin' today -- and just LOOK at this love-r-ly stuff I have found!!!!

OH MY! I love each of them, one more than the other! I think I must have them all!

Just in case you need them too -- you can possibly get them from the AMAZINGLY talented Scout, although, now that she's made her Knitty Gritty debut, she may have even a longer waiting period than she used to ;)

Scouts Swag (the store) is here. Her blog can be found here (I've marked the KG episode, fell free to roam around though -- she's hysterical!) Isn't she the cutest, too!?

I'm the yarn -- need I say more?

Some Days, originally uploaded by panopticon.

Still trying to be good...

But it's getting harder and harder, since not doing all these things doesn't seem to be helping the pain AT ALL! I have been so good too! I have not knit one stitch, and I have been trying my best not to type much too -- and have not been using my injured arm for browsing AT ALL...it's' amazing how uncoordinated I am with my right hand on the mouse ::GGG:: it's like I am brand new to computers!

It's pretty funny :) When we first got in to computers, we didn't know there were such things as extensions for mouse cords, and where we had our computer set up, we didn't have a place to put the mouse so that we could easily use the mouse with our right hands without standing on our heads with one hand behind our backs ::gg:: -- so we both got used to using our left hands on the mouse -- it really didn't matter though -- we were both so spastic with it that there was no difference which hand we were using, we REALLY needed to practice, practice, practice -- but once we moved out of the apartment and in to our house, and got the computer room set up -- we said, great! We can now use the mouse with our right hand like we're supposed to -- HA!

Wrong! Despite many, many months of trying -- neither of us ever did get comfortable with using the mouse with our right hands -- which is even more strange for DH than for myself, considering I do write with my left hand (that is the only thing I do left handed though -- the nuns and their rulers to the knuckles trick could not break me of writing with the left hand no matter how hard they tried -- they broke me of everything else -- but I could never write with my right hand no matter how bloody they got -- what the HELL was wrong with my parents letting them do that to me anyway??!!) but we are still south paw mousers :)

Wow, how the heck did that get so long? I just came to give a short update and I can't believe how much I just wrote :) Anyway -- I wanted to show you all this adorable bunny that Yvonne has available for free!! She's amazing!! I am so going to get this when I can knit again -- and the puppy from the last post too -- all of her things are just so cute -- and supposed to be very easy to follow patterns too, which is a total plus for me, since I have a serious problem following patterns. If I can't memorize it, I have problems!

Here is Honey Bunny's portrait isn't she just the cutest? I wish I had a baby niece or nephew to knit for! The kids (my own niece and nephew) have grown up so quickly -- they are already 12 and 16!!! Gosh, it was just yesterday they are BORN :( Time sure does fly....Anyway, please check out Yvonne's patterns! I LOVE being able to shop from these talented people @ Etsy! And when they are as nice as Yvonne is (I have spoken with her a couple of times, and she even offered to give me support with the FREE pattern if I needed it! Now, I ask you where do you find people like this??) She's AWESOME and I think she deserves the business!

I got a couple of beautiful things in the mail lately -- if I can snap a decent picture -- I will post them later this evening if my brother brings back the camera while the sun is still out!

I think we have another one....

Bwwwhhhaaahhhaaaahhaaa! I think we've captured yet another sock addict folks! I do believe I see a bit of a sock addict blooming in my friend KB, for instance, he says "i'm a little excited over finishing them (he's referring to his socks that are pretty freeking awesome!!!), can you tell? ;-) there is really something about completing a pair of socks... this is my first whole pair i think since i was assassinated in sock wars. i dig it." AND I was not even twisting his arm or anything! This was said totally on his own!! I do believe he's joined me (us) in our addiction to the sock!! YEA KB!! Welcome to the addiction! Now watch as your stash grows to include proportions of sock yarn that you won't ever be able to knit in two lifetimes -- and it will happen even before you know what hit you too!

AND, LOOK AT THIS FACE!!!



Is this not the most adorable face you've ever seen??? I believe that people that love animals are special people anyway -- BUT, this dog is deaf as well. KB is an extra, special, special kinda guy! I ♥ you, KB! And your devotion to your animals!! (ok, and the fact that you've come over to the sock side, too !)

And speaking of adorable puppies -- please have a peek at this one on Etsy by Yvonneknits that you can knit for yourself if you want to! Someone on KH ia making one and she said the pattern is brilliantly written too, another plus! I am going to get myself one and give it a go just as soon as I can knit again!




Adorable too, no?

And in your honor KB, KA out!

~

Franklin's Christening Shawl.....

This gorgeous WIP, originally uploaded by Panopticon.

Gasp with me, if you will, at this lovely work from my friend Franklin!

He's one of the funniest, most talented bloggers I've had the pleasure of encountering since entering in to the blogging world (truth be told, I was reading his blog LONG before I even thought to start mine!!) and it was his blogging talents that actually kept me from blogging from so long!

I never knew that "normal" (meaning people without the talents he has for entertaining us) were allowed to blog! It wasn't until I followed some of the links off the links off the links that I realized that not EVERYONE is a blogging super-talent and people that are average CAN do it too.

Anyway -- isn't this GORGEOUS! I must do a lacy project! Perhaps not with such a fine yarn to begin with -- but I have to give it a go!!

I sure hope we get to see the niecephew (I think that is what he calls the yet unborn baby he's knitting for -- obviously, it's his sisters child, cute, eh??) I :heart: it Franklin!

Gosh, it's only been a couple of days and I miss knitting so much already I don't know how I am going to survive this!!! I am also not supposed to be on the computer -- but I can't give up everything....and I have been using the mouse with my other hand and NOT typing AT ALL except for this short post at all today -- so I have been good. I do want it to heal ASAP -- but I can't see my not knitting for much longer....wahhhhhhhhhh (in my best I Love Lucy whine!) ::gg::

Orders from Da Man.....

And Da Man in this case would be my Doctor :(

And I am NOT happy. NO KNITTING. For I don't even know how long. I should not be using the computer or lying on my left side either -- now, what the heck am I supposed to do? I can't use the computer, knit OR sleep! OY!

I have somehow managed to tear my musculotendinous (rotator) cuff and get tendinitis in my shoulder (I think....I stopped listening when he said I couldn't knit), although it's more my arm that is giving me a problem.

How, you ask? Couldn't tell ya....I don't have a clue?! All I can tell you is that it HURTS like a and I am so disgusted with LIFE that I want to spit AND despite the fact that I am already quite medicated due to other problems that I have been suffering with for many years -- I cannot for the life of me understand how I can be in this much pain. I am nauseous from the pain it hurts so much...I am not a happy camper....but now at least I know why I have been having such a hard time knitting -- it's not all in my head!

I really do want this to heal as soon as possible -- but I really don't know how long I will be able to comply with his orders. I don't know what the heck I am going to do all day without my two best friends...how does one live with both the computer AND knitting being taken away from them at the same time?? And I also sleep ONLY on my left side, which I have been ordered not to do any more; or at least until this heals -- so I can't even sleep! I am going to be quite a $itch by the time this is over!!

TTFN....I think I am going to see if I can rig up a sling to support this arm so I can see if I can knit without putting pressure on the tendons, if I have to go for months without any pleasure -- I might as well just shoot myself now! I will report back if I can come up with something, but DON'T tell anyone, ok?? SHHHHHH, it's a HUGE secret!! ::gg::

Ok, so I have not been able to knit.....

Why I love the Valley Oak ..., originally uploaded by Laura Bell.

But at least I have not been bored! Look what I found!!

Isn't it gorgeous!? There really are some amazingly talented folks on Flickr!!

I sure hope I can pick up some tricks. My photos sure are even more pitiful after poking around here all day today....Osmosis maybe? I need to find a friend like Silver (hey, Sil!!) that can send me some good mojo for photography like she did when I began knitting....never thought I would be able to knit either -- and now I can...so there may be hope for my photos as well ;)

We shall see!!

If you get a chance, please have a peek at Laura's photostream! She's got some pretty awesome stuff in there. And I am not sure if when you're blogged about from Flickr you get a notice -- but if so, I hope you don't mind my doing this with your photo, Laura! I really love your work :) And if you have any tips you'd like to share with me for taking a good photo, I am all ears! One thing though -- I cannot take outside photos -- they will all have to be indoors, or in my yard...so please keep that in mind. Thanks :)

Happy Hoppy!

Just a quick post to wish one and all a very Happy Easter!

I know I didn't do as I was supposed to and catch up with emails yet -- but hopefully after dinner later today I will have some spare time to do that.

Hope you all have a great day, and PLEASE have some chocolate for me :( Oh, I so miss REAL chocolate! But I guess I can get myself some yarn to console myself :gg: Yeah, that's the excuse I can use THIS time!

Da faster I go...

The behinder I git!

Wow, I don't know what would happen if I worked outside the home! I don't have enough time in my days to get done the things I want to now -- I don't know what would happen if I had to leave here each day.

I have about a million people that I owe emails to. I promise I will work on that this week. I am sorry, guys! It's been one of those weeks again and I just can't seem to catch up.

I have been working feverishly on my Opal socks, and I am very close to FINALLY finishing the first one. The second will go much quicker I think since I will not be working on anything else until they are complete. I need a pair of socks for heavens sake. I still cannot believe that neither I nor the DH have even ONE SINGLE pair of hand knit socks in our possession. With all the socks I have knit, I didn't keep one, single pair for us....His are next. I do think it's time for US for a change. I am all for being generous -- but we can be generous with ourselves too. And I am DYING to see what everyone raves about with these socks.

So, if I am very quiet for the next few days, it's because I am knitting my fingers to the bone on socks for hubbers and I.

Oh, and don't forget, tomorrow at 10:30 EST Tori & Dean Inn Love on OH! Brand new episode!! Can't wait!!! They are moving to Fallbrook in this episode -- BUT, I have already SEEN the completed Inn and OMG, are you in for a treat once you see it completed! They did an AWESOME job! I especially like the Master Suite and the Blue Room but the entire Inn is GORGEOUS.

I believe they have succeeded in doing what they set out to do! I sure wish I had a trip to California in my future! Anyone in the area that wants to make a reservation , it's in Fallbrook, CA and it's called Chataeu La Rue. (it's the old Oak Creek Manor) -- I am sure you will love it there. Especially if Tori and Dean are actually there when you stay. They really do seem to be like the perfect people to host a B&B, AND to party with too!

And please see if they will allow you to take pictures of the kitchen for me if you go! That is the only room I have not seen, and being a chef, I am dying to get peek at it!! I am sure I will be green with envy!

Ohhhhh, a re-run of the last show is on right now! Gotta run!!

OMG -- You got my trunk, you got my trunk!

Tori, you're a TRIP!!!