Life in Exhile

Or at least, something like it. The DH is up in Denver at an Avs game, and my mom and all my friends are at quilt camp this weekend. I don't know who I am more jealous of, my mom or my friends. Granted, they all live 1000 miles away, but, I can't even call them as the camp has no service for cellular. So, I'm feeling a little lonely, here in the house with the girls (who are now sleeping). I suppose it's a good night to get some knitting done. With that thought, I'm off to stitch the night away.

Sometimes I'm just so rude!

I forgot to mention how much I appreciate all the positive feedback I've gotten on my Josephine from knitters I really do respect. I've worn her two times in public now and not a peep from the peeps in the 'blo. Ah, well, those in the know know that she's right purty!

Don't forget to floss!

My dear friend Skiptastic posted the other day about, among other, more disturbing, things, how a certain project is becoming an obsession for her. She just can't seem to put it down. The funny thing is, to me, at least, that this obsession is latch-hooking a rug. Okay, there's nothing really inherantly funny about latch-hooking. It's just that Skippy has so many other interests and talents: she quilts, she beads, she cans, she paints, she gardens, and, yes, she even knits! She is, in fact, the first person I ever saw do Norwegian purling. But she's making her rug. Feverishly, obsessively hooking her evenings away (that does not sound right!), and it got me to thinking. What did I do before I started knitting again? That's when I dug this out:

It is one of several (probably too many, really) Temari balls I made after my mom and I had seen them featured on Carol Duvall of all places. I used to love snarking at her show back then. She always asked the most assinine questions, but these little beauties caught my fascination. They were traditionally made as children's playthings in Japan. Mine ended up as tree ornaments for my grandmother, my MIL, and the costumer I worked with in college. The process of wrapping and marking and stitching kind of played into my rather exacting nature, I guess, but they were actually fun to do, to watch the perle cotton make those pretty patterns with relatively few stitches, and quite impressive as gifts, I guess. MIL displays hers year 'round in the china cabinet.

My next dalliance with floss was:
MaryElla
last spring. I have enough beads and floss to do several more, but there are other projects pressing on my mind. A few lovely things for gifts, and a truly hideous monkey to get off my back and send to a dear one who truly loves truly hideous monkeys.

Since I know you are dying to know, no the siding is not finished. Part of it that we had ordered to contrast was not available in the color we wanted, and so now is on order in the new (actually better) color. I'm using that information to justify to myself just why the workers didn't show up today. We all missed the pounding and sound of power tools. Really, we did.

Models? Baaah! Who needs 'em?

Here are some better photos of Josephine


and a couple of pics of Baseball, which I just finished for DH. Photos are soo much easier without bodies in the clothes!

Seaming and siding and zombies, oh my!

So, it has been awhile since my last post. The siding is FINALLY going up, so I can start planning the "Please feel free to LICK MY HOUSE" party. Don't you all want to come? Or maybe I should wait until the yard is de-leaded so we can all roll around in the yard and take turns licking the house.

In knitting news, I am in the midst of a finishing frenzy and many AFO's (almost finished objects) are getting seamed up and put on bodies. I finished Josephine. Yes, I know the picture is horrible, but, hey, the girls can't use the camera yet.

I also finished the sweater for DH that I started in July, the knitting was done by the end of August, I'm just too darn lazy about seaming unless I get on a roll, then I wonder what took me so long. In the seaming queue are Zoe's Haiku and my Rogue. I'll post pics when they are done deals.

And now, for my dear friend Michael, who, though he don't know much 'bout all this knittin' still reads my blog... Zombies! Enjoy, Michael! If I knew how to get the pattern, Nurse Zombie would appear at your door, all wooly and hungry for brains!

Did I mention I know Chicago's next Traffic Girl? I do, indeed, and you should see him freestyle!

Confused?

My poor little apple tree is. Here it is, October and the thing has decided to come out of its summer long dormancy. Lucky it lives in my kitchen, because it actually feels like fall today. In hope of fall arriving, I have started making Josephine from the fall Knitty. I just finished the back, and thar she blows! Don't you just love the creaminess of the cheap as free yarn? She is being salvaged from an "afghan" I made back in the days of the hats the size of Rhode Island. I say "afghan" because it had nowhere near the correct proportions. I just crammed as many stitches as I could on a circular and feather and fanned my way along. It lay (still on the needles, mind you) in my stash until last fall when I decided to cast off and see just how big it was. 8' 4" WIDE x 4' 6" long! Not usable for anyone, really, so I frogged it and am now using the yarn for Josephine.