Fear of finishing and how to fold

What does it mean when you get to the very end of a project and then you won't just do that one last thing so that it is finished. I did this felted bag eons ago and it is sitting here waiting for grommets. So what is the problem? Why is it that I don't take the last 10 minutes and finish this? I don't know what the fear of finishing should be called. I know that it must be the same as fear of heights or fear of bugs or any fear. The only problem is I am not really scared.

So, I leave you with a clip on how to fold shirts. My nephews turned me onto this and then I saw this clip online. So you no longer have to fold like this:



Check this out:


CLICK ON How to fold a shirt

I knit therefore I am

So, I actually did sorta finish the cami "Sundae". I just have the edging to finish. I think it is lame that they are having you knit it and not crochet this edge, but I will follow the directions so that if someone comes into the shop and wants to make it then it will be exactly like the pattern. I love it. Of course *I* am not going to be wearing it, but the Mannequin Ho at the shop will model it.


(A visual for of you new readers that didn't get to see her)

Now if only I could find a skirt or something decent to cover the bottom part of her. Molly? You reading this? You got something that this little hussy can borrow?

I hate summer

The title has nothing to do with anything. I know it doesn't. I just had to share. I really dislike summer. Oh, I have said that before? Well, I am saying it again. I love the fruit during summer but I hate the weather and I hate the fact that I can't motivate myself to be very creative. I guess my body goes on strike thinking that I am out of school so I should be on the beach. School? I have been out of school for over 25 years. Well, I guess my body can still go on strike but I don't think it is over summer vacation.

So, what do I do to cheer myself up? I shop. I go to Ikea (and I even drag Mr. Yarn) and I talk him into buying a bunch of crap with me. He is such a good sport that he gets into the spirit and soon enough is throwing useless objects into the cart.



If you look closely you will see floating candle holders (can double as vases), candles, incense for outside (to keep bugs away), more candles, oh, and pitchers for water when we have company. The big old basket is for the bookshelves that we are going back for when we aren't too lazy to drag them to the car.

I hate summer.

I am not superstitious

No knitting news, shut up.

When Mr. Yarn and I went to go buy our first house I believed we needed a good luck talisman. So, I bought this tin chicken that I would hang up in the kitchen hoping that our offer would go through and we would get the house. So here it is, unassuming but mighty. We got that house



So when we were moving and coming to Alameda, we bid and bid on houses and we kept losing. I was dispondent and so I figured we needed a lucky talisman. Ok, so this time I wasn't playing around and I figured I needed a cow. We got the house after I bought that cow, see?



It doubles as a door stop. So, you can never have too much luck. Oh, one more thing



A few things that are carried around in the gross looking pouch. A gris gris bag from New Orleans that my friends brought back around 18 years ago (Hi Leigh and Nikki can't wait to see you!! even though you don't read my blog) and other assorted "good luck" things my kids made me when they were small (they are in college now). I swear I am not superstitious though.

Argh 1 and Argh 2

Ok, I am going to do it. I am going to show the cats. Argh one is Jasmin and Argh 2 is Niko. Both these cats were my daughter Annie's cats. Both these cats have lived with me for most their lives because Annie couldn't take them. Um, yeah. So, I wasn't going to show them and then someone told me that they wanted to see them more than they wanted to see Lily. This didn't compute in my brain because Argh 1 and 2 are a huge source of annoyance around "chez Yarn!".



This is Argh 1. She is the old broad that is needy and no matter how much attention you give her she isn't happy. Ok, I do know that she is a CAT. We have had her since she was 3 weeks old. I gave her to Annie because Annie told me I was a horrible mom if I didn't. At the time I played into guilt REALLY well. I am old now and I don't.



This is Argh 2. Annie got her a while ago. She was just weeks old as well. Annie discovered that she was "allergic" to the cat. Well, as a mom I couldn't have that so I took her. No Annie, I really WANTED her I swear (insert rolling of eyes here). At the time I played into guilt REALLY well. I am old now and I don't (ok so this was just a year ago, but I am getting better).

They get tons of attention so don't write me to tell me that I am mean. If you met these cats you would be mean too. Fact of the matter is they are the butt of my jokes but I adore both of them, and if you mention I said that I will act like you are out of your mind and I never said such a thing.

Annie is on vacation and won't see this post. But for when she gets back, Hi Annie, mommy is just jokin ya")

Don't you hate it when....

Ok, so no knitting news here. Yeah, I am working on the same two things. Well, actually there are more than 2 things (there are 4 but does Mr. Yarn need to know this? No.) So, knitting on the same stuff makes for boring blogging fodder. I mean how many times can someone show the progress of the same item? BORING (as if this isn't). Ok, so I am going to have one of those blogging moments when I make an omission. It more of one of those Andy Rooney things where he says "Don't you hate it when...." Here it goes:



How many of you still have your Halloween candy? I went into the pantry the other day and realized that I still have a bowl of this candy. It is wrapped. Um, how old is old candy? When does cheap candy go bad? Come on, you all have something old in the pantry. Give me your best one (no lies though because I will KNOW if you are lying) and you will win a prize.

My favorite sweater in the world

This is my dad. In this picture he is wearing the sweater that my mother made for him. I believe that she made that sweater in 1974 (or around then). My father wore this sweater all the time. I don't think that it was because he liked the sweater, my dad really wasn't a sweater kind of guy. I think that he loved it because my mother made it for him and he was proud of it. My dad died in 1982. I remember asking my mother for the sweater. I wore it and wore it and wore it. I still have it but it has a hole in it, and being too lazy I haven't fixed it since... lets see....1989? So, what do I do? You got it! I hang on to it and look at it. It is my favorite sweater.



It sort of looks like Mr. Rogers sweater.

So, I didn't post on Fathers Day because, well, I just couldn't. But I love ya dad and I am sure that you are reading this in blog heaven.

She CAN knit!

I finished the back of "Sundae" from Rowan "Classic Holiday". It is really a fun knit. I am knitting it out of "Cool Wool" from Lana Grossa. So I guess I do have some of the knitting mojo back.

Lily was really getting worried there for me. I could tell, she moved her paw.

Happy Unbirthday to ME!

How cute is this? Joy and Meredith came by the shop to cheer me up and they brought this adorable cake and cookies. How nice is that? It did cheer me up. So, I pried out of them, well I didn't really have to pry, the fact that they both have a blog. Ha ha! They are going to be so embarassed that I have outted them. You all have to go over there and comment on their blog and make them feel like they are being blog stalked. Ok, so Meredith posted about the cake before *I* did, but I just had to show it!

Here is another view of it:



So, notice how I cleverly got out of any knitting content? It wasn't so clever you say? Ok, I will have some tomorrow. I just had to get you to go comment on J and M's blogs and to stalk them.

Thanks again you two!!!

Gifts

I got a present in the mail today. I won a prize for finishing the Chicken Hat first (or was it second). Who could forget that chickent hat?



Anyhow, thanks Rabbitch! The weirdest part about it is that there was a sweater in that magazine that I bought the yarn to make. It was years and years and years and...oh you get it...ago.



You can't reall see it but you probably get the idea.

A couple of days ago a nice man that got my mail by accident came to return it to me. It ended up he was a woodworker. I told him that he should make knitting needles. He came back the next day and gave me these. He made them out of Purple Heart wood. They are beautiful.



Enough babble, off to work.

Blues

I've gone and got the blues. Don't know how it happened but it has. I don't think that I am the only one that has gone and got em. Seems to me that it is going around. I blame it on summer. As an adult I never have liked summer. Growing up going to the beach everyday made summer wonderful. When real life set in and the beach wasn't a possibility, summer became just a hot and dull blur. So, the knitting has gotten slower, and so have my thoughts. Mr Yarn showed me this TV the other day. I have to get one.


You can read about it here

I've seen the needle and the damage done

I love colorful knitting needles. I collect em. I collect old ones and new ones. I stole the two pair that Sarah had at SnB last night. Well, I didn't really steal them, I told her that *I* wanted them. She explained that I too could have them if I went to Michaels or Beverly's. Would I go to those places? I never leave this island and Beverly's causes me to have a rash. So, she gave em to me and I gave her a pair of bamboo ones in trade. Yeah, I know that it wasn't exactly the best swap but I wanted em!

I have needles all over the house. I am sure that Mr. Yarn finds it endearing (yeah, that is the word). Here are more needles:



They are right next to my lucky lotto candle. I love my needles.

So, I came up with this idea. Remember in the 90's there was this scam on the internet and everyone was sending postcards to this little boy in England that had cancer. Only problem is that so many people sent them that the post office wacked out. Not only that but the little boy never had cancer and wasn't a little boy.

So, for a good cause send me your old and colorful knitting needles, ok?

Uh oh, did it again

I couldn't help myself. I acquired more yarn for my personal stash. Only one of them is just for my stash. The other is to see if I want to carry it in the shop. I do. The one on the right is Lorna's Laces, "Helen's Lace. The others are A. L. de Sauveterre. Beautiful stuff. There is an Alpaca, Bamboo that just glows, and Cashmere. So, this means more yarn and no ideas at the moment what they are going to be. As you know my knitting karma is on vacation for another month or so. I am sure these puppies will wait for me. Down to the basement they go before Mr. Yarn see's that I bought more yarn.



ohmygod, ms drama queen again.

Win some, give up some

I gave up. I decided to rip out the "Marilyn" sweater and forget about it. The beautiful Blackwater Abbey yarn will be used for something else. Ya know, knitting is suppose to be fun and it itsn't often that I get that frustrated. Well, sometimes I do, but it isn't that often that I don't have fun complaining about being frustrated over some project. So, it is over with. I throw in my needles.

Big hunk o knit

Yes! This is the best I could do. Didn't knit much this weekend but did finish the back of "Chinatown" sweater. At least I didn't have to rip it out 40 times. "Mr. Yarn" and I went to go check out the "Hornet" yesterday. A big ship with lots of ship like stuff on it. I also started a "suprise" at the shop. I don't wanna jinx it so I will keep my mouth shut about it until AFTER it is on a roll.

So, not much to say. I am off to Napa (wine country for my imaginary readers that don't know what Napa is) with a friend (real live one) for lunch and an errand.

Toys

I miss Evan. Evan is my youngest. I hate that he is so far away. I miss him all the time. I want him to be nearer to Annie and me. Not sure that Annie feels the same but ya know how it is with a kid brother. *I* am his mom. Everytime I glance to the side of my computer I see this:



Evan gave this to me when he was really little. I don't even know who it is suppose to be. I have just kept it and moved it everytime I move. I love all the toys that my kids have given me. I love toys.

Check this out. These are old. I don't even remember how old Annie was when she gave these to me.



They glow in the dark and I don't wanna know how she made em. She told me they were "glow in the dark boogers". I still have them on my bedstand. God I love these kids.

Buyers remorse

Can you tell me what I was thinking when I bought these? I bought them a couple of years ago at "Stiches West" (yarn show). They are hand blown glass knitting needles. I have had them displayed for two years now. I hate em. They are stupid. The cats knock them onto the ground in the middle of the night and I almost have a heart attack. So, get rid of them you say? Oh sure and admit to "Mr Yarn" that I don't adore them and that they weren't worth every penny I paid for them? No way.

On the knitting front:



Hoorah! I mastered stockinette after 40 something years ( I am not really THAT old I just knit before I was born) of knitting. I even got an inch or two done last night without ripping the damn thing out.

Oh and a brainstorm. Check this out



I came up with this new invention. It is a great place to hang you hand knits and also your project bags. Even the significant other can use it for their clothes and stuff. THEN when company comes over you can take the stuff off of it and pretend that you exercise on this expensive piece of equipment. Only glitch is that your friends and family wonder if you have a glandular problem because they don't see you losing weight at all.

Lily is a ho

I just wanted Lily to model this ugly sweater for you to see and what does she do? She flops on her back and starts bicycling motions with her feet. With a 190lb dog this is funny but not cute. Well, it is cute but not at the moment. I needed blogging help to cover the fact that my knitting Karma has gone south for the summer. I am not kidding (shut up Sarah and you know why). The sweater I am working on at work has been ripped out so many times that it is pilling (shut up Lori who pointed it out). I still haven't gotten the yarn to finish the "Hebrides" sweater and we aren't even talking about the "Marilyn sweater" right now. So, I got Lily to model this ugly sweater that I knit about 2 years ago. I have no idea what possessed me. If I could tell you how so not me this sweater is. My friends will attest to the fact (if they ever read my blog). The cat just HAD to get in the picture. Yeah yeah she is cute kissing the dog.



So, please send some knitting juju my way ok? This is my livlihood folks. Customers are starting to say things like "I never see you wear the sweaters you knit" and my personal favorite "You still working on THAT sweater"

Help.

Oh yeah, Lily is a bit embarassed

Fighting City Hall

Went to a City Council meeting last night. Tried to state our view on them wanting to put up a 7 screen megaplex movie theater in the heart of Alameda. We were there until 12:00. I am tired and grumpy. No knitting, no nothin.

Do not adjust your TV set

It isn't your imagination. It isn't you it is me. This is the same sweater I have been knitting on for 2 weeks now. Granted time has been limited. Check out the wad of yarn sitting next to what is to be a sweater but is no larger than a swatch. I have ripped this mother out about ...well, I am not even going to venture a guess. If this sweater doesn't fall into line soon it is going to end up in the basement with all of the other projects that will never see the light again.

This is the chart I made because I couldn't get my mind around the directions for this sweater. Now I am not saying it is the directions fault, I am saying it is my minds fault. I am saying that this is not the most relaxing project that I ever worked on.


(excuse the chair that is covered with a sheet so the stupid cats (no Annie, I love them I do) don't get it all hairy)

Here is the other project that I left the above project for. Just until I am not so frustrated. This is a pattern from Black Water Abbey and is done out of their yarn as well. I believe it is called "China Jacket".



It is mindless and fun to knit. For now that is what I am doing. I will see about the satan sweater later.

Purls gone bad

Ok honesty time here. I am putting my marriage on the line for this blog post but I feel that it is my public duty. I am going to liberate all you closet project dumpers right now. I pulled out only a few of the projects that are dumped in my basement. These aren't projects that I pretend that I will someday finish. They are dumped for good. Either I wasn't having fun making them or they didn't behave or I just felt like dumping them. Need I say more? You all understand. Don't pretend like you don't. I know that you new knitters still fool yourself into thinking that you WILL finish it. You won't. Don't bother pretending,

Here are the bad puppies:



And perhaps this was the baddest of them all.



I started it in the late 80's sometime. Could have been early 90's. The name of this sweater is "The Foolish Virgins". I could have finished it but why? I started, I conquered, I got bored. I saw on some knit list that people actually have finished this one. Well, I have to say that my intentions were good. It is just something that goes snafu with my interest level.

Mr. Yarn? You still there?

NEWS FLASH: ebay addiction ended

So, I am not too bright. I believe that I can always get that "deal". It could happen. So, when I saw that there was an Ostrich wallet on ebay I put in my bid. I was a bit surprised when no one was bidding against me. Afterall, the other wallet that I bid on went up to 150.00. This one was 3.00. Did I take the hint? uh, no.

This is what I got.


See? You can't even say, "You aren't stupid". You are all laughing at me thinking "What was she thinking?"

Ok, well one more. This one is cool. I think. It is one of those things that can be cool or not. This may be a not. You tell me


nevermind....I know the answer. Please don't bring any of this up with "Mr Yarn" if you are to see/meet him.

Pretend this is yesterday

This is what I wanted to show you yesterday but "Mr Yarn" messed up. It is a picture that I bought right off the wall at JavaRama (local coffee house). It is done by this nice guy that used to work there named Matt Sagen. This is a picture from a book that he wrote. He is also a jazz musician. Anyhow, I just love this picture. I don't know where I am going to hang it but I will find a place for it.

Sorta like "She made bird cages in that neighborhood" (see April 26th entry).

You are SO in the dog house

So, I go to take a picture of what I wanted to put on the blog today. I go from room to room looking for it but it just isn't there. I try to remember where it could be. It sinks in. I asked "Mr Yarn" to take it home from the shop for me last night. It is right now sitting in the back of his car in some parking lot for 8-10 hours. Grrr.

Ok, so I have to resort to things you probably really don't care about (as IF you care about any of the stuff I drone on about. Even my own mother won't read my blog. She says she will but then tells me things like "It looks weird ON my browser [even my mother saying the word browser cracks me up] and "My modem is slow" and "I don't know how to talk to you on there" so that you read this at all when my own MOTHER, or for that matter SISTER, or BROTHER won't is kind).

Here is what Monte and Peter (the nicest people on the planet) gave me.



They know I love old boots.

One down one to go!

Annie graduated. It was a weird feeling seeing it all happen. One side of me was so happy for her and the other side kept yelling "No, you can't be doing this, you are not old enough". She is old enough and she is one of the smartest people that I know. If anyone can succeed in life, it is Annie. I don't think I have ever been more proud.


A special major alright.

Leave it to Annie to make an event into something different. As she walked off the field she just happens to run into Neil Young. Neil Young MY favorite. Neil Young? Damn, I love that kid.