New Blog

I have begun the process of switching my blog over to Beta..as such, since my blog name was already taken, I had to pick another...go figure. This is where you can catch up with me and what's going on in our lives...

www.okieknittingintx.blogspot.com

hope to see you there!

You Are Blitzen

Always in good spirits, you're the reindeer who loves to party down with Santa. Why You're Naughty: You're always blitzed on Christmas Eve, while flying! Why You're Nice: You mix up a mean eggnog martini.

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

NOTE TO SELF...

...When angry do NOT rip out a section of sock. When you do this...well, let's just say that you're liable to rip too far, get even more pissed off, and end up ripping out the whole damn thing, saying "fuck it" and chunking the yarn and first finished sock across the room in a fit of temper much like that of your 7 yo daughter.

Yep...the 2nd chameleon sock is no longer even a cuff...I had been trying different short row heel techniques and well, what can I say other than the sock is now a ball of yarn and I don't give a good damn whether it becomes a sock or not. Fuck it. I have had it. So, being the glutton for punishment that I am, I of course cast on a new sock...only this time, I cast on the petticoat and used a toe up cast on method from Kahunaqueen's site that once you get the hang of it is way easier than the others. I might even order her book, though 25 bucks is a bit steep, but it's not gonna happen right now, I can tell you that...right now I have to tighten the damn belt cuz I think I spent too much on Christmas this year...but oh well...we'll survive.

Well, I'm off to fold some laundry and get some more cleaning done...hagd, y'all

Just call me...

DUMBASS!!!!! Yep. Okay, so I finished the 2nd Hollysock just a little bit ago, but fifteen or so rows into the foot I realized that I hadn't continued on with the purl row, every 6th row...so I have a sock with a purl rib down the foot and a sock with a smooth foot. See....



I don't know if you can tell in the pictures, but since they are gonna be on my feet and in my shoes, I'm not too overly worried about it. No way in hell was I undoing fifteen rows of knitting...NOPE! They stay as they are...I'm not that damn anal.



I am really excited and have decided that before I cast on another pair, i am gonna finish up the chameleon socks first, then I will use the opal sock yarn Mimi chose for me to do my next pair in.

I don't know if I posted or not, but I have decided to take a step off into the unknown (unknown for me that is) and try knitting my first pair of toe up socks. With the toe up pattern and using a short row heel, I don't see how it could be a bad decision...especially since by going toe up, I can quit knitting when I run into the end of a 220 yard skein of yarn...like these socks were...plus, by using a short row heel, I will get more yarn to use for the leg cuff and that's gotta be good. Surely it couldn't be bad...could it? So, that figured out, I am off to finish the chameleon socks and then onto some opal petticoat #1291.

Awesome progress...

...has been made since yesterday. I actually only spent about 2 or 3 hours total knitting yesterday, but it was a very productive 2 or 3 hours. See...

I finished the cuff, the heel flap and cup and got the gusset stitches picked up and started. It's all downhill from here and the sock should be finished by the end of the week, ready for wearing. I am looking forward to wearing these socks so much so that I can't hardly stand it. The picture doesn't do the colors justice, I'm afraid. I'll try to get a better picture in the light of day as soon as they are finished, and on my feet. I think that I am going to dig out my Sensational Knitted Socks book and see if there isn't a round toe in there that I can try...it's not like anybody but me will see the damn toes of the socks anyways.

I have come to the conclusion that I am going to have to keep playing with sock patterns until I can find a heel and toe that I like, then make them my own. I don't need fancy socks...I really don't. I mean, I love some of the lace sock patterns, like the elfine sock and holly's sock, but it's not imperative to me that I have a lace sock, just that I have knitted socks...lol.

I went to JoAnn yesterday and got some pre-cut wood dowels and some more Sculpey II. Yesterday I made two pair of knitting needles...the drawback to buying pre-cut is that they are limited on sizes available...I suppose I need to go to The Home Depot and cut them there...I wish they were labeled in mm like my needles. Anyways...I took four of the pre-cuts, sharpened one end of each with a pencil sharpener and sanded them down, then used the Sculpey II to make ends for them...just simple button ends. After I baked the ends, I used a drop of Gorilla glue to put them on the dowels...I had rolled the clay and made a hole in it using the dowels, so then it was just a matter of getting the dowel into the proper hole after I had added a drop of the glue. The glue will ensure that the "button" remains where I want it. Today I'll make two more pair in a smaller size. You may wonder why it is I am making knitting needles...what would possess me, you ask...well, I'll be happy to tell you. Liz, my oldest, has expressed an interest in knitting. Especially after seeing this gorgeous wrap in Scarf Style...well, not being one to stifle the creative style/juices/desires of my kids, I have decided that I will enable her desire and turn it into a full blown need...I'm determined to create a knitting junkie...lol. I have a couple of the 'I Can't Believe I'm Knitting' / "10, 20, 30 Minutes to Knitting" books, so I am going to make her a knitting kit, at a cost much less than the ones you can get in the stores...I used those books to teach myself to knit, and put together with some wonderfully soft, yet inexpensive acrylic yarn...(let's be realistic...no child needs to learn to knit with 8 dollar a skein wool). I found some Bernat Softee Chunky yesterday at Wal-Mart ( yes, a collective shudder is acceptable). It's a cream color, but it is nice and soft and perfect for a beginner to knit with...not too expensive to allow her to have, but not so cheap that it is to stiff and uncomfortable to work with.

Having me for a mother the poor child has been drug from yarn store to yarn store, hobby store to hobby store, made to feel one yarn after another, and so she knows what nice soft yarn is, unlike me when I first started crocheting and knitting. Hell, until about 3 years ago, I was still using Red Heart...a good, sturdy yarn, though it does pill rather badly after repeated washings, but since I have an 11 year old afghan that is still loved and used...hell, it's getting good and soft now. But working with it after all the various yarns I have used in the last three years would absolutely kill me. Not to mention the fact that all the yarns I have made Liz stuff her fingers into and hold against her neck, no way will she wanna work with it...so the Softee is perfect...I dug my fingers into it, rubbed it on my face and neck and decided that it was a perfect first yarn. That being said, with the needles I am making, the yarn I have purchased and the instruction book, she will be well on her way to becoming addicted to knitting. Is trying to turn your child into an addict a bad thing?

And, I can make some smaller needles for Mimi, and get her started early...she may only be 7, but I can teach her how to knit, just the same...even if she is left handed. Couldn't teach her to crochet...the opposite hand problem...go figure. Oh well. So that is my plan for the homemade needles. I'll post some pictures of those too as soon as I have them done. No girl can have just ONE pair of knitting needles, and it is December, and who wants to work with aluminum needles in December?

Well, I'm off to knit and piddle and clean and all that jazz...hope everyone has a great day!

I have completed the first Hollysock and have begun the 2nd. I'm on the leg of sock number two...here's the first...














It's a little loose in the instep area, but that's okay by me...I tried cinching the toe shut, rather than using the kitchener, but I don't like the way it feels...the kitchener I have trouble with little pokie outtie corners, but I think I'd rather have the pokie outtie corners than the wad on my toe...plus, I think it looks better. If anyone has any suggestions on the pokie outtie corner thing I am all ears.

Presents have been wrapped and placed under the tree. I have found a way to torment my 7 year old, and it would seem myself, as I have done some intentional mislabeling of the gifts...see...all the gifts, save for the MIL and SIL, are labeled with reindeer names...Mimi, seen here,
she is Dancer...not sure why, but that's what I picked for her.












Bubba, who is seen here, is Prancer...namely because he's always prancing around the house, and is just too sweet for words.






















And then there's Liz, who is now Rudolph...namely cuz she's the oldest and the "leader of the pack".
PW, my dear hubby, is Comet, and I am Blitzen.
The only drawback to this method is that Mimi is really freaking out about who the gifts under the tree are really for. Why am I buying gifts for the reindeer? Where's Santa's gift? Where's their gifts? Are those really for the reindeer? Where are the gifts for the other reindeer? What did I get the reindeer I bought gifts for? See...a double edged sword. So much for me and my bright ideas...
NOTE TO SELF: Next time you think you have a great idea, shitcan it immediately, because it's probably a dumb idea that doesn't deserve to see the light of day.

That said, I have also decided that from here on out, I am going to start my Christmas shopping in August or September...I will wrap and label stuff as soon as I get it...that way, when Christmas rolls around, I will have everything already purchased, and will only have to worry about getting stuff that jumps out at me, or stocking stuffers. Plus it's easier to budget stuff one little thing at a time, as opposed to 10 little things at a time.

So, that's my week so far...I have to get my hands on a couple of long circs for sweaters. I have knit one Christmas gift this year, and I have to say that while I feel a little guilty about it, I don't feel as bad as I thought I would. I think that I will do the knit stuff in the same manner as the purchased stuff...though I have to admit, it's getting harder for me to want to knit stuff for other people. I am going to make my kids some slippers socks for around the house, but other than that, I have turned into a selfish knitter, wanting only to knit for myself. Is that bad? I love the feel of my knit stuff...I can't help it. And I know that I'm the only one (other than my dear friend in Georgia) who truly appreciates all my time and effort that I have invested into the finished product.

I have decided that the kids and I are going to go see "A Night in the Museum". There is an IMAX theater not too far from us and Mimi insists that we have to see it in the IMAX theater, not a regular theater..."It's just too cool, Mommy and the seats move and everything, but you can't eat before we go, Mommy, or you might throw up and that would be just gross, oh and don't let Lizzie eat, either, cuz I know for sure she'd throw up, cuz she's just silly like that, and you probably shouldn't let Bubba eat before we go, either, cuz you know how he is (this part is said with a great rolling of the eyes) and then he'd freak out and we'd have to leave and wouldn't even get to see the movie, and that would just ruin everything." Now, please keep in mind that all of this was said by my lovely 7 yo daughter, without a breath taken and with no pauses in it anywhere. I'm still not sure how she did it, but it's typical talking behavior for the girls in this house...Liz and I do it, too.

Well, I guess I had better get a move on and get the kids up and ready for school...hope everyone has a fantastic day.

Moving along...

Well, I can now say that I have bled for Christmas, but I think that the end results are well worth it. Three projects...one for MIL, two for PW...I'm not posting the one I made my MIL for the simple reason that the phone that the picture of it is on, is shit and I'm not touching it again if I don't have to...that said, I will post the ones I made for my dear hubby...a frame for each of the little ones...ball pics, because he and they are ball players.

I think that they turned out amazingly well...the frames are simple float frames, where the pics sit between two pieces of glass, which is where the bleeding came from. However, I used black scrapbook paper as a base for the pictures, to make the stand out more, and give it somewhat of a more professional, finished look. I really like the results I got, too. The central focus of each frame, are the photos in the center row or column. Both centers are composed of a sequence shot, of which I was thrilled to have...Mimi's is of her batting, while Bubba's is of him making a hell of a play at the plate...I must say that the completion of these, then just looking at them fills me with more pride than I can even begin to express....I did a damn fine job if I say so myself...lol.

For more eye candy, I give you these...this was taken yesterday afternoon around two. Since then I have finished the gusset decreasing and begun my straight knitting for the foot, which is where things are going to get a little hinky...see, I have 220 yards to use for each sock...I took my clues from a pattern that used this exact same yarn only in a different color, and she used two skeins...I have two skeins...the current size of my yarn ball, and thinking of how much I still have to knit on this sock, are making me nauseous, and slightly dizzy...I just keep praying that there will be enough...I don't want to have to order more yarn...I will, but I don't wanna have to...tho, if I ordered more, then I could use two hanks for one sock, and have myself a hell of a slouchie sock...lol.

So, all in all, while the house isn't as clean as it was, I have made some wonderful progress on the sock and the pictures are done...what more could I want?lol. I'm hoping to have the first sock finished tonight, though it will more likely be sometime tomorrow....the thing that kills me is that people make these long ass socks from one hank of opal all the time, and one hank of opal is just a little less than my two skeins of sock garden from KnitPicks....How in the hell do they do that??? I'm using a sz 1 long circ for the magic loop method...I just don't get it. I do know that when I'm done with these, I am gonna move right on into a pair or two of worsted weight socks...I have some Lorna's sitting in a drawer in my closet just waiting for me to knit it up...and once again, if I can get a pair of ankle socks out of one hank of Lorna's worsted, then I oughta be able to get a nice sock out of two hanks...lol. I'm off to get the kids moving...hagd, y'all.

What in the bloody hell????

I understand that this is America, and we all want a piece of the pie, but I read something this morning that truly disturbed the holy hell out of me.

10% of the Earth's population owns 85% of the Earth's assets. The poorest 50% of the population, own approximately 1% of this Earth's assets. I think that there is something seriously wrong with this picture. The richest 5% of American's pay less than you or I when they pay taxes...why you ask? Because they are rich and we are not...they have more money than they could ever spend in 3 lifetimes, and yet they pay a smaller percentage of taxes on their money than you or I do...that's right....sure, their tax bill's dollar amount is higher, I mean, they have way more money, but the fact of the matter is, that's not what you should be looking at...what you should be looking at is what percentage of their income they pay taxes on...I can assure you that it is a smaller percentage than yours. They have the money and the laws are set up by them, via our elected officials, whom are getting a hell of a lot more money from lobbyists than they are from us. Our country's people are under-insured, if they are even insured at all, and the poor just keep getting poorer. If the rich had their way, we'd be ignorant and scrubbing their floors and toilets for the rest of the earth's existence. See, George and his pals don't want our kids to get too much of an education, because then we might make a little money.

The death tax. That's one that really pisses me off. You have to inherit something like 2 million in assets before you are taxed on any of it. And people talk about how it's not fair to make someone pay taxes on an inheritance. why? they didn't earn it, and if they inherit that damn much money, then they sure as hell aren't going to be hurt by paying taxes on it.

Capital gains tax. Here's another one that pisses me off...you can earn capital gains and pay no taxes on it...what the fuck...if I win the damn lottery, which I didn't really work to get, just laid out a little cash, I have to pay taxes on that...why the fuck shouldn't Rick Wagner (CEO of General Motors and his co-horts pay taxes on their capital gains. I have to pay taxes on the interest my money earns in the bank...

Tax cuts keep going to the rich, the people with 95% percent of the money...5% of American people control 95% of American wealth...that leaves the other 5% of the money in America for the other 95% of the population here. Here's another thought for you...how is it that the 95% of Americans who only have 5% of the money, pay more than half the taxes to our government? Think about it. And when they tell you the average household income they arent telling you that they listed every income and took the one right out of the middle...the median, I think it's called...trust me, the number they give is quite a bit larger than the true average of our country's household income...they try to decieve with numbers...statistics don't lie, statisticians do...you can twist the numbers to prove what ever point you wanna make, but in the end...the numbers are there. Americans need to pull their heads out of their asses and stop listening to idiots like Rush Limbaugh (Mr. "drug addicts and pushers should be locked away for life"-until he's the damn junkie, then he deserves mercy), Sean Hannity, and the rest of that psycho right-wing lot...Americans need to learn to think for themselves and quit letting the damn republican push your buttons to get you to get out and vote...I mean honestly, how in the hell is gay marriage going to affect you??? If you aren't gay, it's not going to affect you...why the hell do you care if a gay couple gets married...for that matter, how is the marital status of a gay couple any of our damned business? Since when did we become holy and sinless enough to pass judgement on those around us? Just who in the hell do we think we are? But the republicans used gay marriage to get voters out in george's first election and he won. The republicans are winning the war of the words because idiots allow themselves to be swayed over stupid shit that will never affect them.

Okay...that's enough of that for today...I'm off to lunch with the little ones...have a great day, y'all!

Gone...

...is the start of the instep. Gone are the gusset stitches. Gone are the heel cup and heel flap. Gone is the cuff and ribbing. Gone. All of it gone. Why? you ask. Well, let me tell you...I cast on too damn many stitches and was going to run out of yarn before I got to the damn toes. I realize that this is not the end of the world. No, worse things have happened. It was regrettably necessary for me to rip it out and start over. I realize this...that however does not make me feel the tiniest bit better about having had to have done it. I have cast on again, this time with FEWER stitches and begun again. We'll see what happens. I may, for the sake of yarn conservation, have to try a short-row heel with this yarn. How in the hell do people get a long sock out of this damn yarn? Could someone explain it to me please? I can get a pair of anklets out of a skein of Cascade 220, and have yarn left over...WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Am I just hallucinating? Maybe I'm just too damn stupid to actually make a long sock. Perhaps this is a sign from the knitting gods telling me to stick my dumb ass to anklets and leave the long socks for worthy sock knitters. Shit. Oh well, fuck it...I'll just keep trying. I suppose that if worst comes to worst, I'll make a pair of anklets before I wear the yarn out re-knitting it.

Our tae-kwon-do class was last night. I'm telling ya, the class wears my ass out, and I didn't really want to go, but I always enjoy myself once I get there. I'd probably enjoy myself even more if my allergies and this damn cough didn't make it so painful to do stuff. The babies are seeming to really enjoy it, and Bubba has gotten much better with his front snap kicks. In fact, you can tell now that he is doing a snap kick rather than a kick sequence from a Rockettes dance number. He has to work twice as hard as his littlest big sister to do a lot of the physical stuff, as his coordination isn't well developed yet, however, he seems to almost always enjoy it more than her.

We're going up to Ardmore, OK on Saturday. OU is having a hitting camp for baseball and I'm taking both the babies. Deal is, we have to leave the house BY 7 since the camp starts at 9 or 930. I want to make sure that we aren't late, and I will have to stop and get them breakfast of course...can't go anywhere in the van for any distance without the two of them needing to eat...so I'm not even gonna bother with feeding them before we leave the house...why waste the time, energy and food. They are both very excited about the camp...I don't know if any of the baseball team is going to be there or not, but Mimi has decided that she's gonna play ball for OU and be a surgeon, too. What a little over-achiever. Bubba wants to play baseball and be a firefighter in Boston...or at station 35 in Oklahoma City. Don't ask, I don't know. I don't remember taking him to station 35, but evidently I did and they made a hell of an impression on his little one track mind.

We got a tree this weekend and some ornaments for it. I have to get my ass in gear today and start getting some gifts wrapped up and under it. It's a 6-1/2 foot pre-strung with lights tree...I don't know what the hell the people were thinking when they strung the damn lights, but there is no plug at the top for the tree-topper, so the topper just sits there, unlit, listing to one side and looking rather pathetic...lol. The stockings are hung, and after Christmas, I am going to work on knitting a stocking for each member of the family, using a pattern I rescued from one of my knitting magazines before we moved down here. It's a little patchwork type stocking, but I'm only going to use it as a guideline. They will all be in shades of reds/whites/creams. We are after all Sooners fans and we must keep our Sooner spirit alive...lol. Yes, I'm ate up. Can't help it.

Have you ever noticed that the bullshit with sports-writers and their voting for teams/players for stuff is so damn heavily biased that it's not even funny. I heard a sports-writer yesterday morning say that he'd never vote for Mark McGwire to be inducted into the baseball hall of fame because he used steroids. Really? I thought people were innocent until proven guilty. No one but Mark McGwire knows if he used roids or not...he's a big guy, and while he is smaller than he was when he was playing ball, he isn't having to workout like a damn fiend because he's playing ball...he's still a big guy. The only two ball players in a "spotlight" that we know WITHOUT A DOUBT that used roids are Palmeiro and Jason Giambi. They both tested positive. Once Giambi went off the juice, he shriveled up back into his original size. I don't think sportswriters should be allowed to vote for shit when it comes to stuff like rankings and polls and hall of fame stuff. That should be left for the coaches and the players to decide. From what I can tell, most sportswriters couldn't make it as an athlete, so they write about sports, and lambast the players that they wish to hell they could be. Jeez....get a life and get over yourselves already...titty-babies.

That said, I'm off to get some kids into the tub before school...have a good one!

I despise aol

Okay, so since it is usually easier for me to take a quick pic with my cell phone's camera, email it to myself and then save it to my puter, that's what I've been doing for almost a month now...however, here lately, it seems that the pics I email to myself from my cell phone want to float around in cyberspace for a day or two BEFORE they land in my mail box. And to top it off, since aol has gone "free" they have completely jacked everything all to hell...ads at the bottom of my emails and shit like that. I despise aol. Truly I do.

That said, let me also say that here and there probably isn't gonna be done in time for Christmas, and I am perfectly okay with that. These will tho...

Of course, neither of these pictures gives a true impression of the colors in this sock yarn, but such is life. On size 1 long circ we have KnitPicks Sock Garden, in HollyBerry. I went thru a bunch of sock patterns on the web and then kind of created my own. I cast on 80 stitches, which is probably too many for my foot and ankle, since I have chicken legs, but so far it slouches really well, which is what I wanted it to do. The cuff isn't as long as I would like it to be, but that's because I cast on 80. Ah well, shit happens...I have two balls of this yarn, so I will have two socks, and the patterning that I used to
help with the slouch, will also help me to not get

all screwed up in the cuff length, since I have the purl ridges spaced out down the cuff. Since cyberspace has eaten my damn pictures, I can't post the one I took last night of it on my foot...heel complete and gusset stitches picked up and first decrease made. I tried working two at the same time, but I'm just not that damn coordinated or patient, so the other cuff for the second sock is sitting on a pair of dpn's waiting for me to finish this first one and return to it...I think that I might just start making my socks where I cast on for both cuffs, as that might help me to eliminate the terrifying second sock syndrome...or maybe not, cuz the second chameleon sock is sitiing in a drawer in my closet still unfinished.

I have also decided to return to knitting the traditional heel flap, as the short row seems to be stretching out into holiness where my wraps are. Perhaps it's just me, or perhaps I need to figure out a different way to do the short row heels. I know that the main reason I liked them so much, was because they cut about three hours of knitting off a pair of socks, but if it means that there are "holes" then screw it, I'll spend the extra three hours....plus I could get more cuff by using the short row heel, but that's okay, since I don't really require a lot of cuff...most of my socks are low cut, or ankle high, but I want more out of my sock yarn than an anklet. I want to show off my socks and the yarn I used to make them...I have more KnitPicks sock garden yarn in the closet...pansy and stargazer lily...I've missed making socks. If I never make a sweater that's okay, I can buy a few, but socks...nothing feels like a sock that's hand-knit ...yummy.

I did finish the other scarf, and I must say that I absolutely love it....it's nice and wide, and wraps well, tho, if I'm wearing a hooded sweatshirt I have to be careful when I wrap it or I'm likely to choke myself...lol.

JoAnn's is having a sale on Wool-Ease again this week...$1.77 a ball. I have to go over there to try to find a collage frame for Christmas for my MIL and PW...baseball pictures are a wonderful thing...lol. So I had better get moving...still gotta get the little ones up and ready for school...more pics of the sock as soon as the damn internet lets them land in my mail box...have a great day, everyone!

Freakin' brrrrrrr!!!

Yep, that's right...at approx. 5 p.m. this evening it was 72 degrees. By 730 it was down to 51 degrees, and at 845 the temperature was a whopping 38...and still dropping. Yes, I live in North Texas, and we, along with a whole hell of a lot of other people, are getting ready to freeze our asses off but good. Here is a picture of the sky this morning at about 630. Pretty, but ominous.

So, I did my first merchandising stint today. It went pretty well. I'm going to go thru my emails from the secret shopper place, and see what else I can turn up. There are a few that I want to check into further. What the hell. Do something I'm good at and make money at it. Sounds good to me. Besides, it's not like I have a job. This way, maybe I can earn my yarn money, instead of trying to skimp it out of the budget. It'd be really nice to have my own money again...plus I want to acquire one of bitchin' Canon digital cameras that'll shoot like 7 frames or more per second, and all that cool jazz. Of course, that'll set me in the whole about 800-900 bucks, but what the hell...it'll be worth it.

So my dog is pestering me to go out, so I guess I'll take her and write more tomorrow with an update on the weather conditions here...as if y'all really give a rat's ass...lol.

Wow...

...my latest scarf is now on it's fifth ball of Wool-Ease, and is longer than I am tall. I figured out that I was going to get approximately 15 inches of scarf for each ball of wool-ease, which, with 5 balls, gives me at least 75 inches of scarf. I had hoped to finish it over the long weekend, but it didn't happen. I am hoping to get it finished this week, then return to the Here and There scarf that is still on the needles in my other knitting bag. I don't think that it is going to be anywhere near as long as this one, but what the hell, it's sure gonna be a warm one, and as long as it's long enough to wrap at least once, it's all good.

In other interesting news, or at least interesting to me, my new calendar for 2007 came in yesterday, as did Liz's. Here's a picture of mine...

And here is a picture of hers...

These are some of the most incredible calendars ever made. They are huge...with large date squares and stickers to catch your eye for important events, like doctor and dentist appointments, school events, birthdays, special occasions, vet visits and more. The one for teenage girls, has stickers for spring break and other type of stuff like that. And at 15 bucks each, not a bad deal at all. This is my 8 year of having one, and I actually threatened PW when he bought a cheapo-depot calendar one year. You get what you pay for and this is one of those instances where a little extra cash spent is a good thing. I try not to make plans unless I'm standing in front of the calendar with a pencil in hand (pencil, because if something goes wrong and an appointment has to be changed, I can ERASE!!!).

The trip to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving was nice, but it's good to be back home and in our own house. Christmas is up in the air as to whether we'll be here or in Oklahoma, but we'll have family and that will be nice. It's always good to have family.

Well, I guess that's really about all I have to post for now. I have a merchandising job this morning, assembling a card carousel at a gift shop in a nearby hotel, then it's back home to do some laundry and some housework.

A whole week

...of my children without school. My girls are in Oklahoma with their Grandma (my MIL) and Bubba is here with me. He was supposed to go to Oklahoma, but he got sick late Saturday night/early Sunday morning, and had to stay here with me. This, for me, is not that big a deal, because he entertains himself most of the time without help from me, but he is so sweet and loving and such a good boy, that it's not wearing on my nerves to have him around constantly.

So, we went to the OU/Baylor game Saturday and had a BLAST! We spotted Toby Keith after the game. I'd post my pic that I snapped with my cell phone, but it still hasn't shown up in my mailbox. I knit on the 2 hour trip there and back, and am now on the 3rd ball of wool-ease for this new scarf. I really need to lay it down and get back to work on the here and there scarf so that it is finished in time to ship for Christmas. I got some Lion Wool today...Autumn Sunset and Cocoa, with which I am going to make myself another felted purse...I just have to find a pattern that I like that will come out big enough to allow me to carry my knitting.

All in all it was a great weekend with good food, good times and a hair cut, too. Hope y'all have a great week...I'll try to post some pics of my scarf later this week, and hopefully a finished here and there and a purse started...

So, finally, I am able to post a pic of the new scarf. This picture really doesn't do it justice, but what the hell. I'll try again in a few days. For now I am busy cleaning and getting the "house" (read apartment) ready for our incoming guests (MIL and SIL).

They will be here sometime tomorrow afternoon or early evening. They'll spend the night and then Saturday morning we'll all get up relatively early and head out to Waco for the OU/Baylor game, which starts at 11. Then we'll return home and I think that sometime on Sunday MIL and SIL will head back to OK, with my kids (read very excited Mommy). Since we don't know whether PW has to work the day before and after Thanksgiving, we may or may not have our Thanksgiving dinner here in Texas.

I spent the morning getting tags for the Yukon and the Grand Am, plus laundry supplies and then I came home and got busy on the living room and dining room. I have to finish dusting the living room, then move on to the kitchen and upstairs. I rearranged the living room while I was at it, moving the couch and the chair, and getting everything ready to put the tree up eventually. We're going to get one of those skinny ones that doesn't take up a buch of room , but this way the kids will still have a tree. Personally, I could live without the tree, but the kids are hell bent on having one, so have one we will.

That said, I have something to share with y'all. I found today a book called...The Best of Knitter's Jackets for Work and Play. There are a few in there, at least, that I am looking forward to trying. There's the Stockinette Cables, very pretty, Roundtrip, which is the first one I am planning on making. I love that it is rounded and shrug-like. Those are just two, but there are more. The instructions seem easy enough for me to follow...let's hope that I'm not deluding myself. I really am looking forward to getting in at least one sweater. If I decide that I don't like it, it's no big deal, but hell, I liked cables okay, and they weren't anywhere near as difficult as I thought that they would be, so what the hell. Socks intimidated the hell out of me at first...I kept trying to read ahead on the pattern, which for some reason you just can't do with a knitting pattern cuz for some reason the patterns don't make sense when you just "read" them.

Well, I guess that's about it for now. More soon.