Yes, I’m moving things around again. If you subscribe to the Feedburner RSS feed, you should automatically get updates from the new site.

Also, I finally made a new layout What d’ya think? It’s pretty plain, I know. It was my first try at making a widget-capable WordPress theme (which was a lot easier than I realized).

One fun little detail: If you refresh the page, you’ll see the header image changes. I’m hoping to get quite a few different images of my yarn stash and/or knitting projects up there. (Right now there’s only 6 photos that rotate through.)

When I transferred the database over, I somehow mucked up the comments table, so I gave up and deleted them all. (*sigh*) So send me some comment-love…!

My visit with my parents over the weekend was so nice. I really didn’t want them to leave. I’m fairly certain they weren’t keen on leaving either, as they’ll be returning to single-digit temperatures and lake effect snow. We didn’t do much sight-seeing or anything while they were here, as they’ve both seen most of the sights the last few visits. My mom and I spent a lot of time chatting and knitting, and I played a lot of Wii-bowling with my dad.

I took my parents up to my LYS on Friday so that my mom could pick out some yarn. I think she got an idea of why I love going there so much. My poor dad was probably bored stiff, but then again, my mom has dragged him to so many fabric and quilting stores over the years he’s probably not phased by it. (I’ve seen him help her pick out some excellent, unexpected color-combinations for quilts before actually.)

Anyway.

My mom picked out some Brown Sheep Wildfoote sock yarn and some Wool in the Woods Cherub to try out for her first socks. I managed to not walk out with any yarn myself (this time… *ahem*), though a few things were calling my name and I may have to return for them later in the week…

When we got home, I helped my mom get started knitting up the Heather Strips and Stripes pattern by Chris Carroll, using the Cherub yarn. I cast on the same pattern using some Chewy Spaghetti yarn from my stash, but abandoned it fairly fast. I’ll probably frog it and start over later, I just have too many other socks (and other projects) on the needles right now.

Mom did a great job with her sock knitting. As expected, she didn’t need much help. I did get to teach her a few things though. For instance, she’d never done an SSK so I showed her how. By the time they left this morning, I believe she was almost done doing the gusset decreases on the first sock. I’m anxious to see how her socks turn out (and if she finds herself suffering from second-sock syndrome). I told her I demand she e-mail photos as soon as she finishes it!

I finished the simple ruffled/ribbed scarf I was knitting out of Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande. It turned out a bit shorter than what I’d prefer. I think about a skein and a half would have done better. But it’s so soft and pretty that I’m sure I’ll wear it anyway. I knit a bit on it in the waiting room at my doctor’s office on Friday and then finished it on Saturday. (Yay for another item to add to my 2008 FO list!)

After the scarf was done, I wound up working on my Monkey socks. Once again, I’m doing these two at a time on two circular needles a’la Antje Gillingham’s method. It’s going SO well! I’m really starting to think I may never knit another single sock again. (Well, unless it’s an especially complex pattern.) This time I managed to not screw up the heel turn, and I’m going merrily along doing my gusset decreases. I’m hoping I can finish these by the end of the week and send them to their intended recipient over the weekend.

And speaking of Antje Gillingham! She’s going to be giving a workshop at my LYS on the 23rd and I’m lucky enough to be attending. I’m so excited! I believe the class is either full, or darn close to it. I’m going to be there helping out and absorbing all the information I possibly can. The workshop is the day before my 26th birthday, so it’s kind of like a birthday present for me — spending the whole day at a knitting workshop!

I love my kitty, Gidget, so much. I adore her so much that I don’t even mind the new habit she’s developed: jumping on my stomach at 3 a.m. every night to wake me up for cuddle-time. She’s so cute that I can’t resist. Besides, I rarely get to hold or cuddle her any other time because our dog, Gracie, won’t stand for it and chases her away from me (jealous, much?).

However, during last night’s 3 a.m. visit, Gidget managed to try and poke my eye out. She laid down on my chest so I could scratch her ears, as normal. She was happily purring away and I was drowsily petting her. Then she decided to stretch and roll over onto her side. Well, you know how cats stretch, with their paws strait out, claws bared? She did it so fast I didn’t have time to really react. She managed to poke me in the right eye with one of her claws. I have a scratch on my eyelid, running from where my eyelashes are rooted upwards toward my brow. It’s red and sore and itchy. I have a headache right behind my eye which is the most miserable part really. At least my right eye is my “bad” eye anyway (I had a lazy-eye as a kid… shut up).

Damn cat. But I love her. Really.

In other news… my parents are coming to visit! I’m so excited! And not only that — they’ve decided to come a day early! They’re leaving tonight and should be here sometime very early in the morning. I was able to take tomorrow off work so I get to spend Friday, Saturday and Sunday with them.

My mom is bringing her knitting needles with her (’cause that’s the sort of family we are). She dug out some size 1 DPNs. She wants me to teach her to knit socks! I’m psyched. There’s few things I love more than trying to push my knitting-addiction onto others.

I think my mom would probably characterize herself primarily as a quilter these days, but throughout my lifetime she’s done countless crafty things (and excelled at them all… don’t ya hate people like that!?). When I was very little, we had a kiln in our basement and she worked with ceramics. She also sewed a lot: clothes, Halloween costumes, and housewares/decorations. She knits and crochets. She paints. She’s dabbled in scrapbooking. Before I was born, I know she did macramé and leather-work. I’m sure I’m probably forgetting things. Basically the woman is a craft-prodigy.

Needless to say, I don’t think I’ll really be doing much teaching. She told me that she’s never knitted in the round before but I’m sure even if she didn’t have me to help, she’d be able to read a sock pattern and figure it out without trouble. Nevertheless, I’m really looking forward to being able to sit and knit with my mom and help her out when (or if) she gets stuck.

I’m planning to take her up to my local yarn shop too. I’m sure she’ll love it. (Because really, how could you not love a store packed with fibery-goodness and fun, friendly people!?) My goal is to get her as hooked on knitting as I am, so that when I call her and blather on about different fibers or new patterns, she’ll share my excitement. Though, I think she “gets it” even now, because she’s the same exact way telling me about her quilting things (like her beloved new Tin Lizzie long-arm quilting machine).

Yup, we’re totally cut from the same cloth.

My birthday is coming up (on the 24th)! I was talking on the phone with my grandma last night and she told me that I’m going to have to “buy my own” birthday gift. I insisted she didn’t need to worry about it, but knowing how she is, she’ll send some birthday money. I was thinking what I might get with it and then I remembered the Namaste bags that my LYS recently got in stock…

They had the Laguna in hot pink and the Malibu in lime (or maybe it was vice-versa). They’re beautiful bags. Everyone in the shop was drooling over them, I think. The materials they’re made from are so soft and luscious and they just feel so well-made. Unfortunately, they also have a price-tag reflective of that. Not to say they’re not worth every penny, but I couldn’t justify spending money on one right now.

BUT I’m thinking if I can use birthday money to pay for most of it, I don’t have to feel nearly so guilty, right?!

And I’ve also been thinking: they’re such handsome bags that you really could carry it for a purse, so it’s doing double-duty. As it is, I carry a purse and a tote-bag everyday to work. My purse has my cellphone, car keys, wallet, and assorted lip-balms and such. My tote has my planner, my iPod, a book to read at lunchtime, and whatever other miscellaneous things I might need/want for the day. I think I could easily fit all those things into one of the Namaste bags and still have room to carry a knitting project too! I’m thinking I could put my “purse stuff” along with my planner, book, and iPod on one side of the center divider and carry a knitting project on the other side. I just love the idea of having a knitting project with me everywhere I go! (Never know when you’re going to have a long wait, ya know?)

But now I have to figure out which bag… My first impression was that the Laguna (pictured above in the Olive color) looked a little too “bowling bag”-like for my taste. But the more I look at it, the more I have to admit that I do like the structure. But I’m still leaning toward the Malibu (pictured to the left). It just seems like it would be more comfortable to carry. I’ll have to look at them again at the LYS the next time I stop by.

I can’t decide on the color either. The bright colors are lovely (especially the lime!) but being that I plan to use this as a purse and knitting bag, I’m wanting to go with something more subdued and practical. I’m thinking charcoal or saddle. I love the rich color of the saddle but if I’m going to carry it to work, I tend to wear more black than brown… so I don’t know. Olive is another option that I like. The Malibu bag in saddle would be awfully lovely though, I think…

Does anyone have these bags already? How do you like them so far?

I’m being very bad just lately. I keep casting on new projects left and right.

I think perhaps I’m still trying to make up for Christmastime when I was restricted to finishing certain projects on a definite time line. Now that I don’t have that strict “to-do” list, I’m just starting things willy-nilly, all over the place.

I actually started a spreadsheet of friends and family that I want to knit socks for. Yes, a spreadsheet — shut up. I’m on a mission to turn everyone on to the wonders of hand-knitted socks… which really is a bad idea, I suppose, because it makes more work for me in the long run. Unless of course I can convert them to being knitters as well… hm.

But anyway.

So I have an ongoing list of people I want to knit socks for. I have two pairs of socks on the needles right now: one is the second sock to the pair from the Neighborhood Knit Shop’s sock club and the second is a pair of Monkey socks that I’m knitting two at a time (pictured to the right).

I worked on both socks last night. I got the toe to the sock club socks done and I got through the first repeat of the lace chart on the monkey socks.

Then I decided I was sick of sock knitting. I decided to start a scarf instead.

The yarn is Schaefer Susan. This was another goody I picked up at the Schaefer trunk show at my LYS several months back. I actually only snatched it up originally because I liked that the colorway was called “Minnie Pearl” — I thought it was rather appropriate, living here in Nashville and all.

The pattern I’m working on is called the Susan Undulating Waves Scarf. It’s actually the scarf that the ladies going on the Neighborhood Knit Shop’s knitting cruise this week will be working on. But alas, I will not be going to Cozumel (*sigh*), so I’ll be knitting up my scarf’s waves without being able to enjoy the ocean’s waves at the same time. (Hope you gals all have lots of fun though! Bring home lots of sunshine!)

This pattern also marks my first attempt at knitting with beads. So yay… another new thing I’ve tried!

As if three projects weren’t enough, I still have my drop stitch scarf, hexagon blanket and Juno stole hibernating in my knitting basket someplace.

AND, on top of all that, I’m extremely tempted to cast on one more scarf. Why? Because I finally caved and bought a skein of the Baby Alpaca Grande that I’ve been lusting after. This stuff is seriously some of the softest fiber you’ll ever touch.

As if I need to start knitting something else. But ya know, an alpaca scarf isn’t very practical in the warm weather, so if I’m going to knit it, I should probably really start it now, right?

Is anyone else out there going through cast-on fever right now like I am? I can’t be alone in this.

I never thought I’d finish these socks. WHEW. I nearly ran out of yarn too.

The pattern is one of my favorite stand-by’s: the 8 Stitches Per Inch sock from Getting Started Knitting Socks by Ann Budd. I knit them two at a time on two circular needles using the book Knitting Circles Around Socks by Antje Gillingham. I am so glad I knit them that way too — I don’t think I would have ever finished the second sock otherwise.

My husband is sick in bed (poor guy) so I haven’t gotten to show them to him yet. Hopefully he’ll like them. And hopefully they fit… if not, I may cry! Hehe.

Now I’m on to casting on my next project. Here’s the yarn:

It’s hopefully going to be a pair of Monkeys. Believe it or not, I’ve not knit a pair of Monkeys before. I’m really looking forward to seeing how they turn out with this yarn. (It’s also my first time knitting with Wollmeise sock yarn!)

In other news… I had waaaaay too much fun today. I went up to my LYS to sit ‘n knit for the better part of the afternoon. It’s the first time I’ve gotten a chance to go up there and hang out on a Saturday and I’m hoping I can make it up there a lot more often now. It was such a good time. I’ve really not ever met such a fun group of women before.

I picked up a few goodies today while I was at the shop too: I got another hank of Schaefer Anne because I’m loving working with it. It looks and feels so nice. I also got a hank of Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande. I’ve been looking at that yarn for quite some time (it’s amazingly soft) and today I finally decided to grab some of it for my stash. I also got some beads to start working on a lacey scarf out of my Schaefer Susan that’s been living in my stash for quite a while.

My project queue is getting really long these days…