Bird's Nest Knits

I told you I was a knitter!

Finally - a finished object.  I know - its shocking, but true!  And I even completed it in time with the Knit A Long.  If that isn't a sign of the coming apocalypse - I don't know what is.  Frogs falling from the sky has got nothin' on this one.

Wendy said this was a 3 day project.  Lets just say that I knit in dog years.

Sizzle by Wendy Bernard

Very easy to follow pattern and it turned out quite flattering I think.   Definitely something that I'd wear regularly.  I wore it over a white button down shirt to Heidi's house on Saturday night - so it's pretty versatile.  Very much disliked the yarn choice - the drape of the finished object was really nice - but the yarn is SUPER splitty.  Blech. 

YARN:  SouthWest Trading Company's PHOENIX soy silk yarn in Really Red (4 skeins I think)
NEEDLES:  Size 7 Knit Picks Options

A few modifications I made to the pattern:

1. Added an additional bust increase row
2. Added an additional inch of knitting before splitting for the neckline.  Now that I see it on I would have only added 1/2 an inch - because I'd have liked it just a little more open.
3. Knit the seed stitch edging around the neck back and forth to create the keyhole effect.
4. Didn't bother with the 1/2 inch seed stitch edge around the arms.

Moons over my Hammy

Meet Ted.  Ted E. Bear aka Ted Bundy aka Ted of the very sharp Teeth.

He is the newest resident of my office, happy to run mindlessly in his wheel, to hide all of his food, and generate some seriously rank smelling pee.  Bless his little heart.  He is a Syrian Hamster - more commonly known as a Teddy Bear hamster.  Adorably fat and furry, I have my own Cute Overload in a Cage.  He's not really into being held yet - but I'm hoping the bribery in the form of apple bits, grapes, and banana pieces will work in the long run.    He did bite me pretty good today - drew a good deal of blood even.   Luckily I am such a ridiculous pack rat that I had bandaids - TWO boxes even - and a tube of neosporin.  I saw the fur around his butt was all matted and wet and I thought it might have been diarrhea.  So I did what any good hamster mommy would do - I wiped his butt.  He did not appreciate my attempts to assist with his hygeine and chomped my finger pretty good.

Two words Ted... Hamster Kabob.  Sleep with one eye open furface.

Tonight is Mary Kay's pot luck party.  I can't wait!  Mr. Bird is on his way over to pick me up from work and we'll stop by to pick up something to share with everyone and trek over to MK's.   I haven't seen the knitting ladies in a few weeks and I miss them all.  I'm going to plan a Sunday tea party sometime soon.  I'm looking forward to going to some thrift stores to find some vintage tea cups :)  I'm really going to miss Mary Kay.  She's so wonderfully enthusiastic and has a heart the size of Texas.  (I don't even mind that she's a Republican)  *wink*

On the knitting front I should have a finished object to wear to Heidi's house tomorrow night! woo hoo!

On the not finished front is Hilari's book which I need to get done by tomorrow night.  MERP.

... a hole in the head

So, I told myself after spinning that I needed another hobby like I needed a hole in the head.  Then I took up sewing, and now to add to the many holes in my head, I present to you...

Medusa

Selene

After a little jaunt to the Whistlestop with Wendy -

We wandered over to The Grove - the site of regular frivolous spending, I once again ignore the more practical - yet not nearly as fun voice in my head - and came home with a wire jewelry book, a supply kit, and several neat little pre-packaged projects direclty from the book.  Two sets of earrings, and a ring project.    It took me a little bit to get used to using a pair of round nose pilers, and my first set of earrings you can see that the curves are not completely perfect.  I think that it adds to the charm of them though.    I don't have a ring mandrel so the knot ring project will have to wait. 

Lots of fun, almost instant gratification,... winner!

Last night I went to the Padres game with Wendy and Mr Spazz and her parents.  We didn't end up sitting with the rest of the knitters but the game still was lots of fun just the same.  We saw Tanya from afar.  The Padres kicked some Reds ass, and I got quite a bit of the back of Sizzle completed.

The view from nosebleed (not bad at all - but going up and down those stairs freaks me out)

Sizzle at the game - knitting with SWTC Phoenix (soy silk) on Knitpicks Options needles.  The perfect KIP project with lots of stockinette.  I'm finished decreasing for the arm holes and about to knit up to the increases for it.

Wendy was working on Rogue with her lovely hand spun (so frickin' perfect this yarn)