It’s the funniest thing. Sometimes, because our DSL is stupid, I can’t post. What we’ve discovered with the help of a friend, is that I get wireless network reception on my driveway. It isn’t ours. I don’t know WHOSE it is, but when my computer is down, I can sit in a lawn chair on my driveway and post on my laptop.

Cool.

What’s NOT cool is that the reason I’m sitting in a lawn chair on the driveway right now isn’t because of temperamental DSL service. It’s because last night I spilled water on the keyboard. How lame is that?

Ok, knitalongers, what’ve you got? I know that a certain miss Katie is working on hers. She has a brand-spanking new blog, too. Check it out!

Uta has finished hers! Yay!

I have done a little more on Cable-Eight, but not enough to warrant a photo. I did a little bit on the cable doll dress yesterday, but spent most of the day running errands. Now that I have enough energy to leave the house, I have a heck of a lot to do. I took Veronica to the hardware store yesterday afternoon and bought a bunch of stuff to start growing my wheatgrass in force and start a composting worm bin. I bought a couple of toys, too, like a new set of hand tools (gardening) and a PINK pair of gardening gloves with a rose on them. The green pair was cuter, but I figured if I bought the pink pair, Nate would be less likely to steal them.

I bought a fabulous pair of red gardening gloves a year or two ago, and he swiped them. Now they have holes. I told him what I had done yesterday and he said that the pink itself isn’t enough to dissuade. The rose is what got him. Hehehe. MY gloves. It isn’t like he doesn’t have his own pair, or three.

I had a very difficult time choosing colors for this doll, and as it sits, the colors chosen may change. I have an abundance of yarn remnants in gorgeous colors that could combine to make any number of fabulous and crazy dolls. The problem is, this particular doll is being made for someone who is considerably more conservative in her opinions of appropriate skin and hair color than me. (She is also reading this, undoubtedly, and is either laughing or mortified. Fortunately, if it’s the latter, I know she’ll forgive me).

If you are confused, check out the sidebar. I have a history making wildly colorful dolls.

Right, so, I know she isn’t fond of green bodies, or teal hair… Basically, I’m having to find the delicate balance between being mild enough for her, and fun enough for me so as to keep me from getting bored. Enter cables.

I have no idea if this dress is going to work because I’m entirely winging it, row by row, as I go. At this point, I’m thinking that I decreased too quickly which will result in a very short dress. I won’t know until it’s stuffed whether or not it “works”. It could work. I’m basing the dress on a pattern for a real dress I saw and love in a Vogue knitting book. It’s an A-line, cabled dress that is cute as can be. The doll version is following suit, and if I slap some knee high boots on her, It might just work. Then again, it might look completely stupid. We’ll have to wait and see.

In either case, I am sure that it would look better with teal hair. 🙂

Here she is, and there she goes. The red Flower Basket Shawl is already wrapped and ready to be sent off to a very deserving friend.

We couldn’t get a good shot of the back while it was on me, as my photographer is 6 years old and limited in her skill and patience. So here it is on the hood of my truck.

I’ve made two so far, and still don’t have a Flower Basket of my own. There remain a couple of friends I’d love to make one for, so who knows if I’ll ever own one. Even though I added a chart repeat to make the shawl a little bigger, I don’t think it’s quite big enough for me. When I slim down a bit, I might try it. I think it looks like it’s trying too hard to make it around my meaty arms. I tried it out as a head/hair wrap, like in the 50’s, and it looked really cool, however I’m not sure I can carry off that look.

What’s next? Well, I still need to finish up the VCC, and Cable-Eight. I have a gazillion sock patterns laying around, and sock yarn for that matter that I’d really like to try. The problem is that every time I sit down to start, I realize I don’t really want to be starting socks. I still have a couple of dolls to make, but those are quickie projects. I’ve seen some cheap lace weight alpaca in a couple of the yarn-by-mail catalogues I’ve received recently, and I’m thinking about making the Lily of the Valley shawl with it. Lace weight alpaca doesn’t have the halo that a mohair blend has, but it does have more of a soft focus look than straight merino. And it would be considerably cheaper. Plus, it’s alpaca. Sounds luscious.

My baby is 4 today. She’s the youngest in our family, and she plays the part well. Happy birthday, my dear.

I’ve blocked the red Flower Basket Shawl. I’ll try and get a picture for you tomorrow. Still sick, still boring, although I intend to have a lot of fun with my girl today.

Sorry. I still feel like crap. Tired, mostly. I have a full tray of wheatgrass ready to go, and my juicer hasn’t even been MAILED yet. I could use some juice right now, wheatgrass or otherwise.

Nate kept me up late watching 24. The episodes we are watching were downloaded off the internet, and as it turns out, some of them are in German, so we’re getting through the season faster than we would otherwise. We had to miss the episode where the nuclear bomb went off. I was bugged.

I was able to knit a bit yesterday. I finished the red Flower Basket Shawl, it just needs to be blocked, and I’m working on Cable-Eight. It looks like I’m going to be knitting a doll or two, by special request, so stay tuned for that.

I’m dull today. Sorry.

Tomorrow, Veronica turns 4!

I am anxiously awaiting my juicer! Here’s my first tray of wheatgrass in progress. I let the girls chew on a blade to get a feel for the taste, because watching it grow was overwhelming their curiosity. Their first response was a predictable, “Ewwwww“, but they kept coming back for more. I take that as a good sign. Nate keeps making jokes about “sitting around, watching the grass grow”, but the truth is, it does! It changes hour to hour. The life force coming from what I have mainly used for grinding into bread flour is astonishing. Fun for the whole family!

I am still sick, so I haven’t been exercising. I’ve snuck in some physical therapy exercises here and there, but that’s all. I can’t WAIT to be back!

What have you got?

Next week will be our 52nd week of Health Group, meaning one whole year! What should we do to celebrate?

It’s knit-along day. What I’ve got is Drew! It’s a pretty, and I’d suggest clicking on the picture to see a bigger view. It’s really cool. Good job, Drew! He’s holding out on us though, he’s not saying who it’s for.

I’d also suggest you go check out the hilarious photo of Janet’s dog. Isn’t it great? My big oaf does that, but at over 80 pounds, he isn’t doing it on the bed surrounded by pillows, so it has nowhere NEAR the same effect.

I am still sick, Nate is now sick too. The kids are in fine form, and WEARING US OUT! There was a point yesterday, after dinner, when I think we were each fast asleep on separate couches. The girls were on their own for awhile, and the house is still standing! This bug’s a killer. I felt my body shutting down and I knew I was falling asleep, the girls were all around me, and there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop it. Weird. The spontaneous sweating is getting old, too.

My point is, I don’t have any knitting to show you, but I just so happen to have a picture for you today. However, it is completely silly.

I am not a “primper”. I spend very little time on my physical appearance and still manage to feel cute most of the time. (There’s probably delusion there, but I don’t even care). I don’t mind being seen at anytime of day by anyone, so long as I’m wearing a bra. But I have to tell you, I LOVE pretty fingernails.

I’ve been an obsessive nail biter all my life. In the last five years, I’ve managed to get somewhat of a hold on it, unless I’m under particular stress. Unfortunately, thanks to some insurance company crap with my PIP claim and continued car accident pain, this entire year has been rough on the nails. I noticed a couple weeks ago that my nails were growing out again. I am ecstatic. Ecstatic enough to take a picture.

Aren’t they pretty? I look at them all the time. I know they aren’t perfect, as my french manicure skills are shaky. I like french, and I like bright red. I probably have 8 fabulous reds. Other than the occasional blue or green for fun, that’s what I stick with.

I have to hide when I paint my nails, because if I don’t, I end up having 40 nails to paint instead of just 10. 70 if they have toenails on the brain. Hiding rarely works. The girls smell it before they have a chance to see my hands, and come running.

So there’s a little something about me.

Yeah, I know. I’m finally getting to mailing out stitch markers to the winners of our giveaway. It’s kind of fun, because I get to mail out to Japan, Portugal and Singapore for the first time ever. And Finland and the UK for the second time :-).

This is amazing to me, because I don’t travel. I haven’t seen much of the world at all, except for the couple of vacations my generous father-in-law has hosted. I got to go to Israel. And there was that one time when we drove from New York to Nebraska on a church history tour. But other than that and a couple times in Canada, I haven’t been anywhere. The fact that I have contact outside of my little world is so cool. The east coast is even beyond the scope of my imagination, but Singapore? I don’t know anything about Singapore. What was really weird was when I got a hit from a country I’d never even heard of. I can’t even remember which country it was. Dangit. Don’t ruin it for me and tell me they were spammers. I’m enjoying my bubble.

Here’s the scene on my kitchen table yesterday. At this point, I was close to halfway done.

Olivia decorated the cards.

There were a couple of times, (Betsy and Barbara Long) when requested colors fit a particular set perfectly. It was so fun! In Betsy’s case, I wasn’t sure I was going to send out that set, because you have to like those colors together, although they’re among my favorites. When I got her email, it was serendipity.