Knitting

Well, I'm not exactly sure where my camera is, so I can't really prove it, buuuut: I've been knitting! I found snippets of time here and there in my day where I can squeeze in a few rows. These snippets are called "driving to work," "lunch hour," and "driving home from work."

Now, you should know a little about this knitting while driving thing. First of all: I drive like a granny most of the time. I don't weave in and out of traffic, I don't gun it thru yellow/red lights, and I don't cut people off. Second: I drive with my knee, whether I'm knitting or not, and have been for years. I'm well practiced. Third: I'm only knitting ribbing on the blasted orangina shell and it's so boring that if I don't have something else to pay attention to while I knit it, I fear I shall never have an FO called orangina.

I'm really saying all this because I know I shouldn't be knitting while I drive, but I don't want to stop cause in the last week I've gotten about 2 inches of ribbing done, which is more than in the last 3 months. I could stop, any time I wanted. Really. I just don't want to.

I've also been working on the Juicy tank on my lunch hours. I'd forgotten how much I like working with the Cotton-Ease, and it knits up pretty quickly, so it's motivating me to pack my lunch and eat light, cause light means quick. I'm almost done with the waist decreasing, so I'm getting close. I think I'm going to have to rip the front piece down to re-work the neck shaping. Somehow I was way off and from bustline to shoulder seam is about a foot. How I went so wrong, I don't know. My numbers worked perfectly for the waist shaping. Hm. Wish me luck.

One thing I've recently gotten interested in is bento. Those little Japanese lunchboxes are so cute! Just last night I bought 2. Plus a chop-stick set to match one. And I got a really cute oshibori (the little cloths to clean your hands before you eat), pink on one side, white on the other, with a little pink rabbit embroidered on. From now on, let's just assume that "painfully cute" is implied in the definition of anything bento related. Check out bentotv and Cooking Cute to see how addictive this can be. Soon, you'll be dreaming of nori punches and cucumber cut-outs.

SP9 Q's

To my SP9. I hereby apologize for the lack of recent posts. I just went back to working full-time after slacking full-time for a year. I have knit approximately 3 rows in the past 3 weeks, and that pretty much sucks.

But there is good news: I'm getting accustomed to the new schedule and there are indeed pockets of knitting time...I promise to use most of them for knitting and the rest for blogging about the knitting. Really, I do.

As a show of good faith, I now present to you my SP9 kweschyuns.

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I love super soft merino. LOVE karabella's aurora line. Yum. Absolutely refuse to knit with cotton for at least 6 months, cause my fingers hurt. Don't dig the red heart style squeaky acrylics.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I made a little case for my dpns, and the straights and circulars live in a closet organizer, in their original cases.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? This is a tricky question. There's not a lot I won't try. I'll say intermediate.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? No. Sorry =)

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.) Right now I'm into the creamy scents, like the Tutti Dulce stuff from B&BW, and cocoa butter. Mmmm.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? Uh, YAH!! Fave candy is a tough decision, but I'd have to say Toblerone right now. Toblerone dark, even better.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I don't spin, but sometimes I scrapbook.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I like Top 40 stuff, and Christian music, a small amount of country, as long as there's no mention of Wal-Mart or IHOP. (Sara Evans, Jeremy Camp, Chris Tomlin, Sheryl Crowe, Madonna)

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? I like most colors. I don't care for lavender on me. I like teals and peacock greens/blues right now.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I have a husband who is more wonderful than I deserve and a "multi-ethnic" dog who is pretty much the best dog ever. Oh yeah, and a crazy little white cat who runs the show.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?Yes, no, no, no.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Seems to be "Things I Never Finish" but mostly sweaters.

13. What are you knitting right now? All of 'em? Some sweaters, there's a scarf in there and a 90% done plush rabbit.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I love aluminum, and I'll take bamboo on slippery yarn or for small dpns. No plastic, please.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Yes. (I told you my hub rocks!)

17. How old is your oldest UFO? 18 months. The scarf.

18. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas!!

19. Is there anything that you collect? UFO's and Christopher Radko blown-glass ornaments.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I subscribe to IK. I'd like to subscribe to VK. I'd love Rowan 40, Knitted Teddy Bears, Rowan Vintage Style, and any of Kim Hargreaves new patterns.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? I need to do stranded colorwork, but I have a Dale project in the queue for that...so not really.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? No, but I love hand-painted sock yarns. Weird. I wear a size 8.5-9 shoe, and have a high instep, so both socks I knit were too tight on me.

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd) July 4th.