cookiesCookies...Found this delicious looking cookie recipe today...
Jacque's Chocloate Mudslides (NYTimes article, free registration required). Oh... these look yummy. Easy to make, too. There are 2 more cookie recipies mentioned in the main article
here, but these looked like the most fun, easiest, and yummiest. Now... if only I wasn't trying to lose weight...
Granted, I think the most serious threat to my weight loss attempt is the
Coldstone Creamery that just opened close-by. The Caramel Turtle Temptation is to
die for. And, I had another one tonight. Oh, my they are good. The ice cream is that soft, creamy kind, and they'll stir in almost anything. The CTT has fudge, caramel and pecans in vanilla ice cream.
GamingOne of my other obsessions is video games. I have a bunch of video game consoles: my current fav', a Nintendo Game Cube, a PS2, a Sega Dreamcast, a N64, an SNES and an NES (on loan from my sister). And, a Game Boy Advance. And, my Mac and my PC of course. I'm a game grrrl, I admit it. I'm still the only woman at the office (about 50 people) who will consistently play video games with the guys. I usually have close to as many games underway as I have projects on the needles. And, when I get my list of knitting projects in progress up, I'm going to add my list of games in progress.
So... why am I bringing this up on my
knitting blog you ask? Well - I found
this link. Essentially, Becky Schaefer is an artist who has added Lara Croft to needlepoint kits and found works. (OK - no arguements on artist vs. crafter. The article says "artist", and I'm sticking with it) One of the commenters suggested a Space Invaders scarf, which made me realize all those old-school games would chart out well. I was thinking Donkey Kong's Mario would be cool, and another poster threw out the idea for a scarf with dots down the middle and Pac-Man at the end. I think this has to go on my list for further investigation!
MiceOne more down, one more on the needles. I'm now working on an orange one. After the green one, i'll have a rainbow of mice for
Wendy!
Other knititngNone. Nada. Didn't even get my swatch washed out. Oh, well... maybe tomorrow.
Meeses
4... count 'em 4 mice.
2 sewn, 2 ready to be sewn up.
One more on the needles. I'm going to try for a rainbow of mice to send off to
Wendy . Granted, I have to buy catnip first. And, one has to stay here for my kitties.
I was knitting the red mouse while out for a walk last night with my husband. (See my handy ball-holder for walking and knitting at the same time? Very cool) For the first half of our walk, I found I could walk, talk and knit simultaneously. As I got tired, I could only walk and talk at the same time. Knitting was out. Just not enough brain cells to do all three at once anymore. These mice are so much fun to knit - however, explaining how the little triangle-shaped thing becomes a mouse (and why I'm knitting cat multiple cat toys) has been interesting. Usually when I get asked what I'm knitting, the answer is something rather short. These require a bit longer explanation.
Cats
I need to talk about my kitties!
Here are my 2 kitties. Amber is the calico, Tigger is the black one. (Tigger used to bounce when he was a kitten, therefore the name).
A couple older pictures of the cats. They haven't changed much in the last couple years.
Here's Amber helping me ball up some yarn:
Here's Tigger sitting on my shoulders, trying to help out. (This is an older picture, about 2 years back. My hair is now chin-length. Same glasses, though.)
New Project
The other projects on the needle weren't enough... Smooch, baby blanket, mess o'mice, SMW homework, no! I needed to cast on for another project. I'm going to make a tank top from some well-aged Tess' ribbon yarn from my stash. Its a pretty brown, and I've had it for 4 years. I'm giong to make a
Boat Neck Shell . I've got it knitted, now I've got to block it out to see what the gauge comes out to. Hopefully I'll get that done tonight.
Fan Blanket update
Finally a picture of the other baby blanket I'm working on.
There are now 3 joined fans. After I kick out a couple more mice, there will be more. I have 3 more unattached fans ready to be joined in.
Sttiches
I'm really looking forward to Stitches. This will be my fourth. My first was an early Stitches West (possibly the first, I don't quite remember.). I only hit the market at that one. And, I still remember walking into the market and my jaw dropping. I was _amazed_ at the number of vendors. I went wild - within my limited budget. Granted, I still have projects in my yarn closet that I bought there, but who's counting? Right?
Second and Third were the two Stitches Midwest here in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. Since I lived within driving distance, though, I attended classes and went home afterwards. I will say I was much less happy with the first MN SMW. The market was poorly lit, the classrooms difficult to find, and it felt cramped. The second, however, was much better. Much better lit market, easy to find classes, and very well run.
This will be my first Stitches where I stay at the hotel. Very interesting. I do not have a roommate, but this is by choice. I need quiet time in the evenings to relax and unwind by myself. I'm flying in Wednesday... ooh... have to call and get transportation arranged... hmmm. It'll be great!
Rambles
Out my window at work lately I've been seeing a freak of nature...
.
No, your eyes aren't off, and I did not Photoshop this image. That is really a pale Canadian Goose. We've got quite a flock out in the pond outside the office. This one was born here this spring, so we've watched him grow up. When he was younger, we thought he was just late getting his coloring - but it looks like he's this color for good. I'm trying to get a better picture of him. I'll keep trying. Maybe the new camera will help!
New camera you say? Why yes! I picked up a
Canon S50.. Very, very nice camera. All the new pictures in today's blog are from it. Since one of the classes I'm taking at Stitches is about photographing one's knitting, I'm bringing it along!
When did it get to be August already? Only 2 weeks till I leave for Stitches! (only 2 weeks to get my homework done. And, once again, I will have nothing for the student fashion show. sigh. Someday I will show something there - which is what I said 2 years ago.)
No pics today... didn't get them taken during the daylight, and I don't feel like adujsting for the yellowish interior light in my house. Next time.
Mouse-a-long
Just when I needed something to focus my knitting, the incomparable
Wendy comes up with a fabulous charity knitting project.
The mice are pretty darn cute. I'm jumping in.
Baby Knitting
I'm now another baby behind... OK, not really. I'm only 3 babies behind. The other ones haven't arrived yet, so I can't be behind yet, right?
List of baby projects:
1) Fan blanket for my cousin. Its coming along, I have knit 6 fans, and 3 are in a set so far... slowly but surely its coming along.
2) Panda sweater for one of my very close friends. Not started.
3 )Fish blanket for my very own baby. 19 fish knitted, 1 left, then attachment. However, that last fish has been sitting there for months...
4) Wife of a co-worker, I knit the first fish blanket for their first child. No clue yet what I'll start for this baby. I need to pick soon, the baby will be here in about 3 months.
5) Wife of a guy on my team. Ditto.
6) Another very close friend is trying to get pregnant. I know, this shouldn't quite be on the list yet, but I'm pretty sure there is a baby coming, and it will be on the list.
and just today I hear about:
7) friend of mine (and wife of another guy on my team) is pregnant. I think I should knit something music-related for this child, since the mom plays piano (very well), and the dad plays marimba (also very well).
Smooch
I'm about half-way up the armhole shaping in the back. I'm remembering why I don't knit with much cotton or cotton-blends... their just stiff enough that they make my wrists hurt when I knit too long. Too long on Smooch is on the order of 2 rows at one sitting. Therefore, the going is slow....
