Happy Birthday Mom Dub!

a few pictures

I've recently gotten myself into the habit of photographing EVERYTHING. Not long ago Caleb got a new camera, so I inherited the old one ... and its SO MUCH BETTER than my little point-and-shoot I was using. The superior quality of the new camera has just left me trigger happy. So here's a few pictures of projects and gifts and flowers, all begging to be shared with the masses ...

I started AND finished this dishcloth in one night (practically).

This picture's a little dark, but these are roses on the rosebush Caleb and I adopted a few weeks ago. Though the flower is beautiful, I picked out this particular rose because of its fragrance ... these flowers practically demand that you stop and smell them.

This is the gift my sister made for me for my birthday. Its to hold all my circular knitting needles (which were starting to take over the living room, slowly but surely, kind of like a wirey blob). I LOVE THIS GIFT!

As you can see, the needles slip through the pockets, helping the wire hold its shape and the needles to hang harmlessly from the holder. So brilliant. (You can see how my collection was starting to get out of hand.)

The finest touch of this project is the personalization ... Amy hand embroidered my knitting nickname "The Furious Knitter" onto the front of the needle holder. Its so awesome!

These are the two dishcloths I recently received from my dishcloth swap partner. She even designed the Angels "A" for the brown one. So cool!

These are most of the rest of the goodies my swap partner sent ... which arrived on my birthday. So awesome. Thank you!!

Happy Birthday to me!

The Weston Celebration 6/22/2008

Me and Christie.

The Hammer Celebration 6/25/2008

Heidi, Amy, Mom, Dad, David, Rachel. (The empty seats are for Grandpa, Grandma and Caleb)

Presents!!

A knitting book I've REALLY been wanting.

David put the candles on the cake ... maybe you can tell.


Not sure what we're all pointing at ... but I just thought this was an entertaining picture everyone sould get to enjoy.

a new yellow sweater

I started this sweater in early March. It took a couple tries to get the right gauge (number of stitches per inch), but eventually I got going. It actually knit up pretty quickly ... until the end. I had enough yarn to finish everything BUT the button bands. After using over 1,000 yards of yarn, I was about 20 yards short. So, I had to order one more skein of yarn, which comes in 220-yard hanks, and hope to high heaven the colors matched (yarn is dyed in lots, and even though you might get the same "color" of yarn, if you get different lots the colors can vary).

My new yarn arrived last week, and seemed pretty close in color. On Saturday I finished up the button bands ... only THEN to realize my colors weren't exactly the same. Oh well, its just going to have to do. And once there are buttons on there and you're looking at the whole sweater, I'm probably the only one who will notice (well, and now all of you because you've read this post .... ). At any rate, except for the buttons, my sweater is finished! And what I love the most is that it fits! All that checking of gauge and starting over a couple times was worth it. (Its such a bummer to get to the end of a 6-week labor-intensive project only to find you've made a size too big or too small ... which I've done.) Here are the picts! (I'll probably post one more after I get the buttons sewn on, but I was just so excited about how it turned out, I couldn't wait until then to show it off.)

This is the cable detail on the back, and was the most labor intensive, and fun, part of the sweater.

Here it is after I wet it down to block it (you can see the slightly different color of yellow in the button bands)

And here it is on me! (Please ignore the bad hair.)

And the back.

Now the only problem is that its 100% wool and long-sleeved ... so it'll probably be a few months before its really wearable. But I'm excited for it anyway!

many thanks to kel

My cousin Kel recently came across a few photos from the past, 2003 to be exact. They were so funny, I simply HAD to publish them for the world to see. These are my brothers mostly, though Josh and Kel themselves show up in a few. You will probably be able to see why there are few sober moments when I'm with my family. I hope you enjoy my trip down memory lane!

Brther Jon (see the sign behind for clues on his pose).

David Josh and Jon (David's hair is AWESOME)

David at a memorial in Washington D.C.


Jon the sexy.

David Josh and Jon on the couch, Kel behind. (Again, loving David's hair.)

Happy Birthday Anders!

(Enjoy this luckiest of birthday dates which ensures you will receive presents every six months for the rest of your life.)

Happy Birthday Dad Dub!

(For those confused by the "dub" in reference to my in-laws, it is the nickname given my husband, and subsequently his brothers, in college ... for the W (which starts with "dub") of Weston.)

a few pictures

I've been seriously neglecting my blog lately. But there's not been a lot to talk about lately, and nobody wants to read about the banana bread I'm making, how I finished not only folding the laundry, but putting it AWAY, and how my dog hasn't pooped in the house in several days. These are the things that have been going on of late. So instead of trying to come up with entertaining things to say, here are a few pictures of life of late.

The book I'm reading (I just got it for my birthday!)

The banana bread I just made ... if only I could post the scent as well as the picture ...

A bag I just made. It was knitted, then washed a couple times to felt it. I call it my Harry Potter Bag.

The first dishcloth I've ever made. I've never really seen myself as a dishcloth maker, but it was a great way to get some quick closure on a knitting project.

My puppy. Isn't she cute ... in her "my head's too big for my body and my ears are too big for my head but I'm smarter than my masters" kind of way.

Happy Birthday Donna!!

how do i know its summer?

dark doesn't come until after 8:30
baseball is on every night
flip flops and sun hats
the desire to shower at least twice a day
ponytails
that annual desire to chop off my hair
too hot to knit with wool (but i do it anyway, and then my hands start to sweat, which makes the wool even harder to work with, and then i get frustrated ... its a vicious cycle)
bugs
the shade of trees full with leaves and flowers
too much ice cream
the sun is up before i am
shorts and tank tops and sundresses
that perpetual smell of sunblock
birthday parties
wedding planning (third summer in a row)
sunburns and new freckles
blockbuster movies
the all-night buzz of the fan
cheesy chick lit that keeps me up late at night

though the days are long and hot, i find i truly enjoy summer and its "lazy" days, which i believe are called lazy because we're all too hot to exert much energy, which is why movies and books and ice cream and flip flops are such a summer staple. the first day of summer is just two days from now (though the weather would say its already here). enjoy!

Happy Birthday Gretchen!

my new lifeline

The Dog Training Website.

I now feel equipped to have the most well-behaved dog in the neighborhood.

Happy Birthday Rachel!!

dishcloth duty

I was asked recently what my favorite dishcloth pattern is, and I was fairly well stumped. I'm not really a dishloth knitter, nor have I ever used a knitted dishcloth. However, I've begun to hear from several sources that a knitted dishcloth or washcloth, knit from wonderful cotton fibers, can be a fantastic improvement on the average washcloth, so I'm willing to give it a shot. Therefore, I've been researching dishcloth patterns, and I've actually come across some that make me excited about knitting them. Besides, I bet I can finish a couple in a night ... so great for those high closure needs of mine! And, I already have some yarn I can use, so they're a great way to use up some of my mountainous stash. (I've also recently joined a dishcloth swap, making it necessary to make a foray into the dishcloth world.) Here are a few I like:

happy birthday to me!

Yes, my birthday is still two weeks away ... but sometimes when the right present comes along, you just have to go for it! Which is exactly what my husband was forced to do ... because the right present was a puppy! A real live puppy! She was rescued from the streets by a kind woman and her family and brought back to health over the last month, at which time she was ready to be re-homed. So we're giving her a home. We named her Lucy (short for Lucy the Spastic, or Lucy the Teether, or Lucy the Wolf-wannabe, and we're hoping one day Queen Lucy the Graceful). She has a LOT of energy, has to check out EVERYTHING, has no qualms about peeing on the floor (especially when she's excited, which is most of the time), and we've already discovered she can make it all the way up the hill and back on her own. We quickly had to puppy-proof the house, which included getting all yarns out of her reach (and you know that took a while), and we bought a gate to lock her in the kitchen overnight and during the day while we're at work. She's a mutt, but we're pretty sure she has some chihuahua in her (giving her that wolf look). There's a possibility she'll reach 20 pounds, but I doubt she'll get much bigger than 15. She has a few shots left to get, and she will be spayed sooner rather than later.

Its amazing the immediate change something like a puppy can bring into the house. No more quiet nights knitting (it'll be like this ... knit a couple stitches and then "No Lucy!" and knit a couple stitches and "Lucy, I said NO!" and knit a couple stitches and "Caleb!! Get the dog!!" and knit a couple stitches and ... well, you get the picture). And now going out for a walk is no longer a matter of whether or not I feel like it. Its a matter of how much pee I want to clean off the floor. She will have to be considered before any weekend trips or other long outings (though we've discovered she travels pretty well). A dog certainly changes the routine.

But you know what? She's so CUTE! And she can be trained about the yarn, and soon enough she'll be done teething and chewing on EVERYTHING (everything BUT the chew toys we bought, of course), and when she's quiet, and lays down right beside me on the couch, everything is right with the world. I suppose its much like raising children (without the fur, of course), and so might be good practice for the day (some day, no announcement here) when we have those to raise as well.

So, Happy Birthday to me!!

a night with the angels

Last night I had the rare opportunity of enjoying 6th row tickets at an Angels game. And I'm talking sixth-row-from-the-dugout sixth row. The-players-look-like-real-people sixth row. I-think-when-I-yell-"Go Vladie!"-he-can-actually-hear-me sixth row. They were the best seats we'd ever had. Thank you Brad Fielder!! The tickets were originally offered to my grandpa, who invited my dad along, who invited me and Caleb along. And not only were the seats and the company great, we won 6-1! (After the previous night's shameful loss of 4-13, it was a satisfying and much-needed redemption.) Weaver pitched nearly perfectly, and the Angels offense was on fire! (Well, at least in the first inning, in which they scored 4 runs, which turned out to be enough. Vladie hit a 2-run homer later in the game to up the score to 6.) Great seats, great game!! Here's a few pics ...

Caleb sitting in our seats, a mere hair's-breadth from the visiting dugout (which for this game was Tampa Bay).

Grandpa and Dad.


A man sells snacks while Vlademir Guerrero prepares to hit.

This man is actually a Dodgers fan ... in an Angels hat ... and the inner turmoil is beginning to show on his face.

Tampa Bay players.

Me and Caleb (Interesting tidbit: Not long after this picture was taken, a Tampa Bay player hit a foul ball into our section. Well, those things come screaming at you pretty fast, there's little to no reaction time, and the lady sitting behind us, just on top of Caleb's hat, next to the guy with the mohawk, took it in the face. The left side of her eye, just at the end of her eyebrow was broken open and was bleeding. Within minutes there was practically a triage team down there making sure she was ok, stopping the bleeding, etc. She was fine, other than a huge cut above her eye, and the guy behind her and her husband, who actually caught the ball after it bounced off her head, gave it back to them, which I thought was nice. When she finally stood up to walk out, everyone in our section clapped. We were all quite glad she was OK!)

Scot Sheilds came in to pitch and close the 9th inning, which he did in characteristic Scot Shields style .... 1, 2, 3 batters, and the game is over! Halos WIN! (Scot Shields is one of my favorite players.)

Happy Birthday Kel!

(Er ... Ker)

Sunday morning progress report

Its 8:47 a.m. On Sunday. Normally, I would still be asleep at this hour on a Sunday morning. But a neighbor was kind enough to play their music just loud enough for the constant beat of the bass to slowly but rhythmically pull me out of my happy sleep ... and then force me from the bedroom so I wouldn't have to listen anymore. Caleb has already been up for a couple hours, so we convened on the couch, him to his video game and me to my breakfast (and inspecting my latest crochet project, wondering if the border holes are big enough for the ribbon I bought). Anyway, since I'm here, I figured I'd see how far I've gotten on my weekend goals.

1. Clean out the downstairs closet. Check.
2. Thoroughly purge closets of unused clothing items, purses, shoes, socks, books, etc. Check.
2a. Collect all these items in boxes and bags and take to Salvation Army. Check (although some went to my sister, and the rest went to the Good Will).
3. Reorganize upstairs closet. Check (even got a few more boxes for Caleb's tools).
4. Finish all the laundry. Mostly done.
5. Take a long walk (continued preparation for our upcoming backpacking trips). Check. And now today I'm a little sore.
6. Work on unfinished knitting and crochet projects. Check (and almost finished with my current crochet project).
7. On that note, reorganize the yarn/patterns/hooks & needles mess. This is the one thing I have not yet tackled.
8. Take a break from the cleaning and organizing to shower and go out to eat with my husband. We didn't go out, but we did finally shower and get clean.
9. Take in the Angels game. Check (They won 5-3!)
10. Vacuum. Half Check (still need to do the downstairs)
11. Send European vacation photos to Winkflash to get printed so I can start working on the photo album. Half Check (we transferred them into jpg's and got them onto my computer ... now I need to sort them and send them off to Winkflash)

Wow, I'm impressed with myself. And on top of all this I got our bedroom clean and bathroom and kitchen scrubbed. It was quite the productive day ... and yet relaxing, oddly enough.

weekend goals

1. Clean out the downstairs closet
2. Thoroughly purge closets of unused clothing items, purses, shoes, socks, books, etc.
2a. Collect all these items in boxes and bags and take to Salvation Army
3. Reorganize upstairs closet
4. Finish all the laundry
5. Take a long walk (continued preparation for our upcoming backpacking trips)
6. Work on unfinished knitting and crochet projects
7. On that note, reorganize the yarn/patterns/hooks & needles mess
8. Take a break from the cleaning and organizing to shower and go out to eat with my husband
9. Take in the Angels game (even if its in the background)
10. Vacuum
11. Send European vacation photos to Winkflash to get printed so I can start working on the photo album

Too much? Perhaps. But at least it gives our weekend some definition ... and I LOVE definition. Happy Weekend everyone!

Happy Birthday Uncle Jack!

The swap questionnaire

As many of you know I'm becoming a little obsessive with my knitting ... but what's cool is I've found other obsessive knitters! They're mostly virtual, having found them online. But would you believe I ran into an old friend from college in Michaels the other day!? We were in the yarn section, and got to talking knitting, and it turns out she's crazy like me! She told me about a knitting swap she's a part of, and invited me to join. So I did! The following questionnaire is the one prerequisite to joining.

Do you Knit or Crochet? Yes.

For how long? I've crocheted for over 10 years, knit for only one (but have quickly become rather obsessed).

Do you enjoy using metal, wooden, or some other kind of needle\hook? I like bamboos dpns, but use mostly metal otherwise. And I pretty much prefer using circulars whenever possible.

What are your favorite types of yarn? I love luxurious wool / cashmere blends. My newest favorite is Valley Yarns Berkshire Bulky.

Any you just can't stand? Boucle and other super textured yarns.

When it comes to cotton, are there any brands you'd love to try and haven't? There are some I've seen in my online searches that have silk in them. Sounds lovely.

When you make Dishcloths, do you use them yourself, or tend to give them as gifts? To be honest, I've never made disccloths before, so I'm not sure ... though I've been told they're much nicer than terry cloth washcloths.

Do you have a favorite color? LOVE earth tones ... browns, deep reds, true greens and blues.

Any that you dislike? ALL pastels (except some pinks).

What color(s) (if any!) are your kitchen and bath decorated in? Tans, browns, reds.

What are your favorite scents around the house? My hair gel, Aveda. Smells like eucalyptus.

What is your very favorite thing about summer? Long days. Flip flops. Sun hats and sun dresses. Ice cream. Backpacks. Painted toe nails that finally get to be shown off.

What is your least favorite thing about summer? Heat, of course. If it weren't for the blistering heat, summer would be perfect. (Anything above about 85 is blistering.)

Do you use soap or body wash in the shower? Body Wash.

What scents do you enjoy in the bath? Japanese Cherry Blossom from Bath and Body Works.

What is your favorite dishcloth pattern? I don't know yet, but I'm sure it'll be fabulous.

What sort of treats do you enjoy? Sweet or Salty? There is only one treat. Dark Chocolate.

Imagine today is one of the hottest days of the year - what do you do to keep cool? Air conditioning at home, or at the movies or the mall ... or the condo pool (if there aren't too many kids).

... Or are you one of those folks who loves the hot weather? Uh ... no. I'm a total weather complainer. If its not 5 degrees within 75, I'm complaining.

What sorts of hobbies do you enjoy besides knitting or crocheting? Reading, hiking, baseball games, vacation (especially long driving vacations, I love long drives), and bugging my husband about getting a dog.

Do you collect anything (besides yarn!)? Not really. Although I love socks ... they take up almost two complete drawers.

Are you on Ravelry? If so, share your ID! Yes! I'm thefuriousknitter (so dubbed by my husband and brother-in-law).

Do you have any allergies? Nope.

Do you have any pets? Not yet ... but hoping hoping hoping for a puppy for my birthday!!

Happy Birthday Josh!

Full, but not busy

Life hasn't been aimlessly busy lately, but there has been a lot going on ... and we're heading into an extremely full June! We're celebrating five birthdays (Julie, Rachel, me, Mom Dub, Dad Dub), Father's Day twice, and my sister-in-law's baby shower is this month. We're not sure how we're going to afford it all, let alone how we'll fit it all in! But its good stuff, happy stuff, and I love to celebrate the lives of those around me. Meanwhile, we're planning my sister's wedding and preparing for two backpacks in July. And we're still expected to be at work every day! And then before we know it we'll be fighting over who gets to hold the new baby just moments before we have to get our hair done for the wedding ...

But though the days are full, so is my heart, as I continue to be thankful for the myriad ways I have been blessed. For I truly am richly blessed.

(So please bear with me as my blog lags behind my life a bit!)