Knit-togethers, Sweaters, Temptations, and XBOX 360

Yesterday was belated Christmas around our house.

First thing in the morning I spent a couple hours at Firehouse coffee with a knitting friend. It felt so good to sip coffee, knit, and chat. We compared the lace chart with the written instructions for Swatch 1of the Spring Surprise Shawl (SSS) KAL (which is starting 1/1/08 woooohoooo) and found an error with the written instructions. So since after the first clue is given this week the weekly clues will be published on Tuesdays so I bet Wednesday night knitting group there will be a side bar to go over the weekly clues since there are several of us knitting this SSS.

Next Jimmy and I went out to Temptations (a LYS). I wanted him to pick out the new worsted weight wool so that I can reknit his Koolhaas hat. The first one has a couple problems. It was knit with a variegated yarn and the cables are lost in all the color distractions. Second it is to darn small. So that first one will be donated. I also picked up yarn to make a special pair of socks for a 2008 Christmas gift so I can't give out too much details. (Yep I am already thinking about 2008 Christmas knitting).

Next we went to lunch at a little Irish Pub next door to Temptations. I only mention it because I had something very different. Imagine the insides of a Ruben and then picture the outside casing of an egg roll. Now take the insides of the Ruben and insert them in the egg roll shell. Yep you get Ruben egg rolls. They were very good and were served with a side of 1000 Island dressing.

Next we went on the search for the XBOX360.... Jimmy's belated Christmas gift. Well it wasn't suppose to be a search Jimmy had spent some time calling around yesterday morning and was told the Hillard Meyer store had the one he was looking for so there we went. When we got there we were told "oh no we haven't had any XBOX360's for a while". So there was some minor confusion. So out to the parking lot we went and we sat in the car while making more calls for 30 minutes. Only to find out that the Sam's across the street from the parking lot were were sitting in had 14 of them. I am very glad we didn't start driving around and thank God for cell phones with Internet. Check out the happy gamer:

Is that some cheezen or what?

At home I finally finished seeming my sweater:

Just in time to welcome in the New Year......

I will be getting my belated Christmas gift in the middle of January. We are waiting for Mac World on 1/15 because there are rumors of a new 13" Mac Book Pro to be announced and if that happens there will be a new one "under my tree" that evening. :-)

Spring Shawl Surprise Starts 1/1/08

I have decided to try my hand at knitting a lace shawl. I have joined a world wide Yahoo group to start on 1/1/08. Currently there are over 1,500 folks set to knit this together.

It is a surprise because we don't know what it will look like until we are finished knitting it. Weekly for approximately 12 weeks the author of the pattern will published the weekly pattern clues. I have purchased my lace weight yarn. It is 100% merino wool in a dark green. Perfect for spring time wouldn't you say?

Below are pictures of swatch #1 being blocked:

Best Lights In Columbus, OH!

www.bestlightsincolumbus.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

Jimmy and I have developed a tradition where we take a car ride to view local residential lights. We normally take this drive on a Saturday evening in mid December. We have had the privilege of do this in 3 different states: New York, West Virginia and Ohio.

Last night was our annual ride and we took a similar route we took last year. To our disappointment, even with the fresh snow fall, we found the "display" to be very very LAME!

So Jimmy has created the link above in search of the best lights in Columbus, Ohio. Please be sure to visit it frequently and add any locations you believe are worthy of viewing.

WOYNW 12/5/07

Well it has been a few weeks since I have posted a WOYNW post. Without further delay here we go....

I finished the alpaca gloves. These were my first pair of gloves and they ended up being a little snug on my hand so I had a friend try them on and they fit perfectly so they are now hers. I had intended to have anyone I knew try them on kind of like Cinderella and the glass slipper. :-) Here is a picture of the gloves on her hands:

I won an Ebay auction for the yarn used in the project below. It is 60% merino and 40% alpaca in a sport weight. The pattern is this: http://www.knitty.com/issuespring05/PATTsoleil.html Unfortunately I didn't pay attention and made it a tad to short so it doesn't fit yet but it will soon when I lose a little more weight.

Monkey socks. I love this pattern. I knitted the first sock last week. Here is the pattern: http://www.knitty.com/issuewinter06/PATTmonkey.html

And finally.... I have been bitten by the knitting a sweater bug. So this past weekend I decided to start a sweater using the wool-ease I have sitting around from the scrapped Miter Square project. Here is the pattern I am using: http://www.masondixonknitting.com/archives/images/PerfectSweater101206.pdf

Sinus Misery

Today I went to see a ENT Surgeon (ears nose & throat) after 20+ years of chronic sinus misery. I have been treated for numerous sinus infections over the years ~ three this year alone. A couple weeks ago I had a CAT Scan of my sinuses and today I was able to view the slice by slice pictures of them. Very creepy. The best part of the appointment was when the doctor sprayed numbing crap into my nose and throat. Then ran a scope into my nose to my sinuses and down into my throat through my sinuses. That was special! Basically I didn't learn anything new today. Yep I have a pretty bad deviated septum which is smashed over to the left side of my nose. I had someone ask me today if I have ever been hit in the face. I can't recall but its not out of the question.

Anyway before any decisions are made on what course of action we are going to take I am going to have a couple more tests. Next week I am going to have an allergy test. The great thing about this test is that for six (yes that is 6) days prior to the test I can't take any of my sinus meds. This will leave me pretty useless by Wednesday night. Oh boy I feel sorry for Jimmy. I am miserable enough with the meds right now just think what it will be like later this week. Fun wow! I am also being scheduled for a sleep study. I have been told this isn't so bad if you don't mind things glued to your head and people watching you while you sleep. Oh yeah and you have to spend the night in a strange place.

On my daily checking the news I found this article on the main page of the news site. How apropos: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22101005/

One of my Mom's kitties

Ok so my Mom sent me these pics tonight and I just couldn't pass up sharing them. How cute are these. She said she got out of the shower this evening and found him like this:

Gloves, Kitties, Christmas Tree & Nephew

Below is a picture of the finished alpaca gloves. They were a tad to small for my hands so I gave them to a friend. Her hands fit them perfectly. Of course she wont need them on the beach this week. Below is a picture of them on her hands:

Check out the kitties at play on their catnip blanket.... They are playing so nice:

This is our Christmas Tree:

Over the weekend Jimmy and I drove 2.5 hours south to watch our six year old nephew play his very first basketball game. He is #2. Aren't they darling?

#2 in motion:

#2 up close! Tell me he isn't going to break some hearts someday: