« June 2006 | Main | August 2006 »

July 28, 2006

The password is jazzy.

The wedding was this past Sunday. I feel like I just got rolled over by a steam engine! Friday was the rehearsal so I drove two hours to the Weinberg Center. Then another hour to the rehearsal dinner. We went to the best man's house and everyone got their chill on. It took me an hour and a half to get home because, you know, it's always quicker going home. The next day, I got my nails done, went to a family reunion, checked to be sure my son fit his tux, went to a fortieth birthday party with my husband (one of his buddies). Then...the wedding!! I have to say I must love this girl because it was nothing but love that kept me in two inch shoes.

Not only that, but since I didn't have a shawl, I decided to use make up to hide that bruise on my shoulder. I don't care if it does look like a birthmark, it's a pretty big one. It actually was unnoticeable after the make-up was on. Maybe I'll do that more often. Here's me in all my matron of honorly glory.

These pics are kind of dark because, I'm retarded. But that's okay. You get the picture. You like the pun? LOL. My son was the ring bearer. And there was this little cutie pie of a girl that flowered the place like a professional! Sa-shay Shante!!

The ring bearer didn't show off in the wedding. But he did show off! He decided to do it on the dance floor though! He has now been dubbed James Brown!

I have a decent pic of Suzette, too (one of the other bridesmaids). I met her when we were going to the University of Delaware. She did my make-up. She was always jazzy like that.

So there's Suzette's "decent" pic. I say "decent" because I didn't get a decent one of a new friend I made during this wedding. Great girl. Her name is Kelly. She was super cool and she was just as pretty in pink. And endowed with gifts up top that Suzette and I would have banked her for had we not been on our best behavior. I have a pic of her. But the reason why you will not see it is because in the pic, she is airing her heiny out on the air conditioner!! So you will only know her name and that she danced with Marty and I'm so jealous because Marty sang the bangingest wedding song I've ever heard sung at a wedding in my life. The boy can blow. For real, it's like that. Shani used to bring him to UD for visits every once in awhile. I can't believe he's a grown man now. I must be getting old...



We all looked good. And who'd have thunk that dress would have looked good on me too? I know when I first put it on, wooooooo....Those Baltimorians, so jazzy. Jazzy is the buzz word for the evening folks.

Oh wait! Here's a pic of Kelly.

Not the girl in the front. Not the one in the black. Yeah, the one in the green. That's Kelly and she was dancing with Luther, I mean Marty. But that's okay, Kelly. I was standing right next to him when he was singing and he was singing to me!! LOL!! Oh, that's right. He was singing to you, Shani. Ha! Ha! Just let her think that, okay?

Groom was late of course. Guess he got pooped out on the rehearsal dinner. When you're being waited on hand and foot, I suppose that's real tiring! LOL!

All in all it was a beautiful wedding with all the trimmings.

pretty tables

pretty cake

gorgeous bride!!!

And in the mix of it, somehow those fears I had going in went away...

Still spinning. I got a new spindle. It's a midi Bosworth. Look how small it is compared to my beginner no-name spindle.

Can't wait until I get some colored roving. But I'm sticking to white while I'm still learning. Much more cost effective for my mistakes. This time I got some BFL. That's on the right.

Notice the difference. The romney to me is dry and scratchy. But I'll get one more romney so I can learn how to ply. That BFL looks like it's going to spin like nobody's business. I'm going to get back to my spinning this week.

Have you read this book yet? I love this book! I have been reading it for the past two weeks. I finished felting the bowl. It's utilitarian, but it didn't come out like the bowl in the pic since it wasn't the same yarn. So, of course, that gave me an excuse to get more yarn. I'm going to try it again. I started a log cabin blanket.

Finally, I had an excuse to use this three-year old bag:

Maybe I'll start the warshcloth this week. I printed out the pattern corrections and I'm sticking them in the back of the book so I won't go wrong!!! If you haven't picked up this book yet, gittit. Not get it. Gittit. It's the most interesting knitting book I've seen in a long time and I've got a pretty large library already.

Posted by stacey at 12:04 PM

July 27, 2006

The wedding is quickly approaching and I haven't casted on for one shawl yet!! I did order the tux for my son because he is to be the ring bearer.

Okay, I will be bold. I will bare my soul...well, part of it anyway. I'm going to post a pic of my most recent spins. But I refuse to post Curly Sue. Who's Curly Sue? Curly Sue is the little mess of a spin sitting on my dresser. She's Romney roving on crack. And she has little sisters too who could be twins, but they were born later. I may email a pic of Curly Sue to choice bloggers. But for now, I'm keeping that girl in the closet that is my dresser.

So here is my spindle...with a distant, more sober cousin of Curly Sue.

I realized I was spinning so much that I hadn't knit in three days!
I know. What's up with that?! I am trying to learn so hard that this morning when I woke up, I looked at my laundry basket and I would've bet my life that I saw a tuft of unspun roving on top! I blinked and looked again. I was dreaming with my eyes open-about roving! What the?! So I took the pic of my spin and figured I'd better blog. Maybe that will help with the digesting of all the skills I'm trying to learn. Then I can wake up in peace, sans hallucinations.

I tried to get a close-up pic of the spun yarn itself. As you can see, I take horrible photos.

This isn't the best spindle, but it will spin yarn. I'm hoping to get a better one next time I'm in a position to splurge. Suggestions? I think I'll probably get one for fingering to worsted and one for lacier yarn and one for plying. Later on I might also add a niddy noddy and a nostepinne.

I spin a little every night after the baby is asleep. It gives me more of a chance to relax before I start. I noticed when I go back to spinning, if I haven't taken a minute to unwind myself, then my spinning gets all funky. I'm learning to control the spin a little better and I'm taking time out for me, even if it's a little late. When it's quiet, I think better about what I'm doing and the actual process of what I'm doing and the yarn is beginning to respond to that. There are still a few slubs here and it's usually because I didn't pull the strip of roving thin enough before attempting to join it. But they aren't nearly as noticeable as they used to be and that's a problem that can be easily fixed when I pre-draft. Right now I'm just getting used to what I'm supposed to be doing and slowly but surely trying to work in a more consistently spun yarn. I got a few good sites to help me. Pixie Purls started a brand new forum that is for spin discussions only that I like here. And there is a drop spindle section at Knitters Review that is pretty good too. That's here. I haven't checked out knitty to the extent I could yet, but I know they have a spinning thing on there in the coffeeshop. Good stuff.

Casted on for my SF KAL too. I decided to do the felted bowl. I think they're really nice looking.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

I really want to get back to my knitty scarf too!! And since the yarn won't work for that dress, I'm going to use that yarn for one of those ponchos. Yay, because that is really what I wanted to do with it anyway.

I did my first real workout at Curves since paying for it over a week and a half ago. I do it 50% for me and 50% for supporting my mom since she started and has been really good about sticking to an exercise program. It's a nice program and I like it, but I refuse to go three times a week. I work all day and when I get off there is still always something else I have to do. I had interests before I started the program though and I want to be sure I keep up with those. Two days a week is the max. But I will return because they did tell me that I had the perfect weight for my age...and you know, flattery will get them everywhere (especially since I get so little of it-lol!). Don't get it wrong though. I attribute that weight to the fact that I was a college student most of my adult life (up until three years ago to be exact). Eating well was a luxury I wasn't able to afford! And old, bad eating habits are hard to break. What thirty-year old eats Doritos for dinner? I won't raise my hand because I may incriminate myself. Perfect weight...That's good. I would just like for the weight to be disbursed differently is all. Maybe not so much on the rear? That would help.

Happy knitting and spinning and everything.

Posted by stacey at 03:00 PM

July 24, 2006

There's good news and there's bad news. What's your poison tonight? There is a good reason why there are no pics, too. We'll get to that.

Okay. Good news first. Spinning may not be so bad this time around. I'm learning how to spin with an inch worm method on my high whorl drop spindle with romney roving. It's supposed to be the best setup, the easiest way for beginners to learn how to control the yarn that is being spun. Let me say that I vehemently disagree. I am not exaggerating when I say that that roving was man-handling me! And the spindle was beating me like a bald-headed stepchild! After my last black eye though, I snorted to hold back the tears, and then I started to see a pattern...when I got those slubs that wouldn't want to twist, it was usually right where I pinched at the bottom of the drafting triangle where the yarn was fanning out, the spot where I was attempting to let in more twist. Hmmmm....So on my next lengths of roving, I pinched where the yarn was twisted under the drafting triangle, just before it fanned out (instead of at the beginning or tip of the fan) and I noticed a more consistent yarn. Not perfect. But much less slubby. Yeah baby! Who's your daddy now?! So maybe a few more weeks of practice and I'll be ready to post some handspun yarn.

Ugh. And here's the bad news. I got a chance to see the dress. It is a tent on me and the yarn doesn't match. Besides, my mom likes it. Nuff said.

There will be absolutely no pics tonight.

Happy knitting and everything...

Posted by stacey at 11:06 PM

July 20, 2006

That startitis is kicking up again. I've decided this is the year I will learn how to spin yarn. Well, before the end of the year. I will spin my first ball of yarn no matter how ugly!

I bought the equipment when I first learned to knit and I've had the Twisted Sisters Sock and the Spin it books for forever now. But after the first few failed attempts, I put it in the closet and figured I might get better at it later on. At least I didn't throw it away, right? Now I'm seeing that whatever top I bought was a difficult roving in the first place (don't ask me what the name of it is because I wouldn't remember now-all I know is it's gray and very silky). So I figured I'd give it another try on something easier. I'll probably just sit it out in a corner of my room and look at it for a couple weeks before I pick it up. Yes, I do get that intimidated. Don't judge. You're time will come.

Anyway though, I found this really great site for learning and I'm going to use it. Some kind of inch method. Send good knit/spin thoughts my way...I'm going in!!

I hope to post pics of the dress pretty soon. I haven't even opened the box yet. More intimidation. I swear. If I don't get over the intimidation of these inanimate objects in my life...

Posted by stacey at 12:31 PM

July 17, 2006

You Have a Phlegmatic Temperament

Mild mannered and laid back, you take life at a slow pace. You are very consistent - both in emotions and actions. You tend to absorb set backs easily. You are cool and collected. It is difficult to offend you. You can remain composed and unemotional. You are a great friend and lover. You don't demand much of others. While you are quiet, you have a subtle wit that your friends know well. At your worst, you are lazy and unwilling to work at anything. You often get stuck in a rut, without aspirations or dreams. You can get too dependent on others, setting yourself up for abandonment.