Swimming with Dolphins

Updated after QS Wednesday:


I participated in the New Start SAL this weekend. I have had this chart in my WIP pile all year and still hadn't started it, SO this weekend was the time. Little Diva picked it out back in January for her room, so I guess I should start putting some time in on it.



Stats:
Chart: QS Swimming with Dolphins(Tate)
Fabric: 28 count white even weave
Stitches: 2 over 1, tent(half cross for the uninitiated)

I totally changed my routine with this one. I started in the middle and I'm not gridding or parking--hopefully this "flying without a net" won't come back to haunt me later. I also understand now why some of these cartoony type QS's are appealing. They aren't that hard, there are huge blocks of one color throughout--definitely NOT the challenge of my other pieces, but it's a nice break.

I'm very excited about this one for many reasons but mostly because it's a Quick Stitch which means I can participate in QS Wednesdays again--I haven't been able to do that since Magic Witch last year :)

Who Knew 2?

Vampire Name Generator:

The Great Archives determine you to have gone by the identity:
Rosalind Arnauld
Known in some parts of the world as:
Minerva of The Storm Riders
The Great Archives Record:
The Riders come with the rain clouds, you will hear the thunder of their hooves in the sky.

Thanks, Laura :) I don't know how I missed this one and I am WAY more inclined to be a vampire than a fairy.

Who Knew?

Your fairy is called Hex Iceglitter

She is a bone chilling bringer of justice for the vulnerable.

She lives in places hexed and tainted by black magic.

She is only seen in the light of a shooting star.

She wears black feathers and rose petals. She has icy blue butterfly wings.

Get your free fairy name here!

That is one badass fairy name--I LOVE it! I'll have to keep it in mind for Nano in November.


And as an aside--thank you to everyone who weighed in on the reading stuff in the last post. I'm still floored by that stat.

Sighs and Shakes Head

Please tell me that none of you are a part of the one in four.

So I have my own theories as to why people aren't reading--if you are actually one of the people who read less than 7 books last year, please enlighten me as to why?

Oh, and while it's on my mind. . .

My 20 year high school reunion was last weekend.

I did not go--for any number reasons; like Little Diva started school the Monday after, it was out of state, I disliked most of the people in my graduating class, and it was high school, who cares?

My friend(whom I've known since 7th grade) went with her family. I said, "If you see anyone from band, say 'hi' for me." She did and happened to mention something about me knitting. The person she was talking to was incredulous--"Kim knits?!?!? Kim. . . who listened to Depeche Mode?" I believe was the general sentiment. As if I'm one step away from the old folks home or something?

I just find it amusing that people react that way. I find it even more amusing because compared to what a little conformist I was in high school knitting would seem like an even MORE unlikely hobby for me now. And musically, he'd probably have a stroke if he knew how I've "branched out" musically.

Here's my musical time line from like 5th grade until now:
Shawn Cassidy/the Osmonds(5th grade or younger remember), Barry Manilow/Bee Gees(again, pre-middle school), Duran Duran(middle school through high school), Depeche Mode(high school through the present), Sting/the Police/Rush, the Cure(again still listening), Nine Inch Nails(college through present), and currently anything loud and "ragey".

Maybe because I know so many knitters and the varied backgrounds we all have, it wouldn't strike me as odd that anyone was a knitter. So, does anyone else have people who think it's nuts that you knit? (and I don't mean people who live with you and/or have seen your stash or general knitting craziness--I mean people who you knew before you knit or before you went over the edge from casual knitter to KNITTER)

Wanted: A "Productive" Hobby Rotation Schedule

I have tried this before and it's had limited success, but I'm trying to come up with a rotation that works for me. I can't stand just "flying by the seat of my pants" with my crafty stuff because every time I let myself do that I end up floundering around and getting nothing accomplished. This will be a work in progress until I get the mix that works for me.

I think I'm going to try and alternate knitting and stitching within the week(3 days knitting/3 days stitching/1 Free Day for either or a break). I want to be able to have more things going while still making progress. Here is what is in the loop right now:

**Storykeeper(Fenech)
**other stitching projects: Ink Circles/Lavender and Lace
**Eternal Promise(Stewart)
**open slot--no doubt to be filled with another HAED piece
**Knitting--I'm leaving this as a generic thing because I never know what I will feel like knitting when I sit down to do it.


Monthly/Weekly Obligations
**QS Swimming with Dolphins(Tate) QS Wednesdays every Wednesday--I haven't actually started this one yet; it's for little Diva(she picked the pattern herself)

**Misty Weniera(Butler) HAED 2007 Challenge SAL 2nd Weekend of each month

**Christmas Ornament SAL Last weekend of every month

I know this is a probably a pipe dream but I'm trying to get to where I have the following things going:

4 stitching projects
4 knitting projects

Right now I'm nowhere near that with either knitting or stitching, but that's my goal. I'm giving myself until the end of September with this schedule then I'll see if it needs to be tweaked, thrown out, or re-evaluated.

Sherrilyn Kenyon

One of my favorite authors, Sherrilyn Kenyon(who also writes as Kinley MacGregor), was in Denver on Sunday for a book signing to go along with her new book, Devil May Cry which is one of the Dark Hunter books. I believe I've gushed before about how much I love her storylines(especially the one that is beneath the main romance one), but I'm loving her even more since I met her. She's very funny and very outgoing which is something I haven't really seen with authors I've met before. She did a brief question/answer session and then got to the business of signing. While everyone was waiting she had a friend raffling away promotional items for the book. I hung around for a while after my book was signed to see if my number was called. I was hoping to win a t-shirt or a lanyard but all I won was a promotional post card thing(shrugs).

Any book signings I go to I only have the author sign the current book(it helps me put a time frame on when I met them), but there were people there with entire bags of books. I cannot imagine signing buckets of books. I think the only author I would take a ton of books to signing for would be JKR. One great thing about any book signing is meeting a bunch of people who love the books as much as you do(or even more). I was amazed at how many people where there and how many of us had many more authors we had in common in addition to Sherrilyn.

There is nothing I love more than spending the day in a book store without the kiddos and with my knitting--ah, heaven :)

Gryffindor!--Updated

**group picture coming soon after I weave in all these ends:


I have not been in an "end weaving" state of mind in the last month which is why these squares go practically everywhere with me but never actually get done. I'm hoping to chip away at them while I wait to pick Little Diva up from school(which started today).

Altogether now:

Positive/Negative

Onto Ravenclaw!!

Tres Campy

How's this for a dreamy knitting spot? The tranquil Rocky Mountains with only the sounds of nature to knit by. . .that and 7 other knitters :) That was the last weekend in July for me. My second trip to Camp Wanna Knit Knit. Quite a few of the other attendees have already blogged about it. For the three part thorough wrap up visit Sheep in the City.

The company of fellow knitters who are also great friends was gift enough for the weekend, but one of the joys of camp has become the gift bag. Here's this year's haul:

The crowning glory of this year's bag was our own colorway from Hello Yarns. How cool is that?! I'm not really sure how we're going to top this year's goodies but I'm already on the look out for some camp worthy stuff for next year :)


**Also, I need to thank Stacey because I lifted the gift bag pics from her :)

Monica Tank

I've finished it just time for Diva to go back to school, but luckily I made it big enough that she should be able to wear it next summer too.



Pattern: Monica
Yarn: Cotton Fleece(Cherry Moon and Pink-a-boo)
Needles: size 6

It's so cute but if I ever knit it again I'm doing it in the round.

FYI--we are having major internet/computer issues here at the KIP household, so if I disappear for a while it's because my computer is sick :) It's taken me two days to get it to let me log onto the internet at all.