tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70561402012-02-13T01:41:20.255-05:00A little bit of writing, a little bit of knitting...kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.comBlogger4391100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-41717394419333577822007-11-03T13:10:00.000-05:002007-11-03T13:21:02.374-05:00

It's that time of the year again... As of Wednesday, Mom pulled out her Christmas music, which is completely insane. But that's Mom. If you ask me, Christmas music should be banned until after Thanksgiving.As a knitter, however, I have to start thinking about Christmas in October at the latest. In fact, I've been known to start my Christmas knitting in January. Or August. This year, however,

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-72965989043377009972007-10-24T13:58:00.001-05:002007-10-24T15:07:08.753-05:00

Things have been pretty slow around here since the Dallas trip. After spending Day 1 of our adventure wandering around the hotel, trying to find someone to clean my room (in hopes that a good cleaning would get out the terrible damp, mustiness in the room, which we dubbed "The Bog"), I managed to get some work done on Friday -- only to end up sick halfway through the day. Stupid room. Of

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-73625652631148400422007-10-22T12:28:00.000-05:002007-10-22T12:33:05.913-05:00

Hey, everybody! New post coming soon -- I promise! -- but I wanted to add a quick note for any of you in the Columbus area. NightsAndWeekends.com is sponsoring an advance screening of the new John Cusack movie, Martian Child, on Wednesday, October 24, at 7 pm at the AMC Lennox. If you'd like free passes, all you need to do is sign up for our newsletter (which will also tell you when we've got

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-2153863071798539742007-10-11T09:35:00.000-05:002007-10-11T09:40:22.361-05:00

Last night, we arrived in Dallas. And in the first four hours in The Big D, I was served a giant platter of barbequed chicken, along with a half-gallon-sized glass of lemonade. And while I was sitting there, trying to hack at my giant chicken, I looked down to find that a grasshopper the size of my head had settled itself on my leg. And at that moment, I attempted to muffle a Texas-sized

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-77791264484115474922007-10-09T14:16:00.000-05:002007-10-09T14:23:10.137-05:00

Tomorrow, I head out for a little change of scenery. Paul has a few meetings in Dallas, so I'll be going along for the ride, er, flight. It doesn't matter how long or how short the trip (or which time zone we'll be traveling to). That last day before we leave is always just a little bit frantic. Got to pack...and finish some laundry...and get some work done...pay some bills. And, most

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-22475866027457475882007-10-06T21:46:00.000-05:002007-10-06T22:27:15.211-05:00

They say that fall is the time when people get serious about knitting again. That was the case when I worked at the yarn store -- things really picked up in September and October. But who needs sweaters when it's October 6 and it's 88 degrees? I doubt if my extra knitting lately has had much to do with the weather. I think it's mostly just due to stress. Higher stress levels require more

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-35626680249386862962007-09-25T08:12:00.000-05:002007-09-25T08:21:53.433-05:00

I sat down at my desk this morning and changed the date on my Knitting Pattern-a-Day calendar, only to find that September 25 is Sentimental Stripes Felted Tote Day! Yea!So if you happen to be stopping by the blog today because of the calendar, howdy! And if you happen to have any questions about the pattern, feel free to contact me at kdk-at-nightsandweekends-dot-com.

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-10734498352361659282007-09-24T18:34:00.000-05:002007-09-24T18:35:05.220-05:00

No, I will not be writing about perfume today. Really. I’m talking about knitting. You wouldn’t know anything about knitting obsessions, would you?Maybe it’s just me.You know, like my latest obsession with knitting blankets. Something like that. (The latest blanket, by the way, is getting there—I ran out of yarn when I was at the store today, so now I have to dig through the house to find

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-38374841903143219212007-09-19T08:02:00.000-05:002007-09-20T08:36:34.910-05:00

As promised...a couple of pictures from my recent (and ongoing) Blanket Phase. As you may recall, my Blanket Phase started when I knit up my first log cabin blanket. Once I finished it, I realized just how fun it was to knit up log cabin blankets. They're fabulously brainless without getting boring -- because once you get sick of knitting one color, you can just bind off and start another.

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-67670022028246796052007-09-18T20:43:00.000-05:002007-09-18T20:44:14.993-05:00

So yesterday was Monday—which meant that, at precisely 4:00, I made my way to the store for another afternoon of knitting with the kids. It was a pretty slow summer, meaning that I was often left kid-less—or perhaps with just poor, faithful Miss A. It’s a good thing Miss A is so much fun—because we spent a heck of a lot of time together this summer.So anyway, I got there at 4, expecting an army

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-70372439208415870082007-08-23T08:07:00.000-05:002007-08-23T08:08:15.252-05:00

Okay, so it hasn’t been all that cruel. Just busy. I apologize for the unexpected hiatus. Things got a little bit crazy around here. Here’s an overview:- It’s summer, which means that things pick up at work. You know, summer blockbusters to see. Beach reads to peruse. New bands to check out. Things like that. Most of the time, that means that I work from about 7:40, when my husband

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-70562981584455856382007-06-01T12:25:00.000-05:002007-06-01T12:31:22.559-05:00

You know how it goes, when you have every intention of doing one thing—and then end up getting totally caught up in doing something totally different? Yeah, that’s me. In the midst of all of the baby knitting I was doing, I decided that I really needed to work on something else. I needed to pick up that sweater that I’d been designing. And I really, really needed to do some more lace. But,

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-72599614729964107502007-04-20T15:09:00.000-05:002007-04-20T15:20:34.677-05:00

Lately, things have been a little hectic, in case you haven't noticed. There hasn't been a ton of knitting time left over at the end of the day (and with Summer Blockbuster season officially starting next week with our Spider-Man 3 screening, I don't foresee it getting too much better until at least August). Not a lot of time for lounging around, knitting big sweaters and blankets and things.

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-41303771064046205982007-04-13T07:52:00.000-05:002007-04-13T08:03:57.878-05:00

Okay, so perhaps it's not the coolest baby gift for *every* baby. But for a baby who also owns a Slayer onesie, I would have to say that this is the most brilliant baby bib ever.It all started on Monday, when I was at the store and Barb showed me the cutest picture of a boys' sweater with a skull on it. Colorwork makes my head hurt, but I was intrigued enough to check out the pattern -- and

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-88151510301735952702007-04-10T14:15:00.000-05:002007-04-10T14:19:17.753-05:00

Where oh where is that lull that I was looking for at the beginning of this year? I still haven’t seen it. Of course, it could have something to do with the fact that Paul’s just returned from his fifth business trip of the year (let’s see…he’s been in Germany, the Netherlands, Dallas, and twice in Malaysia), so our lives seem to be an endless cycle of: - Preparing for Paul to travel- Paul away

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-9312848670055689042007-03-10T21:30:00.000-05:002007-03-10T21:36:18.231-05:00

So tonight we get back from a nice dinner and a movie. Paul checks the phone and says, "Huh. My sister called.""Ah. She's pregnant," I reply.And, of course, I'm right. I mean, it doesn't really take a genius to figure it out, since (a) she confessed to me at the other sister's wedding in June (you know...the sister who's due in June) that they were going to start trying soon, and (b) Paul's

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-28265741431421351182007-03-10T13:21:00.000-05:002007-03-10T13:31:19.852-05:00

When I get something in my head, I don't mess around. Last weekend, I dove into baby knitting like a madwoman. In fact, I had so many projects going that I wanted to start a new one at one point, and I realized that I was totally out of Denise cables (note to self: pick up that set of extra cables at the store this week...). Of course, that could have something to do with the fact that I've got

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-22406290732019922802007-03-04T19:50:00.000-05:002007-03-05T12:19:25.029-05:00

Today was the baby shower for little Orange Banana / Frodo Skywalker. That meant that yesterday, it was all about the babies. First, I had to run around and do all the last-minute errands -- you know, pick up a few last-minute add-on gifts like Velcro wrist rattley things. And then I had to get the gift bags and tissue paper and fancy curling ribbon.Here we have the finished product:Then, a

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1172006098999088192007-02-20T16:13:00.000-05:002007-02-20T16:25:40.786-05:00

Materials:Worsted weight wool, approximately 220 yards of main color (A) and scraps of coordinating color (B). I used my own hand-dyed yarn (Kool-Aid: Cherry and Orange)Size 10.5 needlesGauge:Approx. 15 st. = 20r = 4” in st. st. (though gauge isn’t critical for felted items)Finished Size:17.5” wide by 18” long (pre-felting)13” wide by 11.5” long (post-felting)Directions:With A, CO 65 sts.Work 4

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1172005980250053952007-02-20T16:04:00.000-05:002007-02-20T16:13:00.273-05:00

Last week at this time, we were in the process of becoming totally snowed in. This week, it's 45 and rainy. Yuck. Weather like this makes one want to curl up and take a nap.Yesterday was another quiet day with the Knitastics. Or, more appropriately, the Knitastic. All the snow days (and too-cold days) and holidays we've been having lately have meant that the girls have been staying home.

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1171488311980013362007-02-14T16:15:00.000-05:002007-02-14T16:25:12.003-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Following yesterday's snow...then ice...then more snow, we're still stuck at home. I've only seen a few people even try to get through the neighborhood today -- and those who did spent more time spinning their tires and/or trying to dig themselves out of sticky situations than actually getting anywhere. Paul's office was closed again today, so the poor guy's been working

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1171405594458511282007-02-13T17:04:00.000-05:002007-02-13T17:31:19.140-05:00

It's been snowing ALL DAY! We got up this morning, and Paul went outside to shovel -- not that you can tell anymore. And at some point, it switched from snow to freezing rain. It's nasty out there. Perfect time to knit.Yesterday, at the store, I was told that women had been coming in all day, buying tons of yarn to prepare for the storm. Some people stock up on milk. Others buy more yarn...

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1170351150107169062007-02-01T12:10:00.000-05:002007-02-01T12:32:30.150-05:00

Crappy pictures! For some reason I couldn't get the color quite right on these babies, but, well, you get the idea.First, the gratuitous stash shot:Yes, there's even more there than I previously reported. I've been busy. I blame it on Chandra. Really. It's all her fault.At the top left, we have the purpley-blue oh-so-soft yarn for an upcoming sweater. Below, a couple of skeins of really

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1169750569795656552007-01-25T13:14:00.000-05:002007-01-25T13:42:49.856-05:00

There's nothing I love more than a good sale -- especially when it's yarn that's on sale. So yesterday, while Chandra and I were sipping coffee at our new favorite cafe (any place that has a thing called a Strawberry Cheesecake Mocha is just fine by me) and doing a little knitting (I finished the first of many ribbed hats from One-Skein Wonders), I remembered that Hobby Lobby was having a sale

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1169489370575793992007-01-22T12:45:00.000-05:002007-01-22T13:09:30.626-05:00

...Has another whole week really gone by?Over the past week, I've been playing a little much-needed catch-up. My stack of DVDs to review is shrinking, and that's a start -- even though my stack of books to review is growing. I keep trying to clean off my desk, but things just keep piling up again. Isn't it amazing how that happens?It's been a good week, though. Mom and Dad's visit was

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1168629978899417032007-01-12T13:57:00.000-05:002007-01-12T14:34:12.643-05:00

Last night's Central Ohio Film Critics Association dinner, to announce our annual awards, marked the official End of the Insanity. Now that all the screenings and nominations and things are behind us, and now that I've survived the annual Post-Christmas Sickness, things can get back to normal again. Finally!Currently, Mom and Dad are on their way for a weekend visit -- but I should be back to

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1166742595974878092006-12-21T17:46:00.000-05:002007-05-01T15:00:52.174-05:00

As promised, here's the pattern for the Jazzy Coffee Cup Cozy. It's a fabulous stash-busting pattern -- and it makes a great last-minute gift for your favorite coffee addict (especially if combined with a gift card to his or her favorite coffee shop).Materials:Worsted weight yarnSize 7 needles (2 circs or dpns, whichever you prefer for working in the round)Gauge:20 sts = 26 rows = 4” in

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com209tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1166381484129763102006-12-17T13:35:00.000-05:002006-12-17T14:14:18.223-05:00

It's been forever, so I wanted to check in and let you all know that I'm still here. The last two weeks have been absolutely insane -- I've had fifteen screenings in the last two weeks -- and that doesn't count all the screeners I've been watching at home, both for reviews and for the upcoming award voting. I'm pretty much movied out -- but I've got a few more days to go. Four more screenings.

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1165001417448652092006-12-01T14:22:00.000-05:002006-12-01T14:41:10.010-05:00

Make your very own Fabulous Fireball Lace Shawl! The Fabulous Fireball uses a simple lace pattern that's easy to memorize. It's perfect for a beginning lace knitter.Details:Yarn: 880 yards of lace weight yarn (I used two hanks of KnitPicks Gossamer in Rose Garden)Needles: Size 5 US (circs recommended)Size (after blocking): 21" x 71"Cost: $4.00 via PayPal for a PDF copy of the patternEmail me to

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1164727803162444742006-11-28T10:24:00.000-05:002006-11-28T10:46:16.573-05:00

Okay...let's see if I can finish this without my computer crashing (again)....I hope those of you in the States had a fabulously relaxing Thanksgiving weekend. Over the weekend, I officially named Thanksgiving my very favorite holiday -- because you get a four-day weekend and you're allowed to do nothing but eat and sleep...and eat. You don't have to buy anyone Thanksgiving presents. You don't

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1164216990517606672006-11-22T12:33:00.000-05:002006-11-22T12:36:30.553-05:00

Here it is -- the Fabulous Fireball Shawl, pre-blocking.I'm hoping I'll have time to block it tomorrow, while the turkey is in the oven.Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1164135232747376872006-11-21T13:33:00.000-05:002006-11-21T14:06:21.700-05:00

Somehow, I managed to make it through last week in one piece. One very tired piece, but one piece nonetheless. On the morning of Day Two of Film Insanity, before Screening #3, I looked up at one of my fellow critics from my seat in the theater lobby and said, "I don't think I'll make it through tomorrow." He looked down at me with a completely blank expression and said, "Huh?"Exactly.On Day

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1163462737586696632006-11-13T19:02:00.000-05:002006-11-13T19:05:37.623-05:00

This afternoon, after much debate, we voted and got ourselves a group name: The Knitastics! Everyone's pretty satisfied with the decision, except for Miss C, who hates it. But she tends to hate everything, so that's okay. She also hates that Miss M the Older (who was sitting next to her) talks a lot, but when I told her there were other seats available, she didn't move, either.Miss A has

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1163445782573966712006-11-13T13:56:00.000-05:002006-11-13T14:34:04.253-05:00

The weekend was wonderful -- there just wasn't enough of it.On Friday, I did exactly what I planned to do: nothing. I let Paul pick up a movie from Blockbuster, and I got some work done on the shawl. When the movie was over, Paul asked me what I thought, and I replied, "You know what? It's Friday, and I don't care."Saturday, however, posed a bit of a dilemma. The film festival shindig was

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1163188017078517582006-11-10T14:27:00.000-05:002006-11-10T15:06:37.936-05:00

Yeah, I know I sound like a pansy whining about work and all. After all, I asked for it. And I really do love what I do. But I swear that Awards Season could break even the toughest of film critics -- even the ones who don't have any other work to do. Throw in the fact that there's a holiday coming up in a couple of weeks -- one that studio reps are trying to schedule around -- and we've got

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1163010534015465872006-11-08T13:16:00.000-05:002006-11-08T13:28:54.100-05:00

Have you ever had one of those relationships -- one that you just knew wasn't right for you? You had that sneaking suspicion from the beginning, but you just let it go, thinking it would work itself out in the end. You tried to pretend there weren't any problems, but something in the back of your mind kept nagging at you, telling you that maybe it was time to move on. But you let it go too

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1162926422154790692006-11-07T13:49:00.000-05:002006-11-07T14:07:02.183-05:00

I am in some serious denial here. That's why you haven't hear from me lately -- because I figure if I don't talk about it, it doesn't really exist. But it's time I stood up and faced the dark, upsetting truth: I have to frog my entire sleeve. The Obnoxious Pink Sweater was coming along so nicely. I had even experimented with a cute little bell sleeve. But then I realized that there was just

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1162329625278302992006-10-31T15:52:00.000-05:002006-10-31T16:20:26.656-05:00

It's rainy and disgusting here today, though I doubt if that will keep the neighborhood urchins from coming to beg for candy. I can wish though, right? Because that would mean a lot of candy for me.I made the mistake up opening up the bags of candy this morning to get our candy bowl ready. I'd done such a good job of keeping myself from eating all the candy before Halloween -- but once the

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1161885168907353672006-10-26T12:38:00.000-05:002006-10-26T12:55:48.096-05:00

First of all, before I get to the knitting content, a little business content. We've got an incredible contest running on the site right now. We're giving away two prize packages of three games each (totaling well over a hundred bucks). To enter, all you have to do is fill in the entry form and answer a couple of questions (we even tell you where you can find the answers). If you enter,

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1161632227784482112006-10-23T14:29:00.000-05:002006-10-24T13:46:04.553-05:00

If there's one thing I hate, it's finishing. I hate it. That's one of the big reasons why I knit top-down sweaters (that and the fact that I'm 5'10", and it's nice to try things on as I go). It's also why I'm doomed to spend the rest of my life surrounded by fully-knitted dishcloths that just need to have their ends woven in.This weekend, however, I decided to do some finishing.I started with

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1161608410841661452006-10-23T07:55:00.000-05:002006-10-23T08:00:10.846-05:00

And a happy Monday morning to you all! I've got a nice long post brewing -- complete with all kinds of pictures -- but I wanted to direct all of you to Mark's new blog. He's been busily cranking out scarves for the family -- and now he's blogging about it, too. I'm the proudest knitting teacher in the world. :) Check out the blog at knittingconfidential.blogspot.com/.

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1161281013835162782006-10-19T12:40:00.000-05:002006-10-19T13:41:02.943-05:00

It's another dark, rainy, yucky day here in C-town. The perfect kind of day to turn off the computer and take a nap. This has been one heck of a long week -- and, really, I could use a little snooze.Paul left town for a couple of days on Monday morning. Normally, that means I spend my evenings working a little later than usual and then crashing out in my comfy pants and a sweatshirt in front

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1160514031064062832006-10-10T15:34:00.000-05:002006-10-12T13:36:36.490-05:00

Over the weekend, we learned what it was like to live in times when one had no real line of communication to the outside world, other than actually getting out and talking to real, live people. Apparently (or so the cable guy told me when he came to fix it), one of our neighbors decided to do a little digging without calling that underground-line-finder phone number first. And they snapped our

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1160069310573992882006-10-05T12:11:00.000-05:002006-10-05T12:28:30.686-05:00

I talked to Mom last night, and, as is often the case, the subject of knitting came up. She told me she'd just finished a sparkly red scarf. I mentioned the Not Cute Bag that I'd finished for Kaari."And you finished my Christmas present," she noted. "You didn't click on the link, did you?" I asked."No, but I saw it. And the note. Very funny.""It's really cute," I told her. "I think you'll

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1159997978656880652006-10-04T16:26:00.000-05:002006-10-04T16:39:38.740-05:00

My soon-to-be-five-year-old niece, Kaari, is a tomboy to the extreme. And she's very adamant about it. Not long ago, when my mom was discussing the possibility of Kaari getting to decorate a room of her own, Mom suggested that they could find something really cute.Kaari gave her a look of disdain and replied, "I don't do cute, Grandma."So that left me with a challenge: I'd promised Kaari that

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1159559379818651242006-09-29T14:27:00.000-05:002006-09-29T14:49:39.960-05:00

It's been one heck of a long week. At first, I thought it was going to be a slow one -- just a couple of screenings, and I'd have the rest of the week to catch up here at my desk. I even skipped screenings this week, and it was still more than I can handle. They say it takes a day for every hour of time difference to recover from jet lag -- so I've got until Monday yet.I have, however,

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1159283269097368262006-09-26T09:14:00.000-05:002006-09-26T10:18:05.650-05:00

It was late on Monday night when we arrived back at our hotel in KL. We returned to the hotel we'd stayed in the week before -- mostly because it meant that we could keep some of our extra baggage stored there while we were on the island, but also because it was a pretty nice place. Or so we thought.Knowing it was our very last day in KL, we got up early, planning to squeeze in as much as

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1159279797324747892006-09-26T08:52:00.000-05:002006-09-26T09:10:00.373-05:00

I've only got one day of Malaysia recap to go, but I just had to interrupt for *Actual Knitting Content*.First of all, I had to tell you what I got in the mail yesterday -- the 2007 Knitting Pattern-a-Day calendar. I actually saw the calendar at JoAnn's over the weekend, and I pointed it out to Paul and said, "I wonder if my patterns are in there." A while back, I submitted a few patterns for

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1159211600426098562006-09-25T13:34:00.000-05:002006-09-25T14:35:35.493-05:00

I just spent a ton of time working on today's post, only to have my computer freeze on me and lose everything. What a fine Welcome-Back-From-Vacation....This weekend, we ended up spending *hours* going through all of our pictures and picking out our favorites. We ended up getting 149 printed. Now I just have to organize them all and find a photo album big enough to handle them all.But anyway,

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1158937337083229892006-09-22T09:49:00.000-05:002006-09-22T16:19:28.283-05:00

Let's go back to Redang, shall we? Since we were offline for a week, I didn't get to share the stories -- or the pictures -- so I'll do that now.Redang Island is mainly a resort island, northwest of KL. To get there, we got up at 3:30 in the morning and got in a cab at 4:45. It took over an hour to get to the isolated airport terminal -- which, we discovered, was about 20 minutes beyond the *

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1158864115177115532006-09-21T10:43:00.000-05:002006-09-21T13:53:48.886-05:00

I, my dear friends, am a total mess. I've had jet lag before, but I'm pretty sure it's never hit this hard. Until someone invents a safe and inexpensive method of teleportation, I think I can safely say that the country of Malaysia does not need to worry about me visiting too often. I'm sure they'll be relieved to hear that.Our journey started at about 10 PM Tuesday, KL time (which was 10 AM

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1158549981105343172006-09-17T22:21:00.000-05:002006-09-17T22:27:11.096-05:00

The Internet connection here at the resort has been down most of the week -- but we didn't really care. We were too busy doing nothing much. Actually, we've been very busy. We've been swimming and snorkeling and shooting arrows and chasing wild monkeys -- and taking *tons* of pictures. It's gorgeous here. I've never seen water this blue or sand this white.We picked the perfect day to leave

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1158131985781125162006-09-13T02:04:00.000-05:002006-09-13T02:24:56.186-05:00

Paul waited in line for a half hour this morning to get us tickets to walk the Skybridge, a two-story bridge connecting the two Petronas Towers. On the 42nd floor, there's an employees-only level (which Paul and a couple of his colleagues managed to sneak themselves onto last time they were here). And on the 41st floor, there's a bridge that's open to those 800-1300 (reports vary) visitors who

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1158111399615337782006-09-12T19:41:00.000-05:002006-09-12T20:36:39.880-05:00

To begin today, here's a picture of the view from my favorite hangout this week:Heavenly, don't you think? Yesterday was actually the perfect pool day -- because it was a little cloudy, so the breeze made it feel like it wasn't quite 300 degrees out.I got a big surprise yesterday afternoon, while I was sitting at the desk, working. The doorbell rang (yep -- the rooms here have doorbells, as do

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1158024782481049332006-09-11T19:58:00.000-05:002006-09-11T20:36:15.150-05:00

Did I mention that it rains a lot in KL? So far, we've been here four days, and it's rained three. On the other day (Sunday), it just *looked* like it was going to rain for a few hours. It's really a good thing that cabs are so very affordable here -- because you never know when the latest downpour is going to hit.Usually, though, it's in the afternoon -- after you've had some time to sit

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1157939596336075092006-09-10T19:56:00.000-05:002006-09-10T21:22:33.230-05:00

The sun is just setting on Sunday back home, but I've already had my breakfast, and Paul's already at work. It's Monday morning here in KL.We had an insane weekend -- especially considering the jet lag -- but we saw a lot of the city. And guess what -- I have pictures!On Friday night, Paul worked late, so I sat around and watched DVDs and knitted until he got back. Everyone from the office was

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1157686417698596262006-09-07T22:24:00.000-05:002006-09-08T01:54:01.616-05:00

Hello from Kuala Lumpur! Yesterday was quite possibly the longest day ever -- which could have something to do with the fact that it was actually a day and a half. We got to the airport by around 8ish and whisked through security (it really wasn't as scary as I expected -- I was even more nervous after I saw the little bin full of lighters and little toothpaste tubes). The flight to Chicago

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1157466341717688052006-09-05T09:10:00.000-05:002006-09-05T09:28:48.303-05:00

Our flight to Malaysia (actually, our flight to Chicago, from where we'll leave to go to Korea, from where we'll leave to go to Malaysia) leaves in just 24 hours, and there's so much to do!Over the weekend, we returned to the scene of the crime. We had a wonderful weekend at the cottage, and I didn't fall in any holes. Dad did, however, tell me that I'd probably fall and break my neck if I kept

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1157039292762441912006-08-31T10:20:00.000-05:002006-08-31T10:54:06.083-05:00

I feel like a little kid -- you know, when you were about to go on vacation to someplace really cool, and you just couldn't sit still anymore. That's how I am right now.First the cottage, then Malaysia. I've been busting my butt this week to work ahead -- review a few movies, edit all the book reviews for the next three weeks, stock up on extra books to review while I'm there... And now,

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1156787072439546582006-08-28T12:31:00.000-05:002006-08-28T13:00:56.563-05:00

Okay, so the weekend didn't turn out to be as glorious as planned. Sure, parts of it were great. On Friday night, we pretty much just crashed. We did, however, take the time to listen to the radio show when it was actually broadcast on the radio -- which was a totally surreal experience. Yeah, I've listened to the thing online, but listening to it on the radio somehow makes it that much

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1156512283454887992006-08-25T08:09:00.000-05:002006-08-25T09:13:33.036-05:00

In case you haven't noticed, we don't tend to stick around the house all that much. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that when we met (and until we'd been married for eight months) we actually lived 400 miles apart. Maybe that's why it just doesn't feel right to stay in one place for long. Then again, sometimes it just gets downright confusing. I remember when, eight months after

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1156252842252646942006-08-22T07:59:00.000-05:002006-08-22T08:45:28.100-05:00

Wow! What a weekend!It all started on Thursday night, when the local critics met up for drinks before making our way over to Snakes on a Plane. We were all so excited. Most of the gang was wearing their very own Snakes T-shirts. And one of the guys brought some plastic toy snakes -- which, upon getting to the theater, he was forced to return to his car. The theater people said there were no

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1155826830661556362006-08-17T09:54:00.000-05:002006-08-17T10:00:30.693-05:00

The big buzz of the day is the big opening of SNAKES ON A PLANE tonight. I think just about every single film critic in the area is meeting up for drinks tonight, and we're all going to the 10pm showing. I'm sure it'll be absolutely insane -- and I can't wait.So I'll be getting to bed late tonight -- and I'll be up and hitting the road in the morning. Tent Sale Weekend, baby! I've got the

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1155602731148165002006-08-14T19:25:00.000-05:002006-08-14T19:45:31.196-05:00

Time flies when you're crazy-busy. It's been quite a week here in Kramerland. Last week, I was swamped with work. I'm still trying to get a few things caught up, plus I had three screenings to attend (I wore my new sweater to one of them, and I was very proud of myself -- I *LOVE* it!). Then the in-laws showed up on Friday -- my MIL, FIL, and Little Bro-in-Law. It was all pretty crazy. And

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1154972536841995712006-08-07T12:16:00.000-05:002006-08-07T12:42:30.013-05:00

I stopped by Joann's over the weekend to check out the button supply -- and, lo and behold, they're 40% off this week. Yea! So I bought some -- and I'll probably go back and get more. Never can have a big enough stash, you know.Right now, I'm trying to decide which buttons to use on the cardi. I bought a package with pretty citrusy colors -- orange, yellow, green, pink, and turquoise. The

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1154628188257662192006-08-03T12:45:00.000-05:002006-08-03T13:15:11.106-05:00

Last night I finished up my Summer Cardi! I was actually dying to work on my lace a little more, but I was determined -- I had to finish the sweater first. And I did. Now I just have to pick out the buttons. There are some really cute ones at the LYS -- yellow with some turquoise-y blue. But I'll have to take a look around and see if I can find something a little more...neutral.The Details:

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1154541301127252412006-08-02T12:23:00.000-05:002006-08-02T12:55:01.343-05:00

Do you ever have those days when you feel like you're so behind that you'll just never get caught up? I think I've felt that way for about four weeks straight now.Thanks for all the birthday wishes -- and all the comments on the radio show. I had such a great time doing the show -- and I'm trying really hard not to bug the guys too much about having me back. :)My birthday this year was pretty

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1154105830668033912006-07-28T11:30:00.000-05:002006-07-28T12:00:42.730-05:00

Okay, so I'll admit that it's a bit of a drag having a broken rib on your birthday. In fact, thanks to the drugs, I can't even celebrate with a nice glass of wine. But this year, I'm just happy for the out-of-the-ordinary birthday gifts I got this week. For instance, last night I actually slept in an actual bed for the first time in three weeks. I picked up a foam wedge thing at Bed Bath &

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1153789587998290902006-07-24T19:50:00.000-05:002006-07-24T20:11:27.300-05:00

I've made it through the first two weeks of recovery, and I've learned a very valuable lesson. I'm not a patient person. When someone tells me it's going to take me 4-6 weeks to recover, I figure I'll be better in a week. And when it doesn't go that way, I get a little cranky. But while I'm still medicated, and I still occasionally feel like I've been hit by a bus, I get a little better every

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1153420611424427342006-07-20T13:29:00.000-05:002006-07-20T13:36:51.453-05:00

I'm finally getting back to the needles. On Monday night, I picked up the baby sweater that I'd started on the way to the cottage -- just the sleeves and the button bands to go:Actually, I'm closer to being finished than the picture suggests. I took the picture before I picked it up again last night. Now I'm almost finished with Sleeve #1. I have to tell you -- it feels wonderful to knit

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1153166318818844552006-07-17T14:46:00.000-05:002006-07-17T14:58:38.906-05:00

Thanks so much for all your get-well comments! I made it through the first week, and I'm sure it'll be much easier to handle from here on out. The bruises are finally fading, and the scrapes no longer need their daily bandaging rituals. Now I just have to get this darn rib to fix itself. I'm still sleeping in the recliner -- the novelty of which has totally worn off -- and I'm still on

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1152722887965143982006-07-12T11:34:00.000-05:002006-07-12T11:48:07.990-05:00

I apologize for the extended silence. Believe it or not, it's been four whole days since I picked up a pair of needles. But I have a good reason. Really.So we had a wonderful vacation, for the most part. Well, it didn't start out all that great, since I tried on my Picovoli before I left and discovered that it was a little too tight in the armpit region. So Picovoli is taking a little

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1151701111779631182006-06-30T15:33:00.000-05:002006-06-30T15:58:31.820-05:00

Ahhh...it's finally Friday. Despite the fact that I was hoping to write two reviews and a feature article by the end of the day today (which, technically, is in a few minutes -- ha!), I don't think I've ever been this relieved to see a week end. It's been a good week -- but it's been exhausting.Knitting-wise, it hasn't been a very productive week. This is all I have to show for it:I really

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1151446875950449642006-06-27T17:10:00.000-05:002006-06-27T17:24:12.720-05:00

This week, our kids' knitting group was inundated with Miss A's. Our regular Miss A (not to be mistaken for the old Miss A, AKA Taz) was there. I got her started on an awesome tank top from Girl's Guide to Fun & Funky Knitting in pinks and blues. Then we had a new Miss A. Miss A2 hadn't really done much knitting, so I retaught her (much to the relief of her mom, who admitted to not having

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1151342252957191792006-06-26T12:01:00.000-05:002006-06-26T14:02:14.533-05:00

Remember how I said I wanted to finish my sweater this weekend?Here I am, in my best "Take the picture already -- I'm frickin' sweating to death" pose. I also have a great shot of me doing a little dance of joy in the back yard, but this'll have to do.As soon as I finished sewing in the ends and doing my mini photo shoot, I went right inside and started my Picovoli swatch. I think this time

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1151104082857774352006-06-23T17:35:00.000-05:002006-06-23T18:18:50.776-05:00

I don't think I've ever been to relieved to make it to the end of a week. For one thing, work has been even busier than usual, thanks to the busy-ness of the summer season here in the entertainment world. But on top of that, it's been emotionally exhausting. My poor dad hasn't been feeling well lately. He's just been really tired, and it's been getting worse. This week, Mom had had enough,

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1150912510454339522006-06-21T12:46:00.000-05:002006-06-21T12:58:38.763-05:00

Just a quick update today -- with (finally!) a really bad picture of the sweater, courtesy of my rainy-day-dark bathroom and Microsoft Paint, since Photoshop is still acting up. I haven't had a ton of knitting time -- or blogging time. But, for some reason, no one feels sorry for me when I tell them what I've been busy with. I've actually been working, but that means going to press screenings

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1150744674805570302006-06-19T14:12:00.000-05:002006-06-19T14:19:46.043-05:00

Ah, the weekend. It is but a distant memory to me now.This weekend, I had every intention of Doing Things. I was going to clean the house and get some extra work done. I was going to be productive.Instead, we ended up doing exactly what we needed to do: nothing. We slept in. We went to bed early. We took naps. And we watched a lot of soccer and hockey. I think I might finally be getting

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1150383245106960212006-06-15T09:24:00.000-05:002006-06-15T09:54:05.220-05:00

This week has been such a slow knitting week that I've actually gone backwards. I've frogged way more than I've knit. On Tuesday night, after going to a screening of The Lake House (which was actually pretty good -- my review will be posted at N&W.com this weekend), I came home and frogged the Super Secret Project. Remember this thing? It turned out to be bigger than it was supposed to be, so

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1150218582475914442006-06-13T11:37:00.000-05:002006-06-13T12:12:35.433-05:00

So this morning I find an email in my inbox. Quite a few of them, actually, but one that stood out. It was from Beth, announcing that our KnitLites needles are in. She said she could meet up with everyone at Caribou today to knit, drink coffee, and hand out the needles. Man, do I want those needles! But the work has been piling up, and my to-do list keeps growing -- and I spent yesterday

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1150136831707018502006-06-12T12:30:00.000-05:002006-06-12T13:29:07.436-05:00

...it's another. I finally got my digital camera (along with my husband, of course) back yesterday, and now I can't get Photoshop to load my pictures. So I'm afraid that the sweater pictures will just have to wait...On Saturday, the Sock Princess came over for a dyeing extravaganza. It was a well-deserved break from the week's non-stop work. We had a lot of fun, we ate some delicious pizza,

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1149883680808976672006-06-09T14:33:00.000-05:002006-06-09T15:08:00.833-05:00

I couldn't be more relieved that it's Friday. What a week! Really, Paul shouldn't be allowed to go away -- because when he does, I turn into the same old bad-food-eating workaholic that I was before we got married. Last night, for the first time all week, I actually allowed myself to sit down and relax and watch a movie just for fun. It felt...strange.Before Paul left, I threatened to have my

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1149717746561168332006-06-07T17:01:00.000-05:002006-06-07T19:54:07.576-05:00

I’ve had less than three days of singlehood, and the house has already totally transformed into a bachelor pad. There’s tons of ice cream (which I eat right out of the carton) in the freezer and various forms of chips in various places throughout the kitchen-type area. There are books strewn throughout the place. And the living room is covered in yarn. My poor husband would cringe if he saw

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1149626342678241862006-06-06T15:13:00.000-05:002006-06-06T15:42:51.490-05:00

You know that horrible feeling you get after being away from work for a week? You know, that feeling that you'll never, ever, in a million years, get caught back up? You know how you can't manage to answer the emails faster than they come in -- and the phone keeps ringing, and people keep leaving voicemails, and you don't want to talk to any of these people because you don't have time for them?

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1149552914064156662006-06-05T18:52:00.000-05:002006-06-05T19:23:07.756-05:00

So I tried to post during my lunch break. I got to the end of a nice long post, and I attempted to publish it -- and I got...nothing. I was running out of time, so I thought I'd just post a picture. And Blogger wouldn't let me upload it.So let's try this again...I finally made it home last night -- after almost eight hours on the road from Toronto back home. I don't think I would have made it

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1149220114037832352006-06-01T22:45:00.000-05:002006-06-01T22:48:34.056-05:00

We finally made it to Toronto after a long day on the road. Fortunately, the shawl is in one piece, though I'm still hoping it won't rain on Saturday. I've been offline all week, but as soon as I have a chance to sit down and add all my pictures, I'll give you the full story. But now for the Big News:The kind ladies at the Uber Yarn Outlet just found out the dates for this summer's tent sale (

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1148733486040645142006-05-27T07:34:00.000-05:002006-05-27T07:38:06.070-05:00

Time to pack up the laptop and hit the road. I spent last night packing up my yarn -- I've got enough for one whole adult sweater, one whole baby sweater, some booties (almost finished) to match the baby sweater, my Muppet Wrap, and some odds and ends. I think that'll keep me busy...for a couple of months.Have a great holiday! I may check in once or twice while I'm gone. If not...I'll be back

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1148605547989517092006-05-25T19:58:00.000-05:002006-05-25T20:05:48.010-05:00

Ta-da!Thanks so much for all of your comments on the shawl. So it's finished now -- with more than a day to spare before we pack up and go. I was so excited when I unpinned the thing today that I may have done a little dance. Now I'm just so afraid of it. I want it to look *perfect* for the wedding, so I'm trying to figure out what to do with it until then. How do I pack this thing so it

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1148507544126851882006-05-24T16:39:00.000-05:002006-05-24T16:52:24.150-05:00

Last night, I had a total shawl emergency. Remember the Dyeing Extravaganza, when I dyed the heck out of this silk -- five times, I think -- until it was all finally red-ish? And then remember how I eventually ran it through a cycle in the washing machine in an attempt to finally rinse it all out? Well...I prepared to block the shawl last night by soaking it in Eucalan. I came back 15 minutes

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1148402359475017732006-05-23T11:11:00.000-05:002006-05-23T12:09:49.900-05:00

Rows to go: 0Last night, thanks to The Apprentice, a little Deal or No Deal (which, incidentally, there's no way I'd watch if it weren't on before The Apprentice, and if I weren't worried that I'd get to into the shawl and forget to change the channel), and some random MTV programming, I finally finished the last rows of the shawl. I started the bind-off, but I realized, with all the k2tog tbl's

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1148318363560131492006-05-22T12:15:00.000-05:002006-05-22T12:19:23.580-05:00

Rows to go: 4I was hoping to finish over the weekend, but we ended up having our neighbor over for dinner last night, which was totally worth it. Not only that, but she seemed to be pretty intrigued by my knitting. Who knows...maybe I'll be able to spread the joy of knitting on to my neighbor, too...Fortunately, I had two whole hours of Desperate Housewives last night to work on the shawl, so I

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1148244866484670182006-05-21T15:53:00.000-05:002006-05-21T15:54:26.486-05:00

I've been threatening to do it for a long time now -- and I finally had a few minutes today to get Paul to help me out. Check out the new shirts!

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1148234667425478992006-05-21T12:53:00.000-05:002006-05-21T13:04:27.456-05:00

Rows to go: 8Last night wasn't the knitting marathon I expected -- though 4 rows at this point isn't something to sneeze at (though, admittedly, there seems to be a lot of sneezing going on around here lately -- but that's just because it's spring). Currently, I'm counting down the project in TV shows: Desperate Housewives tonight -- 2 rows. The Apprentice tomorrow -- 2 rows. I'll have to

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1148141354154478192006-05-20T11:05:00.000-05:002006-05-20T11:09:14.173-05:00

12 more rows to go. Last night, I finished the [crazy] 15th repeat, and all that's left is the edge chart. Almost there...I also finished the baby sweater last night. Kinda. This morning (while I was lying awake in bed, trying to make myself fall back to sleep), I decided that the proportions were all off. Later, Paul suggested that, since the body and the sleeves were bigger than the

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1148048937364194692006-05-19T09:15:00.000-05:002006-05-19T09:28:57.386-05:00

15 days and 16 rows to go. Last night we ran out to the grocery store -- and to the library, to pick up some books on CD for our upcoming hours on the road. And we ended up crashing early. So I didn't get a lot of knitting in. I'll pick up the pace this weekend...Jeanne finished blocking her Adamas. Yea, Jeanne! Hers is absolutely GORGEOUS (she used KnitPicks Shadow, which has the most

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1147978914840578582006-05-18T13:54:00.000-05:002006-05-18T14:03:51.866-05:00

I have 16 days until I will be wearing a fabulous (and finished...and blocked) Adamas made of hand-dyed silk. It will be finished. It will be fabulous.Of course, it's not finished yet. Jeanne (of the beautiful newly-finished Adamas) thinks I'm crazy (not that she's the first person to tell me that), but last night I started my extra pattern repeat. I'm pretty sure I'm crazy, too. I could be

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1147799897866510692006-05-16T11:56:00.000-05:002006-05-16T12:19:12.210-05:00

Obviously, I haven't had a ton of time to work on Kermit, since I'm been busy trying to finish Adamas -- but here he is, after his first few rows:I met Beth at Hobby Lobby for a quick lunch-time yarn excursion. Unfortunately, they didn't have this particular yarn in good Elmo colors (they have a wonderful Miss Piggy, though, SP!), but we found something similar. She also picked up this yarn in

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1147628702442722022006-05-14T12:25:00.000-05:002006-05-14T12:45:02.813-05:00

This weekend, I decided, was Shawl Weekend. Fortunately, the weather cooperated. Cold and rainy -- not exactly the kind of weekend that you spend out working in the yard or going for long walks or having picnics in the park. It's the kind of weekend that you spend parked on your butt in front of the TV. Fortunately, Paul's week was every bit as exhausting as mine was, so he had no

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1147468350850588842006-05-12T16:02:00.000-05:002006-05-12T16:12:30.900-05:00

Today was freezing cold (I'm wearing a wool sweater! Sheesh!) and gloomy and rainy -- exactly the kind of day that requires a lot of coffee and a little pampering. So this morning, while I was brewing up another cup, I pulled out my fuzzy bright green Hobby Lobby yarn and did a little playing, in an attempt to decide on a stitch pattern for my green wrap. Though I still haven't totally decided

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056140.post-1147359366583577532006-05-11T09:45:00.000-05:002006-05-11T09:59:22.253-05:00

Yesterday, I went out to have lunch with Paul. Since Paul's office is so very close to the mall, I figured I'd stop in after lunch and see if I could find any other dresses. Oddly enough, though I'd had a hard time finding any navy dresses before, navy dresses are now *everywhere*. I tried on a room full of them at Ann Taylor and finally found one that I liked. It was a little more than I was

kdkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746201364668663730noreply@blogger.com1