I love weekends without plans.

(EDIT: I wrote this post Sunday night, but was too lazy to resize the photos and post it until now.)

I get to sleep in (woke up at 7:30 on Saturday and couldn't fall back asleep - but it was still 2.5 hours more than usual), wash the dishes and clothes that pile up during the week, and then have this thing called free time.

I took advantage of it by knitting, watching TV show DVDs, and blog surfing. I feel like I miss so much in the world of knitting when I don't get a chance to look at blogs for a few weeks. I even looked around Craftster for the first time in ages, and started a mental list of crafty Christmas ideas.

I really should get started early this year since my new job is going to get very busy towards the end of the year. I was told last week that people in my department are "discouraged" from taking any time off between now (August!) and January. Poo. Yeah, so I really need to avoid the super-holiday-stress-fest I bring on myself when coming up with the perfect handmade gift idea on December 19th.

I've made decent of progress on my Diamonique top.




At least I think it is decent progess until I remember that this is the back, and I still need to do the front.


And because I obviously don't have enough to keep myself occupied, I started a garterlac washcloth.





Easy, but a little too tedious for the mood I am in. The lace top requires less thought than this! But that's probably just because this is the first time I've tried entrelac and don't have any kind of feel for what I am supposed to do next.

Another week gone.

I have knit at least a few rows every night this week. That doesn't make for much progress, but it is better than nothing. I've been motivated to finish projects lately, since I have seen so many things I would like to knit. The current plan is not to buy any more yarn until I knit up the projects I currently have waiting.

I wish I could say that my purchasing restraint at Stitches Midwest (see previous post comments) was based on this plan; unfortunately it was due mostly to a lack of funding, if you get my drift.

BUT my husband had a job interview on Wednesday that went well, so cross your fingers for him (us, my future yarn stash)!





I have past the waist shaping on the front of my Diamonique top. I love the way it's turning out and can't wait to wear it. I hope I can finish before the weather cools off too much.

On an unrelated topic, we went to see The Devil Wears Prada. I am aware that most people saw this movie weeks (months?) ago, but I really didn't even know what it was about. (Obviously haven't read the book either.) I really enjoyed it, and have caught myself thinking of bits of the plot during the past few days. It is definitly one to rent or buy and watch again.

Stitches Midwest

We made it to Stitches last Saturday! It was lots of fun, because of all the fibery goodness and also because I got to spend some quality time with my Mom.

First of all, it was no where near as packed as I was expecting. In fact, it was probably the least crowded event I have ever attended at the Rosemont Convention center. For some reason I was expecting it to be a madhouse. That's not to say it wasn't busy - just not insane.

We were both pretty conservative with our purchases, although I saw a ton of stuff I would have loved to buy. We have already decided that next year we need to arrive more prepared with specific yarn amounts and types for projects. We both have a hard time randomly buying yarn without a purpose, even if it is a good deal. (A few vendors had full bags of yarn on sale; and WEBS was there.)

Here is what I went home with:





Three kits for felted flowers, (since I had just mentioned to her how I would like to have a vase of knitted flowers in the living room when we came across the kits), a ball of Rowan Calmer (for the Shedir hat in the special breast cancer awareness edition of Knitty), a ball of Trekking 106 (for me), a skein of Socks that Rock in Spring Fling (for me), another skein in smoky Topaz (a gift for my husband's aunt), and two patterns: Baby Bobbi Bear, and Fibertrend's Felted Hedgehogs.

Mom cut me off on sock yarn purchases since I have too much already - but they are just so easy to buy since you know exactly how much yarn you need and the colors are fab.

Just for fun, here is a gratuitous cat in the sun photo to go along with the yarn.

Almost the Weekend.

I think this seriously has been the fastest week ever. Probably because I have been really busy at work, and need to finish a few different projects by tomorrow. Sheesh, time's flyin' and I'm not even having fun!

Last weekend we went to the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis. It was H-O-T, but still lots of fun. We didn't really take many photos, but here is one of us that I look kind of bizarre in so I will keep it small:





As for knitting, I ripped out the three inches or so I had completed on my Diamonique top after realizing that my gauge was off so much that the finished product could hold two of me. I have restarted on smaller needles, but there is no way it is going to be finished to wear to Stitches Midwest this weekend as I hoped.

Speaking of...my mom and I are going to the Stitches market on Saturday, and I'm sure I'll have lots of good stuff to write about afterwards!

Happy Birthday to Mom (and me)!

This past Saturday was my Moms birthday. I made her a knit beaded bracelet from an Earthfaire kit (the "crystal plus" bead soup kit).





(I also got a bead soup bracelet kit for myself and a kit for MaryElla from Knitty. I couldn't resist!)

I have never knit anything with beads before, let alone beads on thread with size 0 needles, but the bracelet was very easy. The instructions from Earthfaire were great - the hardest part was stringing the beads onto the thread in a "random" order! I kept thinking about to too much an agonizing over which one to use next.

Yesterday was my birthday. It was pretty uneventful, but nice. I had to work of course, but was treated to lunch by my coworkers. I received fabulous gifts from both my parents and husband, include a subscription of Interweave knits, Mason-Dixon Knitting, Lois and Clark Season 2, and three Nintendo DS games: Electroplankton, Magnetica, Super Princess Peach. Too much fun. =)





Also, I purchased tickets for Stitches Midwest. Only 10 days more to wait! I have been trying to make it for the last three years, but things have always come up. However now that I am living only a few miles away from the convention center nothing is going to stop me!