first package from my sp!!!

Hey SP, look what came in the mail today! :) I was home to greet our mailman with your package. :) I had a feeling that it was going to arrive today!! Thank you sooooooooooooo very much for all the goodies!
When I first wanted to try out sockknitting, I thought about getting the socks soar on two circulars book but didn't. I did get the Queen Kahuna's Crazy Toes and Heels book (which I was actually leafing through last night!). I will definitely give either socks on two circs or the magic loop a try--I just couldn't tell you when. :P
I have to tell you that when I was on Amazon the other night, I was looking @ sock stuff for my downstream sp and I considered getting her the Cat Bordhi book too! I hadn't seen the other book before, Socks: The next step. I started looking through that one and thought.."now we're talking..exactly what I need, pictures!" ;) Once I get all these other projects out of the way (thermal, ISE4 scarf, traveling vines scarf, etc!), I am definitely going to give sockknitting another go. I do like the idea of starting a pair and finishing them @ the same time. That's my problem. :(
Thank you for the kp circs! :) I've never been gifted with needles before until now! :) What a treat! Thank you for the reese's peanut butter cups..they're now in the freezer as we speak. :) And thank you for the green tea scented soap!
Now the yarn! Ohhhhh, I have been eyeing some koigu kppm and now I don't need to eyeball the stuff anymore because I've got some..two whole skeins which I know are going to go towards my first pair of socks on circs. :) The colourway is so pretty and springlike, don't you think?

and this makes 4

See this ball of yarn? It arrived Thursday evening (earlier than I had expected in fact!!) It's my yarn for ISE4. I expected the color to be a bit richer. It's called sangria (100% pure alpaca), does it look like sangria to you?
Here's what said ball of yarn started to turn into as I began the first pattern repeat of the persephone scarf. I'm not in love with how things are coming along and I think it's because of the yarn color. :( I'm going to give it another go and do one more pattern repeat and take it from there.
And what's all of this you say? I thought I'd show you where I keep all my current knitting projects. lol. On the couch because that's usually where I sit to knit. Persephone has joined the bunch but when I took this pic, she wasn't in her proper place. I need to finish something so that I can spend more time on her. It's either going to be the traveling vines scarf or my so-called scarf because there's no way I'm going to be able to finish thermal that quickly! I haven't even made it to the neck placket yet. I've done almost 9 inches of the waffle stitch pattern and I think I'm going to do 6 more inches (maybe!) so that the neckline isn't so low cut on me. The pattern says to do 12 inches and I emailed ms. cosmicplutoknits and she suggested lengthening the body to whatever desired length and then dividing the stitches up for the neck placket. Thanks Laura! :) So that is what I'm going to try out. I just hope I have enough yarn!
I decided today to frog a wip. I frogged my cable wrap which I started way back in October 9of last year!) and didn't get around to finishing. Oh well. There was no emotional connection there.
So now my oldest project on the needles are those widdershins. Ay yi yi. Expect to see those in the sidebar for a bit longer. Like I said, I need to finish some of these bigger projects first!
Would you believe I haven't knit a dishcloth since the lacy diamonds cloth? I've been wanting to cast on for a hob nail cloth for myself. I saw this really cute pattern for a stained glass cloth as well! Sigh...can't some of my projects magically finish themselves??? Then I'd have more time for the other ones.

Made Especially for my sp!

It's my downstream sp10 pal's bday on April 1st. I made her this card yesterday and sent it out today. I hope she gets it in time. I'm still deciding on a bday gift to send her in addition to the sp stuff! She's going to be one spoiled gal!

the little niece that could..or just call me cutie pie

I have to tell you that when I first saw my niece (who I haven't seen since New Year's Day), I didn't recognize the kid. I said, "She doesn't look like herself." The pic from my a sneak peek post, is close to the time when she first woke up last Friday morning. So how did this kid turn into this:It's amazing, if you ask me! Here she is with my sister, after she had breakfast Friday morning. Here she is in our parents' bedroom being a lil ham. She can hold her head up now! :) What is this face, you ask? My dad taught my niece how to say 'pfft.' It's pretty funny watching her make this face and say 'pfft.' That's me in the background! How my dad taught her that, I'll never know. Here's my future lil knitter with knitting needle in hand sitting on my sister's lap. Here she is inspecting my work thus far. Tasty, isn't it!
Teething. Can't you tell?
One of my favorite shots.
She's holding her own bottle. :) Sleeping, in her auntie's arms (that would be me!) :)

knitting progress and a special gift!

I haven't had a chance to share the goodies I received in the mail last Thursday from AR! :) She sent me not one but two super cool soaps in socks. :) And they smell so fresh and clean! :D Thanks again, AR! :) Well, as of last night, I had roughly 7.5 inches completed of the waffle stitch portion of the body of my thermal. I was hoping to get all 12 inches completed (which is how much I should have done before starting the neck placket) but that didn't happen. And I'm not going to work on thermal tonight because I need a thermal break. ;) Here's my so-called scarf as of this morning. As of about 4pm (pacific time!), I have completed the first skein and will eventually add on the second skein. It's pretty long. I measured it with my second favorite knitting accessory, my tape measure, and before I finished the first skein it was at least 40 inches in length. Typically, I like my scarves to be at least 55 inches long. I think I'm going to have some leftover yarn..wonder what I'll use it for! :)
Now that my so-called scarf is nearly completed, I think I'm going to split my time between thermal and my traveling vines scarf. The pattern calls for 20 pattern repeats but I think I'm going to make mine a bit longer. I'm due to begin my fifteenth pattern repeat so I'm gonna keep going until I think it's long enough so that I use up the yarn.

my favorite knitting accessory

It was a toss-up between this:
and this: But in the end, it is my crochet hook that wins the award for favorite knitting accessory. Yes, I brought both of them with me when I went to see my niece. Yes, I used both of them while visiting said niece but the crochet hook got the most usage by far. Not only can it hold stitches, but it is a prime tool for fixing twisted stitches, turning purls into knits, knits into purls, and for picking up stitches when necessary. I love my crochet hook. This is actually the one I use the most. I love its color and I love its many uses!

a sneak peek

I got to spend my weekend with this lil cutie. :) more pics to come! :) And some knitting progress!

post-happy!

Well, I was just over here where I saw this. I don't know if anyone else would be interested but I thought it was a cool idea. I have pen pals but many of them are non-knitters. I can't seem to get enough of knitters via blogs, messagboards, or emails that we trade back and forth! I like getting writing and receiving letters from knitters too! :) So if you're interested, sign up! The deadline is next Friday. :)
I also came on here to get opinions on this: It's from elann and I was thinking of using this stuff for the scarf I will be making for my ISE sp. What do you guys think? I haven't worked with this stuff before and am not sure if anyone else has since it's new. I know it's going to shed all over the place for one thing. The pattern I am thinking of using is persephone. I know that marie used highland silk but I haven't done the research to see what the gauge difference would be between the highland silk and this atacama yet. Advice much appreciated! :)

I got a swift!!! (and other news)

My swift came today. No pics of it just yet because it's already dark and I don't have any yarn that needs winding. :( I can't wait to use it! I also found out who my sp is for ISE 4. I had no idea what kind of scarf I was going to make for my partner but judging from her responses to the questionnaire, I so know what I'm going to make her now. :) I just need to get the yarn..I wonder who got me..and what kind of scarf they're going to make for me! When I first answered the questionnaire, I didn't care if the scarf was cable or lace but now I'm kinda leaning towards wanting a lace one just because I can now appreciate the intricacies of a nice lace pattern. :) I got a new client at work yesterday. I'm telling you all, there are a lot of 'well-known' people that send their children to where I work. I was trying to figure out if my latest clients were affiliated at all with the movie-industry. They're not but dad's family apparently created a popular juice brand that's on the market. My new client is an absolute doll. She doesn't come close to the princess or the gal who says she's going to be at the Academy Awards next year because maybe her mom will make a movie this year that will get nominated! I'll be going to see my niece (for the first time since January!!!) this weekend so I'll have some new pics to share of her when I get back. I was working on thermal today (and my so-called scarf!) and I so want to finish it already! I feel like a fire has been lit under my you know what-but you wouldn't really know it since here I am just talking about that fire instead of doing something about it!! Right now my focus is definitely on it though because I'd like to get the neck placket complete. I'm in the midst of the easy part. Maybe when I get back from visiting my niece I'll be done with the placket--that's wishful thinking. I have to have 12 inches knitted before I start dividing up for the neckline placket and I'm only at about 2.5 if not 3 and it's Tuesday night. We'll see how it goes. I also want to finish the first skein of yarn for my so-called scarf. I'm not too far off. Robyn is my sp10 hostess (and an online knitting friend!) and the latest contest for our group is to post about what is our favorite knitting accessory...What is yours? I am going to leave you with that thought in mind because I haven't quite yet decided what my favorite knitting accessory is but when I do, I'll definitely tell you all about it. :)

progress

I finally left the land of twisted ribbing and have now entered the land of waffle stitch. Now that winter has returned (who knows for how long!) maybe that'll give me the incentive to knit faster and get this done quicker!! Wishful thinking. :)
Here's my so-called scarf so far. I had much more completed and then somehow I made a mistake and when I ripped back to correct it, it seemed as though I had to go a bit further back than I thought. No big deal. I tried to knit this while @ the drive-in. Are you laughing at me yet?? I wanted to see "Premonition" with Sandra Bullock and Julian McMahon but we had already missed part of it. All of the movies had already started once we got to the drive-in actually. Out of all the movies that they would be showing after the main movies though, the only one I wanted to see was "Bridge to Terabithia." We had no idea which screen was going to show it! We knew that the "Premonition" screen wasn't going to have it or the one showing '300' so it had to be 1 of the other two screens that were left. We decided it was going to be shown on the screen that was showing 'Dead Silence' so we watched the rest of that (can you believe it??) and the movie that started after it turned out to be Norbit! We managed to find our way to the screen that was going to show "Bridge to Terabithia" and I really liked it. I didn't read it as a child but now I think I want to read it to see if the book and movie were at all similar. Oh yeah, I saw the ending of "Premonition" so we didn't watch it from the beginning because I already knew how it was going to end. :o And throughout all of that, I kept trying to knit on my scarf and was quite unsuccessful. You can't turn the light on in your car without disturbing some other car you know?? Oh well. Now I know for next time that knitting and the drive-in don't necessarily mix!

stitch markers

I worked on these Wednesday night. I need to get some more beads! There are a few bead shops in the fashion district downtown that I pass by every Tuesday and Thursday morning while I'm driving to the school I work at on those days and I think next Thursday I'm finally going to check them out. :) They've been calling to me ever since I first discovered them. Yesterday, I saw a 'new' one that I had yet to notice. I can't wait!

Books

I don't remember whose blog I saw this first, but I know there are a few out so here's mine. :) Instructions: In the list of books below, bold the ones you’ve read, italicize the ones you want to read, cross out the ones you won’t touch with a ten-foot pole, put a cross (+) by the ones on your book shelf, and asterisk (*) the ones you’ve never heard of. 1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown) 2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) 3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee) 4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell) 5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)+ 6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)+ 7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien) 8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery) 9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon) 10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry) 11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling) 12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown) ~~~ started, but never finished 13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling) 14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving) 15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden) 16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling) 17. Fall on Your Knees(Ann-Marie MacDonald) 18. The Stand (Stephen King) 19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Rowling) 20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) 21. The Hobbit (Tolkien) read to me by my 4th grade teacher--does that count? 22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger) 23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) 24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold) 25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel) attempted but didn't complete 26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) book on tape during a roadtrip to Yosemite. 27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) 28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis) 29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)**one of my favorite Steinbeck novels. 30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom) 31. Dune (Frank Herbert) 32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks) 33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand) 34. 1984 (Orwell) 35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley) * 36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett) * 37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay) * 38. I Know This Much is True(Wally Lamb) 39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant) * 40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho) 41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel) 42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini) 43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella) 44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom) 45. Bible - have read parts but can't say I've read it completely 46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy) 47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas) 48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt) 49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck) 50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb) 51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver) 52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens) 53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card) * 54. Great Expectations (Dickens) 55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald) 56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence) * 57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling) 58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough) 59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood) 60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger) 61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) 62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand) * 63. War and Peace (Tolstoy) 64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice) 65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis) 66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)+ 67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares) 68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller) started 69. Les Miserables (Hugo) 70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery) 71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding) 72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez) started 73. Shogun (James Clavell) 74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje) 75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett) 76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay) 77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith) 78. The World According To Garp (John Irving) 79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence) 80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White) 81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley) 82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck) 83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier) 84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind) 85. Emma (Jane Austen) 86. Watership Down(Richard Adams) again, read to me by my 4th grade teacher 87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley) 88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields) 89. Blindness (Jose Saramago) 90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer) 91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje) 92. Lord of the Flies (Golding) 93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck) 94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd) started but couldn't get into it 95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum) 96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton) 97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch) ~~~ saw the movie though... 98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford) 99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield) 100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Knitting Book List

I found this on smariek's blog. :) This is only a partial list of the thousands of knitting books, how-to's and fiction available. Copy the list to your blog HIGHLIGHT the ones you own or have borrowed from the library, * the ones on your Wish List, change color to red on the ones not worth the money. Note alongside anyone that is very special to you, or that you use most often. Have FUN 1. Died in the Wool: A Knitting Mystery by Mary Kruger 2. Knit One, Kill Two (Knitting Mystery) by Maggie Sefton 3. Needled to Death (Knitting Mysteries) by Maggie Sefton 4. the Friday Night Knitting CLub by Kate Jacobs 5. The Knitting Circle: A Novel by Ann Hood 6. A Deadly Yarn: A Knitting Mystery by Maggie Sefton 7. Knitting: A Novel by Anne Bartlett 8. The Shop On Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber 9. A Good yarn by Debbie Macomber 10. Mason-Dixon Knitting: The Curious Knitters' Guide: Stories, Patterns, Advice, Opinions, Questions, Answers, Jokes, and Pictures by Kay Gardiner 11. Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee 12. One Skein: 30 Quick Projects to Knit and Crochet by Leigh Radford 13. Wendy Knits: My Never-Ending Adventures in Yarn by Wendy D. Johnson 14. At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee 15. Knitting Rules!: The Yarn Harlot's Bag of Knitting Tricks by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee 16. Knitting Vintage Socks: New Twists on Classic Patterns by Nancy Bush 17. One-Skein Wonders by Judith Durant 18. Knit 2 Together: Patterns and Stories for Serious Knitting Fun by Tracey Ullman 19. Arctic Lace: Knitting Projects and Stories Inspired by Alaska's Native Knitters by Donna Druchunas 20. Knitting Around by Elizabeth Zimmermann 21. Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmermann 22. Knitting Without Tears: Basic Techniques and Easy-to-Follow Directions for Garments to Fit All Sizes (Knitting Without Tears SL 466) by Elizabeth Zimmermann 23. Knitting from the Top by Barbara G. Walker 24. The Opinionated Knitter by Elizabeth Zimmermann 25. Sweater Workshop by Jacqueline Fee 26. *Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Workshop by Elizabeth Zimmermann 27. A Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara G. Walker 28. Knitting Beyond the Edge: Cuffs and Collars*Necklines*Hems*Closures - The Essential Collection of Decorative Finishes by Nicky Epstein 29. Victorian Lace Today by Jane Sowerby 30. Cables Untangled: An Exploration of Cable Knitting by Melissa Leapman 31. Lace Style: Traditional to Innovative, 21 Inspired Designs to Knit by Pam Allen 32. ** A Gathering of Lace by Meg Swansen 33. Knitting Under the Influence (Paperback) by Claire LaZebnik 34. Not Tonight Darling, I'm Knitting by Betty Hosegood 35. Knitting Nature: 39 Designs Inspired by Patterns in Nature by Norah Gaughan and Thayer Allyson Gowdy 36. The Knitting Experience: Book 2: The Purl Stitch (Knitting Experience Series) by Sally Melville 37. The Knitting Experience: Book 3: Color (The Knitting Experience) by Sally Melville 38. The Knitters Book of Finishing Techniques by Nancie M. Wiseman 39. The Knitting Answer Book: Solutions to Every Problem You'll Ever Face; Answers to Every Question You'll Ever Ask by Margaret Radcliffe 40. The Knitting Experience: Book 1: The Knit Stitch (The Knitting Experience) (Paperback) by Sally Melville 41. 440 More Knitting Stitches - Volume 3 (Harmony Guides) by Harmony Guide Staff 42. 250 Creative Knitting Stitches - Volume 4 (Harmony Guides) by Harmony Guide Staff 43. Knitting Techniques - Volume 1 (Harmony Guides) by Harmony Guide Staff 44. 220 Aran Stitches and Patterns - Volume 5 (Harmony Guides) by Harmony Guide Staff 45. *Big Book of Knitting Stitch Patterns by Inc. Sterling Publishing Co. 46. 450 Knitting Stitches - Volume 2 (Harmony Guides) 47. Weekend Knitting: 50 Unique Projects and Ideas by Melanie Falick and Ericka McConnell 48. Knitting With Balls: A Hands-On Guide to Knitting for the Modern Man by Michael Del 49. A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara G. Walker 50. *Charted Knitting Designs: A Third Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara G. Walker 51. A Fourth Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara G. Walker 52. The Baby Knits Book: The Ultimate Collection of Knitwear Designs for Newborns to 3-Year-Olds by Debbie Bliss 53. Special Knits for Babies: 22 Gorgeous Handknits for Babies by Debbie Bliss 54. The Yarn Girls' Guide to Kid Knits: Patterns for Babies and Toddlers by Julie Carles 55. *Quick Baby Knits: Over 25 Quick and Easy Designs for 0-3 year olds by Debbie Bliss 56. Baby Knits for Beginners by Debbie Bliss 57. Knitting Color: Design Inspiration from Around the World by Brandon Mably and Kaffe Fasset 58. Knitting Heaven and Earth: Healing the Heart with Craft by Susan Gordon Lydon 59. Yarnplay by Lisa Shobhana Mason 60. Natural Knits for Babies and Moms: Beautiful Designs Using Organic Yarns 61. Simply Baby by Debbie Bliss 62. Itty-Bitty Hats: cute and cuddly caps to knit for babies and toddlers by Susan B. Anderson 63. Knitting for Baby: 30 Heirloom Projects with Complete How-to-Knit Instructions by Melanie Falick 64. Special Knits for Babies: 22 Gorgeous Handknits for Babies by Debbie Bliss 65. Folk Shawls cheryl oberle 66. Folk Socks Nancy Bush 67. Folk Vests Cheryl Oberle 68. Stahmans Shawls and Scarves Myrna Stahman 69. Fitted Knits Japel 70. Twinles Big City Knits Wenlan 71. Big Girl Knits Moreno (Paperback) by Louisa Harding

as promised, some knitting progress!

Well, this is what my so-called scarf is looking like these days. I've lost count of how many times I've frogged and restarted the scarf. I'm a bit of a loose knitter and I thought going down a size would be wise. Boy was I wrong! I started out with 10's and the stitching was just way too tight. I moved up to 10.5's with a cast on of 26 or 28 and I wasn't happy with the width of the scarf @ all. I casted on some 11's the other night and I'm much happier now. I should've started with them in the first place. You live, you learn! Oh, I have to tell you that even though I said I was going to have a no knit evening, that didn't happen. I couldn't resist. While I watched "What About Brian?" I worked on my so-called scarf (the final re-cast on of it!) and I did one row of ribbing on my thermal.
Speaking of which, here's what it looks right now. Didn't I tell you it was going to be a long haul?? I have to tell you that it takes me at least a half hour to do one entire row of ribbing. I'm actually almost through with the twisted ribbing and just might be entering the waffle stitch phase of the top maybe by the weekend? Who knows. I used to despise this continuous ribbing that I have to do but it doesn't bug me as much as when I first began. I've gotten the hang of it and it doesn't tire out my hand/arm like it did when I first started.
And here, my pièce de résistance, is my traveling vines scarf. :) This is the point I'm at with it right now. I wish I could just knit all day long so that I could finish it and block it! Below is a close-up of the details. I can't wait to see it blocked!
Okay, I'm off to watch The Holiday with my sister. Before I go, I need to respond to some comments because I don't have these commenters' email addresses! knottykitty, we did not see the lorakeets-we didn't go into where the birds were but I know exactly where that was. I remember you telling me that you lived in Monterey. I think I like that aquarium better--plus it's the one I grew up with. And, they have a much bigger jellyfish exhibit. Also, they now have a shark! And to Ren, I wish we had another set of those dishes! My sister and I picked them out when we first moved in together. We like that they're break-resistant! lol.

sister's bday weekend

Well, this past weekend was my sister's bday weekend. We started the weekend off by going to the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific. It was the first time we had ever been in Long Beach(!) and the first time we had ever been to the aquarium there which is supposed to be one of the largest in the country. I wonder how it compares to the Monterey Bay Aquarium..In any case, here are some pics from the aquarium!
The first pic is this creepy fish that was hanging out with sand dollars! Apparently, these sand dolalrs can be found off of Redondo Beach Canyon (which isn't very far from us!).


The next pic is of an eel poppin' its head of some lil' spot and a crab.




Next is a soon-to-be shark hatchling in it's swell case!





Then we've got a GIANT manta ray.





The pic that is bright green is of these lil fishies that pop their heads in and out of the sand. They reminded me of Slimey, the worm from Sesame Street!



Next is the best pic I could possibly take of a cute lil otter eating lunch! :)




And here we have a lionfish! There was another weird fish in the tank with it (and it's relatives) but I didn't get a good pic of them).



The last aquarium pic I will share with you all is of a cute lil seahorse which I thought was stuck but it was just hanging out!


We had a good time at the aquarium. Nearby was a lil shopping area so we went into Borders (I needed to go to the bathroom really bad!) and we picked up a ton of books. My sister had brought her two Borders gift cards which totaled like $150 combined! She got me The Friday Night Knitting Club as an early bday gift. I also picked out a few books by Elizabeth Noble and my sister got an Anita Shreve book.
After we grabbed some food, we proceeded to search for the two yarn shops I wanted to hit. We found out one of them is no longer in existence (or maybe it moved, who knows!) but that was okay because I really wanted to go to Alamitos Bay Yarn Company. This shop is going to be right up there for me with unwind and stitch cafe. As soon as I walked through the door, I was hit with new stock of lace yarns (colinette, fiddlesticks, etc). All I picked up some brown sheep cotton fleece for the green gable that I plan to start at some point! I haven't even gone into the location of Alamitos Bay Yarn Co. It is right on the pier/dock! I will definitely be returning to that shop--I just wish it wasn't so far away! :(
There was some knitting accomplished, just no pics yet! I casted on for a my so-called scarf the other day while my fiance was watching The Inside Man and it took me the entire movie to finally get my stitches right! :P I wasn't happy with the width though. I'm using 10.5's. I recasted on yesterday and knitted a bit but might frog what I've got so far and knit on some 11's.
I've been making some headway with my traveling vines scarf! I'm a bit more than halfway through with it. I might make it longer though we'll see. I also did a bit of knitting on my thermal! I'm taking a no-knitting night so that I can catch up on other stuff so I will try to post some much needed progress shots tomorrow. :) Happy Daylight Savings Time!

What Season Are You?

AR had this up on her blog. I knew I'd get Spring. :) I'm a Spring baby!

You Belong in Spring

Optimistic, lively, and almost always happy with the world... You can truly appreciate the blooming nature of spring. Whether you're planting flowers or dyeing Easter eggs, spring is definitely your season!

What Season Are You?

ho hum

Well, today was my model lesson at the school in the Valley and it only went okay. It's my own fault because I didn't come completely prepared to do a 45 min. lesson. I was under the impression that it was only going to be a half hour. I could've put more into it but you know what? I didn't make the time to put more into it. I was busy with my current job (yes, my part-time job!). I sat down with the principal and she told me that she was disappointed. She expected more out of me. Kinda hard to give someone more when you're not really sure what would be an appropriate 45 min. lesson. I thought of other things to do with them but I have to tell you, I'm not used to doing a model lesson in a room where there are...7 other adults watching!! Yes, 7. There was the teacher who is going to be the co-teacher, the principal, the head of school, the current teachers in the class, and two other people who I have no idea who they were. One of them introduced herself to me. I think if I had known what I was walking into in advance, I could've done a better job. Oh well. I've been going back and forth with the idea of moving to the Valley. Could I really leave the nice cool breeze I get here on the Westside for the hot smoggy valley? Who knows.
So, to lick my wounds, I went to Stitch Cafe. :) I figured some yarn therapy was necessary. It's a cute lil shop. I met Megan who I think is the co-owner? I'm not sure. Oh, there was so much yarn! They had noro, manos, malabrigo, their own hand-dyed stuff, rowan, cascade, etc. Here's what I came away with: My first purchase of some manos (ever!). The colorway is...118 mulled wine. I was thinking the my so-called scarf but we'll see what I end up making. I really liked the malabrigo as well but couldn't pick out a color!
Traffic was awful coming back 'over the hill' (another good reason why I shouldn't work in the Valley and live on the Westside). I decided to swing by Yarns Unlimited before heading home because I still wasn't feeling any better. :P That didn't help much but I learned that she now carries Sugar and Cream yarn there so that's nice to know.
This picture is of what I made for dinner last night. I got the recipe from Ruth who got it from here. :) The recipe calls for chicken wings. I had to use chicken tenderloins because my sister said we couldn't fit anymore stuff in our freezer. I thought it came out all right. I will definitely be making this dish again but with wings!! Okay, I need to go eat. Food always makes me feel better. :) Thanks for listening!

goodies!

When I got home from work (about an hour ago-we had a staff meeting), a box was waiting for me outside my screen door. This is what I found inside my box. And here's what all those goodies turned out to be, unwrapped. :)First of all, I received this better than awesome package from jenn. I absolutely love everything that she picked out for me. :)
First of all, the background for all of the pics are pieces of really cool paper she picked out for me for cardmaking. In the last pic, you can see the other side of the papers which I didn't even notice until after I finished taking pics of everything! Okay, first is my favorite of all, the handmade book she made for me with goldfish/koi all over. I adore it. :) I haven't a clue yet as to what I'm going to put in it but I know that it should be something very special. Next up, is this really cool Icelandic tweed yarn, yummy ginger goodies-chews and ginger spread. I had no idea there was a ginger spread. I can't wait to try it!! I also received some lavender foam bath, some kiss my face soap, and lastly a bar of dark chocolate with berries and vanilla. Yum!! I'm so glad that I met Jenn. She definitely spoiled me to no end and I am extremely grateful. So grateful that words can't even express how giddy I feel!