my motto (well, one of them, anyway)

"never deny someone the opportunity to do something nice for you."

i read that years ago in some email forward and have tried hard to live by it. it's hard sometimes, cuz i can be a real proud lion (i'm a leo, ya know). but when one of my exes asked me for my work address so he could send me something for valentine's day, i obliged. first of all because i wanted to continue to uphold my motto and secondly because i'm a sucker for a gift or surprise (as long as it's good).

so in talking with this particular ex on tuesday afternoon, he let me know to expect a delivery at my office on v-day. i'm like, "well, um, i doubt i'll be at work tomorrow because of weather and all that." we got off the phone and he called me back later saying i should expect a delivery at home on v-day. okaaaaay. yesterday afternoon there was a knock at the door and a beautiful bouquet of flowers was handed to me. see?


it was a sweet gesture, and like i told him, "it's about damn time!" yeah i know it sounds mean but there's some history behind that. it's a long story.

turns out that he couldn't stop the original delivery that he set up to come to my office, or hell, maybe he chose not to, i don't know. but today i got these (please overlook my messy office):


i love flowers. and this year, not having a valentine was okay after all. especially since i think some chocolate covered strawberries may be en route to me too. ;-)

thank you. you know who you are.

Happy early Valentine's Day

mz is feeling particularly lovey-dovey this Valentine's week, so i thought i'd share this original pattern design with you. a little late, perhaps, to knit it up in time for the big day, but i suppose if you knit fast, or knit it with big needles and chunky yarn, you'll whip it up in no time. in any case, enjoy it!


Chained Hearts Scarf
(a mzundercover original)


Yarn: Plymouth Galway 100% Worsted Weight Wool

Gauge: US 8 = 5 sts/in (but it's a scarf so gauge isn't critical)

Finished measurements:

60” long, 4” wide

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cast on 21 stitches.

Work 4 rows of seed stitch: k1, p1 to end of row

Row 1: (k1, p1) twice, place marker, k1, yo, k2tog, k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, sl1, k1, psso, yo, k1, place marker, (p1, k1) twice.

Row 2 (and all even numbered rows): (k1, p1) twice, purl across to marker, (p1, k1) twice.

Row 3: (k1, p1) twice, k2, *yo, k2tog twice, pass first stitch over the second, yo, k3*. Repeat between *s across row and END LAST REPEAT: k2 (instead of k3), (p1, k1) twice.

Row 5: (k1, p1) twice, k2, k2tog, yo, k5, yo, sl1, k1, psso, k2, (p1, k1) twice.

Row 7: (k1, p1) twice, k1, k2tog, yo, k7, yo, sl1, k1, psso, k1, (p1, k1) twice.

Row 9: (k1, p1) twice, k2tog, yo, k9, yo, sl1, k1, psso, (p1, k1) twice.

Row 10: (k1, p1) twice, purl across to marker, (p1, k1) twice.

Repeat these rows until scarf is 60” or desired length. Work 4 rows of seed stitch. Bind off in pattern.

Block to size.

Keep in mind that this is stockinette, and the scarf may have a tendency to curl in half (lengthwise) for some reason, probably due to the nature of the lace pattern. I suggest blocking the hell out of it, or maybe trying it in garter stitch, which I've been meaning to test forEVER, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Feel free to be the guinea pig, and let me know how yours turns out.

[The pattern stitch used in this scarf is based on "Valentine" from Adventures in Knitting: More than 100 Patterns, from Easy to Intricate by Barbara Aytes (1968)]

mz explains why she can't go a year without buying yarn

okay so i went to wal-mart last night to pick up a few odds and ends that i needed...freezer bags, the plastic shrink-wrap for my drafty windows, batteries...just random stuff. of course i couldn't resist the urge to swing past the craft area to look at yarn and a few super saver skeins of red heart jumped into my cart. no problem really because they were all colors that would complement other projects that are either in progress or on deck for this year. so i went merrily on my way.

as i was wandering around some section of the store (can't remember now), i passed an endcap with big, huge, gigantic skeins of mainstay yarn (which i thought WM had discontinued). there were a few colors including lavender, black, blue, yellow and this weird white that really looked like an extremely pale gray. they were on sale for $3.96 each. i checked the yardage and it was over EIGHT HUNDRED YARDS (891.75, to be precise). i kid you not. 5 of these jumped in my cart too. i mean, how could i leave 'em in the store?! that's almost 4,500 yard of yarn. enough, as my momma would say, to sink a battleship. here's proof:


moral of the story: if you just -happen- to be at your local walmart, and you just -happen- to see this yarn on clearance, and some of it just -happens- to jump into your cart, it doesn't count as S-E-X. it counts as yarn rescue, which, in my book, is an act of charity. i hereby declare myself the founder of the YArn Rescue Network (YARN). knit on.

in other news, get a look at my adorable baby nephew in his new hat:


i am SO happy that it FITS!!! i was all worried that it would be way too big, but see? there was nothing to worry about after all. YAY! auntie is gooooooooooood. i deserve a pat on the back :-)

another FO...i'm on a roll!

not too long ago my SIL asked me to knit a hat for my baby nephew, and of course i said "okay!" and of course, i had to go out and buy some yarn, which i happily did. i picked up 2 skeins of bernat softee chunky ... one red and one gray. because you already know, of course, that the baby nephew is an ohio state fan (GO BUCKEYES!). okay so i got my cushy new yarn, and my dpns and set out to design a hat for him. this is what i came up with:



and here's what the top looks like (boy i always love the way crown decreases look!):

and of course, i've already cast on for another one in a bigger size. like i said, remind me to figure out the pattern and write it down so i can share it with y'all!

stash knitting 2007

some of my online knitting friends have gone crazy, i mean, have decided to NOT BUY YARN for the whole year. i'm not jumping on that bandwagon, but i really am trying to make an effort to knit from stash as much as possible. last night i spent some time dividing my yarn up into projects. i have a bag full of rainbow yarns so i can make a "tesselating fish" afghan. if you don't already have the pattern, i found it here: http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-hPoyIeslcqobrefmpVg-?cq=1&p=7. print it before it's gone again! i love the pattern but i already know that i'll hate stitching all those little fish together. this is likely going into my "baby stash" so we'll just call it a big ol' labor of love.

there is also a blanket pattern in a book called "adorable crochet for babies and toddlers" that i want to make. it is made of squares with a heart motif in the middle (check out the table of contents: http://tinyurl.com/25mb8x. the picture is small but you'll get the general idea...it's called "cross your heart"). i put yarns into a big bag for this project too. i'm using a blue variegated, some purple, some lavender, a bit of turquoise and some white. i -may- have to go buy some yarn for this if i run out but we'll cross that bridge when it comes. i also put the book into the bag so that i can remember which project that yarn is for :-) again, baby stash. now if i can only find a husband and get pregnant...

i'm nearly finished with a hat for my 4-month-old baby nephew. it's red with a gray brim (he's an ohio state fan, even though he doesn't know it yet), and done in garter stitch in the round. i'm in the middle of doing the decreases for the crown. i kinda think it'll be too big but the good thing about babies is that they GROW! anyway, i completely made up this pattern and started knitting it on friday night. i'm not even sure i could replicate it again LOL if i can, though, maybe i'll whip up another one for my other baby nephew (who's about 3-ish months older than the baby baby nephew hahahaha). that one will be gray with a red brim. and, once i figure out the pattern, i think i'll post it here. remind me in case i forget. y'all know i got swiss cheese for brains, sometimes.

first FO of 2007

i am so happy that i've finished the besotted scarf for my baby brother!!!! i've been working on it since about august. isn't it beautiful?