charity knitting 2009

earlier today, i was surfing ravelry and searched for groups that focus on charity knitting & crocheting. i found one called the bridge project (ravelry link), which focuses on providing warm items (hats, scarves, gloves/mittens) to homeless people who live under bridges in central ohio. remember that i said i specifically wanted my efforts to benefit people locally and i thought this was a perfect way to do that. the goal is to provide at least 100 scarves and 100 hats, but hopefully this will be an ongoing effort. in addition to hats and scarves, i may also consider knitting socks as well, since y'all know sock knitting is one of my passions :-)

in any case, i'm happy to have decided on a charity project and i can't WAIT to get started. for more info, and keep tabs on how many items have been made and donated so far, check out the blog.


~mz

plans for 2009

last week i decided that 2009 will be the year that i actually DO some charity knitting and not just TALK about doing charity knitting. to facilitate this plan, i also decided that every friday will be dedicated to ONLY charity knitting. some of my knitting friends and i meet up for knitting on most fridays anyway, so i already have chunks of time set aside. by the end of this year i will identify and contact an organization who would like to receive hand knits. although i'm not opposed to doing this for a regional or national organization, i'd rather that this effort be directed to giving back on a local level. so far i'm interested in:

Homeless Families Foundation: a family shelter in Columbus, Ohio which provides shelter and support services for homeless families and an extensive tutoring and enrichment program for homeless and at-risk school age children.

Nationwide Children's Hospital

i'll keep y'all posted on other organizations that make my list, and which one i ultimately choose!

~mz

christmas crafting

as you all may remember, a few years ago i started a "tradition" of making dishcloths for my mom. earlier this year i had the bright idea of making cloths with a "snowflake" theme. so yeah, it's like 2 weeks until christmas and i've only got one cloth done. here it is:



i think this one is more doily-like but still very pretty. i wouldn't be surprised if this one never sees water! anyway, i'm working on another and would like to give her a set of 6 for christmas. think i can make the deadline? i live in hope!!

~mz

yeah, so, about the kitty ...

i took tiger to the vet a couple weeks ago and she checked out just fine. BUT. last week she all of a sudden stopped using her litterbox, and was using my bathroom floor (and occasionally the livingroom carpet) as her own personal bathroom. i thought she was mad at me about something! after asking other cat people i know (and of course a little internet research) i figured out that maybe she has a urinary tract infection. so back to the vet we went. BUT. it was just my luck that i couldn't get a pee sample from her when i freakin' NEEDED one! anyway, vet prescribed a liquid antibiotic. you ever try to give meds to a cat? not fun. the first couple of days my neighbor came to help. yes, it took both of us to get the meds in. she held the cat and got her to open her mouth, and i had to be quick on the draw to squirt the meds in. today i got wise and figured out that she really likes this particular brand of canned food so i gave her a little with the meds mixed in. she fell for it ... hook, line and sinker!! so now that's how i do it. a little canned food, a dropper full of meds and no drama. meantime, she's already feeling better and back to using the box again. AND i figured out that she didn't care for that fancy-schmancy crystal litter i was using. she'd use it but she wouldn't cover! so yesterday i switched to some regular, store-brand litter and it works like a charm too. she pooped in the box real early this morning (i know because i'm a light sleeper and i wake up when she's in there), and whaddya know? she covered, there was no poop odor wafting all over my place, and i was a happy enough that i could go back to sleep for a little while :-)

and actually, i am going to call it a night right. funny how working a short week actually feels way longer than a regular sized week. i'm beat, and i ought to go to bed so i can get up and straighten up a bit before some knitting friends come over.

'night, dudes!

~mz

keep still, kid!

jamir2
Originally uploaded by mzundercover

this is the hat i knitted for nephew #2. he's 2, and like most 2 year olds, this kid ain't sittin' still for long! i kept trying to take a pic of him in his hat but he kept wanting to look at the screen on the cell phone! finally when we got him in the car to go to the pumpkin patch, i was able to snap this one ... it was about the best i could do!

say cheese!

jalen1
Originally uploaded by mzundercover

my SIL asked me to knit my nephews hats for winter. this is what i came up with for nephew #1. of course, i had to knit it in scarlet and gray! it turned out really well and was fast to knit, even with the stripes.

dude, it's cold.

hat2
Originally uploaded by mzundercover

winter is rapidly approaching central ohio and in the spirit of keeping warm, i knitted a cute hat last night while watching game 4 of the world series. just for fun i even put a big pom-pom on top! it's made with lionbrand landscapes yarn and is very warm. it worked up quick with size 11 needles and i got to wear it this morning! i'm using the rest of the yarn i have in this color to knit up a quick garter stitch scarf. 16 stitches across (still on size 11 needles). should go fast! if i can find more yarn in this color i'll whip up some mittens too!

everybody, meet tiger. tiger, meet everybody.

hi everyone,

i'm happy (and still a little shocked) to report that i have a new kitten!

i was out playing miniature golf yesterday with eric and a friend of his when this adorable little cat came over to us and said hi. poor thing is so thin from not eating and it broke our hearts so i brought him home with me. he looks to be well-taken care of aside from being hungry, but he's going to the vet tomorrow to get checked out. he's been eating, pooping and sleeping since we got him home yesterday afternoon, and is sooooo sweet! he's got tortoise-shell patterning (dark brown/black with some orange and blonde markings), and i keep saying it's a male but the vet says that most tortoise-shell cats are female. in any case, i've named him/her "tiger" -- cuz s/he is a FIGHTER! i couldn't bear to leave the poor kitty out in the cold, especially since it's been getting down into the 30s at night. so i'll keep feeding him, make sure he's all set with shots and everything, and pray that this is a cat that doesn't like yarn :-) otherwise i'm in BIG trouble and will have to keep the bedroom door closed since that's where most of the yarn is stashed!

the really funny thing about all this is that i never really expected to own a cat but it appears that the choice wasn't really mine. he has purred his way into my heart!

we're visiting the vet tomorrow so i'll keep y'all posted on whether tiger is male or female, how old, and whatever else i can find out!

ciao for now...
~mz

Crochet Fish Motif -- FINALLY!

For those of you who have been waiting and waiting for this pattern ... here it is!

CROCHET FISH MOTIF




(I made this using Plymouth Encore Worsted and a size H hook. To make motifs larger or smaller, feel free to adjust yarn weight or hook size to get the size you want!)

Row 1: Chain 5. Turn.

Row 2: Starting in 2nd chain from hook, sc in remaining 4 chains. (4 sc)

Row 3: 2 sc in first sc, 2 sc, 2 sc in last sc. Chain 1, turn. (6 sc)

Row 4: 2 sc in first sc, 4 sc, 2 sc in last sc. Chain 1, turn. (8 sc)

Row 5: 2 sc in first sc, 6 sc, 2 sc in last sc. Chain 1, turn. (10 sc)

Row 6: 2 sc in first sc, 8 sc, 2 sc in last sc. Chain 1, turn. (12 sc)

Row 7: 2 sc in first sc, 10 sc, 2 sc in last sc. Chain 1, turn. (14 sc)

Row 8: 2 sc in first sc, 12 sc, 2 sc in last sc. Chain 1, turn. (16 sc)

Row 9: 2 sc in first sc, 14 sc, 2 sc in last sc. Chain 1, turn. (18 sc)

Row 10: 18 sc. Chain 1, turn.

Row 11: Repeat row 10.

Row 12: Decrease over first 2 sts, 2 sc,
puff, sc, puff, sc, puff, sc, puff, sc, puff (5 puffs)
3 sc, decrease over last 2 sts. Chain 1, turn.

Row 13: Sc across. Chain 1, turn.

Row 14: Decrease over first 2 sts, 2 sc,
puff, sc, puff, sc, puff, sc, puff (4 puffs)
3 sc, decrease over last 2 sts. Chain 1, turn.

Row 15: Sc across. Chain 1, turn.

Row 16: Decrease over first 2 sts, 2 sc,
puff, sc, puff, sc, puff (3 puffs)
3 sc, decrease over last 2 sts. Chain 1, turn.

Row 17: Sc across. Chain 1, turn.

Row 18: Decrease over first 2 sts, 2 sc,
puff, sc, puff (2 puffs)
3 sc, decrease over last 2 sts. Chain 1, turn.

Row 19: Sc across. Chain 1, turn.

Row 20: Decrease over first 2 sts, 2 sc,
puff
3 sc, decrease over last 2 sts. Chain 1, turn.

Row 21: 8 sc. Chain 1, turn.

Row 22: Repeat row 21.

Row 23: Repeat row 21.

Row 24 to end: Increase as before (2 sc in first and last sts) until 24 sts.
24 sc.
Finish off.

= = = = =

I'm making a BUNCH of these to stitch together into a baby blanket (or maybe a couple...yeah I have THAT much yarn!). Happy crocheting!!

~mz

obsessing ... again

it is way past my bedtime but i just HAD to show you the wee little bit of progress i'm making on my first double knitting project. it is the uncle argyle scarf from son of stitch n bitch (which, by the way, is my newest favorite knitting/crocheting book).






i haven't done a full pattern repeat yet, but i have knitted enough so that you can see the difference between each side of the work. i am SO GEEKED!!

wish i could stay up and knit into the wee hours of the morning but alas, this pesky little thing called "work" means that i better get to bed so i'm not falling asleep at my desk tomorrow!

~mz

i LOVE knitting socks

i almost always have socks on my needles lately. did i tell y'all how i want to be able to wear nothing but hand-knitted socks? yup. no factory-made socks for me, except for when i'm doing yardwork or something. so i've been knitting socks for myself. of course, some people just don't understand the pure joy of wearing socks that fit you perfectly. these are the folks who say stupid shit like, "why don't you just go buy some socks?" or something along those lines. but i won't let that get me down! i'll just keep knitting, just keep knitting. here's my latest:





the only problem that i'm having is that i'm going to run out of yarn. see, what had happened was, i didn't read the yarn label, which would have told me clear as day that i need 150g to make a pair of socks. well, duh, i only have 100g so i'm clearly going to run out of yarn. now, i thought about ripping the sock out and reknitting it with a shorter cuff/leg, but i don't wanna!!! so ... i'm going to do what any self-respecting yarn collector, er, i mean, knitter would do, i'm buying more yarn!! i'm buying one to finish the socks and 3 more so i can knit another pair. the plan is to knit most of my socks with the yarn i already have, until i get to the toes, which i will knit with the new yarn i'm buying. that way, the different dye lots won't be as visible, at least not when i'm wearing shoes with my socks. right? genius!

but now i'm going to watch some more of this L&O:CI marathon that's on USA. and maybe i'll eat some more chips & salsa. then maybe some more sock knitting :-)

later, taters!

~mz

it's. finally. finished.

here's proof:



i will take better pix when the rechargeable batteries finally recharge, but this was the best i could do with the cell phone camera and the lighting i had! i'm so happy it's finished! i like it a lot better than the log cabin blanket i knitted ... the shell stitch border is a perfect finishing touch.

now to eat some ice cream and watch ONE more episode of dexter before i go to bed. after all, i DO have to work tomorrow!

~mz

no camping after all

the camping trip was canceled due to rain in the forecast, and i'm kinda glad. on saturday it poured for a while in the afternoon and it got cold. that probably would have made for a l-o-n-g weekend.

but, we did get out and do plenty o' stuff all weekend:

FRIDAY
we went for a nice long hike (about 6 or so miles) at blackhand gorge.

SATURDAY
eric suggested that we pick up my nephews (ages 5 and almost 2) and take them to malabar farm. fun trip! we petted some goats, fed some chickens and turkeys, and saw some cows. here's a one of my favorite photos:



we were going to go to mohican state park, but it ended up raining (cutting our malabar trip a little short), and it got kinda cold so we decided to do that another time.

SUNDAY
eric and i did some more hiking at prairie oaks metro park ... another 6 miles, give or take. it was a beautiful day (though a bit humid), and thankfully the rain held off. after that we went to a driving range and i spent a lot of time NOT hitting golf balls and not getting them very far when i did manage to hit 'em. but it was fun, and i posted a request on freecycle to see whether anyone had a set of ladies' golf clubs to get rid of. someone did, and i picked 'em up last night. they are right-hand clubs and i swing left but they were FREE and for that price it won't kill me to learn to swing the other way!

it was a good weekend overall, even without the camping. i decided to save my "camping trip socks" until i go on an actual camping trip. instead i finished up my red shortie socks and started another pair of socks out of this regia crazy colors yarn:



once again, i'm doing cat bordhi's basic sock pattern. i am a big fan of plain, ribbed crew socks and this pattern fits the bill!

~mz

do you believe ...

that mz has never slept in a tent before? that will all change this weekend, friends. mz and her honey are going on a camping trip and sleeping in a tent is part of the plan! i've got my bags all packed, and i just decided what knitting to take along. i will finish the red shortie socks and start another pair of socks in honor of my first camping trip! i will be knitting them in regia jacquard, color # 5272:



the colors kind of remind me of being out in "nature" -- green grass & trees, blue sky, clear streams... i'm so excited for the trip! but first ... i better send my weekly status report to my mentor, and finish reading a dissertation before it's time to head off into the wilderness!

~mz

socks update

my apologies for not blogging for a while. life's been busy here but i'll spare you the details :-) i wanted to post pics of those socks i blogged about on feb. 25. i finished them a long time ago!

TAG .... I'M IT!!

I was tagged by QueenLi

Rules:
1. Link to the person(s) that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share 6 non important quirks/things/habits about yourself.
4. Tag 6 random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a post on their blog.

Quirks/Things/Habits:

1. i don't like chocolate ice cream or chocolate cake, but i LOVE real chocolate.

2. i count stairs when i walk up or down them. almost every time.

3. i like writing letters. no, not emails, actual hand-written letters. and i like getting them, too.

4. i reeeeeally don't like for fans to blow on me. ick! window fans, ceiling fans, even air conditioning.

5. i keep a list of the places in town that serve sweet tea. i swear i'm a southern girl in a yankee girl's body.

6. yogurt makes me gag. unless it has granola in it. but even then i can never eat a whole container of it. same thing with pudding. ick.

i'm tagging...

nyketam

nik

bronxgirl

z

beadedstar

brentusfirmus

YOU'RE IT!!

ribbed for her pleasure

"ribbed for her pleasure" hahahahaha that sounds like the name of a condom, doesn't it?

anyhoo, earlier this week i started the "simple sock in three sizes" by cat bordhi. i'm all excited about learning her method of knitting socks on two circular needles. especially since i needed some retail therapy and dropped nearly $100 on 6 pairs of addi turbos (2 each in sizes 1, 2 and 3). this sock is turning out so well. i am just about to start the gusset and it was a wee bit fussy to get the stitches situated right but now i should be good to go! here are a few pics that i took:





at this rate i will have a complete pair of socks in just a few more days!

i'd better go to bed. after all tomorrow IS a work day, right?

~mz

before and after

i am SO excited.

yesterday i went to target and got these wire cube organizer thingies. i figured it was time to do something with my stash so it didn't look such a bleepin' mess. i have acquired so much yarn over the years, and mostly it sat in bins, overflowing. i never knew exactly what i had because i couldn't even see the stuff at the bottom of the bins. here's the before pics:




and here's the result of an evening of hard work:




isn't it lovely? that little corner of my bedroom feels like a freakin' yarn shop! now i'm not sure what to do with the 2 empty bins that i have. i don't have any room for storage, but maybe my best friend will be able to use them. she and her hubby are preparing to sell their house so maybe she can use the bins to store some of the stuff they want to keep. i dunno, but since my stash is so freakin' organized now, i don't need 'em!

for the most part, i sorted first by fiber, then by weight. it's not perfect but i'm gonna do like tim gunn says, and "MAKE IT WORK!"

anyway, if you want to get some of these bins, get thyself over to your local target store. they are on sale this week, you get a set of six cubes for $12.99 ... not a bad deal.

and now, maybe i can get a little knitting or crocheting in before i go to bed.

nighty night, amigos!

~mz

a reason to celebrate

i know that this is mostly a knitting blog, but sometimes i can't help but post about real life.

earlier this evening i had dinner with my honey. he is a really good cook, and he made jambalaya ... how could i say no? anyway after dinner, we were just sitting together, cuddling, talking and basically being all lovey-dovey, and he said that tomorrow (which is really today now) was the fourth anniversary of his quitting drinking. he has told me horror stories of his drinking days and i wouldn't wish any of that stuff on my worst enemy. making the decision to quit was pretty easy, from what he has told me ... he was tired of the hangovers, the headaches, the feeling crappy, and all the other stuff he piled on top of the liquor, just to try to feel better. i imagine that the actual quitting wasn't quite as easy as the deciding to quit, but he did it and hasn't looked back. i realize that being that guy has maybe helped to shape who he is today and i am SO thankful that *this* is the guy that i know and love.

happy anniversary, baby!

new project

yeah.

so.

i PROMISED myself that i wouldn't start anything new until i freakin' FINISHED something, but ... after spending a small fortune to buy 6 pairs of addi turbos i just HAD to start a sock using cat bordhi's 2 circ method. just. had. to. so i did and it's going gangbusters. i've already knitted up about an inch of 2x2 ribbing, and according to cat's pattern i have 5 more inches to go. so now that i've got the hang of it, i will leave it alone for a while so that i can finish the baby blanket for my friend malissa, or that hand towel for my bathroom. the crocheted log cabin blanket is definitely a longer-term WIP and doesn't really count. but for pete's sake, i gotta finish something already. start-itis really does get the best of me ... finish-itis rarely does. anyhoo, i will post a pic of the sock once i get a little further into it, k?

~mz

my favorite foot model

here's some pics of my honey modeling his socks. i think he wore them to bed the other night ;-)

so. much. fun!

okay. so this past weekend was full ... of ... knitting. here's how it went down:

* friday : met up with friends for knitters night out at heavenly creations, a LYS here in columbus. there were close to 20 of us there, knitting, crocheting, laughing, talking, and of course buying stuff! i ended up buying 4 skeins of plymouth encore chunky, so that i can cast on for a palindrome scarf. afterwards four of us went for a late dinner at noodles.

* saturday : woke up early, piddled around my apartment, surfing the web, doing a wee little bit of housework. around 3pm, my best friend, her mom and my downstairs neighbor gathered at my place for a whole afternoon of knitting, eating (pizza, potato chips & dip, soda and beer!), and lots and lots of laughing. i think it was around 9 or so when the party broke up.

* sunday : my best friend and some of our knitting friends had a fantastic lunch at buca di beppo. what could be better? friends, grrrrreat pasta, amazing wine, cheesy garlic bread ... it was just amazing. then we headed off to nationwide arena for sticks n stitches. the blue jackets lost and i didn't win a ravelry bag. BUT it was still a really fun time!

i think that was the best weekend of the entire year so far.

in other news i've finally made it to the toe decreases on eric's second sock. my honey will soon have a whole PAIR! can't wait for him to put them on. i will definitely take pictures of him wearing them :-)

i'd better get back to knitting. ordinarily i'd be thinking about going to bed right around now, but that 2 hour nap i took today pretty much messed me up. i will stay up until i finish the sock, then maybe i will work on one of my other WIPs. i can't wait to get some of this stuff finished ... i'm itchin' to cast on for something new!

~mz

Sticks N Stitches

i can't WAIT for this event on Sunday!!!

sock yarn from ebay

i was soooooooooo excited to receive all of this sock yarn that i purchased from ebay recently. YAY!!! i haven't started using or swatching it yet, but as SOON as i finish up some of my current WIPs i will cast on for a pair of socks for me me me ... using cat bordhi's 2 circs method!!

if the sock fits...

the other night i finished the first of eric's socks. last night he tried it on and it fits PERFECTLY. i am SO excited! that really made my day. he's never had hand-knitted socks before and he said it was amazing. he loved the color, the fit, everything. i can't wait to finish the second one. then i'm going to get started on a pair for me!

i'm running late so i gotta go. later, taters!

~mz

stash busting? nope, more like STASH ADDING this week!

so on saturday i got together with my best friend and her mom for a relaxing afternoon of knitting and crocheting. well as relaxing as it can be with a bunch of kids running around the house. but before that we went to an LYS because i needed some tunisian crochet hooks and the other ladies wanted yarn for various projects etc. this is a great little LYS that's owned by an older lady named mrs. phillips. she sells yarn by the ounce (usually around 30 cents/ounce) and none of it is labeled although i suspect it's mostly red heart acrylic. no worries. acrylic is good for many things so when i need some i usually go there. there are just bins and shelves full of it. it's really quite fun to shop there because the inventory is always different. i try to buy
as much as i can of stuff that i like because next time it's likely to be gone!

anyway, i found my hooks, and was wandering around looking for nothing in particular and this beautiful sport weight yarn called out to me. it's variegated blue green and yellow and is so pretty so i bought about 4 big skeins of that. then i bought some off-white dishcloth cotton, and a little ball of this thin purple yarn (it was only 80 cents and it was the only one i saw like it...how could i leave it all alone?). altogether i spent about $30 but that's because i bought 4 of those crochet hooks at a price of $3.50/apiece! but that's the only LYS in town that i know has them. i hate shopping at jo-ann's because last time i was there they were so rude to my mother that i am boycotting for a while. plus i'd rather shop at mrs phillips' shop because she is SUCH a lovely lady.

okay so that was that. i did work on some stash projects this week though. i worked on the log cabin baby blanket that i'm crocheting, and while i'm working on that i'm using the same yarns to make 3-round granny squares to stitch together for another baby blanket. i knitted on the socks i'm making for eric, as well as that hand towel i'm knitting for my bathroom. that thing is never ending. i want the final size to be 17" x 34" (the same size as my williams-sonoma dish towels that i LOVE) but it's just taking forEVER!

yesterday, i needed a little "retail therapy" so i went to the LYS that is closest to my office and raided their discount bin. SCORE! i was away from my office for 30 mins (that included the drive to the store, the bin raiding and a little browsing and the drive back) -- and spent about $40. i better knit my @ss off this year to justify the spending, yes?

oh well. work is calling so i'd better get back to it.

~mz

blanket finally started

as promised i've started the blanket for my friend malissa's baby, who is due to make his/her debut on july 5! i've already crocheted one skein of yarn and started the second...this pattern FLIES! it's really turning out nicely. i think i will also make a matching sweater, hat and/or booties once i've finished. maybe...we'll just have to see how it goes.

i'm nearly finished with sock #1 for the person who doesn't know i'm making socks for him :-) funny thing...over the weekend, i was watching football with said recipient and was knitting the sock. asked him what he thought so far and he said he liked it. yay! with any luck (and time!) i can get #1 finished and #2 started!

also with luck (and time) i can work on that hand towel that seems to be one of those "neverending" projects. i really am looking forward to actually USING it instead of knitting on it forever :-)

that's all for now, folks.

~mz

already got FOs for 2008!

catnip mice 1
Originally uploaded by mzundercover

so i had this idea to make cat toys for my friend's cats, bruno and obie. aren't these little mice cute? i hope they like 'em!