Everyone is talking about the weather…snow…everywhere…you…look. Not in San Francisco though. We’ve begun the rainy season, my favorite. The rainy season means, tights, wool & lots of plaid. All of which I love.

….and I’m taking care of a sick baby at home. And by “baby”, I mean my hubby…and by “home” I mean, some random hotel in the middle of the Silicon Valley. Sounds cozy, I know.

:::Looking Back:::
Our Thanksgiving-marathon extravaganza has come to a close. The time I had to spend with my family energized me more then drained me as I had expected it to. Funny & convenient how it worked out that way.

The week spawned some unexpected thrifting and crafting, with folks that really know what thrifting and crafting is. I sometimes feel isolated in my obsessions, but all it takes is a little vino and Tryptophan to realize that all “this” is really part of my genetic make-up & a small part of the master plan.

Some years, Thanksgiving is a time to Give Thanks. Other years, it’s serves as an opportunity to remind me of the things that I'm thankful for. This year proved to be the latter.

:::Looking Forward:::
Not that I enjoy chaos, or am unable to live for the moment, but my thrifting moments these past few days has launched me into total Christmas-crazy mode. In a good way.

More on the goodies I found later, but first this…

Some cutting, & a little stitching....

& lots of lots of fun poly-fill (by-far his favorite ingredient of this project)!

I had so much fun watching him assemble Santa as he ooh’d & aah’d at his work.

Voi’la! Seamster & his little doll too.

P.S. Little wee Seamster and I picked up the pre-printed Santa fabric at an estate sale for .25 cents (he picked it out, can you imagine the excitement I felt?). Have you seen these in stores? My aunt fell in love with it & I promised her a google search. With little luck, since I don’t even know what it's called. I've seen them before at antique fairs printed on old flour sacks from the 30's(?)

I'm off to San Jose for a week...but not without a litttle holiday crafting! Pictures to come on that & my nearly finished Forecast too!

Exhibit #3:
Location: J.Crew (or was it Banana Republic?).
Data collected: at 12:27am, 11.10.2006. My husband pointed out, "babe! those arent event real balls! It's yarn wrapped around styrofoam!" I was just as offended, but understanding of their plight...to be, just like us.

Exhibit #4:
Location: American Eagle
Data collected: at 8:42pm, 11.9.2006 Again, what's up with the flying yarn? I mean, I like it, and yes, I would probably decorate my house this way, if I could. But seriously, people.

Exhibit #5:
Location: Oakland Airport, Soutwest Airlines Terminal
Data collected: Ooh, heck, I dont know. But do you see me in the window there? Do I look excited? A display about dying yarn with mushrooms! Exhibit #6:
The Office, Phyllis, feet kicked up, knitting at work. At what point in our lives will we be as lucky as Phyllis?
Exhibit #7:
The Office, Pam’s alleged hand-knit sweater. It’s okay, honey, we know your mom didn’t knit that, we still think your sweet.
Have you witnessed other sightings? Fulfill your crafterly duties & please share.

The Coup d'état needs to be documented!!!

~Okay, enough of that silliness, Happy Turkey Day to you all~

::Mix in some hot water, vintage fabric from my sis & yarn from an old pal::

::And now off to Thanksgiving ONE & Thanksgiving TWO::

::Centered & much more equipped for the holidays now::

The Glampyre bites again. What do you think of this pattern?

Pretty interesting, huh? I was recently chosen out of 600 volunteers to be a test knitter for one of Stefanie’s new patterns, and I have to say, I’m pretty excited to be apart of the backstage preparations for this. Honored, really. Not that there’s a whole lot of honor in getting chosen for this, mostly luck, but I’m honored just the same.


I can’t say a whole lot on the specifics of the pattern, but I’ll blog my progress here, and who knows, maybe it’ll turn out so unbelievably adorable, that you all will need to make one too! Who knows.

Ooh, and, I’m on the hunt for some good yarn for this, so if you know of a nice bulky 3.5 stitches to the inch, do a sista a favor and holla at me.

I was so excited about test knitting that I almost forgot to tell you about Portland.

I’ll try to control the gushing, as I’m sure it comes off a little weird, and well, obsessive. The weekend started out with lots of rain, and then there was more rain….and then ended with puddles and puddles of rain. It was fine though! To me, rain marks the beginning of fall and, well, my birthday.

As long as I can remember, it has rained on my birthday, so for that, I’m okay with it. In fact, I like it. And I love Portland, so the two together made for a very happy birthday girl. We didn’t do anything in particular but just enjoyed the people, ate some amazing food and did a little shopping.

Ooh, and how’s the Forecast, you ask? Well, as you can imagine, rain in Portland resulted in lots of knitting for me and the Forecast is coming along just smashingly. Here she is after 7 days of work:
Not bad, huh? Throw on some sleeves…a button band and voi’ la…it will sit in my closet for 7 months until I build up the gumption to block her. Good grief, how many finished projects do I have to show you that I can’t because they’re curly, & nubby? A lot, I tell ya. Too many, really.
More on the Forecast at the KAL.

Warning: Sudden Subject Change
Who’s having a hard time with the early sunset and approaching holiday season? I am. I’m trying my best to keep my head up, but I have to admit that I feel pretty over-whelmed and bogged with all the commitments & obligations. I’m still learning my rhythm, and how it dances with my husbands, it’s a learning process I’m working through, no doubt. I mean, my house is in such disarray, that we’re sleeping in the guest bedroom! Can you imagine? Our BED is too MESSY to SLEEP in. Now, that’s bad.

Life was so much easier under the direction of my parents. “Be there by 4pm”, “Don’t forget to say THANK YOU” and “Make sure to iron your dress”. Growing up is hard sometimes, I guess, and now I have to remember all that stuff on my own. Ooh, the tragedy of it all.

This blog here, and more specifically, YOURS is a nice escape. And did you see Stephanie's post on the holiday spirit? It’s grounding, and very sweet.

I’m going to attempt a little escapism….a trip to the thrift store for some feltable knits will do the trick, I think some Alicia-esq Christmas garland is just what I need to chase the chaos away. Yeah, that’s it, a cup of tea, a pair of scissors and a big pile of brightly colored sweaters to re-fashion.

…aaahh…time…to…take…a…deep…breath…

I'm still blushing from yesterday's public display of affection. I had a birthday post in mind, but, apparently, the hubby beat me to it. It was a warm surprise (which, I'm a sucker for), and I appreciate all of your comments and happy birthday wishes. Thank you for that.
The coming of my birthday always spawns a series of mixed emotions. Mostly related to excitement, anticipation and a little bit of anxiety. I can't explain it really, but possibly I fear disappointment, that my friends and family won't call or remember. It's silly, really, since this has never happened before, but it's a fear just the same. Once again, I was proved wrong. I received such an amazing out pour of love, more then I could ever imagine. Just what I needed during one of the most hectic times of the year for my hubby and I. Hubby & my sister even went as far as bringing me flowers in my favorite colors of the season, orchids in mustard and cranberry....and stargazers in, uuhm...well, mustard and cranberry. Perhaps I talk about my obsession more then I thought! I love them, and, my goodness, they smell amazing!
My day was soooo relaxing. Lot's of knitting was done, in between all the phone calls I received. Above is my newly started (and muchly double-guessed), Forecast. Can you guess what color it is? I'm really excited about this sweater, but I have some doubts that I'm diligently working through with help from Julia and the KAL. More on that later.

The photo above is a photo from my Walima (pronounced "Valima"). It's a good illustration of how I felt yesterday. Loved and spinning with happiness. (Is that mustard and cranberry again? Is there any hope for me, I don't think so).

The good news, is that it's not over yet. Hubby surprised me with a trip to one of my favorite U.S. cities - Portland, OR. We're leaving in a few hours, and trust me, there will be much to report on when I return - even if we have to swim through our weekend!

Denzel Washington, and isn't he a cutie?
Ooh, and I almost forgot! My little contest...and the results. So, okay, maybe it's wasn't that hard, I realize this now with how many people got the correct answer! And trust me, I would love to send a little somethin' somethin' to all of you, but there is only one winner here folks, and it's Madame Michigan (I won't say "Ms. Michigan", for those of you who have ever lived there, you know why!). She also happens to be the one who made my adorable Back Tack kitty, way back when. So email me your address...and some day very soon, you'll receive a little treat in the mail.

Disclaimer: today's entry has been hijacked by the Knottie Husband.


Although I didn't know it at the time, ** years ago today was a day that changed my life. In a small room in Iberia, something knottie was being born. The doctor reported having trouble with the umbilical chord because it had been entrelac'ed (Okay, maybe not. But, she was born with it, I tell ya...).

Whichever way you spin it, my life has become so much stronger since it has been stitched together with her's. When I count my blessings, I count her twice.

Happy Birthday, Knottie Knitter!

With all my love...
The Knottie Husband

The weekend is wrapping up & we're heading back up north again, to turn around and head south...and then north. OC up to SF down to San Jose and back again...eeewwwfff, some time in my house would be nice.

Thankfully, I've spent the weekend with laughing nieces....spoiling mother-in-laws & this:
Two things here, folks.....

1. My WIP: The Candle Flame Scarf from FireBrunette. I'm using Misti Alpaca, I think - the yarn is a dream to work with - but will prove to be an enormous hand-washing headache for my best-friend. Such is life - she pretty much stabbed herself in the foot by giving me "full creative freedom". As she put it. I gave her a chance to pick a reasonable yarn. She didn't take it. More on that when we're blocking. Hopefully soon, since I can't stop thinking about this. Who needs a new Thanksgiving sweater? The Forecast says...ME.

2. A CONTEST: Something kinda fun. First person to give me specifics gets a little special surprise. What was I watching up there? You know who that is....but WHO was she interviewing? This is certainly not a shameless plug for *Oprah - goodness knows that woman needs no help in the marketing department. It's just what was on - and I'm curious to see if you guys can figure it out. Plus, who doesn't like a little contest?

*ooh, and, for the record.....Oprah annoys the CRAP out of me. Just thought that needed to be said.

P.S. Did anyone see the Project Runway skit on Mad TV tonight? It was f-ing HILARIOUS!!!

Ooh, and, um...what do you think of the new look?