my life in stitches

creative fantasies

dave is the only man to successfully fulfill all of my (creative) fantasies! he gifted me for the winter better pal swap. knowing that my BP was a quilter, i had sent him an email asking what notions i would need to start quilting. i never received a response to that email, but clearly he has answered my question! yay! i can't wait to start quilting.

there hasn't been a whole of lot of knitting going on lately. i did manage to complete all of the pieces for the baby sweater. now i just need to pick up and knit the collar, seam the pieces, and block it. i've been a bit tired and overwhelmed and haven't been able to find a good chunk of time to sit down and knit. however, i am itching to design a new piece similar to the tank i designed last summer (see gallery). i think i'll go through my stash and assemble some yarns for a tank top or a short sleeved sweater.

better pal goodies

look what arrived from my Better Pal yesterday! 2 skeins of Cascade Quatro and a beautifully wrapped package. what you don't see in the photgraph is lots of literature on how to use a drop spindle! i'm sure you (and i) can guess what's in this lovely package. my BP writes, "What is inside was ordered specifically for you, and I had it personalized." how cool is that? it's so lovely that i can't bear to open it. i think i'll save it for xmas.

in other news, my editor tells me that the cover of my book is being shot tomorrow! i can't believe it, really. i am very excited!

i am back in book knitting mode, churning out the last of the projects. this final batch is mostly items for the home. it's a nice change from knitting garment after garment after garment. the idea of knitting for the home really turns me on. maybe my next book will be entirely devoted to home?

my pal is better than your pal

my pal sure knows how to make a girl feel special! 1 skein of cherry tree hill sock yarn, 2 skeins of kid seta (i have a kidsilk haze pullover in exactly this shade of blue. it is one of my favorite FO's.), an orange chibi (that's right, ORANGE), vermont buttermilk pancake batter and maple syrup (weird because i was craving pancakes yesterday afternoon), and a calendar with paintings by a local artist. is she the bee's knees or what? what i want to know is this - her blog is called 'now norma knits 2'. so, was there a 'now norma knits 1? just curious. norma?

i know that just about everyone in the free world loves friday afternoons, but i dread them. having only worked a "regular", outside of the house, 9 to 5 sort of job for about 5% of my adult life, TGIF holds no meaning for me. instead, i feel pressured to have fabulous plans for the weekend. and that's hardly ever the case since my time is pretty much my own and leisure activities can be pursued at almost any time. often, when the weekend arrives i've already done all the things i wanted to do and i'm bored and annoyed because everyone else seems to be so busy. anyway. i've nothing to complain about. it's friday afternoon. it's dreary outside. and i'm perfectly bored.

this morning i woke up with a sudden desire to listen to The English Beat. so i did. a couple of hours later i opened up the local weekly and discovered that they're playing here tonight. how bizarre is that? who knew that they were even touring? if i can shake off my friday funk, i may catch the show.

it's been the week of the biopics. first, 'Good Night and Good Luck', then 'Capote'. both were excellent. oscar contenders, i daresay. 'Walk The Line' opens today. i may see it this weekend. after that, i think i will have had enough of films about real people to last me a good, long while.

hope you're having fun.

better pal goodness

i heart my Better Pal! look at all this yummy sock goodness she sent me. Fleece Artist sock yarn and a skein of Opal in the zebra stripes colorway! ooh, zebra stripes. this is the perfect gift because until my book is finished the only thing i'll really have time to knit for myself are socks.

nothing new to report knit-wise. i've been super busy working on the book. it shall have a title shortly and the cover will be shot later this month! it's all so crazy and wonderful. i can't wait until i can share the cover with you!

we're finally having some real autumn weather here. i'm making a miso soup with clams and bay scallops that i'll serve over soba noodles. yum! soup and knitting. what could be better than that?

happy knitting!

my better pal rocks!

my better pal (not to be confused with my no show secret pal) knows exactly what i like. she sent me 2 skeins of Noro Daria. i'm thinking of knitting an ipod cover or some sort of little wristlet. there's a box of tea. real english tea. (don't get me started about the tea. definitely a purist.) and she sent along a cute little shoe notepad! i am a very happy girl. and a very busy girl. coming up on my first book deadline. earlier in the week i had my first book project related disaster. it's all good now, but it was a little unnerving. i've been so busy that i hadn't had a chance to clean my apartment. the mess was such a distraction that i had to halt production and do a thorough cleaning before i could continue. now my place is clean and i'm relaxing with a cup of tea, needles in hand. have a great weekend!

oh, i almost forgot to mention that a fabulous knitter and former student of mine just launched her own blog. be sure to go and say 'hello' to wendy.