TAG!!!
I woke up this morning in the BEST mood ever. I went out Saturday night and saw some old friends I haven't seen in years. It was absolutely wonderful. Then I check my mail and TA DAAAAA I got tagged by Relynn

The tag rules are:
1. When tagged, place the name of the person and URL on your blog
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. Write 7 things about yourself
4. Name your favorite weblogs
5. Send an e-mail letting those bloggers know they have been tagged
So here are my 7 things:

1. I have a horrible time making decisions. It doesn't matter if the question is a life changing one or just what to have for dinner. I waffle and debate and consider and rethink. Then I change my mind.

2. Ever since I was young I wanted to be a performer. I wanted to sing and when my family kept telling me I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, I decided I wanted to be a dancer. When that obviously wasn't going to happen I wanted to become a comedian. Then I wanted to be an actress. I have always believed I should be on stage somewhere. No wonder I am not happy working in an office!

3. I love to drive. I long to get in the car and just go. I don't much care where I end up, just as long as I can put the windows down and the radio up and leave the world behind. Daniel and I used to refer to it as getting the "F*** Outta Dodge". There is a certain feeling you get, like the further you get away from home, the lighter your burdens become. We would drive and drive until we started to feel free and then spend a good 5 minutes laughing hysterically at how good it felt.

4. I have a bulletin board at my desk with photos. Included are 3 photos of Daniel, one of Daniel and I together at Halloween, one artistic shot-which no one recognizes is actually me.
"Woah, who is that? She's hot." *Interest*
"Ummm... thats me."
*Blank stare* "Nuh-uh."
*Sigh*
The remaining photos are of my kitties, one shot of Valletta at night and one shot Daniel and I took of the sunset from Sach's Bridge in Gettysburg. You can see kites flying in the far distance, 2 of them... A good metaphor for Daniel and I. Flying free, yet grounded. Side by side, yet not together. I lost my wind and a gust broke his string. I crashed back to the ground and he flew away never to be seen again. Life is funny sometimes.

5. I love office supplies. I can spend as much time in Staples as I do in Borders. I love lookinbg at Post-its and pens, calendars and dayplanners, desk organizers and gasgets. All my office supplies at work are purple. My gel mouse pad, gel keyboard wrist pad, tape dispenser, staple remover... all purple. Now I want green.

6. Speaking of Borders... Thats my home away from home. I can (and often do) spend hours either knitting in the cafe or perusing books. I mean, seriously people, scones, bathroom, coffee, books. What more does one need to survive?

7. I have only ever been on 3 "real" vacations in my life. When I was 13 my mom and I went to Florida for a week. When I was 22, Karen and I went to Florida for a week and in Sept 2006, I went to Ohio for 5 days for Dawn's wedding. Other than those trips the most I have done is take a day or over night trip. I plan on changing that next year as I am saving for Ireland!!!


I'm tagging Becky and Chris

Last Spring I heard a rumor on the Knitting Help dot com message board that Malabrigo was going to make a fingering weight yarn. Excitedly, I contacted Tobias from Malabrigo, who informed me that while several months away, the rumor was indeed true. Last November, I was very excited to receive in the mail a generous amount to test knit.

I received 4 hanks of Dos, a 2 ply fingering weight yarn suitable for socks, garments, lace and a myriad of other projects.

2 hanks were semi solid, in a lovely olive color.



The other 2 were multi colored, like their Aquarella line. The combination of colors creates a watercolored effect with no harsh color changes or pooling.

While the colors were very pleasing, I was eager to find out how Dos would feel. Anyone familiar with Malabrigo is used to the lofty softness of the single ply worsted. I was concerned that plying would diminish the softness of the yarn and render it less pleasing to the touch. I could not have been more wrong. The hanks had a full, bouncy feel. Squishy is the best word to describe it. I chose to wind all four hanks by hand. I did not encounter any knots or breaks in the yarn. As you can see, Dos has ample twist which makes it springy.

I knit up a test swatch. I got a very even 7 stitches and 14 rows per inch on size one needles.

(Size one being my preferred needle size for knitting socks)

The resulting fabric was soft and and stretchy. I tossed my swatch into a warm bath in the sink. After a 15 minute soak with minimal agitation, the water showed no color change. With gentle blocking and drying, my gauge remained the same.



Since I don't mind handwashing, I cast on a pair of socks in the multi-colored yarn. These knit up beautifully. I gave them the same warm water-no agitation bath. This time in the wash I noticed the water was cloudy, but no hint of dye was released.


With Dos, the stitch definition is lovely. My stitches remained crisply defined even after their warm bath. Combine great stitch definition with softly blended colors and you end up with a very versatile sock yarn. The muted color changes lend visual interest to plain stockinette or ribbed socks, yet are discreet enough not to distract from complicated lace patterns.

Overall, I could not have been happier with my experience with Dos. Once released, it will be available in generous 320 yard hanks. One of the reasons Malabrigo is so popular is their amazing use of color. I can not wait to see the shades offered for this yarn when it is made available later this year along with a couple other new lines including a superwash sock yarn which I am assured will be as soft as, if not softer than, Dos. I will definitely be standing in line for more of this!

So, I'm on lunch break and enjoying it quite well thank you. Picked up some sushi, which grossed out my coworkers and am just chilling. Thought it would be the perfect chance to update the old blog.

I started my first (and definitely not my last) Hemlock Ring Blanket Saturday evening. As of now I am 3/4 done. I absolutely LOVE this pattern and it is sooo pretty. I am thinking this one will be gifted to a friend for the birth of her grandbaby. :)

Life in general is good this week. :) Upswings are good right?

I'm learning so much in my new duties at work. I am proud of all that I have accomplished, even though at times it is hard for me to remember not allow myself to feel overwhelmed. Mistakes are okay. Its all a learning process and I am doing okay with it.

Finishalongapalooza list has been added to side bar. I am doing good on this-one item is finished and 2 picked back up. Plan to have the Webs Scarf done by next Tuesday's Knitters meeting.

In a really good mood today. :) At work but obviously would rather be knitting!!!

So… it’s a New Year.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this juggling act of mine and balls I have dropped and might like to pick back up again.

First of all...
I joined 2008 Finishalongapalooza with L&V and created a list of WIP’s to finish this year.
Here is my list.
1. Finish 2nd fingerless mitt (not started)
2. Finish Danica which was supposed to be a Christmas present but wasn’t. (1/3 done)
3. Finish Webs scarf (2/3 done)
4. Coachella (1/10 done)
5. The 2nd Jaywalker (1/4 done but needs to be frogged due to error, and restarted)
6. Toe up Watercolor socks on ML (1/2 done)

Next up...
I miss writing. I really do. Not like blog writing. Real writing.
It does bother me that I have a book half complete. All it needs is a bit of fleshing out and it would be done but I just really don’t have the desire to work on it. But I have been shaping up the bones of another concept and am thinking of persuing it. I actually laid it out a bit last night over dinner and decided that it is worth doing. I’m even thinking ahead this time. It seems my best thoughts occur during times when writing is not an option. Such as in the shower or while driving. I’ve now gotten myself a digital recorder. So off we go…

Oh-I saw P.S. I Love You on Monday. Excellent. Bring tissues.