Behold the conquering hero!...almost

Olympic fans and Olympic knitting fans, the games are over and I finished the only project I actually started during the Olympics. The hat. The sweater is still at the sleeves, cause I never did find more yarn, or even a compatible yarn and I need size 13, 5 set DPN's. For the hat I went out and bought the 5 set size 10's. What was the deal? Don't know but I still got something done. Scarf? What scarf? I don't know what your talking about. Back to the hat, it is blue and gray on the body and blue and green on the crown. I'm looking at making another one it was so fun. or maybe just something else quick and dirty.
Erin, we all miss you and look forward to your return to our version of reality. Kind comments to titaniumrose@blogspot.com I am Proud to note that Steph (the yarn harlot) finished her sweater in the nick of time and we can all breath a sigh of relief. I hope you all got your knitting to at least a point you can be proud of, if not done.
Today I got my hair done, and 100.00 later will be wiping oil for the next 3 days while looking like a Christmas tree. The things we pay for and the horror we go through to look "pretty" I'm going back to the afro!
Toodles

Updates in Rant Form

Ok ladies and gents the new and improved blog is... not coming I will not be doing any podcasting, there will be photo's next time. Right now I'm looking for more yarn to finish my teens sweater sleeves. 1/4 length sleeves do not work well on a heavy sweater, they look kinda dorky. So the search is on, the knitting is halted, the hat needs DPN's(size 10, 5 set) and the Olympics are just for a few days more. The lace continues as always, slowly. I'm thinking about just lace on the ends of the scarf. The only problem with that is knowing where to start the lace up again before I run out of yarn! I bought the Boye knitting set, expensive and it has yet to prove it's worth. (if I spend 70.00 on something it darn well better work!) I find that I may be able to toss my circulars and maybe my straights,(cause I rarely use them) but nothing replaces DPN's. Even if you have a circular cable 5 inches long, it doesn't make for easy knitting of a hat top!

I bought the book Handmade for Profit, haven't read it yet, finished Knit Lit the third, and will be going back to spinning cause of the aforementioned issues, and my fingers hurt! I've hunted all over town for the yarn and may have to settle for a lionbrand substitute. (oh well next time buy 6 balls!) It's either that or buy it for 3X as much off the net. YUCK!

Well this rant is over, thanks for the ear..I mean eye.

Toodles!

Spring is in the Air

Ok you know the weather has done things to your brain when suddenly you can't stop getting ideas! I've already got 3 projects going, one in it's looking for a pattern stage and this last one has been just lurking around for a while now.( You guys are SO due photos.. so I will do them tonight.) I've got a stockinette stitch cotton hat, my teens sweater that just needs sleeves, and the Red Lace Scarf. In the works is a "Great God it's Green" afghan, and hair bows. You know those things that make cute ponytail holders? 4 dpn's, some nice cotton yarn and a plain elastic band...Poof! Hair bow!
Oh and Happy V day belated!

Ok, the G3 afghan has a story..Once upon time there was this well meaning lady named Roberta, who had this puke green wool yarn donated to her. She, being a sweet woman, gave this rug yarn to her local wool eating friend. There it sat, for months in the basement, over 1 lb of light puke green rug wool. It smelled like dusty musty and no idea would come to mind except donate it to the trash. Then it struck...The green phase of life. (first there was the red, then the purple, then neutral colors, then blue...You get the point) It just so happened she was in the mood to do some dying, the yarn needed a new coat of paint, and there it hung. On the shower curtain. Hunter green wool that no longer smelled and wasn't rough anymore and was looking like a project! And they all knit happily ever after. I love it when a plan comes together! and now, Photos....
The hat...


the lace scarf...........

And the teens sweater (sans sleeves)
And now I'm off to knit some more lovies!
The knitting Olympians only have 10 more days to go.
Toodles!

Just keep knitting

I recently bought the book Knit Lit the third, as well as perusing other books of it's kind. I have read a lot on how knitting or any craft can heal. I want to share my story. If you have been reading the blog some of this will help you make sense of some posts.
In September of 2005, I became involved with a person that turned my life upside down. Not that it was anyone's fault but it was a stressful time then. A new teen, a new dog, 3 weeks of overtime Saturdays, My husband got a new job, and I had been told that we would be downsized, we just didn't know when. I'm not sure how it happened, but over the next 6 months, I became infatuated with this person and to make it worse it was returned. I couldn't sleep, I didn't want to knit, spin, or be with my friends or family.
In Oct I had the chance to end it and was working on just that, but the downsizing issue flamed up again, and my husband was enjoying some of the side effects. The infatuation got worse with every meeting, every contact and communication, until I found it growing beyond it's previous bounds. The holidays were torture, and thru it all my knitting fell by the wayside as did my spinning, meetings and friendships. Sometimes reason would poke it's head thru the drama but it was quickly suffocated. I felt 15 again, and it was...great.
It all came to a head in Jan. I found myself contemplating divorce, and daydreaming about a better life with this person. I had myself convinced this was the right thing to do. I had returned to my knitting meetings and even began to spin a bit. But somehow a gnawing feeling that had been growing since Nov would not be silenced. When I began to have dreams of the devil coming for me I knew I had to stop and take stock. Not only was this relationship unhealthy for me, but everyone else around me as well. It ended by mutual consent.
I realized how much I missed my knitting friends, and by knitting, I wasn't thinking of this person. And so I began to get them out of my head as well as out of my life. Whenever my mind turns in that direction I pick up my knitting, and I forget a little more. Since it's only the beginning of February you can see it hasn't been very long, but it has been quite successful. I don't daydream much, and rarely find them on my mind. I can go 5 days without communicating with this person. I do slip occasionaly, but maybe this week it will be 6 days and next week 8. All I have to do..... is just keep knitting.

The wonderful world of podcasting

Pod casting, the new thing in my life seems to have hit the knitting community pretty well. (At least those of us who are tech knitters). I heard of this format last sat at Borders reading on of the many knitting mags. I came home and checked it out. Then checked it out some more! All in all faithful readers, I have found 7 podcasts on the net. Knit cast, fiber cast, about time, knitting news cast, secret knitting, cast-on and pointy sticks. The last three I have not been able to check out yet, the first two I have listened to every podcast they have!
I have thought of doing my own podcasting since I have all the equipment anyway and few in the world seem to know Omaha exists. It would/could be a real boost for the shops, the guild and Omaha in general. I have to say, I have now heard the Yarn Harlots voice and I must say, it’s deeper than I thought it would be. She's definitely an alto folks.
Speaking of the Harlot, I have decided to become an unofficial knit Olympian. I will attempt to finish my 13-year-olds sweater in 16 days, and believe me that’s a feat with my schedule! I still have a full time job, plus Overtime, family, and craft meetings to keep up with. Wish me luck, and good luck to all you Athletes out there knitters or otherwise. That brings us to our next subject..meetings
I want to try to make a calendar on the side of the blog, so you can all see the meetings going on around town thru the month. Kinda like a knitting community calendar.

Every Saturday is busy, with a Knitting meeting at Southroads mall, Bellevue 900am – 1130/1200 pm We meet in front of Ameritrade.
The second Saturday afternoon of the month, there is a spin-in in the mezzanine of Wild Oats at 78th and Dodge. 100-500pm. If you spin knit crochet tat anything portable, come join us! If you want to learn how, or just want to watch, come join us. All meetings are open to the public.

The first and third Monday of the month there is a Sit and Knit at Personal Threads on 84th and Dodge, from 600-800 pm
Also on the first Monday of the month there is a meeting of the Knit Wits at String of Purls (S.O.P.) at 87th and Pacific, starting between 600 and 630pm

Every Tuesday morning S.O.P. also has a sit and Knit from 900 – 1130am
Every Tuesday evenings there are 2 meetings going on, One at Joanne’s Fabrics on Fort Crook rd in Bellevue from 600/630 – 830pm. The other at Mangelsons just off the I-80m exit on 84th from 630 – 900pm

The Second Wednesday of the month there is a needlework guild meeting in the----Retirement home at the corner of Fort Crook and Cornhusker in Bellevue from 100 – 400pm
The second Wednesday evening of the month the Omaha Weavers and Spinners guild meets at the -----on 119th and Blondo from 600 – 900pm From there the small spinners and weavers groups announce their meeting place and times.

Every Thursday night S.O.P. holds another Sit and Knit from 530 – 800 pm

That’s all for now, I’m not a big fan of long blogs. I’m off to find some books I’ve heard about on the podcasts, and to listen to more podcasts, learn to defeat HTML coding, and postcasting 101, as well as a whole slew of advertising.
Wish me luck and energy!
Toodles!