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I returned home today after my weekend trip to North Carolina. I got home at about 1100 and was here at work by 7pm. Needless today, I am exhausted. I'll catch up on sleep this weekend, after I put away the christmas decorations. NC is very different from Minnesota, like having to pre-pay for gas at the station, that is going to take some getting used to!! I really did like it though. After being there I'm a little less aprehensive about moving. The people were very sweet. One gal working at a gas station we stopped at forwarned me that the cookies I was purchasing were actually horrible and adviced me to grab something else! We are kind of looking at the Pinehurst area for those of you familiar with NC. I'm in the prossess of trying to find an apartment or townhouse or something, and with a vast a resource as the internet is sometimes it's a little too much!

The other big event that occured whilst I was there, was that my boyfriend and I got engaged!!!! It was very exciting. We aren't setting a date or anything like that yet. We kind of figured we get the move done and over with and get settled and then worry about planning a wedding.

I got quite a bit of work done on my Rogue sweater during my trip. I'll get a picture posted sometime but sleep was a bit more of a priority today!

What...was....that.........

I was born and will die a devoted Green Bay Packers fan, but dear god what the hell happened yesterday against Chicago. I worked nights this weekend, but I could tell by the way my brother was screaming at the television that things were not going our way. I didn't realize how badly until I actually got up and saw the score.... then I wanted to crawl back in bed, knowing what my fate held for me once I got to work. I'm not a quiet fan. I taunt my co-workers, on Sundays that I work day shifts and the Packers are playing I proudly wear my green and gold scarf tucked into my scrubs. My only consolation was that the Vikings lost, and that no matter what my Packers are still better than they are, and in that I found a little bit of satisfaction.
I have also come to the realization that football is a winter sport, baseball is a summer sport. Summer is too short, and winter is too long. So why is it that there are so many damn baseball games and so few football games!!!! Baseball season is much to long, and football season much to short.

First Progress Pick!

Here is my first progress picture of my Rogue hoodie. I have never been much of a chart reader. All the patterns I have done have simply had the directions for the cables written out, so the most difficult part of this pattern and the part that has given me the most headaches is deciphering the chart. Luckily for me there is a very patient group of knitters in the Rogue kal group on Ravelry who are willing to put up with my constant inquiries. Enough chit chat I need to get back to work. I'd like to get enough of it done so I have the pocket attacheted before I fly to NC so I don't have to worry about the stitch holder coming undone or setting off security alarms!!

Finally starting my rogue!!!

Yes thats right, I finally purchased the yarn for my rogue hoodie and cast on my first few rows. I have been drooling over this pattern for what seems like forever. I don't have a picture yet, since all it is right now is a small thin line of harn on my circular needles. Have I said how much I love my Options Harmony wood interchangeable needles, oh my god. If you don't have them go get them now! And while your out I would advise you to pick up a namaste needle binder too. So nice to have all my stuff in one place. When I get something that resembles fabric I'll post a picture!

The lengthening project list.......

I have finished the gray socks for my boyfriend and have disocovered that I don't like the short row heel so much. The next time I make socks I will most definetly be investigating other forms of sock heel construction. I like knitting socks from the toes up versus from the cuff down because I really suck at grafting the toes, and I like the fact that I don't have to worry about running out of yarn on the cuff. If I'm getting low on yarn then I just have a shorter cuff versus no toes......which seems to me like a better deal.


Onto the next project or well two projects. Last night I cast on my first Clapotis. This pattern really didn't interest me when I saw it on Knitty.com but there has been such a buzz around it lately. Granted I'm in what one blog calls The Second Wave of Clapotis knitters, but I do enjoy the pattern thus far. I'm making it out of some DK weight cotton I had sitting around on a size 7 needle. I'm into the increase rows so it isn't horribly exciting yet, but I'm getting close to the section where I get to drop stiches! ON PURPOSE!!!! I'm very good at dropping them on accident so this will be a nice change of pace for me.

The other project I'm hoping to start in the next couple of days is my Rogue Hoodie from The Gril From Auntie. I bought and printed off the pattern a couple nights ago and am hoping to find yarn for it today. I'm really excited to start this so I'm sure my poor clapotis will have to wait until I can either finish the hoodie or just need a break from it. Although I think clapotis will be better suited for my upcoming plane ride than the rogue hoodie so I'm sure both of them will be going along with me on my trip.

Random Thought......

I have many random thoughts that come at very random times. Here is the current thought. They say no two snow flakes are alike. How do they know? There is a lot of dang snow outside my house right now. I'm betting that no one has checked all of them, not to mention how many snow flakes have fallen across the state and across the world!!!! I think that someone may be reaching a bit far making such a claim. Feel free to debate this amongst yourselves.

I'm on Ravelry!!!!

Yes today I finally got my Ravelry invite. You can find me as Pennie! So feel free to add me to your friends list!

FO's as promised

Batteries are charged up and the camera is ready. I finally took a couple pictures of the projects I've finished and the goodies I have waiting for me. I finally think I know why I'm not one of those knitters that have a stash. I see that yarn waiting for me but I just can't touch it until I'm done with what I'm working on now! You would think that would be a motivator to get going with whats OTN, but no, not so much! RAWR!


These are my first Toe Up socks using the Magic Loop method. I am hooked on this!!!! I hate using double pointed needles so this is a great way for me to make socks! I always manage to loose stiches of the dpns. This yarn is definetly not my favorite thing in the world. A gal I used to work with gave it to me and so it's special that way. She was the brunt of a lot of my knitting questions.




These are the Christmas Stockings I made for my boyfriend and I (his is actually bigger than mine!). Both used a skien of each color in Caron Simply Soft. Now for the WIP and stashy type stuff. After finishing my socks my boyfriend wanted a pair for himself. I figured since I have now mastered the magic loop method it was time to get real sock yarn, not something acrylic, but wool or something you actually want to snuggle your toes in.


All he said was he wanted something warm like wool, and something salt and pepper in color. I think I got pretty close. Sock yarn is a lot small than I thought it was going to be!! I thought I'd have these done in a day or so, unfortunately my attention span has been kind of short the past couple days, so thats as much progress as I've made. I'm spending way to much time watching the wait list checker on Ravelry watching for when I might finally get my invite! 711 people in front of my this morning, so should be soon!!!

Here is my, oh so patiently, waiting goodies. I can't wait to start knitting those two yarns up. The blues will be perfect for at work since the scrubs my unit wears are blue (I'm a nurse). The lorna's laces I just had to get because I think those color are beautiful! They'll be so pretty!!!

This would be The Gato. He has made his home quite happily underneath our christmas tree.

Omg!

Ok, so I've seen a good number of blogs out there and have kind of wondered, hmmmm is there enough going on with me to start one. Figured well might as well start one and find out! So this is my first attempt at a blog. Be patient, it might be a bumpy road. I suppose i should explain my title a little bit...... I knit, not always well and I'm not expert. You won't find great tutorials or many purls of wisdom here, but I'll try and write a bit on whats on the needles and whats on my wishlist! I'll work on posting pictures too!
That leaves the Gato part. As I was sitting here trying to come up with some witty and clever title, my cat Ash procceded to knock the ball of yarn that was sitting on my lap off onto the floor to clear himself a place to nap. Ash has a nick name given to him by my youngest brother who was I think three at the time (22 year age difference between the two of us, but I digress). When I first introduced him to the little guy he looked at his mom and said 'Momma can I hold the little Gato?" and the named stuck, he's been Gato ever since. Granted there are other words we put in front of Gato now like, Crazy gato and Fat gato, and lazy gato, you get the point.
So I think I've winded on long enough for my first post, hopefully soon I'll get a few pictures up and we'll see where this takes us!