Yipee!

I've started my swap knitting - woo hoo! It's really fun to know the things I make are going to go to someone who will be looking forward to receiving them. Kind of adds a little pressure, too. Eeek! I'm also very excited to see what I end up getting from my spoiler, who emailed me yesterday! I kind of feel like it's Christmas all over again. :)

It's official...

I AM the world's largest dork. Somehow, in all my infinite wisdom, I thought that if I signed up for email through Yahoo, my pal would never know who I was. So I wrote to her, and told her how excited I was, and asked her questions, and also sent along my NAME!!! I hate you, Yahoo! Anyway, now I just can't write about what I'm doing for her on here until the swap is done. Go me - I rock! Loser....

Weekly Topic

Weekly Topic: Dishrag. Dishcloth. Face cloth. I've seen folks get all fired up in forums when someone refers to their knit or crochet creation as a dishrag, as that's somehow offensive to them! When you're working on yours, what do you call them? Also, is there a difference between a dishrag and a dishcloth? How bout a facecloth? Are they all really the same thing?

Hmmm... I always seem to call it a dishcloth. Dishrag sounds like it's an old, throw-away kind of thing. But I suppose that if you get right down to it, they are the same thing. As for a facecloth, I usually think of those as something knit out of softer fiber than good old dishcloth cotton. But that's just me.

Anywhoo, it's FAH-REE-ZING at my house today. It was 6 degrees when I got up this morning, and yep, I went out and walked in it. I think I may be insane. I belong to a walking club that meets every Sunday morning. This morning, there were 4 of us, and that included the guy who organizes the thing. My coat froze up around my mouth and head. I probably could have used an ice scraper on the frost! But, the sun is actually shining, which makes it feel not quite so cold.

I got my pal for the dishcloth swap! Woo hoo! Off to the store tomorrow (I have the day off) to buy some cotton and get knitting! I'm so nerdily excited about this. What a huge dork.

One week till my little girl turns four. Where does the time go?????

Nothing much...

Life is a little blah right now. This week has been REALLY boring at work, what with exams and all, and nothing is too exciting on the home front right now. I'm super annoyed with my hubby - why is it that a 30-something year old man has the capacity to act like he's nine at the drop of a hat? Sometimes I feel like I'm taking care of two children instead of one. The daughter has been good - bedtime is still kind of an issue, I think just because she wants to be with us (me) and doesn't want the fun to stop to have to go to sleep. We have Monday off for MLK day, so it will be nice to sleep in and do some fun things with her. Looking forward to receiving my match for the dishcloth swap so I can get started on things for her (or him, I should say). I'm not so much loving the yarn I bought to make the baby blanket. I chose acrylic pretty much on purpose so the care would be easy. But this stuff is not at all soft, and I'm not loving knitting with it, therefore, I'm not moving as quickly as I would like on it. I do know how to post pictures on here now - it's called reading the directions! So I'm going to give it a try this weekend, I think. Off to grade exams and figure semester grades. Wonder if I could be fired for blogging from work? Hmmmm.....

It's a very grey (gray?) day today and it's exam week here at good old BHS and I am bored. to. death. Love exam week because I get large blocks of time without having to speak to teenagers. But hate exam week because of large blocks of time without speaking at all, since said teenagers are examing... I wish I had my dishcloth swap buddy already because I could be productively producing dishcloths. I actually do have some knitting to do - my good friend from way back in the day is having her second baby in June and I'm making the Corner to Corner blanket from Gwen Steege's Knit Baby Blankets for her. Actually, very much like a humongous dishcloth, so I guess I shouldn't be complaining. Hope wherever you are is sunnier than here!

Everybody swap!

Okay, it's official - I'm going to do the Defeat the Winter Doldrums Dishcloth Swap. Head to http://dishclothexchange.blogspot.com/ to get in on it - I think it'll be fun! Here's my first questionnaire....
1. Do you knit, crochet, or do both? I knit - used to crochet, but no more
2. What types of needles do you enjoy using for making dishcloths? Bamboo or other kinds of wood needles - not a fan of metal or plastic
3. What types of cotton do you enjoy using for making dishcloths? I'm totally not picky - I've used Peaches and Cream or Sugar and Cream for most, so cheap is good! Is there any that you've been wanting to try? Some fun, pricey ones, of course! Debbie Bliss, etc.
4. What color(s) are your kitchen and bath decorated in (if any)? Kitchen is sage green, taupe, and white. Bathroom is white and dark teal-ish.
5. What are your favorite colors for yarns? Least favorite? I seem to gravitate toward the green family, and prefer subdued colors. Although my favorite color is pink. But nothing in my house is pink - I just like it for clothes and accessories. I also am a big fan of neutrals. I don't dig really bright, hurt-your-eyes kinds of colors.
6. Do you like Winter, or do you count the days until it ends? I actually like winter.
7. What's your favorite way to brighten your day when you're down in the dumps? Good music, salty snacks, chocolate, coffee, and knitting
8. What is your favorite treat to indulge in and when your down in the dumps? Salty stuff - chips, nuts, etc., followed by chocolate! And lots of it!
9. Do you drink coffee? Tea? Cocoa? All three, but I prefer coffee - I like flavored kinds, vanilla, hazelnut.
10. If you could take a vacation starting tomorrow and go anywhere for one week and money were no object, where would you go and what would you do? I would go to the Smoky Mountains and stay in the cabins I stayed in on my honeymoon. I'd bring plenty of good books and yarn and read and knit to my heart's content!
11. Do you have any allergies or aversions your pal should be aware of? No allergies - but I really, really hate cigarette smoke.

I'm so excited for this! I think I don't actually enter until tomorrow, so I'm the big nerd trying to be early. Oh well - what a shocker! I'm going to try to be an awesome pal!

Well...

So, long time no write, huh? Yep, still alive and kicking. Just somehow I've managed not to be on here since long, long before the holidays. Anyway, had a great Christmas. Except for the moment when my daughter opened the Island Princess Barbie she had talked about for months and asked Santa for, and wailed, "I wanted the princess head with the hair to brush and everything!" Calmy, DH and I explained that sometimes Santa makes mistakes and that we could exchange her. Later that morning, after watching the DVD, she decided to keep the Barbie and ask for the head for her b-day. Fantastic... those things creep me out.

I finished all the knitting projects for Christmas, and felt pretty good about that. As soon as I figure out how to post pictures on here, I'll put some up. I'm now working on a scarf for myself with some nubby wool I got in Oregon when I was there for work. $25 a skein - yikes! It's beautiful and I love it, and can't wait to finish it. It's the first thing I've made for me and I'm really happy about it. Also, I really think I'm worth it, of course!

I'm considering entering a swap. I've never done one before, but I think it would be good fun. I have to give it some consideration, though, because I also need to get my ass moving on completing my entries for National Board Certification. Ugh... I'm currently wondering why I ever decided to do that in the first place.

I've hit one of those extremely exhausted and overwhelmed points in my life where I am almost wishing for an illness to knock me on my butt for a few days so that I could have guilt-free resting time. Sad...