Long time no blog...

but not long time no knit! Unfortunately, no pictures. The laptop, upon which they reside, has decided that it doesn't wanna talk on the wireless network. Nuh-uh. No way. No how. Doesn't wanna, ain't gonna. DH is trying to persuade it otherwise, but it's quite the stubborn little machine. So, an entry with prose, in which I attempt to create beautiful pictures in your mind. Or something like that.

First off, bpt. It would be done, if I were the character from The Fugitive. (think about it for a second, I'll wait).
Yes, I have finished one sleeve and now only have one to go. Thanks to the self-finishing construction, I really will be finished once I finish that sleeve. Oh, and weave in a bijillion ends. I got a bit down on the beautiful sweater when I showed it to someone (not a knitter) who said - "It looks small. Are you that small?" to which I replied... yes, it's supposed to be fitted, it zips up the front (so the bands aren't supposed to overlap), it hasn't been blocked yet, and I'll try it on just to prove it to you. So I tried it on, and she said "Is it supposed to be that short?" and I said, yes, it is - I have another cropped cardigan that I absolutely love, and this one is modeled after that one. And she said, "Oh, OK" and I felt a little depressed. I was so in love with this sweater until I had a little bit of that questioning, and I've let it get me down. Now I need to finish it, and prove to myself again that it really is wonderful. I'll try to do that soon.

In between, though, I got swept up in present mode. My friend C's birthday is this Thursday, but I needed to finish her present by Saturday... which I did. I wish I could describe it, but I'm considering working it into a knitty submission. If so, I need to get my rear in gear because the deadline is October 15th. But it could still happen. So, no pretty pictures in your mind. But you can imagine her smiling and hugging me because she loved it. And being a knitter, she can truly appreciate it, too. That's nice.

And now I'm halfway finished with my mom's Christmas present. She reads this, too, so there's no pictures. But I'll tell you that I'm making it using a pattern that I almost didn't buy, because I figured, how hard can it be? I can figure that out myself! But then I bought the pattern, and then I made it, and I realized, no, I could not figure it out myself, this pattern is genius! OK, if you're not my mom, you can click here and find out what I'm rambling on about... OK, now everyone who's not mom, close your eyes, and imagine a variegated blend of Lemon Lime, Berry Blue, Grape, and Kickin' Kiwi, and you will see that they are beautiful. Yes, we did some Kool-Aid dyeing, too, from some LionBrand Fisherman's Wool. And I really mean we - Dan dyed half of the skeins of yarn that I used for this project.
And, Mom, don't whine too much about not being able to click on the link - you'll probably see them in a week when you're out to visit, anyway, because they need some input from the wearer. OK? You'll just have to wait like Jenna and I did every year when we knew exactly which closet our Christmas presents were hidden in but never looked. OK, we looked once, and then we felt guilty and sad, because we'd spoiled it, so we never did again.

And Secret Pals - smooches to you both - *MWAH*! My last post was about my fabulous Secret Pal 2, and in the meantime, Secret Pal 3 has entered the ring with an awesome package of stationery, post-its, candy, and a cute little stuffed kitten that my kittens thought was supposed to be a cat toy, until I sternly informed them that it was a present for me, and showed them the envelope with my name on it, not theirs. They reluctantly believed me and left it alone.

Knit-Out on the Mall was cool... I hung out with Cheryl and knitting/letterboxing/work/everything friend C. Had several admirers of the felted Suki bag.

Oh, and the coolest thing happened the other night - I got recognized from my blog! I was at a party (a going-away party for two co-workers, which is sad), and a girl came over to me and asked if my name was Sarah. When I said yes, she said, "Are you a crafty snargle?" I'm laughing just writing that - I felt like I was a secret agent, and she'd just said the magic code word. It turned out to be none other than Natalie, who went to school with my co-worker. If that's not random, I'm not sure what is. Anyway, then we had fun talking about knitting (cool!) and blogs (fun!) and making sweaters for men that they will actually wear (hard!).

In other news, hooray for The Amazing Race! I love that show so much, I hate watching the finale because it means that it is over for a while and I can't watch it RIGHT NOW. But, also a bonus, the next season will be coming out soon. Even better of a bonus, they postponed the premier so that they can put it on a better night (it was originally scheduled to premier last weekend on Saturday at 8 PM)... which night depends on how well their fall line-up does.
And hooray for Arrested Development! I have been a fan of that show since the first episode, and I always try to berate my co-workers into watching it. That tactic doesn't really work very well, but I enjoy it all the same. And now it has an Emmy, so maybe some other people will watch and enjoy it too.

OK, from nothing to a long winded picture-free entry. Just wanted to let you know I was still alive. Oh, and still knitting. We'll try and do pictures soon. Think nice, cooperative, play-together-in-the-sand-box thoughts at my laptop, OK?

Secret Pal Goodies!

My short week back at work (after the 3-day weekend with Labor Day) was a rough one. Good thing my Secret Pal (2) thought of that and sent me presents!

Cool vanilla soaps, fun printed Kleenex ("swankie hankies!"), and Socks to knit.

Thanks, Secret Pal!

a wussie entry

no pictures, no time; but, a few fun things!

First, a link. Weresheep - funky felted/knitted things inspired by sea creatures! Cool stuff. I might buy it if I didn't know how to knit, but I'll can just make it myself!

Skywalking Goats! I'll see them in person tomorrow, and will hopefully have some pictures of them.

And a special "Hello" to my new secret pal 3! I haven't quite gotten used to the idea of having a Secret Pal 2 yet, and now I have two of them - hooray!

Long weekend, yippee. Working on the bpt... updates to come (um, once I've made progress that is).

Happy Birthday to ME!

That's right - my birthday was yesterday. I turned the big 2-8. OK, not that big, but anyway...

Luckily, my Secret Pal was a smart cookie, and sent me a fabulous package:

covered in Happy Birthday stamps! Isn't that festive? I actually saved it for opening on my birthday, and this is what I found inside:

That's a beautiful card, some tropical sticky notes, a cool scissor fob (with a cat charm, how perfect!), and the book "Hip to Knit." Funny story - guess what Dan gave me for my birthday? "Hip to Knit." Great minds think alike, right? Anybody have anything they wanna swap for a book? ;)

I had a great birthday, with lunch out with my co-workers and then a relaxing evening at home watching the Amazing Race and knitting... still working on the hood of the bpt. Halfway done, just a few more inches to go. This weekend being my extended birthday celebration, I get to pick where we go... updates after I decide!