Tangled Fingers Diary

A few FO's for you...

I am still working on Secret projects so I do not have a whole lot to report. I did manage to finish a side project however. A while back I found the etsy seller Fuzzy Mitten. I LOVE her softie patterns because well... they are cute. Really cute. So I bought a bunch of patterns off of her and then set them aside. There they sat until last weekend. The Princess saw the pattern of the lamb and proclaimed that they were soooooo cute and that she needed one. Badly. Really, who am I to say no to that so I made one for her.

Not my best work I think but I love it! And The princess adores Lamby.  That is what matters. Now I have been informed by Ms. Princess that Lamby needs clothes. So I will need to get started soon.

I got a spindle full of some merino/ tencel that I bought a while back finished.

It is so beautiful. I think that it wanted to be a lacy scarf. Just depends on how it looks when I am finished and how much yarn I have.
I also finally finished NJ's Penguin.

Again not as great as I would have liked but NJ likes it, and it was a great learning experience. Now all of the kids want an animal. I better get busy!
Animalingly,
Dee

The Christmas Takeover...

So this Christmas is finally over. I love me some Christmas but now that I have kids it is full of boxes, wrapping paper, shopping and all that annoying stuff. For me Christmas is being with family, and eating too much. Ah well. We went to Moms first. The trip? LONG. Driving down there takes 4 1/2 -5 hours normally. We finally made it to Moms after 9 freaking hours. Why did it take that long you ask? We got caught in a blizzard. They actually closed down I-29 near St Joe because 40 some Ass-hats can't drive in the snow but decided to try any way. Yup car pile up.  So we took the long way around St. Joe and finally made it to Moms. Thankfully no one in our vehicles were hurt in any way(although the kids probably thought that they were being tortured.) The kids got money for Christmas from mom (as did I, Here I come EZ DVD's!!!)
Lots of good food and loads of family time.  Once back home we spent the time unwrapping Santa's gifts and trying to weed my way through boxes. Then we made it to MIL's house where TONS of  gifts  were given (just when I thought that I would be done cleaning  up wrapping paper and boxes. Ugh.  Thankfully the takeover is done and the kids are starting to calm down.

One thing that Sissy got was very popular with Mother and Daughter...

yup, a sewing machine.  We are currently working on making a doll from Doodle Girl. I promise pictures as soon as the doll is complete. I still like my machine better but this one is pretty simple to use so it will give her a great starting point.
The princess got a tutu from her mama that is adorable...

picked up from here. She put it on and then promptly decided to vacuum...

I think that house work would be much better wearing a tutu. Don't you?
For stash enhacement I got some Orange colored Malabrigo for MIL's scarf. I know you are thinking Why? I have decided that I really would rather use Malabrigo since that is what she requested in the first place. I just have to decide if I want to sell the BMFA skeins or keep for a later project.
And finally. I got my hair cut! Took off 9 inches and donated them to the locks of love. My hair feels so much better now.
Look...

Off to do more sewing!
Happy New Years!!!

Holidayingly,
Dee

Mushrooms and socks...

School, for me, just started today. Already I am overwhelmed by the thought of actually going out and interpreting in the real world. Makes me want to hide. The good news is that I will be starting in the first year sign language class so they won't know if I screw up royally. Thank Goodness. But still scary none the less. I think that Mrs. C is putting me in the college for my interpreting work. Which is good because I won't be molding little peoples minds with bad sign language but bad because the woman is right there whenever she wants to pop in and say hi she can. ugh.

Anyway enough that. My head hurts bad enough right now. I am doing a couple projects right now that I am going to gloss over until they are further along. But I am crocheting a little monster guy out of some of the yarn left over from the Monkeys (which still need to be sent). He is turning out pretty well so far. Also I have some yarn that Miss V sold me before she named it (one of the perks of going to S&B with a yarn dyer/seller) that I am knitting a pair of socks. I am using a cable that I pulled out of the Knitters Bible up one side of the socks and then the rest is plain ol knitting. It is kind of fun to see how it is coming out! I will have pictures of those soon.

I have good news on the Sweater from hell! I am ON THE RIBBING! Frackin' finally. I tell you what it is taking forever. T tried it on the other night so that I could make sure that it was safe to start the ribbing and he pronounced it "rather warm". I also still think that sweater is going to be big on him (he would not let me measure him, it was "oh just make this size" you would think that would have clued me in not to make the damn thing). This is what I get for wanting to knit that man a sweater. Never again!

Here is something that I have finished however...

I was test knitting this for a woman on Ravelry. It is supposed to be Candy corn but I must have gotten rid of the orange I had so I substituted a fun yarn. It is crappy red heart yarn but the pattern made it fun.

I made a swatch! (I know it was difficult)

I think that it turned out well. The yarn itself is really itchy (like really super itchy) but I knit up this swatch, washed it and then wore it in my bra all day. I actually forgot that I was wearing it so it does soften up. I am still no where closer to knowing what it wants to be, but at least I know that it won't stay itchy anymore.

And finally...

Look at what I found growing out of the old tree stump in the front yard.

Fungusingly

Dee

 

Monkey See...

Look at these lovelies!

I mean they are so beautiful!
Of course I am not at all biased. They did turn out a lot better than I expected since they are my first ever completed pair of socks. Go me!
Now to wrap them up and mail them off.
I am thinking about getting a knit picks circular for the shawl that I want to knit. I am not sure that the denise needles will work to well for lace. I don't know I am still thinking about it.
Well off to face the day!
Happily
Dee

ETA: Last night we had storms from hell. This morning I look out the window and see this...

That tree split down the middle! Crazy.

Swinging through the trees...

The monkeys are Done! I Love them ton7s. I just hope that mom loves them and uses them. I already blocked the first one so as soon as the second sock is done drying I will post a picture of them. Then its to the mail with them!
Monkeyingly,
Dee

Taught him well I did...

So last night was interesting. This big storm rolled through Omaha which of course knocked the power out on the block (I have tons of candles around the house for the simple reason that the power goes out a lot. ) So T and I went around the house lighting the candles and then he went on to tell the kids stories

Flash really is a wonderful thing isn't it. Otherwise my pictures would look like this

While they did that I went to the kitchen to start dinner preparations.  It is times like these that I am really glad that we have a gas stove.  I made cheesy potato soup  for the clan and knit on the monkey sock. Thank goodness that the yarn I chose is not dark.

After we ate and cleaned up dinner the kids got bored. Very bored. (funny side note: NJ went to get the kool-aid out of the fridge and freaked out because he thought that the fridge was broken. Once it was explained that the electricity was out and that the fridge was electric he felt better. Until he realized that he couldn't check the time because the clock on the VCR was broken. So again with the electric explanation. Took a few times of explaining things before he got it. hehehe)
So I helped Sissy with her knitting (she is getting a lot better at it. She keeps it up she will be ready for the purl stitch)  and taught NJ how to crochet!! He asked me if I would teach him. All that he knows right now is the chain stitch but he caught on to it quickly.

Look at the pride! right after that picture he decided that he wanted to give it to me as a bracelet. So...

Now I wear it proudly and get huge hugs everytime he sees it.
Of course the Princess wanted in on the action.

Much too cute for her own good.
I found the dyes that I got from All things Heather so now I am itching to try dyeing. The problem? No big pan or even that much space to do it in. Plus my lovely kitchen has a window but no way to open the damn thing. Some day.

Off to do more knitting! (made it to the heel flap last night!)
Teachingly,
Dee

Sock one done!

Oh yes I finally cast off my Monkey sock! I have dubbed them "slo monks" for the simple reason that I am taking forever finishing them! I did cast on for the second sock but with the Harry Potter reading that is as far as I have gotten. Pics to come soon!

Monkingly,

Dee

Finished! Oh YEAH baby!

Yes I have a finished object! (Its okay, sit down, deep breaths... the shock will be over soon)

One Skein shawl from Knitters Review...

Three skeins Koigu, size 7 needles make a beautiful shawl! If I had it to do over again I would use one more skein too make it bigger and maybe go a needle size up just because it would have been more airy. For a first shawl I think that it turned out wonderfully. I Love this shawl! I want to reblock it properly because I had to un pin it too soon. It has shrunk a bit more than I wanted it to because of the early unpinning. But that will come soon. I can tell that if I want to keep making shawls I am going to have to invest in some better pins. and a board.
For now I am just enjoying the shawl love.
Shawlingly,
Dee

Done and drying!

Yes folks, the shawl is now blocking on my bed. The cast off truly was an exciting moment for me.

Here is a bad picture of it blocking. See how its all crooked? yeah I fixed that. I will add better pics of the finished product when it is finished blocking.

YAY ME!
Sillyly
Dee

Finishing...

Okay so this isn't a knitting finished object however this is an accomplishment. Tonight I join my class in our departments pinning ceremony to recognize that we have made it through the sign language program with (most) of our sanity and hair in tact. We each receive a pin that the person of our choosing puts on our lapel. Kinda a mini graduation within the department. Now technically I am not done. I still have to do my practicum (interpreting work with a mentor) that will start in the fall but I am done with my classes. I will offically walk across the stage in December (totally plan on doing that only because I think that it is important for my kids to see me actually walk across the stage and get my diploma. Otherwise I really don't think that I would attend that. I am sure that after graduation I won't regret walking across the stage, just doesn't seem all that important as compared to the pinning. Apparently my sil is going to be graduating in December as well (she goes to the same college for a different degree) so if that is the case the two of us would be in the same ceremony which would be cool. Tomorrow I promise pictures and some gushing. Right now I have to get the family ready to take T to work and then come home and do some laundry. I am currently in the "I have nothing to wear" freak out mode. Scary.'
Accomplishingly
Dee