Hello! Hello??? Helllllllooooooo?!?!?!?

"I'm sorry I can't come to the phone, or blogland, right now. I am currently in the middle of a huge assignment that is labeled TOP PRIORITY. So please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I possible!"

Yes that right folks. I am going to be busy busy busy knitting tomorrow! As you can see by the photo in this post, I am armed (and dangerous, watch out target).

A couple of weeks ago I let Kim and Shameka talk me into participating in Hat Attack with them. Of course, they didn't have to talk to much, or twist my arm. I knew I wanted to join in on the fun but just didn't sign up until they gave me the nudge.

All of the assassins received their target today! I was so excited when I opened up the list to see who had who. In this 9 page PDF list, all the assassins where listed in alpha order by our Ravelry ID's. The targets were listed in no particular order next to their assassins. Want to hear something funny? Kim came very close to being my assassin! Out of over 400 participants, my name on the target side was located 1 name away from hers. Too bad. She joked about being able to deliver her hat to either myself or Shameka at lunch one day. That would have been too funny!

The hat pattern is being realeased to all participants at 9am tomorrow morning!!! Hmmmm, gotta get to the gym early early early so I'll be pumped and ready to knit knit knit.

Go Ahead...

So I have to first thank my big sister, Mary Beth, and Misa for tagging me with "You Make My Day" award. I know I am a few days late for acknowledging this from my sister, but it seems like everything is running late or slower for me these days. But alas, I am now thanking you both for making my day with this. You both certainly have put a smile on my face and I do so thoroughly enjoy reading ya'lls blogs on a daily basis! So thank you both!!!

Now I have to tag a few others with this award.

1. Mary Beth and 2. Misa - I know I'm not suppose to tag you back but like I said, you both make my day when I read the latest on your blogs. Mary Beth, you are the best sister I could ever have. I love that we keep each other motivated in our love of the crafts we do. I am going to catch up to you on the Scrapbook pages by the way.

3. Shameka - Thank you for introducing me to the blogging world. After months of reading yours, I was excited to finally launch mine. You're a great friend that I know I can always count on in life.

4. Lisa - You are the best friend I could have. I was thrilled when you joined the blogging world with us. Hooray for you for picking the task of learning to knit back up this past fall. You've come a long way in these few months and I am very proud of you and what you have accomplished.

5. Kim - If you hadn't spoken to me that day at lunch I never would have had the opportunity to get to know you the way I have. I absolutely love reading your blog because I know I will generally read something to make me laugh my butt off or just simply put a smile on my face. I am glad I can consider you one of my friends. I know you've been tagged but I had to do it again.

6. Paula - You were my SP11 Spoilee and I am thrilled to have been able to experience the Secret Pal adventure with you. I never know what I will find on your blog and I always look forward to the surprise. You are very talented in your craftiness and inspire me to want to working on the sewing machine more. I also love the pictures you post of your doggies and horses.

7. Marsha - You spoiled me rotten in SP11 and I thank you so much. I couldn't believe the amount of things we had in common and am thrilled to consider you a blogging friend. I am proud of you for picking up some of those long ago unfinished knitting objects in your quest to move them to the FO list.

8. Becky (aka Sophanne) - You crack me up all the time. I enjoy going to your blog because I can practically be guaranteed a laugh and get a smile on my face. I love reading about your students with the things that come out of the precious mouths. Your Knit Knight is always an adventure and of course reading about your knitting endeavour's is always interesting. Thanks for putting a smile on my face.

9. Deb (aka Chappysmom) - You are someone that faithfully posts practically every day. I know I can always count on you to provide a wide variety of reading material on your blog and I love it. I enjoy reading about your spinning because I think that one day if I took up spinning maybe I could be half as good at it as you are. I also love all of Chappy's involvement in your blog too!

10. Risa (aka One Crazy Fiber Lady) - As with some of the other blogs I read, you are one that I never really know what I may read on your blog and it's always a nice little surprise when I arrive at your blogs door. I have enjoyed watching all your lovely projects progress, and have even been inspired to knit something for myself after seeing it on your blog. I also have to say that I absolutely love your cats! The pics you post of them always makes me laugh, smile and wish I could have one myself.

Slow Going

Well I still haven't been really doing any knitting, but I have been reading about knitting! That counts for something right? When I put in my book requests at my local library the other week I decided to check this one out, The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. I have to say that I am truly loving it. I am loving it so much that I am almost done with it. It is a good read and it is more than about knitting. I saw Julia Roberts on Oprah Winfrey a few months back and she is suppose to be starring in the movie. I know the movies aren't usually as good as the book, but I would definitely go see this one with my girlfriends.

Sunday I competed in my first road race of the year. It was only a four miler, but it definitely felt good to get back into the competitive racing with all the other runner fanatics in New York. I am proud of myself for completing the four miles in a little over 42 minutes. I have been trying to get myself back into the running form I use to be in and racing again will definitely assist in my efforts.

I'm also doing really well with the Weight Watchers online. I have been following the points system for 3 weeks now and have lost a total of 8 pounds. Woo Hoo! I would highly recommend Weight Watchers to anyone who struggles with trying to eat healthy. I always knew what I needed to do for exercising but the eating right was always my issue. Now with the help of the points plan, I am eating so much better and feel so much better.

I did mention earlier that I haven't been really knitting. Well last night I made it a point to sit down with my Juno Regina Wrap. Considering this is a lace project, it is slow going. I can only work on it when I am totally alone and can concentrate. I did manage to complete 8 rows of it before I got too tired. When it progresses a little more I'll post an updated picture.

It's A Wrap

Stole. Wrap. Whatever you want to call it, I am knitting it. As you can see by the oh so lovely pictures, I have started my very first lace project. I am knitting the Juno Regina Wrap (Stole) from Knitty. (Sorry MB, didn't mean to be so secretive when I put it up on my side bar the other day. I must have been having brain issues because I totally gave this project a different name. I'll just call it a *code* name. It was close to the actual one!)

I am knitting Juno with my Gossemar clearance yarn from Knit Picks. The colorway is called Lephrechan and I think I am actually going to really like this color for myself. As I said before when I posted the purchase of this yarn, I am not a green person, but I see wearing this with a pair of comfy jeans.

For this being my first time knitting lace I think it is going rather well for myself. I was concerned because it is so FINE! I had another lace pattern in mind for this yarn, but I didn't want to have to do a crochet cast-on and then knit into it and then remove it for my very first lace project. Ugh. I'm sure doing a crochet cast-on is fairly easy, but since I had never done it before I didn't feel like tackling it. I wanted a project that I could start right away.

I haven't picked up any knitting since last Thursday. I don't feel I can bring this baby to work because of all the charts you have to reference. I didn't want to totally screw it up. I'm not working on anything portable at the moment so I haven't been knitting. I have been making it a point to hit the gym after work every day. I am trying to get back into my running form and when I get home, fed and cleaned up for the evening I just want to crawl into bed with a book and go to sleep.

Non Knitting

This post is so totally non-knitting. I actually haven't done any knitting since I finished the Newsboy Cap on Friday.

What have I been doing with my free time? I've been reading and have been totally entralled with this book my sister gave me to read. It's called Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. What a fantastic book!!! My sis had been telling me how good it was but I didn't realize how good it was until I realized I couldn't put it down. I have been so drawn into the characters/plot that I can't wait to turn the page and find out what's next. This book is 850 pages and I am on page 752. I tried very hard to read those last 100 pages last night but my eyes wouldn't let me.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read historical fiction books, with some romance. This is the first book in a series of six and thank goodness sis lent my the second book in the series!

Here is the synopsis of the book I found online:

Claire Randall is leading a double life. She has a husband in one century, and a lover in another...

In 1945, Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon—when she innocently touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an "outlander"—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire's destiny in soon inextricably intertwined with Clan MacKenzie and the forbidden Castle Leoch. She is catapulted without warning into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life ...and shatter her heart. For here, James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a passion so fierce and a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

For all you knitting fans, there will be some knitting news this week. I did start a new project before I finished the cap but I haven't made much progress so far.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

Yes folks. Your eyes are not deceiving you. I have completed the Newsboy Cap tonight. I was so thrilled with the finished object that I actually decided to take a picture of it with me modeling it for you all. Not too bad for self portraits, hunh?

This is a super easy, super quick knit! I started it Monday and finished a mere 4 days later. The body of the cap is knitted on 10.5 needles so that definitely helped with the speed.

I have a very good friend, I won't name names, that blundered a month or so ago when I mentioned her referring to this pattern for help with a pattern of her own. She immediately informed me that she didn't like the pattern. I smiled and looked at her and said, "Well I was planning on knitting it." Oops. Needless to say she was very embarassed and tried to dig herself out of it. I just told her not to worry about it because she didn't have to like the hat because I did.

Well my friend hasn't seen the finished hat yet but she did see it in person with the body being completed. She said she actually liked it much better in person. To me it doesn't matter if she really likes it or not, I'm not one to rule someone out of my like because we have a difference in opinion. I do enjoy teasing her about it though.

I'm really glad I knitted this up, instead of knitting it with my friend Lisa (whom I'm teaching how to knit). I encountered an error in the pattern and am very happy to have caught it now, instead of sending Lisa home to knit and have her trying to figure out what the heck was wrong on her own. I'm meeting up with her tomorrow after she gets off from work to catch a movie and then teach her how to cable. I'll even wear my new hat proudly!

Headline News!

I am stash busting! By only 1 skein, but hey it's a start.

Some of you know I have been wanting to knit the Stitch 'n Bitch Nation Cabled Newsboy Cap for some time now. For the longest time I really didn't know what yarn I wanted to use. Well over the weekend, while I was working on my Knitty Thermal, I realized I had a skein of yarn in my stash that matched the Thermal color perfectly. Awesome!

This skein of Patons Classic Wool has been in my stash for probably three years now. It's leftover from a year I knitted Christmas gifts for the family. The pattern calls for 200 yards of worsted yarn, and even though I have used some of the yarn from this skein, I should have plently because 1 skein is 223 yards.

Yesterday my friend Lisa came over and I showed her the pattern. Now she is going to make it too. She is a beginner knitter and I thought this hat was the perfect pattern to teach her how to do cables and picking up stitches.

I started the hat this morning at work and made a lot more progress that I thought I would. I have started to shape the top of the hat with decreases. I imagine I will have this done in no time. Very easily a quick weekend project!