WIP Wednesday - Vacation Days

I write this post from my old bedroom.  Though the colors have changed over the years, there is always something comforting about being home.  Note I said comforting not comfortable.  My childhood home is a 100+ wood frame home with small windows and no air conditioning.  We were never able to have room air conditioners because the windows are tall and narrow.  So as my mother used to say, "We have whole house sweat."

The reason why I am home is my church festival.  I got volun-told I would be making funnel cake batter and making walking tacos/frito pies at the festival.  Now if it was just the tacos, I could have worked this week but since I was asked to make the funnel cake batter, I need the mornings off to get the batter done and refrigerated before the festival opens.  Lucky me.  So my vacation this week is just a different form of work.  But it's for my church and I don't mind.

This past week marked by birthday.  I had a lovely weekend where I went swimming, saw movies and ate out a lot.  I had a lovely time at the Cheesecake Factory with Aunt Becky and Aunt Francey (Hi!).  They read the blog and I promised to mention them :)

My Birthday Cheesecake!

So needless to say, I didn't get to much knitting done this week but I am making progress.

Hue Shift Afghan

I have been bouncing back and forth between the first quadrant and the fourth quadrant. The first quadrant is almost done.  1.5 blocks left to go.  I want to get through all of the blocks that use purple see if I have enough yarn.

Tropical Ginger Hitchhiker

Hitchhiker

This one gets a little bit done at a time.  I have 20 rows left to finish but they are the longest rows so far and it just takes awhile.

Anyway, that was my week.  Hope yours is going well.

For other WIPs check out Tami's Amis and Frontier Dreams

<3 Heather

WIP Wednesday - An Abundance of Stripes

Isn't it funny how we follow certain trends?  Lately I have been on a stripe kick.  All of my projects   both in progress and planned involve some sort of striping.  I think it's the striking profile they set and the blend of the colors of yarn that just make look at every pattern in my queue and try and figure out how I can stripe it.  I even bought yarn at Maryland with stripes in mind.

This week was a bit slow but I made some progress on two projects.

Hue Shift Afghan

Hue Shift is Quadrant 1 is almost done!

So I have been trying to one-a-day this project.  I have been somewhat successful at getting one square done a day but my progress is more like 2 every other day.  A girl can only make so many mitered squares before she loses her marbles.  I have three more squares done and started on another quadrant as a bit of a change.  Yay for the blues!  Really I want to finish all of the squares that have purple to see if I need to order more yarn.  All in all, I have been watching the KAL threads and the finished blankets are definitely providing some motivation to keep knitting.

Tropical Ginger Hitchhiker

Htichhiking along

Sue commented last week that I was the third blog she read that was making Hitchhiker.  This pattern is so easy and can be very stunning when completed.  Plus this is a great pattern to stripe.  The garter ridges make counting the rows between the teeth a breeze and the color change just looks stunning.

One think that has surprised me is the amount of yarn I have used up until this point.  I bought two 50 gram skeins of Mini Mochi and one 100 gram skein of Cascade Heritage Silk (CHS).  I am over half way through and I am still working on the first skein of Mini Mochi and the CHS still feels like it's brand new.  Perhaps the yardage is bigger than I thought but I wanted to use all of the yarn for this one but the size is getting quite big.

The Flash Square
Candy Skein Leftie

I didn't get as much done on these projects this week but I have plans to finish the Flash square this month for Nerd Wars.  Also, I want to finish one of these shawls for Nerd Wars as well.  Lots of knitting to be done between now and the end of the month.

Anyway, that was my week.  Hope yours is going well.

For other WIPs check out Tami's Amis and Frontier Dreams

<3 Heather

WIP Wednesday - Slimer Green

Hello all, I admit that I am still in a funk over the Pens performance during the Eastern Conference Finals.  Really this was a cup or bust year and the fans expected a lot.  Overall, I enjoyed the playoffs this season and will probably watch the finals and hope for Chicago to win.

In other news, I painted my nails on Monday and the color reminds me of Slimer from the Ghostbusters.  I like the color but every now and then as I type it catches my eye and I am blinded by bright nail color.

It's really green

Since the Pens are out of the running, I have actually started to work on other WIPs for a bit of variation.

Hue Shift Afghan

Hue Shift

It's really coming along

So I am up to the solid peach block.  The end of this 25 block is in sight.  This is good TV knitting project and I am still trying to get one block done a day.  I feel like that is a good goal to get this project moving along.

The Flash Square

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom. I'm the Flash

So I am sorta cheating on WIP-ogamy goal with this project.  Some would say sorta cheating is like being a little bit pregnant, but I have an explanation.

This blanket project has been going on for a year already so beginning a new square doesn't count as starting a new project.  This is like starting another square in the Hue Shift, it just isn't connected yet.

I measured the height of the first column of squares and the blanket is most likely going to measure 3' X 3'.  Which is okay, I was hoping for a bigger blanket closer to 5' long by 3' wide.  Once everything is joined I am going to try and block it a bit to make it bigger.  Also aside from joining I need to go over all of the super hero squares and mend some wholes the color work caused.

Tropical Ginger Hitchhiker
Candy Skein Leftie

I did get some work accomplished with these shawls but it was minimal and I didn't get pictures this morning.  I have 33 teeth on the hitchhiker and will probably stop at 42 and decide if I want to make more.

The Leftie is coming along and I am now in my third repeat of the colors.  Red is done and now onto pink.

Anyway, that was my week.  Hope yours is going well.

For other WIPs check out Tami's Amis and Frontier Dreams

<3 Heather

And the stress just plummeted....

Well, that was quick and brutal.  If you had told me last year that the Pens would have a shorten season, finished first in the East and made it to the conference finals I would have done a jig and then laughed.

One year later after a demoralizing exit from the playoffs against the Flyers, the Pens won two rounds and were primed for the conference finals. I honestly do not know what happened.  They appeared the be healthy but I think they forgot they had to play.

The Bruins swept the Pens.  The Pens which were one of the highest scoring teams were shut out twice in the same series and scored only 2 goals.

Seriously who let out the Pod Penguins?

Image from Wikipedia

Here is a series Recap:

Opponent:  Boston Bruins
Game 1: BRUINS 3 - PENS 0
Game 2: BRUINS 6 - PENS 1
Game 3: PENS 1 - BRUINS 2 (OT)
Game 4: PENS 0 - BRUINS 1

Unfortunately, I am so hollow after the series.  I did my part but the players just stopped producing and there is nothing more as a fan that I could have done.  The worst part is that I wanted a cup for Jerome Iginla, Brandon Morrow and Douglas Murray.  I wanted Duper to feel like he had an actual stake in the cup.  I just wanted a Pens tattoo with my bestie to mark the occasion.

There are only 121 days until next season.  That should fly by right?

#LetsGoPens

</3 Heather

WIP Wednesday - Err Thursday? #2

Hello again, don't you just love the start of June?  I do.  I may not be a fan of the heat and humidity but early June is one of the best times of the year.  School is getting out, summer plans are being made and the season just brings a lovely energy to the community.

The temperature in early June is warm but not oppressive.  The nights are cool or as my mom would say "Good sleeping weather."  Plus the flowers are starting to bloom and perfume the air.

My favorite smell is honeysuckle that grows wild along some roads.  Particularly on the way home from my dad's house.  There is a stretch where the hillside is just full of the flowers and the air just smells sweet and clean.

It's those smells this morning on my way to work that reminded me that I should enjoy the weather before it gets too hot or too busy during the summer.

Speaking of busy, yesterday came and went and I forgot to take pictures so this post is a bit later than I would like but I wanted to update everyone on my progress.

Candy Skein Leftie

Lucky Shawl?

So it is with a frustrated heart that I update you all on the Penguins.  You may have noticed my series of playoff recap posts.  The Pens have made it deep into the playoffs and this round decides who goes on to the play for the Stanley Cup.  It is with a sad heart that I report to you that my beloved Pens are down 3 games in the best of 7 series.  The game tomorrow faces elimination and a sweep.  I am so distraught.

During the first game, I did my pregame rituals.  I got my knitting out, the shirt on the game on the ipad and started to watch.  It was an epic fail.  The next game not much better.  Last night, double overtime and a loss.  I don't know what else I can do but I keep working on the shawl to hope the good vibes help the team make an epic comeback.

Justice League Filler Squares

Just a square but it's going in an epic blanket

Before the round started, I wanted to work on something but didn't want to finish the Leftie too quickly so I started another filler square for my Justice League Blanket.  These blocks are fairly easy and mindless stockinette that can be taken anywhere.  The image above shows the 40 rows I have so far and I should get the rest done tonight at knit night.

Juego Sin Fin en el Verano (Endless Juego in Summer)

I ended up ripping this project out.  I just couldn't justify the time to make the shawl when I wasn't excited about doing the shawl or even wearing the shawl.  I learned a lot about using beads, reading charts and there are some aspects that were worth the time I took on the piece.  Instead I am going to use the yarn to make Lunar Tide.  It has a similar cable cast off that I can add beads too like the Juego and still have something that excites me and that I would wear.

Hue Shift Afghan

The latest addition to the afghan

Glamour Shot :)

I didn't work on this blanket but I did finally get some new pictures to show you.  Enjoy :)

Anyway, that was my week.  Hope yours is going well.

#letsgopens

For other WIPs check out Tami's Amis and Frontier Dreams

<3 Heather

2013 - May Recap

May was a busy month.  The Maryland Sheep and Wool festival and lots of hockey.  What more can a girl ask for?

And the stress just escalated to epic levels....Round 3

Remember that breather I asked for after round 1?  Well we got it after round 2.  Eight whole days without Pens Hockey!  The Horror!

The Pens were so much better in the second round.  I don't know if it was dusting the rust off of the playoffs or just getting that first round win, but the series against Ottawa was so much better than the series against the Islanders.

Picture from the Open Practice in 2010 Training Camp #LetsGoPens

I was personally superstitious during this series.  for the first 4 games, I worked on the same project, wore the same shirt and listened to Mike Lange call the game on my ipad.  The fifth game was a bit different but I will talk about that below.

The lucky shawl.

Image from Ottawa Senators Wikipedia page

Here is a series Recap:

Opponent:  Ottawa Senators
Game 1: SENS 1 - PENS 4
Game 2: SENS 3 - PENS 4
Game 3: PENS 1 - SENS 2 (OT)
Game 4: PENS 7 - SENS 3
Game 5: SENS 2 - PENS 6

As I mentioned before, this series showed the greatness and drive the Penguins have.  The goal tending was superb on both sides from games 2 and 3.  In game 3. the Pens out shot and outplayed the Senators but their goalie was a brick wall and wouldn't let anything in.  The start of game 4 continued like game three but the onslaught of shots could not be stopped by the defense and Craig Anderson was just broken down and the third period was a shooting gallery.

The winning spirit was still strong in game 5.  My Friday was a bit of a mess.  I was off for the holiday weekend and had some vacation days to use before I lose them at the end of May.  I was home and put my keys in the wrong place, effectively locking myself out of my apartment when I went to leave for the game. I tried to break in but the door is solid (yay for a safe building!) so I had to call the emergency number to get someone to open my apartment.  $50 later for 5 seconds worth of a key turn, I was able to grab my keys and lock up.

As soon as I got into my car, I pulled the lucky shawl out of it's project bag and turned the radio to 105.9 the X, which is the flagship station for the Pens radio broadcasts.  As I drove to my knit night, the Pens scored their first goal.

We usually meet at Panera but it was a birthday for Amy and she loves the Pens and wanted to watch and knit.  I suggested meeting at Primanti Bros since they would plenty of TVs to watch the game.

The lucky shawl.

Needless to say, I had my knitting and was listening to the radio broadcast in one ear to make sure all of my superstitions were still in effect.  The game was a good one but it was even better because it was shared with good friends.