Our Dogs are better than yours!!

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Notre Dame Fighting Irish, but I have to give props to my hometown boys, Fresno State Bulldogs. They just won the 2008 College World Series beating the Georgia Bulldogs 6-1. When I grew up in the Central Valley I had went to many baseball games and to see them now win the College World Series, their first national title, that is fantastic. I may now live in San Jose, but my home is Fresno.

Not a fan...

Before anyone decides to post bad comments regarding this post, let me just say, to each is own and I respect peoples love for certain things in their lives. But I am putting it on record that I am not a fan of the color Orange. Never have, never will. I don't own anything orange, it is not a flattering color to me at all. Many people have knitted beautiful projects with different variations of orange colored yarn. One person in particular I can think of is my friend in Texas, Twisted Knitter. She did the Irish Hiking Scarf in an orange colored yarn, looks great, for her; me not so much. So a true test of friendship is when you ask me to knit orange colored yarn.

Granted it was just some finishing work, but still, it was ORANGE. Actually, it was Texas Longhorn Burnt Orange color and you will see it knit up in a book sometime next year. Only for YOU (you know who you are.)

But I have devised a list of 10 things in random order that are orange in color that I do like so you can see that I am only prejudice to the color...

1. Oranges (the fruit)
2. Gerber Daisy
3. Golden Gate Bridge (yes it is orange!)
4. Orange Bell Peppers
5. Pumpkins
6. Thai Tea
7. Chloe and Eddie's Honda Element
8. Koi
9. Sun Setting
10. Clown Fish (Nemo)

So tell me, what color do you not like to knit?

Relay for Life

A knitter friend of mine put together a team called Cap Off Cancer to participate in the Relay for Life, an event supporting the American Cancer Society. I have two very personal reasons why I decided to participate, my parents.

Dad passed away from lung cancer in 1992 when I was 20 years old and my mother is a two time ovarian cancer survivor and is currently in remission.

Cancer is something that has altered my life significantly as it does to many many others. So I am doing my part in the fight against cancer by joining the Cap Off Caner team in the Relay for Life event July 12-13, 2008 in Campbell, CA. Here is my event page for more information if you would like to make a donation, purchase a Luminaria in memoriam or in honor of someone special or donate a chemo cap. Also, you can contact me with any questions.

National Bring Your Dog to Work Day

Today is National Bring Your Dog to Work Day, so I brought Mugsy with me to work. I was watching the Today show this morning and they made the announcement so I grabbed my phone and text message my boss and asked permission, she said yes. She is the greatest boss EVAR!! I just wish that we could have our pooches at work more offen, makes for a fun place to work.

Mugsy at Mazda

Making good on a gift

This post is to inform you all that I am still alive and there has been some knitting going on too. For about 3 weeks now, I have been working 10-12 hour days six days a week. Why all the hours? Well, I am sort of behind at work for one and two, the dealership group that I work for, they are consolidating all four accounting offices into one location. With that said, part of my work is going to be handed off to another person and I will be doing more of one specific part of my job. So in preparation for the move, I have been working long hours to make everything go as smooth as possible. July will be a much better month, I can feel it!

As for knitting content, I am making good on a long awaited present. Let me give you some background. The first Christmas that I knew how to knit (2 seasons ago) I was on a felting spree. I made a pair of Felted Clogs (Ravelry link or blog link) for my Grandmother. Well, I stupidly while making the first pair, said that I could make Sensei's dad a pair for Christmas too. What I didn't know when I opened my big mouth was that I would come to HATE that pattern. I mean they are great once they are done, but the whole knitting experience is horrible. I made only one of his dad's clog/slippers and never did the other one. In fact, I don't even know where the first knitted one is at the moment it has been that long. Needless to say, Sensei has pretty much never let me forget that I was knitting his dad something which never was completed, every chance he got. So with the up coming Father's Day, I decided to make good on a knitted gift, but NOT clog/slippers!!

So here is a basic knitted vest using Ann Budds The Knitter's Book of Handy Patterns.

Ravelry details here. I LOVE this book and Ann Budds The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns. They have been so useful in my knitting projects, I highly recommend them.

Pattern: Basic Vest Pattern

Source: The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns by Ann Budd

Size: 44" Chest Circumference

Materials: Cascade 220 Heathers 2427

Amount: 4 hanks heather brick red colorway 2427

Started: June 2008

Finished: June 2008

Ok Sensei, it is time to let it go now. No more felted slipper comments comments or I will be forced to post the picture of you wearing my fuzzy pink slippers!

Aint gunna dew it...

This coming July will be 2 years since I learned how to knit. And while I have learned to surround myself with talented knitters it seems that many of them are talented spinners too. All the while I have been watching knitters taking the plunge into spinning. I kept stating that spinning is not in my future, I needed to learn everything about knitting before I learned to spin. And honestly I thought that excuse would work. It started with, I have not complete a sweater, done-I have not learned cables, done-I have to learn to steek, done-I need to learn fair isle, done-need to learn sock, done-I need to learn lace knitting, in progress. Now I realize that is not "everything" about knitting, but you get what I mean.

So I finally made it to Mary's (mother to knitters starting spinning) monthly spin-in. I toodled in there with my plate of Snickerdoodles and my knitting bag with 2 current projects and found a comfy chair and started knitting. And then Mary said, "I am using my drop spindle, my wheel is free, LISA" nudge nudge. Well she didn't have to twist my arm that hard actually. Prior to this day, Sensei said to me that he would buy me a spinning wheel but that I had to learn to spin a bit before he bought the wheel. I found that to be a reasonable request since wheels are not cheap.

Into the fiber stash Mary and I went and we pulled out this fiber.

While Mary was untangling some singles that she was plying, Janice (another fabulous knitter/spinner) got me started. I learn some lingo, but the phrase I heard the most was, "DON"T LET GO" She was referring to my back hand while trying to draft and when I stopped treadling cause I had to much twist I would let go with my back hand. Anyway, all I can say is that it is a real learning process, one of which I am still willing to learn, Mary and Janice were great to help me get my feet wet.

So let me show you what I made, now you can't laugh, it was my first and I know I will get better when I learn to draft better.

Now the funniest thing that was said was this morning several hours after my foray in to spinning. Sensei and I were cuddling this morning talking about our up coming week and things we need to do and our future together and he says, " When we have our children and they bring home some drawing they did in pre-school and it looks like a mess, what are you going to say to them?" I of course replied that I would praise them and tell them how beautiful it was. Without skipping a beat he said, "Baby, your yarn you spun is really beautiful" We started to laugh so hard I almost peed my pants!