Sock Wars 3 is kicking my butt. When I got the pattern last week, I realized the yarn I was going to use (KPPPM) was all wrong so I switched to a new yarn (Regia). I reswatched and finally cast on for the sock.

I worked most of the leg of the first sock before I realized I had somehow misread the (very clearly written) pattern and missed an increase so my pattern was incredibly wonky.

So...I restarted with a different ball of Regia and, after making the same miss-an-increase mistake, am now a measly 4 rows into the leg of the first sock. I am already starting to live in mild fear of the mailman. I have given up the idea of taking someone out this first round and am now just trying to selvage my sock knitting mojo. I feel like I really need to get a little farther on the sock before I'm killed and have to send it off to the next knitter.

And, of course, the only real oomph I have for knitting is to cast on for a baby item. Nevermind the other dozen projects that are lying around...

Posted by fruitychick at 08:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

First off-thanks for all the well-wishes! We were thrilled to find out the news and I have my first appointment tomorrow so I should know a tiny bit more.

Sock Wars 3 is kicking my butt. When I got the pattern last week, I realized the yarn I was going to use (KPPPM) was all wrong so I switched to a new yarn (Regia). I reswatched and finally cast on for the sock.

I worked most of the leg of the first sock before I realized I had somehow misread the (very clearly written) pattern and missed an increase so my pattern was incredibly wonky.

So...I restarted with a different ball of Regia and, after making the same miss-an-increase mistake, am now a measly 4 rows into the leg of the first sock. I am already starting to live in mild fear of the mailman. I have given up the idea of taking someone out this first round and am now just trying to selvage my sock knitting mojo. I feel like I really need to get a little farther on the sock before I'm killed and have to send it off to the next knitter.

And, of course, the only real oomph I have for knitting is to cast on for a baby item. Nevermind the other dozen projects that are lying around...

I hate pictureless posts, so here is a cute one of the Munchkin. The Mr and I use our excellent parenting skills to build bubble headdresses on the munch during every bath. This is one of the more impressive ones of late.

Posted by fruitychick at 08:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Happy Mothers Day to me!

Quite an unexpected and nice Mother's Day surprise, don't you think?

Posted by fruitychick at 07:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

My knitting spurt over the weekend didn't last long. Not because I didn't want to work on Juliet but because we started a slightly larger project: rearranging all the books in the house.

2 trips to ikea and 13 boxes of books donated to the library, we finally got them all to fit on the wall-o-bookshelves.

I'm totally in love. The picture is a little washed out but, in person, the colors are really striking. I wanted something a little different for the books and I had long ago seen this picture on flickr and knew I had to be a total copycat. I'm glad I did though I wish I had more colorful books than I do. We have three entire rows dominated by black and white books. Kind of boring.

The bottom row is wicker baskets that serve as all of munchkin's living room toy storage, by the way. Maybe some day she'll outgrow living room toys and we'll be able to recapture the book storage space.

What do you think? is it nutty? the Mr's concern was that it would make it difficult to find books on the shelf but we are mainly browsers--spending a long time choosing a new book rather than going to the shelf with a particular book in mind. I think he likes it in the end though.

Posted by fruitychick at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Mr. Fruitychick and the Munchkin have flown off to St. Louis for the day to attend my sister in law's wedding. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it because of my craptastic back injury. I'm sad I won't be there--I haven't met her fiance/husband or her new stepdaughter (who remarkably looks quite like she's related to the Munch).

I'm making the most of my time at home though. I haven't accomplished a single productive thing and I couldn't have loved the day more.

So far, I've:

1. taken a nap. Seriously--a nap! I never get to take naps!
2. eaten lunch. A hot lunch--eaten on a whim. Usually my lunchtime is dictated by Munch's nap schedule but today I just made myself lunch and ate it--WHEN I WANTED! It was great!
3. Read. I got a bit into Rapture Ready!: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture. So far, its pretty entertaining. I like these memoir type books though the author is certainly no Tony Horwitz, my favorite author in the memoir type genre.

I've been reading a lot lately--even joining a few book groups on GoodReads. I've been introduced to some pretty good books in those groups and I'm excited to see what the selections are for the upcoming months. I also joined a 50 book challenge for 2008. So far, I'm doing really well. I think I've finished 10 books in the last 13 days or so. I'm on a roll, baby!

4. Knitted!! Really! and you thought this blog was going to be sadly fiberless forever!

Its Juliet from Zephyr Style, one of my favorite pattern producers. Their instructions are always clear, customizable and fun. And they have exceptional customer service. I've ordered patterns and stitch markers from them and they've always been super quick to ship. The stitch markers are excellent--if you don't have a set of thier raglan stitch markers--get thee over there and buy some! I've used them a gazillion times.

5. (almost) Swam. Our pool is so close to being ready to swim in and I could not be more excited. I went out and stuck my feet in and convinced myself it was warm enough to get in. Somehow it cooled a bit by the time I got out there in my suit so I chickened out but a few more weeks people and I'll be a-swimming. I LOVE Texas!

6. Watched TV. I never watch TV while I'm home with the Munch. If its on, its tuned to cartoons (namely, Backyardigans and WordWorld. If you have a toddler, I have no doubt you know those two shows). I've watched a couple of shows and even a movie--Trekkies.

All in all, Its been a great day. I feel really recharged and ready for a little more relaxing this evening. The munchkin and Mr. get back tomorrow morning so I don't have a ton of time left to myself but I'm ready for them to be home. I miss my little family!

Posted by fruitychick at 08:35 PM | Permalink

If you are prone to a bad back and something like, oh say, stretching really well after finishing a good book could put you in a state of pain for a few days due to pulled muscle.

For the love of all that is good and pure, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT put your bad back remedies (icy hot, water bottle, thermacare patches, etc) in the lowest cabinet under the sink. You wont be able to reach them when you desperately need them. and it will suck.

I'm still barely knitting after my retro adventure into crochet turned out so dismally. I started a pair of plain ribbed socks (noro sock yarn, yum) but they are barely a few rows past the toe. I have a long road trip ahead of me so I need to get a little something on the needles but I just can't decide what. This might finally be the day I make the legwarmers I've been coveting for years. They'd be nice to have in case it gets a little chilly in St. Louis.

I've also still been reading up a storm. I just finished Flyte by Angie Sage this morning. Its the second book in her Septimus Heap series. It was...ok. Not great, not bad. Certainly not as good as the first. The first was clever and charming, being all new and such but this one fell a little short. I expected the characters to be more mature and the plotline a little deeper. I'm not in a hurry to rush out and read the third quite yet.

I'm also almost done with Pride and Prejudice, a book I somehow always put off reading. I have a real love-hate relationship with it. I love the characters; they are charming and witty. However, at the same time, the subject matter (parties, engagements, etc etc) is kind of like listening in on a group of self indulgent women gossiping for several hundred pages. Still...I can't put it down.

Any other suggestions? I have a stack of books on the table awaiting their turn but I'd love to hear what your favorites are!

Posted by fruitychick at 05:02 PM | Permalink

My sister in law is getting married soon (like, really soon). I thought it was closer to the middle of May but, come to find out just a few days ago, its next weekend. Yikes.

And--it has a theme. Hawaiian print.

Needless to say, I was unprepared for the news. Not that I have anything against theme weddings--it isnt that at all. Its that my (loving, caring, almost perfect) husband didnt tell me this until this past weekend.

So the shawl I had made months ago and the dress I had planned to wear were no longer on the books. I had approximately 10 days to make my dress, make munchkins dress and knit something for myself to wear over said new dress. I ordered fabric and made an emergency trip to the yarn store to buy some basic black cotton for a wrap. (do not speak to me of how I shouldnt wear black to a wedding. I hadn't received my fabric yet and couldnt match any other color. You give me 10 days notice and you get me wearing a black wrap.)

Anyway...days of hysteria passed and I eventually found a suitable dress online. I ordered it, it came, I tried it on, it fits, its cute...and. best of all...it matches the original blue shawl I knit ages ago.

Thank goodness. At least now I can stop this madness:

Yes, my friends, that is a crochet hook. I used to exclusively crochet back before I learned to knit. I was looking for a quick pattern and this one seemed to fit the bill. Its The Sweet Pea Shawl, if you are so crochetly inclined. Its an ok pattern but I'm not exactly thrilled with the customer service on this one. I purchased the pattern online and when I downloaded it, it asked for a password. I emailed customer service and received a snide response that it was part of the (lengthy--so lengthy I didnt read it because I was crunched for time and just wanted to print that darn thing out) email I had already received--listed "no less and two times in this very email" (quote from the email I received from them.)

First of all, don't assume I'm going to read your "thanks for purchasing our pattern form letter" Odds are, I'm not going to. Second, when I email with a question, don't send me something snide in return. Third, don't make people put a stupid password in every time they want to look at the pattern they purchased from you. It is annoying.

At least I like the dress and can get back to my new book (The Book Thief).

Posted by fruitychick at 02:21 PM | Permalink