Ahhhhhhhh..... suburbia.  How I really haven't missed you so.

The move is complete.  My stuff is all (well, mostly all)* here in Ohio with me.  The cats have adjusted.  My nieces are thrilled.  Aunt Amy is officially HOME!

I never really realized, but man, I have a LOT of stuff!  And I never want to move it myself again.  I mean EVER.  I began packing over a month ago, though, honestly, it was just a little bit here and there, and I didn't finish until 4 a.m. the morning of my official move.  There are MANY factors in the lateness of my finishing up.  The biggest of which is this:

There's a story behind this sprained ankle...and the gist of the story is that THERE WAS A HOLE!!!  The alcohol consumption had NOTHING to do with  it... nothing at all... right Lara?

I am slowly unpacking, and getting some knitting done.  I have pictures of my secret pal gifts that I need to post tomorrow.  And I'm wrapping up my Project Spectrum project.  Pics to come tomorrow.

Tonight was my last Knitty Meetup, and boy was it a HOOT!  I had such a wonderful time, mostly because we (I) told embarassing stories... made me laugh so hard I was crying   Embarassing stories include running a mile during marching band camp and getting sick all over the side of the school, the time I fainted onto a clarinet (in the same week that I ran the mile), and, ummm... some I can't really talk about on the blog.  I did not, however, include the time I goosed my band director in high school.  But that's a pretty good one!  Ask me about that some time.  Apparently, all my REALLY embarassing stories include band.  Or maybe its just embarassing that I was *in* band.  EIther way, Meetup was AWESOME!

Paula was kind enough to gift to me some BEAUTIFUL roving.

Reminds me of Lorna's Laces Bittersweet colorway

Reminds me of Mint Ice Cream... YUM

I cannot wait until I am done spinning the roving I purchased last month, however, I have 2 ounces of both the maroon and some pink roving, which I plan on plying together.  I haven't yet even gotten through 1 ounce of the maroon, though.  And the pink hasn't been touched.  I doubt that it will get touched until the first week of April, either.  There is just too much to do for the move.

Rhonda (my best friend) is flying in Thursday night.  Which means that tomorrow night is PACKING NIGHT.    The main thing I have to pack is my bedroom (the closet) and my kitchen, though most of the "important" kitchen-y things are in boxes.  I just keep thinking that I *might* really want fondue before I move, so I shouldn't pack the fondue pot.  And what if the urge hits to cook something in the crock pot (which I haven't done in the year and a half since I've been in Maryland)?  The crock pot would be no use if it were in a box.  So tomorrow, I'm packing those useless items.  Wish me luck!

... is not what's going on in this house, however, that is what should be happening.  I've gotten LOTS of boxes packed for the big move (which is occurring next Monday), however, I think there are LOTS more that need to be packed.  There have been a few distractions, though, over the past week.

Distraction #1... the spinning.

That's right... there's yarn on that there spindle.  And it is actually starting to look pretty good.  This is spun from the Corriedale I bought at Springwater Fiber in Alexandria.  I do *heart* that store.  I sort of feel like I need to buy all the fiber I can, as I don't know where I'll get my stash when I move to Ohio.  Apparently, there's a shop about 10 minutes from where I'll live that sells fiber, however, so I'm laying off of purchasing anything.  Plus, I'm going to Maryland Sheep & Wool in a month.  Really, I have more than enough to keep me busy til then.

Distraction #2... MOVIE NIGHT!  I had a few of the Meetup girls over on Sunday for Knitty Meetup Movie Night.  This meant getting my apartment in working order.  I gotta say, it looks pretty darn good - however, not quite as BARE as it should.  Anyway, we watched Midnight Madness and The Pirate Movie.  Cheesy 80's movie (and by cheesy, I mean REALLY cheesy), knitting (or crocheting in my case) and pizza rolls.  A night couldn't get better than this, unless you spend it with two awesome people... and I did.  It really was a great time, however, no photo documentation of the event will be seen here, as I'm not quite adept at thinking of taking pictures until two minutes after people leave.  Alas, I have the memories (and all of the CHEESE from the movies).

Distraction #3... did I mention crocheting?

Does this look familiar, Chelsea?  That's right... it's Stripes (and Stripes) Forever from The Happy Hooker book.  I'm being lame and following the striping pattern, but so far, it looks like a great Project Spectrum scarf.  However, I'm going to be adding the green strip at some point, and then it will be Project Spectrum no more.  Not to worry, take a look at the spinning up there... that's red.  It fits March's color scheme.

Distraction #4... since I've been working so hard, and I've been restraining myself for quite some time now, I decided to buy a new toy.

YAY!!! A new IPOD!  I've had an ipod for a while now, however, about a year ago, I broke the screen.  So I haven't been able to see what I'm listening to.  Now, not only can I see the title of the song I'm listening to, but I can also see the album cover - and if I'm so inclined, I can download a video for the song I'm hearing and watch it!  Video is awesome.  And since I have a new ipod, and don't want to crack the screen, it was time to knit a little something for it.

IPOD COZY!!!  And a crazy obnoxious one at that!  You should see the yarn I bought yesterday, though, to make an Easter Ipod Cozy.  That one's going to have to wait until I have ACTUAL time to knit.  This ipod cozy took an hour to knit, and another half hour to seam up.  Short knits are great.  The pattern came off of DIY's Knitty Grity, the Tech Knits episode.  I still need to add the finishing touch - a pony tail holder to keep it "closed".

Distraction #5... cutest cat EVER!!

My goal this year was to read 52 books.  So far, I'm doing pretty well.  We're finishing up week #11 and I'm starting on book #11.  So I'm right on track.  I've decided to make this entry my "up-to-date" book list, with mini-reviews of each book that I've read.  That way I can keep track of what I read, when I read it, and how I felt about what I read.  Better do this before my memory starts to fail.

1. Eragon - I read this book because my roommate said that it was good.  Eh... it was an easy read.  The book was written by a 15-year old (at the time), and there are some instances when you can really tell that he's not too experienced with life.  The book seems to have many of the same aspects that Lord of the Rings has, and the story isn't very original.  I think that the author tends to back himself into a corner with many of his circumstances, then he can't really find a plausible way out of the situation, so something unreasonable will happen.  But whatever, it was good for entertainment purposes during the time I read it.  I was at a business meeting in Raleigh, NC, and it helped to take some of the seriousness of that meeting out of my life.
2. Mrs. Dalloway - OK, I had to read this one for a book club that I belong to.  I did want to read the book after seeing The Hours, however, I could have done without ever reading it.  I really didn't get it.  But I guess that's how it goes with Virginia Woolf.  I'd like read more of her works, but I'm just not sure that they will hold my interest, unless I'm forced to read it through a book club
3. Everything is Illuminated - Great book, but slightly strange.  The book goes back and forth between time, as well as view point.  The person who is telling the story continues to change throughout, but honestly, it wasn't hard to follow.  I would recommend this book to anyone who wants something to think about while they read.  It isn't one that you can zip through.  However, I was on a plane to/from San Francisco while I read most of this, so it helped to pass the time.
4. Eldest - The sequel to Eragon.  Again, recommended by the roommate (who has since moved out, and really, it isn't a good situation right now).  I have to admit that I read the 'teaser' at the back of Eragon, and it intrigued me.  A main character was murdered during a key battle, and I wanted to see how it would all turn out.  Many of the "twists" in this sequel were quite predictable.  There are supposed to be three novels in this series.  I'm not sure that I'll read book #3 when it is released.  The writer (who is now 21 or 22) hasn't matured in his style, and his "love story" is still quite immature.  However, I'm assuming that since the kid has spent the better part of his late adolesence promoting books, he hasn't had much interaction with girls.  Maybe he needs take some time off and "research" for his love story to be plausible.
5. The Basic Eight - A recommendation by Chelsea, and I couldn't be happier with the book.  It held my interest until the wee hours of the morning.  I would definitely recommend the book to anyone that asked me for a good book.  Thanks, Chelsea!
6. 700 Sundays - This is Billy Crystal's story about the time he spent with his father - and other various members of his family.  What a great book!  It was a quick read, and very funny.  I mean, come on, it's Billy Crystal.  There is a lot in that book that I never knew about the funny man, and I'm glad that I learned it.  The book made me long for Billy as I was watching the Oscars.  I'm not generally a cryer (well, ok, I am, but not with books), but this book had me BAWLING!  And laughing... all at the same time.  The man has a gift with words, whether he's performing or writing them.  Another book to read if you are looking for something quick.
7. The Curious Incident of the Dog in Nighttime - I kept hearing about this book, and wanted to read it.  However, all I heard was that it was good, and it was.  It was a very short read - started on Monday and finished on Tuesday.  The book was written by a man who has worked with autistic children, and he wrote it in first person, as an autistic child would write a book.  It was a very well written book.  I wasn't exactly thrilled with the ending, but I guess that's how life is.  The ending isn't always the best part, right?
8. Middlesex - This is another one that I had heard was a good read, but I wasn't sure exactly what it was about.  Once I got into it, I couldn't stop reading, but it did take me a while to read this book.  I really want to read more by this author.
9. The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh - I have never read any of the Winnie-the-Pooh stories, and I received this book as a gift in an exchange.  I needed a light novel after reading Middlesex, so I pulled this book off the shelves.  What can you say about Winnie-the-Pooh except that the stories are adorable.  I will say, however, that one of the stories REALLY bothered me.  I realize that this is a children's novel with nothing malicious about it, but the story about Kanga and Baby Roo moving into the Hundred Acre Woods frightened me a little.  It begins with Winnie-the-Pooh, Rabbit, and Piglet talking about these "strangers" in the Woods, making plans to kidnap Baby Roo, simple because the Roo family was different.  Everything ended up fine in the end, though, but it sort of bothered me.  As a child, I would have thought nothing of it, so I'm sure I was just reading too much into the story.  Eitehr way, it was a delight to read the Winnie-the-Pooh stories.
10. Something Borrowed - Beach novels are great, aren't they?  This was your typical chick story, and I loved every minute of it!  The book is about a woman who's best friend is getting married (so is my best friend!!).  At the beginnning of the novel, Rachel, the main character turns 30 (I turn 30 in June).  So I'm really able to relate to this character - all the way up to the point where she sleeps with best friend's fiance.  Yeah... I'm not gonna do that, so no need to worry, Rhonda.  But it was a good story about the interactions of women, and how we sometimes don't do the best things for ourselves.  There is a sequel to this novel that is told from the best friend's point of view.  I'm looking forward to reading it.

So that's it.  My 2006 Reads so far.

I did it!!!!  I made my very own yarn.

Last Thursday, a friend and I headed over to Springwater Fiber (sorry Holly... I wanted to come by and see ya, but we were too late) and while we were looking at fiber, I stumbled across the most BEAUTIFUL stuff EVER!!

Since I've only ever used my drop spindle once, and that one time was a completely unsuccessful experience, I decided to ask someone how hard this fiber would be to use for a beginner.  The woman (and I wish I would have gotten her name) said "Well, why don't you try it out".

ME:  But ummm... I've never spun before.
HER:  So?
ME:  I can't spin.
HER:  Everyone can spin.
ME:  But I've never spun before.  I don't know how.
HER:  Have you seen someone spin?
ME:  Yes, on TV.
HER:  Then you can spin.  Just do what they did.

So... I did.  She helped me out, giving me a few instructions, however, she didn't really tell me too much.  Really, it was as easy as it looks.  I was shocked!!  Because knitting... not as easy as some people make it look.  When I first learned to knit, I was upset because it was SO hard, and I really didn't like it.  I put it down for a few YEARS, and then, TiVo decided to tape some knitting show on DIY.  After I saw that show, I really wanted to learn again, so I retaught myself.  I haven't put the needles down since.  Spinning really isn't difficult, though.  I have yet to make yarn that looks good, but whatever... it's yarn!   And, for Lolly, the yarn I made falls under March's Project Spectrum colors   I'm working on some more yarn, so I'm sure I'll post more pictures later.  For now, I need to get back to packing.  Less than two weeks left in Maryland!

Last night, I was slightly annoyed (understatement, I realize) about the whole Socks That Rock Sock Club thing (and about other things, but that's for another type of blog).  I just want everyone out there to know that I was not, in any way, putting down Blue Moon Fiber Arts or anyone who may have joined the Club (congrats, by the way.  I hope to see you blog about the awesome new colors!).  I did e-mail Blue Moon and let them know how I feel, though I did it this morning, when I wasn't as bothered by the fact that I'd never belong.  (Apparently, I have issues with feeling left out.  I'm sure that all stems from high school.  Where is the number for that therapist?)  But Blue Moon did e-mail back to let me know the reasons for "shutting down" the club.  And those reasons were what I figured... limited amounts of yarn/not enough space for dyeing.  They said that they are hoping to open memberships back up later, and they were very disappointed at having to limit the Club membership as well.  They apologized... so I am, too.  I hope that no one thought I was being rude, as I wasn't trying to be.  I was just in a bad mood, because of all of the stuff that I have to do these days, and the limited amount of time I have to do it in.  I'm moving back to Ohio in less than three weeks (YIKES!!!) and I REALLY need to get my stuff packed up.  My best friend is flying down here to help with the move, but I'd like for us to be able to relax and go see the pretty Cherry Blossoms on the basin here in DC.  So I should probably go load up a box or two, shouldn't I?

March has come into our lives, with the promise of spring (not that winter ever *really* came here in the DC area, but that's a whole other story).  Along with March, comes the beginning of Project Spectrum, the brainchild of Lolly.  I had heard about this idea on several different blogs over the last month, but wasn't 100% sure what it was all about.  Meeting Lolly inspired me to check it out, and what a great idea this is!  So I've joined up.  And I started knitting a project for March (the colors for March are red and pink).

This is the start of Sueet Suede.  I got the yarn last month at the Springwater Superbowl Sale, and really wanted to make this bag.  Project Spectrum has just given me the perfect excuse to abandon all other projects and start this one.  I actually have a slight case of startitis as well.  The shawl that I've been working on is coming along nicely, but I don't feel the pressure to knit it any more.

It looks nice, no?  And I was knitting two pairs of socks, one for me, one for my niece, but those don't really interest me all that much right now either.  The pair for me, well, I messed them up a little bit when I divided the stitches for the heel.  My ribbing is all weird around one side (i.e. four knit stitches together in a 2x2 rib... doesn't look good).  I think the bigger problem is that I *should* be packing.  But I don't wanna.  And I'm just finding any excuse to think about something else.  So once I'm finished with Sueet Suede, I'm jumping into the packing full speed ahead.  Unless, of course, the guilt of not finishing my niece's socks overtakes me.  Then I'm all about the niece-y socks

The Socks That Rock Sock Club is FULL??!?!?!??!  That's crazy! For those of us who were just saving up some moolah to get the really good deal (i.e. 4 months or 6 months) this is really not fair... I'm a little turned off right now.  I realize that its late in the evening, and I shouldn't be annoyed about it, as I had the chance to jump at a two month membership, but really?  I wanted to wait until I could truly afford it.  And now I don't even have the chance to join.  I'm not sure if there was ever any mention of this being a set number thing.  I know that there are limited quantities of the yarn, and that they only do a small batch of dyeing in a certain colorway (or at least I assume this), but I figured that it would be open to join at a later date.  I'm not sure if this will be the case, though.  So basically, for those of us that hadn't signed up, yet, we're out of luck.  Bummer for us, eh?