It's here and gone...

Dishrag Tag update.....

Here is my time line for the morning:

Patiently pacing, waiting for the mail truck.....

12:10 mail arrived...Yipeeeee!! I saw him put a box in the mailbox...I run down to the end of the driveway...(that's no easy feat when you're my age and overweight according to Wii Fit)



I ripped open gently opened the box.



Check out the goodies Emily sent...chocolate...I promptly ate most of them....and a recipe for Brown Sugar muffins and a set of measuring spoons...I can hardly wait to try the recipe out...it sounds nummy...



12:20 started knitting...I used size 7 needles (the pattern calls for size 6) I tend to knit tight...I ended up with about a 8 and 1/2 inch square cloth.



2:10 finished knitting (and weave in the ends...hate that part)...Printed off label, packed box (realized my children have used up all the packing tape...used scotch tape to seal the box...hope it holds) and drove to nearest "big" town....

3:10 dropped off at post office

I am not going to show you pictures of my finished dishcloth or the goodies I sent to Janice until she gets the package...I don't want to spoil the surprise...

Go Ragtag Racers!!!

Is it just me...

...or do you have the same problem...I need to FINISH a project.

I was asked recently at the LYS what was on my needles...here is what I discovered:

1. slippers (need to finish second one)

2. beanie for Katie (pattern is a bugger...really need to concentrate)

3. socks on two circs for me (love the yarn, not going fast enough on two circs to hold my attention...maybe should just convert to dpns?)

4. Fair isle hat (need to finish the crown)

5. Pay it Forward gift

6. Felted bag (can't find the pattern...)

7. Felted blowfish for Katie (again, not sure where the pattern is or where I am on the pattern...)

8. "Plain Vanilla Pullover" (started last summer...mucked up the decreasing for the neckline and never went back to it)

9. stripped tubular scarf (I am actually working on that one...)

10. New pair of Socks (I just cast on a new pair of socks this week after my visit to LYS in city of my Math Academy....while sitting in the hotel)

11. New Sweater (I am swatching to check gauge on my new cardigan pattern/yarn)

That's crazy!!!!

I need to finish something!

...and...did I mention I need a new pair of mittens for football season? or the numerous dishcloths that I have on needles, just because they are quick and mindless knits!!!

I really need to pull it all together...be a little self-disciplined....show a little self-control....or not...

I wanted to show pictures...maybe I will get a chance on Monday to go to the library and upload pics...so much quicker than dealing with my dial-up...

Let the games begin...

Dishrag Tag has begun!

Go Ragtag Racers!!!(Team #4)

The box is on its way to me from Emily in Alabama....maybe it will arrive on Monday? maybe Tuesday?

Check out the picture Emily has posted as she is packing the boxes...the woman is amazing...Big round of applause for all of her organization and hard work!!!

Dishrag tag

Yeah!!! Teams have been assigned...and all the fun starts this Friday...and did I mention I have the honor of being a team captain??!!! How cool is that???

I am currently at a three day "Math and Science Academy" sponsored by the State of MN....sitting in a hotel...with WIRELESS!!! Yeah!!!

Did I mention I bought myself a new (cheap) laptop computer...and in order to qualify for the 24 months, 0% financing...

I needed to spend an additional $130...so, I also bought a turntable that converts my old vinyl to computer (mp23) format...my vinyl can then be burnt to a CD or put on my i-pod. How cool is that? Stay tuned for details on quality.

"It's a contest!" or "What's your number?"

Emily is having a contest. Go check it out....she's giving away something cool and it's pretty painless....

Here is an excerpt from her:

Here’s the text from the front page of Divvs:

Our primary service is the Divvs Rating. We analyze your connections to other people across all the social networks you share with us, do some Complicated Math, and come up with a simple number that represents how connected you are.

It’s perfect for Craigslist or web forums where you want to keep your personal details private, but want to prove you’re a real person, with real friends. You can share your rating anywhere you can add a link to an image, and you do it without disclosing anything personal.

Think credit score, but social not monetary. Sign up for fun and to help test the system.

Divvs is kinda cool...tracks the number of social connections you have somehow...and there is math involved...(everything cool has math in it...isn't there math everywhere??)

My rating is a (pitiful) 30.

Check it out and give me a shout out as to your rating...maybe mine will go up ;)

WOW....

...Did you watch the opening ceremonies?

Spectacular...awesome...precision...breath-taking...and I could go on...

I am so impressed.

...when the people popped out of the boxes (the wind scene)....My jaw dropped to the floor...I couldn't believe it!

(I had thought it was cool and probably all automated by a computer program, boy, was I wrong)

I planned on knitting...but, I couldn't keep my eyes off the ceremonies...so, no knitting...

Where does that kind of planning come from? To have that extreme of a vision and to have the talent and the money to make it a reality...wow!

Hats off to China for an awe-inspiring show...

Whiskers on Wednesday...

It wasn't me!

I was just laying here licking myself and the yarn unrolled itself....Honest!



Enough pictures...I'm out of here!

This, that and the other thing....

Lots of stuff to talk about....

First off family news...Andy has been home for the past week...It's been awesome having him around. We did a day about town, ate at the local Chinese Buffet and played some miniature golf...I ended up in last place. Go figure.....

We went to "town" today to buy groceries to send back with him and of course to fill up his car with gas for the long trek home.

(Gas is actually going down...We paid $3.55 a gallon and used a 5 cent/gallon coupon...so actually paid $3.50/gallon...YEAH!!!)

Nathan is back from Bible Camp. He seemed to have a wonderful time and the weather was wonderful all week long. I wonder how long the two suitcases full of dirty laundry are going to be sitting in my living room? I've asked three times for them to be moved....

Have you looked at my counter? ONLY thirty days until the first day of school...and even less until the workshop days begin....sob. sob. sob.

We have a bear.



It won't stay out of our garbage. He/she took down our bird feeder, which was hanging from the eves. I was impressed that he/she didn't break it, just gently licked out all the sunflower seeds. I had three bags of misc. seeds sitting by the garage. The bags were found in the middle of the yard....ripped apart...and I can only find two of them...he/she must have taken one home for later.

We have Chris' motion camera in the front yard hoping to catch him/her in the act...so far...no luck.

Potential problem coming soon...my apple trees are "loaded". I can see broken branches in my future as this bear acquires a taste for my sweet apples. I have had a problem with that in the past. Any home remedies for keeping bears away?

I have been knitting.



The lady that does my hair is due to give birth any minute. I decided to knit her up a small pair of baby booties. On one of the previous posts, I talked about my attempt at a pair of baby booties. They ended up looking way too big...so, I compensated...or shall I say..."over-compensated"...the second attempt turned out to fit a preemie...third time was the charm....and....she was thrilled with the gift.

My good friend Linda and I went to Yarn Harbor, my LYS. And, I got sucked in again.

(Yarn + free pattern + finished object = Alaina has to buy)

Did I have any intention of knitting a scarf this summer? Heck no!! But, here I am...

I have probably finished this thing three times if you count the number of times I have ripped it completely out and started over. How hard can it be? It's a tube scarf! The pattern called for 50 stitches. I cast on 50 and decided that it looked way too small. So, in my infinite wisdom (stupidity), I decided 100 stitches would be a good number.

Well, almost went through a whole skein when I decided it would take way too much yarn...ripped that out...not before I actually calculated gauge and did some math...decided that 80 stitches would be a better number....(Don't ask me why...just believe me...80 seemed like a good idea at the time....)



Nope...still too much yarn....didn't rip it out...thought I should leave it intact in case I change my mind....

So, I cast of 50 stitches and have made it this far....



...and the kicker...I don't even know if I will wear this...I just thought it was cool.....

The Carlton County Fair is coming...I thought I would be all prepared and maybe enter a few items or some framed pictures....It doesn't look like that is going to happen...or...if it does...it will be photography and not knitting...

I thought this picture would look great framed in my dining area...



...and this one in my bathroom...



...or maybe this one....



....as long as I was enlarging and matting and framing...why not enter?

Speaking of knitting...I was talking to one of the helpful ladies at LYS and she asked what I had on my needles...I started rattling off items and I came up with about ten unfinished items...(not counting the Pay it Forward gifts)...SHAME on ME!!!

I need to get responsible and finish a few things...Can you say ADD???!!!

Ohhhh, look at that pretty yarn over there....

I just got home from seeing Mamma Mia. I loved it!! I am a huge ABBA fan....naturally, I loved the music...and I am a sucker for musicals.

I highly recommend seeing it if you haven't already.