most recently (meaning this morning), i finalized this project by sewing on buttons and making loops for some closure:

forgive the stupid look on my face, i’m trying to get used to the webcam.  heh.  also, it needs a little blocking on the inside edge ’cause it’s curling under like a mofo, as you can see.  (project is shrug this from one skein wonders, but i modified it by using thicker yarn, bigger needles and more stitches - added length and buttons for closure and there you have it!!  the yarn is mmmm-malabrigo in cognac, just about a quarter or less of the second skein used)

um, so you’d think a clever knitter might get started on some Christmas presents by now, right?  heh.  *points at self*  apparently, not so clever.  i can’t stop making stuff for ME ME ME!  before the shrug, i finished this wrap that also still needs some blocking, not that that’s stopped me from wearing it out in public twice, now. 

this wrap is a staple in a lot of knitters’ arsenals.  i made one a couple years ago for my boss and it was a fun project.  i bought the yarn early this year and started it a while back.  picked it back up again after vacation and finished it up last saturday by tucking the ends all in.  (project is clapotis from knitty.com with noro silk garden in colors i couldn’t have done better for myself if i’d actually picked separate solids)  yours truly was still sick from a week-long summer cold and that is what we will blame for the pale-ness and stuff and things.

i will probably finish the first sock of this pair, tonight.  it’s quick work, i just haven’t been dedicated to this project like some others.  i’m loving the yarn - look and feel.

(project is anastasia sock with rio de la plata sock multicolor and this pic does not do it justice)

hey, remember how i said everything lately has been for me?  this one, too!  i LOVE this thing.  started it on vacation and finished it a few weeks ago at knit night.  it looks super cute on me, if i do say so myself and it’s comfy and would have been a super quick knit if i’d been monogamous to it.

hooray for porch knitting weather!  (project is razor cami and yarn is sirdar snuggly, i needed two balls instead of the one that the pattern suggested, but i did add stitches…  uh huh huh…  i said two balls)

ok, brace yourselves…  this project is not for me!  it’s a shop sample for a fair isle/colorwork class i’ll be teaching at yarn cravin’ this fall.  go to their website for the full fall schedule of classes. 

i just love this thing, super cute.  (project is snoflake swirl hat and i used the new yarn lanaloft from brown sheep, it’s yummy)  also, in the background you can see my space ship!  w00t!

oh look!  another thing not for me!  this was my brother’s birthday gift, and i definitely want to make one of these for me, too.  in different colors, of course.

the crown of the hat has more black detail in it and it was much cooler than this washed out pic can show, but maybe i’ll try to get a different pic in the winter when my brother is actually using it.    (project is fake isle hat and yarn is brown sheep lamb’s pride worsted)

ok, let’s not tell charlie, but his hat was actually the second attempt, as the first one i did was too small for a grown up head.  it works in circumference, but is not long enough to cover the ears, which is a must in my brain:

don’t look at the neighbor’s house wrong…  he’ll yell at me.  sorry for the crappy cell pics, sometimes that’s the only pics i seem to get.  hehehe.  (project is fake isle hat, again - wait, before! and with brown sheep lamb’s pride worsted, of course)

finished these socks for my mommy:

the yarn was called jimmy stewart, how could i not?!?!  (project is slip-stitch cable socks from box of socks in lime and violet’s sasquatch sock, jimmy stewart colorway)

ok, as much as i hate to cut myself off, even though lots of you have seen those projects, and this is nothing new to you.  i have to wrap this up and come back later.  i just wanted to blog while the blogging vibe was good.

long story short, my life is pretty blessed.  i am a big girl and can function on my own and continue to amaze myself on a pretty daily basis with the focus i’ve taken to get what i want out of life.  the spaceship is rockin’ (three measly fillups since i bought it almost two full months ago), the pupper goes to doggie day care once a week for socialization skills, i’m typing all this on my brand new laptop that arrived thursday, the house payment is getting paid (and i am not resorting to sleazy means to cover it.  ), i surround myself with people and things and thoughts that add value to my life.

more later.  i promise. 

the anxiety of leaving for a week is still there, but it’s dulled by my supercomprehensive list of everything i need to take with me - am i forgetting anything?  ten points to anyone who can come up with something i need to take that i don’t have on my list…

this is the first time in a long time that i have gone away somewhere for a week straight.  ireland was 7 days, but it was mid-week to mid-week, so it was a little different, plus in those 7 days we stayed 3 different places, so this should be much more relaxing.  there’s no real schedule or anything.  i can’t wait.  hiding from the world for a big fat week, surrounded by my immediate family members who love me more than anything. 

i will miss this face, however, more than i can even imagine, i’d guess:

so, as of 3:45 this afternoon, i’m out of the office until july 14th, baby.  i imagine it will help me detatch and take some much needed time and space, and it will also allow me to relax and knit and enjoy the fam and the sunshine and the yarn shops in the area and all sorts of loveliness.  the place is large enough that we should have no problem enjoying each other’s company for a week straight as we won’t all be on top of each other.  i can feel the stress melting away, already. 

there will be dial up and i’m taking a laptop, but i can’t promise i’ll have the patience to pop in much.  i can send photos right to my flickr from my phone, though, so that might see some action…

have a lovely and safe independence day, everyone.  mucho content upon my return, if not before!

and sparklers,
sarah lou

my girl, ferol, burned me some cds recently and this song is resonating with me strongly.  it found me at just the right moment…  don’t you love it when that happens?

first of july - foy vance

i opened up the letter
that told me you don’t love me
don’t you think it better
you tell me to my face

was i wrong to think about
the heaven that you brought me
was i wrong to see you as
the apple of my eye

i don’t feel particularly good
don’t worry ’bout me - i’ll get by
that was the last day of june
this is the first of july

you don’t have to pity me
it’s something i don’t need
the signs were clearly written
i just didn’t pay the heed

was i wrong to let you go
without another fight
was i wrong to think i won’t
be missing you tonight

i don’t feel particularly good
but don’t you worry ’bout me - i’ll get by
that was the last day of june
this is the first of july

oh, yeah…

they say that time
has got a funny way of healing
right now that’s the only
consolation i can find

you might find another guy [or girl]
and break his [her] heart, tomorrow
and i might find the peace of mind
that gets me through the day

oh, i don’t feel particularly good
but don’t you worry ’bout me, i’ll get by
that was the last day of june
and this is the first of july
this is the first of july
this is the first of july

and music therapy,
sarahlou

p.s. see you tonight at yarn cravin’?

i am not wallowing. this girl is not one who wallows. i have my moments, but for the most part i’m making serious effort to move forward; find peace and forgiveness; learn to let go…

in the mean time, i’m knitting, as you’d expect.

finished this shrug thursday night:

forgive my cheeseball grin and my rained on all day, ponytailed fuzz. i’m pretty pleased with it - just hoping the cotton doesn’t stretch out, too much. i like it better over a little tee or sleeveless shirt than over a tank, but it’s cute, i think.

then, yesterday, in keeping with my just over two pairs of socks knit per month average of 2008, i finished these sparkly monkeys that smell like stale beer:

at the st. wendelin festival i stepped up to the “table” (where “table” equals electrical wire spool) and went to sit down for liquid refreshment after manning my mom’s booth for the afternoon… stepped just wrong enough on the edge of the “table” to knock the whole thing toward me, catapulting my beverage into my lap and my knitting tote. so these guys sat in time out as i figured i should finish knitting sock two and then wash them, so as to put no more wear on them than necessary.

on the pupper front (you can see the rear of him in the above pic – bwaaaha!), here’s his newest toy i picked up at kroger, last night… WIENER!!

and here is some further proof of how a girl like me, so lucky to have friends and family who are full of constant support and sunshine to chase away the clouds, can not bear to remain in any dark place for long:

who could possibly be sad when you have a magnet that’s a replica of george washington’s disgusting fake teeth made of lead and hippo?!?!  this was knit night last week at yarn cravin’, where i was showered with lovin’ and treats from some of my favorite knitters. i feel way more comfortable with a smile on my face.

i could never thank you all enough for the outpouring of love and support and encouragement and prayers and stepping out of the shadows and everything that you have done through this blog to help me move forward. that’s the focus – forward motion.  this will not be easy, but i will plow through - that’s just how i do. 

onward and upward, eh?

and sparkly socks,
sarah lou

things that are breaking my heart:  (this is just me working through this, i don’t want this to become a place of anger and bitterness or a place to bash him, i’m letting go, right?)

the empty feeling inside, knowing he’s been hiding more than his feelings, the idea of him with anyone else, the thought of an empty house, wondering if anything means anything to him, my ipod – engraved with “i’ll follow you wherever. all my love”, the fact that i can’t remember what exactly i had engraved on his, most sister hazel lyrics apply to some point in our relationship, how easy it all seems for him, that he tells people “we” finally realized we didn’t want the same life even though he’s known since he met me what kind of life i wanted, wondering how long he’s known and if he was just waiting for something better to come along, things we said we’d do together that will occur without one or both of us there, how well he knows me (just over the weekend, as i put on my socks i thought “i didn’t even know i owned plain white socks”… he walked in the room and said “are you wearing plain white socks? i didn’t know you even owned plain white socks!”), how long his mail will still come to the house, the general nausea that’s sticking with me most of the last two weeks, every glimpse of a silver alero, that urge to call him when i leave work – when i’m bored – every time something good/bad/silly/stupid/maddening/etc. happens, not going to chicago this weekend, pictures at flickr, the fact that i’ll be finding stuff at the house that’s his well after he leaves, him being “nice”, knowing i’ll think of him every time i see his sister’s face/name on tv/in movies/in magazines/online, knowing i’ll think of her every birthday and wonder what she’s up to since we share it (and therefore think of him and what he’s up to, as well), how many photos i have of us (and how he would have preferred there were none), being mad at myself for not seeing it all/saying something about my unhappiness sooner, still having reminders of him everywhere in my life, having to explain why i’m such a mess these days to everyone who notices, the questions my nephews will surely have on vacation in a couple weeks about where he is and why he won’t be around anymore, running across emails/texts to/from him, separating our phone plans at the end of this cycle, the post it in my checkbook where i split our bills up, knowing he is now poised to have everything he says he wants but the things i want for my life could never happen even if i do everything in my power to make them so, having just taken this picture down from my wall at work:

things i will miss:

chili and general food creativity, readying the coffee every night and pouring my coffee every morning, “have a good day. be careful. i love you.”, having someone to talk to about finn’s poop/craziness/cuteness, someone who cares about finn to help keep him fed/busy/walked when i can’t, his music taste, venting, sharing amusement, inside jokes, writing silly shit on each other’s take out boxes, road trips, getting to preview/help edit his writing, thinking of fun presents, fables/y: the last man/wonder woman/catwoman/general comic suggestion/discussion, members of the comic crew, heroclix everywhere, “can i get you anything?”, always signing off an email different than the last time, made up words (fleen/whorestickbag), spontaneous bursts of song (adding “glorious day” to anything makes it a hymn, d to the o to the u to the c-h-e!!) chicago, nyc, having someone there who knows me, beautiful thing (sister hazel), dinner/tv/movie companion, general appreciation/encouragement of my obsession with yarn/knitting, goodnights, hearing him call me ‘noppy’, his handwriting, having someone i can trust with anything, the way he could make me laugh no matter how pissed or sad i was

…my best friend for the last few years.  that’s not a switch you can just flip.

and pushing forward,
sarah lou

i don’t even know what to say, but i feel like i should put this out there into the ether…

i can’t decide whether to leave a pleasant tribute to the good times and all the stuff i’ll miss or rant about the things that rip my heart out about it all.

after months of stressing in my own brain about where my life with him might be going/ever go, i finally talked to him last week.  as of last wednesday we’re officially headed in completely different directions with our lives, while somehow still living under the same roof for a bit.  i suppose it’s good he finally felt comfortable saying that what he wanted was not what i’ve wanted all along.

it’s good that i’m now in complete control of my own destiny, but being out there alone is scary, too.  and i know i’m not really “alone”.  i actually have a wonderful network of support.  but today’s one of the sad and hard days.

and rough patches ~
sarah lou

Here’s a fun little widget that shows all the socks I’ve completed in 2008!

They start from most recent and go in order of completion back to the first pair I finished in January. I’m a little obsessed. I’m not ashamed.

Lemme tell you a little more about the second one down all the way to the right, though.

It’s my first sock design! It’s called “fresh, again” and it was released in April with my good friend Melissa’s Keegan Lane Yarns Spring Fling Sock Club, along with the yarn shown in the photo, a green semisolid that’s called Fresh Cut Grass. Now that the exclusivity has been drawn out for the sock club participants, this pattern will be available to the masses this week! Current plans are to sell the pattern itself through ravelry and at Yarn Cravin’ (formerly Yarn Haven) in Perrysburg, Ohio. If you’re interested in the pattern, but cannot purchase through either of the above locations, please feel free to email me (noppstar [at] gmail).

I want to celebrate with a little contest of sorts! Just for fun, anyone who has queued the sock in ravelry by Midnight on June 7th will be entered into a drawing to win a FREE copy of the pattern and a 20% off coupon from Keegan Lane Yarns. This pattern should look nice in pretty much any semisolid, though I’d steer you away from a really dynamic variegate . Also fun is that Melissa is working on some kits for her shop with yarn and pattern conveniently packaged together. I have another semisolid from KLY that I plan to work up into this pattern so folks can see it in another shade.

I think about blogging a lot. I’m sorry I don’t actually sit and do it, much. I’ll try to take some time to write up a bit about the projects I’m working on and some of the Sock Club fun we’ve been having over at Yarn Cravin’. It’s really been a blast to work one on one with such a diverse group of indie dyers, like I’ve been able to do. I need to give some shout outs!

alright. hello june and quite the bunch of busy weeks, ahead!

i’ll be in soon with an update of my knitting over the past couple months.  after all, this is supposed to be a knitting blog…

but for now, let me point you the way of my buddy vinnie (via karen’s blog).

here’s vinnie:

see, vinnie came to stay with karen from the same rescue group where we got finnigan…

he was staying with her family on a foster basis and fell pretty ill for a week.  it was a rough week on all, but the diagnosis has been made and they’re doing their best to get him back to 100% and he’s well on his way.  unfortunately, all that takes some dollars!  the rescue program took care of the vet costs, and they get a deal for all the good they do, but the bill was still high.

karen put out a plea to all the knitters and dog lovers she knew and blew right past her first and her second goals…  now she’s helping another specific dog (an amazing and strong pup who’s recovering from an up close and personal meeting with a large vehicle - no use of his hind legs, but he still gets around all on his own - there’s video at karen’s blog!!) and the program itself.

there’s more!  she’s doing this money raising in the form of a raffle.  for some really really great knitterly goods!!  if you’re a knitter get over there and drop $5 for a ticket.  there’s wollmeise!  there’s piddly bags from piddleloop!  there’s yarntini!  there’s yarn pirate!  there’s jelby stitch markers!  there’s a yarn haven project bag!  she’s even doing an extra ticket if you drop $20 (so instead of 4 $5 tickets you’d get 5 chances!!).  if you’re not a knitter, but you love doggies (and who wouldn’t love vinnie’s face - he looks like will ferrell for goodness sake!) donate and if you win you can give the goods back to karen, or to me for my upcoming birthday!! 

so here’s the catch…  i’m a slacker and the raffle closes at midnight tomorrow night.  so go, now, and donate through the link at karen’s page, your donation goes straight to the organization and then you forward your confirmation email that says you made a donation to karen.  that’s how you get your “tickets”, so don’t skip that last step!

good luck!  and thanks, from vinnie and finnie and all the crew.

i’ll seriously be back later this week with lots of knitting pics and content.  *pinky swear!*

the yarn harlot says ‘hi.’

Originally uploaded by noppstar

she was on time and didn’t have to hitch a ride from a stranger!

surprise surprise

Originally uploaded by noppstar

look! john amato is not blogging!