Knit Run, Purl Run

Sock mojo has returned, w00t!

Posted on March 16, 2009 by H3Dakota

Running

Last Friday I hit a rough patch. Remember that horrible shin pain that knocked me out of my marathon and sidelined me from all running for a year? Yeah. I had twinges of the same pain Friday. Thursday’s total of 5 miles was clearly too much, too soon. So I avoided any sort of running all weekend. I hope to get in a short run today after work. We’ll see.

Knitting

Woo Hoo! Got my plan worked out for Draco. I made excellent progress on them last night. I am SO excited about how they are turning out!! I can’t wait to get to them again. I almost want to post pictures of them early, but I am not going to! It’s going to be a surprise. he he he Suffice to say, I am THRILLED with them so far.

OH, yeah! Discovered a pattern variation for the Here, Fishie, Fishie blanket. Some wonderfully kind soul also was vexed by the curled up fishies – so came up with a change to the pattern that prevents the curling. I tried it on the last fishie & it works beautifully!! YAY! Link here, for anyone interested. ;)

Other stuff

So, went & saw The Watchmen over the weekend. Honestly, I am still not sure what I think about it. I really must read the graphic novel – I have had it in my laptop bag for over a month. The movie? I kind of loved it, but kind of didn’t. It’s just really hard to pinpoint what my reaction is. Clearly. LOL!

Found an Etsy shop that has some really awesome soap – ReitersCrafts.etsy.com. I bought one bar of White Chocolate Truffle a few weeks ago. It arrived quickly & I started using it a couple weeks ago. It is WONDERFUL! It smells heavenly – and the scent actually stays with you long after you’ve showered with it. I highly recommend it!

Much dramaz over the weekend… I adore what Casey & Jess have put together. It is an awesome & truly amazing site. They have built such a fantastic thing and it is utterly FREE! I was terribly saddened that they have had so much nastiness & negativity to deal with, though. Serious kudos to them for everything that they had to do recently – and for handling it all as well as they did. For my part – I totally intend to click any/all ads that strike my fancy there. :)

Today’s Ravelry Search

So… because I think the site is uber gorgeous, I give you some highlights from today’s search:

I have to say - I absolutely LOVE White Lies Designs! Just stunning.

From Twist Collective - I'm sure most of you have seen it, but how could I not include Silvi?!

Wow. Just.... WOW!

* SO adorable! Pattern goes up in sizing to 24 months.

Oooh - look, another Pineapple pattern! You all know how much I love those! :D

* Oh, my - this is wonderful! Long to knit, I expect, but wonderful!

* Oh, this is SO pretty!! :D

Oh, wow. Definitely gorgeous!

Ok, for some reason, this pattern didnt come up in the search results, but it SHOULD HAVE! Our very own RR, cablefreaks design!

Ok, for some reason, this pattern didn't come up in the search results, but it SHOULD HAVE! YES - those ARE crocheted cables!

* Free Pattern

Happy Monday, everyone!

Posted in Running | Tagged Draco, Knitting, Running, Today's Ravelry Search | 8 Comments

Expiration dates, running partner & lost retainers

Posted on March 12, 2009 by H3Dakota

Whew!!

So, where to start?! Let’s start with the hysterical part of Monday’s bedroom rearranging. In the course of cleaning & rearranging, I cleaned out my night stand. The night stand being where my stash of condoms happens to be (and yeah, they are “community property” because I staunchly believe the manlets should have access to protection before anything happens). I carried them out to the kitchen, probably a dozen or so. Exclaimed to one of the manlets “you know that you are pathetic when your condoms have freaking EXPIRED!” Ayup. 5 year shelf life. Pathetic. Funny as hell, though! ROFL! We’ve all been laughing up a storm over the whole thing all week long. I had even emailed my father about it because he sent me some entirely appropos sex joke email… and he wrote back something like this: “sorrjy aboout all teh typoos… i’m laughinng so hard, teh teears are makign it too hard to see the keys”.

Been trying to write this post all night. It’s been a crazy night. Last thing to happen… the oldest came tearing in to the room a short time ago. “We gotta go back to Village Inn… NOW!” Yup. Had wrapped his retainers in a napkin and *forgot* them sitting on the table. So, called them up, explained what happened & that we were on our way back. Luckily, our server did a bit of a dumpster dive & rescued them. I’d forgotten my wallet at home, but assured him that he would be getting a big fat tip on our next visit. :) That man saved me $500 by his spectacular dive, so believe me, his next tip is gonna be a wee bit more than the usual 20%!

Running

So… my new running partner? Totally & completely wimped out on me this morning. We were all set to run 2 miles together. I woke him at 5:15. He said “my gym shorts are in the wash, they aren’t dry”. I asked him if I got them dry, would he run with me then – he said yes. So, I dried them & 30 minutes later, woke him again. Only to hear “I’m tooooo tired, Mom”. So out the door I go, ran my 2 miles all alone.

BUT – I picked him up from school & told him we were going for our run when we got home. Got him dressed & out the door we went. I ran him for 3 miles since he wimped out on me this morning. *evil grin* He did really well, we both took several walk breaks. He is still trying to grow into his legs, so he kind of looks a bit like a baby giraffe running, all legs flying everywhere. I suspect he’s going to go well above 6′ tall, actually. He has an uncle that is 6’5″, so it is entirely possible he’ll come close. At one point, we passed a cute girl jogging in the opposite direction. She was so busy looking at him that she didn’t pay attention to where she was going & one foot slipped off the trail, causing her to nearly fall face first. I felt really bad for her, I know she had to have been embarrassed.

Knitting

As much as I adore the little fishies I’m knitting up for my sock yarn blanket, they are also vexing. They curl up something terrible, even after blocking! Arrrrggghhh! It’s gotten on my nerves so much now that I’m half considering going with the usual mitered square sock yarn blanket. Or maybe coming up with my own design. Decisions, decisions. Maybe I’ll just make the whole fishie garter stitch instead of trying to knit the “eye” part – that is what is causing the curl. Will have to play around with it some, see what I can come up with. :)

Today’s Ravelry Search

Oh dear Bob in Heaven. I actually did do this search, not expecting to find much… but to my surprise, I was totally wrong!! ROFL…

* Ballband Keychain Condom Amulet - how's that for a mouthful? But, pretty cool idea, though!! :)

* Is that a condom in your bra or are you just happy to see me? LOVE it!

* This is actually the little pouch that goes into the bra. One could certainly use it to make a more feminine version of a keychain sort of condom amulet, too.

* A wire bracelet - how cool is that?!

Please note – all of the above patterns are courtesy of the Knit a Condom Amulet project.
GO – visit the website!! It’s an awesome project to promote awareness & safe sex. Awesome!

OMG - condom critters! Look! They look like owls - I love them!! :D

* Aw, look at the cute little condom! I love the use of googly eyes on just about any project - they always make me smile. :D

* A crochet condom. I am not going to say it. I'm not. But - cute idea to hold your hooks! ;)

* You know... knitters will make a cozy for pretty much anything that stands still long enough! Nifty idea, with the belt loop!

* I just LOVE the AntiCraft site, don't you?! Seriously, how can you not love it?!

* Sweet! Even Knitty has offered up condom goodies! And I fully appreciate that the use of fun fur or eyelash is handy in this case! ;)

* Oooh, this one is so pretty! I can totally see me having one of these.

* Free pattern

Now… wasn’t that a blast?! Seriously, I had so much fun with this one. :)

Happy Thursday/Friday, all!

Posted in Running | Tagged Knitting, Running, Today's Ravelry Search | 8 Comments

Yay, I’m sore!

Posted on March 11, 2009 by H3Dakota

Running

Ok, so I haven’t gotten much running done lately. But I *have* gotten in a couple hard Tae Bo sessions, along with weight training. Oh, and I moved furniture around Monday night. BIG time furniture – as in, moved a queen size bed from one side of the house to the other. Set up a king size bed & moved it around the room. Moved dresser & chest around the room – worked on it for 3 hours or so on Monday night. So I think I’m ok with having missed some runs in the past few days. :D

Knitting

Between moving furniture around & reading fan fiction, I really haven’t had a whole lot of time for knitting lately. I’ve snuck in another fish or two for my Here, Fishie, Fishie blanket at least. Pulled out the Draco socks & got a couple rows done on the toes. Hope to make a serious dent in them this weekend – we shall see! ;) Don’t even mention that lace scarf to me. *snerk*

Miscellaneous Meanderings

So I am currently in the process of downloading ‘Nobel Son’ to my computer via iTunes. YAY!!! I’ve been chomping at the bit to see this one… anyone that knows me, knows of my complete love & respect for Mr. Rickman’s talent. I am so looking forward to seeing it finally! :)

Dealing with a bit of insomnia the past week or two, which is kind of unusual for me. I normally fall right to sleep with no worries, but the past couple of weeks, I’ve been wide awake until 1 or 2 in the morning. Which is not a good thing, seeing how my normal wakeup time is usually somewhere between 4:30 and 5:30am. Recently, I’ve been resetting the alarm to go off at 6am… and even then, I am dragging myself out of bed. *sigh* Naturally – daylight saving time has NOT helped at all in this little problem!! LOL

Today’s Ravelry Search

So… what to search for today? Here are some goodies found with this one…

* Bed socks! Though I can

Stunning. Simply Stunning!!

* ROFL - how could I resist this picture?! Adorable cat bed! :D

Not that I use hot water bottles, but this cover is really cute!

From the same book - wow, even though I don't have little kids anymore, I just might need to get a copy of it! These patterns are adorable!

Oh wow, this bed jacket is gorgeous!

* This shawl is beautiful!

Aaaeeeiiii! Monsters! Monsters under the bed!!

Crocheted dog bed - this idea is really very cool, I can totally see my canine crew crashing on this one!

* Another bed jacket - this one is crochet & lovely!

* I love this dog bed!! Though it would take me forever to make one that would fit Leonardo. LOL

* Free pattern

Happy Wednesday, all!

Posted in Running | Tagged Alan Rickman, Draco, Knitting, Running, Today's Ravelry Search | 4 Comments

I love Saturdays!

Posted on March 7, 2009 by H3Dakota

Running

Yesterday I did an hour long session of Tae Bo. Been a little while since I’ve done one, so naturally, today I’m sore. It’s all good, though! :D

The temps are perfect for a good run today. Plan to get in 3 today at some point, not sure when yet. I’ll most likely take Leonardo with me – and I have high hopes of my new running partner… though he’s already playing video games, so he might be down for the count. he he he

Knitting

Yesterday, I got new yarn that I ordered from my fellow RR hoar, KnittyKnitterton. Isn’t it just GORGEOUS?!

Blair Waldorf is the colourway name. Yeah, I have no idea who that is. I don't care, though - I just LOVE the colors! :D

Along with the yarn I ordered, she also sent me a bunch of candy (claimed by the manlets blazingly fast, of course!) and 4 little balls of sock yarn leftovers. Ms Sharky, thank you!! I’ve already knit up one little fishie for my blanket, I couldn’t wait to see how BW knits up! :D

Blair Waldorf fishie!

As I think everyone knows by now, Leonardo LOVES to get into pictures anytime I pull the camera out, so here is the obligatory Leonardo shot! LOL

Date Night!

Psych! Took my manlets out to dinner last night to the newest local Indian restaurant. I absolutely LOVE Indian food, serious yum. :D It was their first time trying it. It was partially successful, partially not. They chowed on the Garlic Naan. The youngest went safe with Chicken Biryani & really liked it. The oldest went with Butter Chicken… and requested it “medium” on the spice factor. Me, I ordered Vegetable Korma – which I’d had on Monday at lunch. I ordered it spicy-hot, which I had done on Monday. Welp. Apparently there was a different cook last night than Monday. Mine arrived so spicy that I simply could not finish it. A first for me, actually. It’s the ONLY meal that I have not been able to eat because the spice factor was just too high. LOL! The oldest gave me a taste of his rice with the sauce from his… and honestly, it was just as spicy as mine was! But he was a helluva trooper & ate every bite of chicken he had! The only thing they didn’t like about the experience was the fact that the restaurant we went to was a) too fancy for their comfort zone and b) too expensive! They were horrified by the prices. *snicker*

After dinner, we hit Target to pick up a new iPod for the youngest. He got the same Nano that I did, except his is black. We walked in, got what he wanted, picked up some snacks & headed next door to the movie theatre to see the movie they’ve been wanting to see… Madea Goes To Jail.

Now… we’ve got the play on DVD. The movie has a different storyline to it than the play… and there is NO singing in the movie. The manlets didn’t mind that part in the least, since the singing is not something they enjoy anyway. :D I had already seen the movie last weekend with the IRL BFF, but I still laughed just as hard as I did the first time. We all seriously love Tyler Perry’s work – it’s always such a great mix of humor, sadness, truth, love, faith & life lessons. Madea is our hands down favorite of course – and we’re usually disappointed when there isn’t as much Madea in a story. I was actually very happy to see him in the movie as the straight man for once, too. :)

Today’s Ravelry Search

So, since Madea would have to “get better to be crazy”, here are some patterns from today’s relevant search:

* I love this dishcloth - I've made a couple & it's really fun to crochet!

* ROFL! Its the crazy poking stick, designed by fellow RR hoar, crazymonkey! LOVE(eleventy billion)!

* ROFL! It's the crazy poking stick, designed by a fellow RR hoar... w00t!

Love(1)! crazymonkey, this pattern rocks!

This sweater is really quite eye catching, isn't it?!

* I have some serious love for this Crazy Kiwi Bird! :D

Wowza - is this vest gorgeous or what?! The back is fantastic, too!

* ROFL - I must say... LOVE the name of this one! Granny's Crazy Ass Church Bazaar Soap Bag. *grin*

*blink* How can you NOT see the granny square in a whole new light after seeing this? FANTASTIC!

* I've probably already featured this hat here, but it just grabs my eye every time I see it! :D

* Owlets! Adorable!

Love it! Seriously love it.

This are really amazing! Interestingly enough, around here the young girls latest fad is short-shorts with socks that go up just above the knee - though they are usually ugly athletic tube socks.

* Awesome way to use up leftover yarn! I love crazy quilt/leftover blankets. :)

* Free pattern

Happy Saturday, all!

Posted in Running | Tagged Knitting, Running, Today's Ravelry Search | 13 Comments

Woo Hoo, I might have a running partner soon!

Posted on March 6, 2009 by H3Dakota

Running

So my youngest manlet asked me last night to wake him up when I go for my run this morning… because he wants to start running with me. Honestly, I’ll believe it when I see it, but if it happens? Paint this runner VERY happy! :D I would sincerely LOVE to have my manlets sharing my love for running.

I think we’ll start running in the evenings, though. I just can’t see either of them wanting to go run 3-5 miles at 5am with me. Teenagers & all that.

Since his father kept him out of school the past 3 days with a very nasty cold, though, I had to tell him no. Dammit! :D

Knitting

Well, I finished the blue/white knitted scarf as well as a purple/blue crocheted scarf this week. I’m still clearing stash, in case you hadn’t figured that out. LOL!

Tapestry Scarf - an extremely fast knit!! :)

* I love the colors in this one - and yes, another Athenian Scarf! :D

Totally putting off the lace scarf. *sigh* But I am getting ready to work more on Draco – I realized the timing will be good to get the pattern done, written & offered up on Ravelry. Half Blood Prince comes out in theatres in July (yeah, do not even get me started on my opinion of THAT move by WB), so folks will have time to knit up Draco socks for the movie! ;)

Oooo… *grin* Just had a flash in my head of another pattern idea. Hmmm, yum, yep. Totally going to do that. But mum’s the word on my flash. Suffice to say, anyone that knows me will quickly be able to deduce where my brain has gone. he he he

Today’s Ravelry Search

So on that note, here are some gems from today’s search:

* I wish this shot was a bit lighter on my screen - it's really very cute!

Frogs! Adorable! :D

A truly stunning piece of lacework. Totally worth the cost of the book, trust me!

~ I really wanted to use my fellow RR, Sharkie‘s project pic here, but the hoar hasn’t made enough progress on it yet!
(*snort* – which is really rich coming from someone that keeps putting off her own damn lace project!)

Another frog! You've just GOT to love Alan Dart's stuff, though. :)

To be fair to my fellow "hookers", here's a crochet version! LOL

* Ok, I have no idea who/what Katamari Damacy is, but there ya go.

* Hermione's hat from Half Blood Prince! Too bad no one will be able to wear it to the movie, though.

Prince of Wales vest. Nice Fair Isle!

Make believe crowns! Very cute & you can have tons of fun with them.

* Free Pattern

Happy Friday, all! :D

Posted in Running | Tagged Draco, Half Blood Prince, Harry Potter, Knitting, Running, Today's Ravelry Search | 3 Comments

My day has totally been made!

Posted on February 28, 2009 by H3Dakota

Running

To borrow a term from the knitting world… SQUEEE!! On my 3 miler this morning with Leonardo, we had a bit of our run with flip flop man. We lost him for a bit when we stopped for water, but when we started back up, he had turned around & was coming back towards us. He paused long enough to explain that he was moving slow because he was at the end of his run, having gone 22 miles already this morning (which is one of his SHORT runs, for those of you new to my blog). He looked at me and then he asked me… “You look really strong – do you do Ironman competitions?” *blink* My perfect squeee moment. I floated the rest of my run (when I wasn’t walking & cursing the fact that I wore shorts instead of pants).

* Flip flop man – for those of you new to my blog – is a gentleman well known in the Tampa Bay area. He runs just about every day – and as I mentioned, his short runs are 20 miles. He runs between 20 & 50 miles every single day. In flip flops & shorts. Occasionally with a hat. No matter the weather. I have had the wonderful fortune of running alongside him several times now and he is truly inspirational to talk to! I have come to totally LOVE my flip flop man moments, but today was totally the best one evah!

Knitting

I decided last night to go ahead & clear out a bit more stash instead of working on the cursed lace scarf. What a shocker. he he he So, I actually pulled out one skein & began a crochet scarf. I absolutely LOVE this pattern and I love the colorway. The yarn has absolutely awful reviews of it on Ravelry, but so far, I’ve really not had an issue with it all. I mainly bought it because the colors are simply out of this world! This scarf will be another gift for the holidays, I expect. Aren’t the colors just gorgeous?!

My first broomstick lace type of project, actually!

Today’s Ravelry Search

So naturally, I was sorely tempted to do my search today for flip flop, in honor of the flip flop man… but really, most of the results were dishcloths with flip flops on them or they were socks to wear with flip flops. Living in Florida, you see just way too many people doing exactly that, so I really have no intention of voluntarily posting pictures of it. LOL So, instead, I give you this today!

* Alien Facehugger Bag Charm... intriguing! LOL

* Holy cow, this one has TONS of charts, all Star Wars themed! You MUST check it out!!

Interesting... knit with bulky yarn, looks to be a very fast knit!

Look - slightly slutty movie star clothes for Barbie! :D

* I would be horribly amiss as a die hard HP fan to not include Ginny Weasley's GoF hat! :D

Oh c'mon now people, seriously!? They are LIGHT SABERS! (yeah, I'm giggling 'cuz I'm apparently 12)

Zombies Ahead... Run! Run for your lives!

* Pippin's scarf, for any of you LotR fans out there! ;)

* Mary Jane's hat for any Spiderman fans out there!

* Free Pattern

Happy Saturday, all!

Me, I’m heading for the shower, then off to see “He’s Just Not That Into You” with the IRL BFF. Will let you all know what I think of it, I’m sure. Read the book, while I have a bit of twinginess over a bit of it, I have to admit – there is some seriously painful truth in much of it. Seriously. :)

Oh – and I totally LOVED Bundle of Joy, for any other HP fan fiction readers out there. As are all my fave fan fics, it is an SS/HG read. So go read it if you can! It’s only 11 chapters – I was so hoping it would be longer! :)

Posted in Running | Tagged Fan Fiction, Knitting, Running, Today's Ravelry Search | 10 Comments

Contemplative today

Posted on February 26, 2009 by H3Dakota

So I tweeted about my mood today… contemplative is the best description, I suppose. Reason for it? Recently, my IRL BFF tried to convince me to start dating again. In all honesty, I am pondering why on Earth I would. I’m perfectly happy with the way my life is at the moment! I never have the toilet battle, don’t have to fight over the remote (though I only have the TV on for movies or for the one show I watch) and there’s no one to give me grief over being a vegetarian. If I want to stay up half the night reading or knitting or having an Alan Rickman marathon, I do!

Seriously… if any of you wonderful readers can enlighten me, please do! I strongly urge you to leave me comments – tell me why I should start dating again!

In other news, I finally found just the gadget I was looking for… an iPod docking stereo soundbar. Sure, it’s cheap. Just saw some reviews on a website & most of them were bad. Hmmm. Well, so far, I love it. Hopefully we won’t run into any issues with it! I wanted something inexpensive to watch movies on the big TV that we’d rented or bought from iTunes – watching movies on the Nano is ok, but sometimes ya just really want to watch them on a much bigger screen. We got it hooked up & watched Hancock on it – definitely better than watching it on the dinky little iPod screen!! ;)

Fan Fiction

w00t! Bundle of Joy is finally complete! I’ve been waiting for months for this story to get finished. I refuse to read fan fiction while unfinished. I want to read my stories all in one shot – not wait for months, reading one chapter a week! :) So yeah, I’m sneaking peeks at it here & there – it’s all loaded up on my pocket pc! *grin* Abycat, Daisydeadpetal & faeriebell, you’ll be happy to hear that I am completely loving it so far!! ;)

Running

Blerg… still trying to get on the well side of being anemic… so the energy level just isn’t there. Finally got caught up on the meds for Hashimoto’s, at least. Trying to build up the stupid iron pills, but that takes so freaking long!!! Yeah, I’m frustrated. LOL It’s just so infuriating to wake up exhausted and feel the energy drain out as the day goes by. So, yeah – no running since the weekend. I did do pushups, situps & hangs today, though! w00t!

Knitting

Nothing on the stupid lace scarf. ::rolling eyes:: I have knit up a couple more fish for my Here, Fishy, Fishy blanket, though! Got a fantastic package in the mail from one of my fellow RnRs full of wonderful sock yarn goodness. I’ve knit 2 little fishes from that bundle & have a 3rd one started. Fennel, that’s some seriously fantastic sock yarn, there!! :D

Today’s Ravelry Search

ROFL… I seriously LOVE the first pattern from today’s search!! ;)

* ROFL - not sure which I love more, the name of the pattern or stoned kitteh here... ;)

Cute little purse!

Had to include this one just because I love the photo shot so much! ;)

* Ok, so I had to include this one, with Gasparilla & all! ;)

Ok, so most of the results have "Need issue date" on them, but these socks are great, aren't they???

This little wrap is really cute! I love how you can tie it a couple different ways...

So, um, yeah... named "Lunch Date". I would not look good in this, so definitely not for ME. :)

ROFL - ok, a baby's play date is NOT what I have in mind, but this one IS cute if you're into that sort of thing. ;)

For once, a non solid colorway doesn't really detract so much from the stitch pattern! Nice!

* Free pattern

Happy Thursday, all – and don’t forget to comment! ;)

Posted in Running | Tagged Alan Rickman, Dating, Fan Fiction, Knitting, Reading, Running, Today's Ravelry Search | 16 Comments

Chilly run

Posted on February 21, 2009 by H3Dakota

Stayed up late last night, got caught up in chatting/tweeting/Rav’ing until 2am. LOL Leonardo woke me at 6am to go out and I’ve pretty much been awake ever since. *sigh*

Running

So, since Mr. Growly-Pants woke me early, I took his spirited self out for a 3 miler this morning. It was actually a bit nippy outside for it… and I hadn’t dressed for it! Luckily, I did wear pants, so that helped a good deal. My ears & arms were pretty darn icy by the time we got back, though. He forgot his manners during the run & came to a complete & ubrupt stop once… and now I have “leash burn” on my wrist. Nothing like having a 200 lb dog decide to come to a complete stop without warning you to have you flip.. I expect it was a rather funny site. Fortunately, it looks like the little burn I got isn’t too bad, so I shouldn’t get any sly looks. LOL! We went a wee bit faster today despite the comical stop – likely because there weren’t too many folks on the Trail today and those that were out there weren’t too inclined to stop & chat.

Tried out my Runner’s Companion… it stretched out a bit towards the end & started slipping down a little. Not annoyingly so, thought. All in all, it worked out just about perfectly for today’s run… though when I got back, I had a band of sweat around my arm when I took it off. I’m definitely thinking that a superwash wool yarn would be much better – especially for the hotter temps and/or longer runs. That cuff of cotton will feel awful heavy in the summer months, I’m thinking – not to mention the friction burn it is sure to cause. But, we shall see!

Knitting

Hey, I worked on my Asphodel Lace Scarf this morning! w00t! LOL Didn’t accomplish a whole bunch, but just enough that I’m getting the pattern down better, anyway. Plan to work on it as much as I can today, hopefully will make some real progress on it. No doubt I’ll be well sick of it by the time it is nearly done! What *was* I thinking, knitting a scarf out of laceweight?! Yeesh. I am totally & completely blaming my RnR pals for this folly.

I have 2 fishies done for my blanket, woo hoo! LOL I just might squeeze in another one or two sometime this weekend. They are fun to knit up & I can’t wait to see them put together! ;)

Today’s Ravelry Search

So yeah, it’s technically a leash burn I got today, but for all intents & purposes, it’s really a rope burn. ;)

* Crochet Beaded Rope - it really looks intriguing, doesn't it?! Tempting to get some beads - but I am so not going there, too!!

* Ropes & Ladders (bet this knits up quicker than this lace scarf! LOL)

From Interweave - I have this magazine... it's really eye catching!

* Anyone who knows me knows how much I love my knitted shopping bags - they are teh bomb!!

Stunning. Truly - and the price for the pattern really is very reasonable, giving the size of this shawl! DO go check it out, it's breathtaking!!

Oh wow... seriously, WOW! Gorgeous, I love it!

* snicker - you all know how I feel about pineapple patterns!! ;)

* Now this is decidedly different! It's a bicycle seat cover, how cool is that?! ;)

* This scarf is truly unique! And it's crochet, w00t! :D

* Free Pattern!

Seriously… I guess the Universe is trying to tell me something… it seemed every other pattern was another scarf pattern!! There were a total of 10 scarves in only 4 pages!! *sigh*

Happy Saturday, all!

Posted in Running | Tagged Great Danes, Knitting, Ravelry, Running, Today's Ravelry Search | 2 Comments

Friday! It’s Friday!

Posted on February 20, 2009 by H3Dakota

Woo hoo! It’s Friday! Not that it matters a whole lot, I’ll be working some this weekend anyway. LOL

So the couch arrived, w00t! It needs a wee bit of repair, but overall it is in excellent shape. I bought the old couch for $100 and it’s lasted a couple years. Of course, it would have lasted much longer except for getting stomped on & jumped on by a certain 200 lb sharp clawed party. Anyway, this is the gem – found it for only $150, which is a real bargain! Both ends recline & it’s all leather. We’re trying to keep the canine crew off it, but if they sneak onto it, at least it will withstand the paws. :D

For once, Leonardo didn’t jump into the shot. LOL He was busy leaning on me at the time. And yeah, it took about 30 seconds for the oldest manlet to declare that this couch is teh awesome. ;)

Speaking of the oldest… he has been really fascinated the past few months with graffiti art. He’s actually gotten really pretty good at it (with markers on paper, btw)! I had to ban him from the spray cans because he oversprayed my car. he he he Anyway, in the course of researching the various artists online, he has found some truly impressive videos out on YouTube. Here is just one sample – outright AMAZING, isn’t it?! (I know this one isn’t graffiti – I’ll post some of his other finds in another blog entry!)

Running

Blech, no running accomplished this week. *sigh* One thing after another, but overwhelming number of days where I woke up with a headache. grrrr!

Knitting

BUT ~ when I do get ready to run, I’m all set with the new iPod! :D I finished up my Runner’s Companion project pretty quickly. I’m not too sure about the yarn I used – I’m thinking a good sock yarn might have been better, especially since wool has a fantastic wicking benefit to it. I’ll know more after the first couple of runs, I think! Anyway, here it is!

Ok, so it's really hard to take pics of your own arm! Here's one of the reject shots. LOL!

The finished product! I made it a little bigger than called for because I wanted it on my upper arm instead of my forearm.

Today’s Ravelry Search

So believe it or not, “couch” actually did turn up some results! Not enough to have some fun here, though, so I tried something else instead.

Anyone reading my blog already knows how I feel about pineapple patterns! YUM!

I lurves me some purple!

I love amigurmi!

* I really love this sock pattern! ;)

* I seriously LOVE how this version turned out - isnt it gorgeous?!

* I seriously LOVE how this version turned out - isn't it great?!

* Simple & very cute!

* I seriously LOVE these socks, how cute are these?!

* These are cool! p.s. There is a matching sock pattern, too! ;)

* Wow, awesome use of a great colorway! :D

I really like this one, isn't it pretty?!

* Free pattern!

Happy Friday, all!

Posted in Running | Tagged Knitting, Running, Today's Ravelry Search | 3 Comments

I haz an iPod!

Posted on February 15, 2009 by H3Dakota

Running

I’m not sore from yesterday’s 3 miles… so naturally, out the door I go. I took Leonardo with me again, which in hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have done. He had to walk the last half mile, he was pooped. I think he was feeling yesterday’s run a bit too much. I was doing pretty well, except for one majorly annoying problem. Stupid freaking friction rash. I am so frustrated that I gained this weight back & now I’m back to the nasty thigh bit – should have worn pants. *sigh*

I haz an iPod!

For yesterday’s run, I fought with iTunes and my ancient MP3 player for an hour before my run. Yep, that’s right, one freaking hour to get 14 songs onto the bleeping player. Aarrgghhhh! And yes, 14-15 songs is the max that the old thing can handle. That’s it. Not that I’m up for long runs any time soon, but when the day comes that I’m back to 20 mile long runs, the last thing I’ll want is 4 hours of the same 14 songs over & over! LOL Plus, I’ve now watched a couple movies on my manlets’ iPods and have found that I actually enjoy it! It’s great to snuggle up in bed with the iPod and my knitting – watching a movie as I knit while warm & cozy with blankets & pillows. he he he

The picture was hard to take, the color kept washing out to blue with the flash!

Last night, after messing around with loading it full of songs, movies, pictures and games, I did just that! Snuggled into bed with my iPod & knitting and watched ‘Bottle Shock’. I know of some people that didn’t like it, but I LOVED the movie! I thought it was great… and, of course, my favorite actor of all time being in it helped. In all seriousness – I completely loved his part. Some of his lines literally gave me goosebumps – not as much what he said, but how he said it. Of course. :D

Knitting

I actually managed a few rows on my Asphodel Lace Scarf while watching my main man in the movie! And I didn’t find any glaring mistakes after it was over, so it was a good bit of knitting, that! LOL I plan to take a break from it for a bit, as I need to work up a little project pretty quickly…

Today’s Ravelry Search

So I’m pretty confident that I am not the only knitting runner that has taken one look at the prices of covers/armbands for iPods and laughed hysterically out loud!? Like I’m going to pay $30 for a plastic sort of armband for my iPod that will absolutely give me the worst sort of friction rash imaginable during my runs?! HA! So, here we have today’s search…