This weekend, I really need to accomplish:

• Cutting out this wool crepe and broadcloth to start making my green dress. The pattern is cut out and ready to be pinned to the fabric. Must get moving as I need another dress in my closet.
• Work on my It's a Wrap sweater. The body *might* be finished tonight and then I just have the sleeves left. I hope to be wearing it soon.
  
• Make a necklace and pair of earrings that are Christmas gifts.
  
• Make a list of all of my Christmas gifts so I know what has been done and what still needs to be done.
  
• Cast on the second sock.
  
• Relax because the weekend goes too fast and I'm going to be facilitating all day Saturday.
  

SSS? Nope, just a little bit of discipline

Some may think I have Second Sock Syndrome because I haven't cast on yet. But I don't. I'm making myself work on the It's a Wrap sweater instead. Casting on the second sock is a privilege reserved for success on the sweater. I've actually made a bunch of progress. I have about 5 inches left on the body and then I can do the sleeves. I think it would be a quick knit minus the procrastination. Hopefully that means a second sock soon!

My brain works in mysterious ways....

You know those "words" you have to enter to post comments? Everytime, I try to develop a meaning for the word. The one above is what some little kid calls his grandma (much too easy on bloggers part...that was a gimme).
This one, I'm not quite sure. It's close to vortex. I think it might be the trademarked name for a versatile jacket made from Goretex. What are your thoughts?

Seeking Your Advice

Remember this sweater from about a month ago? I did a little rehab by adding the ribbon around the collar to fix a rip. Well, today my colleague discovered it is so well loved that I have worn through the left elbow. Let's all pause for a moment of sadness.....

Alright, so now we have to think of alternative uses for this little love. Do we think there is anyway to save it? What else could I use this lovely cashmere knit for? Any and all suggestions welcome... I love brainstorming!

We're Half Way There....

but no livin' on a prayer because all is good in knitting-ville. I finished the first sock. It came out fairly good. Even little Rosy paws thought it looked so good she wanted her paws in the picture with it. Now, to cast on the second one!

Turning the Heel

The joy of a rainy day! I pretty much stayed in the apartment for most of the day. I turned the heel of the first sock and lived to tell about it. Others made it seems complicated. And although I didn't quite get it at first, it suddenly made sense. I'm now about half way down the foot. I'm hoping to finish this first sock by Monday.

I also finally cut out the pattern pieces for my hunter green dress. I got the zipper and thread today and hope to get started on that soon. I need more dresses in my fall wardrobe!

Now, it's time to curl up on the couch with In Style and enjoy a cozy little night in....

Just a few photos...

from my evening last night.

Shawn and Nastia at the beginning of the night.

The US men's bronze medal winning team.

It was a great show and a good time with my friend Alissa.

Too Much Reflection is Bad for Your Health

Last night for some reason, I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned for a while and ended up watching the late night comedians. The good thing about the sleeplessness is that I was able to think about my crafts and what I need to accomplish for Christmas. I also reflected on my goals for this month - I'm only doing so so. I finished the quilt and the Christmas gift for a friend. My It's a Wrap is a little bit further along but the knit across, purl back got to the point of being boring and so it is languishing slightly. I'm ready to start the green dress - I'm hoping to cut everything out this weekend and also get to JoAnn's for some thread and a zipper. The thought of casting on my mom's February Lady's Sweater hasn't even occurred. Curriculum writing is stagnant. I need a jolt of energy!

Tonight I'm off to the World Tour of Gymnastics Superstars tonight with my friend Alissa. I can hardly wait....

Ch-ch-ch-changing....

I have nothing super crafty to share today. I have been knitting on the sock so it is coming along nicely. I folded some fabric tonight and thought about new sewing projects. I have a kind of idea for a new quilt/table runner. I've been thinking about the It's A Wrap sweater as I work on the sock.

The greatest achievement of my day is (by far) cleaning and rearranging my office at work. I moved the bookcase, credenza and desk. It just seems a little warmer and more organized to me. (Seriously, I was so focused I totally forgot about lunch until I left work at five... so I ate dinner when I got home.) And wow to the dust I inhaled! I have a few more things I need to do tomorrow but I'm feeling good about the change.

What's been your big achievement today?

Half Full

Even when plans are changed outside your control, there is still a silver lining. Tonight it took me about 1 hour and 50 minutes to drive the eight miles home from work. For some reason, the road I normally take was closed. When I got home at 7, I thought I was going to need to adjust my plans for the night. But I still managed to accomplish everything I wanted minus cooking a fresh dinner. I did laundry (such an exciting life!). I made apple cobbler (mmm... my apartment smells so good!). I worked on the sock. It truly was a wonderful evening after the traffic. And, now I'm off to crawl into a nice, clean, cozy bed. Life is good!

At the Very Beginning!

I've officially cast on! I'm excited to have begun.

And, I have to share this additional photo from this past weekend. As a patriot, I just love this photo with the flag in the foreground and the grapevines in the background.
Happy Monday!

Fave Friday Two Days Late

Drewzel at Blog Potion suggested the lovely little game of Blogtoberfest Fave Friday, where you You Tube your favorite song. I'm obviously a couple of days behind here but here are my two favorite songs....


Dreams by the Cranberries


This Night by Billy Joel

Just love 'em!

Drinking My Way Through the Lehigh Valley

I had a wonderful little outing with my friend Laurel to the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail today. There was a coordinated event between all eight wineries. We only visited three but it was wonderful. We started at the Blue Mountain Winery, which would definitely be my favorite of the three. They had a wonderful rigatoni and a chocolate fountain (really, does life get better than flowing chocolate drizzling over strawberries? Why yes, it comes with WINE!). We tried 7 different wines there and I purchased a sweet blush.

We also stopped at a little roadside stand and got some fresh produce. I now have some wonderful cider to intersperse with my wine drinking. I also got some yellow squash and apples because I guess a girl cannot survive on wine alone.

From there we went to Vynecrest Winery. This was a nice place, although my least favorite of the three. They didn't have as much food and the service wasn't quite as friendly. We tried six different wines here. I bought a sweet cherry flavored wine.... delish!

Our last stop was Clover Hill, which was simply charming. Again, five wines and a lovely time. They had a food demonstration while we were there, although we were busy tasting so didn't see it. The food sounded wonderful. However, at this point my stomach was pretty happy and I didn't need anymore. Again, one bottle - a red that tastes kind of like grape juice - came home with me.

The best part of this whole day was that the coordinated event meant that the tastings were free. I spent money on the wine but otherwise spent very little. And had an absolutely fantastic, scenic and fall like day.

The Influence of Others

You all have inspired me.... either that or you are just bad influences. Today, I stopped by the yarn store and bought sock yarn. For my first pair of socks! Woot woot! Here it is...

I also have been working on the the It's a Wrap sweater today. I put the second set of sleeve stitches on scrap yarn and have made a little headway on the front. I am hoping to keep this momentum going.

I also went to the bead store today and signed up for the fused silver bracelet class. I'm taking it November 8th... can't wait! I love taking classes and learning new things. I got some beads for a Christmas gift too.

Tonight, I'm off to a friend's house and then the wineries tomorrow!

More information about me than you need...

I was tagged by Amy at badskirt for this meme... and goodness knows I'm a sucker when tagged.

The rules:
- Link to the person who tagged you
- Mention the rules
- Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular or random details about yourself
- Tag six other bloggers by linking to them
- Go to each person's blog and leave a comment that lets them know they've been tagged

Fun facts about me:
- I'm a big chicken wing snob and will only eat them a few places outside of Buffalo, NY.
- In college, I could sign liquor licenses and bail people out of jail as part of my student government responsibilities. (I never actually signed a liquor license but I did bail a lot of people out for public urination or open container violations.)
- I try to get all of my Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving because I can't handle crowds and slow walking people (Unless they are 80 and have a walker - I'm much nicer to old folks).
- I am definitely an introvert.... quiet and alone time are essential to my wellbeing.
- When I was a kid, I "won" a gold medal in the reading Olympics... and then I worked backwards and got a silver and bronze too. (And, I'm still a geek today...)
- I've personally been involved in the after effects of a hate crime. It forever changed me and made me more committed to eliminating hate.

Tagging the following:
- Leah at Knitting Giraffe because I'm totally intrigued by what her facts will be...
- Dee at Tangled Up in Sticks who always shares fun facts.
- The lovely ladies at Yarned Forces who have become my new blog as well as email buddies.
- Maria at little things are big because she has a wonderful outlook on life.
- Kyla from Two Peas in a Pod for welcoming me as an unofficial Canadian citizen.
- My friend Cristy, who just recently got married! Woohoo!

In light of the debate....

I made these

into this....

Let's bring on the presidential election NOW (regardless of who you are voting for) and get this sucker over!!

sewing is much more fun than watching the negativity of the debates....

Scrap Challenge FO!

I made this little pillow last night with the scraps from my Scrap Challenge packet. I love how all of the pieces look together. I didn't really have a game plan for fitting them together. I just allowed pieces to kind of find their neighbor. (I just love that bird fabric!) I think it worked. I kept the corners square so they'd kind of poke out from the pillow.... since it is so small, I thought it would look okay.

I originally planned to put it on my bed, but the colors don't quite work in there. So, I think it will be adding a little color to my chair in the living room.

And, I have scraps left from the Scrap Challenge. I have another thing in mind.... I'm hoping to work on it tonight!

Warmth and Love in a Christmas Gift

It's officially done! The quilt was washed, dried and ready to be put in the Christmas gift closet. It's squishy and lovely and I'm so freaking excited!!! My mom is going to love it. I love it. It's freaking fantastic. And, I'm totally pleased to have finished my first quilt. Here's to many more in my future. (I'm thinking about making a pillow to accompany it as I have leftover squares...hmmm.)

Off to read the Yarn Harlot's new book... I bowed to peer pressure and bought it yesterday.

Another Contest....

Wonderful, gorgeous quilt being given away on Elizabeth's blog!!! It's beautiful and you should enter. Click on over...

Thanksgiving

Oh Canada.....

(Did you hear me singing? Gosh, I hope not as I'm tone deaf!)

I thought I should confess my unnatural love of Canada. I think it has something to do with growing up in Buffalo. People from Buffalo celebrate the Friendship Festival each summer with the residents of Fort Erie. People from Buffalo drive to Fort Erie for Chinese food and bingo (now if only the crazy Americans would settle the stupid Peace Bridge debacle). I used to go to Niagara Falls, Ontario in college to dance and drink (Rumours Nightclub baby). My family used to vacation on Lake Muskoka every summer. I think I'm secretly partly Canadian (or maybe I just want to be?). Canada is the neighbor to the west. And a good neighbor at that. They will lend you some sugar, lend you good bands and actors, occasionally help you fight a war and generally make you happy. They even gave me an aunt - really, is there anything nicer?

Don't get me wrong - I'm quite proud of my country. I was raised with a good sense of the history of this country and a pride to be American. I appreciate my freedom and admire the Founding Fathers (and have a slight obsession with Abigail Adams). But when the nearest state to you is a nation state, you have a certain loyalty to that country as well.

And so I wish a Happy Thanksgiving to those very neighbors. Thanks for providing me with so many wonderful memories. And please let me be just a little Canadian.

Gorgeousness being given away...

One of the Blogtoberfest-ers is having a vintage button giveaway in her blog. It is serious loveliness. Run right over to Bowerbirdz Blog to enter.... you have until the 18th.

And, a big thanks to Big Cat for my Spirit Award. I'm actually making good headway on my list of things to accomplish in October. If I could get over the hurdle to write curriculum, I'd be golden. More information on goal accomplishment coming soon...

Saying Goodbye to Summer

Today has not lent itself to being as productive as I'd like. That said, I did get some things accomplished. Rosy dog went to the groomer's this morning. While she was getting the spa treatment, I went into the office and tried to write curriculum on the four plus hour workshop I'm writing. I now have one page more.... not really productive. For some reason, I have a mental block on this curriculum (and it is starting to drive me crazy).

I came home and finished the quilt. The binding is on and pretty much even. I have it folded up on my bed right now and plan to throw it in the wash within the next couple of day. I'm very much loving the colors and think it will be a great gift for my mom.

Afterwards, we went for a walk. I am truly blessed to live within a couple of blocks of this great little park. So we walked and admired the tentacles of sun finding their way through the canopy of changing colors and gripping the last little bit of summer, not wanting it to fully escape just yet. As a testament to that end of summer, I got a nice big mosquito bite on my hand.

I'm off to a first date tonight and then home for more Rosy love and perhaps some knitting.

Tied and About to Bind...

How very exciting! Today, my needles arrived from JoAnn's (super slow order) and I was able to tie the quilt. I pinned some of the binding on tonight as well. Tomorrow I plan to add the rest of it and hopefully get to stitching! It's looking so good I can hardly contain myself. I can already imagine the squishy happiness of pulling it out the dryer! Ahh, happiness is a craft mostly done.

Such Pretty Things Littered About...

My home is littered with craft stuff right now. And it's messy! The kitchen table is covered with the sewing machine, eggplant dress, spools of thread and other scrap fabric. (Not to mention the pieces of loose thread covering the floor.) The bench in the living room has the quilt sitting on it, waiting to be tied and bound. A chair in the living room has the It's a Wrap sweater and other yarn on it. There are skeins of yarn waiting to become a February Lady Sweater sitting in a bag in the bedroom. My scraps for the Scrap Challenge sit, waiting for inspiration, by the computer (Why there? I'm not sure either.). The only organization in Stacy's craft-ville is the beads. They are all neatly in their container. And, they did come out to play last night, when I made some earrings. They just know how to clean up after themselves better than the yarn and the fabric. (That and they roll away when not corralled in some container.) Right now, the bathroom seems to be the only area untouched. (Heck if that gets taken over, I'm done!) Guess I should organize my crafting this weekend....

Drawing is Not My Special Skill

So, one might say my artist skills do not extend themselves to drawing. Anywho, above are some mock-ups of ideas I have for the Scrap Challenge. As I lay in bed last night, these ideas were what I thought about. (Luckily it was not one of those thought processes where you have no recollection the next day; only recalling there was a moment of brilliance.) Obviously, all of the projects will be a patchwork of some kind. I'm just not sure exactly what I would love the most. Hmm.... any thoughts?

Feeling Scrappy?

As you may have noticed, I try to be an optimist. I think it makes me a happier person overall. And, as I came home sick again today, thank goodness there were a couple little packages of happiness waiting for me. The hunter green wool crepe and brown lining I ordered from Fabric.com was sitting on top of the mailboxes, having been dropped off by UPS earlier in the day. Isn't it lovely? This is the dress I'm going to make with the fabrics. Now if the pattern would get here, I'd be all set. And, this time I'm making the larger size for sure!

I also received my scrap packet from the Scrap Challenge at Jennifer's blog. There are 10 scraps of fabric all together and I have to use all of them in whatever I make. I got some great little pieces and have a couple of ideas in mind. I'm torn between a bag, placemats and a quilted runner for my night stand. I simply adore the bird fabric and know it will have a prominent place in whatever I make. I have two weeks to make something so I plan to ruminate on it for a little while... (If you are interested in seeing what people are making, there is a flickr group here.)

In other news, I got some quality knitting time on the It's a Wrap sweater last night during the presidential debate. With so much hanging on this election, it was good to knit as it kept my blood pressure even! I'm now at the point of putting the second set of stitches on scrap yarn.

And lastly, I finished the Christmas gift for my friend. So, one thing crossed off the October list! It came out pretty darn cute and I hope she will love it. (She reads the blog so no pictures....sorry!)

Highlights of My Day (so far)

• Rock candy. I went to the new candy store on campus today (and bought the worst hot chocolate I've ever had) and got some rock candy. It always reminds me of childhood and happy memories. And, now I have a sugar high!
• Good friends. I was able to IM with a friend today and help with a work related challenge. It's nice to be of assistance to those you care about.
• A fantastically (I love that "word") juicy orange. There is a fruit stand on campus and I got a delicious orange as part of my lunch. I love the availability of fresh fruit right across the street from my office.
  
• The idea of knitting while watching tonight's presidential debate. It's keeping me going right now!
• My hair doing it's thing today. Yep, good hair days are nice.
• Sunshine. 'Nough said.

As a total aside, I'm leaning towards the fact that the Eggplant dress might not be save-able for me. It really is lovely however. If anyone is a US size 12/14 and interested, email me. If I can't save it for myself, it will be yours!

I Fear This is Becoming A Cooking Blog...

...which is not my intention. With all the fresh ingredients lately I've been cooking and baking a lot. Tonight I came home and made my friend Cristy's zucchini casserole. It's so delicious and even the 1/3 of the recipe I made will feed me five times. If you are interested in the recipe, it is:

• 6 cups shredded zucchini (I used zucchini and yellow squash)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 boxes stuffing mix (chicken flavor)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 can creme of chicken soup
• 1 cup mixed butter

Cook zucchini and onion in boiling water for five minutes. Drain and set aside. Mix together soup, carrots and sour cream. Fold in zucchini and onion. In a separate bowl mix butter and stuffing. Place half of stuffing in the bottom of a 13"x9" pan (sprayed with Pam). Then put vegetable mix over top. Top with the rest of stuffing mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

At the same time, I made apple bread with another one of my orchard apples. I'm trying to be good about using those gorgeous apples up and since none of them are MacIntoshs, I prefer to cook with them. I used this recipe but added some cinnamon and nutmeg. If I make it again, I will put in more apple, more cinnamon and perhaps top it with some sugary glaze. Tomorrow, my colleagues get apple bread!

Good night folks!

Listen to the Music...

This morning on the way to work, I listened to this story on NPR. I found Mekaal Hasen inspiring in his commitment to making music that is different from the norm in his part of the world and in sharing that with others. We often take for granted our ability to do the creative pursuits that inspire us; not everyone has that luxury. This story offered a gentle reminder to not undervalue my freedom to be creative, access the necessary supplies and to share that creative love with others.

My goals, creatively, for the month of October are simple:
- finish the quilt for my mom
- finish the Christmas gift for my friend
- work on the green wool dress I recently bought fabric for
- complete the It's a Wrap sweater (I decided it didn't need to be frogged!)
- Start the February Lady Sweater for my mom
- work on curriculum writing I need to do for a conference in February

Following through is the least I can do to fully celebrate my creative freedom. I am a lucky girl indeed!

Oh, how I love the Eggplant!

You may have wondered what this was about. Well, that lovely little seam ripper of mine earned some overtime yesterday. When I make dresses in my typical size, they are too big. This time I decided to make the smaller size. Big mistake! The eggplant dress, while lovely, was too tight around the rib cage* (and perfect everywhere else). So I've been trying a number of alterations so that the rib cage area fit better. So far, none of them have worked. I have one to two more ideas to salvage the dress. I got to a point yesterday where 1.) I needed to walk away and 2.) I had to go to work. I might try again today. Or I might just call it a wash for the weekend. I'm hoping to fix it because the dress will be so fantastic if I can get it to fit right.

I had to include this photo of the eggplant mug, since I pulled it out of the cupboard for tea right after writing this post. And, I promise not to make a "Butternut Squash" dress....




* Note to self: maybe you need to make dresses between two sizes.

A Haiku for You

Little seam ripper,
Your help when things don't fit
So needed today.

And Now That it is Fall....

I have signed up for Blogtoberfest!!! It's being coordinated by Big Cat's Emporium (fantastic little blog.... run on over folks!) and asks that participants try to post every day in October. Now, the bit of German in me can't turn down the celebration of October. And, since I don't particularly like beer, this seems the better option than a traditional Octoberfest.

Also, in celebration of harvest time, I've been working on the eggplant dress. It is about half done. The pattern is See & Sew B4957 and it quite honestly is flying together. I'm making the v neck version. It should be ready to wear before the start of the work week. I, of course, already have most of the outfit picked out (tights, I can't wait to wear tights!).

Also, a new little math formula for you all:
Being sick + coupon offers on email = buying new fabric

Last night I got an email from fabric.com with their 15% off coupon for the weekend (it's Frisky if anyone is interested) and bought some hunter green wool crepe in order to make a dress. The clincher was shopping on Vogue patterns, going to pay and having the pattern be FREE!! I'm not sure why it was but I am only paying shipping! Woot woot! So, I got this pattern to make a dress (no jacket) out of.... can't wait. I need more dresses in my fall clothing lineup so this shall help.

It's Officially Fall!

I'm officially declaring it fall! Why, you ask, do I think I have this power? Well, because I made THE pumpkin chocolate chip cookies last night. Those are the sign of official fall-dom to me. They are delicious (and bad for you in such a good, delightful way). They are my all time favorite cookie and a true sign of the impending winter to me. The recipe makes about 5 dozen so I have a bunch out and more in th freezer. The problem is I eat them like coffeecake.... time to get back on the treadmill, no?

The recipe, for those who care, is:

Cream together 1 cup shortening (now you know why I say not so good for you), 1 cup sugar and 1 cup pumpkin. Add 1 egg and miz well. Add 2 cups flour, 1 tsp soda, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp salt. Mix well and add 1 cup chocolate chips. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes on a greased cookie sheet.

The source for these little treats is my mom... I have no idea where she got the recipe.

I've been enjoying them with this tea. It's a ginger lemon mix that my boss brought back from Harrod's for me. Absolutely delish (one of those things I probably wouldn't be good at sharing... kind of like the cookies actually!). I have no idea what I'll do when it's gone... make a trip to London perhaps?

Simple Beauty

I bought these flowers last weekend in a moment of "let's treat myself." They have held up quite nicely, not shedding any petals as of yet. I have a lot of yellow in my living room and they look perfect with everything. Since I've been home sick a bunch this week, it has been nice to have their beauty just across the room.

Happy Friday!

And, the winners are....

A big thank you to everyone who entered the knitiversary contest. Yesterday was officially my knitiversary and I was able to celebrate by working on a Christmas project for a friend. Quick little knit that it is, I've already finished. Now, I'm just waiting for the other supplies to arrive so I can finish it! I also thought I might have to frog the It's a Wrap.... then I measured it again and was pleasantly surprised that it was longer than I had thought! So I kept on knitting it right through the VP debate (This political season is making me so nervous. I hate suspense!).

Anywho, thanks for all of the blog suggestions. Some of them were new to me (and now in my Reader), some of them were old favorites and some offered me a whole new perspective on things. According to the random number generator, the winners are:

• 13:   Michelle who chose the yarn as her first choice

• 12:   Katerina who choose the earrings as her second choice

• 27:   Laura who by default gets the gift certificate
  

I will contact those for whom I have blog or email addresses. If you are one of the winners, you can also send me your full name and address at a.rosy.outlook @ gmail.com (Michelle, please do!). Congrats!!

Thinking About Frogging

I'm thinking I should frog the It's a Wrap. I haven't been knitting it in a couple days. Although I swatched beforehand, it is coming out a little shorter than I'd like. I just haven't quite gotten myself to the point of actually frogging all of the knitting I've done already. So, it is hibernating on a chair in my living room, a place where I can look at it with guilt each day.

Instead, I cast on a Christmas gift for a friend today. It's a quick project; probably about 1/3 done already. Such wonderful thick wool! I just love the feel of the yarn within my hands. I also poked around on Ravelry looking for a scarf pattern for my friend for Christmas. I'm deciding between Argosy and Clapotis. I want something warm, practical, pretty and colorful. Hmm... decisions! All thoughts welcomed...

More to come later today...

Come out on Top

Today saw me finish the quilt top. And, that's about it, as I was home sick with whatever is going around at work. After one too many Law and Order episodes, I had to do something. Adding the edging fabric to the quilt top seemed like the best options. (Others were reading or sitting on the couch knitting.... getting off the couch was an objective so quilting won out in the end.) It measures 32" by 50" so should be a pretty good size for my mom to keep in the living room as a little warmer in winter. The back fabric is the same as the edge fabric and the binding tape is light blue. I'm planning to tie knots at corners.... just ordered the thread for that today. I think my mom will end up loving it. Now, keeping it a secret until Christmas might be the difficult part!


P.S. Last day for the knitiversary contest... enter now if you haven't already! I'll announce the winners tomorrow night.
P.P.S. Here's another contest over here. You should enter!