I was planning to post this yesterday, but we spent all day at the Maryland Renaissance Festival having a blast (and eating ourselves silly), and I was too pooped when I got home.

My darling hubby spoiled the heck out of me for my birthday. I only hope that I do as well spoiling him in two weeks. In addition to a new paring knife and some Broadway DVD’s, he gave me this:

That would be a Jordana Paige Knitter’s Messenger Bag (which I now carry with me everywhere) in the back. In the front is a set of interchangeable bamboo knitting needles. They are gorgeous…so smooth and lovely, and in a really beautiful case.
And he got me a Learn to Spin kit from Hello Yarn!
It has really clear instructions, a handspindle, some of the most gorgeous green and blue and pink wool to spin, and a small chunk of ready-to-go fiber (in the baggie under the spindle) that Adrian put in there especially to try first. How cool is that? I think I may sit down with it tonight and give it a try.

Jen, so sweet and so cool, gave me a copy of Nicky Epstein’s Knitting Over the Edge, which I am loving. I am going to take it with me for the seminar at Stitch DC, along with my copies of Knitting on the Edge and Knitted Embellishments to get them signed.

Saturday, we headed down to Knit Happens in Alexandria with Jen, and we met up with Gretchen there, as well. It was the first time I had been there, and what a great store! Some beautiful yarns, and really friendly people, too. The store is bright, and well organized. I was wearing my new One Skein Wonder and got lots of compliments on it, so maybe I’m a little biased. Hee. I picked up three balls of a yarn I have been dying to try - Muench Touch
Me -
It’s a spectacularly lovely sea green color, and I think it is going to be a modified version of the “Vintage Velvet” scarf in Scarf Style.

After a lovely lunch of tapas, we bid farewell to Gretchen and headed to Capitol Hill to go to Stitch DC. Jennifer Lippman from KnowKnit Designs was there and was showing some of her designs. I tried on and fell in love with this crazy thing called a “swoncho” - half-sweater,
half-poncho.
I know it looks a little insane, but it’s actually really cute in person. Apparently, I’m just weird enough to love the design. Jennifer is absolutely adorable (that’s her in the picture), and has a great sense of humor about it - she freely admitted that it is very much a love-it-or-hate-it design. So, I bought the pattern and some Classic Elite La Gran in Eggplant to make one.

I also picked up some Elsebeth Lavold Cotton Patine in “Rosehip”, although I have no idea what I am making with it. It was just so pretty, and so soft, and so 50% off. =)

And finally, I bought something I have been wanting to buy for ages, and finally decided to take the plunge and buy it - Kidsilk Haze.

Three balls of a yummy gray-green color that just called out to me. It wasn’t until I got home that I discovered that the color is named “Drab”. Not the world’s most inspiring name, but the
color is really cool. Not sure what I’m going to DO with it, but I own it. For the moment, I’m just petting it a lot. If anyone has any pattern suggestions for the KSH or the Cotton Patine,
I’m all ears.

So, yes, it was a very happy birthday.

OK, so you must forgive me the horrible (and utterly predictable) pun. I ordered some Knit Picks yarn specifically to try my hand at some Kool Aid dyeing, and Tuesday, Jen and I hit the Giant to pick up some Kool Aid. This is what followed.

The unsuspecting yarn and Kool Aid:

Following the lovely instructions in this article on Knitty, I washed my Wool of the Andes, and left it to soak.

While I prepped the pot of Black Cherry Kool Aid.

The yarn was added to the pot, where it hung out, nice and hot, for about 20 minutes, going from this:

To this:

I rinsed it and wrung it out, and then hung it to dry.

One key thing I learned during this - gloves are not optional. At least I remembered my apron.

I couldn’t leave well enough alone, so I had to try doing some handpainted yarn, too. I broke out the Paint Your Own laceweight, and mixed up some Cherry, Pink Lemonade, Orange, Lemonade and Grape Kool Aid. I popped it into the microwave for a few minutes: , rinsed it off, , and hung it up to dry. While the yarn was drying, I cleaned up the mess from the handpainting , and waited.

A few minutes with my swift and winder, and TA DA!
(Considerably less blurry in real life.) I immediately cast on the black cherry yarn for a One Skein Wonder. After realizing that I was going to run out of yarn before I did the edging, I ran to AC Moore and picked up some ladder ribbon yarn for the edging and finished it tonight.
I’m really thrilled with how it turned out. I love the sort-of variegated nature of the Kool-Aid dye. I’m planning to turn the laceweight into a Lacey. We’ll see how that goes.

So, my very first order ever from Knit Picks was delivered by my lovely mailman yesterday. I had to share the fabulousness with the world (mostly because hubby is already bored with it.) And here it is, in all its glory:

Along the left side, top to bottom, we have Simple Stripes in “Storm”, which hubby picked for socks for himself, followed by Gossamer in “Leprechaun” (I am such a green fiend), which I am hoping to turn into my very first big-time lace project - a Kiri shawl. At the bottom is Dancing in “Swing”, which is already in the process of becoming socks for hubby. I am loving the way it is working up, and I have a hunch these will be some mighty comfy socks. That, and that I will need to pick some up for myself in another color. The right side of the photo is an array of Wool of the Andes in (clockwise from top left) “Snickerdoodle”, “Hush”, “Daffodil”, “Asparagus”, and “Stream”, all of which is destined to become the felted entrelac bag from Bags: A Knitter’s Dozen. I also got something that will be going to my lovely Secret Pal, but of
course I can’t post a picture of that here. =)

I’m off to work some more on hubby’s socks. And his sweater. And the Manos mitred square bag. And maybe to cast on Kiri. Happy knitting, all!

Oh, and in 23 days, I’ll be 32. Weird.

Roxy tagged me on this one - my first official blog-tagging!

ten years ago: I was almost 22, living in Meadville, PA, doing community theatre and dating a guy who was WAY too young for me. (I might actually have been back home in Pittsburgh if we’re talking 10 years exactly.)

five years ago: I had been married for 2 years and was living in Richmond, VA, managing the box office of a professional theatre. If I remember right, we were getting ready to open our season with “Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde”

one year ago: We had moved to Maryland, and had just found out that Hyon and Drew were
pregnant. Also, we were getting ready to go out of town to Rob and Shamita’s wedding, and I was planning to go home for Dad’s bypass surgery in his leg.

five snacks:
1. Pringles
2. String cheese
3. Popcorn
4. Triscuits
5. Granola bars

five songs I know all the words to (and will sing at the top of my lungs in the car):
1. Everything by Billy Joel
2. The Broadway Cast Album of “Rent”
3. “The Boxer” by Carbon Leaf
4. “Zombie Jamboree” by Rockapella
5. “Moving Right Along” from The Muppet Movie

five things I would do with $100 million:
1. Buy a house somewhere warm and sunny for Mom & Dad
2. Buy a house for my younger brother
3. Establish a scholarship for a theatre major at Penn State and Westminster
4. Adopt a bazillion kids
5. Buy a big ol’ house (see #4)

five places to run away to:
1. Ireland
2. England
3. Germany
4. Australia
5. New Zealand

five things I would never wear:
1. A thong bikini
2. Daisy Dukes
3. A strapless shirt with a bra that isn’t
4. Super-ultra low-cut jeans
5.

five favorite TV shows:
1. Veronica Mars
2. House
3. Law & Order (all incarnations)
4. Arrested Development
5. Firefly

five biggest joys:
1. Kris
2. My family
3. My friends
4. My furry babies
5. Knitting

favorite toys:
1. My computer
2. My Addi Turbos
3. My Denise Interchangeables
4. My digital camera
5. My swift and ball winder

five people to pass this on to:
1. Jen
2. Gretchen
3. (Ack! Nobody else has a blog that hasn’t already done this!)
4.
5.

Courtesy of Jen’s post on being from South Jersey, I had to check Blogthings for their list of “You Know You’re from Pittsbugh When…”

“Hey Yunz Guyz” is your traditional greeting. Well, not really, but I know plenty of people who do say it

You know the time and location of every Wing Night in a 10 mile radius. And you know the best ones in the world are from the Lube (The original location, thank you)

You know the location of the following towns, know someone from them and have spent time there: Monongahela, Altoona, Bethlehem, Ligonier, Harmony, and Wilmerding. Hee. When I was a kid, we used to go to YMCA events at the Y in Wilmerding.

You’ve memorized lines from the movie “Flashdance”.

If you’re a guy, your biggest fear is seeing your best friend drive into the “fruit loop”. Your second biggest fear is seeing him drive out with Kordel Stewart.

If you’re a girl, you’re biggest fear is getting hit on by a hairy-chested man, heavily weighted in gold chains, who refers to his friends as “junior” at Chauncey’s.

Your latest cultural experience: On your way to partying at Slippery
Rock University, having to stop your car to let the Amish buggy cross the street. Slippery Rock, hell. I went to college in New Wilmington. They went by our dorm windows all the time.

As your out-of-town friends brag about their latest trips to Europe, you think to yourself, “Polish Hill will suffice.”

You eat out at least once a week at a mafia-owned Italian pizza parlor.

Your father has worked for the same company for over 20 years.

You don’t see what all the hype is about Disney World when Kennywood is just around the corner. Kennywood - my first amusement park love. The Thunderbolt will always be #1 in my heart.

You’re having a hard time on where to take your date out for dinner and a night on the town: - “meat on a stick” in the south side and the guzzling IC Light at Jack’s… Or splitting an order of “O fries” and guzzling IC Light at Peter’s Pub. I was just telling some people about O fries tonight.

” N at’ ” is eloquently added to the end of every sentence.

You’ve taken deliberate field trips to the Andy Warhol museum.

You water ski on the Youghiogheny River Lake.

You feel the only good bands out there are Donny Iris, Joe Grushecky, The Blue Oyster Cult, and of course…. Rusted Root. I was terribly excited when going to see Ice Age and Root was on the soundtrack.

You’re more worried about Jerome Bettis’s health than your own.

You own more than one original Terrible Towel.

You don’t understand what all the hype is about for Rolling Rock beer. You’ve been drinking it for years, although Penn Pilsner is better. Technically, I’m a Yuengling girl.

You consider a great vacation a trip to Conneaut Lake or Lake Erie. For something a little more exotic, a trip to the Jersey shore.

You’re 35 years old, have never been outside of Allegheny County, and don’t see the need to leave.

You only own four spices: salt, pepper, Heinz ketchup, and the bottle of Trappey’s Red Devil you swiped from Primanti’s.

For the life of you, you can’t understand why your all your out-of-town friends don’t get the “fries and cole slaw” thing… I’ve actually seen this on a menu as a “Pittsburgh-style sandwich”.

You have 101 favorite recipes for kolbasi and sauerkraut. Um…that would be KIELBASA.

Words like: hoagie; chipped ham; pop; and gumband actually mean something to you. Yup.

You can use the phrase “Firehall Wedding” and not even bat an eye.

You walk carefully when it is “slippy” outside.

You often go down to the “crick”.

You have to “red up”, before company comes over.

You’ve ever gotten hurt by falling into a “jaggerbush”.

You know that Ahia is a river, a boulevard, and a state.

You’ve ever “warshed” or “wershed” the laundry.

You know you can’t drive too fast on back roads, cause-udda-deer.

You’ve drank an “Arn” .

You’ve told someone to “quit jaggin around”.

You know that Clinton, Monaca, and Beaver, are actually names of towns. My freshman year college roomie was from Monaca, actually.

You’ve called someone a ‘jaggoff’.

You hear “you guyses”, or “yins” and don’t think twice.

You hate Cleveland, although you’ve never been there.

You drink “pop”, eat “hoagies”, pierogies, and gyros(jy-rows).

You know what a still mill is.

You can find Zillionopal on a map. And you know it is spelled Zelienople.

You go ‘food shoppin’ at ‘Jine Iggle’.

You believe that “Ize” is the abbreviaton for “I was.

You know someone from ‘Sliberty, E-sliberty, or Wesliberty.

You know the Pittsburgh Zoo is in ‘Hilinpark’ and have been there for school field trips.

You know what is meant by “The Point”.

Chipped ham was always in your refrigerator when you were growing up. Always. Only kind of ham I liked as a kid.

Too funny. Mostly because, well, too true. I’ve been away long enough that I’ve lost some of it, but I do still recognize the traits.

And they forgot a few:

Your Halloween costume was adaptable on the spot for any weather conditions from snow to 80 degrees.

You know what a Pickle Pin is, and you own one from a tour of the Heinz factory at some point.

You regularly drop the words “to be” from sentences (”The car needs washed” instead of “The car needs to be washed”), and you never had an English teacher correct you.

Well, mostly finished, anyway. It’s been put through the washer and is currently drying around a bag-wrapped copy of the Yellow Pages. And then I just need to find handles for it. And attach them. This is sounding less done by the moment.

So, this is the before:

(Side and end views)

And here it is after:

The pattern is the Felted Bag with Mitred Squares found here. I used just under two skeins each of Manos del Uraguay Wool in Agate Multi and Wildflowers Multi. I love the way the colors ended up working together. And, since I bought THREE skeins of each color, I can now use the leftovers to make My So-Called Scarf! Yay! It may end up a little funky, since the original was all one color, but I’ll figure something out. Perhaps stripes, perhaps one half in each color.

Today has been an awesome day. Kris and I were out running around doing some errands, and I decided to stop in to Old Navy, since their jeans are on sale, and, well, a girl can never have too many pairs of jeans, right? So, I was pretty sure that the diet was going well enough that I could drop from the men’s 38-32’s that I had been wearing to a 36-32. So, I tried them on, and they fit. On a whim, I decided to go look at the women’s jeans. I haven’t been wearing women’s jeans for a while because with the weight gain and my odd thick-waisted build and whatnot, they just didn’t fit me right. I picked up a pair of 18’s (which would have been too small a few weeks
ago), and a pair of 16’s just for shits and giggles. The 16’s FIT. I could not believe it. I was SO excited! So, of course I bought 2 pair.

So, we finish doing the shopping, and I get home to find a package for me in the mailbox. I got my very first Secret Pal package! Yaaaay! And wow, is my SP good at stalking me! This is what
was in my package:

That would be THREE skeins of KnitPicks Shine in “Orchid”, which is the most awesome shade of deep hot pink, and so soft that I keep petting it, a skein of lovely Lana Grossa sock yarn in blues and browns (yummy warm tootsies! yay!), a skein of Bernat Boa (which happens to be
my very favorite novelty yarn - I’m not sure HOW she knew that!) in “Mocking Bird”, and a ball of blue and green wool that she dyed herself! Kris was very impressed with that, I must say. As
am I - it’s so bright and pretty, and I can’t wait to use it. She also included some Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans (perfect for the Harry Potter fan like me), and a lovely note. I’m still bouncing over the wonderful goodies!

Thank you so much, SP! You are too cool for words!