Sneak Peek of latest EPS

I finished S's EPS sweater today. It would have been done last night but I didn't center the short rows on the neck properly so I had to rip it out and re-knit it.

Before EZ I never ripped and re-knit, I either left the mistake or abandoned the project but EZ changed me. I'm not afraid or annoyed at fixing mistakes, I realize it's just part of the process.

This is just a sneak peek because I'm going to do a photo shoot with S tomorrow to get some good action shots of her in the sweater.

Dog Sitting

Our friends were at Disney last week so S was able to use her dog sittting skills. This is Charger, a huge Rat Terrier. We bought him a little t-shirt that says "Don't watch me poop." It was fun having him around but I'm glad he's going home today, one dog is enough.

Vegas Baby

D arrived home from Vegas today. It was just the kids and I for the last 4 days. I had big plans for that time but mostly we just hung out at Twist and relaxed in the a/c. We did see "Journey to the Center of the Earth" in 3D - great movie, the kids loved it.

I got a lot of knitting done while D was gone. I am at the neck shaping for S's sweater and plan to finish it by Thursday so I can show it off at Stitch and Bitch.

EZ update

I am preparing to join my arm to my body on S's EZ sweater. The yoke will fly by with fun color work for 7 inches and then it's done.

We are dog-sitting this week while our friends are at Disney. The dog is a huge rat terrier who is scared of storms and of course we have been having storms all week. He hides in his kennel or under the table and just shakes and breathes hard. Sally is not scared of storms at all and will run around in the rain so this is a new experience for us.

Bag Junkie

Everyone knows I am a bag junkie - I love bags and buy them in excess. It's not purses I love and definitely not the typical brands like Coach. I love tough, durable bags by companies like Tom Bihn, Timbuk2, Sherpani, and Overland Equipment. Now I have fallen, hard, for this Lantern Moon bag. I love Lantern Moon knitting needles, beautiful woods, smooth, and warm in your hands.

I am currently using my Tom Bihn for my knitting bag (given to me for Christmas by my dear friend, Angelique, whom I miss much.) But I want to use that bag for a school bag so it's obivious that I need this Lantern Moon bag. I'm getting the one with the blue lining. If you also need one, and you know you do, Twist has all the colors but they are going fast so get there and buy one.

Fun Links

PrincessLiaK did some fun links on her blog today so I decided to share some of my new discoveries.

• thisissand.com is sand art on your computer; a great time waster. Just click the little gray box in the left coner to get started.

• agameaday.com has brainteasers, games and puzzles. There are 2 levels and a game everyday of the month. I enjoy figuring out the puzzle and then challenging D to figure it out. Also good for older kids.

• Live Mocha has free language lessons; the regular Spanish, French, German but also Hindi, Mandarian Chinese and Icelandic.

• Kerpoof allows you to make movies, pictures, stories and cards. The site is made for kids but I had fun making the movies.
  

Mighty Muggs

T loves these Mighty Muggs by Hasbro.

He has spent his last 2 allowances on these fun little figures. They are starring in the stop action movie the kids are making.

I love them because they don't have a lot of small pieces and they don't "do" anything. You have to use your imagination. T makes great voices for them and they have lots of adventures.

I need more EZ sweaters

I'm ready for another EZ sweater. I am speeding along on S's sweater so I bought enough Ultra Alpaca Light to make the Yoke Sweater from Newsletter #1.

The main color will be an off-white, they call Couscous and the yoke will include Dark Chocolate, Turquoise Mix, Oceanic Mix, and Redwood Mix.

Currently, I designing a pattern for Twist's Sock of the Month Club. So S's sweater is on the back burner but I did get the cuff done.

I also found some time to make some felt balls. Take some roving, make it into a ball, put it in a nylon stocking, get some hot water and soap, invite some kids over and let them roll them around in their hands till they become firm. Ta Da.

KEVA Planks

We bought a set of KEVA planks for the kids. They are just blocks but it keeps the kids busy for hours. We see who can build the highest structures and work together to build intricate designs. The picture above is from the website but we were able to build it and were astounded by it.

A couple of weeks ago we went to the Tanganyika Wildlife Park.

I rode a camel and we petted a hedgehog, turtles, goats, and bunnies.

The best part of the park was a huge playground with a jungle theme. The park is not finished and I would suggest waiting till it's a little more complete to visit.

So Long, Farewell, Auf wiedersehen, Goodbye

This weekend I was saying goodbye to another good friend, Angelique, she is going to Farmington, New Mexico to start a new adventure. She is going to work at an Indian Reservation hospital. We will miss her very much.

She has taught me so much about generosity - how to share you time and talent with others, selflessly. I'm always inspired by her dedication to her yoga and meditation practice. She has an infectious laugh and light spirit. I love the way she whirls into the room with her many bags and Perrier- giving smiles all around.

Ahh, yes! Crafts

This craft is from the May issue of Family Fun. We bought a 12 inch x 12 foot board and had them cut it into 12"x12" squares. Then we painted them and the kids hammered the nails in, after I marked them.

We used yarn from my large stash to create these great pictures.
Here's the link if you would like to try it.

Car Talk

The Car Talk animated series "As the Wrench Turns" premieres tonight. Check your local PBS listings.

Summer Days

Mostly, we have been swimming with friends and relaxing in the a/c.

I am teaching water aerobics in the afternoon, it's not the most fun job mostly because it's everyday and it's from 1pm to 3pm which is prime time for swimming. Oh well, it's better than one of my past summer jobs which included waking up at 5am and making pizza crusts till 11am.

Transfering Music from iPod to iTunes

When I got my new computer, one problem I faced was getting my music from my old computer to the new one. I should have backed up my music onto a flash drive, like I did with my pictures and other files but I didn't.

When I plugged my iPod into my new computer it wanted to erase my iPod and replace the files with the music I bought from iTunes but not other items on the iPod. That is fine but I had music (mostly kid's stuff and mediations) that came from borrowed CDs. I found lots of downloadable programs to transferthe files but here's the tutorial I used to manually moving files over.

Finished Object

I have been getting quite a lot of knitting done this summer. I finished these "Spring Forward" socks in about a week.

Currently, I'm working on an EPS sweater for S. It's gray with pink color work. Look for it, soon.