Promised pics

So I told you guys about a little package I was expecting yesterday. And here are the contents!

Tada!









The plan here is to wear the agree and disagree shirts as communication tools. When someone cuts us off at the roundabout - I'll shake my head and point to the disagree logo. No need to get all riled up! LOL! And when having a discussion with the hubster I'll just point to the agree logo so he'll know what response I expect from him. LOL! The pink tee is too small for me right now but I'll get into it soon!

As for Ishbel, here are two pics of the progress I was telling y'all about.






Seriously, a quick knit! I hope to finish it this weekend but I'm not going to hold myself to that as I have one more law quizz to submit and the reading on this one is looooong. And the weekend might shape up to be a busy one as hubby is in a martial arts tournament tomorrow and we're all going. Then there's laundry and church and homework and getting ready for Monday.

So what are you guys up to this weekend?

Making mad progress

Ishbel is coming along amazingly fast. There is a stockinette portion and 7 vine lace sections - dependent upon which size you make - and I am on the 4th vine section! And it's only been a week almost since I started it. Could be my sheer determination that is pushing it along - LOL! but I bet the size 6 needles and malabrigo sock yarn has a thing or two to do about it.

Pics to come soon - along with one other package that I should be receiving tomorrow!

Until later... I'm about to get my spot on the couch ready with knitting and books in time for some serious tv watching tonight (although baseball is pre-empting Fringe - AGAIN!! Grrrrr!).

Have a good night everyone!

So happy I can do the dance of joy!

Ok, so of late it doesn't take much to make me happy, especially when it comes to yarn and knitting. I've been having such a bad experience lately with the skybox services I've been using to get my purchased online items here in Barbados that I just gave up (after the hassle of vat, duties, handling, shipping and every other imaginable cost made me spend way in excess for my items and eventually frustrated me with the wait for the delivery)and found an online store that ships directly to Barbados. It cost me $16.05 USD to ship it but the money and frustration that was saved OY!! I've said all this to say that I've got my yarn! Oh happy day! Sitting on my table awaiting further instructions are 2 skeins of malabrigo sock yarn (for the Ishbel and something other lucky shawl), 2 skeins of malabrigo lace destined to become the Miralda shawl and finally the 2 Debbie Bliss Rialto skeins needed to finish my deep v argyle. Now I have high hopes for the miralda shawl using the malabrigo lace as over 200 peeps over at ravelry used it to sucesfully knit her.

So here we go:

First up, my ZUMA! Lol! I did promise you a pic of it didn't I?

Sad Zuma (my imagination is working over time it seems - she looks sad/angry here LOL!!)




Just flip her handles and now she's happy ZUMA!



Sock yarn, lace yarn and dk yarn



All caked up

Malabrigo sock - in black



Malabrigo lace - in Rich Chocolate colourway (only wound one skein as it was fairly sticky and gave some trouble on my makeshift swift...)



Debbie Bliss Rialto in black



I would apologize for the quality of the pics but you've heard that story before : )

So I've got my materials, some time in between and the desire to knit. If I reckon it correctly, there should be some new FOs on here before the year is out!

There has been knitting

(I'm so delinquent sometimes...) October 4th marked 3 years of blogging over here a la knittykitty in the tropics. I'm persistent if not terribly entertaining at least! LOL! Thanks to all you guys who come out and read - you don't always leave a comment but it's nice to know you are there : )

So, what have I been doing? Well, most of the knitting around here has taken place in my head as I have to wait until my shipment from yarnzilla arrives. I've ordered some Malabrigo sock yarn in black to knit Ishbel (I wasn't happy how the Cashbah and Handmaiden seasilk were knitting up so frogged the starts about twice each time!), some Malabrigo Lace in chocolate brown for the Miralda Shawl, and finally the two extra balls of Debbie Bliss Rialto in black to complete the Deep V Argyle vest. I'm not feeling inspired to knit anything like a shirt or cardigan as they seem to take me forever (case in point the raglan leaf tee!) so I've picked back up my dpns and have started another pair of pomatomus socks. I knit these socks some back for a swap I was in and have decided to knit another pair but this time for me. The cashbah that was ill-fated for the Ishbel shawl is working out just fine for the socks. And the second time is going just fine.

Here's a pic of the socks in progress:



And another angle of the same:



Finally, here's a pic of the unblocked raglan leaf tee. I'm happy that it's done but I really do not want to knit another one - too much stockinette!



I hope to have the pomatomus socks completed before the end of the month (I'm just filling the gap with them until my other yarn arrives). I'm not sure I'll wear them as the only need for socks around these parts are for when you're exercising or not feeling well and I'm not sure I want to take my hard work and stuff them into a pair of sneaks of use them on vicks vapo-rubo feet! I may keep em in case I have to travel to somewhere cold or may even gift them. Who knows!

I hope there's been succesful and satisfying knitting going on on your side of the screen. Don't be shy - post and let me know what's on your needles!

Until later, happy knitting : )

Things that I am learning slowly but surely

A few wisdom nuggets:

1. Never cast your pearls before swine. They will trample them and you in the process if given half a chance.
2. Never get tired of doing good even when people treat you indifferently, speak ill of you or take your kindness spit and take a dump on it. It's hard, but I hear it can be done.
3. Don't stand for people's crap. You don't have to. Don't give it. Don't take it. Don't let anyone make you think you should take it just cause they are sharing it out.
4. Keep your head high and your eyes on the prize. Rejoice in the happiness of others and encourage those who need it. Expect nothing, not even basic civility in exchange but always give more than others expect in the way of kindness and it will bode you well.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled knitting blog.

Another one down...

And just in time before 2200. LOL! Finished the Leaf T-shirt. Looks good. Fits well. No pics yet cause I had a headache and went to bed early. Now I'm up and don't feel like doing anything - not even watching House. I may regret that later tho...

So now that shirt is off the needles, now I can start Ishbel. Tomorrow maybe.

Steeks and more

What a past week and some! I feel as though I've been fighting and struggling and being forced to wait for no other reason than the people I've had to deal with just didn't care if Good Friday fell on a Monday. Looking back, I'm now wondering if I was a part of some bizarre experiment to see just how far these companies could push me without me going completely batty. So, unbeknownst to them, they have won. I'm officially tired and fed up. So what's a girl to do when she's in this state of mind? Well, she takes a scissors to her knitting that's what!!! Ol' Deep V Argyle came in very handy when the need for me to "destroy" something rose up hard and strong! Mind you, I have not finished knitting the thing because, well, apparently I didn't order enough black yarn to complete the arm and neck bands. Come to think of it, it's kinda ironic. I've taken to my knitting to vent some frustration on being made to wait unreasonable lengths of time and still have to turn around and wait to finish the said project because I don't have enough yarn.

So here's some steeking action:

Before - all ready to be cut apart


During - getting my cutting action on:


After:
Oops, no after pic yet... blogger is misbehaving


It wasn't hard at all in case you're wondering. I used the crochet steek as suggested in the pattern and it worked like a charm. Now, as soon as I get the one skein of Debbie Bliss Rialto needed I'll be ready to finally put this thing to bed - after a year and two months. For shame. There's no hurry anyways. Where the heck am I gonna wear it???(!)

After some drama, I've finally gotten my hands on the books I ordered a while back (man, what I would do for a borders right about now!!!!) And one other special gift to self that I have been longing for for the past two years I think!



Yes, that's my ipod touch 3rd generation! Newest model hot off the presses. I would tell you about how I managed to get this while sitting in church chatting through a sermon but it would take too much explaining so we'll just leave it at that ; ) I'm enjoying it but not as much as I would hope mainly because there are restrictions in itunes because of where I live. Imagine that! I'm in the process of a work around so I'm hoping for a solution by tonight. Crossing my crossables!

As for the books... I have browsed through them all rather quickly and am eager to sit down and spend some quality time with them. Already, Julia's recipes are calling to me especially her chocolate cake. I made a variation to her sponge cake on Sunday for my hubby's birthday but sponge cakes all taste the same so no true test of if this book is worth its mettle as yet. And I'm sure it is! The quilting books need some special love too and I'm eager to start but soon there will be some construction going on around here and cracking out quilting supplies will not be logical. Again, I have to wait. The last book there "Ma.ke You.r Pl.ace" is very interesting and I can see myself applying and using lots of the wonderful homey ideas in there. Really good book for DIY-ers who are concerned about chemicals in and around the home. Got the suggestion for the book from another blog that I cannot recall right now... but definitely worth a look-see!

Anyways, time to get some supper on the table. Simple simple tonight - flying fish cutters! I know these are going to go down without a complaint!

Until next post!