Bloggie Thing

A close friend and fellow blogger of mines, Marisol, was kind enough to nominate me for a Blog Award.
Tadaaaa....



This is so cool, and I'm just so thankful that Marisol enjoys my blog enough to nominate me 8) It's been a crazy journey this year with me getting into this fibery world, last year this time I didn't even know what a stitch was let alone knew what knitting needles looked like! Phew!

There are few rules to being nominated, and they are:

1. Please put the award on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. You must nominate at least 4 fellow bloggers for this award.
4. Add links to the recipients.
5. Leave a comment so the recipients know they have received an award.

So, these are my faves, in no particular order...

Knitspot
Tapmouseknits2
ChickenKnits
Turtlegirl76

Onto some weekend knitting & crocheting. I worked on some more Traveling Scarf sections from both my groups #25 & #37, plus I casted on for a new pair of "Socktoberfest Mystery KAL" socks. I'm almost done with Clue 1. I used my Wicked Witch of the West yarn from my WWW Woolgirl kit, and also got to use my Teeny Weeny Ones Witch stitch marker.. it's so cute!

From Top to Bottom and from Right to Left it is:

1) Group #37 Noro Knit & Crochet "GrammieKnits" scarf
2) Group #25 Significant Others "Jame's" scarf
3) Socktoberfest Mystery KAL socks



Happy Monday!

Traveling through history

Where do you travel? Where have you been? Where do you want to visit?

For me there are so many places I dream to visit, and really hope I'll be able to during my lifetime. I love history, all history, you name it, I love it. I can sit and watch documentaries, specials, (real "6th period" stuff as my kids call it), all day long. I love archaeology, I love books on history, beautiful landscape pictures of historical sites. It really is amazing to stop and think of what it was like, long, very long ago.

What must it have been like to build the Pyramid of Giza, or Sphinx? To revel in the monumental and geometric definitions? Not to mention the astrological connections?



We could probably liken it to the monstrous skyscrapers in New York, though I've never been there, I can only imagine how humanizing it must feel to stand next to structures of such magnitude.

Or I wonder what the minds & pressures of Rebecca Nurse were while she endured the Salem Witch Trials?



I'd liken it to our modern day equivalent of gossip in our groups of people we congregate with. Do or say something wrong and you could become a cast out. Although I'd hope that present day society wouldn't lead to such hysteric and fanatical acts; though I'm afraid it is still a very real event that can happen again.

I always wondered if I were able to go back in time and visit a real Colosseum event, would I enjoy it or be aghast at the primal and vicious games that were played at Rome's Colosseum ?



All these historical sites are just a few I dream to visit, and can sit and read, listen, or watch anything about. Which brings me to a couple of my most recent projects, the "Traveling Scarves" groups formed on Ravelry. The premise is to knit or crochet a starter or "seedlet" section, about 6 x 6 inches, give or take, and then mail on to your downstream TS pal. There are usually about 10-15 people in each group, and the Mods for each group put a travel itinerary together for the members to routinely send their sections downstream to the same person, and will receive new sections from their upstream TS pal.

What you get is a round-robin effect, where all members of the group can add to the seedlet section there own knitting or crochet, and by the time you get your seedlet back, its blossomed into a completed scarf that has traveled great distances and been welcomed in households by your fellow knitters or crocheters.

The turn around is about 6 months to get a completed scarf, and the benefits are you meet other crafters, you get to add your personal touch to the scarve sections you receive, and you get a finished scarf in the end.

I joined the Traveling Scarves Group 25 Significant Others group where there the theme is to knit a scarf for your significant other. I mailed off my seedlet the other day, and I decided to request only gray & black color yarn, because I wanted it to have a more masculine feel to it, so my hubby can wear it 8) I went with a Basketweave pattern for my seedlet with a 2 stitch garter border. I used Lamb's pride superwash wool in gray.



I also joined the Traveling Scarves Noro Group 37 Kit or Crochet group, only requirement is you can only use Noro yarn. I thought this would be a great way to get a Noro scarf! I also took on moderating duties for this group, along with my Co-Mod "TrustCrazyIdeas". Since this group allows crochet, I crocheted my first granny square. I just love how the Noro yarn colors transition. I'm sorry about the picture, my camera wasn't in a good mood during the photo shoot 8(



Where are my scarves traveling?

Group 25 SO Seedlet I know will definitely be visiting some of these destinations...

Missoula, Montana, Lewis & Clark traveled here



It will also be visiting the state of Michigan, I don't know what city, but Michigan was home to one of the great writers, Ernest Hemmingway, this is a picture of the cottage he grew up in on Walloon Lake.



For my Group 37 Noro Seedlet, it will get to visit Maine, there are many "haunted" sites in Maine, here is a really cool picture of Booth Bay Harbour in Maine, I love this picture. I can just see myself all cozied up with some handmade scarf and jacket basking in the airy fogginess.



Another really interesting location, is Charlotte, North Carolina which is home to the Andrew Jackson State Park in honor the 7th United States President. Andrew Jackson was the U.S.'s first "citizen president" in that at the time represented the common man. He was a member of the Continental Army and also a former prisoner of war.



There are many more places both my seedlets are traveling through, it is as if they are traveling through history because really, what place doesn't have a history on this old earth of ours? I would love to follow my scarves and take in the scenery and history.

I hope I didn't bore you too much with my digressions into my love of history. Again, like my kids and even my husband say "Mom's teaching 6th period again", they also call me "The Teacher" =-) They say this because they feel my books and documentaries remind them of that 6th period class in school that you'd have to sit through some movie documentary. I loved when my teachers would play informational videos, I would actually stay awake watching them while the rest of the students snored 8)

Happy Wednesday!
~Rocky

Where does time go?

So much lately does it seem like my time continues to diminish everyday. I miss the days when time seemed to stretch out longer, when I had the time to do things I wanted to do, as opposed to running errands, cleaning, working, life stuff. Sadly the days of T --- I --- M --- E really lasting were, as you would guess, when I was a kid.

Doesn't it seem like we lose our time as Adults? Or maybe we don't, maybe it's just our perception. There's a movie called "The Boogeyman", it's a kids movie, and the premise of the movie is that as a kid your mind is open and free which allows you to see things adults wouldn't, like a real life Boogeyman. I think TIME is our Boogeyman, as kids time is endless days of swinging on swings, feeling the air go through you, it's days of just meandering, frolicking or plain nothing.

As adults, our perception is different, our time has a different purpose, no more frolicking, only errands or work, work which most of us can't escape unless we enjoy pillaging for food, leaching for items, you know what I mean *-)

I always wonder if things would be more simple if we just simply bartered for items, maybe as adults we'd have more time, instead of trying to earn that evil green, money that is. I really think money is the root of all evil. It can cause most of us grief, stress, unhappiness, envy, for those who have an abundance of $ it can provide them with feelings of power, veiled happiness, gluttony, to name a few.

What is of real value, not $, is our time, without it, nothing happens. I've digressed about time because I'm obviously feeling like I have none. There is so much I want to do, so much I can do, but time is the key ingredient I lack. As a result, I'm dropping out of HAT ATTACK, cause I just don't have the time to commit, and I must admit my loyalties to the fiber craft are now more towards KALS, Holiday's, Swaps, and oh yah, personal items.

I started my Mystery Stole 4 knit this past weekend, didn't get to far into it, but hopefully I'll at the very least get CLUE1 finished by end of week. I've chosen to go with the LACI STR I bought not long ago, there's going to be A LOT of yarn left over from this skein, as it's 1750yds, but hey, it can always go to another knit, maybe something to coordinate with my finished MS4 Stole.

TYPHOON TINA


As for Secret of the Stole III, I'm still stuck in HINT 2, just haven't go to picking it up, but it is another goal to at least get done by end of this week too.

I've actually been really working at nailing down Crocheting, which has been an interesting experience. I bought a Crochet Cowl design, "Undulating Cowl", and when I first was looking at this pattern, I was like what the hell??? I finally figured it out, and am now one row away from finishing it. I can't believe how fast crocheting is. I've heard it was fast, and I can remember when I first learned to knit, my husband was like "My Mom used to crochet scarfs and sweaters in one weekend when I was small.", and I remember telling him "Your crazy!", but now I believe him, especially if your an experienced crocheter. It's pretty freakin' amazin' to me how fast it is, and I'm still a newbee at it, but so far I'm real comfortable with it, and am confident I can tackle a more intermediate crochet projects. DONT' GET ME WRONG, I'M NOT DEFECTING TO CROCHET, but I've always wanted to learn it so that I could use it to embellish knitting or for those quick needed garments to crochet.

Here's a pick of the Undulating Cowl, I'll post picks of my FO if not tonight then tomorrow morning, this is from the pattern.



I don't think the yarn does this pattern justice, it really is prettier. I'm knitting crocheting it with some real pretty Malabrigo Charrua, which is turning out to be just gorgeous, and soft.



Speaking of time, somehow, don't know how, I've found time to be MOD in Ravelry for the Traveling Scarves Group Noro 37 Knit/Crochet. I'm co-moderating with Trustcrazyideas, it's nice having her help. We've officially started today, our first deadline is on 9/23/08. I'm excited to see how my scarf will turn out. The group is only to us NORO yarn, which is even better, and we can do either Knit or Crochet, perfect for me to hone my Crochet skills.

I'll leave you with this video of the widely popular, plus one of my fave groups, The Bangles video of their hit song "Hazy Shade of Winter", which was a hit for the movie "Less Than Zero", another good but sad movie, great performance by Robert Downey Jr., another FAVE actor of mines. Which reminds me, I'll have to post some movie reviews for some movies I saw recently, one of which stars Robert Downey Jr. in "Tropic Thunder", I'll say quickly it was "Freaki' Hilarious!". 8)

This song reminds me of TIME.