I'm Not Dead Yet

I'm gettin' better!

Actually, I haven't been sick. I just love those lines from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I haven't posted because there didn't seem to be much to post about.

But there really is.

I finally got the replacement needles from Brittany. I was expecting two needles. I got two new sets. That's what I call good customer service!

I've started using the Knit Picks KIPer bags. I think I like them. As msubulldog remarked, they are very black. But the purse is just what I've been looking for. It has enough credit card slots for my cards and license, a middle zippered pocket just the right size for cash, a cell phone pocket that accomodates not only the cell phone, but also its little holster and two open pockets, one on each side. The small bag is the perfect size for a notions case and one or two small projects, like socks. It has one open pocket and one zippered pocket. The medium bag is just the right size for a project that uses a skein or two of Lamb's Pride. And I haven't used the large bag yet. I'll try that out next weekend at Stitches East.

It's relatively easy to attach and detach the purse from each of the knitting bags. The only complaint that I have is that the ball bearings that the little latches roll on are a bit rusty, which makes it very difficult to move them. The medium bag doesn't have a rust problem and the latches work quite well. I'll need to break out the WD-40 for the rusty ones.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with these bags. I wouldn't carry either the purse or the knitting bags unattached, because the hardware (or lack thereof) looks a bit odd. I tend to be a leather purse kind of gal, and the vinyl does not make me cringe and the fabric on the purse is attractive. It's also rather impervious to cat claws (no, we don't have a new kitty...yet).

Stitches East
So, Stitches starts this coming Thursday and I'm signed up for a glorious 21 hour of knitting classes, including two classes with Sally Melville. What am I taking? Here's the list:

• Slip Sliding Away (Barry Klein)


• Superb Seams (Margaret Fisher)


• De-mystifying Gauge (Beth Walker O'Brien)


• Design Your Dream Sweater (Leslye Solomon)


• Creativity (Sally Melville)


• Learn to Love Intarsia (Sally Melville)


• Flat to Circular and Back Again (Gwen Bortner)

I'm hoping that these classes will help fill in the gaps in my knowledge or improve my technical skills. Fortunately, Gina lives in Baltimore and I'll be staying with her. She jokes about running a flophouse for knitters, because several of us are staying there. It's going to be a great weekend!

Knitting Progress
Not much and once again, there are no pictures because I haven't had time to take any. I did get in some knitting in public. My company had an annual meeting for which attending is sort of mandatory. So I pulled out my trusty Spirit Trail sock and knit through two and half hours of presentations. I was a bit worried when one of the founders and the CEO walked past after their part of the presentation, but they didn't seem to notice. Whew! I made quite a bit of progress and am almost at the point of working the heel. I'm very excited about this sock. Alas, I have to give up knitting on it for knitting a gazillion swatches for the Stitches classes.

I did manage to relearn how to knit back backwards and let me tell you, it's quite a useful technique. A more useful technique would be for me to learn how to count to four. I miscounted the number of rows of white before the Fair Isle band started so now have to rip out once again. Sigh...

Searching for Miss Kitty
We went to the pound today to look for a cat. We must have played with about five or six cats. One was Claire, who is a bit of feral kitten. She was very sweet and liked to play but she was very wary. I think she stole my heart because of her timidness. Then we played with Phoenix, a stray kitten. She was relatively high energy, but had a bit of a gas problem (as did Jez when we got her; it's amazing how such a tiny animal can be so odiferous). We also "auditioned" a couple of older cats. Timone is a gorgeous brown tabby with the most beautiful eyes. The picture on the website doesn't do her justice. She was a bit shy and her sister was adopted recently, so she's probably a bit lonely. Lucky was probably the most confident of the cats that we looked at and the only one who rubbed against our legs. And then there were Spit and Spat, the cutest little black kittens...extremely high energy! You can see the potential kitties here. It's going to be so hard to make a decision.

Other Stuff
Tom runs the Marine Corps Marathon tomorrow. He's not going to try for a PR since it's "just" a training run for the JFK 50 in two weeks. It looks like the temperature for tomorrow is going to be perfect, but it's going to be very, very windy, which will be absolutely miserable. With any luck, the wind will blow itself out tonight and tomorrow will be calm. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!