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Leaf Tie Cardigan


The Social Disease

Mint Chip

As promised the Mint Chip Pattern


Size:

One Size

Materials:

2 or 3 balls Lion Brand Lion Wool or another 100% wool worsted weight yarn

US 101/2 needles

4 Stitch Markers

1 button of choice

Gauge:

Not really a huge issue


Cast On: 39 Stitches, K in garter for 40 rows.
Pick up 20 stitches along left edge, 39 across CO edge and 20 sts along right.

Sides:
Join the sts and work in the round.
Round 1: PM, K 39, PM K20, PM, K39, PM, K20.

Continue until the bag reaches desired hight, remember it will shrink by about 25%.

Decrease before and after PM on the last 2 rounds

BO: BO the front 39 sts, place the next 20 sts on a holder, K39, place the last 20 sts on a holder.

Flap: K39 in stockinette until you're flap in large enough, keep in mind it will shrink a bit.

Strap: Pick up one set of 20 sts and knit in garter until you're strap is large enough for you. Graft the the other 20 sts.

Pocket: CO 39 sts and work in garter for desired number of rows.

FELT!!!!!, felt pocket unattached

Finishing: Sew pocket in to purse with tapestry needle and matching yarn.
Make short crochet chain for button and attach the button to the front.
Stuff full of goodies and wait for people to complement it.

Aftermath

Well the major November holidays are all over with. Thanxgiving, the real thanksgiving, and black friday. I hit the shops for about 20 minutes yesterday, drifting clear of the toys and kitchen area and was in and out with ease. Came home entertained Mikey's folks, laughed, and watched the look of motherly horror spread across Mom's face as they say things like "we saw a lot of action in (insert combat related story here)". We cleaned up, and sent the guest on their way home and waited.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, the food, the chatter and the laughter, but its also the time of year when people go away. It also marks the return. Two years ago was Ross' turn to go but with great luck he returned the weekend before his favorite holiday. This year was Tom's turn, well after dinner we took him and team mate to post and sent them on their way with a short goodbye, hand shakes and hugs. Wish them luck and keep them in your thoughts.

Today we indulge in turkey sammies with Evan and Mu and a little Nashville time tomorrow we CLEAN!!!!

Mint Chip

Its really been done for a long time I just never got around to adding the pocket and putting the button on. Well Sunday was a lovely 65 degrees so I sat outside and knitted, as well as finished my purse.



I will write the pattern and get it up this weekend.

Thanxgiving with a X

Well thanxgiving has come and gone, the damage has been done and the food on its way through the jujunum. As previously stated I wrote instructions for the party goers. Rule one was 10 lb turkey and pumpkin pie, instead I got a 19.96 lb turkey and dry pumpkin loaf. Grrrrrrr, we won't name names but come on people.

It was a beautiful turkey though. It took and hour and half for the oil to arrive, once again grrrrrrrrr. It arrived with the question of, "did you need this" No we were just going to bake a fried turkey.

After a good binding Edweena the turkey fit snuggly in her basket and went for a 400 degree dip. Out she came crispy and tasty. I miss the crap shot that is an oven turkey and the great ego boost when it comes out all nice and tasty, but I left this part of the meal to Hubby.



So even the great Evan as run into this strange food phenomenon too, the easiest thing you make is the biggest hit. I made cranberry sauce, one bag of the little red things a cup of sugar and some vinegar and ginger turns into......"ooooooo you MADE this" Yes and the stuffing, the potatoes and the gravy. People it doesn't always come in a can.

In the end it was all worth it though, or it just seemed like it after all that wine.

Pre-Turkey

Today is the weekend before Thanksgiving, which is traditionally Thanxgiving. I make dinner for my friends who will be heading back to their family homes for the calorie laden holiday. I've been doing this on and off since I had an apartment in college. This year we're breaking with the mold of Jenny-O turkey loaf and making that old southern gut buster, THE FRIED TURKEY!!! We assigned each dinner guest a few necessary ingredients and we'd do the cooking and provide the turkey fryer. ETA for food stuffs was 1500 (3pm for non-military reference) its 4:15, no calls of "the grocery is packed, we're running late." or "We're running late for reasonable reasons." Funny how turkey can't cook without peanut oil! For once these guys aren't getting a fully prepared meal when they just show up. I've taken a mess of pictures of Edweena (our 20lb turkey) so if this thing ever gets off the ground you'll get before and after, if not you'll get before and Mexican.

VEGAS!!!

A weekend in pictures


Ross at the Memphis Airport at about 8AM



We wrangled a Limo from the Airport to the MGM Grand since there were 4 of us in the first wave.



This is Mike's Default camera setting, I have about 8 pictures just like this.



I went to get a water and some BOOM, this was in the room. I was a little late to the game



Yes we're drinking before noon local time, it wasn't pretty.



The green stuff, absinthe.



MONORAIL, waiting the whole six minutes for the next train.


The weekend was great, lots of great photo ops, but this is the winner



GO, Mike.

Back Home

All home from the Vegas weekend, in all it was a great time. Now the clean up around the house begins. I need more time off.

Getting better

I'm getting better. This would be my answer to, "BRING OUT YOUR DEAD". I've got a nasty cough but my voice is getting there. I went to work of four hours to work up my 285 milk samples and hit the listeria enrichments (caution science talk) I worked up a few tests, assisted with the 48hr reads and then ran screaming from the building. Ok so it was more of a little mouse squeak. Went to target and blew a much of money for the vegas trip. OUch this thing is killing me. I came home, napped and then was extra lazy for the rest of the day. I have to be speaking on thursday because we leave to go to nashville and since the while lot are leaving early, its hotel room for us!!! Weeeee.

Lost.....

i have completely lost my voice. This has never happened to me, I've been raspy or horse but never once have I lost the complete ability to form sounds into words. Its pissing me off. I've drank about a gallon of hot tea, a full bear of honey and a whole squeezie lemon, still no dice. The gin and tonics may not have helped, the overly chatty friends, or the staying up late on time change day but come on, NO VOICE. The best I get are little squeaks, and a rocking smokers cough. Alas I'll just get a big over coat and a blond headed friend who does all the talking.

PICTURES

I have great light in my office, not as great as my kitchen, but not bad...

Lovely pinkish lace weight for a yet decided shawl

Ooooo this is my sale yarn, 500-ish yards of sportweight which itches to be made into something non-sock.


Finally I tried out my other lens from my film nikon and got this shot..

Fiber a go-go

Last weekend the knitters and I went to a smaller fiber fair. I missed it last year because I was working at the hospital and had to work weekends. This year I wasn't going to miss it for anything, include and not limited to husbands returns from one month training events in other states. Lucky for him and me he was scheduled to return late that night, thus giving me a bunch of fiber time. It was a yarn group snowball, I picked up Jen, we drove to Phil and Judie's, who then drove to exit 11 to get Karen, we all squeezed in and drove to exit 24 and took Debs supermassive mobile down to nashville.

Beautiful canned goods that I forgot to go back and buy, I had so much yarn I really should haven't spent the money anyway.

SHEEP!
There were quite a few of these guys in all colors and breeds, it was neat to see them all. Some rabbits and some cats, no chickens that I could find.
I got some lovely bits at Fiber Denn, who never lets me down. Her colors and yarn is some of the best. I got some fiber too, silver baby alpaca and got to spend sometime with the wheel I want. Which I have been green lighted to buy, but will wait until at least tax return season to plunk that money down on a single item again, see last post.

We moved on from the fair after we had all made some purchases and then hit the yarn stores.
Naughty Knitter first. Since they are by far our favorite yarn purchasing place in the nashville area.
I got a few little things......(Pictures taken with Nikon D40 ahhhhh its so nice to have full control of things again)

I got the last Hippo they had, thanx to Rachel who made sure I knew they still had one left.

Finally a ball of my favorite artyarns colorway, 127. It stripes all pretty and I can hardly wait to knit with it, but I'm sorta at a crossroads of what to knit and can't decide.
Moving along, we concluded that we were all hungry, all that yarn can do that to you. Back in the beast and on to Threaded Bliss. None of us had been there since it was sold and we were all quite curious, so off we went.

Three balls of Dream in Color was the answer. It is much more green than that, but alas I have no photoshop......anyone, anyone. This will become the "social disease"of scarfs. I may start this before Vegas, or not.
Carrying on from there, Haus of Yarn once again peeved us all by saying they were closed at 10 'til 4 to a car full of knitters on a roll. This was my nap time, I had about hit a wall, having not gone to bed until about, eh 2am and then having slept poorly, and then getting up early. Napped until the weeeeeee hours of the AM and then picked up the Hubby. Spent Sunday washing every green sock, uniform and light brown shirt in the house.

More pictures later..

Random acts of gifting

sometimes the husband just out does himself, this was on the kitchen table when I got home today...........