sheep in the city

Election Time Knitting

So I decided to Vote early...and I'm bummed that I didn't think to take a picture while I was there. The line was really long, but I expected that. I brought my Hallowig that I am desperately trying to finish in the next day or two. I stood in line with my sister and her husband and their 10 week old baby...knitting...the yarn was hanging out of my backpack. I probably looked rediculous, but I no longer care about the looks that people give me while I knit in public. The man standing behind me, after we had been there for about 1/2 an hour, said to me "you sure were smart to bring something to do!". I just smiled and told him that I knew the lines would be long. Knitters are smart people. We always have a portable project that we can bring along, and if you're like most knitters I know you have multiple projects. Some that fit in your purse, the big sweater that is too cumbersome to carry around so it stays by your favorite knitting spot at home, or the one that fits perfectly in the glove compartment of your car...come on, I know people that do it!! A couple days ago I went to the drive through at my bank. Of course there were a ton of cars, and horror of all horrors...I had NO knitting with me. I had to sit there at least 30 minutes, boxed in by other cars and twidle my thumbs. You better believe that I'm going to put a project in my glove compartment so that never happens again!! And just a note about the electonic voting booths...do they look like a giant GameBoy to any one else?? I'm a little ashamed to admit that it made my voting experience more fun;-)

Poetry update...the Poetry-along started on Monday. So what have I done so far? Ha!! I brought my yarn up from the basement...and set it by my knitting chair. Does that count?! I'm going to get through my busy weekend of unpacking my grandparents moving truck, Boo at the Zoo with my friend Laini and her daughter, Halloween parties, and more Halloween parties, then I'll restart my Poetry Sweater. I'm going to dive right in to the body of the sweater! Hope everyone has a safe weekend!!

Well folks, we have a winner!

Yes, it's true! We have a winner! Manda of Hello-Lovely has won the 4 skeins of Lamb's Pride Bulky...whoo hoo! Thanks everybody for playing along, it was great to see that I'm not the ONLY one with a rediculously huge stash. Thank you to all who stepped out and posted pictures of their stash for the world to see...even I was a little nervous. What would people think? Would they be shocked, horrified, stunned into silence? I should have known better...this knitting/blogging community is awesome, I had nothing but nice comments and compliments!

If you want to see some other stash storage ideas...go check out Nancy's Pillar 'O Yarn (all I can say is WOW!), Lynne has her yarn stashed all over the place in some very unexpected places;-), Manda showed her growing stash hanging on the back of the door (scroll down the Oct.18th entry) ah...I remember the days when my stash could fit into two baskets...oh how you have grown!, Lauren has a list of her stash on the sidebar (great idea!), Chauntel recently reorganized her stash and has a great cabinet for all her yarn, Maggi looks like she likes plastic bins as much as I do,Natalie has her grandmother's cedar chest, and last but certainly not least Larissa calls hers a "Vice Closet"! Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did!

The good thing about forcing yourself to organize your stash is that it gives you a better idea about what you have...and it gets me excited about things I bought in the past and forgot that I had! Who needs to buy more yarn...I can just go shopping at the yarn store in my basement!

Knitting Weekend!

This was a weekend of knitting fun! It started with a knitting group at LaTiDa on Friday night...we had 10 people, including me. Great fun was had...when the knit shop closed and we weren't done, we headed down the street to a coffee shop and kept on knitting! Lots of fun conversation...and a little bit of knitting;-)

Saturday, my friend RayLynn and I went to the First Annual Boulder Knit Out. There was around 30 or so people there...it was the perfect day out, not too hot, not too cold. Tara Jon Manning was one of the more famous people there...she's written a number of knitting books, The Gift Knitter being the latest one. I can't remember the last time that I just went to the park and sat outside...it was so relaxing. On our way home we made a quick detour to Shuttles, Spindles, and Skeins...we just had to...we were right there! But what a bonus that my friend Marilyn was having a trunk show at the shop, so I got to chit chat with her! If you haven't seen her yarn (which even if you think you haven't, you probably have in different knitting books and magazines)...go check it out, Black Water Abbey. When we left Boulder we stopped and had lunch at a new Mexican restaurant. At one point while we were there, the whole wait staff got up and sang The Macarana...it was hilarious!

A weekend with knitting buddies was just what I needed...they inspired and encouraged me! Thanks friends!

Littleton Knitting Meetup!

I have started a Littleton Knitting Meetup! Anyone who lives in the Denver/Littleton area is welcome! What the heck anyone from any area is welcome! Click on the Meetup tag above (no I won't make you wear a name tag) and sign up...we meet the 2nd Tuesday of the month @ 7:00pm at Barnes and Noble on Wadsworth and Bowles! Our first meetup is November 9th! This should be really fun, and if you have any friends that have wanted to learn to knit...this is a great opportunity!

I stopped by the Denver Meetup last wednesday night and met a few of the Denver area bloggers that I "know" from the Mile High Knit Bloggers web ring. It was wild to actually have people know me as "sheep in the city" rather than as myself...bizzaro...but fun! I finally met Libby, Cathi, and got to see Michelle again! I think that Libby had it right when she said, "It's interesting to see how familiar, and yet unfamiliar, a person whose blog you read and whom you've only seen in pictures can seem. I sort of feel like I'd know all of you if I passed you on the street. But the truth is, I'd probably only be able to recognize you by your knitwear." That's totally true!

I'm planning on going to the First Annual Boulder Knit Out tomorrow, I hope to see some of you there!! I leave you with a picture of Jesse, my cat who likes to think he's a dog! He's laying on his new Boogie Mat that he loves! If you have a cat, check out the Fat Cat site! They rock...they have a George W., Hillary Clinton, and Arnold political cat toys!

Halloween everywhere...

Ok...I enjoy Halloween as much as the next person...it's that time of year when everyone is putting up their Halloween decorations. I put out a bowl of orange and black yarn, plugged the jack-o-lantern in, and bought some candy corn. That was the extent of my decorating. Or so I thought. Yesterday, my roommate Genia and I were working on our kitty beds, innocent enough, right? My mom and sister came over with the baby to use my washer to felt a bunch of finished projects that have been piling up. We watched some shows that I had Tivoed. All this is normal. Then Genia, my mom, and I head downstairs to start felting...we had 5 kitty beds, a purse, baby clogs, and a christmas stocking...it was a large load. We are about to head upstairs, when my mom yells, "Aaaahhhh"...and we are talking a big yell. We were all like, "what, what's wrong". She's just pointing at the basement window well. Hanging on to the screen outside in the window well was a huge RAT! Holy crap, it was soooo disturbing. My house isn't a house for rats, it's a nice house, in a nice neighborhood...we have no rats here. This then started a whole discussion on what to do, and how to get him out of there. Imagine if you will 4 grown women and a 2 month old baby running around trying to find something long enough to stick down into this 4 foot deep window well, so that the rat could clilmb out and go far, far away...it was all highly amusing. What did we do in the end you ask? Called in male reinforcements. I don't care if that was the easy way out, or a huge step back for womankind, it was a large rat, and I wanted nothing to do with it. End of story.

Needless to say, guess what I dreamed about last night, yep you guessed it...giant rats.

Kitty Bed and Klaralund

Here is the promised picture of my kitty bed. I'm using leftover Brown Sheep Bulky...can you tell I like bright colors?

My mom is also knitting a Klaralund, her colorway is 65, I'm not sure...but isn't it pretty?! She is matching up the stripes and everything. I'm 99% sure that I don't care about matching up the stripes on my sweater. Too much work if you ask me.

There is a Denver Knitting Meetup tonight at LaTiDa, I alway's have a meeting on this night though, aarrgghh! I hope to stop in and introduce myself at least...we'll see. I really want to meet some of the Denver knitters/bloggers.

The new look...

...makes me a very happy lady! Does Missa rock, or what?! She designed the banner and button for me, and I LOVE them! You can see more examples of her web design at Moonarts. Yeah!! I'm so excited about it!!

Klaralund: Klara is coming along nicely...she's a very easy knit, I just haven't had the time to spend with her lately. I caught someone else who loves her too...oops! I caught you!

Kitty Bed: I have been knitting away on my kitty bed for the kitty bed-along that Wendy is hosting. Jesse keeps circling around me when I'm knitting on it...sorry to disappoint...but it's not for you! But this does mean that I'll need to make one for him now!

Hallowig: Finally I have the ribbing the way that I want! Nice and even and consistent! Now I'm going to cruise right along...this weekend I should have time to finish it up! Missa and I have had a ton of fun hosting the Hallowig-along...and it's not too late to get in on the fun! It runs until Halloween!

It's late...I'll post some pictures in the morning!

Way to go Dad!

I don't talk about my dad much on my blog...not because I don't love him, which I do very much, but because well...his name doesn't come up much when it comes to knitting. He is the one person in my immediate family who doesn't knit. That's totally fine, I don't know that many dad's that knit anyway. But last week my dad's name came up!!

So, I was at work last week and the phone rang. It was my dad calling from LA, where he was at a board meeting, saying he was headed back to a yarn store that he had seen the night before to get a present for my mom...Awwwww! How cute is that? Of course he admited up front that he had no idea what she would want or need in the way of knitting supplies, he just knew that she didn't need any more knitting bags. Sorry mom, but that's the truth for sure!! So, I coached him through it, gave him some suggestions and 4 calls later he came away with this:

A scarf kit by Swallow Hill Creations. He bought my mom and I both a kit...hers is blues and greens and mine is orange and pinkish. It came with a spool of %100 Rayon yarn and a bag of beads. The pattern has 6 different scarves that you can knit on size 3 needles, fun, fun! On one of the multiple calls from my dad while he was still at the shop, he said that he saw an afghan made from different kinds of yarn..."but it cost $200!". I'm still not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that my dad now knows how much some kinds of yarn costs! Seriously, he did do a great job picking a fun project in colors we both like...way to go Dad! You can go yarn shopping for me anytime!!

Contest!

Everyone has a stash, right? Come on, you know you hide your stash like a dirty little secret! I personally have a big metal cabinet that all (or almost all, I'm running out of room, yikes!) my yarn is stored in down in the basement. Only really special people get to see it. I don't actually lock it, but hey you never know, some crazy yarn theif may show up maybe I should!!

Sooo, my thought is who has a unique stash? Where is it stored, how is it stored, and just how much is there? Kind of like "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours!" Details people, details! (email me pics/post it on your blog/or leave a comment, you choose)

I'll show you mine: It's a HUGE metal cabinet. I keep my yarn separated by brand and/or catagory/color, i.e...all the Rowan together, all my sock yarn together, all my PINK yarn together. Yes, I have a lot of pink yarn.

Contest runs from now until Sunday at midnight...the prize is shown below, my roomate will pull a name from a hat, knitted of course, the winner will be announced on Monday, October 25th:

Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky in Limeade and Charcoal!

Details on my trip!

(this info was supposed to be posted last week, but due to technical difficulties it's a week late)

So, I have a confession to make. I've been home since Sunday night, and just haven't wanted to sit at my computer and type...I've wanted to be knitting! Whoo hoo, the love is back! I had a great time in Kansas City. We helped pack up the remaining dishes and such at my Grandparent's. While we were packing though, we talked about family history, and where things came from...it was all very fascinating. I love hearing about family history! I've mentioned it before, but I have the best grandma. She's amazing, truly amazing....awwwww...I love my grandma.

We managed to meet up with my aunt Roxanne while we were there, we met at 'The Yarn Shop and more'...this is one of our favorite Kansas City shops. It is a beautifully arranged store, when you walk in...it's like knitters paradise. I mean, come on check out the wall of color. Who wouldn't love to have one of their very own?? I love how having the yarn arranged by color looks, it makes me want to have my stash organized by color.
Details on the loot...I bought some Cascade Pearls to knit up and/or blatantly copy (take your pick:) Carrie's fabulous take on the Harlot Poncho. I made reference to these lovely ladies a few weeks ago, and this poncho has been on my mind ever since! I love the shade of orange that I found, it's yummy! I also picked up some Cascade Fixation to make a baby sweater, and the Spring issue of Rebecca (which no one carries in Denver, tragedy!). I didn't do too bad, right?!

Surfing blogs...

...leads to finding all kinds of fun stuff! Since I was having so much trouble with my own blog, I decided to look at what other people were up to. I found this quiz over at froggy's. Some of you might hate quizzes...but the illustrations on this one kick ass! Here are my results:

You appear to be a Knitting Goddess. You are constantly giving and are unconcerned with reward, you simply want others to love knitting as much as you do. If someone wants to knit miles of novelty yarns, you are there for them. If someone wants to learn short row shaping, you can help. There are no taboos in knitting, only opportunities to grow. Everyone should have friend like you around if they want to learn to knit, and there's a good chance that your passion has rubbed off on a few others.

I figured it out!

Thanks everyone for being so understanding as I went through a little growing pain these last few days. Apparently I had used up all my disc space and that was making everything a little wonky, but it's all worked out now. I have a couple updates almost ready...and I am going to announce a contest here at Sheep in the City...stay tuned tomorrow when it will be unveiled!! Yeah baby!

Well...crap!

I am really frustrated! I hate when I can't figure things out. The promised update may be postponed due to technical difficulties. Pictures not loading, sidebar is missing. Dude, WTF? I've called in the big guns and hopefully she will have some advice. Let me know if you are seeing my sidebar at all...because I'm not...did I mention I hate asking for help?!

No clue what is happening...

I have been trying to load pics all morning...and have been totally unsuccessful! Dang! The posting will have to wait until tonight when I get home from work...tonight I WILL update everyone on my trip, the knitting I've done, and tell you how my dad went yarn shopping in California! Ha!

A message from Kansas City

I arrived in Kansas City late on Wednesday night...and boy it was a bumpy ride. The flight from Denver to KC was very turbulant, and at one point there was a ton of lightening right below us. Normally this would have been fine, but I was in the last row, and having recently watched the season premiere of LOST. Bad idea, Stacey...bad idea! My mom, sister, and her 7 week old baby were with me...and this is what Alice thought of the flight.

So I have this problem...called not living in reality. I came to Kansas City to help my grandparents pack up the house that they have lived in for the last 44 years. Did I think I would have a lot of time to knit? Apparently I did, because look at the yarn that I brought with me from home. This is the yarn (from left to right) for my Klaralund, hot pink w/sparkles for some VooDoo Wrist Warmers , light pink Alpaca for my Flower Basket Shawl, and my Fleece Artist's Thrum Kit, for the Thrum Along that the Yarn Harlot is hosting. Have you ever checked out her blog? Holy crap...it's some of the funniest stuff you will read in the land of knitting blogs. Oh, and by the way, she is almost finished with a cabled sweater that she designed and knit in the last 7 days...she has 6 days left to finish before her self imposed deadline...I think that she is going to make it!!

Isn't it pretty?! It reminds me of a big bowl of rainbow sherbet. That's all for now...I think I need to go dig in my grandma's freezer for some ice cream! Tomorrow's the big day we are meeting my aunt and her friend and heading to the yarn shops!! Whoop!!

Knitting? What knitting?

Well...I survived the wedding, and it was beautiful! Thanks for all the fun comments on my brother and his bride! Aren't they the cutest couple ever?! They were married Saturday night...my dad performed the ceremony, it was really a neat time for our family. Soooo, in the midst of wedding stuff I haven't been able to knit that much, of course I brought my knitting with me wherever I went, hoping that I would have a spare moment, but alas...it just didn't happen! I'm thinking that this post is going to mostly be about the wedding.

Just so that there is some knitting content, I did knit a few inches on the back of my Klaralund...and a few more rounds on the hat that I'm making for Kaps for Kendall. None of it was really even picture worthy. My Hallowig is coming along as well. I have had to restart it a couple of times because I wasn't satisfied with the way it was looking. Sooo, my plan with it now is to bring it on the plane with me tomorrow when I fly to Kansas City and finish it on my trip!! I can't wait to finish it...go over to Hallowig Central and check out the pictures of the finished wigs! Wow!! Sooooo fun!

The wedding was on Saturday night, these pictures are ones that my mom took as everything was happening. Chad and Jackee got to spend a little time, just the two of them together, before the ceremony. Then the whole bridal party hung out while everyone was being seated. There was a lot of laughs and good times that day. The reception was held at an old warehouse called the Walnut Foundry. It was a really neat open building with lights strung on the ceiling. Driving by you would never guess what it was, but it was a great venue for a wedding reception!

This picture is of "the girls". I'm holding my niece Alice, then the bride (my new sister!!) Jackee, my mom (I should say, my hot mom...that's what my friends call her), and my sister Whitney. Our family is growing more all the time with babies being born, and marriages...I love all the new additions we've had lately!! Click here for a closeup! My sister found the perfect little outfit for the baby to wear! It was a black and white wedding, so Alice wore black and white stripes and little socks that looked like Mary Janes! They were precious, just like her! Ok...after this post I'm going to try not to be so sappy!! Ha!!

After last week, when I was kind of down, I've had a great week this week! Thanks you to all of you that have sent me fun e-cards! It's so fun to be at work and get a fun email from a knitting buddy!! I try not to laugh too loud, but it doesn't always work and people come over to my desk to see what I'm laughing at! Thanks everyone, you know who you are!!

I'm flying tomorrow night to Kansas City to help pack up my grandparents house since they will be moving at the end of the month! Expect some knitting updates this week...I am ready to get some stuff done!!! Panara Bread has a free wireless network at their stores, so I'm bringing my computer with me so that I can keep blogging on my travels! I love technology! Since this will be one of the last times I go to Kansas City, I have to visit my favorite local stores...hee hee...I'm not going to buy anything that I can get from a shop in Denver...at least that's my plan right now. We'll see how that goes! Ha!

81 Squares of Love Update

Here is one of the promised FO picture. These squares were for the '81 Squares of Love' afghan that Knitty Cat recently made for a family who lost a child. The afghan is called the Magic Carpet, and it has beads and sequins all over it, very glittery fun! Anne is the owner of the shop, and she is a sweet lady and a young, funky, talented knitter! If you are ever in the Denver area, this is a must stop and shop store!!!