My kids!

These are my beautiful babies! I'm not sure how to upload pictures yet so bear with me. The captions won't match up but they go in order.

Ally standing with assistance.

Ally making her funny face for Daddy who is photographing.

Matthew, Teddy, and the Dump Truck at his cousin's house.

Matthew on his third birthday all excited about his cake.

Ally does her head tilt pose for the camera.

Teddy's got a brand new... scarf?

So even though I know DPN's aren't for cabling, I thought I would give it a try on the scrap wool left over from the French Market Bag. I had never cabled before and now I'm hooked and depressed because I used up the wool that I had and it just won't work with acrylic. So now Teddy (Mamu's beloved and much abused bear) has a new purple cable scarf. I also made a small bracelet that Mamu promptly confiscated and is wearing around. I am so in love with cables, they're awesome. (My goal right now is that every time I do something I try a new stitch). I also found out that I love my new Brittany's. They work perfectly as a cable needle in lieu of a real one and they feel great.

Ahhh, I think I'm in love. :)

I'm felting, fellllllting!

So I felted my French Market Bag for the long overdue Felted Bag KAL (Knitting Chicks) and it didn't exactly come out how I hoped. It's still too big. And floppy. And yeah it's not what I wanted. I'll be running it through the washer again to see if I can get it to shrink more, so keep your fingers crossed for me.

I took my dearest friend CJ to the LYS at home and we had a blast. She picked out a pair of needles and some yarn and we went home and sat down so I could teach her to knit. (I came home with goodies myself, a pair of Clover 8's and my first set of DPN's, Brittany 7's) She took to it like a duck takes to water - after we figured out that she's a 'thrower' which I am not. Last time I checked with her she had over 2 ft done and I just showed her on Saturday. It was Monday when I asked for a progress update. I am so proud of her that she picked it up so quickly, but I always knew she was a smart one.

I did a post but Blogger lost it. Damn Blogger, damn you to hell! (insert virtual fist shaking)

"Blogger.com

Dear Sir or Madam,
I wrote a post over the weekend to update my progress and update on the goings on of my life and frankly, I am shocked to see that it is not here. I am truly outraged that you would have lost my carefully worded post and for the next few days will hold you in the highest contempt. Sincerely yours,

An irate Bloggist"

So really I did do an update over the weekend because I was on a Yarn Adventure. Now, my life may be pretty boring but occasionally something will happen to spice it up a bit (see "The Quest" and "Down with Mr. X KAL"). This weekend my dear one gave me twenty bucks and the words "Go spend it on some yarn". (Of course he has no idea what limited things I can get for twenty bright shiny peach, cream, and blue US dollars but it was a very generous gesture from my beloved). :o) I had finally determined that , yes, there is an actual yarn store within 30 minutes of my house. So with an hour and forty-five till the shop's closing time I sped away in my little hoopdee (read Oldsmobile Cutlass sans carseats). I was blasting the music and having a good time with my carefully copied Mapquest directions lounging in the passenger's seat as I begun my Adventure.

So I arrive to turn onto Goold St. This street is all of 1.3 miles long and it says to drive for 1.0 mi exactly. So I do. No Barbra's Yarn Garden on the left, none on the right. I turn around (love me some U-Turn's) and go creeping up the street again. Nothing. Nada, zip, zero, nein. Turn around again and stop at the gas station that is exactly 1.1 mi from my original turning point onto Goold. Hey, they're only 0.1 mile from the Yarn Garden so hey, won't they know where it is? Did I mention that I'm in the Hellhole God Deemed be Named Racine? (Me and Racine don't get along, but that's a different story). They don't know where the Yarn Garden is. The friendly attendant smiles and says "Try going down Main St, you're bound to come across it." After I firmly stated several times that it_is_on_Goold_St. So I take her advice and drive down Main St for a few miles, pull into a Auto Repair parking lot and turn around. Now I stop at Walgreens. The equally friendly attendant here gives me the phone book and we try to figure out where Yarn Garden is.
It is currently now 15 minutes until closing time. I am now armed with the EXACT address and head back to Goold St, because the phonebook agreed with the website for the store and says that it's on guess where... Goold St! I creep along, and blammo, on the window is taped a printed paper sign saying "Yarn Garden has moved to &*%# Main St." (By the way, the address is all of five buildings down from the Gas Station aforementioned, go figure!) So I drive down Main Street and low and behold it is there, TWO DOORS DOWN FROM THE AUTO REPAIR PARKING LOT I TURNED AROUND IN EARLIER. Boy, I'm feeling like a genius. I pull up with eight minutes to spare. Exit car, lock it up, move towards door and pull. Door locked. Eight minutes people, eight effin minutes. Does she know that I had TWENTY AUTHENTIC PEACH, CREAM, AND BLUE AMERICAN DOLLARS TO SPEND? I did dammit. Well now I'm a mite upset, rightly so because I believe that if your store hours state 12-3pm then you are required to stay open those last EIGHT minutes.

So I turn my little hoopdee around and head home. Aha! Hobby Lobby! Another business determined to drive the enterprising small American business to the ground. Well, as I said before I'm a mite mad at the small American business right now, so I swing in. I got my yarn (only two kinds of 100% wool people, that's just a crime. Several types of cotton and two full rows of acrylic.) Now I'm spoiled because I'm just this close to finishing my Clapotis and I've used cotton and now dammit I don't want to use acrylic. I want to get real 100% wool so I can felt my damn bag and a set of Clover circs to knit it up on. Is that so much to ask? So, purchases made, I return my happy little ass home, much upset and disappointed in the Yarn Garden.

However, Hobby Lobby being a product of mass corporate America and carrying mainly ACRYLIC I bought a big ass skein of LB's Fisherman's wool (people, does this stuff always STINK?) and two colors of Rit dye. Because I'm going to try dyeing my wool because I'm not into a creamy ecru whatever shade for my bag. So as we speak my wool is getting a bath in the sink and will shortly be moving into it's bucket for dyeing. Wish me luck and let's hope that I don't spill anything.

On a side note - if felting goes well for me I will be changing my Mr. X KAL project to a cute little felted bear type fellow for Laurie (www.crazyauntpurl.com) because DS accidentally frogged the progress I'd made in forging a pattern for a voodoo doll (read: dammit doll).

Hugs'n'Happy thoughts and no more Adventure's for the week please.

Update

Teeth. Teeth are BAAAAAD! Bad bad bad bad. My 8 month old is teething and has not let me have a moment of peace or sleep for almost a month. Hence the lack of posting and updates and checking email and anything non-tooth related.

Kate emailed with an update that can be viewed here.

http://katechrist.typepad.com/snake_surly/2005/05/disneyland_is_m.html

Minou's Mom finished the devil toy and Minou states that she won't play with it. I can't blame her as it must eminate Mr. X energies.

I have finished the head and upper torso of the voodoo doll or 'dammit doll' that I'm making for Laurie.


Other knitting news. I'm on repeat 19 row 3 of my daughters blanket, that leaves about 25 rows left. Very, very happy about this as it's the first big project I've done so far.

I also joined a Stitch'n'Bitch! Yay for me! I hope to be able to meet up with them next Tuesday. Nope the hope. Heavy emphasis on the word hope here people.

That's it for now.
Hugs'n'happy thoughts!

I've been a baaaaad poster :o(

Sorry all for not having commented since last week. Kids, oy, let me tell you they're exhausting. Mine probably aren't any more than the next person's but it's been a loooong few days.

So we started on our KAL items on Monday! Yay! In addition to having been a bad poster I've been a delinquent knitter as well, haven't picked up my needles in almost a week. I'm going through withdrawls! Ugh, and I was supposed to start my project. Tonight, I shall as soon as the little'uns are tucked safely in bed. Inspiration has yet to strike for my project, but LA Ell has already finished a Mr. X square! It can be viewed by clicking on her name in the list on the side.
On a side note, I have changed the design of my blog since it was hard to read, even if I thought it was nifty looking. So bear with me while I get everything updated. If you still want to join the Down with Mr. X KAL you're more than welcome, we'd love to have you! (email me at angilwithdevilwings@yahoo.com or leave a comment)

And now back to my adoring public, errr, I mean the kids.

Details of the Down with Mr. X KAL

At one point in our lives we've all probably had or know someone who has a Mr. X. Perhaps yours cheated on you, lead you on, dumped or divorced you. Mr. X takes many forms and personalities. Maybe you hate him, maybe you love him or maybe you just love to hate him. One fine example of Mr. X is the one belonging to Laurie (Crazy Aunt Purl). He served her with divorce papers, sent them to her without letting her know in advance. I can not begin to imagine the emotional struggle she is going through right now, but let me tell you, this lady is a trooper. She makes us all laugh, sometimes cry, but our lives are better for reading her blog everyday.

So, to show our support of her and other women who have or had a Mr. X in their life the 'Down with Mr. X Knit-a-long' will officially start on Monday, April 25, 2005. I encourage you to join in. There is no specific pattern or item that you need knit. It can be anything, but I ask that while you make it you think good happy thoughts for Laurie or any other woman who has a Mr. X in her life.

Completed item photos can be mailed to me at angilwithdevilwings@yahoo.com and I will be happy to put them up for viewing. You are also welcome to email me with your name and I will start a Down with Mr. X KAL list of members.

Remember, this is about showing support for Laurie and other women with Mr. X in their life!

Support Crazy Aunt Purl!

I was recently introduced to the blog of Crazy Aunt Purl (www.crazyauntpurl.com) and if you haven't read her blog yet then I highly recommend you do so. She is an amazing woman, in and out of the knitting community. I'm starting my "Down with Mr. X KAL" item asap... now, should it be an ugly hat? A mangled sock? Hmmmm....