baby hoodie cardi: done

presenting the lion brand baby cardi..........


yup it's all done! i went ahead and binded off hood and then seamed the edges rather than the three needle bind off... this here explains my delema. i'm proud of my self though cause this is for a friend of mine who is having a baby in december and i'm done and it's only the beginning of october!! and i finished her gift! isn't that fantastic!!!

the new buttons i got the other day


i did make a few modifications. i made the body an inch longer and the pattern read that the sleeves and hood should be knit in a garter stitch but i went for a stockinette stitch with garter boarders that match the bottom and button edging of the hoodie.

i should also tell you that we were saved this weekend by princess. she came to our rescue and saved us from the attacking dry noodles! here she is in action

here she is with the noodle...


oh it almost got away but don't worry she was able to capture it again before it hid in the shoes


here she is presenting her fresh noodle kill.


thanks princess! that was a close one

knitter's block

i'm having knitter's block. i don't know what to knit. i finished the baby cardi (pics to come soon) and now i don't know what to start on. i could work on the tunic..... but i haven't touched it in weeks. i'm thinking of bringing it with me tomorrow to the SnB to get some opinions on how it's going. however in the mean time i need something to work on. anything! well that's not true otherwise i would be knitting something. right? the problem is i want instant gratification. i want something quick and cute but that will also be a challenge... but not another baby sweater. something besides a baby sweater. and it has to be something i already have the materials for. i have put a stop to my yarn purchasing until either (a) i use up more of what i already have, (b) have a bad day and need a fix or (c) the unlikely event that a lys opens up here and i need to support their business : )
i have found a few patterns that i'm interested in. one (a lace purse) is in my new mason dixon knitting book and after scouring my stash i picked out a beautiful yarn and sat down to get my needles together and would you believe that i don't have size 10 s in 20" circs? nope i have 24" or longer :::sigh::: ok so i put the yarn back and look through my ravelry queue. ooohh and i found the most adorable hat that i have been dyeing to make! so this time i wise up and look for the needles first. yeah i KNOW with out even looking that i don't have size 2 DPNs. :::sigh::: i'll keep looking.... there's gotta be something out there that i have both the needles and the yarn for. right? perhaps i DO need to order more yarn and needles while i'm at it : D

hahahaha just kidding!

books, Oreos and yarn.... doesn't get much better!

it was recently my birthday and i received a package from my mom....



...and my sister.

you should know that she also sent me a book Eat, Pray, Love (it's not in the pic cause it's already on my bed side stand being read and i gotta say so far so good)



this shows how well my mom and my sis know me... they both sent yarn (fabulous fabulous yarn!) they both sent books and they both sent Oreos.... hehehe and they both knew that those things combined would be the PERFECT birthday gift : D what's even better is that i know they didn't talk to each other about this before hand!

i am like a kid in a candy store and i don't know where to start first... Oreos! no. reading!. no. knitting!!!!! not until i finish the baby cardi (yup still procrastinating). if only i could figure out a way to read and knit at the same time.... hmmmmm.... while eating Oreos..... oh does that sound like perfection or what? i think i'll go give it a shot right now!

introducing the procrastinator

hello.

my name is lindsay

and i am a procrastinator.

i have been a procrastinator all of my life (with a particularly difficult time during college). most recently it has been the newest baby cardi i have been working on. i started it on the 26th of september and really got in to it over the five day weekend. i am now on the final two inches of the hood and i have stalled. stalled! i mean i have all the seaming done and all the edges sewn in buttons picked out and everything! all i have is 2 more inches to go and i am doing everything but knitting. i swept the floor, i read some blogs, i surfed ravelry looking for a matching baby hat and now i'm blogging. i'm doing anything i can think of except knit (and the dishes of course). i mean it's lion brand jiffy! it would only take me about a half hour to get the next 2 inches done. but nope, not happening.

part of the problem is i'm not sure if i want to bind off the hood with a three needle bind off or seam the edges together. see the hood is done by picking up stitches around the collar and knitting a rectangle. then you take the top edge fold it in half and seam it together. i'm tempted to knit half way down the last row and do a three needle bind off starting down the center as this will save me the time and ensure even edges. but if i seam the ends then it will look more... well... seamless. but it will take time and effort and i suck at seaming garter stitch. it always looks a bit like a mess. :::sigh::: i just can't pick

i could use my psychology degree here and try to analyze why i have stopped my self when i am so close to being done. such as: do i have a fear of success? or am i trying to hold my self back from completing things sooner than i have to (a self fulfilling procrastinator)? or perhaps sub-consciously i believe that if i don't finish the cardi then the long weekend that has been so wonderful will never end. hehehe. if only!

probably it's just that i can't make up my mind on how to bind off. and when i can't decided what to do i just pause (as if that fixes anything) and wait until i make a decision.

does anyone else have this problem???

city life

i did something today that i have not done in a very long time. something that for a while had only been a distant memory... a memory so distant that i was starting wonder if it had only been a dream. but it wasn't a dream and today i reminded my self

i walked outside. in the city. that's right people, i walked. i walked around in Abu Dhabi city visiting multiple retailers that were not under the same roof. i parked my car and got out(!) and it was fantastic.

it all started when while we were on the way to the mall my hubby had to go to work un-expectantly (which is never good -but that's for a whole other post) so i dropped him off and decided that instead of going to the mall i would go to the Green Branch (on Electra Street). this was perfect because i wanted to see if they had gotten in any new knitting supplies and also to check out buttons (which for .60 - 1.50 AED is a steal!) and well my husband doesn't really look forward to my knitting shopping although he hardly ever complains about going with me...

when i was a block away from the Green Branch i spotted a Starbucks and then a plan was born. i parked my car in the block between the two streets and i got out and walked!!! i know, it's was fantastic. it wasn't too hot and it wasn't dark yet. it was just right. i headed to Starbucks first and got the best coffee (dopio on ice) i have had in a long time. i sat on one of the comfy couches drinking my coffee and reading my book ( i always always keep one in my purse) for about a half hour and then i got up and walked the block to the Green Branch.

at the Green Branch i was able to shop leisurely (with out my husband asking if i really NEEDED another skein of yarn... HA!) and look at all the tons and tons of buttons they had packed away on the back shelf. about the time i had gathered all my goodies to go and purchase them he called and said he was ready. after i purchased everything i walked back to my car and headed for the hubby.

really i forgot how good it felt not only to be outside but to be walking around a city with all the sounds and smells (although not all of them good) and the people walking along. it's been way too hot here in Abu Dhabi for that kind of walking for the last 3 months and finally we are at a place (weather wise) where it is enjoyable again. and i sure do plan on enjoying it over the next few months.