The story of my slippers

So I'll admit, I'm becoming a little bit of a knitting/yarn geek. I read some very funny knitting books by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, and learned some knitting tips along the way. And found her blog, where she talked about the amazing French press slippers , which supposedly only take 90 minutes to make and look like ballet flats when you're done. This sounded like something I wanted to try.

Now, these slippers are felted. If you're not familiar with felting of knitted pieces, you make something that's GIGANTIC, and then throw it in a hot washer with lots of agitation. In the process, it shrinks and goes from something that looks like knitted yarn to something that looks like pieces of felt someone lovingly sewed together.

So the last couple of days I knitted my slippers (in between a scarf that was supposed to be a Christmas present but might be done in time for Valentine's Day) and started to assemble them for the felting process. I showed them to J, and he asked if I was mailing them to Shaquille O'Neal. They were that big. I think the sole was 14" long when I was done knitting.

Well, I showed him. Into the washer they went. I checked on them periodically, trying them on to make sure I caught them before they shrank too much. Then I let them dry overnight and put the finishing touches on this afternoon.




Cute, no? And definitely smaller than Shaquille O'Neal's feet. Here, I'll show you.




Yay! My size :) And toasty warm.

I might get fancy and use some puffy paint to give them some traction. But in the meantime I have a cute pair of slippers that I made all by myself. Sorry Shaq. Better luck next time.

Oh, and in another bit of rambling randomness, it's snowing outside. And I'm starting to get in the mood to cook. Chili, Italian wedding soup, and molasses cookies are all on the agenda. I'll update when I have something to show you ;)

December ramblings

Sorry, no recent pictures. And besides, you've seen one snowy tree in the Poconos, you've seen them all.

It's been busy around here, full of randomness that fills each day. I was in full knitting mode trying to get some gifts done before I mailed them off for a variety of Secret Santa deadlines, and as gifts for co-workers. I'm still working on one that I'm aiming to have done by Valentine's Day, if not sooner (so much for getting it done by Christmas). Work has picked up a bit, which means I've been coming home tired and trying to catch my breath for the next day. And I'm reading a favorite book, which takes precious time away from blogging ;)

I was going to head down to MD for a couple of days to see some friends, as I had today off. But the weather forecast has changed, and we're now expecting snow to start sometime tomorrow, which would have made my return trip more of an adventure than I care to have right now.

So I spent a nice day with J, getting some errands done and letting him make me dinner ;) Staying home for the weekend means I get to do some more work around the house that I would normally put off. The weather should keep me homebound--I'm picturing Christmas tea, blankets, and slippers. Maybe some baking--I tried making soft pretzels with dough I made in the breadmaker, and it rocked. I may try molasses cookies. Mmmmm...

Christmas crafts

I've been busy. Sorry for the delay.

I made these coffee cake muffins for a birthday at work.



They were divine.
I also made a peanut butter chocolate chip coffee cake, but I didn't get a picture :( Trust me, it was good ;)

I mentioned recently that I got a little obsessed with Twilight. I've read the series 3 times ::hides:: I'm not the only one, so I decided to make some Twilight-themed gifts for some co-workers.



I'm finishing up this scarf that Alice wore in the first movie. I'll try and get a picture of it when my friend Cathy gets it. She's so excited! Alice is her favorite character in the series (mine too).

I made these mittens based on a pattern from here. They're based on the ones Bella wore in the first 2 movies.

I love them so much, I'm going to make at least 3 more pairs.

In the meantime, I'm trying to finish up a few more projects, but I don't know how successful I'll be. I have to finish a washcloth for a knitting GTG I'm attending this weekend, and that will likely happen. I'm hoping to make a little something for my dad, but we'll see how fast my fingers can fly.

Happy holidays!

Help a friend and donate to a good cause

James is an old friend from my high school days whom I lost touch with for a decade (or two). I found him again last year through LinkedIn, and was thrilled to chat with him and catch up on our lives. I found out that he's become quite the runner, and just finished his first NYC marathon. He's participating in a racing series next year that will consist of 8 marathons and 6 half-marathons over 2010. Impressive!

James is part of the Team in Training program, which raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I've supported this organization over the years as friends and acquaintances have participated in some of their events. I encourage you to take a look at James's website and consider contributing. Remember, it's tax deductible, and it's for a great cause!

Good luck James!

Yarn, glorious yarn!

So my favorite yarn store had their 5th anniversary party tonight. An evening of comraderie, treats, and yarn. Yay!

To prepare, I joined in a knit-along, making a bag for the occasion





I also made a cupcake (but I didn't take a picture)

We all got goodie bags, including this mug that is coming to work with me. And a string of green pearls



While I was there, I won a door prize!



Isn't it beautiful?

There was also a tricky tray/Chinese auction, and I won TWICE!




A knitting for men book and 10 skeins of 100% silk yarn



A pack of pattern books, and 3 skeins of gorgeous wool



Here's my stash. I'm stoked!!!

But the best part of this party was that the proceeds from our evening went to 2 great programs--Angel's Closet and VNA/Hospice. The evening raised $1300 for them.

Congrats on 5 years, Joanne! I had a great time.

Happy Veteran's Day!!!

Nuff said

And now for something completely different

In May I looked like this:



This morning I looked like this:

And no, it's not just the light. I went to my hairdresser yesterday and said, "Do we have time to go dramatically darker?" Her eyes lit up (she LOVES color) and she said yes. So now I have a new fall hairdo, with lots of chocolate brown with copper highlights. I love it!