Punkins!

There was much pumpkin carnage this evening at the pumpkin party this evening thanks to the lovely sharp pointyness of my new favorite carving tool. Many a pumpkin lost its top and guts for the festivities. Mmmmm pumpkin guts! Nothing like the sticky goodness of cleaning a pumpkin to whet your appetite for pumpkin seeds. Lenore.... I am waiting on my share of toasted yummy seeds!
















This was Wild Bill's pimped out pumpkin. Notice the lovely pimp hat and gold tooth. Stylin!

































Before I got to sleep (because pumpkin carving is tough business!) here is a picture of our hideously scary pumpkins.

Happy Birthday Jan!

43 years ago today! Hope you have a Happy Happy Birthday and many more to come!

I think this cheerleading picture is my favorite! Go Jan!!

Panic!

Since I have now decided that I need to complete the Noro bag that has been languishing it would seem that I would have to run out of yarn. And run out I did. Emergency situation! For anyone that does any kind of fiber craft, which in my world would be cross-stitch and knitting, you then know that dye lots can be very important. Different dye lot can mean no real noticeable difference or it could mean, "Hey look, I added a whole 'nother color over here and now it looks ridiculous." Lucky for me, when I called my local shop (Charlotte Yarn), they not only had the same color, but the same dye lot as well. Considering that I bought the original yarn in July in a California shop, I count myself lucky. On knits the Noro bag... I will post some pictures in the near future. Or, maybe not, the new piece looks a lot like the other pieces I have shown but a different shape. Not all that exciting.

Also on the knitting front, I have discovered the world of podcasts. The first knitting podcast I have been listening to is Lime & Violet. Fun and interesting! Once I get current I will start on a new one. Yeah!

Off to work a bit more on the bag and then clean up a bit. MIL will be here tomorrow for a charity auction that is sponsored by NASCAR.

Happiness abounds

Good news today! We finally found (and purchased) an entertainment center for the living room. I am so relieved and excited that this search is finally over. We were told that the delivery time is 6-8 weeks, but we are crossing our fingers that it does not take quite so long. I will absolutely post pictures when this wonder boy arrives!

On to some knitting news. Here is the partially completed square for the Lizard Ridge Afghan. I have almost completed one of the many squares that will be needed to complete this project. What I found amusing is that you knit from the inside and the outside of the ball, which is supposed to mix the variegation of the ball of yarn. Unfortunately, it seems that my ball had green on both ends with all of the other colors being in between... oh well, I am sure it will look beautiful none the less.

Below is the Noro handbag that I have been working on. I am done with the second panel, just need to bind off. Then I will start the strip that will connect the two side pieces together. You may see me carrying this around soon!



Finally, the sock. My lifes ambition all tied up in this one item... it is going to be ripped back and started over now that I have completed the class and learned most of the techniques needed. I am starting over because the ribbing at the top is too loose and there is a hole in the leg of the sock where, I don't know, I perhaps can't keep the stitches together. So, again the sock is to be no more and will, hopefully, start a new life as a much better constructed sock in its second life. Then I just have to knit a mate for it.



Gotta run... DH (dear husband for the one who asked) and I need to ready for the beer tasting party that we were invited to by one of his co-workers. We are bringing some Lambic beer from Belgium. Lots of fruit flavors, really delicious!

Blech!

Welcome to the world of rapid weather change! 80 degrees one day 50 the next and with that comes the happy land of sinus congestion and PAIN. My head could actually explode right now... seriously, it could happen. I will be back to the blogging fun once the pain recedes to a more managable level.
For more interesting fare you should check out Lenore, she got back from her lovely trip to Italy today.

Komen Walk

Time for an update on the Komen Race for the Cure that ocurred this past Saturday. I am super pleased to announce that I was able to raise a bit over $700 this year. This beats last years fundraising of $423. Thank you to everyone that donated this year!!

Since I am on the subject I wanted to post a link here to an issue that I have long felt strongly about, but was really not able to explain this in a really logical fashion. Today I was searching for some information on breast cancer and I came across this website for Breast Cancer Action. Ok website, but what really caught my eye was their article on Think Before You Pink. I have long felt that companies may or may not be taking advantage of "Breast Cancer Awareness" or other such worthy causes so they can sell more of there product by making the buyer feel that they are really supporting said worthy cause. I am NOT advocating that these products not be purchased. What I am advocating is that you ask yourself why you are buying it and if you are buying it soley based on the pink ribbon on the box then ask yourself is this company really doing a service for this cause.