Back from yet another trip.

I spent yet another weekend away from home, not blogging, or remembering to take pictures. Ah well. I wouldn't be Costumechick if I wasn't doing something to make my life hectic, and then not taking pictures of it to prove how insane I actually am.
This weekend, I travelled a little closer to home. I went to Middletown, PA, to visit the family, and attend a reunion for WMSS, 91.1 FM. I had a great time, and even if I didn't, I would have made my own fun, so the point would be moot anyway. We drove in on Friday night so we had all day Saturday to visit and junk. It was an unremarkable drive - the best kind. Saturday was packed full, in the typical Costumechick way. I'll list it off for you...
1. Get up at 7am. (On a damn Saturday.)
2. Go to Kuppy's for Breakfast. Scrapple and Baked Oatmeal. Yum.
3. GO to Saturdays' Market to buy boots. $35 for a pair of Engineer boots!
4. Drive to Shippensburg University. (receive history lesson on the way.)
5. Drive around campus trying to get a hold of Mr. Ship.
6. Dad states that he wants to go "tail boarding." Much laughing ensues.
7. Mr. Ship meets us at his dorm.
8. Costumechick gives Mr. Ship a haircut. He complains the whole time.
9. Mom dad Costumechick and DH attend the S.U. football game...to watch the band.

10.Football is finally over. The band was good. SU won. I think.
11.Drive back to M-town. Fall asleep in truck. (see #1)
12.Iron clothing for reunion. (blech)
13.Change for reunion.
14.Decide at last minute to go get food before reunion.
15.Eat flaming hot chicken fingers that were evidently cooked with Nuclear fission.
16.Reunion. (You'd think I would have taken a picture of this.)
17.Change clothes again.
18.Go bowling with brother #1. (& drinking. they go together like peas and carrots)
19.Destroy DH and Brother #1 at bowling. (I rock.)
20.Watch tv and knit for 15 minutes before I fall asleep.
I told you it was a packed full day. Sunday was a lot less eventful. DH and I stopped at the grocery store and bought a selection of PA treats for me and him. Mostly me. I came home with Whoopie Pies in Peanut butter and vanilla, Chocolate cake with peanut butter icing, pickled red beet eggs, Amish Farmer Cheese, Beef Jerky, and Beef sticks. Judge me not until you have walked in my PA dutch shoes! Finally, we stopped a t favorite restaurant, Esther's, on the way home - before reaching Berk's County and their driving rainstorm. That was not fun. I am not a fan of rain at all, and the kind that makes you unable to see sucks even more. But, we made it back, treats intact, to the wild and wonderful world of CT! Tomorrow, a post about the hat I finished!!

Florida Yarn Adventure

As I promised, a day late (of course), is my yarn update from my trip, and the surrounding days!
Sip & Knit held so many possibilities. I was there forever, and had the hardest time deciding. I was after some Florida friendly yarn to make my friend Darren a hat, per his request. You would think that a store in Florida would be a good place to find such a yarn. It would be true, if I wanted a girly or baby color. Masculine colors, in summer yarns, are not an easy thing to find. I needed it to have some body, since I didn't want a drapey hat, and not like knitting twine. I finally found what I was looking for in Berrocco Comfort. It is 100% unnatural, but it feels like it might be soysilk or at least a cotton microfiber blend. It isn't squeaky, which we all know is my big reason to hate on the acrylic.
I also bought some sock yarn. I probably didn't even need to type that, cause you all knew that anyway. (wink) It is Fibranatura "Yummy", and I must say it is. It looks like flames. I might have to make some "hot foot" socks out of this loveliness.

Really, I saw so much stuff I was lusting after, managing to come away with only 5 skeins of yarn and a pair of needles for the hat was pretty damn good!
I cast on for the "thank you for dragging me around Florida and letting me crash at your place" hat that day. I finished up the bulk of the knitting yesterday.

Please notice the hole:

What the Hell is this about? Well, friends, this is where the brim goes. "Que?" The brim, duh. I am making a hat that is like a ski hat and a baseball cap had an illicit love child. The brim part is not exactly the easiest thing I have ever done, but I am managing. I'm on the 4th attempt a brimmage, so maybe this one will stick.
You knew that couldn't be it, right? I had airport time to knit too. I worked on my sweater trim a little, making it about half way now.

I also knit a pair of socks. Big surprise, right? Well, that little skein of Noro Silk Garden Sock that jumped in my bag the last time I was at WEBS desperately wanted to be knit. So it was. The bad part about flying is the waiting. The good part about waiting is knitting.

Name: Ribbed For Her Pleasure Bedroom Socks
Pattern: I don't knit and tell
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Sock
Needles: Knitpicks Classic Circs, US 0 and US1
Notes: I knit these a little looser than normal, but I didn't have smaller needles, and the yarn really didn't want to be knit tighter anyway. Therefore, my socks are little big. No big deal. They are really to thick to be regular socks anyway, so they are now slippers. I am nothing, if not flexible.

I named them what I did because they are ribbed, they are silk (for my pleasure), and the are bedroom slippers. What? Did you think I was being dirty?

So, yeah, they knit up damn fast, managing to be almost completely knit in airports and on planes over a two day plane adventure. Not too shabby, and finished just in time to qualify for September Socktopia! Sweet!

Ya'll should feel special now. You have been updated, seen my intimates, and my yarn lustiness. It might be time for a post-knitoil snuggle.

Florida is full of slow drivers and killer spiders

Guess what? I'm back! I got back from 3 days of fun and sun in Orlando yesterday, to a thankfully not freezing Connecticut. From what I understand, it was downright frigid here on Thursday and Friday. I picked a good couple days to escape to the sunny south, I suppose!
I know I said I was going to blog while I was there. I didn't. (Surprise) I did, however, take pictures! (The first day. hey, don't judge! it's better than I usually do.) On Thursday, we grabbed some quick lunch and headed off to Sea world. My friend Darren is a rigger there. (A rigger, for those of you not in the biz, is the insane person that climbs up and out the beams and scaffolding to hang lights and crap high up in the air. They are responsible for the safety of those things, as they usually hang above audience members and actors, so they have to be knowledgeable about weight loads, and line stress and shit. I, personally, would never ever do this, but Darren thinks its fun. he's crazy.) Its interesting how fast you can cover a theme park when you go with someone that knows the place inside out. We hit all the good shows and exhibits, skipping the lame ones.




aww. Cute! Then I got a little drunk. did you know that Sea World is owned by Anheuser Busch? well, it is my friends. This means you get two free beers every time you go to the park. You can also do a "beer tasting" experience. Yeah. That's like 5 beers in a half hour. I was a bit tipsy when we went to see Shamu.

I think you can tell by the picture, as it is of the set, and a bird eating out of the "fish box", and not of Shamu. Anyway, after the beer and the whirlwind tour of Sea World, we needed food. Vietnamese food is really good. Just saying.
Friday was a "no rest for the weary" day. (This is the point where I stop taking pics, btw) In one day, we hit both Universal parks, took a nap, went for Sushi, went to a play, then watched a guy get a tattoo. Yeah. It was a very, very full day. the parks were nice, again, made much better by someone that really knows them - which is how we made it through two in 4 hours. Naps are always good, as is sushi. The play was interesting, and well produced. The house was super tiny - it maybe held 60 people. The guy getting the tattoo was the lighting designer, which is why he was at the play, and how we ended up watching the tattoo festivities. A little odd, but it was pretty cool.
Saturday, Darren had to work. He left me his car. (We might have know each other for 18 years, but he will never learn.) He has a standard transmission sports car. (grin) And, in case you didn't know, the roads in Florida are scary smooth. When you combine this with a sports car, and me driving, well, you have a very good possibility of speeding. I was flying down the highway, on my way to a yarn store, just dumbfounded about why everyone was driving like they were pushing the car with their feet, like the Flintstones car. So I was bobbing and weaving, and passing my way to the yarn store, when I realized that the speed limit was 55. 55! WTH?! I looked at the speedometer.
I was going ................85. oops. What do they expect with super smooth roads and me behind the wheel of a stick shift sports car? So, I told Darren that if any strange tickets show up in the mail, just let me know, cause it's most likely my fault.
I went to Sip-n-Knit on my yarn adventure. It was a really cute, user friendly, and inviting store. I'll post pics with yarny goodness tomorrow. I did find a few fun things though. food was the next order of the day, and the fancy grocery store did not disappoint. Who knew how good a tomato and avocado sandwich would be?
Sunday was all about breakfast and the airport. eh. Not much to tell there.
But, I made it back, safe and sound... not sane, but you knew that. I had a great time, got a tan, and found out at breakfast my last day that there are "only two poisonous spiders you need to watch out for. And a couple snakes. Well, and the gators." umm..... yeah.

Fuck You Cancer!

I finished the comfort shawl for the Milford Jaycees a few minutes ago. I like it alot, well, for a big, thick, pink polyester shawl. But it's not for me, it is for charity, so I wanted to make something others would like.

Name: Comfort Shawl for the Milford Jaycees
Pattern: Umm.. no. I just did some stuff
Yarn: Bernat Softee Chunky Twists, in Tawney Rose Twists, 6 balls
Needles: US 17s
Notes: Let me say this.... I love the spirit of this project. Giving a hug to those in need at a most critical time of their lives. Cancer is a bitch. Being sick is a bitch in general, but Cancer really really really blows.
I wanted to choose easy care yarn, that was not a neon or otherwise irritating color. (I still had to knit it, ya' know.)I also didn't want to do lace - machines and hoses and crap would be not lace friendly, I'd think. So out came my Comfort shawl.

One of the traditions when you knit a comfort shawl is to think good thoughts (or prayers, if you are so inclined), or healing thoughts while you knit them. That way, all the love and good vibes you thought about will go into the shawl and surround the wearer with warm fuzzies. I tried really hard to do this. I am not very good at it though. I knit quit often to get rid of anger and frustration. Not very "comfort shawl" thoughts, frankly. This got me thinking.... (scared, aren't you?)

People have very different reactions to crisis. Some people withdrawal, others get outgoing and excited. Some people contemplate, others live in the moment. I decided my shawl is full of "fuck you cancer!" energy. I want the wearer to fight, goddammit! I want her to kick cancer in the fucking balls, and take names while doing it. There will be no pansy feeling sorry for yourself! There will only be fighting! And winning! I want her to know that I made the shawl with love, but it's only there to help her fight, to push her on, to get better - for the people in her life that will miss her. I'm giving her this yarn hug to say, "Hell Yeah! You kicked ass today! Tomorrow kick it even harder!"

So, whoever gets my shawl, please know, I'm pulling for you, and if I get the chance, I'll kick cancer right in the sweet meats - just for you.

A Really Full Schedule

I don't know if you have noticed, but it has been a while since I updated my blog. Things have been a little busy around Casa Costumechick. What, pray tell, have I been up to that has taken so much time away that I cannot manage a wee-tiny blog update every once in a while?
The answer is.... well, ok. I don't have an answer. I've been doing a lot of stuff.
My evenings have been largely spent working on the burlap project, and then "Big River". Therefore, the knitting progress has been slow, at best. I did manage to finish the front of the purple sweater on Friday!

Then I cast on for the cabled neck trim! I did this while suck in the car, in traffic (yay! CT!) on Friday. Why was I in traffic? well, the shop took a trip to Osgood Fabrics for supplies, and for a birthday lunch for our stitcher. We just happened to be in MA... so we went to WEBS too. What?! It wasn't my idea?! But I did buy a skein of Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn.

Anyway, I skipped the sleeves, as I wanted a small project that is easy to transport, for my bag. I plan to do the sleeves at the same time, and, frankly, that makes the project less portable.
I needed a portable project on purpose too, since I went into NYC to hang with my Mom and Dad on Saturday. "Hang" may not be the right phrase.... "forced March around the city" seems more apropos. We walked through Chinatown, to Little Italy - St. Genaro festival, to the Lower east side, then to Pier 17. Then through the 6th ave street fair up to Lindy's for Cheesecake. All in all a very exhaustive day. It was nice to visit, and we saw lots of interesting things and people. Still, I would have liked to just sit and knit for the day, but oh well.
Sunday was just as hectic, but because of my own doing. I baked a peach-raspberry pie for the Annual Canadian Pie Contest at work.

Yum.. I didn't do a test pie this year. I just made it up and baked it. We'll see how I do at the contest tonight....
I also had to get a pedicure.

Red, or course. I went grocery shopping, did some alterations on a few costumes for a friend, and went to dinner and a movie. Oh! And I did a load of dishes and laundry,and made chip dip. I need a weekend to recover from my weekend.
DH and I went to see "Burn after Reading". I took the two hours to work on my Shawl for the Milford Jaycees.

The Movie was great! Love Love love the Cohen brothers. It was a very "Cohen brothers" movie, and it was fantastic. I need to go see it again. (And I got a lot of shawl finished!)
So now I am back to the grind of the work week. Meetings, fittings, sewing on burlap in the evenings. But, only till Wednesday! I am off to Florida on Wednesday night. I'm going to attempt to blog while I am there. But, then again, I am Costumechick. I rarely do what I say I'm going to do, anyway. (grin)

Guess who cabled?

Me. That's who.

Aww. Cuteness. This pattern has just started to get complicated. You have to decrease at the NL with this fancy cable thing, keep track of armhole shaping, and keep two balls of alpaca from getting all twisted up. On top of that, the instructions are rather vague. It's not movie knitting.. let's just say that.
I should also publicly say, I was right! The cute skinny needles that I weren't sure were needles from my last post are, in fact, needles! 0000's! They are awesomeness in needle form. Again, thank you to my rockin' swap partner for the coolest needles EVER!
My knitting productivity has been way down - if you couldn't tell. This Burlap Overall project has been eating up all of my evenings and weekends. I am feeling wholly unproductive about the whole thing. The standard "knitter's cure" for this is to cast on a new project. hmm. I do need to work on a Socktopia project for September....
What to do, what to do......

Yarny things, Booze and Awesome Hair

LSG, a group on Ravelry, recently decided to work up a swap. LSG stands for "Lazy, Stupid, and Godless", so, well, you can only imagine the types of things that might show up in the mail for you when participating in a swap from this group of twatweasels. I mailed out my package yesterday, and lo and behold what showed up for me!

Aww yeah. LSG yarny things!! two skeins of Plymouth Happy Feet, a sekin of Debbie BLiss Baby Cashmerino (which I have never tried, and has been on my list for a long time), a kit to make a little beaded purse, awsome rainbow house magnets, Sister Mary Manhattan Post-Its, a lucious smelling bar of soap, black licorice wheels, fake eyelashes, a notepad, a watermellon lolly piop, and a black zipper bag for all my little junk I always leave behind when I grab my knitting to go! The last thing is these cool.. needles?

I think they are straight needles. They could be hat pins. I went to hat pins first, but then I thought, "why would someone get me hat pins? Who would know I collect vintage hats?" But, they are really pretty!

Later that night, I hung with the bitches at SnB, but then we went for Drinks for Jannsquared Bachlorette Party!

Booze. mmmm booze.

And just to top it all off, I got my hair cut yesterday.

Cute, no?
and look at it today.

Aww yeah. Multi style-able rock star hair. \m/ >.< \m/

The Day Costumechick and DH entered the 1980's

DH and I are now as technologically advanced as the 1980's! We have cable! Can you hear the cherubs singing? Honestly though, we weren't unhappy with our rabbit ear situation, but we were unhappy with our pirated Internet situation. Maybe unhappy isn't the right word. We were pleased with the price (free) but less than pleased with the spotty connection service. We had no right to complain, as we were stealing it, but we did anyway. Which brings us to yesterday when the grouchy guy from Comcast showed up and installed our new-fangled cable box. Evidently, DH sat and flipped channels for hours yesterday. It is all a little overwhelming, and I am TERRIFIED of unprogramming the remote. I am used to like 7 channels, and we have like 200. I was a bit dumbfounded, but it was awesome to watch the Colbert Report on my couch, while knitting. I feel like a grown up.
How does this fit with Internet? Well, we found out that if you are already a cable customer, it costs next to nothing to have wireless Internet. SO, cable first, then Internet. I am still stealing my Internet for now, but soon...soon... we will be members of the 1990s.
We hope to move into the 2000's before they are over....

A good weekend.

A good weekend, in Costumechick world, is defined by the following:
1. Finishing a knitting project.
2. Making headway on another knitting project.
3. Hanging out with great friends.
4. Eating copious amounts of Greek food, then seeing a movie.
5. Hanging out with even more great friends!
And, that is exactly what I did.
1. I finished the Fluffy Blue Raspberries.

Name: Fluffy Blue Raspberries
Pattern: Fleece Stuffed Mittens By Robin Hansen, from Favorite Mittens
Yarn: Reynolds Lopi in color 166, 1.25 skeins
Needles: Us 4 and 5 DPNs
Notes: I did these the same as the others. This may have been a regrettable decision, as they are enormous. Hopefully someone on my gift list has big hands, and will like teal mittens. I have another skein of this yarn to use for mittens, so I will go down to the child size directions for that pair.

2. I finished the back of the new sweater! Yay! I fear it is going to be way too big for my Mom. Boo. Upon measuring though, I think, because it is alpaca, and it will stretch when blocked, it will fit me. yay! I decided to keep going. We'll see....

3. Dude. The Bitches rock. Short Bus, the band, rocks. Pina Coladas rock. That is all that need be said.

4. The Greek Food a the Greek Festival in Orange always kicks ass. This year was no disappointment. I didn't take pics then, since I was too busy stuffing myself with saganaki, salad, and spanikopita. I was too full for dessert, but you better bet I bought some to take home. I totally forgot to take a picture of this...

What does one do, if they are Costumechick and DH, after eating far too much food? Go see a movie of course! We went to Tropic Thunder.
let's pause for a moment regarding our movie choice. I know this movie has spawned protests, and I am not against people having opinions, but please keep any comments regarding how awful I am for spending my money on this movie to yourselves. M'kay? I know I am going to hell in a hand basket. I already told everyone I'll put up the SnB flyer's about our meeting location when I get there.
Anyway, Tropic Thunder was fucking Hilarious!!! Being in the entertainment Business, I love love love movies that pick on it. And this one did not disappoint. really. It was hysterical. DH and I laughed so hard we hurt. That said, if you are sensitive to blood, explosions, unsavory terms for minority groups, or farts, you may want to skip this movie. The 12 year old boy and 32 year old costumer in me loved it though.

5. Two parties in one Weekend! Costumechick is a lucky gal! Yesterday we went to a kegger at a work friends house. Good food, good friends, and good times. The bonus was getting to play guitar hero some more. :)
Well, that, and getting fabulously drunk. (too drunk to take pics. surprise!)

That my friends is a weekend, Costumechick style.