In all it's unfinished glory

all it's unfinished glory
Originally uploaded by kittensmittens.

Last night I managed to do the front edging. The worst part. But it is all done. I was curious, so I sewed a few stitches, just to see it it would fit, and... yes it did. I am very happy. It also looked very cute on (as cute as messy seeming and only half a messy seem on one sleeve can be)
Very happy with the result. Can't wait to finish it and wear it for real.

What pattern is my brain?

Your Brain's Pattern

You have a dreamy mind, full of fancy and fantasy. You have the ability to stay forever entertained with your thoughts. People may say you're hard to read, but that's because you're so internally focused. But when you do share what you're thinking, people are impressed with your imagination.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

Yep, I have noticed I can entertain myself for hours on end. Lots of training as an only child, I suppose.

Queen of the mountain

Queen of the mountain
Originally uploaded by kittensmittens.

Went for a walk today. I will blame it on the altitude that I got tired after climbing up 10 steps to make it to the parking lot. (Absolutely nothing to do with being out of shape or eating massive amounts of tasty food.)

So far
Originally uploaded by kittensmittens.

I've been busy knitting on the fiery bolero. It's actually looking like the pattern. And even better, it looks like it might fit. Ok, I will probably have to fudge a little, because, dumbie that I am, I started knitting a size too small. And I am too stubborn to start over.
Yesterday, I had to rip back a good 3 inches. I was very very unhappy. It hurt. But I had to, I couldn't fudge my way around it.

What, did somebody say baby blanket? I haven't completely ignored it. Last night I did, and tonight's looking like a similar scenario will happen. At least I can say it currently measures a healthy 8". (Any chance a 24"X8" blanket would be an acceptable size?)

My projects

my projects
Originally uploaded by kittensmittens.

So, I'm in Chile right now. What am I doing? Nothing. It is too cloudy and humid outside so they can't open the dome to the telescope. Bummer. But, you never know what the weather will do, so I'm in the control room. Knitting. I love this job!
These are the projects I brought with me. The corset, which I have managed to put a few more rows on. But progress has been slow. The voque wrap. The interweave fiery bolero, which is demanding all my attention. I'm hoping I will finish that during the trip, or at least come close to finishing. Not in this picture but also with me are the baby blanket. I should be knitting on that, with the baby coming in nov. In the last picture there were still only 2.5 repeats of the pattern, and tight now, I have only one more repeat done. (Just to know how shamefull it is, the repeats are only 8 rows. I need to get my butt in gear on that one.) I also brought my sock. O yeah, it will be a traveling sock. So in about a week and a half I hope to post new pictures of these projects with HUGE progress.

Ok, back to 'work'.

The first tag

Ha yes, here it goes. I was tagged by Sharon (http://shazknit.blogspot.com/) (my linking thing doesn't work)
First, the rules:
1. Go into your archive.
2. Find your 23rd post (or closest to).
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
5. Tag five people to do the same.

So here it is:
And yes, I sleep with it, it is soooo fluffy.

(Taken from "Cause or effect" http://kittensmittensandknitthings.blogspot.com/2005/05/cause-or-effect.html)
This particular entry talked about why I was still single, and probably will be for quiet some time. I wrote this back in May and my situation has not changed yet. Aside from the yarn I sleep with. Different project, different ball next to me. I have to admit, it is my 22nd post but this one is a lot more interesting then the next one. In fact, I consider it such a masterpiece, should have stopped blogging all together. Ok, that might be pushing it, but it is still better than number 23.

Now who shall I tag next ...
Michelle, Lyssa, Elspeth and Micky.

I've been tagged ... twice

Oh yeah, and I will respond to both sometime next week. I'm just busy packing today, because tomorrow I get to go to Chile. Haha, astronomy is sooo cool. I get to go on an abserving trip down there. It will be my first time below the equator. I'm really excited about it. Too bad I won't have that much time to do some sightseeing, but any little bit I get here and there will be documented with lots of pics.

What have I been up to...

soon to be baby blanket
Originally uploaded by kittensmittens.

Well, this is what I should be working on. A teammate is going to have a baby, so time to make a baby blanket. The yarn is really pretty, it's got greens and blues and pinks in it. (Not that you can see it in this picture). They are having a boy, so I will put a blue border around it.

latest distraction
Originally uploaded by kittensmittens.

It's a good thing I still got some time to finish the baby blanket, because I'm preoccupied with this little number. The cotton looks really nice and shiny. I am so happy I got it in both colors.

Scarf for Chicago
Originally uploaded by kittensmittens.

Even with all my other projects and plans, I managed to finish this a few days ago. This scarf will travel to Chicago, keep another friend warm. She'll need it, she has never lived outside of SoCal. (hihi)
This one was fun to knit. Lace knitting with bulky yarn on size 11 needles. Great!

Ophelia watching Ophelia
Originally uploaded by kittensmittens.

And Ophie, she is keeping an eye on the latest storm.

Quick thanks

I know I'm not the best at updating my blog often. But I do appreciate all the nice comments people have been leaving. I always try to answer them personally, but it's been pretty busy lately.
I've gotten a lot of nice comments on the booty scarf. Makes me very happy because it was my own design. ( I don't think there are many if any designs with that name) I gave the scarf to Judy, who's nickname is Booty a week before her B-day. She loved it. She'll need because she is in Boston, being a Harvard smarty pants.
I have also finished another scarf in the mean time. I will post some pics today or tomorrow. That one is off to Chicago.

Well, I should be getting back to work. I can't quiet call this lunch time blogging as it is 3pm over here. Suppose I should make myself usefull...

Trip to Palomar

200" Hale telescope
Originally uploaded by kittensmittens.

Here you see the big telescope I was at. The area is really pretty, it's up on a mountain. At night, the sky is super clear. (Of course, it needs to be, otherwise there would be no sense in putting a telescope there) A rare sight for me, I live too close to LA, light pollution central.

working hard or hardly working?
Originally uploaded by kittensmittens.

That is me, working the computer, controling the telescope. Very fun. Too me at least. I tried to explain the ins and outs to my mom, she didn't seem too impressed. I told her that you don't actualle look through the telescope, but you take pictures and look at that. The pictures are not the pretty ones, they are just black and white. All of a sudden, astronomy sounded boring to her.
But, just to make it interesting again, did you know astronomy smells like blueberries? yep, two nights in a row, it smelled like blueberries in the control room.
I actually got some knitting time in too.

Woody
Originally uploaded by kittensmittens.

This kitty was part of the observatory. He hung out in the house the astronomers sleep at. I wanted to take him home, he could be Ophie's boyfriend.

Observatory wildlife
Originally uploaded by kittensmittens.

Cutest little lizard. Met him on my walk back from the telescope to my sleepng quarters.

a deer, really
Originally uploaded by kittensmittens.

more wildlife. I swear there is a deer in this picture.

What's in the box

the mail
Originally uploaded by kittensmittens.

I came home from the observatory and I had a present. Two, even.
Hmmm, what could it be...

What's in the box

kitty in the mail
Originally uploaded by kittensmittens.

Opened up the small box and a little kitty popped out (I thought is was the Mac Office discs I ordered). Boy, she gets around.

10 skeins of happiness

10 balls of happiness
Originally uploaded by kittensmittens.

I wonder what is in the big box ...
Oh boy, I will be in soo much trouble. More yarn. I want to make a littel shrug with this cotton. I couldn't decide on the color, so under the influence of my ever so wise friend Michelle, I bought two colors.
Love it. Now I just have to figure out which one I want to cast on first...

close up of happiness
Originally uploaded by kittensmittens.

Lara Endless Summer Collection, cotton, yummy.

For you viewing pleasure ...

back to the 70s
Originally uploaded by kittensmittens.

I was debating putting this one up, but here it is. A friend turned 30, threw a 70s party and that is my costume. It only took me 30 seconds to fro up my hair like that. Really, I kid you not, 30 sec and I had a fro. What does that tell you about my hair.
Nobody better complain to me about frizzy, crappy hair.

3:22 am

Yeah, that is the time right now. (and I had to type it in 3 times before I got it right).
So, what am I doing up at this time? Well, I've mentioned before that I'm into astronomy, and with the fellowship I got at the SSC, I get the oportunity to go observing. So right now, i'm at Palomar observatory, sitting behind a computer, taking pictures with the telescope.
Loving every minute of it. Eventhough I could go for a nap or a midnight snack. Actually, I have the latter one with me, provided by the people here, but at noon (when I made my choice of what snack I wanted) you want different things than at 3:26 am (now, time flies). So I don't really want to eat what's in my brown paper baggy. I don't even want to think about eating it. Sigh, but I am hungry... Just some oatmeal would make me soooo happy right now.

Well, i got an hour and a half to go. Maybe a little walk around the dome will wake me up and I'll find a tasty bowl of oatmeal. The wind might blow it my way. mmm.
I will post some pics, but the batteries for my camera are charging right now. tomorrow.

I hope I made some sense. I honestly would not know. can't be bothered to read what i wrote.

ok, computer (the other one ) is about to beep at me...and there is goes.
gotta get back to work. still want oatmeal.. (3:32 am)