Anti-Cardigan?

I'm working on some sketches for the Shirley Paden workshop and most of my designs are pullovers. "Am I anti-cardi?" you ask. "Well, sort of", I say. "Why is that?" you reply. Plain and simple...I have bewbs. Yep, two of them. And they're THERE - no mistaking them. Ever.

I try to avoid button down shirts because I find if I buy them to "cover" (as it is), then the body portion seems overflowing with material. And while I'm tall and admit my size is ample, I'm not in the "tent" category (nor is that flattering on anyone).

When I see ladies with gaping button-bands, and know people are getting a peak of their undergarments, well, that isn't something I want to share with the world. So I avoid oxford shirts and cardigans - pullovers are safer for me.

But I LOVE some of the cardigans I've seen lately. And, to be honest, I adore my Tangled Yoke sweater - mostly because I customized the fit.

And yet, to design a cardigan? Tougher than tough for me. Would I actually wear it? Ugh, what to do?

Tell me, fellow knitters, do you have any issues with a certain type of design?

Allergies, Aging and Memories

Last week was pretty difficult on me, physically speaking that is. Ever since having pneumonia in June, I've been meaning to get to a new allergist to proactively manage my allergies/bronchitis/etc. Lucky for me, there's a local doctor who has Saturday hours and I was able to get in this past weekend. The bad thing is that I wasn't allowed to take any antihistamines for 5 days prior to the appointment. And hey, I TOTALLY understand why - it just made me a miserable Karen for those 5 days! My eyes were gunky, my throat was itchy, my head ached, and I sneezed a gazillion times. Ah, yes, allergy season was in full force!

If you've been fortunate to never having visited an allergist, and I hope you haven't had to, you may not be familiar with the testing process. Essentially, your arms (sometimes shoulders) become a mine field of welts and, if you're allergic to what they test for, you'll wind up wanting to scratch your skin off for the 20 minutes it takes to wait for proper results.



All in all, I received 31 shots and found that yes, indeed, i'm SEVERELY allergic to dust (#21), grasses, summer pollens, and a variation of ragweed. My new regiment includes a higher dose antihistamine that Zyrtec, a nasal spray and an inhaler. Boy, I'm the life of the party now, eh? ha ha

On Saturday afternoon we helped my folks downsize my grandmother's apartment. Yes, of course there was dust...that I'm allergic to...doesn't that make sense? Anyway, sorting through some of her things brought back many memories of my childhood and I kind of wish my sister could have shared the day with us. My grandmother has traveled around the world and visited so many amazing places (i.e., China...during the first year they began allowing outsiders to visit) and her belongings reminded us of just how much she's done.

We went back to visit with her on Sunday and she was SO thrilled to see Ramona and equally excited that Ken was able to fix her cable/t.v. It's the little things that really make it all worth while sometimes.

In knitting news...I've been knitting like a fiend, as you can imagine. I'm finishing a sample sweater this week and prepping (doing "homework") for the Shirley Paden workshop next Sunday. Last night I made two different red velvet cake recipes as testers for Alyssa's wedding cake (Oct 9th). I have to sew in the ends of her super secret shawl and then have to start up a secret project and find time to (possibly) make my much talked about Rhinebeck sweater (Oct 16th). Where on earth does all the time go? I'm hoping that things get back to a more "normal" pace after Rhinebeck...but I doubt they will :o)

Happy knitting everyone!

There's NO way that 40 is the new 30, is there?

So in a few short weeks I'll be (*gasp*) 40. Forty. The Big Four-O. Two score. Four decades. Old.

Alright, alright...some of you *might* be scratching your head saying "come on, you, forty? no way" - but yes, me, forty, way

Twenty was a blur. Thirty was FANTASTIC. But I'm a wee bit wary of 40...for no other reason but it seems like a big milestone. Instead of partying, I'm going out for a nice dinner with some friends and family. Instead of waking up with a hangover, I'm likely to wake up and do laundry. Is forty too responsible? Am I still young at heart? Is there anything "young" about me?

For those of you who read this blog and know me...yes, I'm a goofball and I AM indeed forever young in mind and spirit.

In other, non-age related happenings, we went to the NJ Sheep and Wool festival on Sunday. It was tons of fun (as you can see below)...and I was even able to meet Kirsten Kapur and her lovely daughters.

As far as knitting goes, I just finished a couple of samples for Kaleidoscope and have one more sweater to do this week. After that I have a couple of other test/sample projects lined up...and somewhere in between all that I have a wedding cake to make for Alyssa and a Rhinebeck sweater to start/finish! Whew...where does the time go.

Oh, right, and I'm FINALLY taking Shannon Okey's Tech Editing class - which I'm jumping out of my skin THRILLED about. Hooray for higher learning and knitting!

Updates

Well, summer vacation is officially over and its back to the grind for everyone in my family. The Punk is thoroughly NOT enjoying school; Ramona is happy to be in the oldest group...excited for kindergarten next year (boo hoo hoo); and Hubby is back to answering emails at all times of the day.

In the knitting world...well...I'm KNITTING more than I can keep up with! I'm still sample making for Kaleidoscope Yarns and test knitting for a variety of designers. Makes me *almost* wish I could make it all a full time job. Alas, I'll continue to dream.

I published my Dora shawl pattern, although my test knitters are still working on it. I felt, after making another one myself, that I had the kinks worked out and could safely publish it, knowing errata can be posted as needed. I've listed it on Ravelry...please support a newbie designer if you have an extra $1.99 to spare :o)

I'm still trying to decide what to knit for Rhinebeck and have narrowed it down to a couple choices...stashed yarn playing a HUGE part of the process...since we all know I'm trying my darndest to bust it up!

And since I've been busy and lacking in the photo department...here are some recent uploads for you. Have a great weekend y'all!