I hear coffee is addictive. I've never acquired the taste. I do like caffeine, but I get it from colas.

Java on the other hand is addictive! I knit one up Saturday. Well, I still have to finish the handle, but it's nearly done. It's very cute. It's in some mystery pink cotton (hot and baby). I started with the baby and did a middle stripe of hot and finished with the baby. The edging is watermelon Pebble Beach from Reynolds. It's a terry cloth texture. The handle will be that as well. So once I finish that and sew up the pillow, Kristen's birthday presents are done. And it's only taken 15 months to do the pillow! Just a few weeks for knitting up and forever to finish it off.

But, back to Java's addictive qualities. I want to knit more! It went so fast once I figured out knitting with so many needles. I've knit on dpns before with the BUP, but that started on a circular. While knitting pink, pink, pink java I kept thinking of other javas to make. I have some black fingering yarn and thought I could do a rock on java or a blue white and green for a sister's whose favorite colors are those. Obviously bwg would go to the sister, but who do I know that rocks and drinks takeout coffee?

My only concern with java is it's size. I swatched, but didn't exactly measure my gauge. I hope it works.

I think my floral poncho is getting lonely in her ziploc bag. She's near my bed, but I haven't touched her in weeks. I do have a deadline if I plan on wearing her to Sheryl Crow. But I've been thinking about a different poncho in the fingering black with the rose Soho.... Not that I have time.

I got a bit of Loll's back done. I'm nearly done the seed stitch. All 30 rows x 115 stitches (well, 113 not counting my garter selvedges). I think it would go faster if the calmer weren't so smooth. I have one size 6 circ and it's too slippery for the calmer. I think things will go better with my 8 when I start the rib. Without waist shaping, I've got a lot of rib to do until I hit the armholes!

Okay, time to brag about my son. He's 25 weeks today. (I cannot believe he'll be six months next Monday!)  Yesterday, he finally got his first tooth. He's been chewing on things like a rodent, especially fingers and anything cloth. Fortunately, he wasnt' too fussy. He even napped a lot on Saturday. He's advanced my kid. He has rolled over both ways (tummy to back and vice versa). Although, it's hard to induce him to roll onto his tummy. He sits up on his own and I swear the kid tries to sing. He's babbly, happy, and perfect!

I tell everyone I can't have another because he's spoiled me so much!

I promise to have pics next week. Must do comparison. He's gained nearly 13 pounds and grown over 5 inches!

I have so much to do and what am I doing? I'm surfing knitting blogs to see if anyone has updated from this morning. Urgh.

Loll went to the frog pond this morning. I'm starting over for a few reasons:

1. I messed up on the decreases for the waist shaping. There are supposed to be three, I only did two.
2. My m-i-l is not a fitted kind of gal. I think she'd prefer a straighter fit.
3. I'm not happy with the way the decreases and a couple of increases look.
4. She's also not an XL.

I had been making the XL to compensate for the waist shaping. And I kept the waist shaping in because I was worried about yarn usage. I realize if I make the L even with making it straight, I should have plenty of yarn. Of course, not doing the fringe saves yarn, too. Thinking process hasn't been great on this one.

I'm going to start over with the back and do it right! Must make a new photocopy to work from. This time, I'll copy all the pages I need!

Homework Meme from Carrie:

Do you recycle? Compost? Reuse household items until no other use can be wrung from them? Why or why not? Do you try any other ways to affect your household's footprint?

We do recycle; our township picks up every other week. We do not compost; although as a transplanted country girl I can definitely see the value, but not to my .25 acre suburban lot. Probably could re-use more and I know we're note careful on consuming all the food we buy. We get lots of credit for taking mass transit to work and not driving much! I think my laziness impacts our chemical footprint. I don't clean often enough for chemicals to get into the groundwater. I got an error so don't have the actual footprint to share.

I know there is more we can do.

I'm still loving the Calmer and can't wait to get started on the next project. I'm even thinking of getting some pink and making this for a friend of mine who loves tube tops. Looks like a good first cabling project. (Although, my mom's Air has cables in it, cables and lots of seed stitch.)

I'm making good progress on Loll. Although, I will not be able to finish it until I get the back done (have to photocopy the right pages). I missed the part where it says "until 25 rows less have been worked than on the back..." Oops. Oh well, I'll knit to that point, put it on a holder and cast on for the back. I hope to be able to cast on for the back by the weekend.

I've got another car trip coming up. My husband is taking me to Atlantic City to see Sheryl Crow at Trump Taj Mahal on August 14th. It's an early birthday present. I don't know if I'm more excited for the concert, the beach, or the uniterrupted knitting time! There's also the alone time with Hubby, too. It's just going to be great! He's excited for the gambling. He went down with some buddies last weekend and came home up $450.

Billy went to sleep early last night (by 8:30, of course he woke me up at 3:45 this morning) and Molly settled down early after a brief period of brattiness, so I got to work on Loll in front of OverHauling. I've realized I love any show that lets me experience people being creative and a surprise just adds to the fun; even though I'm not a gearhead. I'm just about to put the increases in for the bust shaping.

Well, I've got a vendor meeting any minute now and my boss's boss is in the next two days, so I should get to work.

I haven't felt this way in a long time. I'm so excited just to see you. Touching you is close to heaven. I get a lump in my chest when I think about you. You nearly bring tears to my eyes.
 
It's really sick that this is how I feel about knitting up Calmer. It does feel like a new romantic relationship. Yarn lust, I've got it bad. I've got a few inches done on the left front and it's a dream. I'm a little unsure about the rib pattern. My swatch looked nothing like the photograph in the book. I read the pattern as slip 1 purlwise, purl the next stitch. Am I misreading sl 1 P?
 
Perhaps, I should take advantage of my Rowan membership and query my other Rowanettes!
 
I got some yummy red Phildar coton Friday. MMMMM. What a fast eBay transaction! I paid Wednesday and got the yarn Friday. Of course it was just coming from LI, but still very nice. And, they sent me free black wool. It's a skinny, squiggly thing, but it's free wool!
 
Must give the husband kudos. He's not commented on my recent yarn purchases. Can't wait to get on the bus home tonight and do some knitting! I love the weekends but they don't leave me much knitting time.
 
On another thing altogether, the Prince concert was pretty good. I could have done with more Prince and less of his band. Man is he a good entertainer. You forget what an outstanding guitarist he is.
 
I would have fit right in if I'd been able to wear my poncho. There were tons of women in ponchos.

Hmmm. Blogger's changed a bit, hasn't it? I think I like the new options. Like easier posting of photos. Not that I'm taking photos for posting, but hey, I may get off my duff some day. Color is good!
 
In knitting news, or rather yarn news, the floral poncho is nearly done. I have ends to weave in, fringe to add, and shoulders to figure out. Since I doubled the size of the poncho to fit myself by just doubling the first row, the neckline is way too huge. I need to add shoulders of some sort. That means I cannot crochet it on the bus. I need to be able to pull it on and off and look in a mirror to see if I like what I'm doing.
 
Bus knitting has become the Loll cardigan from the Calmer collection. I'm doing it in bleached calmer (yes, it's white, white, white) for my mother-in-law. I hope to have it done for her birthday August 30. Yes, a FIRM deadline. (Neat keyboard shortcuts just like word.) Of course, it isn't starting too easily. I didn't have the right part of the directions to start the back or the sleeves (those directions are with the Loll sweater which I didn't photocopy for carrying). So, I'm doing the left front. I've modified it a bit. Can't see M-I-L liking the fringe, so I'm doing seed stitch. About 8 rows in and it's going well. I LOOOOOOOOOOVE Calmer. It makes me knit looser so I got gauge on the right size needles for a change!
 
Bought myself a bright orange scarf today at Port Authority from one of those little pushcarts. I saw it and it was $5 so I had to have it. Don't know when I'll wear it but I've been wanting to accessorize a bit more lately.
 
Oh well, off to work I go.  
 

I finished Grecian Plait in the car on the way to Vermont Friday. My sister tried it on Saturday (I didn't see her Friday night) and it basically fits. She put it on over her swimsuit, so we didn't get the best fit. She claims it's scratchy. I don't know why. Did I take a picture? Nope. Silly Netter.

The floral mini poncho is cruising along. I've got half a floral round and a swag round to finish before I do the front and back rows. Then I have to decide how to modify the neckline. I've changed the pattern quite a bit to adjust for my skinny yarn and not so skinny self. I'd love to have it done for Friday. My husband and I are going to see Prince and I think the poncho would be great over a black tank top.

Speaking of my husband, he really surprised me yesterday. I thought he'd have a fit when we got home and there were 2 boxes of yarn waiting for me. But he didn't. One was the summer tweed for me (I think I'll make Otis from Knitty if it goes with one of my dresses) the other was coffee bean calmer for my mom. I have to decide which Calmer cardi to make for her.

I got lots of oohs and ahs on the Grecian Plait. My sister tried it on during the party and everyone was impressed by my skill. I must say the knitting came out really well; I do need to work on my seaming skills, though. Everyone said I really inherited my grandmother's talent. That was a nice thing to hear.

Mom's family had Christmas in July this weekend (in addition to a surprise 80th birthday party for her dad). I got a Joann gift card. I'm thinking of some Lion yarn to make some Phildar sweaters for Billy, if I ever get my book from ThreadBear. But, no more stash enhancement until I get a couple more things finished.

My friend Kristen's birthday is coming up, I need to get java knitted for her. And to finally finish that pillow I made last year!

Grecian Plait is blocking as we speak. I decided to finally get it done last night. I'm wet blocking. Unfortunately, my space board isn't big enough for all the pieces. The sleeves will have to block tonight. Seaming party at my house tomorrow!

I didn't wash it and I should have. Whoa, does that yarn smell when wet!

I think I'll get my sister one of those pop-up sweater dryers so she has a place to dry it flat.

In other news, I did it again. I was motoring along on Tucker this morning and somehow my moss stitch has again become 1 x 1 ribbing. URGH! And I'm in the color blocks so I've got intarsia to rip out. Lucky me, it's only a few rows.

I got my Charlotte last night. I can't wait to start on it. I really do need to get some new size 6 needles. I don't understand how my grandmother got away with having a single 6 circular when it seems everything I want to knit requires a 6! I do have a 16" Phildar 6 circ, but I don't really like the join on those. I'd have two 6 circs with joins I don't like, but there was that unfortunate incident with the Needlemaster 6.

I can't wait to get my calmer and I won some Summer Tweed in Morning Glory! Just under $7 a skein for a yarn that retails at $8-9. Go Netter. I'm not sure what I'm going to make with it, yet. I may just have to fondle it for a while.

I was surprised my husband didn't comment on the package from Threadbear. Maybe he didn't realize $50 worth of yarn could come in such a small package!

There's also the possibility that he realized I don't give him a hard time about his hobbies! I do need to organize the stash. I think that's right behind organizing the office. Not quite sure when I'll get around to those things. Billy does not like to nap when he's with his mommy. He sleeps for hours at day care but I'm lucky if I can get him down for an hour twice a day! Then there's all the other housework that doesn't get done. I need to take a week's vacation just to get caught up!

Still have not blocked the Grecian Plait. Bad Netter, bad. Bid on more yarn on eBay. MMMMMM, Summer Tweed. More stash? Again, bad Netter. I bought Bonne Marie's latest pattern (www.chicknits.com). Can't wait to make one. Much knitting going on?

Let's see, what's on the needles? I cast on for the Tucker Mat, worked 2 1/2 rows and realized I was doing 1 x 1 ribbing instead of moss stitch. Doh! Must rip and re-work.

This weekend I thought I had gotten caught up and through the first swag row of the mini floral poncho. Then I realized that there are supposed to be 6 ttcs in each swag not 5! Doh. Rip and re-work. I must say that since I don't drink anymore, tailgate parties are good for tanning and crocheting! The poncho also kept me from snacking too much.

I've decided to make the Loll cardigan from the Calmer Collection in white Calmer for my mother-in-law. Can I get it done before her birthday 8/30? I've got a car ride to VT this weekend. We'll see what I can get done. Tucker's with me today. I'd love to get it done ASAP. It's on my only size 6 needle! Either than or I have to buy new needles!

I sure hope my recent purchases are at the house tonight. I can't wait to touch my very own koigu!

BUP is finished! Yay me. Unfortunately, it's HUGE. Into the wash it goes. I hope a spin and some time in the dryer will shrink it up a little bit. Not too much, I've got curly hair and a looser hat means less hat head, but it's waayyy too big now.

In stash building news. I am the proud owner of some Rowan Calmer in Coffee Bean. It's going to be a sweater for my Mom. Merry Christmas! And Rob says he'll be shipping out my Charlotte today! Yippee! I'll have both early next week.

I'm puttering along on the Tucker swatch. I do not like the Linen Drape; it splits a lot! I also picked up the mini poncho and realized I'd been doing the flowers all wrong. RIIIP!! Two rows gone. I think I've got it now.

I did start swatching a bit of Calmer from my stash. I love it! I can't wait to make something with it.

Have a Happy 4th for all us Americans.