Tropical Knits

When Your Socks Become Leg Warmers

Need I say more? 

**Took the pics myself......phew that yoga is really paying off!**

WWKIP Day Sucess

The turn out for Costa Rica SnB's third annual Knit in Public Day was phenomenal!  We had 7 knitters and countless stares from passersby.  We even had a newbie knitter who picked the SnB Nation's Newsboy Cap as her first project.  She made quite a bit of progress and I have a feeling the cap is going to look great.  Here is a quick knitter and project run down;

Mae -Bias Corset from Interweave Knits.  She is using a gorgeous lavender.  So I offered myself as  possible recipient if she should ever part with it.

Sheilah - Cute socks and she even agreed to help me with my dream to FINALLY make and finish s pair of socks. 

         Liz - Mending her spiral boot socks and teaching Maki to knit. 

Viviana - A gorgeous turquoise Kir Shawl that is going to be to die for when done.

Maki - Knit a sweater 20 years ago in grade school but hasn't picked up a set of needles since.  I have a feeling she is hooked.

       Sarah Joy - Abandoned her in-laws at a brunch at her own place to come knit with us.  Now that is devotion!  She was working on an adorable striped baby cardi.

Beatrice - A lovely new knitter from Switzerland who was wearing gorgeous shoes and knitting an incredible pair of socks on the tiniest needles. 

These are Beatrice's socks.  Amazing,no?

And finally moi!!!  Modeling my too small Tea Rose Halter.  What's got two thumbs, glasses and a practically pornographic lace tunic stretched across her boobies!  It's Bonnie!  Nice to meet ya!

My project you ask?  A simple garter stitch scarf with sari silk yarn.   I need something mindless and quick after my second tunic disaster.  I'll be blogging about that at a later. 

Another Sleepless Night

It is World Wide Knit in Public Day and I have a whole 3 hours of sleep under my belt.  Maybe four hours if you count the few 15-20 minute cat naps I got in between Koshka's vomiting sessions.

For me, there are few things worse than spending a night tending to my sick dog.  It isn't the lack of sleep for me but rather her suffering that makes the night unbearable.  Normally, when she is sick I can tuck her into her favorite blankie and snuggle her.  In time she falls asleep.  Last night she was anxious, unable to relax and paced the house at regular intervals.  That is of course when she wasn't puking.  While it appears her tummy is starting to settle she is still frantically pacing the house.  She finds a spot rests about 10 minutes and then is up again looking for.........who knows what!?!  It breaks my heart that I don't know and I can't seem to help her.   It truly does. 

Van put me to bed at 4:30 am and took over Koshka watch.  He was worried if I didn't rest I'd be too tired and miss WWKIP Day.  Very sweet.  Thanks to him tiptoeing as he cleaned up doggie puke and soothed our savage little beast, I got a solid 3 hours of sleep.   And I'll make WWKIP but I'll be thinking about my furry baby the whole time.  I just want her to feel better, be happy, feel loved and enjoy her life. 

Tea Rose Halter Progress

As they say if at first you don't succeed, try again.  Which is exactly what I did with the Tea Rose Halter.  I frogged my giant stretchy version and made a few changes that appear to have improved th current version. 

I cast on the next smaller size with smaller needles.  I went down another needle size for the ribbing.  I think this will help ensure a snug figure flattering fit. 

I hope to finish before Wednesday or at the very latest Friday so I can wear this WWKIP Day.

Big Pepper = Big Fun

 

Breaking News Ye'all

Britney Spears is in Costa Rica. With Mel Gibson.  There goes the neighborhood! 

Fortunately, they are reporting that she and Mel are staying in Playa Samara which is far, far, far away from here.  Thank goodness for small miracles.  Now back to my regularly scheduled knitting.......

Finsihed, Photo-ed and Frogged

ThaI finally finished what is destined to become my beloved-bee-gorgeous Tea Rose Halter only to discover that it was at least two sizes too big.  I had a sneaking suspicion, based on the look of the lace and the stretchy nature of Cotton Fleece, that I was knitting a big red lacy sack.

Of course, this is the same voice that encourages me not to enjoy potato crisps as snacks, have more than one glass of wine before dinner or not run yellow lights.  It is the voice of reason and I have become quite adept at reducing it white noise.   It doesn't carry the same clout as the voice that recently convinced me to spend $250 on shoes at Piperlime.  The same voice also told me to tell the hubby I got everything for $150.

Recently, the voice prompted me to go fiber bonkers at Jimmy Bean's Wool.  I love that voice even though it sometimes get me in trouble. 

When I thought the Tea Rose Halter looked big it said, "eh, keep knitting so you can finish."  And so my needles kept on clacking and now I am having to do it all over again!  I guess I'll never learn but at least have some gorgeous shoes!

 

Yarn Recycling - Ballet Tee to Tea Rose Halter

As I reach the one year mark of my weight loss, I am slowly shedding the security blanket of my "chubby" clothes.  Store bought items are easy to part with but I hoard my hand knit items, even if they don't fit.

So I finally bit the bullet and frogged my first completed garment to cast on the Tea Rose Halter.  Perhaps it is more accurate to say that I decided to knit one garment from the other......literally.  Rather then frog and hand wind a ball I knitting directly from my Ballet Tee as my Tea Rose Halter takes shape.

Unfortunately that shape may be a wee bit too large.  I may be smaller and yet I continue to knit for the old me.  So I may need to frog again.....thank goodness Cotton Fleece is hearty and can take abuse.

And just for poops and giggles here is a pic of my Dad and his dog at the vet's office.  His precious Coco may be 7 pounds but she is pure evil when someone tried to take her temperature the old fashioned way.  So Coco was fixed up like Hannibal Lecter.

First Love

I still remember sitting in Mrs. Garvey's English class passing notes with Jennifer Prude about our beloved Duran Duran.  She loved Nick Rhodes and I favored the drummer, Roger Taylor.   This meant we could easily be friends since there would be no fighting over our respective but clearly out of our jailbait league men.  We believed this despite living in El Paso, Texas and not having even a slim chance of meeting them in person let alone going to a concert. 

Nonetheless, from age 11 to 15 my bedroom walls were plastered with Duran Duran posters I bought at Spencers or got out of Tigerbeat with a maniacal devotion that makes Squeaky Frome look like a slacker.  Sure the occasional OMD and Howard Jones was mixed in but Duran Duran was the clear favorite even after the departure of my beloved Roger.   By the way, when he was arrested for marijuana possession Jennifer and I felt very strongly that his new wife was the culprit.  We were certain this kind of thing would never happen under our watch. 

As time passed my Duran Duran t-shirts gave way to vintage clothes, black hair and once I could wear make-up my signature red lipstick.  I fancied myself some kind of new wavey-goth gal and Duran Duran took a backseat to Depeche Mode, The Cure, The B-52s and Love and Rockets.  But I never forgot my first true musical love.

Even though I am now in my mid-30s, a Duran Duran tune will get me up our of my seat dancing and singing.  I may be older, a little chubbier (thank g-d not wrinklier) but I am still essentially the same little giggly nerd I was back then.  So I am beyond excited to FINALLY be seeing Duran Duran in concert!

Today I'll finally be listening to all my faves, including their new single Skindiver,in person.  It is 12 year old Bonnie's dream come true!    And while I am already married and certainly not looking for a new hubby, I am still making sure I look cute just in case.  Roger should really know what he missed out on.

Evil Most Definitely Lurks at the DMV

There are some "pleasures" you cannot skip simply by moving to another country.  That includes paying income tax to the US government or having to renew your drivers license.  This week Van and I had the pleasure of doing both.  Taxes, schmaxes......same as usual.  But the Costa Rican DMV is another story all together. 

Our trip to COSEVI (aka Costa Rican DMV) provided proof of something I have long suspected, pure evil in the guise of a paper pushing, line loving bureaucrat resides inside those taupe walls.  Like a clown with it's hideous make-up and never ending smile, DMV employees sit behind their counter on their vinyl upholstered thrones with unchanging facial expressions waiting to punish you for nothing more than being than being you.  It isn't easy to look annoyed, bored and inconvenienced with a hint of smirk all at the same time but I assure it is a talent found universally among those that issue drivers licenses.  And yes, they all demand smiles for your picture knowing full well that nothing short of Julia Robert's re-toucher could make you look even slightly human.   

I think going to renew or replace a lost license was like the karmic equivalent of the "take a penny tray."  Everyone has to put in a penny eventually, especially if you have ever taken a penny.  It all comes around and evens out over time.  Sure you may have to waste three hours of your life waiting for someone to call number B-47 at Window D.  Eventually you will be rewarded with a good parking spot at the mall or an extra order of fries at a drive through window.  Someday........

So today was my turn to put in a karmic penny at Photo Booth #3 where my smile demanding photo taker had "6-6-6" tattooed in prison sheik style his forearm.  All I could think was, FINALLY someone at the DMV admits it!  It was like he was saying "of course, I am evil now smile damn it or I will fill out a requisition form to steal your soul."

Van got stuck with a lecturing mumbler which I assume is a lesser demon.  He doesn't suck out souls but does drive you mad with lectures and nagging.  First, he feathers got ruffled over Van's height being listed at 1.88 meters.  Neither one of us is really sure what that was about aside from the demon in Camera Booth #2 being irked.  Next he mumbled at Van and in rapid Spanish then lectured him for not understanding.  He went as far as telling Van that if he plans to live in Costa Rica he needs to learn Spanish.  For the record, Van is fairly fluent but has trouble with the Costa Rican mushmouth dialect.  Something I think he should have expressed with a few choice words.  Of course, Van said nothing because he knows better than to challenge evil in it's own lair.  We watched enough Buffy to know that.  Beelzebub Junior also demanded a smile. 

In the end we escaped with our lives and truely awful pictures.  I look like a very pale tarted up whore for clowns and Van eyes are rolled up so he looks like Valley Girl being told leg warmers aren't the shiz.  Above all we paid our dues to karmic take a penny tray and got confirmation that ALL DMVs are a playground for evil.  At least we don't have to go back for another five years!