A Little Bit of Knit

Great friends!

2009-12-29T20:49:00.002-05:00

I am so fortunate to have such a great support system during this difficult time. I have a great family and wonderful friends, some of which I have never met in person.

One of my good friends, Coby of CJ Kopec Creations has started a knit along for me. A whole bunch of knitters are all casting on one of my patterns to knit me through these treatments. They are praying, stabbing cancer cells with their needles and sending positive thoughts with every stitch. I feel very loved and cared for.

I had my very first chemo treatment today. I am not going to lie, I was scared! It went well though, so far no nausea or reactions to anything. I did get super sleepy from the Benedryl, but hey, what's wrong with a little nap right? I did start knitting on my Manhattan pattern along with all my friends, but I didn't make much progress yet. It's a start and I'm hoping if I continue to feel well, I will have a nice pair of warm new socks to wear to chemo appts. Today my feet were cold!!!!!! I am using Bearfoot yarn, which is really warm and I love it!

So thanks to all of you that are knitting along! I can feel all the love, support and prayers and they mean so much to me!

I'll try to post a pic in the next few days if I'm up to it. :)

Curve ball

2009-12-20T09:05:00.002-05:00

Sometimes you just don't know when you're going to be thrown a giant curve ball. Well last month we got one bigger and nastier than I could ever imagine. For a few weeks prior I hadn't been feeling the best. Nothing too bad, just some irritable bowel type symptoms, some minor pelvic pain, some bloating, reflux etc. I didn't think too much of it, but decided to call my doctor. He really didn't think it was much more than endometriosis and reflux. The very next day I happened to turn on the tv and the Dr. Oz show was on. I NEVER watch that show, but it was a God thing and RIGHT when I turned it on, they were listing all my symptoms. They were talking about ovarian cancer. I was terrified and called my doctor back immediately. They got me in for an ultrasound 2 days later. A grapefruit sized tumor was found.

On November 23 I had surgery to remove the tumor and it was ovarian cancer. Needless to say, life has completely changed around here. I have been recovering from this MAJOR surgery (who knew an incision could be so big!!!) and preparing myself for chemo starting on the 29th.

I really debated about sharing here, but a good friend encouraged me to. You can never have too many people praying for you right?

I haven't been knitting much since surgery, but I hope to get going again soon. Maybe next time I will actually have a picture!

Fall?

2009-09-24T21:27:00.008-04:00

I'm not convinced. It's been quite warm here, over 70 during the day, and not cooling off enough at night. Now don't get me wrong. I love summer. I think fall is my favorite season though. I love the cool nights, hauling out the jeans and cozy sweaters, the beautiful changing colors, putting that dreaded bathing suit away. Not quite yet I guess, it's still looking quite summery here.

The yard is so beautiful yet. I know it won't be long (the weather is hinting at much cooler temps next week) and everything will start dying off, so I am enjoying it while I can. There are just a few hints here and there that the cooler weather is on the way. I'm enjoying watching those emerge too.

Finally I have a picture of the start of my new sweater. Maybe I will be close to finishing by the time I can bear to wear it.

I still have a long way to go, but I have to finish a few other things before I can fully concentrate on it. I love the colors and I'm praying it fits. It's so hard to try it on and get a true idea of how it will look on me. At least it works up quickly, so if I have to rip (heaven forbid!), it shouldn't take long to redo.
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My knitting time was recently dominated by this:

I recently designed a sock exclusively for the Woolgirl Sock Club. The theme was ladybugs, hence the Fly Away Home Socks were born. These were really fun to knit and design. There is a gorgeous pair here on Ravelry. Woolgirl included some extra contrasting heel and toe yarn, and they look absolutely darling made that way! If you haven't checked out Woolgirl, it's a great place to get your yarnie fixes!
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Coming soon, 2 new patterns!

Summer Lady Sweater

2009-09-01T22:31:00.005-04:00

I have been trying to finish up a few things around here, along with starting a couple of new projects. I recently finished a February Lady Sweater (Ravelry link) and finally got around to taking a picture.

I like wearing it, but I am not completely happy with the button band. The buttons are heavy and tend to drag on the band, making it look a little uneven at times. I might try to reinforce it in some way or maybe I will have to find lighter buttons. However, I would like to keep these because they are brown and black which gives me a lot of versatility as far as what I wear with it. In the meantime I will wear it and enjoy a finished knitting project!
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I've been spinning a little too. I just finished a bobbin of All Spun Up fiber.

It's 4 oz of Merino/Silk/Bamboo. I was going to try navajo plying, but I'm not sure that I dare. I did a practice skein of n-ply today, and let's put it this way, it wasn't my best work. Maybe I will wind off 1/2 of it into a center pull ball and go for a 2-ply. Hey, I'm not too proud to take the chicken out route.
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Next on the agenda is working on the Briar Rose sweater some more, working on a pattern due in October, learning to use my little loom, cleaning the craft room, cataloging all my yarn, and finishing a pair of socks for myself. A little too ambitious? Maybe. ;)

Zoom

2009-08-22T08:59:00.003-04:00

Where did the summer go? For us it went camping, it went to the beach and it went way too quickly. Next week is fair week here and then it is back to school for the kids. I am torn between wanting my alone time back, yet knowing I will miss them. I dread the schedule, yet I crave it.
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I attended 2 fiber festivals so far this year, One was at Castle Farms in Charlevoix and the other was the Michigan Fiber Festival. I absolutely stink at remembering to take pictures, but I did photograph some stash acquisition.

This is Briar Rose Robusta that I am using to knit the Retro Cardigan (Ravelry link). The colors are actually much deeper than this. Hopefully my progress picture on the cardi will show the color better later. So far I am only on the yoke, but it is going quickly. Her handpaints are so gorgeous and I am loving how it is knitting up so far.
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Well, blogger is being very annoying and only letting me post one picture, so I will have to post again about my other gorgeous purchases. I have some other finished knits to share as well, but I guess they will have to wait for another day.
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This will give me the incentive to post more often right?

Hello again!

2009-05-19T14:53:00.008-04:00

I hope you all are doing well. It's been a busy spring here. Soccer season is coming to an end, the greenhouses are almost empty and the world is once again a beautiful green place.

My daughter took this beautiful picture of a tree blooming in our front yard. I'm so happy that spring is here!
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I've been busy with a couple of designs over the last month or two. Two were extra patterns for the Woolgirl sock club. This club is fabulous! If you ever get the chance to join, go for it. She puts together the best kits that I've ever seen. Every time I am amazed at the quality and creativity that goes into each shipment.
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I've also been spinning a lot. It's so relaxing and it just makes me happy.

These two are the last 2 Spin-along fibers from CJKopec. Inquiry and Midnight Desire. Both werevvery fun to spin and I love how they turned out. Midnight Desire will eventually become something lacy, but I haven't charted anything out for it yet.

This one is the Spin-along fiber from Uniquely Yours for last month. I spun mine with some mill-ends into a bulky single. I love spinning some fat squishy yarns!

Last but not least, and because I am determined to become a good spindler, this little beauty followed me home from the Spinning Loft last week. It's a Greensleeves McKenna Lee in Bolivian Rosewood with a walnut shaft. It weighs 26grams and spins like a dream. Now to actually use it instead of just looking at how pretty it is.

St. Patricks's Day Synopsis (wordy)

2009-03-17T21:04:00.007-04:00

Ok, I'm not Irish, I don't celebrate, but I did wear green today. Does that count? At least I didn't get pinched.

A sweet friend reminded me to blog today, so I MADE myself do it. It's been a month again, so it was definitely time.

Things have been a good and bad kind of busy here.

The bad first: We had a lot of water in our basement last week (pump failure) and it has not been fun! We have 2 bedrooms, a family room, and large laundry area all finished down there. All the carpets had to be ripped up, baseboards torn off, EVERYTHING had to be taken out of there, and a cleaning company had to come in. It was ugly. Thankfully it's all dry now, the drywall is patched and we're just waiting to reinstall the baseboards and carpet. I can't wait! All the downstairs stuff NEEDS to get out of the upstairs. The clutter is driving me nuts!

On to the good....
I've been knitting and spinning as much as time permits. I worked on a big project for quite a while. A dear friend from our knit/spin group recently lost her hubby. We wanted to do something special for her, so we all donated a skein of handspun (or commercial or hand-dyed if not from a spinner) and I knit it into a shawl for her. It turned out really lovely and she just loves it.

Here she is, sling and all. She fell and broke her shoulder too. She definitely needed a warm fibery hug from her friends. Here it is on blocking. Excuse the ugly sheet.

It's even more gorgeous in person, and I really enjoyed working on this project. Friends are good. :)

Another great friend from our knit/spin group (Coby from CJKopec Creations) has been very inspiring to me. She can spin the best chunky yarns ever and is a carding master. She recently let me borrow her carder and this is what I created.

I carded about 6oz of wool batts with bamboo and sparkle. They are gorgeous! I can't wait to spin them. So far I'm thinking fingering for a shawl.

I've done a bit of traveling this month too. The first week of March my oldest daughter and I took a 5-day cruise, for her spring break. Then last weekend I went to a fiber festival with a friend of mine (Rita, from Yarn Hollow) to help her with her booth. It was a lot of fun, but hard work. This weekend I am going to a knitting retreat with my knit/spin group at a lodge. Should be lots of fun!

The weather has been great here for 2 days. 65 and sunny. Happy Spring!

Happy Heart Day!

2009-02-14T10:16:00.005-05:00

Because I love you all so much, I have a Valentines Day present to share.

A new free pattern to enjoy! Thumbelina is a sportweight sock pattern with tiny twists. It's a very fun and easy pattern. Knit in sportweight yarn it's a fast knit too. You can download it for free here.

Enjoy and have a great Valentines Day!

Note: If you're not a Ravelry member (gasp - run and join NOW!!!), you can email me from the link in the sidebar and I can email it to you.

Over 4 months?

2009-02-10T16:39:00.003-05:00

Where did the time go? I really can't tell you. The days fly by. The children grow up quickly. We get older. Time is fleeting, but life is good.

I decided to take a little blogging break and get some other things accomplished. I was talking to a friend today who made a goal for herself. I think it's a good one. She wanted to get back into reading blogs and blogging. I might copy her. I've neglected my blog and my blog reading, and I feel really bad about it. However, I must say I did enjoy my time away.

I've been busy spinning and knitting. Here a just a few things that I accomplished while absent.

Top to bottom, left to right.
1. Finished a pair of socks, well technically 2 and added the pattern to Ravelry.
2. Made myself a cute hat. I love that thing. Chunky yarn, super quick and CUTE! Ravelry details here.
3. Spun some Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino. This was traded to a friend for some cashmere. Oh I love to barter!
4. Spun some mystery dyer merino. I am really enjoying trying to spin a little more chunky.
5. Did some dogsitting for a friend. Isn't she cute?
6. Oh, and Brodie says hi!

I have many more projects to show you and a free pattern to share, but I will post those later this week. I'm so glad "hairy scary" is no long the first thing you will see here if you happen to visit.

Now to remember....

2008-09-24T16:46:00.008-04:00

It's been so long I had to remember how to blog! I'm not even sure why I have been avoiding it. Sometimes I just don't feel like I have much to say or share, ya know?
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Anyway, life has been moving along like normal. Kids are in the school routine, oldest is adjusting to college, there's been knitting, spinning and working. Just regular life stuff.
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You won't even believe this if you really know me and my yarn snobbish tendencies, but I knit this:

Yes it's true, I knit that thing (which I unaffectionately call "hairy scary"). You see it all started at a family reunion with um, older relatives. It was mentioned that I knit, and it all went downhill from there. I left with this not-so-desirable yarn in my possession and a happy relative expecting a shawl in return. I did it. I thankfully do not have to wear it! It will be dropped off soon so I don't have to look at it anymore. Heh!
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I have been knitting fun things too. I just started my very first pair of handspun socks.

Who knew you could get so much satisfaction out of knitting with your very own yarn! I can't wait to start another project with handspun. I did finish a scarf from my yarn that will be a Christmas gift. More on that later.
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I have been spinning as much as I can. I am not a fast spinner. I have friends that can blow me away in the speed department. I enjoy the process though, so I really don't mind.
Here are a couple of my latest yarns:

This one I tried a fractal type experiment (I say experiment because I have no idea what I am doing). I love how it turned out. It was 3 separate solid colored rovings that I spun in a pattern. The roving came from this etsy shop. Love her stuff!
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This one is my very first single ply yarn. I am in love with this stuff. I hope I can do it again! It was a merino bamboo blend that I dyed myself. It reminds me of a melon salad.
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I will try to be more faithful and not wait for months to post again. I have a Baby Surprise Jacket and more spinning to show off later. Oh, and that scarf! Now to remember.......

A Month (or more) in Mosaic

2008-08-07T15:41:00.003-04:00

Ok, since I am soooo far behind on blogging I have decided to do a little mosaic of just a few of the things I have been doing over the last month or so.

1. Stash enhancement from FatCatKnits.
2. Stash enhancement from Uniquely Yours Fiber Club.
3. Shetland handspun for a sweater for me (I hope I bought enough).
4. Handspun from CJKopec roving.
5. Handspun from above batt (pic #2).
6. Handspun sock yarn from Yarn Hollow wool/silk roving.
7. A visit to Windswept Farms. They have the sweetest sheep I have ever met!
8. I fell in love with a sheep named Zinc from the farm in pic 7.
9. Oh yeah, I had a birthday.

So that's part of what I have been up to in my lazy absence. There has been more spinning, secret knitting, hanging with friends, spinning group every Monday (the best group ever!), work, enjoying time with the kids, camping etc. It's really been a nice summer. Allegan Fiber Festival is next weekend along with another visit to the sheep farm, and I am really looking forward to that!
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We leave for camping again tomorrow. It will probably be my last time this summer unless we decide to head out for Labor Day weekend. I'm going to enjoy it while I can. In just a few short weeks the kids will be back in school, the weather will start to change and before we know it winter will be here. (I know, terrible thought.)
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I hope you are all enjoying your summer as well. Take care!

(If you want to make your own mosaic, you can go here.)

Summer vacation! YAY!

2008-06-27T16:02:00.002-04:00

I am busy packing here. We are leaving for a week of camping tomorrow. The trailer is close to being ready, I have started my baking and most importantly, my knitting is packed! I took some socks, the Baby Surprise Jacket pattern (I'm a little scared to try that one), some sock yarn for mini key chain socks and yarn for some market bags. Hopefully that will be enough to keep me busy. I usually overpack and end up not having as much knitting time as I think I will. Better too much than not enough though right?
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We will be in Traverse City for the 4th of July festivities. I think the Blue Angels will be there and I am looking forward to seeing them! Hopefully we will have as much fun as we did last year. There should be yarn shopping, wine tasting, biking, beaching, campfires and lots of food! Sounds fun no? The only thing I am not looking forward to is public restrooms and showers. Sometimes they are just ick! I mean ICK!
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Have a great holiday everyone and I will see you all when I get back!

No excuses

2008-06-21T09:00:00.007-04:00

I have no good excuses for being absent again. I just plain didn't feel like blogging. I have been spinning and knitting and Ravel-ing, and I just haven't taken the time to blog.

I did finish my Rusted Root.

Apologies for the crappy-in-the-bathroom-mirror shot. I still need The Sporty One to take a good pic for me. I really love it! It fits great and it's such a cute pattern. I can actually see myself making another one, but maybe I will switch out the lace pattern or something to mix it up a little. I highly recommend the pattern. It's really fun and easy!

I've also been working on a lace project. Here's a little peek.

I have a row of tinking to do and then a new bind off and I will be finished with it. More info later on that one.

I've been spinning some more too. I cannot believe how much I enjoy it.

This is an attempt at a chunkier yarn.

I navajo plied that one and it's ok, but not my best.

I tried another thicker yarn using a modified long draw (I think). I used a pastel roving and plied it with plain white mill ends.

With the white in there, the colors are very soft. I might try a Baby Surprise Jacket with it. It's quite cute in person.

And finally, my first thread plied yarn.

I had some Karaoke that I got in a class with Abby at The Spinning Loft. I plied it with some sewing thread and now I have about 440 yds, which I hope will be enough for an airy scarf. It's really soft and the colors are really saturated. I think it will be pretty. Now to find the right pattern.......

Accidental hiatus?

2008-05-30T07:24:00.005-04:00

Wow! It's been almost a month. That is the longest I have gone without blogging. I guess I unintentionally took a break. I am finally catching up here. My committee responsibilities are almost finished, graduation is over and things are getting easier. My daughter's open house is next week followed by her Spanish class trip to Mexico and then it's summertime fun! I can't wait.

I have been knitting and spinning a little, but not as much as I would have liked. I just finished this skein:

It's from Crown Mountain Farms, one of the discontinued corriedale pencil rovings. For the life of me I can't remember the colorway, but it's all shades of purple. I really love this one. 8oz and about 475 yds. I think it's probably around dk or light worsted. Any ideas for a project?

I have an almost finished Rusted Root too. I am so close on this one. I need to finish one sleeve and then do the neck and it's done!

I'm bummed that you can see where I wove in some ends, but I think that will block out fine. When I pull it tight with my fingers, it doesn't show at all. It's so cute. Now I just hope it fits! (I'm ashamed to admit, I am too chicken to try it on. Silly.)

Now I am happily spinning away on some more fiber from Crown Mountain Farms. This is the superwash and it drafts like a dream. I'm excited to ply this one and see how the colors play out.

It's looking very nice so far. One of these days I need to knit some projects from my handspun. For now though, I am just content to look at it and know that I made it.

For Jenna

2008-05-06T11:44:00.006-04:00

My spinning, dyeing, knitting friend Jenna informed me last night at our SABLE meeting, that she no longer wanted to see the hairy chip. Haha! That cracked me up, so I thought I should do a new post (not like it wasn't completely overdue anyway). I had so much fun again last night. We have the best bunch of ladies ever! I keep forgetting to take pictures though. Chris has a few here (scroll down a little), but some of them don't seem to be showing up. She is always stalking us with her camera while we TRY to look natural, right Chris? I can't go next week and I am seriously going to have withdrawals. Sniff. Erica, you can sympathize. We may have to pout together.

I worked on my Rusted Root a little this weekend. I really like this pattern so far. I should try it on, but I'm just too lazy to put it on some yarn and do it. I'm not worried about it though, because if it's too small my daughter has already laid claim to it.

It's looking cute so far, yay!

I am doing pretty well on my committment to stop buying yarn for a while, however I have fallen off the wagon in the fiber department. Oops!

All 3 of these gorgeous creations are from Coby. Kim and I had way too much fun on our visit with her.

I'm also eyeing this and this in Jenna's Etsy shop. Actually I'm drooling over a lot more than those 2, but I promised myself I would spin some of what I have before I buy more. I might have to wait until June the way my schedule is looking.
I'm so ready for summer vacation.

Hairy chip?

2008-04-22T08:17:00.004-04:00

Did that get your attention? I couldn't resist posting this, because how often can you use a title like that? I found this in the chip bag the other day.

I know it's not really hairy, but ewwwww.

It's been very busy here as usual. The Monkey had a big history project due in school last week. The 3rd graders have a "wax museum" where they dress up like someone and write a report. Then they are displayed like wax museum characters. He was George Washington.

He looks so funny in his wig lol! He had fun, but he didn't like it that kids laughed at his hair. That wig was tight on his head and made his little cheeks pop out like a chipmunk. It was cute.

Only secret knitting going on here. I have halted on the Juliet. Cotton fleece doubled weighs a ton. I am not sure I want a 2000 lb summer top. Any ideas?

I finally took some pics of my latest spinning project.

Northern Lights pencil roving in Icy Winter. I really like how the colors played out in this one. I have just a few overplyed spots, but hopefully they won't be a problem.

I'm not sure it will happen, but I am really hoping to get some knitting and spinning time in this week. It has to be better than last week right? My wheel stayed in the same position for the whole week. That is way too long!

I'm really excited for Friday. I finally get to meet my online friend Kim. We are meeting at Coby's studio for some shopping and chatting. We've sent messages and stuff for a while now, and finally we found a time to meet up. I can't wait!

Have a great week everyone!

Catching up

2008-04-12T08:51:00.008-04:00

It's been a busy week here. Spring break just makes for a whole different schedule. When the kids are home the time just flies by, the house is continually a bit more of a mess than usual and we just don't get the same things done.

Small amounts of craftiness have occurred.

I did cast on a new project. It's the Juliet pattern. I have loved this little top since I saw the pattern come out and just never got around to starting it. (Sorry the pic is inside out, oops.) It's very simple to knit and goes really fast. I am just not sure how much I will like the finished object. I think it's going to be REALLY heavy. I am using Cotton Fleece doubled and wow, it already feels like it weighs a ton. Not sure I'm gonna like that.

The cotton fleece I am using is a "second" and has these little areas that didn't seem to take the dye. I can't quite decide whether this will bug the crud out of me or not. At least it's a fast project, so if I hate it and decide to rip, there won't be so much time lost. Hmm...what to do.

I have been spinning a little too. I finished the Caribbean roving.

I still have to figure out the wpi and yardage. If I have enough, I may try to make a little shrug out of this to go over tank tops. I'm pretty happy with it. I was trying for a thicker yarn and this is definitely thicker than sock yarn. The learning process is fun at least! :)

I started some new fiber too. I got this at the Spinning Loft. Beth had a great swatch knit from this pencil roving and I couldn't resist it.

Pretty huh! I'm hoping for a hat and scarf set out of this one. If this Michigan weather doesn't stop it's ups and downs, I may still be able to wear it this spring. (That is so not funny!)

Yesterday The Sporty One passed her driving test. I have survived another one. If you've never been through it, it's one of the most stressful hours of a parent's life. You are not allowed to help them at all and you have to just sit and pray they do nothing wrong and that they pass. Ugh, it was so nerve wracking. I'm just glad it's over. Now I just have to worry about her being on the road by herself! Yikes!

I make good yarn!

2008-04-04T20:16:00.007-04:00

Me! I can make good yarn! And it's not just me saying that.
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This past weekend I went to a spinning class at the FABULOUS Spinning Loft. It wasn't just any old class either. It was a spinning-for-socks class with Abby. THE ABBY! ABBY FRANQUEMONT Abby! (Breathe in, breathe out. I'm ok.)

Can ya tell I am a little starstruck? I grabbed her and made her have her picture taken with me. This woman is amazing. Not only is she a fantastic teacher, she makes gorgeous batts, writes a great blog, and produces wonderful videos.

So anyhoo, at this class, we learned a TON! How to spin long wearing yarn, how to spin a sproingy yarn, how to preserve color in a roving, long draw, navajo plying...yeah...all that!

I took along some of my yarn to show Miss Beth the spinning queen. It was this yarn, the 3rd one I spun.

Not only did Miss Beth tell me I did a nice job, so did Abby! She even said it on her blog! She used the word impeccable and my yarn in the same sentence! Eeek! I couldn't be more excited. I think I actually almost peed my pants. It was a wonderful day and I would take another class from her in a heartbeat. Between Beth and Abby, we were truly in the midst of mega knowledge and talent. Sigh.........

I could talk all day about that class, but I will stop gushing.

I do have something else to talk about. I even have another FO to share. Eh, not a great one, but hey it's finished right?

Simple stockinette socks for my niece. Boring by yarn used from stash and a gift finished. That can't be all bad right?

Well I'm off to work on another secret project. I will share when I can.

Mad spinner

2008-03-27T11:32:00.011-04:00

I hope all you knitters out there don't desert me. Where are ya all anyway? (translate - leave me some comments would ya?!!!) I digress. Don't hate me because I am addicted to spinning.
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I am improving! Yay!

Here is the Pigeon Roof. I love love love this skein. This is actually taken before I soaked it. It's nice and "fluffed up" now. I might save it for a hat. :)

New stuff on the wheel is some roving I dyed myself.

I took a dyeing class at City Knitting a couple of weeks ago from the fabulous Rita. I had so much fun and absolutely loved dyeing, despite the fact that I was the most math challenged pupil there.

I started spinning it and I just love it. It totally reminds me of the Caribbean. Maybe that's why I love it so much. Me, the one who lives in Michigan and fears never seeing spring temps again. (It's supposed to snow again...sigh.) Anyhoo, when I spin it, I will just imagine myself on a cruise ship looking out over the ocean. Who says I have to live in reality all the time right?

Even Brodie wants spring. He loves laying in the sun. ;)

P.S. - I have been knitting too. I almost have the niece socks done and have completed a few more rows on the shawl.

Goals met

2008-03-23T19:47:00.005-04:00

I hope everyone had a nice Easter. Ours was pretty relaxing. Church this morning, lunch at my mom's house and then basically trying to keep the kids out of the candy for the rest of the day.

I have been trying to keep up with my routine of setting small goals each day. I find this really helps me to prioritize what I want to get done and actually do it. Today's goals were to ply the Pigeon Roof singles, upload a couple of things to Ravelry, and finish the pink Gedifra socks.

I had these kitchenered for about 2 minutes before they were snatched from my hands and quickly put on The Sporty One's feet. She even said she would model for the blog. I'm sure these will rarely be in the sock drawer. They will probably be snagged off the drying rack right onto someone's feet.

I finally edited the pics of the latest handspun. This is Crown Mountain Farms pencil roving in Chocolate Bar. (I think it's a discontinued color.) At first I really didn't like it, but as I was plying, it started to grow on me.

I'm hoping for a pair of socks out of this and I know there will be enough left for a pair of wristwarmers and/or a hat.

Pics of the Pigeon Roof will have to wait. I don't have it off the bobbin yet.

Tomorrow's goals include: start spinning something new, get the niece's 2nd sock to the heel flap, do at least 4 rows on the new shawl I have started and get the Pigeon Roof yarn wound off and set the twist. I think I can do that.

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Just to give you a glimpse of the silly stuff that goes on around here, The Monkey thought his Easter bucket would be a good hat.

Crazy cute little bucket head.

Melody

2008-03-18T15:37:00.003-04:00

Introducing Melody, a lovely lace scarf made from silky cashmere yarn.

Skill level intermediate.

3-page pattern calls for one skein of Mama Llama Silken Cash and includes both charts and written directions.

Available in the sidebar.

A whole new SSS

2008-03-17T14:09:00.006-04:00

Those of you that know me, know that this would not be Second Sock Syndrome. I almost ALWAYS finish a pair of socks, unless there is a problem with the yarn or the pattern etc. I love wearing handknit socks too much to NOT finish.

So what's this new SSS?

Silly.

Sock.

Saga.

The saga started with a request from the Sporty One to knit her friend a pair of socks. So I cast on these:

They were turning out very cute, but they were too small. Doggone it. (Later they will be gifted to my niece. She will love the colors.)

So....on to the 2nd pair. I started to make these:

What was the problem with these? Absolutely nothing! The girls fell in love with the yarn and forbid me from giving them away. Strike 2!

3 strikes and you're out right? Well good thing I didn't strike out.

At last! A finished pair. Simple stockinette socks in Opal yarn. They have been gifted and she loves them. Yay.

So that's the end of my

Silly.

Sock.

Saga.

Now to finish those two other pairs.......

(It's easy Maple, really.)

Hope Lodge

2008-03-10T09:21:00.008-04:00

A while back I was asked to donate my time to knit and design some squares for a blanket. This blanket will help benefit the Hope Lodge. I had been thinking and praying about doing something knitting related for charity and then Kim contacted me. It was perfect timing and so appropriate. I have an aunt that was diagnosed with cancer (she's doing well by the way), so this cause was near and dear to my heart.

Kim also set up this blog highlighting this wonderful opportunity to give back. You can read about you can win this beautiful blanket just by dontating. Chris from Briar Rose dyed and donated all the gorgeous yarn for this one-of-a-kind blanket.

Isn't it beautiful? It is a total joy to knit with!

I made 4 different squares for the blanket. Each stitch was knit with love and the hope that it will do some good.

Click here if you would like to help.

Thanks!

Something new

2008-03-08T21:02:00.009-05:00

This week was a time of new things for me. First I started spinning some new fiber. This is Crown Mountain Farms pencil roving in Chocolate Bar. It is very hard to photograph and get the colors right. This is the best I could get.

I split it into 2 - 4oz balls so I can spin two singles and ply them together. I am anxious to see them plied together because they are quite different. Half of the fiber was much darker than the other, so that should be interesting.

The first one is dark chocolate brown, some black and dark copper.

The 2nd one (excuse the crappy flashed out pic) is more rusty, peach and brown. I hope I like them when they finally meet up. I do love the barber poling effect, so hopefully I will get some of that.

I really want to finish it so that I can start this!

I got this gorgeous stuff from Pigeon Roof and it is even prettier in person. I am dying to spin it.

Also in the mail this week, I received a wonderful package from Opal in Hawaii. It was a total surprise and I totally love it. It was a little because of these!

They are delicious whole macadamia nuts covered in chocolate. I bit one in 1/2 there and laid it on top of the box so you could see the inside. I can't even tell you how yummy and how much of a treat they are to me.

Also in the box was this gorgeous pair of gloves. They are in my favorite colors (pink and green) and they fit perfectly! I have really long fingers, and can rarely find a pair of gloves with fingers long enough for me. Now I have some and they are handmade by a friend. How perfect! I absolutely love them. Thanks Opal!!!!

At least my feet are warm

2008-03-01T14:10:00.005-05:00

Well I think (actually I am sure of it) I have a bad case of the winter blahs. I have accomplished very little, I am totally sick of snow and dreary weather and I'm just a little grumpy.

BUT.......................

At least my feet are warm.

AND I have really cute slippers. Finally I finished (including embellishments) my own Felted Clogs. I still say this pattern is genius, a great stashbuster and it's such a comfortable slipper to wear. Perfect! Go make yourself some! Really.

This is going to be the shortest post on record but the last couple of weeks have just been the kind where nothing is very exciting. I have done some knitting, organizing, baking and spinning but the slippers will have to be enough for the blog for today.

What do you all do to keep yourself from getting the winter blahs?

Ups and Downs

2008-02-19T12:32:00.007-05:00

Just when you think things are looking up, a big wrench gets thrown at you and hits you square in the side of the head. Like WHACK!

I was all excited. I finally finished those doggone Regia socks. You know the ones....those evil grey ones that have been haunting me for a while. Well finally they are finished! Yay!

Thankfully they fit me better than the crappy sock blockers that I have. If nothing else, these will be worn a lot. I am just so happy that they are done.

Now for the crash and burn part. This morning I woke up to a message telling me that there were errors in the written part of my Sweet Alyssum pattern. What a downer. I thought we caught them in the test knitting stage. Well.......um, WOW, we definitely didn't! So, if you have copied the pattern, you may want to go back to Crystal Palace as soon as the corrections are posted and copy the modified version. Both sections 1 and 2 have errors, but the charts are fine. Talk about embarassing! I feel so bad. A nice gal named Amy brought them to my attention and I spent most of the morning going through the pattern with a fine-toothed comb. My sincerest apologies to anyone that struggled with it.

I am working on another design too. It is looking beautiful so far. Wanna sneak peek?

This is being triple checked right now lol!

We had ANOTHER snow day today. The kids were home again and we stayed put as much as possible. There were tons of accidents and the visibility was horrible. The kids were thrilled and so was Brodie.

He loves having everyone home. Here he is giving The Sporty One a big kiss. Awww. Look at that little tongue.

Stay safe everyone!

Old and New

2008-02-12T21:45:00.002-05:00

Well the weather is getting old. We had no church Sunday evening and another snow day yesterday. This is one nasty winter. So instead of school, we baked cookies.

Valentine cookies. They were fun and they are almost gone. We like us some cookies!

On to the new. New FO's!

I managed to finish up a couple of projects.

The Thumbelina socks for Cath are finished and my girls do NOT want me to mail them. They were both hoping these were here to stay. I think eventually I will have to make myself a pair with this pattern. I have already knit 3 pairs and I am still not sick of the pattern. If anyone is interested, I may write it up for free on the blog.

I also embellished the Felted Clogs for my friend. I am giving them to her tomorrow. Yay!

These were my first try at needlefelting onto a felted item. Not too bad eh? I think they turned out pretty well and I am happy with them.

I used my handy dandy new Clover needle felting tool. Very easy to use. I think I will get a lot of use out of this one.

TGIF

2008-02-08T10:54:00.000-05:00

Don't you just love Fridays? I do. I get excited for the weekend, even if we don't have any big plans. The girls won't be home for dinner tonight (they both have to work, bummer), but we get to sleep in tomorrow, and usually I get lots of knitting time on the weekend.

I am winding down on a few projects here that I really want to work on. I want some FO's!!!

The blue sweater has one sleeve in, so now I just need to put in the other one, do the collar, and the buttonbands. I know this will take me a bit yet, just because this is my least favorite part of knitting a sweater. I am anxious to wear it though, so I will try to stick with it.

I did make these clogs for my friend who I clean with. I might try to embellish these a little with some needle felting. I will try to get a pic when I'm done.

The Thumbelina socks for Cath are zipping right along too. I am to the heel flap on the 2nd sock, so I know I will finish these this weekend. I still love this pattern and this yarn. These are a joy to work on.

We are supposed to get more yucky weather this weekend and early next week. Enough already!

This is what it looked like out my kitchen window before our snowday yesterday. Makes you just wish you lived in Michigan right? Hee.

Wonderful Wacky Wednesday

2008-01-29T22:34:00.000-05:00

Despite the fact that it's been over a week since I posted again (whoops), today is a good day. My girls are home, which makes them very happy. Their school was closed due to illness. I guess yesterday, there were 12 teachers sick and over 100 students. Wow. Everyone stay home and get better, (and quit breathing your icky germs on each other) k?
-----
We are in another nasty weather pattern. Warm yesterday with rain, which transformed during the night to FREEZING temps, nasty winds, and blowing and drifting snow. The roads are a mess and there are tons of schools closed for weather too. NOT my favorite kind of weather, but I didn't have to go to work right? Bonus! (I would show you a picture, but it looks mostly the same as last time, but with blowing snow.)
-----
On to the goodies! Handspun! The real thing. Woot!

My own yarn. I did all the spinning myself. Can ya tell I am a little proud? This is before washing.

And here, on my spiffy new niddy noddy. (My kids think that word is so funny.)

Do these look okay? (Be kind.) If you think they're really horrible, don't tell me.

The first skein is 156 grams/about 410 yds. The smaller one is 74 grams/220 yds. I have no clue what I will make with them, but I am just geeked that I can make something with actual YARN that I made myself.

-----
I have been working on another pair of Thumbelina socks. These are for Cath, in her Monterey yarn. This stuff knits up beautifully. Fast too! Sometimes it's so fun to knit a fast pair. This sock only took two days, and a lot of that time I had major distractions. Parker was home sick, doing some spinning, charting a new pattern.....yeah, I've been a little busy.

Forgive me for trying them on Cath. They look so much better on a foot. I really didn't want to take it off. They're so soft! (How fast can you dye me some Vino in this yarn hehe?)

---
I think these will be very comfortable. I hope she enjoys wearing them as much as I am enjoying knitting them for her. I am almost finished writing the pattern for these. It seems like I have been working on it forever. Oh well, that's how some of them go.

-----
Brodie has been enjoying having us home so much. With the kids sick and the weather forcing us to stay home more, he loves all the attention.....and nap time.

Yesterday he chose the vacuum hose. Dork.

Winter Wonderland?

2008-01-22T14:26:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure how wonderful THIS is. Wow, are we getting dumped on! Since the beginning of the weekend, I think we have had about 16 inches of snow here.

The kids were thrilled. School was cancelled. Bonus! I decided to use the day to catch up on some laundry, email and work on a sock. (Not the grey ones, ugh, I am still not done with those.)

------

I also finished another little project today. A neckwarmer to match my fingerless mitts.

I took my What-knot scarf pattern and made a shorter version, crocheted on an edging and used a one-of-a-kind handmade button to finish it off. I think it will be perfect!

I will not ever confess how much I spent on the button, but it was so perfect with the yarn that I couldn't pass it up. Plus I am supporting an artisan who works hard to make something very special, which is good for both of us, right?

----

Brodie says "take it easy everyone".

Who needs Martha?

2008-01-19T10:50:00.000-05:00

Not me. I have my very own "good things".

First up the Regia socks. I am really not enjoying knitting these at all, but the good thing is that I am to the heel flap on the second sock. At least I can see the end in sight right?

The dark yarn is NOT FUN people, but I really want a pair of dark socks to wear with black, so I will press on. Even if it kills me. Ugh.

Good thing #2:

I have been playing with lace again. Ahhh...I could knit lace forever.

It's a scarf pattern I have been working on, and this is my swatch. More info later on this. It's being test knitted now. Yay!

My next good thing is more designing. I have been playing with some sock ideas and finally I think I might have one that could work. I did some swatching and ripping yesterday, but I hope the ripping part is over (at least for this design).

As you can see, I'm not very far yet though. Keep your fingers crossed for me, k?

And finally........I saved the best for last. I have been spinning again! I missed it a lot. I finally hauled out the wheel and got a little bit done. I even attended a new spinning meeting this week and it was exactly what I needed to get inspired to spin again.

I have another bobbin started too, but I think I may have been overspinning a little on the second one. I think I like to treadle fast, so I will have to make some adjustments to prevent it. I am still learning all this stuff about tension, ratios etc. I truly am clueless. I hope the ladies at the spinning group can help me learn, and I think I might call Beth and schedule a lesson or two when I can work out a time to get to her shop.

So there Martha! Ha!

Sneak over

2008-01-14T08:26:00.000-05:00

The contest is over. The winners have been chosen. The secrets of the sneak can now be revealed.

I love contests and I love comments. I especially like regular comments. Hence the sneak factor. I chose the first winner from PREVIOUS commenters. I snuck back to the post BEFORE the contest post, went to the random number generator, and chose a winner from there. It picked #1 for me.

The first winner is KNITERELLA! Congrats! Thanks for commenting and I will try to get a prize out to you soon. Please email me (link in the sidebar), or contact me on ravelry with your mailing information.

Now for the rest of you.......I didn't want to be completely evil and leave you out. I can be a lurker (I hate that word lol - sounds so creepy) on some blogs too. I comment very regularly on quite a few, but some I am guilty of lurking on. I really enjoyed seeing who is out there reading, even if you don't comment every time. So....even though I did not get to my hope of 40 commenters, I am going to give a 2nd prize anyway. Without telling her why, I asked my friend Cath to pick a number from 1-33. She chose 23. Well, CHRIS was commenter #23. So she is the 2nd winner. Same for you Chris, send me your info and I will get something to you soon.

Thanks for playing along everyone! I hope to see more of you regularly! (bwahahahaha!)

Sneaky contest

2008-01-11T08:43:00.000-05:00

Did that get your attention? Did your ears perk up? Are you ready for free fibery stuff?

Ok, earlier I mentioned a contest. I have finally decided on how I want to do it. I will warn you....it is sneaky. It won't be run in a traditional way, but in a sneaky way. I am also keeping the prize a secret. I love surprises so that's why I am doing it this way. All will be revealed when the contest closes on Sunday night. I will announce the winner then, or on Monday morning. (I'm covering myself here, in case my brain refuses to remember this on Sunday.)

I am hoping this brings some of you lurkers out of the closet. I know a lot more people read this blog than I hear from in the comments. I am hoping that I get to hear from a few more of them! As part of the sneakiness (is that a word?), I have a number in my head. If I reach this number of comments, I will increase the prizes. So leave a comment and good luck!

First FO of 2008

2008-01-07T08:49:00.001-05:00

Well, it's only the first week in January and I have already finished something! YAY!

Yesterday I quickly whipped out a pair of fingerless mitts for myself. I have had this yarn in the stash for a while (leftovers from my What-knot scarf), and it was much too pretty to waste. Alex claimed my Fetchings for herself, leaving me without. Plus I used stash yarn. 2 goals met!

Speaking of goals, I have been making lists for myself again this year. This is my way of staying on track. I do so much better with a list to work from. I tell ya, my memory sucks! I mean REALLY sucks. If I don't write it down, I WILL forget. Just ask my kids.

The weather is crazy here. Yesterday it was almost 60 degrees! 60!!! It's January. In MICHIGAN! Weird.

This is the view out my window this morning. Just makes ya want to knit all day on that sock doesn't it?

Brodie thinks it's a good day for napping.

What a life. If dogs could knit, I think I might like to be a dog for a day.

Guilt vs Happiness

2007-12-30T19:17:00.000-05:00

This week I have been thinking a lot about guilt. Guilt can hold us back, or it can really challenge us to move forward. Some guilt is trivial, some runs deep.

I experienced a little humorous trivial guilt this Christmas. I made socks for my mom, sis and niece and they were very well received. But.....my dad made it very clear that it wasn't fair that he hadn't been given any wool socks or slippers. I had no idea he even wanted a pair and I felt a little guilty. This was cause for action.

I immediately cast on for some felted slippers for him. Guilt no more!

Amy and I were discussing the guilt of stash. We are both feeling guilty over the size of our stashes. Mine is truly bad. I know there are many others out there who have tons more yarn than I do, but I know this is too much for ME to have. I am going to try very hard in the new year to buy very little yarn and work from the stash whenever possible. Dad's slippers were from stash yarn and I will be using more stashed wool very soon.

I will be making slippers for myself. I received these for Christmas last year and I have literally loved them to death. The holes are getting so big that I really have no choice but to make myself new slippers quickly. Michigan winters do not go well with holey slippers.

There are other things that make me feel guilty too, but I have been told by a very good friend that I shouldn't be so hard on myself. In 2008 I am going to stop putting so much pressure on myself, comparing myself to others and just be me. I am going to concentrate on the things and people that make me happy. I am not superwoman, nor do I want to be. I will never be the best designer, blogger (I'm not even going to apologize for not posting in 2 weeks), friend etc. in the world. I am just going to be myself.

I will leave you with a silly picture of Brodie. (I know he's not a cat, but some bloggers actually have cute dogs lol.) It looks like he is just staring aimlessly at the cupboard....

but actually, he is sitting directly in front of the heat vent and letting the hot air blow on him. What a silly dog.

Next time I will have to tell you about our crazy trip.

A little bit of everything

2007-12-15T22:27:00.000-05:00

First.........remember this?

Well, now you can make one too! The pattern is available now and it's FREE!
You can get it here. I hope you enjoy it.

Second.........my Christmas knitting will be done in time. I only have a week, but I will make it. I will have lost of knitting time this week. Why you say?

Three........I am going on a cruise! I'm leaving in the morning for a week. The hubby and I are taking a little "us time". I just pray the plane can get out. We are supposed to get dumped on with a ton of snow tonight. Well, I had hoped for a bigger update, but I just plain ran out of time. I will definitely have things to show off when I get back though.

I hope you all have a great week!

A Christmas Meme (apologies to those that hate them)

2007-12-08T12:48:00.000-05:00

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate!
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? I wrap all the gifts and put them under the tree as I am done with them.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Always all white.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope never have. I don't want people randomly kissing me, thanks.
5. When do you put up your decorations? As soon as possible after Thanksgiving. This year it's mostly just the tree. I am not going all out.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? There is no way I can pick just one. My favorite things are the appetizers and sweets that nobody bothers with during the year.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Probably when I got my Ballerina Barbie. (dorky, I know)
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? It was so long ago, I can't remember.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes, we usually have a party that night.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? With tons of ornaments, mostly white, gold, red, and rust.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I love it at Christmas time and for a couple weeks after that.Then it can leave!
12. Can you ice skate? Yes, and I can even go backwards, really!
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Not really, I don't actually get many.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Remembering the birth of Jesus and spending time with my family.
15. What's is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Again, I'm not sure I can choose just 1.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Baking tons of goodies and bringing them to all th parties I attend. Sadly, I won't get to do much of it this year.
17. What tops your tree? A gold star this year.
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Definitely giving. I could really care less if I get anything. I like watching everyone else open their gifts.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? O Holy Night
20. Candy Canes?No, but I like the white chocolate bark with peppermint.
21. Do you feel Christmas is too commercialized? Definitely.
22. Real tree or artificial?I like both. We have a fake tree for ease and for allergies.
23. Do you put lights up on the outside of your house? My wonderful hubby does, and he does a great job. No sloppy cheesey lights here.
24. Do you do a Christmas Dinner or Supper and who cooks? Not really. Many years we are somewhere else on Christmas, but if we do, I cook.
25. Is your family the everyone unwraps gifts at once sort or do you do it one gift at a time as the others watch? One at a time. I hate it when I miss something.
26. Do your pets share in the festivities? Not really, we have never really given Brodie many gifts. He is in the room with us though.

I shamelessly took this idea from another blog. I love reading about Christmas traditions, so if you feel like it, fill out your own.

Weekender Wrap

2007-12-04T07:43:00.001-05:00

I am excited. My Weekender Wrap pattern is up at Crystal Palace. There are lots of other great patterns there too.

It is a free pattern! Yay!

I used the Panda Wool yarn (color hydrangea), which knits and blocks beautifully. This was the stole that I knit twice and I still love it. I can't say that about many patterns. I hope you enjoy it!

Pattern is here and you can link to it here on Ravelry.

I finished a pair of slippers for my daughter's boyfriend.

Obviously they have not been felted yet. They are HUGE!

Well I am off to do some Christmas shopping today. Wish me luck.

A great weekend

2007-11-27T20:59:00.000-05:00

I hope you all had a great holiday weekend. I know I did. I will admit to going out with the crazies early Friday morning trying to get the bargains. I didn't get everything I wanted, but I still did ok. I managed to pick up a few Christmas presents, had a great time with my sister and snagged myself a new toy.

Finally, I am the proud owner of a new laptop. I can now take my computer to my favorite knitting spot and multi-task more comfortably than ever. I am still getting used to it, but so far I just love it. Mom's sock has been keeping me company, and as you can see, I am almost done. I just need to kitchener the toe, and woo hoo, a gift is finished.

I have already started another gift too. Another pair of socks, and these will be for my sis.

I'm using a new yarn for me, Araucania Ranco. I picked a semi-solid in shades of gray for her (she usually doesn't like loud socks). I hope I like working with it. It has split a few times already, which really tends to bug me, but the color might win me over.

I almost used this.....

Almost.....you see, I won this skein from Sharon's blog. I love the colors (Sharon dyed it), so I wasn't sure I could give it up. She sent it all the way from South Africa. My kids were so impressed. They think it is so cool that I know people all over the world. I am always talking about Arkansas, Texas or Hawaii because I have knitting friends in all those places. I've said it before, but I just love how knitting brings people together.

Since I've been gone....

2007-11-19T12:52:00.001-05:00

Wow it's been two weeks since I posted! Yikes, sorry! In case you're interested (you 3 people who still read this), here's a little update since I posted last.

I attended at least 4 looooong musical practices and tweaked costumes.
I attended dress rehearsal and 3 performances, all of which were at least 3 hours.
I knitted half of mom's second sock.
I knitted a few rows on the prayer shawl.
I charted a new lace pattern for a stole for a friend.
I worked on the triangle shawl pattern a bit.
I bought a little bit of yarn and resisted some more.
I got sicker than a dog and looked horrible enough for people to comment on it.
I layed on the couch for two days doing nothing because I felt as rotten as I apparently looked. (I HATE being sick!)
I made my bed for the first time in about 4 days. (If you knew me well, you would know that I RARELY-as in almost NEVER- leave my bed unmade. That is how crazy busy and sick I was.)
I bought my first and only Christmas present this weekend. (Could I have an extension please?)
I now have to wash and sort some musical costume stuff so I still don't have time to take pics and write a better post.

I am so thankful I don't have to cook the turkey this week! I don't have the energy. I will try very hard to take some pics in the next couple of days so my blog doesn't look so boring. Sigh.

Oh, just to add a little excitement.......there might be a contest coming up..........stay tuned.

It's all about the progress

2007-11-05T12:58:00.001-05:00

I have a confession to make. Last week I was feeling very overwhelmed. I wasn't getting as much done as I wanted, I had a rotten cold and I was struggling a bit with feeling depressed. Not really depressed, just blah. (It didn't help that none of you have been commenting lately either...sniff. Haha, just kidding. I know how busy ya all get!)

I knew that the next two weeks would be crazy with the musical and costumes, Christmas was less than 2 months away, and things were not going as well as I expected. So I didn't knit on much of anything. A few rows here and there, and that was it.

Then I managed to work a BUNCH on my shawl pattern. I am finally close to finishing it. YAY! That helped me to feel better. That pattern was hanging over my head and I had no desire to work on it. I'm so glad I finally buckled down and did it. I feel so much better now that I have made a lot of progress.

I also got a fair amount done on the prayer shawl for my friend. My hands paid for it, ouch, but I have over a foot of knitting done.

Remember these socks?

Well, I hate them. Plain and simple. My girls think they are really cute, but I don't like them at all. I was going to knit my niece socks for Christmas, and she would really love these. They are totally her colors. However, she is only 8. These would be way too long. So, I made an executive decision to rip the toe off and shorten the foot to her size. That way I am 1/2 done with a gift, I won't have to feel bad that these just aren't me and everyone is happy! :)

Sock #1 is finished for mom too. I was beginning to think I might have to give her the Sedona Socks after all. (Many thanks by the way to those of you who have purchased the pattern already! I really appreciate it!)

I really like these! I will definitely make this pattern again. Maybe even for my sister for Christmas. I am pretty sure I have yarn in the stash for them and still plenty of time to make them.

So.....I am just excited that I have made some progress, and I don't even care that nothing is finished. I'm getting there, and that's what counts.

Feeling thankful

2007-10-30T20:51:00.000-04:00

Today I am feeling very thankful for my knitting. My friend Sal and I were having lunch today and I was showing her my new sock.
This one!
A total stranger (not a scary one at all children) walks up and starts asking questions about the Magic Loop method. She had been using 2 circulars and was really curious about using just one. I showed her how it was done and she is going to try it. She probably would never have said a word to me if I hadn't had that sock going.

Well, this lady kept talking to us off and on and asked if we knew each other before knitting. Well actually Sal and I met because our daughters sang in the same choir. However, KNITTING was what got us together. One night at a concert I was knitting a sock before the singing actually started. Well Sal walked right up to me and started talking socks and yarn and needles. We have been great friends ever since. I don't know what I would do without her.

Knitting equals friends to me. There are many great people in my life that I never would have met if it wasn't for KNITTING! Some of my best friends I have never actually met. It doesn't matter.....we love each other.....we love knitting.....we click. Non knitters do not understand this pneomenon. Belive me, I know. I told someone this a week or two ago and she looked at me like I had a knitting needle sticking right out of my head. Oh well, I don't care if they get it or not. I know they are true friends and they know how much they mean to me.

Sedona Socks

2007-10-23T10:18:00.000-04:00

The pattern is ready! Yay!

3 page pattern including chart. Available for download now.

$5.50

I am not dead

2007-10-22T09:36:00.001-04:00

Sorry if it seemed that I would never post again. I was determined not to post until I had finished the second Sedona sock, well, little did I know it would take me this long to finish the doggone thing.

Finally!

I love them and I am not sure I can give them away! I may have to make another pair for my mom for Christmas because these really need to stay with me I think.

One more?

I have already cast on for another pair that I charted out earlier this week. Hopefully they will look good too. I get knitting and then an idea pops in my head, so I quickly try to get it on paper, but then I get distracted by 5 other ideas.....you can see why these took so long. I'm still putting the finishing touches on the pattern (another thing that takes forever!), but hopefully it will be available here at the blog soon.

In family news........

The Musical One had her senior pictures taken last week. We think they turned out really well. This green shirt really made her blue eyes pop (no colored contacts involved). Now we just have to decide which ones to choose (there are over 20 that we love), what prints to have made and where to get them done. Gah! Senior year is busy!

Wrap it up!

2007-10-12T19:35:00.000-04:00

Or wrap me up...IT'S COLD HERE!!!!!! I asked for it. I got it. Today was about 50 degrees. This week our temps varied by 40 degrees. Oh well, I am ready for fall aaaaaaand.........
I do have this to throw on.....

I finally finished the re-knit of my stole. I am calling it the Weekender Wrap. I'm thinking I could easily wear this out to dinner and church on the weekends. I think it would look great over a fine-gauge sweater and slacks or a blouse and jeans.

Woo
and
Hoo!
I used my new blocking wires to block it out, and wow, did that make a difference! It was so much easier to get straight lines! If you don't have them, run like the wind to your computer and order yourself some! They will save you MEGA TIME!!!! (and sanity hehe)

Not much other news here, so I will leave you with Brodie begging for a belly scratch. He's such a dork.
:)
Oh, and wish me luck. Tomorrow for my committee we are making between 1500-1600 apple pies. Yeah, really. That many. Yikes.

Sunday and socks

2007-10-07T14:00:00.000-04:00

It's Sunday, a full week into October, and the temperature is over 80 degrees again. It's humid. It's hot. It's uncomfortable. I am enjoying knitting and charting in the cool of my air-conditioned house. Not a good day to be outside, but watching football and knitting is great for a Sunday, so I'm not disappointed. The Lions are behind, (sigh) I hope they get it together soon. Maybe I will watch a little Nascar too.

I'm still working on my Mama Llama socks. They are so pretty, I absolutely love them. One down, one to go.

They fit great too!

Now to finish the other one and get the pattern down on paper. If only that was as fun as the knitting!

A new season

2007-10-02T08:28:00.000-04:00

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. Maybe even my favorite. I have always been one of those people who couldn't completely decide on a favorite season. There are things I like about all of them. I do know that winter is NOT my favorite. I like snow and Christmas, but winter is just too long and nasty in Michigan. Spring is so wonderful with everything coming back to life, and summer is vacations, beaches, warm weather and camping. But fall.....all those colors, that crisp smell, the welcome cooler temperatures, warm cozy sweaters....mmm....I think it might be my favorite.

This week the hubby brought me a last hurrah of summer from a friend's garden. They are just beautiful!

The colors are just starting to change here. The grass is still green but the leaves are on their way. Hopefully you can see it a little bit on this picture, it was very foggy here this morning. The weather here has been a little odd. We have had really warm temps. It's going to be in the 80's again this weekend. Oh well. The cool temps will come.

Speaking of pretty......my friend Cath sent me this gorgeous hank of Bella bamboo sock yarn this week. I LOVE these colors!!!!!!!

I wasted no time and wound it into this lovely cake. I should have enjoyed it just like that for a while, but I couldn't stand it. I needed to cast on.

So far so good. I love this yarn! I love the colors! I love this pattern! Thanks Cath!

Have a beautiful fall day everyone!

Babble

2007-09-25T08:48:00.000-04:00

Do you ever have those days when you just feel like babbling? Random thoughts just pop into your head and you just want to talk about them? This has been happening to me all morning.

Examples:
-I love Rascal Flats.

-I hate grey hair - why do they have to be so squiggly and out of control?

-Why do I have zits and wrinkles at the same time?

-Why the heck was it over 90 degrees here yesterday? It's almost the end of September! I am ready for cooler weather than that!

-Why is it that the patterns you are dying to make do not match the yarns in your stash most of the time?

Ok, enough of that, want some pictures?

The never ending stole is close to ending! Ok, finally I am sick of it! I love the pattern but after knitting it twice, I am ready to be done. Plus I hate my sucky photos of this thing. They never look good until they're finished.

This pic of the other shawl is a little better I hope!

And this one?

Until now, I have been so faithful to the stole, but I may decide to cheat on it a little. I can only be a one project gal for so long right?

The cover sweater in this little booklet is really calling to me. A little cheating won't hurt right?

P.S. I have been missing my regular commenters. You know who you are hehe!

Make some noise

2007-09-16T08:24:00.000-04:00

This here blog has been way too quiet! I need to make some noise I think. Don't tell my kids. Lately I have been telling them to be more quiet all the time. As I get older the less tolerant I become of unnecessary noise. How about you? Is this normal? Good thing lace isn't noisy.

Soft maybe. Delicate.

Too bad light lavendar lace doesn't photograph better on light colored carpet. I will have to take some more pics later on my dark brown comforter. That should provide some good contrast!

This shawl was so fun to make, but I am glad to have it finished. Maybe I will have the Sporty One model it for me later today.

I also have the stole re-knit almost 1/2 way completed. I thought I would be so grumpy about it, but really I am not. I enjoy the pattern a lot and the Panda Wool is really nice to work with, so suprisingly I don't mind knitting it a bit. Too bad it just makes for boring-haven't-we-already-seen-that blog posts.

It's growing though! Yay!

In GREAT FAMILY NEWS, the Musical One tried out for the musical at our high school last week. They are doing Carousel. She got one of the lead parts!!!!!!! WOO and HOO! She will be playing Carrie, which is a great part with lots of solos! Yay again!

Well I will try not to be so quiet here. I am getting into the swing of my fall schedule, so hopefully it will be better now. Oh and speaking of fall, it was very very frosty here this morning. Not sure I am quite ready for that yet.

1/2 Post

2007-09-07T08:22:00.000-04:00

Today you are getting what I consider a 1/2 post. In other words, no pictures. Boring, I know. But life is just getting in the way of my blogging.

I have been making progress on the Kid Merino shawl. But you know lace, it just looks like a big blob until you block it, so I won't bore you with another blob picture. Just last night Opal and I were discussing this. Lace is just like magic when you pin it out, before that it is just "eh".

I finished the little cardi for my daughter. It fits great, but I still need a button for it. I am going to look for one today and I will post a pic when I have the button sewn on.

The designing is still coming along, but I am stuck on the charting. I really need an mentor lol. A great pattern writing, charting genius mentor. I have finally figured out some great things about Excel, but I still have so much to learn. I am thinking about getting a charting program, but they are a little pricey, so I may have to wait a bit.

Well I have like 1252 errands to run today so I better scoot. That committee I'm in charge of is just sucking the life out of me. I will make an excuse to stop at Barnes and Noble today though, because I heard they have some knitting books for 50% off. Gotta love a bargain!

Lessons learned

2007-08-30T07:27:00.000-04:00

I have learned a some lessons over the years, and even a few this week. Good lessons, bad lessons, funny lessons, duh-I-am-an-idiot lessons....they all have their value.

One silly lesson I learned lately is that if you like to knit with fuzzy yarn, as in a laceweight mohair blend, DO NOT buy a red couch. The project might be beautiful, lacey, yummy....

You might be in love with it. But then, you look where you were sitting, your inner clean self gasps in horror, you question your ability to stay sane when you are only 1/3 of the way through this project, because you see....

THIS! All over the couch. I see many hours of lint brushing in my future. I will press on, I will finish the shawl, I will get over the fact that my couch is going to look like do-do in the process. Ah well, that is a small enough price to pay for a beautiful knitted object, no?

Another lesson, gauge. You know where this is going don't you? This is my I-am-an-idiot lesson. I started a cardi for my daughter. It was looking so cute. It was looking small. It was a raglan. I could just keep increasing right? Um, no.

My daughter does not have a neck the size of a doll!!! Rip! Stupid, stupid, stupid. Soooo, now I have started over with my yarn doubled and it is looking much much better. Yay!

I should have this done sometime today, so she can wear it to school. My girls are obsessed with tank tops. They have MANY cute tank tops. They attend a school with a dress code that forbids anything sleeveless. We figured she could put this little cardi over them and stretch her wardrobe well into fall, saving me mucho bucks. Woo hoo!

A lesson on time management. Well frankly, lately I suck at it. This week has been the back to school transition week. This kids have a short week due to the holiday on Monday. It is good to have them back in school, but my busyness has not really improved much so far. Don't you think that there are just so many wonderful things to use our time on? Knitting, spinning, blogging, ravelry......I think I need about 2 more hours in my day. Speaking of ravelry, at first I thought I would never use it, now it usually wins out over blogging time. How do you all decide what to give your time to?

I may have learned a hard friendship lesson this week too. It is very disheartening to find that people you thought cared about you really might not. I'm sitting back and waiting to see what happens with this situation. Sad, just sad. I either need a hug or a fiber fix.

Next week

2007-08-23T07:03:00.000-04:00

I am SOOOO looking forward to next week. I have been home from camping since Sat and life has been pure chaos since then. The kids go back to school on Tuesday (can you say ahhhh?), so we have been buying a few last minute school supplies, getting organized and trying to enjoy these last few days of our summer.

On Sunday the hubby and I snuck out for a couple of hours to the Michigan Fiber Festival. I really didn't think I would get there this year, because technically (hehe) I didn't NEED anything. I do like to go and look around and I am very glad I did! I got to meet an internet friend! Maple and I have been commenting on each other's blogs for a while now, and I finally got to meet her in person. I also bought this from her:

I got 8 oz of this delicious alpaca. It's such a beautiful color. I just love all the natural colors! Aren't her labels cute? They have the picture and name of the actual animal that the fiber comes from. I think that is so great! I am anxious for school to start so I can get back to my spinning.

In other stash enhancement news, I recently entered a contest on the Loopy Ewe's blog. I happened to be chosen as one of the winners! YAY! This is what Sheri sent:

3 skeins of sock yarn! I have never tried any of these before either, so I was really excited to open this package. I will have lots of socks to knit this winter. Or maybe I will branch out and make one of those beautiful scarves out of two colors of sock yarn. Oh the possibilities!

Hopefully life will be back to a good schedule soon, and the blogging won't suffer quite so much. Thanks to all who stuck with me despite my lack of good content this summer.

Holy flower batman!

2007-08-11T14:39:00.000-04:00

Check this out! My niece gave me this giant flower. It is the craziest thing ever.

It's a giant cockscomb. That is ONE flower. ONE! Look at that stem! It is bigger than my hand. The top is fuzzy and slightly "brainish" looking. Pretty cool huh?

In the not-so-cool category, I finished my stole, but I think I will have to knit the entire thing again. I think I chose the wrong yarn for it. I blocked it out and it is gorgeous, but it doesn't retain it's shape. There is some elastic in it, which would be wonderful for other projects, but not for this one. I will probably do it again in a wool yarn.

I really love the looks of it, so I will definitely redo it if I can't use this one.

Well, we are off today for another week of camping at the beach. Last vacation of the summer....ahhhhh.

Mist scarf

2007-08-09T08:14:00.000-04:00

Lace anyone? Free pattern? It seems all over blogland, people have been bitten by the lace bug. I know I have. In case you have not been bitten yet, could I tempt you with a little project? I designed a lace scarf for Crystal Palace and the pattern is up! Yay!

The free pattern is available here. It's an easy repeat that would be great for beginning lace knitters. It's also a great take along project and stash buster, using only one ball (240 yds) of their Kid Merino.

Mine will be a Christmas gift for.....well I don't think I will tell, in case she stumbles on the blog. You could whip this up in no time for a gift for any occasion.

Enjoy!

Happy feet

2007-08-05T20:37:00.000-04:00

If you were hoping for penguins, sorry. Only happily-clad-by-handknits feet here. Yay! I felted the slippers from Knit 2 Together. They turned out really cute.

This pattern is so fast. Literally you can knit a pair in a couple of hours. The embellishing is another story. I am not kidding, it took me longer to put those silly lines on than it did to knit the slippers. I kept pulling it out because they were not straight enough, or not spaced properly, etc. If you are a perfectionist, for the sake of your sanity, pick a different embellishment! I definitely have plans for more of these. If you haven't already, buy the book! It's well worth the money, I mean, can you believe that price? Too cute to pass up!

I also finished a footie. Off the foot, these look freakishly long, but they do fit my daughter's size 8 1/2 foot quite well.

She doesn't have elf feet, really! They remind me of jelly beans. Fun colors, woot!

In other news, I have been sucked in to the giant hole of time spent, otherwise known as Ravelry. You can get lost in there for days! DAYS! I have finally managed to get a few of my projects listed (few, few). If I had always been a regular Flickr user it might not be taking me this long, but I have to upload everything there first. I am not fast at this. Not fast at all. Then all the labeling, getting distracted by other projects, looking for forgotten info about said projects, getting distracted by yarn, waiting for the bookshelf to load, finding friends. EEEEK! Time suck I tell ya, GIANT TIME SUCK! (I'm under "yenforyarn", look me up!)

Thirty something

2007-07-31T09:08:00.000-04:00

(a little yarnie cake for me)

Today it is official. I only have one more precious year of being thirty something. I am 39 years old today. I still can't comprehend what it will be like to be (gasp) 40. In. One. Year. One. Little. Year. Bwaaaaaa!

Ok, I'm back. I might have fainted there for a minute. I think it took longer to get up than yesterday too. Haha just kidding. I am very blessed. I have a wonderful husband, three beautiful children, my health and really great friends!

Have a great day everyone! Keep smiling! (even if you're old like me!) HA!

Surprised myself

2007-07-30T10:32:00.000-04:00

I had a good knitting weekend (for once lol). Not sure how it happened. I surprised myself. Saturday we went to my SIL's cottage for the day. On the way there and back I worked on the ankle socks for a bit and then made myself a couple of fun dishcloths.

I used the Darrell Waltrip pattern, you can find it here. It's so easy and looks great in the variagated yarns. I love the fun summery colors!

Then yesterday I was bitten by the slipper and felting bugs. Amidst a raging headache I made 2 pairs of slippers. I felted one pair, along with some slippers I made for my hubby a few weeks ago. I still have to felt the other new pair but so far I like them!

The navy blue ones are for the hubby, my own pattern. The purple and green ones are for The Sporty One. The pattern is from the book Funky Knits. I have to tweak the strap. I put it where the pattern wanted them, but I think I will cut them off and make new ones. I think they need to be closer to the toe than they are now. I'm not sure I will make that pattern again. The pink and blue pair are from the Knit 2 Together book, (they are for The Musical One). The pattern was a bit confusing at first, but they are so cute! I can see myself making several pairs of these for gifts. They still need to be felted and embellished, but so far so good.

In other exciting news (well for me at least), Opal has nominated me as a Rockin' Girl blogger.

Lately I don't feel very rockin', so I am really happy to be chosen. Thanks Opal!

I guess I have to nominate 5 people now. I hate choosing......you are all so great. Plus I am so far behind on my bloglines, I have no idea who has already been nominated. Here we go anyway:

1. Jeanie - she was recently mentioned by the Harlot herself!

2. Catherine - otherwise known as Mama Llama - she dyes some great yarn!

3. Marguerite - she knits such beautiful socks and sweaters!

4. Ev - check out her recent lace projects, yumm!

5. Robbyn - she is always creating something beautiful and interesting!

Now I have to live up to my Rockin' Girl status.

If you like contests, you can go here and enter to win a TV from 5 Minutes for Mom and Best Buy!

Recipe time!

2007-07-27T17:30:00.000-04:00

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

2-15 oz cans fiesta corn (Del Monte)
2-15 oz cans black beans
3 med to large tomatoes diced
2 green peppers chopped
1 small red onion chopped (or sub a sweet yellow onion)

Sauce:
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup vinegar
2 envelopes Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
Red hot pepper sauce to taste
2 small Jalapeno peppers (optional)
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Drain corn. Drain black beans and rinse well. Add chopped vegetables. Mix sauce ingredients together and pour over vegetables. Mix until coated. Serve with tortilla chips. If not serving immediately, refrigerate.

Variations:
You can also add 2 chopped avacados, but the salsa keeps much longer if you don't. It keeps for about 5 days in the refrigerator without them. This salsa can also be served over lettuce for a mexican salad. I don't always add the jalapenos as not everyone can tolerate spicy food. This recipe is very flexible. If there is another veggie you love, throw it in. Let me know if you do! Enjoy!

In the groove

2007-07-25T19:34:00.000-04:00

Ok, I am psyching myself up to get back in the blogging groove again. Here I have been home since Saturday and it is Wednesday, and I am FINALLY getting to the blog. Shame on me. Oh well, summer is like that, and I am definitely enjoying my summer.

I have a FO to share too. I finished the cream socks.

They have an easy diamond design on the front....

and up the back.

(Anyone else notice how hard it is to take pictures of your own feet without incredibly weird and wonky angles? Or is it just me?)

I have also been working on my stole. It is really growing. It feels weird to be making a stole of my own when EVERYONE else is knitting the Mystery Stole.

I am still debating how long to make it and whether or not to add fringe. Suggestions?

In case you are sick of all these boring/neutral projects, I did cast on some um, colorful socks today.

Now those should be fun and definitely not neutral lol.

I am also trying to add some color to my diet. I made a really good salsa last week. I'm telling you, this stuff is addicting. Once you start, you can't stop eating it. Yumm!

If anyone is interested, I can share the recipe. I am making it again this weekend. I can't wait!

Lame

2007-07-14T12:26:00.000-04:00

Me. Lame. End of story lol.

It's been a busy week of unpacking, cleaning, laundry and repacking. We are off for another week of camping. Sing with me now, "A camping we will go. A camping we will go. Hi-ho the trailer-o, a camping we will go."

I am taking the same projects this time, but hope to actually have time to work on them. See you all when I get back!

Great Expectations

2007-07-10T08:24:00.000-04:00

Can you see where this is going? You know what great knitting expectations I had for our camping week. Well......welcome to my world, where the great expectations are followed by the great crash and burn (hehe). I am taking it in stride though, because we had such a good time camping.

I did get to knit a little, but not much. The campground we were at had very little grass, so I only dared to take my socks out (wrapped carefully in their plastic bag). I really didn't work on them much because they are off-white. Off white socks and dirty campground don't go together so well. UGH!

We did get to do a lot of other fun things. The campground was in a really nice area with many activities within walking or biking distance.
The beach was right across the street.

The Monkey had fun in the sand.

Mini-golf was next door.

They had carts too. That's The Sporty One followed closely by the Musical One.

Followed not-so-closely by me and The Monkey. What a blast!

We even got to see the Wienermobile lol! We actually did many more things too, but I won't bore you all with more details.

Sooooo....even though not much knitting was accomplished, much family time was enjoyed by all, leaving us tired and happy.

Awww.

Racing around

2007-06-30T07:34:00.001-04:00

I was thinking that summer would be this wonderful time to relax. No school or school activities, kids home to help me get things done. Um, that is not working out so well for me. I think I am just as busy, or maybe more so. I have been running The Sporty One back and forth to driver's training for the past 3 weeks, packing for camping, working on a way-bigger-than-I-thought-it-was-going-to-be committee and cleaning up after 3 kids. What was I thinking. I just want to be laying in the sun by a pool with a margarita!

This is the only thing I have finished this week. One of my "neutral" socks. I did work a little more on the lace stole too, but I am still not nearly finished.

We are leaving today for camping. A whole week up north. We are going to Traverse City with some friends and staying at the state park. The Cherry Festival will also be going on, so we should have lots of fun.

The trailer is almost packed and we should be leaving in a couple of hours. The only drawback is I will have NO COMPUTER ACCESS when we are gone (breathe, Lisa, breathe). I can handle it I think. I have packed lots of good knitty stuff to keep me busy, just in case.

That's one pile. Some good books, graph paper (in case a design hits me lol), my current "neutral" projects, some sock yarn for the girls etc.

Oh yeah, I brought this basket too. Stuff for slippers, socks, dishcloths, a whole CONE of Zephyr! Yupp, I am ready!

Thanks for all your great comments about the neutral projects and whether or not you rip your "eh" stuff. I am bringing the pink sweater along with me, just in case I decide I still like it.

Too neutral?

2007-06-24T10:34:00.000-04:00

I was looking at my knitting projects yesterday and I noticed how totally neutral they are right now. White stole, cream socks, light gray yarn out for mystery stole. How totally neutral is that!

Actually it's kind of comforting somehow. Clean colors, not busy (like my life lol), and things I would wear.

I am very curious about neutral feelings towards knitting projects. Is there such a thing as being "too neutral" towards a project? I am decidedly neutral about the pink sweater. If I don't feel excitement for it, should I actually finish it? When should we just rip? Should we mostly love a project in order to finish it? Should I feel guilty if I rip it? Hmmm....something to ponder. Let me know what you all think. What do you do with your "eh" projects?

In NOT neutral news. I picked up a bargain at the thrift store last week.

I got 4 skeins of this Lopi yarn for 50c each. I am thinking some slippers are in it's future. I love the crazy color, especially if maybe I put some PINK with it? Oh I love preppy colors. I also got this book. There is a really cute pair of slippers in there. I may have to try them for DD#1.

Brodie's being a dork.

What a life!

Don't fall over!

2007-06-19T07:11:00.001-04:00

Don't faint either. I have another FO! I finished mom's Monkey socks! I tried them on for her. They should fit her great (because they're too small for me).

My my, she has some little feet. Size 6 1/2 or 7. Nowdays, that is small. Around our area the average foot size for women is between an 8 1/2 and a 10. I think people are getting bigger. Maybe it's the hormones in our food or something. The Sporty One is only going into 10th grade and she already has a couple of girls in her class that are over 6 feet tall. No kidding! 6 feet! That is huge compared to when I was in high school. Oh sorry, did I get off track there?

I picked up the wretched pink sweater this weekend. I didn't finish it. I am not happy with the first sleeve, and now I messed up on the 2nd sleeve too. Somedays I think I subconsciously sabotage my own FO's. I guess I will have to take both sleeves out and start them over. I know I will not wear it if I don't make it look better than this. Just slap me. I need to get together with my friend Sal. I need a push, a hard push I think, and she will force me to finish it. She is a brat like that (just kidding Sal, you know I love ya to pieces).

I started another pair of socks, but I don't have a pic yet.

I have joined Mystery Stole 3. I have my yarn, but still need my beads. (Don't say a word!)

I am dying to start something new. I will try to resist.

Brodie got a new toy.

He is not sharing.

Well, pat me on the head......

2007-06-13T14:28:00.000-04:00

and give me a sucker! I have been a good girl. I have an-honest to goodness-I-know-you-can-hardly-believe-it-but-it's-true......finished object! Woo hoo!

TA DA! The Mist Scarf

This will be a gift for my mom for Christmas. Yes you heard correctly. I have an actual Christmas gift finished! I think I might deserve a popcicle for that! This scarf is just the beginning of my lace knitting to be sure. I enjoyed it so much. I will have the pattern available soon, in case anyone else wants to make it. It is about 7"X56", but can easily be made bigger. It only took one ball of Kid Merino, which I really enjoyed working with. It is so light and airy.

Just look how yummy it is up close.

I also finished reading Debbie Macomber's new book, Back on Blossom Street. I was asked to review it on the blog, so here goes. (warning: I am not a professional reviewer lol)

I really enjoyed this book. It was a really nice summer read, and would be great for beach or travel reading. If you have read the first two books, The Shop on Blossom Street and A Good Yarn, you will see some familiar faces. Lydia starts a new knitting class, and as usual, the women meet new friends and deepen some existing friendships. They each have their own flaws and real fears, yet find a respite and support within the knitting class. It reminded me how knitting seems to bring us comfort and camaraderie, even when we think nothing can at the time.

Alix, who we met previously, is planning her wedding, but it is not going completely according to her plans. Colette, a young widow, is struggling with a new love interest, and a family crisis puts some tension between Lydia and her sister Margaret. Lydia struggles with her own troubles and fears yet makes everyone feel welcome in the class. Her warmth makes you wish that she was your local yarn store owner. I enjoyed watching the women develop deeper friendships and achieve some personal growth.

Overall I really liked the book, especially because I was really in the mood for a light and easy read at the time. If you want a warm and comfortable book to curl up with, you might want to try this one.

Now for some random (and sad) super cuteness.....The Hubby spotted these 8 little ducklings in our front yard last night.

We have no idea how they got there, or where the mother is. We carried them behind the house in a bucket, so they would not get hit by a car. They were so scared looking, and stayed huddled so close we couldn't see them all most of the time. Really, there are 8 of them. We didn't touch them, but left water and some bread near them in case they were hungry or thirsty. I don't know where they are now. I am believing they are going to be okay, even though that is highly unlikely. Poor babies.

Jumbled

2007-06-09T08:58:00.000-04:00

Do you ever have those days (or weeks or months) where you just feel jumbled? There are so many things on the brain, and no real way to organize them within your own mind. You feel scattered, frustrated maybe, just plain confuzzled? Yeah, hello, that is me.

I have been working on a few projects. Maybe that is my problem. Maybe I need to focus on just one thing for a while. I really should post a list of all existing projects (or not, I am really afraid to go there), to keep myself in check. Good idea? No? What works for all of you to keep yourself focused and motivated? Ok, so maybe I have convinced myself to make that list of my active projects. Notice I said active. I really would not feel comfortable divulging the true state of my, shall we say, problem?

Here we go:

1. Monkey socks for mom's birthday (August).

I'm doing okay on these. I had hoped to get them finished on the trip, but that didn't work out so well for me. Let's just say Thurs was not such a good day for us lol. I woke up with a splitting headache, some clueless person left a GIANT door ding including paint scrapes in the side of our car, a big storm was coming, so we decided to come home early. We had fun anyway, I just didn't get to do as much shopping, knitting and wine tasting as I wanted. Oh well. There will be other trips.

2. Mystery Lace Project #1
Sneak peek

I actually love knitting lace and I am slowly getting used to laceweight yarn. I love the feel of the fabric, it's so light and airy. I now understand the lure of lace and it's inevitable addiction factor.

3. Mystery Lace Project #2 - no pic - it's progress is minimal.

4. Cotton sweater from Knitting Pure and Simple - I have no idea why I haven't finished this. I have less than a sleeve to go and just the edging around the neck. Now that I have reminded all of you and myself about it, I guess I will have to buckle down and get it done.

5. The ripple. I don't feel bad about this one at all. I wanted this to be a project for the winter, so I may not touch it much this summer.

6. Lopi sweater - also for winter. Presently being ignored.

7. Swallowtail shawl - Also being ignored, but it is whispering my name. After all, it is lace! I may go visit it again soon.

*Oh lace side note. The Mystery Stole 3 is starting. If you're interested, go here.

8. I am too humiliated and lazy to go further. I know there are a couple more, but I don't feel like finding them and I am already embarassed that I could come up with 7 so quickly. Someone write in and make me feel better. Tell me you have like 25 projects. Or 100. Yeah, now that would make me feel really good. If you are a one-project person, or you crank out a finished knit like every week, just be quiet and leave me alone in my little corner of denial here. Thanks.

Having some fun!

2007-06-06T13:51:00.000-04:00

The hubby and I are sneaking out for a little two day getaway. There will be much shopping, knitting and wine tasting. We try to do this a few times a year, and it happened to work out for both of us today. (very last minute lol) Woo hoo! Gotta love vacation! I promise a post sometime this weekend.

Need inspiration?

2007-05-31T09:50:00.000-04:00

I have you covered! Check out all this good stuff!

Really cute summer tank pattern here.

I am so tempted to join this. (I really have to control myself here. Like I don't have enough to do already.)
But it looks so fun.
But you don't need another project.
But it is spinning and knitting and lace.
But when would you have time?
Well...maybe I could make time.
STOP RIGHT NOW! Do not say one more word.
But..
NO, I SAID NOT ONE MORE!

(Umm, did you guys hear those voices too? Or is it just me? Just checkin.)

Ooooh check this out too. It is the coolest color scheme thingy.

A blog I have been enjoying lately. Ahhh....lace.

My friend Cath inspires us all to be better people in this post. Go read it, it's well worth it.

Oh, I also got the new Debbie Macomber book "Back on Blossom Street" in the mail this week. Review coming soon.

Have a fibery good day people!

Monkeying Around

2007-05-30T15:08:00.000-04:00

Yeah, I have been doing this and that. And yeah that too. Keeping busy, doing a little bit of nothing. However, I have been literally "monkeying".

I started a pair of Monkey socks for my mom. I like them......um.....now. See first, they looked like this.

(yes I know that is the most horrible picture ever) Anyway, see that evil pooling? It was hideous! I went through all my gusset decreases before I decided that I could not live with that. So I ripped back to the leg and put in a shortrow heel. I like it much better now. It currently looks like the first picture. Hehe, no pooling! Yay! (it is so funny, but I am just tickled that the cable of my needle actually matches this yarn perfectly...dork, I know)

I received the most wonderful package of yarnie love from a good friend of mine this week. Just look at the haul!

Oh yeah, that will keep me busy for a while. The girls just love some of these yarns. I think I will have to make them some socks! Thanks my friend! Bunches and bunches. Oooh, I have more packages to blog about too, but I will save those for another day.

I've been on a bit of a baking kick this week. Brownies, muffins and then I made this delicious looking strawberry pie today. Yumm, I can't wait for dessert!

I will share if you can get here by 7pm or so.

This is my little monkey:

Pulling a silly face. Awww...I just want to smooch those cheeks some more.

Changes

2007-05-25T21:41:00.001-04:00

I'm playing with my blog a little. I have known for a while that it is really hard for some people to read, but I didn't have the time to mess with it. Hopefully in the next few days I will have it all fixed. Boy I stink at this. I want to be techie, but I don't really think I have it in me. I know what I want the blog to look like, I just don't know how to do it. My email me link in the sidebar still works if you have any advice for me. Or you can leave a comment. Thanks for being patient while I get it all worked out.

Eye candy for the people who are only here for the pics ;)

The Sporty One snagged this pic of a beautiful butterfly on my lilac tree the other day. I love it!

Got your ripple on?

2007-05-21T07:50:00.001-04:00

Have you caught the bug? Have you been able to resist? Are you getting your ripple on yet? I know I am.

These things are so addicting. This past week I was having some major hand pain. All that basket carrying in the greenhouse really did my hands in. I am beginning to think I have a little bit of arthritis in them. They were so swollen and sore, I couldn't even stand to knit (not even while popping large quantities of Aleve). Crocheting didn't bother me as much, so I took out the ripple. I did quite a few rows and it is really looking nice now. I would love to do one of these for each of my girls, if they don't want to make one for themselves.

If you think you might want to ripple, there is a lot of inspiration here, and the pattern I am using is here. They are sooooo fun, just ask Opal. (HeHe....The ripple got her too.)

One more week of soccer.....YAY!!!!!!!! I should be done in the greenhouse soon too, my hands are really hoping so. I have one more busy week, and then maybe things will slow down around here a little bit. I couldn't be happier.

What would you do if you had an extra copy of a really hard to find book? Like say, this one.

Tagged

2007-05-18T15:03:00.000-04:00

I have been tagged by Opal for the 7 Random Facts Meme. The rules are simple. Each person gives 7 random facts about themselves on their blog. Then they tag 7 others and leave a note on their blogs.

1. I am a junk food junkie. I rarely eat healthy foods. I like healthy things, I think about eating them, but I never actually do. I need to get in the habit of making healthy choices, but it is just so hard when things like chocolate, cookies, cake, candy and Diet Coke etc. are out there. I even eat junk food for breakfast. Horrible. I know.

2. I absolutely detest going to the dentist. I avoid it like the plague. I would rather see my OB/GYN than go to the dentist. Yes, really.

3. I have a couple of small phobias. I get very uncomfortable in small spaces or crowded areas. If I cannot move about freely, I get claustrophobic. I am also very weird about germs. Shopping carts and public restrooms especially gross me out. I flush with my foot, and try as hard as possible to avoid touching the door handles. Ewww. Oh, feet gross me out too.

4. I am a very good whistler. I whistle a lot, though I rarely realize I am doing it. I have been complimented many times in public by total strangers about my whistling. Haha, I even have vibrato.

5. I got married when I was only 18 and my husband is almost 9 years older than I am.

6. My grandma was my best friend through most of elementary school. I would always hang out with her rather than kids my age. To this day I like older people.

7. I am very afraid of snakes and spiders. I can't even look at pet snakes. If I find a spider in the house, I put the long end on the vacuum and sweep it up. I can't even kill them, shiver.

You know, it's a little hard to think of 7 random things about yourself that you have never mentioned before. I had already used my Diet Coke addiction and only being able to sleep on the left side of the bed, so coming up with 7 more was tough for me. I hope I didn't bore you to death lol.

Ok, if they're willing, I tag Amy, Cath, Jeanie, Harriet, Trek, Alison, and anyone else who wants to try. (finding 7 people to tag isn't the easiest thing either, when it is late in the game like this)

It's a love/hate thing

2007-05-15T08:20:00.000-04:00

Secrets. I love them, yet I hate them. Secret knitting. Fun yet frustrating. Wanting to share, yet not being sure if I should. I have been playing a little. The design bug has taken a chunk out of my behind. It bit me hard I tell ya! Currently lace has me in it's clutches.

Don't ya just love it?

Just laying there, being it's gorgeous self. Simple yet lovely. Ahhhh..

And another one:

Eventually I might share...YAY!!!! Just let me work the patterns out. Sorry to be such a tease. Well, not really. I've been bursting to tell everyone. It's just so much fun!

In family news: The kids are doing well in school. The Sport One's soccer team is undefeated so far this season, and she has been asked to play up at JV level for a few games. Fun stuff. The Musical One was excited to sing at the MSVMA Solo and Ensemble Recital last Friday. Only a few choirs in the state are invited to this and it's a great honor to be asked. They did very well, it sounded beautiful. The Monkey is just being his naughty little self. Ahh...the joys of being 8. I am still working. Last week was crazy. This week I had yesterday and today off. I caught up on laundry and worked on my new designs. Hubby is putting in major hours at work. We are like two ships passing in the night. I can't wait for June. May is such a killer.

Free Pattern Alert

2007-05-08T07:43:00.000-04:00

Well if you would like the Periwinkle socks pattern, you can now find it here. I wrote the pattern for Crystal Palace and knit them with their Panda Cotton yarn. There is one typo in the pattern as I write this. Near the end, in the toe decrease section, it should say until there are 12 stitches remaining, NOT 11. Susan will probably have it corrected very soon, so if you get there and it already says 12, then it is already corrected. I hope you enjoy it!

Well I am off to work again. My body hurts so bad all over! I could almost cry lol. Yesterday at the greenhouse, my partner and I moved, watered, bagged and loaded around 900-1000 hanging baskets. Yikes! That makes for some sore muscles. I am sure it will be the same today. Then after work I have to make a pasta dish for The Sporty One's soccer team. Yay! (not) Wish me strength.......

Sniff, cough

2007-05-05T09:46:00.000-04:00

That is me. I am sick. My throat is killing me and I feel like total crud. Crud!

I have done very little knitting. I have the second periwinkle sock to the heel flap. I hope to make some progress this weekend. The pattern might be available if I can get it written up.

I have been doing a little designing. I will show you when I can.

I am sorry if I haven't been commenting on your blogs. Between working, being sick, and attending all the kids' activities, I have really slacked on that. I really appreciate each and every comment you leave for me too! One of these days I will get a blog with better commenting features, so I can respond to each of you personally.

Blog crawl anyone? Here are a few of my favorite blogs to visit. Check them out.

the Akamai Knitter - Opal, my friend from Hawaii, can sure knit some socks and shawls! Oh, and her kitties are so cute!

CrazyAuntPurl - Yeah I know, everyone reads her.

Esotarika - Great knitting and sewing here!

Knit, Spin, Teach - Amy just finished a great looking shawl, and I love her to pieces!

Just Jeanie - The woman is a sock designing wizard I tell ya!

Knittin' Notes - Cath is a good friend and a great dyer! Go Mama Llama!

Maia Spins - You all know how much I love to read Maia lol!

Loves to Bike and Knit - JennyRaye is so sweet and you will find lots of inspiration there!

nonaKnits - Check out that rockin' doily!

spindyeknit - Alison gifts more knits than anyone I know. She also has a book coming out!

Stitches of Violet - Marguerite knits the most perfect socks and I love her bird pics.

Strings 'n Things - Ev is a great knitter and designer.

Talullah’s World - Christine has helped me so much with techie stuff. She is a whiz!

Tiennie Knits - Tiennie makes gorgeous everything! Just look at her latest FO's!

The Yarnpath - Robbyn is a thinker. She is always trying new things. She has a great chat too (sorry I haven't been there lately Robbyn).

I will have to give you some more later. I need to go get some work done! Don't worry, I won't give you all 217 of them from my bloglines list. Hugs to everyone! Have a great weekend!

Things are going better...

2007-04-27T11:32:00.000-04:00

Things are slowly getting back to normal in this house. I have most of our stuff put back in it's proper place, closets cleaned, some purging done, and it is looking a little better around here. I always feel so good after I declutter. Ahhhh..

The countertops and floors are all in. We just need some toe-kick installed underneath, and it will be complete.

Looks better than the old, eh? I like it. (sorry for Brodie giving you all the evil eye there)

There has been a little time for knitting. I finished one of my Panda Cotton socks. It feels really good on my foot.

I kinda love the way they look too hehe.

Isn't it a nice looking sock? Lie to me if you hate it.

Well sorry for the quickie, totally-lacking-in-deep-thinking post. I need to get off my butt before it gets any larger, knit on my other sock, and help my daughter get ready for prom. Oh yippee.

Oh and clean. Remodeling has left me with this.

Yeah. That is what every surface of my house looks like. This could take a while.

I may just go insane!

2007-04-24T08:17:00.000-04:00

I think my right eye is twitching. The remodeling mess is really getting to me. My house is in chaos people, yes, total drive-me-crazy-utterly-unacceptable chaos!

That's the front entry. Ugh. But oh, it gets worse!

There's the progress on the kitchen. (Notice I am missing a stove and refrigerator.)

Oh wait, there they are, in the freaking dining room! GAH!!!! This is driving me nuts. We had to empty a huge closet/pantry for the job, so part of it is all over the dining room table. Poor Brodie is stuck in the middle of the dining room too. His bed is usually in the bath off the kitchen. I had to remind him this morning where his food is.

And......all that stuff from the closet that didn't come close to fitting on my table?

It's currently residing in my bedroom. Sniff. I can barely get to my closet or my bed, and it might be a couple days yet until I can put it all back in it's normal neat order. (You can't hear me wailing can you?) Oh, just put me out of my misery.....or send yarn.....your choice.

Observations

2007-04-22T14:39:00.000-04:00

Apparently I am in a thinking/contemplating mood. As a result I have a few observations.

*Perhaps I am a really bad blogger. Sniff.

*If you have self esteem issues, maybe you should not blog. (lack of comments can be devastating if you let it)

*I am much snarkier in person than I am on the blog. I find it very hard to let my real personality come through on the blog.

*Did you know you can do a Chicago yarn crawl and not buy one thing? True. Really. I did it yesterday. Amazing.

*I make the same typo every time I am on the computer. Couple is not spelled coupld. I know this. So, why do I type it this way constantly?

*Loose and lose are not interchangeable words. Some bloggers do not know this. You do not loose a knitting needle. You lose it and then pray you find it back before you sit on it and need to have it surgically removed from your backside.

*Reading blogs can be good and bad. Very inspirational, and fun, yet I can waste so much time doing it, that I get nothing of my own done. It can also cause crafting ADD and/or internet addiction problems lol.

*Sunny skies and temps above 70 can make a person deliciously happy.

*Finding the perfect crochet pattern for a little lace cardi can take a very long time, or quite possibly, never be achieved at all.

*Having remodeling/redecorating done on your house can really disrupt your knitting, blogging, crafting, and online activities. (the adhesive used for laminate counters stinks so bad it can cause an immediate excruciating headache)

*I want a housekeeper. I find this hilariously funny. I AM a housecleaner for others, WHY can I not keep my own house clean?

*I think the chicken came first.

Imagine a great title.

2007-04-18T22:44:00.000-04:00

I don't have one. I have completely random things to show today too. The creative side of my brain must be on vacation this morning (and I am in a hurry).

First, I made some progress on the pink sweater. I really should put it on some waste yarn and try it on, but eh, I am being lazy.

If it doesn't fit, I will be sorry. This pattern is very simple and easy to take along wherever I go. I want to finish it quickly, because Green Gable is next on my list.

I started some new socks too. They are my own pattern in the new Panda Cotton. This yarn is really interesting. It is a little like Fixation, but finer and much easier to work with. I love the soft color too. It's such a nice periwinkle color! I think these will be very comfortable socks. So far I really like them.

Thanks Sue for letting me try this yarn!

In random household news:

My disgusting countertops are being replaced this week. I can't believe I have lived with them for this long (they are about 16 years old). I ended up with some nasty discoloration underneath my bread box and cutting board. See those yucky yellow/brown areas? Ugh. They are in such bad shape. Good riddance. I will show you the new stuff when some of it is installed, cuz it is much prettier! Woo hoo! Oh, and I am getting a new floor too! Yay!

This week I have been spending lots of time at soccer games (the 3rd one this week is tonight) and catching things up around home. Today it is back to work, but that is okay, because I need some spending money. My friend Sal and I are going on a bus trip to Chicago on Sat. I bet two crazy knitters can sniff out some yarn shops, don't you agree?! And just think of all that knitting time on the bus....yeah....like 7-8 hours worth! Woot! Have a fibery good day!

New stuff

2007-04-14T09:05:00.000-04:00

Ok, I hope I didn't freak ya all out last time with my silliness. (especially you Maia) I was just goofing around as usual. I am a little crazy sometimes, in case you haven't noticed yet. I try to calm it down a little for the blog, but sometimes it just spills out.

I have started a new project.

It's the Split Neck T Shirt from Knitting Pure and Simple. Their patterns are really clear and easy. I hope to make a lot of progress on this one today at the voice competition. I will probably be knitting like a crazy woman just to avoid a panic attack. I'm using pink Cotton Ease from the stash - yay!

Ok I am mentioning Maia again. Not because I am obsessed with her or anything, but because yesterday I received this in the mail from her.

Yupp that's a skein of her gorgeous handspun. I just love it! It is the softest green color, and she even made her own tag! Thanks again Maia.

I also wanted to let you all know that my friend's sock pattern is now available.

Go here to check it out.

Brodie says Hi ya all!

5 Questions

2007-04-12T16:25:00.000-04:00

I was reading Maia's blog the other day (I love it by the way!), and I really loved this post. I commented to her that I liked it and she offered to send me some questions. That Maia, she is so nice, I ~~stalk~~ read her blog regularly, for inspiration (I want to grow up to be a spinner like Maia hehe). I love reading about her spinning. Ahhh anyway, enough about my secret ~~crush~~ admiration of Maia and on to her great questions.

1. Obviously, your favorite color is pink. If you had to give up pink (horror!) what color would become your new favorite? I loved this question, especially her little "horror" stuck in there. (Not kidding, I would have totally said "Oh, the horror!" at the thought of no more pink.) It's true I definitely love pink! I actually love a lot of colors. I wear a lot of brown (it's my favorite color in my wardrobe right now), I like soft greys, burgundy, some greens, and light aqua. So, I guess I didn't really pick a new favorite, but I do like all of those colors too.

2. You are the mother of three really beautiful children. In what unexpected ways have they changed your life? Well first, thank you, I think they are beautiful too, but yeah, they are mine, so I have to think that hehe. I love being a mom, even though sometimes it is the hardest thing in the world. It is challenging, yet definitely rewarding. I think they have made me grow up for one thing. I had The Musical One when I was only 21 and I was still such a baby myself. I had already been married for 3 years, but still, I was so young. I would never recommend getting married that young to my children, but it worked for us. They have also taught me a lot about love, responsibilty, personal accountability (they are watching your every move) and not always having to be #1. If you don't know it already, when you are the mom, you are rarely if ever #1. So if you are a selfish drama queen, don't have kids! Not sure those things are completely unexpected, but those are some of the changes.

3. What is your favorite thing to do on a date night (just you and hubby and I'm only asking for PG13 details at most)? Actually, we are a little, um, BORING lol. We will usually go out to dinner and either stop at the store, do a little shopping or just sit at the restaurant and talk. We are just happy to be together. Many times we have just stayed home, rather than go out. We are both incredibly content people and really don't need to eat at fancy restaurants, go to every movie that comes out, or be out socializing every weekend. Yupp, kinda boring, but happy.

4. Congratulations on your new Majacraft wheel. What got you interested in spinning? I have a great group of online friends and most of them are great spinners. I said I would never learn to spin, but they convinced me that I really NEEDED to learn. They were right. I love it. Love it. Love it. I'm still a little spin challenged, but the love is there. (I figure the skills will come later, no?) Another thing that inspired me was all the gorgeous handspun all over the internet, especially the ~~crack~~ gorgeous fiber from Crown Mountain Farms. (I am dying to get my hands on some of that stuff.)

5. I read that you have always lived in Michigan. If you were to move outside of the United States, where would you be interested in living? First, I would never move out of the states unless my ENTIRE family came with me. I am big on being close to family. But......if I had to choose, I might move to Hawaii (Hi Opal). No wait. Hawaii is a state. It does seem like a whole different world to us here on the mainland though. Yeah, I hope you all know I was totally just kidding. I would have to be a dumber than a box of rocks to not know that Hawaii is a state. So anyhoo, maybe I would choose St. Maarten. I have only been there on vacations for short periods of time though. I'm not sure if I would want to live there for, like forever or anything. I guess if I had to move I would just pick somewhere warmer than Michigan. I am getting a bit cranky after the snowstorm we had this week and temps in the 30's rather than the normal 50's. It is just not right to go from 75 degrees a couple weeks ago, to this nasty weather (again). And I have a daughter that is playing soccer now....outside....yeah you get it. UGH!

Well that's all folks, (if you're still awake) . Thanks again Maia!

A good weekend

2007-04-09T09:33:00.000-04:00

We had a nice Easter weekend. Yesterday was also my daughter's 15th birthday. We had brunch at my mom's, an easter egg hunt/birthday celebration.

I did a little "plying" yesterday. I really had no clue what I was doing, as it was my first attempt. Is it yarn?

It looks a little bit like real yarn, no? I need to wash it yet or set the twist or whatever you call it. I know it is very uneven but I love it anyway.

I also tried spinning some of the "barf" roving. It actually looks a little better after spinning. I was hoping it would magically spin into something that doesn't make me want to hurl.

I have no idea what the finished product will look like, but at least it is good practice. I think from now on, I will be leaving the dyeing to the experts. Uh, clearly it is not a natural gift for me.

Ripplin' along....

The color of my pillow is off. It really matches nicely in person.

I like it! This is so addictive.

I really would love to make another one sometime, in cotton, all different colors.

Thanks for all the comments guys! I love you all!!!!!!!!! You sure know how to make a girl feel better. HUGS!

Hello?

2007-04-06T10:50:00.000-04:00

Are you there? Have you all left me? I miss you guys! I think about 1/2 of my whole 8-9 regular readers have abandoned me. Come back!!!!! I will be good, I promise.

I have been knitting actually. I even finished my cardi. Here it is (pre-blocking), I just need to figure out the best way to close it.

(Marguerite, I even showed my head this time lol.) My daughter took this pic, and she was making me laugh.

I do like the little ribbon for a closure, even though I just grabbed it for an example. Who knows, I may just leave it like that. I don't particularly like the way the buttons are set on the original pattern. I probably wouldn't wear it buttoned up anyway, so a little tie like this might be the answer. Any other ideas for me? Maybe something other than ribbon to tie it with?

I am also test knitting some socks for a friend of mine. I just love this pattern so far.

She might have it available sometime soon. I am even using a not-so-favorite yarn, and I still love them. I was a little farther than this, but noticed a mistake and had to frog a bit. I hope she can be patient with me....these are going to be gorgeous!

My little dog got a haircut this week. I just love him!

Brodie says "Hi everyone!"

Spring Fever!

2007-04-03T09:50:00.000-04:00

It is spring break here, which in Michigan, about 9 years out of 10, means super crappy weather. Today it was pouring when I got up. The next 3 days have temps in the mid 30's and SNOW! It is spring break! I am SICK of snow! Oh well, nothing I can do about it. I can still enjoy other things about spring I guess.

Hubby picked these for me yesterday (what a sweetie). I just love daffodils.

The spring knitting is going great! I am zipping along on the little lace cardi.

All the pieces are knitted, I am ready to bind off the button band stitches, and then I just need to set in the sleeves and finish seaming. Yay. This thing is flying off the needles.

Some happiness from the greenhouses for you:

And a little fibery drool too...

Gorgeous huh? If you want some for yourself, Coppermoose is the place to go! (Sugar maple is what I got.)

Have a good day everyone! Think spring!!!!

Whoops!

2007-03-30T22:04:00.000-04:00

I completely forgot to show my latest FO. Pre-senior moment maybe? (I am not driving a Buick yet, so don't worry.)

The Panda Wool socks are done and I'm sure The Sporty One will be wearing them soon. Just a simple staggered 2x2 rib. I got a lot of compliments on this yarn when I was knitting these. I think I will be purchasing more at some point. It would be a great yarn for baby hats and socks. I might even donate a couple of little hats to the hospital. Every baby deserves a cute hat. No offense, but some I have seen at our local hospital are um...really ugly. I really should make a few for friends and relatives too, in case they are given one of those icky ones at the hospital.

I have started a bit of spring knitting. Cotton feels pretty good right now.

I am optimistic that eventually Michigan weather will actually allow me to wear this.

I'm still spinning a little too (when I can). I would love to hear your favorite fiber sources if you care to share them.

I need my knitting and spinning too, for sanity. Lately I have been a little, shall we say, frazzled? Too much stress and too little time for me.

P.S. I took the girls shopping today. I am now broke, tired and grumpy (hehe). If you live in Michigan and cannot at least drive the minimum speed limit, properly use your turn signals, leave a reasonable amount of space while cutting in front of someone or generally just don't know how to drive, will you please STAY OUT OF MY LANE?!!

So happy!

2007-03-26T23:01:00.000-04:00

Yeah, so I have been hinting about my good weekend. Well this is why it was so great:

I am the proud new owner of a Majacraft Rose wheel!!!!!! I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I never thought I would be able to get one. I went to my first spinning meeting last Monday night and watched all the other spinners with their wheels. I observed, listened, drooled and longed for one of my own. I got home and the hubby asked why I didn't get one. I said they were too expensive. He said to go get one.

Well I didn't let the grass grow under my feet! (and I surely wasn't going to give him time to change his mind!) I did some research online and found a shop about 1 3/4 hours from me. I called The Spinning Loft and talked to Beth the owner. She was so helpful and said she had about 14 wheels on the floor that I could try. I was SO worth the drive over there. Beth is very patient, informative and helpful, not to mention she is the biggest sweetie pie ever! I think I tried about 11 wheels, but the Rose was definitely the one for me. I loved it immediately and even after trying a bunch more, this one was still my favorite. So I took it home! I love it to pieces.

I have been practicing a little and I am having a lot of fun. This is some mystery fiber that I got from a friend, but I am going to ask her what it is, because it spins like a dream. Once I get the rest of it spun, I hope to try plying.

The dyeing job I did, IS really barfy. I am not even going to show it yet. I think I will take a couple of pics, but spin it first and see if I like it. If it spins up as ugly as it looks now, I will be overdyeing it for sure! Oh well, I wanted to try it and didn't expect it to be gorgeous my first time. I wasn't really expecting hideously ugly either, but I will try again, because it was fun.

Not much knitting news. Still hunting for the perfect summery pattern that I can use some stash yarn on. I really don't want to buy anything new right now. I have several cottons in the stash, and I would rather use one of them first. A couple possibilities: This or this (last pic in the 5th row - the carmel colored cardi). What do you think?

So much better!

2007-03-25T13:37:00.000-04:00

Aren't you glad you don't have to hear me whine today lol? Sorry I was such a loser the other day. Things are so much better now. I am having a great weekend so far.

Friday my daughter's soccer team had their first game. They won 3-2. It was fun to see them play for the first time. She loves it already.

The weather is spectacular here today. It is in the 60's and sunny. It feels just wonderful! I have all my windows open in the house, and I can heard the birds singing outside. Life is good!

I'm experimenting a bit.

So far I think it looks a little, um, barfy? However, I have seen some pretty disgusting looking roving that turns into very nice yarn. I guess I will have to wait and see.

I am also having fun with my no-brainer crocheted ripple afghan. It is looking better now that I have more rows done.

This thing matches my family room so perfectly. I think I am going to love it. I will probably order some cotton yarn and make a baby blanket like this at some point. The pattern looks great in pastels and all different colors, like in the links from my last post. I can see why people get addicted to these. It's like fiber yoga!

Tomorrow I hope to have pics of the drying fiber and I also have some super good news to share. YAY!

Where's the love?

2007-03-22T21:51:00.000-04:00

I'm just not feeling it.

Case in point. Lately I have been inspired by this and this and all of this.
This, not so much.
Well I have started and maybe this is one of those patterns that grows on you? Or maybe you need lots more stripes to be wowed? So far, I am definitely not loving it. I need to get a new hook too because this one just feels weird. It kinda squeaks on this yarn. It is grating on me like fingernails on a chalkboard. Shiver!

Not loving the second sock I am working on either.

Not loving the inability to decide on a summer pattern to try.

Not loving the family drama that is going on.

Not loving the new work schedule and how tired I am because of it.

Not loving that I cannot keep my house as clean as I want it.

Not loving the fact that I am obviously really crabby and probably making all of you run like scared rabbits lol.

I promise the next post will not be even remotely as lousy as this one. Really....I promise to behave next time. There is supposed to be some great fun ahead in my weekend. If things go as planned I will have something spectacular to show on Monday! YAY!!!

Two winners!

2007-03-16T16:08:00.000-04:00

First winner is.....ME! Yay! A while back my friend Opal told me about a blog contest that Harriet was having over at Lime Dragon. Well she is sorry she told me about it now, because the random number generator picked me! She sent me a wonderful package!

This is Twinkletoes sock yarn and the colors are so yummy! Harriet knit herself a gorgeous pair of Pomatomus socks with the same yarn, you can see them here. I might actually have to brave that pattern now, because hers look so nice in this yarn. She also sent some chocolate (YUMM! I'm surprised I had enough willpower to take a picture before I devoured it lol), a crocheted hat pattern, a darling little sheepie clip (anyone know where to get these? He is just adorable!), and a knitting girl note card. She is so sweet! Thanks again Harriet.

Our next winner.......

I declare my experimental sock a winner! I think it turned out pretty cute. I am making them more of an ankle length for The Sporty One. I received the Panda Wool from Crystal Palace when I agreed to test knit with some new needles. I really like it, and I would definitely buy it again. I'm not sure where to get it yet locally, but if I see it, I will probably try some of the solids next.

Thanks anyone who is still reading. I know I have been so lame with the posting lately. I can't reply to most of the comments either, because Blogger won't let me unless your email is public. Working is definitely cutting into my hobby time too. I will have more money for yarn now (evil cackle), or maybe I will save up for a laptop, so I don't have to share the computer with the kids. And then there's that spinning wheel........

So what's everyone knitting for spring? I'm in need of some inspiration! (I'm so sick of cold weather!)

Potluck

2007-03-12T07:37:00.000-04:00

Today, that's what you get. I have nothing organized and about 5 minutes to post. It will be totally random hehe.

I did do some knitting this weekend. I finished another UFO. I had actually almost forgotten about this one, until last night when hubby reminded me about it. His slippers actually. I ran out of yarn and didn't get another skein until last week, and then I still forgot about them. So last night I finished them. I am a little worried. They will need some MAJOR felting.

These are HUGE! REALLY HUGE! I based them on the dimensions a friend gave me for men's slippers, but um, maybe her hubby has BIG feet? Let's pray they shrink A LOT!!! Hopefully I can felt them tonight.

I have been working on another sock too.

This is the new Panda Wool from Crystal Palace. It is quite nice. I like the way it feels and the colors are really great! It is a bamboo, wool and nylon blend. I would definitely use it again. I am making little anklets for my daughter for summer. So far I think they are cute.

Spinning too!

Some more BFL, this time in a really yummy brown. I absolutely love this color, and the fiber is just wonderful. Spins like a dream. I got some from JT to try, and I wish I had lots more of it lol. I am learning, and it is all so fun. My friend Shelly, who spins like a machine, has been so patient and answers all of my dumb questions.

I actually have to work today. I am a stay at home mom most of the time, but some friends needed help in the greenhouse, so I am working there this week. It should be fun. I really like working in the greenhouses, especially this time of the year when I am so sick of winter. I wonder though, if I will be touching base with some muscles I forgot I had. Ouch. I could be really sore tomorrow. I am so out of shape, it isn't even funny.

Well if you survived the all-over-the-board nature of this post, have a great day!

Happy Dance!

2007-03-06T22:03:00.000-05:00

I am a happy girl tonight. First off, I finished my Bearfoot socks. They are so nice and cosy.

That's Brodie lounging against me and my new socks. Silly dog.
I just did a simple k6, p2 rib on these with 64 stitches. Just my plain old standard sock. I forget what color this Bearfoot is, sorry.

And this also made me happy....

That was my snack tonight. Doesn't it look just wonderfully yumm? Oh it was so good! I was in the grocery store and smelled, yes smelled, these strawberries as I was walking by. I couldn't resist. See strawberries are my favorite fruit, but here in Michigan, good berries can be very hard to get this time of year. In the summer our local berries are so delicious! In the winter, when they are imported from all over, they usually have no taste. These were awesome! I quick whipped up a batch of my great grandma's shortcake, and woo hoo, good snack tonight! I'm telling you, this stuff is awesome! If you would like the recipe, send me an email.

Strawberry shortcake is one of my favorite desserts and brings back lots of great memories. We ate it a lot when I was a kid, but only during strawberry season. I picked strawberries for my grandparents every summer. They had a farm and peddled eggs, the berries and other fresh produce in "town". I had so much fun picking them and then riding along on the "egg route". I remember getting paid a nickel for every quart I picked back then. I thought I was rich! We lived right next door to my Gram and Gramps and I was very close to them. They have been gone over 20 years now and I still miss them like crazy. Nothing like a good strawberry to take me down memory lane.

Next up: I need to work on that Lopi sweater. Crud, by the time I finish it, it will probably be spring. Figures.

Bits and Pieces

2007-03-03T10:10:00.000-05:00

I feel like I am accomplishing only bits and pieces. Do you ever have that, where you are making progress but finishing nothing? I know I have too many projects going, but I get so bored with just one.

I am ready to pick up the gusset stitches on the Bearfoot socks. I wanted to do it last night, but this yarn is impossible to work on at night for me. I just can't see those tiny dark stitches. So I will work on them today, after I have the cleaning done.

My spinning is progressing. The lastest fiber I am trying is some hot pink BFL roving. Ok, stupid me didn't realize until yesterday that the first creamy BFL I was spinning was top. Can ya tell I am a major beginner lol? I have so much to learn. Boy did I feel dumb. I didn't even know there was a difference , duh. This pink stuff feels grabbier to me, maybe because all the fibers don't go in the same direction - the top vs roving thing maybe?

Here is what I have so far. I am hoping to spin a little more this afternoon.

What do you think? How am I doing? My friend Shelly thinks I am doing well so far.

A little closer?

I think it looks okay, but I am still getting a few "nubs" (or should that be slubs?) in my yarn. I am still having trouble holding my fiber loose enough to draft properly. Ah well, I am learning, no? This yummy pink stuff was a Secret Santa gift from my friend Sharon. I love the color!

All you spinners out there, I would love to hear from you. I want to know everything! I feel like a spinning sponge hehe. I am having so much fun with this!!!! Yay for spinning!

Ok, YUCK!

2007-03-01T13:00:00.000-05:00

Enough already. This weather is nasty.

There is a layer of ice on everything, and it is still coming down. Why do I live in Michigan?

Today our state has warnings ranging from snow storm, to possible additional ice, and thunderstorms. Yuck to all of them. In the summer I love a good thunderstorm, but not now when it will flood like crazy if all this snow melts at once in addition to the rain. What a mess!

Isn't it time for spring yet?...............(yes I know I'm a whiner)

At least we have wool right?

Wool is good!

They're off!

2007-02-28T15:59:00.000-05:00

No races here. Haha I would lose. Lately I am not fast at anything.

Off as in off the needles. First up:

The easy shawl is ready to be blocked. I just pinned it out a little to show you, but I really need to run some string along each of the sides and block it that way. There are no points, so I need that string to keep it straight. I wish I had one of those boards.

Up close this yarn is so pretty. All shiny and soft. I'm not sure my blocking skills are up to par with the beauty of this stuff. We shall see I guess.

Next item off the needles:

Super easy Bearfoot socks. One down, one to go. I am doing them in a simple K6, P2 rib with my default 64 stitches. I love working with Bearfoot yarn too. So soft and cozy. I am in desperate need of another pair of brown socks. A lot of my favorite outfits right now are brown, and I only have one other pair that matches. I should have the other one done in a few days. Sorry they are not very special, and the picture is probably going to take first place in the Most Pathetic Picture Ever Awards. That color just refused to be photographed (and I was too lazy to keep messing with it on this yucky dreary day).

This is almost off:

I have almost filled my spindle, so I should probably transfer the yarn to something else. Since I have nothing proper to wind it on, I guess I will be hunting for a good old toilet paper tube. That will have to work for now. (about as super cheesy as my ultra-ugly-made-them-myself-wire-hanger-sock-blockers) I may have to invest in some real equipment soon. This half-hiney stuff gets a little embarassing.

Yarn?

2007-02-24T11:49:00.000-05:00

or something else?

Me and my spindle are getting aquainted. At this point we were not getting along very well. Totally craptastic stuff isn't it?

But then....

things started to get a little better.

A better close up.

Ok, all you spinners out there, I know it isn't great, but it resembles yarn a little bit, yes? I have no idea what these fibers are. They were all given to me to practice on and none of them are labeled. I do know that the lighter blue/green stuff was much easier to work with than the first two. I have some yummy looking cream BFL to try next. Wish me luck!

The "easy" one

2007-02-20T08:19:00.000-05:00

Well, I am officially working on one of my older UFO's for February. It is my "easy" shawl (as opposed to my harder laceweight shawl - yes the one that I am still not on speaking terms with). This UFO challenge has been good for me (Thanks again Kat!). I should be finishing this one up soon.

It is the After Hours Shawl from Briar Rose Fibers in Sea Pearl. I don't know why I didn't finish this earlier (I know. I say that about all of my UFO's). This yarn is just gorgeous and the pattern is very easy. I am modifying it by making it much smaller and leaving off the fringe. I want it to be the size of a shoulder shawl to throw on over a blouse or turtleneck. I think tencel is some yummy stuff! So soft and shiny. I wonder how it blocks. I really want to block this thing wider vs longer.

Pretty stuff huh?

I am making a little more progress on the Lopi sweater. I would be done by now if the pattern weren't so doggone confusing. (at least to me hehe) I am not giving up, and I hope to have it done in time to wear it yet this winter (don't worry, winter is very long in Michigan).

I will be home all day today (again). The Monkey is sick (he was yesterday too), so I am not getting any of my errands done sigh.... and I have lots of them this week. His birthday is on Thursday, so I have extra stuff to do for that. Oh well, at least I have knitting. :)

Quickie

2007-02-17T07:22:00.000-05:00

Sorry, but I only have time for a quickie post today. This week has been crazy again. I did have a little knitting time and I am happily chugging along on the Lopi sweater.

I did make a stupid mistake on the chart and had to rip a few rows, but I am back on track now. I would really like to finish the fronts this weekend. Hopefully I will have some knitting time tomorrow because I will be at a volleyball tournament all day today.

I also started a new pair of socks, and I am working on a pair of slippers for the hubby. That's all the knitting for today.

Thanks so much for all your thoughts and prayers for my family. The funeral and dad's surgery went well. I'm just glad this week is almost over...whew!

A cartoon

2007-02-13T09:26:00.000-05:00

Ok, I swear I am the star of a new cartoon. Or I might be the knitting coyote, and the roadrunner is kicking my butt over and over again. I feel like the anvil is falling on my head, for the eleventy-billioneth time. Yeah, that is how my knitting was going for a few days. Ugh.

First, I found a mistake in an old project. I started these socks like ages ago. I finished the first sock, but it didn't fit anyone here. So I put it aside to see if it fit my mom (elf feet, except no curly toes), and if it did, I would knit her the other sock. Well, it fit. So....I started the 2nd sock (after hunting for the stitch pattern for over an hour. I really need to keep a journal! DUH!). Everything was going fine until I picked up the gusset stitches. My stripes in the yarn were not matching with the first sock, and they had been until the gusset. So I compare the two socks. OH MY GOSH!!! I never turned the heel on the first one. I just picked up the gusset stitches right after knitting the heel flap. AND I KNIT THE WHOLE SOCK WITHOUT NOTICING IT! What a loser! So now, I have to rip the entire foot out of the first sock and reknit it WITH A HEEL TURN! Crap, I just found a mistake in the second sock too. I am ripping these, I give up. The anvil has landed on this one for the last time.

Enter second knitting problem. I picked up the Swallowtail shawl the other night. I have not worked on this in ages. I really have to be in the mood, and be able to concentrate, without distraction, to work on lace. Also, I am not accustomed to working with THREAD. Yikes that laceweight yarn is fine! Well anyway, I was knitting along (about 45 min worth), and things were going fine. I go to knit the next row and the stitch count was off at the end of the row. So I think, well I can tink this and fix it. Well, WHAT WAS I THINKING?! After tinking for about 45 min, I decide to rip back to my last lifeline. In other words, absolutely no progress after almost 2 hours of work. Sigh. I could have cried (if I hadn't been so mad!).

Yeah, today might be better right? My dad is having surgery, so I will definitely have some knitting time at the hospital. I am actually making some good progress on the Lopi sweater.

I have the back finished and one front almost done. Yay! Things are looking up. I just got a shipment from the Acme Knitting Company (maybe I can get rid of that roadrunner hehe). Just kidding. By the way, I always hated that cartoon. I did not think it was funny. I felt sorry for the coyote and that smug little roadrunner just needed a good slap (or a good jab with really sharp knitting needles).

(Please forgive the blatant overuse of capitals. A frustrated girl needs her capitals.)

Hedera

2007-02-12T09:48:00.000-05:00

Quick post today. You get the bare minimum. I apologize for the bad pic and lack of links. My aunt passed away last night so it is a little bit crazy around here.

I finished my Hedera socks this weekend. This pattern is so nice. Easy to memorize, great looking and a fast knit for most people.

I did shorten the heel flap, it seemed way too long in the original pattern. I used two skeins of Koigu on size 1 Addis. Go ahead, make yourself a pair. I will make the knee-high version (Sodera) eventually, but I think I will wait until I have my new Knitpicks circulars. It will be easier and faster with sharper points.

I am working on another UFO. I thought I would quick finish some socks up, until I found a bonk-to-the-side-of-the-head-stupid mistake on them. Yeah, you won't even believe this one!

I am not a model

2007-02-10T10:18:00.000-05:00

Here is the proof (giggle).

I love my new sweater. I still have not blocked it. I know, terrible of me, but I have had SO MUCH other laundry to do. The sweater is last on the list. It doesn't look that bad pre-blocked, but the seams and neck band need a little help. I also need to get some buttons for it, I just haven't had the time or the desire to get out for them. I can't even decide if I want white, colored, or metal buttons yet. What do you think? This will definitely be a spring/summer sweater....what would look the best?

This is the only part I like about doing laundry.

I just love seeing all my handknit socks lined up on the rack like that. It just makes me happy. Can you tell we really like to wear our handknits here. This is less than one weeks worth of sock laundry. I say why choose store bought if you have these lovelies to wear. I am almost done with the Koigu socks too,. Yay, one more pair to choose from soon!