dsknits2

Playing Catch Up

2011-10-07T15:16:00.001-04:00

Oy! Life has been insane! After my shoulder break (June), possible unnecessary gallbladder surgery (July), blood clot from said surgery requiring a 5 day hospital stay (Aug), I'm still working on healing from EVERYTHING. Anyone who's had their gallbladder out knows it takes time to, well, ..."adjust'. Lets just say I'm still "adjusting" so I stick close to home. My shoulder still hurts but my range of motion has improved over time although I've got to get better about doing my stretches everyday. I'll probably be on blood thinners for about 6 mos for the clot (Portal Vein Thrombosis - Not good!), I have another CT scan mid-November to see if it's dissolved at all (please, please, please...). All of this in addition to the fibro pain and inflammation I suffer from has made life just... dandy. But I'm still here (weaker and shakier but surviving).

And I'm still knitting! (slow as it may be)

Pattern: Just my usual basic 64 stitch sock.
Yarn: Regia Design Line by Kaffe Fassett in Exotic Color Pool Colorway
Hmmm, I wasn't crazy about this yarn. It felt like knitting with Paton's Kroy Sock: sort of rough when knitting up & slighty itchy. Not a favorite but I do love the colors. I'm sending these to my Mom for Christmas and she wears her socks around the house so hopefully they'll feel okay to her. She's not a big wussy pants like I am about the itch factor.

To compensate I'm sending her these too:

Pattern: My same ol' basic pattern
Yarn: Knitting Fever Indulgence in Colorway: 115 (Pinks, greens, white)
Now these are SOFT! I wasn't thrilled that the gorgeous colors in the ball sort of got "muddied" up in the knit fabric but they feel so good it's okay, the pink still comes through some. Mom will certainly enjoy these too! (my photo taking skills are so below par - I blame it on not feeling good and being too lazy to edit right now).

I also finished a simple pair of ribbed fingerless mitts for my daughter for the high school football games but I haven't seen them since they came off the needles in time for last game night - so no pics yet. I have another pair in the works for my other daughter but it's been slow going working with Noro Silk Garden Sock yarn. People are right in saying it's tough on their hands, it does feel like knitting with cotton - no give = pain in your fingers and hands. Not fun.

I also gave up being chicken about getting back to my spinning. When I broke my shoulder I was about 1/3 into spinning some gorgeous hand-dyed Polwarth I picked up at the last fiber festival I attended. I had such an amazing consistency streak going I guess I was afraid to mess it all up after being away from it for so long. I finally got up the nerve, oiled my wheel a bit, and was off to the races again:

I have to find the tag to check the info but I'm pretty sure it's Rivers Edge - Out of Oz (Reflection colorway). It's 4 oz of Polwarth. I'll probably be working this as a 2 ply and it should be a fingering/light sport when it's done. I can't wait, plying makes it all magical for me!

I've got so much blog reading to catch up on. Someday I pray things will be back to normal in my world.
Happy Knitting!

Healing Takes Time

2011-08-06T22:50:00.000-04:00

My broken right shoulder is S.L.O.W.L.Y healing - with daily exercises, physical therapy, and TONS of patience. I still have limitations on my movements but it's getting better. When they first told me it would be two months before I would be out of a sling, I seriously thought they were joking, but...they weren't. When they told me it would be at least 12 weeks before I started strength training - well, they weren't kidding about that either. I'm simply amazed at how long these kinds of injuries take to heal! Everywhere I go I also hear "broken arm/shoulder" stories that makes me wince all over again. I truly know it could've been a lot worse. I say a prayer for those who are injured, it's no picnic.

I had my gallbladder surgery on July 27th, and for being an "easy" surgery, it hurt like heck. I've never had a worse medical experience. Healing from that has been slow going as well, and the pain in my upper right abdominal area has happened since it's been taken out, which was nothing short of depressing after the hell that was that operation. My diet needs to transform, I get it finally (at least I'm trying to!). I'm seriously going to miss chili cheese dogs, hamburgers, spicy foods and pizza. Not that I ate those regularly, but darn, once in awhile some things are a treat. No more. No more... sob...

We also lost my dear Father In Law to lung cancer on July 15th. We knew he was very ill, the end was very hard on him and everybody, nobody wanted to let go. That's because he was such a wonderful and loving person, someone who truly, undeniably, made this world a better place with his presence. We miss him terribly and always will. I panicked that I wouldn't be able to handle the funeral day feeling as weak and pain ridden as I did, but I went and was so glad I made it. He was "all about family", and I realized having loved ones together makes the tough times easier to bear, especially since he LOVED having everyone together. I know he was totally smiling down on all of us.

With the shoulder injury, my usual "soul soothing salve" (Knitting) was off limits until very recently. I think I was going through more than I realized (depression) because I was buying yarn like nobody's business and all the time wondering if I would ever knit again! I actually stopped and bought yarn the weekend we went for the funeral at the LYS in their town. The color of this Noro grabbed me and made my heart pitter patter and want to cast on ASAP. The love couldn't be denied, the feeling of it moving through my fingers was mesmerizing. I can't even say how wonderful it felt to finally have my needles working their magic on my soul. I didn't realize until then how much I had truly missed it. How much I NEEDED it to soothe my fears, worries, and just life stuff.

So here are my Comeback Mitts:

Pattern: Fetching
Yarn: Noro Shirakaba
Mods: Went down a needle size from the pattern to size them down a bit. Also only cast on 40. Worked an extra cable or so on the top for added length. Love. Love. Love.

Since then I've been knitting a bit every single day and feeling a bit better with each stitch. (and the worry over all the recently acquired yarn isn't as bad...) My knitting friends, and my wonderful family have helped me beyond words get through everything recently too. I'm so very grateful for them.

"Knit on, with confidence and hope, through all crises" ~ Elizabeth Zimmerman

Amen.

Forced Time Out

2011-07-06T14:53:00.000-04:00

I'm a bad blogger anyway but things have had to slow WAYYYY down due to a slight fall down the stairs one night (no light, a cats behind flashing in front of me for a nano-second, hands full so not holding onto rail = DISASTER). I dislocated my right shoulder and also gave myself two really nasty fractures. I'd love to write out the story one day, it still feels like it wasn't even real (an ER doc who looked incredibly worried every time she looked at me was funny after awhile) but it's really only entertaining to myself I think. (And maybe my husband who was with me to see it all transpire.)

I'm into week 5 of probably 12+ of healing and physical therapy, so I won't be getting any blog writing awards - or knitting - or spinning ones either. I somehow managed to finish up a sock while on a regular dose of pain killers but have since stalled out, both due to pain, and just lack of interest right now. Of course, that hasn't stopped me from BUYING yarn unfortunately.

I'm in a sling with a support pillow most of the day, I even have to sleep in it so that has been interesting. I learned my master bedroom recliner is "perfect" to sit and spin in, but to "sleep" in, not so much. Somehow I've adapted in bed and have finally been getting some decent sleep without killing myself with pain. Anyway, this is one injury anybody should avoid at all costs. It just sucks.

I finally see a surgeon tomorrow for my gallbladder problems too. (At least I think it's my GB). The Gastro doc is pretty much done with me and what she can do but I'm still in pain so this is the next step. I'm just praying he'll listen and at least try to see if anything is up when he checks things out. I figure I might as well get all the healing over with at one time, after this arm is healed I want to just feel GOOD for a change!! It's been a sucky, hell of a year for me. :(

Here's to staying healthy and being good to yourself. And turn the light on when you go downstairs at night no matter how many other times you were successful in the past!!

ETA: Will get pictures of socks up that were finished in June when I can feasibly take a picture again...perhaps 7 more weeks??? wahhhhhhh

Happy (Late) Mother's Day!

2011-05-10T20:51:00.002-04:00

As usual I'm a day (or more) late and a dollar short. I had a nice Mother's Day and hope all my blog buddies did too. It's always nice to be spoiled. I'm very blessed, and I know it and treasure it.

I made these for my Mom:

(Except I can't take a good picture lately for the life of me, I think it's a reflection of how crappy I feel in general.) I really enjoy embroidery though. It seems like there are so MANY tiny stitches, and then before I know it I'm done! It's very relaxing and I've already aquired more sets to get stitching on. Okay, French Knots are not my thing, but I plan to keep practicing.

This was my Mother's Day present:

A Woolee Winder for my Ashford Joy. LOVE LOVE LOVE. I'm a spinning fool now. (Got my foot AND my purse in that shot! Photography classes??).

We've had too much anxiety around here lately. My dog Jenna was really sick this last Thursday, we took her to the vet and she thought she may have had a tick-born illness. She had to stay there with an IV of fluids and antibiotics until yesterday. I don't ever want to go through that again. It was heartbreaking and we could've lost her but she's on the mend slowly now and is back to wiggling her little behind.

My FIL has had his second chemo treatment and seems to be doing okay so far this time. We're always trying to keep positive thoughts for him. My Mom finally got in to get her back checked and got shots to help in the mean time while they get her scheduled for the x-rays and MRI's. I think it's her sciatic possibly. I just want her out of so much pain. :(

My health still sucks. Same story, different day. The Plaquinel worked for about 2 weeks - and I was PAIN FREE - for the first time in AGES. But, it wasn't meant to last unfortunately. I don't know why but I'm not happy about it. I'm back on Lyrica too but the pain seems to still peak more than I can manage. I'm due to see a neurologist next I believe, and get PT for my own sciatic problem. I'm so tired of pain.

I haven't been knitting much lately but my fingers are itching. I have tons of sock yarn but don't want to use it. But I think socks are just right for my mood so I have to break down and wind a ball soon.

Happy Knitting and Good health to all.

Spin Fairies

2011-04-27T18:20:00.005-04:00

They must exist! Here are the "Never Ending Bobbins"! They just go on and on and on and on....

I swear I've been plying these singles for about a MILLION years now. I don't think it's ever taken me this long to get a couple of bobbins done. (In truth I haven't been spinning that long,...and I am sort of a Drama Queen, but geez!) I'll just keep treadling and hoping.... I want to have them done by the time my Woolee Winder gets here (hopefully SOON!).

As I look at the bobbin it seems like I haven't done much. Maybe it's not Spinning Fairies but the whole universe slowing down. I swear I've been at it FOREVER!!! (Major whine with some cheese.)

Today has been totally nervewracking. Spring here will never make me comfortable. I'll still take an earthquake in CA any day. (BIG BIG BIG chicken here....)

Stay safe and Happy Knitting (or PLYING).

Another One Bites The Dust

2011-04-18T18:08:00.003-04:00

When I was going through the stash to put pictures on Ravelry I found my bag with UFO's in it. There's some sweater pieces that are going to "Frog Land", and a few other small projects (a scarf and a double knit potholder) that I plan to get done soon. I pretty much got the urge to empty out that bag and get these things out of the way.

This was in there too:

Pattern: Patchwork Carriage Blanket from "The Book Of Yarn" by Clara Parkes
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash in colorways 837, 897, 910.

I started this probably back in 2005. I think a vintage tablecloth inspired these colors but it didn't translate into what I imagined. It's one of those "what the heck was I thinking?" projects. I'm just not into americana stuff (which is what this reminds me of - although it's nice, it's just not what I collect).

Cascade 220 Superwash BLEEDS TERRIBLY (a Shout Color Catcher couldn't even contain all that excess pink!). That's totally why I stopped working on this way back then, I think I had planned to test it before going on - but ignoring it was easier. So I just basically put it "out of sight, out of mind".

Finishing this was one of the projects that took up time and space so I could keep avoiding the amended tax form I needed to get done. (Boy, that sure lit a fire under me). I'm just glad it's done and out of my bag. It may go to my Aunt (who loves americana stuff) or I may put it in my future Grandchildren Box.

Happy Knitting!

Procrastinating

2011-04-14T14:55:00.004-04:00

I'm the Queen of it.

Lately (okay, months) I've needed to file an amended tax return but I've gotten SO much more done instead! (Funny how that works.)

I took pictures (around 400) of my stash and loaded them on Ravelry. Every. Last. Bit. (It's only been since Oct 2007) I took some things out for my Knitting Group swap that's coming up. I was surprised at some of the novelty stuff I just wasn't willing to part with yet. Now that I'm experimenting with embroidery, I see that stuff with a new perspective I guess.

While pulling out all that stash I found a few UFO's in the closet that have also been set aside for years. (Why on earth did I pick those colors? - I knit it, why didn't I felt it?) Some are getting frogged and a couple are getting finished (one day..soon).

I've played on my spinning wheel. Right now I'm in the middle of plying, which I usually love, it goes pretty quickly. But the thinner you spin, the longer it takes. I think my next yarn will be in the dk/worsted category. It makes me sleepy. And the cats keep trying to bite my singles.

I've been reading like the library will be closing permanently. Books are wonderful escapes.
(That one really doesn't count as something new since the library guy would send a search party out for my hubby if he didn't make my usual pickup).

Sooooo, The Big Guy and I are sitting there talking and I'm complaining to him about doing the taxes (instructions suck, blah, blah, blah) - I open it up. I read for a second. And I got it done in less than 5 minutes. At least I made myself look pretty smarty-pants in front of him. Yes, I felt silly for not just getting it over with since I've been staring at and avoiding the folder for so long, but it's like going to the dentist, who really WANTS to go to the dentist? Who really WANTS to read IRS forms? But it just shows that when you have support, you can do anything. And I'm the one always telling my girls "things are never as bad as you think they'll be". And "If there's something you hate to do, just get it out of the way". Huh.

ANYWAY, I forgot to post about the Smokey Mountains Fiber Festival I went to in March.

Here's a sampling:
Rows and rows and rows of goodies. I honestly could never handle a bigger festival like SAFF, I seriously go into hyperventilating mode and almost get the vapors. I almost spent my whole budget at the first three booths! I mostly bought fiber to spin and I only came home with one skein of sock yarn (that I was going to buy eventually anyway).

The sheep were very sweet!

This man is amazing, I wish I could remember his name. I don't know how his back can take this but he's done it long enough to be a real expert at it, I wanted to go hug him, he was just so sweet. We missed the sheep shearing last year so this year we traded off events (last year we saw the dog round up).

All in one piece. Amazing.

Bags for sale. I almost bought one for my friend Helen but I know she has some stockpiled already. I'm not one who has the strength to clean, card, or prep my own fleece. I totally know my limitations. My next big expenditure (dream) may be an electric spinner so that's what my pennies are being saved for. Although if I ever see a drum carder or good combs really cheap.....(like that will happen!)

There were a lot of things showcased: weaving, quilting, etc. This lady does bobbin lace, she took her time and explained it to me and was great at it. With all those bobbins, you actually only use 4 at a time. You follow a chart just like we do in knitting or weaving, and basically this is just "weaving". How she can know what place she's in is amazing with those tiny loops, but you "read" it just like knitting or crochet. (She's making another bookmark like the blue one there.)

The Big Guy was awesome, he was the cash register man, and bag carrier, AND photographer. Like I said, I was having the vapors with all that fiber-love goodness and was bouncing around like a crazy woman from booth to booth. It's like it was my oxygen.

Good thing this is only once a year, it's also only about 45 minutes away. I contemplated going to the Lexington KY one in May, but seriously, I can't spin that fast and I have enough fiber to last quite awhile. I have to keep some perspective on space. There's always next year....

Happy Knitting & Spinning!

March Post - In The Nick Of Time...

2011-03-23T08:39:00.001-04:00

Creative titles for my Blog don't really seem necessary since I only manage to post once a month anyway! (Which actually is a good thing with my sleepy brain). Wow, I'm sitting here totally bewildered! Where did the month go?? I figured I was good for at least TWO this month! I'm such a slacker!

Well, on to the knits:

I realized that I never posted my finished colorwork mittens! These were really fun to make despite my mistakes along the way. There's one glaring right at me in the pic, but they're still warm. Sometimes you just have to let things go. My friend Mona designed these, she's got some great patterns in her head!

Pattern: Ambassadeur d`amour-Ambassador of Love
Yarns: Cascade 220 in pink fuchsia and black.

Next:

Pattern: Tie Band Chevron Beret
Yarn: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in Cranberry
This was a last minute test knit on Ravelry (as I wasn't aware I was an "official tester" until things were already underway) so I had to marathon knit to get this done. Overall I enjoyed knitting it but the yarn wasn't the best. I wouldn't buy this again, it was badly spun/plied, really rough in some spots, very raggedy looking at times. Maybe I got a bad skein, but even Red Heart has never been this bad for me, and that's really saying something in my book. The color was the only saving grace for me.

Next:

Pattern: My basic 64 st stockinette sock
Yarn: Paton's Stretch in Cherry Sours
There's a "weird" feel to this yarn when knitting it up, sort of "rope like" sticky, but they end up softer somehow. My daughter loves them.

Next:

Pattern: Basic Socks (again)
Yarn: Premier Serenity Sock Weight in Spring Fling
My usual formula didn't work so well on these, they came out on the small side. The yarn felt thinner but I'm next exactly an exemplary "swatch" knitter so they are what they are. My youngest can still wear them, barely.. but they'll last a bit. I guess the sock bug has bit me again because another pair is in the works.

Next, since it's my Auntie's Birthday today, I'm posting what I made for her:

My FIRST embroidery project ever: Pillowcases. I enjoyed each and every moment of it so I've already started on some more for myself. These fit her perfectly, she's always had a thing for "little blue birds". I hope she'll enjoy these. Happy Happy Birthday Auntie! (I didn't iron them before I sent them but they still look cute!) I guess I'll save the remaining knits for next month since it's almost here!

I suppose the Lyrica has been making me sleepier than I realized because I swear the month just began! I've also just started taking Plaquenil for my auto-immune problem. My numbers are increasing in that department and my pain has been SKY HIGH, so, as chicken as I am, I'm also pretty darn desperate for some kind of relief. Here's to hope for less pain and having a "life" again.

I'm looking forward to Aprils post, I went to a fiber festival last weekend and had a blast. :O) I paid dearly in the pain department, but it was still so much fun!

Happy Knitting!

February's Post

2011-02-11T16:16:00.001-05:00

I guess one blog post a month is better than nothing! Slow motion is my speed anymore! I feel like I'm ALWAYS knitting but where are the projects? hmmmm

My Second Noro Scarf:

I have a fussy Model to contend with. You know how teenage diva's can be. My Models Attitude: "Hurry the Heck UP MOM!!" My fault, she had just got home from school and I wouldn't let her go until I got a decent shot.

She always eventually realizes it will go a lot faster if she just cooperates. Smart Cookie.

Noro Striped Scarf
Colorways: 8, 87 and 282 of Noro Silk Garden.
I spliced my way almost throughout the whole scarf so it's really my own manipulation of the colors mentioned. I cut out mainly the oranges and browns that were in there and some dark green. It's really so much more colorful in person, it's so hard to capture the real beauty on my camera (I suck at photography).

I love this one so much more than the one made out of Kureyon. It's so much softer and just gets better with each washing. It doesn't itch my neck at all with that mix of mohair in there which is a relief. I love wearing it, it just makes me happy. I'm just glad I got it done while the temps are still cool enough for it's use.

Some Spinning:

4 oz of Corriedale in the Calypso colorway from Black Trillium Fiber Studio's.

I wasn't thrilled with this braid, it felt extra "rough" from the get go. I know it's just one of those things, fiber can slightly "felt", it can sit too long, become too compacted, or be bad product from the processing, but I've practiced on other corriedale that wasn't this rough. I finished it up because I was dying to practice plying more, I did have fun doing that. I got about 288 yards out of this.

I've got socks on the needles currently, one pair for my daughter and one for my cousin. Now to decide what else to put on the wheel...

On the health front I'm back on a low dose of Lyrica (25mg) for my fibro and sleep problems. Three days down and I think I am sleeping a tiny bit better. With the weather getting nicer (slowly but surely) I'm going to start walking again to hopefully combat the weakness I feel in my extremities. I feel like a 200 year old in a 40 something body. Ugh.

Happy Knitting & Spinning! :O)

The New Year

2011-01-19T17:14:00.000-05:00

Wow. I'm SO behind! January is almost over and here I am with next to nothing "knitting related" to post. I've worked on a few KAL things but the first was a BUST (rarely do I just THROW something AWAY - but this HAD to go - wait! I may have a pic of it before it went bye-bye! ).

Here it is:

Pattern: Duet
Yarn: Simply Soft in Cranberrry
This was an UGH! if there ever was one. My Bad. I didn't check gauge, but I honestly didn't like it as a cowl OR hat anyway. Even if it had been bigger to fit, I'm sure I'd have never used it. Caron SS just fuzzes so much too, way more than I remember in the past when I used it for projects. Something shouldn't look 100 years old after you just finished it!

Another unfinished KAL:

I've never done colorwork like this before and it's been quite a learning experience. It really humbled this old knitter. If there was a way to mess it up, I found it! Thank goodness the designer is a friend and was patient with my crazy questions! I think the pattern will be up for sale on Ravelry soon. I'm now done with the first mitten and have started my second. I'll get a finished pic after they're blocked.

**Notes: I went down a needle size for the ribbing on the second glove, this one was way too loose. I also switched to Magic Loop, it's just way easier as I carry both yarns in the right hand, so yarn readjustments weren't constantly going on. Overall I may try this type of knitting again one day. Maybe on a hat.

The last project I have going is still in the finishing stages. I have to have something to blog about in February! :P

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Life has worked it's way into my knitting time somewhat (I know, what's new!), and the COLD has worked it's way into my spinning time! Brrr! (When that lottery comes through I see an electric spinner in my future!) My thoughts and life have been so jumbled with all we've had going on, I just didn't want to post about the sadness and worry because I didn't want to bum out or chase away the few readers I have!

I promise to be back again posting happily one day if things ever seem to settle down.

Update on my FIL: After what felt like being in the hospital forever, they've finally released him to go home yesterday. He's getting therapy and is watched by a nurse everyday it sounds like. Even being home now sounds like a busy time for him! We're continuing to pray that he can live the rest of his life as he chooses and as pain free as possible. That's all we really want for him.

Update on my Mom: She's hanging in there. They're still trying to get her medications adjusted for the maximum benefit so that's an ongoing process I wish would hurry up. Even on her worst days she manages to always help bring ME back up. Mommy's are wonderful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And a BIG HUGE Thank You to my knitting buddy Dawn for the nice Christmas package she sent me!
We're old blogging buddies who like surprises. Thank you so much for thinking of me Dawn. Honestly, this was the worst holiday season we've ever had, but there are ALWAYS bright spots that remind us
of God's love and grace.

Thanks so much for your friendship. (I'm really enjoying my soap and lotion! ;O)

Thank you Again. ((((Hugs))))

Here's to a better year down the road!

Happy End of The Year!

2010-12-30T19:47:00.004-05:00

I for one am so glad this year is finally ending. It's really tested what little strength I have in a lot of ways. The journey is never over until it's over, but I totally want to dig my heels in for a respite about now. There have been so many blessings I'm thankful for, Many MANY! But honestly, this year has sucked in so many ways too. That's life, we gotta do our best and try to go on. Don't mind my babbling. I'm just exhausted beyond measure right now. Just please 2011, please be better.

I did want to update the last of my 2010 Knitting on the blog though. I didn't knit as much this year but I sort of remember enjoying most of it anyway. The fibro and auto-immune issues have put some obstacles in my path over and over again (ow, ow, OWWW! Bad part of the year for SURE!), but I just can't stop doing what I love. (And now spinning is added to the fun! One good part of last year!)

Feather & Fan Fingerless Gloves By Kollage
Knit Picks Essential Kettle Dyed Sock Yarn in Bordeaux
Size 1 needles.
Ugh! What a LOVE/HATE relationship these were!! I started them sometime in the spring I think. They went to CA with me in May, (they travelled well at least.) I've carried them around to several knitting meetings, they sat in my bag for MONTHS, it felt like it was time to get them done. Around November I begrudgingly took them out and set out to finish them once and for all. This is a super EASY pattern, I just didn't dig it I guess. I love the finished result, I just didn't enjoy making them. Then on glove #2 things went a bit haywire, my stitch count got off, my thumb was too long, then too short...you know, knitting CRAZINESS! But, I took deep breaths, tinked when necessary, fudged when necessary, and got them done. Yay me!

My Last Beech Wood Cowl (for awhile anyway).
Cascade 220 Superwash Paints in a purple colorway (couldn't get it right on camera to save my life).
Size 6 needle.

**EDITING POST BECAUSE I REALIZED I HADN'T POSTED THE OTHER COWLS! Fibro Fog Brain! :P

Here are my other Beech Wood's:

Yarn: Madenlinetosh Vintage

Yarn: Mountain Colors Weavers Wool Quarters In Wild Raspberry

Madelinetosh Vintage

What can I say, I made four in a very short span (my aching thumbs do protest quite loudly now). I do love this pattern. Simple yet so pretty when worn. My daughters look great in these, I see a couple more in my future (at some point.) With my thumb (hand, wrist) pain lately it seems like all that sock yarn in the stash is going to get to rest a LONG while, it's sport or worsted for now until this pain lets up.
Weekly NO Knitting Breaks = NO FUN!

I did also whip these up for an Aunt of mine:

Just a basic hat and fingerless mitts made out of Plymouth Boku Yarn. Not the softest stuff, but I do love the colors! I used two skeins for these.

And one of my last knits (Oops! Crochet!!) of 2010:

Pattern: Square Shell Coasters made for my swap partner Mary Jane.
Yarn: Lion Brand Vanna's Glamour
This yarn was hard on my hands, not soft as I would've liked but they're just coasters so it worked. I would never use this for something next to the skin though.

My yarny New Years plan is to try (once again) to knit from the stash as much as possible. This grasshopper has played and it's time to get to work and rebuild & save again. Besides the closet is seeming to overwhelm me again, I wonder if it's time to let some of that acrylic go - or try a different kind of storage?... in any case, I hope to make a dent in what's already there. (And take a bunch to our knitting group yarn swap). Next year feels like a de-cluttering kind of year. I just hope my legs will hold me up long enough and my arms will cooperate.

Happy New Year and many blessings out to my fellow bloggers and knitting buddy's. Many thanks too for all your prayers for my FIL and family. He's still in ICU, we know he's very ill, but we continue to pray and love him. ♥

Do-Overs and Spinning

2010-12-14T15:20:00.000-05:00

Wish they were for real when it comes to living a year over again.

Overall, we've had many blessings this year, but it's definitely had major challenges as well. Being a grown up sure isn't what we think when we're young.

Our latest challenge has been my FIL recently becoming ill with lung cancer and is now going back and forth to the hospital for various reasons. He had his first chemo treatment recently, but has been in for pain in his chest, swelling, possible pneumonia, and now he has a fever. It's hard to explain to your children that someone they love so very much may not be with us a whole lot longer but that we have to continue to pray for them no matter what. Around the holidays it's even tougher.

But we're holding onto hope. Always gotta hold on. And Pray.

I figure it's also time to document my spinning for this year. Next year I hope I see some progress and growth. What I don't want is yarn that looks like something I can buy at a LYS that's manufactured. I totally want the barber pole effect in a nice soft lofty yarn and many colors!

I'm loving my little Ashford Joy wheel, she spins wonderfully when I get my groove going, it's just THAT part isn't as consistent yet! I know I need to practice more, my legs and fingers haven't been as cooperative as I'd like. Sometimes after I spin for a bit my legs feel like jello, weak as a new born calf. This auto-immune thing I have seems to have weakness in my arms and legs as a regular symptom anymore. It really stinks. But, I do enjoy it when I get some good spinning time in. It's just a price I have to pay to do what I love.

Here's my first round:

Frabjous Fibers - Hand Dyed Blue Faced Leicester Top - Cabbage Rose colorway - 4 oz. (Bought at LYS). I did this around summer time I believe and since I don't keep track of things very well I can't remember my approximate yardage on this one. I'll need to remeasure. I believe it was around 160 yds.

OMgosh, it was so hard to get the colors in the picture accurate on this one. But I love just looking at it. I'll never knit it up since it's my first, it holds a special place in my heart. It's thick, thin, and badly plyed (I didn't realize how tired I'd get doing that - should've saved it for a day when I had more energy and less overall pain.) But I love it.

Here's my second:

Yarnadoodles BFL Combed Top - Tea Time colorway - 4 oz

I finished this one recently and tried to take my time with the plying this go around, but still, it has it's

thick and thin spun spots that make it individual.

I managed around 232 yards this time. It's funny, but I just like to pet and look at my own skeins. It makes me smile. I doubt I'll knit this up anytime soon either. I just love it.

I did try navajo plying on some Louet Coopworth I spun when I first got my wheel. That was fun, but I still need a LOT of practice in that department too. My Joy is weighted so the "spin back" happens when I forget where my feet are on the treadles. I'm not crazy about that, but it's getting easier with practice. It was really evident in this type of plying as I had to keep rearranging my hands and the fibers every now and then.

I don't know what I'd do without my knitting or spinning. It's my sanity in these tough days. I'm waiting on some more fiber to spin that I ordered from Etsy (my own Christmas present). I can't wait. I just hope my legs hold up. I may need to look into an electric spinner one day....

Happy Spinning and Knitting! And please, if possible, keep good thoughts for my FIL and our family.

Catching Up

2010-12-07T16:38:00.003-05:00

I've been a really slow knitter this year as well as a really slow blogger. Seems I can spend time on Ravelry daydreaming everyday and watching what everyone else is up to - but marking my own progress hasn't been as exciting as it used to be, here or there. Maybe it's because I'm not really knitting anything super duper outlandishly special, but basic necessities, gifts, and simple things.

Here we go with my Simple Parade:

Patterns: Waffle Hat & Noro Fingerless Mitts
Yarn: Bernat Mosaic in Spectrum Colorway
This yarn is a bit softer than Noro (and machine washable). People have complained of it pulling apart easily but I didn't have that problem at all, just one knot which happens to the best of them. I knit the mitts pretty tightly too so if it was weak, I would've known it. (Maybe there was a bad batch out there). These are for my Auntie for Christmas. She's awesomely Knit-Worthy, she uses everything down to the last thread! ;O)

Next:

Pattern: Hats From The Heart
Yarn: Berroco Jasper
Size 8 needles.
A great Ravelry Buddy sent me this yarn awhile back because I was admiring her hats. I started it (barely cast on) and it promptly got put in (one of) my UFO bags for the longest time. Now that my hubby is golfing come cold weather or not (he has a driving range near his work) I want him to at least be WARM out there. This project was perfect. The Berroco is very soft but I'm going to have to be careful with the care of it. I can see that it will pill quickly since it's loosely spun. Kind of like Malabrigo Worsted.

Onto:

Patterns: Oops. I'm not sure.
I made these for a friend who's expecting a new Grandbaby in the family and I can't remember what patterns I used. I got them done early even though we weren't going to send them out until closer to the due date, I just hate waiting on things for too long or I'll forget.
Yarn: Bernat Cotton Tots - One skein did both projects. I went with a neutral color since we don't know if it's a boy or girl.

Next:

Pattern: Plain Basic Socks (My Favorite)
64 Cast On - Size 1 Magic Loop
Yarn: Knit One Crochet Too Ty-Dy Sock "Crock-O-Dye"
I made these for my Freezing Cold Cousin in Montana. I really enjoyed knitting with this yarn, it's really soft and has a great feel. I may get some for me one day since I have another coupon for my LYS. She wears a lot of black and browns, neutral shades, so I wanted to go crazy with color and look what I ended up picking out? It just shouted at me that it was HER though. Too funny! I must knit her some PINK socks soon.

And:

Scarves for The Special Olympics 2011 to send in for my state. These aren't due until mid January, but again, I'm crazy about deadlines. I hate them. If I know it has to be done, I get it done ASAP. I only managed to get two done, I actually had to return two skeins because I just couldn't cope with using the Red Heart again. Until they've been washed a few times they're stiff as a board, it's just too hard on my hands and I've been having enough trouble with hand pain recently, it's just not good to push things when you hurt that bad. Although I'd love to do more, I figure two is better than none.

There has been some simple Christmas Knitting that's been done and I wish I could've done more but I can't post those right now. At least I know I'll be back blogging before the year ends - I hope!

Happy Knitting!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T11:32:00.000-05:00

Too many Blessings to count this year but here's a few:

My Mom getting through another cancer surgery.

My Husband still doing more than I could imagine because of my health issues

and never once complaining.

My family pulling together to get each other through tough times.

My friends being there to listen and care.

Wishing everyone a peaceful and happy day.

Whiskers On Wednesday

2010-11-17T20:19:00.001-05:00

Yep, yep, yep,

Time for a nap.

ZZZZZzzzzzzzz
Sasha & Sophie

Whiskers On Wednesday (and some Knitting!)

2010-11-10T09:46:00.001-05:00

No Kitties. Just ONE of the things that's left in their wake. Just about every morning. What do those cats do all night?

Some knitting has been done recently:

Pattern: Petunia Socks By Jeanne Cotter (My blog buddy)
Yarn: Joann's Sensations Bamboo & Ewe
Mods: All I changed was to use size 1 needles and add stitches to compensate.
This pattern looks great in a hand-dyed yarn like she used, I've slowly swayed to more striped or solids over time but I think they came out nice. Comfy yarn as well, has a decent softness to it.

Pattern: My Plain socks. 64 st cast on.
Yarn: Paton's Kroy Jacquards in Fern Rose colorway.
Size 1 needles
These are the socks that gave me a major reality check. I was so excited to be on a roll with socks once again that I over-did it trying to get these done. I think the combo of very small needles, being out of practice for a few months, and wanting to keep going, gave me Repetitive Stress Injury. My doctor thinks there's some slight carpal tunnel in the mix as well. All I can say (besides a few bad words) is OWWW!

You just can't ignore pain. If it hurts in the slightest - STOP!!!! My thumb/hand/wrist hurt so bad, I can't say how panicked I was thinking of all the yarn in my closet. I can NOT knit when I want to, but to HAVE TO stop, geez, that's TOUGH! I took a week off (staring longingly at my knitting), and now have to take frequent breaks. I HOPE I've learned my lesson. I never thought my hands would quit on me. Never. Don't take things for granted, take care of yourself.

Note: This yarn is tough as iron too, that may have been part of the problem. It's also slightly itchy but will probably wear forever. Not a favorite of mine needless to say.

Pattern: My Basic Socks. 64 st cast on.
Yarn: Knit One Crochet too Ty Dy Socks
Colorway: 1713
Size 1 needles.
These are for my Mom's Birthday coming up soon. This yarn was a tad splitty when casting on, but after that it was fine for the most part. And soft?? VERY! I got these done with LOTS of breaks and little pain so I see another pair working it's way to my needles very soon. I've got the "sock-bug" once again.

My picture taking/editing abilities need major work as well. Happy Knitting! And Happy WOW!

My Blog Is Not Forgotten

2010-10-13T17:33:00.002-04:00

Yet. And I hope to revive it once again.

I've posted before about how sad it makes me when bloggers I enjoy "disappear" or "retire. I have so many I read on google reader but it's still sad when they're gone. I totally understand how it is tho. Time gets away from you, life just gets more (insert: challenging, crazy, busy, scary, etc.). That's how it's been for me (again, I seem to have more blog crisis's than average.)

My gallbladder problems are still not resolved because all those expensive tests they put me through say it's perfectly fine. Yet my constant pain says: "what the ??" It could be stress related, I've tried to calm down about my Mom's health issues, but seriously, they've taken their toll on me. That finally dawned on me when all the tests were saying things look "okay". Except for a small hiatal hernia, my insides look okay. This added to my already existing fibro pain and anxiety really sucks frankly. Thankfully, my Mom's health is looking up (again), so I'm really trying to just chill a bit. My mind says to do one thing, but my body responds in other ways I guess.

Despite the terrible fatigue (why do GB attacks have to happen in the middle of the night?) and pain (oh, lots of pain), I've still been knitting and practicing my spinning. Some things are for a Christmas swap I'm in so I can't post those for a bit. (Yes, I'm very early, but that's probably part of my GB issues too!). As usual, when I don't feel good, I wonder WHY I keep knitting when it's driving me so batty. Then something gets done and I'm a very happy knitter again.

My Mitered Baby Blanket
Yarn: Bernat Baby Jacquards - Florals

I got the instructions from a really nice knitter on Ravelry, KnitWeir (Donna). She made this up herself and was kind enough to share her notes with me because I was totally besotted with her blankets.
Pink. Pink. Pink. Little Rosebuds. = LOVE.

I love the way her blankets look almost like a quilt. The squares were easier than I thought they'd be, I whizzed through them. But the simple garter stitch border about killed me. I had to rip and re-do about 5 THOUSAND times. So much that I finally had to ditch the old yarn I was using and start a new ball. That alone proved how bad I'm feeling these days. But, I hung in there and FINALLY got her done! Love it. I'm saving it for a grandbaby of mine one day. (WAYYYY in the future!).

Christmas knitting is always so stressful for me, it's a self-imposed heck I put myself through because I'm too picky and too indecisive. I spend so much time figuring out WHAT to make, then I knit it and am not in love with it, etc. It's a never ending drama for my crazy head, so I'm TRYING to just let it go this year (breathe, don't panic). Whatever I do happen to make (out of sheer luck) I'm trying to keep it SIMPLE because frankly that's all I can handle. When a simple garter stitch border can kick your a$$ets, it's time to knit to RELAX, not to put the pressure on.

I'm so good at thinking logically, but DOING is a whole other story! I've scraped about 4 Christmas things already. Oy.

I also managed to get these done quickly:

Maine Morning Mitts
Yarn: Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn (Cranberry?)
Needles: Size 6
I love this colorway, it just makes me happy, sort of fall like and Christmas-y. And Rose-Bud-y too! I do love my roses. Hobby Lobby's yarns are so soft and squishy, love these so much.

Some simple mitts for my cousin:

I made her a pair of black ones for work out of Caron Simply Soft a few years ago. Well, they're pretty pilly now and obviously very loved, so I found a new yarn and made her an extra pair for work.

Yarn: Deborah Norville Everyday Soft Worsted
(This yarn is new, I found it at Joanne's and it's supposed to be Anti-Pilling. We'll see how they hold up for her. I hope better than the CSS.)
Pattern: Noro Fingerless Mitts
I used size 5 needles and these came out a bit loose. I like using size 4's for this pattern normally so they're more snug. (Brain Fog Strikes Again).

I made a scarf too but don't have pictures of it yet. I'm just behind on everything anymore, even my picture taking! Someday I'll get to that and the Christmas stuff. One thing is for sure: Knitting has caused many of my headaches, but brought me peace as well during this rough year. Many Thanks to my friends and blog buddies for your good thoughts and comments and still hanging with me here! (((hugs)))

Whiskers On Wednesday

2010-09-08T01:37:00.000-04:00

This is appropriate for The Big Guy and myself lately. I've been under the weather for almost a month and a half with terrible stomach issues. Our 21st wedding anniversary was on September 2nd and he did what he always does: He took care of me. That's love.

Happy Late Anniversary Big Guy. I Love You for too many reasons to count. I promise we will celebrate someday soon! (As soon as I find out what's making me so sick so I can eat again! I never thought I'd be so excited to see a Gastro doctor!)

It's That Time of Year...

2010-08-16T09:48:00.000-04:00

This morning I dropped my (oldest) baby off at HIGH SCHOOL and The Big Guy took my other baby to MIDDLE SCHOOL. BIG BIG DAY for us as parents thinking back to years ago dropping them off at Kindergarten. I'm sad that time has flown by like this, but at the same time, I'm so glad they're back. They missed their buddies, and I think were more than ready to go back. It won't seem like that by the end of the week (I can bet), but we still had a good start and that's awesome. I had so much fun those years of school, I sure hope they enjoy it as well.

On the knitting front I am getting some things done. With my Mom's health ups and downs it's been my comfort and companion. She's doing much better now (Thank You for all the good thoughts and prayers) and life is getting a tiny bit back to normal around here.

I got a couple of hats done for my friend Mona's expected (and I think first) Grandson:

The first one came out sort of big! So I made a second one a bit smaller. Baby's do grow after all!

This was the scarf I almost LOST at the hospital the day my Mom had her latest cancer surgery:

Pattern: Gathered Scarf
Yarn: Yarn Nerd (overdyed for a more vibrant fuchsia pink color)
Needles 4 and 7.
Mods: Did 8 repeats in the ST st section, and only 6 of the garter.
Thank goodness the lady at the hospital found my bag on a chair and put it aside for me. We had dropped my Mom off for her surgery, then left to go get lunch and to run by a book store. I thought someone had PICK-POCKETED my KNITTING!!! I was fit to be tied, but, turns out I'm just the same old scatterbrained girl this summer.

On my own health front, it's still up and down (mostly DOWN), now they say I'm exhausted due to a b-12 deficiency and "possibly" an under-active thyroid. So more blood gets taken and still: not any real clear REASONS (except fibro) for how lousy I feel all of the time. Insomnia is still a problem but now that I have to take my daughter to school, I guess it better work itself out pretty darn soon! Watch out other morning drivers! I'm on the road again!!

Well, getting up early has it's advantages, I got a lot of housework done already and need to go switch the laundry now. Can't wait for my Babies to get home! Happy Back to School!! & Happy Knitting!!

Whiskers On Wednesday

2010-08-04T17:00:00.002-04:00

BLOCKING WIRES? WHO NEEDS BLOCKING WIRES??

"WE MUST HOLD THIS SCARF DOWN FOR MOMMA" - Sasha & Sophie.

(Excuse the mess, I always block on my bedroom floor, not always on BettyBoop, but any towel. My kitties are COMPELLED to ALWAYS help in the process)

In my House: "No Knit is complete without CAT HAIR".

"AND I'LL EAT THOSE PINS SO THEY DON'T RUN AWAY TOO" - Sasha.
(This was awhile back, again excuse messy chair in bedroom - I TRIED to keep it covered but between cats and kids...that was a big big funny).

Happy Whiskers On Wednesday!

A Great (Birth)Day

2010-08-02T21:05:00.001-04:00

I've started counting backwards now (so Birthdays aren't so painful) but I always love a reason to have cake!

Here's my Birthday (& next Anniversary, Christmas, New Years, & Valentines) day present:

My Ashford Joy DT along with fiber to practice on from The Woolery in Frankfurt KY. I'm really glad I went in person and tested out different wheels before I bought one. I thought I had my heart set on a Kromski Fantasia (and almost just ordered it). It looks really cool with it's more "modern" design, but after trying out several there in the shop, the Joy was THE ONE.

She's awfully pretty, very petite, and quiet as a mouse. Great travel wheel.

She's hoping her new owner practices more and keeps her busy. I'm really enjoying spinning but realize just how much practice I need! Well, at least I know she'll be patient with me.

A BIG Thank you going out to my blog buddy Dawn for the fluffy goodness and other birthday goodies (my lotion was already in use and didn't make it to the photoshoot!)! I've been having so much fun picking up different fibers and can't wait to try these out too! Thanks for thinking of me! ♥

Off to spin some more.....Hope everyone had as great a day as I had. :O)

Drive By Prayer Request

2010-07-21T10:43:00.004-04:00

When will I get back to blog land? I hope someday soon.

I'd like to ask for prayers and good thoughts for my Mom today. She's been having some serious health issues again and my being so far away hasn't been easy. Thankfully I have family that is taking very good care of her right now but the future has some unanswered questions in it and I hope this is the open door to make some positive decisions for my Mom's overall health and well being.

Many Thanks! ♥

California Dreamin

2010-07-12T19:37:00.001-04:00

Fresh Cherries from my cousins tree. They picked cherries for DAYS from this tiny tree!

Watching my nephew play baseball. League champs!! What great summer fun!

Monterey CA. Aquarium and Deck. My daughter the mermaid. She LOVES the ocean. (which was very cold BTW).

Guess where?

I didn't get drenched but the kids and The Big Guy did! I sat on a rock at a gorgeous spot amid tons of tourists and found....solitude and profound peace. Got a mega dose of the beauty and spirituality of this magnificent place. I hadn't been here in 20 years. So glad we went.

Can you see why? Miss You California. ♥

Testing Testing

2010-07-10T19:39:00.002-04:00

Trying to test some fidgeting I'm doing on my blog.
If you could please see if you can post comments I'd greatly appreciate it!
If you have trouble please let me know!

Frequent Yarn Miles (?) I Wish!

2010-07-09T01:40:00.007-04:00

I went through TN, AR, OK, TX, NM, AZ and CA but only bought yarn in TWO of those states! Wish I could've made stops in each place, I love "trip" yarns, they bring back memories each time I come across them in the stash or knit them up. There are some I have from years ago that I still can't part with. But, when you have a trip that long and a schedule to stick to, that yarn shop better be "RIGHT OFF THE INTERSTATE"!

From Nashville TN:

Some Noro Aya, ShiBui sock yarn, and Koigu Kpppm. This store (Haus Of Yarn) was amazing! What a shock of color when you first walk in! They have a wall in the back of Koigu and other sock yarns that almost made me hyperventilate! I wanted to HUG it all!!! Thank goodness this store is somewhat close to me, I'll be back there one day I hope. It's worth the drive.

I tried out a couple of spinning wheels while there - a Schadt Matchless and a Ladybug. The Matchless was smooth as silk, the ladybug - not so much. But shop models can be a bit loose here and there I've heard. Ladybugs get decent reviews, I'd like to test one more to make sure. I was hoping I could stop by a store or two in Memphis but the timing didn't work out for that going west OR east. Maybe one day.

CA Stash:

From Classy Knits in Bakersfield on the way home: Muench Touch Me (can't resist the PINK...er...and I may already have some of this colorway). Berroco Sox with the shiny bits in it and some Sidar Tinkerbell (so soft!). Just impulse buys. This shop was "okay", not enough sock yarn for my preference but generally a decent variety. They did have a whole wall in the back with sale items, yarns, magazines and patterns. Had I had more time I would've loved to have browsed through those.

Generally these trip "stops" are like "Nascar pit-stops" for us, I literally run in and run out as fast as my fibro hurting legs will allow me. The family "says" they don't mind, but I feel bad making them wait too long. As often as I've made them do this over the years, I think they're really good sports. (And making a fast get away helps the wallet too.)

A skein of sock yarn from Janna's Needle Art in CA:

Anzula Handpainted Sock Yarn, it doesn't have a colorway listed but it's the color I've been stuck on all year. Couldn't pass it up. That's all I found there...but it's a nice shop.

From "Swatches" in CA: Two skeins of Malabrigo in Ravelry Red and Rayon Vert and a skein of Ty-Dy Socks. This shop is small but very friendly and welcoming. Can't go wrong with Malabrigo either.

I found these items in CA too, a pretty (knitting?) bag from Ross. Some tiny size straights and DPN's I found in a couple of thrift/antique stores. I found the pattern books and the cute little sheep salt/pepper shakers there too. I just love treasure hunting. That was a fun thing to do amid the other stuff we had going on while there.

All in all I think I did better than I have in the past. I practiced a lot of restraint and considering my closet space, that was a good thing. Too many things to knit, not enough time....

Happy Knitting! More pics coming soon...

99 Bottles of Beer On The Wall....

2010-07-06T15:33:00.001-04:00

No, we didn't sing it all the way to CA and back, but we thought about it! Ours was a 4 day, 3 night trip there and back, so it made for some long days in the van. But, I enjoyed seeing the scenery changes as we crossed each state! We know that from the interstate you don't see everything that is gorgeous about each place, but still, summertime is a great time to do this type of trip.

The greenery of TN and AR.

The Giant Cross in TX.

This cracked me up, but I'd be the first one in there if I had to be! I can't remember if this was in TX or NM. These things get to be a blur when you're on the road!

AZ, gorgeous colors and views.

Still in AZ.

Boy is that a change of scenery for us!

Tehachapi - CA.

And at the end of the Rainbow: HOME.

It was so nice to be back in CA. I miss my family, my roots, my friends. I guess my name should've been "Dorothy" because to me "there's no place like home". ♥

More pics of the trip in the next post.
Happy Knitting!

Happy 4th of July

2010-07-04T13:15:00.001-04:00

Be safe and have a great day!

I'm Baaaaaack

2010-07-01T14:37:00.004-04:00

This is probably going to be one of a few posts to blog about my trip/vacation. It all began the day after the kids got out of school (May 22nd). We drove (honest, we're not nuts - there were tons of others on the road too) to CA and got there on May 26th. My Mom's surgery was scheduled for May 28th. So, not a lot of time to rest or gather myself before that. I'm not a hospital person AT ALL so it's always a nerve wracking experience for me. You put my Mom or a loved one in the mix and I'm a basketcase!

They had said the surgery would be an easy one, (but about six hours). So, we dropped her off at 9:30 am and didn't get to see her until 11 pm when they FINALLY got her into a room. That was one very long and scary day. I was so anxious I don't think my xanax did a thing. A lot of waiting time in the evening was them trying to wake her up from the anesthesia, someone REALLY overdid it this surgery for sure. She was loopy for days afterwards!

The reason for the surgery: My Mom's cancer had returned on the right side of her neck (merkell cell) so they had to remove the node they saw on the PET scan. While doing the surgery they checked out the left side because there was a spot there they had questioned. I'm still stunned that this round just seems to involve the surgery so far. No radiation at all because they want the area to stay pliable and flexible, radiation makes it tough and fibrous. With Merkell Cell there's no blood test to show it's back, they have to physically examine my Mom every few months to look and feel for anything unusual. She's still healing so we don't know if they'll recommend chemo down the road again.

This one was tougher for her, she was in a lot more pain, and with her other pain issues (fibro, arthritis, sciatic) she was in a bad way for quite a bit afterwards and is STILL healing of course. Day by day things are getting a bit better though. I want to thank all my RL friends and my special online friends for all your prayers for my Mom. She's very grateful as well. I wish I had gotten to have more fun with her this visit, she loves having our "Girls Only"days where we go shopping and out to eat, but this trip that didn't happen unfortunately. But we got to see her, and give her lots of love, so that was worth the drive there and home.

I love this pic of her and my girls. She was so happy to see her Granddaughters and was so surprised to see how big they were this trip. They love their Grandma to pieces too. ♥

More in the coming up days......

Spinning Love

2010-05-14T12:51:00.000-04:00

NOW I GET IT.
My first attempt on some llama stuff my friend gave me to practice on:

Not much there but I'm still very proud of it! It's funny how much I screwed up but I'm still having a blast! I couldn't get my tension quite right the whole time, I over-twisted TONS, and I could hear Helen telling me to feed my yarn to the wheel because I tend to forget. But every now and then: -*~Magic Happened~*-. Things just "flowed" for a few seconds here and there and I was in total love. My end result is not nearly as neat and pretty as my friend Helen's, and I had to keep reminding myself that what she spun first for me with this stuff looked JUST FINE and it wasn't the WHEEL'S FAULT but rather my own shortcomings.

See:

Looks like I have a whole other animal here! I don't know if this is normal for many new spinners but from the DVD I got from Interweave Knits, she said it's not unusual for spinners to have bits and pieces they've had to remove all around their feet, so I didn't feel quite as bad once this pile built up. (I'm still learning pre-drafting too.)

This is the wheel my wonderful friend Helen let me borrow for the summer. It's a discontinued Ashford but she said it's similar to a Kiwi. It's got a harder treadle than the Ashford Traditional she let me borrow the last time, and it feels sluggish compared to the jet-speed of her Joy. But I'm just so grateful for the opportunity to even TRY it I'm over the moon!

I'm thinking a "double treadle" is the way I'm going to go though. I just hope I can finally test one out one day to really determine that. My right leg is my "bad" leg, so balancing it out would be better for me in the long run (as well as starting and stopping the wheel). As it is, I only spend less than 10 minutes at a time on this one before I get tired.

I have some pink merino waiting in the wings....that should be interesting!

More Finished Knits

2010-05-10T16:01:00.001-04:00

There's nothing like "marathon knitting" to get your wrist nice and sore, but for some crazy reason

when I got the flyer about "Teacher Appreciation Week" at my daughter's school last week I thought "Hey! I loved this pattern, I'll make her some of those mitts!" ---- In less than a week.

I'm amazed at how fast a knitter I pretend I am. I actually DID get them done by Friday (I totally lost Thursday as a knitting day due to a new medication knocking me out all day) but they still had to be washed and blocked before I could send them in to her. So today was the day and my daughter said she really loved them! Score!

Pattern: Glacial Gauntlets of the Wolf
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill SuperSock in Cherry Colorway
Red size 6 beads from a craft store - used size 11 crochet hook to apply them.
Mods: Again, only put beads on the top of the hand and omitted them from the top of the thumb.
Added about 10 more rows to the top for extended length on the hand/fingers.

I'm tempted to keep every pair I make of these, I must make my own soon.

I also forgot I had finished up these:

Just some basic plain stockinette socks for my Mom. When the yarn is this colorful I feel basic st st really showcases the yarn better. That's my own "I'm getting old and too opinionated" point of view. (I have to try to get a better picture before I take them to her. It's hard to get all the pretty colors in this to come out on my camera.)

Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll in the "Make Believe" Colorway
64 st cast on
Size 1 needle (ML)
They came out a tad small, but my Mom's foot is only a women's size 5 so they'll fit her better than my
6 1/2 foot!

Last but not least:

The "Took Forever to Knit- Knitting Meeting Scarf". Because when I'm at my meetings I blab so much I like something simple to work on. K3P3 helps, but I STILL made a couple of boo-boos!

Yarn: Blue Heron Bulky Rayon Chenille in the Berry colorway
Size 6 needle
K3p3 cast on 27 (I think).
After washing and drying, this yarn is SCRUMPTIOUS and of course THIS IS MY COLOR!
And now, it's all ready for NEXT winter. Happy Happy.

I'll be heading off to CA to see family soon so I won't be blogging as much until I get back. I'll still
be checking my google reader to keep up with you gals' blogs so Happy Knitting and have a great start to the summer!!

Happy Mothers Day!

2010-05-09T14:29:00.000-04:00

Wishing everyone a peaceful, happy day today. Hope it's filled with sunshine and lots of love.

I plan to get some much needed rest because life has been quite hectic lately, and frankly, I'm having a tough time keeping pace with it. I did get spoiled with a great dinner at Olive Garden on Friday evening and trips to a couple of craft stores but I'm trying to be good so I can eventually get the spinning wheel of my dreams one day (if I ever figure out which one it is!). Flowers, cards, and chocolate were my gifts today. My family knows how to make me happy (as long as my little one doesn't eat all my chocolate before me!)

I can't be with my Mom today as she lives far away, but I'll be there soon to give her lots of love and presents in person! She's going to be going through treatments soon for a recurrent cancer, so I'm just glad I'm still blessed to have her in my life and that she's strong in her faith and courage.

One day at a time.

Happy WOW! (Whiskers On Wednesday!)

2010-04-28T17:17:00.002-04:00

Today I received this wonderful package from fellow WOW'er Terrie (StarSpry).

I asked to participate in her "Pay It Forward" post on her blog awhile back and she surprised me today with so many goodies! I just love EVERYTHING, from the gorgeous MMMMMalabrigo mitts that she knit for me (omgosh! LOVE the color! Is that Ravelry Red??), the cute "ball of yarn" pin, pretty stitch markers, awesome accessories bag with a tag that says "I LOVE CATS" and the cute kitty paw sticky notes! I love the sheep confetti in my card too! My Auntie does that all the time, we always know to be very careful when we open her cards! It made me laugh because these are so adorable!

Now it's my turn to share some fun!
Here's the rules I copied from Terri's blog:

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this Pay It Forward exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.
If you leave a comment, please make sure I can contact you to send you your gift!

This is such a fun thing to participate in. It's so nice to send a smile to someone, I can't wait to pass it on! Terri sure made my day, I had a really tough night (no sleep/lots of pain) and was a major "Mrs. Grouch" but this chased away my gray clouds in no time flat. You have wonderful timing Terrie! ;O) Thank U so Much!!!

Now for the WOW Kitteh pic:

Sophie KNOWS she's "pretty in pink". meeeeow.

Still Kicking

2010-04-21T15:47:00.001-04:00

"Life" has just gotten in the way of blogging lately. I guess we all know how that is!
We've been busy doing a lot of spring cleaning, gardening, spring shopping (these kids grow SO FAST!) and I've been doing a lot of reading. It's funny, but when I'm reading a lot it's because my "knitting mojo" took a vacation on me. For a bit there I start to feel real panic because of all the yarn in the closet and my fingers don't want to grab any needles! It's a tad bit scary, but eventually it comes back around and I'm able to make things work again. Slowly but surely.

A few of my latest projects done randomly in the past few months. (Notice how small I've kept things?)

Pattern: Glacial Gauntlets Of The Wolf
Yarn: Malabrigo Sock in Solis colorway
Size 1 needles
Teal beads - Size 6 - from AC Moore
Beads put on with crochet hook but you can pre-string as well.
Mods: 5 extra rows on thumb. Around 15 extra for hand length. Beads only on top side and omitted from top of thumb.

These are for my Mom. She loves this color and honestly, I keep putting them on and I'm thinking of making myself a pair too. They feel so good! My only quip: If I do make them again I'll change the thumb, it feels too low even with the extra rows added.

Honestly, this was a tough project for me, I wasn't in the mood to knit at all but some friends were doing a KAL, and I have tons of beads, so I just decided to quit being such a fuddy-duddy and join for once. Starting anything is hard when you don't feel like it but I'm so glad I can still knit! Whew.
Next:

Pattern: Cupcake Pincusion
Crocheted for my friend Marie's Granddaughter. She's learning how to sew so I sent her some pins to decorate the top for herself. She's had some serious medical problems so we just wanted to send her something to take her mind off of things for a bit. She's a very brave little girl. I believe she's doing better now, slowly but surely so that's a good thing.
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft
Size E hook

Pattern: Chevron Eyeshade
Yarn: Cascade Fixation
Needle: Size 3
This is for my Mom as well. Just a fun little item for Mother's Day to add to her goodie-bag. Really, when your knitting mojo is gone, these small things are a godsend. This does flip up when it's on, but one gal on Ravelry just turns it the other way (purl side up) and it stays on fine.

Last but not least:

Pattern: Broadripple
Yarn: Cascade Fixation
Size 2 ML
Mods: Only do pattern on leg portion, I like the foot part plain.
Everything was totally cool with these until:

I have no idea how this happened. It wasn't KITTY KAT related at all, I'm sure of that - and it looks like a "cut" rather than a dropped stitch. I don't remember them getting caught when I zipped them in a small mesh bag to wash, but I suppose that could've caused it. Anyway, they've been "sort of" darned by me and luckily with this yarn you can't really see how bad my sewing skills are. Mom will still wear them, she loves how this yarn feels. Total bummer but they survived. If I had more yarn I would've just re-knit them.

BTW, they took for-ev-er to finish.

I am pretty jazzed lately about my newest learning experience:

My friend Helen is going to attempt to teach me how to spin. God Bless her, she has a lot of patience with me and she needs it. I ask her a million questions in about five seconds. She let me take her Ashford home to practice treadleing.

Sasha says "HEY! Where's the Kitty?" because she smells Mac I'm sure. (Helen's Kitty). If I could, I'd steal Mac, he's a big ham and so sweet! I have to get a picture of his pretty green eyes one day. So, I'm off to practice treadleing. (Is that a word??)

Happy Spring, Happy Knitting, and Happy Whiskers on Wednesday!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T17:09:00.003-04:00

I can't get this to fit right and I'm tired of trying! LOL! But that Bunny Kitty sure looks like me most days! ;O)

Smokey Mtn Fiber Festival

2010-03-21T17:58:00.003-04:00

Saturday was a super busy day for us, we headed out for the first Smokey Mtn Fiber Festival and we had a really nice day (with no rain for a change!). It was in Townsend, which is the "sleepy side" entrance to The Great Smokey Mountains. (The other side is Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg with a bazillion and a half tourists).

There was a lot to see and do. I didn't attend any classes but may consider it next time. I missed the sheep shearing too. For leaving our house so early we were really rushed while we were there!

I was busy looking at everything (so MUCH to take in in such a short time - I think I'd hyperventilate and get the vapors if I ever attended SAFF!) so my daughter took the pictures for me. Once I get around all this stuff, it's like I'm in a candy shop.

I actually didn't purchase a whole lot here, we were kind of in a rush to get to the sheep-dog roundup they were having down the road a little later. Luckily I had already picked up some yarn loveliness at The Knitting Nest (the yarn shop in Maryville on the way there) so I didn't leave feeling deprived.

This was so much fun to see, aren't these guys cute?

I don't know if you can see Rick ready to spring into action here behind his owner. He's trained by a certain whistle and he knows when to chase, go right, go left, cut them off, etc. by the whistle. He was awesome and he's actually almost blind because of an accident he had. All this couple's dogs are rescued dogs too. The way they talk about their animals (and they have a LOT), you know they really care about each and every one.

Brock, his buddy on the left, was a little more of his own mind but he's still learning. They like to round up ducks, goats, and cattle as well on their farm. Once they get their job done they're free to go take a dip in the water tub there! They are ADORABLE, and I'm not just saying that because we're partial to our Jenna either! ;O)

We need to get her some ducks!

Skewed

2010-03-15T21:24:00.000-04:00

Add me to the bandwagon:

My First TOE UPS EVER!!

And probably my last to be honest.

I totally and thoroughly enjoyed knitting this pattern (Lana is an amazing designer and super nice person - I had to bug her about something and she was fast and so helpful). The thing I guess I didn't care much for was the fit on my leg and the bind off - and that would probably bother me with ANY toe ups I think. I just ended up using a larger size needle and it worked out - but they were either too "loose" or too "tight" for a bit there. These are still fun to make (a LOT of FUN!) but it's going to take adjustments to make them easier to pull on and take off if I make them again and I'm just a lazy relaxed sock knitter. If it takes too much brain power, I'm not up to it right now, even with everyone's mods on Ravelry to refer to.

Project: Skew
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Semi Solid in Slate colorway
Size 1 needle ML
The PERFECT sock pattern for that FUNKY yarn you aren't sure what to do with!

Side Note: I had forgotten how "fuzzy" CTH sock yarns can get and this one was the same. I haven't even worn these yet but they already look like I have....LOTS! But they're soft - and so FUN to look at so I don't mind. (too much). This pattern is super fast to knit up, if you haven't tried them you should, I think Lana's already added mods to the main pattern on her blog to adjust for a better fit.

I was so excited to knit these after the Ravelympics that I'm feeling "lost" right now trying to pick another project to start. I think it may be more socks, but... cuff down this time I think!
Happy Knitting.

The End of Another Great Event

2010-02-25T19:39:00.006-05:00

I've finally crossed the finish line and all of my events are done. I entered this project in the Lace Luge and my mittens were in the Mitten Mogul Event.

Pattern: Birds Nest Smoke Ring Cowl
Yarn: Madelinetosh Sock in Dahlia colorway
Needles: Size 5 & 6
Mods: Left out one repeat (my neck isn't that long). I also made an error in the second repeat where I should've moved my marker at the end of a round but completely skipped it. I can definitely see it now that it's blocked out. Can you see it?

Since this is a cowl and is worn bunched up, I wasn't going to sweat it (plus, realizing it about 20 rows later meant that I was NEVER going to knit back to fix it in a million years anyway with all those yarn overs!).

Overall, I really enjoyed this pattern. It has a chart (which would've made me see my boo-boo earlier on) and written instructions so anyone can do it. What I wasn't crazy about was the picot edging. That messed me up more than anything for some reason (and it's so EASY!). Next time I'll just knit a regular edge and crochet a scallop or picot edge on if necessary. Crocheting is SO much easier to rip back and fix for someone like me who can fall asleep while knitting.

I used the same yarn for my SIL's cowl (that was worsted weight though) and the "bleeding" issue was still pretty bad. Three rinses and it was still turning the rinse water pink. Oh well. It's lovely otherwise. I really should email them and let them know that's a bit excessive though.

I'm very pleased to be done for the 2010 Ravelympics. Now I can breathe, rest, and knit whatever the heck I want to, when I want to. It was fun, but I'm ready to be a slouch again. Go Team USA and Go Ravelympians!!

One Event Down, One To Go....

2010-02-21T17:31:00.006-05:00

Pattern: Lola's Flip-Top Mittens

(pattern is in "101 One Skein Designer Patterns")

Yarn: Moda Dea Sassy in Crush (discontinued)

Team: Burnin' Up The Stash (We're teamBUTS!)

Size 2 needles

I made the women's size medium I believe (7" hand circ.) and they're a bit snug. I think I could've gone a size larger as tight of a knitter as I am.

Mods: Used the same 1x1 ribbing up on the flap instead of garter stitch and used my own decreases for the top.

I didn't add a button....yet. Still deciding if I want to.
I love this design. The flap is pretty sturdy, it doesn't seem as floppy as some I've seen and read about. Next time I would make my bottom ribbing longer as well, I like more coverage on my wrists.

I know this one is boring but it's very soft and squishy. I used this UFO as an entry for the Yarn Harlot's Olympics. I got it done but was slow at getting the ends weaved in.

Pattern: Lion Brands Baby Blanket (about 32x32)

Yarn: Lion Brand Homespun

Size 11 needles

Colorway: Baroque

This is an entry into Dawn's contest she's holding for lapghans for her Grandmother's nursing home. Just spreading a little love. I have another one already going as well. Sometimes Garter stitch is so relaxing. This is stash yarn as well. Maybe someday I'll be able to see my closet floor!

Onward for Olympic Gold. Go USA!

~~Happy Valentines Day!~~

2010-02-14T15:25:00.003-05:00

I celebrated yesterday with a trip to Hobby Lobby, Barnes & Noble, and eating out with my family! In between I made it to my knitting meeting and after having missed two in a row, it was like taking a nice long drink of cool water! It was SO refreshing for my non-knitting mojo and I had a blast! Today we're watching the olympics and relaxing. We've got little snow flakes coming down, it's a nice day to chill.

I've got to really get back to knitting on my Ravelympic projects...soon!

Olympic Spirit!

2010-02-13T21:09:00.005-05:00

Wow! All set and cast on for the Ravelympics! What a fabulously fun thing to be involved in! This is my second time and I have to admit, it's even more fun this time. I joined two teams this year, I'm on Team Mine! (for us "selfish" knitters) and Team BUTS (Burning Up The Stash - no explanation why I'm there is necessary) I'm having SO much fun, but haven't gotten too much knitting done. Yet.

I've also joined Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics as well. For that challenge I'm going to working on one of two UFO's that are just the bane of my existence so they ARE a HUGE challenge for me. I don't even want to say what they are (and I said I'd only finish one to save face).
Confession: I am NOT a sports fan. I get totally annoyed at announcers voices and constant banter and I hate that "two minutes left on the clock" could take 2 hours to wrap up. I would rather just watch the very end to get the score than watch a whole game of ANYthing. But the Olympics are so different for me. It's so much more. So much much more. I especially love the Winter Ones.

Gee, I wonder why?

Hmmmmmmm.

Yowza.

Ahhhhhh........Awesome.

Back to the games.....

I Guess I Asked For It

2010-02-07T19:27:00.003-05:00

I forgot I changed my door decoration this year:

Mother Nature must've liked it!

But it's gone for the most part now. We may get more next week.

Isn't this little birdie a cutie! Nice and "round" like me! ;O) Happy Winter!

Whiskers On Wednesday

2010-02-03T16:20:00.004-05:00

Can't sit still for a minute around here:

Heated Throw + someone in the recliner = CAT STUCK

Happy WOW!

Snowed In

2010-01-30T15:12:00.004-05:00

It doesn't take much where I live to make life come to a standstill. But last night we finally got the white stuff. My knitting meeting was a NO-GO today due to the weather, the library is closed until next week. At least Jenna LOVES the reason why!

It's still coming down and I have to admit, we're all pretty happy to finally see something stick to the ground. It doesn't seem to be as ICY as the last storm we had come through. At least people can make it into the sub-division this time.
Not too many people are out and about today though. When it snows here, life really s.l.o.w.s. down.

It's kind of nice.

There's not a lot of knitting going on for me lately. I'm signed up for the Ravelympics but have yet to decide WHAT TO DO, and like a knit-wit (LOL) I joined TWO teams! Last time I had a good idea of what I wanted to accomplish, but this time it's been a whole lot harder. I haven't felt like knitting a whole bunch anyway. My creative mojo has taken a vacation and it's cramping my olympic spirit! Hope it finds it's way back! (SOON!)

Ah well, I still have time....

Up and Down (And Up and Down...)

2010-01-21T18:34:00.006-05:00

Boy am I behind! My Sister In Law's father passed in December and I'm just finishing this up for her to send out. Sewing is my nemesis, why can't I do it right? Or I guess I should ask why does it intimidate me so? The knitting was done. It was the buttons that took me forever to sew on.

Pattern: Celtic Cable Neckwarmer

Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Worsted - (which really seems like a dk weight - very thin. Loved it though, very SOFT after wool rinse).

Colorway: Dahlia

Size 8 Needles

Buttons: From Joann's
I couldn't be there in person to give her a hug (they live 2000 miles away), and it was a long, tough struggle they had with her Dad's illness so I wanted to send a "hug" her way as best I could. I'm just praying the buttons stay on. Oh I'm terrible at sewing! I used the yarn and refinforced, but gosh I worry!!
We've had a tough time lately that's consisted of a stomach bug The Big Guy brought home from work (and unfortunately shared with us), and also having to worry about my oldest Miss J taking care of her "Real" baby for her health class this past weekend. If you knew my Big Guy you'd know that it takes a lot to get him to admit he's sick. Well, I'm pretty spoiled because he works his "magic" around here and gets SO much done. When he's down, our household can come to a screeching halt with my issues making me almost useless some days. Luckily, he was back up by the time I was down with this illness. We're a good team. I did miss my knitting meeting with the gals and that bummed me out, but now I'm SO glad I didn't go and pass it along to them!

Miss J did VERY well taking care of her "Beyonce' Leona" (maybe you can figure those names out? If you listen to pop or whatever I'm sure you know!) She got an A! Yay! I tried really hard to get her to take the written essay assignment but you know how it is when "all your friends are doing it"? Beyonce' was a very good baby for the most part. I do have to admit, I babysat for couple of short spells because my own baby was pretty wiped out. This is pretty "REAL" and it's not a cakewalk at all, but much easier than a real life baby. We thought we'd miss Beyonce' when she went back, but honestly.... we don't! LOL! She DID take FOREVER to burp too. My arm almost fell off. Whoever programmed her is probably laughing their pants off. Right now Miss Beyonce' is driving another Mother (worried at how HER child will manage) to distraction. I feel for her.

Happy Knitting.

The New Year Chill

2010-01-09T19:11:00.008-05:00

I don't mind snow (as long as I don't have to drive in it). It's the ICE that makes me nervous. Here in the Southeast we don't get much snow and even less ice - but this latest blast just wanted to share I guess. It's been a week of 20 degrees or less, with a nice steady breeze of icy wind to make it feel like half of that. This Central California girl isn't used to this (we could DRIVE to the snow, but didn't live right in it). I know we're not in anything like in the mid-west or like my cousins buried in snow in Michigan. If we were, I'd be in really big trouble! We city folk are used to running to the store for stuff on a whim. This isn't so much fun.

These cars parked in front of our house because the street is ICE. They couldn't make it up the hill further down the sub-division so they just parked here and walked home. These are the days when I'm glad I'm not working right now. With my lead foot I'd be sliding off a mountain for sure. Thankfully there were only a few days of this, today the road seems to be getting better and next week the sun should warm the streets more - so less icy patches. The kids loved having snow days from school though, especially on the heels of winter break!

This is one of my latest projects, my first go at two at a time, toe up socks. I'm using Cometosilver.com's pictures as my guide and I had absolutely no problem with the cast on - but I don't like this toe at all. I think I need to rip and add more to my initial cast on, a rounded toe is going to suit me better. Unless we have little elf "pointy" feet, these aren't going to fit any of us (trust me, I've already tried it on every foot in the house to avoid redoing them.) I'm using the handspun yarn that CA DAWN sent me for my birthday last year. It's made this new journey of 2 at a time more fun because it's really soft and squishy. I may break down and just do 2 at a time cuff down though, just for expediency.

Tomorrow is car shopping day, it's time for the Big Guy to replace his company car. I love that he wants me to go with him (we may end up buying this one for our daughter down the road - a teenage driver...yikes) but I hope I can stay warm out there! I negotiated a trip to Joann's for some buttons for a project for my SIL. Gotta love a man who is easy to ~~trick~~ compromise with.

Happy Knitting! (And stay WARM!)

Last of the Year 2009 Knits

2009-12-31T16:19:00.015-05:00

Some last minute "hits" and "misses" to post before the old year ends and a new knitting year begins.

Pattern: Mitt Envy

Size 1 needles

Yarn: Overdyed Superwash Sock yarn from Little Dog Designs

Result: Hit and Miss. These came out fine, just too small so they're going to my girls.

Pattern: Palindrome Reversible Scarf

Needles: Not sure anymore, maybe a 8

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Black

Mods: Did cables further apart

Result: MISS! Please don't ask me why I kept knitting a whole scarf when I knew the yarn was mis-behaving from the very beginning. It was undoubtably my worst experience with Caron Simply Soft. I think my hope was that maybe after a wash (and perhaps a shaving) that I could make it look decent because while I was knitting it up, it looked ragged, shaggy, basically like a beat up old scarf. There was no saving this. It literally went Bye-Bye in the trash.

Pattern: Fetching

Size 5 needles

Yarn: Dream In Color Classy

Result: MISS

I over-dyed these a dark blue as a present for my Aunt for Christmas and let's just say, they don't look absolutely "ugly" now, but they weren't up to my standards for a gift. I'll still use them around the house. (The picture is them pre-dyed. I should've left well enough alone - not all experiments turn out okay but you won't know until you try right?!)

There's actually another pair of purple Fetchings that made my "MISS" pile too but I can't seem to find them. They came out rather LARGE for some reason. Oh well. Onward!

Pattern: Sock It To Me Chevron Scarf

Yarn: Socks That Rock Silkie - Walking on the Wild Tide Colorway

Size 7 needles

Mods: Didn't do two ends and graft together, just knit from start to finish.

Result: HIT! I love it! My girls love it. The gals in my knitting group love it! I wish the colors would represent better on camera. At times though, I wasn't sure I totally loved them - this almost turned into a pair of socks - but now.....Love. And guess who gets it??.....

Pattern: Jacoby Mitts

Yarn: Malabrigo Sock - Solis Colorway

Size 1 needle

Result: Hit! These are so easy and fun, even I couldn't mess them up too bad. I made these for my Mom, but the girls both "loved" them again...sigh...I'll probably make Mom's pair soon since I have yarn left over.

Pattern: Ribbed Cap

Yarn: Bernat Camo Yarn

Size 6 needles

Result: Hit! And a surprise one at that! I made two hats recently, (sometimes you just need an easy, fast knit) and I was one for two. The Big Guy loved this one, claimed it as his before it was even off the needles. I used a 100 st cast on so I mainly used the hat pattern for the decreases. (Because I need help with things like that!) My tendency for perfection makes me want the ribbing to look right at the top no matter what number cast on I'm using. The other hat will probably go to charity as it came out a bit on the large side. (Check Gauge??? Me???) It was made from a yarn I bought online and it looked nothing like the little picture they had in the catalog. (Bernat Jacquards in Blue). Not bad, just not what I expected.

I think that's it with updates of my projects, if not I'll be back to edit some day. Right now I have a cat laying on my legs so I'm going to relax with my family, enjoy celebrating making it through another year, and keep hope and good thoughts for the upcoming one for everybody. Happy 2010!

I'm Very Blessed

2009-12-30T19:43:00.006-05:00

Oh My Gosh. I got spoiled so much this Christmas! I feel so bad for being such a Scrooge half way into the month. I admit I was feeling a bit down and selfish and I really regret that now. We did get a few more Christmas cards from family members eventually, just like the Big Guy said we would. So I really didn't deserve all this love from such sweet friends.

From my BFF Julie!

Thank you so much for everything Julie!! The cowl is SO pretty! I love the colors so much! That you took time to make it when I know how incredibly busy you are, it makes it a million times more special! The yarn is from Sunshine Yarns in the colorways Ginny and Hermione! I can't stop petting it and squeezing it, man this stuff is SOFT!!! I don't know how you were able to part with it! I love the cupcake mini bag too! I needed something for all my counters and markers floating around the bottom of my bags! Oh I just appreciate it all so much! Thanks for spoiling this bratty buddy of yours! Next year give me a big block of coal! LOL!!

This ornament was part of the package too and I just love it! My girls think I'm going to break it open! Wonder what makes them think that?? (addicted knitter here...)

A very sweet RAK from my friend Marie in New Hampshire:

These gorgeous felted vases and holders. I don't know how she makes that ruffle, I have to try that one day! But these are just so pretty I just adore them! Thanks so much Marie! I know you haven't been feeling well lately, my prayers are always with you my friend.

From my Knitting Swap Partner in the Knottygroup! Mona!!

Oh My. Mona spoiled me terribly as well. I got some of her homespun yarn (She sells it on her blog!) And she made me SOCKS (where did they go? They aren't in the picture? Ahhhh! I'll have to redo that one!) AND the coolest pink potholders! LOVE them! Plus all these other fantastic goodies! I just love it ALL!!! Talk about a kid in a candy shop!

From My Friend in COLD Illinois: Jeanne!

She didn't have to do that, but I WAS still expecting my standard Christmas card picture of Brody (Which I forgot to get in the pic because it was already downstairs but you can see him on her blog!) Thank you Jeanne for all the beautiful items! I love them all! And I'll use them all for sure! I just love that "book thong". It still makes me laugh!!!

From my Secret Santa Swap Partner Kathyrn in the Fibro Group on Ravelry:

I'm going to be busy for days making more stitch markers! I love my "D" ornament too, it turns and spins! It's so cool! Thank you so much Kathryn! This was so much fun! :) The "Healing Angel" pin is very special too. We all hurt so much with our health issues, I'm going to wear it all the time while I keep them in my thoughts and prayers.

Thank You for being Angels On Earth and showing this Scrooge some love.

~Merry Christmas~

2009-12-24T19:31:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas!
I hope everyone is able to enjoy being with
family and friends this Christmas.

Keep the spirit of the season in your heart and hold fast.

Ten On Tuesday

2009-12-22T16:15:00.003-05:00

Even though I've yet to be added to the list of players for this meme group after repeatedly asking (I'm not the only one or it would really be sad), I still like the thought of doing it once in a blue moon. This weeks is:

10 New Years Resolutions

(AND WE ALL KNOW HOW MUCH FUN THOSE ARE!!!).

1. YARN DIET. Yes, this is my second go at it (last one was in 2008). Finding the ISO/Destash board on Ravelry gave my credit card hives this past year. Now that I have no place left in all the cubby spaces in my closet, and things are piling up on other things, it's feeling VERY overwhelming again. It's pretty bad when I don't remember what I have once some "pretty new thing" makes her way into my life. Fickle Knitter. Thank goodness for all the Stash Down Groups on Ravelry. I'll have lots of inspiration and support again.

2. KNIT THINGS I LOVE the most, yet always seem to say "tomorrow" to. I'm really bad at saving nice things for last. "Use It UP" or "make that for myself" will be a big challenge, but could make knitting fun again I think. Otherwise I'll be gone before I ever enjoy it!

3. EXERCISE MORE...yada yada yada. But seriously, some movement, even on my painful days has GOT to start more often in my house. I don't feel good 98 % of the time anyway, might as well add a bit of soreness here and there.

4. FAMILY: Tell them how much I appreciate them a LOT more often. They're really trying, and I'm certainly not easy to live with. Having Fibro and this "Mysterious Auto-Immune" thing is a bummer for all of us. They're all doing their best (well...most of the time), and I need to be a more appreciative person of all the right things they do or try to do.

5. EAT BETTER. Sometimes WAY easier said than done. But we'll try.

6. DECLUTTER:. Watching Hoarders on A & E would give ANYBODY something to think about. I'm a clean freak in a way, but a "collector" of certain things as well. I think I need to work a bit harder on "balance" this year. Some yarn has already made it to my knitting meeting swaps (it's so nice to see someone's eyes light up when they spot something THEY love). I'm also donating things to make room for life, it's a major priority this go around.

7. FIND SOME ANSWERS. Can't say making it through an MRI will be in there, because today on two Xanax's and a Valium, well, let's just say I'm not even asleep yet. TIRED, but not out! We tried twice today and both times my "anxiety" axed it. Bummer, but life goes on. I'm hoping they shoot me with a horse tranquilizer next time. IF there's a next time. The Big Guy says he can't see me go through that anymore. But health issues are a big part of my life and we pray for answers.

8. KINDESS. I had so much fun today telling people Merry Christmas and smiling at them (was it all the drugs? LOL). I usually try to be friendly to people in stores and other places and I'm going to keep doing it as much as I can. A smile can ease someone's troubles.

9. DISCONNECT. Not ALL the time, but some of the time. I admit it, I'm a TV/Internet junkie. Well, I'm home a lot due to pain, but I really want to try to spread my wings a bit more if the pain allows. There's a new knitting meeting starting in my area, I might give it a try and hope it works out.

10. RELAX. Don't take all of this so seriously. If I manage well (or even a little) in one area, it's totally okay.

Time to practice, I'm about an 8 on a 1 - 10 sleep scale now....nighty nite!

~Dawn's Magic~

2009-12-17T15:53:00.018-05:00

"Friends are God's way of apologizing to us for our families." -- Unknown

(I thought that quote was funny in a way)....

You know how it is, sometimes the holidays can seem a bit overwhelming. I think I've been feeling a bit blue. I've gotten TWO Christmas cards from family ("so far" as The Big Guy keeps saying, he's ever the optimist)... well, three actually, but two were from the same cousin. (I think she forgot she already sent me one). (Note: I know it's better to give than to receive, it's just nice to feel a little luv ya know?). Then, my youngest daughter said "take us to the mall, we're grown up now, we need GROWN UP presents". Okay kid, rub it in. (They're buying each other something tonight). Did you see my heart droop a bit more there? No more babies here. Sigh.

Then I got this in the mail today:

A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature.
* Ralph Waldo Emerson

And like the Grinch, my heart grew 10 sizes this day. Yes. It. Did.

Dawn remembered I love green olives...YUM!!! From NAPA Valley Too!! Oh California, how I miss thee... The PINK pattern tamers she sent are so awesome too. I won't admit how many times I've almost bought some but wasn't thrilled with the colors available. These are PERFECT. PINK IS MY THING. (Just realized I haven't put my Christmas tablecloth out yet either. Darn Grinch.) I think it's amazing that this is one knitting accessory that I don't have yet, and I have just about everything out there. Now I can't wait to use them! I loved the PINK project bag and PINK yarn too! And a Pink Kitty Calendar. Oh, Pink always makes me SO happy!

Next!

Oh, these are so AWESOME! Another story here: I ordered some scented soaps from Dawn's shop Wolfe Farms for my Mom (5 star rating from Mom too!), but I don't think she had the Unscented items yet. I saw them later and thought "Next Time, those are for ME" and lo and behold, she sent me some!! I get scent triggered migraines at the drop of a hat and have to admit I was more than a little jealous of all of Dawn's customers enjoying all of her products. (Grinch Again). Now I (ME, ME, ME) can partake in the all the softness and I LOVE IT!!!

If you need awesome soaps/lotions/candles, Dawn's place is where to get them! The reviews aren't kidding, everything feels wonderful and really soothing to your skin. The lotion is totally non-greasy so I can pick up my knitting right after applying it. That's amazing because I've tried SEVERAL! You know you've done it too, had to keep wiping your hands on something AFTER putting on your lotion. We've all been there! Here's Dawn's Ravelry Group Link. Go SEE HER.

A true friend is the greatest of all blessings, and that which we take the least care of all to acquire.
* François Duc de La Rochefoucauld

And for the pièce de résistance. Dawn sent me her homemade Persimmon Cookies. I can't relate accurately enough how I feel. Elated?!! Unbelieveably Hysterically Happy?!! Yes, I think so! I've been tearing up and crying all afternoon because I know how incredibly busy she's been with her new business, and yet she still took time out to make ME cookies! My FAVORITE holiday memory cookies. I keep opening the lid and INHALING deeply. I can't get these persimmons here and these are what my Grandpa made every year while I was growing up. They mean so much more to me than I can say.

Dawn, I can't say Thank You enough. I have to go blow my nose again. Everytime I even think of them, and all you sent, I cry again. But it's a HAPPY CRY!!! This Ole Grinch feels SO much better. Thank you so much for helping boost my Christmas Spirit WAY up. I may go get my tablecloth out now!

A Few Christmas Knits

2009-12-10T16:45:00.007-05:00

Thick Comfy House Socks For The Big Guy

Pattern: Sock It To Me Socks
Yarn: Bernat Denimstyle

Needle: Size 6

Made for Hubby whille he was out of town on his last business trip.

Mods: I made them extra tight because I read this yarn really stretches. These are soft and smooshy. Very comfy.

Big Yarn = FAST Socks. Gotta love it.

Pattern: Bow Knot Scarf (Oooooooh, Luxury. I love my Meunch Chenille.)

Yarn: Meunch Touch Me in Dark Blue 3603 (I think. Where do all my labels go?)

Size 6 needles

This was made for my Mom for Christmas. (I got the idea from another gal's blog and darned if I can't remember who's blog it was now. When I find out I'll edit for that. FOUND IT! Thanks Irisheyes!)

Mods: I did 14 rows for the insert part instead of 16. I also made the wrap part around the neck longer than the pattern instructed. My Mom and I don't like anything wrapped close around our necks. Just a comfort thing and we tend to overheat easily. Couple of Hot Momma's!

Vesper Socks

Yarn: Vesper Self Striping in "Love Stinks, Yeah, Yeah" colorway.

Size 1 needle 64 st cast on.

What can I say, these were going to be my "happy" socks, but a sweet little girl of mine loves them a whole lot so she'll be getting them for Christmas. These took an unusually LONG time for me to knit up, I just couldn't stay with it for very long but they finally got done. I messed up the decreases on the second toe, but it's hardly noticeable, it just proves how scattered my brain is these days.
Pattern: Noro Fingerless Mitts (for Mom for Christmas.)

Yarn: Noro Silk Garden in Colorway 232

Size 4 needles - magic loop - TAAT

Okay, Confession Time: She wanted GRAY ones, but I wasn't having any luck with the ones I was working up. I must've bought 4 different kinds of gray yarn too. I flat out had to get out of that zone for a bit so these were born.

Mods: Some splicing was done due to a muddy brown that was in the middle of all the other pretty colors. I went down on the needle size because my Mom has small hands, and in my own experience NSG grows or blooms upon washing. I just wanted to make sure they'd stay snug to some extent.

I know one of the thumbs *looks* bigger than the other one, but that's what you get with the thick/thin variation of Noro! It made me think I had messed up, but they're the same! Honest!

I'm fighting sinus issues still, getting headaches almost everyday. Can't wait for winter to be over with over here! Still trudging along though, I still can't believe I have ANY knits to blog about! Wow! Maybe I'm doing it in my sleep! LOL!

Happy Knitting!!

The Day After

2009-11-27T18:58:00.005-05:00

I'm still full. What a wonderful day we had, we were together and really enjoyed our day.

Is anybody knitting anything? I sure hope so because I WANT to be knitting but nothing has been working out and I'm getting in the "just put the blasted stuff away and keep walking" mood. With all the yarn I have, that's not good.

The Cats will not let me get up today. They've literally been laying on me all day. Really.

All I could do was pretend I was busy by fliddling with the blog again. ;O)

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T13:11:00.002-05:00

Whiskers On Wednesday

2009-11-19T08:32:00.006-05:00

ON THURSDAY! (Because I completely zoned out this week.)

This scratching mat was a huge success in our house! Sasha had to check it out thoroughly to make sure it was worthy of staying.

And her and Sophie are still enjoying it. Since they use our whole house (stair railing, chair legs, couches, door jams, carpet) for their scratching posts we had to try something. They can be little destruct-o forces for sure. I'm still shopping around for a tall climbing tree for them, the main issue is where the heck we're going to put it!

On the Medical front: I had my first experience with an MRI machine on Tuesday and even with anti-anxiety meds in me I didn't last 3 minutes. It was a bummer. And I felt so embarrassed, but the staff made me feel a little bit better by telling me stories of people who have had to come back numerous times to get one test done. (That very well could end up being me!) I have to go back on December 1st to try again. This time doubling up on my meds and taking them earlier to let them get into my system more. I slept like a log when I got home so eventually they did work! Just not when I needed them to!

The MRI will hopefully tell us if I have a disc or sciatic problem with my back. My right leg has really been bothering me and I've just attributed it to my fibromyalgia all this time. My MOTHER all along has been asking me if I'd had my back checked out to which I ALWAYS replied "Mom! My back doesn't hurt!". Well, She was right all along. Mom's just KNOW! Once that finally sunk in (and the pain got a lot worse) it makes total sense to me and my doctors now. They ought to pay Mom's for medical consultations.

I changed my blog a bit. I love pink but added some green in there. Makes me think of Spring time in this winter drab. I have no idea on how to do a lot of this blog stuff so I just go with what makes me happy at the time. If it's too hard to read, please let me know in the comments, I'd appreciate it!

Knitting: What Knitting? Mom's fingerless mitts may never happen. I can't find the right pattern/yarn combo and it's driving me crazy. Still working on that....

Happy Knitting!

Elegant Gauntlets

2009-11-11T13:17:00.004-05:00

I REALLY love this pattern. This is my second pair, and while I haven't made them in a really long time, I still love making these. Sally's patterns are so well written. Every detail is there. And I really loved this yarn. Soft, and great colors! If you get a chance check out her Etsy store.

Pattern: Elegant Gauntlets

Yarn: Black Trillium Coraline

Size 2 needles

Modifications: Shortened by a couple of inches in the arm part. We won't talk about how many times #2 gave me trouble because trouble just follows me around and sits on me. I think I swing the door wide open and just invite her in with my knitting. In the end, it all worked out after a few sessions of frogging here and there.

I made these for my friend Kimberly. She's a Mod on the Auto-Immune Board on Ravelry and no matter what she's going through (and it can be a LOT) she's always picking the rest of us up and cheering us on. She's truly a kind, giving spirit and we appreciate her so much. She loved the movie Coraline so this yarn made me think of her. She lives in Southern CA so I figure she can use these probably more for "fun" than for "function". These look really awesome scrunched down a bit around the wrists. I hope you enjoy them Kimberly! Happy Late Birthday!

If you can, please send out Positive Get Well Wishes and Prayers to my BFF Julie's Mom. She's had health issues going on for awhile now, any and all thoughts and luv going their way would mean so much right now. Thanks bunches.

Happy Veterans Day to all our Veterans too. We thank each and every one of our armed forces with all of our hearts and our prayers are with you as well.

Small But Mighty

2009-10-30T15:52:00.007-04:00

A couple of stocking stuffers for the girls:

One for Jess:

And one for Chels: I know, they LOOK the same but there are slight differences in the colors. Now we won't have any fights over who's is "cuter". Yep, this Mom thinks ahead! Just a simple Beanie made a bit oversized for comfort.

Pattern: Noro Silk Beanie
Needle Size: 7
Colorway: 285 (I think, I'll have to check on that one day).
I used a bit over 1 skein each because it seemed a bit too short for my taste as written. My girls have a lot of hair, plus, I like more coverage down around the ears. I hope they like them, Christmas will be pretty "skinny" around here this year, so a little handmade love will bring a smile. Noro Silk Garden feels kind of "icky" to me while knitting it up, but it does feel softer in the finished product. Weird. I know.

My nephew recently asked for a helmet liner for when he's out running early for his ROTC. I ordered the Cascade 220 Superwash and away I went.

The Big Guy scared me when he was wearing it around the house, it's kind of spooky with Halloween right around the corner and him being sneaky and all....Anyway, I changed up my decreases around the face this time and it's soooo much better. None of that weird bunching and puckering that a lot of people get on the sides. I did mine more "staggared" per rounds, and it rounded it out better.

Helmet Liner
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash in Black
Size 6 & 8 circs.
One skein! Whew! That was close, I was seriously sweating it out, hoping I could finish without having to order more yarn. I was soooo happy that worked out. Unbelieveably, I totally blanked out on which way to cast on addtional stitches around the face this time. You'd never guess I'd made this before! I ended up trying all three ways and liked the e-cast on the best in the end even though "they say" you shouldn't use it for more than a "few" stitches. I ripped so much I thought I'd have to replace that section of yarn, but it looked so cool when it was done!

My other little project:

Bella Mitts,
(confession: not big Twilight Fans - by the middle of the first movie we were yelling for him to just eat her already! But these mitts are SO COOL!)
Needle size: 8's
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Bulky (in purple): which I doubt I'd use again. To me, "Superwash" means I can machine wash, gentle cycle and dry on low (just like KP's instructions). Not these. I was already making two pairs, one for me and one for Mom (for our Fibromyalgia, these feel GOOD when on), so messing up the first pair in the wash wasn't the end of the world but it sure ticked me off. The second pair will have to be "hand washed" and layed flat to dry (could've just bought regular wool!). Anyway, they're done and it's a really cool pattern to knit. It's fast, fun, and if you do use this yarn you can make a pair with 1 1/2 skeins.

So those are my "small but mighty" projects lately. Small feels good. Makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something even though I move at a snails pace. Happy Knitting.

Where is my blog mojo?

2009-10-20T14:48:00.007-04:00

I've got my knitting mojo going somewhat with Christmas looming closer, but blogging has been WAY on the back burner for me lately. I've always thought it was kind of sad and wondered why people just abandoned their blogs, or decided to say their "blogland farewells" when I'd be browsing. Now I understand. I'm tired. And time gets away from me because of other things going on.

But I got the push I needed today because Dawn in CA is having a contest on her blog. I'm adding your button Dawn.

Gotta keep up with my knitting at least. Here's some of the latest:

Pattern: Embossed Leaves
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Select Semi Solids
Colorway: Lotus
Size 1 needles magic loop
Heavily modified: Long tail cast on used, not as many repeats on leg, didn't cut yarn for heel, and I did a regular toe as I didn't like how the star one looked. All in all, I changed it quite a bit! But I got a sock that was more fun for me to knit.

I really liked this yarn worked up in simple stockinette but thought "LEAVES would be GREAT with this!". Sometimes it's better to leave things alone. So what do you do when you change your mind after the fact? Dye them.
I used my Knitpicks acid dye to make them a deeper emerald green. I think patterned socks look so much better in a solid color and now these make me happier. Now I can see the leaves and the pretty details even with some slight varigation still.

Next:

Pattern: Merlot
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden
Colorway: #8
Needles size 7 & 9 (I always use a smaller needle for the brim of hats).
This is a Christmas present for my Auntie in CA. She loves, loves, loves Blue. This was a cool pattern, I'll defiitely use it again. The yarn is such a pretty, bright, and vibrant blue (even though my picture doesn't portray that as much) so I made her these to match:

Pattern: Cranford Mitts
Yarn: Knitpicks Bare Superwash Fingering - Dyed with Sapphire Acid Dye
Size 2 needles

Loved this pattern but they aren't very warm! I may make her a plain set as well for a bit more coverage. It's funny, my hat picture is too dark and this one is too light! These are a deeper blue than they appear here. Someday I need a digital photography class!!!

A few more things have been in the works. Not always working out to my satisfaction. I just finished a cabled scarf for The Big Guy for Christmas but it turned into a big, fat UGH! I used Caron Simply Soft in Black (because I've always been happy with this yarn) but I could tell even when I was knitting it up that there were fuzzy issues already happening. I should've just STOPPED, but I thought maybe with a wash and some de-fuzzing it might be salvageable.

NOT.

He's getting a store bought one this year. I'll try the pattern again one day in a different yarn. Fathers Day 2010?

Happy Knitting!

Whiskers On Wednesday

2009-10-07T01:50:00.006-04:00

Sophie is the only one who still fits in the Elmo Chair so it has to stay in the house. I couldn't part with it anyway, the girls loved their little chairs many moons ago! I can still see them sitting there watching their movies and cartoons.....sigh....

We're all a bit sad over here, even the cats. My Baby Miss C is on a school camping trip in the woods for three days and this is one Mom who isn't good at letting go. I woke up last night with an anxiety attack wondering why I ever agreed to let her go. I'll tell you why, her Daddy says she'll be just fine! WHY do I listen to him??? I also see her coming back with only HALF the stuff she took with her. She's just a little..um..flighty at times. I think that's why God made Mom's, if we didn't remind them about everything, where would they be? We shall see. I'm going to be a mess for the next three days, that's all I know for sure.

What a weekend!

2009-10-05T14:52:00.006-04:00

Well. Saturday. I was totally unconscious yesterday (read: really, REALLY worn out). We must've ran 5 gazillion errands this past Saturday. One of my stops was to turn in the 36 preemie hats I made to the LYS. I had wanted to make at least 50, but 36 isn't anything to be ashamed of I guess. There were some really adorable ones turned in! And to top it off they said we'll blow last year's total out of the water. That's awesome. The Babies will have warm heads this winter for sure!

They filled up the wall, and the play-pen on the side there is almost full as well! Go Knitters!!

I also went ahead and bought the exercise bike I wanted awhile back (the one where I bought my camera instead) . I'm glad we waited, we ended up getting the floor model because they didn't have any more in stock and got 40% off. The Big Guy likes a bargain! And it doesn't take up much room so he's happy about that too. We just threw it in the back of the van and brought it home, no assembly required! It's nice and SMOOTH. Love it. Now let's just see if I actually get on it. I did Saturday and this morning. That's a start at least.

While we were there a service doggie had a little accident. Seeing that doggie's face about broke my heart. You could see it was very upset it had done that by it's ears and eyes. The lady didn't seem too happy about it so of course I was worried sick about her being angry with the puppy for the rest of the afternoon. They're prepared for that kind of thing, she had everything with her she needed to clean it up but I couldn't get that puppy's eyes out of my mind. Hours later, after about another billion errands, we went to Red Robin for a late lunch and lo and behold, they walked in! I think God was trying to tell me the doggie was okay. I had my back to them in the booth but Richard said she was giving the doggie lots of love. Whew. Animals can sure tug at you. That doggie's eyes I'll never forget.

It was Game Day so of course you see a lot of this:

And this:

I wish I'd remembered I had my camera sooner. These are kind of lame but there were SO many others really decked out you wonder how they don't cause an accident with all the doo-dads, pompoms, and flags all over their cars! It's a hoot. College football makes some people (cough...the big guy...cough) a little nutty I think. I'd just never seen the flags and car stuff until we moved here.

Off to knit something.

It's Only Knitting...

2009-09-27T19:51:00.006-04:00

Or "I Hope I Never See This *&%*# Pattern Ever Again".

Just kidding. These just about drove me insane, but it's because of ME that they had so many problems after all. These are the ones that suffered being ripped completely about 3 times, and had Sasha chew up their needle. Oh, it just went on and on. And it was all on mitt #2 too. She just didn't want to cooperate.

This was the last doozie I did. Why did I look at the cables and think to myself "hey, that doesn't look quite right" and just keep on knitting. AND BIND OFF? Must be the flu and Fibro issues going on in my house this month....

But, Scarlett was right, "tomorrow is another day". You just have to buck up and rip out your bind off, tink back to the right row and start over.

Yes, a knitter can do anything. (But this is clearly why I don't knit shawls and bigger things like sweaters). And in the end it's love.

Miss J loves them. She wanted them. She got them. All that matters is making my baby girl happy.

Pattern: Yummy Mummy Mitts
Yarn: Malabrigo Sock - Tiziano Red
Size 2 Magic Loop

Latest Bummer: missed my knitting meeting yesterday due to a nasty migraine and the pouring outside of cats and dogs. But I was missed. And that always feels good. I <3 Knitters.

Whiskers On Wednesday

2009-09-23T14:28:00.004-04:00

I've had to start Jessica's second fingerless mitt a few times so far. At least this time it wasn't all MY fault. Here's the proof:

It's not all Sasha's fault either I guess, because the stitches came off the needles sort of by accident the first time. I got them back on - barely- but by pulling it out a second time (and realizing my needle was "chomped" in two) I pulled them off again on one side. Oops. With all the cables and twists and such on teeny tiny needles, I finally just frogged the whole dang thing and started over... AGAIN. I'm starting to wonder if this pair was ever meant to be....

Sasha says:

"See how ADORABLE I am!!"

Life Lately & Some Knitting

2009-09-10T15:33:00.006-04:00

Flu. Darn Flu. The kids. The Big Guy. Me.

Good news is we're on the flip side of it and getting better little by little. Honestly, we've been sicker with the flu in the past but I feel crummy most of the time anyway, and even though I didn't get it as bad as they did, I think it's holding onto me for some reason. Just that really worn out feeling. Dragging. AND, I did everything they said to do and then some: wash hands constantly, clean house (over and over), wash bedding etc. It. does. not. work. Just an FYI. If you're gonna get it, you're gonna get it. "Back to school" was the trigger it needed to just explode here where we live.

The Hello Kitty band-aids and neosporin are for my injured left pinky finger. I cut a nice slice into it over a week ago and it's still trying to heal up. You don't know how much you use that little digit until it hurts to anymore! Typing is now done with 9 fingers. I'm giving it another week, if it's still so tender I think I'll get it checked out. Just a gut feeling now that maybe I should've from the get go.

And miracle of miracles: I've actually gotten things done in the fiber world even though I've had many days of NOT picking up any needles or hooks lately. Twilight Zone moment here. Oh well, just glad some things are getting done.

Chelsea's Nalu Mitts.
Size 1 needles (I think) could be 1 1/2.
Malabrigo Sock - Tiziano Red.
(Sooooo soft to work with. Love Malabrigo Sock.)
Okay, I was pretty sick of all the twisted stitches but they did turn out pretty cool and she loves them. I have no clue when I got these done. Really. Not. A. Clue. I think it was sometime in August.

These are some very soft washcloths for my Mom. I hope she'll use them. Usually she puts them up on things like doilies! She's so funny! I saw this worked up at the new LYS I went by, bought the yarn there, and then later emailed her to ask about the pattern. They were using it for a class so that's why I didn't ask for it while I was there but I figured I bought the yarn there, what the heck right? What she emailed me was very kind, but it was a mess. In crochet, brackets, commas, etc are VERY important to the pattern and it was seriously lacking. I had already found something similar called Crochet Dandy Dishcloth and it worked up the same pretty much. I modified my own edging on the top one using a sc, then dc, then shell stitch border. I actually like my own a bit better! ;O)

Yarn: Jeannee
Size H hook
one ball of the green made both cloths.
After I washed them they got a little bit pilly but I'll fix that before I send them to Mom.

More mitts in the works right now, and a few small things for the holidays like The Big Guys Scarf and hopefully a pair of socks for him.

Happy Knitting! (or Crocheting!)
Ps. Got an Anniversary MAC laptop. Sweet Sweet Man of Mine!!

20 Years! Wow!

2009-09-01T21:39:00.021-04:00

September 2, 1989
We were engaged 3 months after we met and married 6 months after that.
When your heart (and your cat) knows...., you know.

He's still taking care of me (bandaged my cut pinky finger today),

Still loving me (he's taking me on a special trip WITHOUT the kids soon!),
And still putting up with me. (always! -sigh!- I'm spoiled.)

Thank You Big Guy. You're my best friend,
the BEST Dad, and you still make my heart skip a beat when
I see you, hear your voice, or think of you.

I love you.

Our Song:

ETA: posted EST but apparently even though my settings are for EST, blogger still goes with PST!

Whiskers On Wednesday

2009-08-26T00:30:00.004-04:00

Sophie Says: "This is MY spot, but I'll share".

Hospital Knitting

2009-08-14T00:11:00.005-04:00

How many rows can you knit while waiting for your husband to get his Heart Catherization Procedure done?

About that much. I was just too nervous to keep going. I couldn't read, couldn't knit, and really didn't want to TALK much which is SO unlike me! (But I was VERY grateful my inlaws came to town to be with us!)

Our ordeal started a bit ago when I finally got The Big Guy to switch doctors. His new one takes his family history and his health VERY serious, I mean, we aren't spring chickens anymore. Things are going to happen. The Big Guy had been having some weird pains and rapid heart beating episodes, so the doctor ordered an EKG and x-ray. They were okay. But they still ordered the stress test and that showed slow blood flow in the front wall of his heart. So. There we were at the hospital for the Heart Cath. Along with many other people. Busy place. Too busy.

And He did fine. He has 40% blockage in one artery and 50% in another. They'll only do a stint if it's at least 70% blockage. They've adjusted his BP meds and will also look at getting his cholesterol numbers even lower to prevent any further increases in those percentages. All in all, we can handle this. And we were very blessed that this all was discovered before any scary episodes happened. We celebrated the next day with a small cake for his birthday. We're just glad he's around and he's going to be feeling better all the time. He better. I can't take this kind of excitement.

Ravelry has been my safety net lately. I've been spending my "worry" time looking at other people's completed projects and that can be a huge time suck. I haven't been doing much of anything lately. Everything I start, I put back down or rip out. So I just pretend I'm as efficient as they are and just browse all day.

I did manage to finish this. I have no idea when (the past few weeks are a big blur) and it took me a good bit to do since it's with cotton - cotton and me don't get along too well.

Rumbly Tummy Bear
The pattern is on Ravelry and Sharman will email it to you. I made this for my Aunt Rene for Christmas because she's the biggest Pooh Fan Ever I think. And she loves to clean, so this will make her smile while she scrubs away! LOL!

One gift down. A few more to go. I'll never make it! Ack! I'm hoping to get to my Knitting meeting potluck this weekend. But if I'm eating....I can't be knitting....Oh well!!

Happy Knitting!

Birthdays Can Be AWESOME!

2009-08-06T12:25:00.009-04:00

My wonderful Mom sent me some Happy medicine:

THEN, My bestest buddy Julie sent me these really cool stitch markers:

And this (mine, mine, mine!!)

And All of THIS!!:

A gorgeous bookmark she made for me (which I don't know how she knew I needed it so desperately), some Crazy Monkey Creations Gorilla Toes yarn in the Autumn Jewels colorway (should've got that closer, it's very "happy"! AND SOFT!!!! SOOO SOFT!!! ), two really pretty candle holders with some danglies on it, (I LUV shiny things), some lotion for my ever increasing dry hands, and the BAG. OMGosh, THE BAG. LOVE. IT! I want to go to my knitting meeting NOW to show it off! My projects will never want to come out!

Then today I got THIS from my Favoritest California Dawn!! (I know, I know, I'm just too darn lucky!)

Some of her Beautiful smelling Lavender Handmade soap, (Dawn's a seller on Etsy- check her out!) and a cloth to go with it, a cute cupcake magnet set, candle, and notepad, three really cool scarf patterns to decide what my GORGEOUS HANDSPUN YARN will grow up to be!!!! I am now the very proud owner of her Superwash Merino in the Layla Colorway! I just want to snuggle with it!! I've seen handspun on websites but never held any in my hot little hands before! What an awesome job you did spinning this Dawn. If you sell any in your etsy store with your other items, they'll go like hotcakes!

Yuummmmm! My stubborn camera does NOT want to pick up the beautiful varigations of the colors in this. I just can't describe it except it's like "jewelry" or something. Just absolutely gorgeous!

I'm so very blessed to have you girls in my life. You made me smile when I really felt like hiding under the covers today. I can't tell you how much you mean to me. Really. Truly.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((Biggest Hugs Ever)))))))))))))))))))))))))))

.....and I'm off to play with all my stuff......

Birthday Bonanza!!!

2009-08-03T23:10:00.010-04:00

Another year, another cake. Always happy to have one of these around! (My BD is the 2nd)

There's only five candles because we only had five pink ones. Plus, The Big Guy suggested we put ALL of my candles on but then made a "remark" about how they weren't going to fit..... and we didn't have enough anyway..... yea, he's a riot. So, I don't feel so bad about my bounty this year. Guilt can work to my benefit yet again.

(ETA: These stash yarns were purchased over several paydays! LOL! I make my birth"day" sort of my birth YEAR around here.)

Socks That Rock MediumWeight in the Mustang Sally Colorway. I grabbed this off of the ISO/Destash board on Ravelry. That is one addictive place to hang out. It's very dangerous for someone like me. Upfront, this isn't my first purchase from there - and it's certainly not going to be my last! But I do try to avoid it as much as possible. I already have a skein of this that I haven't used yet but the price was too good to pass up. Yep. Dangerous.

I purchased these from a new yarn shop in my area. Well, I discovered it's quite aways away (about 45 minutes) but at least it was a nice drive! They just opened last month so I felt the need to show my support (and enhance my stash). I actually bought three of these Cherry Tree Hill Select Semi Solid's. I got the Azalea, Slate, and Lotus Colorways. (Lotus is already OTN's, hence no picture). I just LOVE the colors of these (which explains why I came home with 3 skeins- gulp!) I picked up a few cotton yarns as well because she had the prettiest washcloths crocheted up in Plymouth's Jean Nee that I just have to replicate somehow. They're pretty basic, but the Jean Nee is just so soft, squishy, and delicious in this type of project. When I saw them, I thought of my Mom and her delicate face from her cancer surgery 2 years ago. My Mom certainly deserves the best.

I think I ordered these from The Loopy Ewe last month. Malabrigo Sock in colorway #808-Violeta Africana (which looks way more purple in real life, my camera picks it up as blue). Add to that "Tiziano Red" which is also already in use for the girls fingerless mitts (pictures to come soon I hope). The purple Cascade Fixation just jumped into my online cart (honest! ) Not sure how that happened but I already have something in mind for my youngest using that.

My splurge. Fleece Artists Handmaiden Casbah in the Victoria colorway. Cause as you can see it matches my tablecloth. Seriously, those are my colors. If it reminds me of ROSES. It's mine.

Of course I couldn't help but visit KnitPicks for my Birthday! These are skeins of Stroll (handpainted sock yarn). Colors are Dolly (pink) and Make Believe (purple/blue). These are soooo pretty. I haven't decided what these will be yet. I picked up some extra Harmony tips (why do I always need the size that's already in use?) and the double ended crochet hooks for good measure (free shipping). I'm now eyeing those new Zephyr needles. There's no doubt I'll be trying them, I enjoy using my acrylic straights that I got from Joanne's a long time ago. I love that they're so lightweight (my wrist pain is an issue at times), and these are supposed to be a way better acrylic.

Thank You Thank You Thank You so much to all of my fantastic knitting blog friends, Ravelry friends, and all of my wonderful family who made my day so awesome. We're alone here in our town, but the phone calls and messages on Ravelry and here kept coming all day and it sure made me smile. It makes turning 39 (again) easier to bear!

Happy Knitting!

Back in the Saddle...

2009-07-24T22:29:00.010-04:00

Somewhat! A new day dawns and I've started over on The Big Guys hat, started another pair of Mitts for Miss J, and got these done:

Okay, technically this is still a "maybe" for me since it does bias to one side a bit. Knitting or crocheting anything LENGTHWISE does this to me every single time. It doesn't matter how careful I try to be when working the beginning and ending rows, I guess my tension is just all over the place - so my projects tend to "tilt".

Pattern: Acacia Scarf
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft Eco in the Ocean Colorway
Size I hook. (Crochet)
This took just a bit more than one skein. I may add fringe later so I'm glad I have the extra skein around. This might still go to my Mom one day, or something similar. She's like me in that we tend to run "WARM" most of the time, so simple "airy" scarves are definitely more our thing.

I also went back to what's been a "happy knit" for me (you gotta feel the love ya know?):

Pattern: Simply Simone by Elizabeth A. Cote (Coteknits on Ravelry).
Yarn: Bernat Baby Softee & Bernat Jacquards in Pink.
Size 5 & 6 needles (I needed to go up a size due to my tight knitting).
What can I say? These are just too cute! When Elizabeth asked me to Test Knit these for her I jumped at it because A) I love knitting preemie hats and B) I can always use more for The Yarn Bowl Challenge. Her pattern is just adorable and so easy to knit up. I just love these.

Pattern: Simple Simon
Yarn: Bernat Baby Softee & Bernat Jacquards in Blues
Size 6 needle
These are the medium and large sizes. Cute. Just. too. dang. Cute.

Tomorrow is knitting meeting day. I'm going to take The Big Guy's Hat to work on, it's simple ribbing so hopefully I can't screw that up too bad while I'm gabbing instead of paying attention to what I'm doing.

Happy Knitting!

What the Heck?

2009-07-19T19:34:00.009-04:00

Or: "I'm Giving Gift Cards For Christmas!"

Mom's Scarf: Frogged. (3rd time)

Richard's Hat: Frogged.

Jessica's Mitts: Frogged.

I don't know if the wording in the picture is readable, but basically I read the pattern wrong and started the thumb gusset WAYYYY later then I should have. Welcome to my pond! Somebody please catch him and make him go AWAY!

I went back to preemie hats. They don't disappoint. They're my saving grace right now or I'd be dumping ALL my needles in the trash! Grrrr!!! (then running out to grab them again).

Maybe it's just that it's summer time. I'm loving the long days and warm sunshine too much to be inside knitting. Even when I'm in pain (like all the time) it's just been hard to not want to be doing other things. Maybe. Maybe Not. Any excuse sounds good to me now because it CAN'T be that my knitting sucks! I really think the "pressure" of Holiday Knits is already messing with my head! Yikes!!

BUT! School starts back in ONE MONTH! Happy Dance Time! Who's counting down the days besides me??? Anybody???

Happy Knitting!

PS: Note to Deborah! I can't reach your profile on blogger to email you back! Are you on Ravelry? I posted a response on the blog post you posted on. Hope we can talk more! It's okay that we're on opposing teams for the Yarn Bowl Challenge, we're California Girls at heart! LOL Hope to hear back from you!

10 On Tuesday

2009-07-14T00:10:00.009-04:00

(Pic: Some of the gang ready for a night out back in the 80's *notice the 80's hair?* I wish my pics were better, I had to scan them.. Julie & Rhonda, Don't kill me k?) (Ps. I'm the shortest one....always!)

Today's topic is one I can sort of manage. It seemed easy at first, but geez, there are WAY more than 10, that's for sure! That was one fantastic decade for me, I met my BF Julie in the early 80's, graduated in the middle, had my first real jobs, had my own apartments, met my soon to be hubby, and got married right before the decade ended (1989)!

So here's just the tip of the iceburg:

(Just some of my) 10 Favorite Songs of the 80's.

1. The Promise - When In Rome (Me & Hubby's Song)

2. White Wedding - Billy Idol

3. Don't Let The Sun Go Down - George Michael/Elton John

4. Straight From the Heart - Bryan Adams

5. Love Bites - Def Leppard

6. Every Breath You Take - The Police

7. Stray Cat Strut - Stray Cats

8. You Got Lucky - Tom Petty

9. The Politics of Dancing - Reflex

10. The Boys of Summer - Don Henley

We went to a lot of concerts back in the day....Julie, remind me which ones we went to K? I need a "wayback" machine desperately. We listened to almost every kind of music there is back then, and hit a LOT of clubs dancing to it....fun, fun, fun....those were great times.

We had a BLAST! Wouldn't trade the 80's for anything.

**Check out more lists here.

Summer Daze

2009-06-30T17:01:00.004-04:00

There hasn't been a lot going on in my knitting world lately. Or I should say, not as much as I wish there was! (Preemie hats are on temporary haitus). It would be nice if I could say it's because I've been out skydiving, water skiing, or mountain climbing, (I WISH) but it's only because of my usual health issues, having a harder time with some inflammation, and trying new meds for some relief.

I definitely have a few things on my "to-do" list for the holidays and want to get a jump on things, but that may have to be a "let's wait and see" thing. Slowly but surely I did manage to get my Red Heart Socks done:

Red Heart Heart & Sole Sock Yarn - This says it has Aloe but I personally didn't notice it like I did in another yarn I used a long time ago.
Colorway: Spring Stripe
68 st cast on
I just love this colorway for some reason. I only wish it had more of that bright pink in it. I just washed them and haven't worn them yet so I'm not sure how they'll wear. They aren't as soft as I was hoping, but I still love the colors.

The scarf I started for my Mom has been on vacation too. I've had a hard time trying to find just the "right" pattern for the yarn I chose (Malabrigo Sock). I've printed out tons of patterns, but when I try knitting a swatch, I change my mind again. I know the right one will come along, or I'll have to switch yarns at some point.

I didn't make my last knitting hookup date, I had completely forgotten it was Father's Day weekend!! We went to the in-laws so I hope to make the next meeting.
So, better late than never:
Happy (Late) Fathers Day Big Guy!!! We love you!

Rain Rain Go Away....

2009-06-17T15:24:00.006-04:00

PLEASE!!!!!

I know people around here are used to these storms, but OMG. This has been happening ALL summer! If you're lucky enough to just be HOT and DRY, I really think you have a lot to be grateful for. Yesterday we even had tornado warnings to add to the party too! Lucky! Lucky! Today is more of the same, LOTS of rumbling, rain, and constant warnings for severe weather. Where's that magic genie bottle to get me out of here....

Not much knitting going on. I did dye some yarn the other day but have yet to wind it. I had to do it twice because I don't measure things (my bad) so I had to reset the dye by heating it again. It worked thankfully. I also didn't use my gloves so I had blue fingernails for a couple of days. That was kind of funny. I haven't worked much on my socks, and haven't worked at all on my preemie hats. But my knitting meeting is this weekend so I'll take them with me and try to get something done. (I hope, I do tend to have more fun laughing and gabbing)...

I didn't participate in WWKIP day, there was only one event I knew of but it was too far away. So I did the next best thing and went shopping for yarn (Hobby Lobby). I'd just placed the LAST item I wanted in my basket when their power went out. (Pitch black! Thank goodness for cell phones!) We left to eat thinking it would come back on but when we got back it was the ONLY store in the whole shopping center that was still out so they just closed shop. Luckily, my hubby is a sweetie and drove me clear across town to the other one. Needless to say, it made for a LONG errand running day and my body cursed me for it with the fibro/AI pain.

Well, if you're nice and dry, ENJOY! And if you're Knitting! ENJOY!! Send me a postcard saying "Wish You Were Here!"

10 On Tuesday

2009-06-09T11:58:00.004-04:00

Ten Favorite Things to Do During "Me" Time

(Since I don't have much of a life I seem to have more Me time than most I guess. Here's what I came up with.)

1. Knit

2. SLEEP (because it's so hard to come by)

3. Read (my library rocks)

4. Go to my Knitting meetings (the best bunch of ladies)

5. Take a hot bath (ahhhhhhh)

6. Walk (love to be outside when it's nice)

7. Play my Nintendo DS (my crosswords game is a blast)

8. Ride my bike (doesn't hurt my joints as much)

9. Clean house or declutter something (I know, that's an odd one but I like order)

10. Shop for ANYthing but groceries or kids school clothes (anything knitting related makes my heart pitter patter).

Happy Tuesday!

Doing What I Can

2009-06-04T16:07:00.007-04:00

Well, sometimes you just have to hang in there, even when you don't feel like it.
My Auto-Immune-Fibro junk has body slammed me (again). It's been a rough few weeks, my pain scale is really high. I don't think I've been this bad since the summer of 2007. I haven't been able to go for my walks but the regular occuring evening thunderstorms have made me feel less guilty about that, plus my legs wouldn't hold me up even if I wanted to go. It's also terribly humid, not a great time to be outdoors for people who already feel like crap. I have two doctor appts next week but honestly, my hope is waning that I'll ever get any answers, or any meds that actually DO something to help the pain. I guess I'm just feeling tired of hearing the same ol' stuff. Sigh. Trying to keep good thoughts.... trying...trying....trying....

I'm barely knitting, but I did manage to start my Mom's scarf for Christmas. I hope I can get it done in time. I want to try to do one 20-row repeat a day so I should make it by then! Thank you Dawn for helping me with the pattern.

I'm using some dark brown Malabrigo Sock yarn (which looks like just a black dot on my screen). It's got subtle shading and varigation to it, so I'm thinking this will look so pretty worked up this way. I hope I like it once I have more to see!

I'm also working on my other project, this is from Sandy as posted on Ravelry: "The University of Alabama fans at Serendipity Needleworks in Tuscaloosa, AL have challenged the University of Tennessee fans at The Yarn Haven, here in Knoxville, TN to participate in their 2009 Yarn Bowl Challenge. This is a competition pitting knitters and crocheters supporting the Crimson Tide against those who knit, crochet and cheer for the Tennessee Volunteers. Between now and Saturday, October 17 we will be making preemie caps to see which team can make the most caps. I hope you’ll want to join us as we seek to win this challenge and help high risk infants at the same time. At the end of the Challenge, the caps will be divided equally between the 2 shops and we’ll be able to donate our share to the East TN Children’s Hospital for distribution in their neonatal intensive care unit. So, Vol fans, are you ready to start making preemie caps? Caps must be made of very, very soft yarn that is washable. They must be between 9-12” in circumference and 4-5” in height. I will need to have the caps delivered to The Yarn Haven by Friday, October 16 as I will be mailing them to the Alabama shop the next day. If you need a pattern or have any questions, then please PM me. Come on Vols…let’s help out these little Tiders and little Volunteers!"

So, here I go:

I'm on my 18th one so far. The first 10 I had already made and was planning on donating anyway so the timing is awesome for me. My goal is two a week, I'm slightly behind right now with my health issues, but they're so fast to make I hope to catch up soon.

That's it. Just simple knitting. No socks right now, the scarf yarn is enough tiny string for me at this point. Happy Knitting. Ooooh, here comes another storm. Time to get cozy.

More socks.

2009-05-28T16:54:00.005-04:00

I'm in sock mode again.

Simple Stockinette Socks
Yarn: Patons Kroy Stripes - Mulberry
Size 1 magic loop - 64 st cast on.
This yarn is a bit "odd" feeling to me, but they washed up nicely, got a tad bit softer, so we'll see how they wear.

The picture on top is with photo editing, the bottom is without, and the reality is somewhere in between! It's been cloudy all day today, we've gotten 8+ inches of rain in May alone. Now is the time for the standard southern afternoon/evening "pop-up" thunderstorms. There should be another one along any minute now. I'm just tired of everyone mowing every 5 minutes. sigh.

Memorial Day I had a 50% coupon for AC Moore so we went and I got these. I scored Cookie's book for 1/2 off! I'd been seeing the The Red Heart Sock yarn on Ravelry and I just love these colors knit up. I can't wait to make my own socks out of it so I can smile when I see them on my own feet.

That's it. I've got other projects in my mind (and the yarn wound up ready to go) but all I seem to be doing is socks lately.

Happy Knitting!

Soft Waves Afghan

2009-05-18T16:30:00.006-04:00

She's all done.

Finito.
All mine.

If I ever say I want to make another afghan, just throw something at me to bring me to my senses please.

Taking on big projects is like labor to me. You forget how much time, pain, and angst you went through when you see that finished product. In both cases, the babies you create just make you forget it all. Zap! It's all gone!

All those arm cramps, all the pain of lugging this thing around while it grew and got heavier and heavier, all the times I wondered when it would just be over with. All those blasted hours I spent yesterday to Just. Get. It. Done.

In the end you have this wonderful thing that is too precious for words and you have to go snuggle. So. I shall go snuggle now....

Pattern: Soft Waves from the book 200 Ripple Stitch Patterns
(Yarns used are on my Rav project page).
Size H crochet hook
Time: Almost a year to finish. Yikes.

Yarn Swap

2009-05-15T19:44:00.005-04:00

I can't believe I forgot to post about the yarn swap! I had a total blast, but I think we all had a ball going through each other's orphans! I took this bag:

And came home with the same bag. Only now it's only 3/4 of the way full. (pat on back!)
I mostly brought home bits and bobs of other peoples left overs. "THE PLAN" has been
- and is - to make my girls each a patchwork Christmas Stocking. It's been nagging at my mind for..oh...maybe 3+ years now. I know I have plenty of stash for it, but there were some pretty reds and greens I just couldn't pass up! (Yes, I brought home pinks too!)

This year I'm really going to try to get my yarns together and just get them done. I hate when things nag at my mind. Especially when it seems like a really cool idea. They're both pretty special little people to me, I think they'll love them if I ever can get them done. I also got a few full skeins of baby yarn for the preemie hats I make so I scored nicely.

This isn't all of us, we had more show up, and we had the table to the right (that's barely in the picture) covered in yarn too. These ladies are so sweet and I've always felt so welcome. They probably don't realize how much they cheered this knitter up. I know that we're all in different places, we have our worries, our happy times, our troubles. But we come together for a couple of days a month and just talk and knit. It's uplifting to just be around each other. There is something really powerful about fiber arts and community.

The funny part of our meeting was that the power was out at the library. Oh my gosh, that was one HOT room we were in and it wasn't just me this time with my hot flashes! It eventually did come back on but our room never quite cooled off after that. Goes to show Knitters have fortitude. We stayed huddled in there with ALL of us, and ALL that yarn because, by golly, it was WORTH it!

It seems like every time we have a meeting lately it's like this:

But, like I said, not much can keep knitters from their scheduled rendezvous.

Today is just like this except my patio furniture is now scattered all over the back yard. It didn't look like much on the weather channel, but geez, it sure packed a punch this evening! The good thing is that now I can't walk today. My pain scale shot way UP again so now I don't feel guilty for skipping today. All I need is for lightning to strike me when I have so much yarn to knit.

I'm off to work on something....I'm not sure yet what I'm in the mood for, or even how long I'll be able to hold my needles up with my arm pain, but rainy weather makes good knitting weather.

Happy Knitting.

Uh oh.

2009-05-13T20:28:00.005-04:00

First there was this:

And this:

FINALLY, after almost 9 years here we have our own Red Robin. I sure missed the ones back home! Not only because of the great food, but also the good times & memories of being there with friends and family. It's a happy place.

So.... it's back to this (first uphill spot):

See the house in the middle on the left hand side? That's the one that we grimace at when we're heading up because that's when we FEEL THE BURN. Yowza. It may not look like much, but it's steeper than you'd think.

And this (second hill we go down and back up):

This one isn't as bad as the first but it's still a hill. They were a bit more challenging today. Must have been all those fries....Yum. I hadn't had my favorite burger in two years. It was SOOOO GOOD! I can't even tell ya how happy that made me.

Anyway, we're hoping tomorrow is not more of this:

I suppose we're blessed with all the rain we get, but I can totally do without the tornado scares. And my poor allergies just can't catch a break. It's funny how the very second it stops raining people are out in full mega force mowing their lawns, literally doing it a few times a week. It's one major mowing gig. Crazy. I'm so over it and it's just begun. sigh. I need to buy stock in Kleenex.

OTN: Socks & "The Never Ending Soft Waves Afghan".

Happy Knitting.

Ten On Tuesday

2009-05-12T00:47:00.003-04:00

Your Ten Favorite Places to Shop

1. The Yarn Patch
2. The Yarn Company
3. The Yarn Haven

4. JCPenney
5. Belk
6. Target

7. The Loopy Ewe
8. The Knitting Zone
9. Yarn 4 Socks
10. Simply Socks

Guess I knew THAT was coming! hahahahahaha!! Designer make-up? No. Designer Bags? No. Designer clothes? No. Designer YARN! Woot Woot!! yea baby!

I wonder if I have a problem....well, it IS your FAVORITE places to shop!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T12:32:00.004-04:00

There's lot's of love going around our house this Mother's Day. I'm very blessed.

My beautiful girls made me cards, gave me toys, and promised we wouldn't have any (well....much) drama today!

I got EXACTLY what I wanted from The Big Guy:

Okay, Okay!! I bought it!! But he's always happy when I'm happy!

I pretty much told them to take it easy this Mother's Day. We're having tighter times around here so we have to concentrate on being more selective about what we spend our money on. It's really for the best (as I look around at my cluttered house....)

On the Left: Blue Heron Bulky Rayon Chenille in Berry that I ordered from Coveted Yarns. I've never seen this colorway before (I've been buying this yarn for years) so I was just drooling over it. Well, when I went back to order it - it was GONE!!! I was sooooo bummed! I decided to email the nice people at CY and they answered right away that they had ONE skein left and would list it again so I could order it. Super nice people. I love my BH Chenille more than I can say.

On the Right: I was directed to PicnicKnits from Lime & Violets Daily Chum recently. She was offering FREE shipping on this merino silk sock yarn. Can't beat that. And the yarn DID NOT disappoint with all my monitor issues! You can't (usually) go wrong with PINK, I have before I know, but this time I totally lucked out! I'm thinking ANOTHER pretty pink scarf for moi.

PS. There's CHOCOLATE CAKE being made today too......

Slowly But Surely

2009-05-06T20:17:00.005-04:00

I'm really a simple kind of gal. I think there's a reason I like simple stockinette stitch socks.

Patterned socks take me awhile....a LOT longer than usual. And they require a certain amount of concentration. Which is in short supply these days with all my other issues. (It's been raining for days now, so my pics are not in full daylight.)

I just like simple shaped patterns. Most patterns are easy, but the patterning itself makes them seem too "bunchy" looking to me. They remind me of wrinkly elephant legs for some reason! I know, but it's in my head and I can't get it out! But that's just my own opinion. No biggy. Just like my much increased appreciation of semi-solid colored sock yarns anymore. I'm getting set in my ways in my old age I guess.

This pattern is my style. Simple, but pretty.

Charade

Yarn: The YoYo String & Fluff

Colorway: Not Called Amethyst- Superwash Merino

Confession time: I over-dyed this skein with Purple Kool Aid awhile back. It's another one of my "monitor" discrepencies. It looked a deeper shade of purple on my screen when I bought it. Someday I have to fix that issue. Whatever base yarn she used though is absolutely scrumptious. These are almost silky to the touch. I adore them.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I was hurting the other day. Same old issues. I didn't feel up to knitting much so I pulled out the Disco Ball looking beads I'd bought recently and made myself some cool stitch markers.

I love these, I want to hustle to the Bee Gees when I see them.

Since we already have a ga-jillion beads, and I get in the mood every so often when I can't knit, my stitch marker inventory has really blossomed! I love my stitch markers! Making them is really just as much fun as using them. If I wore more jewelry I'd probably be spending as much on beads as I do on yarn.

My knitting meeting is coming up this weekend. I'd better get back to getting things ready to go to the swap. I'm a terrible procrastinator, I pulled stuff out of the closet but have yet to sort through it all. I'll probably end up doing it Saturday morning!

Happy Knitting.

Was he testing me?

2009-05-03T01:24:00.008-04:00

I had my Sleep Clinic consult last Friday morning. It's kind of funny that I only got a few hours sleep before I got there, but maybe that's why the whole appointment was so weird to me.

Here's how it started:

Dr: Hi, my name is Dr. A, nice to meet you. (Doesn't even look at me while he's saying all this).

Me: Hi.

Dr proceeds to ask me questions:
When do you go to bed?
what time do you get up?
do you have a hard time falling asleep?
what meds are you on?
what are your health issues?

(all of this and PLENTY more is on the 3 pages of info they had me fill out which he's basically reading while he's asking me the same questions).

Dr: So. What are you doing here? (did he just watch "Valley Girl" last night because he sure sounds like he did!)

Me: Huh? Well, my regular Dr made me come, AND Gee, I CAN'T SLEEP! (You'd understand my attitude if you heard how he was talking to me AND looking at me. Was my extra eyeball showing or something?) I then went on to explain my pain issues, that I NEED sleep but don't get much, also that I've tried different sleep meds and they don't work, etc. (again, ALL of this is on the paperwork he's reading while I'm talking).

Dr. So what do you expect me to do if you've had this going on for so long?

Me: (thinking......) Is he TESTING me to see if I'm awake because this seems like I should be on Candid Camera! Why is he being such an A$$? I mean, isn't HE the Fricken Doctor here? Doesn't he see people who can't sleep Every. Single. Day?

It started out this way (which totally weirded me out) but did manage to get better as it went on because I gave what I got once the shock sort of wore off (talk to the HAND buddy!). I was almost ready to walk out in the beginning but eventually he worked out that I'm probably NOT a good candidate for a sleep study (Him: I can tell you right now what your study will show, that you don't sleep!) and that maybe I can benefit from some Cognitive Behaviorial Therapy.

He flat out told me he didn't have a clue HOW to help me but did feel that my stress level is still pretty high (really Sherlock?) and I have to work hard to follow the bedtime hygiene rules. (Nothing but whoopie and sleep in your bed!). I admited I was guilty of doing everything else in my comfy bed too: reading, knitting, and using my laptop. My Bad. Gotta work on those, we're going to get me a nice comfy chair/recliner to put in the master bedroom to help me with that but the TV pretty much stays since I have no say in any other room about what I want to watch most of the time.

I paid to hear all that. Isn't that funny?

In the end he was peachy-keen nice to me. I think somehow I passed his silly test. He even said as much now that I remember. I never have to see him again. (Relief). I'm too tired to deal with people like that. What I deduced was he isn't much use if you don't snore and need one of those machines at night. Insomnia? Well, whatever. It's certainly not HIS problem. Deal Already! Geez!

Today was a busy day with my girls. I really think they're trying to test me too. Here's what's transpired the past couple of weeks.

Set the Scene: Us at the Mall a week or so ago

Me: Hey, since we're here, you guys should check out the shorts and capri's.

The Girls: Grumble Grumble...let's just go home.

Me: But it's getting warmer guys, you should look around while I do what I have to do.

The Girls: (taking a quick glance around) Nope, don't see anything!

The Next Scene: A few days later my youngest says to me: MOM! I NEED NEW CLOTHES!

Me: Sure you do.

And the Next Scene: A few days after that, my oldest says to me: MOM!!! I REALLY NEED NEW CLOTHES!!!

Me: (Can't write what I said.... Potty mouth and all...)

It could just be my sleep deprived mind, but I think something's whacked out in my own little universe lately!

I was really tired today AFTER SHOPPING FOR NEW CLOTHES, but I came home and got into the STASH to update my Ravelry page. I honestly just ignore it most of the time, when I buy new stuff I never put it in there (lazy). But it was a good time to finally buckle down and do it because for some reason my memory was working pretty well at the time, AND because at my next Knitting Meeting we're doing a yarn swap and I know I have things to add to the table. It'll feel good to let things go to knitters who can visualize a use when I can't. I'm going to try to be good and not bring anything home......

All yarn deserves some Love.
That's next weekend, it should be fun.
If I survive that long.

Whiskers On Wednesday

2009-04-29T15:05:00.006-04:00

Poor Sophie. Sasha always uses her for a pillow. She'll literally just plop down on top of her where ever Sophie has gotten comfortable. Doesn't matter that Sophie found her comfy spot first!

Sometimes being the little sis can be tough! (I know, I'm one too!)

Major Fibromyalgia Flare lately. Intense pain. I'm trying to be grateful for what I can still manage, but, -OUCH-. It hurts. I also have my sleep clinic appointment on Friday, I'm still not convinced that they can help me but I'll know more after this consult. I guess I'm skeptical because the options of sleeping pills (which never work for me) or just knowing what "stage" of sleep I "can't" get to doesn't make me feel confident of any resolution. We'll see I guess.

My youngest is also going to have to have some tests done for some dizzy spells she's had off and on this past year. Major stress. We'd appreciate any prayers or good thoughts you could send her way. Her MRI is in May so hopefully we'll know more after that.

Off to go hear my Kitties Purr and sneeze from all the cat hair. If anyone knows of a good way to pick up cat hair, I'm all ears.

Knits & more Stash

2009-04-22T20:13:00.006-04:00

I picked up this lone skein of Happy Feet DK at the CC Fiber Festival last weekend (Colorway 54). It's the perfect color for some fingerless mitts for my girls. I must've been in a "baby blue" kind of mood, because at The Yarn Patch I picked up another skein of Tofutsies in a pastel-y color as well (#800-Fancy Footwork).

This next one was just too pretty to pass up:

The color's aren't easy to get accurate with my camera (they're darker in real life) but this is a yarn called "Jolie" by The Great Adirondack Company. This colorway is called "Amazon". It's 74% cotton/26% rayon and SOOOOOO soft! I picked it up at The Yarn Patch as well. I'm thinking it might be a pretty lacey scarflette for my Mom. Something simple that just lets the colors come through.

I finished another pair of simple socks.

Yarn: Knit Picks Felici - Alexandrite Colorway

Size 1 magic loop

64 st cast on.

Pattern: Just simple stockinette!!

I'm a tad worried on how well these will wear. The yarn is VERY soft, so I'm guessing they might wear thin quickly (and might pill pretty bad) once they're on the feet. We'll see. I'm sending them to my Mom because they ARE so soft. And, as with most yarns, the reviews are so mixed, there's no way to tell how they'll really hold up until she uses them.

I made this a few weeks ago but forgot to post about it:

It's for my youngest daughter. Just a simple crocheted shrug. I probably could've gotten away with making one size smaller because the yarn does stretch a bit. But she'll grow into it.

Pattern: Selma's Shrug

Yarn: Dale Of Norway's Svale in White

I think I used a size G hook.

She liked it, but now she wants one with the sleeves a bit longer. She likes the one in the SnB Crochet: Happy Hooker book so I'm going to work on that for her at some point. Probably by the time she's NOT wanting it anymore.....you know kids and how fast they change their minds....and how slow this old Mom is anymore!!

*In other news: The Big Guy and I are keeping to our schedule of walking a few times a week in our neighborhood with the "killer hills" and all (ouch). I've been sticking to it despite the pain from my Fibro/Auto-immune problems and that means I pay dearly at times (especially at night). But I have to work on making that dadgummit scale go in the OTHER direction for a change. We've been very blessed because in the past by this time in April, it's already hot, horribly humid, and just plain ICKY outside. This year it's still been cool and breezy, so we're going to get out and enjoy it as much as possible.

My SIL was kind enough to let me check out her Weight Watchers booklet that lists all the points. It's pretty discouraging when you first realize that ONE thing you're eating NOW is more than half the points you get for the DAY! Big eye opener. We're studying that with the intention of working on our eating habits as well. The Big Guy is already down 7 lbs just from walking (he does it at work too) Me so far: Zero. He's a brat.

Cumberland County's Second Fiber Festival

2009-04-19T19:56:00.007-04:00

(Here's the post from the 1st one.)

I let my girls play hooky from school so I could go to the Cumberland County 2nd Annual Fiber Festival this past Friday. Unlike last year, this year they were able to sell items - so of course I was super jazzed about bringing home loads of good stuff. Well....there wasn't a whole lot of difference from last year's displays (I missed the bobbin lace ladies this year- that's so cool to see) but I feel this is just going to get bigger and better as the years go on. It's still building upon people even knowing about it and I think the organizers knew having it just on a Friday was going to be tough on vendor's as well as visitors. I've already heard 2010's will be on a Saturday so that's good news.

Here's some Tamari balls...

Some items from another yarn shop...
I wish I could've gotten to speak to the ladies spinning. I was there pretty early in the day and they were just bombarded with people around them the whole time we were there. It was still fun to watch them. It puts me in a trance....

Here's my Mascot:

Is that cool or what? Just call me Oscar most days. I'm Mrs. Grumpy to the max anymore....

I wanted to smuggle this sheep out of there, he was soooo soft and snuggly. But I don't think they would've let me..

I left the event spending only $13 on yarn and $18 on a shawl ornament for my Mom. I wish there had been more yarn for sale! The pickings were so slim we actually made a yarn shop run right after leaving there! I had to get a better "fix" I suppose. That made me a little sad, but still, seeing all the beautiful items, learning about other forms of fiber arts, talking to people...it's still loads of fun. I may look up the embroidery guild here in town to see about classes one day....the ladies there were very supportive and encouraging! I kept saying how bad my eyes were and they all pulled out their "magnifiers" to show me I'm certainly not alone! That gave me some hope.

Happy Knitting!

Whiskers On Wednesday

2009-04-15T13:27:00.004-04:00

All the running around and exercising I've been doing caught up with me today. I'm plum tuckered out.

Sasha says "me too!".

Noro-ness

2009-04-13T15:16:00.006-04:00

Now that Winter's almost out of here, I finally got The Big Guy's Scarf done. Well, I did get lazy and leave that smidget of Pink in there so I guess maybe it'll be My scarf! In my defense, it was pure fiber fatigue that made that happen. I was just in a daze knitting it I think.

I love the effects of Noro, and I love scarves (well, wearing them, not always knitting them), but boy was this a labor of love! This was supposed to be done around Christmas-time I think. When I had posted about it on my blog previously, I know I wasn't thrilled with how my colors were blending the first half so the second half I cut & spliced away and used other colorways that were in the stash too. Soooo, basically this is a mish-mash of probably 4 colorways.

It IS pretty tho. And, I'm just SO GLAD IT'S DONE!

Pattern: Noro Striped Scarf

Size 7 straights

Cast On 39 Sts.

Colorways: ??? (Someday I'll find those labels...)

I hope everyone had a beautiful day yesterday. We sure did. Usually it's raining here for Easter but this year it was the most gorgeous day! We went bike riding and just had a total blast out in the sunshine and cool air. Later, The Big Guy made an awesome Ham with other goodies to go along with it so we were feeling very blessed with how our Easter turned out.

My Mom's cat "Baby" finally came home too! She'd been MIA for a couple of days without checking in! Boy is she grounded now! LOL! But we're glad she's home, she's my Mom's heart.

Happy Knitting

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T00:56:00.003-04:00

Hope everyone has a Beautiful Day! We're going to have sunshine this year instead of rain so we're very happy about that. The girls are getting Easter Baskets even though they SAY they're too GROWN UP for one. I say you're never too old for love...

Happy Yarn

2009-04-10T00:03:00.006-04:00

It only took me about five or so purchases over time (I'm really exhausted these days!) to finally realize that what I was "seeing" when I was ordering yarn from indie dyers on etsy or elsewhere, wasn't what I was "getting" when my purchases arrived. It's most definitely my monitor since the colors were different from all sources, which left me sadly disappointed. These certainly didn't look so Easter Egg pastel-y when I ordered them.

They're pretty, but the pink was too "orangey" which I didn't personally care for, and the purple was too light. They don't look accurate NOW to me in that pic, so see? I need to adjust my computer! Or only buy hand dyed yarns if I can see them in person!

So, that's when my youngest and I decided to try the easter egg dye method. It was fun, but our yarn turned out more tye-dye looking, and while some people do this on purpose, it wasn't what I was after this time around.

I then ordered a few acid dyes from Knit Picks and over-dyed these three. I used Sapphire Blue, Lilac, and Vermillion. I know the next picture is blurry, but the deeper colors are more what I wanted so I'm once again a happy camper!

The purple is more uniform now, with a slight varigation which I love, and the red one is like a deep red/burgundy (it looks more brown on my monitor here! ). Very pretty! I'm ready to order more colors for sure. This was a lot of FUN. I did have to invest $15 in a stainless steel pot from Ross, The Big Guy wasn't in the mood to go thrift shopping for one pot! Neither was I though, I was glad to get it over with, I just wanted to get on with the dyeing.

Here they are wound up (please don't ask how long it took to wind the blue one by hand -massive tangles and all-, remember that's the one my loving Kitty's got ahold of and made "yarn spaghetti" out of! It's in two balls because there was a huge knot in it too.) But, it DID turn out GORGEOUS! The Big Guy already claimed that one. He wants socks or something out of it. Sure beats the Teal Green I got from the Easter Egg dye! (Which bled way too much IMO, I know I used lots of vinegar (stinky!) but for some reason it wasn't holding well. I'll stick to acid dyes).

Socks and more socks. Someday!

Whiskers On Wednesday

2009-04-08T14:21:00.003-04:00

Hmmmmm.....Bookends? Siamese twins?

Bed HOGS???? YES!

10 On Tuesday

2009-04-07T14:15:00.005-04:00

I joined 10 on Tuesday a bit ago but this is my first time posting. This weeks 10 is
your least favorite foods. I just imagined myself making that face and wanting (no, NEEDING) to spit it out...you know the one!

1. Bell Peppers - will cook with it for flavor, but won't eat it.

2. Mango - ugh. Gags me.

3. Lobster - but I love shrimp.

4. Bean Sprouts

5. Licorice Ice Cream -too much of a good thing can be baddddd.

6. Calamari - or anything with tentacles.

7. hard boiled eggs - unless mixed up & used for egg salad. I know that's an odd one.

8. brown rice - I know I should eat it but I don't like it

9. Fruity Chocolates - coconut, lemon, & other fillings.

10. Anything Slimey. Like some seafoods.

I could probably think of more. I am a VERY picky eater but these came to mind first.
Happy Tuesday!

Koodies

2009-04-03T13:38:00.006-04:00

It's funny. I've read about people being so sick with colds & flu's for the last few months and I've felt VERY fortunate to have avoided any of that so far.

Then this week The Big Guy got sick and spread his koodies to ME, and I didn't even get a KISS for it to happen! Bummer.

We just have colds, it could be worse I know, but I can see he feels as miserable as I do, and yet he won't stay home from work to REST, which in turn, STRESS-ES me out! Thank goodness it's Friday or I'd have to whack him across the head! I told him to stay home today, but nope, he's not here.

Not a lot of knitting happening, I have a couple of pairs of socks going, but I did drag the BIG bag out of the closet and pulled out my sadly neglected Soft Waves Afghan. (It's been on my sidebar for almost a year now). Because nothing really will change yarn-wise or space-wise in the closet if this doesn't ever get done.

I went from 30% up to 40%, and now I'm probably at 60%. It's getting harder to work on because it's getting so heavy so I think it'll end up being more of a little "lapghan" size. I'm SO ready to be done with it. And as slow as I'm going now I can't believe I got as much done on it before I stuffed it back in the closet!

Dang, I'm going to be one cranky old lady if I keep getting so impatient with everything anymore!

One fun thing for me has been watching the "One Hit Wonders of the 80's" on VH1 the last few nights. Oh the memories. Even sick I can shake my booty when I hear certain songs....LOL!

Cranky. Sick. Koodie-ville. TGIF.
Back to my hooking....

Little Knits

2009-03-29T15:26:00.006-04:00

I think I finally got some of my "sock mojo" back because I've begun to have more than one pair going at a time again, AND feel the need to stuff one in my purse on the way out the door. For awhile there I didn't want to even SEE a sock for some reason! Fiber Angst Craziness I tell you.

I began to explore some different yarns I have in my stash so I started a pair for my Mom in Berroco Comfort Sock yarn.
(Colorway: Southland - 1813)
Size 0 Needles
64 St cast on
Review: Very Splitty, but also very soft. Not sure I'd use it for socks again, maybe a scarf. I also had one knot with a messed up color join right in the middle of one sock. Bummer, but it happens.

I'm experimenting with other needles I've heard so much about too. Above are my Kollage Square Needles. My first impression of them was that they felt strange to my fingers (I totally feel each corner), but they really aren't much different to knit with. Like anything else, they just take getting used to. I personally seemed to knit slower with them though, so I'm not sure how often I'll use them. I also had remembered the advice about them backwards: buy UP a size, not BELOW the size you normally would use. Oh well, they worked anyway (because for socks I'm not a gauge checker. Oh heck, I'm usually NEVER a gauge checker!)

I also tried my Hiya Hiya metal circ on this pair of socks (magic loop).

I felt "drag" on both brands, but I'm already partial to the smoothness of Knitpicks DPN's and Circs so I'm probably more sensitive to it. I also had constant "snagging" on my Size 0 HH Circ while working the socks up. The join doesn't look much different from Knitpicks, but boy, it was very evident while pulling up the yarn (major PITA). I finally just switched back to my KP Circ. It could've been the yarn I guess, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and try them again one day.

I also had to stick the Hiya's in hot water to try to relax the cable (which I never have to do with my KP's). It was still very curly but once your sock is in progress it's under some control. Another thing is the tips, both brands aren't as sharp as KP's but if you like that, these are pretty decently in between too sharp or too blunt.

All in all, I'm okay with both brands, (I still want to try a Kollage circular one day in a larger size) but I'll probably still use my KP's first and foremost.

I also gave my 9" Hiya Hiya for socks a test run too but my hands began to cramp really bad so I'll have to retest them again one day. I'm not sure that method will work for me with my pain issues but it would be awesome since I do most of my socks simple stockinette stitch. To not have to do any shifting with needles at all would probably make the socks fly off the needles.

The Big Guy got another hat:

Pattern: Hat Fit For a Boyfriend (or Hubby in this case).
Yarn: Queensland Kathmandu Aran
Size 7 needle

Oooooooh. SOFT. He loves it. Of course it fits his head snugger, he's got a big noggin.

I also got some more Preemie Hats done:

Yarn: Bernat Baby Jacquards in various colorways.
Pattern: Preemie Hats For Charity
Size 3 needle Magic Loop

I can't say enough about how much I love making these. I think my next bunch will be mostly ribbed since ribbed hats can easily fit more head sizes. I totally need small projects. I believe I'm probably the most impatient person ever and these are done in a such a jiffy. They're pretty portable as well.

Perfect for my sanity.
Happy Knitting!

Whiskers On Wednesday

2009-03-25T12:53:00.006-04:00

This post is yarn AND cat related so it fits perfectly for W.O.W. I didn't plan this though, it's just my "luck"!

I have some Socks That Rock lightweight yarn in the Ms. La Rock colorway (on vacation now I think) that was just gorgeous in the hank - but for socks it was NOT making my heart pitter patter. Plain stockinette (my usual) was too funky. It reminded me of preppy polo shirts from the 80's, (nothing against them) I just didn't care for the way it was working out.

I went to Ravelry to find a pattern with some hope and saw that people used "unusual" or difficult colorways for the Leyburn pattern. The Socks That Rock group has a KAL of this pattern and tons of their other colorways are turning out gorgeous in it. It just seems to make those yarns POP! Well......not mine! This is one HUGE, SERIOUS "UGH" if there ever was one!!!
So, the next logical step for me is to just "over-dye" the yarn. I had been wanting to try to dye with Easter Egg tablets just for the fun of it anyway. I ripped the fugly sock, rewound the yarn into a hank on my swift, then set it aside to go get some cotton yarn to finish "TYING IT UP" TO AVOID TANGLES. Well, kids happen, tv happens, laundry happens, I was upstairs, got sidetracked, and completely forgot about the yarn downstairs.

My cats left it alone the rest of that day and all night. The next morning when the girls and The Big Guy left the house it was FINE as well. So sometime between around 7:40 am and noon they did this:

Here's my pathetic attempt to find some loops that make any sense.

Moral: Don't be a ninny and leave vulnerable yarn accessible to your cats. Eventually the fumes get to them too. My Bad.

I did manage to get some loops tied together on it, but it's going to be challenging to wind this back up! Also, easter egg dyes are fun, but it's not always easy to guess what you'll get. Miss C (my youngest) and I thought we had blue, but we really had TEAL (which I love, but this is really BRIGHT!). SO, I'll probably be overdying this yarn again....(no pics yet, it was drying, but maybe someday).

Happy Knitting. And don't tease your cats!

dsknits2

Playing Catch Up

Healing Takes Time

Forced Time Out

Happy (Late) Mother's Day!

Spin Fairies

Another One Bites The Dust

Procrastinating

March Post - In The Nick Of Time...

February's Post

The New Year

Happy End of The Year!

Do-Overs and Spinning

Catching Up

Happy Thanksgiving!

Whiskers On Wednesday

Whiskers On Wednesday (and some Knitting!)

My Blog Is Not Forgotten

Whiskers On Wednesday

It's That Time of Year...

Whiskers On Wednesday

A Great (Birth)Day

Drive By Prayer Request

California Dreamin

Testing Testing

Frequent Yarn Miles (?) I Wish!

99 Bottles of Beer On The Wall....

Happy 4th of July

I'm Baaaaaack

Spinning Love

More Finished Knits

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy WOW! (Whiskers On Wednesday!)

Still Kicking

Happy Easter!

Smokey Mtn Fiber Festival

Skewed

The End of Another Great Event

One Event Down, One To Go....

~*~Happy Valentines Day!~*~

Olympic Spirit!

I Guess I Asked For It

Whiskers On Wednesday

Snowed In

Up and Down (And Up and Down...)

The New Year Chill

Last of the Year 2009 Knits

I'm Very Blessed

*~*Merry Christmas*~*

Ten On Tuesday

*~*Dawn's Magic*~*

A Few Christmas Knits

The Day After

Happy Thanksgiving

Whiskers On Wednesday

Elegant Gauntlets

Small But Mighty

Where is my blog mojo?

Whiskers On Wednesday

What a weekend!

It's Only Knitting...

Whiskers On Wednesday

Life Lately & Some Knitting

20 Years! Wow!

Whiskers On Wednesday

Hospital Knitting

Birthdays Can Be AWESOME!

Birthday Bonanza!!!

Back in the Saddle...

What the Heck?

10 On Tuesday

Summer Daze

Rain Rain Go Away....

10 On Tuesday

Doing What I Can

More socks.

Soft Waves Afghan

Yarn Swap

Uh oh.

Ten On Tuesday

~~Happy Valentines Day!~~

~Merry Christmas~

~Dawn's Magic~