I Need to knit

Blessing abound!

2011-11-27T16:33:00.000-08:00

This little ornament is from our first Christmas together. 1986.
WOW. When i was younger and heard people say they were married 20 plus years, I thought, That's a really long time!
It seems like a blink of the eye, now. I have hard time wrapping my brain around it.
This holiday season is full of blessings. The hubby is Clean of cancer!!!!!!
Thanksgiving was so much better!!!
We have spent the weekend putting up our tree and decorating together. It has been so nice.

I am not planning on making any special Christmas gifts. I am working on hats and scarves for all the special people in my life. I gave my sister in law her hat and scarf set on Thanksgiving. She loved it! I also gave my dad his Beer Socks. Another hit.

This hat will find its owner I'm sure.

I liked making it. Not so sure I like the colors. It was one of those balls of yarn,that looks better before you knit.

The yarn is called "Mushushi" from Plymouth. Very soft.

So I am off to finish another hat. Its the One day Beret. I'm half way through it. I acquired the yarn from a dear friend who can no longer knit. This beret will be for someone special.

Welcome Fall

2011-11-11T13:04:00.000-08:00

Wow Its been a while. Looking back at my last post, I realize I have finished all the projects on the coffee table! Thats a great feeling.
This cute little sweater caught my eye as I sat at the yarn shop with my good friend knitting a saturday afternoon away. It took all of 3 hours maybe.
Gilbert loves his sporty bright sweater.
I went to put him out last night and he wouldn't go till the sweater was on! Cute little guy!

My husband I celebrated 25 years together last month. Wow, I don't feel that old. Anyway. We took a day trip to a very small town called Smicksburgh! They had a YARN SHOP!!!! And it was the cutest little shop, tucked away on the side of a mountain on a side street in a tiny little town. Very cute and very charming. SuzyB's had hand dyed and several kits. This one, was one I could not pass up! The scarf necklace, takes less than an hour and the compliments I have received, made it worth the little too high of a price I paid. I have made four more in various other colors to match several sweaters I have. My 22 year old also had me make one to match her school she were she is currently student teaching.

The hubby went for his 6month check up and scan. I feel very strongly that all is good. He is back to his old weight plus! And his color has not looked this good in over 4 years. I feel blessed we have come through all this and everything is good. Praise GOD!

Its back to knitting I go. Lots to knit. Christmas is coming. We had a touch of snow today, just to remind me, I think.
I need to complete several scarves and hats and mittens for several people who where there through all the bad last year.

Getting ready

2011-07-02T07:19:00.000-07:00

Road trip yarn

In 2 weeks from today, I will be on the road. Headed for sunnier skies. I have decided on some yarn. They are for the most part scarves for friends. Gotta spend some time looking on Ravelry for just the right pattern to make for each yarn.

The socks totally rock!!! Fell in love love love with them. Went straight to my LYS to buy the yarn. The pattern came from Knitty. And I love them!!! The yarn I chose is in the picture above. It has a shimmer yarn running through it. Can't wait to wear them.

Another finished UFO. The vest was a KAL from 2009. It was right at the time my husband was diagnosed with his cancer. As an experienced knitter, I found the pattern confusing and put it away. I found it last week, and sat down to read the pattern again. I thought I would be totally unable to do it with out help from my LYS. Well, as soon as I started, it seemed like I was halfway through it and then ready to bind off!!! What a difference a year and a healthy husband make!!! I enjoyed the yarn and the pattern is a quick knit. A few of the things the designer does, seems, not necessary. I feel she made it harder than it needed to be, for such a simple pattern. The good thing, One more UFO off the list!

This scarf, is for my favorite oncology nurse. He wanted something " Loud and Proud". He's getting it. And it has love knitted in every stitch. The pattern is an "Ann Norling " pattern. Super fast and fun. I may use it for another scarf. The noro yarn offered great colors and is very bright. The softness makes it a perfect scarf.

Finally, what beach vacation does not include books!!! Both books are great reads!! I have started both at various times, during hospital times. But they were put down. Also my comprehension of either at that time is slim to none. So, I look forward to finishing them.
So, its time now to go and purchase shoes worthy of Disney. I mean, that won't make my feet hurt!
Enjoy your lazy Saturday afternoon. Knit a little, read a little, but most of all smile a little!!! Peace out my knittin peeps!

I'm Hooked

2011-06-21T06:23:00.000-07:00

As summer sneaks in, I find all I am thinking about is lace. I love it...
I finished my Ishbel in just a few days. Well, there was a break in between, due to a mistake, But amount of actual knitting time was quick.
The yarn is Bonnie's Bamboo. Wonderful drape. I love it! Oh, sorry I said that already.

This summer, unlike last is full of hope and healing. My sister was diagnosed with breast cancer a few weeks ago. God is good, Stage 0 and only and lumpectomy and radiation will be needed. Amen. The genetic test also proved that it is NOT genetic.

Summer Flies, Is a free pattern. Really quick, no chart. I had this beautiful yarn I purchased, probably 3 years ago. It was for a class. The yarn was and still is, outrageously expensive. Art Yarn's Beaded silk. Those of you with champagne taste and beer money know of this yarn. I didnt have the cash flow, to purchase the amount needed to make the wrap that was to be taught in class. SO I bought enough to make the cheesey small wrap, that I WOULD NEVER WEAR. Thus the yarn slept for three years.
I think this shawl wrap will be beautiful this winter with a plain black sweater. It will show off the beautiful over priced yarn.

We head to Florida in a few weeks, its our "Celebration Vacation". I am going to try to make all the people who gave their time to cook, call, spend time with us during our darkest hours, a scarf. I am hoping to get at least 8 done. I will keep a journal and post as we go. We are driving, so lots of knitting time!!!
I am off to find scarf patterns. Don't want to bore myself with the same pattern. Have a wonderful day! Happy knitting!!!

Finished! And more to come!!!

2011-04-22T04:26:00.000-07:00

Gilbert with springtime bandit
Yes! My,finished shawl! It came out so pretty! I love it! And I have conquered my fears about reading lace charts! I love this and cant wait, well I can wait, (it needs to be cold again) to wear it.

Yet another UFO, FINISHED!!!
I got this pattern, at least, 10 maybe 15 years ago. Fell in love with the vintage pattern and thought, socks for my DAD. The socks went to sleep and resurfaced a month ago. I had 1 sock completed and the ribbing and green line on the mug on my needles. WHAT! Really, you couldn't just finish them! I know, right. But they are now done and hopefully my Dad will ~~like~~,love them.

My KAL. It's the Day Break shawl, by Stephen West. My daughter saw the pattern and fell in love with it. I guess making mine will have to wait. This is hers. Its so easy. Except for the increases. My numbers don't add up when he tells you to increase. I had to add stitches to make it work in some parts, and so did my friend.

Finally, my FYS, had a huge sale. And did I take advantage of the sale??? Does a drunk stop drinking? A drug addict pass up a free fix? NOOOOOOO, nor did this YARNAHOLIC pass up a huge sale!!!! I love, love,love, did I say, Love my yarn purchases..... To the left are few of my purchases. My dealer, makes sure I can't stop by running the sale for a WHOLE week!!! SO, I came in Monday only to get a quick fix and think about all that was there, waiting for me. I bought my CANCER FREE husband pure 100% cashmere yarn for socks. And I got that yarn for 40 % off. I love it. Never felt something so yummy soft. He deserves it.
So, while the dog is snoozing next to me and the hubby, who is CANCER FREE watches the Pens win the playoff, I am going to KNIT!!!! Happy Knitting

Getting things finished!

2011-03-19T19:19:00.000-07:00

Moving through and out of winter has been wonderful! Tonight we have the biggest, fullest moon I have ever seen! Its been 20 years to be exact.

Went to Bloomin Yarns a couple of Sunday's ago to meet and take a class with 2 very talented young ladies.
Vintage Modern Knits, by Courtney Kelley and Kate Osborn

Made not 1 but 2 of these lovely hats. Very pretty and very fun!

I also have learned to read a LACE pattern!!! I started this lovely, Springtime Bandit
and I cannot STOP!
I did make a huge mistake and had to tink a whole bunch!!! Not a good idea to make a mistake in lacework.

AND how pretty is this "Yarn Bowl" I love it!!! Picked that up today as a little treat to myself.

Life has been good. Things are so normal. I love it. I hope and pray it stays that way!
Happy knitting

Knitting MoJo

2011-02-25T19:22:00.000-08:00

Well, the worry and unknown are over. And it seems that my knitting Mojo has returned full force. I can't stop! Its great. I am finishing projects that were UFOs for more than a year. They knitted so quickly! The mittens were not a favorite color combination for me. That's probably one of the reasons they were sent to zzzz. All the information can be found here. I knitted the one left on a hockey trip and the next day on my break. Wow that was easy!!! So I moved on....

The pretty orange was next on the list. And it was super fast. Done over a weekend. It's spec's can be found here. I'm not sure I like the way it looks on. Rather wide in the shoulders and under the arms. We will see how it looks on with a nice top and makeup. I was in my jammies when I put it on. And finally. This really cute vest was so easy to make, I wondered, why did I ever put it down! The information about this pretty little thing are found here. I finished this in a matter of hours. I love it! The colors are wonderful! Hoping the yarn shop has it on sale in another color, so I can make a cardi I saw in the pattern book.
So I am furiously knitting away on a cute little intarsia hat. Pictures soon! And I getting ready to start another big project. One that was put aside, while I helped heal my husband.
Well, the needles are getting cold, and I got my Mojo going on! Keep the faith. God is good.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-02-06T18:12:00.000-08:00

Today may be the "Super Bowl" and Pittsburgh may be in it, BUT, today is THANKSGIVING in my home!
The oncologist gave us the news 2 weeks ago that Joe was and is Cancer FREE!!!
In November, he was on a Pic line aka feeding tube. He watched all 25 of us eat Thanksgiving. It broke both my mom and my hearts. So when the news came back as wonderful as it did, we were thankful. Thus the dinner!
It was even better than November and Joe ate everything!
Miracles can happen, just believe.

Knitting has been Wonderful!!! My nephew asked for and got this fun hat. He loves Japanese art and culture. I got the rising sun graph on Ravelry.

And this little guy, picked his own yarn and pattern. He loved his new sweater he got today. He knew all the colors and proudly let everyone know each color. He also told everyone, my Aunt Debi (no more Daubie : ( made this.

It's so wonderful to have your life back. Have your husband back and returning to work tomorrow. After a year that I don't ever want to re live, EVER!!! I thank God every day for the blessings he has given us. Never ever stop believing.

A new Year A New Life

2010-12-29T13:55:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

What a wonderful Christmas it was. The best news, NO surgery!!!
Hubby is mending nicely. It took ALONG time, but it is happening

The picture is of my son on Christmas morning. I made him
the hat. All the specs are here. Its a Trapper hat that all the kids are wearing. I saw it a AE and figured, I made this hat years ago, why not again! He loved it, can't you tell by the expression on his face. LOL!!! He is our hockey player and we are so proud of him.

As 2011 approaches, It is filled with hope, relief and promise. Of good things, happiness and healing. May all of you have a wonderful new year! May God bless you richly, as he has done for my family. May you feel his love and all your days be good!

Months go by....

2010-11-27T12:35:00.000-08:00

Months have gone by. Seasons have changed. Knitting has been my salvation.
Surgery was complicated. He came through. But spent a total of 35 days in the hospital. The good news. There was no cancer anywhere in his body. The lymph nodes that lit up on pet scan were false positives. Seems radiation did a number on him.

Are we healed? No. But alive.
He has a blockage. Its scar tissue. Causing cramping and pain. NO food. Just a feeding tube.
Hopefully God will give us a miracle and open it this weekend.

In the meantime. The daughter has made out. I made the vest at the hospital. I made this cute pullover too. The yarn was yummy soft! I think it will be hot, so she will probably wear it on cold campus days.

And this cutie is my nephew. He turned four. He wanted a sweater from Aunt Daubie(Debi). So of course I would make him what ever his heart desired! We went to breakfast and then to my favorite LYS. He picked the brightest yarn he could find. SO very cute!

I have the back done and am getting ready to finish the front. Can't wait to see this little cutie in it!!
If God sees it, I will post next time with happy news of no surgery and a husband gaining weight and headed to back to work.....

The sun came up

2010-07-28T06:24:00.000-07:00

The Summer is going sooooooo fast! Yesterday was one of the most Wonderful days of the year! The hubby's PET scan came back clean!!! The tumor is gone and the surgery is in 4 weeks to remove the residue left and get rid of the cancer cells. Life, its a wonderful thing, when you are given it back! Through all of this I have been sitting next to my guy as he endured the rounds of heavy Chemo. And while he slept, what did I do? Yeah you know me too well. Knitted!!! I am so proud of myself. I finished not one but 2 UFO's.

The Daylily by Nashua was finished last week. Love the look. Not so crazy about the feel of the yarn. It was an easy knit and worked up quickly.

The shrug on the right was a beach purchase. And it was a UFO that has been resting in my sewing room for two years! Come on, it was on size 17 needles!!! I could have finished that in a evening!!! But I was at one of America's most beautiful places, Outer Banks, and who wants to knit? Check that off as DONE!!! I like it. I will get a plan pink or orange long sleeve tee to wear under it. The yarn was YUMMY!!! The pattern came from and written by a wonderful shop owner down in NC. Love, Love the shop. If you are there go here!

This little lovely is on its way to being done in a few hours. I figure I will get it done up at camp in two weeks. A simple vest that the daughter picked out awhile ago. Very simple. Fun yarn. Perfect for the 21 year old college student. She has been on my case about, not making her anything in awhile!!! Excuse me. Go back a few post and see all the knitting I did for you girl!!!!!!! It does make me feel good that she wants me to knit for her!!

And, not that I am, NOT, knitting for her now, I AM!!! Picked up the new edition of "Knit Simple" and we both fell in love with the hooded pullover. While waiting on the PET scan

to be over, I sat in the waiting room and knitted much further than the picture. I am at the sleeves. It is a fun sweater that you knit top down. I like that.

I love the yarn I chose. Daughter wanted a grey. And she loves this shade. I hope make a matching hat and mittens with some of the same color I bought last fall.

Writing is so much easier this morning. Sleep came so much faster last night and the sun came up so much brighter today. Life, has some deep valleys. But the coming up and out of the valley makes everything so much more..........MORE.

Thank you GOD for prayers answered and for the blessings ahead. Thank you for making my husband one of your miracles.

Sitting in the Sun.

2010-06-21T09:03:00.000-07:00

Enjoying the very warm temps. All I want is to be outside, after a long cold worry filled winter. Every part of the beginning of this year has been an ugly memory.
As we move forward with healing, we stepped back, for another round of Chemo. Just to be sure we kicked it in the ass good! The next step is a PET scan and then surgery to rid his body of this monster. His spirits are good and my vibes are positive that the outcome is excellent.

So, the knitting is coming along. The cardi above is a work in progress, and is on its way to be being complete. Very easy, very pretty.

The book, excellent, quick read. Love it. If you are a Blossom Street fan, the book stays on Blossom Street, and all the same characters remain. I look forward to finishing it up this week, so I can start, "Summer on Blossom Street".

Looking forward to many warm days, ahead and lots of knitting, reading, sewing and scrapping. Oh yeah and I guess some cleaning.
I guess its back to the sun and sitting and knitting.
Hope your summer is a good, warm one.

Done during Chemo

2010-05-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

After just 5 hours of Chemo with the hubby, I finished the baby sweater and it went home with the baby tonight.

I passed on the ribbon around the neckline. Ribbons around a babies neck? Please!
So, I am off to the next project. A summer shell for the daughter. It is in bright turquoise with bright pink and black. I have a feeling she isn't going to like it. But what can you do.
Not too much other knitting to speak of. To much thinking is too heavy a task right now. Simple and fast is the new game plan.
Back to what I love.........Knitting

Quick and Easy

2010-05-03T17:10:00.000-07:00

It is finally MAY! I have never wanted to see a year pass as quickly as I do this one. And Its only for one reason. So my family can have their life back.

I want to be able to go places and not worry about my husband. That my kids can laugh a little harder and worry a little less. I just want to be normal and boring again.

Knitting has been hard. Hard to concentrate on a difficult pattern. So I decided just to give in and do something mindless.

The baby sweater was a KAL from Carol's Needleworks. I don't plan on going to the KAL, but I thought it was a cute spring, summer, fall sweater for the newest baby. It is going to be fast and fun. I really like the yarn. I think it will be easy on the mom for care.

Well, the soon to be 16 year old is reading this and making fun. So I think I will get back to what I need to do.........Knit

Rip it Rip it....FROG

2010-03-06T18:59:00.000-08:00

I made this, goodness, 5 maybe 6 years ago. Big Wool from Rowan. Made it for my 95lb daughter. When she put it on she looked....well lets just say it was lost till today. I found it in the very back of my closet. I had completely forgotten about it.

So I it pulled out, brushed it off and considered showing it to my 95lb soon to be twenty one year old. But then thought, nah she'll remember it and how it looked. This bulky sweater on her tiny frame. Just laughable.

That's when I decided, it was time to do what needed to be done...

RIPPPPP ITTTT OUT!!!!! I sat down as some good TV started. I ripped through two hours of television. And now I have these lovely pink balls of yummy Big Wool.

It wasn't hard to rip out this project. I don't remember knitting it. It didn't hold any good memories. I think I just needed something to do and probably got the yarn on sale.

I can't remember. So it didn't hurt.

At all. Not even a little bit.

What to make with this new yarn? I made this lovely green scarf and mitten set for the Hubby's Chemo Nurse. She is a old friend and very Irish. She will get it this coming Friday for St.Patrick's Day. Appropiate I think. So the daughter sees this set and makes the comment, "I love this scarf. I love the yarn." HA! Well it will look good on you, in pink! And, so that is how the bulky sweater became a frog and turned into.....A scarf!!!!

That is where I am. The orange vest is staring at me. It's halfway done. But I am too scared to continue.

And the hubby is doing good. We are halfway through Chemo and radiation. He is feeling really good. He has a sore bum. BUT, his spirits are good. And my knitting has helped me through a lot of this. Glad I have it.

Happy knitting! Peace out my peeps....till next time

Crash and Burn

2010-02-27T18:57:00.000-08:00

Yes this is our Gold medalist, crashing. Just like me...

The orange sweater.... So cute, right? Well I am 2 skeins short!!! And the yarn shop had 1 Skein!!! So that project will not see gold.

The two opening ceremonies hat....Well has anyone looked at the pattern? The chart did not match up! Did anyone else have this problem with the chart? Please tell me yes... After going back to Ravelry I did notice many of the knitters modified the hat pattern and they look GREAT! So I am going to copy one knitter and follow her pattern. Going to duplicate stitch the trees and reindeer, and carry the bottom pattern all the way around.

So that's why I never get myself into a contest. It takes me right back to being 7 and racing my bike against other kids from other playgrounds. Watching some fly right by and me doing the same.....till I looked back. And it was all over....

Week one of the Olympics

2010-02-20T19:28:00.000-08:00

Wooohoo, yeah that's a good feeling. First week in of the Olympic games and , my back is done!!! Love it. The pattern is (ahummm) a bit to easy for my skill level maybe. But it is fun... And even better that its going as fast as it is.

I am adding to the mix. I found the opening

ceremonies hat pattern and started that this evening. So I added to my challenge. 2 Hats and a vest before next Sunday! We will see.... stay tuned....

SNOW IS EVERYWHERE!!!

2010-02-14T12:14:00.001-08:00

I cannot remember a winter storm like this one. It just seems to be going on forever! It is so pretty. It has been a week since we were hit and people are still without electric! We lost our electric for three days. Oh how fun! We went from, my friends to my sisters and finally to my mom and dads. This really makes you see, how important some things are! We put all our frozen food outside, took what we could to the various homes where we were staying. Our biggest challenge was our daughters 15 year old frog and 2 large fish. We wrapped the tank in a sleeping bag, but when came home for clean clothes, and to check, the fish were swimming slowly and the tank had dropped in temperature by 20 degrees. Thankfully, we were able to transport all three to my sisters and all survived! They are home and looking good.

I am not really in any Ravelry Olympic knitting contests. I'm too nervous for that. And I am not able to knit anytime I want....SOOO, I decided to do my own. I did take the pattern from knitty's challenge. I love it! Found the perfect orange yesterday, at Yarns Unlimited.

I thought I would be knitting all day today, but, hubby had other plans. The oil needed changed. And the only Olympic games I would be able to see, was this magazine cover. The shop TV only had one station (lol) and it wasn't NBC!

But the good news, I am home, the electric is on. The House is nice and warm. The Olympics are

on. The hubby is doing GREAT with his chemo and radiation! AND I am knitting!

So enjoy your own knittinglympics. Knit alot and love what you are knitting.

Stay warm.

Oh yeah, we are looking at 6 more inches of snow tonight! Ah, whoever is praying for snow.....STOP praying!!!

Fun Projects

2010-02-03T15:27:00.000-08:00

Baby A is making out like a bandit! I can't stop. I love knitting baby stuff.... It is so much fun.

This little cardi barely fits. I have more of the yarn and just may whip up another one. His mommy loves it. Says its perfect to throw on over sleepers.

The pattern is a freebie on Ravelry.

And these EVER SO CUTE Monster feet are the cutest easiest greatest little things to make. They get a huge laugh and lots of smiles from everyone who sees them on. Not the greatest of pictures, but you get the idea. This is a free pattern as well. You can find it here. If you have a baby or know a baby, or see a baby you MUST make them!!!!

And, finally. I picked up the Interweave "Knitted Gifts", because of the "Texting Gloves". I HATED, Hated the way the pattern was written, but LOVED,LOVED the idea. My 15 year is addicted to his Iphone. He loves to text. SOOOO, I really wanted

to make them for him, sooo I went to my second most favorite knitting site Knitty. And converted the cigar to meet my needs.

And it did with flying colors. The result are extremely warm gloves that the 15 year old loves!

The hands are my husbands. The phone is mine. You can only get 15 year olds to do so much. PLEASEEEEE!

Speaking of the hubby... He had a port put in 2 weeks ago, a super port to be exact. And he got his first round of chemo. He is taking off work, because of the nature of his job. BUT he feels and Looks GREAT! He is not having any side effects. The doc said he is likely NOT to have any because of the way it is being administered. I think its because of all the wonderful people in our lives, praying and sending healing thoughts. Thank YOU all, please don't stop!!!! Peace out knittin peeps. Keep your needles clicken!

TOO CUTE

2010-01-10T16:43:00.000-08:00

He is way too cute! As soon as we put this on him, he got the biggest smile. And just cuddled up, like, ya, thats what I'm talkin bout!

That is my little bro's littlest one. He was very, very sick over Christmas. We are so happy he has made a full recovery.

He spent a some time at Childrens and had a rough few weeks. But his color and attitude were all back to normal today.

So, we have one set back over and healthy. Now we need prayer for my husband again. His cancer has returned.

Good news. Its only where it was last time. Blessings.

Bad news: Chemo and radiation and a colostomy. But I believe, God will heal him and make him stronger. No doubts...

Thank goodness our little guy is healthy, now its the big guys turn. May all your troubles be little and may God bless your life abundantly this year and always.

New Year, New projects

2010-01-03T11:56:00.000-08:00

The Baby Bunting is done. The baby is home very sick. So, I couldn't get a picture of him in it. But I will. The pattern and yarn were both great. I love the yarn I used. Its washable, so easy for mom to take care of.

The Turn a square hat is done for the hubby. He actually wore it yesterday. The temps here are in the teens with wind chills below zero. He had to wear it. LOL. It was a super easy super fun hat to make.

Christmas has come and gone. The decorations are down and its back to work tomorrow. The year ended with much stress. Hoping that 2010 will put things back in order and we can continue to live a quite healthy life. I am not asking for much. Just some healing. I will be happy.

Hello 2010, lets make it a good one.

Theres no place like home when it snows

2009-12-19T15:48:00.000-08:00

Oh my Oh my! What a perfect weekend to stay in and finish those Christmas gifts we so desperately need to complete!!!!

The snow started about 10:30 last night and is still coming down! And it is beautiful!

I have two Christmas projects on my needles. I need to take some pictures of the projects.... The first is a hat to match the scarf I made last year for the Hubby.

The second project are a great pair of gloves that the thumbs come out for texting! For young son.

Need to begin those right now!!

So with all that said, I will leave this blog early, so the knitting may begin! And now you too can get back to your knitting!! Come on we have lots to do!!!!

Mittens Mitten who made a mitten?

2009-11-22T16:03:00.000-08:00

Yippee one done and one to go. Why do we have to be made with pairs?

This mitten pattern is really nice. I picked it up a few years ago at the Knit show.

The pattern is called "Pop Up Paws". If you live in Southwest PA, near Bridgeville to be exact, you can pick up a copy off of "Carol's Needleworks" . Just let her know, I sent you. She ordered them because I lost mine. And she was the only place that had them.

Now the pattern DOES NOT have the pattern work, oh no.... My friend wanted these for her friend for Christmas. I thought how hard can this be? AH, well, there are many increase and decrease in this pattern. And pattern work likes to keep its numbers the same.

SO there was a lot of, of, of, creativeness going on!

They did turn out rather cute! I am going to block them and get rid of the stiffness. I used Cascade 220. She picked all the colors. Good choice. Would I make them again. The mittens, yes the pattern work, NO!

The baby bunting is almost done. Really cute.

I will post a finished picture later.

Also my scarf and my daughters vest are all coming along nicely. I have been focused on the mittens, because they are not for my family, but a gift for someone to give someone. How sad am I, I get those things done, but family..... well maybe they will get this or that next.....whatever! They know I love them.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!! MY ALL YOUR LOCAL YARN SHOPS HAVE AMAZING BLACK FRIDAY SALES!!!! LIKE 40% TO 90% OFF!!!

Summer Weather in November!

2009-11-08T16:31:00.000-08:00

The weather today was much nicer than most of June, July and August. Our temps were in the 70's! Sunny and warm. Just a beautiful day to get out and do something. Or sit in the sun room, knit and soak up the rays coming through the windows!

And that is pretty much what I did. I know that this wonderfully warm weather is not going to last much longer, so I thought cold and knitted on some wonderful wool projects.

The daughter's hat is complete. Very pretty pattern. All the information can be found on my raverly page

found here. I really loved making it. Much more than the scarf. It looks really nice on her head. And the color is not even close to the color it truly is. It is much richer and very pretty.

My latest project is the cutest baby bunting. Making it for the newest member of our family. My brothers fourth son!!!

The pattern comes from a great book! Interweave "Knitted Gifts".

It is worth buying! I am making at least three, probably more patterns out of it.

It is well worth the $21.00. Take that back..... Knit Picks has it cheaper and free shipping! Go for it. Its a great Christmas idea, gift book.

This baby bunting is toooooooo cute for words. I just started it and I am almost at the armholes. I am thinking of lining it with fleece for added warmth. Although if the winter stays like this, he will never use it!

Time to get back to knitting. The night is passing by..... Keep knitting my peeps !

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2009-11-01T05:52:00.000-08:00

Larry is sporting his Dracula costume this year. Gilbert decided he wasn't wearing anything this year. dogs!Halloween was light this year. We only had a few ghouls and princesses. Lots of left over candy for the kiddo's here, who have outgrown the night. Not getting many treater's meant lots of knitting time.

"My So Called Scarf" is DONE! It was fun at the beginning, till the daughter wanted it long enough to wrap that funky way the

kids do it. Which meant three skeins and lots of knitting. BUT, its done!

It is a very pretty scarf. It is done on size 11 needles. When doing the pattern, you will notice it goes on an angle. it gets frustrating if you make a mistake and have to rip. Because of all the YO and increases you tend to lose stitches if you are not careful. It must be blocked when finished. I think it will be very warm on campus this winter and protect my babies beautiful face from the cold.

Now, that her neck is warm, her head must be too! That was what I worked on while waiting for the goblins.

This hat is from Vogue Knitting Fall 2009. It is a complicated cable pattern that moves semi fast. Lots of cables going different ways to create a beautiful finished project. I am using the yarn the pattern calls . It is very pretty and easy to work with. Makes a soft halo that will provide warmth for the wearer. Hopefully it will not make her ITCHY!!! The picture cannot and does not show the beauty of this pattern. If you like cables, this is a nice hat to make. I should have it finished this afternoon.

And finally, the daughter has a baby shower to attend and wanted mom to make that really cute hat she made in the spring. Oh and booties too!

The booties might get done. But the little hat, was too cute to not make again! This pattern was different from the last one and I like it better. It has the little cord on the top, which adds even more cuteness!

Well, here comes NOVEMBER and that means that in less than a month and a half it will be.... yeah better get those projects done!!! Here we go again!!! I love the stress of the holidays.

Watch your step

2009-10-18T16:59:00.000-07:00

Where have I been? Nowhere special. School starts and it seems like time flies. Speaking of flying, I guess I thought I could fly. Last night I was home alone, and excited to sit and knit and watch cops.

Cops wasn't on due to some baseball game! SO I headed upstairs to throw a load in the wash and dryer. I was coming down the steps, with for some reason, my cell phone in my hand, and it happened.

I missed the last step. I don't know how. I heard it pop and then the next thing I knew I was on the landing in extreme pain! And the cell phone battery was dead!

The good news, its just a severe sprain. Its ice and rest for a couple days. Notice the hand knit sock in the picture....

Before the big fall, I had finished up a charity project for one of the SIL. Hat, mittens and a scarf set. I used Vintage wool. LOVE IT!!!! Very very nice to work with.

I broke my camera so I didn't get a picture of it, before it left. The new camera came yesterday.

That's another reason I have not blogged in awhile.

So while I am mending, I decided to pull out some hibernating projects. The weather has turned very cold and my daughter went out last night with her boyfriend and her mittens I made her last year. But she had no scarf or hat to match! I forgot all about those mittens. That made me remember the scarf I have been wanting to make. I bought the yarn probably two winters ago. Its "Manos del Uruguay ". This totally cool pattern can be found here. She just saw it and said...."I really like that scarf, who is it for?" Yippeeeeee!!! It moves quickly and should be finished tomorrow. size 11 needles.

Next on the list of UFO's is this beautiful vest for the hubby. The back is SOOOOOOOO boring!!!! I am at the very top of the back and ready to bind off and start the fun front. I think the front will go fast because of all the pattern work. Can't wait to see.

Well, I am going to sit and let my ankle knit itself back together, while I knit some warmth for my family. Peace out. And keep knitting

Ditto is done!

2009-09-21T17:18:00.000-07:00

It is finished! The ditto is done. I love it! The picture does not do it justice.

I used Seduce from Berroco yarns. It was wonderful to work with. It is a yarn, that needs to be by itself. You must put it in its own little baggie and not allow it near other yarns.

It tangles like crazy!

So where have I been you ask...... Facebook. I fell totally in love with its offerings and games. Caught up with some old friends and reconnected with distant cousins. I

have slowed down and returned to my normal self.

Also school has started and that in its self is time consuming. Open house is in a few days and I have been home today with a cold. But all is well, and I am on the mend. So I will be ready for open house.

The first day of fall is tomorrow and I look forward to the

cooler temps and color changes outside. This is my absolute

favorite time of the year. It so inspires to start new projects, take long walks and just enjoy the smells and sights of this time of year.

And speaking of weather, this has been the very worst year for my allergies! And speaking with many others, it seems its in the air(no pun intended). I decided to seek holistic help. I found a wonderful doctor, who is hopefully going to help me with all my issues. I am on a elimination diet this week. I have stopped all caffeine, sugar,dairy and wheat products. WOW, what a fun time that is! I am drinking almond and coconut milk. I don't care for the texture. And I found a drink that tastes just like instant coffee!!! Love it! Hubby and I went to Whole Foods on Saturday, to find many of the crazy things I have to eat. We enjoyed the visit and I amazed at what other food is out there! And It was so nice to go to the fish department and they knew where the fish came from and the amounts of mercury each piece may contain.

Now its back to knitting a new project. And there are many. I need to finish up my nephews skull sweater and mittens. And one of my sister in laws called and requested a scarf and mittens for a fund raiser at my nephews school. I took a picture but dropped the camera and think I may have broken it. So no pictures to share of the above projects. Also I found a sweater to make the hubby. We will see about that one. And the new baby in the family is due very soon, and I need to finish a blanket. Gee, not to many demands! I better get busy. Stop typing and Facebooking and start knitting!!!

NOTHIN MUCH

2009-08-17T16:36:00.000-07:00

AHHHH so that's what I have been doing.... Well not me, but the family. Camp this year was soooo much fun! We had several guest this year at camp. The most fun was had when the youngest nephews and their parents showed up.

That's the youngest with the fish he and his brothers caught! Hubby took them to a children only pond, and they had just stocked it. So much fun!

Went to my favorite LYS at Brookville, "Spin a Yarn". Bought myself some

really nice yarn, that my daughter promptly spilled my coffee on!!!!

Yeah, all over it! Anyone out there, who can help with this unfortunate predicament please post!

Not much to say... So I will finish with this lovely picture, that NO ONE would look at the camera for!!!

Knitting info coming soon.......

I wish it would slow down.

2009-07-15T18:07:00.000-07:00

Since we have been home, we haven't stopped! We went to, three graduation parties, golf birthday party, a few Fourth of July celebrations, a Zoo wedding and a big old Italian Picnic at my home.

SO, when did I knit? In the car on the way, to all but one, of the events.

The Nephews were here today. What fun! The middle one picked this pattern for a fall sweater. Which I started right away! the yarn is Comfort, worsted weight and Bernat glow in the dark. He is excited. The older one chose a pattern with a

skeleton chest on the front. They both will be a breeze to make. And the two year old is getting a orange sweater with a glow in the dark pumpkin. All the patterns can be found in this book.

I also have joined a KAL at Bloomin yarns. It's the

ditto sweater from Berroco. I am using the yarn I was going to use for the Shawl Kal. (LOL)

Its "suduce", and is BEAUTIFUL! Its a pain in the butt to drop. It knots like crazy! But it is beautiful to feel and look at. It is on small needles, so it is slow, but very nice to hold.

Now, I have other projects, and a few I saw tonight when I went up to my sewing room, and thought, ewwwww, I wanta make this. So who knows how many more are to come.

This is Baby Jaguar

at the zoo wedding with her twin stingray. The food was made by the monkeys. Yeah it was that bad. But everything else was great! And this is Baby Jaguar and Baby Zebra, in the elevator.... Names were

given to them by their Great Aunt Cathy.

They had a good time. They are both 20 and got shut off by the bartender. Dad did slip them a glass of wine. But they were happy just being there and dancing.

And the weekend carried over with all the fam at my home for a good old fashion picnic. Lots of good times and laughs. Nothing, Nothing replaces family. It was great!

This is my mom and her sisters and brothers, minus one sister, who passed four years ago. She is always in our heart. We love you Aunt Mary!

On the way back home

2009-06-29T18:02:00.000-07:00

Ah. Home again. The time flew this year. It seems like the week was shorter this year. Is that possible?

I didn't achieve the success I thought I would, but with the week running shorter(LOL) I just didn't have the time. Even the ride there seemed shorter.

Oh no it wasn't, I take it back, I had a full blown allergy attack, and could not function. Very little knitting was done. I was blowing my nose.

But the good news is I did complete the socks. The picture is on the way home. I still need to weave the ends in. Glad they are done! They were super easy.

And the beautiful, I LOVE IT, Liesl by Yolanda.

It was so much fun! It works up really quickly.

I picked up the buttons today at Bloomin Yarns.

It blocked out beautifully.

I guess finishing two UFO's is better than leaving them at home and coming back with another new UFO?

I am onto a new project. I don't know what. Maybe I will finish that purse.

I do have some glow in the dark yarn, and promised the nephews I would make skull and cross bone sweaters for Halloween. And of course I picked up the most beautiful yarn at Bloomin this afternoon...... Decisions,decisions decisions!!!

The week has flown

2009-06-26T08:20:00.000-07:00

That is my daughter and Nephew. Going 800 feet up over the sound. Crazy kids.She had the best time. Her brother was in the boat taking the shots and she took her own in the air.

After they did that, it was more seafood!!! As the week winds down, we are sad.

Everyone wants to come again in August.... Sounds like a plan....

The picture to the left is her in the air, only about 400 feet.... And at the right, watching the dolphins play. That hairy leg, is her cousins.

I love the BEACH!

2009-06-24T06:10:00.000-07:00

Knitting. Not much going on here. Too busy. This is the view right outside our house. The weather is perfect. We are having the best time.

I picked up some yarn from the greatest shop down here. It makes a complete baby sweater. Post pictures later, as I am on my way to breakfast.

Our house is OK. It is not as nice as last year, But it is closer to everything. It is centrally located in the Outer Banks. Which makes driving anywhere, a lot faster.

From the top of the Currituck lighthouse to the bottom of the sea, Have A GREAT day!

5 Day's and counting

2009-06-14T17:46:00.000-07:00

Yes....5 days and counting till we hit the OB!!!

I am crazy busy. Got the son together today for the trip, shoes, shorts, shirts, swimsuit.

Of course nothing fit him from last summer. I think he grew 10 inches!!!

Yesterday the girls going had a Pedi party! I was the coordinator. I supplied snacks, beach theme and of course the FUN!

Husband gets his new tennis shoes tomorrow. His are so grass stained, its kinda embarrassing....

Daughter has a JOB, and is 20, do I have to buy for her? She has more in her savings than me!!!So she is on her own.

Then there is me.......Clothes? Shoes? NAH, PROJECTS!!!

I decided it would be UFO trip this year. Yes I am leaving with started projects and returning with them done!!!

First on the list is the halfway completed sock for hubby. It was in my last blog. I should have that done by Ohio. It is that far along.

Second. The Camo socks on the left are young sons. Started....I don't remember. I had to rip back due to a miscalculation in the foot part. So to sleep they went.

The other, black and white are the skull mittens for my daughter. I started them over the winter and the first mitten was completed in a few

evenings. BUT it was extremely small! And I read the pattern color chart wrong. SO I started a new pair, with a much larger needle and the correct color chart. BUT, I messed up somewhere and now need to rip to the line ribbing and start again. SO off to sleep they went.....

This was a kit I picked up at BLOOMIN Yarns, over the fall, last week of October for sure. I loved the colors, my daughter was with me and said she would like them. Once again, I started them and everything was going good, TILL, I missed two rows and used the wrong color!!! Damn, you must think I don't know anything!!!

So I need to rip back this pair to the orange design and begin again.....AGHHHH!!

AND here it is!!!!!!!!!!! The G&*^%mn lace shaw!! The satan pattern. It has been ripped Several times. I am thinking, I may save it for the last thing I do. I am being positive...I am bringing two different yarns. In hopes that I will make two.....

It is fun to get these together and then see them finished! I will be so happy, if in two weeks from today I come back with almost if all of these projects completed. I mean, they are small. Not too difficult to do. And very portable. I can take them down to the beach. Time will tell.....

I am thinking positive. You think positive also....GO grab a UFO and FINISH IT!!! We will all feel better!!! Peace out my Knittin Peeps!!! Keep those needles clicking!

The VERY busy month of MAY!

2009-06-03T17:12:00.000-07:00

The look on my face....Well that is how May has been..... CRAZY! I am holding my ID badge while one of my Hormonally challenged 7th graders snaps my pic. We laugh like this a lot. I enjoy my job very much. Yeah, they are middle schoolers, trying to figure it all out while at the same time, thinking they know it all. BUT, they keep me young and make me laugh. What job do you know that can do that?

May was a blur...Every, and I mean every weekend wa

s packed with something to attend. Which means a few things.

1. The laundry is now taken over and is demanding we either wash it

or move, so it may keep growing.

2.Dust bunnies have turned into dust monsters and I think they ate the cat.

3. I still have a full freezer of meat because we have eaten, birthday, graduation, mothers day and shower food every five days twice! Get that.

4. The most painful.......my knitting is really behind.

I am working on four different projects. This is a beautiful pattern from last summer's Knit-n- Style. It is really easy pattern work. And moves quickly, unless of course you have a party to attend........

Also I finished one of hubbies socks. Started the second on monday at a waterboard session. I mean, inservice.

Also in the works....The vest for hubby and the cardigan out of the farmhouse yarn.

If you are in need of a yarn fix, please visit your local yarn shops....This is a hard time of the year for them. They need us...Do you part....BUY YARN from your LYS!!!

OK, I am off the soap box. Yes I am going to my LYS tomorrow. Really. And I am going to buy something. Really!

JUNE, You must go SLOWLY and how about some sun? Where are you? Feels more like a fall break, not summer.

I leave in 15 days to go back to the Outer Banks with the fam!!! Can't wait. What will I take? Sock yarn of course. AND.........I am going to try my g*#@ lace again!!! Will send photos with the phone. And let you know how that is going.....

Till the next time I blog....Peace out, keep your needles moving and your yarn shops running..

A step back in time

2009-05-17T14:57:00.000-07:00

20 years ago I made this. It is the softest, yummiest of wools. I knitted it on size 2 needles. There are pearl buttons at the top with french lace around her neck.

I am, or I have many

WIP and don't feel like showing the half done projects. So I decided to take

a trip down memory lane.... You in? Come on...... it will be fun.....

This was a quick knit, soft cotton dress with little panties in the same cotton I made for her during the spring. She was about three months old in this picture. It was a pattern that I could still make today. It is timeless. Also the christening gown could be made today just as it was twenty years ago

This little cardi was made

when the fun fur yarns

were brand new to the knitting world. The pattern came from one of my knitting magazines and I think it took one weekend to make.

Man, I was good!!!! Knittin Fool

O, I made her outfit underneath the sweater. Hey I was a stay at home mom with one kid!!!

First birthday outfit! Tooo cute!!! It had little pieces of polka dot fabric sewn into the yarn. I remember it being soooo expensive, $8.00 a

skein! And I was happy I only needed, I think three!!! I made her pants out of the same polka dot fabric. It was adorable! I even made her the barrette in her hair

And this extremely cute, and I cannot find anywhere now, was made in the car on the way to a picnic four hours away. I had it completely done and on her the next day. Well not completely, I lied. I had to go and buy a zipper. It was from, the now out of production, Disney pattern book. And was a breeze to make. I wonder if I can still knit that fast? Little kids are really easy to knit for. Their size alone, makes knitting fast and fun.

I have many more old time projects, but these were crying out to me....Remember when!!! Wish I could go back to that simpler time. Things were so much easier, so much I would hold on to a little longer. Hug her a little bit more, kiss her goodnight a few times more. Not worry so much about how clean my house is. O but I digress......

I am getting my summer projects together, and one is getting all my pictures in albums. Thus the trip back through memory lane. These pictures are not in albums yet and were easy to scan. A lot of their sweaters I made are in books and tucked away. I made my son some really cute sweaters. Bright colors and dump trucks to snakes! It was fun times... But now all are tucked away, waiting on the next generation to wear them.

Have a great day, hold on to those you love, give them an extra hug and let them know you love them very much.

As it is said and so true......Time waits for no one......

Everything old is new again!

2009-04-24T16:04:00.000-07:00

Really, this blog would have been updated last week, but SOMEONE, misplaced the camera cord to transfer the pictures.

I have decided to put away

some heavy projects and pull out the summer ones, that should have been done last summer.

But it does make you feel so good when you finish a big project, like this BORING summer sweater on the left!!! Since the picture, both sleeves are done and the neck is being finished. This is the yarn that smells like lavender. You would know that, if you are one of my longtime blog readers.

And also pulled from the archives is this cute cotton vest. It is on size 6 needles. It to is slow moving. Since some of the work is completed, It doesn't feel so boring.

The yarn is a hand dyed cotton with Cotton Fleece. I love that yarn. The pattern is from Knitty, called Leftovers. Very nice pattern.

And finally,coming along nicely, the purse for the daughter.

So, from the looks of things, I have the knitting bug back, full force. Not pictured are a few other UFO's. My cotton lace cardi. a vest for the hubby(for Christmas) and a sweater for the nephew. Yeah just a few things...... I hope your knitting is coming along as good as mine. Its a real good feeling. The kind that makes you want to put on your shoes and run to the yarn shop and get some more!!! Stash? stash? huh? what stash? For real, I have to use the stash..... But I need to replenish that.......right?

Peace out! Keep you needles clicking and your stash flow full.... And can somebody shut my motor mouth husband up, while I am blogging!!! GOD!

Please enjoy the the sandpipers!

2009-04-06T16:20:00.000-07:00

Nothin! I got nothin! I have been trying, but........NOTHIN!!!!!! So please take a moment to enjoy the birds, the warm sand and the ocean.

I have decided to take a stab at LACE (AKA: I HATE MYSELF, Lets FROG, FROG, did I say FROG!) knitting. This is beautiful to look at. The yarn is light and oh so pretty. BUTTTTTT!

Now, I have been knitting for 23 years. I have been teaching knitting for almost as long.

But, now, my knitting and brain are not on the same planet. My mind cannot stay focused on the the yarn overs, ssk and counting! Somebody help!

I joined the KAL at Bloomin. Yeah that worked.......NOT! Then I picked up a the magazine "Crafts and Things" for the first time in years, and, OH MY, the projects! One is a lace doily. Well I thought, something smaller, you can handle, butter brain. OH NO! I ripped that sucker at least 5 times.

So with all that said, here I sit.......Its going to snow! It only figures. With nothing but frustration on my needles. I think I will do some garter stitch, yeah that will work.

Is it me, or is lace knitting, Satan in the wool?

Peace out, and hopefully this knitter will get her act together and have a project to share next time.

Please pass a tissue

2009-03-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

It all started when one of my lovely students walked up to me and sneezed. Not just any sneeze, but one that landed on my face! As I looked at them, ready to cry, I knew, I too would soon look like they did.

With in 48 hours... yes, you guessed it.

Lost my voice while talking to Carol at Carol's Needleworks,on Tuesday. I was having a normal conversation, and then, POW! nothin. NO voice nothing. Needless to say Carol looked at me like I had three eyeballs. SO I quickly got what I needed and headed home. It progressively worsened over the week. I am on the recovery side now. Full of Gatorade and penicillin.

SO what did I get at Carol's? Some basic washable wool for the cutest little cardigan for young nephew's birthday in May.

The same nephew that

requested socks last year. I have finished the back since this picture was taken. The pattern comes from Favorite web site for patterns, Knitty.

He said, that he preferred blue to the green and wanted yellow spikes. DONE! I am adding green to the second set of spikes.It looks like so much fun!

The back went quickly. Just straight knitting and raglan sleeve. They did a seed stitch ribbing, love it!

Now even though I was sick, I did drag myself to the Thursday night Mini Workshops at BLOOMIN!!!

How to read Lace shawl charts. And it was sooo worth it! I really got a hold of how to read those charts.

I loved my yarn, till I started. Not so after working the pattern, I decided to not use the it and bought the pink yarn in the top picture. It is a bamboo from Farmhouse. I really am having a love affair with that company. The bamboo is called Bonnie's and the color is desert bloom. It is so soft and has a light sheen to it.

The cardigan is coming along quickly. I have put it aside to do the Nephews cardigan and the shawl. But I know I can probably finish it in a weekend. Yes its that fast.

The yarn is farmhouse also. So, you see the love affair I have.

My tea and honey are ready. My throat really needs it. So I am off to sip and knit. Till next blog....Keep knitting!

The Laundry is DONE!!!

2009-03-08T15:11:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful feeling! 10 tons of laundry done! No one is allowed to take their clothes off! My sheets are changed too! Hey, are you one of those freaks who irons their sheets? PLLLLEASSSSSE!

Good, I knew you were normal. I'm lucky they are completely dry, because I don't remember to put them in the dryer, till I go upstairs and get my jammies on!!

Oh yeah, the quilt is in the dryer. Better check it soon...

The baby sweater is complete. I am going to block it.

It is tight. It's the yarn. I

have a tiny little bit of the main color left, and a ton of

the other two. Going to make the

cute hat that goes with the pattern. That should take an evening. If there is anything left after that, booties.

This I can't wait to start! I have a goal. Maybe I better not, don't want to disappoint myself. The pattern, can be bought on Ravelry. Or you can just go here. The picture does not do this cardigan justice. The shop owner's, makes you want to knit this! Oh, who might that be? Michele from Bloomin Yarns! Her version is beautiful! So much so, I had to get it and make it.

Also, Bloomin, is doing a shawl KAL. It starts on the 19th. I can't wait! Something new to do as we await spring and its warmth!

This is the yarn I chose for my shawl. The shawl is from Interweave.

It is also on Bloomin's blog. I have been in love with this yarn since it hit the shop last year. But never knew what I wanted to knit with it. Well, this shawl is it!

My friend bought the same yarn in a yummy green. Her fav color. It will be very pretty.

Well, with all that said....I have much knitting to do!

And finally, my one friend showed up at knit nite with a package for me. I was so excited! It was this beautiful angel, with the beautiful charms about life and family on it! I love it! Thanks Chrystal!

Describe Normal

2009-02-22T17:01:00.000-08:00

Would someone explain to me why two normal people, produce a crazy, wild child? I wanted a nice picture of the beautiful flowers MDH surprised me with. No such luck. Oldest daughter thought it was a chance to show her true colors. I guess she is like her mom.....SO says gramma. In any event, the flowers were, rather are, for my birthday Tuesday. Very pretty. Very much a surprise.

SO, I tried another shot.

Can you see her. She is hiding. LOL.

Well this is it. This is the best shot I can get of the flowers. And that is that. See if I rush to get her purse done.

Getting to more serious stuff....My knitting. Slow knitting this week. Don't know why. I even went to Bloomin yarns yesterday...............................

and bought.......NOTHING!!!! What is wrong with me! I did like a model, I came home and ordered the pattern. Once I get it I will head back over and get the yarn for it.

Presently I am working on the baby sweater. It is almost at the bottom rib. It is so sweet. I will say this. The yarn is very hard on your hands. Its blue skies colored cotton. The designer has you knit on a 7. It hurts your hands. Well, It hurts my hands.

I do like the final results. It is going to be a cute spring sweater for the baby boy that will be born in April.

And finally, I ordered this book. I was so excited. We camp and I knit while we camp! I thought it would be full of cool camping patterns and stuff. Not so. Not so great. I am a little disappointed. Maybe I will write my own.

Hope you have a great week. Get lots of knitting done. Start a new project, or finish one that has been in the UFO pile! It will get you motivated, I promise! Here's to crazy kids and snow days yet to come!

I hate deadlines

2009-02-15T17:25:00.001-08:00

A baby sweater is born. The baby shower is in two weeks. Will the sweater need a blanket to go with it? Probably. I am making the cute easy one, found here. I hope to start as soon as I am done blogging. The yarn is the same that it calls for, only I am doing boy colors. I think I will have fun with this pattern.

Now, Michelle sold me this cute yarn, with the

help of Joyce. And she also told me not to buy the other yarn that I thought I should make the same sweater out of. I have some

advice....LISTEN to the LYS owner, they know what they are talking about!!!! She was so on the money with her advice. Very, very sweetly

she said to me...."Deb, you are not going to like that yarn. Stay with the cotton." YEA, but, Michelle, It's soooo cute. I love the soft colors. So in the bag it went and as soon as I got home I started the sweater. And.......YUCK!!!! She was right..... Oh well... Live and learn. So now I am going to start with the yarn that was recomme

nded by the designer as well as the LYS owner.

The other projects I am working on... The prayer shawl. Half way through and it is very pretty.

And this cute little number. Number one daughter wanted a yellow bag. Not felted please. This pattern came up in the new issue of Fons& Porter's Love of Knitting. Pick up a copy, you won't be disappointed. There is a cute little girl on the front, which is why I bought it. I want to make the sweater for the nephews. DON'T worry, there is a boy version!!! This pattern is very easy and very fast. And if you want to try cables for the first time, this is a project for you.

And finally... This came in the mail, from amazon. It is a must have if you have men in your life. Great patterns for the teen on up. I have a few on the back burner I am considering.

And the models are easy on the eye. Very, very easy on the eye. I enjoyed the whole book.

I want to end by letting everyone know, we lost our dear friend on monday. Marilyn will be sorely missed by many. Heaven has a wonderful new angel. Pancreatic cancer takes its victims much too quickly. Hopefully research will quickly find a cure for this terrible cancer.

You can THANK me!!!

2009-02-08T10:37:00.000-08:00

Yes, you can thank me, If you live in Pittsburgh.

That box on the left, is a heat pump. We lost our heat last week. Our furnace, was on its last leg. We had space heaters throughout the house.

And you remember what last week was like here in Southwest PA. Like the picture on the right....

Today after the first, yes we need two!!!, heat pumps was installed the temps went from 3 degrees to .........50 plus degrees. Yes it had to be Karma? Murphy's law? Or just my kinda luck... Whatever the reason, it is absolutely beautiful here. So there is no need for the heater or air conditioning. But that's OK. I am sure more bad weather is not to far away. And this is just a little joke that mother nature is playing on me.

In knitting , I once again find myself praying for healing. I am making yet another prayer Shawl. For yet another co-worker, who finds herself with stage one breast cancer. Her outcome is very good! We are all very hopeful.

I ask, are you like me. Do you go to buy yarn with this person on your mind. You have colors you are thinking of, for them. then you get there and something

pulls you to something totally different. And you succumb to the need to buy the yarn that was not in your mind, but what you need to buy. I make it, and give it and the recipient, and they always tell me, always, That is their favorite color! Wow, the power of prayer. I am always thinking and praying for that person.

The shawl is my own creation. Size 15 needles, cast on 124 stitches and 4 different yarns. There is no reason for the pattern, just as many rows as I like, then I change and continue till I feel I am half way, then mirror the pattern. Nothing to complicated, that way I can pray while I knit.

Well, it is early afternoon and the hubster and myself are running errands and then getting spaghetti dinners from the boy scouts. One of my students has been selling them to me since he was in 6th grade. He is now in his final year at middle school, and I will miss him next year!

I am sure he will come see me with tickets. LOL.

SO, if you are in the burgh, you are welcome for this beautiful SUNDAY... enjoy it, it is a gift.

Keep knitting

When knitting makes you mad!

2009-01-31T17:26:00.000-08:00

OK, I am almost finished with this mitten.

I had it at school and one of the girls decided to try it on.....Well, it was so tight on her hand, I was ready to cry!!!! Who was this pattern written for anyway? Let me go back to revelry and check. Must be a 4 year old! I have it on my hand, but my bones HURT!!!

So, I am waiting for the daughter to return with boyfriend and sushi for mom, to try on the mitten, before I finish the thumb. Now, daughter is tiny little thing for 19.... but I don't know. Updates to follow.

The pattern was OK to do. I am going to probably up to a size five needle. That's just an FYI if you

plan on making them. I am making three now, instead of the two I need.

On a happy note....Hubby's socks are moving along nicely. This sock is near completion. This is just boring, knitting. Take with you anywhere knitting. No need to look at knitting.

What else?

The Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet show is on its way. OK, am I the only one who thinks that $15.00 is EXTREMELY expensive to walk around a market? I mean, Giant eagle never chargers me to come in and BUY from them. Does the Guild realize we are in a terrible recession and people are not doing great? I mean even the early registration of 10.00 is high! I am Going to BUY from vender's. YOU are not giving me anything.

That's 15 bucks of yarn I could use..... I don't know, maybe its me. But I am sure the vendors have dropped a big chunk of change too. I think, in my never to be humble opinion, that it is too much money..... Will I go, probably. Not fair though. What say you?

Well, Daughter should be home soon. Want to look like I was knitting while they were gone. So its off to knitting....

Oh yea, there is yet another snow storm coming, and its going to be a doozy....We will see

GO STEELERS!!!!

Its the little things/updated

2009-01-26T17:40:00.000-08:00

For some reason, I have the need to make little quick things. Mittens, hats and such. Went to Knitty, and found a few patterns that I had to make and DID! The fingerless gloves called Fetching, knitted up over the weekend. I have enough yarn left over for??? maybe a neck warmer from the book "One Skein"?

The next thing that I HAD to make also from Knitty, Calorimetry.

The pattern took, Cops and some of 48 hours, to make. Yes its that quick! I didn't like my yarn choice at all. Noro. NO NO. Use a more elastic wool. Something with good strong memory it.

The daughter felt it was too loose. After putting it on myself, I agreed.

I am going to make it again in another yarn. I may try the Malbrigo that I have left from her sweater.

And now I am working on a really cute pair of

mittens I found on Ravelry.

I have the first one started. I just finished the first skull. They are fast and fun. Would not recommend for the beginner.

So, as I sit here, with the weather

report calling for yet another winter

storm, I am hopeful, that we will have another SNOW DAY!!! Yippee!!! I love this time of year. If we are off, I am getting the mitten done!

Oh yea, that Valentine's day gift. I better get that finished too! Hubby had on his socks yet again today! I guess I should make them.

Take a good look at my mittens and the picture. Notice anything? Yea, the dyslectic knitter strikes again. My excuse? They are for my daughter so I am making them more feminine by switching the color scheme to white and black skulls. You think it will fly? LOL, who cares!

And finally, I just love this picture of little

Gilbert. Out in the snow, just thinking about how cold it is.

Keep knitting! Peace out!

In case you are re reading this....WE did get a snow day!!! How fun is that!

Baby It's cold Outside!

2009-01-17T14:46:00.000-08:00

As you can see from my happy snowman, it is extremely cold up here in "The Burgh". Before you have a heart attack about the inside temp, it was by my window and not my actual inside temperature.

The Children and Teachers had a free day yesterday because of the extreme temperatures. That was a bonus! I got to go to lunch with my friend and visit my favorite little knit shop,

Bloomin Yarns!

I did return some yarn, I thought I would do something special with, but that did not come to fruition. There is a little boy going to be born in the spring and I found two great yarns to make two little spring cardigan's with. Pictures later.

Today we were able to get my formal living room back from our son! He received a new plasma and surround sound for Christmas, and it never left the living room. Till today. Ahhhh what a relief. He is now in another room and I have my living room back. He is happy and so are we..... I guess.... I didn't know surround sound was

sooooo loud!!!!!

With the temps so low there isn't much to do outside, unless you are a bird. I took this from my kitchen window. Cute little guys!

We put the feeders right outside the kitchen and sun room windows. It is so beautiful to watch the little guys! Talk about someone who could use a warm winter sweater! You think they could keep them on, I mean no shoulders and all?

Happy Knitting, KEEP WARM!

Warm fuzzy Feelings!

2009-01-11T17:35:00.000-08:00

The mittens are done! What a great feeling that is. A WARM FUZZY kinda feeling. I know why I didn't finish them the first time around. The pattern SUCKS! Not written very well, and many steps could have either been eliminated or altered and made easier.

Ahhhh, the socks. Coming along nicely. I am only getting

a chance to work on them alittle bit here and there. Lunch at school, right before bed. Nothing to serious. They are moving quickly. I believe I have a few more inches then I turn the heel. I like the yarn. It is a tad rough, but I think the wash will soften them up.

And finally.... I started a new project. I thought it would be a weekend project, and would have been if I didn't have anything else to do. The dog was shivering next to me Friday night, and I remembered some yarn that has been in storage for at least 15 years. Maratona. Sound familiar? I bought it at a shop that was closing. In its day it was the softest, most expensive stuff out there. I bought 5 balls. different dye lots and all. I felt so proud walking out of the shop, with MARATONA! But what the h#$ I was going to make is beyond me. Then 15 years later I found it... I hope that young knitter in me is OK with it.

Gilbert is getting a beautiful new sweater in the finest Italian wool around.....15 years ago anyway. It is a beautiful shade of pink burgundy.

So, thats it for this week. Desperate House Wives is on. Love it! And I really need to knit!

Happy New Projects!

2009-01-04T15:30:00.000-08:00

New year, New projects..... OK, two new, one old that needs finished.

I put my yarn and book down to take the shot for the blog, and Larry felt the need to be a part of the picture! So here he is, posing of course. Cats, who can figure them out. Any other time, I am just a means to filling and empty food bowl!

I digress.

Hope your New Year has been a good one! I know mine is already. Why? Last year at this time I was recovering from surgery! I feel much better this year.

I started the sweater on the left the Saturday after Christmas. It moves quickly. I love the colors. Kaffe

Fasset, colourscapes. If I work on it tonight, I will be done with the back. Its that quick!

Now that Hubby has fallen in love with his new hand knit socks, I searched my stash, and found this yarn, for a quick Valentine's day gift. The pattern is the very best one out there for basic socks. And my husband is as basic as you're going to get. Nothing fancy for him.

You maybe wondering about the knit two at a time book.......... Well.....I didn't like using two circular needles, and the gapping that occurs. I think it is something I need to work on. Updates later on that subject.

And finally, the old project. These mittens have been sitting in the UFO pile for probably, a, a, well, ok, oldest was in a, middle....no elementary!! well......now tell me you have nothing that old!! I mean what is 9 years!!! Nothing. It flies. Just ask the mittens!

Time to get to some knitting.... Think I will finish the mittens...... yea thats a good idea!

When you know you got it right!

2008-12-26T16:46:00.001-08:00

How do you know you got exactly what they wanted! How.......Just look at the smiles on their faces!

It says it all.

Mom is still trying to figure out how I made her gloves. How ... easy I tell her. And it was. Got the pattern out of the book "The knitter's bible"

knitted accessories .

She called this morning and told me how much she loved her gifts. Job well done. Yippee to me!

Oldest daughter LOVED her mini laptop! She thinks its the cutest thing she has ever seen.

I got this great shot right after she figured out what it was. It was priceless!

And then young son.... Surround sound.

He was so surprised. Both were extremely excited and happy!

I hope you had the same great feelings. That you found everything you wanted under your tree.

Hope there were blessing on top of blessings.

Christmas goes so fast. We prepare and buy and make and in an instant, its over. But the pictures and the feelings, they last a lifetime!

This is hubby's scarf. The noro one that everyone is making. It was a really fun scarf. I gave it to him just like the picture, but finished it up Christmas morning and he was able to wear it to my mom's. Along with his first pair of handmade socks. Which he said were the best pair of socks he has ever worn. He is a hand knit sock virgin. And has become addicted. Asking if there might be more in his future.

So with that said, I picked up my, 2 at time socks.

And as soon as I finish here I am going to try that method. I will keep you posted!

Keep warm and keep knitting! The fun months are just ahead!!!

Its all knitting togther

2008-12-14T14:18:00.000-08:00

Finally. I love it! It was so much fun to do. And she looks so cute in it! She told me it was her favorite sweater! Go mom, yea go mom, YEA!

Now that the melabrigo is complete I am finishing up small no nonsense projects. Like???

My moms scarf was crying out for gloves! So one is done the left hand are on the needles tonight. It took me two evenings to finish one glove. Yea its that quick.

I also have hubby's scarf 3/4 of the way finished.

Will post that picture soon. He is sitting next to me watching the game(STEELERS) or I would be working on it now!

This is moms scarf and one glove. I only put the bling on the cuff of the glove. I thought it might

get uncomfortable if the sequin were running through her fingers. I like the way it came out.

I ordered the yarn from a shop in Maine, It was not the same dye lot. It is noticeable, but what can I do!

I should get her other one started, but this is more fun right now!

Ok, I know, get something done!!! YOU TOO!

Get that project out right now and start clicking those needles! GO ahead! You will be glad you did.

Peace out! Keep knitting

St. Nick

2008-12-07T16:04:00.001-08:00

When I met my husband, Many moons ago, I was touched by a tradition done at his home. Every Dec 6th, to honor St. Nicholas, they would put their shoes out by the tree and the next day, a small gift would be left. This let the kids know they were being good and there was a good chance that Santa would visit soon. If they were not so good, an onion may be in their shoe. My husband has had his share of onions. The onion meant, get with the program and shape up or else!

We continue this fun tradition. The shoes used to be so tiny, now.... well.... time waits for no one.

Ah, you may notice the space heater. Yea its cold here in the Burgh. REAL cold. And the best part. Our heat pumps went. We are running on one, that is on its last leg.

SO, tomorrow we get the fun job of buying new ones!!! WHY is it this always happens before the holidays, Yippee..........

I got my "Purse Exchange" that I participated in on Ravelry. WHAT FUN!!!! And my NEW friend Jean, put the best bag together ever! I loved it all. I mean all of it!!

She sent me a Frank Sinatra CD. My folks picked me up to go to the new, Garden Ridge(Total waste of time) and dad played it all the way there and back! It was great!

Finished my Daughter's malabrigo sweater yesterday, waiting for her to put it on for a pic.

Working on the Noro stripe scarf for hubby. I haven't made him a scarf since we dated, about 24 years ago! It is fun trying to knit without him seeing it!

I also decided to make my mom gloves to match her scarf. I had to order more yarn. No one around here carries it! Blah!

Oh yea, I bought one of the shelves from the yarn shop that went out of business and spent saturday putting it together and gathering up all my,(ADDICTION) yarn and lovingly placing it on the new shelves. Very nice. I now have a yarn shop in my house! I am hoping this curbs my need to run to Bloomin and drop toooo much money on some more yarn!!!

NAH, what am I thinking. Michelle may forget me!!!!

It's one more done!

2008-12-01T12:54:00.000-08:00

AHHHHHHHH, The feeling of finishing something. And finishing weeks before it is needed! Yippee, jumping up and down, doing happy dance.

Mom's gifts are complete. All that is needed is the wrapping. Thank goodness she doesn't read my blog.

The scarf is really pretty. The photo does not do it justice. No matter how many pictures I took, I could not get the flash refection off the clock. The cross stitch is so cute. I am really happy with the way it came out.

Well, its back to work tomorrow! Man, time flies.... Thanksgiving is a blurr.

What's on my needles you ask? I am almost finished with daughter's melbrigo sweater. I have about 4 more inches of a 10 inch neck. BORING!

I want to finish my dad's socks. They have a glass of beer on them. Really cute! Its a pattern from I think the 40's. Really fun, I have one done. I will have to post a pic.

I want to start a vest that I picked up from Bloomin yarns. It should be fast and fun. Its a Kaffe Fassett. Michelle did one and I loved it. She has the book and yarn it calls for. I really want to get that going. Her sweater is here!

I also have the grey vest on the inside of Debbie Bliss' new magazine I want to do. It is cables and a turtle neck.

So that's all for now. O wait, there's also another green helmet liner almost finished! Yippee.

THINK SNOW DAYS!

Peace out, keep your needles clicking

Deb

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T16:51:00.000-08:00

AWWW Thanksgiving. Giving thanks. Thanks for a gallbladder surgery that went smoothly. Thanks for a healthy husband with no cancer. Thanks for new babies born and friends who are still with us.

Thanks for new friends made and for family!

Hope your Thanksgiving was a blessed one.

Oh yea, the picture is of Nephew who needed warmth while hunting deer on Monday. Made him a helmet liner pattern. Made from Melabrigo. Olive green. His color choice. Made not one but three. Yea, I got a lot of my own knitting done this week. He asked me for this last sunday. Sweetie. Can't help it, when one of the nephews ask.... I gotta do it. And it is usually on short notice. Gotta love them!!!!

I am hoping to log on and get all Christmas shopping done via internet. I am not a big crowd shopper. I hate crowds. They totally freak me out. No thanks. No lines, No getting up early. No NO NO! If I can't get it later I don't need it.

Hope you had A great day. Blessing to all!

The big 50

2008-11-16T05:30:00.002-08:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Getting Closer to the end....

2008-11-15T19:03:00.000-08:00

I am so excited! This picture does not do this

sweater justice. It is almost done. The hubby is untangling the last skein as I type. For some unknown reason the last skein is a disaster! And he loves to untangle stuff. Lucky me.

The green really shows up on the picture. The buttons are the best. I still need two more. If you know anyone

who has them, please let me know so I can get them!!!! I plan on

getting the ten inch neck done by this weekend. Ok maybe wendesday.

I had a Big party for hubby's big 50 today, and tomor

row is our nephews birthday. SOOOO, time will not be my own....

I can take the knitting with me... But Hubby is still unwinding!

I did pick up this beautiful yarn at the shop going out of business. It is Cherry Tree Hill, and it is Possum!! And a merino wool. Pretty cool.

The other is a nice yarn that has little sequins on it. Its for my mom for Christmas.

I am making her a scarf to go with her new purse. Her very first Coach. And it is red. She wants to carry her red purse When she wears her Black leather coat.

I found the yarn, and thought it was a perfect compliment to the purse and coat. And my mom has recently taken a liking to BLING, the tiny sequins play off the yarn nicely, giving her BLING

Once again the picture on the left is not

doing the pattern justice.

It is difficult to get a picture of a scarf. I will have her put it on at Christmas and then take a better pict

ure. I have about 3/4 of the scarf complete. It's and easy 4 row repeat. It lends itself to tak

ing places and being able to carry on a conversation and work on a project. I like it. The yarn does halo but it knits through with ease and is very pretty. I like it.

It is almost my bedtime. I am exhausted. I cooked and cooked and, well you know. Lots of really good food and family close by. A nice birthday for the hubby. My Family suprised him with a HUGE snowblower. I didn't know they made them that big! We have a huge driveway, and he is old now, so it should come in handy! Lets hope it snows lots this winter.

Good night my knittin peeps. Peace out and keep knitting.

BEARS!

2008-11-11T18:28:00.000-08:00

This is a picture my 14 year old son took outside the cabin, he and the hubby went to a few weeks ago. CRAZY! Not this girl. Thank you very much. Best part, it is the mommy bear. The cubs came for a visit too!

I haven't been able to find my camera, so I don't have my WIP pictures to show. I am on the neck of daughters sweater. I have to knit a 10 inch neck! Boring. I did some frogging on young sons socks. It was way to wide! He has a very narrow flat foot. He would never be able to wear it. BOO HOO!

I think I mentioned about the yarn shop closing in cannonsburgh. Went on saturday. I saved $397.00!!!! I left with two white garbage bags full of future projects.

I spent.........$103.00!!! All the patterns were a $1.00 and the yarn was $1.00 or 70% off.

Bloomin is Movin!!!! Just down the road. Closer to me!!! I like that. I can't wait to see the new shop. I love it there! Michelle is so sweet. I look forward to seeing all the new yarns and how the shop looks!

I will write more later. Its late , I need to pack lunches and make coffee. Bed is calling me......

Peace out, knit on!

MY FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR!

2008-10-26T05:58:00.000-07:00

This is my FAVORITE time of the year!

I LOVE fall!!! I have made a full recovery.

Feel much better. Thanks Michelle for your post! Now I know one person reads my blog.

The pic on the right is my fire place topper.. Paper pieced. Not fun! To many little pieces.

During my little kidney attack, I did not knit at all. I also fell a week behind at work, and the kids were very mad at me. Teachers are not allowed to get sick, grow old or miss more than a day of work!. So I have had little knitting time. YUCK!

I am getting the sleeves done on the melabrigo. It is turning out cuter(I know not a word) than expected. The skull buttons are as cute as can be. Funny thing, I went all the way to North Carolina and found the extra buttons.............Guess what I can't find. DEET DA DEET!!! Rolling eyes and sighing. I know I have them somewhere!

I am hoping to have the sleeves done today! I am going to look for the buttons at the bottom of my knitting bag. I have a feeling that is where they may

be.

Knit night was good. Jody brought in her show and tell and I should have taken pictures. She made the throw, I won, in cream. OMG!!! It was the prettiest thing I have ever seen!!! It made me want to run upstairs and grab mine and FINISH IT!! It is next on the list of must finish!

I am so excited, I ordered GLOW IN THE DARK yarn.

Yes it does! Making hats and hopefully some sweaters for the nephews, FOR NEXT YEAR , of course.

It can only be found Here ! A must have for all of you who like a little fun in your knitting.

And for those of you who are big time readers... The perfect Christmas gift is here. Get while you can.....The Kindle.

It was featured on Oprah and I fell for it immediately! She is giving a $50. off for 5 more days. Just go to her site for info.

Well, my knittin peeps, the sunday morning blues is playin its same old tune. Clothes are cryin they are dirty and floors need swept. So I leave you in cyber world, with thoughts of everything in its place and nothing to do, except..................KNIT!

kidney stones!!

2008-10-06T16:37:00.000-07:00

So, I write the post last night before I went to bed. I WAS FINE! At 2 o'clock in the morning I woke up with some pain, figured I had to go to the bathroom. Not so. The pain just kept getting worse and worse. I popped an ibuprofen and went back to bed. For about two minutes! By four in the morning I was doubled over in pain and throwing up. The pain in my left side was the worse pain ( including childbirth) I have ever had!

So off to the hospital again. I sat, stood, walked and waited with incredible pain for the doctor. Who promptly came in 2 hours later! Only to order the best drugs in the world! Went for a CAT scan and xrays. And there it was a spiky, ugly mean 4mm stone! We came home and went to bed. I woke up and passed the lovely picture you see. Pure evil. Thank God its over! Hope NO one ever has to experience that!

baby pumpkin hat

2008-10-05T15:45:00.000-07:00

If you read my blog all the time...you will remember my entry about my two friends. One who has pancreatic cancer and one who is expecting her first baby. Well, the cancer friend is surviving. The other is extremely uncomfortable and in labor. she may have already had the baby. Will find out tomorrow when I go to school.

I decided to pop off this extremely cute pumpkin hat to her before she went on leave. But it was too late she didn't come in on thursday. But, I do work with her husband as well, so he was taking it home with him. I found the free pattern on Ravelry. It was fast and really, really cute!!! All the teachers loved it! It practically fit in my hand. It was that small and cute! Did I say how CUTE it was? It was very cute.

Just kicking back, had young sons Confirmation party this afternoon, so I am a tad burned out. Had about 30 people. Tons of good food and lots of good conversation, all in all a great day! know I am sitting with my feet up on my lazyboy, with needles and yarn next to me. I am ready to knit the evening away while my family watches the Steelers.

Have a great week and knit at least once a day!

FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR!

2008-09-28T05:09:00.000-07:00

Knitting and Fall just go together. As said best by Forest Gump,"Like Peas and carrots".

The air is cooling off and the nights are coming quicker. And so my knitting is calling me. Come enjoy the warmth of my wool. And I of course fall helplessly into it.

The Malabrigo yarn is working up beautifully. The pattern is addictive. Each panel is a race. Can I finish before the end of two and half men? I am on the bottom ribbing. Skipping the sleeves till later, as I want to see the ribbing first!

Some sad news in Pittsburgh. The Knit Shoppe in Canonsburgh is closing. The shop was one of the first to emerge when the knitting craze hit. The ladies are five of the nicest around. They will be missed. My friend and I stopped by yesterday to see what was what. Everything, Everything was 50% off. I controlled my knitting ego and only purchased things I knew I have been wanting. The three books in the picture, and yarn. Not a lot, just some I have wanted to make a shrug with and the mittens on the cover of Vogue Knitting. And a pair of Lantern moon needles. I was a good girl.

I am trying something different. Only working on one project at a time. I know, surely you jest!

But, it seems to be a good thing. The Malabrgo is much further along than I ever imagined. I am only able to work on it after dinner, which leaves me about 2 solid hours or 4 off and on. It feels good to be focused. Kinda my whole new approach to life. Order and organization. I have applied it to my house, my work, my classroom, and now my knitting. It is hard to change old habits, and I get the erg to grab another project, or not put something back where it belongs, but in the end, the organization wins, and its all good in the hood!

And so my dear friends as Summer ends and Fall begins, I hope you will be blessed with limber fingers and long stretches of quiet time to knit all the wonderful things you have on your needles and all the things that are waiting in the wings. Have a really great week.

2008-09-06T04:42:00.000-07:00

Too much time has passed since last I blogged. I miss you! Life seems to go into overdrive as soon as the first day of school starts. The year has started off on a very positive note. The students are great, and the days are going fast!

I crossed stitched the little quote over the summer and it is hanging in my classroom. My kids like the saying, some even read it out loud and laugh.(in a good way!) Some have even changed it to tinkle instead of twinkle. Won't go there, remember its middle school.

I have to grab the camera and get some shots of my projects.

I am almost, if I would just pick it up, done with the shrug I bought in NC.

I found the perfect pattern for my daughters Malabringo yarn! On ravelry.

It is so much fun. If you like something different and unique. Norah Gaughan gives a new twist to knitting(no pun intended) Her book was a little pricey, but the patterns are really beautiful! Take a look, you won't be disappointed.

I also want to pick up and continue to knit, and finish my prized afghan! I have a few rows started, but the weather and my husband's illness got in the way.

Time to start finishing some UFO's! Sounds like an oxymoron.

Well, its early Saturday morning and many projects are calling me, I can hear them. They are saying: My toilet needs cleaned, the wash isn't going to clean its self, who can iron this. And behind all that is quietly calling, This quilt needs done for the baby shower in two weeks, my shrug will keep you warm at school, your daughter is patiently waiting for her sweater, and on and on and on.

Knit night at my house starts again on tuesday! Can't wait! Miss my knittin peeps!

Peace out, on this lovely Saturday morning. Keep your needles clicking and the yarn companies spinning. Visit your LYS and give the owner a hug, for helping you feed your addiction.

OUTER BANKS HEAVEN

2008-08-13T05:22:00.000-07:00

DESTINATION: Outer Banks,

North Carolina

Nags Head

OH the seafood! Yummy! What a

Wonderful trip! I cannot believe I am back. We had weather to die for. Sunny, high 80's to mid 90's! Who could ask for anything more! OK a few yarn shops maybe? DONE!

Knitting Addiction is a yarn store to spend hours and $$$$ in! One warning, don't take hubby if he isn't into yarn, like you.

Knitting addiction's owner, Jeanne Shrade, is present and really a nice lady. She has a great sense of humor. I don't know about you, but when I am vacationing and find a LYS, I want to find something unique to that area, that I won't find back home.

Jeanne covers that with flying colors! She designs her own patterns and you get them free when you purchase the yarn.

I picked up two. I loose fitting shrug and a pattern called "big people blankie" , which is a triangular heavy shawl, with a large button attached to the top left side. I will post some pics.

The highlight of the visit, was.....She had buttons! Not just any buttons, BUT the skull buttons I have been looking for over two years for!!!! I could have gone home right then! But I stayed the rest of the week. I mean, it was only Monday.

Outside the seafood restaurant, my daughter and nephew pose for a beautiful sunset picture.

Yes, nephew. We went with the entire extended family. 19 to be exact! And you ask, well how was that? Wonderful!!! My mom was

In her glory. All her children, spouses, grandchildren within arms reach 24/7. What more can you ask for!!!!

We did so much in one week, that we all need another to recover.

Climbed 2 lighthouses. Visited 3. Looked at one from afar.

I loved Cape Hatteras. Prettiest lighthouse on the outer banks! I used to love Currituck, but after climbing Hatteras, it was love at first climb.

The Aquarium is a treat. A must go to, if you are visiting.

Everything we went to, was worth it.

The ferry ride, to Ocaracoke, was the best part of the trip. The island is......Boring. The shops are scattered and the folks are, well, not so friendly.

The lighthouse, was not open to the public. It was smaller than all the others. Not real impressed with it. No where to park and tons of people trying to see it. But, at least I can say I was there.

I finish with a few fun shots. Family, pretending to be on the titantic, the lighthouse and the whole Fam on the beach!

Keep knitting

I guess she could go topless!

2008-08-01T05:35:00.000-07:00

Finished the Isty, bitsy, teeny weeny, made my hands hurt bikini last night. Well, just the bottom. So, I said to daughter, "We will have to find a nude beach". To which she replied with disgust, "Oh mother, that's just gross!"

I have till Sunday to finish the top. We will be sunning our buns Sunday afternoon in Nags Head. We are driving. If I put my mind to it, it is a possibility. The killer is, you have to cast on 300 stitches on a size one needle!!!! I did bump up the needle to a three. The yarn is a variegated yarn that has elastic in it. So cool. You have to watch your tension, it can go from Light worsted to a finger weight, just by the way you hold it.

The yarn came from "Knit One" and is called Cascade Fixation. The label says it has 62-186 yards on it, depending on how you use it. It took 1 ball to make the bottom. I have three left. Over estimated I guess. So, you too, can make one, just give me your address and I will send you my two left over. I need one for the top.

Getting back to the trip...What to take....Last year I did nothing but socks. This year, I think the same. They take up minimal room and are great on trips, waiting in lines, sunning your self by

the pool or at the beach. I am going to scout out some yarn shops. There was one, 16 years ago. Hopefully that number has grown.

I asked the animals how they felt about the family leaving? This is what I got......

They don't care, cause favorite boyfriend is house and pet sitting... Lucky animals.

Well my peeps.....There's knittin to do.

Oh yea, I gotta pack.

You will be missed

2008-07-25T08:13:00.000-07:00

Randy Paush Died this morning from pancreatic cancer. His story touched my life.

God Bless his wife and children and all those who loved him.

His book is a MUST read.

My favorite two quotes from Randy:

"Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want."

And

"If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself, the dreams will come to you."

Long time since

2008-07-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

Wow. It sure has been awhile since I posted. Thought that my vacation would give me a few extra hours to blog more. Guess NOT! Just got back from a week in the Pennsylvania mountains. Cook Forest to be exact. The pic is of the beautiful mountain laurels. You can look, but cannot touch or take.

We had a great time. Well, if you forget about the huge spiders and bats that flew across one end of our rustic cabin to the other, every night!

Oh yea, and then there was Rodney, the enormous Raccoon that ate all our Marshmallows!!

You are probably thinking, why on earth do I go....... Easy.... "Spin a Yarn" in Brookville and "Heirloom quilts and Fabrics" Two of my favorite places on earth!

Spin a Yarn is the cutest little yarn shop. Susie and I have been distant friends for more than 20 years! I love her warm and welcoming personality. The shop doesn't have a ton of yarn, like around Pittsburgh, BUT you can always

find a project that you have to make!

I found some great baby yarn to make a sweater for a little boy that will be born in the fall.

And then there's the Quilt shop. OMG!!! If you love flannels, she has them all. If you love vintage, tons! And then there is everything in between. Durfee, yes that's how you spell it, Has thousands of bolts of fabric. Her Christmas/Fall room is to die for! I picked up some blue Christmas fabric. Something hard to find. Going to make a tree skirt.

I didn't do a ton of knitting, like I normally do. I think it was because went with friends, and I had fun with them instead.

I usually get left behind, while the hubby and kids fish. Not this year, I had a buddy to run with.

I did teach my friend to knit. Thats her in the picture below,working on her first project, A garter stitch scarf.

Her daughter is next to her. She of course picked up how to knit in seconds and put it down just as fast. NOT FAIR. Poor mom, struggled for hours, till it all clicked! No pun intended!

I did work on my daughters teeny tiny bikini. I do hope to get that done before we leave for Nags Head. 2 weeks from now.

I will try to get a pic of the teeny tiny suit, soon.

I will finish with a few pictures of the beautiful Horseback ride we took a day before we left. Perfect weather, perfect ride. If you don't believe in God, you will after a ride like that. The beauty is beyond words. The serenity is priceless!

Peace out! Knit on my peeps!

Lavender

2008-06-23T19:22:00.000-07:00

This little sweater, seems like it is taking me a lifetime. I started it last fall. Put it by my bed, for, just before I go to sleep knitting.

It is on size 8 needles, which isn't bad. It is knit from the top down.

The yarn is scented with lavender! But it is SOOOOOO boring!!!!! Round and round. Like a big sock, LOL.

I love the yarn, and the scent makes me sleepy when I am knitting in bed!

The pattern is from "Knitting Pure and Simple"
I love that companies patterns. They are simple, classic patterns.

I am on the first sleeve. I have about 2 inches left. Then I have the other sleeve and a neckline to finish. It is a sweater I am looking forward to finishing.

TUESDAY NITE KNIT

2008-06-10T18:15:00.001-07:00

Yippee

This is our MIA knitter, Linda. Well, its her foot and her FIRST sock!!!!! She did a fantastic job.

I felt I needed to put her picture on top of the others, because e she worked so very hard to learn how to do the gusset and turn. Her yarn is the stuff with the aloe in it, so her feet will be nice and soft! Great job, Linda. Glad you came back. Have a nice vacation in Hilton Head!

I felt it was time to share my knitters and crocheters with you. Every Tuesday night, we are together. We laugh, we eat, we laugh, we cry, we laugh, we share. Oh yes, and we get a few rows of knitting and crocheting in. I am so proud to say these are my friends. They are the kind of people you hope you meet in your lifetime. They really like you, care about you, worry about you , and celebrate all those little things with you, like...... finishing a row! And then there are those major moments, like finishing a beautiful shawl, your first sock and a prized afghan!

Knitter number 1, Jody and her beautiful Shawl. Jody is a great knitter, she is a lefty. And she knits completely opposite of a righty. It is sooo cool to watch her. We love having her with us, her laughter is infectious.

This is Vicky's leg. This is her first sock! She did a great job! I taught her to graph the end tonight, and she did it like a pro. Vicky had a hard time with double pointed so she taught herself the two circular needle way. She finished the sock in no time. Vicky is our speed knitter. She is a no nunsense (LOL) kind of girl!

This is my favorite knit nite buddy. My mom. We are so very proud of her. She claimed she could not learn to do anything crafty. Now, we all knew different. We just had to convince her. We did! This isn't her first afghan, but her second!!! Woop, there it is! Go momma, go momma! We love having her with us every tuesday. She and her very best friend come together.

That would be Donna. She isn't pictured, but her work is. That is her work below. The black and gray. It's from the einstein book. Donna is such a hard worker. She produces the most beautiful pieces. She never likes her stuff, but trust me, it is always really nice.

And our last knitter tonight is.....................

Chrystal. She is making a beautiful jacket for her, well maybe for her, maybe for her baby girl. We will see. Chrystal always is our steady, level headed, always puts things in perspective kinda girl. When we are troubled by something, she always has a way of making you feel better. And its always very practical, very, why didn't I think about it that way, advise.

These are just a few of us, there was one knitter who was MIA, and another who comes when she gets the knitting bug. We all have so much fun together, that I wish the night would last forever. But then, I wouldn't ever get any knitting done! Something I need to do, right now.

Keep knitting. Too hot, try cotton or soy or maybe corn!!! Just knit!

Time waits for no one

2008-06-06T14:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, how did these two cute kids grow up and become really great adults. My daughter graduated last year from high school. In less than three hours the nephew will enter the real world. No more reading, no more writing, no more teachers dirty looks! Well, at least till fall and college.

Life goes so fast. There is an ad on TV, that hits home. A young mom comes in with a fertility statue and the house fills with things and babies and ends with a young girl grabbing her dads keys and saying "Don't wait up". Yep it goes that fast. So if you are a young mom reading this, grab those babies and love them. Kiss those chubby bellies and eat up those tiny cute toes.

I gave the Prayer Shawl to my dying friend. She cried and we hugged. We cried. She loved it and said chemo sometimes makes her cold. And it is perfect. I took some pictures, but my phone camera made the colors so ugly I don't want to post it. It was beautiful.

All the yarn came from Knit One. Rochelle could not have been more helpful. My friends and I had spent most of the morning there, and she offered to serve us lunch right in front of the yarn we were smelling and cooing over for the last hour. We all needed the laugh. Love that place.

Well, as I check my clock I see that I need to gather my tissues and Gatorade(Its outside and its about 95 degrees!) and get ready to go to the graduation.

Oh what is on my needles..... LOTS... Started a summer vest with cotton fleece. Two pairs of socks are on needles and a sweater that the yarn smells like lilac, and a vest. There's more, but you know that. Keep knitting, peace out.

Booga bag

2008-05-13T18:04:00.000-07:00

BOOGA BAG

This is my version of the booga bag. Very fast and easy. Made it for the daughter, but she feels it is too bright.

I love it! The first pic is of the pre-felted bag. I used 3 skeins of Noro 100% wool. In the brightest colors I could find.

The directions don't tel

l you, but I didn't want any leftover yarn. I used two full skeins, then made a 6 foot strap. with the rest of the yarn I continued on the bag, till I used up all the yarn, bound off and felted. I liked the "no yarn left". Just a thought if you make one. I like making the bag and would probably make another. It takes a weekend to do. Or a good road trip.

Not much to blog, I am starting the baby cardigan. It is going to be cute. I can see the fair isle starting. I have to have this done before we leave for summer break.

I will post a pic soon. That's it for now. Take care, keep knitting.

I love my socks!!!

2008-05-10T17:49:00.000-07:00

It is so much fun to see a little boy light up when he gets a pair of handmade

socks. The nephew turned 4 and wanted a bowling party. When I asked him what he wanted, He said, " A Tonka crane and socks!" He got them both from us. And he was soooo excited. After all the gifts were opened and he played a few frames he realized he got socks from his aunt. Grandma helped put them on. The picture says it all. His dad took the picture. After this one, he took another of him with a huge smile on his face. He then put on his shoes jumped off the table and bowled a few more frames. Cute as can be! And, of course he

made his aunt's day!

Just one

2008-05-08T17:54:00.000-07:00

I love, LOVE, to make flower arrangements. I have been making them since high school. Why I never went into the profession, I will never know. Well, I think I do know. I love it, and why ruin it by having to do it everyday, all the time. It's my nephews prom tomorrow and he asked me to make flowers for his girlfriend. You can't see them, but there are two zombies in the flowers. She loves zombies. It was fun to do.

So, I am at the craft store,picking up the things needed to make the bouquet, and happen to end up by the yarn. Oh yea, its on the other side of the store. BUT, I had to walk by and see if they had anything interesting. I spot it. The cutest ball of baby yarn. Blue and pink and soft and well cute... At this point, hubby, whom I told would I would be 15 min, has now made his way into the store after being in the car over 30 min, finds me. "What are you doing over here? I thought you needed flower stuff over there?" No, I got that stuff honey, I'm just visiting over here. He replies, "I have been in the car almost a hour, can you visit later, without me." OK, I'll be out. The one ball of yarn had to come home with me. It's really sweet. I have to make something with it. I am thinking about holding it together with another baby yarn and making a baby blanket, for the friend who is expecting. I know, I will have to return and buy more if I do that, but I will make the sacrifice.

This is short and sweet, because I need to knit!

The Circle of Life

2008-05-01T17:23:00.000-07:00

Life. It never ceases to amaze me. I am feeling like a bi polar knitter. Let me explain. It's not what you think.
I have a friend at school. She is wonderful. Kind, generous and always giving positive uplifting comments. She is dying. Pancreatic cancer. Boom, just like that.
A few weeks ago a precious little fifth grader pops in my room. huge smile. Tells me he misses my class, gives me a hug and looks me dead in the eye and shares the most frightening thing he could ever imagine. His mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.
What do we knitters do with this pain. We knit. We knit prayer Shaw's and chemo caps. With each stitch we pray. Pray for comfort. For a cure, for hope, for strength. Then we finish it, wrap it, and pray, that it gives them all of those things and more.

And then it happens. the darkness lifts. Another friend tells you, after many tries and a miscarriage, she is pregnant. She is glowing, her happiness radiates and captures you. You begin to feel good. Even great. Thankful, she got her wish. She is past the 3 months of worry and looking and feeling better than she ever has. And as a knitter, how do you share in her happiness. You knit! You knit little tiny things. brightly colored things. Things that make you feel GOOD!

SO my invisible friends, what I mean about the Bi polar part is the two extremes in my life at the moment. Each at the extreme end of our emotions. And how do you deal with all of it.
OK, You got it. You knit. And each project is so different, so..........bi polar.

I am knitting bright things! Keeping it up beat and happy! This is a booga bag for my daughter. It is soooooo fast and soooo much fun. I did have to put it aside to make the chemo cap. But I plan on felting it before I leave school tomorrow. Yes, I have a washer in my class room. I am a FCS teacher. And my washer here at home, does not have a agitator, so nothing felts right. My other washer at school is perfect.
And the nephews sweater is so fast, I have stopped to do all the other projects. It is still as cute as can be! And brings a smile to everyone who sees his socks and the half done sweater.

My prized afghan that I won is upstairs waiting for me. I work a few rows before I put my very tired body to rest. It is very beautiful. I would post a pic, but I am too lazy to go upstairs and get it. I may just take the camera and laptop to bed with me and grab a pic and post it. You will see. But for now, I NEED TO KNIT!
I did it. I am not as tired as I thought.
Here are the 30 plus rows that are done.
The colors are totally opposite of me. I am a blue person. But the daughter said I needed to step out of the box, and go opposite of my safe zone. I am enjoying the color change.

2008-04-26T19:11:00.000-07:00

Finally! I wanted to be done by the end of march. Well, I guess April will do. The sweater was fun. Knitted from the top down. Straight knitting, Not a lot of thought. Probably a good thing considering the month we have had.
I blocked it and it washed beautifully. I think I made it a size to big. I seems to have grown while in the wash. Oh well.
I love the color. Circus Peanuts.......

The nephews socks are finished. Lots and lots of fun. I picked up some Comfort at Bloomin a few weeks ago. All the colors in the socks. SO I am making the cute sweater in the picture.

I am having fun with this stuff. It takes me back to when my kids were little. Making cute little things. They are not time consuming and lots of fun.
Hubby is on the mend. He spent 3 days in the hospital. came home last sunday. And is doing OK....He has a long road ahead of him. Mending that is. Things are slow. He is happy he is home and knows it's only temporary. He was a little depressed. I figured it was from being home all week by himself and not being able to go anywhere. So I called all the extended family and threw some burgers and dogs on the grill. It was a wonderful night for cooking out. And it was the perfect medicine for hubby! He got lots of laughs and was brought back to the real world. Work, friends, family and all its problems and all the other stuff in between.
Oh the throw. I started it I will get a pic on here real soon, Promise! It is fast. I am lovin it!

The sun will come out tomorrow

2008-04-19T17:36:00.000-07:00

Day 2 of the second surgery. He is off the IV. And with a little prayer and hope he will come home for good tomorrow. His Surgery was 25 min and uneventful according to the surgeon. Works for me.

I thought about bringing the afghan, but remembered how cramped the waiting area was last time. It was the right move. The waiting room was filled with little seating. The socks were a perfect project. I finished the second pair, today . I had to run back to Bloomin to get more. One skein is not quite enough. I needed 2inches more of work. It seemed like a waste to buy all that yarn for 2 inches, so I bought two skeins, figured I would make my daughter a pair.

I am going to get the afghan as soon as I am done posting. Will add pictures as soon as I get a few rows on.

It seems like things are looking up. I am finishing projects and my husband is healing. We have been blessed.

I told the surgeon yesterday, God brought us to you. Hows that he asked. I said, I had my gallbladder taken out sooner than I planned, we were going to wait till summer, but decided on sooner at the last minute. that's when we realized what a caring, compassionate man you were. My husband trusted you immediately You told my husband you would do his Colonoscopy, and a two weeks later you saved my husbands life. If I would have waited, or never went to the doctors, who is to say when my husband would have gotten the colonoscopy? When the cancer cells broke through the tumors? No... God took care of all that. He then looked at me and smiled. He knew too.

Woop, there it is!!!

2008-04-16T16:40:00.000-07:00

Oh yes, it came today! My winning prize!

I walked in from school, and WOOP there it was!!! It took me twenty minutes to find the camera. It was right where I left it. But I was to excited to see it. Didn't want to open the box, till I took a picture.

Here it is, right before I ripped it out of the box. The colors looked so beautiful.

I just hope I have 11 needles in wood! I will not work this beautiful yarn on anything less.Will check the needle case as soon as I am finished If not, I will be at Bloomin first thing after work.

WOW, I mean WOW, this is soooooo pretty! The mohair is beautiful!

It comes with 6 different patterns you can make. Way, way to many choices! BUT, have no fear, I chose a pattern. I am going to do "Knitted Scallops".

And it could not have come at a better time. Hubby goes into the hospital Friday, for hopefully his final surgery. It will be a 1-2 hour procedure. Which will give me plenty of time to work on the afghan. I am much calmer about this surgery. It is just to put him back together. And the risk is very small this time. So I can pray and knit, calmly. He can't wait to get it done and over with, and I can't wait to be a normal family again.

This scary time has made some positive impact on our family. We are more loving towards each other, more patient. We spend more time together as a family and truly enjoy being with each other. The kids are calmer and not so scared. Even though they are old enough to understand they are still children, and they were afraid of losing their dad. I found being honest with them about this from the beginning was the best way. They weren't afraid to ask questions. And they were aware of everything going on at all times.

Ok, enough of that.... Let me go look for those 11 needles!!!

Happy knitting everyone who reads this, God Bless you and your hands!

Larry had to check out the box too! I couldn't click the camera fast enough to get him smelling all the yarn. Just like his owner, loves to smell the yarn!

Till next time, I still Need to knit!

butterflies

2008-04-15T18:15:00.000-07:00

AWWWW spring! As I work on my circus peanuts cardigan, I am also working on, aaaaaaaa, 4 other projects and, many, many more I want to start. My fingers just don't go quick enough.

I will add a picture or two later of the projects in progress. The butterfly, was taken by my daughter last summer. We were up at our camp, by cooks forest. She is really good with a camera.

It was knit nite. Everyone is working on lighter things. A sure sign of summer. Helped on of my students with her first gusset. She did great. She just needs to let herself go and enjoy the sock. I am finishing up my nephews first sock. Oh, you don't know about that project. My husband and one of my brothers sons, the middle one, have this game going. He always shows my husband his cool socks. And My husband always makes a fuss about how cool they are. SOOOO, I went to the big sale at Bloomin a few weeks ago and picked up the CUTEST jitterbug sock yarn for him. If you ever get the chance to knit with jitterbug, DO IT! Its the second time I have used it and I LOVE IT! It feels so good on the needles.
O, yea, the socks. So I am knitting middle son of brother socks and vest to match for his 4th birthday next month. The yarn, well I will just have to post a picture for you to see.

Laurie said any day now for my gift! Can't wait! I still am amazed that I won!

The boys are watching the hockey game to see who will play the pens, if the pens win. I don't get it, but they don't get gussets, so we are even.

Will post more in a bit. For now, I NEED TO KNIT

Its getting better all the time

2008-03-31T17:01:00.001-07:00

I decided to add my April Kal to this post. I don't have much to add. The weather is beautiful here. So we spent our day out in it!

I thought the dishcloth was appropriate. Spring is finally here!

Have a wonderful day!

I wanted this done by today. Oh Well. I am almost to the armholes. I have to keep reminding myself that, not only am I doing the front, but the back and sleeves all at the same time. SOO the process is a little slower, but not.
I am on the fence with the yarn. Blue Skies Organic Cotton. It does get dirty, easily. Peels a little. I will have to wash it when I finish. I will make my final decision after it is finished.
This is a great book. Lots of inspiration. If you are looking for your purpose in life, this book gives you some thoughts.
I had the pleasure of meeting Debbie, at a signing and reading last fall. She is charming. She tells her story of how she came to be the writer she is today. I have read all her books about the Shop on Blossom street. Its a good read.

These are recovering hubby's socks. I started
one of them on the Florida trip. When his surgery turned out to be more than we bargained for, I felt a profound need to work on them. I can't wait to finish them. The yarn is stiff, not very soft to the touch. I will wash them in some wool lite and hope to soften them.
He is coming along nicely. He had a eight day stay at the hospital. We brought him home on Tuesday morning. Since then he is doing great. A nurse comes every other day or so. And all have been happy with his progress. He sees the surgeon on Thursday and will schedule his second and final surgery. And after that, we will hopefully resume our boring, suburban life again.
In all the drama and sadness that went on in my life last week, a good thing happened. I, who never ever wins anything, won this beautiful kit. Laurie http://laurieg63.blogspot.com/had a contest during lent. Do something nice
for someone. If you want to see what I wrote go to Laurie's blog Feb 2008 and you'll see.
I couldn't believe she was so generous to give away such a beautiful gift! I am so excited and cannot wait to get it and get started on it! She does want me to post the progress. I can and will do that! That way, I have to finish it!!! Look for that page someday soon!
Well, I have some cross-stitch to do. Yes I said cross stitch. I found a new stitch shop not far from Bloomin yarns! We have not had a cross stitch shop since Noble craftsmen. Which closed! The shop is called "The French Knot" BEAUTIFUL! worth the trip to see her shop. It is just so pretty! She is right across the street from Donaldson crossroads. I think it on east mcmurray. Call for times. She has little ones and works around them.
Till the next post, keep knitting!

God will bring you through

2008-03-21T17:11:00.000-07:00

They say; If God brings you to it, he will bring you through it.

I cannot agree more. The surgery was Monday. We, my husband and I, planned a 3 hour procedure, a short stay and back home to a normal life.

Not so. Surgery lasted 4 and a half hours. He has a temporary bag attached and another surgery ahead in 3 weeks.

He has been in the hospital for 5 days. Maybe, he gets to come home tomorrow. When he does, A nurse will visit and he will have to replace the temporary bag every 3 to 5 days.

But, the blessings outweigh all of that. There was no cancer. And if he hadn't pushed for the colonoscopy, cancer would have developed.

SO, I looked at all my UFO's to take to the hospital to work on, and none, called out to me. But this one, bright ,beautiful, sock yarn.

I wound it the other day, before the surgery. I bought at Bloomin Yarns, it was in the one skein basket. marked down drastically, and just as pretty and bright as could be.

It made me smile when I picked it up. So I bought it, hoping to get a pair of anklets out of it.

So, there it was, the morning of what was to be a dark part of our 22 years of marriage, a symbol of what our marriage is. Bright and cheerful, always making me smile. I had to knit it. And I did. I have the first sock done. The next I will work on when we return to the hospital to put him back together.

My advice to this lesson."Listen to your body, it will tell you when something isn't right. Push for the test you need. Most of all pray for the strength to accept what you will be given."

God is good, he will lead you to and through it.

March Kal and some knitting

2008-03-09T19:31:00.000-07:00

The March KAL really had me guessing. I could not figure it out till I went to the designers site and she explained it. Then it was a AHHHH moment.

I did mine in the prettiest shade of blue.

Looking forward to the next KAL. I will probably be doing it from my husband's hospital bed. Bad news, he has to have some of his colon removed due to some tumors. The good news is he doesn't have cancer. Please keep him in your prayers.

So I have my knitting planned for the three to four hour surgery. And the waiting for him to recover too.
I finished this, umm, well, I liked the picture, but it didn't turn out as cute as what I expected. Its from "The Knitter's Stash" .

I put it on and it was too thick around my neck. I think it needs some short rowing in the back to minimize the thickness. And it would probably lay and look much better. That's my two cents on that.

What else is new? Tuesday knit class has turned into, Tuesday laugh a lot knit a little class. We have the best time ever. The ladies are the best around, and make you look forward to the very unpopular Tuesday, no where near friday, night. Everyone is working on their square of the month. One other knitter beside myself, is sticking to the plan. Knit on square a month. The other "Show Offs"(lol) are almost, if not done! GEE WEEZ.

I have decided to add some other colors to the mix, and may rip out what I have done. We will see.

Well its late sunday night and I have an early rise, thanks to the clocks getting pushed forward an hour. Till the next post, Keep knitting, because All I know is I need to knit!

2008-02-23T17:17:00.000-08:00

Mid month KAL. complete. How fun is that! Just watching my favorite show,COPS ,while I blog.

Whats on your needles? I am putting away some heavier projects, and bringing out the cotton.

I started a project out of the new "Knit 'n Style" mag. I am doing it Blue skies organic cotton. The color....Brings back many good childhood memories....Circus peanuts! A yummy peach.The cropped top is knitted from the top down. Nothing to complicated, just fun, and pure enjoyment of the soft yarn going gently through my fingers.

As we leave February, I hope to finish the three spring/summer sweaters on my needles, by the end of March.

I hope that when I post the next KAL, this project will be finished. That would be wonderful!

Cops is over, time to get serious, I NEED TO KNIT!

A glass of wine is cleansing

2008-02-17T16:25:00.000-08:00

Did you ever start cleaning, one thing leads to another, then another and before you know it, its all over. I started right after my first post.
Cleaned two bathrooms. Moved onto my bedroom, finished up the laundry, and headed downstairs to have breakfast. That lead to the kitchen and living room. After that, I thought, you need a break. A big one!
SO, I Grabed the car keys and headed to one of my fav LYS, "Bloomin Yarns", an bought some yummy cottons to start some spring sweaters!
Michelle is always so sweet and helpful. And 9 times out of ten, she always has the exact yarn you want!!! Thats good and bad! I bought yarn for three sweaters!

After that, it was time to put the yarn somewhere so I start it. I looked at my knitting basket................As you can tell from the first picture, the cleaning bug bit again. I dumped it. I know CRAZY!!! I am taking away from knitting time!

I found, LOTS of labels, lots of markers, notes, phone numbers, bills, and a button from a sweater I knit almost 15 years ago. thats it in the picture below. I made a white with blue accent, cotton cardigan. Everything was bought on vacation at the Outer Banks.

I think at that point I decided a glass of wine would help me tackle this project. It did. I was able to get ALL my needles put in order and labled if double or circluar. Put away yarn that was left over. Threw away all those lables. Put the bills where they belonged, and traded out winter projects for new spring projects!
Looks pretty good! And I am sober! It is a clean feeling. Like, gee I wish someone would come over unexpectedly, cause this place looks and smells really good!
Now, with all this cleaning out of the way, for at least a day! I can sit back, pick up my needles and feel good about, not only the yarn going through my fingers, but the clean orginized surroundings. AHHHH, the fun!

Stay warm and KNIT!

Three little kittens lost their mittens

2008-02-17T09:09:00.000-08:00

Oh my. Things did not go as planned. How does that go?"The best made plans...."
Anyway.
I was going to town knitting mittens, then, of course life stepped in.
The walk way had to be shoveled, and I had to cancel knit class,make dinner, clean up dinner, listen to hubby's stories about the roads, etc. etc, etc.....
So I sat down to finish the darker pair of mittens, and Larry the rescue (supposed to be small, found out he's maine coon) cat decided my yarn was yummy, and ate some of it!
I felt that was my sign, that the contest was over and once again I go home without the grand prize. Sigh.

I continue to work on my blue felted purse. I am working on the cream color lace that goes around the flap. If you don't know what I am talking about, its a couple of blogs below. I hope to start the flowers tonight.
Oldest wants to go shopping(she was paid yesterday) and I have about 4 more loads of laundry. Here we go again, and all I need to do is KNIT!

SNOW DAY!

2008-02-12T06:32:00.000-08:00

It is beautiful outside! I love, love, love SNOW!!! This is my front porch, taken from my dining room window. I am going to have my daughter get a better picture, she is much better at capturing the beauty of nature.

EWWWW, a free day, what will I work on? First of course laundry): then the sewing room. I am working on two quilts. One for each of my children. I will post pictures as the quilt grows.

I am working on mittens. I found a pattern and its only taking me a little less than 1 hour to make one mitten, minus the thumb. So maybe I will do a mitten marathon this afternoon. I will start after lunch and see how many mittens I can make! I will post the pictures.

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I challenge anyone reading this to do the same! We will have a contest!!! Start at 12:30 and work till dinner! say 5. then break to eat and continue till 9!*****************************************************************
I may not be able to post my mitten pic's till friday, with work and kids, well you know how it goes, but I will do my best!

I am headed up to the sewing room for a bonus day! Then after lunch let the knitting begin!

Have a wonderful SNOW DAY, where ever you are!

I sat down to start my marathon. Oldest needed help with her sweeties Valentines day gift. She is making him a fleece tie blanket(cute) and needed help on cutting the sides.

Then younger son needed to eat AGAIN! He doesn't like to get his picture taken. He is 13. Need I say more. He is playing xbox live with his friends from school and far away.

OH, SO,needless to say the marathon is not going as planned. Its after 6pm, time to get serious~I need to knit~!