The Laundry is DONE!!!

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

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

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!!!

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!

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

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!

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!