One week down~~

Well, I've made it a week already! Last week at this time I was not a "happy camper" and now a week later here I am blogging! Don't get me wrong I'm not saying it's been an easy week but at least I now can see where this actually will get better! I've had my ups and downs all week~~physically and mentally. I guess I just wasn't prepared to feel as bad as I did. I thought what's the big deal?? Get a few teeth pulled, kick back and relax, catch up on some xmas knitting! Was I ever naive! I didn't feel like doing a darn thing! Xmas knitting has totally been crossed off the list for this year!
So if I don't have any knitting to write about what's there to say?? hmm, not much ~~
Not napping anymore I'm happy to say and I managed to stay awake all evening yesterday and watch TV with KK and Sophie! I must say that Sophie is enjoying this the most~~all this laying around and she's right there with me!
We may have a white Christmas this year. We had snow whiz through yesterday and last night but today the sun was shining~~cold but pretty! I should get outside tomorrow if it's sunny and get a picture of the pond~~Kk hasn't taken the filter out yet and the bubble-er is half frozen~~looks weird. Have to get that out before it freezes completely.
Amazon was really annoying the hell outta me tonight~~I kept trying to sign into my account and couldn't. Then it tells you it's sending you an email to reset your account~~I was waiting and waiting~~gave up and went upstairs to find something to nibble on(haha, nibble on yeah,right~no nibbling for me) I meant smush up. I'm a bit tired of this soft diet~
Anyway when I got back I was able to reset my account and go shopping! I wanted to read Hugh Laurie's (House) book but when KK went to get it for me at Barnes and Noble they said it was out of print and they couldn't get it. There it was right on Amazon just waiting for me to order it!
So I did! Present for me!
While I was straightening up earlier I was glancing at one of my knitting bags and there right on top is my Weekend Sweater~~I could vaguely hear it calling out to me. I ignored it but it's been on my mind ever since~~it's coming out so good and it's really cold now so I could be wearing it~~maybe I should take it out and look at it?? Maybe that's all it would take?? I'll think on it~~
I wanted to thank everyone that's been leaving comments~~I love getting them and read them all. I have to see if there's a setting here someplace so I can respond individually.
Sorry this post is kind of all over the place but that's the way my mind is working these days~~it's the drugs~on that note I'm
Off to eat

Hell Week!!

Before I tell you why it's been "hell week" I want to say that I hope all of you that celebrate Thanksgiving had a wonderful day! We enjoyed our day at dd's and certainly ate way more than we needed too! I'm glad that we did because the next day was the beginning of~~"hell week" for me!
I spent Friday decorating and putting up the tree. Made a nice dinner and while eating managed to break my two front teeth! Granted they were part of a bridge but the fact is I was missing two teeth! Luckily I didn't swallow them! gross~~ Now remember this is Friday night of a holiday weekend~~no way were these getting fixed before Monday! Let's just say that it was an interesting couple of days! I'm not worried thinking that Monday morning I'll pop into the dentists and get these repaired~right?? No~~not happening~~can't be fixed and the other center two are loose! They need to come out! So, after what seemed like hundreds of x-rays and much gagging it was determined that I had bone loss since the bridge was made and another one would not be an option!
I won't go into all the gory details but first thing Tuesday morning I was having major oral surgery! 13 extractions and three hours later I was on my way home!
I've spent the week with ice packs for swelling(which didn't work) taking drugs for pain, and trying to figure out what I can eat! By the end of day one I looked as though I had chipmunks for close relatives! Who knew that skin could stretch that much? It would have been a great look for Halloween!
Now eating is a whole new experience! Chewing is not an option yet~~so we're thinking mushy baby food consistency here. I've already had enough applesauce to last me a life time. Still liking that chocolate pudding tho! KK and I went out for a bit today and we literally strolled up and down all the food isles at the grocery store! Now if you knew me you'd know that it's odd for me to even go to the grocery store let along check all the isles! Kk does most of the shopping ~~for some odd reason he likes it~~I always tell him his hobby is food shopping!
I finally found a few things so I have a bit of variety until I can eat normal~~which they tell me will probably be weeks.
One thing I really wanted that I used to enjoy is Cream of Rice~~no luck ~~do they even still make it?? Anyone know?
I settled for some flavored oatmeal,pudding,mac&cheese,cup of soup, canned soup, yams,instant potatoes. We stopped at the market and I picked up some bananas that I can mush up. Sounds appetizing,huh? Picked some flavored drinks~~seems I'm more thirsty. Something weird about this ~~coffee has lost it's appeal for some odd reason! I loved my coffee but this whole week I only had about a cup when Heather came over to visit yesterday! It's not that I didn't think about it. Earlier in the week I made two fresh pots only to dump it down the drain!
The positive side of this is my stomach hasn't felt this good in months! hmmm, could it be sending me a message??
Needless to say I lost the whole week of knitting time. It's what??? three weeks before xmas?? Really not a good time for this. They said I'll feel better each day--my only hope is that I can stay awake for an entire day so I can work on something! I've already decided that I won't worry about doing everything I originally planned on. I'll be satisfied to get the couple main things finished.
I received a wonderful package from my swap partner Maggan from Sweden this past week. It was the bright spot of the week! A beautiful soft variegated brown Opal sock yarn~~a perfect color for me. Candy,stitch markers,key chain,map of her area,Tea, ~~a great swap!
Well it seems I'm tired so ~
Off to rest

Meme

Here you go:
MEME
You
Can
Only
Type
One
Word
No
Explanations
1. Yourself: Friendly
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend (spouse):caring
3. Your hair: short
4. Your mother: deceased
5. Your Father: deceased
6. Your Favorite Item: iPod
7. Your dream last night:vacation
8. Your Favorite drink:coffee
9. Your Dream Car: VW
10. The room you are in:family
11. Your Ex: ??
12. Your fear:water
13. What you want to be in 10 years? retired
14. Who you hung out with last night? Ken
15. What You're Not:lazy
16. Muffins: Blueberry
17. One of Your Wish List Items:peace fleece
18. Time:flies
19. The Last Thing You Did:bathed
20. What You Are Wearing:pj's
21. Your Favorite Weather:warmish
22. Your Favorite Book:??
23. The Last Thing You Ate:chowder
24. Your Life:quiet
25. Your Mood:changes
26. Your best friend:Heather
27. What are you thinking about right now?eating
28. Your car:mini-van
29. What are you doing at the moment? typing
30. Your summer:short
31. Your relationship status:married
32. What is on your TV?nothing
33. What is the weather like?foggy
34. When is the last time you laughed?earlier
35. Who do you tag? everyone!

So there you have it! More than you ever wanted to know about me~
For all of you celebrating Thanksgiving I hope you had a great day!
Couldn't have asked for better weather for this time of year~~it was so sunny,no wind and not too cold~~a almost perfect fallish day!
Hurried like mad this morning to knit up the KAL dishcloth of a turkey to take to DD today. I forgot that I started it and never got back to it. She really likes the cotton cloths so it seems that every one I've finished lately goes right to her. It was only fitting to take the turkey one to her~~she was thrilled. You would have thought I gave her a great present!
Dinner was good~~ate waaaayyy to much and then later had pie~~not one piece but two!
Then we scooted home to take care of Sophie and we were off again to spend the evening with friends. He makes a delicious turkey chowder every year so we wound up eating again~which we certainly didn't need to do. I must say the Captain&Coke was exceptionally good~~wish I had one right now! Well, we'll just see what I think about them come morning!
Finished the scarf yesterday and blocked it~~went to take a picture and my batteries are dead. They should be charged by the morning so I'll be able to get a photo.
I'm wondering what to cast on next? So many choices!
I'm debating if I should fight the crowds tomorrow and attempt a little shopping. KK actually mentioned a couple things he would like for xmas! He never wants anything!
Just think there are some people that are going to be getting up in a couple hours to go shopping!
Crazy!!
Off to bed

Eye Candy!

I did it~~

I KIP today! I had an appointment to get a MRI done and I had time to kill so I whipped out my knitting in the waiting room and worked away. I didn't notice any reactions at all~~I purposely looked around to see if anyone was watching~~nope, no one! I thought that was weird!
I'm on a scarf quest right now~~this one is almost finished. I'm using Plymouth Tweed that I love the looks of if not the feel. It could be softer but what the heck it looks good! I only wish I wore hats so I could make a matching one! Hats look so cute on some but I hate them on me~not to mention the dreaded "hat hair". Maybe I'll do mittens instead~~
Seems like I've been knitting like mad but nothing new finished.
The Weekend sweater looks good~~the body is finished now on to the sleeves. I think I'll have to get that fourth skein of yarn to complete it tho~~I was hoping I wouldn't have to.
DD's afghan is so close to being finished! It's almost as long as me and at a few inches over five feet that's a lot of crocheting! I'm sure she's going to be pleased when she gets it at xmas~~even tho she's been hinting that it would make a nice surprise on Thanksgiving! I don't think so~~
Seems odd not to be running around to the grocery stores picking up all the fixings for Thursday's dinner. DD&Partner wanted to do the cooking again this year. Works for me!
We are going to get a turkey tomorrow while they're on sale and stick it in the freezer. In a couple weeks I'll make the same meal here~~no leftovers when you go out!

I've got so many projects that I want to do again ~I'm thinking after the holidays I want to try a fair isle something. A sweater would be nice but I'm thinking that starting out small might be a better idea! I mentioned it to the lys owner and she said she'd help me get started. Think I'll pull out some magazines and browse for a pattern.
All of a sudden I feel christmasey~ I'm ready to put the tree up!! Weird~~last year I couldn't have cared less if the tree went up or not! Started the yearly Amaryllis (sp?) bulb. I remembered on time this year so maybe it'll be in flower at xmas instead of mid-February like last year! lol~~
I want to finish that scarf tonight so
Off to knit

Bad,Bad Blogger!

Ok, I admit I 'm a bad blogger! It seems every time I think about blogging something comes up~~mostly knitting! I have so many things I want to accomplish that I feel guilty getting on here to even read my emails! I must say that I've been on a finishing streak~~finally!
Noro Silk Garden socks~done!
Regia Fluted Bannisters~done!
Magallanes Wool socks~done!
Sweater for CIC~done Cute,huh? This is going to go to Russia hopefully to keep a little one warm. Did a size 6 figuring that would be more useful than a smaller size. Used two skeins of Plymouth Galway and had about 15/20 inches left! Talk about cutting it close! This pattern is done sideways from the first sleeve across to the other.
Interesting watching it take form the first time you try it! They really need more sweaters and vests so if you have odds and end wool in your stash and a little extra time a sweater or vest would be appreciated.
I had a good mail day today~~received my exchange pkg. from Pat at Creative Korner~~
Not one but two cloths and two bars of handmade wonderful smelling soap! I'll have to find out if she made it!

Doing good on DD's xmas afghan. I'd say it's about half finished! She's going to get some dishcloths also~~I've been stockpiling them!!
hmmm, now what could this be??? I've been reading a lot of comments about the knit picks Options circulars so I finally ordered a set. Guess that means I'll have to start something new to try them out!If you get their catalog you can guess what the yarn is for!
Now if the holiday spirit has you in a giving mood you might want to hop over to Lynn's blog at
http://www.iwasknittogetherinmymotherswomb.typepad.com/
she's trying to collect 300 pair of mittens for a church in Buffalo to distribute to the needy. That's a lot of mittens!
Have been to a couple knit nites again~~always enjoy that. Nice to see what everyone is doing.
I've decided to do the Weekend Sweater from Pure and Simple or is it Plain and Simple~~I can never keep that straight. Anyway it's a plain pullover done from the neck down using Lamb's Pride Burly Spun on size 17's!! I was going to do it in cream but changed to a Charcoal Grey instead. Using those 17's are so awkward after using 1&2's!!
For some unknown reason I've been on a cleaning binge~~my craft room was totally out of control~again! Did some rearranging and I can at least walk in there without tripping over something! Not done yet but definite progress.
Knitting is calling me so~~
Off to knit

Eye Candy Friday!

Going Somewhere???

Friday the 13th

This is what we woke up to this morning~~
Our back yard~~just yesterday the goldfinch were all over this feeder!!
The branches that are touching the ground all snapped off as the day wore on. Heck of a way to trim trees!
Looking out the front door~~just makes you shiver,huh??
The sidewalk along the left side of the house~~the blob in the lower
left is three seven foot high Rose of Sharon shrubs~~many broken branches.
This storm started yesterday afternoon with rain and by dinner time it was a full fledged snowstorm!! I don't remember ever having snow this early in the season~~sometimes at Halloween there's a dusting.
I went to bed last night by 8 o'clock with a terrible migraine which I haven't had in months~~wonder if the weather had anything to do with it? I woke sometime during the night to a strange humming noise~~very loud~~three different times~~then the power was out.
Not a good thing~~snow,wind and no heat!! Nasty!! Needless to say the house was really, really cold!! I can't even tell you how many times I walked into the bathroom and flipped the light switch! Using the facilities by candlelight just doesn't cut it!
KK and I finally left the house around 11 to scrounge up some breakfast and the much needed coffee!! It was unbelievable driving through the city. Some streets were totally closed while workers were trying to clear the trees. Lines were down everywhere. The odd thing was the roads were fine for driving~slushy no ice. Most places were closed~~one gas station had cars lined up at all the pumps and backed up down the highway. The other station was closed.
We finally found a restaurant open and it wasn't busy! Soaked up the warmth and had a nice breakfast and the much needed coffee!! I really hated to leave~~I almost volunteered to do the dishes just so I could stay but I came to my senses!! Got back home and still no power ~~KK went to work and Ds and I went out so he could eat! Wound up at the same restaurant!
They have good pie!
I actually tried to knit a bit but my hands were so cold I gave that idea up. Remembered that I charged up my iPod and added a couple new podcasts so I bundled up on the couch and listened to that. After a while Sophie was whining to go out so I untangled myself from the blankets and got up. I started to go downstairs and I heard a click~~yes!!!! Power!!! Ran to the thermostat and cranked on the furnace!!! I turned on lights, and ran the dishwasher hoping to generate some heat!! I thought if the power goes again at least it'll be warmed up in here! Here it is almost 10 and it hasn't gone out again. We're lucky~~in the city of Buffalo and the surrounding areas there are thousands without power and now they're telling everyone not to drink the water without boiling it first. DD is in that mess~~a driving ban is on so she's stuck there.
After this I think I'm going to look into getting some sort of small heater and a couple oil lamps. I've wanted to get one of those lamps that I see at flea market/antique shops but never seem to pick one up~~I'm going to now. Candles are nice but they don't throw enough light to do anything! As long as I could read or knit I'd be happy and Kk would fall asleep!
OTN is the Wave and Shell shawl out of the yarn I got at the fiberfest. It's coming along nicely. I was a bit concerned that I would run short of yarn but I think there's going to be plenty.
Also working on a Ripple crochet(ewww, the "C" word) afghan one of two I need for xmas gifts. I'm on the third of 15 skeins! Good progress considering the wacky week!! Speaking of which
Off to crochet

Eye Candy Friday

All together now,
Awwwwwww, twins!!

All Most Forgot~~

Eye Candy???? lol~~

Eye Candy!

Sophie, my year and half old Boston Terrrier who rules the house!

What's up

With these computers the last week?? So many are commenting that their pc's are really, really slow! Wonder what's causing it?? I started to panic thinking I was crashing again. Every thing is working but in slow motion~~kinda like me these days!
It's getting cold~~not cool ~~cold! Going to be down in the 40's tonight which means the house is going to be freezing in the morning. Kind of morning you just want to stay under the covers! Course if I'm being honest I have lots of those!
More fiberfest for your viewing pleasure~~
Heather shopping!
Sweaters on the hoof!
I don't usually have that dumb ass look on my face but just as I started petting this big boy some woman makes the comment that he's going to spit so I'm thinking "ewwww, hurry and take the photo!!" Thankfully he never did spit and he wasn't very cuddly sort of scratchy feeling.

That's it for fiberfest until next year!! Wait, that's not true there's going to be a local fest next Saturday. It was quite small last year but hopefully each year it'll get bigger and better. Since it's not that far I'm planning on checking it out. I'll be sure to remember my new motto
"self-control".
I can't decide if the shawl is done or not. I added a ruffle instead of fringe but now I'm wondering if the ruffle is wide enough? Does it look too skimpy for the size of the shawl?
Can you make it out?? Doesn't Pearl look lovely?? Here's the back view ends still not woven in.
What do you think more ruffle or not??
I've been blog reading a lot lately and I always read the blog lists that some post on their sidebars and I'm never there! Does anyone ever read this thing?? I guess I shouldn't care because when I first started it I did it for myself. Just someplace I could vent and say what I felt and blather on about whatever struck my fancy at that moment. Then I discovered blogland and it was interesting to read what everyone is up to. All of a sudden it hit me~~people I don't even know may be reading what project I'm attempting or what ticked me off that day! So should I drive myself crazy and attempt to get that dam button back on here so someone can add it to their blog list?? I'm almost afraid to add anything to that template knowing how temperamental it is. All it takes is one small twitch and everything goes haywire and I really don't feel up to redoing this thing again!
Maybe I'll try it in the morning! I mean after all "it's as cute as a button"
Off for a snack

Forever changing!!

Here I am again with a new look~~not my idea! For some reason my blog goes haywire and drops everything from the side and sticks it at the bottom. What's up with that?? I realize I must be doing something to cause this to happen~~but what??? It's so annoying having to add everything back on. I still don't have some things but at least I'm here!!
I've been trying since Sat. to get to these photos from fiberfest! After getting a late start Heather and I got there to find the parking field a huge mud hole! We lucked out and got a relatively dry parking spot and we were off!! The day was overcast and started out cool but thankfully it never rained.
Blogger is being stubborn the pictures won't upload so I'll have to come back and add them later~
I found two yarns that I liked~~well more than two but remember ~~self-control?? I did good but it took all day and a couple trips around the whole fest for me to make up my mind! I dragged Heather around and around while I decided and she actually found one for me.
I picked a brown/rust variegated wool/camel down yarn for the Wave and Shell Shawl. This is hand dyed and when it's gone it's gone! They only had three skeins of the color I wanted so I'll make it as long as it lasts!
Then we found a pattern for another shawl that we both really liked and doesn't look to difficult. For that I purchased 1,000 yds. of Peruvian Alpaca in a very soft brown. The name escapes me at the moment. It's so soft I can just imagine it as a blanket! KK liked it and said I should do a sweater~~yeah, right.
We found a booth where the woman makes soap that smells wonderful and she makes the most awesome bags!!! We were there forever and wound up leaving with two bags~~one each!! Heather gifted me with one for my b'day and she got one for herself too. Lots of pockets inside and mine has a handmade button on the front. These are tapestry fabric bags so they're really sturdy~~let's see if blogger will do a photo now~~
There ya go~~isn't it great???


Now you can understand why it's so difficult to make a decision,right? There's rows like this all over!! It's a bit overwhelming that's why it's good to go with a project or two in mind so you don't random buy.

Sophie approves~~see her collar?? She's dressed for fall! DS says it looks like she has a scrunchie around her neck~~she does~~lol
An antique knitting machine-- I've never seen one before, Notice on the left side of the table a csm (circular sock machine) is attached. Now that is something I'd love to have!
awwww~~this little guy was a handful. He was not happy about this at all! Hey, who wants to get naked in front of all these people?
Enough?? Ok, I'll save some photos for tomorrow. Blogger must be tired the photos are taking forever to upload s I'm going to post this--hopefully and call it a night!
Off to knit

Eye Candy Friday

Concords Ready for Picking


For me??

Please???

Friday

It's Friday and I'm happy because tomorrow is fiberfest!!!! It's still raining but the weather report is for a nice sunny day!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!
I still have to get my patterns together but I'm doing that right when I get off here. I'll be ready!!
I'm going to have self-control no matter what!! I''m not going to buy yarn with no project in mind! My stash runneth over~~literally!!
Now here is a fun little thing I found while cruising blogland this morning~~
http://purlywhites.typepad.com what fun!! Let's see if I can keep up with it tho~~lol~~
I really have to get something done before I have to go out later so
Off to get dressed

Just because

you can knit something doesn't mean that you should! Really, have you looked around blogland and seen some of the things out there?? There are some really hideous patterns and some of us really loose all common sense and we knit these awful things!!! Now if you saw these things for sale in a store you'd be speechless at the nerve of the retailers expecting us to spend our money on such garbage but ~~we knit them!! WTF???? I don't get it! Maybe we (I'm writing we but I certainly don't mean me) maybe we plan of giving all this nasty stuff away?? To someone we really don't like???
Such a shame "you knit what" stopped blogging~~now that was always good for a interesting read! I used to think some of the things they'd show were really a joke but they weren't. They were honest to goodness patterns or items they found on someone's blog. Nasty!!
Ok enough rant and on to my knitting~~the shawl is coming along quite nicely. I'm so glad that I added the strand of mohair it makes all the difference with the color. Now I'm just inches short of completing the first full skein of Schaffer and I'm not sure if it needs to be any bigger. It's really quite scrunched up on my 40" needles right now. I can't stretch it out until I run a cord through all the stitches.
My next idea is the fringe~~to bead or not to bead? I'm thinking they would add more interest but I can't find what I want. The problem is I don't know what I want. I had in mind something really different/unusual but I can't find the right thing. I stopped at the usual stores and then went to the bead store~~one problem is the hole size~~most are too small. Once into the larger holes the beads get bigger and that means heavier too. Not good~~
So the search continues~~~
Finished another cloth and started another for an exchange. This cloth knitting is so addicting! You can finish one so quickly and they aren't expensive so you can go wild with your stash!! See?? That's all Sugar and Cream and peaches and Cream cotton! Guess I can do a lot of cloths!

And to prove that I'm actually accomplishing something~ there are three Mason-Dixon ball bands and some from the MDKAL~~blog links on the side over there~the stack keeps growing!

It's been so dark and dreary and raining the last couple days . In between the bouts of rain I took these photos~~ honest to goodness grapes on the vine! Did this vine know I wanted to rip it out next spring and plant something new?? It's been in for 10 years and I've been trying to get it to cover this small arbor in my back yard. Never even hinted that it could actually produce any grapes and low and behold there they are!! I was so excited!!lol~~They're Concord grapes and we don't even like them but who cares ~~they look wonderful!! Guess I'll have to look into how to take care of this thing~~I'm sure it must need to be pruned or something? Anyone know??


Fiberfest is this weekend and I can not wait to go!! I'm taking a couple patterns with me so I can look for yarn. So I'm
Off to find my patterns~~

It's over~~

Thank goodness vacation and b'day is over!! We had a great time and I'm exhausted!! KK purposely took this time to coincide with my b'day and Labor Day! This way he had more days off. We did more than I thought we would since we decided to do local things. Well, not really local but we stayed in-state.
After many years of wanting to go to the Corning Glass Works museum we finally made it! That was an enjoyable day. There is so much to look at and we made flowers!! Let's just say that was interesting and it's not quite as easy as it looks.


This piece is in the lobby and I had to have a picture of it! Can you just imagine having to dust that??? lol~~

Let me see if I can find us doing our flowers!!
Well, here's me getting my protective gear on and I'm trying my best to make it look like a flower! See that bright spot there?? That's one hot oven!

Ta Da!!! That's my baby she's holding~~have to pop it in the anelian (sp) oven before it breaks to cool until the next day. I know that isn't spelled right but you get the gist~~
Now here's the man of the hour doing his best~~ it looks so easy until you try it and then you
totally panic~~You have to work very quickly before the glass cools so it doesn't crack. KK did very well actually, much better than I did. He could pull out the petals where I had trouble just hanging on to the huge grippers!! You have to hold your arm at an angle and pull very quick to shape the petals ~~then you stretch the flower head waaayyy out to thin out the stem and then scrunch (technical term) it back to make it curl. It was really fascinating to see the glass blob take shape! Now to find the finished photo~~hang on~~oops, must still be in the camera~~darn it! I'll try to get it on here later.
We stayed in Utica at the Hotel Utica a restored 1930/40's hotel. Very nice~~loved the lobby, leaded glass lamps of every color and shape. Mammoth crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Music from the era was playing~~they had Romeo and Juliet too~~two of the prettiest love birds I've ever seen! They were displayed in a cage on a table with their own brass name plagues! Rooms were nice and they had a hot breakfast buffet included.
Kk really loves that camera!! lol~
In the morning we took the Scenic Adirondack Train ride to Old Forge. That was nice~~very peaceful and relaxing two hour ride. In the fall the ride has to be breathtaking with the fall foliage. Once in Old Forge we took the lake cruise~~another two hour ride. Thankfully it was sunny, but a bit cool for me so every once in awhile I went inside to warm up. Old Forge was a shoppers haven~~we didn't have time to do the shops justice tho~~so that calls for a road trip back! Everyone was talking about the hardware store and I'm thinking "big deal, all this way to go to a hardware store?" Well, let me say this was my kind of hardware store!! They had everything you could possibly think of!! And the best part???? Go straight, hang a right, go straight and you're right smack dab in the middle of a yarn shop!!! I mean a real lys!!!! They had the best yarns,patterns,books,needles everything!!! Who would have thunk it???? So of course since it was vacation I had to get a souvenir, right??? So I picked up one skein of Mt. Colors in a variegated deep red colorway. Fooled ya right, thought I got more?? Nope, I was good~~didn't know what else we had planned so I didn't want to use up all my $$ right away.
Another day we went to the NYS fair~~KK and I have wanted to do this the last few years and never made it so finally we did. It was fun even tho we had to run through the raindrops all day!
It was good to get home that night and sleep in our own bed! Next morning we were off and running again this time with DD. We had a shopping day planned for my b'day. She wanted me to pick out some clothes but I opted for a new watch instead. We had lunch out and then went to Barnes and Noble for coffee and browsing. I picked up a couple knitting magazines which I still haven't looked at!!
Next day was the CNE in Toronto~~another full day and more dodging the raindrops! Fun
non- the less. Coming home was a bit scary as they has high wind warning on the bridge signs lit up~~and it was still raining! A bit nerve racking for KK and he was glad to get home!
Sunday , KK and I hit the Galleria and it was like the week before Xmas~~insane! Did some shopping and then DS took me out for b'day dinner!! This was becoming quite a b'day!!!lol~~
KK gifted me with the photo printer that matches my computer so now I have that to figure out!
I'm sure there's more to blather about but I must say that I'm really tired tonight even tho it's so early so I'm going to post this and call it a night!
Off to rest~~~~

Bad Blogger~

I don't know what it is lately but I just don't get here to blog! I'm on~~reading emails, enjoying blogs, Looking for yarn~~so I can't say that I don't get computer time. I'm actually on here more than I should be if I want to do all the things I have flipping around in my head!
Here we are at vacation time and the two things I really wanted to have done ~~aren't! I have to say it's not my fault ~~really!
Remember the sleeveless top??? Here it is ~~I was really quite pleased with the way it's working up.









Now I'm totally annoyed with it! I've stopped at the lys to check on the status of my missing skeins to find out that it probably won't be coming any time soon. It's a slow time for the lys and they are having some difficulties so they aren't getting their orders.
The other PITA is the Schaffer yarn that I've been hoarding for almost two years. I finally decided it must get used for something now! So I started a shawl~~three times!! This yarn is going to be worn out before I even get to wear it! I have learned a lesson through all this tho~~some of those free patterns on the net are worth exactly what you pay for them~~nothing!
So after a trip to another lys( not the above mentioned one) and a nice visit I decided one of the problems was the color of this yarn~~ it's not "me"! After much debate I added another yarn to it~~a soft mohair in a bronze/gold colorway. It softens the red and teals and now it's soooo me!!
Course the shawl is no where near done but at least now I like it! I'm using a Fiber Trends pattern~~basically garter but there's some lacey rows mixed in. I'm adding more than what the pattern has because I didn't want so much garter.
You ever get one of those days??? Well last week was one of those weeks for me! Seems everything I did or tried to do was wrong! It was one thing after another~~hopefully that's over. I managed to finish another dishcloth without any major injuries so I think I'm over it!
I joined the stitchmarker exchange and I received my package already from Joye. She says she's new at this but she could have fooled me! It's hard to see the markers but take my word for it they are terrific! She also included a beautiful lace scarf pattern tht I may have to try!
Joye, yours will be in the mail mid-week.
KK and I are going to have a mini get-away. We're going to leave early tomorrow morning and drive to the Corning Glass Works Museum. I have wanted to go there the last couple years and we never made it. I 'd like to try the lampwork beads workshop and the glass blown flower. They say the workshops are hard to get in to so I'm hoping we get there early enough that we make at least one of them. Bet you can't guess which bag I packed first? Ok, so you knew it was the knitting bag. I've got socks, enough for two washcloths and a couple magazines all ready to go! Not to mention my iPod is charged and loaded with knitting podcasts! Now I'm sitting here thinking I really should take the shawl with me~that would mean another bag~I'll have to think on it.
After Corning we're going to drive to Syracuse have dinner and spend the night then catch the
NY state fair. I haven't been to a fair in ages so it should be fun!
Look at that!! The family!! We all got together to take Talia our gd roller skating! KK and I on the right~~ds, dd and gd on the left.
Don't bother looking to see if I have skates on~~I don't! I had such a busy day that day I was exhausted! It was nice to have dd and ds together ~~it was weird being at the rink. Ds played hockey here for years and KK coached. Sure brought back memories~~like the one where ds hit his thumb on the side wall while skating and the next morning it was sore but I made him go to school to find out later in the day his thumb was broken!! Mom knows best, right? lol~~
It's time to get off here and finish a few things before bed so~~
Off to pack~more

Good Morning!

It is still morning, right?? I have been up for all of 10 minutes! I never stay in bed this late so I'm going to blame the antibiotics!!
What a good blogger I am doing this before I start anything else! I figured I better or I'll never get to it later.
As promised new pictures!! See that over there??? I'm sure you do you can't miss it! This was a gift from friends of ours. They found it at an auction and decided they should give it to me because I have the birds! I don't know if you can tell from the photo but it's quite large at a bit over 3' by 2'. I was going to hang it in my living room window but it was so long that it reached the sill. It now hangs in
front of the sliding glass door in my kitchen. The colors don't really match the kitchen but I'll live with it!
Now for knitting news ~~
Here's the WIP Mason-Dixon loops rug done on #35 needles. See the size
of that needle laying there?? Try going from #1's to that!! Makes for interesting knitting! I don't work on it for any length of time now that it's so heavy. I am anxious to get it done and see where the heck it'll end up!! It doesn't match anywhere ! I wish that I would have seen the new colors AC Moore is carrying when I started this one. It's a fun project if you want something that's easy~~kids could even help you connect the loops.
OK, on to the next project~~


Finished washcloth from cotton tots~~very soft. Will use this to make more because I think these will work nicer than the peaches and cream for face cloths . I think it's softer and of course we want soft for our faces, right?? Who cares for the dishes!
On to the next WIP~~

Notice I left this photo full size so you could really appreciate it! lol~~I'm quite happy with the way this sleeveless top is turning out. So far I've had no problems keeping track of where I am! I'm happy with the color and hopefully my other two balls will come in soon. As of yesterday they were not in~~so much for getting them within the week! With any luck maybe I'll be able to take it with me when KK and I take our road trip!

I'm sitting here wishing it was a bit warmer! I can't believe just last week we were complaining about the heat and now it's chilly! Have been sleeping with the windows open and a blanket on!
It's nice outside today in the sun~~warmer than in here but since I'm not dressed yet I'd best stay in! Scarry sight first thing in the morning with only one cup of coffee consumed so far!
I am going to jump off here but before I go I will mention that I received a couple emails about that group mentioned in the previous post. Apparently yahoo automatically sends out that denial letter if the moderator doesn't respond within 14 days. There are circumstances that have kept the moderator off the list that are much more important. I will bit the bullet and reapply at a later date.
Now I'm
Off to knit

Looonnnggggg Weekend!

How come when you need the time to go by quickly it seems to really drag?? Normally I would be happy if the weekend went by slowly for that would mean it was relaxing no rushing around.
That was not the case this past weekend tho~~Thursday I was thinking maybe I'm coming down with a summer cold. That wouldn't have surprised me at all with the running in and out of a/c that I've been doing. Friday got up and didn't feel bad so I thought it passed~~but by late Friday I thought it's not a cold it's a toothache!! Oh, no!! What to do??? Can't get it looked at until today~~so by today I thought for sure I had an infection because my face hurt,terrible ear ache,
and I sounded congested. Nasty!! We were going to find a new dentist but of course we never got around to it~~not good to wait until you really need to go! I was able to get in to see one that's only a few minutes from home! He was great~~my only complaint?? The novacane hasn't
worn off from 1 this afternoon and it's now after 10!! That seems odd to me~~my face is swollen a bit and it's very tingley on one side so I'm thinking that it's finally wearing off. Interesting having that cup of coffee that I really needed after the appointment! Did I mention ~~drool???? Not a pretty picture!!
I have been doing a bit of knitting and if I can ever get the photo to upload I'll show you!! Nope,not happening ~~I'll have to try again later.
In the mean time here is some important info all the blog land knitters should be interested in!!
http://home.valornet.com/sabruf2/countchr.html
You can never start too early!!! lol~~
Ok, I'm back two days later!! Wound up going to the doctor's yesterday because once that novacaine wore off the ear ache was back with a vengeance!
Major sinus infection going on~~some strong antibiotics and 48 hours I should be feeling much better.
We'll see~~
Now back to the knitting~I stopped at the lys the other day and that's why this project is in the works~~
I stopped in to say "hello" and they were having a sale. You picked a slip from a bowl and that was your discount. For the first time I actually picked a good one~~50% off!!! Now be honest could you pass that up???
Of course not! There was something about this top that I have to have it!I don't "do" clothes but for this I made an exception! Wonderfully soft Ivory bamboo with a slight sheen~~perfect!


#2 - I'm really being optimistic here~~Xmas gift in the dream stage! I've been wanting to try the Log Cabin from Mason-Dixon~~DD could use a new throw. What better excuse to start another project?? Being practical for once though and bought acrylic. With all the pets it's the best choice.



Progress! This is so much fun to do!! Just when you get bored with the "log" it's time to change colors. This is great mindless tv watching knitting!






There's yet another project OTN but I forgot to get a photo. I'll save that for tomorrow.
I've also finished a couple wash and dish cloths so the stack is growing. Speaking of dishcloths did you ever get denied from a yahoo group???? I've never heard of that happening to anyone before!! I applied to a dishcloth group and was denied !!! WTF????
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Love2Knit_Dishcloths/ Check it out and see if you rate! Don't tell me if you get accepted cause that'll really tick me off!!
Let me think~~~~what else can I show you??? Want to meet Pearl??? No choice, it's my blog so here she is

Not the half finished sweater from last winter ~~Pearl's under it! I've been wanting a dress form for ages, who knows why but I was thrilled to find her. She was in this nasty building full of junk they were calling antiques. I actually saw her last year but never caught the place open when I had time to stop until a few weeks ago. I saw the open sign and told DS we're stopping and don't say a word!! I go in the building and there she was in the same spot collecting more dust/spiders!!! I was so excited until they said "oh, that's not for sale"!! "Oh no,I remembered her from last summer and I've been trying to catch you open just to buy her for my sewing room" I'm whining and probably look a bit crazed at this point and it was soooo hot that day I'm sure they wanted to get rid of me so they could go back and sit in front of their fans with their cool
drinks. Ok, fine we'll sell!! Yeah, I'm happy ~~they're happy~~DS is thrilled we're outta there!
She's standing next to the "ugly" dresser and you'll notice all the cotton below her to be made up into wash/dish cloths! We won't mention the one armed sweater with all the needles hanging out of it~~ok??? It's a design feature~~~
I've been watching way too much HGTV!!
Time for bed
Off to sleep

Better??

My new look! Not quite sure if it's "me" yet but at least everything is where it belongs!
I'm not even going to try to add anything right away for fear of screwing it up again!
Had a nice day today with KK. We just puttered around the house a bit this morning then it started to get too hot to do anything so we decided to go out for awhile. At least in the car there was a breeze!
Didn't feel like coming right home so we stopped at B&K to browse. The new issue of Creative Knitting is out so I picked that up. Looked through a couple other magazines but nothing else caught my fancy. First time I had an iced coffee there and I must say that I like the coffee from Tim Hortons and MacDonalds better and it's less expensive!
I had a visitor this evening that I haven't seen before~~a hummingbird!! I was walking around the side of the house which I never go on to look at the plants. There's a huge Rose of Sharon over there and I'm looking at it and I see this huge bug! I'm thinking what the hell is that kind of bug??? Then as it came around the front I could see it's wings flapping and it's long beak ~~I watched as it went from flower to flower! It was awesome! I thought of the camera and ran in the house to grab it but by the time I got back it was gone~~so no photo. I'm going to be on the lookout and maybe I'll be able to get a picture if it comes back.
I've been knitting on the loop rug and it's coming along. Those 35's are a bit tough on the hands so I only get a few rows done at one sitting. I did go back to get more loops and the color is different. I'm not sure what I'll do now but I don't think I have enough. The new color is more like what they show in the book. I wish they would have had this color in the first place I like it better.
Still working on the black SFS. Slow going~~very slow going. They'll get done but it's still going to be awhile.
I've been scouting around again for a shawl pattern for that Schaefer yarn I've got stashed. It's been on my mind again since I did some rearranging. I've got to hide it better so I quit running across it! There has to be a pattern out there that I like and I can do that'll work with this yarn~~right???
My mind has been on overdrive with all the things I want to do again. I guess my knitting slump is over!
It's late and I'm going to try to get some sleep so~~
Off to bed

Some Like It Hot~~

and some don't!! One guess which category I fall into?? After reading some of the temps on other blogs I guess I shouldn't complain~~it could be worse! It's frustrating though when you want to craft something and everything just sticks to your hands! I have washed and rinsed my hands so many times the last few days it's a wonder they aren't all shriveled up!
OK, so I have managed to work on a couple small things. Like this ~~~
it is the mid-month KAL for the http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MonthlyDishcloths/ This is fun. Every day in an email you get 10 rows of the cloth to work. The only thing you know at the start is the needle size and maybe a suggested color! Easy to keep up with and if you can't you just catch up the next day! There's two new patterns a month~~at the beginning and mid-month. Gives you time to make a couple if you care to.
Last week I treated myself to a new book(two actually) and this is the results of that
If you're only going to get yourself one book in the near future take a look at this one! It's a fun read besides having some great patterns! This washcloth is the ballband cloth that they show in the book. I started it last week at knit night and had a heck of a time with it at the beginning~~mainly because I can't ever start something at knit night!! I should know better~~I just don't pay attention to what I'm doing! Once home it moved along quit nicely!
I'm sure a lot of folks out in blogland are giving these as Xmas gifts this year!!
As hot as it's been my deck planters look better this year than they have in years. I don't get it~~it's absolutely scorching out there in the afternoon. The weirdest things are popping up~~ hmm, wonder what variety that is??? Now if you had the above mentioned book you'd know!!
Really not much happening here to even write about. One day seems to blend right into the next lately.
So I'll sign off with one more photo for you project color swappers~~
It as purple as I get!!
Off for coffee(iced!) (thanks, Lynn)