egg-citing!!

I'm sure that you're bored with this topic but bare with me! While out this afternoon I ran into a friend that breeds Amazon parrots(talk about fate). Now if you read my last post you know all about my excitement over the unbroken macaw egg from yesterday! My dilemma was what to do with the egg?? The macaws can't hatch it because they aren't set up with a nest box. So my thought was if I could get in touch with parrot acquaintances maybe someone has birds that are nesting and we could slip this egg in with theirs.
Well, as luck would have it her Amazons have eggs and the last one was laid yesterday making it the same age as the macaws!!
So this afternoon I very carefully delivered the egg to it's surrogate parents! This evening they were able to place the egg in the nestbox. This egg is much larger than the Amazons own eggs but they may sit on it. Granted it's a risk but at this point there's nothing to lose. Now we wait~~
a lot can go wrong~~they may destroy the egg~~they may push it aside~~they may do everything right and sit on it but it may be infertile~~then it could be fertile but the chick may not be strong enough to break out of the shell and if it did then my part comes in. Feeding!!
Every hour or so around the clock the first few days!
OMG~~what was I thinking??????
We'll see what happens~~if it's meant to be it'll all work out. If not I'll look into setting them up next spring and let nature take it's course.
OK, enough egg talk~~I finished the cuff of the first sleeve on the sweater/tunic and am working on the 2nd sleeve. I can definitely see much better!! Here I was blaming the color of the yarn for the difficulty I was having seeing the stitches!
Didn't cast on any socks with my new yarn as much as I wanted to. I know if I do that will be the end of the sweater! I'm determined to finish it!
Before it gets too much later I'm
Off to knit

Quick post

I have a couple photos to share tonight~I thought you might find this photo interesting~~
I mentioned in the previous post that the macaws are in "love"! Here's the proof!
The egg on the left is an extra-large egg from the grocery store and the on the right is the macaw egg! Pretty darn big! I thought they were done but this morning she layed another! Stop now!!!

Here's another little project I tackled the other day~lambswool sweater from the thrift store. I picked this up last fall and forgot about it until I was cleaning the laundry room. Pinned,and sewed it up,cut and threw it in the washer. Took a few times threw the cycle to felt~~I didn't think it was going to


but finally it did!
Took forever to dry, It's not finished yet~~I need to sew the bottom corners and I think I'll do a lining. You can't see the handles but trust me they are there! I used a set of acrylic amber colored ones that I've had forever.
Now for the really exciting news!! I came home after a long day out and there was a package from my SP10!!! Talk about perfect timing!! Great way to end a lousy day!!

Of course Sophie thought it was for her!

She had to get her nose right in there! My SP did this up so cute! Everything was wrapped in paw print tissue! And what a nice package it was!!

Check it out!! Look at that card!! Cute or what?? A nice note from my pal and the ballband for the Collinette Jitterbug sock yarn!!! I've never seen this yarn before let alone felt it~~it's wonderful!! So soft and I love the weave of it. Unfortunately the color didn't show up in the photo but it's great!! I love it!! I will take a new photo as soon as I cast on and then you'll see how nice it is!
For my sweet tooth not one but two chocolates!! hmm, and SP said that the truffles and Tea are a hint about where she's from! Interesting! Belgian chocolate~~is where we were born on the sp questionnaire?? Does she know I was born in Belgium?
I haven't tried the candy yet only because I'm a bit queasy tonight. Had to get new glasses this morning and I'm not used to them yet. (part of the reason for the nasty day)
She included a row counter which I don't have and certainly will come in handy! And look at that cute sock change purse~~I'm thinking I may use it for stitch markers in my knitting bag!
All in all a wonderful package!! Thank you SP~~ you did good!!


Well, my eyes are burning so it's time to get off here ~~
Off for tea and rest

Why Didn't I Leave

well enough alone?? Because blogger drives me crazy!! Here I am with a new look~~again! I read the "directions" and they made it sound so much easier to use if you "upgrade" so I thought"why not?" forgetting that every time you change the template you loose all your stuff I hate that! Now if I could just find my original template I could get everything back but I can't find it!! They said it's there and you can go back to it but exactly where is it??

KK and I had a nice day yesterday. The day started out quite dismal but brightened up considerably. We went out for lunch and when we were finished it was very pleasant out.
We decided to pick up Sophie and take her for a walk . I don't know how long it is but there is a nice blacktop path along the canal. I couldn't make it the whole way but we did go quite a distance. Sophie was tired too! Looking forward to some warmer weather walks this summer.
Today flew by~~I was busy the entire day. It was a day to do all the little things that seem to get away from you. Laundry,dusting and vacuuming are the usual Monday chores .
It's almost time to start some spring cleaning! Opening any closets has become downright dangerous around here!!
The macaws are in spring mode~~the preening and feeding one another has led to egg laying. They don't have a nest box ~~I don't even want to think about trying to give them one!
It was rainy and storming the whole day which would have been a good knitting day if I didn't have so much to do. I've got the body done on the sweater/tunic and I'm about half way through the first sleeve. What is it about sleeves that they seem to take forever?? Last night I felt like I was knitting like mad but when I measured I only had a couple inches done! I don't get it~~still in the round with much less stitches but it seems endless~~and it's only the first one!!
Off to find the template~~

Bag Ho!!

Alright ~~ "hello, my name is Mz Mar and I'm a bag ho" there I've said it~~the truth is out!
I can not go through a store any store that has bags/totes/purses without stopping! KK and I can be walking along together and all of a sudden he's rows ahead of me talking away to himself because the lure of the bags has me! It's an obsession! Do I need anymore totes/bags etc. ?? Of course~~it goes without saying~~there can never be too many!
So with that being said here's my newest addition~~ Vera Bradley in red paisley~does it get any better than that?? Nope!! Of course you can see how impressed Sophie is,right??

I don't even feel guilty about this one because as it turns out it's my Xmas gift from KK! He gifted me with a new bag for Xmas and I didn't care for the shape~truthfully it was a laptop carrier not a purse. So I exchanged it for another of the same color. I didn't use it so I felt that showed that I still wasn't crazy about it and I'm so glad that I kept the receipt! I took it back the other day and was able to get this bag and wallet and still had $$ to spare!! Plus there was a free gift with purchase! I wound up with a $30 travel clock that matches my tote that I use whenever we go away! Good deal!!
Kk and I went out for one of our drives on his day off~~just randomly cruising around and we finished off the day with this~~

I know I look rather dorky there~~I've already got a mouth full of hot fudge, strawberries,homemade whip cream and chocolate ice cream! Look closely and you'll see I've got hot fudge on my mouth! Trust me that other sundae if not mine!! I did manage to finish mine and my stomach was killing me when I was finished!
As for WIP's here is the sweater progress~~it's coming along good and I've tried it on and it's fitting really well. The picture is hard to make out but it's a v-neck tunic. Still needs sleeves but if all goes well I'll have it finished in a couple days!!
I'm having fun doing this because the owner at one of lys shops is doing one along with me so we're having a friendly competition!

Well, DD is coming over so we're going to out awhile.
So off to get ready

Restless??

Any of you restless out there?? I seem to be and it's getting worse the last few days! Is it late "cabin fever" or early "spring fever"??? hmmm, not sure exactly!
I really can't say the weather stopped me from doing much this winter~mostly when I wanted to go out I did. Missed a couple of knit nights but I think I was just too tired to drive that far and it was cold! Cold was a good excuse to stay in! On KK's days off we've been going out here and there so I can't say that I'm bored. I'm just restless!
Today would be good knitting day~~it's quite dreary and it's trying really hard to snow but I can't seem to settle down and do it! I'm flitting around the house(ok, so maybe flitting is an exaggeration) from thing to thing! It's almost 2 in the afternoon and so far all I've accomplished is to get dressed and clean the bedroom! A load of wash is going~~that's it!
My knitting(the sweater) is out and ready and I really can hear it calling to me but so far I've ignored it! I'm really going to go upstairs and make a cup of tea, sit down and knit! Really!
The sweater is coming along nicely~~I'm past where you put the sleeve stitches on holders and work the body for 23"~~I'm about 6" into it. I think that 's pretty good for just starting it less than a week ago. The lys owner is doing the same one so we have a sort of competition going! The size is in my favor tho~~she's doing the xl and I'm doing the small so I should be able to keep up with her~~lol!!!
I think I need to cast on some socks for a change of pace. The way my hands are it's good for me to switch needle sizes. I'd be going from 7's to 1's so that's a nice change of size.
I've heard from my sp10~~"Hi,SP" I have a feeling this round is going to be a fun one!
I need to do a bit of shopping for my pal and get a pkg. out too.
Now I'm going for that cup of tea, so
Off to knit

Is There Anything Cuter??

Baby clothes are just so darn cute!! When DD told me her friend is prego I had to knit this up! This is the five hour baby sweater a free pattern on here~~someplace!
It did take me longer than five hours but easy just the same!
Since I've last posted I did manage to finish these~~Tofutsie sock yarn in the Westport Waves pattern from Jeannie T!!
Great pattern and easy to remember! I had to give you two photos so you could see how the yarn worked up! I'm thrilled because I finally have a pair of socks that pooled! A few folks said they had trouble with this yarn splitting but I didn't find that a problem. I do feel metal needles work best with this yarn tho~~I used my Addi's and did them Magic Loop.

I started a new project last night~~a sweater! Yeah, I know there's one in my room hidden away someplace that needs to be finished but I don't want to talk about that! Anyway back to the new one~~I'm doing the Knitting Pure and Simple tunic. Another first~~I'm doing it in Bernat's Soft Boucle' and you know what that means??? It's all acrylic!! I saw this yarn at the lys and really liked the color~~not really the yarn so much but the color stuck in my mind until I went back and got some! It's called Earth Shades and it's a black and brown mix. It's a "me" color even tho I've been coming out of my shell lately and really checking out the brighter yarns ~~mostly the sock yarns. I'm going to have my raspberry/pinkish socks some day!!
I've been doing a lot of browsing on here lately and I've decided it's time to try some of the hand-dyed yarns by individuals~~Lisa Sousa(I'm thinking I don't have that spelled right) has some beautiful colors and I'm thinking I need to get some Lime and Violet since I really enjoy their podcast! There are so many it's mind boggling!
I feel holes boring into my back and I'll show you why~~they think when I sit here it's for their entertainment!
This is Caymen up here~~a 13 year old male

and this is Zazu a 11 year old female. I've had them since they were each a couple months old.
They are definitely in spring fever mode! Did I mention "LOUD"????
Time to get dinner together so~~
Off to cook

The Questionnaire !!

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I'm tired of "commercial" yarns~~I'd like to try some of the speciality sock yarns~~
Lisa Sousa-Sock That Rock-etc. Wools and wool blends

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
A Longaberger basket!

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I've been knitting longer than I can remember! My mother taught me when I was very young! I still consider myself an intermedate tho~

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Nope
5. What's your favorite scent?
hmm, not sure~~I absolutely love Yankee Candle Citrus and Sage

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Doesn't everyone?? Is there anything other than chocolate??

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
Where should I begin?? x-stitch,needlepunch,crochet rag rugs,sewing,some beading,
I do have an antique wheel but haven't really given it a try.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I've been leaning towards country/rock lately

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I'm not fond of pastels~I do tend to stick with earthtones but lately brighter colors and catching my eye!
10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Dh of almost 38 yrs~24yr, old ds and 27 yr old dd~~2 year old spoiled rotten Boston Terrier and two blue and gold macaws

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Absolutely! except the poncho~don't have one

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Mostly socks and I've dabbled into sweaters!

13. What are you knitting right now?
A sweater and a pair of socks

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
I'd love it!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I really like circulars even for straight work--not fond of bamboo tho

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
DD giftet me with a swift but don't have the winder yet

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
About 3 yrs old

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Xmas

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Country decorations~crows,sheep, not cutesy more primitive. Am trying to get Lantern Moon needles~~jsut love the way they look!

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
No subscriptions, As for yarn I'd like to try the artist yarns~Peace Fleece interests me also
Lantern Moon Needles

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
Not at this time

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Absolutey!! I wear a 7 shoe

23. When is your birthday?
Sept.1