Friday, December 23, 2005

Catching up~~

Haven't been here in awhile again~~didn't realize how long I've been away!! Trying to catch up on the Xmas gifts.
Did a rag rug for a gift that I thought I'd never get finished!! 12yds. of fabric cut into one inch strips then balled up and then crocheted!! Glad that's over~~
Turned out ok~~wish it were a tad larger but it will have to do! Scarf and hat is done for DD and a couple more pair of slipper moc's done.
I did manage to do 4 pair of sock earrings and didn't get a photo!! I found them to be a bit annoying to do. The needles are so small and pointy~~which they need to be to work with the sock yarn but they are sharp!! Can you say "puncture?" My finger was sore for days!!
KK's socks aren't finished and they aren't going to be for Xmas. I gave up trying to finish them on time. I stayed up two nights past midnight working on them only to have to frog the next day. Enough of that!! They will be my after Xmas project!
Shopping is pretty much done~~a couple small things to do tomorrow. KK is off all day so we are going to go out early and finish up.
I probably won't be on again before Xmas so ~~hope you all have a safe and Happy Holiday!!
Off to sleep~~

Mz Sophie!

All done!

Showers are great!!

Rio getting a misting!

Another gift done!

They're multiplying!!

Off the needles err, hook!

It's a Knit Shop!!

Merry Christmas!!

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Ho Hum

10 days to go!!!! I can't believe it but all of a sudden I realized
tonight that my gifts are just about finished!! Today I whipped up a felted vase from Noro and Lamb's Pride and it's drying already!! Tried to get a photo but the batteries were dead so I've got them charging now. Waiting on some yarn to do a couple pair of slipper moc's and finish up KK's socks and I'm caught up!! I must be forgetting something?? Can I really be this caught up already??? I think tomorrow I'll have to really check into it better but for now I'm going to enjoy the moment!!
I have to tell ya yesterday was really strange~~in a good way but strange non the less. It started first thing in the morning~~KK and I both woke up feeling pretty good~~that's weird right off!! I had to go to a store that's about an hour away from us to pick up something I had paid for locally. Once there the woman bent over backwards trying to find more of these candle holders I wanted. She actually found some in Rochester and since she goes from store to store she's picking them up for me and bringing them to the local store for me to get.Happy me!! Then we went to the mall that's right there and the holiday decorations were so nice.People were in such a good mood~~friendly,relaxed no one seemed stressed out. Ok, now that was really weird!! Then we went to Olive Garden for the lunch special and our waitress was wonderful! We got into a discussion about the grated cheese they use and how good it is on soup~~not my opinion hers and KK's. She leaves and a few minutes later she's back with a small serving of soup with the cheese on it for me to sample!
I had to admit it was pretty good!
After lunch we stopped at A.C.Moore ~~it seemed larger than the one that's closer to me. I was so happy to find they still carried the Rosewood needles!! I kept meaning to pick up a pair with the Joann coupon and never got around to it and then when I finally decided to get them the local store didn't have them anymore! I just happened to have a 40%er in my purse~~it was fate~~right?? Merry Christmas to me!!
We managed to pick up a couple gifts we were looking for so now the list is getting shorter. Not much more to do!!!
Finished the day by bringing home a dozen doughnuts!! What more could you ask for??
It was really cold yesterday but at least it wasn't snowing/sleeting not so today. I was watching the weather all afternoon because it was knit nite and I planned on going. Storm warnings were coming up on the TV all day. Late in the afternoon the rain started and on the 5 o'clock news they showed all the icy roads so I thought it was for the best I stayed home~~dam! At least I made good use of my time getting that vase done and another pair of moc's!!
Off for a bath and tea~~

Monday, December 12, 2005

Dementia

"There are different types of dementia, mine is called stash dementia! So
yes, that urge to buy yarn that you really don't need cause you haven't
finished all your other hundreds of projects, or buying yarn only to find
out that you already have 50 of the same at home, or throwing your husbands
stereo system and TV out of the entertainment unit to store more yarn and
unfinished projects out of desperation to find more storage is definitely
called stash dementia."

One of the gals on a knit list I'm on summed it up perfectly~~and I do believe many of us suffer from it but don't admit it~~after all who wants the treatment??
Remember what I've said in the previous post??? Use that stash for decorative purposes!! Enjoy it!!! It certainly costs enough so why hide it away in a drawer/closet??? If you have too much to show all at once rotate it!! That way when you acquire more you can say to dh "why no dear, I've just been rearranging again"!!
What a plan,huh???
Off to rearrange~~~

Sunday, December 11, 2005

Put the Fun Back

into knitting!! That's my new motto!!! I've been thinking the last couple weeks that I'm really not enjoying knitting lately. It's almost like a job~~and that's not good!
Went to the lys's Christmas gathering and Jen the owner summed it up perfectly~~knitting has become almost a competition. It's no longer enjoy the process and if it takes weeks to finish something ~~"who cares?" NO-ONE!!!! It seems that now the idea is hurry up and knit this so you can go on to the next project.
Well, sometime you must have really liked what you're working on that's why you started it in the first place so why not enjoy the knit?? So your stash is huge ~~enjoy looking at it!! Put some in baskets and set it around. Put your straight needles in a felted vase and the circulars in a antique sewing baskets~~looks great!
And that is my new outlook on knitting~~ I'm no longer going to worry about getting things done for Xmas~~if I want to make something for someone as a gift any time is good for giving! It's more of a surprise when unexpected!
So I may be buying a few more things that I planned on for presents but I'm going to be a lot happier and hey, it's the thought that counts,right?
So, on that note I'm going to go sit with KK and watch a movie minus needles in my hands for once!!
Another thing~~I will not do the secret pal thing again either~~I don't know how some luck out with great pals and others don't but you can guess where I wound up~~again!! So that's that!!
Off to watch Mr&Mrs Smith~~~

Sunday, December 04, 2005

Exciting????

In a word---NO Nothing really new to write about. Do you notice that sometimes days just kind of blend into another and before you know it another week has gone by?? Other than waiting for something else to break down I haven't been doing much.
Did get to knit nite last Thursday which was nice. At least for awhile it was nice~~it got sooo cold in there my hands were too cold to knit more!! They had turned the heat down too early and being it was freezing outside it cooled down rather quickly! Everyone wound up leaving early. It was nice to see Lisa again and she brought a new knitter! A young lady that just recently moved into the area from Canada and happened to run across Lisa's blog! That's how I found the group~~I happened across Lynn's blog and as they say "the rest is history"!!
I've been making slow progress the last few days on Xmas gifts. Not exactly sure where my ambition went but I wish it would get the hell back here! Course ripping out a few inches on the latest project does tend to make me lose the mood! I'm back at it today tho so all is well!
Chris was there with her fingerless mitts~~ they're looking good even tho they should have been socks~~~for ME!!! Kidding, Chris.
Next week the lys is having a sale and Sat. is the open house. I'm sure I'll get there one of the days! Not that I "need" anything but there is knitting after Xmas!!
Jen shared a old mitten pattern with us that I'd like to give a try.
Got the tree up and decorated~~stayed with the same ornaments. After getting the boxes out I didn't have the heart not to use them! I'm glad that I did because when Kk got home from work he said he really likes the tree this way and he even helped finish it up!
I think I'm getting something and it's not good~~can you get half a cold??? One half of my head feels just awful and my nose keeps running~~had to share. It's really annoying!
I bid on some rug yarn on ebay but got outbidded the last minute. Darn~~I wanted it for some more of those slippers. It was a really nice pink color. I can't believe that I can't find it to buy. I want to do these for Xmas and waiting on auctions to end I'm thinking I won't have time to knit them up. At knit nite they said other yarn could be used but I'm thinking the rug yarn is sturdier for slippers and it's machine wash/dry. That's definite plus for DD!!
I've got new med's to try~~again. So far I'm not feeling a big improvement. At least they don't make me nauseous!!
Off to soak in a hot bath~~

Friday, December 02, 2005


It's cold out there!!

cuddle moc's~~slipper's from 50's pattern!!

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

It's a three thing~~

Why is it they say things happen in three's???? And it's true!!! Well sort of~~
First the garbage disposal flings a blade ~~a few days later the laundry room floor has a stream running through it~~wtf???? After fiddling with the faucet connections to the washer I realize that if it was coming from the connections there wouldn't be soap flowing across the floor!!! The flipping washer has sprung a leak!!! OMG!!! What next???? I shouldn't have even thought what next~~I put something in the microwave and walk down the hallway and I hear this groan~~what on earth was that???
Go back in the kitchen to see the microwave has nuked it's last leftover!! Dead~~
unbelievable~~this can't be for real~~
The last straw is this thing~~~I expect at any time it's going to go. Notice I already have had the terrible 3's so I'm literally praying that this thing holds on.
It's not sounding real good~~ as a matter of fact it sounds downright scary at times!!! It sounds like something speeding up out of control then slows down again. Sunday night we couldn't do anything ~~have cable connection but couldn't get to the internet or get email even tho it said we were connected. So frustrating~~I finally said the hell with it and went to bed at 2 and left it to DS to figure out. He worked on it to 4 and finally we were good to go. It still sounds bad tho~~
Now KK doesn't use this at all so you know what his feelings are if this goes, right??? It's the least of our worries at this point! Well, some of us stay home all day and this is our connection to the real world~~guess what is more important to me??? Clean clothes??? Nuked food???Garbage??? Or blogging???
Did I mention the dishwasher???? Won't even go there~~~I told Kk what can you expect other than the microwave we bought everything when we built the house ~~30 years ago in May!!!! It's just the timing ~~everything at once and at Xmas.
DD still had her microwave from college and it works great~~it's so tiny you can fit one bowl at a time in it and it's purple!!!! Makes a statement in my country kitchen!!
Ok~~done ranting on to knitting~~ doing really good!!! Started Kk's socks and decided on the waffle pattern and I'm liking the way it looks. I do think I'll have them done on time.
Remember the 50's slipper pattern??? In the rug yarn??? Finished two pair of those.
have another project over half done but can't spill the beans here!
I thought I'd like a real tree this year and then said the heck with it and brought the artificial tree in yesterday. It was so warm I finished putting some yard things away ~~stopped the pond~~cleaned up some dead plants and leaves.
Went out for awhile today and met up with Heather at Timmy Ho's for coffee. We were going to tackle teaching her the magic loop but she wasn't in the mood. You know how that is if you don't really feel like doing it nothing will go right. We made a quick stop at the lys and walked out without buying a thing!! Yeah for us!! Have you noticed that some stores are so overrun with funky that they seem to have forgotten the basic down to earth knitting?? Can you say "Reality check?" We wanted to go to NY Knits last weekend but didn't make it~~neither of us had the ambition to drive all the way there!!
Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Ours was very nice~~went to DD's for most of the day and had a delicious dinner~~lot of wine!! Then on the way home stopped at friends for cocktails and turkey chowder!! It was terrific! Got home about midnight and crashed!! Kk had to work on Friday and I did not leave the house!!
No "black Friday" shopping for me!! That's how I've been getting so many FO's done!!
Staying home and staying off here!! lol~~
Right now I'm
Off to watch "House" and knit~~

Friday, November 25, 2005


For your pleasure!!

awwwww~~~think she knows she's not allowed on the furniture??

Three down~~DD for Xmas!!

Two down!! These are for me!!

One project down~~are these great or what??

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Knitter's Christmas Eve

KNITTERS CHRISTMAS EVE

'Twas the night before Christmas and all around me
Was unfinished knitting not under the tree.
The stockings weren't hung by the chimney with care
'Cause the heels and toes had not a stitch there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
But I had not finished the caps for their heads.
Dad was asleep; he was no help at all,
And the sweater for him was six inches too small,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter
I put down my needles to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tripped over my yarn and fell down with a crash.
The tangle of yarn that lay deep as the snow
Reminded me how much I still had to go.
Out on my lawn I heard such a noise,
I thought it would wake both Dad and the boys.
And though I was tired, my brain a bit thick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
But what I heard then left me perplex-ed,
For not a name I heard was what I expected,
"Move, Ashford! Move, Lopi! Move, Addi and Clover!
Move, Reynolds! Move Starmore! Move Froelich --move over
Paton, don't circle 'round; stand in the line.
Come now, you sheep will work out just fine!
I know this is hard; it's just your first year,
I'd hate to go back to eight tiny reindeer."
I peered over the sill; what I saw was amazing,
Eight wooly sheep on my lawn all a-grazing.
And then, in a twinkle, I heard at the door
Santa's feet coming across the porch floor.
I rose from my knees and got back on my feet,
And as I turned 'round St Nick I did meet.
He was dressed all in wool from his head to his toe,
And his clothes were hand knit from above to below.
A bright Fairisle sweater he wore on his back,
And his toys were all stuffed in an Aran knit sack.
His cap was a wonder of bobbles and lace
A beautiful frame for his rosy red face.
The scarf 'round his neck could have stretched for a mile,
And the socks peeking over his boots were Argyle.
The back of his mittens bore an intricate cable.
And suddenly on one I espied a small label,
"S.C." was duplicate stitched on the cuff,
And I asked, "Hey, Nick, did you knit all this stuff?"
He proudly replied, "Ho, ho, ho, yes I did.
I learned how to knit when I was a kid."
He was chubby and plump, a quite well-dressed old man,
And I laughed to myself, for I'd thought up a plan.
I flashed him a grin and jumped up in the air,
And the next thing he knew, he was tied to a chair,
He spoke not a word, but looked in his lap
Where I'd laid my needles and yarn for a cap.
He quickly began knitting, first one cap then two,
For the first time I thought I might really get through.
He put heels in the stockings and toes in some socks.
While I sat back drinking scotch on the rocks.
So quickly like magic his needles they flew
That he was all finished by quarter to two.
He sprang for his sleigh when I let him go free,
And over his shoulder he looked back at me,
And I heard him exclaim as he sailed past the moon,
"Next year start your knitting sometime around June!"

Friday, November 18, 2005

Two in a day???

Yup, two projects finished today!! Hooray!! Course I can't take any pictures to prove it~~dead batteries! I'll post some tomorrow tho~~batteries are charging as I write this!
Now I have to post/confess all the WIP's~~
3 pair of socks
1 sweater~~ok I lied already~~two sweaters but one doesn't count--it's for summer
4 scarves
1 mitten--one finished
1 I-cord handle needed for felted bag
Seems like I'm forgetting something?? Can't think what it could be tho~~so all together I had 12 projects~~including the two I finished today!
I frogged Ella decided I didn't like it in the Schaffer yarn. I swear I'm going to take another picture of it and have you all give me ideas!! There is a picture somewhere here way back but I can't remember exactly where. This yarn is driving me crazy!! It's a wool/silk blend and I haven't liked anything I tried with it. Not to mention how expensive it was!!
So all these projects need to be done asap!!!
Winter had finally hit!! Snow has been falling all day~~very light but everything is covered and the temp dropped to the 20's!! What a change in a couple days!
I really need to find a nice handpainted yarn for the multidirectional scarf. The pattern is made for variegated yarns and they are my favorites!
Oh, hell's bells I just remembered a couple more things I need to finish! Last year I found the old pattern of a slipper sock that I made when I was learning to knit as a kid!!! When I saw it I knew it right away!! I can remember knitting them and my mom would sew them up for me! How cool is that?? I remember making them out of rug yarn of all things! Last week we went to friends to play cards and she brought them up! Her grandmother used to make them for her~~out of rug yarn too!! Do you even know how hard it is to find rug yarn anymore?? Joann's had a little tiny area that I walked right by and would never have found had I not asked the sales lady for help!
You used to be able to get some really nice colors but not anymore~~black,white,tan,rust,red~~I think that was it. Anyway I told my friend I'd make her some. Sunday afternoon when DD came over she saw them and loved them!! OMG!!
They are goofy lookin~~you can whip a pair up in a couple hours and it's one size fits all! So now I'm making few pair of those! Hate the colors tho~~wonder what else I could use? I'll try to scan the pattern tomorrow so you can check them out!
I need to go knit on a scarf!! So that's enough rambling!!
Off to knit~~

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Soggy Day!!

It was wet and windy all day today! The temp. is dropping too~~caught part of the news and it's snowing in Buffalo!! I mean real snow~~the type that sticks! Not doing that here. We're about 30/40 minutes from the city and the weather can be so different.
KK and I didn't let it ruin our day tho~I woke up to "hon,wake up, breakfast is here!" I'm like huh?? I was really out~~he scared the heck outta me!! There he stood all smiles with a plate in one hand and coffee in the other!!! Now this was a first and after 36 years who woulda thunk it??? Breakfast in bed!!! Eggs, and toast with honey spread just the way I like it!! What a way to start the day!! I thought it must be the crack of dawn and it was 10 a.m.!! He'd been up waiting for me to wake up!! Definitely a keeper!!
We had a nice tho wet day! Finally went to Joann's to check on what they were doing about my sewing machine. Course the "boss" wasn't there. So left all my info~~again and they're going to call me~~won't hold my breath!! They'd better call tomorrow or KK will be up there in full fury!
Went to Barnes&Noble since we were right there~I love that place! Pulled up a seat right at the fireplace and had my Mocha Latte with Raspberry syrup~~~ummmm, soooo good!! They are definitely getting ready for the holidays the shelves were packed. A lot of new knitting books~~don't I go up to the service desk when we first get there and ask if they carry Modular Knits?? The clerk looks it up and says "yes" there should be a copy~~I'll show you. As if I didn't know where the knitting books were!!
Anyway, don't we walk over and there they are~~stacked right in front!!! I swear they did not have it a week ago!! Quite a few other new books too~~Yarn Harlots second book was right up there too! I decided to treat myself to one~~so I picked the Modular Knits. I haven't even looked at it yet~~I'm saving it for when I can sit quietly and drool over it!
We then went to Olive Garden and had the lunch special of soup and salad. The perfect lunch for a rainy day! The soup was so good I wish I could have eaten more!
After lunch we popped into Circuit City to check out the stereos/speakers. Then off to Michaels. I picked up some sock yarn to do the MD scarf~~I really liked the color but it is acrylic~~yarn snob showing! I did buy it the~~I'll save my opinion until after I see how it works up.
Once we got home I helped DS clip Houston~~yuk! He's so matted again and he hates to get clipped. Poor guy is getting old and just wants to be left alone. You can tell he feels so much better after getting trimmed.
Once that was done I got out my Irish Hiking scarf and sat with KK, watched TV and knit!!
I joined another kal!!
Lisa is having it.
You have to confess how many WIP's you have and the goal is to have Naked Needles by the first of the year!! I'm up for it~~I'm driven!! Now to count all the wip's!!!
Off for a snack

Miss Me??

I haven't posted in almost two weeks??? Doesn't seem possible!
Are you starting to feel the pressure??? Come on, you know what I'm talking about~~that Christmas frenzy!! I was~~but I've got it under control now~~I'm knitting BUT only what I feel like knitting!! I'm trying to put a block on my wandering mind~~it gets carried away with too many ideas!!
I even joined a KAL~The Irish Hiking Scarf~~cables of all things!! I'm really enjoying working on it! I'm using a light worsted Alpaca in cream~~it's soooo soft!! I originally was thinking of gifting it but as I'm going along I'm becoming attached to it! I'll try to get some photos tomorrow.
For awhile there I was really completely disgusted with knitting~~nothing was turning out the way I pictured it in my minds eye. The tried and true remedy??? Socks!! I should take my own advice~~which I finally did after a few project flops!
DD's socks are almost finished~~just have the toe to finish up on #2!!
I do have a couple other things for Xmas to do but can't mention them here~~certain people read this so they'll have to be a secret!
Our knit shop A Knitter's Corner is having a 15% off sale this Thurs. evening!! I'll be there!! I'm sure there is something I must have.
I've been looking for a new book ~~it's called "Modular Knits" by Iris Schreier ~~I tried to find it at Joann's and AC Moore with no luck. Did I tell you about the multidirectional scarf I was working on?? It's a really neat look ~and a easy knit once you understand the concept. Did I mention that I frogged the whole thing?? The pattern was great I didn't like my stitches way back at the beginning and knew in my anal way that it would drive me nuts not to fix it! The pattern is free when you join Iris's yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/multidirectional. Now I "need" the book for all the other patterns!!!
I was wondering how come no one ever "steals" my button?? It's a perfectly good button~~a cute photo of Sophie~~I know if I told her that her picture was all over blog land she'd be excited!! In case you're wondering, yes we do have some interesting conversations while she's lounging on the futon next to me while I'm cursing, I mean figuring out a pattern! She's not much for words but she always lends a paw!
Well, it's getting late and no knitting got done today. I'm going to get to bed and hopefully start out early tomorrow with KK and get our errands done so I can get some serious knitting time in!!
Off to sleep~~

Saturday, November 05, 2005

I'm here!

I'm in a major knitting slump ~~do you ever pick up the needles and nothing turns out right??? Well, that's what's happening here! It all started with those Opal mittens and went "to hell in a handbasket" !!!
I tried a couple scarves and hated them~frogged~I'm getting really good at that frogging thing!!
I keep looking at yarn and nothing "talks" to me! I go to bed and all these thoughts are running through my head as I'm trying to fall asleep ~~by morning??? GONE!!!
Maybe it's time to relax and get back to socks?? I liked knitting again when I was just thinking about socks~~not worrying about handles felting right,sweaters fitting,finding the right yarn.
Socks are useful,and warm(major plus for me) get to buy really nice yarn that you couldn't afford if doing a large project, socks are portable, magic loop makes for fairly quick finishing~~need I say more???
Oh yeah, it's a lot easier to blend enough yarn for a pair of socks into your stash than it is for a sweater!
Enough said!!
MY SP6 sent a pkg!!! That cheered me up! There's a photo~~and do you see sock yarn???? It must be fate! She included the cutest candle it's a ceramic acorn and it smells wonderful!! A tube of Aveeno hand cream is just what I need for my purse,and the cutest book of puppies! I love it all~~thank you SP6!!!
Almost forgot~~have you ever tried to peel the foil off of melted chocolate kisses?? Take my word for it it's not easy! KK saw me and said "just throw them out" there was no way I was giving in without a fight but unfortunately I lost! Chomping down on a piece of that foil was like scrapping fingers across a blackboard!! eewwwwww!!!
A couple of those photos are from last Sunday when KK and I went for another foliage ride! Other than being in the middle of nowhere and I needed a restroom ~~immediately it was a nice day! We went to the casino in Salamanca and had the buffet ~~it was soooo good!!! Prime rib and shrimp cocktail~~~what more could you ask for??? I could barely stay awake on the ride home.
Off to check my stash~~~

SP6 Package!!!

Just hanging out!

Look at those trees!

Alleghany State Park

Such a pretty spot! Near the border of NY and PA

Friday, October 28, 2005

Surprise Mittens???

See that title???? That's supposed to be a pattern for Opal mittens (from the boxed knitting calendar 10/15)~~just what I wanted. The pattern says one skein of Opal and one skein of kid mohair lace weight. Ok~~went to knit Nite tonight and there it was~~black kid mohair lace weight~~perfect for the Opal I wanted to use for the mittens. I was in mitten heaven!! Couldn't wait to get home and get them on the needles!!! The ride home took forever and then KK had just gotten home too so I figured I'd better at least say "hello" before taking up the needles! So finally I'm all set~~cast on using the two strands~~these are going to be so nice~~and warm!!
What more could you ask for ~~a great color of Opal and the warmth from the mohair??
Right???? Wrong!!!! I cast those babies on and I'm thinking these look really BLACK!!! Where the heck did the Opal go??? OK, so maybe I just need to do a few rows??? Nope, still black~~now if any of you have that calendar take a look at the photo of the Opal mittens~~ they look like Opal you do not see any other color! Matter of fact it looks like the dam things are identical to boot! Yeah, I know they just had one and flip-flopped the picture! I mean really, they are perfect~
WTF??????
Not to mention that I spent the $$ on the black kid mohair that I now have no use for and I could have put it towards yarn for the shawl that's been nagging at me! Crap!!
Good news tho~~I finished the hat,did I mention I was doing a hat??? Maybe not~~I decided that the Making Waves needed to be a hat and a scarf. Now I'll use all the rest for the scarf and it will be plenty long enough.
I'm tired and annoyed so ~
Off to bed~~

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Can you feel it???

Just walk into the mall or some of the discount stores and the Xmas stuff is all over already!!! I can't stand it~~it's fall for heaven's sake not December!
Once I start seeing that I feel that anxiety starting up~~I'm never going to get everything done I want to do. I think I need a list and stick to it!
I feel like you have to just buy,buy,buy whether you want to or not because it's the holidays.
I think this year I'm going to stay away from the stores~~no more stopping "just to look" because there's always a great sale that you'd be crazy to pass up!!
I'm going to enjoy my knitting~~make a few gifts and pick out a couple special presents and that's it!
Ok,I vented I feel better! On the knitting front~~I have one scarf 3/4 done and a matching hat done to the decreases. I'll finish that tomorrow and I'm going to work on the scarf now while watching TV with KK.
A second scarf is about half done and I'm really liking it!!
KK was off today so we did some errands and stopped at a new place for burgers~~that were pretty good. We went to the afternoon showing of Flight Plan I thought it was excellent!! If you like Jodie Foster you should catch this one!
Stopped at Joanns quick before the movie ~~had a coupon so I picked up a mohair blend that I'm going to mix with something for another scarf.
I've got to spend less time on here~~not here exactly but with e-mails. I'm on so many lists that it's not unusual for me to have a few hundred posts to go through at all times!! I'm a fast reader but still that's seriously cutting into knitting time!
I was happy to get a note from my SP6~~I was worried ~~she told me something will be in the mail!!! I love mail for me!!!
Off for a snack and TV knitting!!

Monday, October 24, 2005

Back again!

Twice in one day! Posted some photos so I thought I'd tell you something about them.
The pinkish stripe sweater I knitted for my son when he was an infant~~he wore it when he was just starting to walk~~23 years ago!! What was I thinking tho~~pink????
The couple photos with me in them are from last week on KK's day off~~we took our annual fall foliage ride and wound up in Pa. I couldn't resist taking a photo of the bear sign!
There's my first felted bag after I refelted it and added the new straps and pin.
Of course Sophie has to be there too!! Hopefully the gates will come down soon!
Then there's the scarves~~I took that picture a few hours ago and since then I frogged the tannish tweed seed stitch one~~I can't figure out what pattern that yarn wants to be! So far nothing seems right~~if I remember right that was the fourth try~maybe I should just put it away!
Then you saw the disaster my room is again?? I swear I don't know how it gets out of hand so quickly!! What a mess and I didn't even show you the counter!!
Kinda like how my blog is getting~~random stuff all over!! lol~~someday I'll straighten it up ~~but not tonight!!
Off for tea and knitting~~

Sweater made for DS 23 years ago!!

Pathetic!!

Scarves anyone???

What the hell happened here??

Bears?????

How did we end up here???

Happy Feet

Knitting Frenzy!!

Taking a break from the needles for a bit. I've decided to "whip" up some scarves for Xmas~~what the hell was I thinking??? As of right now I have 3 scarves, two pair of socks, OTN!!! I never do that!! It is kind of nice to be able to jump from one yarn to another but I wonder if I'll ever get them done?
Had a really nice relaxing past few days. Met up with DD Friday afternoon for coffee at Starbucks then we hit Joanns with coupons in hand! A 40% and a 50% for that day and left a 50% coupon with DD for Sat. Picked out some yarns for quick scarves ~~and I totally admit that I've turned completely into a yarn snob,OH NO!!!!!
I had to let DD pick out the yarns because I just could not decide between any of them!! How annoying!! We finally settled on a tweed,and a funky black something or other!! I think they will both make nice scarves. Now the problem I'm having is a pattern!! So far I have stated the tweed three times in different stitches!! I don't want anything to complicated but not just plain stk. either. Right now I've got it going in seed st. which I like but is going to take forever!!
As I'm sitting here I'm refelting a bag for Heather .The first bags we felted didn't turn out very well so we hid them away for almost three years!! A month or so ago I dragged mine out and thought "what the heck" refelt it!! It was nasty~~the flap was out of whack and the I-cords weren't right. I cut the handles right off took about two inches off the flap and threw it in the washer~~~I love it now!! Made new I-cords for it now that I actually know what I'm doing~~put grommets on and it looks great!! Went to a craft show and found a nifty looking pin and that was just what it needed!! So I told Heather she needs to redo hers~~after a few weeks of hunting for it she finally found it and I'm working on it. Hopefully it will turn out too!
Yesterday was a lousy day weather wise so KK and I did a few errands then went out for lunch and then stopped at Barnes&Noble ~~I was so happy the fireplace was going so I got some books and propped my feet up and enjoyed a cup of coffee and read!
Got to look through some new knitting books that are out~~a couple I didn't care for at all~~nothing in them I would be interested in. I looked through the Knitted Babes book ~~so cute ~~I think I need to do one!! I'll just add that to my growing list!
I've got some photos to post too but they'll hap to wait until later.
Off to check the washer~~~

Friday, October 21, 2005

About time,huh???

Ok, so I'm a blogger slug~~I admit it!! No excuses,just didn't feel like writing anything!
What's been going on you ask~~hmmm, not much actually. I have been knitting some. Finished the socks for Heather and started the xmas ones for DD.
I also started my Opals 2 socks on one circular. Now, that was interesting! I finally got it figured out and I'm moving along when late one night I'm looking at said sock and I'm thinking one looks much tighter than the other. Not good, but do I stop and check it out??? Of course not ~~I just keep knitting along~~now I've got about 4 inches into it and decide I'd better look into this a bit more. Good place to start is how many stitches do I have????? When I use Opal for myself I cast on 72 sts. on ones~~first sock 72 stitches just like it should have~~~second sock??? 62!!!!! $#@% wtf????? How did I do that???? How annoying!!! So now I'm happily knitting one sock on one veeeeeeeeerrryyyyyyyy long circular!!! Crap!!
I see a case of SSS developing!!!
I also got this bright idea of doing a couple potato chip scarves for xmas. Ok, nice fast no brainer project~~not so! I got this really nice mohair,silk,merino blend denim-y blue. Perfect for the younger generation to wear with jeans~~not gonna happen any time soon!! It was awful--instead of nice loose curls I had tight kinks!! Nasty!! So now that yarn is going to become a Old Shale scarf~~maybe!
Our horseback ride was wonderful!!! Other than it was cold the day was great!! We rode along the road to the woods and then we were on some 400 acres of state lands. They had somewhat cleared paths but they were pretty natural still. It was awesome!!
I would really like to go again before the snow flies~~but that may not happen as we are predicted to have wet snow the beginning of next week~~ eeewwwwwww!!!
Went to the doc. for my second app. and the good news is at this point he doesn't feel that I have RA!!! woohoo!!!! What a load off my mind. Something is still wonky with my blood work and I definitely have a major dose of Fibro going on but hey, it's not RA!!!! So I'm taking my drugs and I've only had one headache that amounted to much so that's good. I don't feel a huge difference in my joints but there is some improvement.
Yesterday I got a exercise bike and had to do some rearranging to fit it in the family room. DS helped with that so now I'm all set. I have it facing the TV so I don't get bored! There is a tray type thing so I can set a magazine on there while working out!! Now let's see how much I use it!
Haven't heard anything from my SP6~~wonder if everything is OK?
Enough for now,
Off to make dinner~~

Sunday, October 16, 2005


Silly Girl!!

Ready to race???

Can I keep her??

Getting ready!

Tuesday, October 04, 2005


Felted bag

Monday, October 03, 2005


Stop helping!!

What Yarn???

Spinners

awwww~~I want one!!

ewww~~what a job!!

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

About time??

I guess it's about time I sat down and wrote something on here instead of just posting pictures,huh? I haven't been in the greatest of moods so I haven't wanted to be here~~not that I had anything better to do!!
As you can see if you shoot down to the pictures I've finished my huge and I do mean huge tote!! I was surprised it didn't use up all the yarn. I used Lamb's Pride bulky~~5 different colors. I've got a whole skein of the main color and small balls of the others. Maybe I'll do a crazy tote and use up all the scraps!! I'm definitely going to use leather straps for it. I think I-cords are a pain normally let alone on something that's going to be heavy.
KK and I went to play cards Sat. night and they insisted we bring Sophie!! All I could think of "are they out of their minds?" . These are our friends that introduced us to the breed. There's a photo below~~not a good one because they didn't hold still long enough for me to take it!! Sophie is the one on the left with her tongue hanging out!! It didn't take them too long to exhaust themselves and then we played cards!! I left happy because my quarter stash got built back up!
Not sure what I want to work on next~~it's weird not to have something going to felt!
I'm thinking I may try the Pink Lady Bag~~or the Vintage Bubble Bag. Can't make up my mind! I really should start DD's xmas socks ~~maybe I'll get those going and something mindless too. I have to decide what I want to do for everyone else~~or if I'm even going to knit gifts. That would be odd not to.
Finished HP finally~~I certainly didn't expect what happened to happen!! Those of you that read probably know what I mean. I felt so bad!!
Had my doc. app. yesterday and I still haven't made up my mind how it went! I think I went with too high expectations. Maybe I was thinking this was going to be a cure all and it wasn't? I left feeling somewhat let down~~the Doc. did call me in the evening with more info ~~maybe more than I wanted to hear at that point. So now I'm on some med's and we'll see how it goes for a couple weeks. I must say it was nice to get real sleep last night!!
Knit Nite is Thur. so I have that to look forward to. Guess I'd better start something!!
Off to read!

After felting

Fiber Trend large tote pre-felting

Monday, September 26, 2005


Sophie visiting!!

The surprises inside!!

Needle exchange giftie!!

Wednesday, September 21, 2005


Heather at Fiber fest

Close Up!

Roving/Felting Needle and First Bowl

Sophie!

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

The things you can find!!

Now I've seen everything ~~you have got to check this out~~
http://www.absolution-online.com/confessional/ I thought this must be a joke?? I don't think it is~~weird. Do people really believe this????
Just think of the gas you save~~one less trip to church!
The fiber fest was great!! Weather was a bit iffy when we started out but cleared up nice.
When you first walk in it really is a bit overwhelming! Yarns,roving,wheels,spindles,needles everywhere!! We did good~~went with a limited $$ amount and managed to spend it all!! Did drag the camera along and only took a couple pictures. Will get them on~~
I got my needle felting supplies so we'll see how that goes! One thing I already found out ~~that felting needle is sharp really sharp and it can pierce finger tails!! Don't ask!!
I got the most gorgeous chocolate brown hand spun yarn. I think it will become a small bag for moi!!
We walked miles~~around and around~the place isn't that big but you don't want to miss anything so you must go through a few times!!
I must say tho they would do good to check into some better food vendors. The food selection is poor at best. They even ran short on the chicken barbecue. Poor planning!
There was a display of sock knitting machines~~after seeing them I've lost my interest in acquiring one!! They do look somewhat complicated to work with. I think I'll stick to my Magic Loop!!
Off to bed~~~

Friday, September 16, 2005

It was the

night before Fiber~fest and all through the house not a needle was stirring not even a dpn!!
Ok,enough of that~~but I'm a tad bit excited~~tomorrow is "THE DAY" yeah, fiber~fest!!
I'm keeping an open mind and not looking for anything in particular~~just browsing. Would like some new ideas for bags.
I'm annoyed with my felting right now~~I just finished a small bag and I'm not at all pleased with the yarn. It looked pretty good pre~felting but after it was stretched all out of shape! The flap was as long as the whole darn bag! The body felted but the flap didn't as much and it was all knit the same. After running it through the wash cycle 4 times I figured that was enough. Laid it out and shaved it quite a bit and turned it inside out to clean up the fuzz on the inside and it looks great!! Weird~~the inside is now the outside and it looks much better! That encouraged me to play around with it a bit rather than chalk it up as a lost cause. I decided it couldn't hurt to cut the flap right off since it was so misshapen. Once I had scissors in hand I broke out in a cold sweat and thought "what the hell are you doing?" so~~I came to my senses and decided rather than cut it all off why not try to shape it?? I do believe that I saved it!!! It's not perfect but I think it will be ok once I make up my mind about some straps. I'll try to remember to get a photo~~
Funny how - once a mom,always a mom. We were driving back home from ds's apartment with another load of "junk" ~~it was dark only one road away from home and I'm cruising along about 50 go around a curve and right there in front of me standing as bold as can be is a doe!!! OMG~~now if you knew me you'd understand this is not a good thing~~~since my kids were very young they tease me that I brake for leaves!! Joke being one time I did thinking it was a squirrel! I slammed on those brakes so hard my van squealed and slid practically right next to her in the oncoming lane!! Thank goodness no one was coming. Oh, yeah back to the mom thing~~while slamming on the brakes my automatic reaction was to fling my arm across ds's chest!!
Once we stopped ds laughed and said "Mom, what are you doing? I'm bigger than you worry about yourself first" yeah, right!
On a good note said doe casually turned and walked off! When I went to get out of the car a couple minutes later I was all week in the knees!!
I really must get to bed so I'm ready to "shop till I drop" tomorrow!!!
Off for a snack

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

New Desire!!

Ok, I said I didn't want to even think about getting any new yarn until fiberfest, right???? Well, I had my first look at recycled silk and it is awesome!!!!! I've seen it on the net but to see it in person is a whole nother story!! I really,really liked it~~but I was good and didn't get any~~alright, I confess the only reason I'm not sitting here fondling some is because Heather wouldn't let me buy any!!! Now I ask you "what kind of friend is that?" the only way I was bringing some of that home today was if I snuck back to the lys without her and then I'd have to hide it! Dam,why did I tell her don't let me but anything until fiberfest??? What kind of friend listens when you say something so totally off the wall???? Alright she did a great job and come Saturday when we're shopping I'll be thrilled I have some $$$~
Anyway, the yarn is really nice if you like something a bit different. If you're into very precise,neat stitches this yarn is not for you! It's kinda FUNKY
in a kewl way!!
We've got ds just about all moved in~~a few more things to get at the apartment and that's done. So far so good~~weird to have someone else in the house again. Now we just have to work on the job thing~~
It's starting to rain and I'm so glad! It's been hot and muggy again and I'm summered out! Never thought I'd say that but this weather seems to be getting to me.
Still have a couple weeks to go before I go to the specialist but if I don't snap out of this "fibro-flare" I'm calling my regular doc.
I played around with my new sewing machine ~~did I mention that I couldn't get it to work??? Called the store and they said bring it in~~they thought it was a user problem~~not so~~they couldn't get it to work either! They gave me another machine and when I set it up the bulb didn't work! Am I meant to have this machine, or what??
Call them again and after another trip there I'm good to go! Maybe once I get everything rearranged I'll get to sew something!
Rio, my Amazon parrot is enjoying his new spot in my room. He's talking up a storm which may sound like fun to you but try to have a phone conversation sitting next to him! The louder you talk the louder he talks! He hears me in the other room and I get a "mom?" in a tone you can't ignore!
Off to read~~

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Needle Exchange Info!!

I almost missed out on this one!! For once I remembered the date the info should come and I didn't get the post for it so after checking into it I found I was lost in space somewhere!! But all is well I have a partner and here is my info ~~



1. What do you like to knit or crochet? (socks, sweaters, etc.)
Definitely socks and felted bags
2. What fibers do you like?
Natural~~wools for felting
3. What type of needles do you use most often?
I was using dpn's for socks but found I like magic loop much better!! Using
a lot of circulars lately for felted bags~~seems you always need another size!
4. Do you like to knit in the round?
Yes
5. Do you use a magic loop method or any other we should know about? Are you interested in learning a new method?
Magic Loop and I want to learn two socks on one long needle~~Mobious sounds interesting
7. Do you have a favorite place that you shop online? (knitpicks.com, knitpixie.com, jimmybeanswool.com....)?
I don't do much online myself but have been gifted some knit picks and I like it
8. Do you want to be surprised? then erase all your answers above and write surprise me!!!

Ok, that's the official questionnaire~~but I should add to it~~I don't need any dpn's. When I first started doing socks I bought double sets of the different sizes so I could do two at the same time. Now I'm not using them very often.
My "want" would be Addi #1 60" for doing socks on one needle. Course I would be very excited with a pair of Lantern Moon !!! I couldn't believe the finish on them when I saw my first pair!! I'd have to display them when not in use!! lol~~
Handmade would be fun too!!

SP 6 is off!

I know this is boring for everyone but my SP but I don't know how to do it any other way ~~so here goes!!

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
Nothings changed~~I'm still a snob!!

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
I have tried to drop spindle but haven't done anything with it since last year's fiberfest!

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
Not really~~don't like smoke smell

4. How long have you been knitting?
A looooonnnnggggggg time!!

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Nope

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
lavender is my favorite but this time of year I like the fallish scents

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
Oh, yeah!!! Chocolate!!

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
Counted cross stitch, dabble in beading, am just now doing some primitive needle punch pieces

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I'm liking country ~~not the old type ~~not sure about the mp3's so maybe not?

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
Fallish colors are so me!!! Oranges, rusts,browns,gold's and some greens! Not into pastels too much

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
DH of 35 yrs, DD 25 and DS 23~~
Greyhound, Shih Tzu, Boston Terrier pup~~~Yellow-nape Amazon and 2 blue&gold macaws

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
At this point I'm content being home knitting,reading.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
Opal sock yarn, Lamb's Pride for felting,

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Scratchy~~acrylic

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
Felted bags

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Socks and bags

17. What are you knitting right now?
Felted bag and a pair of socks

18. What do you think about ponchos?
I don't!!

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
They both have their place~~

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I've used all but am slowly working into Addi's

21. Are you a sock knitter?
For sure!!!!

22. How did you learn to knit?
My mom

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
A sweater I started last winter

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
Favorite animal is dog

25. What is your favorite holiday?
I like the togetherness of Xmas

26. Is there anything that you collect?
Yarn??? lol~~projects

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
None

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
Yes!!! Cat Bordhi's Mobious Knitting~~I think I want book 2 first for the projects it has

29. Any patterns you have been coveting, but haven't bought for one reason or another??
I'd like a nice felted bowl pattern~~and the above mentioned books

ETA: 30. What are your foot measurements, and what kind of socks do you like?
I wear a size 7 shoe ~~but I must have big ankles~~I cast on 72 stitches in Opal

Thursday, September 08, 2005

About time

I've been remiss in posting~~not sure why~~just didn't feel like it! I've been busy with KK off again for 5 days. I needed him to go back to work so I could relax!!
Last week was B'day so I decided I wanted to go to Barnes and Noble in the afternoon and then Knit Nite in the evening. We went out for a late breakfast and then the book store. My DD has me hooked on Mocha Frappicino(however you spell it) so good!!!
I browsed through some knitting books and KK surprised me with one I've been wanting.
Came home and had enough time to get my things together and off I went!
Heather was going to pick me up but she was running late so she said we'd meet up there. What a nice surprise she brought! Cake for Lisa and my b'days! Candles too!! Didn't want to put too many on the cake Jen would have been worried about her yarn!!
Jump over to Lisa's blog and you can see us hamming it up!
Friday KK and Ds and I went to the Cleveland Zoo!! It's beautiful. We had a great day~~weather was perfect and it wasn't crowded. Took us 3 1/2 hours to get there but it was a pleasant ride. We got there about 10:30 and I made it until 4:30~~we walked for miles! I swear next time we do something like this I'm renting a wheelchair!
Sat. we had a B'day cook-out here with the kids and they along with KK surprised me with $$ for a new sewing machine!!
Sunday we went to Joann's and I picked one out which I was talked out of and talked into getting a so-called better one! After this evening spending a couple hours with it I'm not so sure!! It's that whole computer thing!! I just want to sew!
I started a small felted bag and got right to the flap and ran out of yarn~~of course no one close has it so that means tomorrow driving to Knitter's Corner to pick one up. Not that I mind going there but I'm really trying not to even look at any shops until after Fiberfest!!
I've also been working on the large tote~~after a false start I'm moving along nicely. It's going to take some time but I'm in no hurry for it so that's fine. I do have a couple other small ones I want to try.
DD gave me some xmas ideas all ready ~~so I'm going to make an effort to get started on those things. Of course socks were top priority!!
This sounds really bad but I've got to vent somewhere and since this is my blog I'm going to do it here!! The last few weeks have been a bit stressful with DS. He hasn't lived at home for a little over a year. KK and I have gotten to like being alone and enjoy the quiet and privacy. Well as the saying goes "all good things come to an end" or something to that effect! Three weeks after loosing his job Ds tells us! No job~~no $$~~~no rent, no food, no nothing!! What the hell was he thinking??? It's been one thing after another~~and he doesn't seem concerned! We are! So guess who's coming to dinner??? And staying?? For God only knows how long!!
That sounds bad,huh??? But he's such a slob~~and this is going to require much rearranging.~~starting with the parrots. What do you do with macaws in a 6 foot high cage????
I know I shouldn't complain ~~he's our son and we do care but he needs to grow up!!
With all that's going on in the south it makes me feel guilty for being so petty~~we have our home,food,clothing and each other~~~~ok, rants over~~~we'll manage!
Still trying to get through HP book 6~~or is it 5?? Anyway, I can't seem to get done with this one and then one more to go~~I'm HP'ed out!!
Enough rambling for tonight~~
Off for tea and reading

Wednesday, September 07, 2005


Go all the way to the Cleveland Zoo to take a picture of this!!

Wednesday, August 31, 2005


Isn't this the Truth??

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Twice in one day??

Actually it's not twice in one day~~I just noticed it's after midnight!
I posted a couple photos of the gals at the crochet class at Knitter's Corner this evening. They're trying to make crochet flowers that can be put together as a scarf or a belt. Cute~~
I watched how they were being taught to hold the yarn and hook and it looked odd to me. How come I always do things "different"?? I wonder if I ever knew the right way and then changed it as I went along. I guess as long as the finished product turns out who cares how you did it, right??
I love going to the lys when everyone's there ~~it really does get you motivated!! I came home and browsed through some patterns and I think I just might have to start something new tomorrow!! Not quite sure what yet but I know I'll come up with something!
Think I'm going to give grommets a try on that redone first bag. Lisa says they aren't too difficult to put in. Saturday I'm going to pick up some leather straps and it'll be done and then I can use it.
It's getting chilly at night now~~falls is definitely on the way! My favorite time of year!
Off to bed~~

There's Jen in the back working hard!!