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!!

Lynn teaching the girls to crochet!

Afternoon Delight???

ha,ha got your attention didn't I??? I'm talking about the beautiful day weather wise! I'm so glad to have the afternoon to myself~~to knit! I dragged out my Plain and Simple sweater from last spring and I'm going to finish it! Yeah, sure roll your eyes~~but I do mean it!! It's getting finished!! I was pleasantly surprised when I pulled the crumpled mess out of the knitting bag~~one sleeve is all the way to the cuff!! I just need to do some rows of seed stitch and then on to the second sleeve!!
Yesterday was fun. KK had his usual Wed. off and since it was so nice he wanted to go "somewhere". I pretty much wanted to stay home and relax but thought what the heck we usually find something interesting so off we went. He had no idea what he wanted to do so we just started out. Finally he says "how about taking a ride to Canada" Sure, why not? So we're riding along~~~~forever~~~and we finally wind up in Saint Jacobs. Nice area if not a bit touristy~~it's near the Mennonite folks so there's some nice quilts to be had if your budget can afford them! We went through some of the shops then had lunch at restaurant we've been to before. Then did more shops~~one I wanted to go into because I remember her having some rug hooking and some yarn. What do my eyes land on first??? A big basket of wool that looks hand spun!! I ask about it and it's spun and dyed by someone local and it's 50g. skeins for under $5 a skein!! There just happens to be this really,really nice green flecked that I love!!! You know what that means????? I must have some!!! So, I pick out two and KK says "shouldn't you get more in case you want to do something big"?? OMG!!! Very nonchalantly I say "good idea"!!! I took all the green she had which was 6 skeins!! I love this color!!
I also found a new needle punch pattern to do~~so I left there quite happy we went! The ride home was only 1 1/2 hours compared to the three it took us to get there!! Thank goodness for Timmy H tho~~coffee was a must for the ride! I've never seen a medium Caffe Mocha so small!! Weird, can't imagine what a small would have been!
We get home and there's a pkg. in the mail for me! I almost forgot I was trading some green Cotton ease for some Blueberry from one of the gals on a list I'm on. Last week at Knit Nite Lisa brought me 4 balls for the turquoise I had!! The best news is they are all the same dye lot!! What are the chances of that???
Tonight Heather is taking a class at the lys and I'm going to tag along just to hang out. I think I'll bring my sweater and finish the cuff. Just think next week Knit Nite is my B'day!!! hmmm, wonder if I dropped enough hints that my sewing machine has died a slow death???? I really,really want a new one!!! How else am I going to line all the felted bags I'm planning on knitting????
Off for a snack and Tea!

Sometimes I really do something other than knit!

Blueberry Cotton Ease acquired through trades!

New Wool from Canada

Sophie @ 6months!

redoing first felted bag

Saturday, August 20, 2005

Another Day at Allegheny

How nuts are we???? We got up this morning to a nasty rainy day ~~DD called from the park and said it was very warm there and the sun was starting to peek through so off we went!! Another day of hiking!!! I think my legs will never forgive me for this one! The girls went on a guided hike yesterday and they took us today! It was awesome as you will see in the photos below. There are bear caves~~now I'm not really sure why they call them this as the black bears that are native to the park supposedly don't dwell in caves! We hiked for what seemed like forever up hill through the rocks to the entrance of the two caves. DD didn't mention beforehand just how small these entrances were! You had to squeeze sideways and scrunch way down low to fit through the openings. Thank goodness we remembered the flashlights as it was pitch black once you got in there. It felt like a/c and when I came out my glasses immediately steamed up! It was a bit scary but after I got out I thought how awesome it was to do! You could only go back about 20 feet ~~I could stand up but anyone much taller than me couldn't. We've been to this park many times and never even heard of these caves before!
I wasn't in the mood to go this morning~~this week has really knocked me for a loop physically but now that I'm home and comfy I'm really glad we went! This is a day I'll remember for awhile!
We went back to the cabin and cooked burgers over the fire and then helped pack the girls up.
We were heading out just as the thunder and lightening came in~~what great timing!
Hope you enjoy the photos!!
Off to bed~~

phew, no bears here!!

Oh, no ~~another one!

I love this place!

Just enough room to stand if you're short!

We're in!!

Entrance to Bear Cave!!

Another trail!

Is this awesome or what??

Friday, August 19, 2005

Restful vacation???

Too tired to write much so I posted many photos for you to look through~~and trust me there are more coming! I'll save those for another night.
We had a great time in Allegheny ~~the weather was perfect, cabin was nice,and we didn't have any run-ins with any bears! I would have liked to see one~from a distance but we didn't. Did see deer,raccoons,fox and little fat furry things!
We kept busy~~eating,bike riding,walking,eating,sight seeing,eating!!
The first morning we got up and got ready to go out and jumped in the car to go and I looked at the clock and it was only 7:15~~I had set the alarm for 6 instead of 7!!
So we got a good start on the day! Had a really good breakfast on our way to the Amish area which was only 17 miles away! Spent the morning riding through the area and stopping at various homes selling their goods. I ordered a Hickory and Oak small table to put next to my rocker and it was ready for us to pick up before we left. It's exactly what I wanted! Picked up a couple loomed rugs for my craft room and found tote bags that I couldn't resist. Can never have enough bags,right?? Found one I liked for myself and the perfect one for Heather so all in all it was a great morning!!
That way of life intrigues me and I have to get to the library and see if they have any books on the Amish. I just can't imagine no electric!! Spending a few days in the woods in a cabin made me really appreciate the things we take for granted every day!
Did get to Knit Nite at The Knitter's Corner Thur. night and had a fun time! I almost didn't go and I'm so glad that I did. It really is so nice to "get out" with others that share the same interest. Some actually got some knitting done!! Can't say that I did~~I spent my time trying to pick out yarn for the next felted bag! I just could not make up my mind so Chris jumped up and in seconds had the colors all picked out for me!! Heather and I just stood there with our arms loaded down with Lamb's Pride! It's fun to see what everyone is working on and the different yarns that they are using.
Ok, I'm really tired so~~~
Off to bed!

Gorgeous!!

Exhausted!

First Night!

Hanging Out!

Just relaxing!

Brought the good stuff!

Front View!

What a seat!

Backyard!

The Cabin

Saturday, August 13, 2005

Vacation Days!!!

We will be going to Allegheny State Park for the next few days!! We're staying in a cabin for four days!!! I don't do camping~~ever!!! But in a cabin I think I can handle it!! I'm actually looking forward to just being away for a couple days!!I've got lists on top of lists all over the house so I don't forget anything! How pathetic~~~there is a Super Walmart not 20 minutes away!! I mean really if we forget something there's Walmart!
What was the first thing I got together???? My knitting bag of course! An on going pair of socks,yarn for another pair and everything to start my Suede shawl! I don't think I'll be bored! Picked up two knitting magazines the other day and had to force myself to put them in the bag without skimming through either one!
Skim down and you will see the blob is now a vase!! How cute is that??? When I started it I was really annoyed with the whole darn thing! It's done on dpn's #15~~they were like using tree trunks! Don't laugh~~try going from #1's to #15!!!
I could not get it started to save my life! You start out with an 8 cast on but what a pain trying to work those few stitches on dpn's. Finally after four tries I switched to Magic Loop method then I was on a roll! After a few rows I then transferred the st's to the dpn's. One thing I thought was odd the pattern said to felt it and let it dry completely and then felt it again! I've never seen that before. I'm not sure if I will or not. Right now it looks just like it should so I may leave well enough alone! This was such a quick and fun project I think I'll do a couple for gifts!
Wasn't quite sure what to use it for at first but now I think it'll be perfect for displaying my knitting needles!!
Anyone that's been reading along here will remember my rambling how I'm wanting to felt everything in sight??? Remember??? Well, I've changed my mind!! I had my first felting mishap!! OH,NO!!!!! Of all things it's a BHB(button hole bag)~~everyone's doing them,right??? Have I read anywhere of anyone having a problem with the handle???
No, course not~~I have to be the one to find out that a perfectly good attached on both sides handle can somehow twist itself in such a way that I can not untwist it!
Please tell me that someone else has had this happen??? I've tried turning this darn thing every which way ~~inside out~~right side out~~pulled and pushed the whole bag through the handle hole ~~nothing helped!! What the hell??? I was going to say WTF but I'm trying to keep my G rating! You can imagine what I was thinking~~
If you scroll down you will see the offending handle! Go on, I know you're curious~~
Nasty,huh???
This bag must be saved!! So, as a drastic measure I'm considering cutting the handle and untwisting it and sewing it back together with the same yarn(thank you God for not letting me throw out that tiny little ball that was leftover!) and then refelting the whole thing. ???? Any thoughts on that??? And I'm not asking
Heather because it's her bag and I'm sure I gave her a few grey hairs when I told her about it!
Well it's time to shut this down~~so~~be back Thursday~~just in time for Knit Nite!!
By the way, did I mention BEARS????? hmmmm???? I'll tell you about them when I get back!!
Off to read and have some Tea!!

First felting disater!

The blob is now a vase!!

Friday, August 12, 2005

Felting Frenzy!

I'm in the mood for felting!! I'm obsessed with wanting to knit up things to felt!
Weird how the knitting bug changes!! A couple weeks ago you could not pay me enough to felt a thing ~~ now I can't stop!! You will see if you scroll through my blog the newest project before and after! The Panes pattern by
trishbloom@aol.com was a really fun knit. It was different and I had to pay attention to where I was in the pattern for the color changes but it made it interesting! I couldn't figure how the bottom was ever going to work but finally it made sense.It's done
with short row wedges and when done makes a complete circle! Now that was cool!!
This took more yarn than I had~~wound up having to order the main color on line because no one locally had it. I only used the new skein for the last 5 rows at the very top of the bag! I'm not crazy about the color combination of the one cord so I may do it over. I'll think on it!
See that other shape I knitted up?? Go ahead take a look~~~that blue blob?? It's felting as I type this~~I'm listening to the washer so I can catch it before it changes cycles. I can't wait to see how that turns out~~I had some old wool in my stash and thought I'd experiment with it. I double stranded it but it still seemed a bit thin so I won't be too disappointed if it doesn't turn out~~oops, be right back~~~
Caught it in time! The yarn worked out ok~~I'm surprised. It was so loose on 15's that it was almost to the point of having holes in a few spots. Now the pattern says to let it dry completely and then felt it again! I've never heard of doing that before. I usually felt the daylights out of the piece then block it and let it dry and it's done. I'll take a picture tomorrow and see what you think.
It smells really,really bad in here!! Two felting projects in a row stink!!
hmmm, wonder if sheep smell this bad when they get wet?? All that wet wool, ewwwww!!
I had things to write about earlier but now I'm tired and can't remember what they were so on that note~~
Off to bed

Thursday, August 11, 2005


Tough Day!

Guess what??

Felted/drying

Panes pre-felting

Thursday, August 04, 2005

So forgetful!

I forgot to post about my weekend!! I had planned on a stay at home, hang around the house weekend. I should know better! Started out bright and early Sat. morning at Heather's market~~hung around and helped her out until 2:30 or so~~got home after 3 and KK calls. He has free tickets to the Bisons(Buffalo Baseball) game for Sunday.
hmmm, baseball or Garden Walk around the city?? No question in my mind~~I'm psyched for the walk!! Weird, me walking blocks in the city, in the heat!!
So, ok Garden Walk it is and maybe the game if we get done quick. OK~~fine. Sat. night we'll kick back toss down a couple cocktails light a fire in the outdoor fireplace~~sounds good but not meant to be!! KK calls again~~"how about going to the Guess Who concert tonight?" Oh, no~~I know immediately what this means~~
free concert in the park = mammoth crowds!! Hate it~~
We get there and have to use the cell to find our friends!! It's so loud I can barely hear on the phone to find the meeting place!! Finally we're together and we lucked out and got seats at a picnic table~~yeah, for us!! Now the trick is trying to get some drinks~~have to go in line for tickets, then get in another line for what you want. We guard the seats and KK goes on a beer run~~30 minutes later he's back and those beers are looking mighty good!! Did I mention it was HOT??
The opening group was ok but when the Guess Who came on the crowd went wild!! And I must admit after two beers I joined right in!! Great going to a concert where you actually recognize the songs!! lol~~
After fighting our way out of there I really needed food so we stopped at the
Ship n' Shore a bar we stop in at occasionally. I had great wings ~~hit the spot!
Got home took the dogs out and jumped into bed at 1:30. I wake up at 4:30 with the worst head/neckache coming on. Have to get up and take a Darvect~~not thinking cause I'm half a sleep I pop the whole thing! Not good!! I figured I'd be ok since I was just going right back to bed. Wake up at 9~~have to get up to be at DD's by 10:30 for the walk. I'm feeling kinda??ok?? Not really sure. Managed to get going and we're just about at DD's when I know I'm sick! The motion of the car finished me!OH,no!!! I wannna go for the walk!!! I sit a bit and feel ok so we all leave. Find a street to park on and start walking~~maybe I got 20 steps from the car and I knew this wasn't going to happen! It was so hot and my stomach was in knots~~I tell them to go and I'll sit in the car. DD says "make sure you lock the doors" huh??? I'm going to sit in the car with the windows wide open to get some air and I should lock the doors??? ok~~I'm just about asleep when they call me to see how I'm doing and to tell me how great the gardens are~~I'm so annoyed. I drive the car the few blocks to where they are and they're waving to me as I drive by trying to park! Well that little rest seemed to have settled everything so off we go!! The gardens were beautiful!! I was amazed that in Buffalo,NY you could have such wonderful grounds!
In the city no less~~I just couldn't believe the creativity of these people!
We spoke with one of the homeowners that had a pond that was like something out of a magazine. Tea foliage was unbelievable!! Not to mention the Koi~~I've
never seen Koi this large!! She said some were 15 years old! They winter in the pond in her basement!! Can you imagine???
KK and I really enjoyed the walk as did the rest of our group but our one complaint was we felt like coming home and tearing up our backyard!!
We stopped for a terrific lunch at Gabriell's Gate then Kk and I headed home.
I posted a couple photos that DD took~~there were some more nice ones but she didn't edit them and they are going in every direction!! lol~~
OTN~~Buttonhole Bag almost to the bottom. Hopefully all knitted and ready to felt by tomorrow night. This one's Heather's
then I'll start mine.
Off for tea and a bit of Harry Potter #4!!!

Wednesday, August 03, 2005


Just starting out~~not sure how I feel yet!

Lily's

One of many!

Sunday's Walk

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Tagged

I've been tagged!!!This is my first official tagging and it's by wacky
Lynn! After going to the link you'll understand !!
This is not easy~~I've been thinking about it for a couple days before posting my reply. 5?? Only 5??? hmmm, see what I mean ~~not easy!


id·i·o·syn·cra·sy

Pronunciation Key: n. pl. id·i·o·syn·cra·sies - A structural or behavioral characteristic peculiar to an individual or group.


Write down five of your own personal idiosyncrasies. Then, if you wish, tag five people to do the same.

1. When I start something I become so obsessed with it I can't think of anything else!

2. I have pets~~3 dogs~~dogs drool when it's hot~~it's been very,very hot~~ I hate drool spots on my Pergo floor!

3. Smells bother me~~bought a pre-owned van and I Febrezed the inside so much I had to ride with the windows open in the freezing cold to get rid of the Febreze smell!!

4. Things have to be picked up around the house. I hate "stuff" lying around~~course my craft room doesn't count!

5. Eat dinner fast so I can clean up the mess!!

There, I guess that will do? Now who should I tag??? I think I'll start with
Heather I know she'll thank me!!
How about Dani this wil give her something to think about other than knitting since knitting is a "no-no" right now.
Finished my shawl yesterday now I'm waiting for the lys to get me the assortment of yarns for the fringe. Won't get to that until next week. Can't decide what I want to do next. It's so hot/humid again it's hard to think about knitting!
Maybe I'll start a bag??
I joined Bookcrossing yesterday~~you should check it our if you are a reader. It's basically a way of recycling books. Your released book is tracked and you can see where it winds up. This morning I captured my first book~~hard sneaking up on them!!
Knit night Thursday so I have to have something to work on!
Off to check the stash!