I'm Back!!

I know you have been wondering what has been up with me! Well, summer at the lake got in the way! I am commited to posting more.
I have been knitting all along.......I have 2 more socks without mates! That's a post coming soon! I have made 3 baby gifts which all but one turned out fabulous! I will post pictures soon of a couple of them.
As soon as I get done here I will be finishing up my first ever top down sweater and I am in love!

Next post..........
Ode to The TopDown Sweater!

All Things Beautiful!

Yes, I have been knitting. As soon as I finish this post I need to go sew the rest of the baby sweater together. I also made a matching hat that I need to sew up too. The shower is this weekend so I need to get going. Remember my previous post with the cover of Knit1? Well, I just remembered I have another baby gift to make so I will be starting on the cutest little coat. This baby I know will be a girl so I am knitting a coat/jacket from the Simply Baby book by Debbie Bliss.
Always excited to start something new!!!

I currently have GREEN ankles from mowing the lawn! And while I was out slaving awayI was enjoying some of the beauty of spring!

Check it out!

I would love to have a beautiful back yard that is more of a garden than a yard but unfortunately, I like to go to the lake more so I don't have much time to devote to a lush yard. My husband is going to plant some things in our small garden. Nothing tastes better than home grown tomatoes in the summer so I have to have some of those and I would love to have most of the rest of the garden be sunflowers......I don't think husband is going to go for that but, we'll see. I will post pictures as it progresses!

Happy Day!

Dying for a new project!

I have only 3 things currently on the needles, one actually has a deadline! And I am ready to start something new. I know, unbelievable!!! Today I picked up the new Knit.1 magazine and I fell in love with this sweater!
Isn't just adorable??!! I think if I start now I might actually have it done by the fall!

As I write this post, I am watching the Food Network.....(I love watching but I'm not much of a cook!) and I'm having a flash back! Diners, Drive-ins and Dives with Guy....the crazy guy with platinum spikey hair and tons of energy is talking about scrapple! I remember eating that at my Grandpa and Grandma Yager's farm!!! As an adult who tries (I said tries, not succeeds!) to watch what I eat, I would never touch it now because it is 'pork scraps' (oh my! they just said "everything but the squeal!") which I'm sure means lots of fat but I remember loving it when I was a kid! I was a picky eater as a kid, and still am to a certain extent so it amazes me that I liked it but it was fried and what kid doesn't like fried! (My nephew Jake's diet according to my sister is "anything fried in moderation".)

So if my sisters read this hopefully they will get a blast from the past too.....Di may not remember but I bet Sue will!

Enjoy your weekend! Hopefully it will be pretty out!

Special Guest

This is the adorable, expertly knitted cable sweater my friend Deidre made for her grandson. Isn't it something else? I was so in awe of her skill and how good it looked! I told her she needs to teach me how to pick up and knit because the ribbing around the neck where she did that looked fabulous! Mine never looks that hot.

Deidre has been knitting probably since she can remember. She tells me these great stores about her mother knitting and the 'lessons' she has had over the years. Her mother hired a lady to teach Deidre how to knit the "German" way which was with one of the knitting needles UNDER HER ARM!!! I'm having a hard time even picturing that! I think I am right in saying, that lesson was wasted on Deidre because I don't think she knits that way today. She is the shepardiss of knitting at her place of work and has brought many virgin knitters into the fold. They too are now attending Knitters Anonymous meetings and drowning in their incredible yarn stash!

Thanks Deidre for being my guest knitter! I'm not worthy!!!

BTW....I haven't really talked about some of the books I have been reading lately......I just finished Midori by Moonlight. It was a very enjoyable read. I had gotten it as a suggestion from a friend of mine's book blog. It's a chick lit book with a happy ending, a dream realized in work and a love story. Doesn't get much better than that! It would be a great 'beach/pool' read so put it on your list!

Diversion

I have been feeling the need to do some papercrafting lately so I took a couple hours and made some cards! It felt good!

Check out my results!

I especially love these two! My family would say the black, white and tan one is so me.....my favorite color combination. I tried to like other colors but it seems to me that I usually gravitate back to these colors!

Sometimes I get inspiration from books or magazines and sometimes it just comes from inside me.

Coming Soon! A guest appearance from a friend who just finished this ADORABLE cable knit sweater for her grandson. I was in awe! She's sending me pictures so I can post them.....stay tuned!

Houston, we have 2 socks!

Yes!!! It has been accomplished! I now have 2 socks that match and are complete!!

The key for me was having a easy pattern that went quickly and didn't require a lot of study to complete so it was very easy for me to be motivated to complete a second sock. This is the pattern I used for a ribbed sock..........it's great! I found it on this blog - Wise Hilda Knits.

I now have the go-to pattern for those great sock yarns I see at the store and so badly want to use!! Now the trick will be to have it memorized so I don't have to fiddle with the papers!

Still working on my baby sweater.......done with the front and more than halfway through the back.

Happy Knitting!

Back from vacation

I had a great mini vacation at our lake condo with 2 very productive visits to the fabulous LYS there! They keep getting more and more yarn each time I'm there so it's a pleasure to visit. Robin sat there with me and tried to help me figure out the really vague directions for the Baby Surprise Jacket my Elizabeth Zimmerman. I had to rip out all that I had done in a day and a half because I did it all wrong then I started over and still screwed it up. Couldn't bring myself to try it again. Needless to say, I may not be making a baby surprise jacket.

Started on a Debbie Bliss baby crew neck that is striped. VERY CUTE.

Yes, I know you want to know about that second sock! Well, since I had the baby surprise jacket issues I didn't spend as much time on the sock, BUT I am half way there. Tonight I am going to finish the heel and the rest goes VERY quickly. I love this really easy pattern and I WILL have a completed MATCHING pair of hand knit socks!!! A pattern like this could get me addicted to socks......maybe.

I have been reading 'Rhett Butler's People' and loving it!
At first I was worried because I was having a hard time getting into it but that didn't last long. I love the fact that it tells the story of the more interesting of the characters. Scarlett was a spoiled brat who didn't know what she had till it was too late. Rhett knew how to work any situation and was a man of strength. When you read about his childhood from this authors perspective you start to understand what made him tick and where he got his strength from. It is upsetting at times to read how they treated slaves and then freed people of color after the war........hard to read but I do believe unfortunately it is probably accurate.

I will post pictures of the completed pair of socks so you can sufficiently ooo and ahh!!!

Happy Day!

Coming Soon! The saga of the Palm Pilot.............

I'm Lovin' these Socks!!

Check this out!!

I got this really cool sock yarn at my LYS and I just love it! This is a perfect example of what a sample will do because that's what sold me on the yarn! One was knitted up and on display and I fell in love with the colors and striping and I just had to get it.

Now you know how I am about socks.....I haven't finished a pair yet. I did the glorious 'Monkey' sock which was beautiful but a lot of work so I just couldn't make myself do another one! And then there is the first sock I ever tried.......never even finished it!!!! BUT I am determined to finish this one because it is just too cool! I found this pattern off the internet. I was looking for something easy and was wanting some ribbing and low and behold, this has been a great one!!! I am heading on a short vacation to the lake house so I am planning on finishing the other one there. The only down side is I knit them on 1.5 double points and they really start to bug my hands after too many hours. I have decided I prefer DPs over 2 circulars because I was getting a 'line' where it wasn't joining so good.

I know you want to know what's up with the purses. I'm stalled on the sunflower purse (those darn socks! and knitters ADD) but am determined to find just the right fabric to line the purse with. I also have another baby gift I need to start working on. I'm thinking Baby Surprise Jacket. That's part of the plan for my short vacation too................as well as a stack of books to read. When will I find the time to do all the things I want???

Well, that's it for now.....my next post will be 2, count it, TWO socks that MATCH!!!!

More successful needle felting!

I am so excited how well this is going! In case you couldn't tell, it's a sunflower! It's really been easier than I thought it would be and the results are GREAT! It ends up basically looking like you did intarsia knitting before felting to make the image!

I need to do a dark brown for the center part and add some yellow beads for the center. I had to order dark brown because I didn't have any, so I won't be able to finish for a few days but was too excited how it was looking to not post.

I think I will add bamboo handles and look around for the right fabric for lining.

BTW....if you haven't read The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield it's GREAT!!! It's been out for a while and I never picked it up but I am really enjoying it!

Happy Day!

Needle Felting

Sometimes things turn out better than you think are will. I usually am excited to try a new technique but then apprehensive because I worry that it won't turn out like my vision or that I won't be any good at it.
I am pleasantly surprised with how my first two needle felted flowers turned out! I know I'm not an expert yet but I was pleased that the first ones turned out okay!

This is a small wallet size clutch that I felted the other day. This flower makes the perfect accent!

Here's a closer look at the first one that I tried!

And this one was the second.

I felted this purse a couple weeks ago and have been struggling to know what to embellish it with because it is larger and didn't want to put a ton of flowers on it. I think the small one on the closure works nicely. Now I can line it and finish.

I was just using the craft store kind of felt sheets to cut out flowers, which can look cute but I think this will add a more cohesive look to the bags.

I can't wait to try the next thing. I want to put a sunflower on the front of a brown purse that I felted!

Crazy About Felted Purses, Again!

I'm sure you have been wondering....'is she now a reader and not a knitter?'. Never fear, I have been doing both just not posting pictures of the knitting things I'm working on. They are kind of a work in process and most are not done yet. But I do have a new purse I finally finished to post.

I think it's a really cute summer bag!!!

I had knitted the black body of the bag a while ago and never felted it. I was so happy with the size and boxyness that it inspired me to complete it. I cut the flowers out of felt and embroidered, made orange and yellow stripe felted handles and lined it. You can see on my 'Ode to the Starlet' post where I was working on the lining. After a lot of work on trying to figure out how to make a lining that would be stiff enough to hold the shape I finally got it done, but it just wasn't fitting right inside the purse so yesterday I ripped all the seams out and tried again. SUCCESS!! It turned out GREAT! I used plastic mesh canvas which keeps the shape perfectly!

I currently have a baby pink bag (different shape) and a brown bag and a fuschia bag (different shape still) that I have to finish. I have ordered supplies to try needle felting on the front of these. The felt sheets look okay but I think the needle felted images will give it a complete felted look. I should be receiving those supplies just in time for 2 days off in a row and can't wait to get started! I will post as soon as I have something to show. I'm hoping I won't be crying that it looks terrible, but it's worth a try!

Happy Day!

Book Review #2

The Secret Sisters by Joni Rodgers

I just finished this book today......and I must admit I was rushing to get through it because I wanted to move onto something new. I picked this book up on the new arrivals shelf at the library thinking it sounded interesting, which it was but not in the way I typically like. I am the happy ending, easy pleasant read, get a glimpse into someone else's life kind of read. Don't get me wrong, this one filled several of those things just not the easy pleasant read part.

This is the tale of 2 sisters and one sister-in-law (sounds kind of like my last book review doesn't it?!) Each is struggling with their own loss (again, it's sounding like my last review) and as the book moves along they are working through their own isses (yes, it is a different book, I had to go back and check to make sure tho!). Pia, sister number one, is devastated when her husband dies unexpectantly. She had been an extremely capable, high power lawyer who traveled and worked all the time. The untimely death of her husband sends her into a tail spin and she becomes someone totally different. She can't fly, she doesn't like to leave the house, she won't go back to her job. She does get remarried but she attempts to take her life and still has a very difficult time just functioning. A chance meeting with an antique dealer is the beginning on a new friendship. Daphne is quite the character and I found myself not really liking her....feeling she was taking advantage of Pia when she was weak and at the end I find out why I didn't like her. Her relationship with Daphne, no matter Dahpne's intentions did end up being a good thing for Pia because she does appear to break free of her issues through her friendship with Daphne. There is an interesting twist at the very end of the book regarding Daphne which really took me by surprise!

Pia's sister, Lily is in jail throughout the entire book. She tried many times unsuccessfully to get out on parole and as time goes on, she becomes more and more jaded. She is 'courted' by a guard who she wants nothing to do with. You see her progression to healing most strongly close to the end of the book. A cathartic outburst during a parole hearing was just what she needed to begin to let go.

Beth, the sister in law to Lily and Pia has the smallest role but one that ties the entire book together. Her daughter, Easter was 6 years old when she was killed in a car accident.......Lily was driving the car! Beth struggles with 'good days' and 'not good days' the few times we see her in the book. She has a great deal of anger toward Lily and attends each of Lily's parole hearings to make sure she does not get out.

What I found interesting about this book was the way the author worked the characters and the people in their lives. Pia interacted with Lily quite a bit at first but then gradually pulled away so each of them becomes very 'on their own' but it doesn't really speak to why they pulled away except that Pia moves away and can't visit Lily as much. Also, Pia has 2 sons and they are in the beginning of the book briefly but go off to college and pretty much disappear from further mention. If I as any good at all about reading the hidden meanings I would know what all these things mean............but I have never been too good about symbolism.

I gave this book 2 out of 5 stars in my book diary..........mainly because I found myself rushing through the end. Everytime I want to get done with a book (skipping over lots of paragraphs and words just to get done versus loving it so much I want to keep reading!) I give it a low score...it's lost my interest but I just can't stand to not finish it. I am at least interested enough to want to know how it ends.

Fiction/358 pages

Barefoot

I love to read more than I like to knit and I am torn everyday on how much of my free time to spend on each! Sharing books that I have read and love with other people and encouraging them to read them too and hopefully enjoy them really makes me happy. Just ask me to recommend something for you to read on the beach or on vacation and I am in heaven! I pull out my list and soon you have 20 books to pick from.

In the interest of getting other people excited about good books, I am going to do a brief review of each book I read....and let you know how many stars I give it in my little black book of books!

Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand

This is the 4th book of hers I have read. And you can always tell I really like an author if I start reading all their books! The first book by Elin Hilderbrand that I encountered was The Blue Bistro which remains my favorite although I have really enjoyed the others as well. She has 2 more books that I have not yet read so I will be checking those out soon.

Three women head to Nantucket for the summer.....2 sisters and one of the sister's close friends. Each of these women are dealing with their own kind of crisis. One has lung cancer (but is not and never has been a smoker), one was a quick rising star as a professor who had a 'foray' with a student and in a fit of anger damaged the college's prized piece of artwork, and one has a husband who has a lover and she is now pregnant (she recently found out about both). The book follows these women through the summer as they stay in a 1 bathroom cottage on the ocean inherited from their strong, dominant Aunt....okay, one bathroom is VERY cozy and crowded. Several close encounters early on with a young want-to-be writer named Josh brings him into their summer life as their sitter for Vicki's 2 small boys. Each woman gently and sometimes heartbreakingly come to terms with their situation. Each emerges from the summer stronger, with a new perspective on her life.

This was a very good book. I enjoyed reading it and getting to know each character......finding out what their ultimately decide to do with their life.

I give it 4.5 stars!!!

First Edition: July 2007

Pages: 403

Ode to The Starlet

Years ago...I hate to think how many, I received a sewing machine, a Singer Starlet, for Christmas from Mom and Dad. Each of us girls got a 'big' present rather than several small. My sisters will recognize it and I know they will get a kick out of seeing it again....they religiously read my blog and hang on my every word.......NOT!!! Anyway, I think I was a freshman in high school. I used this machine so much, especially when I was in high school and college. I made almost all of my clothes! This machine has traveled with me to the many different places I have lived over the last $% years. (yes, I'm in denial, if you don't write the number it really doesn't exist!)
One of the special features of the Starlet was it was portable. It closes up and the foot pedal and the cord are stored in part of the box!
After many years of my Starlet working like a charm, I had to finally take it in for surgery a couple years ago when I was in my pillow making phase. (Remember, I have the ADD crafting problem hense another craft!) It was not working at all. I drop it at the Singer store and pick it up about a week later. The guy was very impressed with my little machine and said they didn't make very many of them 'back then'! He said it was a good little machine and he enjoyed working on it. Rather than dwelling on the 'back then' comment...I chose to bask in the fine idea that I had one of very few!!!
I have pulled the Starlet out of retirement to help me with my latest crafting project. I am finishing up a felted purse. I am actually going to try and sell this one...we'll see what happens. I needed to line it to give it a finished look.

I will post a picture of the finished purse in the next couple days. It's looking pretty cute if I do say so myself!

Happy Day!

Adult Sweater #2

This knitting is so addictive! I have started on a sweater for my husband and you can see the progress so far. Started on Friday, February 8th. Sorry about the sideways photo. I tried to rotate it in Photoshop but for some reason it didn't save. I need to spend more time on trying to master the elements of Photoshop. It is knitted in the round (my favorite) from the bottom up. There is a 2" garter stitch border around the bottom.

I love this pattern.....it's updated and cool! According to this picture I am probably not quite to the half way mark on the stockinette. Moving pretty quickly tho.
You can't really tell in my picture but it has a garter stitch column on the sides. You can see it much better in the picture from the magazine. If I would have picked a lighter color and think that would have shown up more. Hope I won't be regreting that when it's all over. Yep....you can't see it at all in my picture!

I don't know how much concentrated knitting I am going to get done....I have to work 7 days straight so I will probably be comatose! I do find that knitting is a great way to unwind....especially when it's just straight knitting with not particular pattern to follow!

Happy Knitting!

My First Adult Sweater!

Behold

The sweater is done!!! Well, I still have to block the ribbing for the buttons and then sew the buttons on, but I am done! I am relatively happy with the result.

The buttons are off as you can see in this photo.......I don't know how that happened because I was counting evenly as I went down that row! It's that darn knitting troll.....he always jumps in there and messes my garment up when I'm not looking! Any suggestions on how to fix that? I will probably look in my knitting dictionary to see if they talk about how to trouble shoot that!

Here's a few things I learned in from this project:
1. When it says cast off LOOSELY, do it right from the very first time it says that. I think that is why my ribbing for the buttons is puckering. I finally got it right by the collar!

2. I need to figure out how to fix a stitch that gets dropped several rows down. I thought I could do my own little fix but it shows.
3. Read and mark each section I am working in if it says 'work as for back' and you are on the sleeve. That's how I ended up with the Christopher Columbus incident. So in other words.....

PAY ATTENTION!

I was finished knitting in 30 days! Start date January 6th. Completed knitting February 5th. Took me a few days to actually get the opportunity to get buttons. And then there was that little stint in detox (caffine that is! That's a whole other post. If you have had caffine injected into your system for 20+ years without stop, it hurts a little to go cold turkey.....took an entire weekend to feel better!)

Of course I have to jump right in and start something new......the knitting ADD was killing me but I was determined NOT to start something new till I finished this sweater!


Here's the purse I am working on....impressive don't you think?










Here's the purse that I had knitted a few months ago but never felted so I felted it this AM and it's drying. Here are some potential embellishments for it......


This one is cute and I want to find a black and white stripe ribbon to go with it.









Which one of these 2 do you like better? I got
these flower and thought they would look great

on a bag but I'm having trouble getting my

mental vision come to reality.

I'm in a purse mood again.............the ideas are swirling! I've done several in the past. See the Sept 29, 2007 post to view my other purses....for some reason couldn't get it to track back to that date.

Next project after the pink bag....or maybe during is a sweater for my husband.

This one by Brooklyn Tweed from the Interweave Knits mag is what I am planning on doing.

It's knit in the round!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You know how I love that!

No Exploration for Me!

Well, I didn't even make it out of the harbor and the queen called the expedition back...see previous post if you're in the dark!

Good Side Bad Side

The more I looked at it the more I realized I would have the collar of the sweater in my mouth based on how high up it was going to be without the neck shaping!! So I ripped them both out....^&*(%$. How many times have I been told....trust the pattern!!!

But I must find a positive in this scrapped expedition......I really only had to rip out about 20 rows or so. It REALLY could have been ALOT worse. So I am really thrilled about that. The sleeves and the right and left fronts are drying after blocking so I should be able to start putting it together tomorrow after work.

I plan on studying the pattern VERY well to make sure I don't put the sleeves on the front part of the sweater!!!!! Don't laugh, it could happen!!!

Good Night Good Knitters!

Holy Moly! Nina, Pinta and Santa &^%$!!

So last night I weave in the ends and lay the back and two front pieces out to block and what do I find but a mess up!!! On one of the front panels I had shaped the neck all wrong!! So I blocked the back and one side then waited till this AM to fix the one side. Now that I read the directions I think the one I blocked was the wrong one, not the one I just fixed!!!!!!! &^%$#@(*&!!!!!!!

Soooooooo I think I can make it work! At least now they both match and I will be able to continue with the ribbing and I really don't think it's going to make that big a difference. I will find out when it's done whether or not directions are important! HA! I have a feeling I will be proven wrong, but I'm in the mood for an experiment....and aren't the best knitters the ones who have made mistakes and either found they needed to do it the right way OR they indeed are Christopher Columbus and have charted a new world!!!

This is the back, not the mess up!!!

The other thing I was thinking as I was dragging out all the gear for the blocking..............."I probably could have bought this sweater in five minutes flat for a whole lot less money!" What is it about spending hours and money on making a sweater????? Is it because I can't find exactly what I'm looking for? Is it because I like to be able to tell people that I made it and have them look at me with shock and awe? Is it just because I am stupid? Time will tell, huh?? When I'm off to the next crafting obession, maybe I will find the answer......or maybe it's in the 'New World'.
Off to EXLORE!!!

Happy Knitting from Christopher Columbus!

One Down, One to Go!

Here's one completed sleeve!! I can't believe how far I have gotten! I know now, I can actually finish an adult sweater!!!!

Once the second sleeve is complete then I have to block all the pieces and sew together then cast on for the ribbing for the buttons and collar.

Not too many adult responsibilities this week in the evening so I might be able to get the sleeve done in a couple nights and will be able to start the ribbing by Friday!!

Happy Knitting!

It's NOT about winning he says.....

Meet Lego Driver - Car 51

We survived the Pinewood Derby! Despite many attempts, 'Lego Driver' came in second to last in the Bobcat standings. He looked tuff and he hung in there to the end but just didn't quite have the goods to compete with the big dogs! In the words of the 'designer/manager' of the Lego Driver crew.......'this is a building year'. So car 51 will be retired and an entirely new design will make it's debut in a year. We think we have a 'ringer' in the family.....Papa, the mechanical engineer! It will probably cost us big to bring in an expert, but money is no object when you're trying to win a race. Maybe we can get some sponsors....

The funny thing about it all was that I was trying to instill a little competitive spirit in the kid and all he keeps talking about is that he got a trophy even if he placed second to last. I say 'wouldn't it have been nice to win?' And he replies,' but I got a trophy, it's not about winning.' HMMMMM......after all these years in the work world I'm not so sure that's how it really goes........

Rock on Car 51, Lego Driver!

PS....yeah, the knitting hasn't gotten much farther.....I'm not even to the arm hole on the right side yet. Too much adult responsibility!!!!!

I'm Consumed!!!

Day Eight!

I am now on the right front and moving quickly.............BUT nothing else is getting done! I have worked my job on Sat nite, gone to church Sunday morning and downloaded a trail version of Adobe Photoshop Elements to try but THAT'S IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is consuming me! I am so bent on seeing how fast I can get this done I can barely think of anything else! Watch me come to a big screeching halt when I probably do something like run out of yarn!! AND I got this yarn at my LYS at the lake so it's not like I can just run there and get more!

ANYWAY.....

This is really fun and it's a blast seeing how quickly it's coming together! As I have said before, I have yet to finish an adult sweater so I am feeling like I'm accomplishing something here!

The only road block is I have to work for the next 5 days straight and have things going on at night, Tues, Wed and Thur!! Serious blips in the knitting time. Oh the tribulations of being an adult!

I'll keep you posted!

Happy Day!

Oops!

Sorry it was Day Six!!!!

Sweater Progress Update

End of Day Five

Well, I didn't do so bad and I didn't work on it non-stop. After making my day-off run to Wally World and the library I got started knitting around 10am. Worked pretty solid with a few breaks till about 5pm. Made dinner then worked on it till 10pm. I'm already thinking about how quickly something similar to this would go on larger needles. I have a picture of a sweater I would like to try to mock up and this is giving me ideas on how to make that happen!

Don't have to work till late tomorrow so will have time to knit some tomorrow too.....AFTER the Pine Wood Derby competition in the morning! Go car 51!

For now it's time to go read!

Happy Evening!

Sweater Progress

Day Six

I don't work today so I am going to see how much I can get done by devoting a large amount of the day to knitting this sweater!!!! I'm hoping by the end of the day when I post again, I will have the back done and part of one of the front sides!!!! Wish me luck!

Happy Day!

Sweater Progress

Day Two

Only got a few hours to work on it because of work and a evening meeting.

New Project!

Today I began a new project. It's a sweater for me! I bought the yarn to make it at the end of last summer but never got around to it.

Day One

I know I'm supposed to be watching less TV but I can't wait to watch the premeire of Cashmere Mafia! I can probably get several more rows knitted while watching!

Happy Day!

Ker Plunk!

Everytime I use double points I think of that game I used to have when I was a kid....

KerPlunk

Two Days in a Row!

I finished an unfinished project today!

I started this purse in the summer and ran out of yarn. Had to buy it at the LYS at the Lake so had to wait a while till I was back there...of course that meant I had to start a new project. Picked this up again in the last couple days and finished today. It was from a free pattern at my Michaels store created by Paton Yarns. The pattern shows a ribbon around the body of the purse so I will add that as soon as I find one worthy. I'm pleased with the color choice and how it turned out. It did take some time with the cables and I just couldn't get the rows memorized so I was constantly looking at the pattern. I also had a couple minor mistakes that I had to troubleshoot. All in all, it's cute!!!

Here's my new 'reading/knitting nook'! We have a sitting room at the top of the stairs which was under utilized so decided a couple chairs would make it nice and cozy. LOVE IT!

Love those Kids Meal toys!!!!

Stay tuned, I might just post again tomorrow!!!

Happy Day!

Let The New Year Begin!

I have no excuses for not posting EXCEPT for the fact that I work in retail and that's all I need to say about the holiday season!

Wrapping up the past year....here's some stats:

Books read: 65.....4 more than last year.
Books not finished: 1....'Inglorious', just couldn't get into it.
Knitting novels read: 5....all were good but my favorite was The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood. It's a tear jerker that challenged my thinking about making assumptions about people.

Favorites:
Most chilling: Skin by Ted Dekker
Most intense: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hossein
Best Memoir: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Most disappointing: Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides

I love reading 'Chick-lit' and couldn't pick my favorite so here are a few that I gave 5 stars to:
Good Things by Mia King
Odd Mom Out by Jane Porter
The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand
Julia's Chocolates by Cathy Lamb
Elements of Style by Wendy Wasserstein
Little Pink Slips by Sally Koslow
Because She Can by Bridie Clark

Read and enjoy! They are all fabulous!

Knitting projects:

8 scarfs, most successful, a few not.
9 felted bags completed, several not.
3 childrens sweaters, all completed.
2 left socks.....I having a feeling the right ones won't be completed in 2008
10 socking caps.
1 adult sweater vest...remember the red vest diaries?
1 baby blanket
1 adult short jacket
Countless in the process projects!
As I look at this run down, I have to say I am pretty impressed. My goal this next year is to actually make myself a sweater. I usually do small projects because of my crafting ADD but I want to challenge myself to complete an entire sweater.

Why do I continue to make resolutions each year?

For the last several years it was all about being on the magical diet that would make me look like the slim, sleek model body I am not!!! My genetic inheritance from one of my grandmothers, thank you Grandma, was the pear shape body! So it seems no matter how much I starve myself, I will never have thighs that don't touch!!! Cordoroy is a no no! Sparks will be flying!

This year is more about being realistic about things!
So hence.....
A little more of this A little less of that

A little more of this A little less of that

A little more finishing projects A little less - 20 things going at once

A little more spreading JOY A little less passing judgment

A little more liking myself A little less hating myself

Here's to a great 2008.

I am looking forward to it being a fabulous year filled with love, laughter, family, friends, knitting projects, art projects and lots of books!!!!