Mz Mar's Page

Can It Be???

2011-02-16T19:11:00.004-05:00

Is it possible that I haven't blogged in over a year?? Funny I've been thinking about blogging the last few days and in my email today came a reminder from blogger.....maybe it's karma that I blog again?

I thought of deleting this blog and starting over but that would take more effort than I can muster up right now. Think I'll just clean this one up a bit. Hopefully I remember how!

My New Year's resolution is to go through my projects and finish things that have been otn. I'm tired of moving overflowing bags with half done projects! The Einstein jacket is finally done and I've even worn it! Now The Lady Eleanor wrap has my undivided attention!
One more tier to go and then the fringe! hmmm, how may years ago did I start that??

I'm also trying to knit a pair of socks a month. Doesn't sound too difficult ....since I have a couple pair that only need their mate!
Thought I'd tuck them away and next year I'll have a few to pick from for gifts since I did no holiday knitting this past Xmas.

Well, that's it for now...it's knitting time

May already??

2009-05-06T23:22:00.004-05:00

Where does the time go?? When I was a kid I would hear someone say that and wonder what the heck are they talking about...now I get it! Wasn't it just Christmas?
The weather here is finally starting to feel a bit like spring. Now that means all the yard work begins. I can hardly move tonight after doing some weeding yesterday and again this afternoon! I got quite a bit cleaned up but there's still so much more to do. KK got the pond running so I'll get some fish soon. I think the nights are a bit too cold yet for them.
This past weekend we had the first Yarn Shop Hop! It was really fun spending two days with friends and running around to the shops! The ending was a party with lots of food and giveaways! I didn't win but one of the women with me won the grand prize! It was a mammoth basket packed with yarny goodness! In it was the felted Poinsettia felted wreath kit which she gave to me! So in around about way I won too! Got more info on spinning and wheels. I think that's the next step for me!
Would have liked to make the Sheep and Wool festival in Maryland but maybe next year! From what I hear I'd better start saving now!
Saw some new summer yarns that were nice. Did get some summer weight sock yarn of course!
Let's see, what else is new?? hmmm, knitting the Kyler's Cardigan a Cottage Creation pattern. It's an all garter stitch sweater so it's pretty easy knitting. A couple new techniques but so far so good! I'd like to have it finished before the weather gets much warmer since it's all wool. It's a top down so there's a lot of sweater in your lap!

I'm pleased with the FLS and I think I may do it again. I've gotten a lot of compliments when I wear it.

I did do the Pinwheel blanket that we started at one of the Guild workshops. Hopefully you're looking at a photo of it! It's a good tv/movie watching project once you get it off the dpn's and on the circulars. I would like to do it again in a nicer yarn..this yarn seemed almost too soft for it.
I finally did a felted bag that I've been wanting for myself. I used up odd bits of Lamb's Pride that I've had leftover from other projects. I had it lined then decided it needed to be felted more so now I have to redo the lining. I'll get a photo once it's finished.
Not much else happening...we took a couple day trips to combat the cabin fever we were getting but now with the nicer weather there's plenty to do!
I'm going to try to get back to blogging ...I don't know where my time goes!
Off to bed

What knitting??

2009-03-04T17:34:00.002-05:00

We had a wonderful few days away but I think I left my knitting mojo there! Since we've been back I just can't get back into the mood. I'm very restless..could it be spring fever?? Already?
I hope not because if the recent temp.'s are any indication we have some time to go before spring hits! One nice thing though as cold as it's been the roads are clear. The other day we were out on one of the main roads and I thought it was snowing up ahead but it was powder from the road salt being scattered about from the traffic! The days have been sunny and clear but oh so cold! If there is even a slight breeze it goes right through to the bones! Good scarf weather for sure!
I digress, back on the subject of knitting.....there's none to write about! At least not much. I have made progress on the Berroco Sox sweater. The back is almost done and there's a couple inches on one sleeve. I do enjoy it because it's that easy mindless watch tv knitting. With working on that I don't feel like I've accomplished anything else. While away I started a sock on dpn's! Shocking , I know but I must admit I'm liking them. I picked up a really short pair of dpn's and they make all the difference. Since we've been home I'm at a loss what to knit. I want to knit everything and nothing ....I hate this mood!
I started an entrelac bag but I do believe there is a problem in the pattern and I can't find any errata for it. So that's shoved in a bag and tossed aside for now!
I keep walking into "my room" looking and fondling but walk out without any ideas!
I think I'll opt for something really simple and quick until I can get my thoughts together. How about a dishcloth and tribble?? Sound good?? Does to me...and kitchen cotton is one thing there's plenty of!
This is Guild week so maybe being around all those knitting gals will rub off on me...one can only hope.
Off to stash dive

Skaneateles

2009-02-25T23:47:00.003-05:00

This post is for me....a reminder of this surprise from KK! This morning he said to me "see if the dogs can stay at the kennel for a couple days". I'm thinking, huh?? why?? He says just wait and see! I call but the gal that watches Sophie and Maddie wasn't there so I left our number and asked her to call when she got in. About an hour later she called back and said it was fine to bring the dogs over! So after some frantic packing for us and the dogs we got on our way.
Two hours later we were here! I'm blogging sitting next to the fireplace in our room at the Sherwood Inn. This place is awesome. The building is 200 years old with wonderful atmosphere!
A mixture of wood burning fire and something cooking greeted us when we signed in. Heavenly!
We were able to browse through many of the rooms as many of the guests weren't checked in yet. Our room has a mammoth high bed....when I sit on the edge my feet don't even reach the floor! Of course the fireplace is the perfect touch. My only wish is that we would get snowed in and have to stay longer!
When I stand next to the spa tub it's higher than my knees...perfect for soaking with the jets on! The wall is curved with a handpainted mural. Lovely!
Perfect sunny day for the drive and after we checked in we took a walk through the village. Peeked in a couple shops and then stopped for a piece of pizza at the deli. Came back here and had coffee by the fireplace. With all the wing back chairs and comfy sofas I said to KK I could just picture all the women from knitting sitting here. The funny thing is after dinner in the lounge we came out and two woman were sitting there knitting! One said she was starting a bag and the other was doing a felted flower. I was tempted to run up to the room and grab the yarn I brought and join them! The spa tub won out tho!
I didn't have any socks otn so I brought a skein of Regia Kaffe Fasset with me. I've been wanting to try this yarn since it doesn't stripe it sort of pools....exactly what I've been looking for!
I was disappointed that the lys here went out of business. I was looking forward to checking it out. The good news is that while we were in the deli the mail person came in and she told me where there is another yarn shop and it's very close to here! The Yarn Bin....we're going to check out the area tomorrow and we'll stop there.
We drove through Auburn,NY where Carrie of Socks in The City podcast fame lives! Wouldn't it be interesting to run into her at the lys!
Better get to bed since we want to get up early!
Off to sleep

Resolutions????

2009-02-03T23:43:00.002-05:00

I made only two resolutions for the new year and I've already broken the first one! I was going to try to blog on a regular basis. Here we are into the second month of the year and this is my first post! I'm not sure why I don't take the time to blog, I used to and I was busier then. Now I have more time at home and I seem to get less accomplished.
So much for good intentions!
My second resolution seems to be off to a good start. I'm going to try to knit at least one pair of socks a month for the year. For January I used the yarn I dyed and knitted up a pair of Fluted Bannisters. I'm quite pleased with the fit on this pair so now I'm motivated to get on to #2. I've got a pair of Tidal Waves in the works.
I did get take a photo but the camera cord isn't right here and I'm way too lazy right now to hunt it up. I'll try to get them uploaded tomorrow.
I started the February Lady Sweater based on an EZ baby pattern. I absolutely love this sweater!! I wasn't confident in my ability to knit this one so I didn't want to invest $$ into only to be disappointed so I stash dived! Amazing what you forget that you have when it's tucked away!
I don't have much in enough quantity for sweaters tho...I totally forgot a couple years ago when Cotton Ease was discontinued I swapped for 10 skeins of Blueberry. This seemed perfect for a summer cardi thinking it would probably take me until the warm weather hits before I would complete it. This sweater is done top down and I have the body completed and I'm ready for the sleeves! It would have been further long but I'm striving for perfection! Having never done button holes that was an obstacle to overcome. I went on you tube and watched a tutorial till my head ached! Unfortunately, they aren't perfect but I'm ok with them after redoing a couple times.
You have to do some figuring on your own to get a good fit..so it meant trying it on as you go. Not my favorite part running a thread through all those live stitches but it's worth it in the end.
I finished the yoke,lace gull body and the garter border and then decided I wanted it longer! Out came the border and I added two more sets of the lace then redid the border.
I want to do the sleeves in the round rather than dpn's which meant picking up a short pair of circulars. You'd think with all the needles I have I wouldn't ever need to buy anymore!
I finally got to the lys on Sunday and picked up a pair so now I'm set. While I was there I found buttons that will work, so no excuses not to finish it!
One of the lys' has a Super Bowl sale every year and since it was a nice day Sunday we took a drive out there. I can't believe I didn't see much that caught my eye! I did get Opal Harry Potter to make socks for dd. I think in the back of my mind I was thinking about Monday night Knit Nite. One of the lys's closed a few years ago and the owner is friends with the woman whose house we meet at so she agreed to come over and bring goodies. She brought two huge suitcases stuffed with yarn....all at half price!! I snagged quite a bit of Cascade 220 for $3 a skein!!! Eureka!!! I'm planning next years Xmas gifts! We asked her if she'd come back in a few weeks.
A few weeks before the holidays dd asked me if I would make her a hat. Of course I said I would but probably not for Xmas as I already had those projects lined up and the supplies on hand. She didn't care, she would buy the yarn and whenever I felt like it was fine. I totally forgot about it until I went stash diving for the sweater. So now that's otn, too. Knitting on circulars, started the decreases and ready to switch to dpn's(hate that part) We're going over for dinner this weekend so I can take it to her then. At least she'll get some use out of it this season. I'm sure our cold weather is far from over.
Kk and I spent a couple hours at B&N this afternoon( I love that place) I've been stalking the knitting section and finally they got in Socks a la Carte! I swear they are only getting one new book at a time and you have to be lucky enough to get in there at the right time. Today I wasn't even looking for it and there it was!! I got 20% off being a member so I was happy to bring it home!
I've been having some horrible headaches lately. They come on all of a sudden at any time of day. I'm wondering if the ever changing weather has anything to do with it. It shouldn't be my eyes as my glasses are only a few months old. Maybe it's all the knitting and reading. I finished the last three books of the Twilight series in less than a week. Once I started the second one I was sucked right in!
Well, I guess that's enough rambling for tonight so
Off to bed

Here I am, again!

2008-12-07T23:40:00.000-05:00

Just looked at my blog and the last entry was from September!! How can that be?? What have I been doing? Nothing exciting comes to mind.

I did take a sock dying class through knitting guild. That was yesterday.
I don't usually like taking classes. I always feel pressured to move along quickly so not to hold everyone up but it didn't matter for this. You worked at your own pace which was good as I was the last one done! I used two methods and found that painting the dye on gave you much more control over the results. Once you do it you have more appreciation for those that do it well!
I'm sure it's like anything the more you practice the better you become. Here's a photo of the first two skeins. I think I just might invest in some more supplies and try this again! I'm really anxious to knit one of these up to see what happens!

Here's the same two skeins on a white floor so you can see the color better.

Over on Plurk we had a swap and this is the package I received. Very nice goodies! With sock yarn that's very soft and squishy! Even the pups got a treat!

Like many of you I'm knitting as fast as I can to get Xmas gifts finished on time. DD requested socks so of course they are top priority! I think d-i-l is going to get a scarf since she doesn't wear socks that much, at least not warm ones. Son's girlfriend is going to get her first pair this year ,too.
For knitting guild this month we had an ornament exchange. At the last minute I decided to do a mini sock which took me all afternoon! Why is it when you're in a hurry it seems like you're all thumbs? I even managed to snap a Bryson dpn in half! I was very annoyed and almost said the hell with it but I was 3/4 done at that point! I got a lovely wool embroidered heart...makes me think of how the wool penny rugs are done.
Most of our Xmas decorations are done. If we could just get these boxes cleaned up I'd be happy.
The outside doesn't have as much as we usually do but it's so cold now that I told KK it's fine as is.
I think later in the week we'll do some shopping. I haven't been to the stores at all yet. No black Friday shopping for me! Just looking at the parking lots is enough to keep me away!
As for knitting not much has been accomplished. I started a sweater and actually had everything but the sleeves done when I finally admitted I didn't like it......so after setting it aside for a week I frogged the whole thing! I really like the yarn so I'll have to find another pattern more suitable.
It's getting late so I'm
Off to sleep

Old Forge!

2008-09-28T20:50:00.000-05:00

Here I am in Old Forge,NY blogging! KK and I have had this weekend get away planned to coincide with the craft fair in Remson,NY. We learned of the fair a couple years ago when we took the train ride from Utica to here. We liked Old Forge but didn't have enough time to really explore and we decided we needed to come back and spend a few days here. They told us the last weekend in Sept. is the best to see the fall foliage and they were so right! We definitely weren't disappointed! Even with the overcast skies the views are stunning! We took so many pictures but I'll have to wait until we're back home to download them.
Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate yesterday morning for the fair...it poured almost the whole time we were there! Thank goodness we had our umbrellas so we were fine. By early afternoon it started to clear up and it got quite warm.
A couple of booths were really nice but some we just passed by. I stopped at one that had some really nice homespun yarn but she only had one skein of each color and there wasn't enough yardage to do much with. She did have awesome thrummed mittens but I couldn't bring myself to spend $69 on them. A garter stitch sweater caught my eye and I must have the pattern! She didn't have it with her but I'm going to call during the week and she's going to send it to me. Her shop is only open a few evenings a week so I won't be able to go there. The sweater she had on display was done in Cashvero....I've never heard of it before so I'm going to have to check into it.
I did get a pair of fleece mittens that feel really soft and hopefully warm. I'm already having problems with the RS and it isn't even that cold yet!
Once we got to Old Forge and checked into our room we went off to look through the shops. Of course I had to go to the Hardware store and check out the yarn area! Nothing caught my eye this time. I was a bit disappointed. I enjoyed the shops and picked up a few things. Tomorrow before we leave I'm going to get a blanket. They have these really thick soft throws that will be perfect for winter TV watching in our family room.
This morning we got up early and when we walked out of our room there were 5 deer right outside our room. A few people were out taking pictures and they said the deer stay right near here all the time. They actually walk right up to you if you stand still. I fed a button buck and a couple of the does...the baby was more timid and stayed out of reach. When we came back into town this evening there they were right on Main St. in the front yard of one of the shops! The locals watch out for them as they casually stroll back and forth across the street!
Today we took a drive to Lake Placid. It wasn't what I expected...it didn't have the old comfy feel of Old Forge. The shops were more what you'd expect to find in most cities which didn't interest me. I did go into Adirondack Yarns which had a nice variety of yarns and friendly staff. Lots of sock yarn many I'm able to get locally but they had Peace Fleece which I've never seen so of course I couldn't leave without some. Another colorway caught my eye but no matter how much I try I can't remember whose it is and I left it in the car..but I got a skein of it too. So now I have my souvenir yarn!
We ate an early dinner and decided to come back to the room to relax. I knew KK was tired after all that driving even though he wouldn't admit it. I grabbed a coffee and had the pastry we got at the bakery earlier. KK drifted off and I've been knitting!
I wasn't sure if it was worth the bother to pack up the knitting bag but I'm glad I did. I'm working on the Modular Vest that's on the front of Creative Knitting. I started it the beginning of the week and right before we left finished the first block only to discover it was totally wrong! My miter was going in the wrong direction! How annoying! I think right at the beginning I marked the right side row on the wrong side which of course threw the whole thing off. One of the ladies I knit with said don't rip it we'll make it work but I couldn't stand the thought of having to fudge it, so out it came! I started it over making sure it was marked correctly this time. I'm almost done with the second block of the first piece and it's looking good!
Also otn's is a pair of annetrelac socks that are almost finished. They're another story! I had the first sock almost finished when I realized there wasn't enough yarn! No way was I taking out all that work. I ripped it back to the cuff and Kk and I went on a hunt for something that I could do the heel and toes in. The second shop had Koigu in a nice shaded brown that went well with the variegated colorway so a sock disaster avoided! Redid the heels in the brown and I'm just about to the toes on the first one and about half way down the foot on the second. Keeping my fingers crossed there's enough yarn to get to both toes!!
Another project otn is the wrap vest in Love of Knitting. It's going to be a slow knit with almost 200 sts. on 7's. It's worked in a seeded rib so it's not difficult just slow.
Almost forgot to mention last weekend was the Hemlock Fiberfest. Had a great day from the weather through the shopping! That's were I got the yarn for the wrap vest. It's a hand dyed shaded dark blue with a touch of deep purple. It's definitely a step out of the usual for me!
Right as we were leaving I took the plunge and purchased enough hand spun/dyed yarn for a cardigan! It's beautiful,and again I stepped out of my normal and picked what I'd call jewel tones. I'd like to complete a couple smaller projects before I tackle the cardigan.
I've looked at the Lantern Moon dpn's for socks but never bought any but when I saw them at the fest I decided to treat myself!! They are so smooth and so tiny....maybe I'll have to cast on using the new yarn I got today!
I'm probably forgetting something but it's getting late and I want to finish the second mitered block so
Off to knit

September already???

2008-09-02T15:14:00.000-05:00

Can it really be September already??? It doesn't seem possible that summer is over or just about anyways. Yet I guess it's true as we had my b'day get together over the weekend. That for me is the sign that another summer is done.

KK and I didn't do as much as we thought we would which I'll blame a lot on the weather. Seemed every time we had something planned it rained or looked like it was going to. We did take a day trip to Ithaca,NY which was fun. We managed to shop at The Commons, go to the brewery, hike the Buttermilk Falls gorge, and stop at a few wineries! It was a great day and we couldn't have asked for better weather. Of course an outing that includes a yarn shop is just what one could hope for!

On said trip I did snag some Happy Feet and Mt. Colors. As you can see a new bag just happened to catch my eye....no surprise there for those who know me! No trip to the wineries is complete without bringing some home for later! (DD and I managed to illiminate 2 bottles at b'day gathering)

Oh, I almost forgot that very light color is some Crystal Palace chenille. Very nice and soft! I've never see it in person and once I did I had to bring some home. Only wish I could have gotten more. There is a washcloth in Weekend Knitter that I'd like to do.(waiting for book from library)

KK and I managed the hike up the gorge and as exhausting as it was it was worth it! It was beautiful at the top...well, the top as far as we were concerned anyway!

These are some of the views as we were hiking up.Of course pictures don't do it justice.

This was amazing to see how the water had etched out this pool. On the way up there were three of these and with the sun shinning through the trees the water literally glowed emerald.

As you can see after that hike the temptation was too great not to cool off! I couldn't resist! They told us the water was 55 but it felt wonderful! Right behind me in the photo was another one of the natural pools. Teenagers were sliding down the rocks right next to the falls into the pool....that looked like so much fun! I resisted tho.......

Not to bore you with anymore nature photos here's the socks from the Sockotta my girls gifted me with from when they took this same outing!

Ater finishing these I wished that I would have knitted something with a slight pattern. I never would have picked this colorway myself but it really knitted up nicely.

I hate to say it but we've had the nicest five days in a row weather wise then I think we've had all summer. With the storms all over the country who would think it would be so nice here. Weird!

I'm looking forward to Guild starting this week. First project is some charity slippers and they are providing the pattern and yarn. We'll have until next meeting to do as many pairs as we can.

I've got a couple project ideas floating around in my mind to start. Not quite sure which I want to tackle first. Should probably think about holiday gifts but I can't think that far ahead!

Off to make dinner

Bad Blogger

2008-08-06T23:16:00.000-05:00

ok, I admit it I'm hooked on Plurk! I jump on and off all day long......if I stay away too long I'm afraid I might miss something! Crazy!
I do have some knitting news! Yeah, I know you're shocked, right? I'm working on #2 sock of the Regia pair. They really are a nice colorway. I am having trouble with my heels and heel decreases for some unknown reason. The last pair I did I wasn't happy with either. I'm doing them the same way as usual so I don' t understand what I'm doing wrong. I'm getting those holes at the join and my decrease don't seem right to me. I do socks magic loop on #1's......when I get past the heel turn I have all the heel and picked up sts. on one needle and the top of foot on the other. I like this for doing the decreases...this way you dec. and each end of one needle. As I'm looking at it I k1,ssk, knit across to last 3 k2tog,k1 then knit across the next needle. Sound right?
I can finally say my room is really done!! KK finished painting the new molding and he put it up today! I painted the light switch plate white then used the wall color watered down to antique it. Tomorrow I'll spray a coat of clear to protect it and then on it goes! I have a couple odds and ends to put away but it wouldn't seem like my room if everything was put away!
Did you see my new pet?? That annoying noise you hear is her eating! After I did her I saw there is a Llama ~~kewl!!
I saw/heard something the other day that left me with a nice feeling ...maybe you'll feel the same. KK and I stopped at McDonald's and it was quite busy with lunches. We wound up getting a seat pretty close to the ordering line. Standing in line was a middle aged man in a army uniform. I didn't even notice him until I heard a woman say" May I shake your hand? I just want to thank you for everything you do for our country". At first he seemed a little uncomfortable but I noticed after the woman walked away he had a smile on his face. Maybe that raok brightened his day......I hope so .....it did mine.
I've decided No....More.....Yarn ...... at least not until fiberfest next month! I think I should be able to hold out until then!
Sorry, this post is so lame but I tried~~lol
It's getting late and I want to read a few minutes before bed so
Off to read

Quick Post

2008-07-30T21:03:00.000-05:00

I can't seem to find the time to blog but I've been plurking like mad! I can't figure out how to link to my page tho~it doesn't seem to want to work but I'm going to try to stick it here and see what happens~~
http://plurk.com/redeemByURL?from_uid=454595&check=-310655448&s=1 well there it is but who knows if it'll work?? I 'll try it when I'm done here. If it does work when you click on it it will sign you up as one of my friends~~come on ~~you know you want to be my friend, right??

My craft room is truly me now!! As you may know I took over DD's bedroom after she moved out a few years ago. For her 16th birthday we redid her room. She picked out the wallpaper which at the time was nice~~surprisingly enough she picked out a very country print that went with our house. The walls were papered from floor to ceiling and had a border. I was beginning to have nightmares about that paper!! I've been wanting to strip it for the last couple of years but it seemed just too overwhelming. Well, last week was it! My sons girlfriend was over and she has offered many times to help me redo the room~~so we started. We decided to do a small section behind the dresser in case we couldn't get it off we could hide it! The problem was originally when we moved in we didn't know the walls needed to be sealed/primed before we papered the first time. Unfortunately I papered right on the whitewash the builder used so the first layer of paper stuck~~really good! I was able to get the vinyl top layer off but the backing was on for good! I rented a steamer and it started to dissolve the wallboard! So dh sealed and primed the walls and then we papered for dd. All went well~~but now when we took this paper off we had to be very careful that we didn't dig into the original backing. We didn't want to have to re drywall the whole room. Fortunately the paper came off pretty good~~we started the job at 8:30p.m. and kept going till almost 3a.m.!! We had the entire room done except for a small area over the window. That was Sat. night~ Sun. dh spackled all the holes which took forever! Every time we turned around there was another hole! Monday he sanded and then primed and I picked out paint!! By Tuesday evening three walls were a sage green and the fourth was a bit darker!!
I was so thrilled that we could paint!! I thought we'd always have to paper because of that backing but not a seam shows!!! I added more shelves on the one wall and rearranged a bit so now for the most part the room is back together!! I love it!! I keep walking in there just to look around!! I know you're saying "what a dork" lol~~ but I really hated that paper!!
Found white shears with a design on them that I like so they're up and tomorrow dh is going to pick up new molding for around the door.

No knitting going on but I did go to my friends the other night and we did some beading. I've been wanting to do that for awhile so it was fun to go over and do it with her! It was like going shopping at the bead shop! I took beads for a necklace that I had but needed something to spruce it up and she had just the right thing! We did a bracelet too~~so I came home with a new necklace and bracelet without even stepping foot in a store!! We gotta do it again!!

Tomorrow DD and I are going out for awhile. She's on vacation this week so we're going to "do lunch" and browse a couple new stores.

It's starting to rain, again so I've got to get the windows shut so~
Off to beat the rain

Photo Post!

2008-07-17T23:22:00.000-05:00

Don't they look innocent??

awwwww!! Maddie wants to go for a ride!

an unwanted guest!

Sophie checking the plants!

awesome cactus!

Not the way you want to end a ride in the country!

ten day old male

ok, had enough?? This little guy was at a fiber fest I went to last weekend. It was the first year for it and it wasn't very good. What was there was good but there were only 5/6 booths related to spinning/knitting. I did see something interesting tho~~a Turkish spindle! It's a bottom whorl spindle that has these four arm thingies that as you spin the yarn wraps around these to form a center ball pull! After you load the spindle you somehow remove the arms and slip the ball off~~kewl!! They didn't have any there for sale which I guess is a good thing because I know I would have come home with one! I'll look in the fall at Hemlock. Not that I really need anything else to do!!

I did manage to finish the first Regia sock today and cast on for the second so it was a good day!

It was so humid today that anything that required moving was too much effort!!

Off for a midnight snack

Plurking anyone??

2008-07-16T20:35:00.000-05:00

Just what I need~I don't seem to have enough time for blogging and now I'm plurking!
Check this out!
http://plurk.com/redeemByURL?from_uid=454595&check=-310655448&s=1
I think this would be fun if you work in an office and are on a computer most of the day. What a great way to add some fun to your routine. I don't know how often I'll be on throughout the day because I'm rarely on here until the evenings. If you sign up from my link you'll automatically be added to my friends list~~so go ahead and check it out!
Today was a brutal weather day~~I woke really early to sunshine only to fall back asleep and wake to a terrible rumbling overhead and black skies! We got a downpour and then a few minutes later the sun was back along with horrible humidity! Nasty! Instead of cooling things off it was hotter!
I'm keeping an eye on the pond because I'm afraid it's going to overflow! Last year one of the fish flowed right over the side after a heavy storm! Unfortunately, we didn't realize what happened to it until it was too late. This year we added slate all around the edges so I'm thinking that will keep them from sliding over the edge!
KK and I had things to do this morning and on the way home both of us felt ill. We ate a quick lunch then napped! Well, I tried to nap~~Sophie decided she needed to nap with me so she was practically glued to my hip~~nice on a really hot day! Finally after trying to push her over a couple times I gave up and did some felting. At least I could play in the H2O!
When I tired of that I picked up my Regia sock ~~seems like this foot is taking forever! Why is it when you're in the home stretch the rows take forever to get around? I swear my next pair is going to be on the #2's I just picked up!
Surfing blogland last night I ran across an interesting post~~I'm really sorry I don't remember who's blog it was or I'd link it. Anyway, this blogger was writing about sock knitting and she mentioned she doesn't get SSS~~her reason??? She doesn't knit the second sock!! She does random colorways and when done she adds the sock to a basket~~when she wants to wear a pair she just pulls out two that look good together!! Now how is that for freedom??? I'd like to do that~~~don't think I can get over my matching thing tho~~
KK and I were at B&K last winter sitting near the fireplace reading when he noticed my socks and asked my if I had the right ones on! They were a pair of Opals from the same skein just started at different colors! geesh~~~
Enough rambling~~
Off to knit

Back again~~

2008-07-15T17:33:00.000-05:00

It's been ages~~I know. What have I been doing?? Little bits of this and that!!
A bedroom redo seemed like it took forever to finish. Just taking off the wallpaper border was a never ending annoying job!! Then I couldn't decide on a comforter which led to what paint?
Don't even want to think about shopping for the comforter and curtains! Finally found things that we both liked and it's done!

Now you know what happens when you redo a room, right??? It makes other rooms looking sorta drab~I think I've been watching too much HGTV!! Did you ever notice how easy everything looks when they do it?? I mean who can totally demolish a room and two days later it's a fantastic spa bath~~come on~~let's get real!!

As for knitting~~I've been thinking about it a lot but only because I've been on a organizing binge in my room. KK added some more wall shelves which I immediately filled up! It's definitely looking better in there~~I can see the floor again!

DD went away for a long weekend and when she returned she called me to tell me about a yarn shop she found! In the next breath she said " I bought you a present" What a thing to tell me when I knew we wouldn't get together until the following weekend! She picked out a really nice colorway in Reggia sock yarn! That was the motivation I needed~~sock #1 is almost to the toes!
I'm using #1's but wanted 2's , do you think I could find any circulars for magic loop? Course not!
Today I was out so I stopped at the lys and picked up a pair which means now I'll find a pair set aside with a project in mind!
awww, this is looking down from our upper deck. It's the top of a weeping pussy willow tree. The upper deck is right off the kitchen and looking over the railing this surprised us! Three babies hatched and we were able to get the camera and snap this shot as the last one was leaving.
He really didn't want to take the leap but mom kept calling to him so after a couple hours he took flight and he was off! They stayed around the yard for a few days begging from mom and then they were gone! Hopefully next year a new family will takeover the nest.
Since it's been so long since I blogged I can't remember if I mentioned that DD graduated college with her degree in professional accounting~~this is the child that always hated math~~the same child that in her first four years of college majored in French and anthropology~~now after four more years she's an accountant~~go figure!
I know I have more to say but I really need to get my iPod set up with my podcasts so until later
Off to charge

Marilyn Bound~~~

2008-05-02T17:11:00.000-05:00

or not! Darn~~I can't get the Sheep and Wool festival off my mind! My friend and I planned to go but after much thought I really felt guilty going this year. Wool fest???? New roof??? Priorities, right??? I must admit it has been nice the last few rainy days not worrying about where the next leak will be! But still ~~
As it turns out it was fate that we decided not to go because I wouldn't have enjoyed it. Last week I decided to move the coffee table in the family room. To look at it you wouldn't think it would be too heavy but in reality it takes two guys to pick it up. We had moved it the weekend before for Wii bowling and the guys forgot to put it back. It sat there all week until I couldn't stand looking at it and decided I'd move it. KK can't pick up something like that without someone that can lift the other side and that's not me! So~~I figured if I sat on the floor that I could slide it on the carpet if I pushed it with my legs/feet. Make sense?? So, I sat and pushed and inch by slow inch I got it back where it belongs. Two days later I could not touch my foot to the floor. I've never experienced pain such as this and hopefully never will again! I thought how on earth could you possibly break your leg and not know what you did?? It finally dawned on us Sunday when we had a house full of guests what I did! After a trip to the doctor's I found out that I ripped all the muscles from groin to foot! It's been
a long nasty week! Every time I sat down I needed something just out of reach~~it was so frustrating! Two trips to the doctors and many drugs later I'm hobbling around a bit. I've learned a lesson here~~no more moving furniture without help. At least not heavy stuff!!
On the good side I finished a sock and I'm to the heel of the second one! Yeah, me!!
Our knitting guild had an auction last night but I missed it~~probably just as well. I'm trying to use some of the stash. I feel startitis coming on again~~I found some cotton ease that I've been hoarding that I forgot about and thought now would be a good time to use it. What for???Ideas?? I looked around on Raverly for some inspiration but nothing really jumped out at me. Maybe I should finish the sock first?
Made it through b'day weekend last weekend. I'm always happy when that's done. It's so difficult to pick out presents for the kids now that they're grown. KK is the worst to buy for because he never wants anything. When I asked him what he'd like he replied "dirt" huh???
Yup, he wants a load of dirt for the yard~~how exciting! We had a nice party tho which we really haven't done the last couple years. It was fun picking out b'day decorations ~I didn't think they'd notice but everyone commented so it was a hit!
Been watching American Idol?? I admit it I'm hooked~~a little bit sad that Brooke was eliminated this week~~she seems like such a sweet girl. I think it'll come down to Shyesha(sp?) and David C~~what'd you think??
It's time to get back on the couch, so
Off to rest

Where, oh, where

2008-04-20T16:19:00.000-05:00

has all the wicker gone?? I don't want anything fancy or unusual just real wicker! Not metal framed resin coated wicker~~woven with all the little imperfections and snags that wicker has. Is that asking to much??? Apparently so~~
A few weeks ago I sold the macaws so I found myself with an empty room! I can't have that so I decided it would be nice to move my sewing things in there and that way I could spread out a bit in my "knitting room". I'd like to keep it bright and cheery so I'll be motivated to actually do some sewing. A few plants, a white wicker rocker and I'd be a happy sew'er~~so far no luck. I found an awesome rocker today and I was thrilled because it made me think of old rockers with the woven area on the lower bottom(where you'd put your feet). Perfect style and the price was right I was ecstatic until I read the sign and it said resin!! I really didn't think it was so I had to feel it all over to make sure! If it weren't for the plastic looking rockers I think I would have grabbed it anyway. It was very comfy~~ I'm still thinking about it so maybe I'll cave but I'm so afraid if I do then I'll find a real wicker one!
We've had perfect weather the last week. KK and I are still getting the yard cleaned up~~where does all that debris come from?? We have bags again for the trash. The pond is all clean and running. Poor KK was cleaning it the other day and slipped right in~~~ewwwww!! Pond scum!!
I can't wait to start planting some flowers!
The wool I washed is all nice and dry so today I sat outside and started combing it. I'm not really sure how it's supposed to be done but I managed to do quit a bit. I'm using two dog slicker brushes. I don't want to invest too much at this point. I don't understand how it goes from being brushed to actual roving?? I'm thinking maybe that's what a drum carder is for?? Don't know.
Finished the Brioche stitch scarf~~that's interesting how the colors work out. You knit using three different colors and they change every row. The combinations are endless~~
I'll get a photo soon.
Well, break time is over so
Off to comb wool

Finally!!

2008-04-16T21:42:00.001-05:00

You don't even want to know how many times I've tried to get on here only to have blogger tell me I don't exist! How annoying! I've had to change my password a few times and after that they tell my email doesn't exist~~huh?? ok,enough ranting~~I'm here and I have a couple photos for you!
Going to try to put them in some sort of order not that it really makes a difference..it'll just keep me from forgetting something.
Spring has finally sprung here in western NY. The days have been very sunny and they are slowly warming up. Today was one of the best so far~~in the 60's! I'm so ready for the heat! Remind me of that statement in August!
On the home front we have our new roof! A major worry taken care of! During the past couple of wind storms we were really concerned as we watched our roofing shingles flying around the neighborhood! We wound up with three small leaks and we were thankful they weren't any worse! We had damage to our siding a few years back thanks to another storm...so we had the house resided. Went from green to sandstone(lt.tan) and I couldn't make up my mind on what color shutters I wanted. I look across the street to see a tan house with burgundy shutters so of course I couldn't/wouldn't go with burgundy which was my first choice two years ago! So I thought ....... make up your mind before someone else beats me to it! Good ole Home Depot to the rescue ...right there in stock they have this dark blue...not exactly navy but a deep blue and they appealed to me right off! Ds came over the other day and got them on and I didn't even have to feed him!!
Next project is the front porch~~sanding and painting. We're going to rent a floor sander and get it done quick. I enjoy painting so I'm looking forward to that part...hopefully we can agree on the colors!
We've been getting the yard in shape(ok, I lied..KK is getting the yard in shape).It's coming along. We've had so many branches to clean up that we gave up burning them and toted them out to the trash.
Let's see if I can get some photos now

ahhh,there ya go....one completed Noni evening bag, cute,huh?? I love this goofy bag! The bigger flower is rust not the color that's showing up on here. Notice that oak wood it's sitting on??? That's a potty seat.....we'll save that for another day!

The yarn for this wrap I bought the first time I went to the Hemlock fiber fest three years ago! This picture does not do it justice at all. I will try to remember to take a photo outside one day. Funny you can't see the hundred pins sticking into it either! It was so fine that it dried in a couple hours.

Now can you just guess what this is??? Yep, you're right a huge garbage bag of fleece!! Right off the sheep with lanolin and all sorts of nasty stuff included at no extra charge!! lol~~

This was given to me to "play" with. After sorting through some of it I'm not sure I like this kind of "playing". It smells really bad~~just think barn and you got it! I wasn't to sure where to even begin but after awhile I thought "what the heck? Nothing ventured, nothing gained" right??

So I grabbed a bunch and laid it out and started picking through it.....and picked some more......and more.....getting the idea??? nasty......

and when I finally couldn't stand it any more in it went!

Very hot water and dish detergent for a nice long soak! Needless to say the washer was off and the lid stayed open until the water cooled.....then did it all over again! A good rinsing in the sink and then set out to dry. It still doesn't look too good to me so tomorrow I'm going to give it another soaking.

I was listening to Yarn Spinners Tales's podcast this afternoon and it so happens she was talking about washing a fleece. I checked out her blog and she has photos of the fleece she washed......big difference from what I have! After some good advice I'm ready to try again. I'm hoping that tomorrow is another nice day so I can work outside. Fresh air is a good thing.......

Enough for tonight~~it's getting late so........

Off to bed

experimenting

2008-02-27T09:25:00.000-05:00

hmmm, trying to see if I can get to my blog! I got this far so maybe that's a good sign?? I tried for quite awhile late last night but couldn't get through. Everything kept freezing up~I know it's those darn photos~~
Talk about freezing??? We need to dig ourselves out of the driveway so we can go out today. Earlier I had to shovel a path so the dogs could get out the back door! An inch of snow and Maddie is stopped in her tracks!
Not so great on the back~~that stuff is heavy!!
OK, going to try to post this~~
Keeping fingers crossed...
Off to ???

What to say????

2008-02-26T21:11:00.001-05:00

There's not much going on these days .........funny how throughout the day I think of things that I think might be somewhat interesting to post about but by the time I actually sit here to post the thoughts are gone! I had a heck of a time getting into blogger this evening.....it kept telling my email didn't exist. huh???? Really annoying!

For some knitting news....I finished the fair isle knitting......

but as you can see someone thought it was for her! This was a fun knit and I didn't have any trouble with the stranding but the felting will tell the true story! I hope I didn't pull the strands too tight! I used Ella Rae and ran out of the light green one row before the end. The lys didn't have anymore of the color so I went ahead and finished it off with the last color. The last row won't have it's curls curled!

KK and I took a short ride last Sunday and for once I had the camera with me! So here's a couple photos from the park we stopped at.

We plodded through the snow to get to the falls ........

It was a beautiful sunny day!

I've been looking around for a inexpensive carrier for Maddie and found a cute one at Petsmart....and it was included in their winter clearance! Great! I took her with me to the lys and the girls thought I had my purse on the table until it moved!! To me it looks like a bowling bag but hey, it works! And she approves....

Course she isn't too picky about what bags she climbs into .......just set any sort of bag on the floor and she's right there!
One good thing about the carrier quest it made me sort through a couple of felted bags that I did a few years ago. I had a huge one knitted and felted waiting for a lining and some handles. I made a quick stop at Joann's and found some fabric and spent last Sunday lining it! Now to decide about handles. The bag is huge and floppy and I really don't like it that way so I have to give some thought what to do next.
I can't decide what I want to knit next. Another bag?? sweater?? scarf?? socks?? Don't know.....
I'll sleep on it.....
Had an unexpected trip to the doctors the other day. I refused to go to the hospital as we don't have health insurance anymore. Kk called our doc. and he took me right in and they did an ekg immediately. As it turns out the ekg was the same as my last one which is good. So the verdict is Fibro has raised it's ugly head in a new area. The doc. gave me medication but I still have a lot of discomfort on my left shoulder/arm/chest. For the most part the piercing pain has let up as long as I don't rush around. Think that's a good excuse to sit and knit?? Works for me!!
So on that note I'm
Off to stash dive

The Girls!!

2008-02-16T23:40:00.001-05:00

Maddie's Debut

2008-02-10T18:35:00.000-05:00

Alright I know you're all holding your breath and asking who is Maddie??
Here she is~~all four pounds of her! She's a one year old Yorkshire Terrier (Yorkie)

This was a very unexpected addition to our family! Two weeks ago today KK and I were at Barnes and Noble . Me catching up on the newest knitting books and KK falling asleep when my cell rings and it's my friend telling me about this dog. Her friend is a breeder and decided that Maddie is probably too small to breed and she was looking for a home for her!! Well, look no further she's mine!! Course KK felt a bit differently but after a little coaxing he said we could try it and see how she gets on with Sophie.
After spending so much time with KK and snacking every day Sophie is probably tipping the scales at about 20 lbs. Needless to say we figured we'd really have to watch that she didn't hurt the little one~~well, that doesn't seem to be the case! The little snip is ruling! I think Sophie is finally starting to realize that she's not just visiting and she'd better start sticking up for herself!

Here I am sitting at my laptop in the kitchen and I looked down and there's Maddie in the toy basket! She was trying to get out a toy but everything is too big for her so she gave up and crawled right in and sat down!
We have to do some toy shopping in extra small size! I was looking in the pet store yesterday at the bones and everything seemed too big for her!

As for knitting Maddie's wearing it! It's been terribly cold and windy here and the breeder didn't give me anything with her. No toys, blanket,collar,leash, or sweater so I made her one! I actually made it twice though. I found a pattern on the web and thought I'd try it out of sock yarn instead of worsted weight. The first time I followed the pattern completely and it was still too big so I frogged it and started over. Something so small took me a whole week to get it right! I used sock yarn and 3 needles. The back is 2x2 ribbing and the chest area is garter. Once I divided for the legs I did it circular for less seaming and it worked quite well. I'm going to do another and add a bit more length so it comes to her butt.

I really don't understand how someone can have a pet like this for almost a year and tote her around with her,let her sleep with her and then just give her away with nothing. Wouldn't you think she'd at least have an old blanket or something to make the transition easier? Nope,nothing. She was never outside but I decided she needs to "go" outside and be a real dog not a stuffed toy! She loves it except for when the wind came along this morning and practically knocked her over! We had a few nights of barking(even tho she's debarked) I felt like we had a baby in the house! I was exhausted! I finally got a brainstorm yesterday and moved her crate from the kitchen to the bedroom next to Sophie's and all was quiet all night!! Wonderful!! We'll see how it goes tonight.

In other news I'm learning Fair Isle. My first project is a felted bag. If I'm being honest which of course I am I must admit I haven't touched it since the first night I started it! I'm having a time with the concept of holding on to my yarn. I'm a "thrower" and once I throw I let go of the yarn which will take me forever to accomplish anything fair isle not to mention using both hands! So I need to practice putting pointer finger to use holding that strand of yarn!
The "bug" that's been going around seems to have stopped in for a visit which I'm not appreciating! I've had this lingering headache for days and when it finally let up a bit the sniffles stepped in! I haven't felt like doing much of anything. Didn't even go to Guild this month.
I think it's hot bath time so I'm
Off to soak

Let's try it out~~

2008-01-23T21:49:00.000-05:00

A new camera~~should be fun~~right?? Not~~at least not yet! I've figured out how to take photos and videos but can't quite get how to work with them once they're in here. I actually took the time and read the directions so we'll see how I did.

Right here I'm going to show you the photo of my Needle Knit Bag~~I hope~yeah, way to go!!! It worked~~no thanks to me~~this thing just went ahead and did what it was supposed to do all on it's own~~scary!! OK~~worked once lets try again~~

ta da~the inside

kewl~~hope these colors look better on your screens then they do on mine!

I used Lamb's Pride bulky in a brown heather colorway with brown paisley inside.

I think I mentioned in the previous post that I was in a felting mood so here's my latest project.One of the Noni bags. Not all the pieces were done when I took the photo but they are now. I couldn't resist and went ahead and felted the flower right away. I really like how they turn out. I haven't felted the rest of the pieces yet~~that's on tomorrow's list!

Remember last year I was working on the Lady E wrap?? No?? Well, here's a reminder

Nice enough but I've decided that I'll never use it as a wrap and it's too wide for a scarf. I'm wondering if it will felt?? It's 70%wool and 30% silk. Any thoughts?? Please let me know. Since it would shrink more in length than width I was thinking it would make a nice table mat. I'd do the Lady E again but as the scarf and in different yarn. The colors in this are wonderful and it is so soft but I think as a scarf it will pil like mad.

Today was nice and relaxing~made sauce this morning and let it simmer all day. I sewed the lining in the knitting needle bag while KK and Sophie snoozed. Then he helped me clean the shelves in my closet. You know how there's always something you never seem to get to?? The closet was it for me! I've gone in the bedroom three times just to open the doors and peek in!! Amazing at what you find when you tear things apart!

hmmm, what else can I blab about??? Nothing else going on here. Staying in as much as I can because it's so cold but I'm thinking that maybe tomorrow we may have to go somewhere~~not sure where but out! Unless of course we get the snow they were talking about earlier then forget it there's always more felting to do!!

I was thinking the other day it's really nuts what some people do to their dogs~~I mean really, do you think they like getting dressed up??? I think not~~and here's proof~~

Is that pathetic, or what???

Wonder what she's thinking?? Probably best I don't know! That's as much of her Xmas outfit that she'd tolerate and it only lasted long enough to get the photos!! Guess we'll try again next year!

Off to knit

brrrrr~~~~it's freezin out there

2008-01-20T17:40:00.000-05:00

I think today must be the coldest day we've had this winter!! Last night we were watching TV and we kept hearing the strangest sounds~~Sophie was growling(from under the blanket)at every creak!! We finally determined after many trips to the front door that it was the house complaining from the frigid temperature! Once during the night a sound woke me so I got up and turned on the back flood light sure that I would see a broke branch or something~~nope, not a thing other than the two huge branches that came down from the wind storm a couple weeks ago. Weird~~
On a good note there's hardly any snow! We were expecting a lake effect storm but we never got it here~~it hit south of us.
I'm so glad that I did all my errands yesterday while I was out. As I was going from spot to spot I kept thinking ~~do it all today and then tomorrow you can stay in! Between the Fibro and the cold I do seem to get worn out much quicker than I used to.
I've made a resolution of sorts~~well, two actually~~put forth a real effort to finish up the projects that I have almost done ~~and FROG the ones I know that I'll never get back to for one reason or another. The other day I was listening to She Knits Podcast and Sharon said get rid of the things you know you'll never finish for whatever reason. That night when I went to bed I was thinking about what she said~~"it's so freeing". The next day I found a sock that I started almost two years ago~~I hated that sock but I kept it~~I'd pull it out and look at it and then stuff it back in the bag~~this time was different~~I pulled it out and admitted that I hated it but the yarn was nice and would do better as a different sock~~so out it came!! I felt great!! I rolled the yarn and added it to the sock stash! Next on the list was a tank that I started last summer out of a variegated yarn. It was knit in pieces not in the round so the colors were not going to match up on the sides and I knew that would drive me crazy~~out it came~~that yarn is going to be put to better use in a tote. Freeing!!! It's good for you ~really~you should try it!!
I've been pleased with myself that the last couple of yarn purchases have been put right on the needles!! I've been working on a Noni bag ~~all the pieces are knit and a couple of the flowers are felted already! I have two coin purses to felt also. I've spent the afternoon putting the lining in the Knitting Needle Bag.(fun bag to knit) Busy,busy!! It feels so good to actually finish things!
I got a new camera but haven't really played with it much but I'll get some photos of all the new projects and get them posted.
On a sad note my lys will be closing soon. As bad as I feel for us I feel for the owner~~it's a tough decision to make. We've made some new friends and hopefully we'll keep in touch. A couple of us have said that we'd have "knit nights" at our homes. We'll still see each other at Guild meetings but it's not the same as hanging out at the shop. I got used to spending time there while KK was resting.
I've been giving some thought to what my next big project should be and I think I'm going to go with either the Einstein coat or the Not so Warm Jacket from Sally Melville's Knit Stitch book. Another shop I go to is having a class on the EZ's Adult Surprise Jacket but the class fee would be better spent on yarn!! So I've been collecting a mix match of textures in the same colorway and I think it will grow up to be a version of Einstein!
Well, it's time for supper~there's sliced roast beef and Kimmelwick rolls for beef on wick calling me~~it's time~~
Off to eat

Quiet times

2008-01-06T20:14:00.000-05:00

Here we are a week after New Year's already~~hard to believe that it's all over! The house looks kinda~~boring! I thought the decorations looked quite nice this year. Even though I miss seeing the tree lit up at night it does feel good to get everything clean again. Where the heck does all that dust come from? Still haven't tackled the family room that's on tomorrow's list.
Hope everyone had a great holiday season. Once I decided to stop feeling guilty over not knitting and buying more I actually enjoyed myself! Next year I'm starting early! Like mid-summer instead of late November!
The best gift of all was giving KK the Wii~we all have enjoyed it so much! It was definitely worth the hassle trying to get it.
As for knitting I finished my funky scarf and I love it! Found a trellis stitch wrap and used the stitch pattern from that and it worked out nice as a scarf. Now I'm on to another out of the new Noro~~but of course I don't have the band on the skein and I can't remember what it's called. I'm doing the Fickle Fingers Scarf by Gayle Roehm. It's a fun easy knit which is exactly what I'm in the mood for!
I seem to have lost interest in socks! At least for now. I hope it passes. I have lots of sock yarn.
A lot of sock yarn. Not good~~
The weather was a bit warmer today than it's been so DD,DIL, and I took advantage of the day and went geo-caching! What fun we had~~by the time we were finished we were wet,cold and tired but laughing all the way home. The car looked as though we were off-roading~mud was splattered all over it. Showed up quite nicely on an all white car! We found three out of four caches(?) The last one had us stumped so we finally had to give up. It was interesting to see how creative some folks were in their choice of hiding spots.
I think I'm going to have to look into getting one of the trackers for KK and I this summer.
Well football is finally over for the day so we're going to have a snack and watch a movie.
Off to knit,watch TV and graze

Pressure??

2007-12-21T20:41:00.000-05:00

Feeling the pressure, yet?? Only three days left to get the Christmas knitting done that you swore you weren't going to do this year! Why do we do this to ourselves??? Please explain it??
I'm on the second sock of a Lamb's Pride super wash worsted weight pair for my daughter. She asked for a pair of house socks and I think these will be perfect ~~at least I thought so until I double checked the care label! Yes, they can be washed in the washer~~but they must be air dried or dry cleaned! I can hear the horror story already! I'm just not going to think about it!
I've been knitting quite a bit and that's why I'm not on here. Not enough time to do both!
I finally got around to doing the knitting needle bag from Bag Style and I love it! Course it's not lined yet but it will be right after the holidays! Finished another bag and a couple hats. Socks for daughter in-law.
When the scarf craze hit I wasn't impressed but now all of a sudden I want to knit scarves! All sorts~~but I'm controlling myself and waiting until the gift knitting is finished and then I'll be back at it!
I'm getting used to KK being home~~I went out one day and when I got home he had the tree up in the family room all decorated and the village under it! He even did some other decorating around the house! We did the tree in the living room together until it came time for the tinsel and then I was on my own!
We're ahead of schedule this year ~decorations done, baking done, gifts wrapped and under the tree! Yeah!! Now to sit back and relax! Ok, so maybe not totally done~~there is that second sock to finish! I'm going to get a snack and knit until I can't see straight~~lol
It'll go fast being worsted weight and I'm using 5's. I don't think I've ever done a sock like this before~~there's something to be said for thicker yarn and big needles!
A moment of silence please~~~my very first hole~~~I've been doing socks for a few years and one of first pair (that I wear a lot) developed a hole when I washed them the other day. I didn't notice it before I put them in the sink but I couldn't miss it when I rinsed them out. I felt really bad seeing that~~so I'm actually going to darn them!!!! Who would have thought???? I would never have believed it if you told me I'd be darning a sock! Then I thought maybe I'll felt them!!
A mini decoration?? We'll see~~
Ok, I must get knitting so everyone traveling be careful, stay safe and for those of you that celebrate ~~from me to you
"MERRY CHRISTMAS"
Off to knit

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2007-11-22T22:36:00.000-05:00

MAY YOUR STUFFING BE TASTY, MAY YOUR TURKEY BE PLUMP.
MAY YOUR POTATOES 'N GRAVY HAVE NARY A LUMP,
MAY YOUR YAMS BE DELICIOUS,
MAY YOUR PIES TAKE THE PRIZE,
MAY YOUR THANKSGIVING DINNER
STAY OFF OF YOUR THIGHS.
GOBBLE TIL YOU WOBBLE......AND IN ALL AND FOR ALL THINGS GIVE THANKS.

I couldn't resist posting this! Not sure where I read it but thought it was cute!
Hope you all had a lovely day ~we did. Spent with family and friends and a great meal.
Thinking back over the past six months we have a lot to be thankful for this day. Our lives could have been much different this holiday season and I'm very grateful that things are somewhat back to "normal".
I started some holiday knitting yesterday after searching for hours for my pattern! I knew it was in my room "somewhere" it had to be! I was so desperate that I even had KK helping me look for it! Of course it turned up in the first spot I had looked in the first time!
Finished my Wallaby and I'm quite pleased with the results. DS saw it and requested one! I told him maybe after Xmas not now. Trying to remember what else I've finished since I last posted~~no socks got their mates as of yet! I'm so not in the mood to do socks~~that's weird for me. I'm not saying that I don't have any otn~~I think I have 5/6 singles and partials going.
I've been helping out at the lys~taught a couple classes which was fun. Did a few things to display in the shop.
We got up this morning to snow!! There was about an inch or better covering everything! We did have a dusting a couple weeks ago but this was the real deal! ugh~~I'm really not ready to fight the cold and snow!
So, is anyone going out for the big deals tomorrow?? The outlet mall here is opening at one minute after midnight tonight!! Other stores are opening at 4 a.m.!! If it wasn't so darned cold I'd be tempted to go out just to do it once! Whoever shopped at 4 a.m.?? I checked out some of the adds on line and there's not a single thing that can tempt me to get up! To be honest I wish I could stay away from the stores until January!
Off to bed

Time gets away~

2007-10-24T18:32:00.000-05:00

Where has the last month gone? I thought I was just on here and I looked back and it's been over a month since I last posted! You'd think I had a life! I've been so busy ~~not quite sure why!
KK has been feeling so much better so we did manage a couple day trips.
We took a cruise to Watkins Glen,NY and stopped in the Finger Lakes Fibers shop~~nice. Not real big but loaded with Schafer yarns~~beautiful!!

Schafer is located in the next town and they do tours if you have a large group!And since this is the center of wine country a stop at some of the local winery's would round out the day! A thought for next summer!
Now what did I bring home, you ask? I'll show you~~well maybe not since blogger isn't cooperating at the moment. I'll try again later.

there we go ~~it's working! Schafer sock yarn in a colorway dyed specially for this shop. It's to represent the areas vast grape vineyards and the finger lakes.
Could I leave with just that??? No way!

This is a wonderful wool and silk blend for a beaded scarf. KK actually picked this colorway for me. He now knows more about yarn than he ever wanted to know!
So, is that it you ask??? Nooooo~~

Some Claudia handpaint yelled out to me as I was trying to pay! I happened to look down and there was a shelf with a sign 20% off!!! What???? How could I resist??? I've never seen this before but have some good reviews so I figured it was fate that I noticed it~~right??? Come to find out I missed the sale by a day but the sign wasn't off so they honored it. The icing on the cake??? no sales tax on yarn~~~ever ~~it that county!!! So I walked out with my wallet a bit lighter and my stash a bit fuller!!
I have been knitting~quite a bit actually. I finished the drop stitch scarf~two of them!
This is the first one I did~~Bearfoot Mountain Colors sock yarn~~I think it was the Java colorway but I'm not positive. I had a class on this at the lys~ Yarn It All
Just did a new felted bag ~~continental style!! Recently learned the technique and thought I should practice and what better to learn on then something felted!
Working on the Walaby sweater from Cottage Creations and that's coming along really well. Done from the bottom up I'm up to just after attaching the sleeves and starting the placket. Yeah, me!!
Working on another sweater/jacket and have one front and the back finished but now haven't touched it in days! Started a hat last night~~who knows why since I never wear one!
Unfortunately even with all this knitting going on I haven't found the cure for SSS~~I still have 5 single socks(at least that's what I'm confessing too) I seem to be knitting obsessed as long as socks aren't involved~~what has happened to me??? If you saw my stash you'd realize this is not a good thing!
I've even been spinning!! I'm telling you it's an illness~~all this fiber~~
Hello, my name is Mz Mar and I'm a knitter~~enough said~~
Off to
Knit

Lazy Day

2007-09-09T14:38:00.000-05:00

Having a quiet day here today and it's sorta nice~~I think. I ran around so much the last couple weeks that this doesn't feel right. I should be doing something~not sure what tho.
We both slept in this morning and then KK made us breakfast. He feels so much better when he can do something-so breakfast seemed pretty safe. I did the clean-up and he rested.
I feel sad sometimes when I watch him resting~it's like when your kids are young and you just want to hug them and say "everything will be alright". In this case time is our friend ~it's just hard sometimes to have patience. When he's resting I hate to do much because then he feels guilty for not helping.
I've been playing games on here~~I've got my new laptop and it's so nice to have it in the kitchen. I can sit right here and it doesn't disturb him at all. Course I think my eyes are starting to fall out and I'm sure I lost my legs awhile ago right about when my butt went numb.
I've been trying to figure out my new iPod ~~why can't they just say~~turn on--turn off--charge?? Is that too much to ask? Apparently it is~somehow I lost iTunes and I can't figure out where the heck my hibernate setting is on this thing. No hibernating while
charging-dammit! I need to invest in a wireless mouse~I keep scrolling all over the place~~either that or take up speed reading!
Today should be a knitting day~it's a perfect day for it and I'm letting it get away from me. It's very cloudy and rainy just the right setting for curling up on the sofa and knitting but I can't seem to get my thoughts together. I frogged my Chevron scarf~~decided I needed more contrasting yarns. Don't feel like finishing the sleeve on my sweater from last year~~mind you that's all I need to do to and it would be done! I have more one sock pairs then I care to think about~not in the mood for them either~so now what??
Think I'll go vacuum,dust and throw in some laundry and then~~cast on ~~something!!
Before I forget I wanted to thank those of you that wrote wishing KK well. Your notes were appreciated by both is us.
Off to
clean

Let the healing begin~~~~

2007-09-08T14:26:00.000-05:00

It's done!! Surgery was moved back one day but now it's a week and a half behind us!! That was one of the longest,scariest days of my life! As long as I live I will never forget sitting and waiting in that surgical waiting room. Every time the phone rang I held my breath! Our day started at 3:45 a.m. the morning of the eclipse! KK was occupied on the drive to the hospital watching the moon disappear! Once there KK checked in and then he and our son went back outside to watch leaving me holding the bags~~literally!! From that point things moved rapidly which we were grateful for~~no sitting around getting nervous waiting to go. Within a half hour KK was whisked away and we were steered to the waiting room and coffee. Around 12:45 and 5 by-passes later it was over and we were able to speak with the doctor. Everything went well and we were able to see KK and all his hook-ups for a couple minutes~of course he was still heavily sedated. He was kept that way through the middle of the night when they started to let him breathe on his own~~by morning he was awake and no breathing tube and he had breakfast!! Amazing!! He slept most of the day but was doing good. That night he had a couple issues they had to deal with and because of that he was kept in the intensive care unit an extra day. By Friday he was moved to the cardiac floor where they still monitor you but you have more freedom. He was encouraged to get up on his own and take some short walks. At first he had to be coaxed to do so because some dumb ass told him he could rip himself open! Which maybe 30 years ago could happen but not so now. You're sewn,stapled and glued from the inside out! One of the nurses finally said to him "you want to go home? get up and start walking before you get pneumonia" That's all it took~~he was on a roll!! The nurses were joking that they never had a patient that was power walking after surgery!!
Saturday was my b'day and he was so hoping to be out of there by then. Since that didn't happen the kids decided to give me my gifts at the hospital so he wouldn't miss everything. That worked out quite well(presents are good anytime,right?) I guess they got tired of hearing me say my iPod doesn't hold all my podcasts at once so they decided to all chip in and get me the bigger one!! That was a great surprise!! I mentioned that I felt like doing a puzzle and someone was listening~~dd found one with sheep!! Perfect!
On my way to the hospital I stopped to visit with Heather at her market and she gifted me with an awesome beaded necklace that I had admired(ok, so I actually drooled a bit) about a month ago . What a wonderful way that was to start my day!
We left KK early in the evening and finished the day at dd's. They surprised me with all sorts of finger foods and shrimp cocktail! Frozen strawberry daiquiris were the drink of choice! DS can whip up a pretty decent one! The evening ended with coffee and cookie cake! The only thing that could have made the day any more perfect is if KK would have been with us.
Sunday was release day~~a bit nerve racking to say the least. I was trying to miss every pothole in the road! I was so happy to pull into our driveway and get him into the house. That was an exhausting afternoon for the both of us!
It's been a long tiring and somewhat stressful week but the worst is behind us now. KK has the physical pain and discomfort to get through and I have the mental(no jokes,please!) but we 'll do it !!
So as I already said~~"let the healing begin"
Off to
Knit

Title???? What title???

2007-08-09T23:51:00.000-05:00

Too tired to think up a catchy title so I'll just skip it! Can't seem to get on here any earlier these days so that's why I haven't been posting.
Trying to keep things quiet~mainly KK that is. He is supposed to do literally nothing! We all joke that we'd like to do nothing for days but believe me it gets boring rather quickly!
By-pass surgery is set for the 27th of this month so whatever higher power you believe in maybe you could ask for some good vibes sent this way. The cardio doc. wanted to do surgery next Monday but the neuro-surgeon didn't feel that enough time has passed since the stent was placed. He feels the longer the wait the better but the cardio doc. says no longer than the 27th-so that's it. I don't think the reality of it has really hit yet.
DD is on vacation and we (as in "me") are dog sitting her two dogs! An Italian Greyhound and A MinPin~~cute but annoying. I've never had dogs that are barkers~~these two are barkers to such a degree that if the wind rustles the tree leaves too much they bark! One starts and then the other!! If Sophie picks this habit up I'll be pulling my hair out!
I still haven't kicked my "startitis" problem! I think I now have 5 socks in varying degrees of "doneness"!!Two tank tops are calling out to me~~at the rate I'm going I'll have them for next summer! I'm feeling the beginnings of a sweater urge starting! Oh no, not another sweater! If my memory serves I believe there's two sweaters tucked away somewhere around here,too~and I don't mean finished ones! I set a goal~~finish all the started socks before I can start a new sweater! hmm, maybe I really don't need another sweater?
The Finger Lakes Fiberfest is next month and as long as all goes well with KK I'm there!! Heather and I go and make a day of it~and now we know a good place for dinner! Really looking forward to it and I'm starting to stash some cash~~not that I need any yarn but you never know what you just can't pass up!
It's late so
I'm Off to Bed

How do you spell stress?????????

2007-07-30T21:09:00.000-05:00

By pass surgery does it for me~~KK made it through the stent placement with flying colors!!
Unfortunately right before the stent procedure they discovered he has major blockage in the arteries to the heart. He has been having chest pains occasionally but since the stroke they've been more frequent.
It was undecided for a couple days which surgery they were going to do first. Then they thought the only way to go was to do both at the same time. Very scary~~
Finally it was decided to do the stent ,keep him in the hospital a few extra days and then if all was well send him home for two weeks to heal and relax before the by-pass. Now we're just waiting until the 6th to find out when the surgery will be.
We're keeping a positive attitude while waiting~~what else can you do??
I've been doing some knitting~~it keeps me sane through this. Not that I'm finishing anything just starting alot!
I'll try to keep updates posted on here but for now I'm
Off to watch a movie

The Battle Is On~~

2007-07-03T21:30:00.000-05:00

Let me just tell you that this has been an on going battle since May and to my annoyance the "bad" guy is winning!
Bad Guy

Can you make him out?? Let me give you a closer look~~

I hope you can click on these and get a better look but in case you can't I'll tell you that this is
the most obnoxious squirrel ever. In the photos he's sitting on top of the bird feeder laughing his a## off I'm sure! The tale begins with the Canna Lilly roots that I got a few years ago at the flea market. I bought these things bare roots/no dirt. The woman assured me they would grow just fine. So I bought good potting soil and planted them in a huge clay pot and placed them on my upper deck in full sun~~and they grew and flowered!! I was thrilled and come fall I dug them out and stored them in a brown paper bag in the closet. Last summer out they came and I planted them again and not only did they flower but they made new roots.!!
Last fall on a freezing cold day I remembered to dig them up and get them in for the winter. Now, this year I have a bigger clay pot, get more soil and plant them and again set them out on the upper deck. All is well for a couple days. Then to my horror one morning I look out through my half asleep eyes and can't make out what the heck I'm looking at~~I hobble back to the bedroom and find my glasses so I can get a better look. There was dirt and roots scattered everywhere~ not only did he dig them up but he took bites out of the ones that had started to grow! To add insult to injury he took a few of them and lined them up along the upper railing of the deck! Some I could save but I had to throw quite a few out. Now a few weeks later after repotting them numerous times I have five that are growing. A trip to Lowe's garden center and $20 later for "Deer-Off" he's leaving things alone. I have chased him a few times off the deck and Sophie is constantly watching for him but I think we're at a stand-off. For now~~
KK and I have been relaxing and enjoying the weather. We've been puttering around the house doing odds and ends that we never seem to get to. The yard is shaping up but there is a couple things we won't get done this year. With neither of us being able to dig we can't do some of the landscaping we wanted to do.
It's been nice some days just sitting outside with a cold drink and a book or knitting. And I have been knitting. Socks. Lots of socks~single socks, not pairs! I'm working on that tho~~
I think we're finally getting used to being home together all the time. We don't seem to be so edgy and in each others way so often. This evening we sat outside and had a fire in the chimanea(?)
Sunday we took DD to Utica,NY to the Saranac brewery. Took us about three hours to get there. Nice day for a drive. The tour was interesting but being Sunday the plant wasn't operating.

They started out as the Utica Club Ale brewery which they still brew. And the home of Schultz and Doley the talking beer stein commercials from the 70's.
DD and I waiting to start the tour.

The Million Dollar Clock!
This room was filled with antiques and supposedly this clock is one of four remaining of this type in the world. Instead of a pendlum there are three discs that operate the clock. Unfortunately it no longer works.

Taking a tour works up a thirst!
And I'll leave you with a photo of KK and I in the tavern!

Better Days

2007-06-15T22:50:00.000-05:00

Things are better, somewhat~~KK is home and doing well. The first couple days he was home I was a wreck. Now things have settled down a bit. He's very sneaky tho~~when I go out for whatever reason he does things he shouldn't. Working around the yard, cleaning the shed~not the relaxing the doctor meant I'm sure.
He's bored~~I can't imagine not having any hobbies. I've got so many interests I could entertain myself for hours on end~as I often do!
We will know more about the surgery Wed. after seeing the specialist. Hopefully that will be scheduled soon and he'll be on the road to recovery quickly.
I must tell you about my SP 10~~she's wonderful!! With all the turmoil here I had neglected my pal and wrote to the coordinater and explained my need to drop out. My spoiler is exchanging with my spoilee(understand?) . She wrote me a nice note and said she would take good care of my pal. A few days later a package was waiting for me when I got home. I couldn't imagine what it could be ~~to my surprise it was from my SP10 Suzi!! If you've been here before I'm sure you've see me mention Sophie, my BT. Suzi showered me with everything BT!!!! Playing cards,pen,pads, magnet,sticker, and the cutest socks(tho, not hand knit!) Oh, yes and a mesh laundry bag for my knits!! She had wrapped it all in tissue and it was such fun opening everything with KK watching! I love it all and can't begin to express what it meant to me to receive this. I will get a photo ~~
I taught my knitting class and think it went well. I'll see in a couple days how the ladies did. I finished knitting my bag but I think I'd like to put a lining in it. When trying to match something it's a good idea to take that something with you to the fabric store!! I stopped at Joanns but couldn't make a decision so I'll have to go back.(with the bag)
We've had such wonderful weather Kk and I have really enjoyed sitting outside in the afternoons. Something I would never take the time to do if he wasn't home. He snoozes and I knit and daydream! The yard's looking good ~~pond is fixed and running~~planted some flowers. All is well~~
My startitis is somewhat under control~~although I do have another project floating around in my head! I am going to put a hold on it until I finish my Jitterbug socks~~the first one is awesome!! This yarn is gorgeous and great to work with. I'm definitely a fan!!
Well, my iPod is loaded and I'm tired so ~
Off to bed

Changes

2007-05-30T21:26:00.000-05:00

I was going to be so much better about posting~~I really was ~~but things change~~in the bat of an eye life is different.
KK was out of work for a couple of weeks~doctor's orders. He just wasn't feeling well. If the truth be told he hasn't felt well all winter. He had an "episode" ( for lack of a better word) at work and they drove him home. Light headed,very dizzy, bad enough that he called the doctor right away the next morning. Doc. says no work, and take it easy until we get all these tests done.
Went to one specialist and she said if you have any sort of "episode" again go immediately to the hospital emergency room. That was last Friday~~Sat. morning he wakes up fine but then a few minutes later he wasn't so fine.
It's amazing what you can do when you have no choice. I had no idea how to get to the hospital~~had my DD on the cell phone as I'm speeding all the way! She met up with us in the city and I followed her. Thankfully she had the foresight to call and tell them we were on the way. As soon as we pulled in they met us with a wheel chair and whisked Kk inside while I signed him in.
I will never,ever forget that ride~~he was so sick~I was so scared. He was disoriented and some what confused. Once inside everything happened so fast~~but the day seemed endless waiting for some tests and results. Of course these things always happen on weekends or holidays and here we had both!
He had so many tests that I can't even remember the name of them all, we talked with so many doctors they all began to look alike!
He had a stroke~~he was very lucky~~it was caught quick, and with some life style changes he will be ok. He's been in the hospital 5 days so far but it seems like so much longer. In a day or so he will be moved to rehab to finish recuperating and then surgery..to have a stent inserted to improve blood flow.
It's very odd to be here alone. I don't like it~~it just feels wrong. We just had our 38th anniversary last week~~

Empty Nest.......... x 2??

2007-05-23T22:58:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's true~~we are empty-nester's........again! DS has moved out~~I really didn't believe it until he moved his aquarium--then I realized it --it's for real! Odd, I felt really strange about it this time~maybe because this time it's for good?
I must admit it's sort of nice not to have pop and cookies hidden all over the house! Going to the fridge is no longer annoying~whatever we put in there is still there ~~weird! I forgot what that was like.
Now I know you're asking what's the x's 2 mean~~you are right??
They say a picture is worth a 1,000 words so I 'll show you~~

Can you make that out?? It's a wild duck making a nest by our little pond!

Look at that~not one but 12 eggs!!

Now if you look really close you can make out "mom" waddling in the back.
Look closely,mom's in the center between the flowers and there's a little bitty yellow head on the left side and in front of her is a clump of babies! KK tried to sneak up on her to get the photo but she was quick to get them covered up!
This was Sunday morning and I'm glad that we were able to get this photo. We went to the Lilac festival in Rochester even tho it wasn't the nicest of days weather wise. Is there any better smell than hundreds of blooming lilacs??? I think not! As you can tell Lilacs are my favorite.
I have a lovely Lilac bush in the back yard~~it has the nicest round shape, full of beautiful healthy leaves..........and NOT one single Lilac!!! What the hell????
Anyway back to mom~~by the time we got home they were gone!!! I looked out the window to check on them and I couldn't believe it!! KK and I ran out to the yard~~we looked every where~~under all the trees and shrubs,around the wood pile, behind the shed, gone! Not a single feather to show which way they went! How disappointing after a month of watching and wondering. Mom and 11 babies off to do whatever they do. Sadly one egg didn't hatch but I'm sure mom had more than enough to keep her busy!
Now during all this spring has finally come to stay~~which means everything is growing. We didn't want to disturb the family in the works so we stayed out of the back yard. We walked Sophie, which I really hated at night when it was still cold. The grass was at least a foot high not to mention the weeds were rampant! When mom took a break I ran outside and filled the pond, cleaned the filter and got it running. Got done just as she flew back in. I'm all happy the pond is clean and running........until the next morning when I look out and see the water level has dropped down to about 10". So now it's a matter of waiting for her to leave so I can see what the problem is. I get the chance that evening~~one side of the pond is buckled and there's a 3-4" crack. Did you know while laying across slate and hanging upside down squeezing Gorilla glue into a crack it's very difficult to stop it from dripping all over?? Not to mention it dries a tannish color that shows up quite well on a black pond?? Take my word for it~~it's not a pretty sight!
Let it dry a day and fill that baby up again only to find out it's leaking someplace else!
We're going to tackle that problem tomorrow, maybe.
A "hello" to my SP10 and a "thank you" for the magnet,pin and stitch markers. Magnet's on the fridge and the pin is on my knitting bag!
I've had a bad case of startitis.......I'm hoping the worst is over........I can't seem to stop! I finished my denim Tee Top. Will get photo. Did the Trio bag. Will get photo.
Started another top, and three pair of socks! Someone stop me!!!!
See, no blogging can be a good thing --makes for more knitting time!
I'm back in the groove tho~~but for now
Off to bed

egg-citing!!

2007-03-31T22:11:00.000-05:00

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

Quick post

2007-03-30T19:47:00.000-05:00

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

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

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

Of course Sophie thought it was for her!

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

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

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

Why Didn't I Leave

2007-03-26T23:34:00.003-05:00

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

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

Bag Ho!!

2007-03-23T11:34:00.000-05:00

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

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

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

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

Restless??

2007-03-19T12:50:00.000-05:00

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

Is There Anything Cuter??

2007-03-13T14:58:00.000-05:00

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

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

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

The Questionnaire !!

2007-03-13T14:38:00.000-05:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Xmas

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

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

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

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

23. When is your birthday?
Sept.1

Catching -up~~~again

2007-02-20T16:41:00.000-05:00

Yes, I remember I said that I'd be better keeping this thing up but time just seems to get a way from me! There hasn't been a whole lot to write about~~I'm sick of the weather talk~~we all know it's freezing out there and we're waiting for spring.
Hope you all had a nice Valentine's Day?? KK surprised me with something I wasn't expecting! I used to collect Harmony Kingdom figurines but the shop we used to get them at went out of business a few years ago~~well low and behold we found a new shop locally that has them!!
So now of course I'm back into them!!This is what I walked in and saw on the kitchen table Valentine's Day~~do you see it??

Can you make it out?? It's a woodpecker on the side of a tree stump and on the other side is a squirrel~~it's carved on the inside also. Too cute~~

All this nasty weather has me feeling the need for some greenery and not the knitting kind. The local feed store had these marked down to $1 how could I pass them up? Actually since that
photo was taken a few more followed me home! Now there's green everywhere!!
For knitting news I've finished one of the Tofutsies (sp?) socks and the second is into the cuff. The last few days I've been working on a little dog coat for Pepper , Heather's dog. I thought I had it but now have decided I did it a bit too long so frog it I did! Tonight hopefully I'll get it finished. I'm also starting another rag rug for the kitchen. DD came over Sunday and she striped 5 yards of fabric for me. I already had a few yards cut up. So now it's a matter of sewing all the strips together before actually working on the rug!
Lady E has been languishing on the chair in the living room! When DD came over she latched onto it thinking it was going to be a blanket!! lol~~I've been thinking I should have made it smaller so I've held off going any further on it. (Maria scroll waaaayyy down to see it!) It's quite a bit larger than the photo I took weeks ago~I'll try to remember to take a new one.
Sophie and I went shopping one Sat. and this was her equivalent of yarn porn! She was quite happy to stay right there! Course all I had to do was wiggle a treat in front of her and she was on the move!

We did a sock yarn exchange on the Townsend group and this was my swap. It's Wildfoote in a beautiful deep purple colorway! I said surprise me with the color and she did! I never pick colors like this so it was nice to get something different. The pattern is a beauty and after reading it over I think I just may give it a go! Thank you, Vicky!

I've signed up for Secret Pal 10 and I'll have to get the required info up. Going to try it again! I've had fun with the last two smaller swaps I've been on so the temptation was too great to pass this one up this time around!
Well, gotta run
Off for dinner

Weird?? Me???

2007-01-27T00:03:00.000-05:00

I'm tagged~~Alli from www.alliknitts.blogspot.com
got me!
Six Weird Things About Me
1. I think I have a floor fetish!! As long as the floors are vacuumed the house is clean!
2. I need the house neat and things put away but my craft room is usually a disaster!
3. I take my iPod to bed!
4. I would really like to have chickens~~the brown egg laying kind!
5. Smells really bother me!
6. I hate to cook!

Now there's some rules that need to go here but for some reason I can't copy them so I'll have to go check them out again and post later~~
Nothing much exciting going on since my last post. Tomorrow I'm going to try to get to the lys and check out the Noro. I've still got that on my mind for the Lady E.
Visited DD this afternoon and she's redecorated her kitchen so she's put in a request for all new dishcloths. They really like them for the kitchen and the bath ~~so guess what I'll be doing?
It's getting late so~~
Off to bed

Catching Up!

2007-01-25T12:46:00.000-05:00

Today's post as the title says is going to be a catch up. I was skimming through my blog last night and decided photos were in order! Course some are old news but I'm going to throw them in anyway! So here goes~~
I bobbled!! I've never done that before and here is the results! Pretty nice! Dishcloth was the kal from the monthly dishcloth group. Mine came out a bit large because the needles it called for were being used already so I jumped up a size. Nice just the same.

I know you're xmas'ed out but I have to share a tree photo!! This year I decided we needed new ornaments and lights. I wanted the plain glass round ornaments we had years ago~~and different colors for lights. Basically no theme !
I still used the artificial tree tho~~it fits so nicely in the corner so I don't have to do a lot of rearranging of furniture.
That's a definite plus!
See that Santa there on the left? I made that for my DD's first Xmas! I remember staying up late at night after I'd get her to bed painting it! This was it's 26th Xmas!

Next we have the Amaryliss(sp?) that blossomed right on time ~~ not sure why the stem stayed really short this year~~ususally they get so long they threaten to topple over! It did get a second flower but it didn't alst as long as the first.

Here we are two weeks ago at Knit Nite! This is at one of my favorite places to knit! A Knitter's Corner in Medina,NY.
You can get a glimpse of Lynne,Lisa and Rose and of course some of the yarn!
I didn't do a thing that night except visit~I wasn't feeling very well!the teeth issue again. Rose suggested I get back to the dentist and I decided to take her advice and it's a good

thing I did. All the discomfort I was having wasn't me being a baby I had a infection on the right side of my face! Couple days on anti-biotics took care of that! So now things are looking up!
I'm back to knitting and for proof I show you the first FO of 2007! My weekend sweater knit from Brown Sheep Burly Spun done in the round! I wore this yesterday when KK and I went out and it's sooo warm!! The perfect sweater for me!! I'd do this one again but I'd try a rolled neck for a different look. I'd like to do it in a worsted weight but not sure how to figure out the sizing and yardage. Going to have to talk to Jen at the shop about that!
And of course a photo of Sophie checking out the last skein of Burly Spun~maybe she was telling me to get that sweater done!!

And now on to the newest project ~~The Lady Eleanor Stole from Scarf Style. The gals were talking about it at Knit Nite and I thought I have that book maybe I should check it out. I'm using Paton's SWS which is very soft and I love the colors but it really does fuzz up while knitting. I'm enjoying the knit because it is so different!

Enough for now~~thank you to everyone that's left me comments and emailed the last few weeks. I appreciate it~~
Now, I'm
Off for this~~

Slacker??

2007-01-08T19:36:00.000-05:00

Well, here we are a week into the new year and I'm finally back!!
Hope everyone had a nice holiday? I must say this was one of the nicest holiday seasons I've had in years!
I'm not quite sure why~~I attribute most of it to the two weeks that I sort of drifted through right after Thanksgiving. Knowing that the pressure was off as far as the shopping/knitting goes made such an attitude adjustment! The days that KK and I went out were so calm and enjoyable~~no crazy frantic driving all over trying to find the perfect gifts.
We did good~~everyone was pleased with their gifts and no exchanges were needed!
Course KK babying me the past month was quite nice too!! He totally surprised me with the gifts he chose and I loved everything!
Quick update on the teeth issue~~I'm finding more things that I'm able to eat as long as I'm careful. No chomping down hard on anything yet and still no meat to speak of. I think that's what I miss the most~~a medium rare steak is just waiting for me! Unfortunately that's going to be quite awhile yet! I've had to return to the dentist a couple times and I think I've got to go again now. I can't believe this is going to go on for six months! Ok, enough of that~~
On to the knitting~~there hasn't been any! I'm working on the ripple afghan(crochet) for Heather's xmas gift. (she knows) I'm not touching anything else until it's finished! I've been reading my yahoo sock groups and I'm so tempted to cast on some socks but I know if I do that the afghan will wind up being next years gift!
When the kids were younger they had all sorts of video games and I could never get interested. They always wanted me to play ~~I could never get the controls right~my little guy was always going the wrong way or the first one knocked off! So they gave up on me~~~till now!!
I am officially addicted to Nintendo game cube~~Animal Crossing!! Who would have thought??
I love this game!! It's the cutest thing! That was one of my xmas gifts!! DD had it at her house and I watched her playing hers and thought "I like that game~~I could even do it"
So funny~~on Xmas day she brought her memory card over so we could visit each other's town!
This afternoon KK calls and asks "how are things in Marville?" Course I named it that~~where else would Mz Mar live? DD and I talk on the phone and you'd think we were talking about a real person and it's a critter from the game! It's fun~~something different.
Today it looks like we are finally getting hit with a bit of winter! The temp. has fallen from the 50's to the low 30's and we've had hail/snow on and off. It's still not really sticking the ground is too warm. They are saying the driving tonight is going to be tricky with black ice~~that's always scarry.
All the xmas things are put away~~finished it up today. That's so unlike me. Normally I'd have it done right before or right after New Year's day. Goes to show how much we enjoyed the season!
We're having knit nite tomorrow night and I'm looking forward to going. I missed all of Dec. I do think I'll take an afghan break and take my Weekend Sweater with me. I just have the sleeves to do and now with the colder weather I'd like it finished.
Happy knitting~~
Off to crochet

One week down~~

2006-12-05T18:51:00.000-05:00

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

Hell Week!!

2006-12-03T19:42:00.000-05:00

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

Meme

2006-11-24T01:12:00.000-05:00

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

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

Eye Candy!

2006-11-21T20:06:00.000-05:00

I did it~~

2006-11-21T19:31:00.000-05:00

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

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

Bad,Bad Blogger!

2006-11-13T20:06:00.000-05:00

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

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

Eye Candy Friday!

2006-10-20T12:27:00.000-05:00

Going Somewhere???

Friday the 13th

2006-10-13T20:08:00.000-05:00

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

Eye Candy Friday

2006-10-13T18:16:00.000-05:00

All together now,
Awwwwwww, twins!!

All Most Forgot~~

2006-09-29T22:32:00.000-05:00

Eye Candy???? lol~~

Eye Candy!

2006-09-22T10:19:00.000-05:00

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

What's up

2006-09-21T22:49:00.000-05:00

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

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

Forever changing!!

2006-09-19T20:52:00.000-05:00

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

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

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

Eye Candy Friday

2006-09-15T10:35:00.000-05:00

Concords Ready for Picking

For me??

Please???

Friday

2006-09-15T10:09:00.000-05:00

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

Just because

2006-09-14T20:51:00.000-05:00

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

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

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

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

It's over~~

2006-09-07T17:44:00.000-05:00

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

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

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

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

Bad Blogger~

2006-08-27T21:22:00.000-05:00

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

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

Good Morning!

2006-08-11T10:07:00.000-05:00

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

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

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

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

Looonnnggggg Weekend!

2006-08-07T21:22:00.000-05:00

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

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

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

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

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

Better??

2006-07-27T00:56:00.000-05:00

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

Some Like It Hot~~

2006-07-19T18:50:00.000-05:00

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

Should I or Shouldn't I

2006-07-10T22:29:00.000-05:00

start this thing over?? I've been so annoyed with this blog that I don't even want to post. I can not figure out what the heck I did to mess it up so bad! I keep going back to the template looking around~~but I have no idea what I'm looking for! I'm afraid to do anything else~who knows what the hell I'll do next!
On a better note I have been doing some knitting!! I'm caught up in the washcloth/dishcloth fad. I joined another group MonthlyDishcloths@yahoogroups.com this has been fun. At the beginning and middle of the month you start a new design. Each day you get so many rows in your inbox until it's finished. Of course while knitting it everyone is trying to guess what the finished design is going to be. I haven't taken any pictures yet but I'll try to remember to do that. I like doing these~~cotton yarn(inexpensive) quick and portable! There are many,many free patterns on the net that could keep you busy indefinitely! I'm already thinking Xmas!!
See this??? This is so not good~~ it leads to this
Now I'm sure there are some of you that already know what's coming~~but for those of you that don't you'll just have to check back to find out what's happening next!
KK's has been off last week and I thought we were going to get so much done around the ole' homestead~~wrong again! Who needs molding when you can spend the afternoon having coffee and checking out all the new knitting books at Barnes&Noble. Why paint the porch when you can take the day with dd and partner and drive to Pa. to go to the zoo and beach??
A drive to Rochester to the fabric store or cutting the grass and weeding??? Tough choice there~~hmm, let me think~~
So that's how the week went~~it was fun, tiring but fun.
I did get the dresser done~~wait, you don't know "the dresser". About a year and half ago ds and girlfriend were going to move in together~~that didn't happen(that's another story) but a friend of ours who works for the city housing dept. called and told us of a dresser that was left in one of the apartments. We could have it for ds if we could come get it the next day. KK gets a truck from work and goes to get "the dresser" It's nasty~~old ~~he lugs this thing home and into the garage from hell it goes. I'm thinking~~ok, it won't be there long the kids will take it when they move. Well since that didn't happen said dresser was shoved back further into the garage and forgotten about. Last summer KK took "the dresser" when he did his flea market adventure.
Whatever he didn't sell he was leaving there~~yeah!!! Clean garage,dresser gone what could be better??? yeah, I knew it was too good to be true~~at the end of the day in all it's glory sat "the dresser" I was speechless~~not entirely~~ I think I do remember mumbling something to the effect "wtf is that doing back?" KK had an answer all ready~~people really liked it~~it's a depression era piece~~huh??? Well, if they liked it so much why didn't they buy it?? Maybe because it's nasty, dirty,chipped,scratched and did I mention ugly? He said quite a few people were interested but they didn't have any way to get it home! So now he thinks it's worth something! Oh pluuussseeee~~~get rid of it!!!
So now fast forward to this summer ~~ugly dresser looks even worse after it's winter shoved between bikes,tools and all that stuff that keeps multiplying in that garage! The bedroom a/c sat on it all winter and when they put it on the dresser last fall they must have pushed it across the top because there were some major scratches that weren't there before. So one afternoon Kk is fiddling around in the garage and pushed the dresser out of his way. Now after all the complaining about this thing I'm looking at it sitting out in the driveway and I'm thinking those really are two huge bottom drawers and those smaller top ones would hold a lot of odds and ends! hmmm, wonder if I took some Murphy's Oil Soap if that gunky stuff would wash off?? After about 45 minutes and some elbow grease it was much cleaner~~still ugly but cleaner. Next thing I know KK is checking it out saying how much "stuff" I could put in it. Yes, I could but it's so scratched up on top and it's ugly. I've got things to do inside and it's too hot outside now so in I go. Wait, what the hell is that noise? I look out and see a cloud of dust and in the middle of it there's KK sanding the darn dresser! yea gads!! I bide my time and casually go out and ask him if he'd like a drink and by the way what the hell are you doing?? He says " I thought you could use this in your craft room for some of your stuff." Now I am speechless~~
Not to make a long story longer I'll just tell you "the dresser" now has it's own special spot in my craft room! I admit it~~it's still rather ugly but after staining and polyurathaning (sp?) the top I'm becoming rather attached to it! It's not all redone. I left the front and sides "as is" but clean and polished~~I mean after all it has character, it's old, a depression era piece~~it must be worth something??
Off to bed~~

The Invitation

2006-06-20T08:29:00.000-05:00

I am thinking about all the invitations I have received in my life..There are some I couldn't wait to participate in...I looked forward to the event with glee, picking out the appropriate clothing, and proper shoes. I selected my jewelry with care, and my make up was applied to perfection. Then some invitation I accepted begrudgingly, knowing I had a obligation to attend for some reason other than my own personal desires. It was a family affair, or a church event, a funeral, a wedding or even a serious business meeting. I rose to the challenge and attended per my moral requirements as a human being. Some invitations gave me great pleasure, and I skipped and sang like a child in anticipation. The final invitation is the test of your character, patience and strength. It wills you to give up all selfishness and invites you to act on behalf of a higher calling. It calls you from outside of yourself, beaconing you to believe in something greater. It causes you to dig deeper into your soul, analyzing your every motive and excuse. It creates in you a longing to strive for a more spiritual you. It escorts you past worldly and material possessions. A spell is cast, and its magic envelops you until you succumb to its power. It promises to teach you love, patience, selfless sacrifice. It seeks to draw you to the edge of your being. Yet the invitation is pure and good- it offers a peace of mind, and thirst quenching sweetness inside your heart. It teaches you lessons of seeing the world through the eyes of a powerful sweeping force. Giving of yourself, you rise to the pinnacle of love, as you realize you are not one, but a joined force- where the circle of life promises you the gift of life once you agree to the invitation. The road will not be easy, but it will make you a person who suddenly understands the true value of challenging yourself outside of your comfort level. The invitation cannot be accepted lest you agree in the spirit of love....Once agreed.....the journey is easy. How fast we run to take the easy road, and make excuses why we cannot help another human being. It doesn't matter that I do not share my heart or my skills....after all, someone else will answer the call. Our forefathers and mothers knew the ultimate sacrifice, to the point of death they gave of themselves.Have I, given back to this great country to which I live? Can I say I have returned all that has been given to me? Answer the invitation today.......and let the journey take you beyond yourself to a place of common ground with those who have traveled before us.The cost is minimal......the sacrifice is light....the invitation is open....Knit one pair of socks for the men and women who have answered the invitation already. One pair of socks is so little to ask...when the reward is a better you.
Kim Opperman~
Socks for Soldiers
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SOCKFORSOLDIERS

As you can see this letter was writtne by Kim she's the mom to one of "our" soldiers. She knitted socks for her son and he said that he wished that all the soldiers could have the comfort of hand knitted socks in their boots~~~a casual comment taken to heart by a mom!! A group was born ~~a goal thrown out there~~the knit is on!! Plain black socks for "our soldiers" a little something from home.
If you can spare the time and some black wool/wool blend washable yarn please help.
Off to knit~~

Two in a Row!!

2006-06-19T21:31:00.000-05:00

I'm doing good~~two blogging days in a row!! Not that much went on today to write about! One good thing it rained and the horrible humidity is gone and the temp. dropped. Right now the air coming in the window next to me is actually chilly. Turned off the a/c and flung open the windows. The one thing I don't like about having the a/c in the bedroom is having to keep the windows shut.
Today was the usual Monday~~laundry,dusting,vacuuming. Did get a couple new bags finished so that was my crafty thing for the day. Knitted a few rows on the black sock while I waited in the car for ds. Wanted to start a towel but didn't get to it. Almost forgot, did four more rows on the kal~~ no picture so you'll have to take my word for it! I'm pretty sure I know what it is. From what I can figure there's only a couple more rows and it will be finished~~photo then.
For you that read this in IE did you notice that I finally figured out how to get rid of the underlines?? I deleted the new blog ring link I added awhile back and that took care of it. I have no idea why things rearranged themselves though. And scrolling all that way down to get to the posts??? What's with that??? I'm afraid to mess around on the template for fear of losing everything!
Aren't these nice???
Daughters can be so wonderful! She knew I wasn't feeling well so she surprised me with these a few days ago. Nothing like cut flowers to cheer up a room!
I'm tired tonight so I'll quit rambling~~
Off to bed~~

Many Thanks

2006-06-17T22:24:00.000-05:00

Many thanks to all of you that wrote to me privately and left comments here on our loss of Houston. Every one of them was much appreciated. You all are great!
What have I been up to, you ask??? Ok, so you didn't ask but I'll tell you anyway! I'm knitting again!! I've caught the washcloth/dishcloth/towel bug!!! You know what that means,right??? Of course you do~~more yarn!!! Now you know that I can't be knitting these out of my wool/wool blend sock yarn so I had to get some cotton.

Saw a really cute cloth on Dani's blog and I was hooked! She did hers out of a awesome orange that I just had to get! Luckley Joanns had some~so I whipped out that 40% coupon and it was mine.
Did you notice the Chibi?? Lime green!!! Now if I could just find an orange one! One can never have too many chibis!! hmmm, is that spelled right??
Now the finished cloth~~
Cute,huh?? I'm hoping that if I make a few of these up for myself that when I go to get a washcloth for my face there will actually be one in the linen closet. I don't picture KK or ds using these!! They'd better not!
I must admit when I took this with me to knit nite at Lynn's I totally messed it up! I lost my place right when I started working on it and didn't catch it until the end of the evening! Needless to say I did some frogging! Finished it up the next morning.
Now that I'm newly addicted I had to join yet another group! The monthly dishcloth kal on yahoo~~I joined just in time to start the mid-month kal~~and this is what's going on. This was after two days.
What is it?? Beats me!! All I know is those 195 cast on sts. were a pain!
Each day we get a few rows to do~~I was all caught up until I just checked my email and tomorrows came already!
Now it looks like this ~~still not sure!

Feels good to be knitting again! I'm also working on black socks for SOCKFORSOLDIERS@yahoogroups.com 500 pair of black socks is the original goal for the beginning of Oct. A wonderful project for our troops! If you can spare some time and black yarn go check it out!
Let's see what else has been happening?? Working on the yard,planters done,housework just the usual.
We took KK out to dinner Friday night for father's day. He wanted to go then instead of today. We ate waaayyyy to much and then on the way home I had to have an IceCap from Tim Hortons.Talk about stuffed~~and I wonder why I couldn't sleep??
Today the heat was brutal!(Just heard the weather and it reached 92!) KK and I got up really early and went to the flea market at Antique World. We were there a little after 8 and it was already getting hot! Sadly we didn't find any bargains but it still was fun browsing.
Last week I stopped at a garage sale which I normally don't do and what do I see??? A Longaberger basket!!! At a garage sale!!! For $4!!!!!!! I broke out in a sweat my pulse was racing!! Could that be right??? Yes,indeed $4 and it was mine!!! Maybe I'll start garage sale-ing
hmmm, maybe not!!
If you're looking for a project bag check out my site. http://www.picturetrail.com/mzmar1
I keep adding new designs like " Betty does Bingo". Most of them are a one and only so when it's gone ~~it's gone! One thing I've found out through this sewing is collecting fabric becomes just as addicting as yarn~~and that's not good!
Seems I had more to write but it escapes me now~~must be the heat! Thank goodness KK and ds put the a/c in the bedroom this evening! There's gonna be some good sleeping tonight!!
If you have an iPod or mp3 player you really should listen to some knitting podcasts! There are some really good ones out there. Cast On with Brenda Dayne is one of my favorites and she's taking a podcasting vacation for a few weeks I'm going to be lost!! Chub Creek is fun too but if you don't like explicit skip it. With the nice weather I like to sit out on the deck with my knitting and now it's even better with my iPod!
On that note I'm going to leave you with this because I'm
Off to sit in the a/c

Sad Day

2006-05-17T21:37:00.000-05:00

Very sad this evening~~our little shih tzu Houston had to be put down today. It's not that we weren't expecting it but it still seemed so sudden. I went out yesterday morning and he was ok~~when I got home he wasn't. He could hardly stand up. After a couple hours he couldn't at all. It's not that he was young--he wasn't--he was almost 14! In dog years doesn't that make him almost 98??? Wow!! Called the vet this morning and they got us in but not until 3:30 this afternoon--made for a long day. I carried him outside a couple times so he could lay in the grass when the sun came out. I figured he'd like that. He wouldn't eat or drink anything he just wanted me near. Every time I've gone to this the new vet we're using it's never been busy but of course today it was. I had to sit in the waiting room fighting tears which I didn't manage to do for long. It seemed like forever before we got in a room but actually it wasn't~~we went before some other people that were waiting. The assistant came in and talked with me and explained everything so I knew what to expect. Asked if I wanted to stay with him and I didn't have the heart to leave him alone so I did. The vet was so kind she carefully checked him over and she agreed it was in his best interest to let him go. His heart was not good and she thought he had a tumor on his spine. It was time to say "good-bye" I held him and talked to him and they administered the shot. It was painless and quick~~he drifted off~~
By Houie, we'll miss you~~

Hello Hello Hello!!

2006-05-12T21:26:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I know I've been gone again for awhile. The days are getting away from me lately. I've actually put forth an effort to get up earlier and stay up! Hasn't worked yet but hey, it's an idea! You'd think with the nicer weather I'd be full of ambition but not so far!
I've been keeping busy getting some cleaning done. Amazing how nasty things get over the winter. Still need to take down the curtains and put some lighter ones up.
Remember when I said no flowers in my yard?? Seems I forgot about these.
Nice, huh?? Not sure why I planted those by the pond but they are pretty! Next the Lilacs will be out~~my favorite!
Don't know what's going on with this blog--everything is underlined--what's with that???
I can't think straight--KK is in a music mood and the stereo is blasting right behind me~~not that I mind but I can't sit still!!
The room's a rockin!! Get those dancing feet moving!
I think I could exercise if I listened to this~~makes ya want to move!! Course I just looked over and KK and Sophie are sound a sleep on the couch!!
Charging up PeaPod (iPod) so I can listen to podcasts. I'm hooked!! I don't sleep well so when I know it's going to be along night I take PeaPod along to listen to. I know I dose off because all of a sudden I'm hearing something that makes no sense and I realize I missed a whole segment of the show I started with! I wanted to listen to it last night so quietly I get it off my night stand(in the dark) and figure out which ear buds are which flip it on and~~nada!! I flung it off the other night and never turned it off!! How annoying!!
DD and her girlfriend have them also so we all named them--mine is PeaPod because of it's lime green skin! It glows in the dark!! Scared the heck outta me one night until I remembered what it was!
How's that for a "Frog Pond"? lol~~I'm having too much fun with sewing lately! No knitting is getting done at all. The thought has crossed my mind a few times but I just don't get to it. Now if I had some pinkish/raspberry sock yarn I'd be knitting!! I'm feeling the "need" for it again. Maybe this time I should just give in and look for some? Once in awhile I run across some that is kind of what I want but it's not quite it. I don't want pale
pastel-ly pink~~I want bright shades of raspberry for lack of a better description. I know it's out there just waiting for me to find it. I will~~~
Snack time so~
Off to eat

Last chance

2006-04-30T20:35:00.000-05:00

to show the colors of the month from Project Spectrum!! I've had these photos for over a week and keep forgetting to post them! I've been really busy doing who knows what??
So here's some color for you!

And this~~

Ok~had enough?? yeah, me too! I had some really nice ones and they seem to have been eaten by this thing! My camera batteries have taken a dive too so no more photos until I get to the store and pick up another set of rechargeables! Is that a word??
Spring has sprung! It's been really beautiful here the last couple of days. All the plants are coming up and flowers are everywhere! OK--I lied they are coming up everywhere but my yard! Not quite sure why but I've never gotten into planting flowers~~not unless they're in a pot on the deck! I must brag a little~Beth from one of my lists gifted many of us with seeds from her last years gourd and sponge plants(yes, sponge) and my seeds are up!! I'm so excited!! I have visions of vines trailing all over trellis's and birdhouse gourds and sponges hanging off them!! Course, I don't have the pots or trellis's yet but hey, at least the seeds are started!
Birthday week is over for another year. Having three b'days in four days is really annoying! After all these years you'd think I'd be used to it!
KK and I spent a relaxing day today. He puttered around outside all day and I kind of drifted in and out. I mulched, came in and read a bit, had coffee went back out. Stood around and watched KK working, came back in and sewed!
Much cleaner!! Some days you just don't feel like getting in the dirt and today was one of them!
So instead I did this
Yeah, I know I said there were no flowers in my yard~well, those aren't! I sort of stretched to my neighbors and snapped this photo quick! I couldn't resist! Guess it isn't the best picture of the bag but the flowers are great!

Finished this one,too. So you can see I've been busy.
Haven't done much knitting though.
Manage to do a couple rows on my fluted banisters
at night while watching tv
but tonight I don't even feel like doing those couple rows!

Ivy's doing good. I think she's enjoying the nicer weather too! Today was the last day on the antibiotics so hopefully she'll get her appitite back. Tueday we go back to the vet to get her stitches out. They must be bothering her now because she's rubbing her face whenever she can. I'll be glad when this is over!

Doesn't she look comfy??

Time for me to do the same!
Off for bed~~

Back at Last!!

2006-04-18T08:43:00.000-05:00

Seems like I've been gone forever! This thing finally bit the dust a couple weeks ago and I was totally lost without it! Got it all fixed up brought it home and DS hooks everything up and the monitor blew! Now what the heck are the chances of that?? So another couple days went by! I felt like I lost a good friend!
I didn't knit at all I just could not sit and concentrate so I gave up. I did make good use of my time tho~~I managed to get some sewing done instead. I've been doing some large bags and some smaller tote bags that are perfect for that sock project!

Knitting balls galore!! lol~~accented with knitting and sewing kittens! If you'd like to see more bags you can check them out at
http://www.picturetrail.com/mzmar1
just look at bags or totes. If you have any questions email me and ask away!! I'd be happy to make one up for you! We're still trying to raise funds to help with Ivy's surgery so if you're interested in a tote or a bag please let me know.
She had the surgery this morning and they removed her diseased eye and she's doing very well. Other than being very homesick! She's coming home Saturday and we'll have to be very careful that she doesn't bump her face until it heals. Right now she's on very strong pain killers and antibiotics. The vet said after a couple weeks she should be ok. He said that she probably lost the vision in that eye almost immediately even before it started to look really bad. I can't wait to get her home and baby her myself!
So we are still trying to raise funds to help with the surgery--the vet really helped us by cutting some of the cost.
I'm just so happy that she will be pain free and hopefully will be able to live out the rest of her life in comfort with us.
The weather here in western NY is getting nicer every day! Time to get the yard work going. KK started the other day and now he can hardly move!! Forgot about all those aching muscles that show up every spring! He's off tomorrow so I have a feeling I'll be out there helping him!
I'm going to get this posted now --it's dinner time and I'm starving so
Off to eat

2006-03-22T23:02:00.000-05:00

New project!

2006-03-22T22:59:00.000-05:00

Fluted Bannisters done with Opal on #1 addi's Magic Loop

2006-03-22T22:55:00.000-05:00

hmm, what's wrong with this ????

Did ya miss me???

2006-03-22T10:46:00.000-05:00

I know it's been forever since I posted! I have been knitting instead of being on here so much. My emails are even piling up. I've been so restless and I'm blaming the nice weather we "had"~notice I said had???? Granted it's been cold ...but when it's so sunny who cares? It just makes everything so much nicer when the sun is out. I'm a tad crabby this morning because last night KK said he had to work today(his normal day off) and I had plans on going to Joann's. I figured that would give us something to do and since we would be practically right next door we'd stop in Barnes & Noble.......and I wouldn't have to use my gas-guzzling van......we'd use his!The thing that really annoyed me is I was right near there yesterday and didn't stop! Geesh, I do get off track...don't I?? I started to say the weather is nasty today! Dreary, dampish cold, and there is snow covering the ground!!! Where the hell did that come from???? ewww......go away!
I do see a ride to Joanns in the immediate future tho!! If I get dressed that is........
I'm trying to upload a couple photos but for some reason they don't want to show up so I'll have to tell you about them. First, the Jaywalker bit the dust! Took me awhile to actually frog the darn thing.....I wasn't positive that I wanted to after all that aggravation! It was too big so there was no sense in keeping it. I went ahead and did a sock of plain stk out of the red/white/blue and it looks good so now I'll do the frogged yarn into
the second of the pair.
After having the pattern for a year I decided to try the Fluted banisters and I absolutely love them!! They fit perfectly with no fiddling with the pattern!! I used Opal that Heather got me last summer on one of our road trips! While knitting them I was scouting around trying desperately to find the Sockotta yarn the sample sock in the pattern was done from....with no luck. I know monitors show colors differently but I didn't think they would be so far off.....in my print out the sock looks blue with some red and maybe a tad of yellow. There is no such Sockotta!! I asked around and the majority of opinions was color #16 which looks nothing like the picture! I'm liking them but I really wanted the other color!!
Since my hands have been really bothering me I'm trying to break up the knitting time with some sewing. I finished a couple bags that turned out really nice if I do say so myself! There again you'll have to take my word for it since I can't get to the photos!
I've been reading a lot! Nice to read again! Seems I go in streaks with that.......I like to sit outside in the summer and read.....when it's just too warm to be holding yarn. I'm waiting for those days!
I joined Lynne's Project Spectrum color swap. This should be fun. My only qualm is my partner is not a knitter!!!! Oh, my......there is life outside of knitting??? hmmm, who would have guessed??
What kind of gifties do you get for a NK(non-knitter)??? Orange and yellow no less! I drew an absolute blank when I read her blog! ahhhh, she does sew tho~~~~and I do love looking at all that fabric at Joann's~~~~orange and yellow fat quarters???
For your info Kelly I love orange!!! As Martha would say " nice orange socks are a good thing"!!! I am a yarn snob tho~~no acrylic, please !
Let's see what else can I ramble on about??? Oh, yeah, I took Sophie in to be spayed two weeks ago. Finally made the decision that I wouldn't breed her---not willing to take the chance knowing that more than likely there would be problems. Brought her home knit nite afternoon and had to watch her so no knit nite for me. She was good until Friday night and then the trouble started .......her whole body was pulsating....it was weird/gross! Stayed up with her till 2 and I was exhausted in the a.m. I was afraid to look at her thinking she wasn't breathing---what a relief when she popped her head up from under her blanket! Still pulsating tho~~so off to the vet we go to find out that they have never seen this in a dog!! Horses, yes ...dog no! I said the vet should have paid me for the experience!! Anyway, after much snapping and growling they determined that during surgery gas gets trapped between organs and once she became active it gets pushed up under the diaphram(sp?) so as her heart beat her breath went and that made the pulsing sensation! ewww~~~at least it wasn't painful. Late Sat. night we could see it calming down and by Sunday morning she was fine. The most difficult thing was trying to keep her quiet!
Stitches come out tomorrow and then she can have a much needed bath!!
Fingers are achy today so that's enough of this. I know there was something else I wanted to write about but it escapes me at the moment. Later it'll come to me!
Off to read......

Drop-Out

2006-02-23T23:59:00.000-05:00

Ok, I'm ashamed to admit it.......I'm an Olympic drop-out...........I swear it's not my fault(believe me I swore a lot) the Jaywalkers got the best of me! I'm not sure if it's just me being really anal or if they look as bad as I think but either way they gotta go!!
I'm not in the best of moods today it's been a bit of a wacky week and I was tired today. It probably wasn't the best time to work on the socks (from hell) but there they were staring at me what could I do? Picked up #2 (now there's a play on words) and started in....it's done past the heel into the foot where the decreases start. Right off I see something I don't like~~rows back.
I am not taking 3/4 rows out with umteenthousand sts. on the needles I'll live with it. Maybe not.............I can't stop looking at this twisted/stretched stitch........it's mocking me!! No way in hell am I tinking back that far.......ok, ok, maybe it won't be too bad if I go slow........crap, what the hell was that stitch????? A decrease???? A ssk????? Oh well, doesn't matter it's gone now!! Now what??? If I slip the stitches off the circulars carefully I can unravel back to the gusset......oops, whoa those stitches really slid off those addi's quick! Now I know I had more sts. than this when I started! Ok, so now I'm all the way back to the heel flap~~~I'm really fighting the urge to RIP IT TO SHREDS!!!! This is new yarn......it was $18..........control yourself!!!
Throw it down on the floor/step on it/give it a swift kick/let Sophie roll around on it .......pick it up brush it off and frog the dam thing!! The End!

So tomorrow I'll cast on something new or maybe I'll sew instead!
Yesterday KK's day off we took a nice ride to Rochester .....there's an awesome x-stitch shop there. I had ordered a pattern months ago and it came in awhile back but I forgot about it. When they called to remind me I was tempted to have them send it to me but I'm glad I didn't. It was a beautiful day to take a ride. Sunny and warmer than it's been. Took us a little over and hour to get there but this shop is so worth it! On the same level as a great yarn shop! I'm sure KK was impressed! I don't think he really minds these little excursions I come up with because he doesn't have anything to do on his day off. In the same plaza is a fabric shop with a huge assortment of fabrics~~not the usual Joann pickings. Thank God I don't quilt!
After browsing the fabrics we went around the corner and had a nice lunch then headed home. I had a hard time staying awake......sleeping in the car is the best!
I think I've rambled enough so I'm
Off to read

Slow but Steady

2006-02-17T13:38:00.000-05:00

I'm pluggin away on the j'walkers!!! Here you go~~just to prove there really is progress ! I've finally got the pattern memorized after many false starts and getting this far!! About time,huh?
I really like this sock~~I will do it again in another yarn .... a more "me" color. This one is fun but not my favorite.
I'm more the earth tones .
Last night I had the toes almost finished but didn't like the "bulge" I was getting on the side where the decreases start. I'm not sure how to remedy it. It seems there are too many stitches for the toe

area. I usually do 72 sts. for my socks and now I have 78. I wouldn't think the 6 sts. would make such a difference but it seems to. I'm at a stand still on what to do now? I want a smooth transition from the foot pattern to the dec's.
I have a horrible headache today...woke up with it and it doesn't want to go away so I may not do much knitting. How annoying!
Here is the toeless "J" I have a good fit until the toes so I really want to figure this out!
Off to lay down........

2006-02-11T15:26:00.000-05:00

Bumble Bee in discontinued Opal colorway

Olympic Jaywalkers!!!

2006-02-11T14:59:00.000-05:00

yeah, I know ....... this is what I said a week ago but I got caught up in the hype of it all and here I go again!! I'm going to have a pair of these yet so without further ado here they are Well the start anyway!! I was going to join team dpn but after a couple feeble attempts decided against it and instead I'm going for So appropriate,right??? I've actually tried doing these socks numerous times but for some godforsaken reason I can not get that pattern into my head! I lose stitches, I gain stitches......what the hell?? So while watching the start of the Olympics last night I gave it one last try and we have lift-off!!! Before I get too excited over them I thought I'd better get a photo .......just in case! How about that yarn tho, isn't it perfect Olympic knitting???
Wonder how this post is going to look????? I'm
Off to check

Is it freezing yet??

2006-02-04T17:10:00.000-05:00

Could I be the only one wishing/praying for cold I mean really, really teeth chattering cold weather ?? I never thought I'd be the one saying that but each day I'm wishing the cold front would just get here!! This weather is killing me~~it's the 40's that do it. Every day this week I've woken up with a headache and I can barely move. Every bone is screaming for cold/drugs!!!See photo!! Since I can't do much about the first and refuse the second it's been one hell of a week! I can not make myself do a thing around here~~it takes all my energy just to get dressed!
I did manage to get a haircut and that has improved my outlook a bit. I feel a little more like myself again.
Tonight KK and I need to run to the market and we're going to get dinner out~~that's a great mood lifter!! Course it's really nasty out~~it's pouring right now and it's predicted to turn to snow tonight but I'm not going to complain....well maybe a little!
I've been puttering around in my room trying to organize all my patterns. I must be up to five loose leaf notebooks. Wonder if I'll ever use half of them?? Trouble with doing this is I keep stopping to read the pattern and thinking I "need" to start something new!
I want to pull out all my sock yarn and see if there's a Jaywalker in there. I've been holding off..... trying to finish the Bee's first. I'm thinking I won't do the Olympics but I'll still try a pair of those.
I was surfing and found a gallery of them and I must say they really are nice!
Off to get ready

2006-02-02T20:52:00.000-05:00

Is that cool or what???? It's a word cloud!! It scans your blog and then does your cloud!! I'll post the link when I can go back to it without loosing my post!!
I've made some progress on the Opal Bee socks~~I'm decreasing for the toe on the first one~~finally!!
I'm still giving some serious thought to the Olympics. Whit is doing a sock DPN one and I'm so tempted. The idea is to challenge yourself and using dpn's again would certainly be a challenge for me! I really can't remember the last time I did socks on dpn's. A couple times I've had to use them for sleeves and the felted vases but not socks. I really do have some yarn I could use even tho there's no pink/raspberry color which I'm definitely craving!! Still have a week to decide........
Nothing much else going on here~~trying desperately to clean up my room.......again!! I can't make any progress there tho. Every time I start I wind up watching tv/knitting/reading.....maybe I should just give up organizing it.
Off to knit bee's

2006-01-31T23:00:00.000-05:00

What????

2006-01-31T22:57:00.000-05:00

Sophie's new sweater!! Another FO!!!!

2006-01-30T11:20:00.000-05:00

Opal Chamelon #1 addi's Magic Loop

Starting out the ~~~~

2006-01-30T10:48:00.000-05:00

week right!!! Monday morning and the bed linens are changed, laundry is started and dishwasher is running! And I'm here!!! Not that there's much to post about!
Finally have the slouch photo .....see??? Of course my helper had to
get in there,too!! OK, so the sock does look a bit wonky but it doesn't on~~fits perfectly! I'm sure you noticed there is only one??? That picture was taken a couple days ago......and there's still only one!!
I have a good excuse tho~~~Sophie needed a sweater~~Saturday went out with DD for a while and we stopped at the store and she picked out some yarn for said sweater. I'll save that picture for later....let's just say that the yarn she picked is a tad....bright!!
After hours of working on it yesterday afternoon and until late last night I'm not too far! I could not understand the pattern. After two false starts I think I'm on the right track....I'll know more later.
Saturday was a beautiful day! Sunny and sorta warm~~not really warm but certainly pleasant! It was so nice I was even talked into taking a walk in the park!
The weather yesterday was a whole 'nother story!! Dreary, rainy the whole day! The back yard is like a sponge. It was the perfect day to curl up on the couch and knit tho~~Course it would have been nicer if I would have had something to show for my efforts!
I'm trying really hard to ignore the Knitting Olympics that Yarn Harlot started but it seems every blog I go to~~~it's there!!!! I really don't need to start another project~~right??? Even tho I have that awesome Koigu sock yarn that would look really awesome in Jaywalkers doesn't mean that I should sign up, right???? Right???? Come on, stay with me here~~ I already have
4 projects otn!!! Do I need another????? You're right, I should think about it~~there's still a few days to finish something up......
That doggie sweater is calling to me so
Off to knit

Slouch???

2006-01-25T19:37:00.000-05:00

That title was appropriate...............right over here there was supposed to be a photo of my first finished slouch sock out of Opal chameleon. It was a good idea until I went to take the picture and the batteries are dead......again. Why is that??? I charge all four of them every time I plug the charger in~~when I go to use the second set they are dead~~~no life at all!!! Do they just lose the charge sitting there waiting to be used??? WTF????
So that means you will just have to take my word that one is done and it is really awesome!! My first attempt at a pattern and it's down the foot, did a different color on the heel and toe! What a moment!! Course now I'm doing an Opal plain stk. from an old colorway.....Bumble Bee. I'll go back to the slouch after the first one of these.
I also dug out the Noro Silk Blossom that I had started before the holidays! So, now that's three pair in the works not to mention KK's xmas pair that have not been touched!!
I have worked on a couple afghan squares~~I'm pleased with the way they are turning out. DD gave me a calendar last year that has a different stitch every day so I'm going to use that for some of the square designs. Hopefully tomorrow night I'll make it to Knit Nite and pick up a couple more skeins for it.
I can not believe that January is almost over! Usually this month seems endless to me but not this year! Maybe the good/better weather helped. This has been the warmest January in 74 years!!! Works for me!!
Poor Sophie is not looking too good. Seems Boston's get weird skin problems....rashes,hair loss, allergies. Great~~always something! Now she is on antibiotics a peroxide shampoo and Benadryl!! Interesting stop at Walmart trying to decide which flavor Benadryl to get her~~~lol
The best part was trying to convince her to eat the food coated with it!
Nothing else going on~~going to try to download a Podcast onto my iPod. Can't believe that I've had it over a week and haven't tried it yet!!
Off to knit Bumble Bee's

Again???

2006-01-14T09:26:00.000-05:00

I have no idea why that previous post worked yet last night I couldn't get anything to work!!
So, that picture of the lone skein of Opal is my prize from the Opal Chatters newsletter. A pair of my socks was posted on there and I saw them and won a skein!!! How cool is that??? That was New Year's Day~~a great way to start the new year!!
Now here's the SEX photos that was promised last night! That Koigu is calling to me~~I'm not listening!!!
Need to get off here ~~DD is coming over to wax my spinning wheel so I should at least get dressed and make some coffee!!
Coffee......that's a good thing

Will it Work??

2006-01-14T09:22:00.000-05:00

Trying to add a photo in the post~~

2006-01-14T09:19:00.000-05:00

Swift and helper!

2006-01-14T09:16:00.000-05:00

Xmas prezzie!!

Title???

2006-01-14T00:11:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to post~~really!! Haven't been here in ages and when I try to post tonight I keep crashing! I get a couple things written and then "poof" gone!!
This is the last time for tonight !!
So, what have I been up to? Had a great day yesterday~~the sun was out and it was warm~~it felt like a spring day! Perfect weather for an outing! Heather and I took advantage of it and went on a stash enrichment trip! Stopped for lunch and then on to Spirit Works in Rochester. We were both looking for the perfect yarn for the afghans we want to do. Didn't find what we wanted ~~not that either of us really knew what we wanted but we didn't find it there. Koigu kept calling out to me and I just could not ignore it!! I tried~~sort of.......
Then we found this worsted weight hand spun for socks so we're both going to have a pair. I'm knitting them but won't worry about having them for this season. I'm going to do them magic loop so I have to order some large size 40" circulars.
We stopped at a little gift shop we like and I found another punch needle pattern...this one is for the living room. I like doing these when I want a knitting break.
Then on to Knit Nite!! Yeah, haven't been there since before the holidays! It was fun~~and we both found "the perfect yarn" for our afghans!! I wanted a homespun natural look and Green Mountain Spinnery has just what I want! I brought a couple skeins home so I can start it and Jen is holding the rest for me. So hopefully I can do a few squares in the two weeks between knit nites.
OTN right now are three pairs of socks!!! What was I thinking?? KK's xmas socks are still right where I left them weeks ago! I can not make myself work on them! I had to start the Opal that Heather gave me for xmas~~that yarn would not leave me alone! I've got one done a bit past the heel. This is my first attempt at doing the heels and toes a different color. I'm even doing a pattern~~and down the foot!! I don't know what's come over me!
I've been trying to get my room cleaned up but every time I start straightening up I get side tracked~~big mistake looking through the sock yarn~~the Opal Bumble Bee just looked so appealing sitting there all cute that I had to cast on!
I tried to add those pictures in this post but every time I get the photo in here I crash! What's with that?? Instead of fighting with it anymore I did it the old way~~
See the picture of my new "toy"?? No, not the swift the iPod!!! I may not know how to use it yet but it's mine~~all mine!! I plan on finding it a nice little hiding place so DS can't get his hands on it!! It's all charged up and waiting for a Pod Cast!!
Now you can look at the swift!! DD surprised me with it for Xmas!! I was thrilled but I did drop a major hint that Mother's Day is coming and a ball winder goes so nicely with a swift!! I haven't used it yet but it sure looks nice!
While working in my room I had a brainstorm for more storage space~~those cloth shoe holders that hang on a door would be great for yarn!! I picked one up today for under $10 and it works!! There's 24 pouches and 2 to 3 skeins of Lamb's Pride fit in one....outta sight!!! KK has been looking in there way too much!!
Added a couple new sock books to my knitting library~~now if I only could find a place for them!
Well, if I'm going to get those pictures posted I'd better stop rambling~
See Chris...told ya I'd post!!
Off to add photos~~~

Happy B'Day

2006-01-03T00:18:00.000-05:00

You were my mother and my friend,
Which was unusual.
Somehow our characters still blend:
Your wisdom and my will.
Our wit.
Our love.
Our bond.

I turned, and you were there for me;
I spoke, you understood.
I felt cared for, but also free;
You loved, and I was good.

I am fortunate that I was born
To someone just like you;
I love you still. Though you are gone,
You live in what I do.

Happy Birthday Mom
January 3,1927-April 14, 1999

My first post of the new year~~to my mom. I can't take credit for the above poem I read it on Dani's blog and asked if I could "borrow" it. She found it on the web somewhere and no author was given.
It puts into words what I feel.
So often when I sit alone and knit, memories of my mom knitting and watching TV come to mind~~and the sound of clicking as the stitches flew off her needles!
I can knit gifts for my family and friends and I thank her for encouraging me and keeping me interested enough to continue on and keep learning on my own.
Happy Birthday!

Catching up~~

2005-12-23T22:12:00.000-05:00

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~~

2005-12-23T22:10:00.000-05:00

Mz Sophie!

2005-12-23T22:09:00.000-05:00

All done!

2005-12-23T22:08:00.000-05:00

Showers are great!!