UPGRADE!!!!!!

My GREAT, FANTASTIC, AMAZING husband that loves me so much (though I have no idea why), provided me with the most wonderful upgrade this Valentine's Day. Actually, I got my uprade on Monday right before I was supposed to go to the Ladies Meeting for church (I didn't want to go but I still went). So you are wondering what is this upgrade well this is the old MP3 player that I got for Christmas a little over a year ago. It was great. I didn't mind it and I even bought a expansion card for it. So it had over a GB of memory.

Although, I still coveted one of these. Yes this is a pink Apple iPod. I was so excited. He is a wonderful husband and I have been spending lots of time lately putting music on it. I have filled up about a quarter of the 4GB space. I so love it and I am enjoying tremendously. Brett, Thank you. I love it.

Now on to the knitting front, Here is some amazing yarn that I got in the mail from my favorite online store. The two hanks on the left are JKnits in San Diego and Kansas colorways. They are so soft and I picked those two colors because I went to San Diego on my honeymoon and I am from Kansas. The last hank on the right is Posh Yarn in Feather. It is so pretty and I can't wait to knit it but I always seem to start a different pair.

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I am still working on this pair of socks, this is the Basket
weave pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks in Fleece Artist Tiger. I am having a problem with frogging with this pair and this yarn tends to split which is kind of annoying me at this point but I WILL WIN. I am also really enjoying the two circular method over the dpn's. I am noticing less ladders which I am really liking.

Happy Knitting and have a great day.

Getting Faster

I am getting faster at this sock thing. I love socks and that is pretty much all I want to knit these days. I just finished my socks from the Sweet Georgia Yarn colorway Coffee Bean.

They were started on January 27th and I finished them on February 11th 2007. That means it only took a little more than 2 weeks to make this pair. Much improved over the 5 and 1/2 months (yes, I said months) to finish my first pair and about seven weeks to finish the second pair I made. I have already cast on another pair with Fleece Artist's Tiger. I am using another pattern from the FABULOUS Sensational Knitted Socks book. Okay, I am off to knit on my new socks some more. Have a great day.

What a Difference A Year Makes

We had a milestone in our house this week. Ben turned one. I spent Wednesday evening reminiscing about the day he was born. I tend to do that when we celebrate one of the children's birthdays. This year went by so fast and our lives have changed too. Elisabeth and Emily are both in school and two mornings a week I am just the stay at home mom of one. It seems to be lots quieter then. I do miss them while they are gone at school though. Here are the pictures from when Ben was born to Wednesday when he celebrated his first birthday.

I have been knitting and will post some of my pictures of newly acquired yarn and work in progress tomorrow.

Alphabet

Janice sent this to me so I thought I would pass it on, I have to admit that we think alike on a few things.

The Alphabet Meme:

A - Available or Taken: Taken
B - Best Friend: Brett (I am lucky to be married to my best friend!)
C -Cake or Pie: Cake and Pineapple Pie
D - Drink of Choice: Diet Pepsi, Flavored Coffee
E - Essential item you use everyday: Computer
F - Favorite Color: Red
G - Gummy Bears or Worms: Sour Worms
H - Hometown: Adrian, Minnesota now; grew up in Wichita Kansas
I - Indulgence: Starbucks Coffee Almond Fudge Ice Cream and Sock Yarn from Sheri
J - January or February: February the month Ben was born
K - Kids & ages: 3 Kids: Elisabeth 6, Emily 3, and Ben 1 on Feb 7th
L - Life is incomplete without: Jesus :-)
M - Marriage Date or Most Memorable Date ( and why): Wedding Date 07/13/96
N - Number of Siblings: 3 brothers and 3 sisters. No I am not Catholic LOL
O - Oranges or Apples: Honey Crisp or Fuji Apple (wrapped in caramel is good.....)
P - Phobias or Fears: I hate Bugs. I hate when they crunch. Yuck. I am also afraid
of passing semi tractor trailers. I am always afraid they will try to run me off the road
like in the movies.
Q - Fave Quote: Everybody is somebody elses weirdo.
R - Reason to Smile: My kids
S - Season: Spring
T - Tag 3 or 4 People: Linda, Rebecca,
U - Unknown fact about me: Met my husband in a grocery store.
V - Vegetable you don't like: It would be easier to list the ones I like
W - Worst Habit: Diet Pepsi, and Starbucks Ice Cream
X - X-rays: Not very many
Y - Your Fave Food: Bowtie Festival from Johnny Carino’s.
Z - Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Sweater, Socks and Frost

I have finished Blossom!!!!!! Elisabeth was able to wear it to school today. She didn't want to wait for me to try to get the edges from rolling. It didn't seem to bother her much. It was a fairly easy knit with just a small amount of frogging. I was so excited that it fit. It was made with Sirdar yarn in pale pink. I started it December 8th and finished it January 29th.

I have started the quarterly challenge for The Loopy Ewe. It is to knit a pair of socks that are different from what you would normally pick. I am a Frank. I love wild socks. Although, I think I could switch sides over to the Martha side easily if all Martha yarns are as great as this Sweet Georgia Yarn in Coffee Bean. It is pretty close to the actual color in the picture. I am so loving this yarn. I picked a pattern out of the Sensational Knitted Socks book. I am also really enjoying this book and can see myself making lots of the patterns out of this book.

Last Thursday, it was really foggy in the afternoon and then got really cold. So the frost froze on the trees. I decided it was so pretty that I had to show a picture of our street. I love the way winter looks but I think I prefer spring and fall. I have also included another picture of Ben (I did warn you that he is cute and it might turn into a Ben Blog), this one is of him bugging his older sister Emily while she was playing on the computer.

Yarn Yippee!!!!!

I got some beautiful sock yarn that I had to show off. I have to thank the the Loopy Ewe and Lisa Souza. The yarn on the left is Zen Yarn in Peppermint Mocha and the yarn on the right is Violet Pink Ribbon. I can't wait to start knitting with them.

First, I have to finish this Blossom sweater that I am making for Elisabeth. We were supposed to go on a trip to visit family this weekend but the weathter got kind of icky so we all stayed home. It was nice to have Brett home for a couple of days in a row. When your husband only gets one day off a week that is really nice. We went to Sioux Falls on Saturday but I didn't get to any of the yarn shops over there. It is probably for the best since I have declared this month as a UFO month. I have lots of projects on the needles that either need to be finished or eliminated. I also am going to try not to buy any more sock yarn until I finish two pairs. I don't think that will happen thanks to Sheri.

It Just isn't Going to Get Done!!!!!

I have resigned myself that the sweater, I was hoping to get done before we left this weekend, isn't going to be done. I do have the sleeves finished and I am now working on the body of the sweater. I am about four and half inches into it. Hopefully I will finish it soon. No worries, knitting is the journey not the finished product.

I have posted pictures of the girls before but thought I should add another since Benjamin got some blog time. They were playing Wonder Pets the other night and I had to take a picture of them in their "costumes". The visor on Emily's head is her "princess crown". I have also finished another book in my journey to read 100 books this year. If you like mysteries and crossword puzzles I would recommend the Puzzle Lady series written by Parnell Hall. I have enjoyed all of them. I have also been reading my Bible daily. I have read 12 days in a row now. I am trying to make this a daily habit and wonderful husband says that my mood is better.

This could turn into a Ben Blog!!!

If Benjamin keeps being so cute, I will have to quit knitting and just take pictures of him. NOT.

I don't think I could quit knitting if I tried and I don't really want to try anyway so I guess it is a moot point.

I have been working very hard on a sweater for Elisabeth hoping I will get it done so she can wear it this weekend when we go to Omaha to meet Brett's parents. This is a picture of the sleeves. I am knitting them at the same time in hopes that they will match. So far so good.

We did get some snow yesterday and last night. Elisabeth had a 10am late start this morning. Brett was wonderful enough to go and snow blow off the driveway so I wouldn't have to do it before I took her to school. I have a wonderful husband!!!!!!! I did go and shovel the snow off of my friends driveway for her since her husband was out of town and she is six months pregnant. I am just thankful that it wasn't ice. I have seen pictures on the Weather Channel of people in Missouri and Oklahoma with an inch of ice on the trees. To all my knitting friends that got stuck in that, I hope you are all safe.

Sock and Dishcloths

One of the girls on Knitting Help was talking about how many miles of sock yarn she had. I have very little compared to her but it was fun to see how much sock yarn I had and put it all together to take a picture of it. I have roughly 3.5 miles of sock yarn with about 3/4 of a mile on the way, thanks to the Loopy Ewe and Lisa Souza.

I have also discovered that I have alot of dishcloth yarn. I think it is another addiction such as sock yarn is for me. So I decided to show you my meager stash of both.

I am also trying to hold myself accountable for having a "quiet time" every day so I am going to add that in daily or as often as I post. I did have my quiet time this morning. I am trying to read through the Bible in a year and I am following the chart in the back of my Bible. I read the end of Chapter 8 in Matthew this morning and this evening I will read a couple of chapters in Genesis.

Have a great day and Happy Knitting.

Well not much but Dishcloths

I have been knitting but it seems like all I want to knit is dishcloths. I have made 7 since a little before Christmas. I have also frogged the sock I have been working on four times. I am thinking this yarn is jinxed. Or maybe just stubborn. I posted a picture of my current dishcloth and my next attempt at turning this yarn into a sock.

I have also been reading for the library's Winter Reading Program. I am trying to see if I can read 100 books this year. I have read three so far so I am on track. I hope I can continue to find books that I want to read.

The other two pictures are of the little boy that stole my heart about a year ago, our little boy, Benjamin. He is learning to walk with his push toy. He gets pretty frustrated when he gets stuck though. He must get that from his dad.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year's. Take care and many blessings to all in the New Year.

Parting of the Ways!!!!!

I have decided that the Pomatamus sock had to say bye bye for now. I might try them again but for now they are history. I started a new pair on two circs and I shall see how it goes. The figure 8 cast on looks a little weird but unless I screw up somewhere else really royally I am not taking it out. We will call it a design feature for now.

What to Do During Naptime?????

Well, this is what we did during Ben's naptime today. We put up our Christmas tree!!!! I know I am little behind most people but I was concerned with Ben trying to pull it down on him and while that may still happen I couldn't let my girls down. Elisabeth informed me the other day that "We are the only ones not getting ready for Christmas". Our town really does it up for Christmas. The lights start going up right after Halloween. It is so neat to see the little town where we live lit up for the holidays. I do have to admit putting up the tree made me a little sad. I firmly believe that you need to listen to Christmas music while you are putting up your tree. We were listening to an Amy Grant Christmas album with I'll Be Home for Christmas on it and it occured to me that I won't be "home" for Christmas. This year we are staying in Minnesota and not traveling back to see our families in Kansas. I am looking forward to starting traditions with our family but will miss the extended family get togethers.

On the knitting front, I working on various projects at once and not making any outstanding progress that warrants a picture just yet. I did start a sweater for Elisabeth maybe I will finish by Christmas but probably not.

Read the Directions Dummy!!!!!

What happens when you don't read the directions????? Your sock that you were working on has to be frogged and started over. Sad to say my Pomatomas (sp) sock is just a ball of yarn at this point. I noticed that I was doing the knit two together's wrong. There were some wonky (love that word) stitches too, so I decided to frog it and start over when my size 2 KnitPicks Options DPN's get here. Hopefully tomorrow.

Looks Can Be Deceiving

I am not usually one to complain about the weather. I usually take what comes and enjoy it if I can. I do have one small complaint. I hate the fact that sunny winter or late fall (as we are now in) days are so deceiving. I look outside my breezeway door and you get this.

This sunny, breezy day. I think it should be cloudy and dreary because it is only 22 degrees here in Minnesota today. Something is wrong. Pretty days like this should be warm and I should be wearing no coat. Just my two cents.


Unfortunately, I will not finish Lacevember before the end of the month. I really have no excuse (unless of course you count, laundry, dishes, taking care of three kids, fixing Thanksgiving dinner for 13 people, having an outbreak of the stomach flu, and the love of knitting socks an excuse). It just isn't going to happen but I am proud of myself for participating and seeing all the lovely things that were made this month by the other participants. Here is my progress so far. It has grown but not enough to be considered a scarf. Maybe the scarf needs steroids so it can bulk up.

And last but not least, my sock that I am currently working on.

I am doing it in Knit Picks Memories Fly Fishing. I am finding that I like this thicker yarn but I have decided I don't like bamboo DPN's since I have used Knit Picks Options DPN's. So I had to place an order for some size 2's so I can finish. I will continue to work on them until they get here though.

Have a great day.

From the Needles to My Feet

I just (not more than fifteen minutes ago) finished my second pair of socks and here they are on my feet. I am so amazed how I love to make socks and how they make my feet feel.

This pair was made from Plymouth Sockotta. I started them in October and just finished them today. I am getting faster. My first pair took five months and my second pair has only just under two months.

I am working on several other projects and hope to post pictures of them soon. I also will be casting on yet another pair of socks shortly I am sure. I have some Knit Picks Memories in Fly Fishing that is begging to be knit up. So off I go. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and didn't shop too much today.

Sorry!!!!

I am so sorry that it has been over a week or more since I last posted an update. I have been knitting just working on the projects I have on the needles so no new photos. I hope to get some of them finished over the weekend. Have a great Friday.

Lacevember Questionaire Answers and WIP

Here are my answers for the questionaire on Lacevember and a picture of my Lacevember work in progress.


Knitting Questions

How long have you been knitting? Almost 3 years

How did you learn to knit? Taught myself with help from KH.

Favorite thing about knitting? It is relaxing and faster than cross stitch

How long have you been knitting lace? Six months. I have only finished a garter stitch cowl scarf.

Favorite thing about knitting lace. How pretty it is when you see the pattern.


The Yarn Questions, or flash your stash

Favorite lace yarn? Have only used Knit Picks Shadow and Shimmer

variegated or solids for shawls? I have never made a shawl but I like the solids.

Favorite lace color? Blues or purples


Technique, or show us your skillz

Circs or straights? Circulars

Favorite lace knitting trick? LIFELINES!!!!!!!!

Lifelines? If so with what? Yes, I have been using dental floss

Fancy blocking wires, or just sewing pins stuck in your carpet? Sewing pins


Pattern, or can you follow directions

shawls or lacey items? Lacey Items

triangle, rectangle, or circular shawls? Rectangle

Charts or printed instructions? Prefer printed but I am learning to read charts.

Favorite lace you've knit? Shadow

Favorite lace you want to knit? I have not really looked at many so I don't know.


Just Fun, yup that's right, just for fun

Favorite jelly belly flavor? Toasted Marshmallow

Tell me everything you know about Eric the Red..... Absolutely nothing

Coke, classic or with lime? Classic

Holiday carols, sing along, or wish they would be banned from all public airwaves? Sing along with them. LOVE CHRISTMAS MUSIC

What is the definition of irony? Have to blame brain not working at the moment.

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop? I suck on them I don't know.

Why is my cat always puking in front of my son's bedroom door? Smelly socks maybe???

What is your superhero power? Hearing, amazing you always know when your kids are doing something they shouldn't.

If the laundry is 9 foot by 11 foot (just dreaming, that's a big laundry room), and the walls are 8 feet tall, and you are going to tile the entire room in tiles that are 3 inches by 5 inches, what color should those tiles be? My laundry room is that big. Orange.

What's for dinner tonight? Frito Chili Pie

What is clogging my children's bathtub drain? Yarn that you are stashing>

Scarves and Fighting the Second Sock

I started the Irish Hiking Scarf for my sister for Christmas. I hope she will like it. It is also the first KAL that I have joined besides the ones on Knittinghelp.com. The Cowl scarf is for a friend of mine. She really liked it. I think it will be warmer than I thought. It was made of lace weight yarn but it felt warm when I tried it on.

I had to frog my second sock but it is progressing along okay now. I had some stitches that were wonky and I didn't like it so it had to jump into the pond. I am really loving sock knitting and I can see myself never wearing commercial socks again after I have enough pairs made. I am only on my second pair. I am always looking for great sock yarn and I always find it but never bring myself to buy. I guess I am more of a looker than a buyer.

The girls were able to play in leaves yesterday. It is turning into a little tradition for us. We were really lucky to have great day to do it.

Sock Progress and Knitting Side Trip

I have been making progress on my socks. I have turned the heel and I am now working on the cuff. I am so enjoying the toe up socks they are alot of fun. I did have a little bit of a side trip this weekend though, I was looking at different blogs and found a pattern for a gartalac washcloth on Criminy Jickets blog. It was such fun to do and I thoroughly enjoyed knitting it. Thanks Dave for posting and sharing it with everyone. The socks I saw on his blog were amazing.

There Is NEVER enough Knitting Time!!!!

I have been doing really well on my second (third) pair of socks. I am about to turn the heel on the first one and I am really enjoying doing the toe up pattern. Did I mention that I am not fond of seaming anything together????????? Not even the Kitchener Stitch for a pair of socks am I willing to do. So I guess toe up socks are for me then.

I am also trying to motivate myself to finish this baby afghan for my little boy since it is getting colder around here. I also have so many other projects I want to work on but I don't have enough time (or energy).

I so wish I was a manogamous knitter. I, being easily swayed by a pattern and trying to send my wonderful sister in law something for her birthday, cast on a lace scarf for her. I have a little less than a month to finish it and I am so glad I put that life line in this time. Wish me luck.