Got Here As Fast As I Could

I'm Back....

2009-12-20T16:30:00.000-08:00

December 20, 2009

OK, I'm back. I've entered a reading challenge and I am going to read and post and knit and post. I promise myself. More later.

2009-04-12T17:44:00.000-07:00

Fewer UFO'S and Books Read

This is a 5 hour Baby Sweater. The pattern was on the Woolworks website. It really took about 5 hours to finish. I wish the colors showed up better... it is yellow and orange..

First Up is the Diamond Modular scarf. This pattern was on The Yarnian website and is available as a download ($5.00) on Ravelry. I used sock yarn. It was a fun and fairly easy project once I understood how it was being constructed.

I've been on Spring Break this week. In addition to knitting, I've read! Books completed: Plum Spooky and Plum Lucky by Janet Evonovich, Dead Wrong by J.A. Jance. I've started The First Patient by Michael Palmer.

New items on the needles include: toe up socks, prayer shawl and toddler size sweater Eyelet Yoke Cardigan from the Lion Brand website.

Catching up...Checking In

2009-03-05T20:03:00.001-08:00

I am working on a baby shawl that has been giving me all kinds of trouble. I will post a picture this week.

I have started the mitered square scarf which is a knit along on ravelry. Hopefully a picture will appear this weekend showing this attempt as well.

Lots of reading to report.
Later.

Moving Forward in 2009

2009-01-11T13:58:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm back! I have a picture of Blue Thursday. I made this for my aunt for Christmas from wool bamboo. This is the Oriel Scarf from 101 One Skein Designer Projects

I have a picture of the sheep from Bovidae Farms in NC. It was a wonderful visit. The owners (I don't have their names were so friendly and invited us into their home. I hope to go back. I did buy some scarlet wool to make felted clogs. More about that later.

Now for other updates. I'm going to try and keep a log of books that I have read this year. To kick off finished books in 2009 is The Man With the Red Bag by Eve Bunting. I read this book for the Media Specialist at school. I need to write a short review and then the Media Center has a new book for free. Since yesterday I have been engrossed in T for Trespass by Sue Grafton. It's a good story. Frightening because it could easily happen to a person.

Hopefully, more next week!

37 questions about me... none important but I know the answers!

2008-10-01T17:10:00.000-07:00

1. Do you like blue cheese? yes - especially Clemson Blue Cheese..hard to find but oh so worth it!

2. Have you ever smoked cigarettes? no

.3. Do you own a gun? no.

4.What flavors Kool Aid was your favorite? never remember drinking it

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? depends on the situation

6. What do you think of hotdogs? nothing..

7. Favorite Christmas movie? Miracle on 34th Street

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? diet coke

9. Can you do push ups? no

10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? My Dad's Celtic Cross

11. Favorite hobby? knitting and reading
12. Do you have A.D.D.? no

13. Do you wear glasses/contacts? glasses

14. Middle name? Bales... used to be Lynn but lost it in the marriage

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment?a - I should be working- 2.I wish I had the remote to change the channel- 3. I'm so happy to be healthy

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? diet coke, ice tea, water

17. Current worry? the economy

18. Current hate right now? I try to steer clear of that strong of an emotion.

19. Favorite place to be? at home with my husband.

20. How did you bring in the New Year? in Gatlinburg with husband and family

21. Where would you like to go? yarn store crawling in New England

22. Name three people who will complete this. frankly I don't get this one.. guess I don't have all the answers

23. Do you own slippers? no

What shirt are you wearing? Detroit Tiger baseball jersey

25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? NO

26. Can you whistle? no

27. Favorite color? all shades of green

28. Would you be a pirate? nah, I'm a landlubber

29. What songs do you sing in the shower? not many

30. Favorite Girl’s Name? Mackenzie

31. Favorite boy’s name? I dont have one

32. What’s in your pocket right now? empty right now

33. . Last thing that made you laugh? kids at school

34. What vehicle do you drive? Jeep

35. Worst injury you’ve ever had? bad knees

36. Do you love where you live? yes I do..

p37. How many TVs do you have in your house? 2 that work, one in the closet.

thanks to Yea I Knit for these questions. Pictures soon. I finished Green Comfort but am not happy with it and may add to it. I finally got to Bovidae Farms and have a picture of sheep.

more later.

Another Saturday Night

2008-09-06T17:48:00.001-07:00

I noticed that I was going to introduce the rest of the crew and haven't yet. Well tonight's the night!

This is Mr. Gary Cooper. Although not an official rescue, we rescued Mr. Cooper from someone who was trying to find him a home. She was a nice lady who had taken him in from another woman, however, she lived in a small townhouse and had two kids and two cats. Trust me, I'm sure Mr. Cooper was too much. At the time, his name was Cooper. We added Mr. Gary to give him a touch of class. He is part cocker spaniel and part Golden Retriever. He has calmed down a great deal in the 18 months that we have had him. In this picture, he was on his first vacation at Hungry Mother's State Park in Marion Virginia.

Next to Mr. Gary Cooper is Mackenzie. She is Tuck's ( previous entry) little sister. However, they have very different personalities. She wrote the Siamese cat playbook. She cares for me and likes Tuck most of the time. She barely tolerates my husband and can't stand the dog. If I had waited to name her, until I got to know her I would have chosen Gray Ghost (thanks, Sandy) GG for short. She is like a ghost, you won't see her for a long time and then she'll appear and disappear quickly if the room is not to her liking. Not to her liking involves too much noise an too many people. Generally, she comes out in the evening and sits with me as I knit or read.

Well that's all for now. Remember, "life is not about waiting for the storm to end, it's about learning to dance in the rain. " ( I tried to find the origin of the quote but was unsuccessful, all I can say is that whoever said it first was a wise person.

Knitting update: working on the black shawl.

Catching Up

2008-09-02T17:30:00.000-07:00

These are the socks for my Mom. They were supposed to be a Mother's Day gift but work got in the way. However, as my mom said "who wears wool socks in the summer." They are made from a Creative Knitting Pattern (May 2008) , knitted anklets.

This is the beginning of the Lacey Shawl from Plymouth Yarn. I am knitting it in Cotton Fleece by Brown Sheep. It is a fun knit (so far). Interesting but easy.

You may have noticed that Green Comfort isn't showing up as a finished object. Well, I have worked on it since the Olympics started until this weekend. Frankly, I am tired of it. I will finish it but knitting is supposed to be fun, not work!

Raveolympic progress

2008-08-14T18:32:00.000-07:00

This is the Saundra Throw from the Berroco leaflet Family Tree. It is being knit in Comfort yarn from Berroco. I love how the yarn feels when you knit with it and how it looks afterward but.... it splits so easily. There does not appear to be any twist at all. This is a great pattern, you knit individual hexagons that are attached as you go along. There are two long rows and two shorter rows of hexagons. A great deal of fun to knit and watch grow. This is my Ravelr Olympics project. I'm on number 18 of 27 hexagons so I need to get knitting.

I was able to post this picture with little difficulty. Maybe this will get easier. Since I have mentioned the animal crew, I think I will post pictures of them as well.

This is Tuck. Truly a cat among cats! He is a ten year old seal point Siamese. He comes when you call his name.

I will introduce the rest of the crew next time.

Catching Up

2008-07-15T09:17:00.000-07:00

Summertime... and I don't get much accomplished. However, I will add pictures to this post soon. I did get bitten by the clean out/get rid of stuff (including yarn) bug and have reduced my stash to 3 good sized tupperware containers and a few bags around the house. I have read many books... Lions Game and Nightfall by Nelson DeMille. I am now in the midst of The Charm School also by Nelson DeMille. The first two deal with terrorism in the United States, the first prior to 9-11 and the second in the months leading up to 9-11. The Charm School deals with the American Embassy in Russia during the detente period. Very thought provoking.

Knitting content is slow but coming along. There will be pictures before the end of the weekend. Promise. More later....

2008-04-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

The List ..I read this on two knitting blogs I read. Thanks JP and Danni.

I'm thinking that this is a variation on The Bucket List movie. As I went through the list I realized that I had experienced some of these things vicariously... husbands you know! But that probably doesn't count.

Life’s To Do List
01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said ‘I love you’ and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger (and dated for a while) (no but went out with a stranger and ended up married to him)
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse ( of the sun)
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 10 provinces
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends (had? still have!)
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone (does growing up in Detroit count???)
92. Buried one of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane (does sitting in the flight deck count?)
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions (so far)
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language1
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone’s life

Pictures Tell the Story

2008-04-13T17:19:00.000-07:00

April 13, 2008

Success! I have uploaded pictures. I don't want to mention how long it took me to figure it out. Maybe practice makes perfect.

This is the table runner that I made. I adapted a facecloth pattern, Snowdrop Lace, from Dishcloth Boutique. It's made with Paton Grace yarn.

This is a doily that I made from a pattern I've had for along time. I ordered it from the newpaper circa 1980 and no longer have the original pattern.

Hopefully, more next weekend.

ok,let's do better

2008-03-29T16:26:00.000-07:00

Being at Cotswald BAM (Books a Million) knitting night caused me to admit that yes I do have a blog... but no I rarely use it. Judging by the trouble I had remembering my password there is a great deal of truth to this. However, I committed to do better so here I am.

I won the $50.00 Gift certificate at Charlotte Yarn's Anniversary party last Saturday. (Thanks again, Remi!). I spent the rest of the week thinking about spending it. In contrast to how I usually do things, I actually looked through some patterns and made a plan. I wanted to make some baby booties and hat I found in an old issue of Knitters with Cotton Fleece by Brown Sheep. And in my lace quest I decided that I wanted to make the Dogwood Blossom throw . Kristi (Turtlegirl) was very helpful and led me to the Malabrigo Baby Merino Wool in the Applewood colorway. It is soooo beautiful to the eye and to the hand. It is in the drawer in the guest room but I can hear it calling to me...

Well, I'm going to post this and make a committment that during Spring Break (in a week) I will figure out how in the world to add pictures to this undertaking and then everyone will see that beautiful yarn.

All for now.

Who's Running the Show

2008-01-16T17:35:00.000-08:00

Here I am, 53 years old and I have to outsmart 1 dog and 2 cats before I can go to bed at night. The dog is actually easy to get to bed. Being a glutton, he will go anywhere (in the house) for a cookie. So a simple "snacks in your room, Coop" sends the hairy beast down the hall to his "room" aka crate. Now, the cats they are a different story. The cats have their own digs in the laundry room. Several beds, food and toilet. They stay there during the night to avoid .. well catting around. Anyway, ol Tuck has decided that I have to pay a price before he goes to bed. Sometimes, if I don't make any of the usual getting ready for bed moves, I can pick him up, give him a kiss and stick him in his room. However, if he has any indication that bedtime is nigh... all bets are off. He will start toward the laundry room and then veer off and race under the dining room table. As I come around the corner he heads under the couch. From there he goes behind the couch and just watches. Some nights he will come out if I start waving his toy on a stick. We play for a while and he will bat at the mouse as it comes near. If I get near, he races in the opposite direction. For awhile, I could let him in the sunroom, shut the door and capture him. He's on to that now. When the sunroom door is open, he watches carefully and slinks toward the door. After every five steps, he stops and looks around. Finally, he enters the sunroom and heads toward the plants, his sworn ememy. I start toward the sunroom and as I cross the threshold he races out and the fun is on. By this time Mackie, the smaller cat, has left their room and is perched on the couch to watch the show. In disgust, I decide to leave them alone and brush my teeth. I will re-enter the battle in a few minutes. I soon hear their cat door swinging and then a strange silence. As I enter the laundry room, they're curled up in the beds, as innocent as lambs. They both looked up and yawned. However, I saw the look in Tuck's eyes. He was sending a message, don't be fooled. There's always tomorrow night.

Knitting Alert

2008-01-05T07:01:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I finished my wool scarf amidst the football bowl games. I used a LYS pattern and made it out of black wool. It still needs to be blocked but I'm pleased at how it turned out and the fact that it's finished. I have started the Saundra Throw from the Berrocco book Family Tree. I'm using Comfort yarn from ... maybe Berrocco. At this point, I don't like to knit with it. I love the way it feels and am pleased with how it looks. But, it splits like crazy as you knit with it, making it hard to count stitches etc. etc. etc.

where did december go

2007-12-16T18:04:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I'm getting sick. A week before Christmas and I have a sore throat. Some child is missing some germs. I'm determined to not be sick when we go out of town this year. Luckily we don't leave until the Friday after Christmas so maybe ...

The knitting front is going slowly. I have finished one baby hat and am nearly finished with the second for the knitting club at school. I have let the snowdrop table runner sit by idly. I will pick it up next weekend when school is over.

That's all for now.

Still Not Enough Time

2007-12-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

Well, I've made it back to post again. This is low on the list of things to do, but high on the list of challenges. I have finally established a google account and can now post again.

I am continuing to work on a table runner. I'm using Grace by Paton and the Snowdrop Lace Face Cloth pattern from the Dishcloth Boutique. I'm very pleased about how it is turning out. However, it's been frustrating because I was one stitch short or two stitches to many every two or three pattern rows (odd numbers of eight row pattern). Finally, driving home from Greenville SC, it came to me. The border stitches are in garter stitch. On the even rows the first/last four rows are in garter... on the pattern rows the first and last five stitches are in garter. I kept trying to make the odd side rows be four stitches as well. Ah, live and learn to count... and read.

It's Me....

2007-11-28T19:05:00.001-08:00

Well, I'm frustrated... can't get anything done... and what do I do.. start a blog.

I hope to post regularly and talk about what I'm reading, knitting or thinking. I have all the best intentions, we'll see what develops.