MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Just a couple of pictures from today.......

Miscellaneous pictures, since you're looking......

Have you seen this one? Do you recognize your cousins?? This was sometime in July. Since I gave you a bad winter picture of Rudy, I thought I'd give you a good summer one too!
And the final picture, again from last July. Mom at 70!!

SNOW!!

Yep, we've got some snow! This first picture was at about 5 am when I took the dog out. You can just barely see his brown spots through the snow! It was almost all the way up to his stomach! Later in the day when I went to shovel out the truck. We got somewhere around 10 inches of snow, so I'm not even going to try to get my little car out--I'll just take the truck!
And this is the snow in front of my house. It's hard to tell how deep it is, but there's plenty of it!

Yep, we've got ourselves some white fluffy stuff!

We got a new logo at work. Pretty nifty, huh??

Sock Swap Arrived

Swapster Megan sent me this awesome package of goodies for the Hogwart Sock Swap! She sent Charmed Knits, which I've been picking up and putting back down for weeks at Barnes & Noble, a set of Knit Picks needles that I've also been wanting to try, and some coffee, tea and biscotti. She also sent an awesome pair of socks (her very first pair!), some awesome fiber, and a set of equally awesome stitch markers. This was an absolutely wonderful swap package--Thank You So Much, Megan!!

I started to spin the fiber this morning, and it's light and fluffy and spins wonderfully! Can you see the sparkle in the picture? It has firestar or Angelina or some type of sparkle-y fibers in it--beautiful!

And, look at these stitch markers--can you see the detail of the moon and stars on the rings? They are just beautiful too! Megan, you outdid yourself!

Sockapalooza 4 socks arrived

.....and they are just beautiful! Blue hand-dyed merino heaven! Another skein of lavender sock yarn and stitch markers too--my sock pal sure spoiled me!

You can see more pictures on her flikr site: nikki nimble needles

Thanks Nikki, they're absolutely wonderful!!

sshhhh--what I really did on my summer vacation.....

Knit, knit, knit!! A friend went with us, so a few times I just stayed back in the cabin while the guys went out to fish, and I knit! Actually I also read and typed recipes into the new recipe/cookbook software I got just before I left, but knitting was the primary vacation activity. This red and yellow pair was completed the day before we went on vacation, but I thought I'd post them here anyway. They were for a swap, so I sent them off just before we left.
These are cable socks knit in Cascade 220 superwash. They are also for a swap and my swap partner said she liked bright colors. When I saw this color it reminded me of dreamsicles, so I got it and call these the "Dreamsicle Socks". You can't see it very well, but I got orange reinforcing thread that's carried at both toes and heels so it has a sort of tweedy or heathered look there. I finshed these on vacation and mailed them out.

This is my Sockapalooza 4 sock completed while on vacation. So, when I finished the socks and held them up for the "TaDa" moment I found that I had knit one longer than the other--WHAT?? Yep, I knit 18 rounds of ribbing on one and 12 rounds of ribbing on the other. UGH! They had a picot cast on with 2 rounds of non-ribbing knitting at the top, so I couldn't just pick up stitches and knit 6 more rows on the top. I thought about it, and the only real way I could fix it was to frog the entire sock and start again. So, I packaged them up with a note saying they could be worn with pants, she could fold down the ribbing, or just maybe she has one leg shorter than the other one (LOL), and sent them off to my Sockapalooza pal--no-one but God is perfect!
This was the "no brainer" sock I worked on while I was riding in the back seat of the truck, and while we were fishing when things got dull and my fish weren't biting. I say they're no-brainer just because they're plain jane with very little patterning and I don't need to carry around a pattern or anything complicated. I can just pick them up & put them down whenever I have a minute or two to knit. Not much progress on these.

And, you really can't see what it is very well, but I started the Mystery Stole #3. I joined this KAL on the very last day, and I just got my yarn right before I left, so Clues 1-3 had been given and I hadn't even started. So, I took this along too. But I ended up fishing more than I had anticipated and I needed to get those socks done for the swaps so I could get them in the mail, so I really didn't get a lot of knitting done on this. I did get through Chart A and well into Chart B of Clue 1. I'm using Jaggerspun Zephyr in Curry with Topaz beads. It will be beautiful!!

All in all a very nice vacation--fishing, knitting, reading, eating (fish, of course!), and beautiful weather--something for everyone!

What I did on my summer vacation......

Fish, fish and fish some more! Just about every year we go to northern Wisconsin for a week or so to fish. This year we caught 155 fish, mostly crappie, bluegill & lake perch, but we caught 4 nice smallmouth bass, one largemouth bass and one northern. Caught lots more baby fish that weren't "keepers". The weather was fine and we had a good time!

Me and my big catch - a 14" smallmouth bass

My husband & his big catch, an 18" smallmouth bass.

More Crafty Stuff

Today I was told by one of my co-workers to drive around the block, and stop my car at the pile of yarn by the curb that had the "Free" sign on it. So, I did! What she didn't tell me about was the box of fabric and the cut squares for quilting and the box of lace edgings too--silly girl!

The box of fabric has uncut pieces, pieces cut into several different sizes of squares, and pieces in triangles. I thought the triangles were cut, but when I looked closer at them, they are the squares folded in half, then with the corners folded into the center and tacked down. Not being very knowledgable in quilting, I don't know if this is a quilt technique to make a certain type of quilt, or if she was going to do some other craft with these. Any thoughts?

Some of the fabric has a glossy look and almost a waxy feel to it. Do you think this would be cotton? Do they sometimes treat cotton with something like this? It looks like most everything is from the 60's and 70's. Nothing super old, but definitely not new.

Last, but definitely not least, it is the day to mail the Sockapalooza 4 socks. The socks I made are done, but I was waiting to get the sock blockers I ordered so I could block them and take a good picture before I send them. Unfortunately, I called today and they said the blockers were backordered and I should get them Saturday. I washed the socks and am drying them without the blockers, but they were still damp this afternoon, so will go in the mail tomorrow. These are the pictures I got.......kind of hard to see the lace pattern. They are the Embossed Leaf Socks from "My Favorite Socks" knit in Lisa Souza red sock yarn. Verrrry nice!

Wait, these socks are on vacation! Yes, I worked on them while we were on vacation. This is a good picture of the color and it does pick up some of the patterning. One completed sock is below, and I guess I don't have a picture of the pair.

The Mushroom

We typically keep the lawn mowed, so mushrooms don't have much chance to grow in our yard. But, we've been on vacation and it rained here just about every day, so look what we came home to! Really, there were at least 3 big mushrooms and a whole bunch of smaller ones. I'd like to try dyeing with these. I've printed up some websites on mushroom dyeing, and maybe tomorrow night after work I'll give it a shot. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Sunday Samples

Another day spent at home with a summer cold. So, I did some mindless knitting. This is my sample for the Mystery Stole 3 KAL. I decided to use some Lana Gatto Merino in a fingering weight, and I'm not going to use beads. I had some other options, but the yarns were more of a cobweb weight, and I wasn't happy with the swatch.
This is a little swatch of Lisa Souza sock yarn in the Mars Quake colorway. I found out when stash diving that I really must've liked this because I ordered it twice! So, I'm making a pair of socks for a friend, and I sent her this little swatch to see if she likes it.

I made a small batch of melt & pour soap, got a couple of packages and letters ready for the mail, washed a little bit of a cormo fleece that I got about a month ago, spun some little samples, and just hung out around the house, spending quality time with my Kleenex, Tyelnol and Cough syrup. Summer colds are no fun!

Just one more picture, then I'm done for the day. I'm an early-morning person, so I see some spectacular sunrises on my way to work. This doesn't capture the moment, but you can see some of the colors in the sky as the sun is just coming up on the hazy horizon over a midwestern cornfield (or maybe bean field, I don't know). What you can't see is the little drops of dew on everything and you can't feel the warmth & moisture in the air or smell the freshness. We don't stop to appreciate these mornings too often in our busy life, so I thought I'd share one with you!

More pictures! This is the apron I got from my MJF apron swap partner, Susan. Pretty cute, huh?!! I think she called this a Cinderella apron because it had the little patches on it. She did so much detailed hand sewing on this! I just love it, and Rudy does too! Thanks Susan!!

Pictures, we've got pictures!! Well, where shall we start? How about in the garden? I'm not a gardener. I had a plant at work that one of my co-workers would water for me when it looked like it was on it's last leg. One day she said, "You say you have children, but we haven't seen them in quite a while, and if you care for them anything like you care for this plant, then, well......." Suffice it to say that my children are grown and on their own now and that plant is long dead & gone! But look at what's going on now in my gardening world!

The daylily is a transplant from my mom & dad's garden and the african violets are on my desk at work. I've also got ten herb pots going, two different types of lavendar and several annuals. We transplanted hostas, irises and lily of the valley last year, and they've all done just wonderfully this year! When we drive up to our house, we joke that it is a "park-like setting" since for once all the flowers, trees and yes, even the grass seem to be doing well.

.....and no, you won't fine any craftaholic details here either!

Well, OK I:
Knit, spin my yarn, crochet, weave, quilt, cross stitch, embroider, needlepoint, and tat.

See, that's not so bad is it? As long as I just enumerate the crafts and not all the supplies and tools I've amassed over my 30 year addiction it doesn't sound so bad!

Hey, what do you know, Blogger let me back in!! Maybe it will even let me start posting pictures again. I'll try tomorrow morning!

This is my completed pair of Horcrux socks from the six-sock knitalong. They were made out of Patons wool. I thought the striping was kind of neat--it ended up spiraling around the socks. These are heavier, house sock type socks, so my younger daughter who lives in a colder climate got these.

I am also in the 52 pair plunge knitalong, so these are my first completd pair for that knitalong.

I've been a blog slacker, so there will be several separate posts today. This is the questionnaire for Coffee Swap Round 2:

1. Whole bean or ground? Ground
2. Fully-loaded or decaf? Fully-loaded
3.Regular or flavored? Either - I do love the flavors though! Nutty or spicy or fruity or chocolate--I haven't found a flavored coffee that I don't like!
4. How do you drink your coffee? With cream and sometimes a little sugar
5. Favorite coffee ever? Snickerdoodle!
6. Are you fussy about your coffee or will any old bean do? I'm not fussy--just nothing too strong!
7. Favorite treats to have with your coffee? Cookies, biscotti, scones, muffins
8. Anything else about your coffee preferences? Not really
9. Yarn/fiber you love? Anything natural - wool, alpaca, silk, mohair, etc. I like blends, and I love to knit socks, so sock yarn is always great! (and yes, it can have some nylon in it)
10. Yarn/fiber you hate? Ack-rylic and novelty (I don't really hate all novelty yarns, but I typically end up making scarves for kids with them and giving them away--the kids love the "fun yarns")
11.What's on your needles? Socks and 2 sweaters - a cardi for my mom out of Jamieson's Chunky Shetland and a deep V neck raglan pullover out of Donegal tweed for me!
12. Favorite colors? Earth tones - greens/browns/rusts/golds/deep reds and jewel tones too.
13. Allergies? None - and I thank God every day for this!!
14. Anything you really love, really don't like, or just need to get off your chest?

Looks like the blog was down for a few days. I don't know what was wrong, but I think it's fixed now.

I just spent a wonderful three days at a spinning and sock knitting workshop with Judith Mackenzie McCuin and Nancy Bush. We learned loads of tips and tricks of spinning for and knitting of socks. Right now, I'm beat! I'll post more about this and add pictures tomorrow night.

.....and did I mention what a good mail week this was? Thanks to everyone who sent me things. Pictures and descriptions will be up tomorrow!

Hogwarts Sock Swap Questionnaire

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into? Hufflepuff

2. Shoe size? 9

3. Foot Length? 9

4. Foot Circumference? 9 consistent, aren't I?

5. List your three favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length.
a. Brittany
b. Crystal Palace
c. Takumi Bamboo
I like size 0,1,2, or 3 and the shorter rather than the longer dpns for socks.

6. Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length? Knit Picks, see answer to #5 for size & length.

7. If you are a RAVENCLAW, do you prefer the colors in the film or the book? Do you have a strong preference? N/A

8. Are you willing to have an international Hogwarts Sock Pal? Yes

Happy Easter, everyone! Well, tax season is almost over and when it is, I need to give the house a good cleaning from top to bottom. When that's done I'll be ready to get back to the knitting and spinning. Just a couple of weeks ago I found Etsy.com and have bought several rovings and skeins of sock yarn--gearing up for the post tax-season plunge. I also joined 2 Yahoo sock groups. I can hardly wait!

I'm going to modify and update the blog too. Daily postings probably won't happen, but I'm going to try to post at least once a week, with pictures. That's all for now-have a great Easter!

Well, let's give it another shot. Blogging 101.

I'll start this year with a big thank you to my farmgirl friend Kristina who send me this awesome box full of goodies for our "Knitters Hot Socks" swap. It was like opening a box full of sunshine in January! Tea, chocolate, a candle, apricot preserves, a journal & stamp, and 2 skeins of awesome Mountain Colors yarn. You only see one here in the picture because the other one is already on the needles! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!

I started knitting a sock, but this yarn is so nice, I've been debating whether I should go on with the sock, or if I should use this to make a pair of fingerless gauntlet gloves. I'm leaning toward the gloves, but I just don't know yet.

OK, here I am sitting in my own little corner of the internet world. I've taken several classes, thought about setting up my own website, but never got around to it. Always one thing or another to distract me. So I thought I'd try a Blog. I can ramble on about spinning & knitting and my kids can check up on what I'm doing. Today is almost over here, so this is just a test. Will look through the instructions on posting and work on the blog over the weekend. We'll see what it looks like on Monday.....