Knitter in Progress

Not a lot of finishes this year; I don't see my output increasing too much over 2007 either. As the kiddos get bigger life gets busier. Knitting: (1)Jaywalker socks--Steinbach Wolle Aktiv Color 100--pattern Magknits (Jaywalker KAL) (2) 2 mini sweaters--leftover sock yarn--pattern from Last Minute Knitted Gifts (3) Novelty garter stitch scarf--gift yarn (4) Hooded Sweater--Plymouth Encore Worsted--Debbie Bliss(Vogue Knitting on the Go) (5) Raglan Sweater--Plymouth Encore Worsted--Knitting Pure and Simple (6) Sweetheart Hat--JS yarn--She Ewe Knits freebie(Norwegian KAL) (7) Afghan squares(3)--Cascade 220 Superwash--"pebbles" from 100 Afghan squares to knit(a gift for Michele's wedding) (8) Hooded T--Classic Elite Flash--Artful Yarns pattern (9) Nancy Drew socks--Trekking XXL(110)-- Teri's pattern(for Trek Along with Me KAL) (10) 2 mini stockings--leftover sock yarn--one pattern from the Interweave Holiday Issue(2006) and one from the SOCKS book. (11) Hat--Lorna...

PMS induced RANT ahead--proceed at your own risk. Okay, I've tried VERY hard to restrain myself from venting about the--excuse my language--piss poor snow plowing job here. If you recall, last week we were "blessed" with 33 inches of snow. They didn't plow our street until mid Friday and then they only plowed a one lane path(leaving a good car length between the end of driveways and the actual plowed path)and don't get me started on the joy of having to back up if another car was coming because if you tried to move to the side you got stuck. I didn't complain--we dug out to the path and dealt with the challenges it brought. Today--when I'm not sure--they plowed "lane two" leaving the lovely 2.5 foot pile of snow down the middle of the road(preventing anyone from turning into their driveways without--you guessed it--getting stuck in the f-ing snow bank). This pic was from my cell phone; hence the poor quality. I was afraid I'd throw my camera ...

Now … Year in Review meme The drill: Go back through your blog and post the first sentence of the first entry in every month. January: What do I want to accomplish knitting, stitching, writing, and life wise this year? February: : This week's SBQ was inspired by my visit with Dawn and is: With the exception of your online stitching friends, do you have any other stitching buddies? March: Where in the World? April: Here are a few buttons you can use to proudly display your Stashalong Survivor success. May: Magic Witch--9760 stitches June: Drum roll please. . . I have chosen #110, the orange colorway, (I really want to see what it looks like knitted up). July: Storykeeper was my Project Spectrum focus piece for June. August: Howdy--long time, no blog! September: Okay--here's what I'd like to accomplish knitting/stitching wise this month. October: This will be my second year participating in Socktoberfest and I've set myself up with quite an ambitious sock schedul...

Merry Christmas, everyone! During the holiday season, I find myself thinking of holidays past. This ornament reminds me of my Grandmother. She loves cardinals--loves them. They always remind me of her and I find myself buying cardinal things because of her. She always fed them her in backyard. She had three pairs that came by on a regular basis. Their color always captivated me; they are such beautiful birds. I'll never forget when one of her cats brought her a present--a beautiful, red, dead cardinal--seriously, it's the first time I saw that she was capable of murder--that cat almost lost all of it's nine lives. Needless to say he didn't go after a cardinal again ;) She has to spend this Christmas in a rehab center because she broke her arm and needs physical therapy. I always think of her over the holidays. Her cooking(the delicious smells, the "Granny slices" which were usually a quarter of the cake or pie) , the way she decorated, all the effort...

Here you have it. 33 inches of snow. Tuesday we went to bed to dry roads. Wednesday and Thursday brought continuous snowfall leading to the grand total of 33 inches. Luckily I went out early Wednesday morning to pick up some supplies(mostly for the kiddos) and the drive home was dicey at best--thank God for four wheel drive. Today DH and I spent the day shoveling--now if they would only plow our street. Shoveling almost three feet of snow does no good if there is still three feet in the street, you know. In other news, I upgraded to the "New-no longer Beta-Blogger" which took ALL day to upgrade, by the way. The jury is still out; I'm cautiously optimistic.

Pattern : The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns by Anne Budd Yarn : Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Springer Needles : 16 inch size 4 and size 4 dpns

I didn't plan on starting anything new until later in the month BUT(famous last words) this was just screaming at me and it was too loud to ignore. I mean, I had the fabric, the floss, and the time(well maybe not the time but I made the time). Here's how far I got over the weekend: Piece : Blackstone Fantasy Garden Designer : Ink Circles Fabric : 28 count Antique White Jobelan Stitched : 2 over 2(for the Celtic Knots), 1 over 2(for Blackwork) Started : December 7, 2006 Modifications : If you look at the orignal, you'll gather pretty quickly that mine doesn't match. I'm attempting to change the colors. So far I've substituted DMC 803 and 814 for Carrie's Creation Threads in "Coffee" and "Gator Green". Those are the only two solids I'm using everything else will be varigated DMCs. I'll post the specifics once I get to each color. Just some random thoughts on this. It's been quite a while since I stitched 2 over 2 and...

My red sweater. I want to get it done and I HAD made great strides in that direction until. . .I bound off the bottom of the sweater and tried it on. It's shorter than I wanted it and I didn't like my bind off, SO I ripped back and I'm adding more length. I love the yarn(Cascade Quattro) and I love the pattern (Knitting Pure and Simple Men's pullover--I want it big). ******** I want to get back to stitching and I've had many things tempting me in that direction as well. Hopefully I'll have something to report next week--after the HAED General SAL. Did you ever notice what enablers we crafters are? I have purchased no less than 4 patterns this month because of some beautiful charts I saw on the HAED BB. And knitting. . .well it goes without saying that my stash wouldn't be nearly as large if it weren't for the pretty stuff I see with my knitting grrls(online and IRL). Even though it cuts into my budget(the kids don't NEED to eat, right?), I'...

Lifted from Kimberly (great name, by the way): 1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? I'm going with Hot Chocolate; although if I'm in the right mood I can put away a lot of eggnog. 2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Santa always wraps the presents(at least until Diva and Rage get bigger). 3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? WHITE--I had more than enough of colored ones in my youth. 4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope. 5. When do you put up your decorations? The day after Thanksgiving. 6. What is your favorite holiday dish? I don't think I have a favorite holiday 'dish'. I like cookies and all the yummy finger foods around the holidays. 7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? My favorite memories always revolved around the anticipation of the night before Christmas. I'd spend all night listening for Santa and it was even more magical if we woke up to fresh snow. 8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't remember, but I ...