Knitter in Progress

I'm hoping that all the good things that have happened this month are harbingers of even more good things to come. It was great to start the month in Hawaii and it is equally great to end the month with my birthday. I never really expect a lot on my birthday--most of the time I don't want to be reminded of how old I'm getting--and I'm always pleasantly surprised when I do end up getting gifts. This year was no exception. My husband, Diva, and Rage got me a new digital camera(which I still have to play around with before it becomes my primary camera). My parents sent me money which is always a great present in my book. I used it to get this: And the knitting crew (and blogless Genia) gave me a bounty of knitting goodness. Thank you, thank you--your friendships are what really mean the world to me, but the gifties are pretty cool too ;) Wanda picked out an awesome bag(it's actually home to my Trekking is for Necking scarf right now). And I broke with the t...

I finished my second pair of Jaywalker socks last night. I started these a while ago then I got sidelined by Halloween knitting, Sheep in the City knitting, and Baby A knitting. Stats: Pattern: Jaywalker socks(I'm not linking to it because, honestly, just about everyone knows where it is, right? Yarn: Red Rocks Fiber Works Aspen Sock in the No Repeat colorway** Needles: size 2 dpns, smaller cast on It's also the inaugural photoshoot for my new sock blockers. **FYI this yarn was dyed with some leftover stuff and so it's a limited edition--hence, the "No Repeat" name. I'm not sure if there is any of it left at Colorful Yarns but they do have a bunch of other Red Rocks yarn if you're lookin' ;)

When DH won the trip I was thrilled with that, I mean who can argue with airfare and hotel? I certainly didn't expect anything else, but after we checked into the hotel he had to go check in with the coordinators and he came back with not one but two bags full of ProBowl swag. I didn't care too much about the footballs, baseball hats, and souvenir programs BUT I saw the bags and told him without hesitation--"Those are mine." Diva and Rage claimed the beach towels and neck pillows but those two giant tote bags were perfect for knitting or a weekend bag or whatever. They look like those LLBean or Lands End canvas totes they even have zippers if you want to close them up--I mean, what more can a crafter ask for and they are HUGE! The pillow pictured below is inside that bag with ample room to spare(and the pillow is 16x16 inches or 40x40cm). :) Almost 10 years ago DH and I were married in Hawaii and I really wanted to commemorate that anniversary with a Hawaiian qui...

I got a few letters done this weekend in between transporting the kiddos around town.

Miss Cynthia asked what I accomplished on the flight to and from Honolulu. Well let me enlighten you all. When flying for over 7 hours with two young children, personal time for things like knitting, reading, zoning out, etc. are at a premium(ie. one or both of them needs to fall asleep and not on me). Mostly I colored, played cards, played various games bought specifically for the flight. I also adjusted headphones, took people to the potty, got snacks, explained about 1,000 times why the DVD player crapped out after two hours(they really need to make a DVD player with a battery that lasts for 8-12 hours just for this specific situation), and stuff like that. Luckily Rage passed out after a near meltdown after the DVD player died and I did find about an hour or so to knit. I alternated between my Jaywalker sock and my Trekking is for Necking scarf. This is actually the ONLY knitting I got done on my trip but I'm more than okay with that. On the flight back I got zero knitt...

Miles, that is, OR 2698 miles each way. That's what the KiP family logged this weekend when we took a whirlwind trip across the Pacific to Oahu. Here's the backstory: About three weeks ago DH called me to tell me he won a trip for two to the ProBowl. To say we were excited and shocked was an understatement, but we didn't stop with the trip for two we added Diva and Rage to the mix for a family trip. Hawaii is a very special place for our family. DH and I were married in Hawaii almost 10 years ago, we lived there for a couple of years(DH lived there longer), and Little Diva was born there. I was surprised we were able to make the plane flights work with such a short window to prepare, but everything worked out and last Thursday morning we took off. We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village which is a beautiful place. DH and I kept commenting on how strange it was to be in Hawaii as tourists even after all this time(almost 8 years) it still feels like home to us. I was...

Now this is a platform I can get behind ;)

My mission for February is to start AND finish this scarf. Here are the stats: Pattern: Trekking for Necking Yarn: Trekking XXL(colorway 109--purples/blues)--since I'm a February baby I figured I'd knit something in my birthstone colors :) Needles: size 4--up one from the pattern. **stay tuned ;)

I am always surprised when I get comments(or that anyone besides a few people actually read what I put out here) and today I was even more surprised, and extremely flattered, that two people( Michelle and Laura ) said my blog is one of the one's that "makes their day". Thanks ladies--that really made my day :) The Rules: Give the award to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times. So in that spirit here are my 10: 1. Michelle : I am so inspired by her stitching ability and speed. Her work is made even more impressive by the fact that she gets so much done with a new baby in the house! When I had my kids I didn't stitch at all until Rage was 3!) 2. Nicki : Nicki is another stitcher who inspires me every time she posts. Her WIPs are always stunning and she is fantastic at finishing. I am env...