A Chick with Sticks

Why can't I post pictures?????

2009-10-24T10:25:00.002-04:00

I have been trying to post some new pictures of my latest knitting project and for some reason blogger won't let me. Where you usually have a button to click on that allows you to go into your drive to upload photos, it is missing. Does anyone else have this problem, or is it only me??

A sweater & hat for Cooper......

2009-10-10T18:22:00.002-04:00

The baby Cooper got a sweater and hat photo shoot today. I had knit this over the summer while we were on vacation and thought I would try it on him. It's a bit big since I made it thinking he would grow into it. He's only about 3 lbs now and I expect him to grow to about 6-8?? Anyway, the sweater didn't seem to bother him since I have a smaller one I made that he has grown used to me putting on him. It's the hat that freaked him out. So, I think it's all for fun and it won't be a regular thing he will be wearing this winter. That's o.k., because we had a lot of fun seeing him in it and hopefully he will wear it when it's really cold outside and he wants it on!

A new bed for Cooper.....

2009-10-09T14:53:00.002-04:00

Hi there! Cooper got a new bed for a gift from my friend Deb. He fell asleep in it while wrestling with his lobster buddy. Too cute. I have been knitting up a storm with a new bag pattern I found on knitty.com. It came out so cute, I started a new one with fall colors that I had in my stash. Pictures to follow.

Back to fall fun.....

2009-09-28T10:16:00.000-04:00

Hi there! We had a wonderful weekend of soccer games and football games. Now I am staring at a mountain of laundry to do and my children want to go to the mall. Happy to have a day off from school and not get up at the crack of dawn. So, the laundry has to wait and I plan to have fun with my kids.

My "purse puppy"

2009-09-17T10:29:00.004-04:00

Hi there! Well, I have a cute little "purse puppy" I wanted to share with you. Cooper is 9 weeks old and my little buddy. (He's sleeping on my lap while I am blogging here!) This bag I have him in for the picture was maded my my friend, Takako. She lives in Japan and is SO TALENTED. To see her blog go to the blog scroll bar on my blog and click on "Takako's blog." (But just be aware you will only understand it if you read Japanese. Otherwise, the pictures are beautiful of what she makes!) She makes beautiful bags and this one just so happens to fit my little Cooper! We went to the store and everyone thought he was a webkinz. He is almost 3 lbs now. Since we got him he's gotten a little chubby. Treats for going potty outside can fatten up a boy! What a love and I just can't be happier with him.

On the knitting front. I am in the middle of a great bag. (Pictures to follow another day.) It's a pattern I got from http://www.knitty.com/ and it's called "A little slip of a thing." Great pattern and an great looking bag so far. I'll post a pic or two when I can take some today or tomorrow.

Thank you Takako for my bag last year. Little did you know it would fit my new puppy. You are a great friend and I love all of the wonderful things you make me!

Full blown puppyhood!!

2009-09-11T16:21:00.002-04:00

We did it! We are officially dog owners. I never thought it would happen, since I am a bit afraid of big dogs, but if you saw our sweet guy (all 2 pounds of him!) you would see how great he is. We bought him from a wonderful breeder in Connecticut who specializes in Maltipoo puppies. Her website is www.maltesecountry.com. Our baby boy's name is Cooper and he is fabulous. He's smart and easy going. Playful, yet so calm. I couldn't ask for a better dog. If you have a hankering for a puppy, give Gia a call at the Maltese Country number. She just had a new litter of Maltipoos and they are ready to take home in October.

The Cooper Countdown.....

2009-08-28T15:59:00.002-04:00

7 days and counting! We have been anxiously awaiting our little sweetie and now we are down to days. 7 to be exact. OMG (as my kids would put it.) He is with his mommy and siblings for now, but our house is busting with doggie beds, a leash, chew toys and very anxious children. A big adjustment for me, but I can't wait. I need a little fluffball to keep me company when my babies are at school. Knitting and cuddling with that cute guy. What could be better??

Puppy poopy bag holder

2009-08-27T09:12:00.003-04:00

O.k., you may be wondering why I am knitting such a silly thing. Well, I will tell you. When I see people walking their dogs and they don't pick up the poop, I get upset. I vowed I would never be that person. The other thing that has always bugged me is that you can buy plastic bags at the pet store for picking up your dog's poopy. With all of the plastic bags that are filling our dumps and going out to sea, why would you want to buy bags? Therefore, I thought, why not knit a little bag holder that I could attach to my puppy's leash or my belt loop and then fill it with the little plastic bags that come with our daily newspaper? Recycle/Reuse, right? And, I got to knit something cute as well. Another part to this "poopy bag story" that was funny..... I googled for a pattern to see if any other people were out there doing the same thing and if I could knit something with a pattern rather than make my own. I found only two and both patterns were not what I wanted. I ended up making my own pattern up. (I don't know how to attach that, so if you are interested in it, put a comment on this post and I will get it to you.) However, I did find a lady who knits her version of these bags but puts the poopy directly in the knitted bag! NOOOO! You should read her friend's comments to that. YUK! So, please knit your poopy bag, felt it, and fill it with bags that you already have in your house. Pick up your puppy's poopy and be a good neighbor (don't let your puppy poop in other people's yards!)

Gone, but not forgotten....

2009-08-17T13:05:00.002-04:00

Hi!! Yes, I am not a good blogger. Yes, I basically take the summer off of keeping up with my blogger friends and posting. But, NO, I don't ever stop knitting. My newest knitting endeavors have involved a little puppy named "Cooper." Our family will be joined by our little furry friend soon, so of course I had to knit some items for him! This sweater is my third actually. I bought the cutest book that had great patterns in it for dogs by Jill Eaton. It's called, "Puppy Knits." This sweater is the third pattern I tried and I loved the way it came out. The matching hat is almost done, as you can see, so I can't wait to see it on Cooper once he is big enought to wear them. Right now he is only two pounds and nursing with his Mommy. We expect him to come home to us by September. In the meantime, knitting him some cute things has been fun. So, hi to my blogger friends (and I pretty much know that Karen would be my only one to read this!) and hope you are having a great summer like we are. I promise to blog more often and share more knitting and my new puppy pics.

Oh happy day.... It's FINALLY Spring!

2009-05-19T18:48:00.003-04:00

Wow, I don't know how my blogging friends blog every day. I can barely seem to blog once a week and look, it's been a month! I usually slow down alot since it's Spring now. I LOVE being outside and now that the weather has been nice, I have been doing lots of yard work and exercising. The yard needed just basic clean up and some mulching. My husband and I spread six yards of mulch at the swing set and now we are on to the front beds. I am so happy to be outside and not stuck inside from it being cold, I will do just about anything in the yard. Well, I can't mow. Tried that and it's too hard. Even with a tractor, I don't like to empty the bags. Too heavy! I haven't done much knitting unfortunately. I started a summer sweater and so far, it looks like I don't have the right gauge even though I swatched and thought it was correct. So, back in the basket it went until I feel the urge to try again. Life is good when I am knitting something that actually comes out nicely. I get so mad when I knit and knit and it ends up terrible. Oh well, knit and learn. I will probably start a felted bag project next. Those I love since I can't mess them up easily. Cross your fingers for me.....

2009-04-11T10:11:00.000-04:00

My birthday at my parents house. A nice day.....

2009-04-06T15:39:00.002-04:00

Easter is almost here! We had such a nice day at Grandma and Papa's house decorating easter eggs, putting eggs on the bush outside and then an easter egg hunt. The kids love that and my parents make it so special for them. They will always have nice memories of these special days. My kids love to find the extra special egg with their name on it that always has a five dollar bill in it. Boy, when we were little, the Easter bunny gave us nickels!! Inflation at it's best.

I am so happy that the weather is finally getting warmer. Not as warm as I hoped, but we got to sit outside for most of the afternoon and we all slept like rocks with the fresh air we got. It's raining today, and we are watching the Mets beat the Reds. They just took Santana out and put a new pitcher in, so not to sure if they will hold their lead. We will see...... LET'S GO METS!!!

I cut my hair!

2009-03-13T18:40:00.002-04:00

This is darn short for me. I have wanted a little update and love all those "short" cuts, but this is as brave as I could get. I love the cut that Reese Witherspoon has or even Katie Holmes, but man, that's short! I have been progressively getting shorter with my haircuts, so eventually I'll probably have a shorter cut. But, for now, this is as brave as I'll be.

As far as my "Finish or Frog Friday," I am about 1" from finishing my second pedicure sock. I wore my pink pedi socks today and the nail salon loved them. A few friends have expressed the desire for a pair, so I know what I need to plan on knitting for Christmas gifts. (It'll take me that long to make enough pairs for everyone....) I figure it will be my beach knitting projects. If it EVER gets warm here.

2009-03-11T12:07:00.002-04:00

Cold and damp today. Not a spring day yet. My heat is on and I am still freezing! I am sitting next to my "little one" while she is doing her homework. She's been out of school for three days and she is now behind the eight ball with work piling up. So, here we sit on our computers. Hers with a presentation on Power Point, mine with my blog. Nothing exciting to talk about. I can't wait for the warmth to come so I can put away our winter coats. I need Spring, badly!

Finish Tuesday... (friday I was busy!)

2009-03-03T17:38:00.002-05:00

I finally finished weaving in all of the ends of my fingerless mittens. I started these ages ago, it seems, and finally got them done. I usually can whip a pair of these together in one day or two, but it's been so busy. I like the pattern because it's super easy to do and you can be creative and change the colors or use what you may have in your stash since it doesn't take alot of yarn to make them. I also, finally, finished this book,"Knit Two." I read the first one, "The Friday Night Knitter's Club," last year and loved it. This one took me longer to get through since I never seemed to either have the time to read it, or I didn't make the time. I did more cleaning and organizing this winter than ever, instead of taking time to read. I owe the library an overdue fine for it, but it was worth it since I loved the story. Now, to start the second in the Twilight series. The first book was so good, I couldn't put it down. I hear, from my fellow reader friends, that the second one is pretty boring. But, you have to read the second to continue on to the other two which have much better reviews. So, let's see how much I will owe the library for that book.

Gotta love Valentine's day.......

2009-03-01T17:19:00.002-05:00

Our home is predominantly female. Of course, we aren't able to discern the sex of our two turtles, but we just assume they are female! So, when Valentine's day arrives we are oh so happy to see the bevvy of flowers that we get and the yummy chocolates too. Daddy out does himself, we are happy to report. So, the two dozen red roses are mine and the beautiful peach colored ones are for the little ones. We each got a box of Godiva chocolate too! What a guy. Valentine's day is such a nice day.....

February blahs......

2009-02-21T17:52:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since I had an entry to my blog. You'd think that I would be on the computer more since the weather has been so darn cold, but I have had many days of "crazy cleaning." I pulled apart my pantry, cleaned, threw out stuff and organized it. Sounds fun, huh? Then, the kitchen cabinets. Almost all of them. I had more stuff I don't use that took up space. So, out it went. It's been nice since all of those jobs loomed over me when I would look at the mess and say, "tomorrow I'll do that." Well, it's done and looks good. Now, I am ready for the warmer weather to return so I can be outside. O.k., my linen closest still is "looming" but, that's another day.

Sock dilemmas......

2009-02-09T10:16:00.004-05:00

O.k., you sock knitters. I tried the sock pattern that was on http://www.knitty.com/ (pedicure socks) and just adjusted a slight bit. It called for size #7 needles and a worsted weight wool yarn. I went on Ravelry and checked out other people's comments since this pattern was widely done and many people looked to have adjusted as well. Since a few people mentioned that the sock came out bigger than they thought it should, I went down a size in my needles (actually 2 sizes since I don't own a size #6 and did have some #5s.) I used a worsted weight washable wool and off I went. The sock came out alright. It fits me, but looks gigantic when laying flat. Do you usually have socks that look huge like that? I would post a picture, but I am not able to today. Sick little chicklet at home today and just this typing of my post is taking up enough time. Picture tomorrow.

So, what should I do? I have to make the second one and I plan on using the same needles since I don't want to have two socks at different sizes. However, the next pedicure sock I make, I want to have a little smaller. Oh, and by the way, the gauge called for 5 sts per inch and it was exactly that. I just don't see that the sock on the pattern looked to be as big as mine..........

My pillow is done......

2009-02-02T19:09:00.004-05:00

My pillow is done. It came out pretty cute. Not perfect, but still cute. I like the double seed stitch and the pillow size is very common so having to put a pillow form inside isn't hard. I had one that fit, but it's a pretty standard size. I'm on to my next project. Finishing those darned pedicure socks. I want to start another pair that knitty.com had published, but I promised myself I would finish the ones I started first. Tomorrow is a snow day, perhaps? But, I REALLY need to clean my house. What to do.......

Finish or Frog.....

2009-01-31T10:54:00.002-05:00

I did it! I finished my pillow in just a few days. That's what a lot of crappy weather will do for me. Icy, snowy on the outside and me happily knitting and warm on the inside. Yay. I am going to post the picture tomorrow or Monday because I am without my camera right now. So, for "Finish or Frog Friday," (See www.majorknitter.typepad for details on this.) I am done.

Now, onto the next project. My basket has quite a few that need finishing. I should finish my little one's alligator mittens I started last year (yes, LAST year!) and just need to sew the pieces together. The pattern is from Stitch and Bitch Nation and was fun to make. I just detest sewing the finished product. You'd never know that I sew my own curtains and actually like to do that. I guess with knitting, I like immediate satisfaction and then off to the next item on my list of "knitting to-dos." Have a good weekend and happy knitting!

Happy Birthday Uncle Fred.......

2009-01-30T09:59:00.002-05:00

It's that time of year again. Daddy's birthday. We are not actually loving these birthdays coming as quickly as they do. But, never the less, we celebrated over the weekend and you are looking at our youngest guest at the party. Little Andrew is now 7 months old! He was sitting up and being such a cutie at the party looking at everyone and very happy to talk to the girls when they kissed and hugged him. Uncle Fred was a happy man to have his family and be together for his special day.

Snow day........

2009-01-28T09:57:00.002-05:00

It's another snow day, much to the delight of my children. O.k., me too. Not only do I get to have a nice, quiet day to be with my kids, but I can get a couple of rows in and try and finish my newest knitting project. This is one of my many WIPs. It's the "double seed stitch pillow" from the Winter '08/'09 issue of "KnitSimple." I am knitting it with the Lion Brand Wool Ease Chunky I had in the house because I promised myself I would use the TONS of yarn I have in my stash rather than go out and buy more. I wanted to buy some wool/alpaca yarn and thought that since this pillow is going to be placed on our family room chair, and most likely will be tossed around a bit by kids that don't appreciate the many hours of knitting involved in making it, I was better off using my inexpensive yarn than the mucho dolares I would dish out for the alpaca. However, I am really wanting to try one of Twinkles designs that are absolutely scrumptious looking in her books (I borrowed two from the library and have been drooling over them since then.) She has great ideas and approachable since I am far from a sweater knitter. I have one sweater I tried and I am not happy with it. It sits in my UFO basket since I still need to weave in the ends and I am contemplating adding more to the bottom edge of it since it is way too short for me and I don't want it to look like I am trying to be a teenager and show off my tummy. You really don't want to see that!

This is the scene of my backyard today. So pretty and serene. I love to see the snow coming down, but when will it be Spring? It's almost February, so it can't be far off. I just am so done with the snow and would love to see my grass again. I love the fact that you can stay inside and read or knit and feel cozy. That is wonderful. But, it seems to drag on way too long. Someday, I want to live in a warmer climate during the winter months so I can feel my fingers and toes during the months of November through March. One or two pretty snowstorms are plenty for me.

Have a happy day, whatever you are choosing to do with your "cozy day." Or, if you are in a warmer climate and are outside, think of me and send some sunshine my way.

Felted Messenger Bag......

2009-01-26T08:47:00.004-05:00

I finally felted my messenger bag and I am very happy with it. It is a "no seam" knitted bag, so in the finishing process, it's very easy. Just weave in the ends and you're good to go. I didn't line it yet, but I knit this bag with double strands of wool, so it is quite dense. I will eventually line it though since I think I will be using this as a gift. If you like this pattern, I got it from http://www.knitty.com under the archives as "Maple" in issue fall/'08. It's an easy pattern to follow and the designer is so nice. I e-mailed her with a question and she was very helpful.

I want to make another one now in a different color scheme. I have a lot of blue and grey wool that I am considering or maybe two tones of brown with a soft purple. My felted bag from last year is in that color palette and looks nice. Decisions, decisions..........

Mom and My girl day.....

2009-01-21T07:01:00.002-05:00

Hi! Isn't this beautiful? My baby girl and I had a field trip before Christmas to the Metropolitan Museum in NYC. This is one of the most interesting walls I saw, although I loved the entire museum. I am drawn to alot of color and my chicklet loved all the different patterns. You cannot take flash pictures there, so I took this and got yelled at. The man told me I could keep the picture I took, but not to take anymore with the flash on. So, I took alot more pictures, sans light, but kept this one to show and print for my little one's room. The museum is full of the most interest and beautiful things. There was an exhibit at one time concerning fiber art, but I didn't get a chance to see it. I would love to go again sometime and walk around uptown. There is a yarn store right near the museum "Annie & Co.," if I am not mistaken, that I saw on our way out. My attena went up when we were passing it, of course. I swear, the yarn is calling me.

My BEST friend.......

2009-01-20T11:01:00.003-05:00

My bff. The kids talk about their bffs all the time and I think it's cute. Especially since my youngest made a bff list at school one day and I was numero uno. That felt good. My bff has been in my life for 18 years now. It's hard to believe how fast time goes and that it is possible to say I have been with this wonderful man for that long. With the new year here and his birthday happening in a few days, I wanted to say, "Happy birthday, my bff and I love you beyond measure."

Better late than never....

2009-01-19T18:59:00.002-05:00

Here is our Christmas tree. Yeah, it's almost February. However, my life in the month of December is so chaotic that I am lucky to even take the time to snap a photo of the tree let alone blog the picture. Therefore, I am sharing my tree picture because I feel the need. I love the picture and I wanted you to see my pretty tree. At least I didn't wait until August to finally show you. The way I blog - a few spurts of postings and then nothing for months - I need to get in as much as I can. Thank you to my friends that tune in and keep the faith.

Our Christmas was nice. The kids get a haul (as you can see.) I feel that sometimes we give way more than they need, but my children ask for so little during the year that we feel like giving them so much for Christmas. You are only little once, right? The BIG gifts were from Santa to our smallest chicklet. She absolutely went bananas at the size of the boxes and was thrilled to see a Hannah Montana beach house when she opened it. That Hannah has a nicer house than most, I'll tell you! It's so fun being a little girl with all these cool toys. I had two Barbies and a Skipper doll. Remember her? Barbie's little sister. No Ken doll though. But, I did play with my friend's G.I. Joe doll when she came over. All brothers in her house.

I hope everyone had a nice holiday this year and the new year is bringing you lots of joy and happy days. Stay warm and look on the bright side of every day. Spring is not too far away, right!

Partially finished Friday.......

2009-01-18T18:29:00.003-05:00

I must admit that it is technically not Friday. It is Sunday. However, I was so busy on Friday, that knitting was not in the cards for me. So, now that I am home and not going anywhere, I got to knit and start the second pedicure sock. My first one came out fine, but I was a little disappointed in the size. I made it according to my pattern and shoe size, but I think it's a bit big on me. So, I am knitting the second one in the size smaller to see if I like that one better. It only needed 4 less stitches casted on, so I am interested in seeing the size difference when it is done. Don't mind my leg in the picture. It's not easy taking a picture our your own foot and not showing that I haven't shaved my legs in God knows how long. Winter doesn't motivate me to do that since all I want to do is be in my jammies and cuddle, read or of course KNIT. My poor husband. I really should shave my legs. Such a lazy girl...... Anyway, I am also trying to finish this second sock because I promised myself I wouldn't start new projects until I am done with the one at hand (a.k.a. - on the sticks.) I have THREE purses in a basket upstairs waiting for me to sew handles in and line. They came out so nice and I really do want to finish them, but I get so excited to start a new project and knit. Not sew. Bad me. Finish or frog won't work for these since they are completely knitted and felted. I promised myself I would work on them this week. Let's see what the next few days hold.

Felted bag #101

2009-01-06T09:12:00.002-05:00

I finally finished my bag that I was working on. I got inspired since I read my friend Karen's blog to "frog or finish." This concept actually came from major knitter's blog. I would link you to her, but still have no clue how to do that. She is on typepad as "major knitter" so if that helps, check out her cool idea on getting your wips done. This bag was a good project in that there is no seeming to be done. Once you are finished knitting it, just stick it in the washer to felt and you are done. However, I like to line my bags, so I will be doing that soon. But, today is a "clean the house" day. I have to do the dreaded chore of putting away all of my Christmas stuff. That is such a pain. It takes two to three days to decorate the house and more to put it away since I have to clean alot after it's all done. And, what am I doing now?....... Blogging instead. Anything to avoid it. So, have a good day and hopefully I will hear from you. Karen, I am thinking of trying socks on two circulars. I have a book on it from the library and wanted to know your opinion on that technique.

2008-11-18T15:03:00.002-05:00

Pumpkins galore. O.k., this photo was taken a month or more ago, but that's how long it takes me to blog sometimes. I actually have a couple good knitting pictures of my projects, but I can't find the time to upload them right now and since I have these pictures in my computer right now, I figure it will do. This was a fun day of pumpkin picking. We usually go to the farm and have fun looking through the field, but this time we went to Stew's. We pay over $20 for one pumpkin at the farm and ended up getting THREE for $18 at Stews. Alright, I hear you. I should support our local farmers and give them the business, but when you have to buy three for the kids and you have a choice of spending almost $90 or $20, what would you do? I would rather take the difference and head to the LYS. Sorry farmer Joe.

I am now working on a couple different knitting projects. I have a purse still on the sticks that just looms over me. Usually, I bang those out and have no problem finishing them. I love to knit bags and felt them right away. Especially since I knit the ones that have little to no finishing to them since they are knit on circular needles. No seams to sew. My biggest problem is lining. I have a great bag I felted and it is still laying on my desk waiting to have the handles (already felted) sewn on the bag and then my lining. (I have a thing about lining my bags. If I go to the trouble of knitting them, they don't seem finished without a lining.)

The new project now to be finished, are my pedicure socks. I found the pattern at the store and bought the yarn and needles to make them. Size 3 dpn and sock yarn that is so fine, I don't know what I was thinking. I have got far enough that I am wanted to see if I can turn that heel. Luckily, I have a friend who is an expert sock maker and I will be calling her soon for help, if I get stuck. (Any reason to go to the coffee shop and knit for a while, right?) Gotta love your knitting friends. They understand!

Show your school spirit........

2008-10-23T15:16:00.002-04:00

Cute huh? These are for showing our school spirit at the football games. Warm and fashionable! I love making stuff like this.

Stinkin' chipmunk......

2008-10-03T10:57:00.002-04:00

O.k., just to get this straight, I am a true nature lover. I am outside as much as possible and I love everything out there (even the spiders my children run from...) Well, as long as the spider leaves me alone, I leave it alone. I am a firm believer in "everything has a life" and thus stepping on a poor, unsuspecting spider just because he looks like he might want to bite me, is not what I do. Therefore, I lead you to my current "issue" with the lovely chipmunk you see here. My husband and I like to sit out on the deck with our morning coffee. The birds are so beautiful in our yard and really feel comfortable now eating a few feet away from us while we sit and watch them. Well, chippy here has decided that he wants to get in on the action and proceeded to fill his face over and over again (going back and forth to his little home, presumably getting ready for the cold months ahead. Or, possibly, he is having a few friends over for a "chippy" get together.) Whatever the case, he EMPTIED our bird feeded in about one day. Fred filled it again for me and yet again, chippy depleted all the seeds. Now, since we love our nature-filled yard so much, we would never harm our little furry friend. So, the birds are staying away from the deck and we are left to watching the grass grow. Oh well, such is life. It's still a lovely way to spend our morning and I am forever happy to have all the blessings that I do have. What makes you happy???

2008-09-29T19:44:00.002-04:00

My pretty flower garden. Every year, I take a day to sow seeds into the ground with my children. I have done this since they were very small. I love to watch the delight in them when the seeds pop their heads out of the ground and grow. One year, our sunflowers grew to be at least ten feet tall and the flower heads were gigantic. My children and I marvel at the "little miracles" that God gives us. This year we did a long row of Zinnia with Sunflowers mixed in as well. I cut them all summer long for bouquets in our home and they also are beautiful to look at along the house when we sit outside with our morning coffee. With the coming Winter (which I say with disgust), my flowers are slowly leaving me. I took some pictures so I could look at them (even if it is just on the computer) when they no longer are outside. Sigh......... Spring and Summer go much too fast for my taste. The one thing I must say I do like about Winter is that I knit more. I read and knit much more and I love that. It's a time to cuddle up on the couch with a warm cup of coffee and knit something I have had yarn for and was wanting to do, but just didn't since we were so busy swimming and playing on the beach. My project at the moment is a new knitted/felted bag. I like it because when I am finished with the knitting there will no need to sew and seams. That is my one thing I don't care to do. I love to just pop it in the wash and see what comes out. So, this Fall and coming Winter, I have some plans to make quite a few new projects. Let's see if I really can get them done!

Even in the turtle world......

2008-09-27T20:02:00.004-04:00

This is Crush and Charlie. Although we don't know what they truly are, (boys or girls) we are convinced that the one on top is Crush (the boy) and the little one he is stepping all over is Charlie (the girl.) Get your mind out of the gutter because I don't mean it that way. I am just saying that this "boy" turtle has a lot of nerve. A couple things we have noticed about our turtles. Crush always gobbles up all the food so Charlie has to really move if she wants to eat. When it comes to sunning themselves, the little girl turtle will go on the rock and immediately, Crush feels the need to step on her to get the sun thus forcing her to be left out of the warmth. He is not a nice boy. The last straw to this saga is that we found that our little Charlie was missing a few toes one day and realized that Crush was nibbling them off. Sadly, we had to separate them. I think Charlie is happier now, but we do find her hiding completely UNDER her rock in the morning. She needs some therapy after being abused for too long. They are the cutest little things though. Easy for me to take care of. Our beloved kitty died last year, so we opted for these guys. We started out with three that we got while on Canal Street in NYC. The area where you can get a "Gucci" or "Marc Jacobs" bag for $20. Yeah right. Well the turtles cost us $15 and the kids love them. One, sadly, passed away while we were on vacation and Grandma and Grandpa had them. Grandma was extremely upset when she lost one while they were on her watch. Figures, right? Sorry about that Mom.

The dumpling gadget.....

2008-09-26T13:56:00.002-04:00

Two posts for the same day. Sorry, when it rains it pours. (And yes, it's pouring, so it seems appropriate.) This little gadget came over when Linda did because she has a gadget for EVERYTHING! You know that friend that says, "I have one of those!" when you are in need of something to get a project done? Well, if you don't have a friend like that, I am sorry for you. (I would share Linda, but I am selfish.) Anyway, she brought this little ditty over and showed me how to make dumplings to go along with my Chicken Paprikash. (Hey Lin, if I am spelling that incorrectly, let me know.) The dumplings come out so nice because this thing makes them on the small size. She tells me you can just drop them in by the spoonful, but it went so fast using this thing. O.k., here is the dilemma. She got it from her Mom. Her Mom got it from Hungary. Are you following me here? Anyone reading this have a Hungarian friend coming to visit you soon? And I mean, straight from Hungary since Linda tells me that's really where to get one of these guys. I didn't think so. So, now, I will be on the hunt for this nifty little gadget. I don't make my own dumplings often and I am not a gadget person, for the most part. But, I do make a lot of different soups and now that we are heading towards the colder weather... (No, I refuse to say "winter!") this gadget would be a nice thing to have. Linda had a name for it, but I couldn't pronounce it let alone spell it. Suffice it to say, it's really cool!

On to the next project........

2008-09-26T13:08:00.002-04:00

Hi! Here is my finished purse. I thought I took a better picture of it to show the inside since I really love the fabric I found to line it with, but I don't have a shot of it. So, this one will have to do. I did make this pattern once before and it turned out much smaller. A nice purse, but too small for everyday use. This one is modified, since I added CO stitches and used Lamb's Pride (that has mohair mixed in with the wool) as opposed to the Paton's 100% merino wool I used on the other purse. I like the mohair, but it sometimes looks too fuzzy and you need to give the bag a shave every once in a while. My new bag, I am working on is coming out good, except that I ran out of yarn. (Can you hear my heavy sigh from there?) God knows I have a stash the size of Manhattan, but no yarn to go with my project at hand. Soooo, I went on line and yes, I could've ordered it. But, the shipping would have been more than the yarn and I really wasn't in the mood. You know how you really have to be in the mood for a project once you get it going. This one I am on the fence about. (Pictures to follow.......)

Today, on the first rainy day we have had in a long time, I spent my morning with my good friend Linda. She is an awesome cook and many times drops off her yummies to my house. The last time she did that, my kids were literally licking the container she sent to us. It was THAT good. So, I bought all the ingredients and she came over to show me how to make her famous, "lick the bowl," chicken paprikash. She is 100% Hungarian, so let me tell you, this girl knows how to make a mean chicken paprikash. I can't wait for my kids to get off the bus and smell our house. YUMMY! Now if only I can do it when I am on my own without her here! Cross your fingers......

2008-09-19T10:45:00.002-04:00

Hi there Karen (since I know you are probably the only one reading this!) Thank you for the information on deleting those slimy comments from one of my posts. I trash canned them! I always love to read people's blogs. All that knitting fun. Your blog is always a great one. Have a nice weekend and hopefully I will get that picture on here of my bag finished. It came out nice. I have a few in the "hopper" I have to finish and I am working on one now.

It's been a long time..........

2008-09-18T14:59:00.003-04:00

Hi there to my friends that read my blog. (Alright, I know of two that read this and I haven't written in months so I am probably writing this for myself alone......) Anyway, one of the reasons I haven't written is that the good weather hit and I was with my children as much as possible. And then the summer came, and I was with my children as much as possible. And the other reason is that I got some slimy comments to my last post and it scared me. I was afraid to open them since I don't want a virus in my computer and then I wondered, who would write such slimy things to a persons knitting blog? Don't they have better things to do than to harass poor, unsuspecting knitters like me? In any event, the bus will be here in a minute and I need to get outside, so this will be a brief posting.

Do you like my "Sebago Bag?" I knit one every year when we go to our place in Maine and then shrink it when I get home. Picture to follow once I upload it to my computer....

I have to also tell you.... I went to "A Stitch in Time" today in Bethel, CT. OMG!!!! (That's what my kids do.) I felt like I had died and gone to heaven, or at least "fiber heaven!" It is a BEAUTIFUL store and has everything you could imagine. I was overwhelmed by it all because I just wanted to stand there and touch all the yarn. It's a bright, cheery store with so many different things to offer. Great yarn (of course!), terrific books and pattern packets, samples knitted all over the store, and the NICEST women working there. I met the owner, Eva, and she was super-duper kind. I felt like I had found a new home! So, it's official that "A Stitch in Time" will be my favorite yarn store.

O.k., got to get the bus now............ See ya!

2008-02-29T15:56:00.002-05:00

My plan for the weekend.

Carrie Underwood Concert.....

2008-02-28T07:41:00.005-05:00

We went to the Carrie Underwood concert this week and loved it. She is such a great singer and I really enjoyed seeing her in concert. Our chicklets would have liked to have been there, but we didn't have tickets for them, so we are now trying to get Jonas Brother tickets to make it up to them. (Guilt set in when we saw how many kids went to this concert!) Carrie's first and second albums are on our ipods and in the car, so we listen to her all the time. She is, by far, the best American Idol (in our opinion!) But, we do love Kelly as well. She just has a totally different style of music. Fun to rock out to, but we seem to have the "country" vibe going in our house.
I don't know if my guy was thrilled to go to the concert with me, but he smiled through it and seemed to like the music. He really liked Josh Turner, who warmed up for Carrie Underwood, so I should go out and get him that CD. We are not the big "concert going" kind of people, but it was so nice to see Carrie U. since we followed her through the American Idol shows and voted for her all the time. Now we are all hoping for David in this newest season of A.I. Carly is really good too, but there is just something about that David the whole house likes. Who is your favorite??

2008-02-26T19:31:00.002-05:00

My newest knitting endeavor. The snow was flying and I was knitting. I got this bag done, now I need to throw it in the washing machine and start knitting the handle. The strap needs to measure at the very least 100" because the last one I made shrunk ALOT. I used a different type of wool for this one, so I am eager to see how this one will felt. I always line my bags, so hopefully, it will look nice. See the plastic bag I have my yarn in? What a great thing! It's got a hole on both ends so I can use two skeins and it keeps everything neat and clean. I usually knit with two strands held together, so it's definitely a nice little accessory to have. If you want one, they are at Michael's Craft stores and are inexpensive. They have single bags like this one as well. Use a coupon from the Sunday paper's ads and save even more so you don't feel bad adding one more knitting item to your array of things. (That is if you are like me! I have way to much stuff!)

SNOW!!!..........

2008-02-25T09:24:00.002-05:00

Yahoo, we got a bunch of snow! My kids were getting pretty upset that we got very little snow this winter. So, when this storm came, we got right outside and enjoyed some sledding. Like the snow ramp they made? I also just went out to Kohl's and bought some new snow boots since one of my kids didn't have any and had to wear mine! Can you see the plastic bags she stuffed in her boots to see if they would fit better? Silly kid. They just couldn't wait to get outside. I, myself, was FREEZING and wasn't thrilled to be there, but love to watch them have fun. As I am aging, I craze warm weather. A beach and a martini gives me great joy! So, here is to hoping that Spring is truly not far away and we will be seeing crocus popping their little heads up soon.

St. Valentine was a SAINT!!

2008-02-23T18:56:00.003-05:00

Well, don't these just make you smile? They did that for me. I swear Saint Valentine was truly a Saint to create such a lovely holiday. The flowers are so, so pretty and the chocolates, well they are delicioso. My chicklets flew through their "beautiful heart shape boxes filled with chocolates." (My oldest lovely said that when she was about three on her first valentine's day that she could speak!) Now, it's a tradition for their daddy to give them a "beautiful heart shape box of chocolates" and a bouquet of flowers each. This year, they really struck gold when he threw in a Webkinz for each of them as well. They will always treasure these memories of the very first and most important man in their lives to love them for all that they are, unconditionally.

Winter weather really hit us this weekend. We hunkered down and just relaxed. A game of Mouse Trap, and some serious Wii games were going on while the snow flew and then out we went to snow plow the driveway and sled ride. The kids can stay out all day, but I get cold so fast. I am not made for this kind of weather. Definitely looking forward to the Spring and warmth. For now, hot coffee and a cuddle on the couch with my children keep me warm and happy. What is keeping you warm and happy??

So tired of winter.........

2008-02-15T09:41:00.003-05:00

Are you tired of winter too? I need the sunshine and warmth of Spring. I need to see things start to blossom and grow. I need to plant my marigolds, cosmos, cleome and other favorite flowers that give me a sense of good. I need my children to run around the yard and laugh and play. Where is Spring?

I am starting another fingerless glove, but I have not had any time to accomplish them for my valentine's day gifts. I haven't been home most of this week with so much going on. So, needless to say, I haven't been knitting. I figure if I knit these gloves, at my leisure, by Christmas I may have the few I need for my friend's gifts. I also would like to make a purse for my Mom (her birthday is in April), but I haven't had time to sit and work on that either. Kids, house, obligations, they all keep you constantly on the go and I am o.k. with that. I guess I will get most of my knitting done when my children are grown and my house is empty. Then I can focus on baby sweaters and afghans. For now, my occasional knitting projects give me a little joy and some peace. (Did you know that the Harvard Medical Journal did a study and found that people equated that calming, repetitive motion of knitting to yoga?) I believe it, because it works for me.

Ya-Ya's fingerless mittens

2008-02-07T14:55:00.000-05:00

Aren't these cute? I love making fingerless mittens. I started with a pair, years ago, that were knitted flat and then seamed together. That was o.k., but I am one of those people that once I finish knitting something, I really don't want to be bothered sewing seams. I just can barely put my lining in purses, and that is much more work than sewing a seam up a mitten. Anyway, I decided to make a fingerless mitten on dpns, but not with cables. I did the "fetching" mittens - (and I must apologize, but I cannot remember how to link you to this pattern. I need to get a hold of my blogging buddy, Karen, so she can refresh me. She is so smart! ) the "fetching" mitts come out beautiful, but require alot of attention and picking up the cable needle a bunch. I like these "ya-ya" mittens because it's just ribbing for the most part and easy. I blew one out in one afternoon when the weather was lousy and the kids were all in school. I like the added novelty yarn to spruce it up a bit, but if you wanted to knit it with a multi-colored yarn, that would be pretty too. Whatever makes your heart happy, I always say. So, I am on a roll with these mittens. I am trying to make a pair for my Mom, and two friends for Valentine's Day. We will see.... Usually, I grow tired of a knitting project after I do one mitten, let alone SIX! However, I can tell you these do knit up quickly if you have an afternoon to just park it on the sofa and knit and knit.

Finished my bag!.....

2008-02-06T08:07:00.000-05:00

Yeah, not only did I finish my bag, but I got a picture in. I don't know what the husband did to help, but it worked. This is my bag after I had sewn the felted handle on and the lining. I am not the best when it comes to sewing, but I like my bags when they have a lining. My friend, Takako, is an excellent seamstress. I know she would do a much better job than I did, but I tried! Have a happy day..........

My camera/computer is busted......

2008-02-05T09:09:00.000-05:00

Hi there! I have been trying for a few days now to upload pictures to my computer via my memory stick and for some reason, the computer has not been working. I know what I am doing here since I have done this particular thing a million times. So, now I am frustrated to say I cannot update my knitting blog with my photos! I have been knitting up a storm too. I finished my felted bag, lined and all. It came out so nice and I am proud of myself. I am going to start a new one for my Mom for her birthday. I have made her one in the past, but with wooden handles and she NEVER uses it. She says it's because she likes the knitted handles better so she can sling it over her shoulder. We will see.... I only hope she likes this new one. I also have made the cutest fingerless mittens. I made one, and if my memory card was working you could SEE it. The other one has just been started this morning. Let's see my progress on this gloomy day...... I have a TON of laundry to do, but I figure in between the loads I can get some knitting done.

Hopefully on the next post I can figure out my dilemma and post some pics! Have a happy day!

Isn't this purty.........

2008-01-24T19:08:00.000-05:00

Hi there! I spent the afternoon today with my friend Karen learning a little more about blogging. Boy, is she SMART! I am such a dinosaur when it comes to computers and understanding how all this HTML stuff works. But, I am happy with the changes in my blog and that I think I am getting it. Karen, you are wonderful. Thank you so much for your help. I am hoping to make it even cuter in the future when I have some "hunker-down" time as we call it in our house. Usually, this is a snow day or a day we spend in our pajamas just laying low. Those days don't come often, so watch my blog stay the same until next winter!

Isn't this felted bag pretty? I want to make it and have the pattern, but I have to admit, I did make a trial one in a different color and wasn't happy with the shape of the purse after felting. I didn't even go on with the fancy stuff on the front since I was disappointed, so it sits in the "ufo" pile. But, I am almost finished with my bag I posted before and will be getting another project started soon. Just don't know what yet.

Thank you again for your help today Karen and keep checking in with my blog to see my progress. I think I am getting there, but you are truly the expert!

2008-01-22T19:07:00.000-05:00

Here is my bag in the drying mode. I put two boxes of stuff from my pantry in it and it's sitting on my heater. The shape came out pretty nicely. I had to pull a bit and work out some of the kinks, but it seems to be good so far. Once I finish those darn straps, I will be happier. I have to find a decent piece of mid-weight cardboard for the base, but the lining is not too hard to do. My time this week is so limited with all the stuff I have going. Now, I have a project for one of my chicklets as well that is going to take a bit of time. Ah, such is life.

Almost there......

2008-01-21T16:01:00.000-05:00

This is my finished bag (pre-felted). It measured 19" high and 16" wide. I wanted it to be roomy, but now I am worried a bit. Whenever I knit a new pattern, I get a little nervous. I spent so much time, last year, on a bag that I thought was going to look so nice and when I felted it over and over again, it just never looked good. I couldn't even salvage it. So, I threw it away and vowed to be careful next time I try a new pattern. However, here I am again crossing my fingers. I usually make bags that I attach wooden handles to. This one is made with knitted handles that go through the "button holes" on the top of the bag. It wraps around the body and looks very nice. Let's hope. I have to make two straps at 90" each. I am already growing tired of this, so I have to do those darn straps now so I don't find this in my "ufo" pile. I have a few of those and I hate it. I grow tired of some projects when I am only half way through and while I am knitting it, I am already thinking of something else I want to start. I read somewhere that other people are like that. I think on the Knitting Daily blog. So, I don't feel so bad. But, I promised myself I would finish this one because I bought some BEAUTIFUL fabric to line it with on the clearance table at the fabric store. I saw it and had to buy it since it was practically free. I'll go knit those darn straps now. Except that the kids are hungry..........

A new "to-be-felted" bag.....

2008-01-19T16:31:00.000-05:00

This is my project of the moment. I have been knitting this for about 5 days on and off. I have to sit for a bit during the day doing a market research project with a company close to home, so there are moments I can sneak a few rows in. I am on row #56, (counting only the body of the bag) not including the bottom. You knit that first, going back and forth, as if you were on straight needles (but you are on circulars). Then, you pick up stitches along the sides and work in the round. I got this pattern from a knitting book at the library (my favorite hangout) and realized I needed some added information from it that I didn't copy, so I am hoping to find that particular book again. The pattern is from a lady by the name of Janet Scanlon and she has a great website that she sells her patterns called http://www.knitkit.com/. I would like to try the Oregon bag next, but I have to see how this comes out first. I have been using two strands, held together, of Lamb's Pride (the wool and mohair mix) even though she said to only use one for the body of the bag. She used two held together for the base for added strength, but said to drop one when you get to the body. I have used only one strand before and it didn't feel as good to me. I like that extra body the two strands give the bag and since I carry EVERYTHING in my purse, the stronger the better. I plan to add a strip of soft purple to the top of this when I get to a certain point with the brown (or when I eventually run out of the brown, which ever comes first.) I miss my LYS since it has sadly gone out of business. Now, another one that is close by is about to close as well. The big chain stores are pushing all of the nice "Mom & Pop shops" out. I don't get that nice "extra special" yarn from the big stores. Frown... Well, I need to make some dinner before my troops start hollering for me. Happy knitting to you or what ever it is that makes your heart happy.

This is relaxing.........

2008-01-18T14:32:00.000-05:00

A bag of knitting, a cup of fresh coffee and a boat load of new knitting books to look at. Now this is what I call relaxing! My husband thinks I have two heads, but then again, his idea of relaxing involves guys running after a ball and tackling each other senselessly. (Did you know the NY Giants are in the playoffs???)

Yep, nine books from the library to enjoy and pretend I have time to knit the items that look "do-able" for me. That's what I am talking about! My felted bag in the picture hasn't been lined yet, but I like the size. I haven't had much sewing time either. But, with winter here and a lot of my household chores done, I am hoping for some time. I just spent three hours vacuuming and mopping my floors. That was fun. (Not!) Hope your days are filled with fun though and not the same-ole, same-ole.........

Some more knitting books.........

2008-01-17T07:32:00.000-05:00

Someone is peeking.... These books were some I just got from the library and my chicklet was looking at them with me. The library is so nice. If I want a book and they don't own it, they will purchase it for the library and call me when it's in. How cool is that??? I went yesterday to drop off the felting book and picked up about 10 more to look at. I love to be at the library, but don't have the time often. We are big readers in my home, so at least my family likes it too. I could sit there all day.

Takako - I couldn't add the picture into my blog that you sent me. The computer said it was supposed to be a certain type and I think with the additions you made, the blog rejected it. Sorry about that. Happy birthday to you on the other side of the world! Love ya!

Build-a-Bear..........

2008-01-16T07:40:00.000-05:00

Hi! We just took a recent trip to Build-a-Bear and look what we made! Well, you can't exactly see the finished little guy, but I will post a picture of that tomorrow if I can figure out how. It was fun (albeit that we already own about six of these little creatures!) Between birthday parties and the fact that BB equates to a FYS to chicklet #3. Please Mommy, PLEASE can we go and make one. Santa had brought a gift card and with coupons, I got off cheap. Otherwise, a new BB with an outfit and shoes goes for about $40. That woman who created that store was a genius. It's always full of kids or parties. I must admit, I like it too. The only thing is we have enough of these now. (Alright, I am a sucker for a cute pout once in a while. And, she was really good that day!) I'll have to take a picture next of all of these little guys lined up so we can share that collection. I would never take one of my yarn stash because then I would have to explain to my husband why I have THAT much yarn. Sticking to the Build-a-Bear stuff!

Good Morning.........

2008-01-15T16:22:00.000-05:00

This is my view from my kitchen window. I see the sun rise every morning (or at least on the mornings that are clear.) It's such a pretty sight and I love it because it's part of my morning routine. Make kid's lunches, make a pot of coffee, sit for 14 approximate minutes to enjoy said coffee and then on to the next wave of child care. The only part I miss the most of my morning routine, is my Phoebe kitty sitting on my lap enjoying the morning sunrise and warming me up. She was 14, so I can say she had a happy life. We just miss her terribly here. I get a pang (if that's how you spell it) every so often to get a new kitty, but I look at my new couches and rugs and think again. So, for now, I enjoy my morning coffee alone with the pretty sunrise. (I should say that my handsome husband does join me occasionally for the coffee routine, but not the sunrise part.) He is not an early riser if he doesn't have to go to work. Can you blame him? If I didn't have ninos to get on their way to school, I would be sleeping too.

Got a new knitting "book".......

2008-01-11T08:48:00.000-05:00

I am loving my knitting books. I have a pile in my family room and my own little library in my "office." I can't seem to stay out of the book stores or the library. This little "book" is actually a calendar that has a daily pattern for the entire year. I couldn't pass that up at 70% off! Last night I sat and looked through all of the patterns and I pulled out about 10 to try. I wish I could knit socks, but I can't seem to get in the groove to try. I did this little cable sack that is in the picture. My "grammy Em" is going to help me put a zipper in it since I have never done that before. Hopefully, I can do it. She is 92 and has been sewing most of her life. I love that lady! Raining today. Glad it's not snow, but the kids want so badly to sled ride. The Farmer's Almanac said it's going to snow heavily soon, so be ready. It was correct about this weeks freaky warm weather, so I figure I better get some knitting projects lined up.

My pre-felted hat........

2008-01-10T08:35:00.000-05:00

This is my hat, before I stuck it in the washing machine. It was HUGE! The mix of yarn was two strands of worsted weight wool and one strand of mohair. The felting went well, but it's not as shrunk as I think I would like, so I am debating if I should stick it in the wash one more time. I will take a picture of it when it's done. The book has some beautiful flowers to knit and felt and add to the front of it. However, I have the prettiest broach that would look nice on it too. Hmmmm........

Happy 2008!

2008-01-10T07:47:00.000-05:00

Look at the cool books my friend sent me from Japan! They are filled with great ideas and very nice demonstrations of the stitching. I am new to crocheting and want to try my hand in it. I loved the purse that this book had so I am hoping it will come out good. My knitting was put to the side for the month of December since the holidays kept me running and busy in the house. I am back to it though and just finished a felted hat from a book my husband and kids gave me for Christmas. Great book! It doesn't look exactly like the one they show, but I like it all the same. Hello to Takako in Japan and thanks for the crocheting/felting books. I LOVE your blog so much. Wish I could read Japanese, but I enjoy seeing all the pictures of the beautiful things you make. Off to get some things accomplished today. See you again .........

Another view of the Booga....

2007-07-18T20:11:00.000-04:00

Since I cannot figure out how to put more than one picture per post, here is another post with another view. At least this time it's rotated! I'll put new shots once the bag is felted. Should I put on handles that I make or pre-bought ones???

Pink felted Booga bag

2007-07-18T20:01:00.000-04:00

I am back to blogging, but alas cannot find my notes as to how to get pictures uploaded properly. This picture took me FOREVER to upload and it's not rotated the correct way, but you can at least still see it. My pink striped booga bag is complete and it's headed to the washing machine as soon as I finish this post. O.k., after we watch, "So you think you can dance." (Our summertime show we are addicted to.) This bag didn't take me too long and was very easy. You start at the bottom and pick up stitches when the base is complete so you don't have to sew and seams. Just tuck in ends of yarn from the color changing. Before felting, the measurments were 19 1/4" height and 16 1/2" width. I hope it doesn't felt up to nothing, (which has happen to me in the past.) I want this to be a decent size since I am "the keeper of all things" in my home. Cross your fingers for me and I will post another picture when it is done.

Water fight on Father's Day!

2007-07-17T12:02:00.000-04:00

This was so much fun! We were celebrating Father's Day at home and the kid's grandparents brought over water pistols. Well, that started a full blown water fight and Daddy became the recipient of the soaking! We all laughed so hard at the silliness and it really made our day fun. Hanging out at home and enjoying our yard and the kids are one of our favorite things to do. My middle chicklet told me that when she needs to find her "happy place" in her mind, it is always home. That tells me something.... Happy children make me a happy mommy!

My wonderful husband....

2007-07-16T11:53:00.000-04:00

This is my wonderful husband and I in New York. He treated me to a weekend away from the children for my birthday. It was way back in March, but that's how backlogged I am with blogging! Thought I would share my picture with you. Life has been so busy, but fun and happy. We are enjoying the summer and being together. I plan on being back to blogging in the fall when the chicklets are back to school. Thank you to my friends who still check in once in a while (o.k., I know it's only Karen and Takako, but I appreciate the caring!) Hope you are having a wonderful summer as well and catch you in September when I hope to be back to my blog!

I miss this.......

2007-02-03T09:40:00.000-05:00

Hello to anyone who still may even read this. I have not had a moment to myself to sit and blog anymore. Life got a bit hectic for me. However, I am hoping to jump back in sometime soon and share my knitting and fun with my "blog" buddies. So, hopefully I will be back to blogging soon!

Summer fun..........

2006-07-18T19:58:00.000-04:00

Well, this is why I don't have time to blog, knit or anything else for that matter, in the summer. I am having fun with my little ones! We did a facial mask and relaxed with cucumbers on our eyes. Unfortunately, right after I cut the cucumbers up for my three, my littlest started to cry. Upon asking her what was the matter, she replied, "I forgot we were supposed to put the cucumbers on our eyes and I ate mine!" I laughed so hard and thought to myself, "this is why I don't mind if my knitting is on hold."

I finally have my camera working, but have completely forgotten how to get to flicker and back again for posting pictures. I need to call my friend Karen. She is a computer guru and can answer any question or if you are looking for her to make a badge or create a beautiful blog, she's your girl.

Time to go fold a ton of laundry and read a little with the kiddies. Tomorrow is, "So you think you can dance?" on Fox. We LOVE this show and try never to miss it. Benji is one of our favorite dancers. We love his West Coast Swing. If you haven't watched this show, it's on Wednesday at 8pm est and then again Thursday at 9pm est. It's sort of like "American Idol" except it is based on dancing rather than singing. Great show.

O.k., off to my children. Loves of my life............

I am knitting.... finally!!

2006-07-14T10:11:00.000-04:00

Yeah, I finally am back to a project. I got my "Knit Simple" magazine in the mail last week and did what I always do when I get that... Make a fresh pot of coffee and hide somewhere in my house for some quiet time to read every page of the magazine - even the advertisements! I just love those magazines. Seems like yesterday I was reading "Seventeen" magazine and now look at me! So, here I am, hiding, reading my knitting articles and I see it. A project I want to make and feel the need to start immediately. Well, with three kids, immediately turned out to be six days later, but I was still as excited about it. I have two, very adorable, twins in my family. A little guy named Chace and a little beauty named Madeline. I started to make the "giraffe" scarf pattern for them and will make the matching hat and gloves as well. It's so cute and I felt easy enough to do at the beach or pool so I can watch the kids swim, but still get some knitting in as well. I missed having a little WIP (that means Work In Progress for you non-knitters. I don't want you to think I am a wierdo or something!) and now, I feel, I have a purpose again in my knitting world. I'll take a picture as soon as my camera is working. The darn thing is on the blink. Ta, ta for now ...........

2006-07-08T02:05:00.000-04:00

For those of you friends that do read my blog, I apologize for not creating new posts. However, I fear that there really is no one reading my blog and so it wouldn't matter if I didn't add a post or not. Life has been busy and now that summer arrived, I am spending my time outside with the kids. Come September, I will be back to my regular postings and knitting as well. Seems like I can't do it all when the children are out of school. I cherish every minute we can get of the two months we have off and I don't even like to sit in front of the computer for any length of time that will take away from being with them. So, if you do read my blog, thank you and be patient. I will be back soon..........

I'M BACK.........

2006-06-08T07:39:00.000-04:00

Yay, I am back to my blog and sitting with my morning coffee! It's been so long since I have been able to do this since a) we went on a wonderful vacation that I didn't want to end and b) we came home to a TON of things we had on our calendar. Just to fill you in on some of it, because I would never want to bore you with all of my escapades.... I chaperoned two field trips for my children. The first was to Mystic Seaport with my middle one. We were so tan and our bodies were used to the warm sunshine of Florida, that we FROZE that day at the seaport. It was a lot of fun and I am glad I got to be there with my little chicklet, but I wish it had been a bit warmer. The next class trip I got to go on was to Lake Compounce (the day before our very big dance dress rehearsal, I might add.) The kids had a blast. They loved running around and getting on all the rides. I, myself, was happy to see my child having a great time with her buds, but could have done without the torrential rainstorm and being soaked to the bone for most of the day. Regardless of the weather though, the kids were thrilled to be there. I braved the return trip home on the bus (soaking wet and listening to 30+ kids conversing loudly for over an hour) and then had to run and sign my kids up for the fall/spring season of soccer. Tired and cold, I found my way home to a full night of prepping for the dress rehearsal. Packing our car with everything I could think of to keep my children fed, hydrated, occupied and happy during the 8 hours of rehearsal that was ahead of them. During the rehearsal, I had a few moments of wanting to strangle people for their rudeness, but that is another story in itself. The following day, was the big day.

The recital was beautiful and brought me to tears. I love watching my children on the stage with their amazing ability to dance the way I could never have done when I was little. They give me great joy and I love every minute of this special day.

Now that the dancing has subsided, for now, I am focusing on all of the birthday parties I need to arrange, plan, and execute. Needless to say, my knitting has taken not just the back seat, but I think is sitting somewhere on I-95 hoping I will come back and find it. I got one of my knitting magazines in the mail yesterday. I really want to sit and look at that bad boy. Maybe next week............

My Blog is blogged........

2006-05-09T07:37:00.000-04:00

Well, I am sorry to say that I have no knitting to report. I am in an official slump. The amount of activity in my home right now is on maximum and I have not had two minutes to sit and knit a thing. I also have not been inspired by anything lately. Usually, I have a pattern or project that I can't stop thinking about and knit into the wee hours, but I haven't seen one lately. Between all my children's soccer games, dance lessons, Brownie meetings and then the school activities, I have been exhausted! I am getting old. However, once I get passed the recital and all the crazy weekends of May and June, I am planning to sit on the beach ALL summer and enjoy the kids and my knitting. "Hi" to my blogging buddies and please don't stop reading just because I am boring right now. Promise to be back to my knitting-self soon!

No knitting for me....

2006-05-03T14:46:00.000-04:00

Hello there my blogger friends. I have no new pictures to add to my blog since I haven't taken the time to take any. Sadly, I haven't been knitting much either. I did finish my flip-flops for my chicklets and now am starting a few for teacher gifts. I really want to try the new sock craze, but am overwhelmed. I need to sit with someone who does this and get a little tutoring. I don't usually use dpn's and feel awkward with them. The pattern in the newest Interweave Knits magazine is so pretty. Did anyone see it? Such pretty socks. I just feel like I might be over my head. I have pretty much tackled all of my summer clothes bins. Now, I am just trying to weed out all the clothes that the kids don't need and get them the heck out of my house. I brought four huge plastic bags of clothes to the Good Will and have about two more. Mostly my clothes now. I lost two more pounds this week. I am on a mission to at least look half way decent in my bathing suit this summer. We will see....

My crazy life...........

2006-05-01T07:45:00.000-04:00

Well, it's May! Cannot believe how fast the months slip by. I am not complaining though since I love, love, love the warm weather and am thrilled to be outside and having fun again. We are not winter people in this house.

My weekend was NUTS to say the least. I had three soccer games to get my children to, a birthday party and a dance rehearsal. Then, after that was all done (all in one day, I might add) I slept in my car from midnight on so I could buy recital tickets for my chicklets. Yes, I actually left my warm, cozy bed to attempt to sleep in my car overnight. O.k., call me a nut for doing that, but I have been sleeping in the car for many years now since the recital tickets are highly coveted at our dance school. I would also like to say that not only was I #15 when I arrived at 12 midnight, but by 3am the line was wrapped around the building. I wouldn't do this for Rolling Stones tickets, but I would do anything for my kids. I have completely lost my mind, I know.

The other saga of my weekend, was Mickey. No, not the one in Disney, but the cute, little grey mouse that scurried across my family room floor on Thursday (my first sighting of him) while I was peacefully knitting between school bus pick-ups. Mickey was in my house, uninvited, for three days until on Sunday, he showed up again. That, with the fact that I was running on about 1 hour sleep (did I mention that I TRIED to sleep in my car the night before?) caused me to freak out. My husband and girls were lucky and caught Mickey for me. He is now WAY back in the woods of our yard and hopefully realizes that is where he should stay or else his fate won't be as kind as this stay in our home. Needless to say, I am pulling apart my entire pantry to clean to make sure he didn't get into anything. And then, I have the other "craft closet" to put back together since my mouse police pulled it all out when Mickey scurried under that door. I will have a clean kitchen when I am done, but wasn't planning the massive spring cleaning after my stint in the car. Oh well, such is life. No knitting for me today, I am afraid!

G.N.O.- Girl's Night Out

2006-04-27T18:46:00.000-04:00

Girl's night out! How nice it was to spend time with my friends. I celebrated my birthday and had a wonderful time with good friends, good food and lots of gabbing. It was nice to sit and eat my dinner without having a little one say, right when the food arrives at the table, "I have to go to the bathroom!" I also liked not having to cut anyone's meat or make sure that the drinks didn't get spilt all over the table. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my children, but it's very (I should stress VERY) rare that I ever go out with my friends. This was a treat, for sure! Alas, none of my friends are knitters though. Not any talk of what yarn is yummy at your house, or what are on your sticks at the moment. We had fun talking about other stuff though! Thank God for my friends!

As far as my knitting goes. I think I got a bit frustrated with my last project and have put my knitting on hold. I felted the mitered bag and it just doesn't look the way I would like. I haven't had two minutes to rub together to sew the lining, so it's on the "waiting to be done" pile. I am tackling the bins of summer clothes, STILL! Gosh, these kids have toooo much.

Well, I must get going to the pile upstairs in chicklet #2's room. I have to get this done before the summer days arrive and I am outside 24/7. Can't be in at all or I go crazy! Winter is long enough. Someday I will end up in warmer climates when the snow flies in New England. I will never be a Florida girl though. Not sure where I will be, but somewhere warm. Thank you Melinda, Eleni, Debbie and Bunny for a great birthday dinner and making me feel so special. I love you all and am so blessed to have you as my friends.

The pre-felted monster

2006-04-26T07:43:00.000-04:00

Here is my pre-felted picture to see how pretty it was before I sent it through the wash. Grandma was sitting in the tree with the kids and I asked her to hold it up for me. I did the edges in the grey, and I'm glad I did, because it did look so much better. You can see the one edge on the left. What I am bummed about is the top did not felt well. I make purses all the time and usually it all felts in a uniform manner. This one did not. I contemplated adding an i-cord edge to the top before I felted it, but decided against it. Now, I am wondering if that would have been better. Oh well, you live and learn. I am planning on lining the bag and seeing if that will help "shape" it a little. Otherwise, it will be a knitting bag and I will shlep it with me with knitting projects in it. Always need one of those! The size of this bag is just right too. I measured pre-felting and after, so with my next picture and post, I will put those measurements in. Thank you Karen for reading my blog and being so nice to comment. It's nice to have a friend read and support me. Most of my "non-knitting" friends either don't know what a blog is or look at me like I have two heads because I tell them, "It's like an on-line journal, of sorts, that I talk about my knitting escapades." My one good friend said to me, "And WHY do you feel you want to write about that?" I felt like I was on the couch at a psychiatrist's office. So, call me crazy, but I like to have this little outlet. Have a happy day and enjoy this sunshine.

MIA

2006-04-25T07:48:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been forever since I posted. We had quite the last 11 days or so. The flu hit my house hard and I ended up with sick children on every couch in the house for a week! That, in itself, was hard enough. Then, when we finally were feeling better, school vacation started. We needed to get some fun time in since the couch was our best friend for the week before. It was a lovely week of great weather and being together. I love my kids. They are the glue that keeps me together. So, not much knitting was done except that I did felt my striped mitered bag. The top looks funny to me and I am not thrilled with the results of the felting. But, I haven't given up completely. I want to line it, as I always do with my felted bags, and see it that helps bring it back into shape a bit. I am also in the middle of taking all the summer clothes out and doing inventory. You know the drill with that.... Does this fit you? Will you wear it? Give it to your sister then! This process takes me a full week if I have the luxury of time. I can't believe the amount of clothes these kids have. I plan on giving 80% of it to the GoodWill and my church. My children have plenty and I am sure that the children in New Orleans, or elsewhere, could use them more than we will. My closet is next.... Well, I am off to the races again today. (Figure of speech, never been to the race track, but that's what life is like for me.) Thank God for the sunshine, I needed it..........

Slow and steady wins the race....

2006-04-14T09:44:00.000-04:00

Well, here I am at the next point in this mitered striped felted bag. I got the front and back done, as you can see. I started the sides last night and ran out of yarn. But, luckily for me, I have quite the stash of wool in my home. Now, I have to decide whether I want to follow the pattern that tells me to make three different colors for each edge piece or do I want to follow my gut and do all the same in the dark grey that I started. I think, if I do the three different colors, it might look incredibly "busy" and take away from the stripe pattern. What do you think? Please leave me your thoughts so I can ponder this with some other knitters. Notice the LARGE cup of coffee and my cat in the picture? If I sit with my coffee, she will be up in my lap in a flash. No knitting when Phoebe is around. Anyway, I need to think about the whole one color versus three issue.

My parents took off for the weekend to Washington D.C. with some family friends. They took the train and were so excited to go and do something new. I am "itching" to go on an adventure too. This week is school vacation and sometimes we go to Cape May for a few days to just play on the beach and walk around the shops. It's a bit warmer there and the last time we went, we had 70 degree days that were beautiful. But, alas, I have a little one at home with the flu. The poor thing missed most of this week of school and is still not feeling up to par. So, maybe this week, when she feels better, we will be hitting the movie theater for all those cute kids movies that are out and, of course, the mall. I believe a new pair of sandals for the summer would cheer anyone up after being sick for so long! Happy knitting and please don't forget to leave your thoughts about my felted bag.

My baby brother

2006-04-13T09:50:00.000-04:00

We all had an early Easter celebration this past Sunday and I got this nice picture of my brother and I. I can't believe how life has flown by so fast and he and I now have our own families. We used to play catch in the yard, late night card games with flashlights so Mom wouldn't know we were up, and so many fun family trips to Vermont and Cape Cod. Seems like a lifetime ago! (He calls me a sap, can you tell why?) Anyway, we all had such a nice day and it was wonderful to be together. I have to be the auntie who teaches his little one to knit now! I should let her learn to walk first, though! My own know how to knit and are working on there own projects. Whenever I go to the yarn stores, I have to go alone or else I get alot more than I had planned to buy. "Oh Mom, isn't this yarn pretty? Can I get this one?" I've created little knitting monsters! That's fine with me though. I'd rather they be creative and enjoy a fun hobby than into something that wouldn't be good for them. So, we all plan to bring a knitting bag along when we go on vacation. (My husband can't believe I am bringing my knitting with me to Disney!) Look out for some pictures of me with a project in hand in front of some Disney landmark or even Mickey. He will really think I am nuts then!

Easter Chicks

2006-04-11T09:46:00.000-04:00

Aren't these cute? My sister-in-laws aunt made these for Easter. She knits them and then puts a little plastic egg inside. I thought they were adorable and want to teach my class how to make them. The girls I teach are so funny because they want to make everything I show them. It's cute to watch them interact with each other once they learn to knit. Just like "the big girls" when we all sit around and knit together. Gabbing and laughing. It really warms my heart to see them all bonding.

I have been working on my purse and flip-flops. I really want to get them done so I can start a new project, but I won't start anything new until I finish these. I already have enough un-finished things that bug me. I also am in desperate need of taking a "yarn stash inventory." I know I have more than I need for this lifetime. I can't help myself when I go in and see all the yummy yarns these days. You feel the need to touch them all and ooh and aah over them. If I ever worked in a yarn store, I would be paying them for me to be there! Socks are now what's on my agenda. I bought the small needles, but don't know where to start with the yarn. I don't want to buy anything expensive for my first pair and I also want to try an easy pattern. We will see.... Well, off to start my busy day and hopefully get a few rows in here and there. Happy tuesday to all who are reading my blog and thank you for stopping by!

I'm just a chick that likes to knit.....

2006-04-07T07:24:00.000-04:00

Hello there.... Don't you just love this chick who knits? Isn't that a felted bag her knitting yarn is in? Cute, cute, cute. Well, I am on the road to recovery. I still don't feel well enough to perk a pot of coffee, but at least I am moving around and getting some housework done. I started the second mitered purse square. I don't think I will crank through this one like I did the other one. That was an all day "knit fest." The luxury of knitting time is not usually on my side. Today I need to focus on cleaning my house since it looks like a family of squirrels could come in and eat off my floors for days without a problem. When Mom is sick, the whole house goes to pot! Make it a happy day today and..... don't forget to at least knit a few rows

My sick day knitting....

2006-04-06T17:56:00.000-04:00

I felt poopy yesterday. So much so, I didn't get off the couch much. Anyone who knows me, knows I don't sit down much. Not just because I am a mom and that in itself tells you I don't sit much. But, I really felt lousy and just couldn't bring myself to do any of my usual housework and errands. So, I knit! 124 rows to be exact. My mitered striped purse is coming along nicely. It's similar to a pattern I have "on the sticks" and yet to be finished upstairs. However, the other pattern calls for four of these mitered squares that you attach. This mitered square was casted on with 125 sts. The other pattern calls for 60 cast on sts. So, the overall size comes approximately to be the same. The other big difference in these two patterns is that this purse I am working on will be felted and the other one does not call for that. I think it would look pretty either way, but this one will be done long before I would have gotten the other pattern accomplished. Way too much finishing for me with four squares being sewn together just right to make sure the stripes line up correctly. (Now that I said that, I know I will probably try and tackle that job just to prove to myself I can. I'm weird like that!) I will take a "before felting" picture once I get this purse sewn together and make sure I measure it if anyone is needing that information. Also, this pattern I linked to has a few things I "tweeked." I used size 9 needles and worsted weight 100% wool yarn. I actually doubled the strand since it called for 8-ply yarn and the Patons wool I used is 3-ply. Doubling worked just fine. Now, I have to cross my fingers for the felting part. We will see. Being sick stinks, but at least I got some knitting in. That always makes me feel better.....

Been so sick........

2006-04-05T07:34:00.000-04:00

Well, I thought I was in the clear being that the weather is so nice. However, all of my chicklets are coughing, have headaches and tummy aches and are overall feeling yucky. The worst part of this situation is that mommy is right along with them. Ughhh, I feel lousy. The only reason I am sitting here typing is because, as exhausted as I am, it makes me feel better to be sitting up a bit. What better way than to "talk" about knitting?

I started a mitered striped purse yesterday while I sat on the couch feeling sorry for myself. It looks like a pattern I was working on last year, but didn't felt that bag. This one is similar and I think I need to tweek some of the instructions. I will take a picture of my progress and let you know what I changed as I go.

I went to Michael's in Danbury since I needed something nearby and always love to look at yarn even though it's not my favorite store. There are a lot of Moda*Dea brand yarns at 70% off right now. I believe they are going out of their line and the store has them on clearance. I bought a few and have to say, they have a lot left. Go while the going is good, knitters!

O.k., that is enough sitting for me. Back to the ginger ale for my tummy and some shut eye. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.........

We missed the bus........

2006-04-03T07:42:00.000-04:00

What a beautiful day it was yesterday! And it looks like it will be again today. We played outside all day and got a ton of fresh air. That's probably why we missed the bus this morning. Unfortunately, none of us are moving with much speed in my house, and off it went without us. Mom's taxi, to the rescue!

My chicklet snapped a picture of me knitting on the porch yesterday. How nice it was to be outside and enjoy the day. I was using my little one's "beginner" needles on the flip-flop saga project. They are the best for not slipping. I feel like I have to get these done, since Spring is here and our toes are showing again. Once it really does get warmer, I hardly ever wear anything but flip-flops or sandals. Can't wait to be in shorts again! Summer is never long enough and winter drags.... As my little one puts it, "We aren't winter people."

I must get a hold of my blogger buddy, Karen, and ask more questions about how to make socks. I have yet to tackle that project and would like to try. I looked into joining a class in my town, but can't seem to find one. Ponchos, sweaters, even scarf classes. But, no sock knitting classes! I know there are many different ways to go about it. Toe up. Two circular needles. Double points.... Where do I begin? I want an EASY pattern that will show me how to do the basics. Making socks kind of goes against me wanting to see my toes and wearing flip-flops, but I figure if it is another one of those projects like my pillowcase edging, it'll be winter by the time I finish them! Well, off to start my day. I put all the laundry and dishes off from yesterday and now they have doubled. Groan.............

Yahoo, it's a beautiful day!

2006-04-02T11:26:00.000-04:00

Yahoo, it's a beautiful day! I opened my windows and plan on putting my jogging shoes on.... The dishes and laundry can wait until tomorrow. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my new knitting magazine. "Interweave" or something like that. I saw a cool felted purse in it through another blog (for which I cannot find now and I am bummed!) and I want to make it. I have been toying with a black and blue mix, hence the knitting kitty --->, but I think I might add a few colors. The purse is shown to use "intarsia." I have never tried my hand at that and it said it is for beginners and easy. Well, I guess I will see about that! I'll take some pictures as I progress and share them. I really should try and finish my "on-the-sticks" projects first, but I just can't bring myself to. I have a beautiful lace edging I started that, when done, you sew to a pillow case. But it's one of those things that no one can talk to you while you are knitting it since it is so easy to mess up and you can't pull it out and fix it. Believe me, I tried and I ended up starting again. I think that's why I don't want to pick up those sticks. The only thing is, I wanted to make them for my Mom's birthday gift and I started it LAST winter. This will be two birthdays that have come and gone because I haven't finished the darn thing. Let alone the fact that I need to make TWO! Sorry Mommy, I will eventually get to finishing that. It's hard when you have a little one asking for everything under the sun as soon as I pick up my knitting needles. Well, off to enjoy the day. Happy knitting to all and make it a GREAT day!

My Blog is so pretty!

2006-03-31T09:03:00.000-05:00

I am so happy.... Look at my pretty blog! Now, I feel complete. I am such a geek. O.k., this is what happen. I decide I am going to have a blog of my own. After reading all the great knitting blogs out there, I thought I would like to join the bandwagon. Little did I know it's not that easy. I had to reach out for some help, and help I got. I cannot believe how kind the knitting community is when you ask for some assistance. A wonderful girl, who had a cool blog that I liked, e-mailed me back and started me on my "blog journey." Karen not only fixed all my problems, but went out of her way to help me. Thank you so much, Karen! I love how the blog came out and now I am enjoying adding my little snipets here and there to make it my own.

As far as knitting goes, my sticks have gotten a little cold. I did work on the "flip-flop saga" yesterday while I was sitting at dance class for my chick. I want to get rolling on a black to-be-felted purse, but have had a heck of a week. Thankfully, it is friday and I can start relaxing now. (My chicklet was at a week long sleep away gig for school and I was a nervous wreck, but her sweet little body is sawing zzz's upstairs as I am typing and I am so happy. All my chicklets are back in the nest!)

Now, I am off to try and knit a few rows while my house is quiet. By the way, isn't this weather AWESOME? I walked/jogged 5 miles yesterday and can't wait to do that again today. Thank the Lord the snow and freezing temps are gone! (Now I hope I didn't jinx myself!)

Stitch Marker making day!

2006-03-27T14:55:00.000-05:00

My chicklets and I made stitch markers yesterday. They love sitting with me and being creative. "Does this look good, Mom?" We made a few and then I did some packaging. I'll take some pictures of my packets once I get them done. Want to try and sell some. Of course I have to share the profits with the little munchkins that helped. They already want to know how much I plan to give them. By the time I buy the beads and other supplies, the packaging and then put them together, I won't have much for a profit. It will all go to the chicklets! Oh well, that's o.k. It's all for fun anyway. I finished my flip flops that were ordered and now I am working on my own. I want them done so they can have them for spring. Of course they want their toes painted as well. Such girly-girls! I want to say an extra big THANK YOU to my brother-in-law Kenny for all the help he gave me on Saturday. My blog is looking better and better. Another huge THANK YOU goes out to Karen. My newly found knitting/blogging buddy who has been a tremendous help in getting me to understand the blogging world much better. Thank you for all your "tutorials" and kind words! I'm still working on the blog, but I hopefully will have it finished soon.

I finished the little blunder...

2006-03-24T21:02:00.000-05:00

I finally finished the little blue blunder. I followed the pattern, but it really is a small purse. It didn't look that way in the picture given, but the prefelted measurements were 10" from the base to where the handles attached. The finished size went to 6.5". It came out cute, but is definitely going to be a purse I use when I only want to carry a wallet. (Come to think of it, my wallet won't fit in it!) Oh well, I could throw a lipstick, my id and some moolah, and away I go. Who's kidding who? When do I go out without my whole brood in tow and not with my purse full of snacks, wipes, tissues, gum and all the other things that my family is always asking me for? It's nice to dream about a night out, right? I am trying to get a little knitting night set up. Thought I could call a few people I know that knit and see if we could meet at a local coffee shop or something and just knit and gab for a while. A few people I asked think it might work, so let's hope a nice little knitting group can be created. I recently found out about something called, "Project Spectrum." I am looking into that and seeing if I can try it. Sounds like fun. Still on the, "can't figure out this darned computer" bandwagon. I have a great fellow knitter/blogger new friend that has been trying to help. I hope to have some sidebar things added soon. I just love reading all those cool knitting blogs and seeing all the neat things they do. Hopefully, my blog will look better soon!

Stitch markers galore!

2006-03-23T22:25:00.000-05:00

It's so late and here I am adding my blog for tomorrow because I will be busy and won't have the time to share my fun project. My chicklets and I sat for two hours and made these really cool stitch markers. I must say that we didn't get a lot of them made in the two hours we sat on the floor and did them, but we were in the learning process. It was so much fun to do with them and they had fun thinking we might be able to sell them. My little entrepreneurs! The glass beads were being used primarily for my little one's earring making endeavors, but I went and got some more and she was willing to share and give me her creative input! We used stretchy string instead of wire. I have seen them done on wire, but did not have any to try my hand at that. So, we figured we would try the 1mm stretchy string and it worked. It's thicker and very strong, so they won't break. I had such a time seeing the little holes in the beads and putting the string through. Mostly because I can't see at night! My chicklets were easily putting the beads on and doing the crimping for me. We had so much fun. Anyone have any how-to's for using the wire? I would love to hear from you. I don't know what gauge to use or if there are straight wire "pieces" that work well. All in all, I am very happy with the results of our efforts. Very pretty to add to my knitting projects! Tres' elegant!

Gifts from Sue

2006-03-23T08:48:00.000-05:00

I got some pretty new yarn! Well, I got it last week, but I finally could get the picture uploaded to show. The purple and green yarn is an Adrienne Vitadinni 100% wool yarn that has a pretty texture to it. I have never felted with a textured wool. Does anyone have any input on that? Wondered how that would look when the felting was done. The steel blue colored yarn was also a 100% wool (Plymouth, I believe) and was so inexpensive, I couldn't leave it there. I wanted to try a new purse pattern. (The one that is not really going that great, but I am still pressing on with!) I figure I will either have a really pretty purse or a very small "change purse size" beauty. I plan to wash it as soon as my husband and little one are awake. Don't want to make alot of noise since I have my coffee and the quietness of my house for a few minutes! Have been loving to read all the great blogs out there. I found two this morning with beautiful ideas. A great sock pattern at www.knitty.com. I believe it is called, "Thuja." Sorry I can't link you directly to the sock. I haven't learned how to do that yet. My brother-in-law is a computer teacher and has offered to help me. I really need to call him! I plan on trying my hand with this sock pattern and hopefully, I will be alright. I am trying to find a class, locally, I can join to get some help with it. My friend, Diane, teaches at All About Art in Monroe and could probably set up a class soon. (Or at least I hope!) Diane, are you listening? O.k., off to knitting while the knitting is good!

My circular needle case

2006-03-22T13:48:00.000-05:00

I finally got my pictures to post. I did something really ingenious.... I restarted my computer! Duh, I am really in need of a computer class. My chicklet knows more than I do. My circular case came out cute. Not perfect because of the way the felting finished. It was not a perfect rectangle and then I made the lining for the needles and really noticed it. But, all-in-all, I like what it looks like and is giving me a place for all my needles. I am working on a purse now that is definitely not working out well. The pattern was WAY off. I am interested in looking at the finished, felted piece though, so I don't want to pull it apart. Thought it would be a learning experience if I just kept going and saw what happens to it. If it is way too small, one of my little ones will love it anyway. I am starting a knitting class next week with some kids at school. This will be the third session this year and I am so happy to see the results of it. I usually have about ten kids start the class. They range from somewhat knowledgable to not a clue what to do with knitting needles. At the end of the classes, I end up with ten happily knitting little girls that chat and knit and just look absolutely adorable sitting there with their newly found skill. I feel like I have done something they will always look back on and say, "I really loved that knitting class when I was little." Gives me a smile at the end of my day!

I am frustrated!

2006-03-21T09:05:00.000-05:00

I have some pictures of my new yarn as well as my felted circular needle case that I would like to add to my blog. Well, I upload the pictures and when the window pops up to add to the blog, it's empty! I have tried a few times and am now thouroghly frustrated. So, I will have to get those pictures in here somehow, just am still trying to figure it out! On the knitting front, I am busy with a little purse that may end up being the size of a change purse when I finish and felt it. The pattern was a little off with it's needle size and yarn type. It's a cute design, but unfortunately the instructions are seriously lacking. If I can get this blasted blogger to get my pictures posted, I will show the finished piece. In any event, my day has been busy from the minute I got out of bed and is jammed packed today. I had a moment to sit and blog, so I must go now. The moment is over! More tomorrow, hopefully with pictures!

Another cold Sunday....

2006-03-19T11:17:00.000-05:00

Well, another day of cold weather. Unfortunately, you get a couple warm days and feel good about getting out with a light jacket and no socks (yes, I actually wore a slip on shoe without socks on!) and mother nature throws us a curve ball and brings back the snow. It actually snowed last night and is lightly snowing right now. The socks went back on.....

I am working on a new project. I couldn't take the flip-flop saga anymore and at 9:30 last night, I sat in bed and started a new felted purse. I found a GREAT website with beautiful felted bags and other patterns that just made me feel like I had to try one. The site is www.knittychick.com I am using some of the new yarn I just got from my friend for my birthday. It's a pretty steel blue color and I am going to add a flower to the front of the purse when I am done. Maybe in navy or I'll go crazy and put a bright pink for Spring. I tried to get a photo uploaded today, but the darned thing wouldn't work. Maybe too many people on line today. I'll try tomorrow to show my project. Happy knitting!

Phoebe, aka, smelly cat........

2006-03-18T11:01:00.000-05:00

This is our sweet kitty, Phoebe. We have been calling her "smelly cat" lately because she has a medical problem that has been causing her to, sorry to say Phoebe, STINK! We love her, so no matter how bad she smells, we still cuddle and keep her close by. (Some days are harder than others, though!)

My knitting has been predominately flip-flops (what else is new?) but I would like to branch out soon and do a felted black bag. I just went to Selma's Yarn store in Southbury and had some fun. My dear friend, Sue, gave me a gift certificate for my birthday which was burning a hole in my pocket to spend. I found some great yarn and plan on working with it soon. I just love yarn stores and wish I had one close by. However, I am sure if it was near by, I would spend too much money! Better to be a drive away! I have such a yarn stash at my house that I could knit for a year and still not run out of yarn. Well, off to finish making dinner. Cornbeaf and cabbage tonight in honor of St. Patty's day. Yum, yum!

Flip-Flop Galore!

2006-03-16T15:45:00.000-05:00

Well, I am getting there! I have made quite a few flip flops in the past week and still have about eight more to do. They come out so pretty and they look so adorable on the kid's feet. I make sure to have their toes painted to match and then they are really stylin'.

Life is good. Had an absolutely wonderful day on tuesday. My dear friend and I sat over a glass of wine (or two, but who's counting!) and caught up on alot of stuff we never get to talk about since life is always on the run with our families. We laughed so much, I thought for sure the bartender was going to cut us off. Then, my handsome man took me out to dinner and gave me some BEAUTIFUL earrings. He really is such a good guy. (Not just because he gave me diamonds, he truly is wonderful!) So, my birthday turned out to be a lovely day and wasn't so taxing on my emotions the way I thought it would be. Getting old is just a state of mind.....

Yuk, it's my birthday....

2006-03-14T16:20:00.000-05:00

Well, I have been dreading this day coming, but here it is. Birthdays don't usually bother me, but this one is. I think the 20's seem so far gone, but I feel like I'm still there. Time to grow up, huh? You are only as old as you feel and I feel great! Keeping my attitude up and happy helps. Well, I am not knitting today. All day has been running around doing errands and now I am the taxi for my chicklets. I will be having dinner with my number one guy later, so that will be nice. Birthdays have some plus factors....

Yeah, it's warm and sunny today!

2006-03-11T13:52:00.000-05:00

I can't tell you how happy I am to feel the warmth again outside. I actually wore capri yoga pants and took a 5 mile walk. No mittens, hat or scarf! Let's hope this is an on going trend and I can walk everyday. My blog is hurting right now. I do not have a clue about HTML or all the little things you need to do to add to the sidebar. I want to make categories for my knitting and other interests, plus I want to add links. It's all Greek to me. But, I won't give up. Still trying. Well, I am off to get some more fresh air. Thank you God!

Cute toes, aren't they?

2006-03-10T19:00:00.000-05:00

DSC01172
Originally uploaded by ya-yaknits.

Here are my little chicklet's feet modeling one of the many flip flops I am knitting. I have about 20 I am working on for orders and friends that wanted them for Easter. They look so cute on the kids and moms too! I am hoping to get them all done as soon as I am able. Knitting in the car, knitting while I am waiting for the chicklets, knitting while I sit outside watching the kids play. I am knitting CONSTANTLY! I think I am getting a nervous tick from all this flip-flop making.

Blogging Woes

2006-03-10T09:06:00.000-05:00

Well, I am perplexed with my blog. I am trying to put some links into my blog as well as "categories" like the site I love, www.majorknitter.typepad.com. She shows you all kinds of cool things she has knit as well as cooking and other interests in categories that you can click on. I cannot figure this out! My chicklet and I have sat here looking through all the help buttons and have yet to get it done. Anyone reading this that knows what I am talking about or could help me in any way, please e-mail me! I have so many things I would love to add to my site and share. It's fun to read others knitting experiences (since I don't have any friends that are really into knitting like I am!). So, I appreciate any help. If you are out there, and know what to do on blogger.com, I all ears.

Spring, where fore art thou?

2006-03-09T08:38:00.000-05:00

Well, I officially am sick of wearing socks 24/7. I miss my toes. A nice, relaxing pedicure is due for me and a new pair of pretty sandals. These are for my "dance mom" friend that ordered a pair for her daughter instead of giving too much candy for Easter. I have to run out today and buy 8 more pair since I have been getting a bunch of phone calls to knit some more. (Of course my own chicklets want them too and have their orders in for color preference!) I will surely be sick of them by the time I get them all knit and sewn together! I want to get that Opera Scarf started since I have two balls of a beautiful angora yarn that I have been saving for something special. I also want to get a black felted bag started since I have been carrying around a pink one that I have grown tired of. I am nuts, aren't I? I have sooooo much to do and feel the need to add more to the pile. Oh well, this all keeps me sane. Have a happy Wednesday!

2006-03-08T10:06:00.000-05:00

Here's another picture of my knitted, felted purses. I get alot of my handles at Michael's Craft Store and Jo-Anns Fabrics. I am told there is a wonderful store in Manhattan, called M&J Trims (?). Not sure if that is the correct name, but close, I hope. I am planning to jump on the train soon and visit NYC for a day of yarn store hopping. My husband is not quite into going to NYC to look at yarn stores, so I will be going with friends that find that as fun as I do!

Have a great day and try and fit some knitting in!

2006-03-08T09:17:00.000-05:00

Hello! I finally got the whole "attach-the-camera-to-the-computer-and-download-the-picture-thing." It's not as easy as my friends say it is, but I am slowly getting it. My daughter is better at this stuff than I am, but alas, she is at school. Anyway, this picture is a little sample of what I am working on these days. I started knitting scarves and then got a bit bored. Although, I was on a great website the other day and found a terrific pattern for an "Opera Scarf" that is now on my list of "I need to knit that!" If you want to see it go to www.majorknitter.typepad.com She's got a great blog site and is very informative about knitting.

As you can see with my purses pictured, the "felting bug" bit me and my washer has never been the same since. I knit purses in every pattern I can get my hands on and felt away! I always line them, unless they are the small evening bag type. Lining really gives it a finished look. I even use the small magnetic closures to keep the top closed. I sold some at our church's Christmas fair recently, but haven't branched out to boutiques in the area. I have seen alot of the same type of purses out there selling for more than I charged and they weren't even lined. Truly, I am not in the business of selling my wares, but when people call me, I am happy to make a buck or two. Guess where I head with the money burning a whole in my felted bag? Yep, the yarn store. I am addicted to all those yummy fibers! I just love to knit and knit and knit.

My next project, that seems to be peeking my friend's interests, are knitted flip flops. I'll post a picture once I get a pair done. I went to dance class and, of course, was knitting while I waited for my ballerinas to finish twirling. My "dance Mom friends" all liked the flip flops and ordered some for their girls for Easter. Better than giving the kids candy!