I have had the best birthday today! My sweet husband was my beck & call man all day, fixed a wonderful breakfast of crepes and fruit, we sat in the garden and drank champagne, fixed a delicious meal for dinner, gave me a delightful foot rub and another bottle of champagne to finish off my day. Could a girl get any luckier than me? I love my husband!

There's no place like home!

First I took my 87yo mom to Virginia to see all of her siblings. Then, one afternoon at home and left on a plane for 5 days in Dallas, TX to see our grandson, Barrett. We had a great time and went to the Ft. Worth Zoo to see the animals that are not family....LOL!

The clapotis was perfect for plane knitting and my worries about getting my needles on the plane were for naught. Although, I did get separated out at security and frisked coming and going because of my fake knee!

Wow! It has been a while since my last post. My poor laptop got sick, but is fine now, thank goodness! I went into a little withdrawal without Ravelry!

But I have been busy. My knitting is coming along nicely, my Clapoti and my first successful toe-up socks. Both are going to be my vacation knitting. I pray the airline will let me knit on the plane! More scary is the idea that they may take my needles away! Scary, very scary. I am taking a hard envelope along, stamped and addressed to myself so maybe I can mail them to myself if they won't let me take them on the plane.

Our gardens are blooming so beautifully right now. We have had way too much rain and the flowers have suffered some, but are still gorgeous.

I love my son.

He's funny, he's frustrating, he's bright, he's very intelligent, he's aggravating, he's a redneck, he's hardheaded, he's hard-working, he's gross, he's sweet, he's loving and he's my son....... and I love him like crazy. Of course, he gets all the good traits from me and the undesirable traits from his father (whom I am no longer married to, thank goodness). Aren't I bad? Anyway, as far as his connection to my knitting...he laughed at me when I told him that Tracy Ullman was a knitter and therefore, a good person. What nerve he has. I may disown him............................not!

Can I have your autograph?

I had such a wonderful time at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival yesterday!

I met lots of lovely, sweet-faced animals.

I met Ysolda Teague.

I met Jess and Mary-Heather.

And I met Casey.

They are all just as sweet and friendly as they appear in these photos. I was so happy to meet them and tell them personally how happy I am that they gave us Ravelry.

Oh yeah! and last, but not least I bought lots of yummy yarn!

We're off to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival tomorrow!! I have been so excited, I cannot believe how excited. I am looking forward to meeting Ravelry friends and the critters. I'm taking my camera, so that I can take lots of photos.

I have been in such a funk with my knitting lately. It seems that every project I have going on is either frogged or in need of frogging! Depressing. I don't know what's going on with me. Maybe I just put too many projects on the needles and haven't devoted enough time to each to really do them well. Whatever. I'm hoping to get a jolt of enthusiasm this weekend at the festival.

The behinder I get...

I had to frog my Pomatomus because it was too small for me. Sigh......

Frustration comes in beautiful colors!

Forgive my poor pictures, lack of skill is the only excuse! This is as far as I've gotten on the Triinu shawl. Pretty pathetic. I'm having trouble on a couple of things. First these Signature needles. The Yarn Harlot was so tickled with them, of course I had to have a pair too. They just slip right out of my hands and my stitches with the blink of an eye! Pretty frustrating for a first time lace project. I was sorry that I didn't have a set of size 3 Brittany needles for this project. I think they would not be so slippery.

Second, I'm really struggling with these nupps. The instructions in the book are very clear and easy to understand. They should be easy, but not for me yet. I will keep going, no matter how slowly.

Right now I'm going to set down with a glass of wine while my husband cooks my dinner and work on my Pomatomus sock that is coming along very nicely, thank you. I have to try to keep up with my KAL! Photos soon (hopefully good ones).

Too sweet for words!

I had such a sweet surprise when I came home this afternoon from a very sweet dinner with my DH. My stepdaughter, Nydia, had left a gift for me. It is the "Charted Patterns for Sweaters That Talk Back" byLisa Anne Auerbach. I have been a fan of LisaAnne since I found her on Ravelry. I so admire her imagination, determination, artist's spirit and courage to put her thoughts onto wearable art. I was so tickled to recieve this wonderful gift. And, if I ever venture into color work, I told Nydia I would make one of these fab sweaters and we could share!






Then, as if my day wasn't already full to bursting with sweet things, my sweet Nellie decided to take a nap on David while he tried to take a nap. Too sweet for words!

Well, it's been awhile and frustration has been rampant in me. I have 6 (yes, 6) projects on the needles, two for KALs and my first lace project (the afore-mentioned Triini) and I just don't have the time to sit and concentrate on any of them! Aaaaarrrggggghhh!

This is for my Ravelry friend, Felixsisknits.......
http://www.jantsart.blogspot.com/2009/04/do-you-follow-blogs.html I'm guessing this is what is meant by linking to your blog entry in my blog. I feel stupid, not being more computer literate. But each new effort teaches me something I didn't know before!

Gee, I wonder.......

Can anyone guess what I'm starting next? LOL! Check out my new Signature needles! They are beautiful and I am looking forward to my first lace project with these needles. They feel so wonderful in my hands. How can I fail?

Seriously, folks....

I finally got out of my earlier funk and started the Kate Gilbert "Clapotis". I struggled getting it started, but now am doing well, I think. I always have a problem slipping stitches on a knit row, because I don't know whether I should slip knitwise or purlwise. Is there some general rule like always slip purlwise, unless stated otherwise? Inquiring minds want to know!

When I die....

I want to be a cat in my house! Don't they look happy and content? What a life!

bitch, bitch, bitch

I could just scream! I have been sick for two days, my doctor has given me a hand brace because I have arthritis in my thumb and I can't get my mind focused on my knitting. I totally lost any affection for the tutaat socks, what a pain they are, my husband's sweater and my garter stitch shawl are both hibernating and so I decided yesterday, when I was trying to feel better, that I would organize and record my stash. Well, let me tell you, I know I don't have near as much as some people do, but I've got so much yarn that I actually felt guilty. My sweet husband was going to take me back to visit Uncommon Threads in York, PA today, but when I had my stash spread all over our sitting room.....I actually told him I couldn't bring myself to buy more yarn. (I know, I should go have my head examined. My stomach virus has infiltrated my brain!) I have gorgeous wools, cashmere, silks, Manos, Malabrigo, etc.. How could I buy more when I haven't knit anything spectacular out of any of the gorgeous yarn I have? Sooooo, I decided I need to knit a lace shawl.

I have noticed in Ravelry that some people are stash-busting and I guess I better join the crowd! I'm sorry that I've caught on kinda late with the Malabrigo March, but I may still get at least one project done. If I can just get my mind to settle on a pattern!

TUTAAT progress

OK, it has been slow, but I'm finally on a roll with these today. The first 10+ rows were really difficult for me because of my sore hands. I felt as though I was in a wrestling match with pushing and pulling the needle and stitches around on the magic loop. I didn't have too much trouble figuring out the toe up two at a time process. I just had to keep stopping to allow my hands to stop hurting. Now, though, I have gotten the toes finished and am about to start the instep. The weight of the socks have made the needle wrangling much easier. This yarn is a light worsted weight and I chose an Addi Turbo US size 4 with 40" cable. I had read that this was a good choice for magic loop. Next time I will try my KnitPicks 32" cable to see if it might be easier on my old hands.

Virgin TUTAAT Sock Knitting

Tonight my DH is off on a winter night hike and I am cozy at home with a lovely pot of tea, my favorite movie "Amelie" keeping me company and my first attempt at the Magic Cast on for toe up two at a time sock knitting! I am confident and am looking forward to a new knitting experience. May the force be with me :)!

Progress and Age

I did manage to knit for many hours yesterday and did accomplish a good bit on the first front piece of David's sweater. I really like this yarn (Kathmandu DK) I have enough of the same yarn in blue to make another sweater. Maybe next year.

I'm pooped today. I'm actually going to lie down instead of knit for the next hour. I must be getting old!

No more Mitts!

OK, I just looked at my last several posts and there will be no more Mitts. My next small project will be a tea cozy from my new book Tea Cozies. I like have small quick knit projects going on during my big projects so that I have some variety and I don't get bored.

Pretty is as pretty does.

Aren't they pretty?

Another pair to add to the herd.....

I have finished my fourth pair of Garter Stitch Mitts. These are for my stepdaughter, Nydia. She loved the color, Brick Red in Swish Worsted from Knitpicks. It is very nice yarn. Now on to the sweater for my DH. Monday is a holiday for me and I hope to make great progress on one side of the front. I did complete the back and feel really good about the size and fabric of this sweater so far. I am using Kathmandu DK wool and it is very nice to work with. I will post pictures very soon.

Monster made!

I finished the green monster! Finished, finished, finished!

And the winner is...Me!

My decisions to have a pattern (outline on my instructions) and to save sewing up the first glove until I could match the second one to it's size was spot-on! Today I'm determined to finish the Green Monster....the Reader's Wrap I've been working on for 1 1/2 years. I want to be finished with it so that I can start other project with a clear conscience. I have about 85% completed, so if I sit still and knit all day I should be able to do it, no problem.

Boxing Gloves

I feel as though I fight with these fingerless mitts everytime I make a pair. I'm on my third pair and my copy of the pattern looks battleworn. The instructions are not clear enough for me. I need everything spelled out in exact detail and I have to make notes on my copy for every problem I encounter. And I cannot count garter stitch rows. I know that each ridge should count for 2 rows, but I envariably end up with the incorrect side facing me. What a mess I am. So far the 2 pair I have completed are really nice, but in each pair one glove is bigger than the other. So now I have an outline right on the pattern of the first glove in this third effort traced right there to match up to with each glove before I sew them up. I am not sewing the first up until the second is finished to make sure they are the same size. I will win this round for sure ;)

Knitting Zen Wisdom

Knitting has changed me. I guess I really should say that knitting exposed traits in me that I did not believe were there. I have always been a "get it done and move on" kind of person, never quibling over whether something was perfect or completely done. Careless and sloppy you might think. But I am a different person with my projects. I want them perfect and even one tiny mistake in a pattern will make me nuts enough to frog back an entire piece just to make it right. Too funny, really, in a sad kind of way. I wonder how my life would have been different if I could have been as careful and caring with everything else I've had my hands in. But as I write this, I think I understand that it is just a matter of what you love, or what's important to you as to how much of yourself you might be willing to invest. My husband's sweater is vastly more important to me than how well I mopped the floor. Makes perfect sense to me.

I am soooo happy! I'm off work the next 3 days and I am singing! I will be knitting, indulging in good wine, good knitting, good friends coming to dinner, and a sweet, loving husband, who will be home with me! Happy, happy, happy!

Not Enough Time to Knit

I am always frustrated by other things I have to do....like go to work, or do the housework, or clean the catboxes! I never have enough time to knit. Wah!