If Everyone Else Jumped Off A Bridge

I most likely would too.

I'm weak when it comes to joining in when everyone else is having fun. So that up there is 6 ounces of Garnet Zephyr for the Secret of the Stole II that will go to my aunt for Christmas this year. If I actually finish it. I'm hoping that having someone in mind and buying yarn specifically for that someone in mind (my aunt's birthstone is garnet) will be the encouragement I need to finish.

My poor Mystery Stole 3 is still sitting here on my desk not even bigger than the first clue. I really need to pick it up and finish it because I love the pattern. Of course I have absolutely no idea where or when I'll ever wear it since beautiful lace stoles don't exactly go well with jeans and tees.

Now that I've finished ranting you'll have to excuse me while I run off to order yarn for the Spring Shawl Surprise. What? I said I was weak.

Christmas in January

I can't believe I never posted about my awesome, amazing Christmas gifts this year.

This is one of the lamps form the pair that my sweet baby boy (good thing he doesn't read the blog, he'd have a fit that I called him that) made just for me with his own 2 hands for Christmas. He didn't get to finish them until after they got back to school from break but let me tell you what, they were so worth the wait! He never ceases to amaze me. Gorgeous!

I also got the most beautiful cashmere scarf from Sue. I'd show you a picture but my camera doesn't seem to be cooperating. It's awesome. And soft. And warm. And I love it! Thanks again Sue! You're the greatest!

My Box

One of the participants in the Mystery Jacket KAL asked yesterday if it was ok that she always ends up choosing the same colors for everything she knits for herself. I wrote her back and said that we all have a color or 2 that we find work really well on us and that it's very common to gravitate towards those colors when we knit. I went on to say that I used to be guilty of the same thing but that recently I've been stepping out of my little box. That was a lie.


I always tend to go for blue when I knit for me. See all that gorgeous blue wool up there? That is to be my Mystery Jacket. Oh sure, I own shirts and coats in other colors. BUT they were bought at the store. Not knit. By me. With my time. And if I'm going to knit something for me with my hands and my time...it's very obviously going to be blue.

I've set up a Ravelry group for the KAL too if you want to check things out there. 17 people have signed up already. This is going to be SO much fun!

ETA: I completely forgot to add this in here before hitting publish...

I answered Leslie's questions in an email to her but thought you might all be interested in hearing them:

1. No steeks! LOL
2. It's a cardigan.
3. No colorwork. The contrast color is brought in (if you want to add a contrast color, the choice is yours as the jacket can easily be worked all in one color) as a border around the jacket panels after they're knit.

It's a Mystery to Me

Ok, so I have this idea. The class we're doing at the LYS is a sampler jacket. We're doing 7 classes, one each Sunday for 2 hours. I've seen the jacket and it's so very cool. I'm really excited about it and as my excitement grows I want to share it with everyone. So, how about we do this as a Mystery Jacket Along??? Come on, it'll be fun. I promise. We're working the jackets in Lamb's Pride Worsted so it's super affordable and there are tons of colors to choose from. Wanna jump in and get knitting??? Here's what to do...

1. Go check out the colors of Lamb's Pride here.
2. Choose either one color for the entire jacket OR choose a main color and one contrasting color.
3. Call (518-523-9230) or email Sue with your color choice(s) and your email address.

Sue will order your yarn and forward your email address to me so I know you'll be participating. As soon as I receive your email address I'll send you the gauge and suggested needle information.

The official start date will be February 9th so everyone has almost a month to get their yarn and swatch. On February 9th I will email everyone the first panel of the sweater and will continue to release a portion of the sweater each and every Sunday until the entire pattern has been handed out.

Get on over to the Brown Sheep website and choose your yarn! It's going to be a blast!!!

ETA: This pattern was originally written as a way to teach sweater construction as well as different techniques. There are different options to match your skill level. Don't be afraid to try this if you've never knit a sweater. It's easy enough for a beginner but exciting enough to keep even an expert knitter interested. :-)

New Pets

You thought I was going to show you pictures of new puppies huh? We have our hands full with Dexter at the moment. Each morning is a little like Christmas with him. We come down to see what sort of presents he's chewed and left on the floor for us. No matter how well we think we've put everything out of his reach he still manages to find something to get into. I must post a current picture of him soon so you can see how big he's gotten. He'll be 5 months old tomorrow and already weighs over 50 lbs. Dixie seems to be shrinking as he grows. She looks so tiny compared to him. Anywho...


Here are the pretty, pretty yarns that found their way into my home within the past week or so:

Damselfy Yarns Sturdy Sheep Blend in Midnight Storm I received in the Black Yarn Junkies Swap. Thanks Melissa!

Lightweight Socks that Rock in Jade that I traded for on Ravelry.

Mediumweight Socks that Rock in Monsoon that I bought from another Ravelry user.

Vesper Self Striping in Crew that I bought from a Ravelry user.

There's also a gorgeous hank of Yarntini that I had photographed that my camera seems to have eaten that I'll show you later. It's called Designated Driver and it's a gorgeous blue. Yum!

Hope you're all having a great weekend! I'm off this afternoon to teach a class at the LYS. We're doing a sweater pattern where you get one piece of it a week for 7 weeks. I think it's going to be loads of fun. I can't wait to see what colors everyone chooses.

Energize Me

That is 9" of reindeer sweater numero tres. I'm knitting it in Reynolds Signature. I know, it's acrylic. But for some reason it doesn't feel as acrylic-y as the Encore I used for the other 2. Thank goodness. There would be more completed but I had to stop and admire this:

It arrived in the mail and will become this cardigan for Duder. It's amazing to me that they offer so many gorgeous FREE patterns. This will be my first attempt at steeks. Wish me luck.

Velma - Duder is my littlest monkey's nickname. We also call her Dudette. Which is more gender appropriate but for some reason Duder gets used more. My hubby's name is Brandon but I call him hubby or just plain old Bran. I know, not very creative am I? LOL

Dexter has been quite lazy since the cold weather set in. He no longer begs to go out for hours at a time and has been content to lay on the couch. I can only assume this lack of playfulness is out of his control as his stealing a brand new 4 pack of AA batteries off the kitchen counter and eating one of them screams ENERGIZE ME!!!

Sleep Sucks

I finished these up before I left to get Darcie from school yesterday. She put them on as soon as she got in the van and only took them off to eat dinner last night. She's requested more in other colors which I'll happily knit. As soon as I get a pair.

And I did cast on for Duder's reindeer sweater but only got 3 rows of ribbing worked before she woke back up last night. Around 7:45 last night she decided to start throwing things around the house so I decided it was time for bed. I brought her up, read the next chapter in her book, then told her it was time to go to sleep. She laid down and snuggled up with me and told me that sleeping was no fun and she didn't understand why I was making her do it. I explained how getting a good night sleep was important because it keeps us healthy and gives us energy. She pointed out that she's perfectly healthy and has plenty of energy and told me again that sleeping is just not any fun. I told her I was sorry she felt that way but she needed to do it anyway. 2 minutes later she was snoring and I headed back downstairs. I switched the laundry, cleaned the kitchen, and putzed around online for a bit. Then I gathered up all my needles and yarn I would need for the sweater, threw it all in a bag, and plopped on the couch. I cast on and began working the much dreaded 1x1 rib. 3 rows in she started screaming. Bran went up and tried to console her but it didn't work. She NEEDED her mama. I went up and laid down with her to get her to go back to sleep and woke up at 7 this morning. The first thought that ran through my head was that sleeping really isn't that much fun. Especially when it cuts in to my knitting time. Maybe I'll get to have some fun tonight and will have a picture of a cute little green and red reindeer sweater worthy of posting.

Lazy Day

Little Miss Sunshine is still sleeping (btw Leslie, she's STILL sleeping with us), the laundry for the day has been started, and I'm getting ready to finish up Darcie's Fetching that I didn't get a chance to do last night. All I have left is the thumb and my ends so I should only be a few minutes. I am so in love with these mitts that I have to knit a pair for me too. I'm just trying to decide if I want them knit in Malabrigo or not. I know, sounds crazy that I'm having a hard time trying to decide that. This yarn is really nice. I love how soft it is. And warm too. Yum.

If you've not yet knit a pair of these you need to drop everything else you're working on and do them. I made a couple modifications to these like adding some repeats to the cuff and after the thumb hole as well. I used worsted Malabrigo on the size 6 needles the pattern calls for. Oh, and I didn't do the cable cast on or the picot bind off. I just worked my usual long tail cast on and did my bind off following the rib pattern as I wasn't crazy with the look of the picots.

Amy - Since I was only using 2 colors for the sweater I chose to carry my contrast color when I worked the reindeer. I probably should have wound 3 bobbins and worked each deer separately from them but I was being lazy. Since there were just the 2 colors to deal with though it was really ok. If you've not knit with more than one color before, you have to be sure to twist your yarn before starting the new color (just bring the new color under the old color) to avoid holes at your color changes. Also, don't carry your yarn more than 3 stitches (I also broke this rule on these sweaters because I was trying to hurry) so you don't have all those long floats. That will keep the inside of your work nice and tidy. :-)

Thanks so much for all the great compliments on the sweaters and Duder. She has grown so much and is still a constant source of entertainment. LOL I'll be sharing more about that later.

Raining Reindeer

The kids are all back to school today and I'm trying to settle back in to our routine. I love how busy the house is when the kids are home and I really miss it more after we've had a long school break. Today is just a bit too quiet for this mama.

So remember I told you awhile back that I was knitting sweaters for a lady? Check out the 2 I knit this month for her to give them for Christmas:

These photos are of the size 2 sweater knit in light grey Encore:

These are the size 6 knit in charcoal Encore:

Duder liked these so much she's requested a green sweater with red reindeer. I hope to get Darcie's pair of Fetching finished up today so I can cast on for the sweater tonight. The pattern is from Yankee Knitter and is #1.

Happy New Year!

I stole this from Allison. If you fill it out leave me a link so I can read yours. I hope you're all off to the start of a great 2008!

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before? Became the parent of a 16 year old.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't remember making any last year and if I did I obviously didn't keep them. My resolution this year is to blog more often.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Nobody close to me but one of the moms at Pre-K had a baby around Halloween and she's absolutely beautiful.
4. Did anyone close to you die? I'm thinking no because no names are jumping out at me. My dad's brother died a couple months back but we weren't close so it doesn't really count. Right?
5. What countries did you visit? I didn't step foot out of the states. In fact, I barely stepped out of NY. I think we only made the trip to VT a couple times last year.
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? More time with the kids. They're growing way too fast. (See question 1)
7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? July 18th - Dan won the right to choose when/if he visits his father. August 13th - Dan took his road test and passed.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Parenting the 3 most amazing kids in the world.
9. What was your biggest failure? Not being able to do anything about Darcie's visitation. It kills me that she's still being forced to go when the professionals who should be helping her admit she's being abused but won't do anything to stop it from happening.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? The blood clot.
11. What was the best thing you bought? The materials for Darcie's room remodel and Dan's table saw. :-)
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? All 3 of the kids. They're all doing amazing well so far in school. They're kind and considerate and I couldn't be more proud of them if I tried.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Brittany Spears and I'm sure I don't have to tell anyone why.
14. Where did most of your money go? The kids.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Lots of things. The kids birthdays. Dan getting his license. Football. Track. Christmas Eve mass. (Dailaesse was an angel in the procession) Darcie's egg drop project. Darcie's bear project. I could do this all day because there were so many things to get really excited about.
16. What song will always remind you of 2007? Come All Ye Faithful
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
 a) happier or sadder? 
b) thinner or fatter? 
c) richer or poorer? Sadder as there's lots of stupid crap going on with the ex. Thinner. Financially the same.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Cooking.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Arguing with Bran. ;-)
20. How did you spend Christmas? With the kids and it was perfect. We went to Christmas Eve mass and came home to find Santa had come while we were gone. The kids opened their presents and then spent the rest of the night playing. Christmas Day we had breakfast and dinner with my parents and played some more. Doesn't get any better than that.
21. Did you fall in love in 2007? Every day I fall more and more in love with the kids and Bran. They are amazing.
22. What was your favorite TV program? Grey's Anatomy.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Nope. I have a very short list and thankfully wasn't forced to add to it this year.
24. What was the best book you read? Public Secrets by Nora Roberts. Besides knitting books this was the only one I read last year. Must make time to do more reading this year.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Feist
26. What did you want and get? A new bed.
27. What did you want and not get? A new baby.
28. What was your favorite film of this year? Shrek the Third. Yeah, I need to get out more.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I have no idea what I did on my birthday but I do remember that I turned 35. LOL
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Being able to make Darcie feel safe and secure and happy.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? Fashion concept huh? I don't know that you can call jeans, shorts, and tees with the occasional pair of sweats thrown in a fashion concept.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Hillary Clinton.
34. What political issue stirred you the most? The war. It's really time for it to end.
35. Who did you miss? My Grandma Finlayson. She passed away several years ago and I still miss her so much that it hurts. Not a day goes by that I don't think about her.
36. Who was the best new person you met? Bev Galeskas. Amazing woman!
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007. Don't trust that the people put in place by our government to help you will actually do the job their paid to do.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. "It's a great day to be alive I know the sun's still shinin' when I close my eyes. There's some hard times in the neigborhood but why can't every day be just this good?"

Mr. Bear

My middle monkey came home from school on Wednesday afternoon with a cute little stuffed bear. She said they were given the task of decorating the bear and bringing it back to school on Friday so they could be collected and distributed to children overseas who are/living with someone who is affected by HIV/AIDS. She was very excited. She talked a mile a minute about all the things she was going to craft for the bear that would make the little boy or girl who receives it smile. I of course offered to knit for the bear. So around 6pm last night I finally decided to take a look around online for a bear sweater pattern.

I totally fell in love with this pattern. See that smile on old Mr. Bear? He loves it too. Even better, my little monkey's eyes lit up when she saw Mr. Bear in his little sweater. We know now without a doubt it will put a smile on the little face that gets to call Mr. Bear his/her own.

Oh, there's a little hat pattern too that's so cute which I knit up as well. I didn't decide to do it until after midnight though and was too tired to get up this morning to take a picture. Cute, cute, cute. I might have to go out and buy a little bear just to have an excuse to knit some more of these.

Renewed Faith

Is it just me or does it seem as though customer service has really hit the shitter these days? I mean, where are the smiles that used to be on the faces of store owners and their clerks? The ones that sincerely said, "Thank you so much for shopping here and supporting me and mine." Hell, what happened to them actually saying that? My first job in customer service was some 20+ years ago when I worked behind the register at our local Burger King. The owner demanded we treat the customers as they were...the signers of our paychecks. Later on I worked the customer service desk at Ames. We were told the same thing. The customer is always right (No, I don't necessarily agree with that given the fact that I once had to take back a pair of tighty white-ies that had skid marks in them because the customer complained that the waistband had stretched out of shape. I will give him that the waistband was indeed stretched but it was clearly due to the fact that they had been worn much longer (years most likely) than the one time he claimed they had been. Yutz.) and you don't ever engage in argument with them. At the end of the week, they sign your check. This has been pounded into my brain since I was a teenager. I always greeted customers with a genuine smile and an overwhelming desire to help when needed. I wish that same level of concern and willingness to help was extended to myself on the odd occassion I've needed it. Instead, I'm normally met with a rude attitude that spoils my entire day. Sad.

Imagine my surprise when this little lovely turned up in my mail last week.

You see, I recently placed an order with BMFA for 3 hanks of STR. I waited as patiently as I could for it to arrive. For the first 2 weeks I skipped down to the mailbox everyday. After that, I ran down and excitedly threw open the door of the mailbox just knowing that it would be there waiting for me. It wasn't. I checked the status online which showed it had indeed been shipped. I called BMFA and left a message asking if they could possibly tell me when it had been shipped.

I immediately got an email back showing that my package had been delivered to Saranac Lake on November 3rd. I checked the USPS website. Sure as shit, there it was in black and white in front of me. Delivered to Saranac Lake on November 3rd. The next question was where in Saranac Lake because it hadn't been delivered to my mailbox. I called the post office. I left the tracking number and asked that they pretty please check to see where my poor yarn was. They said the postmaster would call the next day. A week passed and the postmaster still hadn't called. I called again. The postmaster told me my mailman remembered that package with that tracking number because it was in a huge cardboard box and he went out of his way to bring it up and leave it on our porch where he then scanned it. I paused. It was only 3 hanks of yarn. Why would it have been shipped in a huge cardboard box? I explained this to Ms. Postmaster and told her that I had indeed received not just 1 but 2 huge cardboard boxes (I finally got my act together and started shopping for Christmas. This is a big deal for me since I normally put it off until a few days before.) within a few days on either side of November 3rd but that neither of them contained my yarn. That was when all hell broke loose. Ms. Postmaster became quite irate and told me that my mailman gave her his word that it was that exact tracking number and that exact huge cardboard box. When I tried again to nicely explain that it couldn't possibly have been and beg for help in tracking down my yarn she really flipped out. I asked what I was to do and who else I could speak to for help. She told me she was it. I asked for the name and number of her supervisor. She told me she didn't have one. I told her I didn't appreciate her unwillingness to help me and she told me I was being ridiculous and I needed to give it up. I told her she was being rude and obnoxious. I think I might even have used the word bitch. She agreed and said that was her and I was stuck with it and then hung up.

I called BMFA again to see if they could offer any suggestions on where to go to get help. They suggested I try the post office once more. (I hadn't told them yet what had happened at the post office already.) I smiled to myself, took a deep breath, and resigned to the fact that I would have to suck it up and go in to the post office the following morning when they reopened. In the meantime, I started calling phone numbers in Albany trying to find out who supervised Ms. Postmaster. Guess what, she really does have one that she has to answer to. I left my complaint and was satisfied to know that someone was actually willing to listen to my concern. (Notice I didn't say that they cared.)

The following day Ms. Postmaster called. I thought she was going to tell me they had found my yarn. Nope. But she did apologize and told me she would go look for my package herself. She called later and said she hadn't turned up anything and if I would bring her BMFA's mailing address as well as an invoice for my purchase that she would get my money refunded. OMG!!! I couldn't believe it. I thanked her very muchly and wrote BMFA to let them know. I told JoAnn all about the incident the day before with Ms. Postmaster and how I was really dreading having to go down there. I was so excited to know that I would be getting my money back so I could reorder the yarn because Hard Rock had been chosen by Duder for socks for her. Her eyes lit up as soon as she saw it and she jumped up and down screaming she had to have it for socks. This is why it was included in my order.

A few days later that gorgeousness above appeared like magic in my mailbox with a card from JoAnn. Yes, she gifted me a hank of Hard Rock to make Duder's socks with. Can you believe that? Anytime I've asked a question of BMFA I've always been met with extreme friendliness but this my friends really takes the cake. They totally went above and beyond and I will forever be grateful for it.

JoAnn, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity and for being so thoughtful, caring, and unselfish. You have truly renewed my faith in customer service.

Long Overdue

Some time ago I received an amazing package from an amazing lady. I immediately tore into it not being able to image what in the world would be inside. This is what I found...

From left to right there is hand dyed superwash merino from All Things Heather in Midnight Frost, 100% BFL from Shelby B's Designs in Mediterranean Nights, and Supersock from CTH in Spanish Moss.

All for me.

From Shelby.

Just to say thank you for spoiling her during Secret Pal.

Thank you Shelby, for taking time out to be so incredibly sweet and generous. It was my extreme pleasure to spoil you. You certainly deserve it. :-)

Shorty Shorts

These are the Tofutsies socks I started months ago for Bran. I absolutely loved the yarn and plan to use it again in the very near future having bought the right needles to use it with. The yarn feels incredibly thin and I felt the need to use a size 1 (2.25) needle with it. Which meant using an old set of dpns. Those of you who know me know how much I hate dpns. Which is why it took several months to complete these socks. Even though I totally love the yarn. They're done now and he loves them. He wanted short socks to wear with his sneakers and these are perfect for him. I'm so glad he loves the things I knit him. Everyone should be so lucky.

On One Hand...

she wore a glove.

One down, one to go. The hand circumfrence is a bit loose and the pinky is a bit tight to get into but I love it anyway. I can't wait to get the other done and start wearing them as soon as it's cold enough.

Thanks for all the sweet comments about Dexter. He is absolutely adorable and we're having such a great time watching him grow. And grow. And grow. I swear this puppy grows at least an inch each night while we sleep. ;-)

Dexter Doggy

This is the latest addition to our family. Isn't he sweet? He's part of the reason I've been so busy and haven't been posting. This is him today at 8 weeks and 3 days old. He's growing so fast.

This is him when we brought him home at 5 weeks and 1 day old on Friday, September 8th. He slept a lot more back then than he does now. We're enjoying watching him grow. He's very playful and still very unsteady on his little legs which makes for some pretty comical viewing.


Dixie was not sure what to make of him for the first few days after we brought him home. She didn't sleep for 48 hours and was more of a handful than he was. She's finally settled in and seems to really love him. She watches him like a hawk and seems to be very protective. She acts as though she thinks he's her puppy.

Giving You The Finger

of my glove...
This is the Gansey Gloves pattern from yarndemon and I'm totally in love with it. Even though I hate working moss stitch it's not bad here since it's such a small number of stitches to work with. The hand circumference is a little big for my hand but everything else is perfect. I'm using Louet Gems worsted in the Willow colorway to match my winter coat. Gorgeous!

Red Silver Splash

This is the Silver Splash pattern from Miss Bea's Colours.

While I like the look of the pattern I don't like the recommended gauge. I've also found a few mistakes in the pattern that would most definitely trip up a new knitter. This is the first pattern I've knit from the Miss Bea series and while there are several others I'd like to knit I'm not so sure I will now. We'll see how sour the taste is in my mouth when I'm done with this one. LOL

This is the coin toss (which we lost) from Saturday's football game (which we won). You can't really see Dan (he's number 74 again this year) but he's right in front of the referee.

Here are some action shots. If you look closely in the center of the pictures you'll see Dan. We smacked the Plattsburgh Hornets 46-0. Looks like the boys are off to the start of another great year.

Hope everyone had a great weekend and that everyone here is enjoying the long Labor Day weekend. We had a blast at the game Saturday (which was also my mother's birthday) and then we just chilled yesterday. Today we're off to finish up a little school shopping so the kiddos will be all set come the end of the week when school starts.

Mellow Yellow

To my Yellow Yarn Junkies pal, anything you choose will be wonderful. But if that doesn't work for you and you insist I choose between worsted or sock, I choose sock. :-) Thanks so much for asking! I can't wait to see what you decide on.

I finished the second Bow Wow sweater and love it even more than the first.

I know it's hard to tell from the photos but the shoulder seams are invisible this time. That makes me so happy that I just want to dance.

Now I just need to finish up a bunch of other stuff. Like the little bunny booties. And the Baby Surprise Jacket. And the Jaywalkers. And the...let's face it...I could do this all day.

Bitty Bunny Bootees

Are these not the cutest damn things you've ever seen? They are the Bunny Animal Bootees from the 50 baby bootees to knit book my wonderful secret pal Melissa sent me last round. I've been itching for an excuse to knit something from this book since she sent it and now I have double the incentive. You see, one of the guys my hubby works with is going to be a brand new daddy in December. To twins! Isn't that exciting? I see lots of cute little bootees in my knitting future.

O Captain! My Captain!

That's right...

DAN MADE CAPTAIN OF THE JV FOOTBALL TEAM!!!

Damn right I'm saying it loud! He was first pick. I'm such a proud mama. :-)

Tofu for my Footsies

I'm totally loving the new color for the Tofutsies sock club. It's black mixed with gorgeous tropical colors like turquoise, yellow, pink, and orange. At least that's what I remember it being. You see, I keep forgetting to buy a ball of it every time I stop at the LYS. Why? Because my LYS has crazy amounts of awesome new sock yarn coming in every other day.

Like this new OnLine that Darcie chose the other day.

It screamed "Jaywalker" as soon as I saw it. I love how it's working up and she is too. She can't wait to get them on her feet. I hope to finish them up before school starts. The pattern is so addicting that I don't think it'll be a problem.

I only thought I might have a touch of ADD before but now I'm pretty certain I do. It's so hard to decide which to buy. Anywho, this new color makes me want to sit by the pool and sip a fancy drink with an umbrella in it. Instead I think I'll sit by the pool and start a new pair of socks. Tomorrow. Because again, I forgot to buy a skein of it. Grrr. If you want some for yourself go visit Sue at Adirondack Yarns. Oh, and just so you know, she's got two big baskets full of Cherry Tree Hill Sockitome. I can see why everyone is raving about this stuff. It's silky and soft and just gorgeous. I think a skein of that will be finding it's way home with me soon too. :-)

My So Called Scarf

I knit this with some beautiful hand dyed yarn that Laura sent me some time ago. It worked up perfect with the pattern and I'm so happy with the way it turned out. Thanks again for the great yarn Laura!

Insanity Insured

He parallel parked. He three point turned. Not a point was deducted. He passed. I was so excited and proud. We stopped and had lunch. We came home. I put in a request to add him to our insurance. I'm still proud but I'm a lot less excited. How is it that one little man can raise your insurance by almost $15oo a year in a matter of minutes??? Holy. Shit.

So this is a little hat I whipped up. It's the Fiber Trends Ear Cozies pattern and I really like it. It calls for size 5 needles so I foolishly used them knowing that I would never make gauge. Guess what? I was right. It's too small for anyone here. I'm sending it off to a great girl who's collecting hats for people in her area. I also knit a yellow one with a larger needle to see how it would work up and it's the size it should be. I'll be sending that one in too. I'll be knitting several more of these for this winter. A couple for Dailaesse and a couple for Bran.

Tomorrow? How about a picture of My So Called Scarf I just finished up? You're gonna love it.

Buckle Up

We're off today to take Dan for his road test. I have mixed feelings about this. I'm super excited for him and I hope that he passes (I think he will, he's an excellent driver) but at the same time, the idea of my baby driving out into the world alone scares the hell out of me. I know it's because I'm having such a hard time with the idea of letting go. I hope that it'll be easier when the girls are ready. I can't imagine going through this at this intensity again. I don't think I have enough brown hair left to handle it. So, keep your fingers crossed for my little man and I'll be back later with the results.

Oh, and for my surprise, I was going to tell you all that my Yarn Pirate Booty Club box had arrived. It was very exciting to me. Not as exciting as a new baby would have been of course. I wish I could report a new baby to be but it doesn't look as though it's in the cards for anytime in the near future. You can keep your fingers crossed and say some prayers for that too. I'd love to have another little monkey to add to the zoo.

I have tons of projects to show and can't wait to share them. Maybe I'll have time to show them when I get back this afternoon.

How about this for some exciting news to tide you over until I get back to post...

I GOT MY RAVELRY INVITE THIS MORNING!!!

My user name is kerryknits.

I promise not to neglect the blog. Although I have been dreadfully neglectful of it lately. This summer has really taken it's toll with Dan learning to drive and needing to be brought back and forth to his job. Things are starting to settle so I should have more time soon. :-)

Quick

Things went very well for my little man Tuesday morning. We were in and out in about 5 minutes. The choice to visit his father now belongs to him and for that he is very happy. Unfortunately, this now means that his sister must visit their father alone. This is quite bothersome for everyone concerned and we're praying that she will also be given the right to choose. So once again, thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated. :-)

I have other exciting news but it will have to wait for now it is time to get the littlest princess to bed...

wish me luck.

I'm Still Alive

So much has happened in the past few weeks (Yes, I said few weeks. I can't stand to admit it's been a month. There. I said it. Month. I'm such a slacker.) since I last posted.

My sweet little man turned 16 on July 11th! It was a very emotional day. I took him to DMV to take his permit test (which he passed on the first try) and we went driving for over 2 hours in the afternoon. It rained in the afternoon just as it had the day he was born. It seemed as though just yesterday the nurse put him in my arms for the first time. So tiny and sweet. And cuddly. So cuddly. I miss those days. He's still just as sweet though and I'm so proud of the young man he's grown to be. Caring. Thoughtful. Considerate. Polite. Amazing sense of humor. I'm very much looking forward to the years ahead. Even though I wish they would slow down. ;-)

Signups have opened for Secret Pal 11. Click the link to be taken to the signup page. It'll be lots of fun.

I have been knitting. Honest. I finished a little hat last night that almost fits the littlest princess. Since I knit tight I wasn't quite knitting to gauge and I wasn't worried about it because I was really just doing it to see how the pattern knit up. My friend was trying to knit it and was having a little trouble so I tried it to see what the deal was. I really love the pattern (Fiber Trends Ear Cozies) and plan to knit another with larger needles so it'll actually fit an adult head.

I signed up for the Mystery Stole 3 project. I started my stole the day I joined and made it to row 41 before screwing up so badly that I couldn't fix my own mistake and had to rip the entire thing. I will start it over really soon though because I absolutely love it. I've got ebony Zephyr sitting here on my desk calling my name.

I've almost completed the last cabled sweater I was working on. All it needs is some seaming and the collar. I just might do that this afternoon.

I finished a sock for Bran and started it's mate.

I ripped my Aunt Noreen's sock out and am back to the heel again. I totally didn't need to rip the entire sock but I was having a bad day. It's STR so it gave me a good excuse to knit with it a little longer. Yeah. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I started a My So Called Scarf in some great hand dyed yarn that Laura (thanks again so very much!!!) shared with me some time ago. It's perfect for the pattern and is working up so nicely.

There's more but I can't seem to think of them right now. I'll be sharing pictures really soon. Like maybe tomorrow or Wednesday. Most likely Wednesday. Tomorrow is court for Dan (hopefully for Darcie too) and I'm a wreck like usual. If you could all please say a prayer or keep us in your thoughts it will be greatly appreciated. I'll check in quickly tomorrow to let you know how they make out.

Thanks for the kick in the pants Leslie! ;-)

It's No Secret

Not anymore. My pal for SP10 was Melissa and she was wonderful. I've really enjoyed the emails we've shared and am now looking forward to getting to know her a little better through her blog. Just look at the great reveal package that arrived from her today:

How awesome is this? She covered lots of ground with some great Rowan all seasons cotton for 4th of July summer knitting, Gudona Soap & Spa (I've just recently discovered this company myself and they are fantastic!) Tangerine Dreams Whipped Clean and Cupcake Soap for helping me relax the first day of school, Rowan yorkshire tweed chunky for a hat or scarf for Christmas, a cute wooden pumpkin for Halloween because it's my favorite holiday, 50 baby bootees to knit book that I've been craving just because, and some bubbles and chalk for the kiddos!

Thank you so very much Melissa for being such a super pal!!! I've really enjoyed chatting with you and hope to continue doing so. :-)

Tea Swap Sweep

My amazing partner Kelli (who just got in to Ravelry, BTW) sent me the most awesome goodies. In addition to the teas she sent, she also sent this gorgeous handpainted-just-for-me cup.




Have you ever seen a more beautiful piece of art? Gorgeous.


Then a huge, heavy boxed arrived in the mail today.

Can you believe this??? That's a cool checker game that we'll all use, Amish popcorn that I can't wait to try (we have popcorn almost every night so Kelli was right on the money with this), Mint Julep lotion and Sunset Mango soap/shampoo/bubble bath that both smell incredible, Panda sock yarn, Apple Laine Apple Pie sock yarn in Royal Blue that I have so been dying to try, chocolates that are so sinfully delicious they had to be put way in the back of the cupboard so as to limit my contact with them, elegant pearl stitch markers, hard candie and FRUIT STRIPE GUM!!! The kids were all over that. In fact, you can see the knee of the littlest monkey in the far right of the picture. I left the goodies on the counter while I went in to get the camera and when I came back there she was. Sitting on the counter.

Does that face scream "I'm up to no good" or what??? LOL She's trying to be cute and innocent to make up for the fact that she climbed up on the counter to get the "candy canes" and gum she saw sitting there calling her name.

Thank you ever so much Kelli for all the wonderful goodies you sent and for going out of your way to send the special gum the kids love so much. You truly are special!!!

Wild About Socks

Have you guys seen this yet???

It's the new Tofutsies sock club sock and I really like it. I had Sue set one aside for me and have been so busy that I still haven't had a chance to get over to pick it up. It's killing me to know it's just sitting there waiting. I really love the colors and I can't wait to see it in person. I'm going to try to make my way over to the store tomorrow. If anyone else is interested Sue is always more than happy to ship. You can find her at Adirondack Yarns.

The last week has been nuts and the following week or 2 will be more of the same. The kids are at the end of the school year and I've just enrolled the littlest princess in pre-K. It's very hard for me to admit they're growing up. I had a little meltdown on the way home from the bank the other day after taking the prince to open his first ever checking account to deposit his first ever paycheck. He looked over at me and said, "Seriously? You're crying?." I tried to explain how the past few days had been very emotional what with getting ready for pre-K in the fall, him turning 16 in just a few more incredibly short weeks, and his sister starting middle school in the fall. His response? "You're such a dork." I get no sympathy.

Kiss My

sock goodbye...

She's off to the frog pond for the second time. I really wanted to do a short row heel because I love the way the colors are striping but I can't seem to make it work without getting some awful holes in the corners. This is the second heel I've used and while I'm much happier with the way my wraps worked out I still hate the corners. Colin uses a Sherman Heel which looks really great. I want to try it so badly but I just don't know that I have the heart to do it on this sock. If it doesn't work out the way I want it to I'm going to be really pissed when I have to rip it out and do the damn heel flap that I've been trying to avoid. I hate picking up the stitches on the flap and I hate that it totally screws up the pretty striping pattern you sometimes have going. Like on this sock. And this sock is really special because it will be part of a pair going to my Aunt Noreen. I love her to pieces. She's an amazing woman and she totally deserves a pair of hand knit socks. The yarn is lightweight STR Scottish Highlands. We are Scottish. My Uncle Frank (Aunt Noreen's late husband) was so Scottish that he owned a kilt which he proudly wore to all the tattoos. He was so Scottish that he owned bagpipes. (I'd like to tell you all what a wonderful player he was but he really wasn't. He sure did try though and I loved him for that.) Aunt Noreen misses Uncle Frank alot. I hope these socks remind her of him and that they feel like a nice big warm hug every time she puts them on. Of course that's never going to happen if I can't find a heel that is worthy of being part of these special socks.

Here a cable, there a cable,

everywhere a cable...



This is the second sweater in the Bow Wow pattern that was commissioned. I like the blue much better but must admit that the yellow really grew on me. Especially once it was finished. This one is knit in Cascade 220 The Heathers. It's still worsted but this one feels thinner than the yellow so it has a softer drape which I really like. Surprisingly enough, I got the same gauge with the same needles as I did with the yellow. I took this with me to the NYS Track Sectionals yesterday. My little man did really well. He beat his best distances in both shotput and discus. Very cool. Anywho, the back is almost complete now. The cables are awesome!

Tea 4 Me

I have a confession to make. I'm like a little kid when the mail comes. I wait all day long for the familiar sound the mail truck makes. I get excited when I hear it on its way back from the lake because I know it will be coming to MY house next. It doesn't matter if I'm not expecting anything in particular because there's always the chance that there could be a surprise. That being said, imagine how thrilling it is for me when the UPS or FedEx dude pulls up to my house. You know it's got to be something good when they show up because they never bring bills or junk mail. No Sir E. Bob. No junk for them. Just the good stuff.

So when I heard the UPS dude pull up the other day I ran for the door. I threw it open and found a brown box gracing my porch. Hmmm. I didn't remember ordering anything from Republic of Tea. Maybe it was for the neighbor. Nope. It's got my name on it. Hmmm. Then I saw it. The fine print on the bottom of the label telling me this wonderful package was from my KTS3 pal. Whoopee!!! I ran back into the house with Duder hot on my heels. She wanted to know what was in the box and if it was for her. Nope. Not for you this time littlest princess. This one's for me.

Holy crap that's a lot of tea! Lots and lots of yummy tea. Just for me. (Oh, there was Passion Fruit Papaya too but I opened it yesterday to brew a pot.)

Thank you so very much Kelli for the awesome package!!! I can't wait to try the rest of them. :-)

Dose of Duder

So the littlest princess (also known as Duder) begged to go to Wendy's after the track meet tonight. Anyone who's ever had the pleasure of dealing with a tired toddler will surely tell you to take the choice they're offering instead of taking them to the dining establishment of your choice. So we went to Wendy's where she ate her entire chicken kid's meal (this is HUGE for her since she eats like a little bird) and then requested ice cream. I decided to get everyone settled in the van and then get the Frosty's at the drive-thru. I presented the options to Duder...ice cream in the van or no ice cream at all. I'm sure I don't have to tell you which she chose. So we cleaned up our table and headed towards the door. I stopped to dump the garbage while everyone else headed to the foyer to hold the door for us. At the beginning of the line was a large group of kids from Canada. Since I don't speak French I can only assume they were discussing amongst themselves what they were going to order. We had to part our way through the crowd to make it to the doors and as we did I heard my littlest princess say in her biggest most confident voice ever, "BUENOS DIAS!" I laughed so hard my shoulders hurt and I saw stars. When your world is limited to 2 languages and you know it's not one you must assume it's the other. Now if we could just get Nick Jr. to come up with a cartoon that teaches French.

Sunshine Cables

I just finished this little yellow cabled sweater yesterday. (Please note the kid is in her bathing suit and not her underpants. LOL) Actually, to be honest, I finished knitting it almost a month ago but didn't sew the seams until yesterday. I'm so bad about seaming. I always put it off and I really don't know why. Because it's really not that bad. I guess it's just that I much prefer the knitting part.

I really loved this pattern. It's Bow Wow #152 QK by Minnowknits. I knit the size 2 (which is why it's so small on the littlest princess) for the lovely lady who commissioned me to knit sweaters for her grandsons. I will be knitting a size 6 in navy (I think it was navy) really soon. This one was knit in Cascade 220 and was so much fun. The cables keep it interesting enough and it goes really fast. The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the 3 needle bind off for the shoulders and the way the sleeves are picked up. I think the sleeves would have looked much better had they been sewn in instead of picked up. What do you think?

Pure

as Milk & Honey.




I finished these socks for Bran made from Lisa Souza's Sock! yarn in Milk & Honey on Sunday and he wore them to work Monday and yesterday. They fit him perfectly (7" cuff with the foot knit 'til it measured 9.5" before starting the toe) and he loves them. The yarn was an absolute dream to work with and I'm looking forward to using it again. Bran's looking forward to me using it again too. So long as it gets knit into socks for him. ;-)

I made some awesome oat bars at the beginning of the week that everyone (including the pickiest kid in the house) liked. Here's the recipe:

1 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup honey
3 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups slivered almonds

Heat the peanut butter and honey in a large non stick pot over medium heat until runny. Add in oats and almonds and stir until oats and nuts are completely covered. Press into a 9"x13" pan. Cool. Cut into bars and wrap in tin foil. Store in a plastic zip lock bag.

You're not supposed to have to store them in the fridge since the ingredients are all natural but I like them when they're cold. Plus, the peanut butter I used needs to be put in the fridge after it's opened so I'm assuming the bars should be too. I love these in the morning because they're very filling. In the afternoon when I want something sweet these totally satisfy the craving.

Mommy Survey

I found this survey over at Knit and Purl Mama and thought it was fun...

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? No
2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes
3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? I was so excited but I was afraid my now ex husband was going to be mad. We had only been married a month and hadn't planned to start a family for several years.
4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? No
5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 18
6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? I took a pregnancy test.
7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? My parents.
8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? No, I wanted to be surprised.
9. DUE DATE? June 23, 1991
10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Not morning sickness, night sickness.
11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Macaroni and cheese (the blue box please) and hot dogs.
12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? Nothing that I remember.
13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Male
14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? I had wanted a little girl but was thrilled with my little man. I love having had my son first. No matter how many other children we have they'll be blessed with a big brother.
15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 22
16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? I had 2. One here in our town for friends and family and one out of town for my ex's side of the family.
17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? They were both a surprise.
18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? No.
19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake, NY. Same hospital I was born at although it was called Saranac Lake General Hospital when I was born.
20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 10
21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? The ex.
22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? The ex.
23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? C-Section
24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Not until I had to be knocked out for my section. I went through labor (most of which was hard) without drugs. I was very proud of myself for that.
25. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 9lbs
26. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? July 11, 1991
27. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Daniel Joseph
28. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? He'll turn 16 this July 11th. Seems like only yesterday when I held my sweet baby boy in my arms for the first time and in less than 2 months he'll be DRIVING. Sigh.

Coffee Swap Queen

I received the most awesome package from Laura for Knitter's Coffee Swap 2! Just look at all the incredible goodies she sent...

A gorgeous hand stamped card, a super mug from her school to drink the coffee (Green Mountain Breakfast Blend which is my fave and Columbian Supremo from The Candy Basket that is to die for) she spoiled me with, 2 yummy (so yumy that the kids even helped eat them) different kinds of biscotti, and yarn. OMG the yarn! First, Laura hand dyed some awesome sock yarn just for me. Can you believe it? It's so pretty and I can't wait to try it! Then there was Cornucopia (the purple yarn) from Kollage which is 100% corn. 100% corn. It's incredible. I've never heard of it until now and can't wait to try it too. I checked the Kollage website and it has great stitch definition. And last but not least, 3 gorgeous blue hanks of Touche cotton/rayon which will make a great tank for the littlest princess. Or maybe even a bikini. She would love that.

Thanks again so very much for the great package Laura!!! It really was such a pleasure having you as my partner!

Yo Adrienne

I've always wanted to say that! LOL

A little birdy reminded me a few days (or so) ago about the Polar Sol Joy contest I had. I completely forgot about it with all the other things I've had going on. Since I said I would choose my favorite entry I've decided to choose Adrienne for reminding me of the contest and Shelley for saying that she would unravel it all on the floor and roll around in it. I've often thought of doing this myself but as Shelley has pointed out it would take way too long to untangle the mess I would make. So for now my little fantasy of having a romp in the yarn will remain just that, my little fantasy.

A Little Q & A

My hostess with the mostess for the Summer Dishcloth Swap has asked us to post the answers to the following questions...

What is one baked item you love making or buying and why?

This is a really tough one since I don't make or buy baked goodies very often. I guess I'd have to say my favorite would be cinnamon streusel or coffee cake because it tastes good.

What is one item you love to knit and why?

Socks are my favorite because they are so portable and because they can be knit with awesome, expensive yarn more cheaply than a sweater with the same yarn.

Favorite outdoor activity and why?

Totally depends on the season. I love snowmobiling in the winter, swimming in the summer, and walking in the spring and fall.

Favorite way to relax?

On the couch in front of the TV with my knitting. :-)

I don't have time to post like I want to about the coffee swap or the red and blue junkie swaps but do want to send a HUGE thank you to my pals, Laura, Debb, and Sonia. You ladies are absolutely amazing and I love the packages you put together for me! THANK YOU!!! I promise a proper post soon. :-)

Swap Slut

Wonder how many hits I'll get with a title like that.

So I'm really loving the swap deal. They are so much fun. As most of you know, I help hostess the Secret Pal exchanges. They are a blast. But they also last 3 months and sometimes you just need a little instant gratification. So you turn to the great coffee, tea, and dishcloth swaps that are out there. And don't forget Swap-Bot. I signed up to do the first 2 Yarn Junkies Unite swaps. The first was the color purple and was great. The second was red. Before the second started our wonderful hostess Sandy (please keep her and her family, she has kids, in your thoughts and prayers) found out she might have cancer. She assigned partners and we finished out the swap. The swaps were so much fun that I decided to take them over so I listed swaps for the rest of year following the guidelines (more or less) that Sandy had started. We just started the blue swap for this month but you can find the info for next month here. If you're looking for something a little less time consuming that doesn't require the larger dollar committment that Secret Pal does this just might be right up your alley.

In knitting news, I started a pair of socks for Bran in Lisa Souza's Milk & Honey Sock! yarn. I have to tell you that I wasn't sure that I was going to like this yarn since I've fallen madly in love with all the other great sock yarns out there that have a really tight twist. Man am I glad I tried it. This stuff is awesome! I thought it would split because it's not tightly wound but that isn't the case. And it's so silky soft and smooth to knit with. Bran can't wait until they're done and on his feet.

I've also taken on some commission knitting for a super sweet lady. She dropped off yarn and patterns last Wednesday for about 8 little sweaters. I've got the first almost finished and can't wait to get to work on the rest. I've not taken photos yet but promise to soon.

Track season has started once again and Short Man is doing a great job. He does discus and shot put and loves it. His score placed second for shot put in the meet last night and third last Thursday. He volunteered me to score last night and I had a blast. It was so much fun to be right in the middle of the action. I can't wait to do it again. It's hard to believe he's almost 16. We've had a truck for him for almost a year now. Bran has been driving it and the two of them have been working on it getting it ready for him to take over in July. Last Tuesday night Bran was rear ended on his way home from work. The truck isn't as pretty as it was. Once I got to the scene and knew Bran was going to live my heart sank for Short Man. I was so sad that the truck was wrecked. We're now trying to decide if we're going to fix it or sell it and get him something different. He's such a good little man. He never once asked what kind of shape his truck was in(Bran was still at Urgent Care), he only asked how Bran was. It makes me so proud to have such nice kids.