OK Go - Here It Goes Again

Okay - one take and "Here It Goes Again" Now, this excercise could be fun!

The end of an era

Hello everyone - I think it is time for me to share with you what has been going on in my life recently. It has been kind of surreal around here lately, but I am forging onward - taking it one day at a time.

My husband left me on July 17th - the day my basement flooded for the second time in a week. Perfect timing huh? Did I know he was leaving? Nope, I certainly did not. Had he left before? Yes, unfortunately he had - a number of times. But, he was never gone more than a night. And he was always sorry for leaving. He really picked a great day - he knew I was going to be out of town all day - and he finished packing (he informed me that he had been packing things since the 4th of July - but, as he was so eager to point out I did not notice) He has moved in with "someone" else. And, yesterday he informed me he was filing for divorce. So - it is the end of an era. Sometimes, you cannot fix something that is broken, no matter how hard you try.

Can you be competent in your life - yet incompetent in relationships? I am definately feeling the need for a Relationship 101 class - maybe even Remedial Relationship classes! Too soon old - too late smart.

Here's to having a happy Tuesday.

Where did the weekend go?

Hello Everyone! I cannot believe that it is Sunday night! I had to work at Chico's this weekend - thus it flew by. Here it is Sunday night - I am sitting here with a glass of wine with "Iron Chef America" on - do I lead an exciting life or what????

In light of my trying to maintain my excitement level I have joined a new swap - I saw it first on Kerry's blog http://kerryknitsinslny.blogspot.com/ You should check it out - it is the "Hot Socks Swap" and there is still room for YOU! Here is the link http://hot-socks-swap.blogspot.com/ get on over there and sign up. You too could be getting some new sock yarn AND some choice beverages. Here are the answers to my questionaire - :-)

1)What do you prefer - solid, variegated or self striping? I love solids for certain patterns and variegated for others.... basically, there is not a sock yarn I don't like.

2)Favourite colours? I love greens, browns, earthy tones.

3)Are you a beginner, intermediate or experienced sock knitter? Intermediate.

4)Tea, Coffee, or hot chocolate - what's your favourite? If coffee, what do you use to make it? I love coffee and have an auto drip pot.

5)Do you have a fibre preference? (i.e. Are you a yarn snob like me?) I am a yarn snob - I prefer natural fibers.

This has been a LONG week - but it is over and a new one is beginning! I knit for brief moments today - my daughter drove to church, I got the heel turned on my second "Greetings from the Knit Cafe" sock - I need to get moving on this so I can get my second pair done for September for Sock-A-Month 2 - plus - the weather is getting cooler here at night - I would love to pull these babies on at the end of a long day.... mmm, that sounds heavenly.

Hope you all had an awesome weekend - more next week!

Route 66

Hello Everyone! I got home last night to find a package had arrived from Phoenix, AZ! I was stunned to open the box and find these treasures tucked inside. My Secret Pal - Rebecca of http://www.kniftyknitter.blogspot.com/ - has been my spoiler in SP8. Rebecca, I can only say WOW! You have truly out done yourself with this box of goodies! She sent me a box that has a southwest theme - sharing with me treasures from Arizona!


The pralines, chocolates, and peanut brittle (note that it is Jalapeno flavored!!!) are from an Arizona candy maker. Mmmmmmmm, yummy - yummy!


Check out the Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn in Peacock colorway! I love it!!


Her card was so perfect - she even shared with me that the Oasis Soy Silk yarn in the Canyon colorway was the colors of the sunsets. I am thinking about what lovely creation I will knit with this lovely yarn! It is so soft!


My pal knit me this lovely gift sachet! Tied with silk ribbon!! Isn't it cute!!!! Rebecca, is this knit with soy silk?


And inside were these awesome earrings - made from felted balls!!! I LOVE THEM!!! Rebecca - you were truly an awesome secret pal to have. Please everyone, stop over and say hello to Rebecca and tell her I sent you! She lost her job this week - I know what that feels like. Rebecca - from the bottom of my heart - thank you - thank you - thank you! And, I will leave you with the words of one of my favorite songs (bet you did not know that Rebecca!) Whoooooooo - whoooooooo!

If you ever
Plan to motor west
Travel my way, take the highway that's the best
Get your kicks on Route 66
It winds from Chicago to LA
More than two thousand miles all the way
Hey, get your kicks on Route 66
Now you go through St. Louie
Joplin, Missouri
And Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty
Hey Janis, now you'll see Amarillo
Gallup, New Mexico
Flagstaff Arizona
Don't forget Winona
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino
Won't you get hip to this timely tip
When you make that California trip
Get your kicks on Route 66
Now you go through St. Louie
Joplin, Missouri
And Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty
Now you'll see Amarillo
Gallup, New Mexico
Flagstaff Arizona
Don't forget Winona
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino
Won't you get hip to this timely tip
When you make that California trip
Get your kicks on Route 66
Get your kicks on Route six six
Get your kicks on Route 66
Get your kicks on Route six six
Whoo whoo ------

Shhhhh! It's a secret!

Hello Everyone! I can hardly believe that SP8 is waning! I have so enjoyed this swap. I have gotten my "reveal" gift ready for my spoilee! I knit her the Cable Footies from One Skein. I loved knitting these! What a great pattern! I used Manos del Uraguay - and needed just a bit more than one skein.


I love how they turned out! They are so comfy! I hope my Secret Pal loves them as much as I loved knitting them for her! :-)



PLUS I think they qualify for Sock-A-Month 2!! Wooo Hooo!

Have a great Thursday everyone!

Flooring!!

Hello everyone! I have my house back - well almost anyway! The bedrooms and family room have carpeting and the bathroom has vinyl (or whatever they call it). My stairs are bare - and the dufus did not reinstall the toilet. DUH - did he think my kids would use it in the tub??? So, I call the place I got the flooring - they did not send enough carpet to do the stairs (are you seeing a pattern here?) they will order more and it will be here end of this week, beginning of next week at the latest. I ask about why the toilet is not installed (I paid for this in my bill) "He did not put the toilet back?" I am still waiting for someone to come install the darn toilet. Well, I have a place for my teenagers to go now besides my living room! Hallelujah! (can you hear the chorus, because I sure do!!)

I completed my first socks for Sock-A-Month 2!! I will post a photo later, they are a surprise for someone!! One down, five more pairs to go. I am working on the socks from "Greetings from the Knit Cafe'" - one done and I am almost ready to turn the heel on sock 2. I also am working on "Widdershins" from Knitty.

Now, on to SP8 - I sent off a HUGE package to my spoilee - I am excited to see how she likes what I sent her. This has been a fun swap - my spoiler has been awesome - and I am working on trying to figure out who she is. Hmmmm, I know she is in Phoenix and that is about it. :-)

I want to thank Lynne from http://iwasknittogetherinmymotherswomb.typepad.com/ she sent me a wonderful book and has been praying for me, as has blogless Laura from West Michigan - thanks to both of you for being such good friends. I will share with all of you shortly what has been going on in my life. I just have to come to terms with it on my own first. Life can suck at times - but I am working on making some sweet and tasty lemonade!

Hope you are all having an awesome week.

Picture Success!!

Well, these are the lovely gems that Judy Becker sent me! Are they not gorgeous??? As soon as I have finished my "Widdershins" and the socks from "Greetings from the Knit Cafe" I am going to cast these on using the "Jaywalker" pattern! Again - a HUGE thanks to Judy Becker - creator of the "Magic Loop Cast-On". Judy and her blog can be found here - http://www.persistentillusion.com/blogblog/index.php. You should check our her blog and let her know that you are a Yarn Collector like the rest of us!

I cannot believe it is Thursday - it has been a LONG week. I have started working another job, a part time position at Chico's to supplement my full time job at Heartwell. I also had high school orientation for Heidi and Sam this week, of course the school in it's infinite wisdom determined that these orientations could not happen concurrently - so I had to take off 2 afternoon's to stand in lines! I have been working early to make up for the afternoon's off. I really could use a weekend to sleep and knit to get back to the center!

I have a light at the end of the flood tunnel though - the carpenter/handy man is coming on Saturday to remove the distroyed vanity and replace it with the new one and - drum roll, please - the carpeting and vinyl will be installed on Monday and Tuesday of next week!! This is a joy beyond belief - my children will be back in their rooms for the start of school - no more 'camping' in the living room!

Well, I have laundry to do and I would like to sit down and KNIT tonight! Have a great evening everyone!

Blogger error or....

Operator error???

Okay, I have been trying to post a picture of the awesome sock yarn that Judy Becker sent me, but Blogger is not cooperating. GRRRRRRR!

I have to share with you all - I have not had much time for knitting lately and it has been very frustrating! Between back to school chaos, getting bids from contractors to replace the vanity in the kids bathroom, and work - there are just not enough hours in the day!

This weekend, outside of doing laundry - my plan is to sit and knit and knit and knit and knit!!

Hope this week is winding down nicely for all of you - have a great Thursday!

Mad Monday

Hello everyone, I apologize for being so delinquent on posting, but it has been a hectic week around here. I had a garage sale on Friday and Saturday, and spent Sunday afternoon getting household chores accomplished.

I did get a wonderful treat from Judy Becker http://www.persistentillusion.com/blogblog/index.php, 2 skeins of Lorna's Laces sock yarn. My daughter took a picture of it, but she is not up yet to help me load the photo! THANK YOU, Judy! I shall use the yarn in the Sock A Month 2 contest, watch for updates. I will post the pictures later today, now I need to get out the door to work. Have a great Monday all!

Cooling off

Hello everyone - I am happy to report that we here in Michigan are going to be experiencing a cooling off - of the weather that is! It is supposed to be nice this week, in the 70's during the day and even cooler than that in the evenings!! I can only say - hurray! I am ready for 90+ degree weather to go away - my LYS - Lizzie Ann's Wool Company - has gotten lots of yummy yarns in for fall. I am resisting until I get my UFO's finished for the UFO KAL http://ufoaugust.blogspot.com/ If you have not joined - you should, it might get you motivated to get stuff of the needles and finished.

I took a class in Clare, Michigan last weekend - a great beading class. So, yes I cast on a new item - but the teacher - Deanna from Deanna's Vintage Styles - came in from Detroit to teach this class. It was fun and I will post photo's as I progress. I love learning new techniques and Deanna was an awesome teacher. The techniques she taught will really add some sparkle to Christmas gifts - I have been working on a list to start as soon as August is over.

My friend, Ramona, had her 30 year class renunion this weekend - fun was had by all. I helped her out by taking tickets so the reunion committee could mingle with their class mates. Here's to Ramona and her class - who for the most part looked awesome!

Well, lunch break is over - back to work for me! Have a great week everyone!

Show and Tell

Well, it's been a heck of a week - and I promised you all that I would show you what I got this week from my SP - she is so awesome. I opened the box and you'll notice that the tissue paper and the paper crinkles match! She had a lovely note inside - and inside I began unwrapping and found some wonderful items!









I found not 1 but 3 skeins of Nature's Spun - in AWESOME colors! I love how this felts and it knits up beautifully. I have some plans for this yarn - I am thinking about knitting some socks for the "Sock-A-Month 2" KAL I have joined. Can you see them? Purple socks with green cuffs, heels, and toes? Umhmm, I can see them! Next was some really nice novelty yarn - good for my stash, my pal told me - and I am happy to say that this yarn fits in beautifully. One of the gals at my LYS was knitting a very gorgeous scarf - I am thinking that gorgeous lace weight yarn she sent me earlier and the Trendsetter Eyelash will be a nice take on the scarf my friend is doing. She is knitting hers out of a novelty yarn and Kidsilk Haze - 6 rows of the novelty yarn, then knit with the scarf body color, adding rows of the novelty yarn sporadically in the scarf and ending with 6 rows and bind off. I shall keep you all posted. Next, was some awesome hand creams, in yummy fragrances! They will keep my hands, heels and elbows soft as summer winds down! Now, the absolute BEST part was Knitting Rules - AUTOGRAPHED by the Harlot. MY PAL is amazing! I am in possession of a personalized autographed copy! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you Pal - your gifts brought tears of joy to my eyes. In a week of chaos, your gifts brought me such joy. Thank you!










Now, here are those socks I knit for daughter #2 - They are the lace socks from the Spring IK. What a great knit - and I had such fun knitting them. I am working on another pair for my daughters friend! If you have not cast on these socks - there is still warm weather as August is just beginning! You can count them in the "Sock-A-Month 2" KAL also!












Hope you are all having a great week!