5 Questions

I was reading Maia's blog the other day (I love it by the way!), and I really loved this post. I commented to her that I liked it and she offered to send me some questions. That Maia, she is so nice, I stalk read her blog regularly, for inspiration (I want to grow up to be a spinner like Maia hehe). I love reading about her spinning. Ahhh anyway, enough about my secret crush admiration of Maia and on to her great questions.

1. Obviously, your favorite color is pink. If you had to give up pink (horror!) what color would become your new favorite? I loved this question, especially her little "horror" stuck in there. (Not kidding, I would have totally said "Oh, the horror!" at the thought of no more pink.) It's true I definitely love pink! I actually love a lot of colors. I wear a lot of brown (it's my favorite color in my wardrobe right now), I like soft greys, burgundy, some greens, and light aqua. So, I guess I didn't really pick a new favorite, but I do like all of those colors too.

2. You are the mother of three really beautiful children. In what unexpected ways have they changed your life? Well first, thank you, I think they are beautiful too, but yeah, they are mine, so I have to think that hehe. I love being a mom, even though sometimes it is the hardest thing in the world. It is challenging, yet definitely rewarding. I think they have made me grow up for one thing. I had The Musical One when I was only 21 and I was still such a baby myself. I had already been married for 3 years, but still, I was so young. I would never recommend getting married that young to my children, but it worked for us. They have also taught me a lot about love, responsibilty, personal accountability (they are watching your every move) and not always having to be #1. If you don't know it already, when you are the mom, you are rarely if ever #1. So if you are a selfish drama queen, don't have kids! Not sure those things are completely unexpected, but those are some of the changes.

3. What is your favorite thing to do on a date night (just you and hubby and I'm only asking for PG13 details at most)? Actually, we are a little, um, BORING lol. We will usually go out to dinner and either stop at the store, do a little shopping or just sit at the restaurant and talk. We are just happy to be together. Many times we have just stayed home, rather than go out. We are both incredibly content people and really don't need to eat at fancy restaurants, go to every movie that comes out, or be out socializing every weekend. Yupp, kinda boring, but happy.

4. Congratulations on your new Majacraft wheel. What got you interested in spinning? I have a great group of online friends and most of them are great spinners. I said I would never learn to spin, but they convinced me that I really NEEDED to learn. They were right. I love it. Love it. Love it. I'm still a little spin challenged, but the love is there. (I figure the skills will come later, no?) Another thing that inspired me was all the gorgeous handspun all over the internet, especially the crack gorgeous fiber from Crown Mountain Farms. (I am dying to get my hands on some of that stuff.)

5. I read that you have always lived in Michigan. If you were to move outside of the United States, where would you be interested in living? First, I would never move out of the states unless my ENTIRE family came with me. I am big on being close to family. But......if I had to choose, I might move to Hawaii (Hi Opal). No wait. Hawaii is a state. It does seem like a whole different world to us here on the mainland though. Yeah, I hope you all know I was totally just kidding. I would have to be a dumber than a box of rocks to not know that Hawaii is a state. So anyhoo, maybe I would choose St. Maarten. I have only been there on vacations for short periods of time though. I'm not sure if I would want to live there for, like forever or anything. I guess if I had to move I would just pick somewhere warmer than Michigan. I am getting a bit cranky after the snowstorm we had this week and temps in the 30's rather than the normal 50's. It is just not right to go from 75 degrees a couple weeks ago, to this nasty weather (again). And I have a daughter that is playing soccer now....outside....yeah you get it. UGH!

Well that's all folks, (if you're still awake) . Thanks again Maia!

A good weekend

We had a nice Easter weekend. Yesterday was also my daughter's 15th birthday. We had brunch at my mom's, an easter egg hunt/birthday celebration.

I did a little "plying" yesterday. I really had no clue what I was doing, as it was my first attempt. Is it yarn?

It looks a little bit like real yarn, no? I need to wash it yet or set the twist or whatever you call it. I know it is very uneven but I love it anyway.

I also tried spinning some of the "barf" roving. It actually looks a little better after spinning. I was hoping it would magically spin into something that doesn't make me want to hurl.

I have no idea what the finished product will look like, but at least it is good practice. I think from now on, I will be leaving the dyeing to the experts. Uh, clearly it is not a natural gift for me.

Ripplin' along....

The color of my pillow is off. It really matches nicely in person.

I like it! This is so addictive.

I really would love to make another one sometime, in cotton, all different colors.

Thanks for all the comments guys! I love you all!!!!!!!!! You sure know how to make a girl feel better. HUGS!

Hello?

Are you there? Have you all left me? I miss you guys! I think about 1/2 of my whole 8-9 regular readers have abandoned me. Come back!!!!! I will be good, I promise.

I have been knitting actually. I even finished my cardi. Here it is (pre-blocking), I just need to figure out the best way to close it.

(Marguerite, I even showed my head this time lol.) My daughter took this pic, and she was making me laugh.

I do like the little ribbon for a closure, even though I just grabbed it for an example. Who knows, I may just leave it like that. I don't particularly like the way the buttons are set on the original pattern. I probably wouldn't wear it buttoned up anyway, so a little tie like this might be the answer. Any other ideas for me? Maybe something other than ribbon to tie it with?

I am also test knitting some socks for a friend of mine. I just love this pattern so far.

She might have it available sometime soon. I am even using a not-so-favorite yarn, and I still love them. I was a little farther than this, but noticed a mistake and had to frog a bit. I hope she can be patient with me....these are going to be gorgeous!

My little dog got a haircut this week. I just love him!

Brodie says "Hi everyone!"

Spring Fever!

It is spring break here, which in Michigan, about 9 years out of 10, means super crappy weather. Today it was pouring when I got up. The next 3 days have temps in the mid 30's and SNOW! It is spring break! I am SICK of snow! Oh well, nothing I can do about it. I can still enjoy other things about spring I guess.

Hubby picked these for me yesterday (what a sweetie). I just love daffodils.

The spring knitting is going great! I am zipping along on the little lace cardi.

All the pieces are knitted, I am ready to bind off the button band stitches, and then I just need to set in the sleeves and finish seaming. Yay. This thing is flying off the needles.

Some happiness from the greenhouses for you:

And a little fibery drool too...

Gorgeous huh? If you want some for yourself, Coppermoose is the place to go! (Sugar maple is what I got.)

Have a good day everyone! Think spring!!!!

Whoops!

I completely forgot to show my latest FO. Pre-senior moment maybe? (I am not driving a Buick yet, so don't worry.)

The Panda Wool socks are done and I'm sure The Sporty One will be wearing them soon. Just a simple staggered 2x2 rib. I got a lot of compliments on this yarn when I was knitting these. I think I will be purchasing more at some point. It would be a great yarn for baby hats and socks. I might even donate a couple of little hats to the hospital. Every baby deserves a cute hat. No offense, but some I have seen at our local hospital are um...really ugly. I really should make a few for friends and relatives too, in case they are given one of those icky ones at the hospital.

I have started a bit of spring knitting. Cotton feels pretty good right now.

I am optimistic that eventually Michigan weather will actually allow me to wear this.

I'm still spinning a little too (when I can). I would love to hear your favorite fiber sources if you care to share them.

I need my knitting and spinning too, for sanity. Lately I have been a little, shall we say, frazzled? Too much stress and too little time for me.

P.S. I took the girls shopping today. I am now broke, tired and grumpy (hehe). If you live in Michigan and cannot at least drive the minimum speed limit, properly use your turn signals, leave a reasonable amount of space while cutting in front of someone or generally just don't know how to drive, will you please STAY OUT OF MY LANE?!!

So happy!

Yeah, so I have been hinting about my good weekend. Well this is why it was so great:

I am the proud new owner of a Majacraft Rose wheel!!!!!! I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I never thought I would be able to get one. I went to my first spinning meeting last Monday night and watched all the other spinners with their wheels. I observed, listened, drooled and longed for one of my own. I got home and the hubby asked why I didn't get one. I said they were too expensive. He said to go get one.

Well I didn't let the grass grow under my feet! (and I surely wasn't going to give him time to change his mind!) I did some research online and found a shop about 1 3/4 hours from me. I called The Spinning Loft and talked to Beth the owner. She was so helpful and said she had about 14 wheels on the floor that I could try. I was SO worth the drive over there. Beth is very patient, informative and helpful, not to mention she is the biggest sweetie pie ever! I think I tried about 11 wheels, but the Rose was definitely the one for me. I loved it immediately and even after trying a bunch more, this one was still my favorite. So I took it home! I love it to pieces.

I have been practicing a little and I am having a lot of fun. This is some mystery fiber that I got from a friend, but I am going to ask her what it is, because it spins like a dream. Once I get the rest of it spun, I hope to try plying.

The dyeing job I did, IS really barfy. I am not even going to show it yet. I think I will take a couple of pics, but spin it first and see if I like it. If it spins up as ugly as it looks now, I will be overdyeing it for sure! Oh well, I wanted to try it and didn't expect it to be gorgeous my first time. I wasn't really expecting hideously ugly either, but I will try again, because it was fun.

Not much knitting news. Still hunting for the perfect summery pattern that I can use some stash yarn on. I really don't want to buy anything new right now. I have several cottons in the stash, and I would rather use one of them first. A couple possibilities: This or this (last pic in the 5th row - the carmel colored cardi). What do you think?

So much better!

Aren't you glad you don't have to hear me whine today lol? Sorry I was such a loser the other day. Things are so much better now. I am having a great weekend so far.

Friday my daughter's soccer team had their first game. They won 3-2. It was fun to see them play for the first time. She loves it already.

The weather is spectacular here today. It is in the 60's and sunny. It feels just wonderful! I have all my windows open in the house, and I can heard the birds singing outside. Life is good!

I'm experimenting a bit.

So far I think it looks a little, um, barfy? However, I have seen some pretty disgusting looking roving that turns into very nice yarn. I guess I will have to wait and see.

I am also having fun with my no-brainer crocheted ripple afghan. It is looking better now that I have more rows done.

This thing matches my family room so perfectly. I think I am going to love it. I will probably order some cotton yarn and make a baby blanket like this at some point. The pattern looks great in pastels and all different colors, like in the links from my last post. I can see why people get addicted to these. It's like fiber yoga!

Tomorrow I hope to have pics of the drying fiber and I also have some super good news to share. YAY!

Where's the love?

I'm just not feeling it.

Case in point. Lately I have been inspired by this and this and all of this.
This, not so much.
Well I have started and maybe this is one of those patterns that grows on you? Or maybe you need lots more stripes to be wowed? So far, I am definitely not loving it. I need to get a new hook too because this one just feels weird. It kinda squeaks on this yarn. It is grating on me like fingernails on a chalkboard. Shiver!

Not loving the second sock I am working on either.

Not loving the inability to decide on a summer pattern to try.

Not loving the family drama that is going on.

Not loving the new work schedule and how tired I am because of it.

Not loving that I cannot keep my house as clean as I want it.

Not loving the fact that I am obviously really crabby and probably making all of you run like scared rabbits lol.

I promise the next post will not be even remotely as lousy as this one. Really....I promise to behave next time. There is supposed to be some great fun ahead in my weekend. If things go as planned I will have something spectacular to show on Monday! YAY!!!

Two winners!

First winner is.....ME! Yay! A while back my friend Opal told me about a blog contest that Harriet was having over at Lime Dragon. Well she is sorry she told me about it now, because the random number generator picked me! She sent me a wonderful package!

This is Twinkletoes sock yarn and the colors are so yummy! Harriet knit herself a gorgeous pair of Pomatomus socks with the same yarn, you can see them here. I might actually have to brave that pattern now, because hers look so nice in this yarn. She also sent some chocolate (YUMM! I'm surprised I had enough willpower to take a picture before I devoured it lol), a crocheted hat pattern, a darling little sheepie clip (anyone know where to get these? He is just adorable!), and a knitting girl note card. She is so sweet! Thanks again Harriet.

Our next winner.......

I declare my experimental sock a winner! I think it turned out pretty cute. I am making them more of an ankle length for The Sporty One. I received the Panda Wool from Crystal Palace when I agreed to test knit with some new needles. I really like it, and I would definitely buy it again. I'm not sure where to get it yet locally, but if I see it, I will probably try some of the solids next.

Thanks anyone who is still reading. I know I have been so lame with the posting lately. I can't reply to most of the comments either, because Blogger won't let me unless your email is public. Working is definitely cutting into my hobby time too. I will have more money for yarn now (evil cackle), or maybe I will save up for a laptop, so I don't have to share the computer with the kids. And then there's that spinning wheel........

So what's everyone knitting for spring? I'm in need of some inspiration! (I'm so sick of cold weather!)

Potluck

Today, that's what you get. I have nothing organized and about 5 minutes to post. It will be totally random hehe.

I did do some knitting this weekend. I finished another UFO. I had actually almost forgotten about this one, until last night when hubby reminded me about it. His slippers actually. I ran out of yarn and didn't get another skein until last week, and then I still forgot about them. So last night I finished them. I am a little worried. They will need some MAJOR felting.

These are HUGE! REALLY HUGE! I based them on the dimensions a friend gave me for men's slippers, but um, maybe her hubby has BIG feet? Let's pray they shrink A LOT!!! Hopefully I can felt them tonight.

I have been working on another sock too.

This is the new Panda Wool from Crystal Palace. It is quite nice. I like the way it feels and the colors are really great! It is a bamboo, wool and nylon blend. I would definitely use it again. I am making little anklets for my daughter for summer. So far I think they are cute.

Spinning too!

Some more BFL, this time in a really yummy brown. I absolutely love this color, and the fiber is just wonderful. Spins like a dream. I got some from JT to try, and I wish I had lots more of it lol. I am learning, and it is all so fun. My friend Shelly, who spins like a machine, has been so patient and answers all of my dumb questions.

I actually have to work today. I am a stay at home mom most of the time, but some friends needed help in the greenhouse, so I am working there this week. It should be fun. I really like working in the greenhouses, especially this time of the year when I am so sick of winter. I wonder though, if I will be touching base with some muscles I forgot I had. Ouch. I could be really sore tomorrow. I am so out of shape, it isn't even funny.

Well if you survived the all-over-the-board nature of this post, have a great day!

Happy Dance!

I am a happy girl tonight. First off, I finished my Bearfoot socks. They are so nice and cosy.


That's Brodie lounging against me and my new socks. Silly dog.
I just did a simple k6, p2 rib on these with 64 stitches. Just my plain old standard sock. I forget what color this Bearfoot is, sorry.

And this also made me happy....

That was my snack tonight. Doesn't it look just wonderfully yumm? Oh it was so good! I was in the grocery store and smelled, yes smelled, these strawberries as I was walking by. I couldn't resist. See strawberries are my favorite fruit, but here in Michigan, good berries can be very hard to get this time of year. In the summer our local berries are so delicious! In the winter, when they are imported from all over, they usually have no taste. These were awesome! I quick whipped up a batch of my great grandma's shortcake, and woo hoo, good snack tonight! I'm telling you, this stuff is awesome! If you would like the recipe, send me an email.

Strawberry shortcake is one of my favorite desserts and brings back lots of great memories. We ate it a lot when I was a kid, but only during strawberry season. I picked strawberries for my grandparents every summer. They had a farm and peddled eggs, the berries and other fresh produce in "town". I had so much fun picking them and then riding along on the "egg route". I remember getting paid a nickel for every quart I picked back then. I thought I was rich! We lived right next door to my Gram and Gramps and I was very close to them. They have been gone over 20 years now and I still miss them like crazy. Nothing like a good strawberry to take me down memory lane.

Next up: I need to work on that Lopi sweater. Crud, by the time I finish it, it will probably be spring. Figures.

Bits and Pieces

I feel like I am accomplishing only bits and pieces. Do you ever have that, where you are making progress but finishing nothing? I know I have too many projects going, but I get so bored with just one.

I am ready to pick up the gusset stitches on the Bearfoot socks. I wanted to do it last night, but this yarn is impossible to work on at night for me. I just can't see those tiny dark stitches. So I will work on them today, after I have the cleaning done.

My spinning is progressing. The lastest fiber I am trying is some hot pink BFL roving. Ok, stupid me didn't realize until yesterday that the first creamy BFL I was spinning was top. Can ya tell I am a major beginner lol? I have so much to learn. Boy did I feel dumb. I didn't even know there was a difference , duh. This pink stuff feels grabbier to me, maybe because all the fibers don't go in the same direction - the top vs roving thing maybe?

Here is what I have so far. I am hoping to spin a little more this afternoon.

What do you think? How am I doing? My friend Shelly thinks I am doing well so far.

A little closer?

I think it looks okay, but I am still getting a few "nubs" (or should that be slubs?) in my yarn. I am still having trouble holding my fiber loose enough to draft properly. Ah well, I am learning, no? This yummy pink stuff was a Secret Santa gift from my friend Sharon. I love the color!

All you spinners out there, I would love to hear from you. I want to know everything! I feel like a spinning sponge hehe. I am having so much fun with this!!!! Yay for spinning!

Ok, YUCK!

Enough already. This weather is nasty.

There is a layer of ice on everything, and it is still coming down. Why do I live in Michigan?

Today our state has warnings ranging from snow storm, to possible additional ice, and thunderstorms. Yuck to all of them. In the summer I love a good thunderstorm, but not now when it will flood like crazy if all this snow melts at once in addition to the rain. What a mess!

Isn't it time for spring yet?...............(yes I know I'm a whiner)

At least we have wool right?

Wool is good!

They're off!

No races here. Haha I would lose. Lately I am not fast at anything.

Off as in off the needles. First up:

The easy shawl is ready to be blocked. I just pinned it out a little to show you, but I really need to run some string along each of the sides and block it that way. There are no points, so I need that string to keep it straight. I wish I had one of those boards.

Up close this yarn is so pretty. All shiny and soft. I'm not sure my blocking skills are up to par with the beauty of this stuff. We shall see I guess.

Next item off the needles:

Super easy Bearfoot socks. One down, one to go. I am doing them in a simple K6, P2 rib with my default 64 stitches. I love working with Bearfoot yarn too. So soft and cozy. I am in desperate need of another pair of brown socks. A lot of my favorite outfits right now are brown, and I only have one other pair that matches. I should have the other one done in a few days. Sorry they are not very special, and the picture is probably going to take first place in the Most Pathetic Picture Ever Awards. That color just refused to be photographed (and I was too lazy to keep messing with it on this yucky dreary day).

This is almost off:

I have almost filled my spindle, so I should probably transfer the yarn to something else. Since I have nothing proper to wind it on, I guess I will be hunting for a good old toilet paper tube. That will have to work for now. (about as super cheesy as my ultra-ugly-made-them-myself-wire-hanger-sock-blockers) I may have to invest in some real equipment soon. This half-hiney stuff gets a little embarassing.

Yarn?

or something else?

Me and my spindle are getting aquainted. At this point we were not getting along very well. Totally craptastic stuff isn't it?

But then....

things started to get a little better.

A better close up.

Ok, all you spinners out there, I know it isn't great, but it resembles yarn a little bit, yes? I have no idea what these fibers are. They were all given to me to practice on and none of them are labeled. I do know that the lighter blue/green stuff was much easier to work with than the first two. I have some yummy looking cream BFL to try next. Wish me luck!

The "easy" one

Well, I am officially working on one of my older UFO's for February. It is my "easy" shawl (as opposed to my harder laceweight shawl - yes the one that I am still not on speaking terms with). This UFO challenge has been good for me (Thanks again Kat!). I should be finishing this one up soon.

It is the After Hours Shawl from Briar Rose Fibers in Sea Pearl. I don't know why I didn't finish this earlier (I know. I say that about all of my UFO's). This yarn is just gorgeous and the pattern is very easy. I am modifying it by making it much smaller and leaving off the fringe. I want it to be the size of a shoulder shawl to throw on over a blouse or turtleneck. I think tencel is some yummy stuff! So soft and shiny. I wonder how it blocks. I really want to block this thing wider vs longer.

Pretty stuff huh?

I am making a little more progress on the Lopi sweater. I would be done by now if the pattern weren't so doggone confusing. (at least to me hehe) I am not giving up, and I hope to have it done in time to wear it yet this winter (don't worry, winter is very long in Michigan).

I will be home all day today (again). The Monkey is sick (he was yesterday too), so I am not getting any of my errands done sigh.... and I have lots of them this week. His birthday is on Thursday, so I have extra stuff to do for that. Oh well, at least I have knitting. :)

Quickie

Sorry, but I only have time for a quickie post today. This week has been crazy again. I did have a little knitting time and I am happily chugging along on the Lopi sweater.

I did make a stupid mistake on the chart and had to rip a few rows, but I am back on track now. I would really like to finish the fronts this weekend. Hopefully I will have some knitting time tomorrow because I will be at a volleyball tournament all day today.

I also started a new pair of socks, and I am working on a pair of slippers for the hubby. That's all the knitting for today.

Thanks so much for all your thoughts and prayers for my family. The funeral and dad's surgery went well. I'm just glad this week is almost over...whew!

A cartoon

Ok, I swear I am the star of a new cartoon. Or I might be the knitting coyote, and the roadrunner is kicking my butt over and over again. I feel like the anvil is falling on my head, for the eleventy-billioneth time. Yeah, that is how my knitting was going for a few days. Ugh.

First, I found a mistake in an old project. I started these socks like ages ago. I finished the first sock, but it didn't fit anyone here. So I put it aside to see if it fit my mom (elf feet, except no curly toes), and if it did, I would knit her the other sock. Well, it fit. So....I started the 2nd sock (after hunting for the stitch pattern for over an hour. I really need to keep a journal! DUH!). Everything was going fine until I picked up the gusset stitches. My stripes in the yarn were not matching with the first sock, and they had been until the gusset. So I compare the two socks. OH MY GOSH!!! I never turned the heel on the first one. I just picked up the gusset stitches right after knitting the heel flap. AND I KNIT THE WHOLE SOCK WITHOUT NOTICING IT! What a loser! So now, I have to rip the entire foot out of the first sock and reknit it WITH A HEEL TURN! Crap, I just found a mistake in the second sock too. I am ripping these, I give up. The anvil has landed on this one for the last time.

Enter second knitting problem. I picked up the Swallowtail shawl the other night. I have not worked on this in ages. I really have to be in the mood, and be able to concentrate, without distraction, to work on lace. Also, I am not accustomed to working with THREAD. Yikes that laceweight yarn is fine! Well anyway, I was knitting along (about 45 min worth), and things were going fine. I go to knit the next row and the stitch count was off at the end of the row. So I think, well I can tink this and fix it. Well, WHAT WAS I THINKING?! After tinking for about 45 min, I decide to rip back to my last lifeline. In other words, absolutely no progress after almost 2 hours of work. Sigh. I could have cried (if I hadn't been so mad!).

Yeah, today might be better right? My dad is having surgery, so I will definitely have some knitting time at the hospital. I am actually making some good progress on the Lopi sweater.


I have the back finished and one front almost done. Yay! Things are looking up. I just got a shipment from the Acme Knitting Company (maybe I can get rid of that roadrunner hehe). Just kidding. By the way, I always hated that cartoon. I did not think it was funny. I felt sorry for the coyote and that smug little roadrunner just needed a good slap (or a good jab with really sharp knitting needles).

(Please forgive the blatant overuse of capitals. A frustrated girl needs her capitals.)

Hedera

Quick post today. You get the bare minimum. I apologize for the bad pic and lack of links. My aunt passed away last night so it is a little bit crazy around here.

I finished my Hedera socks this weekend. This pattern is so nice. Easy to memorize, great looking and a fast knit for most people.

I did shorten the heel flap, it seemed way too long in the original pattern. I used two skeins of Koigu on size 1 Addis. Go ahead, make yourself a pair. I will make the knee-high version (Sodera) eventually, but I think I will wait until I have my new Knitpicks circulars. It will be easier and faster with sharper points.

I am working on another UFO. I thought I would quick finish some socks up, until I found a bonk-to-the-side-of-the-head-stupid mistake on them. Yeah, you won't even believe this one!

I am not a model

Here is the proof (giggle).

I love my new sweater. I still have not blocked it. I know, terrible of me, but I have had SO MUCH other laundry to do. The sweater is last on the list. It doesn't look that bad pre-blocked, but the seams and neck band need a little help. I also need to get some buttons for it, I just haven't had the time or the desire to get out for them. I can't even decide if I want white, colored, or metal buttons yet. What do you think? This will definitely be a spring/summer sweater....what would look the best?

This is the only part I like about doing laundry.


I just love seeing all my handknit socks lined up on the rack like that. It just makes me happy. Can you tell we really like to wear our handknits here. This is less than one weeks worth of sock laundry. I say why choose store bought if you have these lovelies to wear. I am almost done with the Koigu socks too,. Yay, one more pair to choose from soon!

Nostalgia

There has been a lot of reminiscing around blogland lately. I wonder why.....

I am feeling a bit nostalgic myself today. My wonderful father-in-law passed away one year ago today. He was such a nice man, and I miss him.

Some of this remembering is hilarious. Did you read Laurie's blog today? I almost snorted pop out of my nose on that one. Hehe, do you smell something? Do you just want to dance or do aerobics in a snazzy outfit? :)

Jen also posted some memories. Wow, I could relate to those! Moon boots, snowmobile suits.....what else? Legwarmers? Gauchos? Shag haircuts? Bad perms? No you are not getting any bad pictures of me. For one thing, I don't actually have any, and for another, even if I did, I am not as brave as Laurie. (giggle, she has the most embarassing best pics ever!)

I do have some great memories, but I think some of them could start with the phrase "you know you're a redneck when" (imagine an amazing hillbilly accent there). We lived next to my grandparents when I was young. I think we moved "to town" when I was in 4th grade. My grandma was my very best friend. She was just the greatest. We spent hours and hours together. She taught me to sew, garden, crochet, iron, bake, can, freeze, feed the animals, clean their stalls, gather eggs, ride a pony, drive a pony cart, and many more.

Horror of all horrors, I actually learned to "clean" chickens. Now you city folk, cleaning a chicken does not mean giving him or her a bath. This is what happens when the chicken needs to go from clucking to dinner. My gramps would kill the buggers and then gram and I would pluck 'em and clean 'em. You city folks should know, chicken does not just grow in those little yellow, neatly wrapped packages. It starts out with feathers a beak and ugly feet. We would have to put them through a plucking machine, and then....(squeamish people turn away here) clean out their undesirable insides. Then on to the freezer they went. Not a fun job, but part of farm life. Hope I didn't scare ya all to death there. My gram was a saint. She let me make her dozens of crocheted potholders, ugly quilt squares, and yucky cookies. She was the best! She helped me to love crafts after all, which led to knitting, yay! Yeah....lots of my memories are so much better than chickens!

Big Ole Update

Well, we are still snowed in here, well sorta. They are just advising people not to go out unless necessary. We continue to get snow, and the temps are in the single digits or below. It now looks like this out my windows:


It just keeps getting deeper and more slippery on the roads here.
School was cancelled again today. Two days in a row is unheard of here. We are not wimps. We live in Michigan!


I looks beautiful from INSIDE, but yuck, this weather pattern can move on anytime now!

I do like the amount of knitting I get done when I can't go anywhere.


I made another hat for The Monkey, because he was so crushed that he lost his other one. He loves the new one, although I think I could have made it a tad bit longer.

I also started a new project for The Sporty One. She got a new coat and didn't have a hat to match.


So far I made her a bulky earflap hat, and started a scarf. I am going to embellish these a bit more with the contrasting yarn, and maybe make her a pair of mittens too. Wow can you knit something quick in this big ole bulky yarn! Fun stuff! She is bugging me like every 5 minutes to finish them, so I guess I will be working on this project today.

I actually have more progress too. A LONG-IGNORED UFO is now officially sewn together and just needs blocking. YAY FOR ME! This thing has been haunting me for way too long! I also made some progress on the Hedera socks. I would have even more progress if I had not been surfing blogland and obsessing over knee socks! I want to knit some, but haven't really found a cuff-down pattern yet. I keep seeing lots of toe-up versions which are gorgeous, but as of yet, I have not mastered the toe-up sock. I am also concerned about yardage. How many yards do knee socks actually take? Help me out readers! I need to make some knee socks!

Blizzard!

I live in Michigan, and wow is the weather nasty here today! We are under a blizzard warning.


That is what it looks like out my window already, and it is supposed to get much worse! (sorry for the bad pic, but it is snowing like crazy out there, so I took it through the window) It is deep already here, I am sure we have over 2 feet on the ground in spots.

The forecast says more accumulating snow, winds picking up to 40mph, blowing and drifting, dangerous travel conditions, and wind chills between -10 and -20. I guess I will be staying home today, YIKES! Everything around here is cancelled for today anyway, and probably will be tomorrow too. Parker lost his hat yesterday, so I think I will be kntting him a new one. Maybe I will haul out one of my shawls in honor of the UFO challenge too. Have a good weekend and happy knitting!