Black Sheep, SP12, Argentina

So this is going to be a huge update post... First of all, I got a package from my SP 12 on Friday and want to say a big thank you! I was having a horrible day and you cheered me up. Here is what i got:

It's a skein of Trekking hand art, which I have never seen before so that's exciting plus the colorway is gorgeous. There is also a cute bookmark which I actually needed, so thank you so, so much SP :o)

This weekend I trekked over to Eugene for the Black Sheep Gathering. At the gathering I purchased many skeins of STR millends, I love these because they cost less and the flaws are minute. I also got a skein of tofutsies and one skein of Lace Wing sock yarn which I have never heard of but they have many colors, I'll let you know how it knits up. Here is the huge haul picture:


Also of note, my friend Juanita went to Argentina to visit her daughter and she brought me back some yarn! EXCITING!! 3 skeins of a cobweb weight silk and alpaca, I was scared to touch it at first but casted on for the candle flame shawl:



I also want to say congratulations to my SP 12 hostess who had the cutest baby boy last week! Congrats Robyn! Until next time.........

SP 12 Question of the Week

What is your favorite summer time beverage? Well this sounds totally boring but water! I don't drink alcohol (doesn't mix well with my meds) and I can't have too much sugar like in lemonade and such, and frankly, water is the only thing that will quench my thirst!!

SP 12 Questions

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? I love handpainted superwash sock yarn and I love soft natural fibers What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? Not a big fan of scratchy acrylic

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? My straight needles are in a vase for decoration and my others are loose in my knitting bag

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? 2.5 years, I taught myself Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? Intermediate

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Yes

5. What's your favorite scent? I love tropical fruit and citrus smells

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Yes but I'm not supposed to have high sugar foods. Before my favorite was Reese's and anything with peanut butter.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? scrapbooking and stamping Do you spin? No

8. What kind of music do you like? Most all types except country Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? yes

9. What's your favorite color(s)? I like pretty much any color, I'm not hard to please in this department.

10. What is your family situation? married with 2 kids ages 17 and almost 9 Do you have any pets? yes, 1 cat

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Yes to all but ponchos, and hats usually fit my head weird but I wear them.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? definitely socks

13. What are you knitting right now? 1 pair of socks and a sweater.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I like bamboo mostly and use both straight and circular, depends on the size of my project.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Yep, I got them for christmas

17. How old is your oldest UFO? 1.5 years

18. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

19. Is there anything that you collect? just yarn

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I get Interweave Knits

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? Hmmm..... maybe entrelac

22. Are you a sock knitter? Oh Yeah! What are your foot measurements? 9 inches long and about the same around.

23. When is your birthday? 7/28

24. Are you on Ravelry? Yes If so, what's your ID? neldyg

Some FO's

Well I told you I have been knitting a lot due to not sleeping so here is the evidence, first off we have my first Jaywalkers, I know I'm late jumping on the bandwagon. They are made from Claudia Handpaint in the Roasted Chilies colorway

Next are the Retro Rib socks from th "Favorite Socks" book that Interweave did. These are made from Louet Gems in the Cream colorway. I figured I needed some socks that were a color that would match anything, they are very soft.

Next up is a pattern that I found online called "Little Shells" I can't remember where exactly I found it but it knits up so cute. I made these with my Mama E's cyeber fiber, it's the colorway called Gayle.

Here is a close-up of the stitch pattern.

So as you see I have been a sock knitting fool, I am sleeping better now thanks to the miracle of Ambien, but I am still knitting more socks. I cast on some River Rapid socks from Sock Bug.
And now I leave you with some art from my son, I love this picture, but this dude needs his thyroid checked ;o) Have a good one everyone

A Quickie

Just a quick note to say that I am still alive, I haven't jumped off of a bridge or anything :o) I'm on the road to better and I have knitting content to update you with soon. I guess one good thing about insomnia is that I have knit 2 pairs of socks in a month or less, pictures to come.

Insomnia Sucks!!

I have insomnia these days and it's driving me crazy! I hate the feeling of being so exhasuted and then not being able to sleep, it cranks up my anxiety level to epic proportions, but I have been given some medication from the ER last night that should help reset my internal clock and get me to sleeping. Right now, at this moment, I feel like I'm strung out after a week long bender.
Here's what's been going on for the last week though, last Saturday was the Winter Formal at our high school. This is my DD and her beau before the dance

She's such a beautiful young woman, and very happy!

Monday she got her braces on, doesn't she looked thrilled!?!


I got a you make my day award from Shelly, thank you for that, although I am too wiped out right now to award it to someone else. Shelly, are you coming to our little fiber market in Prineville in March? If so we should hook up for lunch or something.

I have been knitting, I finished my retro rib socks from Favorite Socks, no pictures yet though. Have a nice weekend!!

Cocoa Swap Received!

Last night I received my cocoa swap from the awesome JoAnn and I am blown away! I love It!!! Let me show you what she sent, here are the contents in their entirety:

Yummy cocoa and handmade marshmallows from Williams Sonoma, Knit Picks Harmony DPN's, chocolate, Popcorn (because I'm addicted), 2 books, a cute Tinkerbell mug, 2 candles, cute crocheted Oreo cookie magnets which I already put on the fridge, monogrammed note cards, journal and note pad, and C*Eye*Ber Fiber coordinates sock yarn, oh yes, you heard me correctly!! So pretty. Here it is close up, I've been lurking on Mama E's site for some time now but haven't been able to get any, so I'm excited to try it out!


Here is a close up of one of the Oreos, how cute are these!!


Oh and I almost forgot, she also sent these cute, springy stitch markers, very cool!

Thank you again to JoAnn for making my winter brighter, I love everything!!

FO's!!!!!!!!!

Finally I have something done to show you! First of all, I finally blocked my chevron scarf, the poor thing has been waiting for ever to be done. It's made out of Socks the Rock in "Highway 30" and "Lunasea" colorways. It was very hard for me to use that yarn for this due to my sock addiction but I persevered and here it is, socks for my neck!!





I also finished some socks. These took a little longer than normal for me due to the fact that I finished one, didn't like the fit, started the other one with modifications and frogged the first one, whew! but now they are finished. This is the slippery pattern from the new Knitty. Let me tell you, this is designed by a high school girl and she is way smart! She is definitely an A+ math student! Here is the finished pair, I just so happened to have in my stash a similar and almost identical colorway to the one used but mine is Pagewood Farm



Here is a close up of the stitch pattern


The first picture shows the brightness of the colors better but they are too cool. Now I have cast on for the retro rib socks in the Favorite Socks book that I got for Christmas! See you next time!

Cocoa Swap Topic of the Week #2

Question: Now that we're in the thick of 'Winter'... has your knitting changed to match the season? Are you moving on from dishcloths, and tank tops to afghans, hats and mittens? Has your yarn changed from silk or cotton to wool, superwash or heavier cottons? Not really, I am an avid sock knitter, good knitting for all seasons!! I have made some fingerless mitts though in honor of the cold weather. Next week I'll be thinking about knitting warmer things though when we dip below zero!! brrrr......

One Of Those Days...

OK, so I am a public health nurse and we have a mobile medical unit at work that we use to take to outlying areas to do WIC and immunizations,etc. So this morning I was supposed to take it out for a WIC clinic 50 miles away. Everything that could go wrong did! First the mobile would not start, dead battery. Then the generators would not work, so we got them fixed, we take off. We start out of town and I notice that we need gas so we turn around and head to the station. We get there (it's one of those card lock systems) the driver card that I brought says invalid!!! So a co-worker brings us a card that works. We get gas and on the road again (we are supposed to be there by now). We get about 10 miles out and the road turns to ice!! OK at this point I'm thinking that it's just not in the cards for us to get to Post or Paulina today so we turned around and went back to the office. Let's hope the rest of the day is better!!!

Cocoa Swap Scavenger Hunt

1. Who's favorite animal is an Otter? Criquette
2. Name someone who prefers whipped cream with their hot cocoa: Alex E.
3. Find 3 people who live outside of the United States: Alex E., Ana Sofia, Tricia R.
4. Name a fan of Harry Potter: Lesley
5. Name someone who crochets: Alice A.
6. Name someone who DOES NOT have a healthy supply of notions: Ana Sofia, Clarissa
7. Name someone who has NOT put up their questionnaire yet (just put a date with your answer in case they put it up after seeing their name listed somewhere ;-) )Emily H-K 1/8
8. Who likes to have Kahlua, Baileys, or Peppermint Schnapps in their cocoa?
Annemarie M.
9. Name someone who knits fingerless gloves as a 'quick knit': Rachel C.
10.Name someone who's looking forward to gardening this spring. Michelle
11.Who's favorite way to drink cocoa is with a gorgeous Frenchman, while overlooking the eiffel tower from a French Cafe? (I'm right there with you... well at the table next to yours!): Kris L.
12.Name someone who's favorite animal is NOT a dog or house cat: Heather P., clarissa R.
13. Name someone who's favorite treat is NOT chocolate. Alice A.
14. Who plays Candyland? Criquette
15. Name someone who DOESN'T get the winter blahs: Criquette

Cocoa Swap Questions

Cocoa:
1. What is your favorite way to drink cocoa? Prepared with milk; from home made recipe or store bought? hmm, haven't had home made before, maybe I'm missing out, In a tea cup, or big mug? big mug!!
2. Marshmallows or whipped cream? marshmallows

Yarn/Knitting/Crochet
1. What is your favorite type of yarn? sock yarn in any color
2. Do you knit or crochet (or both)? Knit, haven't learned to crochet, maybe someday
3. What are your favorite type of needles, would you like to try something new? I like the bamboo best but I'll try anything new
4. Do you have a healthy supply of notions? Not sure what a healthy supply is, but I have a handful of things
5. What one thing do you keep thinking you need to buy for your knitting habit (outside of yarn)? well, I wanted a winder and a swift but hubby got me that for Christmas, so I don't have anything else, at least not yet!
6. What is your favorite 'quick knit/crochet' pattern (quick gratification)the London Beanie was quick and easy so I guess that

Miscellaneous
1. What is your favorite thing to do in the Winter? watch football
2. What is your favorite animal? my Cat
3. Do you get the 'winter blahs'? not too bad
4. What is your favorite way to beat the blahs? at home curled up with my knitting and a cuppa something (coffee/cocoa) and watching football
5. What is the thing you are most looking forward to this spring? all of the trees and flowers coming back to life
6. What are your favorite treats? I am addicted to popcorn, I try to stay away from sugar
7. What is your favorite board game? hmmm, I guess Sorry, we used to play that all the time
8. Do you have any children (furry or human)? yes 1 cat and 2 kids
9. Do you have any allergies or special considerations you partner should know about?nope

Goodies!

OK, so for my work we go to Mitchell (a small town in the middle of nowhere) to do WIC every 3 months and a lady that works at the school there asked me and my friend/co-worker about the socks we were knitting. She said her mom knit all of her Dad's socks and she also said she has sock patterns that we can have. So she runs home and brings back a folder full of sock patterns, most of them are argyle or plaid and they are from the 1940's and 50's, and they are so cool. I haven't made argyle socks yet but I'm going to now!! How cool are these!!?!

Long Time, No Post

Sorry for my absence, I have not been feeling well for some time now and because of that I've been a bad secret pal on both ends. I have received 2 packages from my pal since my last post. The first I have no pictures of because I took everything to work, it was work related stuff (stethoscope and IV drug book). The second was filled with goodies (see picture below):


a magazine, cute note pads, a bunch of yummy smelling bath stuff and some soft, squishy alpaca yarn, this yarn screamed out to me and wants to be gloves and a hat!! It's delicious, see....


So thank you so, so much to my secret pal, I'm sorry I haven't been the best communicator this round :o)

I also have an FO, here are Seduction Socks by Ann Budd that were made with Pagewood Farm in the Crayon colorway.



It was a civil war weekend here in Oregon, but we can all still get along ;o)

Knitters Coffee Swap Box!!

My swap box was waiting patiently for me when I returned home from a business trip. If I knew I had a package, I would have driven faster ;o) Here is a picture of the awesome contents:



There's Claudia Handpaint, yummy caramel and vanilla coffee, some super cute stitch markers (my first fancy ones) and some yarn themed note cards. Here are the stitch markers up close:



Thank you so much to KAT, I love my box and I hope you like what I sent you as much as I like mine ;o)

My Poor Car, Booty, and My Beasts

Warning: this is what your car may look like if your teenaged driver goes "deer hunting" on a Saturday night. The poor deer never had a chance! Everyone is OK, maybe a small bit of PTSD but I hope that won't last for long.


Unfortunately, I have been so preoccupied with getting repairs done along with doing mega flu shot clinics and caring for a sick son that I have been a bad pal and haven't posted about my booty yet. Here is a picture of what I received from Barb for the Booty Swap:


There's post-its with my initial, a shopping list magnet (I needed that btw), melon lotion, some needles, a hot pink hat, some hankies, and of course sock yarn which I have already cast on. I Love the colors! Thank you Barb so, so much!!

And I leave you with pictures of my ghouls on Halloween

Secret Pal Box!

I got a box from my SP and here's what I got; 2 skeins of Noro Airisu (the white/green/magenta one) and 2 skeins of Araucania Pahuen which is a really cool cotton, I don't know what to make with these but they are so cool. I also got a cute journal and an issue of IK. Thank you, thank you, to my secret pal, whoever you are :o)

Here's a picture of the goodies:

Knitters Coffee Swap Questions

1. Whole bean or ground? either is fine, no real preference to one or the other
2. Fully-loaded or decaf? fully loaded please
3. Regular or flavored? flavored
4. How do you drink your coffee? with cream and splenda
5. Favorite coffee ever? Starbucks Carmel Macchiato's are it right now for me
6. Are you fussy about your coffee or will any old bean do? not too fussy I just don't like something too bold
7. Favorite treats to have with your coffee? hmmm.. don't usually have a treat with my coffee
8. Anything else about your coffee preferences? nope
9. Yarn/fiber you love? pretty much any sock yarn, I haven't met any that I didn't like yet :o)
10. Yarn/fiber you hate? acrylic
11. What's on your needles? socks, an irish hiking scarf and a sweater
12. Favorite colors? I like pretty much any color
13. Allergies? nope
14. Anything you really love, really don't like, or just need to get off your chest? nope, I'm pretty easy to please

I Promise I'm Still Knitting...

I have 2 finished pairs of socks to offer, the first is a victorian lace pattern from Six Socks KAL, I used Knit Picks essential solid in burgundy.



The second is a pair of Tidal Wave socks, pattern from SWTC, and yarn is Tofutsies. I really liked this yarn, it split at first but once I got going it was fine. the finished product is so very soft.



Here's a close up of the stitch pattern


I also finished my chevron scarf for that KAL but it still needs blocking so stay tuned for those pictures.

I'll leave you with a super cute picture of my kiddos, all together now..AWWWWW.....

Extreme Home Makeover: Part 2

FINALLY we are done laying the new floors, whew, that's a lot of work. All of the walls also got a fresh coat of paint, even the ceiling was painted. Here is the floor before (this is after I ripped up all of the carpet and some linoleum:





And here it is after:





It's called Williamsburg cherry and I love it so much. Makes the house seem so much bigger and cleaner :o) Now we just have to do the trim and put all of the furniture back in the house (it's stashed in the garage) and we'll be done :o)