Happy Holidays...

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

My new art work, from Tracy Fisher Arts http://www.tfisherart.com/, sums it up for me.  Looking forward to spending time with family.  I hope you all have a joyuous holiday season!!  See you next year!!

I love how she did the packages under the tree with all our names, including little Diego.

Santa Sack...

I can finally post a fun project I was working on for my knitting group (gave them away today).  I found these cute handmade ornaments (made in the good old USA) at A Good Yarn Shop in Port Orchard.

Now, I didn't want to put these ornaments in just a plain old gift bag so I went onto Ravelry to see if I could find a cute little gift bag to make.  I really didn't see anything I liked so I hit the caffeine and put my wee little brain to work.  I'm not really a designer but hey you have to start somewhere right?  I made up these adorable Santa gift sacks with some really pretty Lamb's Pride yarn.  This yarn is so nice to work with and I love how it knits up.  I dug deep into container after container of yarn in my garage and finally found some white fun fur, made my way through the maze in my craft room to find some ties and jingle bells and sat down to see what I could do.  Each bag is a little different, I had to experiment with the number of stitches, increases and decreases to make it turn out like the pattern in my head.  In the end I am happy with the results and I think everyone liked them.  I'll have to put these on my Christmas list for 2011.

Busy, busy, busy...

I'm keeping myself so busy these days I just haven't had time to blog.  I'm working away on last minute Christmas gifts and I'm still not sure who is getting what.  I made these fun santa hats which I thought about selling at the bazaar at my kids school but, as usual, my kids confiscated them.  I just love them!!

The middle picture is Hailey demonstrating how her marshmallow shooters work.  I'm so proud of my kids for making and selling out their stock at the bazaar.  They were so excited to get some "fun" money, not so excited about paying for their expenses out of their profits though.  What a great lesson!!

Wool alternative...

Allergic to wool or does it just plain make you itch?  I have a great alternative yarn for you!  It is from Berroco called Remix.  This yarn is a blend of 27% cotton, 10% silk, 30% nylon and 24% acrylic.  What a combination you think?  Well, you would be surprised at how nice this yarn is and how well it knits up.  The picture above is one of my newest sweaters made with the Remix and I LOVE it!  It feels so yummy on I just don't ever want to take it off.  And, the best part is yesterday when I was at Allyn Knit Shop (http://www.allynknitandspin.com/) for a class she had made up a baby sweater sample and had already washed it up.  When I felt it I was pleasantlyy surprised at how well this yarn washes up.  It feels so incredibly soft, I can't wait to wash mine up to get that same feel.  I also love the colors... I love the color of my sweater but when I saw the colors that Lois had in her shop I immediately racked my brain for a new project I could make.  Her baby sweater sample was knit up in a gorgeous denim blue and she had a pretty red color along with a lighter grey and black.  I've never been a huge fan of all black but this black was just beautiful.  Now I just have to decide what project to do and what color to choose.  Heck, maybe I just need to find projects for every color :)  Check it out for yourself... I don't think you will be disappointed.

Pattern on Ravelry - http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/harvest-moon-2
Yarn - Berroco Remix - http://www.berroco.com/shade_cards/remix_sh.html

Sock it to me...

Last night I drove out to Allyn Knit Shop for a class on making two socks at the same time using two circular needles.  I've tried to self teach myself with magic loop but I wasn't having much success so I decided I needed someone else to show me.  I'm SO glad I made the trip out to Allyn... the class was wonderful, the teacher (Lois) was wonderful, the company was really funny and entertaining and I learned that I LOVE using two circular needles now.  I'm so excited to start my own pair of socks and finish them both at the same time.  No more socks with one foot/cuff shorter/longer than the other.  If you ever get a chance to take a class with Lois DO IT!!  She is so amazingly nice, is a wonderful teacher and her shop is pretty cool with a huge selection of yarn, needles and other fun little gadgets.  (http://www.allynknitandspin.com/)

Here are the mini socks I made, they are going to be felted eventually.  I made them with pointy toes hoping that they would look like little elf socks once they are felted.  We shall see... I'll probably turn them into ornaments, maybe put a jingle bell on the toe.  Wouldn't that be cute!!

What a sight...

Isn't this a cool picture?  You'll never guess where I took it... in my own neighborhood.  Last week the kids came home from school and this is what they saw when they got off the bus.  What an amazing sight to see an owl right in your own backyard.  It was really cool to watch him, his head turned almost all the way around without even moving his body.  He was gorgeous and just sitting there staring at all of us.  Although he might have been staring at our tiny little dog Diego thinking "ahh... lunch time".

November storms...

Winter storms officially hit last night here in the great pacific northwest.  The wind was blowing, the rain was falling and power went out.  But, I couldn't sleep so what did I do?  I got out my candles and knit by candlelight.  That was definitely a first for me and I hope it will be the last.  It was not so easy to see but luckily I was working on a project that was straight stockinette stitch.  It actually was kind of funny and pretty amusing.  My husband would have been rolling his eyes at me if he had been awake.  If I had thought about it, like one of my friends did, I would have broke out the camping lantern and had lots of light.  But, hey, that wouldn't have been any fun now would it?  Luckily the power is back and knitting was much easier tonight... that is until the next storm blows in tomorrow.

This is the sweater I was working on in the dark.  It's from ravelry, called Peasy and is made out of Classic Elite's soft linen.  The verdict is still out on the yarn but the pattern has been really easy.



New Gadget...

Andrew and I were at Ikea on my birthday and I found this fun little gadget for socks.  I call it the "socktopus" and it hangs from the rod in my laundry room.  It has 8 legs with clips that hold my socks while drying.  I figured it was the next best think to buying 8-10 sets of sock blockers, which would cost a small fortune.  Usually when I dry my socks I have them sprawled out on top of the dryer and they often get knocked off and down the side of the dryer, which drives me nuts!  This "socktopus" gadget is so handy and it only costs $3.99.  Can't beat that!  The only thing I don't like about it is it leaves a small mark on my socks (from the clips).  I'm hoping it will only be temporary and won't damage the socks.  I'll keep using it and see what happens.  I still might have to invest in more sock blockers and hang those from my "socktopus" if the marks cause problems or my socks stretch.  The first batch that I washed dried good though.  Oh, the other thing I like is the arms fold up when not in use.  This comes in handy when opening and closing the door to my garage.  So, all in all, I'm loving my "socktopus"!

Yarn heaven...

If there is a yarn heaven I was in it yesterday when I went on a tour of Cascade Yarns warehouse with Allyn Knit Shop and my friend Kristen.  I can kick myself for not bringing my camera.  I would love to show you the floor to ceiling, wall to wall, aisle after aisle boxes of yarn.  It was an awesome site but also a little overwhelming.  I was so glad I brought along of list of projects that I wanted yarn for.  Otherwise I would have went crazy filling my shopping bag (not that I didn't anyway though).  It was amazing to see how much yarn they had and all the different kinds of yarn in one place.  It was also a little funny, OK it was REALLY funny, to see a bunch of women bent over, frantically searching boxes for that perfect yarn before anyone else could get their hands on it.  My husband would have got some good laughs.  There were some people taking pictures and I'm really afraid of what I might look like in those pictures :)  After all, I had an agenda too.  I was lucky enough to find yarn for several projects that include scarves, slippers, hats and sweaters.  I could have kept going but my checkbook wouldn't allow me to.  It's amazing how fast it all adds up when you aren't paying attention.  Here is the first project I made last night with only one ball of Lana Grande yarn.

Cascade has such a large selection of yarn that made it really fun to dig through boxes looking for the perfect color.  Along with the boxes of open bags of yarn, we could buy unopened bags off the shelves in almost every color imaginable.  It was nice to be able to buy sweater quantities like that and pick any color you want.  Plus we got a discount too, which made it even better.  If you missed this trip, Sonya from Yorkshire Yarns, www.yorkshireyarns.com, is going next Sunday, Oct. 17 from 12-5.  Contact her for more information and get signed up today.  You won't be disappointed.  Just make sure you have your list, your checkbook and your camera and you'll have a ball.

New Addition...

Meet Fred, the newest addition to our household :)  He is quiet, doesn't eat a lot, never wants anything and never talks back.  I love Halloween.

Check those "boobies"...

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month I made this hat.  I believe it will be going to a teacher that has survived breast cancer.  I guess it is time for me to finally go in for a boob squeeze too :)  Breast Cancer (or cancer in general for that matter) is such a horrible disease.

The pattern is free and can be found at http://carissaknits.blogspot.com/2007/10/pink-ribbon-hat.html.  It was pretty simple and quick to make.  I used up some sock yarn I had, just held it doubled to get gauge.  The yarn I used was On Your Toes.  It's kind of scratchy but hopefully will soften up with washing.  The recipient has already gone through treatments and her hair has grown back so I'm not worried about it.  I love how it turned out and hopefully she will too. I hope you all take the time for your boobie squeeze too!!

In over my head...

October has hit with a vengeance and I'm beginning to wonder if I am in over my head!  Sink or swim right?  I'm going to try my hardest to swim, swim, swim.  I recently signed up for an online tech editing class.  Thought I would dabble in design myself or helping designers with their patterns.  Well, I got my first assignment and I'm trying not to laugh.  What was I thinking?  Positive ease, negative ease, sleeve caps, schematics... my mind is whirling.  But, I CAN do it... I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.  After all, this doesn't look complicated does it?

Along with the tech editing class I also signed up for a photography class at my local community college.  This class was supposed to be a "beginning" digital photography class to learn the in's and out's of the digital camera.  According to the class description we would learn how all the functions and settings work on the camera (which I desperately need).  I was excited for this class because my manual for my camera is so hard to follow and understand.  Well, I was sure in for a surprise... during the first class, and I've only taken one, the instructor spent almost the entire first hour talking about himself, HIS business, how HE takes pictures, showing HIS samples and talking about HIS business.  At the end of the class I had not learned a thing and I walked out of there more frustrated than when I went in.  On top of all this I am swamped with many school and knitting things, kids that have a never ending "I want" list and PMS.  Let's just say that October has hit like a hurricane... I sure hope the forces die down soon or my husband might have to commit me to Western State Hospital :)  But hey, I could get some good drugs and some much needed rest right?  After all, it's only 30 minutes away and they could visit me on the weekends :)  Or maybe I should just make myself on of these for Mommy "time-outs".  What do you think?

What is a true friend?

What is a true friend?  Yes, someone who listens, someone who has a shoulder to cry on, someone who will be truthful even when it hurts...BUT when you have a friend who will switch plans at the last minute because your car puttered out on you AND surprise you with a homemade lunch (while picking you up at your front door) because they know you don't take care of yourself very well, THAT is a true friend in my eyes and that friend is Lisa... you ROCK girl!  THANKS for being who you are... you are an amazing person!!

Do the Puyallup...

The Puyallyp Fair was a lot of fun this year.  We picked a night that was cloudy and rainy but the weather cleared up and it was a beautiful evening.  The picture above is Hailey standing in front of a 994 lb. pumpkin.  The thing was HUGE!

Kiddo's on the rides.  

 These gigantic carved pumpkins were pretty cool.

Kids resting their feet and getting a massage after all the walking.  I need one of these at home :)

Picture of the day...

A pink tank... interesting... bet that would go over good with the military :)

Football Socks

Fall, rain, football = warm cozy feet... I started a pair of slipper socks last night and finished them up today while watching football.  Have you ever knit a pair of socks in a day?  I didn't think that was possible but I did it and I'm loving them.

These will come in handy for soccer season too when the weather gets really cold, I think I can probably wear them with my boots.  The yarn I used was Dream in Color Groovy and I think the colorway (Bayou) is beautiful.  The pattern was also from Dream in Color as part of their sock club.  It was my first purchase from The Dizzy Sheep.  Have you checked out The Dizzy Sheep yet?  They have daily specials that change at midnight everyday.  It's been kind of fun to follow the deals... I hate to admit it but I find myself a little addicted to checking out the special every night since I'm always up.  Anyway, as you can tell, they knit up really quick with the bulky yarn.  I loved the yarn but didn't exactly love the pattern.  There were some mistakes but I had to adjust for using magic loop anyway so it wasn't really an issue with me.  For a beginning sock knitter it might be a little more frustrating.  All in all though, if your looking for a quick knit for a last minute gift, these are perfect!  My feet will be nice and toasty warm this winter and, from what everyone has been saying, it looks like I will need it!!

Soccer season is here...

Rain, rain go away... at least for tomorrow anyway!  Soccer season has arrived which means rain too.  I decided today that Hailey needed a new hat for her soccer game tomorrow.  After all, I can't have my baby getting all wet and cold can I?  At least her head will be warm.  I was browsing new patterns on http://www.ravelry.com/ and saw this cute hat called Bella's Striped Hat from Eclipse.  Now, I'm not a fan of the Twilight series but I do LOVE this hat.  Hailey's team colors are green and white so a green and white hat it is.  Luckily I already had yarn on hand in my "massive" stash :)  This pattern was so perfect and so quick I just might have to make more.  For now I must go give my arm a rest.  All that knitting today didn't help the carpal tunnel!  Dang I hate that stuff.

Project bags...

Can a knitter ever really have too many projects bags?  Are you addicted to project bags?  I LOVE project bags and have a small addiction myself.  Although my husband would probably not call it a "small" addiction.  My latest find was at one of my new favorite shops in Gig Harbor called Indigo Plum.  I went there last week to check out some rain boots.  After all, this is Washington and the rainy season is just getting underway.  While I was there I saw some cool reusable bags... it does seem to be the rage these days.  While digging through the different patterns I noticed there was also a "mini" sack.  Thought this would be perfect for socks or other small projects.  Trying to decide which one to buy was the hard part.  This is the one I picked:

The colors remind me of fall and I love the flowers on the front and polka dots on the back.  The cool thing about this bag is it has a good size pocket on the inside and it folds up into that pocket when not in use.  But, I won't be needing that little feature because this bag will get lots of ongoing use. 
What kind of project bags do you like to use?

Picture of the day...

What do you think they are making?  I need to find me some of these needles... how fun would those be on the wall of my craft room?

Farmer's Market...

Today was a fun day filled with LOTS of laughs, GREAT company and TONS of chocolate... what's better than that?  Lisa and I tried to keep the spirit of summer alive by going to the farmer's market in Tacoma.  Dark clouds or not flip flops were still the footwear of choice and I didn't even have to wear my coat.  The smell of yummy food, fresh fruit and flowers filled the air while most people still wore a smile.  It was a GREAT day!  I filled up my reusable shopping bag quickly with fresh flowers,

and colorful, fun pepers to hang in my kitchen.

And I couldn't leave without throwing in some fresh bread and spinach.  Then it was off to the Almond Roca outlet to stock up on some chocolate.  And stock up we did... who can pass up .05, .10, .25 and .99 cent deals on all kinds of chocolate from regular Almond Roca to cashew and macadamia nut Roca?  I think I now have enough chocolate to last a year :)  I know where I'll be shopping at Christmas time. 

What a fun place!  Not a yarn store in sight and I still had a GREAT day!  Thanks Lisa... you ROCK! 

Football Season...

Football season is here... yeaaaaaa!  I love fall and I love football.  Football (and fall) is a great time to get lots of knitting done.  It's one of those days that you don't feel guilty sitting on the coach in front of the TV all day.  Throw in some knitting projects and football junk food and I'm in heaven.  This cartoon gave me a good chuckle this morning.  It's from Franklin Habit's Stash of Knitting Cartoons 2011 Calendar that I saw on Interweave Knits.  I just might have to buy it!

Knitting frustration...

OK... it's time to get mean (just kidding).  I was so excited to make the Cyclamen sweater and I've been having nothing but trouble.  Seems to be on ongoing theme with me these days.  Knit...rip...knit...rip... what's wrong with my hands?

This sweater was supposed to be a nice, easy, quick knit.  It started out easy but by the time I was done with the back the thing had grown like wild flowers.  You can definitely say that a size 10 needle is wrong, the gauge is wrong and the measurements are wrong.  I ended up ripping out all my hard work, going down to a size 9 needle and a smaller sweater size.  I have now finished the back, left side and left sleeve which I seamed together to see how it fits.  The sleeve seems a little bulky and the sweater is still a tad too big.  Do I want to rip again or just go with it?  I think I'll take it to my knitting group tomorrow and see what the "experts" think (AKA Lisa and Sue).  For now, I think I'll just sit and wallow in my own frustration.

Stamping...

I've been having too much fun with knitting so I've decided to give up stamping. I have Stampin' Up and Close To My Heart stamps that need to go. Most are brand new or barely used. Some are lightly stained (only a few have major stains) from use but are still usable. I have photos but you will need to email me if you would like to see any. There are way too many photos to post. Here is the list of what I have available. Make me an offer if anything looks interesting to you, it's too time consuming for me to research prices. I just need them out of my craft room to make room for all my yarn :) Email me if you have any questions. I accept Paypal (including debit/cc cards), actual shipping charges would be your responsibility. Thanks!

STAMPIN’ UP

Fintastic

Circle of Friendship

Elegant Ornaments

Totally Cool

Perfect Timing

Bitty Boos

Fishy Friends

Priceless

Sweet Serendipity

Snow Swirled

Say It With Scallops

Heartfelt Thanks

Very merry

Alphabet Mini

Deer Friends

Alphabits

Love Ya

Sprinkles

Seasonal Icons

Short & Sweet

Kids At Play

Happy Winter

“Love” (large definition stamp)

Make It Count

Small Snowflake wheel

Small Arachnophobia (spider) wheel

Small Fishy Friends wheel

Large So Swirtly wheel

Large Whimsy wheel

2 large & 2 small plastic wheel cases (storage cases)

Pastels (new chalks)

Set of 3 Blender Pens

Heating Tool (embossing - new)

Powder Pals set (new)

CLOSE TO MY HEART

Storytime (lowercase)

For All You Do

Spunky Greetings

Funky Chunky

No Peeking

Speckled Eggs

School Days

Seasonal Thoughts

Christmas Tags

Reminders

Funky Confetti

Tag Charms

Start Your Engines

Rustic Flowers

Kids Will Be Kids

Just Like You

Words To Live By

Kid Power

Random Thoughts

Brushstroke Flowers

First & 10

Fairy Dust

Childhood Boy

Made By Me

Picture of the day...

At my knitting group today there was some surprise when the words "knitted lingerie" came up. I saw this picture the other day and thought man, my husband sure wouldn't complain about me knitting all the time if I was making something like this! I COULD do it but he certainly wouldn't be seeing me in it... maybe I should make HIM something and see what happens :)

Back to school...

Can you believe it? I'm going back to school... but in a FUN way! I'm finally going to take some photography classes at TCC Gig Harbor and learn my camera inside and out. I'm really excited about this. Maybe now my pictures will look more like Lisa's (lisaellisdesigns.blogspot.com). Who knows, maybe this little venture will push a button and lead me to even more adventures. We shall see!

Picture of the day...

The CRAZY things knitting fanatics come up with sometimes are pretty funny and amazing. This one put a smile on my face.

Yarn Crawl...

Last week I went on my own little yarn crawl... a short one anyway. As I posted earlier, I went to the new yarn shop in Kirkland, Serial Knitters and loved it. On my way home I did stop at another yarn shop I had never been to, the Cultured Pearl in Issaquah. It was a cute little shop in Gilman Village and I found lots of fun yarn I hadn't seen before. They had just received a new shipment of Malabrigo and I couldn't leave the shop without buying some. The new colors for fall are just gorgeous, as you can see from my picture above. I just love Malabrigo, it's so soft and nice to knit with (worsted anyway). I'm looking forward to knitting with the sock yarn since I haven't yet. I have a feeling it will be a real treat. I plan to make a hat with the worsted and a fun pair of socks (of course) with the other. If you haven't been to the Cultured Pearl check it out... you won't be disappointed.

Sweater excitement...

The other day when I was making my way around Serail Knitters (a new yarn shop in Kirkland), this beautiful sample sweater caught my eye. I fell in love with it and had to have it. After quite a search by the helpful staff, the very last book was found and I was able to get my hands on the pattern. I love this book, there are some amazingly beautiful patterns in it that I will be putting in my queue on Ravelry (merrysherri). When I first picked up the yarn the sweater was made from my first thought was WOW, I would have never thought a sweater made with that yarn would be so beautiful. The yarn is Rowan Purelife Renew, a recycled yarn. Yah me... I'm going "green" with this one. After I finish up the sweater I am making for my Mom, this sweater will be the first on my needles. I can't wait, I'm really looking forward to it.

Serial Knitters...

The other day I finally made the long trek up to Kirkland to visit a new yarn shop, Serial Knitters. I had been dying to see this new shop and was giddy with joy on the drive up there wondering what kind of treasures I would find. OK so I'm a little dorky (or nerdy as some might say) but oh well, you serious yarn junkies out there know what I mean and I KNOW you're out there :) The hour drive was well worth it...I wasn't disappointed. I LOVED it! I loved the layout, I loved the yarn, I loved the atmosphere and I loved how friendly the staff was. I was in yarn heaven!! Not only did they have a ton of beautiful yarn, they had some yarn I had never laid my hands on before. It was amazing and, again, I was in yarn heaven. I walked out of there with a big bag of yarn that included some scrumptious Madelinetosh yarn that will turn into yummy socks. This yarn is so soft to the touch and the colors are just beautiful, I can't wait to knit with it. If you haven't been to this store yet I highly recommend it. I KNOW you will leave with a big smile on your face just like I did!!

Catch my next post for the other yarn I bought and the gorgeous sweater I'm going to make with it.