Stash Enhancement

Well, I have been adding to my stash and there is more to come. Of course, I had to buy yarn at Kraemer's fabulous 50% off sale. I didn't get many different kinds of yarns, but I got quite a bit. I got a skein of Sockotta in color number 6670 and I got 20 skeins of Summit Hill in pearl. Kraemer's name brand yarn was not suppose to be on sale, but they reduced the Summit Hill because they are going to be making hanks instead of balls.

When I went to class that Saturday, I got there about 5 minutes early and had a hard time finding a parking space. Fortunately, I have been there often enough, that I parked in the back of the store. I got in the store, picked out my yarn and got in line. It didn't take me long to get checked out. Thank God. Not too much later you had to wait in line for 45 - 60 minutes to get checked out.

I also added Shi bui sock yarn in color number 51302 and Dream in Color Smooshy in happy forest. I got these skeins from Simply Socks Yarn Company.

From the Loopy Ewe, I got Dream in Color Smooshy in Lipstick Lava, All things Heather in midnight frost, and Shi bui in color 1675 (it's like a pumpkin color).

I just ordered more yarn from the Loopy Ewe today. I wanted some Wollmeise. I had to order fast. I had yarn in my basket and before I knew it, it was gone. I got three different skeins though and just checked a couple of minutes ago and the Wollmeise is all gone. Thank god I got some.

I also was able to snag a skein of Dragons Blood from Hello Yarn. She is having another update tomorrow and I would really like to get some Homespun yarn. Hope she has some.

I guess I better get to knitting me some socks!

Knit One, Purl Two pick up a stitch that's all you do.

Where the heck did I get that title? Somehow it just popped into my mind. I must have learned it somewhere.

I have been knitting away and wanted to post my pictures. Mostly dishcloths and comfortghan squares.

Here is the progress on my sock. One down, one to go. I think it's looking pretty good, plus I got the second sock to start around the same point, so they should be a matched pair. I have to get me some sock blockers.

I have been knitting dishcloths. This one is from the Monthly dishcloth group. It's a Happy Birthday cloth designed by Kim Fortin. I used Sugar and Cream in a hot blue color.

The second one is called the Straight Vines Cloth from my Dishcloths R US Yahoo group. It is designed by Katherine Frazier and I used Sugar and Cream green stripes.

Here are two comfortghan squares I completed out of my goal of 12 for my Dishcloths R US group:

The one on the top is called Little Checks Square by Mary Dixon and the one on the bottom is called Basket Welt Square by Mary Dixon. I used size 8 needles for both and I used TLC Essentials yarn by Red Heart in Fusion.

I am currently working on another Comfortghan square in addition to my second sock. My fingers are flying!

Yarn Buyers Anonymous

I am obsessed by yarn. It truely is an addiction. I wonder if they have a group that could help me. I wonder if they call it YBA (yarn buyers anonymous). Help ME!

Well, I didn't just buy yarn for no reason. I really like WEBs and have never ordered from them. So I found two yarns to buy. One is Valley Yarns Franklin in the Macaw color for socks of course.

Then, I have heard so much about Tofutsies yarn from Southwest Trading company, that I had to try this skein in color 727.

I want to make the Noro striped scarf with Silk Garden for my husband for Christmas. So I bought 4 skeins. Since some of the colors were discontinued, I had to get them from several different places (none from Webs).

I had mentioned in an earlier post that I wanted to knit Elizabeth Zimmermans baby surprise jacket. I finally got the yarn I ordered from Sundara yarns.

And then my Socks That Rock yarn club sent me this package:

The color is called Flower Power and I think it will make beautiful looking socks, don't you?

I have more yarn coming from the Loopy Ewe (I actually was able to buy yarn during a shop update), Hello Yarn (it was tough getting yarn here, but I was able to order a skein during her shop update), and some yarn from Simply Socks Yarn Company. All yarn is for socks.....see I am loving knitting socks, but I really need to attend a YBA meeting soon. Does anyone want to join me?

I am still knitting away on my sock, but I am getting closer to getting it finished. I did knit another dishcloth for my Yahoo dishcloth group. We are trying to get pictures of all of the dishcloth patterns posted in our files, so everyone is busy knitting away. This is called the Leaf Allover Lace Cloth.

The End of Summer?

The last week of August brings back memories. By this time, I was ready to go back to school; however, back in the day when I was in school, we started after Labor Day. Some schools have already started and our school district starts tomorrow. To be that young again to have to worry about school.

I do love the Fall though. I think it's the crisp clean air that comes with it and the leaves turning colors. I love the first snowfall, but just like the heat, I get tired of it and can't wait for Spring. It already feels like fall because it is getting darker earlier. I will be glad for the cooler weather though so I can begin to get things organized around the house. It was certainly and wonderful summer and I so do not miss working.

I am feeling real good about knitting socks. I am taking my time and recording the rows I am knitting to make the second sock easier to knit. I did get past the heel with a little help from my knitting teacher. When I had to pick up stitches on the one side, I kept getting holes. She fixed it for me. So, now I just have to knit the foot and toe and then I can start on the second sock. It is going quickly though and I am having more fun that I had before trying to knit socks.

It's funny though. I am using Plymouth bamboo needles for this sock and I just love the needles. I am finding that the yarn I am using for a project and the needles I use make a big difference on my desire to keep knitting a project.

I was able to purchase two new socks books. One is by Cat Bordhi called New Pathways for Sockknitters. It's a whole new way of knitting socks. What I like about it is that you can practice by knitting baby socks. She also gives you the instructions on knitting with circular needles and double pointed needles. I will definately be trying the patterns in this book.

The second book I got is by Ann Budd called Getting Started Knitting Socks. I got this book for the basics and it doesn't disappoint me.

I finished a dishcloth from one of my Yahoo groups called the Lacy Hearts Dishcloth. This was a fun dishcloth to knit and it gave me a reason to use the new Sugar and Cream stripes yarn in Pink. I think it turned out really nice.

Speaking of Yahoo, it really has been giving me trouble lately. The emails from my groups have been bouncing and I have to keep going in to reset myself. Hopefully, it will be fixed soon.

Socks, Socks, Socks

I am finally knitting socks and I think I am starting to get the hang of it. I finished the Cascade Fixation ankle socks that I was working on. This really is the second pair of socks that I have knitted, but I really feel as if I did better on this pair.

So, I have started another pair of socks using Online Supersocke 100. Color 924 and using size 2 bamboo double points.

I had two other pair of socks on the needles that I hadn't finished and I decided that they were too complex, so I frogged them. I will use the yarn for other socks, but I need to stick to the basics before I get too fancy. Since I was frogging away, I also ripped out a doggie sweater that I had started for Sadie. I just didn't feel right using that sweater for Maggie and I really hadn't gotten that far. I now have all of my projects organized. I have thirteen projects in the works and I feel better about them all.

1. Silky Tie Wrap - I may frog this and start all over.
2. Sweater - front is done and I'm working on the back. The back is about half compete. I really need to start this again. This was the first knitted project that I started with back in June of 2004.
3. Shrug - almost complete. I probably only have a couple of rows left and then I can start to sew it together.
4. Candle flame shawl - I restarted this a second time because I made a mistake. I learned from the mystery stole 3 and I put the directions in a spreadsheet. It is more organized and will help me keep my place. I just have to recheck the spreadsheet and can pick this up again to work on.
5. Chevron Scarf using STR yarn - I restarted this scarf since I didn't like how it was turning out. I am now on the right track.
6. Mystery Stole 3 - I have three clues to finish, but was waiting for the final pictures of the wing to be posted to see how this turns out. I will probably knit the wing.
7. Beach tote - Front is complete and Back is almost done.
8. Black fingerless gloves
9. Ripple Afghan - will start this up again soon.
10. Snowflake dishcloth
11. Barbara Walker's Square A Long afghan - I have one square complete, but I'm in no rush to finish this.
12. Online Sock - just started this
13. Comfortghan squares for my Dishcloth group - I am determined to complete a dozen before the end of the year.

So, with all of these projects, you would think I would not be thinking of new things to knit. But Kraemer Yarns just developed a new yarn called Sterling that is Superwash merino, silk, nylon and yes Sterling Silver. They currently only have it in White and I had to buy a skein. My first thought was socks, but it is yummy enough for a small scarf. So, once I find a pattern, I will be trying this yarn. They are going to have this in other colors. Black is coming out next.

I also found out that Kraemers is going to come out with a line of sock yarn. They are going to start with solid colors first. I can't wait to see it! When I went to class this week, I was shocked to see that they had the Dream in Color yarn. I was ecstatic! I was even more surprised to find out that they make the yarn. So many new things and so little time to knit them all!

I am in Sock and Yarn heaven!

The Heat is ON

Boy is it hot! The next couple of days are not suppose to be cool ones. It's days like this that make me look forward to fall weather. At least we have air conditioning to keep us cool.

I'm in a funk with the mystery stole. Melanie posted Clue 5 on Friday and it's a wing. The theme is Swan's Lake and it's a beautiful story and wonderful theme, but I'm not sure about the wing. There are two more clues to finish and I figure that I don't have to keep up with everyone and can finish later when I get my mojo back. From some of the posts on yahoo, I think quite a few knitters are not real happy on how this is turning out. I'm sure many are refraining from speaking out for fear of being slammed by some of the other knitters. Melanie is being a real sport and understands. Don't get me wrong. I love how the wing looks, but I am more traditional and would rather have had the stole follow the symmetry of the beginning of the stole.

I do however love the Zephyr yarn that I am using to knit the stole. This is the second time I am using Zephyr. Although it is a laceweight yarn, it holds the stitches very well. As a result, I broke down and bought 2 cones from Sarahs Yarn. I got Peacock and Vanilla to add to my Ebony.

I have been knitting dishcloths. I finally finished the July Midmonth cloth. It's a really nice pattern. I used Peaches and Cream in Passion. I think that it shows off the knitting pattern very well. I wasn't too sure that I liked this variegated color when I got it, but it looks pretty good. I also completed the August cloth that is a dolphin pattern. I used light blue in Sugar and Cream.

Speaking of cotton yarn. I finally got the new Sugar and Cream stripes cotton. I got the following colors: Violet, Lime, Pinky, Country, Tie Dye, and Holiday. I am looking forward to trying out these new colors.

I was also able to finish the first sock that we are working on in my knitting class. We are using Cascade fixation and an ankle sock pattern. I am so proud of myself that I completed it and even did the kitchener stitch! I need to cast on the second sock before Friday and then I am anxious to try another sock. I think I am finally getting the hang of this or at least feeling a little more confident.

I have already knit one pair of socks and have two other patterns on the needles. I have now decided to rip out the two other socks and start over with a simpler pattern. I need to get the basics down before trying a fancier pattern. Socks aren't hard, it's just the heel and gusset part that are a little tricky and I need to feel more confident about knitting socks. I am using the Lantern Moon DPN's and really love them. They are 7 inches long, so they could be shorter. So, I am going to get the new Sox Stixs that are 5 inches long. I just have to decide on what sizes to order.

Well, while everyone is reading the 7th Harry Potter book, I have gone back to the beginning and I'm starting over with the first book. You can see my new glasses on the picture below with the book. I really like these new glasses. Not only do I like the shape, I like that they are black on the outside and green on the inside.

And I must end this post with a new picture of Maggie May. As you can see, she is doing a cute pose. Ah, if only she was always like this!

Knitting Lace

This is all I have been doing. I have been trying to catch up and this Sunday, I started on Clue 4. I have made it through Chart E and now am waiting for Mrs. R to post the written instructions for Chart F. We have until next Friday until the next Clue is posted.

I am attaching a picture below. You can see that I still have my lifelines in just in case

I have finally gotten into the rhythm of knitting this stole without making too many mistakes. The lifelines and stitch markers are definately helping.

I did start on a sock at knitting class, but I am mostly knitting that in class since I don't want to knit on the stole there. I need quiet and concentration to knit this lace stole.

I Am Addicted

I am hooked on the Mystery Stole 3 KAL. I started last Monday and had a bad start. I must have frogged 6 times or more. It just wasn't flowing right. So, I tried again last Tuesday and I had success.....until I ran into problems later on. After so much frogging, I began to put in lifelines every 10 rows. That did help, but I still had problems. I had hoped to finish Clue 1 before the end of the week, but that was not going to happen. Finally this Sunday, I completed Clue 1 and was at the point where the stitches were not increasing anymore. I then added stitch markers after every 11 stitches and that made a big difference. I became brave enough to wait until I had 12 rows before adding a lifeline. I have been doing well, but if I made a mistake, I caught it before finishing out a row. I have 20 more rows on Clue 2 and will probably start Clue 3 on Wednesday (knock on wood). I would really like to be caught up by the end of the week so I have a lot of time to work on Clue 4. I am really happy with how it's turning out and I love, love, love the Zephyr yarn and the Knitpicks needles. Here is a picture showing the stitch markers and the lifelines (note: I am not removing any lifelines yet....just in case).

This has become so addicting though. I stop and take a break and I swear that the stole is calling me to keep working on it.

I am still working on my beach tote. I have been knitting on that when I am at knitting class. When I went to class on Friday, we were remarking on the softness of a sock that was in the classroom. It was an anklet sock. Well, the yarn was Cascade Fixation, which was on sale at Kraemers (of course I had to buy some). So, when I go to class this Friday, we are going to work on the sock as a group project, where all of us will knit a pair of socks (anklets). So, I am really looking forward to starting this project. That is another reason why I want to catch up on the Mystery Stole 3 pattern.

I did finish a dishcloth from my Monthly Dishcloth Group. It was a real quick project and I love the pattern.

Tomorrow, I go to the Eye Doctor to pick up my new glasses. I had this brainstorm to see if I could get magnifying lenses to use when I work on any fine knitting projects like the Mystery Stole 3 KAL. Let's see what they say and how much it will cost me.

Maggie May is doing well after her operation. The stitches are out and she healed really well. Tomorrow, she goes to get groomed. I will take a picture of her to post later.

07-07-07 what a great day it was!

I can't believe what a great day I had on Saturday! I have been working on the beach tote from Knitter's and finished up the front side on Friday. I was going to start on the back and decided to start it with a new skein of yarn. I go get the yarn and it's the wrong dye lot! I could not believe that I didn't check it before buying it. Kraemer's has the yarn on sale for $3.00 a skein and everyone has been buying it up to work on this tote bag. So, I figured I would try my luck and see if they had any red left. If not, I figured it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world since it was the other side and this would be my scrap beach bag if it looked too bad. So, Saturday I go to my knitting class and first thing I check is the Fantasy Naturalle yarn. One red skein is left and it's the right dye lot! Now what are the chances of that?

Then I get home and have an invite to Ravelry! I have been waiting for quite awhile to have access to the site. My online ID is KarinK. I have a lot of work to do to get organized on it, but it is a great site to keep track of your needles, books and projects (past, current, and future). The beauty of it is that my blog posts will link there too as well as my flickr account. Now I have to get to work. It's nice that everything can be in one place.

The last great thing that happened was that I joined the Mystery Stole 3 KAL about a half an hour before it was closed for sign ups. I thought that I had missed the date until I saw the Yarn Harlot's post and realized that I still had time to join. I have struggled with what yarn to use and finally decided on Zephyr in black. I have a cone of this and since the KAL has posted 2 weeks of knitting instructions or clues and I didn't want to have to wait any longer to start, I did the cast on today and will not be using beads. I'm a little nervous working with beads for now, but figure if all turns out well with this stole, I may do a second one with beads. I hope to get close to catching up by Friday when the next set of clues get posted.

I am doing the happy dance!

I also christened my new squirrel cage yarn swift and I love it! It is so easy to use and I love that my yarn winder sits on top of the swift. Everything is in one place and I don't have to drag the swift and yarn winder out to set it up to use it. I do want to get a cover to avoid getting it dusty. I see that Bed, Bath and Beyond sells body pillowcases and I think that this will do the trick!

I got my order from Lettuce Knit last week. Here are the Dream in Color baby sweater kits:

One is called Rocketry and the other is called Tulips.

And, here is the Handmaiden Sea Silk I got with the One Skein Shawl (Lacy Wings) pattern:

From Barnes and Noble, I got my order for the two new lace books: Lacy Little Knits and Wrapped in Comfort. Both are wonderful books with really nice patterns.

On the reading front, I have finished the following books: Manner of Death and Cold Case by Stephen White, Drop Dead Beautiful by Jackie Collins (I love her books) and Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovitch. I really like this series of books by Janet. I am currently reading Second Chance by Jane Green. I have read all of her books and really enjoyed them as well.

Influence of a Knitter's Blog

Gee, it's almost the 4th of July and we are having some strange weather here. Many hazy, humid days with severe thunderstorms and now the next several days will not be real hot. The highs are predicted to be in the 70's.

I have been taping Army Wives on TIVO to watch when I had time. Well, yesterday was the Army Wives marathon. I am really enjoying this series and it sure has a lot of nail biting in it. I am all caught up now. Tonight is the last night for Starter Wives. I am looking forward to seeing this tonight as well. I wonder if they will make this a regular series?

I got my DIY Exchange 2 from the Love2Knit dishcloth group. My partner was Wendy from Shanksville, PA. She lives 2 miles from where Flight 93 crashed. She sent me a really nice dishcloth, a postcard from the Flight 93 crash site and a stitch marker. She was a great partner.

I also wanted to post the Socks that Rock Sock Club yarn that I received this week. What a great color.

Here is the squirrel cage yarn swift that I ordered. I really like this one since I can put my skein winder on the top of it. It is a great space saver and I don't have to worry about clamping both a skein winder and swift somewhere. I also got an additional crank cage to allow me to rewind balls into skeins. I have yarn to wind and unwind, so I am looking forward to testing it out.

I really want to try making Elizabeth Zimmerman's baby surprise jacket, but I have been struggling with what kind of colors to use. I recently visited Brooklyn Tweed's blog and saw this. I am in love. The homespun yarn is perfect for this sweater. Now I just have to save up to buy some. I also love her Noro scarf shown here. My husband wants me to knit him a scarf for Christmas. This is the perfect scarf for him! I don't know how anyone can keep knitting from their stash and not buy any new yarn. Thank God I didn't commit to that idea! Other knitter's blogs are sure dangerous to stash busters!

Easy Knitting

I finally finished the Mid-month KAL for my monthly dishcloth group. I really enjoyed this pattern. It came out really nice using the Sugar and Cream twist yarn in lavender.

The KAL's are fun and it's really interesting to see the pattern develop as you go along.

I mentioned before that I was knitting a beach tote from the current issue of Knitters magazine. Here is the picture from the magazine and here is a picture of my knitting:

I love the colors and am looking forward to finishing this project. I will be making more if it turns out well.

Since I started crocheting, I found the lighted crochet hooks at my local yarn shop. I don't like the lighted knitting needles. They are too long and the size I would buy to try isn't available. I would buy size 7's since I use that size the most for dishcloths. I did buy three lighted crochet hooks. I got G, H, and I.

I will be curious to try them out.

I was able to pick Maggie up from the vet today. It was kind of nice not having her around yesterday, but I did miss her terribly. She is fine, but I have to keep her from jumping around and pulling her stitches out. I can't wait until she goes back to the vet to get them out because this sure is a treat trying to keep her calm. She already jumped up on a chair with no problem, but when she jumped down, she yelped. I'm sure that her stitches pulled. So now I have to keep her off of chairs. That is hard to do since she is so fast. She is also licking her stitches. I'm sure they itch. She is not happy with me when I tell her NO. I can just see how she would adapt to wearing a collar if she starts to try and pull them out.

What a way to Relax!

I have been reading quite a bit lately. I just am loving the books by Stephen White. I have read Higher Authority (This was an interesting book especially since I learned about the Mormon religion. It made me want to know more about it and I have ordered a book from Barnes and Noble), Harms Way, Remote Control and Critical Condition. I also enjoyed Third Degree by James Patterson and Starter Wife by Gigi Levangie Grazier. It was interesting reading Starter Wife since I am also watching the series on TV. The book IS different than the TV series.

I finally decided on the Alternate Squirrel Cage swift from Kirklands. Thanks to a suggestion from another knitter, I also got an additional cage with a crank so I can rewind balls into skeins. I was surprised to find out that they are shipping my swift and I should hopefully have it this week.

I am also expecting my order from Lettuce Knit this week. So, this week is like Christmas for me! I can't wait until I get my shipments.

I have been trying to catch up to listening to podcasts. I have been going back to the first postings of my favorite podcasts. I am currently catching up on Webs podcast Ready, Set, Knit. I have never ordered from them, but after listening to these podcasts I am getting real tempted to order some of their yarn.

I am still working away on my crocheted afghan and also started knitting a beach tote that is in the current issue of Knitters. It is an easy pattern and is knitting up fast. The yarn I am using is Plymouth's Fantasy Naturale. Kraemer's yarn shop has this yarn on sale for $3.00 per skein, which is a great price. I bought quite a bit of it. I will try and post pictures of this later this week.

Tomorrow, my puppy Maggie is going to the vet to get spayed. I know everything will be okay, but I am always a little nervous when my dogs have to be operated on. I will be breathing a sigh of relief when I get the call from the vet telling me all is well. What I hate most is that she will have to stay overnight and I will not be able to get her until Tuesday afternoon. I will be so happy to bring her home. Keep her in your prayers.

All of her baby teeth are finally gone. I almost thought that the vet would have to pull some teeth when he operated on her, but the last couple came out this week. I do notice a change in her behavior now that all of her baby teeth are out. She is a little more calmer. It will be interesting to see what happens after her operation.

I have been enjoying the weather we have been having. It has been beautiful out and not real hot; although, I do think it's suppose to warm up this week. It's just so calming sitting out on my screened in porch reading and knitting. I am really noticing that I am not as stressed as I used to be.

Dishcloths and Yarn

So much to tell about today and I have pictures. Let's start with Dishcloths:

Here is the Diagonal Dishcloth I was knitting and finally finished:

I enjoyed knitting this cloth, but it really gets a little crooked. I had to stretch it around to get it to look right. I love the beach ball blue color from Sugar and Cream.

This is a ripple dishcloth that I made from a pattern from my DishclothsRUs yahoo knitting group.

This one was very enjoyable to knit and I loved the pattern.

Here is a dishcloth from my Monthly Dishcloth Yahoo group. It was the June KAL for the beginning of the month.

It's a Unicorn and I really like it. The sizing is different on this one.

My favorite dishcloth in this bunch is the from my DIY exchange in Love2Knit Dishcloths Yahoo Group. This was a different exchange. You sent a ball of yarn and needles to your partner. When you got your needles and yarn, you picked a pattern to knit from the yarn. My partner Judy, sent me a skein of Honeysuckle Yarns in the color shrimp. Apparently, Peaches and Cream makes this yarn. After using 3 skeins of Sugar and Cream yarn and then switching to the Honeysuckle yarn made by Peaches and Cream, I now know why everyone loves Peaches and Cream. It is much softer and does not split. I chose the pattern Turq by Harvest Moon Designs. I adjusted it a bit. According to the directions there would have been too much space between the crossover pattern. So I eliminated some rows and I love how it turned out.

My partner also sent me Size 7 needles from Boye and a squiggly needle wrap. I really like both the yarn and squiggly.

Since, I'm talking about dishcloths, I may as well tell you that I was arm twisted into ordering the Sugar and Cream Twists yarn and the Robin Egg Blue yarn. No one had to twist my arm too hard. ;-) I wasn't sure about the Twist yarn, but I finally saw a dishcloth made out of one of the colors and that did it for me. I got just about one in each color:

I also purchased Lornas Laces Lion and Lamb yarn to make a clapotis scarf. I have been dying to make one of these but just couldn't find a color that caught my eye. I finally saw the Dessert Flower color, but it was discontinued. I did find it on ebay from Yarn Bazaar. It was a great place to order from. I have to finish off some current projects before starting on this one.

Much to my surprise, I finally was able to purchase the watermelon color yarn from Freshisle Fibers. I have probably been on a waiting list for this yarn for about a year. I got six skeins and I'm in heaven! This picture of socks got me hooked on this yarn.

I have been crocheting away on my soft wave ripple afghan. I really like how it's coming out and definately love the colors!

I was determined to keep on with this after being told that it's hard to crochet a ripple afghan.

I have been researching swifts and will probably be buying one from Kirtland's Yarn Barn. The problem I am having is deciding on which one to get. Anyone have any suggestions? I think I am leaning toward the alternate one. Hopefully, I will do a post with some of the swifts I have found. There are more out there than you would ever think about.

And, what would my blog be if I didn't post a new picture of Maggie May. She is getting bigger. All of her adult teeth are in except her fangs. I think she may have to have some of those pulled since the new ones are coming in, but the baby teeth aren't getting loose. She gets spayed at the end of June, so I imagine that the vet will do it then if they haven't come out by then.

I'm in Heaven

Who said that staying at home was boring? I'm not bored at all. In fact the days are flying by. I can't believe that I haven't been employed now for 22 days. I knew that this would be a good thing. I'm in Heaven! My husband loves it because I am cooking more. Maybe I can finally lose some weight. That is next on my list of things to do.

The problem with being at home is finding more knitting projects that I want to do. I found this baby sweater on the Yarn Harlots blog and I just love it! You can find it under her post dated May 25th called Hometown Jitter. The yarn is called Dream in Color. I called Lettuce Knit for 2 kits and also ordered at kit for the Rocketry Baby Cardigan in the same yarn. I have also been wanting the one skein shawl in Handmaiden Sea Silk, so I also ordered that along with two different colored skeins of yarn. Can't wait until I get my order. I really wish I lived in Toronto. They have such neat yarn shops there. That is one place on my wish list of places to visit. Expensive yarn crawl isn't it?

I have finished the zigzag dishcloth and have moved on to a ripple dishcloth (I will post pictures next time). I have finally gotten the hang of the soft wave ripple afghan that I am crocheting. I must have frogged that thing 5-8 times to try and get it right. Unfortunately the problem was me and not following directions. I am ready to change colors. I was getting nervous that I would not have enough yarn, so I went out and got more skeins before the dye lots ran out.

Last Friday, I found out that the knitting shop I go to for knitting lessons will be closing in 90 days for renovations. They sold the building that they are in and will lease it. They are going to renovate it and reopen as a yarn shop, but we are all concerned that they will only be selling Kraemer yarns. The yarn shop is at Kraemer yarns. Hopefully, I will find out more when I get there tomorrow. They are also telling us that the shop will only be closed for about 3 weeks. They are going to add more classrooms and they will be nicer than they are now. That is a plus.

I also found out that they make the yarn for Moorehouse Farms and Cherry Tree Hill. They do sell Cherry Tree Hill right now, but not Moorehouse Farms. They are apparently not allowed to sell it there.

I have read the following books since I last blogged:

Morning Comes Softly by Debbie Macomber: She never disappoints me with her books.

First to Die and Second Chance by James Patterson: Great Womens Murder Club books. I can't wait to read the next one in the series.

First Impressions by Jude Deveraux: I couldn't put this book down it was that good. I really love Jude Deveraux. I think my favorite book of hers is Knight in Shining Armor. This book is a must read.

Priviledged Information by Stephen White: He also has a series of books and this is the first one in the series. I'm ready to read the next book on the list.

Maggie May got groomed this week and she looks really good. She is losing her teeth like mad now and I have an appointment at the end of June for her to get spayed. She is getting better and calming down. I'm sure once all of her teeth are in and she is spayed she will be even better. She is a great companion and a very loving puppy. I really miss Sadie and wish she were with us too. I am so glad to be home with my puppy.

Can you believe that I have poison ivy (I think). I have no idea where I got it. At first I didn't know what it was. Now I am treating it. I was ready to go to my doctor today, but found out that he isn't in until June 7th. I am going with the treatment that my husband found at a pharmacy and if it gets worse, I will go to emergency to be help. It's mostly on my torso, but I has been spreading. Hopefully, I have it under control and it will start to go away. Any suggestions out there?

On a real upbeat note, I found this on another blog and wanted to spread the word. It's a great story and a great legacy. Check out the information on Hug Nation. Grandpa we love you and give you a big hug.