Happy Easter

What a beautiful day it was today. A great day to enjoy with family and friends. It has been so nice this weekend that we got out our porch furniture and were able to sit out and enjoy the weather. Tax season is winding down and I have visions of sitting out on my back porch reading and knitting. What a joy!

I forgot to post a picture of my finished Spiral Cowl. I really enjoyed knitting this one. I used Madelinetosh (formerly dk) yarn in the sequoia colorway with size 6 needles.

I got the final two shipments from the Intentions yarn club. Friendship yarn, which is 50% alpaca, 30% merino and 20% silk yarn in a grey colorway.

Then the other shipment was roving. I was disappointed in this because I didn't think that this was a fiber club, but at least I received all shipments. It sure took long enough and I don't think that this club was what it was supposted to be. Lesson learned: Be careful of the yarn clubs that you join.

I had a gift certificate from the Knitter's Edge and spent it well. I got the new Cherry Tree Fingerpaints yarn in the Cider House colorway.

Then, I also got the same yarn in the Morning Glory colorway, Zauberball in a pink, white and green colorway and Jeannee dk yarn in a green and fushia colorway to make more chemo caps.

I'm ready for tax season to end so I can knit and read on my back porch. Can't wait.

March is almost over

I can't believe how fast March has flown by and it's been two weeks since I have blogged. Where did the time go? I'm certainly not upset about it as I will be glad when April 15th arrives and my life gets back to normal.

I have been knitting, but not that much. I finished the March Mid Month dishcloth KAL. The pattern is Fruited Plains by Andi Worthy. I used a size 7 needle with Peaches and Creme Shades of Spring yarn. I really enjoyed this pattern.

Then I couldn't resist knitting the March KAL from Rachel's knitting group. I liked the pattern with cables. I used a size 7 needle with Peaches and Creme yarn in burgundy.

The Knitter's Edge is encouraging it's knitters to make chemo hats for our local hospitals. They put Jeanne worsted yarn on sale and I bought a gray color.

And a blue (denim) color

I started with a pattern, but had so much trouble with it that I switched to an easier one called Easy Ribbed Jeannee Worsted Chemo Hat. It's working up really nicely and I'm enjoying it. I'm using a size 6 needle with the Jeannee in the blue colorway.

I'm still have my Dancing Bamboo socks to finish and my scarf. Maybe this week I will work on both of them.....maybe.

Time to Finish Old Projects

Another week finished and closer to the end of tax season. I am so looking forward to having time off again. Tomorrow we set our clocks forward. I love this time of year.

I have been knitting. I am finishing up my Sprial Cowl. I love how this is coming out.

I also started another sock using Madelinetosh sock in the ginger colorway with size 1.5 needles. The pattern is called Dancing Bamboo Socks.

I did finish the March KAL for my Monthly dishcloth group. I used size 6 needles with Peaches and Creme in a gold colorway. I don't know what the pattern is called, but it spells out Friend, so that could be the name.

I got some Sock Club shipments. From Wooly Girl, I got a skein of Dream in Color Smooshy in a colorway called Pansy Go Lightly. I really like the color. I got all sorts of other goodies in the package including a note pad, two bags, a key chain, pin, pen, scissor, etc. It was a nice package.

I also got the Loopy Ewe Sock club package, which include Fiesta Baby Boom in the Spring Chill colorway, two patterns, and two scarf sticks.

I have been eyeing the pattern Dipped Infinity Scarf by Laura Chau and Sunshine yarns had a kit made up in different colorways. I ordered the Secret Garden colorway. Don't know when I will start this pattern, but at least I have the yarn.

Once I finish the Sprial Cowl, I plan on trying to go back and finish up some projects that I have started. I want to finish another scarf first and then finish up my Girasole. This is the year of finishing up projects.

Spring is coming!

It's getting warmer outside and the snow is melting. I am so glad. It really feels as if Spring is around the corner. I am even hearing the birds singing.

I have been knitting on the spiral cowl. I am close to finishing that, but did start on a new pair of socks called Dancing Bamboo socks. I am using Madelinetosh sock in the ginger colorway with size 1.5 needles. I am really liking the pattern and will have pictures on the next blog post.

I caved in and bought some more sock yarn from the Loopy Ewe. Honestly, that online store is my downfall. I was able to get some Numma Numma toasty, which I have really wanted. From left to right is: Olive Oil with Peppercorns, Fluffernutter and Jam, Grape Jam and olive Oil. The colors are really better in person.

I also caved in and bought two skeins of Huckleberry yarns in the colorway Eight Bells and Queen of Hearts as well as more Madelinetosh dk in the colorway Logwood and Cherry.

I really need to reorganize my yarn stash. Maybe once tax season is over I will be able to do that.

Oh, and I couldn't resist getting two alpacas and a sheep from the Knitter's Edge. Aren't they cute?

They are much easier to take care of than real live animals.

And yet another snow storm

Well, we had another snow storm this week. The weatherman didn't really do a good job on this one. We got snow on Thursday, but it wasn't sticking on the roads and then I woke up this morning and we had quite a bit of snow on the ground and roads with blowing winds. By 12:30 PM it was over and we were digging out. Now the roads are black. At least it gave me two days off.

This past week I was able to finish up the February Mid Month KAL. The pattern is Lacy Vines Cloth by Janet Nogle. I used a size 6 needle with Peaches and Creme yarn in light blue.

I finished the Mackintosh socks. I really love how they striped. I used size 1 one needles with a basic sock pattern. The colorway is Misty Highlands.

I also started another cowl. The pattern is called Spiral Cowl by Knitty Gritty Thoughts. I am using a size 6 needle with Madelinetosh dk in the color Sequoia. I love this yarn. I really like how this is turning out, but I swear that there are problems with the pattern. I got messed up after the first repeat of 7 rows, so I just repeated the 7th row after that for the rest of the rows.

Is anyone participating in the Ravelry Knitting Olympics? I'm not, but I found the pattern for the Olympic hat (the one the USA olympians wore at the opening ceremony) and I bought the yarn to knit this hat. This ought to be good since I have never done stranding before. I got Berroco Ultra Alpaca in red, white and blue.

I also got a skein of 100% superwash yarn dyed up by Scouts Swag in the Olympic medals colorway. This will be great for a pair of socks.

Last but not least, I got my February Rubber Ducky club shipment. The yarn is pima petite in raspberry vanilla. Massage body oil in Vanilla berry and Mimi soap in raspberry vanilla. How cool!

Sick is NOT FUN

I have had a bad cold for over a week. I took off a couple of days and went into work last Tuesday. I lasted three hours and had to go home because I had a really bad sore throat and the cold was going into my chest. Thankfully, I was able to get to the doctor to get antibiotics and cough syrup with codiene. Wednesday, we had a bad snow storm, so I was set with medicine. Today was my first day back at work. I still feel a little congested, but I'm 100% better than I was.

It sure helped that I got my December order from Sweet Georgia. I got three skeins of her Tough Love sock yarn in Deep Olive, Ultraviolet, and blackberry.

I also had ordered a skein of her Merino Silk Aran in Ginger to make a scarf.

When I went to The Knitter's Edge this week, I bought three more skeins of Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in Moorland, Ginger, and Scarlet. My next pair of socks will be in the Ginger colorway.

While at The Knitter's Edge, I was able to take a picture of three pairs of feet with socks knitted up using the croc sock pattern. Two of my other knitter friends and I are trying out different patterned socks together. It took us awhile to get this pattern finished, but it was worth the effort. We each used a different sock yarn. Don't our feet look great? My pair is on the far right.

I hardly did any knitting last week since I was sick. I did sleep a lot. But, I was able to finish the February dishcloth KAL. The pattern is Heart dishcloth by Darilyn Page. I used size 7 needles with Peaches and Creme Premium in deep red.

Off to work on my Mackintosh sock. I am nearing the toe on the second sock. Next I will cast on for another cowl.

SNOW

After escaping several storms that hit south of us, we finally got a big snowstorm. It started on Tuesday night and snowed most of Wednesday. Today, everyone is digging out. Here are some pictures.

Wool Girl

I was so excited today. I got my Wool Girl Valentine kit. The Theme was Peanuts Charlie Brown. It came with Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20 yarn in the colorway Cherry Mist. I also got a bag to carry the yarn and a small bag for notions, a small tin, some themed post its, a marker and candy. This is a preview of what the sock club swag should look like. Can't wait to get my first shipment of that. What a way to start off the week.

I have been so happy that Maggie is loving her new bed. She is in it now. She loves to snuggle in there. Sometimes, she is towards the front so she can see what is going on.

And, other times, she digs in and hides so you can hardly see her.

My husband orginally thought it wouldn't be a good idea to get this bed. Ha! was he ever wrong!

What a taxing week!

Whew, am I glad that this past week is over. What a busy week at work. I am not looking forward to this week either. At least by the end of this week we should be slowing down. I was exhausted on Friday.

What really made me happy was that I was able to get more Madelinetosh tosh sock from the Loopy Ewe. There went my plan about buying more yarn, but I couldn't resist it. I really love that yarn and I am a sockoholic too. From left to right: Tart, Peony, Bungalow, and Plum tree. Next sock I make will be from this yarn.

I also got two skeins of Online Supersocke 100 Savanne in colors 1033 and 1032. I saw 1032 (bottom color) being knit up by one of my knitting friends and loved it. I found it at Little Knits for half price and couldn't resist that bargain.

I did finish one sock using Mackintosh Iona fingering weight yarn in Misty Highlands. I love this yarn. It is nice and soft and I like how it striped. I plan to cast on for the second sock today.

When I'm done with the second sock, I plan on casting on for another cowl and then after that a sock using the Madelinetosh sock. Maybe I'll do a patterned sock in the tart for Valentines day. It will be late, but I will be ready for next year.

Work is Getting in the Way of Knitting

I am knitting, but not much because of working and it's only going to get worse the next three weeks. I can't wait until we reach the end of February and then work should settle down. Plus, I will only have two more months to go. Work just gets in the way of knitting.

Cowls are the big thing right now. They are small enough projects that use up yarn and don't take much time to knit. I finished the Noble Cowl using Madelinetosh worsted weight yarn in Cobalt with a size 6 needle. I really liked this pattern and the Madelinetosh yarn is really very nice.

I enjoyed this pattern so much that I searched for another cowl pattern to knit after I finish another project. I found the pattern Spiral Cowl by Knitty Gritty Thoughts. I want to use Madelinetosh worsted again. This pattern called for DK weight yarn. So, I did some calculations to determine how many stitches I would have to cast on since the Madelinetosh is worsted yarn. Guess what, Madelinetosh worsted is now a DK weight yarn. It really never was a worsted yarn so she changed the name to Madelinetosh DK. Guess, I don't have to make any adjustments when I finally do cast on.

I also finished the Janaury Mid Month dishcloth KAL. I used Peaches and Creme in light grape with size 7 needles. It's a nice pattern. It's called Frame my heart with lace cloth II.

After finishing the Noble cowl, I decided to cast on a sock using the basic sock pattern with Mackintosh Iona yarn (it's a blend of 80% merino, 10% nylon, 10% cashmere) in the Misty Highlands colorway. I am using a size 1 needle. It feels as if it's been so long since I had a sock on the needles.

I am still sticking to starting only one new project at a time. I haven't worked on any older projects, but I do want to finish the scarf I was working on prior to the New Year. I am close to finishing that and then I can start on another UFO.

I did get to my knitting class on Friday. This was the first Friday that I have been there since the New Year. It was really nice to see all my knititng friends. The Knitter's Edge got in the new Namaste Monroe bag. I really liked it (it's like a purse), so I bought one in the eggplant color. It fits all of my requirements for a handbag (an outside pocket, separate compartments, and lots of pockets).

Back to knitting my sock. Once I finish that I can start on the next cowl.

Reading is a great escape

It was so hectic in December that I forgot to list some of the books I read at the end of 2009.

I finished the following books in 2009:

Home to Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani

I love this series and any book by Adriana

Official Book Club Selection by Kathy Griffin

A great read. It makes me like her more

Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

Another Sookie Stackhouse book and it was very entertaining

Firefly Cloak by Sheri Reynolds

This was a haunting and sad book

Dirty Little Angels by Chris Tusa

Good Read

Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg

I loved this and it made me order more books by this author.

In 2010, I have only read one book so far:

Miss Julia Meets Her Match by Ann B. Ross

Great read - Another series of books that I enjoy.

I love to read. It's a great escape.

Carpal Tunnel

Yes, I have carpal tunnel syndrome in my left hand. I have been trying to baby it and it has been getting better. My Doctor told me to take motrin and I am using a wrist and hand support by Everlast that I received today. It really supports and wrist and hand. Keeping my fingers crossed. I also had it in my right hand, but that is much better and doesn't hurt anymore.

I was able to complete two dishcloths. One was from my Monthly Dishcloth KAL group. It's called Happy 2010 by Alli. I used Robin's egg blue from Sugar and Cream with a size 6 needle.

The other was a KAL by the Love2Knit Dishcloth Group in Yahoo. It's called Snowbaby Washcloth by Elaine Fitzpatrick. I used Peaches and Creme in white with a size 6 needle.

I'm still sticking to not buying any yarn for awhile in 2010, but I did get some prior to the new year. I got a kit from Simply Socks that included Tilli Tomas Milan yarn in the Joyeux Noel colorway. I also got a sock bag and some stitch markers. I had ordered this in November and it came right before Christmas.

My darling husband got me a Gift Certificate for Christmas to my favorite yarn shop (The Knitter's Edge), so I bought Bijou Basin Ranch Tibetan Dream in the natural colorway. I may make socks with this yarn or a shawlette. It's 85% yak and 15% nylon. I also bought two skeins of Araucania Toronao in color 403 (a pink/blue combination) and color 407 (a green/orange combination) to make some cowls.

From Intentions Yarn club I got a variety of small skeins of different colors to make a pair of socks. I love the colors.

I can't believe that it's mid January already. I'm glad it's going quickly. Spring can't get here fast enough for me. I'm looking forward to being back out on the porch reading and knitting. Maggie will like it too.

Resolutions

Once again I need to revisit what my goals were for 2009 and decide what new resolutions to make for 2010.

Goals for 2009

1. Organize closets and cabinets - have another yard sale to purge items - I did clean out one closet, but didn't have a yard sale.

2. Update blog at least once a week - I may have not posted every week, but I did have 57 blog posts in 2009.

3. Definately do some stashbusting and buy less (much less) new - Didn't happen

4. Knit 12 pairs of socks - I knit 14 pairs of socks

5. Knit a Christmas stocking - Didn't do this either, but haven't found the pattern that makes me want to knit one.

6. Finish some UFO's - Did start to do this at the end of the year.

7. Knit a Clapotis - Didn't happen

8. Knit a Central Park Hoodie - Started this and have the front, back and part of a sleeve completed. It's a UFO.

9. Finish updating Shelfari with the books I have read and the books on my bookshelf that have not been read. - I did complete this and feel so organized now.

10. Lose weight and exercise - I did lose a couple pounds, but did not exercise.

11. Read 65 books - I read 72 books

12. Do some charity knitting - Didn't happen

Goals for 2010

1. Organize closets and cabinets - Definately start to purge items by having a yard sale. Purge is the word and living with less stuff.

2. Update my blog once a week.

3. I will not buy any new yarn from January through April and buy sparingly the rest of the year. I need to knit from my stash. I will be in at least 3 yarn clubs, so that should help keep me happy.

4. Knit 12 pairs of socks.

5. Finish some UFO's - At least 9 items

6. Knit a clapotis

7. Lose weight and exercise

8. Read 65 books

9. Clean off old computers and recycle them as well as some old printers.

This list is a little smaller than last year. Maybe I will be more successful.

What I knit in 2009

28 Dishcloths

2 Scarves

14 pairs of Socks

1 Cowl

1 Prayer Shawl

This really doesn't look like much compared to last year.

UFO's

Multnomah Shawl

Girasole

Leaf Lace Scarf

Central Park Hoodie

Silky tie Wrap

Orange Sweater

Shrug

Candle Flame Shawl

Habu Scarf

Ripple Afghan

Black Fetching Gloves

Knit One Below Scarf

Thrumbed Mitten

Mystery Stole 3

Chevron Scarf

Square a Long Afghan

Snowflake Cloth

Tax Season has started and that may slow me down, but I want to make more time for reading and knitting, so I relax. Only 104 more days until April 17th, but who is counting?