Baycation, baybee

Whew. I need it, too. We're off for five days to Whistler, BC for some R&R. My mother in law is staying with the kids....I hope she eats her Wheaties this week.
What to knit? That's still the question of the hour. We're taking a helicopter tour of a glacier and I'm knitting a little cap to wear as it can get cold up there. I think I'll finish before tonight, which again leaves me wondering what to bring. I'm bringing Spencer, for the ride to the resort from the airport, and I've just about settled on the Flower Basket Shawl from the same Fall IK, which saves some book space for some sock yarn and a little pattern or something.
See you Monday!

Green clouds are parting, y'all

Breathe in, breathe out. Not so ick constantly anymore, so I bit the bullet and decided to update. Again, not much knitting content. Hub and I decided to go to NYC last weekend sans kids and he went to the Yanks game (yes, they lost 17-1, ew.) and I trucked it down from Times Square to School Products to check out their marvelous selection of goodies. Cashmere, yes, but I wasn't feeling it as much as I was the baby camel, so I picked up two skeins in charcoal. Just lovely. I also picked up some laceweight yak/merino, again in charcoal. It just called my name. They put out gorgeous knitted, washed samples so you can get a good idea of how your finished products will feel once the spinning oil is removed. Like buttah, let me tell you. Well worth the walk.
The weekend prior I went to
WEBS and purchased a wonderful Lendrum double treadle. So *that's* why Amy's not knitting as much. Aha. Amassing lovely custom yarn for socks and such. Yay! I'm smacking myself for not grabbing up a bag of alpaca fleece when I had the chance. FIL says that the owner of his farm throws away the fleece from their sheep when they're shearing them. Excuse me? You want to give me fleece from your sheep? Why, thank you dear FIL. Fiber for me :)
I also have a little digital camera in my new phone so once I make the hike back to the store to get the adapter I will have pics. Maybe people will read my blog now. I know I want to see goodies when I'm blogging around.

Bleck-o-rama

I apologize for no knitting content. I've simply been too nauseous/tired to knit. I've skipped two sit and knits because of it, and I'm hoping it gets better soon.
I ripped out all of the Sideways Spencer after starting and re-starting it five times. Many thanks to Annie Modesitt for clarifying her pattern on her website. This pregnant brain just can't understand more than a stockinette scarf right now, and perhaps even that's pushing it.

Spring Knitty has Sprung, Y'all

I'm just so excited to report that the new Spring Issue is up!!! Of course, if you're a knitter, you probably already know that. If you didn't, you're probably not a knitter and you don't care :)

I have to make the Via Diagonale bag, and I've only made a few handbags in my lifetime. Compulsion, I tell you. Must...make...Wendy's...bag. Ay.

Now to figure out what winter knits to put on hold while I begin fresh. Ah, spring.

Sunshine on my shoulder makes me happy

Can I even just tell you how wonderful this beautiful weather makes me feel? Ay!!!!!!
I'm just loving the sun and the kids had a wonderful time yesterday playing outside. Here comes Spring, Hallelujah!
I figured out how to paragraph now, so WATCH OUT!!!! I'm also talking about getting a digital camera so y'all can see I'm not fibbin' when I talk about what's on the needles. OK, so I'm paranoid.
SIL's Tempting is almost done. I *love* that Cashmerino and I wish I had another project waiting in the wings to make from it. I bought some cotton/acrylic blend to make one for myself, in PINK . Aren't you surprised?
Mom and grandma's scarves are coming along well, albeit a bit slowly. I tried to get a few rows in on Mom's as the kids played yesterday, but mohair and fresh spring mud don't mix well, so In The Bag it went. There's always later today.
I've got quite a few project ideas for this spring and summer. Hopefully this will be the first year that I've knit nearly every night all year round, instead of stopping when the weather hits that anti-knitting temperature. Like I said, lots of cotton and plant fiber projects in the works.
I'm so fickle.

Da da da da, da da da da

Picture me singing "Tom's Diner" by Suzanne Vega. Got that song in your head? Good. I dare you to get rid of it. Agh! I'm knitting again after a four day hiatus. Was in IL last week and knit a bit on the plane, but I was so busy working the conference (Hearts at Home) that I didn't get much done during the time I was there. I'm making 'Tempting' for SIL for her birthday. I'm using the AC Moore cashmerino and I just love it. I had never been to an AC Moore prior to yesterday and I was really impressed by the amount of natural fibers that they carry in comparison to say, ahem, joann fabrics. I got some variegated mohair for scarves for Grandma and Mom for their birthdays, a week and a half late. Not like they live in NC or anything and can use mohair all year round. I'm such a bad planner.

The wait is over, Folksies

For me. But not for you, alas, as I still have no digital camera. So you cannot see the loveliness that is my Handpainted Yarn. Trust me that it is bee-you-tee-ful and a dream to knit with. You have to, because there's no more in stock over there. Try WEBS and look under 'Malabrigo'. You'll pay more, but hey, addiction is addiction.

Everybody calls me Duckie

Try watching the Wiggles' Cold Spaghetti Western and not having that song stick in your head. Now watch it three times in the same week. Kids are finally healthy, yay! My knitting has become stagnant again and I'm bored. Still waiting for my Handpainted Yarn order. Marcos emailed me that it was mailed on the first, so I'm anxiously awaiting it. This stuff is seriously addictive. I've always been a variegated fan, and I just love knitting with this yarn. I have sweaters for the children dancing in my head, although at this late date they won't be for Easter. I'd like to get some spring photos out of them though. My children all resemble their father (Italian, blue eyes, although the boys have green and brown) so I've chosen various blue shades for them. The girl and I went on a date Saturday for Mommy and me day. We shopped, we ate lunch (and chocolate cake with truffle sauce) and then we got our hair cut together. It was her first professional cut and she loooooved the shampoo. Can't blame her as that's my favorite part too. She looks just like Shirley Temple when it's wet but begged me to blow it out straight for church yesterday. Five going on fifteen, if you ask me. We had such a wonderful time. Sorry that I can't figure out how to make paragraph breaks in this format. I know, it drives me crazy too.

Nothing new to report

Because we've been sick for three weeks! Yuck! I'm heading off to the doc today to see if I have bronchitis. As an asthmatic, it seems the cold always migrates to my chest. The littlest boy has been quite sick the past two weeks, with an overlap of a few days each to his older siblings. I always manage to pick up everything they have. Not much knitting news, although I ordered some more from handpaintedyarn.com so we'll soon see that. I'm hoping that their version of laceweight is sock-able. And did I mention that my Mommy is here? She came all the way up just because she knows how sick I've been and has been such a saint helping me with the wee ones. Yay!

Happy Birthday to me!

Yes, it's today. And yes, it is my 30th.
Michael was sweet enough to throw me a little partay on Saturday. We had a nifty little time. Some of his co-workers chipped in to get me a gift certificate....for yarn. Yep, it's gone already.
I got: 1 skein of CE Tigress to make a quick poncho on size 50 needles (done in about two hours)
4 skeins of CE Premiere to make that twisty short row scarf in Scarf Style~Pam Allen
9 skeins of Silk Garden in that lovely red colorway (I'm too lazy to look up the color)
2 skeins of Lopi in eggplant to supplement my Banff
Scarf Style, by Pam Allen

I'm feeling seriously attention deficit with all the projects a'workin.
Think I'll go eat another piece of Tiramisu cake.

PS...I've been trying to get my Haloscan thingie up here, but Blogger hasn't been my friend lately.

I've been knitting....and ripping...

...and I've just been too busy to blog. I thought I would have some pictures up of this winter's projects, but it just hasn't happened yet. So, picture with me, if you will, a lovely Silk Garden #213 Klaralund *here* and the beginnings and dribs and drabs of my undulating stash over *here*.
Let's see. I knit about five inches into the back of my Ribby Cardi and realized that I probably should have made the next larger size, so I ripped that out. I cast on and knit the ribbing for the Gansey in the Old Way, from the last IWK, and realized that it was much too stretchy and wasn't going to have that nice, firm rib shape. Ripped that out. Found out that there really is a 10.75 needle for Simply Marilyn. Found out that I didn't have one. Cast on for Libby Baker's Belle Epoque with Jo Sharp Rare Comfort kid mohair....I wanted so desperately for it to work, but alas, even though it knits to gauge, the crocus bud pattern is totally MIA in the fuzziness. Ripped it out. Or should I say that it sits, waiting for me to rip it out, because I'm scared to frog mohair. I think that yarn is destined for something else, and soon, because I love it so much. I am scouting out more yarn for Belle Epoque~I love that pattern and I really want to knit it!
Purchased some laceweight from KnitPicks for some unspecified shawls for several upcoming birthdays....there's quite a few of you, so no one will know exactly who I'm talking about.
Oh yes. I had purchased some Cascade 220 Quattro for a sweater that I really just don't want to knit. Exactly half of that yarn is perfect for an Irish Hiking scarf, so that's what it's destined to be. For me. Perhaps the other half is already earmarked for you.....

From the top-down

I can't believe my little babe is one! The boy had a birthday on Sunday, which he wasn't especially able to enjoy due to the sniffles...aw, don't worry. We're having cake and ice cream with the family on Saturday. It just doesn't seem possible that a whole year could have passed. I remember driving to the hospital (OK~my husband drove) at 1 in the morning praying that I was going to be at least 3 cm so I wouldn't have to pack it up and go home....again. Yes, I have had three children, so you'd think I'd know, but for some reason this time, the third visit was the charm. Babe was born that morning....and now he's almost walking. *Sniff, sniff*
As for the knitting, well, I'm going full bore on this top down raglan. I never made one quite this way before and it's fairly mindless and fun. I dyed the yarn with cherry and grape Kool-aid, and I'm liking the random patterning.
Cast on and knit the first few rows of Belle Epoque the other night. I'm having a difficult time seeing what the crocus bud pattern will become. The Jo Sharp mohair is quite furry, albeit gorgeous, and I'm not getting much stitch definition. I'm trying to figure out whether or not to save it for another project, but I really dread frogging the mohair. Eek. What to do.....
I returned the yarn for the Kyoto KAL...don't even ask me what I was thinking when I ordered it. Move on. I'll find something before say, June. In returning that mess, I thought again about the ChicKnits Ribby Cardi, and so I ordered some Paton's Classic merino in pink and brown. With that, plus swatching for several other projects, I should keep busy. Not to mention I have a birthday cake to construct for Saturday......

It's been a long, long time

I know, it's been a couple of *cough, cough* months since I posted anything. I'll admit it. I'm html-challenged. Come on! I'm almost thirty, so the internet was virtually new when I was in college, and I've been an at-home mommy-type for 5 1/2 years now. Please don't point out that there are several years missing there because I know that. We didn't even have a computer until 3 years ago and (stamps foot) I'm not left-brained enough to figure out the html for myself. So there.

Knitty.com

I have to admit, I'm a newbie to Knitty.com, but I'm already a big fan. THat sounds so cheesy. Anyhow, I'm about halfway through Clapotis and I just love it. Not quite sure what I think of the yarn, but hey. I'm using Artful Yarns 'Fable', which is a pima cotton/silk blend. Very pretty yarn in and of itself, and it's knitting quite smoothly, but I'm not quite sure about the color.....

Ok, this is hardly me

I just took a little knitting quiz (yeah, like Quizilla is a reliable quiz, right?) and this is what they came up with for me:

You appear to be a Knitting Goddess.You are constantly giving and are unconcerned with
reward, you simply want others to love knitting
as much as you do. If someone wants to knit
miles of novelty yarns, you are there for them.
If someone wants to learn short row shaping,
you can help. There are no taboos in knitting,
only opportunities to grow. Everyone should
have friend like you around if they want to
learn to knit, and there's a good chance that
your passion has rubbed off on a few others.http://marniemaclean.com

What Kind of Knitter Are You?
brought to you by Need to go knit some more simple baby hats and find a good pattern to settle into for the winter.

Well, I'm finally here!

For a non-inspired non-techie like me (does that even make sense?) this set-up was relatively painless...glad to finally get "out here" and blog about something that I cannot imagine many people finding interesting....my knitting and my family!