Goodies and Gumdrops for me!

Happy early birthday to me! :-) Yea okay, so its not for another 11 days, but lookie here at the presents I bought for myself last Wednesday night at the Chester Knitting Guild at Joanne's "A Knitter's Garden" shop (she really needs a website so I can link it here, lol)....

First, here is a trio of absolutely amazing items from the wonderfully talented Heather. She made me this doggy-chic straight needle holder to match the circular one she created a few months ago. I regret not having photoed it open - you have got to see this thing... it is big enough to hold all the needles one could dream of owning HUGE (Heather says "Do I do anything on a small scale?" lol)! Then... while browsing some of her newest crafty creations in the shop, I instantly had to have these size 8 leopard handcrafted Sereknity needles. Aren't they the coolest (hands off - they're MINE and I can't wait to knit with them!). And... last but certainly not least, my very own skein of Goody Gumdrops yarn. I feel in love with this when I saw the photos of Gina's awesome sock - which has been entered in to the Ewe'll Love It sock contest btw -- ladies and gentlemen, vote for Gina!

Here's a closer look at the yummy yarn and needles...

I also picked up these row / stitch markers which my Mom had ordered from Heather... aren't they pretty?

Not too many other photos for you today. Sadly, no new finsihed works... but have plenty "in progress", including these two creations... my 2nd Lion Brand sock and a navy baby hat for my friend Jenn's little bundle, Nate...

I'm gearing up to start on some holiday gifts, but wanted to get these two things finished soon. I also can't wait to start my own pair of Smocked Gauntlets, which seem to be all the rage lately (and congrats to Heather for getting her very first free pattern "published" on Knitting Pattern Central too - you are one cool kat!).

That's all for now - been one crazy and stressful week around here ... which calls for some wonderful knitting meditation hours to come (and hopefully some finished works!).... till next time... HAPPY FALL!

Tomkat Goes to Washington...

As promised, here is proof of my wacky little man Tomkat sighting from The Redskins game on September 11th! I compiled a few photos in to one for your viewing pleasure....

Tom & Nicole's adopted kids (Conor and Isabella) were there. I've just got one word for Katie .... J-E-A-N-S girlfriend! Should you ever have the opportunity to encounter The Great Tomkat and actually speak with Miss Holmes, would you please tell her she should dress more comfortably for a football game? No need to dress like the First Lady and heels are NOT for a football game ... jeans girl, jeans!!! Of course, she and Tom actually looked like they coordinated their outfits and she was attached to him 98% of the time... poor Katie!!!

Here's a couple more from the game...



And here I am at FedEx Field doing my new "stadium pose" (see earlier post from the Patriots game... I'm getting good at this, 'eh?)...

I don't have the yarn shop photos for you yet, but check out what I found when we stopped to take a picture of the WWI monument in Richmond...

Did you read that? BARKER FIELD!?!?! ha ha - LOVE it and couldn't resist taking a photo! I wanted to stop, but Matt thought we might look like stalkers in a doggy park without a leash... or doggy for that matter! :-)

Back From Vacation ... with More for the Stash!

I'm back.... from a fairly well jam-packed vacation which included the NASCAR Busch & Nextel Cup races in Richmond, the Redskins opening game vs Minnesota in Maryland (complete with a Tomkat sighting!), a venture through the 10,000 square foot Yankee Candle store mini-city in Williamsburg (where I purchased "Frostie's Favorite" coffee which sounds like it will be a most delicious knitting companion this winter - a chocolate, butter rum and hazelnut blend - YUM-O!), a drive up and down and back again, darned one way roads Monument Avenue - a very cool and beautiful street (the old architecture in this area is gorgeous!), and what else....

... visits to not one, but two local yarn shops!!!!

Although I was hoping to find some locally spun or dyed yarns, neither shop I visited carried any, though they did have some other wonderful finds.

My first visit was to Knitting Sisters (don't you love their logo?) in Williamsburg - a great shop (plenty of space, nothing crammed in and loads of delicious yarns and notions) that I wish were closer to home! Even during early afternoon on a Tuesday, there were several shoppers in the store. I was greeted with loads of fall colors and amazing textures (they were pricing some new yarns from fall lines that they were literally just unpacking) ... and despite how busy they were, I was welcomed to the store within moments of entering. Trying to "be good" and maintain control, I picked up only a handful of goodies as seen here...

The goods are... 2 hanks of Claudia Hand Painted Yarns from South Africa (100% merino wool, fingering weight) in "just plum" for a pair of socks; 2 balls of Crystal Palace's Kid Merino in "fall herbs" (not sure what for just yet, but I couldn't resist the colorway, perhaps one this lacey scarf); 1 skein of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in "somerset" (not pictured here - I actually goofed and bought only one skein over the summer and have been hunting down a second to make a pair of socks; and my favorite budget crusher splurge, 1 hank of Colinette Tao 100% silk (yes, I said 100% silk!) in "venezia." I'm trying to hunt down an "open-y, skinny" scarf pattern for this since I'm too poor to buy 2 hanks -- if you have any suggestions, please do share!

My second stop was at Got Yarn in Midlothian. She was actually having a semi-going out of business sale, as of today she will be an online store only (be sure to check it out - she promised below retail pricing now that she would not have retail store overhead). The shop was very small and a bit crammed, but with the 25 - 40% off sale, well worth the visit! My major disappointment was that Tootsie was not present when we visited (yes, I do realize that I may just be the only insane knitter who would show up at a yarn sale and be disappointed that a dog was not there!). Feast your eyes on the small stash I picked up...

The goods from this purchase are... 2 hanks of Classic Elite Inca Marl (100% Alpaca) in color "1195" (mixed blues and grey tones) - not sure what I'll do with it yet but it is SUPER soft and was 40% off; a ball of Berroco Suede in black also 40% off (not pictured - got it in case I needed something to combine with my 100% silk, though I'm leaning towards trying to find a pattern to keep it all silk); 2 hanks of Koigu KPPPM in color "P142" for a pair of socks - I've heard some of my sock knitting friends rave about Koigu and since it is a bit pricey I took the opportunity of getting this at 25% off and throwing it in the quickly growing sock yarn stash; and finally a hank of Lorna's Laces Sheperd worsted (100% superwash wool) in "Tuscany" for 40% off - I feel in love with this gorgeous, deep hues, a "fallish" colorway (even though I typically go for pinks, purples and blues). Here's a close up of it with our leaves that are beginning to change color...

Not sure what I'm using it for yet, perhaps socks (question for my "sock knittas" out there - is 1 hank of this enough for an adult pair -- I finally got it down that I need approx. 100 grams of fingering weight for adult socks, but of course this is heavier and I'm still a sock newbie, lol)?

I did take photos of the storefronts, but they are on the regular film camera, so those will be for later. I also haven't had time to download the digital pics yet, which include the Tomkat pics. Yes that's right, we spotted Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes at the Redskins game during the pregame warm-ups. They were standing right down in front of us, though we were up in the nosebleed seats so we'll see how the come out...

Time for dinner... and another weekend of racing - the Chase is ON at NHIS this weekend... til next time, KNIT ON!

I finished sock #1!

Look Ma ... no hands, just feet ... lol! I did it... finished my first sock yesterday! I was so excited I wanted to move on to "bigger and better" (aka nicer sock yarns), but I did cast on the 2nd Lion Brand Magic Stripes sock (you can even see the first round or two in the photo of my big footsie).... after all, I don't want to catch "second sock syndrome!"












So what do you think? No comments on my large feet necessary ... just the sock!




Over the rainy long weekend, we ventured up to Meredith, NH to meet family for dinner at Hart's Turkey Farm (YUM-O!) on Sunday evening, so I took the opportunity to leave a bit early and trek an extra 20 minutes North to Center Harbor to visit Patternworks (Matt was a good sport too - he even came in and poked around!). It was my 2nd visit - an okay shop, but definitely smaller than expected and the ladies who work there are not the most friendly or warm-welcoming (read: go on in, poke around a little, if you know what you want or what to browse, you're all set, but definitely don't expect any warm & fuzzies or much help). I went looking for some small DPN sizes in mind and picked up 0, 1 and 1.5. Of course I couldn't walk by the sock yarn (my new obsession!) without looking... or buying for that matter! I picked up a skein of Fortissima Disco Colori in grey and a skein of Sockotta in a vibrant mix of red, yellow, blue (think its "5613" in the bold stripes).

I happened to notice a copy of "Magic Loop" next to the sock yarn display and grabbed it (Heather was talking about this technique at knitting guild and it definitely sounds like a good one to learn -- anyone tried it? Thoughts? I'm in search of a booklet on knitting 2 socks at once method also if anyone knows of a good one!). I also scored a fun book called Hollywood Knits in the clearance bin for just $5.99!

Not a whole lot of other knitting going on (plent of WIP's though!), but I did finish up 6 baby and toddler hats to send up to Jenn today for Spafina Boutique in Rockport today.

Planning to take a couple hat projects on vacation with me, since they are easy to work on the plane and in the car traveling ... and there will be a lot of car time on this trip. We're staying in Richmond, which is where the NASCAR races are, but we plan a day to Williamsburg and possibly a day to DC. Also, we just got tickets to the Redskins vs. Vikings game for Monday night too and that's in MD. We just might cover 3 states on one trip! And yes, I do have my list of local yarn stores in Richmond and Williamsburg to hunt down (and one of them in Richmond is closing on the 15th - perfect timing!!!)!

Has it REALLY been 2 weeks???

No way... 2 weeks since my last entry? That can't be! Where has the time gone??? Yesterday morning I got stuck behind a school bus on the way to work ... a school bus!!!??? Where did the summer go??? Don't get me wrong... I really can't complain considering that fall is my favorite time of year (and no, its not just because my birthday is in October!). It gets cooler and we can start wearing all of our wonderful scarves and handknit creations, the leaves turn beautiful colors, pumpkins, apples, hot apple cider, festivals and fairs galore and oh yea, FOOTBALL! Thanks to an associate with amazing season tickets (21 rows off the field - home side!), I got to see my beloved Patriots pumble the Red Skins (sorry Coach Gibbs and Mark Brunell!) 42 - zip! Check out the view...

This one aint' so bad either...
This one's even better... Tom Brady and Mike Vrabel in the same pic... damn I'm good (well, not that good... more than half my pics came out blurry, including the better of this view... argh!)

And since I never show my face, here's a rare treat ... (okay, you can stop laughing now) ... but anyway, here I am trying to be cute...

So... you probably wanna hear about some knitting now, huh? I've been working on a few projects... One of which being enhancing the stash, but we won't talk about that right now ... never know when Matt is reading... hee hee and btw, as you can clearly see he has another expensive hobby! I think you will all agree that clearly no matter how big my stash gets, it'll never equal the amount of money he spends on racing and a band, right???

My first sock is nearing completion... and I'm really loving knitting it. Now I can truly understand why so many of my knitting friends are hooked on socks!

Pictured next to the sock is a gorgeous skein of beautifully colored sock yarn that I just got off eBay (unfortunately its not superwash, so I'll be handwashing those babies... but I couldn't resist the goregous colorway). The colors didn't quite show as well in the photo (I was in a hurry taking these - can you tell?), but its gorgeous deep tones of purple, grey and black... gorgeous! I've been toying with the idea of starting a second pair of socks, but I'm worried I'll end up with "second sock syndrom." I will also not mention how many other projects are currently on the needles, nor how many are lined up and waiting to be cast on!

The Chester knitting group is working on some donation items for The Upper Room, including hats, mittens and blankets for the coming winter. Joanne also had these adorable little teddy bears for us to dress up as well. I made a little shawl on the fly (no pattern... no knowledge... lol). What do you think? I'm still not sold on it 100%, but its kinda cute. Matt seemed to think it should've been a "hoochie mama" bear with a tube top instead of a shawl, but that's for another time...

Next to the bear is a gorgeous skein of 100% lace weight Australian Cashmere from Oze Yarn - you simply can NOT tell how gorgeous it is from this crap photo. Its a beautiful deep eggplant color. I got it as a kit to knit this beautiful lace scarf. For anyone interested in Oze's yarns btw, be sure to visit their website and request your free sample card -- I got mine in about a week and a half! They were also relatively fast on the shipping my scarf kit as well.

Those are the only photos I have for today ... sorry. Hopefully the butts Pats pics above do better justice than the knitting pics!

Zeus is healing quite nicely and probably a lot more active than he should be. He's been rather playful lately, baiting both Lola and Tut in to wrestling. Of course when we have to yell at them to stop jumping on their big brother, they definitely do not understand why they are in trouble!

On a very sad furry friend note, my deepest sympathies to Gina who lost her beloved Miss Tubbsie last night.... may she rest in peace with all the leafy green carrot tops a bunny could ever dream of.

Looks like its going to be a wet and dreary holiday weekend ... we were supposed to play up in Sunapee tomorrow, but that's no fun in the rain (hhmm... shopping maybe?) and of course Matt is supposed to race on Sunday (while I watch and knit of course), not sure about that either... was considering the Hopkinton Fair for Monday, but looks like rain again.... oh well, stay dry and KNIT ON......

On The Mend and Knitting

Zeus is on the mend and I've found myself with some time to knit (though not nearly as much as I'd like to) and even do some yarn shopping (uh-oh....)! He's getting around on his own fairly well - probably too much - and he's getting back to his happy-go-lucky self, except when I put the wretched bite not collar on him in the morning. Boy do I get the look! However, he's our very own Zudini, as he has managed to get the collar off 3 times to where its still attached by the strap but hanging off him and just yesterday managed to get the entire thing off, while the belly strap was still buckled. If anyone can figure out how the Great Zudini does it, do share!

So anyway... YARN... oh sweet delicious yummy yarns! I got two most wonderful packages in the mail this week! The first was from Knit Witts and contained my gorgeous (or at least I hope I can turn the lovely bag of yarns in to something so gorgeous as the picture on their website!) Potpouri Shawl Kit in neutral tones. This is going to make a fabulous fall shawl and even though its "neutral" tones, there is some glitz and glamour to mix in.

I also got my clearance sock yarn from Webs closeout page! I snagged 4 skeins of Fashion Trend Sportivo (2 each of 5713 and 5758) and 1 skein of Regia Strato Color (5753 - the only color available). To all my sock and clearance fiber loving folks out there, you are most welcome for the direct links!

Also pictured above is my amazingly soft and gorgeous Bunny Blend yarn in bright violet! This stuff is to die for - ANGORA!!!! An extra special thanks to the wonderfully talented and super sweet Heather aka A Crafty Kat who picked it up in Maine for me last week! I believe a lacey scarf will be in order if I can stop rubbing it against my skin and cuddling with it. And I happily learned the woman who owns the shop in Maine spins dog hair (though Heather seemed to be thinking about kitty hair)...COOL! Yup, a call will be made shortly so I can find out more about how the process works, how much I need to generate a skein, etc. I want to make pillows from each of my babies hair. I picked up the Bunny yarn from Heather on Wednesday (her birthday!!!) at Knitting Guild at Joanne's (A Knitter's Garden in Chester), as well as the Mickey Mouse sock bag she made for my Mom. Well, wouldn't you know that she was using one of her great "Socks for Soldiers" bags to benefit the program (nothing wrong with a little shameless self promotion - you go girl!) and I just HAD to have it! I couldn't resist (even though I just got my doggy sock bag last month, 100 yarn bags are not enough one can never have too many bags) -- a super cute bag (not to mention functional!) that supports a super cause. Be sure to check them out (link above goes to her Etsy shop where they are available for sale). And since I can never get out of Joanne's without something new (the bag didn't really count since it wasn't in the store, right?) ... and I did just buy a new sock bag, I snagged a skein of Heather's very own hand painted sock yarn in Chocolate Covered Strawberries.... YUM-O... and its all mine, mine, mine!!!

While at guild I worked some rows on my tank (actually, I hadn't worked on it since the last time I had been to guild - winter's going to be here before its finished and it sure is going to be chilly!). I got through the decrease rows for the arms on the back at least... all while listening to some great stories... Joanne is getting 2 sheep!!!; Heather's heroic injured puppy rescue in Maine; and some chatting about fisher cats, wild turkeys and coyote (its was one wild nite!)....

When I got home I caught the last 2 minutes of Rock Star Supernova, fed the dogs, set the coffee for morning, fed myself, worked a few rows on my sock. I'm on the heal flap and getting pretty close to teaching myself how to turn a heal (if you hear some loud, mysterious cursing, you'll know where its coming from...).

So as you can see, not quite as much progress as one would like, but some... I've also been working on a couple of baby hats in between as well. My "need to get to" projects are really starting to pile up though, so I better get knitting... not to mention thinking about some Christmas gifts I'd like to get done for friends and family too... think anyone would mind if I took a knitting sabbatical from work? hmm...

We Made It...

... through Zeus' surgery and casting on my very first sock!

His surgery went well, although the past couple of days have been long and tiring. He's stopped crying as much and started hobbling around a bit, however he's been the most stubborn dog when it comes to letting us help (of course... what else should I expect from one of my dogs, who just happens to be male, right?). Instead of letting us help him to get around (esp down the stairs) with a towel sling, he's decided its better to go it on his own -- he really hates the towel idea and even the ramp that we borrowed to help with the outside stairs. He won't even go near the ramp -- did I mention he's one stubborn dog? I think most of his crying now is because he can't get around and do everything he usually does all day (lounge on the couch ... get up on the bed to look out the window ... sit out in the driveway chasing away the birds...). He spent most of yesterday laying in his new "batcave" -- which would be the hallway near the bedrooms so he was fairly close no matter if I was in the bedroom or living room. I had given out the new toys to Lola and Teutul in hopes of keeping them busy, as well as a wubbie to Zeus for comfort. Awhile after little sister and brother had their fun with the new toys, I looked over and noticed this ...

Tut actually spent time bringing a lot of the toys over to Zeus.... awww... brotherly love at its best!

Now .. some knitting news! I did cast on my very first sock and I can officially say I'm addicted (although I've yet to get to the heel flap, so some cursing may be in order shortly, but we'll see). Rather then mess up any of my "good" (i.e. expensive!) sock yarn stash, I'm working my first pair from Lion Brand's Magic Stripes in Bright Spring.

I've yet to travel with my sock (I haven't been out of the house since we brought Zeus home on Tuesday evening), however we did catch the major news on the latest terror threat and the tightened airline security this morning... I think if he were any lesser of a sock, this news would've scared him right off his needles at the thought of traveling anywhere, but he seems to be one brave sock!

I've also progressed a little further on the Broadway scarf ... it would be done by now, but of course as you know I'm not a monogamous knitter and therefore I have several projects going (the car seat blanket is still a work in progress as well). I did experiement with some different yarns for the baby hats and turned out 2 more toddler size hats for my stash to send up to Jenn for Spa Fina Boutique (these should've been baby size, but as my yarn experimenting is going, I think these may be more of a toddler fit). My deadline is approaching and I would like to get at least 4 more - baby size - done before sending them up).

That's all for now ... knit on ... and send chocolate wine (did I meniton I haven't been out of the house since Tuesday evening and have been listening to my poor baby cry for 2 days?)!