Holiday Open House

I've been so busy knitting up a storm for the Holiday Shopping Open House at Jenn's (who remains blogless at this time) in Rockport, I haven't had much time to blog... and appologize for that. To tide you over, here is another little fun "quiz" for today (of course you know how TRUE mine is!).
For those of you in the Rockport area (or who don't mind a short road trip to do some amazing one-of-a-kind holiday gift shopping at a lovely Seacoast home), email me if you'd like information on the Open House featuring local crafters and artisans this Saturday, Dec. 2nd from 10:00 - 4:00 in Rockport, MA.

Your Ideal Pet is a Big Dog

You're both energetic, affectionate, and a bit goofy. And neither of you seem to mind very slobbery kisses!

What's Your Ideal Pet?

Mashed Potatoes...

Found this on Heather's blog... a little post-Turkey Day fun. Hope everyone had a great one!

You Are Mashed Potatoes

Oridnary, comforting, and more than a little predictable You're the glue that holds everyone together.

What Part of Thanksgiving Are You?

Hump Day In New England...

Woo hoo, its hump day! Its been a rainy week thusfar, though warm ... unseasonably warm actually. Yes, its Nov. 15th and the temperature read 59 degrees on my way to work this morning at just 8:15 am. I've actually only had to turn my heat on at home two or three days so far and boy do we New England-ers with friggin' stupid, overpriced electric heat love that! The sun started to peak out this morning... for about 10 minutes and then the rain came back. They say it'll be sunny later on ... New England weather for ya!

So anyway, I'm glad its hump day and the work week is that much closer to being over, but I must admit I was a bit sluggish to get moving this morning. Rainy, dreary days ... but much to my surprise, I bumped in to Bambi (otherwise known as a deer) on the way to work... just as I pulled out of the driveway and down the side street, there was the adorable little guy standing on the side of the road. So sweet ... he gave a glimpse back at me (I swear he winked!) and took off before I could snatch out my camera phone. A short distance further down I had to stop for Mr. Squirrely to cross (yea, so maybe I DID slam on the brakes a little... but at least there was no one behind me!). Then, as I was about to get on the highway (thankfully I only have to go 1 exit on the highway which is quite nice, my drive is mostly back roads), I spotted this out my window (excuse the bad quality pics - we're talking the measly little camera in my cell phone)...

Unfortunately you can't see the gorgeous, vibrant colors of this hot air balloon, but still... what a nice little surprise on my way to work... on a rainy morning (I'm guessing the passengers heard that same forecast about the sun coming out today ... hope they enjoyed their 10 minutes of sunshine in between drizzles... yes, we do love the friggin' ever changing New England weather - but I wouldn't give up New England for too many other places to live!). I usually see the balloons on my way home from work or on weekends in the summer, but hadn't seen this one before. Zeus loves to watch for them to go by the house while he's lounging outside in the summer ... yes, my dog actually stares up in the sky and watches for hot air balloons (say "where's the balloon?" or "where's the birdie?" - he looks up and starts jumping all around looking ... say "where's the snakey?" and he goes hunting, nose down to the grass looking -- don't ask!).

Speaking of the children, remember the photo of Miss Lola and her big stick from a couple posts ago (if not, scroll down!)... well, apparently those lovely big sticks outside aren't to her liking so much. She prefers a size 4 DPN... and yes, I made the trek down to AC Moore with my weekly coupon to pick up another set yesterday.... as I reminded myself "just breath" (at least what I was working on that night only required 4, not the full set of 5).

So, then the radio DJ starts talking about Turkey Day being a week away and what do I do? Pop this in to my CD changer...

Yup, I've dug out my first holiday CD of the season and popped it in! Actually, I didn't have to do much digging, since I just got it a couple weeks ago... have to admit, I've always liked most of the BNL hit songs on the radio, but never really got in to them too much (or even realized half those songs were theirs!).... until we saw them live twice in two months! They did a free pre-race show while we were in Richmond in September and then we wound up with free tickets to their show at the Verizon last month. I have to say, despite a lot of really mellow tunes, they are a lot of fun live - very entertaining. I figured their holiday CD wouldn't disappoint in the entertainment / funny department and after only having listened to the first 1 1/2 tracks, I think I'm right!

So... now time to go home and dig out my other favorite holiday tunes... Trans-Siberian Orchestra being one (we're going to see live them next week too - should be amazing!) and Christina Aguliera's being another one of my favorites...

So the season is upon us ... and boy did it sneak up, eh? Well, back to friggin' holiday knitting... trying really hard to get enough stuff done up for the Holiday Open House at Jenn's on December 2nd (Heather is also doing this one) and realizing why people work on their stock for holiday fairs all year long and not a month prior ... oopsie! Live and learn for next year - that's for sure!

So happy hump day from a currently rainy New England... at least its knitting guild night!

I wanted to end with this mention of the Animals Matter To Me campaign and ask you to please take 2 minutes to visit this ASPCA link and sign your name to this petition (for those of you who aren't blog savy, simply click on the word on petition to link to the ASPCA site and info). Thank you in advance to anyone who is kind hearted enough to do so!

Riverslea Trip... a few days late, a computer short!

I'm a few days late with posting more pics from the Riverslea trip, but that's because ... get this (remember, "if its not one thing, its another!") ... our friggin' useless hunk of junk computer died... for the friggin' 100th time again! But not to dread on that, instead let's get to the good stuff!

When we arrived, Liz and Jeff were out trying to round up a runaway sheep, so we had time to peruse the wonderful gift shop before our tour (and of course we spent plenty of time perusing and shopping after!).

Liz gave us an amazing - and very informative - tour! She started with telling us about the raw fleece process, here's a bag that had just recently been shaven out on the table.

From there, it was on to the animals... look at all these adorable guys (and gals)!

Now don't these guys just look like they are smiling at you? I swear they really are ... just like our dogs do!

You may ask how the farm deals with security and keeping the coyote and other predators at bay? Meet the guard llama, who was an absolute doll (and really seemed to want to snuggle up - maybe a bit too much)!

Here's Joanne introducing herself to Mr. Handsome (forgive me for not remembering his name).

Now for what I'm sure most of you are waiting for ... fibers and yarns galore!





Isn't it just a fabulous candy store?!?!?!

Here's Liz showing us the amazing sign she uses when she exhibits, which is all hand felted lettering and sheep on a large felted square.

Miss Joanne found a gorgeous teal-blue piece of felt that matched her shop colors and of course we wouldn't let her leave without it! It will soon become the "A Knitter's Garden at By The Brook Farm" sign - yes, that's right, Joanne has now officially named their farm - congrats!

After we shopped, Liz invited us inside her home to make felted beads - we had a blast! Thank you again to both Liz and Jeff (and Lilly too!) for such hospitality - I'm sure we'll all be back again soon (did someone say felted elves??)!

Wondering what I snagged? Here's my wonderful loot - 2 balls of gorgeous roving (the brownish one has gorgeous pinks, yellows and other colorings going thru it and is an alpaca blend which I will save for when I get a little better at this whole spinning thing), 2 skeins of a handspun, handdyed green yarn and 1 skein of a natural color handspun wool for a winter hat for myself.

I bought a little more loot that night back at Joanne's too ... some white roving that she recommend I start my spinning career with and a gorgeous skein of a verigated pink handspun, handdyed wool (thinking another winter item - maybe mittens or another hat).

Also pictured above is my spindle bag, made by the amazing Heather and the spindle that I got off eBay.

To close today, feast your eyes on my absolutely wonderful 3 Doggy Yarn dyed by Heather, inspired by non other than my 3 children...

See any resemblance?





Til next time... get your holiday knit on kids, after all we have less than 2 months!

TGI-almost-F!

TGI-almost friggin'-F! Will this week ever end?!?!?

At least I have some fun news to report from yesterday's knitting guild trip to Riverslea Farm ... however I'm going to toy with your brain save those pictures for tomorrow, as I don't have too much time to post today. We had a great time - we got to see the animals, tour of the farm, get a little lesson on the fleece process, see and touch some gorgeous fibers and even make some water felted beads! Liz & Jeff were just amazing (if you're reading, thank you again - and we can't wait to come back!)!

In honor of Gina's FO Friday (get your head out of the gutter kids... its Finished Object Friday!), I'm a day early with a couple of my most recent fo's! I did manage to finish my first pair of socks before Socktoberfest was over...



I posted a picture of Nathaniel's finished hat last week, but here's Jenn's little guy himself modeling it ... don't you just want to pinch those cheeks?

Speaking of cuties, check out these adorable crime fighters... (aka 2 nephews & a niece)

Of course I can't not post these cute fall shots of my own adorable children... including a super cuddly Zeus with Mommy, aren't we cute? (Note, he's getting that fourth or fifth puppy hood going quite well now that his new knee is really settling in ... I wonder how much more bouncing he's going to be doing once the 2nd one is done... ay, yi, yi!)

Zeus the Moose!

Miss Lola and her stick!

Nervous Teutul (did someone say "boo?")...

Wait until you see their very own "3 Doggy Yarn" designed by the real wonder-woman herself, Miss Heather - photos to come shortly! She did an amazing job with the colorings and I can't wait to knit it up (still not sure what yet ... probably socks and maybe gauntlets or gloves ... feel free to share your ideas, as I have 2 skeins). She also took the time to show me how to spin on my new drop spindle last night, for which I thank her greatly! Of course if I get hooked, I will blame her greatly too, lol - though I think I am already hooked and will be in the hunt for a spinning wheel at some point when my budget can afford it... which could be next to never, so if any family or friends out there who might have a wheel collecting dust or know someone who does and wants to share, you know my number! Here's my lovely teacher (hopefully she doesn't mind me posting - I know she's got the blackmail pic to get me back though!)...

Make sure you hop on over to Heather's blog and meet the newest addition to her family!

Speaking of the 4 legged, furry children, I thought it was time for the pint sized Angus (who's Mommy needs to start a blog!) to have some time to shine in the spotlight ...

Angus belongs to the wonderful Joanne who owns A Knitter's Garden in Chester (for which I can not link you to because she has yet to create a website or that blog ... hint hint). I think he was really loving all those nifty smells that we brought back from Riverslea (as were my own children once I got home...)!

We also met the adorable Lilly yesterday, who lives at Riverslea Farm with Liz & Jeff. She's 6 months old and so FULL of puppy energy. Here she is sneaking a peak in to the feeding pen when we were touring.

And, as a final teazer for my next post, meet this 1 day old most adorable baby...

Until next time, dream of all those wonderful fibers and animal photos I will be sharing... :)

Socks and Gauntlets and Pumpkins... OH MY!

As promised last week, I'm back with many, many pictures for your viewing pleasure!

First up, some of that "festive fall" crap stuff from before. :-) We've had some rain and icky wind that has knocked most of the beautiful leaves off of the trees already, but I did snap this one from our driveway view.

How about a ghostly view of the pumpkins at the Keene Pumpkin Festival last weekend? Okay, okay, so maybe its not so much ghostly as a little out of focus? It was difficult getting any good pictures with it being so freaking overcrowded very well attended and at night. Of course, you know me, I found paw prints...



Socktoberfest is almost over and sad to say, I'm still working on my Magic Stripes. I've put it aside to work on various other projects, but did have good intentions of not only finishing this pair, but a second pair as well in honor of Socktoberfest. I guess I'm not a very good participant, huh? Here's a pic, next to the Smocked Gauntlets that I cast on last week and haven't had a chance to really knit much on since...

Here's a close up of the gauntlets so you can see the stitch detail and the awesome Rock Lobster colorway by Sereknity! So far, these are a blast to knit and I hope to have them finished soon - my hands are getting a little chilly waiting for them!

I've been working on a scarf of my own pattern in a cashmere blend yarn. I'm not totally happy with it at the moment, as its rolling in to a spiral due to the stitch pattern, however I'm hoping it will block out flat when finished. I'm using the Sereknity needles too..

Next to the scarf is a darling little baby bootie. I've been working on doctoring up a pattern to make some for the Holiday Open House at Jenn's and thinking I've finally got it down.

Speaking of Jenn, Nate's hate is finished (woo hoo... hear that, a FINISHED object!!)... I absolutely love the way this navy color turned out (and its Heirloom Breeze, which I love knitting up) and can't wait to see it being modeled by the little guy!

I didn't make it to knitting guild last night, as I've been fighting that nasty sinus pressure and allergy crap. I did plan to veg out and knit at home, but instead decided it was time to switch to my new bag that I bought at the Cirque du Soleil show last month (yes, they now sell some bags and I believe even clothing). Figured half an hour at best, but instead it turned in to a full evening project, with a little help from my 4-legged children. Smell something a little fishy in this picture (hint, I even marked it for you!)?

Isn't it THE coolest bag though? I couldn't resist - its my favorite colors (purples and blues) with an awesome funky lining and cool details... yea, I dropped a bit of pennies on it, but I love it and that's what matters!

Speaking of the children, I wanted to share a few new photos and updates. Zeus' xrays showed wonderful success with the surgery. The spot where the bone was cut through is barely even visible on the xray and everything is healing quite well... the pins and plate are all nicely in place and the knee is stronger than ever! We may put off the 2nd surgery until February / March, but haven't completely decided just yet. Here's the big guy enjoying the crisp fall air and a new toy...

Guess who just turned 3? Our littlest monster, Teutul... shown here "hanging" with his new buddy from Old Navy (the middle of it was a stuffed Halloween Mummy, however the stuffing didn't survive the night, but he loves it just the same)...

And guess who thinks she can knit? The lickmonster herself, Miss Lola, who's been eyeing my yarn and those really cool sticks that go "clickity-click" over her head as she tries to cuddle up in Mommy's lap to watch TV.

Now guess who thinks she might be able to spin? Did you guess? Yup, I finally ordered myself a drop spindle off of ebay and am anxiously awaiting it (hopefully Heather's just as excited to be anxiously awaiting my cries of HELP... thanks in advance dear!). Next week our knitting group is making a trip to Riverslea Farm and I can't wait! I'm quite sure I'll come home with some wonderful wool and roving.

Until next time, try to stay festive and enjoy what's left of fall!

Festive, my arse!

Its been awhile since my "festive fall" posting... but I am here... you know, just in case someone out there was wondering. :) So, I say festive fall my arse... work has been more stressful than one would like and has really been cutting in to my knitting time! Does that really say 7 months til Charlotte at the top of my blog??? It can't get here fast enough!

No new finished objects to report, though Nate's hat is nearly complete, as is my Lion Brand sock #2 and the diagonal scarf. I'm getting ready to cast on Heather's smocked gauntlets in her blazing Sereknity Rocklobster colorway, as well as my 2nd pair of socks. Now decisions... what sock yarn to cast on? Trekking? Step? Sereknity? Oh... I just might have to reach in the drawer and blindly pull out a winner. I'm also getting ready to cast on the Angel sweater and whatever else floats my boat... but I just have to finish this first pair of socks and a couple other loose ends before moving forward (not to worry... there will still be plenty of other unfinished objects on needles throughout the house....).

I did cast on a lovely cashmere blend scarf using Heather's handmade needles (scroll down a couple posts to see) and they are knitting quite nicely ... and the tips can do some pretty heavy damage to non-knitters are amazingly sharp and smooth (so yea, I might've poked myself once or twice, but I'm used to it now!). If you need to get some pretty needles for a gift your own collection, be sure to check out Heather's lovely items.

Made the trek to Webs and got my blocking board with my wonderful birthday gift certificate! I was pretty darned freaking too well behaved while there and didn't fill up the basket too much! I did get some Artful Yarns Fable in #97 Billy Goats Gruff (and no, I didn't just buy it for the funky name!) to make a cardigan.... a gorgeous skein of Fiesta Yarns Insignia La Bhoeme - check it out, hand dyed mohair/wool/rayon/nylon mix to die for, I got the ruby red for a scarf ... I also grabbed a couple skeins of Gedifra sock yarn and some patterns that were in a big 'ole basket marked with my favorite word FREE! Of course most of the patterns were totally 1980's throwbacks, but I did find a couple of decent sweaters in there. I also got some FREE (there's that word again!) coffee mugs, as they were having a special of "spend $50, get a free mug" and well, I spent enough to get 3 mugs... :)

Zeus update... we just hit 10 weeks since surgery #1 and he is at the vet's office today getting the follow up x-rays. Recovery seems to be going quite well and he's been back to his spunky self for quite a few weeks now... if anything he's acting MORE like a puppy again (ay, yi, yi ... 120 pounds of "puppy!"). We're hoping to put off surgery #2 until spring (also known as tax return time), but we'll see what the good doc has to say tonight when we meet to review his x-rays.

Looking forward to knitting guild tomorrow night... see you there? I'll be back later in the week with pictures... hopefully some beautiful New England fall shots for you to feast your eyes on!