Wednesday, August 30, 2006

feeling swappy lately

So I went and joined another swap! This one is set up by Patty, one of my co-hostesses for SP8! It's a Mittens Swap, and it should be a lot of fun! Check it out!!

And, I decided to join Sock Wars too. We'll see how it goes! Sounds like fun!

Saturday, August 26, 2006

Hot Socks swap

I saw this on some SP8 co-hostesses blogs, and just had to join!!!

1)What do you prefer - solid, variegated or self striping? Variegated.

2)Favourite colours? Blues, purples, and greens.

3)Are you a beginner, intermediate or experienced sock knitter? intermediate.

4)Tea, Coffee, or hot chocolate - what's your favourite? If coffee, what do you use to make it? I usually prefer black teas, but drink all 3 frequently.

5)Do you have a fibre preference? (i.e. Are you a yarn snob like me?) I really do prefer natural fibers

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Rhinebeck

Well, plans are in the works!! I'm definitely going, and am SO excited! Now, what to buy!!

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

great mail week!

Wow! So far this week has been fantastic with the USPS! Yesterday, when I got home there was no mail at all, which is unusual for us. We usually get junk mail saying we've been pre-approved for 10 credit cards. After dinner, we were going to go outside to go to the playground at the elementary school next to us, and I notice a Priority Mail box on the mailbox! I should have taken a picture of it, it looked kind of funny sitting there, at the street on the post. Anyway, I get it and see that it's from Simply Socks Yarn company. I tear it open, and open the card- it's the prize I won from Kerry's SP8 contest. Inside the package was an incredible skein of Fleece Artist merino in Amethyst colorway! I will take a pic soon...unfortunately it's in the room upstairs right next to my daughters, and she's asleep. If I go in, I'll wake her. It's amazing, so soft, and the colors are incredible. I can't wait to use it! Thanks Kerry!!

Then, today, I went to the mailbox on the way to get Celia from daycare (I was home, waiting for an exterminator who didn't show up... grumble, grumble!) and inside was my final package from my SP8! I showed great composure and waited to get home with Celia before tearing into it. It came at the perfect time, I had a lousy day with my 3 hour glucose tolerance test and having to have 5 blood draws in 3 hours, then having an exterminator no-show. And it was well worth the little wait...the package was even more awesome than I would have imagined! First, the One Skein book, which I've been wanting to pick up for a while, along with a lovely skein of Noro Blossom. The colors are perfect! My pal suggested using it for the spiral purse, which I'll do! There was also a lovely sheet of handmade paper, and a set of stationary that is handmade as well. The texture is amazing, and I can't wait to use it!!


She also made a little draw string bag, that held some sheep buttons (too cute!!), and pins from the UK. I can't wait to add them to my travel hat! And there were also some embellishments, and some orange candies which I can't wait to try!

There was also a little something for Celia, in the shape of a purple purse, with a poodle inside!! She grabbed it almost instantly, as you can see here- she loves it!! She also sent 2 post cards with the reveal! I now know who my SP8 is, it's Andrea! You have been a truly great pal, and I'm so excited to finally really know who you are! I am looking forward to getting to know you a little now that SP8 is ending. I can only hope that you've also had a great SP8 experience!! Thanks so much!!

Friday, August 18, 2006

now for my WIPs

I requested that my SP8 participants post a list of their works in progress...so I figured it was only fair to show mine too. This is really sad...I had no idea it was this bad!


Here is the "streakers shrug" from IK spring 2006. I'm using the Tess Designer Yarns Cultivated Silk Wool, and absolutely love it! It's just a lot of stitches since I'm at the sleeves, so I've put this one aside for now.

This is a wash cloth for my friend Rachel, who absolutely LOVES Canada. We are from Buffalo, NY, so Niagara Falls/Toronto are like second homes to us. We spent a lot of time up that way in college. Ah, the memories!

Here is my Clapotis. Haven't touched it in a while...

And here is a Cardigan for my daughter, it will have a hood on it, it's the Knitty pattern, Child Hood or something like that. Cascade Superwash.

Branching Out, using some handpainted from my SP7 Kelly. I love it, but really have to concentrate on this one.

Here is the Embossed Leaves Sock from IK winter 2005. Needless to say I've barely started it. This is Koigu KPPPM.

Random Sock...Trekking

Scatter, out of Brown Sheep cotton fleece.

Oat Coutoure vest out of Manos

Fingerless gloves, Kipparoo Farms yarn

crochet blanket. Haven't touched this one in a very long time...

Poncho, which I haven't touched in a year. It's out of some yarn I picked up at Sheep and Wool in 2005.

Cardigan from Stitch and Bitch book, out of purple Silky Wool.

another crochet blanket. Started winter 2004/2005.

3 random started sweaters. Purple one is a baby cardigan out of knit picks shine, red is a tank out of manos cotton, blue is orangina out of Knit Picks shine..


So those are my indescretions. I actually finished 2 projects tonight, felted mittens and a felted purse, both started within the last 2 weeks. The one thing I don't have a pic of yet is my RPM socks (from Knitty), out of Socks That Rock. I seriously need to finish some projects before starting anything else!!

great week.

I had a very craft-busy week! Wednesday I went over to Lisa's place to do some stamping, chatting and wine drinking. ;) Between the two of us we polished off a large bottle of Yellow Tail Cab. Sauv. It was awesome! Needless to say, I had to wait a while to drive home, so I stayed until Midnight. I got a few good cards started, and picked up my The Angel Company(TAC) stamp order. Mostly paper, card stock, ink and a few little stamps.

Then last night, I had a blast too! I went to another sit and knit at a place in Columbia. It's called The Lakeside, where I met up with Jody and her group. It was so much fun to meet everyone, and they welcomed me warmly! It was fun to see what everyone is workong on, and I'm definitely inspired to use some of the dish cloth cotton I bought a while back to make some dish cloths for charity!

I ended up getting home around 8:45, which was perfect! I sat, watched an old episode of Gilmore Girls, and worked on my vest some more while Nathan worked on the SP9 sign up form! No more e-mail signups for SP9, we'll have a special form, data base and the works! He's getting close to being done, which is perfect, since he starts a contract job next week. ;)

Not much else going on. I'm REALLY looking forward to the weekend! I can't wait to spend some good quality time with my girl, and just have some good old-fashioned fun!

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

check this out!!

One of my friends just opened up an Etsy shop selling some of her handspun yarn, as well as some unique plants she's grown. Her yarn is really beautiful, go check it out!! Sapphire Child.

Monday, August 14, 2006

And the winner is.... Heather!! Thanks to all who read my ramblings!! I've had such a great time getting to know you all, in person and in cyberspace!

Friday, August 11, 2006

9 pm???

I went to my SnB last night, which was great! Half way through, Lisa came in which was great! We chatted a bit, but after we left we realized that we really didn't get to talk very much. We called our respective husbands and asked if we could stay out and play longer! There was a starbucks in teh plaza, so we decided to walk over there...except that it was closed! At 9pm!! So we tried to think of another place to go for coffee, but couldn't. I finally remembered another area just down the road with restaurants, so we ended up at Dogfish Head! Booze is much better than coffee! She had a white chocolate martini and a sour apple-tini (both made with their own vodka), and I had two glasses of Fat Bastard Shiraz (one of my absolute favorites!!). We stayed out until about 11, and it was SO much fun! I'm a little tired today, but it was really worth it! I never get to go out to bars anymore (at least when it's not just for a quick happy hour)!

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Happy Blog-a-versary!

I completely missed my first Blog-a-versary! I was so wrapped up in getting my tests done, that I let it slip my mind! Aug 8th was the day!

I am going to do a drawing! If you read my blog regularly or on occaision, please leave me a comment!! I will put all commenters names in a hat and draw a name, and a gift will be on it's way to the winner!!

Thanks everyone for your support and fun over the last year!! Let's hope the next one is even better!!

I'll draw a name Sunday evening!!!

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Come join in!

So I've been wanting (and needing) to lose a few pounds for a while now! Kerry has decided to start a Chub Club!. You pay $30, and over the course of 3 months the person to lose the most BMI gets the pool of money!

I'm hoping that losing some weight will help in our efforts to get pregnant again. If I can just drop 10%, my doctor said it might be enough to get me ovulating normally again. On my own. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

And if you are wanting to lose a few pounds, please join the Chub-Club! It's a chance to win a nice pot of money for doing something really good for yourself!

blah

Yesterday was a very bad day. I have this HSG on wednesday, and they want you taking antibiotics before and after to make sure you don't get an infection. My husband and I both started them sunday, and monday morning I woke up with a horrible headache. I haven't had a headache like that for as long as I can remember- and I've had migranes a lot the last 8 years! I made it in to work, and by 10:30 I was feeling really horrible and a little out of it. After calling the doctor to see if it was due to the antibiotic (they said probably since my eyes were puffy/itchy too), I decided that I wasn't good being at work, so I went home and crashed. I slept from 11 til 3, and woke up feeling a little better. At least well enough to eat some mac n cheese, and get a little work done from home. I'm still a little tired, and my head hurts a little bit, but it's that residual hurt. I'll definitely be at work today, thankfully!

This weekend was good, Nathan had a dentist appt, and we took Celia so she could see what it was like. She insisted on it being her turn after Nathan was done, and thankfully the hygenist had a cancellation, so Celia got her teeth cleaned! It was so cute, she sat on my lap and did such a great job! What a big girl...I can't believe she's getting so big!

Funny knitting content on TV sighting: Celia has been watching Caillou non-stop for weeks now! I was sitting watching with her this morning, and Caillou went to a sheep farm with his grandma. They showed yarn, a spinning wheel, and even how to spin it! I was impressed....maybe the show isn't so terrible/annoying afterall!

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Fantastic monday!

The words fantastic and monday rarely belong in the same sentence together for me! Yesterday was a perfect exception!

Work was good, I got a lot accomplished. And I went to an impromtu lunch with some co-workers to On The Border for Mexcian. YUMMY!!!

For my birthday, my husband and daughter got me a gift certificate for a massage, which I turned in yesterday! I was early, and managed to resist popping into Woolwinders beforehand. I was proud! I stopped for an iced vanilla latte before my massage, and boy was it good!

I got home around 6:30, and Nathan had made Dinner (chicken nuggets, canned green beans and canned peaches) and fed Celia. I walked in the door and he tossed a few more nuggets in the oven for me.

I spotted a box and a soft envelope on the counter, with my name on it!! The box was my Amazon.com order of books, I got Socks Soar on 2 circs, Spin-it, and Knitting on the Road. All 3 look great, I can't wait to sit down and really look through them. The second package, was my STR!! I was SO excited to open this one. I have to say it is SO soft, and the color is incredible. I can't wait to play with it this week.

Last night my hubby and I got Celia to bed together, on time! We relaxed and watched some TV, while I spun some of the alpaca that I got at MS&W. It's so soft, pretty and just easy to spin.

In bed by 9:30!!

The PERFECT monday!!