Hogwarts sock swap progress

This is my partner's sock! She's in Hufflepuff, and I'm doing a plain sock, to show off the yarn. I love how it is coming out! I really hope she likes it. This is the first sock. I hope to finish it this weekend, and then I can start the second one. The yarn is from Sugar Bunny Blvd- it's 70% merino, 30% silk and it's fabulous!

More Hogwarts Yarn!

Sunday, I took another 2 hours of time to spend dyeing. I'm really in trouble now... I am having WAY too much fun with this! The color just really makes me happy! Here is what I came up with this time:


Albus Dumbledore, The Night Bus, Fawkes, Salazar Slytherin, and The Half Blood Prince!
I just uploaded 2 of them (The Night Bus and Fawkes) to my Etsy shop, and the rest will go up after the weekend. Hopefully next week I'll get a chance to do another batch!

For fun!

Mark with bold the things you have ever knit, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch- this I learned when I was 5!
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl- or at least I've tried a few times!
Stockinette stitch- just figured that out a 3 years ago!
Socks: top-down- many times!
Socks: toe-up- first one is on the needles
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat- first thing I finished for my daughter
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL- just a few!
Sweater- baby sweaters, yes...not for me yet
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting- I've tried and can do it...just not very well
Designing knitted garments- my first pair of fingerless gloves
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)-
Lace patterns- only succeeded on socks so far
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit- as soon as she's old enough!
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money- I've pattern tested and knit samples
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colours
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies...)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items)on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else's handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn- Oh so much fun!
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting- when I was younger, my mom had a knitting machine. I used it to make all sorts of little things, including a scarf for my brother's Xmas gift one year! I definitely want to get one eventually.
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern- it's on a post-it somewhere- for fingerless gloves with a cable down the middle
Gloves
Intarsia- I started a dish cloth with a canadian flag on it for a good friend of mine. She's from Buffalo but is completely obsessed with Canada.
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/armwarmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

7 random things!

I've been tagged by one of my SP10 group members to do the 7 random things meme. Here goes!

1. I love fruit, and I love food...but having fruit chunks in my food freaks me out. I don't usually like fruit pies, or pastries with whole fruit pieces cooked in it. The only things I like are blueberry muffins/scones, apple pie, and a cake with fresh strawberries (like a strawberry shortcake)...the rest I won't touch.

2. I used to wear a size 9 shoe. After having my daughter, I am now a 10 wide.

3. I don't like it when my feet touch the ground. I almost always have socks and shoes or sandals on. Especially if the ground is wet- the squishiness is just gross.

4. I used to suck my thumb...until I was 12. They had to put a bridge in my mouth to break the habbit before they would put braces on me.

5. I get really anxious in new situations. Whether it's something in general that I haven't done before, or going somewhere where I'll meet a bunch of new people. I used to get so nervous that I wouldn't go at all, but thankfully that has passed. And besides, now I have a kid to take with me for back-up if I need it. ;)

6. I love music! I played Clarinet in high school, and then stopped after I graduated. I pick it up every now and then, but really suck now. Some of it is still in my head as second nature, and then the rest is just gone.

7. I was engaged in high school. It was during my Senior year, and my boyfriend at the time was in his 1st year of college. I went off with him to the same college and we lived together for a year and a half. But he was an ass, and I finally came to my senses and transferred schools. We stayed together for a month after I left, when he cheated on me with a mutual friend, whom he married 7 months later. I'm SO glad that wasn't me he married!!

An evening dyeing

Last week, I took an evening and spent it in my "dye room"! I had gotten in about 15 more colors of dye, so I experimented with some of them. Here are the results!!

First we have: Professor Sprout, Nymphadora Tonks, Remus Lupin, and Polyjuice Potion


And there's: Madeye Moody, Sorcerers Stone, and Hogs Head. These still need to be reskeined.


I'll have them all up in my etsy shop by the weekend!

Mommy survey

I saw this over at Kerry's blog, and thought it would be fun!

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? Yes
2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes
3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? I was thrilled!
4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? No way.
5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? I had turned 27 a few days before
6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? I took a pregnancy test.
7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? My mom
8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Yes, though she was very stubborn and we didn't find out for sure until about 34 weeks
9. DUE DATE? March 9, 2004
10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Not really.
11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Milk, and mashed potatoes, and hamburgers
12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? Not much EDITED: My hubby kindly reminded me of my garlic "issue" I had while pregnant. I couldn't eat anything with garlic. I couldn't stand the smell, and worst of all, I couldn't be around anyone who had eaten garlic for several days. Poor husband, who liked chineese food, was banned from being anywhere near me until he brushed his teeth hundreds of times, and it was out of his system. I was really bitchy about it too. Sorry honey!
13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Female
14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? I really wanted a little girl, and every dream I had, the baby was always a little girl. So I was very happy!
15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 3. I had gestational diabetes and I lost a TON of weight on the diet they had me on. So the baby accounted for what I lost.
16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? I had 2. My mom threw one for me back home, and my co-workers threw one for me here.
17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? The one at work was a shock. I thought I was going to lab meeting...I had my notebook with me and everything.
18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? Only gestational diabetes.
19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Shady Grove Adventist Hospital
20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 0. It was a scheduled C-section since the baby was breech. Stubborn...
21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? My husband and mom
22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? My husband. My mom was in the waiting room
23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? C-Section
24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? They gave me an epidural right away for the surgery.
25. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 7 lb, 1 oz
26. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? Feb. 26, 2004
27. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Celia Jaye
28. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 3 years

Fun contest!

Ali is running a fun contest! If you want to enter the contest- be sure to mention that you found it by way of my blog! Every referrel gives you another entry!! I really love the tank, and the yarn is so yummy!!

Here are my summer knitting goals:

Finish up my Hogwarts Sock Swap pal's socks. I'm about 1/3 way done with sock 1.

Start and finish my Sockapalooza 4 sock pal's socks. I have chosen the yarn...now I need to find the pattern!

Finish a periwinkle cardigan I started for Celia last fall.

Finish a pink tank I started for Celia a few weeks back.

Do some more dyeing!! Too much fun!

Start and finish at least 1 pair of socks for Celia. I have yet to make her a pair!

Make something for myself. I'm not sure what yet though. I have yarn to make a tank for myself, so maybe that. If not, then Work on and finish my Trinity jacket.

Raffle for a cause!!

Hi all! I forgot to mention, Wendy is doing a rafffle in support of Breast Cancer research! To buy raffle tickets, go to her blog! She's got loads of prizes donated for drawings. I've donated a set of pink swarovski crystal stitch markers too!

My baby girl

These were taken this past weekend at my sister-in-law's wedding. She was the best flower girl ever! It was one of my proudest moments as a mom. And the perfect start to a great Mother's Day weekend!

Sheep and Wool purchases!

I've decided that for now on, I'm ONLY buying yarn at festivals/Stitches, unless it's for a gift, or for a specific project. My stash is way out of control!!

That being said, here's what I picked up at Sheep and Wool last weekend! And this does NOT include what I picked up for Nicol. My mom and I really had a blast!!
All of our purchases (minus one of my mom's, which is a vest kit that will be wound and shipped right to her).

My new purse, handwoven and cotton with loads of pockets

Yes, I did wait for about 45 minutes to buy these 4 skeins of STR!

Here's some SWTC bamboo, and Fleece Artist!! I finally got to see it in person in more than a few colorways!

And then we have wool/alpaca/silk blend in great blues. I can't wiat to spin it up! I'm thinking a vest??

And some BFL roving.

Some merino/silk roving.


Some merino roving.


Brooks Farm four play for scarves!


And last, but certainly not least, some more bobbins and a spare drive belt for my Kiwi.


It was SUCH a fun day, and I'm already looking forward to next year!!

Bad Blogger!!!

MS&W was absolutely amazing! Unfortunately, I had my camera with me, but didn't use it at all! Not a single picture- bad blogger!! I borrowed a pic from Jody that has me in it, because I'm such a dork and didn't take my camera out. I realized as we were in the parking lot that I totally forgot to use my camera. Sheesh!
Here's a group of us at the blogger meetup. It was fun to meet some people, and hang out a bit. I'm the one in the purple shirt with the hat. ;)


I had loads of fun, my Mom and I left her hotel at around 8:10, and we got there around 8:45. We shopped, we waited in line, we shopped lots more! The Lambburger was awesome, which something I hadn't tried before. I went a wee-bit over budget...but really didn't do too badly overall. There was a woven purse that I could NOT pass up (and neigher could my mom). We both got one as a reminder of the festival this year. The t-shrit line was too long, so we splurged instead. So much fun!! We both got some great things. I'll post pics later of what I picked up. I even managed to get some shopping done for Nicol, which I"ll get in the mail tomorrow. It was so much fun shopping for colors I usually stay away from.

Overall, it was the PERFECT weekend. Loads of yarn, sheep, food, and fun! I can't wait for next year now! Thank goodness Stitches East is coming up between now and then. YEAH!

Knitters Treat Exchange!!

Yesterday, as my mom and I were pulling into the driveway from MSW, I noticed a box hanging off the mailbox! I instantly knew it was my KTE pal, since she had told me it was in the mail. I was SO excited to see what was inside, I forgot about all the purchases I made at the festival (more on that in another post). My pal was Katie, and she's just awesome! Thanks SO much Katie!!!

Here's what was inside:
Three magazines! One is Canadian Living, the other is Ricardo which is a food magazine, and Chirp, which is a kids magazine for Celia (who instantly grabbed it and ran off!).


Then we have 4 great treats- Coffee Crisp, Smarties, Palomine and maple sugar candies! Three of each (one for me, hubby and Celia). So yummy!! Then there's the yarn- some Briggs and Little for me to dye (with kool aid included), and some Fleece Artist, which is in such a pretty colorway! There's two bars of soap- one in Vanilla, and the other Lavendar (both favorites of mine!), and last- but certainly not least- the can of Tim Hortons Coffee!!! I was SO excited to see this when I opened it up. I brewed a pot this morning, and I drank the whole thing (with some help from my mom, of course!). Yummy!!


I'll post more on the Sheep and Wool festival tonight. Off to a springtime BBQ!

My favorite day of the year!!

In an hour, I'm heading to my mom's hotel to pick her up, and head out to the Festival!! I'll be wearing a green baseball hat that has tons of pins on it. If you see me, say hi!!


This would be me and a big sheep at Rhinebeck last fall. ;) I'll be dressed about the same!