Is this thing on?

I really missed writing here. I don't know why I stopped. Things just got crazy busy, and I completely lost all track of time.

When did Thanksgiving get here? And Christmas? Seriously??

At least I can now work on getting things back to normal.

Some updates:

I got a layoff notice in October, and was to be laid off Dec 31. Thankfully I interviewed for another position within my institute, and was offered the spot, so I took it. Am no longer getting laid off, thank goodness!


I went to the UK for 2 weeks in late November/early December. 2 full weeks in Cambridge. I was there for work, so I had to leave the husband and kids home. It was nice, but really lonely.


I've finished a few items- a Swallowtail Shawl, a few hats, and have been working on a Central Park Un-hoodie for my son's day care teacher (she asked if she could pay me- I let her buy the yarn but am not letting her pay me for the work. She has spent a ton of time with me outside of day care hours working with me and my son to help him learn to speak.


I got some new ink!! Finally, went and got a knitting tattoo. Fitting, because I was in Asheville, NC for SAFF at the time. And, I was a vendor at SAFF and had a great time! Fabulous show, and I can't wait for next year.



My son (who is now 23 months) has been receiving speech therapy, due to speech delay. His pediatrician and ENT both suggested this due to the fact that he has had so many ear infections and sinus infections. I am also doing a class with the County, called the Hanen Program, It Takes Two to Talk. Between ITTTT and the speech therapy, my son is finally making some real strides towards communication. He still has few words, but he is definitely expressing himself much better than he was. And his level of frustration is so much less. I've always been all about Early Intervention, and my son is living proof of how much EI helps.




And here are some kid pics! Can't believe how big they are getting!!

HSKS 8 kit!

Things have been a bit hectic over here for the last few months, and I"m finally now getting around to posting about the FABULOUS kit I received from my HSKS 8 summer camp pal, Honoria Beckett.


Included in my kit, is some yummy Palette yarn and some Esseential Sock from KnitPicks, a beautiful bag, which is in all of my favorite colors, stitch markers, a beading kit, and a pretty scarf pattern, for my herbology assignment, and some of my all time favorite candy- skittles and starburst! Talk about a rockin' package!! I am sooo spoiled! Thanks so much for everything Honoria!! I love it all! And I"m so sorry for the delay in getting my post up...

Kindergarten

I still have many posts to catch up on, but the most important one is this. I now have an official Kindergartener. My little Celia started Kindergarten on Monday.

When did she get so big??

woops!

I haven't posted in 20 days? Seriously?? Yikes!

Things have been a bit crazy on this end. After the vacation in the Finger Lakes, the kids and I headed to Buffalo for a week of family time. I managed to work while the kids played, and even had some fun myself! I was able to catch up with one of my best friends (who has a little girl who is 1), for lunch and then again the next day to hang out and again have lunch. It was so great to see her and the baby, who I hadn't seen since last august. Funny how some friends, you just fall back into the same time with, like no time at all has passed. It was awesome.

Then, there was the TKGA/CGOA Summer Knit and Crochet Show, which was fantastic! I had a ball, met a lot of great people, including a few people I know from Ravelry, and just had a yarny good time. I got a lot of great compliments on my yarn, and made a really good profit. I didn't make it to Sock Summit, but my yarn was there. Still waiting on hearing how it did, but I can't imagine how busy the shops are sorting out whose yarn sold, and packing it up. Craziness!

Seth is currently sick, with a double ear infection. And he has tubes in his ears, so they are just draining bloody goo all over the place. Pretty nasty, and he's been a bit cranky. Took him in to the doc yesterday, after the day care provider noticed the blood, and he's back on antibiotics. We're holding off on the Ora.pred for the moment (he's wheezing again too), but may need that in the next few days. Fun times. You know it's rough on a kid, when the doc is looking at the history of prescriptions, and he is impressed that Seth made it a month and a half since his last course. 6 weeks! It seems like he's always on antibiotics, the poor kid. Better get some stuff done while he sleeps... More later! Still need to post about the colonoscopy, more weeks from the CSA, and all of the goodies coming from our garden!

Vacay

I love vacations! This week has been so much fun! We're in Canandaigua, at my uncle's place. Last time we were here, is when I took the HPT that came up positive after my IVF cycle. So it holds a lot of good memories for me.

We've done nearly everything I can think of. The beach, the New York Wine and Culinary Center, shopping, wine drinking, relaxing, reading, spent some time with my MIL/FIL, and my SIL, and spent some time just relaxing. I got to take a nap, which I really needed. And I got to spend Tuesday in a chair. Getting my newest tattoo!! Here it is:


The pink ribbon is for my Aunt Debbie, who passed away last year from a 12+ year battle with breast cancer. The cherry blossoms are there because they are one of my favorite flowers, and we have several cherry trees in my yard that bloom every year. Love living in DC for that. If we ever move back to Buffalo/Rochester, I'll have that to remind me of our time in DC. And if we're in DC forever, I can see them year round. I got this done at Lady Luck Tattoo in Canandaigua, NY. Tom was the artist, and what he came up with is so much better than I had ever imagined. I love that there are some buds, and some petals falling- life and death. Just perfect.

My DH also spent a little time in the chair, getting his first tattoo on Thursday. Here it is:


Nice and simple, just our names. In a triangle, because he's kind of a math geek. He loves lines and angles.

Other than that, I've been reading A LOT. I finished the first two Twilight books, and am 150 plus pages into the third book. I came with the first, and bought the second, third and fourth here. Because I couldn't wait. SO addicting.

More CSA

Lots more CSA goodies last week! More beets, green beans and a few heirloom beans, tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, blueberries, peaches, plums, black currants, cherries, some fennel fronds, green pepper, banana peppers and some lovely flowers.


We've already used the blueberries (blueberry waffles), tomatoes, zucchini, and some other goodies. Going to make some black currant schnapps with the currants. Need to get on that tonight.

Lots of knitting going on. Lots of prepping for the Knit and Crochet show, and got my packages off for the Sock Summitt. We leave for vacation on Saturday, and I can't wait! I sooo need a break!

Fun times.

The last few weeks have been a bit nutty, healthwise for me. I was sick about 2 weeks ago. So sick I could barely move. So sick that when I moved, it felt like the left side of my abdomen had a knife in it. After a few days of this massive pain, I went to my Dr, who told me I likely have Diverti.culitis. They treated me with antibiotics, and it got better. They sent me for a pelvic sonogram, which was normal, also supporting their hypothesis. At this point, since I'm young (33), they wanted me to see a GI, to make sure everything is OK. So, it was off to the GI this past friday. After waiting for an hour, I finally saw him. And his recommendation was to have a colonoscopy to rule out anything else. They want to make sure I"m OK in there, and there isn't anything else causing the abdominal pain. So, I get to do that in a few weeks. Since I closed down my Infertility blog, I will post the details here.

Now on to some actual fun things!! I spent some time at the pool this weekend, my daughter had a swim meet and did great! Then I took her for some mommy/daughter time and we saw "UP". I absolutely loved it. I laughed and cried, and it was just very well done. I highly recommend it. Just be warned if you're dealing with (or have dealt with) infertility or pregnancy loss. Definitely sad in the beginning. But other than that, it was absolutely amazing. And it was fun to spend some quality time with my Celia. Yesterday I also spent some time dyeing to get ready for the Knit and Crochet Summer Show in Buffalo next month. I got tons done, and had fun. A friend even came over to hang out and she and her niece did some dyeing too. That was fun!

I also have the last 2 weeks of CSA deliveries to catch up on.
Last Saturday (July 4th) was really yummy. We had blueberries, green beans, banana peppers, green pepper, zucchini, cucumber, collard greens, kale, red onion, beets and some flowers.

This week, was more collard greens and kale, blueberries, green beans, banana peppers, beets, potatoes, peaches, cherries, green pepper, red onion and zucchini.

I made pickled beets on Saturday night, so in a few days they'll be ready to try. One bit of the Kale was fried up with some bacon, onions, garlic, salt and pepper, and served with buttered pasta and parmesan cheese. Really fantastic. I forgot to take a pic this week, but last weeks' pick is on the camera. I have to say I really love getting all of the yummy produce every week. SO good, and worth every penny if you ask me.

SP14 questionnaire

I'm back into swaps, and having fun with them! Though I'm not hostessing this time (first time in years not hostessing!), I'm still participating. Here is my questionnaire! Hope my pal finds the answers helpful. :)

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I love anything that is really soft to the touch. I'm not allergic to wool, but sensitive to anything even remotely scratchy. I love blends too, especially interesting ones. Always on the lookout for something new and different.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have a really nice needle holder that my SP made me way back (SP7 I think?) for my long needles, and my circs and dpns are in a case that I bought at Maryland Sheep and Wool this year. The Knitpicks Options are in the binder it came with.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I've been knitting hardcore for 5 years now, but on and off since I was 5. My aunt taught me when I was 5, but I only learned the knit stitch (and couldn't understand why it didn't look like "knitting". Now I'm in the know, and have been knitting non-stop for the last 5 years.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
I have a list at The Things I want, my username is sbidwell.

5. What's your favorite scent?
I love lavendar, vanilla and citrus scents.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Oh yes! I love milk chocolate, twizzlers, starburst, skittles, and most fruity candies. Anything cherry/red is good- but not cinnamon red- that breaks my mouth out in sores. Learned that the hard way in Junior High when I ate an entire pack of Big Red gum.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I'm into scrapbooking, knitting, spinning, dyeing yarn/roving, beading, rubber stamping, quilting, sewing, cooking, photography... I consider myself an Equal Opportunity Crafter. :)

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I love rock, pop and the like. Not at all a fan of country or rap.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
Blue and purple are my favorites. I really don't care much for orange, but most other colors are good.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I have 2 kids (a 16 month old and a 5 year old), and a husband. No pets anymore (the baby has asthma, so we had to find a home for our cat).

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I wear scarves, hats and mittens. Not ponchos.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I like to knit socks, but have been getting into more lace lately. I finally completed my first shawl, Ishbel, which I absolutely love, and now am hooked.

13. What are you knitting right now?
I've got a Swallowtail shawl going, a top (Buttercup), a few socks, a few baby/kid sweaters, and more that I can't think of at the moment.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
I do!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I prefer circs, but do use straights for some things. I love bamboo/wood first, but also like the metal ones from KnitPicks or Inox.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
I have both.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
Um...at least 4 years I think? Needs to be frogged but never got to it.

18. What is your favorite holiday? What winter holiday do you observe?
Probably Halloween. I celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
I collect yarn, paper for scrapbooking, beads, fabric and wine.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I'd like Chrissy Gardiner's new Sock book. I have a subscription to Interweave Knits only.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I'm open to anything!

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yes, I am! I wear a size 10 wide shoe. Darn pregnancy made my feet grow a full size and width. But sooo worth it!

23. When is your birthday?
June 25th, just turned 33.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
Of course! I'm Shelbyknits

boggart- camp game 3

I'm chosing to "Riddikulus" my giant spider boggart. He now looks really silly, is upside down, and covered in hot pink silly string. He keeps getting his legs caught on it, and is completely unable to flip back rightside up. SO funny!!

I will try to do the picture later...must go deal with a wee one at the moment.

I hate hospitals.

Really, I do. Hospitals are not fun places to be, especially when you're there with your 16 month old who is having trouble breathing. My day was perfectly planned today. I was going to get up, do some dyeing, be done by 1, head to the pool with the kids and hubby (or at least Celia), and then go to our neighbor's annual 4th of July party. That was the plan. Til Seth got sick again this week. It was Wednesday that it got bad, so I took him into the doc for a listen- we both agreed that pred.nisolone was required. He sounded just awful, and even after a neb treatment an hour before, was still wheezing nicely. Then yesterday, he had a bit of a fever. So we started him on antibiotics, since it was likely that his congestion was going to something more.

And this morning, he sounded horrible. Worse than yesterday, definitely worse than the day before. So I threw on some clothes, and took him to the ER. After several neb treatments, and an ambulance ride, we are at the hospital for the night. He sounds much better now, but we're being extra careful and keeping him in for observation for the night. And neb treatments every 4 hours. Poor sweetie. I just wish he'd outgrow the asthma already.

And the icing on the cake? I nearly went to the ER myself this week due to stomach pain. Severe stomach pain, which appears to be diver.ticulitis. At 33, I have it. And it sucks. I knew it was bad, since my mom has it, but there is nothing like the amount of pain I was in earlier this week. I couldn't move without feeling like a knife was being twisted in my lower left side. Not fun at all. You know it hurts when knitting is the LAST thing you want to do.

On the plus side, I did get some knitting done later this week. I have been working on the Swallowtail Shawl out of Malabrigo Sock. Can I say how much I LOVE Malabrigo sock? It is just fabulous. Really fabulous! It makes me happy every time I pick up the shawl. And I'm not screwing it up too badly! It's a miracle.

Off to lay down on my little pull out chair, and knit. Provided of course, the baby falls asleep early enough.

game 2 part 2

When in doubt, go to the library! Said by Ron Weasley.

HSKS 8 game 2

Good Luck and Have Fun!!
Let the anagram solving begin!
In the second volume of the HP books by JK Rowling, The (#1)Chrome Cab Festers, we continue to learn the incredible adventures of Hogwarts student (#2) Parry He Trot and his friends (#3) Oral Weensy and (#4) Angering Her More. Belonging to the house of (#5) Dry Off Grin, they attend Defense Against the (#6) Ark Darts taught by Wizarding celebrity (#7) Oracle Dorky Light, a none-too-bright fellow who cannot even handle pixies!

In The (#8) Chrome Cab Festers, we also meet Dobby a (#9)See Flu Oh for the first time. Determined Dobby seeks to sabotage the return of (#10) Parry He Trot to Hogwarts and is pretty persistent but is unsuccessful. After a few weeks at school, the deceased Ravenclaw student who haunts the girls lavatory, also known as (#11) My Molten Grain, shows (#12) Parry He Trot and (#13) Oral Weensy an old empty diary that dropped through her ghostly form out of thin air!

Many nifty things continue to happen for the next several months… we won’t go into all the juicy details right now… however, the ending is prime reading indeed!! (#14) Parry He Trot finally kills Tom Riddle’s (a.k.a #15 Mold Voter) sneaky diary (which we now know is a #16 Crux Rho) and saves the sister of (#17) Oral Weensy, (#18) Gayly Nine Sew!!!

Oh! Of course, we must mention that the thickheaded (#19) Oracle Dorky Light unintentionally erased his own memory, so he won’t be back for book three, The (#20) Snob In A Froze Parka…




1. Chamber of Secrets
2. Harry Potter
3. Ron Weasley
4. Hermione Granger
5. Gryffindor
6. Dark Arts
7. Gilderoy Lockhart
8. Chamber of Secrets
9. House Elf
10 Harry Potter
11. Moaning Myrtle
12. Harry Potter
13. Ron Weasley
14. Harry Potter
15. Voldemort
16. Horcrux
17. Ron Weasley
18. Ginny Weasley
19. Gildeory Lockhart
20. Prisoner of Azkaban


ETA: Fixed spelling of #16- I can't spell!!

CSA week 7

Last week's share was huge again!! We had Mushrooms, sugar snap peas, regular peas, cauliflower, peppers, more beets, romaine lettuce, red new potatoes, mint, zucchini, cucumbers, and I'm sure I'm missing something. They also gave us extra cucumbers, potatoes, and some flowers! The peonies are just gorgeous, and love the pink little flowers in with them. Brightened our house this week, for sure!

Overall, I'm thrilled with this CSA. We get tons of food, and it's all incredible.

Here's a pic of some potatoes I made last week- fried them up in some olive oil, with the onions and green pepper, salt and pepper. SO much flavor, so tender and yummy, and just fresh.

csa weeks 3-6

I've missed af ew weeks posting pics/info on the CSA! Here is what we got week 3:


Lettuce, spinach, rhubarb, strawberries, mint, asparagus, spring onions, and peas! Yummy salads, made another rhubarb/strawberry crisp, some mojitos, and sauteed the peas with olive oil, a bit of butter, salt and pepper.

Week 4 I missed pics of week 4. I know there were more lettuces, peas, strawberries, spring onions, and mint, tomatoes and mushrooms.

Week 5: again, missed pics. or they aren't off the camera yet...not sure which. Definitely more lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, pak choi, 2 kinds of peas, turnips, white new potatoes, strawberries, and something else I'm sure I'm forgetting. Oh, the flowers- they had extras and gave them to us. Yay!

Week 6 was more lettuce, 2 kinds of peas, beets, more turnips, red new potatoes, green pepper, onions, strawberries and maybe more- don't remember again. This one I know I have a pic of on my camera.


So far we're really enjoying getting fresh veggies and fruit every week. Loving the quality of the produce- made the potatoes with the onions and pepper the other day, and they were so tender and delicious.

ETA: Pic from week 6.

Happy June.

Wow, is it really June already?! June has always been my favorite month- since my B-day is on the 25th. I can't believe I haven't posted in SO long! Lots has been going on here. Lots of yarny news coming, so stay tuned! But for now...

I've joined the HSKS 8 Summer camp, and I'm SO excited about that! It's going to be a blast. Looking forward to spoiling my pal rotten, and getting to know everyone in my cabin.

Here is my week 1 summer game!
Week #1: New to Camp!


Part 1: "What's in your trunk?"
elastics for my hair- to pull it back
extendable ears
earplugs (in case someone snores)
earbuds (for my muggle music player)
earl grey tea (for my morning pick-me-up)
everready batteries (you never know when you'll need batteries!)
everlasting gobstopper (I just watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory)
easter candy
earrings
earthworms


Part 2: WINGO
Still working on this...

W1:
W2:
W3:
W4:
W5:

I1:
I2:
I3:
I4:
I5:

N1:
N2:
N3:
N4:
N5:

G1:
G2:
G3:
G4:
G5:

O1:
O2:
O3:
O4:
O5:

Part 3: Get to know your pals:

My spoilee is Nosheepforchelle, and she had so many projects that I loved it was hard to pick one. BUT, I selected her Ishbel because I love the color- a deep blue, and I just finished my Ishbel, so it was fun to see how she did hers. Love it!
Jellybeaninc is my spoiler, and she has some great Twilight socks in purples (my favorite color!), which I just love. Had to comment on them.

CSA week 2

Here is the last share from the CSA. Love, love, love!!

We've got:
spinach
boston lettuce
romaine lettuce
watercress
snap peas
rhubarb
strawberries
mint
spring onions
asparagus

Let's just say, we've had several salads with the different lettuces and watercress. Sauteed spinach, roasted asparagus, and a strawberry/rhubarb crisp. And more to come. Loving all the fresh veggies. I've never tried watercress before, so it was awesome to get to try that. Really yummy!

girls weekend

So for the last few years, my FIL, husband and his two BILs went camping for a weekend in October. They decided that a guys weekend would be a fun way to get together, get to know each other better, and have some fun. When I saw my two SILs in March, they suggested we do the same thing as girls, along with my MIL. So that happened this past weekend.

Overall, it was fun. It was good to get to hang out with no other obligations (kids, spouses, etc). We relaxed, got massages, ate some yummy food, and drank some. And of course, I knitted a bit, while they scrapbooked and watched movies. It was very productive! I ended up making lots of progress on my Ishbel, and even finished it! Here is the unblocked photo:


So on Saturday as we were waiting for massages, I noticed a sign on a building across from where the spa was. It was for a tattoo place. I've been wanting another one for quite some time now, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to see if they had any openings. So I went in, and they were booked solid. But they said I could try calling after 6:30 pm and see if anything was available. I called, and there wasn't. So she said she'd take my number and call me if things were looking good. About 20 minutes later, my cell rang and I was in the car on my way to get my third tattoo! Yay!!


I had wanted to do something for my kids, so I went with simple. Each of their names around my ankle, with a heart separating them. Here it is:




It didn't hurt too badly, except for the place near the ankle bone. It was SO worth it. I love it, the script he chose was perfect, and I'm just so thrilled with it. Now to plan my next one- which will be bigger. And on my back/shoulder. Hmmm...

I got home Sunday afternoon, and slept for 2 hours. I was exhausted!! So glad this coming weekend is a long weekend. I really need it!

Huge news!

I have some really big, really awesome news!!

So, I was looking on Ravelry the other day, and saw something about the TKGA Knit and Crochet show happening this summer. In Buffalo! Which is where I'm from. At first, I was thinking it might be fun to go up for it and go with my mom, since she always comes down to Maryland for Sheep and Wool and came last year to Stitches East. And then it dawned on me...that it might be fun to try to apply for a vendor spot. If they actually had any left. So I talked to my DH about it, and talked to my mom about it (she's been a great sounding board for me). And I came to the conclusion that I should absolutely apply, and see what happens!

So yesterday, I faxed the application over, and 3 hours later, I got an e-mail that I have been accepted, and will be a vendor! So, there will be tons of dyeing happening at my house over the next 3 months. And tons of Harry Potter colorways to come up with! I'm over the moon with excitement. Cannot wait!! I'm thrilled that my first solo big show will be in my hometown. With my mom there to help me. And some good friends and other family members there to support me. I am still in shock. And in that "what the heck was I thinking?!!" mentality. But I am SO excited.

I leave you with a pic of some of the yarn that will be at the show!

CSA

I've been such a crappy blogger lately! I'm really going to work on that! I have some great posts a'brewing, from Maryland Sheep and Wool, a few dyeing days at my place, and lots of other stuff. But first, I want to post about the new thing we've started doing this year- a CSA. One of the ladies in one of the knitting groups I go to and I have decided to split a CSA share this summer, and today was the first pick up! I met up with her, got the goods, and we split them up at her place.

Here is a pic of my half:

Here you see some purple cabbage, lettuce, spring onions, asparagus, strawberries, and mint. They were going to include radishes, but since neither of us will eat them, they gave us extra asparagus instead. Yum! And they also gave us 2 extra containers of berries, so we had double. I got them home, and stashed everything in the fridge and went outside to work in our garden. We did eat the lettuce for dinner, as well as the berries for dessert. And some mint in mojitos. It rocked. The salad was probably the yummiest salad I've had in ages. Yay for fresh produce!

So I had started loads of seedlings about 2 months ago...and they were doing great! Until someone (a rat) decided to eat the tops off of the broccoli, so they ended up being moved outside, where they'd have a chance at survival. Let's just say that they were sad, and neglected after going outside (not enough watering...less sunlight...). So I was going to plant the pathetic little things, but plan on going to pick up some actual plants this week or next. Until our neighbor gave me his extras! Now I have a few tomato and pepper plants that absolutely will survive. And the peas are already growing out in the garden, and I planted the beans today (better late than never...). We also got the beds surrounded with fencing to keep out the adorable veggie-eating bunnies. I am curious to see what will grow. We'll either end up with TONs of tomato plants or just a few.

For some knitting content- I finally finished Celia's first pair of socks! They are out of my yarn, that Celia helped me dye, and they are fabulous. Black with pinks. Really pretty. I can't wait to show them to her tomorrow! I've also made some real progress on Ishbel, which is the first lace project I've really made actual progress on. And it seems to be working and turning out really pretty. Can't wait to see how it turns out!

And last but not least, Happy Mothers Day to all of you mothers out there! I'm looking forward to a breakfast of blueberry pancakes, some good quality time with Celia, Seth and the DH, and hopefully some dyeing time. So much to do and so little time!!

TGIF!

I've been looking forward to this weekend for months! Last fall, at my knitting group, some of the ladies were talking about learning to dye at a class. I suggested we all get together some day in the spring, and dye at my place! So, tomorrow is the day! I think there will be about 10 of us (give or take a few), and we're going to set up out in my back yard, and have a dyeing day! I am so excited to get to spend an entire day dyeing, chatting, and hanging out with some knitting friends! It is going to be a blast! I haven't dyed in a group since the class I took a few years back. Some of the ladies haven't dyed before, and some have, which will be a fun combination. Can't wait to see what everyone does with their colors/yarn!

I can't wait to spend the day outside, dyeing, playing with color, drinking some wine, and just chilling. Is it tomorrow yet?!

Crosspost

I try not to crosspost too often, but I am short on time, and had to post some great pics I took this weekend!! Here you go!

Some knitting content to come!


This weekend, we spent a lot of time outside! The weather was lovely, warm, breezy, and sunny. And, our beautiful cherry tree was in bloom- each day getting a few more blossoms to pop out. So I took advantage of the situation, and took TONS of pictures of it. I got to play with my new camera a LOT, and got some amazing pics. Some I plan to blow up and put in our bathroom as art, and maybe put a few of them in Celia's room too.




We also took some time to work on our gardens. We bought the wood for the raised beds, and soil, and started working on them. Nathan also tilled all of the soil. The area where the raised bed is, was all grass before we got our hands on it this weekend. There is also another one to the left of the brick-bordered garden. The brick one is what we had last year, so we're really increasing our garden space. We also loaded them with soil, and planted some peas. The others will wait, as it's still too cool here at night to plant the tomatoes or other goodies. However I did make two window boxes for my kitchen window- one with lettuce, and the other with herbs I started.



Then a few great shots I got of the kids:





Can you tell how much I LOVE my new camera?!

Thank you!

My SP13 pal sent me the big reveal package a few weeks ago, and things have been so crazy that I completely forgot to blog about it! Bad girl- I need to be slapped.

Here is what I opened to find:



Some amazingly yummy fiber, which is just SO soft, and yummy, and amazing. I love that it's natural. So soft! I know I already said that, but it is! Then there was a drop spindle. Now the funny part about that is...that the very evening that the package arrived, I had a friend coming over to teach her how to spin!! So I parted with an old spindle and let her take that to play with, and now have a great pretty one, that I absolutely love. Also included, is some emu oil (great for cuticles she said), and some other Colorado things- a book, note cards, CHOCOLATE, and some yummy chocolate covered toffee. SO good!

So she also revealed herself to me- She is Marin, and she is absolutely fantastic. She did such a great job spoiling me, and I had such a blast with SP13!! Thanks so much for making it such a great swap Marin!

And this is the yarn I spun up the night I taught my friend to spin. This is the yummy yarn my SP sent me a while back, the SP colorway, Starry Night. It's absolutely gorgeous!! I tried SO hard to make it really uneven, because I was going for lots of texture, and it actually worked! Yay!!

are you going??

To the Homespun Yarn Party?! I will be there! As a vendor!!! I'm so excited about this opportunity, and can't wait to check out what loads of other dyers/artists have. It's going to be SO much fun!!

Rats=DESTASH!!

I'm doing a huge destash here! Here is the first batch of pics. I have some rats burrowing in my house, and the work will cost over 2K to fix. So, we're in need of some cash fast. E-mail me at shelby AT bidwellfamily DOT net if you're interested. OR pm me on Ravelry at shelbyknits. All prices do NOT include shipping, that will be extra depending on how you want it shipped.


First we have some KnitPicks sock yarn in some fun colorways. The Simple Stripes, I will take 4.00 for the two skeins (SOLD), Sock Garden I'll take 5.00 for the two, and the Memories I'll take 6.00 (pending) for the two skeins.



This is 8 skeins of Plymouth Yarn Jeannee, Yarn Content: 51% Cotton, 49% Acrylic, 110 yds/50g ball. I paid 3.50 per skein, I'll take 25.00 for the whole lot.



Here we have some Lana Grossa sock yarn, Lang Jawoll, and Wildfoote sock yarn. For each set, I'll take 12.00.




This Fleece Artist is incredibly hard for me to part with. I love it so much, but have other colorways I love more. We have Tiger (merino for 16.00), Midnight (Somoko for 20.00) and Wildflower (seawoolfor 20.00- SOLD).




Here is some Koigu KPPPM, which I'll take 20.00 for both skeins (sold), Tofutsies, which I'll take 12.50 for, Savvyminx sock yarn, which I'll take 15 for (SOLD), and some pretty Wool in the Woods, Cyclone. Both skeins are 20.



Here is a huge lot of Koigu KPPPM and Kersti mill ends. Some skeins are larger (nearly full length) and others are shorter. I know that I paid $60 for the whole bunch, but will let it go for $40. (SOLD)



Now for some Lorna's Laces. Shepherd Sock. The first skein is Childs Play, which I'll let go for $9.00. The other colorways are Tickled Pink (sold), Lakeviewsold) and Black Pearl sold) Each pair will be 18.00.



Here are some Blue Moon Socks That Rock, the first two are from the 2007 sock club- Monsoon sold) and Silkie Socks that rock Walking on the wild tide, which are both wound into balls. I cast on for the socks but frogged them. The full amount is there. The next skein is Flower Power (also from the 2007 Rockin Sock club). The Monsoon, I'll take 16.00 sold) for, the Flower Power will be 18.00 (pending) and the Silkie will be 20.00. The next two skeins are sock yarn from Tess Designer Yarns. These will each be $15.


Here we have a skein of some Sundara Sock in Night Blossom(SOLD) Sundara Fingering Silky Merino in Life Aquatic from the Seasons club Winter edition. I'll let this go for 55.00 (SOLD). Then we have some more Socks that Rock- Blue Brick Wall and Firebird (SOLD), both of which will be 18.00.

PLease let me know if you would like anything! I'll be going through more yarn tonight, and adding more shortly (including some Kauni).

And another thank you

I had a pleasant surprise when I got home from Miami! My pal from the Starbucks and Yarn swap, Ashley sent me a ROAK package! I had spoiled her during that swap, so it was such a surprise to get something from her! Inside, is a beautiful cowel, that is in one of my favorite colors. So soft, and warm! Then there is the lotion which is really pretty and silky smooth. I love it. And the chocolate was great! It's already gone. Did I just admit that?! :) Then she put in these adorable sheep post its, and I love them! LOVE me some post-its! The lip gloss is one of my favorite kinds too- so soft. Thanks Ashley!! You really made my day.

Thanks pal!

I'm so horrible! I received a fabulous package from my SP13 right before I left for Miami. And I've been trying to find time/energy to post, and now I'm finally doing it. Just a week plus late. I am such a lucky gal, that's for sure.

Included, was some amazing fabric which I can't wait to use!! it's going to make an awesome apron or knitting tote or something great. I love it so much! Skulls, knitting needles, and other awesomeness. SO fun. Then we have a great book on knitting socks with handpainted yarn. I love the patterns and can't wait to cast on. The yarn is just perfect too! blues, purples, gold- i absolutely love it. Then we have a little kit, with the chibi needles, a mini-hook, and a pendant-needle sizer. I have been looking at these for months thinking about ordering one, and now I dont' have to! Then there are some awesome mood-beads. I'm going to make a fun bracelet with it. I may make 2, one for me and one for my daughter- her fifth birthday is coming up in a few weeks.

Here are some pics:




And here is a pic of a few books I'm working on reading. Not that I have a lot of time to read right now, but I'm trying.


I'll admit I'm not handling this whole working mom thing very well, and have been struggling a lot more especially with Seth being sick all the time. My therapist recommended these books, so I'm giving them a shot. Hopefully it will help put things into perspective. Plus Seth had a little surgery today, had tubes put in his ears, so I'm hoping that it will get better and he will stop getting sick so much. Thankfully the procedure was fast, and he's doing great now.

Miami

I have two thank you posts coming! But each one deserves it's own post, so they will be up soon.

I just spent 3 days in Miami. I went down early Saturday (left the house at 2am- ouch!), and got home at 2am on Tuesday morning. It was a fast trip, but amazing. The reason I went was to go to my aunt Debbie's memorial service. She was buried in Buffalo back in August, but since most of her life was spent in Miami, they had a big memorial there for her. It was awesome. I was thankfully able to stay with my uncle, grandmother and cousins to save some cash, which was a huge help. And I was able to help out, and just enjoy spending lots of time with my family.

The memorial service was lovely. I'm so glad I was able to go, and was wonderful to see everyone. I ended up going out both Saturday and Sunday nights with my cousins. Who knew clubbing in the Grove could be so much fun! Fat Tuesdays and Jaeger-bombs. MAN did we have some fun!!