project spectrum

I took these a week and a half ago when we went Strawberry Picking!

At the field:


The success!:


The aftermath (and reason for the new stove in the post below):


I froze a ton of them, and need to go back this weekend for more. I really love strawberry season!!

New stove!

Yesterday, our New stove was delivered! How do I love thee?? I really wanted stainless, but couldn't justify the increase inprice. Especially when I want to replace the refridgerator, and the stainless is over 300 more in the model I want. Not happening!! Not when the 500$ difference would mean a new washer or dryer! Or a mini-vacation!

Thanks!

Laura, one of the ladies in my SP10 group (and she was in my SP9 group too), sent me a lovely package! It contained the check to pay for some of the Hogwarts sock yarn she ordered, from my Shop, and a few gifts for me and Celia! Her son sent Celia a book, "Lyle, Lyle Crocodile", which she's already insisted on reading twice. Then there was the surprises for me- a great Blue Moon tube sock kit, and a kit to make felted cat toys! I'm SO excited about both! Her note was so sweet too- she thanked me for being a great hostess (I blushed!), and for being so brave in going through IVF. I have to say I was in tears when I read the note. Thanks for helping to make yesterday such a fantastic day Laura!

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!

Sheep and Wool??

So...are any of you going to Maryland Sheep and Wool this weekend?? I'll be there Saturday, all day! Anyone want to meet up??

Last chance!!

Today is the last day for Fiber swap sign ups! If you're interested, go to the blog and sign up today!!

Success!!

I finally finished re-skeining the yarn I dyed the other day! I'm so in love with all of the colors! I decided to list them at my etsy shop, since I had so much fun dyeing it, and I have loads more I can dye (just got more dye in, and ordered more yarn too!).

Meet Black Cherry, Berry Punch, Cotton Candy, Midnight and Blue Jeans! $19.00 per skein, plus $3 shipping!

FOs and a great weekend!!

First up: 2 pairs of socks finished in the last two weeks.
These are a basic pair of socks out of STR in Highway 30. I started these in October, and just finished them before Easter.


These are the Embossed Leaves socks from Interweave Knits. These were started last summer, and I just finished them last night. I used Koigu KPPPM, in a lovely burgandy colorway. They are SO soft, I love them!!



Yesterday was my idea of a PERFECT day. First I took Celia to her gymnastics class, then we went over to Lisa's for a playdate. After running a quick errand, we all had lunch and headed to the playground. The kids had SO much fun, and it was really cute. After we were all exhausted, I dropped Celia off at home, I met up with another friend at Finewine.com for their French wine tasting. It was awesome!! I did some shopping and came home. We played outside a bit more (lots of Bubbles!!), we heated up dinner, and got Celia into bed. The temperature was perfect, and Celia was absolutely wonderful- it's days like this that make me want to be a stay at home mom. She was just as perfect as she can be.

Today, I had planned on taking some time for myself. After some errands, I spent the afternoon using some techniques I learned back in January at MamaE's dyeing class, and dyed up some yarn! I absolutely love how some of them turned out! I will post pics as soon as they dry and I get them reskeined. I have this laundry room that has the perfect space for dyeing:

I had a lot of fun! And here's a shot of the yarn in the woolwash, to give you an idea of the colors I used.

Last night, I stopped by my local bead store, and picked up some beads to make House stitch markers!! Here they are!!
All are made with glass or swarovski crystals. I had so much fun making these- they really got me in the spirit! I'll sell them individually for $2.00 US, with $1.50 shipping, and I"ll group them together- 3 for $5.00 puls shipping, and 5 for $8.00 plus shipping. You can order them by Email, or by checking out my etsyshop, Shelby Designs! They'll be posted later. IF you order these through the etsy shop, please don't pay!! The price there is set at $10 for a set of 5, I'll just adjust the invoice and send you a correct one!!

Gryffindor








Hufflepuff








Ravenclaw (movie colors)








Ravenclaw (book colors)









Slytherin

madness!!

When I don't get enough sleep, I don't think about things very well! I went over to the Loopy Ewe this morning, and couldn't resist the Fleece Artist that was updated!! I bought 2 skeins, and another something for my SP. I love this stuff!! I cast on a sock with FA the other night and I love it so much!! I have to have more!

Knitters Treat Exchange, part 2

Hi pal!! I got your comment, and here are my answers to your questions!!

Do you have a favorite sock designer?
Some of my favorites are Cookie, Chrissy, but I love most of the patterns that are just pretty! I am working on finishing up the Embossed Leaves socks from Interweave Knits, and have about 5 pairs on the needles right now (ok...more like 8). I have a habbit of liking to have projects in all different stages of completion. I have some that are close to being done, and others that haven't turned the first heel yet. And sometimes I just want to cast-on something new.
Aside from the mags that you subscribe to, are there others that you buy regularly?
I don't usually buy many mags. I did just buy Knit Simple's spring edition, because one of my previous SPs, Saun, had her pattern on the front cover!! I don't care much for Knitters, but the others (knit1, knit simple, and the european ones I"ve seen have all been great! I used to subscribe to Parents and Parenting, but never had time to read them, so I didn't renew them when they expired. I also love Food and Wine, Gourmet, Cooking Light, and Real Simple, but don't have subscriptions anymore.
Or some that you look at but don't buy but want to...???
Just Knitters. I like most of the other mags out there!

I hope this helps! If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Fiber swap!

Anyone interested in a Fiber Swap?? Check out the blog!

Fiber Swap!!

Hogwarts Sock Swap!

When I saw the Hogwarts Sock Swap out in blogland, I was so curious! Then I found out that the person running it, Rebecca, was in my SP group a few rounds ago, and I absolutely HAD to sign up!! I'm SO excited about the new Harry Potter book coming out (and the book 5 movie too!!), that I'm all about getting in the mood for it. A few weeks back my hubby and I started listening to Book 5 on CD to catch up. Then we'll go to book 6 to get ready for book 7!

Ok! So here is my questionnaire!! I hope this helps my pal out!


1.Hogwarts house have you been sorted into?
Ravenclaw

2.Shoe size?
10 wide
3.Foot Length?
10.5
4.Foot Circumference?
9.5
5.List your three favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length.
a. crystal palace, size US1, 6 inches
b. brittany US2, 7-1/2 inches
c. inox US1, 8 inches
6. Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length?
Always! I've never tried any of the rosewood ones, or other metal dpns. Size 1 or 2, length between 6 and 8 inches, I'm really pretty easy to please!
7.If you are a RAVENCLAW, do you prefer the colors in the film or the book? Do you have a strong preference?
Yes! I prefer the colors from the movie-the china blue and silver sage.
8.Are you willing to have an international Hogwarts Sock Pal?
Of course!

Phew!

We ended up going to Chuck E Cheese for some fun and lunch yesterday. Celia really had a blast, and the pizza was pretty good too! The rest of the afternoon was nice and quiet. I took a nap (yeah!), and got some knitting done. Dinner was really good!! I took out the Let's Dish mexican pork wraps to make on friday, but thursday's dinner ended up being friday's since it wasn't thawed in time, so the pork waited. It was a crock pot roast, and you shread it and serve it on tortilla's. I have to say I didn't have high hopes, since I haven't gotten great dishes out of the crock pot before, but this one was really fantastic!! Thanks for suggesting it Guinifer! We all loved it- and Celia even ate an entire wrap by herself. She even took a second, which for her is huge!

This morning, Celia was up at 5:40 coughing again. It started friday, and has gotten a bit worse each day (today it's not good). So she was up early, and thankfully she let us sleep while we put Dora on. She found our easter baskets pretty fast, and was SO excited about it!! She had a bit of chocolate before breakfast, and a bit more after (of course!! she is my daughter after all!). I made some au gratin potatoes (some for our dinner, and some for our lunch/brunch we were headed to), and we relaxed a bit. Then we headed over to Lisa's place, where Celia and her kids played, and us adults had some great wine and food. We headed back home around 2, so we could pop a ham in the oven for dinner. It smells so good in here right now!! I can't wait! I really love ham and au gratin potatoes- YUM!

OH, and I finished my Socks That Rock socks in Highway 30, that I bought last fall. They're just a simple stockinette sock, but I love them. I'll post pics as soon as I can remember where I put my camera! Pesky thing keeps disappearing!!

Knitters Treat Exchange!!

One of my previous SP participants, Isobel, is doing a fun swap! Here is the questionnaire for it!!

Knitters Treat Exchange Questionnaire

1. What's your favourite type of yarn?
My favorites are the Fleece Artist and Handmaiden handpainted yarns. I also love Koigu, Socks that Rock, and yarns from many of the indie dyers out there. Anything soft, and in fantastic colors are just my kind of yarns.

2. What's your least favourite type of yarn?
I don't like things that are too flasy, like some of the novelty yarns. I also tend to avoid acrylic because I don't like the feel of many of the ones I"ve seen.

3. What's the first thing you do when you visit a new yarn shop?
Just start at the front and check out all the yarns they have. I love looking for anything different, that I can't get at my LYS, feeling textures and looking for different colors.

4. What other crafts do you do / would like to do?
I spin, quilt, rubber stamp, scrapbook, and I'm starting to get into dyeing.

5. What magazines do you currently subscribe to?
Interweave Knits and Vogue Knitting

6. Put this type of magazine in order of preference:
Knitting / Other Craft / Food / Home / Fashion / Garden/ Crochet / Celebrity Gossip

7. What items do you like to knit / crochet?
socks, sweaters (especially for my 3 year old daughter), hats, scarves...

8. Are you allergic to anything?
smoke- it gives me migranes

9. What do you like to smell of?
vanilla, lavendar, citrus. I really don't like anything musky.

10. What's your favourite way to relax?
I used to take baths before we moved- now the only bathtub is next to my daughter's room- not easy to take a real bath at night, but I do occaisonally. Usually massages or aromatherapy is how I relax now.

11. You're stood in front of a Victorian style sweetshop, an Italian cafe, an old fashioned bakery and a dainty tea room. Where do you go first?
the tea room! I love tea!!

12. What do you come out with?
A cup of black (Ceylon or assam, depending on my mood) tea, with some milk and splenda (or honey).

13. Where do you go next?
the old fashioned bakery, for a piece of cake, either chocolate or white, depending on my mood...I'm very mood driven. I love chocolate anything, but sometimes I just want something more simple.

14. Any other words of wisdom for your pal?
I'm really easy to please! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

disappointment.

I got up at 7 this morning, watched some TV, and then Celia got up. My husband was going to take her to gymnastics this morning, so I had the morning to myself! We got her dressed ad ready to go, and they left. I just got a call, from my husband, saying that there were no classes this week because of spring break. I had no idea! We missed last week because we were in Buffalo. Unfortunately, they were doing some team practices or something, so my husband got her undressed and ready to go in for her class, and then found out that it was cancelled. My poor daughter! She's so upset, he put her on the phone and said "mommy- I really want to play here!!" and started crying. And it's freezing outside, so we can't even go to the playground...it's a very odd sight with a dusting of snow and our cherry tree in the back yard! It's going to be a fun day...either bowling or chuckEcheese...good times!

Why I love the DC area.

This past week has been absolutely amazing! Last thursday, I met up with Kathy over at Whole Foods for some yummy chocolate! I love that there are SO many Knitbloggers in the area, and every one that i've met have all been amazing! We sat and chatted while I had an amazing chocolate dessert. Wow was it good! And it was so much fun to sit and talk about knitting for nearly an hour (boy did that time fly!). Thanks Kathy!!

Then, this past weekend, I was up in Buffalo, and it was pretty chilly! I was getting used to the 70+ degree days. I did get my fill on Pizza, wings, MIghty Taco, and Tim Hortons, which was awesome! And I spent loads of time with friends and family, but it's always so nice to come back home. I drove up to our house, and a big forsythia bush was in full bloom, the cherry tree in the back was starting to bloom, and TONS of daffodils were blooming. And it's only early April!!

Today, I'm taking the afternoon off to spend the rest of the day in DC at the tidal basin, to take in all of the incredible cherry blossoms. We've been most years since we've been here, and try to make a point of going every year. They are just so beautiful! I'll definitely be taking tons of pictures!

And of course not to forget about Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival!! It's just a month away, and I'm already SO excited!! I have a plan of what I want to buy (though I'm sure it will change tons), and am so excited to meet up with some friends (both physical and cyber)!!! YEAH!!

Completely spoiled!!

Today, I came home to a wonderful surprise! My secret pal sent me another package! I brought the box inside and opened up a yummy easter basket! My daughter grabbed the easter bunny right away and hugged it! I even shared some of the chocolate with her, and it was awesome!! Thank you so much pal- that really made my day! I'm completely spoiled!!




And tonight, I sat down to my newly cleaned desk, and gave needle felting a try! I made a little chick for Celia's easter basket. It turned out so cute! It's not perfect, but I like it that way. I can't wait to see her reaction!

Thank you! and some progress...

First, I want to thank you awesome SP10!! Saturday, we got home from bowling, and were about to sit down to dinner when my husband went to get the mail. He brought it over to me and said that I got something from the Easter bunny! I was shocked, and opened the package to find this:


Here you see a needle felting kit!!! I've always wanted to try needle felting, and here's my chance! It's got an easter theme- little chicks. I'm so excited about this! Thanks pal! You rock!

Sunday, we took a mini-roadtrip down to Fairfax to go to Wegmans, aka. the best grocery store in the world. I grew up with Wegmans around the corner, in most towns. The store in Fairfax is just amazing! It's about 4 times the size of most grocery stores in the area, and they do things the same as they do at home. They even carry my "local favorites' from Buffalo, which is so cool! I picked up my favorite hotdogs, spaghetti sauce, baked beans, and wine. Way too much fun.

Here's a few shots:

We ate REAL pizza- yummy!! And when we were sitting down, I saw a group of ladies knitting in the corner, and then recognized one of them as Amber from the dye class I took back in January!




Here's a pic of my progress on the Trinity Jacket! I'm in love!


And, here's one of the Daffodils from my garden. I knew we had bulbs planted (saw them start to come up when we saw the house last year before we bought it. But we didn't know what they were, or what color! Apparently we have daffodils!!

wine, wine and more wine!!

Well, today was one of those mondays. It started off with a trip to my GYN, which is always a gal's favorite thing to do! Then, as I was finishing my lunch, my supervisor came to see me, we went for a walk and I found out some bad news about my department. A lot has been changing, and some things we thought wouldn't change, are likely changing. So I have a lot to think about, and need to figure out some things. Fun times!

Needless to say, I got home and at dinner, my husband mentioned that he was surprised I wasn't drinking! I told him that I was waiting until after I got Celia to bed, since I have less patience with her when I've been drinking. He looked at me funny, and reminded me that I put her to bed last night, and tonight was his night (but of course if I really wanted to put her to bed, I could). Well! I heard that, and said Yeah- I'm hitting the wine...thanks! So 2 glasses of shiraz later, here I am!

I have a great post tomorrow- a huge thank you to my awesome Secret Pal!! She sent this very cool kit to needle felt- chicks!! They're adorable, and I can't wait to try it!! Pics and a proper Thank You tomorrow (when I'm more sober)!

getting personal

I've started a new blog that will be much more personal, dealing with secondary infertility. Here's the blog address, in case you're interested.

contest time!

My SP10 hostess Cecily is having a contest!! First- is to post my SP10 questionnaire! I posted that a week ago, and will link it on the sidebar when I have more time.
Second part of the contest is to post about your favorite WIP. That's easy for me- I am absolutely LOVING the Trinity jacket that I've been working on (KAL is over at Kerry'sblog). It's using Catalina Baby Alpaca Chunky in rich eggplant, and it's just yummy! The stitch pattern is easy to memorize, so it's easy to do while watching TV, and the yarn is just SO soft, it's incredible! This jacket is for me, which is unusual since it's an actual jacket. The only things I've made for myself are accessories. I can't wait for next fall to come so I can wear it! It's going to take me a while to finish though, but it gives me something to look forward to. I'll post a current progress pic tonight!