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!

Thank you!!

Last week was a really great mail week!!

First, I received a beautiful handstamped card from my FCS2 spoilee Emilee, to thank me for her package. What a sweet gesture, thanks!!


Than, I got a box from Tomme! It was a "thank you for hostessing SP9" gift! Inside, I found this lovely scarf (which I have aleady worn a few times and gotten loads of compliments on by the way!)! Thanks Tomme- it was my pleasure!


Then, last, but certainly NOT least, my package from my Favorite Color Swap 2 pal Heather! Inside- a skein of Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn in a great purple, some Panda cotton (bamboo/cotton blend), which is in the process of becoming a pair of short summer socks (thanks for the suggestion Heather!). Plus a cool calculator, button covers, starburst, and some very pretty stitch markers!! Thank you SO much Heather, I really do love everything!

busy!!

Life has been a bit hectic lately! In the last 2 weeks, I celebrated my 5 year wedding anniversary with my hubby, gone to a wedding (that I was a bridesmaid in and my hubby was a groomsman- the couple actually met and hooked up at our wedding 5 yrs ago), had a second birthday party for our daughter, in Buffalo, so our families could be there, taught a class, got sick and recovered, am sick again, and just all sorts of other crazy things!

First- we had our house re-sided. It looks fantastic!!




Then here's some shots from the wedding!! It was so much fun! No better way to spend your anniversary than in a wedding of 2 good friends. What a weekend!!
My hubby- at the other end of the table (there's the bride too!).

Sorry for the poor picture quality here-- we were moving and the hubby whoever took the pic was a bit tipsy! That's what you get when there are bottles of wine on the tables! Yeah!!

Me and my friend Kristi- I'm the matron of honor in her upcoming wedding!


On to yarny goodness-
Sock Madness! I started, then failed... I'll definitely finish the sock though. It's some handdyed yarn from my SP9 Penny, and KnitPicks Essential from Suzie, my KTS2 pal.

Here's my progress on the Trinity jacket KAL I'm in. It's actually much further now, I just didn't get around to taking a pic again. I'm about to bind off for the arms. I love the pattern, and the yarn is a dream!!

Then there's my STR Rockin Sock Club shipment! It arrived while I was away at the wedding, and I tore it open the second I walked in the door. YUMMY!!! Monsoon, how do I love thee!


Next post will have HUGE thank=you's from my FCS2 pal, and a few others!