Thursday, May 31, 2007



Yes, this is the culprit that made Lilly cranky. The pattern isn't hard, but the fit, well it just gave me fits! I took it back so many times that I finally decided I didn't care if I ever wore it! This is part of the Blue Moon Fiber Arts, Rockin Sock Club. I made a pact with myself that I would make each project exactly as they say, so I would learn new techniques and ideas. I must say, it was tough to stay with my pact on this one. Will I make the second one? I'm not sure, but if I don't, I decided Flo and I will go have coffee wearing ONE sock. It doesn't matter if the rest of the world understands, because WE understand. Aha! The birth of the One Sock Coffee Club!

Monday, May 28, 2007

Memorial Day Remembrances


On this Memorial Day I remember~ God Bless Them

Henry, Verna, & Wilbert Boston, Leland Ennis
Lillian Story
Gladys Chamberlain, Betty McWilliams, Roy Jamison
Gladys Doris, Art & Lucille Kelm
Shirley Laes
Gary Gaydeski
Randy Goos
Terri Addleman
Bob Walkoff
Norm Lodholm (Vietnam)
Jesse Peterson
Melanie Kitchell
Tana Simpson
David Gaines
Dale Zoffel
Michael Kerns
Aaron Martin

Rest in Peace xoxox

Sunday, May 27, 2007

This ain't your ordinary chicken egg!


I finished this egg on Friday. These are so fun to do. I have my next one planned. It will not be glamourous like the other two, but a fun surprise instead!

Friday, May 25, 2007

A Cure for Crankiness


There is nothing like something pink for a baby girl to put a smile on your face! I just finished this project for a baby shower I'm attending in a couple of weeks. I have made this little sweater for years and the recipients always love them. You can see the blue version on Flo's February 14th post. That one was made twelve years ago. It's called the "Coming Home" sweater because it is so tiny! It usually fits the baby for about one to two months. I still have to steam it, but I couldn't wait to take a picture. I used GGH Merino Soft for this one. (two balls) I liked the feel of the yarn, but I did tend to split it. I use really pointed needles, so that probably contributed to the problem. It is a machine washable yarn, but of course no dryer. Now, I can go back to my Rockin Sock Club project but I hope I don't get cranky again. I'm glad I have so many projects started so I can just jump to another one when I'm not enjoying the current one. Never fear Flo, my needles are a clickin' and there is a smile on my face!

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Retail High !!!!!!

My, my, my, there is nothing like a Local Yarn Shop Tour!! It was held last weekend in Seattle and it included 20 yarn shops from Bellingham, to Kent, Washington. I have been to most of the yarn shops in the area but there were a couple that have opened in the last year or so that I wanted to visit. I loaded my driver (husband with Sudoku puzzles) into the car and off we went. I visited seven shops in one day and did serious damage to my checkbook, but it was SO much fun. Each shop had a free pattern that would make something with ONE skein of yarn. The prices ranged from inexpensive to expensive. The yarn to make the pattern was offered at 10% off. Of course, I will reveal my treasures in the coming months, but I highly recommend going on this type of tour if they offer this event in your area. It was fun to talk to other knitters that were touring all the shops and listen to their comments.
One of the shops I visited was Village Yarn and Tea. This was a wonderful little shop with the friendliest staff of the tour. They really made you feel welcome. I even heard the owner looking up Ferry schedules for another customer to go to a shop across the Puget Sound! I made a couple of purchases in that shop, (Hand Maiden Sea Silk, Kid Silk Haze) but I wanted to share these darling little stitch markers. I thought these were the cutest stitch markers I have seen and the lady that makes them happened to be in the shop knitting and having tea. She has a website called Good to be Girl and it shows her current offerings. It was so hard to decide which ones I wanted. She also had some cute little pea pods but I restrained myself and stuck to desserts this time. Desserts before veggies right? Hey, there are NO calories in these little treats!

Friday, May 11, 2007


I thought I would try something new this year. I love knitting but I always have a need to try something new. I always enjoy learning new things but it always adds a complication to my life. I don't want to give up the old hobbies, I just keep adding new ones to the list. I used to just love to read , play the piano and flute a little and have a cat or two. Then I started crocheting, then I started to make my kids cute little clothes. Then I added a horse to the mix, then a dog. But the horse and the dog wasn't enough, I take lessons to make my horse and I the best we can be. I take my dog to class to compete in competition obedience. I now have 4 horses, 2 kitties, and 1 dog. Flo and I used to go to kick boxing classes. We were really into that for a few years until the class got cancelled. Then Lilly taught us to knit. Then I started to go to line dancing classes. That was really fun. I wanted to keep going to learn all the dances and all the moves. Then a friend got me started on quilting. I loved all the colors and designs of the fabrics. I find myself going into quilting shops just to gaze at and touch all the fabrics. I spend time pouring over books of quilting blocks. I must be such a bore to my husband. This is a picture of the quilt top of a table runner, one of my first projects. Gracie, the kitty is examining the bird in the fabric. I really enjoy piecing the quilts together, this hobby will always be on the front burner.
I do have another idea that's been burning inside me for awhile. I have confessed to Flo about it several times. I really want to learn to play the guitar. I wonder if I could get a band together.......

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Shattered Image

Lilly cranky? From Knitting?

This saddens me deeply. The peaches and cream image of the "Mother of Knitting", and the epitome of patience will now forever have a snarl on her face when I think of her. This totally shatters my memories of her sitting comfortably in her chair with her little feet planted on her ottoman, (hand-crafted needlepoint ottoman none-the-less), her ipod rocking in the cradle of her Bose sound system, a fire roasting in the wood stove, her rosewood needles neatly nesting in an antique vase, all the while her little hands just a flurry of activity. One would walk into that room and be overcome by a sense of hominess, contentedness and a warm baked cookie from the oven kind of feeling all rolled into one. If you were not a knitter when you entered her domain you would be before long.

When Lilly first taught Jo and I to knit we would meet at her house or mine, and have a few hours of knitting lessons, lots of laughs and mistakes (mine, certainly not Jo's), and a project to work on until the next time. Well, we couldn't wait to get together with Lilly and have her marvel over our project. We would gather around her with our matching trio of knitting bags 'cause we just all had to be alike, mind you. If Lilly had something in her bag, we just had to have it in ours because it made us feel all homey and cozy and Lilly-like. We would jockey for position to be the first to pull out our project and have her look it over and ooh and aah over the colors and texture and...fine handiwork. Usually she got excited over my colors and textures and Jo got the accolades for "perfect knitting" even though when she knits her hands look all cattywampus and you start to wonder how she can possibly be comfortable knitting with such a painful presentation. But, she has been known to finish her projects so I will give her credit where credit is due.

Every once in awhile we would go on a field trip to a LYS and we would trail after Lilly like baby ducks. This is how she got the name "Mama Duck" because every so often we would stray from her watchful eye and do something trivial like knock a display over or send a ball of yarn flying off the ball winder, all the time laughing so hard and standing with our feet crossed so we wouldn't pee our pants. Lilly would get her feathers all ruffled up and come clucking after us. Her favorite line was, "oh dear, what are you two up to now?" After all we were still newbies and we hadn't memorized the rules of LYS conduct and ettiquette.

We referred to her as a "professional knitter" because this is what she was, in our eyes.

Until now....

Cranky or not, we still love her but I would like that homey, contented, home-baked cookie all rolled into one feeling back!

Friday, May 4, 2007

Cranky knitter

Ok Flo, I can totally understand now WHY you put your knitting needles away sometimes! I was at that point yesterday. That is the first time in YEARS that I have felt that way. lol
I am really getting a challenge with this months Rockin Sock Club pattern. I love the yarn, love the pattern and I can work the pattern, but the fit of the sock is giving me headaches. It is a toe up pattern and I was to the point where I was working the leg and I ripped the whole thing out! It was OK until I turned the heel and then it was too tight. It's a lace pattern, so I don't want to be yanking on it to wear it. Yup, I decided to start over. Several days work gone. Poof! I know I will be happier now with the next results though. I joined this club for the process rather than the project, so I had to say that out loud about ten times yesterday to calm myself down. Thanks for listening, I feel better now!

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Get Well

I'm glad your surgery went well Flo and I hope you have a speedy recovery. xoxox