Knit Night Photo Update...Last week...

This photo was taken last Thursday. Lauren, Donna & I went to Don Pablos for some Mexican food, Sangria & Margaritas. Yum! Then we headed off to Borders to knit & chat...though we actually ended up giggling more than anything. This is why...and of course a couple drinks didn’t help…

The new Knitters magazine. Could this mag get any more awful? To top it off they put the ugliest sweater on the cover! Here is Donna & my reaction to this magazine…

What a fun night! Here’s some photos of last nights knit night…

Donna invited us over to her house. She made up a pitcher of Hpnotic martinis to start. For dinner she grilled shrinp on the barbie & made Chinese chicken salad lettuce wraps. It was fabulous

Heather & I...but of course you knew that!
I always look so forward to knit night.

Knitting Update...
I have been so busy that I didn’t get to knit for a whole week until yesterday...can you believe that? I haven’t gone that long without knitting for years. I can’t tell you how great it felt to get some knitting in. It was like I got my fix!! LOL I worked on Wall Street Cables. Have a look…

Have a closer look…

I love the way it looks so far. This yarn (Dalegarn...Tiur) is really nice to work with.

Hope everyone had a fabulous Memorial Day weekend. We had a BBQ at our house & it turned out to be a BEAUTIFUL day!!! It’s been years that it has been really nice for this holiday. It always rains. We got soooo lucky! I will leave you with a couple flower photos…

This is the view on the left side of my house. This picture does not do the beauty of this view justice.

A close up of our Iris’.

Have a fantastic weekend!!!

I traded in my PDA (I had 3 weeks to decide if I like it...I did) but this new Palm came out just in time that has WiFi built in & I am a sucker for the internet. This is one cool PDA. It’s called the LifeDrive & it almost looks like it was made by Apple. It has very clean lines & is the most elegant PDA I have ever laid eyes on. The point is I’ve been really busy setting up my new toy. I am such a gadget geek. I LOVE getting these cool toys & setting them up.

Monday I got together with Lauren for a nice long lunch. I hadn’t seen her in a while so that was really nice…

We talked & laughed & ate & talked. Tomorrow night I am getting together with Donna & Lauren for knit night. It’s been too long. Poor H (yeah right...she’s in Cancun having a ball) won’t be able to make it. We will miss her though!

Knitting Update…

Number 1 sleeve...done! This is a weird shaped sleeve, don’t you think? See the garter stitch border? That is what gets folded up when wearing to give it a high fashion look! Lets hope we like.

I feel the need to start something lace. I’m seeing all these beautiful lacy knits all over the net & I’ve lost it. Help me decide which lace project I should start…
1. Butterfly from the cover of the new Rowan magizine (the cami, not the dress...without the beads)
2. Flower_Basket_Shawl.jpg from the IK Fall 2004
3. Wrapped Lace Cardigan from Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2005
4. Shimmer Shrug from Knitty.com
I love them all!!

Becky & Heather are going to knit the Fiery Bolero from the IK Summer 2005…

I asked the rabbit if I could knit along with them. Of couse she said “Why yes” She then asked what color yarn I was going to use & said we are knitting it in black...why don’t you do the same. Being the copycat that I am, I said ok. So here is the yarn we are all going to use…
I absolutely love these cute little jackets type knits. They are so cute with a cami underneath or over a dress. They are very versatile. Don’t you think?

ALERT...Naples Photos…

Here’s our crew for the trip. We took an airboat ride down the swamps…

and we saw this little guy…

and these…

They were thirsty! At the of the ride, these friendly fellas greeted us…

They were only about 2 feet from our faces. It was scary at first. As our guide was throwing them fish to eat, they kept getting closer to us to catch them. What an experience this was!

Here are some other beautiful sunset photos…





This is the gorgeous landscaping at the Ritz Carlton. I have to include one pretty Hibiscus…

Beautiful!!! I will leave you with a photo of Maxwell & I…

Have a wonderful & safe Memorial Day weekend. Let’s all pray that the weather is beautiful!!!

It took long enough...but I finally got her back in my hands and upon my body. Have a look…



She really needs to be blocked, but I was too excited to get her on my blog as a FO. I love the way she fits. This Jo Sharp yarn is soooo soft & comfortable. CONCLUSION: I’m extemely happy with the end result!! If I ever knit another Rogue, I will use a yarn with less or no tweed in it so I can see the cables more. Two well fitted knits in a row...it’s a miracle! I thank the knitting gods. Woohoo!!!

I forgot to post this last time. I bought a new knitting bag at the MD Sheep & Wool, like I really need any more. I’m a sucker though…

It is is by Sorella’s & this baby is quite roomy. It has 2 huge pockets (big enough to hold pattern books) inside, a smaller pocket & a zippered pocket on the outside of the smaller pocket. I also asked Donna & Heather to pick me up a tote. I knew I wasn’t going to get there until late in the day & they are always out of the cool stuff early on. So...this is what my knit buds got me…

I LOVE it! Did I ever mention that I love gray? I wore this backpack on Sunday. Thanks so much girls! You did a fabulous job!

Olive Update…
I’m all finished the back & the fronts. Guess what...I’m on sleeve island. This is her first sleeve. I have 3 more inches & then I start the sleeve cap. I think it looks a little strange. The Garter stitch wrist band folds up. I’m not sure if I’m going to like it this way...but I can say that it will be very different. I like different. I got most of this done on the plane. It wasn’t a very long plane ride, but I knit what I could. I have to say though, that I love using my PDA for knitting. I used my CountAble software & Documents To Go. I downloaded the Olive pattern in DOCS. It was great. I just kept switching between CountAble & looking at the pattern. It’s the best! It takes up a lot less space on a plane.

I had a fabulous time on my trip to Naples, FL. It is always great getting away & was great fun golfing, eating & drinking with my friends. The weather was gorgeous. I love that you can eat outside at lots of the cafe’s & restaurants. Here’s proof…

Cheers to you! To health!
I have lots of fabulous photos to show off...next time...so I will leave you with this beautiful sunset!

Have a great one!!!

You know...all this hype leading up to the MD Sheep & Wool...well it’s damn true. I had the best time. It was a beautiful weekend weatherwise. To start the very long & fabulous day on Saturday was breakfast at the Double T Diner. I met Heather, Donna & Kelly there. Kelly...it was really great meeting you...finally...after all of the fabulous things that I hear about you from Heather. Boy was I shocked when in walked Carrie, Jenny & Anne Marie, Cheryl, Sara & a few others. We talked & ate…


Then everyone (except me...went to my Granddaughter’s First Communion) headed off to the festival. I met them later in the afternoon.

And of course I met Stephanie & got my book signed. Thanks Lauren for taking this great photo of Stephanie & I.

This is Tanya’s adorable little Zira. She is the cutest handmade amimal I have ever seen! And speaking of animals…

This baby Alpaca is such a cutie. Help me!

I’m the MAN!
After the festival we went to Strapazza’s for dinner…

We met up with Kate, her Mom & a friend, Rebecca, Beth, Elisa & Lauren. Here is Donna & I showing off our newly finished Cardigan’s…

What a fabulous day!!! I’m so happy that I got to meet lots of bloggers...but sad that I missed some that I really wanted to meet. Then on Sunday I went with my DH to the festival. I didn’t buy much yarn...but here is what I got…

This is Morehouse Merino. I like that they come in kits. They have beautiful yarn in gorgeous colors. These will knit up to a very lightweight scarf & wrap. Perfect for the warmer weather.

This is Suri Elegance. It is beautiful Laceweight Alpaca. I will probably make some lace shawls with these.
Last but not least, I bought this beauty…

She is called Swan Lake. This is from Golding. It’s great for travel & bringing along on knit nights!
I already can’t wait until next years Festival. I WILL make a point to meet up with lots more bloggers...you can bet on that!!!

Knitting News…
I have not had time to knit too much, but this is what I have done…

Wall Street Cables...also ‘Labor of Love’ for my DH. This baby has 186 stitches cast on just for the back. This sweater will take me a long time as I am knitting a couple other things at the same time.

Now that’s a lot of pics. Hope you enjoyed them!

We are going away tomorrow to Naples, FL with some other couples. It’s golf time & we are going to play 3 days in a row. I’m really looking forward to this trip. I’ll catch you all next week when I return. Have a fabulous week!!

That’s right, it’s time for a Celebration. My Tweedy Aran Cardigan is now a Finished Object. All I can say is it’s about time. I started this sweater about 3 years ago a little after I first started knitting. I put her down to start some other projects...which in fact I will never do again...Once I start someting I will finish it before moving on. I am extremely happy with the outcome. Unlike Eloise...this baby fits perfectly. Now thats the way it should be all the time. Don’t you think? Take a look at Maya modeling her front…

And without her knowing...her back…

Here is moi...so proud of her completion…



I was so excited when I finished putting on the buttons yesterday, That I had to wear her last night to dinner. This sweater was definitely the hardest piece that I have knitted to date. There were times when I had 3 counters going at once. The stitches are also more intricate. Now I can finish Olive. I’m also going to start Rick’s Wall Street Cable Vest...also known as ‘LABOR OF LOVE’ today. As soon as I finish Olive, I’d like to finish Smooch & start Rowan’s Butterfly.

About MD Sheep & Wool...I am so upset that I’m not going to be able to meet up with all the bloggers who are meeting at 12:30. I have an important family function that I have to be at. If anyone is interested in meeting up at around 4:30...let me know. I would LOVE to meet whoever I can!

There is a Yahoo group called KnitPug. It relates to knitters who use their PDA for knitting. I am so intrigued by this as I hate carrying around the big pattern book. I have printed out patterns, though I really love putting the patterns on my PDA. It is so awesome. I also downloaded this software called CountAble I switch between the 2 applications. They have some very cool software for the PDA for knittiers. I have already downloaded Wall Street Cables to my PDA. Now I just have to figure out how to put the Cable pattern in Excel.

I will be getting Rogue back hopefully this week. I can’t wait to see what she looks like with her zipper in!

Take care & have a fantabulous week!!!

I’m a Scardy cat

That’s right bloggers...I wimped out. I decided to let a seamstress put the zipper in Rogue. This is one cardigan that I do not want to mess up. The only zipper I could find is a dark brown. I decided to go for it because I did not want to wait until next season to have Rogue be in my FO’s album. The zipper pull is in antique brass which I do think blends well with this yarn. So now...I patienly await her arrival!

I am allmost finished my Aran Cardi...except for the seaming & the collar…

I can not wait to finish this cardi. I need an opinion though. I did short rows for the shoulders for a smooth line. I intended to do the 3 needle bind off. Would an Aran weight cardigan be too heavy to support this bind offf...or should I bind off first & then seam it? Please feel free to comment.

This is not the clearest photo, but I’m going to use these Pony Wool Needles to seam this cardi. My housekeeper must have accidently vacuumed up my cable needle...so in the process of buying another set, I found these seaming needles which I have been told were awesome.
I have also done the first bind offs for the right front of Olive…

I haven’t been working on Olive a lot as I wanted to finish my Aran Cardi. The rest of this piece shouldn’t take too long...as long as I do some knitting on her.

RAOK News…
I recieved a couple RAOK’s in the past week.

This is from Shannon I love flip flops & these stitch markers are just adorable. And who can resist fine Chocolate...not I! Thanks Shannon.

This one is from Maggie. There are 2 soaps from the Bellagio in Las Vevas & a collectable gambling coin. I have never stayed there but I heard it is fabulous. I hear it is a favorite place to stay while in Vegas. The soap smells wonderful. Thank you so much Maggie!

Last week, my Mom & I went to The Little Greenhouse. It is an Orchid house in the area. The last time I went there was last year when the 17 year Locusts were out. That was a crazy visit. Anyway...we bought some orchids. Here is a pic of the big arrangement I bought…

This is so gorgeous in person that I had to have it. My Mom twisted my arm. I put it on my foyer table & it looks stunning. I was a bad girl...I bought 6 more orchids besides this one. It has been awhile since I bought any since I usually wait for my older ones to rebloom. Here are a couple more photos I took while at the Orchid House…




I sure hope I don’t bore you all too much with my Orchid photos. I just feel the need to share their beauty!

Have a fabulous weekend!!!

And will be for at least the next 6 days!

Man oh man is this my kind of weather. We have those deep blue, crisp clear skies, low humidity (equals little sweat)...that are begging me to come out and play...golf that is. Saturday we have a surprize party in the afternoon...but we will be playing golf on Sunday. You can bet on that!

I forgot to show you the new knitting bag I got (I need it like a hole in the head)…

This is call the Zelda purse and it is available at Offhand Design’s
It has 5 small pockets inside...just enough for the basics. It is short and wide...no big pattern books here. I just copy the pattern & bring that with me. So basically, it’s good for a small project. I like the look though as I think it is pretty classy looking.

On the Knitting Front…
Let’s see...where to start. I finished the first sleeve of my Aran Cardi…

I guess I’ll be starting my last & final sleeve today. Woohoo! I’m starting to close in on this baby.
I also finished the left front of Olive…


and started the right front. I adore knitting with Karabella Aurora 8. It is such fabulous yarn.

I stole this from Norma as I think these really make you think...HOW_TO_STAY_YOUNG.htm Thanks Norma!

Workout Update…
Last week was a pretty good week for my workouts…
Monday: Pilate’s
Tuesday: Cardio & Upper Body weights
Wednesday: Pilate’s and 9 holes of golf (Our first time since last season)
Saturday: Cardio, Upper Body Weights and 18 holes of Golf (my knee went out on me on the 14th hole...I hate my knees)
Sunday: 18 holes of Golf (I was able to play with 3 advil & 1 Tylenol...nothing will stop my golf game)

Enjoy your Day!!!

Change is good

I am so excited with my new website design I can’t stand it. Lots of times...it’s the little things that make me very happy!

On the Knitting Front…
I have been spending most of my time working on my new site (trying to figure out how to put items in the sidebar), the gallery (still needs lots of work), etc...I am really enjoying all this geeky computer stuff...that’s because I am a geek when it comes to the computer. Always have & always will. This is all the knitting I have done in the last week or so…

The pattern stitches in this sleeve seem to take longer than regular 1by1 rib. This is a twisted stitch pattern. I am getting closer though. I only have 2 more inches & then I start the sleeve cap. Then it’s a whole other sleeve. Tonight is Knit night so I’m going to be working on Olive

On The Workout Front…
I have been doing my workouts regularly. Pilate’s 2 times, cardio 3 times, upper body weights 2 times each week. Plus now that it’s getting warmer...golf! That’s my goal & I have to say I’m doing pretty good. I don’t do weights for the lower body as my knees are too bad...but Pilate’s works a little legs. I feel stronger doing the weights again & I’m starting to see a difference in my upper body...at least in my eyes. The most important thing is...it feels great. Yesterday I talked Rick into playing 9 holes of golf. I LOVE golf. It was the first time we played this year so far. I have to say I did real good. I got a PAR & my long game was fantastic. I hit farther than ever. My short game sucked though. My putting was ok. I need to practice on the short game! Did I mention to you all that I LOVE golf? I did? Oh!

Flower Pics…


I really need some new Orchids. Most of mine are reblooming. There are a couple Orchid sites that Tanya told me about that ship to you. I’m going to check them out! One is The Orchid Mall and the other is Orchids.com
They both look wonderful! Thanks Tanya for letting me know about them!

Blogline News…
I put a subscribe to Bloglines button in my sidebar...so don’t forget to subscribe to my new site!!!

Make it a great rest of the day!

Now This is Exciting

This is the first real post to my new web site. I hired Amy @ Quixotic Pixels to design my new web site. I think it is BEAUTIFUL! She even made me a skin to change off the look. On the right sidebar you will see that you can change the skin. Check it out! Thanks Amy...you did a fantastic job!!!

I am soooo tired now...but I will post tomorrow when I’m wide awake.
Have a great night! Goodnight Moon…

This was my sons favorite bedtime story when he was little. Memories!

All right fellow knitters...Now I really like working on one project at a time but I have to confess...I've lost it. I think a little bit of Froggy is wearing off on me. I'm working on 2 knits at the moment...and will soon turn to 4. Number 1 is Olive. Olive is my mindless knitting with my knit buddies project. Number 2 is my Tweedy Aran Cardigan... I started this about 3 years ago. I love this cardigan. I don't know why I ever put it down. Well I picked her right back up from my UFO's. This is the back & was finished long ago. I've been steadily working on the front...which you can obviously see is now finished. I am so proud of myself...I remembered how to do the short row shaping without even looking in a book. The shoulders are nice and smooth. No choppy bind offs here & there. See...lots of knitting pays! Now I'm on the first sleeve... I am in love (I know you have heard that one before) with this sweater... This pattern is from the IK 01/02. This is the hardest knit that I have ever done. It has lots of very different stitches and you have to pay attention to increases, decreases, stitches, rows and shaping all at the same time. This is not a knit night project like Olive is. I need to be by myself...all alone. I'm loving how she is coming out so far and from the looks of her when I hold her up, she will fit perfectly...I hope! Number 3 will be my hubby's Cable Vest. I should probably get that done for his Birthday in November or even better...Father's day. Number 4 is Lara... Most of you know that this pattern is from Debbie Bliss' Alpaca Silk. I really like this sweater...but totally fell in love with it when I saw my Mom's finished Lara. She did it Karabella Aurora 8 in Burgundy. Not only is it gorgeous, it fits unbelievable (I should know...I tried her on!) It is shorter, like a bolero & fitted but so cute. I'm going to knit her up in Karabella Aurora 8 in this color... This is color 18. It is a deeper burgundy that what my Mom used but will go with so much. Well that's it for the projects for now...I hope! I picked up this little dodad... This is really cool. It automatically measures button placement without all the math. Now that's cool! Now...the best for last... Another fabulous knit night with my knitting buddies. We went to the new restaurant...Cheeseburger in Paradise in Pasedena. They have great drinks and the food was fab. The best part...the Chocolate Nachos(to die for) & theKey Lime pie. YUM!!!! Then off we went to the local Starbucks to knit. We met this girl Wendy and her hubby (it was his Birthday) there. She was nice enough to take this photo. Thanks Wendy & huddy. It was so nice to meet you! Well that's all folks...until next time...have a great week! P.S. I didn't mean to forget about Rogue. The problem is the zipper...I don't have one yet. I've had some problems finding a 2-way zipper. Zippestop doesn't have any in the right color. They said that the season is over and they won't be getting the one I need (a 2-way in the color I need) until next season. :-( If anyone knows where I can get a 2-way zipper, please let me know! There is one place about 45 minutes away that I'm going to check out shortly. Otherwise Rogue is all finished...minus the zipper! And she's looking damn good! P.S.S. I replaced the pictures of my Aran Cardi so you can actually see the stitches more clearly!

It's sunny and 53 degrees F...Life is good!

Knitting News...
I have been knitting somewhat on Olive...

Her back is finished and that tiny thing to the right is her left front. I know ribbing stretches...but this is unbelievably small. It's funny how I'm always worried about my knits being too big. Not this one. Since I'll be putting in a 2-way zipper, I hope it will be OK. I can always unzip this baby up to my waist.

Did I mention that I have a wonderful hubby? He took me last Saturday to Manning's in PA. It took about 1 hr 45 min to get there. I asked him why he was so willing to drive there and you know what he said? "It's an adventure" I cracked up. I thought it was too cute. Anyway...I LOVE Manning's. It is the BEST knitting store I have ever been to. Here are a couple things that I bought...

Do you know what this is? Here it is open...

Bamboo Interchangeable Needles. This cute little kit only measures about 3"by 5". Perfect for travel. I love it! Very Cool!
Now since my DH was so good to me...I let him pick out what vest he wants me to knit him...

This vest is from The Best of Knitters Arans & Celtics. It is called Wall Street Cables...but I'm going to call it "Labor of Love". Isn't it a beaut? This baby is knit on small needles (US 4...which means 3 for me) and with all the cables...like I said...Labor of Love. I love ya babe!
This is the yarn I picked out to use...

This is Dalegarn Tiur. It is 60% mohair 40%wool. He wants a burgundy...he's getting burgundy. I think the vest will be gorgeous in this color.

I also bought 1200 yards of this...
This is Tahki Donagel Tweed Homespun in a charcoal gray. I love, love, love this yarn. This is the same yarn that I'm using for my Tweedy Aran Cardigan (speaking of which...I'm going to resume working on that cardi today). I love how this yarn knits up.

One more thing...

This concludes my shopping spree that I am allowing you to view. Actually I don't have any more room!    

Take care, enjoy all the beautiful weather you can absorb into that body and have a great rest of the day!

                         

Oh...and one more thing...innocently taken because it is so neat from Emma...

Happy Spring Everyone!!!!

A little closer to the warmth of the sun.

Have a great one & see you tomorrow.

I’m getting a total website redesign

Amy from Quixotic Musings is going to design this web page. I am so excited. It should be done in about a week. Now if I can only learn how to work with Expression Engine.
I am so used to Typepad which is a very easy blogging system. EE is much more difficult. It is more for people who want to completely customize their site. I’m going to keep at it though!

Photo of the Day…

This is a pastel drawing I did. It is called Mother and Child.

First of all...I'm working on a new web site. I have been totally obsessed with trying to figure everything out. It is so hard. I guess I'm just used to TypePad. Typepad has everything set up for you to make posting extremely easy. I do not know HTML or php. I want to learn though. I'm thinking about taking an online training class to learn Web Design I think it is all very interesting. I hired Amy at Quixotic Musings to design my new site. She is so talented. I am proud to have her design my new web site. I am so excited. I gave her some ideas of how I would like it and sent her some pictures that I would like to use. I'm going to let her decide on the picture and surprise me with which one she will use.

When I can tear myself away from the computer, I've been working on Olive...

What a fast knit compared to Rogue and all the cables. I can actually knit and talk while knitting Olive. That's a good thing sometimes. I need something easy to knit on my knit nights. Speaking of Knit nights, here's a couple of photos of our last one...



Donna, Heather and I went to Pasta Blitz for dinner and then we came back to my house for some knittin' and grinnin'. I really look forward to my knit nights. Lauren couldn't make it as she has classes on Thursdays. We missed you L! Donna went to a weekend knitting retreat and brought back with her a present for each of her knitting pals. This is the beautiful yarn that she gifted me with...

I love these colors. I am so into the greens lately (thanks to dear Froggy!) Donna picked out great color choices for each of us. Thank you soooo much Donna!! I am going to make a scarf to wear with Olive. The colors are perfect for that sweater.

I also got another present...

This one came in the mail from Karen. She is one of the girls that I sent the Artist's Glove pattern to. She sent me beautiful Orchid stationary with 4 varieties in the pack. She also made me a beaded necklace or book marker or whatever I can think of using it for. It's really beautiful. She is very talented. Thank you very much Karen. I love everything!!!

Have a fantastic evening!!!

 

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Now I’m just going to have to play with it for awhile to figure it all out.

I got to run...see you in a few!