Zip-a-dee-doo-dah Day

BLOG MOVING

2006-03-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

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My blog is moving to greener pastures. This one is getting cluttered and it is time for a change. Come visit me at my new location:

MY NEW BLOG CLICK HERE

MOOving Along

2006-03-13T10:55:00.000-07:00

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Just giving an update on our progress with the house and moving to the country. We have decided to back out of the house that we put an offer down on. We met with a contractor to discuss remodeling and fixing up the old house that was on the property. It was turning out to be a major project. We decided to keep looking to find something more move in ready. Sometimes you need to write out a list of all the good things and all the bad things and if the list of bad things is much longer than it is time to move on.

Knitting Update

Here is my progress on the table runner. This is a very addictive pattern. I have neglected my other projects on the needles and keep picking this one up to work on. I just started my second skein and think I’m about at the half way mark.

Skirt News
Thanks everyone for all the positive comments on the skirt that went wrong. I think I am going to try putting in elastic to see if I can make it smaller. If not I might try the darts. It can’t hurt to try.

Blog News
I am currently working on setting up a new blog. Once it is presentable I will put the link for you guys to go see it.

Cosmo's Birthday

2006-03-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Cosmo turns 3 years old today.
He is celebrating with some yummy treats and a can of Fancy Feast’s Gourmet seafood dinner. That boy can not get enough seafood.

Cosmo is so precious to me. I would like to dedicate the song “How Sweet It Is” on his birthday. This is a great song and it has been sung by many artists. A few of my favorite versions have been sung by: Michael McDonald, Marvin Gaye, James Taylor, & Michael Buble’.

I will write the lyrics accompanied with some photos I took of Cosmo yesterday to mark his 3rd birthday.

How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you
I needed the shelter of someone's arms
And there you were
With sweet love and devotion
Gently touching my emotion

I want to stop - to thank you baby
How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you

Open my eyes at night
I wonder what I would be without you in my life
Everything was just a bore
All the things I've done
You know I've done them before
But you brightened up all of my days
With your love so sweet and in so may ways

I want to stop - to thank you baby
How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you
Sweeter than the honey from the bees, baby

Skirt Gone Wrong

2006-03-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

Well I sewed up the pieces of the skirt. I did not have enough fabric for the last tier of the skirt. It was Ok and it turned out long enough. Even sewing the zipper went very well. Unfortunately after putting the zipper in I tried on the skirt, and it was way too big. In the picture above the skirt is folded on the sides to fit into the hanger clips. Also it is very see through and I would need to sew a lining inside. It was a great learning experience and I think I will attempt to make the skirt again with the white summery fabric I purchased just make it in a smaller size. While sewing the skirt this weekend darling Hubby asked if I was making a costume. I sarcastically remarked “Yes! It is for mardi gras”. He said “really”. Gotta love’em, or do I? I am over this skirt and I have thrown it in the fabric stash pile.

Plants and Gardening

This is my favorite plant pot in my house. I have other plants in my house that I like more but this is my absolute favorite pot. I got it from the Disney website last year when it was on clearance and out of season. It is a large teacup with a saucer. It has an illustration of Alice in wonderland with the Rabbit. It makes me smile every time I look at it.

Many of the outdoor plants are coming out of dormancy. Here are a couple of my Irises getting ready to bloom

Here are some Daffodils popping out of the ground.

I have my fingers crossed that we do not have a late frost.

Diet Crunch Time

"Stretch Kelley" by Lowell Herrero

Unfortunately for the month of February I did not loose any weight. I did keep off the 5 pounds lost in January but no progress since. It is officially Go Time. We are going on a family cruise to Hawaii in May with my in-laws. That gives me two months to get into shape for a bathing suite. I am horrified at the thought of trying on bathing suites at my current body state. I definitely want to enjoy my vacation and not worry about how I look while on it. So with that motivation I plan to stick to the diet and plan to exercise regularly.

Home Sweet Sunshine

2006-02-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

We are back from the Alpaca seminar. It was a long weekend. It is tiring to fly out for the weekend and be back to work on Monday. We almost did not make it due to flight delays. Every single flight we took this weekend was delayed. But get this the last flight although we were also delayed leaving we arrived 12 minutes early.

The seminar was very long and very educational. It started Friday night at 5:30. We got out at 9:00. Saturday it was from 8:00am to 9:00pm. Then we were there Sunday morning till 1pm before running to airport to catch the plane. The seminar was mostly about the business of alpacas and how to make a business out of owning them. This is smart because if you plan to quit your day job you need to have a plan as to how to provide for your self with out that income. We learned so much and also learned that some of the information we had already got from farms we visited were incorrect.

Chris and I are still very interested in alpacas and now we know where to start & what to do next. We plan to buy some soon. I was disappointed that they did not have any yarn for sale. The farm the seminar was at sells all their fleece to a buyer in California. The farm had 2 to 300 alpacas.

Blue Skies

While visiting the Northwest Chris and I could not get use to the grey skies. You can not tell what time of day it is. All day the same grey sky, so depressing. On Monday back home in New Mexico the sun came up and the blue sky was there. Even Chris said on Monday he was working on a patient and looked up and out the window and saw the blue sky, he could have cried seeing that blue sky and how happy it made him.

New Mexico gets over 300 days of sunshine, and I love every single one of them. Above is a picture of my sky this morning at 8:30am.

Heading to the Northwest

2006-02-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

Thought I would give a last minute update before leaving for the seminar. The seminar is in Oregon. I will need to say good bye to the sun for a couple of days. Maybe we will bring it with us.

Felted Rose purse

This is turning out great. I would probably be much further along but I have been working on other things.

Surf & Turf Table Runner

I decided to make a table runner out of the TLC yarn. I am using a pattern out of my little box of scarves. It is the Chevron and Feather scarf pattern. I am just making it wider. I think it shows off the color nicely. I think this is the project I will take with me this weekend. I originally was going to bring my cashmere scarf to work on but I just can’t bring that wonderful cashmere onto such a contaminated airplane. If the ball of yarn were to fall and roll across the floor I might have a heart attack. 8)

Skirt Bad News

I ran into the fabric store to grab some more of the multi green fabric that I had run out of. Of course it was all gone. CRAP! My legs are short so I might see what it looks like with out the bottom tier.

I did find this fabric as an alternative just in case. This was on sale 40% off, can’t beat the price. I might make another one in this if the green one does not work out.

Have a great weekend.

Pointy Kitty

2006-02-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

I thought I would warm up my sewing skills by making the Pointy Kitty. Hillary over at Wee Wonderfuls has made this wonderful pattern and has it free on her website. She makes the coolest things and I was so happy that she has offered us one of her patterns to try and make something ourselves. It took me a couple hours Sunday to make this Pointy Kitty. The hardest part I think is turning it inside out after it is sewn. I used a pencil eraser and also a knitting needle. I am pleased with my results.

Sew I Knit progress

After finishing the kitty, I tackled my skirt that I am making for the along. I am really challenging myself with this one. By choosing the multi colored stripe fabric it is making it much harder to cut out the pattern. I have managed to cut out all the pieces except for the last tier of the skirt. I ran out of the dark green stripe. I will need to go buy more fabric. I could start sewing the top but I think I will let it rest a bit. My brain is fried at the moment with sewing.

Surf & Turf Acrylic

I picked up this TLC 100% acrylic yarn in color Surf & Turf at the craft store when I was looking for felt to put on the pointy kitty. I am not taking the blame for this one.
I blame Amy over at Good to be a Girl. I don’t care for acrylic but I saw her Feb 17th post were she is making the bag from Holiday knits using this yarn. I love the color way and when I passed it at the craft store it was cheaply priced. Fortunately it is a very soft acrylic yarn. I thought it would make a great hand purse. But then I thought I was turning into a regular bag lady and have a ton of bags on my list and have made many. So I think I might make a table runner instead. Since it is acrylic, it will be easy to wash if it gets dirty.

Life Update

Since I let the cat out of the bag about Chris and me wanting to move to the country and live a more rewarding lifestyle, everyone has been so supportive. I want to thank everyone for their kind comments and e-mails. It means a lot to me. To tell you the truth I was nervous after I wrote the post. It is kind of like turning yourself inside out and letting everyone take a look.

We have been looking at houses the last couple of weekends and think we have found the perfect one. It is up in the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico. It is only a 40 minute drive down to our dental office which will be a better commute than what we are making now to the office. It is an old Victorian Farm House on 5.5 acres of land. The property backs up to the Lincoln National Forest. The house was originally built in 1905. It has since been remodeled in the 80’s. Unfortunately the people that remodeled the home had horrible taste. The house will need to be gutted and remodeled adding central air & heat. The price is low enough to be able to remodel, thank goodness. Right now we are in the process of getting financing and getting the house inspected. If all goes well we might be looking at a closing at the end of March.

Weekend Seminar

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Chris and I are heading to the Northwest this weekend for an Alpaca seminar. We have visited a couple of the alpaca ranches around here and think they might be great for our new lifestyle. So we signed up for a seminar to learn more about how to care for them and to provide a good home for them. The alpacas were actually Chris’s idea. He came home from work one day and he said one of his patients had just gotten a couple of alpacas. Of course I was completely interested, (tumbles of alpaca fiber dancing around in my head. Lets out a giggle while rubbing hands together MINE ALL MINE, Pulling self together as to not alarm darling husband of true nature and love of fiber). We are excited to check out the seminar and I will let you know how it goes.

Which Road do YOU Take?

2006-02-15T11:44:00.000-07:00

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I look at my life as an endless learning adventure. The further I get in my life story it seems the more I learn about myself and who I am. I recently learned something about myself that I guess I never realized completely. Things I already knew are that I am a planner and a goal setter. It turns out every goal that I have made for myself I have accomplished. I set a goal and plan it out, then take the steps necessary to meet that goal.

I have always thought that reaching the goal was the prize where you sit back and enjoy what you accomplished. Turns out for me reaching the goal is where I hit the fork in the road and decide which path to take for my next adventure. If I look back on my life and touch on every fifth year since birth it reveals that you can not predict what my life was going to be like in the next five years. For me it is all about the journey, not the destination.

My Next Path

With all that said Hubby and I have reached a fork in the road. As some of you know we have a dental office and have worked very hard to make it all it could be. Turns out we have been very successful and could sit back and let this be our lives forever more and live very well. Of course I am not content with this and am bored with the thought of it. I think it is like that feeling that some men get with the whole ball and chain idea. I am fortunate enough to have married the right man and he is ready to try something else. Everyone grows and changes through the years you can only hope that your partner grows and changes in the same direction.

Hubby and I have decided to change our lifestyle. We decided to take the path that heads to a more rural setting. That’s right we are thinking of more a Farmer & the Dell kind of scenario. We are currently skipping down our new chosen path and are very excited about the journey we are about to take.

If there is any advice I could give to anyone it is to take that first step. If there is something that you have always wanted to do and have not done, what are you waiting for? You only live once. What is the worst thing that could happen? If you never try, you will never know.

Live with no regrets.

Joined a New Along

2006-02-06T14:58:00.000-07:00

It is the Sew? I Knit along. Through out the year we will sew different objects. The first one is a skirt. The time frame for making the skirt is Feb 15th through March 20th. I have not sewn anything from a pattern in about 12 years. I sew things around the house but I just make it up as I go.

I chose this Simplicity Pattern #0593

Here is the fabric I chose to make the skirt out of.

It is the same fabric type as the orange skirt on the model in the picture. They had that color orange and also hot pink. I decided to go with the cooler colors of the multicolored greens. Hopefully it won’t be to tricky working with three colors instead of one. Can’t wait to get started and see everyone’s progress in the group.

Progress on the Felted Rose Purse

I am almost through the first row of rose’s motif. I am liking how the red and green really pop out against the contrast of the black.

Quiz

I have seen this quiz on a couple of different blogs. I thought it was cool and morbid.

You will sink in a mire. You like to think you're

normal, but deep down you really just want to

strip off your clothes and roll around in

chicken fat.

What horrible Edward Gorey Death will you die?
brought to you by Quizilla

My results made me laugh out load. What is normal anyway? Sinking into a marsh is a good story and not a boring way to go.

360 Days of Oscar

2006-02-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

My Fair Lady

What’s on TV this month you ask? Turner Classic Movies channel is doing a 360 days of Oscar month. All month long they will air Oscar nominees and winners back to back. They are all linked like the Kevin Bacon thing. The first movie starting on Feb 1st will link to the next one they air by an actor or something and so on then the very last movie they air on March 3rd will link back to the very first movie.

Gone with the Wind

Dude I am so excited about this. No more sitting down and flipping the channels to find something to watch. A sure bet there will be something good on TCM. So take a look ahead at the schedule and see when your favorites will be airing so you don’t miss them. Great Idea TCM!

Casablanca

All photos found at Reel Classics website.

Diet Update

I started my diet in January like everyone else. I actually stuck with it and lost a total of 5 pounds. It does not seem that much until you do a search for 5 lbs and come up with a 5lb bowling ball.

It is a start and I am going to give this diet a good couple of months. Basically I am eating smaller portions and cut back on alcohol and sweets. Seems to be working. I did work out a little at the beginning of the month but it dwindled to nothing. I plan to start the work outs again this month.

The truth is I am not sure why we say we LOST 5 pounds. It makes it sound like I woke up and it was gone and I could not find them anywhere. I will tell you from experience it is not easy to lose weight you really need to make an effort and consistency is the key. I will be a trooper and continue on and take it one day at a time.

New WIPs

2006-01-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

Dalegarn - Felted Rose Purse
This is one of my next projects. This felted Rose Purse Pattern is in Book Number 130 of Dalegarn (Dale Of Norway). It is an accessory pattern book. You can look at the patterns in the book HERE.

The second version of the felted Rose Purse
I plan to do the first version with a ribbon strap.

I bought this Heilo yarn for this project last year and it has been sitting in my stash for awhile. Three black 0090, one wine 4246, & one tartan green 7562. It is 100% Pure New Norwegian Wool. It should felt nicely. I just need to pick up a circular needle this week in the correct length and I can get started. I have a zillion needles does it not figure I have the right size just the wrong length.

#2 WIP

Dewdrops scarf
This pattern is from the book Exquisite Little Knits.

I bought 1 skein of Makula Cashmere in color Enchanted.
Here is a look of the other colors available in this 100% cashmere yarn.

I bought the yarn at Knit N Tyme

I cast on and this is as far as I got. This yarn is so soft and lovely. I think it is the perfect yarn to wrap close to the skin. I almost wish I did not like the cashmere because it is so pricey. Thank goodness pattern only calls for one skein.

#3 WIP

Bridget – Jo Sharp Book Number Two
This is my next big project knit.
Here is another picture in a different color

I had this Donegal Tweed Homespun in color 880 in my stash. It has been there for at least 8 months. I originally bought it for a pattern in one of my Vogue issues. I decided I would rather make Bridget with this yarn. Lesson learned: Don’t go crazy and buy a ton of yarn that is going to sit in your stash so long you decide you no longer want to make the pattern it was originally bought for. This yarn will have a happy ending but looking at my stash, I definitely am cutting back on my yarn purchases. In fact I plan to knit mostly from my stash this entire year. Of course there will be exceptions. 8)

I am in love with this sweater. I think it should be a good challenge for me I made a swatch and checked my gauge. It looks like I am right on target. I believe this yarn will do nicely for the pattern.

Thank You
I wanted to thank every one for the e-mails and the comments on the Rowan Air Cardi.
You guys are the best.
- Next post DIET update.

Completed Rowan "Air"

2006-01-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

I have completed my Rowan “Air” Cardi
Please disregard the fact I did not put any make-up on or that I am wearing sweats. That is the downfall of taking your own photo you do not have that other person to give you feed back.

It took 8 balls of Rowan calmer in color Drift 460
Pattern from Rowan Calmer Collection.
Cast on for “Air” in March of 05 completed January of 06 (sad I know)

This was a fun knit. The only problems I had with the pattern were when I read it incorrectly. Calmer is a beautiful soft yarn and a joy to knit with. It is very light weight and if you want more structure I would go with a heavier yarn.

This Cardi is very soft and comfortable. It is not heavy enough to get you through a snow storm but perfect for the cool summer night to slip over a summer dress or tank top.

Overall a great experience to knit this beautiful pattern. Although I think next time I do a sweater I will pick a pattern that has more coverage and warmth. Since it took me so long to knit this I think my next sweater knit should be something I feel I will get a lot of wear out of.

I am very happy to have completed the last of my 05 wips and am proud to say I have nothing on the needles. So what am I doing writing this post. I must immediately run to my stash and get something started. Ah the joy of new projects. GOTTA GO!

Working on Air

2006-01-11T10:57:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I was able to get a lot done on the Rowan “Air Cardi. I have completed one back, 2 sleeves and 2 sides. I have cast on for the collar. While working the Left front I realized I completed the Right front incompletely. So I had to rip it out to the beginning of the neck shaping and redo it. I must have got in to big a hurry when I did it the first time. I just have the collar & two pockets to knit. Then I need to block pieces and sew it all together.

Here is the buttons I bought to go on the Cardi.

They are Dale of Norway pewter buttons. This one is called “Baby Fana”. I found them at Bea Ellis Knitwear. They have a great selection of buttons and clasps.

Movie Reviews

Million Dollar Baby
Hubby and I caught this movie on HBO the other night. We both had not seen it yet. I will first say I will never watch this movie again. I cried through the whole last hour of the movie. Then I cried for a good while after the movie was over.

The movie topic did not appeal to me and that is why I probably had not seen it yet. But since it was an Oscar winner, and had such a great cast I watched it. Obviously it was good otherwise it would not have affected me so. For starters I am an optimist and the movie gave me no way out. The whole last hour I was thinking this will turn out OK. It did not. Also I think it was hard for me because what happened to her would be the worst that could happen to someone.

The Shipping News
I rented this from Netflix. This movie is an adaptation of Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by E. Annie Proulx. This movie came out in 2001, where was I. This book is on my list of books to read but just have not got to it yet.

The description is “Distraught after the disappearance of his estranged wife, Quoyle's (Kevin Spacey) long-lost aunt (Judi Dench) convinces him to move with his daughter to their ancestral home in Newfoundland. Here, where life is rough and secrets are many, Quoyle lands a job as a reporter for the local paper. Now, a past is emerging, a mystery is unfolding and life is awakening.”

I liked it and wished I had read the book. I still might. Very interesting movie, I love stories when people make a new start and evolve into a better existence that makes them happy.

Doctor Zhivago 2002
This was made as a British miniseries created for television. It is the remake of the classic 1965 film that was based on the novel by Boris Pasternak. I never saw the original. I like the long two disk movies, One can get a lot of knitting done while watching these epic movies.

This story takes place during the Russian revolution. It is about a Russian physician-poet whose life is changed by the revolution. What a great juicy story. I think I might rent the original movie it has great reviews also.

What is Mine is Mine, What is yours is Mine Too

Haley is the sibling that hordes all the toys and won’t let others play. Haley will be playing with a toy. Brandy will go over to the toy box and pick something out to play with, and Haley will immediately run over and want to play with it too. Eventually Haley steals it from Brandy. It is rough living with siblings there is always something about them that annoys you.

Anyone Else On a Diet?

2006-01-05T15:55:00.000-07:00

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Yea I’m Cranky what about it. For those of you looking for an uplifting post I would skip this post all together. I just need to bitch a little or maybe a lot.

Diet
Ok I joined the millions of people and started a diet for the new year. I worked out twice this week and have eaten healthy smaller portions. Hubby is kind of on a diet too, but he had a piece of chocolate yesterday. DON’T GET ME STARTED! Anyway I just need to deal with myself. Ok where was I, Geez I can not even think straight. I feel horrible. Maybe I should have thought about how hard this was going to be when I was piling on the turkey plate with all the trimmings 4 days in a row with a piece of pie to boot. All the while thinking I better get it all in because starting next year I am starting healthier habits.

Anyway I do not want to spend too much time talking about dieting, frankly it is depressing and not many people like to read about it. So I plan to maybe do a monthly update just to keep myself on track and accountable.

Tax Hell
Anyone else in tax hell? January turns out is my worst month for the business. I am in the middle of filing my December stuff, My 4th Quarter stuff and my end of year crap. On top of it I am getting all the expenses and receipts etc ready to file my business federal taxes. My goal is to get it all done by the third week of January. Perhaps the added stress will help me loose weight?

Maxine cartoon

My only Sanity
Of course is knitting. It always relaxes me and helps me to not focus on the million things going on in my life. I sat down last night after dinner and a very long day and worked on the Rowan Air Cardi. My headache went away and I was able to go to sleep last night with a clear head. I even got excited thinking about what big project I would cast on for after finishing the Cardi.

So if January is turning out to be a challenge to your psyche, hang in there February will be here soon enough. It will be all Roses and pink hearts RIGHT!

Finished Lace Scarf

2006-01-01T16:46:00.000-07:00

Finally I have finished the lace scarf. I used Brown Sheep Co in color Putty. The pattern is Fiber Trends called Lacy Accents. The pattern has three different lace scarf variations. I did the simple elegance pattern. The scarf after blocking is 56 inches long and looks good with just about anything, including my furniture. Both the pattern and yarn I received from Heather over at Pixiestikz. She was my secret pal back with the 4th edition.

This was my first lace project and I think I got the whole yarn over thing down pat. The scarf was a great way to practice lace. I will definitely not steer away from a project now that has yarn overs in it.

Last of the Wips from 05
My goal is to complete the Rowan Air Cardi this month. I am trying to finish all wips on the needles so I may start new ones with a clear conscious. If I do not finish this Cardi this month, I am sewing what I have into a bag, and moving on. That should keep me motivated. This Cardi definitely has opened my eyes as to a realistic timeline and how many actual sweaters I can knit in a year.

New Dawn New Day

2005-12-31T10:57:00.000-07:00

The sunsets this time of year are breath taking. Today the sun will set and rise to a new year. I am practically jumping out of my skin with anticipation for things to come.

I am so fortunate for the good things that are in my life. My cup is overflowing with love for family and friends.

I will be spending the New Year with my true love. We will be home in our pajamas, with food ordered to go from our favorite restaurant. We will have a bottle of Champaign that will probably be opened early to enjoy over the evening.

I toast to you
“May you live today & everyday that follows in the NOW, I wish for you to live in the moment, enjoy what is happening now, feel life completely whether it be good or bad revel in it and know that you are truly alive.”

Video

I thought it would be nice to share a video in this post. I found this site for video codes.

Watch Video:

YOU AND ME (Lifehouse)

Video Code provided by VideoCodeZone.Com

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Christmas Loot

2005-12-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

I made out like a bandit this year. Check out the loot.

This is Exquisite Little Knits by Iris Schreier &Laurie Kimmelstiel. This book was a pleasant surprise. My best friend gifted this to me along with the knit pattern a day calendar. I did not have this book and I am not sure why. I really like this book. It is chuck full of patterns using luxurious yarns. The best part is the patterns only require 1 to 2 skeins of the yarn. This is a great way to be able to knit with high end yarn and not have to break the bank to do it.

I have already picked out my first project I would like to make from the book

This is the Dewdrops Scarf and is knit with one skein of Knit’n Tyme’s Makalu Cashmere 4-ply DK Handpainted, 100% Cashmere. I love the color way shown in this photo. The best part is you only need to splurge on one skein of 100% Cashmere yarn.

Knittin Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush
What can I say I love Nancy’s books. This book was gifted to me from my Mom. She found it on my Amazon wish list. The thing that is great about this book is in the beginning it shows in detail all the different types toes & heals, and how to knit them. So basically it is very helpful if you want to get better at knitting the perfect socks. Of course there is a ton of beautiful sock patterns in the book.

Hubby outdid himself this year.

Professional Waffle Maker. Now before you think what kind of guy gives his wife something that slaves her to the kitchen for a gift. I have wanted one of these, but it is not something one buys for them self. I have already used this thing twice and it is amazing. The waffles come out perfect every time. It beeps when the waffles are ready. You just pour the batter in, rotate it 90 degrees, once it beeps rotate it back 90 degrees and open to beautiful waffles. Last batch I made I added chocolate chips to the batter. YUMMY! I love stuff that help me look like a professional chief with little effort on my part. Plus it makes it fun to cook.

Drum roll please. I also found this under the tree for me from my Hubby.

The new video ipod. Mine is the black one.
This is an awesome gadget. I am not much into the music part but the best stuff it can do is you can download photos directly from your digital camera. This will be perfect for travel so I will not need to lug around that heavy dinosaur of a lap top I usually bring. Also you can play video on the ipod. Like TV shows and music videos, these are great for travel. Another cool thing you can put on this is audio books.

There is also something called a podcast that you can subscribe too. Most are free there is a zillion different ones to choose from. I currently have subscribed to three different ones. One is a Hollywood entertainment one that gives you the latest buzz on Celebes and such it is put on by wireimage.

The second one is a Vermont life Video

It shows a 2 minute video of places in Vermont with back ground music. (When I was younger I always thought I would live in Vermont).

The third is educational it is the French podclass. This one is about 20 minutes long and and plays French music and teaches you how to say words in French. I like listening to it. The podcasts will update weekly or daily or monthly and give you a new one to download to your ipod. I am still learning how to use mine but I love it so far.

I think someone should do a knitting podcast and do a small weekly video of how to do certain stitches or tricks of the trade, or just go from yarn shop to yarn shop and show us a little 2 minute video. I am just throwing the idea out there hopefully someone will run with it.

Finished Objects to Come
I have been working on old wip’s that have been on the needles forever. My plan is to get all of them done so I can start new projects with a clear conscience. Plus I am anxious to start up some new bags for the Tote-along I joined.

Christmas Eve

2005-12-24T10:48:00.000-07:00

Here is Cosmo waiting patiently for Santa to bring him some new toys & treats. I tried to have a little talk with him about naughty and nice and how actually sitting in the tree waiting for Santa would be classified as NAUGHTY!

The first time he got into the tree he was real careful getting out but now he just leaps out like a flying squirrel. So far not one ornament has fallen off the tree even with all of Cosmos acrobats.

Joined a new Along

Found the tote-along and joined up to make some bags starting next year. I have a request from my sister-n-law for a booga bag & also I have a bunch of fabric in my stash to make some bags.

Merry Christmas

Everyone have a wonderful Holiday.

Winter Solstice

2005-12-21T08:59:00.000-07:00

Webshots Photo

Today is the first day of winter. To me that means from here on out the day light will be getting longer. Only a couple more days until Christmas so I added a how to last minute gift idea to this post if anyone is still scrambling.

Finished My Christmas Stocking

It is made from the pattern in Holiday Knits titled Striped Christmas Stocking. I used Frog Tree’s 100% alpaca Wool in color #26, #31 & #000. I enjoyed knitting with the Frog Tree yarn and will definitely use it again. Here is a look at the stocking inside out. I just ran the three colors up the inside as I went around. In the end it made for less ends to weave in.

This heal was the easiest I have ever done. The heal is made exactly like the toe. Too bad it probably would not work for a sock you would wear.

Scented Gift

This is a great last minute gift idea. I usually make a couple of these every year. It is also a good gift to make a couple of extra in case some one drops by the house you had not planned for, you can hand them one of these.

These are called Pomander Bowls. I first spotted them in one of my holiday craft books Martha Stewart’s “Handmade Christmas”. The photos were taken from the book to help you see what I am talking about.

What you need:
an Orange
Whole cloves
Decorative bowl
Raffia or Shredded paper
Ribbon to match bowl

Put the whole cloves in a bowl and get comfy on the sofa and start poking the cloves into the orange. You can use a toothpick to first make the hole but I did not find it necessary. The cloves go right into the orange skin. Completely cover orange and let it sit overnight to dry.

Then put some raffia in your decorative bowl set the cloved orange in it. Wrap decorative ribbon around bowl and add a trinket or something if you like to the top. These gifts smell wonderful. Plus they last a long time. I have one in my kitchen that is over a year old. The orange dries just like dried flowers. You do not need to buy a bowl and ribbon that is in holiday colors because people can keep it out all year round.

Knit Inspiration

Here are a couple of bags from The Gap.

I might try to make one of these it is so cute and I enjoy doing little projects with cables.

This fair isle bag is great. After making a fair isle bag myself I know how much time and money it took for me to make it. I really like the way they did the handles. I might do a version of these handles next time I make a Booga Bag.

I am so looking forward to the weekend. Just a few more days!

Holiday Shuffle

2005-12-18T10:01:00.000-07:00

Ever feel like the Holidays are closing in on you. Of course you have. That is what I have been feeling this week. Sometimes you need to break away from the hectic holidays and make a little something for yourself. Let me introduce you to my:

Christmas Sock Monkey.

Yep I took some time out from baking and shopping and crafting to make this super cute sock monkey. I have been wanting to make a sock monkey for awhile. While I was out shopping at target. I spotted these Holiday stockings.

My first thought should have been those are a little over the top. But my reaction was SOCK MONKEY! I think they were $3.99.

Here is the pattern to make your own sock monkey. I used polyfill to stuff him with. He is super soft and cuddly.

Baking up Presents

This year I decided to bake up some treats for my employees. Little did I know how time consuming this would be. Everything turned out great and I got them done on time. I chose five different baked goods for the baskets. I baked everything up in two days and divided them up into these foil pans.

The baked goods are: Walnut Fudge, Lime Snowball cookies, Chocolate candy cane cookies, Lemon Poppy seed Muffins, & Butterscotch Blondies.

I bought cellophane wrap and wrapped them all up like baskets and put tags on them listing what type of goodies were inside.

Helpful Elves

They got the right idea. Wouldn’t it be nice to just lounge around and then have all the fun when the holidays get here.

Fa La La La La

2005-12-07T15:08:00.000-07:00

I started up the lovely stocking.

I am knitting it with a #3 – 12” circular. It is coming out real nice and much easier since I need to switch out the colors for the striping. I am running all three colors along inside and just pull forward the color I need.

I discovered a good use for this beverage carrier from Starbucks. It works great for holding the three balls of yarn, especially when riding in the car and trying to knit a few rows on the go. Have you tried starbucks Holiday Peppermint Mocha. Yummy!

Other Holiday Crafts

I quilted this holiday stocking for my Office Manager. She is a big Tigger fan. I did not have a pattern I just kind of made it up as I went. Some of it was tricky and both my husband and I had a good laugh. There was even a moment where I was going to chuck it in the trash. But some how I did not give up and kept working on it and ripping it out until I was happy with the result.

Christmas Stuff on the Internet

Wow, check out this scooter. Dude if I had gotten this scooter when I was a little girl my life would probably be totally different. That is one sweet ride all pink with a zebra print seat cover and a matching back pack. Take a good look at the little girl in the photo you might see her in 20 years and she might be running the world, or at least the neighborhood for the next year with all her little friends.

The holidays always bring back memories of Christmas’s past. Well this scooter brings back memories of one in particular. The year my brother, sister and I came down the stairs to see what Santa had left under the tree. My brother got a brand new shiny red bicycle and my sister and I each got a sweater. As if that was not bad enough, my sweater had a big rainbow heart in the center and the sleeves were all rainbow colored.

Anyway we know that is not what the holidays are all about. Even still I am compelled to send my brother a lump of coal and address it from Santa, maybe knit a little rainbow sweater for the lump of coal.

Phone Chums

I also found these great cell phone chums on the Horchow website. I saved the photo on my computer to possibly use them as inspiration the next time I want to knit a cover for my phone. So Cute.

Holiday Knit-Along

2005-11-29T16:13:00.000-07:00

I was looking around and spotted a Stocking-Along. I immediately decided to join because I had already planned to make a Christmas stocking this year.

I found a great pattern in this book

Holiday Knits by Sara Lucas & Allison Isaacs

Here is a photo from the book of the Striped Christmas Stocking

The pattern calls for Plymouth Yarns Baby Alpaca. I could not find a good price or the colors I wanted so instead chose to use Frog Tree’s 100% alpaca wool in colors #31, #26 & #000. Here they are.

I Can not wait to get started.

Here is Brandy on Thanksgiving. Too much Turkey! Must Sleep!

Happy Halloween

2005-10-27T10:31:00.000-06:00

The girls are dressing up this year.

I think Witcheepoo turned someone into a pumpkin head.

Hurry up Mom with the photos lets get to the TREATS!

Halloween Knitting

As soon as I saw the Skull scarf on Knitty I had to make one for myself. I used Lion Brand Yarn “Lion Wool” in color winter white. I did not have time to order the recommended yarn so I just went down to my local hobby shop and found the Wool Lion brand. It works great for felting. If I had more time I wanted to make another scarf in black and do an intarsia orange pumpkin at the end. Maybe next year.

You can find the pattern for the scarf here.

Cosmo was creative with his costume. He is going as laundry.

Late to the Booga Bag Party

2005-09-20T08:08:00.000-06:00

After finishing the Fair Isle bag I wanted to do a quick and easy knit. I also have had company in and out for the last couple of weeks and needed something to work on that there was not much thought involved. So I went into my stash and pulled out some Noro Kureyon to finally make a Booga Bag.

This bag is fun and easy to make and knits up very quickly. It is a great project if you want to make several of them for gifts you can whip them out in a couple of days.

I used 3 skeins of Noro Kureyon in color #148

This is what it looks like all knitted up and ready to felt.

It took about 45 minutes on the wash cycle in hot water with a pair of old jeans. I found the perfect size box to block it on. I just covered the box with a plastic bag first. The bag has a square bottom so needs to be blocked to sit up on its own when dry.

I am very pleased with the bag, and plan to make another one in a different color way.
If you would like to make one for yourself you can find the pattern here.

Haley

Haley misses all the company we have had in the last couple of weeks. She was spoiled rotten with affection and table scraps. She keeps looking for them to come back.

Finished Moira Bag

2005-09-01T08:13:00.000-06:00

I finally finished the Moira Bag.
Pattern from Rowan book #27
Cast on at the end of June
Finished at the end of August
I used circular needles and did the whole thing at once.
Yarn: Rowan Cotton Glace
Colors: Ecru, Sky, Hyacinth, Shoot, & Glee

I enjoyed making this bag and will definitely do more knitting using Fair Isle method. I did change up the pattern a little. In my mind I kept picturing it as a round tote. So I decided to make it round. I found some great sued like fabric and used one of my pot covers as a round template and then just sewed the round piece of fabric onto the bottom of the bag. I also lined the bag with fabric. It makes it more user friendly.

Here is a picture of the bag showing the back side and all the ends I needed to weave in

Here is the lining fabric and the bottom fabric.

Here is a picture of the lining sewn into the bag.

This bag is way cute and I am very proud of how it turned out. I have even got a couple of compliments from people. The best part is when they ask where you got it and I say “I made it.”

RAOKed
I have been Raoked. It is so exciting to get a package in the mail unexpectedly. Especially an awesome package like this

This package was from Danielle over at Sassy Gina-D. It included a silver tin, hand moisturizer, hand sanitizer, emery boards, cuticle boards, soap, small sharpie & a little massage ball shaped like a flying saucer. Oh and of course the cutest dog card. Thank you so much for this thoughtful package. I love everything and will use all of it.

September Is Here
Wow, it is already September. I hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day weekend. Here is a picture of my precious baby boy all cuddled up and cozy.