Friday, June 27, 2008

secret pal question of the week #3

What would you consider the perfect amount of stash?

That is the question as for the answer hmmmmm!!!

are you nuts there is no amount perfect enough for the yummy, smooshy, silky, handpainted, handspun, natural, thing call yarn.. I love it and there will never be enough for me. variety is the spice of life and I want as much variety as i can find.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

sunday rainy sunday

yet another rainy sunday hmmph!!!!

simon has gone into work today in an effort to get alot done and so that he can have monday off. the weather looked better for monday and we wanted to take the kids out for the day and do something fun. so it seemed like a good idea. However it is raining and the children want to go out and play and they cannot so we are all in the house and i cannot get anything done. be it housework or knitting. maybe later.

yesterday we ordered the stone for the new patio and i cannot wait to get it down now it is going to look great. i can really see it taking shape now and have lots of plans for the space. we are thinking about lighting and furniture and i am still hoping we can do the fireplace thing.


my knitting this week has been fairly sporadic as it is the first week the kids have been home. i did go to the sit and knit this week at my lys. Mountain knits and pearls. it was busy with 12 ladies and one gentleman there but lots of fun a very diverse group. i wish i could go a little more often but with scouts and karate time is not on my side.

however whilst i was there i happened to metion to the lady sat to my right that i had seen a site for locally grown alpaca yarn about a mile from where i live. yes i confess i had no idea and we have been here 6 years. anyway she knew all about the place and also happened to metion that they are a CSA. ever since we have been here i had hoped to be able to join a box vegetable scheme but have never found one. so i called and went down and to my huge surprise they are a fanstic group where once a week i can go down and pick out locally grown organic vegetables for next to no money. AND the best part is they have this fantastic selection of alpaca yarn.

the really great thing about the whole experience though was lucas my 7 year old son has been in love with lamas for the longest time and the look on his face when he got to be up close and very personla with 25 alpacas was priceless. he has talked about nothing else since we went down. makes being the mother of a 7 yeard old boy all worth it. he cannot wait to go back.

any way the lure of the laundry is too much and i must now leave. hopefully it will stop raining and the kids can go out to play, the baby will nap and i can try and finish this pair of socks i have got 3 inches left to do.

well a girl can dream.!!!!!!!

Saturday, June 14, 2008

question of the week.




secret pal question of the week. what is your favorite summer time drink.




my answer to this is without a doubt, a margarita on the rocks with no salt. is there anything else on a hot summers day???

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

only 6 days to go.....


Only 6 long and slow days till the next great installment of the Janet Evanovich series this one is "Fearless Fourteen" cannot wait. But I guess i will have to. I love love love the series and have read them all. June 17th is the day. I had hoped the children would still be in school and i would get a whole day to myself to read it but to no avail.. the children finish friday.


as for my knitting i am so pleased i managed to get caitlins purple maizy socks off the needles and the reson i am so pleased is not only did they come out great i had enough left over to make charlotte some to and so the girls will have matching socks. to cool. caitlin thinsk it is great, with sucha big age gap there is not much they can where that si the same unless imake it.
i loved this yarn it was so soft and easy to work with. will defiantely use it agian.
having jut put the photo on there it reallly does not do them any justice first of all they are a really great pruple color and second they look really fat and out of shape in thepicture but they are not in real life. not sure what is going on there, bad photography maybe......
not sure what else i am planning on starting now i have a lace scarf on the needles with some yarn i hand dyed. love the yarn just not the pattern, might take it back and look for something else.
i think i will go and make some coffee and think about it some more, enjoy the sunshine and seeif i get insprired. I am thinking about buying a drop spindle kit, i would love to spin my own but have no real thoughts about where to start. I found a site on line taht has a nice kit for just $16 and it comes with fiber and instructions, but i think if i get anything else yarn related simon will kill me. on the other hand he is not here and it will be here before he returns from his trip to england. i will see.......
i have some great swaps going out in the next few days, i just have a couple more things to get. I went to the yarn store yesterday and bought some beautiful things. I did make one small error though i bought all the things i need for thsi months crochetaholics swap and it was a lovely knitting patter and yarn to go with for the bag that goes with a summer novel swap and when i got home partners had been assigned and unfortunately my new partner is a crocheter, i have to find a new pattern. never mind i am sure that my partner will like the yarn anyway.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

secret pal 12 questionnaire

I have joined and been accepted for the secret pal 12 swap this is my questionnaire for this swap

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? I like natural fibers and love to try new ones but for me it has to be about how it feels , soft iis very important and you can find that feeling in many man made fibers also
What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I hate " red heart super saver yarn" other than that just really scratchy things are not for me.
2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I currently have all my straight needles in a boy scout pop corn can and my dpns and circs in a dmc bow holder made for cross stitch threads
3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? I have been knitting for 23 years and my Great Aunt taught me. No television and i used to spend the whole summer with her boredom would set in fast so she taught me to knit so i would not be bored all the time
Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I would consider my self to be advanced intermediate and not afrid to try something new and not afraid to admit i don't know
4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? yes http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/2Y1FVT3ENSANA/ref=lst_llp_wl-go
5. What's your favorite scent? vanilla
6. Do you have a sweet tooth? unfortunatley Favorite candy? chocloate or gummy candy especially the little bears. no cinnamon though
7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? I have tried most things every thing from jewlery and cross stitch to soap making and wood burning i have not really found anything i do not like
Do you spin? no but i think if i could find some materiald i would give it a go
8. What kind of music do you like? country and some rock
Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) yes
9. What's your favorite color(s)? like most colors though i tend to steer away from brown and dirty greens Any colors you just can't stand? not really
10. What is your family situation?i am very happily married with 3 ( wow is it really that many) kids 2 girls and one boy my oldest is 12 and my youngest is 16 months
Do you have any pets? yes but if you want them they are yours...... no seriously i have 2 dogs and a rabbit and a parrot
11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? yes it gets really cold here
12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? socks and pretty things for my girls to wear
13. What are you knitting right now? I currently have a purple pair of socks on the go and nearly finished and a lace scarf that i hand dyed the yarn for
14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? yes i love it when someone takes time out of their busy day to make something just for me
15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? either is good though i lean toward cirulars Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? given the choice bamboo though i have both plastic and metal aswell
16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? nope trying to talk hubby into making one for me 17. How old is your oldest UFO? not really sure i do not have many
18. What is your favorite holiday? christmas
19. Is there anything that you collect? i collect all things smore's you know the girl scout marshmallow snack. i alos collect anything to do with girl scouts, patches pins books etc
20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? all of them.......
What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I do not have nay i like to go to the book store each month and get tehm that and this gives me an excuse to buy more books to read
21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? i plan to get learning the magic loop technique. i have the book the needles and the yarn just need to finish current pair of socks before i start
22. Are you a sock knitter? yes yes yes i love th elittle things cannot get enough. love that tehy fit in my purse though i do not have a nice ltittle project bag for them. love that i can get it out and do it standing up to.
What are your foot measurements? i wear a size 10 shoe
23. When is your birthday? september 27th 1974
24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID? scoutleader425 i am a fairly ne memebr in the last 2 weeks.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Finally getting things back to normal after weekend at CAMPOREE in Hershey park with the Girl Scouts. Lots of fun but a really long weekend, camping is not a vacation at the best of times, but with all the girls and doing a full day in the park is a lot more work. Still had sooooo much fun and the kids had a great time. Hershey did a wonderful job very easy to do and will definately do it again next year.

As for knitting did not get much more than about 6 rows done all weekend every time i would get it out someone needed me for something.

I did get a new pair of socks on the needles last tuesday, I recieved some new yarn from a swap partner called "Maisy" in purple and could not wait to start with it. I have tried out a new pattern with lacey tops and have to say was nervous starting but once it got going i loved it and will be sure to use pattern again. I also plan on getting many more colors of this yarn it is lovely to work with

This week once they are done i plan to master the Magic loop thing of doing 2 socks at one time but on a large circular needle instead of the 2 smaller ones i use right now. caitlin dyed her own yarn and it came out so pretty so yarn is balled and ready i have the book and the needle so i'm all set just need to finish the others.

I also took the time to go to the sit and knit session at my lys and it was fun lots of freindly people and i cannot wait to go back. There was coffee always a great thing especially after along day and plenty of like minded people. I cannot unfortunately go again for 2 weeks as i have a school meeting tonite and next week a service team plan of work meeting but the 17th i shall be back. I am hoping to meet some of the people I have been talking with on Ravelry so taht will be fun.

But for now back to the socks just about 3 inches to go very exciting Caitlin cannot wait to wear them