week 8

It’s warming up a lot from what we’ve been used to this winter. (68 degrees today!) Maybe Spring is actually on it’s way! I helped Hubby put the wood chipper back together so he could start chipping up all these limps from the ice storm. We also took eight, (yes, that’s eight) yard bags of pine needles to the dump. And there’s more where that came from! I’m curious to see how many bags he gets all together. He’s cutting up a lot of the bigger limbs for firewood that we can use next year.

I got a book in the mail this week that I ordered a couple of weeks ago. It’s called “The Secret Life of a Knitter” by the Yarn Harlot Stephanie Pearl Mcphee. I read her blog almost daily. She’s very interesting and funny! I’ll let you know how I enjoyed her book when I finish it.

I also got a new book called ”A Passion for Patchwork” by Lise Bergene. It’s just chocked full of neat things to make. For several years, I’ve been wanting to get into patchwork and quilting. But when I haven’t done anything before, I tend to procrastinate because I’m not sure how to get started. My daughter, Cynthia, and I have a little motto that says, “Just Do It!” It’s not original but it fits us. It worked better for me when she was here and came over every week to “craft” with me. I guess I’ve lost some of my motivation! I’ve been looking at my few quilting books trying to get some of that motivation going, and it’s slowly getting there. Especially since I got this new book.

I ordered another couple of skeins of yarn. This is really pretty and will make a beautiful baby afghan, I think. I’ll try to get a picture of it. I also got another couple pair of bamboo needles from Herrshner’s. They were on sale! I LOVE their site! They have some terrific sales!

Hubby and I joined Netflix and get movies from them now. We’ve decided to get the New Generations Star Trex TV Series (BIG Star Trex fans!). There’s about four shows on each DVD, so it’ll take us a while to see them all. We watched the first one this week. We’ve haven’t seen them since they were on TV, so it’s almost like watching them for the first time. It’s really cool!

It’s been in the 60’s most of the week, so I took my knitting outside and enjoyed the day sitting in the swing, listening to the birds, (and chain saws) and knitting away. It’s one of those times when you just want time to stand still!

One night this week, we went to our grandson’s concert that was held at his school. He’s learning to play the sax and he’s really liking it. He want’s to get into the jazz band eventually. I was really impressed with those kids! They’ve only been playing since Oct. and they played songs like Beethoven’s 9th! We really enjoyed it.

Hubby and I went on a date night to Branson this weekend. We went with a group of people on a bus. One of our local radio stations offered a trip to Branson, a show called “Legends in Concert” and then a meal at a nice restaurant and the trip back home. It was really fun and we met some nice people! We’ll think about doing that again.

I’ve not knitted too much this week. I’m still knitting on the baby afghan and my sweater, but that’s about it. I hope I’ll get them done soon, or at least one of them, because I’m getting really anxious to start something new. Have a great day!

Week 7

Sorry I didn’t get to post yesterday. I love my hubby to death, but when he’s on his computer in the mornings at the same time I’m on mine, I get distracted. We have our computers side by side in one of our bedrooms which we converted to “his office”, and since his job IS the computer, I have to work around him when I want to use mine. He reads the news first, then either listens to some old-time radio programs that he used to listen to when he was a boy (brings back the o’ memories, you know) or wants me to listen, talk, comment, or watch something else with him. (Come on, ladies, you all know what I’m talking about!) So, of course, I get distracted and can’t think about what I’m wanting to do. Well, this was going on yesterday morning, so I just turned everything off and made up my mind that I would have to do it later when he went off to do something else. I had to work last night, so I never got back to it. Anyway, here I am today!

I had a busy week, but I didn’t get much knitting done or crafting of any kind. I’m just about finished with the fourth strip of the baby afghan. One more strip and the knitting part will be done. Then I’ll sew it together. It’ll take a little longer than usual, because with all the different colors, I’ll have to use all those colors to sew it together. That means I’ll be cutting, tying, and weaving in even MORE ends of yarn.

I also ran out of yarn on the bag I was knitting with the cotton yarn. So I frogged it and will try to find some different yarn to use. I liked the way the cotton yarn was making it look however, and the only colors of cotton yarn I have that I know I’ll have enough of to make it are white, beige, and green. I don’t want a bag out of those colors, so I’ll have to buy some more yarn, darn it! It worked up really fast though. I could have had it made in an afternoon, if I’d had enough yarn.

I got the back of my sweater off the needles and started the front. I’m about a fourth of the way on it. I like to work on it when there’s a lot of sunshine coming in the window. It’s such a dark color and my eyes are not the eyes of a young woman anymore, so it’s a little difficult to see what I’m doing. The sun is shining really bright today, and the sunroom is about as light as it can get, so I’m thinking I’m going to spend the next hour or two out there knitting as soon as I get this posted.

I had a visit to the dentist this week. There’s a Hobby Lobby just down the street from the dentist’s office, so to reward myself for being such a good girl and visiting the dentist, I make a stop at the Hobby Lobby store. Remember last week when I mentioned that they had a lot of yarn on sale for 99 cents but hubby was with me and I couldn’t get much? Welllll, need I say more?! Suffice it to say, I’ll have yarn for a long time! I also went through their Valentine and other clearance and found some goodies, too. Some wooden hearts to paint, a few books on painting, some scrapbooking pretties, etc. I had a really good time!

Speaking of painting, with the weather turning warmer (finally), I’m getting a little antsy to head out to the shop and paint again. But that’s another blog. Have a great week!

Week 6

It’s Mon. morning again. It’s dark and raining, which we do need the rain. At least it isn’t ICE again! I’m off from work today and this rain is supposed to turn to sleet this evening. (I’m glad I don’t have to get out in this!) This is the perfect day to get my chores done and then relax in my big easy chair with a cup of hot tea next to me and knit for the rest of the day. Doesn’t that sound srumptious?

It’s not been a very productive week as far as knitting goes. I finished another strip on the color-block afghan. I’m spending less and less time on it. That’s the way I do, though. I go like a wild fire in the beginning because it excites me to see how something is going to look, or how the yarn and/or pattern will work up, or even if I can figure out a new technique. Then after I see how it’s turning out, I get a little bored with it and start looking for something new to do. Which isn’t hard, because there are always patterns and books to look through. Way too many that I want to do or will do in this lifetime!

I’ve knitted on my sweater, too, but I still haven’t finished with the back. I just have a few inches to go, so I need to get it off the needles and start on the front. I’m going to have WAY too much yarn for this sweater, so I’ll have just gobs and gobs left to do something else. In fact, I’ll probably have enough to make an afghan if I get another color to go with it and make it stretch a little.

There was a visit to the library this week also. I’m supposed to be reading, but I found three pattern books that I just HAD to get to look through. (Well, that’s kind of reading, right?) I got one called “First Knits” by Luise Roberts and Kate Haxell. It’s more like a beginning-to-knit book, but I really liked some of the patterns in it. It has a Cable Handbag that I got really excited about. (Oh no, not again!) Yep, you guessed it, I started rummaging through my stash and found some Lion Brand Kitchen Cotton that I’m sure will be enough to make it. It called for Rowan All Seasons Cotton, but this yarn works out in the same gauge, so that’s what I’m using. AND, I’m using up some more of my stash. (I wish I could figure out how to get my picture down here in the text where I’m writing about it. Can someone give me some suggestions? At least I’ve learned how to get the pix on here now!) Anyway, I think it’ll be really cute. I’m using a dark blue (almost denim) color of yarn.

Hobby Lobby had a coupon in the paper for 40% off of any regular-priced item. Of course I couldn’t pass that up. I’ve been wanting to start collecting bamboo knitting needles that everyone (on their blogs anyway) has been talking about. They say they are a  lighter weight and easier to use than the metal ones. So I got my first pair of bamboo needles with the coupon. In fact, I’m using them to knit this bag. I think I’m going to like them. While I was browsing through the yarn section of Hobby Lobby, I saw some yarn on clearance for 99 cents a skein! It’s a good thing Hubby was with me, or it’s no telling how many skeins I would’ve bought. But I did get two skeins. They’re called Soft Delight by Yarn Bee and they are sooooo soft. I’m going to make some socks out of them. Won’t they be pretty? Now, let’s see, that’s HOW MANY socks I have to make? Better get busy on more socks, I think!

We’ve been having trouble with the computers staying on line today, so I’d better quit and get this published. I’m going to finish a few chores, then it’s picking up those knitting needles for me! Keep ‘um clicking until next time!

(BTW, I’d love to read some comments from you and hear all about your knitting projects, or any crafting you’re doing.)

Week 5

Good grief, it’s Feb. already. Jan. usually goes by really slow for me, but for some reason it whizzed by even going six and a half days without power.

This week I was busy knitting away on my sweater when I discovered a new knitting magazine during my lunch hour one day. It’s called Knit It! by Better Homes and Gardens. I LOVE this magazine. A lot of new magazines have come out since knitting begin getting so popular several years ago, and I love looking at all of them. But so many of the patterns are designed by and written for the younger generation, which is great because I like to see younger people keep a craft like knitting alive. And all the new yarns! Oh my gosh! I LOVE all the new yarns that have come out in recent years. One of my very favorite things to do is stand in the yarn isle of a craft store and look and feel of all the new yarns and wonder what I could make from them. I even day-dream about making some of those wild and crazy items found in some of those new magazines with some of that wonderful yarn  if not for myself then for some of my younger nieces. But, I’m a basic down-to-earth, no frills, “cheap” kind of person that still thinks that if you spend a lot of  money on yarn and use all that time knitting something, then it should be something that will last and not “phase” out in a year or so.

This magazine is that kind of magazine. It has classic items with a twist. I saw a baby afghan that left an impression on my brain. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to make it. It’s made with four different colors–not colors that you would think as typical baby colors. I have a stash of yarn that I inherited from my sister (that’s another blog story), and I was able to find exactly the colors I needed to make this afghan without buying any new yarn! (I love it when that happens.) Boy, I was excited now!

I found the needles I needed and started the afghan right then and there! Have I mentioned that I get obsessed with a new project when I get it started? Well, since I had the day off, I spent the rest of the day and most of the next knitting on this afghan. It’s knitted in blocks of colors, but in strips. In other words, there are seven blocks of different colors for each strip. There are five strips all together. I finished the second strip last night. It’s going to really be pretty, I think. I have no idea who will get this, but somebody is always having a baby.

One more thing. Herrchner’s had another yarn sale that I couldn’t resist! I bought some to add to my stash and there’s a picture of it. I actually have projects in mind for all of it, too! Some of it will be for gifts, (can’t think Christmas too early when you make things,) and more socks (I really like making socks!), and another baby afghan (can’t have too many of those either.)  Ahhhh, so much yarn and so little time!

I did work on my sweater this week too. I have the back almost finished, but then I got obsessed with the block baby afghan. I’m getting a little tired of working on it though, so hopefully this week, I’ll make some more progress on the sweater.

Have a great week, and keep those needles clicking!