Wednesday Blog Along #22

Thank you for all the well wishes, July was certainly a bitch to our family and August is just flying by. Husband's grandmother is still in the hospital but, is showing some progress, my grandmother is recovering and giving her physical therapist heck, and my dad has healed from his run in with the chainsaw.

This week is the kids' last of Summer. YAY! They've been fighting non-stop these last few days and are driving me crazy. In my attempt to keep some of my sanity I've been knitting/crocheting and reading quite a bit. Though, there is not any noticeable change in Helix and the new design. I've about 4" more on Helix and about 10" more on the new design.

The motifs that I'm working on (Wednesday Blog Along #18 ) has had a set back. The blue yarn I had chosen were scraps out of my stash. It's label has been lost to time and I was hoping that I would be able to match it up at the store. NOPE! Not even close. Sorry Charlie. So, reluctantly I bought another blue that I felt went well with the brown and began ripping out all the previous blue.

This picture doesn't portray the color very well. It's has a nice sheen and is in the same tone as the previous blue, a few shades lighter. Cautioning on the side of just in case, I bought 2-1 pounders :)

I have been commissioned for a project that will be taking up a lot of my time. It's very intricate crochet lace and no sharing 'til I've completed. And I SO want to share, it is very beautiful. This project combines two of my loves; history and fiber arts.

Currently, I'm reading Caressed By Ice by Nalini Singh. I've enjoyed the other books in this series and this one is no exception. The Guardian  by Sherrilyn Kenyon was an excellent read and has been put on my keeper shelf with all of her other books. Tomorrow I'm getting my eager little hands on her new book Time Untime. I really can't express how much it means to me for a modern/main stream book to tell a story featuring Native Americans as the lead characters and for the story to be based on Native American mythos. This is something that is very near and dear to me.

We took the kids to a local zoo last week.

The goats are waiting for their turn for the kids to feed them. Aren't they so cute! Smelly. But, cute. And very impatient : p

Hop on over to Tami's Amis and Small Things for more awesome WIPs in action.

Wednesday Blog Along #21

These last few weeks I've been churning away at the same two projects. The new design one has grown but, no noticeable change to warrant a picture.

The Helix socks, though, I am happy to say have made a lot of progress.

Camera died before I could take any better pics :)

I've managed to get the heels turned on both and work a couple rounds of the cuff. At that point, working continuously on them got a bit monotonous (I have large feet) and I had to put them down for now.

On the reading front, I've consumed books. Last Dragon Standing, The Dragon Who Loved Me, and Dragon on Top in the Supernatural anthology by G.A. Aiken were all great reads. I about inhaled them! And would read them all again. How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper was also a good read. Although, there was a lot of confusion with all the foreshadowing and scene changes with no breaks. At times the scene would change in the middle of a paragraph. The story, for me, was entertaining enough to work through these hiccups. I don't know if I would read it again, though. Currently, my reading has slowed. I'm still reading the Supernatural anthology but, the short I'm reading right now is not holding my attention.


July has been a very stressful month and am looking forward to what August will bring us

WARNING: the rest of this post is quite sad.

Let's see; at the beginning of the month my dad was clearing fallen trees from the derecho and sliced into his leg, down to the knee cap, with a chain saw. He had to get staples but, is okay. BTW, this isn't the first time he has tried cutting off a body part. About 10 years ago, with a circular saw he cut off one finger and another one was hanging just by skin. The doctors were able to save both fingers, thank God. I've told my mom that he is no longer to have sharp implements :)

Two weeks ago, my grandmother, had a massive heart attack. The bottom of her heart is dead. Good news is, she is now out of the hospital, recovering, and doing well. And my husband's grandmother was in a car accident and not doing so well. The doctors have told us that she is in God's hands, that they have done all they can to save her. Her injures and complications are too heartbreaking and too numerous to recount here.

And for a happier note join Small Things and Tami's Amis (at the time of this post she hadn't posted for WIP Wednesday, yet).

Wednesday Blog Along #20

I missed last week's post and today I'm late! Sigh, Husband has started a new schedule which has put me off of mine. I didn't even realize today was Wednesday until about 15 minutes ago:)

I've made some progress with Helix.

They are looking quite well, if I do say so myself. These are the first two at a time with a chart socks I've done and I'm really enjoying working on them.

Remember that design project I was working on? Well, last week I was about an inch away from completing  it when I took a break and started running my hands over my work.You know, the whole "my precious" thing going on. When I noticed at the very beginning there was a dropped stitch, at the VERY beginning of a 50" project! After much cussing, there was so much cussing Husband asked me if all that was really necessary, I resigned that it must be frogged. And I'm glad I did, I've made a few changes once I cast back on and I really like how it's turning out this time.

Chronicles of Nick: Infamous by Sherrilyn Kenyon was a really great read. I actually did nothing, accept what was necessary to the survival of my household and read this book in two days. I'm really looking forward to her next book coming out Time Untime. And it seems that I'm on a reading kick. Last Dragon Standing by G.A. Aiken has had my undivided attention these last two days. 


So with that, hop on over to Tami's Amis and Small Things to view more wonderful WIPs.

Wednesday Blog Along #17

Helix is now back were it was before the frogging incident. Yay!

Wow! Color overload?

The other project is coming along nicely. I can't wait to finish it so that I can share. Last night, I tried working on the socks some more but, a combination of poor lighting, dark colors, and dry eyes did me in.

Oh! A Hexipuff update: 54.

I know it doesn't sound like much but, for me it is, with everything else I'm juggling, too. I got tried of counting the hexipuffs so, when I got to fifty I decided to bag and label them. Makes it a lot easier. Wonder how many of these I'll have laying around before it's complete?

Recently, I've made a habit of reading at night before bed, even if it is just a few sentences. This has helped greatly in catching up on my reading and quieting my mind for sleep. I used to do this while I was in school but, over time I have gotten out of the practice.  I'm over half way through Born of Silence by Sherrilyn Kenyon and during those brief down times during the day I've been reading my Knitting Traditions magazine.

For more awesome WIP's in action, hop on over to Tami's Amis and Small Things

Wednesday Blog Along #16

Um...no your eyes are not deceiving you. Why, yes the Helix socks are smaller than last time. Ugh. Started working the chart (which was going great) when I decided to try them on (the benefit of toe-up) and discovered that I was making them way, way too large. So, ribbit, ribbit. Since re-casting on I've not worked on Helix much due to the recital over the weekend.

Daughter's recital went really well. Her dance troop performs the same show four times, including a dress rehearsal. The dress rehearsal was Friday night (and so was her end of school year dance. Yee-Haw), then two shows on Saturday, and one on Sunday plus a cast party. By Sunday evening she was dragging ass and so was I.

But, during all of this mayhem, I did get some knitting done.

Before the weekend, I had just started on the yellow section. All of the rest was done while setting in the auditorium during set up and practice. Yay! for knitting. Otherwise, I would of gone bat-shit crazy.

Much reading has not been done during all of this, so, still plugging away at Born of Silence by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Right now, I'm reading through the section of the hero being tortured and it's tuff to get through.

Oh! I entered the 500 miles in 2012 bike challenge at Fleetly.com in February and completed it yesterday. WHOO-HOO! I'm going to enter it again and see how many times I can complete this before the end of the year. I know, it's not like I don't have enough to do already.

Now, hop on over to Tami's Amis and Small Things to view more awesome WIP's in action.

Wednesday Blog Along #15

Forgot today is Wednesday, I'm very exhausted from running the roads so much doing this errand or that. Oh, and this week is rehearsal week hell. Daughter's ballet troop is performing this weekend and they put on three shows. Two on Saturday and one on Sunday. But, leading up to that is a lot of practice on the stage getting all the chinks ironed out.

Finished reading the Free-Range Knitter by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee over the weekend. Reading it was like setting down with a good friend and having a chat. A very excellent read and would recommend it for others to try.

I'm about to start on the chart for the Helix socks.

Wish me luck, I've not worked on charts all that often :)

Also, still working on the new design project.

The Boyle bag (shown in the picture above) is awesome. They come in a two-pack set and are perfect for small projects for on the go. The bag can be worn hanging from the wrist, belt, shoulder, or over the neck. I've bought one set and am planning on ordering more.

Hop on over to Tami's Amis and Small Things

All reviews stated above are my sole opinion (and you know what the saying is). I've not been paid, compensated, or given anything in return for these reviews.

Wednesday Blog Along #14

Y'all, I was a really good girl and finished a project. ~gasp~ I know! So, for my reward lookie what I got to cast on.

Right now the Helix socks are shiny and new. And I love them and want to work on them so much. Wonder how long this infatuation will last?

Oh! Oh! I love, LOVE my new circular knitting needles from Knitter's Pride. They are fabulous!

Yesterday, I went to the Green Valley Book Fair (if you're a great book lover, this is the place you'll want to go) and bought Free Range Knitter: The Yarn Harlot Writes Again by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. Started reading it immediately and am enjoying it. Oh, and I finished Ghost Story by Jim Butcher. Excellent book! And I couldn't believe the twist it has. I'm already itching for the next one; I'm anxious to see were Dresden is going to go from here.

Now, I am reading Born of Silence by Sherrilyn Kenyon and working on a new design.

Hop on over to Tami's Amis and Small Things for some awesome WIP viewing!

Wednesday Blog Along #12

Whenever my guard slips, with three cats, this happens. They are always looking for an opportunity to run off with my yarn. And act in all innocence when they get caught, "What yarn? Oh, that yarn. No. I wasn't messing with it. Honestly."


I tried to start my official first pair of 2-at a time toe-up socks. The longest circular needles I have are 24" and my local yarn store (Micheal's :( ) doesn't carry anything over 24". We had three yarn stores once then Micheal's moved in and put them out of business. Now Micheal's doesn't stock half the stuff they used to. Very disappointing.

The pattern I'm hoping to work on soon is the Helix out of Toe Up 2 at Time Socks Melissa Morgan-Oakes. I did start the socks just to see how my new yarn would look. It's Stroll Fingering from Knit Picks in Tree Fort.

The yarn looks very lovely but, I can't continue on with these needles. The stitches on the sides are starting to stretch. Bummer. I hate waiting.

Currently, I'm reading Fitness Rx and Interweave Knits magazines. I'm still chugging away at Ghost Story by Jim Butcher and A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. But, it is only in passing, a line here, a paragraph there. Just so much going on, I really don't have the time to do more than that.

This morning after waking Husband for work and making sure he was up and moving around, I fell back to sleep and dreamed that I was tired. In the dream I kept trying to find a place to lay down and take a nap but, people kept finding me and waking me back up. It got to the point in the dream, where I was running away from these people, desperately looking for a secluded place to sleep. When the alarm went off to get the kids up for school, it felt like I hadn't slept at all. You know you are really tired when your subconscious is trying to tell you to sleep. Today, looks like a nap day (I wish) :p

Now, for wonderful WIP viewing, hop on over to Small Things and Tami's Amis.

Wednesday Blog Along #11

Wow! A lot has happened since I last posted for WIP Wednesday. I was gearing up for our local Spring Festival Art and Craft show when my upper back molar broke. Went in for a consultation to see what could be done for it, luckily it was a freak accident and the tooth was perfectly healthy. The dentist said he could fix it with a filling but, the day they could work me in was the day of the show. I was extremely bummed that I had to cancel doing the show but, relieved that the tooth could be fixed so easily.

I participated in the 3rd Annual Knit and Crochet Blog week 2012. It was lots of fun, I enjoyed reading everyone's post, and my contributions can be found here.

Now, for today's share.

I've already made one pair of the tutorial two at a time toe-up socks. Following the recommendations in Toe-Up 2 at Time Socks by Melissa Morgan-Oakes, I made the socks in two different colors. So, wanting matching pairs, I'm doing the tutorial again. Which is really good practice.

I've made some progress reading Ghost Story by Jim Butcher and A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. But, what little "free-time" I've had has found me in front of the TV numbly watching it. I don't know why, I've just not felt like reading, which is really unusual for me.

Hop on over to Tami's Amis and Small Things to view awesome WIP's in action.

Wednesday Blog Along #10

Hey, I'm back! Sorry it's been so long. March was nothing but one sickness after another. Coupled with Husband having a week off and then the kids having a week for Spring Break, I've just not had the energy for anything else but the day to day running of our household.

I'm more than half way through Ghost Story by Jim Butcher. Reading it was going so quickly, I was really gobbling it up. Now, I am making myself take sometime to enjoy it. I'm bad about reading books to fast and then missing the book once I've finished it.

And yes. I have a new WIP!

No, your eyes are to deceiving you and you are not having deja vu. Yes, yes, I am making another skull beanie. In the same colors as before. And same size. Why? You ask. Well our new dog has an appreciation for handmade knitted goods. As any good dog of a knitter/crocheter should :)

This happened on the third day we had him. Son wasn't too upset. And as all family members of a knitter/crocheter do, he turned to me and said "You can fix it." And he said this with not one ounce of doubt that his Mom could do this. But, after looking the hat over sadly I could not fix it. Son, of course, informed me that this was not a problem because I could just make him a new one. Of course.

For awesome knitters/crocheters hop on over to Tami's Amis and Small Things.

Wednesday Blog Along #9

It's been a busy, non-stop, don't know if I'm coming or going kind of week. Last night was my first full night of sleep. Thank, God. I'm exhausted. On Tuesday last I developed this awful cough that gets especially worst at night when I'm laying down. Because of this I've not slept well.

My newest WIP is Shep.

There hasn't been any progress on any knitting/crocheting projects because when I haven't been coughing my head off, I've been kept busy with our newest family member's training. We adopted him on Saturday. He is an Alaskan Malamute/German Sheppard mix and is only 2 years old. So, he is still going through puppy stages. Since bringing him home he has not left my side; I can't walk without running in to him or walking on him.

Because of being sick, I've managed to get a lot of reading done. Finished reading Ghost Hunting by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson with Michael Jan Friedman. It is a nice companion book to the TV show's earlier cases. Now I'm reading Ghost Story by Jim Butcher and it has caught my attention from the very beginning. I am remembering how much I enjoyed reading.

Wonderful WIP's are just a blog away so, be sure check out Tami's Amis and Small Things.

Wednesday Blog Along #6

I have a huge TBR stack that needs much attention. So, until I cull back some of my new books, I've put my marathon book read of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series on hiatus. Right now, I'm still reading George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones and have started on Josh Gates' Destination Truth, Memoirs of a Monster Hunter. Husband enjoys watching Josh Gates' show on Syfy, Destination Truth. I like watching the show with him because Josh Gates is hilarious! Great entertainment value and so far the book is an enjoyable read, too.

If you let me I can talk about books all day :)

Okay, my latest WIP.

After all the hiccups and false starts on Husband's hat #2, I am happy to say that he likes it (so far). Since taking this photo last eve, I've progressed further on hat #2 and will be starting on the crown after I complete this post. Fingers crossed that it will be completed, approved, and modeled in time for FO Friday. I may have to do some more omelet bribing in order to get my model to cooperate.

Happy knitting/crocheting and reading everyone. Now check out Tami's Amis and Small Things for awesome blog alongs.

Wednesday Blog Along #5

Are WIP's like Gremlins? Every morning I wake, my WIP's have multiplied. On the needles I have: A sweater jacket, secret project #1, secret project #2, Husband's hat #2 (finally), hexipuffs (of course), and a motif blanket. My God, there are more there than I thought!

Plus, I'm "helping" Son make his derby car for cub scouts.

I carved it out with a small bow saw yesterday, was down to my last pass with the saw, after two hours of work, and sliced across the top of my left thumb. Much cursing ensued. And bleeding. Then more cursing when I poured alcohol on it. Luckily, I didn't cut my thumb off, it's just a surface wound.

Husband's hat #2 is in its infant stage.

The motif blanket was cast on, when my new craft book arrived. 150 Knit & Crochet Motifs by Heather Lodinsky

Any one else have cast-on-itis? With all this madness, I haven't really made any progress on the reading front. Just a quick word, sentence, or paragraph here and there.

Hop over to Tami's Amis and Small Things to view more fabulous work.

Wednesday's Blog Along #2

Swatchin' and froggin'.

I didn't swatch for Husband's first hat because the pattern called for yarn and size needles that I've used before in combination to make other hats with same amount of stitches. So, silly me was all like I've got this. No need to swatch. Yeah, right. What was I thinking. Instead of having 20 sts. per 4" I had 16 sts. per 4" = hat too big. Ribbit. I'm now in the process of swatching for hat #1 and #2. Go, me!

These are the two hats that I'm swatching for, The "Dave" Beanie and Oliver Jogless Stripes Beanie. Both via Ravelry as free downloads.

Daughter's hat 2.0 or what I'm now calling the Smurf hat is back on the needles. I liked the lace pattern of the headband but, had shortened the crown. And though she had liked it she also likes the Smurfs and thought it would be awesome to have a hat similar to theirs. Sigh. The things we do for our loved ones. The pattern for this hat is featured in Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2011

This magazine has been well used :)

And in amongst all of this hat making I'm on a magazine kick.

Oh, and I'm still reading Sherrilyn Kenyon's Seize The Night during quiet times in the evenings before bed. Which are very few and far between.

Hop on over to Tami's Amis's and Small Things' blog alongs to view fabulous work.

Wednesday's Blog Along #1

Since I'm participating in WIPWs and Yarn Alongs I am combining the title/posts.

While knitting Daughter's hat, Son asked me to make him a new one too. He doesn't need a knew one but, you know, his big sissy is getting one. Then as I was finishing up her hat Sunday, Husband asked me to make him one too. Now, this is momentous. I made him one years ago, a simple dark green knit hat, he made the right oh and ah sounds, wore it for a few days, but then it has sat in the closet since. After asking me to make him a hat, he even went on line with me to pick out the pattern. On Monday he even went to the yarn shop with me to pick out the colors for his hats. Yes, hats. Two of them. So, my next few posts are going to be about hats. I even pick out a pattern for myself. Why not. Everyone else is getting new ones.

Last night I was close to completing Son's hat and realized that it was going to be to big ( I followed gauge). Even without the crown it would easily cover my whole head. That wouldn't do. So, I frogged it, have adjusted the numbers in the pattern, and have started over.

The pattern is Riley's Skully Hat via Raverly. Son is anticipating it's completion; he has handed me my work on numerous times. What a cutie pie :]

I'm still reading away at Sherrilyn Kenyon's Seize the Night. Unfortunately, I'm unable to hold a paperback and my knitting simultaneously. My reading has slowed down do to all the hat knitting. The Dark-Hunter series is quite long and I'm enjoying reading them one after the other in a continues story. But, my To Be Read Stack (TBR) is being neglected and the shelves are beginning to groan around it's strain. 

And with that I better get back to knitting. My guys are anxiously waiting. Hop on over to Tami's Amis and Small Things to view wonderfully creative people.

WIP Wednesday #7

Today, Son, had to go to the dentist and have three baby teeth pulled to make room for his permanents. He did really well and now is happily waiting for the tooth fairy to visit him.

My newest project on the needles

Daughter, has asked for a new hat. Hers has gotten a pit small. The pattern is out of Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2011. The headband of the hat is done in a nice lace pattern and then stitches are picked up along one side in the round to finish off the hat. This is 2.0. The yarn I was originally working with would not hold the pattern and started folding in on itself. So, ribbit. Plus, I've modified the band and took out the 6 row repeat. Oh, I don't know if it's my dyslexia acting up or not but, I found an error in the pattern. Where it calls for sl 1 pwise wyf on RS, what actually needs to be done is sl 1 pwise wyb on RS.

For Yarn Along, I'm continueing on my Sherrilyn Kenyon marathon and am now reading Seize the Night.

All of my books of hers are well read and are looking a bit rough for wear. A few I'm going to have to doctor up with some tape. Maybe, eventually, buy new ones to replace the ones (almost all) that are worn out and falling apart.

And a share, Monday, we not only got our first snow for 2012 but, for this winter!

I ran outside right when the snow started falling to take this picture. They were HUGE fat flakes. What little fell, melted about 2 hours later. This winter has been so unusual. By now we would've had about 6 feet of snow fall. But, I'm not complaining. It's a nice change to having to shovel our way out of the house. And I just know that by March we'll have reached well over the 6 feet mark.

Hop on over to Tami's Amis to see more fabulous WIP's in action. And Small Things Yarn Along for awesome stories.

WIP Wednesday #5

Hope everyone survived the Holidays and had a Merry Christmas! With all the Christmas knitting/crocheting I did for everyone else, I didn't get any done for my household. And reading the posts from fellow WIPer's and FOer's I had handmade ornament envy.

So, this week I am going to try and get a few done; in dark grey, red, and white to match our other Christmas decor. That way when we take all the decorations down after New Year's they can be packed away with them. I already have a few done that I'll be sharing on FO Friday.

As always, hop over to Tami's Amis to check out other awesome WIP's.

FO Friday #3

Today, I don't have a new FO but, thought I would share an old one.

These stockings I made years ago, probably five, when my youngest was a toddler. They're crocheted in the round and I stitched our names on them. The pattern was out of a magazine that I can no longer recall. Husband's is the blue one on the bottom, mine is the orange/purple, Daughter's is the pink camo, and Son's is the one on top. The yarn that I used for his is vintage. I found it in the bottom of a bin in our local charity shop.

As always hop on over to Tami's Amis for more wonderful FO's.

Hope your Christmas is merry!

WIP Wednesday #4

WIP Wednesday #4

After my marathon of Christmas knitting/crocheting was completed my brain felt like mush and I swear there for a day or so that my fingers and forearms had turned to limp noodles. So, with some mindless TV staring (there might have been some drool involved) for recuperation, I have begun to work once again on my Hexipuffs. Yeah! Hexipuffs!

I now have a count of 23 and one on the needle.

Previously, before my insane notion to start Christmas knitting/crocheting at the end of November, I had started on a sweater coat for myself. I found this pattern in Crochet Today Nov/Dec 2007 issue. It seems simple enough for a busy Crocheter, something that can be worked on while herding the hoodlums or while relaxing in front of the TV.

Dark grey is one of my favorite colors, if not the favoritest one. The yarn is Simply Soft Caron and it is oh, so , soft. You know the yarn is really soft when you find yourself setting there petting your project. I’m looking forward to getting back to work on the sweater.

Knitpick’s pattern holder is awesome.

I’ve been looking for something like what I use for my cross-stitch patterns, but none of the local shops carry them anymore.  Looking through Knitpick’s recent catalog, TA! DA! Found one.

It’s working out well, so far.

UPDATE: Our cat is doing really well. Saturday night he had a set back and then Sunday morning he got up like nothing ever happened and started eating and interacting with his brothers. The vet still has no clue what had been wrong.  We think it might have been a combination of missing the dog (they had been close) and bad cat food. I had opened a new bag Monday last, the same day he had come down sick. The other two didn’t even eat much of it, either. Since then we have replaced the food and he is now recovering. Yeah!

Don’t forget to check out other great WIP’s over at Tami's Amis!

My First WIP Wednesday

Originally, this post was going to be about the new hat that I was working on.

All was going well with my improvised pattern but the further I got along with it the more I didn’t like it. The hat has now been frogged. Ribbet!

I spent a long couple of hours last night separating this yarn.

Years ago, I had bought it to make myself a sweater. I did everything properly in preparation for the project, including testing my gauge, which I don’t do very often. Spent hours working on this sweater and when I assembled it I found that there had been glitches in the pattern resulting in some parts not lining up right. Well, I rigged it together and it didn’t fit. By this time, after all the work I’d spent on it, I was reduced to frustrated tears. The sweater was frogged and the yarn was put away. I was very disappointed, I don’t usually make stuff for myself.

Sarah’s Tip: when frogging a project that requires double strand, remember to separate the skeins as you wind the yarn up. Because years later when you go to use it for a new project that only requires one strand, it will take FOREVER to unwind into a single strand ball.

My new WIP is another Sarah’s Super Quick Throw.

When the holiday knitting/crocheting frenzies are over I will have more time to write this pattern up and have it offered for sale.

Go to Tami's Amis to check out all the WIP Wednesday updates.

Be inspired. Be creative.