HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Tom and I were married 15 years ago today. Tonight we are going out for dinner with some friends for sushi!! The Packers play at 7:15, so it will be a quick dinner then over to their house for the game. I hope you all have a great New Year's Eve, fun and safe, and a great 2007. Happy Knitting!!

PUPPY LOVE!!!





Here is a picture of our new puppy, Todd Leo Quigley. We had so much fun meeting him today. His mom and dad are very nice dogs. We were able to play with him and one brother and two of his sisters. Three other puppies were able to go to their new homes already. We can pick Todd up next Saturday. I can't wait. No knitting pictures to share, sorry.

I don't have any pictures to post today, but I just needed to express how much I enjoy reading other people's blogs and making friends through my hobby of knitting. It is fun to know that other women and men out there are fanatics about knitting too. This fall has been an interesting one to say the least, but I am grateful that I have my friends, in person and in blogland. Someday I would just love to be able to meet the wonderful knitters that I have been "meeting" through this blog and others.

We are going to visit our new puppy on Saturday, then we can pick him up on Jan. 6th. I can't wait!! He is very cute. I will post pictures on either Saturday night or Sunday.

Tomorrow our pastor, Mary, is having her annual after Christmas Knitting Fest. I am looking forward to spending time with my fellow knitting friends and eating some of her yummy food. Happy Knitting all!!

Christmas Goodies
I must have been a good girl this year! Look what I got: A swift and ball winder!! Yeah!
I also got some Malabrigo Chunky to make felted slippers and a book, Folk Socks by Nancy Bush. I'm still very sad about my Mel, but I know we did the right thing. We have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy picked out and hopefully we will be able to pick him up this weekend. It will be fun having a puppy around.
The picture of me on Christmas morning isn't very pretty, but I am in my new bathrobe! It looks like a weigh a ton! I haven't lost any more weight this fall, but I haven't gained any back either. Hopefully my back will get better soon and then I can start working out again. I have to say that we had a very nice Christmas. I think the kids were happy with their gifts, even though we weren't able to get the Nintendo Wii. I will keep looking though. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Happy Knitting!!

Merry Christmas one and all!

I want to thank all of the wonderful knitters who have sent kind words during this difficult time. I just picked up Mel's ashes from the vet today. They were in a very nice oak box with a gold engraved name plate that also had his birth date and death date on it. I cried lots of tears again this afternoon, but I know we did the right thing for him. I sure do miss him and his goofy ways.

I hope you all have a great Christmas and enjoy time with family and friends. I think I may be getting a swift and ball winder, and if that is the case, on Christmas morning I will probably be winding some yarn while the kids play with their new toys!!

Thanks again for the comforting words. Happy knitting to all, and to all a good night!!

GOOD BYE MY FRIEND.....We had to put Mel to sleep today. We found out he had Lymphoma and that there wasn't anything we could do. He also had a clotting disorder that we didn't know about, and he was bleeding into his lungs. My words cannot express how sad we all are. We had him almost five years, not long enough. He was a very funny and naughty dog, but we loved him so very much. If you are an animal lover, you will understand that he was one of the family. He survived eating chocolate many times, got into rat poison in April and survived, and was kicked in the head by a deer in May and survived. I guess he had tempted the fates one too many times. We have wonderful memories of him and know that yes, life goes on. My bed will feel a bit more empty tonight. I still have Kipper and the cats, but Mel liked to cuddle and sleep under the covers when it was cold. I will miss this dog so much.

These are the kids Christmas stockings. I didn't know how to knit when we had Grant, so his was purchased at Dayton's (which is now Macy's). I did knit Maggie and Patrick's stockings though. I knit one for my husband, but didn't take a picture of his. Someday I will knit one for myself.


This is our cat, Richie, sleeping under the tree! We just love this guy!! He is naughty with the bows on presents, so none of them have bows or ribbons this year. The other picture was taken when he was sleeping on the cat condo we have for Gracie and him. We think taking pictures of a sleeping cat is fun. Cats sleep in such cute positions!!

I still need to get our Christmas cards started and mailed!! I probably won't post again until after Christmas. I have cookies to bake and a house to clean before Tom's family arrives on Sunday evening. We are off to my parent's house on Christmas day. Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah, if you celebrate these. Otherwise, Happy knitting!!

The tree has lights and ornaments, finally!! We put the stockings up and a few other decorations. It's beginning to look like Christmas! I have most of my shopping done and wrapped. I will work on the cards this week, and then next week will be for all the wonderful baking.

On the knitting front: I am working on my scarf, and hope to have it done for a picture tomorrow. My youngest, Patrick, is making a scarf too, so I will add that picture tomorrow also. I have my wish list on file down at The Yellow Dog, so hopefully hubby will go get some of the items next week. He took Miss Maggie out to the mall today and I guess they shopped for me there. All the presents under the tree are driving Patrick nuts!! Poor kid, he'll just have to wait. I will have some good photos tomorrow. Meanwhile, Happy knitting!

Santa Bears that I started collecting in 1986.

Finished projects!
I made this purse in October, but just put the lining in it and added the button. I used Rowan Tapestry to make it. I was going to keep it, but I may end up giving it away. I need to make a bag for my Mitten Kit Swap, so maybe this will be the one I send.



Finished socks!! They are just a basic toe up pattern that I got from Cindi at The Yellow Dog.
I used Twizzle by Mountain Colors. They are very warm, just right for the colder temps. we have been getting.

I'm still in a bit of a funk, but I started a scarf for myself today. The tree is up and hopefully we will put the lights on it tonight and decorate it. Tomorrow I will be going to church to look over some things Pastor Mary brought back from Jamaica for our prayer box stations. Miss Maggie was home from school today with an upset stomach. She slept until 11:00 this morning! I believe she is feeling better now. I think when I am done posting this I will go down and get my New England Village set and put it up in kitchen. I haven't put it out for years, since Mr. Patrick was such a stinker!! I think he is old enough now to leave it alone.

I am still trying to figure out this whole blogging thing and getting my pictures and script to go where I want. I will just have to keep playing around. Have a good day all!! Happy knitting!

Grief

The scrapbooking and rubber stamp community lost a wonderful woman on Monday. I had the pleasure of knowing this woman for about 10 years. Kelly and I weren't best friends or anything, but more like two people with a common bond of our love of scrapbooking. She worked at the bank where I do a lot of my banking so I knew her in that capacity too. She lost her battle with cancer after almost 4 years. She leaves behind a husband, two sons, and a daughter. The kids are in their early 20's. Much too young to be without a mother. My friend Chris and I went to the visitation last night. I am feeling very blue today. My family wants to go and get the Christmas tree and decorate for Christmas today. I just want to crawl back into bed and snuggle with the dogs and cats. We have Tom's Christmas party tonight. I guess life goes on, but my world is feeling a bit empty now. No knitting news, maybe tomorrow, or whenever I can get my groove back.

Thanks to the two people who responded to my blog yesterday. I wasn't trying to be judgemental or offending, I was just curious about why some people celebrate Christmas. I love that I live in this country and have freedom to ask questions like this. I appreciate all the men and women who are fighting for our freedom now or who have served in the past. No matter how you feel about the war we are in now, we do need to remember those risking their lives daily and send good thoughts their way. If you haven't figured out by now, yes I am a religious person. I pray for our service men and women serving all over the world. It is at this time of year that they are on my mind the most. Thanksgiving and Christmas are times for families and friends to gather together and in some homes, there is a person missing due to this war or the fact that they have enlisted to serve in another part of the world. No one in my immediate family is serving in the military right now, but my dad did serve in the Korean War. I just wanted to take this time to remember these wonderful people. I guess for me, Christmas is a time to celebrate the wonder of Jesus' birth, but also a time for me to reflect on all the wonderful blessings and gifts I have received by those who have served or are serving in the military.

I was just wondering.....


I know this is a knitting blog but I have been pondering something and I need to get it off my chest. I know there are people out in the world that celebrate Christmas but don't believe in God or Jesus Christ. My question is this: If you don't believe that Jesus was born, and he was the Son of God, why would you celebrate Christmas? Is it just for the gift giving/getting thing? Why not celebrate Hanukkah? For Hanukkah you get to open presents for eight nights in a row. I know that I live in a free country and people are free to celebrate whatever they want, in the way that they want. I just don't get the whole concept of celebrating a Christian holiday if you don't believe in Jesus Christ. I may have offended some readers, (I actually don't even know if I have that many) and I don't mean to offend anyone. I am just curious about this. I am truly not trying to sound judgemental, it is just something that I needed to write about. Any comments would be welcome. THANKS!


I'm off to try and finish those darn socks!! Happy knitting!

I'm back!!
We stayed an extra day at my brother-in-law's, so we didn't get home until yesterday. I wanted to post a picture of my finished socks, but they aren't done yet. My camera is still acting up, so picture posting will be on hold. My arthritis acted up over the weekend which meant that I needed to take frequent breaks in the knitting. We did have a good time and ate lots of good food.

The kids were very tired on Saturday night and I was thinking that we may have stayed too long, but we made them wind down with a movie and then an early bedtime. Sunday morning everyone seemed to be in better spirits. The kids didn't want to leave, but they didn't give us any trouble. We had an agreement that if we stayed the extra day that when it came time to leave we wouldn't have any arguments. Mel did fine with us too. Berkley just loved having him there. Mel wasn't too sure about playing with such a big dog and growled quite a bit at first. By the time we left they were wagging their tails at each other and taking turns sniffing. I was glad to be home. I like sleeping in my own bed.

I was able to get some Christmas shopping done today. I hope I can get that new Nintendo Wii that Grant wants!! When I was at Tar*et today they had the notorious Playstation 3, but not the Wii. When I went back a few hours later, all the PS3s were gone. I have tried to explain to Grant that I may not be successful in getting the Wii before Christmas and he just says, "But that's all I want". I'll do my best, but I refuse to buy from anyone on Ebay. It pisses me off that people buy these things and they sell them for profit and the kids who really want one, may not get one!! The kid has been talking about this thing since the spring!! Send me good thoughts okay, that maybe I'll be lucky enough to get one for him.

Packers are beating the Seahawks on Monday night football, but it's not over yet. I have to go and finish watching. Happy knitting!!

PUMPKIN PIE!!!

Well, it is that time of year! Turkey and pumpkin pie!! I made my pumpkin pie tonight and still need to make a pecan pie. We are going to Middleton, Wi for Thanksgiving. Tom's brother and his family live there. My kids are looking forward to seeing their cousin. We always have a good time. I only have to bring two pies and an egg bake for breakfast on Thursday morning. My sister-in-law loves to cook. It is her hobby!! She lives for holidays that require cooking lots of food. (I prefer the hobby of knitting and eating all that good food.) Our dog, Mel, has yeast infections in both his ears which requires daily cleaning and two different medications administered in the ears. He will be going with us. I can't expect our neighbor to have to deal with that. She will come and check on Kipper and the cats every day. I feel bad that Kipper is staying here, but he hates going in the car and my in-laws have a big yellow lab. I think adding one dog and three kids into his household will be enough of an adjustment for him.

I have one sock 3/4 done and have started another. I want to make sure I don't run out of yarn. I am looking forward to a lot of knitting time during the 2 1/2 hour car ride and while we are visiting. The adults watch lots of football and I get a bit tired of it, so I look forward to some knitting time by myself in the guest room. I hope all of you who are celebrating Thanksgiving have a wonderful day and safe travels. I'll post again when we get back on Saturday. I can't believe then the rush for Christmas will begin!! Happy Knitting!!

Well our plans have changed for the weekend. Miss Maggie decided she isn't ready for deer hunting. She is said she doesn't want to kill any animals and she is nervouse about being in the woods with all the people with guns. I was being very supportive in her quest to go hunting, but I have to admit that I am happy she won't be out there. I think she needed to come to that conclusion on her own. She may change her mind tomorrow, so for now we are staying home but we may have to go up to NR tomorrow.

In knitting news: I started a pair of socks and that is about it. I'll post pictures on Monday. Have a good weekend!! Happy Knitting!!

I read Scout's blog yesterday and decided to respond to the questions she posted.

1. How and when did you learn how to knit/crochet? My friend Kim taught me about 12 1/2 years ago. I started with dishcloths.
Who taught you? Maggie's Godmother, Kim
2. How has this craft impacted your life? (besides financially!) It really helps me relax! I have met some wonderful people through my hobby of knitting.
3. Pick at least one person to talk about who you have met through the knit-world and why you are thankful to have met them. Feel free to get all mushy. It is hard to pick just one person, so I am going to list two people, Dixie and Cindi, from Yellow Dog Knitting!! They are so wonderful and they have helped me become a better knitter. They are very encouraging when I think I want to take on a hard project. They are not only wonderful knitters, but I consider them my friends. I love to go down to the shop and just hang out and knit. No high pressure to buy anything, but I usually do. Everyone who works at the Dog really takes time to help the customers and their enthusiasm for the art of knitting gets passed along. I am so glad this shop opened three years ago. It really got my knitting to the forefront of my life.

I am feeling better about Maggie going hunting this weekend. I know she will be fine. I am looking forward to spending time with my mom. She wants me to take her to some craft fairs. Patrick isn't looking forward to that, but I know if I bribe him with candy or a small toy he will be much easier to deal with. I finished two dishcloths for mom, so I will be taking them to her this weekend. I am going to start on another pair of socks. Still no batteries in the camera, but hopefully I can remember to get some and post some pictures when I get home on Sunday!! Kristi of Red Dog Knits is having her babies tomorrow. Send her some good thoughts. Have a good weekend!! Happy Knitting!!

Okay, I forgot to take pictures of the scarves before I took them to The Yellow Dog today. Well, actually, I forgot to get batteries for my camera and then take pictures. Three scarves done for the record. I made a dishcloth for my mom last night and started another. I can't believe that I learned how to knit by making these. The sugar and cream yarn isn't the nicest stuff to work with! I have become a yarn snob! Sorry!! I really like the good stuff though.

I am starting some socks with some LUSH yarn. It is so soft!! Maybe I will remember to get batteries tonight after church council and take some pictures tomorrow.

Okay, anyone out there have suggestions for making teen boys happy with food choices after school???!!! I have bought Hungry Man dinners, Mac'nCheese, Soup, Cereal, Lunchmeat, bread, Cheese, Lettuce, Tomatoes, PBJ, Rice Cakes, Cheeze-It mix, Carnation Instant Breakfast, fruit, Microwave Popcorn!!! He stills says we have "nothing in the house!" AGHHHHH!!!! I bet if I had a bunch of candy and chips he would be happy!! I only get soda once in a while and the candy and chips are a rare treat too. Any suggestions would be helpful.

I need to run now and look over stuff for council tonight. I am doing the devotions/book study leader!! This is not my strong point. I can talk about knitting forever, but this stuff is really scary for me!! Wish me luck!! Happy knitting!!

GO PACK GO!!!

I love that the Green Bay Packers beat the Minnesota Vikings yesterday in Minneapolis!! YEAH!! The Packers have not had the best football seasons the past few years to say the least, but whenever they beat the Vikings, it is a good day for me!!


I finished another scarf for our cancer project and started yet another. My camera batteries are dead, so I will post pictures tomorrow.

Confession time: This weekend my daughter is going deer hunting for the first time and I am a wreck!! I know she is well prepared having taken hunter's safety and shooting her gun, etc. but I am still nervous about having her out in the woods with a gun. She will be hunting with my brothers and nephews and one niece, and I trust them all, but she's my girl, and it scares me. Just one more chapter in our lives that I have to let go and trust she will be fine. I never knew how difficult it would be to let my kids grow up!!
Have a good day, and Happy Knitting!!

This is my little cutie, Mel, modeling a scarf I made for our cancer patient project. I'm not sure if he is happy about wearing it or not!! I have to figure out what is happening with my camera. It seems like most pictures I take lately have that funky stuff on the bottom of them. Again, another technical thing I really know nothing about. I guess I'll have to read the instruction book that came with the camera and see if I can figure out what I am doing wrong. My husband and I are going to the movie, Flags of Our Fathers, this afternoon. A fitting movie for Veteran's Day! The boys will be going to, The Santa Clause 3, while we are at our movie. Hope you all have a good weekend!! Happy knitting!

We are having our first snow storm of the season. The roads are terrible!! It took me about an hour to take my kids to school this morning!! I can't believe what morons some people are when driving on a snowy day!! The visibility was terrible and there were people who only cleaned off a small portion of their windshield to drive this morning! Do they not think that maybe they may want to see out the other windows? I am not going anywhere until 1:30 this afternoon. Grant has a Veteran's Day program at his middle school and the band is playing. They also made quilt squares in 7th grade last year and now the quilts will be displayed. His square was in honor of my dad who served in the Korean war.

I started a scarf so hopefully I can finish that today and post a picture tomorrow. I hope everyone has a good day!! Be careful if you are driving in snow!!

No Pictures!

I have been a bad blogger!! I just haven't gotten pictures onto my blog but I plan to do it this weekend. I started a scarf and have been working on that. Nothing else is too exciting to write about. Hubby and I got into a bit of a squabble last night over voting!! He really insulted me when he told me I wasn't an informed voter!! I voted a different way than him on a capital punishment referendum! I won't tell you how either of us voted, but we did not vote the same way. I am entitled to my own opinions! This is the first time since I have known him that we have argued over voting. I told him that I don't have to agree with his views all the time and I will remember not to share how I vote with him in the future! Enough about this!!

I am going to go down to the Yellow Dog to knit with my best friend, Chris tomorrow!! I can't wait!! She just had carpal tunnel surgery two weeks ago, but is doing really well. It will be fun to spend some time with her. I will try to get some pictures on here very soon. Happy knitting!

Election Day!!!


We have a marriage amendment to vote on today and it is confusing the h#*l out of me!! I'm not sure if I voted the right way or not!!! Why can't they just word the stupid things in ways that everyone can understand!!! I don't want to get a law degree just so I can vote how I really feel about issues!!! This is the first time since I have been 18 that I have been so confused when I went to vote!!!! I guess my hubby voted one way and I voted the other, so I guess we just canceled out each other on this amendment!!

Knitting news: I still haven't taken a picture of Miss Maggie's mittens. Our LYS shot a commercial today and my wonderful friend who owns the store asked me to come down to be part of it!! Isn't that fun?! I had to be shopping!!! That was a stretch for me, but someone had to do it!! LOL (For those of you reading this who really don't know me very well, I tend to be a bit of a shop-a-holic when it comes to yarn, books, needles, bags, ect.)

I will be starting some scarves tonight for cancer patients at our two hospitals. Last year a group of women started this great program and I made a few scarves. This year we hope to get even more scarves and even for some men. It makes me feel good when I can do something for others. I figure that I get to use my knitting hobby for the good of others and that is just fun for me.

Well, I'm going to start a scarf and watch the election results!! Happy knitting!!

Answers for Secret Mitten Swap

The Questionnaire:
Are you allergic to any fibers? no

What are your favorite colors?red and blue

Are you a new mitt knitter? no How long have you been knitting mittens? 2 years

Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn? multi-colored

What fibers do you prefer in mitten yarn? wool

Where do you usually knit mittens? wherever I can

How do you usually carry/store small projects? purse or small tote

What are your favorite mitten patterns? don't have a favorite

What are your favorite mitten knitting techniques? magic loop or 2 circs.

What new techniques would you like to try? fair isle

What are your favorite needles for knitting mittens? addi turbos

What are some of your favorite yarns? socks that rock, koigu, rowan

What yarn do you totally covet? cashmere

Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object? a cashmere bathrobe!

Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)? addi turbo circs

If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be? cashmere

Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack? i love the original gummy bears by Haribo

What’s your favorite animal? dogs/cats, i have two of each

Would you prefer super warm mittens or something more like fingerless mitts? warm

If you were a color what color would you be? red (i'm a bit impulsive)


What is your most inspiring image, flower, or object in nature? the sun shining through fluffy clouds


Do you have a wishlist? no

Anything else you’d like to share with the group today? i just want to have fun with this, no stress for anyone.

I was at scrapbooking retreat this weekend. It was a lot of fun and I got 33 pages done. I will post pictures tomorrow. I need to go to bed. I only got three hours of sleep today!!! Too much fun!! (I was sober the whole weekend in case you were wondering).

Sock Wars

My assassin isn't participating in sock wars, so I contacted her assassin. That assassin stopped knitting because her assassin sent her socks but she hasn't received them yet. I emailed my new assassin and told her that she needs to send the partially knitted socks on to her assassin. Does this make sense to anyone???!!! I just want some socks out of the deal!! I don't care if I die!! I want my socks!! Boy, I sound greedy!!

Confession time: I don't want my kids to grow up!! Here is the reason: It is scary!! I let Miss Maggie go trick or treating last night with a friend. It wasn't in my neighborhood, but one that I know a lot of people who live there. It was just scary letting her go out at night without me. I had talked to her about staying with the group, what roads she couldn't go beyond, etc., but I was terrified. SHE DID AWESOME!! She told me that the group crossed one of the streets that she was told not to, and she told them all "My mom said I can't cross Rudolph Road." She didn't cave into peer pressure and she was with some high school kids (brother and cousins to her friend). I was very proud of her. She went to one of my friend's houses to warm up and wait for the group. I was so glad when she called me to come pick her up. I hadn't seen her since 7:20 a.m. when I dropped her off at school. This whole letting go and letting them grow up sucks!! I know I need to let her go and trust her to make decisions, but at the same time I want to keep her with me forever!!

This is a knitting blog, right?!! Sorry!! I did finish Maggie's mittens in time for her to wear them last night and she loved them. I'll post a picture tomorrow!! I'm getting a new knitting bag that I'll show too!! Happy knitting!!

YARN FROM SCOUT'S SWAG!! Isn't it pretty!! I forgot to post this with the others!

PDQ kicking a football, Saturday Sky, and Maggie's Mittens
Photobucket is working.



Who knows what was happening!
This morning the kids and I along with a few others did a food drive for our local Humane Association. We were able to collect over 800 lbs. of dog and cat food along with some monetary donations. This is the fourth year we have done this. The kids have a great time doing this. I was very tempted to bring a kitten home today along with a very cute adult cat, but I had strict orders from hubby not to bring another animal home! I just feel so bad for all the animals at the shelter!! We pretended to have an animal in Maggie's coat when we got home!! Hubby was mowing the lawn and he stopped immediately and walked over to us saying "NO, you didn't!" We all just started laughing. He didn't seem as mad as we thought he would be!! I guess we should have taken our chances!! Miss Gracie wouldn't even come to me when I got home! I had to change my clothes, then she would let me pick her up. I guess she feels the same way as her dad!!
I am making Maggie's mittens out of Koigu and Rowan Kidsilk Haze. I really like how they are turning out.

We have two Halloween parties tonight. One is for families, so we will take the kid's to that one from 6:30 to 8:30 or so, then hubby and I will be off to the neighbor's adults only party after that. I know we will all have a good time.

I'm still here!
Still having issues with the whole picture thing!! I tried to post on Wednesday, but I guess blogger was down for some kind of maintenance!!

I have had a busy week, so not much knitting news. I did manage to finish one of Maggie's mittens and am about 2/3 done with the second. Hopefully I can finish this weekend and put a picture on my blog.

Yesterday was spent having a pelvic ultrasound and bone scan. I am still having problems with my lower back, especially on the right side. The guy who did the bone scan told me I have severe arthritis in my shoulders. Some showed up in my right knee and wrist. He of course can't give me an official diagnosis until the radiologist reads the scan, but at least it explains some of the other aches and pains I have been experiencing. I will find out all the results of the ultrasound and bone scan early next week.

I tried acupuncture for the first time on Wednesday. It was very relaxing! I go again on Monday. Maybe this will help with the lower back issues. I've seen a chiropractor, back specialist, and a physical therapist in the last three months and no one seems to know what is happening!! Something has got to start working!!

I'll hopefully be able to get some knitting done this weekend. Hope y'all have a good one!! Maybe I will be able to post Saturday Sky tomorrow, if I can get the d@#n picture thing to work!!

Happy knitting!

Computer issues!!

I can't seem to get my pictures to load from Photobucket. Some internal system error! Since I know so much about computers LOL, I 'm not sure what to do. I'll have to wait until my wonderful neighbor can help me. Do they offer classes for incompetents like me? I am amazed that I have gotten into blogging to begin with. I am computer challenged to say the least. Oh well, at least I am trying.

I started a sock last night with the Packer yarn, but ended up frogging it because I had dropped some stitches and got totally mixed up when I tried to correct my error!! I think I will start over today with the socktoberfest yarn, since Halloween is only 10 days away. I do love my yarn!! Great job, Scout. I will definitely be ordering more yarn in the near future!! I need some WI Badger yarn and some Milwaukee Brewer yarn to complete my sports team collection.

My kids and I are off to New Richmond to celebrate the 15th and 14th birthday of a nephew and niece. We are going to all meet at my parent's house and it usually turns into a fun time for all!! Confession time once again. I don't get to my parent's house as often as they would like. It just seems that the days are so filled with the kids and their activities. Weekends usually consist of laundry, cleaning, yard work, more kid stuff, church, etc. I believe that feeling guilty is just a condition of motherhood, and I just add to it by feeling guilty that I don't go visit my parents more often. Does anyone else deal with this issue?

I need to get ready to go. Hubby is staying home with the furry kids because he is working on reviews for his staff members. He made breakfast for all this morning and even brought mine to me in bed!! I am one lucky girl!! I told him that he spoils me, and his response was "Don't get used to it." LOL, he will continue because he has for the past 16 years that I have known him. I truly feel blessed that he came into my life.!!

Happy knitting!!

Yipeeeee!!!
I got my yarn from Scout today!! It made my day. I am feeling better and can now hear and breath again. I hate having a cold!! I went to the Yellow Dog to have my yarn wound into center pull skeins. I can't decide which to start with. The socktoberfest is so pretty and Halloween is just around the corner, but I really love my Packer yarn too. What a problem to have!!

I am trying to get my pictures to load onto the computer, but the computer gremlins are acting up!! I will keep trying and hopefully have something to show soon!! Happy knitting!

Head Cold!!
I have a nasty head cold and I feel like crap!! I don't even want to knit. Isn't that terrible! My best friend, Chris, is bringing me some Fresca, nasal spray, and Sudafed. She is so good to me!! Maggie (my daughter) is home today with a bad headache, I hope she is not getting this icky cold!! I'm going back to the couch to cuddle with the dogs and cats. Hopefully I will have some knitting news soon. Check out Scout's Swag (link at right), she has my yarn I asked her to dye for me up on her blog. Isn't it great?! Happy knitting!

Problem Solved!!!
I was able to get another skein of the yellow in the correct dye lot!! It was the last one the Yellow Dog had! All I have to do is rip out the wrong yellow and knit with the new stuff!! Hooray!! Hooray!! Can you tell I am extremely happy? I have a rotten head cold and sore throat so I am going to go to bed now, just wanted to let anyone who reads my blog that my problem is solved!!!

AAAARRRRGGGGGHHH!!
Notice the color difference??? I can't believe I didn't notice this last night when I was finishing the sweater!! I was buying buttons for it and I was in brighter light at the store and I noticed the difference in the yarn!! I bought my yarn at the same time, but didn't check the dye lots!! I usually do!! Now what? I will take off the sleeve and either knit another in the darker yellow, but that doesn't match the front panel, or else my daughter suggested knitting it in the lighter blue. What do you think? Any comments are welcome!!

I think I will go ahead and start another sock and give myself a break from the baby sweaters. I need to start the other one, but since the babies are still really little, there is no hurry!! I am just really bummed out!!!

Confession time!! I went shopping for some dressy clothes today!! I got a nice black skirt that was needed, some black shoes, (not really necessary), a plaid wool skirt, a wool blazer, and a sweater set. I have casual clothes and work out clothes, but nothing to wear for church or a nice dinner out. I have lost some weight, so I am down three sizes. I deserve some clothes, right?

Off to get some rest. I think I am coming down with a cold. Happy knitting!!

Sally Melville in Eau Claire!

I was able to meet Sally Melville on Thursday night and take a class from her on Friday afternoon. It was wonderful. She is a very good teacher. I have all of her books and have made quite a few things from The Knit Stitch and The Purl Stitch books. I want to make a sweater and skirt set out of The Color book soon. I am almost done with the baby sweater that is from her Knit Stitch book. I will try and post that tomorrow.

I finished my first pair of socks for Socktoberfest. They are made from Socks that Rock found at Blue Moon Fiber Arts. They are very warm and comfortable. I enjoyed making them. I think I will start another pair of socks with some yarn I have in my stash while I wait for my yarn from Scout at Scout's Swag (see link at right).

My Packers have the day off, so I'm not watching any football. My oldest son and I had to play in the hand bell choir at the 8:30 service this morning. It was our first time and I think we did pretty good. I really enjoyed it. The whole family then went out to brunch at the country club so we could make our spending limit. It was pretty good, but I'm not sure it was worth the price!! Oh well, that's life!

Happy knitting to all!!!!!

snow!!!!
As I sit and write this post it is snowing!! I know that it won't accumulate on the ground, but still, it is only Oct. 11!!! I don't mind the snow when the calendar says December or January, this is just too soon.

I finished my Socks that Rock socks on Monday night and I will post a picture later. This week has been crazy so far, but tonight after all the church activities, I plan on taking some pictures to put onto this blog. I am working on a baby sweater, so will have that WIP to post also.

Since I named this blog, confessions of a knitting diva, I suppose I should start confessing some things. First of all I hate housework!! I would rather knit or read or scrapbook. Does this make me a bad person? I love being a stay at home mom so I can participate in my kids activites and be home with them when they are sick, ect., but I hate the "housewife" part of my job. There, I said it. Will that make the cleaning and dishes go away? No, but I feel better. The kids are done with school for the week because the teachers have a convention tomorrow and Friday. I will be home, so then I can tackle some of the cleaning. YUCK!!

Second confession, I hate having to watch what I eat and exercise!! I started working out with a personal trainer almost two years ago. I have been pleased with the results, but to be honest, I still don't get that wonderful "rush" you are supposed to get after working out. I have been dealing with a lot of pain in my lower back and SI joint for a few months now, so I am currently not working out. I really don't miss it, but I know that exercise is good for my bone health and heart, and I do want to be a good role model for my kids. There, another confession.

Well, I need to get ready for my 4th graders at church tonight. Hopefully I can post some pictures later. Otherwise, I'll do it tomorrow.

Saturday Sky!!
This is the view of my backyard by the pool. I love fall!!

Kipper and Mel helped me this morning to take my saturday sky picture.

Here is our cat, Richie. A.K.A Fat Cat

This is my Gracie!! Isn't she cute?


I have many helpers when I knit. Here is Kipper, Gracie, and Mel this morning. I am trying to get a pair of socks done. I love them, but sometimes I need my space!

This is a pair of toe-up socks that I started the last week of Sept. I stopped working on them to start my sock wars socks. Since I have worked on the majority of the sock in October, will they count for Socktoberfest? I hope so!!

Sock Wars!

I was see that Ken received his sock wars socks from me. Check out his blog, Alterknit Universe. The link is on the right. I am glad the socks fit him!! I still haven't received my socks, so I guess I will finish the pair that Ken started. I was hoping to post pictures today, but didn't get much sleep last night. I was worrying about the tickets for the Women of Faith conference that hadn't arrived. I was responsible for selling 25 tickets, and so I had people waiting for them. They were in the mail today, so all is well. The conference is in two weeks. Tomorrow I hope to show my socks in progress for Socktoberfest.

I'm knitting socks for socktoberfest.

Newbie!!
Okay, so I knew that my computer knowledge was limited, but I found that starting a blog was easy. I just don't know how to add fellow bloggers links, buttons, or pictures yet. My wonderful 7th grade neighbor is coming over after school today to help me. He is incredible with computers and I know he will have me up and running in no time.

As for knitting news, I am working on my toe-up socks made from Socks That Rock. I love this yarn. I can't wait to finish so I can wear them. I currently have a baby sweater on the needles too. I am making two sweaters for my husbands wonderful sales assisstant who had twin girls in August. Maybe I'll have pictures tomorrow.

I ordered some Socktoberfest yarn from Scout's Swag. She is also custom dyeing me some Green Bay Packer yarn. YUMMY!!! Do you think I will be able to get three pairs of socks done in one month? I sure hope so. I can't wait to post pictures and send some to Lolly.

Since I have discovered knitting blogs I have become obsessed with them. I have decided to create my own, after some prompting from fellow bloggers, since I seem to post comments on a regular basis. I learned to knit 12 1/2 years ago but wasn't consistent with it until a new shop opened up here about 3 years ago. The owner and her staff our fabulous and are good friends of mine. I go there quite a bit.

I joined Sock Wars and have sent my socks off to Ken in Maine. (Hi Ken, look I have a blog now!)
I haven't heard from my assassin and I don't even know if she is still playing. Hopefully I will get my socks soon. I guess I am not suppose to be looking forward to being "killed" but what a way to die!! DEATH BY SOCKS!! Not too bad in my opinion!!

Well, I need run! I have an appointment with my chiropractor, then it is on to The Yellow Dog for some knitting with a friend.