What to Call This Post?

I am finding my posts few and far in between and of course without photos. I'll have to take care of that soon. Knitting Daughter and I wanted to get some Mommy and me photos done. I had stopped at Sears on Friday while I was wasting some time before I had to meet my Dad for dinner. I stopped in at the Photo Studio and made arrangements for a sitting on Saturday. When I looked at the price, I decided to add a few more people into the photo shoot. My DS was available and DH was told to show up. Yep, it was family picture time. This was actually the first family professional photo that we have had taken since DS was 1. We never got one done with KD. We had a lot of fun. The pictures that turned out the best were the ones were we were not in the traditional poses. We got pictures of DH and KD, DH and DS, the two kids together, myself and DS and myself and KD. I can't wait to get them back. Sunday, DH, KD and myself went bowling to try out my new bowling ball. Wouldn't you know, I bowl my highest game ever and it wasn't during league night. I bowl on a league every Tuesday. DH and I were talking about maybe doing a couples league together. I mentioned that to one of the girls on my team on Tuesday and guess what? Yep, we're going to bowl every other Saturday on the same league as her and her husband. I'm pretty excited. Should be interesting to see if DH can improve his bowling from what he bowled on Sunday. So far, I am better than he is. Monday was an interesting morning here at work, I walked into my cubicle and almost walked back out. My first thought was this isn't my desk it's too clean. My next thought was "oh yeah that's right I cleaned up on Friday before I left. I have kept it pretty well straightened up and am getting used to it. I used to joke around and say that my desk barfed up all over itself. Last night was strange, I got done with work on time for once and didn't have my Wednesday meeting to do for Weight Watchers. I am going to miss that meeting. Also, I haven't been very good on plan. I've been sneaking a lot of extra sweets. It'll be a miracle if I don't gain weight this week. I am also debating about giving up the position of location coordinator at the center. I don't know what's stopping me. I'll have a lot more time on the weekends and not having to worry about making sure things are done in time. Guess I'll have to send that email out. Homecoming is this weekend for KD. She has a hair appointment on Saturday and is pretty excited about it. After homecoming, the Moms and kids are going to IHOP afterwards (I am thinking not good for watching my weight). I'll have to post a picture of her in her dress and new hairdo. I signed up for yet another swap. This one is Sock It To Me Twice. She's only accepting 50 and if you were in the first one you have priority. I figure the deadline is in March so I should have more than enough time to get a pair of socks knitted along with the other things I have planned. Speaking of socks, I finished the first Monkey on the morning of the 12th. Casted on the second Monkey on the 14th and I am now on the gusset. I am hoping to finish this sock over the weekend get it on the blockers and send off sometime next week! I absolutely can't wait to cast on for the Montego Bay Scarf that I am knitting for my ISE5 pal.

Red Letter Day!

I got my Sock It To Me Swap package from Camille today! Thanks Camille! When I first opened the package I thought that she had sent me a box of Godiva chocolates but inside the box were a yummy pair of socks and 2 skeins of Sweet Georgia's yarns in the Berry colorway. They both are absolutely gorgeous. Camille has been a wonderful swap pal.

I was in yarn heaven today! My order of Socks That Rock came in and of course I ahd to add the 2 skeins of Sweet Georgia in the photo. Aren't these socks simply gorgeous! They fit well also. Once again thank you Camille for a wonderful Sock It To Me package!

Houston We Have A Problem

I decided that I was going to use my Weight Watchers scale to measure if I would have enough yarn to knit up a second sock with no problems. First up was my Sock It To Me Sock Swap Sock.

I didn't take a picture but tonight was return of the blob. I decided to rewind the leftover Cherry Tree Hill and encountered the blob. The yarn had a totally different idea. I weighed the finished sock and found out that I would have had just enough yarn to complete the second sock. Only the Cherry Tree Hill had a totally different idea. As you can tell there is not one but two balls of yarn. That is what is leftover after the visit of the blob. The yarn now is not enough to make a second sock. Don't worry, I ordered a second skein from The Loopy Ewe last night. That also is the first completed sock. Next up was the yarn and sock for the Hogwarts Sock Swap. I am happy to report that I am going to have more than enough yarn to complete that sock. Also, the yarn decided to behave as I rewound it into a new ball. Tomorrow, I cast on for the second sock. Tonight's football game was a bit of a disappointment. The girls did a few cheers and then were told that since it wasn't a game but a scrimmage that they couldn't cheer. At least we got to see them in action for a little while.

Success Finally Yes!

The Uptown Boot Socks well the first one is almost done. All I have left to do is kitchener the toe and then I can call them finished. They are absolutely gorgeous! I am much happier with my choice of yarn and color. I am using Cherry Tree Hill's Cherry colorway. Pictures to come later. After work tonight I am going to a JV football game. I am so excited, it's the very first game that DD is cheering for as a high school student. It's so hard to believe that my little girl, my baby is now in high school. What's even more amazing is the wonderful relationship that the two of us have.

Thursday Update

DD has been leaving me little notes in my knitting bag. She knows that I will see them first thing in the morning. She's been telling me about how much she likes what I'm working on. Well this morning not only did she leave me a note but took a couple of pictures on my camera. I'll post those photos when I get home tonight. They are priceless. Get this, she even gave me permission to put them on my blog! I did a Ravelry check this afternoon and got a very nice surprise. There are 89 people ahead of me and 17,803 behind me. I figure that I should be getting my invite either sometime tonight or definitely tomorrow. So....that means that I am going to be checking my email inbox quite frequently. I've been working on my Sock It To Me Sock Swap socks. I got the ribbing done all 2 and a half inches of it. Now it's time to start working on the leg. I haven't decided yet if it's going to go fast or not. My knitting bag is getting quite full. I think that I am going to need to clean it out. I absolutely love my knitting bag. It's from Offhand Designs. If you click on the link you'll see the style of bag that I have. It's called a Tonya bag in the Spring Stripes. The bag is a bit pricey but it's nice and roomy. I am very pleased with the bag. I would love to get some of the other accessories that they have. I want to find a something nice to hold my DPNs. I am getting quite a collection of them.

Beginning of a New Sock

I casted on for my Sock It To Me Pal's sock. I should really figure out how many times I have casted on for this sock. I decided to go with a solid color in the hopes that the pattern would show up better. For better or worse, I am going to continue on with this sock. I just hope my pal will like it.

Hello Wednesday!

I finished one of Victoria's socks this morning and it is simply gorgeous. DD even loves it especially the color. So that's one half of my Hogwarts Sock Swap 2 assignment done. The pattern that I picked for her sock is a very easy knit. I memorized the pattern and so that is why I think it went so quickly. I did do some modifications on the heel, gusset and toe. I will explain it all once Victoria gets her socks. Victoria you are going to fall in love with these socks. I am not sure if I am going to want to part with them. I am going to take a break from knitting the second sock to start on my SITM socks which are due a month before the Hogwarts Sock Swap. I wound the yarn up for that sock last night. I ended up having a little bit of fun with the yarn while I was winding it up. Yep, you guessed it. It was starting to get all tangled up. I did triumph and tame the yarn it is all nicely wound up and ready to go. I plan on casting on for that sock during my lunch break. I sent out an email to my Monkey Swap pal over the weekend but haven't heard from her yet. I do hope that I hear from her soon. I am going to send her another email in a day or two but I figured that I would give her time to respond. Have you checked out the new colorways for Socks That Rock? I absolutely love Sugarplums and Gingerbread Dude. There's also a different colorway that I love called Amber. I found some socks knitted up in this color on Tienne's blog. I seem to be moving slowly through the Ravelry queue now. Either that or it just seems so slow since I'm so close to getting my invitation. There are 318 ahead of me as of this morning when I checked. I feel like a kid again waiting for Christmas morning to arrive, wondering what surprises await for me once I get there. Last night Sheri at The Loopy Ewe posted another Sneak Up. I was able to check it out but none of it interested me. Usually, I end up looking for one of the indie dyers that I haven't gotten a skein of yarn from to try (eventually). None of the colors appealed to me. I should be getting my order today for my Monkey Sock Swap pal. I am so excited to see what the Navajo Silver looks like. I had ordered some Fiesta Boomerange before and it was very squishy. Fiesta's colorways appeal to me because I like the Southwest colors. Have you checked out this new blog Lime N Violet's Daily Chum. It is so cool and a lot of useful information. They feature different infomation daily.

Blah, blah ,blah, blah......

I'm still moving through the Ravelry queue. There are 386 people ahead of me. I can't wait to get my invite. For those of you that are on Ravelry, how much of your time has been sucked up? What's your names on there? I'll need some friends to possibly look up. I just found out today that Ravelry has it's own blog, where they talk about their progress. Yarn Pirate announced her new colorways on her blog today. There is only one color that I absolutely like and that 's Malamute. I'm working on the foot of Victoria's sock. I'm hoping to get the first sock finished tonight. Check out Victoria's progress on my sock. She's calling it secret sock number 1. I laughed when I read the post. Now to think of a clever way to disguise her sock. Tonight, I 've got plans to finish Victoria's first sock and then wind up the yarn that I got for my SITM sock. I also am going to stop at Fiddleheads on my way home and pick up some more needles (Brittany's).

Deadlines

I thought that I would have a posting where I put all my knitting deadlines down. I have a tendency to forget what is due when. October 5th Sock It To Me Sock Swap October 31st Hogwarts Sock Swap 2 November 1st Monkey Swap 3 December 22nd Christmas Around the World Knitter's Swap

A Bit of an Update

I am very surprised at how fast I have been moving through the Ravelry queue. I am 495 away from getting my invite. My thoughts are I should have it by the middle of the week. I can't wait to see what everyone is raving about. I've made good progress over the weekend on Victoria's socks. I am very pleased with how they are turning out. Sorry no pictures but I don't want Victoria to see her socks until she opens her package. I am working on the heel flap for her sock. I've changed the type of heel that I am doing on the sock. Hopefully it will work out. I have never changed part of a pattern before so this will be a new experience. By the way, I can mention Victoria's name because the Hogwarts swap is not an anoymous swap. I know that Victoria is knitting for me and I for her. The secrecy part comes in play that she doesn't know what else I am including in her package, what her stitch marker looks like, nor the socks that I am knitting. I placed an order for my pal's socks from the Monkey Swap 3 exchange. I found the perfect color and a yarn from my favorite shop The Loopy Ewe that she wants to try for the yarn that I need to include in her package. The yarn that I picked for her socks is Fiesta Boomerang in the Navjo Silver colorway. Since I have to knit a pair of Monkeys for this swap the socks are going to be called Navajo Monkey going forward. I also got the Monkey gifties to go in her package also. It was fun trying to find monkey themed stuff. So now all I need is the yarn and pattern and I am ready to start knitting and have everything else to go with the package. I think that I may have all ready mentioned the yarn stash that I received on Friday from The Loopy Ewe well at least part of it. I received the sock yarn for my Sock It To Me Swap. I like the color but it's not one color that I would knit for myself. I am going to cast on for that sock right after I finish the first sock for my Hogwarts Sock Swap. Also in the mail this week came my Booty Club from the Yarn Pirate. The color this month is called Calmity. It is a white, lime green and purple. Also in the box were a couple pieces of candy and a sticker. The yarn is a BFL so it seems to be a bit thicker. Yesterday, we made a trip to Barnes and Noble. I came home with quite a haul of books. They were all knitting related. I found Getting Started Knitting With Socks by Ann Budd. I liked this book because it gave some ideas for knitting patterns for socks but it also talked about the construction of the sock in more detail. I figure maybe it can let me expand on my sock knitting a bit. Next up is Knit Together by Debbie Macomber. I love Debbie Macomber any books by her need I say any more. Next is Knitting Under the Influence by Claire LaZebnik, I read the synopis of the book and it sounds like it would be a very good read and of course the back drop is knitting. I bought a three book series from Maggie Sefton: Knit One, Kill Two; Needled to Death; Deadly Yarn. I wanted to read a mystery and what a better one to involve knitting.

Sock It to Me

I should have posted this awhile ago. But look what my Sock It To Me Pal sent me.

A Mama Llama project bag, hand made soap, some sample of Soak and some Jolly Ranchers.

I did it again

What did I do again? I frogged these socks. I am knitting the Uptown Boot Socks but the pattern isn't showing up with all the detail in the pattern. I am going to order some more yarn from The Loopy Ewe in hopes that it will show up. If it doesn't than I was not meant to knit that sock. The yarn is Claudias Handpainted in the Peppermint Mocha colorway. The sock no longers exists, it had a visit to the frog pond this afternoon. I wasn't sure if I was going to have enough yarn to finish the sock.

Frogged Yet Again!

The Uptown Boot Socks are going to the Frog Pond again tonight. Don't get me wrong I love the color but the pattern is just not working with the color that I had chosen. I was going to use Claudia's Hanpainted in the Peppermint Mocha colorway but it's just not working. I even took a photo of the sock just to see if the pattern would show up in the photo. Nope it didn't show a thing. So it's back to the drawing board. I am going to try to locate some yarn in a semi-solid color. I should have been almost finised with the second sock by now. Since I can't work on The Uptown Book Socks, I figured that I would start on Victoria's socks from The Hogwarts Sock Swap Two. I received the gorgeous Slytherin yarn and just have to get it wound up into it's neat little pancake balls. I've all ready picked out the pattern. I am going to try to keep that a secret since Victoria is probaby reading this blog. (Hi Victoria!). I'm eagerly waiting to find out who my pals are for the Monkey Swap 3 and the Christmas Around the World Swaps. The Monkey Swap is open until August 31st but I'm not quite sure about the Christmas Swap. I think that I am done signing up for swaps for now. Although there is going to be an ISE5 swap that I have been throwing around the idea of participating in. I know I need to start getting photos on my blog. That's coming. I need to post the photos of the wonderful socks my pal Lori sent me from the Sockapalooza sock swap they are simply gorgeous. More about that in another post.

Frogged Again

The Uptown Boot Socks visited the Frog Pond tonight. I wasn't too happy with the way the cables weren't showing up. Only one of the set of cables was dominate. I also made the sock about 2 inches longer than it should have been. I also wasn't sure if I would have enough yarn to complete a pair of socks. I'm also not sure if my pal is going to figure out who I am. So mum's the word about what pattern and the yarn that I have decided to use for her socks. I went through my stash and I am hoping that I found the perfect yarn for her.

OTN Friday (but a day late)

Pretty much nothing has changed since last week. Although I did mail out a package to my Sockittome Pal and the socks and goodies to my Sockapalooza pal. I did not take a photo of the second pair of socks. I am hoping that my pal will post a pic of her goodies and then I'll use a link so you can visit her blog. How cool is that? The reason for no knitting, of course Harry Potter. I finished the book and I also read Debbie Macombers Return to Blossom Street. Debbie is my all time favorite author.

OTN Friday (Without the Pictures)

I decided that I am going to attempt (notice the word attempt) posting about what is on my needles every Friday. Even though I have WIPs listed on the sidebar I can at least talk about them. First up, the Uptown Boot Socks that I am working on for my Sock It To Me Pal. I am on the foot of the first sock but I am beginning to worry if I will have enough yarn to finish the second sock. I am knitting these in Scout's Swag colorway of Secret. The pattern is very easy but it is interesting to see how one cable is more pronounced than the other. The pattern is looking more like a swirl that is going around the leg. I think that it looks pretty cool. Second, is the Easy Hat from Fiber Trends. I haven't touched this hat since we got back from our racing weekend. I did show it to Mom and she says that she likes the color and she did try it on. It does fit. I am knitting that in Louet Gems in the Hibiscus colorway. I am to the point on the hat where I am going to start decreasing. That is pretty much what I have on my needles. I have others but I am probably just going to send them to the Frog Pond. After my knitting has been sitting idle for way too long, I lose my place and so I may just as well send them to the Frog Pond and return the wool to the stash. Upon looking at my WIP list the only thing destined for the Frog Pond is the Lady Eleanor Stole. The Moebius Cowl just needs to have the ends buried. I am going to attempt to finish the Knitting Pure & Simple Henley Tshirt for Women. I am just too far a long on that to frog it. I should also say that I am going to see if I can manage to figure out where I'm at and will I be able to continue on. On a different note: I joined the Hogwarts Sock Swap 2 this week. I was pretty excited about it. The pal that I am knitting for is in Louisiana and we are to use our Hogwarts names only and not our muggle name. I would like to introduce you to Lavender Kedavra (that's me). Lavender is a first year in the Ravenclaw House. As a first year, we are supposed to knit a pair of socks in our pal's house colors. Victoria's house is the Slytherin house. We are to send our pal stitch markers in their colors and also some needles (not necessarily in house colors.) I've all ready ordered the yarn and stitch markers. Since Victoria has all ready possibly visited my blog and will be making more visits (Hi Victoria) I will have to find ways to post pictures in a most interesting manner.

Sock It To Me Contest

The Sock It To Me Swap that I joined is having a contest, the prize a skein of Socks that Rock in a colorway of my choice. All I have to do is write about is why and how I started knitting. Let's first address the why I started knitting. I've always been fascinated by knitting, I all ready knew how to do crochet, cross stitch, ceramics and quilting but not knitting. I am not quite sure what had drawn me to knitting but I was just drawn it was a force that I can't explain. How I started knitting, I bought some how-to books and thought that I could teach myself knitting. I had a difficult time learning the knitting stitch but had an Eureka moment in the place where I always get them, the shower. I finally was able to visualize myself doing the stitch. So as soon as I got out, dried off and dressed, I grabbed my needles and started knitting. I quickly found online resources for knitting and slowly progressed. My stash grew unfortunately with acrylic red heart yarn (you'll have to excuse me on that one, my town did not have a LYS). That was quickly remedied when I made a trip to Milwaukee to visit one. I really didn't get the true knitting bug until about a year ago. I have learned so much in the past year. I didn't really get bitten by the sock bug until about a couple of months ago. You should see my sock yarn stash!

Sock It To Me Questionnaire - Answered

What are your foot measurements? (Please give shoe size, length and circumference.) Shoe size - American 7 Length 9 1/2 inches, Circumference 8 1/2 inches How long have you been knitting? How would you rate your experience? (Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced.) About 2 years. I'm an intermediate knitter but a beginning sock knitter. What is your favorite color? Orange Your least favorite color? Olive green Do you have a favorite fiber? No What type? Prefer natural fibers Do you have any allergies to certain fibers? None Do you have an Amazon, or other type of, wishlist? No, I all ready own a lot of knitting books. (If so, provide the link.) What techniques, if any, would you like to learn? Felting, still have a booga bag that needs to go for a bath. Do you have a sweet tooth? Yes, but have to curb it. What are your favorite snacks? 100 calorie snack packs, weight watcher snacks What is your family situation? (Children, Husband, Pets...etc.) 1 son 19, 1 daughter 14, hubby and no pets. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Circulars except double points for knitting socks Metal, plastic or wood? Addi Turbos, Knit Picks Options sets and bamboos for my double points. Besides socks, what are your favorite items to knit? Sweaters Is there a pattern, (sock or otherwise), that you are dying to try? Central Park Hoodie Do you like to read? Yes What are you reading currently? Too busy knitting to read. My favorite author is Debbie Macomber. Do you collect music? (On an iPod or MP3 player.) Yes, I own an Ipod. What kind of music do you listen to? Country, rock, top 40 Is there anything you collect? Magnets of places that I have visited. What are your hobbies, aside from knitting? Quilting, cross stitching, crocheting. Are you participating in any other swaps or knit alongs? Just got done with the International Scarf Exchange 4, am currently participating in the Sockapalooza 4 and Mysterystole 3. Do you have a favorite scent? From Bath and Body Works Moonlight Path. The only scent that I wear. When is your birthday? Feb 11th, I'm an Aquarius. (You don't have to add the year if you don't want to, LOL.)

I Want to Change...

I want to change the name of my blog but to what I don't have a clue. I also know that I need to start posting more. I also joined the yahoo group mystery stole 3. On Friday, we received our first clue. I haven't even started knitting it. I am going to knit it using some laceweight Malabrigo in a natural color. I am also going to add some seed beads to it. The first clue contains 99 rows of knititng. Guess I better get started. Next I joined another exchange called Sock It To Me. It starts in a couple of days. This is one where I will knit a pair of socks but send other goodies along also. Should be real fun. It would be even funnier if I would happen to get the same sockpal that I have now. On the Sockapalooza front, I am now on the foot (the homestretch) of the second sock of the fixation pair for my pal. I think she is going to pleasantly surprised to get not one pair of socks but two.