Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! I'm spending the day with my sisters and our families. It is a bright sunshiny day and we are having a great time. I will have pics in my next post.

Bad Blogger

I admit, I've been a bad, bad blogger. Things have been hopping around here, getting ready for the holidays and trying to cope at work.

My boss, the doctor, has been ill and out of the clinic. We've been extra busy on the phones with patients and prescription refills, and finding another doctor to see the patients that are "really" sick. It's been a madhouse.

Every time I sat down I worked a few minutes on the gift socks. I'll admit it was a hard knit. I hated the yarn, so every time I started knitting on them I would doze off. But I finished them on Sunday, so I'll show you the finished project.

The yarn is Regia, which I normally like just fine. This one has elastic in it. That is why I didn't like it. It just didn't feel good to my hands. I like the patterning and I wear my other Regia socks all the time. But I think the elastic made the yarn feel thick and rough. But they are finished and will be on their way this week.



I've started an alpaca smoke ring. The yarn is from Knit Picks, and the pattern is from Ravelry. It is called Wavy Feathers Wimple. I'm not sure that I will be able to deal with this lace weight yarn. It feels like spider webs in my hands. But I love the pattern.



We've had some really cold weather. We got up to this. It is not snow, it is sleet. Surprisingly, it was not slick. At least on the street. It was slick on the deck.



The dogs are piled up for the cold weather. Pits like to lay in a pile. Bunny was sitting up like a little lady. Believe me, she is no lady.



I won another drawing. Daniele (Ms. Create (It's always about the sticks and string)) bought a book that she already had. It is a counted cross stitch pattern book. So she had a drawing and I won!! I love the book and will be able to use the patterns to make my own cross stitch designs. I have a sampler started that I should finish, but knitting gets in the way.

The other thing I have been doing is corresponding with my long-time friends. I was able to get hold of two of my best childhood-through-junior-high friends. We have been trying to catch up on old times. I'm glad I was able to contact them. I have missed them for years.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! We are spending a quiet day at home. We had lunch at the buffet at the Cherokee Casino which is about a mile from our house. And we didn't have to clean up the kitchen! It is just the two of us and it isn't worth buying and cooking all that food.

I have a few WIP to show you. The only finished object I have is the socks I showed you Nov. 8 made from the Vinca yarn. Here are some WIPs.



The first is a dishcloth from Peaches 'n' Creme cotton yarn. Notice the yarn is in a giant ball? Some little Bunny got the cone, unraveled it and tangled it all up. So I spent a long time untangling and winding it back up. It is not very handy in this ball, but I will cope.



This blue sock is made from Regia that has some elastic in it. I think I like it, but I'm not sure how it will hold up. I believe I won't dry it on a sock blocker.



Here is the shades of pink Vinca that I have started. It is way down the line of what I want to work on. But it will wait for me. I do like the colors.



Last, here is the beginning of my first sweater. It is Knit Picks Swish in a Kimono Style sweater pattern from Plymouth Yarn Company. All the pieces are rectangles (how hard can that be?) and then there is a band around the front and neck. No Buttonholes! Again, this is down the list from my Christmas knitting. But it is so soft and mindless that I want to pick it up everytime I sit down to watch tv.

I have some beautiful alpaca laceweight yarn from Knit Picks for a smoke ring that I want to work on. My shortest circulars are 24 inches and I want the 16" ones. So I ordered them today. I'll try to finish the socks before the circulars get here. I also have some gray for a stole, but I'm not going to start on it until at least Jan. 20 (a KAL project).

On Thanksgiving this year, I'm thankful for my family, immediate and extended, near and far; good friends old and new; and all of you who encourage me in my knitting. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. (And Happy Thanksgiving Buster and Bunny!)

This is so exciting!

That's what she said in her first e-mail. My friend was glad to hear from me and she wrote me a nice long e-mail about her life from sophomore year to present. We have a lot of catching up to do, and we are starting with one e-mail at a time.

So thanks to those of you who encouraged me. I'm glad I took your advice. We have many, many years to cover. And it is strange what events you choose to relay first.

This is way more fun that knitting round and round on a Christmas gift sock!

Woo-Hoo!

My yarn came in the mail today! It is beautiful! Unfortunately, I'm at work today so I can't take pictures until later.

Also unfortunately, I just found out that there is a pair of socks to knit before Christmas. I'm going to have to stay up nights or get up early if I'm going to get done what needs to be done before my deadline.

The smoke ring has to be done before Jan. 20. The sweater has no deadline, but the socks need to be done a week or two before Christmas. The shawl will be started on Jan. 20 or after.

The Harmony needles are beautiful. I ordered size 4's and 5's, also 8's and 9's. Can't wait to try them out.

Wish me luck on meeting my deadlines. I'll post pictures later!

Still Waiting

It is hard to wait when you have yarn ordered.

I ordered enough Knit Picks yarn to make my first ever sweater. I chose a camel color worsted weight superwash merino. The next day I ordered some almost red lace weight for a smoke ring KAL and some steel gray for a shawl KAL that will start in January. Of course, I "had" to order some Harmony interchangeable needles for each project.

I was notified on Monday that the sweater yarn was shipped. I was notified Tuesday that the other yarn was shipped. I'm so excited it makes waiting very difficult.

In other news, I finally talked a sweet woman out of her Opal Petticoat 1290 yarn. She sold it to me from her stash on Ravelry. Thanks fibercrone.

I finished the Vinca socks. They don't even come close to matching, but I like them anyway. And since I don't have my other yarn yet, I started another pair out of the Vinca, this time the pinkish-lavender yarn. I'm in a rut here with all the pastels. I need to pull out some bright colors and cast on!

The dogs are sleeping more during this cold spell. So I don't have any funny stories to tell about them.

I'm thinking about getting hold of a woman who was my best friend when we were kids. My dad took a job and we moved from Fayetteville, Arkansas, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, just before I turned 16. It was a traumatic move for me, and I didn't stay in touch with her. Now that I'm "old" and have time for more than running after kids and jobs, I'm wishing I could catch up with her. What do you think? Should I or should I not? Would you want someone to look you up after all these years?

What a Relief!

What a relief! I got my hair cut yesterday and it is soooo much better.

I called my regular barber (yes, she is a barber) and she was unable to get me in. She has her surgery on Monday, so I knew I'd have to find someone else until she gets better. So I went to the nearest Supercuts and signed in. There was only one stylist there, and he was the manager. He actually listened to what I wanted and gave me a great cut. He also gave me some tips on styling while drying. So I am a very happy camper today.

I've been knitting on some socks from my Vinca yarn that I bought a while back. (The second one from the left.) I love the way the colors are going from one color to another. The downside (to me) is that I wasn't able to match the colors from one sock to another. I'm a little bit particular about that, but I'm just going to loosen up and wear them.

Today I am being adventurous. I'm going to try a new nail salon. My favorite tech moved to a neighboring suburb to manage the salon in the Wal-Mart there. It is not too far away, but there is a salon a mile from my house that I'm going to try. (Wow! a new barber and a new nail tech all in the space of two days! I am being brave!) You can tell I'm not a very flexible person. I get in a rut and stay there.

The dogs are being couch potatoes this morning. Hopefully, they will stay in this mood until I get back. Yesterday they emptied the trash can, spread trash all over the kitchen and dining room, shredded the trash bag, and ate the last slice of cherry pie that was left out on the kitchen cabinet. I'm not sure if they have separation anxiety, or if they just think it is funny to make a mess. This time I will be sure everything is put away before I leave.

Well, I'm back from the nail salon. They did an OK job. I still like my regular girl better.

As for the dogs, they didn't make a mess! Yay! How big a mess can they make in an hour? You'd be surprised!

Frog pond

Today I had to face the facts: both socks I was knitting were too small. I have wide feet and thick ankles. So you know what comes next, frog pond.

The Victorian Swag sock has already been started over. It Trekking XXL and is 72 stitches around (which is usually enough for my fat ankles but not this time) and I had started it on US 2 needles. But after I got to the heel and tried it on, it was stretched too tight. So I frogged it and started over on US 3's. I have completed 3 patterns and I think it will be better. I love this pattern.

The pink with maroon is Knit Picks Essential and I was just making up a pattern based on Jane Lithgow's Summer Pick 'n' Mix socks. I wanted it snug and in simple stockinette stitch, so I started it with 64 stitches and US 1's. Wrong answer. I should have done one or the other, as I couldn't wear it that snug. So: Frog Pond. I haven't cast it on again yet, but will do that soon. I was looking forward to wearing it. Oh, well...

Today we are taking all the plants in pots from the backyard and de-bugging them. We will doctor them for slugs, snails, spider mites, etc., etc. before we bring them in for the winter. At least one of them has to be repotted (which I hate to do) and then they will need to be pruned. I hate doing this stuff. I'm not an outdoorsy girl, and I hate hate hate to get anything under my fingernails. (I know, wear gloves.) We will be moving them to the front yard for this, as we don't want the dogs to get in the chemicals.

I have a new funny picture of Bunny. Here's the background. When she gets ready for a nap, she likes to be covered up. She turns about 18 circles, then plops down and we are supposed to cover her up. Then she tucks her nose under the blanket and sleeps. When she raises up her head she looks like she has on a hood and we call her Osama bin Bunny. She's a funny girl.

Both Buster and Bunny want the place on the loveseat next to the big guy, so when she beats him to the place, he gets mad and moves to the couch. Here he is pouting. What big babies they are. But that is what makes them so lovable.

It's almost over

Yardwork. It's almost over for this year. I don't usually do much out there, but since we were decorating a little with flowers this year, I helped. We worked out there almost all afternoon on Sunday.

We bought, hauled and spread a truckload of sand for the sandbox. The dogs love it. It was so soft and fluffy.

Then we bought, hauled and spread a truckload of red mulch to put in the "mulch garden." That meant we had to take out and put back all the rock walkways and the outdoor furniture.

It's time for me to take down and clean up the hummingbird feeders. We are also about ready to bring in the hibiscus and the other plants we want to save. We will let the petunias and geraniums go. I haven't decided about the begonias. I will move the fern indoors and see if I can save it. (Usually anything I touch turns brown, unlike my mother who could make any plant flourish and bloom.)

I tried to take some pics of the petunias. They are making their last stand. Most of my shots were blurry. I'm having a little trouble focusing my new camera. It'll get better with practice, I hope.

Bunny beat us to her pool. We wanted to dump and refill it, but she wasn't having it. She's such a water baby. Sometimes she will lie down in the water, stick her nose under and blow bubbles. And sometimes she gets in it so low that she looks like an alligator with only her eyes sticking out. She's a hoot. Buster will play in the hose but not the pool.

Today's golf has been called off. It is raining and in the 60's. We have played in the rain before, but we were younger then. I'm going to try to get some knitting done and maybe do a little reading. I have a book started, "The Friday Night Knitting Club." It's hard for me to put down a good book until I have it finished.

I Promised...

Last time I promised to show you what I got from The Loopy Ewe. It is great. I had ordered this and had it delivered at work. I'm not saying the big guy would care what I do with my money, but I get to see it immediately upon delivery when I get it at work. Besides, the big guy doesn't even know where I keep my stash (shhhh. It's in the deacon's bench.)
(I can't get this picture to stand upright. I've tried several things. If you have an idea, let me hear it.)

So, here is the box that David, our wonderful mail delivery man brought. I love getting orders from TLE, there is always a nice note and some little treats in them.

I opened the box and pulled out the contents. As usual the yarns were wrapped in tissue. There were peppermints for a treat (it is still fairly warm in our part of the country.) The nice note said I had spent enough at TLE to get a $25 gift certificate!! WooHoo! I'm trying to figure out what I want to order. I have some ideas.

After unwrapping the yarn, here is what I bought. I'd been looking for some pastel yarn to make some frilly socks from. Well, here it is. The lighter one is Trekking 133. It has pink, carnation, lavender, white, and something that is between blue and gray. Anyway, it is really soft-looking. It is the one I started first. The other is Lorna's Laces Happy Valley. It is a little brighter, but I think it will make great socks.

The pattern is from Monica Knits and is called Victorian Swag socks. I've been drooling over it on Ravelry and finally took the plunge. I've already got one sock knitted from the cuff to the heel and it is turning our just beautifully. (Of course, I was reading the pattern wrong and had to ask for help from Monica. She was very nice in her speedy reply. I get excited with a new pattern and don't always read it carefully.)

It was a golf day. My score was at least 10 strokes better than any time in the recent past, and was only 10 strokes more than the big guy's. (He had a bad day!) The weather was perfect, just a little cool and just a little (sometimes more than a little) breeze. A good day for me.

Something New and Something Finished

He did it! The big guy bought us a popcorn machine! He went to a local discount store and found one that was too big. We could order a smaller one, but he decided to look around awhile. He ended up at a popcorn store. They had one just the right size, but it was more expensive. They took him in the back and showed him 3 like the one at the discount store that were in various states of repair. The "made in China" machines broke down and they can't get the parts to fix them.

Considering those facts, and the fact that shipping was going to bring the price up on the cheaper one, he decided to go ahead with the model from the popcorn store. He also got a box of packets that have the oil, corn, and flavoring all measured out and ready to dump in. You can see the machine and the amount of popcorn we get with one popping. We are really enjoying it.

I took some to work and shared with our office and the office across the hall. It's fun. Now when going to a party I can bring popcorn instead of chips or something. The big guy has good ideas.

OK. Finished Object - Birthday socks for my co-worker. She picked the striped yarn and they came out real nice. I got the stripes to match. The wool is Berroco and the pattern is my generic 2X2 ribbed sock. The tops are 7" and they fit her size 5 feet.

I took them to work and made her model them for me. She has dainty little feet and ankles, and the socks fit perfectly. This little cubicle where we work is really warm and she won't need her wool socks at work. They will be nice with her winter boots.

Notice also the scrubs she is wearing. There are 3 of us "girls" in the office and we have several silky scrubs alike. It is fun wearing matching uniforms and we get lots of compliments on them.

In my next post, I will show you the beautiful yarn and pattern I got from The Loopy Ewe.

I Won a Contest!

Today when the big guy and I got home from golfing, there was a package on the porch. I was expecting a box from Marisol at "Purls Just Wanna Have Fun" because this weekend I won her contest! Hurray for me! It was the first contest I have ever won and I'm excited!

She had a birthday party for her son "Little Cowboy" and it had a Pirate theme. If you left a comment and "talked like a pirate" you were entered in her contest. She used a random number generator and it picked ME!

There was plenty of Pirate Booty in the box. Yarn Pirate yarn in Emerald City colorway, "gold" coins, pirate stickers, a ring, a pencil, a pirate scarf, an eye patch, candy, gum, a package of Robert's American Gourmet puffed rice and corn with white cheddar, and an awesomely decorated pirate cookie. I have everything I need to be a pirate! Thanks, Marisol! You rock!

As for knitting, I'm looking for a new project. I don't have yarn for tthe scarf I want to make (or the sweater), and the sweater pattern isn't here yet. So I'm between projects and can't decide which sock to start. Nothing in my stash is calling my name right now, and the new yarn I've ordered from The Loopy Ewe is not here yet.

I have other news, but it is not as fun as this, so I will save it for another post. I have pictures of a finished project, the person who received the finished project, and pictures of something the big guy bought for us!

Short one

This will be very short. I'm excited that tomorrow the big guy is going to look for a movie style popcorn maker for our house. We love popcorn, but are not crazy about microwave popcorn. So he suggested that if he could find one, he would buy it. (Doesn't take much to get me excited, huh?)

I'm trying out a pattern for a multi-directional scarf that I found on one of your websites. So far so good. I haven't knitted a scarf in forever so long. I hope this one goes well, as I am ready to make something other than socks. (And my pattern for the sweater hasn't arrived yet.)

Now I need to go look for a photo-op.

No pictures this time

There is a reason for no pictures with this post. You'll understand.

I was feeling pretty blah! last week, so I made a couple of appointments. I called the nail salon and scheduled a manicure. The people I go to are really good at what they do. They are friendly and always do a good job. I chose a metallic deep red and left my nails a little long. They look great.

The other appointment I made was for a haircut. My usual cut is very short, I go to a woman who is actually a barber. She always does it just like I like it. But she has been ill and is having surgery any minute. I thought I'd like to grow it a little longer and let the natural curl take over for a while. So I made an appointment with a stylist who is a patient at our clinic. She's a fun girl and I was looking forward to it.

So Monday at lunchtime, I drove up to her salon and plopped myself in her chair. She says how do you want it and I say I want to let it grow out. I don't know why when you say that, the stylist automatically hears "cut it all off." She said she would just shape it up a little, I say OK. Now visualize your hair having a run-in with a lawnmower. Yep, short. Shorter than the barber cuts it. Then imagine a fistfull of styling foam and a hairdryer. I ended up looking like I had a birdnest upside down on the top of my head.

Now I have to go back to work for half a day. I stopped and bought some styling spray and a round hairbrush, went straight into the restroom at work and start working on ridding myself of the thing on top of my head. With a little water, spray, and a brush I managed to tame the beast enough that I didn't lock myself in the bathroom for the rest of the day.

When I come out, Nobody Said A Word about my haircut. You know what that means: either they want to burst out laughing, or they are secretly sympathizing with you. I spent some time with it the next morning before work, so I'm not too embarrassed anymore, but the damage has been done: everyone I work with has seen it already. This might be a perfect time to make and wear a beanie or a watch cap. But since my hair grows soooo slowly, I guess I might as well get used to it.

Oh, and guess what else? She left me a mini-mullet in the back!

Bloom where you are planted

You've heard the old expression "bloom where you are planted." I found some living examples of that saying today while I was helping the big guy in the backyard. These are the blooming things I found in strange places. First, there are several pink wild violets blooming in the wood pile. Second, there is a begonia under the edge of the deck. And third, there is a morning glory vining around on my little glider. I have morning glories and begonias planted in other places, but I don't know where the violets came from. Birds brought them I guess.



I haven't been very productive lately in the knitting area. I have finished the green w/purple socks. I still need to finish off the toe and weave in the ends on the last sock. These were more fun than the brown stripes. Notice the progress? But I must keep knitting. The brown socks are already promised. I've almost lost my sock mojo. I need a break.



The sweater pattern I've been looking for has been found. In the first issue of Fons & Porter's Love of Knitting, page 39, an ad for Plymouth Yarn. It is simply called Pattern 1413. Now I've got to find where they sell it. The website I found showed many, many pages of patterns, but didn't give a way to order them. I'm sure I'll figure it out. But first, I need you experienced sweater knitters to help me out. Do you think this pattern will be too hard for my first sweater?? I love the wide sleeves and the "no buttonhole" band down the front.
The pups loved it when we spent the morning working in the yard. Their favorite part was when we emptied and refilled the wading pool, then watered the plants. They love the water hose.


I have a couple of pics of the brave dogs. One is Bunny "hunting" out the back door. She stays there really still waiting for the squirrel to come down the tree. Then she chases him back up. Over and over and over. Buster is a little more laid back. He just lays in the dining room floor laughing at Bunny. Little smiley dog.

I've had some really nice comments lately on my blog. Thanks for that. I have a long list of your blogs that I check almost every day. I love your pics of your children and pets. I'm interested in your spinning and dyeing (since I don't know how to do those.) And you inspire me with your projects. AND YARN! I LOVE IT WHEN YOU SHOW ME YOUR YARN!

Sock Bigamy

Now that SOS08 is over, I'm back to my old trick of knitting two socks at once. Not two socks just alike. That would make too much sense. I'm back to knitting two different socks at once. It seems to scare off the dreaded SSS (Second Sock Syndrome). There are always more socks to knit than time to knit them. And more people to knit for than just me. So I work on one for someone else and one for me.

Right now I have in progress a pair for my friend at work and a pair for me. She picked out a brown self-striping yarn that is working up just beautifully. The picture shows the cuff, but actually I have already turned the heel and am working on the foot. I'm happy with this one. It will be a great pair of winter socks. The color of this one photo'd fine.


The other pair is in apple green with purple trim. (This one didn't photograph very well, what with the rain and my flash.) I'm improvising this pair. I have the first sock done and have CO the second one. Sadly, after I got past the three purple stripes on the second sock, I found two mistakes. I had an extra row of green before the first stripe, and I had an extra row of green just before the third stripe. Can you say "ribbit?" Yep, frog pond. Then I spent all that time trying to get the needles back in with two dogs dancing around my feet and climbing on my lap. But mission accomplished, and I'm back on the stripes again.

The big guy fixed my dinner and brought it to me (what a guy) so I could keep working. He's good like that.

Today was my day off, our golf day. We went out and as soon as we started to tee off it started misting rain. By the time we got to the second hole, it was seriously raining. Of course, we got soaked because neither of us even thought to bring a raincoat or an umbrella. So we just packed up and headed for the truck. Instead of golfing, we did some errands and then went home. It was a good day for a nap.

I've been drooling over some yarn I saw stashed on Ravelry. It is Opal Petticoat 1290. I'm in love. It is soft pastels, pink, yellow, blue. I have surfed the internet for some and have decided it is no longer available. If you have one in your stash and would like to part with it, or if you know where one is available, would you please give me a heads up?? Or if you know of a yarn that is very similar, I'd appreciate knowing about that too.

A Loopy Groupie at last

I'm officially a Loopy Groupie! I ordered some sock yarn to knit up for my friend at work. That made my 6th order. Sheri sent me a really nice package. I got the official Loopy bag, a Loopy key ring, peppermint candies, a sock pattern and some Cherry Tree Hill yarn in Old Rose. I was so excited that I didn't take a picture before I opened it, but I did take one later. Hopefully you can see the goodies.



Here are the two skeins that put me over the top at TLE. They are destined to become socks for my co-worker. I'm anxious to get started on them. I have another pair I also want to work on. One pair can be my carrying along project, and the other pair can live next to my chair in the living room.



I finished the BFF socks by Cookie A for my final pair in SOS08. The colorway is Moody Blues. I like the pattern, it is easy to memorize, but I had done a pair of them before and this time I got tired of them. Of course, I was working hard to finish them for the last period of SOS08. And I made it! Five pairs in all. That was the goal I set, so Mission Accomplished.



The big guy watered all the flowers and sprayed the tree this morning. The flowers are just about done for the summer. They are fading fast. Buster and Bunny got to play in the water hose, which is almost as good as a bath. The wading pool got dumped and refilled, and the birdbaths both got refilled. It is still hot here, but I can feel fall coming. (Just ask my allergies!)



I get a little nostalgic when fall comes. I love the colorful leaves and the cool nights. But I miss the flowers. I feed the birds and squirrel year round so I won't miss them. Guess I'm rushing the season; it's still August (for one more day).

Hope you all have a lovely Labor Day. If you do something special, I'd like to hear about it. Hi, Bobbie. You found me!

Stash Enhancement

One of my blog readers, or one of my friends on Ravelry recommended I look at Woolgirl's sock yarn. And boy am I glad I did. I found some really nice yarns there.



I ordered one Hazel Knits skein in the Alki Reflection colorway. Red and green and pink, what more could I ask for! I also ordered one skein of Dashing Dachs in the Lion Cub colorway. You know what I was thinking, don't you? Nanner socks! I think this one is perfect.

I couldn't have been more pleased with my purchase. She wrapped the order beautifully and enclosed some neat little extras! Thanks, Woolgirl! Can't wait until I "need" some more stash enhancement.

My co-worker has a birthday this week. I offered to take her to the LYS to pick out the yarn for another pair of socks. She really didn't want to make the trip to Utica Square, so we went online and shopped for the yarn she deemed was The One. Actually, she picked out two that were The One. So I guess she will get two pairs of socks (eventually) for her birthday. She picked Berroco yarn in two colors, a brown mix and a gray/black mix. We found them at The Loopy Ewe. I think they will be stripes, and that's what she wants. So I will happily knit them up for her. She has dainty little feet, but likes a 7" cuff.


Here is my last purchase from Knitpicks. I got these to make the Summer Pick 'n' Mix by Jane Lithgow. If you haven't seen these patterns, you can find them on Ravelry. I am still looking for some yellow, but it has to be just the right shade. I'm looking for a solid that is the color of butter. Then I'm going to mix and match the solids to make some of these cute socks.

B&B, my dogs, haven't done anything cute this week. The big guy said they were playing in the sprinkler today, but he didn't take any pics. Maybe later...

Jealousy on four legs

No pictures today. I've been lazy. Well, not really. I've been trying to get my socks for this two-week period finished. As was discussed before, I knitted past the heel before I realized that I had made a major mistake above the heel. It was frogged and reknitted, and I finished the first sock yesterday. The second one was cast on.

SOS08 will be ending real soon, and I'd like to finish this last pair. I had set a goal of 5 pairs, which is what this will be if I finish this last sock.

I'm looking into some other KAL's for when this one is over. I've really had fun, especially happy to see everyone's socks that have been posted on Ravelry. I've found several patterns that I want to try.

A quick funny story about Bunny. Our son brought his current girlfriend over to "meet the parents" over the weekend. Bunny always follows him around, goes where he goes, is his little shadow when he is here. He brought J in and sat down by her. It really ticked Bunny off. She turned her back on him and stomped out of the room! It was sooo funny. She wouldn't let him touch her, she wouldn't go outside with him, she wouldn't eat treats from him, she was jealous! We laughed and laughed. Next time J came back Bunny wasn't quite so mad.

Well, back to the knitting. I'm determined to finish this sock by next Friday.

Summer of Socks 2008, Pair #4

My cheater socks. Not really, the rules say at least a 2" cuff, but I feel like these with the 3" cuff are cheaters. They only took a week to complete. I'm pleased with them.

Thanks for encouraging me to put the blue ones down for a while and do another pair. I have picked up the blue one this afternoon, frogged back to above the heel, fixed the problem and started the heel again. The good thing is that these will be finished soon and maybe I can get in one more pair before the final deadline. (May have to be another fast pattern!)

Received word today from my LYS that the Tempted Sock Yarn Club is ended as of this month. I guess the supplier (Stacy) has some new ideas she wants to try and being tied up each month with the club is tying up her time. I totally understand that. And SOS08 will be over soon. What will I do for a sock club or a KAL? I'm going to be looking for suggestions. So come on and help me out. Have any ideas?

On the other hand, this will release me to do some online shopping for yarn that rings my chimes. And the big guy is used to having yarn appear in the mailbox every month. And I do love The Loopy Ewe. So maybe everything will work out after all!


I love the way the pups look when they are happy and relaxing in the sun. This is one of their favorite places, in the dining room in front of the sliding glass door. Another place they like is in the sand box. Mom's babies.