'Tis the day after Christmas...

'Tis the day after Christmas and all through the house, everyone is stirring.

It was a very nice Christmas, Danielle and Jay are engaged! As if there was ever any doubt. It just makes them so happy to be official, though. All the kids got many presents and the family is very happy and warm, safe and secure. It is a good feeling.

I reflect on another year, the things that have come about, the consequences of my actions and decisions in life. I am in a very good place, thankful for all that I have, hoping to make a difference in others lives, blessed for what has been given to me and what I have worked for. Still trying to influence and guide the paths of my children. So happy to have my grandson Jordan, still missing my grandson James sooo much.

Almost finished with Christmas knitting, that is funny! One more pair of croc socks to make, but those are fast and Jaci will have them within the week...then it will be on to finish my swap partner's **********, and pack up her goodies and send off her package!!!!! After that I plan to go into my knitting room (I iz so lucky to have a room!) and "clean" (fondle the yarn). I will then probably come down with a major case of startitis .... as I just received a wonderful skein of hand dyed from Sarah at Perfect Day Yarns from the Dead Poet Sock Club and it is calling me, along with some other wonderful skeins that I have been putting on hold that I purchased from
The Loopy Ewe and Jen at Wool Girl.

I also joined the Spiritstitching Circle 2009. Lime & Violet's Intention Yarn knitting project for the year 2009, sounds extremely inviting, click the link. Waiting on the info. for the 2009 Wool Girl Sock Club payment! I know there is an indie dyers sock club in there too, somewhere, just can't think of it off the top of my head. So, sorry, and will post the address as soon as I remember it, I PROMISE!

Jeeze, 2009 is looking like a stash building year! Good thing, cause it will be my one year anniversary as a knitter and goodness knows I NEEDZ ME SOME STASH!!!!!!!!!!! Then I need to get myself some organization!

Off to knit....

Another Week

It is Sunday night already. At least I feel like I have accomplished something! Dinner is done (yes I cooked, a miracle I know)...and there is dinner for tomorrow already done. I also have dinners planned for the rest of the week...that is saying something.....my evil plan is to feed these people so that I can knit!!!

My order from The Loopy Ewe should be arriving tomorrow. That order contains the yarn I need to make the item I am using for my loopy swap...can't wait to get that started and see how it goes.

Tuesday is Veteran's Day - honor our brave men and women - past and present- who fight for our freedom. School is closed, and I have the day off, so a little extra knitting might be in the plan.

I'm almost done with my 4th pair of Croc Socks, only 2 more pair to go!


Hats, fingerless mitts, and socks, socks, socks, still in the works!! Oh, and I signed up for the Perfect Day Yarn sock club!! Yikes.....that makes 2 sock clubs and the swap....I gotta stop!

Off to drop the boy at the greyhound station so he can go back to school...and hopefully knit a bit before bed.....

The Loopy Swap

Well, the Loopy Swap is officially on! I have my upstream and downstream partners and ideas galore!

Researched a pattern, ordered the yarn, and just waiting for it to arrive so that I can get started knitting! Decided an early start is a good idea, since Christmas knitting is probably going to be out of control! All of the kids have put in their requests for a variety of knitted items for Christmas, so I have to get crackin'.....

This is my first swap, and being the overachiever that I tend to want to be, I really want to do right by my partner.....I think I will...I have some good ideas, that I feel she will like, and some little spys out there helping me...how could I go wrong....and I have found this is a great way to make new friends! All is good.

Happy Weekend, I'm off to knit..... :)

November already?

Well, as we can all see, I have been a sporatic (at best) blogger. I promise to start trying to get organized and attempt to do my blogging at least a few times a week!!
Let's see how long I can keep that up...

First, introducing my new grandson (who is now 6 weeks old!)
Jordan James - born 9/24/08 - 6 lbs. 13 oz. 19 in. at 1:04 pm


Making huge strides in stash building! I have been a frequent flyer at Woolgirl, Loopy Ewe, and Simply Socks, not to mention the trips to my LYS, Have Ewe Any Wool. I also recently purchased a swift to make life soooo much easier with my ball winder. Have been overcome with a love of sock yarn...joined the Knitting Purls sock club for 2009, was lucky enough to get a spot in the Woolgirl Sock Club 2009 and I'm in my first swap with the Loopy Ewe group on Ravelry .

Finished a couple of flap hats for my little lovey Jordan and for my friend's grandson Carmine. Great, easy knit that will keep their heads nice and warm this winter. Although now I have 4 requests from the "big kids" for the same kind of hats!! Made Jordan's on the big side, he is growing so fast I'm afraid it won't fit by January!



Well, I got the name of the person I get to spoil for the Loopy Swap, so I'm off to make plans for knitting and purchasing!!

Keeping Up...not even trying!

My days have been consumed with hurry up and wait. My daughter is due "any day now". What exactly that means is anyone's guess. Babies come when they are good and ready. Although, I must admit this has been the hardest weeks to deal with after what happened with James. Not knowing why he passed at 37 weeks, at the onset of labor is a frightening thing to deal with when she must go past the 37 week mark and stay calm, Jordan is not ready to come. Tuesday is 38 weeks, so far so good....we keep praying.

So, my mind is kept occupied by thoughts of knitting, yarn buying, needle purchasing, project starting, and frogging, and finishing....all while trying to pacify my son who just went away to school and calls me with cries of "I want to come home." He is suffering from major homesickness, which is common, and he is only 45 minutes away! A full time job that demands my attention, as the school year is just starting, and that is were I work, in a school. Another daughter who is off in PA, with her own set of problems, that needs my shoulder as much as I need hers, but I can't forget that I am that one that needs to be the adult no matter how grown up she has become, and yet another daughter who is trying out the 11th grade and expanding her wings into the realm of dating and all that entails.... Add to that the newly 16 year old stepdaughter who is also in the dating game and the new to middle school 6th grader who is about to loose all his brain power and common sense until he get through puberty (it should come back some time around 2017!)....thank goodness my husband is an understanding man!

Jeeze, I just want to knit!!!! So, I did manage to finish the BSJ that I was making for Jordan and I even had enough yarn left for a cute little hat...
I started a shawl that I planned from a pattern I got from Elmwood Yarn Shop called the Roberta Scarf, one of the women at the shop modified the pattern to make it shawl size. I am doing mine from Peruvian Alpaca....cast that on and got about 5 rows in, noticed a mistake, and also received my shipment of Southwestern Trading Co Bamboo and decided as long as I have to frog the shawl I might as well start my clapotis instead.....could I possibly have startitis?

Well, I am not worrying about it....all I know is that today is Sunday, the house is empty, quiet, and I am going to get my beautiful bamboo and cast on for my clapotis....it is a right of passage for all knitters, is it not?

Can you say "Plurk"???

Ok, I have found Plurk. It all started with Lime & Violet Podcasts. Which grew into new information that I could Google and learn about. Which grew into more new stuff to learn about, as in yarn, roving, fleece and now Plurk!


I have found Plurk and my life will never be the same. And I definitely need more hours in a day...


If anyone wants to find me, I'm lucytoo on Plurk....see you there!

Back in the saddle...

No excuses, this has got to be a daily event. I cannot believe that I have not been here since the beginning of August...unacceptable.

I am sorry to say that I am looking forward to the beginning of the school year, the season of Autumn and all that it brings. The cooler weather, a somewhat more scheduled life (hahaha) and MORE KNITTING! Two kids are off at college. One in Erie, PA and one in Fredonia. One is about 10 days away from having my grandson (yipee, baby knitting) and only three left at home, two are juniors in high school and one is just starting middle school in sixth grade. School brings schedules and order to my house, I crave that.

I have been working diligently on my Baby Surprise Jacket, it is coming along just great. The Ravelympics were more than I could handle at the time...no one told me I was crazy to try and do six projects in 10 days while planning and throwing a graduation party, a baby shower and buying a new car!!! I did manage to complete one of three hats and one pair of three pair of croc socks that I am planning for Christmas presents...I see Christmas chaos looming in my future.

Well, I have a trip to Fredonia to drop off the Freshman on my schedule for today and that is it. The rest of my time is for knitting, I told everyone that today is mine! Everyone else had me doing things this weekend...soooo, today is for me! Happy knitting, Angela

Day Two Ravelympics

For all my friends on Ravelry, this will make sense.

Day Two and I am not off to a good start...being a new knitter I thought I found the perfect, and easy pattern for a warm beanie cap for three Christmas gifts for guys on my list...one son, one daughter's fiance, and one daughter's boyfriend. Cast on some wonderful Mission Falls 1824 wool and set about my event. Not until I was 90% finished with my cap did I find out that it would be to small for the guys!!!!! It would be a great hat for smaller size heads, it is beautiful, and warm and soft, but still TO SMALL!!!!

Quandary to sleep on, do I finish the hat and gift it to a daughter on my list? I still must find a new, larger, pattern for the hats that I need for Christmas, but at least I would have 0ne leg of the race done for the Ravelympics.....or do I reclaim the yarn and start that hat over so that I finish with 3 hats for guys as originally signed up for??? Oh the ethics of it all.....

I would feel like I am cheating, and I am not a cheater!!!! Go Team Buffalo...I am off to frog the hat and reclaim the yarn. Motrin in on my list of allowable enhancements, I will be stopping at the medical station on my way to the stadium for frogging!

How to knit faster?

Ok, so I have spent the past 2 days researching knitting techniques. Not knitting, researching. I have no idea what brought this on. I just realized that I knit in a strange way. I hold my yarn in the continental style but I also throw my yarn in the english style.....can you just picture that? Strange, and time consuming.....I want to learn to knit faster, I want my projects to just fall from my needles......I have too many things cast on and I want to finish some of these things cause I want to start more things!!!!

I have been reading books by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (The Yarn Harlot)...she is such a great role model! And I happened to see a video of her on You Tube, the woman can knit like the wind (to coin a phrase from Cast-On the podcast)....I want that!!!!!!

If I am to get what I want I suppose I should stop researching and start knitting, huh?
Off to practice.....it's not going to easy or fun at first....I just hope it pays off in the end.

I started my search to find out FAQ about blogging. I am new to this whole blog universe and wanted to get some information on making my blog more "my own". Finding info. on creating my own headers and how to use widgets and counters, etc.

After reading some very interesting and helpful information that I have bookmarked for future use, I somehow came upon this blog, Not Just About Cancer, I could not stop reading it...

Puts things into perspective, don't ya think?

Party over...on to the Ravelympics!!

Graduation Party had many pitfalls, but all in all it was a good time had by all...amen it is over!

Onward and upward, as they say. Too much to get done and so little time left. Of course that is why I decided to add more excitement to my daily life and join the Ravelympics. (excitement - stress) those words are interchangeable!! Before you know it Frankie will leave for Fredonia, school will open and I had better be ready!!! Frankie still needs his wisdom teeth out, that pile on my desk at work still needs to be attacked....and now I need to get Danielle's Baby Shower going, because before you know it Jordan will be here!!

That is why I decided that the Ravelympics was a good idea :) get some of those Christmas gifts done and out of the way. Three pair of socks and three skull caps should keep me busy for 17 days. Goodness knows I need to be kept busy ;)....lol!

Will post pictures of the party later~

When it rains, it floods!!! or Murphy's Law....

Ok, so how come when one thing goes a little crazy, everything else goes to heck in a hand basket?
The graduation party is Sunday, and of course there is a baseball tournament in Lewiston all weekend....ok, we can deal with that....just have to work around it....and get everyone to chip in and help out. Get this place ready for a party, no problem! Of course, it would not be a sane life if something major didn't go wrong....so my van decides to take a crap, we are talking a MAJOR CRAP! Own payments on it, can't sell it, won't get a trade in on it, it doesn't work (!!!) and will now have to put major funding into it to make it drivable again.....and wouldn't you know it, the warranty expired when???? 2,000 miles ago, now doesn't that just figure.

Like I said, Murphy's Law....if it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen big time, and it's gonna happen to me!!
So, to make myself feel better, I signed on for the Ravelympics!! Go Team Buffalo!
I have signed on for 3 skull caps and 3 pair of croc socks for Christmas gift giving.....it will be a miracle if I finish them all in 17 days, but heck, I always aspired to be an over achiever......and besides, it will get my mind of the van repairs!

One day at a time, and it will all work out, that's what my hubby always tells me, and so far he's been pretty much on the mark. Love that guy.

Works in progress

Some days I feel as if I am in overdrive! The "compartments" of my life all need my attention - work, home, kids....groceries, the vet, college applications, laundry, the pile of files on my desk, rides to work for teens learning responsibility....and all the while a long list of knitting projects runs through my brain...begging for my attention!!! As far as I can tell, I am "normal"! Good to know.

I decided to document my wips (works in progress) tonight, I cast on the baby surprise jacket the other day after watching the dvd and realizing that it was not a difficult pattern at all, and Danielle only has 9 more weeks before "Jordan" is born! I'm still working on the 5 pair of Croc Sox for the girls for Christmas, my Neck Down Cardigan, a pair of socks, and a wool knit clutch that will be felted - my first felting try! I just ordered the yarn for 3 skull caps for x-mas gifts for the boys...and I have some wonderful alpaca that I want to use to make some fingerless gloves for myself. So, is this getting a little out of hand, or what?

Organize, prioritize, time management.....and fly by the seat of your pants, that's my motto!

In the beginning...

Every moment that passes is gone forever. Make the most of them. Go forward and take each day as a new opportunity to live, to learn and to love with all you've got! Try not to get caught up in the stresses of life, they will drag you down. Remember to smile, embrace the moment, find good in the people around you and in the things you do.

Love with all your heart, laugh at the silliness of life, and learn things that make life easier, make you happy and help you help others!

and so it begins.....