Blue Ridge Knittery

Windfest 2011

2011-04-19T08:17:00.002-04:00

We survived and surprisingly, had an amazing time too. I'll add more details later, but for now, enjoy my "ego deflater."

Colorful

2011-04-06T16:54:00.005-04:00

I've decided to remodel my house. I want my walls to look like this. The MOTH will probably be moving out, so does anyone want to be housemates? :)

Festival's coming up fast!

Nite Nite

2011-03-29T12:58:00.003-04:00

I'm Maryland-starved and here's one of the reasons why....

The knitting has been slow-going, but the festival is gearing up. I'll pick the needles back up after the 16th of April. :)

Knit On!

2011-03-24T15:15:00.004-04:00

"Knit on, with confidence and hope, through all crises." Elizabeth Zimmerman

and sinus infections
bouts of nausea &
intraveinous dilaudid :D

What's scary is how well I knitted while juiced!

Lately :)

2011-03-17T15:28:00.008-04:00

Hello World,

It seems like I've been doing everything but knitting lately. Life took over for a little while, but I'm getting back into the "fibery" swing of things. The festival is less than a month away (butterflies in stomach) and I'm very excited. :)

Here's the latest from Smith Mountain Lake....

We have a new dog, Max. He's a German Shepherd and wickedly smart. He's
also quite cunning/sneaky, so watch where you put your shoes - - you've
been warned.

P.S. He's three months old and his paws are the size of softballs.

Andie, a couple of her friends and I went and saw Enter the Haggis again.
They were wonderful, as always! We danced, carried on and had a great
time!

And to prove it, here's a video from their performance in Roanoke. Enjoy!

No Cascade or Jean Dunbabin for me.

2011-01-30T18:18:00.004-05:00

Please read the e-mail exchanges and learn why I will never again

purchase a Cascade yarn:

My Request:
-----Original Message-----
From: Dana Soltani [mailto:danaknits@aol.com?]
Sent: Monday, January 24, 2011 6:57 AM
To: sales@cascadeyarns.com
Subject: WW Contact from web siteName: Dana SoltaniEmail: danaknits@aol.com
Comments:
Hello, My name is Dana Soltani and I am a co-founder of the Olde Liberty FibreFaire (OLFF). My partner-in-fibre, Dianne Nichols, and I established theOLFF to benefit our community and to share our passion for the fibre arts. From 2008 through 2010, Dianne and I organized the Sedalia Spring FiberFestival of Big Island, Virginia. For this, the OLFF's inaugural year, Dianne and I chose to donate the proceeds of the festival to the Bedford Hospice House, Inc. In addition to the festival, we have established a "donate-a-square" contest. For every six inch square donated to the festival (those squares will become blankets that will be given to local charities), the knitter or crocheter is entered to win a prize. I am writing to you to request your assistance with prizes. If at all possible, would you and/or your company be willing to donate a prize to our contest and/or raffle? In gratitude for your generosity, we would, in turn, list you and a photograph of your donation on our web site's raffle and contest pages. Furthermore, we would also list and link to your organization on our sponsors page. I invite you to visit the web site and encourage you to take a look at the"Gallery." There, you will find photographs of the previous festivals Dianne and I have held. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for time and consideration of this matter. With warmest regards, Dana

The Cascade Reply:
-----Original Message-----
From: Jean Dunbabin jean@cascadeyarns.com
To: 'Dana Soltani' danaknits@aol.com
Sent: Mon, Jan 24, 2011 2:30 pm
Subject: RE: WW Contact from web site

I think no.

Having received this reply, I cut and pasted the e-mail the exchange on Facebook at the Cascade Yarns page. The posting has since been deleted by Cascade, but to paraphrase it, it

read something like this. "Someone at Cascade is having a very, very bad day. I cannot believe that this is company policy. Shame on you, Jean!"

A couple of days later, I received this via e-mail:

-----Original Message-----

From: Cascade Yarns - Shannon shannon@cascadeyarns.com

To: 'Dana Soltani' danaknits@aol.com

Sent: Wed, Jan 26, 2011 7:36 pmSubject: RE: WW Contact from web site
Thank you for contacting Cascade Yarns regarding your event. I would like
to start by apologizing regarding the prior contact you received as the
person that replied meant to forward it internally rather than reply.
It has been our practice coordinate donations through our retail accounts
with very few exceptions. Should you organize an event such as this again,
I would encourage you to work with at least one retail yarn store and have
them contact us.
Thank you,
Shannon [Dunbabin, Jean's daughter-in-law]
Cascade Yarns
shannon@cascadeyarns.com

And I replied:

Hello Shannon,
Thank you very much for your kind reply; I am grateful. I have been a Cascade purchaser
for years and Cascade 220 is my "bread & butter." When I received that reply, I was
genuinely stunned. I searched your web site and blog high and low for another way to contact
management and forward the e-mail exchange. There was no other address to be had and Facebook was the only way in which to say "heads up" to the people who run your organization.
Continuing to search for another means of contact, I learned from Google that Jean is the owner of the company. This may sound stupid and melodramatic, but the truth is that Jean's e-mail hurt my heart. My one year old niece sleeps with a handknit sock monkey made with 220. I have given out dozens of baby blankets made with Cascade. I've got a child-sized summer sweater on the needles using your Sierra.
Shannon, the festival is scheduled for April 16, 2011 and I do need prizes for the square donations. My local Cascade retailers are Gwen of Backstitches and Karen Kennedy of Motif Needle Arts. Both are located in Lynchburg, VA. If Cascade, as a company, cares about this consumer, and more importantly, the people I am trying to help, a small, overstock/non-fancy/lightweight donation would be greatly appreciated. In return, I'll list the company as a sponsor and raffle prize donator as mentioned in my earlier e-mail.
Thank you again for writing to me and best wishes,
Dana Soltani

And finally, this arrived tonight:

Dana,

As Shannon mentioned to you, we only accept donation requests through our customer accounts. Currently, we do not have a working relationship with any of the stores near Lynchburg. If you are interested in pursuing this, you could contact one of the local stores and work through them.

Rob Dunbabin [Jean's son]

Cascade Yarns

I think I'd rather let this one go and forget

that Cascade even exists. It's made me

sick to my stomach, time and again.

- - - - -

Rob & Shannon - Thanks for trying.

Where The Wild Things Are...

2011-01-03T16:26:00.001-05:00

...and what they wear. :)

Here's Trevor in his Wonderful Wallaby. Denise liked it so well that she asked me to make three others; one for her, one for Briana & a third for a family friend. :)

Password Protection - Knitter Style

2010-12-29T16:31:00.004-05:00

Compliments of Jadielady

Low level threat

Medium Level Threat

High Level Threat

Snow Day Knitting Slam

2010-12-20T10:19:00.004-05:00

Here's what can be done during a couple of unexpected snow days....

One ITouch sock made with Mirasol's "Hacho."

One finished Wallaby for nephew:

And the mate to my fingerless gloves:

Now, I'm waiting for the elbow to recover! :) Happy Holidays everyone!

Projects Galore

2010-12-13T08:49:00.007-05:00

Good morning!

It's been knitting galore here in the country. I took on a couple of big projects and chose to ignore several smaller ones for the moment. This is, by far, the highest number of "on the needles" projects that I've had going at one time. Let me think...there's six right now, I believe.

First of all, there's the Adult Surprise Jacket. This is a Knit-A-Long that I'm doing with Dianne, Linda, Teresa, and Catherine. All of my increases are finished and right now, I'm just knitting for length (and color changes).

And then there's the Wonderful Wallaby for Trevor. This is a pattern from the NoSo in October. All that remains is finishing the hood and it's done!

I did a small project for an acquaintance. Patty's son has wanted a "Link Hat" for several years. He grew up playing all of the Nintendo "Zelda" games, but his mother couldn't ever find the hat.
Ravelry!
Very reluctantly modeled by my son. ("Do NOT photograph my face!") I should've named

the photo, "Sh*! my mother makes me do." Once the ASJ and Wallaby are done, I'll get

back to my Citron Shawl, fingerless gloves and others.

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Namaste.

FOs' and In Progress

2010-10-22T09:59:00.005-04:00

I finished Cash's dead fish hat. It's baby-sized and it came out very nicely.

This is the "Perfect Beret" I did for myself from David Simpon's Green Dragon Yarn.

The fiber is phenomenal and his colors are mouthwatering!

On the needles right now is a "Wonderful Wallaby Sweater" for Trevor in a nice
sage green colorway and...

a Citron shawl using Wolle's Yarn Creations in the Serengeti colorway.

And I've been running the roads to Maryland a lot lately. I can't stay away from my munchkins!

Life in Pictures

2010-10-04T09:46:00.003-04:00

I've been having entirely too much fun lately!

I found this at a local fleamarket and couldn't resist it. Apple Cinnamon is the scent of the week.

Linda and I went to our third NoSo Knit (September 25, 2010) in Roanoke. Rae and Tere did an amazing job and it was a great event!

Linda gifted me this beautiful skein of "Whipperwool" from the Unplanned Peacock Studio.

This past Saturday, Linda, Catherine and I went to the Fall Fiber Festival at Montpelier. Linda and I planned to invade Wolle's Yarn Creations and that's exactly what we did. :)

Catherine at Wolle's booth
Linda at the booth

And four out of the five skeins I purchased.
Linda and Catherine "oooohed & awwwwed" over the loose fiber that was in the Gatherings tent. Gatherings raises angora rabbits and sells both the rabbits and their fur. Linda did get a small box of fur and it was a pleasure to touch.

What amused me (since I'm a sorry spinner), was what was being made with
the fiber. Look above Linda's head. Is that what I think it is?

Yeppers, an angora bikini! That's some interesting "mistletoe" you got there Linda! ;)

Knitting and A New Family Member

2010-09-21T10:29:00.003-04:00

At long last, I have an FO. I've been knitting fairly consistently, but lately, it seems like my projects are taking forever to complete. At my five-year-old nephew's request, I made a Dead Fish Hat. I hope Trevor will enjoy wearing it this winter. My aunt saw me making Trevor's fish and asked if I could make an infant-sized one for her grandson, Cash. I've cast that on and am modifying the pattern [ha..ha...mathmatically illiterate me] to make it work. Please wish me luck - - I'll need it.

I also finished the 3 Way Wrap below. The wrap looks very grape-colored in the picture, but it's actually a pretty claret.

And last, but not least, meet our new family member, B.C. ("Boy Cat"). B.C. belonged to my grandmother, who recently passed away. The picture doesn't do him justice. First of all, he's HUGE. You wouldn't know it to look at him, but he's a thoroughly spoiled lap baby and he and I have completely bonded. He sleeps with me at night and wants to be cuddled regularly. Look closely at his belly fur. This cat has "ringlets" of fur - - kind of like an angora goat and extremely silky. If I were any kind of spinner at all, I'd be swimming in fiber because this cat sheds like a chemo patient. So far, he's shown no interest in my yarn but to sit on it as I'm knitting, letting me know that it's his turn for attention. :)

And if I don't drop the knitting fast enough for him, the claws come out - - seriously!

Ten On Tuesday

2010-08-24T10:22:00.003-04:00

Ten Things I Would Tell A College Freshman

1. DO

2. NOT

3. OVERINDULGE

4. IN

5. ALCOHOL

6. Or you will end up on the internet like these idiots.

7. Have fun (these memories are some of the best you'll ever have).

8. Study hard.

9. Take Philosophy 101.

10. Be smart & safe.

Ten on Tuesday - 10 Reasons to Love Bacon

2010-08-10T09:53:00.008-04:00

As an AVOWED bacon lover, I'm happy to do this blog today. Bacon, as far as I'm concerned, is its own food group. I firmly believe that bacon outweighs the other, less tasty, food groups such as dairy and vegetables. However, if you combine bacon with the other food groups, they are considerably improved.

Case in point: Cream cheese on a bagel. Tasty, but tame. Add some bacon bits to the cheese and that bagel is a lot more yummy! Bacon wrapped plantains? Bacon wrapped shrimp? The list goes on and on...

For the wounded bacon lover...bacon bandaids.
My dream BLT.

Need to clean your teeth, but want a more flavorful floss? Here ya go.

I'd wear mine cooked, but to each her own.

Does your car need to smell better? Your closet?

Bacon wrapped scallops. Nom.nom.nom.

Bacon & Twinkie "Stonehenge". Not so nom.nom.nom.

Bacon Tuxedos...these kids look cute enough to eat.

Last, but not least, the new and improved Thanksgiving dinner!

Have you hugged your bacon today?

BABY DINOSAUR BORN

2010-08-09T10:47:00.005-04:00

B. REX!

The B.Rex will climb onto tabletops to get what she wants! Do not get between her and the BBQ ribs. If you do, she'll scream, bang her head on the table in anger or bite you with her sharp fangs. If confronted by a B.Rex, give her whatever she wants and eventually, she'll get tired and fall asleep. Avoid the next day's diaper at all costs.

Deadfish Hat #2

2010-07-12T09:40:00.003-04:00

At long last, I have a finished object and I'm very excited! My elbow and just being busy in general slowed my knitting down dramatically these last several weeks. The elbow, so far, feels fine. :) Here's my second Deadfish Hat. This one's for Earl, the gentleman that did my tattoo.

I used "Dark Fantasy" yarn from Backstitches for this hat and to be honest, I didn't like it as well as the "Loops & Threads" I used for the last hat. The Fantasy is too fine, too split-able and it doesn't want to retain the shape as well as the Michaels brand.

Oh, and here's the skein of hand-dyed yarn that I did at WWKIP. :) Can't wait until we do the jacquard next!

Next up: A plum colored wrap, a third (and final) Deadfish Hat for my five year old nephew and the start of the Great American Aran Afghan (I'm using, naturally, Ann McCauley's pattern first). Yes'm...big case of start-itis now.

Self-Medication

2010-07-08T10:00:00.005-04:00

Now that this situation is over, per se, I can talk about it. Something strange happened to my right arm after the fiber festival and I had no idea what was going on. First, the muscles in my upper and lower arm, as well as the elbow joint, began to hurt very badly. There were dull aches and at times, sharp, dagger-like pains. Then, I noticed a really large lump under the skin of my forearm. Initially, I thought I had bruised myself helping break down vendor set ups, but the bump kept getting larger and the pain, more intense.

I went to the doctor and had the lump examined. In a nutshell, she said it was either a non-cancerous lipoma (aka "mutant fat cell") or a lymphoma. An ultrasound showed it was a lipoma (whoo! and yay!) and now it was time to deal with the muscular/joint issues. I went to the orthopaedist yesterday and after the examination, he stated that I have tennis elbow.

"Do you play?" Dr. Henning asked.
"Dude, look at me. What the hell do you
think?" I thought.
"No, I knit...rabidly," I replied.
"Well, we'll take care of this right now."

And I was given a cortisone shot in the ligament. I hate shots. Have I ever told you that? I really, really loathe needles. My veins are hard to find and my record of IV attempts is 12 tries! I've spent the better part of my life trying to avoid shots. Ask me sometime about avoiding a series of shots in the Cote d'Ivoire/Ivory Coast Airport in Africa. There's a little man in a dirty lab coat there who thinks Bill Clinton and I are lovers.
One railroad spike later, I do feel better. My arm doesn't hurt nearly as much, but that could be the codeine talking at this point. Anyway, next time my elbow kicks up, I plan on self-medicating...Aspercream and vodka. Wanna join me?

Ten Ways to Enjoy Summer

2010-07-07T11:28:00.004-04:00

Ten Ways to Enjoy Summer

1. Let's start with an ice cold Appletini, or a Purltini, or a Peartini;

2. Play with my Sony Reader! Denise bought me one for my birthday and I am eating it up. I've downloaded books, e.g. Eat Pray Love, multiple knitting patterns and the fiber festival photo collection;

3. Visiting with family and friends (my summer was made in May with Julie & Marianne's visit);

4. Swimming at the lake;

5. Strolling the boardwalk - - any boardwalk. There's a small one here in Bedford County and I really enjoy the one at North Beach near my sister's house. I haven't done it yet this year, but I plan to;

6. Watering plants. I've NEVER considered myself a green thumb, but my neighbor asked me to water her outdoor plants while she's away for a month. So far, I've only killed a small peach tree, but everything else is flourishing. I have to admit that I find it very relaxing and honestly, I could camp next to her hydrangeas - - they smell that good!

7. Grilling. I love the smell of grilling food; and

8. Leisurely road trips where you just go somewhere for the beauty of the drive, not the destination.

I can't come up with anything else right now, but that's a good start. I hope you enjoy your summer!

Ten on Tuesday

2010-06-29T09:20:00.004-04:00

My Ten Summer Reads....
Yes, I'm way behind on this one. It's been sitting on my bedside table for months, along with the book below.

Can't wait for this to be released in late August!

Feeding my love of vampire books...lol

Charlaine Harris is one of my favorite authors. She writes the Southern Vampire Series, which is also known as True Blood on HBO.

Knitting reading

More Charlaine (and I've actually already read this).

Isabel Allende is another favorite. I love both her adult and youth fiction series.

No, it's not ten, but there'll be more than ten when summer's over. Trust me. :)

WWKIP 2010

2010-06-25T10:43:00.004-04:00

A group of us met last Saturday, June 19th, for WWKIP. Sheila at Wool2Dye4 was kind enough to host us and open her doors. Her selection of both dyed and undyed yarn was MOUTHWATERING; I kid you not. She also taught us the principles of dyeing and all of us dyed a skein using different Kool-Aid colors. It was great day! Thank you so much Sheila. :)

Cynthia's skein came out looking like blue-based Araucania; very pretty!

Dianne lightly dyed hers in shades of blue and red.

Linda

Jessi, the dyeing pro, knitted and watched us learn the basics. (She took 'Best in Show' at Sedalia's Do or Dye this year).

Have a great weekend everyone!

Ten on Tuesday

2010-06-22T08:55:00.003-04:00

Welcome to my first "Ten on Tuesday". :)

Ten Ways to Entertain a Child
(*only the brave at heart would do this with kids in their home)

*Painting;
*Play-Doh and/or Sculpey;
Museum trip;
Playground and picnic;
Building a fort out of chairs and blankets and then playing inside it together;
Bicycle riding together;
Baking cookies or cupcakes and then decorating them;
Hide and Seek;
Scavenger hunts;
Reading a great book to the child or children.

Meet Jaws

2010-06-21T09:16:00.006-04:00

This is a hat for people who will wear anything. It's Thelma Egbert's Fish Hat (Dead or Alive)? from Ravelry. I made this hat, my first one, for Dynaknit's husband, Mike.

Dynaknits and I had been laughing about Mike coming to the festival in some handknit (and crazy-colored Red Heart) socks. She stated that Mike would wear anything and when I saw this hat, I decided to put it to the test.

Happy Birthday Mike! :)

And...the tattoo contest winner is Marianne! Here's your Fyberspate's; the colorway is "Crayons."

Shore Parkway Wrap

2010-06-18T14:32:00.004-04:00

Here's a recent finished project, the Shore Parkway Wrap. It was painfully easy to knit and there's no frills, but it is a warm and comfortable wrap.

I knitted with two strands, a variegated Universal Worsted and a solid Plymouth Encore (3 skeins each). Have a great weekend!

My Turn

2010-06-16T09:55:00.005-04:00

Okay, Linda's tattoo is over and mine is about to begin. Through her tattooing, Linda remained calm and almost silent. She gasped on an occasion or two, but that was it. I was completely impressed!

Chris had assured me that tattooing wasn't bad and using the new "air" machines made a world of difference, e.g. less pain. I climbed into the chair, grabbed the metal bars behind me for support and was ready to go.

Had you been there, you would've thought I was giving birth to a watermelon. I moaned, I writhed, I whimpered and jumped. I was so pathetic that everyone was giggling, but I couldn't help myself. "Are you almost finished Earl?" I whined. "No. I've only done the word, 'Knit', so far." I have no idea how long I was in the chair, but Linda and Logan assured that it wasn't long at all. LMAO

And this is the finished job. The photo's fuzzy, but the tattoo isn't and I just adore it!

Last, but not least, came Logan and he put me to shame. (I'll get a kick in some time, some where). :) He was in the process of being tattooed when I snapped this picture.

Finally, while Logan was being done, I logged on to my Ravelry account and Chris spent an hour or so going through the Star Wars-related knitting patterns on Ravelry (his favorite movie). Earl liked the hat I was knitting and asked if I did commissions. I don't, but I told him to choose his colors and I would make him a Dead Fish Hat. :) The long and short of it is...Linda and I entered as "weirdos" and left with "recruits." That's knitting power for you.

Linda's Bucket List - Part 2

2010-06-15T09:59:00.003-04:00

And the pain continues....

And keeps coming...

Argh. I don't have a photo of Linda's finished tattoo, but it's an adorable

little sheep. You can picture it from the outline above.

The sheep's head is filled in with black, as are the feet. Linda had Earl give

the body black and gray swirls/whorls.

So how was your Sunday afternoon?

Knitter Tattoo

2010-06-14T08:58:00.004-04:00

Linda, Logan (Linda's grandson) and I strolled into A Kiss of Ink in Lynchburg yesterday. We were met at the door by Earl, the tattoo artist, and said we had come for a tattoo. Earl looked a little surprised, but accepted it with aplomb.

"What kind of tattoo do you want?" he asked.
Linda replied, "Sheep."
He looked at me and said, "Sheep? Seriously?"
"Yes, sheep. We're knitters." I answered.

You could tell that he had NO CLUE what to make of us, but Linda and I went on to look for a sheep tattoo that she liked. We found one in about twenty minutes or so and by that time, the second employee, Chris, had arrived. Both Chris and Earl were shaking their heads, but they were starting to get into the idea.

"Wait a minute. I have to pay for my pain???" Linda asked.
Getting setup by Earl
Getting nervous...really nervous.

Getting inked.

"Breathe, Linda, breathe. Relax."

To be continued....

Weekend Getaway

2010-06-08T09:11:00.009-04:00

I had a Maryland weekend getaway. The highlight was time spent with the kids.

Only for this pair would I sit in cold hose water while fully dressed.

And it was cold as Briana's face shows.

And for the knitting...Bri modeled her new sweater, a "Fresh Picked Color Cardigan". :)

And here's a cute one of Mr. Creamsicle Mouth.

H E L P & Win a Prize

2010-06-03T13:17:00.007-04:00

Vote for your favorite tattoo graphic by leaving a comment and

you're entered to win a skein of luscious sock yarn!

And the nominees are....

Just the graphic, not the "Knit-a-holic" text. This image has taken on a whole new meaning after the last fiber festival. :)

Just the sheep, not the "Baa."

Chinese character for knit. It also means, "weave" and "unite" as well.

Peace, Love, Knit

I Came, I Saw, I Knit

Fiber Nest

2010-05-31T08:32:00.004-04:00

I took over part of the unfinished basement this weekend and made it into a "Fiber Nest." I plan on getting a couch and once it's there, I might just move in. :)

No more stacks of knitting totes. (Do not count them Jessi!) lol

Let's see...there's Nana Sadie Rose, Della Q, Vera Bradley, Jessilu, Ellen Tracy

(at 80% off - - gotta love Ross), Lorenz-Cannon Gallery, Sedalia and others.

I unrolled the carpets we purchased overseas and pulled the woven Turkish pillows to the basement too. The LeClerc warping board will be hung (once I figure out how to drive a nail into cement) and the Dorothy is warped is waiting.

I brought down a cat bed in the hopes that Libby will use it instead of napping on my shoulders

as I sit at the computer (though it is kind cute - - or was when she was a kitten).

It's not fancy, but I do like my getaway. :)

WIPs 'n Chains

2010-05-27T11:37:00.005-04:00

Well, just WIPs ("Works in Progress" for the muggle reader/relative).

Shore Parkway Wrap. It's huge and it'll be warm.
Herringbone Neckwarmer. I'm making a bunch of these for Andie's Color Guard team in their school colors.

Reversible Fingerless Gloves. One down, one to go. I'm knitting the gloves with
The Hill yarn in "Cherry Red." The photograph doesn't do the yarn justice.

And I've got a dozen other things lined up! :)

So much fun it was probably illegal in several states!

2010-05-24T14:10:00.016-04:00

Sedalia Spring Fiber Festival 5 took place on May 15th, 2010. It was a sight to see and I had an absolute ball that weekend. For starters, Dianne, aka Dynaknit,'s husband rented the "guest house" at Hurricane Hill for us and for the weekend. Then, Julie, aka "Noolie," and Marianne, aka "Ms. Knotminding," arrived from Maine and Oklahoma. Marianne arrived on time and her travel was a breeze. Julie, on the other hand, was delayed at the outset, missed her connecting flight and arrived in Roanoke at 4:00 a.m.

Hurricane Hill view

We spent Friday morning and afternoon setting up for the festival. Friday night was spent trying out Havala's masterpiece, the "Purltini." Ingredients: One bottle of Pearl Pomegranate vodka, pineapple juice, cranberry juice and lime zest. End Result:

Ripped and reaching for chocolate.
Strangely enough, I woke up feeling great (or had to much to do to admit feeling badly) and we trekked on to the festival.

Julie & Marianne at Greenberry House (Dianne is on the microphone in the background).

49 vendors, a warm, sunny day, amazing raffles and the best of friends made the day completely fun, thrilling, amazing and wonderful. It really was "too good to be true." Marianne and Julie, on top of traveling to assorted U.S. cities to get to Sedalia, helping to set up and all of their other hard work on festival day, also gave these lovely souvenirs. Their company was the best gift of all, it truly was, but these were nice surprises.

The light blue yarn is from Sereknity in Maine; Julie brought that with her. The Zauberball was bought at the festival and Marianne gave me the beautiful lavender and sage colorway yarn. Needless to say, I'm "jones-ing" to make socks now.

Dianne gave each of us an autographed copy of Ann McCauley's books, The Pleasures of Knitting and Together or Separate, and Julie brought each of us a copy of "Dreamscape," by her friend and author, Gina House, aka Sleepy Eyes Knitting.

A BEAUTIFUL Nantucket Bagg. I love these colors - - I look at the tote and I think of apple pie. Even the cat admires the bag and has, in fact, tried to 1. ) get in it and 2.) sleep on it.

I treated myself to Woven Gems and David Simpson's Green Dragon yarn. The fiber on the left is 100% alpaca and I'm going to make several pairs of fingerless gloves with it. The Green Dragon colorway is "Ruby Tuesday" and I haven't decided what I want to do with it yet. For now, I'm content to pet it and admire the colorwork.

And finally, Briana will be getting a little embroidered alpaca hat for winter.

Dianne, Marianne, Julie & Linda - - THANK YOU for the greatest weekend of all! XOXOXO

Julie - - I pirated some of your pictures; I hope you don't mind. :)

We're with the band....

2010-04-26T08:57:00.003-04:00

The 12th Annual Celtic Festival is finished! Dianne and I can now turn our attention exclusively to the upcoming fiber festival. I wish all of you could've seen Dianne in action! She kept it all flowing, MC'ed the event, greeted vendors and when she learned the concessions staff was short a few people, she dove in and served hot dogs and hamburgers to the crowd. Linda and her grandson, Logan, were our raffle volunteers and they were excellent. It was soooo good to sit down with Linda and just relax here and there. Logan kept me laughing the whole time. :)

During the last set of Enter the Haggis' performance, Dianne pulled me onto the dance floor and it was a ball. Everyone was dancing and carrying on. When ETH finished, Dianne went onstage and led the "Encore!" shouts. ETH agreed and the last song was great.

Afterwards, I took these photos....

Doesn't Dianne look awesome?!?!? (A new Haggis Head is born). :) In the left corner is Jennifer, another knitter and Haggis lover.

And see what Jennifer did....

It's a Jayne Cobb hat for all of you Firefly/Serenity lovers. Modeling it is Brian, the lead singer of Enter the Haggis.

I bought a couple of goodies too. This is a Faerieworks plaque that I liked.

And a couple of bookmarks also done by Jennifer of Faerieworks.

And this is the sign that Jennifer made for me! I love it and thank you again Jen!

And finally, Andie won this is in the raffle. Andie's room is faery-themed, so this

Faerieworks print was a welcome addition!

Andie got to spend a large part of the day with ETH. There was a pickup game of soccer and just quiet time spent talking. She enjoyed herself enormously and ETH was as delightful as they could be! Great music and equally great guys.

I Knit, I Do,

2010-04-16T14:35:00.003-04:00

...but there's been precious little time for it lately. One thing that was finished not too long ago is Wyatt's jester hat. Brianna tried it on for fun last weekend (and munched on my toothbrush for good measure too).

Mmmm...goodies!

2010-04-05T10:54:00.004-04:00

This is the Schacht Cricket in its original state.

Here's the Cricket after its first coat of Tung oil. The wood looks much prettier finished.

Meet Aiobhe (pronounced "Eva", which is Irish for "beauty"). She's a LeClerc Dorothy table loom. I drove up to Richmond on Saturday and picked her up from Cherri Hankins, an amazing fiber artist who has a to-dye-for studio filled with wet felted tapestries, woven goodies, looms et cetera. Cherri spins, weaves, knits, sews and is a force of nature. She also [bless her] sells very nice used equipment at fair prices!

Ahem. My little hobby is beginning to take over the living room. In addition to Aiobhe, I also picked up a LeClerc warping board.

Now, here's the kicker. How do I know that I'm fiber-obsessed? I like a clean house and I'm a fastidious housekeeper. My car, by contrast, is the "Ebola-mobile." I normally couldn't care less what the interior looks like...

...until it was time to pack up the girls.

Yes, I cleaned the car for the fiber equipment, not the kids or myself. :D

My Sorry-Assed Sampler

2010-03-31T11:30:00.002-04:00

It's looks awful, but I love it and had a blast doing it! lol

Note to Self: No more Peaches 'n Cream warping - - use something finer.

Knit Night Fun

2010-03-30T09:58:00.002-04:00

Here's some highlights from our recent knit night. Jessi is knitting furiously on her round blanket.

Stephanie's mom, Sharon, came & visited from Michigan.

Kathy, Mauna & Kathy's wheel. Kathy - - you ought to name the wheel; like ships & boats, it's bad luck to be unnamed. We could call it the "S.S. Stillwaters". ;)

Here's the latest...

2010-03-23T13:56:00.002-04:00

This is Briana's "Pick me up!" face. We were at the National Zoo
in Washington and she wanted to be held rather than riding in her
stroller. I totally spoiled her and enjoyed every minute of it. By
the end of the weekend, she picked me over her daddy. =)

I am "So Big."

Easter at Pentagon City Mall

And the latest arrival at my house, a Schacht Cricket. :)

I have been knitting and pictures will follow. Have a wonderful week everyone!

Raffle Prizes are Arriving!

2010-02-26T12:58:00.005-05:00

I had a couple of packages waiting for me last night when I got home. Ahhhh, if only they were for me....

Conjoined Creations, creators of the Flat Feet Sock Yarn, sent this raffle donation and

Brittany Needles hooked us up too!

The sun was shining this weekend...

2010-02-22T10:10:00.008-05:00

...and I took advantage of it and finally got some stuff done! :)

I cleaned & decorated the "dumpster mobile."

Linda gave me the license plate cover at Christmas and

Dianne brought back the NSK sticker from the Sock Summit.

I bathed and air dryed a new baby blanket for my cousin's first child. It's an 8 Hour Encore, "Simple Texture," blanket.

And did two more pairs of felted clogs for friends.

Well, I best get to work. Have a great day and Bella says, "Good morning. Stay away from my rawhide."

Festivals & FOs'

2010-01-26T10:20:00.008-05:00

I've been working a lot on both knitting and the upcoming festivals. There's this terrific Celtic vendor who makes the cutest of fairy-related items, http://www.faerieworks.biz/ and she and I have been corresponding on how we could incorporate her wares into the fiber festival. I recently asked her if she would considering making fiber-related wine bottle stoppers, e.g. sheep, balls of yarn or alpaca as toppers for the cork. She also makes these adorable signs and I was describing some knitting catchphrases that would be fun on signs, e.g. "Sheep Happens," "Yarn Pirate," "KnitWit" et cetera. And then, it occurred to me. I like Jerry Lee Lewis. Thirteen year old wives aside, he is an amazing musician and his songs have always moved me. Like a lightening bolt, my new blog sub-title was born, "Goodness! Gracious! Great Balls of Fiber."

I explained to Jen at Faerieworks that if she made me a sign like that, I'd buy it in an
instant, so here's hoping.... LOL

The finished blue-based Baby Butterfly Wrap using my Noro look-alike, Universal Classic Shades, along with a dusty blue skein of Vanna White.

A beret for my four year old second cousin, Hannah.

And my first Jester hat (for Wyatt, another second cousin & a total clown of a boy).

Snoopy Dance

2010-01-22T15:09:00.003-05:00

Briana has finally grown into her Mason Dixon Kimono! The BSJ is still too big, but I can be

patient. (Racing off now to find new baby patterns - -lol - - see ya at Ravelry).

"Keep Me Sane" Knitting

2010-01-21T11:58:00.003-05:00

Here's something new and different. It's a Butterfly Baby Wrap that I found on Ravelry. There are three babies due to arrive in Spring and I've been getting ready. This is the first wrap and I used Universal Yarn/Classic Shades and Plymouth Encore. The Universal yarn looks exactly like Noro, but it's a very, very soft wool/acrylic blend.

I started and almost finished the second wrap at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, VA. Dad was hospitalized due to both pneumonia and dehydration. We came very close to losing him Sunday night/Monday morning and I was nothing more than a mass of quivering nerves. The knitting, literally, kept me sane. I'm so happy to say that he's on the mend and doing infinitely better!

More hospital knitting. My nephew, Tyler, wanted a ear flap hat and here it is (Lion's Brand Wool-Ease/Thick & Quick). My father suggested the tassels on top. :)

Felted & finished - - the Araucania clogs.

Happy Knitting All!

An FO, at long last!

2010-01-13T12:07:00.003-05:00

In the recent past, it felt like an uphill battle trying to find time to knit. I know that you can relate with the chaotic Thanksgiving & Christmas rush. Irregardless of how well you prepared (or in my case, didn't at all), something was always grasping at your free time.

I finally made some time and finished this feather & fan "lapghan" for my grandmother. It began as a baby blanket with no one in particular in mind, but my dad actually suggested gifting it to my grandmother and it clicked. Her birthday is later this month.

This was my pre-Christmas rush project. I've done several cabled neck warmers for assorted
friends and family.

And I had a "request." My boss asked for felted clogs (I gave her a pair a few years ago). Linda picked out the yarn (Araucania & Universal worsted) and believe me, the picture doesn't do the colors justice. It hope it felts up easily and retains the colors well.

One more clog to go and then I'm diving into "Baby Butterfly Wraps." It's an adorable little pattern I found on Ravelry.

Stay warm & happy knitting,

Dana

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T11:22:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year everyone. I hope 2010 is an incredible year for you and yours!
XOXOX, Dana

Bad Blogger...

2009-10-19T15:01:00.002-04:00

...and total Facebook addict (for the moment).

Finally, "she's" done. I hope Briana likes her. :)

And the baby blanket still on the needles.

Happy Knittin'!

Sock Dyeing at NoSo

2009-09-29T12:56:00.003-04:00

Misty Moutain Farm's Linda gave a sock dyeing demo at NoSo. It was terrific!

12th Annual NoSo Knit, Saturday, Sept. 26

2009-09-29T12:04:00.005-04:00

The NoSo Knit is a charity event hosted in Roanoke. It's a day of knitting, door prizes and meeting new people. NoSo supports Scarves of Hope, local shelters and the knitting program at Alderson Womens Prison in West Virginia.

Claudette & her door prize

Toy donation

Knitters!

Dianne & Claudette
Linda & Rae, the Thinking Knitter (and co-organizer of this event).
Natasha of Unplanned Peacock Studio with her charity knit donation.
Pat Lawrence with her rabbit. Pat is the "Barley Stitch Pattern" sock designer.
It was a great day! My door prize included a set of Lantern Moon DPNs' from Stoney Mountain Fibers of Charlottesville and some beautiful roving with a spindle donated by Knitnana. Thank you both so much!

Photos

2009-09-21T08:55:00.003-04:00

Here's the second, "naked" sock monkey. This one will be Briana's Christmas gift. I'm in the process of dressing her (preemie clothing) and once finished, I'll post a new photo.

For my fellow Haggis Heads (compliments of Knit Pro):

Lastly, but never least, Jim. After I loaded Linda's Country Fair spinning video, Blogspot wouldn't allow me to post any pictures. This is Linda's husband, Jim, in front of the Spirit of New London, a old fashioned river bateau. This gentleman moves big wooden boats down rivers, constructs "spinning sheds" so that his wife can have a place of her own to store all of her goodies and makes beautiful spinning wheels.

Would you agree he's fiber husband of the year???

Catching up

2009-09-18T16:21:00.003-04:00

Here's Linda (aka Barefoot Spinner) at Sedalia's Country Fair.
She, Dianne and I had a great afternoon knitting, eating and talking.
Enjoy!

Enter The Haggis - TOUR

2009-08-25T16:17:00.002-04:00

Kirk Avenue Music Hall, Roanoke - Thursday, September 3rd.
Andie & I will be the pair bouncing off the walls. =)

Enter The Haggis - TOUR

Shared via AddThis

Wonderful Things

2009-08-21T14:30:00.005-04:00

...in no particular order. I just uploaded all of the pictures and decided to share.

This is the start (the body and beginning of the head) of my second Sock Monkey. Fellow fiber fanatic, Linda, gave me a Backstitches gift certificate for my birthday. I went to the store and was delighted to find this shade of Cascade 220 Superwash in, what I call, "Red Heel Brown." I bought the last three remaining skeins and I'm happy monkey knitter. :)
Linda also gave me this adorable book.

My neighbor, Muriyea, and I are knitting Interweave's Cabled Raglan Baby Sweater together. This is my first Interweave pattern and I barely got through the neckline before I went running to Yarn Theory/Jan for help translating the pattern. LOL

Here's Linda again. She keeps on feeding the sock mojo! :)

And then there's Dianne. Dianne feeds my Imelda Marcos-like love of knitting bags. In addition to a Nana Sadie Rose Posey and sundry bag (that matches my big Mera), Dianne gave me this beautiful Jessalu bag too.

Marianne. A box arrived in the mail and I dove into it and found these beautiful dishcloths. I really don't want to share them (Mohamed completely commandeered the mitered one you sent last year), so I don't feel badly for being greedy.

Sock Summit souvenirs from Dianne. I've been ogling ceramic buttons for a while now and even entertaining the idea of a pottery class to make them myself. Dianne picked up these beauties at the Button Emporium in Portland, as well as at the Sock Summit marketplace.

More sock goodness from Linda.

I grinned like the village idiot when these came walking through the door of my office. Dianne struck again.

Sock Summit's "Apogee" from Dianne. This was dyed by the incredibly talented Angie McNamara of Serendipitous Ewe.

Bluebirds and Alpaca Sox. :) These arrived in Marianne's box along with a beautiful set of cloisonne butterfly earrings that I couldn't photograph well, scrumptious roving in striking colors, chocolate and handmade soap.

Thank you guys for an AMAZING birthday! I am again blown away by your generosity & I love you dearly! Thank you! Thank you!

Smiles

2009-08-04T11:23:00.005-04:00

Another finished project - - yaaaay! It's the Mission Falls Bob Blankie that I've been working on (and off) since March. It was an incredibly long knit, but the blanket is cute & colorful.

And kitty-approved too.

Andie is a "Food Network" watcher and one of her favorite shows is "Ace of Cakes." Enjoy the photos....her efforts just tickled me to death!

The yarn balls & knitting needles are made from rice krispies and colored fondant. They're edible (and the size of tennis balls).

The top, chocolate layer of the cake hit the floor during construction, but the yellow cake is just fine.

And finally, my sweet baker. THANK YOU ANDIE! I ADORE my birthday cake!!

Sock Monkey No. 1

2009-07-30T08:52:00.003-04:00

At long last, I have finished a project! (Yaaaaay). Here's the first of several (I hope) sock monkeys. I'm going to dress this one up with a tutu and bows and give "her" to Brianna for Christmas.

Happy Knitting Everyone! :D

In the Midst of a Mood Swing...

2009-07-15T15:50:00.005-04:00

I am annoyed. I intend to whine. If you're not in the mood for a rant, I suggest you walk away or close your browser now. You know the expression that says, "Bad things come in threes." Well, in my case, it's four (so far). First of all, my car died. The little glorified golfcart known as my red Kia just ground to a halt and stopped.

Shortly after and secondly, the well water pump died. Imagine having company at your house (be they family or not) and the toilets won't flush because there is no (I repeat NO) running water for 36 hours. In a word, it sucked (or more specifically, didn't).

Third, I made a terrible discovery in the mirror. I was scratching my face and I felt something prickly. Have you ever touched a cactus and caught a little spine under your skin? That's what it felt like. Not painful, just there and disconcerting. I made my way to the mirror to pull out the prickle and OH SHIT! it was a mustache hair. I stood there thinking, "No way! I'm too young!" and visions, like the one below, came to mind.

Yesterday afternoon, my son and I went to have our annual eye checkups. Everything was going along fine until the doctor "clucked," shook his head and made a "Hrumph" sound. "Well, Mrs. Soltani, you're going to need bifocals probably next year. For now, get yourself some reading glasses." I thought to myself, "No f***ing way! I'm too young!" This morning, I went to see my family physician and lovely man that he is, he took excellent care of me. As I was waiting for my brand new prescription of P-R-O-Z-A-C to be filled, I tried on some reading glasses and learned that the damned opthamolgist was right.

I really don't mind aging - - I genuinely don't. What I object to - - STRENUOUSLY - - are the side effects, such as reading glasses, a mustache hair on my upper lip, mood swings of apocalyptic proportions and other indignities. Now that I'm older, I like to think of myself as wiser, more experienced, kinder, more patient (except for today) and a several other nice things. What I'm not coping so well with is going from this...

in principle

to this....

End of rant. Thank you for listening/reading. SWAK!

Summer Fun

2009-07-10T09:00:00.005-04:00

Here's how my nephew, Tyler, and my daughter, Andie, have been spending a bit of their
time this summer.

Reading........No.

Volunteering.....I think not.

Playing chess......no way.

Ah, here they are.... (Enjoy!)

And who's recording the insanity?!?! My sister! LOLOLOL Have a great weekend everyone!

Bliss (Debbie & Personal)

2009-07-08T08:50:00.004-04:00

Over the 4th of July weekend (oh, how I love a three day weekend!), I went to Maryland to visit my sister. On the 3rd, we went to a cookout at my cousin and her fiance's house. There were lots of assorted family members, excellent food, fireworks and a hot tub. I've edited out all but my arm and part of my leg from the photo (for your viewing pleasure), but needless to say, Friday was wonderful! :)

Another pleasure of mine is getting something wonderful on sale. I consider it a coup if I can find something I like and can use at a serious discount. Did I mention that I'm an Ebay addict?

Birki's Dijon (New in Box) = $35.00

Birki's Calais (New in Box) = $24.00

Using KnitMap.com, I found a "new" yarn store that wasn't far from Denise's home, Crazy for Ewe of Leonardtown, Maryland. The owner was incredibly nice, the store was stocked with amazing fiber and names I've only read about, e.g. E. Lavold, Louisa Harding and others, and there was a sale - - - 40% off of....

O-Wool and

Manos del Uruguay.

Given what I saved, I bought a couple of skeins of Debbie Bliss' Donegal Chunky Tweed too.

So, if you're ever in Leonardtown, Maryland, I'd highly recommend visiting Crazy for Ewe! One last thing; I knit yet another beret. My niece, Taylor, liked Briana's and Andie's berets so well that I did one for her over the weekend.

Trevor and Briana

2009-06-26T09:02:00.004-04:00

Here are a few kid photos from this week. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend! :)

Quote of the Day

2009-06-23T09:33:00.003-04:00

At 7:15 a.m., young Trevor (who's visiting with his mother and sisters) offered up the quote of the day,

"Aunt Dana, can I hold your rat?"

Me? I'm thinking "RAT!?!?! What rat?!?!?" and then I realize....

Guinea pig? Rat? What's the difference?

WIPs' and FOs'

2009-06-22T12:30:00.002-04:00

Here's a photo of Andie's new winter hat. It's another Wooly Wormhead "Rollin Beret" using Malabrigo. She looks very pretty in it if I do say so myself.

This is what I've done so far with Yvonne Boucher's "Sock Monkey" pattern. Rather than doing it on single point needles and seaming it up, I've been using circulars. It's a fun knit and I like how it's turning out so far. I will be sure, however, to use a marled brown yarn on the next monkey so that it looks more authentic.

Below is an early birthday gift from Dynaknits; a Nana Sadie Rose "Posey" with a matching sundries bag! The fabric matches my first NSR bag from Sedalia 2008. I love it, of course, and thank you so much D! :)

And sadly, the monkey has now outgrown the bag and must move into something else.

Happy knitting all!

Here Comes The Bride...

2009-06-16T08:46:00.002-04:00

and boy, did she look beautiful! :)

Congratulations J & S!

Hats Galore

2009-06-15T09:32:00.002-04:00

Ten hats down in record time! These little guys are going to the 2009 Sock Summit with Dynaknits as part of a donation for Afghani children. I used the "Rollin Baby Beret" pattern by Wooly Wormhead. Using bulky yarn and a higher cast on count created several different child/teen sizes. This pattern just rolls off the needles and I love it!

Lamb's Pride Bulky
New Zealand Wool

Eco Wool

Carodan Farm Wool purchased at Montpelier 2007

And this...I can finally post it. It's a Tunisian tradition to give a bridal couple a pillow and with that in mind, Dynaknits and I gave this to Jadielady and her groom (it's their wedding colors) on Saturday.

Next up...Jadie's wedding photos!

Lately....

2009-06-01T08:59:00.004-04:00

....I've been having a lot of fun. Between the festival, Memorial Day weekend with my sister, Jadielady's shower and just having the time to sit down and knit again, I've been enjoying myself thoroughly. Here goes the photos!

Cheeky Brianna

With Trevor at Chesapeake Beach, Maryland

Jadie's Knit Night Bridal Shower

The shower centerpiece

Brianna's "Wooly Wormhead" beret in Manos del Uruguay

Mission Falls "Bob Blankie"

Happy Knitting Everyone! :)

Sigh.

2009-05-22T09:05:00.008-04:00

Another festival finished. Sigh. I had a great time! I met some terrific people for the first time, saw old friends again and thoroughly enjoyed the day. Our vendors were incredible and days later, I am still genuinely awestruck by their talent and generosity. The festival visitors were fun, friendly and so enthusiastic. I'm still in post-festival recovery/withdrawl, but here's a quick something....

Here's our banner that intersected Bridge St. & Main St. in downtown Bedford.

And, of course, there were goodies....

I treated myself to Ebony needles (Knitters Pearls) from Blue Ridge Yarns and a pair of Brittanys and Surina needles from ISeeSpots Farm.

Knitnana of Nana Sadie Rose made me one of her beautiful Grace bags. It's now my dedicated
"sock" bag and I am loving it.

Also from Nana Sadie Rose, I received matching sundry cases for my other two knitting bags.

Wonderful Linda gifted me this beautiful skein of Trekking. I've finally "broken down" and purchased a pair of Size 2 needles. At long last, I'm going to try to knit small & fine yarn.

Equally wonderful Dianne gave me the gorgeous Studio 43 yarn bowl, as well as its contents, a skein of Kid Hollow's mohair. I've only petted the yarn and the bowl so far, but eventually, I'll put them both to work.

I'll be posting some fun photos this weekend while I'm at my sisters. In the meantime, I wish all of you a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend! :)

Festival Prep

2009-05-13T08:37:00.006-04:00

I really hadn't planned to blog again until after the festival, but this golden opportunity presented itself and I just couldn't resist. Every member of my family has been involved in getting ready for Saturday. My son's been sharing his computer, my daughter has been furiously practicing face painting and my husband...well....here's one of the many things that he's done....

"Okay, take one photo for laughs."

"Okay, show what the girls have painted."

"What the *@!?"

"Dana, if you show this to anyone, I'll...."

15 days and counting

2009-05-01T12:21:00.002-04:00

R 'n R Fantasy, Part 2

2009-04-28T08:27:00.007-04:00

Andie discovered this waiting in her MySpace mailbox this morning:

Apr 28, 20093:19 AM
Enter The Haggis
Replied
RE: Hi!!
Date:
Apr 28, 2009 3:19 AM
Subject:
RE: Hi!!
Body:
Thanks Andie - nice picture, haha. See you next time we're around!-Brian-----------------

"Brian", as in Brian Buchanan, the lead vocal of Enter the Haggis.

The photo he mentions is Andie's new MySpace profile picture:

Also, here are a couple more photos that I overlooked yesterday. All of the band members signed the t-shirt and CD we purchased at the festival. :)

HAGGIS HEAD

Andie's Rock 'n Roll Fantasy

2009-04-27T11:23:00.006-04:00

Andie and I spent Saturday, March 25th, at Sedalia's Celtic Festival as volunteers. We went there, happy to help out, and hoping to enjoy ourselves a little too. Well, WE ENJOYED OURSELVES THOROUGHLY to say the very least. There was an amazing band, Enter the Haggis, that played at the festival. They were phenomenal! The band members were charming, nice, incredibly talented and they turned the festival into a first-rate party.

What I also enjoyed was Andie's reaction to it all. She danced, clapped, carried on and "fell in love" for the first time. All I can say is that I left the festival thinking, "We will survive these teen years and have fun together as adults."

\m/ Rock on! \m/

Andie w/Brian, the lead vocal, after the day show.

And again, after the evening performance.

(If any of you relatives mail a copy of this to Dad/Grandpa/Edward, I will hunt you down).

March & April

2009-04-11T14:32:00.008-04:00

The month of March can be described as "sick, sick & more sick." I had pneumonia, Mohamed had both the flu and bronchitis and the kids had "the crud." We're all better now, but it was a long, germy, miserable month. On the bright side, however, here's the fun & happy stuff from the last six weeks or so.

1) A Nana Sadie Rose Posy bag. I had coveted this tote last summer at Knitters Knook, but I kept telling myself, "No more bags!" Finally, I caved (and happily).

2) Dianne gifted me this BEAUTIFUL Mission Falls 1824 Cotton shawl. I've already worn it more than half a dozen times and I adore it. Thank you again Dianne!

3) With my NSR sock monkey bag in hand, I have finally started knitting socks again. I'm using this lovely, hand-dyed fiber that Jadie gave me at Christmas.

4) My BIL asked me to make as obnoxious a warmer as I could for his younger brother. It's a gag birthday gift.

This is his six-page-spread Playgirl centerfold/professional model brother....LOL

5) I redid the buttons on my first cable knit pillow and I'm much happier with the results.

6) Mohamed liked my pillow so well that he asked for one of his own.

and finally, 7) The Sedalia Spring Fiber Festival 2009. I am SOOOO excited for a variety of reasons. We've been working our fannies off, but it's going to be wonderful. Saturday, May 16th, here I come. :D

Knit Nights - April 7th & 28th

2009-04-05T21:45:00.000-04:00

New Photos

2009-02-25T15:59:00.002-05:00

Trevor and his little sister earlier today.

This one's for you Julie. :) (His name is Calvin).

And Marianne & Dianne...here's yours.

Have a great day everyone.

Kreativ Blogger Award

2009-02-24T11:47:00.003-05:00

Noolie was kind enough to pass this award to me. Thank you very much; I do appreciate it! :) I really liked what she wrote about introducing "some blogs that you haven't discovered yet." That said, I'm passing to the award to eight others and I'm going to visit each of the blogs that Noolie listed in her post. Here goes....

Dianne at Purls of Wisdom
Jessi at Jadielady
Robin at Knitting Coop
Sallee at Knitnana
Lara at Spinning Lara
Becky at Displaced Knitter
Marianne at Marianne's Knotminding
Angela at Rupert Everett

Rules:
As a new nominee, you are encouraged to: 1. Copy the award to your site 2. Link to the person from whom you received the award. 3. Nominate 8 other bloggers. 4. Link to those on your blog. 5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominated.

Have fun, kick back and enjoy!

Yes, even more...LOL

2009-02-22T10:48:00.003-05:00

Briana Again :)

2009-02-21T13:46:00.004-05:00

Briana and I at the hospital early this morning.

Napping

Briana's finished Pinwheel Blanket. (Muriyea, my neighbor, taught me how to crochet the edges).

Briana's Christmas Stocking (aka Dana's first sock). :)

Briana Jeanne Lee

2009-02-20T08:51:00.003-05:00

She's here! It's a blurry photograph, but that's all I have right now.

Briana was born 2/19/09 at 9:18 p.m. and weighed 8lbs. 8 oz.

(Notice that she's already sporting an Aunt Dana handknit, a Cascade newborn hat). :)

F.O.s' and a Family Event

2009-01-30T09:23:00.003-05:00

I finally finished the cable knit pillow I started a while ago. As I was knitting it, I thought that there was no way the sides would meet up over a standard 14 inch pillow. Well, as usual, I was wrong (note to self: trust the pattern, Dana). I'm really happy with how this turned out and I definitely want to make more. See the leafy buttons?

These are "gauntlets" for my dad. Due to the medication he takes, he bruises and get scratched very easily. He asked me to make him some washable arm protectors.

Denise and Briana (due 2/11/09) had a baby shower two weeks ago. It was a great little party and Denise was very, very surprised.

Check out the table's centerpiece - - it's a "diaper cake."

And last (and least), the ladies who hosted Denise's shower are also planning two bridal showers this spring. The grooms-to-be are avid hunters, so as a gag shower gift, I knitted a pair of infamous "willie warmers."

Have a great weekend everyone! :D

Scattergories

2009-01-26T16:43:00.004-05:00

I'm mimicking Noolie here.

Your Name - Dana
Four letter word - Damn
Boy name - Dawson
Girl name - Delilah
Occupation - Doctor
Color - Dandelion (I had to go to the Crayola site to find this) :D
Beverage - Daiquiri
Something found in a bathroom - Diarrhea
A Place - Denmark
A Reason for being late - Deer (in the road)
Food - Donuts
Something you shout - DUMBASS!

Sweet Friend

2009-01-09T09:03:00.007-05:00

I received a box in the mail from the one and only Marianne. She enclosed an amazing letter and offered a "tour" of the tissue-wrapped contents. Here they are:

a WIP sock tube

a "warshrag"

a skein of Mountain Colors in the "Painted Rocks" colorway

a sock book

this classic magnet

Below is part of the thank you message I sent her :

"The tissue wrapped package. I opened it up and was dumbfounded. The GULP/knot in my throat was the size of a tennis ball. I couldn't breathe, literally. I lifted out the Swallowtail and was awestruck and touched in a way that words cannot express. The thought of it, the memory of opening it, still brings tears to my eyes. It's so lovely, Marianne, and I don't know how to thank you enough. Whenever I need a hug, a boost, a bit of reaffirmation or comfort, that shawl is going to be there. I can't begin to describe how much it and you mean to me. I can only say thank you from the very bottom of my heart and I love you dearly too. And the color? Yes, you did get it right. :) Thank you so very, very much!"

More Christmas Goodies

2008-12-31T10:17:00.003-05:00

Dianne, Lara, Linda and I had a wonderful post-Christmas lunch on Monday afternoon. We met at The Station and I had a great time. It was so nice to just sit, chat, laugh and catch up. After the meal, we exchanged Christmas gifts and I was floored by my friends' generosity. Linda brought back an excellent, Rhinebeck mug that reads, "Yarns Knit Friends Together," a gorgeous skein of Katia, the sparkling snowman and

a car magnet that I had been coveting. :) Again, many thanks Linda!

From Lara, I received a bar of "Knitter's Cream" soap from Bradeen Farm in Maine. It smells good enough to eat and feels wonderful on my skin. The sheep & cart are now atop my yarn shelf in the corner of my living room and book thong (with attached teapot charm) will soon be used on a new book. Beneath these gifts is a Noro Iroho neck warmer (the likes of which only Lara could knit). :)

And last, but not least, a Lantern Moon sweater for my key chain. Thank you so very much Lara!
I was overwhelmed and again, Dianne, Lara and Linda, thank you!

I've been hard pressed to find knitting time lately, but I did manage to work on a couple of projects between Thanksgiving and New Year's. I cast on and have gotten this far on a pair of "Warmest Mittens." It's Classic Elite Skye Tweed on size 4 and 5 needles. I'm such a loose knitter that when I actually have to go something "tight," I switch to significantly smaller needles.

The pink pinwheel is all but done. My friend and neighbor, Muriyea, is going to teach me how to do a pretty crochet trim to finish off the blanket and then, at long last, I'll be done.
For the Knit Night I missed, I started a button flange cabled pillow. It looks very orange-y here, but it's a terra cotta color.
And then I indulged in a bit of 50% off sale yarn. Over Christmas, Andie ate hard candy and popped two of her braces-related rubber bands. Since I had to drive to Lynchburg to get the bands replaced, I made the trip worthwhile by stopping at Backstitches. The big red "SALE" sign was the hook and I just couldn't resist.

The four skeins are Cascade's Bollicine (wool, acrylic & alpaca) and I'm going to use them to make either mittens or man scarves. I also bought some red sock point protectors and a pair of scissors. The Fantasy/Dark Horse yarn is for more Pine Ridge Afghan squares.
I hope all of you have a wonderful New Year!

Christmas Weekend

2008-12-29T10:17:00.004-05:00

Christmas was spent in Maryland (yeah, the sister pulled the "I'm eight months pregnant now. Are you really going to make me drive five hours to your house?" card), so the kids and I piled back into the car and had a great weekend in Calvert County.

I spent the weekend playing with Trevor (during battery charging periods). The highlight of his Christmas was his new truck.

Dad came up from Mississippi, all the kids were together and it was wonderful! Hope your holidays were great too. Happy New Year!

Hmmmm...where to start?

2008-12-22T10:57:00.008-05:00

Friday, December 12th thru Sunday, the 14th
1. Skander's Braces: Check
2. Andie's Braces: Check, check
3. Midnight ER run for pain meds due to braces: Check, check, check.

Kids are fine now. :)

Christmas Presents!
This is the scarf that my friend, Muriyea, made for me. Muriyea recently learned to knit and she was already an expert at crochet. (See the scalloped edging?)

Jessi hand-dyed this beautiful sock yarn. Thank you again so very much! The colors are amazing and I'm now searching for just the right sock pattern. The sock mojo has returned. :)

And Dianne was, as always, incredibly generous. In addition to a desktop Yarn Harlot calendar, I also received a bottle of Eucalan Lavender, a Della Q tote (yeah, yeah, I'm the Imelda Marcos of knitting totes, I know), Persimmon Tree yarn in a beautiful colorway, a Clover counter and Mary Kay goodies too. This photo doesn't do the bag or fiber any justice. The lighting is totally bizarre so I'll photograph them again. The bag is silk and has the most amazing hues of teal and blue. The Mary Kay goodies included a "ocean sounds" CD and terry socks.

Thank you all for the fabulous presents; I love them!

And now, for your viewing enjoyment, here's my office:

The face of the building is being restored to its original storefront and it's going to be lovely. In the meantime, however, it's bum ugly and freezing cold! Do you see the plywood? Do you see where the light is shining through (and the artic air and dead leaves are wafting in)? LOL

My desk faces this door and there's about ten feet between the two. Fortunately, I have a little space heater and it's keeping me warm enough.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS & NEW YEAR

I Have....

2008-12-18T13:19:00.003-05:00

The norovirus aka "stomach flu" is kicking my butt thoroughly. I'll post again as soon as I can.

Andie decided to dress the cat for Christmas. Libbie was NOT pleased to be an elf. ;) I hope you all have a wonderful, happy & healthy holiday! XOXOXO

Thanksgiving in Maryland

2008-12-02T11:01:00.005-05:00

On Wednesday, the kids and I finally returned to Maryland for a Thanksgiving visit with my sister, Denise, and her family. We stopped along the way, both going and returning, at my grandmother's house and had nice visits with her too.

This is Denise's backporch view (you're seeing the Patuxent River).

This is my youngest nephew, "Bedhead Trevor." I had an absolute ball playing with him!

Thanksgiving Dinner (Denise refused to serve hot dogs, so we had ham instead).

Photo-taking was mandatory since it was one of the few times where all of the kids were together. This is the "We're sick of pictures!" photo.

and this is the "Smile...or Else" photo. ;)

And a bit of knitting content. I finished the first "Warmest Mitten." Once the second is done, I'll felt them down and see how they turn out.

Want some candy little girl?

2008-11-25T10:45:00.004-05:00

...eye candy, that is. LOL

Here are a few of the photographs taken by the Richmond Marathon official photographer, Brightroom Photography. The "old ball & chain" does make my heart flutter....

Crossing the finish line...
Somewhere along the course....
The finish line again.

ISO Knitting Time

2008-11-19T11:00:00.003-05:00

The family and I have been running around so much lately that I'm starving for some quiet knitting time. Y'all know the drill...cooking, cleaning, trips, grocery runs, and work (the salaried version) have just taken over lately. I was able to squeak out my cousin's scarf in time for the marathon trip.

I'm taking another plunge into something new...mittens. I've never done them before, but seeing the lovely ones that Dianne and Linda made really inspired me (they and the cold weather too).

Finally, here's Wyatt in my first BSJ. By next winter, it should fit well. :)

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!

Marathon Highlights

2008-11-17T08:42:00.003-05:00

We had a great weekend. Mohamed ran in the 2008 Richmond Marathon (26.2 miles)! Here are the highlights:

We stayed with my cousin, Kori, in Richmond. It was great to spend time with her and she was the soul of patience & hospitality as she guided us through Richmond.

Mohamed did the marathon with his friend, Bill.

The starting line.

Pumped up before the race.
Almost time.

And they're off!

Resting afterwards.

One of the reasons why I knit....

2008-11-12T11:52:00.004-05:00

...is because I get to cuddle the person for whom I've knitted. :)

This is Gabrielle Elizabeth just last night.

She burped like a drunken sailor and went to sleep on my shoulder. ;)

And here's Libby enjoying Gabrielle's play thingy.

Little Things

2008-11-10T08:33:00.002-05:00

Hi all,
We're busy getting ready for both the Richmond Marathon (Mohamed's gig) and a Thanksgiving trip to Maryland (my gig). Mohamed will be in the marathon this coming weekend and he's very excited. :) Because I've been swamped lately, I've just been knitting small projects. This weekend, I worked up two calorimetries; one for Andie and the other for my niece, Taylor.

I also found a handspun scarf pattern on Ravelry that was designed by the Yarn Harlot, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. It's one repeat and so very easy.

Have a great week!

Post Election Day

2008-11-05T05:23:00.002-05:00

YES!

Election Day

2008-11-04T11:19:00.004-05:00

(and I pirated this from Noolie's site). ;D

Last night I finished Larry's waaaaay overdue slipper. Becky and I had trouble getting our hands on Wool Pak's Bracken colorway and I literally waited eight weeks or more to get a hank. I'm going to felt it tonight and ship it to Larry this week. It's mate is already finished and felted.

This was a weekend Calorimetry project for my boss, Linda.

And my first 8-Hour Encore baby blanket. Dianne shared her

wonderful book with me and the patterns are excellent and easy to do.

Halloween Kids

2008-11-03T10:49:00.003-05:00

Here's a parade of assorted Alexander "babies" at Halloween. Enjoy!

Wyatt

Hannah the Jaguar, Sabrina the Butterfly and Olivia the Elephant

Andie the Witch (with friend)

Hope you had a safe and fun Halloween. :)

More Baby Knits

2008-10-28T09:04:00.008-04:00

Normally, I'd be whining about how tired I am of knitting for babies, but honestly, I'm not. There are so many great patterns on Ravelry that I've only knitted the same thing maybe twice. Between the monster sale at Knitters Knook (ends Friday) and Ravelry, I've been going in different directions and loving it.

As a break from constant counting (the BSJs'), I knit a couple of simple hats for my nephew, Trevor, and his as yet unborn sister, Brianna.

Brianna's Newborn Hat #2 (Paton's Chunky Shetland)

Last weekend, Trevor grabbed the shades of pink Newborn Fixation Hat I made for Brianna and wore it (yes, it is that stretchy). In the interests of something warmer, I made him this hat with some leftover Plymouth Encore.

This is for a friend, Heather, who's expecting on December 11th. It's Debbie Bliss' Ribbed Baby Jacket. It was an incredibly easy knit and the only thing left to do is to i-cord the bottom so that it'll lay flat. I'll definitely make this one again and to avoid the i-cord, I'll seed stitch the first few bottom rows. (Red Heart Super Saver/Claret Fleck)

I've started a Pinwheel Blanket for Brianna. At first glance, it looks like a big, flat breast to me. LOL It's Mission Falls 1824 Cotton.

Last, but not least, my first 8 Hour Encore Baby Blanket (the blocks pattern).

Friday night, Dianne and I went to Jersey Lilly's for Becky's going away party. I had a great time, laughed until I ached and got to meet and/or know a couple of really wonderful people, e.g. Laura and Lynette. Rae sat across the table from me and kept me in stitches as only Rae can. I took a bunch of photos, but my ever present bad luck with cameras held true and the photos were blurry and indistinguishable. I will remember Friday for a long time to come and every time I think of it, I smile from ear-to-ear. :) Good luck Becky!

More F.O.s'

2008-10-20T10:59:00.006-04:00

I really am waiting to "burn out" on knitting and take a small break, but it hasn't happened yet. Here's the latest finished objects...

A Mason Dixon Kimono for my niece and

her Baby Surprise Jacket (the neckline got too small on this one too). I really have to learn how to crochet edges. Have a great week everyone!

Baby Strangulation Jacket

2008-10-14T08:57:00.002-04:00

Note to Self: Make the i-cord looser and/or learn to crochet a neckline. (As long as the top button isn't buttoned, the baby will survive). LOL

And another BSJ using Berrocco's Lullaby from Knitters Knook.

Have a great week everyone!

ISO Advice

2008-10-08T09:14:00.005-04:00

Arrgghhh...my skull hat has lost it's "spring."

This was the unwashed, but "springy" cap that I made for my nephew, Tyler.

I let it soak in a cold water wool wash for a couple of minutes, rinsed it gently and laid it out flat to dry. Unfortunately and ever since, it's been hanging like an overcooked lasagne noodle. Any advice on how I can tighten it up a little? I thought about the two minutes in the dryer (to at least make it a bit smaller), but I thought I'd check with you experts first. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!

P.S. It's made from 100% merino (Brand Name: Takhi Torino). Thank you!

And on the flip side, yaaaayy! My first Baby Surprise Jacket (and first real garment) is all knitted up. I love it and can completely understand the whole "Zimmermania" philosophy now. Like everyone said, just trust the pattern (and notes & Becky's instructions) and knit. I still have put on the buttons and I want to dress up the neck line too, but the big part is complete.

This is my Cascade Fixation Newborn Hat for Alexandra Brianna (See, I can compromise). ;)

And I began her Mason Dixon Kimono yesterday. The pattern is really neat and I'm enjoying the easy knit of it all.

Have a great week everyone!

Saturday at the Knook

2008-10-06T08:54:00.008-04:00

Saturday morning I went to Knitters Knook and had a GREAT day. Yes, the sale is going on, but the infinitely more pleasurable part of the afternoon was just hanging out with Becky and Nikki.

The three of us sat of the couch, laughed, talked, and had lunch. The subjects ranged from Becky's arachnophobia, knitting patterns, films, what we've been doing lately and so on. Nikki and I also watched the comings and goings and I think this is commentary on Becky and even more so, how her departure is going to truly affect our knitting community.

At some point in the day, Nikki and I started keeping count on how many people came through the door and said, "Becky, please help" with either a pattern or some knitting in hand. I had done it earlier in the week via e-mail, but four different women, none of whom were together, walked in with a request for assistance during this one day. There was "Would you take a look at this scarf?", "What I did I do wrong on my sock?" and others. Becky always fixed the problem or reassured the knitter that everything looked good. She did it with a smile and was happy to help. This kind of selfless mentorship is incredibly rare and it's one of the reasons why Becky is so very, very special to everyone.

Now, before I start bawling, I'd better let this subject go.

Onto the pictures and purchases...

A Bryspun knitting bag

Nikki and I had this discussion:

"Dana, stop fondling the bag and just buy it. You know you want it."
"Yeah, but I'm really not fond of pink."
"It's not pink, it's rose-colored."
"Okay, I'll buy it."

And this Jordana Paige (if I remember correctly) tote became the "Alexandra" bag. My sister, Denise, is having a girl and I've named her "Alexandra." [Denise likes the name "Brianna", ergo the poll to the right. Please vote!] I plan on keeping all of my Alexandra knitting projects in this.

Mission Falls 1824 Cotton for Pinwheel Blanket No. 2

Cascade Fixation for the Ravelry pattern, Newborn Fixation Hat

Lang Bebe in a creamy peach color

Mission Falls 1824 superwash for the Mason Dixon Baby Kimono

Noro for Baby Surprise Jackets No. 2 & No. 3

Mission Falls 1824 superwash for Berry Hat

And finally, four skeins of Encore in autumn colors (for me & my knitting corner during winter).

Becky & Nikki, thanks for Saturday; it was the best!

Ups and Downs

2008-09-29T08:34:00.015-04:00

I've had a couple of sweet surprises recently and I wanted to share them with you. One, I was a raffle winner in the recent RVSK Raffle for two local families. I won a lovely Schacht drop spindle and some amazing Sakina roving. Here's the spindle.

My second surprise was this beauty. She arrived in the mail Saturday morning from Noolie. Noolie's note read, to paraphrase, "Haven't heard much about spinning from you..." and I had to laugh. Noolie has taken off with her spinning while I'm still the complete slacker. Between the raffle prize and this beautiful fiber, I'm going to have to get serious. Thank you so much for this Noolie; it's beautiful and I'm going to fun with it very, very soon!

Saturday morning, Linda, Dianne, Jessi & I hit the road to Roanoke. Together we attended the NoSoKnit that was organized by two women, Rae & Tere. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's a day of knitting. Cost of admission? A knitted item (of your choice) for charity. There were three great vendors present, ISeeSpots Farm, Orchardside Yarn Shop and Mosaic Yarn Shop. All three had a wonderful selection of beautiful things. I had a blast! It was fun to put faces to Ravelry names, e.g. Catinblack, and to see friends again. Picture 115 knitters sitting down together and doing what they love.

Each participant was given a goodie bag of assorted knitting items and each of us also won a door prize. Many yarn shops and farms like Knitters Knook, Misty Mountain, On the Lamb and others outdid themselves with donated door prizes. My prize was from Fran Stafford, an individual whom I don't yet know. It's a sock bag, complete with a row counter, a millefiori stitch marker, Clover size 2 dpns (I needed these badly!) and two skeins of Knit Picks Essential Tweed. This prize was pure karma...all of you know I luuuuvvvv tweed and ironically, I had been eyeing the ISeeSpots needles for size 2 dpns. Thank you Fran; it was a wonderful donation. :)

Rae and Tere - - y'all are great and thank you for organizing it again (this was the 11th year).

Dianne, thank you for driving us all around town!

While at the NoSo, I worked on my Button Tab Hat. (I finished it later at home).

The one blemish on an otherwise perfect day was to learn that Becky is closing her doors at the end of November. She's going to be travelling to China with her husband and cannot, naturally, keep Knitters Knook open. The four of us left NoSo and went down to the Knook. I'm happy for Becky - - I really am - - but I'm sad for me. On Ravelry this morning, there was talk of an actual "Pity Party" and if it comes to pass, I'll be there with a bottle in hand. :)

All I bought at NoSo were some stitch markers from ISeeSpots. Once we decided to visit Becky, I knew what I wanted to do and purchased the below.
Pinwheel Blanket No. 2: (Mission Falls 1824 Cotton)

and Baby Surprise Jacket No. 2: (Cascade Luna "Pink")

My sister, Denise, recently had a special ?sonogram/ultrasound? at Johns Hopkins due to her age. Denise said that the baby was waving its arms as if to say "Hello World!" and had its legs perfectly crossed during the entire procedure. The doctor said that he thinks it's a girl, but until the amnio comes back, no one can be 100% certain. Me? I thought to myself, "It's a girl and she's teasing Andie." Andie and Denise share a special relationship and when Andie found out that Denise is pregnant, the first words out of her mouth were, "It'd better be a boy." LOL

Last, but not least, I had some visitors Sunday morning. I had washed the Button Tab Hat and the Pinwheel Blanket and hung them over the deck to dry. A mom deer came walking up, staring at the blanket swaying the breeze. She and I were maybe ten feet apart and her twin fawns were right behind her. It's the closest I've ever been to a deer and when I reached for my camera, she ran away a little and from that angle, these photos were taken:

So, that was my weekend. I hope that yours was good.

NOON UPDATE: It's a girl! :D

Bullet Post

2008-09-24T09:00:00.004-04:00

-Finished Pinwheel Blanket (though not yet blocked)

-Button Tab Hat, 100% Alpaca. (It's like holding a cloud in your hand).

-Baby Surprise Jacket (Cast on last night). P.S. Jan at Yarn Theory has both the book, The Opinionated Knitter, and the lone paper copies of the pattern from Schoolhouse Press. She's finishing up two BEAUTIFUL BSJs' of her own right now. Thank you so much Jan for holding a copy of the pattern for me!

- And last, but certainly not least, meet Gabrielle Elizabeth, born September 23, 2008. (I'd like to claim her as one of my accomplishments, but that wouldn't be honest). LOL Gabrielle is the daughter of two great friends of mine. She should be home from the hospital tomorrow and if I get rid of the sniffles I have right now, she'll be in my arms this weekend. :D

Have a great one everyone! :)

Knitting & Other Fun

2008-09-22T09:02:00.003-04:00

Andie recently had an opportunity to go riding at a friend's house and suffice it to say, she enjoyed herself enormously.

Andie & Millie

The following day, Andie & I went to the Sedalia Country Fair where we met up with this wonderful lady.

(Linda is such a serene spinner).

And on the knitting front, I finished the Elvish Leaves for my sister and...

I'm now only a cast off away from finishing the Pinwheel Blanket. (A couple more skeins were added to the blanket after this photo was taken).

Have a wonderful week everyone.

Here She Comes to Save the Day....

2008-09-15T16:07:00.009-04:00

I love color, however I can never pick out the right colors when knitting something important. Yes, I am that annoying person who spends an hour in front of the shelf you want to get to, studying the colors and trying different combinations, never making up her mind and frustrating everyone in the process. :)

Becky of Knitters Knook rescued me (again) from my dilemna.

I found this sweater pattern on Ravelry called "Baby Yoda" and it instantly grabbed me. I'm going to knit it for my new niece or nephew and it'll be my first sweater ever (do you hear my knees knocking?). With Becky's help, I picked out Cascade Luna yarn.

It's a wonderful shade of green, but my camera is slowly dying so it looks sort of gray here.

I'm also making this Pinwheel Blanket for the new little one...

...and again, Becky picked out the colors for me. :) Aren't they wonderful?

Suffice it to say, I had a GREAT couple of hours at the Knook. Becky, thank you soooooo much! :)

Blue Ridge Knittery

Windfest 2011

Colorful

Nite Nite

Knit On!

Lately :)

No Cascade or Jean Dunbabin for me.

Where The Wild Things Are...

Password Protection - Knitter Style

Snow Day Knitting Slam

Projects Galore

FOs' and In Progress

Life in Pictures

Knitting and A New Family Member

Ten On Tuesday

Ten on Tuesday - 10 Reasons to Love Bacon

BABY DINOSAUR BORN

Deadfish Hat #2

Self-Medication

Ten Ways to Enjoy Summer

Ten on Tuesday

WWKIP 2010

Ten on Tuesday

Meet Jaws

Shore Parkway Wrap

My Turn

Linda's Bucket List - Part 2

Knitter Tattoo

Weekend Getaway

H E L P & Win a Prize

Fiber Nest

WIPs 'n Chains

So much fun it was probably illegal in several states!

We're with the band....

I Knit, I Do,

Mmmm...goodies!

My Sorry-Assed Sampler

Knit Night Fun

Here's the latest...

Raffle Prizes are Arriving!

The sun was shining this weekend...

Festivals & FOs'

Snoopy Dance

"Keep Me Sane" Knitting

An FO, at long last!

Happy New Year!

Bad Blogger...

Sock Dyeing at NoSo

12th Annual NoSo Knit, Saturday, Sept. 26

Photos

Catching up

Enter The Haggis - TOUR

Wonderful Things

**Smiles**

Sock Monkey No. 1

In the Midst of a Mood Swing...

Summer Fun

Bliss (Debbie & Personal)

Trevor and Briana

Quote of the Day

WIPs' and FOs'

Here Comes The Bride...

Hats Galore

Lately....

Sigh.

Festival Prep

15 days and counting

R 'n R Fantasy, Part 2

Andie's Rock 'n Roll Fantasy

March & April

Knit Nights - April 7th & 28th

New Photos

Kreativ Blogger Award

Yes, even more...LOL

Briana Again :)

Briana Jeanne Lee

F.O.s' and a Family Event

Scattergories

Sweet Friend

More Christmas Goodies

Smiles