We're Back!

Amanda and I got back in Sunday afternoon from our "girl's getaway". We just had the most awesome time! It was funny....we both faithfully took our cameras along...then promptly forgot to take a single picture! Guess we were too excited about getting to the Yarn Barn and petting all the yarn...lol!

The town of Lawrence was a pleasant little surprise all in itself. The cutest downtown that was chock full of quaint little shops and restaurants. We spent the entire day there on Saturday. It is so nice to go out of town with someone that you have such a good time with! It's almost weird....we are so in-sync. We always want to go in the same shops, eat at the same places, are hungry at the same times etc. I just have a blast with her. The fact that she is my daughter is the bonus! I so love that girl :-)

We started out at about 9:30 Saturday morning and it's a good thing....that little downtown was so busy later on that there was NO parking! We spent about 4-4 1/2 hours in the Yarn Barn and both left with some goodies! I think I picked up a dozen different things and put them in my basket then would put those back and get others...lol. Decisions, decisions....they are soooo hard in a yarn store aren't they...lol! Ultimately I ended up putting everything back and getting a kit. Strange for me....I usually don't do that, but I haven't seen the Hanne Falkenburg kits before so I decided to do that. I saw another kit that I liked the design on a little better but didn't like any of the colorways they had so got the Pagode. Her designs are really neat and although this won't be a fast knit.....I'm sure it will be something I will wear a lot when I do get it done!

While we were there I wasn't in the mood to work on the Hola Blankie so I cast on the Mr. Greenjeans sweater I'm doing out of the Fiesta Boomerang that I got at Gourmet Yarn. I LOVE knitting with this yarn...so smooth and it works up so nicely! I can already tell that this sweater is going to be the fave grab and go sweater. I'm so glad I picked up a couple of the Baby Boom to do matching socks in!

The only down-side to the trip is that I came home sick :-(. I just felt like death warmed over on Monday and didn't do much of anything. Yesterday I had to get it in gear and get that halloween costume done for Miss Savy. We are heading down there in a couple of hours to go trick-or-treating with her and Mr. Daxton. I so love doing that. We have gone trick-or-treating with them every year since Savy's first year and I wouldn't miss it for the world. I'll have pics of them to post tomorrow, so you will have to wait until then to see her costume.

Ok...now the Yarn Barn review..... It was a really nice shop, but honestly....in my humble opinion......OURS ARE BETTER!!!! They did have a pretty good selection but over half of the store was dedicated to weaving and or spinning....neither of which I do....so for someone who does it all it was pretty cool....but for me....well, it was certainly worth going....and I'm glad we did, but I'm more impressed with our LYS's right here in the OKC metro! Overall, I think we have a wider selection. The employees left something to be desired there as well. We were basically ignored until we were ready to make our purchases. No one greeted us at all or offered to help in any way. I would go back there...they carry Koigu and Frog Tree which I passed up in lieu of the Hanne kit, but they had a limited choice of colors in those...especially the Koigu. Anyway...that's my 2 cents for whatever it is worth.

All-in-all it was an awesome trip and I can't wait to go somewhere with my girl again!

Knitterly Aids and Road Trip!

Ok...I'm still procrastinating about which sweater to cast on :-). I have been enjoying the mindless stockinette on the Hola Blankie and with the cooler weather the past few days, visions of more socks have been dancing in my head.....so....I'm thinking socks THEN a sweater! For some reason I'm not in the mood to cast on several things at once....strange don't you think? I almost always have multiple cast-ons and wip's. Guess I'm going through a new and different knitting phase! Anyway, here is the progress on the Hola.

I've also been procrastinating on other things I want to do. I do want to do them...honestly I do...just not in the mood to start them....which is odd for me! One thing is painting a scene in my old kitchen window hole. Yes, I used to paint. I haven't for years but I used to do oils on canvas and almost every painting in my house was done by either me, my Mom or my uncle. When the people who owned this house before us added the den onto the back of the house they closed up the window that is over the kitchen sink......but left the indentation there. So it looks just like what it is.....a closed up window hole. Always bugs me to be staring at a blank wall in a window hole so my plan is to paint a landscape in it. I even found an antique window to put up in the hole over the scene so it will seem like you are looking out the window!

The other project I want to do....and I can't procrastinate much longer on this one....is making Savy's halloween costume! I took her to the fabric store and she picked out a pattern and all the fixins for a fuzzy white kitty costume. Between working this next week and the road trip I have planned (more about that later), I have 5 days left to get it made! Watch me wait until the last minute then launch into a sewing frenzy...lol....it won't be the first time!

On the the promised knitterly aids! My family knows me so well....I got some of the most awesome gifts last week! DH got me this!

I LOVE this lamp!!! I was always having to lean over and hold my knitting toward the lamp on the end table and didn't even realize how poor the lighting was until I plugged this thing in! It is an amazing difference...for reading and for knitting...how on earth did I manage without it? By the way...in reference to my earlier comment.....that is one of my paintings in the background!

The other awesome gift was from Amanda....LOOKIE HERE!!!!

I have wanted one of these forever! Am I going to be a classy knitter or what? It is going with me on the road trip, that's for sure!

About that road trip......I am so excited! Amanda and I are taking off for a girl's weekend on Friday! She needs a break from the kidlings and I'm always ready to go somewhere.....especially somewhere like this ! And to be going with someone who will enjoy it as much as I do.....perfect! I have been wanting to go check this place out ever since I heard about it. Probably not the wisest time to go with Christmas around the corner, but hey.....pass up a chance to get out of dodge and spend hours and hours in a place like that....no way! We are leaving Friday about noon and coming back on Sunday.....Will post the yarn Pron when we get back!

Four Way Tie!

Hmmmm....seems we have a four way tie on the sweaters...lol! Soooo, that being the case I have decided to cast on three things. I have already started the Hola Blankie. It is a great "idiot knit" or mindless project for times when I don't want to think about what I'm doing :-).
Next thing to hit the needles is going to be a sock....I'm having withdrawals! I have been getting the Chameleon Colorworks
sock club for 6 months now and haven't done a single kit so I'll pick one of those. The patterns are usually a little challenging so that will give me a "think-a-little" something to work on. Not sure which one I'll do but here is the September kit they sent.

And last but not least one of the afore mentioned sweaters......just procrastinating about deciding on which one :-). Thanks so much to all of you that "played" by doing the poll. It was fun! I'll let you know when I decide which one to do.......or I could go buy some new yarn and do a different one....lol.....think I could pass that off as a tie-breaker to the DH?

It is so nice to have the Christmas projects done! Not sure I'll do quite so many next year...they took up almost half of my "knitting year!" I love this craft too much to start doing something with it that makes it a chore..... which is kind of the way I felt about it this year. All I have to do now is the handles on the felted bags and wrap everything up.

One other project I'll probably start when I get done with the 3 I have lined up is another MS3. Even though it was soooo dis-heartening to have to frog the first one because I ran out of yarn :-(.....I still want to have a finished product from that KAL. It was my first big lace project and I want to have something to show for it! I picked up some J. Knits to do it in when I decide to tackle it again. I chose a similar colorway so I could used the beads I used before. Not sure what I'll do with the Cherry Tree....maybe another stole...only smaller!

On the non-knitting side of things, this has been a hectic exhausting month! A lot of stuff going on, out of town company and working a lot more. Right now I'm wishing I could hop into the RV and take off for a couple of weeks! I do still LOVE working though!!! You know, sometimes you get all excited about something and it turns out to be a huge disappointment, but not this time! Working for MG & David is awesome and I just love getting to know all the "regulars" who come in to hang out and knit! And being there on the days a shipment comes in.....oh, my goodness....it's like Christmas every day :-).

Well......it has been so crazy lately I can't remember the last time I did laundry....and I know the last time I cleaned house was right before all the company came in....there are no menus planned for a much needed trip to the grocery store....I have birthday presents to buy for 3 people before this weekend....and the list goes on......see why I want to run away in the motor home? Lol....life in the fast lane!

Just For Fun!!!

Well yesterday I made a comment at the end of my post about deciding what to cast on next and Kay made a resounding vote for the Hola Blankie. She was sitting in front of the yarn display when I bought it at the Knit In at Gourmet Yarn Company Saturday night. (Sorry....I can't get used to the new name.....it will likely always be the Knit In to me :-))!

Anyway, with that being said, I thought it might be fun to do a poll and let you guys decide what I should start next!! If you want to play just leave me a comment about which of these projects I should do! Hopefully I can get all of the links to work and this will be fun!

Option 1

Hola Blankie
I purchased the same colors and the pattern Saturday night.

Option 2

Tilted Duster
To be done out of this:

Option 3

Codi

Made out of this one:

Option 4

Polkadot

This one will be for Miss Savy out of this:Option 5

Nantucket Jacket

Thinking of doing this one in:

Option 6

Ribby Cardi

Have this picked here. Brown for the body and tan for the sleeves:

And last but not least

Option 7

Champagne Leaf and Acorn Shawl

For this one I have chosen:

Soooo this should be fun to see what you all think! Just leave me a comment! Off to check the links....hope they all work!

Saying Goodbye

Well, it is official.......I ran out of yarn! I am 21 rows from finishing the MS3 and my worst fear about it came to pass....sigh.... Finally finished Christmas gifts and pulled it out this weekend determined to finish before starting anything new. Knitted on it a lot Saturday and Sunday then stopped when it became apparent that I had more stole than yarn. Debated a good bit about what to do since there is no way to get more of this yarn. It is Cherry Tree Hill Potluck in the Water colorway. I have done several internet searches and found some of the Water....but none of it looks even close to what I have. I thought about using something that blends to finish it thinking that the "wing tips" might look neat in another color and passing it off as a "Design Element"...lol. Then it dawned on it that the last few rows are not the wing tip! Then I thought about ripping back and doing the symmetrical version but from what I have read it takes as much if not more yarn to do that.

So.......one last look before she goes into the frog pond. At least I can say I enjoyed the KAL tremendously and discovered that I can do lace and will definitely do more of it in the future!So..........
On to other knitterly things!

I can post a few of the last gifts I have been working on since I'm relatively sure the recipients don't come here! Did mostly arm warmers and scarves for gifts this year. All of the adult wrist warmers were done from Gourmet Yarn Company's Alpaca. Right now I'm tired of doing wrist warmers but these are so warm and squooshy and feel so good on that I'm most certainly going to do myself and DH a pair before it starts getting really cold out! I did realize I had a little gusset hole in these after I took the pic that has now been repaired!

I did two seaman's type scarves for friend-of-family guys. This one is from some Homespun I had in the stash. Homespun is not really fun to work with, but I know from experience that it is really warm! I have an afghan on the back of my sofa out of it that my sweet Amanda did (her very first project!), and I have wrapped myself in it a lot over the years to sit out on the patio....toasty warm!
I'm almost done with a miniature pair of arm warmers for Miss Savy too. I was showing Amanda a pair I had finished for one of the guys and Savy grabbed it, put it on and almost refused to give it back...lol! Said she loved it and it was hers! The only way I could coerce her to give it back was to promise to do her a pair.....and she specified she wanted "rainbow ones"! I am using Knitcol trends by Adriafil. I did have her try on the first one just to make sure I was getting the sizing right and I should have done the pic when she had them on....they looked soooo cute on her little arm/hand!

Now I just have to decide what I want to start next!

All Six

Not a whole lot of knitting going on the past few days. Had oodles of company and other stuff going on. I have managed to do a decent amount on Ravelry though.....at the expense of sleeping...lol. I don't think I have been to bed before midnight since I got on!

Down to only two more Christmas gifts to do.....I did pare the list down some for reasons I won't go into here, but I'll be so excited to finish and move on to other things.

One of the happenings the past few days was decorating for Halloween. We ended up having ALL SIX of the grandkids here for the event. First time ever they were all together at our house. I think they all had a good time and probably slept good that night...lol. That playhouse and sandbox got a really good workout!

Will just put up a few pics of that then the next post should have some knitting content that I can actually show!