Blog?....What Blog?

The title says it all!

You would think I forgot I even have a blog it has been so long since I posted. Heaven knows, there probably isn't anyone out there who checks for posts anymore!

Since my last post life just spun out of control and the blogging world was the last thing on my mind! Since May of last year we have moved, myself and family members have had major health issues and we were inundated with a multitude of out of town guests.....hence no posts. As in anyone's life a lot has happened in the past year. Way too much to address in one post....or two!

The best and most exciting news is that grand baby # 9 is on the way and due the first week in April! Needless to say Mimi has been knitting a lot for little Miss Alexa in the past few months!
The first sonogram indicated she was going to be a boy so the first thing I did is not as girly....but I think adding a cute little skirt & leggings.....and maybe some embellishment for the hat will "frilly" it up just enough.It is the Bubble set from Knit Picks.

I also did a pram/carseat blanket for her. The standard blankets always are too big and bulky.
I just used up a bunch of left-over sock yarns from the stash on it.

Next I did the cutest little pleated skirt out of Bernat Baby Jacquard.
There are other things on the needles that I will post about later, but this is good for now I think!

We are heading to Dallas this weekend for her first baby shower! I'm so excited! Her bedding is the cutest thing ever! A sweet safari theme with lavender, soft browns, cream and soft green.

I made a diaper cake around the color theme using the stuffed monkey that coordinates with the bedding. It was such fun to do.
I could ramble on endlessly on here but for now this post about Alexa will have to do.

Book 3 Project Done

Finished the Book 3 project and wore it to work yesterday! This is turning into a fun idea....actually doing projects I would not have done if not for this adventure! I would never buy ribbon yarn these days, but lo and behold, I really like this little tee-shirt! I do have to admit I did not enjoy knitting it though. This ribbon twisted while knitting so badly. I think I spent as much time un-twisting as I did knitting...lol!
The pic is awful.....but it looks cute on...promise!

I started another pair of the French Press Felted slippers in the mean-time. I gave the blue ones to Amanda and I want a pair for me! This pair is out of black Lamb's Pride I had in the stash.

Ok....on to Book 4! Next book in line on the shelf was "simple knits for little cherubs" by Erika Knight. Again....bought the book and the yarn about 4 years ago at the Knitting Nook on a trip to Texas. Stuff I would never buy now! The yarn is Fur Real by SWTC. The pattern only goes up to size 5......lol....needless to say Miss Savy is much bigger than that now so I will have to do some size tweaking!

Still hanging in there at the new job. Can't say I really like it....main thought is "what was I thinking!"..lol. Oh, well, I plan to keep hanging in so we can beef up retirement and get a few big projects done around the house with the fruits of my labor!

Had a wonderful Mother's Day. Lots of cards, texts and an afternoon with family. We sort of have a tradition of picking the Mulberries off the tree in the back and making a pie/cobbler but they weren't ripe yet this year. We have a bumper crop this year so I'm sure we will be busy picking the next couple of weekends! I think we are going to try making some jam/preserves out of them this year....that ought to be interesting! Haven't done that since my girls were little!

We are heading out for a short trip in the motorhome this weekend. Going up to Jenks to cheer on Brandon and Patrick. They are running in a marathon up there. First time for both of them so it should be fun!

Not a really exciting life....but I love it and wouldn't change a thing! Other people can enjoy the drama.....I had enough of that in my previous life...lol!

No stash enhancement pics yet again. Part of the reason for the "knitting adventure" I'm doing....trying to be good and not spend money! DH and I sort of made a pact when we got the new RV to cut back on our hobby expenditures to help defray the cost of having the RV. He switched his aquarium from a salt water tank to a fresh water one and I'm trying to do my part by not shopping for yarn. Doing much better than I thought I could...lol! Yarn is an addiction, you know! Might be hard this weekend though.....Loops in Tulsa is right around the corner from Jenks.....hmmmm.

On to Book 3

Still doing the Mystery Book Knitting adventure here. Finally finished the Book 2 project....the Tuscany Shawl.

I'm really enjoying this process. I find myself knitting projects and using up stash that I probably would have never used.....or at least it would have been ages and ages down the road!

I did push another project in front of the Book 3 Project.....I had done the Book One project....blue baby sweater and hat....for a dear friend of mine who is expecting her first grand baby and I decided I needed to do one more little something for him! Found this pattern on Ravelry and thought it was just too cute!

It is the Pebble (Henry's Cobblestone inspired Manly Baby Vest). I had some I Love This Cotton that I got a long time ago and I think it worked great! Super fast and easy.....will be my "go to" pattern for a fast baby gift from now on!

Started the 3rd Book project too. Doing a ribbon tee-shirt pattern from a book called "Simply Beautiful Sweaters" by Beryl Hiatt and Linden Phelps. I bought this book probably 6-7 years ago....seriously....and have never done a single project from it! I had a whole bag of ribbon yarn that I bought several years ago (what was I thinking?) lol.....I don't like ribbon yarn much! Anyway it is Filati FF Beach and I needed to do something with it! That's the beauty of this little adventure I'm on....would have probably never used it otherwise!

The pic is awful but it's actually working up nicely and I can tell I will wear it....go figure!

Also did these cuties and will be doing more of them! Talk about fast....knitted a pair in one day! Getting around to felting them....and getting them to felt in my front-load machine :-( took longer than it did to knit them! They are the French Press Felted slippers! Found those on Ravelry too. Sorry I'm too lazy to link all the patterns but have lots I want to do today and don't want to take the extra time!


Aside from knitting we took a couple of motor home trips with grand kids this winter. We took Clayton and Carter one weekend and Dax the next. Even though it was cold we (and they) had a fun time. We went to an RV park with an indoor heated pool and a pen with buffalo to check out. Those activities along with walking the dogs and a few kid movies kept everyone occupied and happy!
Check out the view behind Dax and Poppy! Yep....camping during the last snow-storm of the season!
We are dying to get out and on the road in it again soon!

Only other news is that I had a part-time job literally fall into my lap. It has been an adjustment after being retired for 5 years! I work about 3 days a week. Getting used to it but sort of a disappointment really. It is not turning out to be what I thought (and was told) it would be. I was led to believe I would be doing accounting....not working out that way....I think I have typed (yes, typed....on an ancient old IBM) one or two checks since I've been there. The rest of the stuff I have been doing is stuff a high school kid could do....literally....and I'm bored out of my gord! We will see. Am going to hang in there as long as I can stand it and hopefully it will get more interesting in time!

Well, got lots to get done around here....now that I'm working I have to be more efficient with my time.....lol! Heaven only knows when I'll get around to posting again....or if anyone even still reads it if I do, but that's it for now!

Thank Goodness!

Thank goodness there aren't any knitting police!...lol! Oh, I'm still doing the "Book Adventure" thing....really I am.

I just happen to be stuck on book # 2 right now. I talked a little about diversions on the last post and I have had a few!

I am still going to do the Book Adventure.......I'll keep a project from a book on the needles at all times, but there is no rule that says that is the only thing I can knit on :-)

Here is one of the diversions..... Ok.....having all kinds of problems uploading pics. Won't let me put them where I want them and won't let me delete them once they are here....grrr.... anyway....this pic is the cowl Amanda did....can't get the ones I did to upload at all and her's uploaded twice and I can't delete one of them....anyway, the scoop on the cowls in later in the post.

The Wrap Me Up Shawl. Wish I'd gotten a pic of it off the blocking boards and on a body but that hasn't happened yet. It was really fun to knit. About the time you get really bored with a section it is time to start another one.

Another couple of quick projects jumped in front of the Tuscany shawl too. (Pic above and below, courtesy of blogger uploading problems) I have an "in" with the new buyer for needlework at Michaels. She is trying hard to up the ante and make that department better. It has, in my opinion, been one of the worst departments in that store! It's an uphill road and she has had to work hard for the improvements she would like to see in that department. She told me that they had a new yarn debuting mid Feb and asked me if I would mind knitting with it to see what I think. 7 colors in the new yarn came out in Feb and in May there will be 21 colors in this new yarn and several other new yarns that will hit the stores.....so if you have noticed a huge reset in your local stores lately.....that is why....a lot of different new yarns and new accessories coming out in May. Anyway....I bought some of the Country Loom and did a cowl pattern that came on the ball band. Loved it!!! So much, in fact, went back for another color and did another one!

Amanda did one too and here is hers.

I also kind of got the bug to do some crochet. I've known how for years and years but never really done much with it. I have edged knitted things, made granny squares and coasters and that's about it. I was watching an episode of Knit and Crochet Today a few days ago and saw them working on this cute little child's tube dress in crochet. Well, decided to give it a go. Doing it out of Naturallycaron Country. 75% acrylic and 25% merino....pretty soft and washable. Has a nice drape too. Sigh......gonna try to put a pic up....hold your breath!

Enjoying the crocheting but pretty sure knitting still holds the top spot in my heart....lol

Also did a pair of French Press felted slippers.....but they aren't felted yet so will save that pic until later.

We've also been doing some fun stuff with the grandkids......will leave those details and pics for next post because we are going out again this weekend with Dax .....will post them all next time.

Book 2-No Sheep For You-Amy Singer

The Book saga continues.....finally! I say finally because I have been trying to start the book 2 project all week!

I finished the little ribbed sweater and it is pinned to blocking boards as we speak. I had decided that I was going to do the Tuscany Shawl out of some Asland Trends Class I have in stash.

Looks like it would be beautiful, right? Well....I started.....and re-started it numerous times. This yarn just did NOT want to be this shawl....at all! If you knit, you know what I mean! Sometimes the yarn decides for YOU what it wants to be!!! It did not want to be this either.

It is the River Rock Scarf from the same book. Honestly, I might have been able to convince it to be the scarf.....but I did not want to string the 1500+ beads and tried to add them as I went....just didn't work. Beads sat in the middle of the stitch and really needed to sit between the stitches.....the reason they needed to be pre-strung. Anyway....was not in the mood!

Anyway....gave up on the Asland Trends and dug around in the stash a little more. I finally decided to try the Tuscany again using some 100% silk by Pinguion that I snagged in an estate sale a while back.

Couple of false starts with this one too, but i think it's going to work this time. I almost threw in the towel on this little knitting adventure of mine, but I managed to persevere...lol. Not to say I won't have a diversion project now and then! There are a couple of them nagging me now as a matter of fact!

One of them is called "Wrap Me Up". Sorry I'm too lazy to create a link but if you are on Ravelry you can find it on a pattern search...It's way cool and looks like it would be really fun to do....so it just might "jump on the needles" here one of these days :-)

Maybe out of this?

What do you think? I really kind of wanted to do earth-tone, fallish type colors but had nothing in stash that is self-striping....well, other than sock yarn which would not work obviously!. Because we are really trying to watch our spending this year and get back to being debt free AND go on lots of motorhome trips this year......I didn't feel like I should just go buy whatever I wanted.....I mean it would have been a lot.....if I had paid for it brand new....and the colors I really wanted....so....I scored this off of a Ravelry Buddy...for almost half off retail....what the hey....I like pink and purple! We'll see how long I can stand it before I start this puppy! Being disciplined is, in some ways....over-rated!

Sidetrack & Inbetween

Well.....would have finished this sidetrack project last night but ended up having to rip out the sleeves and start them over! I knew I'd be cutting it close but decided to hold my breath and shoot for the long sleeve version anyway....shoulda, coulda, woulda.....oh, well. Short sleeve version it shall be...lol.

Think it will still be cute and fun to wear! What do you think?

I also finished another wip that has been hanging around a long, long time. It has actually been done except for the seaming for ages. I finally bit the bullet and seamed the thing up so it can be worn....can you tell I HATE seaming....lol!

It is the Tilted Duster from Interweave Magazine. So many people did this pattern. It was a fun knit and would have gone quickly, I think, if I had stuck with it. Anyway, it's done now! Guess I should have gotten a pic of the front....that's the neatest part of the sweater....oh well, guess you will just have to see that when I wear it..lol!

Should finish the sleeves on the sidetrack project tonight or tomorrow....depending on how much Savy & Dax let me knit...lol! We've been getting them on Saturdays for overnights so we can take them to Sunday School/Church on Sunday mornings. Usually take them home after church but coming back and meeting up with David, Amanda and bringing Dad up to watch Super Bowl tomorrow.....so not sure how much knitting will be done!

Once sidetrack sweater is done and blocking Book # 2 in my "knitting book adventure" will commence. Pretty sure I am going to do the Tuscany Shawl from "No Sheep For You" out of the Asland Trends Class that Amanda brought me from the Woolie Ewe in Plano, Tx a while back.

Pics posted when I actually get it going!

Book One-baby knits for beginners-Debbie Bliss

This book has been around forever.....so long that I don't even remember when/where/why I bought it! ........ But it was the first in line on the shelf, so it got the honors of being the first in my Year of Books knitting adventure!




I did the Simple Hat and the Boat Neck Sweater patterns out of Berrocco Comfort. I picked up 2 skeins of it in a Swap Meet at Guild a year or so ago and it had been languishing in the stash since. It's going to a good friend's first grandbaby due the end of summer.

This whole mystery project thing is kind of fun and I know I'm going to end up using yarn I loved enough to buy but have had no clue what to do with!


From here, on to the sidetrack project. Front done and cast on back last night.......hurry......

Then on to Book Two....sneaked a peek.....next in line is "No Sheep For You" by Amy Singer. Pattern selection and Stash diving to commence soon!