And there's been knitting too .........

Not much finishing but knitting none the less. Finished one sock for D1 and have the second one ready to turn the heel. Very colorful yarn but I have to say I hate it. D1 saw them and loves the colors (doesn't know they are for her) so I guess that's all that matters.
I've finished one zebra sock and have the second one ready to start the heel flap. I love this Opal Zebra sock yarn. Sooo cool. Adamas Shawl is on the 12th chart of the body. It calls for 14 repeats on the body so I'm getting there. I love the way this is turning out.
And the missing blocking wires arrived separately from the rest of the order. I've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to try them out yet.

Plan this week is to get the two finished shawls blocked this week and finish both pair of socks so that I can cast on the Forest Canopy Shawl designed by Susan Pierce Lawrence. I've decided not to cast on the shawl until I get 4 things finished ..... well that's the plan ...........

While their parents moved .....

We had an exciting weekend. First, W's cars balloon left over from the beginning of February decided to play hide and seek. He did a good job of hiding.
Next W and N decided to hide. I don't know how I ever found them.
And at the end of a long, fun filled weekend of walking, playing watching dvds, playing trains, working puzzles, reading, telling stories, and everything else that goes into a weekend with Gram, they waited at the window for their mommy and daddy.
I think little missy A left her cellphone behind but there's no stored number for me to call and check.

Coffee swap questions

Questions for the coffee swap
1. Whole bean or ground?
Ground because I have a grinder but I'm extremely lazy.

2. Fully-loaded or decaf?
Fully-loaded, I need all the help I can get.

3. Regular or flavored?
Either. Love hazel nut or anything chocolate.

4. How do you drink your coffee?
just a little milk please.

5. Favorite coffee ever?
I really don't have a favorite. Around here Dunkin Donuts is the king of the land so I probably drink more of that than anything.

6. Are you fussy about your coffee or will any old bean do?
After raising 4 kids I have to say that I'm not really all the picky about much anymore.

7. Favorite treats to have with your coffee?
Anything that catches your fancy is fine.

8. Anything else about your coffee preferences?
nope.

9. Yarn/fiber you love?
I'm a sock knitter. I also am getting into shawl knitting. I use very little acrylic and I do a lot of charity knitting for CIC so wool worsted yarn is always welcome.

10. Yarn/fiber you hate?
I can't say I hate any yarns.

11. What's on your needles?
2 lace weight shawls, 3 pr of socks, and a couple patterns waiting in the wings .... I hope they wait until I get something done. lol.

12. Favorite colors?
Anything except black, white or brown.

13. Allergies?
goldenrod.

14. Anything you really love, really don't like, or just need to get off your chest?
I love all the variety of things people make. That's the fun part of blogging. I really don't like people in the groups who criticize others for using yarns or needles that are inexpensive. After all variety is the spice of life so use whatever makes you happy. I'm addicted to my children; they are grown up to be wonderful people. However I dream 24/7 about my 3 grandchildren because they have my heart.

A day with N

Since N was heartbroken about the whole not going out with grandpa thing the other day we decided to take him along on an outing Sunday. We went to Hubbard Park to see the daffodils. They are having the festival next weekend but there were rides already set up this weekend. N went on the train.
And took a ride on the firetruck.
And went on the orange twist. He looked at the ducks and geese in the pond. We took a stroll around the pond and headed back home. It was a nice, sunny, warm day so nice to be outside.

Unfortunately, I'm in trouble again. W is really sick running temps of 102 so he couldn't come along with us for the day. I left him sobbing at his front door crying, "Gram don't leave without me." Heartbreaking. I'll have all 3 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday so hopefully I'll get back on everyone's good side.

Cute kid story ahead

I've had my grandchildren over every weekend since D1 and my son in law bought their house. Yesterday everyone was sick so we had a quiet day of watching movies and playing games.

My hubby had last week off from work so he drove up to the house on Tuesday to work on the bathroom renovations and other odd jobs. He decided to stay over a couple days and ended up not coming back until yesterday. He did a lot of stuff but it's a house that no matter how much you finish there's still a million things left to do.

After a quick shower and change of clothes hubby came downstairs and said, "I'm going up town for a cup of coffee. Anyone want to come?" Anyone want to come wasn't really an invitation since the usual people in the house (18-22 and me) always say no. Well before you knew it N said yes, gets off the couch and goes into the hallway to look for his shoes.

Hubby starts out the door and N starts crying. S1 happens to go into the hallway and asks N what's wrong. N says, "Help me get my shoes on, Uncle." I look into the hallway and say, "Hey stop! N really thinks he's going with you." Hubby turns around and says, "Sorry N not this time. I'll take you along next time. It's late and your parents will be here to pick you up before I come back."

N is now upset because he's not going so I said, "Come on N and stay here with me. We'll play trains until mommy and daddy come." N is still trying to convince his uncle to get his shoes on so his uncle comes out with, "Gram says you can't go. Isn't she mean?" N agrees that his gram is mean, tears are wiped away and normal activity resumes.

So last night at around 9 it occures to me that my hubby issued an invitation, the invitation was accepted, my hubby decided not to follow thru on him invitation which caused emotional distress to a 2 yr old, and somehow I'm the mean one. How did that happen?!?!?!?

Things that make you go hummmm $19.56

3 things on the packing list in the box. Ok 2 skeins of Stained Glass Shimmer check. 2 skeins of Iris Heather Alpaca Cloud check.
3rd item on the list is lace blocking wires which would consist of 12 large (32 1/2" long) straight wires ........ must be being sent in another box because this little one can't possible hold 32 1/2" wires.

The shimmer will definately be something for my ISE4 pal. No really this time for sure. The other 2 things I knit for her were just practice. This one is definate jewel tones and with the little silk sheen it's perfect.

Total for yarn spent this year so far? $423.07. Maybe it would be cheaper if I took up drinking or smoking. lol

What I went to Michael's for .... $24.75

Stitch markers. When you have a 12 stitch repeat you need a lot of stitch markers. I have a ton but
I just love these for lace knitting. They don't snag like my split rings and don't get stuck in the yarn like most of my hand made markers.
I didn't need 25 calls of cotton yarn for lace knitting but it was on sale for 99 cents a ball. $24.75. Can't pass up a bargin!

Lace never looks good in progress

Tilly shawl just waiting for i cord bind off and blocking. The yarn is knit picks gossamer which is wonderful to knit with. The color is Sweet Pea. My ISE4 pal likes jewel tones so I don't know if this will be sent off or not. I decided that the maroon shawl will be a gift for my sister in law. The color isn't deep enough for my pal.
This one is in knit picks's gossamer also. The color is Leprechaun. Pattern is the Adamas Shawl which is also from knit picks. I'm on repeat 7 of the body.
Even close up unblocked lace looks like something the cat threw up!
Current knitting book from the library. Really nice book. Still fence sitting about buying it at this point. Do I really need another book of patterns? Probably.

Glug, glug

Sunday at my neighbor's house. Water making it's way out of a little stream and toward their basement.

Today? Back in the stream where it should be. Not a drop of water in my house but the yard was a disaster.

Oh well, I just stayed in and knit. Finished Tilly except for the i-cord bind off. Started another shawl but not far enough along to get a pic. I ordered some blocking wires so hopefully blocking my ISE4 shawl will be done soon. Finished one zebra sock and working on the mate. Lots of knitting but not much finishing. lol.

This little missy is sick. I had her and her brothers Friday night and all day Saturday. She was running a little temp with a runny nose. Monday her brothers came down with really high fevers and congestion. I'd love to go over and help but I'm not feeling all that great myself.

The excitment of the weekend is building .....

As you can clearly see, we're all in a panic over Friday the 13th. Oscar is every excited.
Charlie can hardly contain himself wondering what will go wrong. Even Joey is eager to get Friday over with. Yup, those cats lead the exciting life. Give them something soft to nap on and they are all set. Me? Well I really am excited because of this
My scarf from my ISE4 pal Rachel. This is a truly awful picture of a totally rocking scarf. Want to see a better one? Click here. Thank you Rachel.
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I'll be watching the little ones so D1 and SIL can work on the house. I've got DVD's from the library, popcorn, and plenty of juice.

Shawls and pranks

I started working on this last week. It's another Tilly Shawl for some more practice on lace before a start a more complex lace project. Who's it for? Don't know.
This is my completed ISE4 scarf. Just need to block it out. I think blocking wires are in order for this one. Really hate all that pinning!
We have an old dresser in the living room which I use to stash clothes, diapers, etc for the grandchildren. On easter W found a roll of tape and decided to play a joke on us. He taped the drawers and then proceeded to tell us, "Ha, ha, ha, you can't get in the drawers anymore. I taped them shut." I don't have the heart to take the tape off so I just moved the diapers to the top of the dresser.

Global warming ???

Friggin' freezing around here! The grandsons did their Easter egg hunt in winter coats and mittens.

I was watching the news and saw that there was a conference with scientists from all over the world discussing global warming. They had traveled from all over the world after studying locations all over the world to determine that we are having a negative impact on the world and must cut back on our emissions.

I have only one questions? How did these experts get to their locations to study? How did they travel to the conference? Paddle a canoe at the south pole to study the ice cap? Ride their bikes from home to the conference? Hope they didn't use planes, trains and automobiles which would of course add to global warming ............ I'm just saying .............

All the washcloth patterns are from the internet. I'll locate and get links up sometime this week. Cute, fast, and free; doesn't get better than that.

Elephant washcloths

Aren't they cute?
Close up on the green one.

How about a picture puzzle?

Cellphones plus ...........

my hand = technology in the hands of an idiot! OMG!! I can do anything with a computer but cellphones? Ugh!

I manged to open them, put in the batteries to charge, unplug after charging, take off the protective stick-on plastic on every friggin' surface of the phone, turn them on, dial a call, and hang up. When my kids get home they can do the rest because that's enough for me today.

Holy Crap!

Went back today to have the other half of my mouth lasered. Two weeks ago when they did the first half I didn't have time to sit in the waiting room and get nervous. Today he was running a half hour late so I had plenty of time to think things over while knitting on the Opal zebra socks. By the time I hit the chair I was shaking like a leaf. Now I'm in some serious discomfort which hopefully will pass in a couple days. I think he did the easier side first so I wouldn't be afraid to come back.

I finished a couple elephant wash cloths. Will try to get a pic up in a couple days. I casted on a dolphin washcloth to work on when I'm on conference calls. Also almost finished with my shawl. I figured I'd knit to about 56" and it should block out to around 64". Think I'm going to invest in some blocking wires this time around.

Keeping in the "what the hell .... let's cast on something else" mode of knitting I decided make another shawl using the shades of pink/purple knitpicks yarn I got last week. I picked out Wendy's Fir Cone Wrap. I got thru one repeat and just wasn't feeling it. Maybe I'll try it again on bigger needles to give it a more open look.

Cats, scarves, and secret pals

Joey sitting outside on top of one of the cars guarding his yard from ............
Charlie (white dot above and to the right of the mailbox) who is sitting across the street at my neighbor's house. What's he watching? My neighbor's cat who is up in one of the trees after trying to get a bird. Oscar was sitting in the driveway watching Joey on the car but she left before I got the camera.
"Mom, who do you know in IL?" "No one." "Well someone sent you something and it doesn't look like it's from a terrorist." Treats from my secret pal for ISE4.
And I'll leave you with pics of the scarf I made for Yolanda from my MSN knitting group. She received it yesterday and it seems to be a hit.
This is without a doubt one of the most fun things I've made in a long time. I loved the pattern (a modified drop stitch) and loved the way it looked with the yarn (Opal batik). Just the right amount of funk with warmth, lightness, and softness.

This and that

This sock yarn is just CRAZY with color. D1 will love it.
Still plugging away on son in law's zebra socks. I just love how one gusset looks totally different
from the other gusset. Can't wait to see how different the second sock will look in this yarn.
And I've started the second ball of yarn for my ISE4 shawl. I don't think this one will be going to my pal since I got some other yarn I think she'd like better. Oh well, practice at lace knitting is always a good thing.

Grandson story ahead:
I had all 3 of the grandkids Saturday for a day of playgrounds and fun. We had a ball. Yesterday their mom decided to take them out so I met up with them at another playground and we can back to my house for some lunch.

I always feed the kids lunch on tv tables while they watch DVDs. I use to do it with my kids and now I continue this lunch tradition with my grandkids.

W finished his lunch and before anyone had time to tell him to stop he decided to fold the table. Heavy wood table crashing closed on tiny little 4 yr old finger. OUCH! His mom thought it was broken, I ran for ice, screaming and crying everywhere ... you get the picture.

When I got a look at it I could tell no broken bones so onto the couch with the hand proped on a pillow and an ice pack on the injury.

After a while W says to his mom, "It's going to take a while to recover from this. I'll have to stay here 5 days. I'll show you 5 with this hand because if I use this hand (pointing to his injured hand covered in ice) I could hurt it some more and then I'd have to stay for 6 days to feel better."

With 2 lollypops (one in his mouth and one in his pocket for later) he managed to recover enough to go to the car and go home. Of course his brother got 2 lollypops also because, "N is upset when I get hurt. He thinks he's next."

OMG!!! how did this yarn get here????? $137.29

Pig washcloth. Note to solid yarn is a better choice for patterned washcloths. Oh well, this will be able to sop up spilled milk as well as a solid one would .....
Sock yarn? Like you can ever have enough sock yarn from Astrid's. Some Fortissima, Meilenweit MultiEffekt, Regia, and Trekking XXL. I already know that 5 pair of socks will be made for D1 from this purchase of yarn because she told me which yarns were hers. I'll make a couple pair for my sister in law, my daughter's friend, my hubby, and of course some for me too.
Knitpicks gossamer in Sweet Peas and Leprechaun. I think the Sweet Peas will be used for the shawl I'm planning for my ISE4 pal. The Leprechaun will be a shawl for D1's birthday. Every time I knit lace she eyes it so I'll just make her something. Needles, books, magazines, etc don't count toward my yarn purchases because they are tools for my hobby. I just LOVE these options needles. I picked up sizes 4, 5, 6, 7, and 10.5 so now I have a complete set.

Washcloths ..... the new addiction .....

These things are like potato chips .... can't make just one. Lucky for me I've got an internet filled with free patterns and 30 balls of cotton just waiting to become washcloths. First a cat.
Then a dog.
And a turtle too.
"Diane, I hate to tell you this but the cotton thing you put out on the bed is a little small. My furry butt barely fits on it. If you would kindly make the next one larger I would appreciate it. After all, I'm a bit on the large boned side," says Joey.
What's wrong with this picture? Two things. The town has a leash law and there are no dogs allowed in the beach area of this park. Guess these people don't think they have to follow either rule. At least most of the ice is off the pond so spring is definately in the air.