Monday, September 30, 2013

Moving News....

Happy Monday everyone!  It looks like I will be moving soon. I live in a house with my daughter and grandson, but I have another house that I rent out.  The lease agreement on my rental was going to be over on September 30th, but I told the guys they could stay there month to month, and just to give me a 30 day notice when ready....well, they were ready.....so they will be moving out October 18th(ish) and I have decided that my daughter and I will move back into that house and the house we currently live in will go on the market to be sold.  I am excited, but there is lots and lots and lots and lots and lots (well, you get the picture) of work to be done.  The house we will move into is much smaller than the house we live in right now, so I am hoping to do a lot of de-crapifying before the move.

Now, as for knitting....remember that awesome yarn I won for Camp Loopy....well, we (the 3 of us that finished camp) decided to cast on last Monday for a cowl....I am 1/2 way done and LOVING IT!  I am doing this for the Must Stash KAL called Rhinebeck or BUST!




I have also been working on the NEW nuvem.  I have not frogged the other one (yet), but I plan on doing that soon.  I was hoping to get a little farther on this one....I am hoping that makes the ripping a little easier.  I also made myself a gram calendar for this nuvem.  I have a wedding to go to on November 9th, and I have this cute dress that is spaghetti straps.....and spaghetti straps in November = needs the perfect shawl/cover. So I have to get this nuvem done by November 9th!    So far I am almost on track for my grams...I am about 1 gram behind (Hey, I was tired last night)....ignore the white part...that is a lifeline from early on.



I also knit on Paige's sweater a bit....I really am hoping I can do my 7 grams per day, and Paige's sweater and Mari's wrap.....all before it gets too cold.



I got a new beach/knitting bag and Darlene got me a Sock Monkey Notions bag....I love them!!!!






I think that is it for now.....It seems like I did so much more, but I guess not.

I would love to go to lunch at a buffet like this:



Happy Happy Knitting and I hope you all have a wonderful week!!!!

Monday, September 23, 2013

Nemo is DONE

Happy Happy Monday everyone.  I feel like I have been knitting a lot, but I do not have much to show.  I finished my Scarf Swap Scarf....but I cannot show pictures yet....so that almost feels like I haven't finished.

I did finish that Nemo hat I started last weekend.  I am sure this hat is going to swallow Antonio (if he even lets me put it on him).  It is complete with a lucky fin!  If Antonio lets me put it on him, and if he lets me snap a picture, I will share with all of you.



This past weekend, I did the drawing for my SNB's KAL.  I won, I won, I won....I feel like I never win anything...even though through this blog, I have told you about some winnings...however, if you knew how many things I entered, you would agree that I rarely win.  The random number generator picked my number 7 (I am sure the number 7 is what was lucky, not me)...there were only 8 of us all together.


I picked the Wine Basket as my prize.



Oh.....and remember Camp Loopy?  Well, our bonus yarn came in.  Darlene, Barbara and I each picked a different color (there were 3 colors to choose from).  Mine is the pink on the left, Barbara's is the blue in the middle, and Darlene's is the green and purple on the right.....they are so pretty.  Today, we all cast on for this "Downtown Cowl" with our yarn.


I also knitted a bit on my LOG (Leaves of Grass) shawl...it has been a while since I knit on this.


 My friend, Darlene, that I usually knit with every day was in Florida last week...so it was just me and Barbara that knitted during lunch last week.  She got lots of knitting time in and I wished I was there with her.....I leave you with a the gorgeous view from her balcony where she had wine with her knitting in the evenings.....


Happy Happy Knitting...have a great week!!!

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Startitis Hits Again, but so does the frogging.......

Happy Happy Tuesday everyone!  How was your week?  Mine was good....I got some knitting in, so that is always a good week!

I did however run into some startitis and frogging.  You know my awesome Nuvem...that I started over a year ago?  Well....I think it will probably hit the frog pond.  I have not frogged it (yet) but I started a new Nuvem.  It is still with wollmeise lace garn, but it is a more true black.  The first one was with a color called Heavy Metal and the second one will be with one called Schwartz.....The reason for frogging you ask?  Well, look at the increases.....I am not sure if you remember, but I had the same problem with my Viajante (In this post) and I frogged it and went with kfb instead of backward loop.  Well, that is what I am going to try with Nuvem.  I did try make one right and make one left increases, but I think I like the kfb better.  I cannot seem to bring myself to frog, so I figure if I get this next one far enough along (maybe to the same spot) it will be easier for me to rip-it all out!  Here are pics of the soon to be frogged Nuvem and a picture of the new big honking skein of yarn on my scale...it is about 309 grams (once you subtract the weight of the lazy susan).






I finished the third and final (three times' a charm) crochet bag...but I still need to crochet the handles and flowers.




I also started a new hat.....I was looking at the Dead Or Alive fish hat (Steph from The Muststash Podcast is making 2) and I saw a bunch of nemo colored ones in the projects on ravelry....so off to order yarn and cast on....I tried to put it on Antonio and he was not having it...so my knitting may be wasted on this project.


I have also been knitting on the super secret Scarf Swap Scarf...but I cannot share those pictures, so I will share a picture of some Stash Enhancing.....there was a lady destashing some wollmeise on ravelry that I just had to have...it is WD Saami.


Did you notice how I kind of blamed the whole Dead or Alive fish hat on Steph from The Muststash Podcast?  Well, one more thing to blame on them.....they have a give away from Unic Designs.  Natalia makes these awesome project bags (Yes, I know I am a little addicted to bags....get over it!).  She donated the cutest Double Bubble project bag as a give away and I saw the bag on the podcast and just had to have one (I do hope I still win....one can never have too many bags!).  I emailed Natalia and she made me one....I LOVE IT!!!!  Isn't this the cutest material ever?  Thank you Natalia!  Natalia said I can share a 10% off coupon with you guys.  Use Discount Code LOVEUNIC for 10% off.





I have mentioned my knitting sisters in a group called "The Lonestar State Knitters" (LSSK).  Well, this is a group of exceptional women....I have become good friends with a lot of them.  One friend, Ruby, it just beyond exceptional.  She is one of the ladies that got me addicted to The Loopy Ewe (TLE) with Camp Loopy last year.  Well, TLE has these reward levels for how much you spend with them (too much for me) and I had made a comment to her about how I really wanted to make the next level so I could get the TLE coffee mug, but of course finances are always tight and it would be the most expensive coffee mug ever....so what does this awesome lady do?  She sends me one (she had 2 and one was not being used)!!!!  On top of that, she sends me 3 skeins of yarn and an awesome book!  She sent two skeins of Madeline Tosh Prairie Lace yarn in Copper Penny and Moccasin and the skein of Navy yarn that came with the mug and The Yarn Whisperer by Clara Parkes.  Ruby, I could never thank you enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I had two of my grandkids this weekend....Celeste and Antonio.

I leave you with a picture of Celeste and Antonio playing...I had both of them with me this past weekend!


Happy Happy Knitting!

Monday, September 9, 2013

Happy Grandparent's Day!

Happy Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!  Did everyone know that yesterday, September 8th, was Grandparent's day?  I did not.  However, Alexxis sent me a nice card and some cute pictures.  I am taking pictures of pictures here, so I hope they come out.  Isn't she a cutie!



Do you remember my gun fiasco of last week?  Well, I traded my pink ladies .38 special for a .22 magnum. I have not shot my new gun (yet) but I am certain I will be much happier with it.  It is pretty much the same size...just not pink.  I got some hollow point bullets for it.




When we went to the gun show to trade this gun, I actually walked around knitting....I had the yarn coming from my purse and I gut quite a few weird looks.  Most of the weekend I worked on Tauri for my friend Marie.  It is plain garter stitch for 52 inches so it takes no thinking.  I am at about 22 inches and just added my 3rd skein of yarn (It takes 6 skeins total).


I got a few rows done on Paige's sweater......


Now, isn't that the cutest project Bag?  My friend Darlene sewed me a bunch of these bags...she made me this M&M one, and it has brown material with white polka dots on the inside...they are reversible.  I have some with sock monkeys on it, and red and white polka dots, and bumble bee ones with black and white, and coffee ones that are brown....I love them!  She is probably tired of me asking her to sew things for me (even though she says she isn't...she is awesome). She also sews the lining for the crochet bags I have made.....

Speaking of project bags, I forgot to mention that when we went on that knitting retreat to my sister's lake house the gals all pitched in and one lady made a couple of UT project bags for me.....they are so awesome....I LOVE all my project bags!!!



In one of the bags above is my scarf swap scarf....I wish I could show you a picture, but I can't....just know that I am working on it.

I also decided that I want to get that 3rd and last crochet bag done, so I am hoping to work on this more this week so I can just count it as a project done.


Antonio and I had fun this past weekend....I am not sure if I have mentioned how much Antonio loves "Balls"...all kinds of balls.  He decided to sit in a rubbermaid tub with some of his balls but he would not smile for me......

 However, I do not give up that easy.....I was able to sneak this picture of him trying to not smile in the tub with bubbles (Don't bubbles make all kids smile?)!


I hope you all have a great week......Oh, I got this from one of the ladies in my LSSK group.....too cute not to share......


Happy Happy Knitting!

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Labor Day Weekend

Happy Happy Hump Day.  Did everyone have a great Labor Day weekend?  I did.....And I have lots to share.  I hope this post does not go too long!

First, I finally cast on that sweater for my daughter.  She says it has to be done by December 1 (I hope that is plenty of time).  It was her 18th Birthday this past Saturday....I cannot believe my 'baby' is 18.  She put the sweetest post on Facebook for me.  She is an awesome daughter!



Speaking of birthday's......I went to the cutest birthday party this weekend.  It was for a 2 year old that was born on the same day as Paige.  It was a Mickey Mouse themed party and the cup cakes were so cute, I had to share.

I am not a quilter or sewer, but a friend of mine did a quilt hop/shop thing and she got a sample of the cutest material.  It is shapes of Texas all over.  If you look at it one way (the way in the picture), the black part makes a Texas shape, and if you look at it upside down, the white part makes a Texas shape....pretty cool, huh?!!


Oh, I also knitted on that super secret scarf swap scarf...but I will not be able to show you pics of that for a while.  We mail them between October 15th and November 1st....so I have plenty of time.

I am not sure if you remember, but a friend of mine went to Tin Smith's Wife with me a while back and bought some yarn and a pattern book and asked me to make it for her.  Well, I went to her and her hubby's house this past weekend....they have the Longhorn Network (Direct TV does not carry) and they are kind enough to let me intrude on their home whenever there is a game that is only on the Longhorn Network.  While I was there....it seemed fitting to knit on her Tauri.  I have to do 52" of garter before I even start the shaping, so I have quite a bit to still go.



I am sure I have mentioned a couple of ladies that are here in San Antonio, TX that do a podcast called MustStash Podcast.  Well, Stacie (one of the podcasters) has decided to open an online yarn shop of hand dyed yarns.  It is called Must Stash Shop.  She had an awesome debut and sold out in like 25 min or so. Well, on a form post we started talking about college affiliations and she is an Aggie but I have always said that fiber enthusiasts come before college rivals.  Stacie said she would dye some yarn for me (yeah me!).  I gave her a picture as the inspiration and this past weekend when the newest episode of the podcast came out...she showed the yarn she dyed for me....I cannot wait to get it in my hot little hands!!!



OK, I know this is almost a book....but I have one more thing to share....without going into a long story let me just say that I decided I wanted to get a gun for protection.  So I told my boyfriend and he said the gun show was coming up and he would look for a gun for me.  I have only shot two different guns and I really like the .22 caliber.  So I asked him to get me a .22, revolver, with a short barrel.  Well, he got me a .38 lady special revolver.  He said (and many people agree) that if I need it for protection and I hit some intruder with a .22, it may just sting and not really 'stop' the intruder so I can get away.  He felt that a .38 is a much better gun to have and often a ladies gun (hence the name, Ladies Special).  Well, we went to the shooting range to shot both my new .38 and his .22 semi automatic.  While I agree with him that a .38 may 'stop' the person better, it will not stop anyone if I cannot hit the target.  I really am a big wimp because the .38 is very hard for me to pull the trigger, and it hurts once I pull the trigger, so I am hesitant to pull the trigger because I know there will be a big kick back that will hurt the palm of my hand under my thumb.  Maybe I need more practice, I have no clue...but I am hoping to sell my .38 (I am sure I will lose money, but I hope I do not loose too much $) and get a .22.

Here are my targets and a pic of my pink gun (Yes, I wanted orange, but they did not have it in orange). You probably cannot tell, but I got like 5 or 6 shots in the target with the .22, and zero with the .38 (the .38 target is the first picture)






Well, that was my week.....pretty jam packed.  I leave you with a picture of Antonio playing with a new tool kit and peg board with hammer that I got him....he was playing pretty intently and would not look up for the pic.


Happy Happy Knitting!!!