Dogs on Thursday!!

I've been kind of out of it this week and haven't been posting or commenting this week. I try to keep up with a lot of blogs but sometimes when I step away for a while it's hard to get back on track. I'm going to try to be better. :) Next week is Spring Break and I am desperately in need of some time away from work.

Well...for this weeks Dogs on Thursday, I wanted to share a picture of Abby. Here is a picture of my stinky dog laying in bed and look at that face. You know she knows she's not supposed to be there. This reminds me why I try to make my bed when I get out of it. :) Jackjack does the same thing.She is too cute!!

Well...I missed the Thankful Tuesday and Wedding Wednesday post this week. I'm sorry. We haven't really been doing much planning lately. Other than narrowing down the guest list and sending the save the dates, we haven't done much. We are thinking of details but haven't' actually made any decisions. I hope to have something to share next week.

I hope everyone is having a great week!! I'm ready for the weekend and the start of Spring Break!!

Sonny & Shear order arrived on Thursday!!

My sis Fleas got me a gift certificate to .

I've been wanting to order from them for a while because they are located in Florida and I love to support local businesses. I've had some communication with Kris and others and they have always been so nice. I emailed Kris before I ordered to find out if new yarn was coming and she responded pretty quickly.

So, I was very excited to order and it took me a couple days to decide on colors and yarn I wanted. I knew it would be all sock yarn but there were quite a few choices to make and I don't make many choices quickly. :)

When I finally did order it came pretty quickly. When the box got here it was all nicely wrapped in plastic bags with ribbon. It was really cute because there was a hand written note, a sample skein of sock yarn, and two bags of tea. I thought that was great and such a person touch.

OK...now here's the whole order...

1 Skein of Hazel Knits in Plum Glace.

2 skeins of Shibui Knits in the color Bark. I love these!! They're for a special, secret project you will have to wait for. 2 skeins of Shuibui knits Spectrum. I've been eying this color way for a while and finally took the plunge. :)

And this is the cute little sample of Chewy Spaghetti that I plan to make a mini sock out of for my sock blocker keychain. :)
Well, hope you enjoyed the lovely yarn pictures. I would highly recommend ordering from them. It's a great company and hey it's nice to support a local Florida company!!

Happy Yarn Shopping!!

Happy Easter!! and Sock Madness socks are a FO!

Pattern: Zombie Socks by Sheryl Giles
Yarn: Colinette Jitterbug in Copperbeach.

Started : March 13 2008

Completed : March 21 2008
Comments: I finished the Zombie socks for Sock Madness 2. These are my March socks and the fastest socks I've ever knit. It took me a week and a day to finish the pair of socks. The first sock was fun to knit and then the second was stressful but I sat down Friday evening and finished them. I was shaking by the time I reached the toe and knew that I might actually make it to round 2, which I did. I was #34 in my division to finish and 40 in each go to round 2. YEAH!! So, I'm going to figure that the 2nd round socks are my "April" socks. I hope I like the pattern.

Last night Special K and I colored eggs. Yes, we are silly. :) Special K did the two eggs on the left and I did the ball of yarn and needles. There were more but I liked these the best.

Hope everyone has a great Easter or Spring day!! We are heading to dinner(lunch) at Special K's step-mother's parents house. I was put in charge of fruit salad....I'm still "new" to the family. It's OK though...for now I guess I really don't want them to know I actually cook. :) After that we are hoping to stop by my sister's house to see them. They of course planned their lunch at the same time. Go figure. This always seems to happen to me. I just hope to see them for a bit.

Well, now that my socks are off the needles, it feels great. I knit two rows on my wedding shawl and worked on the Greenery Hat. I also spun a little bit of yarn on a wheel I'm borrowing from my friend Sean. I got frustrated and stopped but I had a little bit of fun. I also got a bunch of stuff in the mail, including the book Start Spinning from Maggie Casey. It's wonderful by the way, but it would be incredible to have her here to show me what I'm doing right or wrong.

I also got my order from SonnyandShear.com. I'll post up pictures this afternoon. I LOVED it. They are such a great company. I'll talk more about them later. :)

And anyone waiting for a podcast that will be up tomorrow afternoon. I'm planning to record tomorrow on my day off for "Easter Monday." I teach at a Lutheran school so we have Good Friday and Easter Monday off.

Happy Easter!!!

Dogs on Thursday!! Guest bloggers are back!!

Jackjack and Abigail: We want to go to the beach! When are we going to the BEACH!! Mom did we mention we wanted to go to the BEACH!!! MOM!! SAND, WIND, and SALT WATER!!! WE WANT BEACH TIME, WE WANT BEACH TIME!!!
We are on protest until we go to the BEACH!!

Happy DoT to our puppy friends!!

PS...mom will be back later and she's sorry that she didn't get a Wedding Wednesday post up...she was busy trying to reason with us.

Prize and Sock update!! Thankful Tuesday

I'm still working on the sock. This picture is my progress on Monday afternoon. I've finished a couple repeats since then and am almost at the heel. The first sock flew by but now this second sock is killing me. I still have a chance to move on to the next round because 28 people have finished so far in my division. I love the pattern though!!Last week I also got a prize in the mail!! It's from a contest over on Michelle's blog McKnitter. She's a Florida knitter. :) I loved the prize. A purse, a skein of Ewe-phoria Yarns Sock It To Me Superwash Yarn in Pacifica, and pattern for River Valley Socks from Anni Designs. She also included this really cute sock bag that I'm pretty sure she made herself. It's so pretty and I love the fabric.
Fun prizes!! Ok...so I'm hoping to finish this sock soon and so I can get back to relaxing knitting and spinning. I haven't worked on anything else lately since starting this sock.

Thankful Tuesday this week is thankful that my blood test came back and everything is good. All my levels are normal. My uric acid levels are actually low to normal so I don't have gout. My blood sugar, cholesterol...all normal. :) YEAH!! This makes me very happy!! I'm healthy! So, today I'm very thankful that I'm healthy.

Hope everyone is well!!!

Be Thankful for today is a new day!

New Spinning book!

I was listening to Lime & Violet the other day and Violet mentioned this amazing book on how to learn to spin and well since I'm learning to spin now and would love a book on spinning. I ordered the book. It's called Start Spinning: Everything You Need to Know to Make Great Yarn by Maggie Casey.

If you plan on ordering it or want to check it out, click on the link below or the sidebar and order away. I'm part of the amazon associates plan so if you order from amazon through the links on my blog I get some percentage of the purchase.

Happy Spinning!!

Pay it forward recieved....and an update.

I received my Pay It forward gift from Lisa from Plain Jane Creations. She sent some beautiful handmade stitch markers that she made. I love them. You can't really see them that great so I'll take another picture and add to this post. The card was great too. It says that Life is an adventure in giving. Thank you very much Lisa!! I loved your gift!!

This also reminds me that I really need to get my packages out. I'm a step closer. I've cut the fabric for the gifts now I just need to sew them. I hope to have them out soon.

This weekend has been spent sick and sneezing. I was feeling better by Sunday and decided to meet up with the knitting group but I could not stop sneezing. I was trying to finish the first sock for the Sock Madness and I couldn't stop sneezing to knit fast enough. I went home and took a hot shower and laid back in bed and knit. I felt better a couple hours later but I felt like all I did this weekend was be sick. Ugh. I'm glad I'm better today.

I hope everyone is doing well. I didn't podcast this weekend because of being sick but plan to this week. I'll keep you posted. :)

Happy Knitting!!

Sock Madness and DoT swap Questionnare.

So, I've been knitting away and this is as far as I've gotten. There are 5 people who have knit both socks!! OMG. At least only 1 has finished in my division and the first 40 people in my division moves on.

Jackjack is so patient with me shoving my foot in his face. His snout is so cute!!

Spring Secret Swap Questionnaire:
How many dogs do you have? 2 dogs
What are her/his/their names? Jackjack and Abigail Grace
What are her/his/their favorite toys? Jackjack likes ropes and Abigail Grace likes stuffed animals or balls
What are your favorite treats? Anything yarn related. Sock yarn is my favorite. I'm learning to spin on a spindle so fiber is fun.
What are her/his/their favorite treats? They both like bones!! Love them. Abigail is allergic to chicken, turkey, and rice so that limits the type she can have.
What are her/his/their/persons favorite colors? Jackjack likes anything blue and Abigail is pink. :) And mine is red.
What allergies do you and/or your dog(s) have? Abigail is allergic to chicken, turkey, rice, a cotton.

I am excited this swap has started!! Yeah for doggie swaps!!

Ok...back to knitting and resting and getting better. (tonsils still a bit sore) May need to take break for dinner..oh I mean supper.

Happy knitting!!

Dogs on Thursday on friday!!

Sorry I'm late on my DoT post. I have been sick and blogger would not post pictures yesterday. So...here's a pic of my pups in our old apartment. They are so darn cute. :) Hope everyone who's interested has gone over to the Dogs on Thursday blog and signed up for the Snuggle Project we still need some people.

Today has been spent home sick. I'm feeling better than I did yesterday but still have a sore throat and a fever. I've also been knitting frantically on my sock for Sock Madness. This is a shot from yesterday. I'm almost at the heel now. I love the pattern. I'll take another picture this afternoon when the sun comes out a bit more. I'm really glad I picked this yarn too. It's Collinette Jitterbug in Copperbeach. It has splashes of red and blue and it's SPOOKY. :) The pattern for the first round of Sock Madness is Zombie Socks.

Have a great day!! Happy Knitting!

First FREE Pattern: Ipod Nano Sock

Ipod Nano Sock Pattern:
by: Barknknit Designs

This pattern is a simple ribbed sock for a New Ipod Nano. You could easily modify pattern to fit any Ipod size.

Materials: Sock yarn of choice. I used RazzyTazzy Knits Sock yarn in Gryffindor Colors.

US size 1 Circular needles or 4 dpns.

Gauge: 8 stitches per inch

Abbreviations:

CO - Cast on
K - Knit
P - Purl
sts - stitches

Pattern:

CO 52 sts.

Join round and make sure no stitches are twisted.

K2 P2 for 3 inches.

Kitchener stitch the sock closed.

Use this stylish sock to keep your Ipod covered and scratch free!!

Thankful Tuesdays...and sock dilemma.

This week I am thankful for my sisters. The first is Cris who made these awesome Save the Dates that you are just going to have to wait to see. Sorry. The second is my sister Fleas who got me a gift certificate to SonnyandShear.com. I've been waiting to order from them and now I can!! YEAH!! She is contributing to my stash and that is a great thing. Thank you!!

Ok...so the sock dilemma is that since I cast on my first sock I've had a sock on the needles. I've usually cast on the next pair of socks within a day or so of finishing the last pair or so it has seemed. Now, I'm waiting for sock madness to start so I don't want to cast on a pair yet. Hence I have no socks on my needles. This is weird. It's not like I don't have things on my needles to work on but no socks. :)

Also my friend Sheryl and I have determined that sock yarn is like crack or at least laced with it. It's so lovely and I just can't seem to stop wanting more or in her case buying more. Also I've determined that Malabrigo must be laced with the same. :) Ahhh...the joys of yarn. How I have become addicted.

Happy Knitting!!

New and Notable!!

My podcast made it on the New and Notable list on Itunes!! How exciting!! Thank you for those readers who also listen to my podcast. I know that I do repeat things but I am trying to keep things fresh on both. It's been fun.

While talking about my podcast I wanted to mention that I added a donate button on my podcast page. This has been a tough decision. I really don't want people to feel they have to donate but I would like to give the opportunity to those who would like to donate to my podcast. I plan to use any of the money for podcasting supplies. Any donated money will go to buying yarn, needles, pet supplies, or books that I plan to talk about on the podcast. We'll see how it goes.

Well...hope you are having a great day. I'm catching up on all the post that have been waiting around to be shared.

Happy Monday!!!

FO alert!! Feb Socks.

February Socks....Finished!!

- Cast on: 2/3/08
- Finished on: 3/9/08
- Pattern: Rainbow Socks by Susanne Kitzmann
- Yarn: Regia Design Line by Kaffe Fassett
- Needles: US 1 Knitpick Circs 32 inch.
- Notes: My new heel technique was a toe up short row heel. This pattern was fun and easy. It was a fairly quick knit if I had checked the size of the second foot before moving forward. I really like how the yarn knit up. I enjoyed knitting with the Regia.

Yeah for FOs!!

Contest sharing time!!

This is a fun contest with the prize as one of my new favorite yarns...Malabrigo. I can't tell you how much I've fallen for the softness and charm of Malabrigo. The contest is over at mariknits. She asks to link to your first post...wow...I've come a long way since then. Thank you for sticking with me readers. :) So head over and share your first post and don't forget to tell her I sent you.

PS...my top favorite type of yarn is still sock yarn!!

Knitting, Spinning, and catching up!! Pictures!

So...I have all these great pictures I've been meaning to post and fun things to talk about and I just haven't. Here's my catching up with you...my readers. :)

Wednesday night I went to Panera for the SnB. I had such a great time. First off we set up a swift and a ball winder so I could wind my yarn into balls. :) Thank you Sean and Sheryl for bringing those. We sure were a spectacle in Panera but not one person said anything to us...not even the manager. :)
Look at all those fun faces having a good time on Wednesday night. We had a great turn out and took up quite a few tables.
Something fun I learned this week was SPINNING!!! My friend Manda, who is on the far right in the picture above brought her drop spindle and a big bag of roving and let me learn to spin. She also let me take all of it home with me to practice. We love Manda!! So check me out...I'm SPINNING YARN!! Yeah!!
I never got around to taking pictures of my first two finish products but a picture of my yarn is coming. :)

This Saturday I met up with my friend Darci for some coffee and knitting. We went to a new coffee shop by the beach. I wish it was ON the beach but oh well. We had a great time. I retaught her to knit.Doesn't she look like she's having fun!! I actually brought out my drop spindle and some roving and spun yarn in the coffee shop. I'm a public spinner. heheh
Here's my 3rd attempt at spinning. I'm getting better. I also used this picture for my podcast pic. So...click the picture and it will take you over to Episode 5: Something New.
I had a great week last week. This weekend was fun and I got a lot of knitting done!! I have more pictures to share but will post in next post.

Happy Knitting and Spinning!!

Guest Bloggers: Jackjack and Abigail Grace

Abigail: Yeah, I get to go first because I'm a lady and ladies always go first. Right Jackjack??

Jackjack: Sure, if you say so.

Abigail: So, our friend Oliver, who's mom is Knittinggal, tagged us in a meme. The question is What three things would you do that you have never done before; If you knew you wouldn't get caught, Get in trouble or suffer any consequences? hehehe...I like this question. First off I'd get all the socks in the house and pile them up and lay on them. I'd hold some in my mouth and I'd chew on all of daddies socks and I would just roll in the mountain of socks. Second, I would really like to go to the beach everyday. I think I could run there and play and be back by the time mommy got home from work. That would be awesome!! Last but not least I'd find a way to eat all the bread in the house. I love slices of bread and even a tortilla would be great. What about you Jackjack??

Jackjack: Ok, first I'd find a way to open the door while everyone was gone and I'd run around the neighborhood and torture the cats all day. Then I'd like to find all the raw and cooked meat in the house and eat it. I think I just need to figure out how to open the fridge...I know it's in there. Last thing I'd like to do and not get in trouble for would be to sleep in the bed again. I miss sleeping in bed with mommy. There's no room for me now but I still try. I'd like to be able to sleep with them and not get caught or kicked off.

Abigail: I'll help you chase the cats and squirrels. That would be fun. You can join me on my beach trip. Deal??

Jackjack: I guess so but don't expect me to share the food.

Abigail: Well...we'll see. I'm still a lady and I know you will share either way. Thanks, mommy's blog readers for letting us post. If any of our doggie friends want to join in the meme. We'd love to hear what you'd do. Mommy will be back later to share all her knitting news and more. She's been pretty busy today. Bye friends...bark bark bark!!

Jackjack: Bark bark!!

Dogs on Thursday!!

I have tons to talk about but I'm going to keep this post DOT only!

Figured you would enjoy some new pictures of my cuties. The first one here is all the dogs getting some loving from Special K. They both like to get in bed with him once I get out and start making breakfast on Sunday mornings. He enjoys it as well. Aren't they just cute all comfy in bed??

I also got some cute pictures of Abigail in the yard. Our grass is growing in and that is wonderful!! She just has the most precious looks. :)
And she just loves her destroyed doggie which I can't replace because I'm pretty sure she's probably allergic to it but I don't have the heart to throw away yet. I'm a bad mommy.

When I call Jackjack in from the backyard. He always likes to run on the path. :) He is a very proper dog. When we go on walks he does not like to walk in the grass. He wanders into the grass to sniff and go potty but when he's walking it's on the sidewalk. He's a strange dog, what can I say.
When he gets in he likes to lay down and stare you down and let you know...he wanted to say outside. hehehe. :) If we owned the house I'd love to get a doggie door but we'll have to wait until we own a home.

Well...I hope you enjoyed a little sneak into the lives of Jackjack and Abigail Grace. They are such cute dogs and a wealth of entertainment!!

If you are interested in the Doggie Swap on Dogs on Thursday please go check out the info and send me or Paula an email.


Happy Dogs on Thursday!!

Wedding Wednesday and STASH!!!!

I bought the YARN for my wedding shawl!! I'm very excited. Last night Sheryl and I met at Uncommon Threads in Palm Harbor. I love this yarn store. We stayed for their knitting night and everyone was so friendly. So, I picked di.Ve' Zenith in a white. It's 100% Extra Fine Merino Wool. It's so pretty!!
I also picked up a skein of Malabrigo for a hat for Surfer Girl. I'm pretty sure she doesn't read my blog so I'm safe in saying I'm surprising her with a new hat that will fit her. I already picked out the pattern but in case she reads this I won't tell you which one yet. I might cast this on tonight as well. I'm bad. :)The last thing I got was ROVING! I was watching Allison, who works there spin and I was fascinated!! I think I want to learn to spin now. This store is bad and good for me. After I was watching her I was fondling all their roving and I just had to have 2 oz. of this. It's Merino as well. I just want it to pet.

So, when I got home today I was greeted with a beautiful sight!! MY KNITPICKS ORDER!! Yeah!! This is perfect because I got my yarn last night and I have my Stitch n Bitch tonight. I can take it all with me and cast on at the Stitch n Bitch. HOW exciting!! Today has been a great day!!
So...that's all my fun stuff I got. I know it's not much about my wedding but the yarn is important and was a big decision. My sister finished the coasters and I believe sent them to me so as soon as I send those out and people start getting them I'll share what they look like. They are SO amazing!! She did a wonderful job. We are also finally meeting with my friend from our reception site this Sunday so I'll let you know next week what we decide.

I've been cooking since I got home so I'm exhausted and already need to head out to the SnB but I hope everyone is doing good.

HAPPY knitting!!!

What kind of yarn are you??

I saw this on Dogs Days of Knitting blog. I usually don't do many of these quizzes but I was curious. So I am:

What kind of yarn are you?

You are Merino Wool.You are very easygoing and sweet. People like to keep you close because you are so softhearted. You love to be comfortable and warm from your head to your toes.
Take this quiz!








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Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Well, off to check out the yarn store. Happy Knitting!!

Thankful Tuesday

Today's Thankful Tuesday is about charities. I think being thankful of life and your opportunities in life makes you want to give and be a part of something that helps others. I wanted to share a couple charity ideas that I'm participating in.

First off there is the Dogs on Thursday Snuggle Project. For the Snuggle Project: Each person who chooses to participate will knit a doggie Snuggle, or blanket and donate it to a local charity of their choice. This project will run from March 6th to the end of April. I had already cast on a snuggle a while ago but never finished it so I am bringing it out of hibernation and plan to finish it before the end of April.

The second charity is Stitch-It Podcast's Charity Blanket. Meghan, the host of Stitch-It is organizing a charity blanket. Each participant will knit 3 inches of the blanket and write their experience, hopes, or a story in a journal and send it to the next participant. In the end the baby blanket will be donated to a charity. I think this is a wonderful idea and am very excited to participate. Her podcast is great and very inspiring for me so please check it out if you haven't.

I hope you enjoy those charities and if you want to join you still can.

I'm also planning on exploring a new Stitch n Bitch tonight at a local yarn store a bit north of where I live. I'm still on the hunt to fondle yarn for my wedding shawl so my friend Sheryl and I are meeting up there and plan to hang out and search for yarn and knit. I think it sounds wonderful. I will let you know in tomorrow's Wedding post if I get something or not.

I'm still waiting for my knitpicks order.

Hope you all are having a wonderful Thankful day!!

Happy Knitting.

Chores, Podcasting, contests, and some knitting!!

I had a pretty good weekend. Saturday was spent doing the chores I've mentioned. It was fun...ummm...yeah fun. :) The dogs and house are clean and laundry is still being done. So it was a productive weekend. We went bowling saturday night. Well, Special K went bowling and I sat and knit while talking to his friends. I actually had a great time.

Today was a great day. I woke up and spent the morning podcasting. There's a new episode up by the way. I talk all about Jackjack's accident and I get really emotional. I realized after I finished there isn't much knitting in the episode but oh well. Hope you guys enjoy it.

The afternoon was spent at Panera knitting with some friends from the SnB. I had a wonderful time and I actually taught someone else how to do something. Big moment for me!! I still feel like such a new knitter that when I can help people it makes my day. We ended up staying for 4 hours. We talked a lot and hatched big plans. hehehe.

Since I got home I've spent some time with Special K because he's not feeling that great today. I cooked dinner and we sat on the porch for a bit in the nice weather. I'm off to get ready for bed and knit a little more. We have standardized testing this week so I'm bringing my knitting with me and plan to knit all morning long.

Hope you guys have a great week.

There's a contest over at NH Knitting Mama's blog. I mentioned her in my last podcast but she has a wonderful etsy site that you should check out and tell her I sent you.

Warmth in the North is also having a contest. Go over and let her know where you would like to visit in Canada and say I sent you.