Shopping over shadowing the knitting?

Although I have two socks on the needles ...

[more about the patterns when they're done]

I seem to be giving in to my obsession for bags lately.

Like this small Skein Holder Bag by Walker (I think) for instants ...

I know I bought the orange one not too long ago, but a girl's gotta have more color choices right? And of course I always have more than one pair of socks on the needles at one time anyway.



They just look so nice next to the big one I got at Seed Stitch Fine Yarn last week.



Of course I'll confess I bought yarn too, but I'm not going to go there right now. Okay, maybe I don't want to face the fact I have a "yarn stashing" problem. I'll worry about it later. But if your curiosity is getting the better of you ... go look at my stash on Ravelry.

I want to show you this bag I got from Knit Picks instead!





Now isn't that the way to carry your knitting in style?

And of course I've gotten some more books too. What's my life without more knitting books? [besides the 2 new bookcases I've had to buy, huh?]




Oh you smart knitter you ... you're right ... that's not a book laying there in the front of the picture. That's the new Knitting Daily TV series. Just arrived yesterday! All 13 episodes in one package. I'm going to watch one episode a night while eating my dinner. My evenings are so short by the time I get home lately, I have to multi-task.

Now about that yarn I've been purchasing ... m-m-m-m, now where did I put it?

Finally my 3rd pair of socks for SOS08 ...

Are done and I like em!

The specs on these socks with 7 inch cuffs are as follows …

Needle: US 1½ / 2.5 mm
Yarn: Regia-Garantie
How much? 2 skeins = 458.0 yards (418.8m)
Colorway: 4259 Landscape
Pattern: Basic Sock Recipe by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.

Now if only I can make a little more progress on the Mystic Meadows stole. Row 175 is where I'm at now. I seem to only get 2 or 3 rows done at any one time while I'm sitting ... and then my mind drifts or I'm on the phone or going out the door again.




Maybe I won't answer the phone. Pretend I'm not here.
Don't go to the door either. Maybe I'll hang a sign ...



Gone knitting!!

A Fun Contest ...

Did you know about the contest at Knit Witch's Blog? Check it out!

Hope you win!

I saw this at a friend's Blog ...

Funny, Sara ... I don't even like ketchup but I'm a ketchup type? And seriously, I love all kinds of food, but the question was on what I cook. I don't cook much in the way of fancy stuff anymore. The years of cooking have burnt-me-out I think. But that doesn't stop me from eating it, LOL!

What condiment are you?

I Am Ketchup

You are easy going and very measured in your approach to life. Popular and well liked, you get along with everyone. Seriously, everyone loves you! Your taste tends to be pretty mainstream American. You go for the classic favorites: burgers, fries, and apple pie. You get along best with mustard and mayonnaise personalities.

What Condiment Are You?

And even though it's taking me 2 weeks to knit my socks on the needles, I'm almost done.



I just need another one of those drinks.
Hold the ketchup and bring on the ice!

Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes.

And today is my wedding Anniversary. Having my wonderful Dear Husband with me is a "gift" I treasure the most.

We were married 9 years ago today.

Bill is steadily getting better. There's a long road ahead. But I'm gratful for all of your prayers and well wishes. I am sure we will be celebrating once he returns home. He is out of the ICU and in a regular unit awaiting transfer to a rehabilitation hospital. From there we have a lot of work ahead of us until he's able to come home.

But then we can go back to having happier times like we did in the beginning and throughout our first 9 years ...

Our first Christmas ...

His past birthday celebration ...

Good days are ahead ...


May they be filled with double rainbows!

[Like the view from our bedroom window in our first year of marriage]

Storms on the horizon ...

My life has been turned upside down.




I was suppose to be on vacation last week. It started out on a Saturday, June 28 . My DH ... my love of my life ... my best friend, Bill ... was out with his daughter while I stayed at home to give them some "Father/Daughter" time together. I went out with them earlier for appetizers and a drink & took a picture of my "sock" on vacation, but was dropped off before they went out for a talk. They had dinner out together right in town.

And then disaster struck ... Bill turned his ankle on a curb (such a simple thing) and fell backwards onto the pavement. Hit his head really bad. So bad, he had to have emergency brain surgery the next day. Wheeled into surgery by noon at Mass General Hospital. I was told he had a 75% chance of NOT making it.

BUT he DID make it!

A week in ICU ... but now he's stable and in post-recovery and soon will be in rehabilitation. I pray that I get my ole' Bill back with his sense of humor intact. Please pray for him and pray for his full recovery. He can use all the prayers he can get. He's a wonderful guy. A Dad, Grandpa and a Great-Grandpa. Young. Always interesting. So funny ... he is the love of my life!

Bill always use to say, "You love your knitting more than you love me." I denied it, but he would either laugh or pout. But now I know he was wrong. I DO love him more than my knitting! I love knitting but not more. Not "instead of" ... because I got no knitting done this past week. Whatever I did do I had to frog twice. I need him around to really enjoy my knitting I guess. The following days until his return home are going to be very, very, very long ones.

Someday soon, I'll get back to knitting and talking about it again.

Slow but Sure ... my lace will bloom.

Clue one is done!

Not only socks are taking over my life right now.
So here is 118 rows of magic.



I'm in love with the magic of Lace!

But I do have a lot of sock knitting to do and this was ...

Only a brief Intermission.

Want to see more? Sure you do.

Now it's time to go do some real serious knitting ...

Second pair done!

Second pair of socks for Summer of Socks 2008 that is. As of this afternoon at lunch time. Just had to get home and take pictures.

They are my Seed Stitch Summer Socks.
[more pictures on Ravelry]

Specs: include 7” legs

so I can turn them down for cuffs.

Needles size US 2 / 2.75 mm dpn
Yarn Brooklyn Handspun Signature - Superwash Sock Yarn
[purchased at Seed Stitch Fine Yarn in Salem, MA]
How much? 1 skein = 480.0 yards (438.9m)
Colorway: Seed Stitch
[named after Seed Stitch Fine Yarn of course]
Pattern: Basic 2x2 rib from Gettting Started Knitting Socks by Ann Budd

I LOVE these socks!

But there's more socks to knit ...

Begosh, Begotta & Behold, I have socks!

My first pair of socks for Summer of Socks 2008 KAL have been finished!

Specs for my Strawberry Margarita Socks ...

Needle US 3 / 3.25 mm
Yarn Brooklyn Handspun Soft Spun Plus
How much? 1 skein = 375.0 yards (342.9m)
Colorway: Strawberry Margarita
Purchased at Brooklyn Handspun
Pattern: Slip-Stitch Cable Socks by Charlene Schurch and Beth Parrott from The Little Box of Socks.

Note: the cuffs are 6 inches long.

BTW, if you're wondering how I got a pair of socks done so fast remember, I have no kids at home and I can do what I want most of the time … so I just knit all day this past Saturday & Sunday. This won’t happen during the weekdays believe me, but I am working on a more simple style of socks during the week anyway. Then ... well there's always 2 or 3 on the needles. And you all know that I knit on the Commuter Rail too.

Also ... next week I'm on vacation. Timed that just right didn't I?

Now, back to knitting socks!

Before a Summer of Socks begins ...

I finally took a picture of my latest Shape It! scarf that I finished last week ...




I also finished Yoga/Dance Socks for a Christmas gift ...



They're for someone who does yoga twice a week and it AIN'T me!





And since they don't have toes and heels, they don't count toward the SOS2008 KAL, besides the fact that I started them before the "start date". So I finished just in time before SOS2008 began on Saturday!

Specs:
Needle - US 1 / 2.25 mm

Yarn - Knit Picks Dancing (1 skein)
Colorway - 23587

Pattern - Yoga/Dance Socks from The Little Box of Socks

THEN ...
I got my supplies together ...

and planned what to start first. Hey, did I tell you about this? This little dog tag I purchased from knitcellaneous. So neat ... a Kitchener reminder to attach to your knitting bag!


And then Saturday I cast on for Summer of Socks ... And you didn't think I was going to cast on for anything less than three different pairs of socks right? So I can have a change of pace when I need it right? They don't call me the StitchingNut for nothing!!

You may not see much of anything else for awhile other than socks or maybe a little lace perhaps ...


But I'll be reading my favorite blogs and occasionally take the time to comment. Something like "drive by" commenting perhaps. Rest assured, I'll be checking out what everybody else is doing also but trying to knit as many socks as I can before September 1st. Mind you, I may be missing in action in that case.

Okay it's time to go back to my sock knitting.

L = Lace & M = Magic for the Magic of Lace!

I couldn't help myself. I had to join L & M together for the ABC along.

My very first lace project was the Mystery Shawl that ended out be called Swan Lake ...

Which was this blob while I was knitting ...

Before it magically became this beautiful stole after blocking ...

And that is Magic!

Special sock patterns ...

are everywhere these days. Or so it seems. Usually I'll purchase a book of sock pattern like this one that recently came out. I have it in my hot little hands right now and believe me, it's a fantastic resource of sock patterns. I love it!

But occasionally I purchase a single pattern online when it's for a special cause. And this one ... Guided by Love Socks ... IS special. And I'm about to purchase it right now. Even if you're a Cat person ... you're going to love and want this one too. Go for it!

It's for sale on Ravelry ...

And all profits are being donated to charity!

Have you made your Summer goals list yet?

Skeins Her Way is having her Summer knitting goal's list contest!

So my list consist of: *[undated] {I forget a couple WIPs}

1. Knit at least 7 pairs of socks for the Summers of Socks 2008 KAL. One of those being a Christmas gift for my DD.

2. Complete the Hats I have planned as gifts for the grandchildren. I have one done so far and I only have five more to do. Yarn is just sitting there waiting.

3. Knit a sweater for the youngest granddaughter for Christmas along with the hat & slippers I've planned. [slippers are planned for the Fall not the Summer knitting] I think I'd like to make the sweater I saw in the latest Creative Knitting magazine. In pink!

4. Complete the Mystic Meadows stole I'm knitting [see picture below]

5. Knit a pair of earrings after each pair of socks I knit. [they only take 1 1/2 hours to do ya know]

6. And last but not least ... crochet at least 10 octagons each week for the bedspread.

*7. Finish the "All Ruffled Up" for Mom. It's her Christmas gift this year.

*8. Can I manage at least a few rows knitted to the Einstein Coat and the Modern Quilt Wrap?
[maybe not so much]

That might be all that I can handle in one Summer, you think?

Happy Father's Day!

I can't say I just knit this weekend ...
because we went to visit the Muchikin Gang in NH for Father's Day.
No time for knitting there.

Of course little JD is the leader of the gang ...













and she even has that goofy Grammy under her spell ...



But it was Mumma Mumma or

Ganpa, Ganpa ...
Hey Ganpa look at this ... was constantly being announced.

And even tho this plaque was on the wall as you walk in ...



Nor can you spank Grandpa either!

And Father's Day was topped off with the sweetest card from this little Muchikin Follower here ... Mersadese.

Her card to Grandpa Bill said ...

to: Grammpa
from: Mersadese

"What a kind grammpa Bill I have.
My hourt would be broken if I did not have you in my life.
Your the nicest grammpa Bill in the world.
To tell you the truth your the best one yet so I love you so much.
You make me laufh so much that you are the Love of my life."

Love, Mersadese

Wow, what a coincidence!
That's why I fell in love with him, Mersadese.

He makes me laugh!