Sunday, January 30, 2011

Twisted Rib Neckwarmer

This is a Twisted Rib Neckwarmer made out of some Noro Silk Garden Lite, two skeins.  I liked knitting it but think it will go to my Hairdresser next Christmas.  Yeah, one gift done.  I've already begun planning the gifts for her two daughters.  I bought a Knitting Pure and Simple pattern for a little girl shrug that goes to size 10 so I think I may make them.  They look cute and fun to make. 

I finished my 5th Ave Infinity Cowl and it is blocking.  I also finished two Keyhole Cabled scarfs, one for a co-worker for her Feb birthday and one for my mother.  One is still blocking.  Pictures soon.  I have started a fourth, that one will probably go to my mothers church fair booth.  I have yarn for one more that I found while we cleaned out a closet.  This forth one is also my lunch knitting.

Caireen is really slow going, maybe about 3 or 4 rows on a weekend only.  I found my Ott lite while we cleaned the closet (that was the whole reason for the cleaning) so now I can work on it at night if I want.
I started Gretel in the yarn to match the Infinity Cowl, it is a fun knit.

Last weekend my sister and I went to some YS's that she hasn't been to yet.  We went south this time to Old Saybrook, Deep River and Haddam.  This weekend was no shopping which was nice, she had her house to herself and wanted to enjoy it.  Next weekend, she wants to go to some Super Bowl sales if I can find some.  I'm ready to just stay home so I can get some stuff done but will probably go with her.

We have had more snow and more is coming this week, yuck.  At least the snowblower is getting used. 
I don't have that many more vacation days that I can use when our street isn't plowed and I can't get to work.  I just keep thinking, Spring is almost here.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Ten on Tuesday

The Ten on Tuesday topic for 1/25 is 10 Favorite Health and Beauty Products.

Ok, I am not a make-up person and never wear any but here are some favorites of mine.  Hopefully, I will find a good moisturizer on other people's lists to try out.

1)  Sleep - I don't get enough, I am not a good sleeper anymore.  Kayla, the cat above sleeps just fine.
2)  Water - I drink a lot of water a day and am always telling others to drink more.
3)  Philosophy 3 in 1's (shampoo, Shower gel, bubble bath) - currently using Chocolate Covered Cherry, have Carrot Cake waiting along with others.  I have been giving these to my sister and niece for years.  Started by getting my sister Cinnamon Buns years ago and my niece wanted it but my sister took it to
work for the gym.  Now they both get them every year.  I was on auto delivery through QVC a couple of times and have quite a stash which is almost depleted now.
4)  Yes to Carrots - lip balm

I love hand cream so here are a few of my favorites:

5)  Philosophy Snow Mittens - hand cream.  I have the Snow Shoes foot cream too but haven't tried it yet.
6)  L'Occitane - hand cream
7)  Avon Gardenia Hand cream - this is no longer available and I have one at work that I am squeezing every last little bit out.

A few other favs:

8)  Clear Care - for my contacts
9)  Aquafresh - Extreme Clean toothpaste
10 Oral-B Glide dental floss

Also the usual, q-tips, deodorant (usually whats on sale), shampoo and conditioner (also whats on sale), body lotions (whatever I have on hand), clear nail polish (usually Sally Hanson).

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Ten on Tuesday

Home with a free from work "ice" day off.

The Ten on Tuesday Topic for 1/18 is 10 Favorite Games from your Childhood.

1)  Chutes and Ladders
2)  Life
3)  Perfection
4)  Uno - used to play with my Aunt in VT.
5)  Monopoly - I don't remember every winning much.
6)  Yahtzee - even had handhelds of this game.
7)  Othello
8)  Boggle - maybe this one is why I am addicted to Book Worm on the Ipod Touch, words, words, words.
9)  Operation - buzz, buzz, sometimes I think we hit the side on purpose.

From probably teenager on up.  More than 10 as I still play these ones today.

10)  Backgammon - my parents have a cottage at a lake, and when I was a teenager I met a family from Fl whose Grandparents had a cottage at the lake.  I hung out with a son and a daughter of the group.  The son introduced me to Backgammon.  By the time I graduated from high school, I had three versions, a travel one, a board game and a large one stored in a case.  I also in the past had a hand held game verion.  Now, I still have a version on my cell phone, and one for the Nintendo Ds (or whatever it is called).  I don't think we played the correct way with doubling or anything but we had fun in our own way.

11)  Solitaire - any type, I play daily on my computer and on a handheld game.  I remember playing in VT at my cousin's grandparents house next door.  I would be sitting across from their grandmother and we would both be playing solitaire.  My father still plays every day at the kitchen table. 

12)  Mahjonng - I have a version on an old cellphone that I still play with even though it is no longer a working cell phone.  I also have it on my cell phone.

We also did a lot of puzzles when I was younger on into my 20's.  My sister and I used to give each other a puzzle for Christmas and we would start on it right after the dishes were cleared from dinner.  We still have a lot of puzzles and I noticed two in our cellar unopened that my father must have picked up at a tag sale and I think we are going to do them soon.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Last FO of 2010

This is the Penny Dog Sweater that I found on Ravelry.  It was made for Kylie who is a Yorkie/Poodle mix (I think).  She just turned two and I made her big sister Peanut (a Yorkie) a sweater in January/Feb of last year so it was time she got one.  I started it Christmas Eve and finished it either Christmas day or the day after when it snowed here.

Lunch knitting is still the same 5th Ave Infinity Scarf but I should be finished this week.  Caireen is slow going.  We had company last night and I started the second row of cabling and it took me almost an hour.  The company started coming a 1/2 hour earlier and I was trying to pay attention to them and to my cabling and messed up the first repeat.  Luckily I noticed it right away and then figured out what cable crosses I was doing.  I should have color coded the cables so that I know which one I am doing.  I may do that today.

I have been planning what is to be next.  I plan to start a Gretel hat out of Malibrigo to match the Infinity scarf and then the Cranberry Capelet.

We have over 2 feet of snow from a snowstorm on Wednesday.  It looks like some has melted but it was a miserable day trying to clear the snow from the driveway.  Needless to say, I bought my father a new snowblower that day.  Every time I look at it, I think of the Schacht wheel I could have had instead.  But it is so much better than the old one and now that we have it, we probably won't get more than a few inches of snow this winter.  I'm hoping anyway.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Ten on Tuesday

The Ten on Tuesday topic for 1/11 is Ten Way to be More Organized.

This is more about things I do or try to do to organize my things.

1)  Throw away junk mail immediately after getting the mail.
2)  Have a special spot for bills and saved information.
3)  Put clothes in their proper place, not on the book case at the foot of the bed.  I've gotten better, just a  
      few things there.
4)  Clean out the clothes and donate to charity.  I have been doing this.
5)  Clean out the books - I have also been doing this and donating.  Need to do more.

Knitting/Spinning Wise
6)  Organize yarn - I have mine all in numbered buckets with a notebook that lists what's in each one.
     Doesn't always work as I still have yarn in my room that isn't tracked in the notebook.  Need to go
     through and donate some.
7)  Organize spinning fiber - this I really haven't been that good at.  My mother's closet in the den is loaded
     with fiber.  The spinning wheel is coming back up this Sunday (after company on Sat night) and I do plan
     to start with what is in that closet.
8)  Keep knitting needles organized - somewhat done, circulars are stored in a Bass Pro Shops bait bag.
     Addi Lace needles are in their own circular needle organizer.  Straights are in a few containers - a basket,
     a Wile Coyote water glass, another glass.  Sock needles - some are in a plastic small three drawer
     plastic thing, need to organize the rest.
9)  Keep patterns organized - most are in binders in a bookshelf my father built.  But, I do have a large
     plastic bucket filled with patterns, printed from web patterns and a few pattern books that I need to go
     through.  Some will be donated, some bad copies from an old printer will be thrown out, some will go
     into the binders.
10)  Organize books and magazines - need to do more work on these, I have them in bookcases and piled
       up.

Sunday, January 09, 2011

Pokemon hats



Here are the two Ruby Pokemon hats I made for my nephew.  He really wanted the Red/white one.  The top one was my sample.  The one with the black band has three weird white points.   The Red banded one has 4 points.  He liked them and put the top one right on and then proceeded to keep it on while he slept for about 5 hours on Xmas day as he wasn't feeling well.  He was happy with them so I guess they worked out alright.

I have one more FO from 2010 which was a dog sweater that I started on Christmas eve and finished either Christmas day or the day after that when we had the snow storm.  I also have my first FO of 2011 which was the Twisted Rib Neckwarmer.

My lunch knitting is the 5th Avenue Infinity Scarf and I am almost done with ball 1 of two of the Malabrigo worsted that I am using for it. 

I spent today winding about 8 balls of yarn for new/future projects.  I started a Caireen from Knitty for the Loopy Ewe's Cable challenge out of Cascade 220.  The cast on of 430 stitches wasn't so bad as I knew what the repeat was and just put markers in as I went.  It did take a while though.  I also plan to start a Cranberry Capelet also out of Cascade 220.  Yeah, stash yarn getting used.  I did rip Acer out but do plan to eventually make it.  I want to start some socks but will wait till the lunch knitting is done. 

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Ten on Tuesday

The Ten on Tuesday Topic for 1/4 is Ten Things You Wouldn't Want to Live Without.

1)  my cats - Kayla (the occasional cuddler in very short spurts), Juliet (the bed buddy when she decides to
     sleep on the bed) and Jensen (the old man - 17 who comes around for a little scritch every now and
     then).  For the past two weeks, we have also had Bernice the Goldfish that I inherited when a co-worker
     left for a new job.
2)  my car - need it to get to yarn shops and sheep festivals and work to pay for all the rest.
3)  my stash - it may be too large but it comes in handy when money is in short supply.
4)  my Ipod Nano - for podcasts to listen to at lunch at work.
5)  my Ipod Touch - for games and other Apps.
6)  my library card - to read all the books that I don't have money to buy or room to store or don't know if
     I will like a book.
7)  my digital camera(s) - to take pictures of knitting and friends and family and scenery.
8)  indoor plumbing - did the outhouse in the past when camping or at relatives in VT when we were hanging
     out at their Sugar House helping (in our own way) to make maple syrup (which surprisingly, I have never
     liked).
9)  my computer - don't know what I would do without the connection to online knitters.  Finally got my
     sister to join Ravelry over the holiday break.  Forced her to create a Flickr account so that I don't have to
     do everything connected to it for her.
10)  Food - need it to survive, money - need it to buy things, health insurance - need it to keep track of the
       health.  I'm sure I missed a few things and will remember all of them when I am reading everyone else's
       lists.