Here's Phoebe June under the tree, Phoebe and I during a knitting break while trying to finish up the Christmas socks that I knit for everyone, and Phoebe on my coat, and some yarn added to the stash that coordinates with my coat for a scarf (Noro) and socks and mitts (Kiugu closest to Phoebe's nose.

Merry Christmas!

Hope you all are having a cool Yule. We had a quiet Christmas with my mom, sister, niece and nephews. I got all my socks knit, so now I can start on something for me. Joined a socks for soldiers group at Yahoo through socknitters.com. It should be fun 'cause I'm running out of people to knit socks for. The soldiers in Afghanistan truly need them.

My youngest sister put together some of our old home movies from the 60s. They were pretty funny.

Have a wonderful holiday, and don't shop the after Christmas sales and not leave a few things for me please

You can see Phoebe tracks in the snow. We got about 6" but it's been blowing around in the strong winds that have now subsided. Phoebe has been making dog angels in the snow, but she decided not to stay out for the picture

Snow!

The snow started around 8 this morning. Haven't checked to see how much we're to get, I'm stocked up with yarn, chocolate, diet drinks (you have to cut back somewhere) bread and milk. The grocery store was a mess last nite. This is supposed to go on until tomorrow, so we could get some accumulation for sure. Have 5 socks that need to be completed by Christmas, 3 books I haven't read, and my trusty cyber buddies to keep me company. I finished my Christmas cards, and mailed out 2/3 of them this morning. Looked up all of the addresses that I didn't have in my rolodex and got it all updated. The mail lady has already been here, so they'll go out on Monday. Can't keep my golden retriever inside; she loves the snow. Hope we don't get as much as we did in February (see picture below), but we're ok if we do. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here in Indiana!

Ravelry Get together

Had fun today at Mass Avenue Knits with the central Indiana ravelry ladies. Susan (the owner) gave us Mass Avenue bags and a 10% off coupon. It was nice getting to meet and put faces with names. Finished up a few socks while I was there. It was good to knit and chat. Cindatree took pictures of some of the beautiful shawls, scarves, etc that everyone brought to show to us all.

Gremlins in the Blogworld

My blog kept coming up blank. I finally went in and revisited the settings and didn't find anything weird. When I saved it, my blog came back up. What's up with that? Nothing has been monkeyed around with, so I don't think it's been hacked, just a little twisted.

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm thankful for my tea swapper, Angie this morning. I'm drinking a British cuppa Builder's tea--the thirst quencher. I've tried my Earl Grey, and I haven't tried my thistle tea as yet. Working through all of it. This black tea is very good. I found a small tea pot that I had back in the cupboard--makes about two cups. I'm becoming quite the tea drinker. It's helped with this crazy sinus infection that I picked up last week. We're staying home today, but may head to my sister's for a turkey sandwich later on this afternoon since we had our turkey day with my nephews and niece last Sunday. We were going to a cousin's house, but since my sister and I both have this ugly stuff that doesn't want to vacate our sinus passages, we decided to stay in Indy rather than traipsing around today.

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

Tree at the Big Basket

All right! This is the huge tree at the Longaberger Company's main headquarters in Newark, Ohio. The building is shaped as a big basket and this is their Christmas tree decorated with--what else??---baskets. It has a 7 story atrium up the center of the building. So that you get the perspective, I'm only 5'2" tall standing in front of this tree!

Visited the Big Basket

Took a bus trip yesterday to the Big Basket, Longaberger, in Dresden, OH. I sell the baskets, so it's always fun to go over and visit their tourist trap and see what's new. We had a great time. Eating, shopping, and browsing. Picked up some selling supplies and had my picture taken in the atrium of the Basket Building next to the basket tree. I'll try and post the picture tomorrow. I'm tired this evening as we had a Thanksgiving dinner today with my two nephews and niece since they won't be with us on Thursday, the traditional Thanksgiving Day. (I have a friend who lives in Bristol England who reads my blog, I know the rest of you know when Turkey Day is). Well, I'm closing up shop tonight. I did knit on the bus yesterday, and the Colts did win their game today. They needed a win badly to say the least.

New Sweater Kit--Yeah!

Alright, this is now a no whining blog--not about the Colts or any crazy election. Got my Philosopher's Wool kit to knit the stars sweater in the hollyberry colorway. I also got enough extra to knit the matching socks. Now I just have to find my sock book--I bought it this summer while I was traipsing back and forth to my mother's house since she had a stroke the end of May. I need to go through some of my bags with knitting in them. I don't believe that I have so many of them!

Monday Morning.......

We don't get today as a holiday, so I'm here. Got a late start. Got up at 7:00 and I usually LEAVE the house that time, so I'm dragging a@@ this morning. Thought I'd better check and see what I typed last night when John Madden was on my last nerve and my Colts were being beat. AAARRRGGGG..... Had trouble falling asleep as I was too wound up over the game. Read for awhile and finally my Benadryll kicked in. Scratchy throat this morning, so I'm going to have to get after that. Don't want to be sick. It was probably started by me yelling at the tv and John Madden last night.

This San Francisco Colts game is driving me crazy. I want to go to bed, but not until I know what the outcome is. I have rambled about everything but my knitting probably because I haven't been knitting. To be sane I must knit this week. I have spoken.

With the Colts loss last Sunday and Bart Peterson being voted out of the office of Mayor yesterday, it's been a sad day in Mudville (reference to Mighty Casey has struck out poem) for two days in a row.

Bart is a good man and got caught up in the uproar over real estate taxes and it took him down. I don't think he'll run for any other offices in the near future. He's an environmental attorney, so he may go back into practice (pure speculation on my part, no reality). Several of my friends are Bart's staff, so I'm concerned about them too.

No knitting last night--just worked sudoku puzzles on-line.

No knitting this weekend. I did my mom's shopping, fixed a Stouffer's Lasagna last night and a meatloaf for lunch today. Got 2 batches of pumpkin bread finished last night. Yum! Watching the Colts/Patiots game, so I can't concentrate on knitting now. Go Colts!

Pumkin wax tarts

I knew that I left out something! I got the best smelling package of wax tarts with pumpkin & spice scents. The package smelled wonderful when I opened it Angie!

Tea Swap has arrived!

My package from Angie has arrived from Bristol England. How cool! Beautiful yarn for socks in a blue, red, yellow combination with matching red accent yarn, a cute knitting card, postcards of Bristol, a cute tea mug, thistle tea from Edinburg, and a wonderful bar of dark chocolate with orange and spice flavoring. Yum!!!!!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween to everyone. Here's what the crew at worked looked like today. I'm Marge Simpson

Tea Swap Package Sent

Just catching up on a few unfinished things--should have posted this last week. Angie, your package is packed up and on its way to you in Bristol. Hope you like the things that I picked up for you.

I finally got pictures taken. I worked on the pink/blue/gray socks during my continuing ed classes as well as the 2nd moss green sock for my nephew.

The green/maroon/blue picture of 2 socks alike I started using a method knitting both socks at once. It was easy to keep the stripes matched up--I used it on the cuffs and heel, but I went to individual needles when I got to the insteps.

I haven't got pictures taken. Just lazy I guess. I've started another pair of socks --two at a time on one circular needle. I had 2 needles going, but ended up just using the magic loop technique when I knitted myself off of the 2nd needle. Will post pictures tomorrow. Have to get some yarn picked up for my tea swap pal--maybe tomorrow. At the moment I have finished one pair of socks for my nephew, a half pair for my niece, and a full pair on the needles. Knitting daily asked us how many UFOs (UnFinished Objects) we currently have going. I decided not to count, but I do have 2 sweaters that are about 1" of border and cuffs and front tabs away from being finished as well. There are probably a couple of others lurking around in a Longaberger basket around here somewhere.

Weekend is here and gone

I accomplished a lot this weekend--got the 2nd 8 hours of continuing education done, so I can renew my Broker's License. Finished a 2nd sock for my youngest nephew (25) and worked on a sock for my niece who's 29. I don't actually sell real estate, but I work for a commercial and residential developer in Indy. I keep up my license just in case. Have had it since 1975, and I would't want to go back, sit thru classes and take the test again if I let it lapse. I also took a quick trip over to my mom's (about an hour away to see one of my cousins who is in from Texas).

It's my sister's weekend for mom duty (mom had a stroke in May and is doing well). I take my turn next weekend to do her shopping, pay her bills, and visit. Mom's 86, so this isn't a chore thankfully. I've been doing everything but what I'm supposed to be doing: laundry.

I have my tea swap buddy and she's from Bristol, England. Am loving this new adventure. Have picked up a couple of things for her--she's going to bike thru Cuba for a fundraiser for breast cancer and women's health. Told her that I'm nervous about sending tea to an Englishwoman, but she's assured me that anythings ok with her. We've exchanged several e-mails, and it's fun. I think I turned her on to circular needle sock knitting. It's adictive--I forgot to warn her about that aspect.

Continuing Ed Knitting

Signed up for my 16 hours of continuing ed for my RE Broker's License, and put in 8 hours yesterday. Took my Socktoberfest socks with me. The time passed more quickly since I knit during it all. I'm going to knit thru the classes from now on!

My Broad Ripple socks are done!

These socks have been hanging around since the 9th of August through the Indiana State Fair where they visited Peyton Manning and the Super Bowl Lombardi Trophy while they were in the process of being finished. Since it's opening night and the Colts are playing the Saints, what's more fitting than for these Indy socks to be completed. The pattern was designed by a knitter at the Broad Ripple Art Fair this last May. It's from knitty.com if you like the pattern. (David Letterman is an alum of Broad Ripple High School) So this is an all Indy pair of socks that I've completed. Here are picture of the visit with the Colts at the State Fair and the completed socks. I added some extra stitches, so the left sock actually fits better than the right one unless I develop a bunion in the near future. The yarn is a Regia stripe that I got at the Knitters Mercantile in Columbus, OH the end of July.

Knitting Mojo

I've got it back! I found my monkey socks that I started in June and misplaced. I've also finished one of the knitty.com Broad Ripple socks. Fun pattern and used some bright yarn. Will post picture tonight after it cools down (supposed to get up to 97 today in Indy). Have the 2nd sock started as well. Broad Ripple was designed by a guy who attended the Broad Ripple Art Fair here in Indy. David Letterman is an alumna of Broad Ripple High School here in Indy, so these flashy socks had to be made!!! Stay cool everyone!

I never posted my finished first glove--still haven't finished the 2nd one, but here it is. I guess I've got one-glove-itis as well! I'll get cracking on the 2nd one after the Summer of Socks is over!

I updated this blog yesterday, but it hasn't shown up this morning. Will have to figure out what happened when I get home. I want y'all to see the finished regia striped stocks.

Now it's showing up. D'oh!!! Oh well, at least it's not lost in cyberspace!

Another pair completed and I've been Simpsonized

I finished the green stripes. I know, I'm not anal, so my stripes don't match up and I like them that way. My first pair was easily matched up, but I did this pair for fun. I had to slow up a bit while I finished the new HP. Then I had to Simpsonize myself. Not quite Aunt Selma, but close. Have stayed with my mom all this last week. She is doing much better--she stayed by herself while I worked. She's definitely making lots of progress. She wants to live in her house by herself, so she's made some giant steps since her stroke the end of May. She came home from the rehabilitation center on 7/19, so she's doing well.

To Simpsonize yourself, go to www.simpsonizeme.com. Make sure you have a good head shot of yourself (not that it really will look like you), but it only works with good head shots.

Successful knitting

Completed one regia striped sock using magic loop. Even with cheap needles, it was easy to follow. I'm going to try a trickier pattern to keep learning new techniques. Am trying to keep myself from being infected with onesockitis. Had a bad case of it last year, and have tried to take all preventatives to keep this disease from developing this year. Am going yarn shopping later in the week and may find some cool yarn to get my count up.

Forgot to post the picture!!! DUH!!!!

Regias for SOS

Regia crazy colors -- three socks in process from no brainer to have to count. I can take them to whatever I'm doing. The green ones are being knit using magic loop, and I really like it.

Have cast on for 2 Cat Bordhi's basic socks using Regia yarn that I got a couple of weeks ago when a local yarn shop was closing. I'm doing one using magic loop and one sock on two needles. Once again I got seperated from my knitting while traipsing back and forth to check on my mom. Will post pictures of the 2 socks "in process" tonight if it quits raining and I can find my camera!!!

The monkeys are off my back!!

One pair done for the SOS! Yeah!!!

I didn't make the cuffs as long as the pattern as I thought they would be too tight around my calves. This height is great and this pattern is fun. Love these colors as well.

One monkey down, one cast on the needles

It's the 4th of July and one monkey sock from Cookie A. (knitty.com) is done. The 2nd is on the needles. Yeah!!! :<}

Still haven't found my missing yarn, cast on monkey sock, and needles. MIA for 10 days now. Hopefully they'll show up soon.

I usually have onesockitis and cast on something new after completing one sock, but I've held myself in check. Last time I ended up with three socks with no mates and had to stop a gypsy sweater to get those babies done. I wanted to wear them. (You know, you talk about them and people expect to see them on your feet especially during winter--see the picture nrloe of the snow we had last winter freakish)

Disappearing Monkey sock

I have now started two Monkey socks. The first sock was cast on while staying at my mom's house on 6/22-6/23, and I took it to the rehabilitation center to show it to her. (She's 86 and recovering from a stroke that she had on 5/29) I have weekend duty, and my sister who's a teacher visits her a couple of times during the week. Somehow with all of this traipsing around, the first sock--yarn, needles, and everything--has hidden itself from view. Have searched my car, my house, and mom's house to no avail. So, I cast on for a new pair on Friday nite and they made it back to Indy with me this trip (my mom lives about an hour away in her hometown where about 100 of our other relatives live). Will post a picture of the new sock when I figure out what I did wrong when knitting the YO2 through the back loop. (I lost about 3 stitches on that row, so I did it right once and 3 times wrong. ) Have frogged back and will concentrate on it this evening.

Mom is progressing well--no paralysis. She called 911 herself at 3:30 am, gave the guys on the ambulance directions on how to get into the house, and talked them into giving her her cell phone so that she could call us and tell us about what happened. She's about 32 days into a 90 day rehabilitation program. It might not take that long. Her physical therapist told her to walk twice with her walker on Saturday & Sunday with me accompanying her down to the nurses station and back. (Bare in mind that when she got there on 6/1 she was in a wheelchair and required assistance to use the bathroom, get to meals, etc., so she's come a long way) She did well, but she forgets about the hand brakes, so I practiced jumping out at her so that she could steady herself and hit the brakes (not really much of a surprise). My family has a strange sense of what is funny, so keep this in mind.

Will post a picture of the correct socks tonight.

Summer of Socks

ok--it's over 90 degrees here and I'm photographing my foot in a wool sock. My neighbors already think I'm ecsentric (mispelled for sure). Here is my first mermaid sock in Opal Peacock.

Summer of Socks 2007

I have to admit, I'm addicted to knitting socks on two circular needles and I've done my gloves on 2 circulars as well.

I want to make a pair of Mermaid socks and use Cat's new mobius pattern that was on knittygritty, so this will help me get started. I'm going to make some socks to match these gloves.

Well, I'd better get back to the real work that enables me to buy yarn. Have a good weekend everyone!

End of the week progress

Moving along--almost ready for thumb gusset

shamrockknits..

Jo Ann in Indiana

KAL Gloves

I probably have the colors backwards, but I do like how it looks! Jo Ann