Finally.... Sort of.

Well hello everyone! I hope ya'll have been doing well since my last post. We've had snow melting for the past week but then we got about two inches of snow yesterday! I was very happy to see the snow. Others, however, were not. And it wasn't a long lasting snow. I mean, it's all pretty much melted by this morning. Things were looking kind of brown there for a while. And it was rather dreary since we've had rain and cloudy skies for the past week. So "I" was quite happy (YES! I said happy!) to see some lovely snow.

So, I finally finished my French Knit Felted Slippers! Well, sort of anyhow. I only have to apply the puff paint onto the bottoms of the slippers. And they really need them. Especially on the wood floors! These slippers are slickery on the wood floors! But otherwise they turned out okay. I'm not too pleased with them as far as wearability. But that has NOTHING to do with the design, and EVERYTHING to do with the knitter (me). I did something wrong in the heal area of the slippers. They seem to sit too low on the heal and they slip off. But, part of it could also be the fact that they are a bit large for me. I made them for someone who has larger feet so maybe it won't be so bad once she puts them on. But, the next slippers I make I REALLY need to pay attention to the joining of the heals part of the instructions. I just need to find some puff paint and then I"m done! YAY!

I believe I mentioned some time ago, that I was knitting a sleeveless Cardi. Gosh that was over a year ago. Anyhow, I never finished it. I got so frustrated with it and I couldn't figure it out no matter how hard I tried. So I wadded the poor thing up and threw it into a corner and sort of "tried" to forget about it. I worked on other projects and even completed them. Which made me feel really good. But that poor wadded up ball of mess kept haunting me. It kept saying "you failed... you gave up on me... Until yesterday. Yesterday I swallowed my pride and went to a knitting store called A String of Purls here in Omaha. They have the nicest ladies there that are so helpful! And their store is so lovely. All those colors and textures and a wonderful sitting area in front of a wonderful fireplace that you can sit at and work on your knitting. So yesterday I went there because several people had told me that the ladies at String of Purls would help knitters with their knitting problems. I finally decided to do something about the sleeveless cardi AND the yoga socks! So I packed those things into my bag and hauled them to the store. And sure enough with the help of the ladies there I was able to figure out where I'd gone wrong on both projects and left there feeling quite confident at being able to complete both items and I even bought a couple skeins of fun yarn for baby girl's hat that I am going to make her! And so, I went home really excited to work on my projects but couldn't find a moment to even look at either of them, let alone work on them, the the rest of the day. And I probably won't be able to work on them today what with all the things that need doing and then tonight we have a get together with friends so those two projects will have to wait until this weekend. And then LOOK OUT BABY, 'cuz all I'm going to be doing is knitting!

Whew! There you go. Hopefully, I'll have something to show ya'll on Monday. Wish me luck!

What can I say...

Once again, I've spent the last week feeling like I was constantly doing something and had no time to do what I wanted to do which was... knit. So far, I've got about two inches of cuff knitted up with NO MISTAKES! (quickly knocking on wood) I've been able to sit long enough to do a round or two every now and then. And I've done this part of the sock soooooo many times that I've actually learned to pick out where I'm at within the pattern! I'm finally recognizing what the pearl looks like and the knit looks like. So that's a good thing. So I have another two inches to go before I get to the part where I skip making the heal part. Yay! But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.

So, today, I will have free time after doing the grocery shopping. I will be able to sit down for an hour and work on my yoga sock and catch up on my soap opera. Yes, I have ripped out and started this sock over sooooooo many times that I can now (at this point of the pattern) knit AND talk or watch t.v. at the same time!

And so I leave you now without having posted a photo of any kind. I hope to have something to show in my next post. And I promise to post something better in the next one. Just don't think that it will be one completed sock. I can guarantee that it will take me longer than one hour to finish this sucker! ;-)

Ya'll have a great day! And I hope that all of you are experiencing the beginnings of a Spring thaw in your area as we are here...

Instead...

So, instead of knitting the sock's or crocheting the hat or sewing the sweater bag or basically doing anything productive yesterday. This is what I did.

Which is a good thing. I was going to multi task by thinking about what I should do about my situation. You know, the hat and what kind of pattern might better suit the yarn. And why I had such a difficult time knitting the sock. And all that kind of thing. But instead, I found that doing my nails took all of my thought! There was no multi tasking possible. Instead, I brainlessly did one nail at a time. Trimming, filing, removing cuticles, buffing and painting. With no other thought in my head except... "gosh I wish I was ambidextrous".

... knitters HELL!

I am not happy right now. I'm not being productive and I'm am so frustrated I'm about to give it all up! Knitting and crocheting that is!

I've been working on these yoga socks for EVER now.

ripped out stitches 6 times (actually more if you count how many times I miscounted when I was casting on or when I cast on with the wrong kind of cast on... blah. At the rate I'm going, I'll be in my 60's before I EVER get the first sock made. I'm not even talking about a PAIR of socks either!

THEN... I decided to give myself a break and begin working on baby girls hat. She had picked out some yarn that she liked and I told her I'd make her a hat with it. OH-MY-GOSH! What was I thinking? The yarn has been a major work of pain for me. The yarn is a strange bunched up hairy thing. It's sort of like a long haired chenille only the hairs are only on one side.

One single row of hairs on one very thin thickness of thread. If I make a mistake, I can't rip it out because the hairs get all caught up and knotted. I end up having to cut the piece out and have to throw the work away! I am sooo frustrated I feel like yanking hanks of my hair out of my head! UGH! I JUST don't know what to do! I am this close (imagine my thumb and forefinger in the "pinch" position and you can hardly see any space between them!) to just putting all my knitting needles and fibers into a bag and tossing it at someone who can actually knit!

Honestly, I'm at my whit's end. I tried to think of something positive out of this experience so far and I can't come up with anything!

I'm in knitting hell.......

my, my...

It is Thursday already! How time flies when... you're busy, busy, busy!

See those lovely little buns? They are called Yorkshire Teacakes. I got the recipe from a bread book that baby girl gave me a few years ago! She is such a thoughtful daughter! Anyhow, the teacakes were so yummy. I made them last Thursday. I try to make a little baked goodie to take to our friends house when I go to visit with them. They are our neighbors across the street and I go over there every Thursday to see how they are and what they've been up to and to give the Mr. a chance to spend a little time with my dog Ricky. The Mr. loves spending time with Ricky and as long as the Mr. has a little sum'n, sum'n for Ricky... he's a happy camper. I enjoy the visit's because I get to sit and chat with the Mr. who is full of all kinds of stories. He's in his mid 80's and he's done lot's of traveling around this here United States. Lot's of stories about the various trips he and Miss. O made in their trailers and their friends convoying together down to Tx. and MANY other states. As well as stories about this lovely town we live in. He used to run the grocery store here in town! And Miss O makes coffee and little munchies to eat while he tells the stories. She's very quiet. He loves to talk. Not sure if she's always been this quiet or has become that way out of lack of opportunity to speak. ;-) But they are both such caring and generous people. They are the same people who fixed lunch for us and our moving crew when we were moving into this house!

Today, I may end up not taking anything over. I worked out longer than I had planned this morning and then I sat and chatted with my friend afterwards. I have to make pizza dough and sauce and a dessert for tomorrow's Baby Boomers gathering. We're having Pizza and a movie night. Plus, I have to make dinner for my honey and myself tonight and I had planned on making pasties with wine sauce. So... that's a lot of time in the kitchen for me today plus, I've still not taken a shower! I suppose I should do that before I head on over across the street to the Mr. and Miss O's house.

Ya'll have a great day. Hang in there if it's a tough one, you've only got one more day 'till the weekend! ;-)

Boy. Oh Boy!

Okay, so here is my grandchild! My first! Ask me if I'm excited. Go ahead...ask! I am soooo excited I can't EVEN begin to tell you. Seriously, I thought having my own babies was exciting. But this beats everything! (Sorry oldest child and baby girl) This is so different because, I suppose, there is less stress with this baby. I am not totally responsible for this child's up bringing. I am not responsible for teaching this child how to grow up in this world. I just get to help fill in the gaps, (if momma and daddy will allow). And the best part... I will NOT have to be the disciplinarian! I get to play, and read, and do most all the fun things with this child. I will be able to have more patience with this child because I'll be getting my sleep time in (unlike the parents). I will be able to laugh when the child spills the milk all over the place. I will be able to smile indulgently when the child is constantly asking questions (oh yes I will Jessica!). And when the child gets cranky... I will be able to calmly hand it back to it's parents. ;-)

So, evidently, this photo show's what the sex of this child is.... I've looked and looked and I just don't see it. AND I see the arrow but... Okay, I guess I'll take the doctors word on it. It's a boy! I personally don't care what the sex of the baby is. I'm just happy there is a baby on the way! But the first picture is the one I really like. (Thus far.) Because it show's what appears to be a baby. Not an alien life form anymore. It looks like a sleeping baby. Isn't he just precious?!

Okay. I'll stop this now. I know ya'll are probably about to gag from all this sappy stuff. But I gotta tell ya. I'm just a happy and excited nana to be!

So now I'm calculating just how long it may take me to make my yoga socks. I mean, I've got the cuff done on the first sock so far, and it's only taken me 9 days to do that. But the baby is due in August so that really doesn't give me much time to get things made for my grandson! ;-) Grandson... isn't that just the cutest thing to say? Okay, okay. So... maybe I should just get started on a baby hat. You know, one of those "umbilical" style hat. I know you've seen them. They have like a little cord that is tied on top of the hat?. Anyhow, I figure I could start that, (it seems pretty easy.) then, once I'm warmed up again with the knitting needles I could go straight into knitting a little sweater. Oh but I saw some really cute little booties.... Hmmm, perhaps I should abandon the yoga socks and get right to the hat and sweater and booties! ;-)

Isn't this just the most wonderful dilemma?! Have a wonderful day ya'll!

Kids....

Hello everyone! Hope ya'll are doing well and keeping out of trouble.

Can you believe it's February already? If this keeps up the year is going to just fly by! Back in the day it seemed like the first part of the year just dragged. But, not this year!

So, I have managed to complete a couple of projects. Of course they were tiny little projects so they went relatively quickly (for me that is. For anyone else it would have been a blink of an eye or two at most!) Anyhoooooooo

The kids came over to pick up their little gifts. I had made a hat for the little girl a couple of years ago and just a few months ago her big brother wanted to know "How's come you don't make me sumfin?" Which made me feel bad because I had indeed planed on making him something right after I had made her the hat. So, it took him asking me that question to get me off my lazy duff and make him "sumfin". And here it is. A hat and matching scarf.

You have no idea how difficult it was to get pictures of them. Even though it LOOKED as if they were standing still.... when I looked at the photo's they were blurry. And it wasn't both at the same time, one or the other was blurry. Like they couldn't keep their heads still for half a second at the same time!

So here she is with the two year old hat and her new scarf. I still have more of these yarns left. I'm thinking about making her a bigger hat in a different style with the same yarns for next year. They are just the cutest kids. If only they would stand still for just a second or two... I'm sure momma thinks the same thing. Quite often she looks a bit tired and ready for a well deserved nap. Did I mention she's our choir director? Oh and that she's a teacher for 4th graders too? Yeh, I'd be exhausted too. Wait, I was exhausted just trying to take photo's! ;-0

Here's one of them together. He's a bit out of focus but she's good. And that is how it was the whole time they were here. One or the other was moving. Kids...