Pssst. Come here… ya wanna see something? It’s a secret…

Yes! It’s finished! My MIL’s birthday gift. I want to present you with… TEDDY BEAR!!! (I’m sure she will name it something better and wonderful, but it works for now…)



I know. He is a little lopsided. DH says that is ok. It gives him character, and makes him look homemade. (I don’t know if that is good or not, but it’s done, and was an entertaining, quick project). The only change I think, is next time I would pop in though glass eyes you can buy. And for a child, I think I would use something more sturdy. But am in love with the softness and general cuddliness.

(I know I left out the specifics, but I think I coverd most of them a couple of post back, if I missed anything, or you have any questions, please let me know...)

Ok, I like it! It took a while to figure out, but now that I’ve got it I’m in love. Here is my first mobius ever, a scarf…



I used some left over chunky yarn, and the basic pattern. I can’t wait to try some more of her more complicated patterns from her second book.

I am taking a class on Monday for 2 classes at my LYS. It’s to learn to make the felted baskets. I think this is going to be one I am really going to enjoy. I can't wait!

My dog also got his hair cut. I know it’s cold outside, but he was starting to have problems, so it wasn’t’ really an option. I know that J hasn’t had her Cooper fix for a while, so here is a picture for ya hun!



I hope everyone has a good weekend, and has enough books, hot chocolate, knitting, and whatever else you may need to get through this cold weekend.

Speaking of which, a cuppa doesn’t sound to bad, so I’m gonna to see what I can find.

I have been so busy this weekend, knitting and reading everyone else’s blog, that I realized I haven’t updated mine…

We are having a three day weekend here, and despite the fact it isn’t too cold, DH and I decided that we would batten down the hatches and have a quiet weekend. (Read: lots of time for movies, reading and knitting.)

We watched Hotel Rwanda, although not a movie we would normally watch, it was very powerful. A good strong story, well presented, and had a big impact on both of us. I don’t think I would watch it twice, but I’m very glad I watched it once. Definitely have to be ready for it, and not for kids or a Friday night date.

We also watched Two for the Money . I have to say, I didn’t really get it. Between the sports and the betting stuff, it was more my DH’s thing I think. Of course, I’m not complaining that I had to stare at Matthew McConaughey for 2 hours. ;)

Oh yeah, knitting…

I finished my panta it was a nice quick knit, and I’m please with the way it turned out. I think I’ll be wearing this one a lot.



*photo blurred to protect the innocent… ;)

Also finished the pieces for my mystery project #2



Then yesterday I started working on my MIL birthday gift. It’s in July, am I organized or what?



She collects teddy bears and carrousel horses, can you guess which one this is? Tee hee hee. I am used a patons pattern I bought a few years ago, and some snowflake I got when a LYS was going out of business. I really lke the snow flake for this, because it give it a soft, fluffy feel. It’s a pretty fast project.

Other then that I’ve just been doing a little house keeping around these parts. I know, life is quiet and a little boring, just the way I like it… :)

For my needle exchange pal...

everyone else can feel free to ignore...

1. What do you like to knit or crochet? (socks, sweaters, etc.) Lately I have been a sock and small project girl. I have a sweater or two on the go, but they never seem to get finished, and I’m always returning to something smaller…
2. What fibers do you like? I’m not too picky on this one, I think there is a project for just about anything, and I tend to match the yarn to the project.
3. What type of needles do you use most often? I guess that would have to be DPNS for socks, although I have done them on circ.’s, or I seem to head toward the Denise’s first, and then the straights…
4. Do you like to knit in the round? yes
5. Do you use a magic loop method or any other we should know about? Are you interested in learning a new method? I have looked at magic loop a couple of times at my LYS, but never decadent enough to spend that money on me, but would love to learn one day.
*
7. Do you have a favorite place that you shop online? (knitpicks.com, knitpixie.com, jimmybeanswool.com....)? I have bought a few times from knitpicks.com, mostly sock yarn, and have been impressed with what I received… have also bought from elann.com, and like them too…
8. Do you want to be surprised? then erase all your answers above and write surprise me!!! Surprises are what makes these things fun, so feel free to go out on a limb and scrap this whole thing, but it gives you a little of an idea about me…


* i know there is no #6, but what can you do? i jsut answered the questions there... I thought about making up my own 6, but then i thought maybe that was a little too weird...

I have this issue that I can’t sit in front of the TV doing nothing but watching. Used to drive DH crazy, because either I am up and down doing 100 different things, or I am knitting, and my hands are always in motion. Cuts down on cuddle time, but seems like a good compromise. Now that the Olympics are on and we are watching lots more TV, I have been completing lots of knitting.

First is the draw string bag from LMKG. I used some left over opal sock yarn, and I love the way the stripes turned out.



Next is a little funny looking, but it is supposed to be a name tag. You see, the guild asks that you wear one to the meetings. Makes sense to me, cause I don’t think I could every remember 100 names. But I decided that I wasn’t going to settle for a generic, name tag. No, I’m a crafty girl; I would make one that reflects this. My track record with knitting with 2 colors is not great, so I thought this would be a good time to practice. Not bad. Except the edges roll. And it’s bigger on top. And how do I attach it to me, other then a big ugly safety pin? I think I might try and block/starch it… but as I used stash, I don’t know what the yarn is, so if either of these would work. Any ideas would be most helpful and appreciated.



I do actually think I like the lettering though!

Yea me!

I had this mystery yarn that showed up in my stocking this year. It is soft and there are three balls of it. This is all I know. I’m going to do a couple swatches to figure out gauge, and needle size, but I had no idea how much there was, so what I should make. I asked my handy father to make me a niddy noddy, and this showed up on Sunday!



That is the mystery yarn in the photo under it. Now I know I have about 350 per ball, or 1050 yards total. Now, what to make? I keep flip flopping, but am totally open to suggestions. Don’t think I have enough for a sweater, as my hips tend toward the ‘very soft’ side. I’m going to have a think; the perfect project will come to me.

In the mean time, GO CANADA!

I have mail pressies! (Actually, I bought them for me, but they still count, right?) Most people have peeps, I have sheeps!



I also finished this bag. It is from the book chunky knits. It was very quick to knit up. I did make one modification; I sewed a cotton liner inside. I like it, as I can put small things in without the fear of loss. I think I’ll be using this one a lot.





Good luck to all you Olympic knitters out there!

As promised…

PICTURES!!!

I actually manage to finish two ongoing projects this weekend. The first was the socks from my sock of the month club. They knit up really fast in cascade 220. I altered the pattern around the top of the cuff. My other problem was they are purple. Purple doesn’t like my house very much, although they were warm, and I have bare floors here. They have gone to live at my moms. They fit her very well, and purple lives VERY well at my parent’s house. Fun little project with some neat color work. For anyone keeping track, that is 2 kits so far, and 2 I have been very satisfied with.



The other project was one that has taken just over a year. I took a blanket making class starting January 2005, for about 6 weeks. It was through the cities park and rec program. (which I hear knitting classes have been cancelled) We used Shetland Chunky yarn so it’s fairly thick, warm and washable. The class was on baby blankets, but I wanted to make a lap rug, so I just made twice the squares. Half are the teacher’s pattern, and half I improvised. I used 2 colors of green, to match my sofa, and the decoration is beige. I think the trim finishes it off nicely, and “makes” the blanket. I will make another one, but not right away.



Then I spent the rest of the weekend working on the hobo bag, from chunky knits. I added a liner for strength and protection. I have the pieces blocked and started to sew together, so should have pictures of that one soon. Today I think I start on of the drawstring bags from LMKG.

That’s about all for today. Lots of knitting time this week, as DH has group meetings on Tuesday and Sunday, and I have Kenny tonight. Maybe I’ll even squeeze in some work ;)

Random stuff…

Yesterday was ground hog day. We have our own groundhog not an hour north of here. It says he didn't see his shadow, so we are supposed to be done winter. I hadn’t realized winter started. It will be intresting to see if he is right this year.

This is back on! I’m so excite and jumping in with both feet. It was so much fun last time! I've already started collecting some neat stuff that may go in the needle package!



I am such a copier. Forget where I saw it first, but I think it’s too cool… go on… make one of your own… you know you wanna! Then let me know you did, cause I want to come see!



I found this on the net yesterday, and though it was so funny! If I had a out of the house job, I would try it. “I’m sorry sir, I’m not gonna make it in to work today, you see the flu report is too high, and I just can’t get out of the house. What is that you say? A flu-day? Like the old snow days? Well, why didn’t you say so?”

And to wrap it up, today’s joke…

So it seems these two friends are talking one day, when they agree that they've always wanted to live south-of-the-border, and that they should move to Mexico and set up a business. Their hobby is bungee-jumping, and so they join a small amusement park near the ocean, selling bungee jumps to the tourists.
As they construct the tower, a crowd begins to assemble. Slowly, more and more people gather to watch them. When everything is ready, one of the leans forward, and as the crowd gasps, falls toward the waiting earth below. He bounces at the end of the cord, and as he comes back up, his friend notices that he some cuts and scratches. He rebounds, bounces and comes back up again. This time, he has bruises. He rebounds, bounces and comes back up, but this time he grabs hold of the platform and starts hauling himself over the edge. He's bruised all over, and appears to be bleeding. The guy on the tower pulls him back onto the platform and yells, "What happened to you? Did you hit? Was the cord too long?"
"No," replies the jumper. "The cord was just fine, but what the hell is a pinata?"

I got my sock of the month kit today! And the best part? It’s pink!!



(If you know me, you know it’s all about the pink!)

Now I have to hurry up and finish those purple ones, so I can start this new prettiness…

Went to the hockey game last night (for DH’s Christmas present), and although we lost, it was a really good game, and ended in a shoot out… I’m in a bit of mourning, because they traded Reinprecht to Phoenix last night. I’m sad, because I knew his grandparents, so I feel like I knew him. Is that a little weird? Not like we are going to be hanging out if he were to stay, but anyway…

There was a kid beside me about 6 years old and he was bouncing up and down on the seats and cheering and I think he was having more fun then anyone in there. Then every once in a while he would day things like, “did you see that mom? That was hooking; he is going to get called!” And then if he didn’t, he would complain about the ref’s. He was so cute; it made for an even more interesting evening. The sad part was that after DH explained to me what hooking was, he said the kid was right. I guess the ref’s were really bad last night only calling our team for penalties. Or maybe it just seemed that way because it was our team. The whole place booed them, and cheered the national anthem. I don’t know which is more disturbing. I guess it’s a sports thing.

We have been watching 24 these past couple of weeks. It was never a series that we got into, but everybody raved about it, so we rented the first season on DVD. It is such a good show. It is incredibly violent, but if you can get past that, the story is really good! It’s hard to stop watching sometimes to do things like…um… eat and sleep. I think we are hooked, but don’t’ know how we are going to deal with it when we can only watch one episode a week. At least we have a couple more seasons to go before that happens.

I have been knitting, but I am so close to the completion of a REALLY big year long project, that I want to wait to show pictures. Should be done by the end of this weekend…

And to leave you this week I say, “Shave my poodle!” (Phil Stubbs is so funny!)