Good Afternoon!  I'm a bit late today and I have no excuse, so I'll just get on with it!  Yesterday, I attended my youngest son's high school orientation and discovered my oldest son's graduation date for next June.  Wow, what a day!

I was very impressed with younger son's teachers and poor oldest son ~ he's already turned in one paper and is working on another assignment and school doesn't even start until Tuesday.  We had a wonderful experience touring the Engineering School at Virginia Commonwealth University last Friday.  I think that gave him a clearer view of his goals for the next school year.

What's Finished - 

Really, nothing is finished this week.  I did finish one of the Tumble Twins socks for my oldest niece for Christmas.  So, I guess I should have headed this "What's Half Finished"!

What's Going On -

• I'm almost halfway finished with the second Tumble Twins sock.  The picot cuff makes it quite tight, but my niece has skinny feet, so I think it will work.  I can get them on my feet and mine are wider.

• I'm finished with the leg and foot of one of my Katniss Socks.  I am doing an afterthought heel, so the waste yarn is in that first sock.  I'm just starting the leg of the second sock.  I'm knitting these socks at the same time, using 2 different circular needles.  This is a KAL with the Knit Me Happy Podcast.  

• There has been spinning.  I have put that awful rambouillet on hold and moved on to the Into the Whirled fiber club shipment.  It spins so easily and the colors are just beautiful.

What's Up Next - 

• I'm going to Washington, DC this weekend to watch the St. Louis Cardinals and the Washington Nationals baseball games.  I always knit at the games, but prefer something fairly mindless, so I'll cast on a Ravenclaw scarf for my younger niece for Christmas.

What's New - 

Next week school begins.  A freshman and a senior!  I have no idea why the font on this update changes halfway and then changes back.  I tried fixing it, but decided, since it wouldn't fix, I'd knit instead!

Friday Update ~ August 24, 2012

Good Morning!  We've got a little bit more than a week left before school starts.  I'll be the proud mother of a senior and a freshman in high school.  Where has the time gone?  I really enjoy spending time with my kids, and realize that time is becoming more and more precious.  I actually sit in the room with them while they play video games and I knit or spin.  Here are the fiber activities for the past week:


What's Finished ~

• My Sparkly Pink Slipper Shawl is finished and blocked.  The pattern was designed by Wendy, of the Knit 1, Heart Too video podcast, and she did a great job!  I'll probably knit another one.  My grandmother will be thrilled at Christmas and that's one gift I can cross off my list.

What's going on ~  (I took the pictures this morning, since boy #1 has his first college visit today and I'm not sure when I'll get back.  It's cloudy, so I put the socks out on the roof from the bathroom window and leaned out to get the shot!)

• I'm still working on my Munchkin Katniss Socks.    This is a KAL with the Knit Me Happy Podcast group through September.  I'm enjoying the pattern and love the yarn.  I'm using my Jessalu bag, sold as a charity fundraiser for Ovarian Cancer research.

• I started the Tumble Twins socks for my niece for Christmas.  This is a KAL with  the Dramatic Knits podcast through Sept. 22, so I needed to get these going.  My niece wanted short socks, so these shouldn't take too long.  The cuff is a picot edge, so I used a larger needle for the tacking of the edging.  The yarn is so dark it was hard to get a good picture.  This one's in my Piddleloop bag.  Certain bags sold in this shop with animal patterns include a donation to a rescue charity.

• I haven't spun anymore of the Rambouillet.  I really haven't enjoyed it and want to spin something I really love right now.

What's up next ~  I'm still planning to work on the scarf and hat for my younger niece and there are several new KAL's on the horizon.

What's new ~  

• I have discovered (somewhat late) the Single Handed Knits Podcast.  Melissa is the host and she podcasts from locations in Hawaii, where she lives.  She has some fun ideas and has organized a Sock the Vote event.  I am in the Undecided Party, since I have no preference for either toe up or cuff down socks.  The first challenge has been to knit 1, not a pair, non-adult sized sock.  She announced yesterday that we will receive further instructions regarding a message to include with each sock and her address for mailing.  She will provide them to a women's shelter in her area as a message of hope for these woman.  What a wonderful idea!  So far, I have three:

• I received some lovely packages in the past week!  One was my Into the Whirled fiber club shipment.  I signed up for 8 ounces of each shipment, because I can't seem to get a decent yardage on my spinning yet.

• The other package was an order from Wolfe Farms.  I'm really in the mood for fall, so I ordered some Apple Crisp Lotion and some other lotion and soap.  I placed my order on Friday evening and it was here on Monday!

• And, finally, I had ordered a skein of yarn from Eat, Sleep, Knit and there was a scratch off card inside.  I won a Mitten Kit, so I checked that red was my preferred color, stuck the card in an envelope and mailed it.  I figured a month would pass  before I heard anything and fully expected a small skein of red yarn to knit mittens.  WOW!  I received a  copy of the Flocked Mittens Pattern and 2 skeins of Madelinetosh Tosh DK yarn, one in scarlett and one in antler.  I will definitely be ordering from them again!

Other news ~  We had a vet visit the other day and my little wirehaired miniature dachshund got a clean bill of health.  Based on some breathing abnormalities, Clover was discovered to have a hernia in his diaphragm last August and had pretty dangerous (and expensive!) surgery to move his liver from his chest back to his abdomen.  So, having the doctor say his heart was behaving normally was a tremendous relief.  That poor dog has packed many freak health issues into his 10 years!

Friday Update

Good morning!  I've considered doing a podcast off and on for almost a year - since I started watching/listening to them.  However, there are so many that are so good, I think mine would get lost in the mass.  That said, I want to track my projects and share them with anyone who gets a kick out of visiting.  So, I'm going to do my Friday updates in the format of a podcast...

What's finished ~

• Last Friday, I finished my 3rd Camp Loopy Project.  It was my Fall Apple Shawl and I think it looks like red and gold apples.  It really makes me long for cool fall days, since this summer has been so HOT!

What's going on ~

• I've been working on my Sparkly Pink Slipper Shawl quite a bit this week.  It's a lovely shawl designed by Wendy, of the Knit 1, Heart Too video podcast, and it will be a Christmas gift for my Grandmother.  She's 93 and was very excited when I gave her a shawl last year!

• Also on the needles are my Munchkin Katniss Socks.  I'm using the Mighty Munchkin yarn dyed by Rachel, of the Knit Me Happy podcast.  Her sweet cat, Munchkin, suffered from an illness related to his blood counts (don't quote me on the diagnosis!) and sadly passed away earlier this week.  This is a KAL with Rachel's group through September.

• Since we last chatted, I've discovered spinning.  I'd wanted to learn, but I just can't get the hang of spindle spinning and wheels are quite expensive.  In early May, my husband surprised me with a Ladybug for Mother's Day and our anniversary.  So, I've been spinning quite a bit.  Right now, I'm working on some rambouillet wool in coordination with the Knit Girllls' expand your horizons SAL.  I must say, the fiber seems a bit felted (which other spinners have said is poor prep!).

• I also have several long term or more recent projects that I haven't touched this week!

What's up next ~

• Ravenclaw Scarf for my niece for Christmas

• Ravenclaw Sleep Hat for the same niece for her birthday in October

• Tumble Twins for my other niece for Christmas.  This will be a KAL with  the Dramatic Knits podcast through Sept. 22.

What's new ~ I have recently decided that I have more than enough fiber and yarn, so, with the exception of a few clubs and a pending order using a gift certificate, I'm trying to work from my stash.  So, nothing new this week!

Other news ~ I have an extra bedroom that is beyond disaster.  It's just where all my crafting supplies are, where we stuff things that really have no place.  It's a catchall.  I really need to get it organized and pretty.  My plan is to paint it a pretty yellow, spend a fortune at IKEA on cabinets for my precious yarn, get a futon for sitting and overnight guests, and actually have a place for everything.  

Wish me luck!

Oh boy, it's been so long...

I can't believe I've neglected this blog for such a long time.  We made it through the school year and most of the summer.  I've been doing the normal mother/wife thing, knitting, watching podcasts, and feverishly following my beloved St. Louis Cardinals!  I've also started spinning.  My sweet husband surprised me with a ladybug spinning wheel, which I LOVE!

I will schedule some blog time on a more regular basis!