Knitilicious

Why yes, there is still a blog here...

2009-02-15T17:04:00.004-06:00

Thanks to my schnazy new camera, I've had the desire to do a little blogging again. No promises on how long that will last though.

Happy (1 day late) Valentine's Day. We spent the day busily. Hubs worked the majority of the day for Habitat for Humanity. Little man had a birthday party to attend so Oldest boy and I spent some 1x1 time together. We had lunch at Chili's, yum! Went to Hancock Fabric and Petco. Very exciting for him, I'm sure. He did enjoy lunch though. After all the running I spent the evening at the wheel and was able to start and finish a lovely yarn for my Valentine. This is 4 ounces of Corriedale in "Nova Scotia" from my favorite fiber dealer Spunky Eclectic.

My very first true 3 ply and I was able to produce 95 yards at about 9 wpi (worsted weight). This will some day be a hat for my dear Valentine.

We all enjoyed some chocolate chip banana bread (coffee cake) yesterday too. So tasty, must make again.

Recipe (From our Church Cook Book):

1 stick (1/2 cup) margarine
1 cup sugar
1 cup (2 whole) mashed bananas
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour (I used 1 cup white, 1/2 cup wheat)
pinch of salt
1 egg
I added a pinch of cinnamon too and about 3/4 cup of chocolate chips

Melt butter, add remaining ingredients and spoon into prepared pan.

Topping:
2 Tsp. margarine
2 Tsp. sugar
2 Tsp. flour
3/4 tsp. cinnamon

Melt margarine. Mix in remaining ingred, crumble over top. (this is not a crumble, it's very saucy, I spread on top before baking.

Bake at 400F for approximatley 50 minutes. Can be made as muffins, adjust baking time to 25 minutes.

Ode to Gracefulness

2008-08-31T19:20:00.002-05:00

Happy Labor Day weekend everyone. We safely returned from our week long trip to Birchwood, WI on Saturday so what better way to enjoy Sunday's 90 degree temps than to work on your tan, right?!?!? That was the plan. Of course I got my suit on, applied my SPF 15 for the day and got comfy in my lounge chair and that's when Jack requested lunch. No prob, I was hungry too so I got up made us sandwiches and took my lunch to the patio to sit on the lounge chair and eat. After polishing off that tasty sandwich I proceeded to adjust myself to tanning position and happily laid, sweating, reading Water For Elephants (good book!). Anywho, after some time Brendon came out and said my leg was bleeding. I thought it was odd since I remember scraping it as I adjusted myself but figured it was just a little scrape. That little scrape got me 5 stitches today! It really didn't bleed much, may have been due to my laying on my stomach so there was pressure on it but it definitely was split enough to require stitches. So much for getting back into a workout schedule this week! I'm on low exertion for 8 days til the stitches come out. It's bandaged now but maybe tomorrow will be a picture of the lovely blue thread!!!

08-08-08! None of us are free until ALL of us are free!

2008-08-08T16:46:00.003-05:00

Lucky day? We'll see. The Olympics kick off today so this morning I cast on my project (entry) for the Ravelympics. I chose to enter the Shawl Relay with a cross into the Lace Weight Long Jump as I'll be knitting a shawl with lace weight yarn. I had originally started the Goddess Knits Anniversary Mystery Shawl at least a month ago but due to an error, I ripped it out. This morning I started again in full force! I'm not sure why I sign up for these things other than they are free and there are prizes (I never win!) but it's fun.

In other news, I followed a link from this blog I read which got me here. Again another contest but this one also comes with a message. Pippi of Pippikneesocks, yarn dyer extraordinaire has created a colorway based on the Tibetan Prayer Flags to increase awareness that Tibet is not free. Check out this link too for more information.

Bellin Run Results

2008-06-16T09:57:00.003-05:00

We did it again, B and I ran a 10k on Saturday, our second Bellin Run.

B finished with a time of 1 hour 18 minutes 21 seconds - this is about 7 minutes faster than last year!

For me - I wasn't going to do the run since I didn't really train well for it but decided that since I had to drive B there anyway, I may as well just do it. (Heh, Nike!) My time 1 hour 19 minutes 52 seconds - about 10 minutes slower than last year.

It was fun, always very cool to see the crowds line nearly all of the 6.2 miles of the route. I think our next run will be the Thanksgiving Wyld Turkey 5k.

Note for next year's Bellin Run - TRAIN!!!

Edit

2008-06-11T15:42:00.002-05:00

Updated my ticker, instead of running "x" number of miles per week, as I really don't love running, I've decided to track the number of days I workout per week. This week is messed up royally though. I did workout yesterday and planned to workout Thursday and Friday but I now have another commitment Thursday morning so unless I go out and walk or run, I won't get it in as I can't get to the gym. Friday step at 8 am is on though! Any suggestions on your experiences of running/ walking? I'm thinking if I walk 3-4 miles at a decent briskness, I should be good right?? Ever since this stupid cold (which is now gone) hit me 3 weeks ago I've been sedentary and it stinks and it certainly doesn't take long for the body to go kaput! I need to kick it in gear!

Summer months are near

2008-06-05T14:45:00.002-05:00

Ok, I've been absent here. Sorry.

A few goals I have for the summer:
* I added a ticker to track running mileage, I'm hoping to run at least 5 miles per week. This is in addition to other workouts, I plan to run on Monday and Wednesday mornings, continue my weight lifting class on Tuesday mornings, Kick box on Thurs mornings and go to Step on Friday's.
* I haven't posted about it but over a month ago I purchased a spinning wheel! I love it, I haven't spent a whole lot of time with it but plan to dedicate a lot of time this summer to perfecting my spinning. It's a whole other avenue of fiber playing!
* Clean the house - this means purge stuff that is just collecting dust.
* Finish some knitting projects and prioritize projects (to possibly include holiday gifts)
* Be a better blogger!

Guess that's good for now. I'm sure I have lots of photos that should be blogged but now just isn't the time.

Marpril Sweater!

2008-04-29T12:41:00.005-05:00

I finally finished my March Sweater for March Sweater Madness, only it took me until the end of April.

Project Details:

Pattern: Top-Down Raglan Cardigan from Cosmicpluto Knits aka Laura Chau
Yarn: Cascade 220 Wool in color Cherry Blossom. I used just over 4 skeins.
Needle: US 8 circular and DPN's
Size: 36-38" bust
Start: March 1, 2008
Finish: April 27, 2008
Mods: Followed the pattern as written although I chose to not add button holes. I may add pretty ribbon and snaps down the front though. I also added the cable from the Tangled Yoke Cardigan on the bottom.
Thoughts: This could be a fast knit. I started March 1 with the race on March Sweater Madness. But after someone else finished, I put it down to work on other projects. Glad I was able to finish before Summer though! I have the sweater on as I'm typing this. I think it does need some sort of closure so I'm going to look for ribbon and get some snaps. Other than that, I think this is a beautiful sweater, if I might say so myself. ;o)

What's Your Personality Type???

2008-04-18T13:31:00.001-05:00

So I found this quiz over at Yarn Crawl's blog and decided to try it for myself. I think it comes out pretty darn accurate, what do you think?

You Are An ISFJ The Nurturer

You have a strong need to belong, and you very loyal.
A good listener, you excel at helping others in practical ways.
In your spare time, you enjoy engaging your senses through art, cooking, and music.
You find it easy to be devoted to one person, who you do special things for.

In love, you express your emotions through actions.
Taking care of someone is how you love them. And you do it well!

At work, you do well in a structured environment. You complete tasks well and on time.
You would make a good interior designer, chef, or child psychologist.

How you see yourself: Competent, dependable, and detail oriented

When other people don't get you, they see you as: Boring, dominant, and stuck in a rut

FO - Oceanic Baby Bunting

2008-04-07T11:35:00.006-05:00

Lots of knitting has been going on but not a whole lot of finishing - until today! Incentive to finish to be revealed later this week.

I give you the Oceanic Baby Bunting from baby knits kit.

I'm very happy with how this turned out.

The appliqués were a learning experience but I think they came out fine. The recipient's parent's own a Fly Fishing shop, hence the light bulb went on for this pattern when I saw it. You know, fish and all.

Project Details:

Pattern: Oceanic Baby Bunting from baby knits kit
Yarn: Elann Sock It to Me 4 ply - 2 strands knit together throughout. Appliques were from
various scraps of worsted yarn.
Needle: US7 - 24" circular and DPN
Size: 6 months
Start: March 16, 2008
Finish: April 7, 2008
Mods: None, followed the pattern.

This is being washed now and will block then off to the new baby.

Yarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrn!

2008-03-19T12:20:00.002-05:00

Mmmmmm, Emerald City sock yarn from the Booty Club. The colors in the pic are pretty true to the yarn itself.

Sadly, this is my last shipment, I decided to cut back a bit. Just a bit though as I found another sock club. Starting in May I'll be receiving yarn from Blue Hands Fibers. This club was a little less $$ and half the cost goes to support Ravelry. How cool is that?!?!?

Is Jack begat of Danny Devito??

2008-03-13T14:26:00.001-05:00

My Celebrity Look Alikes. Hmmmm, maybe....

2008-03-13T14:19:00.000-05:00

Update on Paige

2008-02-27T13:42:00.003-06:00

Paige suffered another seizure this morning. It's very odd that both have occurred immediately after I shower. She usually lays by the bathtub while I shower, guess she won't do that anymore!

So after a message was left for her vet and she hadn't called back in 30 minutes (I love my dog!), I called a friend of a friend who happens to be a vet, only she specializes in birds. She said my dog needs to be seen and made sure I was able to get in today. We did. Thank you Sally!

They took blood and ran tests and the vet called me a moment ago and said everything in the blood work was normal but we will be starting her on medication in order to prevent these seizures. The good news is, her liver is fine, although they will monitor this due to the meds. The bummer is there is nothing showing why she is having seizures but having 2 within 9 days was enough for them, and me, to put her on meds which she will likely be on the rest of her life.

I promise knitting progress soon. I've been very concerned about my dog though. She's very tired now, those episodes must really take a lot out of her! But she's doing well so that's good.

TTFN!

The one about the dog...

2008-02-18T09:03:00.004-06:00

This is my Pug, Paige.
Paige gave me quite a scare this morning, I stepped out of the shower and headed to J's room to get his clothes out and started to hear Paige smacking her lips. She did this once before and was foaming at the mouth but it went away rather quickly. This morning, however, she was doing the same thing, foaming and smacking. She proceeded down the stairs to the living room and had an all out seizure. Probably the scariest thing I've ever seen. Fortunately, the boys were not in the room and did not witness. Since the seizure, she has been fine and I did talk with her vet who suggested I log these episodes and if they increase, they will do blood work.

Sounds pretty crazy to me! She's my girl and I'm supposed to just wait it out and see if this ever happens again???? Apparently. I guess easier said than done. So pray for my girl, she's only 5 years old and I'm hoping for many more slobbery years with her!

You know it's been a long day when.....

2008-02-07T16:37:00.000-06:00

you fall asleep on the toilet. Poor guy!

What I've been up to...

2008-02-04T09:36:00.000-06:00

This morning, B left for school at 7:40, J is still sleeping and it's now 9:40 and I have no babysitting kids til 10:30, what's a girl to do? Color her hair of course! I noticed the other day that my highlites were grown out about an inch, this after realizing it's been 2 months since a visit to the salon. Considering the options of a $100+ salon visit or using a box already in my linen closet, I chose the box. Loreal Excellence Cream Medium Golden Brown. I'm happy with how it turned out. Woot!

January 30 was B's 10th birthday, I feel so old! He got to enjoy a snow day, well actually a -40 F windchill day, on his birthday. He had a friend party the weekend before and family celebrated this past Saturday. We gifted him a Racquetball racquet set - included balls, goggles and rule book. He, of course got lots of other goodies from family and friends too. It was a great birthday.

Knitting news: I have a few things under way and a finished project too. I started fuzzy feet for B yesterday and got 1 done. This thing is HUGE! but will shrink when felted.

J also asked for orange socks a few weeks ago and I happened to have some awesome Yarn Pirate sock yarn in my stash and picked up a great sock book - 2 at a time socks.
I was able to whip up a pair of socks for the little guy in about 2 weeks, this whilst knitting other projects too.

The other project I'm nearing completion on is Si, Capitan for a coworker's b-day gift. This baby is ginormous on my little head but should fit her quite well. This was Lion Brand Wool Ease Chunky. Easy care! I just need to add buttons and it will be complete.

Finally, I have to mention 2 knitting related cool things I've come upon. First, I checked out 101 Designer One Skein Wonders from the library and it is now on my Wish List along with a hint to hubby that Valentine's Day is fast approaching. This book is great! I had checked out the first edition awhile back and wasn't super excited about it but this one has loads of projects that I want to do. Silly me, I was looking at a pattern and was looking for how much yarn was required then, duh! Realized, hmm, it's a One Skein book, it probably needs 1 skein! This book will be super helpful in the Knit A Long I joined over at Year Long Gift-A-Long. This is a great site! I'm hoping it will alleviate the last minute knitting I experienced last Christmas!

That's all for now. J is now up. Have a great day!

Inner Rock Chick - Round 2

2008-01-23T21:45:00.000-06:00

Ok, so my brother's girlfriend Kelley did the inner rock chick quiz and got Gwen Stefani so I thought, hmmm, I think I'll give this another shot cuz I'm totally jealous and would rather be Gwen that Liz Phair (no offense to Liz but I really don't even know who she is)! So, I honestly did the quiz again and didn't flub anything and round 2 came up with Gwen for me too! Now I'm happy and can go to bed!

You Are Gwen Stefani!

All guys dream about you
And all the girls want to be you
"Sappy pathetic little me
That was the girl I used to be"

Oooh, quick though, I went to my first Knitting Night (Loop Group) at the Local Yarn Shop, Loops and Links and I got a lesson from a fellow knitter on spinning with a drop spindle. I'll put a pic of the little bit I spun, with her help, tomorrow. I have a long way to go but I could see this as fun. This was the first time I had gone to an open knitting and I really had a nice time. Next week is B's birthday but I hope to make future Wednesday Knit nights. Until then, I will work on my spinning and my projects. Ta ta for now.

A cold, sad weekend but knits to show!

2008-01-21T10:49:00.001-06:00

The Frozen Tundra is what it is. That's currently 1 degree with a windchill of -10. It's dang cold! Sadly, the Packers were not able to come up with a win last night losing to the Giants 20-23 in overtime. The cold may have had something to do with it. I thought Brett Favre looked like one of the coldest people there. Seeing him on the sidelines on tv with his face mask on and slipping hand warmers down the front to warm his lips was not a good sign. Life goes on though. I will root for the Giants in the Super Bowl and wait til next year. Of course the media didn't waste any time asking if Favre was coming back next year so I'm sure that will be the buzz around town for awhile. Give the guy some space, geez!

My brother, his girlfriend and their friend came up early for the game so they hung out here during the Patriots/ Charger game. My parent's took the boys for the weekend so my dad brought them home shortly after the Patriot's game had started as dad goes to the Packer games too. Heck, he's the one with the tickets - over 30 years on the waiting list, mind you. It was quite a sight to see the layers they donned before heading out to the game! The kids colored football related pictures to hang on the window for cheerfulness, everyone was in the football spirit! Oh well.

So, onto knitting news. I completed 2 projects this weekend and made some momentous headway on 2 others.

Noro Silk Garden Ribbed Beanie for - me!

Super fast and easy knit. I want to get more of this yarn and make more but I'm on a yarn diet. I will keep it in mind for the future though. Can you feel the enthusiasm from him modeling this?

Ballband Swiffer Cover

This was also easy and oh so useful! Peaches and Cream yarn in 2 colors. It's washable, reusable, and works quite well. Notice the dirt on the left side in the picture, I used it before snapping pics. I plan to make a few more of these.

The Somewhat Cowl

This project is coming along quite nicely. I'm nearing the point where I will place the sleeve caps on waste yarn and join in the round. Being a dk weight yarn, there are A LOT of stitches on this so each row takes awhile to knit. At last count, there were 304 stitches and each right side row has 8 increases. I'm hoping once it's joined in the round it will go fast. No purling!

Tidepool Sock

Why does the dog have to sniff my foot every time I put these on??? These socks are going quite smoothly. They are being knit toe up so I intend to use the entire ball of yarn. I think I will need to go up on needle size though to accommodate my calf. The short row heal on these was so easy too. I may actually prefer toe ups now!

My LYS is holding a copy of 2 at a time Socks for me, I hope to pick it up tomorrow. This process is knitting both socks at once on a long circular. I'm very interested and excited about this. More on that once I have the book in hand.

Ciao!

Who's Your Inner Rock Chick?

2008-01-17T13:13:00.000-06:00

I'm Liz Phair, find out who you are...

Sexy tough indie girl...
Who's not afraid to be a little girly
"I am extraordinary, I am just your ordinary
Average every day sane psycho
Supergoddess"

A Few FO's, Some WIP's and Holiday Knits

2008-01-16T09:38:00.000-06:00

I've continued knitting up a storm, it's an odd day when there is no knitting involved although I have had a few. Somehow I got in a "finish mode" recently and was able to crank out some of my hibernating items. Let the photos begin!

Here is one of Brendon's flap Gryffindor mittens. He does have a pair, trust me. These were fun to make and I may have to make some for myself. For the mitten, I used The Basic Mitten pattern from The Handy Book of Patterns. The flap comes from Handknit Holidays. It took a day to make 1 mitten. I need to add snaps on the flaps so they stay secure when open yet. The yarn is Plymouth Encore Worsted left over from the Gryffindor hat I knit him for Christmas.

My most recent FO is my Carolyn sweater. I first cast on for this sweater last summer but had to frog as I didn't get gauge. I started over in August 2007 and finally finished in January 2008! I love it, it fits great, it's comfy and it's stripedy! I did have to order 2 balls of yarn once I got to the button band but all is good. This was knit with Elann Peruvian Highland Wool. I think I will get a lot of wear out of this sweater.So, onto my wips. I'm really trying to clear things out so I can move on to patterns in the wonderful knitting books I received for Christmas!

WIP List (I'm not counting socks as I seem to always have socks going! :o))

The Somewhat Cowl

pattern is here

Road to Golden (I need to frog and start over)
Norberta

pattern is here

Lastly, here are some Holiday knits that I hadn't posted earlier.

Alyssa's Ripple Eyelet hat

Alyssa's purple Elf Socks

Drops Cardigan for my sister Jean

Mom's gloves in Knit Picks Elegance with beading.

Last, but certainly not least. GO PACK GO!!!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-07T10:45:00.000-06:00

Wow, time sure does fly when you are having fun. These socks won me some sweet yarn on New Year's Day! The pattern comes from the Sockamania group for December and I was able to finish by the end of the month (barely). How surprised was I when I checked the blog on New Year's Day and saw I was one of the names picked and got to choose something from Anni's Etsy shop.
I chose some yummy yarn, I'll post a pic when it arrives.

I've been pretty slacky with posting. Christmas came and went and I have nothing here to show you. I need to update my Flickr! account with pics soon. Brendon is home sick today so I've been fiddling with some things online. Doubt I will get pics added as I should sanitize the house, Jack had it Saturday, yuck!

I didn't really make resolutions this year although I did come up with a few things that I would like to achieve or at least work on for 2008.

1. Eat better! Our whole family could benefit by eating more fruits and veggies.

2. Work out again! - After catching a cold in early December, I slacked. Last week I worked out Wednesday and met with a trainer on Thursday. I planned to go today but not with the kids being sick. I'm signed up for a 6:05 am class on Tuesdays, which starts tomorrow too. EARLY!

3. Finish my knitting projects - I seem to end up with too many ufo's, I need to stop that.

4. Learn something new! - I decided this would be spinning so I ordered a drop spindle and some roving from Spunky Eclectic , this is en route too, pics to come soon!

5. Sew more - I started with making Jack some pajamas yesterday. So fun!

6. Read more - I'm such a slacker on this one. I am working on finishing Knitting Under the Influence though so hopefully I can at least read a book a month.

Those are the biggies, then there is the annual keep the house cleaner/ less cluttered and stuff like that.

Anywho, we rang in the new year with our neighbors and the boys stayed up til 12 and we popped party poppers on the porch at midnight and then it was off to bed!

So that's it. Long drawn out post with not a whole lot in it. I suppose I should work on my blogging too this year. ...

Happy 2008!

NFC North Champs

2007-12-10T13:50:00.000-06:00

Whoo Hoo! Go Pack Go!

The Packers clinched the NFC North Division yesterday with their win over the Raiders. The day before the game we heard and saw the flyover planes practicing so on game day, I waited in the backyard with camera in hand. It was so peaceful, I could actually hear the National Anthem being sung from the stadium. The planes took a different route than Saturday but here is what I got!
Super cool!

Other than that, I've been stitching away at Holiday gifts so I'm not posting any pics here til after Christmas. Oh, and I picked up a cold from somewhere so Jack and I are taking it easy today. Rest and fluids.

Later!

Where did November go?

2007-11-29T12:55:00.000-06:00

November 29 already! I still have holiday crafting to complete and shopping and decorating and baking and lists to prepare and - wait, I still have time but it's slimming down!

It is ungodly cold here too. The windchill this morning was -2 degrees. That is just too cold. A lady at work said it's terrible, she can handle the cold when there is snow because there is at least something pretty to look at. I think she is right on. The remainder of dried leaves are scattered on the lawn or are blowing throughout the yard as the wind has been bitter too. I guess that's what it's all about though so I shouldn't complain. I guess I'm not even complaining, just telling it how it is here.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving again. My sister-in-law drove up and worked out with me Thursday morning. Gave us the option to indulge in an extra piece of pumpkin pie if we desired. Turned out there was so much food, we didn't need to though. The highlight again this year was the dodgeball game. Every year we had to the sports complex at the in laws condo and use the racquetball room for DODGEBALL! The older the kids are getting, the more challenging it is. Sadly, our team lost the tourney 12-13. Everyone had fun and no one got hurt. We rounded the week off by bowling Friday afternoon. Again, fun! I managed to get Christmas lights up on Saturday and promised to make room for the tree this weekend.

Knitting news: My Carolyn sweater has 1 seam left - not sure why I haven't completed. Laziness I suppose.

The Road to Golden sweater needs to be frogged. It being my first fair isle project, I'm not surprised but I am still sad. I will reknit it. I just need to loosen up a bit on my carrying I guess.

I've been busy getting holiday knits done. Can't post any pics though - until after Christmas. I should really get crackin' on the Holiday sewing too. Hopefully this weekend as there is no Packer game. The Pack plays tonight. GO PACK GO!!!!

A day late, a candy bar too short...

2007-11-01T15:25:00.001-05:00

Happy Halloween, 1 day later.

We spent last Sunday scooping pumpkins and carving faces. Jack stuck his hands in for a good while and loved it. I did help with the carving. We then picked through 4 pumpkins worth of guts to get as many seeds out as possible. 5 cups! Not too bad. I used these recipes:
Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

Yum!

Ok, Google isn't letting me post more pics at the moment so try here for more Halloweeny pictures.

On the knitting side of things, I ran out of yarn for my Carolyn sweater, I have a post on the Elann website searching for 1 skein of the yarn I need. I only have 2 rows (around the front and neck) of the thing and then 1 row and binding off with the other color. Hopefully this will work out.

Luckily, my dear husband ordered me some tasty yarn from Knit Picks (wonder how he knew what kind and colors!) So I cast on for another sweater for Moi and have some more stashed away for the second. The cast on:This is my first fair isle work and after ripping a little, I think I have the hang of it, I really like this! The pattern is Road to Golden.
This is from Knitscene Fall 2007 . I won't post the other til I start but it's a bulkier weight jacket from the Drops site.

Tomorrow's the big day - I turn 33! I ordered some yarn from the Loopy Ewe today, thought I was worth it. Then the mail came and I had a card and gift of money from my in laws so I ordered these! And this! My dear friend/neighbor Staci stopped by the other day with this! And my Mother in law gifted me this last Saturday. Now if I'd only learn to spend less time perusing patterns and things online and more time knitting......hey, goal for this year, I guess!

Happy birthday to me tomorrow! Kirk and I are celebrating with friends tonight.

Pumpkins!

2007-10-22T08:17:00.000-05:00

We hopped in the truck yesterday in the Midwestern 73 degree weather and headed to the Pumpkin Patch. Jack's excitement was heightened by the tractor pulled hay ride through the "Haunted" Pumpkin Patch.
After the ride, we hopped off to choose our pumpkins!

Coming Soon - Pumpkins into Jack-O-Lanterns!

Bad blogger!

2007-10-15T10:05:00.000-05:00

So it's been awhile since I've posted anything - sorry!

I finally uploaded our final summer outings so now you'll have to wait until I organize and will then add links to flickr.

On knitting - I got my Ravelry invite last week! Yay! That means all my time has been spent on that website. What an awesome thing it is. So much to look at and I'm still working on getting set up. I got a few of my projects added by still need to photograph my yarn stash.

Here are some of my recent projects:Enjoy! I have 3 other projects I'm currently working on too. I hope to finish my carolyn sweater by November. I'm half way done with a sleeve, one more sleeve to go and then it's all finishing. Should be an awesome sweater!

More later - hopefully soon!

Still here!

2007-09-10T08:21:00.000-05:00

Blogging takes time and my time has been spent viewing other blogs vs. updating my own. Quick update on our lives. Brendon started 4th grade last week and every day he comes home saying how much cooler 4th grade is than 3rd was. Things seem to be going well at school for him although math is still the stickler. With a little help from mom though, I'm sure he'll do just fine. He was able to finish the last Harry Potter book at school, he was very excited about that and plans to read it again.

As for Jack, he's welcomed pal Willy back into our home on Mondays and Wednesdays. We sure missed him over the summer, I'm glad I'm able to babysit him again this year, they are too cute together and play really well - so far. AnnaBelle is still coming on Mondays too. I started a part time job at the YMCA and Jack is able to be with me as I'm working in the Kids Korner (drop of childcare). I just started last week but I hope this will open doors for me in the future when Jack heads off to preschool next year and Kindergarten the following.

My PTO board position has been complete but I'm still helping out with a few fundraisers and such at school. We like to keep busy.

I desperately need to upload some pictures. I have completed socks that need to be posted! Love knitting socks, is there anything better? Oh, mittens! I just finished my first pair of mittens, very cute, the boys are bugging me to make them some! Hmm, Christmas, maybe. I restarted the Carolyn sweater, my gauge was off on my first attempt, this time things are going much smoother.

I attended the season opener Packer game yesterday and, whoo hoo! They won! I went with my dad, brother and his girlfriend, whom we all met for the first time. Love her! Unfortunately, I was a tad under the weather from a get together the night before but, hey, that happens, right?!?!

Off to clean something and get Jack dressed. Rainy, dreary weather today and I will have 3 toddlers, I think we will be building puzzles or will craft something.

Later!

Slacker am I....

2007-08-15T10:39:00.000-05:00

It's been quite awhile since I've posted and I have photos to upload yet from more fun and exciting Summer adventures but I'm slacking. I finally sat down one day and made a list of all the things I've been slacking on and what a wake up call! There are 7, yes, 7 knitting projects that are in the works. Then there are sewing projects that are on hold, only a few of those though. So, as per a previous post, I need to get back to making and sticking to lists! I've updated the sidebar to note my knitting status and listed what's next but I know me, there will be things that will sneak in! Why is it so hard to finish something before starting something new?!?!?!

The boys and are heading to my parent's for the day to do some things they've been putting on lists for me to do. Good thing cuz I made some yarn purchases the other day and need to make some money to pay for it! Hee hee!

Hopefully there will be pics and more posts up soon!

Later

WOW! Summer is flying by!

2007-07-25T07:57:00.001-05:00

As the title indicates, I sure feel as though just yesterday summer began but, whoa, where did it go?!?!? July is normally our busiest summer month by far and this year did not disappoint. We started off with a 4th of July celebration at our friend's The Zoll's house, lots of fireworks and food and drink! Jack's first sparkler!

The weekend following, we enjoyed a picnic at my Dad's family reunion. I got to enjoy holding my new niece for a long time, she did puke on me but I'll forgive her. I need to knit her a new hat too, she's grown out of her original!

July 13 - 15 our family took our first camping trip with friends Chuck and Joy and thier little boy Ethan. We went out and bought a tent and everything! All in all, things went well, Chuck is an Eagle Scout, so that helped. We also weren't real rustic, it was just a short walk up to the restrooms. Jack enjoyed his very first S'more too and Joy brought assorted milk and dark (mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm) chocolates for the S'mores. It was a great time!

Camping came and went and by the following Thursday, we were on the road again! This time to:Ok, not the best pic, we went to Miller Park to watch the Brewers pummel the Diamondbacks 10 -1. A few pics at the park: Bob Uecker - we had awesome seats!
The Sausage Race - Cinco won, as Brendon and I predicted...
Uncle Paul and Jack enjoying the game.

The morning after the Brewer win, our travels took us to Lombard, IL for a family reunion at Kirk's Uncle Doug and Aunt Peg's house. What a wonderful time! Plenty of sun, cocktails and food, not to mention the awesome hospitality. The boys spent a lot of time swimming, it was a great time.

Brendon spin diving

Uncle Doug and Jack

Arissa serving my mudslide

Happy Birthday, Honey!!!!

Alyssa's Baptism

2007-07-02T10:27:00.001-05:00

Alyssa Jean was baptised on July 1, 2007. Here are Jack and I holding her, he loves his new cousin! Everyone had a nice time at the celebration. Big brother Jacob was doing a lot of running "real fast", as he put it. Thanks to Jean and Randy for the hospitality!

Anniversary #5

2007-06-29T09:16:00.001-05:00

Today is Kirk and my 5th wedding anniversary. That's one of my favorite wedding photos above. Hard to believe it's been 5 years already!

Here's hoping for many more!

Jaywalkers - DONE!

2007-06-28T07:48:00.000-05:00

Yay! I finished the Jaywalkers on Tuesday night after Brendon's final soccer game.
Before these were officially done, I received my package from the Sock of the Month Club I joined, I was shocked at how hideous the contents were! I'm all about the flag and red, white and blue but I'm not sure I want socks that way! Yes, the yarn is a red, white and blue stripe, could be cute but the stripes are actually quite large. The pattern sent has a lacy, ripply effect, the designer was going for a rippling flag. Yeah, will not be using the pattern! It would be cute in solid color though so I'll file it away. As for the yarn:

Jack will be getting a pair of socks! He loves them, "there is red and white and blue". I think they will be very cute for a 3 year old. Leftover yarn will probably be whipped up in ankle socks for me, no rippling flag effects though!

I'm contemplating my next big knitting project, I'd like to make another sweater for myself, will it be Wicked, the T-shirt sweater or Carolyn? I have yarn for all 3, any suggestions?????

Lastly, we finally made it to the Y yesterday morning. It was so nice to be back, now to make it back to the Monday, Wednesday, Friday routine I had before running. Brendon brought a neighbor friend along and had a gym to themselves to shoot hoops, Jack went to Kids Korner and I got to workout. Awesome! I'm sore today. But I'll go back tomorrow!!

Have a Happy Thursday!

Julie

Summer, summertime....

2007-06-26T07:14:00.000-05:00

Wow! It has been awhile since I've sat down to blog. School was released for the summer on June 11, year 2 of being home all summer with 2 kids. So far its going rather well, we seem to have somewhat of a flow of things, or I do anyway! 1 travel trip is already done, I'll share pics in a moment on that one.

On to the fo's (finished objects). First off, I finished the baby blanket for my college friend Michelle who is now due soon! The blanket has been successfully shipped to Arizona and is waiting arrival of a beautiful baby girl.

After the blanket was finished, I went on a clean up spree and finished my felted bag....here are before and afters modeled by Jack!

After the bag was felted, I finished a Jaywalker sock, the second is almost done, once complete, I'll share pics.

On May 25, the world welcomed my new niece Alyssa Jean, yay! A girl! She came a little early so stayed in the NICU for a bit but is doing great! Jack has been telling everyone about his new cousin, Alyssa and how he held her and gave her lots of kisses. A very proud cousin. Brendon doesn't say much, he did tell Auntie Jean that it was ok she wasn't a boy as he hoped. The funny thing was, Jack guessed it would be a girl although he was a little off on the name, he insisted it would be Kevin!

The photo to the left is me holding her while she was still in the hospital, hence the tube up her nose. That NICU is amazing though, our family has had Jack, my nephew Jacob and now Alyssa there, all within 3 years! Crazy! It was nice to stop up there and see familiar faces, the nursing staff have hearts of gold! Notice the gorgeous hat she's wearing?? The day after she was born, I whipped that up with leftover yarn from the baby blanket. So cute!!

June 9 (I realize I may be backtracking at times, sorry!) Brendon and I finished our running! Yay! 10K Bellin Run here in Green Bay, over 12,000 runners! I completed in 1 hour 9 minutes and 55 seconds, Brendon's time: 1 hour 25 minutes 52 seconds. I'm so proud of the both of us and we had so much fun, we're definitely doing it again next year! I will admit, I only attempted to run once since then, I tried an early morning 3 mile run, didn't go well, then I picked up a lovely summer cold, the boys did too, so I have not worked out, we'll hopefully hit the Y tomorrow.

Here are the boys enjoying the pool this past weekend at my brother-in-law's. Our annual visit to Kirk's brother Sean and family was great! Wonderful weather, great food, excellent company and the drinks were flowing! Saturday was spent outdoors, the women encountered a bit of sunburn so we hit IKEA in the Twin Cities on Sunday and browsed while the men looked after the kids and dogs. Paige did hop onto the floaty with me while I was in the pool, she can't seem to be 10 feet from me lately, I guess that's not much different than normal. I'll add a pic of us floating next time as this is getting long!!!

I'll leave you with a picture of Eggplant and my IKEA purchase. Eggplant comes from this pattern.

I hope to knit more, and take a better photo next time, could make lovely Christmas gifts!!! Speaking of, I should probably start thinking of my holiday knitting before it gets to be crunch time.

Last but not least, here is my IKEA purchase, I've been eyeing this chair for awhile now and was able to purchase while we were in Minnesota. I absolutely LOVE it! Great knitting chair, and the orange throw is soooooo soft! Now to just shorten the curtains behind to make some throw pillows.....................

Lists and Lists and, oh you get the picture!

2007-05-23T06:09:00.000-05:00

I read a post on one of my most watched blogs the other day, Michelle Can Knit regarding a contest offered on another site, Skeins Her Way. So the object, and hence the title of this post, is to list your summer knitting projects. By the way, if you follow my link and sign up, I get another entry so all of my knitting friends are encouraged to do so! Like Michelle (above), I am a list maker. I have strayed from time to time, like now! But need to get back as lists do help me tremendously! Lists of things to pack, errands that need to be done, grocery lists that should be followed, chore lists, you know, LISTS!! So now I have to compose a list of summer knitting projects, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Finish felted messenger bag (almost done)
Knit Honeymoon Cami for me
Halter for my friend Jen (this will be a compilation of patterns or my first design attempt!)
Another top for me
Finish jaywalkers
Knit match to sock already done
Knit something for my new niece or nephew who could come anytime between now and 4 weeks from now! Probably socks or booties.
Hopefully, if I win, I'll be knitting this fitted tank!

WHEW!!! Ambitious, yes, but I have a love of knitting and its on a list so I'm determined. I would love to add some Christmas gifts on my list as well but after typing and reaching 8, I will wait and hope for a smooth Fall. I'm sure there will be some ankle socks in there too as fillers. I aim high!

Aside from this, I finished the baby blanket this last weekend - whoo hoo! Pics up soon! The weather here has been awesome the last few days and will be again today - 83 degrees is really really nice. Running is going well, only 5 more organized training runs left. We ran 4 miles Monday and Tuesday, it's 5 on Thursday - weather permitting. I will miss the training but I do think I enjoy running. I'll fit it in my schedule somehow - hopefully in the morning. Running after school is let out is great to do with the kids but it's tough when it breaks up the day. Speaking of kids, mine are doing super! School is almost out so Brendon is anxious! Jack has had a busy weekend at the grandparents and then I babysat the last few days so he's in need of "Mommy time". I think we will visit my sister, Jean, today. She's in the hospital until the baby is born - as above, any day or 4 weeks!

All for now!

Julie

Catch Up

2007-05-17T14:47:00.000-05:00

Seems like it's been forever since I sat down to compose the goings on in our lives! Ok, so I've been slacking, sorry! Hmmm, where to begin. Brendon and I are down to about 3 weeks of training left before our big 10 K run. I actually skipped the run today as I was feeling a bit tired or lazy, whatever you want to call it. I was able to run the entire run on Tuesday though so I feel good about that, it was nearly 4 miles, yay! Brendon has been doing quite well too, he commented the other day that he does better when he runs by himself, he discovered that chatting and running kind of slows you down. I'm just so proud that he's doing this. On top of running Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays, Brendon is also playing soccer on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Some nights are pretty short! Jack is hanging in there, he's an excellent spectator as he yells "Go May-roon", fyi, Brendon's team is maroon.

I still have yet to finish poor Jenny's denim jacket. I have not turned the sewing machine on in what seems like ages. I guess it was just around Easter time so it has been awhile. A couple friends held a rummage sale last weekend in which I was able to unload some unwanted items into so cleaning prior to that had to take priority over crafting, unfortunately.

Mother's Day weekend was wonderful. We visited with Kirk's parents in Neenah on Saturday and had dinner. My mother-in-law gifted me a box of chocolates - yum! We got her a sock knitting book, Easy Knitted Socks, to take along on their trip to Europe which they should be heading to shortly! Hopefully it's helpful on their long plane trip!

This is what I received my wonderful hubby and boys! Kirk, Brendon and Jack each picked out a ball of sock yarn, super thoughtful! They also got me the latest Rob Thomas cd and a yummy chocolate bar, still untouched, mind you! I'm trying to get through some of my projects before I start another. I'm currently working on jaywalkers, I have about 3 1/2 inches to go on the first one. I don't have any pics of that, sorry! The baby blanket for my friend Michelle has only 10 more inches to go, YES!!! I love it but I will probably never knit another baby blanket again, ever!

It's getting there, lots of ends to sew in once I reach the end. Upon completion of this, I can then start the Honeymoon Cami, see sidebar which I already have some ggh mystik yarn in coral for. Some other summery projects will hopefully follow.

Last but certainly not least, here is my baby yesterday. He put his hat and rainboots on and went outside to "mow the lawn", came in and passed out on the living room floor. Coincidentally, he's doing this same thing right now!

Until next time!

Julie

Weekend

2007-04-23T11:40:00.000-05:00

Wow! What a change in the weather around here. After snow just a few posts ago, we had weather in the 70's - 80's this weekend, I'm actually sunburned!

Kirk and our friend Brian built me some storage shelving for the basement on Saturday, they did such an awesome job! I'm hoping to fill them this week and start going through boxes in the basement in preparation for the rummage sale in a few weeks. While the shelves were being built, the wives spent the afternoon soaking up the sun and knitting on the patio while the kids played in the sandbox. We cooked out burgers and brats from the Brian/Alevya family and the remainder of our volleyball team and their kids came for dinner too. It was such a nice night, we had a fire in the backyard and just had a blast! Thanks to everyone who brought food and for coming!

I'm now knitting socks for my good friend and neighbor Staci. I have one done, casted on Saturday and finished last night. They are ankle socks so they went pretty fast. I think the pattern is for super narrow feet though so I just cast on another sock with some adjustments in the pattern, hopefully this time it will come out perfect. The baby blanket is at about 12 inches long, only have to get to 34! It's so cute, I just love it! I'm hoping to whip out these socks and then get back to the blanket. I also have to add 7 button holes and 15 buttons to my sister Jenny's denim jacket as we will see her the weekend of May 5. I have some mice for her cats that I knit and need to felt yet too. So many projects, so little time!!!!

Brendon and I are running 2 miles for the first time today. We did 1.5 miles last week and that went ok. After this week, life will get even more interesting as Brendon will start soccer on Tuesdays and Thursdays, this on top of running after school Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Summer is in site though and we'll be ready for some chilling!

Gotta make lunch for the youngsters! More some time! :)

Julie

Headband pattern

2007-04-17T08:29:00.000-05:00

I realized I forgot to add the link to the headband pattern I used so here it is. http://www.knitty.com/issuewinter03/pattnakiska.html

I'm addicted to finding patterns online, in fact, I'm going to make a rule for myself to not purchase any more knitting books or magazines for the rest of the year. We'll see if that actually happens or not. I suppose once my birthday approaches in November, I could add things to my wish list????

Weekend Update

2007-04-16T08:09:00.000-05:00

Here's the picture of the angora/wool headband I knit for my friend Jess. She loved it and it looked adorable on her. I finished the sock I had on the needles and am taking a break before starting the second. It's cute on but I still don't love it. My latest project is a baby blanket for my friend Michelle who is expecting a baby girl in July. Michelle lives in Arizona and will be in Wisconsin for a shower in May but I'm unable to attend so I'm hoping to whip it up and mail it to her.

The weather here has been awesome! Brendon and I went for a 1 mile run Saturday morning. We hit Target then so he could use some Christmas money to purchase a portable cd player. The boy must have his music while running (just like mom)! Jack spent a lot of time in the backyard over the weekend playing in the sandbox and having fun. We also had brunch with my parents and sister Sunday to celebrate mom's birthday.

I skipped the Y today, my back has been bothering me. I think it's due to sitting in a crummy chair knitting. I'm on the lookout for a new chair soon! We'll be running a mile again after school and we have volleyball tonight too so I'll get a workout in. I miss my step class though.

That's all for now!
Julie

Up and Running

2007-04-12T17:26:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my first attempt at blogging! I have high hopes to post my knitting and sewing and whatever other projects I may decide to work on here. In addition I'll post what my boys are up to and I suppose anything else I please!

The last few days have been snowy and chilly here. Brendon, my 9 year old, and I have been training for a 10K run in early June. We ran 1 mile today on slightly slushy sidewalks! Since we're both new to running, we certainly didn't break any time records but we seem to be holding our own. Yay!

I knit the most adorable headband/ear cover for my friend, Jess who is also running. Luscious angora/wool blend. So cute! Pics will be up soon! Other projects I have on my needles are a pair of socks for myself, that I'm not in love with but am hoping to adore once finished, and a messenger bag that I'll felt.

It's my mom's birthday today, I should knit something for her too! Wonder what that will be....Stay tuned. I'll try to get some pics up tomorrow!

Hoping for Spring,
Julie