MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!!!!!

I wish you all the best of holidays and may 2009 be a great year for you.

Christmas Ornament Exchange

I joined an ornament swap hosted by PamperingBeki. I received these absolutely gorgeous ornaments from Nicole in Utah. I was not able to add pictures til this week, but want her to know I love them. She put so much thought and work into this package. She made the container and everything. Thank you so much Nicole. I hope you read this blog as I don't have an email address for you.

Contest Winnings

A while back I won a contest on KT's blog. Picture above is what I won. Pictured below is all the packages she sent. I was thrilled to open the box and see all these pretty wrapped packages.

I am over whelmed by KT generosity. She not only sent the yarn I won, but two more skeins of STR in my favorite colors, 20 skeins of purple Debbie Bliss cotton cashmere and 10 skeins of Rowan 4 ply cotton in the prettiest red. Now I have to decide what I am going to make with all these gorgeous yarns. KT, you made my day. Thank you

Pin Cushion Swap

I am in a pin cushion swap on Ravelry. This is the wonderful pacage I received from PoMoGolightly. She went well beyond what was necessary. She sent a gorgeous pin cushion made with some had dyed wool felt that looks like water. She added some felted balls for the leaves. I am going to enjoy using this. She also made a great bag that I plan on using for my knitting. She sent yarn, fat quarters and quilting supplies. All great things. She found and sent some neat post cards that show where she lives. It looks like a wonderful area to live in. Thank you Beverly for the best package.

A Few More Finished Items

A pair of generic 3*1 rib socks for me.

Blue Moon STR lightweight

color Spring Fling

64 stitches flap heel

I love these socks. They really fit well.
I don't use a particular pattern. I used a basic sock pattern with 64 stitches and did a K3P1 rib instead of stockinette.
Three hats for Texas Children's hospital. I love making these little hats. They are my need to finish something item lately. The two striped hats are made with Knitcol yarn from Adriafil. The pink hat is a Knit Picks cotton blend.

I am still working on Casablanca but I am hopelessly behind. I am on clue 4 and the current clue is clue 6. Oh well, I love it and I will just finish in my own time frame. I hope you all are having a great week.

Picture quality is terrible, but here are the two pin cushions I made for the swap on Ravelry. I hope Beverly enjoys.

Judy L Star Quilt Along

Here are my fabric choices for the star quilt along with Judy L. The only fabric I am not totally sure about is the background. I can't wait to get started.

Long Time No Post

Life has just been crazy (and I have been lazy). I was going to post several times but of course I could not find the card reader to upload my photos. I have been knitting some and quilting some. A few pictures of what I have been working on.

Casablanca KAL This is after Clue 2. I am almost done with clue 3 I decided to make it longer.
Amandajean's Star Quilt Along This is nine of the blocks. I have finished 11 blocks and 6 setting blocks.
This was my  Batik Block of the Month. I am waiting on the finishing kit.

This is Block 1 of the Mystery Designer block of the month from Fat Quarter Shop.

I will be posting some more finished projects in the next few days. 

Hope y'all have a great week.

Fun Stuff

you are lemonchiffon #FFFACD

Your dominant hues are red and green, so you're definately not afraid to get in and stir things up. You have no time for most people's concerns, you'd rather analyze with your head than be held back by some random "gut feeling". Your saturation level is low - You stay out of stressful situations and advise others to do the same. You may not be the go-to person when something really needs done, but you know never to blow things out of proportion. Your outlook on life is very bright. You are sunny and optimistic about life and others find it very encouraging, but remember to tone it down if you sense irritation.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

I found this on Tammy's blog and thought it would be fun to play. I don't know about lemonchiffon but red and green are my favorite colors.

MEME

I was tagged by one of the most clever and quick witted women I have ever met, my friend, Convoluted String for this!

“The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.”

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
10 Years ago? I was driving carpool back and forth to school for my kids. I volunteered in their classrooms and in the office at the school.

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):
- Laundry - always more laundry…
- Clean the floors - vacuum and mop
- Sew a quilt block
- Knit on a shawl
-Cook dinner for a change

3. Snacks I enjoy:
- Cashews
- Peanuts
- Chips with pico de gallo

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
- give to groups that empower people to be able to exist on their own(heifer intl, etal)
- buy a house in the hill country of Texas

5. Places I have lived:
- Beaumont, Texas
- Houston, Texas
- Puebla Mexico (college)
- Cuernavaca, Mexico (college)
- Houston/Cypress Texas

6. Peeps I want to know more about:
- Please feel free to add this to your blog.

This was really fun! Thanks, Lisa

Sometimes they make a mother proud!!!!

Make up Quilt Along #1

These are the blocks from week 1 and 2 of Amandajean's first quilt along. I have chosen fabrics from the Moda Simplicity line. I think I am going to like this quilt.  It is hard to tell from the pictures but the background fabric is pale blue.

WIP's and FO

Knitting is happening around here. Mostly I have been knitting on secret knitting. The first of two pairs of socks. I am almost to the toe on the second spring fling sock and I have about an inch on the Spunky Eclectic Pumpkin sock. The little hat is one I knit out of some sock yarn. I love the fall colors.

Week 3

Week 3 and my setting block. I love doing this quilt.

Week 2 Star quilt along

I am having so much fun making these quilt blocks. I love the red and white fabrics.

Star Quilt Along

I have joined a quilt along hosted by Amandajean. We will be getting a block a week. This is week one's star block. I have chosen to do mine with red and white fabrics. I hope I can manage to keep up each week.

Ravelry Birthday Swap

I received my birthday swap package from Kim W. in Canada today. I could not wait for Friday, so I opened. I got some great Cherry Tree Hill yarn, some wind gummy candies, wasabi coated peas(spicy and good) knitting gauge, pins and the cutest salt and pepper folk are bird shakers.There also is the cutest cupcake candle. I can't wait to light it. Kim also sent a great Canadian magazine for me to read. Thank you Kim for all the lovely things and I hope you have a great birthday also.

Short Camp Post

Just a short post about sock camp. We knitted sock monkeys. There were some incredible monkeys. Mine is named Fifi. She is wearing a crochet skirt, knit shawl and a hat from a practice knit in Cat Bordhi's class. More pictures and interesting tidbits to come later.

The Ronnie-Frieda Swap

Ronnie was my downstream partner from Monkey swap 3. She and I have become good friends. Too bad we live in different countries, but maybe some day I will get to visit her. We had been talking back and forth about swaps and how sometimes you just really get the short end of the stick and she and I decided to do our own swap between the two of us. Ronnie said she got to go first, so away she went. Take a close look at all the great things she sent. She knit BFF socks for me in cashmere and knit the beautiful shawl from cashmere. They are both great. She sent some cashmere/silk lace yarn and some fun cashmere/merino sock yarn. She sent a set of needles that were the kind she learned to knit on when she was quite young. I don't know how she knew I liked collecting all kinds of needles(new and old) If you look at the pictures you can see all the other great things she sent including the Christmas bag she made for me. I love it. Thank you Ronnie and I am collecting, knitting and sewing for your package. Best friends are great!!!!!!!!!!

Wee Tiny Sock Swap

I received my wee tiny sock today. My pal was Mary Z. from NJ. She used some knitpicks yarn that she dyed. I love my little sock. This is my kind of swap. Fast and easy. Thank you Mary.( you forgot to give me your email)

HAPPY EASTER

Valentine Swap Ravelry

My package from Fatema came today. It was shipped at the beginning of February and has been missing til today. It was a lovely package. Four skeins of an alpaca/merino yarn in a pretty color called berries. It is really pretty and soft. She sent coffee, tea, a mug, the cutest salt and pepper shakers that nestle together. Some yummy candy and a knitting magazine from the UK. It was a really nice package. Thank you Fatema.

Defeat the Winter Doldrums Swap

I got my package from my pal Diane today. It is one of the most thoughtful packages I have received. A beautiful wash cloth and a scrubby knit from organic cotton yarn. Very soft and the colors are really pretty. Yummy smelling soap from Alaska.I really like all the local items she included, North Pole Alaska Santa's blend coffee and Alaska Wild Tea. I can't wait to try these out. She sent yarn, yummy yarn. I have been wanting to try out the Lion Brand Organic Cotton. She sent the pattern she used for the cloth, some chocolates and a gift certificate to iTunes. How cool is that. Thank you Diane for being a great pal.

Scavenger Hunt Swap

Wow, I got a really great package from Joann. So many wonderful things.
Something local - Connecticut Book
Something round - Sock Needles I have never tried these so will look forward to using them.
Something Green - Stitch markers and candy Really gorgeous markers
Something "T" - Knitting tote and tissues I love this bag. It will be very handy for knitting socks.
Something Funny - Gummies
Something Hard - Calendar Box
Something Soft - Yarn
I also think the bottle of Cape Cod air is pretty funny also. I have never seen anything like that.

I can't wait to find a great pattern and try out this sock yarn. This has been a really fun swap.

A Wee Bit of Something

The apron was made for the Sassy Apron Swap. I am pretty pleased with how it came out.
This is a picture of my SSS after about 10 rows into Clue 7. I am behind but still can not find a comfortable position to knit on this. Hopefully I will be able to catch up next week.
I hope you are all having a great weekend. The weather here is as perfect as it gets for here.

Sciatic nerve = PAIN

My sciatic nerve has decided to do its thing. I wish it wouldn't. The constant pain means nothing is getting done. Hopefully the new medicine will help. I will try to get my son to take pictures of my shawl but I am a week behind now. Have a nice week.

Lost Mojo

No pictures this morning because they would not be that different from the last. I am halfway through Clue 6 on SSS and I have knit the heel and onto the foot of the sock. I have done a little hand applique and that about sums of my progress for the week. I hope to get a little more done in the next couple of days. We'll see.

Socks and Shawls STR spoiler alert

Clue 5 of Spring Shawl Surprice I actually finished on Sunday. Yeah, ahead of schedule. This is an interesting and challenging knit. I hope I can continue to keep up.
Socks that Rock January club sock. I love the colors and the pattern. My sock started off striping and then went to pooling after I added the 2 extra stitches for the pattern. I let it sit for three days before deciding that I could live with the pooling. I normally like pooling but this is not my favorite pooling I've ever had. I am knitting the medium on size 2.25mm needles.

I've been tagged

Megan tagged me.

Here is what I have to do....List 7 Random Facts about Me

Here are the rules (and they must be posted to your blog).
Link to the person’s blog who tagged you (see above). List seven random and/or weird facts about yourself. Tag seven random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. Let each person know that they have been tagged by posting a comment on their blog and also so they can look at your blog and not tag the same people all over again!

1. I probably only watch about 20 hours of TV a year.
2. I am obsessive about my car.
3. I love all kinds of food, but my favorites are greens(mustard, collard,turnip, spinach,etc)
4. I have 7 quilt projects going right now. No telling how many knit projects.
5. I love dolls.
6. I despise avocados.
7. I am still in contact with my high school friends.

I am not going to tag anyone. If you want to play, have fun.

Spring Shawl Surprice

Just a quick update. Clue 4 finished 1-28. I have really enjoyed knitting this. If the weather would cooperate I could probably get a better picture.

Boring Sunday

I have finally succumbed to the crud that is going around. I guess it is inevitable when everybody you come into contact with is hacking. I have been knitting on my SSS and I am almost done with clue 4. I'll post a picture when I finished. I have been looking for things for all my swap partners. I love trying to figure out what different people would love. I have to post one off tomorrow. Hope y'all have a great week.

Spring Shawl Surprice

Clue 2 finished. This is a challenging knit for me. Clue 1 went pretty fast but clue 2 is where you start knitting pattern on every row. It was confusing at first but by the time I got to the end it was starting to go pretty. Clue 3 should go pretty fast. I am loving this. I just need to catch up. I would have been okay, but I knit 2/3 of Clue 1 and decided I didn't like my yarn so I had to go to my LYS and get some more. Hope you all are having a great weekend. The sun is shining here.

Scavenger Hunt Swap

1) Do you knit, crochet or both? How long have you been doing it? I have been knitting fast and furiously for about 3 years. I have crocheted off and on for about 20 yrs.

2) What is on your needles/hook right now? Too many Socks, 2 stoles, sweater, shawl many other ufos.

3) What is the most frequently used tool in your knitting bag? measuring tape

4) What are your 3 favorite yarns (fiber type or brand)? What are your 3 least favorite? STR, Dream in Color and Malabrigo are faves. Least favorite are Red Heart, stiff acrylics and fake mohair

5) What is your favorite color? My all time favorite color is red

6) If you had a 5 minute shopping spree in your LYS, how would you plan your attack? I would hit the wool section and just grab.

7) What is your favorite FO and why? (post a pic if you have it!) I love my Secret of the Stole. I have worn it several times now.

8) What are your favorite things to knit/crochet? Right now, I am kind of obsessed with knitting lace, but I also like socks

9) Do you collect anything? Yarn? Fabric? Fun tools for both

10) What are your five favorite things (not necessarily knitting related)? I love my new computer(now just need to learn how to use all the functions), my Signature knitting needles,
my dolls, ring from my grandmother, and my collection of crochet hooks.

11) Are you on Ravelry? What is your ID? yes sheknitsallday

12) Do you drink tea/coffee/cocoa? All three, but coffee is my favorite

13) Favorite Sweets? Cookies, mint candies, gummy candies. Not a huge fan of chocolate.

14) Any allergies? Allergic to smoke

15) Do you have pets? kids? 2 dogs 2 kids 1 hubby

Knitting and such

No pictures today. I have been working on my Spring Shawl Surprice. I was almost finished with Clue one when I decided I did not like the look of the lace. Back to the store and now I using Malabrigo lace. I really like this yarn. I have been trying to organize my room LOL I do not know if it will ever be just like the picture in my head. Too much yarn and fabric. I love to sew and knit but two stashes is almost too much. Right now I am working on a couple of quilts and a French sewn baby dress for a friend. I forgot how much I really enjoy that kind of sewing. I hope everyone is having a good new year. Pictures next time.

Defeat the Winter Doldrums Swap

1. Do you knit, crochet, or do both? Both

2. What types of needles do you enjoy using for making dishcloths? Metal or Swallow Casein

3. What types of cotton do you enjoy using for making dishcloths? Is there any that you've been wanting to try? I usually use Sugar n Cream because I can buy locally.

4. What color(s) are your kitchen and bath decorated in (if any)? creams and adobe pink

5. What are your favorite colors for yarns? Least favorite? I like all but purple

6. Do you like Winter, or do you count the days until it ends? I like winter but we don't really have that cold of weather

7. What's your favorite way to brighten your day when you're down in the dumps? Listen to my ipod and knit

8. What is your favorite treat to indulge in and when your down in the dumps? A cup of coffee and a cookie

9. Do you drink coffee? Tea? Cocoa? All

10. If you could take a vacation starting tomorrow and go anywhere for one week and money were no object, where would you go and what would you do? I would love to go to Italy. I think there would be so many things to do. Shop, relax, visit museums, relax, dine out (relax=knit)

11. Do you have any allergies or aversions your pal should be aware of? I am allergic to smoke(ie cigarette)

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I hope y'all have a great and prosperous new year.