Lots of UFO's

I have alot of projects I have started that I haven't finished, and I would like to start the new year fresh. I have several pair of socks started, a shawl, a tank top, quilts, so I have set a goal to finish 3 projects before I start anything new. I am on the gusset of a second sock, so that will be one!
Paige is coming over to sew on Thursday, and I plan on working on a quilt top or two that I need to finish up also!

We're back in the Soo!

We're back in the Soo after a visit down to see my mom and my brother. While we were there I learned that my great-grandmother was a knitter! She was born in 1892 and when she passed away she was survived by 11 children (3 had already passed). The obituary also states she is survived by 45 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren! I was not born when she passed away. Here is a picture of Nellie, my great grandmother,
who knit mittens for children and then tucked a dollar inside. :-) I like her style.

While looking through old pics there was also this shot of me with my brother, when we lived here in the Soo. I was probably 2 or so in this photo.

The weather cooperated for our trip downstate, we passed by ice fisherman.

On the way home the highway was kind of bad,

So I did what every knitter should do, I knit. And knit. By the time we got to the Mackinac Bridge, my sock was almost complete, just a few rounds to do on the toe.

Unfortunately I was so nervous that I knit it way too long for my foot!

Christmas this week!

Hard to believe Christmas is this week. 3 days of work and then I am off for 5. Everything is ready for the holiday so now it's just time to relax and enjoy. We have snow, more is on the way.
I am grateful for what I have, I am thankful for my family, friends and my job. I have a great job that keeps me very busy and it's a job where I get to help people. I couldn't ask for more.

Our winter quilt

Our winter quilt is on the bed, and I love it.

The polar bear fabric is so pretty, and Jim helped pick the coordinating fabrics. I made the pillowcases to match, and I also put the flannel sheets on the bed!

Today we are putting up the tree, Jim just ran to fetch it out of the basement. We had to move the tv and when we did something happened to the cable box, we have cable but no On Demand or cable guide. So I called and ended up ordering new services, as of Tuesday I will have BBC America and 47 other channels in addition to what we have now, and dvr. I think we'll like it.

We have had some snow but not alot, but it's certainly cold and icy in spots in the parking lots.

Home again..

We went to Ohio for Thanksgiving. I got to meet my two nieces, twins, 5 months old. Amazing how they are so different! We ate lots, laughed lots, it is difficult to live away from family. But I remind myself that there are other families that are even farther apart this holiday season. And I am grateful for being able to travel to see ours. I saw my best friend Cheryl, and we shopped. And shopped. All I have left to get for Christmas are gifts for Jim. And some toys for the cats. Even though Jim said I have to throw some out if I am buying new. :-)

My birthday!!!

Today is my birthday, and I took the day off. Because I needed a break, and I don't work my birthday. It's my special day to do whatever I wish. And today I will be writing, working on my novel for http://www.nanowrimo.org/, I have just over 12,000 words. I am finding that having to report in my word count is motivating me. And I am also figuring out that the writing habit that works for me is to write for 30 minutes or so and take a break. Everyone does it different, this is what is working for me. And I am having fun, last night I gave my main character a dog. How cool is that? :-)
I am also going to finish knitting a hat today for the troops, a lady on my knitting list is collecting them to send off.
So those are my big birthday plans, as well as going out to dinner!

Last weekend...

Last weekend we did a mystery quilt class, and I finished a whole quilt top in a weekend (about 64" by 74"). From this:

To this:

Paige did a Scooby Doo:

We had a great time. And I used some of my stash! The snowmen fabric was actually one Paige had given me after I admired it in her stash, she had already made 2 quilts with it.

Hockey again this weekend!

Gorby's Discovery

Gorby has discovered what the birdfeeder is. The little birds are darting from the apple tree to the feeder and back...and she's really loving it! She watches for awhile and then comes to yell at us like "Come check this out!"

I am very glad we put that feeder up for her!

Preparing for winter

So a couple weekends ago I woke up to snow.

To get ready this year we bought a birdfeeder for our cat. Our cats don't go outside, and in the winter Gorby gets very sad when she can't see the birds. So we set this up for her,

It's right outside the bay window where she likes to sit, and I can fill it from the deck and I don't have to try to get thru the snow to it. Hopefully it cuts down on her sighing, she actually does sigh when it snows out!

I finished the baby sweater for my co-worker,

Fiber trends pattern #CH-33, Baby Brights. It's a great pattern.

Jim was given a puppet yesterday, it's going to school with him. The cats aren't too sure about it, Shadow wouldn't even pose with Lil' Doc...see the resemblance? :-) Thanks for the puppet Travis!

Half over

The work week is over 1/2 over and we are headed into a busy weekend. We have hockey games to go to, and we also have tickets to a comedy show. I hope to finish some projects up this weekend, I can knit on the sock at the hockey games, just have to get it fixed, I lost a stitch and had to rip back at the last game. Oh bother! I would like to finish one sock and the baby sweater I am working on. And I really do need a pair of mitts to match my new winter coat I got last year, and it's getting cold enough to wear mitts, we've had snow twice, it just didn't stay.

This weekend...

I didn't get the baby sweater done that I wanted to. I did buy an alternate gift for the shower just in case, and it's wrapped and ready to go for the baby shower tomorrow after work. It was decided Thursday to have the baby shower on Monday, and I was caught unprepared. So I think that I will go ahead and make a couple baby sweaters and have them on hand just in case!
The Lakers played their first game on Saturday night and won. It was a great time!

Note Cards for sale!

I have put together a set of 4 notecards. They are pictures I took of beautiful blue handspun on the shores of Lake Superior. They are definately suitable for framing. The actual pictures are 4x6 and the cards are just over 5x7. They are blank, allowing you to write your own sentiments! Each is signed on the back by me, and the cost is $10 per set of 4 (one of each design), and that includes shipping in the United States (email me for international shipping rates). These would definately make a good holiday gift!

Please email me if you wish to order, jandj95@lighthouse.net. I can accept cash funded paypal, money orders, or checks. Wholesale inquiries welcome.

What I've been up to...

I went to the quilt show one weekend and last weekend the fiber fest in West Branch, MI. I didn't buy alot, but it was nice to get out of town for a day. Yesterday work was busy, as it is everyday. I just love that the days at work fly by and we get so much done!
I'm starting to think ahead to this weekend actually, and what I want to get done. I have so many projects and so little time! And Christmas is coming, hard to believe, but it's not that far away anymore!

30 day shred

Ok, I have been challenged. I ordered Jillian Michael's 30 day shred tonight after work. It's 30 days, 30 minutes a day, and we'll see how it goes. It looks intense, and I like Jillian Michael, so I will give it a go. It's not a big commitment afterall!

In the window

So tonight there must have been some action outside the bay window.Shadow didn't want her picture taken, but she was too lazy to move. She spent all day with me yesterday, I didn't feel well and she must have known it, she napped with me and when I came out to sit on the couch she got out of bed and followed me. If you knew Shadow, you would realize this was a huge effort. :-)

Friday, beautiful Friday

I am ready for the weekend! I have knitting to do and I have spinning to do and I plan on spinning on the deck for a bit Saturday. Jim has golf and I have all day to myself to just sit and relax and knit. He'll be having plenty of fun himself. Still trying to spin up the 3 pounds of CVM I bought years ago. It's alot of wool. It's so pretty, soothing, soft. I want to get it used up so that when I go to here: http://www.lambandwoolfestival.com/index.html I can get some more wool and it will actually fit in the space I have. Although wool is rather easy to squeeze into smaller spots.

Let us not forget today's date and those who died in the terrorist attacks.

Our Anniversary!

14 years ago today Jim and I were married. Yesterday I was surprised when he brought flowers to me at work, they are very pretty. For some reason I am not able to upload the pics, but maybe later.
It's very foggy this morning, but at least it's Wednesday!

Knitting with cotton

I am currently trying to finish up a tank I started a couple months ago. It's knit with cotton and I find that my hands hurt after knitting on it for any length of time. Probably because the cotton doesn't have the "give" that wool does. I have made great progress, it is knit in the round until you reach the v-neck. I did add 1" of length to the body after reading the comments on Ravelry about the pattern. I had ordered 1 extra ball of yarn so adding the length was not a problem.
So now I shall put it up for the night and spin while I watch Nascar.

Lindy's Prayer Shawl

I made this shawl for a co-worker's daughter. Here are the pics:

And here is the recipe:

Finished size, approx. 24" x 64". I did not measure my gauge, you want a fabric that drapes well.

(3) skeins Lion Brand Homespun

(1) circular needle, size 11 (I use circs because they are easier on my wrists, you can use straights if you like)

CO 63 sts.

Row 1: *K3, P3, rpt from * to end.

Repeat row 1 until you are almost out of yarn, bind off. Weave in ends. Very simple, I found knitting this to be very relaxing.

Progress

I made progress on the shawl last night I am knitting out of Lion Brand Homespun. It's very nice. I should make alot of progress on it tonight, I plan on getting caught up on laundry and knitting is great for when I'm doing that. The shawl will eventually use 3 skeins, I am not doing fringe on this one because the intended recipient has a great dane and I just think the fringe would not last. This weekend maybe I can get the socks finished? And maybe the quilt for the wall of the guest room? We'll see!

Planned failed...

Well, not all the way. I did knit on the shawl, and I tied in the last skein of yarn tonight. We sat out on our new deck and watched the moon, drank coffee. It's 50 degrees here tonight. I was warm with the shawl spilling over my lap.
Since I don't have a pic of anything I was working on this weekend, here is a scarf I finished a week or so ago for a co-worker. It's worsted weight, Cascade 220 actually.

I like to make things for people I work with. I appreciate the people I work with. We all work very hard to take care of the clients, and I want my co-workers to know that what they do is noticed.

Although I didn't get anything finished, we did get the first coat of paint on the foundation. I am hoping that we finish up the outside work this coming week, since it is going to be turning nasty weather wise sooner rather than later. One more coat of paint on the foundation, and the lattice under the deck and the railing. We got alot done this summer and it looks really nice. Here is before we painted the foundation,

and here is the after:

Once the lattice is up you won't be able to see the blue under the deck. And next summer we will have a sidewalk put in, and landscape between the sidewalk and the front of the house.

The plan

Here is the plan. It's Saturday morning and I have a ton of UFO's. I think I can safely say I can get 3 done this weekend. There is a pair of socks I am making for a Christmas gift, a shawl with Lion Brand Homespun, and a wallhanging that just needs the binding finished. I think I can safely say I can get all those done. It's supposed to rain all weekend, so I am going to run to the grocery and get some food and I'll be set. I am still getting over my cold, so I think a weekend of laying low and hot baths and tea is just the ticket.

Quite the crappy day

I just had a crappy day. I still have my cold and don't feel well, and on top of that we still don't know about cuts at work. We are all hoping that no one loses their job, but in reality we don't know. At this point we are all just plugging along and making sure our clients get what they need while we wait. It's very stressful.
So today I came home, after having to run to the grocery in the rain, and I got out my wheel after dinner. My beautiful wheel that I rescued after answering an ad in the classifieds. She was covered in splatters of paint and the wood was so dry. I took her home and oiled her and used the finest steel wool I could find to get the paint off without damaging the finish. She's pretty. A bit picky at times, not wanting to take right off and spin. Just tonight when I was trying to get her going she gave a bit of an attitude. See, it's been probably a year since I did any spinning. And she protested and teased a bit before she took off and started whirling for me. But I spent a nice peaceful hour with her tonight, and I left her in the corner of the living room so tomorrow, when I get home from another crappy day, she's ready to sooth.

Dew on the web

Before I left for work this morning I discovered a spider web with dew, and it was so pretty. I ended up getting out the ladder to get some better pics of it. Jim likes this one,

But I like this one better,

because it was my willow tree behind it. My willow tree is huge!

Choosing a charity to knit for

I am in the midst of trying to choose a charity to knit for. There are so many that I would like to make things for, and I know I can knit for more than one, but I would like to pick a charity I support and focus my efforts. I have narrowed it down to two. One is here in the U.S., one is in afghanistan. I am going to be using wool, I love to knit with wool. I just can't decide between the two. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this? I have been told to keep things in the states, but I watched Generation Islam and when I saw the orphanages in Afghanistan it broke my heart. I am grateful for what I have and I know I have so much and I want to give back. And let's face it, I have plenty of yarn to do it with! I guess part of it is I can't stand the thought of anyone being cold. Living where I do, I know that warm clothing isn't a luxury.
A bit of a rambling post, but I would like to get some more opinions on this.

What happens when I am at work

Evidently this it what happens when I am at work.

Jim makes the bed and 2 of the cats immediately claim it for themselves. It's rough to be a cat in our house. :-) (Notice the extra quilt folded up under them so they can have extra padding so they are definately comfy)

And Jim got the foundation powerwashed, and the steps made, now he just has to put in the risers and then we need a rail, lattice and the foundation painted. Today it's really raining though so he has a repreive, I have a feeling we will be working on the house this weekend.

Wednesday

The middle of the week, only 2 more days to get up early. I have tons to do at work but I would really rather just go back to bed. :-) I think Jim is going to paint the foundation this week, it's supposed to rain on Saturday, so maybe we will finish that up together on Sunday. Then it's the steps for the deck, and the railing and the lattice for underneath. The steps are going to be wide, and are going to be low, so that one doesn't have to lift your foot very high to get to the next step. We want them like that so it's easier for people with mobility issues to get in and out of the house. Maybe this weekend I can find some furniture for out there too, everything is going on clearance up here!

Update on the deck

The deck is wonderful! We just have to add rails, lattice (to keep larger critters from living underneath), and steps. It went together very well, thanks to our great neighbors who helped out.

(We left the old porch underneath. Once the lattice is up you won't see it, and it will make a great spot for the chipmunks to nest. I love watching them. :-)

Here are the neighbors who helped us with this project. Bill on the left, (Jim in the middle) and Randy on the right. They also helped with the siding. Randy knows all about how to do this stuff for yourself, and Bill provided ALOT of manual labor. Jim and I are both thankful for all the help.

All that is left to do for this summer is to paint the foundation, that blue has got to go!

Michael Vick in the NFL again???

NOOO!!!! I don't get it. I know some people are saying he paid his debt, etc etc. But please, playing in the NFL isn't a right, he can get a job and work like everyone else. Kids look up to sports figures, and I wouldn't want any child to think it's ok to do what he did. If you feel the same way, go to http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/fanzone/contactus.asp and comment.

The beginning of the deck

I was able to take 4 hours of vacation this afternoon, and I got to come home and help set the posts for the deck.

There won't be much action till this weekend now, when we actually get to put the flooring of the deck down. Jim is going to back fill around the posts tomorrow. And yes, we have purchased paint to paint over the blue of the foundation, it's 10% darker than the siding. You have to love the technology they have now to mix paint.

We're building a deck!

When Jim did the siding he took the front porch off the house. So now we are going to put a small deck on the front in place of it. I am very excited about this. It's going to be 10' by 10', enough room to sit a small table out there and I can knit and watch what is going on in the neighborhood. Which isn't much, we live on a quiet street, but the front of the house gets sun in the morning, which will be nice if I want to sit out and have a mug of tea and get some rays. :-) But we shall build that this weekend, and I am going to help. So look out for pictures!

Almost done....

The siding is almost complete. Tonight we will go purchase the paint for the foundation. And this weekend we will put the deck on the front. Or Jim will put the deck on the front and I will assist in clean up and food preparation. :-) It will be nice to get this all complete before winter, which is rapidly approaching. Hard to believe we are headed into our 3rd winter here. Jim said this winter he is going to gut my craft room and do it however I want. We will see how that goes. I am not sure how I want it to be, but it gives me something to think about. I do think that I want an extra bed in there, a day bed to stretch out on and work on projects and relax. Any thoughts?

Stitch N' Pitch

So last weekend we headed down to Grand Rapids, MI for Stitch n' Pitch at the Whitecaps game. The first stop was http://www.city-knitting.com/. They were having a sale on sock yarn. And they were really nice...a great shop that I recommend if you are in the area.

I indulged just a little bit. :-) And then on Sunday we went to the game. I knit on a sock,

And I got to eat some good food. I even had a roasted ear of corn on the cob, sold by this vendor.

I don't know why, but the site of that corn cart just cracked me up...every time it went by.

More of Zoe...

Here is a nice pic of Zoe.
Their cat, Phoebe, wasn't that thrilled with our visit. :-)

Zoe

Jim and I went to Grand Rapids this weekend for a baseball game. We met up with our friends, Gregg & Kathy, and we got to meet Zoe. Zoe is a Boston Terrier, and she is a great dog. They got her from a rescue group, and she does a few tricks, and I apologize that the video is sideways, I couldn't figure out how to flip it, and it is late.

Friday again

The weather appears to be cool and rainy again, which has been normal for us this July in the Upper Peninsula. I like the cool, don't miss the Ohio heat at all. And tomorrow is already August 1st, which doesn't seem possible. Which means we are closer to another winter. This will be our 3rd, which also doesn't seem possible! I have plenty of wool and yarn, and fabric for quilts. I could get snowed in for a week and still not run out of things to do!
I have finished one sock lately and I am going to start the second. Jim has been working on the siding, found some rotten wood that needed replaced when he took the porch off the front. We are going to have a small deck on the front, and eventually the deck on the back might be a bit bigger. When we do have nice weather we love to be outside!

A new game

I tried a new game tonight but the cats didn't like it.

So in the end I put the sock yarn back in the new bins I bought to store it, since the cats don't want to play and sit pretty in the bins for a picture.

The siding begins

Jim worked all weekend on the siding. I was clean up, and responsible for bringing water and food. It looks good!

We aren't quite sure what we are doing with the foundation, just painting it or putting a faux rock on it. All I know is Jim is doing a great job and it looks soooo much better!