Snow Day!

People were talking about a possible ice day at school on Monday, but I really did not believe them. When I got up this morning I thought, yeah right, they were wrong again. I turned on the news and there it was---school closed. Yippee!! After I got the husband off to work, I did what I promised God I would do if it were a snow day, clean my closet! I found clothes I forgot I had. I had that little task taken care of before 9am.

MMT and I spent the rest of the day puttering about the house doing small things, but mostly I have been knitting. I finished my mitten and started the left mitten. I am through the thumb on this pair. I think I may have over knit today, my shoulder feels like I am on the Island!

My baby surprise is essentially done, I have to put the buttons on it and have JO teach me how to put the cuffs on it. I think it turned out ok. I have to be honest, I did not think I would finish it. I have baseball theme buttons for it, which are very cute.

Back in the saddle

I am back to my old self again. Sorry to say I have ripped out my baby surprise sweater. It was a surprise as to what it was looking like. I have started again and am all the way to row 2!!!! Needless to say I will not be done by tomorrow night unless I have some magical power in knitting in my sleep and while at work......
Am excited about the trip and planning it for everyone with a few surprises thrown in! Off to lunch and then back to work. ( which is really a bad 4 letter word)
I did finish one pair of mittens while in the hospital. will take photos and post them later. Have started on second pair but will work on baby surprise first.....

Surprise in Deed!

Surprised that the class is so successful. Really who knew. Thank God for ASJ and JO. But I can’t wait for our last class, I want to see all of those cute little jackets. I plan on taking lot’s of photos of all those Baby Surprise Sweaters! Thanks also goes to my friends NK & CT for signing up for the class. I was thinking it would be a class of two, with three teachers! What a shock that we ended up with 28 students. Good thing there were three of us.

I am thrilled with my little sweater. It’s from Schaefer Yarn, Miss Priss colorway. I bought the yarn about four years ago in Duluth at Yarn Harbor. I had no real plan for it. It was one of those, "I have to have that yarn," purchases. I would have been perfectly happy just to stroke it forever, but I thought this would be a good fit.

The buttons are not what I was looking for (I couldn't find what I was looking for) but these really look quite lovely. The Girl helped pick them out, although she seemed much more interested in the fleece that was on sale, then helping pick out buttons.

And then there are socks. Man I love socks. So I have been knitting, and knitting socks. And now that I am done with the EZ’s Baby Surprise Sweater I can concentrate on socks! The light green with brown accents are Koigu (photo would not upload *&^% blogger) , the muted colors teal, apricot, darkish red are Cherry Tree Hill, and finally the greens are Fleece Artist. The Koigu and Fleece Artist colors are really encouraging my Spring Fever. I am so ready for April and really I am so sick of the cold (and February has not even started)!

I am thinking big projects again. Contemplating something with cables. I keep looking and looking for the perfect cable cardigan, I just have not found the pattern. I am looking for simple cables (by that I mean not too busy), maybe body only, ribbed sleeves, something subtle and chic. Oh well I will just keep looking.

By the way. I stumbled across this site http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/ and I found this recpie http://www.thepioneerwomancooks.com/2007/06/marlboro_mans_f.html for steak sandwhiches. The family LOVED THEM . . . thanks Ree! I can't remember how I ever got to that page. I didn't use as much of the W juice as recommended (my family is not a real big fan of it) but I used enough to give it a sassy taste. They have all requested that I make them again real soon. Could be a lake item for Knitting Camp!

Yarn trip in February, yarn, food and fun. I can’t wait.

A surprise indeed

Baby Surprise all right, it will be a total surprise if I finish this project and it actually turns out to be a baby sweater. It all started when I bought my yarn and did not have it swifted at the store. MMT and I tried to wind one skein of it into a ball. Huge mistake, 2 1/2 hrs later we have a ball of yarn. Next I cast on the sweater so I could knit all the way to Rochester. (The boy was swimming). I got in the car, picked up my knitting only to discover that the needles I had cast the sweater onto, had been chewed by Dax (why didn't I toss those needles is the question and or why do we still have this dog?). My husband who is driving scared out of his wits because now I have 2 hours that I could knit, but can't knit, promised he would find a store to buy new needles. Like that is going to happen, Durand? Plainview? Yeah right. So when we arrived at the swim meet, he got out his knife and began to whittle down my needle and repair it so I could knit. What a good husband (or scared husband). I knit and knit and knit on the sweater until Tuesdays class trying to catch up. Only to get to class and find out I had made an error way back on something like row 4. So I ripped the whole thing out. I re cast on the sweater on Thursday night and started over again. I am back to about row 17 or 18, and so far so good. But like I said, I will be surprised if this thing is a baby sweater when and if I finish.

Oh my . . .

It's been interesting, that's for sure. Let's see.

• NK has been in the hospital twice since the beginning of the year, for heart related issues. This is not good and a deep concern for us all.


• ASJ & myself (and our intrepid friend JO) are teaching a knitting class (baby surprise sweater). Please note the JO is doing most of the instructing. ASJ and I assist as needed.


• CT has had to move a child to Green Bay, and transport MT hither and yon for soccer, and travel hither and yon for ZT's swim meets (he's a senior). I will let her post about the fact she was on her way to a meet and discovered the dog had been teething on her needles.


• Holidays, holiday knitting, relatives, approaching the end of semester in high school, college application, college financial aid forms.

We need a collective nap (yes, I am whiny). We are however, looking forward to our February trip. We changed it to the cities. Closer, faster, more stores, etc. There are some stores we have not made it to as of yet "Depth of Field," "Yarn Garage," "Knitin from the Heart." And some stores that we want to stop by again. Borealis is one, and we have not been to Cold Water Collaborative for a long time (only once actually, during the first hop).

World's Fastest Mitten Knitter

Over Christmas, ZT asked me to knit a pair of mittens for his English teacher (hers were stolen off her desk at school). So I used the red cascade 220 I bought at YD and knit her a pair of red and black snowflake mittens over break. She was so thankful for the mittens she wore them through the office at school telling everyone she saw. Needless to say I got several "will you make me mittens?" from my colleagues. GBT came on Wednesday to have lunch with me, the receptionist make such a big deal over the mittens it was embarrassing. GBT says, oh they take no time at all, I will knit you a pair before I move. (remember this is Wednesday). GBT promptly went home, cast on mittens and began to knit them. She used the purple flecked cascade 220 I got at Color Crossing. She finished the purple and white snowflake mittens Friday night after dinner. 2 days to knit a pair of mittens. I think that is a record! Certainly should be one if it isn't.
GBT is now in Green Bay, we drove her over on Saturday and got her all moved in with my old friend from college. We unpacked her, had a couple of beverages, had dinner at a way cool restaurant called Ho Hut (pronounced who hot). We drove home today in that nasty fog and have started the box to send to GBT of all the stuff she forgot.
I am working on another pair of the black and blue mittens for the coach of the ECA Stars. Knitting mittens in the car is not as much fun as you might think.