My First Meme

Spent a quiet Memorial Day with family (& lots of food of course). Oldest daughter was visiting from Louisiana & may soon be moving back to the east coast (hurray!) if the job she interviewed for comes about. Please send lots of good vibes her way. I have been tagged for a meme by Susan. Her blog makes me want to move to San Diego (lol).

"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 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? Involved in high school booster activities for my girls: one in concert band; one in marching band (marched in Clinton's inaugeral parade); both were Managers for boys basketball so I became a defacto Team Mom.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today? Submit my program's budget; stop by the bank; clean out my car; finish the left front of cardi (knit); work on the Pray Tree (cross stitch).

3) Snacks I enjoy: Popcorn, popcorn, popcorn, popcorn, & popcorn.

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire: Ensure daughters & grandkids are financially independent; adopt a school, church & women's shelter; open a ethnic craft shop; buy Mom a cottage on the waterfront; invest in brother's company.

5) Places I have lived: Clarksburg, West Virginia & Alexandria, Virginia

6) Jobs I have had: File Clerk; Secretary; Research Analyst; Budget Analyst; Office Director; & part-time sales clerk (when I was putting DD thru college).

7) Bloggers I am tagging who you will enjoy getting to know better:
Cici
Sarah
Ava
Shelley
Turquoizblue

Mods to the Cardi

The yarn & the pattern seem to come together in this one for a great piece. I made a modification to the front - the pattern calls for it to be slanted but I've chosen to make it with a straight front. Planning to make a plain tank for underneath & have a cardi set. Searching for some cute glass buttons that will compliment the yarn but not overpower the pattern.

Took a break from knitting this week while traveling for business. I got spooked about TSA and their inconsistent regulations on knitting needles. Visions of me being escorted to jail for assaulting "Checkpoint Charlie" who tried to take my needles was not pretty. Instead I took my cross stitch project (yes, with scissors) and made some progress on the Pray Tree. You can see it on my other blog Stitches of Heritage.

Stitch2gether

An afternoon of new friends, snacks, shopping & knitting. Could it get any better than this? Yesterday, I hosted a knit2gether with some fantastic local ladies I've met online. The connection was immediate & I feel like I've known them forever. Deb and Ava are both on Ravelry and Jeannette hopefully will soon be there too. Deb was my partner-in-crime earlier this month at the Sheep & Wool Festival. Ava and I are in several of the same Ravelry groups. Jeannette, Ava & I also share a love of cross stitch. Everybody brought their most recent project as well as something for show-and-tell (Ava rocked with her knitted necklace). We actually spent more time going thru pattern stashes & chatting than working the projects but nobody was complaining. In fact, we ended the afternoon doing what knitters do best - I quick shopping trip across the street to In Stitches where everybody managed to find a little somethin'. Here's Deb and Ava working their projects (Jeannette was shy). Can't wait until next month!

Momma's Day

Special shout out to all those that nurture, care, feed, & teach the little ones (human & furry). I hope you are receiving your thanks on a continual basis so today can just consist of a really good meal & a chance to relax (lol).

Finished the first panel of the tank top & desparately needed a break from stockinette stitches. After a midnight raid on my pattern library (yeah, a bit of insomnia), I decided to start the short sleeve cardigan from Vogue Knitting's Spring/Summer 2007 magazine. The eyelet lace pattern is a joy to work & I'm using the eggplant rayon yarn I got last weekend at the sheep & wool festival. Here's a peek:



You can't see the back of the cardi but it has eyelet lace & ribbing topped off with stockinette...... I just can't escape it. At least I'm getting to use my new Signature Stiletto needles. The pointed tips are exquisite. Gotta find a way to purchase an entire set (Maybe my girls will read this before birthday, Christmas, or next Momma's Day!)

Tank Progress, Stash Diet, & Saying Goodbye

This one skein tank is interesting. The seam is done up the center front and center back and one panel faces purl-side & the other panel faces knit-side. Some of the comments on Ravelry were that it was short & too wide. I decided to be pro-active (instead of reactive) and make it in a smaller size for a better fit and with a very soft yarn so it could hang gracefully. The Fino (doubled) was an excellent choice. My only complaint is that the stockinette stitch is b.o.r.i.n.g. - but at least it gives me a chance to watch T.V. or movies without fear of messing up the pattern. Here's my progress - the neckline to the left & the partial armhole to the right. Another week or so & it's on to the next project.

After inflating the stash with those goodies from last weekend's festival, I've pledged to finish 3 projects (includes this one) before making any new purchases. Just picture me as the "monkey trio" see no sales, hear about no sales, & speak no sales.

Lastly, today was the homegoing celebration for my grandmother (in-law). She was an awesome 99 years old. She had 1 child, 3 grandchildren, 9 great grands, and 13 great-great grands. She outlived her parents, husband, siblings & her son. To show you she lived her life to the fullest - her obit includes the name of her close friend and dedicated companion............ he's 98 years old & they met 5 short years ago. We will miss your smiling face & laughter, Grandma Alberta!

Live your life to the fullest ladies!!

MDSW 2008

Oh boy - what a day. The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival was wonderful. This was my first time attending. The past few years, I have done the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer on this weekend so I never knew what I was missing (BTW - GO WALKERS - see you in Charlotte in October!). My newest friend, Deb, is an MDSW veteran & the best tourguide a gal could have. Spent a bit of time browsing the animals but the call of the vendors was overwhelming.

From Tess' Designer Yarns, to Old Mill Yarn, to Signature Needle Arts, to Misty Mountain Farm, to a great discount yarn spot selling 6 wool skeins for $25 (sorry, I was suffering from yarn euphoria by then & didn't look at the biz name) - I was an equal opportunity spender.

Proud of myself cause I got the main thing I went for - a set of custom Signature Needles with stiletto points. But even happier with all the great stash that will keep me busy from now until the next festival. Drumroll please..........................

A tote, of course to carry it all; a 2-1/2 lb (yes pounds) of purple/navy cotton; 2 lbs of eggplant rayon; 6 skeins of wool; 2 skeins of microfiber ribbon; a ribbon tank top pattern; the stiletto needles and a set of ebony needles.

Sidestepped the lure of funnel cake but caved in at the kettle korn, pretzel, & lemonade stands. Needless to say with all this shopping, I totally missed the Ravelry meetup. Spotted lots of Ravelry buttons & even got a glimpse of Jess early in the day. Fortunately I recognized Cici and Caj from the 2 Sistahs That Knit blog (and Ravelry). Isn't it funny how you meet someone for the first time & feel like you've known them forever? Well here we are - Me, Deb, Caj & Cici - with a beautiful backdrop of yarn.

Let me go setup my "MDSW Fund" jar for next year's purchases...............

Oh No!!!

Been consistently knitting on the One Skein Tank - in the car (while DD's driving), on the metro, at the dentist office, before bedtime, etc. Yesterday I pull it out of my project bag & dang it - there's a big (very big) snag near the beginning. Tried & tried to smooth it out but alas, I had to frog it & start over again. I am not deterred. Serious knitting time will be included in my weekend activities (and maybe a quick trip to Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival). Will have new pics next week.

Get your knit on.........