That's my Cousin!!!

Take a look at THIS! It's my cousin! She rocks!

You Go Girl!

Secret Pal Angel

My Secret Pal Angel is the nicest pal ever!

Last night I got home from work SUPER LATE (as is the trend lately) to find a box for me sitting outside....

When I opened it after dinner I found all sorts of goodies inside- patterns, needles, candy, a handknit bag, a cute soap shaped like a moose, hot chocolate, magnets, and LOTS OF YARN! (and other stuff too!!!)

I PROMISE I will share more about it later.... and that I WILL share a picture. But I am getting sleepy.... very sleepy....

Bad Blogger....

Ok, I admit it (maybe again) I am a bad blogger.

I need to post about so many things - my vacation to New Orleans, my latest knitting, my haircut/donation and

The WONDERFUL things my secret pal angel sent me in the mail.

But I keep putting it off because I feel like I need to have pictures. And they are in the camera... on the memory card... that I am always too tired/lazy to get when I am finally home and finally have a moment to myself.

Maybe I should resign myself to becoming a picture-less blogger.....

more to share in a bit....

I HEART The House on Bayou Road!!!

We made it! After a LONG day of traveling we've arrived in New Orleans. We actually got to our B&B around 3 AM last night. There were good and bad parts to the travel - good part: we voluntarily gave up our seats on the plane and got travel vouchers we can put toward another trip; Bad part: the new plane we were on broke - literally - the electric system went haywire and of course they left us all sitting there for awhile and then we all had to get off the plane and go to a different gate where we got a new plane and eventually took off. That ordeal made us get in a couple hours later than we had hoped - but when we got to the airport it turned out all of the itsy bitsy cars like the one I had reserved were out so we got a free upgrade! :)

We used the Studly Boyfriend's laptop GPS system to safely (and enjoyably) guide us to the drugstore and then to our residence for the week. I was a bit unsure when we started to drive through the mid city neighborhood as it is still pretty messed up from Katrina- but we pulled up in front of an oh-so-cute house and got directions to our room.

I think I squealed as I walked in - it was SO CUTE!!! I'm not sure that I've ever stayed on vacation in a room with 15 foot ceilings. The room is lovely with a hallway as you walk in complete with an antique hall tree for hanging your coat (I should have brought a warmer one - it's FREEZING here) and assorted other antique furniture. The four poster bed is comfy with a feather bed and oh-so-soft cotton sheets. The artwork is beautiful, the gold paint on the walls is beautiful and I LOVE the fireplace!!!!

Oh yah - then there's the bathroom! You open the cute little double doors to a pedestal sink and a vanity table complete with bench and place to apply your lotions and potions. There was a rubber ducky sitting on the bathtub cheerfully greeting us, the towels are fluffy and large and even smell good! Plus - how often do you get to take a shower in a room with 15 foot ceilings and where you can look up at the chandelier! I LOVE IT!!!! We aren't even in the fanciest room (I asked to see a couple others this morning just cause I was curious). Some of the others are even bigger with huge sitting rooms or soaking tubs.

But wait! There's more! This isn't just a regular hotel - it's a Bed & BREAKFAST right?! Um OK I was thinking maybe we would get a little continental buffet breakfast thing... but nope! Wrong! Not at The House on Bayou Road! This morning we wandered over to the main house - past the pool and hot tub and pond to a lavish and delicious cooked just for us breakfast! We sipped coffee and OJ while eating grapefruit garnished with a decoratively cut strawberry as we listened to jazz and I could hear sounds of the lovely chef - MAKING OUR OMELETTE'S! She then brought out the main course consisting of ham, English muffin and pepper and cheese omelette's. SO GOOD! We enjoyed every bite and had the pleasure of meeting the Manager who filled us in on the in's and outs of HOBR and offered us general tourist info.

Then we went back and took a nap!

So far I LOVE The House on Bayou Road and WILL stay here again!

Bye y'all! We gotta get ready for some parades!!!

Magic Loop and Duet Sock Yarn!

I am LOVING my latest purchase! My duet sock yarn arrived a bit ago from a swell yarn shop and I wanted to save it to knit on my trip but I figured I HAD to cast on and try to figure out the pattern so I wouldn't run into problems on the plane.....

So anyway.... I picked up a copy of The Magic Loop at my LYS and knit a little to get the hang of the technique (It was a snap! Why didn't I try this earlier!?!) Then after a few tries I figured Knitty's Magic Cast On for toe up socks (I hated it at first but when I realized it really is.that.simple I liked it a lot). The socks are going great (ok yah somewhere I dropped a stitch and kind of made up the fix) and are a blast to knit so far!

I'll update you on my progress as I continue - and if you haven't tried the Magic Loop - JUST DO IT!

Note To Self -

Get a flu shot next year.

At least I seem to get getting back to the land of the living a little bit.....

It's coming soon.....

Yippee! I am so excited! We have all the reservations and I can't wait to go!

What the Book Says....

So I was checking out Tasha's blog and she inspired me to play this little game:

The Instructions:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next four sentences on your blog, along with these instructions.
5. No cheating by going for a "cool" book...it has to be the nearest one.

My Results:
1. It is validating for someone to have thoughts and feelings identical to our own.
2. It feels wonderful.
3. Eventually, though, perceptions will differ.
4. How this is handled is critical for the relationship.

~Stop Walking on Eggshells, Paul Mason and Randi Kreger

I find this somewhat ironic given who I got the idea for this post from... ;)

Finished and Bought!

Finished: Baby Hat from One Skein - hoping the pictures aren't lost as the hat has already been given to my friend's sweet new baby boy! The pattern was pretty easy and fun to do!

Bought: Duet Sock Yarn in Candy Hearts - This yarn was SO cute I couldn't resist ---- I don't really like to make socks but now I MUST. I wanted to try to make two socks at once but I tried it last summer and it just ended in a tangled mess!

I am off to google how to knit these socks - the whole pair at once... and maybe to look for deals on a yarn swift! I REALLY need one!

Found!!!

Photos of the Jumping dress!

Happy New Year's Eve!

Happy almost 2007!

For 2007 I hope to get more knitting done than I did in 2006. Over at the Big Girl Knits list they are starting a new KAL - Cherry Bomb! I am very tempted to join in but haven't gotten around to getting any yarn yet for this project. I may surf the net tomorrow in attempt to get some - or one of my favorite LYS is having a BIG sale next week and I may just have to go! Or maybe to the big sale tomorrow at another of my favorites. Or maybe I will just relax in front of the football game with you know who and work on my cabled hat... :)

Christmas Goodness!

Hi Everyone!

I have been suffering somewhat from the holiday blahs - long story that is - but I did want to write and tell you some about the holiday goodness I received. :)

I am excited to be in the market for a new TV! Yippee! Courtesy of the parents I am planning to buy a lovely flat screen 37 inch tv! I've never had one that big and am excited to watch some netflix movies on it!

I also received the cutest Italian Charm bracelet from the Studly Boyfriend. It has removable charms including two that look like my kitties and one that says "I'd rather be knitting" - Too cute! Also a cool fleur de lis which is very sparkly! Now we can get charms for it on our different travels and adventures.

I also was given a subscription to Interweave knits that I am VERY excited about! And the giver included a copy of this month's magazine so I am happy to be enjoying it already!

Ok that's all for now.... the knitting has come to a virtual halt for the moment... I think I need to just do another scarf or something to get me in the mood!

Ten Things

That I've been doing lately-
*Working too much as I have four different locations and two businesses I am trying to manage!
*Staring at my naked Christmas tree - we haven't had time to decorate it even though it has been in the house for a week!
*Preparing for The Studly Boyfriend to move into my condo completely!
*Trying to keep my cat medicated/on hypoallergenic food enough that he doesn't pull all of his fur out.
*Shopping for my secret pal (This was REALLY fun!!!)
*Celebrating the Studly Boyfriend's birthday with a trip to Downtown Seattle and a night at the Westin (we saw AWESOME gingerbread houses displayed there and went on the carousel! It was a great time!)
*Finishing my Christmas shopping (I am trying to do more gifts that people can REALLY use - things to do or practical presents so that they will get used and not just hidden in a closet somewhere)
*LAUNDRY, LAUNDRY, LAUNDRY!
*Working bit by bit on a cabled hat out of the oh-so-soft yarn that my secret pal gave me. (I want to find more time to knit but it has been REALLY hard lately)
*Trying to stay warm, dry and patient! Our power was out for at least 24 hours and I am VERY thankful and lucky that it came back on as soon as it did! The area is a bit of a disaster zone and I have realized how difficult it really would be if we had a huge natural disaster - kinda scary!

Pictures at LAST!

What I did Saturday:
Sunday's Events:
The Cutest Craft Project my Aunt made me!

My Knit Unto Others Hat:

Other finished Hats that will go to others:

Pictures, Pictures, I need pictures!

But I don't have them! :(

Over the weekend I started and finished a hat for the Knit Unto Others knit along. I also realize that I have two other hats that are finished that I need to get around to donating. There is something just so rewarding about knitting up a hat with chunky yarn that you can complete super quickly.

I don't remember if I posted about this but I also recently finished a 2x2 rib scarf. So far it is for me but it may go to someone else....

The Jumping Dress is now COMPLETELY finished...

And on the needles - a cabled hat... with some lovely soft yarn from my secret pal!

(I will post pictures soon of my FO's as well as the lovely package my SP sent!)

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!

PS! It's been SNOWING in Seattle! :) :) :)

What I've been up to....

Two great concerts! What more could you ask for from the weekend!?! Ok I am counting my weekend to have kind of started on Thursday - but that works!

Thursday was Girlyman at the Tractor Tavern. They were GREAT! They are always great! I love their music and they also put on a very entertaining performance. It's so fun to hear them tell stories and talk with one another while they play. If you don't know who they are CHECK THEM OUT!!!











Then Saturday.... the Dixie Chicks! I'd been so looking forward to this show since the whole president bush debacle.... and it was great! These girls are high energy performers! Lots of fun to see a group I have been liking for years!



















On the knitting front... the purple yarn - well one skein of the purple woolpak nightmare - is wound and waiting to get on the needles....

The condo is also waiting to be cleaned....

not sure who will win....

PS the size of the photos do NOT reflect the size of my love for these bands!

I NEED A SWIFT!

Although I still have that one end to sew in on the jumping dress and I have maybe three more WIP's I have decided that I need to start the holiday gift I am planning to make for my friend. The problem - the YARN. The woolpak yarn. I found it - it was hiding in a plastic bin somewhere. Now I am trying to get it into usable form. The HUGE 525 yard skein is quite a challenge. I do have a ball winder - but no swift. I have been too cheap to buy one for myself. And now this is the fifth - maybe sixth- time that I have tried to wind yarn at home without a swift. I HATE DOING IT! Right now I have it hung on a lamp and the ball winder attached to my desk.... it isn't working well...

ok back to the yarn....

wish me luck.

My weekend...

I ALMOST have the Jumping dress finished- Just need to sew in one more end!

I worked a bit on the ribbed scarf made out of the neat super chunky variegated yarn my last intern got me. I am using lantern moon straight needles. They are so pretty to knit with but I still love my circulars!

Speaking of circulars- I organized all of mine in a neat-o needle organizer I got months ago from my LYS! I even used my labeler to mark the needle sizes and lengths! I now know what I have - and don't! ;)

I made a teeny bit more progress at organizing my house. I am trying to get rid of lots of magazines, books and other random stuff that is just hanging around. I did organize all of my makeup! Yippee!

Saw an interesting film - Jesus Camp

Ate yummy healthy Indian food with my cooking club!

Did TONS of laundry- Oh why won't it just fold itself!!!

Overall a good weekend!

I promise pictures soon of said knitting content!

Help Still Needed

Although it's not in the news as much New Orleans is still struggling greatly from hurricane Katrina.

This article was interesting to me and made me wish I could take some more time off work to go help again. Unfortunately I can't but I thought maybe someone else out there would be looking for a volunteer opportunity and I might as well pass the info along. The holidays are coming up and you just might have some vacation time you are itching to use for a good cause!

There is no way you can comprehend this disaster unless you have seen it for yourself. It would mean so much to the people of New Orleans if you can take any time to help... a month, a week or a few days...

Check out some of the ways you can get involved:
New Orleans Home for the Holidays
Acorn.org

How Could I?

Lose an ENTIRE SKEIN of DARK PURPLE Wool Pak yarn? The thing is HUGE!!!!

Where I have put it is beyond me!

Grrrrr!!!!