Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering Gods grace in its various forms.

1 Peter 4:9-10

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Photo Post






I've been absolutely horrible about posting lately! No excuses, except that hubby and I are new to facebook and have been happily tagging and poking friends for the last few weeks! Hubby loves the Mafia Wars game and I love playing Vampires...yeah, I know. We really don't have much of a social life, do we??!! After the wild man goes down, it's a toss up on what will command our attention: facebook or the DVR (with me knitting).

Quick update on knitting: I have one April May mitt nearly completed. I only have the thumb gusset to do then I'll cast on for the second mitt. I'm getting ready to cast on for another lace spa cloth and I'm gearing up to finish the Trellis Diamond socks I started at the beginning of the month. So much for a pair of socks a month, eh?

Hope you enjoyed the photo montage...we've been super busy playing inside and out! This last snow topped nearly a foot in one evening. Fortunately we have a good base so it turns out to be the best kind of snow for sledding!

Stay safe and happy knitting!

Saturday, February 14, 2009


HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!


"A blessed thing it is for any man
or woman to have a friend, one human
soul whom we can trust utterly,
who knows the best and worst of us,
and who loves us in spite of all our faults."
Charles Kingsley

365 Day Brightners: Two Are Better Than One


Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Writer's Block

I think I've had writer's block lately. I haven't been able to think of anything to blog about. Things have been mostly crazy around here and I've been feeling depressed and anxious again. I really hate this time of year! Too cold to do anything outside and it's still dark way too early. I find it takes a concerted effort to move my butt off the couch and be constructive...let alone creative. Trying to find any creative juices lately has been a chore. And dare I say? Knitting isn't as pleasurable as it normally is. *Sigh* I guess you could say I have a bad case of the winter doldrums.

It's hard to get motivated when all you see out your bedroom window are 5 foot icicles just waiting to crash down on someone's unsuspecting noggin. We've been waging war on the build-up and up until our 45 degree thaw the other day, we were losing badly. Ice was building up in and around the windows and melt water was seeping into the walls and dripping from the ceilings. We figured it has to be because of the lack of proper insulation in our eaves that was causing this thermal effect. Fortunately we had a couple of mild days recently, one of which topped 45 degrees, and significantly helped us out with melting 90% of the ice off our metal roof. In any case, we now have some painting to do to cover up the unsightly water stains on the living room ceiling.

I have tried to combat the doldrums with knitting the Trellis Diamond Lace socks for my MIL. I've finally figured out the pattern and they are knitting up more quickly than before. However, my lovely little wild man put an end to their progress this morning when he decided to use my knitting bag as a step stool and promptly snapped 2 of my dpn's in half. Fortunately I haven't lost any of my work, just my working needles. So knitting has ground to a halt until I can replace my US#2's. I'm thinking, with my share of our tax return, it might behoove me to stock up on some knitting supplies from KnitPicks.com. I'm thinking about investing in their Harmony wood dpn set. Beautiful wood and 6 needles per size from 0-3. LOVE them!!! I'm also thinking about some of their Harmony wooden straights. The "Big Wish" is for the set of Options Interchangeable Harmony Wood Circulars. Also on my wish list, from a different vendor, is something I've been itching to try - a Hairpin Lace Loom. I saw an episode on Knitty Gritty and thought the hairpin lace strips were quite beautiful and very versatile. Anyway, enough of that.

I do have plans to knit my MIL a sweater vest for Christmas. I finally found the perfect pattern. I'm hoping to order my yarn soon and cast on. I know it's going to take a while to finish and I want to have it done well in advance of December. I want to allow enough time to produce the other gifts I'll be knitting up! Not to mention that darned never-ending hubby sweater that is languishing under my lamp stand in the living room! One of these days, I'll just cast all others aside and go to town on it! I'm hoping once I've correctly finished one sleeve I'll be motivated to quickly finish the other!

Well, I'm off...in lieu of the socks for my MIL I thought I'd cast on for a pair of wristwarmers if I can find the right yarn weight in my limited stash. I really need to start collecting again! Never enough yarn and n-e-v-e-r enough $$!!

Be well, stay safe and happy knitting!

Friday, February 6, 2009

Quickly Now, Before Hubby Gets Back...

Read this is super speed mode and you'll get the general idea! No FO's to report, in fact, I'm still working on the Trellis Diamond Socks from More Big Girl Knits by Jillian Moreno and Amy R. Singer. It's taken me freakin' *forever* to figure out how this simple chart could be applied to the number of cast on stitches. Since it's my first chart experience I wasn't aware that you just start knitting from the beginning - there is no insertion of the chart. I thought there were knit stitches around the chart pattern. It literally took me the better part of 8 hours to figure this sucker out. I ripped and re-ripped until the yarn was starting to fray. FINALLY, I got it. I had to walk away from this several times and apparently the last walk away was what I needed to finally figure it out. Now I'm only several pattern rows into the first sock and realizing it's going to take me awhile to make a pair. Rats! I really wanted to have these done for my MIL for Valentine's Day. They would be a perfect gift for her but at this rate I'll only have one sock done!

I've also got a sweater vest in the queue, also for my MIL. This will be her Christmas present if I can find the right yarn to knit it up with. I want something soft and luscious yet fairly reasonable in price. I don't want to break my rather limited bank. So I'm researching yarns and having loads of fun drooling over all the offerings! The vest pattern is originally from 1997's Knitting Digest Magazine, Vol 19, No 5, Pg 15. Would love to attach a pic but it's in a secured PDF and I can't copy it.

Well, hubby's back and I need to go relax with my Trellis sock!

Stay safe, be well and happy knitting!

Books on Tap for 2011

  • Knit Together - Debbie Macomber
  • Captured by Grace - Dr. David Jeremiah
  • Murder Most Foul - A Collection of Great Crime Stories
  • Fireproof - Eric Wilson
  • There's Something About Christmas - Debbie Macomber
  • Questioning Evangelism - Randy Newman
  • Murder Uncorked - Michele Scott
  • A Sacred Sorrow - Michael Card
  • Prayer: Does it Make any Difference? - Philip Yancey
  • Get Out of That Pit - Beth Moore

Books Read in 2011

  • What a Sista Should Do - Tiffany L. Warren
  • 90 Minutes in Heaven - Don Piper
  • Forgotten God - Francis Chan
  • The Purpose Driven Life - Rick Warren
  • Dead Reckoning - Charlaine Harris
  • Shadowfever - Karen Marie Moning
  • Chill Factor - Sandra Brown
  • Heaven Has a Blue Carpet - Sharon Niedzinski
  • Dreamfever - Karen Marie Moning
  • Wednesday Sisters - Meg Waite Clayton
  • Stealing Home - Sherryl Woods
  • Bound for Murder - Laura Childs
  • Bloodfever - Karen Marie Moning
  • Faefever - Karen Marie Moning
  • Darkfever - Karen Marie Moning
  • Under Her Skin - Susan Mallery
  • The Red Pyramid - Rick Riordan
  • No Wonder They Call Him Saviour - Max Lucado
  • I Still Dream About You - Fannie Flagg
  • I Am Number Four - Pittacus Lore
  • The Last Olympian - Rick Riordan
  • Spider Bones - Kathy Reichs
  • A Thread So Thin - Marie Bostwick
  • The Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan
  • The Search - Nora Roberts
  • The Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan
  • Wicked Appetite - Janet Evanovich
  • The Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan
  • Awakened - PC & Kristen Cast
  • The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan
  • Photo Finished - Larua Childs
  • Keepsake Crimes - Laura Childs
  • Sizzling Sixteen - Janet Evanovich
  • The Icing on the Cupcake - Jennifer Ross
  • Fleece Navidad - Maggie Sefton
  • Dyer Consequences - Maggie Sefton
  • The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree - Susan Wittig Albert
  • Heaven Has a Blue Carpet - Sharon Niedzinski
  • Dreamfever - Karen Marie Moning

Books Read in 2010

  • The Yada Yado Prayer Group - Netta Jackson
  • Silver Borne - Patricia Briggs
  • The Hole in Our Gospel - Richard Stearns
  • A Winter Marriage - Kerry Hardie
  • So Long, Insecurity - Beth Moore
  • Knit the Season - Kate Jacobs
  • Dead and Berried - Karen MacInerney
  • Murder on the Rocks - Karen MacInerney
  • where do i go - Netta Jackson
  • be sweet - diane hunt
  • The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
  • Raven - Allison Van Deipen
  • Push (Precious) - sapphire
  • Faces of the Gone - Brad Parks
  • The Lace Reader - Brunonia Barry
  • Burning Lamp - Amanda Quick
  • Fired Up - Jayne Ann Krentz
  • The School of Essential Ingredients - Erica Bauermeister
  • Matters Arising - Sarah Harrison
  • The Sheen on the Silk - Anne Perry
  • I Saw the Lord - Anne Graham Lotz
  • The Dangerous Protector - Janet Chapman
  • The Seduction of His Wife - Janet Chapman
  • Re-reading all the Tintin graphic novels - Herge
  • The Sugar Queen - Sarah Addison Allen
  • the last time i saw you - Elizabeth Berg
  • Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen
  • Wild Ride - Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer
  • Dead in the Family - Charlaine Harris
  • The Girl Who Chased the Moon - Sarah Addison Allen
  • Grave Secret - Charlaine Harris
  • Crawl Space - Sarah Graves
  • The Honey Thief - Elizabeth Graver
  • The Otherworldlies - Jennifer Anne Kogler
  • Saving CeeCee Honeycutt - Beth Hoffman
  • A Face at the Window - Sarah Graves
  • Draycott Eternal - Christina Skye
  • Shelter Mountain - Robin Carr
  • Virgin River - Robyn Carr
  • Death by Cashmere - Sally Goldenbaum
  • An Ice Cold Grave - Charlaine Harris
  • Grave Surprise - Charlaine Harris
  • Grave Sight - Charlaine Harris