Update Sunday

I've changed to the new blogger. Let's see what issues pop up here. I was planning to move to the free word press blog, but have found it to be very frustrating in terms of posting. Pictures haven't been a problem, but many of my post disappear after I hit the publish button. I'm already tired of writing my posts twice with a 50/50 chance of going to the land of lost posts. Blogging used to be so easy! For now, I'll put my effort in here and hope for the best.

Just when I think I'm healthy and had my share of flu bugs, I'm on the injured list. I hurt my knee a few weeks ago and it seemed no big deal at the time. Now it's back with a vengeance. I finally got an M.D. appointment on Friday. Her thinking is that it's a bad tendinitis (my ankle and leg hurt too) due to possible compensation in my walking when my knee was injured. In my opinion today (Sunday), it's a lot more than tendinitis (practicing without out a license). I went for the x-ray she ordered on Saturday. Walking toward the hospital, my knee gave in and I felt a horrendous pain. At that point, I think I invented a few never before heard curse words! The x-ray was taken and I was sent on my merry way. I'm on 800mg of Rx ibuprofen 3 x a day until I hear from my M.D. I think maybe I'll go to bed until 2008 and see if that's going to be any better. I hurt my knee bending down to floor level and leaning way in the back of the shelf to get a bottle of Arizona brand of diet green ice tea. My sister once said: "I wouldn't care if I weighed 1,000 lbs I'd never drink any diet drinks" I'm beginning to see that diet drinks can be hazardous to your health! I'm going to try to settle down and knit to take my mind off of my knee.

Speaking of knitting, I'm finally near the end of knitting the second self striping sock. My plan is to start the 2 socks on 1 needle (magic loop) for the KAL that's going on with the "For the love of socks "yahoo group. It ends the last day in February, so I'd better get started. One of the women in the group is nursing us through this technique for knitting socks. We have a pattern that spells it all out with colored notes and everything. Plus links to other tutorials. It's nice because everyone has similar questions and gets stuck in the same places, our host is good at explaining how to get past these issues. So, maybe at the end of the KAL, I'll have learned something new for 2007!

I finished my swatch for Beadwork and will be casting on for the actual sweater. I'm doing the this gansey style sweater as written . Other's in the KAL are doing it as a pullover, pullover top down or modifying it in other ways. It's been interesting to learn new info about sweater construction and making modifications.

Lastly, I don't know if I mentioned it in a previous post, but I've signed on for Project Spectrum.

I'm telling you folks, I'm a glutton for punishment! 8-)

Update Sunday

One of my goals for 2007 was to post more frequently. Well that went out the window when I started 2007 with a particularly nasty bug. It' one of those that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy! It started on 12/28/06 and I'm finally feeling human this weekend. I haven't had any real enthusiasm for knitting the last couple of weeks. I've frequently read blogs and knitters commented on how they use sick time to knit. I don't know how you do it and I give you props!!! When I'm sick, I'm down for the count! Now that I am feeling better, here are some updates on projects and other knitting trouble I get myself into!


This round of secret pal is almost over. I have one more package to send to my spoilee. Her birthday is this month and I'm trying to coincide her package with special day. As you probably guessed, it will be birthday themed. It's been a lot of fun shopping for her. In fact, her blog was one of the first I read before starting my own blog! When this round of Secret Pal ends on the 31st so will my future participation, at least for a while...thoughts on past and present SP exchanges later.


1. I am getting my charts ready (enlarging, arranging etc.) to start working on the Maltese shawl (VLT) and the dragon shawl.

2. Self striping socks - One is finished and I'm working to complete the second sock. These socks are a hold-over from 12/06

3. I'm working on the back of beadwork doing the bottom border. I'll have progress pictures when I get a little more done.

Well that's it for current projects, but I'd feel as if I were slacking without a couple of other knitting activities to add...

Magic Loop - I belong to a yahoo group called "The love of socks" Instead of the usual knit-a-long pattern, a magic loop tutorial/workshop is being done to help people learn ML a little bit at a time. So, of course I joined that!!!

Last, but not least I signed up for Project Spectrum (need new button). Well, that's it for updates. Hope everyone is up to their ears in knitting and having fun! Have a great week and get knitting!

Where's the snow...Just kidding!

Patty, my hostess for this round of Secret Pal 9 has one last contest for us. We have to tell why we like and/or don't like snow. So, here it goes:
Reasons I like Snow:
1. I loved waking up to snow as a kid and knowing it meant a day home from school.
2. It's beautiful to see it on blanket the outside
3. The whiteness of the snow and the fact no two snowflakes are alike.
4. Snows texture and sound: It can be fluffy, crunchy, cold, light enough to blow it around.
5. The way it sits on my eyelashes
6. Snow Angels and snowmen
7. Snowball fights and making snow forts
8. Seeing bird and animal footprints in the snow
9. Skating on a pond while the snow swirls around me

Reasons I hate Snow

1. As an adult waking up to snow and thinking "Damn, I gotta go to work in this crap!" and no snow days!!!
2. Its beautiful until it gets dirty and yellow (yuck)!
3. It's terrible to drive in...Icy roads, crazy drivers,and whiteouts
4. Brushing that crunchy or heavy wet snow off the car and try to get into the block of ice, so I can start the car!
5. Still like the way it sits on my eyelashes!
6. Snow is now a health hazard. At my age, If make a snow angel, people will think "She's fallen ,call 911...Hope she didn't break a hip"
7. Adults who make snow angels and snowmen must be accompanied by a child.
8. Still nuts about nature!!
9. No time for skating and swirling snow. Gotta shovel the damn stuff..Oh my aching back!

So far, Most of New England has been devoid of snow. I feel for all you skiers out there, but...

whacked out royalty

I think this flu has finally put me over the edge! I put my name into a box and voila I'm royalty!

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Her Most Serene Highness Lady Wendy the Perplexed of Longer Interval Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Knitting 2007

Happy New Year everyone! I'm already planning this years knits. I've entered 2007 with 3 works in progress...Not bad. A pair of self-striping socks. I have Chris from www.stumblingoverchaos.com for sending me to some nice tutorials on short rows with wraps. Otherwise, I'd have ripped the sock apart and moved on to the next sock project. I like short rows and seeing the shaping it produces, but I hate the wraps! I've done socks in short rows without wraps and love it. However, I felt I needed to persevere and learn to do this for future projects. The tutorials were great and the first sock looks great and the heel fits well. I'll have a picture when I finish the pair. I'm still working on Beadwork and I have a shrug to finish. I joined the STR club last year and received the last pattern as well as a certificate. I have to say the last sock pattern and yarn are my favorite of all the patterns. The color is called "mustang sally and it's beautiful. My camera doesn't do it justice!
It's a beautiful blend of shades of red. The sock is beaded and patterned after a Victorian boot. Difficult to imagine, but I will post pictures because I'll definitely be making these socks. We also got bonus yarn because a batch did not turn out as expected. I have to say if this yarn was in error, keep making mistakes! It's called rare gems and no two hanks are exactly alike. I did sign up for the 2007 club back in October, but I'll make the final decision when I get the invoice because I already have a lot of socks to make!

I want to share some of the projects I've got lined up for 2007. I am definitely doing the Knit from your stash (see previous posts). Let's see if I can last until September (LOL).

I've joined the Victorian Lace Today KAL and had to decide on a project from the book and get my Yarn. This KAL starts this week. Here is a picture of the yarn and the pattern I've chosen.
Maltese Shawl I'll be using Jaggerspun Zephyr lace weight yarn in Jade

The next project I've been thinking about since the summer is the Heere Be Dragone. I joined the Kal, but couldn't decide on the yarn or the color. Well, I finally decided on both and here is a picture:
Amazing, huh? This pattern was created by Sharon Winsauer of www.Alpacawithatwist.com.

Well that's it for planned projects, thus far. I got some yarn for Christmas. My family knows me well. It's 100 percent DK weight cashmere in deep sable. It's 200 yards a hank and I have 4 hanks. That's 800 yards of soft, beautiful yarn. Now, I just have to decide what make with it!!! Any ideas?
. I don't have a lot of brown yarn and I like the deep shades of brown.

I've spent the last 2 1/2 days on my couch with the flu. It hit me like a ton of bricks on Friday morning and I've been prone since. I actually did work on my sock last night and am feeling much better today. It's raining here and is supposed to rain all day. I'm going to spend it on the couch knitting and watching my most favorite actor in the world! Knitting and watching movies go together...So,Its a good day for a knitting marathon and my own Ewan Mcgregor film festival. I leave you with a bit of Scot goodness:
Anyone else a fan of his work. Got a favorite movie? Let me know!

Happy Knitting in 2007!