B is for....

There were so many things I wanted to use for B and I finally decided to use them all. So B is for boys, books, and blog buddies. All have shaped my life in some way.
Books have been a part of my life since I can remember. I moved alot during my childhood and books always allowed me to escape and find friends. They also have been a shared passion with my father, as well as some very good (real...hehe) friends. Books are everywhere in my house and are well loved by my sons too. Reading books together is a favorite activity here and hearing them read to me is something that makes my heart 'warm'. (a new expression here in our house. Used to describe how I make Q feel inside. Awww.)
Boys are a constant learning experience for me. Having sons is a true blessing, but also often a state of complete confusion for me. I love raising them and we often discuss the fact that 'boys just need to do these things'. They love teaching me how boys are different than girls and I try hard to allow them to be who they need to be.
Blog buddies are new to me. In the past year as my health struggles have limited what I can do, I have loved still connecting with people. I can start each day catching up on (with?) my buddies, while still in my jammies drinking my coffee. And experiences like yesterday can brighten my day: I came home from a long, icky day at work (I love my job, but unforeseen circumstances/people can make something fun into something not fun), and was greeted by a package from Jessica. Inside were these great knitting notecards and some stitchmarkers she made just for me. See? Blogging buddies are the best.
Pictures show: my fun gifts from Jessica, the 3 books I'm currently reading, and my 2 sons along with my adorable and also very boyish nephew.

Happy New Year!!

In honor of my favorite sister-in-law (ok, she's my only sister-in-law), Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Some fun activities to add to the celebration: color a picture (a big hit with M), wordsearches (M & I are addicted to these), discover some Chinese inventions, or maybe a puzzle? And Q's favorite: music.

Z, we hope you are having a great celebration! We (M, Q, and me) all love you and are so happy you are part of my family. We really wish we were there to enjoy the food that I'm sure you cooked today!

Sock fixing

Once upon a time, a little boy (who we will call M) wore holes in his socks. M waited and waited for his mother to fix them. She was quite slow, it seems that she enjoyed knitting the socks more than fixing
them.
So one day M told her how much he missed wearing the socks. M's mother knew the time had come and sat down to do the simple fix job. (she giggled a little when she realized that all the holes were on the left heel.)
And before M could finish playing, his mother brought him the finished socks. But being the silly Mommy that she is, she only took pictures of the sock to which she had lost the matching yarn. M didn't care, he was already off wearing all the socks at once.

Special Pal

Look what came!! A package from my secret pal! When I saw the package with pink flowers on it, my heart stopped. Could it be?
I tore open the package and found more pink...hehe.
My pal did an awesome 'rush' job, as she called it. She (am I right to assume she's a she?) send 4 skeins of Coats mercerized cotton (2 blue, 2 pink), 2 skeins of Cascade Fixation (pink), 2 wonderful smelling 100% soy candles, and a CD she made for me with different sock patterns and a market bag pattern.
I'm so completely impressed with the CD! She even put an original label that says 'Secret Pal 7 Patterns'. (Can you see it in the picture?) And Q just gave me this cute little candle holder that needed a candle. How did my SP know? The candle smells very, very yummy. I am also seriously wanting to cast on for the market bag right now. The blue and the pink will look so cool together.
Thank you Secret Pal!! I love it all. Although I think my favorite was the letter you included. What fun to allow me to get to know you better!

Christmas #3

Another Christmas installment! These are my big brother's socks. And now while looking at all the pictures, I realize you can't really see the socks, just our goofiness. They are knit from Lorna's Laces 'Fall Flight', which also happen to match the University of MN colors where my brother got his masters.
While I've knit many socks for various people, my brother was the first to actually wear holes into his pair. Granted they were knit from woolease on bigger needles, but still a compliment in my eyes.
Perhaps because every knitter worries if the recipient will value their time and thought that went into the knit, if the recipient will actually really wear the knitted piece, or maybe it was just a compliment because I have never known what to give my brother. (I am not one of those people gifted with the 'that is the perfect gift for so-and-so' knowledge). So, from now on I will gift my brother with socks. And in making this statement, I bet it will be really hard for him to figure out what he is getting for his upcoming birthday....hehe.
In the pictures you can see my brother and Z showing off his new socks (and her non-knitted socks, which will soon be fixed with the most perfect socks...hehe), Z taking a picture of his socks and her resulting picture.

Sock buddies

Remember my saturday night fun sock? The sock that brought fun colors between my Christmas knitting? I finished the pair soon after Christmas and wore them on New Years Day. Which meant that I wore a new pair of handknitted sock to end and start the year(s). Perhaps a new tradition?
The socks were knit from Regia yarn (my Christmas gift from my knitting buddy Maureen); magic-loop style; toe-up using size 1 Addi's; using the Thuja pattern from Knitty. Well, actually the idea of the pattern, I still went with my normal stitches, toe & heel. The pattern was a fun and easy way to spice up sock knitting. The picture above shows my sock next to Maureen's sock. (aren't they cute?)
And here are the socks right by the pillow my mother made me for Christmas. The fabric shows different spots in the US, depicting one of my desires to travel more.
I also hope to start posting more now. My laptop is off getting fixed and I finally got the kids computer to work for me. I've still got Christmas knitting to post about! Plus more finished socks. Eventually perhaps I'll get around to knitting something besides socks this year. My brain just seems to be stuck.

Ugh!

Apparently it amuses a certain someone to mess with my blog. So please excuse this annoyance!

SP7 Questionnaire

I'm very excited to finally be a part of Secret Pal. So here goes my questions:

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? No, I don't think I'm a yarn snob. How the yarn feels and wears is more important to me.

2. Do you spin? Crochet? I don't spin. I can crochet a little bit, but so far have only used it to add to my knitting.

3. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I keep them in their original package (if possible) and then keep the circulars & double-points in 2 different boxes/containers. My single points (which I haven't used in a long time, I use my circulars for everything now) are in a cute basket being used more or less as decoration.

4. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I have been knitting since gradeschool, so 20+ years. I did take a knitting break during those fun teen years. My skill level is probably advanced?

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? No, might change this soon though.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.) I'm not sure I have a favorite, but vanilla and any of those baked goods are yummy.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? I have a sweet tooth, but don't indulge often. My favorite is gummy bears and marzipan. Chocolate is a given, right?

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? At the moment none. I did cross-stitch before I had kids and someday will get back into it. I guess I do alot of various little crafts with my youngest son too.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I listen to alot of Christian music. Caedmon's Call, DC Talk, Michael W. Smith, many more. I'm also a huge jazz fan and love Frank Sinatra & the Beatles.And I can play MP3s.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand? My favorite color is pink, although I wear alot of blues & browns. And at the moment orange and purple are catching my eye alot. I don't think there are any colors I don't like.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I've got 2 sons (7 & almost 9) and 2 cats at home with me. (I've been divorced 6+ years).

12. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? I wear mittens & a cowl right now. I do wear scarfs too; hats occasionally, and once it starts warming up a bit I love wearing ponchos.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? There are alot of yarns that I have enjoyed knitting with. My big thing is softness. Lorna's Laces is a favorite for socks.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I'm a little tired of fun fur and scratchy novelty yarn, although they have there times.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s? Umm, socks? I always have socks on the needles. In the back of my mind are planning the cardigans I want to start for my sons sometime soon.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Socks, they are easy and I can knit them without looking or really paying attention.

17. What are you knitting right now? Socks for my knitting buddy (almost done). I have other things I want to knit, but I have to finish up other gift knits first.

18. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? I love it!

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Circular needles

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I think it depends on the project and the needles.

21. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? No, not yet.

22. How did you learn to knit? In gradeschool in Germany. Taught by a very scary teacher in the basement of the school. My mother thought I would never comprehend how to knit and every once in awhile remarks how she wishes that teacher could see me now.

23. How old is your oldest UFO? Oh my goodness, 10 years? I have a sweater I started for my now 10 year old niece. Probably won't fit her now?

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird? My favorite animated character remains Biene Maja (from Germany).

25. What is your favorite holiday? Valentines Day. I love going into the stores and seeing pink everywhere.

26. Is there anything that you collect? Stuff from Germany & Austria; Paris things for my kitchen; knitting-related stuff. My sons collect nutcrackers and monopoly-related things.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? At the moment none. (used to have one to Interweave Knits).

28. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks & Folk Socks. And I'm very much wanting to finally own a Rowan magazine. I've been drooling over the Rowan Felted Tweed in the Cocoa color for a couple of months now. It looks perfect for a shrug, but my LYS only has 2 left. Also Debbie Bliss' Junior Knits.

29. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? Learn how to knit cardigans top-down.

30. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? I am a sock knitter! I wear a size 9 1/2- 10 shoe.

31. When is your birthday? (mm/dd) June 21st, the first day of summer.

A is for Anne

Schaefer Anne that is. After Christmas I knit myself a pair of yummy, yummy socks made from the Schaefer Anne yarn I've had in my stash for awhile. Then I wore them on New Years Eve, welcoming 2006 in style:

This yarn is so soft. I debated for awhile whether to knit a shawl or socks with this yarn and I'm glad I choose the socks. They are knit on size 1 needles; magic-loop style; toe-up; 64 stitches.
And they are the perfect way to start the ABC along. Now if only my computer would quit acting up. How is it that a not even 2 year old computer can already be having major, major problems?