Surprise - Baby Surprise Jacket!

Don't get excited...there's no baby - at least not for me personally. Yes - those days are g-o-n-e - at least for me personally.
Anyway, tonight I was snooping around in my knitting closet & I found a storage bin shoved
way - way - way in the back. Here's what I found in the bin. It's a half finished Baby Surprise Jacket - ACK!
Here's a question - when did I start knitting this? I think I remember...but I'm ashamed to say that the intended recipient - the cute little "baby" girl just registered for Kindergarten tonight! Or maybe it was 4 years ago when her sister was born. Well, I'm going to frog the whole thing & maybe start over. The yarn is Lion Brand Microfiber - it's very soft but seems to split a bit...I think I remember now...
Here's another question - Why did I STOP knitting it? Hmmm...can't quite bring up anything on that subject....I wonder what else is lurking in the back of my yarn closet? I think that adventure will just have to wait for another day because this one is OVER for me. Good nite & I hope you dream about lots of yarn & finished projects...not ones that lurk.

Status Bars wanted

I want status bars & can't get them to work - I've read the directions - still not working. Poop Here's a photo to make us all feel better - Goofy boys!

New photos - old camera

Well, I found my OLD digital camera - the Olympus. It still works! I had lost the cable to connect it to the computer, but it doesn't matter because this computer has several card readers. Just pop that little card into the right slot & ZZIIIIIIIIIIIPPPP - there are your photos!

So - here's a spring sunrise:

I love how greeen and lacy everything looks!

....and here is the greeness creeping up the mountain, although it's better to see it in person (here's where I could insert a sound clip from Copland's Appalachian Spring!)

Now for the new knitting stuff - I tinked back my shawl TWO rows (poop) and think I found my mistake. This afternoon I'll start again - now purling row 198 for the umpteenth time. THe shawl is too big now to spread out on the needles for a photo, but here's what it looks like in a lump...
I can't wait to see it spread out & blocked! I'm getting clues for Renee Leverington's MS8 and her Spring Mystery Shawl - but I will not start them until I finish writing up my Action Research project.

...and here's some more lovlieness - Zephry Wool-Silk in Curry.

I bought this while daydreaming about Anne Hanson's Honeybee

Stole. I actually purchased the pattern - so did Janice. It's really

hard! Maybe we could work on it together, so I wouldn't get too

discouraged!

This is the Regia Bamboo for the baby Surprise Jacket

that's due in August.

...and this is the Hempathy & beads for a small shawl I saw in Interweave Knits - I have to figure out the placement of the beads though...I'll need help on that one!

So much new yummy yarn - so little time to play with it. I'll keep sneaking in minutes and get stuff finished eventually. I'm glad it's not a race!

Too Much of All the Rest

Whoa - it's the middle of April. I have not posted anything for almost a month. Here's my excuse: my camera is broken - something's wrong with the screen. There's a recall, but I can't take any new photos to post - I really like the picture part! (I'll root around Flickr & see if I can find something to add!)

Halloween's picture is my new Ravatar on Ravelry..well, that's not really big news, but here he is.

Here's an update of all of my incomplete knitting projects. There's not much going on because I'm TOO-TOO busy. Poop.

• I've been fighting with row 201 of MS7 for about a week - maybe two - I've been way too busy with work & grad school to sit down & hunt for the mistake. But the good news is, I only have about 12 more rows to go! I can't wait to see it blocked - it will be my first lace shawl...I'm thinking of giving it as a gift...more on that later
• DH's socks - I have them divided to knit the heels flaps

During my Spring Break visit to Knitting Sisters in Williamsburg, I bought some really yummy looking Hempathy & beads & also some more bead to go with the Claudia Hand Paint Silks I already had......AND some Regia Bamboo for a Baby Surprise Jacket that's due by August.

I also bought some more of this Tonalita by Trensdsetter - now I have enough to make the short row shawl - the one on the cover of the little Vogue Shawl book.

I'd love to take photos of the vivid greeness creeping up the mountains - the bright lavender of the red bud & the lacy whiteness of the dogwood...maybe I can fish out the OLD camera & try with that...stay tuned for an update on spring!

Knitting sickness

Yeah, yeah, you are right. I am a terrible SICK person. I don't usually get sick, so if I ever do, I WHINE a lot. Sorry. I have too much to do to continue being sick. I had resolved to kick this by today, but so far that idea has not worked out.

Here's what I've been doing with my sick self - I finished fighting with CLue 3 of the Mystery Shawl #7. Looks like I won this round. (this whole shawl thing is absolutely addicting... I think it's become part of my sickness - can't get well until I finish the shawl!)(oh, dear)

Here's what it looks like at this stage.

The yummy Butter Pecan Claudia Hand Paint Silk I ordered from Knitty-Noddy arrived - boy was that fast shipping all the way from Oregon! I can't wait to play with it, but WILL NOT start anything new until I get a better grip on my final graduate project....and I MEAN IT!

Anyway, here's what it looks like. I can't wait to knit something up with it - it's SO very lucious & soft!

Now I'm off to the grocery store to be a good mommy & buy Easter goodies for our boys whoare really TOO BIG for Easter goodies . I'll have to do it in stages: buy the candy, rest in the car; cruise through BenFranklin, rest in the car; buy Easter lunch groceries, rest in the car...it must be done & I hope the plan works & that the bathrooms in Ben Franklins are clean as usual!

On a sad note, my Aunt Joyce died unexpectedly on Thursday. She & my Mom were good buddies...must have been having daughters of similair ages that made them closer. I would play with my couins almost every weekend. She was one of the last living relatives a had of my mother's generation. I'm very sad that she's gone, but glad that she did not suffer. May she rest in God's eternal peace - Amen.

The Challenge of Sitting Upright

Well - it's happened. I finally managed to catch something from one of my dear little students. I've been in bed since yesterday. Today's challenge is to sit upright for more than 5 minutes without getting dizzy. I won't go into the rest of the gory details. Kim is bringing me won ton soup. It's the only thing that's appealed to me in the past 24 hours. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Knitting update:

I finished Lori's Prayer Shawl & gave it to her at school on Monday. Look how happy she is:

I'm still plugging away at the Mystery Shawl from Goddess Knits. I've ordered some more yummy lace-type yarn from Knitty-Noddy - Claudia Hand Paint Silks in Butter Pecan. I think that will be for another Goddess Knit Shawl. I also ordered some Madil Kid Seta from kaleidoscope yarns. I think it will be Renee Leverington's Spring Garden shawl.

Here it is:

Everthing else is on hold right now. We're heading out to the beach soon. I got the name of a yarn shop on the OBX from another knitter on Ravelry. It's called Knitting Addiction. I plan to stop in & check it out! Gotta love that Ravelry!

It feels like it's time to take a nap. Mayeb I'll dream about more yarn....zzzz.

Lazy Saturday

Whoa - where have I been? I've been a busy grad student, that's where. Debbie R & I have been working - working - working on a project that's due next week (!). I have to write it up later on today. There's been no time to post anything OR to knit, so I'm taking advantage of this rainy, windy Saturday to knit & post.

All the boys are off to the Nelson State Final A Boys' Basketball game & I've been trying to finish Clue #2 of the GoddessKnits Mystery Shawl. It's really cool so far - here's what it looks like:Tonight we're going to J & K's for dinner, so I'll get J to explain blocking to me. I hope the gauge looks alright - I've never made a lacey shawl before.
So this morning, I knitted & played on Ravelry. I created a group called Cindy Knitters. It's for knitters/crafters named Cindy. All this grad school stuff causes me to wonder about things - ahhh, reflection....and I started the group to find out 1. How many Cindys are really named Cynthia 2. How they spell Cindy 3. If they use Cindy or Cynthia as a professional name 4. Common Cindy-like traits...etc... Cindy L. & I are moderators. So far, since this morning, we have 9 members! Pretty cool, huh? Here's our badge:

So, this morningit was POURING down rain & now it's very windy...blowing all the rain clouds aways, I guess. There's actully a high wind warning out.

Here's what it looks like out my back window:

And my front window:

.....and here's what White Socks has decided to do on this rainy, windy day....and I'm going to join him, although I'll be knitting, not snoozing - at least not right away!