Happy Happy Happy Wednesday!  I am SOOOOOOOO excited to be writing this post.  Why am I so excited you ask?

I FINISHED VIAJANTE!!!!!!!  This is by far the largest project I have done to date and I could not be more thrilled about it!  Now I am ready to tackle just about any project......well, maybe not, but I feel like I am!

Before Blocking:

During Blocking:

Modeled by my bff, Darlene:

Yup....what a relief to have that done (I am sure you guys are tired of reading about it too!).

What else have I been up to?  Well, I finished the reverse pinwheel blanket for Alexxis.....I was going to block it last night but my grandson, Antonio, wanted way too much of Ga-Ma's time.....so here it is unblocked:

Now I just need to get with it on my gloves for me Inskein Yarns KAL:

I hope to finish these tomorrow.....because I have lots in the works......

1.  There is a sweater KAL going on with the MustStashPostcast (Great Podcast by the way....I have meet both of the girls that do this podcast and they are super sweet...they also hostess an SNB in San Antonio in the North Central area), and I told myself I had too much going on...but I was reading thru the sweater KAL forum the other day and a cute sweater caught my attention, when I looked at the ravelry page for the cute sweater, I found another sweater KAL going on called Trappings and Trinkets sweater along.....and once there the words "Sock Monkey" jumped out at me and I decided I have to make this cute sweater for Antonio!  I will partake in both of the KAL's which means I need to have it done by end of June....yikes!

This sweater is just what the dr ordered to match Antonio's new Backpack:

2.  Camp Loopy Starts this Saturday....I will be writing my own sock pattern for this, so keep your eyes out for a new pattern soon.

3.  My SNB is doing a KAL for June, July, Aug....we try to do quarterly KAL's just to keep things fun.  We will be doing the Deep Purple Cresent Shawl.  This also starts Saturday...I have two different colorways I want to do this shawl in....Malabrigo's Piedras colorway

Or Madeline Tosh's Stephen Loves Tosh colorway

I have enough in these two yarns to make 4 shawls total (2 of each color)...so if I am digging the pattern, these just might be Christmas Presents for a select few people.

3.  Tour De Sock.....what is this you ask?  I had no clue till yesterday......people were talking about it in the camp loopy thread so I went here to read all about it....it seems like a fun thing to do and also raise some money for a great cause!  This also starts Saturday....so I have a lot starting this Saturday.  I am taking Friday off to get some things organized in my yarn room and to do some cleaning (I will not be able to do any cleaning once I start all these projects....LOL).


Do you remember when I went to WHIBSIB (the greatest knitting retreat in the world)?  I saw a fellow knit sister that had this cute basket that said "Yarn Addict"  I go the name of the lady that did the basket and I contacted her to see if she could make me a custom one....she said yes and I ordered it...well, I got it today and I LOVE IT!!!!  I will be ordering another one....just need to decide if I want another small one or if I want to splurge on a bigger one.  Isn't it the cutest ever?  Link to get one is below....and if you get one....Please, Please, Please tell her I (Carrie Ramirez) referred you!!!!

Here is her website if you are interested in a custom basket...I think it is the cutest ever!!!!  You can go to "Yarn Alley" and then "Totes and Bag Samples".....

Well whew.....that was a lot, but I have not written in over a week...I promise to try to be better (I just really wanted to get that Viajante finished and it consumed my time)!

Do you get buy with a little help from your friends?  What about your yarn?  Here is my cute pic for this post (besides the basket of course)!

I also hope everyone had a great Memorial Day....A great bit "Thank You" to all that serve our great country!!!

Happy Happy Knitting and Happy Happy Wednesday!!!

Happy Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend.  I had a very relaxing one, with lots of knitting.

Last week, I told you guys how I was a bit behind on my Viajante and hoped to get caught up this weekend.....well, I did!  I was at 108.5 grams last Wednesday, and today I am at 59.5 grams....that is 49 grams I was able to knit since then.  Yippee!!  I actually started the lace section!

I also got to Chart B of the Leaves of Grass shawl!  I am really enjoying this pattern:

Lastly, I got a little farther on one of the mitts for the Inskein KAL.  I am planning on going to the Asylum (knitting night) tonight, but not sure what I am going to work on.

For my picture today, I wanted to share something from one of my LSSK sisters.....it is a chart to decide whether or not you need to buy yarn.....Enjoy!!!!!

Happy Happy Knitting and Happy Happy Monday!

Happy Happy Wednesday to everyone.  I know last week I said I would try to post more, but time just got away from me and here I am a week later, finally getting to post.

I hope everyone had a fabulous Mother's Day.  My daughter got me a gift card, chocolate, gummy bears, and a dozen gorgeous roses....not only did she get me a dozen, but she got a dozen for my mom and my sister.....I am super proud of the young woman/mother she is becoming:

Before I get to everything I am knitting and everything I started.....There is a new really cool pattern out there called Merge....I know this is in my near future....now I just need to find the right colors to make it with!  I did not want to steal the picture from the designer...so please click the word "Merge" and it will take you to the pictures!

This past weekend I went to Jaime's niece's graduation....it was nice.  I took my Viajante to knit on.  The coliseum we were in was pretty cold and we had a vent right above us....so as I knit on Viajante, Jaime put the already knitted part on his legs (he was wearing shorts), so the knitting came in really handy!

I am a little behind on the Viajante.  I realized that today is the deadline for the Knit Purl Hunter KAL where we made Ridgely, so I needed to get my knitting needles a going on that to get it finished....which pushed off some of my Viajante knitting.  I would need to knit 19.5 grams tonight to get all caught up (which will probably not happen) but I am hoping to catch up this weekend....maybe even start the lace part).  Here it is so far.

Now to the Ridgley I neeeded to get done......well, I knit till 11:45 pm (which is SUPER LATE FOR ME) and I finished....I let it block over night.

I also started the fingerless mitts KAL that I am doing for my LYS (Inskein Yarns)......I changed up the cast on.  The pattern says to cast on, knit 4 rows, then do a row of k2tog, yo, then knit 4 more rows (same thing at the end of glove)...Once glove is done, you fold the knitting at the k2tog, yo row and seam it to form the picot edging. Well, for the start, I decided to do a provisional cast on (video here), knit 4 rows, knit the k2tog, yo row, knit 3 rows, and on the 4th row, I took one stitch from the 4th row, and one from the provisional cast on and did a k2tog all around so the picot edging is already done.  Now, for the bind off, I will do it the way the pattern states.  But this is just one less thing to seam up.

Here is the very start of each....not much, but at least started!

I also started one more new project....Yes, I know I am crazy, but I just could not help it.  One of my BFF's (Darlene) texted me on Saturday stating she wanted to knit a certain shawl.  It is Jared Flood's Leaves of Grass Shawl....it takes 1375 yards.  She did a lot of research on the pattern (sometimes she picks some doosey patterns that are really hard) and a lot of the notes said it was a pretty easy shawl except for the cast one.  It calls for a circular cast one.  I have never done one, but I think I did pretty good (I did have to re-start a couple of times).  Darlene had bought me some beautiful Wollmeise Lace yarn in colorway Wasabi last year and I have been dying to make something with it....well, now I have the perfect pattern for it.  Here is the start of it (it will sit on back burner till Viajante is done....but I had to get it started)....Darlene is also knitting this pattern in her Wollmeise Lace in colorway Lila Ludmilla.

Guess what else happened this week?  It is time for CAMP LOOPY 2013!  I am SUPER EXCITED!  This week is "Camp Loopy Store Week" so I got 20% off some Desert Vista DyeworksViso in Colorway Spumani.

This first project challenge is any pattern that uses one skein of yarn at least 375 yards.  I have been wanting to write my own pattern for a toe up socks with an afterthought heel.  I know there are some patterns out there but they are cuff down.  So I think I will just write one up, test knit it myself (along with Darlene) and then I will probably post the pattern here.  With an Afterthought Heel, I will be able to use up a lot of this awesome self striping yarn (very little going to stash left overs).  Camp Loopy Here I come!!!

I hope to get a lot of knitting done this weekend as Jaime will be going on his bi-annual motorcycle ride on his Harley to New Mexico with a bunch of his buddies.

This week has been crazy (and it is only Wednesday) and sometimes I wish I could just knit all day.  I do love my job, but sometimes this is how I feel........

Happy Happy Knitting, and Happy Happy Wednesday!  Have a great week!!

PS.....Go Spurs Go.....we won game 5 last night (remember, I was up late) and I hope we take game 6 tomorrow night, but I also hope I am not up late enough to watch it!

Happy Happy Wednesday!!  Well, she is here!  Alexxis Maranda Ramirez was born yesterday, May 7th at 4:04 pm.  She weighed 6 lbs 9 oz.  Mom, Dad and baby are all fine!

I was able to finish her baby blanket just in time....it is pretty bright:

I forgot to mention in my last post from Monday that I got some gift baskets while I was at WHIBIB in Buda....there was a benefit for Kerri, she worked at Happy Ewe in Jonestown and passed away April 26th.  My bids won for 3 baskets at the silent auction.  A wine basket, a bath basket, and a sweater basket.  I am planning on using these as prizes for a few KAL's with my SNB group....but it is tempting to keep them (or some of them) to myself!!!  Actually, while at WHIBSIB, I started using the stitch markers from the sweater basket and I really like them, so there is at least one item that I am keeping.....LOL.

I also had two more surprises at WHIBSIB, Jamye gave me package of pasta salad to make...but not just any pasta salad.....LONGHORN Pasta Salad.  I LOVE IT.  I have not cooked it yet, but I cannot wait to....it will be yummy!  Thank you Jamye!!

Joan, our matriarch of the group, made some tatted earrings in ORANGE!  I love them so much, I wore them on Saturday....here is a picture of me wearing them.  Thank you Joan!!!

Speaking of Joan, she has a lot of knitting machines, so I bugged her and asked her if I could come over to her house sometime and she could show me how to use my knitting machine.....She said yes, so that is in my near future (don't you just love how I invited myself over to her place?)!  She is the greatest!!!

I think that is all for today.....A lot of the LSSK gals have been sending traffic to my blog and I thanked them for it...I told them how excited I was that a few people actually read my blog (thank you everyone!).  One lady suggested that I post more often, so I am going to try to do that....I am afraid my life is just usually not that exciting, but it is full of knitting, so if nothing else, you get to journey with me as I knit!

Here is my cute picture that I will close with today.  I found it on FB and it said something along the lines of "Just when I thought I had seen it all.  Popeye knitting on the Subway".  Well to that I say, "Knit on Popeye, Knit on!!!!"

Happy Happy Knitting and Happy Happy Wednesday to everyone!

Happy Happy Monday....boy am I tired!  Mondays are always yuck, but this one is dragging!

This past weekend I went to a knitting retreat called WHIBSIB....I know I have mentioned it (a time or two) and it is my favorite weekend of the year!  Lots of knitting and gabbing with the greatest group of knitters from all around the great state of Texas!

One of the ladies (Shama) has been working on a Dr. Who blanket for her youngest son for over a year and she finished it and brought it to show everyone....it is much more stunning in person.

When we have WHIBSIB we all meet up in a conference room.  This year we had to pay some $ for that conference room and we decided to recoup that money by having a raffle.  We did not know what the prize was till early Saturday morning when Sue came with the donations from The Knitting Nest in Austin....there were two beautiful skeins of a perfect Burnt Orange color.....I was in charge of selling the tickets, so as I sold the tickets I told everyone, "It does not matter who wins the raffle, that perfect orange yarn is going home with me!".  As I was selling the tickets, I would give each lady their portion of the ticket with the number and I would write their name on the ticket part that went into the 'bag' for the drawing......right before the drawing I said, "I wrote names on all the tickets", and another lady teased, "But did you write your name on all the tickets or the name of the person buying the ticket?" and I of course teased that I wrote my name on all the tickets......can you guess who won the raffle?

Yup!  I won......and I did not put my name on all the tickets....I had my ticket number as proof (see the blue tickets in the background).....but it was so funny when my name was drawn.  Here is a better picture of the winnings....The turquoise bag was purchased by our leader (the head of the group) and is absolutely gorgeous and a perfect size for me, the burnt orange yarn is Abuelita Yarns, fingering, 3ply, 100% merino.  There is 420 yards per skein....I have already started looking for the perfect pattern this yarn wants to be! there is a Simply Baby book by Debbie Bliss, a hand sewn knitting bag...this was hand sewn by one of the ladies in our group....with a full set of size 14" straight knitting needles, and some fun yarn with fur and ribbon (also in an orange)......it is an awesome prize and I am so happy I won it!

Now, in the picture above where I won....do you see the knitting on my lap?  You guessed it, that is my Viajante that I feel like I have been knitting on forever!  Last Tuesday I was at 192 grams.....I am now at (drum roll please).....137 grams!  Yahoo!  I am back on target to finish by May 31st!

But (there is always a but).....I just got a text from Amanda (my DIL) during lunch that she will be induced tomorrow at 4:30 am and Alexxis Maranda Ramirez will be born tomorrow.  I am making 2 blankets for Alexxis and I would like to take the pom pom one to the hospital with me....preferably, finished!  So tonight will be pom pom blanket knitting time!

Speaking of pom pom blankets and babies.....Celeste's sister was born last Thursday and the pom pom blanket was done just in the nick of time.  Here is Celeste with her new sister, Cataleya, and a picture of the finished pom pom blanket.

I almost forgot.....I start a new KAL this coming Saturday.  This is a fingerless mitts KAL I am doing for a new local yarn store by my house.  It is called Inskein Yarns.  I told the owner and manager there that I would be a moderator on their ravelry group and hold KAL's from time to time....I am really looking forward to it.  We will be making Susie Rogers' Fingerless Gloves and the ladies got to pick their yarn from Kollage Milky Whey or Debbie Bliss Bella.  We will need size 5 DPN needles, so I ordered some new ones that are really cute...They are in support of Stitch Red which is "Sticking it to Heart Disease"!...they are red, and they are Kollage Square needles......

Here is my cute picture of the week....being that I was just blessed with another grand daughter last week (Cataleya) and I will be blessed with another one tomorrow (Alexxis), I this this picture is fitting:

Happy Happy Knitting and Happy Happy Monday!