It's COLD!!!!!!!!!

I am running behind on my blog post....and I am going to blame it on the COLD!  I live in mid/south Texas and we just do not get that cold here....well, it rained and sleeted on Thursday with freezing temps overnight, so the roads and highways were full of ice....when that happens, this city shuts down (with all the northerners laughing at us)....we had hundreds of wrecks and people in traffic for hours and I think just about all schools were cancelled.  I did have to go to work, but I did go in late, I just was not going to chance hitting some ice and not know what to do (I did not learn how to drive on ice or snow).

Here is one picture going around facebook

Alice (a lady from my online knitting group - LSSK) sent this picture and I think it is perfect:

I have been doing lots in the knitting world.....I was able to block Paige's sweater, and she wore it to school on Saturday (I tell her I cut her face out of the picture, but she does not read my blog so don't tell her that I actually leave her beautiful face in the pic).

I also have a couple of stash enhancements......but there is a LONG story to one of them.  You know how I am making a Hypernova with some Miss Babs Katahdin yarn in colorway Biker Chick?  (here is a progress pic)

Well, my greatest knitting friend Darlene was going to make her in the same color type, but in a solid called Buttersquash.  Well, she saw my biker chick one, she and I both agreed that the pattern just screams for Varigated yarn.....so we checked out the Miss Babs website and found some Perfectly Wreckless colorway....so we ordered two skeins in the same order to save shipping......these two skeins could not be more different.  It is like one was at the beginning of the dyeing process (bright and vibrant) and the other was towards the end (more soft and lighter).  I have a picture of the two of them caked up side by side and they do not even look like the same colorway....so we are both going to make Hypernova's with this yarn.....so yes, I am crazy to make TWO Hypernova's and I am going to call them HyperCrazy (because I am crazy to try to do two).  Oh, and the skein is so big, it wound around the bottom of my ball winder.

Here is my progress so far on my second HyperCrazy

Also, while we are on the subject of Stash Enhancements and Katahdin yarn....Darlene got me another skein of this yarn in the colorway Masquerade.....she got it for me as a birthday present, but she could not wait till my birthday to give it to me (I could not wait till her birthday to give her her gift either.....)  It is gorgeous...I have no clue what I am going to make with it (but I am pretty sure it will not be a HyperCrazy)!

Do you remember all those crochet bags I made a while back?  Well, Darlene lined my last one for me and it looks AWESOME!

Then as an added bonus, she used some left over material and made me a zipper bag to match it....I love it!

I do have some sad knitting news...do you remember the pom pom blanket I made for Bizzle for Christmas?  Well, she sent it home one day with the mother of a child that she babysits for....and that mother washed the blanket...not only did she wash it.....she washed it in HEAVY DUTY...it is nearly ruined...I am going to try to save some of it, but I am pretty sure it will be much smaller that before it met the washing machine.

Switching topics back to the yarn clubs I joined for 2014....well, the Martina Behm First Package has shipped....it should be here this week.  Here is a picture in the English Spoiler Thread, and I will insert the Project pic that shows Martina Wearing it (but it is hard to see what it is).

I read that Canada already is receiving packages, so I hope it comes in this week!!!!!  I am super excited.....I just hope this does not happen to my package...I placed an order online with a different company and FedEx says my package should be delivered in 1969 (before I was born)....ha, ha!

Oh....and I also got things rolling for the 2014 Ravellenics.....I will be captain of the Team San Antonio Yarnies.  No requirement to live in SA....if you want to join, go right ahead...the more the merrier...more information here.  Thankfully, I have 2 more weeks before that starts.

Well, that is pretty much it for now...I had a lot of catching up to do...sorry if the blog is too long.

Sometimes when I know I am crazy (like my HyperCrazy Idea), I have to remind myself:

Happy Happy Happy Knitting!!  Stay warm!

Happy Thursday!!!

I could have sworn today was supposed to be Friday because I thought yesterday was Thursday, but then my normal Thursday shows were not on TV, so I realized yesterday was Wednesday and today is Thursday.

I have had kind of a busy week.....my work has been busy and it does not feel like I have had much knitting time....what is up with that?

I did finish a couple of things....I finished the collar on Paige's sweater and I got the final sleeve on it.  Paige said she does not want a belt, so all I have left is to make 2 pockets....I also need to block it as it is a bit snug and I would like to try to 'stretch' certain parts.

I also finished the wrap for Marie....she can't wait to wear it......she calls my boyfriend, Jaime, and her hubby, Alex, a Bromance....it is pretty funny!

I have also been working on my Suzi Shawl.....I finally got to take a picture of Suzi's shawl so you can see how awesome it is.  I am also including a picture of the progress on mine (folded in half because I could not get it all in one shot).  I think I told you last week that I added a 3rd skein of yarn because I want it to be as big as Suzi's shawl....so while my calendar was originally set to finish by end of January, I have now adjusted it to finish on Valentines day....we will see if I can do it!

The last thing I have been working on this week is my Hypernova.....it is in Biker Chick Colorway in Miss Babs Katahdin yarn....I am really loving the way the coloring is going.

That is really all I have for the knitting world this week....I know it seems kind of lame, but I hope to do better next week.....Keep your fingers crossed for me that I can still get knitting done in the evenings.....I think I will be having Antonio more and more in the evenings as Bizzle's schedule is changing (and she helps out a lot).  Speaking of Antonio.....I have another picture to share....he melts my heart!

Lastly, to everyone trying to keep those new years resolutions....here is one of my favorite ones that I have no problem keeping.

Happy Happy Knitting.....Have a great weekend!

Hi everyone....it has been a week and I meant to post yesterday but time just got away from me.  How has your week been?  Mine has been great!  I have one yarn stash enhancement.  I have been loving working with this Miss Babs Yowza yarn so much, that I got 2 more skeins in Masquerade color....I love them!

My Suzi Shawl (using Miss Babs Yowza in Coffe Break Colorway) is coming along great!  My friend Suzi, who already made this shawl, came back to work this past Wednesday and when I measured my shawl to hers I feared that I would not have enough yarn to make mine as big as hers.  So I ordered one more skein of Coffee Break.  Since Miss Babs yarns are hand painted and hand died, the colorways are never exact matches, and they always recommend you alternate skeins.  I am really going to have to mix this one in because it looks a bit different, and I have a lot more if it than the first two skeins.

Here is my shawl progress so far.

I also made some progress on Paige's sweater after having to rip back both sleeves.  I have re-knit one and attached it, and then picked up stitches for the collar....I am about 1/2 way done with the collar.

I had a small scare earlier this week......My daughter called me to tell me that there was a sprinkler in the yard and it was just shooting water at the fence.  The problem is, we do not have a sprinkler or a sprinkler system, so I was panicked and thought it was a busted pipe in the ground (we had freezing temps the previous 2 evenings).  Here is the picture she sent me.

Well, it turns out that the guy that painted the house a few weeks ago....he left the water hose on....but we never heard it because there was a spray nozzle on the end of the hose, and that kept water from leaking out of the hose.  Apparently the freeze cracked the spray nozzle and the water was spraying out of the cracked spray nozzle....disaster diverted, but the back fence was covered in about 7 inches of water.

Now, for my must exciting news of the week and possibly the year:

I think I have mentioned that I was expecting a set of HiyaHiya needles…..well, they came in. They have my name on them and I know that small minds are easily impressed, but I am super impressed….and I could not wait to get home and use them last night.....they are AWESOME!

Here is the story (if you care)….back in June, I got an invite to join HiyaHiya Patterns group. I joined it and started going through the discussion board and noticed a Sock KAL where there was a needle set and a skein of yarn as a prize….I figured what the heck….I will join, so I did.

I was reading more forum topics and came across one that said the owner of this group needed volunteers. So I replied (here)and let her know that I had only been a member for a few days but I was willing to help out.

I kind of forgot about it because I did not hear anything else. Then in early October I got an earburn that I was selected to hostess a KAL. I was honored….just one day into the KAL, the lady that runs the group (Qianer) had posted to another hostess that she had a prize. I did not even know that hostesses got prizes, so I was pretty excited. Then, Qianer told me that each hostess gets a needle set and they laser your name on the set.

I honestly had no clue, but I had a great time hostessing the KAL, I would do it again (even with no prize). I do encourage each of you to check out the group…there are KAL’s every month with AWESOME Hiya Hiya Prizes, and Qianer has some of the most gorgeous patterns that you knit…..they are almost to 5000 members and I am pretty sure the 5000th member will probably get a pretty awesome prize (if you try to time it just right).

Anyway, I had to share my pictures of my new needles that I used last night and are currently on the collar for Paige's sweater!

Happy Happy Friday everyone....I for one am very happy it is Friday!  I will be having a glass of wine tonight, what is your drink of choice?  and do you like it knitted or crocheted?

Happy Happy Happy Knitting!

Welcome 2014!!!

It is so hard to believe that it is already 2014!!

Here is the Greatest Happy New Year Party Picture (Yes, I am biased!)

Now....I told you last week that I was making goals....and I felt like I was taking names and kicking butt!  Then.....I had the annual SNB Christmas Party....it was a blast!  The girls were talking about this new shawl they were starting the 1st of January....and how could I help myself? I mean, it is not really my fault...it is their fault.....so now I have another new project on the needles.  Here are some pictures of some of 'the girls' (not all) from the Christmas Party...the last picture is my best friend Darlene (in the green shirt) and next to her (with precious on her lap) is Barbara.....two of the gals I knit at lunch with.B

The shawl is called Hypernova....it is gorgeous. I read that it is great for a varigated yarn....and what do I happen to have in my stash?  Why a beautiful skein of Miss Babs Katahdin in Biker Chick colorway that I wound right up to start on the 1st.  We went ahead and made this the KAL for the first Qtr of 2014.

This colorway that I chose for the Hypernova shawl looks so awesome knitted up that I had someone contact me on ravelry saying:

"Love it....Send me your yarn immediately!   (grin)."

It was a super nice note and it made my day!

I am ahead of schedule with my gram count on my Suzi Shawl (I am already into tomorrows gram count):

And what happened to Paige's cardigan?  Well, I will tell you...

1st, I seamed the first sleeve in the wrong way with the wrong side of the cardigan matched up to the right side of the sleeve.

2nd, when trying to un-seam this sleeve, I cut part of the knitting...I hate myself!

3rd, I attached the sleeve the correct way and it is WAY TOO SMALL, and also looks a bit weird (Yes, I made a swatch...I apparently just suck at it).

4th....I ripped back the sleeves tot he 2nd increase and now have to decide how I am going to proceed so they fit (and also how I am going to hide the small area where I cut my knitting and did the best I could at putting it all back in place).

Yup....lots of drama in my knitting world with this cardigan for Paige...but I will finish it come he!! or high water!

At the SNB Christmas party, I got a gift from a great friend who recently moved to Virginia (I miss her so much)....I thought it was too cute not to share....Thank you Sara!

And another picture too cute not to share is Antonio making his own lego building (he is pretty proud of himself)....

And lastly.....I leave you with what apparently is the way my New Years Resolution is going so far....I said I was going to do better and not starting too many things and finishing what I started....apparently that was out the window before 2014 got here.....I stole this from a friend on the LSSK group.  I just thought is said "Carrie" all over it!

Happy Happy Knitting!!  Welcome 2014!