I caught the crazy!

Hi everyone.....how has your week been?  Mine has been good and I feel like I got a good amount of knitting done too....it is never enough, but I like to feel like I am making some progress.  I also realized that I have caught the crazy!  I have WAY too many things on the needles right now......and every once in a while I realize how crazy I am.  I have

Dr Who
Spire
Miss Winkle
Smooth Move
Stitch Surfer Socks
TSD stage 2 socks
Placemats for Paige

That is 7 things....and trust me...I have many more things OTN (blankets, leaves of grass shawl, vitamin d cardigan, etc), but these are things that I want to actively be working on right now.  Tomorrow is July 1 and the Hitofude Cardigan KAL starts, Camp Loopy Project 2 starts, and TDS sock Stage 4 starts....that is 3 things I should be casting on tomorrow.....yikes!  I have officially bitten off more than I can chew.

So...what did I knit on this past weekend?

I did a few colors of the Dr Who Scarf

I did about 12 or 13 rows on Spire...it is hard to tell, but I promise it is farther along....I guess I need to order a bigger cord.

Then I worked on Smooth Move...I got this much farther...but decided to frog some.  See, I based this whole shawl off of the varigated color.  It was one of the only DK weight yarns I had 750+ yards of.  What I did not know is that these reason these were caked for me is because they are caked double....there are two strands of yarn to be used as one strand....so I got to it and started knitting...about 8 rows in I could tell this was going to be way too dense.  So I ripped back to the end of the orange, split the yarn (pulling the two strands apart and making one cake into two cakes) and restarted the varigated part.  I am only about 8 rows in again.....and I like it, but I hope in the long run, this yarn is not too thin now.

I also made serious progress on my Tour de Sock Stage 2 socks...I finished one...and I hope to get really close to finishing the second one tonight....before stage 4 comes out tomorrow.

I think they look a little funny....I do not think I should have continued the pattern down both sides...but that is okay...they are mine and I made them flip flop socks because I like to wear flip flops a lot!

That is only 4 knitting projects worked on, but I got a good chunk in on each of them except maybe the scarf.

Jaime's best friend from childhood came into town this past weekend....they have not seen each other for 40 years.....wow!  I snapped a picture by the little league fields they used to play on as kids.

Well, that is really all I have.....tomorrow starts 3 things....Camp Loopy project 2, Tour de sock Stage 4, and the Hitofude KAL with SA SNB.....I will probably wait on the hitofude a few days....but I plan on casting on the other two tomorrow.

Next Sunday I get to meet Stephen West and Steven Be......be ready for LOT OF PICS on my next blog update!

Happy Happy Happy knitting!

Slowing Down.....

I feel like my knitting has been going in slow motion lately....of course, when I came to work this morning and showed Darlene what I had knitted on, she said I was a machine (she always makes me feel better!) but I really do not feel like I got a lot of knitting done.....so I have been slowing down, but need to light a fire under my behind and speed it up!

I did finish these Tour de Sock Stage one socks...but I really only had like 2 inches (max) at the top to do to finish them......these will to a Arlisa Harley....I mentioned how generous she was at the ROT rally with her RV, food, drinks....just super hospitable and I wanted to tell her thanks....and there is no better way than with a pair of hand knit socks!

While also at the ROT, I met this super nice guy named Lee.  He comes to the ROT Rally (from Brandon, Mississippi...540 miles) and stays in a tent every year in the same place.  This was my first year of tenting it....and we were just around the bushes from him....he was kind enough to let us all set up our chairs over by his tent off the main parade route road.  My friend, Jill, told him that I was a knitter....so I offered to knit his wife something.  He asked me if I could knit a "Nose Mitten".  I had no clue what  nose mitten was, but he explained that when she goes out to feed the horses, that he nose gets cold.  I said okay, and asked what color.  He said "Yellow".  I got his wife's name and address and here is Dee (yes, that rhymes with Lee) Durfee's Yellow Nose Mitten:

I made it with a small skein of sock yarn from a Taste of Wollmeise Package I had.....I altered the pattern a little and the ties are an icord instead of a braid.  I found the pattern here.

I worked a little on my Stage 2 socks.  I did not finish them on time and realized it so I changed the pattern on these too.  I worked 3 repeats of Chart B on the leg, did heel flap and did a bottom gusset...but I did not do any of Chart D...I went straight to chart E.....and am keeping the little twist down the side.  I am going to make these socks for me (I love the yarn) and make a flip flop toe so I can wear them with flip flops.  I only have one sock this far...the other sock only has 2 repeats of Chart B done....so I have quite a way till I get to finish those.

I am a little tired of working with sock needles.....so, I worked on my Stephen West Smooth Move...I am only about 23% done and really need to get a move on with it....I see Stephen West and Steven Be in 13 days!  I can't wait to get to 3rd color...but it will be a while :(

I think that is about all I have....see, it does not seem like I knitted that much...but I sure tried!

I hope everyone has a great week!  I leave you with some cute dogs....I have a mini dachshund at home named baby, and a yorkie named Precious....so these pics are for them...I love these:

Happy Happy Happy Knitting everyone!

Happy Belated Father's Day!!!

Hi everyone...I have been a little MIA in the digital world lately.

I hope everyone had a fantastic Father's Day!

Jaime and I went to the ROT Rally in Austin this past weekend (A Motorcycle Rally).  We had a great time, and I took lots of knitting with me...but I did not get lots of knitting done.  In past years, we would always go with an RV.  This year all the RV spots were booked so we stayed in tents for the weekend.  It was not too bad.  We had friends that went with us and stayed in tents also....but we also had a friend that had an RV spot and let us come by and hang out.  She cooked for us, and let us swim in her pool, and was just the hostess with the mostess!  Thank you Arlisa Harley!  You Rock!  Here are some weekend pics with friends.

Arlisa's Setup

Jaime, Arlisa, Nick (this was just the cutest picture ever!)

Jill and Arlisa 

Since I cannot seem to take a picture of Arlisa from the front that is not tiny, here is a picture from the ROT 2 years ago on 6th street...you can see me and my nose trying to tell her something and that is her GORGEOUS daughter, Brielle, next to her.

The Awesome Food Arlisa made us!

Nick, Jill, Me, Jaime

Nick, Jill

Jill, Sally, Andy

The Campsite

My Knitting

I did work on my socks while at the campsite...but then I starting having a few drinks and a few jello shots, so I quickly switched to my Smooth Move as it is garter and much easier to work on.  I again think I may be a tour de sock failure....I have until Thursday evening to get these done and I am still only on the legs...but I have not knit in 2 days (gasp....can you believe it?) and I hope to really get with it tonight and tomorrow.....wish me luck...I will need it!

I did finish my sock head hat for Camp Loopy Project 1 in the truck on the way up there...it was easier than fidling with a pattern with row counts...

And I ordered yarn for Camp Loopy Project 2.  I am going to make the Bay of Fundy Scarf....I will add a few repeats to make it more of a wrap than a scarf!  I have 4 skeins of this, but I only put 2 in the picture....

I also got my Miss Babs Knitting Tour package number 2......The destination is Santa Fe, NM....I love this yarn, but I am not crazy about the pattern.  Last year a few of my friends did the Stephen West MKAL called Color Craving....it is a big V shaped shawl....but since it was an MKAL (Mystery Knit A Long) they had no clue what it was going to look like...but one friend in particular did it in pinks, greys, blacks....I was not really crazy about this pattern till I saw hers....and Darlene fell in love with it...I was still not crazy about it....but Darlene has swayed me to the dark side (don't you love how I blame everything on Darlene...like it takes a lot to sway me to the dark side of knitting...plus it does not hurt that since I am going to meet Stephen West, I want to make like one of all of his patterns......ha, ha).  I think instead of the pattern this knitting tour came with, we are going to make the Color Craving shawl...Here is a picture of my friend Elizabeth's Color Craving shawl and my Miss Babs knitting tour #2 package....and please take note of the Bag from Bags By Awesome Grannie...she selected this fabric just to be our 'knitting tour' bags....I love this bag...it is one of my favorites!

I have to mention that The Spurs Won the NBA Championship....Congrats Spurs!!!!  This is their fifth....YES FIFTH...NBA Championship.....2014, 2007, 2005, 2003, 1999!

Lastly, I have to tell you how proud I am of my daughter...she cooked me dinner Sunday night and it was awesome....I am so proud of her....she is eager to learn how to cook but I am not the best teacher (my cooking mostly sucks)!  It was mashed potatoes and chicken breast...I usually do not like chicken breast because it is dry....but this was perfect!

Antonio LOVED the mashed potatoes!  Today was his first dentist appointment....he was not happy, but Paige said he did not too bad.  He has ZERO Cavities!

Oh, and lastly.....something we all knew all along but finally a picture to say it:

Happy, Happy, Happy Knitting!

Life is Better......at the Lake!

Yes it is!  My sister has a Lake House out at LBJ Lake.....she lets me use it one weekend in the spring/summer to invite my friends out to knit....we love it out there.  We went last year and again this year....there were fewer of us this year, but we still had a blast and the view was fantastic!!!

I posted on Facebook that SSK = Sip, Sip, Knit....then look at view and repeat!

Darlene and her brutal strength, completely sliced a wine bottle open for me:

I really wanted to use the time to finish my tour de sock socks....but the pattern just required too much thinking...and charting (on the leg, there are 3 charts and a legend that were not all on one page).....plus all the alcohol consumption probably was not helping my socks....but I loved it!  I did get some done...but just do not think there is any way I am going to finish them before 2 pm tomorrow.....who makes a pattern with 94 required leg rows?  and I am only on row 13 on one sock and I have to tink back to row 30 on the other  (I am on row 38 but forgot to do decreases starting at row 30)....so I have 146 rows to do today at lunch and tonight and lunch tomorrow....I doubt that will happen!

A week ago I said (and I quote) "I have way too much going on right now, but if I can make a serious dent in my Camp Loopy and Tour de sock projects...I may allow myself to cast on for Smooth Move"

Well, I cast on (the pic above) because I just could not focus on those tour de sock patterns and charts (I have to tink some rows) and Tami started on hers so I wanted to start on mine (she says in a 2 year old whinny voice)....Oh, and I got a picture of Tami after she jumped in the awesome lake!

I did get to the first color change.....It is awesome!

I worked on Camp Loopy but did not finish...I am more than 1/2 way and it is only the 9th...so I am good there!

I had a stash enhancement of my Barking Dogs Yarn Sock Club come last week...I love this color and may use it for a tour de sock sock....we will see, it is called Siesta!

I have to brag on my beautiful daughter!  She was put on facebook by her work....she got a raise (she just started like 2 months ago) and they love her work!  I am so super proud of her!

I leave you with some pictures of the lake and the ducks we met at the lake....and Darlene finished her Samadhi....she was so excited!  She worked her butt off on this during the lake house visit!  Congrats!

Happy Happy Happy Knitting!