Knitamazoo(tm)

I’m such a bad blogger. Let me count the ways.

One - It’s been entirely too long since I last blogged. But I do have an excuse. I’m usually pretty busy most evenings so I would use some of my down time at work to update the blog. I used to have a lot more down time than I do now but that is not the problem. We were told last Thursday that our internet usage is being monitored to be sure there isn’t too much downtime. If they find we’re surfing too much then they figure there isn’t enough work and people will be let go. So no more blogging, no more knitty chat, no more surfing when I have down time. One nice thing . . . my cubicle is the last one and well hidden from most everything else in the shop so I get to knit a little on my downtime!

Two - My SP sent me a lovely package over a week ago and I haven’t blogged about it yet. I uploaded the picture but haven’t said a word about it. I am so sorry my wonderful SP. She/he has been a wonderful SP! There was an adorable decorative plate with kittens on it, sock patterns, coffee, a kitty picture frame, very cute bunny spikes for my garden and two skeins of wool for felting. Oh how spoiled I am! And my SP claims that my last package is even better. I don’t know if I can wait!

No bike riding for us lately. It’s been way too cold and it doesn’t seem to be getting any warmer either. But that means more time to knit. I’m working on a pair of socks for my hubby’s birthday next week. I also have a pair of lace socks of my own design on the needles. I’m going to submit that pattern to be published as well if I ever get it finished. Speaking of my pattern, I gave my final approval yesterday so it should be in my LYS by the end of the week. I will be providing a link on my sidebar to my LYS’s webpage where you will be able to use PayPal and download a PDF of the pattern. So stay tuned!

Wow! I haven’t had this much to say in quite a long time. I have no idea where to even start. I guess maybe I should start with the most awesome news I received today. My very first pattern ever is going to be published!! It’s all rather surreal right now. I’m so excited about it! It’s a sock pattern done on 2 circs called Carribbean Twist. I used Koigu KPPPM in this lucious blue that just made me think of the warm, blue Carribbean waters. Kelly at the LYS did the test knit for me and we’ve tweaked the pattern just a bit. I’ll let you all know when it actually gets published and printed.

We did quite a bit this weekend. Saturday afternoon was sunny and warm so we packed up the bikes and headed for the Celery Flats. (Kalamazoo was the place to grow celery back in the day.) Before we knew it we were approaching the bridge that goes up and over one of the roads here in town about 1.5 miles from where we started. I was behind my hubby and started to build up some speed to make it up the hill when he takes a sharp right down a little trail that goes to the creek. I manage to follow him but the trail makes another very sharp right and I lost it. I went right off the trail and fell over. I’m still sore from that fall and I totally blame hubby. (I’m sure he’s trying to kill me.) We ended up turning around anyway as the trail was flooded a little further along. We had to backtrack a bit to get the speed up to go over the bridge. All in all, we ended up riding 7 miles Saturday afternoon. (I didn’t think I had any bones in my butt, but I found them on this ride!)

Sunday we took a trip to Lansing. We stopped in at Moosejaw which is a sporting goods store. We ordered the bike rack for our SUV through them so we had to take a little trip over to check them out. The store in Lansing is small but was pretty nice. We ended up buying 2 camel packs for the longer bike trips we plan on taking. (Like 7 miles isn’t far enough.) We also stopped in at Threadbear’s. Yarn overload! This store was the largest yarn store I’ve ever been in. I ended up walking out with 2 hanks of Koigu KPM and that was it. It was so overwhelming! (Pictures to be included in this weekend’s Flash Your Stash.)

And finally, yesterday. My mental health day. I got 3 loads of laundry done in the morning and then spent the afternoon knitting and chatting at my LYS. I’ve never been able to do that and it was a lot of fun. I think I need more mental health days. (Especially now that the cold and snow are back. Yuck!)

I’ve been so busy this week that I haven’t had a chance to breathe let alone post on my blog. I feel terrible that I haven’t gotten around to boasting about how wonderful my SP is so here we go!

I got my first SP package this past Saturday and all I can say is WOW! She blew me away with her first package. There was a lovely letter explaining everything in the package, Spongebob stickers, hot chocolate, point protectors, folding scissors, gorgeous buttons, a lovely heart shaped box, dark chocolate Kisses, Raggedy Ann & Andy dolls and yummy yarn!

My SP’s 79 year old mother handmade the dolls and I absolutely adore them! I’m not sure where I will display them yet but I want it to be someplace special. Right now they are sitting right next to my knitting chair so I see them everytime I knit.

She also sent some wonderful yarn. I’m excited to try the Andean Silk Twist from KnitPicks. I’ve looked at this yarn online but just haven’t gotten around to trying it yet so now’s my chance. The red brushed alpaca is so very soft. I just want to cuddle with it all the time. And the sock yarn . . . oh the sock yarn! It’s Trekking and it’s so gorgous I can hardly stand it! I’ve been toying with the idea of putting the socks I’m working on now on holders and knitting this stuff up. Decisions, decisions . . . what’s a girl to do? And then to make matters even worse, there’s the sock yarn that I bought last week at my class. This sparkly disco yarn is just taunting me from my basket. But I can’t seem to get it to shut-up. It just keeps calling me. I can’t get the voices out of my head.

So . . . to try to quiet the sock monster I knit up another booga bag this weekend. The picture I have here is the almost finished bag. I finished knitting it Sunday night and felted it Monday night. It is now dry and I’m using it today. No picture of the completed bag yet but hopefully soon. In the meantime here is the semi-finished bag. I can’t remember which Noro Kureyon color this is but I’ll try to post that info when I put up the new picture.

Well kids, it’s time for me to shut down the computer and go home for the day. Knit on!

Just a quick update as to what’s been going on. I spent the weekend knitting and finished up this pair of mittens for hubby for Christmas. I even think I have enough yarn left over to make a hat to go with them. I started a hat but I’m not sure I like how it’s turning out so I put is aside and I’ll think about it for a few days. Now I just have to finish up my mom’s Christmas gift and I should be done with the holiday knitting.

I also received my last package from my SP this weekend. She has been wonderful but I still don’t know who she is! She gave me three clues in the card she enclosed in the package and I haven’t had a chance to do any sleuthing yet. Things have been busy at work and I just don’t want to turn the computer on at home. I’m hoping that things slow down a little and I can try to figure out who she is. But just look at what she sent me! Some lavender scented stones for my stash, a choker with my name on it and two luscious skeins of knitter’s crack (aka Kid Silk Haze)! She has spoiled me to no end! Thank you just doesn’t seem like enough to express the appreciation for all you did. Each gift was so thoughtful and I loved every single one of them!

In other news, I just got an email from my hubby that his temporary job in Grand Rapids will be ending this Friday (3 weeks early). He was filling in for a helpdesk tech that was working on a project and the project will be finished early. So it’s back to unemployment for now. He does have his resume in with the hospital in Paw Paw, the hospital in Battle Creek and there is a possibility that he could get a job working at his former place of employment in Kalamazoo. The company where he is working now did tell him that they tried to work it out to keep him on but the budget wasn’t there. They do want him to contact them after the first of the year as they will probably have some IT openings then. I’m sure glad we didn’t pack up and move to Grand Rapids right away! So who knows what will happen over the next couple of weeks. At least it will be easy for him to go to interviews now. Isn’t life fun?

Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray! Words cannot express how wonderful my SP is! She has spoiled me completely rotten. Any SP I have after her will have a hard time living up to the standard she has set. I have no idea who she is and that is fine with me. Though I can’t wait until she reveals herself. So just to prove to you how wonderful she is, just check out all the lovely stuff she sent me.

When I arrived home from a long day at work, I spied a box sitting on my front porch. I knew immediately that it was from my SP and I hurried to scoop it up and take it inside where I could enjoy all it’s SP goodness. Again I had to delay opening it until I had fed the kitties. They would have continually annoyed me until I fed them and I wouldn’t be able to fully enjoy the experience of discovering what surprises my SP had sent me. Everything was wrapped neatly in tissue paper and I gently went through the box savoring each item. This picture shows the entire contents of the box.

The first thing I found upon opening the box was a card. The envelope said, “Read last.” So I set it aside and began digging into the box. The first thing I found was this lovely hat. I naturally assumed that my SP had knit it for me (and the card confirmed that). She did a lovely job and it will match my winter coat perfectly. I love it and everytime I wear it I will think of my SP and how special she is. I look horrible in this picture but I wanted to have a picture of me modeling the hat. Thank you, thank you SP for all the hard work you put into making this hat for me! I adore it and will wear it proudly!

The next item I found felt really strange when I took it out of the box. It turned out to be a bag of Hershey’s Special Dark Kisses. YUMMY! I love dark chocolate and with my nut allergies it’s hard to find uncontaminated chocolate. These are safe and so delicious. I found it hard not to eat the whole bag right then. Next was a package of point protectors and the cutest little tape measure. She also sent a lovely knitter’s journal so that I can keep a record of all the projects I knit. I think that maybe this weekend I’ll sit down with the Kisses and start filling out the journal. (c:

On the very bottom of the box were several sock patterns. One was a booklet put out by Lang with sock patterns for the whole family. My SP also took the time to look up some free patterns on the internet for me. They are great patterns that I hadn’t seen before and now I have to decide which ones to make with the lovely sock yarn she sent!! In the front are two skeins of Jawoll Cotton superwash by Lang in a lovely purple hue. The two balls that my SP wound for me are Shelridge Farms wool/nylon blend in a gorgeous green. The photo makes them look black but trust me they are a beautiful dark green. I can’t wait to cast on! I can’t thank my SP enough for her thoughtfulness and generosity. She’s the best!

I didn’t get to knit a lot last night. I was enjoying my goodies until my hubby got home and then we went to Wendy’s and Walmart. Something we like to call the “Old Married People Date.” I picked up a couple pairs of jeans and another pair of pants for work. But between last night and the time I have to knit before going to work, I did manage to get the back bib on the dickey for my Dad finished. Now I have the front and I’m done with his gift. I’m hoping that I can finish it up this weekend.

Well that’s all from my little place in the mitten. Have a great knitty weekend!

Yesterday was going along very nicely until it was almost time to go home. Then some stuff came up that really stressed me out. By the time I got home I was so stressed that I was sick to my stomach. I had no appetite and all I wanted to do was put on my sweats and knit. I walked in the door and dropped my stuff on the floor and what did I spy on the counter . . . why it was a pretty blue bubble envelope. It was addressed to me and the return address said Your SP. I smiled. She had PM’d me a couple of days ago to be on the lookout for a package and I had forgotten all about it. Part of me just wanted to rip it open right then and there but another part of me wanted to savor the experience. So I went and greeted my hubby and kitties, got my sweats on and settled into my knitting chair with the package. I gently opened the envelope and was immediately engulfed with the most wonderful scent. Mmmmmmmmmmm . . . lavender! Everything was wrapped up in lavender tissue paper and I slowly opened each item. I was blown away! She sent the perfect gift for my stressful day. Just look at all this wonderful bath stuff. There is a bar of lavender soap, lavender scented bath salts, lavender bath balls, lavender bath confetti (this looks really cool), a lavender colored bath mit, a little lavender bag and a bar of . . . . CHOCOLATE soap! How cool is that? She wrote on the back “requisite chocolate.” And with my nut allergies this is the perfect kind of chocolate! I can’t wait to try it out. It smells heavenly. I just hope I don’t try to eat it! (Did you notice how it all matches my blog colors?)

I plan on taking a nice, long, relaxing, hot bath tonight. My only problem is going to be deciding what to use in the bath. Hmmmmmm . . . I’m going to have to think about this.

After I took everything out of the tissue paper, I noticed that there was something in the little lavender drawstring bag. I opened it up and found these. Such beautiful shells! According to the little card tucked into the package, my SP collected them especially for me. Now how did she know that the theme in my bathroom was lighthouses/nautical? I’m going to have to find a way to display these lovely shells. I grew up on the east coast and spent many hours scouring the beach for shells. These shells brought back many wonderful memories of childhood.

I just can’t thank my SP enough for all that she has sent me. Her gifts have been so thoughtful and I appreciate everything she has sent. She’s an angel and the best SP ever! I can’t wait to find out who she is.

In knitting news, I finished my hat last night and wove-in the ends this morning. I am really happy with how it came out. Looks kind of cute sitting on my kitchen counter. It was an easy, fast knit and I’ll probably make more. Now I just need to figure out how I want to top it. I’m not really a pom-pom on hats kind of person. I’m thinking maybe a tassel or I might just leave it as it is. I love how the decreases make a swirl pattern on the top of the hat. Maybe I’ll just leave it as it is. I tried to take a picture of me modeling it but that was a bad idea. Maybe this weekend I can get hubby to take a picture of me with the scarf and the hat.

Well that’s it. Have a wonderful knitty weekend! And for those of you in the path or area of Rita, take care and be safe! You will be in my thoughts and prayers this weekend.

Today when I arrived home from work I spied a parcel on my front porch. I rushed into the house and immediately went to fetch it and just as I suspected it was from my Secret Pal! I was so excited that I could hardly bring myself to put it down to feed my kitties. But since I figured the kitties wouldn’t leave me alone until I fed them I opted to wait to open my parcel. When I finally did open it I couldn’t believe my eyes! Just look at what my SP sent me!

A lavendar sachet (my favorite scent!), brownies in a jar (yummy!), The Princess Bride Special Edition DVD (my favorite movie), some KnitPicks shimmer in turquoise with the pattern for an Airy Scarf (the colors are gorgeous!), a beautiful blue scarf, a lovely card and a drop spindle with some roving! I am in heaven! I love it all and can’t stop ooooing and ahhhhing over it! Thank you my lovely Secret Pal! You are the best Secret Pal in the world! (I only hope I can be half as good to my downstream pal.)

If you are following my WIP’s on the sidebar you will have noticed that I have added a new project. Yes, knitting ADD has struck again and I had to cast-on for yet another project. I had to start the Fluffy Cuff Mittens from DIY’s Knitty Gritty yesterday. I needed a fun knit as the bolero is lots of stockinette and my Liberty Socks are slow going. I am using some of the Debbie Bliss SoHo that I got in a trade with Jacquie along with Cascade Pastazza. Here is my progress so far. The Pastazza is a little brighter blue than the blue in the SoHo but I like how it looks together.

I am so very excited to be participating in my very first Knitty Secret Pal exchange! We got our matches on Friday and I couldn’t be happier with my Secret Pal. I think I’m going to have much more fun shopping for her than receiving gifties myself. Any excuse to shop right? I wish I could tell you all about her but if she reads my blog then she’ll learn my secret identity and all the fun will be ruined. But I will tell you that she rocks and I can’t wait to spoil her!

I didn’t do much knitting on my Bonita Bolero this weekend. In fact I only knit one row. I tried knitting in the car on Saturday and that was a very bad idea. I made myself quite car sick. I will not be knitting in the car again which is too bad because our trip to the UP involves 8 hours of driving . . . one way! Oh well, I’ll just have to wait until we get camp setup to knit. Then yesterday I ended up making a few dishcloths for camping out of odds and ends of Sugar ‘n Cream from my stash. It’s kind of fun when you run out of one variegated colorway and finish it up with another. I just kept telling myself, “Who cares? It’s just for camping!”

So, on Saturday we decided to pack up a picnic supper and drive 2 1/2 hours up to Ludington, MI to scope out the campsite that we’ve reserved for the first weekend in October at Ludington State Park. We were a little concerned because even though the campsite description said “great tent site” it also said “trees in the middle of the site”. So we wanted to make sure we could set the tent up and I wanted to see Lake Michigan too. We used to live 15 minutes from the Lake and I miss it so. We had had storms early Saturday morning so the Lake was pretty choppy. But I loved the clouds over the sand dunes. It was very overcast on the way out there and I was afraid that our picnic plans would get rained out but when we got to the Lake we had gorgeous blue skies. There are many hiking trails in the State Park including a 1.5 mile hike out to Big Sable Lighthouse. We didn’t do that hike Saturday as we have done it before. (Hubby and I love lighthouses and have seen all the lights along the western shore of Michigan.) When we camp there we are thinking of renting bikes to go out to the light. But we did walk along the river and out to the dam.

We took our camp stove to try out for the first time as well as our latest camping purchase. We got a mini-fridge which we can plug into the cigarette lighter outlet in the back of our SUV. It also plugs into a regular outlet so we can have it running while we camp. We got ours at Wal-Mart cheaper than at the Coleman online store and it came with the adapter to plug it into your car’s cigarette lighter. You can also use this thing to keep things warm! It is wonderful! We took hot dogs and all the fixings for our picnic and everything was cold even after the car had been off for about 1 1/2 hours.

On the way home this is the sunset that we got to enjoy. And yes the picture is a little blurry. You try taking a picture out the window while the car is speeding at 75 MPH down the highway! The colors were gorgeous though. We didn’t get home until around 10 pm but I was glad because I got to see a spectacular harvest moon! The moon was huge as it was coming up over the horizon and such a deep red color. I tried to get a picture of it but the digital camera just wouldn’t cooperate with me.

So now my appetite is thoroughly wet to go camping. I can’t wait til next week when we leave to go to the UP. Until then I’ll have to knit to help keep my mind busy.