Pilot to Co-Pilot Ready For Take Off!!

I love this picture of one of the younger grandsons. This will be used against him later in life, I promise!
On the knitting front...
Seems there is not enough time in the day to get everything done. I am working feverishly on Christmas presents and it feels like I'm getting behind instead of ahead of the game. Maybe I should just concentrate on one thing at a time. I have projects started all over the place. I have a terrible case of start-itis. I have tried everything I can think of to cure myself, but that only leads to starting more things.
I really need to get back to my knitting if I expect to finish anything before Christmas 2007!
OTN: scarf made into wrap (will visit the frog pond this week), a pair of socks for me (on hold until Christmas knitting is finished), two scarves, a hat, a pair of clogs, two pair of mittens, a sweater and a couple of dishcloths. No wonder I'm tired!

This is the Continental Divide in Colorado. It amazes me that the ruts from wagon wheels over 100 years ago still show. It makes you wonder if anything you do will leave even the tiniest of marks. Will anyone remember you were here? I know for a fact I have not done anything to warrant rememberance like that, personally, but I am afraid "we" will be leaving our mark on this earth and it may not be all that great.

Just to the left of this is a huge marker explaining history, natural phenomenon and the like. It was a great history lesson for my 7 year old granddaughter. (not to mention all the adults)

About the time we stopped here, the baby decided she was hungry and wanted her bottle NOW. There was no where to heat it for miles. There was a motor home parked nearby, so me being the bold person that I am, walked over, said hi and asked to use the microwave. Wonderful people. They heated the bottle, came over to see the baby, we talked while she drank and after many thanks and a couple good burps, we were off again. The things you do when the baby demands to eat

On the knitting front. I have a pair of Plain Vanilla Socks otn made out of Jawoll Aktion in a very pretty fall color way. I will post a picture as I get farther along. I worked on a pair of socks the whole time I was away, but in the end they finally convinced me they didn't really want to be socks after all. At least not the socks I wanted them to be, so I frogged them.

That's it for now. Until next time.....

I've returned from my visit with my daughter and granddaughters. We had a great time, it went really fast, but I am glad to be home.
Mom & I spent 10 days out there and during that time took a 3 day road trip. We packed the rented car with everything a baby needs (and boy do they need a lot of stuff) and took off. We made a huge circle from Colorado Springs to Durango to the Four Corners, down into Arizona across part of New Mexico then up into Colorado and back to the Springs again. We had the best time. We laughed so hard we cried (which wasn't a good thing if you were the driver driving up mountains)!
I was glad we left so early Thursday morning...well before anyone was up. It would have been too hard to say goodbye so I kissed each of my girls on the cheek and quietly slipped out of the house. I saved my tears for take off as I was looking out the window of the plane in the direction of my daughter's home. Hopefully we will see them at Christmas.
I miss them already

I have joined a yahoo group for stitch markers. I participated in my first exchange and this is what my partner sent me. Through emails getting to know each other, I wrote that I love mined rubies and gold. I never thought she would pick up on that. The stitch markers she made me are red in color trimmed in gold. How neat is that? Since we didn't have a theme for our exchange, she sent me stuff to make more markers. There is some sculpey clay, findings, seed beads, more of my "rubies" and a cool case to keep it all in. She also sent a neat round container to store the markers in. I'm all set now to make more. Think I'll get started now!

Thirteen days and counting. Who's counting? I'M counting, thank you very much. Thirteen days before my mother and I leave for Colorado. I cannot wait to get my hands on this sweet baby girl. She will be four months old before I get there. This is killing me.
My mom is excited, too. We are a bit nervous for her, though. She has her gall bladder removed this Thursday and we are hoping she will be feeling good enough to travel. Her surgeon assures her it will be no problem. I am secretly worried. The woman is 70 years old. A very young 70 (or is that the second childhood we've all heard about?) Anyway, her primary care provider says she's healthy as a horse, ( there's another joke in there, but I will leave it alone. Afterall, I have to travel with her!!) but you just never know with surgeries. It would devastate her if she couldn't go. This is her EIGHTH great grand child.

I will be knitting most of the time I am out there. I heard through the grapevine (Mommie) baby Ava wants a new sweater. We all know if baby sister gets something, big sister needs, wants and deserves something, too!

OTN: first pair of two at once toe up socks in Sokkatta color 03, Lacey Acorn Scarf made into a wrap in Lorna Laces Cool colorway and a scarf with morino wool in blue plus the occasional dishcloth.

(Pictures soon, I promise!)

Until next time.....

I don't know if you can see this, but there is the tiniest humming bird on our Butterfly Bush. I got as close as I could and used the telephoto lens to capture this little dynamo.

We have three regular humming birds that come to the feeders and chase the others off. They fight amongst themselves trying to keep the feeder to themselves all the while a stranger darts in a feeds. We have a good time watching them!

We had on little guy that came here for years. He was almost tame. He got caught up in the rafters of our garage and DH climbed up there to rescue him. Every year after that he came back. He would fly up to the service door in the garage and hoover there for a bit as if waiting for DH to come out or he would hoover in front of our faces if we were outside then off he'd go. He didn't show up this year and DH is grieving the lose of a friend.

The season is almost over here in Northern Michigan. These little guys are getting ready to head South. They are in a feeding frenzy. Even with all the flowers in the yard, we have to fill the feeder numerous times a day. It will be sad to see them go as that will mean winter is not far behind.

I am so excited. I received my invitation to Ravelry today. I was just there checking things out and it's going to take a while before I learn my way around. That's ok. It appears to be a great site.
You can find me there as mothergoose of course!

My invitation to Ravelry should be here any day now....


You signed up on June 15, 2007
You are #9378 on the list.
256 people are ahead of you in line.
16694 people are behind you in line.
34% of the list has been invited so far

I can't wait......

The Blue Angels. Wow. We had the pleasure of seeing them a couple years ago and it was amazing. They are truly talented.
I don't have pictures of my knitting to post, but I have been busy. I just found out about a pending birth and have a baby blanket on the crochet hook right now that needs to be finished by next weekend. I crochet MUCH faster than I knit. I also have a pair of socks, a dishcloth and a lacy wrap on the knitting needles.
It's so hot here, it's hard to knit. I hope to get more done as it cools down! I'm not complaining too much about the heat as it will be snowing soon enough.

Your Birthdate: July 24

You understand people well and are a natural born therapist. A peacemaker, people always seem to get along when you are around. You tend to be a father or mother figure to friends, even to those older than you. You enjoy your role, and you find that you are close to many people. Your strength: Your devotion Your weakness: Reliance on others for happiness Your power color: Lilac Your power symbol: Heart Your power month: June

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Youngest Granddaughters
Yes. I know. It's been awhile since I've posted. Life happens. So many things have gotten in the way. I have decided to take time for myself at least 30 minutes everyday. I've started today and already feel better.

These are the two youngest DGDs. Baby Girl is 7 and Little Baby Girl is 2 mos. Big sister still likes the baby. Is it too soon for that to wear off

I haven't been out to see them since last Thanksgiving which means I've never held the little one. Yes, my arms ache as does my heart. I am really having withdrawals from my baby girl. We still have a movie night almost like we used to when they lived nearby. Now we pick a movie and call each other every few minutes. It's fun, but not the same

I am so behind on my knitting projects I doubt I will ever catch up, but I am determined that will change. I still have a scarf pattern that I've expanded to wrap size OTN and a pair of plain vanilla socks...one done...one to go! Plus a KAL scarf I am trying to catch up on. Only have about 10 more rows before next week's rows come out in the morning.

I have finally caught up with everyone else and received an iPod for my birthday from my youngest DS. It is cool. I have downloaded some podcasts and am enjoying them. I never knew there was so much out there for the iPod. I know.....I really need to expand my horizons!! I'm trying.

Well, I still have some alloted time left. I think I will go knit a bit.

Take care everyone. Until next time.......

I posted earlier about a DIY Exchange I was involved with where our partner would send us some cotton and needles. It was up to us to decide what kind of dishcloth to knit. Well, this is what I came up with. It is the Garterlac Dishcloth by Dave at Criminy Jickets. I have always wanted to try this pattern and the color of the cotton said that's what it wanted to be, so.... This weekend we find out what we are to do with the finished clothes. This has been a fun exchange with the Love2KnitDishclothes on yahoo.

Until next time.....

Yes, I know this is late. I hate it when life gets in the way of doing things I want to do. Anyway, this is the mid month KAL for MonthlyDishcloth group I belong to. Once again, I used the wrong cotton. I think it would look better in a solid.

On an extremely bright note...My new DGD was born last night at 8 p.m. She weighed 5# 15 oz and was 19" long with a full head of black hair. Mom, Dad, Big Sister and Baby are all doing great. I cannot wait to get my hands on her. I think I will call them right now and hopefully hear a wimper or something from her!

Ooooohhhh. Look what I received in the mail today. It is the DIY kit for the Spring Exchange in the Love2KnitDishclothes group I belong to. My partner spoiled me rotten. I received two balls of sugar and cream cotton which is my preferred cotton, a beautiful book mark and circular and straight bamboo needles in size 6 (a brand I've not seen before). BUT WAIT. At the end of the straight needles are the prettiest bead toppers with stitch markers attached. Isn't this great? I love it all. Thank you DIY partner. I hope you enjoy my kit as much! Now I have to find the perfect pattern to go with this cotton. Better get started.

These are the first slippers I knitted using 100% wool that was gifted to me. Sorry, there was no lable. I got the pattern from Knitty.com. Theresa Vinson Stenersen came up with a great way to knit slippers and hide all the mistakes I had fun knitting these as the pattern was well written and easy to follow. They knit up HUGE before felting. After I put something on the soles so they are not so slippery, they will go into my Christmas Knitting Box. Woo Hoo. One gift down

This is the KAL scarf from the SASE yahoo group I belong to. It was the first one for the group. We were given the choice to knit in lace or do the middle in ribbing. I like how mine turned out. I used Bernat Baby Softee in White and Blue using two strands throughout. I will no doubt be making another one of these for Christmas.
Before I forget....
Happy Birthday Baby Girl. We love and miss you.
Our youngest DGD turned 7 today. It's hard to believe. It seems like yesterday when I was in the delivery room welcoming her into this world. How time flies.

Please don't call the ASPCA. I think my cat, Grease, needs to see a Therapist. He is addicted to bags, any bags. Ever since he was a small kitten, he would climb inside a bag and sleep for hours. He is so big now, I can't find a bag to hold him. He completely tears up the paper grocery bags trying to get comfortable in them! Anyway, this is the plastic that toliet paper rolls come in. I threw it away and the next thing I knew, he had it out of the garbage. This went on for a while. Finally, I gave up and the next thing I knew, he had it upstairs with all his other bags. Guess we should have some sort of intervention pretty soon.

Twenty years ago my Mom turned 50 and no one threw her a party. She has been upset about that all this time. Soooo....
We had a surprise 70th birthday party for her this past weekend. Man, am I glad that's over. My poor Dad hasn't slept in two weeks! He was afraid he'd talk in his sleep and spill the beans.
The neat thing about this party was the whole town (pop. 100) knew about this and kept it from her. I was amazed. I thought for sure someone would slip. Anyway, about 80 people showed up and out of those 80, nine travelled about 240 miles to celebrate with her. It was great seeing her so happy, visiting with friends and calling the family horrible names! All in all, she had a wonderful time and my Dad is looking forward to some well deserved sleep.

You Are a Strawberry Margarita

You're so sweet it's a little overwhelming, and people are a little afraid of corrupting you... It's a little difficult to imagine you with a margarita. And you're truly a different person after you've kicked back a couple!

What Flavor Margarita Are You?

I love these socks. They are called Lilac and come from Jeanne Townsend's collection. Jeanne is an awsome designer. Her patterns are so easy to follow that even a novice like me can end up with a nice pair of socks.
These are for my Mom's birthday in a couple weeks. I'm having a hard time not getting her something else because I like these so well!

Talk about a need for color!!! I really like how this whole set turned out. It's for Ava's baptisim. I know my daughter will buy a dress so this can be the accessories. I need a bonnet, but can't find one to match everything and I am no where near good enough to even think about designing one on my own. Maybe in time for the next grandchild!

WOW. This KAL really tried my patience. We learned a new stitch as is the case with all mid month KALs...the dreaded p2tbl. I viewed the video a billion times, and visited the frog pond about that many times! I could get the concept of the stitch, but couldn't always get both stitches together. I finally got it. It looks good. Would I do it again? NO!
Until next time....

This is the KAL I did with MonthlyDishclothes, a group on yahoo. It was the first KAL of the month. I like the pattern but wished I would have used a lighter color. I sure went from on extreme to the other this month, didn't I? I used the cotton I won in a Bingo game from another group. I don't know what it is as the band was removed, but it was easy to work with and doesn't feel as stiff as the cotton I normally use. I think this one will go to my Grandma when I pick her up for an overnight visit in a week or so. She will like it as she is my biggest fan when it comes to my crafting.

This is a KAL I did with Love2Knit_dishclothes on yahoo groups. I really needed something bright and cheery after all the snow and wintery weather that just would not leave. Bright I got and then some!

I know it has been along time since I posted to my blog but I have been busy. I've knitted this baby sweater which is the first wearable thing I've ever done. It is called the 5 hour baby sweater. It is supposed to take 5 hours to complete from cast on to cast off. Yeah right. 5 hours for anyone but me. It took me two weeks of knitting every night after work. Oh well. I like the way it turned out. The new grandbaby isn't due for a while yet so it's done in time.
Until next time (which I promise will be soon)

I was visiting my Grandma a few weeks ago and she gave me this set of pillowcases. She found them in her linen closet. They had been there a very long time. I do not want to put the iron to them so they are wrinkled.

Growing up I thought my Grandma could do anything. She fished (by herself) and cleaned them. She hunted with Grandpa (and cleaned what they shot). She had the most beautiful flower gardens in the neighborhood. She cooked the “bestest” meals. And oh could she bake. I can remember getting out of the car and walking around to the door and the smell of cinnamon would greet you. We would almost run over each other trying to get inside for some of Grandma’s warm, homemade cinnamon rolls.

But the thing I remember Grandma always doing was some sort of craft. She was an excellent seamstress making all of Grandpa’s dress shirts, her, Mom and my aunt’s clothes all out of newspaper patterns. She did a lot of embroidery, too. This set of pillowcases are embroidered and then have a crocheted edge. They are so pretty. She gave me a set to send to my daughter that are also cut out. I wish I would have taken a picture of them.

I always said I got my crafting talent from her, but she insists I got it from her mother who started it all. My great Grandma was an accomplished oil artist. One of our Catholic Diocese has a number of her paintings hanging in the old Mother House.

Grandma taught me most of what I know, not so much sitting down, going through step by step, but by watching, talking and just spending time with each other. I knew from an early age, I wanted to be just like her. As I grew older, I knew I never would be. She is going to be a tough act to follow.

We finished the March KAL today and I finally figured out what it was. I had help in deciphering it though. One of the ladies in the group told us. Then I had an “Ahhh” moment. This was the first time I knitted on the diagonal and I am going to do this pattern again. Since I know it’s a bunny, I probably won’t be using green again!!! I’m thinking my Mom might like this so I will knit her one for Easter.
I have so much knitting to do right now. My daughter asked for another blanket for the baby, plus I want to do the 5 Hour Baby Sweater and I have a pair of socks on the needles. Too bad I have to work because I might be able to get all this done if I didn’t!!
Better get busy…

I have been working on this baby blanket for a while now and finally finished it. Now I plan on making the sweater to match. The sweater is the 5 hour baby sweater. That name is a bit misleading because it will take much longer than 5 hours for me to knit it! The blanket is called Brooke Baby Afghan and I found the pattern on the internet. It was very easy, but I am a slow knitter since I just recently taught myself. I will post when I finish the sweater.
'til later.

I'm a Chevrolet Corvette!

You're a classic - powerful, athletic, and competitive. You're all about winning the race and getting the job done. While you have a practical everyday side, you get wild when anyone pushes your pedal. You hate to lose, but you hardly ever do.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

I'm a Talent!

You're a risk-taker, and you follow your passions. You're determined to take on the world and succeed on your own terms. Whether in the arts, science, engineering, business, or politics, you fearlessly express your own vision of the world. You're not afraid of a fight, and you're not afraid to bet your future on your own abilities. If you find a job boring or stifling, you're already preparing your resume. You believe in doing what you love, and you're not willing to settle for an ordinary life.

Talent: 69%
Lifer: 49%
Mandarin: 15%

Take the Talent, Lifer, or Mandarin quiz.

I am in Love2Knit Bingo prize heaven! I just received my prize from the latest bingo game and I love it. Here is what I won:
A large ball of the deepest green cotton (mmmm), a ball of sugar and cream cotton in Shades of Green (very pretty), a list of websites that have shamrock patterns (I’ll be checking that out tonight), a shamrock sun catcher (going in my office window for St. Paddy’s day), but wait. That’s not all of it. I have the cutest square floral mini tape measure, a note pad AND the prettiest green stitches markers made by Kim. I hit Bingo prize utopia!!!
Thank you Kim and Jeanette. I am very happy.

This is the mid month KAL I did for one of the groups I belong to. I really like this group as I learn at least one new stitch each month. I have never attempted a lace pattern, but I can now! I used sugar and cream cotton in white.

This is my 9 month old rescue kitty, Grease. He is a real lover and very vocal. There is never a doubt that he is around!

This is the Double Woven (or Darryl Waltrup) cloth we did as a KAL with Love2Knit dishcloth group I belong to. I have always wanted to try this pattern and was happy they chose it. I used sugar and cream cotton in Rainbow Bright. I think it looks like an easter egg.

This is the first KAL of the month for another one of the groups I belong to. I love the red color and how the hearts turned out. We were given an option to either follow the pattern or add three stitches at each end of the cloth. Well, next time I will add the three stitches. The cloth tends to curl with only one stitch at each end. That's ok. I still like it and will make it again.

I belong to a few on line knitting groups and we just had a 1st quarter exchange on one of them. This is the cloth my partner, Jane from PA, sent me. Isn't it great? It is a reversible shamrock knitted in a lovely sage green cotton. I love it. Thank you Jane. I hope she liked my cloth as much.

Your Blog Should Be Purple

You're an expressive, offbeat blogger who tends to write about anything and everything. You tend to set blogging trends, and you're the most likely to write your own meme or survey. You are a bit distant though. Your blog is all about you - not what anyone else has to say.

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

What states have you visited?



create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

I broke down and made a pair of fingerless gloves to wear at work. My office has no heat coming to it and my hands and feet freeze. I got the pattern off of knitty.com and it is the creation of Cheryl Niamath. She did a great job writing this pattern out. It was so easy and quick. I thank her for it (as do my hands). Now to find a HEAVY sock pattern.
I wore these a couple times in the office and the boss finally brought in a portable heater. Wow. What a difference. I almost don't need the gloves. Notice I said almost?
I really need to get started on some baby items as my new granddaughter is due to arrive in June. I haven't found that one perfect pattern as of yet.
I have some nice sock yarn waiting to become a new pair. The KAL I belong to should be starting a new pattern anytime.
I am also waiting for the monthlydishcloth kal to start for February.
I have lots of projects waiting, just nothing on the needles right at the moment. That seems strange....nothing to knit. Maybe I will go look up a pattern for the baby.
Until later..

I finished the mid month KAL for Monthly Dishclothes last night. The pattern was designed by Andi Worthy and she did a great job teaching us the cable stitch. I have been reluctant to try a cable, but thought this time I would jump right in. It was easy.

I am sure this would look much nicer if it was blocked, but I am going to use it for what it is...a dish cloth.

The next KAL starts February 1st and calls for red cotton yarn. I can't wait.

Well, I finished a pair of socks and cannot say I did a perfect job. That's ok since I will be the one wearing them. I learned a few things while doing these. The one thing that stands out the most is...if you are knitting with a varigated yarn and must add a new skein, pay VERY careful attention to the color repeats. I didn't and my color stripes are off, not just alittle, but alot. I didn't not notice until I was grafting the toe of the last sock. That will teach me to be more careful next time.

Ok, I know I should post more but this blog thing has me stumped. I am not sure what to do with this or where to go with it. Hopefully, with time, this will get better as it can't get much worse.
I taught myself to knit last year and love it. I have crocheted since I was a young girl, but this is better. I joined a few knitting groups on line and have learned so much. I have knitted dishclothes, a multi-directional scarf and now I'm doing socks. I have one almost done and will post a picture when I have a pair!
I am addicted to yarn. There, I've said it. Not just any yarn, though. I love the good stuff. You know the kind....cashmere, silk, alpaca. (deep sigh) I can't bring myself to buy the yarn from the big box stores anymore. Now there is nothing wrong with it, I just prefer the other stuff. Ok, I am a yarn snob. If that's as far as my snobbishness goes, I'm ok.
I am going to get back to knitting that sock so I can have a pair by the end of next week.
Until then...Happy knitting.