And We're Off

to Boyne, that is!

See you after the new year. . .

I'd Be Good On TV?

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The Inland North
The West
North Central
The South
The Northeast
Philadelphia
Boston
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

Better make that radio.

Merry Christmas

From our family to yours . . .

A Wise Man Once Told Me . . .

“Shh, I'm not supposed to talk to you and it's just a bath robe!"

First, kids in a Holiday Pageant are too cute for words. LM got to be one of the Wise Men. He was all over that crown and bathrobe. When I whispered to LM (as he walked by) that I liked his regal robes, he leaned over, cupped his little hands around his mouth and in the loudest whisper said, "Shh, I'm not supposed to talk to you and it's just a bath robe!"

I love the teachers in LM's pre-school class. They did a super job coaching the kids through the entire program. It takes a lot effort to get nine 4-year olds in the costumes, let alone act out the motions. I was proud of all of the kids. RM was Video Master "R", and got the whole thing on tape. There will be a full scale premier Christmas Day.

My friend (who is blogless) sent me this skein of yarn and a pattern. The yarn is by Diakeito. I am sure it has a style name, but at this point the ball band is across the room and I am too sleepy to go get it. There are yummy brown, plum, ecru and a light blue/turquoise colors throughout. But what I find so fabulous are little "blossoms" that repeat through out the yarn, giving it a very decidedly feminine look.

This will knit up to be a Beaded Scarf, designed by Kyle Doolittle. I think it will look fantastic with jeans. The fabric will be very light, so definitely a fashion object, not a function object. The beads will give just a subtly glitter to it. Having tried knitting with beads here and here, I know I like having the beads on the working yarn. This pattern calls for a crochet hook and placing the beads on the individual loops. Hopefully, this method will not slow me down that much. Still, I'm not holding my breath.

Santa Takes Boat to Deliver Gifts

The weather is beautiful today. The sun is shining brightly, the temperature is unseasonably mild (for Michigan) and there is no snow or ice. With no ice on the lake the swans can still be seen. Here is what is going on in front of my house right now. To top that, the neighbor just put his boat back in the water so he can water ski. Fanatic. Could this be similar to me knitting with Wool or Alpaca in 80 degree summer heat? Fanatic.

Little Man has a plan on how Santa will make an appearance with no white stuff on the ground. Our conversation went like this:

Me: "How will Santa get here without any snow?"

LM: "He will be here."

Me: "But his sleigh needs snow. How will Santa make it here?"

LM: "He'll use his boat, mom." *showing some exasperation*

Me: "What about the people who don't live by water? What will they do?"

LM: "Santa will build a bridge from the North Pole and walk." *Tilts his head and gives me the "Duh" look*

Why didn't I think of that? I like to see how his little mind operates. It's nice to know that he has this all worked out in his mind so there are no worries. Always a Plan A and a Plan B for him.

I finished this. It was so silky and fun to knit. Just trying it on was a thrill. Giving it away is going to be difficult. Here are the details:



Pattern: Debbie Bliss Scarf from Pure Silk
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Pure Silk
Needles: US6 Bamboo
Started: November 24, 2006
Finished: December 19, 2006
Notes: Definitely only knit this to 68". It stretches. Quite a bit.

Wishing for snow . . .

Santa, are you there?

I have a finished object.

Pattern: Child's "Ear" Hat w/Tassels by Goodknit Yarn: Carron's Simply Soft in Buttercup (it's *gasp* acrylic)
Needles: Bamboo US6 circ
Started: December 13, 2006
Finished: December 14, 2006
Notes: Very easy pattern. I had some trouble with seaming the rib portion. Used acrylic yarn (yep, I am a yarn snob). Typically, I like to use natural fibers. Yet, for a new born baby garment that could require a lot of washing, this was the perfect choice. The yarn is very soft to the touch and doesn't catch on the needles.

Now, why do I have a finished project that wasn't even on the radar? My sister and her family arrived Sunday night from Oklahoma, hence the industrial cleaning. But, Boo-boo caught the flu. Yep, he has the big daddy flu. Fever, vomiting, won't leave my lap flu. Can't leave the house because he is contagious flu. Scare sister and family away flu. She and the kids have gone to stay with friends in Kalamazoo because of this. I am sad. Why did she leave? This adorable little person is why. He is too young to get a flu shot. Nobody wants something this sweet to feel that bad. So, they packed up and left. No early Holiday celebration, no kid’s museums, no fun sister-to-sister shopping for us. See why I have a quick FO? Needed a pick me up. Just seeing this on him will give me such a chuckle. Plus, a nice quickie always puts a smile back on my face. Not that kind of "quickie" - naughty-naughty.

That's until I had to make the decision to move the staff party from our house to a local condo clubhouse (thank goodness for in-laws). Boo-boo just isn't up to all those people in the house or being trucked off to a sitter. Who would take him sick anyway? Didn't I just finished painting the bathroom, hallway and dinning room for this party? Yep. Also, hauled out many more Christmas decorations than originally planned to make house look festive. Don't get me wrong, I love to decorate. But when I am the only one who gets the decorations out or puts them away, it's easier to go simple.

Consequently, I am feeling blue again. It will take a boat load of yarn and maybe some new needles to make this funk go away. I'm thinking wool tweed would do the trick.

Leave you with a look at how a sick 4-year old can trash a family room in under 10 minutes:

*Photo Removed*

Santa, please bring me a toy room.

No Woodwinds Here

RM and Boo-boo went to Boyne for the weekend. I asked them to go because I needed to get the house ready for family guests and RM’s staff party. Remember, all intentions were good.

My friend, we’ll call her . . . Roxanne (identities have been changed to protect the innocent), and R’s Sister all went out for a cocktail Friday night. While waiting for a drink, we met some of the musicians from the Brass Band of Battle Creek. Check it out. Very talented people from all over the world let me tell you. The Christmas Concert was sold out, but they got us four tickets! So Roxanne, R’s sister, Soccerchica and I went on Saturday night. I loved it! It’s amazing that Battle Creek has a nationally renowned Brass Band. It never occurred to me that we would be so lucky. The band will be performing again in March. You can bet I will be there.

Long story short, I got the bathroom and hallway painted, the Holiday decorations out and lots of errands done. Most of the chores on Saturday were done with a throbbing headache. Not sure where that came from . . . *she giggles.*

I knit a little on this and ran into trouble on that. For the right front of the Simple Wrapover, I should be done with my decreases and ready to bind off at 22 ¼”. Well, I have nine more decrease rows and am already 1/4'” past required length. I checked my gauge all over that darned front panel. Guess what, it’s right on for stitches and rows. The Debbie Bliss site had no errata on the pattern. So now what?

A lot of this, a lot of that

But never enough time to knit.

Can't wait to tell you about the weekend!

Just In Time For Ice

These would have been finished sooner, but I got interrupted by the simple wrapover. To make up for lost time I stayed up late last night to finish the Anastasia's. So here is the scoop:

Pattern Anastasia by Pepperknit
Yarn Artyarns Supermerino in a blue color way (#107)
Needles Addi Turbo US2 Circs
Started November 27, 2006
Finished December 4, 2006
Notes Wandered from pattern by using a heavier gauge yarn. I had to cast on fewer stitches and reduced number of stitches between eyelet repeats.

Overall, I like both the yarn and the pattern. The repeat is easy to memorize, so no printed pattern had to travel with me (more room for other projects). Soccerchica saw Anastasia and has already claimed them for her own. The yarn is easy to work with and I absolutely love the color. My only wish is that each hank had more yardage for longer socks.

Guess I'll have to knit another pair. Time for a Koigu purchase?

Boo-boo has swimming lessons at the Family Y Center. We leave his life jacket outside to dry. RM left his life jacket outside to dry during the ice storm last Friday. Oops. I leave you with a picture of Boo-boo's ice jacket.

LYS Produced

I have been on a quest to get Debbie Bliss' Aplaca Silk Two for over two month's. Looked on line. Found it, pay about $4 less than LYS, but would not pay $4+ in shipping. Yep, I was spinning my wheels. All LYS's did not have the book. I checked. Until today! Hopped in my car and drove to Marshall to pick it up. Now it's mine. Mine. All mine. Nana-nana boo-boo *does the happy dance.*

Why should I be this excited? Well, I have been yearning to knit this for over a year. While letting the thought marinate, I would visit said LYS to lovingly touch the sample sweater. To soak up the yumminess of the yarn. To add up the price of the book and yarn. To *with shoulders drooping* leave the store and bang head on steering wheel. This summer I had enough extra in the budget to purchase the yarn, thinking the book would be a cinch to find locally. Yea. Right.

Now that all supplies are in my possession, I will begin swatching for the simple wrap sweater with Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk in navy. I am working on some house socks out of this yarn. It is scrumptious next to your skin. The fabric this yarn produces is very flexible. I realize there is a knitting specific term I should be using for "flexible." But I am having a brain fade. I am hoping this sweater will go well with jeans or a skirt. All depends on my abilities now.

Serious . . . Heavy. . . Industrial Strength Cleaning will commence immediately. Relatives are coming to stay for a week! Wish me well.