Tuesday, January 31, 2012 - HIGH OF 60 DEGREES PREDICTED TODAY!

Good morning,
With temperatures predicted today, it's hard to believe that just a short year ago, we were anticipating the "storm of the century!" After starting on February 1, 2011 and ending on February 2, 2011, we were blessed with a grand total of over 2 feet of snow! Still not the worst I've experienced but close! Gregory was in Rome so I sent pictures to him and said how bad I felt that he wasn't here to enjoy all this snow! : )

Here we are, one day until February! Can you believe it? Where did January go! See Mandy, time is going by so quickly; before you know it, it will be September!!!!!

Well, I go my size 10, 16 inch needles and started Gregory's skull cap. I'm at the point now where I have to start the skulls. I hope to get those 15 rows done tonight and have something to show for it! Hopefully a picture tomorrow! With the weather the way it is, he may not need it until next winter!

Did anyone feel the earthquake? Of course, I didn't but I did hear something eating garbage in our garbage cans! I woke up at 3:30 this morning and heard something digging or scratching. I thought someone was trying to break into the house! I got up and went to see if I could see anything. I didn't and went back to bed only to hear the noise again. I realized something had gotten into our garage cans, or was trying to get into them. I went back downstairs and turned on the porch light thinking that might scare whatever was there away. No luck - I went back upstairs and realized there was nothing I was going to do or could do and went to sleep. I told my husband in the morning and he went and checked in the garbage cans and of course, there was nothing in the can or around it. He probably, no, I'm sure he thinks I'm crazy. Oh well.

Off to another day of work. Hopefully I'll have a picture of the skull cap tomorrow. Enjoy this beautiful weather; take a walk, take your dog for a walk, but just get out and enjoy these days while they're here.

The Slippers Are DONE!!! - Monday, January 30, 2012

Slippers almost done.....

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Good morning!
My husband reminded me today that we had several significant days this past week and today! On January 27, 2009, my Mother passed away. A year and one day later, my Father-in-law passed away; January 28, 2010. I truly miss both of them but know they are in much better place. I don't think in terms of my Mother being gone because I feel she is always with me as my guardian angel! She was very sick and it was a blessing for her. I still sometimes think "oh, I have to tell Mom" about this or that or if I have a question about someone in the family I think, "oh, I'll call Mom." That doesn't happen too much anymore.

He also reminded me that in 1967, we experienced the worst blizzard of our lives. My older sister and I took the Western Avenue bus to Belmont to celebrate my nephew Billy's (now Bill!) birthday. Unfortunately, I can't remember how old he was, maybe 3? I'll never forget; I had one of those toy horse heads on a stick and carried that on the bus! Anyway, we eventually made it to my oldest sister's house and ended up staying there 4 days! We tried to get home from her apartment on Washtenaw by walking to Western but had to turn back because it was so cold, snowy, and windy! Of course, I was only 9 at the time so I was a big baby! We turned around on the Belmont bridge. When we got back to her house there was a huge semi stuck on her street. We brought the driver coffee and birthday cake while he was stuck. Being as young as I was, it was an adventure for me! Eventually, we were able to get home but it was another few days before we were able to go to school : (  Ha-ha!  My brother and I played in the backyard making snow castles. The snow was almost as high as I was. Those were some good memories! I won't even go into the story about Grandma! : )

Of course, Saturday I didn't do what I thought I would do! I picked up a book from the library that I had reserved; The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings. Now a major motion picture starring George Clooney! I love to read the book before seeing the movie. What a great book! I started reading it while eating my lunch (I love reading while I'm eating!) and couldn't put it down. It was a page-turner and I finished it at 10:30 p.m.! I think the author wrote the book with George Clooney in mind for the Father! I could just hear him saying all the lines. This is one movie I really want to see. I wish my sisters lived closer so we could get together and go to see movies more often!

I also started reading the series; A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin. My youngest son (an avid reading like me) recommended this series but I thought I wouldn't like it. I finished the first book and am halfway through the second one! I love them!

Well, today is the day I will finish those slippers! They are weighing heavy on my mind and I don't feel right working on something else unless I get them done! I want to finish the skeleton hat I'm making for my youngest son and then the pencil scarf for my niece! So much knitting and not enough time!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend and be sure to spend some time with your family today!

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Good morning,
I hope this sunny but cold day brings great weekend plans for everyone; even if it's just sitting around and watching TV. I myself plan to finish a pair of slippers I was commissioned to make.  Shortly before Christmas, a lady came into Woolly Lamb and asked if someone could duplicate a pair of slippers her son  had. I found a pattern and made them for her. Her daughter liked them too so she asked if I could make another pair. I'm almost finished and will post a pic when done. They remind me of the slippers my Grandmother used to make for us.

This is a picture of the Woolly Lamb version of the "Gaptastic" cowl that everyone is wearing. I made one of these for myself and 3 other ones. They are made of a very soft wool and really keep you warm. Everyone was making them from several different types of yarn. I like projects like this because they're quick and easy to make!

I love these beautiful cable stitch fingerless gloves I'm making. The cable pattern is so beautiful. I tried to take a pic to show the detail in it. I have one completed and another one on the needles. This blog will make an honest woman of me because now I'm accountable for finishing these projects I show!

Of course, I always have a pair (or two or three) of socks on the needles. I'm known as the sock queen at Woolly Lamb because I've made about 25 pairs of socks now! I love making socks; the continuous round and round knitting is very theraputic for me. I usually knit them on two circular needles but the 3 pairs I have are all "busy" with other socks so I had to resort to double pointed needles.



Well, that's it for today. Please be sure you enjoy this weekend; we work so hard during the week that it's great to do what YOU want to do for a couple days. Make sure you treat yourself and do something fun!

Good morning! - January 27, 2012

True to my word, this is my third day of posting. I am so mad; I forgot my phone at home today. There was a time when I never even had my phone on! My kids would get mad because they would try to call me and I didn't have my phone on. I always said; "if you need to get ahold of me, you can call me at work or wait until I get home - nothing is that important! Now, with an IPhone, I can't be without it! I can't get a signal at work so it does me no good there, but I do enjoy having it when I want it! I mean, you have to keep up with your "Words with Friends" games!

Last night was our Thursday Open Knit night. Brigitte was busier than a one armed paper hanger! There was a full house and several new people! Brigitte was in Arizona last weekend at a fiber show and brought back some beautiful Namaste bags. Of course, she bought them in red! I ordered a beautiful leather back pack, a small notions holder, a set of mesh bags, and a small needle holder - all in red! I swear, we are like lemmings at that place! We do have so much fun there and really enjoy each others' company. I have to tell my boss that I cannot work late on Thursdays because I miss Open Knit! : )

Speaking of my boss, I must sign off for now because I need to get to work!

Have a wonderful day and get out and have a good time this weekend.

Back Again! - January 26, 2012

Good morning all!
Today is the second day of my new resolution to blog! I'm very excited about this endeavor and hope you enjoy reading about my life!

Tonight is Open Knitting at Woolly Lamb! www.woollylamb.com I really enjoy my Thursday nights; friends, wine, snacks and of course, knitting! What more could someone want! I'm excited because I think I'll start on our new "crack project" - Skeleton Skull Cap from Ravelry ravelry.com tonight. The reason we call them "crack projects" is because Brigitte will bring a pattern to our attention and everyone wants to do it so we call these "crack projects" - we HAVE to make them and more than one! My youngest son was very excited about it so I'd like to make it for him ASAP. Picture to follow soon.

I also have a book that was loaned to me by someone in the office, "Microsoft Office Specialist Study Guide." I plan to review it regularly and possibly purchase it so I can study for my own edification. I also entertain the idea of possibly taking the exam to become a Certified Microsoft Office Specialist! This is something I've really wanted to pursure in the back of my mind for a long time and I have a great desire to do so this year! Wish me luck!

Signing off for today. Please be sure to do a kindness for someone today - you'll be surprised by their reaction! Maybe they will pass it forward!

January 25, 2012 - I Return!

Back to the Blog! I am going to try to post in my blog every day this year - and include some pictures. I may bore myself to death (no one else reads my blog) but at least I can have a record of my year!

Knitting will always be my craft of choice so I will start with that. Brigitte, the owner of my LYS - Woolly Lamb Yarn Studio has a new website - http://www.woollylambyarn.com/ with tons of items to purchase even if you don't live in the Chicago area! She has started a new monthly project event. Each month we will have a new project of her choosing to work on. Whomever makes each project for each month will be entered into a drawing for a Woolly Lamb gift certificate at the end of the year! Sounds like a fun idea. Our first project, for January, is a pair of fingerless gloves using 2 skeins of Cascade 220 Sport Yarn. These are the Cables and Leaves Fingerless Mitts from the Cascade book "60 More Quick Knits" - Page 48. I am using a very beautiful shade of red for mine. There isn't much to look at now - picture to follow as soon as I get more completed!

My other love is quilting. I have one quilt that was professionally quilted but still needs to have the border attached. This is the Soduko quilt. It was so much fun putting it together. I really enjoyed this one.

I also have a baby quilt that needs the quilting completed and then the border done. Unfortunately time is fleeting and I just don't have enough of it! I hope to get these two completed this year - yes, I said this year! (Let's see how I do on this deadline!)

Scrapbooking has been put aside for the winter since it's very cold in the basement where my stuff is located. I'll be picking that up again this Spring - I still have to scrap Gregory's pictures from his semester abroad - don't we sound rich!!!

Life is good for all of us. I started my new job on January 3 and my son graduated from law school on January 15. It was a wonderful and very meaningful ceremony. Everyone else is well.

Until tomorrow.