Dogs on Thursday

I love pugs!

About 13 years ago my original pug was Winnie. I instantly fell in love with this loyal little clown. Molly and Maggo came next after I researched and worked with my vet to become a breeder. 3 litters of adorable puppies came later.. Buddy and Peeky were part of those litters. Molly , the mother, is my soul mate. She never leaves my side and even reads my mind and vice versa.

Thursdays will now include shots of my 4 pugs and maybe get Stinky in there too. Most of this month I will be away (: but will start when I get back. Here is Molly and her baby Peek-A-Boo

Molly and her baby Buddy

Molly,Buddy and Peeky

Molly checking out the Kitty PI

One of Molly's litters

DH and the pug babies 2004

Winnie ( passed away this summer) Magoo( the father of puppies) , Molly and Peeky. Buddy is missing

http://dogsonthursday.blogspot.com/

Computer problems

My monitor died yesterday. Then as I was getting something for knitting I noticed it came back to life. Today it was playing games again turning all white.. Meanwhile- last night I spent that frustrating time with the C City Protection plan person and they are sending me a new monitor.Of course, that is before it came alive again.

The top down cardigan / Cabin Fever is completed. A matching hat needs to done so it can be mailed this week. DH says it is nice but those mistakes just pop out at me.

Feb 2008

Feb already.

For as long as I can remember- this is my least favorite month. My birthday was FEb 3 so you would think it would be a special month but it isn't . Why? Maybe because Feb is always dark and cold in the the NE. At this point I am sick of winter and maybe sun deprived and depressed with no energy. I was one of 6 kids so birthdays were not special with no parties or big celebrations with leftover winter clothes on sale for a gift. Now, as I get older it gets even more depressing. 57 years old .crap -how did that happen? I am closer to 60 now and time is passing me by so quickly. It scares me.
I am not sitting back and letting it happen this year

Feb 2008 will be great.

My solution to this sun deprivation and depression are the 2 trips this month to warm and sunny places. I am packed and ready to go next Tuesday.
But .
The worrying curse haunts me mostly concerning the the pets and parents. The pugs and Stinky are so attached to me and the pet sitter has been acting wierd lately. Please nothing drastic happen with my parents before I go or while I am gone. Both are unhealthy and my Dad has been in bad shape at the nursing home for over a year now just sleeping in fetal postion. My lonley mother depends on me to make her everyday decisions like going to doctors and paying bills. Yes - There are 5 other siblings but not living as close and still working. Hopefully- they will call her once in awhile.

Ps. sorry spell check is still not working

photos of BSJ/Spell check not working

Blogger is acting up lately. Spell check and downloading pictures are not cooperating. I downloaded the pictures after some trouble shooting. But -spell check is still not working.HELP !

Back view

and
Front view

It is done..ready to be sent off for nephew's baby.. some mistakes but next time should look better. . The increases ( or maybe decreases) look messy in the lower front. The whole thing is a surprise in how it is made . I just followed the directions without totally understanding what was happening. Next time it should click..

Monday 1/28/08

Busy weekend here. My D came to visit and many of wedding plans were settled. The caterer,DJ, flowers and cake are now booked. Wedding invitations were chosen and lists made ...whew!



Not too much knitting accomplished but the BSJ is done except for blocking and buttons. A matching hat is in progress.
The other project barely started is this blanket kit purchased at Stitches. It will be a shower gift for D if finished by then

PATCHWORK AFGHAN Knit Simple Holiday 2006
includes 18 skeins of Nashua Handkits - Creative Focus Worsted yarn & magazineUS 6 needles (not included)
This beauty of a blanket is pieced together from large squares of simple colorwork and solid stockinette using 8 different jewel tones shades

Return from retreat...Feb trips next.

About 30 ladies and 2 men attended this retreat organized by Tina from Lancaster Pa Rose Spinners' Guild. Meeting a diverse group of people and knitting/spinning nonstop for 2 days made for a perfect weekend.
The Resort we stayed at did not allow wine- but it like we were intoxicated just from all the fiber in the room. Side trips were taken to 2 yarn stores. Susanah's( no link available) was really interesting filled to the brim with all kinds of yarns, boxes,samples, books and materials but so crowed that is was impossible to concentrate. Still WaterFibers was well organized and pleasant to visit.This store was ever so tempting but my New Year's resolution was kept as not a single skein of yarn was purchased! On Sunday a class on toe-up socks was presented. The the presenter was super organized with handouts and many visuals. A baby sock was attempted. I understood it but need to go back and start over as mine had several holes where the yarn needed to be pulled snugly by the markers, This method used a provisional cast on and several wrapped stitches.

My sister and I with our matching Lendrums.

Feb is travel and get away from the cold month!!!

A pair of socks will be started soon using the dpns made of wood just for just this time(.I am hooked on circulars after Cat Bordhi's retreat.) DPN's go on my trip to Galapagos,Ecuador and the Amazon Feb 12-23.. My circulars are metal and may be confiscated by airlines so wood and plastic will be packed. A basic pattern I have used a few times before will be a safe project while at airports plus they are so portable. As it is -luggage is restricted to one bags for 11 day which must be less than 48 pounds. Hiking, swimming and Amazon clothes need to be carefully chosen and packed .


Other travel news.

I registered for my classes at Stitch N Bitch Cruise on Feb 27. I am very excited about this trip. Packing for this will be entirely different. No limit on the luggage here. Knitting materials should fill one whole suitcase.. Dressy/ cruise wear will be needed if it fits! Here are my classes taught by Debbie Stoller and Shannon Oakey.

Classes I have registered for:
My Stitch n Beach Classes: 11
Event Title
Event Date
Mar 7 Afternoon B: Stashbusting Sweater
Friday, 07 March 2008
Mar 7 Morning A: Sea Socks
Friday, 07 March 2008
Mar 6 Afternoon A: Stitch Dr. Secrets
Thursday, 06 March 2008
Mar 6 Morning A: Intro to Crochet
Thursday, 06 March 2008
Mar 5 Afternoon: Felt Flowers
Wednesday, 05 March 2008
Mar 2 Morning: Spiderweb Capelet
Sunday, 02 March 2008
Mar 1 Afternoon: Basic Sweater Design
Saturday, 01 March 2008
Feb 29 Afternoon A: No Plastic, Please Bag
Friday, 29 February 2008
Feb 29 Morning A1: Knitting on the Double
Friday, 29 February 2008
Feb 28 Afternoon A: Slip Stitchin' Away
Thursday, 28 February 2008
Feb 28 Morning B: Provisional Cast-On
Thursday, 28 February 2008

Spinning Retreat

Road trip to Lancaster Pa area for a spinning retreat 1/18-1/20

My 3 knitting buddies and I are leaving tomorrow afternoon. Curious to see how will 4 wheels, suitcases and knitting bags will fit in Nora's SUV? I am excited! My sister will meet us there.

Snow please stop!!!

Going to try to finish the BSJ tonight.

BSJ

This is how it looks as knitting it. Still have to do several rows and button holes plus collar.

It is such a surprise that it turns into a sweater!

I wanted to experiment with stripes. Not sure of the color combination but I had this yarn in my stash . The yarn is Tweed Cascade 220 and used size 8 Harmony needles. I broke another Harmony with this and doing the M1 with the Harmony was tedious as the points were not sharp enough to catch the yarn. I would use Options with next ones. I just glued the Harmony back into the casing with Gorilla glue.

The Baby Surprise Jacket is moving along after several frogging events.. Everyone says it is such an easy pattern but somehow my stitch count gets off. Maybe forgetting to increase on one side and not the other is the problem?. I found two mistakes in the back last night that I never noticed before too. When I dropped a stitch I picked it up the wrong way as it looks like a purl in the middle of all the knits. I am not going back again!

Knitting Irish Hiking/BSJ/Kale Soup

Three projects going at same time with knitting. The Irish Hiking Scarf had to be frogged when I realized it was too wide and would run out of yarn. So I started that all over and took out one cable section to make it narrower. I just hope it does not look too narrow and less masculine now. Maybe I can block the alpaca to make it wider? Not sure if alpaca will block?

My other project is the Baby Surprise Jacket. My knitting group is doing it together. It is the famous Elizabeth Zimmerman pattern . But, if I didn't have the DVD and the notes from the BSJ group I would never have be able to figure it out. EZ's patterns are not clear enough for me as I am just starting to see the whole picture and understand the knitting process.



The other project is the baby sweater I started last week from Cabin Creek. This is taking longer than I expected because of the fingering weight yarn.



Another goal of 2008 is to cook more as to save more $ and to eat healthier. My cooking skills are very weak. My kids even used to call me Microwave MaMa. We were on the run so much with all the activities and with teaching.
Every week at Wegmans the chef, Carmen , demonstrates a new recipe. Last week he suggested using a digital thermometer to check meat as I tend to overcook everything just like my mother did. Well- I got one this week and made perfect steaks and chicken this weekend. It is the kind you hook up to the meat with a probe and has a cord with a gadget to regulate on the kitchen counter.

I am experimenting more. For example,I made a delicious Portuguese Kale This I will make again. I used spicy chicken sausage, fat free broth and drained the beans to make it even less fattening.

Good news!!!Ilost a few pounds this week !

Resolutions 2008

These are my resolutions for 2008:

1.Get Healthy

Getting healthier is my primary goal . These last few months some serious health issues been faced.. For the first time- I felt old .Not moving enough and eating too many comfort foods just aggravated the problems. Plus- We are going on this adventure trip to the Amazon and Galapagos next month where one needs to be able to hike and canoe.This is my plan:

• no more candy , junk or processed foods
• joined Weight Watchers and using the core plan where I eat only healthy foods with more fish , fruits and veggies.( lost 3 pounds last week)
• no more diet soda - water instead of the 4-5 cans I was drinking a day
• Do a Pilate's, walking or fit tape each morning.

2. Use up my Stash

This has been ongoing past two months. I have improved but still need to use more up before purchasing more. My closets are full of very nice sock yarn and kits that could be used. Staying away from yarn shops and ordering on line is a must. The Stitch'Beach cruise that I go on Feb 27th has something called Yarn Tastings. Damn-I suspect that means yarn sales. Luckily , the supplies for the classes were included in the fees.

3.Save money for the wedding

I looked at my Microsoft money expense report this morning and tried to figure out why I am always broke.Gee- These trips might be the culprit! But they are all paid for so now I need to get down to business and figure out ways to cut out more expenses. Last month food costs about $550 and gas was $422. Maybe the food can be cut more but gas I can't help.It was really even more because a few times I paid cash. Good news is I did not charge a single item this holiday so that is probably the reason for the last few months. This month is shot too as the Mini needs 4 new tires for another 800.... So I will just watch and not do the impulse shopping ( knitting most of the time) and be more aware of my spending. My favorite grocery store ,Wegmans ,has a senior discount of 5 % on Tuesday so go then and try to stay away from the center of the store.

Wedding plans/ Harmony Options

Got this nice email Knit Picks...I love Knit Picks!

Their needles are the greatest. The Harmony seem sharper and better for lace projects while the Options are good for projects that don't need sharper points . That is all I need and use anymore. I love their catalogs too. Once I use up some of my stash I think I will try out some of the reasonable priced yarns. I am going to be on an even stricter budget with the wedding coming up.

Dear Kathleen,
I am sorry that your needle broke. Please let me know which size it was and I will send out a replacement to you.
Sincerely, Georgianna Customer Service

My daughter has decided to get married up here on the river on August 16th. We have a perfect location for a wedding . Only problem is we both stressing about the planning and details trying to keep the costs down. She and I( both being teachers) have this thing about getting things organized right away ( maybe slightly obsessive) and in perfectly in place before the event. Sometimes it is a curse!

My son's wedding.....was here 2 years ago. This time should be easier- right?

2008 first knitting/ Stinky's present/ Harmony snapped

My sister made this for

Stinky

It is his favorite toy

Now my knitting...

Irish Hiking Scarf



Here is what I am working on :http://www.helloyarn.com/irishhikingcarf.htm. My son asked me to make him a black scarf with cables out of something soft like alpaca. This pattern is free found on Ravelry.What a great resource for patterns and info..! I had noticed it before but did not know how easy cables were then. Not sure how the cables will show up with baby alpaca and it has to be masculine looking .


My other project started is the Buttons Cardigan #606 . I bought this pattern at Stitches from Cabin Fever.

Baby Buttons Cardigan # 606
It is a top down baby sweater and pretty easy.I keep making some mistakes and have to go back but it is not the pattern's fault as the directions are so very clear. This is a perfect pattern for beginners. I am an advanced beginner. The portion in the picture is the collar of the baby sweater.

I was using my new Harmony Options needles with this sweater and the needle just snapped off. I have not heard back from KnitPicks . Their ad said they are in the middle of a big move so maybe I will hear soon. With my hearing loss I avoid the phone as much as possible but will use my Cap Tel Phone if needed.

Happy New Year in Winter Wonderland!

warning: mucho photos ahead

Stinky's favorite spot checking out the snow and birds

Buddy at Christmas


!2/31/07 our yard

Utopia hat fits perfectly on my daughter

She wore it all weekend

Peek-A Boo 12/31/07


Magoo 12/31/07

Molly 12/31/07

View from deck 12/31/07

We got snow!

Happy New Year

We woke up to this

2007 coming to an end...Dd got engaged!.

Almost 2008. Another year gone by ....as you get older as it goes by faster and faster.
Another wedding coming up this 2008. MY DD got engaged at Christmas.

Almost all my UFOs are done but can't figure out what to start next. Looked at my very full stash but nothing is saying "knit me next". Going to knitting group tonight so maybe something will get me excited here. My goal is to use the stash before I buy anymore. I know this knitting Cruise in Feb will be selling yarn so I will wait till then.

Happy Holidays to all

Both my kids stayed over last night and will be here for Christmas Eve. It is wonderful to see them. We played Wii last night and my arm is aching form playing tennis and bowling but such fun..'
Pretty soon the ham will go in the oven. The smell of the mince meat pie baking is making it smell like Christmas