Dog Days on Thursday

Stinky thinks he is one of the dogs!

Buddy and Molly hiding while I vacuum this morning. The Dyson was full of pug hairs!

Wed 3/19/08

Molly and Peek-A -Boo

It has been a crazy 3 days with hardy any time to knit .That second sock is still not done.

My mother is home and doing better but can't drive or walk on her heel. It is really strange getting melanoma on your heel!. Who looks there ? This is the second surgery and hoping it is all removed this time. Unfortunately , another suspicious growth was found on her leg.

But things are going to be better. Tomorrow is the first day of spring

I am excited to be going to my knitting group tomorrow night. I have not seen my knitting buddies since Jan. Next trip is a knitters/spinners retreat in Virginia first weekend in April. Have decided not to go to knitting camp this summer. I loved this camp experience these past 2 years but it will be too close to the wedding and my budget is tighter because of the wedding. Sadly,I am not going to Maryland Sheep and Wool either.The booklet came the other day. This Festival was fantastic last year but it ended up costing a lot of money staying down there and buying too much.

more Stitch N Beach cruise shots...stressssssss

Erika and I last night on ship

more knitters - farewell night

Shannon in blue dress

Debbie is the blond!



Debbie Stolller




Debbie again

a few of the other knitters at the cocktail party

I just reread a few of my last posts. Please forgive all my misspellings and grammar errors as I was rushing. My computer time and knitting has been limited due to family commitments. Today I am home and feel so much better.

All my clothes from both trips were put away this am and one can even get in my closet now. The sheets are clean and the bathrooms disinfected. Next up is the computer/knitting room. Needles/ cruise yarn and projects are still in unpacked bags all over the place.

Tomorrow it starts all over again with doctor appointments , trip to nursing home and taking care of my mother before her surgery on Tuesday. At times I wish - I lived closer to them so it was easier and the travel time /gas was not so long. My father just got on Medicaid after my mother paid over 100,000 to the nursing home this year. The red tape is a nightmare and more forms were due Friday that have to be handed in late.

More knitting should done this week. While waiting during my mother's surgery the sock should get done. . I am so frazzled that I must knit something simple and mindless. Maybe back to the afghan squares for the blanket ?

I made some mistakes with the Stitch N Bitch pictures. Debbie is the blond and Shanon has brown hair. Here are some more pictures.

Dogs on Thursday

Molly is the mother pug of Buddy and Peak-A-Boo. she is getting up there in the years. She is looking real gray and not moving around as much . !Not that pugs are real movers -move of couch potatoes.Several teeth are missing in the bottom so she needs softer food now and her breath is pretty stinky but I still kiss her to death.

Molly needs to be on a diet! She knows if she does her business outside that if she waits at the frig she gets a snack , Her favorites are pieces of chicken or hot dogs. I just say hot dog to her when she is outside and she will come running. It is a magic word ! Molly does not need a leash - only to hear "Hot dog"

Molly shadows me. She gets up in at the am when I do and follows me to bed in the pm. She knows I will lift her because she is a little too chubby to climb up .

After my recent trips she would not leave my side and kept licking and dancing around me. It is a wonderful feeling having something love you so much and vice -versa.

I have never loved a dog as much as my Molly ( Mommy)

Getting caught up

It has been a whirlwind few days getting caught up for both trips, going to appts and taking care of my mother.Tomorrow I leave for Albany to visit my daughter. I am teaching her 5th grade science classes on Friday. My daughter asked me to share with them my info about my trip to the Galapagos . So last night was spent organizing a power point with my different picture and info that will connect with what they are learning in science. I have to finish it up tonight so still no knitting getting done. It will be weird going into the classroom again. I taught for over 30 years but this still is making me nervous like I won't know how to deal with the kids anymore. Making speeches to adults- like at Open House -was always nerve wracking for me. I am feeling the same way so need to be super organized so I can remember what to say

Stitch N Beach Cruise

Got back Sat from the DebbieStoller/Shannon Oakey cruise. Give me to a few days to get unpacked and caught up with everything. So many projects/materials were passed out in the classes that I have about 10 more ufo's to complete.. Many things here I have to deal with like my parents. My mom had a growth on her foot that turnd out to be cancer and needs more surgery to remeove the rest. Many tests and appointments that she needs to be driven to. Will my house ever be clean again?

Briefly- the weather, knitters and classes were all fantastic. Some classes were challenging/frustrating for me especially with my hearing loss. Overall- I learned many new things in these 10 days.

Debbie ( right) and Shannon give Lori an afghan that is made of squares we all made. Lori is on leave from Army and is stationed in Iraq. She was just one of the lovely people I met!

Back from Galopogos

Iguanas are so colorful and huge!
Darwin Center with Tortoises

Middle of Earth

swimming with seal lions

a baby tapir at the lodge

whew... back from wonderful trip to Ecuador. What adventures we had! Now I leave on Wed for Stitch N Beach cruise. Not much time to repack and get caught up but not complaining at all. here are a few of my fave photos.. will blog when i get back.. lots of wash and parent stuff to do before I leave again..

knitters with pets and MInis.. Galapagos trip

Molly,Buddy and Peeky

Maggoo and Peeky Stinky Molly

After signing up for Dogs on Thursday a personal record of comments were posted. Thank you all. WOW !SO many knitters adore their pets as much as I do. Another thing I have noticed is that several of my blogger/knitter friends drive and love their Mini Coopers .

Really -really -ready to take off Tuesday

But, I am alreadly thinking of what to knit when i get back. I will order Brown Sheep cotton fleece yarn for Terva Durham Ballet T Shirt and some worsted yarn that is 4.25 for Central Park Hoodie. Mailed the baby sweaters yesterday so only project I am working on is the afghan. I have sock yarn and needles packed to start in the trip to Galapogos.

Last night we just happend to see this special NG show on Galapogos . I am even more excited about this adventure trip we are taking along with 14 other people from all over the US. We arrive in Quito , Ecuador on Tuesday and stay there for one day.There the paln is to go to a exhibit to learn all about the equator as we will be on the imaginary border along with some site seeing . Next- we fly to an area where will take only a small backpack and canoe into an Amazon lodge for 3 days. Lots of nature hiking and cultural events here. DH will even get to fish for piranha ( sorry spell check is still not working) Finally - back to Quito for another short flight to the Gallapogos small cruise ship. This is my favortie part.! Seeing all the diverse animals and plants like the sea lions, turtles, reptiles, penquins, birds is going to be fascinating as we go to the different islands each day.

So- no be posting for 12 days. Instead- I will be following Charles Darwin's footsteps and soaking up some sun! Retirement is wonderful!

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?