New projects-Fall 2008

Well, I'm making headway on the hoodie. I love it. This is a pattern from Chic Knits by Bonne Marie Burns. I bought the pattern and am using my favorite "Roma" yarn by Jaeger. I love this yarn company. I also bought "The Rogue Hooded Pullover" from http://www.girlfromauntie.com/. It is so lovely. It has a celtic cable around the hood, sleeves and side vents and a front kangaroo pocket. I'm not sure what I'll use yet for this - probably Karabella wool.

I also found a very cute pumpkin hat on "Crazy Aunt Purl" blog. It is easier than the hat I made before for Joshua. I'm making this one for logan. I making this out of Mission Falls wool (the original). It's a little simpler pumpkin pattern than the one I made for Josh and Ellie.

Look at the photo of these butterflies. They danced around out there just like they were performing for me.

Nicole came home from England last night. Almost didn't get on her flight cuz she was late, haven't heard that story yet. She brought me a tin of tea and chocolate. My two favorites.

We're looking at holloween costumes for the children for this year. Josh wants to be a skunk, so his mom ordered that costume. I told him we'd have to say, "Oh Pooh, you stink". I found a really cute Lamb on Martha Stewart that I think I'll work up cuz it would work for our Christmas pageant also for the little ones. Check out http://www.marthastewart.com/ for costumes under Holidays. She still continues to have great ideas.

Ellie wanted to be a pig but I think I changed her mind, hopefully. She has a fascination with pigs lately.

Keep knitting - I just get distracted by so many new patterns. Oh, I picked up a new magazine, I don't think I blogged about this yet, It's from Europe and called Verena, http://www.verenaknitting.com/. I found it at Barnes and Noble this summer. Cute sweaters.

I finished the Edgar Sawtelle, the novel, the first book for this author. He is an excellent story teller. It relates the story of a family who developed a lineage of dogs, called Sawtell dogs, that had very interesting attributes. The family develops a training program for these dogs that last one whole year before they are released to new owners. The story continues to reveal, death, murders, deceit, coming of age for a boy, adventure and destruction, not in that order. I sure hope he keeps writing. I'm a slow reader, I like to devour a story and if it's good, I hate to see it end. That is how this story was but it carries you along so fast that you find you want to see what happens at the end. The Author is David Wroblewski.

I sure wish these dogs were real, cuz I'd have to have one.

First Day of Fall

This is my favorite time of year. I love it. I'm usually very energized but for some reason this weekend I cannot get going. I have so much to work on and I just want to go window shopping. I have no money so I just want to walk around and browse. There is alot to browse this time of year, especially in Carver.



Joshua stayed overnight Friday night. I had all three children most of the day and they were busy. Logan is so anxious to do everything the other two do that he's hard to catch up with. Every accomplishment is hands in the air and smiling until you applaud his new skill. Right now climbing is his biggest entertainment. Up and down on anything and when he falls he looks at you and gives you this fake cry. Ellie was having a great time watering my new lilacs and being in charge of the hose - chasing Josh. Finally, the tables turned and she got sprayed again and was so upset. "she needed a towel and dry clothes". Unfortunately the dry clothes were in the room where Logan was sleeping and you'd have thought the world had come to an end. I feel like a rag doll when I'm done watching all three.



Ellie decided to go home with dad, maybe it was the wet clothes incident that didn't give her any confidence in her Nanna, but she had had enough of Josh. She told me she would really miss me as she climbed into the car.



He, on the other hand, was delighted to have me all to himself. We finished a couple errands and then had dinner at Culvers, ice cream sundae included. Then off to target to pick up a couple things and he thought we needed some new toys for my house. We found a bee game which looked like fun.! Well, the leaves have to be inserted into this sphere thing before you can play the game. It takes a long time to insert these leaves. Then you pile on the bees (I guess it's a hive in a tree) and when you carefully pull out the leaves you try not to let the bees fall. He thought you won if you got the most bees so each time we pulled out every leaf. Really fun Game, NOT!



Then it was onto bath time, all by himself, a pillow fight, and finally lights out. He slept really well and I woke up to, "Nanna". It was great to hear that little voice.

Politics

Okay, you may want to skip this if you don't want to hear my opinion. I heard an interview with Hillary this morning and Diane Sawyer. Diane asked her what she thought of the hub-bub about Palin as a VP pick, and does she think Obama should have picked her (because she was woman). ? Hillary responded that she would hope voters were looking at the more serious issues of this campaign rather than the subject of a woman running or not and support the campaign that has a woman just because she is a woman. I agree! There is a surge of supporters calling them "soccer moms for Palen." and I sure hope these women are looking at what is at stake. Enough from me.

I am workin' away on my sweater - it so easy and going so well - it's scarey.

I planted, or I should say "B" planted the lilacs the other night. We decided I needed three more and more black dirt. He gave me grief for back filling the hole with wood chips from the old stumps. So we'll see if it makes a difference in the spring. I say they will grow just fine.

Tonight I'm going to work on the shop in Carver and get it ready for the sale tomorrow. I have more books and patterns to bring and I found some samples.

I've been interviewing for a couple positions this week. I sure hope they work out. This job ends in October. Wish me luck.

A friend of mine has a new granddaughter and she was born at 28 weeks. Please send some prayers for the baby and parents and grandparents. (Mariana is the babies name).

Finished the fleece lined mitten sample - now I have to get bags and make kits.

Have a great day!

September spectacular

I am so excited about "September Spectacular" in Carver and Chaska Sept. 19, 20, 21, and 22nd. I will be in the Carver Creek Dry Goods spot with Creative Fibers and there are 3 other shops in that building plus Linda's Antiques in Chaska and Carver Antiques and Flower shop and the Carver Outdoor Market. There will be food and music. This will be so much fun!



New projects: The Hoodie is coming right along - started at the top and working down is my favorite way to knit. It seems to go faster plus you can try it on and see if it fits.



I'm making a pair of mittens with roving in them for the grandchildren. I will also use this pattern to make up kits for the Sept. Spectacular. I'm using Mission Falls and a City Sheep pattern, which is an adult pattern but I will adapt it to a child's size.



Went to the Arboretum on Sunday for family photo session. Every year my daughter gets the children all dressed in color coordinated outfits (blue and White) and we head out to the Arboretum with our favorite photographer Cheri (who is moving to some other country in Jan.) and we troop around and get some great photos - 300 plus. This year we bought the disc and sent it to snapfish and now we can choose our own pics and choose whatever size we want. The problem is looking at a slide show of 300 plus photos of these adorable children, how do I pick?



The Arboretum is gorgeous. Everything is immaculate in their gardens and waterfalls, New things are some incredible sculptures, Leaf Chairs out of iron and fabric painted to look like leaves, bronze statues, silver globes planted in the ground, it is just lovely. It is so peaceful and serene, I'd like to sit and knit all day out there.



Working on some new felted jackets this week. I hope to get a couple done by the next weekend. I'm working every day this week, which is good, but slows me down on my hobbies.



Cally is in the dog house - she threw up on my very expensive fluffy white rug in the bedroom last night - as soon as I saw what was happening, I started yelling - No, don't you dare - but too late. This morning, B helped me haul it up on the clothes line so I could hose it off. He was thrilled but I was grateful for him and the clothes line. Hopefully, I can get it dried out with all this rain today.



Wish me luck

Knitting a new Hoodie

Yes, I found a cute Hooded cardigan that I can use some of my stashed yarn for. I grabbed some Jaeger Roma when I closed the shop. I love this yarn. It's Viscose, Nylon and Angora. So soft! I bought the pattern on Chic Knits called Basic Chic Hoodie by Bonne Marie Burns. It had my name written all over it. You'll have to go to Chic Knits to find it.

Dan has a Wisdom Tooth day today so I will sit and work on this sweater. You start at the Hood on size 7 needles, worsted weight yarn. Roma is 22 sts/inch and the pattern is 19/sts/inch on size 7 so we'll see what I get for gauge. The are Sizes 36-54" Chest size, so it's very generous in sizing.

Dontcha just love Sunflowers. I planted these in July but look how spectacular they are.

Fall is in the air and I love it - it invigorates me, even though I have a cold from somewhere. I have lots to do this Fall around the yard and house so I hope it lasts a long time. I may get more hours at work, so that is good.

Finished Projects:

Logan's Blanket and pillow. I made Josh and Ellie one of these when they were babies so now Logan has his.

Finished the Library Bags. One princess and one fish. This should help keep those books separate.

Josh and Ellie start pre-school next week. Josh is ready and Ellie is a little less so. Have you seen the new "Knitter's" magazine. Well, I don't know where their colors are coming from but "Yuk". Some of the patterns are nice but the yarn or the color is way off. Just my opinion. I love to critique these magazine.

Find a new project and get knittin'. Did I mention I'm going to give Knitting lessons in Carver and New Prague. I hope they go. Bonny

Labor Day

I went to the cabin on Thursday night with Nicole and Family. It was a last minute decision. I've been trying to get a weekend all summer and finally I didn't work thurs and I had Fri and Sat. off so, i went. It was lovely. The children we wonderful. We swam, took the pontoon out, ate, swam and ate. We had a great campfire in the evening when they all were in bed and there were no bugs and no noise. It was cool in the morning, 45 and warmed up to 75-80 in the afternoon.

Josh learned to swim without the life jacket on and jumped off the dock a million times. So did Spencer, the dog, he hasn't jumped off the dock since he was a pup, it must looked like too much fun so he had to try it again.

Spencer's main activity is to stand on the shore and watch the fish, occassionally ducking his head under water. He's a golden retriever and they had great hopes he would be a duck hunting dog but the first time out he fell out of the boat in the dark and Peter had to rescue him. I think he gave up hunting at that point, except, this weekend he thought it his duty to bring us dead baby squirrels. A cat had killed them and left them in our driveway. Dick had thrown them in the woods but spencer found them again. As I was taking the children for a walk he came trotting out with this dead animal hanging in his mouth. I said, "Spencer, drop it." and he did. I swished the children toward the cabin to find Peter and by the time I got there Spencer had picked it up again and brought it to the cabin to show his Master what a hunter he was, no doubt. That dog wouldn't retrieve anything until today, dontcha know!

Joshua as you all know by now is such a character. Well, he was supposed to take a nap and he decided to nap in the bunk house because it has bunk beds. His mom went with him, couldn't sleep so he decided to come in and sleep in my room with me. So I tickled his back and tried to relax him, but no go. So I left him on his own. Then spencer and the neighbor dog started barking and Josh had to get up to see what was going on. Barking is taboo during nap time so Nicole quickly cornered Spencer. Josh now decided he'd go to the bunk house again with me(I'm so easy) and try to nap out there. He crawled up on the top bunk and I layed on the double bed.

He kept talking and climbing down the ladder so I finally said, "Why don't you lay down with me and I'll tickle your back again?" So he did. It wasn't working cuz he kept turning around tickling my eyes.

I'm laying on my back looking up at the ceiling and he's on his back with his arms behind his head and his feet crossed, so relaxed, and he says, "Nanna, I'm so disapointed in you." I'm like, "What????"(I could hardly believe my ears) "I'm so disapointed in you, Nanna", he said. I said, "Why, because I didn't nap",? "Yes", he said.(Obviously someone has said this to him before so he thought he'd try it out on me.) I said, "well, that makes us even then. This was supposed to be quiet time and you were never quiet." Then we had a tickle fight and got up to take Logan for a walk.

The end of a lovely weekend.