Questions #6
What is your favorite type of project to take along on holiday/vacation?

Well, like a huge number of knitters… it’s socks.  (Secondary projects would be wash rags and baby items.)

Now as for the number of projects to take… well, I too like many knitters seem to think they become super turbo knitter when they are on vacation and I bring enough knitting to keep me busy for a month… even if it’s just a 3 day vacation break! 

We try to go camping as often as possible and we usually go for 2 or 3 days… What I pack for these trips:  1 or 2 sock projects (started and not started), a baby sweater of sort.  And one of my unfinished shawls or sweaters.  I know I couldn’t possible get them done silly - I bring them all so that I have something to pick from if I get tired of the one I’m working on - and secondly I bring them because I LOVE THEM!  I never want to be far from all my UFOs!!  I also have to hide or disguise them a little or my husband would have a stroke if he knew how much I brought with me! 

We are leaving to go camping on Friday (Silver Springs Campground - WA) and will be gone until Monday.  What I am going to bring with me… the 2 baby sweaters I am working on, a pair of socks that I have not yet started for my mom, and my BYOB.  I think this is just the right amount of knitting to accompany me on my long weekend trip!

Have a great weekend and I’ll post on my progress next week!

I haven’t taken time to blog for a while, just knitting and staying busy these past few days and over the holiday weekend.  I’m trying to finish up 2 small projects, and a couple of old ones, so that I can knit with my NEW yarn!  I’ll blog more about them later.

OK… on with the answers!

1) Where is your favorite place to go for vacation/holiday? - I was going to just say anywhere warm, but that’s not true.  That’s just wishful thinking right now, and remember be careful what you ask for… you just might get it! 

My FAVORITE place to date is Maui.  I have only been there once and I loved every minute of it.  We stayed off the beaten path at a friends condo.  We did some of the tourist stuff, but mostly just played everyday.  I love the beach.  I live at the beach (just a much colder beach than Maui!)  I love the beach smells, colors, and everything else!

In a close second and something I actually do more often… it’s camping anywhere that there is lots of trees, Mt. Rainier is a favorite place.  A campsite with a lake or creek, or stream is good too!  This is my other non-knitting life… my camping blog.

2) Where is one place you’d like to go? - Australia/New Zealand/Tasmania!  I have always wanted to go to this part of the world and hubby has always wanted to go.  We are hoping to make this our 5 or 10 year anniversary place(s)!  Oh I can’t wait to see the yarn stores down under!

Last Friday we drove down to the Portland, Oregon area to bring home hubby’s newest toy.

The next day, Saturday, the weather was beautiful again and we put the boat in the lake to get used to it.  It is very, very different from his old boat (a bass boat).  This is a Trophy 2052… 

all he talks about now is going out in the ocean with it. 

Well let’s review it’s good points.  Lots of space underneath to knit and be comfortable.  While boating in the sun shine it has a nice place for me to sit and knit too!  Oh, and we can store the dogs below if needed too!

Sunday the weather turned foggy and we went out exploring the lake again with the dogs.  Cassie runs out to the boat every time we open the door for her to go out.  She thinks the boat is hers.  Thor on the other hand really isn’t too excited about the boat… yet.

We are hoping for a nice 4th of July weekend so we can play with the boat a little more.  Until he gets more things for the boat we won’t be taking any big trips.  (that’s fine with me).

LOOK WHAT I GOT YESTERDAY!!!!!

It’s a 2nd box from my SP12… I love 4th of July, and I love red, white and blue.  (I think one of the reasons this is a favorite holiday is because there isn’t the family stress of whose house we have to go to.)  I took the popcorn and gummy bears to work today to share, and we had a feast because one of the girls brought frosted sugar cookies… talk about a sugar high.  Good thing I only had to work until noon!  The popcorn was awesome, it was flavored cherry, blueberry and vanilla… who would have thought it would be so great together.  My favorite thing is the yarn!  I’m already dreaming about what I might make with it.  Very cute card, and pin.  This box makes me smile over and over again.  Thank you so much Nosy1!!!! 

Well that’s it for now… have a happy and safe 4th of July.  We’ll be on the beach and lake all weekend and I’m hoping for a little sunshine.

OK, time for Secret Pal question #4 - and here are my answers…

1) What yarn (that you don’t have/haven’t used) would make your stash “complete”?

This is a hard question… there are so many yarns I don’t even know about, and I don’t even know how much I need them!   What first pops into my muddled brain this morning is “Rowan Denim 100% Cotton Yarn Colorway 225 Nashville”  is that specific enough.  Are you laughing at me?  I just know that I have always wanted to knit something with this yarn, and I have looked a couple of books and seen some cool projects. I love the way it looks worn and soft after washing it.  Maybe I should have said some Malabrigo, because I haven’t used that either, and I love lace projects… but I have lots of lace type yarn now… so YES, Rowan Denim is my final answer!

ME! 

When I got home tonight I had a surprise in the mailbox.  I received a wonderful SP12 gift box. 

Inside my box… Regia sock yarn - Pompon; Emergency Chocolate; sock dpn’s; needle holders; soak; bent tip needles; a very cool sock pattern book in German!; and one very, very cute little card, all of this was in the wonderful RED Emergency Knitting kit bag!  I saw this bag not long ago and thought, “Oh, I want one of those!”  and “poof” here it is!  Do I have the greatest secret pal or what!!!  Thank you Nosy1 you are great!

here’s an upclose picture of this yarn knit up into house socks…

And now a quick shot of a beautiful evening on the lake with the sun going down…

OK,I know this was a quick post, but I need to get back to doing the laundry, or I won’t have anything to wear to work tomorrow!

THANK YOU AGAIN SECRET PAL!!

What would you consider the perfect amount of stash?

No such thing… you can never have enough… NEVER!  I thought at first that the perfect amount would be when you can just go to your “knitting room” (that’s what it would take) and just pull something from the beautiful yarn bins, and begin knitting.  But, even if I own a yarn store, or 5 yarn stores, I would always see something new that I must have.  So would my stash be perfect then?

OK, no wait…   Maybe the perfect amount of stash is something manageable?  Ya know you can see it all… No, that can’t be right.  I love finding yarn in my stash that I forgot I had, it’s like a Christmas present to me.  I never feel upset if I buy more of something I have already have, it just means I get to use more later!

The perfect stash?  Hmmmmm… that’s what I strive for in my life daily!!!

This is close… 

Patty and I made the trip to Kent on Saturday morning for our Finishing Class. Our instructor, Liz, is wonderful. This class was just as great as the first. We made a little vest this time.

This is my completed little vest… we learned how to pick up stitches for a button band, make button holes (not just slits) crochet forward and backward around the arm holes.

I really feel like I can do a much better job of finishing a project now.  I can’t wait to try practicing making button holes.  I also can’t wait to finish my pink sweater so I can put what I’ve learned in use.

After class we went to Trader Joe’s, Barnes and Noble and Starbucks.  I have a friend that has told me that the Double Shot is really good, and so we tried it… they aren’t good… they are GREAT!!!!  Thanks for sharing.  I was so tired by the time we got to Starbucks I really needed a pick me up.  I made it home by 6pm and I think hubby was bummed because he wanted me to do yard work with him.  But not to worry we had lots of togetherness on Sunday doing yard work ALL DAY!  No knitting today, I can hardly type. 

I got a little bit of knitting done on our way to class Saturday morning - here is what my BOYB looks like going to Kent.

I have 3 rounds done, I’ll work more on this at work Monday.  Well, it’s time for me to go crash now, I can hardly stay awake.

Have a great week.

Summer!!! 

OK, I know many of you on the Eastern side of the US have been enjoying summer for a long time now, but we have to see it on the calendar to really believe that it might happen!

Today, the calendar matches the weather we are having!  SUNNY with a few clouds and I think we are up into the low 70’s.  If you are laughing then I know you do not live the Pacific Northwest.

Another thing that is here…

The yarn for the BOYB is in at my LYS!  I picked Plum for the main color, and the stripes will be Lake and Cactus.  I love the seed stitch, but hate to knit it.  Ya know what I’m wondering…  why don’t I learn to knit “the other way”!  I know, I make it sound like I’m knitting the wrong way (giggle).  I’m a proud “thrower” what can I say.  I have tried a few times and then go back to what’s comfortable to me - throwing.  I just wonder… would seed stitch go quicker if I knit the other way?

Bottom of BOYB completed!

Other happenings in my knitting life…

I found these wonderful bags.  A little RED sock bag  and RED project tote at the Loopy Ewe.  I can’t resist bags, totes, etc and RED - no will power.  No I didn’t order them.  I have to save something for hubby to get for me.

I’m boxing up my 1st box (1 of 3) to send to my SP12.  Looking at it makes me think I need to buy all this for myself!  Will Power Girl!  I will be good.  I will be good.  I’ve ordered some cool yummies on-line and they should be coming in over the next week or two.  And I have some local stuff to put in too.  The fun part is putting it together in a way that makes it feel like it is the most wonderful gift in the world.  I love the wrapping part just as much as the shopping part.  I’ve finally written down what is to go in each box and what I still need so I don’t just keep buying and buying!  Hope she likes it all!

I’m going to try something new this weekend (and as I type these words I wonder if I can do it) I’m going to only work on one project all weekend long.  No switching back and forth and jumping around.  Am I the only one that does this.  I have NOT been true to my commitment to only CO for new projects when an old one is finished.  I bet I have… oh, don’t even go there… maybe 5 or 6 new projects… NO, I said don’t go there!  If you are reading this Sherri, pretend you didn’t!!!

Wonderful Brown and Pink Wallaby… mommy to be is having a boy not a girl!  Off to the “later” pile with it.

BOYB… I can’t stop knitting on it today!  (this may be my weekend project)

Tofutsie purple socks - need by 07/18 - still hanging out in my knitting bag. (I carry them around with me in case I get stuck somewhere and feel the need to knit on them.)

Last weekend was Knit in Public and I am still working on getting the rest of the pictures together to post.  I haven’t forgotten.

I started this post on the afternoon of June 20th, and I was all set to post it when I got home.  For some reason when I got home I had a bit of dinner and crashed on the sofa.  It was beautiful when I left work, and when I got home we had fog.  The joys of living at the beach.  Well it is now 4:30 in morning (Saturday)  I woke up at about 2 am because the dogs needed to go out.  Then I came in and I’m wide awake.  I know I will regret this later, but I’m not going back to bed because I’m afraid I will over sleep and I need to be ready to go at 7.  Today (Saturday) is the second sweater finishing class in Kent.  I’m very excited about going and learning more.  So when I leave the house I will be stopping at Mocha Madness to get a 24oz White Rabbit!  (white coffee w/ white chocolate - iced of course!  They say that the white coffee has much more caffeine, but not the coffee taste, more of a nutty taste.  I love the taste of coffee, but I NEED the caffeine.)

I see it is starting to get light outside so I’ll knit a bit and then get ready to go.  I’ll post more later this weekend.  Have a great Saturday!

Week Two’s question:
As a kid, what did you look forward to most about summer vacation/break/holiday?

Over the years it changed from this and that…. riding my bike, running wild, playing with friends, staying up late, going to see cousins, swimming and laying in the sun, even picking berries.   BUT… the one thing that sticks out most in my mind is… SLEEPING IN!!!  Oh, how I loved to sleep!  (still do sometimes  )

I’ll have to think some more on this!  I’ll read what others are posting see if it rattles any memories.

Yes, that’s right!  I think our WWKIP day was a Success!!

For some reason, when I asked for sunshine, I forgot to say in Aberdeen, and they had sunshine in Ocean Shores, where I live.  Oh silly me… or lucky me for when I got home!  It didn’t rain so I can’t complain.

First thngs first, bring on the coffee!

We had two waiting at the door when I got to the Coffee Bean Cafe and one more in minutes after that.  Last year we enjoyed lounging on sofas in the front of the store, but this year they were gone.  But not to fear, we are knitters and we can be flexible and adapt to most any situation.  We took over the whole back of the store.  They have one of those great large square high tables and we took that and the little tables around it, as well as the window seats and outside for those that had blankets to wrap up in!

Show me the pictures!  OK, here we go…

Notice the blankets…

nothin gonna stop these knitters!

Above is a picture of the first winner of the day… Julie won a cute little pink gift of pale pink chenille and a wash cloth pattern, and the ever so cute “Have you any wool” button!

In one of my past posts you can see the rest of the buttons we were stylin’ that day!  And the super special buttons for those of us that are on Ravelry… Sherri gave us Ravelry buttons to write our Rav names on them.

Hubby says it’s time to go… so I will have to finish this post tonight when we get home.  We are off to BURLINGTON!  Day trip… I better get my knitting and run!  Have a great Father’s Day, and I promise to post more pictures from yesterday when we return.