Leavin' on a jet plane.........

And where am I going you ask????? To TEXAS BABY! I am going to go spend a few days with my best friend, Catherine. You know, Mama Llama herself :-)

I have been waiting for this day for months now. I am so excited to have a little break from the kids. My wonderful, darling, thoughtful husband took time off of work to watch them while I go on this trip. I am hoping that in June I will get to take a trip alone to Montana with the same wonderful, darling, thoughtful husband.

So anyway, I am stuck in the Sacramento Airport....all because of Dallas. The flight crew was late getting in last night, and since they need their rest, my flight is delayed 2 hours.

Funny Story about Dallas and it's airport. BC (before kids) my parents and I flew to Oklahoma (that's a story in itself). This trip had a layover in Dallas and being Dallas, there were thunderstorms all around us. The airport was packed, and I mean PACKED, because airlines were canceling flights left and right.

While my parents and I were waiting for our flight (it wasn't canceled), I noticed a short woman....with tell tale spider eyes. It was Tammy Faye Baker. And the make up? Even worse in person. She was being followed around by a camera crew. This being the days before 9/11, I thought it was a TV station or something like that. Since I was standing right next to her, I leaned over and asked her is that ever got tired. She smiled politely and didn't say a word.

Fast forward a couple hours, and there we are on the plane. We push back from the gate and the plane gets grounded. So we sit. And sit. And sit. For HOURS. it was bad. It was late, around midnight I think, and the crew wouldn't serve us drinks, or snacks, or anything. All while a hell of a storm raged outside. And there, a few rows in front of me, was Tammy Faye Baker.......and HER camera crew. Boy did I feel like an ass.

After sitting on that plane I swore that I would never fly through Dallas again. Well I did, and what happens? I get stuck again. Lets' not even mention the 1 am phone call from the airline to tell me the fight was delayed. 1 AM!!!! Thanks for the concern, but I am a big girl and know to check the flight before going to the airport. So, insert big yawn here, I am going to go get a Cinnabon and a Coffee. (But don;t tell, I am supposed to be on that south beach diet.....and that Cinnabon has enough sugar in it to send me into a diabetic shock!)


***In doing the links to this, I found out that Tammy Faye Baker has cancer. My thoughts and prayers are with her!

Knitters Treat Exchange Questionnaire

Knitters Treat Exchange Questionnaire

1. What's your favourite type of yarn? I don't havea favorite type of yarn...I do like natural fibers and I would say my favorite that I have ever knit with is Debbie Bliss yarns.

2. What's your least favourite type of yarn? Cotton, only because it hurts my hands.

3. What's the first thing you do when you visit a new yarn shop? Size up the sock yarn collection. Socks are hot and if there isn't mych sock yarn, then I know that this owner isn;t up on her trends.

4. What other crafts do you do / would like to do? I bead....but as a business, not a hobby. I also cross stitch and am an avid genealogist.

5. What magazines do you currently subscribe to? Interweave

6. Put this type of magazine in order of preference:
Knitting/Food/Home/Garden - Fashion, Crochet, Gossip are not anything I read

7. What items do you like to knit / crochet? Socks, Hats, Sweaters, Scarves

8. Are you allergic to anything? Smoke

9. What do you like to* smell of?
(*This is not a typo. The question is: What do you like to smell of) ROFL, I like to smell clean :-)

10. What's your favourite way to relax? Tv and Knitting

11. You're stood in front of a Victorian style sweetshop, an Italian cafe, an old fashioned bakery and a dainty tea room. Where do you go first? The Bakery!!!! Any type of good quality baked goods make me happy.

12. What do you come out with? A Pastry

13. Where do you go next? The gym :-)

14. Any other words of wisdom for your pal? Have fun with this!

So much to blog

Does anyone else go around making blog entries up in their heads? I do, but I never seem to be able to actually sit down and type them all out! Today while I was eating a piece of baguette with some spinach dip on it I was thinking of an entry about my husband... skip the next two paragraphs is you want to get right to the knitting....

I met Greg when I went away to college at Boise State University (yes, the one with the blue football field....and yes birds do die on it). I moved into an apartment complex called the quads. It's kind of like a dorm...just not run by the University. You rent a room and 4 rooms share a common living room and kitchen. I picked a co-ed apartment because there was NO WAY I wanted to share with three other girls. Greg was one of the people already living there. He wasn;t going to school, he already had an MBA, but was going back and forth to Montana for work. I only saw him every other weekend.

He and I never dated while I lived in Idaho. In fact, I used to go try and find him a date! He and I used to sit up into the night talking. I was always so happy when he was around. I used to cook dinners for him and the roommate's...worked out great for me. I liked to cook, and they always bought all the food :-) Anyway, when Greg was home, we would go to Albertson's and buy a baguette and some smoked Salmon. We would eat cream cheese, smoked salmon and bread for dinner...watch movies and stay up till the crack of dawn. Cutting my baguette today made me think of that! Took me a move to California and a last minute visit to San Fran by Greg and some of his friends for us to realize that dating should be in our future..... 9 years later here we are :-)


Ok, enough mushy stuff :-) I have been knitting! I have been so busy that knitting isn't something that I have really had time for. Like right now.....the boys are asleep and Katie's in school...... I have a list of things that I could use this time for.....

1. I could knit
2. I have orders for 3 yarn store to fill
3. I could do dishes (WHY do dishes multiply so rapidly?)
4. I could email my SP10 group
5. I could pick up the new book I got from Amazon that I am having a hard time putting down
6. I could do the MOUNTAIN of homework in my Peachtree class that I am letting pile up
7. Or I could blog

Guess what I chose? :-) The others will just have to wait until I finish this.

I have been knitting for my Father in Law. I made him a Fun Fur Chemo hat as a joke. A big, fuzzy, hot pink joke! He has been doing well with his treatments. There is another spot of cancer that they found. This time on his brain. We are all praying that the radiation will shrink it. SO far so good..... I have to knit him a real hat soon....the kids think I should knit him a purple one like the pink one....

He's such a goofball!

I am also almost done with a Regia sock. this picture was taken a while ago and I am now almost to the toe.

The small needles have been hurting my hands, so I called my Mom and asked if she would knit me the other one. She said yes, and knowing her and her speed needles, I will have a finished pair in a week or less :-)

And I had to add this picture of my daughter. See the hat she's wearing? My Mom knitted it for me when I was her age.

It's a varigated pink acrylic yarn, but it has stood the test of time and I like the fact that she can have something that was mine.

Regular blogging to commence....I have to practice what I preach for my SP10 group!

There has been a FO!

But I can't show you right now. I have until 5pm tomorrow to finish my worksheets in my Excel class. I have decided I hate Excel! HATE IT HATE IT HATE IT!

I am currently pulling my hair out trying to use the IF function. Any Excel GURU's out there?

Post with pictures as soon as I finish all this homework.

And I thought March would be a good month for us......

This year hasn't started out well. Last month we saw the passing of my husband's Grandma. She was 96 years old. She had been in great health and just before Christmas she started to get ill. She was tired and ready to go. Her death was hard on me, but I am glad that I go to see her one last time while we were in Montana last summer.

March was supposed to look up for us. We should be able to pay off all our debt. This is a BIG thing. We have been working on this for almost 6 years now and paying it off will be a big accomplishment for us.

But the phone just rang. My Father in Law has lung cancer. Two types of cancer were found in his lungs. Next week will be tests to find out if it has spread. Surgery is not going to be done to remove the tumors. Chemo and Radiation are the plan for now.

Please keep him in your thoughts.

Oh, has anyone made a men's Chemo hat? Patterns? Pictures of the hats?

Hanging Head in Shame

I am such a bad blogger!!!! I haven't posted in forever.....I haven't KNIT in forever either! My little business, KnitWit Momma Stitchmarkers, has taken off so fast. I am so amazed at how many orders I am getting. My stitchmarkers are in over 20 shops around the country and each day I get requests for samples.

I am trying to redo the pictures of my markers so that I can get a small brochure/price list printed. I am picture taking challenged, so if anyone knows of a photographer that would like a small job, please let me know!

I am actually all caught up with my orders so there may be some knitting taking place here tonight!

I was supposed to go to Stitches West this weekend. Supposed to is the key word.......let me show you why I couldn't go......

And this picture was taken on Friday. It started to snow last night and hasn't stopped yet. I can't complain, we really needed the moisture!

Gotta Love a Contest

Check it out here!

Anybody have hammer?

Because I want to use it on my laptop. The thing isn't even a year old, and already the hard drive is dead. DEAD!

Not a very big deal, as I an get most info off and onto the desktop computer, but my email won't open, and I NEED to get info out of it. But at this moment, it looks like a lost cause. About the only thing that I am able to do on this computer is get on the internet.

I could show you just how much of a sock you can knit while on the phone with HP, but I can't get the photo's off my camera and on to the computer...... The part that makes me panic is that I can not find all the CD's I will need to reload everything back on here. Photoshop, Norton, Frontpage, are all missing and I can find ONE of the TWO disks I need to put office back on the laptop.

I will show you pictures of my new ball winder and swift that my parents got me....just give me a few days :-)

I have a meme to do also. Laurie tagged me a few days ago. She told me to step away from the stitchmarkers....and she is so right! Orders are pouring in, and there have been many requests for samples.

I promise to post pictures, as well as do the meme as soon as I can.

Oh and please please please please only sign up to play this if you want to waste countless hours of your life on the computer.

Anybody seen my hammer?

Another store carrying my markers, and my Virtual Model

Go check out Mama Llama's Shoppe. She is now carrying my makers. I can say first hand that her yarns are a dream to work with, so pick up some yarn to go with your new markers ;-)


Saw this on Susie's blog. Had to play along :-)

Finally a FOE, and fun with the self timer!

My oldest WIP is now a FO!!!!! Whooo Hoooo!

May I present, The Irish Hiking Scarf.



Pattern: Irish Hiking Scarf by Hello Yarn
Needles: Us 8
Yarn: Cascade 220 color? who knows, it's been too long
Started: almost 2 years ago
Completed: Dec 3, 2006


Now lets see what a person who has no idea how to use a self timer looks like

Fake smile in the sunlight

The lesson I learned? Wait until someone can take pictures for you!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! This year I am just not in the holiday mood. I think it's because it's been a rough six months, and all I really want to do is have all my family together. I'm really feeling sadness that my Sister and Brother will not be here for the holidays. I'm not exactly sure why I am feeling it this year, the last time that all of us were together was Christmas 1996.

I just remember growing up, that we always had a houseful on Thanksgiving. They may not all have been family, but I loved it. I loved having so many people in our house. I have two favorite Thanksgivings. One was at my Grandmother's house. She had 8 children, and most of them were there with there families. I was just a child but I still remember that dinner. The other was my first, and only, Thanksgiving without my parents. They had moved to Ca from Virginia and I stayed behind. I had broken up with my boyfriend and a friend took me with him to his Granddaddy's house. It was filled with people all having a good time and I really felt welcome. It was exactly what I needed and I won't ever forget that day either.





I had a doctors appointment on Monday with a new doctor. My first doc was getting a little off track. He kept telling me that I should have chronic fatigue syndrome. I don't. And he would. Not. Listen. He had moved away from a diagnosis of Lupus and had even brought up the possibility of Cancer. Now once I heard that I jumped into action. Found someone willing to see me and give me another opinion. There is no indication of cancer and I was told to put that out of my mind.....ummmmm ok, that will be easy.

So the new doc is leaning toward Lupus again. I have more tests to do, this time specialized tests that will have to be sent to LA to run. I'll go back to this new doc right before Christmas, and the old doc.....I don't think I will be seeing him again.

SO as it stands, we still don't know what is going on. There is still pain in my hand, in my knee, ankle and toes. I am really just emotionally drained from all this. I still don't want to go through all the testing, mostly because I am scared to find anything out.

Maybe this is why I really want my family all around me.

I never do these but.....

MEME

You.

Can.

Only.

Type.

One.

Word.



No.

Explanations.



1. Yourself: Emotional

2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend (spouse): Workaholic

3. Your hair: Curly

4. Your mother: Talkative

5. Your Father: Best

6. Your Favorite Item: Records

7. Your dream last night: none

8. Your Favorite drink: Ice Tea

9. Your Dream Car: JEEP

10. The room you are in: Family

11. Your Ex: Asshole

12. Your fear: Water

13. What you want to be in 10 years? Accountant

14. Who you hung out with last night? Greg

15. What You're Not: Rude

16. Muffins: Blueberry

17. One of Your Wish List Items: Mixer

18. Time: None

19. The Last Thing You Did: Laundry

20. What You Are Wearing: Jeans

21. Your Favorite Weather: Rainy

22. Your Favorite Book: Painted House

23. The Last Thing You Ate: Jr Mints

24. Your Life: Stuck

25. Your Mood: Happy

26. Your best friend: Texas :-(

27. What are you thinking about right now? Menu

28. Your car: MiniVan

29. What are you doing at the moment? Typing

30. Your summer: Lonely

31. Your relationship status: Married :-)

32. What is on your TV? Football

33. What is the weather like? Cold

34. When is the last time you laughed? Afternoon

35. Who do you tag? You :=)

EEEEEEEKKKKKKKK

Go look. Yeah, I know, I shouldn't get so excited. But. Go. Look.


KnitWit Momma Stitchmarkers

I know they have been selling out in the LYS but this is my first online store. And I am excited.

Also pretty excited about the order I got yesterday from the Yarn Garden in Portland. Whooooo Hoooooo!

My News

First, my children have been playing quietly all morning. Just as I sit down thinking I can pound out a few homework questions for my Marketing class....they POUNCE!

What ya doing Mom? Can I help Mom? When will I have homework Mom?

So much for getting that done this morning. I think a LONG trip to the playground with Daddy is in order later ;-)

So my big news. Well, for a while now I have been selling my stitchmarkers in a LYS. I decided to change them up a bit and change the packaging. By doing that, they have taken off like you wouldn't believe! Selling out within a week of the store putting them out. So it's been in the works for a while but I am now a legitimate business, at least in the eyes of the Federal Government and the state of California.

So here is my business website www.knitwitmomma.com

Right now I am just doing wholesale sales. There have been a few big online stores that are interested, and I am much more attractive as a supplier if I do not sell them myself online. There may come a time when I will sell online. Right now I am getting inquiries from all over the US for samples and price sheets. Kind of exciting and scary at the same time. Now Greg would kill me, but not only did I teach him to knit, he also knows how to make stitchmarkers. He's my free labor ;-)

So tell me what you think about my site. Good? Bad? Stick a fork in it?

Oh and one last thing. Now this is kind of funny.... my eyelid has been twitching on and off for about 3 weeks now. I sneeze, it twitches. I yawn, it twitches. I raise my voice, it twitches. I think of all the work I have for school, it twitches. Sooooooo, I'm thinking it's stress. Other than relaxing (can you see me rolling my eyes) got any suggestions to MAKE IT STOP? Unless I point it out, no one can see it so at least I am not scaring small children but come on.....do you have any idea how annoying this is!!!

So much to show you

And no pictures, well almost no pictures. It's a rainy, snowy at times, day. Just not enough natural light to show off all the beautiful yarns that I have gotten, or to show off my new knitting projects. I am still working on the Koigu Dublin Bay socks, and have started a capelet for myself.

This picture really doesn't do it justice, in fact it looks really bad on here. There was a sample made up at Filati's and it was really cute! I am almost all done, I would be finished but Greg decided to clean up one night while I was in class and the pattern has disappeared!

I got my first package from my SP9 the other day. Some beautiful Claudia Handpained yarn, and a beautiful yarn that is screaming to be a scarf! There was some Recess Peanut Butter Cups too...... WAS is the word :-)

I also got a box from my SP8, Rebecca. The cutest Cow with a rooster on it's back. I LOVE it! It's exactly the type of thing I would buy!

But wait that's not all. Susie sent me a ROAK. I can't even describe the yarn. There are no words. You will have to wait for a sunny day for me to take a picture. Really. How she does it I will never know!

One last bit of news, Katie lost her first tooth today. It's been loose and it's made me so sad! WHY do they have to grow up? She has asked the tooth fairy to please bring 2.00. In bills, not coins! Oh really? Far cry from the quarter that I used to get! Here is Katie and I, when she had a full set of teeth :-)

I have some big news for my next post, maybe tonight. right now I am going to make Split Pea Soup. It's a perfect day for it! And I have to say thank you to Katie for posting the link to KidZone. It really has saved us today. I think I may have used up a whole tree with all the things that I have printed out!

FO and a big whoops!

I've royally messed up my Dublin Bay sock. Not only did I pick up stitches for the gusset BEFORE turning the heel, I did the heel flap too narrow. That sick is now put aside for a night that I feel like taking a frog pond trip.

The wonderful and talented Catherine, aka Mama Llama, has started to dye her own yarn. She sent me a skein of her new yarn in the Rivers colorway. I am making socks for my kiddo's so that Cath start a gallery of her yarn.

These have been so fun to make, and so quick! And look at this color. She calls it Winter and on man it is so beautiful!

I guess I can count these as my first Socktoberfest Socks! Of course I joined. I also joined My First Toe Up's. I have not used this before, and I thought it might be nice to learn something new! Come join us as we fumble though it together.

Now look at this color from MamaLlama as well. She calls it Winter and oh by it is beautiful. One picture with flash, one without.

Tomorrow I am going out to do some genealogical volunteer work. Now I have to say it, don't get upset, but doing Genealogy is something I love even more than knitting. Ok. It's said. Stop throwing things as me!

I volunteer for a site called Random Acts of Geneaogical Kindness. People contact me to research records in the county that I live. I have about 20 obits to look up, and about 15 grave stone photos to take. My favorite thing to do is go find the grave sites and photo them, or take a rubbing. Greg says that I am the only person that he has ever met that gets excited about seeing a graveyard. I also get stark raving mad at people that talk about grave yards as "scary" or "haunted". In my opinion that is incredibly disresectful of the people, and their families, that are buried there.

Ok, I'll stop now before I really get going. Poor Greg, he has to hear this tanget of mine a lot. He's married to me so he HAS to stick around for it. You guys don't!

GRRRRRRRRR

A real knitting post WITH a FO coming in a day or two. Also an update in the whole Lupus - No Lupus thing.

Right now I am pulling my hair out as I study for my accounting test tomorrow night. Lat week I had no trouble with these concepts. Tonight? Can't get them. It's driving me nuts. Mr. Mama Llama where are you? I need your accounting brain!

And once I get the accounting done, Macroeconomics is calling out to me. I have that midterm on Wed night.

Thursday will find me on a plane to Orange County. I have a friend from high school that will be there for a business meeting. I haven't seem him in 8 years so I am running away for a few days to hang out with him and his wife. I have never been to Southern Cali (that I remember) so I am really looking forward to this trip!

Edited to add: If you read the problem correctly, and round to the nearest cent, and not dollar, the answers are correct. God help the general public when I get my accounting degree.

I'm a slacker

So starts tomorrow. I got all my matches out, my homework is done, I am feeling good today...... Whooo Hooooo!


1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I like everything except really scratchy wool. I am pretty sensitive to the scratchiness of wool. For example, I can make bags and such out of Noro but can't imagine putting it on my skin!

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I have some handmade poutches for my needles.

3. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I've only been knitting for two years. I have been WATCHING knitting my whole life :-) My Mother has been knitting since she was a child. I would call myself an advanced beginner.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? I do. I think I have 2 under different emails. hummmm. Email me if you really want to know.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.) I love food scents. Pumpkin pie, apple, banana bread, ect candles.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? Ummm YES! Peanut Butter Cups are my fav, with tootsie rolls close behind.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I don't spin, I do cross stitch but haven't done any in a while. I just don't have time.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I listen to all kinds of music. My Itunes is filled with mostly country but there are a few rap songs and a lot of pop and alternative as well.

9. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand? My Fav colors are a soft pink and soft yellows. But I like blues, purples, and greens also. I can't stand bright reds, muted reds are OK, but bright reds are NEVER worn by me.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I am married and have 3 kids. Ages 5, 3, and 20 months. Sometimes I have another child as well.... he's 42 :-)

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? No ponchos, but I do wear hats, mittens and scarves. Shoveling snow is cold work :-)

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Socks ;-)

13. What are you knitting right now? Socks :-) Also a capelet for me, and a sweater for me

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? It really depends. I love all my wood ones, but addi's have their place too.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? No and No

17. How did you learn to knit? My Mother

18. How old is your oldest UFO? 1 and a half years. It's the Irish Hiking scarf. I just need to finish it!

19. What is your favorite holiday? Thanksgiving and Halloween. It's my fav time of year, and I love getting together with family at Thanksgiving!

20. Is there anything that you collect? Wow, Yes there is. I collect Wades that you get in Red Rose tea, and all country cows, willow tree angels, Wedgewood Jasperware....I am sure there is more :-)

21. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I just signed up for Interweave a few days ago, but that's the only magazine subscription that I have. There isn't anything that I can say I have to have. I do love the gathering of lace book. I got it for my Mom for Christmas. It was hard to part with :-)

22. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? I think I would like to try Magic Loop. My friend Catherine loves it, and it seems to go faster than DPN's.

23. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? Yes I am. I wear a 7.5 shoe and I am too lazy to get up to get the tape measure :-)

24. When is your birthday? (mm/dd) Jan 8th. I share it with Elvis.

It's Christmas time already!

I decided to start thing about Christmas knitting. I bowed out of Sock Wars because I want to concentrate on gifts. So what do I do? Start a pair of socks, of course!

These are the Dublin Bay socks, knit out of Koigu. I'm not sure who they will go to, but I need to make up my mind soon since I am almost at the foot. I really like this pattern, and I can see myself making more of these!

I also started something for me. I have been waiting to knit this cardigan for a year now. I've had the yarn in my stash for almost as long. I decided that I would really like to wear this to stitches in Feb (is it crazy that I already have a hotel room!. So here is the start of Grace. Now I have never made anything that requires seaming, but finishing this should be a piece of cake, right?

I have something else to show you, but it will have to wait a few more days. It's a surprise for someone :-)

Now that's funny!

Ok, Who got to my blog by search for:

Microwave Baked Potato Pouch Pattern

and is there really such a thing.

that's not as good as the person that came t my blog by searching:

Bamboo smells like Urine

ummmmm, I would love to ask that person a few questions.

I'm working on an actual knitting post for tonight.