AND THE WINNER IS...........

drum roll::::::::::::and the winner of the giveaway is Stacy(Crimson). I could not find one of those fancy online generators that I have seen on other blogs to pick winners..... So... I did it the old fashion way. I cut up 32 pieces of paper with numbers 1-32 and I got my granddaughter to pick one. She picked number 8. I didn't know who it was until I looked it up. I was happy and surprised when I saw it was Stacy. Good luck Stacy, I am sure you will enjoy the yarn and the book.

We have met a lot of wonderful people as a result of this blog. We hope to bring you more knitting projects as well as blog worthy content. So stay tuned to see what life adventures are here to come♥

Alive and Well, Pints and Purls, Contest, Blogiversary

Hello everyone.... I know, I know... It's been way to long.. At least 2 Tuesdays have passed us by.. I just can't believe how the time is flying... I kid you not.. It's going way to fast for me. Can you believe that it's only 6 more months until Christmas???... Is this what happens when you get older. I don't remember time flying this quickly when I was a kid. The older I get the faster it seems to go. There just aren't enough hours in the day. No time to get all I want done. I have been feeling like a zombie lately, same ole same -- day in and day out. I think I need a vacation, but there are no plans of any on the horizon. Since Sock Summit registration came and went without getting any classes, we have decided not to go. Maybe next year will work out better for us.
I have been knitting on my Brooke Column of Leaves daily and still have quite a ways to go. Chelette is getting closer to finishing the shrug for sister Nerry. We have become such monogamous knitters, can't seem to start anything else right now. We haven't even been to Sit and Knit in weeks. We have missed so much. Thank you Jennifer for always sending a friendly text when we don't show up. Funny how things change.
My newest obsession is watching TV.. I come home plop myself in front and get sucked until bedtime. How did I get so addicted to TV??? It's not like me at all. I am behind on blogging and seeing what everyone is up too. Hope you all are doing well.
We are still in shock about the tragedy of the metro train derailment. Both of our daughters ride the train every single day. They were surprised at all the calls they got from concerned family and friends. Thankfully they were okay and not on any of these trains.

Update: We are mourning Michael Jackson's death big time. I couldn't believe that I didn't have any of his music on my Ipod. But now I do. I have been listening since this happened last week. What a great Legend Michael was and will be missed greatly. I know his music will rock on!

And for the biggest and newest News.. We just had our 2nd year Blogiversary. Soooooooooo.. We have decided to have a contest.. and the prize will be in honor of our great friend and local Dyer Karida of Neighborhood Fiber Co. Karida is leaving our area and moving to Ohio. A couple of months ago her first book came out and we were lucky enough to get a signed copy. So the prizes will be a signed copy of her new book "Pints and Purls" and a skein of her lovely yarn. I am sure there are a few of you that haven't gotten the lucky chance of trying some of this gorgeous yarn out yet. This will be a great opportunity!

The rules are simple.. Leave a comment and we'll pick the lucky number by a random generator. Starting now until July 5th .

Thanks for your emails and inquiries about our where abouts. Hope things will get back to normal soon. We look forward to many more years to come!

Ten on Tuesday

“10 Great Songs from the Last Year”

Okay I am a bit late, better late than never. I have to admit that Ten on Tuesday has
helped me to post more often.


Anthony Hamilton- Cool




Alicia Keys- No One

Beyonce-If I Were A Boy /Single Ladies

Honey- Erykah Badu

Colbie Caillat- Bubbly

Christie Michele- Love is You


Jack Johnson- Angel




Elvis Perkins- Ash Wednesday

Ledisi-Alright

Sean Fournier- Oh My

Crochet by Yukiko

My friend Yukiko is from Japan, she has only been here for 2 years and is learning english. She learned to crochet when she was a small child. Since she has been here she taught her self to knit. She shared with me these projects that she made recently. Aren't they beautiful♥




















This one is my favorite. She used hemp. It is super strong. It's her own design. I have invited her to join ravelry, I am sure she will find other japanese knitters and crocheters there. Thank you Yuki for sharing that with us. I can't wait to see what else you come up with.

Ten on Tuesday

10 Celebrities I Am Tired Of Hearing About…

Okay, this will be a short list, because I don't really follow celebrities

1. Mike and Kate (plus eight)
2. Paris Hilton
3. Octomom
4. Britney Spears

I can't think of any others.. Come on Chelette, help a sistah out.

Cici, yes a little help is needed.. it is John and Kate not Mike and Kate. (LOL) I would also like to add a few more that may or maynot be celebrities but I am sick of hearing them mentioned......
5. A-Rod
6. Lindsay Lohen
7. Miss California
8. Chris Brown and Rhianna
9. O.J. Simpson
10 Ed McMahon

2 @Time

So, I have enjoyed knitting 2 socks at a time. I started this because of the knitalong . I really finished them about a week. I washed then yesterday and they are still big, oh well. I even put them in the dryer, hoping they would shrink some. No luck.
Since completing these, I have found out lots of things I wish I had done after the fact. So I am ready to try another pair to get a better fit. First of all, 64 total stitches was to many for these socks, I think it was because of the Koigu and using size 2 needles. Next time I will use size 1 for this yarn. I can never get the correct size with addi's. I'm not sure if I am knitting looser or not. Normally I am a tight knitter, but it feels like I am knitting looser or maybe it's because I am knitting faster. I hope so♥ I love watching knitters and how they knit. I keep trying to decide what kind of knitter am I. Their is a tread of Ravelry for this and I actually found someone that knits the way I do. Of course I thought I was the only one.
What kind of knitter are you?

Okay enough chitter chatter from me....You know I could go on with this but I won't bore you,,,
Here they are;

Pattern: Wendy's Making Tracks Toe Up Socks/
Diagonal Rib from Socks From the Toe UP Wendy Johnson
Heel: Eye of partridge
Size: Large 64 stitches
Needles 2 US size 2
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM

I will do toe up socks again. The biggest problem I seem to have is with the bind off. I had to redo it a couple of times. The best result was with a needle several sizes larger. Now that I'm finished I have found a better bind off, so I will do it on my next pair.. Elizabeth Zimmermans stretchy bind off. Looks easy and I think it will do the trick.
One way or the other I am going to get the perfect pair of socks. I have come to the conclusion that I can enjoy the Journey as well as the destination♥

Ten on Tuesday

Better late than never..

10 Favorite cities

1. Frankfurt, Germany

2. Chicago, Illinois

3. Austin, Texas

4. Rio De Janerio, Brasil

5. Sedona, Arizona

6. New York City, New York

7. Atlanta, Georgia

8. Orlando, Florida

9. Chapel Hill, North Carolina

10. São Paulo, Brazil

What are you favorite cities??

Go here to see the favorites of others 

Only 56 years ago today

Yep, I said it! I tell everyone that I am proud and thankful for every year on this planet!.. It took me 56 years to finally get to this realization. And I look forward to what the future holds.
Happy Birthday to me today♥

Ten on Tuesday

Happy Tuesday everyone.. Well this week is a easy one. I love shopping and to list some of my favorite places is a pleasure♥

1. Any Yarn Shop ( I love fiber and all things related to it)
2. Whole Foods Market ( My favorite grocery store, although I know why sometimes they call it Whole Paycheck)
3. T.J. Maxx (always has bargin namebrands )
4. Southern Seasoning in Chapel Hill. N.C. ( this is the ultimate in gourmet shopping)
5. Rugged Wearhouse ( sometimes you get lucky here and find real bargins)
6. Wegmans ( one of my newest grocery store finds)
7. R.E.I (Fun place to look for anything sports)
8. Nordstrom (Best return policy you can find)
9. Costco (great prices and bulk sizes)
10.Borders Books( no explanation necessary)

Have a great week !

Ten on Tuesday

Happy Cinco de Mayo♥

This week it's Ten Awesome Bands.. I had to dig deep for this.. I haven't really had any favorites bands lately..I'm mostly a old school kinda music person

1. Earth Wind and Fire
2. Morris Day & Time
3. Kool and the Gang
4. Funkadelic
5. Ohio Players
6. Sade
7. Arrested Development
8. Santana
9. Doobie Brothers
1o.Bruce Springsteen

In Knitting news... I am still working on my 2@time socks, just started the legs. I made it this far. Now I can't take it any more. I have separated them. I think I like magic loop better. I fought those needles so much. I even mistakenly knitted the wrong yarn on the wrong sock..I will be just happy when they are finished. I got the lace pattern from my new Wendy Johnson, 'Socks from the Toe Up' Diagonal Lace Sock Pattern. I am loving this book. I want to make a lot of them. I was lucky enough to get a signed copy from her book signing at Knit Happens.

These bands make me think about a oldies band that I use to play to death that I forgot about and recently heard and it brought back so many memories of my younger days.so of course I searched on You Tube to see if I could find . I couldn't find the song that I wanted . It's called, "You and I", Bet yall don't remember this group 'Switch'... I think they only had one album. This was also a good song and will have to do for now.



That's it.. Have a good week, I still have fond memories of the past weekend MDSW( I noticed this year they are spelling it MSWF.

MDSW

More photos on my Flickr

It was a beautiful day all and all even though they predicted that it was going to be rainy all day. The sun came out and we took our time. First was the Ravelry Meet-Up. It was awesome meeting with friends that we hadn't seen since last MDSW. There were also new friends to meet too.
This was our 3rd MDSW Festival. I am proud of myself that I only went $25.00 over my budget.
Chelette was even better than me and only bought one skein for herself. She is making a shrug for another sister and found the perfect yarn for it. Now it's time to get serious and start knitting. I am almost finished my 2at a time socks on circular needles. Now I am starting to think about my next project. It might be another pair of socks or a sweater. I haven't decided yet.
I think I would have to agree with JavaJen and saying that next to the fiber, the best thing about MDSW is meeting all the Friends that come out.♥

10 on Tuesday

Okay, today is Tuesday and I thought I would surprise my sister and do the Ten on Tuesday. We all know she keeps this blog going -- so today I am going to help her out with the "Ten on Tuesday." I liked what today's Ten on Tuesday is and I thought it would be great for me to give you the 10 Words that Describe my sister, CiCi!

1. Peaceful

2. Friendly

3. Lovable

4. Crazy

5. Forgetful

6. Cool

7. Funny

8. Interesting

9. Creative

10. Serene

So there you have it.. She is a great SISTER......

BTW, thanks for all the birthday shout outs and well wishes. We had a great SISTER's getaway this past weekend and there are plenty of pictures. Here is one of my favorites.

Hello FIFTY

Let's get the party started!

10 on Tuesday???

I know, I know it's not Tuesday, but I wanted to make sure I do these
since it applies to me.. My B-day is next month and I am starting
to feel like a old lady.(Chelette's is next week).

Here goes my 10 anywho.

1. Forgetfulness...You know, when you go into one room and come
out not remembering what you went in their for.

2. When you call your kids and call them every name you can think of
but the right one.

3. When your all time favorite tv shows are those most have never
heard of.

4. When you can't sleep on your stomach or side, because when
you wake up,, it will take awhile to get outta bed without pain.

5. When you finally get to sleep you only sleep about 4 or 5
hours the whole night and you no longer take naps from noon to 6 PM.

6. When someone you think is old,, calls you old

7. When you think anything below 69 degrees is to cold

8. You like watching the weather channel

9. When you're asked if you want to use your senior citizens discount

10. You go to CVS for ibuprofen, antacids and Ben Gay
instead of Kotex and tampons


I bet you read this entire list looking desperately for one sign that this doesn't apply to you♥

Ladies Fancywork Society/10 on Tuesday

Here's my 10 on Tuesday... Haven't done them for awhile
10 least favorite foods

1. Peas 2. Liverwurst

3. Chitterlings 4. Sauerkraut

5. Lima Beans 6. Bologna

7. Liver 8. Rice Pudding

9. Melons 10. Cream of Wheat or Grits

Yuck to them all:(

Hello everyone.. Just a short post to say we're still alive. I have been waiting for something blogworthy to post about, but not much has been going on. Unlike my girl Carol, who has been blogging up a storm lately... way to go girl... I know you have to strike when the juices are flowing... So, I was thinking.....I could blog about all the projects that I recently found in the back of the closet, that are unfinished. I could blog about the cute little sock keychain Darcy made me or.. I could blog about my Clapotis that I just finally finished. Maybe, I could blog about MDSW being just around the corner. Or how about blogging about how much fun I am having trying to figure out patterns for all the newly acquired yarn we got last month. Oh well, I will have to settle for this post for now. I will be back with a more later. Oh and be on the look out for a CONTEST coming soon... we are in the mood to send out some Yarn Love to some lucky person♥

Helping Hand: Much Obliged and Paying it Forward

A couple of weeks ago I was nominated by Darla for the "Pay it Foward" "Emblem of the Helping Hand"
I am suprized as well as overwhelmed to recieve such an awesome recognition. I am not sure I am worthy of it. I have so much to learn and pray that I can continue to be encouraged. I am so thankful for all of you who inspire and encourage me with the wonderful craft of knitting and crochet. It has been a wonderful journey here in the blog world. I look forward to the future and all we can create♥


The Rules:

Select 10 bloggers: 5 you consider your blogging Helping Hand then "Pay it Forward" by extending your "Helping Hand" to 5 additional bloggers in support and encouragement for their efforts.

1. In passing on the Emblem, each recipient must provide the name of blog or blog author with a link for others to visit.
2. Each recipient must show the Emblem and put the name and link to the blog that has given it to her or him.
3. Link the Emblem to this post: Helping Hand: Much Obliged and Paying it Forward so that others will know it origin and impetus.
4. If you have not already done so, show your recipients some love by adding them to your blog roll, Technorati Favorite list, or in any other way to further let them know that their blog voice is important to you and being heard.
5. Add your name to The Helping Hand meme at my new blog entitled The Emblem of the Helping Hand and don't forget to leave a comment as a permanent record of all Helping Hand recipients.
6. Display the rules

To my Blogging Mentors, please accept this "Emblem of the Helping Hand" as a symbol of just how much your help, support, and encouragement has meant to me.
Soo You won't believe how beautiful her work is. I love checking out to see what she has done next. Lovely projects♥

Ava You continue to amaze with your talents. I hope I can one day have a habu project. Your recent hobby of spinning is impressive to say the least.

Carol Every time I see one of your shawls, I am amazed how beautiful they are. I love your humor and wit. You make me laugh and I am always eager to read your blog. Your are talented beyond words.

Judy Thank you so much for your awesome work.. It is such an inspiration. You make crochet look so good. I am in awe of you♥

Chawne I think your middle name is craft... You are multi-talented... knit, crochet, embroidery, quilting and I love your photography. I look forward daily to what you have to share. Thank you♥

I'm "Paying it Forward" to the following blogs.

CrimsonPurl I know you arn't suprized to see your name here. You know you are at the top of my list. You will always be number one with me. I love reading your blog and seeing what you are up to♥

Beatte You are very consistent and good about posting. I love your work. Your photography is also amazing.♥

Bev I think talent is your middle name. Your crochet is prize winning. I love your stranded knitting..You are a winner in my book♥

Darcy Bless you are being so much to so many. You are such an inspiration. You keep amazing me at how much you can get done. Thanks for your constant support♥

Carolyn Thank you for all your help and encouragement. You have helped me more than you know♥

Thanks to all of you. I wish I could do more. It was hard to narrow it down to just 5, there are so many that inspire and keep me motivated to keep on keeping on. I hope you go and check out some of their work, and you will see what I am talking about.

Stimulating the Economy................

How?? You buy yarn! There were three yarn parties all in one weekend and we went to all three, yes all three. hahahaha. It started out at A Tangled Skein with the Friday the 13th party. Lots of knitters, food and best of all the yarn was 20% off until midnight. While hanging out at the party our dear friend Susan B told us that Knit Happens was celebrating their 5 year anniversary with a yarn sale and party on Saturday. We decided to check out the sale and it was everything and more than we had even dreamed of – they had Jade Sapphire Cashmere for 70% off –Debbie Bliss Donegal Tweed 50% off –Schaeffer silk 40% off and to top it off the books and patterns were 50% off….

Here we are day 3 headed to the Homespun Yarn party in Savage Mills which we had already planned to attend –we had to pinch ourselves to see if it was real. Could there really be another yarn party --we haven’t had this much fun since MDSW/Stitches. We got some really nice handspun yarns. It was interesting to see some of the same people at all three parties. Also, we met Claudia and Denise, two ladies that read our blog. More photos on cici's flicker and cj's flicker.

The parties are over and we decided that we have stimulated our STASH and hope that we have done our part in stimulating the ECONOMY and there will be no more YARN buying until MDSW! Thanks for a great weekend. Now it's time to start knitting♥

Chicago

Last week, my boss surprised me with a trip to Chicago which included 2 tickets to the Oprah Winfrey Show. Yes, Oprah. I could not believe it. When I heard her say 2 tickets and then it clicked…. I was like, oh wow, are you serious? I need at least 6 more tickets. Then as we sat and talked about who I would take with me…of course the likely candidate to go would be my daughter. I of course wanted to take everybody --sisters and girlfriends, but there was no way we could get more tickets. The tickets to Oprah are almost impossible to come by. As I thought about it I didn’t want to tell anyone I was going. You know that feeling –let’s not jinx it, because if you tell -- it might not happen. That is what I was feeling, especially since the confirmation letter from Harpo says no show is 100% guaranteed.

We arrived safely in Chicago on Thursday afternoon to very cold temperatures. We had dinner that night at Table 52. If you just happen to follow our President, then the name of the restaurant may sound familiar because this is where he and the First Lady had dinner on Valentine’s Day. Also, the hostess let us know that we were sitting in the exact same seats that the Obama’s sat in on February 14th. How nice was that. The food was excellent!

The Grouper was seasoned and cooked just right.

Crabcakes and Macaroni and Cheese with lots of cheese

Our tickets were for the Friday taping at 11:00 am and we had no idea what the show was going to be about. . Laurin’s only hope was that it not be Dr. Oz. LOL… I didn’t care who or what the show was going to be about …. I was in the audience of OPRAH. Everything was very well organized. We were not allowed to keep the camera or cell phone with us. Security checked them at the door with our coats. It was amazing to be there after watching Oprah for so many years on TV. Oprah looked like Oprah. The studio seemed really small, but it does seat 300 people. We had great seats on the 2nd row of the 2nd tier. It will be interesting to see if we make it on what gets aired. The show was on Internet Predators. It was interesting and sad but so true to hear how dangerous the computer can be for some people. John Walsh/America’s Most Wanted was one of the guests. We don’t know when the show will be aired, but the DVR is already set to tape Oprah everyday. We were there until after 3:00 but it was all worth it.

We had to wait in line with 300 other people.....

Oprah has her "O"randomly placed all around the studio....

Laurin is sitting in Oprah's chair from the 90's. They have it sitting in her store and that is the only place you can take a picture.

I was browsing in the Oprah's Store.. She has some nice things, but I had Suze Orman in my ear saying -- do you need it or do you just want it.. Thanks Suze.

After Oprah we went to Heaven on Seven for dinner. I had to go there because of the oysters.

After Heaven on Seven... guess where we went..... hahahahaha to the YARN STORE. Loopy Yarns was a really nice yarn store and they were having sit and knit night and also a SALE. Check this out they were open until 9:00 pm. I picked up a couple of skeins of the Misti Alpaca bulky yarn. I regret now that I did not get any of the Lorna Laces that was on sale. I just could not wrap my mind around buying yarn and no project in mind. NOTE TO SELF... next time take patterns with me.

Glad we went to the yarn store Friday night because we woke up to this on Saturday. SNOW.

Laurin got to visit with her friend Morgan who now lives in Chicago.

We had a great couple of days in Chicago and hopefully the next time we visit it will be a little warmer.....

Catching Up

I am going to use this post to catch up on a few things that we have been meaning to get out. Is it me or does it seem like this year is speeding along. We are halfway through February already. I have been meaning to post, but seems like time just gets away from me. I have been working on my Clapotis now since Jan 1.

I am a little more than halfway. I really enjoy knitting it and I am happy with the progress. I love knitting with the Sundara yarn. I plan to do another one when I finish, but with thicker yarn and bigger needles. It's a fun pattern and easy to follow. I love dropping the stitches. Chelette has since finished hers. I have also completed three hats. 2 Porom and one 1. Serapo. Chelette has completed 5 hats too (2 Porom, 1 Serapo, 1 Spiral Rib, 1 Star Crossed Beret)

I miss knitting socks, I have a few that are still on the needles and need to be completed. Chelette is ringing circles around me completing socks these days.

I was happy to get a new blog design, but I don't know the first thing about how to make changes. I am afraid that if I change something and it doesn't turn out, I won't know how to fix it back. If someone can tell me how you get large pictures to post I would be appreciative.I won a contest..

"When will I run out of yarn". Thank you!!!! Mary over at Snit n' Knit for the lovely Classic Elite yarns Fresco and Classic one Fifty. That was fun. She has a lovely blog and I enjoy reading her happening in NYC. Go pay her a visit.

My sister Nerry has been doing a great job so far with learning how to knit, but now she has taken on a large project. Her son who just got married a few months ago is expecting his first child in June and she wants to make the baby a blanket. It has taken sometime for her to finally pick out the right pattern. Now she is well on her way after about 5 attempts. I hope this last one is the final one. Wednesday we helped her get it started and this time we decided to make it all garter stitch. How can you go wrong with knit every row. She has 5 colors to make it more interesting. I am excited that she is willing to take on this big project and that it will be an awesome present for her son and grand baby.

I have one more month to pay for my car. It seems now it decides to act up. Weird things have been happening to it. I am praying that it will last at least another 5 years, never mind the fact that it has over 130k miles and that I travel over 120miles a day.

Last week Chelette's office got a King Cake from a client. I had heard about this from some blog friends, Patrice and Adrienne to be exact. They were talking about it on twitter. I had never heard about it. I didn't get a chance to taste it but I hear it's soooo good. Chelette got some pictures and it looks like Kevin became the King for a day. I heard Cynthia from Acynfulmind mention this on her podcast yesterday. I am always a bit late to the game. Apparently it's very popular.

Our yarn clubs have been coming in and the yarns are lovely. Neighborhood Fibers, Sundara, Cables and Lace, and StitchDC’s Stash Club

Because of our baby sis Nerry,,, there is has much activity on Facebook lately. Another thing to suck your time away. It's fun to see what's going on with folks.

I managed to do some beading while watching a movie last week. I love beading because you can finish it a lot quicker than knitting. I have bought a kit to start a crewel embroidery project. That's all I'll say about that as if I need another hobby.

I did a test knit project for AmyO 2 weeks ago. It was fun and easy to complete. It’s called the Cosmopolitan Cowl.

I am enjoying my podcast lately. My newest is Dr Gemma at Cogknitive. She talks and blathers about really good informative psychological stuff, and give good strategies for life. She also talks about what's on her needles at the time. Cognitive psychology is a mental process that shows how people think, perceive, remember and learn. She helps you internalize with problem solving that you can use in your everyday life. There is a ravelry Cogknitve group that you can join as well.

I have been eating only organic meats lately. They taste so much better and I know they are healthier. I can't give up meat. I did that back in the day and the first time I went to my mom’s house for a Sunday dinner and smelled fried chicken cooking that was the end of being a vegetarian for me.

I have been obsessed with making Red Velvet Cake. I am finally satisfied with the recipe. It is so delicious and I make it gluten-free. You can hardly taste the difference. I even made gluten-free banana nut bread that taste pretty good. Next I want to try Carrot Cake gluten free.

A few days ago I dreamed about yarn and a pattern. … have yall done that before? It was this awesome entrelac vest and I think it was in noro. I want to make one soon while it's still fresh in my mind.

My new friend Darcy is home recovering from surgery and I hope you feel better soon girl!! big ((hugs to you))..You are in my thoughts. Oh and Happy Anniversary to you and hubby.

I also want some woolmeise........... soooo bad... Does anybody know where I can get some? I haven't a clue, except for the yarn club and that is way outta my price range.

One more question.. Yall know I am old, but I was thinking about this yesterday,,, what do the young people say to each other when they want to ask someone will you be my boyfriend or girlfriend?? Back in my day we use to say..." Will you go with me??" Surely they don't say that any more do they?? What's the updated version these days.. Curious minds wanna know..

Here is my granddaughter Kayla and her great auntie Avis. I just love this picture and thought it was a good one for Valentines Day since she has on pink(Kayla hates pink)


So I will end it with a Happy Valentines Day to all of you. Give someone you love a big hug and kiss.

eta... I figured out how to post a larger picture than blogger allows... all you have to do is go to your flickr and in sizes copy the html from that... pretty easy,,, it only took me a year to figure it out..