One Proud Wife

I have to dedicate one post to commend my hubby for a job well done. He finished his 6th North American Birkebeiner race this weekend.


It was an emotional day and I'm just so darn proud of him. Hats off to you, my dear. I don't know how (why) you do it.


And would you believe, I got no knitting done!? We spent the rest of the day in celebration. Most of the time spent here.


So you can imagine how much knittin' was accomplished.
I did find myself stopping people to ask, "Did you knit that?" "Did someone knit that for you?" and getting plenty of inspiration to start knitting Ullared hats for my family for next year.

So much to do, so little time.

Progress Report:

I finished (almost) my second February baby sweater (Elizabeth Zimmermann). This is going to friends who have a sweet baby girl. I just have to put the buttons on. I'll do this tonight and they'll have it for their sweety tomorrow!


I found lots of cutey-pie buttons but the plain abalone buttons are really my favorite. But where did I put the rest of them . . .


I am progressing nicely on my February socks. They are a bit big for me. I don't know if I like the toe-up, other than knowing how tall I can make my socks without running out of yarn. The heel is not as pretty as top-down and perhaps there is a different way to do this. And the ankle seems baggy. BAGGY! YUCK!

Specks (again): White Oak Studio TVyarn Fat Sock (Happy Valentine's Day Charlie Brown)
Pattern: "Hearts for Heidi"

This week/weekend is the North American Birkebeiner race. The boys did their first Barnebirkie (kid race) and did a great job. More pics later. Hubby skiis the big kahuna race tomorrow. GO, MAN, GO!

This is the start line at the 2.5 K Barnebirkie. That is a Birkebeiner in front. (google that if you're interested - I'm over my limit of computer time for the morning and don't have time to explain).

TTFN!

Pretty Pink Stuff

That's right. Chocolate. The only thing better than getting a box of yarn would be a box of chocolate. AND it came with the promise that no matter what kind of crazy cravings my husband may experience, he will not touch these chocolates. (this is an issue in our marriage).

And so, Valentine's is over (every day is Valentine's Day, Sweety) and we're onto new adventures. This weekend we invested in 5 packs of Bubblicious bubble gum and the boys successfully checked this little trick off of their "List of Things to Learn that will Impress my Friends":
That's right. The all-American pastime of blowing bubbles with gum. Next week, we'll work on cracking the bubbles to make loud, obnoxious noises that they can take with them anywhere (ie the bus, the library, music class). Next week: How to make fart noises using your armpit.


boys.


Now for some pink stuff. Girly stuff. No strange noises here. This is the last shipment of Woolgirls's sock club. I don't think I'm spoiling this for anyone. Most of us should have received our shipments by now.
She always packs a punch! (no no, Leo!)
Some yummy Zen Yarn Garden (sport weight - YOU CAN SPECIFY IF YOU WANT SPORT OR FINGERLING)
Colorway: Blush
Plus, there were two great patterns, pink hot chocolate, a nifty bag to carry my projects around and some other little tiddleys.

Leo dropped that piece of wood there. It was not included in the package.
For those of you knitting up your February socks for A Year In Socks - you have 12 days left! Good luck to you!!

CONGRATS, LORI! A JOB WELL DONE! CVFT'S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST WAS AWESOME!!! THE COSTUMES WERE THE BEST YET!!

Booga Booga

This lovely mass of color,was finally ready for felting.
It got even better.
I couldn't visualize the knitted eye-cord that the pattern asked for, so I ran to my local knit shop and found this instead. I'll attach it later. Like it? I wanted wood, but couldn't find anything.
Oh! And when I got to the register to pay for my bag handles, I found this Noro sock yarn in my basket,
and this Lorna's Shepard Sock stuff . It was far too much of an effort to find where it might go, so I just bought it anyway. Actually, I bought two Lorna's because it was called Icehouse.

Swamp Sale/CONTEST WINNER!

On Sunday, you would have found me walking through the grocery store (pre-game) with a smug smile on my face. "Why?" you ask. Because I had just come from the Coldwater Collaborative's annual Superbowl sale. (I was there CKSknitter. I was so there.) All of these non-knitters walkin' around the produce section like their some big stuff. Hoo hoo! Little do they know about the seething underworld of neurotic knitters. (Level 4 knitters for Yarn Harlot fans).

Here's the irony. I bought yarn that was NOT on sale. I know. Laugh if you will, but I've been stalking this yarn for about a year now. It's obnoxious, it's hideously bright and it spoke to me. So here it is in all it's 1980 colors - enjoy. Colinette's Jitterbug in "Popsicle"

Do you want to know something? I actually hate sales like this. It brings out the worst in people. It's like those garage sale ladies that show up at your house at 6:30 am and start bargaining over old socks. Grrrrr. So I'm standing at a bin of some yarn called Araucania Ranco Multy (sock yarn). It's not a large bin. Just your standard 1 x 2 foot bin. I'm digging around in it looking for the most beautiful skein in the world when a woman comes up and starts digging, too! I mean . . . it was awkward. I was clearly there, not wearing my invisibilty cloak and actively looking through the pile and her hands were shoving yarns back into the hole I had created. I almost resorted to violence. I almost socked her (I really did not intend to make such a horrible pun). Are you one of those ladies!? Come on, people.

So do you know what I did? I grabbed a skein the color of swamp and gasped as if I had just found a little piece of heaven. I clutched the puke colored yarn to my breast and sighed loudly. Then I gaily turned on my heels and flounced my way to the register. I bought it. Who's laughing now, garage-sale lady? Who's laughing now. oh brother.

********************

Thank you all so so much for entering the contest! It was fun to read all of your comments and guesses. AND you broke a record - 18 comments is the most I've ever had.

CKSknitter is the official winner with her guess of "On Blueberry Hill". We had two "Blueberry" guesses and drew her name from a hat - actually, I held the names behind my back and had my five year old pick a hand. CKSknitter, contact me with your address so I can mail you your prize: rarnarATgmailDOTcom.
THE ACTUAL NAME OF IMAGINE KNIT'S KMNCraft yarn is "Blueberry Pie". Northern Minnesota is a wild blueberry haven. Ely has a blueberry festival every year. This yarn look exactly like a bowl of wild blueberries with the pink you see on the tops of berries and the purple stains on your fingers.

My First Contest!

Now, I know that most of us knitters have a slight problem with self-control when it comes to yarn, so it is with a guilt-laden heart that I lay this tidbit of information at your feet. There is a new indie-dyer on the scene. She's a gal who lives in the great northern woods of Minnesota (my beloved home state) with her sweet family and she has an Esty shop where you can browse her new yarns.
I just purchased this:
. . . and if you can guess what the name of this yarn is (or come pretty darn close), you will win a little surprise (if you're a non-knitter, your surprise will be something to knit, so take care . . . ). NO CHEATING (you can look at her 'sold' items and find out what it's called but in the true spirit of good girls, please don't peak!)

Next Friday (February 8) I will choose a winner based on the closest guess. If there are several correct answers, I'll draw your name from a hat. Good Luck!

And now for some knitty-gritty business. For the first time in my life, I shed tears over my knitting. I tried three times to make my first short-row toe for my February sock. And my conclusion? I. HATE. SHORT. ROW. TOE. It is evil and I will never look back at that technique again. Door closed.

Here is the sock in White Oak Studio's TVyarn Fat Sock - "It's Valentine's Day, Charlie Brown"
The pattern tends to disappear with this yarn. Lesson learned - a solid would work better with this pattern.

This weekend, my hubby left to go ice-fishing 'up north'. I tucked in the kids, grabbed my knitting, chocolate and movie (in that order) and settled into bed for a peaceful and productive evening of knitting.
At the exact moment I began to eat my chocolate bar, this other chocolate monster woke up. Guess what he was thinking. You lab owners know, there is only one thing on a lab's mind at any given time -

can I eat that? And more often the answer is no, but it goes down the hatch anyway. This explains crayons and Polly Pockets in his little poo piles. (ok, not so little)

Now he's mad because I just enforced my ALPHA FEMALE position in our little pack and voraciously protected my chocolate.
And so, he tries a new tactic and decides to eat my arm instead. I'm ok with this decision because the chocolate is intact.
ps. not much knitting was accomplished.

You Make My Day!

The amazing Neuroknitter has honored me with a "You Make My Day" award and so I am passing it on. Here is a list of blogs that I can't wait to see when I grab that first cup of coffee . . . ok, second cup of coffee - I drink my first cup in bed.

In alphabetical order AND my actual blog list is MUCH longer but it would take me all day to write them all down. I love them all! You all inspire me so much to knit and and knit.

A Family Life
And Sew It Is Bag of Olives
Blather Magather
Halfway Down the Stairs
Imagine Knits
Life In Yonder
Of Faith and Fiber
On the Needles
Pieni Neuleblogi
Saartje Knits
The Knitting World of Suz
We Heart Yarn

Honorable mention: Woolgirl and Sweet Sheep

Blogs I'm waiting to see:
Nama Knits
T's Fabulous Blog of Crafts

Now go knit!
PS. IF YOU HAVEN'T HEARD - I started an 'easy' sock knitting challenge. VERY CASUAL. Knit a pair of socks per month. Check us out at A Year In Socks and join in!