Great Book!!

I checked this book out of my local library today, and what a find it is! Yarnplay at home, Handknits for Colorful Living is written by Lisa Shobhana Mason. It includes patterns for cozies for wine bottles, CD's, French Press, dishcloths & tea towels, throw pillows, bed pillows, shams, throws, table runners, you name it for home decor and it's in this book! I just wish I would have found out about the book sooner and could have knit a lot of the home things in it by now. If you get a chance to get your hands on this book I think you'll be very pleased.

I'm Baaaaack!

After some quiet time, I've managed to make it back to my blog. Sometimes life just gets in the way, as it's happened to me.

In the knitting department, I've finished these fingerless mitts:
This pattern is Flitt Mitts. The embroidered flowers make them fun!


This pattern is my favorite "go-to" Cozy Thermal Mitts:


This mitt is another Cozy Thermal Mitt



I'm currently working on this one - Susie's Reading Mitts:


My husband has been diagnosed with Cancer,again - this time, prostate cancer. So right now we're in the consultation, determining treatment procedure, etc. He's feeling fine and anxious to get this done and over with. He has beat the big "C" three times before, so this should go okay for him.

We've had lousy, rainy, cool weather with a day of sunshine thrown in here and there - just enough for a teaser. Of course I can't complain - the south and the midwest are certainly getting more than their fair share of really bad weather.

I'd like for hubby and I to "get-away" for a day or two - maybe to the Washington coast", but sure would like it to be warmer weather. Temps in the 50's just aren't too conducive to walking on the beach.

I'll try to keep up my blog writing a little more frequently!

Japan earthquake, tsunami & nuclear event

Prayers and hugs to all those people in Japan. Such a tragedy and who knows how long before they will be back to a life somewhat "normal".

Birthday Weekend

Had a great weekend: celebrated my 75th birthday on Saturday and had our two grandkids from the TriCities area with us for two nights! Their parents spent the weekend in Seattle enjoying a "getaway" and we had a great time with the kids, aged 9 and 11. We went to a local playground/park both Saturday and Sunday. The weather was kinda miserable - sunny but windy and in the low 40's. I noticed the kids are much tougher than we. They just had on sweatshirts, but we had heavy jackets and still nearly froze to death.

I got taken out to breakfast Saturday morning and received flowers and chocolates, got in some knitting time and all-in-all a nice weekend.


Today, however, is another story. Hubby just left to play golf and I have mountains of laundry to do with all the bedding, etc. But I'll be knitting on my Every Last Yard sweater which is now down to the waist shaping and soon coming up will be the lacy border. Pretty boring knitting, so need to pick up something else to change off to - maybe another pair of fingerless gloves.
So off to the laundry room I go!!!

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to all my friends, knitting or otherwise. Hope you have a great day!

January....movin' on to February!!!

While the Midwest and east coast are suffering from one snowstorm after another, we feel blessed to live in the Pacific Northwest and just have a lot of gray days, drizzle and occasional drizzle. However, this makes for good knitting weather.

I've been working on this hat for one of our daughters. She's been walking every day and with temperatures in the 30-40's, she wanted a hat. I'm making it from Sunshine Yarns Merino Worsted, and it feels very soft and yummy. I'll be seeing her on Saturday, so I can try it on to decide if it's time to start decreasing.

Today, while hubby was away golfing for the day, I paid a visit to a brand-new yarn shop in nearby Puyallup, WA. They are the one and only and everyone is very excited to see them come to town. Isn't this cute? Called YellowHouseYarns I forgot to show you what I bought at YellowHouse - my new and one and only LYS: This is Stonehedge Farm and Fiber Mill's Shepherd's Wool - seabreezze colorway (more green than this photo shows) and in a light worsted, or aran. Very soft and yummy! I don't know what it wants to be yet.

I'm still working away on my EveryLastYard cardigan. Some of our knitting group are already finished, but I'm working on the body so it's just knit-knit-knit. Thank goodness I have other projects to switch off to occasionally.

Seattle to Portland Yarn Train 2011

The 2011 Seattle to Portland Yarn Train is in the history books now. A great time was had yesterday - with somewhere around 209 knitters from the western Washington area traveling to Portland on Amtrak for a fun day of knitting on the train (some slept - we did have to get up terribly early). We walked up and down the streets of Portland visiting yarn stores, who were expecting us and had discounts, lots of help and even snacks and beverages. It rained steady and heavy and the wind blew all day so lots of people had wet feet, clothes, and hair - but it was fun, including one in our group whose umbrella kept blowing inside out, spokes bent, and the shaft kept coming apart. She said her mother gave her the umbrella right before she left and that "she'd got a good deal" on the umbrella. Yeah, right! We rode the "Starlighter" train home, arriving in Tacoma at 9:30pm home after 10:00pm and fell into bed - tired, but happy!


















Here's the tote bag for the occasion - filled with goodies,
and my only yarn purchase - Rowan Cashsoft in cream which should make a beautiful pair of fingerless mitts!