Answers for my SECRET Summer Sock Pal

Hello Secret Summer Sock Pal,

I got your email and could not respond to the "anonymous" gmail. Soooooo, I'll just answer you here.

1. What is your favorite summer drink?
I would have to say it is a strawberry margarita with sugar on the rim. YUM YUM!

2. Favorite summer activities?
I like a good game of corn hole and strolls in the local parks.

3. Favorite summer foods?
I love beer boiled brats on the grill with some mustard. Potatoe salad and baked beans make
great sides with a hot off the grill bratwurst.

4. Do you normally have to adjust sock patterns for them to fit you? or are they usually comfortable as written?
Well, I am actually working on my first pair of socks for me. And if you read below on my blog entry from Sunday 6/25 it actually shows a pic of my fat foot in my first sock. I am following this pattern as is. The only thing that I did change was I added a picot edge just to give these "manly" colors a feminine touch.

And as you can see from my choice of colors on my trek along sock that I am trying to get away from my safe color zone. Which is navy blues, hunter greens, and maroons. So I am willing to try anything. Except intarsia untill I make time to figure this thing out. On my Sunday blog entry there is a cute little scarlet and grey STRIPED bag....well, it was supposed to have a block "O" on it and I didn't have enough hands nor brains at the time to figure it out so it got stripes. And some of the yarns that I have yet to work with are: koigu, cherry tree hill, interlacements, lorna's laces, socks that rock yarn and probably a lot of others but that's what I can come up with off the top of my head. But I completely understand at the same time that some of these yarns also have a hefty price tag on them and I will buy them sooner or later. For some reason though koigu seems to be scarce. I have never seen it in person before. Until next time. C-ya.

Ok, Time to Catch Up on Pics

Ok, last week I started on a cute little bag done in scarlet and grey. I was making it for a birthday gift for a neighbor girl and she loved it. Here it is before and after.

If you look, I have it setting on top of my washer lid...see how big it is?

And here it is in my 8 year olds hands. It's so tiny after being so big. But it turned out perfect for a 12 year old's birthday.

Specs: Galway plymouth yarn and a pattern from hello yarn (if I remember correctly)

Now onto my Trek Along Socks. Here are a few pics of the first one complete and the second one on the needles.

I decided for the first voyage, I'd keep it simple. So we went to our local watering hole.

And here are my girls, posing on a break for me. This is our local Moose Lodge pool where we are members. It's a nice area to sit back and relax. The pool is surrounded by trees and gives me alot of shadey areas to choose from to sit and knit.

Here is a pic of sock #1. This is the first pair of socks I am actually doing for myself. So far so good.

Here is a close up of the pattern. The pattern is called Eagle's Flight. Not only is this my first pair of socks for myself but this is the first pattern I chose to do. I like it alot and will use it often. It is very simple.

It was kinda hard to take a pic of the picot edge when I also have to be the model. So here is my attempt to show off the picot edge. I learned something new...I like the picot edge alot! but not for a pair of socks for me. I want my sock to hug my foot not just sit there.

Well, more pics to come later. I have gotten further on my Rogue and am quite pleased with my progress. C-ya!

Exactly One Week

Ok, I know. I've been a bad blogger and let this update come right down to the exactly 7 day rule. And for that, I apologize. But I also will apologize that since I am updating at work I have no access (stupid computer) to download pics. Trust me I have a few. Life has been a wee bit busy since the days have become longer and warmer and dry. My girls have pool passes to our lovely local Moose Lodge so I...clock out at work, run home and get the girls, let my poor little (I've been holding it for hours) dog out to "go", find a quick "so-called" meal then get over to the pool to swim. The great part about this is I don't do public or business private pools. It makes my skin crawl to think that someone did the unmentionable in the pool. I know, I know. You ask why I think it's ok for my girls to go swimming? Well, I will be the first one to tell you, they have a shower area inside the bathroom and every break I make them rinse off and then once we get home they hop straight in the shower. Plus, my girls were told by me that if they did the unmentionable in the pool it would be more than obvious because there would be a bright pink spot in the pool right where they were and EVERYONE would know who did it. Anyway, back to the great part....I get to knit! A complete 1 1/2 to 2 hours of straight knitting outside in the beautiful shaded area by the pool where I can watch my girls have fun and I can even go purchase me a preferred beverage of choice to sip on and knit. AHHHHH! Talk about stress relief. So needless to say I have been getting some knitting done. I have picked the Rogue back up after being mad at it for a couple of months now and have got some of it accomplished. (Pic to go here but my computer sucks, so later). I am also almost done with my Trek Along socks and have a few pics of it's travel to the pool side. I plan for it to travel some more though. And I am just started yesterday on a small handbag done in OSU style. (I'll definately have to take some picks of it before and after I felt it. I am working with two colors for the very first time and I don't like it (yet). Granted the finished piece will look awesome buuuuuutt I'm one for nice tidy work areas and the back of the thing isn't so nice to look at. So I have taken it upon myself to cut and knot all ends (since it's going to be felted and most likely lined), no one will ever even know. So shhhhhh! Well, since I can't post pics (stupid computer), I'll be done for now. And by the way....Have a great first day of summer. Go Summer Sock Party! Woo Hoo!!! C-ya.

THANK YOU Secret Pal 8!!!

You are #1 in my book...especially my new Yarns to Dye For book. You are awesome!

I am already into the 3rd chapter. This is now my 2nd book I have ever owned that I will admit to reading from cover to cover. Of coarse you have those good ol' book reports in school but I was all about scanning over the book or finding someone who had already read the book and then write my report. I hated reading. But since I have turned 30 (yep, just this year) something has come over me...a sense of needing to know certain things and wanting to learn on my own instead of being told how to do it. Hmmm, this must be my independance creeping out. Watch out book world....I'm on to ya now. (hee hee)

This was sitting on my porch when I got home yesterday. My girls were the first one's to the door when we got home and announced loudly that there was a "package" for mom on the porch. Which instantly sends me running to the porch to see where it came from...but guess what. My secret pal is very sneaky...you see...there was no return address or anything. So thank you secret pal where ever in the world you live. C-ya!

Current Events In My Life

Well first of all I would like to share with you a pic of some of the most yummy yarn I've laid my eyes on. I hope you are sitting down for fear of fainting. Ya'll ready? Here it is...
Buckeye fans, stop drooling. Can you actually believe that I got this at one of my LYS? This is Claudia's Hand Painted Yarn in the colorway....BUCKEYE!!! I got the biggest kick out of it, that I just had to have some. I can't wait to knit some sock in this yarn. It is so soft and plush and so Buckeye.

Oh, and to my surprise on Friday morning I was greeted by this at the side of my front porch...

YAY! My lillies finally bloomed. Aren't they purdy?

Then, once I got to work, Miss Tonia called me out to the dock with my camera to take a pic of the tiniest little frog or toad (I can't tell) I have ever seen. Mind you, this thing is sitting on someone index finger.

Then after work, my mom watched the kids all day and had them out at the barn so when I got there this is what I was welcomed with...

First off is Renae on Forbes inside of the arena at my mom's barn. Then...

Elizabeth got on Forbes to show me that she could get him to trot. After a few minutes I asked them to let Forbes get some dinner and rest and here is my loving mother, and her to favorite grand daughters (her only grandkids) right before we said good night to Forbes.

And on our way back to the car we saw this in the neighbor's yard. It's such a calming site to see this...

Well, folks. That's all I have for now... Remember, you sock knitters to go to Miss Tonia's site and sign up for the KAL. We will have a blast! C-ya.

Putting Out An APB For All Sock Knitters!!!

Hey, check this out. It looks like an awesome way to keep from having SSS (second sock syndrome), and a great way to meet a new sock knitting friends. Check out Miss Tonia's site and read all about it. I don't know about you but I'm in. Come on sock knitters...let's have some fun!

I have pics!!!

Okay, so here are the pics of Renae's kool aid anklettes. She just loves them. They kinda grow on ya.

And here are a few more pics of them on Renae's feet....showing them off of coarse.

One pair down and yet another to go. Little Miss Elizabeth is now wanting me to start and finish her pair just as quick as I can.

Also, here are a couple of pics of some of the flowers I planted. Enjoy!

Ok, I must admit...not such a great shot. But on the right side of the pic are my four rows of impatients. And on the left side there is a hosta, 3 mums. Behind the hosta (which you can't see) are some stargazer lillies coming up. I'm pretty proud of my little area. I took this pic right after I trimmed all of the bushes back so you could see my hanging baskets. This is my little piece of sanity next to knitting of coarse. I can't wait for my stargazers to bloom. They always smell soooooo good.

And believe it or not, I took these from my old place in February. I must admit, I didn't think they would come back (since I took them out of shear spite) but obviously they wanted to come with me. Last year, this was only 2 lillies. And this year I have 5 or 6. I actually think there are 6, but one is small and in the back where you can't see it.

Well, now that I have bored you with my pics I'll let you get back to reading other blogs. More pics later (of coarse), you know of the trek along sock. C-ya!

Long Time No Update

Sorry, I didn't realize just exactly how long it has been since my last entry. But I guess some time has slipped by me. Sooooo, I'll update ya on my life.

Not really a whole lot goes on in my life except the usual daily routine. You know, get up, take a shower, get the girls up, dressed, and fed and off to the sitters then go to work. I guess you could say my life is bland in a sense. But I would rather be home with my girls than out on the "bar scene", if you get my drift. There are way too many weirdo's out there.

Anyway, I can throw myself a pity party on my own time. Time to update knitting news. Sorry, no pics yet. I have to go visit my mom and use her computer for those. But I will do that soon. I finished a pair of footies out of the kool aid yarn I dyed for Renae and am getting ready to start a pair for Elizabeth. They turned out awesome. Or at least they are loved by who will be wearing them:) (the stripes are crazy, you'll see). I also will be starting on my Trek Along socks this weekend. I can't wait. Hopefully it's nice outside this weekend so I can go to a park for a walk and take some pics with my traveling trekking sock. C-ya.