George Thorogood and the Destroyers - Rock n roll christmas

Merry Christmas to all. Had to share this one with you and to let all know I am still around and still working on the forever sweater!! 24 more stitches to the sleeves bind off, soak, block and sew together. My plan to have it done by the 31st!!

A Bear for Anthony

This is the first 'toy' I have made. It is from itty-bitty nursery by Susan B. Anderson. There are more patterns that I will make. I used Sugar'n Cream Citrus Fruits. Size 3 circular needles, knitting back and forth. I purchased the book at my fav yarn store Knit Picks. It is made in all squares and in garter stitch. How easy is that. 8/25/09- Well, I tried to add a slide show when I 1st posted this. Still have a lot to learn. So here is Anthony's bear

Foreverland

I always wanted to go there. I remember making Tinkerbell well as a kid. Now that I am no longer that young (but I am still a kid at heart) I will share what has been going on.

I started Knitting the back panel of Hey, Teach on 6/21/09. I got to the armhole decreases on 7/9/09. I had some much trouble with row 7. Designer should point this out and give us a heads up on how to work it. I have ripped out, tinked back so much that I could have made a dozens of these!!

Detail of Pattern

The back completed

I knit the front & back panels up to where the pattern starts. This went well. I then started the left front. That too caused me so much trouble. I understood the pattern. I could see where I screwed up and would tink back. This should have taken me hours to do. Maybe not at one sitting but over a few night or over a weekend. NOT! I tinked this more than the back. I finally completed the last 5 rows Sunday 8/16/09. After binding off the left front I put the left front back on the needles. Counted my stitches, like a good girl should. I am making the largest size so I should have 61 stitches. I had 57! So ribbit! I ended the night casting on the 61 stitches and went to sleep. Or so I thought

I had a sleepless night on Monday and went to work and got home without sleeping for 38 hours. I have been dealing with Fibromyalgia for over 25 years. I did my regular nighttime(checked emails, faceb00k and played bejeweled) routine then took my night time pills around 8 pm and had a great nights sleep. I woke up Tuesday feeling better than I have in a long time. Work has been busy-crazy. Well, Tuesday was a rare day and the rest of the week I dealt with the pain that comes and goes in different parts of the body.

to be continued

1st post with email-

6/29/09-This is my first posting using my email. I have set up the setting to save as draft. 7/9/09-I am finally posting it!

This is some fabric that I won from Melissa Morgan Oakes. It is something I received as a runner up 'famous' Lexie Barnes fabric giveaway. I won this back in April. That is how far I am behind in keeping up with my blog and you, my readers.

Special News Alert-----KSee Abducted

This reporter (msknitnohow) just finished an interview with KSee. I felt it was important to report to her family and friends how & why she was abducted. To explain why she has not read 402 posts on g00gle reader, read her normal email and try to keep up with Facebook.

She stopped spending time on the computer. She fed her 4 cats, yes 4! Got the junk mail, undressed and sat down and would pick up where she last left off. This thing had taken over her life. I asked if this object would even let her sleep and go to work. KSee responded "Yes, but not by choice. My life is no longer my own"

She said "it all started late in the evening of June 20, 2009". She started a swatch which was finished early the next morning. She then cast on 125 stitches, knit 4 rows of 1 x 1 ribbing. For the next few nights she was obsessed, this would be the one. She knit in stockinette st until her project measured 8 inches. Her every waking moment went into working on this object. There was one decrease row which left her with only 115 sts. KSee was able to successfully knit 8 rows of 1 x 1 ribbing.

The following weekend 6/27 found KSee attached, absorbed in this project. Now it was time to start the lace part of this object. She showed me the pattern and tells me "it is very simple pattern, 8 repeats with twelve rows per pattern". As I am (msknitnohow) clueless, I just nodded as I was afraid that she would loose it if I told her the truth, I have no freaking idea what she is doing. All I see is little boxes with strange symbols. I'm just sent out on assignments. What do I know?

That was when it became a serious problem. She told me "I don't even want to stop to eat or pee!" Now people, this woman has a very big problem. As I sit here looking at her, I see that she could stand to stop eating but peeing-- now that is something even I do not want to picture. I feel like I should call in a mediator, but for what, I wonder. Does she need a shrink? She has a mentor at her office who accomplished this project in less than 10 days. I let it go at that.

As of today (12 days and counting) she has ripped out, tinked back and made every mistake that could be made. Over and over again, no less that 6 times, all this past week. KSee tells me that this will not get the better of her. She plans on persevering. "FGS, how difficult can 8 repeats be."

At this time we take a break. KSee comes back with the abductor. She shows me that she is back to the ribbing. Some how she ended up with 116 stitches last night, on the 1st row of the pattern. That was when sleep took over.

This reporter will certainly keep in touch with KSee and will report back to you how things fair. This is so serious that I believe that I can convince my editor to bring a photographer with me on my next visit. Oh, BTW when she showed me the object I had no idea what it was.
to be continued

What kind of Sheep are you?

I found this on Anita's blog. So what the hey! You can find the quiz here.

I lost the link to the description, took the quiz again and was a different sheep. Go figure.

I am going to finish my project today and make a swatch to knit Hey Teach (Rav link) or here at Knitty.com. My co-worker Carol started her's and I love how it is coming along. I have Classic Silk in color 6956. I got it at In Stitches 2007 at the Webs booth. They do not have this color any more so I guess it is discontinued. I did a search and found this site that has the color.I have enough to make this sweater. I will keep good notes for this one. Wish me luck!

My creation

My creation
Originally uploaded by KSee Kreations

I created this last year for something we were doing on the blogs. I could never figure out how to upload it.

WoW-Zorro

Here is my big boy. As I look at my garden (weeds) he will follow me around and stop me so he can get attention.

The last of my Peonies. I was able to get a better picture once the sun came out to show you the hand blown cobalt blue vase.

FO- The Forever Socks- Forever done!

Thought you would never see this day-- well, neither did I. I would have had them done on Friday night if I had not confused myself with the Kitchener stitch. I tried to tink back but and ended up ripping back to where the toe started! I have also tried creating a mosaic in Flikr. I spent hours reading help. Uploaded the pictures, deleted them and uploaded a second time. Well, I did manage to create one but have not figured out how to upload it to my blog. It is in my collection on Flikr if you are so inclined to see them again. I copied it to my computer and it is really tiny. So I am just going to show you all the views individually.

This is the 2nd sock.

Detail
This is sock #1
Detail
The #$@^% pair together!!

OK, now that you have seen all the views you can see that while they were knit from one skein of Misty Mountain Farm Jubilee- Crimson Tide, they do not match. When I started the 2nd sock I matched up my cast on using the tail from sock 1's cast on. I have never had this happen before. I did not realize the difference until I started the heel. Once sock 1 was done it was put it in my bag. It did not see the light of day since April when I started sock 2. I double checked the amount of stitches for each sock. Check, 72 stitches divided between two needles 36 per needle. I checked this 4 times for each sock. I used a size 2 Addi 24" cable.

I have cast on for a new project. Something simple. It is from the Itty-bitty Nursery book that I received last week. While I was there I could not help but add in two skeins of Felici Self Striping Sock Yarn in the Gelato color way. I am going to try and figure out how to substitute yarn and make something for a baby. Don't have one to make it for but we never run out of babies and I am never ready for when one comes along.

Now if I could figure out how to add a slide show, cross out type and so much more that I see other blogger's do on g00gle blog. I really do not want to change sites at this point.

I hope your Memorial Day weekend was a pleasant one. I know mine was quite and I was really glad to see the rain today. Yes, Lynn, I was glad. It kept the millions of kids I have in my community in the house. The past few years we have had little turnover in families, which is good, but the kids are getting bigger and louder each year. I have lived here long enough to see them from toddler to college.

I am now going to watch a movie "The Secret Life of Bees", I listened to the audio book and loved it and knit my new project.

BTW, I am still fighting ants. I went to Wal Mart on Friday and got Taro inside and outside traps. I went again this afternoon and picked up two gallons of the super duper spray for in & outside. I am so over these little creatures. I hate not being 'green' but I am at my wits end. I hope the product does what it says it will do and I can get a friendlier product to use as a follow up.

Susan Boyle - Semi Final 1 - Britains Got Talent 2009 (HQ)

Her she is. A bit jittery at the start. One of my fav songs.

Diversity - Semi Final 1 - Britains Got Talent 2009 (HQ)

This is my second pick for the winner. These guys are so much fun to watch. Wish I had seen it in person. Next up Susan Boyle

WoW-Sissy

Here is Sissy in Stanley's bed. It was the 2nd time I found her there.

I took this picture of my roses and peonies this past Saturday. I cut off most of the Peonies because of the rain we has Saturday night. I knew they would be goners. Today I still have roses and more peonies. Wild weather, late snow, very hot August weather, lots of rain and now cold mornings...this is the best show of my roses than I ever had.
This is just one in a beautiful cobalt blue vase I own. Since there was no sun and I could not bring the flowers into the house, ants, I could not get a good vantage point to show the vase/flower combo. They are still sitting on my patio along with others that broke that as sitting in a bucket. Definitely the cool weather is helping keep these going.

I interupt regulary programming

just received my mail and now have in my hand Knit Picks new catalog. Just go and look. Now.

Keeping busy

I upgraded my Internet Explorer 7 to IE8. I love it. The best feature I like is when I open a new tab you can set and see your bookmarked pages. I can now just click on a thumbnail of pages I frequent. Like the Panda at the National Zoo, I just saw her snuggling with a ball. I have my Facebook page, Google Reader, my YouTube account, Race for the Cure Team Ratner. I sent emails to my family, Friends and Knitters and have received my first donation from a special knitting friend!! I love this community. All who read, follow or comment on my blog have become friends. We have found out that we have so much more in common than knitting. I love traveling around the country as well as the world.

I know there might be issues about using our knitting blog for causes but that is all part of what we are. We share our ups and downs. Our dogs and cats. The gifts we make, knitted or not. The prizes we win from contests. The goodies we receive from swaps. If we do it, care about it, make it, we share. That is why we keep up with one another.

When my friend made a donation and all the people in my office saw it and I told them how I reached out they was surprised. I was so proud to say it was from a knitting friend. To them it was a 'hobby' thing. Then they thought about it and figured out that they too would reach out. So another race is on! To encourage the "home office" to join they are offering two lunches. I forget what we need to do but it will be Pizza and Super Chicken. I think I am the only person in the office who does not like their food or I am the only one who openly admits it! OK, I'm getting carried away!

Here are a few things that I have purchased since the beginning of the year. I will spread them out over several posts because seeing it all in once place overwhelms me. I know that when I buy online that they are my treats to myself as I believe one day at a time. I know that I can spend too much but...

This is a book I swapped at the 2009 Knitters Retreat. I have had it in a stack of things to take pictures of! Check it out at Knit Picks.

More from the retreat. You can read about Mary's art at Robin's post here mid way down the page. The wine ring was made by Robin but I am using it as jewelry.
All this highlight tape came in the mail yesterday. Run don't walk and get these. It only took one day to receive them!

I mentioned in a previous post that I spent March and April on Ancestry.com. I have so many records of my Great Grandfather, Abraham Isherwood and family who immigrated from England between 1905 and 1916. So far, I've only printed out a few pages at work as they need to be 11 x 17. (Work or print out, what a choice!!) I did save all the jpeg as pdf's at work. I have Adobe Pro at work. I will use these tapes to highlight the family members for my Mother & Aunt to read. I also hooked up with a relative in California who is the grand-daughter of Abraham's son Abraham. That's correct, Abraham my GGF, father was also Abraham! Talk about confusing trying to make sure I attach the correct record to the right Abe.

Panda check. Mei Xiang does move slowly but she has been moving around. There are two cams Cam 1 is Mei Xiang, Cam II are the boys. You have to watch her. Panda fever here in DC.

I started this post about 2 hours ago, yikes! Not all in one sitting but you can tell I'm on a role. Which for me is a good sign because it means I am busy around the house.

Later, enjoy the weekend. I'll have pictures soon of my roses & peonies. It is cloudy and misting rain so I plan on cutting all the peonies. Jeez Louise, I sure am on a roll. Could it be the 4 cups of coffee? lol

Killer Weed

What is this? I went through all my garden books,searched on-line and did not find a picture. I have now cut them down so the pods won't open. With the rain these grew to 3'. If the rain didn't stop they could have turned into Jack's bean stalk. Although, I would hate to see poor Jack with prickly things stuck all over him, LOL.

I picked up the lawn paper bags when I was at Safeway last Monday. They are the cheapest and best way to recycle yard stuff. I will fill up a bag later when it is cooler. We are having beautiful weather again today. Breezy and sunny. The neighborhood kids have not come out yet to make me close up the house and Zorro is behaving himself by not clawing in the screen on the patio door.

This is the only Lilac's that I cut off my bush. This is a 18 year old plant and only blooms every other year. 2007 the landscapers cut it back. Which is OK to do but then you have to wait two seasons for flowers. I hope they leave it alone this year.

Least we forget why I started this blog, here is another purchase fro Jimmy Beans Wool. This is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Limited Edition April 2009 Robin's Eggs. Thank goodness I did not like the other months colors. The colors just grab me and before I know it I hit the purchase button.

I have pulled out all my spring and summer clothes and moved back the fall/winter to the walk in closet. I have quite a stack of clothes to try on and I believe most will go to charity.

Edit: why is it that some pictures you can make bigger and others not?

Race for the Cure

Yesterday I sent out an email letting you know about Team Ratner. I have never reached out to my Family, Friends and you my fellow Knitters before and I hope I did not intrude. Here is the link to my Personal Page. My goal is to raise $125. If you are reading this and can make a donation as little as $5.00, I will reach this goal. You may select to keep your donation private.

As I mentioned in my email, I have signed up for Sleep for the Cure and I would like to be at the Mall to support my co-workers. After my shopping spree yesterday I know I can not manage the walk. Anyone have a Segway I can borrow? LOL

Thank you.

Busy Saturday--Sunday off to a bad start

I was up at 5 and weeding by 6 am. The horrible prickly weed that has taken over a part of my garden will require digging out. So I cut them down so the buds would not bloom.

1:32 a.m. Sunday--I woke up with a Charlie horse in my right calf. I laid there flexing and stretching my leg. Pain is terrible. Finally had to get up and walk it off. that is working but muscle still wants to cease up. While I was shopping yesterday my left foot was cramping. Completely twisted my toes.

Back to that weed. I am searching the net and not finding out what it is. OK, leaving to look in my garden books. More later. 2:05 a.m--later! my left calf wants to cramp.
2:17-I'm now drinking coffee and I will be up for awhile. Watching last episode of CSI-NY. Baby just born. Wandered over to Ravelry. Took a couple of Va1l1um. Thank goodness it is Sunday.
OK posting this, more posts to follow...

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Bear in Sheeps Clothing

This past Monday I went to my local Safeway. I needed that all important staple-- Kitty litter. I hesitated going in but I had a $1 coupon. Well, $108.00 later, I had two weeks of lunches for work and other staples..like Edy's Peanut Butter Choc ice cream. Everyone on the store was nice and the whole experience went well. I do have a question, why is it that you have coupons and can not find the damn things! Also, how in the world do coupon clippers spend $108 and only pay $4? Do they use expired coupons. I digress, as usual. As I was leaving the girl who works the Starbucks kiosh offered me a small paper cup of Carmel Frappuccino. It was left over from the last customer. While I was standing there look what I found! Isn't he adorable. Plus he was on sale! I have two others at work. I'll have post a picture soon. It is amazing the details they put into these little bears.

I have to tell you going shopping after work is not one of my favorite things, yet better than going on a weekend. I came home in a better mood because of the find and the people who were so helpful and nice. That included the other people shopping. Rare indeed!

I am still knitting on the darn sock!!

Have a great day.

WoW- Gift for Mom

On Sunday 3/29/09, I looked out to see Zorro bringing home his conquest. Not on your life was he getting in. The last time he did this, he paused and set the bird down and it flew off. As you can see this did not happen in my presence so I do not know the fate of this bird.

I have lots of pictures and only one knitting up date to come and I WILL update as I do not want months to go by like I have been doing of late. If you want to keep up with the other WoW kitties, click on the WoW picture above.

WoW- Flash back

Well, a lot has been going on and I miss blogging so I am going to try and keep up. With the 90 degree weather we have had for the last 4-5 day here in NoVa I thought you would enjoy this.
Please stop by and visit WoW

Adele - Chasing Pavements

Here is another wonderful voice with a haunting video. Click the X to minimize the ad. I love the choreography.

I heard Gabriella Cilmi singing on a commercial and had to track her CD down.

I have been around but was sucked into Ancestry.com. Script runs out this month. I'll share some interesting things I found out about my family soon.

In the knitting news I have been working on the Forever sock. My knitting mojo is in the dumps. I am on the second sock that I started in January at the retreat! Pictures to come soon.

Knitting on the Lake 2009 Part 3

Stash enhancement and door prizes. Oh my. In addition to seeing knitters new and from last year one of the fun things that Robin spends a lot of time on is getting door prizes donated and vendors to come on Saturday. So I am going to post a lot of pictures~

This is the Needle Holder I won that was donated from the Knitting Sisters. It is made with Kaffe Fassett fabric.

But I do not knit with straight needles so when I saw this circular needle holder by lexie barnes I could not to myself from buying it. It was only $35 so... it is the only that gets you. No shipping etc.

Mary Jane was the vendor from KOTL 08 has closed her business and on Sunday she brought in box after box of yarn and a few notions. I have no idea what the buttons are going to be used for but for $1.50 I could not pass them up.

The Lion Suede was on the table that people brought in for the For Sale table. I thought it would be good for another Dolores Park Cowl. Like the one I made here.

Left: Andes Color 08, 5 skeins, 825 yds. I plan on knitting the February Lady Sweater. Read a tip somewhere to alternate a skein every two or 4 rows to help (eliminate) pooling. When I get these on the needles I will actually make swatch. On the left is a pretty Cestari Lilac Heather 2 ply I have no idea what to do with yet but the price was right.

The pink/purple is Blue Heron Beaded Cotton/Rayon that was also on the For Sale table as well as this Cestari Tye Dye. Of course I'm still thing cowls but I will be going through some of the books I have.

Next is Diane's yarn from Creatively Dye Yarns I took a close up but if you go to her site you will see how she dyes her yarn.

9:07, 3/21/09: I started this post on 3/2/09. I signed up for a month of Anstry.c0m. I already has a program and had 4 generations. I have so much I want to share am will try to be a better bl00ger.

Early blogs

'nuff said. LOL TGIF

WoW-Finally

I have been so bad about keeping up with this. Here I share two shots taken in the last few weeks.

I mentioned in my snow post that Stanley had a new bed and you had seen what it replaced. Well, I realized I never shared the picture with you. He has now moved up to the dining table and was sleeping in a t-shirt. Saw a sale and the boy got a new bed.

Pia is a camouflage in fur. She matches my couch throw. I did not see her right off.

Be sure to check out WoW to see what or who is being highlighted.