~Sappy Acceptance Speach!~

(how lousy is that title?!) How gorgeous is this? I have to say that I didn't think this little medal would mean as much to me as it does - I'm surprised, and I'm surprised at what I have learned about myself. My project was not a difficult project by most standards, the cables were new to me and much easier than I thought they would be. Reworking a pattern like I did was new to me and wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I did, however, knit the equivalent of two pair of the silly little mitts. My personal accomplishment was finishing them on time with all that happens to be going on in my life right now - for that I am the happiest. I am grateful to our beloved Stephanie for her challenge because it made me take the time to do something that I love to do. (i.e., to do something for me) I'm realizing that I don't take enough time to do the things that give me peace, and although I don't see a lot of time in my very near future, I can see a row here and there that I normally wouldn't pause to do. I have so enjoyed watching everyone doing projects that not only challenged them, but brought them joy and when it was too challenging or was no longer fun, they put them aside and cheered everyone else on. Knitters are truly wonderful people and I am so happy that I created this blog and have had the opportunity to "meet" so many of you!

~TWLK's Olympic Knitting Event is COMPLETED~

This Tightly Wound woman can now get as Loosely Knit as she likes ;) ! The fingerless mitts are finished and they match! Life is good today. These will be a gift for my Mom who is seriously ill - I'm hoping they will offer her some warmth and comfort. I'm thrilled they are finished, and under any other circumstances they would be a very quick knit. I love the yarn and will be working with it often. Modeled by: Emily Yarn used: Queensland Collection's Llama Seta Needles: Clover size 6 dpn's Pattern: I started with the Artists Gloves pattern and altered it to add a 6 stitch cable I also made them longer in the arms and on the fingers. Now fellow Olympians (and supporters) I'm off to get unglued with DH ~ well maybe not totally unglued ~ how about dinner and some wine :) Happy Knitting!

~Rantings and Ravings of a Crazed Knitter~

Olympic Knitting? What is that? Knitting? ugh! Once I figured out that cables are a piece of cake and I figured out how to alter my pattern to accomodate the cable, that was a piece of cake. Knitting the first mitt, snowed in in a hotel room in Connecticut, was also a piece of cake! Finding the time to knit the second mitt has proven to be quite a bit more difficult than I had imagined! Now, you would think that it being school vacation week, and the fact that I work in a school giving me a week off, would be conducive to getting a TON of knitting done ---- NOT! There was the hive laden child to bring to the Dr. The rawhide swallowing dog to bring to the vet. More appointments, activities and errands than I had imagined and then there is the NEVER ending stream of laundry, cleaning and cooking and softball meetings - no knitting was done at the meeting as I have to take the minutes :(. Oh! and another pet peeve of mine - WHY do the kids have to get RIDICULOUS projects to do on school vacation week? I get absolutely crazy about these projects - if they have to do a book report, let them do the damned book report, WHY does there have to be a project to go along with the book report EVERY time? and WHY on vacation week? What kind of a vacation is it when they have to worry constantly about projects? I've been told that they want the parents to spend time with their kids, so these projects can "bring the family together" - news flash.... NO THEY DON'T! I spend a ton of time with my kids, and we almost never have fun spending it doing these things. oiy, shut up Cath! (sorry, didn't mean to get off on a tangent!) Well, the week has FLOWN by and I have just now started the second mitt (well not just this second, LATE last night)... Buddy can't believe it..... Beau doesn't really care, as you can see... he's not what I'd call a BUNDLE OF NERVES.... so here is all that I have done... I'm hoping between grocery shopping and dentist appointements to get going on this, and I need to figure out where to put the right thumb gusset so it is in the correct spot! lol Now, knowing me, it will be tinked back numerous times (how many times did I knit the first glove? ugh!)before it gets put where it belongs - damned thumbs! lol I've been looking at all of the gorgeous Olympic Knitting you all have been doing, and here are my simple little mitts that will be lucky to get finished in time - ahhhhhh well, it's been fun seeing what everyone has been creating, don't you all think? Thanks for putting up with the lack of blogging and then the crazy woman rants - I'm off to clean the three fish bowls, make some pizza dough for supper, throw in another load of wash, and hopefully knit a few rows ;)

~Reality Check~

Long lost blogger returns! I can't believe how fast time has flown by and yet has seemingly stood still - does anyone else ever feel this way? A week ago today I was snowed in on my weekend away with my "sister", and yet it feels more like a month ago! I need a reality check! So......... I left Friday morning at 6:30, stopped at the dentist to make sure there were no infections - there were none. I called the Dr's office and he called in a prescription for a sinus infection (I'm a chronic sufferer), but I told him I wouldn't take it until I had a fever. I now believe it was a combination mild migraine and beginning sinus infection - but removing my head would have been fine with me! The drive was uneventful, we hit up the Christmas Tree Shop before heading off to our Suite (GOD I LOVE GOING AWAY!) and checked in early. Our room was on the 4th floor .... sitting area, kitchenette - which we stocked with plenty of goodies, and a basket waiting for us from Patti's hubby, here she is making friends with the wine that was in the basket ;) (it didn't last long - must have bigger bottle next time lol) and here is just one of the belated birthday gifts from her... how gorgeous is this? It is called Panda Moon in a gorgeous frame, cross stitched and she dyed the fabric herself! I LOVE IT! We went to our favorite place for dinner (I opted for wine in lieu of pain medication or antibiotics, along with my microwaveable rice bag to put on my face) - it worked pretty well~! We brought along plenty of DVD's and LOTS AND LOTS of crafts! Saturday we went to our favorite craft store where I purchased these lovelies (among other things ;)) I know the picture doesn't do the Diakeito justice, but it is JUST GORGEOUS and oh SO SOFT! (note... I noticed when clicking on this thumbnail that the picture looks like there is some kind of glittery thread in the yarn - there is not in reality any) I will be making more mittens or fingerless mitts with this stuff - it's fantastic! We headed back to our "home away from home" had some wine, did some cross stitching and knitting, watched some movies, laughed A LOT and headed back out to our "favorite place" for dinner again - where we had some more wine and more laughs! It was great! We hadn't planned on going to the same place for dinner twice, but the food is wonderful, the people that work there are wonderful ~ why bother going somewhere else. Friday night we had the crabcakes, smashed potatoes and vegetables (awesome) and Saturday night we had the Fisherman's chowder and split a portabello mushroom sandwich on ciabatta bread - ahhhhhhhh! Sunday morning we woke up to snow! Here is Dh's truck..... ~ we sadly (not) called our families and told them we wouldn't be able to make it home until Monday morning ~ as we hunkered down on our beds with our crafts, coffee and movies! We did venture outside early afternoon to dig out the vehicles and move them into plowed spaces, Patti helped another guest (car parked next to my truck in the picture) dig out and she gifted us with ........ you guessed it! a bottle of WINE! lol After digging out I cast on my Olympic knit and after ripping it out three times, and knitting myself blind - I had this.... my first fingerless mitt with cable! I must say that the cables were a piece of cake and I was somewhat impressed with myself that I managed to get the cable worked into this pattern - I am planning, however, to rip it out completely and begin again as the cable should be one rib repeat closer to the thumb ~~ and since I am severely obsessive compulsive about such things, I can't in good conscience leave it the way it is. I should have flipped my hand over so that you could see that the thumb opening is moved over enough to expose more palm than it should to make the cable centered. I'm also toying with the idea of going up a needle size as the cable seems to have made this glove a bit more snug than I'd like. Now I'm sure there are those of you out there that are saying, no problem, there is no reason for her not to finish in time for the Olympic closing ceremonies - damn, she knit that one in a day - well, I'll tell you, I haven't picked up a knitting needle since I came home! I am hoping to get some knitting done SOON, but the "people" that I live with are throwing all sorts of wrenches into my plans! lol Not to mention that my little Beau started puking again last night - EVERYWHERE! I do believe that he can't tolerate rawhide, especially since he swallows most of it WHOLE! He is now eating boiled hamburg and rice again! Along with that, my poor little Em is breaking out in phantom hives again - this happened a couple of years ago and she was tested for everything under the sun and they found nothing - here we go again! All in all it was a wonderful weekend, even with the terrible headaches - we got an extra day out of it, watched 15 or 16 movies, did tons of crafts and enjoyed some much needed r&r! I'll be making my way around the blogs to see how everyone else is doing soon, until then stay warm, don't lick any poles...and HAPPY KNITTING!

~Let the Games Begin~

Hi all, I've been swatching for the Olympics, over and over and over again! The pattern I had planned to use has been canned and I will now have to come up with my own. So.... I will be teaching myself cables (which I don't think are as hard as I thought) and I will be teaching myself charting cables (I'm optimistic), sizing etc., because I DO EXPECT these to fit me when I'm done. For all the swatching and swearing I've done, it's a wonder that I am still up for making these. I went for my root canal on Monday (dentists absolutely terrify me) and they didn't do it!!!!! ARGH! They tested, and tested and tested the tooth which caused me quite a lot of pain and decided they want to wait a few more weeks and watch it! ugh! I am now trying to decide if I am getting a sinus infection which is causing all my teeth to take turns hurting or if my teeth are all just SHOT all of a SUDDEN! Needless to say, I'm thoroughly disgusted and STILL car-less! On a MUCH BRIGHTER note, I am meeting my "sister" for our one weekend a year away on Friday, whether my teeth are killing me or not. We will have a weekend of minimal shopping, i.e. Christmas Tree Shops, a few other little shops we like to stop in and THIS PLACE that we can spend hours and hours in :) We are staying at a Springhill Suites for the weekend. We go out for dinner, have a little wine, watch dvd's and knit/cross stitch/craft! Whatever floats our boats - it is a much loved, much anticipated escape from "real life"! I CAN NOT WAIT. I do have a 7:20 AM dentist appointment to make sure there are no abcesses beginning and then I am off! I promise to get to visit all of your blogs soon and leave some comments - I truly haven't felt well enough to do it lately. I will begin my Olympic Knitting sometime this weekend (I hope), but I refuse to put any pressure on - I want it to be enjoyable and if it begins not to be enjoyable I will put it aside and cheer on the other 3,000 plus knitters out there! Enjoy the opening ceremony! Happy Knitting!

~Stash Enhancement... For Medicinal Purposes Only~

What better to way to soothe oneself, than a trip to the LYS? Well...... A trip to the LYS that is having a sale! I have to say that this made me feel better and I am still feeling the affects! (The pictures are clickable thumbnails) Here we have some Symphonie and Lambs Pride for a felted bag that I will begin shortly FOR ME! The Lambs Pride was purchased because I needed one more hank of the Symphonie to make the size bag I have planned and I bought the last two in that colorway. I'm thinking a stripe near the top with the Lambs Pride might be pretty. Nestled in the middle of the picture is a hank of Fleece Artist in absolutely gorgeous shades of burgundy - I LOVE IT! (I couldn't NOT buy sock yarn) Here we have some Noro Silk Garden, 3 balls in the 201colorway and 2 balls in the 47colorway, they are truly lovely. Not only did I soothe my soul with purchases, I also had a bit of fun with my swift, I really DO LOVE playing with this. I wound the three hanks I bought, plus three Cascade 220's that were waiting for winding. If I had had more time, I would have pulled out the bucket of yarn (in the stash.... shhhhhhhhh) that has more unwound hanks just waiting to be "swiftly wound" ! lol (It's the pain med making the horrific jokes, don't hold it against me;)) "Little" Beau had some fun watching the swift while it was turning and then keeping a close eye on the skein of Lamb's Pride I wound when I was done with the rest. He had my foot under his head and his nose to the yarn the entire time! It was very funny. Finally, I just had to jump on the word cloud bandwagon. This was fun, I played with the colors and had a hard time decided which one to post. I head off to the dentist for the first of possibly two root canals on Monday morning, your positive thoughts would be greatly appreciated.