Action Packed Weekend

We've had an action packed weekend. My brother, his fiancee and her two children (4 & 6) came to spend Sat - Mon with us. Saturday was the Barnes & Noble children's center and Chuck E. Cheese (all parents please moan in sympathy and swallow 3 Advil). We managed to win enough tickets to earn us a foam rocket shooter and a pocket full of lizards and Spiders. Woo Hoo! Then, Sunday it was off to pancakes and waffles then to Strong Museum of Play. Strong is so much fun -- it is a great place to let the kids run loose. I can't wait to have kids of my own - just for an excuse to get a family membership. We went to the Butterfly Conservatory -

Tonight, while my brother & his fiancee are at a concert - DH & I are watching Power Rangers and Tom & Jerry with the Kids. Good news is I did get some knitting done during all these adventures. The 1 side of my tea cozy is done, my last ankle sock (even though my toe graft looks a little wonky - I need to get better at this or try toe up next time) and I cast on for the striped candy cane "santa's helper" hat for my nephew for Christmas (another from the Itty Bitty Hat book).

Tea cozy really is pretty cute - the top edge is fluted with eyelet holes - so I can thread a ribbon through once I finish the second side and seam it up.

Knitty Updates

I have been doing some knitting not just entering swaps and contests. ;O) I have made a bit of progress on three different projects. I'm trying to finish up these little ones before I start on too much else. I am really battling against an awful case of startitis. I think the only thing holding me back is that my left shoulder, elbow and wrist have been troubling me -- perhaps the marthon sessions to get the Volleyball bag done - irritated it. However, I feel lost, stressed, overwhelmed, sad, etc. when I can't knit. It truly relaxes me after and during a stressful/busy day at the office.

So what do I do - but keep knitting continuing to irritate my arm and order more knitting books to make my startitis even worse. :O\ My grandmother wanted the Stack & Whack book by Beverly Reynolds - so what was I to do but order more books to get free shipping?? (ignore the fact that I could order 1 more book and still get shipping for free). I can rationalize just about anything. I have sock yarn on route from Loopy Ewe - so I ordered Cat Bordhi's Socks Soar on Circular Needles. I really would like to try another sock method other than double points (although the DPN's are ahead in my poll as people's favorite method). The second book I ordered is Nicky Epstein's 15 fabulous felted bags -- because I need to pick out a new pattern for the Fall Felted Bag Exchange, right? After all my swap partner will be assigned by tomorrow...

I do have a tendancy to go full force into my hobbies. So after all that rambling here is my knittery progress thus far this week...

WIP report:

Ankle socks - finally almost done - just a 1/2" to go before I finish the toe. These have been taking forever for some reason.

Read in Bed Shrug -- past the half-way point on the lace pattern repeat

Checkerboard Pleated Tea Cozy - I'm about two repeats from the top of side 1. It is a version of the "Easy Pleated Tea Cozy" pattern by Rita Taylor. My LYS did an interpretation of the pattern for one of their displays that I really liked. There's a picture of their cream and burgandy version on Pam's Blog. I thought I would make one for my Mom/Dad and one for me. We're big nightime tea drinkers. It's so relaxing to sit down with a little hot pot of tea.

Sweater Bunch

Tonight was sweater bunch class at the LYS. It was a lot of fun as usual. It is a rotating group of people with all different level of skills and projects - so it is always interesting. Since I'm waiting for my Rowan Calmer and Cashsoft to come in for my next two sweater projects - I decided to see what quick little projects I could get done in the interim. I am going to do a set of mittens for my Mom for her Birthday and I started a tea cozy. Goofy I know but they had a display set-up in the LYS and it was so cute. It is a free pattern from the Internet - www.knitlist.com/98gift/anotherteacosy.htm. I'm doing it in two shades of slate/green encore worsted weight in the checkerboard pattern. I really like it. I am a big evening tea fan and I have this cute little teapot that it would look great on. If the pattern goes well - I'll probably do one for my mom as well.

The other project I need to do is a Booga bag (http://www.blacksheepbags.com/booga_bag.html) for my husband. He coaches girls volleyball and he likes to pass a ball each week to the girl who made the biggest impact on the team that week -- the girls get to write a message on the ball if they are awarded the ball. Then at the end of the year it is given out to the individual who had a significant impact during the season. Last year he had me felt a bag to pass the ball around in that he gave out with it. He'd like me to make another one. So I'll have to get busy since Try-outs are next week.

Friday I'm off to spend a weekend in northern New York with my family. My grandmother and Great Aunt want my Mom and I to show them how to do the stack & whack quilt technique. It is a pretty neat way to align and cut fabric that creates a kaleidoscope effect. So I'll probably take a knitting project along to work on while I'm helping them with their quilts. Plus --- a new Fabric/Yarn shop opened up near their house. I can't wait to check it out. It is a 50/50 split of a remodel historic general store.