Happy Early Anniversary!

My 8th anniversary is tomorrow. However, my hubby and I have never been able to hold on to our anniversary gifts until the actual day, which is tomorrow.

My hubby bought me THIS.......I would never have bought this for myself although I have been drooling over the ipod ever since they came out. If only it wasn't charging right now I would be all over loading stuff RIGHT NOW!

And, he also bought me this nice little attachment that allows me to play all my music in the car! Wahoo!
We had this discussion while driving to California that if we had an ipod, we could upload all our music on the ipod and not having to listen to crazy static or haul all our cd's around in the car.

Thank you hubby!!!! I love you and I look forward to many years together.

Weekend in Review

This post actually started on Thursday afternoon. Hannah & I went to the open house at Gabriel's Angels, a group that takes dogs to visit sick & abused kids. Here is Hannah with Pam Gaber and Gabriel.

We were so close to the Fiber Factory that I could not drive past without stopping. However, this is all I bought!!! I really am trying to use up my yarn stash before taking off and buying a whole bunch more stuff!
We took Jen & Steve out for lunch at Cyclo in Chandler. It is upscale Vietnamese food! Yummy!!!! They both tried to use chopsticks and did not do too bad of a job.
Obviously, everyone liked the food!
And here are Jen & Steve out front of the restaurant.
As we were coming home from lunch, we see this on the "main" street of our neighborhood. The car hit the fire hydrant so hard that it pulled the hydrant and the 3 foot pipe out of the ground! I am sitting perpendicular to the car on the main street. I have no idea how exactly that car did that and had that kind of speed in a residential neighborhood.
Here we are at our party. Here is Hannah and Rosie.
Pam with my son, Simon, playing with the new Monster Magnets from Rosie.

Iain, modeling the newest fashion for me, sparkly tiaras!
Woody & David.
Steve, looking like all that in Iain's Mustang! Iain even let Steve drive his Mustang.
Iain and I. Hmm...do I look like I had one too many martini's. Um....my head told me so the next morning.......and the worst thing is, I still woke up at 5:30 am waiting for Simon to come trudging into our room. Russell and Simon. Russell was off to curling in North Scottsdale.

Pam & Melanie pushing our kids on the swings! They were great guests and really good babysitters! Note to self, invite Pam & Melanie to our next party!

Happy Birthday Dad

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

Here is Dad with Hannah...she loves Grandpa to death!!!! He is a great Grandpa and a great Dad!!! I love the relationship I have with my Dad. We have surpassed the child/parent relationship and now have a bit more of an adult relationship.

I do know that whatever happens in life, I will somehow have my Dad wrapped around my little finger.
Dad and his new bride, Linda, in June at their wedding! They are a very happy couple and I was happy that I could be part of the celebration of their union in June! Good luck and best wishes for many happy years together!
I love you Dad and I wish that I was with you to celebrate this big year! I'd tell you how old he was but then I'd have to kill you so......

I hope you have had a great day! With much love from ME!!!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Secret Pal 6 Info

Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?

It depends on the project but mostly I use LYS yarn. I have quite a bit of acrylic in my stash that I am trying to get rid of by making prayer shawls and other charity items.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?

I bought a drop spindle but have yet to try it, so I guess that would be a NO. I can crochet like a beginner but I prefer to knit.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
Yes, I am allergic to smoke and most pollens. I can handle perfumes and animal hair (cats, dogs, etc.)

4. How long have you been knitting?
Almost 20 years!

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
No but the things that would be on it are:
Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Knitting on the Edge
Knitting over the Edge
50 Bootees to Knit

I have no problem with used books, especially if the price incentive is a good one!

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
Vanilla and lavendar

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
Yes, but it is SO HOT in Phoenix right now that any candy that was sent would definitely melt.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
I sew when the need arises but with my two children being young, knitting is my main craft!

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like country and pop and 80’s music! Yes my computer can play MP3’s.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand? My favorite colors are Anything in the green family (green, aqua, chartreuse, etc.). I also like black and hot (neon) pink but not pale pink!

I don't really like earth tones (browns, rusts, etc.)

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I have a lovely husband of almost 8 years, a daughter (age 6) and a son (age 2.5). We also have a 6 month old female Siamese named Sophie.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
I would love to win the lottery so that money would not be a concern and travel a lot more!

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
Wool, silk, cotton, bamboo, mohair, angora….ALMOST ANYTHING!

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I don’t like knitting with Red Heart yarn but I knit with Jiffy, Lion Brand yarns and Homespun.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
I like prayer shawls and felted bags.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Baby items (because they are quick), felted items for the same reason, almost anything but I don’t knit sweaters much because I live in Arizona and it is too warm most of the year.

17. What are you knitting right now?
Lost Points Shawl from SWTC and Kitty Pi Bed and a lacy scarf.

18. What do you think about ponchos?
Hate them on me, my chest is far too large.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
Circular!!!!! I have straight ones but I don’t use them much.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Any of the above but bamboo, except for really slippery yarn on which I use bamboo needles.

21. Are you a sock knitter?
I have knit socks but I am not obsessive about it.

22. How did you learn to knit?
While I lived in Norway in 1987.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
11 years. It is a vest for an ex-ex-ex boyfriend and although my hubby would like it, there is a bad karma about it SO it is about to be frogged!

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
Don’t have a favorite animated character but I like Gimbel’s Quail.

25. What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas

26. Is there anything that you collect?
Nothing but too much yarn!

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
Interweave knits.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
Yes, they are on the Amazon list.
Knitting on the Edge
Last Minute Knitted Gifts
50 Bootees to Knit

Photo Heavy Post

On Monday afternoon we were off to the airport to pick up Jen & Steve from England.

Here is hubby giving the kids a ride on a luggage cart.

I didn't get a good photo of Jen but here is Steve "relaxing" in the yard. That's what you get for smoking....gotta make yourself useful while you are in the yard. The kids have been really enjoying having Jen & Steve here. They also liked all the presents they got. Football (soccer) shirts, candy and hats.
I took Jen to the Tuesday night SnB.

Here is AfriKelli showing off her gorgeous knitting prowess. Why yes, that is a hat that was twisted while knitting in the round and is now a turban hat!!! And yes, that is a big knot between her knitting and the ball of yarn. She was trying to convince us all that the scarf was long enough....Um, no, don't think so...nice try to NOT have to unravel that knot.
Here's Jackie and Melanie.
Berniece & Pam. Pam.....not a bad photo!!! I tried to fix the demon eyes and that's the best I could do.
Carol with her felted bag.
And Subadra and Jen, who is holding my knitting.

You know it's a bad sign.....

When you are trying to find a watch band and the US distributor of the "brand" calls you to tell you that they have never seen that watch before!

David got this watch as a gift from a record executive colleague sometime in 1974-1975 in London. Aprey is a very "posh" jeweler in London that also makes the Queens jewelry. It is the royal jeweler.

Anyway, every time he needs a band we have problems because no one in the US sells 17 mm XL bands because the sizes are 16 mm, 18 mm and 20 mm in the US. So, I think, why don't I suck it up and call Asprey?

So I called their Beverly Hills (told ya it was posh) store and the nice lady has me email her a photo. She calls me back and says, "I have never seen that watch and I know we don't have one like it in the store."

We are hesitant to send it back to London with his family because the last time we did that about 2 years ago for a cleaning, they sent it back (packed like Fort Knox in a steel strapped box within a box) by overnight courier, at our expense ($75 plus), and the darned thing did not work. When we called the lady at Asprey in London, she said in her very posh condescending voice that only an English person at a fancy place would use, "Well, Mr. Hubby, you do realize that to make this watch work, you must wind it daily."

To which hubby responded, "Yes, I know, I have been wearing it and winding it for almost 30 years without incident but I sent it to you for cleaning and it doesn't work. It did work BEFORE we it was sent to Asprey but now it doesn't."

Anyway, after a long discertation by the hoity lady about the fact they they employ only the best watch makers in the world, blah, blah, blah...she said to send it back at our expense. Yeah right.....we took it to Suzi at Fast Fix Jewelry at Fiesta Mall where they determined that Asprey had not centered the crystal when they put it back together and therefore the pin could not move.

And now, back to the search in UK ebay.

Editor's note: It was brought to my attention that it appeared as if the Asprey watch was a fake. Nope, it is not a fake just older than most of the people that are looking for the bands.

Someone stop me!!

Another day, another pair of slippers. These were made of some purple mohair and superwash hot pink wool I had in my stash. These things are so easy that I think maybe my little winkies will be getting a pair in their Christmas stocking.

That's got to be a good reason to buy some of that fuzzy yarn at Target. The mohair I had was kinda scratchy so it is good that it was used in the slippers that I am sure will be worn over feet with socks in Alaska.

I think the reason that I knit these so quickly is because it will brighten the day of the nice lady in Alaska. Her hubby is in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's and she cares for him at home. She is in her early 70's and he is in his mid-80's. She made a promise to him that she would never put him in a nursing home.

It is tough on her but she has some great friends and family near her that help her to get out of the house from time to time. A good group. I hope she enjoys getting these in her second package within a couple weeks.

Saturday in Review

It was a nice Saturday. I went out shopping, for me, at the mall for almost 3 hours. How great is that??

I saw the shoe manager at Robinson's on my way in, when I bought a couple pair of shoes, and then on the way out of the mall, he asked me if I was still spending money. Yes, I must buy enough shoes in Robinson's that the shoe manager recognizes me by sight. At least he doesn't know my name!!!

Anyway, I said, I am shopping without my kids helping me. What is not to love???

He told me that this was the first time he had ever seen me without my helpers.

Truthfully, I go to the mall without the kids maybe once a month or so but I don't always see the shoe manager.

I found two pair of high end shoes for $20 ($18 after my additional discount) each. I bought a pair of Clark's flip flop sandals in green (shocking, I know) and some Easy Spirit slides that are so popular this season.

I found quite few little "items" and had a good day getting ready for winter in AZ. Of course, this is precipitated by the fact that I am REALLY SICK OF MY SUMMER CLOTHES! I have washed some of the t-shirts so much that they don't hold their shape so I am forced to start throwing them away. I don't care how much you spend on knit shirts, I don't find that they last for more than a season or so. Maybe it is because in Arizona you have to wash everything, especially shirts, after one wearing because it is so HOT!

Hubby wanted to go out for dinner last night so no one had to cook....hmm...that sounds like a good idea. We went to a Vietnamese place called Yen Mi. It is attached to Lee Lee's Market at Dobson & Warner in Chandler.

Simon & Hannah were both trying to master chopsticks. As you can see, they did get some food in their mouths with the chopsticks.


We had all kinds of food and a fair amount of left overs. Simon ate their spring rolls but Hannah wouldn't touch them with a 10 foot pole. On the flip side they both liked fried rice and Hannah LOVED the shrimp and squid. She ate almost the whole plate of squid. Hmmm....strange child.

They did great not only be behaving well but also trying much of the food put in front of them, which is all I ask.

If you have never been to Lee Lee's, it is a shopping experience. This is a market which caters to the ethnic groups not serviced by the big chain grocery stores. They have always catered to the Vietnamese market but I noticed they have expanded and have specific aisles for Japanese, Trinidad, Hong Kong, Indian, some Hispanic foods and almost anything you would need to make most food from Asia.

The biggest difference with this market is the size of the meat case. If you think of the meat department at Basha's/Fry's which takes up the whole back of the store, this is replaced by true cold meat cases at Lee Lee's. They have live fish, soft shell crabs or blue crabs in season, fresh lobster and a wide variety of fish. They also have beef, lamb & pork plus a whole section of animal parts (hearts, tongues, gizzards, livers, ears, snouts, etc.) which you just don't see at most American grocery stores.

In short, if you are in the area, it is worth the stop! Plus, if you are a Poore Brother's Potato Chip fan (they are always $0.89 at LeeLee, compared to the $1.99 everywhere else).

Saturday Morning

Nothing much to post these days.

We are sticking close to home this weekend and I am doing a mountain of laundry.

I have, however, been knitting.

I made these slippers last night for a penpal (a USPS penpal and not an email pal) I have in Alaska. I really enjoy getting a real piece of mail in my mailbox that isn't bills. A nice surprise.

She is a retired lady who is taking care of her husband who has fairly advanced Alzheimer's. She asked me if I would make her some good old fashioned slippers so I sent her some photos of slippers and these are the ones she picked. The pair did not take long at all to make.


Here is my scarf in progress. As I mentioned, I am using the Feather & Fan pattern. I know it is nothing fancy but I like that it is really easy, as lace goes (only 1 row of pattern for every 4) and it makes this nice scalloped edge all by itself.

The pattern for this scarf:

Size 8 needles
Any type of yarn (change the needles based on your yarn)

Cast on 40 stitches

Row 1: Knit
Row 2: K2, purl to the last 2 stitches, K2
Row 3: K2, k2tog (3 times), YO, K1 (6 times), K2tog (6 times), YO, K1 (6 times), K2tog (3 times), K2
Row 4: Knit

Repeat until the length you want your scarf to be and bind off.

I am off to the mall later today for a bit of shopping by myself. I still gotta figure out what to get my hubby for our anniversary. I have no IDEA. I was thinking a card but it appears that he has purchased something and so......it goes.

Felted Tote Bag

Here's a photo of the finished tote bag I made for my SIL in England.

It turned out really well and shrunk down considerably! It is still a good sized bag but not as big as it appeared before it was felted.

I am now trying to find just the right pattern for the left over yarn from my hearts shawl to make a scarf as a birthday present. I tried the lacey scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts and I just didn't like it in fingering weight yarn. So...this morning I started it in Feather & Fan and it looks much more like what I wanted for the yarn.

OK, and I saw this article about Barbara Bush visiting the evacuated people in Houston and am appalled.

SnB Tuesday

There was a good group as usual at Coffee Rush. Kim is probably at her last SnB for awhile since she will be getting in an airplane for China in 5 days! Good luck in China!!!! I know you will all do great!
Michelle & Heather.
Melanie working on her Argyle vest....she tried bobbins but ended up with the ingenious idea of using baby socks! I think they would get less tangled than the bobbins.

Eva, working on a shawl with short rowing.

Bernice...trying to read her sweater pattern without all of gals talking to her!


Sherry working on 4 projects in one night and is going on a Knitting Cruise! What a great idea. I am jealous!!!!

I will post a photo of my tote bag next post. It turned out really well and will be heading back to England with our house guests in a few weeks.

Tuesday

I hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend.

We are getting ready for the visit of David’s cousin & hubby to Arizona next Monday.

David has put together a list of “English” items he wants them to bring over.  I can tell you that their luggage will be much lighter when they go home, even if they do a lot of shopping!!!

The bag is felted and drying nicely out in the garage.  It is still pretty big but the handles can be tied up to make them shorter.  It is definitely a good sized bag.  Next time, I would make the “small” sized one, which I will extrapolate is still pretty good sized.

We are tying to get things together to get out of the house for school this morning.  It is not going too badly!!!!

Famous last words from me!!!!  There is still 20 minutes!

Holiday Monday

Here is a before photo of the felted bag pattern from Knit Picks. As you can see, it is substantial. I can't imagine how big it would be if I had made the Extra Large Tote!!! This one will carry a whole freaking meal!
Yes, there really is yarn at Target. Here is a photo from the new Target at Germann & Gilbert. The empty spaces at the top are for needles & a pattern book. The bright colors on the left side is boucle in really fun colors (75 yds for $1), the middle stuff the fuzzy stuff and the stuff closest on the right is very much like Trendsetter Charm.

And, here are my little pixie's reclining in our bed last night before heading off to their own beds. Do they look like they are relaxed???

Sunday Morning

Well, I broke down and got my hair professionally colored....as it is getting longer, doing it myself at home is getting tougher. I end up with big streaks in the back when I pull my hair up in a ponytail or something similar.

We will see whether it makes any difference or if my gray comes back just as quickly!

My hairdresser is pregnant and due in March. Congratulations! Arg...that means I need to find a new one around that time unless she decides to come back to work part time for sanity reasons. You Mom's out there know what I mean.

I have been knitting but nothing intricate. I am about 2/3 of the way through the tote bag for my SIL. I made the large size and it is substantial but will work well for hitting the High Street to pick up dinner on the way home in the London suburbs. British people have to shop almost daily because their refrigerators are the size of dorm fridge's!

I am also plugging away on the infamous Lost Points Shawl. It is good mindless knitting but as soon as I finish this bag, I will do something a bit lacy again....I think.

I resisted the urge to go to Fiber Factory yesterday for their 20% off sale. I knew I could not go there and NOT BUY ANYTHING!

Besides, Target is selling yarn and needles (knitting & crochet) in their $1 section. I saw it on a blog and wanted to check it out for myself. They were just starting to stock when I went at lunch on Friday but there is hope........fun gifts or just fun yarn!

We are sticking close to home this weekend. Nothing much going on at chez HB but knitting, laundry and errands.

I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend.

Katrina.....

I am going to jump on the donation bandwagon today.

I can only watch so much television. I was crying last night when they showed a lady that had gone into labor. She had been swimming through to get to "the other side" with her 5 year old son before the contractions got too bad. She doesn't know what happened to her son! I can't imagine.

And don't get me started on our current shrub leader........................might have to call my Red family members, two of which always call me to remind who I should vote for in Presidential elections. This past one was a lesser of two evils (idiots) situation and I am not sure the other would have been a great prize but I bet gas prices would have been MUCH lower than they currently are with the blue candidate.

There are some knitter's keeping track of knitting donations, if you are interested.

If you donate, email givealittle at gmail.com and you could win knitting prizes, including Wendy's Peacock Feather's Shawl. No amount is too small.

One thing I would like you to note if you give to the Red Cross is to make sure you note or tell them that you want your money to go to the Hurricane Disaster victims...otherwise, it may end up in the general pot.

Have a great Friday.

Red Kangaroo Wines

There was a good group at Red Kangaroo Wines last night.

I have got tell you that the combination of wine and knitting is hard to beat! Plus, their snacks are pretty darned good too!













Here is Kim, in the middle, with a her friend Pam and another gal. Kim is off to China on Sept. 21...no pressure or anxiety!!! Yeah, right!

Good luck Kim!















A couple of relative newbies to the group are seen below.





Heather, as always working on something really lacy! It looks great! Pam, had to cut you out but she was there with bells on!!!!!!


And finally, I gave away the shawl below to the prayer shawl ministry. As many of you know, for me, knitting is more about the process than what I actually make! Knitting is cheaper than therapy for me and I find it very calming!