I will not be defeated!!!

Those are some brave words I tell you. When in reality, you feel like you are on a emotional knitting rollacoaster. One repeat and all is well, and the next couple of rows you become an emotional basket case because of a designer error. I would be happier if I has messed things up, but the designer....UGH! I just looked at it and I just am not in the mood to rip it out at the moment. I, quite frankly, am extremely upset, and maybe it just won't get done today. Read my words, and remind me if you have to...I WILL NOT DO THE HAPPY DANCE UNTIL THE PROJECT IS OFF THE NEEDLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today started at 5:00 am and it is nearing 2:00 and I am wilting. Threw a cup of coffee in me and am awaiting the caffeine hit. I have to make myself presentable for work when all I really want to do is sleep. Just drifted off there for a minute. Think I will try a nap and see if I can feel less like a puddle and more like a person.

Seriously.....

Before my rant, I will let you know that Bryce went to school and loved it..music to a parents ears. Mom and I had a wonderful day exercising some retail therapy. I actuall found a few cute things.

On to my rant. I know that there is a mistake in the shawl and I am getting better at reading my knitting and despite my desperate calls to other experienced knitters, I just knew it was WRONG.

So tonight I got it out and looked at it, yeah, it's just a small section, but it's not right. So I jump on http://www.ravelry.com/ and go to the Multnomah KAL which has tons of info and dag nap it, there is a pattern era and now I am fit to be tied. I have to rip out all 6 rows of the feather and fan and start over. That my friends is a job for tomorrow. I am headed to bed. Everything is better with sleep and coffee.

I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow...or you might hear the screaming from my house...LOL..not really!

Obsessed.....

With no TV and no school, I had some time on the computer and got some more Bugga. I will have to tell you that I absolutely adore this yarn!! Just one skein and I think you would agree, that it is pure heaven. I am going to give you a linky-dinky-do to this website http://www.sanguinegryphon.com/, they are even having some fantastic specials...I'm just saying. It is without a doubt, my guilty yarn indulgence of choice. There is enough yardage for a pair of socks or a shawlette (I did my Multnomah in it).

I am doing the shop sample of Multnomah in Dream in Color Starry and it is beautiful in this yarn as well.

You can start to see the feather and fan...I am only 2 repeats in, with 8 to go.

I tried to capture the forming details, but I guess I should do more before the design is apparent. Just a little tease of what is to come.

School starts tomorrow and I couldn't be more thrilled. It's mom's last day, so we will have some quality time tomorrow and Kyle is home because he is covered in poison ivy...AGAIN! Some people just never learn. Bunking with mom because I can't bare to sleep with him.

So excited....

We all survived Irene...our satellite dish, not so much. So, with no TV, and everyone in bed, I decided to jump into the Feather and Fan portion of my shawl. I am really not sure why I was totally freaking out about this part, but as I began it, calmly and slowly, all went well, really well in fact. Last night I did the happy dance all by myself and it felt good!!! I have 9 more repeats and I will have a finished project...Oh happy day!

Again, I totally let this get into my head and over thought it, why, I do not know. I think I need to chill out and enjoy the ride a little more.

For all of you wondering about the first day of school, they cancelled for today, (big sad face), but it is on for tomorrow.

I want to get another repeat in before I take a picture.

We made it through....

Wow, what an absolutely crazy weather week here in Maryland. First the earthquake and then the worst hurricane I can remember and I am from New England. No one got much sleep last night thanks to IRENE and her crazy winds and rain. Power has been restored and all is well with our end of the world. With all the weather drama around here, I almost, almost forgot about the most wonderful day of all....

BACK TO SCHOOL DAY IS TOMORROW

I am praying as hard as I can that they have school. Can you see my smile from wherever you are?? Possibly, it's pretty darn big.

I am finally at the feather and fan portion of my shawlette for the shop. This is the quiet portion of the project, and will be started possibly tonight or tomorrow. Pictures to follow.

A wild ride....

It's been an interesting week to say the least and headed our way is hurricane IRENE...category 2...not good. We are prepared, we are after all, New Englanders!! But a serious storm that takes place mostly at night gives me the creeps. Kyle bought a generator, so all is good in that area I suppose. Let's hope that mother nature is gentle, despite what the weather people say.

I had my end of August/summer vacation meltdown in front of my mother...Oh joy!! The storm has cancelled my brothers planned visit and mom is headed home on Wednesday.

We did meet Bryce's new teacher today and we liked her very much. Bottoms up to a great school year. I am praying for school on Monday!!!

Knitting has been on hold due to storm preparations and Kyle's birthday, which was today. I hope to go to the shop tomorrow for a couple of hours before the winds come and blow us all away.

I am also hoping to finish this shawlette by Wednesday...cross your fingers for me!

To all my Maryland and Virginia friends, stay safe.

Shake, rattle and roll....

Yesterday was a beautiful day weather wise. Blue skies, no humidity, and a slight nip in the air, just picture perfect. I was working in Leonardtown and my mom was alone at our home. I had a somewhat busy morning and had finally sat down to have a quick sandwich and then it started...rumbling and shaking and the noise really did sound like a freight train coming through. I watched the shop mirror move completely. When it was over, I, like everyone else, emerged from shops and we all had the same...WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT look on our faces. I must admit, it took quite a while for my internal system to stop shaking. The cellular systems were overloaded and I couldn't call my mother. She was fine, thankfully. She and Fresca headed to the 1/2 bath. She said all our lighting fixtures were swinging away. Scary stuff!!!!

Now, we are bracing for a hurricane. That we can prepare for. My brother and niece are scheduled to fly into BWI on Saturday....I am not so sure that this will happen.

Knitting and enjoying mom's company.

The explaination!!

Busy, busy day! It began at 9:00 am at the hairdresser's for a haircut, then we proceeded onto our dentist appointment, yes we, me and Bryce. In between, I spoke with my doctor's office and my thyroid is indeed, a little screwy and a pill will make me better. I was actually so relieved about this diagnosis because I have been feeling so crappy for a while. Then I took my little man to lunch and then the grocery store and then Rite Aid to pick up the medication. The wave of exhaustion hit somewhere on Route 301, between LaPlata and home. After unloading the car, I passed out on the couch for a nap. I love a nap, but honestly, I haven't been feeling well at all, so I will be happy to pass on this napping thing.

Knitting is going great. I am doing the same shawl for the shop in Dream in Color Starry in this gorgeous green with a hint of sparkle. My yarn over's look awesome. My personal shawl is on the needles and I have kept my life line in UNTIL it is done. Just another WIP!!

Work tomorrow and then friends for dinner. The boys are headed to Bush Gardens for a couple of days, so there will be some "girl time" for mom and me. I really want to hit the movies to see The Help...book was great.

Countdown to school.....6 days!! Parents everywhere are starting to look alive again!!!

A moment with Sandy....

A moment with Sandy was all it took to get me back on track, a big thank you to Sandy. I just put mine back on the needles and have started the one for the shop. Things are looking brighter.

Having mom here has cut down my time on Ravelry...this is a good thing...but I haven't gotten much knitting done...not that it was going so well anyway.

Meg is safe and sound in Quatar. She went with a suitcase of clothes and a suitcase of yarn...LOL! I would have loved to be the security guard who checked her luggage.

The countdown to school is a wonderful distraction.

I am working on Tuesday and Thursday this week. I love work so much.

I have no pictures to thrill you all. I did get some more Bugga in the mail today....happy mail!!!

Distracted and tired....

Mom is here, safe and sound. Bryce and I are enjoying her company. We went school supply shopping today and even that didn't give me much joy.

My shawl, my shawl, my shawl, that I love so dearly and know it will be beautiful when I finish it, it;s just that I am so stuck and completely distracted. I feel like knitting at 11:00 pm and that's really not working out for me. A knitting funk, perhaps. Not good as the newest employee at the LYS...yep, feeling a little bad for myself at the moment. This too shall pass.

Mom is here until the 31st and my brother Matt and his daughter Sarah will be here a week from Saturday, so I really don't see a whole lot of knitting in my immediate future. Oh well, what can you do.

Nana is in town....

Yes, there has been a Nana sighting at BWI...Bryce is outside waiting for her....which mean quiet for me. Crazy busy day and I am dragging. My doctor thinks I might have a thyroid issue...OK, just give me the damn pill to right my world!

The countdown to school has begun...11 days to go.....AMEN!!!

While out and about today, I popped into the shop so Sandy could right my beautiful, yet wrong, wrapped stitch. My hands must have gotten confused and thought I was knitting BIG BLUE. Update on Big Blue...he's resting comfortably in a lovely bag until I learn how to graft live stitches. He will be ready for the Fall.

My friend Meg is leaving today and I shall miss her very much. Thank goodness for email and Skype and things that go bump in the night....I'm just being super silly.

I want a cup of coffee so bad. I am sitting here staring at the coffee maker, willing it to turn itself on and make me a cup of coffee. As usual, nobody and nothing is listening to my needs.

I'd better go make dinner...again!!!

A little cleaning perhaps...

My mom is arriving tomorrow evening and the house has been neglected, to say the least. So today is cleaning day. I love a clean house, not so much a fan of actually doing it!!!

My knitting has pissed me off so badly, that it got thrown across the room and it's in a BIG time out. My new thing is deciding to knit at like 11:00 pm to 1:00 am, not good.

Anyway, here is a little eye candy for you. It is my Wollmeise collection thus far. Enjoy....

Just looking at this picture makes me so very happy!

The yarn gods are not smiling....

I had a wonderful day at work. We were very busy and all the customers were wonderful. I even got to hold an adorable baby. She smelled so good.

My shawl is crawling and the one I am making for a shop sample is NOT going at all. I have never been so frustrated in my life. Yarn overs are no big deal and yet, they are being a huge pain in the butt at the moment. I have put my knitting in a TIME OUT until tomorrow. I still love you, but I don't have to like you right now.

Tomorrow begins Tax Free week here in MD and hubby wants to do some shopping, which works out fine for me because retail therapy fixes just about anything. Bryce has grown a few inches, so new clothes and shoes he will get.

There was Happy Mail...One Skinny Bugga and another Wollmeise....hubby is about to have me committed....LOL!

I am off to bed...sweet dreams!

A busy week....

So busy. Too many late nights. Not enough knitting. Lots of working.....loving it!! Got some happy mail...again the camera is MIA. Got more Bugga and the most beautiful Wollmeise blue...just thinking aboutmakes me drool  it.

The shawlette is progressing nicely.  I am at the feather and fan area, again, and now I need complete silence to continue.

I am working all day tomorrow...YEAH! I really do feel so blessed to work in a place that I love to be. How many jobs have you had where you can sat that?

Topic jump, my mom is coming for a visit on Tuesday and staying until the end of the month. Very excited about that. Nothing like some quality time with mom.

Well, without the camera, I got nothing.

A party for Meg....

What a wonderful evening we had surprising Meg with a going away party. Our Meg is going to Qatar for 6 months, maybe more and we are going to miss her like crazy. Thank goodness for the internet and Skype. She is such a sweetie as is her boyfriend Lee, whom we has the pleasure to meet. It was a fun, LOL, kind of night.

Here is our Meg modeling the Capelet we all want to make out of Rowan Lima. We love you Meg!!

Here is my dear friend Angela. She is in the midst of looking at patterns and having a miserable time doing so.  :-)

My friend Mary making a beautiful shawl. We are a wonderful group of friends and every Wednesday is the day I look forward to the most because of these people!!

Rip..Rip...Rip....

Ugh...just about 4 rows, but ripping nonetheless. I make the situation better by saying, "at least it's not to the beginning"...because that would really suck. I have to wait for the house to be quiet so that I can concentrate.

Tomorrow is Wednesday, my most favorite day of the week! I am working in the morning 10-2 with my sidekick Bryce by my side. God help me.

Topic jump...YouTube is the bomb! Granted you can find some freaky stuff out there, that's not my thing, but you can find everything and anything knitting related. I went to the library to poach some WiFi and went to YouTube to see a particular cast on for a shawl and having a visual is so much better than having someone try to explain it to you.

Anyway, tomorrow might be a happy mail kinda day. Keep you posted.

I did it again!

I just stumbled on some beautiful Wollmeise in Blue Curacao and it is mine! That Destash page is a drug. I should delete it, but like other addictions, I just can't.

Let the countdown begin....

The countdown to school had begun. It has been a very long summer.

I have the big doughnut hole to report with regards to my knitting. I did however acquire some beautiful Bugga from someone destashing on Ravelry. It was too beautiful to pass up and I considered it my consolation for being sick. Did I tell you about the lovely skein from The Three Irish Girls?? Another destash bargain.

If I hadn't messed up my shawl, it would be done by now...I am so bummed.

What would they do?

This is a question I ask myself when my knitting has gone astray. What would they do?? Who are they?? They are my friends, Sandy, Paula and Lynne. Between them there is a HUGE wealth of knitting knowledge and other great stuff too!

So, I am sitting here with the box of Puffs and my shawl and I started the feather and fan portion of the design and something is wrong with a few Yarn Overs and the 5 stitches in between is now 7. I thought I could fix it as I began the next section, but I suspect you shouldn't try to fix anything while taking NyQuil.

I did watch a really funny movie today while lying on the couch. It was The Back Up Plan with Jennifer Lopez and I will have to say, that I totally laughed my ass off. That was kind of the highlight of my day. I hate being sick.

It seems to be movie night for me as well. I am now watching Burlesque...I love Cher!!!

Not quite....

Off to The Mannings, not quite. I got up at 5:30 am and was not in good shape. Seems that Bryce's cold found a new home..in me...compound that with a migraine and nausea...it was just not good. I felt so bad that I had to let my friends down, but there was no way I was going to make it.

They just called to check on me and they are having a blast. Yes, I have a big sad face, but what can you do. I am glad that they are having fun. I did go back to bed and slept until 11:00 am.

Maybe I will knit today.

Off to The Mannings tomorrow....

Two words....Road Trip!! Tomorrow, Angie, Karen and myself will head to East Berlin, PA for a Knit In at The Mannings. It's about a 3 hour trip each way, but when you are with friends, time just flies. I think that it will be a ton of fun meeting a bunch of other knitters! I am bringing my camera, so there will be pictures.

My Multnomah shawl is looking great. I will begin the Feather and Fan section in the car tomorrow and it would be great if I was done by Wednesday. The would make it a 2 week project.

Big blue is waiting to be put together. I'm not sure I want to be doing that at the Mannings. Maybe I will take it just in case. I am really anxious to see it sewn together.

On a different note, I went to Bryce's Horse Camp show and it was wonderful. He loves it and I see more lessons in his future. Maybe he will share my love of cowboy boots.

What a week...

Imagine doing what you love and then getting paid to do it. I am now working in my LYS and loving it!! Today I spent the day tagging all the new Fall yarn and I fell in love with Rowan Lima and I am going to make a Rowan pattern called, Noelle Capelet....I can't wait. It was definitely fun to fondle the fibers before the general public gets their hands on it.

I am off tomorrow, but will be heading to see Bryce at Horse camp where there will be an end of week horse show. Bryce has had a great week, despite his summer cold.

On Saturday, I am headed to The Mannings for a knit in. Sounds like fun, doesn't it. It is a large farm in PA and every year several hundred knitters get together and knit and shop. Oh, yes, there is a shop on the premises. I am going with my friends Karen and Angie. Tomorrow I must clean out the car and clean out the cooler and run to the grocery store for food to take with us. Picture it, lawn chairs, coolers, blankets and knitters...sounds like heaven to me. I see myself on the blanket taking a nap at some point. I will try to remember the camera.

I haven't kintted in a couple of days. Big blue looks great and I might attempt to put it together next week. My shawlette is looking good too. It will be an early bedtime for me tonight.

Busy working...

I haven't abandoned my blog, but I have been busy with my new job and frankly, just to exhausted to knit or blog. I have a full day ahead, but will try to get on tonight.

Big Blue is being blocked!

We have reached blocking status!! Once dry, we, or I shall put it together and your will see the magic of this design.

I hope to be working on this by the weekend! Go Big Blue!!