No Knitting Content Today

Just a quick post asking for good thoughts and lots of prayers for my FIL. He has been on a ventilator since Monday. I have spent most of my time at the hospital, so only very mindless knitting has taken place.

Your prayers are very much appreciated.
Hopefully we will have good news soon.

Spring Break and...

...unfortunately, we didn't go anywhere. Unless you count a short trip to Bloomington. The kids are beginning to get on each others' nerves, which in turn drives me a bit crazy. When we went to Bloomington the other day, I was really wishing I had taken along some knitting, but since I was driving, ( I can't convince the driving daughter to drive the van) I didn't think I would need any.... and then we sat at a stand still for nearly 45 minutes for a traffic accident. I need to remember to put the van knitting back in the van, where it belongs. We did visit a new to me yarn shop while we were there, In A Yarn Basket. It is a small shop, with mostly Cascade, Brown Sheep and Plymouth. But they also carried Tilli Tomas (I think you can go broke just looking at that yarn) and Blue Sky Alpacas. The sock yarn selection was limited, but I did see the Cascade Heritage Handpaints I have been looking at online and decided there were a few colors I am going to buy next time. I wanted to feel it first. The weather has been beautiful this week, except last night when we had some pretty nasty thunderstorms, but it is nice again today, a bit cooler than it has been at the beginning of the week, but still, very nice for this time of the year.

I have done a little more knitting on the Zoe sock. I have been busy on another project so this one has been a bit neglected. It will see more knitting time soon. As I said before, I really like this yarn.

Also on the needles is a sock I am knitting in CTH Sockittome in I think the Indian Summer colorway. I hope to finish these both soon, and maybe have a chance to wear them before it gets to warm.

Well the girls have a doctors appointment this afternoon, so I must scoot. It is just a check up. They are not happy about it, but I need to get a medical release form signed for the youngest for her school trip, so they are both going. The boy child went last week. Their regular doctor is on vacation, so they are seeing his partner, which neither of them are thrilled about. I am sure they will survive.

Oh, does anyone have any hints for deterring chipmunks or moles or what ever critter ate all my bulbs. I have a few lonely tulips poking through, and that is it. No crocus, no daffodils, just holes where they used to be. I am so disappointed. Any tips on this would be appreciated.

Have a great weekend!!!!

Fleeting Signs of Spring....

For nearly a week, we have been teased with Spring like weather. Temperatures warm enough for shorts and flip flops, windows opened to let in some fresh air, flowers popping up and then......yesterday morning it was 20 degrees...argh. It was 74 the day before that. My kids were none too happy to have to bundle up to go catch the bus, and it took quite a bit of convincing that it would be necessary for the rest of the week.... esp. for the youngest who put shorts on under her jeans. It was in the high 30's when she came home from school with her jeans in her backpack, donning her shorts. I was not a happy mom , but she was a very happy child. I guess she thinks that by wearing shorts in 30 degree weather she is the victor in this temperature war mother nature is fighting. Now I want you to know, I love winter, I love crisp, cold air and clear blue skies. I love snow. I don't like 74 one day and 20 the next.
The sock yarn I received from Kristi at Shalimar Yarns is knitting up beautifully. I love this yarn. It has fantastic stitch definition, it is very soft and has a great twist and it feels wonderful going through your hands as you knit. I love a semi solid yarn, it is the best of both worlds, a little color variation, but still great for showing stitch design. I will definitely be purchasing this yarn in the future. Thanks Kristi for allowing me to try it!!!! I am working on the heel now so I should have a finished sock soon.

I did finished the Blackberry Jam socks I was working on. I love the feel of the Numma Numma Yarn. It is so light weight, and the finished sock weighs next to nothing. It has a nice twist and is a pleasure to work with. I was a little disappointed with the unevenness of the dye. It got progressively darker as I knit, so one sock is noticeably darker than the other. I doubt that will deter me from purchasing more of this yarn though.

I think knitting wise, that is it for this week. Driving daughter came home today all excited. She is being inducted into the National Honor Society next month. I am so very proud of her. She takes her academic studies and responsibilities very seriously and willingly participates in community services. I couldn't have asked for better children, I have been truly blessed. Also congrats to her best friend M for also being accepted.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!!! Until next time.

March Madness Sales...

...and the temptation is overwhelming. Too bad the yarn budget was spent for a school trip for the youngest. Do you think she would mind staying home for a week while her classmates are away in VA? I am thinking I better just pretend I haven't seen all these fantastic yarn sales. But.... being the enabler that I am, I will pass them onto you, just in case you aren't aware of them and your yarn budget isn't going to VA. These are some of my most frequented yarn shops that have wonderful sales going on right now. The Yarn Grove, SSYC, Pick up Sticks, and Sonny and Shear. Go ahead and check them out. I will live vicariously through your new yarn acquisitions. I know there are probably several more shops having March sales, but these are the ones I get newsletters from with sale notices.

I have to confess, I did take advantage of one of the sales and bought my first skein of Malabrigo sock yarn in the Solis color. I wish I had purchased this yarn sooner. It is wonderful...what was I waiting for?? I now understand the love affair with the MMMMalabrigo Sock. I have knit with worsted weight Malabrigo and loved it, but this is simply wonderful. I cast on last night, but was so tired I only knit a few rounds.

And today the mailman delivered more goodies. Kristi of Shalimar Yarns has given me the opportunity to try their Zoe Sock yarn. It is 100% Superwash Merino, and it is lovely. I will have to get out the swift and ball winder after I finish posting and wind it. I have an idea for this yarn already. She let me choose any color I wanted, and after drooling over all the colors on her site and projects knit up with the yarn on Ravelry, I chose Passionfruit. And I am glad I did, it is even more gorgeous in person than on the monitor. Hopefully by the next post I will have something knit with it to share. The yarn is very soft, and smooshy, it has a nice tight twist and the shadings are gorgeous.

I do have a few finished projects to share. I am so happy to say that the socks I was knitting for my brother fit him perfectly. And I even had some yarn left over. I could have made the legs longer. Here they are on his dainty size 13 feet. He loved them and I am sure if the weather gets cold again they will get some wear. His biggest problem will be keeping them away from Sophie, their Golden Retriever. She seems quite enamored with wool socks. It could prove to be a challenge.

Remember the Mini Mochi I bought a few weeks ago? It has become my Fronds Fingerless Mitts pattern. This is a single ply merino/nylon blend. Because of the single ply and extremely loose spin it is splitty, making the k3tog's in this pattern a challenge, but I am very happy with the finished results. It knits up to a very soft fabric, and the colors are beautiful.

Well it is simply gorgeous outside today, maybe a little on the breezy side, but temperatures are in the 60's ( it was in the single digits at the beginning of the week). I think I may wind my new yarn and go sit on the back porch and enjoy the sunshine and knit. I hope the weather is beautiful where you are too and you have the opportunity to enjoy it. Have a great week!!