Saturday, January 28, 2006

B is for.....


Bad Blogger....well maybe not bad but Busy yeah that's it busy. Anyone out there Buying that? Nope. didn't think so. Time is running out for letter B so I better get busy!

Actually in my world B is for BOAT. You can't love the lake as much as I do and not have an affinity for Boats. They take me around the lake I love so much and allow me to see it in different seasons. I must confess I have not seen the lake by boat in winter. That is just a bit too cold for me. But I love it Spring, Summer and maybe most of all in the fall. I give you BOATS.....



1st up is the "Ice Cream" Boat. The story goes that some industrious college students used their parents boat to make money over the summer break by selling ice cream from the boat. It is authentic right down to the song that they play. The drawback...You have got to eat that ice cream QUICKLY!!




The Virginia Dare is a floating restaurant. Soon. very soon I hope to dine on it and cruise the lake in winter.


This is one of my favorite boats that I see on the lake. Love it's name...



My favorite boat ...........Our "Grady White". The boys are just having fun on a summer's day. Oh how I miss it. ALL.

I leave you with a picture of one of my favorite views.....


Over the Bow of the Boat

Saturday, January 14, 2006

Great Minds/Knitters Think Alike


Some of you may have noticed that I have not yet made my "A" post for the ABC Along. Yes I know that today is the last day, but you see I was saving A for a very special day.

"A" is for ANNIVERSARY !
Today our Knitting Group celebrated our 1st anniversary. Exactly one year ago today we met for the first time. There were 8 of us that first night at Books A Million. There are still 6 from the original 8 and we added 3 more for a total of 9 of us. Today we gathered to knit, eat, and remember the past year. What a fun time! We each brought yarn and we made the Las Vegas or Casino scarves. We were rolling dice and flipping coins to determine our yarn and the stitch we would knit. Much hilarity and some cheating ensued.

Yarn and Cake ....what could be better. This is the yarn after we finished.






Group Photo Shoot! Modeling our loverly new scarves!



Seated (L to R)
Lindy, Liz, Beth

Standing (L to R)
Sandy, Becky, Pam, me

Each scarf is as unique and different as we each are. I think this is what makes our group so special. We are more, much more than a group of knitters that meet once a week. We are friends.
Good friends. And I love them all!!

Now....why did I title my post about great minds or knitters or bloggers even? thinking alike? Because when I got there today Liz asked me if I had done my "A" post. I answered "No I was saving it for today" and we both said "Anniversary". You see Liz and I currently are the only bloggers in the group and we both signed up for the ABC Along. I think we signed up hours apart...and only mentioned it to each other AFTER! So we did it again today. Please go by and see Liz and what she had to say about today.


Here is LIZ blogging me as I am blogging her. I know for sure that she takes the better picture. And I don't mean with the camera.

Thanks for stopping by for the letter A. Can't wait for B.

Friday, January 13, 2006

Better Late Than Never....

.....I guess.

This is a brief first update on my first Jaywalker sock.
It is a super fun pattern and I like the way the Koigu is knitting up so far.
It is striping nicely. I think. for a yarn that is not self striping.

I love the color and the feel of the fabric it is creating. Just Wonderful.








Also I have not forgotten my first ABC A Long entry. There are actually several things beginning with A that are important to me. Please stay tuned.

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Knitting Chocolate

This is "the candy store"! This is where knitters can go to satisfy their cravings and I did just that yesterday. I love this LYS! while it is a 45 minute drive away I consider it local because all LYS are at least 45 min away from me. Knitting Chocolate is in Emporia and if you are anywhere near I95 in mid Virginia or North Carolina I urge you to hop on the interstate and drive a bit to this yarn shop. You will be greeted by Melissa or her mother...probably both of them. On this Saturday trip I was offered coffee and Krispy Kreme donuts....offered more than once. They are helpful but don't hover. They offer suggestions if you want them or leave you to browse. Just perfect.

The last time I was there Knitting Chocolate was just getting going and she only had about half her stock...I was there that day for TWO hours. Yesterday she has doubled what she had and has yet more to arrive. She has many many of the popular yarns....Debbie Bliss, Crystal Palace, Cherry Tree Hill, Rowan ( I think I saw Rowan denim) well she has alot!! She is awaiting a large order of Cascade 220 and Addi's. She has Lantern Moon bags and needles. She has Crystal Palace needles including the lightweight Daisy needles. It is a nice nice store with lots of room to move around. She had a felted bag class going on at the table and you didn't feel like you were 'crawling over them" to get to yarn. You were FEET away. They were a friendly group as well. That small town feeling you know. It is a good thing.

I went specifically for the ella rae book and yarn to make a sweater from it,I left with much more. Did I mention that some yarns were 30% off as well as some of the knitting bags?! What is a knitter to do?!?! I had to get some of the Cherry Tree Hill tiny boucle that was on sale and a pattern for a poncho, needles for the poncho ( the yarn for that project I have in STASH yeah!) and well um yes I needed a knitting bag.

To top off all that goodness Knitting Chocolate will be offering a sock class taught by my knitting friend Liz. She has just revealed her new blog and it is a fantastic design. Go check out Poke You with My Sticks.

I have uploaded some pictures FOUR times and it seems that the photo aspect of blogger isn't working so I will edit this later and add some pictures....I know ..sorry. I know it's boring without something to look at!

Gonna scoot...gotta get another project on the needles. I didn't make a resolution regarding that...

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

I Can't Believe It!

I just can't believe it. What an awesome start to the New Year. I could barely work I was so excited. It was like winning the lottery....the Grand Prize of Yarn Lottery. WHAT has me so excited.
I WON CARA of JANUARY ONE's Grand Finale BIRTHDAY PRIZE!! ME! I was the grand prize winner. I had really been coveting that "Prove it all night Socks That Rock yarn. I had even been surfing the net looking to see if I could buy some. I collect snowmen of all types so I thought that those cute little snowmen stitch markers had my name all over them but I never dreamed that I would win. I'd hoped and I'd even thought about it but when I saw an email from Cara this morning I just didn't think it could be true! But except for reading her blog and maybe commenting about the Jaywalker A Long I didn't know Cara so I started to get excited even before I opened it. She made my day, possibly my year! What an awesome generous prize and to celebrate HER birthday...she is giving the gifts. She is truly deserving of that Tiara as she is royalty in my book and I wish her all the best both now and all year!!

I thought I might get fired if I didn't shut up about winning. I think most of the people I work with didn't understand about the knitting blog and how you start to feel that you know people even when you never have met them.They were glad I won but weren't real sure how one wins something on the internet. They just don't know knitters. Well I sure hope to meet Cara someday so I can thank her in person. Maybe Maryland?

I am not sure that I am coherent even now. Definitely Jaywalkers Cara...for sure.

Monday, January 02, 2006

I Did IT! I really Did IT!

I know that this is not a big deal to most of you. I know that most of you know html code and more! but me. I know nothing. I am lucky to be able to use the computer for internet use and my digital pictures. I also write a newsletter using Publisher and can move and edit my pictures. I can do a bit in Excel. I know how to Ebay and shop online. That is where it ends so when I decided to join "The ABC Along" I was dismayed to see that I needed to add the ring code to my blog! HTML and codes...never learned that. You can look at my blog and tell. YIKES!! I knew how to copy and paste the code but WHERE do I put it?!?! Not one for giving up without a fight I am pleased and rather proud to announce that after many and I do mean many! attempts at placing the code at various places in my template I finally got one that showed up on the blog. Where the others went I have no clue. I was a bit dismayed because in the preview it was all down at the bottom. I couldn't get it to show up anywhere else so I went with it. It could have been worse. GUESS WHAT?! When I republished my blog it all moved back up to the top!! I guess an old dog can learn a new trick.

Who knows what I might add to this blog before it is over.....I really want to make my own header with a picture of "my" lake. We might get fancier here after all. But for now it is BASIC BLOGGING 101.

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Is it ME or is it Blogger?



I couldn't get the picture feature to work in that last post. Last night I tried EIGHT times to edit the post with all the pictures to get the captions close to the right picture and everytime I got to one spot and moved the words IE encountered a problem and shut me down. shut me right down. The post right below this one....I had typed up what I did today with nice even spacing...what the !(#_*#^%# happened there. I am not going to try to fix it. It will be trouble if I do. I can tell.

Ok ...let's try for some pictures.....

Under the umbrella...
that is where I sit
and
when I sit there
knitting
and having a cup of coffee
this......

is what I see....

Heaven
Pure Heaven

Make It A Good One

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
to all my friends near and far. I hope each and every one of you get whatever it is you desire during the coming year.

As for me......
Someone ,not sure who, said that whatever you do on January one you will do the whole year. Now I don't know if that is an old wives tail, urban legend or the stuff dreams are made of...but this gal is taking no chances. Today I tried to cover all the bases:

*I KNIT. oh yes! Did that first thing
* I cooked not one but TWO homecooked meals. One of
which involved pork, stewed tomatoes and black-eyed
peas.
* I knit some more.
* I am blogging.
* I did a small amount of housework.
* I looked at knitting patterns. Must keep things in
perspective
* I went to work for a bit.
* Since I can't be there in person I will be sharing some
pictures of "my" lake
* Think I may knit some more......

A lot of bloggers have recapped their year and it is amazing how much knitted wonderfulness has been created. I am not going to do that. My creations have been meager. I am a slow pokey knitter and I get caught up in reading others adventures in knitting. I like to shop for yarn...at the not so LYS and the more local online shops!! But I do plan to knit more this year and to finish more of my projects in more timely manner. I know that I enjoy the process and more than anything I enjoy the friendship and comraderie of fellow knitters in real life and online. I am proud that I knit socks this year. yes. it was two pair and yes. I felted one of them. So NOT on purpose. The other pair I experimented with the toes. One I kitchendered(sp!?!) and the other I tried a 3 needle bind off...WHAAAAAT WAS I THINKING!?!
Of courese it didn't hold and I have to pick up the stitches and do it the right way. Lesson learned. Don't go off on your own and try to get by with something easy. It just won't work. I am enjoying the Jaywalker socks right now and I want to cast on for something to wear like a vest or a sweater. I have really enjoyed wearing my Blossom vest.

This leads me to at least one New Year's Resolution, which is to take pictures of all my FO's. To remember to take more and better pictures when our little group does something fun and special. Which hopefully will be often!!

I am so looking forward to this year........

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