All's Fair...

I've been knitting A LOT. This summer someone asked if I enter my knitting into fairs. I've never entered, with a list of reasons why- my work isn't up to par, I don't have the time, I don't know how to fill out the paperwork, etc.

All bull.

I was intimidated. Entering fairs seems like the big time. I hate being judged or for that matter, put under a microscope and entering my beloved knitting into any sort of contest seemed just like that.

So time passes, months go by. I knit a special shawl for my future sister in law, Meghan. There's beads, and more beads. I had so much fun making this thing. I loved every minute. It is by far my favorite thing I've ever knit.

So fair season starts. The person who asked me if I was entering earlier in the summer emails me a registration info for Haddam Neck Fair. I grabbed an orange shawlette and on a whim, the red beaded shawl.

Well, wouldn't you know? The red shawl won 1st place, the orange 2nd.

So I entered it into the Durham Fair, where the judging is said to be brutal.

I won 1st there too! And a pink "judge's choice" ribbon!

So excited!!

And Meg? Be good to my brother.

(Stats on the beaded shawl: Pattern is Arkansas Diamonds from Kay Meadors, AKA Natural State Knits. Wonderfully written. Her patterns are straightforward. Love that! Bittersweet Woolery's laceweight yumminess, in Cherry Bomb colorway. Size 6 needles. 350 small glass beads along the edges, 1000 larger crystal beads throughout the shawl. Ravelry Link...if you have more questions.)

1 Year

Hello Blog, my dear old friend.

It's been close to a year. Someone on Twitter (I'm heidiknits over there, Sunflowerfairy was too long and taken) asked what happened to this place and honestly? I'd forgotten about it, mostly. I have little to no access to the upstairs desktop during the day (I have a smartphone that I use constantly) but by the time night comes around...I don't know, I'm tired. I don't want to fight with this. I want to knit and go to bed. I'm lame.

Shall I catch everyone up?!

So The Boy is almost 6. He's in first grade. He's smarter than ever. He's playing hockey and loves math.

The Baby is now The Toddler. He talks and is adorable. He's hell on wheels though, boy. He's a stinker. Keeps me on my toes.


Hubs and I are doing great. The house is fantastic. All in all, life is good.

I had ear surgery in August to correct a hearing impairment. I'm happy to say that it went fantastic and I have close to full hearing in 1 ear. The other ear gets done by the end of the year.

I'm knitting like a crazed woman. 2 shawls won ribbons at the first fair that I ever entered, Haddam Neck Fair. YAY! More on that later.

So, leave a comment and let me know (again) that there's someone out there. I promise to keep this updated now that I know I can do it with my phone. (Actually, I don't know that I can do it with the phone, I only downloaded the app, I didn't try it and this is being done on the desktop.)

Anyhow, let me know you aren't dead, will ya?!

Back Online!

YAY! I've been dealing with a nasty computer virus for the last few weeks. Yes, weeks. I had no idea how to fix it so I ignored it. Finally, the internet stopped working so I had no choice but to admit my stupidity to Hubs.

It's fixed now, thanks to one of the hockey guys.

We also had another interesting virus blow through here, one of the human sort.

The Boy had Hand, Foot and Mouth disease. He had it very mildly and from what I've heard and read, it's awful. Yuuuckk.

He's fine now and The Baby hasn't shown any signs of getting it.

Anyways, more later. What's everyone been up to?

Blogger, Why Do You Hate Me?

I was pumped to come on and show some photos of what I've been knitting lately. They are projects for others, which I love doing.

I uploaded photo one:


This was taken horizontally, and shows up the same. Good. I upload another:

This was taken the same way, horizontally. It shows up vertically. Sigh. So I think I'm getting smart. I go into my computer file, make it vertical. My thinking was, if it shows up vertical, and then I change it that way, Blogger will think it should be horizontal and correct it.

This is what I got.

Sigh.

Now you know why I barely post once a week.

(Top photo is Cobblestone by Jared Flood. It's a super surprise for Hubs for either his birthday in Oct. or the holidays. The others are the beginnings of Kieran Foley's Seascape shawl. It's for my Gram, who is going on a cruise. She asked to borrow a shawl and I said I'd make her one for her birthday, which is a few days after Dave.)

Bumping it up a Notch

While at WOOL, I learned more than I expected. There were no classes, per say, but just listening to this group made me sponge info up.

Like, how to properly use my dusty old niddy noddy. It's not even that hard. How to properly skein yarn after taking it off the noddy. Again, not hard.

I overheard a lesson on how to use wool combs, a lesson on spindling, and was also reminded that the reason my wrist hurts so much after spinning is because I control my twist too hard (treat it like it's an eel- slippery. It should slide through your fingers like fluid. You should not pinch it like it's a bomb, which I what I do if I'm not mindfully spinning.)

I've been spinning every other day, which is A LOT for me. But I'm loving every minute of it.

I miss my WOOL girls though. :(

WOOL 2010

What a weekend I had. I went up to Lake George, to Wiawaka Holiday House for WOOL, the spinning gathering put together by Tina.

Wonderful. Simply put, it was just what I needed. There was no pressure, no feeling left out. There was laughter and tears. It was really amazing.

I drove up and met Tamara of Spincerely Yours. Check out what she made for me as a thank you for driving! It's my very own colorway!!

She sells her stuff on etsy. Seriously, this stuff is delish and I know for a fact that she's a sweetheart who only makes the best stuff for your wheel!

I made new friends, got to know old friends a bit better, and was reminded once again how magical Lake George is to me.

I came home to a clean house (my mother in law stayed for a few days to help out Hubs. That woman is a saint) and the family happy to see me. The Baby wouldn't let me put him down. So cute.

Here's what I ended up with at the end of the long weekend:

Well worth it.

10 on Tuesday

10 Things to bring on vacation:

1. In this house, a sense of humor is number one. Things are forgotten, we get lost, plans change, etc. We have learned that vacation is better when we can laugh about the things gone wrong.

2. Clothes. I'm a big fan of bringing old, worn clothes and leaving them at the destination. That way, I have more room for gifts. I love buying things for people while on vacation.

3. GPS. Love the invention of the gps.

4. The kids. I used to vacation in Vegas and Hawaii. Now, it's local staycations and occasionally Florida. But- exploring the world with my kids is one of the best things in my life.

5. Toothbrush. For a long time, 9 times out of 10 I'd forget mine, because I always brush before leaving the house, and think, "Hey, it's wet. I'll leave it in a place where it can dry and grab it on the way out." Every time, I'd forget it. I now have travel toothbrushes that stay in my suitcase.

6. Ipod. I don't leave home without it.

7. Same with my Flip Video camera. Love this thing.

8. Sunblock. Hello, I'm whiter than Wonder Bread. I burn in a moment's notice. I have sunblock on even in the winter.

9. Tea. I am a tea snob. I admit it. I bring tea with me while travelling. There will be no crappy tea on my watch.

10. Knitting. I can usually steal a few extra moments daily while on vacation to knit.