Almost August

anybody know how to make the header picture smaller? that's crazy big 

Wow, hasn't this summer been flying by? Seems it just got warm outside and now it's cooled off again (I'm certainly not complaining about it either) Phew, I don't like the heat.

We enjoyed a vacation that was too short. Same as every vacation we ever take.

I read a good book 

and started another

and did way too much knitting...my arm and shoulder are still punishing me for it.

I finished a pair of socks...

started another...

Made some progress on my beaded cowl...

and got a cute new bag from my friend Susan at GirlCaveBags.  I love these smiling shrimps!

I hope you're having fun with your summer. Are you getting any projects finished?

If you'd like to read about what other creative folks are doing around the blog-o-sphere check out Wisdom Begins In Wonder and Natural Suburbia.

Thanks for coming...LittleDog would say hey but he's a little busy killing his new Beastie Ball!

A long weekend...

leading into a week of vacation is awesome.

I've been busy spinning and knitting this past week. I knit a sock and plied two skeins of yarn. The first skein was for a friend and has moved on to its new home...

This single was out of control! had to soak then wind onto the yarn stretcher...so it would dry into the 326 yds that it was supposed to be.

It had been on the bobbin for longer than I care to admit.

I'm happy to say that LittleDog survived the Explosives Holiday, although it was a bit dicey on Thursday night. We ended up having to hide in the corner of the bedroom with the TV as loud as we could stand. Two doses of anti-anxiety meds didn't have the intended effect. I guess the best thing I can say about the night is that he didn't die from a seizure or a heart attack...I truly hate the Explosives holiday.

Hope you all have a great week. Thanks for coming. See you again soon.

Check out Andrea's blog and Creative Friday for more fibery stuffs.

Getting so close...

just waiting on the batting I ordered last weekend then I can put it together and present it to his parents.

you can click on the pic to make it bigger and easier to see if your eyes are old like mine.

I finished the brown stripe socks and made it a couple whole days before casting on another pair...

We've been laying low trying to stay cool in the a/c. It is super hot outside! Not good for little puggies. 

The other day he begged for his dinner...

then when I got up to put his dinner on he did his usual tricks...

Thanks so much for stopping in to see the knitting or the LittleDog. If you'd like to see more knitting and fiber stuff you can hop over to Andrea's blog and see the other peeps that participate in Fiber Arts Friday and at Natural Suburbia for Creative Friday.

Just a toe-to-go

and that's it for this pair of socks...

why does it take so long to get those last few rows knit before starting the toe increases? Notice my new sock bag in the background? That's "Green Eggs n Ham" from Girl Cave Bags. She usually updates her shop on Sunday evenings and she has such cute bags.

I've knit a couple swatches this week and came up with the proper needle size so I can get started on my Lemongrass.

First swatch...

better swatch...I'm getting 14 sts in 4" with a 10.5 needle and my target was 13 so I'm close enough for a sweater that was designed with 8" of positive ease. 

The big ole ball of yarn I'll be starting with...

it's 500 yds of Aran weight merino/alpaca/silk from Yarn Hollow. The color is called Chocolate Truffle. If you biggie-size the photo you can see all the pretty colors hiding in that brown. I'm telling myself that I have to finish the sock and the beaded cowl before I can start this project. I don't want to be distracted :)  I'll let you know how that goes.

Go check out the other creative peeps that participate in Fiber Arts Friday, Creative Friday and Tami's Amis. I always find something fun on those group posts.

And to continue with the general color theme of this post here's LittleDog lounging around the house...

Pay no attention to the crazy lady's stash of dog food bags...she claims she's going to make tote bags with them...mmm, yeah.

FAF 06 07 13

My heart has been hurting since I heard the news that one of my very favorite people passed on Wednesday. I've been meeting my children at Marie Catrib's Restaurant almost every Saturday for the past 7+ years. We would enjoy a tasty breakfast and catch up on each other's activities of the past week. Marie had a big heart and was ever positive, even in the face of her adversary...ovarian cancer. She put up a good fight and the entire city will miss her. I'm so glad that I was able to return some of her love with my knitting. R.I.P. Marie.

For those of you that come for the fibery stuffs...

I've been busy knitting and sewing and have actually got something finished to show you.

My Mara...

It's so warm and toasty and the turquoise Shephard's Wool is super soft.

I wanted to be sure and show you the best part of my swap gift from the GGPL Retreat a couple weekends ago...

it's a perfect fit for my super sharp and dangerous wool combs. I pack a bit of tissue on top and they stay nicely in place for storage or transport. The ladybugs go nicely with my Schacht LadyBug spinning wheel too.

I also managed to make a gazillion quilt squares...not sure what I was thinking, I only needed 18 to make a crib size quilt but I made 48 squares...guess I'll have a couple extra baby quilts for future babies :)...

now I just have to decide what color to use as the lattice. Any suggestions?

Thank you for coming. If you'd like to check out the other talented folks that contribute to Fiber Arts Friday hop on over to Andrea's blog...Wisdom Begins in Wonder. Have a great week!

FAF 05 31 13

It's been a busy couple of weeks with the awesome GGPL Retreat and the holiday weekend.

I have a few great photos from the Guts, Grit and Pink Lipstick Retreat last weekend. There was lots of swag and a super awesome swap gift and I had a nice relaxing weekend. I'm super excited to know that the GGPL will happen again next year.

There was a lot of spinning and knitting done.

Here's some of the sweet stuffs...

 fiber from Fiber Addiction, spindle from Highland Handmades

braid from Yarn Hollow, green yarn from CJ Kopec Creations, orange yarn from Fiber Addiction.

I'm really close to being done with the Mara shawl...just a few more 650+ stitch rows of 2 x 2 rib to go...

and since I'm not nearly busy enough, I'm working on squares for a baby quilt...this square is about half way done

Thank you for coming and reading my blog. Remember to leave a comment so I'll know you visited. For more crafty/fibery fun hop on over to Wisdom Begins In Wonder and check out the other Fiber Arts Friday folks.

For all you LittleDog lovers I decided to hit record on my phone tonight when I asked if it was "dinner time"...this is one version of what happens...

Did you miss me...

when I wasn't here last week? It's been crazy busy here. In a good way. Spring brought a lot of rain which makes the grass grow which means I have lots of yard work to do. Since my yard man is still laid up I get to do that job. I'm actually enjoying it except for the part where I have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning. It always pays off though when I can look out and see a freshly mown backyard.

The dogs are enjoying the shorter grass too. Here's LittleDog's take on a fresh cut lawn.

First Sam and I had a game of  "chase me"...

 with some stops to say "oh, what the heck is that?!"...

 followed by some "maybe she won't see me way over here looking for grass clumps to eat"...since I think I'm a goat...

 and then I was like "wow, that really wore me out"... toodles for now!

I've been knitting a bit. This is my almost finished TGV...only a couple more rows of ribbing then bind-off.

Planning a quilt for a friend's baby-to-be...

they're Chicago Bears fans so I picked the above fabric for the back and then I'll make irregular Log Cabin blocks for the top.

How do you like my new swift? My great friend Paula decided to part with it so now I have a true work of art to wind yarn with. She's the best.  If you're still here you must like the fibery stuff. Be sure to hop over to Andrea's blog and check out some other creative folks. Thank you for stopping in and leaving comments. Have a great weekend.