The Everlasting Bagstopper Doesn't Stop

Wow, where does the time go?! I haven't been posting as regularly lately...I want to but I've been busy and I haven't had much to share. I don't want to do a post just for the sake of blogging...it would be meaningless and boring. Who wants to read some "made up" blabber?

Here's a cute little Spring one for ya. My youngest loves the ladybugs and I was lucky to find one that seemed happy to pose for me. She was very patient and allowed me to take several good shots of her. I'm using one of them as my wallpaper for now.

I haven't been able to get a lot of knitting done...it's still Spring cleaning time around here. I figured if we're gonna do it then we'll go "all out". Not just a little dusting and stuff....we're re-arranging furniture, getting rid of things we don't need and going through everyone's closet and donating the clothes we don't or can't wear. I want to see some space in here!

This is about the only thing I have managed to finish (only 5 more to go). Oops, make that 6 since Froggie wants one too. This is Ms. Thang's pool bag. I had some acrylic left over from a scarf and it's a very pretty, girly yarn so I used it to make her bag. It seemed to take forever and reminded me that I am not a big fan of acrylic. :P It turned out pretty good though and it stretches even more than the first one I made with the cotton. It's still basically the Everlasting Bagstopper with some minor changes here and there.

We had 4 small bottles of flavored water in it and you can see how much it stretches. I'm glad I didn't make the handle longer or it would have reached her ankles. lol

Don't pay any attention to the grass...I know it needs to be cut. We had a pretty solid rain the night before and I swear everything grew overnight! It's getting mowed tomorrow...I promise.

Off to do more laundry and pack up some clothes to be donated. Maybe I'll even get some knitting time in...I'm trying a new bag pattern this time. (key word...trying)

Mother's Day Give-Away

For all you Moms out there who love books....check out Melissa's Desk for a nice little contest. Just click on the photo.

They're Back!

Last summer Froggie and her hubby did some re-design with their landscaping and her hubby pulled up some of the shrubs in front of their house. She called me and asked if I wanted them since they weren't going to re-plant them anywhere else and I said SURE! She brought them over and we planted them out around the house. I watered those babies religiously and tons of water at a time since it was so hot and dry here. They just didn't seem to be taking root. I still kept up the routine...I refused to give up on them. While out yesterday taking some photos...look at what is going on with the babies now!

I had noticed some green down in the base of a couple of them a few weeks ago but I didn't want to get my hopes up so I just let them be. Now there's no mistaking the fact that they are back. All but one of them is beginning to look like this one. I'm so glad I didn't give up. Now I just need to get all those dead, brown and yucky looking old branches cut off and we are back in business. YAY!

Still not much knitting going on...don't know why other than I can't seem to free up some time to focus on it. I got a little done at school waiting for the kids to get out and then a little more at speech therapy this afternoon.....that's it. I'm not happy about this situation and it must be fixed and SOON!

It's getting hotter here so the boys and I got out the air conditioner and put it back in the window...have one more to do tomorrow. I cleaned it up really good and made sure the filter was all shiny and clean and thankfully...it's working just fine. Very soon we're going to have to get busy with the grass cutting....I so hate the grass cutting. Good thing I've got two boys to delegate that nasty duty to. We've got a pretty big yard so it will take them both to get it done. Someone has to supervise ya know. :P

Okay enough talking your head off tonight. I'm going to try to sneak in a little knitting now. Sshh....don't want anyone to hear or they will "need" something. lol

Oh yeah....don't forget to go check out Brian's contest. Awesome prizes...don't forget to tell him I sent ya. *yes, I'm trying to get more chances to win....I admit it* Did I mention awesome prizes? lol

Another contest....check out Must Keep Knitting for details.

Hugs!

A Beautiful Happy Earth Day & A Contest...

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

This is what it looked like around here today. There was also a pretty good breeze blowing...it almost felt like fall. I thought this would be a good photo to share for Earth Day.

I'm still not getting much knitting done....just a little on Ms Thang's pool bag. I'm trying hers out with some leftover acrylic in a pretty, girly mix of white and pink. That's the only bit of knitting I've touched all day. :( The cute little man was here today and we had a really good day. He was in a silly mood for a while...he's so funny sometimes.

The contest is on Brian's blog and it's a good one! You can get multiple entries for commenting, making the correct guesses on the contest photo and so on. Check it out and tell him I sent ya...yeah, I get an extra entry for that. :P I didn't do so well with the whole guessing thing. lol
He's got some awesome prizes including the beautiful needle cases he makes. I bought one a while back and use it faithfully. They're nice and portable....I love mine!

Off to get some rest...I don't have the energy that a 3 year does. lol

Hugs!

It's Monday....

Not a lot of knitting going on right now...it's Monday and it's been a long day. I have gotten new designs charted and a few already test knitted. Thanks, Shirl! I'm trying to get enough designs done so that we have the rest of the year's KALs all set up and ready to go. Then I can focus on my knitting without worrying about the next month's KAL. I hate pressure. lol

I had Ms Thang's IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meeting today. (For any of you who don't already know...she is deaf and has a cochlear implant.) This normally only takes about 30 minutes tops but today was an hour long meeting. For the past 3 years, she has been in a Learning Disabled/Self-Contained classroom and she has really done well and made so much progress. Since she's going to middle school next year...we thought this would be a good time to mainstream her back into a regular classroom setting again. She will have accommodations to suit her needs and extra support available for her when and where it's needed. I am so proud of her and really excited about next year but terrified all at the same time. It's going to be a very hard transition...adjusting to a new school environment on top of the mainstreaming but she's so smart and adapts really well. I can't believe she's growing up so fast...MAN! it's hard to let them go!! It's time for a chocolate cake to celebrate her success!!


I really need to try to get a better photo on a sunny day. These fields are everywhere...not sure what it is but it's such a shock when you "round" the curve and suddenly you see these bright yellow fields pop up out of nowhere. When the sun is shining...it's gorgeous!! I hope they don't disappear before I get more shots.

I'm off to get some rest and re-charge my camera batteries....just in case.

Hugs!

I Finally Finished Something!

I feel like I haven't finished anything in ages. I knit (not as much as I normally would) and still I don't get anywhere. I have managed to get my socks knitted to the same point. Now I just need about 2 more inches on each one and then I can do my toe decreases.

I finished this dishcloth. It was our first stitch KAL in the group and it turned out so pretty. Shirl designed this cloth and has at least 5 more almost ready for future KALs. I've seen next month's and it is just as nice. I can't wait to knit it up too!

I finished my Everlasting Bagstopper today! I changed the handles to garter stitch rather than sewing on some ribbon. The ribbon is really pretty but since this is intended for carrying wet stuff back and forth to the pool....I thought it would be better to leave off the ribbon. It would probably just get messed up anyway. This way I can throw the bag into the washer with the suits and towels.

This is the bag with a bottle of Tide laundry detergent inside. This thing will stretch soooo much! And it was tough enough to hold that heavy bottle. The bag knit up pretty fast but the handles seemed to take forever. I'm not sure if I'll do the handles the same way next time...we'll see. I only need to make 4 more regular size....1 a bit smaller and then 1 kid size for the little nephew man. I don't think his dad will want one but if he does...what's one more, right? lol I just have to get the colors that everyone wants so there's no fighting over which one belongs to who.

Heading off to stash dive....think I have some bright colors in there somewhere to use for Ms Thang's bag. Who knows WHAT I might find in there. lol

Hugs!

A Little Change Of Pace...

My intention this past weekend was to finish up three dishcloths that I had OTN....that didn't happen. I could not knit a dishcloth to save my life. I have one still OTN and with the correct number of stitches. One was frogged and the other is OTN but with extra stitches that came from I have no idea where. I thought...at this point...it's time for a change of pace.

This is a 14 year old boy's idea of what you do with knitting needles with the lights on the tips. Aunt Kathy sent me these in the Hot Cocoa Swap. I love these needles and I promise AK....they are unharmed...I rescued them. I have to admit though...it was pretty cool.

I have been considering knitting the Everlasting Bagstopper for about 5 months now but just never got around to it. Froggie gave me this awesome yarn...Sugar & Cream kit with 3 large skeins...so I thought why not. It's almost time to start going to my sister's to swim in her pool and this would be perfect for a "pool bag" to carry wet things home or whatever other stuff we need to lug around. It knits up really fast....mindless after you get the bottom done...perfect pattern for me! I'm planning to make one for everybody so we can be a little more organized for a change and maybe the kids won't leave their clothes behind. That happened quite a few times last year. lol

I bought this yarn to make myself a scarf. Froggie and I were doing our own little KAL. She got the same yarn just in a different colorway. I tried 3 different patterns with it this past weekend with no luck. (There's that number 3 again. :P ) I finally settled on the One Row Handspum Scarf by the Yarn Harlot. I love it so far! I love that it's the same pattern on every single row! I can knit and watch TV or talk...perfection! I cast on 30 stitches instead of the 26 she did but I think the 26 stitches would have looked just as nice. I'm using a US Size 7 needle so I was afraid it was going to turn out a little small. Come on, Froggie!! You gotta catch up!! *You should have plenty of time because I can't seem to put this Everlasting Bagstopper down. *

Back to the bag....maybe I'll have an FO tomorrow.

Hugs!

Now I Get It!!

see more crazy cat pics

Now I understand why we all can't get rid of the yucky business. I have proof right here. We gotta catch this fella and stop the madness!!! :P

It's Not Friday Yet?

This has been one of those long weeks...is Friday ever gonna get here? I want to sleep late. lol

Here's a little proof that I have been knitting my socks...not as much or as often as I should but I have been working on them. As soon as I get sock #2 at the same point as sock #1 then it should be a quick finish. I can't wait!!!

A little more Spring for you. My Granny Smith apple tree is blooming!! It's going to fun to see how many apples we get this year. It's our second year of actual blooms and producing apples. Last years were kinda small but pretty tasty. Hopefully this year they will be bigger still.

Now I'm working on a few dishcloths and getting ready to try one done in the round from the center out....Thanks, Brian! I actually did try it once already but my blond was working overtime and I totally screwed it up. :P I know what I was doing wrong so this time hopefully it will turn out right.

Hugs!

Spring Time Fun

I am finally beginning to feel better...YAY! Started my antibiotics yesterday...just a nasty case of sinusitis luckily...better than bronchitis anyway. The little man and Ms Thang were playing for a bit before he left to go home so I thought I would take some more Spring photos to share with ya. Well, I got a little distracted. lol

Out of who knows how many photos, I did manage to get a couple of good ones of the little man in the air. *as far as a little man can go anyway* He loves that trampoline! Then I got another idea...

Under the trampoline I went....yeah...flat on my back on the ground....but it was worth it. How cute is this? It was so hard to get him to be still long enough to get a shot but I got one really good one. He thought I was crazy I think but it made him laugh. lol

The girl had to get in on the fun...I was afraid she was gonna jump too hard and make contact with me. She got awfully close more than a few times. The things I do for a photo op. Nice hair-do there, girlfriend! :P

I love to take pictures of them when they're not paying any attention...kind of a "stolen moment" sort of thing. These are so much better than posed photos in my opinion. He looked so deep in thought and I think the black and white just added to the drama. In reality, he was fascinated by my neighbor on his riding lawn mower...probably thinking of the damage he could do with one those things. The kid is fearless.

I've made a little progress on the second sock....hard to knit with the dang headache I had so I can't wait to get back to knitting more. I know I need to get that shawl going again but "the evil that is Ravelry" is making me want to knit a Clapotis . I have some Noro Kureyon ...had it for quite a while actually...didn't know what to do with it...saw a Clapotis knitted with it and now...I WANT ONE! I think I need an intervention....Back. Away. From. The. Noro. *sigh* Icelandic guilt will not allow me to cast on..... back to the socks.

Hugs!

Showers In Spring Dishcloth

We just wrapped up our first KAL in Shirley's Knitting Knook so I thought I would post it here also as a freebie for anyone who's interested. I will add it to the free downloads as soon as I can. The cloth in the photo was knitted by Shirl .

Showers In Spring
©Copyright 2008
Designed by Melanie Thompson

Cast on 46

Rows 1-4: Knit
Row 5: K4, P38, K4
Row 6 & All Even Rows: Knit
Row 7: K4, P38, K4
Row 9: K4, P17, K1, P5, K1, P5, K1, P8, K4
Row 11: K4, P15, K2, P1, K2, P2, K1, P1, K1, P2, K2, P1, K2, P6, K4
Row 13: K4, P17, (K1, P2) 4X, K1, P8, K4
Row 15: K4, P17, (K1, P2) 4X, K1, P8, K4
Row 17: K4, P17, (K1, P2) 4X, K1, P8, K4
Row 19: K4, P17, (K1, P2) 4X, K1, P8, K4
Row 21: K4, P17, (K1, P2) 4X, K1, P8, K4
Row 23: K4, P38, K4
Row 25: K4, P15, K17, P6, K4
Row 27: K4, P14, K1, P17, K1, P5, K4
Row 29: K4, P13, K1, P7, K5, P7, K1, P4, K4
Row 31: K4, P8, K1, P3, K1, P7, K1, P5, K1, P7, K1, P3, K4
Row 33: K4, P8, K1, P3, K1, P6, K1, P7, K1, P6, K1, P3, K4
Row 35: K4, P3, K1, P4, K1, P3, K1, P5, K11, P5, K1, P3, K4
Row 37: K4, P4, K1, P3, K5, P4, K1, P11, K1, P4, K1, P3, K4
Row 39: K4, P5, K1, P1, K1, P5, K1, P19, K1, P4, K4
Row 41: K4, P6, K1, P2, K2, P2, K1, P19, K1, P4, K4
Row 43: K4, P6, K1, P4, K1, P1, K1, P19, K1, P4, K4
Row 45: K4, P6, K1, P1, K1, P2, K1, P2, K1, P5, K1, P5, K1, P5, K1, P5, K4
Row 47: K4, P3, K4, P4, K1, P2, K3, P13, K2, P6, K4
Row 49: K4, P6, K1, P2, K1, P3, K1, P3, K1, P11, K1, P8, K4
Row 51: K4, P7, K1, P4, K2, P4, K1, P9, K1, P9, K4
Row 53: K4, P6, K1, P1, K4, P2, K1, P4, K9, P10, K4
Row 55: K4, P5, K1, P4, K1, P4, K1, P22, K4
Row 57: K4, P4, K1, P5, K1, P27, K4
Row 59: K4, P10, K1, P27, K4
Row 61: K4, P38, K4
Row 63: K4, P38, K4
Rows 64-68: Knit

Bind off and weave in the ends.

Enjoy! Hugs!

Froggie's Big Project Is Ready

This is Froggie's new site. The site itself was not the big project....the cloths she has available there....THAT was the big project. She really put a lot of time and effort into it. Check it out...even if you're not interested in buying....you can see how busy she's been.

For those of you in the Knitting Knook group....Shirl has joined us in our addiction to blogging. I helped her get it all prettied up and she would be thrilled if you'd visit her and leave her a comment. You can find her here... Knook Oumie . Her daughter Chantal has also jumped on the bandwagon. She just got it up and running but I'm sure she'll be addicted in no time. Yeah, I am an enabler....so? lol

Cat ... it sure was good to talk to you today. I have missed ya!! Many wishes for feeling better SOON!!!!

No knitting has been accomplished here today. I have a Dr's appointment on Monday to get rid of this Yucky so I can get back to normal. Finally!

Now, I am going to do some knitting on those socks that are taking me too dang long to finish.

Hugs!

Tawashi Happy Dancing!!

Can you even believe it!? I actually got my Tawashi finished! It is not perfect by any means...kinda wonky looking really....but it's done. I got a tad bit confused because I was trying to do more than one thing at a time. I got it now so the next one should (I hope) be much better.

Here's a little close-up of the border. You crocheters can tell me if it looks right...if you can tell. It's not the best photo.

Brian...sorry to spoil your trip to warmer, greener Southern states. At least I finally made some progress.

Thanks everyone! Once again, your encouragement is the best motivation I have ever had!

Hugs!

Wee Tiny Sock Swap Is Here!!

Woo Hoo, my Wee Tiny Swap Package has arrived! I have to say that LaVerna is an awesome swapper! She really blew me away with the package. I was expecting my one Wee Tiny Sock and instead I received this...*see photo above*. I got 2 tiny socks, an awesome postcard (see the little cowboy boot cutout) and 2 little skeins of emergency sock yarn for making two more tiny socks. She totally made my day! Thanks, LaVerna....you rock!

Here you see just how Wee Tiny the socks are...especially the lighter one. It's so wee and cute. I put the other one on my sock blocker keychain for a little change. I really like the colors and it catches the eye much better than the one I had on. Now, I can have several to switch out so I never bored looking at the same one.

This isn't really a Spring photo but it was a cool shot I got the other morning after a light drizzle of rain. If you click and make it bigger you can see the web with the rain drops on it....pretty kewl.

I don't have a Tawashi update yet...didn't really get to try to work on it today....maybe later tonight or even tomorrow. I haven't given up yet. I worked on that second sock a little more today and hopefully I'm getting close to doing the heel soon. I have decided for my next socks...I want to find one of those patterns with the pretty heel. Clog socks or walking away socks are what I think they're called.

Ah...I couldn't resist...here's your daily dose of Spring. There are some new trees starting to bloom and this one is losing it's blooms so hopefully I'll have a new view of Spring to share soon.

Hope everyone is having a great day! Hugs!!

Daily Dose Of Spring

A little shot of Spring is all the photo I have for you today. Strangely, this has been one of those days that just seems to go on forever but I have accomplished a lot of nothing. I did a little knitting on my sock while I waited for Ms Thang to get out of school. I have a Tawashi about half way done. I'm stressing cuz I have to do the crochet border now. *insert look of horror* I hope I get that figured out.

Last night my boys saw about 6 deer out in the pasture across the street from our house. Skaterboy comes in and grabs the camera thinking he's gonna sneak up on em and get some pictures. Yeah, you guessed it....that didn't work out so well. Just as he was about to get close enough for a shot...they jumped the fence and ran off. Gotta give him credit for trying. lol I spent a little time today showing him the different settings on the camera so he will know how which one to use when he wants to take a photo. I can't get him interested in knitting so this is the next best thing.

Well, I'm off to see if I can crochet that border now....wish me luck.

Hugs!

Tawashi Time!

This is what I will be doing tonight! The awesome Citrus Slice Tawashi by Rhonda White. I love these...they are so cute and useful too! Rhonda is a talented designer but I'm sure you all know that! On the rare chance that someone doesn't know Rhonda, you should check out her site. She has some very nice designs. She also happens to be a super nice person.

Aunt Kathy was making these Tawashi on her blog recently and I thought they were so cute. I hopped over to Rhonda's Etsy store to check it out. *you should check it out too* I ordered the pattern for the Tawashi and noticed she had the acrylic yarn. So I ordered a couple of those too. The colors are really bright...perfect for this pattern. I'm doing lemon and lime slices.

This is what really grabbed my attention about the yarn other than the vivid colors. It's ANTIBACTERIAL!!!! Is that awesome or what!!?? I have never seen antibacterial yarn. The absolute most perfect thing for dish scrubbies. It makes me feel much better about scrubbies. No yucky stuff growing when you're not looking.

I'm sparing you the Spring photo today. Brian is getting sick and a bit jealous....he's still stuck with snow and cold weather. Tomorrow you may not be safe though....Brian, you have been warned.

Hugs!

*off to knit some Tawashi*
*No, I do not do PR for Rhonda but it sure did sound like it. lol*