Woogie Woogie Cookies

So as promised, I'm talking about Woogie Woogie Cookies. I know you're asking "CQ what the booger ARE Woogie Woogie cookies?" Actually they're just sugar cookies but they came to be known as Woogie Woogie due to small children remembering what to do. See when Elder Celting was younger, he started calling sugar cookies Wiggle Wiggle cookies because that's what you did with the cookie cutter. I would always say after he pressed it into the dough "Okay now wiggle, wiggle." Then a couple years ago Younger Celting was so excited about making the cookies, he mixed up wiggle and cookie as he was talking and it came out "Woogie, Woogie." It stuck. Now here's the kicker about our sugar cookies. They come from a recipe book from the 50's that my grandmother used. I'm not sure but I think Grandma said that it originally called for lard. We use butter flavored shortening. I've tried using butter, but the cookie spread too much and become too crisp. I like them thicker and softer. These have become the boys' favorite cookies to make.


Now on to knitting news. I managed to finish all my projects just in time for Xmas. I was seaming the Quidditch sweaters at my grandfather's on Xmas eve while we all were enjoying dinner. There were the three teacher scarves, a fluffy teal one, a fluffy purple one, and this lovely multidirectional. They all flew off the needles.


Then there was the Notre Dame de Grace sweater for my MIL. It was wonderfully received and once again, there was much surprise that I made it. Somehow, I wonder how it wasn't a backhanded compliment but all the same it is well loved.

My own mother was the recipient of this yummy shawl. Heather inspired me with the ones she made for herself and as gifts for her priest to give to his own mom. 4 balls of Suri Dream, some big needles, and a joyful time knitting.

So now what? Well, I'm finishing up the Transitional Gloves and the Animal Crackers hat so that I can do my swatch for the Rogue. YAY! I'm also getting ready to spin with the girls. Can't wait to have us all collected and spinning together on our wheels. I've never spun in a group before so hopefully I don't fail miserably. :)

Xmas Trees

So every year here at the Celtic Castle, we decorate for the holidays. And every year, it's the same routine. The Celtic Consort pulls a ton of boxes full of STUFF out of the attic. He then piles the boxes in various areas for me to access. His entire involvement with indoor decoration extends to putting up the tree in it's most basic form. Seen here looking like nothing more than Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree.

Oh and his favorite part: The Bumble




Next up: Fluffing! Yes every year it's my job to "fluff" the tree. This means that I've got to take the tree from looking like some strangled branch to a full size tree. Breathing life back into the smashed branches from being packed away for a full 11 months. After I'm done it looks like this:









So then we begin to decorate. Wrap on the lights, multicolored for us. Then comes garland. It's a lot less mess than icicles and more dog friendly. I found some this year with some holly shaped pieces which carry meaning for me. Then there are all the basic balls and stars. They LOOK like they are glass but they are actually plastic. I got them the first year we had a tree when Elder Celting was still a toddler. This means non breakable ornaments. Then comes all the ornaments we collect. My mom is a big Hallmark addict. So everyone gets at least 2-3 ornaments every year. Each one has a story. This is my favorite part of the season. Telling the stories behind ornaments. Even my grandfather's tree has stories behind it. Like the angel my cousin made when she was 5.... she's now 26. There's those hot pink God's Eyes from Laurie I think. Oh and don't forget the Lifesaver/yarn guy I made in Sunday school. And in the end, I get a holiday miracle.

Next time: Woogie Woogie Cookies

My Knitting Ate My Blog

Okay I know I'm a bad blogger. I've just been trying to focus on getting some knitting done and trying to finish out the soccer season. Good news is that on the soccer front, Elder Celting's travel team finally won a game and they all felt great. The soccer shoot is coming this weekend. Part of the fun of soccer is the parents/coaches vs. kids games. Laurie was kind enough to take some shots of the game.

So on the knitting front, I've cast on and made it through the front and halfway up the back for Elder Celting's Quidditch sweater. The Notre Dame sweater is waiting on blocking so I can seam up the shoulders and do the collar. I also need a button.

I've finished the first Coriolis sock and I'm on the leg of the second. I'm hoping to finish that so that I can send them over to my BIL Lou this weekend. I've also got a wrap on the todo list for my mother. It's similar to the ones Heather made. Oh and I've got THREE teacher scarves to make as well. Now do you get the title?

So in other news, we get new furniture on Thursday. YAY! And while we were shopping for it this weekend, we had lunch at Primanti's. Nothing says Pittsburgh quite like seeing your 5 year old eat a sandwich as big as his head. Funny thing about this shot is that the building it was taken in is the same location a picture of myself at a very young age drinking a shake as big as my head was taken. Laurie knows the picture.

Oh and keep your eyes open. As soon as I figure out the best way to do it, I'm posting my pattern for a few projects starting with the Fibonacci Moebius.

We Made State

Elder Celting won his division of the Elks Soccer Shoot! He'll be moving on to the state competition to be held November 17 in State College, PA. Winners from that level, will move on to the regional which is 7 other states. We're very excited and EC is looking for the perfect place to display his new trophy. The competition was well organized and they had a pizza party lunch for all the competitors afterwards. This was where they passed out the awards. I'll post pics as soon as I get them developed. I couldn't be more proud.

MIA

If I suddenly go MIA, you can find me here. I got my invitation to be a Raveler this morning. I'm not totally set up yet as I've been running about but I'm excited. Now all I have to do is focus on the knitting and not the web cruising and I'll be good.

Knitterati

You know celebrities are chased after by paparazzi for nothing more than following their passion and working at what they love. Last night, I felt a little the same way. Elder Celting had soccer practice and as usual I brought my knitting, the Transition Gloves. As I watch practice and gossip with the other parents, I knit on them. Now at the same time as EC's practice, there is another practice with the girls' team for the same level. So imagine about a dozen and a half aspiring Mia Hamms, Julie Foudys, and Kristine Lillys, playing hard and working towards team coherence when the coach tells them to go get some water. At this point, they all come rushing towards the bleachers where I'm happily working on my project. Soon, they are all asking about them. "What are those?" "Gee those are pretty." "I can finger knit!" "I knit a little." "My Grandpap knits me scarves." And so it goes every water break. They oooh and aaah over the pattern and the project itself. Sometimes even to the point of me having to remind them to get back to their practice. Laurie has always teased me about my ability to find or attract knitters where ever I go. I always thought it just was me being a little more social and a bit lucky. Now I wonder.... are the knitterati following me?

BTW, if you're reading this and wondering why I'm posting so early in the morning, I'm home today. The van is being worked on and I needed a mental health day. So I'll be working on lesson socks and waiting for my KnitPicks package.

Little Feet

This one's for Heather. After all, when she told me that she just wanted to chuck all her knitting to one side just to work on the lesson socks from Cat Bordhi's new book, I thought she was a little nuts. But I bought the book at Knit One just due to patterns included such as Robin Hood's Fireside Boots and Charlie's Dragon Socks. I mean come on people! That just screams the Celting household. I read the book. I flipped through the pages. The little lesson socks just cried to be knit. So I rummaged around for some partial balls and I started last night. Here's the first one. It's the Sky Sock. Instead of increases/decreases placed on the sides, the increases stem from the front center of the instep. Cat has versions of sock architecture for both cuff down and toe up. Of course being a cuff down kind of girl, I was startled to see that the one I found most appealing was a toe up design. The Coriolis. I'm hoping to finish that lesson sock later tonite. I'm also hoping I can get the jist of it to see if I can figure it out for cuff down.

And in case you're wondering, I didn't chuck all my knitting. I'm waiting for the yarn to arrive and I'm working on the Transition Gloves in transit and during soccer. I'll post more pics when they are further along.

I've Been Robbed

Okay I'll admit it. I'm sulking a bit about my defeat on Saturday at Knit One. While many folks indicated how absolutely divine my wrap was, I was beat out by a cute little Rowan wrap. The creator had only been knitting for about a year and she did a great job. I do however think that it was not quite as fab as my project. I'd post a pic, but I need a good camera to get that.

In spinning news, I'm working on using homework time to spin more. Since the Celtings sit in the kitchen to do homework, I sit there to be sure homework is what's happening. Rather than knit or read, I think spinning would fit the area best.

In the mean time, I'm working towards kicking off the holiday knitting. Wish me luck.

Overheard Conversation

Younger Celting: Nuh-uh!

Elder Celting: Uh-huh!

Younger Celting: Nuh -uh!

Elder Celting: Yuh-huh!

Younger Celting: Dad!

Celtic Consort: What?

Younger Celting: Does Elder Celting know more than God?

Celtic Consort: No, God knows everything, and your brother is only a fourth grader...

Younger Celting: Hmph... are you sure??

Celtic Consort: Yes

Younger Celting: How do you know?

Celtic Consort: Because I went to Catholic school with nuns.

Younger Celting: See I TOLD you!

This whole dialogue made me think of that show Are you smarter than a 5th grader? I also think that it's interesting that the selling point for validation that it wasn't just Catholic school... it was Catholic school WITH nuns.

Back to School

First let me show you another newbie sock. Dee finished her first sock at our last meeting and I've been lax about posting. She did a fabulous job and I can't wait to see it as a set.

In other knitting news, I've finished the MS3 and now just need to block for Saturday. I'm trying to get Laurie to take some pictures so you guys can see it in a decent view. The Celtic Consort is working on getting me a digital camera but I have to wait.

Now the big news. Today is the first day of school. Both boys were excited to get out the backpacks and get moving today. For Elder Celting, it's fourth grade. His only disappointment is that the male teacher he was expecting won't be there this year as he had some health problems. Instead we have another woman who's introductory letter sounds promising. Let's hope for a smoother year this year.

For Younger Celting, it's the First Day of School. He has the same kindergarten teacher as Elder Celting had and even the same time (afternoon). He was quite excited to be an official big kid. I got a little teary eyed at my baby going to kindergarten. Where did that time go? He'll catch the bus from daycare and ride it back there for the first half of the week. Second half of the week, Dad will help with getting him there. Coming home will be with his older brother. I'm anxious to see how he likes it.

Newbies

Can I just say there's nothing like someone's first sock? I mean as sock knitters go, you take a leap of faith that the heel will magically appear every time. But having done it before, you're somewhat reassured that yes, it really DOES happen. When it's your first sock EVER, despite reassurances, you're not really sure. You almost feel like it's an initiation ritual that they will reveal is a joke and show you the real way. Then you get to the toe, and while not nearly as intimidating, grafting is a whole new mystery. I mean come on, can you really get single piece of knitting from two without a visible seam? But then you see it happen, MAGIC!


















So why the spiel? Well Stephie (forgive any mispelling), completed her very first ever sock on Friday at Knit Knite. She promptly received a round of applause and much congratulations. She even said there was no second sock syndrome as she was anxious to do the second to have a pair. She started with a pattern and then moved on to the sage advice of Heather who help guide her beautifully. I gave some minor advice on her continental style as out of the group I'm the only one. ( I know I'm weird) Beautiful sock and I can't wait to see the pair.

Stacy was also there working on her first sock. She seems to be making some good progress despite a few little pauses on Friday. It was a fortunate thing that we managed to find her again and she joined us at Borders.

And I suggest you all demand photos of Heather's current socks. I got to see the beginning parts and they are BEAUTIFUL. A lovely use of the color rich Shibui Knits Sock yarn.

But CQ, what about YOUR knitting? Well I finished the model for Bloomin Yarns and I'm finishing a matching cap. I also picked up some yummy Tilli Tomas silk yarn to do the River Rock scarf in a color called Glazed Ginger and found teal beads. YUM! I've also got back to MS3 and only have about 25 rows to go on Clue 4.

P.S. Laurie seems to think that I've cursed her with my witchy ways as she's now had to rip all the way back about 3 times. I have no idea what she could be talking about (whistling)

PeaPod Revisited

So I had two baby sweaters to make. The first was my traditional Babies and Bears which was sweet and I promptly forgot to get a picture of. I'm told the recipient becomes quite active and cheerful when it is tried on. :) The second is this take on the Peapod. I like the one piece for the body as I'm not a big fan of seaming. I also thought it lent itself well to the yarn. It's Lifestyle yarn from Zitron. I bought it at Bloomin' Yarns and I'm glad I did. Nice hand, knits up fast, and easy care. The colors are a nice take on gender neutral without those washed out mint green and softy soft yellow. I'm thinking I'll have to try some of the other colors too for baby sweaters.

Speaking of Bloomin' Yarns, I'll be stopping by tomorrow to pick up stuff to do a shop model of a baby sweater with some cool sock yarn from Shibui. Heather picked some of this up in some yummy colors which I think will make some beautiful socks. I'm thinking some of these with a golden yellow or orange and teal. Trust me, you'll have to see.

Oh and if you're looking for an MS3 update, well I've taken pity on Heather and Laurie and have slowed down. Although seeing the message about Knit One's fashion show, I'm thinking I need to finish in time. I mean there are PRIZES people!

Where Have You Gone...

No I haven't forgotten my friends in the blogosphere. I've just been running amuck in the real world. Heather would say that it was the reason I'm further ahead on MS3. She might be right but it wasn't on purpose. See she and Laurie tried to get me to sign up and I knew they already had by the time I did at the 11th hour. So I thought I'd be WAY behind. From the pic of our progress, you can see I was mistaken. Laurie's is the lovely lacey navy on the left. Heather's is the bright and sunny piece on the right. And mine is the plumy perfection (for me anyway) in the middle. I'm just about to start Clue 3. Special thanks to Heather for the shot as I've been lax about taking a picture since I couldn't do the yarn justice with the camera phone. This pic was taken at Knit One, while the three of us shopped in honor of Laurie's Bday. She turned 29 (with some experience) on Friday. I still find it fascinating how the same pattern can be played out so differently to reflect each person. Laurie's has the classic perfect dressy piece feel. Heather's reminds me of warm summer days and yummy nectarines waiting to wrap around you. Mine reflects the punk/Goth side coming out in something I can wear around less "adventursome" folk. :) So different, so same, all BEAUTIFUL.

Friday we also joined the mob at B&N for the Harry Potter release. I took both Celtings and they had a blast. Elder Celting won some Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and Younger Celting won some make your own charm kit. Both were thrilled. Neither has read it yet but I finished it on Sunday night. Satisfying even if the epilogue is a little cheesy.

In other knitting news, I'll be at Borders on Friday nite as this is where we moved to. I missed the initial move due to Family Weekend. I'll be bringing one of the baby sweaters I'm working on. A faux fairisle self striper based off the Pea Pod sweater construction.

But EVERYONE's Doing It...

So first off, I want to share my Sock in Socks. I finished on Wednesday but have not had the opportunity to post. I wore them to work yesterday with my crocs and loved how the colors peeped through the holes. I felt so accomplished when I pulled them apart after grafting the toes. So how did I do that? Well first I knit my usual toes and then seperated the stitches for inside and outside sock with 4 dpns(2 inside, 2outside). I then grafted the inside sock first but left the weaving in of the end until after. Then grafted the outside sock. This was trickier as I was grafting from the opposite side of the fabric than I was used to, but I did it. I wove in the end and then did a magic trick of pulling a sock out of a sock. Finally I wove in the last end and VOILA! A beautiful pair of socks. I think I'll do this technique again but we'll see how much I like it when the colors are not so wonderfully striped.


Things I learned from this:

• Don't watch TV while casting on, you'll have to redo too many times.


• Use stitch markers to count blocks of stitches when casting on, less counting


• Ribbing isn't scary once you realize your rhythm


• Continental or combination knitting makes this easier to figure out (thanks Laurie!)


• First time round, do a self striper with easy to distinguish colors. This will help with being able to tell if you're using the right yarn


• Making the socks face to face (knit the inside, purl the outside) really helps. (thanks again Laurie!)


• Frequently check for crossed stitches. Much harder to go back


• Don't be inimidated. When you first knit something it looked hard then too.

So what now? I'm working on one of my required baby sweaters but I've succumbed to the siren call of Mystery Stole 3. It was hard but I held out against Laurie and Heather signing up and trying to get me to as well. I even held out agains Yarn Harlot's post about it. But then I started reading more and more. And then the deadline was happening in mere hours. And beads... I love beads. But the nail in the coffin was Celtic Consort saying "that's good. you should pace yourself. Show some control." He might as well have said just do it. Most of you know that saying I shouldn't/can't/won't do something is issuing a challenge to do it. Right then I went, signed up, and starting looking at laceweight options. I knew I wanted something I could find locally but wanted to research online.

The Celtings and I were off this morning to cruise the local crack dealers for options. I decided that since I'd been thinking about Knit One lately, I'd hit there first and pick up on the back side. Fortunately, I didn't have to stop anywhere else. Lots of choices. They had the Helen's Lace in Black Pearl which was tempting. I had decided on the murky man colorway idea for my version. Something dark with a purply hint. They also had Handmaiden Camelspin (70% silk, 30% baby camel) which was REALLY tempting but no dark colors and none of any one to utilize for the project. Some nice Malabrigo laceweight too. But what captured my heart and wouldn't let go? Handmaiden Yarn's Sea Silk in Midnight. Heck even those pics don't give you a full idea. I even found beads that match almost exactly. I got my teeny crochet hook there too. The nice girl who helped (sorry I didn't catch her name) was even cool enough to help handwind a "naughty" skein when it kept snagging as we tried to do the ball winder. So now I'm off to catch up to everyone else. Check in for pics later.

Others

The Celtic Consort has always expressed an interest in being one of "Them" or "Others". He also thought if he lived in the comic book universe he'd be a super villan. A proud moment for him was teaching Younger Celting his evil laugh. Kind of funny considering I'd always thought I'd be a misunderstood superhero. Karma is funny like that. So what's this got to do with anything? Well I went to knitting last nite and saw these: Hard to read I know but they're instruction manuals on how to be a super villan, better living for the super villan, the new superhero's handbook, how to survive a robot uprising, and how to be a pirate. But here's the funny thing. Look at what the sign above this display says:

Yes that's right it says IMPROVE YOURSELF. I found this hilarious. I mean who in management or marketing thought this was appropriate.

Anyhow, back to knitting. We MIGHT be relocating based on some reactions last nite. We are no longer posted on their calendar and we have to "make room" for some big event involving ghost hunters. While gently put to us, the attitude towards are group has really dropped off since we started two years ago. So two options are being investigated. Borders right across from South Hills Village seems to be okay and when called last evening we were told of a manager who also knits and spins. YAY! We've also discussed approaching Jo Beth on the Southside. This was kind of nice as it presented the opportunity of liquor and late night being added. I'll let you guys know.

Sock in Sock is moving along but has been delayed due to the deployment of the applications I develop at work. Think along the lines of giving everyone in my office the equivalent of a specialized Microsoft Office that I helped to design and develop. Neither small or easy. So knitting time was sucked up there. On the issue of the toe, I think I'm going traditional as I love the socks way to much to risk a toe I might not like. BTW, I saw the socks that Julia made out of her recent spinning efforts. One word: gorgeous. Okay two words: freakin' jealous. This girl always amazes me that she can do so many beautiful things. Makes me wish I had more time.

Conundrum

Here's my latest question: Do I cave to the MIL's desire to have a picture of all 4 grandchildren or do I take a stand? My MIL continually ignores my two boys while lavishing attention on my nephew and niece. And I'm not just thinking this, my husband sees it too. She recently expressed the desire for the picture to her husband who then shared with my husband. My thought is that if she really wanted to see the boys, she would make it to at least a WHOLE soccer game or A baseball game in a season. She would take the 15 minutes to drive from her house to mine to spend an occassional afternoon with them. Heck, she might even call me to bring them to her house. Keep in mind here, that my SIL and her two children actually live further from her than we do and my MIL is frequently doing things with them. I'm also a little overdone with my SIL dictating how the pictures will go. She even did it when I had the majority of the children. I would like a say here as to where we go, when we go, and even what the pics should look like. So do I take a stand here and say, I'm not doing it until someone meets us halfway here? Do I remind my mother in law that she hasn't actually seen my kids since April when she came earlier in the week for Elder Celting's birthday because she wasn't coming to his party?

Okay rant over. Back to knitting:

Here are some pics of my turned heels. Was actually pretty easy to do. I was expecting difficulty but Laurie confirmed my suspicions on how it was accomplished which is similar to cabling without a needle. While I'm working on the gusset and foot, I'll decide what type of toe I'm going to do. Laurie did a star toe for hers but she has long pointy toes. I've got flat wide feet and tend to do my toes wider. I'll let you know what I decide. BTW, LOVE the stitchholders Mary Pat sent. They are fabulous for not dropping the stitches on these things. Next up, Babies & Bears sweater for the guy at work.

Happy Solstice

Happy Solstice a little early! For those who know me, you know that tomorrow is a holiday, Summer Solstice. Apparently the magic of the day has come a little early to my house. I took the day off to get to an appointment for Elder Celting. This left me with a day to myself to enjoy the knitting I would do all day every day if I could. So imagine my surprise when I found not one but TWO packages in my mailbox. The first was from my exchange partner Mary Pat. Now here's a woman who knows my weaknesses. She sent a mug from her local chapter of the TKGA. This will be headed into the office tomorrow. In addition, she sent a Stitchkeepers which will help me keep my sock in sock from slipping off the needles. Funny thing was that when I read about them in Knitty's latest feature, I was thinking I needed to order some for our next exchange for HER! There was also a Go Knit Pouch in my favorite color and two bags of candied nuts which I can tell you already are tasty. :)

The second package was my latest installment from the Rockin' Sock Club. And rather appropriate for my celebrations tomorrow. The yarn is STR lightweight in a colorway named Firebird. All sorts of flamy colors in there. To show it off the pattern is The Solstice Slip. Rather on the money don't you think? Now the pattern can be done toe up or cuff down and I'm debating. I've been trying to get out of my usual groove so I might just do the toe up version. I don't understand the rabid devotion of toe up or cuff down that some folks have about socks. Me personally, I started with cuff down so that's what I'm usually thinking. That said, I don't find toe up difficult or objectionable. I'm thinking I'll do toe up just to break out from the norm.

But CQ, what about your Sock in Sock? Well here's my progress. I'm working on the heel and will soon reach the point for turning. I'll probably be calling Laurie for some advice but worst case scenario, I think I can manage. I'll also be working on plying my spinning. Julia's posts have been urging me on with this. There's also a baby sweater deadline around the corner. So there's a crunch for knitting coming and I'm going to get it done. I'm also thinking about what to make with the yarn I bought from Tess. Right now I'm thinking longer sweater, center cable surrounded by Fibonacci ribs. Input welcome. :)

Beautiful Weekend

So what does the Celting Clan do with a nice weekend? Well to start with we picked up Elder Celting's friend on Saturday morning and jaunted off to the theater. We met up with Laurie and her OS to see Shrek the Third. She had just come from seeing Heather who declined to come as it would seem poor form for a mom to tell her kids she had ditched them and proceeded to see such a film without them. I was making sure to utilize the official Knit in Public day to work on my Sock in Sock which I had left off as this on Friday nite. Laurie seemed to think I had picked it up rather quick and I agreed. (Remember this later.)

We came home to a nice trek on our favorite trail in South Park with the Celting Consort. Such a spirit provoked both Celtings to do this:

And this:

Indoor camping at it's finest. I'm thinking later in the summer we'll have to do backyard camping.

Now remember when Laurie and I agreed on my knack for the Sock in Sock? We spoke too soon. Saturday nite, I was distracted by some good Futurama episodes and made a few crosses. After attempting to drop down some stitches and fix them, then proceeding to try and tink back after that didn't work. I said (insert favorit explitive here) and pulled them off the needles and frogged it. I quickly found that if I had gone down 2 more rows, I would've righted myself and not had an issue. As it was I spent all day yesterday attempting to get it going again after such a quick success the first time. Once I got the ball rolling, I was fine. I've been super diligent about checking for crosses since. See how pretty? I'm loving the way this is knitting up. The colors are so ME! I'm loving the summery vibe of it. I keep thinking of those utopian summer ideals of watermelons and sunshine and lush lawns. One of the girls at work said it reminded her of a vibrant field of poppies on a clear day. If this is what I'm thinking now, imagine what it will be like when I get to the toe. I can't express how bad the phone cam is not capturing these beautiful colors. I'm going to have to see if I can't get a real digital camera pic to show you how absolutely beautiful they are.

Get by with a little help...

So I've finally snapped out of my funk. Why? Well this beauty is why. :) Yes, Miss Julia said thanks for the Maryland Swag by filling an order for some hard to get Vesper Sock Yarn. But even better is the colorway. It's an original named after yours truly. And she hit the nail on the head. This pics just do not do justice to the beautiful varied greens and flamy orange/reds. I've got to finish off my first STR Silkie Grasshopper sock before I can start my Sock In Sock. Talk about encouragement. I think it was the blue moon or maybe the Blood Moon we saw leaving Knit Knite at B&N. Speaking of which, Carly brought her friend Emily again. Yes she's converted another one. Emily's great and I don't think there's a musical she doesn't know. We're going to have to get both of these ladies addicted to socks shortly.

After my socks, I've got to do a baby sweater for one of my Sys Admins at work. He and his new wife are expecting their first at the beginning of August. It's going to be in that lovely stuff I bought from Tess in Maryland. As usual, I'll do a Babies & Bears maybe switching up the collar but I'll have to see. As the kindly elderly woman in Maryland said "It's not those CRAP baby colors." :) I'm hoping to get my blog act together this week since soccer is over and baseball is winding down. I know I only posted TWICE during May. The plan is to start plying my stuff on the spinning front and share my joy. :)

Here There Be Dragons

Well it's eyeless but ready to be seen. Here's the Dragon Scarf. Elder Celting was happy enough to model it. He decided that he liked the red so he keeps this one. Younger Celting liked the green on the pattern so I'll be ordering stuff for that one. I'm hoping Morehouse Farm will allow me to get the kit at a discount since I've already bought one kit and don't need the pattern. With my luck, I'm going to be making the eyes myself and ordering elsewhere. So now I'm working on my Rockin' Sock Club pattern Grasshopper. Not sure how much I like it but I do love the yarn. And I'm waiting on my delivery of Vesper sock yarn to do my Socks in Socks. I think it's really a slump for me right now so perhaps I should be kicking to get the spinning done. Just working being motivated which is hard to do when you're attempting to keep up with soccer, baseball, and general Celting schedules. Not to mention trying to keep the coworkers functional to the point where I don't have to cleanup their messes. Perhaps I should just write a pattern or dye some yarn to get out of this funk.

I Can't Believe I Walked the Whole Thing....

I made it back from the Festival and boy am I tired. I spent two days walking around trying to find beautiful stuff. I'm a couch potato and my legs are now reminding me. It was beautiful weather there. Cool not cold, beautiful skies. But on to the booty....
I got a ton of stuff see? My goal was to find some fun stuff to spin that I couldn't get locally. I was also wanting to get some fun yarns to play with. I think I got some good deals and some fun stuff. We started by going to The Fold for Socks that Rock. There was a line to get in just to look and a line to pay for your purchases. They were both long. Check out Laurie's page, she snapped some pics. I managed to get two yummy colorways and a pattern I've been liking. I showed great restraint. Then we were off to Little Barn for bargains. I found some yummy fibers to spin. That purple one and the stripey one. I spent about $20 for both. Laurie bought a ton of stuff to custom dye. From there, I went to buy stuff for myself, Julia, and Heather at the Festival counter. LONG LINE. But interesting people to talk to.

After that, we went over to Tess Yarns to see what she has. Always beautiful colorways and I'm weak. I was originally going to just grab a skein of ribbon and maybe some of her baby/sock yarn. See that bag of blue yarn? That's what I bought. I can't get the beautiful color to show right but it sang a siren song. Saw it and couldn't put it back. Was tempted with a sideways tank but when I went back on Sunday she didn't have enough ribbon in the color I wanted to do it in.

The rest of the weekend was spent trolling through all the booths finding yummy things. Laurie saw the Dragon Scarf and dragged me over. The Celtings adore dragons. Guess what they're getting. :) Found that burgundy/green/brown sock yarn twice. Once on Saturday and once on Sunday. It was meant to be as it's name is "Dirty Girl", go figure.

The most interesting person I saw though was the 6'4" man with a shaved head, Harley shirt, and a KILT. Snapped some pictures with the film camera and will post when developed along with his interesting story. Oh and there was this lady with purple hair to match her purple jacket. No she wasn't a 20 something. Try more like 50 or 60 something. Like that bright pastel purple you see in all the little girl clothes. Not sure what that was.

Well I'll post more as I wrap things up. Just wanted to share my stash expansion.