I'm pea Green with Envy

Pea Green I tell ya. LOOK! I'm sooooooooooooo excited. Purple and green are my daughters favorite colors. She wears lots and lots of purple and green. Over Christmas she picked out this purple and green Baby Alpaca Yarn and wanted me to make her a scarf. Well...it is super super soft and I hope she's happy with it, as well as warm. I had to go back and get one more hang of each color, making it far more expensive than most scarves I make. Shhhhhhh, don't tell hubby how much I spent. I knitted this using Close checks in multiples of 6+3. One day, I'll buy some for myself because it feels so nice around your neck.


And drum roll, the purse....no I didn't make it. Not that talented with thread and needle. Karen did. You can look through all her wonderful creations on her etsy site as well as her blog. I highly recommend her work. And in a few days will show one I splurged and bought for myself. Her prices are reasonable, her workmanship is excellent, and her creative flare for putting together colors and patterns is awesome. Be sure and tell her I sent you.

When I Grow Up I'm Gonna....

When I grow up, I'm gonna be? What? This yummy, super soft baby alpaca yarn is waiting to be something. My daughter selected this when we had a yarn shopping day. She loves green and purple. Most of her clothes are green and purple. Her room where she's living will be green and purple (still hasn't technically moved in).

This yarn is too pricey to buy much of it, so one skein of each limits what it came become. She asked for a scarf and while she knits herself; she wanted something beyond her current knitting skills. So, it's not really a question of what it will become; but the details of what type of scarf. So, when you shop for yarn, do you know ahead what you're going to make? Or do you buy colors, textures you like and figure it out later?

She asked for stripes, so currently I'm thinking about whether or not I want each color to have it's own texture, or maybe only one color have a pattern/texture with stitches in contrast to a plain 2nd color....Thoughts? I don't think I want both stripes be the same stitch?

Proud Mommy here!

We left town on Thursday after hubby got off work and drove to Morgantown, WV...half way, or there abouts. Left after breakfast the next day to arrive in Baltimore in time to check in, unpack and head to an afternoon reception. Our daughter and a friend from DC joined us at the hotel briefly before we headed to the College for the reception.
She's part of Operation Teach, similiar to Teach America except through The Church. The reception was very nice. The program is a two year program where you teach, live in community housing and live on a stipend; work full time teaching and go to grad school for your Masters. She's been teaching 5th grade in a need based area. She's worked very hard these past 2 years, working and going to school full time, singing in the Handel Choir of Baltimore.

After the reception we attended The Baccalaureate where they spoke alot about service to others and giving of yourself. It was very moving. Then we collected a 2nd friend of our daughters from the train station and headed to dinner. We ate dinner in Little Italy in Baltimore, near the Inner Harbor at Cafe Gia's. Food was very good, service ok...laid back and friendly. Hubby walked with another gentlemen to a nearby store to buy several bottles of wine as they do not have license yet and allow bring your own bottle.

Sat...way too early, the 5 of us were up showered and making our way downtown to the convention center for the graduation. Graduation's always seem long as you sit in not so comfortable chairs most of the time; but still very exciting. We're very proud of our daughter. Congrats Chrissy! We then headed to lunch in the Federal Hill area (also near Inner Harbor) at Ropewalk, where the 3 other girls in her community house who were graduating were collecting up with their families. Got our daughters 2 friends back on the train to head back to DC, and then we headed back to the hotel to relax a bit. Later we ate pizza in and called it a day.

Sunday after breakfast at the hotel we headed to her house to pack up as much as we could. Our car was really loaded, leaving just enough room for our suitcase for the return trip home. Packed up her office primarily, books and supplies that she'll not need for the remainder of the school year. Left our car at the hotel and used her's to go to dinner that evening, again in Little Italy. Italian food is always a plus for us. Dalesio's, a very quiet and relaxed location, right across the street on Eastern from Cafe Gia's where we had been on Friday. They do serve wine here, so no need to walk and purchase, definately not as laid back. One room was filled with Italian speaking folks, which was pretty cool.

I highly recommend both establishments, though I believe the veal was better at Cafe Gia, the connolli' was better at Dalesio's.

The end of Darling Daughters Yarn

You might recall DD bringing home a bag of yarn at Christmas, yarn she wanted scarfs to be made from. Several she wanted for herself, others for her housemates; and I think a fellow teacher or two.

I've posted them off and on here since, the finished projects that is. Not the housemates. lol

Just tucked in the last ends on this scarf, one more from The Light n Lofty Yarn she likes so much


And another hat for recess. It's cold when you're a teacher on recess duty. This is the 3rd hat I've crocheted for her. Though the pattern called for puff stitches, I only had the one skein of Lion Brand Jiffy #325 El Paso, and so did the whole thing in DC. It's certainly thick enough given the bulky yarn; just doesn't have the texture her 2 previous hats did.

The hat is made from a now favorite hat pattern Puffy Sloucy Hat. I printed it from a free site here on the net, will look and come back with link for you all. Nice pattern. Good change from the tight fitting, I've had a hat on my head patterns.

Things are really moving along nicely on The Bridge Project. Please take a minute and check it out.

My SIL, is having fun with her blog. If you've not had a chance, please stop by and chat. If you're a teacher, a mother, a grandma in need of quality writing suggestions/games for children, her blog truly is a must read. Got a particular problem, post it for her help.

Mr. Mitten has a story you might enjoy reading.

D r A M a

Too much drama going on work these days. People are irritable, getting on each others nerves. People need to relax and be kinder to each other. Often it's not what one says; but how one says things that can make a difference. Take a deep breathe people, think before you speak.

We work in 2 different buildings, however we all work for the same company; and still need to work together. We're not. It's building against building right now, fighting over parking spaces, fighting over who works harder, fighting over who works the worst or best hours. I want to get everyone in one room in the same building and say GROW UP and STOP being so petty. Some of it I understand. It's my nature to see both sides of things...I am a middle child. I am the peace maker, I've always been in that role. I dislike tormoil, can't we hold hands and sing Kumbaah (sp?). Seriously. Work would be easier for all if we could get rid of the drama. Sigh.......

So...it's not about yarn, but drama = D, and thats the best I can do today. lol

I can however report on the A part of the alphabet. I finally got a good start on the Opal Ghan, previously you saw the yarn it it's project bag. Here now is the progress of that.


and one of the many WIP (brown light and lofty, another scarf for ----you know that darling daughter in Baltimore.


Those are 2 items I've worked on the last 2 days. Today, I'll work on mittens, and tomorrow more rectangles for Warm Up America, as I need to wrap that up...deadline is approaching.

Darling Daughter x 2

How darling is she? REALLY DARLING... Really. I know parents complain about kids, but she's perfect. Love her to pieces. Friends talk about how glad they are when kids go back to school, move out, get married, go home after a visit. They talk about how kids are lazy. Truly, my daughter is, and has been for many years ...The BUSIEST Person I've ever known. Not at all lazy. When she was in HS she took tough subjects and did well, while doing everything possible in the way of after school projects-clubs-groups, and had a job, and participated in 2 choirs. When she graduated and went off to college about 500 miles away...pretty much the same. She did a double major, she worked, she was active in church activities, sang in the church choir, was active in a sorority. After graduation she did a year of internship with the church, sang in the choir, babysat, and a host of extra activities she continued to do both for The University (Washington Unv. in St. Louis), and for the Sorority.

She's now in Baltimore, teaching full time (5th grade), doing her last symester of grad school, singing in The Handel Choir of Baltimore. Truly a busy person.

When she was home for Christmas, she always a pleasure to have around. She took me to work, she fixed dinner. She always calls when she's out to see if we need her to pick up anything. She really is a DARLING DAUGHTER.

She asked for several scarfs, brought home yarn she liked to have me use. So here are 2 more scarfs I recently finished and popped in the mail for her. Both are knitted. Used double strand Light and Lofty for the brown-orangish one and #19 needles, and #15 needles for single strand for the pink, also a Light and Lofty Yarn.

Got a bit more yarn she brought home, but will take a break and do some of the charity work I want to do and then return to her yarn. Previous post shows a couple of the scarfs she asked for.

***I'm super anxious to make some mittens, been hunting and hunting for a good pattern for The Bridge Project.

Darling Daughter

This is such a softttttttttt scarf. Made with lemonade Lion Brand Homespun. Some of the yarn DD brought home for Christmas to have me make a scarf. I used size 19 knitting needles and regular garter stitch. It's really nice to touch. The texture is good. Made with double strands and just 1 skein. I had my doubts there would be enough yarn; but the pattern was on the inside of the skien so I thought I'd try it out.

This is yes...knitted with size 19 needles...big and double strand Red Heart Light and Lofty Yarn. It's fun to work with. The colors are Paprika Multi and Spice. A fun combination. More yarn DD brought home wanting scarfs.

This is also knitted with double strand; but it's 1 strand of multi-colored homespun (the one I mentioned in previous post as being such a pain), and 1 strand of thin wool, not quick sock weight wool; but close. I used 15 needles for this. I love the funky look of the colors, it's thick; not super soft; but nice.

She's outside alot to and from school, where she teaches 5th grade and on playground duty, then there's the in and out at grad school where she's working on her master, and the in and out for choir practice. She sings for The Handel Choir of Baltimore. So, she likes scarfs plus I think she wanted a few to give as gifts. Delayed gifts; but thats normal I think for the teachers and those in her program.

Got a few more to do, but may take a break and work on some baby goodies for one of my groups.

Long days all week this week at work, but will get home in time to watch the football game tonight. The Fiesta Bowl. Go Buckeyes