Happy New Year!

Wishing my Family and Friends a Happy & Healthy New Year!

Fess-Up Fiber Friday #1

Fess-Up Fiber Friday posts will allow me to record information on various yarns in my stash.

Each Friday I will select a particular yarn from my stash and take a quick pic of the fiber (and perhaps the pattern), make notation of the future project for the yarn and comment on such topics as quality of the fiber, place and date of purchase, etc. (I think you get the picture).

My first Fess-Up Fiber Friday is Boku from Plymouth Yarn.

Yarn Details
Brand: Plymouth Yarn
Yarn Name: BOKU
Color: #4
Content: 95% Wool/5% Silk
Skein Weight: 50g = 99 yds

Project Plans: Triangle Shawl #1110

Comments: I saw a sample of this shawl while visitng a yarn shop in Virginia(with Jeannie and Laurie) and actually tried the sample on and found the shawl to be ever so comfortable and attractive. How could I resist the Boku when a LYS put the yarn on sale at 50% off!

CHRISTMAS IS A TIME............

...to celebrate the birth of our King!

From my Home to Yours
Merry Christmas and A Happy Holiday Season!


Tootie is in quite the festive mood with a little sparkle in her ears!

So Vintage So Me

I'm not particularly into Vintage clothing, but when it's a sweater hand made by my Mom, I'm into Vintage!! This is a sweater she knit for me in 1957. I remember wearing it for many years and feeling so Girlie!
This sweater is 100% wool. I think cotton and wool were the only yarn choices in 1957, at least in the Foot Hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. Mom purchased the wool from a small five & dime type store and ordered the Angora from Montgomery and Ward! I remember her receiving the little ball of Angora and how "Special" I felt that she actually ordered yarn for "My Sweater"!

It continues to warm my heart each time I pull this sweater from the cotton bag that is always stored on a top shelf in my closet. Over the years, this piece has made every move with me and I consider this truly one of my Treasures.

Knit Picky's Holiday Party

A group of Knit Picky knitters met Sunday evening at Foot Hill's Brewery to celebrate the Holiday Season. The evening was festive with Door Prizes, Dirty Santa gift exchange (knitting related gifts of course), Drinks, Dinner and a Very Lively Group of Knitters! Knitters Rock!

Please enjoy pics from the evening.....................


Knitters Making Christmas Cheers!

Knitting is a Good Thing!

Jeannie, Laurie and Knit Picky Owner, Jo.

Knitters Junebug and Lady Di.

Knitters in the Holiday Spirit.

Four Day Birthday Celebration

Today, December 10th, is officially my Birthday and I am now ** years old. Enough said about the age thingy, but I will tell you I hit a milestone this year and it was a BIG ONE !

Birthday Dinner with my two favorite guys....Hubby-Bill, Son-Brack and our Lisa (Brack's Girl Friend).

Actually, the Birthday celebrations started on Friday with a day of shopping, eating and giggling with Mom. She is so easy to love and be around and totally lifts my spirits and fills me with joy! I am forever thankful for her and love her dearly!

My Saturday afternoon was spent visiting and sharing war stories with my "Gem Sister" Judy. We share a common love for anything that glitters, sparkles or is furry with pelts. No encouragement or excuses are needed for us to spend hours acting like young girls and playing with our prized possessions! We are probably closer than most sisters....yea, like two peas in a pod!

DH and I ended The Saturday Celebration with dinner at Milner's with our Special Friends, Ronda and Jerry. The company was superb and the dinner fabulous!

A quick pic before dinner!

Sunday was an unforgettable day when Dear Friends, Jeannie and Laurie surprised me with far too much attention...I love you girl friends! There was sock yarn, knitting books, birthday cake, candles, wine, Boyds Bears calendar, the list goes on and on.

Some of my Birthday Cards and Goodies.....

Thank you all for making this such a marvelous Birthday. I am truly blessed to have such supportive and loving family and friends.

GO HOKIES

Getting my Groove Back

After what I thought to be a slow start, I really seem to be Getting my (Silver Belle) Groove Back. I have finished the Peplum, but left it on the needles as I may still add another additional inch (a couple of inches have already been added). The right sleeve and yoke are complete and ready for the neck shaping. I decided to start the left sleeve and yoke and do the neck shaping on the right and left yoke in sequence....sounds like I may have an assembly line of sorts!

This project should be off the needles by New Years...'cause it may take me a while just to put the sweater together once the knitting is complete. You see I am a knitting "Newbie" and much of my time is spent studing the pattern/instructions.

Even with this crappy nasty cold this week, I have pushed myself to rise and shine everyday to:

1. be at my desk by 8:00 am

2. keep my knitting Groove by starting the left sleeve Thursday evening

See my left sleeve progress...........

I love cables, but this is my second large cable project and I think my cable needle may be put to rest when Silver Belle is finished...at least for a while. See my cn below (I tried 3 different cable needles before selecting this one as my favorite) and wouldn't you agree she looks overworked??

Happy Early Birthday to Me

Today I received my ""Early"" Birthday Present (from me to me).....Hanne Falkenberg Ballerina Swinger Jacket.

I ordered this kit from Cucumberpatch on Ebay and am totally amazed that I received it in 6 days from date of order! Now keep in mind, my kit was shipped from the UK. This Ebay seller had excellent feedback and not only offered excellent pricing on many Hanne Falkenberg kits, but Cucumberpatch also sells many different yarn lines.

This project will possibly be the most challenging project for me yet! After a quick glance at the pattern I realize knitting (all in garter stitch) the garment will not be the issue...the issue will be reading the dang pattern. I will be joining the Hanne Falkenberg KAL over the Thanksgiving Holiday and will pray for some guidance from other KAL members.

The yarn is fabulous and I chose the Khaki and Ivory variation. The Khaki tends to lean more on the green side and the richness of the Khaki and Ivory combination is beautiful.

Yea, this one will test my patience, but in the end I'm sure it will be a cherished jacket for me. I so love a challenge!

Hope you all have a Wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving!

Raverly and Blogoholic

My Name is Knitting Diva (aka Dawn) and I am a Raverly and Blogoholic!

I was sooo excited to start Silver Belle on November 1st and have completed only 4" of the Peplum. (Far too much Raverly and Blog Surfing and far too little productive knitting)


Now let me seeeeeee, at this rate I may finished SB in about 5 to 6 months and that is totally unacceptable! Yes, unacceptable 'cause I have many other "little delightfuls" to knit up. So please excuse me while I pick up needles and yarn and get to it!!

Birch

Birch is finished and is delicious! I used Rowan Kid Silk Haze in Smoke and US #6 needles. Birch is a shawl that I will surely enjoy wearing for many years. Wouldn't this shawl be HOT in RED? Oh yea......

cont'd...Smitten with Silver Belle

Well, I broke "bad' yesterday! Common Threads was having a 20% to 50% off sale (On Everything) and I soon found myself married to 17 balls of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in a beautiful striking shade of blue. Everyone that knows me, knows how Silver Belle has haunted me for weeks and what lady in her right mind could resist Silver Belle and an Outrageous Common Threads Sale too? Simply put, yesterday my resistance turned to putty!!

I have joined the Silver Belle KAL and already have read many super tips, suggestions and have found fellow knitter's experiences on the project to be most helpful. I completed the gauge last evening and did the 428 cast on........man is that a lot of cast on(s). Guess you could say I have offical started Silver Belle!

Garter Stitch Jacket - Not for Sale....

Oh how I love you Lucy.......that's my Noro - Lucy Garter Stitch Jacket!

This jacket was completed in plenty of time to enjoy last winter and enjoy it, I did. The Noro Kochoran yarn is marvelous, the more you wear Lucy the fuzzier she gets.

True Lucy story, last winter I was profiling Lucy at Borders with my DH and a lady actually wanted to "Buy Her"...of course Lucy was not for sale!

Pattern: Noro - Lucy Garter Stitch Jacket
Yarn: Noro - Kochoran
Color: #12
Needles: Pattern calls for #10 (I used #8)
Knitting Date: October - November, 2006

Noro - Gesta Vest

This is a Noro vest I finished last December. What a simple, quick knit. This would be an excellent first garment piece for a knitting "newbie" that knits and purls.

Yarn: Noro - Transitions
Color: #4
Pattern: Gesta
Size: Medium
Skeins: 3

Travels Around Virginia with Knitting in Mind......

Jeannie, Laurie and myself had a beautiful day traveling in Blacksburg and Roanoke, Virginia yesterday. The first yarn shop was Mosaic in Blacksburg, then it was on to Roanoke for lunch at Laurie's Mom's (Thanks Becky, it was delicious ). Next stop was Needle on the Square. Both Mosaic and Needle on the Square were filled with fabulous yarns, notions, and the staff was equally warm, friendly, knowledgeable and especially helpful!

We left the shops with new yarn to add to our ever ending stash and new patterns to aid our visions of numerous new projects......that's the reason for the Big Smiles!

The final stop was dinner at Hollywood's! YUM..YUM!

(Warning....Lots of Pictures)

Me, Laurie and Jeannie

Virginia Fall Colors

Tootie & Friend on the road to Virginia

US at Mosaic

Mosaic Stars

Mosaic Yarn Clouds

Love, Love, Love these Project Bags from the Shops!

Dinner at "Hollywoods"

Tootie has too much....Better Than Sex Chocolate Cake at Hollywood's.... !

Cheerful Nina @ 50%....

The Nina Shawl from Mason & Dixon is half finished. In my opinion, the piece is a tad short for a shawl so I decided to add about 12" to the length. The addition of a second Fair Isle section (see the Pink and Orange) is yet another modification made to Nina and I plan to make my black ruffle about an inch wider. The Pink and Orange Fair Isle "Rocks"!


This project was started as a Christmas gift, but I'm sooooo into this "Cheerful" Nina I may have a problem parting ways with her. Oh well, we'll see................

Who Loves Chenille??

I love Chenille....especially when it's Chenille upholstery fabric and a Carpet Knitting Bag from Green Mountain Knitting Bags! I received this bag in July and it is my very Favorite Knitting Bag. The Chenille is delicious in shades of sage, grass, dusty rose, mauve, soft gold and burgundy and the lining is a striking coordinating mauve colored stripe with four fully lined pockets for those little trinkets that every gal must have! The Cherry handles are gorgeous. Martha does a fabulous job with her bags and the construction is super.

If you have not seen her bags you can and should check it out here. I continue to watch Martha's site and once I see a sweater bag that speaks to me with a more contemporary fabric...the order will be placed and I will possess another Green Mountain Bag.