Knitting, Wedding and Life

I thought that title would get you.

My knitting, let's see, I finished Carlos socks, finished 2 test knits, Switchboard Socks, Men's Mod sock and am working on my Tokena socks from Sock Madness. Here is Switchboard socks I used Mountain Colors, Northern Lights in a Sport weight. I like this pattern and was easy to remember. My boss Lisa, claimed this pair as they came off the needles so I don't have them any longer.

Then there is my Men's Mod socks they were for a man but I knit them to fit my feet or a just smaller. I used one of my favorite dyers Hazel Knits in Beach Glass. The best part of this pattern I got to learn how to do cables without a cable needle and that saved a lot of time. I am going to try and do this again. The cables where small, I only had to switch two stitches I don't know if I will be able to do more but I'm going to give it a try.

Now for my Tokena socks I have started the second one and am on the second one now and am working away on them. This is the first time that I have worked with two different colors in socks so it was a challenge. I used SHiBUi sock yarn. Unfortunately I didn't make it in to the third round of Sock Madness, we had to go to Vegas so that messed up the knitting on this sock. But we had fun so who cares.

I have ordered my yarn for my next project. I am going to make a wrap for the bride in the wedding that I mentioned. I'm going to use Dream in Color Baby, its a lace weight, in Baby Don't Be Blue. This color will match the bridesmaids dresses. I'm going to use Evelyn Clark's pattern Estonian Garden. I picked this pattern out for me but when will I ever wear it and I wanted to do a lace project this year. So now I will have another of my wants done.

The Wedding

Will be August 16, for................................. Micheal and Abby. So family mark your calendars. They have decided to get hitched while he is on his two week leave after school is finished. I can't talk him out of it so I will support his decision no matter what I think. Micheal is doing good at basic training he still is homesick and says the army life isn't for him. But I guess he'll have to make the most of it for a while. He loves all the mail he gets, if I can't write a letter I send a card. Something real stupid and fun with a hope to put a smile on his face.

The Restaurant is going well. I am going to start working Saturday. Tony is having a meeting on Saturday so I will start my training after that and then work a Banquet and the Best Western. I feel like I'm going to work myself to much, I guess I'm just scared about loosing knitting time. You should have guessed that.

Gena and I are planning our trip to Sock Summit in August, the weekend before the wedding. But it will all have to work out we're NOT missing this it won't happen again in our area and we want to meet some great teachers. We are going to go down now on Wed and will be there for the whole summit. Now all we have to hope for is that we get the classes that we want. Its first come so it will be F5 till we are registered. It should be a fun weekend.

Well that's about it. I'll post a few pictures that I look around the house later. So keep cool or warm which ever fits you area and keep those sticks aclickn'.

Happily knitting socks, Bye.

WIP

I've finished a pair of socks YEA!!! It seems like its been so long since I have finally finished a pair. I'm proud of myself. Now to finish 3 more pair. I finished Carlos' socks all I have to do is deliver them to him and pray that they fit. I know that they should fit, Tony tried them on and they where big on him. So they should be good to go.
I'm now trying to finish the Switchboard socks at this moment I'm working on the gusset then on to the foot, the toe and kitchener close. I hope to have them done by tomorrow. I want to get these three socks done. I have found some fun patterns that I want to do. I just got Cookie A.'s new book "Sock innovation" and there is some great patterns in there and I just ordered Wendy Knits new book "Socks Toe Up". Both ladies are great designers and I can't wait to start new socks but I have to finish.
I have got several sample knitting's in the works and can't wait to hear from people to start working for them. Of course I work for yarn so what more can you ask for my stash keeps growing and my knitting abilities grow. I figure as long as I'm learning new things I'm good and I love to learn.

Micheal wrote again, he does regret his choice of going into the Army but he has to live with it. In a letter he wrote to his brother he stated,"People always say don't take freedom for granted. There's people fighting for you to keep those rights. I finally see why they say that. We have to give up ours to protect yours and you disrespect it?" Boy did it hit home he finally understands what everyone has been saying to him. Look what it took. He has been ill and had to go to the hospital but he is doing better, he is on light duty what ever that means in the army.

The restaurant is doing good and Tony is enjoying going back to work. I seems to be thriving on the hours he is putting in 1o hour days but as long s he enjoys it I'll keep my mouth shut. I am told that I will be starting next week a little sooner then what I wanted to but if it keep Tony happy and I don't burnout to fast I will. I still plan on keeping my job at the Best Western for now and just working 3 nights for Tony will see.
Well don't have much else to say so keep those sticks a clickn'.
Happily knitting socks, Bye.

First Day

Tony made it through his first day as an owner. Lunch was quite but they had a good dinner. Now today is a different story. The weather was blah mixed with a little or a lot of rain depending on the time of day. They had a great lunch so Tony had to work a little harder. So we'll see what tonight brings. Being it's Friday night he should have a good turn out for dinner. I will be starting the first of May working with him. I felt the employees should get use to him before I start.
As for my knitting I got the sample knitting done all that needs to be done is wash and block. I hope it looks a little better afterwards. Hope to get Carlos' socks done this weekend and then to tackle the rest.
So stay warm and cool depending on where you are and keep those sticks aclickn'.
Happily knitting socks, Bye.

WIP Sock Summit

Here's my Work In Progress and I have to much.

1. A sample knit for Woolgirl it's almost done.
2. Gentleman 's socks 1 done, working on the foot of sock 2
3. Switchboard Socks a test knit that is now available for sale. 1 done
4. Men's Mod sock, a test knit. 1 done
5. Vegas Tokena sock madness 1 done

As you can see I have a lot of socks in the works and not much progress. I have decided not to start another thing till I have gotten these socks done. I still have two more sock to finish for the crew at work and then that is done. But I love the pressure this all gives me. I plan to get these all done this month. I want to start new things.

Sock Summit
Gena and I are making plans to go. so far we have a room, I used my employee discount and got a great deal. We now have to decide what class to take while we are there. I know that I want to take a spindle spinning class and at least 2 knitting class to help improve my knitting I just know which ones I want to take. There is so many classes they have not put out the schedule for the class so it's hard to decide. We have decided to take the train down to Portland so that way no one has to give up knitting time. It should be a fun weekend.

Micheal also graduates that weekend from his training and he'll be coming home then for 2 weeks. He is talking about getting married then also. I think he should wait a bit if things go the way he is talking. Being deployed to Afghanistan is not fair to Abby. But its not my choice to make it's theirs. So what ever they decided to do I will stand behind them.

Well I think everyone is caught up with my life now so stay warm if its cold and cool if if hot. Keep those sticks aclickn' Happily knitting socks, Bye.

The Nuthouse Grill

We are now owners of the Nuthouse Grill 8874 Bender Rd. Lynden WA 98264
So please feel free to stop by and say Hi. We would love to see you and feed you a great meal.

I'm Still Here

Hello Everyone!!!!

I am still around, I think I've been busy I'm just not for sure. Here's a quickly update:

1. I am officially out of Sock Madness didn't get the second sock done.
2. Went to Vegas that's why I'm out of Sock Madness.
3. Work has been slow not a good excuse.
4. The Nuthouse is coming through nicely.
5. Knitting trying to get all my test knits done.
6. Hearing from Micheal.

So these are the topics I need to cover, done know if I'll get them all done today but will try in the next couple of days. Sorry this is so long. I promise to do better.

Sock Madness and Vegas

I tried but I just couldn't kit on this sock in Vegas the pattern had to be take with me so used on every row so I didn't get to work on it. I did work on it when we were in the room but it seemed like we where always on the move this time. Did a lot of walking, Tony didn't rent a car, so we must have walked a couple of miles every day. The blocks in Vegas are very long.

So this is a far as I got and it the day we left Vegas at least I had a winner. Wasn't a big one but I got to keep playing. We did see a couple of shows. We stayed at the Riviera and seen the Comedy Show there. We went to the Mirage, went through the Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat where we got the see dolphins swimming in . These shown are the babies that were in there own tank. There was a 6 week old dolphin in the tank, there was 4 babies all together. Here is a picture of Siegfried & Roy's White Tigers. They also had Llama's, Lions, Tigers and a baby Tiger. I enjoyed the Llama's but what I really want was the wool. One of the shows we went to see was Terry Fator now if you don't recognize his name he was the winner of "America's Got Talent" show on TV, He was season 2's winner. Terry Fator is an ventriloquist impersonator that uses puppets. This show was fantastic and I would recommend it to anyone going to Vegas to see it. In fact if we go again I want to see his show once more. It was that good. You forget that he is using puppets and think of them as real people and when he sings you would think that,that is real person singing and not him.

He can sing so many different style's of music. He sang blues, country, rock and roll, the Beatles, Micheal Jackson, with the moonwalk, and Sonny and Cher. He puts on a great show. He told the audience that he knew that we all brought in our cameras and told us to feel free to take pictures, you could see the flashes going on through the whole show. Then at the end he thanked us the audience for coming to his show and said he would sign autographs till everyone got one that wanted on I thought that was so wonderful. Tony didn't want to stand in line to wait, so I didn't get one.

The weather was great the sun was out the whole time and it felt good to be warm. We had a great get away. But now we are back and the real world begins.

Work has been slow. Not much is happening right now we have been only half full so I've only been work 4 days a week. So that hurts. Micheal before he left talked me into donating plasma, so I've been doing that when I can. I have been turned away because I don't always eat that good and my protein and iron levels fall below a certain point and they don't let you donate. Which is a good thing, they want you to be healthy. I know now to eat a good dinner and lots of spinach or broccoli for my iron, that is where I go wrong.

The Nuthouse is becoming a reality for Tony now. He will be taking over Thursday and the key will be in his hand officially on June 1st. He has to wait till then for his liquor license to come through. This whole process is giving him ulcer's, according to him, so I will be glad when all the paper work is done and all he has to do is run the business. I don't want to start working there until May and then it will be only 3 nights a week for the time being. I'm not going to quit the Best Western yet I'm going to work both for a while until I'm sure of everything.

My knitting is slowly coming along I can't seem to knit fast enough for myself. I'm not getting anything done just a lot of work in progress. Right now I have 5 different socks on the needles and I'm not happy about that. So I don't get to start anything new till I have all these projects done.

Micheal I got a letter from him and Abby keeps me up to day on him. So far he is very homesick and hates the army. I don't know how he's going to get through this if he doesn't get out of his depression, he's only going to get more homesick as time goes on. He has done the gas mask and made it through that. His letter was sad but yet it made me laugh, he missed his Brother and his cars. Which I can believe. He want pictures from home and of his cars. Not of me but of his CARS, it shows what is important to him. This one line really has me worried "Plus I know that I will be getting deployed to Afghanistan. Which freaks me out. They use MP"s more in Iraq and everywhere else because they are better than infantry so they use them as infantry too. Freaks me out." I know that Micheal and Abby are having a hard time through all of this and I just hope she can calm him down and he makes it through. All our prayer and thought are in the airwaves going to Micheal to keep strong.

Well I think I have everyone up to date on my life and happening around here. Spring has arrived everything is turning green and I love the flowers. The raspberries are getting green on them so spring is here. Now if the warm weather would just show up I can start thinking about my garden. So until then. Keep those sticks aclickn'

Happily knitting socks, Bye.