Happy Holidays

Hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving. Are you still eating Turkey?  We had the most wonderful meal at our sons in Gainesville, GA. The kid can cook! I can't even remember what he called what he made but it was a bourbon glazed ham, fresh greenbeans with roasted beets, mashed potatoes with garlic, cheese and cream! Delicious cranberry relish (and I've never liked anything but jellied, this was oh, so good), glazed, roasted winter squash, rutabaga's (never had them either, we always have turnip), homemade bread (he made that too), pumpkin pie, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something else but oh what a delicious meal!

I've been knitting non-stop around here trying to just use up some odd balls of yarn. I've made the famous bandana twice, once for my youngest daughter and once for my oldest granddaughter. I've made mittens, scarves, shawls, hats, one thing that's a secret but if you're on Ravelry you can see it in my projects.  The person  it's for reads my blog so can't post it here. Check out ScrappyKnitter on Ravelry.com and you can see all my busyness.  I'm enjoying the small projects for now and after Christmas I'm hoping to start the Creature Comforts Sweater and Jali Cardigan.

I hope you all have a great holiday season and if you do Christmas, I hope it's Merry and Bright!

Happy Knitting!

Checking in

I seem to be spending more of my time posting pictures and looking at pictures of knitting on Ravelry instead of on my blog. If you are on Ravery I am ScrappyKnitter on there too. If you're really curious to see what I've been knitting that's where to find it. It's just hard to come up with something on here after posting it on there. I do read all of your blogs though, so don't give up, I'm just not good at writing or taking and downloading pictures. I've just found out that I can take a picture with my phone and upload the picture to either Ravelry or Flickr directly from my phone. Now, if I could blog from my phone, I'd be all set!

Hope you all had a great summer.  Mine was way too hot, lasted way too long, but I gained a son-in-law which was fun.  Now I'm thinking cold/sweaters/socks/SNOW!

My favorite to win - cause it's pink of course.

Our son took us to Atlanta for the Petit Le Mans Race at Race Atlanta
What a great day! I love the buzz of those cars.

Happy Knitting!

Owls, Ropes and Bracelets, Oh My!

Wow, okay, we've recouparated from the wedding, the newlyweds are enjoying married life in their adorable little home and my house is almost back to normal.

Life for me goes from totally, 100% B.O.R.I.N.G. to crazy busy. Right now I'm in the first one. The weather is too hot to go outside (and too dang buggy), family is scattered all over the place and everyone else I know lives too far away to just go visit so I'm stuck in the backwoods of Georgia with the dogs, the cats (who aren't much for visiting, they're always outside) and my knitting.  So, for now I'll knit. I'm knitting sweaters, scarves, bracelets, mittens, hats, lace, lace and more lace and the usual house work, the least amount that I can get away with.

CeCe with Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Terracotta Canyon  

Just a big, long knitted rope. Hand dyed wool from
John C Campbell Folk Festival in 2009
Big needles and big yarn = instant FO!

Trying my hand at crocheting a doily
This is another free download from Ravelry
and extra special cause I used my Great Grandmother's Steel crochet hook
(this isn't even in my projects page - will find pattern and post link ASAP)

Owl mitten for my oldest granddaughter
Free pattern on Ravelry

Fun little button bracelet
Another freebie on Ravelry
Made this for my granddaughter's friends

Right Hand mitten
Give A Hoot!

Left Mitten
These are dark, chocolate brown
Cascade 220 - not quite one skein for both mittens
Hat coming soon.

Now I must go type some papers for BTB and find some meaningful things to do around here today. It's hot, humid and the B. Pressure is messing with my head and sinus's all thanks to TS Lee and Hurricane Katia.

Happy Knitting! And, I'm ready for WINTER Stringplay!!!!!

Best Little Southern Wedding Ever!

The Ring Bearer, the Groom and the MOB practicing

The Grooms Mom and the Brides Mom

Father of the Bride and his Baby Girl!

Libby approving the flowers

Me, pinning grandmother of the brides sunflower on (Mother and daughter)

Mrs. Lucas Walsh

Oh, to have her hair and her curls again!

Bride and her Dad (my favorite picture)

Grandparents of the Bride (My parents)

Alexandria Elizebeth

Handcuffed groom with the brides garter (Made by Me)

Brother of the brides contribution to the festivities

Garter by Me

Ring Bearer, Aiden, with pillow by me.

It was a beautiful day and all went well. They are now happily married and living in their new house in AL!

Happy Knitting!

Wedding Week (or losing the dress battle)

The weather is still hot, mid to upper 90's.  The sun is bright, bright, bright and extremely hot. The humidity is in the upper 70's, which means you're wet 5 minutes after walking out the door and the heat index, what it feels like on your body, is between 103-107 on a good day. No change in sight for the week ahead. Me, ScrappyKnitter, the Mother of the Bride, is having NO luck finding anything to wear for the big day. Everyone's tired of hearing me complain about my "new size" of huge, hatred for this heat inside my body and outside my body, my gray hair and did I mention the heat?  Guests will start arriving on Wednesday and I can't even begin to think about what the heck needs to be done. Thank God for the husband. Without him it wouldn't be possible to have all this ready by next Saturday.

The bride and groom are getting excited. The Mother and Father of the Bride are getting excited.  We're just all so tired. More from thinking than doing. Not much to do for an outdoor wedding until the few days before. Our oldest daughter will be the photographer so I'll have lots of photo's to post when I recuperate from the big day.  Seems weddings are much different now than they were 36 years ago when i got married.  No wedding cake, she wants cupcakes done in a tower on the table. No veil, but she's got such a beautiful head of the most perfect curls she really doesn't need one. Bare feet (not me, I've been bitten enough by fire ants to last me a lifetime). Informal, very informal. I get it cause it's just like her, the way she's always been. She doesn't want to be like everyone else, she wants to be what she is. Plain, simple and beautiful. So, our yard will be all done up in colorful lanterns, lots of sunflowers, close friends, close relatives, and nieces and nephew and I pray it all goes the way the Bride and Groom want it and just one small prayer that the Mother of the Bride makes it through the week. The Father of the Bride too, who is in charge of the lawn, the weeds, the dog piles and keeping us all sane. In this heat. This unbearable, stifling, heat.

Ok, I feel better after my rant. Must go put on the smallest amount of clothes that are legal and see about washing some outdoor deck furniture, the deck and putting all my plants/cactus somewhere.  If you're down near Savannah, GA next Saturday, stop in, we'll give you a hotdog or a hamburg. Oh, did I mention that........she wants a cookout after the wedding with hamburgs, hotdogs, all the fixin's, a fire in the fire pit to roast marshmellows and the wedding's at 7 p.m.  You'll find me leaning up against one of the pecan trees in my back yard with my eyes closed. 

Itty bitty bags. Sometimes you just have to do something to keep your fingers nimble till you can knit again. This is a free pattern on Ravelry and we put 1/2 of a dryer sheet in each and hung them from our rear view mirrors in our cars. Mine is pink (of course) and the Brides is green. Quick and lots of fun.

Happy Knitting!

35 Years of Camping Shawl aka EZ Camping Shawl

35th Anniversary Camping Shawl

Close Up

A few mistakes but lots of fun, except blocking. Back breaking and wasn't sure how to block out the little scalloped edges.

It took up my entire dining room table, and then some.

Here's a bargain. If you live near a Wal~mart RUN and get some. They were only $5.00!  They are 12" square and there's 9 squares. I figured that was a great amount for blocking scarves, small items like socks, cowls, mittens, etc. 

I also found crochet hooks in the smaller sizes (B, C, D, E) for $1.28, also at Walmart!  Fun shopping trip today.

That's my measuring tape. It measured 39" long and the wing span is approximately 71". I used 228 pins and 8 blocking wires.  Took me a long, long, long time to bock it.  Now, what to do with it.

Happy Knitting!

I'm a Once A Month Blogger!

I can't believe it was May 23rd when I blogged last.  Well, lots has been going on and I've been either busy, sick, or busy.  Actually, I haven't been that busy, except I consider my knitting being busy. I've just been diagnosed with Thryoid Disease, which isn't a bad thing because I thought I must be dying a slow death of something mysterious that no-one could figure out.  I've had no, and I mean NO, ambition, never feel good, tired beyond tired, major weight gain, depressed, all kinds of things.  So, my youngest and my Mom insisted I go and have a blood test to check my T3-T4 and TSH (?), which are thyroid hormones.  Well, they came back high, I'm on thyroid meds and HOPING they make me feel more like myself instead of an 80 year old woman on her last leg!  'nough said.


The Baby Girl, her fiance' and her best friend are in Africa again.  This is Alex's 3rd trip and she'll be gone for 6 weeks, then back 8 days and then her wedding.  My oh my that child has a lot on her plate and flew away to Africa.  Now I'm getting e-mails that "I forgot to do this, I forgot to that," so I have things to do besides knit. They are having a blast and I'm looking forward to my 3rd skein of "African Yarn."

Jeck Sock  One down, one to go

Add captionWendy's Mystery shawlette KAL

My little Japanese Bear to help Japan rebuild

Wendy's Mystery Shawl before blocking

Made this for one of Alex's friends in Africa.

Saroyan for Africa

Annis in Lotus Blossom Aurora

Citron

Knit One, Crochet Too Crock-O-Dye Wendy's Mystery Shawl KAL

I also finished my EZ Shawl that I started last summer around our 35th Anniversay, since it was 8/9/10 and EZ's 100th Birthday was the same day. Only took 10 months!!! I am now finishing up the Goddess Knits Anniversary Shawl. If you look on my projects page (ScrappyKnitter on Ravelry) you'll see that took a whole lot longer!

The cute model showing off all my knitting is my youngest granddaughter Lyssa (nick name Baby Jane). She loves to model, even in this hot weather. Notice she has on a shrug? Ick! Too hot for that. Thanks Baby Jane!

Off to knit. Hope it's cool where you are because here there's nothing else to do this summer but sit in the a/c. It's even too hot to get in our pool. Had 4 days this week over 100, with the heat index up around 104. Too hot for this Northerner!

Happy Knitting!

Knitting, Wedding Parties, Family and Camping

 Because Sonja put this on her blog, and I read it, I decided it was time for me to do another KAL (knit a-long).  The first one I ever did was with Wendy at Wendyknits.  This is the Summer Mystery Shawl.

 The Baby Girl had a camp out with her wedding party, Mom (me) and Dad, Libby and Maggi (the puppies), her Big Sister, Big Brother and niece Lyssa and nephew Jay.  We had 3 tents and 1 camper (Mom and Dad's) all lined up. 14 people and lots of site seeing around the park, campfires, roasted marshmallow's, hikes in the woods and card games.

 Actually got my 'son-in-law to be' to hold up my Jeck sock.

 Then, his groomsman, Ben got a turn (notice him looking?).

Then it was Neal's turn.  Now, Neal didn't want to just hold it for a picture, he wanted to know how the "heck you make a sock?"  So, he studied it real hard, I showed him how to knit one stitch and that was it.  That's the Baby Girl looking, and laughing. She can't figure out how I make them either (magic, right?) but she sure likes wearing them. She didn't even ask if this one was for her.

Happy Knitting!