Happy New Year!!!!!

(Here is my family and I at Christmas....Back L-R: Ian, my mom, my sister, my dad and me. Front L-R: Ben and Tim)

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've blogged!!! Between shopping, wrapping, holiday parties and cleaning, I think I got completely overwhelmed with time - and blogging has suffered. Sometimes, I feel like making sure that my Ravelry is updated is more important than blogging. What do you think? Have you felt this way, too??

Anyway, Happy New Year!!

I usually try to do this blog post on New Year's Eve, but we got home pretty late (details on what the heck happened next) so this was the very first year that we missed watching the ball drop in NYC and I forgot to blog somewhere near the end of the year. Ugh.

Christmas Vacation and Pics

Our trip to visit Ian's parents' new house in SC was pretty crazy. House is very nice, though.....huge ceilings, great big yard and the kitchen is amazing....here's a somewhat obscured view of the outside.



The trip there started with us leaving the house at 4 am to get to Boston. Even though we had 1.5 hours before our flight boarded (and had no bags to check in), we got on the plane with 5 minutes to spare. Although, we managed to get to D.C. with no trouble (it was Ben's 1st time on a plane and he loved it!), our connecting flight was cancelled and Ian had to scream and yell to get United to pay for our hotel room for the night (we'd been waiting in the airport for 5 hours at that point). The hotel was beautiful and the amenities fantastic (Holiday Inn in Dulles....AWE-SOME!) - here is the pool area with Tim waving to me- so it actually worked out for the best.



We had a nice visit, like I said...Ian's sister, Felice (see her pic below with the Felted Tote that I made for her) and his grandmother were there, too...and the weather was gorgeous - warm and sunny. A nice change from the freezing cold. Took lots of walks, went shopping, and Ian and I got to stay at ANOTHER beautiful hotel at the Clemson University (where Ian's dad is Head of the Graphics department) - it had a dining room, kitchen, living room, 3 sinks!! and the most comfortable beds/pillows that I've ever slept on in a hotel. It's called the James F. Martin Inn. I totally recommend this place!



The phone reception in that area wasn't great (no reception in their house) so I was lucky to be able to use my iPhone (a Christmas gift from Ian!!!) to check Ravelry and my email while I was there. Really - it was SO cool! (Jackie was so sweet and checked on Cocoa the Bunny and Jack the Cat while we were gone-thanks so much!!)

The trip home was pretty interesting. We left the hotel at 7:30 am and didn't get home until 7:30 pm. (It was supposed to be a 2 hour direct flight) Come to find out, the airport was 2.5 hours away, the flight was slightly delayed, the flight (once we got on) couldn't land in Boston due to the snow, we had to detour to Albany for a while and then we were finally back in Boston. The ride home in the snow was v-e-r-y slow going. We were soo glad to be home last night. But, then, as I said, we were too tired to stay up to see the New Year. At about 9 pm, I poured seltzer water in 4 fancy glasses (didn't have anything else in the house except water) and we clinked glasses....and fell asleep. ZZzzzzzzzzzz...

How was YOUR night??? Hope it was more exciting than mine! LOL

To end this very lengthy and blabbering blog post, I wanted to share some of my finished projects/handspun/books read for the year...with pics sprinkled here and there.

Knitting Projects Finished in 2008

Click here for Ravelry link to all of my projects....

1. The Amanda Hat (3...and pattern) by me
2. Squarey by Jess Hutchinson
3. Icarus by Miriam Felton
4. Christmas Eve Mitts (in pink) by me
5. Hello Kitty Monster Hat by Insubordiknit
6. Wavy (pink) by Sarah Smith
7. Spherey by Jess Hutchinson
8. Lobster Claw Mitts by Morehouse Merino
9. Moose Hat by Bea Ellis
10. Dragon Scarf (Puff) by Morehouse Merino
11. Phiaro Scarf by Katie Himmelberg
12. Forest Canopy Shawl by Susan Lawrence
13. Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark
14. Mountain Scarf by Amy King of Spunky Eclectic
15. Cocoon Lace Scarf by Evelyn A. Clark
16. Lisha Lace Scarf by me
17. Kirby by me/Jess Hutchinson design- inspired
18. Meta Knight by me/Jess Hutchinson design-inspired
19. 1 Poseidon Sock by Tsarina of Socks
20. Clapotis by Kate Gilbert
21. Sarena Cashmere Cowl by Tonia Barry
22. Felted Tote by Two Old Bags
23. Armando Hat (3...Tim wearing his below...and pattern) by me

24. Presto Chango by Valerie Wallis (buttons to be changed to wooden ones)

25. Reverse-Bloom Flower Washcloth by Cindy Taylor

26. Branching Out Scarf by Susan Lawrence

27. Mr. Frosty by Michele Wilcox


Completed Handspun Yarn Created in 2008

1. "Cantaloupe-I'm Already Married" (Globe Mallow by Spritely Goods)
2. "Dragon Flames" (Smouldering Embers by Sereknity)
3. Random handspun (Rolags from different colored corriedale by Halcyon Yarn)
4. "Sexy Silk Bamboo" (Bali Hai bamboo by HollyEqq)

Books Read in 2008

1. Firebird by Janice Graham
2. Child Goddess by Louise Marley
3. Secret Garden by Frances H. Burnett
4. The Little Princess by Frances H. Burnett*
5. Mandy by Julie Andrews
6. Bridge to Terabithia by Katharine Peterson
7. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte*
8. Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse*
9. True Confessions of C. Doyle by Avi
10. Witch of Blackbird Pondy by E.G. Speare
11. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley (strangely enough the name of the woman who owned this house before us)
12. Ann of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
13. Emily of New Moon by L. M. Montgomery
14. Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
15. Down the Garden Path by Beverly Nichols
16. A Thatched Roof by Beverly Nichols*
17. A Village in a Valley by Beverly Nichols
18. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
19. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini*
20. The Age of Innocence by Edith Warton
21. Kissing Christmas Goodbye by Mary Higgens Clark
22. My Antonia by Willa Cather
23. My Life in France by Julia Child*
24. Julie and Julia by Julie Powell
25. The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff
26. Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostert
27. An Innocent Gentleman by Elizabeth Jolley
28. The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber
29. From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
30. Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
31. An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear
32. Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
33. New Day Revolution by Sam Davidson
34. The Velvet Room by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
35. The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
36. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
37. The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
38. Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
39. The Castle of Lyr by Lloyd Alexander
40. Tender to the Bone by Ruth Reichl
41. Comfort Me with Apples by Ruth Reichl
42. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell
43. The Clue in the Old Album by Carolyn Keene
44. The Mystery at Larkspur Lane by Carolyn Keene
45. What Tarot Can Do for You by Barbara Moore
46. Tarot Tips by Ruth and Wald Amberstone
47. The Host by Stephenie Meyer*
48 Twilight by Stephenie Meyer*
49. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
50. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
51. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
52. The Mystic Faerie Tarot by Barbara Moore
53. Strawberry Girl by Lois Lowry
54. Shoo Fly Girl by Lois Lowry
55. The Curse as Dark as Gold by E. Bunce
56. The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan
57. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
58. Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier*
59. Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano
60. The Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes
61. Miss Happiness and Miss Flower by Rumer Godden
62. Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
63. A Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
64. Heidi by Joanna Spyri*
65. Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann
66. A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch
67. Out by Natsuo Kirino
68. The Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez
69. The Painted Veil by A.S. Maugham
70. The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket
71. The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett
72. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson
73. Mason Dixon Knitting II by Kay Gardener and Ann Shayne
74. Mah-Jong, Anyone? by Kitty Strauser
75. French Milk by Lucy Knisley
76. Candy Freak by Steven Almond
77. Cat Among Pigeons by Agatha Christie
78. Destination Unknown by Agatha Christie
79. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith
80. The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth
81. Sarah Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLaughlin
82. The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
83. Miracles on Maple Hill by Joan M. Blos
84. General Winston's Daughter by Sharon Shinn
85. The Conjurer by Cordelia F. Biddle
86. Watership Down by Richard Adams

(*denote my favorite books of the year. I wasn't able to finish 2 of the books I planned on finishing (Animal, Vegetable Mineral and Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver) and didn't get to the other 6 books on my list for the year (Treasure Island, Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury, Tombs of Atrean by Ursula LeGuin, Fire Study and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte), but I think I did pretty well for attempting my book goal. I'll add these books to next year's list...which has 25 books on it so far.

Have a wonderful New Year's Day and hope this year is EXTRA good to you ; )

FO Friday with Show and Tell....

Sweater Sampler!!!!

*Note: just realized that I forgot to put the knitted belt on it...whoops!*

I can't believe I havne't blogged the trip with Julie's group, Chicks with Sticks, yet! I think it was mostly because I...

1. Forgot to bring my camera, so had no pictures to show
2. And been working frantically to finish 3 projects I've been working on. Two are halfway done and the Sweater Sampler was finished today. (see above pic!)

The trip to Maine was FANTASTIC! Not only was the ride up with Melissa, Jackie and Lora fun and quick, but with each mile away from home, my horrible headache was slowly disappearing. Very lucky I was.

The shop, The Yarn Sellar, is adorably cute with lots of wonderful yarns. I think I was most impressed with the friendliness of the owners (Patti and her husband Roger) and the great spot in the back of the store with the long, wooden table for sitting and knitting at. It is an extremely homey and welcoming place.

Not only was I able to see lovely and funny-as-hell Julie again, but there was a local reporter who just "happened" by to interview Patti and Roger about the store. Lucky us...you know why? She also interviewed Julie, Jackie and I for the article!!! Here is the link if you want to read it...it's soooo cool!

Newspaper Article

We had chinese food for lunch (yummy!)...of course, I had green beans (Jackie did, too!) and then knit and LAUGHED for the next three or more hours. It was, I have to say, the BEST knitting get together I've ever been to....with the possible exception of our last Grand View trip. (another one coming up in the fall!!!))

Went out to dinner on the way home with Ericka, Chris, GiGi and Heather.....it was some BBQ joint (can't remember the name) and I have to say that I truly missed having a waitress like Famous April....the sweet potato french fries were yummy, though : )

So, a quick note on the Sweater Sampler.....this wonderful book is written by the talented, Jacqueline Fee and I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend it to every knitter who is thinking about making or designing a sweater. Not only was this sampler fun to make (can you believe that it's as big as a sweater sleeve???), but I was surprised at how much I learned. I thought I knew most of the techniques needed to make a sweater, but boy was I wrong! Here are just some of the techniques you learn while knitting this:

-Cable Cast on (very pretty), garter/stockinette, ribbing (3 kinds), and connecting yarn
-Stripes, short rows, chain selvedge, buttonholes, pockets (2 kinds), increases, decreases
-Two color knitting, swiss darning, icord, knitted belt, lace
-4 kinds of bind offs.....icord, lace, ribbing and hem with intials
-Grafting and knitted loops

WoWWW!!! Well worth the money! Find it HERE. (I used one skein of natural and one of pink in Patons Classic Merino with size 6 needles...16" circ and dpns.)

On to the Show and Tell! (short and sweet)

1. Sparkly Fiber (Easter Egg Hunt) and Sparkle itself from Yarn Punk. So pretty!



2. More sparkly fiber (Lavender Green Tea and Fairy Princess) from Loop. Awesome! (oh, I forgot to take pics of that! Darn!)

3. New soaps from Ericka...in Lilac and Mow the Lawn! MMM....



4. Yarn and patterns I bought from our trip to Maine and the Yarn Sellar...



5. Beautiful lotus flower necklace from Heather....she is SUCH a sweetie!...and also fabulous "Blinging Berries" sparkly fiber (merino, tussah silk, silk noil, angelina and bamboo) from the talented HollyEEQ....wow! Thank you so much, Heather!!!





Here is the fiber all spun up into yarn.....can't wait to knit something with it!



6. Tofutsies sock yarn (in pink!!!) from Ericka...what a sweetheart! Can you believe it has chiton in it?...made from shrimp and crab shells! (she also got me a Hello Kitty rolling stamper, but forgot to take a pic...it's SO cute!) Thank you, Ericka!!



7. Heather's newest merino/tencel yarn (400 yards!!!) in colorway, Pink Lemonade! So shiny and wondrous!



8. The current state of my spinning basket and everything I want to get spun up....oh, so much! Pretty, though, huh?



Hope you all have a relaxing and fun weekend....hoping to get a lot of knitting and/or spinning done and finish up the next podcast. Look for it on the night of April 1st or 2nd.

Oh, it's also the 6 month anniversary of my podcast this month, so I'm looking for new sponsors! If you, or anyone you know, would like some cheap advertising and it's semi-knitting or spinning related, email me...gina@YogaGardenNH.com. Hope to hear from you!

Packages On Parade

Whoa...yesterday was the Package Parade! I got all but one of the packages I was waiting for. Woo-hoo!

I know it's Friday, and I do have an FO, so I'll give pics and be quick....

1. The Knit Picks order that our group made....lots of GREAT stuff!



(this is minus my own yarn, which is being used for secret things...)

2. The awesome, luxury fiber from Peculiar Ambitions, which is a blend of angora, cashmere, alpaca, and merino.....(droool)...how can you get anything better than that? Wonderful Cayli recommended this fiber store to me. Thanks, Cayli!



3. Finally used the gc that Ian got me for Valentine's Day and got this yarn for my Wicked Sweater from Dream Weaver Yarns. It's Berroco's Soft Twist and I got it on sale for only $3.96 a skein!!! I wanted the gray color only (but they only had 2 more of those and I can't possibly cover my bosom with 2 skeins of yarn), but I had to get the blue...it's still pretty nice.



4. I had some money left over from the sweater yarn, so I got these two balls of Berroco Boho, which was also on sale. (I got 11 skeins of yarn total for $50! Pretty sweet!) This yarn is a mixture of ribbon and tubular yarns that stripe, so it should be cool. Not sure what I'll do with it yet, though.



5. This didn't actually come in the mail, but I got these two delicious smelling bars of "Brownie Batter" soap (the newest scents) from Ericka of Armed with Pointy Sticks and her Down to Hearth line of soaps. One is for ME and the other for my sis, Kim. Yummy!



6. On Wednesday night knitting group, a new lady and her friend showed up. The lady, Faye, was actually trying to GIVE AWAY her spinning fiber for FREEE! (Ericka and I looked at each other and were like, "I WANT IT!". Chris went out to Faye's car to get the bag o' fiber for us to fight over...luckily, everything was nice, so it wasn't hard to share. We even saved the third ball of fiber for Heather, though if she hadn't come, I think there might have been a wresting match over it....LOL...only joking....I have SO much fiber that I could build my own house of it and Ericka just started, so I was more than happy to give her first choice. I love the one I got, though....a pale gray Border Leicester wool. It'll be scratchy, but I might make some heavy duty mittens with them or ply them with something softer. Thanks, Faye!!!



7. This is the progress I've made on two of my OTN projects. One, the Tote'M bag:



and, two, the Sweater Sampler:



(Did you see the side placket with button? Very cool and fun to make!)

8. The new book by Barbera Albright, called "The Natural Knitter". Not only does this book have GREAT information on picking and knitting with natural fibers, but there is also some information on spinning, carding, and dyeing yarn. The pictures are absolutely gorgeous and I can't stop looking at this book. It's worth every penny!



(like the sheets on my bed?)

9. Finally, a very small sneak peek of the FO OPYF design pattern that I finished and took pics of today. I don't want to show too much or anything, but here is a hint....



Will be working on the new podcast this weekend and hope to get it out next week. Hope you all have a super weekend with lots of knitting and FUN!

G : )