Oooh...Website Makeover!

Hello! How is early summer treating you so far? Have you been keeping up with your knitting projects or have you put them aside for trips to the beach and bike rides?

You may not know this about me, but I'm not an outdoors type of person. My sister, Kim, always asked me to go outside with her to play basketball or ride bikes, but I almost never said yes. Poor Kim. A comfy chair, a book and a quiet space inside was my favorite thing to do. And it still is. (See below for pics) *grin*

But, sometimes, I sit by the pool when it's not too hot or buggy :)

So far this summer, I've been...

- Updating my website layout (My hubby, Ian, figured out how to substitute the old layout with the new - yay!)

- Trying to find a distributor for my knitwear design books (I finally found one - Small Press United!)

- Creating and updating new patterns (Crossing my fingers for my current lace shawl design to be accepted. This is some of the yummy Plucky Knitter yarn I'm using...)

- Helping my oldest son get an internship for the summer (He finally got a job at DEKA Research...woo!) Here is a pic of us together on his 21st birthday in May:

- Cleaning out my closet (Omg...the horror! I finally created a little nook for myself where I can knit and read. Yes, in my closet! lol)

The hallway in my bedroom opens up to the closet area/bathroom, so I can use half my closet for yarn/clothes storage and half for books and knitting nook.

- Knitting daily on my Year in Temperatures Scarf (I look forward to it every day...so much fun to add to my routine.)

- Thanks to the awesomeness of Ravelry, I found out that I was the 91st Raveler to join! (super cool)

- My youngest son Ben, hubby and I went to the Skrillex concert and it was amazing! (Except for the tall people getting in my way...I always wish that I could bring a small step stool with me...)

- And, on May 23rd, I turned 41 (horrors again!), but now hubby Ian and I are BOTH 41. (At least I have that 5 or so extra months of feeling young...lol.)

So, I think that's about all that's new and interesting in my life since April. Hmmm...mostly, doing a million things at once and stressing out over things I probably shouldn't. (Calgon, take me away!)

I've also been inspired by my dear friends, Jessica and Heather, to get back into a daily yoga routine. And, truly, that's helped with some of my health issues AND with clearing my mind (and helping me to relax). Yay for amazing, helpful friends!!

You can get hear more about what I'm up to (and see some interesting knitting links that I share) on my Sleepy Eyes Knits Facebook page.

I'd love to hear what you've been up to and what you're knitting on now. Share away in the comments below :D

1000th Amanda Hat!!!

It's official.....

The Amanda Hat has been knit over 1000 times!!!!!

Holy crap!

I've been keeping track on Ravelry of the number of people who have been making the Amanda Hat and this week, someone has posted the 1000th hat.

Woo-hoo!

Her Ravelry name is Avalonne - a lovely gal from Austrailia. You can visit her blog here to find out more about this interesting knitter.



I'll be sending Shelley a special gift in the mail as a prize...

Honorable Mentions for Amanda Hat knitting:

1. Feliciah on Ravelry - who was very close to posting the 1000th Amanda hat - and who has made at least 3 so far. Her blog is here. (She will receive a SleepyEyes pattern of her choice...either the Radiance Lace Headbands, Lisha Lace Scarf or the Lovely Waters Tablerunner pattern.)

and

2. Kermit on Ravelry - who has made the most Amanda Hats in the history of the pattern - I love how she used so many different yarns, as well. It's great to see how differently the hat looks with various fibers and weights. Her blog is here.

I would love to hear how many Amanda Hats that you've knit up and which is your favorite. Dazzle me with your creativity! And....keep knitting those Amandas!!!

(Thank you sooo much!)

P.S. VERY soon.....lots of knitted FOs and more birthday gift pics to share. Yipppeeee!

Quick Quack Catch Up

It's been for-e-ver since I've blogged. I could make excuses like...I was sick (which I was), I was tired (which I definitely was), I was in transition with the kids going back to school (which is also true) and that I'd knitted very little so didn't have much to share (which is somewhat true, but sad, too)....but I will just say that...well, at least I'm blogging now : D

Since it's late, I'll be blogging semi-short and quick. So, here we go!

1. Fabric



I made a very guilty purchase from Purl Patchwork a couple of weeks ago and bought some gorgeous cotton fabrics for making my very first quilt (in my eyes, the tiny ones I've made for my kids toys don't really count). These fabrics are not only incredibly cheerful, but I think will blend perfectly together for a unique and fun-to-create quilt. I was lucky to receive some truly helpful advice from a talented quilter at my local library and, now, all I need are the necessary tools...and TIME.

2. Pumpkin Hat



A very belated knitted hat for a daughter of a friend of ours. She is one of only a few little girls I can knit for and her mom actually has her wear the things I knit, which makes them both very knit-worthy. I knit a little dress, Berry Hat and Mittens set and other things for her so far. I thought this was the right season to send a cute, Pumpkin picking hat. View my details of the project HERE on Ravelry.

3. Ravelry Visit



I was extremely lucky to be working one Sunday at the Yarn and Fiber Co. with some of my best knitting pals and...who should walk in to the store?????

Jess, Casey and Bob of Ravelry!!!!

There was much squealing, laughing, giggling and jumping up and down (don't know what everyone else was doing, though...) and it was the greatest pleasure to sell Jess some skeins of Elsbeth Lavold Silky Wool.

Bob ran around the store like a maniac and did his best to look utterly cute and adorable. Casey sat with us at the knitter's table and we talked with him and a couple of friends of theirs about the website and things like that....I can't remember much now...my mind was in a daze and I was smiling like a maniac.

BEST SUNDAY EVER! is all I can say.

4. Boston Duck Tour with Family



After the first week of September being a crazy, stress-filled I might jump off a cliff school transition week and the second week finding Ian and I sick with horrible end-of-the-summer death warmed over on sticks colds, we were happy (and relieved) to wake up on Sunday feeling better. Ian's aunt from Arizona called us and asked if we'd like to meet them in Boston for a Duck Tour.

Believe it or not, we've NEVER done this and we were excited to. We drove down to Boston (I remembered my knitting and Ravelry bag!), shopped at the Prudential building mall (or whatever it's called...I went to Sephora!!!), and then met up in the later afternoon for the tour.

It was SO much fun!!! Ben loved seeing all the skyscrapers and parks (and quacking when prompted by our driver)...while Tim was thrilled because he actually got to DRIVE/STEER the boat in the Charles River!!!! He even got a sticker for doing it. That was the highlight of his day....take a look at him!



I've only met Ian's aunt once, so this was a great time to get to know her and we talked a lot. She was a wildlife biologist and traveled all over the world rescuing animals. Extremely exciting work!! What an interesting lady and very different from Ian's mom, who is very quiet and shy.

After our boat tour, we had a nice dinner together and came home with just enough time to get the kids off to bed. But, wow, what a great day. It's funny how we never do things that are "tourist-y", even though they're things that should, if not must, be done...and they're so close by, really. Ian and I promised ourselves that, for our next anniversary or whenever we get someone to watch the kids overnight, we're going to spend the whole weekend in Boston - stay at a fancy hotel, go shopping, go for walks in the botanical garden, visit the churches (for the gorgeous architecture) and library....I can't wait!!!

And, so....before I sign off...QUACK QUACK! that means 'Happy Knitting' in duck-ese

Living Laptop-Free in a Technical Knitting World

...or something like that.

The past couple weeks of not being able to use my computer have been equally frustrating and relaxing. Sounds kinda contradictory, doesn't it? With the kids being sick and wanting to spend their "recuperating time" sitting in my big bed watching their favorite dvds on the laptop (and dabbing their noses with Puffs Plus), made for very little time to blog, check Ravelry, read other people's blogs or knit/spin.

I don't resent their confiscating the computer. At least, now I don't. I realized that I've been much more relaxed and less stressed than I usually am because I hadn't been constantly reading emails, getting random irritating junk in my Outlook, spending extra money on impulse yarn/fiber purchases because I was bored, and making sure I kept up with this or that....It was a huge relief. I started out my knitting lifestyle without a blog, without Ravelry, without reading anyone else's blogs or even knowing there were online yarn stores out there. (Yes, I've led a sheltered life.) I was blissfully knitting along, happy as a clam, enjoying all my knitting time and knitting one thing at a time! Crazy, huh?

Every year since then, I've branched out...first with a blog, then reading other people's blogs, buying yarn/fiber online (sometimes without thinking) and then the wonderful Ravelry. I had to stop one day and realize that I'd spent more time on the computer than with needles, yarn or fiber in my hand. I'm, like, "Hey, what the heck am I DOING???"

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE being able to blog, read blogs, meet new people, have the convenience of buying the most awesome stuff online AND all the fantastic things I can't possibly name that are on Ravelry. But...this is a somewhat big but(he he)...I miss just knitting.

I miss feeling that I can knit without having to keep up with all the new patterns, yarn and "stuff" out there, which can be entirely overwhelming sometimes. I know I don't HAVE to keep up, but there is sometimes the feeling that you need to in order to know what the heck in going on in the knitting world...and, with me working at the yarn store, sometimes it's essential. Some of my friends look at me and say, "You don't know about so-and-so or such-and-such????!!??" and I feel like an idiot.

But, having a forced "internet time-out" or ITO, is refreshing. Uplifting. Motivating. At least for me. I was knitting at my own pace, not worrying about finishing this or that, not running over to check someone's blog, etc. And it was nice. More than nice. Magical!

Now, I don't expect that I'll ever stop blogging anytime soon or buying yarn online or visiting Ravelry (Heaven forbid! I'd die!), but taking a break (even if it's unexpected) is something I'm going to try and do more often.

And, look, I didn't even include pictures! (not that you'd want to see me sitting on the couch knitting or my kids being sick and grumpy)

I still love writing letters to people by hand (imagine that!), keeping a pretty bound journal, reading books (not ebooks, though I've heard it's great), and knitting (and spinning) with my hands...not with my eyes on the computer.

Do any of you miss the "old times" without so much technology interfering with your knitting? Or are you so happy that knitting is so much a part of technology/internet/etc? Would love to hear your opinions on this.

Happy Knitting!

Cockleshells of Thoughtfulness

On the last day of this pretty difficult year, I wanted to end on an uplifting note with pretty lace and thoughtfulness. As much as I'm glad to see this year end, I've been truly grateful for:

My Family
My Knitting Group, the ManchVegas Knitters
My Health (even with the various things going on...I'm still doing pretty good!)
Ravelry and Blogs (yes, corny, but true)
Lovely yarn to knit with, fiber to spin and endless good books to read!

First, the LACE!!

At the shop, we had a Secret Snowflake Swap for the holidays and, though the kiddies and I were feeling too badly to go to the final party, I was able to finish my gift (on time!) for my boss, Cyndi....the woman who owns one of the best yarn shops in all of NH! VERY hard to decide what to make and get for such a person.

I decided to knit one of the lace scarves from one of my new favorite knitting books, Ocean Breezes by Sheryl Thies.

Look again at the scarf picture above....What do you think? Was it a good choice?

DETAILS:

Yarn: Madril Kid Seta, 1 ball in white
Needles: Crystal Palace Bamboo straights, size 8
Pattern: Cockleshell Lace scarf
Rating: A- (excellent fun, easy to knit, quick and enjoyable)

*Note-the pattern called for 3 balls of this yarn to make the 40" scarf. I only used 1 ball to get the 40" and, though I tend to knit loosely, I think I was pretty close to gauge. Not sure if the yarn amount is a typo or not. I actually blocked the scarf out to a bit longer than the 40", as well. I also added size 8/0 mirror glass seed beads to the center lace pattern, before and after the yo's. You can see them a little more clearly here:



I was thrilled with how the scarf came out and I think Cyndi liked it too. She wore it all day at work on Saturday. Woo-hoo! I wish I'd taken a picture of the gorgeous snowflake clear crystal stitch markers that Heather made for me to add to the gift...they were amazing!

THOUGHTFUL GIFTS

This holiday season, I got some truly wonderful gifts. All of them I loved (especially the gift cards!!), but a few stood out as being especially thoughtful and I wanted to share them here:

-Ian got me, not only my favorite new Vera Bradley "Curvy Tote" bag (mod pink floral!), but also spent lots of time and energy getting me a white gold necklace with a silver pendant....this pendant has the pictures of my two sweet boys lasered on the front. I was so surprised when I opened this and I've been wearing it every day since. Not only did my hubby have to send in scanned pics of the boys and fill out paperwork and such...but to remember that I'd always wanted one touched me the most. Here is a very blurry (sorry!) picture of the pendant:



-My mom knows how much I love Lemon scented things and my addiction to lip gloss and she got me a HUGE bag full of...guess what?.....M.A.R.K Lemon spray, body cream and lotion, and lip glosses for the whole year. You always know the perfect thing to get, right, Mom?

-Jackie got me the most amazing PINK!!! digital scale....highest rating and sooo nice. I've been complaining about not having one, but never got off my a** to get one. She searched around until she finally found me a pink one and....oh, do I LOVE IT!!! Thanks so much, J! I've already used it a few times and it works like a dream! (and matches my Hello Kitty toaster...lol!)



-We had a visit from Ian's high school friend, Richard, and his wife, Margaret and their little girl, Katharine. You might remember the photo I posted of her wearing the Angel Sweater I knit? Or the Sweet Leaf Hat? Or the Raspberry Hat and Mittens I made for her? They told me that she now refers to ALL mittens as raspberries! How cute is that?? I'd only met Richard once about 15 years ago when Ian and I had just started dating and this is the first time I was able to meet his wife and daughter. I have to say....I found so much to talk about with Margaret and it was like we were friends right away. Supremely friendly, a great mom and....you know what else???....she's starting to knit!!! Here is a picture of a hat she is working on:



But, the thoughtful thing was that Margaret had read my blog post about how Ben was throwing up every other night and I was running out of King size sheet sets and, you know what she did? She gave us a set of these beautiful cotton sheets for Christmas! (my gift tin of butter cookies seemed horribly, horribly lame)



I am planning on some adorable new winter wear for little Katharine ASAP! (I can't wait for them to visit again....)

Well, not much else...except look for another blog post immediately tomorrow! (I'm trying to start the year off right! he he)

Yipee! Goodbye 2007!