It's a Dead Mans Party,

Who could ask for more?
Everybody's coming
Leave your body at the door.
Leave your body and soul at the door.
Don't be afraid, it's only me. Don't be afraid of what you can't see.
"Dead Man's Party" Oingo Boingo.
Oingo Boingo's 'Smokin Elvis' I made this for Chris & Kirsten's new place. Doesn't everyone need a skull potholder?

Chris, Kirsten, Julie & Myself went to see Johnny Vato's tribute to Halloween @ the Greek Theater last week. About half the original members of Boingo were there. (no Danny Elfman....) We had a great time anyway and I think we all felt twenty years younger that night. Well we tried to drink like we were eighteen again...ughhh.
Hangover and all I did manage to drag myself to Jakes first basketball game, followed by -um are you sitting down for this??? a six year olds birthday party @ Chuck E. Cheese's. Yeah, I know, it sucks to be me. But I did it. Not my finest "Mom of the Year Moment" but I gave it a good effort. The price you pay for trying to have a little grown up fun.

Happy Birthday Tammy & Connie!!!!!

Happy Birthday to you...
You "work" in a zoo....
Your friends are all monkey's...

(what? that's not how the song goes???)

Double the birthday's, double the fun! Tammy & Connie celebrated their birthdays a little early @ work on Friday. As you may or may not know the sisters share the same birthday, 13 years apart. Pretty cool huh? They are off to Las Vegas to celebrate in "drunken" style. I hope they come back richer & hangover free. Now that would be lucky!
I was a mad crocheting machine and managed to finish their gifts in time. I used Sugar N Cream cotton on all these projects. Tammy's shrug is the "Short & Sweet" pattern from Stitch n Bitch Nation and Connie's scarf is the "Ella scarf" from KnitWhits. The cap is two patterns I combined using knit for the brim & crochet for the cap. (the same I used for Allie's pictured below).
I can't wait to hear how their trip was.
Happy Birthday Girls! I love you both

SP9 is beginning! After a shaky start (I was assigned myself to spoil...oops). I received my "spoil-ee" Nic from the UK and my" spoil-er" is also from the UK. I thought that was interesting. So hmmmm, when I think of England, I think of Pat & Ellen ( sisters & two of my Mother's closest friends from there). My memories of Pat & Ellen include lots of cigarette smoking, lots of drinking, "Vodka Tonic, Love." and of course lots of laughing. My Mom loved being around them and listening to all their stories....And believe you me the stories were endless!!!
Anyway, Pat & Ellen make me think of Patsy & Eddie, so there you have it! It's official, my SP9 is Ab Fab. -on both sides!!! Can't wait to get started.

Yeah, one more day until "Grey's Anatomy"!

I am working on a grey shrug for the KAL and I thought I'd include a picture of Jakey modeling the cap I made for Allie's Birthday ( since it is grey also ). I made her a scarf to go with it and I will post as soon as Tammy sends me pics:) I really like this little cap, although on Jake it reminds me of Damien from the Omen....(remember him in his little British school uniform) Ugh! Maybe I should check for three 6's!
"It's all for you Damien!"

SP9

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? Natural fibers, cotton yarns. Anything soft. Any yarn that shows/defines stitches well. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? Furry/Fuzzy/Fake/Itchy
2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I don't really "store" needles, they are kinda held hostage @ my house. Squished into a roll case a friend gave me a couple of years ago and some are in a glass, and some are M.I.A.
3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I was taught by my Mother at a young age, but have been actively knitting for the last 7 years. I found it great therapy after the death of Mom, Joanne who was amazingly creative & taught me everything I know. I would consider my self an "advanced intermediate", but maybe that's just wishful thinking:)
4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?Not that I can remember....
5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.) Fresh, clean, floral & fruit.
6. Do you have a sweet tooth? uh...Yeah! Favorite candy? dark chocolate & anything with nuts. Almond Joy.
7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? knit/crochet, sew, embroider, cross stitch Do you spin? Not yet.....my lys is thinking of starting a class, sooooooo?????
8. What kind of music do you like? Alternative, Blues, 80's-like KROQ, Elvis, The Beatles, Anything from "Grey's Anatomy" -such great soundtrack. Anything that gets you moving!!! Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)Yes.
9. What's your favorite color(s)? red, orange, gold, green, pastels, jewel tones, neutrals. Any colors you just can't stand? Nope, pretty much like everything!
10. What is your family situation?Me, DH & 6 year old son, Jakey Do you have any pets? One dog, Cleo & one fish, Joannie
11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? I live in California, so occasionally scarves. Hats & mittens -not so much. Never cared for ponchos.
12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?It changes, @ the moment, small quick projects.
13. What are you knitting right now? socks, washcloths, shrug
14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? doesn't everyone?
15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? I use both, so really no preference. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I loooove Addi Turbo's, but one of these days I will treat myself to Lantern Moons Rosewood or Ebony needles.
16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Do hands, feet & knees qualify as a swift?
17. How old is your oldest UFO? 4 years old & 2 years old, both blankets
18. What is your favorite holiday? HALLOWEEN!!!!
19. Is there anything that you collect? Yarn & Fabric, but maybe that's not so much collecting as it is feeding the habit. Love vintage-y looking Halloween decorations.
20. Any books - Greetings from the Knit Cafe, yarns anything hand dyed, especially unusual color combo's , needles Lantern Moon or patterns Simple Knit Bodice @ StitchDiva.com out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? a subscription to Vogue's Knit 1. and I usually just break down & buy all the other knitting mags I see on the stand.
21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? I just taught myself the "magic loop" method, so next maybe knitting 2 socks @ the same time.
22. Are you a sock knitter? Yes! What are your foot measurements? 9 3/4" length - 9 1/4'' around ball of foot.
23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)04/13

A Moment of Silence Please...........

Houston, we have "Links"! I am so incredibly pleased with myself right now. (My head feels like it's going to explode!) But I figured it out. The Computer Gods are smiling down on me at last. Happy, happy, joy, joy. I must confess I have been trying to figure this out for 2 days!!! Ahhh sweet success:)
Now for my Halloween Jaywalkers, well, I may frog them again. They are knitting up so narrow!! I did however turn one attempt into a wrist warmer, so all is not lost. Now Ribbit, ribbit....ugh!

Grey's is back!

I am sooooo happy Grey's Anatomy is back on! I love this show sooo much and watching each episode more than once is mandatory...thank you TiVo:) I am so obsessed with Grey's I have joined Grey's KAL over @ www.knitgrey.blogspot.com - I would list as a cute button over to the side with a link but as I have mentioned in the past I am computer challenged:( So here is the button, without the link. I have also started knitting a gray/grey shrug for the KAL and some Halloween socks using the "jaywalker" pattern...which btw I have frogged twice! too tight than too loose.

What did the Mama Corn say to the Baby Corn?












Where's Pop-Corn???

Pomona Fair 2006

MasonDixon Swap Cloths

Donna from "Down Under" in Australia was my 'not so secret' swap-cloth pal and she received her package I knit last week. It arrived fairly quickly, well actually, I had no idea how long it would take, but it did get to her in the long run. I knit two 'warsh rags' one in solid pale blue and the other in beige, blue & green and tucked them away in 'warsh-rag reloaded' all from MasonDixon knitting. If you haven't visited the MasonDixon KAL, it's worth a trip to check out how addicting these babies are! I am knitting them up like crazy for Christmas gifts!!! This was a fun swap and I hope the host another....next time I'd like to try the euroflax linen hand towel! Glad you liked your wash cloths Donna & I hope you are feeling better!

No Knit Weekend

Back from Fabulous Las Vegas and a thousand dollars richer! I hit the Holy Grail on my beloved Poker machine. You heard me right, I hit a "Royal Flush". I'm still in shock. I hit the jackpot on a 25cent video poker machine @ the Plaza, Downtown on Friday night. Mando & I had been in the casino maybe a half hour waiting to meet up with Chris & Eve. What a way to start the weekend! I also had another Elvis sighting. Was I lucky or what!?!?! And....Mando & I had tickets for "Love" the new Cirque du Soleil show with the Beatles music. It was amazing! The weekend flew by so fast, but we did manage to spend one evening with my Brothers and fav nephew, Matt. Did I mention he is now 21! Yep, 21 & parting it up with his Dad, Auntie & Uncle. Of all the trips to forget my camera. Chris took the one of me & Elvis with my phone and the other was for "Proof". Blurry, but you get the idea. Viva Las Vegas!!!!!

Neveah's new cap.

Here is pretty Neveah's new cap! She is such a doll!!! I knit this a little big so she can grow into it. The pattern knit up really quick, but I need to remember to pull my stitches tighter so I don't end up with the dreaded "ladder" up the sides. No need to worry, Neveah doesn't seem to mind. I snapped these pics @ our annual Family dinner and you see Auntie Peggy is having a "great" time! For my own personal records, and those of you who are interested, I knit this using Red Hearts TLC 'Baby' in "Fizzy Print". This is also the same yarn I used for the bobble bag pictured below. It's amazing how different it looks.

The Toothless Wonder

Here's Jake in all his glory, proudly sporting his Jack-O-Lantern grin from ear to ear. Mando snapped this pic of him talking to me on the phone last night. He called me on my way home from work to let me know he had finally lost his tooth. ( It was the 5th he has lost so far) Actually, it didn't so much as fall out as Mando "pulled" it out. I swear that dang tooth has been wiggling and dangling since last year! Anyway, when I got home he showed me the gap and we sat down to write a letter to the toothfairy. Who by the way has moved up to "Santa" status. The letter consisted of about 4 'I Love You's' and the all important question..."Since you are so tiny, how are you going to carry the Lego Star Wars game I want?" I explained this away with.."Well, the ToothFairy has alot of children to visit, so she usually will take the tooth & leave you money so you can buy something cool @ Target!" Not the best explanation, but hey it's all I got!
So, as I type this, Jake has crawled back into bed, clutching his cash and has reported that "I'm very, very tired and I can't go to school today." I'm off to re-wake my sleepy head with the threat of - If you don't get up, Dad won't take you to Target today. Ahh yes, the all powerful Target. I can get my kid to do just about anything for trip to the "red store".

Another Elvis Sighting.....

Well I'm still fairly new to this blogging thing and I forgot to mention that I joined a Mason Dixon Washcloth Swap. So there, I mentioned it....Anyway I just mailed my package off on Monday, to the Land Down Under, Australia to my Pal Donna. Who by the way I am not a secret to, because the minute I was assigned to her I emailed her and we chatted back & forth for about a week. So needless to say, surprise blown. Oh well. Donna left on vacation for two weeks and just recently returned and myself having never shipped ANYTHING out of the US held off sending her gift until she returned...(I don't blame you if you are rolling your eyes. I would. It was a total bone-head move on my part) Anyhoo, my package should hopefully reach her in 2 weeks, maybe a little sooner or not...the postal workers always deliver bad news like they are doing you a favor. Donna, if you read this, I apologize for the delay and I will make sure to comment frequently on your blog to distract you from the length of time it's taking for your package to arrive.
So today I came home to find not one but TWO surprise!!!! My son lost another tooth. I think it has been loose since last year and he finally let his Dad pull it out....so the ToothFairy will make an appearance tonite. And I received My package from my Swapcloth Pal Kate @ www.katezers.blogspot.com I feel like she knows me her gifts were so right on the mark!!!! She knit me these beautiful cloths in my favorite colors red & orange and included a yankee votive... I swear I'm in the Yankee Candle store one a month at least. Gorgeous Knit Picks Sierra in 'cranberry' and can you stand it.........."Are You Hungry Tonight?" Elvis' favorite recipes cookbook and matching patch. I laughed so hard when I opened it. I have to add that Kate had a contest for HER birthday last month in which she gave away 3 skeins of yarn to the winner...What a sweet girl.

Kate You Rock! Thank you so much for the best package! You were a great pal to have and I love everything!

OSSP Gift:)

CHECK IT OUT!!! How beautiful is this scarf! I love it so much! Thank you L'Tanya aka Soul Stitcher for this gorgeous gift! You spoiled me and I am so happy with my gift. This was knit with bamboo and is very soft. I love the criss-cross detail and the natural cream color makes it go with everything. You can bet this scarf will see alot of action all year long.

Well this was my first swap and I had a wonderful experience. Both Pals, L'Tanya and Cindi were more than I could have hoped for and I will continue to keep in touch with both.

It's amazing to me how many knitters there are and it's comforting to know I'm not the only fiber obsessed knit-o-holic out there. Thank you One Skein for such an enjoyable exchange and I hope to meet more knitting sisters in the future!

Thanks to L'Tanya & Cindi and Keep On Knitt'in !!!!!

Neveah hits California

My great niece Neveah, pronounced Nuh vey ya, has moved from Arizona to California and we all got to meet her last week. She is absolutely gorgeous as you can see, good looks run in the family!! Here she is with my Jakey and Jayson. Jake felt very grown up when his cousin Sharlene, Neveah's Mommy, let him hold her. I am busy knitting her a bunny hat as we speak and I will post pics of her wearing it soon....and since this is a knitting blog, I will include a pic of the "Warshrag Reloaded" from my beloved MasonDixon. p.s. My neighbor Fernando caught my knitting the bunny hat and has requested one for his niece that is due any day....better get busy!

Daniella's scarf.

Here's Daniella with her late birthday gift. She has beautiful green eyes to match her new scarf....and I might have a new member for a my Stitch n Bitch. My Volkswagen girls are showing interest again..Yeah!

The Candy Man Can...Oh the Candy Man Can

Doesn't this remind you of old fashioned ribbon candy??? I love the color combo, it looks just like the fancy candies my Grandmother used to set out in a special dish @ Christmas. I found this TLC yarn @ Joann's and fell in love with it. I am making a larger version of the bobble bag from One Skein and I just adore the look of all the little bobbles, like sweets lined up in a candy store! As for the scarf, I used a pattern from Stitch n Bitch Nation. I will give it to my friend Daniella for a belated birthday gift....I will try to get a pic of her wearing it. I used Red Heart soft yarn in "Guacamole" ole!

Elvis Lives!

Gee, I thought he was taller. (mini-Elvis @ orange county swap meet)

One Skein Pal Gift for Cindi in Florida:)

My One Skein Pal Cindi received her gift today, so I'm in the clear to post pictures. I decided on the clutch and decided to add the little zippered pouch later. My Pal is crazy about horses and I lucked out in finding some buttons to represent that. She is also a wrestling fan and loves Hello Kitty so I included some wrestling trading cards & a tiny HK tin with candies inside. The clutch was knit with 3 strands of Patons classic merino wool and embellished with embroidery, (one strand of the hot pink yarn). The little pouch was crocheted with leftover yarn I had from a shawl I made my Mother-in-law. I have since tossed the label .... one of the main reasons for starting a blog, to FORCE myself to get organized and record information for future projects! -you see how well that's working out for me:( * I only remember it was on sale @ my LYS , it was from Italy and I snatched up all 6 skeins And am proud to say, used every last bit!

Holy Knit....I ran out of yarn!!!!

Don't you just hate this when it happens....AAAGGGHHH!!!!!
Okay, lets back up a second.
Girl see's project on TV and orders yarn to complete said project.
Boy doesn't care for project, so girl decides to scrap it and save yarn for something else.
Time goes by.
Girl buys Mason*Dixon book and comes up with brilliant idea for a "mitered pillow".
Girl "guess-ta-mates" she has enough yarn to complete one side of pillow.
Girl begins happily knitting away, feeling very confident with how new project is moving along and......SCREECH (that's the sound of brakes coming to an abrupt stop!)
Girl is out of yarn.
Girl is upset, okay pissed!
Girl searches for yarn on the internet, what, what, discontinued color?!? Huh, does that say Out of Stock???
Craaaaaaaaaap!!!!!!
Breathe, knit, keep looking, stay calm...what to do....aha Google!
Oh yeah, gotta love Google.
Girl finds yarn. Girl orders yarn. Yarn is being shipped to girl as we speak, um type.
Girl is able to function once again and remembers there is a short person that needs to eat dinner standing next to her repeating "Mom, I'm hungry, Mom can you hear me, I said I was HUNGRY!!"
Now that I'm thinking clearly I should add I'm using size 10 needles and Rowan cotton tape yarn in Swish and Scorched. I set squares next to MasonDixon book for scale.