You know you are too busy when....

.....you haven't picked up knitting needles for seven months. I've been feelin' the pain but today was pure joy....'cause this came in the mail ......

....and I'm going to make these!!!!

I never thought it would come to this...

......and I'm so sad that I have to say that I haven't knitted for about 6 months. I'm beside myself but I just got caught up doing "church stuff" and I know I must be nuts. I just had to post so I could confess. Whew, I feel better already. I think I'll have another contest then I'll have to knit again. That's a good idea, Jillyn. Another contest. Another give-away on my birthday. I'll do it.

August socks...

....I guess that's what you could call them and since O Ten is history....I'll start again or perhaps just keep going and maybe by O Eleven's end, I'll have my "Socks of the Month" done.

I was actually able to finish this pair while traveling to and from Houston last week. I'm working on a few things for Lauri's baby now but I do have several "One Sock Oneders" that are waiting for mates. Hopefully I'll get to those this year. Happy knitting...one and all.

July socks.....

......and it REALLY doesn't look like I'm gonna make a pair of socks a month but I'm trying....still and can't wait to get started on another pair (or finish up one of my one sock oneders) but Camie Ence Schwartz won my contest this year so I'll wait and see if she wants a pair I have made or if she'd like to pick out some yarn. These little beauties are so soft, wool but a little bit of nylon which makes them more washable than others and not so scratchy. I love working with this yarn and will probably do a few more before the winter is over. Congrats to Camie. She's been a faithful follower of my blog for some time and a long time friend of mine, one of the original home girls here in our neighborhood. Come on over Camie, when you have a minute and we'll talk.

June socks...

.....and I don't think I'm gonna make it to "a pair a month" (this year has gone by fast) but I'm doin' the best I can but here you have it and because I'm turning the big "SIX O", I'm having another "Sock Give-away" drawing so....if you'd like to win a pair of these ankle socks to wear while you sip hot cocoa and watch your favorite t.v. show or read a good book by the fire, e-mail me at wells@infowest.com and just say "hi" or "I wanna win" or "gee, you don't look 60"....or something fine like that. That one might give you 2 chances to win....not gonna say right now but I'd like to hear from you. Leave a comment and that will count as an entry as well. I also have some "more masculine" colors for any "macho" entrants. I'll be drawing the name of the winner at my birthday celebration, Oct. 30. Come on over and enjoy a hot donut with us anytime Saturday.
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I've been taking my knitting on the road and trying a little "knitting by nature" type stuff kinda like that dude that took a stuffed monkey or the gremlin all around the world and took pictures of it wherever he want...that's kinda the idea. I have enjoyed sitting out in some beautiful nature and taking a few stitches while I breath in some fresh air so I figured I might as well start getting some of my projects in the picture. One day I sat out in the sunshine at Pine Valley and enjoyed my beautiful surroundings while enjoying one of my favorite hobbies. Lovely day........

I took my knitting along to the Grand Canyon. Didn't get any stitches in that day but enjoyed some great scenery. Another lovely day.....

May socks....

.....and yes, it has been a while. I've been a bit distracted with summer and all but I've still been doing a little knitting, making some baby blankets for all the new little ones arriving and I've finished another pair of socks. These are a little different than what I have been making....still out of the KnitCol yarn that I love, 100% Lana Merino Virgin wool...but I've put a small, low cuff so it will wear like an ankle sock. They knit up quickly and I should get some more done so I can get caught up with my "Sock of the Month"....but we'll see. Lots going on. I'm heading to the store to get fabric for some baby quilts for Traci's new little boy, Max but I should be able to slip some knitting time in on the plane. I'll post the quilts I finished for Joyce's new little grand baby, Nikki and Jarrett's Lux.

I'm back...

....to making baby blankets, that is for a minute any way. Spencer, this one's for you. Nothing more fun than finishing one of these and getting it all packaged up ready to go to another grateful mom. One can never have too many baby blankets and I love making these.

Getting it all wrapped up with some pretty ribbon to match is like putting my signature on a painting. If you want me to make you one, just give me about a week's notice and I'd be happy to ablige. It's good to take a break from knitting once in a while and go back to my roots. My Grandma Sullivan taught me to crochet....and I loved it first.

April socks....

....are done and now I've got 2 weeks to get my May socks done. Another pair using the lighter yarn. These will be good summer socks for lounging around here in the evenings and for Pine Valley.

March socks....

.....off the needles and already given to my mom for her birthday. They look a lot like February's socks but I found a new, summer weight yarn that I've enjoyed working.

Also, found a yarn shop in North Carolina that I love. I'm sure I'll be going there frequently so I wasted no time in getting acquainted with the proprietor.

Click on the yarn baskets for her website....

She's a bio-chemist in the morning and runs her "dream" yarn shop in the afternoons. She's cool......loved meeting her.

February Socks....

I'm a little behind but have had a shoulder injury that is aggravated by my knitting. I'm getting back into the groove and excited to keep going and see if I can accomplish this goal. I do love knitting socks and last night as I finished these, I realized why.....the kitchener stitch is magical...and even more amazing is the process of "turning the heel".....and finally blocking the finished product magically erases all the mistakes.....Oh, the wonders of knitting socks!!!!!

.....and a pair of hand-warmers or fingerless mittens. These little beauties are fun too, not as magical but as I was at the baseball game the other night with the Rebers, Stephanie was keeping score and her hands were freezing. The thought occurred to me..."....her fingers need to be free but her hands need to be warm"....so I went home and found some Flyer Blue yarn and here you have it....

My fingerless mittens....

.....are a hit with Laynee....at least, she seems to like them and she makes a dang cute model for them. They are fun to make and to wear.

My first post of Twenty Ten...

......and I'm hoping to keep up my knitting a little better. I'll start with a "Sock of the Month" and see how that goes. Here's what I've finished and what I'm working on. My knitting buddy, Phyllis stopped by today and it's always good to compare notes, with knitting and other things. Thanks, Phyllis, for the inspiration. You are my hero.....in many more ways than just your knitting talent.
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I just finished a pair of socks and I'm working on another pair plus some hand warmers. I'd love to find a knitting group....I'm still looking.
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I made a New Year's resolution last year to not add any yarn to my stash. I have to confess.....I tried to only buy the yarn for which I had projects in mind and it helped me but I didn't comply completely....but the trying was good and I'll give myself credit for that. I will try again to knit from my stash, the

best I possibly can. Maybe I'll just say I'll try to avoid yarn stores that I've been in before but if I find a new one, I can't possibly expect myself to just walk by it, can I? O.k.....My Twenty Ten Resolution will read...."I will knit from my stash". We'll see how that goes.
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Phyllis and me knitting in the airport on the way to China a couple of years ago. Knitters don't mind the wait......

Silly little things....

......but I love 'em. They are my hand-warmers, kinda like fingerless gloves but great to wear as they are not too confining and give a lot of flexibility. I wear them to work because the computer center is really cold and my hands get cold but I wouldn't be able to work in gloves. Fast and fun to make.....I do need to get back to socks though and about 10 other UFOs.......

Looks like Carole wins a pair of socks. Thanks, Carole for responding. I'll get with you soon.

Did you clickity click here?

.....if you did and you are the first one to respond, wells at infowest dot com, you win a pair of socks.......lucky you!!!!!

Oh yes, there is such a thing......

....and I've got a closet full of it.

She's wearing it already....

......and it fits. I thought it would be a 3 month size but oops.....I'll have to get another one finished for later in the winter.

The matching socks......

Five yarn shops in two days.....

......and it was a little bit of over-dose but not really. I just got back from a visit with my friend Gayle in Seattle and she was kind enough to drive me around to a bunch of yarn shops. They're all about the same....but not.....but it's exciting to walk in and just look around and try and figure out what's different. I love it when the owner has time to talk and I always try to buy at least something from each of them but I went in too many so I couldn't do that this time but I got some pretty cool stuff that I'm excited to work up. I know I made a commitment to not add to my stash this year.....I'm busted. I did add to my stash but the addendum to that commitment was that I had to have something in mind to make and then make it asap....so that's what I plan to do. Seattle has a yarn shop on every street, or so it seemed, at least in every neighborhood.

Phyllis and I got to meet Debbie Macomber at a book signing in Salt Lake. She writes books and in some of them includes knitting themes, plus she's a professional knitter so she has opened a little village with the shops that she talks about in her books so it was especially fun to go visit these places and enjoy her very "classy" yarn shop. Believe me, I've seen all kinds and this is right up there as far as a real "shiny" one.

See that vest to the right of me....I want to make it. It's on my list of things to do in the next 5 years.

I love the creative names that yarn-shop owners come up with. I wonder what I would name a yarn shop?

Pretty basic, small but very good quality stuff. The name really needs to have something in it about knitting but since this is on a hilltop, I guess it's o.k. It would be like "St. George Yarn Shop"....how boring is that.

This one is right in Gayle's neighborhood but I can't convince her to learn to knit. What a waste....a yarn shop within walking distance.....but no interest. Someday maybe she will convert.

This was my favorite just because it was in an old building, upstairs, a little cluttered but one that I could go and feel comfortable because the owner was friendly and had time to talk to me....in fact, on the spot, she taught me to make two different kinds of heels on my socks. Now that's a good yarn shop. I'm purchasing some wooden needles with little pumpkins on top.

A new little sweater.....

....for my 13th little grand-child....4th grand daughter. This was really fun to do and I've had a hard time posting it because the picture kept getting turned but hopefully it will work this time. I'm making little socks to match and can't wait until the baby is here and I'll post a picture with her wearing it. This was a top-down seamless pattern that I absolutely love and can't wait to make another one. I have the yarn but left the pattern in Pine Valley.

What to do with the left-over yarn....

.....I've discovered a great new use for it. Mini-socks. They are so fun and go so fast. I love it.

Why do we do what we do?

......especially, I am still wondering why I love to knit socks. Why do people love dogs....or golf....or have passions for movies, or books etc. etc. etc. I still wonder to this day as I start a sock why it gives me such a thrill....and more....when I contemplate what the next pair of socks will be or when I get to finally block the finished sock and wait for it to dry flat....erasing all the flaws....it's like putting my signature on a painting. Anyway, I guess I will forever be wondering why. As we were in Panguitch, luck of all luck there was a yarn store called "Lilo in Stitches" just across the street from a gift shop we were in. But....we were out of luck as it wasn't opened. We bummed around for an hour waiting for it to possibly open...all the town folk said they thought she would open sometime soon....we kept waiting....but finally I couldn't ask Joyce to go back by it one more time so we left. As I was relating this story to Lauri, she said "that must be your hell".....and it truly is. Just as we were passing through a small town in Kansas and once again found a little yarn store (by the way, "I break for yarn stores") the same thing happened. It was called "The Red Door" and, you guessed it....it was closed on Monday and we were passing through there on a Monday, possibly never ever to return again. Pure hell....ya gotta know. I'm over it now....but always wondering what treasure I would have found in either one of those stores and continually looking at them and dreaming of owning my own. I know I never will but it's a dream, something to think about, what would I name it, where would it be, how is it really done....you get the idea. It gives me something to think about in an otherwise very ordinary, borderline boring life.

But I knit.....mostly socks.....and I love it. I'm especially loving the "self-striping" yarn and I'm getting pretty good at matching the stripes so if you don't mind my bragging a bit I've posted my two latest babies.

There must be others that feel the way I do. I really want to go to this. Click on the logo to learn more about it and if there's anyone out there interested in joining me, let me know.