Sunday, November 19, 2006

MY BIRTHDAY. . .

My 40th birthday was Nov 17. I expected my hubby to do something big, but not too big.
I was wrong.
MY day started with delivering my kids to school as I always do on school days. I got home and the DH had taken the day off to spend with me. We went to breakfast and I fell off my diet (low carb, gotta lose fat) BIG and HARD! It tasted great.
When we got home I actually got to take a nap! It felt so good to sleep in the middle of the day. Later that evening my 12 year old daughter had a voice recital. I got to hear her sing and find that she has some talent. Very lovely.
And lastly that night, the DH and I went and and had dinner at a fondue place. We STARTED with the chocolate dessert! We were going to end with chocolate, but by the time we ended we were both tired and full. I told everone not to wake me till noon. . .

BUT that wasn't the end!
The next day was Saturday. Since we own a bar and grill, we'd made plans to go watch the Ohio State/Michigan game at the bar. Little did I know what was to come! As the day wore on, I was ready to go home and Tom (DH) told me that we were not going home!! With the help of my 12 year old, he had packed a bag for me and we were going to stay in a hotel. In ESTES PARK!! IN THE STANLEY HOTEL!!!!! For Stephen King fans, this is the hotel that the remake of The Shining was made in. VERY NICE! He actually didn't tell me where we were going. I had to wait until we got closer and guess.

At the bar that night we had karaoke going. Tom rewrote the words to "You're 16" for me and sang it during karaoke. I felt so special!

In the morning on Sunday we went to breakfast again in Estes Park and walked around the shops. It was beautiful, clear and cool. Tom even waited for me while I shopped at The Stitchin' Den in Estes. I bought some sox yarn in black (100% baby alpaca) for sox for him ( a thanks for the weekend) and some green for me in alpaca/silk. And a couple more merino skeins. He even carried the bag to the car for me.

For my birthday, I bought myself some knitpicks needles in sock sizes and two sets of size 4 tips and 24" cables to try out the interchangables. Oh, and a KIPer bag in medium. Hopefully it will be here in a week or so. I'm so excited!

OTN:
Two toe up in Mountain Colors Mystic Lake (for me)

Two toe up in Mountain Colors in Alpine (for a friend)

Two toe up in Lion Brands Jaquard (blue and brown) for the DH

Two toe up in an unknown blend peach, baby sox for friends new baby girls.

Hope you are well,
Ginny

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Principal Sox


I'm working on a pair of sox for my kids' principal. Mountain Colors yarn (yummy) in a green/blue/purple colorway called Alpine. As soon as I'm done with her sox (she's a size 10 so it could be a week or so) I'm going to make a pair for myself. I also got another MC yarn in Wildflower. Talk about nice!!! I just need to remember that they are hand wash only.
Wish the picture was brighter. . .

I've also got to make 4 sets of hats/mittens for the kids before the cold really sets in. It's been coming and going but in December it will come and stay for a longer visit. Gotta have warm heads and hands for that.

Stay warm. . .
Ginny

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Adventures of a Yarn Snob and Bar Wench


Hey All,
Long time reader, first time poster. . .

I guess I think I have something to say.
I'm sure that this whole blog will be nothing but the rantings of someone with more to do than hours to do it in, this will be a place I can vent to like minded people.

I'm Ginny.
Nice to meet you.

My title says adventures of a yarn snob and a bar wench.
Please let me elaborate on that.

I'm a yarn snob. I won't use yarn with acrylic in it. I know there are some great yarns that have a bit of acrylic in them and they are very nice. I've knit before with them and even have a great pair of sox made with an acrylic/wool blend. They look great and wear well and make my feet sweat. So I don't use it.
I'm also a needle snob. Addi Turbos ONLY for me. Expensive so I end up saving for them (I buy them in pairs as I do toe up, two at a time, on two circs) but they are the best needles out there. I gave all my other needles to the schools my kids go to.

I'm a bar wench. I (and my husband) own a bar and grill outside Boulder, CO. It's not the greatest job in the world. It's really pretty hard. I'd sell it to the first person who wanted to buy it. Sometimes if you tune in here, my rant may not be on yarn or my lastest knitting project, but what a bad day I had at work. OK, it's not that bad. Some days I really enjoy my job. BUT like most others, some days the bar has me wanting to pull my hair out, spin it with wool, and knit sox out of it. I'm sure you understand. . .




Top picture is my first sox with a pattern in it. It's a basketweave that looks really cool in the Lorna's Laces Girly Stripe. I love the shoes, right from the 80's ( never throw things away) and they show my cool socks.

The green above are a pair that I did for my son. The green is Pine and the other is Camo both from Lorna's Laces. I caught him running around in the street with these on and no shoes!! I took them away for a month and gave them back. He wore them out about the same time he outgrew them.




Baby sox are my favorite way to use up the last bits of yarn after making something. I do these and keep them in a drawer for when someone has a new baby.


Well, all for now.