I am Mohair

You are Mohair.
You are a warm and fuzzy type who works well with others, doing your share without being too weighty. You can be stubborn and absolutely refuse to change your position once it is set, but that's okay since you are good at covering up your mistakes.


What kind of yarn are you? Take this quiz to find out.

Football Swap

Look at all the great stuff I got in the mail today from Kristina!



Merino superwash from Lavender Sheep in Buffalo Bills colors - which I'm going to use to make Little Boy a winter hat. I'm sure there will be extra - maybe even enough for a hat for me! A Buffalo Bills antennae topper which I am so very excited about! Stitch markers and point protectors, all handmade by Kristina, and perfect for all football related knitting. And finally, some very nice hot chocolate.

I LOVE IT ALL! Thank you so much, Kristina, for your thoughtful package!

Random Questionnaire

This seems to be floating around a bunch of blogs involved in the same swaps I am.

1. Were you named after anyone? Two great aunts.
2. Birth place? Denville, NJ
3. If you suddenly could never knit again (shudder) - what would you do instead? Read
4. What are your nicknames? Does Mommy count?
5. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Rarely
6. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Chocolate
7. If you could travel anywhere in the world - where would you go and why? Italy or France - I love to cook!
8. A Person you look up to most? My parents
9. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? Lack of patience with adults
10. One word that describes you? Capable
11. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Purple
12. What is the weather like right now? Raining
13. Last person you talked to on the phone? My husband
14. When you were little - What did you want to do "when you grew up?" Are you doing it? A Mom - and yes, I am!
15. Favorite Drinks? Diet Coke
16. Favorite sport? Baseball
17. Favorite Food? Chocolate, ravioli
18. Last Movie You Watched? Movie on cinema? Um...I don't know
19. Most money spent on 1 pair of shoes? I once paid $80 for a pair of sneakers - they were so worth it too! My feet were very happy in them.
20. What Book Are You Reading? I just finished The Bell Jar for Knit the Classics. I try to read from my Bible every night.
21. Computer Screen Wallpaper? My kids
22. What Did You Watch Last night on TV? Burn Notice on USA
23. Favorite Smells? Lilacs, baking bread, warm chocolate
24. What's the farthest you've been from home? Arizona, from the East Coast
25. Where is your favorite knitting spot? Club chair with feet on ottoman

I worked on Big Boy's scarf last night - straight garter stitch gets boring, so I've decided to do one block for every project I finish. I have to decide if I'm going to cast on for my knit the classics project or a pay it forward project. (Or, maybe I'll combine the two - or is that cheating?)

FFBE Bag is FINISHED!

Hooray! I knit up the handle this afternoon (with the "help" of little boy who kept grabbing the yarn and running off) and felted it after the little ones went to bed. I am TICKLED with the way it turned out - I might even make one for myself!

No pictures yet though - I want my Pal to be completely surprised! Once she gets her package though, I'll publish the bag's diary.

I just ruined a cable purse that I had made. Literally, ruined it. We won't discuss it, except to say, I am a moron. And the thing is, I really wasn't sure I liked it until today. But then, I was loving it. And then, I killed it. Poor bag. I'm going to tell myself it's a learning experience, and then let it go.

You know, that's something new about me since I've had kids. Things just don't bother me the way they used to. For example, I'm playing softball this season, and the first game, I made an error. Not a game costing error or anything, but something that would have bugged me the rest of the game. At the end of the inning, my coach offered me some encouraging words, and I seriously had to think about why he was telling me everything was okay. I had forgotten that I made the error three minutes after it happened!

Don't get me wrong. I think I have a healthy level of competitiveness, and I always want to do my best. But, I just can't spend a lot of energy beating myself up for mistakes that aren't all that important. And I mean important in a really, deep, eternal kind of way. My family is healthy, and I believe they are in good places regarding their relationship with God (because to me, that's the most important thing EVER. Curious? Ask me - I'll tell you all about it!) And so, I don't think it's right to worry about the small things. Really, it's not right to worry about anything. I SHOULD be trusting God to take care of it all. He promises that He will!

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?...But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:25,26,33,34

I'm not so great at not worrying at all, but being responsible for children really helps to put some things in perspective for me, and I think I worry less about small things.

So, I'm bummed about the bag. But, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.

Christmas Around the World Questionnaire

I bumped this up so people wouldn't have to search for it.

1. Are you religious? Yes. I'm a Christian, so Christmas is a religious holiday to me.
   
2. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider yourself a Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced? I've been knitting for almost a year. I'm definitely a beginner, edging my way toward intermediate.
   
3. Do you have any other hobbies besides knitting? I like to cross-stitch, but it's hard to focus on large projects with the kids around. I love to cook, and I enjoy playing tennis and softball.
   
4. Favorite color(s)? Hmmm. I wear a lot of red, blue, purples, and pinks. I don't have an actual favorite color.
   
5. Do you collect anything? Frogs
   
6. Are you allergic to any fibers or animals? I'm allergic to cats
   
7. Do you have any pets? No. Big boy has a fish - I ignore it.
   
8. Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate!
   
9. Cookies or Sweets? Either. Primarily sweets I think.
   
10. Do you knit socks? No, but it's on my list of things to learn!
    
11. If not socks then what? (tell us about your favorite knits) I've been knitting a lot of hats lately. I don't know what my favorite knits would be quite yet - I'm still learning so much!
    
12. Do you put up a Christmas tree? If not then what do you do? We do! It's such the Charlie Brown tree - it's older than I am! We also put up lights, and wreaths, and all of that.
    
13. Favorite holiday treats? I make Chocolate Crinkles. They're just a chocolate macaroon, but they are SO GOOD!
    
14. Favorite holiday smells? Cinnamon, holiday spice, and hot chocolate melting on the stove.
    
15. Do you celebrate Christmas in a traditional or unconventional way? Please elaborate. I think a pretty traditional way. DH's family is Italian, so Christmas Eve is a big seafood feast (that's new to me). Christmas Eve we go to church, and Christmas morning is spent with the kids around the tree.
    
16. What are your favorite holiday traditions? Making krumkake and chocolate crinkles with my mom. Decorating the tree with my dad. Christmas caroling, and walking around looking at people's outdoor lights. Baking up a storm. Singing along to classic songs, especially "O Holy Night" - I just love that song!
    
17. Finish the sentence: “For me Christmas is all about....” Celebrating the greatest gift ever given - love personified
    
18. If you were a Christmas ornament you would be…….? A shepherd - so undeserving of all I've been given
    
19. What was your favorite gift you've ever received? Or given? I have received so MANY wonderful gifts. One of the best one's I've ever given - I gave the grandmother of an ex-boyfriend metallic mugs with gold swirls all over them, along with some really great hot chocolate and high quality chocolates. I painted the tissue paper in the box to match the mugs, and found a box to match.
    
20. When do you start your Christmas? Well, I've already started my shopping and knitting. but I think it really starts the day after Thanksgiving.
    
21. Do you send Christmas cards? Do you make them or buy them? Yes, I buy them.
    
22. What is your favorite Christmas dish? Chocolate crinkles. Hmm, that might not be a dish. Chocolate pudding pie? If that's not a dish, than just Mom's turkey dinner.
    
23. Carolers are at your door. What do you do? Give them hot chocolate and/or candy canes. And ask if I can join them.
    
24. When do you open presents? Christmas eve or Christmas morning? Christmas morning
    
25. Do you celebrate with family or friends or both? Well, when I lived with my parents, I would eat Christmas dinner with my family in the afternoon, and then again with my best friend's family later. But, now I live too far away. I think I celebrate with family and friends, but spend the actual day with family.

FFBE Contest #2

1. Here's the yarn for my bag. I'm inspired by one of the bags on my pal's blog, but I had to modify it to fit my level of knitting skills.



2. I've tried to visit everyone's blog once a week. But, Alana and I seem to be taking turns visiting each other's blogs and getting to know each other.

3. Done!

4. Done!

Hooray for Grandma!

My Mom left this morning - very sad. :( However, we had a great visit! She arrived Sunday night, and she bought presents:

The red is leftover yarn from a sweater she made me.

We had a great time, hanging out, playing tea with little girl, shopping, and knitting. With Grandma's help, I have finished the Wonderful Wallaby for little boy. It fits him perfectly! Which means, of course, he's getting it now, and not for Christmas.



I made the sleeves and the body 1" longer than the pattern. I probably should have added 2" for the body, but it will do. I really enjoyed knitting the Wallaby and plan on doing another one soon. I just have decide for whom!

Tonight is another Knit, Craft, Snack and Chat night at my house, so I have decide if I'm going to FINALLY cast on my felted bag or work on Big Boy's Scarf (all garter stitch - not difficult to work on while chatting.) We'll see what I'm in the mood for tonight.

It's always a bummer saying goodbye to my parents. I really, genuinely, LOVE hanging out with them. I'm really blessed though - the little kids and I will be there for a week next month, we'll all be there for Thanksgiving, and we'll leave the day after Christmas for another week with them. Not bad for living 400 miles apart.

Happy knitting, everyone!