Show and Tell

Here's what I've been up to craft-wise for the past few days:

My local quilt shop has a neat program called
"Saturdy Sampler", that I like to participate in. At the beginning of the year, you pay $5,and you get the pattern, and the main fabrics for a quilt block. If you sew the block and bring it back in during the meeting the next month, you get the materials and instructions for the next block for free. This continues throughout the year, and at the end of the year, you've got enough blocks for a quilt top.
This is my January block. Each of the blocks this year will be set in the log cabin background, which will give us lots of setting options.

And my big knitting news is MY FIRST COMPLETED JAYWALKER SOCK!



This poor sock was ripped back way more than once, and I'm so glad it's done. I immediately cast on for sock two, or I'm afraid I never would have fallen prey to second sock syndrome. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't made so many mistakes. The second one is already going faster than the first. I really do like the pattern, and want to try it in a different yarn, but this first sock was really just a pain to do.
It's times like this that it's really nice to be in a knit-a-long. I would probably have chucked this project if it wasn't for the accountability of signing up for Cara's knitalong. I'm glad that I had an extra incentive to keep going.

Secret Pal goodies

I received a package from my wonderful secret pal this week!
Here's a peek at my goodies:

One package contained chocolates, the other contained a really yummy hand cream.
I love the lantern moon knitting bag! It's designed to put over your shoulder with a skein of yarn in the bag so that you can knit while walking. Perfect for me since I love to go for long walks!

She even included gifts for the children!

And a whole sweater's worth of yarn...in a great color for me!

Thank you secret pal for the wonderful gifts!
Sorry I'm slow about updating, but our internet access has been very flaky lately!

Weekend Fun

We had a busy but great weekend here.
Our big adventure was seeing "Little Bear" Wheeler in town for a mini conference.
He is a pretty well known name in the homeschooling world. He teaches history in such a vivid way, with authentic costumes, etc., but also teaches spiritual lessons as well.
This weekend, he was teaching on the armour of God. He had a set of jousting armour that he used as a prop while teaching. My oldest son got to be his 'mannequin' for the whole thing, which thrilled him to death. (He and I are both great history buffs.)
Here's a picture of him in the whole get-up.


Here's a picture of the baby in the little sweater I made for him while I was pregnant. It looks like he's going to outgrow it before it's worn too much. Two weeks ago, it looked like it would be huge on him. Now he has pudged up so much, it's not going to see much action. Glad I got at least one picture in before it's too late!


Also, I just have to say that I've got the best secret pal in the whole world.
She's sent several e-cards, and emails...and today I've already gotten a real card via snail-mail. How much better can you get??? I never have a chance to feel like I've been forgotten.
Thank you, Secret Pal!!!

Creating Beauty-rambling thoughts

This post by Cassie was very inspiring to me, and I've been mulling over the subject of beauty (and creativity) ever since.
You'll note the name of my blog....Create With Me. I've loved to create things ever since I can remember. This used to cause me a bit of guilty feelings (and still does occasionally). I tend to worry about if I'm misusing my time by spending it on my hobbies. Is that time that I should be spending reading to my kids, or cleaning, or.....?
These guilty pangs are more pronounced because I tend to be the only one of all of my relatives that has this drive to create. (I have a cousin that used to cross-stitch, but she's almost given it up entirely).
Am I wrong in thinking that we all crave beauty? It seems to me that there is something that's planted in the core of human beings that makes us want to make our surroundings lovelier and better than we found them.
I read once that if we aren't 'creative' we should be. The article said that we are made in the image of God, and of course, since God was a creator, that makes us have the implanted desire to be creative. (That made me feel quite a bit better about this drive that I have that no one else related to me seems to posess.)
I've seen some created things that I think are downright ugly. The stuff that passes for 'art' nowadays can be purely hideous. Don't most of us crave beauty, though?
I know that's what I aspire to.
I generally think it's cheesy to quote movies, but there's a line from "Sleepless in Seattle" that has stuck with me for YEARS. When the main character (played by Tom Hanks) was on the phone with the psychologist, talking about why he missed his dead wife so much, the thing that he said about her was "She made everything beautiful".
Whoa! That hits me every time I hear it.
I SO want to be a woman who makes everything that I touch beautiful. That includes things like my home, and our clothing, and stuff,,, but not just that. More importantly, I want the relationships that I have to be beautiful just because I was a part of them. Do I respond to my kids foibles with kindness, knowing that I can often fail as well? Do I 'cover over' the mistakes or grumpy attitudes of others with grace and forgiveness, knowing that we all have bad days sometimes? Am I encouraging and uplifting to those I'm in contact with? I wish I could answer 'yes' to these questions more often. BUT, despite my failings, creating beauty wherever I go will continue to be my goal.

Baby pics and beach yarn

Several folks have asked, so here's a pic of the new baby. The blanket was crocheted by me, and he DID have the ADORABLE matching knitted hat (which I've lost, much to my heartbreak. I've just bought the yarn to knit another...but it's still won't be the same. The other one is the one he wore home from the hospital.)


This is a picture from the beach last week. The thing you're supposed to notice in this picture is the pair of beautiful handknit socks made by Sandy . She had made these last year, then thought that the intended recipient may not be as enamored with them as they should be, so she had a drawing to see who in blogland would recieve them. I couldn't believe it, but I got them and here they are on my little fella.
Thank you, Sandy, we love them!

Now, you know I had to check out the 2 yarn shops at the beach. One was in a snazzy shopping center, but nothing there was great enough to just call my name, so I bought a ball of sock yarn and left.
The second shop was in a pretty run-down looking building, but they had lots of interesting yarn, and several books that I had been looking for. As I was preparing to leave, I saw a wall of Noro yarn. My LYS doesn't carry Noro. Plus, I'm still infatuated with the Klaralund sweater that everyone was knitting last year. They had the Klaralund pattern book, AND there were 2 different colors of Silk Garden that I loved. In fact, I couldn't decide between them. Since buying yarn on vacation qualifies for three separate budgeting categories, (yarn, clothing, and souvenier) I got enough to make a sweater from each color (plus the books, plus a few balls of sock yarn.) Now I still love everything I bought, BUT I have one serious issue with the whole experience....


This is how my yarn came home with me.
How uninspiring is that? Now the ladies at the shop were lovely, but there's something to the idea of presentation. I clean trash out of my van with these bags. It's just NOT what you should use to send home hundreds of dollars worth of yarn and books that your customer just bought. Yuck.
Look back at Sandy's site on her Jan 13th post. See how her scarf yarn was packaged? Now, that's more like it. Huge note to all yarn shop owners out there....packaging matters! (Especially if you've just spent lots of money.)

Finally, photos!

No offense meant to any photoless folks out there, but I think blogs without pictures are boring. I've finally got the kinks worked out, and now have a photo-inclusive blog once again.
We had a nice time at the beach. (Would have been better if hubby wasn't working the whole time.)
Here's what I cast on while I was there:

This is Rowan's "Bless" cardigan. I'm having issues with this one. I've got 'rowing' happening on the back of the fabric. (If you don't know what that is, my knitting is clumping together 2 rows at a time because my knit and purl tensions aren't the same.) I used to have this with all of my knitting, but finally resolved it. It's been resurrected with knitting on size 11 needles. These things feel HUGE. I considered ripping it all out, but it's not that severe, so I think I'll keep on. As my quilting teacher used to say "Done is better than perfect", and I want a finished sweater more than I want perfect PIECES of a sweater.

Next up:

The beginning of my Jaywalkers. This shot is in honor of 2 of my favorite bloggers:
Claudia , with her artsy sock in the sky shot, and Sandy , who is always reminding us to look at our sky (and the sky at the beach was lovely).
I have to admit that I wasn't enamored with this sock in the beginning. Somehow, I kept screwing up and had to rip several times. I was determined to persevere, and by the time of this pic, I was beginning to feel the addiction of the pattern. It keeps enticing you to just knit 2 more rows.
I would have liked it better in a striping yarn, so I'll have to try that next, but I like the colors in this yarn, so I'll keep going. (Can you tell I'm not much of one for ripping out my work???)

SECRET PAL 7

Trying to type this fast on a library computer. We're down at the beach for the week (which is giving me serious spring fever...), so I have no computer access. I'm so excited about the beginning of the Secret Pal 7 swap! I'm dying to see if I've been assigned a secret pal yet. I want to do some secret pal shopping while I'm here.

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? I'm a serious yarn snob. I like natural fibers, and have a healthy distaste for novelty yarn.

2. Do you spin? Crochet? I crochet, but mostly for edgings and baby blankets. I want to learn to spin.

3. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? In their original packages in a basket.

4. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I'd say I'm an intermediate knitter. I know how to do lots of thiings, but still wish for a more professional looking outcome. Especially want to learn to do a better job with my finishing.
5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? I'm going to create an Amazon wish list when I get home.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)Fruity and floral scents.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? I have a SERIOUS chocolate tooth! (I prefer milk chocolate). From what I hear, chocolate is considered a health food now :-)

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? I've done nearly everything that involves a needle. I prefer knitting and quilting to everything else, though.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)No MP3 player. I like classical and contemporary Christian music.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand? I prefer spring and fall colors.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?NO pets, but I have 6 great children. The oldest is 14, the youngest is nearly one month old. I have an awesome hubby (which probably goes without saying, or I wouldn't have the 6 children!)

12. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? I wish I was braver about accessorizing! It's something I've never worn much of. Probably this is compounded by the fact that it doesn't get very cold here in NC, so we dont' need lots of layers. I'm still wanting to try Clapotis, even though that's old news in the blog world.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? Wool, cotton. I love Koigu, Lornas Laces, Sockotta, Lamb's pride.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? ACRYLIC!

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s? sweaters, sweaters, sweaters, plus socks.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? I rotate obsessions, but lately it's sweaters.

17. What are you knitting right now? Rowan's "Bless", and Jaywalker socks. Finishing up Rowan's "Tiffany" that I started last year.

18. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Of Course! Who doesn't?

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Circular, definitely.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? Aluminum

21. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Yep, both.

22. How did you learn to knit? At a class at my LYS.

23. How old is your oldest UFO? 1 year.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird? Don't like any animated characters. Hmm, I don't even know what to say about the animal part! Just not my thing, I guess.

25. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

26. Is there anything that you collect? Yarn and fabric ;-)

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? Interweave knits.

28. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? My want to try list is:
Needles- Brittany rosewood dpns for socks.
Yarn:
Stahl Limbo
Anything from Phildar
Blackberry ridge farm yarn
The famous "Socks that Rock" yarn
Books:
Poetry in stitches (There's a leaf cardigan that I really want to challange myself with one day from this book.)

29. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? Fair Isle. Haven't done that yet. I want to learn to spin as well.

30. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? Yep, My foot is 9 inches around and 9 inches from toe to heel.


31. When is your birthday? (mm/dd) September 16
I also love to read and go for long walks. Jane Austen is my favorite author, and I tend to like the old books best. I dream of visiting Europe one day. Especially England, so I can see the real places that my favorite authors wrote about!
I always thought I'd be a widely traveled person, but children seem to have taken the place of that dream. I've lived in Korea for a short time, and went to Hawaii on my honeymoon, and that has been the extent of my world travels.
I'll try to update this better when I have more time!
Looking forward to getting to know you, secret pal!

Long Time No See

Well, I've been very absent from the blog world for the past 9 months. Pregnancy and all of the sleep that's necessary for me while growing a new life kept all of my free time pretty much tied up.
We've now had our new little blessing...a baby boy born shortly before Christmas! The best gift I've ever had!!!
I have lots of blog updating that I want to do,(I did get some knitting and other crafting done during the past 9 months.) I've had a blast during the past couple of weeks looking over the archives of all of the blogs I used to visit on a daily basis. There are A LOT of new knitting bloggers out there since the last time I browsed around! Even more inspiration for me!
I've got to get all of my old pictures switched over to a hubby's server, since I sold my online business and no longer have my own server. I have new photos to show as well. (Plus I really need to get more blog saavy in general...like learning how to 'hide' a link to someone's blog behind their name.)
I'm going to be participating in Secret Pal 7, as well as the Jaywalker knit along. It's likely that I'll do sockazpalooza with Alison from the blue blog again as well when the signups roll around.
It feels nice to be back to one of my old hobbies...blogging!