Fun Stuff!

I didn't think it would ever happen, but just as you cannot stop the sun from rising--I "turned" 40 years old. ( I am using the phrasing from George Carlin who goes through the various significant birthdays and labels them. "Turned" was like something going bad or rotten.) I am still not sure how I feel about it. HB says, "You don't LOOK 40 so who cares." He is so sweet. I don't FEEL 40.

I had a great birthday though. It lasted the entire weekend. Saturday we went shopping all day. HB took me to the yarn store and said to buy whatever I want--my favorite present!!! I bought yarn to make the Icelandic sweater I have been drooling over for months (it's 1/3 of the way done already!) Then we went to lunch at one of my most favorite restaurants. For desert I had this AMAZING chocolate cake. It is flourless, super chocolatey, with almond and chocolate crunchies for a crust---oh man! Definately my favorite desert!!! It's like chocolate mousse but better--if you can imagine that. The kids spent Sunday cooking for me, giving me a manicure, entertaining me, etc, etc. It was so much fun! I have the best kids ever, make no mistake.

I have really been wanting to make a sweater fo the last few months. This is not a usual craving for me. I couldn't wait to get started on the Icelandic sweater! I spent most of Sunday knitting on it. The yarn isn't Lopi, but similar. I couldn't find any Lopi anywhere except online so I bought this Mauch brand. The fiber looks a lot like the Icelandic sheep fiber. Most people use Brown Sheep Co.'s Lambs Pride as a substitute, but I HATE mohair! Yes, yes I realize that it is a little odd for a fiberaholic like me to hate any fiber, but I can't stand mohair. Baby, ultra fine mohair is OK, but the mohair used in Lambs Pride is icky! I only use it for felt projects that I want to make appear furry. Anyway, this yarn is a little thinner than Lopi so if you use it as a substitute be sure to check your guage. My row count is right on but the stitch count is really short! As a result I went up a size on the sweater pattern, perhaps could have went up two sizes but I wanted a snug fit to the sweater rather than a "roomy" fit. I always have to make the sleeves 4 to 6 inches longer so I hope I have enough yarn. I bought extra just in case. I figure if I don't need it for the sweater I can make a GREAT hat with the leftovers.

Sorry I don't have any pictures. I took them last night and haven't had a chance to get them onto the computer. I will post pictures of the sweater and the socks I finished earlier this week hopefully tomorrow.

OK! Now for the really big news! WE ARE MOVING BACK TO COLORADO! Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I decided to go ahead and finish my degree. So I will be going back to school this Fall (like in a week). Between the ridiculous doctor situation that HB has had to deal with since moving, the lies that the motel owner told us to get us to take the job managing his motel, the AWFUL schools in this town, (Need I go on? If you want to know how awful it has been read the posts for the last year!) etc, etc, etc, we have simply HAD IT! We are going to go find a house next week. Then we will pack up and be out of here! I really am excited and can't wait.

The only one not happy is The Daughter. She has a point. She does have the best boyfriend on the planet. He is a member of our church, he has a good job working for the county, he is polite, respectful, a perfect gentleman, he works out and exercises really hard, he is drop dead gorgeous! and he has his future all planned out--College, religion, everything. Too bad they are both still teenagers or we would be making wedding plans! You just don't find a guy like him everyday. He is a one in a million--no more fish in the sea like that one! I hope they can keep it together even though we don't live here anymore. She deserves someone as wonderful as she is.

Anyway, so I don't know how often I will be posting in the next few weeks. I will try to post at least one more time before things get to chaotic so that you can see my sweater!

Yeah for Colorado! I am going home!

Recovery Tuesday

Usually Monday's are my weekend recovery days. However, it poured rain Sunday and most of Monday which means that HoneyBunny couldn't work and would be home all day. Then the daughter had a doctor's appointment and somehow managed to convince us that she should get the whole day off from school. So Monday was more like Saturday.

I really could have used a Monday recovery this week. Last week was the daughter's birthday. Isn't interesting how children manage to make the most of this once a year event? We had to have a slumber party Friday, a regular party Saturday for all of her friends, a fun family outing Saturday night, and then a family party on Sunday. I don't remember seeing in the "child raising handbook" where children should have three birthday parties and an event of some sort each year in order for them to actually get a year older. I am still exhausted from just the slumber party! Now you see why I didn't manage to get another post in last week.

(this is a picture of the sockies I made for her)

So, now that HoneyBunny is back to work today, the daughter and son are at school, and all the parties are over I can take a deep breath and "enjoy the silence". Maybe I'll waste away the day knitting! Hey that's sounds like a really good idea. My new book showed up last week and I am so excited to make some of the socks I can barely sleep at night. (Please tell me I am not the only one that gets that excited about a knitting project).

It has been quite a few years since I purchased a sock book. Most of them are so boring--no offense--they are mostly for beginning sock knitters and contain patterns that I could knit in my sleep with both hands tied behind my back. Now don't get me wrong here, I love a good mindless sock once in a while, but I am at a point in my sock knitting career (?) that I want some excitement, something spicy and challenging, something that makes my pulse race, and keeps me awake thinking about it half of the night. This book has many patterns that fit this need. I can't put it down. Here I am trying to exercise a little self control by finishing one project at a time and I keep finding myself shopping for yarn to start my new projects or avoiding all of my knitting because what I have been working on is now boring. In fact--I am going to make a confession--I didn't finish my daughters blanket that she is dieing for me to finish for her (it was supposed to be for her birthday) because it has fallen into that "boring" catagory and, if I am not mistaken, I may have another black hole on my hands. Maybe she will get it for Christmas. When my yarn order gets here I don't know if I will be able to keep myself from starting some of those new socks or not. I am weak in the face of a new knitting book, but when faced with new yarn....

Happy Knitting!