Looky!

My cousin drew this sketch of me! Didn't he do a good job :) I think it only took him about three hours to draw it. Thank you Josh. You are too sweet.

For some reason I have a mean case of writer's block tonight. That's usually solved by writing until it comes to you but that doesn't seem to be happening. I think maybe I'm just tired. I just started rambling about watching the movie Just Friends and it was so lame I had to delete it to save your brain. I'll be back once I'm rested with more pictures and hopefully more interesting blogging. Thanks again for the sketch Josh. I love it.

Thank You

I just wanted to say thank you for all the kind words. Your support means a lot to me. New blog coming soon. I hope you have a wonderful Thursday.

In Memory of Dale: Wonderful Wife, Mother and Friend

My dear friend, Dale, passed away today.  Dale was the very first person to reach out to me when I moved to Florida 4 years ago.  She sent me an email, after reading one of my posts on the Knitlist, inviting me to go to her knitting group.  She was such a blessing to me in a time of great loneliness, and I will be forever grateful for her.  My life was just one of many touched by this incredible woman.  She was kind to everyone she ever met, and made me feel at home when I was so very homesick.  If I had to sum Dale up in one word it would have to be, Mom.  I will always remember her as an incredible mother.  If you spent any amount of time with her, it was so obvious that she adored her children.  I think my tears today are mostly for them, and I will pray for their comfort. 

I will never forget you Dale. I will always remember how much of a friend you were to me; how you loved the color pink; and every time I see a butterfly, I will think of you.  Until we meet again...

Love,
Stacie

To donate to the MPD foundation, click here.

This is what Marco thinks about all the organizing.

His daddy will be so proud.

Obsession for Knitters

One of my many obsessions as a knitter is collecting knitting books and magazines, and I especially love the older ones.It is so much fun to see how styles change throughout the years, and how some remain timeless. A couple of years ago, Monica sent me some very cool vintage magazines and patterns. I got the biggest kick out of the advertisements that were in the magazines. Girdle anyone? Hair tonic?

Just the other day, I got an email from her asking if I would like her old Vogue Knitting magazines. Yes my friends, Monica rocks! They arrived today, and I spent the evening flipping through the pages and putting them in order. Yay!! Fun fact about me: My entire house could be wrecked, but you can bet I have my books in alphabetical order, magazines in chronological order, and my yarn organized by color. It's a whole lot more fun that dusting! Thank you Monica for making my evening so much fun and adding to my collection!

You know you have the best bosses in the world when...

this arrives unexpectedly with a note that reads...



"Just a little something to thank you for always getting projects done so swiftly! :)"

Yay Spring Knitty!!

The Spring Knitty is up, and it reminds me that I really need to make some knitting friends or join a knitting group. I miss flipping through the pages of magazines/books and snickering or ooohing and aaahhing over the patterns. So then I said to myself, "Self, why don't you just oooh and aahhh a little on your blog." Yeah yeah I talk to myself, but at least I don't answer. Well not loud enough for anyone to hear me anyway <wink> Man oh man I need to get out more...

Tahoe is a cute cardigan, but the best thing about it is the yarn! It's knit with Debbie Bliss Cathay, a cotton, microfiber and silk blend, which has long been on the list of yarns I would love to knit with. Gooooood choice by the designer!

I love the ribbing on Ribena! What a fun and easy way to dress up a sweater. I think it would look great with long sleeves as well. We also have another great yarn choice with this sweater. I haven't knit with Tencel yet, but it has peaked my curiousity. According to Yarndex.com, "Tencel is made from wood pulp cellulose and drapes and feels like silk". Pretty cool, eh.

I love how the cable runs down the front of Torque and the collar and hem are split. The yarn is a cotton/acrylic blend which makes me wonder if Cotton Ease would be a good substitute. Let's face it when you have a stash of cotton ease like I do, you wonder that about everything.

Last but not least is Bauble. It combines my two favorite thing, knitting and beading, and it is GORGEOUS! Don't be surprised if you see one of these show up on the blog. Sure, I do have a lot of things going on, but this wouldn't take that long to knit. I think any woman in your circle of friends and family would LOVE to be gifted with one of these.

So many patterns, so few hands. I need to figure out how to knit in my sleep. That is just so much time going to waste every single night!

PS. Marco says...

Hi there! Mommy has been knitting, and I am helping as much possible. She doesn't seem to appreciate it very much, and I don't understand that at all. She told me to tell you that tan thingy is growing and she was going to take a picture,but I wanted her to take my picture. I'm way cuter than that stupid tan thingy. Don't ya think!

Yep It's Monday

So how was your weekend? Mine was pretty uneventful which is not uncommon for me these days. Anyone out there work from home? It's actually a great gig, but you really have to make an extra effort to make friends that you wouldn't have to make working out in the world. I do miss the human interaction I had at my old job, but I surely do not miss the two hour (total) commute. I totally prefer the 30 second commute from my bedroom to my desk. Now ask me how cool it is to work in PJ's. Oh it is very cool.

I have to admit that I don't really make much of an effort to get out there and make friends like I should. This is probably because of the falling out I had with a friend I made in my neighborhood. I got blindsided by the whole situation, and I think a little shell shocked as well. But let's face it, I just need to get over it and move on. In my defense, I do make somewhat of an effort to dwell amongst the humans by teaching knitting classes. If that place would get their crap together and fire one awful woman, I am sure I would have more students. But I digress...I had a great student this past Friday. She was a very enthusiastic and fast learner, but the best thing about her was that she didn't want to jump 10,000 steps ahead in a 2 hour class. In my experience with teaching, you tend to have students that push and push to learn as much as they can in as little time as possible. These are the ones that end up coming back because they can't remember how to cast on. My best advice, hold your ground and stress the importance of crawling before you run a 5k.

Now I will abruptly change the subject as I am apt to do, by mentioning Interweave's book- hey look a squirrel!!! Ahem, by mentioning Interweave's new (at least to me) book, Lace Style. I have seen this book on several blogs, and will most likely add it to my library. Click here to check out the book on Knitpicks.com which gives you a look at the inside pages. I am loving the cardigan on the front cover already. I am such a fickle knitter, jumping from project to project like it ain't no thing.

Picture Day (click images to enlarge)

Marco has Daddy wrapped around his little paw!


Z looking quite sphynx-like, and Hunter giving his best sad puppy eyes.

My new do :)