Technology rocks! Knitting does too! Sometimes they work together...

I have been knitting, honest I HAVE but I have also been distracted this week with my new toy!  Even though I got to go to Europe this summer, I begged and begged and begged and due to all of that begging my honey let me order an iPad for my birthday!  I ordered it on my birthday but it only arrived this week!  It was agony waiting for this to come in the mail as I am an instant gratification girl.  I went basic and ordered the 16gig WiFi version!  It is the cheapest one out there and I thought, hey, it is all I need.  It does everything a laptop at home will do (ALMOST).  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my iPad.  So does everyone else in the family.  So I have organized it and aside from going through thousands of photo's that desperately need to weed down I have everything on it that I think I will load for a time.  Some of my favorite things...

1.  Kindle for iPad - reading on the iPad is wonderful!

2.  GoodReader for iPad (I can view all of my knitting patterns - no more printing out patterns)

3.  Angry Birds - it is just fun

4.  Browsing the internet, in my bed

5.  Updating Ravelry from my bed using the camera syncing options and plug in's to upload pictures to project pages (some work still needs to be done here but it works 80%)

6.  NETFLIX - I can watch anything on my iPad that I would be able to watch on my computer and via the WII.  IT IS AWESOME...

7.  1.5lbs.

OK.  I will stop going on and on about my iPad.  I don't know if it is wrong but I have been going to bed with it.  I still sleep next to Clint but the iPad is right in between us!

WIP:  I have two new projects on the needles.  I do not have enough of either of them done to really show off pictures but first I am working on my second Wicked Sweater.

This is a picture of my first Wicked Sweater!

I love the fit of this sweater so much that I decided to make it a second time (and because my sister has stolen my first one).  Right now I am about 1/2 done with the raglan increases and got a little bored so I put it aside and cast on for a cute little baby hat.  This is another stash busting project and I found it on Ravelry when viewing projects other people have done with the one skein of yarn I had left from yes, my first Wicked Sweater!  How is that for grouping of my projects!  This little baby hat has many little points and here is a photo of a finished one (not mine).  

© Stickigt 

My mood:  Has been OK.  The weather has frankly been SUCKY and unfortunately that really plays on my mood!  I am still logging my food and exercising at least 5 days a week!  That helps.  The arrival of my iPad has really helped.  

Reading:  Well I was just getting into the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and then I went to Sams Club and saw the book for the Life and Death of Charlie St. Cloud (the movie is starting on Friday) so I downloaded it from Amazon and read it in a couple of days (on my new iPad).  It is a good, quick read and makes me want to see the movie even more.  I think it has a very spiritual feel and really hits on some good points about life and death and living!  The movie will be a tear jerker and a mushy romance but I like those movies and I am totally ready for it!

 

this and that...

I finished Ishbel last night.  It was nice to finish a project all the way and be able to have a destination all planned out for it!  I agreed to knit Ishbel as a KAL with a lace knitting group in Portland.  Another shawl I told myself, I never will wear this, why am I knitting it?  Because Farrah asked me to and it is nice to be part of a bigger project.  Close to completion I was invited to a colleagues retirement, moving, last day of work party!  I thought, wow, I have this beautiful knitting lacy shawl and Sheri always admires my knitted items, this is perfect.  I will give it to Sheri as a retirement, moving, last day of work gift.  I know she will enjoy it and wear it!  So, I madly cast off last night, soaked the little number and blocked it out.  It dried incredibly fast.  I took several photo's of it with the light changing in my house.  It is not the best light but I like it!  It is all wrapped and ready to give to Sheri today at her party!

I really enjoyed knitting this one!
When I was done blocking this shawl I was pumped up to start my next project and work on some stash busting (maybe because I just ordered 13 skeins of Blue Sky Alpaca for a sweater project, EEEK).  I quickly set up the swift and ball winder and created 4 lovely balls of Cascade 220 Superwash for a second Wicked Sweater (see this post for previous Wicked I knit).

I think that this is going to be a lovely fall sweater and I am going to try to make a 3/4 sleeve on it.  It really depends on my yarn and how much I can get out of these 4 skeins...

 

I also wound up one skein of my new Madelinetosh Prairie in Mourning Dove that I purchased to make Pia.  I will work on swatching this in my "spare time".

 

(Interweave Knits)

Other items on my list...

Reading:  I just finished my book by Kathy Reichs and was excited to do so because I have been itching to read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  I started as soon as I finished the other.  I have heard good things about this book and I am super excited to finish so I can watch the foreign film based on the book (subtitled) and will be eagerly awaiting the American movie that they are casting for currently.

Mood:  I am feeling pretty good.  I started to log my food using Weight Watchers Point System (on my own) and have lost 5 pounds.  I am ready to loose the remaining 35.  I have been getting up in the morning for walking and strength training with my neighbor.  I am happy to report that today is the FIRST day since starting to exercise that I have NOT gone back to bed only to rush getting ready and to work on time (sort of on time).

Weather:  We will just drop it there.  What weather.  Alaska has been weird, wet and dark this summer.  I am praying for an Indian Summer!

Girdwood = good fun!

Two of my knitting friends and I have been discussing getting away for the weekend to do some knitting.  It finally happened.  Girdwood is a little ski town 45 minutes south of Anchorage.  Easy drive, quiet, off the road, relaxing ~ just what the doctor ordered...

1.  We had a wonderful dinner at Jack Sprat's.

2.  We watched the debut episode of Covert Affairs on USA.

after a gorgeous day we had a nice sleep and woke up to RAIN...  however, rain is relaxing so we...

3.  Enjoyed a great breakfast at The Bake Shop.

4.  Relaxed in the condo while knitting and napping.

Cathy working on a sock, I am working on Ishbel, my shawl, Zaynab is working on a cool scarf!

 5.  Ran up the circular staircase about 100 times to pee (my water habit is getting better and in this case giving me some exercise too).

 I highly recommend a Girdwood getaway to all of my girls...

My knitting progress this weekend.  I worked on the Ishbel shawl.  It is coming along nicely.

Getting back to the reason I am blogging...knitting...

So my blog posts have been void of "knitting material" as of late so I thought I would get caught up with some knitter worthy blogging...  I was reading a friends blog today and I really liked her format so I am going to give it a try.

What is on my needles:  As of today I have one shawl on the needles.  This shawl is called Ishbel and is by Ysolda.  I am making this shawl as part of a KAL (knit a long) with some gals from Portland.  I was gifted some beautiful Queensborough 80% Alpaca, 20% Bamboo from my bestie Farrah and decided that it was the perfect yarn for this shawl.  The beginning of the shawl is stockinette stitch so it is a little slow and boring going but it will soon get exciting...  here is my first day's progress...

I have also finished ONE of my Skew socks.  I have blogged about these socks before and if you know me you know that I am pretty good about getting one done and then taking a break before making sock two.  I love these socks.  they fit GREAT.  I will most definitely finish the pair...  as for when...  here is sock one patiently awaiting it's partner...

Lola want's a pair.  Oh that would not be good, I would have to make 4...

Comfy, clever socks.  I will have the set ready for clog weather for sure!

What is my MOOD:  If you read my last blog post, you will know my mood.  No need to go through it again, other than I am sick and ready to be done with the head cold...

What am I READING:  I am currently reading the third book in the Kathy Reichs, BONES, series.  It is called Deadly Decisions.  I am interested in these books mainly because I am addicted to the television program.  The books are really very different than the series but I like them.  I am really excited to get through this book because I just downloaded the books from the "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and I can't wait to get started...  I read my books on my iPhone now using Kindle for the iPhone.  I just know that it would be much easier on an iPad but that would be another expense!

What is the WEATHER:  Today is BEAUTIFUL.  The sun is shining.  It is warm, hot even and I am inside updating my blog!  I hope the sun decides to keep shining.  I am really ready for the sunshine in Alaska (we had it in Italy). 

Europe, knitting and turning 29 for the 9th time...

Tomorrow is my birthday.  I am getting older.  I was never one that felt like getting older was a big deal until this year.  For some reason it is hitting me.  Is it because it is an ODD year?  I think maybe that has something to do with it.  I know that sounds strange but even years are happy, odd years seem sad.  Like next year the prospect of 38 does not seem bad, but 37 just has a weird ring to it.  Enough depression.  

I promised more photo's of my European adventure and I always come through with my promises.  It is hard to pick a few photo's to choose when there are so many good ones...  I hope I show off Italy well and that you all get to experience through photo's taken by me and my good friends, the wonderful time we had...

Top Row:  Pelican in Mikonos, Clint, Anna and Patti in Voltarra, view of Mikonos...

Middle Row:  Pretty alley in Voltarra, Anna, Jeanie and Trish with the sunset, Clint and Jeanie spiffed up for dinner...

Last Row:  Windmills in Mikonos, Anna, Julie, Clint & Jeanie in Barbarino, Pelican in Mikonos...

Top Row:  Clint on gondola ride, sculpture in Murano, Jeanie in front of the Bridge of Sighs...

Bottom Row:  Patti, Jeanie and Anna on gondola ride...

Top Row:  Julie in Pissa, Clint and his wives (joke) Patti, Jeanie and Anna, Clint and Jeanie in the square at Voltarra...

Middel Row:  The Duamo in Sienna, Patti, Jeanie and Anna in Split, Croatia, Clint at Torture Museum in Voltarra...

Bottom Row:  Children crossing sign in Italy, Anna and Jeanie on drive to Voltarra, our pool at the villa...

I have so many more photo's that I could share but it would take days and days.  I hope you enjoy what I have shared!!!

Europe is amazing and if you ever have the chance, do it!  I highly recommend it!  Just give yourself enough time to see wonderful things.  There is so much.

European Knitting...

On June 12, my husband and I embarked on a European vacation with 16 family and friends of which children were NOT included! This vacation or "holiday" as the Europeans call it included 3 countries (4 if you count a layover). What I didn't realize is that we took off on Knit in Public Day so true to the calendar I pulled out my knitting on our first leg of the trip, the 9 hour flight over the north pole headed to Frankfurt Germany from Alaska.

Here I am working on my Skew Sock. Cooking with bacon and grease.

I made pretty good progress on sock one but I am not a very good holiday knitter. During my vacation I had the goal to visit Chianti Cashmere. I had read about this cashmere goat farm on Ravelry and later her beautiful web site so I emailed and inquired on visiting his amazing place. I wanted to see the goats. Understand the business and leave with some products. Due to some unfortunate circumstances the business did not have inventory to speak of except this little basket with the softest cashmere I have ever felt. I was given a tour, lesson on goats and how the fur is gathered and processed and I even got to meet the 2 day old babies. Wow. What an adventure. Oh the drove there was a major adventure and I have my friend Anna to thank for getting is there safety.

The mama goats and their babies.

The workshop and showroom.

The main house and view.

My score. Yarn and spinning fiber.

More view and the owner and I.

Sneak peek for next time... Our Villa, Tizzano, built in the late 1300's. Tuscany, Italy. The Chianti region.

memorial day fun...

What a glorious Memorial Day weekend we had in Alaska! The sun stayed out (almost all night long), the bugs were not to terrible, a few of us made it a 4 day weekend and overall it was a wonderful time! We had promised the "Grandma's" that we would make it down to their neck of the woods for the weekend but as it approached hubby decided that he really needed to spend some time in the garage (building, organizing and getting ready for fishing this coming weekend). I was feeling conflicted as I really like to take the long weekends and go South to Homer and Seldovia since it is quite a long drive, I like the extra day to make it a semi decent weekend. I asked my girlfriend Patti to join me on my adventure so that I could please the Grandma's and also myself... We hit the road early Friday morning with one of mine, Elliot and hers, Chance. We made it to Cooper Landing in time for breakfast at Sunrise (my friend Farrah's Mom works here so we stopped to see if she was in, no Sharon but Farrah's Dad and Pumba the dog were there having breakfast).

After breakfast we made record time to Homer! First order of business, walk around the Homer Spit and have a good LINNER. We visited The Deadliest Catch store and did a little bit more shopping. We had to stop and get some saltwater taffy at The Salty Girls and then go down on the beach and skip rocks.

The next morning we got up early to head over to Seldovia on the NEW SELDOVIA BAY FERRY! Besides seeing my folks and my Mother in Law this was the highlight of my trip. I have been a part of the building of this Ferry (I have written ALL of the checks to have it built). The Ferry just started operations this last week so we got to ride on it while it is fairly new! What a beautiful boat!

One of the reasons I like to go to Seldovia over Memorial Day Weekend is because of the festivities... This is the 5th year that they have had the Chainsaw Carving Competition and this year the Artists were creating something for the new Childrens Park. It is amazing what one can do with a log, chainsaw and small hand tools. Here are some shots of my favorites.

I just learned that the seal/sealion or whatever it is came in first and the salmon with saddle came in second. I wish I had pictures of them more completed because the winner had another otter in front and starfish foot holders. You can check these out on the Seldovia web site.

Other things we enjoy doing when in Seldovia are visiting the beaches, skipping rocks, riding bikes, drinking coffee and walking from one end of town to the other. Here are some pictures of our trip to Inside Beach.

Oh and how could I forget the boys excitement. Papa took them fishing. First they went out on Saturday night, Papa thought he would troll for salmon but they got into the halibut. After trying for a few hours the halibut were bait stealers and they came home with nothing. They decided to be troopers and go out early the next morning before we caught the ferry back to Homer. Those two little ones and Papa got up at 4:30 am to make it out with the right tide and what do you know, they all caught their limit!

Halibut tacos were the featured menu item at our house last night!

After the ferry ride back to Homer and a few more hours hanging out with Grandma Little we were on our way back to Anchorage and Elliot didn't last for 10 minutes before he was out for the count! He slept until dinner in Soldotna and then we laughed at Bill Engval the rest of the ride home!