Persnickity Design

Love my new bag from a talented, hard-working
gal based out of Bellingham
Check out her website.
www.persnickitydesign.com

Beauty Bar

Last week end we (girlfriend & daughter)

went to the fabulous NightLight Lounge

where we were indulged in a night of

free manicures, eye lash extensions, up-sweeps,

make-up & give aways. It was so much fun...

Even had a hand parafin dip; talk about hot &

torturous! Yikes... What most women do to

look good; fun, yes-- something that I would

do daily-no, no, no...

Cotton Lace Skirt

This lovely skirt pattern is from

Greetings Knit Cafe. I am using a

cotton blend gifted to me by former

SP from purlnecklace blog. It is from

Debbie Bliss & easy to knit. I'm on the

second lace panel for the bottom. Should be an

easy knit to finish. Can't wait to wear it...

Some Beautiful Summer Things

SP; you're the greatest

Went to my mailbox saturday & there was

this sweet package with some great gifts.

Thanks SP; love the fiber & the color is

vibrant. Can't wait to knit with it. Also, the journal will come in really handy for my next projects.

Me- Happy that it's Summer

purple purse & liliac pearls

Have a few things going on as I am determined to get some jewelry made for the many art & craft festivals of the summer. Also, finished a purse I had started over the Holidays. Still working on my Thinking of You Scarf; challenging pattern but great to learn a new technique. Will post pics when done. SP 10 is almost over & I haven't started The Flower Basket shawl given to me by my wonderful SP.

Catchy Title, Great Projects

Looking for some Teen Knitting projects
to teach my granddaughter some cool things
to make for herself & friends. This book has
something for everyone. We hope to have
more Teen related programs where I work
I am happy that more young people are
taking an interest in an old art.

Memorial Day Weekend

finally getting the hang of the wavy pattern for my
"thinking of you" scarf. loved the stamp from my LYS
for the week end marathon. didn't get to all the places
but, i did manage to learn all the great locations of
future YS's to go to.

love, love, love Seattle

Went to the top of the Space Needle; went around the outside
suddenly I went numb & felt nausea. Still it was a beautiful view even from
the inside.

progress of project

I love the soft feel of the alpalca blend that was gifted to me for this scarf. The wavy pattern is eye cathcing; can't wait to knit the hearts. Onto an exciting week
end for me which translates into Destination: YARN the 2007 LYS tour for my area. I'm excited as there are discounts, prizes and a passport. If interested
& you live in the NW area of Washington check out the website: http//www.lystour.com

what's on my needles now

knit projects galore

This book Domiknitrix has the cutest items and I so love to be able to make
quite a few things from it. Projects on the needles: my previous pal sent some beautiful merino silk in tones of pink along w/this great heart scarf pattern.
I want to finish this & get some help casting on wonderful shawl pattern from
my current pal. The start of this beautiful shawl is a little different than
what I've done before; I love learning new techniques.

done projects; new project

finished gloves for a friend in xxlg and will be starting a new
project that my wonderful secret pal gave me; a shawl in pink; can't wait to start.

a second look at my gifties

love that awesome secret pal!

thank you secret pal!

thanks to my awesome secret pal i have my favorite lace pattern shawl like the one i previously posted from elann it will be done in the beautiful fiber in pink. oh happy day! i also love the other gifts especially the beautiful bag that she has made; it is perfect and i so love the lining as well. best of all the bag is
reversible and will hold all my take along projects nicely.

books, books, books

i have such a passion for fitted designs or anything that has some vintage undertones. luckily for me, my local library has been purchasing some great, trendy books on knitting. that will at least leave me a little more money for fiber!

love the free patterns at elann

of all the free pattern websites i think that elann.com has the best trendy selection by far. i would love to make either one of these two gems.

favorite fiber vs not so favorite fiber

my favorite fiber thus far is the optimum wool. it is soft &
knits up fast. my least favorite fiber any 100% wool fiber.
it unnerves me to no end when i place wool on my skin. it may
be mental but, i am sticking to it.

wrap from berroco free pattern

had more acrylic fiber to use & loved the stitching on this wrap. it sits on top of
the shoulders & falls to mid back area. it's a warm color & has feminine qualities despite it's bulkiness. i love diversity in textures, designs & colors.

chinese symbol pillow

longevity runs in my family so what better symbol than the longevity on a pillow to help me remember the beauty of life. watched "what the bleep do we know" dvd. had me reaffirming my intentions for a long and beautiful life. happy 1st day of spring.

Boats for Cameron

I fell in love with boats for cameron from Debbie Macomber's Shop On Blossom St.
knit book; it was wonderful to finish it for Christmas for my grandson and it is
just his size for traveling. He loves boats and I had inherited alot of acrylic
yarn that I wanted to use up. I also made one for his sister in pink, yellow and
seafoam green.

sp9 great gifties

finally a friend burn a cd of all my projects that i had lost in a file. thank you to purl necklace i have some beautiful fiber to work with. thanks again!!

sp10 is up & going

i have a great obession with the color pink; this cute tank from

interweave knits latest zine is divine. it has a great lacey form that

does my heart good. i hope to be able to start this soon. as for my

secret pal whom i contacted yesterday i will be having loads of fun

reading her blog. my bf has a current love for ox fiber; he loves to

surprise me so he went to my lys to ask about prices. he is such a

cool guy. gotta love him.

this is what i dream of

EE
Originally uploaded by knittergurl56.

nothing is better than a natural place to swim and unwind from the daily stress of life.

questionaire for sp10

1. My favorite yarn to knit with is anything that is soft.
2. I store my needles in a small bag.
3. I've been knitting for 6 yrs. & consider myself an intermediate knitter. I
taught myself to knit.
4. I do have an Amazon wishlist.
5. I love floral scents; am not fond of vanilla.
6. I love dark chocolate. My fav candy is called Bacci; it is Italian for little kisses.
7. I don't spin. I make gemstone jewelry, crochet, cross-stitch & some needle point.
8. I love pink, purple, aqua; not fond of gray or green.
9. I love reggae, jazz, salsa, classical. Do not have an MP3 player.
10. I am single and have no pets.
11. I do wear scarves, hats, mittens & ponchos.
12. Fav item to knit: purses, handbags & gauntlet, fingerless gloves.
13. I am currently knitting fingerless gauntlets.
14. I love handmade gifts.
15. I prefer straight, wooden needles.
16. I don't own a swifter or yarn winder.
17. I usually finish all items I start; I rarely have UFO's.
18. Fav holiday is Christmas
19. I collect mermaids, mini teddy bears & anything Hello Kitty.
20. Book I'd love to have: Greetings from Knit Cafe. Size 7 or 8 wooden needles. Pattern book
Quinte Scrapbook by Mission Falls.
21. I would love to learn more lace techniques.
22. I don't knit socks. I wear sz 10.5 or 11 shoe.
23. BDay is 11/24.

thanks to my pal. i have this pattern and some great pink yarn to make it with. i will post more pics as i am able to retrieve them from a lost file. i love all the wonderful things i learn from SP's; i have had some great spoilers.

lovers

lovers
Originally uploaded by knittergurl56.

i think that when one loves it is a unique journey to connect in
a way that is not experienced everyday; too bad, because all
disease of body & mind would disspate. life is beautiful &
in every part of my life i am blessed with love.

aloha

friends and family time has been great the last few
days since my son has come for a short visit from maui; it is hard to know
that i could go, live and love in paradise. but, not now and for the most
part it is a great place to vacation; get away from my norm. i have so many blessings in my life.
aloha
Originally uploaded by knittergurl56.

i had downloaded pics of several things that i have knitted & the great

stash that my sp had sent who i believe is that lovely lady at purlnecklace.blogspot.com

it is so frustrating as i have lost the folder & am not able to retrieve it.

i have also revealed myself to my pal sheila from a straight tequila night: hey sheila, hope you and yours are well. i have had so much fun with sp9 & look forward to sp10.

after much contemplation of what to do for charity i've decided that the dulaan project touches my heart the most. i admire the life style of the mongolian people as they utilize and provide for their needs all with little to no money involved. how unique to be able to provide for myself in every way possible.

SP9

i can not believe how quickly this month is going by.
i am so looking forward to doing sp10; i always learn
so many news things about knitting, fibers, techniques
and also all the great ladies & guys who love to create
things as much as i do. my next downloads will be pics
of all that i have knitted since december. i can't wait
to start a new project as the fingerless gloves are quick
and easy to knit. my son will be coming for a visit & we
hope for more snow so we can go play at mt. baker. plus,
as it will be my eldest granddaughter's 9th bday we will
have extra reasons to celebrate.

fingerless gloves, 1,2,3

just finished my first pair of fingerless gloves from alterknits & i am hooked !
i will be continually making them until i have perfected the pattern enough to
make a pair in silk. my goal this year is to make enough hats & scarves to
send to dulaan project before july.

first post of the new year!

i have finished yet another cable purse in purple & have started a ribbed
scarf in pink. the holidays were quiet for me & i certainly did need the
time to relax. it is a new year & so much that i would like to do & see.
this year i want to learn to knit socks & a lace shawl. i treated myself to
the latest issue of interweave knits; it has so many great ideas in it i
didn't want to wait for the library to let me check it out. also, this is the
year for me to get myself into making jewelry full on for the holidays in
'07. it is exciting to be alive & well.

ho ho ho!
this is the first holiday season where i can focus on the true meaning
of the season. i have been blessed with so much that i want to say i am
content beyond belief. new year will hold so many new possibilities
& i am certain that there is so much more to love. wishing all a very
delightful & happiest of seasons; smile, you are alive!

Happy Holidays!
i am so done with the two blankets: boats for cameron from debbie macomber's
shop on blossom street. i am excited at how they turned out; i changed a few
things & they came out better that what i had thought they would. since they
are for my 2 youngest grandkids i hope that they will have a life time of use.
there will be pics posted after the holidays. after the holidays i plan on making
a great knitted skirt out of the big girl knits bk. i just love the cable & pocket
on this skirt. i will need to do a little adjusting of the pattern as i'll need it to
be a little smaller than the pattern. still, i am so elated to knit a skirt.

choices & more

after reading yet another view of marie antoinette i have
decided that she was given a raw deal; she was after all born
into an ingeniously wealthy family whose take on honor was
at the expense of individualism. marie seems as a high
spirited if not some what innocent martyr. she was used as
a scapegoat not just by her family but, also by the people of
france. it was an exordinary take on her ability to put herself
on the line for the sake "of the people." that she was spoiled &
wasteful; we will never really know- after all she married into
a family that had already used up the coffers long before she
arrived. i love her spirit, her sense of loyalty & admire her for
all the personal sacrifices she made in order to fit into a society that never understood nor embraced her.

love my secret pal! when i checked my mail yesterday there was a lovely
little package from my sp; inside i found a big surprise:0) some beautiful
debbie bliss cotton enough to make myself something really nice & a handsome
pair of rosewood knitting needles in a sz 10. i have been coveting needles from
latern moon for so long. thank you, thank you, thank you secret pal; you're the
best!

non-stop knitting

it's been nonstop knitting over the last 2 weeks; mostly i was immobilzed by snow
& therefore i was able to use my time to complete one blanket & am almost
finished with blanket #2. i am elated as i have many hopes to teach myself the
ukelele; bought one for my bday! tuning it is quite a challenge. once i do learn
that the rest is a piece of cake. speaking of cake-- during the snow-in i had gone
to my local oriental foods store & stocked up on chocolate mochi, red bean paste
mochi, pot stickers & dumplings. hmmmm good. i love going to there it's so packed
full of great stuff. i like trying new things & i am not ever disappointed. looking forward
to the holidays; no plans just want to rest & relax.

it's been a whirlwind of activity. first thanksgiving was a nice surprise as
we were invited to my eldest granddaughter's other grandmother's house
for eating & sharing. then for my bday my daughter surprised yet again with
a beautiful piece of art; a girl on the moon with a quote from eleanor roosevelt:
"the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." how
true is that! we had lunch at mi mexico; hmmm, gooood plus, they made me
wear a sombrero & sang happy bday to me. it's been rather dreary
with the 18" of snow that we have gotten overnight & more to come. i love the
snow as long as i don't need to move about in it. it's quiet, peaceful silence is
inspiring to my soul; i need quiet from time to time.

my shrug, my purse, my curly scarf

latest knit project

i love all the great patterns inside shop on blossom street; i am presently
working on finishing a great blanket from it that has rows of sailboats &
rows of cables. the effect is perfect for my grandson; it is going to be
a comfort blanket as it is just big enough to cover him. i hope to be able to
knit another blanket from the same bklet for my granddaughter. knitting quickly!

belkis & levana

belkis, originally uploaded by knittergurl56.

this is the happy grandma & the new mamsita, levana

heaven help us; another love!

i am officially a great auntie; my niece had her baby yesterday!
her name is anabelle love. yes, love is her middle name. i am
so estatic to have another grandchild in our small clan. my mom
was beside herself as this is her 3rd great grandchild. that i should live
so long to experience the same. the happy parents are enraptured by
her little hands & feet.

can't believe it!

1. i will be 50 in a couple of weeks
2. i will have celebrated 1.5 years of a knit blog
3. i have finally started a savings account; it's for a real vacation to italy in '08
4. i have been mostly eating veggies & fish for 7 months; sure, chocalate is also included
5. i have conquered my fears in lucid dreams
   

my own swimming pool

EE, originally uploaded by knittergurl56.

lovelerly.. sigh
this is what i want in my backyard...

took pics of all my finished
projects & hope to be able to download them later to post soon! busy doing a
two tone gray curly scarf w/some fantastic optimum wool from jody devine a wonderful
past secret pal. will post that too w/more of the brown shrug i finished this
summer.

knit, knit, knit
i think i'll be able to post most of the knitting projects i've done
by monday. blogger will be down for awhile on sat. & sun. is family
day! some of my co-workers inspired by the rain have decided to host
knit night. first group project are the notorious whirly scarfs; i've
found that 4 ply fiber doesn't do well after the 1st 600 stitches are
on your circulars. quite tricky; i've had to add another circular needle.
i've been studying italian for a several wks. now it is so similar to
spanish it's breeze! so, cross my fingers that i can get photos of my
stuff. drats! not having a pc at home.

Halloween fun!

Just finished my patons shrug in rust; I just love the way it came out!
I hope to post pics asap. still no PC @ home so I'll need to wing it.
Been fascinated by all the activity going on at my LYS;& they're having an
anniversary sale Sat. & Sun. I have to work this wkend but, I will make it
my first stop of the day Sat. Plus, they have the Quinte Scrapbk I've wanted
since forever by Mission Falls!! Elan is having a great sale on yarn as well-
eeeekk! so much to do & so little time. Have been reading Mary Kay Andrews series
Savannah Blues, Savannah Breeze; just love her take on Southern colliqualisms.
She's hip, trendy and funny. If you like stories that have good endings the chic
lit. dept. than she's a good start. I am on my second strip for my sailboat
blanket from Debbie Macomber's knit leaflet A Shop on Blossom Street. She's another
great author; she tells women's stories w/flair & no whinning. My Bday approaching
has me feeling like I need to be in overdrive. Nothing like getting your 1st
issue of AARP to put things in perspective for ya! Can't wait to see all the little
hobgoblins this yr. Our little library is dressed to the hilt w/Halloween festive
wear; I brought in some maple leaves & my boss dressed the pumpkins w/foliage.

get to know you questions: secret pal 9

i found the questions for the sp9 contest so, here goes:

1. my favorite spot to knit is while i watch tv or on the bus; i go
everywhere by bus.
2. if i could never knit again i would paint with my mouth. if cats &
elephants can do it, so can i.
3. if i could travel anywhere in the world i would go to tahiti to a black
pearl farm so i can see the way they develop & of course to bring one huge
black pearl home with me.
4. when i was little all i wanted to be was happy! and yes, i am happy with
what i do now as a career. i read all i want!
5. my favorite flavor ice cream is ben & jerry's cherry garcia :0)

just wanted to post that i found my wishlist via www.amazon.com
please use keilagonzalez@hotmail.com as the address.
also, www.patons.com has changed it's look so i could not find
the shrug pattern that i got from joanne's. needless to say i'll
need to figure out how to download all my knitting photos.

have recovered from a nice weekend of WALE fun. made some great new
friends & even took some time to knit. i'm currently making a shrug from
a paton's pattern; fast, easy & on big needles. some send posts to my
secret pal 9 spoilee & am looking forward to shopping for her gifties!
fall is full on in bham; leaves are crinkly, colors range from orange to
russet. my daughter & i had lunch together yesterday; we've decided that
the colors in autumn would make great hair dye. she's 27 & full of fun.
i am so blessed to have such wonderful relationships in my life. picked up
a copy of the happy hooker; want to crochet some for the holiday gifties.
still coveting loop d loop patterns. haven't ventured to pick out a pattern
yet! love life and am looking forward to more!

secret pal 9 questionnaire

i love the secret pal venture; those ladies that put it on work really hard to
get everyone involved so here's 3 cheers to them all.

1. i love all fibers except wool.
2. i store my needles in a small bag & sorely need another one.
3. i have been knitting for about 8 yrs. i consider my skill level to
be intermediate.
4. i believe i still have an amazon wishlist.
5. i love most scents except patucholi for the home. i love floral scents for
bath products.
6. i do have a sweet tooth. i love dark chocalate w/orange or raspberry.
7. other crafts i enjoy are: crochet, i make beaded jewelry, i cross-stitch,
i do calligraphy & japanese brush calligraphy. i make cards too.
8. i love all kinds of music except gangster rap. my stereo doesn't play mp3s.
9. my favorite color is pink, my fav palette are fall colors. not too crazy about
green.
10. i am divorced with 2 adult children & 3 1/2 grandchildren. i haven't any pets.
i do have alot of plants.
11. i do wear scarves, hats, mittens and ponchos.
12. my favorite item to knit right now are shawls or shrugs.
13. i am knitting several items; a shrug, a scarf and a blanket.
14. i love handmade gifts!
15. i prefer straight wooden needles.
16. i do not own a yarn winder or swift.
17. i taught myself to knit.
18. i do not have any ufo's; i like to finish what i start.
19. my fav holiday is thanksgiving.
20. i collect tiny or small bears & mermaids.
21. i do not have any knit zine subscriptions. needles sz 10 wooden would be great,
i would love either alterknits or loop d loop.
22. i would like to try a lace shawl pattern.
23. i don't knit socks. i have a sz 10.5 shoe.
24. my bday is 11-24.

this is how i should start my day

have no idea how i got this photo but, hey! it's my first in so long that i'll take the darn thing. miracles, miracles everywhere. two magnolia trees on either side of the ywca have decided to bloom; it's mid-september. saw a horse & carriage going down the guide meridian; you know, the kind you see in central park, new york. had no
idea that we had that here. watched akeelah and the bee; reminded me of how i loved words as a kid. being bi-lingual helped me in spelling and i was darn good. even did a spelling bee through school. have been knitting like crazy, a red woolie hat, a green basket weave scarf, and now a shop on blossom street sailboat blanket in baby blue. still am not able to download photos; but, soon! real soon. love life i am staying in touch with those who can tolerate my zaniness the most!

too much time on my hands

since i've discovered how to knit i have pretty well neglected other areas of
creativity and interests. however, i am gleeful some things that are coming
up as part of my job that are fun! one of them is www.librarything.com
if you love reading and books this a great way to store and share those books
you really treasure. most of all it is free~! it is practically fool proof so you
don't need html knowledge. the other keen information that i will be exploring
will be new technologies via a WALE convention. washington association of
library education has the best mini tutorials and the conference is generally
a good place to meet fellow bibliophiles. on a personal note i find that i really
need to get out and meet some flesh and blood people as it is too easy for me
to just chill alone at home. soon i will be the big 5-0; this is definitely something
worth celebrating as half a century is way longer than what i thought i would ever
survive. still working on getting some photos posted of my fo's.

things i have done

1. tubing down river
2. camped out on a secluded island
3. hitchhiked across country
4. danced til dawn (most of my young years)
5. rv'd across the states and canada
6. lived overseas for 6 years
7. lived on maui with a hawaiian family of hula dancers
8. sailed in the gulf of mexico
9. swam with a pod of dolphins
10. stayed at celebrity's house
11. swam by moonlight
12. saw the sunset on the pier in key west
13. stayed in a haunted house in queen anne, seattle,wa
14. fished off of a ricktey wood bridge in destin,florida (a long time ago)_
15. took my granddaughter to the immensely beautiful aquarium on maui
16. attended a luau hosted by my hula dancer roommates
17. did karoke, sushi and saki all in one night
18. fell backwards off of a 7 hand horse while riding doubles
19. had my fourtune told at the bottom of the teacup in new orleans
20. slept in the desert under the stars
21. slept on a flat roof in miami under the stars
22. sailed around miami bay at night
23. won tickets to a conference via a radio station on maui
24. have had several poems published

half of summer

here it is almost july 15th; where i grew up in ft. walton beach, florida
this is the time of year when they celebrate half of summer. it is quite
the party! i miss the annual billy bow leg festivities. billy was a local
pirate and he is honored by the city with floats, parade and of course
drink specials. i miss the ocean and white sand, sand dunes and crunchy
hush puppies. even so, here in the great northwest i have views of the bay
of bellingham, mt.baker, the twin sisters mts. and most of the islands.
my knitting continues to increase as i would love to contribute to the
dulaan project this year. this organization distributes hats, coats and
warm apparel to the people of tibet. this is dear to my heart as the tibetans
are as self-sustaining as possible even with the political arena withholding
from the local people the necessities of life.

summer solistice

i often question as to how i am doing and often i anwser "fine"
i have a mental process that helps me focus on the positive; i
tell myself i am great and i smile. whenever i am down i do this
over and over until i am quite convinced that i am just wonderful.
this mind over emotions is and has been one of my most challenging
things to understand. sure, i know that good mental health also promotes
good body health more over i know how as a woman life's little ups &
downs can be jolted into further degrees by womanly cycles yet, now
that i am older it is not as difficult. fear is an enemy that creeps
in if you are not aware and it will steal away any strength that you
may have. that is why everyday i assure myself it is a good day to be
alive.

divine timing

it has been a long time since i have posted mostly because i miss having access to downloading photos from my digital and without a pc at home it is going to be much longer before i can display any of my knit and/or other creative projects. however, a room with a view has been inspirational and i truely enjoy where i live; by the sea is where i love to be.

changes, changes everywhere

haven't had the pc at home to add some great photos of current
knit items. but, have been busy knitting pillows for my new
apt. it's been a long time since i have had my own place; i am
so looking forward to shopping for things to replace those things
that i've given to my daughter for her house. life is good!

happy first day of spring!

i love the cherry blossoms and all the bulbs in full bloom. lots of color!
the air is fresh & still crisp with a hint of winter's coolness.

fun with the little ones

i have spent the weekend knitting my shrug & spending quality time with each of
my grandkids. jaiden, our little guy came by so we did the playground, computer games, watched cartoons and had little conversations. taylor, the eldest came by last night. we watched matilda and talked about this & that. this morning isabelle came with her mom & she entertained me as usual. she's so alert; it's scary to see how much she knows. i am so blessed with joy & i am thrilled to be able to spend time building relationships with them while they're young.

bell shrug & cable purse

belongs to another blogger

this is the shrug that i am half way through making. the pattern came from another knitting blog.i made another cable purse, but i haven't been able to find purse handles that suit it. i'll be finishing my shrug by the
wk's end. can't wait to wear the lovely bell shrug.