This One's for the Girls....

.....the girls I am fortunate enough to knit with on Wednesday nights and well...just about any other chance we get to knit together. Here are some pictures of our Holiday Events...

The snowman looks over our Holiday Feast when we got together one Saturday at Pam's. THANKS! Pam!









This is Pam and Frito better known as "Totie"










Becky and Sandy with the goodies just before we all "dug in"



Beth was sitting in Frito's Mom's chair so she got to "knit with Frito"


All of us at our "Chinese" Holiday Gift Exchange


Becky and Sandy as I think Sandy is getting ready to "swipe" the Shaefer Miss Priss yarn and other goodies. I ended up with them. YEAH!!
Lindy is exclaiming over Sally Melville's new book on color. Pam is eyeing it carefully as Liz is looking on.




My knitting life has been so enriched this past year due to my association with all the wonderful gals here. I can't wait to see what 2006 brings us all!

December...Not a good month for Blogging

at least it wasn't for me. What can I say? Work was filled with many special events that I either was in charge of or had to attend. There was much to be done both at work and at home. Home got a lonely pink tinsel tree....work got 7 trees and much decorating. There was a frenzy of Christmas knitting and shopping in those last few days before Christmas and as in year's past it all got done by Christmas morning. This year the time frame got out of kilter by my having to shop for a dryer. Mine died after 15 really good years and all of you know that a Mother of three boys cannot LIVE without a dryer.

Let's see ....how much Christmas knitting was completed ontime. The cupcake hats for the visiting girls from Australia ...CHECK! Isn't that the cutest thing you ever saw...all in pink?
Mom's scarf out of mohair and ...CHECK! I gave it to her before I took a picture. The buttonhole bag for the Mum from Australia...CHECK. Things not checked were sister's fingerless mittens...only lacking a few rows on the end and the short little thumb. Dad's homespun scarf...one skein down and one to go. I am knitting that out of some Homespun from HollySpring Homespun and it is wonderful to knit, subtle color changes and some texture changes but so soft and lovely. If he doesn't love it I am going to "sneak " it back.

This is a picture of both of the hats I made. I got the pattern from Chili Con Yarne. I was really pleased with how it knitted up. Once you were past the "nubbies" it was a very quick knit. The pattern calls for worsted acrylic but I just couldn't do it. I used Peace Fleece that had neat little colored flecks in it, I thought it made it look like sprinkles.

How was your Holiday?Hope it was wonderful!

A Perfect Day for Dyeing

YARN!! That is!

Knitting gal Becky has been talking about our group getting together to dye yarn for some time. She and Sandy were the first to venture into some Kool-Aid dyeing and then back in June Pam, Becky and Liz took a class at Holly Spring Homespun. The rest of us had NO EXPERIENCE at all.

Well today was the day. Our resident dyeing expert Becky had everything all neatly arranged at her lovely log home.
She and Sandy had already mixed the dyes and labeled each jar. Beth P. is eyeing some of the goodies we had brought to fortify ourselves for the event.Becky is in the backgound studying the color chart.

Please note how nicely everything is organized.

I think this is when we were listening to Becky explain the procedure for dyeing. Pam and Liz are paying close attention. I was a "step at a time " kinda gal.


Here we are mixing up our custom, one of a kind colors . Sandy in the white tee-shirt assisted many of us in working with the colors.Thanks BUNCHES for my green! Without Sandy it was very dark and muddy looking.Pam looks like she is sweetening tea..lots of tea.



This is a picture of Liz and Beth spreading out their yarn. That is Pam's yarn in the foreground. Isn't it beautiful?

It was at this point that my camera battery died and left me unable to document the day further. So you miss us "Saran wrapping" it and steaming the yarn in the crabpot out on the back deck and then the final rinsing. I have a new appreciation for hand dyed yarn. I now understand just how much work is involved..alot!

We did take a group picture holding our yarn as well as a picture of all the completed yarn. So just as soon as Liz gets me a copy I will post it. They all turned out so well and it was so much fun.

It just doesn't get much better than this. I am so happy to have such a special, wonderful group of friends. We will be coming up on our 1st year anniversary in January and yet I now feel like we have been friends forever. Thanks Becky for hosting such a wonderful dyeing experience. Thanks Sandy for all you did to help Becky get ready for us and for your expert color advice. AND special thanks to Becky's dh Gordon for the best BRISKET ever!!! and thanks to all the knitting gals for the wonderful food...the derby dip, the macaroni and cheese, lasagne and salad, the sweet potatoes, and the belated birthday cake ( for Becky), chocolate pie, lemom tart and my foodness( decided to leave the typo in) did I leave anything out?!?! It was just a wonderful day with good friends, good food and fiber. ( My friend Lawre calls that the 3 F's)

Hopefully more pictures to come! Still knitting for Christmas but oh so slowly....