Family, Hiking and (of course) Knitting

This is a picture heavy post, Sorry! I got busy and didn't blog for a while.

Here is what we have been up to.

I don't know how I got to the place where this little one is now 6. We had a party for her last Friday with her friends. She had a good time. She is growing up so fast it makes me proud and sad all at the same time.


Sunday we went for a hike with out good friends, Saunaknitter(Ravelry) and her family. Here are some of my favorite pictures.
Our boys had a good time, mine are on the left.
The stream at the bottom of the climb. Miss M needed a hand across by Saunaknitter.
The view from the top of the climb.
Brothers.

This is us plus one, Saunaknitter's baby is our godson so we had him the picture with us. He is a real cutie.

I made a quick trip this week to see my sisters, because my one sister is going to work in Alaska this summer for the USFS. She will be living on a boat and flying by helicopter out to work. Cool huh?

Somehow I got no pictures of her while I was there. Sorry!

I did get a picture of my cousin's made up pattern. It is a scarf which you tie a knot in and looks like this.

This is what it looks like laid out on a table. You loop it around your neck and tie a knot with the 2 ends through the hole. The knot holds the scarf on then. It is really a cute idea, don't you think?Yes I have done a little knitting. I made a soaker for Noley with my worsted weight yarn. I think it turned out pretty cute and we are testing it today.
Hope you are all well, Knit On!

Spring Socks

Just in the nick of time, my plain stockinette stitch socks are done.

Yarn was Imagine Knit Sock Yarn in "Longing for Spring"

100% Superwash Merino Wool

Fingering weight

Needles Knit Picks nickle plated sock needles

Size 2 and 1

Pattern was from The Knitters Handy Book of Patterns by Ann Budd.

A slipped stitched heel flap is very pretty in this I think.

They're not blocked but they are done. Whew! I love how these turned out and they are super comfy, soft and hug my feet. On to something new!

Hillbilly Birthday Party and Lightning Pants

This weekend was Busy! It started out with a birthday party for my 2 nieces. The little one on the left and the medium sized one 3rd from the left are the birthday girls. This was a cupcake decorating station my sister in law had set up. Super fun! She also had crafts which I think the adults probably had the most fun doing. After that we went out to shoot guns. Really. My sister is going to Alaska this summer for a job in forestry, which meant she wanted to target shoot. The guys then had to go out and shoot too. My youngest sister and I decided that it looked like fun so out we went. There were mostly just 22's but my brother in law owns some bigger caliber handguns so we tried those out too. I shot a 9 millimeter and a 45, Yikes! They really pack a punch. We were joking that this was a hillbilly or redneck birthday party because of all the shooting:)


We got to see my mom's new puppy, Tillie. KD wanted a picture of himself holding her. She is a golden retriever.

Sunday my house looked like this.
In honor of this little one. So we had to quick drive back from my folks house (about 1.5 hours) and get ready for the shower. It worked out alright but Miss M is sick and so that added to our stress.

Today is finally a nice day and since I had to stay home from work to take care of Miss M I thought I better at least do a little of this.

I also made these pants for the boys.

I know its not knitting but I hope you will indulge my little foray into sewing as the boys really needed PJ pants and this fabric is too cute to not use.

Contest results are in and Saunaknitter won! Thanks for all the entries. Knitting updates next time.

Still Here

After last Friday's blizzard, spring is starting to show its face around here. It is Northern Minnesota though so I expect more snow before long.


New updates to the shop today! I added some new lace yarn and if it gets a good response I will add more soon.
(Spoiler Alert! April don't scroll down!)

I am working on this February baby sweater for a friend. The yarn is Lilly Elite Cotton in Red. I love how this is looking. Girly but not your typical color. I still need to get buttons and knit about 2-4 more inches but it will be done soon.

Don't forget contest is still open until April 18th! Knit on!

Blog Anniversary

What a difference a year makes!

Today is the day. The day I started the blog on a whim. I thought everyone else is doing it why not me? I had no idea what fun it would be. How nice bloggers and knitters are or where my life would be a year later. I have made some virtual friends and real friends through my blog. My family has grown and my yarn stash has expanded. I've planned more projects than I've finished and I started knitting socks! I once said I would never make socks:)

To celebrate this momentous occasion I am having a contest. It does require a little work on your part so be warned. I have a favorite blog entry from last year, I want to know what yours is. Tell me yours when you leave a comment and I will have some goodies for one of you. Oh and tell me your favorite colors too.

Contest will be open until April 18th.

Thank You all for your nice comments and encouragement this last year. It really does mean a lot to me. Knit On!

Thrifting

Today I stopped at the thrift store with the kids after school. We found a few toys for KD.


A "Cow" for Noley. He thinks everything is a cow lately. He is sleeping next to it here.


Miss M found a doll and some other treasures. She said "I can't believe someone would get rid of this stuff!"


I found this wooden bowl.

This framed saying is now my new motto for life, I think.

My personal favorite find are these cute cups. I am in love with the cute birds on them!

Here's a shot of my sister with her new puppy, her last dog died recently she was very sad. He is a cutie and really good with the kids. The younger sister is in the background.

My youngest sisters kids are growing so fast and I thought they needed a picture on the blog. They are adorable aren't they?

KD got some great military stuff from his uncle (retired Marine). He wore it every chance he got all weekend.

I am distracting you from the knitting this week because I made some progress but nothing too exciting to show. There is a baby gift started for a friend who recently had a baby but I think she lurks around here so I won't post yet. I will post knitting again soon. Right now I have a upset tummy so I'm going to lay down. Happy knitting!

Excuses, Excuses

The reason these aren't done,

and this isn't farther along,Is that I can't take my eyes off of him.
I went and took a shower, now he needs a bath. We are off to the Cities for a family visit tomorrow. We'll stop at my sister's house and let the kids play. My nephews are 5 and 2 so there is lots of fun for the cousins. The guys will no doubt surf the net for deals as usual. Naomi and I are hoping to check out the shop in town that has yarn. Then we'll head to the in-laws for the night.

I hope you all have a good weekend. I'll leave you with some pictures of our recent visitors.






This is to show how close to the house they were.






There were 8 in all.






Knit On!