A Dang Good Time

Last weekend Mr. Effer and I went to Webs, where I spent a wonderful morning shopping and he sat in a comfy chair reading the newspaper. He's such a good sport. Just remember, he was rewarded later after I had a martini or two. Supposedly it was a romantic get away weekend to view the fall leaves. But you know women, they always have a hidden agenda. So we packed our things and headed to..... one of the states that begins with "M", you know Massachusetts or Maryland. I have absolutely no sense of direction or geography, but it was one of those places. It turned out to be a beautiful day with lots of yarn buying and, yep, the leaves were pretty, too.

So here's a few pictures of my haul.
Curious?

10 Skeins of Noro for a scarf or two.
6 Balls of Tahki Stacy Charles, Bunny Paint....yummy and soft.
20 Skeins of Valley Yarns, Florence. This will be the first time knitting with this brand of yarn. When I was fondling all of their yarns, this was the only Valley Yarn that felt extremely soft. So the verdict is still out on this brand. Why did I buy 20 skeins of it? Crap, I'm asking myself that question right now. But at the time, I must have had a plan for it.

20 Skeins (in two different colorways) of Queensland Kathmandu, which is a yarn I absolutely love.

15 Skeins of Lisa, Adrienne Vittadini.

It was a really great weekend trip. I knitted the entire time I was in the car, which was about three hours one way. And I'm still working on the sweater, Vivi.

It's Sooo Good!!!

The sponsor of this week's knitting project is brought to you by two drunk ladies and a bottle of Smirnoff Grand Cosmopolitan.

Saturday was a hoot!!! The morning started out with our usual knitting get together at Shamballa Cafe, and then Susan and I went to the Oktoberfest, which was a stone's throw from the coffee shop, where we munched on bratwurst and German potato salad. In the early afternoon, we returned to our respective homes, and I thought the day was over as I sat and knitted in the family room. But around 8 p.m., the phone rang and Susan wanted to know what I was doing for the evening. Well, the DH was out of town, so of course I said come on over and let's have a drink or two and knit. She arrived with a 1.75 liter bottle of Smirnoff Grand Cosmopolitan and it wasn't long before we polished off the bottle and were acting like two silly teenagers..... giggling and calling friends on the phone. Around 2 a.m. we headed over to the B'ville Diner for some food to placate our munchies.

So for knitting news, I have casted on for Vivi by Jane Ellison, Queensland Collection Book 3. And even though I was pretty messed up Saturday night, I actually accomplished some knitting..... There was no frogging on my part! Susan, on the other hand, casted on for a sock, knit a few rounds and then somehow started knitting in the opposite direction, which she discovered on Sunday. My Sunday was spent sleeping and eating ibuprofen. I was a worthless piece of crap!!! The older I get, the longer it takes me to recover from a night of alcoholic beverages. By the way, Smirnoff Grand Cosmopolitan is excellent!!! Thanks, Susan, for sharing!

I hope everyone has a great week of knitting.

I Knit Shit...

NOT!!!

Salina, designed by Kim Hargreaves, is finished!!! This is my all time favorite project. And it actually fits me!!! Umm, you'll need to overlook the crappy-ass pictures.




I love it, I love it, I love it!!!! Okay, I'll stop jumping up and down!

Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed , color #146, green

I made several modifications: It was knit in the round to the underarms, so there would be less seaming to conquer; however, I decreased and shaped the waist as per the instructions. Also, I didn't knit the cuffs as per the pattern... just too lazy and slightly intoxicated to follow those instructions.

Next project..... finish an afghan I started last spring.

Finger Lakes Fiber Arts Festival

I've always loved the fall season.... brightly colored leaves, frost on the pumpkin, hayrides, apple picking and fiber festivals. Last Saturday, Mr. Effer and I went to the Finger Lakes Fiber Arts Festival in Hemlock, NY, and had a great time.

We saw silk worms in action. They're so darn ugly but very soft to the touch, like velvet. Of course there was some toe-tapping music provided by a couple of cute kids.
Wagon rides.....
An alpaca or two....
And we just had to top off the day with some fried ice cream.... deeeeelicious!!!

Can you believe I didn't buy any fiber or yarn? The weather hasn't turned cool enough for the spinning bug to bite me yet.

Have a great week!

Spanked and Whipped

Okay, I know that I'm a very, very bad blogger but that's okay.... I don't pretend to be good at anything. I have learned to love my dysfunctional lifestyle.

Anyway, my little Sweetpea was spanked this summer by a pickup truck while quietly and patiently sitting at a red light. She is almost eight years old. Yes, I've been driving a Prius hybrid that many years. The insurance company wanted to "total" my baby, but I said NO WAY! I would have been happy to buy another Prius but there's a five month waiting list. So I begged and begged them to fix my little Sweetpea.
She's back on the road again and my neck is feeling fine.

Now onto knitterly things..... My goal for September and October (and probably November) is to whip through my projects that have been abandoned for quite some time.

Even though I finished my Nicole Jacket (Queensland Collection, Book 1, Jane Ellison) almost a year ago, I never wove in the loose ends. I wore it around the house last winter with yarn ends flapping in the breeze. I thought possibly I would start a fashion trend, but it didn't happen. So ta-da...
That's a really bad picture.... the sleeves really are the same length. The sweater is just hanging lopsided on the hanger. I'm not aspiring to be a great photographer. The only thing I want to know is which button to press for the camera to go "click."

And for the Manitoux Passage scarf that I started last winter, after a night of too much alcohol consumption, it ended up looking like this after I noticed I had the wrong amount of stitches on my needles. But two nights ago I finished all 72 inches and even managed to weave in the loose ends. She's a beaut! And will be very warm this winter.I also managed this summer to knit a pair of socks for this little guy... my great nephew, Robert. He looks a little sad because the end of his vacation is nearing. He and his twin sister, Grace, visited me this summer and we had a great time. They live in New Haven, Missouri.


But now he can smile because he has a pair of hand knit socks to keep his tootsies warm this winter.

I hope everyone has a great week of knitting! I'm off to work on abandoned WIPs.

Nintendo Wii, Chase Daniel - What a Score!

Thanksgiving always symbolizes carb overload, elastic waist pants and the kick-off of Christmas shopping. Although I was not one of the crazies who went out at three a.m. on Black Friday, nor did I shop at all that day, I did, however, make a big score today. Woo-hoo. Look what I bought today.
This year, Mr. Effer made one phone call and the guy on the other end of the line, said yep we've got one Wii system, but I can't hold it for you. No amount of begging could persuade this guy. We told him we'd be there in 10 minutes. I slipped on my clogs and we ran out the door. I kept telling Mr. Effer to drive faster, but he would not exceed the speed limit. My stomach was in knots. I just kept thinking that someone would buy it before we arrived at the store, but the guy did indeed hold the Wii game system for us. I profusely thanked him. What a nice, nice guy! This present will certainly make my great niece and nephew, Grace and Robert, very happy. Everyone in the family tried to purchase one last year for the twins, but we all came up empty handed. So this year, they will really be surprised.

So enough bragging on my part. Guess who I am in love with (besides Mr. Effer)? This guy.

Now look at my guy in action.

Oh yeah, baby, that's Chase Daniel, the quarterback for Mizzou. He is so darn cute, 225 pounds of cuteness. So now you know, I'm rooting for Mizzou.... all the way, baby!! He is the one to blame for the six-foot long pumpkin pie scarf that I'm knitting. I just couldn't stop knitting while watching the game last night. Go Mizzou!!!

Have a great week!

Thanksgiving ...

turkey, pumpkin pie and lots of leftovers.

A pumpkin pie inspired scarf

Of course, it would have been lovely for the scarf to be finished in time for Thanksgiving, but deadlines have no significance in my life.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!