Nothing...

This is a post about nothing.
That's right. Absolutely nothing.
I've knit nothing.
I've read nothing.
I've sewn nothing (broken machine).
Not one even slightly crafty thing has crossed my hands!

A big fat nothing.

So, to all of us who've done nothing this past two weeks. Yes. You read right, two weeks.
Congratulations on achieving none of your knitting goals.

Okay. End of the pity party. I'll try to knit something, if even one stitch, hope beyond hope for one row, of something.

Spring Update

Thanks to all who were worried about Mr. Snakey coming to visit! It was such a shock to see such a giant snake in the backyard! We've had snakes and other critters before, but never a rattlesnake, and never one that big! Ella was curious, but she (I'd like to hope) knows better than to mess with it! He has such moved on, and I haven't seen him since! It is spring out here, the days are getting warm, and March is usually when you see the snakes and spiders come out of their winter hibernation.

On the knitting front, not much news. I haven't had time to pick up the skirt (rav link) in a week, so it's been slow going. I did start on the front, so I have to finish the stst portion of the back and then complete the front. The lace details and such keep it interesting. I have been knitting a baby blanket too! (And I swore I'd never knit another one!) But this one is fun, and when I saw these (rav link), I couldn't resist using up my stash of leftovers. (if you do a pattern search in ravelry for "fish" see what comes up) And they're portable! Both kiddos are into their softball/baseball seasons and I can take them with me! I also want to start, and have been itching for a week or two or three...the whisper cardi (rav lik). I have some yarn (I'm thinking the red) that I think would be perfect for it!

I hope all have a glorious weekend and my goal is to try and knit on that skirt!

Wildlife Up-Close and Personal!

We had a visitor in the back yard this afternoon...


...I think he (or she) had just finished lunch!



This is a western diamondback rattlesnake (the king of all rattlesnakes).




In my back yard!

Ewww...

My Mittens are Finally Freaking Done!!!!!!!!!!

After a fun trip to the "Town too tough to Die"(Tombstone, Arizona) with my handsome husband and well-behaved children, I uploaded some new photos.

Back to regular blog author, thanks to guest picture uploader and title writer!, thanks Hubby!

The bird in the hand mitts are finally done! Yeah! Yeah!

I love the way these turned out. Only problem is...they don't fit me. But, the LittleOne likes them and they fit her small hands, so she's been wearing them to school in the morning.

The lighter part is coming across as grey, but they are dark blue and light blue. I don't know if I'll put the bird on the palm, we'll see...right now I like them as is. This was the first time I used knit picks yarn, and I liked the way it knit up. I bought some other fingering/sock in different colors, I have a hat pattern that might work.

I want to thank (not-so) cynical knitting gal for her Gracie's Golden Blogger Award! Go on over and check out Ella's friend!

oh my goodness, cactus actually took pictures!

The hat: beanpole beanie. A great hat! I reach for this more than any other hat I've made. The pattern calls for bulky yarn worked with smaller needles, but I used worsted (patons classic wool in grey mix), and used (I'm guessing here) #6 or 5's for the brim and #6's or 7's for the body. It didn't take that much yarn. Try it! It's fun!

The skirt: here it is! I've knit a little more than this now and I really, really think it's going to come out great! This yarn is really interesting to knit with. It feels a little, hmm...rough...when I'm flinging it around the needles, but once it's knit up it's really soft and fluid. It is a perfect yarn for a skirt for the Arizona desert.

The mitts: I don't have a picture yet. They're both done, but they're giving me some trouble at the thumbs, so I've put them aside for now, or until I have the patience to sit and fiddle with them. It's not like I need them here now!

I know I have more picts to take of past projects, and I'm going to try and get them taken and here assoonasIpossiblycan! It's been busy around here and I've been trying to grab knitting time when I can and baseball/softball starts this week out here for the kids, I'll be running yet again!

Special thanks to (not-so) cynical knitting gal for her nomination! Go on over and check her out (say Hi to Gracie while you're at it, too).

And one last thing-- Happy Groundhog's Day to all and to all, sorry to have to say this, six more weeks of winter!

The Skirt

The skirt:

yarn has been bought -- Hempathy by elsebeth lavold in celery/sagey green and natural
gauge swatch has been done (it is a skirt) -- #4 needles won
first part of lace pattern has been started -- slow going but easily memorized pattern

I'll try to take a picture of what I've got so far sometime this week. I'll also try to take pictures of the hats (this and this) I've finished and the mittens (just need thumbs) and whatever else I've finished and haven't shown you all yet!

New Year, New Picture for Dogs on Thursday

I think this shows Ella's grey muzzle really well!
Took with my new camera two days after Christmas (see date stamp).

Oh, and I decided to start something new--
this skirt!

I still like all the others I listed before, and will probably get to them some time (at least I hope so!).
Happy Knitting and Happy Dogs on Thursday!