Picnic Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Oh my goodness! How gorgeous is this dress!! I would love a chance to picnic in it. Great site too - thanks knitfiber for linking!

Picnic Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

I feel so special!

I've been nominated by m. as a KreativBlogger!!! Thank you so very, very much!!!!!!

As a new nominee, you:

1. Copy the award to your site. CHECK
2. Link to the person from whom you received the award. CHECK
3. Nominate 5 other bloggers.
4. Link to those on your blog.
5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominated.

So, my nominees are:

Turtlegirl - Fun daily posts, particularly WIPs. Cristi's a super fast knitter so she's always got something new!

Amber - I love Amber's digital scrapbook pages! I'm still stuck in the "dark ages" doing regular scrapbooking...

Alicia- Alicia's writing and photographs and cooking and art take my breath away!

Alyson - I always love to read about what she's been knitting and her writing style is so witty!

Lolly - Lolly always makes me want to learn photography, knit more, and then take amazing pictures of my knitting...

I don't often comment in the posts on these blogs but I read them all whenever they come through on Bloglines...and often late to work because I get so involved in the reading. Ladies, I hope it's okay that I've linked over to your blogs. You are all amazing women in my eyes!

Don't hate me because I use novelty yarn...

IMG_2105, originally uploaded by KnitterRunner.

For the second time in two months, I dug into my stash and found some fluffy stuff to whip up a quick gift. This scarf is made from 2 skeins of Moda Dea Espree in Sands. I cast on 15 or 20 stitches and just kept knitting.

Doesn't Mir look thrilled to be modeling? Not so much...

This is a get well gift for Sean's administrative assistant. She loved the scarf that I made for his boss (Chenille and Fun Fur in bright red) and Sean thought it would be nice if she had her own. I have a feeling I'll be making several more for the women in his work group - just fine since I do have an accumulation of novelty yarn just waiting to be knit into garter stitch scarves.

I know that some folks think novelty yarn is "so 2000 and whatever" but I still believe that there is nothing like it in terms of quick bang for your buck when you need a gift FAST. And the results are always just so fun!!!!! You should have seen the reaction to the original red scarf - his boss was modeling it in the office! I have several novelty scarfs that I wear for those brief moments of Florida chill and I love them and won't give them up. I think that I need one of those "knits with novelty yarn" camp patches that Brenda Dayne offered a few summers back.

Also on the needles...I've got a bit of startitis...
First Entrelac Scarf in Noro Silk Garden Lite
Matinee Sweater for Mom
Stoplight Socks
Emergency Socks (that stay in Sean's car should I suddenly need to knit)
Spiral baby blanket in Gator blue and orange (baby gift not needed until May but almost done!)
Other things I'm sure...check out my Rav project page for details...

Well, Sunday must start...and I want to track my friend Mari who is in Jax Beach running a half marathon...xoxo

Two questions that strike fear in the hearts of knitters...

"How long would it take you to knit a scarf?" (asked the Saturday before Christmas with the intention of it being given on Christmas Eve)

and...wait for it...

"Could you whip up a pair of baby booties so that I can bring them in to work for Doug tomorrow?" (asked on December 23rd)

WTF?!?

It's a good things he's cute.

My answers in the end were, "Not very long but it's still not going to be finished by Christmas Eve. Buy her a book." and "Actually, I've got three pairs of booties finished for another gift - you can choose one pair and give them to Doug." That was quickly followed by, "Do you have them with you?" (yes) and "Do you have a gift bag?" (umm, sure, I always carry gift bags in my car...) Mind you, this last conversation was over IM on my Blackberry while I was driving and in his defense, I do have a lot of random stuff in my trunk...

Off to work for a short day and then home to get ready for having my folks over this evening - lots of eating and relaxing. We wait for tomorrow to open presents. Woohoo! I'm like a little kid!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Hanukkah!

Happy Kwaanza!

Happy New Year!
(both on the 31st and on the 29th, as that's the new year on the Islamic calendar)

xoxo

Rewinding to my CA trip...

So, I got rather side-tracked (I think understandably so) over the past month and a half but I must return for a moment to my trip to San Francisco. I think that I mentioned in my first post about the trip that I did acquire some yarn while I was there. It was absolutely yummy Ming from Artfibers. Turns out, the shop was less than 1/2 a mile from our hotel! You may ask how ever did I find this gem of a yarn store, living in Orlando and all? Well, I am an AVID listener of the Stash and Burn podcast. Nicole and Jenny always talk about Artfibers and Imaginknits so I just knew I had to look one or both up while I was there.

So, I dragged Sean to the shop with me and we walk up the stairs as I explain how I knew where to find this shop and that it was really great. All of a sudden, we round the corner and I stopped dead in my track. Why you might ask? There, standing in the shop, just a few feet away was Nicole!!!! I quickly whispered to Sean what was going on and he was immediately all for going up and saying hi. I got all shy and besides, what was I going to say, "Hi, my name is Becky and I listen to your podcast and I think you and Jenny are great?" I felt like the hugest dork.

Unfortunately, I left Sean to his own devices while I looked around and as soon as Nicole was done with her conversation, he walked up to her with the "my girlfriend is too shy" spiel and then made me say hello. I was mortified! Nicole was very sweet though and Sean took a picture of us...I've been meaning to post it since I got back from CA. Yes, I'm a knitting geek but I feel like I was in the presence of a knitting celebrity. Thanks for being patient with the picture-taking, Nicole!

Sean and I are in Columbia, SC for the weekend at his dad's house. Sean and his dad are hanging speakers for a new surround sound set-up. We drove up yesterday afternoon and will return tomorrow. We might even stop in Savannah on the way back!!!

xoxo

There's a hole in my heart

Papa Sarasota 1, originally uploaded by KnitterRunner.

A rather long absence, I know...any delusions of making it through November with a post every day went out the window rather quickly. I'm just not an every day sort of blogger, you know?

My life was completely turned upside down this month - I lost my best pal, my Papa, on November 6th. He had a rough year - he beat lung cancer last winter and had various problems throughout this year. His body just didn't have the strength and his mind didn't have the will to fight on.

How I miss him. There is an ache in me that is almost unbearable at times. We - my mom and dad, Sean, Mark, Karen, Mari - feel our loss of him so acutely. I know that time heals but I'm at that point where it feels like nothing will ever me the same again.

I said his eulogy at the funeral. I hope that it was a true tribute to the man who was so much more than a grandfather to me. He was truly a second dad, a babysitter, a playmate, and a best pal - and I was his "little pal" well into my 30s. I am thankful that I had this last year with him, after he and my folks moved to Florida.

The words are just not coming today...I could try to carry on and talk about my knitting (you can get a lot done sitting in a nursing home...) but for today I will just say....

I love you, Papa. Love, your little pal xoxo

Jumping into the fray

I know, still need to finish talking about San Francisco...

I just want to put it in "writing" that I am on board for NaKniSweMo. Yup, after a zillion pairs of socks and other assorted smaller projects, I have finally cast on for a sweater! My choice you ask? Call me jumping on the bandwagon if you insist - I'm going with the February Lady Sweater in some scrumptious yarn that I can't talk about yet because it's realted to the aforementioned trip to San Francisco that I'm not done talking about.

Sean thinks it'll take me forever...supportive guy, eh? His eyes got a little wider when I say, "oh no, I'll be done by the end of the month." And then he laughed when I told him about NaKniSweMo. I just ignored him and continued knitting.

xoxo