Since it's the last day of the year, I figure it's time to talk about my goals (accomplished or unaccomplished for 2010. I had 10 goals for 2010 and to be honest, I didn't really put a lot into getting them completed. I did what I did and the ones that I didn't finish (or start) I feel no remorse about.

So here's the round up...

1. Read all 10 books on the List of Top 10 Banned Books - This one was an easy one since I love to read. I got all 10 read and it got me back on the road to reading more. All and all I read over 70 books in 2010 and I feel well read and well rounded because of it.

2. Knit 1 pair of toe up socks - I tackled this project pretty early on in the year. I did knit one pair and one pair only. Knitting socks was not really a goal for me like it was last year. In 2009 I knit 19 pairs of socks and in 2010 I knit only 6 pairs with the 7th pair started but not finished before the end of the year.

3. Knit something with Alpaca - I finished this goal right before Christmas by knitting a neck warmer for my step-mom. I enjoyed working with the alpaca but I'm not sure I'd want to knit any huge sweater projects from it. I kept hearing about how much alpaca stretches and that's what kept me from really using it. But I figured for a really soft, luxurious gift for my step-mom it was a good choice.

4. Quilt the 3 quilt tops that I have finished - I didn't even get started on this one. I got really distracted by making clothing this year and my quilting got left in the dust. Hoping to get some of this done in the new year.

5. Finish piecing and quilt the Christmas wall hanging - Got started on this but didn't finish it before the end of the year. Got too distracted with making clothing.

6. Sew up the two clothing patterns that I bought - Done and then some. Making my own clothing was a pretty short lived passion but I did it.

7. Start and complete at least one quilt out of the several that I have all the parts for all ready - Again, not even started. Same excuse, got distracted with making clothing.

8. Use up all the stashed sock yarn I have before buying anything new -Originally, I felt like I failed this goal because I bought one skein of sock yarn when I went to Fig Tree Alley in Midtown Sacramento. But really, one skein in the scheme of things is really nothing, so I feel victorious in this goal.

9. Knit up the Heather Hoodie by Debbie O'Neill - Done and worn about a billion times. I love this vest. So comfy.

10. Finish the 4 sweaters that I have as WIP's in my Raverly queue. (Celeste, February Lady, Tuxedo Vest, Central Park Hoodie) - 3 out of 4 ain't bad in the case of goal number 10. Well 2 are finished and one was frogged. I frogged Celeste and it became Featherweight Cardigan by Hannah Fettig. I love this little lightweight sweater. It was great for nights at the ball park when all I needed was just a little something. February Lady and Tuxedo Vest are done. I've worn February Lady a number of times but I haven't worn Tuxedo Vest at all. As a matter of fact it's currently living in the bottom of a pile of clothes that either need alteration or repair in my sewing room. Central Park Hoodie is still on the needles. I did frog the sleeve and cast on again in a bigger needle but I never finished them. Maybe 2011 will be better for Central Park Hoodie.

As far as goals go, I'd say that I did pretty well. I totally completed 6 out of 10 goals. Number 10 and number 5 with both partially completed. That only leaves 2 goals that I didn't do anything with at all. 2010 goals was a success!

I finished The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau this week.

Good kids book. Easy read, lots of action. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series, The People of Sparks.

Girl Friday is coming along nicely. The back, both fronts and one of the sleeves is completely done and I'm working on the second sleeve now. This pattern is really easy to memorize which is nice since I can work on it while watching TV or chatting with Hubbs. It also makes for really nice early morning knitting when I'm the first one up. I can be half asleep, chugging coffee and still knitting up a storm. Now if only I could spend every morning that way.

Knit Picks Shadow in Vineyard Heather

Since I got my awesome chart keeper for Christmas, I wanted to start a project with a chart that I hadn't already memorized (which I have with Girl Friday). So I cast on For Vintage Knee Socks by Hannah Fettig. When I bought my yarn for Moorish Lattice Cardigan that turning into Girl Friday, I also bought 4 skeins of Knit Picks Shadow (lace weight) in Vineyard expressly for these socks. The picture of the color for this yarn on the Knit Picks website is dead on to what I actually received and let me tell you, it's beautiful.

I cast on on Christmas day after the family cleared out and was ready to start the heel flap on Monday evening. The pattern is pretty easy to memorize, but I've found it a bit hard to work with this yarn because it's held double. I keep knitting into only part of the stitch, picking up 1 strand of yarn and leaving the second. I makes it so I have to pick out the stitch and try again. Thank goodness that I have the Knit Picks Harmony Sock needles. They have nice sharp points on them that make it a lot easier to pick up both strands.

Two more books finished...

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

I liked The Happiness Project. It was a more realistic, more attainable Eat, Pray, Love. Good book, thought provoking.

How I Live Now...um...two stars out of five. The store was full of holes, the main character couldn't seem to hold her train of thought...there was sex between cousins...just a strange book. This book is considered young adult fiction by the library but it was a bit out there. Not sure I would want my "young adult" reading this if I had one.

It's true, I am a spoiled girl.

I have been coveting this Kitchen Aide pasta maker since some time last year. It makes tubed pasta like macaroni and rigatoni. My mom spent way too much money and got it for me this year. She was so excited about it that we made fresh rigatoni for Christmas dinner with it. She practically grabbed it out of my hands when I was opening it and ran to the kitchen with it. It was so much fun and so easy to use.


Hubbs got me the Knitting Chart Keeper from Knit Picks.com. I have been dying for one of these for some time ever since I heard Chrissy from Manic Purl podcast talking about them on her podcast. Naturally, I got out a pattern that had a chart and cast on for a new pair of socks right away. Love this. Now I don't have to mess with sticky notes to keep my place on the chart and when I'm done I can close it up and the cat doesn't lose my place on the chart. So awesome!

My older sister, Molly, got me Around the World in Knitted Socks by Stephanie Van Der Linden. Tons of fabulous sock patterns in this book. There were a couple of patterns my Gram expressed interest in, so I'm trying to think ahead about Christmas or her Birthday next year. I've been wanting to learn to do some color work but wasn't really sure where to start and this book has lots of great patterns in it for two stranded color work. I think this might be a good place to start since I feel like after as many socks as I've done, I've pretty much got socks mastered. PS, I love the socks on the cover! Yum!

Hubbs parents got me the Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast cookbook. So many great recipes! I've already my first recipe picked out. Going to get a pot roast at the grocery store tonight, and make it in the slow cooker. The picture looked so tasty! Can't wait to try!

Merry Christmas!

One fantastic thing about reading children's books is how fast you can read them. Yesterday I knew I was going to finish The Handmaids Tale by Margret Atwood, so I grabbed Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. The traffic was so light that my commute that normally takes about 45 min's, only took about 25. Since I had extra time, I started reading Mrs. Frisby while I sat in the parking lot at work. This book is about 230 pages of large print with a few illustrations.

I've never read this book before but I did see the movie when I was a little kid. The movie was pretty scary and I remember Jenner the rat being mean and scary but the book wasn't really like the movie at all, it was better. The whole time I was reading it, I felt very apprehensive because of the movie. But it was a very sweet, well told tale of a mouse who needs help to save her child and the unlikely assistance that she receives from an unexpected source. The tale is heartwarming but for me it left me wanting to know more about the rats and what happened after they left the farm. For this reason, I gave it 4 out of 5 stars on my review.

Since I have to work today, even though it's Christmas Eve, I grabbed a new book to read on my lunch break. I chose The City Of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. It's also a children's book. Again I got to work early this morning because traffic is so light so I started reading it in the parking lot (no point in going to my desk early). I got through about 30 pages or so in about 15 min's so I'm looking forward to my breaks to see what is going to happen.

I also expect to finish The Happiness Project tonight too. I've really been enjoying reading this and it's lead me to thinking about my own happiness so I expect to really get something out of this book. Personal growth is always a good thing.

So that's it for now. Merry Christmas Eve!

One of the cool things about Goodreads.com is that you can make a list of books under a specific heading and other people can vote for the all time best book according to the title of the list. One of my favorite lists made by other members is "Best Post-Apocalyptic Fiction." I love post-apocalyptic fiction. If you've looked at my side bar of the books I've read this year, it's pretty apparent how much I love post-apocalyptic fiction (PAF). Actually for the most part, once I finished reading the top 10 banned classics, PAF is pretty much the majority of what I've read this year.


After my post yesterday I got to thinking about what I want my goals to be for 2011. One of the things I want to do is to try and read all the books that I haven't read yet. The list has 135 books on it and I've read about 25% of them. Some of the books are classics like Lord of the Flies and some are new books like World War Z, which I just read. I know that unless I buy a few of these books I won't be able to get them from my library. One of the books that I had wanted to read a while back, which is on this list, my library doesn't carry. So in those cases I guess I'll be looking to Amazon or used book stores.

Using the library has really spoiled me. I hate to spend money on books anymore. Other then Stephen King books, most books I won't read more then once. And now that I'm trying to read every book that the library has...apparently, I don't want to spend money on books. I'm frugal, what can I say? Fine, I'm cheap but why pay for something that I can get for free?! I guess this is part of that whole, "Why buy the cow," argument.

Another gift that won't be mailed in time for Christmas...

Project Details:

Pattern: Promenade Scarf by Mimi Hill

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Baby Alpaca Chunky

Needles: US 9 Knitpicks Harmony Interchangeable

Started: 12/05/2010

Finished: 12/07/2010

Mods: I added one additional repeat to make the scarf longer.

This was a very easy pattern to memorize and a very quick knit thanks to the chunky yarn and the large needles. I wouldn't mind making one of these for myself. The Cascade Baby Alpaca Chunky is very soft and enjoyable to work with.

This project also made it possible to mark off one of my goals that I had for this year. Number 3 was on my list as "Make something with Alpaca." Up to this point I hadn't found anything I wanted to make or a reason to make something special enough that would justify the cost but with a project this small that only requires one skein of yarn, it was a pretty inexpensive gift for my Step-mom.

I didn't get nearly enough of my goals for 2010 done. I thought by this point in the year, I would have had them all done but nope, not even close. Less then two weeks from the new year and this year I haven't even thought once about what I want to make my goals be for next year. I'm not even sure that I will set goals for next year.

The dad scarf is done, wrapped and boxed to go to my dad. Obviously it's not going to make it there before Christmas...but it's done.

Project details:

Pattern: Aran Cashmere Scarf by Beth Walker-O'Brien

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease in Grey Heather (2 skeins)

Needles: US size 6 Harmony interchangeables

Started: 11/22/2010

Finished: 11/28/2010

Mods: None

This was a very easy pattern to memorize. Not sure I would want to knit it again because all the cabling hurt my hands after a while. And I didn't really love the way the scarf turned out but that was because of the yarn I used. If it had been 100% wool, it would have blocked out better. Because it didn't block out the way that I wanted, the purl stitches were lost and there wasn't enough definition between the cable sections.

Well I guess there is one good thing about being sick for a week...you have plenty of time to read because you can't do anything else.

I finished Z for Zachariah. This book is pretty quick to read, doesn't take much in depth thought to get through this book. The end was different then I remember when I read this book for the first time way back in middle school. But over all, this was a good book.

Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse by Victor Gischler...not what I expected at all. My first thought based on the name alone was that this book was going to be stupid. But instead I found interesting characters, a good story line and believable reactions to a world gone crazy. But I do have to say that this is a book aimed a teenage readers and I was very surprised that it would contain such a graphic sex scene. My little sister is almost 15 and I would not have been comfortable with her reading this book...well, at least the sex scene part, the rest she would have been fine but still. I'm not sure I would recommend it for younger teen readers.

World War Z by Max Brooks...I waited and waited and itched to get my hands on this book. And when I finally got my chance I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed. It's a collection of "first hand accounts" of the Zombie war from various people from all over the world. I didn't mind the style but just when I'd start to be interested in the story, it would be over. I wanted something more in depth then what the author provided.

I was home sick starting last Wednesday and the only reason I left the house on Saturday was because I ran out of library books. I picked up two more library books, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nihm by the same author as Z for Zachariah and The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I think I'm about 50% of the way through The Happiness Project and am really enjoying. The back cover compares this book to books like Eat, Pray, Love which I've also ready but I think this book is way more relate able then Eat, Pray, Love. This book is about how to change your life without running away to another country. Most people honestly can't afford to move to Italy, Bali and India. So far I've really like the parts about how to make your marriage happier. No matter how happy your marriage is, it can always be happier.

Z for Zachariah...

I'm re-reading Z for Zachariah. It's a teen sci-fi book and it's the first book I can remember reading when I was a kid that was a post apocalyptic book. Whenever I think about this book I get an image in my head of a clear, clean pond with an outlet and where the stream coming out of the pond merges with the river the grass dies and there is nothing living in the water. That image has been one that I couldn't get out of my head since I first read this book way back in junior high school.

For a long time I couldn't remember what the name of the the book was but when I finally figured it out, I quickly requested it from the library. The author, Robert C. O'Brien also wrote Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nihm. I never read Mrs. Frisby but I do remember the movie when I was a kid and how much it scared me. The images from the animated movie have stuck with me through out my life and have also remained images that just wouldn't leave and struck a cord with me. I'm going to have to see if the library has Mrs. Frisby and read the book.

There is just not enough hours in the day to be able to read all the books I want to read, knit all the patterns I want to knit, sew up all the quilts that I want to sew or do all the outdoor activities that I want to do. Sometimes it's really hard to choose!

I finished two books last week, Some Girls: My Life in a Harem by Jillian Lauren and The Jasmin Moon Murder by Laura Childs.

Some Girls: My Life in a Harem was very intresting. I really enjoyed this one. It was an intresting look into the sex trade. It didn't have any gory details but it was really good.

The Jasmine Moon Murders was a good Tea House Mystery and follows the tried and true story line that all all of Laura Childs books follow. As usual, Theodosia Browning is upbeat and alwaays in trouble. But with the help of her friends, she always comes out on top. Would I recommend it? You bet'cha. It's a great mystery with tons of twists and turns.

Now I'm off to find something new to read!

For the last two years, this quilt top has looked like this, hanging in the exact same place on my design wall in my sewing room.

Well I finally took some time over the weekend to work on it. I pieced 16 star blocks and put on a boarder. All I have left is the two outer boarders and I'm done piecing it. This quilt is one of my goals for this year to finish. I feel like I haven't completed many of my goals for 2010 but I'm trying to make a last ditch effort to get some of them done.

Hubbs and I spent Sunday snow shoeing in the Sierras. It was a fantastic day. On top of the mountain the sun was shining and in the 70's. At home it was cold, cloudy and generally just yucky.

Hubbs, Rex and Dixie

Me, Rex and Dixie

Hubbs and Rex

Hubbs giving Rex some encouragement

Me and Hubbs

It was a great way to spend a Sunday and I can't wait to get out and do some more snow shoeing this year.

The Moorish Lattice Cardigan is no more. I frogged it and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Ok, maybe a little but I did it and I'm glad that I did. I knitted and knitted and then realized that I didn't have enough stitches. So I frogged it and started over and then I couldn't get the pattern to work out the way it should so I frogged it again and then decided that I was done with it. It just wasn't progressing in a manner that was making me enjoy knitting it and once the joy is gone...so am I.

So The Morrish Lattice Cardigan has been replaced by Girl Friday by Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark. I'm still working on the back for this and haven't gotten very far because I keep getting way laid by Christmas Knitting.

The pattern is really easy to work with and it makes for great TV knitting when I'm trying to watch Criminal Minds. I was hoping to finish this before Christmas but I don't think that it's going to happen. Either way, I'm looking forward to finishing this so I can wear it. It looks so comfy!

I finished The Witch of Hebron by James Howard Knustler last weekend.

Not as good as World Made by Hand by the same author but a decent book. Not sure that I recommend this one. World Made by Hand I would totally recommend but this one was bit on the blah side. It just never left me wanting to know more.

There has been knitting but I haven't had a chance to take any pictures to update with. Work has been extremely crazy and over whelming for the last couple of weeks. I've been working a lot of over time and haven't had much time for anything else. There will be updates soon! (I hope.)

In addition to finishing the scarf for my dad, I also finished World Made by Hand by James Howard Kunstler. I really liked this book. Good story line and the characters were very engaging. I have the second book, The Witch of Herborn, from the library already and I'm looking forward to reading it.

Mission Accomplished! I finished the Aran Cashmere Scarf that I wanted to get done for my dad. Pattern: Aran Cashmere Scarf by Beth Walker-O'Brien
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Worsted Weight in Grey Heather, 2 skeins
Needles: Size 6 Harmony Interchangeable
Started: 11/22/10
Finished: 11/27/10
Mods: None

This was a very easy pattern to memorize. The pattern looks really complicated but it's not. After about 3 repeats of the pattern, I was able to go by memory. Would I do it again? Most likely not, it's not it's too difficult, it's just that knitting a scarf is really boring. I'm glad that I made myself finish this because otherwise I'm not sure I ever would have finished it.

Since I was able to whip up a pair of fingerless gloves for my little sister so fast, I thought I'd go ahead and try to get a scarf done for my dad. I hadn't really planned on doing any Christmas knitting this year but you know what they say about well made plans.

I've had my eye on this scarf that I saw on Jared Floods Website, Brooklyn Tweed for some time. I thought it was a really beautiful scarf that was masculine enough for my dad while still being interesting enough for me to knit.

Photo & Knitting by Jared Flood, from his blog, Brooklyn Tweed

The pattern for the scarf is called Aran Cashmere Scarf by Beth Walker-O'Brien. It's from a book called Simple 1-2-3 Knitting. It took a lot of time and research but I finally found the book on Barnes & Noble.com. I'm not sure if the book is currently out of print or not but when I found it I bought it. It was pretty cheap as I recall, about $6.00 not including shipping. I bought it back in January with the intention of knitting this scarf for my dad but with the crazy year I've been having I figured it would be much easier to just do store bought gifts for everyone this year instead of trying to knit everyone something special.

But since I was able to knit up the gloves for Jess so quickly, I figured I'd give the scarf ago and see if I can get it done in time. I have a couple of weeks before I need to get the gifts wrapped and boxed and mailed to my parents house in Oregon but I think I should be able to get it done in time. This weekend is going to be a quiet one around my house since Hubbs is on call for work and it's supposed to be storming.

I stopped off at my local Jo-Anns Crafts on my way home from work on Monday to check see if they had any yarn that interested me. Normally for gift knitting I would pick up something more luxurious from my local yarn shop but since the scarf is going to be for my dad, I figured something that is soft and durable as well as machine washable would be best. I'm sure that my dad will end up wearing this out in shop where it will get wood chips and other assorted shop type stuff on it. And I wanted my step-mom to be able to just toss it into the wash without a second thought. I spent about 30 min's waffling back and forth over a couple of different yarns but in the end, I chose Lion Brand Wool Ease in Worsted weight for my project. I chose a grey very similar to the color that Jared Flood chose for his scarf.

I'm going to put my Moorish Lattice Cardigan to the side to concentrate on getting this scarf done for my dad. If I can get it done in a timely manner, I might decide to tackle a cowl for my step-mom. If there's time, I'm thinking something done in a blue to bring out her beautiful eyes. I've already picked out another gift for her in case I can't get everything done in time. Fingers crossed!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I finished another book this week. This time I finished my at work reading book.

I rated After America by John Birmingham as a three star on GoodReads. It was a decent story but I felt like it left off in the middle of the story and there was no closure. So I liked it but it wasn't great.

Since I need/have to have some break time reading for work, I grabbed The Jasmine Moon Murder off my night stand at home. I'm out of Library books except for the one I'm already reading at home and I won't get a chance to get to the library until tonight. The Tea Shop Mysteries are cute books, easy to read. Plus it's pretty short at only couple of hundred pages and I can finish it up pretty quickly. I got my mom hooked on these books and now she buys them when she finds one she hasn't read before and then passes them to me. Free books are always awesome.

In addition to going to the library tonight I also have to bake a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. It will be my first pumpkin pie I've ever baked. Hopefully I'll be able to get it right the first time and it won't require me running to the store for more supplies. I will admit that I bought a ready made crust instead of making my own. Last year I went through about 5 batches of pie dough because I kept screwing it up. I ended up going to the store and just buying the pre-made stuff and nobody knew the difference.

The week leading up to a holiday is always so busy for me. Thankfully I got a bit a head of the curve this by doing part of my holiday cooking on Sunday. Since Thanksgiving got switched from my house to my grandmothers house I don't have to do all the food but I was asked to make my Cranberry-Tangerine Chutney that everyone loves. It's really yummy on the turkey but because it's sweet, I like it over a block of cream cheese with crackers on the side. It's not a complicated recipe but it does take some time and you really have to watch it on the stove so it doesn't burn. You pretty much just dump all the ingredients into a pot on the stove and let it cook down for about 40 min's. But you have to watch it and stir every so often. The recipe says stir occasionally but I've found that if you don't stir it more often then it sticks to the bottom of the pot and burns. And no one likes burned chutney.

Well, I guess I better get my tail in gear if I'm going to get everything done today! Happy pre-turkey day!

Since we all know that I can't go more then 10 seconds without something to read, I started World Made by Hand when I finished Contagious by Scott Sigler.

Jenna over at Cold Antler Farm recommended The Witch of Herborn County by James Howard Kunstler on her November 2 blog post. After I read her recommendation of this author, I ran over to GoodReads to check out the book. When I realized that The Witch of Herborn County is the second book in the series, I requested World Made by Hand and The Witch of Herborn County from my local library.

So far I'm only in about 20 pages of World made by Hand and I'm loving it. Here's the excerpt from GoodReads:

"In The Long Emergency celebrated social commentator James Howard Kunstler explored how the terminal decline of oil production, combined with climate change, had the potential to put industrial civilization out of business. In World Made by Hand, an astonishing work of speculative fiction, Kunstler brings to life what America might be, a few decades hence, after these catastrophes converge. For the townspeople of Union Grove, New York, the future is nothing like they thought it would be. Transportation is slow and dangerous, so food is grown locally at great expense of time and energy, and the outside world is largely unknown. There may be a president, and he may be in Minneapolis now, but people aren’t sure. Their challenges play out in a dazzling, fully realized world of abandoned highways and empty houses, horses working the fields and rivers, no longer polluted, and replenished with fish. With the cost of oil skyrocketing—and with it the price of food—Kunstler’s extraordinary book, full of love and loss, violence and power, sex and drugs, depression and desperation, but also plenty of hope, is more relevant than ever."

Over the weekend, I finished Contagious by Scott Sigler. It's the second book in this series. I read the first book back in September and really liked it. It's a bit creepy and some parts are pretty gross but still a good read. I would have thought that some of it might have given me nightmares but it didn't bother me at all.

From the cover:
"From the acclaimed author of Infected comes an epic and exhilarating story of humanity’s secret battle against a horrific enemy. Across America, a mysterious pathogen transforms ordinary people into raging killers, psychopaths driven by a terrifying, alien agenda. The human race fights back, yet after every battle the disease responds, adapts, using sophisticated strategies and brilliant ruses to fool its pursuers. The only possible explanation: the epidemic is driven not by evolution but by some malevolent intelligence.Standing against this unimaginable threat is a small group, assembled under the strictest secrecy. Their best weapon is hulking former football star Perry Dawsey, left psychologically shattered by his own struggles with this terrible enemy, who possesses an unexplainable ability to locate the disease’s hosts. Violent and unpredictable, Perry is both the nation’s best hope and a terrifying liability. Hardened CIA veteran Dew Phillips must somehow forge a connection with him if they’re going to stand a chance against this maddeningly adaptable opponent. Alongside them is Margaret Montoya, a brilliant epidemiologist who fights for a cure even as she reels under the weight of endless horrors. These three and their team have kept humanity in the game, but that’s not good enough anymore, not when the disease turns contagious, triggering a fast countdown to Armageddon. Meanwhile, other enemies join the battle, and a new threat — one that comes from a most unexpected source — may ultimately prove the most dangerous of all.Catapulting the reader into a world where humanity’s life span is measured in hours and the president’s finger hovers over the nuclear button, rising star Scott Sigler takes us on a breathtaking, hyper-adrenalized ride filled with terror and jaw-dropping action. Contagious is a truly grand work of suspense, science, and horror from a new master."

My Friday/Saturday Project. I cast on for some fingerless mits for my little sister for Christmas. I had envisioned a more simple and longer glove but I really liked these and I had the perfect yarn for it in my stash already.

Pattern: I Heart Knitting Mitts by Suzanne Smart

Yarn: Knit Picks Merino Style in Hollyberry (1 50g skein)

Needles: US 3 Knit Picks Harmony DPNs

Mods: None

Started: 11/19/10

Finished: 11/20/10

Ya gotta love Costco...

Went to Costco for coffee, toilet paper and a few other household goods and came home with snowshoes. Is that normal? Hubbs and I have been talking for a couple of years about getting snowshoes and I'm pretty excited that we finally got some. Every time we've looked at them at various locations, they've been pretty pricey so we've never bought them. But Costco had a starter kit that included the shoes, poles and a gear bag for $70 which is a pretty good price. Not sure about the quality of the shoes but at least it'll be something to get us started. Now if only winter will let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Last Friday and Saturday I went with my mom and a couple of her friends to do a quilt shop shop-hop. I had no intentions of buying anything but of course I did.

Cheri, Mary, My Mom & me...wearing my Coffee with Cream Jacket (again)

At the Quilted Vine in Santa Rosa, I fell in love with this quilt that was hanging in the store.

So of course, I bought the fabric to replicate it myself.

And I got the pattern too.

I fell in love with this fabric at Queen B's Quilt Shop in Antioch...

I found this pattern to go with it.

At Cornerstone Quilt Shoppe in Fairfield I found the cutest zoo animal baby fabric. I just couldn't leave without it...

The shop had the flannel version made up in this pattern. I liked it but I don't like working with flannel so I got the plain cotton version. I don't need a baby quilt right now but by the time that I get this made up, someone I know will be needing a new baby quilt...maybe me.

Guess I better get to sewing.