GardenLynn

Please visit me at GardenLynn

Love ya!

Combining My Blogs

Hi Everyone!
I have decided to combine my 3 blogs into one. I will now be posting at GardenLynn all the time, so please visit me there. You will see lots of things from Knit Picky and Lynn Quilts on the GardenLynn blog. Visit soon!

I have been tagged!

Thanks to Indigo Blue for tagging me. I needed to get back to my blog. So now it is my turn to do some tagging!


These are the rules which need to be passed on:
1). Link to the person who tagged you on your blog.
2).Post the rules of the tag on your blog.
3).Write 6 random things about yourself.
4).Tag 6 people at the end of the post.
5).Let each of the people know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6).Let tagger know that your tag entry has been posted.

OK, here are my 6 random things:

1> I love football
2> I wanted to be a musician
3> My eyes are really greenish/blue
4> I am Obsessive/Compulsive about almost everything
5> I love to eat lemons with salt
6> I have small feet

Now, I am tagging these people:
Cake Makes the World a Better Place
Knit Er Done
Nannybird Crafts
Yes, I am a Yarn Snob
The Procraftinators

Fun, fun, fun

Is it really August???

I can't believe that it is August. I am so behind! I don't even know where to start to get caught up on my blogging. I have been working like a demented person for months now, and my head is just spinning with all the stuff I have to catch up on. Thanks to Indigo Blue for tagging me, and getting me back on the straight and narrow! I am going to try and catch up over the next few days, so look for long posts!

Catching Up

I have been away for a few days, but work has been dominating my life to the point of excess. I have to find time to catch up my reading on all my friends blogs, and do some blogging myself.

Remembering Tim Russert

To me, he was larger than life. I was always awestruck with his knowledge of government, law and politics. My son, Cory, and I are political junkies, and read many political blogs. Tim was always the person that I wanted to hear on any subject, and always sought out his opinion.

This is a great loss for his family, this country and many political people like Cory and myself. We will never forget you, Tim. Godspeed.

Lifelock 400 and the US Open

Today has been a really good day! Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won the
Lifelock 400 at Michigan. This is his first win in 75 races, and he gained on Kyle Busch in points. However, our cable has been out since yesterday and I had to go to Digger's to see him win! I am so excited! I am a die-hard Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fan, and I am so happy that he won! Now, on to the Open. Just as I am a Dale fan, I am also a die-hard Tiger Woods fan, and I am so pulling for him to win the US Open at Torrey Pines, that it will make this a perfect day! GOOOOO Tiger! Our cable just came on...woo-hoo... and I am glad to be able to watch the final hour of the open. Now, on to knitting. I have ordered some new needles from Knit Picks, and I can't wait for them to get here. I am so hoping they will come tomorrow, but it will probably be Tuesday or Wednesday. As soon as they get here, I will start my first PAIR of socks, and I just can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stone Mountain

Randy, Beany and I went to Stone Mountain last night to the laser show. We took a quilt, chairs, food and of course, I took my knitting. I thought that I would sit out and knit while we were relaxing. That never happened. We rode the train, walked around in the little town, and had so much fun. Even though I didn't have time to knit, it was still a fun night. Beany loved the train, but he did not care for the fireworks that they had at the laser show. They scared him, and I felt bad that he was upset. We got home about 10:30 pm, and he was exhausted, so we put him to bed. He was fine this morning, and I am sure has forgotten all about the noise.

Knit Studio - Jackson, MS

I visited a great knit shop in Jackson last week. I was in MS on business and I always look for knit shops when I travel. The shop was called The Knit Studio and it was very contemporary and had a wonderful selection of everything that a knitter could want or need. I think that it is fairly new in business. The owner's name is Judy McNeil and the shop is located in the Canton Mart. Judy was extremely nice and helpful. She helped me pick out a sock yarn, and put me in her computer as a customer so that I will receive her updates.

It's Official! I am a SOCK GODDESS!

What can I say? I am truly a sock goddess! I have almost finished my first sock, and I am so excited. I have to thank all the Friday night girls, and Marsha at Yarn Garden for all their help and inspiration. I am now going to knit 5 million pairs of socks, and then I might knit a sweater or something. I also want to say thanks to Randy for understanding my sock addiction. He is the best hubby ever!

My Anniversary

Randy and I were supposed to be in Las Vegas this week celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary, and instead, I am in Mississippi, and he is at home. On Thursday, he sent me 100 baby roses to my office in Meridian. They are so beautiful, and I love him so much! Take a look!

My New First Sock

Ok, I had to start a new sock. I had been using several different books and instructions from websites, and when I finished the heel flap, it had too many stitches on one side. So, I decided to start over, and make the sock from one pattern and one set of instructions. The picture at right is where I am right now. I have done 10 rows into the heel flap, and it is looking great!

Sock Goddess........? Maybe

I am about to start the heel on my first sock, and I am nervous. I think that I can do it, but I am still scared. Sounds like a little chicken girl doesn't it? I am leaving to go out of town today and will be gone for a week, so I am hoping that at night, in the hotel, I will be able to make some serious progress on this sock. And, another bright spot is that it looks like it might fit too!

Check this out!

I am going to be a Sock Goddess! I received my Tsocks 101 kit from Tsarina yesterday, and I am going to start a sock with the hand dyed yarn that is in the kit. The kit includes dpns, but now that I can knit socks on circs, I may have to put off trying to do the dpns for a while. I am so excited about socks. Pathetic, isn't it?

Indigo Blue's Sketchbook

If you want to see some real talent, you need to visit IndigoBlue's blog and take a look at her sketchbook. It is so beautiful that everytime I visit her blog, I spend a good amount of time looking at it. I have asked her if I have permission to use her inspiration to create one of my own. So, look for future pics and updates. I have been visiting some really wonderful blogs and I will be adding some new ones to my Favorite Places list. Oh, and Nannybird has some new stuff on her blog. I only wish I had the talent of some of these wonderful friends. Look for lots of new stuff on my blog soon!

Socks, Socks, Socks

Last night I started yet another sock on circular needles. I pulled out and started again 3 times, and let me tell you that the third time is a charm! I believe, after many weeks and many tries, that I have finally got it! I am not sure how I did it, but it looks right, and it looks like the top of a sock. I don't know when I have ever been so happy! There is just something about socks that draws me to them. I hope that it will continue to go as well as it has so far. I just want to sit and knit for hours. But, since today is my first "Lynn" day in quite a while, I am forcing myself to do some other things. We are expecting heavy thunderstorms this afternoon and I am going to LYS and to run some errands before it gets here. But, tonight, oh baby, I am going to be a sock knittin fool!!!!!!

Woo-hoo!

Friday Night Knitters

I just got home from Lisette, and we had such a good time. I would still be there, except I was anxious to get home and start the socks again. I took some advice from Alicia, and I am fired up and ready to knit some dang socks!!! I love the Friday Night Knitters. It is so nice to go there and have cup of coffee and share our love of knitting.

Beany's Birthday Party

Today is my precious Beany's birthday and he is 3. His Mom and Dad had his party on Saturday. It was a double party for him and his cousin Jonah. Jonah was born one day before Beany on the 4th. The party was fun, fun, fun. Beany loved all his presents, and ate lots of cake and ice cream. They had the party at the new house, even though they have not moved in yet. The house is looking so good! They have painted, and Richard has built cabinets and an island in the kitchen. I LOVE the kitchen in that house. It is big and sunny and warm, has 3 windows over the sink, and feels so comfortable and homey. I want my kitchen to feel like that. Anyway, I still haven't been able to make a pair of socks, and I can't believe that I have actually had as much patience with it as I have. That is so off my personality. The baby blanket for Randy's teacher is coming along nicely though. I am crocheting the blanket, which I am good at. I am still struggling with knitting, but I am determined to be an expert knitter, so I will keep at it. I miss quilting, but thought I might do a few more flowers on my grandmother's flower garden. I really want to make a Sunbonnet Sue for myself, but I am not sure when I will get around to that. I can't wait for retirement!!!!!

My Other Blog

On my other blog, LynnQuilts, I blog about my quilting hobby. I wish that I could combine that blog with this one. I would really like to have all my hobbies on the same blog. Maybe I could call it "All the many projects that Lynn thinks that she has time to do". I am so blonde! I think that I am superwoman, but won't admit it. There are not enough hours in the day to even begin to do all the things that I try to do. I might start copying and pasting the stuff from that blog over here, since I have nothing else to do and no hobbies. Oh, brother!

Sock Update

Whew! I had no idea that learning to knit socks on dpn's was going to be this hard! I have started and pulled it out about 10 times now. I am using the Silver Sock Tutorial, which is probably as good as any tutorial you can find, because of the great pictures. (I have a link to it in the side bar if anyone needs it.) I know that I can and will learn this little bugger, but I wish that I would do it soon! Maybe I should take Alicia's advice and try circulars instead. How am I going to be a Sock Millionaire if I never get the dang things started? Rats!

Bravery

I have been reading the blog of a young woman in Australia by the name of Jeni, who has cancer. The more I read, the more blown away I am by the courage that this young woman has as she faces this terrible disease. I have learned over the years that there are some people in this world who are different from all the rest of us, and let me tell you that Jeni is one of those people. She has something that we don't have and I am in awe of her.

Some of her friends have gotten together to raise money for her and help with her medical expenses and things that insurance will not cover. I don't have a lot of readers on my blog, but I know that the ones I do have will join me in spreading the word about this need.

The links are in the side bar, and I hope that all of you will take a minute to get to know Jeni and to pass it on to your own friends and fellow bloggers.

Knitting is Therapy!

Did you know that knitting is considered therapy? I just bought a book called "Never to old to Knit, Beautiful Basics for Baby Boomers". I consider myself a Baby Boomer. It talks about the fact that knitting can relieve stress, help your arthritis and ease your tension. WOW! I am already hooked, but I am so glad to know that I am going to get some health benefits from it too. In the section called "10 Top Reasons to Start Knitting Now", it says, and I quote, "Working with beautiful colors and textures of yarn can be very comforting, and the hand movements involved in knitting have a calming effect".

Let's Knit Ya'll!

Project Update

1. The sweater for Beany is coming along and it looks really good!

2. Randy asked me to crochet a blanket for a teacher at his school who is pregnant. She is having a boy. I decided to try and design and knit a simple blanket, and so far it is looking good too!

3. I finished knitting the handbag and now I have to put it all together into a handbag, hope to do that this weekend.

4. I tried the sock tutorial and it did not go well. The reason I think is because the phone kept ringing and I was very tired, and I could not keep the dpns in order. Once I knitted a side onto the same needle as the other side, having 2 working needles. I am not giving up though, I am going to try the tutorial again, and I have also ordered TSocks 101 from Tsarina on Ravelry. Can't wait for it to arrive. It is supposed to be the best tutorial for beginners.

5. And finally, I am hoping to have a knit/crochet weekend with my DIL in a couple of weeks. I have been teaching her to crochet and she is a quick study, so she is ready to make a blanket. I hope that while she is working on her blanket, I will have time to work on my projects too.

Socks

I want to try a pair of socks. You need double pointed needles and sport weight or fingering weight yarn. I am going to get the needles tomorrow, and I am going to try a tutorial that I found on Ravelry. If you want to take a look, the website is www.cometosilver.com/socks/. Take a look, it looks like a great tutorial with clear pictures, and lots of good notes.

Cardigans

I am going to try a cardigan for Beany. I am starting it today. It seems easy and good for beginners, so I thought I would give it a shot. The pattern came from Lion Brand's website, and I am using a chunky yarn in a great forest green color. I am thinking that it will be perfect for Beany to wear at Christmas.

Patterns

I have gotten some great patterns off of Knitting Daily. I am working on a handbag right now and then I am doing a sweater for Beany for Christmas. I love Ravelry, if I ever learn how to get around on the site.

I am on Ravelry!

I received my invitation to Ravelry today! This is a red letter day! I am so happy and excited to be a member of Ravelry. I am going to get my notebook set up and keep track of all my projects.

Angels Among Us

Well, I gave up on the scarf, but only because no matter how many times I did it, it never looked right. So, I am back on the blanket that I was making for my granddaughter that I hope to have one of these days. But, yesterday, I met this little angel named Abby. She is the 2 1/2 year old daughter of one of the girls at my office. I really adore her Mommy and I had never had a chance to meet Abby. The minute I saw her I knew I was making that blanket for her. It was like an epiphany. She is just so cute and sweet, and talk about intelligent? Of course, her Mommy would be classified as a genius, I am sure, so she gets it honest. I will post a photo of the blanket when I get it finished, and I hope to also post Abby's picture along with it.

The New Scarf

I am not sure that I am following this pattern correctly, since it looks a little different than the pattern. I also think that it could be the yarn that I am using. I like the pattern as I have done it, so it does not matter.

I Am Back!

I am back to knitting again, and yesterday I went to a local knit shop. Boy, was I totally surprised! I knew that knit shops were much different than JoAnn or Hobby Lobby, but I did not expect what I found at the Yarn Garden Knit Shop in Lawrenceville. The ladies there were so friendly and welcomed me with warmth and kindness. Jane, showed me all around the shop, told me all about the yarns, needles, notions and what not, and then helped me select a yarn and needles to do an easy scarf. She even GAVE me the pattern! In addition, she told me that I could sit with her and get started if I had the time. Sadly, I did not have the time, but I can't wait to go back. I am going to take classes, starting with "Learn to Knit". I know that I am already a knitter, but I am self taught, and I know that I can learn so much from these ladies. I am excited! I feel that I have found a place that I can hang out, make new friends, and learn this breathtaking craft called knitting. I want to someday make all the beautiful patterns that I saw in the store. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a handbag addict, seriously. The handbags that you can knit are simply endless, and that just makes my heart flutter! Not to mention the soft and warm baby yarns, cashmeres, cotton blends, oh, it is just too much for a woman to take in, in an hour's time. Thank you Jane! I am a customer for life.

2008

I have not given up on knitting. I have been so busy with Christmas and work and the grandbaby, that I have not had time to do very much knitting. I am still not that good at it, but I am definately improving. Happy 2008!