William

William came to stay with Grandma last night so Mommy and Daddy could get some

much needed sleep. His teeth are bothering him, he wants held, and truth be told, he's a little

high maintenance at almost 6 months old.

He slept all night long.

I was up all night waiting for him to wake up.

I'm ready to drop.

The Discovery Garden, Hollidaysburg, PA

The Discovery Garden began as a tribute to a young woman who passed away by her parents.

Over the years it has evolved into stunning gardens and the original play park remains.

If you're ever in Blair County in the summer, don't miss it.

These photos are just a sliver of the overall beauty of this park.

The files are large. Click on them for the full effect.

I am still knitting. I am hurrying to finish a project for a birthday by the end of the month. I had hoped to have it finished so the lovely Cate could model it for pictures before she went back home to Charlottesville yesterday but I have at least another two nights to go on it. Photos later!

Knitting and Stuff

I really love this scarf from Knitscene.

I'd make this.

By the way, do you think her earrings are big enough??

T-Ball

Colin's first t-ball game. He loves baseball.

He doesn't like hitting the ball from a tee, and he doesn't like only being able

to run one base at a time.

I think he wanted to start out with the Pirates.

Girl's Weekend in Charlottesville, VA

For those of you who have never visited Charlottesville, VA, a word of advice: Do!

It is fabulously beautiful there.

There is a wonderful downtown mall with cute shops and

great restaurants.

My sister and Cate.

Miller's Restaurant in the downtown Mall.

(This is where Dave Matthews got his start!)

The lovely Cate.

Just playing with the camera....
at King Family Winery in Crozet, VA.
This place is a little piece of heaven on earth.
I think this was our fourth trip there.
You just don't want to leave...

The barn at the winery.

Polo Ponies

View from Wintergreen Ski Resort

There is actual knitting content below:

My sister knitting.

Catie and Joe.. waiting with us at the airport.

Oh... and one more thing.... Great yarn shop on the downtown mall called "The Needle Lady".

Oh yeah, we checked it out.

Knitting and Stuff

I have started another lace alpaca shawl. The pattern is from Kraemer Yarns (free online) and I used their alpaca yarn the last time but I bought this yarn in St. Petersburg, FL, when I was there in October. Actually, this yarn never saw St. Petersburg. I ordered it at a litle shop there and it took 6 months for it to come.

I kept calling and kept being told it was "back ordered". But it finally came and it's gorgeous.

I wish I had more time to work on it. I haven't been knitting much lately but not because I don't want to.

I'm still playing a little with my camera. Below is a shot of my mother's day flowers from Michael. I love how the 50 mm. lens blurs the background. I wish I had more time to play with this new hobby too. It's slow learning when you don't have time to experiment.

This weekend we will celebrate Colin's 4th birthday and Clare's 2nd birthday.

Where did the last 4 years go? It was gone in the blink of an eye.

The perfect button....

It's the little things.....

Swing Coat Finished!!

This turned out so much better than expected. The crochet trim made all the difference. I really didn't like it much before I added that.

And I'll tell you the truth. I wanted an applied i-cord edging on it.

Hard as I tried, I couldn't get it. I think if I would have used larger needles to bind off, I might have been able to do it. I just couldn't pick up the stitches around the bottom. They were way too tight.

I have used this yarn before but only to make small items. I love the fabric it makes.

The piece is much heavier than I expected it to be, and it really does feel like a "coat".

It's going to be perfect for chilly evenings and early Fall.

I just pray she'll wear it. She'll be two next month. My daughter asked her what she wanted for her birthday and she replied, "Pink things."

Oh well.

Ahhh.. Spring!

It makes for a good desktop background.

Still waiting for my skein of yarn to come to finish Clare's Swing Coat sweater.

I have resisted the temptation to start a new project until that is finished.

It hasn't been easy because I have a ton of them in my head.

I'm on the fence about Maryland Sheep and Wool.

I know that I can't go Saturday, but I'm still thinking about Sunday.

Thing is... I have a cupboard full of yarn. I don't need more.

Hmmn.... will I, or won't i??

Playing with Digital Photography

I didn't need a new hobby.. really, I don't have time.

But in wanting to learn how to use my new Nikon digital, I took a class.

May have been a mistake.

I could be getting a little addicted.

The things I've learned have surprised me.

First, it's complicated. Much more so than I thought.

Second, like most other hobbies, if you want to really do it right, it's costly.

You want all the toys... lenses, filters, flashes... the list goes on.

But mainly, it really is all about the lens.

Clare's Girlfriend's Swing Coat

I purchased this pattern from Wendy Bernard's website long before Clare was born simply because I loved it and I hoped one day to have a grandaughter to make it for.

I'm happy to say the time has come.

Believe it or not, this is my first experience with top down knitting

I love it! I'll definitely look for more patterns that are knit in this manner.

My daughter chose the yarn used in the pattern.

Blue Sky Alpaca's Blue Sky Dyed Cotton.

It makes a great fabric, but the fibers continually go up your nose making it very

annoying to work with.

Also, the pattern in size two called for three skeins of yarn and I don't think I'm going to have enough to finish.

Hence, I stopped before the length called for and put the hem on waste yarn because it looked long enough for Clare without the extra length.

I'll finish the sleeves and the collar and if I have enough, I'll add more length.

The increases are fun and I love the "swing" effect.



The only issue I'm going to have is that she'll actually wear it.
Like her brother, she's pretty particular about what she puts on her back.
Nothing like a one year old fashionista.