Bobcats Lose :(

We are now in "Bobcat Mania" My time for the next 2 1/2 weeks will be consumed by Bobcat games every other night. Hopefully we will see some wins in there.

I can't believe how fast time is flying, it is Jan. 31st already and I haven't posted since Jan. 6th. I have been knitting...I finished an Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby Surprise Jacket. I was determined to use up the left over yarn from the felted mittens. After the Baby Surprise Jacket I still had some left, so I made the laptop cover from Alterknits (Great book by the way!) I finished the Mukluks while I was in IL. Mom loves them. She wants to show them off to everyone. What a great feeling to have your mother so proud of you. So the next project I have started for her is socks. I am having a bit of ADD thought. I can't seem to stick with one project. I have a baby blanket started (for myself-hopefully the 4th IUI with work!). It's a pattern from Vogue Knitting's Shawls and Scarves. I have been wanting to do a big lace project. I was just listening to the podcast Cast On today and she was talking about the same book. She is doing a huge lace project out of it too. She calls it "knitting in purgatory". I could relate a little. I want to start a felted purse pattern that I picked up at the store (Charlotte Yarn) and a scarf for my mom. She wants a LONG scarf and I saw one that a customer wore in the other day and thought it would be perfect for mom.

The Giraffe

I'm so excited to see the finished product. This is the giraffe golf head cover my friend Alice made, with a little help from me. We couldn't find a pattern for a giraffe anywhere, so we made one up from a bear and llama. It turned out sooo cute!!

The Christmas Season...

My weekend in Chicago went too fast. After a few delays, Aunt Linda, Traci and I made it. We really missed having Audra there. Even so, it didn't deterred us from shopping. We've hit the usuals, Ann Taylor (wow, did they love us that day!), Eddie Bauer, Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdales, Victoria Secret and Marshall Fields. We said our sad goodbye to Marshall Fields, as this was their last Christmas. Next year it will be Macy's. Our Annual Cheesecake Factory dinner was yummy. The Rob Thomas look-a-like waiter was awesome. And of course we had a few giggles along the way...

Traci has progressed with her annual knitting. We visited We'll Keep You in Stitch to start our first day out. Traci picked up a ball of Blizzard for half off. I taught her to knit a hat in the round when we returned from shopping around 7p. She finished at 3am...She jsut couldn't put the needles down! Those words are sound familiar to anyone?

Audra had her baby on December 22. I'm proud to say my Aunt Linda found true comfort in knitting for the first time while waiting for her 1st grandchild to be born. Allie was pretty stubborn during her arrival. Aunt Linda's knitting is especially meaninful because she was using the yarn she bought on our Chicago weekend.
It was sad not to see Allie and her parents over Christmas, but we are so thankful that she is happy and healthy! I am extremely honored that she has already been sporting the hat her "Aunt Piper" made her. It was supposed to be a pair of socks made from Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino for her mom, but I gave up on the short row heel. Sorry Audra...you have a pair of socks coming soon!!



After my weekend in Chicago I had a short 3 days at home before Chris and I drove to Peoria on Thurs. I don't find the 13 hrs car ride that bad...hours of guilt free knitting. Our trip "home" consisted of 5 Christmas', a trip to Chicago and The Quad Cities. It was a whirlwind trip, something I wouldn't miss for the world. I so miss being around family. My nieces loved their mittens and my nephew looks too cute in his hat.

It was an extra special Christmas for me. One of my grandmothers gave me her White Sewing Machine which is built into a wood cabinet, that she purchased the year I was born. The day I got back I took it to get a tune up and can't wait to use it. I've never done much sewing, but am so excited to have such a special machine. Hopefully this will inspire me to take up another hobby (like I need one...)
We drove back to Charlotte on the 29th...had to be home for the Bobcats Game on Friday (lost to the Suns, at least it was a good game!)

We rang in the New Year with Shannon and Brian. We felt honored that Brian would spend his first New Year's Eve off in 7 years with us. We had Shannon's Yummy fondue, steaks, Chris' zucchini cassarole and an assortment of Dean and Deluca's desserts! We almost missed the ball dropping we were having so much fun playing Scattagories and "Gin 13". "Gin 13", a game I've been playing since childhood and can't seem to win!

Now it's time to get back in the groove of things. I have started knitting the Backyard Leaves from Scarf Style. If you enjoy reading graphs, you'll enjoy this one. I am also doing a sample for the store in Louisa Hardings-Impressions (one of my favorites) I chose the English Lace pattern from a sweater in the Loop-d-Loop book.