sheep in the city

Happy 30th Birthday Whitney!!!

Happy Birthday to the greatest sister ever!!

This picture cracks me up. She looks so sweet and innocent, doesn't she?! What everyone doesn't realize is that it's always an adventure when we're together! I can't wait to see what the next 30 years brings. I can just see us as little old ladies laughing away at something that only the two of us would find funny or understand. Happy Birthday Whitney! Love ya!

Branson and back again...

Many of you may know that I was raised in a little town called Branson, Missouri. Well, this past weekend, I had the opportunity to return and visit with a huge group of people that were gathered to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ministry that my Dad started, Doulos Ministries. It was a great time of hanging out, telling stories, laughing, eating, and oh yeah, a little bit of knitting!

The people that I was most looking forward to seeing were the girls that I met while I was working at Shelterwood, a residential facilty for at risk teenagers, in Branson. I lived there from August of 2000 to August of 2001. It was one of the hardest, and yet most rewarding years of my life. The girls pictured below are a few of the women that I worked along side there:

I visited my favorite chinese restaurant, Hong King Buffet, with a group of girlfriends. That's Jill, Amy, Stephany, Julie, and RayLynn. As usual, my eyes are bigger than my stomach, and even though I didn't order the buffet, I still ate too much. But it was well worth it. Here in Denver every once in a while I get a craving for Hong Kong Buffets General chicken and crab cheese wontons. Mmmm...crab cheese wontons. Of course I had to take the opportunity to have some while I was in town!!

My friend Stephany finally was ready to learn to knit while I was in town. We headed to the local WalMart (horror of horrors, Branson has no yarn store!!) and grabbed some needles and yarn for her to learn with. It was fun to pass along something that I enjoy so much to my friend. Thanks Steph for being patient and for laughing through the learning process:)

It took a trip all the way to Missouri to be able to see my friend RayLynn who lives about 30 miles from my house. Sadly we've both been really busy the last few months. So of course I had to get in some good RayLynn hanging-out time on this trip. When you get so busy with life, it's easy to overlook how important spending quality time with your close friends is.

Over the course of the weekend, there were many late night gatherings. This picture is from one of those nights. That's my friend Julie sitting on my lap in a recliner. (do not try this at home folks) We almost tipped the whole chair over...which of course lead to much hysterical laughing and then tons of picture taking. Overall, I didn't get as much knitting done as I thought that I would. Thirteen hour car trips seem like the perfect time to knit, but believe it or not, and I may get kicked out of the knitters circle for this, but I kinda got bored with it. Is that blasphemy? Did I just say that I got bored with my knitting? What is wrong with me? It was fun seeing old friends, but it sure is nice to know that I'm home, and I'm not going anywhere anytime soon.

I received my needle exchange package today...so I'll be taking pictures soon!! And I should have some sock photos too:)

Socks arrived and Secret Pals revealed!

Before I left for my trip to Branson I received my Sockapal2za socks in the mail! Whoo hoo! They were knit by the talented Bonnie of the blog KnitFerBrainz out of my favorite yarn...Koigu!! You just can't go wrong with Koigu...seriously, I don't think I've met anyone who dislikes the stuff. What is so magical about this yarn? I mean, don't get me wrong, I love the stuff and have a slightly embarrassingly large stash, but why do we clamor for it so? If you haven't seen the wonders that are being knit up over at Knotology out of Koigu, than head over there!! Ok, on with the pictures:

The little pink bag that you see lurking in the background is a bag she sent along with the socks. It's cotton, and has little glass beads hanging off it. The pattern can be found in Last Minute Knitted Gifts, and is shown on the cover of that book. Such a cute and thoughtful touch! Click here if you want to see a shot of me modeling the socks...they are a perfect fit!! Thank you Bonnie!!!

I also arrived home to find a package on my doorstep from my Secret Pal 5...who turned out to be, Cheryl!! Go check out her blog, she is one funny lady! I can't say enough good things about the thoughful packages that she put together. Everything was coordinated from the tissue paper, to the take-out boxes that she stuffed with candy, to the yarn and other little goodies she sent my way!

Here's what she sent me:
•2 skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the colorway "flames"
•3 skeins of orange Cotton-Ease (yee! into the stash you go!!)
•a take-out box of fall colored reeses's peanut butter cups
•a little container of Burt's Bees Hand Salve, and I don't think that I've ever mentioned to her that I love Burt's Bees products. Oh yeah, she's just that good!
•2 bars of fancy soap. You know the kind that are packaged so pretty, you never want to open them and use them?!
•a little votive and candle
•and the cutest thing I think I've ever seen...a box of Addi Bears. They are from the same company that makes the AddiTurbo needles, and they look like big gummy bears. So, so cute!! She ordered them all the way from Germany. Thanks for spoiling me Cheryl, I can't wait to read your blog and get to know you now that I know who you are!!

Since she has received her final gift, I can finally tell you who I was sending stuff to. It was Jennifer, also known as the Major Knitter! I ended up making her a knitting bag, one of my first big sewing projects, and I have to say, I'm proud of myself:) Here's a shot of the finished bag:

I made a special tag for the outside of the bag with her blog name on it:

I had a ton of fun making this for her, and I"m glad that she likes it, and is already carrying around her knitting in it!! Click to see the inside of the bag. If you like this bag, than you can find the pattern to make one for yourself here. And if you are looking for the fun knitting fabric that is shown in the picture, Joanne sells it on her blog!!

I'm home for good now!

I arrived back in town at 2:00 am last night after driving through the day and night from Missouri. It's good to be home, but I am wiped out from all the travelling. The weekend was amazing. I saw a ton of people that I haven't seen in years, and I was able to hang out at a couple of my favorite places, with some of my favorite people! I have pictures of the socks that I got in the mail before I left town, and the package from my Secret Pal 5 where she revealed herself to me!! Fun stuff, coming soon!

Have sock, will travel.

This picture is for you Stephanie!

Hello all, I made it home, in one piece. The family road trip went off without a hitch, and was actually pretty fun. I knit on my sockapal2za sock on the way down to Albuquerque, and I have to say...long road trips are made much better when you can sit in the back seat and watch this:

The movie that I'm watching was Beauty Shop, with Queen Latifah. Funny movie, great for watching in the car! The rehearsal dinner was that evening we arrived, and it was great seeing some of my cousins that I hadn't seen in years. My cousin Sherman was the one getting married, and I was so excited for him. He's in his early 40's and never been married, it was just sweet watching the two of them together. Awww.

Saturday the girls went out exploring. And what did we manage to find?! A yarn store of course!!

**insert picture of yarn store here**sorry folks, more technical difficulty...I'll have more pictures later**

Village Wool was everything a yarn store should be. I had taken 2 steps into the store, my mom was right behind me, but still outside, when I turned to her and said, "I'm in heaven!". You never know the kind of stores that you will find when you travel to other cities. Will they live up to your favorite local shop? Will they have a good selection of yarn? Will there be enough room to walk around? Let me tell you...there was! All of the above. I was even able to find some yarn that I hadn't seen before...so I had to pick some up. It was a swedish sock yarn called Marks & Kattens Clown. I'm lovin' the color combo. I also bought a pattern called the Shadow Shawl (yep. it's shadow knitting baby!) that I'm going to knit up with the Silky Wool that Cynthia gave me, and 3 skeins of Koigu from the Koigu stash. Can you say yummy?! Speaking of yummy, don't let me forget to show you the Yummy Yarns plastic "yarn" that I picked up at String a few weeks ago. It's way cool. Back to the NM loot...last but not least my mom bought me some Serendipity needles that are bamboo, size 11, and they look like they have Jawbreakers on the ends.
**insert picture of goodies here**

My mom laughingly told me that she had been checking my blog each day to see if I had posted yet, and I wanted to say, "Ma...you were with me on the trip, what do you want to read about it for?" But I didn't, I think it's fun that she wants to read my blog. Tomorrows an extra early day, I leave at 7:00am for a reunion in the town where I grew up, Branson Missouri. It's another long trip in the car, this time with people that I work with. I'll be back on Sunday night, and I hopefully will be able to blog from the road. One piece of fun news to look forward to? I received my Sockapal2za socks in the mail!! I love them! Thank you Bonnie!! (who apparently has no blog?! Bonnie...email me so that I can send you a proper thank you!!!) They are going with me on the trip, so I'll be sure to take some action shots on the road:) I already can't wait to get home from this trip and just be home. I miss my cat. I miss my routines. And I miss my TiVo. After this trip, I'm done traveling for a while.

From the road...

Well, I'm off to New Mexico with my sister, Alice, and my parents...woo hoo...8 hours in the car!! I can't remember the last time we went on a road trip. I'm sending this from McDonald's in Trinadad, Colorado. I'll have lots of photos and fun stories...I'm sure, on Monday!!!

Exchanges abound!!!

First, I joined the Gimme Some Needles exchange...because, yes, I am a joiner and I do love mail!! Here's my info for my partner:

1. What do you like to knit or crochet? I like to knit just about anything and everything. I am currently working on Rogue, socks, and a never ending Harry Potter scarf! (and of course about 10 other things that I have around the house in various knitting spots!!)

2. What fibers do you like? I love working with wool, cotton, alpaca...honestly just about anything except for some novelty yarns (like Splash) that are so soft that they feel greasy. That yarn creeps me out!

3. What type of needles do you use most often? I learned on Addi Turbos...so I'm a bit of a snob. I love my addi's and I'm convinced that I knit better on them! But, I have some of just about every kind. Bamboo, metal, plastic. I love vintage needles. I have them on display in my dining room on a shelf arranged by color. They make me happy. But as far as what I like to use the most, I would have to go with Addi's or the Lantern Moon ebony/rosewood needles.

4. Do you like to knit in the round? Absolutely! Whenever possible I knit in the round because then it means less seaming when you're done!

5. Do you use a magic loop method or any other we should know about? Are you interested in learning a new method? I haven't used the Magic Loop method, but I'm very interested in learning it. I'm always up for learning new techniques. I love learning new ways to improve my knitting!!

7. Do you have a favorite place that you shop online? (knitpicks.com, knitpixie.com, jimmybeanswool.com....)? I have enjoyed KnitPicks, can't beat the price. I like www.theknittinggarden.com, and www.patterworks.com. In the end though I have such great local knit shops that I tend to buy from them. I love to "window shop" online though!

Next up...I joined Secret Pal 6, because I really enjoy it and I've continued to have wonderful experiences each round. (fun mail is a bonus!!) So, here's the questionaire:

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer high-end/natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
•I don't like to think of myself as a yarn snob, but I kind of am:) I learned to knit using natural fibers and anything else just doesn't feel right! I do use acrylic on occasion...like with the knitalong that I started last February where nothing else would do, it had to be acrylic!

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
•Nope! Aside from decorative edges, I don't really have a desire to learn to crochet...I'm fascinated with people who spin, but I still don't know if I really want to learn or not.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
•no, but I really don't like the smell of smoke.

4. How long have you been knitting?
•It was 3 years this past March!

Keep on reading below if you want to...I don't want to bore everyone that has seen some of these answers before.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
•yes, amazon is my friend. See the link on my sidebar under the Little Me. It says Wishlist with a little Hello Kitty face...awww!

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
•I am super picky about smelly stuff, but I love anything with a citrus scent, especially grapefruit.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
•Not just tooth...sweet teeth!! I love candy! It's really, really bad. You can't go wrong with Haribo Gummi Bears or Grapefruit Slices, Peanut M &M's, twizzlers, anything with Peanut Butter. Have you seen the new 'Big Cup' that Reeses put out? They are awesome!!! They are my new obsession since they are a "limited edition". Do you see the trend? My name is Stacey...and I'm a candyaholic! My brother-in-law and I even want to start a candy blog. We're dorks.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
•I've tried just about everything, but knitting and painting are the two that have seemed to stick! I love painting with mixed media and watercolor. Since I started knitting it's been fun to try and incorporate fiber into my paintings. My grandma recently gave me one of her sewing machines, so I have been sewing like crazy!! Yes, the fabric stash is growing!! I haven't been able to find any Amy Butler or Kaffe Fasset fabrics here in Denver...it's my new obsession to find some!

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s?
• I listen to just about everything, except country and rap. I have been on a big Ben Lee kick lately. On the subject of MP3 players, I got an iPod mini last Christmas...Yipee! iTunes is a wonderful and yet dangerous place for me;-) It's pink and her name is Pinky of course! (names after one of my favorite cartoons of old...Pinky and the Brain)

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer?
•in one word PINK!! Ever since I was 5 years old and got to pick out my carpet and wallpaper at our new house and I had floor to ceiling pink!! I can't have too much. My friends can testify, the longer they hang out with me, the more pink creeps into their wardrobe. It's catching!
•Looking at my finished projects will show you that I love bright colors...red, orange, and pink especially! Orange and pink, or orange and brown are my new favorite color combinations!

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
•single, never married
•I have the world's greatest cat named Jesse, he thinks he's a dog.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
•When I grow up, I want to own my own yarn store with my friend RayLynn, I could handle being able to support myself by doing the things that I love...creating things with my hands, be it with paint or fiber. I'm also considering moving to Kenya, Africa for a year to work at an orphanage that a friend of mine recently opened!

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
•My all time favorites are Koigu, Noro, Manos del Uruguay, Interlacements, Lorna's Laces, and Black Water Abbey Yarn. I love trying new yarns though...so if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear it!!

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
•I don't like "Splash" yarn. It's a furry, hairy yarn that is so soft it feels greasy. It kinda creeps me out. I'm also not a big fan of acrylics, or plastic feeling yarns. I don't think there have been many yarns that I can't find some kind of use for for...I'm really not that picky.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
•Besides buying yarn:) I have been looking for vintage knitting images, in art, cards, books, postcards, etc. I love old knitting needles too, it's fun hunting for the old bright plastic needles. I have them all in a big vase on my kitchen table.
*KOIGU...I can't stop buying it! I allow myself to buy a skein or two at out-of-town stores when I am visiting differnet cities. As of today, I want to learn to make mittens. You know, the really complicated carrying 3 to 4 yarns variety. I have the instruction books, now I just need to find the yarn. I'm thinking of using KnitPicks Palette yarn.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
•Felted clogs are what I have made the most of (12 pairs), currently socks and items that make me laugh...like the Fry-Up! bag.

17. What are you knitting right now?
•Koigu wristlets (fingerless gloves), Rogue out of Peace Fleece, Crumpets dress for my niece, Harry Potter scarf, a second Clapotis out of Southwest Trading Co. Bamboo, and I'm sure that there are more...but that's all I'll mention:)

18. What do you think about ponchos? (this is really a curiousity question for us)
•I like them, I just don't know if they like me. I keep seeing photos of myself in them and the verdict is still out on them for me. But, there is a great pattern over at MagKnits called Frida...is it coincidence that Frida Kahlo is one of my favorite artists?! I think not! Someday I'm going to knit Frida! (maybe with KnitPicks Shine?)

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
•Circulars, but sometimes I just love using straight metal needles, Inox makes great metal needles! I'm a big fan of vintage too!

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
•Mostly Aluminum Addi Turbos, sometimes Bamboo (straights), never plastic because I don't like how the yarn sticks to plastic.

21. Are you a sock knitter?
•I'm starting to be! There are so many great sock yarns out there...I want to try them all! Ha! I recently read about a yarn called "The Socks that Rock", now that sounds like my kinda yarn!

22. How did you learn to knit?
•I took a class at a local shop in Littleton called A Knitted Peace with my mom, sister, brother, roommate, and a couple other friends. I've been hooked ever since! That was about 3 1/2 years ago!

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
•Ummm...how long have I been knitting...about 3 1/2 years...soooo, I guess my oldest UFO is about 3 years!

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
•I love cartoons...I'm just a big kid really. I love things that remind me of my childhood, like Strawberry Shortcake (have you seen the updated version? What they have done is a tragedy...I'm old school all the way), Jem, The Power Puff Girls, Rainbow Bright, Pinky and the Brain, Smurfs...I love Smurfs!, Dexter, ShirtTails, and the list could go on and on, but I'll stop there!

25. What is your favorite holiday?
•Christmas, definitely Christmas, and of course my birthday! which is on Flag Day...the most obscure holiday ever. I have to say that the "candy" holiday thats coming up is pretty fun too...I love Halloween candy. This time of year has the best candy corn. If you buy it at any other time of the year, it just tastes like it's leftover from Halloween...but that's just my theory.

26. Is there anything that you collect?
•Apart from knitting related items, I collect stuff from Paris or Paris-themed, like miniature metal eiffel towers (preferably older ones, but I have some new ones) I also collect children's books, both new and old. I want to start collecting Nancy Drew books, I don't care if they are old or new. Probably the largest collection I have is of baby plates. They are primarily from the early to mid 1900's and are made from heavy china (so that the baby can't move them that much) and have bright pictures and stories on the face of the plate. I am also big on vintage knitting needles...you know the bright colored plastic/metal/wooden, it doesn't matter as long as it's older. I have found a lot of needles at thrift stores or garage sales!

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
None! Which I find hard to believe. I usually end up buying Interweave Knits, that is the one that seems to consistently have things that I'd like to knit in it. Someday I'll get a subscription.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
I love, love, love books. Check out my wishlist to see the current ones I'm obsessing over, many of which have yet to be put out. There are some great ones coming out, Oddball knitting and Nicky Epsteins Knitted Flower are two that I hope are goodies, not baddies. Have you seen AlterKnits?! It looks like a great book!

That's all I've got, hope this list helped. If you have any specific questions, feel free to email me!! This is going to be fun!!!!

The deadlines almost here!!

Ahhhh! The deadline for the sockapal2za is Thursday...I think I can, I think I can!

Last Weekend knitting...

So, I just can't seem to get on track with posting blog entries this month. Sheesh...it's almost another weekend, and I never posted about the last one! First things first, my parents were out in L.A. last weekend (my dad had a wedding to do) and so of course they stopped into one of our favorite shops out there, The Alamitos Bay Yarn Co.. They are shopping, finding me a little gift (awww, thanks mom and dad!), getting ready to check out, when this woman comes up to my mom, no lie...and says, "do you have a daughter named Stacey?" She replied that she did...and of course my mom and dad immediately called me and my dad explained that someone recognized mom from my blog, and then he says, "here, talk to Skyler!" So, I got to talk to Skyler of Knitaholics-R-Us! How cool is that?! Of course, now my parents are convinced that I'm this world famous blogger...and I have some sort of cult following. I don't know about world famous, but it sure is fun having people recognize stuff and or people from your blog!! The crazy thing is that I didn't advertise that my mom would be out there...and as my grandma said when she heard the story, "it's not like your mom was walking around with a nametag that said Stacey's Mom on it." How cool though! Thanks Skyler for saying hello, and it was fun talking to you!!

I do so love a long weekend, and with my family out of town it left me all to my own devices!! So, much knitting was done, and fun hang out time with a few of my knitting friends! Michelle and Cynthia came over for a little porch knitting at my place...until it got too windy and starting raining a little bit, so the party went inside where a certain someone was once again knitting on something that looked very much like a pink project. She's got us all fooled.

Sunday I didn't leave my house all day...and it was so nice! Jesse kept me company from one of his favorite places to sleep:

That would be an ordinary cardboard box. For those of you thinking to make your cat a special bed, just give them the box from the next package you receive and they'll be in heaven! I bet my secret pal had no idea that her June package would be for Jesse too! Monday was spent with my grandparents out at their place. I brought my sewing machine and feverishly worked on the last gift for my secret pal. It did get done, and it has been mailed. I'm going to wait until she receives it to reveal what I made for her, but I had so much fun doing it. I am loving the sewing thing!

I can't believe that it's already friday again...and the last two weekends this month I'll be out of town, and then it's October already?! Where does the time go?! I have to say, I'm ready for the fall. I just love wearing sweaters and scarves and hats and winter coats. I'm going to be working on my Rogue and a couple of other fall projects soon. It's not too late to join us! You can knit Rogue too...come on, if I can do it so can you!!

Marker Mania!!

I joined Marker Mania a while ago, but I never posted about the stuff that I received. My plan had been to post when I received all 4 sets...but I can't wait any longer! I have to show you the fun markers that I got!!! I know that I've said it before, but I love seeing how everyone makes such different and unique markers. The first ones that came in the mail were from Jennifer, of the fun crafty blog Piddleloop.

How cute is this packaging?! I love the attention to detail...it's all color coordinated and it's pink and orange!! I love it! Here's what was inside:

I think that this is the first time I've ever seen the round markers that just have a bead stuck in between the jump ring...that is a great idea, especially if you want to have a non-dangle marker.

The next set came to me all the way from Jo in Australia. Her blog, Something from nothing was a new blog to me, which is another great reason to participate in swaps...you get to meet new people!

She made me unique and beauiful markers in three sizes! Small, Medium, and Large. A little something for any project that I make!! I really like the tiny purple stars because I tend not to make small stitchmarkers and I've recently needed some!! Thanks Jo!

Quick sock update!

Here's a quick picture of what my sockapal2za socks look like after a weekend of knitting...why aren't they done yet is what I want to know?! I started knitting the second sock from the outside of the skein, while the inside was still attached to the first sock...big mistake. The second sock looks much brighter than the first. Crap. So with some quick thinking and a little encouragement from Cynthia, I cut the yarn and switched things around so that each sock will have a little bright spot on it. Ahhhh, crisis averted, which is greatly appreciated on my part since these puppies need to be done in, ohhh, about 9 days. Yikes!

That's it for now, I have a couple of really great stories to tell about my long weekend...which was spent knitting and hanging with friends and my grandparents, but it will have to wait:)

What to blog about?

I have been at a loss all week about what to blog about. I've been busy at work and tired at night, so not much knitting has been done since last weekend. I think that I've run into one of those times that I just don't have much to say. I'm going to hang with some friends tonight and that should be just what I need, plus I have no plans this weekend! It's going to be so nice to sleep in, and knit all day if I want to:)
There is one thing that I've been meaning to share with you. This picture of my mom and sister and I,it cracks me up everytime that I see it. Last week, the three of us went to my brothers house to mow the lawn. Since he and Jackee have already moved to Indianapolis, but they still haven't sold their house, we are in charge of the upkeep of the place. (if you know anyone in who is looking for a house in the Denver/Lone Tree area...let me know!) My sister wasn't dressed for hot weather, so she ran in to Target to buy a tank top...and she came out with 3 matching bright green tank tops that we all wore while we did yard work. This made us think that we were a professional crew...I mean, come on, don't we look professional!?!