It's Been a long long long long Summer

I haven't dropped of the face of the Earth. I only slipped off the Knitting planet for a short while. I failed miserably at my attempts to keep up with the Secret Pal stuff. I just was way too busy. I had better not sign up for another one, unless I promise to keep on top of it.
Now that Fall is here, I'm going to make an effort to return. I really want to join Ravelry, and hope that that will boost my incentive to finish stuff.
Life has been full of so many things that have nothing to do with knitting. I haven't worked on my socks, or sweaters in well...about 3 months. I know - it's horrible - I know. But here I am, and i have been listening to David Reidy's Podcast, "Sticks and Strings" all summer, catching up on old ones and working my way into the current ones. I think I like him more than Cast On now - nearly.
I've gotten into this horrible habit of either working or playing computer games while i listen instead of any actual knitting. Probably the worst habit I could pick up, and so I must force myself to only listen when I knit. Yeah, OK...well I'll try anyway.

I'm done, and I'm BAAAACK!!

Where to start ...I have so much to write that I can't even get to the opening paragraph. First and foremost, I finished the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer - 40 miles BABY and I did em' all! I have an excuse to sit now. You'd never believe it but I sat all day on Monday, and I looked at my yarn and my roving, and my spinning and spent some time reading my new book, "Yarn Harlot" from my SP, but actually did NOT knit or work on anything! 'HOOWHat'? , You say. I know sounds strange but I think I just DID SO much over the weekend, what with walking forty miles in the rain and sleeping out in a tent in between, I was juust a teeeny weeny bit exhausted. Just so you know, the walk is really AMAZING, and if you train well and keep hydrated and stay slow and patient you can do it! I recommend it to anyone. Men included - by the way there were several on this walk - many of them husbands of women they lost, or son's of women they lost to breast cancer, or just guys who can appreciate doing something for a cause. One of my friends, Robin, was doing it because his wife did it last year and didn't feel like she could do it this year. He also lost both his mom and his step-mom to breast cancer. Anyway, GET OUT THERE AND DO IT!!! It is a wonderful, and empowering experience.
Below is the beginning of a segment I wrote BEFORE I actually completed the walk:

Oh My... All I can say is my Secret Pal is soooo wonderful!! I just got such a lovely package and it brought me right back down to earth. She sent a sweet card with sheep on it, which reminds me I missed the NE Sheep to Shawl last weekend. O well. Next year I guess. She also sent some beautiful green Texas yarn, and some roving and a cute hand-painted spindle. And a book, and some note cards and some hand-painted sticky notes! I'm going to hop right on that spinning if I can do it sitting down on Monday, since I will be recuperating from my 40 - mile 2-day Avon Walk. I'm doing my Walk to raise money for Breast Cancer this coming weekend, and soon will be able to return to my normal couch-potato life of knitting and blogging again! Hooray! Odd that all this walking, has strengthened my legs and made me more energized, and yet... I've gained 5 pounds. People keep telling me it's muscle weight, - yeah..in my belly? I don't think so. I think exercise has made me more hungry and I'm eating more. So that poses an interesting question... if I stop exercising and go back to sitting on the couch and eating the way I used to will I lose weight? Hmmm, my sources say no.

OK, so I thought I would be spinning, but as you can see...nope. Too tired. I'm still too tired. Plus I took my spinning class over 5 years ago, and I've kinda forgotten how to hold the thread to add in the first piece of puff. I have to do some reading first to be sure I remember how. OOOh I will be posting pictures too, of all the things in my package! I would love suggestions for the gorgeous skein of Avocado colored Mohair (360 yards) she gave me. I'm thinking, obviously something lacy, but what? Socks? A small scarf? Patterns? Ideas? I need em'!
Oh back to spinning for a second - I've only taken one class using spindles, and have never even finished a a full spindle of single strand, tried a spinnning wheel, or plying, or anything else, and yet... my thought process goes wild instantly. First I think about spinning up some single strand yarn using the spindle, and plying it into a two ply or maybe a three ply. Then I start imagining getting a wheel almost right away so I can do more faster. Then I start envisioning maybe getting a bunny or a goat, and learning how to sheer/pull , and wash and card and die the raw wool. Then I imagine myself owning a ...now this is MY idea so don't steal it... A Working Wool - Bed and Breakfast! Fun for the whole family! WHEEEE. Ok, then I crash very fast down to earth since I live close to the city, can barely take care of myself and my family, and dogs and cat, much less more animals, land large enough to house them, and visiting guests!!!! Has this happened to anyone else? That's about all I have to say on that subject until I post my next post with pictures, hopefully of all my goodies and the beginnings of probably very lumpy spinning!

FINALLY!!

Yeah, yeah...it's about time - I know. My life has gotten to the point where finding time to get anything done is tough! So, it's a rainy yucky day here in New England so I'm not doing my long training walk today. EEEK... I'm already a bit behind in my training for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. I did do 7 miles yesterday, buttt that's neither here nor there. I was supposed to do 12-15 miles yesterday.

Ok, onto the good stuff. I've got pictures of lots of things!! Only...I've discovered my once talent for photography has left me. I've no patience for the right lighting anymore, or the timing or focus for that matter. So for my terrible pictures - we must use our wonderful imaginations!

First my Secret Pal Package!!! It is yummy! 4 skeins of Laines Du Nord Guinco Marino Yarn in a gorgeous color - I would say it's very close to the color of Key Lime pie! MMMM. Those half shaded shots I put in hoping the sunlight would give a better version of the color, and I'd say they do! She gave me a link to a wonderful pattern for an Irish Hiking Scarf (a beautiful and simple cabled scarf) to make with it here. Also, she wrote me a lovely note card, and that green mesh-wrapped box was stock full of chocolate goodies - A BIG bar of Dark Godiva chocolate and multiple mini Milky Ways and Three Muskateers and Caramel chocolates, which didn't last as long as they should have...ummm I think I ate literally half of them right after I took the picture and my girls only received a couple of pieces. Mine, Mine all mine!!!!

Here is what I'm currently working on I ripped out a sweater I had on needles for about ohh I don't know...let's say several years and started this one instead.-- It's a Kristin Nicholas design from Knitting Today's Classics from a section of the book called "Trout Fry", it's the "Travelling Cable Pullover". I'm using up that Classic Elite Montera I bought years and years ago. I wish I could find a photo of it, but can't seem to find one available online and I think taking a photo from the book, wouldn't do it justice.

and a detail shot:

ok, it's a bit wonky right now, but when it is blocked and finished it will look much better. uh...i hope.

Oh and here are some of the stitch markers I made: This first set is with iredescent glass beads in pale greens and blues.

Oh bother...I shouldn't have bothered with some of the rest of these: these below are a really light pale green glass that's crackled and they are made with plated silver rings. They really are pretty, but I'll have to re-take the photos.

Here's a slightly different set made like the first ones.

And the worst shot of all does these no justice at all: They are an olive green glass bead with cranberry fleur designs on them and beads above them are cranberry centered glass. The bottom beads are gold irredescant beads.

And just for fun if you can even see them - these arephotos of an egg my husband made for Easter. I hope you can see the detial, but it looks a bit fuzzy. Now I've got a sense of humor, but my husband is uh...well... like a boy in his sense of humor.

The egg below has drawings of members of our family on it, and on the back is a pic of Finnegan (our dog)...squatting (to put it nicely).

The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

Believe it or not, I am knitting something new, and I have a lot to share. My Secret Pal package arrived with lots of goodies and I finally got mine sent out to my pal. I will post pictures of the beautiful green yarn she sent, and the goodies. I have so many pictures to share I'm a bit overwhelmed. Between work, and Easter and training and fundraising for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer I've practically been struck frozen! Every time I start to do one thing, my mind nags me about getting the other things done, so I switch and switch and switch again, and thus, I am feeling like I'm actually accomplishing nothing. When I'm totally overwhelmed I'll take a few moments to knit a row or too on an old sweater design from this book. Kristin Nicolas is my new favorite designer. Well...kinda always has been actually. There is a design under the "Trout Fry" section on page 36, that has a "Travelling Cable" pullover, and that is what I'm working on.
Someone has written to see my new beaded stitch markers, and I haven't taken photos of them or posted them yet. I will - very soon. They came out nicely and I hope someone is interested in purchasing them.
The only other thing that is on my mind is training training training. I have done a total of 16 miles so far in my training and need to do much much more. Oh and anyone who is willing to help me make my goal - PLEASE DO!