Yeah.....I DID!!

The "yarn diet" failed on this trip...yep, I fell off the wagon! On the way home I just HAD to visit The Yarn Club and I'm so glad that I did.

First I guess I should back up a moment.  I realize that I never made the announcement here (I did on FB). Later this year an event is going to happen that I really never expected, I pretty much prepared myself for the fact that my kids were not going to give me Grandbabies (well, I do have the "step" grandkids).  My oldest son and his wife are expecting a bundle of joy!!  I've been so excited to get started on the "baby knitting" but needed a neutral knit till we find out the gender of the "peanut" (DS #1's nickname for "him"--yes, he's wishing for a boy). I know there's the old standby of yellow & green but I want something REALLY special.

Photo courtesy of Appalachian Baby Website

OKAY...back to The Yarn Club...upon entering the store I was totally blown over by the selections and COLOR was everywhere! As I perused the store, I heard Andrea, the shop owner, mention this baby sweater she was finishing up and my ears perked up immediately.  YEP....just slap SOLD across my forehead!  This is the cutest little knit ever...from Appalachian Baby Knits (a West Virginia Company) -- Lamb's Ear Cardigan.  It's neutral, which means I can start knitting NOW as opposed to waiting.  The organic cotton is as soft as butter and the kit contains all you will need to complete the sweater. Needless to say I cracked into that sucker the minute we hit the highway and cast on! CUTE-CUTE-CUTE!!

This is a store that I highly recommend you visit when you are in the area.  Great selection, lots of attention paid to filling the store with local yarns, lots of unique items and GREAT customer service!

One other stop we made was for lunch (just so happens we stopped on the way to the beach AND on the way back home--and it happens to be VERY close to the yarn shop)
I'm not sure that everyone knows this but Hubby and I are HUGE Guy Fieri fans and love the show Diners, Drive-in's & Dives.  We have visited several of his featured restaurants and when traveling we do try to find one along the way to visit.  I'm also a HUGE BBQ fan so it goes without saying that of the 4 restaurants in the area we chose the BBQ joint....NO disappointment here AT ALL.  That's why we went back on the way home (so much for the fried chicken joint Hubby wanted to visit...and the Italian Bakery I wanted to visit) 


In this YouTube video the 2 features are what I had and the turkey sandwich IS AWESOME!!!  Worth driving back for another....my mouth is watering!! The owner, Warren Rogers, is such a nice man. We chatted with him for a little while.

Then you look up on the wall close to the ceiling and you see this....

Taken with my cell phone so not real good but it says "Guy Ate Here"--now I wonder if that was on the other restaurants we went to...guess we have to go back and see.  Maybe it's like "Where's Waldo"?!

Keep On Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Post Race High....

Hope everyone had a GREAT St Patricks Day!  We did for sure...

Still riding high after the best ShamRockin' Half Marathon!!! We had a great time...enjoy the pics~~

The Boyz see me off on the start!

One of my "Forrest Gump Running Moments" (a great reason to run early in the morning)

Feeling GREAT....2:17 a personal record!

Enjoying my FREE beer!!

Later we went to the pub for dinner and I had an Irish Car Bomb!!  YUMMY!!


And.....the BOYZ had a blast on the beach!

Rudy says....I'm POOPED!!

So is Momma Rudy!!

We stopped at a really REALLY nice yarn shop on the way home...where I found the cutest knitting kit~~Let me just say......LET THE BABY KNITTING BEGIN!!!  (pics to come)

This grandbaby is going to be well dressed in knits....now if we can just find out the gender!!  I think they ALL want a little boy...fingers crossed.

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!



La Fhéile Pádraig Shona Daoibh

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

So.......

How did you spend your weekend?  With my last long run in the books I'm preparing for Sunday's race and crossing that finish line! With a few more challenges ahead of me I may be competing in my first triathlon in June...I'm still trying to talk myself into this.

Another season of an hour of sleep lost...but I LOVE the extra hour of daylight!!

I took advantage of the warm temperatures to do a little dyeing...

Inspired by a favorite beach towel (and longing to be back in the sun & sand) I went headlong into this without knowing what was going to happen.  Needless to say I'm VERY pleased!!  I'm still playing with a colorway name for it. The first thought was "Seaglass" then "Ocean" ~ Oh, and of course "Beach Towel"......anybody have any other ideas?

I had a silk scarf blank that I couldn't resist knotting that sucker up and painting it to see what would happen...VERY PLEASED!!

....and Rudy graciously modeled it for me!



(I hope none of my friends see this on me...really I'm not a sissy dog--my Momma just makes me wear this stuff)

Now to decide what I'm going to knit with it...always my dilemma. But I WILL be sporting a new silk scarf this spring!!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Welcome March....

Yesterday winter reappeared (well, the calendar says it's still winter but we've had a very mild one)---

....and my flowers had very sad faces!  It snowed HARD and all disappeared by 10am!  BRING ON SPRINGTIME!!

Knitting continues on various projects...training continues for my upcoming 1/2 Marathon -- only 12 days away!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Another Holiday Celebration~~

Happy National Margarita Day.....

Hope you celebrated!!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!!

BIG Snow of 2012

Weird weather we are having....Saturday the high was 67 degrees. 

Snowed all day Sunday!!  We ended up with about 6 1/2 inches.  Later this week....back into the 60's!!  Okay, so now we can move on to Spring for good....right?!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Stashbusting!!

During these slim times I continue to hit the stash for my projects--not to mention the fact that my stash has gotten WAY out of hand. With that said hubby brings me not ONE...not TWO...but THREE HUGE bags of alpaca fleece. More about this later...

The latest finished object is my Holden Shawlette I call "Stardust Wrap" (that's the name of the fiber I spun up for this yarn a couple years ago).  Mindy created a fantastic pattern here...a VERY quick knit!

Of course it's snowing today so I had to show off the shawlette against the freshly fallen snow.

Yes, I love BLUE!!

So....about the alpaca fleece.  On a recent trip to Richmond, hubby was introduced to a friend of his brother's--who happens to have alpacas.  He went there to get wood for dulcimers...he came home with wood AND alpaca fiber.....FREE alpaca fiber--one black, one white and one chestnut colored!!!  I've packaged it up to send for processing, in the time it will take to get it back maybe--just maybe I can make room for it. So now my fleece stash has increased significantly....I'd better get busy!!!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!!

Public Service Announcement....

As a postscript to yesterday's post I feel the need to be informative.

To all my Running and WannaBeRunning Friends...please take note of this video.  It's VERY important to pay attention and learn from this video:



Funny thing is I do see a couple of these guys all the time on the Greenway when I run!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!!

On and On....

Yes, we've had a mild winter but there have been some REALLY cold mornings for running but the training must go on....51 days and counting till the Shamrock Half Marathon!

This past Saturday was a total wash out on getting my normal group run in, so I had to go solo on Sunday...and it wasn't much better, oh yeah it was dry--but freezing temps!!

Pretty appropriate name for a headband huh??

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!!

Believe it or not.....

Yes...I have the FIRST FO of the new year! 

My Blue Lagoon Socks.

Yarn sent to my from my friend Shona finally became a pair of socks!!  I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE the color.  She knows me so well...Thank You Shona, you ARE the best!!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'

Where Are The Girlz?

(forgive the pics...my lens created a vignette on these)

You know it's a cold and damp Monday when you go out to the coop....open one end can't find your birds!

Look closely...they are in there.  I went to the other end only to see this:

ALL 5 girlz stacked on top of each other in a nesting area made for 1!!!!

**Note the rope lighting...yes, the girlz have disco lights for late night parties!  No...really it's for the winter months to "trick" them into more daylight hours to continue to get eggs during the winter.  I turn those lights on way before daylight and turn them off at dusk.  Only tonight I found them like this and nearly wet my pants laughing at them.  The cackling that was going on was SO hilarious!  I'm sure in hen talk it was..."would you PLEASE get your claws out of my back"....or "would you mind....."
Look at Henny Penny on top looking straight at me!  I tell you not a day goes by that they don't bring me to complete side-splitting laughter.  I recently bought them some special treats (meal worms)--let me tell you I AM the "Treat Goddess"!!!!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!!

Happy New Year!!

Well...I did it anyway!  We met some friends last night at our favorite Mexican establishment...and I had ONE too many margaritas!  Needless to say I didn't feel so good last night OR this morning. UGH!!

BUT I made myself go run...the 23rd Annual run to the Mill Mtn Star, for those who are not familiar with the area this run gains almost 900 feet in 3 miles.  I guess I am a glutton for punishment, but I have to say I really started feeling better after I started running. Once the steep park kicked in I had to walk/run/walk/run!

We had about 100 runners and walkers ascend to the Star...and a photo op to document the beginning of 2012.

HAPPY NEW YEAR....here's to running/walking in 2012!!!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Happy New Years Eve!

Wow--another year has passed, as always leaves me saying "where does time go?" I guess I've been so busy taking life day by day I forget to look back till we get to this point. I know I've been a bad blogger, I'll try to do better but as always I really don't like "resolutions"--they always get broken. So I choose to have "intentions" for the coming year. No, I won't make them here but instead on a day by day basis, also known as my "bucket list."
As my bucket list increases one of those will be achieved tomorrow morning at 9am...I WILL begin my year running! This run is a challenge put before us by our local running group--Here's the Route if you are curious or want to join us!

In 2011 I added swimming to my already busy schedule, which adds another "item" to my bucket list...if I can conquer the stupid bicycle I may give a triathlon a shot! Training has begun for my next 1/2 marathon in March. I'm helping to coach the 1/2 marathon/marathon training team at the Y...let's see what else I can add to the mix!

While 2011 didn't start out so well with the loss of my Uncle the year has come to a close on a good note as we welcomed 3 new members into our family. DS#1 got married, I have a new daughter and 2 granddaughters out of the deal!!

A BEAUTIFUL Family!!!

There was a lot of knitting this year, though it seems I didn't post a lot about it here...again--'cause I'm a BAD blogger!
Christmas knitting was all about "hats"--each of the girls got an earflap hat. I used a great, FAST pattern from Juniper Farms called Sluggy Bonnet.

Sorry for the crappy pics but I forgot my good camera and had to use my phone to document them...yeah, I also forgot to photograph them BEFORE wrapping them!!
I think I need to make one of these for myself!!

MY project had to be put on hold with all the gift knitting going on. This is sort of the icing on the cake for my 2011 knitting!

I will use a Gaelic word--crìochnaichte--EVERYTHING about this sweater means Highlander!

From the fiber I spun called "Highlander" to the place where I spun it while on vacation--Grayson Highlands State Park--to the pattern named Highlander....to the North Ronaldsay ram horn buttons sent to me as a gift from my Shona in Scotland!! I LOVE THIS SWEATER!!!

Well...with that I'll get on with preparing for the rest of the day. Rudy & Milo are pooped from all the "busy-i-ness" of the holidays--Santa was good to them...and they deserve it--they have been really good boys! Hubby has been SUPER busy making his dulcimers. He is SUPER talented!

My Wahoos play in the Chick-fil-a Bowl tonight...My Cowboys play a BIG game tomorrow--hoping for the BEST!!

I hope you all have a safe and Happy New Year!! See you NEXT YEAR!!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Catching up....

Well, I know it's been a while and I need to catch up. Though there has been some knittin' going on I don't have any pics yet...some are gifts so I can't "show" them yet. Let's see...where did I leave off?

Oh yeah--the 2nd beach trip...

THIS is one of my favorite sights, I can't take enough pictures.
Every morning was even more beautiful than the last.



Well, the reason for this trip was my 2nd half marathon. This year I chose the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon, I wanted to do this one last year but I had already chosen Richmond and knew there was no way I could do 2 in a month. Since becoming a runner I've found that I'm ALL ABOUT the finishers medals!! 

This one was one I REALLY wanted...and it's HUGE!

An 8" long surfboard that doubles as a bottle opener (and a fridge magnet...I guess there are 3 uses)!! I had a good finish, expected a little better but with only a 1/2 mile left to finish I started to cramp up. The after race party made me feel better! I even met a new running friend while there...I hope to get to Nashville to run the RocknRoll Half Marathon with her very soon.

Can't wait to get back to the beach now...is it Spring yet?

The BOYZ even had a BLAST!!

Earlier this month we had our own Oyster Festival here in the Valley. Hubby is from a town that has an Oyster Festival the first weekend of November every year for the past 54 years, so 2 of his brothers came in with the "goods"! Oh what fun! Sorry no pics...I was so busy cooking and entertaining I never picked up my camera. We had lots of good food & good company that made the evening a complete success!

I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. Since the last 2 years involved us traveling this year we got to stay home. Son #2 and I ran the Drumstick Dash...his first 5K EVER--and we finished side by side! I'm so proud of him and hope that I've spurred on some interest to do more in the future!

Pre-race pic...not as cold as in previous years and the race continues to grow! It started 6 years go with only 2000 runners & walkers--this year there were 14,000+!!!!!!! Their motto--"Move your feet so others can eat"!


Then on this past Saturday Son #1------GOT MARRIED!!!!!! They eloped but I'm so pleased...I have a new daughter and 2 new step-grandaughters out of the deal! Hmmm....well, I guess that's all I have right now.
Guess I'd better get back to my Christmas knitting! Are you ready for Christmas?

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Peace....

Amazing what time will bring...only a few short years ago this would have NEVER happened! The old man now looks for comfort (and warmth) with his canine buddies, but Rudy is always a little weary when Ace wants to be "cuddly"! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Day weekend! Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Keep on Knittin & Spinnin!!

Gearing up...

As this Holiday week moves right along the Girlz are feeling safe but we WILL have deviled eggs on the menu!

"Jacqueline"

...though they feel for their large wild cousins! They know that wild turkeys are very smart and crafty birds! Many will escape the dinner table.

Knitting FO approaching the finish line...I'm currently blocking "Highlander" and have started some Christmas projects (not all are knitting)-- pics to come.

Who's going shopping on Friday? NOT ME!!! My idea of dealing with a crowd is running the Drumstick Dash on Thursday morning. This year they are predicting over 10,000 runners & walkers!!!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

It won't be long....

Till I get to see this again...



Training for my half marathon is coming to an end...the hard work has drawn to a close. The Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon happens in a very short 2 weeks!

Knitting on Highlander goes on....

Thinking of Christmas begins....ugh!! Anybody else have their holiday projects planned or am I just WAY behind?

Keep on Knittin & Spinnin!!

.....and "Re-Entry"

.....is VERY difficult!

The beach was great...the weather not so great but we did get a good bit of sunshine, just storms in the evenings. I got to see my friend Anita...toes in the water and a$$ in the sand...play golf...and knit.

Working on Highlander has been fun--that is if the dogs would let me!


...not a great pic--taken with the cellphone!

We are still unpacking and washing clothes, I had to return to work today but it's not all that bad. I happen to enjoy my job at the Y--and it's really nice being missed by co-workers and members! Well...I guess I'd better get back at it...more later!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!!