2006 in Review

Well it's almost 2007. I wasn't going to post my knitting year in review, mainly because I didn't think I did much and had more WIP's (and sadly still do!) than FO's. But as you can see below...I am much more cheered up..I actually did finish some things and a few others I can remember that I didn't even photograph.

As you can first see, 2006 was the year I learned socks. I learned cuff down, toe up and short row heels (thanks to Cristi)! I um..also learned about sock yarn....that's all I'm going to say about that! ;)




L-R: 1st pair in plain stockinette, Thuja's, CF ankle socks, 1st 2 circ sock, sockette
r-2: 1 red/1 black stripe, Ocean Socks, CF ankle sock, Anastasia, 1 Thuja

Ribbed Neo socks-almost forgot these, my 2nd pair
Fuzzy feet


Other knits of the year!


L-R: Panta, Elizabeth bag, Milky Way bag, baby bolero
r-2: Odessa, Flower bloom washcloth for CASP2, Dulaan Hats, felted bowl for One-skein pal
r-3: VooDoo wristwarmers, Baby hats for Alex, turkey dish cloth, Cherry Garcia neckwarmer
r-4: oops I did it again, knitted purse swap bag, face cloths, oven mitts



L-R: Hat for Dad, Brown gable to be frogged and reknit as XLarge is too large!, ipod case
r-2: Irish Hiking Scarf for hubby, pink hat/scarf set for gift, felted bowl for Summer Fling Pal
r-3: illusion dish cloth, Hat for Alex, Red scarf for 2006 project.

I have Red Scarf 2007 on the needles, along with a purse for a fellow Knitwhit member I promised a while ago. I'll be knitting on these two things over the next few days.

No big resolutions for 2007, other than really trying to knit what I have on hand, finish my WIP's!!! Knit more socks, sweaters, and enjoy it!

I do want to try to stop overextending myself. I often think I can do so much in what little time I have to knit in the evenings, and weekends. So I guess that is really my resolution....learn to say "no" I'm going to finish this before I start something else, and no I can't do X amount of swaps at a time! I have to learn time management or something like that! ;)

Happy New Year!!

Z is for....

I had fun with this post! I've been waiting all year for it!

Z is for Zonda..I mean what else could I do LOL!




Car A very fast one at that...I'd love this...in Red please!



Yacht Oh to be on this sailing the seas, stopping at ports for yarn refills...oops, maybe food, water, and gas too! ;)



Bicycle Wheels Racing ones at that!!



Bus Heh! couldn't believe this one!



Reeds - Hmm wonder if I had played the saxophone like I wanted to in HS, would I have gotten them for free...you know advertising ;)



Diecast car Would have been handy to have around for the kids..see..a car named after me! Not that they would have believed it!



Oh, and I found another interesting Zonda....a certain wind! Wikipedia Ha, I always knew deep down inside I was kinda hot! ;)

You...can...stop...laughing now! ;)

All pictures and their appropriate links are posted. See what happens when you browse a certain "g" with your name!

This ABC along was fun this year! I learned a lot and hopefully you learned a bit from me...well hopefully!!

Happy New Year Everyone and I am off to publish this post before the power fluctuates again and I lose it!!

YPF-The Last of 2006

It's been fun and I do plan on continuing as long as the fellow members want to! However, for me, I do plan it to be a bit different. Different in a good way though! Mine will become YPPIP-...why p-p-i-p?? you ask...It stands for Yarn Pr0n Project in Progress!

I will try, on my honor..oops..wrong one..ahem..as for many people, we want to make 2007 the year of Stashbusting. Now, I am not going to list a bunch of rules I'd "try" to follow *cough, cough*, I'm just going to do the best I can! and sock yarn..well it so does not count..but I'll try to control myself! I'm just really trying to use what I have. I don't usually just buy yarn without buying enough for a certain project, so I do have a lot of projects, summer and winter and in between..but the sock yarn..well, it is a good commodity to have...swapping, using, gifting, etc.

I mean I am going to try to show you some pr0n you may have/have not already seen with the project in progress or possibly finished. It is also a way to kick my butt in gear get myself motivated to get some projects done. I'm already kinda behaving as I've been to at least 3 websites, filled the online basket....then empty them right up... This time of year is really tempting too! Oh but, you came here for the pr0n...so here we go! Oh and if anyone else wants to do the same! Go for it, the more the merrier! :)


Socks That Rock Heavyweight in Jingle Bell Rock. Here is a picture of the skein before it's wound, as I forgot to take one.

Psst. That last one..going for that copycat look ;)

And when you knit a sock with it...it becomes....this

Thuja sock from Knitty, which I've knit before and like the pattern, I wanted something easy to memorize as I waited in lines, etc.... I was trying to finish these for the holidays...eeek not sure only have like 2 days, but will cast on the 2nd one later today so I get no SSS! Oh and the amount on this skein is amazing!! I'll get the next sock and probably will try a pair of plain stockinette toe-ups to see just how far I can get! Possibly 2 pairs out of this skein..or at least a pair of sockettes or something.. ;)

ETA: A few have asked where I got the Sock Blockers. You can get your own Here :)

My first Mitts!

Out of this yarn, Knitpicks Wool of Andes Bulky in Cape Cod colorway....

Casserole Mitts Made for my FIL for Christmas. My first time knitting any type of mitten. It was a great way to learn, bulky yarn, good instructions and 2 circs! The pattern also includes regular mitts, and some potholders. Get some bulky yarn or doubled worsted and go for it!

These are felted, I put them in the washer so fast I didn't get a picture of before!


Here you go, in use and working fine! :)

Y is for....

Yellow -- and if you were my SP this year, it is one of the colors I don't particularly care for.....in yarn that is! I was teased by one of my SP's if I didn't behave, she'd send me a bit of bright yellow yarn..so I behaved! ;)

One day I hope to have a big kitchen and would love to have a wall or two painted a light shade of yellow...just not my yarn LOL! Well..I should state, not something personally for me. If I knit for someone else, and they like the color..I'll use it! ;)

So here's a bit of Yellow in my world!

Chicken soup and my rain slicker!

To the left, pins, rotary cutters and a sunflower pen! To the Right a set of colanders...(look familiar anyone?? ;)

And see...as proof, I don't mind yellow in my yarn.....

Just not a solid color! ;)

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays...and whatever you celebrate!

Our tree this year...a little tilted, but unless I want to de-ornament some of the breakables to tilt it correctly..(not!) Sorry no time to do any close ups on my ornaments, some of my favorites aren't on the tree anyways...just one of those, do less years!

I do love the tree rug we got this year. Since our floors were re-done, we used to put the tree in a metal washtub so it wouldn't leak on the floor when DD was watering it! LLBean came out with a cool waterhog mat similar that is no longer on the site, but it is perfect! No more wet floors!

Ok, to make you fudge lovers drool...I am 2 for 2 in the peanut butter department. Last week it crumbled, then 1 successful batch...until the other nite, still too soft, but finally made a perfect batch today..(do not double recipe again, sometimes it works, sometimes not!)

So I'm baking away, about to finally wrap presents and hopefully finish a pair of ankle socks..doubt it, but maybe by tomorrow evening they'll be done!

Poor hubby has been to the store 3 times for various things I thought were on the list, but weren't. I think we're about done with that for now!

Off I go! Take care everyone!

Happy 21st...

21 years ago today, I eloped with my fiance! We are both pretty quiet (yes we are ;) people and didn't want the fuss or expense of a wedding. However, our mothers did not let us get totally away from the spotlight! We had a bridal/wedding shower in Maine when we returned from one in North Carolina.

Last year, we couldn't celebrate as hubby was recovering from surgery. This year, it'll be low key at home with hopefully our 2 teenagers as waiters LOL!..Heh..doubt they'll do that!

We are homebodies and there really isn't a great restaurant we want to go to in this %$^^& town so...we're staying in!

Gosh, sniff, I was so young....under 25....(and so skinny then too!) Remember those 80's perms and fluffy hair!! Hubs looks the same, just shorter hair and we've both gone a little gray...could it be those 2 crumbsnatchers that live with us??? It still feels like yesterday, not 21 years..yikes...

Christmas Yarn Pr0n Friday!

Here's some lovely, gorgeous yarns that were gifted to me by Mary who was destashing and sending those lovely yarns to a new home. Little did I know I was one of the recipients. Little did she know, these are yarns I have only heard about and did not have until now!

So courtesy of my Christmas Tree!

As you know red is hard to photograph, but here you go! Nature Spun Worsted in Husker Pride by one of my favorites-Lamb's Pride and Patricia Roberts Angora in Poppy..soo soft!


This one on the right, I call mood lighting!

These are wool and mohair hand-dyed by Mary herself for her Knitting Olympics project. (what was it??) Well as you can see they are lovely and very soft (trust me ;) and at least she didn't run out of yarn like another person we know did (sniff...)

And last but not least....Anny Blatt's Tangara - a blend of wool, acrylic, and polymide and awesomely soft! I can see a scarf from this as the blends would not make you itchy and it would be so soft against the neck.

Well I am off...late with this as I was waiting for some light other than our overhead living room light! Tons of stitches to knit, baking, etc...

X is for.....

X-RAY! In 1895 X-rays were invented by Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen! Oh..you didn't stop by for a history lesson did you? Well click on the link above if you wanna know more! ;)

I started in the X-ray field in 1983, after I realized I didn't want to be an Accountant, wasn't for me. Besides I kept um...er....getting injured and getting x-rays for them. So one day, I asked and found out how to go to school for it...oh yeah..you still don't want a history lesson do you??

These are my X-rays! Taken over the years at work as I was ever so graceful when injuring myself! Upper Left-Neck xray after the box of film hit the side of my head in the darkroom--darkroom you say..yeah I used to have to use a film processor and clean them too. Now we are all digital which is sweet, unless the computer system goes down..anyhooo onward. The knee --gosh, I don't even remember...prolly bumped it or dropped something on it. The pinky finger--jammed it into something or yeah, dropped film or a cassette on it..as was the case with the foot xray! A large film cassette slipped from my hands and almost chopped my big toe off! I'm such a klutz. Luckily...nothing severe has happened (knock on wood!)

I once almost scratched my cornea with a corner of x-ray film... Oh and sorry but you aren't going to see my "other" x-rays (hehe rhymes with chests)! ;)

This is where I work now! They let me operate million dollar equipment baybee! (well 1/4 million). I umm..er...drive it pretty well ;) In case you are wondering what I do now. I still take x-rays, but not like the ones above. Now I get to work in the mini Operating area above and look at veins, arteries, and assist in a lot of procedures. I tell the patients as they ask if I'm the doc...nope the lovely assistant!

I hope you enjoyed my X post and a little view of my life that supports my fiber habit ;) Thanks for stopping by!

W is for......

Winners!!!!

Remember this....

Became this...

48 Stitchmarkers (some may look familiar to a lot of you! ;)

19 embroidery Threads

The contest was very close! 4 of you were 1 away from each of the amounts. What a coincidence...and since I think coincidence's are cool....All 4 are WINNERS!

Karen and Cathy for threads-18 guessed

Aquaknits and Knitpastis
for Stitch Markers-47 guessed.

So you lucky 4 email me (zbelmontATmsnDOTcom) with some info please :)-yarn info...color info..address info (well I have 1 of yours ;) (you know who you are!) and I shall mail them out..well after next week anyways!!

Thank you all for stopping by with your encouragement, advice, cheer, laughs, etc.!

I've been double tagged....

Hmmm a few of you have meme'd me...LadyLungDoc and Lynn and I'm not doing 12 weird things about me...none of you would ever return here! ;)


THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with the ‘6 weird things about you.’ People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says ‘you are tagged’ in their comments and tell them to read your blog.”

Six weird things about me:

1. I have a bridge phobia..I'm talking about bigggg bridges...you folks out there with your Golden Gate, Brooklyn Bridge, Tappenzee, GW...etc...the list is long... I hate them...I hate to drive over them..I can be a passenger, but it totally freaks me out to be the driver! (I'm still not too great being the passenger either!) We are talking white knuckles...sweating, hyperventilating...just going crazy. Could it be that when my Mom was pregnant with me, she rolled/fell down a hill where we used to live...the river was below and the bridge to the right of the hill. (obviously she didn't fall in..hehe) Whenever I have my bad falling off the bridge dreams, I am right on that particular hill, waking up just before I enter the water...FYI for you Mainer's the Older Waterville to Winslow Bridge across from the old Hathaway Shirt Co. It's not a big bridge either..but it's just a bridge. I can walk over it, and have done on this bridge many times growing up and staying at my grandparents. Maybe it's just the big ones...hmmmm!

OK, still reading?? ;)

2. When I got to sleep, I have to first start on my left side then onto the right side and end up on my stomach...why, not sure!


3. When I sew multiple projects, I have to sew all that needs a certain color of thread in one group, then change thread to finish. (no threading is not hard..just one of those weird things!)

4. When I start to knit socks...I keep thinking to myself why am I doing this?? Then I take a look at the beautiful yarns I have and that I truly love to wear handknit socks...(need-to-knit-more!) and I get over it..but it happens every single time!!!

5. I really only like to do long-tail cast on...no matter if I have to re-cast on due to not enough yarn left. (yes I know that you can knit it on the missing #..and sometimes I do and sometimes I have no choice and can't!) I've tried others and if a certain project requires that it MUST be a certain cast on..then...maybe.... but I really love LTCO!!!

6. My kids (12 & 17) say I'm weird and I embarass them in public...(dancing in the stores to the music, be-bopping in the car, etc)..why...Haha!! Payback baybee!!!

Okay, there are more weird things about me..my Name for instance...more on that next week...hehe!

So TAG...you're it if you're reading this and want to go for it!!

So like for the knitting content...you see 6...yes 6 cloths! I am soo done! Well except for 2 in cotton chenille I have to do this weekend! And no that isn't any new fangled candy...it is soap...Z and A's to be exact! Red chunks are Apple scented and the Green semilunar (half-circle) are Cucumber Melon! It was fun...the white base is goat's milk soap base. I still have honey almond to make later this week. I'd love to try more natural products as I have super dry skin..anyone have any good sites to get some products. I don't want to do tons of this. Just a batch or two when I need to!

Whew...thanks for the comments and reading my blog this last year. I promise to post the winners Tuesday after I get home from work! I have to go and get these goodies above wrapped for school tomorrow!!

Happy Blogiversary To ME!

Hard to believe it's been 1 year already!! Yikes! I almost didn't start one, and so glad that I did! I've met so many people, gotten a lot of help with knitting, life, stash enhancement, etc.....

So I wanted to do a contest! Since I knit and sew I combined an unknown number of stitch markers and embroidery threads! Heh! Let me know the approximate amount of thread and the amount of stitchmarkers. The winners will be determined as who is closest to each..meaning 1 stitchmarker winner and 1 thread winner! So give it a go and let me know either in comments or email me at zbelmontATmsnDOTcom.


Click on pics to make larger! Yeah I know you all know that LOL!

Prizes will be personalized to your sock or regular yarn tastes! I'll close the contest on Monday the 18th at midnite and announce the winners (well the next day LOL!). Oh and if there is a tie..you know that random number generator thingy!!

Another thing about the blogging/Knittyboard world is the SP Swaps! Here's my latest and last one for a while..need a break LOL! The Knitted Purse Swap! They are starting a second one after the holidays if you are interested. My pal Bekka sent me this purse and these goodies! I love it and as you can see below, it is quite full, just as hers is I sent her LOL! Funny thing is, we both made each other similar purses....hmmm




There are quite a few people I'd love to thank over the last year with my blogging! I'd ask tons of questions and they all were very patient and kind about them! Heather for telling me I could do it!! Jen for making me a fabulous header! Cristi for helping me with flickr stuff and meeting her IRL! and all of you that stop by and visit! I've met friends from all over and I love it! Continue to stop by and I'll try not to bore you too much!

Have a great day! :)

Reindeer games

I just saw this at CPurl's blog and I had to try it!! Hehe! Love it...give it a whirl!!

You Are Dancer

Carefree and fun, you always find reasons to do a happy dance. Why You're Naughty: That dark stint you had as Santa's private dancer. Why You're Nice: You're friendly. Very friendly.

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

V is for........

Vesper Sock Yarn!

Strange Little Mama I got myself and Neopolitan (which was gifted to me by Cristi).

Let me tell you, this sells out fast!! All skeins are usually gone within 20 minutes or less. The best way to get your very own skein....sign up for email notification and log in and patiently wait! :)

Stay tuned.....tomorrow is my 1 year Blogiversary!!!

Peppermint....

Patties, flowers, (well I know they aren't sticks or canes, hehe!) ????

I got this pattern from Sherrill's blog! I used less than 1 skein of Sugar-n-cream in Peppermint, with about a plum size left over...and since I have another skein of this...well, we know some of what I'll be knitting all week! I plan on some in cotton chenille, will let you know how that goes. It's a great easy to memorize pattern...well after a few frogs anyways! I'm hoping to make a few more (according to DD at least 5 or 6) but we'll see...

Much more knitting going on! We are not going out of town, so I still have some days off and will be busy as we held off getting a tree and any decorating. We usually don't get the tree until about this time anyways as we get live trees. That'll be this weekend.

And lest you think that I am getting too much accomplished...well..don't look at my foolproof peanut butter fudge recipe that has never failed me...until now....in crumbles...so can't send SIL's gift until Thursday now!

FO's...the Fuzzy Kind! :)

Yes! 2 Presents off the List!

Fuzzy Feet from Knitty! The left is Paton's SWS in Natural Blue (only 1 knot in one out of 2 skeins!), Yes I did have to cut a few times to make the stripes match...not that they had to..but you know me! These are for the girl (my daughter's nickname, real original huh?).

The pair on the right are Lamb's Pride Worsted in Tahitian Teal! I have a cone in this I swapped sock yarn for! It is awesome, a little compact, but once it gets knitted it blooms up like it was in a skein. I was knitting at BAM yesterday while the teenagers were shopping/browsing/more like getting out of the house! I was about 4 rows from the end and I ran out of yarn for the 2nd one...I had wound a ball from the cone and it made almost 2 FF's! Glad I learned how to spit/splice! These are for SIL, in Arizona...hehe, wish I could be a fly on the wall when she sees them..let alone tries to felt them..bet I'll get a call! ;)

Miles to knit before I sleep....snnnnoooreeee!

U is for.....

Unfinished Projects!!

These below are Unfinished Quilting Projects! Click on it for notes of each if you'd like! :)

These below are Unfinished Knitting Projects! Hey, not as many as I thought!! Not too bad! They'll all get done, one day! ;) Click on picture to see notes if you want! :)

Not a bad little pile I must say! But we won't talk about the Projects Not Yet on Needles!! Nope we won't mention them one bit! :)

Yarrrrny Friday!

Malabrigo Wool in Emerald Blue Colorway! Courtesy of my Winter Cheer SP...still haven't verified her identity...soon I'll find her out!! So soft and I'm thinking of what it'll turn out to be...hmmm I do need some fetching's, or a hat....hmm..

More cool pics!



Have a great weekend! Mine will be filled with knitting and some FO's I hope! :)