Aunty RaRa's Antics

WIP's, FO's, and other happenings

Well it has been a while. Last sat my son and I went to the Eagle Festival in Newburyport with the cub scouts. It is where you can go to different places on the Merrimack River and see bald eagles in the wild. It really is interesting. They also do shows at City Hall and that is where I took this. This is Noah. He has a damaged eye and wing so he can't be put back out in the wild. Then on Thursday night as most of you know we had a full lunar eclipse and I went out back and took these. This first one was taken at 8:55, the second one was taken 1/2 hour later and the third 1/2 after that. Then it was getting to cold for me to go back out. Of course if I had a coat on it probably would have been fine. Now on to knitting news. I joined a swap with a small group of women that my sister knits with. It is called the Silly Sock Swap. Well I started my sock and it was going slow at first. I finished the heel and just did not like the way it was coming out. I was using Tofutsies in a black/white colorway. At first I thought it was the way I was knitting but when my sister looked at it it wasn't me it was actually the yarn.What was happening  was it was very loose. It seems that when they wound it they didn't wind it tight enough.  So back to the drawing board for my silly sock swap. Now mind you these need to be done by April 1st and I don' t knit all that fast. So I looked through my sisters knitting books and found one I really liked. It is called Socks of Kindness and I am using JoJoland Melody in a purple/maroon colorway. It is going alot faster. I started it last sat and I am already on the heel but now I am at a stand still because it calls for a short row heel and my sister went to SPA this weekend so I have put it to sleep for the weekend. I also finished one sock that I am making for my sister. It was supposed to be for Christmas but as long as I get it done she is ok with it. This is Soft Sea Wool and a basic 4x4 rib.The other sock that I finished before Christmas was one I made for my mother. That is made with Alpaca and I used a Basket weave pattern. I gave her the one sock and I am glad I didn't make both because it is a little small for her so I will be undoing and resizing it. The only socks that I did finish in time for Christmas were my sil's. Those are made  with Knit Picks firefighter with a basic 4x4 rib just like my sisters. 

Long Awaited Thanks...

First off I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year. Second I would like to thank Sara from Florida for sending me a wonderful Christmas Around The World Package. I know I am late in posting this and I have no pictures but trust me when I say it was wonderful. The next ones I would like to thank is Nicole and Joanne and all the ladies at your knitting guild for sending my sister and I squares for the Everett  fire. We are still accepting squares if anyone is still willing to make them. I haven't been doing much on theknitting front as I would like to but the arthritis in my thumb has really been acting up. I haven't even finished one sock that I was making for my sis for Christmas. Maybe they will get done in time for her birthday in Feb.(or maybe not).

PIF

Pay it forward - Like the movie-do unto others like someone has done to you. Pay It Forward

This is a great movie!!!!!! Watch it with the kiddos..... Makes them think.

The idea of the exchange is I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on this blog post requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet, and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog - now if you don't have a blog but want to play - let me know.  I have no problem making something for someone who doesn't have a blog as long as they promise to pay it forward. Of course I do need to limit it to just one non-blogger, that way it continues.  NOW if no one wants to play..... I will pick 3 people and give them a gift anyway.  Then it will be up to them to decide if they want to continue it or not. 

I'm doing this through my sister' so if anyone wants to play just let me know.

Fire in Everett MA

As some of you are aware of there was a fuel tanker that overturned and exploded yesterday morning in Everett MA. Well I just found out through my sister Debbi that my sil's niece and her boyfriend and family were one of the houses affected by this disaster. This is her niece Laura. What my sister and I are asking is if there is anyone out there willing to knit up some 9x9 squares so that we can show Laura and Chris that people care. If you can that would be very much appreciated. I know alot of you have holiday knitting to do but anything would help. If you are willing to help you can send them to us by Jan 5. Then my sister and I will put them together. I want to thank everybody in advance. Laura is also the niece of a former employer of mine. If you email me at mommyofd@yahoo.com I will send you my mailing address.

Presents for me...

This was a week for presents in the mail for me. First off on Monday I received a package from a swap that I did on swap-bot. The theme of the swap was Knit Flicks so obviously it had to do with movies and knitting. This is what I got. You can't see it very good but it is two skeins of Lorna Lace in colorway Pin Stripes, the movie The Firm, a pattern for simple socks, some pretty blue stitch markers, and some spree candies. Then on Wednesday I received my k1t2 package from Nicol W. It was full of wonderful things. There was a trivet shaped like a teapot with the word TEA on it, a tea for one set, a tea ball, a candle, two dishcloths, a tin of Harney and Sons African Autumn tea, and two skeins of Noro Silk Garden Lite. I feel like such a spoiled child.

Lookie,Lookie

Look at my beautiful sock. I hand dyed the yarn and then I used the Lacy Mock Cable Pattern by Island of Misfit Patterns . Aren't they purrttyy!!! I love them so much. I am about 1/3 done on the second one.

My swap package came

I got my Fall into Autumn Dishcloth Swap on Saturday. It was from Nicole. She sent me so many wonderful things. A pretty blue dishcloth, Lion Brand cotton, 2nd Time around cotton(I was told that it is recycled), a stitch holder, a candle, a cute pad and pen with a sheep on it, some pumpkin shaped peeps, pumpkin pop rocks( I will be giving those to my son), a pumpkin face that you decorate a balloon with, a little booklet with different dishcloth patterns, two bookmarks from the ASPCA,dove body wash, a soap, a needle inventory card, and a cute card with a dog on it. If I forgot anything here are pictures. THANK YOU SO MUCH NICOLE!!!! I LOOOOVE EVERYTHING!!! 

This weeks topic....

Now that it is getting cooler here, it makes me think of apple picking and hay rides. Are you the type that likes to go to participate in all the fall festivities like apple picking, pumpkins, decorating for the fall, hay rides, baking fall goodies, etc. or do you just sit and count the days till Thanksgiving/Christmas/Hanukkah? I have always enjoyed apple picking and making homemade apple sauce.

I got it....

I'm a big kid now!!!! I got my invite to Ravelry today now I just need to figure out what to do with it. Anyone interested my user name is none other than mamarara. The topic for this week in the Fall into Autumn swap is..... In many a swap we get asked to flash our stash of yarn. However, we hardly ever (might even venture to say never) get asked to show off our needles, hooks, notions, and other tools of the trade.

So for the Topic of the week:
Either flash your needles and other items you use to make your wares or, if you don't have a camera, describe your goods for us in detail. Dpns, circs, straights, hooks, tape measures, darning needles, favorite stitch markers, needle holders, cases, the works! Well seeing as I am fairly new to knitting I really don't have alot of notions. I have three pairs of circs, a very cute sheep tape measure, a plastic container that I keep my yarn in so as to not get CATONIZED(4 cats would do it), and a beautiful bag that I made for myself(you can see it on my blog). So that is about it for now. Now I think I need to go play on Ravelry. Happy Knitting!!

Coffee Swap Three Questionarre

SWAP QUESTIONS

Here are the questions:
QUESTIONS
1. Whole bean or ground? Ground
2. Fully-loaded or decaf?Fully loaded(is there any other way)
3. Regular or flavored?Regular although I do like Mocha
4. How do you drink your coffee?Milk and sugar
5. Favorite coffee ever?Dunkin Donuts
6. Are you fussy about your coffee or will any old bean do?I don't really care too much for cheap stuff
7. Favorite treats to have with your coffee?anything
8. Anything else about your coffee preferences?None that I can think of
9. Yarn/fiber you love?Love sock yarn and soft cotton
10. Yarn/fiber you hate? fun fur,acrylic,sugar-n-cream
11. What's on your needles?Two different socks
12. Favorite colors?black,red,gray,blue,and pink
13. Allergies?none
14. Anything you really love, really don't like, or just need to get off your chest? I am a smoker but I try not to smoke when I am knitting. We also have 4 cats that live here.