I Am Guilty of Neglecting My Blog

Yes. I am guilty of neglecting my blog. On June 12, I began a summer semester American History class. Let me tell you, this class has kicked my butt. Practically every hour that I have outside of work, is spent doing pages upon pages of American History. As of today, I have one more week left. I am going to be so glad when this class is finished!

Very Sad News To Report

I just witnessed a hawk attack and carry off my baby crow. Baby crow was four and a half weeks old, fully feathered, and almost full size. He would stay in a bird cage most of the time, but I would put him outside on tree branches and on the ground so that he could try to learn what birds are supposed to know. Today, I had him in the grass. While cleaning up after dinner I looked out the kitchen window and saw a hawk attacking him. I tried to get outside as quickly as possible to try to scare the hawk off. When I got outside I saw the hawk take off with my baby crow. At that point I could no longer watch. I bawled my eyes out. As you can see from previous posts and pictures, I raised this guy from when he was just hatched, fed him every one and a half to two hours, and bonded with him. I did the best I could to give this little guy the best start possible. Considering he would have died had I not found him in the first place, he had an excellent four and a half weeks. I am deeply saddened. This has been very traumatic for me.

I Have A New Grandpuppy

This is my new grandpuppy. He is 12-weeks old and his name is Tater (as in tater-tot). My daughter bought him two days ago from a breeder in Pennsylvania. She drove up and I drove back so she could hold him and bond with him on the way back. She's had him for 2 days and he's adjusting nicely. Yes, I am biased, he is one smart puppy, and cute too!

My Baby Bird Is A Crow

It's been 2 weeks and 2 days since I found this little guy. I can't believe how fast and how much he has grown. With the sprouting of feathers, I have determined that he is a crow. I am concerned because his right eye is not functioning as it should and I'm afraid he might be blind in that eye. I will be contacting someone that has wildlife knowledge to determine what his fate will be as I'm not sure he will be able to survive in the wild because of his eye.

Baby House Finches Are Gone

I got home today and noticed that I hadn't seen or heard the mama and papa house finches. Usually they are on the deck communicating with their nested babies. I went out to check the nest and discovered that the nest is now empty. It's been about two weeks since they were born and they grew so quickly. From past experience I figured they would be gone in about two weeks so they're right on track. I'm so glad to have had the experience!

Just Call Me "Mama Bird"

On my way to the mailbox something caught my eye. I looked down and I saw this little guy on the edge of my stone driveway. The nearest tree was about 70 feet away and I can't imagine how he ended up at the spot where I found him. As soon as I picked him up his mouth opened up wide because he was very hungry. So I took him back to the house and placed him in a box with some soft material, fed him, and placed the box under a warm light bulb. It's official - I have adopted him. Just call me Mama Bird!

Ankle Socks In Progress

For my second pair of socks, I decided to make ankle socks. I didn't follow any particular pattern. It's just a plain stockinette stitch with a short 2x2 rib at the top. I'm using Knit Picks Palette (100% Peruvian Wool). The color is "Petal".

Baby House Finches Are Here

We have five new baby House Finches! When I checked the nest on Saturday I discovered all five eggs had hatched. They are growing very quickly and will soon get too big for their small nest. Mama bird comes to feed them frequently throughout the day. I didn't realize until now that mama birds only stay in their nests until the baby birds have emerged from their eggs. After that, the mama birds only come to the nest to feed their always hungry babies. These once silent babies have found their voices, and their voices are getting stronger and more demanding each and every day. I have really been enjoying this event. It will be sad when they leave the nest.

Baby House Finches Are On The Way

Baby House Finches are on the way! As you can see, there isn't really that much room for a nest between the wall of the house and the porch light. I hope mamma bird is a good nest builder. I'll keep you posted.

Once the babies are born, I'm not sure that the nest will hold up. The reason I say this is - six years ago a House Finch built a nest in the exact same place. After the babies were born the nest started to fall apart, the babies fell to the deck, and the nest could not be placed back. And so, I became a mama bird. I took the babies in, fed them constantly, and after several weeks they began to fly out of the box I was keeping them in. The very first one to fly out of the box surprised me big time. I had just removed the lid to feed them when the first one flew up and out of the box and landed on the plate rail in my kitchen. I don't know who was surprised more, the bird or me. I quickly scooped him up and took him outside because I instinctively knew it was his time. After that, within several days, one by one my bird babies flew the coop. The very last bird to leave was the runt. Initially, he was the one that was kicked out of the nest (before it fell apart) three times by the bigger baby birds. I was concerned that he wouldn't survive at all (law of nature). That year I was the proud mama of five beautiful fledglings.

A Secret Pal Package Arrived

My Secret Pal is the best! I found a package waiting for me when I came home today. Inside, I found cool goodies. I love the knitting notes (a great little journal that allows me to remove the pages and place them back in any order I want). There are some nice knitting note cards, a peach lip balm, a unique luggage tag, and a tin of chocolate truffles (the weather was warm and the chocolate truffles had melted into one large truffle, but it still tasted great - chocolate is chocolate regardless of shape!) Thank you Secret Pal!

Grotesque Knitting Accident

As a member of the TownsendSocksKnitALong at Yahoo Groups I receive the daily digest. Well, yesterday's digest included a post titled "The Most Horrific Picture in the Knitter World". I clicked on it, and sure enough, it's pretty gross. If you have the stomach for it, feel free to click here to see the picture. Once you get to the picture, there is a link to the right of the picture to read the story about how Anastacia's accident happened. Never, would I have thought knitting could be so dangerous!

Spring, Rain, And Socks

Okay, Spring is finally here. We're still waiting for spring-like temperatures (we are well below the average temperature for April), but at least the buds have bloomed.

April showers? Boy, did we get some April showers! We don't normally have a huge lake in our back yard, but we did the other day.

I made my very first pair of socks! I feel empowered! I made a basic sock pattern (stockinette stitch) and used Brown Sheep Wildfoote Luxury Sock Yarn. The color is Purple Splendor. It wasn't until I washed and dried the socks that I saw how beautifully this yarn fluffs up. I even made a miniature sock out of the same yarn to go on a sock blocker key chain. Yes, I am addicted. I will make more socks!!!!!!

Look What Came In The Mail Today

When I arrived home from work today there was a package waiting for me at the door. I figured it was some yarn that I was waiting for, but it wasn't. I didn't recognize the store name of the sender, and I knew I hadn't ordered anything from this seller. So, what did I do? I opened the box! This rather large box was extremely light and didn't feel like it contained anything, BUT when I opened the box I discovered a pair of beautiful cobalt blue knitting needles! What a nice surprise to come home to. I HAVE THE BEST SECRET PAL!

I Have A Secret Pal Too!

Last night I received a much awaited email from my Secret Pal. I'm so glad to be a participant in Secret Pal 10. This is going to be so much fun! I think this is a great opportunity to get to know more about two other knitters out there (my Spoiler and my Spoilee) that I may not have otherwise crossed paths with. Secret Pal - What a concept!

Woohoo! I Am A Secret Pal.

Today I received the name of the person for whom I will be a Secret Pal for Secret Pal 10. This is the first secret pal exchange I have participated in and I am very excited! I've seen blogs from previous exchanges and everyone seems to have had a lot of fun. I can't wait to get to know my pal and send her surprise packages.

Finally, Pictures!

The is my second One Skein Wonder. This pattern is by Stefanie Japel. I used two strands of Patons Brilliant and it took almost three skeins. I finally took pictures and here they are. I made this shrug for my daughter and I am hoping to get a picture of her modeling it.

Rip It! Rip It!

I had started a pair of fingerless gloves earlier in the week, but when I got into the thumb shaping, things went wrong. After much frustration, I decided to frog it, put it away, and tackle the pattern some other time. Has anyone ever made the Baby Cable pattern fingerless gloves from Alpackits? I'd be interested in knowing how you made out with the pattern at the thumb area.

Did You Hear It?

The screaming has continued every day. Finally, I received a partial replacement yarn order today. It seems that my original order was mailed on February 13th and is lost somewhere between Oregon and the East Coast. I can't wait to finish my OSW. Pics will be posted when done.

Still Waiting For Yarn

I ordered yarn to finish my second OSW and I thought it would be here by now. Saturday, I realized there is no mail delivery today (President's Day). Arghhhhhhh! If anyone hears a scream tomorrow, that will be me (if my yarn still does not arrive). In the meantime, I'm keeping myself busy with a pair of fingerless gloves I'm making from a pattern called "Fetching" from knitty.com.

Something New To Add To My Project List

While waiting for more yarn to complete my second One Skein Wonder, I have discovered Teva Durham's Turtleneck Shrug. Today, I purchased the book Scarf Style and hopefully, by the time I receive the book, I will have finished the second OSW and will be ready to begin the Turtleneck Shrug. After all, I'd like to be able to wear it before the weather gets warm.

Interchangeable Needles

I absolutely love Clover circular needles and I don't ever plan to give them up, but I recently became aware of interchangeable needle systems and I thought I'd try one. I just purchased The Boye NeedleMaster and I think I'm going to like the convenience this set offers. This set will be a nice addition to my clover needles.

Secret Pal Questionnaire

The Questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I like almost every yarn. I can't say that I have encountered any that I absolutely can't stand.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
Right now, I am keeping my needles in a big quilted bag that I use for my knitting. I am looking for a sewing pattern to make a needle case.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I taught myself to knit about thirty years ago. It wasn't until about eight years ago that I started to become serious about knitting. I consider myself to be an intermediate knitter.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Boy, do I have an Amazon "Wish List"!

5. What's your favorite scent?
I have lots. My newest favorite scent is "Sheer Veil" by Vera Wang. If we are talking general scents, then it would be florals.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Yes. CHOCOLATE!

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I cross stitch, embroider, quilt, etc. I love to do crafty things. I have never tried spinning, but it is on my "to-do" list.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s?
I like rock, lite rock, 70's, 80's, classical, new age, etc. I like almost everything with the exception of rap and country. I have an ipod.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I love blues and greens. I'm not fond of orange.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I am married, and I have a 21 year old daughter. I work full time. I have a very spoiled Yorkshire terrier.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
None of the above.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
So far, I enjoy knitting just about anything.

13. What are you knitting right now?
I am on my second One Skein Wonder Shrug.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I love circular needles. Bamboo is my favorite, and aluminum is next.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Yes, both.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
A sweater that I started about seven years ago. Wow, it doesn't seem like it was that long ago.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
I don't have one.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Antique treadle sewing machines.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I'm always on the "look-out" for all of these items. I currently am not receiving any knitting magazine subscriptions.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I'm ready to do my first felting project.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I just finished my first pair of socks. I love making socks! Foot length - 10 inches. Instep - 8 inches in diameter.

23. When is your birthday?
August 3rd.

I'm New To This Blog Thing.....

Okay. I'm new to blogging, so please bear with me. I created my blog so that I can participate in Secret Pal 10. I have visited many blogs related to previous Secret Pal exchanges and I've admired every one's knitting. All of you are truly inspirational, and I can only hope that I may be as inspirational to some of you. So, as the months progress, I look forward to posting pictures of my knitting projects, as well as anything else that may be of interest.