These are a few of my favorite things

PINTEREST

What it is:

"Think of Pinterest as a virtual pinboard — a place where you can create collections of things you love and "follow" collections created by people with great taste.

People use Pinterest to collect and share all sorts of things -- wedding inspiration, favorite T-shirts, DJ equipment. You name it, people are pinning it.

We know you have great taste in something. Our mission is to make Pinterest the best place for you to share your taste with the world."

I have just started pinning. This is my board

http://pinterest.com/octopoda/

<3 !

Covet

In order from "most likely to buy" to "not happening"











Now that spring is here I am back into home project mode. About 3 weeks ago I got this crazy idea that my yard needed grass. Anyone with more than one dog knows that this is an exercise in futility when the yard is as small as mine, but I still spent 2 hours raking the mud and laying down seed. 3 weeks later I have baby grass and every time it gets stomped or soiled on by a dog I die a little inside. Still, I am happy to see a little bit of green in the mud pit.

A few things I hope to start, gather quotes for, and/finish by the end of the summer:

1) Painting and finding art for the enormous stairwell
2) Painting and changing the hardware on all the doors
3) The master bedroom
4) Replacing the fence or making a patio under the deck--no more mud pit!

Cookies please

Fat? Me? Never. I demand cookies now please.

Hello Again!

It's been almost a full year since I saw you last...



March 12&13th is the Maryland home and garden show and I have not attended since I picked up this lovely paph at that show two years ago. This year I am looking forward to acquiring another and some supplies for repotting this one. Here is to many more years together and many more blooms!

In knitting news...I have made about 4 things and am working on a big one. 3 cowls', one lost, one given to Brian, one to replace the first that I lost, and one "destroyed" cowl. Here is one of them while blocking. The blocking did nothing to stop the curl which is why I have no more pictures of it but the self striping yarn is so pretty I just had to share






This one is made with my new favorite yarn by Madelinetosh. If I could use this for every project forever until I no longer knit I would, it's that wonderful. The texture, the quality, the colors.. Outstanding




It is a wonderful face warmer when doubled up. Brian wears his everyday and can wrap it around his neck and face at the same time. He looks like a bank robber but it keeps him warm


Finally, my current project. A gift for a new little person. I have added another 5" and have about 2 or 3 skeins of yarn left to finish. I ran out of yarn at this point and had to special order more from the store...It was taking way too long so I did a rush order on amazon and got it within 2 days. I'm back to working on it now.



Stitch pattern close up:




Not too shabby for a free pattern

That's all for now!

Obsessed

I love my kindle and I can honestly say that I have never loved a gadget so much. Not my smart phone, not my ipod, not my gps. It's all about the kindle. I do not know what it is about this thing that makes reading so damn enjoyable. Maybe it's the fact that I can get a book suggestion, look it up, and have it delivered to the thing in less than a minute. Also, I can download knitting patterns to it instead of printing them out and carrying around pattern papers that get all wrinkly by the time I'm done with a project. It is the jam.

Love these guys

I have a friend that learned how to play the banjo because he said that a sad song could never be played on a banjo. I can't recall ever being very fond of much music that featured the banjo, but after hearing these guys a few months ago I understand what he meant.

Gifted:

Irish Hiking Scarf


River Run:



I wish I had some better pictures of these two but I snapped them 5 minutes before we were running out the door on Christmas.

I finished my destroyed cowl (it's gorgeous!)and will start another one for myself this week, then I should move on to arm warmers/mittens/or socks. I am not sure which direction I'm taking yet.

As for the New Year, I'm glad it's here. I don't have much to say about NYE. Last Monday I came down with a horrible cold and it knocked me on my ass for a full week. I'm still feeling residual effects of it and can't smell or taste anything. NYE I built a roaring fire, and watched Harry Potter 5 on the couch with the dogs. Brian went to a friends house party. It was actually a rather nice way to start off the year.

I don't normally make resolutions. There are a few things I'd like to do more of this year but I haven't firmly resolved to do them, I'm too ambivalent for resolutions.
I should probably walk my dogs more often, make more meals at home, and I would like to pay off my new car within the next 1-2 years rather than waiting the duration of the loan.

The one thing I'm really looking forward to in 2011? The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryland_Sheep_and_Wool_Festival

I can't wait to see a bunch of sheep, buy some wool from local tradespeople and pet some alpacas