Look at my banner!!!!!!!! And a cool yarn shop

Look at my banner!!! Isn't it beautiful! This is a picture of my knitting nook under the stairs. I took some boring straight on pics, but hubby decided that he needed to help me be more artistic, so he took some very cool pics, one of which is now in the banner. He then spent like four hours writing html to get it into the banner. I would have given up after five minutes, but he was determined! That's okay, while he was doing this I was able to watch two hours of Gilmore Girls, one which I missed last year, without any smart alecky comments. I have posted some of my finished projects and one of a hat in progress. As you can see I spent most of the last two years knitting for all of my new neices, nephews and cousins. And while I am not giving up writing for my babies (Tyler still needs a bear) I am going to start knitting more for grown ups (me...and of course my hubby who has wanted a sweater for ages (hey he is 6'4 give me a break)). Also I MUST finish Jason's hat. I have promised him this hat for like two years (I maintain that is was not my fault baby's came along!). But he must come visit us in WV to retrieve it!!

Today I also went to check out the Kanawaha City Yarn Company. I figured that since I was new to the area I should survey the local fiber arts. The store was AWESOME!!! Maybe I am just used to having to forage for yarn at Michael's and Hobby Lobby, but having a real yarn store 10 minutes away just made my day. They had anything you could think of...Brittany needles, every yarn I had ever read about! I had never actually seen some of these yarns in person before!! Debbie Bliss cashmero!!!! I was in heavan! And they have classes and people just come by and hang out and knit!!!!! This place will definately hurt my writing diss time, but what the heck!! I am super excited to go back! I will try to get Jeff there this weekend and to check out the other yarn store which is in huntington about 45 minutes away. Of course if gas prices continue to rise I'm walking!!!!!

I also took advantage of the gift certificate Hil and Rho gave me for my b-day for elann and ordered some of that special sock yarn that will create a pattern if knitted to gauge. I am super excited about it! I have wanted to try socks for awhile, but just haven't gotten around to it. Now I will be able to try out my double pointed needle dexterity. I used them once to make a wine cozy for Abbie, but now I will try socks!!! Thanks Hil and Rho!

Well that is enough for me today. I want to post in case we have more internet trouble. We have gotten alot of rain lately! Bye and I will post again tomorrow!

The begining of Jason's hat. See Julie it really is getting done!!!!! This winter I promise.... unless a new baby needs clothes!

Spenser in his sweater. It was one of the first projects that I finished!

Knitting bag from Hollywood Knits. I modified the handle.

Felted Diaper Bag From "Knitting for Baby"

Thank god my hubby is a tech geek.....

which is how I got the pics up and linked at the side. I tried...I really trie dto figure it out myself, and then I sat in front of the laptop sighing and making frustrated noises until hubby finally asked what i was doing. (I hoped that he would do this sooner, but he is on a mission to get me over my passive aggressive ways and just ask for what I want....he has no idea about women!!!!). So anyhow, J figured out that there was editing and html.....and he just did it because he is a wonderful tech geek by night (like superman). So now I have posted some pics of my finshed projects and linked them on the side. Last night I thought I would take some more pics of finished projects I have around, and also some pics of the new house to email all the folks back in illinois, but alas the camera, which has not been used for awhile, had a dead battery. I am charging it now, and attempting to get the new place in a better order before showing people. I am frustrated that everything is not done, but hey i have only been here a few weeks, I can't expect everything to be perfect! Oh well, I am off to prepare class for this week and email all my friends and family this blog address so that they can keep up!!!!! Coming later if I have time.....my story of knitting.

Duck I made for my neice Genevieve. There is a musical button in the foot that plays somewhere over the rainbow. 

Hat and bootie set. This along with the sweater and bear where made for my cousin Jen's baby shower. 

A red sweater made from the book Knitting for baby.  

A wider shot of the bear. 

A close up of the bear I made (fall 2004) for my cousin Jen's new baby Emily! 

I moved from Illinois to WV to start this blog blog

Which is what my husband thought that i should name my blog, but I went another way. I am starting this blog to keep in touch with my friends and family who have spread themselves across the country, show off and share my knitting and my wonderful rants about school and life in general. So hi everyone! I plan to post about knitting, projects I have done, ones I have on the needles, ones want to try ect. I will also share what books are on my nightstand and how I am enjoying them. Right now I am reading the 4th Harry Potter because some good friends said that I can not go to London for the release of the final HP with them, if I haven't read the books! Besides that the rest of my books right now are all about Jane Erye and Charlotte B because that is the chapter I am working on in my diss, so exciting for me, but not many other people. As I tell my students I will talk a lot about my pets, who are taking the place of babies for now! Ella and Louie are tabby cats, white and black and orange respectively and Spenser is our super hyper boxer doggie-boo. So here is the start of this blog...I will promise to keep it updated as often as I can and I hope you enjoy. By the way under the stairs is where my knitting/reading corner is in this new state of WV.