Hey. Ever looked at a hoo-hoo and thought to yourself, “Man, I gotta make a pattern for that!” Well someone did!

Check out the Wee Willie Warmer pattern. It’s to wear as a lapel pin or brooch.

Totally fun! Too bad the family decided to stop doing “stockings” for Christmas. Would have been a great stocking stuffer! Hoo-hoos and willie warmers! Yay!

Read about it here. Allyson’s got all the deets :)

I'll add my own story here.

Friends of ours joined us on the 15 km race. They are both more experienced mountain bikers than I. Rob was up ahead (likely WAY ahead) of me (since he placed 4th in his category!). As Rob was riding along, he saw a knitting needle lying on the trail! First of all, how weird is that?

He thought to himself, "Holy crap! Amanda passed me!" He thought I might be having a relaxing, easy ride up and down the hills, riding with no hands, knitting merrily along and possibly singing a little song.

I would like a new image for my blog now, please. I want me, on  a mountain bike, knitting with my knitting bag/hydration pack on my back and the yarn coming out of it. I also need my needles to be ... you know... sporty. Super athletic needles. Built for speed and comfort with some gel grips and some blinking lights for safety. My super-duper racing shirt will say something witty like,

"Use caution when passing. Knitting mountain biker." or 

"Relax. Breathe. Knit. Pedal. Knit."

"Watch for falling balls."

"Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we try to knit and mountain bike."

"Not your grandmother's knitting."

"Contemporary knitting at its finest."

"Yarn ho in motion."

"I'm multi-tasking."

He is posting about nipples. He’s been telling me he’s super-busy and has been working late. Hmmm. I had no idea that his “work” was in the nipple business.

I know what his next t-shirt will read:

Official Nipple Inspector.

Note: His post was just 5 days after our 10th anniversary.

Here is the dear, sweet bride wearing her necklace. The colours aren’t showing well here, but I love this photo. She was so happy about the necklace. Funnily enough, the necklace matched perfectly and she arrived wearing no necklace! This was a total surprise! Isn’t it funny how things just work out like that?

My loving hubby buyed me this for our 10th anniversary…

Crappy photo (I blame Denver) but there are 10 square little diamonds in there. 10 little ways to say, “I love you”. ;) It needs sizing but I can’t seem to part with it yet.

It feels like being engaged all over again. I wanted to tell everyone right away! I keep doing the engaged woman’s hand swoop and swoosh to show off the anniversary bling as much as possible. YAY!

Today marks 10 years of marriage for Him and Her. Can you imagine? Where did the time go?

We were married on an overcast and slightly drizzly day. A brave little bride, I stood for photos with bare arms and smiled like it was a balmy 20+ degrees outside. Isn’t that cute that todays weather is sort of matching? I think it’s warmer today though.

All I want is a wee bit of spoiling today and this weekend. I think I deserve it, don’t you? I must admit, I’ve been weepy for the past week or so, thinking about our anniversary. Waterworks!

I feel like there should be fireworks and music and cheering… lol

I was feeling pretty blue yesterday and really needed a little lift when I got home. It was silly I guess and I was just feeling too far away from family and dear friends. But this did lift my spirits a wee bit!

The text reads,

“Congratulations!

You’ve won a Coats Crafts mini knitting kit for your letter in Simply Knitting. WE’re sorry for the delay in sending you yo ur prize, but we hope you like your gift. Thank you for your letter and we hope you continue to enjoy reading the magazine.

Best wishes,

Simply Knitting”

I have been furiously buying up all copies of Simply Knitting and I think my wee gnome will be in the next issue which is due to arrive at my local Chapters at the end of the month. The “magazine lady” calls me when it arrives and holds it for me. Teehee. See post about my letter here.

By the way, I NEED a subscription to this magazine for Christmas. ;)

Get it? Knew Knitty?! So phunny am I! Well, get yer craft on and get over to Knitty. I mean, really. So much to knit!  Ivy, avast, Ayla, Viveka…. Sigh. Must make IVY! I’m thinking about using some of my merino from hubby’s trip to New Zealand…. mmmm merino…..

I’ve often thought about giving loom “knitting” a whirl. Except I don’t think of it as knitting. Not in the traditional 2 sticks sense. From our last 2 CSNF shows, my interest is slowly building and growing. Maybe this show or maybe 2 or 3 shows from now, I’ll buy myself a loom and see what all the fuss is about. Or maybe I’ll get one for Christmas. ;)

The Purling Sprite has a fabulous blog about loom knitting with techniques and patterns for free! She can make socks on looms! For me,  when I think of a loom, I think of the Knifty Knitter, the circle looms and then I think of hats, hats, and  hats. UGH. For someone who wouldn’t wear a hat if her ears were freezing off her head, the Knifty Knitter lost my interest shortly after I acquired a set of looms.

Let’s see what other kind of looms are out there, shall we?

Flexiloom (from In the Attic) - basically, the Knifty Knitter, with all different sizes including a mitten loom and a glow in the dark loom! COOL!

The Loom Room has round wooden looms. Very nice. Comes in different sizes. All hat looms with one adult sock loom. Sock looms are cool! I would probably make socks. hmmm…. You can also find instructions on how to get the loom going. I mean, the yarn has to get on there somehow!

Decor Accents, Inc. has a Knitting Loom Store where they have many different kinds of looms. Let’s see what they have that we haven’t seen already….

Wonderloom – makes it possible to knit any size tube from a thumb to adult hat. Wow. Doesn’t come with patterns. I wonder how easy it is to find patterns for the Wonderloom?

Small Gauge Infinity Knitting Board – this makes a double-sided item. But it doesn’t really tell you what? A moebius scarf, maybe? Says it makes a 5 foot panel with the figure eight wrap. Looks cool, but I’d like to see what it can make!

Sock Knitters – All I can think of is how fast it would be to make a pair of socks. The next thing I think of is how I tried the Knifty Knitter and never could figure the damned thing out! ARGH! I may be willing to try out the sock loom.

Single Sided Knitting Rakes - It’s straight and will make a 5 foot panel. Comes in a variety of sizes. I like it! I’m thinking of afghans, people!

Prayer Shawl Knitting Loom – with instructions for making the shawl. Love that! Also, there is a pattern for a felted bag that you can download to use with this loom. Nice.

Check out Knitting Boards Styles for more information about the looms and the sizes and styles on the Decor Accents website. Also on this site are video tutorials!!! yay!! Sign up for the free e-zine on their site. (I just did!)

The Knitting Loom Company has custom made knitting looms.

CinDWood Crafts – I like the layout of her site. Very easy to understand.

How is it that I’ve never seen Knitting-Warehouse.com before??? OH MY! I’m in love now. lol

Perhaps I should buy the Learn to Knit on Circle Looms book (I’ll add it to my Amazon.ca Wishlist. :)

Still not sure about how to loom knit? Well hop on over to Bev’s Country Cottage. (Who doesn’t love Bev, I ask you?) Jamma, you’ll find patterns for diaper soakers knit on looms  over there. Not that you really need them anymore, but still. Now that I’ve seen bibs, teddy bears, snowmen, balls, dishcloths… I want to dust my looms off and get into action. I see quick Christmas gifts flying off the looms… lol

In conclusion, it’s worth giving a shot. I mean, it’s a craft, right? You need yarn and you get a finished project at the end. And if you get the hang of it, you might be able to whip out projects like nobody’s business, which would almost buy you more hours in day, right? hmmm… where did I put those Knifty Knitters???

New Medications for Women

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Food and Drug Administration has just announced the following drugs have been released for trial in the US. These are the newest medications for women, available only by prescription.

D A M I TO L
Take 2 and the rest of the world can go to hell for up to 8 hours.

ST. M O M ' S W O R T
Plant extract that treats mom's depression by rendering preschoolers unconscious for up to six hours.

E M P T Y N E S T R O G E N
Highly effective suppository that eliminates melancholy by enhancing the memory of how awful they were as teenagers and how you couldn't wait till they moved out.

P E P T O B I M B O
Liquid silicone for single women. Two full cups swallowed before an evening out increases breast size, decreases intelligence, and improves flirting.

D U M E R O L
When taken with Peptobimbo, can cause dangerously low I.Q. causing enjoyment of country western music.

F L I P I T O R
Increases life expectancy of commuters by controlling road rage and the urge to flip off other drivers.

M E N I C I L L I N
Potent antiboyotic for older women. Increases resistance to such lines as, "You make me want to be a better person ... can we get naked now?"

B U Y A G R A
Injectable stimulant taken prior to shopping. Increases potency and duration of spending spree.

Extra Strength B U Y-O N E-A L
When combined with Buyagra, can cause an indiscriminate buying frenzy so severe the victim may even come home with a Donnie Osmond CD or a book by Dr. Laura.

J A C K A S S P I R I N
Relieves headache caused by a man who can't remember your birthday, anniversary or phone number.

A N T I-T A L K S I D E N T A
spray carried in a purse or wallet to be used on anyone too eager to share their life stories with total strangers.

S E X C E D R I N
More effective than Excedrin in treating the, "Not now, dear, I have a headache," syndrome.

R A G A M E T
When administered to a husband, provides the same irritation as ragging on him all weekend, saving the wife the time and trouble of doing it herself.

Great resource of links to free patterns.  There are duplicates with Crochet Pattern Central and Stargazer's Crochet links, but there are some different ones too.

Check it out:

Crochet Poet's Pattern Collection

Delusions of Grandeur (you’ll find some free patterns in her posts….great stuff)

too many hooks (You’ll recognize some of her designs, I’m sure)

Also, I have been trying out the Afghan Stitch or Tunisian Stitch and man, was it crooked! I also hated the texture of the fabric. I didn’t like the look of it at all. Then, this morning I decided to look up some more directions that might shed some light on what I’m doing wrong… DUH – all of Row 2 is what’s wrong! Much better instructions are available from Annie’s Attic. And I loooove the look of that! (Gee, I wonder if that’s because it looks like stockingette stitch??)

Tunisian Knit Stitch (afghan stitch)

More Tunisian Stitches

Then I found.. Crochet on the Double

Wait till you see my next big project!

Finally a crochet gnome pattern. I’m in love with gnomes in case nobody knew that…

From Let’s go Ice-Skating!! A home is not a home without a gnome.. be sure to check out the other patterns too. Awesome shrug!