Sorry for the delay

School started, soccer started, football started, my DH started a new, slightly later schedule, etc, etc. Life has been hectic, hence no time to post.

Big non-knitting item of note: I wanted to get Ayanna something that would help her walk. Malik had one when he was little:


I couldn't really call around to see if anyone had one, because how do you ask for a "Walker" on the phone without someone thinking of the kind of thing a child sits in and walks? Monday when I dropped her off at daycare, they had one. I made sure she saw it so she could play with it. So, last week one day after work we went to Toys R Us and got her this. She loves it!!





Since I have been gone, I have been knitting.

For my birthday, I got a $50 gift certificate to a LYS. I got the gift cert on Saturday, September 9. The LYS is really close to my church, so I looked through all my patterns and most of my magazines on Saturday night and Sunday morning hoping to find a sweater for my dad. I found nothing. Looked at the LYS for a pattern for him - nothing. Then I got to work Monday morning, Knitty showed up in my in box with a perfect pattern - Avast! I was soo excited!! I went to the LYS at my lunch and spent the whole g.c. plus an additonal $6 to get the required amount of Bartlett Yarns. I really like working with this yarn. It smells like wool. It has some lanolin still in it. Anyway, I cast on for the cable on...um...maybe the 12th. I finished the cable on the bottom and up a couple of inches. I had to stop there, because I hand made the ball of yarn out of a hank. I hate doing that, so Sunday I will take the remaining hanks to the LYS for winding. Then I will be on my way.

I am done with the body of Malik's top down sweater from the pound of yarn I got for $7.50. I started it on September 10! - However, it doesn't fit Malik very well (which I thought maybe), so it is now for DeAndre'. Now just the sleeves.

I have tried to post this a few times, and always get interrupted.

Here you go, finally!

Harlot, et al.

Where to begin??? When you have this much to share, it becomes a bit overwhelming.

Yarn Harlot came to visit Portland Wednesday. My DH and children came. We were at Powell's on Hawthorne. Powells is a local bookstore chain. They have about 5-10 stores. When she was here last year, she was in the main store. MUCH MORE ROOM THERE!!! I went to see Debbie Stoller at the Hawthorne Powells a few months ago, and I guess since there was chairs to spare for her, the powers that be at Powells decided that Harlog would be an equivalent number of knitters. We filled the bigger room last year, so they put us in a smaller room this year. Good thinking people. Much more reviews on the following blogs:

I saw Deb, Pat, Chrissy Cheri and Kelley from Knit Picks although they didn’t see me. In my blog surfing (is that a word?) I also read of these other people who went. Msubulldog, Amanda, Katrina, Lori, bipurlerdisorder

When I read Harlot's Seattle review, I learned about "an old adage that claims that if an expert knitter places knitting needles in a babys hands, the child will be clever at knitting." So, of course, I made sure that my daughter got the same treatment. See?

Apparently, while my DH and children were wandering the store wishing I didn't have to go listen to some knitter talk, someone walked up to my husband and said "you are Jenni's husband" or something to that effect. Keep in mind that my blog is the furthest thing from DH's mind. So when he found out that people actually read it, he was a bit (hell, I don't even know what word to use here). Anyway, if that person could leave me a comment or something, I'd like to know who you are.

Now to the pictures (forgive me for the blurriness):


You can't really see her in this picture, but against the bookshelf, with the light green sweater on, is Kelley from Knit Picks.

Blogging the blogger blogging:






My soon-to-be expert knitter:






End of Harlot.

I finished this while waiting for her to start. It is the first card holder for the boys for Chirstmas. After I finished, I started on the second one. I will finish it today. I have maybe five more rows of 13 stitch garter stitch.



We got home from Harlot at 9:30. This also happened to be the first day of school, and I had a very hectic day of running around dropping off kids, going to work for a bit, and picking kids back up. Then run, run, some more.

I bought buttons yesterday for my sweater. It needs to be blocked. I wove in all ends. This is the second project I cast on for over 4 years ago. It will be done hopefully this weekend! This picture was taken before I was done with the weaving, and after we came back from Harlot. Pay no attention to the neck up. I told my DH to cut my face off, but...



Another reason I was so tired in that picture is because after we got home at 9:30, we did an impromptu birthday. Harlot came town on my birthday. When we got home, I got cake


the ding dong was all my DH could pull off with everything else that was going on. It was sweet.


These are my gifts. I collect these cows. The one on the left is Liberty Cow and the one on the right is Cowlumbus.







State Fair update. I can't possibly tell you how frustrating yesterday was. During my lunch hour I had to drive to the store where I could pick up my fair entries. I was under the impression that they were going to be there from 12:30 - 6 just like they were on drop off day. I drove to the store, and they weren't there. Then I find out that they were only there from 2-6. I had to go back out there after work. Hello, I have a husband and children to pick up! I leave work at 5 and spend over 15 MINUTES in the parking garage just trying to get out! I get to the store at 5:57! Then I have to pick up the kids and the husband. Much more frustrating in person.

State Fair Knit Along

Well, we went to the fair yesterday. I just checked my camera. Yesterday morning I emptied all my pictures onto the computer so that I could have PLENTY of room for all the new pictures I was going to take. The pictures on there now are old pics! WTF!! How do you undelete only some of the pictures you previously deleted?? Where are the pictures I actually took???

It is okay, my sister came with her camera, and we are okay for this post.

It took quite a long time to find the building that housed the textile entries. Finally, "there it is!" We trekked over there after spending an hour driving down to Salem and another hour in an endless line to park! We walked into this HUGE building with quilts hanging all around the whole room! (Insert picture here that I took, but do not get to show you.) I found the cases where the knitted items were displayed. I had warning from another blogger in the knit a long (can't remember who - I think it was the middle of last week) who had to walk around the display cases three times before she found her items. However, knowing this, it still took me and the boys three go arounds before we found my two items. The first one we found was the best find. My pink and white heart baby blanket took BLUE RIBBON (first place).







Only a mere two cabinets over, was my purple and blue baby sweater - no prize attached.



Oh well, one is better than none. I did, however, expect it to be the other way around. The blanket had visible errors, and the sweater had none. I realize that it might be just the odds, maybe there weren't many entries in the baby blanket category, so I won by default - I don't care - I am soooo proud!!! Now we have to go get a case to display my ribbon in.

And just cause my sister was the one taking pictures, here is one of the girl: