What? December? Already? No..........

GEEZ, i really STINK at keeping up with posting...  it's just been so dang bizzzzzzy, and now... when i take a minute to sit down and catch my breath... it's DECEMBER!  December!!  how did that happen?  the last time i blogged, it was nearing the date of my highly anticipated vacation - two weeks with friends back at the Dinky Soleil cottage in Upstate NY... when the vacation date arrived, it coincided perfectly with my coming down with a case of bronchitis.  lucky or what!  despite the concern voiced by my doctor - suggesting i not make the trip due to the long flight... i headed for the lake... and remained bundled up in blankets on the porch swing... knitting a pretty Kim Hargreaves pattern, while gazing a the lake... and watching my friends jump in it!  not the best vacation -- but still, not so bad, given the gifts of sharing time with good friends, enjoying wonderful food, and most of all - doing a whole lotta nothing - except KNITTING!  :::happy knitter girl:::

once back on home ground, work immediately got the upper hand and consumed the majority of my time and space... and although i've made several yarn purchases and cast on a number of projects... i've yet to finish up anything substantial... and i don't consider the 'fetching' fingerless gloves (that i knit to wear at work - as i am always chilly from the cold air that blows from the air vents above my cube-away-from-home) a 'substantial' item.  so, as i sit here and type these words, i glance around the room to see that i'm surrounded by stacks of pattern books and knitting magz n' bags of yarn every which way i look.  hmmmmmmm, do i sense an addiction??

well, with a stroke of luck, time will allow for some peace n' quiet knitting time, despite the hectic days of holiday shopping and preparation that are beginning to get underway... it sure would be nice- to have some FO's (maybe even a few worth gifting to friends this season)  among the numerous WIP's that are on the needles.  one can only hope :)

s.u.m.m.e.r.t.i.m.e. ...

and so... june has come... and gone... july was set off by the holiday weekend brightened by skies filled with booming fireworks... summertime is here, my dear... i love that it stays light out until nearly 9pm... i love that the weekends bring regular visits to the ocean and "beach frizzies"... i love wearing flip flops with everything... and i love that the warm temperatures are a valid excuse (at least in my book) to consume mass quantities of ice cream!

right now harry cat is relaxing comfortably next to my keyboard... while i post... happy as a kittyclam... he's discovered the aquarium screen saver and, when not cat-napping, enjoys being entertained by the animated sea life... he has offered no signs of interest in learning how to type or help with my on-line banking, though...

meanwhile... being a bit overdue for a current "post"... i thought i'd share a few pix of some recent (you guessed it...) knitting projects...

the first - a little red cardi from the Ella Rae Book 7... to which i added some oversized buttons and knitted flowers...

and the second... the not-yet-completed "divine" cardi (also from the Ella Rae Book 7)... the front panels and back are complete... just finishing up the sleeves and then it can be sewn together... i love the yarn color of both sweaters... (sorry, my quick pix don't do the colors justice)... and given that this is the second "divine" cardi to come off of my needles, i'm keeping my fingers crossed that this one doesn't fit me... since it's supposed to be a gift... no-no-no... i don't want to be tempted to introduce it to my own closet...

well, i'd better get busy and turn this pink vest into a sweater pronto... back to the sleeves...

until next time... happy thoughts n' happy knitting!

love.leigh.knitz

my new beau... he's a little square - but i love him just the same...

spongebob squarepants captured my heart the other day when he arrived to my sales meeting as one of the "guests of honor".... and what's better - it only took a second for me to realize that he's the perfect size sponge for washing the kiwi fun bus this weekend (not to mention being a really good listener... he absorbs every word you say!)

Where've ya been? Been knittin'....

Oh YAY - spring is here... happy happy joy joy! nothing puts me in a better mood than the thought of being able to wear flip flops every day for the next several months! yes, it's the simple things in life.... come the weekends, the kiwi fun bus steers straight through the canyon to malibu... or, on the perfect weather days, up the road a piece to santa barbara... where free time is spent enjoying the scenery, and... setting up on a patch of grass in a lovely park - overlooking the Pacific... to do a little knittin' ...

the yarn stash is bursting at the seams these days... and i've got several projects on the needles... hoping to get a lot of holiday gifts made this year!

The PeaPod Cardi is finally a real, wearable sweater! (yes, my neighbors do stare at me with a puzzled look when they see me hanging sweaters in trees...) ... this was a fun, but laborous project, as it called for size US 1 and US 2 needles throughout... the gals in my knitting circle give me the hardest time when i use those tiny needles.... but for me, US 7 and 8's seem HUGE. This was one of those on-again-off-again projects, picking it up every once n' awhile over many months... once all of the pieces were complete, it sat in a bag for some time... and then finally, last week, i brought it to seamstress-naomi and she assembled it into a garment. a finished sweater always inspires me to get started on another one... which i have... a cute, short-cropped, red cardi... let's see how long this one takes!

cables n' bobbles seem to capture my fancy these days.... here is the back of the Ballerina Sweater (that's what I call it....)... i'm just at the armhole shaping. this pattern was what first inspired me to learn to knit just a few years ago... it was the cover photo on an issue of Interweave Knits... i saw it, loved it, and had to learn how to make it! made with Debbie Bliss Cashmerino, it is a bit heavy (but ooooooh sooooooo soft!) and probably a bit to warm for the surf city climate... but we'll see how it turns out in the end... as i have an inkling it will be a perfect gift for someone in my life who is a big fan of pink!

came upon a louisa harding scarf pattern that offers some "beyond basic" knitting in the design... and I've opted not to use the "suggested yarn" and instead am working in velvet and llama... the taupe colored scarf is in a beautiful Prism Velvet... super soft and thick... and the firey orange scarf is in 100% Llama!

... and, in keeping with the bobble/cable obsession... another cashmere capelet... this one in Debbie Bliss 100% Cashmere... a fun, lively lime green!

...lemme tell ya' - i spend a lot of lunch hours sittin' in the kiwi fun bus beside the lake near my office knittin' away... and for the record... the current "sweater in process" doesn't have a cable or bobble in sight! yes, it was time for a break and a little "mindless" stockinette knitting!

to all you enthused (obsessed) knitters out there... happy thoughts... and happy knitting!

love.leigh.knitz

Nothing like a great vacation!

oh my gosh.... i've certainly strayed from any sort of regular "posting" schedule on this thing.... but i have good reason! 1) my home computer is a dial-up (prehistoric technology) which causes incredible frustration to the user (me) when trying to upload/download anything on the Internet (yes, i'm the one sitting at the desk swearing feverishly at the computer screen to hurry the #$%!!?#*! up!)... 2) i've been under the weather for the last month and a half with the nasty bug that has been running rapid across the country - so my creative mode hasn't been in full gear... and 3) well, i finally took a much needed vacation at the end of August... (i know... that was over two months ago).... it took me to a place that was computer and cellphone free... how GREAT is that!!

so, there i am - up there in that photo at the top - on the front porch of the adorable "Dinky Soleil" cottage that i rented with a friend on Lake Caroga in Upstate New York.... a place quite easy to call "home"....

my childhood friend, boo (sue) (that's her in the picture above) came across this very special vacation spot and we decided to make a wonderful "family" week of it on the lake!



so... i flew into jersey from surf city.... and boo, her hubby jp and the adorable mia-bia jetted in from the UK.... we met up with her kid sister, nancy and set off from their folk's home in rivervale, nj - that's nan, boo and Mrs. G ... are these gals ready for a long-awaited summer vaca or what!!



en-route to the lake, we took a jaunt off the NY Thruway into the town of Saugerties in the Hudson Valley - stopping for a bite of lunch and touring through the local shops... plenty of antique stores to keep us happy ... a yummy bakery (you could smell the sugar all the way down the alley to the entrance!) and a nice new wine shop (with a cute wine merchant!) where i picked out a Italian red that was very pleasing ... while window-shopping along the streets of Saugerties, i bumped into a friendly moose(head)... but found that he was a bit too large to pack in my suitcase and take back to surf city. DARN!

we spent a thoroughly enjoyable week on the lake... bidding farewell to summer... nan and i were housemates residing in the Dinky Soleil lakefront cottage... boo, and the porritt clan were up the road a piece in the beautiful and spacious Firefly. we did a whole lot of nothing except relaxing in Adirondak chairs.... kayaking... swimming... sipping Hard Lemonades, wine and fresh spring water... and throwing our diets out the window to enjoy increcible Italian feasts prepared by Mrs. G! Her broccoli rob ROCKS!

we each found our favorite way to relax... on our own and together... and made the most of what lake caroga had to offer! here are some more pix of the gang... (for a larger image, just click on the desired photo...)

jp and mia set sail...


the girls enjoy a cocktail before dinner.. (that's grape juice in mia's glass...)

mia-bia, arrives at the dinky... ready for blueberry picking...

mom-boo and mia-bia enjoy a cuddle!

...jp on the Cat's Meow dock...

the "let's make a cocktail party out of leftovers" event at the dinky soleil...

nan... in her favorite spot!

our evenings were filled with fun conversations and lots of laughter, as we devoured a variety of Ben and Jerry's ice cream flavors following our fine dinners... (who even had room enough for another bite?) and then there were those peaches that uncle mike brought from an orchard in southern jersey!!!! o-my-GOD.... one bite and you've gone to heaven!

i enjoyed snapping pix throughout our stay... capturing memories for all of us to look back on and smile...

the Kenmore dryer at dinky soleil...

the weather was perfect... no humidity (a rarity on the east coast during the summertime).... an occasional overcast sky covered us from above.. and a light drizzle the eve of our arrival (which made all of the twinkle lights inside of Dinky sparkle - the cottage glistening as it welcomed us in!)...

the neighborhood ducks and butterflies were abundant... not to mention a sweet couple of loons, a river otter... and a bullfrog (who i fondly referred to as "Prince Charming") and who appeard in the same spot each day at Dinky's dock... it must have been an ideal bug-catching corner!

the resident duck... who became intruqued by boo's toes!

flutterbies...

n' froggies...

there were scenic views each and every way you looked... and how wonderful it was to wake up each morning and see the lake just on the other side of my bedroom window - not to mention wandering down the lawn in my jammies n' Uug boots to sip my morning java lakeside! i could definitely get used to that!

boo n' jp discover dinky's dock...

dinky's view... after sunset...

the week left us all feeling rested and rejuvinated... it's amazing what a change of scenery and time spent in good company can do for the soul! i believe this may be the beginning of an annual "tradition"... only wish we weren't separated so far apart by miles during the rest of the year!

...and so i leave you with a few remaining snapshots of this special place... here's to lake caroga 2008! CAN'T WAIT!

boo and jp take mia for her first rowboat ride...

the crazy campfire girls spend the last night under the stars at dinky...

mia-bia the cookie girl!

mia-bia and auntie barb...

... reflections...

until next time.... happy thoughts.... happy knitting (yes, of course i knit on the trip!)... and a happy Thanksgiving holiday to you and yours!

love.leigh.knitz :)