WOW.....Two posts back to back....it is a miracle!  Here is my Fireside Sweater and I really, really love it.  I wouldn't say it is the most "stylish" sweater, but it is one that I wear A LOT.  It is warm, comfortable, cozy and goes with my uggs which I wear all winter!

Pattern:  Fireside Sweater (Rav Link)

Yarn:  Cascade Ecological Wool

Needles:  US 8

Size:  Small

Mods:  Made the sleeves about 2" longer and worked the small cables on the sleeve so that they both turned in towards the large center cable. 

Thoughts:  I LOVE the sweater.  However, if I knit it again, which I may in dark gray, I would still knit a size small but I would go down a needle size.  The sweater is not as fitted as I would like it....though it is comfortable the way it is!  If you look at the picture of the back, you can see where there are gaps at the side of the cables.....I don't like that.  I have knit many sweaters with cables and have never had this problem before and I think it is because the gauge just needs to be a bit tighter.  Going down a needle size would give me a closer fitting sweater without those gaps.  I would also knit add an extra inch or so to the body. 

I think this is an amazing pattern and it is the first pattern for the designer.  There are some issues with the charts.  If you are an experienced knitter, you will catch this right away.....if you are not an experienced knitter then it could easily mess up the cables on the sweater. 

This sweater was actually a pretty quick knit.  I started it in September and finished it in October - I think it took about six weeks.  I was also working on Christmas and birthday gifts at the same time.  I will definitely start another this summer in a dark gray.

I do have a few other things I am working on.  I have a completed Ishbel to show you.....I have made four of these so far!  Love the pattern.  I also have a couple sweaters I am knitting and one is close to completion.  I am hoping I can finish it before I start the nursing program in less than three weeks!  I still haven't shown you Vivian because I need to take it in to get a zipper put on it.  I attempted it and can't figure it out....so if any of you have advice on that, please feel free to share!!!!!!  I am going to go into my second winter without wearing  it if I don't take it in soon! 

I will try to post about my Ishbel tomorrow and my WIP's.  Maybe if I get in the habit of blogging again I won't go on such a long hiatus! 

Last but not least - than you all to your words of encouragement on keeping the blog up.  I can't believe some of you still tune in but I really appreciate it and I will keep it going.  I need to start enjoying it again!

Wow, I can't believe it has been over three months since I have made a post!  I really don't have any excuses!  I have had plenty of time - but life has been busy, very happy and I think about blogging but then I just don't.  I do have some FO's - actually quite a few of them, several WIP's as usual and I would love to post about them soon. 

As we enter into a new year, I have said goodbye to 2009 which has proven to be the best year my life has seen in awhile.  The last few years have been very difficult in many ways but those years have seen to come to an end.  2009 opened up a new window of hope and happiness for me.  I am married to a wonderful and amazing man and everyday I am so thankful for his love, support, and kindness......not just to me but my kids as well.  He is really and amazing step-dad.  My grandmother beat cancer and is doing so well.  All my kids and family members are happy and healthy.  Life is really just normal for me but it is really, really great and I am so blessed in many ways.  I start the nursing program in a few weeks and that is going to be a grueling schedule.  My knitting will be sure to suffer but I plan on keeping a couple projects going - knitting really is a love of mine and I must knit even if it is in little bits.  My plan until then is to finish up my WIP's!  Hopefully that will happen.  

I have debated whether or not I should take my blog down since I haven't been using it.  I use to love blogging and blogged frequently.  It just hasn't been a priority for me the last year.  However, I think I am going to keep the blog up and try to make an effort to post once a week.  We will see how that goes! 

SO.....I plan on posting about my Fireside Sweater tomorrow because I absolutely love it.  It turned out beautifully and I wear it all the time. 

I hope you are all doing well and I hope 2010 brings you much love and happiness!

I have actually finished two Ishbel's - however, one was gifted to my friend for her birthday and I forgot to take a picture of it!  I will have to get one.  It was knit in a lovely green yarn from The Plucky Knitter. 

I really love this pattern.  It is super quick, easy, fun to knit and takes only 350 yds of fingering weight yarn if you make the small version.  I have a ton of sock yarn and I don't knit socks - this pattern is a perfect way for me to make use of that yarn.  I have knit two and I am currently work on a third one for me.  I also am planning to make a few for Christmas and birthday gifts. 

This Ishbel was knit for my secret pal. 

Pattern:  Ishbel by Ysolda

Yarn:  80/10/10 MCN Fingering from The Plucky Knitter in Bev's Lava Lamp

Needles:  US 6

The top that I am wearing is also a finished knit.  The pictures we took didn't turn out very well so we will have to re-take them and I will make a post on it.  I also need to make a post on my final package from my SP.

The good news:  I GOT ACCEPTED INTO THE NURSING PROGRAM!!!!!!  I am so excited and relieved!  Now I finally have direction again - a plan.  I start the program in January so I have a few months to prepare and get things done that I will not have time to do once I start.  It is a two year program and it will be hard but it will be well worth it.  I am looking forward to it.

We finally have our wedding pictures......and a nice DVD with some pictures to music.  It was so fun to see all the pictures!  It was like reliving the day all over again.  It was such a wonderful and happy day.  Not only was it a special day for Scott and I but it was a special day for my entire family.  They have all been waiting a long time to see me happy and the day finally came for all of us.  This is going to be a picture heavy post!

The wedding was held in our backyard.  The ceremony was on the lawn and the reception was down on the tennis court.  It was small - with only 50 people invited and attending.  It was all of our very close friends and family.  A good friend, who is a wedding planner, took care of the entire event and made everything run smoothly - we didn't have to worry about a thing!  She did all the flowers and her and her husband set everything up.  We had the event catered and the food was amazing.  After the food and toasts it turned into a huge celebration which was what I wanted!  The girls were all dancing crazy on the tennis court.....and we all ended up taking off our shoes and dancing barefoot.  It was sooooooo much fun and everyone enjoyed themselves.  It was was exactly what Scott and I wanted.  Here are some pics of our special day.

Our backyard.....guests arriving and waiting for the wedding to start!

A good luck kiss from my Dad......

My Little Girls walking out.....Exie is barefoot because her shoes were bothering her(as always)!

Camille and Davis walking out....

My new Step-Daughters, Nicole and Sarah, walking out..... 

Dad and I......

A very happy Bride!

Standing with my Soon-to-be-Husband....

View from the deck....

Scott's Dad married us....

Our first married kiss......I love this picture!

Mr. and Mrs. Scott Memmott!

Our New Family...

My Family

Scott's Family

Me with my kiddos....

I LOVE this picture!

Scott and his beautiful daughters...

Dancing with my new husband!

Dancing with my dad....

Let the party begin!

Good Friends!

With my mom and dad...

A very happy couple.

There are so many great pictures that we have of that day/night but I just can't include them all in this post.  If you want to look at them, you can check them out on flickr .  This was truly a magical and memorable day that I will never forget, but most of all....I am just so happy to spend the rest of my life with a wonderful man whom I love more than words can say.  I feel like the luckiest woman in the world everyday of my life.

All four of my kids are in full time school now.  Exie, my youngest, started Kindergarten last week and they go full days.  For the last 12 years of my life I have had kids home with me - now much of my day will be spent with them in school.  I am sure this will allow ample time to stay caught up on my housework so when they do come home from school I can concentrate solely on them and not worry about my "chores".  I am also sure this extra time will allow me to knit more, paint the kids bedrooms, and get stuff done that I want to get done before I HOPEFULLY start the nursing program in January.  I turned in my third application and hope that this time I make it in. 

This is really a new time in my life.  My kids are all in school and I am no longer in the mode of taking care of "babies" or "toddlers".  I finally have time to think about other things - like decorating better, painting the kids rooms, organizing, and moving on with school so I can start a career of my own.  I really feel like I have a lot to look forward to. 

Even my kids lives are changing and that is exciting.  My oldest is in 7th grade and she is blossoming into an "almost" teenager.  It is fun taking part in her life at this age as they become social, have crushes on boys, and learn more exciting things in school.  I also have to deal with more attitude, constant texting, and the scary idea that boys actually like my daughter!  I always thought the baby and toddler years would be the fun years but I think it is also fun watching your kids when they are older as their minds open up, they start to figure things out about the world around them, and they are excited about life. 

As you can tell, having all my kids in school now has really made me think about many things.  Here are some pictures of my three youngest on their first day - I can't help but show them.  Camille started a couple weeks ago.

Exie going to Kindergarten (and pouting because her shoes bother her), Sophie going into 2nd grade, and Davis going into 5th.

I have to show this picture.  Exie's shoes are still bothering her.  She now has new ones that feel good on her feet!

Now she is happy! She is a funny girl.

Scott and I tend to sit out on our deck a lot in the evenings.  He BBQ's, the kids play and I knit.  Scott started to take his book outside with him to read while he is tending the BBQ.  There is a huge problem with this - I can talk while I knit and it disturbs his reading.  I had the perfect solution:  TEACH THE MAN TO KNIT!  And so I did.  He picked it up rather quickly.  His shoulders were hurting him because his tension was so tight but we worked we on that it is getting better.  He is working on Sophie's knitting right now for practice.  So last night as we were sitting outside he asked where Sophie's knitting was.  I asked him why and he said "Because I want to knit with you".  I think he has also figured out that if you are going to sit around, you might as well be doing something productive!  So he pulled out Sophie's knitting and I secretly snapped a picture of him.  He said he doesn't want me to put the picture on my blog.....but I can't help it.

Yes, he is concentrating.  And probably has a bit of his toungue sticking out.  I have only seen him do that while concentrating on knitting.  Anyway, I think it is cute.  And I am glad that he takes an interest in the things I love too.

I have TWO FO's to show you!  I will get pics today and will post either tonight or tomorrow. 

First of all, I want to thank all of you for your Congratulatory comments on my wedding.  Scott and I are enjoying married life - and it IS different than living together!  Wasn't sure it would be, but it is in a very good way.  I am very, very happy.

I actually have two FO's but they will be blocking today.  I will post about them when they are done.  So today I am going to show you some WIP's.  I have several WIP's going but some of them are going to be frogged, I think.  I am just not that thrilled about them.  Here are the one's that I am loving:

Fireside Sweater (rav link):  I bought the yarn for this last winter when I saw the pattern appear on Ravelry.  Have you all seen the movie The Holiday?  It is one of my favorite movies and I can't even tell you how many times I have seen it.  I fell in love with the sweater Cameron Diaz was wearing (as did most knitters!) and I am so glad someone decided to duplicate it and publish a pattern!  I figured if I start the sweater now, then I will get use out of it all fall and winter.  So far I have finished the right front and cast on for the left frot last night.  The right front only took about 5 days to knit.  So I think this is going to fly off the needles.

There are some funky issues with the cable charts, but if you are experienced with cables and reading charts you will catch it right away.  After a few repeats you don't even need the charts, it is pretty obvious where to cross the cables and there are cable crossing in every right side row.  I will post more details on this when I am finished with the sweater.  I know I am going to love this.  I am using Cascade Ecological wool, which I have used on my City Cape, and it blocks out so nicely. 

Next up is Backward Cabled Pullover. (Rav link)  I am knitting this with the Sexy Knitters KAL.  I am using Debbie Bliss Cathay which I bought for a tank top a couple years ago that I never finished.  The problem is, the unfinished top and remaining balls of yarn are packed in storage boxes.  So Scott and I need to pull the boxes down this weekend so I can find the yarn and finish the sweater!  Hopefully I will find it.  I know what bag it is in.....I just don't know WHERE it is!

I guess that is it for now!  Hopefully I can find a time to take pics of my FO's in the next day or two.  Kids are starting school tomorrow so it is going to be a busy week!

As you all know, Scott and tied the knot on Saturday.  The wedding was beautiful, the weather was amazing, the food was delicious, and we were surrounded by our closest friends and family.  It couldn't have been more perfect than it was.  We had fabulous lightening that was lighting up the sky for most of the night.  Around 1:00 am, as we were finally breaking things down, it started to rain for a few minutes.  My wedding planner said that rain your wedding day means good luck.  The entire night was magical and I was so incredibly happy that I could hardly believe it.  I haven't been this happy in a long, long time. 

Scott and I are on our way to Mendocino to spend a couple days alone. 

My sister-in-law took our pictures for the wedding and she will have those ready for me in about a week or so.  I can't wait to see them and I really can't wait to share them!

Hopefully I will get some knitting done while I am away.  There is a great yarn shop in Mendocino and you know I am so there!!!!

These are happy, happy days!!!!

I have received three surprise packages in the last couple days.  Two were from my Secret Pal and the other was from a special blogger friend.  Here is the first of my SP packages:

I loved this package.  My SP is from Singapore and she sent me this lovely drop spindle and a pair of earrings.  The drop spindle is made of wood and that circular portion is a coin!  So cool!  These earrings are gorgeous.  They are made from bronze south sea shell pearls, and swarovski crystals.  My second package arrived today:

A lovely knitting tote ( I LOVE this!) along with some yarn to make the Lacy Bolero in Lace Style and some Addi Turbo needles to knit the bolero with!  The yarn is a pretty green color and I could never have enough Addi's.  They are all I use.

Two crochet books - I am so looking forward to crocheting something from these books.  I started to crochet again (it had been awhile) and these books have many fun projects I will enjoy.

Two Japanese knitting books.  I am sure I would never be able to find these in the US.  They have some very cool patterns and are really fun to look at.

Thank you so much, Secret Pal!  I love everything you have sent and it is very generous.  You rock!

I also received another surprise in the mail today from Amazon.  When I saw the package on the door step I was racking my brain trying to figure out what the heck I ordered from Amazon lately.  I opened the box and inside was a gift wrapped book - from a wonderful blogger friend, Robin. 

This book was on my wish list!  It was a nice, fun and unexpected surprise and I already know what I am going to knit during my "time off" after the wedding.  Time off meaning four days without kids just hanging around with Scott.  Robin, thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful gift.  I was totally surprised and I have been wanting this book for a long time. 

Last but not least, I am working with an event coordinator who is going to take care of my wedding details the day of the wedding.  I want to be able to enjoy the day without worrying about how everything is going to happen.  She is also doing my flowers.  I wanted something very simple.  I saw a picture in a magazine of a tall thin vase with only one hydrangea in it and that is what I decided I wanted for my tables.  Simple and inexpensive.  This is what my coordinator came up with and I LOVE it!

This "three vase vignette" is going to be on each table and the hydrangeas are going to be bright pink/fuchsia.  I think it will be stunning.  We have a tennis court in our backyard surrounded by tons of greenery.  The tables are going to be on the court and I think the bright pink flowers will add a lovely splash of color against the greenery background. 

The wedding is about a week away and I can hardly believe it!  You may not hear from me until then as next week will be very busy but if I can sneak in a blog post, I will. 

Despite my blog absence,  have been knitting.  But I have to admit it hasn't amounted to much.  There have been several projects with I have cast on for and knitted and found out later they were much too big.  One of the projects I simply knit the wrong size.  The other project, I used the wrong needle size on accident!  Long story.  I have finally completed a knit that fits and I absolutely love it.  I saw this pattern over on Robin's blog and loved it.  Scott went out to buy the magazine for me and I cast on for it right away.  I love how it turned out!

Pattern:  Leaf Yoke Top from Knit.1

Size:  XS

Yarn:  Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Plum Patina

Needles:  US Size 5

Thoughts:  I love this top.  It was an easy knit and I love the construction of knitting the yoke first and then picking up stitches for the body.  I am VERY tempted to knit this again in another color.  Most of all all, I am thrilled to finally have an FO again that I love and can wear.  My luck with knitting lately has been horrible! 

Wedding Plans:  Scott and I are going to get married in a week and a half.  The wedding plans are coming along great and we are tying up last minute details.  It has been a lot of work getting the wedding together in three months but it is going to be an amazing day.  We will be surrounded by 50 of our closest friends and family and we are really looking forward to celebrating the beginning of our lives together.  I am not wearing my engagement ring because we took it in to the jeweler to get it sized down and also sautered (sp??) to the wedding band.  It is gorgeous and I love it......the next time I wear it I will be married!  I will of course have wedding post with many pictures!

Secret Pal:  I just received my first package!  I am so thrilled - but it deserves a post of it's own so I will make another post tonight.  Thank you SP!