I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! I will post a little more later, but when I was looking through the pictures, I came across this one...since my blog name is about finishing UFOs...these two sweaters were finished Christmas Eve in the AM just in time to wear to the Zoo which has free admission on Christmas Eve. They are made from Cascade 220 and King Cole Mohair in stripes. I used a pattern from Silver Creek Classics, a company from my adopted hometown, Bellingham, Washington. It's a pretty simple design, I mainly used it to know what size to make. I got the wool just after the girls' first birthday. My best friend Shelley helped me pick it out when she was here visiting...so almost two years later, this deserves a spot on the UFO blog! LOL Definitely a good thing I chose a bigger size! 

Catching Up, A Meme and FOs!

This is my hubby and kids on Thanksgiving! We had a quiet (well as quiet as this crew gets!) holiday at home! Sorry I haven't posted for awhile. Life has been hectic and sad. I have been feeling very down since my friend Laura was diagnosed with Uterine Cancer. She had surgery on December 1st and the Cancer is a very rare type which I am told is not curable, but is highly respondent to chemotherapy, so hopefully at some point in time her life will normalize somewhat. Right now things are pretty rough. She will start chemo therapy this week. If you feel led, please pray for Laura. She is like family to us and especially to my kids. She has been coming to visit every Monday to play with ds, ever since I was pg with the twins and couldn't get around much. She is very gifted with children and is a retired teacher/daycare provider. Anyway, please pray for "our Laura"!

I have been busy knitting away on several small objects plus the two shawls since August. I am still knitting one last item for my AKSP which she will receive in January...so I can't show that yet. It's almost done, except I had "help" from one of the kids and/or the cat and it has to be "fixed"! After Christmas knitting is finished I will try to get back to some UFOs! I have also been considering doing the Aran Knit Along on the Aran knitting list on Yahoo designed by Janet Szabo. I'm not sure if I will really have the time though as I have a couple shawl projects on my list too.

Before, I show you the finished objects below, I will leave you with a little Meme that my friend Amy tagged me with. It's another one that helps you get to know people. You are supposed to tag 7 people to do this too, but I always hate doing that, especially when a lot of people I know don't do these, but if you decide to do it, please let me know so that I can read yours!

Seven Things to do before I die (Not Necessarily in Order)
1) Become the woman God created me to be. (Ok - I'm totally stealing this answer - I love it too Amy!!)
2) Write my family history and possibly another book
3) Get totally caught up on my scrapbooking (100+ years of pictures!)
4) Travel with my husband (no kids, not that I don't love them! LOL)
5) Have a home that can be used for hospitality ministry/home fellowship groups
6) Raise my children to be followers of God
7) Lose weight/be healthy
Seven Things I can not do
1) Turn away from God
2) Run a marathon
3) Hurt someone on purpose
4) Be quiet when I see someone being wronged
5) Bungee jump, roller coasters etc
6) Drink coffee
7) Blog daily
Seven Things that attract me to my Spouse
1) He is a sincere follower of Jesus and seeks God's will
2) His eyes/smile
3) His servant spirit
4) His sensitivity and caring
5) His laughter and sense of humor
6) His artistic talent
7) His intelligence
Seven things I say most often
1) I love you
2) Anyway...
3) NO TOUCH!!
4) GIRLS!!
5) I can't understand you when you're whining!
6) No yelling!
7) Get down from there!
Seven Books (or series) I love
1) The Bible
2) Anne of Green Gables series
3) Chronicles of Narnia
4) Zion Chronicles (Bodie Thoene)
5) Alice Starmore knitting books
6) Laura Ingalls Wilder's books/books about her
7) Becky Higgins scrapbooking idea books
Seven Movies I watch over and over again(or would watch over and over if I had the time)
1) The Hiding Place
2) Sound of Music
3) Lord of the Rings (all 3)
4) Fiddler on the Roof
5) Anna and the King
6) Somewhere In Time
7) Anne of Green Gables (all 3)

For some reason, blogger wants this to be first, so please keep reading past this to catch up and the rest of the finished objects are below this. Thanks! These are the River Rapid socks from a free pattern from this neat blog http://sockbug.blog-city.com/ I knit it with the Kool-Aid dyed yarn I did this summer with the Knit Picks dye your own fingering weight merino. I put a big sippy cup in there to stretch it out so you can see the pattern a little. These will go to my cousin, who is 15 and I have no clue what to get her! I don't know if she will like them or not! They were a fun pattern to knit. Pretty easy.

Not knitting, but a FO, none the less! These are pillowcases I made for a pre-teen boy. They take one yard each and are made on the serger so go fast! 

Okay...this is not knitting but it is the quilt I made for my Aunt Grace and I am finally getting it ready to send off today. The binding is not so hot orange! It looks like kitty furn in person. This is the first quilt I have made and it won't win any prizes but it was a lot of fun and my Aunt will love it!  

6 dish cloths I knit for my cousin who is in her first apartment. I also made her a small recipe book out of one of those small notebooks that holds 3x5 cards, the same color of blue as in the cloths. I included some recipes that I like to use frequently and some from our Grandma Johnson. 

I made this for my niece. It is Hothouse Pink from Lamb's Pride worsted (Brown Sheep) and is a little more florescent than the photo. The scarf was from a pattern at www.knitty.com and is a wavy rib...I was trying to find something funky for a teenager. She lives in Vermont, so hopefully she will wear it! The hat is the Lamb's Pride mixed in with some burgandy mohair from Katia...something old in my stash! :o) 

Another shot of the Flared Smoke Ring from Louisiana designer Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer of http://www.heartstringsfiberarts.com/ This one went to Germany. 

It's hard to tell but this hat is olive green with white flecks in it. A Pinguoin yarn from my stash. The ivory snowflakes are Brown Sheep. This hat went to Germany also. I didn't include in the photograph but I also made this hat in a sky blue with white out of Brown Sheep. It's a Green Mountain Spinnery design I've had forever. It's nice and warm, self lined where the snowflakes are. 

This is another Iris Schreier scarf out of Charisma yarn from New Zealand. I got it from ebay along with the Wee Woolies yarn, both together costing about half of what one would have cost. The hat is from Sally Melville's knit stitch and uses Paton's merino for the cream portion. It was knit flat and is meant as a beginner's hat. I would knit it in the round if I did it again. I was mainly looking for a pattern that would work with the garter stitch scarf. 

This is an Iris Schreier pattern from www.artyarns.com. I got the wool from eBay and it was "Winter Solstice" from Wee Woolies by JoLen. It's prettier in person...you know how it goes capturing colors in doors! 

Here is Kiri again in Knit Picks Cloud, Autumn, baby Alpaca. One more shot before it left for Germany! 

Here's DS and DD#1 (Twin A). Okay, I know this is not knitting content...but these are the people I knit for! :o) I had been reading on Yarn Harlot's blog links about the poppies sold on Veteran's Day in Canada. My Grandpa used to sell them as a little boy and I have one clipped onto my desk organizer to remind me of him...as well as all the Veterans. My Great Grandfather, Albin Johnson, was born in Sweden, came to America as an infant and served in France and Belgium during WWI. I actually have a pressed poppy which he sent his sister from France...only it's purpleish blue. And it amazes me it survived all these years. Below are pictures of the Veteran's memorial we visited on Veteran's Day before spending some time together at "Apple Hill". And yes, I'm still knitting away at Christmas and birthday gifts. I need to finish ends and block a few things and take pictures to post here! 

My identical twins daughters age 2.5 years, eating apple donuts! 

This is the Veteran's Memorial in Placerville, California...who says you have to go to New England for fall color! :o) (Although I wouldn't mind that either) DH had the day off from school so we enjoyed it as a family. I am thankful for my family members and other veterans who have given their time, energies and lives for our country, even when we don't always support them! Freedom isn't free! Thank you!!! 

The Mountain Sumacs looked aflame! 

We saw every color from green to red! 

Secret Pal Surprise!

I just had to share this wonderful fiber gift from my AK Secret Pal, Sue. Sue is the person who I gift to and NO, we aren't secret anymore! :o) She has been so fun to get to know and has helped me out with a lot of information. She has a friend owns Bullen's Wullens and this fiber came from there. It's a wonderful blend of Merino/Tussah Silk/Alpaca. Yesterday I was just itching to do something fibery...couldn't justify spinning time or working on sewing. But I could dye while working in the kitchen on other things. So, I made this from Gaywool dyes, mixing Raspberry and Indigo. It's done pretty similar to the Kool Aid dyeing so is very easy. This was the first time I had blended any colors. This roving is so SOFT! I can't wait to spin it, but I will...I'm hoping I can do it fingering weight and make a scarf for me.

But back to my Secret Pal Sue. DS got very excited to see the "mailman" (UPS actually) stopping in front of our house. He was jumping up and down and squealing. What can I say? The boy doesn't get out much, so simple things bring him pleasure! :o) (I actually like that trait in him!) I could hardly get the box in the door, the girls were all over it as if they could actually pick it up. It was a task to get the box opened with three toddlers/preschoolers helping. DS kept saying "What cool box Mommy!" So what was inside? Well, besides this wonderful fiber, there was some Regia cotton sock yarn in blues (Sue and I both love blue) along with a sock pattern, several patterns I have been wanting to try and Over The Edge by Nicky Epstein! I have been wanting that book and I sat down and looked through it right away. I don't have the first one either but have that on my list (On The Edge). I found lots of ideas from the book to try for designing some sweaters for my twin daughters.

But did she stop there? No! She sent a phonics program/game for DS who I am homeschooling, some construction paper and for the girls, finger paints! I'm not sure if I am brave enough yet to do that! LOL

What a wonderful Secret Pal she has been...and not because she gives me neat things, but because of who she is! Thank you Sue!!!

Well, it has been awhile since I updated this blog. Life has this way of cutting into my computer time. But I have been knitting and have a couple finished objects to share soon!

20 Things You May or May Not Know About Me

Another one of those "blog things"...these remind me of the quizzes, questions and "cootie catchers" we used to do in grade school and junior high!

1. I speak German, though my vocabulary has grown smaller each year from lack of use.
2. I've had many penpals from around the world since girlhood and I even met my hubby on a Christian penpal list on AOL.
3. I like camping, hiking, beachcombing and being out doors.
4. I know more about my ancestors than I do about living extended family (and genealogy is a great, meaningful way to learn history).
5. I love to learn and would be very happy as a "professional university student".
6. When I can’t sleep I pray for my friends and family.
7. There can never be enough books. If there's an earthquake, we're in trouble! LOL.
8. I hated gardening as a child, but now it is soul soothing, satisfying and gratifying.
9. Outwardly I appear to be very social, but I am actually quite shy and enjoy spending time alone. In fact, I need alone time to recharge.
10. I enjoy writing and when I was in grade school I wrote a short story called, "Tracey Gets A Pony". Guess who "Tracey" was?!
11. Fall is my favorite season...crisp air, blue skies, brilliant leaves.
12. I love to travel and have a list of wanna see sites so long, I'll never make it all in this life!
13. I thrive on Bible study and it excites me to learn more and more about God!
14. In spite of my love of travel, I'm a homebody and would be happy with a little bit bigger home that had a yard to play and garden in. My hubby is a teacher and I love the long breaks when he is at home with us!
15. Photography excites me more than any of my hobbies...so many possibilities, so many things to see and capture...I love seeing all the variety God created in nature and I feel He often shares special little moments with me when I am behind the camera because He knows I appreciate it!
16. I secretly long for a lap top computer. (Guess the secret is out! LOL)
17. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I love to have a group of people gathered for it, especially family.
18. I played with dolls until 7th grade and can't wait until my twin daughters start playing with dolls, so that I can play again too!
19. I hope my children will grow up to be Godly, whole, individuals.
20. As a child I day dreamed that I lived in the days of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Little House on the Prairie and I have always been interested in crafts and skills of that era.

What's Next?!

Well, I'm plugging away on my Christmas list
and so these are going to be River Rapid socks
from the Sock Bug. I will have to post the link
later for this free pattern. This is the Kool-Aid
dyed wool from a couple weeks ago. It always
seems to show up yellowish in photos but it is really bright blue and turquoise and aqua with hints of cream. The aqua does tend to be on the yellow green side but not as bad as this photo looks. The yarn is KnitPicks Dye Your Own fingering weight and is really nice and soft. Too bad it's not washable, but it will make nice socks. I am going to be doing a few pairs of socks for Christmas. I sat down and made a list of all the knitting, sewing and quilting I need to get done for Christmas and it's a good thing I did or I will never get everything done on time. Right now I am trying to focus on getting done the ones that I know have to be mailed out and can finish local ones later. Well, Hubby just left for work. I better return to reality before the kids tear the house down. I will post a link for the socks later! Happy Monday everyone! :o)

Hurray! A Finished Object! A little late, but the recipient (remains nameless in order to protect the surprise) won't mind. The Kiri shawl pattern is found at www.alltangledup.com and I'm sure most of you knitters have seen this all over the Internet as it is quite popular. It is originally designed to be knit with Rowans KidSilk Haze which is a lovely yarn I can't afford right now! :o) This one is done with 1.25 balls of KnitPicks Alpaca Cloud in the color Autumn. It is frustrating that I am not really able to share the true color with you because it is beautiful and is just perfect for a leaf motif. It is mainly a deep rust color but has flecks of gold, orange and red in it, in a heathered fashion. I don't wear warm tones myself but this was so beautiful and just right for the recipient...who I will reveal after she has received this...hopefully she will send a picture too! 

This shows some of the detail. 

Here is the point of the Kiri. 

Here is a somewhat closeup photo...again it doesn't show the true color which is really stunning! 

Here is the final Kiri picture, it's almost ready to mail to its new home! 

I Need...

Okay, another silly! Each time I put one of these on my blog I feel my Grandmother's perfectionism chastising me. But hey! You have to laugh a little along the way and let me tell you, after this week, anything for a laugh! I saw this one at Wendy Knits! and thought I would give it a try. BTW, if you ever have some time on your hands you should go look at the gallery of finished items on her website. She is a PROLIFIC knitter and has some very beautiful sweaters in styles I like, such as Alice Starmore, Arans, Fair Isle and Dale of Norway. Don't drool on your keyboard though! Anyway...

Just for grins, a little exercise that's been floating around blogland. Google "[your first name] needs" and post the ten best results:

10. Theresa needs to get used to the fact that she will remain the Ketchup Queen! (This one is for you Daddy!)

9. Theresa needs a nice warm hug. (Can always use more hugs!)

8. Theresa needs our prayer support. (Yes! Always!)

7. Theresa Needs to stop watching so many cartoons! (Yes! With 3 preschoolers...I see way too many cartoons! LOL)

6. Theresa needs a "time out"! (HA HA, instead of giving them!)

5. Theresa needs to be ALONE!

4. Theresa needs to get out of that house!

3. Theresa needs a makeover: Her clothes are threadbare

2. Hurry, Theresa needs her miracle! (What it will take for Theresa to get out of the house ALONE for something other than groceries or the dentist! And to be able to have a make over and new clothes!) and what I really need...


1. Theresa needs to post a new entry entitled, "I've lost some weight".


So, how do all the people on the web and Google know all these things about me?! LOL Here are some that didn't make the cut, but may or may not also be true about me...

Theresa needs to be loved by herself

Theresa just needs to stop whining

Theresa needs to step up to the plate and take charge

Theresa needs to get the boss’s approval for everything

Theresa needs money in order to maintain

Theresa needs her own album

Theresa, needs an open heart, an open mind, structure and a privileged
channel of communication - all of which are better served by not SHOUTING!

Theresa needs to sort herself out

Theresa needs you to administer her medications

Theresa Needs a Traveling Hat

At times like this, Theresa needs her father

THERESA NEEDS TO REALIZE THAT SHE IS A STRONG WOMAN

Theresa needs to go home and cry to her mom

Okay...the end of silliness...for the morning anyway! :o)

I was tagged!

23rd post - 5th line
I was tagged by Amy - it's a different one...
The rules are:
1. Search your blog archive.
2. Find your 23rd post.
Here it is: Knit Pick's Shadow in Vineyard
4. Post that sentence in your blog along with these instructions. "The color is Vineyard and it is a deep burgandy that is more on the purple side of burgandy than red." Wow...really deep! LOL This really reveals so much about me...like I like the colors of burgandy and purple, I can't afford yarn at the yarn store, so I get it at Knit Pick's and...hmm...maybe that I have a dull blog?!
5. Tag five people to do the same. Everyone I would tag has already done it!

Blogger Frustrations

UGH! I guess I should not complain when this service is free! However, it is very frustrating that I spend two days trying to post pictures, it shows on the dashboard that I have posted but I cannot view it and then today I finally discovered that my template for the whole blog had been erased! This is NOT something that I did! So now I have lost my links and will have to re-enter those. It makes me wonder how and why these things occur, but I guess I will have to put up with it until I learn enough about web publishing to buy my own space and do it myself!

I couldn't get accurate colors when I posted photos before...so when I went to my SIL's house yesterday I took pics outside. So the grape yarns look more like what they actually are and those pics follow. This is a picture of two of the opal self-striping yarns I got on eBay from a really nice gal in British Columbia. The one on the left is turquoise with navy and ivory/white and the one on the right is Rodeo Denim. I have to hold off on these since they are for myself. I'll have to be "good" which is always hard for me! LOL  

This is the first sock yarn I dyed with the grape Kool-Aid. It is basically all one color but is a little bit heathery looking. 

This picture shows the shawl yarn closer to what the actual colors are. You can see that the variation is much more subtle than it looked in the other picture and much less red!