Ravelry Swap On A Budget.

My Swap On A Budget box came this week and it was such fun to open!

I got some Werther coffee nips, a ball of Rowen Kidsilk Haze in orange, a beautiful handmade shawl pin and some stitch markers. Plus a pack of note cards, a small journal and a handmade bag in a cherry fabric also some Burts Bees goodies. Also included were 2 small bags of coffee. I love the thought that went into this swap, colors and things that I really like. I think swapping is such fun!

BBQ Swap on Ravelry.

My box arrived from my awesome swap partner in the BBQ swap. Wow! She put so much thought into this and I am so thankful for her thoughtfulness. We had a lot of good conversations along the way as well, getting to know each other a bit. Thank you so much! I love everything.

Day At The Beach.

We decided to head to Cannon Beach, Oregon when the weather hit the 100 degree mark. Some of the older kids decided to come along for the day and it was absolutely perfect weather. Here are some pictures of some of us!

Falling For Ewe Autumn Swap.

Please post these questions, with answers, to your blog. Thanks!
Do you knit or crochet? How long have you been at your craft? knit, about 5 years.
Do you spin? What type of spinning do you do? I spin mostly fingering to sport weight yarns.
Are there any other crafts that you participate in? Would love to try my hand at making stitch markers or beading.
What are your favorite yarns/fibers? natural wools, wool silk blends. Fingering weights and lace for shawls. Prefer semi solids.
What are your LEAST favorite yarns/fibers? No acrylics, not crazy about cotton or tencel bamboo blends.
Are there any types/brands of yarn that you are dying to work with but haven’t gotten a chance? Mama Blue and Yarn Chef. I love shinier rather than dull yarns and prefer a tighter twist.
Favorite colors: Reds, fall colors, winter colors and primary colors.
What are your favorite types of projects to knit/crochet? stoles, shawls, scarves, socks, hats.
What are you currently working on? Anything you plan to start this autumn? a scarf, socks and a stole.
What is your favorite FO? (Please, post a picture if you would like.) Wing O' The Moth Shawl.
What is your oldest UFO? A prayer shawl I started a few years ago.
Are their any knitting/crochet techniques that you would like to learn? steeks and short rows.
Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? yes, I use 2 circulars. Size 9 feet. Would love to try any of Knitspots sock patterns!
Do you have a yarn winder and/or a swift? Yes.
Where/how to you keep you needles/hooks? In a plastic bin.
Do you collect anything? Stitch markers, Shawl pins, cool coffee mugs, beads for shawl knitting.
What is your favorite type of music? Are you MP3 ready? Christian soft rock. Bluegrass. Love Alison Krauss, Newsboys. No MP3.
Do you like sweets? What are your favorites? Milk chocolate with almonds, Ritter Sport bars. Love tropical gummi bears from Germany. Am an avid coffee drinker. Love good local coffees. Regular not decaf!
What is your living situation like? Any pets? Children? 8 kids still at home, a small farm and 2 outside kitties.
Are you allergic to anything? no.
Do you have an online wish list (Amazon, Etsy, Loopy Ewe, etc.)? Please include links for your swap pal. I love knitspots patterns and would love the Morning Glory.
Would also love pretty rovings for spinning
Are you having a birthday during this swap? no
What is your Ravelry ID? bartons15

School Is Fast Approaching.

We are only 14 days away from the first day of school. I must say I am ready for it! I think by the end of the summer the kids are starting to need a little more structure to their days. And I am certainly ready for a bit of alone time. With a big family that is something that I rarely get. This year I will have kids in kindergarten, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th grade. And my 20 year old will be attending our local community college. I also have a son who will be leaving soon for the Air Force Reserves to start training as a PJ. So lots of transitions in the days ahead. We have never done much in the past with sports activities but I will have 2 kids playing flag football, 1 in wrestling, and 2 trying out for volleyball and basketball. Thank God for a husband who is self employed. This year will mark the first year that all my kids will be in school full time. Gideon has attended a special education preschool for 3 years now, but this year he will be in a full time Life Skills class. There are an abundance of teachers and only 9 kids K through 6th grade so he will get a lot of learning time. He is a very social little boy and loves school. He has no fear of strangers and has always loved getting on the little yellow school bus. So this is a mile stone year for me and I know I am ready for it. I have been raising kids for nearly 30 years and homeschooled my oldest 6 exclusively and needless to say I am ready for some space in my day. But don't start feeling sorry for me, I do a lot of watching the grandkids and so I guess we move from one phase of life to another. Thank God for His blessings!

Anne Hanson at Knitspot.

I not so recently discovered the wonderful patterns that Anne Hanson at Knitspot has designed. I have bought quite a few of them and they are awesome. I am a fairly new lace knitter and her patterns guarantee success and make you feel like you are an expert! I am a line reader and she has that option as well as charts. They are so gorgeous and I can't say enough about them! This is my daughter Emily modeling Twinings which was knit in Dream In Color Baby in Some Summer Sky, and Fiddlehead Scarf knit in Dream In Color Baby in Spring Tickle.

My Newest Grandbaby!

My daughter Hannah recently gave birth to my 12th grandchild, and only the 3rd girl baby. We lean heavily on boys in this family. I have 9 boys and 4 girls and 10 grandsons and only 3 granddaughters. She is a beauty and we are enjoying the pink colors. Her name is Alaina "Leni" Maria. She is wearing the Little Turtles pilot cap I knit for her. Sweet baby.

Wing O' The Moth Shawl.

This was really a fun project to knit. Because of the different sections in this shawl it never got boring. And it looks so beautiful! I knit this in Dream In Color Smooshy in Strange Harvest. It took a little over 2 skeins. I don't typically use a lifeline but the last section somehow got messed up in the stitch count, I had to frog back to the beginning of that section and fix it from there. Next time I will put in a lifeline before I start that last part.

My Uncle Sepp.

My Uncle Sepp died last week. He was 93 years old and a veteran of the 2nd world war. He was a very sweet man who really loved people. I was privileged to have spent a year living in Germany when I was younger and spent a lot of time getting to know him. He fought in Hitler's German army and his identical twin brother was killed at the Russian front at the age of 17. He was a faithful husband to my Aunt Annie for over 60 years and a good father to Heinz and Oswald. He was my favorite Uncle and thankfully we got to spend a few days with him last year as we were traveling in Europe. He will be sorely missed.

My Blogs Title.

If you are curious about the title of my blog it means what it says. My youngest child Gideon has Down Syndrome. He will be 6 on September 11th. Giddy has lots of energy and never stays in one place very long. Since he learned to walk we spend a good part of each day chasing him. Literally. I keep saying that when he is old enough to join the Special Olympics I will sign him up for track. It seems that we are forever looking for him and thankfully we live on the end of a half mile road and are surrounded by open fields. We have all learned to move quickly when he disappears. Its amazing how fast he is, thus my title.....chasing Gideon.