Summer Giveaway

What would Summer be without a backyard campout?

We chose the most humid weekend of the season, to have our Annual Grandpa Sleepover with all of our grandkids.  There are six of them now, and we had the most hot, fun, sleepless, wet, amazing time.

We had a super fun water fight, where Grandma and Grandpa through water balloons at the kids, all standing in a line.  If they were able to catch the balloon without it breaking, they got a free through at the Grandparent of their choice.  Many balloons were caught, and guess who they always chose as their target.  You guessed it, ME!  I was completely drenched by the time we all went in to put on our pajamas.  They all got a squirt gun too, and even little Alivia was able to take aim at everyone's faces. 

Once our pajamas were all on, everyone was given a bag to hold their prizes from a fishing game.  They were all told not to put the bags over their heads, but as you can see, some could not resist.  They were all good fishermen, and caught many prizes.  Then it was time to go into the tent and find our sleeping places.  We ate treats and watched the "Lego Movie".  There was a lot of giggling going on.  Almost everyone fell asleep at around 10 pm, that is except Hayden.  She continued to dance and jabber in the dark until nearly 1 am.  This is when Grandpa always says, "Never again".  But he quickly forgets, once the tent is taken down and everything is put away, which is when he starts talking about what we should do next year.  I always suggest a hotel, with a big swimming pool.  Perhaps I'll get my way . . . one of these years!

It is time for another GIVE-AWAY!  Since I've noticed that many readers come to this blog as a result of my "Poor Baby" Sweater Pattern, I've decided it is the perfect give-away. 

On Labor Day, I'll be drawing a Winner from the list of Blog "Followers", for this little, bright pink, backzipping baby sweater.  If you are not a Follower already, get signed up for a chance to WIN!!  If you are Follower already, just cross your fingers and hope to win. 

If you are a knitter, as I'm guessing most of my readers are, you can Comment on this blog for a chance to win a free copy of the "Poor Baby" Sweater Pattern.  It is a really fast, easy little sweater to knit, and with the easy zipper in the back, it is really useful too.  I have knit, a least a hundred of these sweaters as gifts for newborn babies.  The pattern is written for sizes 3 months to 18 months.  All you have to do to win, is tell me how you feel about my blog in the Comments section. If you are the winner in this category, and you already own the "Poor Baby Sweater" pattern, you can choose a free copy of any one of my other patterns for sale.

I have been knitting away, although on a different project, everytime I have a little knitting time.  As you saw from my last post, I am a bit scattered in focusing on 1 project at a time.  My "Laura Leaves Tank", knit with a Custom Fit recipe, is nearly finished, as it just needs a little seaming at the shoulders and the ends weaved in.  Then it will be time for picture taking.  I should have pictures for my next post.

I also finished my Fall Knitting KAL sample, "The Lady Kina Sweater", which I was knitting for my Granddaughter.  Well . . . in the knitting world, there aren't always perfect endings.  I always think I can take a short-cut.  This never works out well for me (you would think I would learn)!  I hadn't seen Emery for a few weeks, and thought I could start the sweater, working from measurements from 6 months ago.  Emery is 12 . . . (WHAT WAS I THINKING?)  Had I forgotten that 12 year old girl's bodies change daily?  Needless to say, the finished sweater does not fit . . . ugghh.

Emery is a beautiful girl, and she was able to put it on, but the fit was over-all too tight, and she'll have outgrown it next week! I loved the pattern, written by Murial. And thank heavens . . . I will enjoy knitting her another one. We've chosen Rowan Cork for the next one, in a bright, two-tone orange. I think she'll be just as pretty in this new color, and in a sweater with a looser fit, which she'll be able to wear for at least a few years. In the meantime . . . I'm in negotiations with a younger girl, who's Mother is a fantastic knitter herself, to see if she would like to acquire my first attempt at this sweater. Hopefully, I'll have some additional pictures of my "Lady Kina Sweater" for a future post.

Even experienced knitters "drop the ball" occassionally. This little fiasco has delayed any progress on my "Eva" and "Stella Pullover". However, the Rowan Cork is a stiffer yarn, and my hands quickly tire of knitting with it. This will open up some windows for knitting on my "Eva" and "Stella Pullover", as they are both knit in a fine gauge yarn with large needles.

Our garden is thriving, and we are eating lots of zucchinis, spaghetti squash and cucumbers, with tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant and green beans coming on soon. I'll hope to have some pictures of the garden's progress in my next post.

Be sure to get signed up for the two give-aways. Happy Knitting!Knit-Zilla Ravelry Downloads