Where does the time go?

I can't believe it's been 3 wks. since I posted last! I wish the clock would slow down a little so I could enjoy things longer. We celebrated our family's February birthdays yesterday. I sure enjoy having everyone here. There were 11 of us this time. Matt couldn't make it here from Chicago.

Jenny modeling her Steelers Rah Rah Sox!

The socks turned out great and the Steelers won the Super Bowl....what more could Jenny want? I ended up liking the class "Knitting Socks 2 At A Time". Next up - a pair I've started for Mark using the same method.

Close-up of the quilting on the Michigan Baby Quilt

I get attached to baby quilts when I make them and even though I'm not a Michigan fan (after all we do live in Buckeye Country) I loved this quilt too. The machine quilting I did is simply straight stitching, but it looks great on this quilt pattern. I also ended up liking the fact that there were only borders on the top and bottom, none on the sides. It's different. I used wool batting so this should keep the little Wolverine plenty warm while he watches games with his dad and mom next season. Go Blue...errrr, I mean Go Bucks!!

Logan Alan Self's Michigan Baby Quilt

Did I mention that Stef and Joel are having a boy?? I suppose I shouldn't put this embarrassing photo of my grandson out there, but it's pretty cute! Nice of the technician to label it for us. The nursery furniture is purchased and the room is painted already. The shower is being planned as we speak....that always makes it seem more real to see all of the tiny baby clothes.

We've had a visitor for 6 wks. now!

This male, intact cat has been begging at our door. He's friendly which makes me sure he's not a feral cat. No collar so I don't have info on him. He loves being petted but loves being fed more. I've been giving him dry food and water and sometimes warm milk to get him through this cold spell. Is anyone interested in giving him a home? I'm close to taking him to the vet for a cut he got about a week ago on his back leg. He's been limping a little. He's been sleeping in the heated cat box we have near our front door every night. I guess he picked the right house when he was searching for a place to hang out. Since we have the 2 dogs and 2 cats of our own, I'm not going to let him come in. Not that he's afraid of the dogs...he rubs up on them too. We've temporarily named him Snowball.

Super Bowl Sunday...

We're going to a Super Bowl Party to watch the game. Woohoo! My daughter, Jenny, is a huge Steelers fan and that's why I'm knitting her these soxs....too bad they won't be finished for her to wear them. My son is a huge Steelers fan too...I guess I should be wanting the Steelers to win then...but wait, my alma mater's mascot is a Cardinal and my brother and cousin live in Arizona and are Cardinal fans, so maybe I should want them to win! Oh, I'm torn! One thing I know for sure is that I'll enjoy the food and refreshments (read as 'wine') at the party and MAY THE BEST TEAM WIN!!! The photo below shows how pretty the snow is in our back yard area. Mark's been diligently feeding the birds and you can see the squirrel on the back of the arbor bench seat enjoying the bird seeds too. The cardinals have been especially beautiful showing off their red against the snow. I love snow and have really been enjoying our winter wonderland these last few weeks. We had so much snow that my daughter Stefany's OB appointment to have her ultrasound to find out the sex of her baby was cancelled. That was a really long sentence!! We were disappointed, but will now find out on Feb. 3rd. You can bet I'll be posting the news as soon as we know! This quilt below that I'm making for the little Michigan fan since he was born on Nov. 19th, is finally all pieced. Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays got in the way of my progress. I like how it turned out and now it's time to machine quilt it. It's 47" x 64" and does not have side borders. I saw a quilt in one of my magazines and thought it was kind of neat that way. The back will be flannel so it will be soft against him when he covers up with it. I love using flannel on the backs of the baby quilts I make. I used minkee fabric once and that was great too!

Below is Clifford the Red Dog. I knitted him for my niece, Magi, who is having a boy in about 8 wks. Are any of you on Ravelry?? It's a really cool website community where knitters and crocheters can go to post photos and patterns. I am addicted to it! I found this pattern there. It was called Floppy Dog and is a pattern from Zoe Moeller's Knitted Toys book. In the book he's done in colors like the dog on Blue's Clue's but I had this yarn left over from a previous project and it was perfect for this little guy. I gave her three Clifford books to go with him. I also made these Buckeye Booties for Magi's little baby because she's an OSU grad and huge Buckeye fan. I found this free pattern on Ravelry as well. This pattern is called Saartje's Bootees for anyone who wants to go looking for it. They are really small and I'm afraid he'll only get to wear them once, but they're so cute!