Noolie Knits

Thursday's Thoughts

Since I did a WTF Wednesday post yesterday, and therefore missed my opportunity for a Wednesday Night Bullet Post, I thought I'd  get real creative today and do a Thursday's Thoughts post.  This way I get to do my WNBP on Thursday and not look like I'm late; pretty sneaky, eh?  So, let's get on with it, shall we.

~~Don't you just love it when one of your blog friends is able to come spend some time with you in real life?  I know I do.  I was lucky enough to have that happen on Tuesday night.  Danielle and her husband are up in my neck of the woods on vacation this week (just 2 towns away).  She came to Chicks with Sticks at the Yarn Sellar and I'm so glad that she did.  It was a very nice visit.  I think she had a good time too; I certainly hope she did anyway.

She looks happy, doesn't she?

~~Have you seen the new Knitty yet?  There are a few items that will be landing in my queue.  Waves of Grain  is so pretty, and I think that Abby  would be a perfect use of some handspun.  I also love the OpArt baby blanket; it's so unusual.  There are some nice sock patterns too, but since I can't seem to find my sock mojo, I'm not even going to bother kidding myself about them. 

~~Speaking of socks, Clover's socks are all either too small for her or they fall off her feet.  I would like to make some socks for her (that might be just what I need to get my sock mojo back).  Does anyone know of a good tried and true sock pattern for toddlers that will stay on the feet?

~~Hubby started on second shift this week.  It feels weirder (is that a word) than I thought it would to come home from work when he's not there. I don't see him again until I wake up in the morning.  I do believe I kind of miss him ;-)   At least I live close enough that I go home at lunch time and see him for a bit then.  He'll be working second shift for the rest of the month and then it's back to days for a couple of weeks.  After that, I think it's on to the graveyard shift - YUCK!  At least it's work, right?

~~I really thought I'd have an FO for you today; I only have the sleeves left to knit on Clover's sweater.  I planned to do that last night, but ended up spending the evening watching her instead of knitting her sweater.  Don't feel sorry for me; time spent playing with and snuggling with the happiest baby in the world is the best time ever.   I wouldn't pass it up for anything!

~~I thought I was going to knit a bit while she played with her toys, but she is really into watching me knit and wanted to join in.  I gave her some yarn to play with (she had taken it the night before to play with), but she wanted needles too.  I'm not sure, but I think she may be a teeny bit too young for the needles.

~~Well, that's all the randomness I have for today.  Tune in tomorrow for Friday with Clover :-)

Happy Birthday

 

Happy Birthday, Colleen!

Catching up (a little)

Before I begin this post, I have to ask all of you to send good, healing thoughts to Patti's father, who was in a car accident the other day.  Patti has been in Kansas City since Saturday to be with him and they could both use some good thoughts.  Thanks!

 

Seems there hasn't been much in the way of fiber content on this little blog in quite a while, has there? Unless, of course, you count me telling you about my summer goals and what patterns I plan to knit. I don't believe I've shown you any actual knitting in almost 2 weeks when I showed you the Avalanche hat. We won't even discuss how long it's been since I showed you any spinning. I'll remedy that in this post, but first I have a long overdue "Thank You" to give. 

Over a week ago, I received yet another birthday package in the mail; this one from the wonderfully generous Colleen.

 

Look at all this great stuff! That little box of crochet patterns is packed full of tons of patterns, any of which I would love to make.  If Samm has her way, I'll be making them ALL.  I'll probably make most of the clothing items; there are a few blankets, but I'm thinking I'll skip those.  Check out that little Monkey Suits dress pattern; that is definitely on the top of the list (click here for a better view). There are even a couple great patterns for me in this wonderful package!  I've been looking at  those ballerina slippers for a while now (how'd you know, Colleen?), and that circular crocheted shawl - that looks stunning.  You really must click this link to better see the detail! Thank you so very much, Colleen!  I'm telling you; this is the birthday that just keeps on giving!  I could easily get used to birthdays that last the entire year ;-)

As if that's not enough goodies, a friend and coworker dropped this on my desk on Friday: It's handspun by a woman here in town and my coworker won it in a raffle or something.  She figured she wasn't going to use it and thought I might like it.  She thought right; it's a great shade of red (I can't quite capture the color, it's not as dark as it looks in this photo; it's a bit more muted.)  It's about 108 yards of 100% Romney wool.  I'm thinking it might make a nice hat for the 300 Hat project.  Thank you, Robyn!

Speaking of the 300 Hat project; the only knitting I've done (and not frogged) this past week is another hat (#5) for the project. This one is knit using some Lopi from my stash on size 9 needles.  

I knit about 6 rounds of k3,P1 rib (which you can't even see) and then it's plain ole stockinette from there. I started it Tuesday night (of course - Chicks With Sticks knitting) and finished it Wednesday afternoon.   This hat does not count as one of the 8 additional that I have set as a goal for Summer knitting since it was begun and finished before the official start of Summer.

My first hat towards that goal will be started tomorrow for CWS knitting (well, actually crocheting).  I'm planning to do the Skater Beanie (Ravelry link).

We shall not speak of Twinings for a while; she has been frogged back to the beginning of the fourth repeat and is in time out again!  I'm beginning to wonder if I should have put her on my Summer goals list.  Oh well, summer does last three months, right?  Perhaps she'll have learned her lesson and be better behaved in time to be completed by the end of the summer.

I think I'm going to end here and save the spinning update for the next post.  I will say that this 10 Minutes a Day thing was the best thing I've done in a while!

Enjoy the rest of your day!

WNBP

It's Wednesday and that means it's time for some randomness in the form of a Wednesday Night Bullet Post!

• Yesterday, I received yet another Birthday present in the mail.  This one was from Dana and Dianne.

(photo shamelessly swiped from Dana)
It's a gorgeous pendant made by Sonya Forte'.
Thank you so much, Dana and Dianne; you know how much I LOVE it!

• Yesterday was Tuesday, which means last night was Chicks with Sticks at my favorite LYS.  I look forward to CWS all week.  It's always a good time with good friends.

• Not only is CWS fun, but sometimes a person might even learn something new.

• I learned something new last night. I'm probably the last knitter on earth to learn this.  Did you know that if you are using interchangeable needles (like my new Harmony needles) that are assembled with the little metal thingy (yes, that is the technical term) that you stick through the hole to tighten the cable to the needle,  you can thread a lifeline through that hole and knit it right into your row?  No stopping to thread a needle and having to be extra careful to make sure you go through every stitch and yarn over.

• I was close to the end of a repeat on Twinings, so I finished up the couple of rows I needed to this morning and tried out that new little bit of knowledge.  It was a little difficult getting the lifeline through the tiny hole, but I just used the little metal thingy to shove it through and guess what - it worked!  YAY! 
  

• Speaking of Twinings, I am now back to where I was before having to rip it out; three measley repeats complete.  I just don't know where my time is going, but I don't feel like I'm getting in the knitting time I want (and need).

• Yesterday, I knit another hat for the 300 Hats Project.  Everyone knows that I am not capable of knitting lace at CWS, so that has become my night to knit hats.  I arrived last night with the stitches cast on and the first row knit and finished this in the few hours that I was there:

Avalanche Hat

• That was Yesterday. 

• Today - well, let's just say that some days it'd just be better to stay at home with the people you love - know what I mean?
  

• I really need to just win PowerBall and be done with it.

 

 

Post-Birthday Post

Such a clever title, no?

Thank you all for the birthday wishes!   I had a wonderful birthday (except the part where I had to work all day).  There was BB King Sunday night, strawberries and whipped cream over pound cake at work yesterday, dinner from Panera Bread courtesy of  Samm and Jay, and a visit with my Mom to end the day. 

And gifts; we can't forget the gifts.  Sunday night with BB was my gift from Chris; Samm and Jay gave me a great spice rack that can go on the counter (without taking up the whole counter) or in a drawer; money from my mom and from my dad (which is being used to purchase some Harmony needles). 

There was a handmade gift from Carol (aka MissaLouise : )

It says "Grandmother loves Clover" in Italian. 
Isn't that cool? 
Thank you MissaLouise; you know how much this means to me!

And from Patti and Roger:

3 Skeins of Alpaca with a Twist Fino in the gorgeous green that I've been drooling over (well, not literally because that would just ruin it!) and a pattern for the Flight of the Honey Bee Shawl!

I kept the bag next to my knitting chair last night (not that I knit even one stitch) and kept pulling that yarn out and petting it.  It's so gorgeous! 

Thank you so much, Patti and Roger!

The mailman has been very busy bringing me things lately; I've won a few contests, but you'll have to wait until my next post to see all that I've won.  I still have a couple more items to show you today.

On Saturday, I received my Pay It Forward gift from Amy (my birthday twin):

I had admired another she made a while ago
and so she made one for me. 
It's Quant from Knitty and it is perfect! 
I love the yarn she used; the colors are great
and it's incredibly soft.  Almost makes me want to skip right over summer so I can use it (ALMOST).  Thank you, Amy!

Last, but certainly not least, it's  the hairy ball pin cushion sent to me by Dana.  I've had it for a few weeks now and just kept forgetting to take a picture.  I've got one now, so check it out:

Isn't that the cutest?  She felted some alpaca fleece she had into balls to make pin cushions.  You can read about it  here.  Check out the little tuft of hair on top, reminds me of Samm's hair when she was a baby  :-)

That's it for today.

Have a great evening!

Yes, I'm Still Here

Apparently when I write, "I'll give you a real post this weekend," it really means "I'll give you a real post eventually."  But you knew that, didn't you? Let's catch up a little, shall we? 

Last Monday was Patriots' Day, which is a holiday here in Maine and also in Massachusettes {and no Patti, it is not to celebrate the football team ;-)}.  I decided to take the Friday before it and the Tuesday after as vacation time so that I would have a nice loooong weekend; kind of a mini-vacation.  I figured I'd sleep in every day and I had a list of things I wanted to accomplish.  So, what did I do?  I woke up every morning by 6 or 6:30 (even 4:30 one day!), but at least I wasn't waking up to the obnoxious sound of the alarm clock.  I didn't do a single thing that was on my list either. 

In other words, I did what I felt like, when I felt like it.  It was WONDERFUL!

I started my mini-vacation by taking a trip with Patti to Yarn and Fiber for their Friday Night Knitting Club led by the wonderful Gina.

What a great way to kick off a vacation; it was a really good time.  Of course, knitting with a group of friends is always a good time; knitting with this group of friends always makes my face hurt from all the laughing.  Here are a few pics:

 
The Gang
(Sorry Ericka & Chris; I seem to have only captured the backs of your heads)

 
Lora (with her gorgeous new do) & Heather with Stitches
    


Melissa brought Rusty and he actually let me take his picture!  Any other time I've tried to take his picture, he's run away from me.  I guess that means he likes me now :-)


Of course, he had no choice about this  picture; after an evening of romping around the store with Stitches, he was pooped right out!

Naturally, there was yarn purchased.  I went with the intention of picking up some yarn to crochet another shawl like this one.  For that, I picked up some Silky Wool.

  The yarn feels wonderful and it's just the color (or lack thereof) that I was looking for.  I started the shawl that night and have only worked on it at Chicks with Sticks on Tuesday night.  There's not much done yet, but here's a shot of what there is.

I also picked up 2 balls of Kauni Effektgarn

(Yes, the one on the right really is that bright!) I'm thinking smallish wraps or shawls out of both of these.  Time will tell.

That's how I began my mini-vacation; can you guess how I ended it?  Why, by knitting with friends on Tuesday night of course.  Tuesday was an extra special Chicks with Sticks night.  It was school vacation week here in Maine and when it's school vacation, a certain Sheep must knit with others (really, it's the law).  Not only was the Sheep there, but Melissa joined us again and Mel was also there (while Mel is a regular, he has been very busy lately and we haven't seen much of him, so it was a treat to see him).  Melissa, of course, brought Rusty who amazed us all with his drinking water from a bottle capabilities.

(Too bad my camera wouldn't cooperate and take a clear picture; sorry about the blur.)

So, I started and ended my mini-vacation with good friends and spent the time in between spending more time than usual with the world's sweetest baby, 

 

 

and enjoying just doing whatever I wanted to do (or doing nothing). 

What could be better?

WNBP

YAY for Wednesday and the WNBP format that the Sheep so graciously allowed me to steal from her.  Let's get right to it, shall we?

• Last night was our weekly Chicks with Sticks knit night (I just typed knit knight) which I look forward to every week.  I was especially looking forward to it this week because I knew we were going to have a very special friend visiting us.  Melissa was in Maine visiting her brother (the best weatherman ever even if he is predicting a nasty weekend for us) and decided a trip to The Yarn Sellar was in order.  Unfortunately, Rusty stayed with Melissa's brother and nephew for some male bonding time, so I didn't get to see him.  I'm pretty sure he begged her not to bring him; I don't think he really likes me very much. 
• Another member of our group decided to grace us with his presence. Mel's been very busy lately and we haven't seen much of him.  He's been terribly missed and we were all very happy to see him last night!  He showed us the beginnings of his gorgeous kilt hose (we even got to see it on his rather sexy leg!).
• Progress has been made on the lace wrap; I've completed the first of 11 repeats of the second chart.  I brought it with me last night, but I'm not stupid enough to think I can knit lace at knit night.  Fellow chick, Kit, knits lace at knit night all the time and it never ceases to amaze me how she can concentrate!
• I only had 1 other project on the needles, a sock, and I haven't really been feeling like knitting socks lately. (You may have noticed that I've not knit a single pair of socks this year!) 
• I had to find something else to knit, but what? "V" was the logical choice.  It's Amy's V-neck pullover pattern that came free with the purchase of this gorgeous yarn at SPA.  I'm cold all the time and the colors are "Spingy" enough that I'll still be able to wear it once I finish it. 
• It will be my Tuesday night knitting and "taking a break from lace" knitting until it is finished. Of course, I gabbed so much last night that all I managed to accomplish was the 6 rows of ribbing and about 10 rows of stockinette.  Sounds like a lot, doesn't it?  Don't be fooled; this pattern starts out with the sleeves.  Obviously, that's not enough to post a picture; that will have to come later.
• Weight Watchers has been going well; as of last Saturday, I've lost a total of 14.4 pounds (in 7 weeks).  Like I mentioned the last time I posted about WW, it really does help to have someone else on program in the house.  Samm's doing incredibly well, too; she looks fantastic!
• Another thing that has helped immensely with my motivation lately, is the Ravelry group "Less W8 in 08".  I'm currently involved in a competition in that group.  There are 4 teams of 5 people and we each earn points for eating fruits and veggies and for exercising.  Last week was the first week and I did pretty well in the fruit and veggie department, but was sorely lacking in the exercise dept. 
• I'm working on getting my exercise mojo back. Samm and Clover met me  at lunch today, and we went for a half hour walk and I went to the gym with Patti tonight, so that'll earn me (and my team) some points!  I'm hoping Samm will come walk with me a few days a week at lunch time; it felt pretty good.
• I've saved the most important (in my opinion) bullet post item for last.  Yesterday, I was reading my good friend, Dana's, blog, and she got me to thinking.  I know, hard to believe, but every now and then I do think.  She wrote about how we often put much unnecessary pressure on ourselves to do so much more with our craft, than is reasonable.  Please, you really MUST read her post; she says it much better than I.  Go ahead, go now; I'll wait.
• Dana has decided to stop the madness, and set four simple goals for herself, and I have decided to do the same.  With her permission, I reprint those goals for you to read and think about.

1. I will enjoy knitting first and foremost;
2. I will not press myself to complete the project;
3. I will not apologize when my life supercedes my knitting time a.k.a. "if it takes me twelve months to finish, that's perfectly fine;" and
4. I will commit to no more than I can reasonably accomplish.

I'll end on that note.  Have a great night!

Catching Up (again)

I've really been slacking off in the posting department, haven't I? So, what have I been up to?  Well, it's kind of hard to know where to begin.  I guess I'll just jump right in and give it a shot.

I've been really bad about this one!  I was awarded the "You Make My Day" award by Amy, Zonda, Carrie, and Arleta!  How good does that make me feel?  Pretty darn good, I'll tell ya!  You all make my day, too.  I'm supposed to now list ten people who make my day, but I just can't do it; there are just too many of you who I consider my friends (bloggers and non-bloggers), and all of you make my day whenever I click on your blogs or open an e-mail from you.  So, consider yourselves listed ;-)

Spinning: 

~ Can you believe I have not spun on Alice since taking the class with Amy on the 2nd?  Me either.  I keep meaning to, but I keep getting sidetracked. I'm hoping to get back to the wheel this weekend.  I'd like to practice all that I learned with Amy before I forget it all.   

~ That doesn't mean I haven't spun at all.  I took out the clown puke fiber and spun a bit more of that on the spindle.  You'll have to take my word on this one; I have no photographic evidence at the moment.  This will be an ongoing project for quite some time; there's a LOT of the Clown Puke fiber (it was an 8 ounce bag!).  I'll probably end up spinning some of it on Alice at some point, but for now, I'm enjoying spinning it on the spindle.

~ You may or may not remember that I bought a Turkish Drop Spindle during Amy's Grand Opening sale back in November.  While I was there, I picked it up and tried spinning on it and found it rather easy to use, so I bought it.  During my spinning lesson a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned to Amy that the minute I got it home, I lost all ability to spin on it.  What's up with that?  This past Saturday night, I decided to give it another spin (hehehe) and guess what?  Yep, I actually can spin on a Turkish drop spindle.  Of this, I do have photographic evidence. 

This yarn will be used to make some felted fish for the mobile I want to make Clover (hopefully, before she's too old to enjoy it).  You may remember that my last attempt at felted fish for Clover ended up as a catnip filled kitty toy.

Knitting:

~ Speaking of Clover's mobile in the making; I've almost completed the knitting on the sea turtle.  I still have to add the tail and 4 legs, then felt it and stuff it.  Don't ask me why it's taking me so long to complete; I think I'm just easily distracted these days and I haven't really been sticking to one project for any length of time.

Once the knitting is finished on the turtle, I'll begin a starfish or two.

~ Just when we all thought that I was no longer capable of knitting anything of any substance, I've started (and made quite a bit of progress on) a sweater for Samm. Granted, it's still a mindless knit, but at least it's a step in the right direction :-)   Samm loved the color of the felted clogs I made and said she'd like a hooded sweater in that color.  The clogs were knit with Lamb's Pride, and while I'd love a sweater knit with it (and in fact, have one), I knew it'd be too heavy and fuzzy for her comfort.  Enter Plymouth Galway yarn in the Oatmeal colorway.  It's a very pretty color, a smooth wool yarn (no fuzz factor here), and it meets with her approval.  Combine this with Knitting Pure and Simple's top down hooded sweater pattern and we have a match made in heaven.  Here's my progress as of yesterday morning:

I've since started working the bottom split section and am just about done with the front; two inches to go.  This project is progressing nicely; I'd like to be done with it by the end of this coming weekend.  Think I can make it? Oh yeah, this is the button I think I'll be using. Pretty cool, don't you think?

Life:

~ The job hunt continues for Chris.  He's working hard every day at trying to find something.   We are trying to keep our thinking positive; some days are easier than others, but we'll get through it.  We certainly are not alone; it's a sucky economy out there!

~ Clover is doing wonderfully, and brings us much joy every day.  We are incredibly lucky to have Samm, Jay, and Clover living with us! 

I guess that's enough for one day; I'll try to post more regularly from now on; no promises though :-) 

Have a great day!

A Wonderful Day

Brenda and I took a ride up to Amy's place this past Saturday and we weren't alone.  In the back seat, strapped in nice and safe, were our spinning wheels.  Brenda had asked Amy when we were there for her Grand Opening last fall if she had any classes for the in-between beginner and intermediate spinner.  Amy was kind enough to put together a class for us covering whatever we felt we needed.  If you ever get the chance to take a class with Amy, you really mustn't let the opportunity pass you by.  She's a great teacher, and she didn't even laugh at me (much).

We learned the short draw, long draw, modified long draw, and on the fold drafting techniques.  We spun with a wool blend, silk, and soy silk.  We tried to spin at different ratios (Brenda did, I tried but had a bit of an issue with my wheel).  We learned the difference between top, roving, and batts; we learned how to make and spin from a rolag.  We learned the difference between Woolen and Worsted.  Oh my, we learned so much!

We worked on our plying techniques (I had been using the "Wingit" technique).  With Amy's help, I was able to see what I need to work on to get an evenly plied yarn.  Once our singles were plied into a 2ply yarn, we learned to cable ply from a center pull ball.  I'm not so sure I'd call that process "fun"; that center pull ball sure did like to tangle up, which may have caused some swearing.   I did love the resulting yarn though, and it was good to learn how to ply from a center pull ball, but I think that whenever possible, I'll be using 2 bobbins! 

4 ply cable yarn
Fiber was purchased from Heather; Falkland wool, I forget the colorway name but it's beautiful.

We ended the class learning how to Navajo ply which was FUN, FUN, FUN!  I really enjoyed that.  It's nothing but crocheting a chain with your hands; being a long time (over 37years) crocheter, this came easily to me, and the yarn it produced is great (okay, so mine isn't great yet, but it will be)!  I'll definitely be using this technique again and again.

Just a small amount.  We spun the singles while we were there from Amy's wool blend in her Grand Opening colorway.

I learned a few other things while I was there.  For example, do not spin from a glider (yes, I was spinning in my glider rocker).  I learned that I need to sit further away from my wheel; what a difference that makes.  I learned that I need to let the yarn feed in quicker in most cases to control the overspinning.  I also learned that I want a double treadle wheel for my next wheel :-)

Thank you so much for a wonderful class, Amy! I really enjoyed the day.

Catch Up

Whew!  Isn't it nice to be able to catch your breath after all the rushing around that comes with the Christmas season?

I have a lot of catching up to do.   I haven't spent very much time on the computer over the last week; want proof?   

That was as of this morning; THREE HUNDRED FORTY FOUR new posts!   I guess you guys haven't been neglecting your blogs, have you? 

There's been a lot going on in the past week so let's start the catching up, shall we?

Saturday:
I'm sure you've read on other blogs that Franklin came to Maine last weekend.   He was here visiting family and took time out of his visit to do a 1000 Knitters photo shoot at Purl Diva on Saturday.   Brenda, Patti, Annie, and I all jumped at the chance to be a part of this project.   It was an excuse to hang out with some friends and to check out another yarn shop; who wouldn't jump at that chance?  We arrived at the shop early (thanks to Brenda's smart planning) and were assigned numbers 3,4,5, & 6.   We did a little shopping while waiting; I picked up some DK weight Cherry Tree Hill yarn and some Schaeffer Anne in a gorgeous red color (pictures later).   I know the CTH will become some nice winter socks for me, but I have no plans yet for the Schaeffer Anne (other than to gaze at its beauty).   I was a little nervous about having my picture taken, but Franklin is very good at putting a person at ease.   We chatted while I knit on the scarf and he snapped picture after picture (hopefully, I'll look half way decent in one of them).   

Sunday:
Clover had a special visitor on Sunday afternoon:

Patti was finally able to meet her in person.  I had told Patti that she hardly ever cries, so what do you suppose she did while Patti was there?   Yep, she was a wee bit cranky.   She had a good reason though; the poor little bugger has a cold.   She was cranky with it on Sunday and that was it.   She's feeling better every day.

Christmas Eve:
Christmas Eve during the afternoon is when my whole family gets together to celebrate Christmas.   We spend a few hours at my Dad's house and then head over to my mother's house for a couple more hours.   There are a LOT people gathered and it can get pretty crazy.   It was good though.   Samm & Jay brought Clover and she was the hit of the party (even though she slept through the entire day).

While it's good to see the family, I find it very tiring.   I'm always glad to get home and get into my jammies and relax (after finishing up the wrapping of course).

Christmas Day:
Christmas morning was wonderful; sharing it with a new baby and her Mommy and Daddy really made it special.  I was up very early and had some coffee and just relaxed while waiting for the rest of the family to get up.   Samm and Jay brought Clover into the living room like this:

How cute is that?   She really is the best Christmas present ever!   She, of course, was totally spoiled rotten with lots of clothes and toys.   Doesn't she look thrilled?

You may be wondering (or not) if I was able to finish the Christmas knitting?   Well, as anticipated, Jay received one finished sock with a promissory note for the second one (which I started last night).   I had already ditched the idea that I'd get the fingerless mitts done for the BIL, so he ended up with a warm head and feet, but cold hands (I did get him a Dunkin Donuts gift card though, so he can buy some coffee to keep his hands warm). 

I also knit a couple of ornaments for Clover:

A mini sweater and mini stocking.  I used the Sweet Clover sock yarn from Heather and the pattern from Last Minute Knitted Gifts.  I wanted to start a special tradition for Clover and decided that a couple of handmade ornaments each year would be nice. 

I  finished the spinning I was working on:

There's about 260 yards of what I'm guessing is a light worsted weight (I forgot to check the wpi's, so that's just a guess).  I wish that I had done a better job plying this; but its okay.  Brenda and I are planning to take a class with Amy sometime this winter and I'm hoping I'll get some good tips for plying a more even yarn. 

Well, I think I've gone on long enough for one post, so I'll end here.  Have a great day!

Can you find the baby?
(if you'd like to see more Christmas pictures, click here)

Surprise! It's a Baby Jacket

I went to my mailbox the other day and found a package addressed to "Clover Grace".  I recognized the return address and knew it had to be something special because it was from a very special person, Marianne.  I wasn't wrong:

Baby Surprise Jacket & Booties

The back side:

so sweet!

It's hard to tell from the pictures just how tiny and sweet this sweater is - the card in the top picture is 4"x5".  This sweater will be the perfect size for Clover for this winter.  I only wish my photography skills were better; the colors in this sweater are gorgeous!  I think you can see the colors better in this close up:    Look how cute the buttons are, and check out the matching buttons on the itsy bitsy booties 

Marianne tells me this is her first ever BSJ!  Well Marianne, I've got to tell you, it's PERFECT!  Thank you so much!

Secret Pal Revealed

Another wonderful package from my Secret Pal arrived on my doorstep this week.  I was so excited to get this package because I knew that this was the package which would reveal the identity of the Best Secret Pal Ever, Romelda! 

Isn't this wonderful?!  Look at all the goodies!  The box in the front is some wonderful Mandarin scented soaps; oh my goodness - they smell delicious!  There's Vogue Knitting's Crocheted Scarves book; I've already picked out a few that I MUST make.  Next to the book is a beautiful journal,  "Goddess of Chocolate".   There are little chocolate sayings on each of the pages - my favorite, "Who cares if it melts in your hand?".  Way in the back is an empty box of Ghiradelli caramel filled chocolates (of course it wasn't empty when it got here).  The very best part of the package was this:

A beautiful hat, "Alpine Roses", designed and knit by Romelda, and matching booties.  There are beautiful little crocheted roses on the hat and the white angora "snow" is made with yarn that was in a hat she made for her daughter when she was a baby!  How cool and incredibly special is that?! 

Romelda, thank you so much - not only for the wonderful packages you have sent, making me feel very special indeed, but also for the friendship you have shown me throughout this whole swap.  I'm so happy to now have a chance to really get to know you, too. 

There's more to this story; Romelda did all this for me while she was preparing to undergo knee replacement surgery!  Imagine that; with all the stress and worries she must have been feeling, she still took the time to make sure I was spoiled.  I received an e-mail from her daughter yesterday telling me that the surgery went well and that Romelda has been up and doing a little bit of walking.  Please stop by her blog and wish a wonderful woman a speedy recovery.

I have been truly blessed to have met so many wonderful people through this little blog of mine.  When I started writing this a little over a year ago, it was pretty much just a way to document my knitting and get some ideas and feedback from other knitters.  It has turned into so much more than that.

Tune in tomorrow for another example of  thoughtfulness.

Friday Night Knit Club & More PRIZES!

I didn't spend much time at all this weekend on the computer which means I have tons of e-mails and blog reading to catch up on.  Isn't it amazing how just a couple days away from the computer can do that?  I've got a lot to post about, but I'll spread it out over the next couple of days.

On Friday night, Patti and I went to Windham, NH to visit Gina at her new job.  She started a Friday Night Knit Club at The Yarn and Fiber Co.  and we got to knit with, and visit with, quite a few of the ManchVegas knitters.  What a great time; that group is a riot!  I laughed so hard most of the night that I nearly peed my pants.  It took us about an hour to get there and it was well worth the drive; I can definitely see us doing it again sometime.  Here are a couple of pictures; I was having such fun that I nearly forgot to take any pictures at all.

Lora, Laurin, Donna, Melissa, Jackie's head, Patti, Chris, Ericka 

And here's the beautiful Gina behind the counter:

If you are ever in the area on a Friday night, you should definitely visit Gina and the Friday Night Knit Club.  Fun, fun, fun!

As you may have guessed from the title of this post, I have more prizes to show you.  Gina, sweetheart that she is, donated this great prize package for one lucky person to win:

Knitting Korner Sock II DVD "How to knit two socks at the same time on two circular needles"  (viewd once), a skein of Opal sock yarn, and a Halloween themed knitting accessory bag handmade by Gina herself!
What a great prize package; thank you so much, Gina!

Want a chance to win this or one of several other great prizes?  You still have FIVE DAYS to donate to the Light the Night walk and have your name entered in the prize drawing.

CLICK TO HELP
(and for a chance to win a great prize):

(for more details here)

Have a great day!

Meet Alice

Isn't she purty?!
She's on loan from Carole; thanks, Carole! Manise brought her to me yesterday morning and Cheryl came over and the two of them gave me a lesson. We sat out on the deck and spun and gabbed for a few hours; it was really great. Thank you, Manise and Cheryl, for spending your Saturday morning with me so that I'd feel comfortable with Alice!
I've said it before and I'll say it again (and probably again and again and again.....) I've met some great people through this little blog of mine!
And now, because Manise said I have to show you, here's a picture of what I spun on Alice:

It's not perfect, but I'm pretty proud of it!
I won't get much spinning done for another day or so; I MUST finish the test knit first; I'm almost done with that though. I can't wait to show it to you. I was able to spin a little bit more while waiting for some clarification on the test pattern though. I don't have a picture (it's really not enough to take a picture of yet), but I think it's coming out pretty good.

Check out the sidebar; we're up to $425!  I've decided that I'll draw a prize when we hit $500 and I'll add another prize at that point too.  So, what are you waiting for?  Donate for your chance to win!  Remember to post about it on your blog for another chance to win.

Blog Friends

I'm often amazed at how many wonderful friends I've met through this little blog of mine.  Sometimes my daughter tells me I'm weird to call people I've never "met" friends. Other times, she'll say to Jay or one of her friends, "Look what my Mom's friend did (or sent)" or she'll sit with me looking at someone's blog with pictures of their beautiful yarn or pets or kids).  Although I've not met most of you in person, I feel like I know you better than a lot of people I know in my so called "real" life and you are all very special to me.

I've been friends with Sara for a while now, although we hadn't had the opportunity to meet in person until this past weekend.  She took a few days for herself and went to see The Harlot in Burlington, MA and made some stops to visit various friends over the weekend.  Portsmouth was her last stop, where I met up with her and Cheryl.  We walked a bit, then had a really yummy lunch at Portsmouth Gaslight Co.  After lunch we went to Rye to drive along the beach and check out the yarn shop, Yarn for Ewe (no website that I can find).  Then we went to Prescott Park and walked around the gardens; it was a lovely day and it was great to finally meet Sara in person and to meet Cheryl.  I didn't know Cheryl before Saturday, but I'm sure I'll be seeing more of her.

Cheryl and Sara in Prescott Park

And here's my (very late) Saturday Sky taken from Prescott Park:

Another friend I met through the blog is Carole; I met her in person in February at SPA, then hubby and I got together with her and her hubby when we were in Boston in March.  As those of you who read her blog know, Carole has a "few" spinning wheels.  She told me back in March that she likes to loan out the first wheel she ever owned, "Alice", to friends who are learning to spin.  Well, when I got home from school last week, there was an e-mail waiting for me from Carole saying that Alice would like to come stay with me for a while.  You can't believe how excited I am to have this opportunity!  I've been saving my pennies (and nickles, dimes, quarters...) toward buying a wheel of my own and figured I'd try a few different types before buying; but as Cheryl said to me Saturday, testing wheels when you don't yet know how spin is like test driving cars when you don't know how to drive.  How are you supposed to know what you want?  So, Alice will be coming to visit me soon and I just can not wait.  Thank you, Carole!

Speaking of Carole, please send good thoughts her way. A very dear friend of hers was killed in a motorcycle accident Tuesday.

 

Yes, This is Still a Knitting Blog

You may not be able to tell from my last several posts, but I have been knitting.  I'll update you on what's on the needles and off the needles and also one project that I can't decide what to do with.

I brought a big bag full of yarn and my spindle with me to school; I always think I'll get more knitting time in when I go away than I actually do.  I was only able to knit during two of my classes, and in that time I started and completed one sock.

I'm calling this my "School Sock" for obvious reasons. This is the third time knitting with this yarn; when I say that, I mean it's the third time with this same skein of yarn! I cast on for two other patterns with it over the winter, but they just didn't work - one was too small and one was just not the right pattern for the yarn. Third time's a charm; this sock fits perfectly and I like the yarn in the plain ole stockinette stitch. I've cast on for the second sock and this will be my "to go knitting"; nice, easy, mindless knitting. The yarn is Scout's Soctoberfest yarn and I'm knitting this pair on size 1.5 dpn's over 64 stitches.

While in Waterville, I visited Yardgoods Center, the LYS (no website that I can find).  The store has kind of a cluttered feeling; I think I'm spoiled by my LYS and have difficulty finding something to buy in a cluttered environment.  I was just about to leave when I spotted an adorable stuffed bunny rabbit.  Samm had asked me if I'd make a stuffed bunny for her friend's daughter's first birthday (which was this past Sunday) and I thought this would be perfect.  I bought the pattern and the yarn and made the bunny in two evenings in the motel room; it's such a quick and easy knit taking only about three hours of actual knitting time. I sewed the eyes and nose on when I got home and it was ready in plenty of time for the party.

Pattern: "Magic Friends" by Barbara Boulton

Yarn: Stylecraft Charleston

Needles:  size 10 1/2

The pattern also has a kitty and a teddy bear; the only difference is the shape and size of the ears.  This is knit in one piece with no seaming except to close the hole at the top of the head when you're done stuffing it.  I've already bought some yarn to make the kitty for Jay's niece's first birthday, which is in a couple of weeks.  I see more of these in my future; easiest stuffed animal ever!

That was the exent of the knitting while away.  Since I've been home, I've made a washcloth for Rabbitch's drive, a baby washcloth for Clover, started a bib (from Mason-Dixon Knitting), and have finished the body of the Simple Knitted Bodice.

Washcloth for Rabbitch using Peaches & Cream cotton

Washcloth for Clover using Bernat Cotton Tots

I haven't taken a picture of the progress on the SKB yet; I'm not sure I will.  Believe it or not, that is the project I'm not sure about.  I think I made it too big and I'm just not happy with it but I'm not yet ready to admit defeat.  I'm picking up the neck stitches and I'll decide whether or not to finish once I see how that looks.  It's a mighty expensive knit to make any rash decisions.

Before leaving for school, I finished my July Holiday Headstart project.

Pattern: Yankee Knitter Fisherlad Guernsey

Yarn: Plymouth Encore, Color 0405

Needles: Addi Turbo sizes 5 & 7

There has been no spinning in the last couple of weeks; I'll have to remedy that pretty soon!  I have some news on that front too, but I'll save that for another post.

I have MANY projects that I'd like to start soon, but the next two will be my August Sockamania socks (once the School Socks are done) and a test knit for Lark which I plan to start this weekend.

I guess that's enough for today; I was planning to tell you about my afternoon with Sara and Cheryl, but this post is long enough as it is.  That'll be next.

Have a great day!

A Trip to Spunky's

On Saturday, we went to see Amy's shop in Lisbon.  Patti (blogless, we'll have to change that) and I met Gina, Lora, Melissa, and Donna (also blogless) at the Yarn Sellar (Chris and Ericka met us in the parking lot as we were leaving) and we headed up to Amy's, picking up Brenda along the way. 


When we arrived at Amy's, the first thing we saw was an incredibly breathtaking view (of course, being the lazy blogger I am, I didn't take any pics, but Gina took plenty.  Make sure you check out her post about the trip).  Amy's daughter, Moira, came running to greet us and Gina got the biggest hug from her.  What a sweet kid; she even picked lilacs for all of us.


After saying our hello's and chatting for a couple minutes, we all headed into the store.  We were immediately immersed in the most beautiful colors!  Amy really does create magic with colors.  The shop is small right now, but she's planning to move it into a bigger space soon.  That'll be an excuse for us to take another trip up there (like we need one).  The shop reminded me very much of going to SPA and returning time and again to Amy's booth; I just can't get enough of all that gorgeousness.


I didn't do too much damage though. I did manage to stay within the amount I had allotted for purchases. Of course it helped that Amy had a big basket of yarn on sale!  Thanks, Amy :-)


Enough with the talking, eh?  You want to see the loot, don't you? Okay, the very first thing I picked up was something for the baby:

It's a Lambie Bank; isn't it adorable? It was the first thing I saw when I walked in and I fell in love with it. I remembered that before Samm was born, Chris and I found a really cute, very round, Piggy Bank for her and she still has it (although it now has a few chips in it). Samm asked me what the baby was going to do with a bank; silly girl, she's going to collect the money that Nonnie puts in it :-)

There's also this yarn that followed me home:

On the left, from top to bottom we have: Chubby Sock, color Bird Face; Super Nova, color Soylent; Chubby Sock, color Gunsmoke
And on the right, from top to bottom: Beefy Sock, color Navajo Gems; Chubby Sock, color Sangria; Speckles, color Mandy

I brought this home, took this picture, and stuffed it all in this great bag that my hubby gave me a couple of weeks ago:

All before he even saw it :-) Not that he'd mind; he's really very good about my yarn purchases. At least he never says anything about them. Maybe he's just given up; who knows. When I first started acquiring a stash, he'd ask me why I needed more yarn (silly boy), but he doesn't even blink an eye now. This bag is fantastic; not only is it the coolest looking kitty bag, but it is huge!  Even with all that yarn I just put in there, I have plenty of room for much more (hmmmm....).  Plus, check out the zipper pull and wooden kitty tag:

Aren't they great?!

One last thing about the visit with Amy. She gave me some tips on spinning on the spindle and I practiced a bit later that night. And guess what; I think I just might win the battle of Spindle vs. Noolie! I plan to practice a little bit each night until I see something that resembles useable yarn. Thanks so much for your help, Amy!


If you're ever in the area near Lisbon, Maine, you really must go see Amy's shop. In the meantime, you can always have a virtual Spunky visit :)


Now, I'll leave you with this; I've seen it on many blogs and decided to give it a shot.

Noolie -- [noun]: A person of questionable sanity who starts their own cult 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

A cult of fiber worshippers, perhaps?

Ups and Downs

Today was a day of ups and downs.   First, I got to work this morning and was told that Betty is back in the hospital.  Her pain has been very bad and they admitted her to try and get it under control and do some more tests.  I didn't go see her today; she had a few visitors from work and I figured I'll wait until tomorrow and see her at lunch. It's so very hard to know that someone as special as Betty is suffering so much.  That definitely started my day on the down side.

My day was brightened, however, when Lisa arrived to have lunch with me.  She was heading to MA to her Dad's and knew she'd be traveling through my neck of the woods around lunchtime so we made plans to meet.  She came into my office bearing something very special.  Just what I needed; a square she knit for Betty.

Not only is it beautiful, it's incredibly soft as well! Thank you so much, Lisa, it's perfect.
We headed to Greenleaves for lunch because what's better than having lunch next door to the LYS. Of course, dessert was a visit to The Yarn Sellar.
We had a very nice lunch and a very nice visit; Lisa is every bit as nice in person as she is on her blog. I'm really glad she suggested the get together. Don't you just love meeting blog friends in person?

After work, I went to the gym (I really needed to after eating Chinese food for lunch) and when I got home, I found two packages waiting for me. I love it when the mailman brings me packages :-) There was another sqaure for Betty's blanket:
This one came from Nishanna. It is so soft and pretty. Thank you, Nishanna. The arrival of the squares today really helped my mood. Just what I needed.

The other package was a prize package. I didn't do much to win this prize, just run around my house getting pictures of all the creatures' feet for La's DeFeet of Cuteness contest. For some reason, she liked my pictures; I don't think it was so much that all my babies have the cutest feet (of course I think they do, but I'm their Mommy) as it was the sheer number of feet - 9 cats, 2 turtles, 2 geckos. Why yes, some people refer to my home as a zoo; why do you ask? Look what she sent me:
A great set of stitch markers. I love them! Thank you, La.

No knitting yet today; that'll happen after I post this and read some blogs.  I did, however, finish something.  Actually, all I did was sew on three buttons, but that was what I needed to do in order to officially call the Avalance Vest an FO.  Here it is with buttons:

The buttons aren't anything special; just some plain ole yellow buttons to match the vest. I looked high and low for some better buttons, but in the end, this is what I ended up with. Oh well, they do the job.

Now, I've got some blogs to read and some knitting to do. Have a good night, everyone!