Adventures of a Geritol Gypsy

Texas Girl

2012-01-12T20:02:00.005-05:00

I thought this was funny, Sunglass Hut has collaborated with Austin, Texas-based yarn artist Magda Sayeg, otherwise known as Knitta, on three limited edition styles (pictured above) for $130 each at sunglassHut.com. (As part of its partnership with the charity foundation OneSight, $30 from each pair will go to help support and restore clear vision for people in need.) Sweater for your sunglasses, who knew....

Yes as the subject line says, I am heading for Arlington, Texas to work. I will be inside so the shopping will be at a minimum. That is okay since I have a cruise to pay for and who knows what else. I did see the perfect spinning chair today at the third Sunday knitting group. The host, Rose, had purchased this fabulous bench at Rhinebeck and so you know where part of my first per diem check is going. What I like about the bench is that it swivels. The company does not have a picture of the stool on their website so you will have to take my word that it is awesome. I have just sent them an email because I WANT MY STOOL.

I do not make Resolutions for the new year but I thought that I would make a few goals for this year.

Knitting: 1. I want to knit 2 sweaters, I have started one (Lilas Cardigan) and have the other one planned which will be part of the recycled sweater coats that my daughter and I are making.

2. Learn a new stitch pattern. At the moment that will be the brioche stitch.

3. Use stash to make 5 pairs of gloves/mittens with hats to match using the fair isle technique. (I love fair isle)

4. Knit three pairs of socks, one of which is fair isle

5. Use stash to make 3 shawls, one of which will be from my handspun.

6. Go to a knitting retreat or something similar with my daughter.

7. Use stash

Weaving: Just get back on the weaving road. I love to weave but just have not been doing it lately.

I have to live up to my handle, Roadweaver

Spinning: 1. Learn to Navajo Ply

2. Spin the yarn that I want. I can't seem to get pass spinning thin so I have to triple ply to get thicker yarn. I want to be able to spin it.

Sewing: 1. Make 5 pairs of yoga pants.

2. Make an art quilt

3. Make my recycled sweater coat. My colors are going to be black and red. The top part is hand knit and the reminder is sweaters that I am collecting from thrift stores. My coat will not have the hood.

Polymer Clay: Take a class. I have learned all I can on my own and now I need help. I plan to make all the buttons for anything I knit this year.

Floor Cloth: Make 2 floor cloths, one I would like to be a runner.

Other: Anything new goes.

My Life: Get some control of my life so that I can retire and spend more time with my family. There is so much to do and there are so many wonderful people that I have met in the area. I want more time to pursue the things that I love, which is anything that has to do with crafts.

Now that the goals are out of the way,

I have made two new project bags, one will go to my daughter. You know how I love project bags.

I also made a bag to carry the peg loom (picture of loom in December post) my son-in-law made me. Yes, it is going to Texas with me.

I do not have any finished objects, I am still working on Vixen, Knotty gloves, and the Akimbo shawl.

Right now I am listening to the 4th book in the series by Janet Evanovich called Four to Score. She is a bounty hunter that is just learning her job. If you want to laugh, then this series will have you rolling on the floor.

I was explaining at the spinning group that I watch more video podcast than I do TV now a days. A good source for a list of podcast both video and audio that are knitting/spinning related is the knitting podcast blog. I also watch a lot of travel podcast because I am always dreaming of the next place I want to visit.

That is it for now. The next time I will show you what I got into on my two and half day drive to Texas.

I hate the COLD

2012-01-05T14:06:00.004-05:00

Old Man Winter is blowing. The other day I woke up to find a dusting of snow over everything. I wish I could tell you that I like winter but I do not. Give me 70 degrees, sun or even rain and I am happy.

Just finished my Caribbean Sunset Shawl. It is so funny, I started this on the cruise to the Eastern Caribbean with my friend, Sue in September, and did not get very much done. Then I tried working on it on the cruise in December, I got more done but still could not finish it. I was determined to get this shawl finished to wear on the Western Caribbean cruise in April when we go to celebrate my daughter's birthday. As you can see, I used the wonderful Wolle's Color Changing Yarn again in the Peaches colorway.

I got my DyakCraft interchangeable needles in November but was unable to pick them up from my daughter until our cruise. I did not want to take them with me on the cruise in case I lost one before I had the chance to use them. These needles are hand made, I ordered them July12 and they were shipped October 26. The actual name of the needles is Darn Pretty and they are. I made a request to have my needles with a point to knit lace and fair isle. I ordered 3.5" Hazelwood sizes 4-10.5. These needles screw in and you do not need a tool. The needles come in its a signed and numbered needle role case that you can choose the color, two needle stops and four cables. I will definitely have to order more cables at some future time. The needle tips also come in 5" but I like short needles. There are 13 wood color choices, if these work out, I might buy another set but another color and sell my Knit Picks needles.

Yesterday I started my first project using Darn Pretty needles and found that until I had finished a couple of rows, the needles were grippy, now they are slick and I am enjoying them. I did have a problem with the needles unscrewing but I think that I did not not screw them tightly, now I am having no problem. I started Stephen West's, Akimbo. I have 240 yards each of Wolle's Yarn Creation. I will be using Harmony 2 as the contrast color which only takes 160 yards, and Dark Teal as the main color which the pattern says takes 275 yds. Because dark teal is one the solids that she seems to always have, I will just order another small cake if I have to.

The other thing I have been doing is spinning. I love to spin and do not know why I seem to get distracted and never find the time. I fell in love with the shawl by Bristol Ivy called Winnowing.

I have 302 yards so far and the pattern calls for 825 yards. I do hope that I will be able to get 523 more yards. If not, then I will come up with something else. I have not washed the skein yet but this is how it looks so far.

That is me for now. See you later.

Christmas Deux and Trois

2011-12-26T11:29:00.007-05:00

Yes, the second part of my three part Christmas holiday was when we left the ship. We were suppose to have gone to the Disney parks for two days and go home but my son-in-law wanted to stay for the week. That was not a problem for me and my daughter, however our friends had to go straight home.

We checked into the Wilderness Lodge for two nights which was our original plans. Unfortunately, we could not get any more nights so we had to switch to our home resort Saratoga Springs for the rest of the week. I thought I loved staying at Saratoga Springs but I like the layout of the two bedroom of the Wilderness Lodge better. We will have to check out the two bedroom of Old Key West next time.

Anyway, we checked in went to Downtown Disney for lunch and just to look around After a delicious dinner at Artist Point located in the Wilderness Lodge (expensive but fantastic)we got a good night sleep so that we could get to Epcot, my favorite park. The goal for me was to listen to the Christmas stories from each country.

In Italy, they have a witch called Le Befana that delivers the toys In the United Kingdomthey have Father Christmas. I also listen to the Japan storyteller They do not celebrate Christmas but instead they celebrate the New Year. They have the daruma doll which is a talisman of good luck for the new year.

In Norway there is no Santa Claus but there is a mischievous elf-like gnome names Julenissen. The children leave a steaming bowl of porridge in the hayloft for him. This was the funniest reenactment of all.

From Mexico, there was the Three Wise Men Although many Mexican familes have Christmas trees, the Nativity scene is the most common decoration.

The American pavilion had two Christmas traditions. One was Kwanzaa which was founded in 1960 to reaffirm the African-American identify and a celebration of community. and the traditional Santa Claus

There were a few more countries that I did not get very good pictures partly because of rain or just got there two late to get all the story. However, they were wonderful to listen to and see.

We had a chance to check out some of the gingerbread houses around the kingdom. Like at the American pavilion at Epcot. The Contemporary resortand the Grand FloridianThis one is life size.

The next part of our adventure was the Disney Wild Afica Trek. We were put in harnesses and off we went to get a closeup few of the animals. This is one way to get up close and personal.We were fed

we even got breakfast safari style.

This is our safari group

Lots of fun but you are walking for about an hour and half on uneven ground, then on a truck with no suspension for about an hour. Was it worth it, YES, would I do it again, YES. Something to keep in mind if you decide to do this, if you can not bungee an item on you, it can not be taken.

Now on to the Christmas lights as only Disney can....the castle at Magic Kingdom

The Osborne lights at Disney Studios.

And then there was Christmas day at home with my family. PERFECT. My daughter made dinner for us complete with my favorite, home made pimento cheese and my sons favorite caramel pie. My son-in-law made me a peg loom that I have already starting playing with it

. I made a rug to go in front of the kitchen sink because my feet get cold and I mostly wear socks indoors.. My daughter made me a felted hat, I had to have her model it because I hate taking pictures. and then my daughter gave everyone a small flat something wrapped. Everyone got there wish....even if it was only paper. They all said "What I wish I could give you", mine was what I want most of all It has a murphy bed inside. I made my son and son-in-law felted clogs , fingerless mittens for my daughter-in-law and boots for my daughter that she has to felt to fit her. Pictures of these will come after she gets them felted to fit.

I just had a friend send me this video. It was so me last week...I was grandmabot.

It really hit home this year how lucky I was when I heard from my aunt that she had to spend Christmas alone. To have the people around you that you love on Christmas is the most wonderful gift of all. I guess I am extremely lucky because I hear from my children almost every day and see them often.

I can only hope that you are as blessed and had a fantastic Christmas. Have a wonderful New Year.

What a Christmas Month, let me tell you......

2011-12-26T10:07:00.007-05:00

All I can say about the month of December is WOW!!!!!!

I had been working 12 hours days in Chicago for the months of October and November which did not make me have the Christmas spirit. I came home on December 1 and had time to throw things in the suitcase to leave that evening to meet my daughter and son-in-law to start our holiday vacation.

We got to Cape Canaveral, Florida, on the 3rd and watched the Disney Magic sail out. My daughter and I wanted my son-in-law, Bryan, to see the ship so he would have something to compare the Disney Dream with the next day. After a nice dinner at a place my friend, Sue, and I had found on our trip to the area in September, if was off to bed and dreams of our adventure to come. We had friends to meet up with, food to eat, Konk Koolers to drink and just a great time. I was sorry that my son could not make it but there is always next year.

This is my Bryan watching the carry-on bags in the cruise terminal while we ran around. What a good sport.

The atrium of the Disney Fantasy was all decked out for the holidays very tastefully. I was so happy that it was not over done.

Once we had lunch, we went down to decorate our door for the holidays, put up our FE holder in anticipation of some good gifts. We were not disappointed this time. Everyone but one person, went all out. My son-in-law made the fireplace, my daughter made the wreath, and I made the FE holder. Now we have to work on ideas to decorate the doors for my daughter, TeAntae's birthday cruise in April on the Disney Fantasy. What we want is to decorate all the doors in our group to look like they are a continuation of the same theme. I will have to let you know know later how that is coming along.

There was one other door that we fell in love with that was simple but very cute.

That evening, we were very pleased about our room stewards towel animal skills and knew that we had a winner.

One of our favorite stops on any Disney cruise is their private island, Castaway Key. It was nice to share this island with our friends that had come along on this trip. I think they enjoyed it as much as we do.Here is Jody and I waiting for our Konk Kooler order while everyone else went bike riding. We know where the fun is.

There was a gentleman in our Disboard group that makes these animals out of a nut and pipe cleaners. Dudley the DeerNut turned into our group mascot. Pictures were taken of him all over the ship and the island.

Disney's snowmen with a sunburn.

The cruise was fun but too short. Can't wait until the next one.

The first part of my Christmas holiday was over but there was more to come.

It is so Good to be Home

2011-08-11T15:10:00.005-04:00

Some blogs are full of philosophical musing, beautiful photos, or tutorials on every aspect of life. Then there is mine....I love to ramble and talk about what is on my mind for that day. That is enough for me. The blog was started so that my daughter and friends would know what I was up to since I work out of town. That is still the purpose but find that now I am writing reminders to myself. I am getting older and more forgetful....I like looking back on what I did.

I am back on call so I can be sent out at any time. I have been lucky enough to spend two weekends with my daughter and my son even came along on one of our outings.

I think I will start with what I have been sewing and knitting. No spinning to report on but someday, I will surprise you.

My friend Sue, and I will be going on our cruise next month. I like to make different carry-ons for my trips. This time I decided to make the Weekender Bag that I told you about. Sewing through that Pellon was a bear. When I make my daughter's I will not do it the same way. I had a tiny bit of fabric left so I made a matching project bag. You can not fly with out your knitting..... I will make my daughter her set when she picks out the fabric from my stash. If I do not have it for this trip (she is joining me on the second half of the trip), it will be ready for our December trip.

I did quite a bit of knitting while I was in Knoxville, since I was off on Sunday's and did not have files to work in the evenings, I had more time on my hands than usual. I always take UFO's with me but find that I will work on other things as well.

Up first is my Lady of the Silvery Lake which is my version of Lady of the Blue Forest by Ashley Knowlton I found this to be a very fun knit. The instructions were super clear. Well written pattern in both chart and text. The yarn I used was Abstract Fiber Mighty Sock in Silver.

I also finished my West of Miami which was the my version of the KAL pattern Miami Vice by Threebagsfulled. I love all the patterns that I have knitted from her. And of course I used Wolle's Yarn Creations Color Changing Cotton in the colorway Gemstone.

I am so hooked on Elizabeth's yarn. The colors are just beautiful.

The last shawl that I finished while I was away was my Dark Snowflake. I had purchased lots of Ella Rae yarn from Tuesday Morning, part of these purchases was bulky which I hardly ever use until I found this pattern, Snowflake by Susanna IC . This is a free pattern which makes it even nicer.

The last shoulder shawl, you have seen before but I tried to block it better. I hope that you can see Theodora by ThreeBagFulled a little better here.

That is all the knitting that is finished at this point. I am working on Saroyan which is a cute scarf using on one ball of Wolles Color Changing Yarn in Desert Clay. I need to get back on

Liesl if I want to have it done by our cruise in December. All I have done so far is cast on and knit one row.

That is it for knitting for now. My daughter and I went to the Amish countryside to go antiquing for two weekends in the row. We did find a knitting store in Intercourse, PA, by the name of Lancaster Yarn Shop . It is a very cute shop but no place to sit n knit and not a lot of yarn. It is not a shop to make a special trip but the staff was nice.The shop has a back porch that is enclosed that would make a great sitting area but they just have stuff to decorate the porch.

They did knit covers for the front porch bannister and the lamp post that was in front.

Only about three weeks to my cruise.....I am doing the cruise dance if you can not see me...

I want to leave you with this article

Knitting the Unusual

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN ADJUSTER

2011-07-24T18:29:00.004-04:00

We get so little time off . On that one day, I do the laundry, do a little grocery shopping., cook so I can have something to heat up after working 12 or more hours a day. Fit in a little knitting or sewing , if possible.This is my West of Miami shawl, the pattern is Miami Vice. I have 22 more rows and the border to go.

However, we always need something to calm our nerves and try to come down from the hectic week.

I think we found it, ZIPLINE baby. This was more fun than you can ever imagine. Go here is you want to see more pictures.

https://picasaweb.google.com/contraryrose/ZIPLINE2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCLvcuq7bhcSL7QE

We went to Foxfire Mountain. I have to admit that I was enjoying the speed so much that I kept forgetting to slow down and took out the catcher twice. I went with two co-workers and had the time of my life. Would I do it again.....IN A HEART BEAT.

IT HAS BEEN AWHILE

2011-07-17T16:34:00.006-04:00

It is funny how time just gets away from you. I sit down on my day off to post and then everything seems to get in the way.

I am working in Knoxville, TN, as I post this. I have been here for 2 months. I am hoping that this is the last month but who knows.

This weekend was the AQS Quilt Show & Contest at the Knoxville Convention Center. The show ran from July 13-16. I went on Saturday, the 16th. Every time I go to one of those shows I come away wanting to quilt. The talent is just amazing.

I did buy some fabric and a CD that I can use in my digital scrapbooking. The CD is entitled Fabric Studio Deluxe. You can create and print fabric at home using your computer. I liked the idea not only for making my own fabric but it will be great for my digital scrapbooking. I thought I had lost it but when I was cleaning out the rental car to take it back....I found the CD between the seat. Am I happy....You Bet!!!

My friend Sue came to visit me here in Knoxville, last month. We went to fabric and yarn stores of course but we also went on a River Cruise. That was fun and I am glad that she found out about it. We took a picture while on the boat, I do not have a scanner so I tried to take a picture of the picture, this is what I got but you get the idea that we had a great time.

I have been knitting and sewing. I made some project bags and two shawls so far. I am working on a KAL of the Miami Vice Shawl , this is a free pattern. I am calling mine South of Miami since the colors are southwest. I am using Wolle's Color Changing Yarn in the colorway Gemstones. No picture yet because I still have the last 11 row repeat to do. This is a very enjoyable knit, especially if you use the ChiaoGoo Red Lace Circular needles. They are very pointy which I found that I never split the fibers of Wolle's yarn. I am enjoying knitting it but mine will not be half the size of some of the ones I have seen. They must have blocked that shawl within an inch of its life to get that size. The shawl takes one mega skein of Wolle's Yarn or 560 yds of worsted weight.

I really love my finished Weekend Shawl, I am calling mine "Bejeweled Weekend Shawl" since I decide to bead the spine parts. I WILL be making another. I used two skeins of Dream in Color Smooshy that I purchased while I was in Chicago at their warehouse sale. There was no color on the skein so I can't tell you the colorway.

The other shawl that I have finished is the Astilbe Shawl. I love this one as well and will be making another one. I used my favorite yarn, Wolle's Coloring Changing Yarn. The colorway is Lake Night. I am calling my shawl "Evening Shade,". I used one 100g ball. I have purchased another ball to make another one, I really love this and plan on taking it on my cruise in September.

Both shawls will need a good blocking when I get home, I did the best I could in a hotel room.

Besides the shawl I am working on a weekend bag to carry in September. I like making a new carryon for my trips. The pattern is by Amy Butler. One picture is a picture of the pattern and the other is the bag completed by the owner of the blog 'Big Bad Wool'. I only hope mine comes out half as nice. If it does, I am making one for my daughter.

That is it for tonight, I will try not taking so long next time.

I AM A SLINGBOX CONVERT

2011-06-06T07:24:00.005-04:00

I have always hated that I paid for cable but because of my job I was never home enough to get my monies worth and also hated missing all my favorite shows. I am not a great TV watcher, in fact I do not have any of the movie channels because I found that I never watch movies. I have been toying with the idea of getting a Slingbox for awhile and recently overheard a conversation that the independent adjuster were having about how they loved having Slingbox to watch their home sports, I decided to give it a try.

Slingbox is a way that you can watch your home TV anywhere as long as you have access to the internet. I am now starting my morning listening to my favorite news station while I am getting ready for work. In the evening, I watch my favorite TV shows on my favorite stations like ILife, PBS, History Channel, WETA, etc, while making dinner or knitting. The only problem is that in the evening the wi-fi is not consistent because so many people are on but it still works.

I have realized that I will need to bite the bullet and buy the IPad Slingbox app. My son purchased (don't seem to surprised, I gave him the money :) and set up the system for me. I am happy that he got the Pro HD which was the most expensive but it works with the IPad app. I can see using it when I am home in my sewing room or in bed (I do not have a TV in the bedroom) or when I go to my daughter's and want to see a show. I am coming up with dozens of reasons that I would use the app and pay the $30 for the app. The more I think about it, I will have my son help me set it up this weekend. Yes, I talked myself into it.

Now on to knitting....I did not bring my spinning wheel or loom with me again. I have been knitting the Turkish Bed Socks. I need socks to wear in my work shoes or my walking sandals that do not go up my ankle. In the heat, regular socks get uncomfortable. I saw a sample of the socks in one of my knitting shop stops, purchased the pattern and I am now happy I did so. I used the Patons Kroy Socks yarn in the Clover Colors colorway. I had two balls that I had purchased for something else. I only used one ball, 166 yds, for one pair. Each sock is a different color because of the way the colors were so I am making another pair with the other ball and will see what happens. I do not care that the socks do not match exactly but right now it will look like I would be wearing one green sock and one orange sock. The socks are easy and a really neat construction. I plan on wearing the socks in my work shoes today to see how my plan works out.

Gadget Crawl on the way to The Maryland Sheep and Wool

2011-05-06T19:08:00.008-04:00

Yes, I have left New Orleans, was home a week and now I am heading for Knoxville, TN.

Before I tell you what is up with me...enjoy this video if you have not already seen it.

I take vacation every year to go to the Maryland Sheep and Wool. I do not always buy anything but I love going to fondle the fiber and talk to vendors.

On the way home from New Orleans, I decided to stop at a few yarn stores that I have not been to in search of the perfect an unique knitting gadget.

In Alabama, I stopped at In The Making. The shop is in a strip mall but there is not a lot of parking. The shop itself has fabric as well as yarn and patterns. The shop samples had me buying two patterns and a pattern booklet. This is a shop worth stopping at if you are in the Birmingham area. Just look at the shop window.

Another Alabama shop I visited was Serendipity Needleworks in Tuscaloosa. It is also in a strip mall but there is plenty of parking. I did not buy anything since I was only looking for knitting gadgets. The shop is well laid out and the staff friendly. I would stop again if in the area.

Don't you think that this is such an inviting entrance.The shop is brighter than my picture and as you can see, it has lots of yarn but does not feel cluttered.

In Tennessee, I went to The Yarn Haven in Knoxville, TN. This shop is in a strip mall with plenty of parking. I did not find any unique gadget but they did have a nice selection of yarn. They carry handmade project bags that was very cute. However, the pattern that I wanted, had been made for a retreat and they did not have any for sell. I did not need to buy anything anyway.

I also went to Loopville in Knoxville. I stop there everytime I go through the area. I only purchased a magazine this time but now that I will be working there, no telling what I will be coming home with.

There is one shop in Bristol, TN, that you should avoid unless you like JoAnne and Michael's yarn. That is all that they carry. It is called Skeins & Things.

My very favorite shop in my travels this time is in Abingdon, VA, called A Likely Yarn. As soon as I drove up, I knew I would love it. The shop is in a house, the landscaping and front porch or so inviting. The staff, was friendly and very helpful. In fact, there was one that is a true enabler. I left not only with the cutest stitch markers but enough yarn for a project. I will show pictures in my next post when I get further along.

I did make it to the Maryland Sheep and Wool on the Saturday. Had a wonderful time as always. I only spent the money I took with me. Sorry,I did not take pictures of my purchases. I got some bluish silver mohair roving that is going to be so pretty when it is spun up. I never buy kits but this time I did buy a shrug kit that takes a trillion beads, and some yarn for either a shawl or socks. The shrug is suppose to be for our cruise in December, it will look so nice with a slinky black dress. Okay, maybe not slinky but a nice black dress.

My daughter and son-in-law went with me to check on our place in KY. My son-in-law, will take us anywhere we want to go and never complains when we have him turn around because we passed a shop we just had to see.

He loves Makers Mark bourbon so we decided to go to the distillery since it is only about an hour and half from the our place. This is really pretty property and the restaurant on sight has some excellent bourbon pulled pork. After the tour, my son-in-law brought us bottles of Makers Mark that we got to dip to make the distinctive trade mark red cap cover. Mine was not that good. I would never make a bottle dipper.

And I end with this unbelievable knitting feat

YOU KNOW WHEN YOU ARE IN LOUISIANA....

2011-04-16T18:09:00.003-04:00

One state that I do not like to work in isLouisiana. I find it very depressive. Right now I am working in the New Orleans area. I am not a drinker and have gone to Bourbon Street a few times in early work assignments so I have no need to go again. If you want to keep me in a happy mood, I have to stay away from plantations.

It looks like every gas station has a casino. That might explain how poor most people seem to be.

On a happier note....

I went to a quilt shop when I first arrived because I love fabric as well as yarn. I brought some fat quarter's to make project bags. Unfortunately, Aunt Nell's Quilt Shop does not have a website. Every one was friendly and very helpful. I could not find Mardi Gras fabric like I did last time but I did find some cute fabric.

I also went to another quilting store when I was moved to the New Orleans area that I will go back to before I go home. The shop is called Mes Amis Quilt Shop . Not only does the shop have the prettiest fabric of any shop I have been in for quite sometime, the staff was beyond nice and helpful. I did pick up Mardi Grasfabric for me to make a project bag for myself an my daughter as well as enough for my friend Sue to make one if she wants to. I also picked up fabric for us to make FE (fish exchange) holders for our cruises. Check out pass post where I explained what an FE was.

I went to an arts and craft festival called the

Southdown Marketplace, I thought that it would be like a fine arts craft festival since it was held at Southdown Plantation House Museum. However, it was more of a anything handmade marketplace. I did purchase some cajun barbeque sauce for my son-in-law and a wreath for my daughter-in-law.

The thing I was impressed with was how the doors were decorated on the houses by the museum.

This has to be a two parter because according to Blogger, it is too large.

YOU KNOW WHEN YOU ARE IN LOUISIANA....part 2

2011-04-16T18:07:00.006-04:00

I have been to two yarn stores since I have been in the New Orleans area. One is Needle Arts Studio, Inc. (no website) that had 50% off yarn and of course I brought a sweater worth of Sublime Angora Merino. Yes, yes, I am am on a yarn diet. The shop has more needlepoint than yarn but the staff was nice and helpful.

The other is a up there on my list of great yarn store that has atmosphere, helpful and friendly staff, lots of yarn and what was amazing was the exterior of the shop. It was so inviting. If you are anywhere near Lacombe, LA. you should check out McNee dles .I was told that the house is 120 years old and had been renovated before the current owner had purchased it. It has a porch that goes around two sides with comfy outdoor furniture. I wish it was closer but it is an hour away and you have to cross a 27 mile bridge, so I do not know if I will be going back while I am here.

I just purchased another gadget for my IPad, an IPad clutch. I like it but you can not carry very much, only the essentials. That is all I need for work so I am enjoying it. I purchased it on line from Happy Owl Studios. I purchased the red one I am using the shoulder strap. I have never had a red purse but always wanted one.

What is on and off my needles....

On my needles the Weekend Shawl, by Crafty Diversions. I do not know the colorway because I purchased the yarn at the Dream In Color warehouse sale when I was working in Chicago and there was no label. I do seem to be making a lot of shawls lately and will have to correct that.

Off my needles is Snow Drops & Snap Peas Shawl by Kirsten Kapur. I used Wolle's color changing yarn in the colorway Forest 2. I am calling my shawl "Into the Forest." This was a fun knit and I would suggest it if you like knitting lace.

I also finished the Theodora Shawlette KAL by ThreeBagsFull. I also used Wolle's color changing yarn in the colorway Berries 2. I love the pattern but just kept putting it down so it took me a long time to finish. I would make it again larger because it was fun to knit.

Both shawls still need to be blocked. I enjoyed knitting both an look forward to wearing them.

Good bye for now and Hello from Louisiana

Why Is It Still Winter

2011-03-04T16:51:00.010-05:00

My daughter, TeAntae, son-in-law, Bryan, and I went to the American Craft Council (ACC) show at the Baltimore Convention Center. This year was the 35th annual show and ran from February 24-27. There were more than 700 top contemporary craft artists that presented their latest handmade creations including: jewelry, clothing, furniture, green craft, and home decor.

My daughter and I just love to go and get ideas of things we would like to try to make. The place will make your head spin with all the amazing crafts. The artist or fantastic to talk to as well as informative. I wanted to take a class with this Nuno felter but when I checked her website, the class I wanted is at the Penland School in NC and it is full. I am going to just have to play with it.

This year, the show featured cakes that local bakers had made using inspiration from different artist jewelry and pottery. I do not know what the cakes taste like but they were amazing to look at. The jewelry or pottery is in the pictures behind the cakes if you can see them.

I just got back from 4 days in Orlando, FL, attending a meeting. I really did not do very much so I have nothing to report. However, I finished my Boneyard Shawl by Stephen West. I thank Stitchingnut for her interpretation of the Boneyard Shawl. I was so impressed that I decided to give it a try. While in Cloverhill Yarn store in Catonsville, MD, I saw a hat that the colors just drew me in. I purchased enough yarn to make a shawl with no shawl in mind at the time. This is an easy shawl, just stockinette. I decided on the Windblown Leaf border from Nikki Epstein's, Knitting on the Edge.

Several people complimented me on the shawl when I wore it to the meeting.

I am presently working on a KAL shawl and a scarf that I started while I was in Orlando because I had brought the wrong needles for the KAL shawl and forgot the needle for the scarf I was going to start. I was surprised that the Orlando Walmart still had crafts so I was able to pick up a knitting needle.

This year, I am trying to knit from stash. My daughter said it was okay to buy yarn if I am short a ball, but every time I want to buy yarn, I am to put the money toward our vacations. I can do this.

It Was A Bear...but worth it

2011-02-20T17:01:00.007-05:00

I have been in need of a way to carry my Lendrum spinning wheel for ages. I have dropped it off a cart while trying to take it into the hotel, a co-worker was helping me take things in a hotel one day and somehow broke off a piece of my Woolee Winder, and another time I dropped a bobbin out of my bag and broke it coming out of a hotel. ....I really needed a way to carry my wheel.

I bit the bullet and measured the wheel, pulled out some upholstery fabric from my stash that was purchased to make a purse, brought a yoga mat to use as padding, and made a general newspaper pattern for the front and back. My friend, Sue, and I went to G Street fabrics and I brought a 70 inch zipper as well as some fake leather. My daughter, TeAntae, suggested that I make the bag so I could carry it like a backpack. That turned out to be the best suggestion yet.

The front pocket is for me to put the head and bobbins in. Frankly, I do not have to take it off, there is enough room inside the bag but my Woolee Winder is precious so I will probably take it off when I am traveling. I will not when I am just going to be local like going to spinning. I think there is enough room inside for fiber, will just have to see.

I put the wheel inside the bag and put the bag on my back to see how it felt and it felt fantastic. I had decided to pad the straps that went over my shoulder and I think that really made the difference. Here is the wheel in it's traveling home.

I know you may think that I have gone back to my second childhood, but I just had to have this case for my Ipad. What fun it is to use and also have people take a second look because they can not believe what they are looking at.

You know how one thing leads to another. I then needed another case to carry the Ipad in, the one I had was too small. I saw a Mickey Mouse cover while we were at Walt Disney World but I was afraid it was too small. My daughter brought a Mickey Mouse case for her MAC and we decided that since the cost was the same as for the Ipad case, that I would just have to buy the computer case and cut it down to size. I did and it works perfectly.

But that was not the end of it. The stand that is built into the Etch-a-Sketch case is really not a stand, and I needed something for when I am in bed watching my Ipod videos, etc, while I was knitting.

I had to go to the kitchen store to exchange my c20 cartridge for my soda maker, I found the solution to my in the bed video problem which also works great on my lap when I am sitting on the sofa and when I am reading a recipe on my Ipad while cooking.

Who would have thought that I would find the solution in a kitchen store and for $12.00. This is a cookbook stand that adjust to several heights.

I am going to start dinner and rest for awhile. I think I work harder when I am home than I do when I out working. At least, I am just as exhausted at the end of the day.

OMG!!!! WOW!!!!

2011-02-15T08:58:00.010-05:00

As everyone knows, my daughter and I are big fans of Disney. We go to the parks, take cruises on their ships, and have ownership in their Disney Vacation Club. Both my daughter and son were married at Disney World and took the Disney cruises for part of their honeymoons. So as you can see, we enjoy Disney.

My daughter told me about 6 months are so ago that Disney's new cruise ship, the Dream, second cruise would go over my birthday, Jan 31. I told her to book it. At that point, I started reading everything I could get my hands on about the new ship. Yes...I know there are bigger more luxurious ships out there but I also knew that Disney would put their touch on this ship that would make it their own unique experience.

When you walk into the atrium you know that Disney has really pulled out all the stops. The atrium is elegant but not stuffy. They took some of the fun things like the fireworks at sea and the pirate party and expanded them with new technology. The Aquaduck which is a water slide funnel thing goes out over the ocean (no I did not give it a try) but everyone I talked to that did it said it was fantastic. If you would like to read a very informative and delightful trip report, checkout Coach Rick on the Disney Cruise Line Forum. He says it all.

I was not disappointed as I came over the bridge and saw that baby. Okay, big baby. This ship is 40% larger than the first two, the Magic and the Wonder.

We decorated our door once we got settled and had explored the ship a little.

On my birthday, I did not get a towel animal but a towel birthday cake complete with pipe cleaners for candles.
Our room stewardess told us that she was not a good cook but she stayed up all night and baked and baked.

The itinerary was not important for this short cruise. We are not thrilled with the upper Bahamas especially Nassau so we had no intention of getting off the boat except for Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. It was our intention to use the ship as our all inclusive resort, the only thing we would have to pay extra for was the alcoholic drinks. We had on board credit to cover most the alcohol we consume, which was minimal.

The bed is so comfortable that we overslept and missed breakfast the morning of Castaway Cay. We could have ordered room service but went up to the coffee shop for a pastry and coffee/tea.

(This was the pillow on our bed)

We went for an early barbecue lunch on the island then went to the family cabanas since we wanted to know why anyone would pay so much for the use of the cabanas. They do have cabana's to rent on the adult beach as well but there is no privacy. When we got to the family cabana area, we were told that if we had not rented a cabana, we could not go into this private area with it's private beach. We stood and talked to the cast members in charge of the travel agent tour and they invited us to go in and look at the cabana that the travel agents would be coming by to look at. We fell in love with the cabanas and think that is well worth the money to rent, it even has snacks and includes all non-motorized activities for a group of up to 10. What I like was the little yellow button to push when you need service. Just think, cast members (what Disney employees are called) at my beck and call.

We left the cabana's and caught the tram to the adult beach. We had our Kindles', sunscreen and plans to just sit our chairs in the water and relax. Didn't happen....

This cruise was full of travel agents taking classes on how to sell the Disney cruise to their clients. We got to the beach and started talking to a travel agent that we have met on the tram. She asked us why we take Disney cruises and we have no children. This led to talking for about 2 hours. The bottom line is the service and staff. There are more retired couples on board than families with children.

We decided to go back to the ship instead of laying on the beach because now it was at the height of the sun. We also wanted to look in the shops and get a Castaway Cay speciality drink, the Konk Kooler. I truly think they dropped a bottle of rum in it but it was so delicious.

We had been running around the ship looking for great places to knit so when we got back, we just sit on the deck as well as on our veranda to watch the people on the beach.

We went to the adult pool area with the wade up bar but did not stay in the area except for the Cove Cafe coffee shop. Mainly because it was nosier than the family area, I think the main reason was the live band.

The shows were wonderful, Disney themed but Broadway quality. Even if you have never seen a Disney movie, you will love the costumes, special effects and music.

"BELIEVE" The genie from Aladdin and many of Disney's most beloved magic makers take a father on a magical journey to show him that anything is possible if you just believe.

"Villain's Tonight" begins when Hades and his faithful sidekicks, Pain and Panic (Hercules) welcomes new souls (the audience) to the underworld. However Hades has turned the underworld in to a happier and upbeat place. The fun begins when the Fates predict that Hades will lose his position in the underworld if he does not ramp up his evil factor.

Their is also the staple show "The Golden Mickeys" which is an award show for all the Disney great. This was has been updated for the new ship.

The last thing I want to tell you, for I could go on forever, is that I finally saw why you see so few children on board even through you know they are there. We got to go to the children's area,they have almost an entire deck. This place is amazing, no wonder parents can not get them to spend time with them.
There is a closet full of princesses dresses to try on, an animation lab that they can make their own animations, a hand washing station that is like putting your hands in a car wash, a submarine that is full of computers so play computer games, there is Andy's room from Toy Story that has all of Andy's toy's giant size for you to play in or with. There is even a dance floor that you can step on square in time with the music to make the floor light up. I think the best part for parents is that if you have late dinner, the counselors will come to the restaurants and take the children back to the play area and keep them up to 2AM so the parents can have some time to go to the lounges or dance clubs.

Okay, that was not the last. The clubs are themed like every thing on the ship. But they are not cheesy. The adult lounge area is called the District. I thought I would not like the dance club, Evolution, but the DJ was very good so we did spend an evening there. I like Pink, the champagne lounge because it is so ....pink and cozy. We even closed it down one evening. It is made to make you feel you are inside a champagne glass.

I also liked Skyline, this lounge is suppose to be that you are in a penthouse and outside the windows is a different city depending on when you are there. Lights go on and off, there are cars going by, etc. It really looks like you are looking out the window onto Hong Kong, Chicago, Rio, Paris or New York.

I have not told you anything about the the other lounges and family area, beautiful restaurants, the sport deck, spa or our room. That will have to be another time. This was a fabulous birthday and I look forward to many more trips on the Dream.

It Feels Like Christmas in January

2011-01-26T19:29:00.009-05:00

I am trying to keep my mind off the weather and have my fingers and toes crossed that the flight on Saturday to Florida will get out with out any problems. I am really looking forward to my birthday cruise.

My friend, Sue, gave me my birthday present yesterday since she will not see me again until after my birthday. I almost passed out when I saw what she gave me.....a yarn swift but not just a yarn swift but the one I wanted. I have a swift but I had to push up one of those large clip things to hold the swift in place to wind the yarn.

I am using the swift on the winding station I made. I thought that I would have to put down some velcro or something to hold the winder in place, but would you believe, it does not move while it is whirling. Thank you Sue, I love it.

Thought you might want to see my old winder. Don't laugh too hard-- it worked. Trust me, when something is too good to be true, it is...I thought I was getting such a bargain when I brought this.

Now changing the subject, my son-in-law just finished my Christmas present. I needed a way to keep my hats and shawls out because I would actually forget what I made and some items were not getting used. I showed him a picture I saw of a stand that someone had made to hang their skates. He made me one for my hats and one for my shawls, however he is not satisfied with the design and has come up with his own design and said that he is making me another stand. I guess that will be my birthday present.

Frankly, I am very satisfied with what he made. I am anxious to see the new one.

Just want to show you some of the things we made for the Fish Exchange on the cruise. To explain this a little. Beside your door on the ship, there is a metal fish that you can leave messages. People make or buy these pockets so that people can leave little gifts.

This is what I made

to receive our gifts.

There are 8 cabins in our group but only 4 children . As part of our surprise gifts are a cookbook that my daughter put together of Disney recipes from the resorts, ship or restaurants in the parks. I printed the label on dvd's and my daughter put Disney music on it. Since one of the cabins is honeymooners, their dvd will be romantic songs from Disney movies. I also made some bookmarks. there are other things but this is all that I have to show you.

I will close with the cups that we decorated. To give a little explanation, you do not pay extra for water and soda but the drink stations have have very, very, small cups. People have been bringing their own cups and we thought that we would as well. We went on Etsy and found some cute cups with lids that looked like decorated tall To Go cups for $30 to $45. My daughter found cups at Tuesday Morning, for $4.99 and we went to Hobby Lobby and brought rub on transfers for $2 and $3.

The pink cup is the one I did for $8 total. The other cup is $45.00 on Etsy.Well, I have kept you up long enough, the next report will be on the cruise. We are taking two knitting projects in case we get bored.

The Party is Over

2011-01-10T12:48:00.004-05:00

I am trying not to think about it but today is the last day of my vacation. Now reality has set in

and I will be tied to the company cellphone until 7pm each evening waiting for the phone to ring.

I have enjoyed myself this last month and really want to retire. I do not play the lottery but I am tempted to lose my money to give it a try.

I have been busy trying to keep my mind off of work. I finished another Ruffle Lace Cowl , since I work outdoors most of the time, it is nice to have something that covers my chest and head. I made this one with two extra repeats, 14 in all. My plan was for 15-16 repeats but I ran out of the Manos yarn I was using. The picture is pre-block. I am fanning out the bottom more so that it will look more like the original cowl.

In addition, I am on the purse craze again. I love making and carrying purses and knitting bags that I have made. I saw the Birdie Sling by Amy Butler at my favorite sewing store in Hanover, PA called Danner's Bernina Shop, when I went to pick up a part for my friend Sue. I could see this as a knitting bag as well as a purse. I brought the pattern and came straight home and made myself one.

In addition, since my daughter, TeAntae, and I are taking a cruise for my birthday at the end of the month and we will be going to Disney's private island for the day, I thought that we needed new beach totes. I used heavy weight window screening for the main body, canvas for the handles and top part of the tote and 4 inches of other fabric I had in my stash. I doubt if my daughter would like the Mary Engelbreit fabric but we will see. I wish I had embroidered our initial a little higher but it will work.

Today, I am making some Artisan bread, watching some travel videos trying to pretend that I am not here. I will spin a little, start a pair of socks (have not made socks in ages), and also work on a sweater/cape called Not Quite a Cape that is going very fast. I am using Ella Rae Kamelsoft which is Aran weight. I did not mention this in my last post but I have decided to learn two new knitting techniques this year. The first is not a knitting technique exactly but I have never seamed anything. I always avoid any project that takes seaming. This sweater/cape will be my first attempt. The other thing I want to learn this year is intarsia. I already have two intarsia projects picked out. One is the Ravenna Satchel and the other is In Bloom , I have the yarn in my stash for In Bloom so I may start with that one. We will see.

The New Year

2011-01-07T07:49:00.007-05:00

I do not normally make resolutions because I do not keep them. I have decided to put together a Wish List this year that I plan to do this year.

1. Knit from stash...I have so much yarn and projects already put into kits that if I just knit this, I will have more than enough to knit this year. I also want to either finish my WIP or Frog. Frankly, if I have had them sitting around for months, it is obvious that I have no plans to get back to them.

2. Start weaving again... I have been so caught up in knitting that I have not been weaving. I think I have as much yarn for weaving as I do for knitting. I also need to sell my counterbalance loom because I brought it to make rugs and found that I really did not enjoy making rag rugs. My LeClerc loom is the older one and quite heavy enough to make a rug every now and then. I also need to get my son-in-law come to help me service theLeClerc, it is having problems.

3. Spin more. .. I love to spin and have lots of roving that I can spin without buying any. Last year, I purchased a new tensioned kate for plying and a great dvd's, one is on drafting by Abby Franquemont and the other plying by Judith MacKenzie. I have no excuse to get better this year. Right now, I am working on spinning three bobbins so that I can try to triple ply. My daughter and son-in-law brought me a Woolee Winder a couple years ago that has really help improve my spinning. You really can get more yarn on the bobbin, no stopping and breaking your rhythm so you can move the yarn on the hooks, and the yarn is level on the bobbin which makes what you spin look better than it actually is. I just love it.

4. Exercise more...My heart doctor and family physician have been preaching to me these last few weeks I have been home that I need to lose weight and exercise. My daughter has reminded me that I lose a lot a few years ago by just riding my recumbent bike and walking on the treadmill. That is very true, I did not even realize that I was losing weight. I am until my next door neighbor offered me some of her clothes because she had lose so much weight. I thought at first that the clothes would fit my big toe. I took one of her pant suits to a meeting because it was so pretty and found out that this was the only thing that fit. All my clothes were hanging off me worst than on a hanger. I am a diabetic with high blood pressure, I really do not have a choice.

5. Just do it

On a happier note....My daughter and I will be leaving on 1/29 to take a cruise on the new Disney ship " the Dream " for my birthday. I have made lots of magnetics for the door, and I plan to just lay on the balcony and dream.

My son, Roger, leaves for

Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates

maps.google.com

His sister and I are so proud of him. He has not been at this company long and he was chosen to go for a month to put in a new installation. He is in I T. His birthday is today and I actually remembered to send him a text. He will never let me live it down about the year that I totally forgot. I have knitted him a hat that I had planned on giving to him with an Amazon gift certificate. I do not think he will need Windchief right now. He had asked for it since he loved the one I made Bryan (son-in-law) for Christmas.

I do not think I showed you what I did for my Christmas village this year. Because I kept up the restaurants all last year, I decided to do it again for this year but added a park. Also, my daughter and son-in-law gave me a White Castle for Christmas. I have such fond memories of going to white Castles with my friends when I was a teenager. I do not have snow down because I do plan on keeping "restaurant row" up all year and just changing the trees for the season.

This is it for right now. I will get back to you probably after the trip so that I can let you know how it was. Of course, we are taking knitting with us. We are not going to get off the boat in Nassau since we do not like it there, we thought that this would be a great knitting day on the balcony and of course ordering room service.

Christmas is Around the Corner

2010-12-09T19:11:00.010-05:00

We had a marvelous luncheon at Tersiguel's and gift exchange.

Everyone really had a great time. Wish all the knitters could have been able to come.

I am almost finished with Christmas knitting and sewing. Today I mailed my sisters box and just have to mail my aunts. I just received an email from a company that emailed me previously that the case for the GPS I brought my aunt was on its way, last night I received an email that it was not coming. No need to hold up her box any longer.

There is no more shopping to do but I am waiting for for my sons and daughter-in-laws gifts to arrive. I am having USPS package delivery issues at the moment.

I have the ribbons embroidered that I am using for name tags for all my gifts.

Every year, I try to do something different when it comes to name tags or gift wrap. This year, I decided to embroider the names on the ribbon instead of buying the name tags. I have to wait until the gift is wrapped to embroider the ribbon so I know just how much to embroider.

The only knitting I did this year was for my sister, niece, brother-in-law, and my son-in-law. I just had too many things for myself that I wanted to do.

My brother-in-law got the Berruti hat.

My niece said she loves wearing yellow so she is getting a very yellow hat and mitts

My sister loves green so she got a seafoam green cowl called the ruffle lace cowl by Cathy Carron that I love enough that I am making a cranberry one for myself. I also made her mitts call Mom's Cabled Mitts. Well, the basis pattern is Mom's Cabled Mitts. What happened is that I forgot which way the cable was going and made something that looked like a wandering vine so I went with it.

In case I do not get to post until after Christmas..

Gift Exchange

2010-12-05T11:29:00.005-05:00

On Wednesday my favorite sit n knit meets in Mt. Airy, MD, at the town hall at 10AM to knit and have their first gift exchange. Until this year, each person in the group brought a gift for everyone but the group has grown too large. We were given a limit of $20 to buy a gift and I believe we are going to draw numbers. At least I hope this is the way it will be. I hate dutch exchanges and do not think they are fair. There is always someone that brings a gag distasteful gift just for laughs.

I decided to make a project bag and embroider the name of the group on it, brought some great chocolate candy (you can't go wrong with chocolate) and finally purchased a skein of cotton yarn from my favorite indie dyer, Wolle's Yarn Creations. I even embroidered the ribbon with "Mt Airy Knitter".

As to how my Christmas knitting is coming along......don't ask. I have a hat for my brother-in-law, mitts and a hat for my niece (they just need to be blocked). I made this cute cowl hat thingy for my sister but it is too big. I may give it to her anyway and tell her it is a cowl only. I have the yarn for hats for my son and son-in-law that I will start today. My aunt won't get anything this year and at the rate I am going, my daughter will get the yarn and pattern to make something for herself.

I am not making anything for my new daughter-in-law because I have no idea what she would like without asking her.

Sometime within all this knitting and weaving, oh I forgot to tell you that I plan on weaving some dishtowels for gifts, I really do want to put up my Christmas houses.

Stay tuned

SEAWEED SHAWL is done

2010-10-29T18:49:00.001-04:00

Yes, Yes, it is finished and I love it.

Great yarn and great pattern

Citron is finished

2010-10-21T11:50:00.002-04:00

This shawl has been a labor of love. I love the yarn by Wolle's Yarn Creations but I just keep tangling it if I put it in my project bag. The yarn is a made of 5 string no ply cotton. What I found( at the end of course) is that when I reskein it tighter, I have less problems.

I have another skein waiting be used so before I start it, I will reskein it.

Should be finished with the KAL shawl called Ocean Serenity that I am calling Seaweed, this week. It is using the same yarn but a different color. It is so pretty.

Part 2-Rhinebeck 2010

2010-10-19T15:34:00.011-04:00

I don't want you to get the wrong impression and think that I did not enjoy myself at Rhinebeck, I surely did. My daughter, TeAntae, and I arrived about 15 minutes before it opened at 10am on Sunday and left about 15 minutes before it closed at 5pm.

The fair grounds is fantastic. There are plenty of places to eat and sit, and the most important thing is ladies bathrooms that has more than 3 stalls. They even had ladies in the bathroom that kept the place clean and showed you to the empty stalls. Nice touch and very efficient.

This fairgrounds was made to serve numerous kinds of events. The Howard County Fairgrounds in Maryland seems to have been set up for livestock so it is not as nice. Now if I could just put the Maryland show in the Rhinebeck fairgrounds, we would have a yarn show made in heaven.

My problem with the show is that there was very little yarn. Lots of natural fiber but little yarn. I overheard a vendor say that the hardcore knitters came on Saturday. That made me laugh because in Maryland the hardcore knitters come Saturday and Sunday. You can not make me believe that all the yarn was sold out on Saturday and there was nothing but fiber left for Sunday. There was yarn, just not the amount I was used to. I think the size of the show is the same as the show in Maryland.

Waiting in line for pot pies. I am sorry to say that it was not worth it. The pies were dry and tasteless. I had such high hopes for these because everyone was raving about them and I was hungry. I ended up throwing most of it away. It is pretty bad when you wish you had Swanson's pot pie instead.

The Sheep to Shawl Contestants were working hard when we walked through the building. I had planned to go back to check out who won but the day got away from me.

Just like Maryland's Sheep and Wool show, Rhinebeck has a display of hand knitted and woven garments displayed with their ribbons. The items seemed more edgy and contemporary than what I see at the Maryland Show. Really liked most of the pieces.

Met these two ladies and had to stop them to admire what they had made. The shawl above is the Shipwreck shawl which is circular and beaded. She said it took her 3 months. If it had been me, it would have taken me a year. It was lovely. The lady below had felted and made her jacket and purse. I was quite impressed. She gave me her card and told me that she did give classes. I just might take her up on it. I saw a couple of other ladies in felted jackets throughout the day. I want one!!!!!!

All these people are meeting the authors in the book signing area. I thought that this was a great sat up. Authors with their books were on each side of the aisle and the cash register was in the front.

My daughter posing for me on thisbeautiful fall day in Rhinebeck, NY beautiful fall day in Rhinebeck, NY.

This pumpkin carver was fantastic. Never in a million years could I produce anything like these.

I guess you are wondering what I purchased, well I did buy a skein of yarn from Fiber Optics to make the Pagona Shawl by Stephen West. Her colors are brilliant and that is what I like. The blue is very jewel toned.

I also purchased patterns to make The Scoop and The Cinch by Nora Bellows of Noni designs as well as the 2011 Calendar of Patterns by Helen Hamann. Helen told me that she will be at the 2011 Maryland Sheep and Wool. I really love her cutting edge patterns and get her newsletter. However, I am sad to say that I have never made any of her designs. I just admire from afar. I think she will do well at the show and hope to have at least one of her designs made in time to show her that I am not just all talk. It seems that she will be putting out a call for an assistant to help her and she will pay in yarn.

New Totes and My Chef Daughter

2010-10-19T15:07:00.006-04:00

This is going to be a two parter. I had a fun filled weekend and have lots to share.
My daughter and I went to Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival on Sunday but before we went, I had a chance to visit my daughter at the french country restaurant she works at, Tersiguel's. It is nice to go to a french restaurant were the founders are actually from France.I was acting like the proud mother while I watched her move around the kitchen with such ease. I have to admit that her mother can not cook. Well...I can make a meal for you but you won't compare it to your mother's.

Cooking just never interested me. I only wanted to stay in the kitchen long enough to get things cooked and I am happy with my microwave, NuWave Oven and crockpot. For me, that is the only appliances you need.

When we got back from Rhinebeck, I worked on totes to carry our Kindle's in. My daughter only carries a small purse and I have to stop carrying the purse I like because we found out this weekend that there is a magnetic strip in it that keeps wiping out my hotel keys. You can find the pattern in the September/October 2010 Designs in Machine Embroidery, the words are a free download on their site. They came out so great that I decided to make knitting totes as well. Can you say, "Christmas Gifts for knitting friends"!!!!!!!!

Roger's Wedding Day

2010-10-01T17:59:00.001-04:00

Photo slideshow customized with Smilebox

SEAWEED SHAWL

2010-09-05T20:52:00.005-04:00

I am in the KAL that is being put on by Wolle's Yarn Creations. This started out as a mystery shawl but I am so far behind that the last clue has come in. As you can see, lots of drop stitches.

Now that I have finished the first part and started on the center, you have to weight your ball and take that amount off of the second skein. Then you knit from the second skein, in this way you should end up with a mirror of the first half. The left over yarn is to be used for the edging.

I decided to call my shawl Seaweed instead of the the title given by the designer Christiane Burkhard. The original name is Ocean Serenade. I thought that the color I choice for my shawl looked more like the bottom of the ocean.
This is the finished shawl. At least that is what I am aiming for.

Travel Project

2010-09-04T12:29:00.003-04:00

My son is getting married at Disney World in two weeks. My daughter, son-in-law and I will be driving down because we like stopping along the way, as well as that my son-in-law does not like to fly. Since this is a long car drive, my daughter and I decided to do a KAL. The project that we have chosen is the Citron shawl

(Photo courtesy of Theyarniad)

I am going to call my Citron, Sunset. I am using yarn purchased from Wollies Yarn Creations called Sunset.

So far so good, pattern seems easy and there are lots of knitters that have made it. We agreed to stop knitting on the shawl until the trip at the end of Section Three.

I have made us knitting aprons to wear in the car so that we won't lose anything. They came out quite cute and I will post pictures.

I am off to meet up with my daughter, son, son-in-law and his fiancee to go to dinner.

Traveling Scarf and Start of Christmas

2010-08-23T10:47:00.004-04:00

On Wednesdays at 10AM, I love to meet with some lovely ladies in Westminister, MD, to knit, laugh and end with lunch at different restaurants around the area. The group is on Ravelry as The Mt. Airy Knitters. They love to do traveling projects. Everyone in the group knits a few rows on someone elses project and passes it along.

I was lucky enough this time to be a part of the Traveling Malabrigo Scarf project.

Everyone was to use only malabrigo to knit 4 rows on the scarf. The owner of the scarf starts out knitting 4 rows, you leave your needle in the scarf so that the person that is knitting on the scarf does not have to guess what size needle you used. Some of the ladies went to The Mannings on a field trip to pick their yarn. I have been a Malabrigo junkie for a couple of years so I had plenty of Malabrigo in my stash to choose from. When you received a scarf, you had 2 weeks to knit your 4 rows before you had to pass it on.

My friend, Sue, hostessed the party for the Town Hall group, that meets on Wednesday mornings and the Starbucks Friday night group, at her home on Saturday, August 14.

Everyone was to bring the last scarf they had last worked on to give to the owner as well as

some food or drink to share.

Not only did we have great food, but we had drinkmasters. Sue made Sangria, and Suellen made Pineapple Upside Down Martini's.

After we ate and drank a little, Sue gave out the packages which was a cause for OOH's

and

AAH's when opened.

Great party, good friends, good food, beautiful knitting and lots of fun.

In addition to all the knitting that I have been doing, I decided to work on some sewing, Christmas presents. I saw this in the sewing machine store when I went to get a part for my machine and decided to make one to see how would like to give it as gifts for Christmas. I have plenty of fabric but I found out I have no cups. I have been replacing all my drinking cups with hand made pottery in different shapes. I found one cup in the back of the cabinet that had been a gift. It was a little large so I could not close it in the back but I found that I did not need to so I

might not even bother putting

a fastener in the back.

I am heading off to the Dollar store to see if I can find some plain cups to get a head start on the sewing part of my Christmas. I plan on starting the knitted and weaving part this week.

Yarn Overload

2010-08-11T08:12:00.011-04:00

I really think I am yarn obsessed.

My daughter, TeAntae, and I get together once a week when I am in town. Sometimes we go to farmers markets, unique shops, thrift /consignment shop crawls, or just knitting and watching travel videos. We also like to do yarn crawls and thought that we had hit every shop within an hour to hour and half area. On Tuesday we found out we were wrong.

I enjoyed the knitting shop in Newark, Delaware, so much that I wanted my daughter to see it. From her house, the shop is only an hour and half away. I met her at 9am and off we went, stopping for breakfast of course. We arrived at Stitches With Style to find that Tuesday's is there Sit n'Knit. We met with some wonderful ladies but but decided not to sit with the group this time.

The array of goodies is mind boggling but would you believe we did not buy any yarn. Found things we could not live without but controlled ourselves. I did buy the KA cable stoppers for the KA interchangable set that I had given my daughter. I had purchased them for myself but found that I knit on the tip of my needles and the join on those sets is larger than the cable making it difficult for me to get the yarn onto the wood. I loved knitting with then otherwise. The cable stoppers were not available when I brought the set. I also brought a couple of cables for my Hiya Hiya interchangeable set. I do not like the set because I have broke two cables and the cables come apart from the needle tip when knitting. I was sent grippers from the company that help, in fact I am using them on a project now and they have not come loose. I only use them in a pinch. With Knit Picks if you tell them something is wrong with your set, they send you a replacement. WIth Hiya Hiya, I have to send the broken part. One of these days, I will find the email and get the broken cables sent back.

We got hungry and decided to go to Tuesday Morning that was 3 miles away to see if we could find more of the yarn that my daughter needed for a project she was in the middle of. Found the store but they did not have the yarn. Went to Five Guys for lunch and talked about whether we should see how far Chadds Ford, PA was. I checked the GPS when we got into the car and found that it was 1/2 hour away. That was quite durable.

We arrived at A Garden Of Yarn after traversing a very windy road. I think that the GPS thought I wanted to go the scenic route. My daughter, TeAntae, posed for me as we walked in, and this is the owner of the shop.

This was such a cute shop, they even carry Malabrigo. They had a bulky malabrigo that had just come out at TNNA 2010. We pulled out our IPAD and Iphone to look for projects for it. We each brought one ball because that is all it took for a cowl that we both liked. Unfortunately, it called for a 19 needle. I will try to pick up one of those eventually.

It is difficult for me to get my head around the fact that not everyone that knits or crochets and especially shop owners is not on Ravelry. The owner told me that she had signed up but never gets on.

You will find a wide array of yarns from companies like Manos, Berrocco, Feza, Cascade, Malabrigo, Skacel, Trendsetter, to name a few. She also has yarn that is dyed exclusively for her shop. In one area you will find the Cafe. Okay, it is just a coffee pot with a sign above it that says " Cafe", I still think that was cute. There is also a small table that you can sit at to knit. She had a nice sale table that you will need to check out.

My daughter likes to make hats and she was thrilled to find the beautiful handmade flowers that were from Italy, I fell in love with shawl pins, flowers, and other accessories she had around the cash register area. I had a difficult time not to buy the yarn for a drop stitch shawl that she had hanging. She gives you the pattern if you buy the yarn. Trust me, the shawl is on my Christmas list to myself.

A few steps away is the most wonderous tea shop cafe, Special Teas Tea Room. They do not have a website, just the little info that shows up about them in the shopping center post. However, this is a marvelous shop. We went in to get some tea to drink on the trip home. I was not prepared for such a lovely shop. The shop is owned by two sisters. One of them makes most of the pastries (trust me the scones or delicious). When you first walk in, you come into the shop area that has loose as well as teas in tea bags. There are lots of tea strainers, tea bag holders, etc. What caught my attention was the Sugar by Sharon. When you have your next tea party or just feel like wanting to pamper yourself , you must have one of these sugars to drop into your cup. The sugar comes in a variety of stunning shapes - floral, seasonal, butterflies, roses, to name a few in pink, pale green, lemon yellow. And yes, I brought a pack of the ones shaped like roses to put in the package I am sending my spoilee in the Tea/Coffee Swap.

The cafe area serves soups, salads, hot and cold sandwiches. You can also have Morning tea which appears from the menu would be a cup of tea and scone or Afternoon Tea that runs $14.25 a person.

You would think that I was yarned out but the next day was the Mt Airy Knitters group sit n' knit. We were making a road trip this time. Susie (Susiewick) had organized the trip to Kent Island (Maryland) to a yarn shop there. When we met in the parking lot of the farmers market, we had planned to take 2 cars because there was 7 of us. However, Susie got a call from Jennifer (Kneadler) that she was coming and would drive her Suburban. I was happy that I did not have to drive and was amazed at how much room was in that big SUV.

We arrived at Island Yarn Boutique a little after the shop opened at 11. Sue, the proprietor, greeted us warmly and said that she would give all of us a 10% discount on anything we purchased that day. The shop carries your basic yarn brands but what I was not expecting was all the kits. She had a kit for all your needs from placemats to scarves. Sue also has stitch markers and other knitting accessories made by local artisans that make the shop a little unique.

I brought a couple of patterns, one was the mohair bias loop ( I have a lot of mohair from a binge that I went on a few years ago) and Barb's Koigu Ruffle scarf. I think that almost everyone brought that pattern. I have some yarn that I brought at the Midwest Fiber Show that I had no idea what to do with but loved the color, I think that I might use that. At least the weight will work. I did not notice that both of these patterns are from Churchmouse Classics until I got home. I went to their website and found a couple more patterns that I like. The last pattern I purchased was Starry Starry Night, a wrap made with fingering weight yarn (I really have a lot of that in my stash) by Jeanne C. Abel of NatureSpeak Knits. Jeanne, the designer is local, Annapolis, MD. I love buying from local designers and indie dyers. She has a Ravelry group that I plan on checking out as well as some more of her designs.

The shop is really cute, not one I would make a special trip to since most of the yarns are what you can get anywhere, however the owner is very nice and the shop is well laid out. There is no place to sit and knit. I was told that she has a place on the second floor that she holds classes. Maybe you could sit up there but that sounds very isolated. I can be isolated at home.

Again, I did not buy any yarn. I am getting so proud of myself.

We left the shop and went to lunch. I had a blackened shrimp quesadilla. YUM!! I make quesadilla's all the time just never thought of a shrimp one.

My TV is still out, my son will look at it this weekend. I am listening to podcast and watching Hulu or streaming movies from Netflix on my computer..... I want my TV back.

Knit-In 2010 The Mannings Style

2010-08-08T18:25:00.013-04:00

What a glorious day.

I arrived a little after 10AM because I wanted to make sure that I had set up in a shady area.

Since no one came with me, I filled my IPod with music, podcast and a book on tape thinking that I would be by myself. I set up my chair, table, cooler and made myself comfortable. Across from me were several ladies doing a Show n'Tell.

Check out Jeanene's tattoo.

She and her friends invited me to move my chair in with them. I thought that was so sweet.

Jeanene had made the Cothilde Shawl which I thought was fabulous (no picture), as well as the Dream In Color Shrug.

I really want to try both of these.

I can not remember all the names of this group, they are members of the Lancaster Knitting Guild. One name I remember and will not forget is Dixie.

She is wearing her Curlicue Coverlet Shawl.

She drove up on her Harley Davidson bike.

I was lucky to sit beside her so I asked if I could take a picture of her. She uses her cup holder to hold her ball of yarn when she knits sitting on the bike.

I never want to go to a knitting event without walking around to see what everyone is knitting. One of ladies that I met wasKnitternana

from Edgewater, Maryland. She had on a beautiful shawl called Summer Flies in a beautiful

green that caught caught my attention. We talked for awhile and I moved on. When I got

home, she had 'friended' me on Ravelry. I thought that was so sweet. I do hope to get to know her better.

I met a designer, Cathy Briscoe from Shewsbury, PA that designed under the name

Knitted 4 Ewe. Unfortunately, she does not have a website. I tried to find her on Ravelry but did not know her Ravelry name. She had on a glorious lace shrug that looked like a mobius that is he latest design. I thought I took a picture but seems I did not. Cathy said that the shrug looks like a mobius but it is not and the look comes in the knitting. The one she wore was made from bamboo that was about a DK weight. Her friend was test knitting in a worsted. I have some bamboo yarn that would work perfect for her shrug.

Thought you might want to see some pictures from the day.

I had to leave at 2:3oPM because my son is getting married September 15th at Disney World and his fiancee's sister wanted a girls day out today. I had to tell them that I had another commitment and could only make dinner. We met at the Melting Pot in Reston, VA. Sorry I do not have pictures of the evening. Of the few pictures that came out, I thought you might enjoy this Ying and Yang Martini, delicious.

Organize, organize

2010-08-05T17:58:00.003-04:00

my kitted stash,
originally uploaded by roadweaver.

Just wanted to show you how I am organizing my kitted projects. I use this in conjunction with my Ravelry queue so you will need to look at it to get the complete picture.

I am also trying to see if I can blog complete with pictures on my iPad.

It looks like I can upload a picture from Flickr however, the picture is very small. I will have to keep playing with this.

The Fun of Picking Up a New Car

2010-08-05T12:11:00.013-04:00

Okay, so this is not about the actual picking up of the car. However, that was the reason that I asked my friend Sue to go with me to Delaware to pick up my new company van. How could you pick up a new car in another state without checking out the yarn stores in the area!!!!

The car was located at a dealership in New Castle, Delaware. It was arranged by the company I work for to go to the service center there and meet with Norma who would take me to pick up my new van.

I work out of my vehicle and have to pack enough to be away from home from 2 weeks to 3 months. I have actually been away for 6 months before, it only happened once but I always think it could happen again. Keep in mind that in a car, there is a ladder in the trunk that takes up most of the trunk; I have to pack the clothes I wear to work everyday, the tools of my trade, which includes manuals; my everyday needs like my spinning wheel, sewing/embroidery machine, weaving loom, yarn and everything that goes with them as well as a few clothes for when I am not working. For the last 4 years, I have had a car. This time I asked for a van and got it.

We found that there was only one knitting shop that was in that part of Delaware, we asked Norma how far was Newark, Delaware, and she said 10 minutes. Sue and I looked at each other with a smile. After listening or should I say half listening to the spiel that the car dealership salesman was giving about the features of the van, off we headed to Newark.

It was a short drive but the GPS had us going through a country like area so we wondered what we were heading to. In short order we found the store and headed in.

The lobby should have told us that this was going to be a great yarn store.

Walking in I was amazed at the size of the store, and yarn for miles. They carry a little of everything, including notions, knitting bags (the one I wanted was $100), and patterns. What I liked the most was all the samples. Made you want to buy yarn to make everyone of them. They also have a sale area at the back of the store that did not have one or two balls of something great but whole sweaters worth. Plus, you actually had heard of the the yarn like Berrocco.

There is also a winding station, big table with chairs to sit and and two comfortable sofas to lounge and knit. The place really made you want to stay. In fact, it seemed that the two ladies there come everyday just to sit n knit.

I was getting a little dizzy and needed to eat, one of the ladies that was sitting there knitting told us that we could walk across the parking lot to a little deli and we should try the turkey sandwich because they cook their own turkey and it was very good or we could go to the bar and get bar food. They also said that we should bring the food back and eat at the shop. We went to the very very small deli got our sandwiches. We talked to the ladies while we eat and tried to keep our minds off of all that yarn around us. We noticed as we were going to the deli that the bar has outdoor seating which might be nice to try next time.

One of the ladies, I believe her name was Holly, wanted to know about Ravelry and so Sue

used my Ipad to give her a lesson. I do hope she joins.

I really wish I was better at remembering names, anyway. one of the ladies had a gizmo that

allowed her to put her yarn ball on this lazy susan type thing, I liked it better than a yarn bowl

No one in the shop had any idea where to get another one.

I went on Etsy and found two that were quite similar. One is from Willyman's Shop and the

other which was a little cheaper but not as nice looking from The Dragonfly Shop .

A few more tidbits about the store you may find interesting:

Every 2nd Tuesday they invite their customers to come in for some knitting, food and fun! All you have to do is RSVP and then bring a dish! They also like for you to bring copies of the recipe.

Every month they feature a yarn of the month at a discounted price.

This month's featured yarn is Loyal! This is a 100% wool dk weight yarn that is machine washable! The sale price is $3.75 a skein.

Also, they do finishing work. The pricing is not bad but it is a little far for me to go. I have a local source that will do the blocking for free as long as you buy the yarn there. That works for me.

I only brought a cute pattern to make something special for my son and son-in-law (more to

come on that later). I did assure everyone that we would be back and bring our knitting group.

My Day at the Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair

2010-07-18T18:13:00.009-04:00

I am working in the Chicago area and had the opportunity to go to the Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair today July 18, 2010. This was the last day of the three day event. I spent too much, laughed too much, and met some awesome people. As soon as I got out of my car, I ran into Peggy and another lady (sorry I can not remember her name). They were members of the Windy City Knitting Guild. Peggy gave me a bookmark from the guild that had the kitchener stitch on the back. That will come in handy.

I paid my $10 and got my armband. The building was air conditioned with lots of seating to knit when you got tired of shopping. I was among the first 200 to come in today so I had a choice of a teeshirt or a tote bag. I decided on the tee shirt.

I looked around awe struck. The place was packed with vendors, 133 in fact.The Windy City Knitting Guild had Betsy there and invited everyone to sit and knit a piece of her dress. I had meant to do so but got to tired at the end of the day that I did not stop on my way out. Of course, I had to go to the Briar Rose booth because of the podcast, Cast On. I figured that if it was good enough for a podcast, it was good enough for me, plus the colors were spectacular.

There were several demonstrations during the day but the only one I had a chance to go to was the one put on by Rust-Tex. You actually take any white cotton, put stuff that will rust on it like nails, etc. and pour vinegar over that, let it rust and you have cloth to play with. The other amazing thing is that you use shaving cream and a few drops of paint to do your stenciling. If you are using a rubber stamp, you do not add the shaving cream to the paint.

What is a fiber show without alpaca. Yes, they had alpaca indoor.

I guess you want to see my loot. Before you squeal about how much I spent, I was shopping for three. I needed a birthday present for my friend Sue and I always buy things for my daughter when I am out of town. So see....even through I spent too much, it is not all mine...well most of it.Okay TeAntae and Sue, guess which Briar Rose yarn is yours!!!!!

This yarn is from Wolle's Yarn Creations. I have ordered from her Etsy shop but it was great to see it. The blue yarn is so new that she has not had a chance to take a picture for her on-line shop. The pattern I purchased from Sun Valley Fiber Farm. The pattern is a beautiful shawl called the Gingko Shawl by Jo Harris. I will be using the blue yarn for that.

This yarn and pattern is from Yarns by Design. The yarn is laceweight. The model of the pattern is great. You use three colors. My third color will be black but she did not have any and will send it to me when it comes in. I thought that my daughter would love this pattern as well but I will let her pick out her own colors.

This yarn, project bags (one for me and one for my daughter) and pattern came from StitchSisterz. The yarn is 100% merino, I got black and it only cost $5 a skein. It came with a marvelous shawl pattern.

Ignor the card, the yarn is from Huckleberry Knits, I fell so in love with the rich red. I wish I could get a good picture of the color. I wanted a sweaters worth but knew that it would keep me from buying much anything else. She had made a sweater with it using the sport weight, that is what caught my eye, I brought fingering. No project idea for this as yet. Did you think I could watch the Rust-Tex demo and not want to buy the products to try it when I got home. I have the how-to video with a gallery of what others have done, starter kit and paints. I am ready.

On my way home, I stopped to buy caramel corn for my All Things Disney spoilee, I bought me some double cheddar popcorn and a popcorn fork. The popcorn is from The Long Grove Popcorn Shoppe. The purpose of the popcorn fork is to keep you from getting the sticky popcorn or the cheddar all over your fingers. Thought it was a great idea.

Well, that was my day, I arrived when the show opened at 10 and left 15 minutes before it closed at 4.....I really had a fun time and am glad that there is no other fiber show that I know about any time soon.

Only 4 days until Christmas

2009-12-21T14:58:00.005-05:00

I had all my Christmas shipping done months ago except for a couple of Amazon gift certificates that I am going to email. It is just trying to get the Christmas presents I am knitting finished. I had planned to weave some scarves and towels but that went out the window.

My daughters fair isle mittens called Deep in the Forest

are finished, my label sewn in and all ends weaved in. YEAH!!!!!

My son's fingerless mittens are finished, I just have to weave in the ends. His hat was done awhile back. I will have to take a picture to post. I also made him a hot water bottle cover. As for my son-in-law, I made him a pair of knucks and an earflap hat. My aunt got a beret and a fan neck scarf.

I really want to make a pair of fingerless mittens for a good friend. I do have 4 days. I can do it.....I can do it........

Christmas in Crooksville 2009

2009-12-08T14:56:00.003-05:00

Christmas in Crooksville 2009,
originally uploaded by roadweaver.

I just had a chance to take pictures of my Christmas Village for this year. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed setting it up.

My mother loved Christmas. She would start buying gifts and decorating right after Halloween. Our home always looked like Santaland. I purchased village pieces for her over the years but they had no real theme. I discovered Department 56, Snow Village and Christmas In the City while working in Minnesota. They were everywhere for 50 to 75% off and all of them were retired. I purchased a few pieces every payday with the intentions of giving them to my mother. She died before I had a chance.

I was amazed as to how many pieces I had the year my son asked me to put up the village in memory of Mom. My son and daughter also brought peices for me as gifts after that.

Would you believe that this is not all the village pieces I have. I had no room to put up the houses and churches this year. I decided to have a country area complete with trailer court, a restaurant row and a city area with school. Most of the people in my village or from Lemax because the size is better and there are more to choose from. I am upset because I can not find one peice that I always use and that is of the drunk getting thrown out of the tavern by the barman. Oh well...he will get to stay in the tavern this year and next year, he will get thown out.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

The Last Knit

2009-09-07T14:00:00.001-04:00

IKEA to the Rescue

2009-08-12T09:18:00.005-04:00

Finally a winding station.

I saw on the Ravelry Ikea group a winding station that a lady had made from a trestle desk leg. I happened to be in IKEA and found a trestle leg in the "AS IS" section for $7.00. Took it home but could not figure out how to get my winding station to look like the one in the IKEA group photo. Turned out I had purchased a different one.

My son-in-law came to the rescue. He had wood from his remodeling project that he said would work, he then cut and counter sinked the wood for me and told me how to get the station I wanted. I can only say I love, love it. I can sit or stand to wind balls. I put a piece of wood on the bottom and made a shelf. My IKEA basket fits perfectly there so that I can put my unwind skeins in it ready to be wound, at my leisure. I have a giant skein ball winder but I do not like the way it makes balls. Do you think my son-in-law will take a look at it. Hint, Hint.

I really had no good place to put the ball winder and the swift. Those days are over.

Spinning Bunny Knitaway 2009

2009-08-04T15:38:00.046-04:00

The anticipation is over. It seems like the day would never arrive. Susan and Cathy kept sending teasers that only made matters worse.

The event, officially named, The Pamper Yourself Knitting Getaway, was perfect. My daughter, her husband and I arrived the night before on July 30. The Getaway began on July 31 when we introduced ourselves and got to use the "rainbow lady" to show us how measure each other. We got to use the Ragla Rula Tula(tm), invented by Susan and Cathy, to get the correct distance from neckline to under arm. Ann-Marie and Michelle (two sisters from Canada) loved it so much that they wrote a song called the "Ragla Rula Tula(tm)". Just click the arrow to play.

And now, may I present our fearless leader, Susan Sarabasha, the owner of Spinning Bunny.

Both her and Cathy truly kept us entertained as well as taught us new knitting tricks, the entire weekend.

One of the first things we had to do was make a name tag. We could not just write our names with a felt tip pen on a sticky paper. Oh no....we were given all kinds of items to truly personalize our name tags. We also had to chose a word that described us and later tell why we chose that word. For everyone that knows me, I think that I chose the right word, "Adventurous".

I am sorry to say that while we were laughing and eating at the Moosewood Restaurant, Cathy was slaving over her computer, correcting our math errors and making sure that everyone had a personalized cardigan and pullover pattern.

Bright and early at 9AM, everyone was in their seats ready to begin another fun filled learning day. Today we would actually start our creations. After our personalized knitting a top down seamless pullover or cardigan sweater patterns were handed out, Cathy and Susan helped everyone to get started. The design elements and styling are all up to us. My daughter and I ordered the Harmony guides so that we could decide whether we want lace, cables, etc., Cathy provided us with patterns that would work nicely with our creations but encouraged us to use whatever we liked to achieve our perfect sweater.

After a delicious catered lunch from the Ithaca Bakery, we went to see Susan's shop, The Spinning Bunny, to knit, learn to spin and in my case get a plying lesson. Okay, I did buy some yarn and roving. Did you really think I would go to a knitting shop and not shop.

This is my sweater so far. I decided to get some of Susan's yarn . I got the Knit Away Pend Orielle yarn in Velvet Merlot. It is so soft and this picture does not do the color justice. I am quite aways from dividing for the sleeves but I will keep on chugging along until I get there.

That evening most of us went to dinner at The Boatyard Grill. I left my camera in the car so I do not have any pictures. Just take my word for it, the food was delicious, the company was great and the atmosphere was perfect.

On Sunday, my daughter, son-in-law and I met Susan at the Ithaca Farmer's Market. That was a real treat. Hopefully, there will be a Getaway 2, if so , we are going to build in more time in our trip to spend at the market.

After we left Susan at the market, we went wine tasting. My son-in-law had talked to Jim, Susan's husband, to get some ideas of the best wineries to try.

On Monday, we went to the Watkins Glen State Park to see the waterfalls. That was a beautiful mile walk. I would suggest anyone in the area to go.

I can only say that this was a perfect weekend.

Check out the Chicks with Sticks blog to see more pictures and comments about our great weekend.

I have another link for you about our wonderous weekend. From the mouth of the creator
Susan of Spinning Bunny.

The Big Sock

2009-04-25T14:33:00.008-04:00

I just found out about the greatest project called The Big Sock . Check out the blog.

That is me knitting on a small portion of the sock.

Bigsock started in October 2006, when Joanna Ratcliffe decided to hold a charity knitting event for National Knitting Week in the UK. The original idea was just a giant circular knit, but just days before the event the idea of creating a giant record breaking sock was born.The current record for the largest handknit sock which measured 4.95 x 4.3 x 1.9 metres is held by the Sheep Farmers Association of Austria.Bigsock consists of 1,500 stitches cast onto circular needles and measures 7metres in diameter. We estimate that the sock knitted to scale needs to be 4 metres long before we turn the heel.The aim is for the sock to travel around the world being knit by as many people as possible, schools, knitting guilds, knitting groups, everyone who wants to get involved is welcome to contact us and register to host the sock in their town or city or village.

I was fortunate enough to walk into a yarn shop in Tennsessee, The Naughty Knitter in Murfreesboro, Tn. A great shop, friendly and inviting. A must when you are in the area. Lots of yarn. I was good because next week is the Maryland Sheep and Wool Show. I did however buy some patterns, I am getting very interested in lace shawls, and some stocking stuffers. It is never to early to start shopping for Christmas.

Back from China

2009-04-15T05:55:00.003-04:00

I do not have time to write a post right now, but thought you would like to see some of the pictures from the trip.

China Bound and What I Have Been Up To

2009-03-14T10:21:00.008-04:00

I am getting very excited. On March 18 at 6AM, I will be on the plane heading for Shanghai, China. We will be there 3 days and then fly to our boat to take a river cruise down the Yangtze River, stopping along the way to see the sites. Twelve excursions are included like the Great Wall, Summer Palace, Terra Cotta Soldiers and Chinese Acrobat show.

At the end of the river cruise portion of the trip, we fly to Beijing for the final days of the 13 day trip plus two days to travel. I can't believe I am really going. Since this is a knitting trip, we will be getting in knitting classes with Lili Chin after dinner when we are on the boat. I hope to come back with silk yarn to knit and weave with as well as fancy chop sticks and buttons to make drop spindles.

As you can see the Noni Medallion Bag is finished and packed. This was a fun fast knit. It is a little smaller than Norah Bellows had meant because of how it was felted. I did not like seeing the stitches so we threw it back in the washer one more time. I think it is a nice carry on size, 16X20. I plan on making one for my daughter, she wants one with long repeats of color like you get with the Noro yarn. That yarn is too expensive to buy enough to make the bag so I will have to dye the wool whatever colors she decides on. I also plan on making myself another one and not felt it so much with a brown background and have not decided if the other color with be a light turquoise or a warm pink. That decision will be made when I buy the yarn.

I was just a few inches from finishing the Companion Bag and will be ripping the yarn out. I know for a fact that I would not use this bag and I really love the color of the yarn. I think that I will use this beautiful purple yarn to make the Adventure Bag. I already have the hardware for the bag I just had not brought the yarn. This will work and I will use it.

Last Sunday, I went to the Sunday Spinners here in town. Well it is actually out on a farm a couple of miles away. I have never been home to go before and boy have I been missing a good time. Rose, the lady that host the spinners the 2nd Sunday each month, is such a dear. We set on her screened in porch because the weather was so nice.

I met someone I hope will become a good friend, Bonnie. She did not bring her wheel and was drop spindling because she was going to be teaching some 5th graders and needed to practice. We started talking and she said that I should come by her house and she would teach me. I asked when and she said that she was retired and to come anytime. I called my daughter right then and found that she was off on Tuesday, Bonnie said that was a perfect day and for us to come over.

The visit was amazing, we have so much in common. Bonnie taught my daughter and I how she spins with the spindle. She does not drop it but drafts and then spins it. This makes so much more sense. My daughter caught on immediately, my yarn does not look as good but it is still looking like yarn. My roommate on the cruise is bringing her drop spindle and she told me to bring mine and she would help me. So it is packed in the carry on.

The three of us talked for 3 hours. I can not believe we were there so long. That was such an enjoyable day. I look forward to many more.

On Thursday, I went to Thurmont, the next town 15 minutes away, to see what the Thursday knitters were up to at the Eric Mohn Gallery. I have never been before and needed to go to the bank to get my China spending money and then put it in the account I would be using while I was on vacation. Good excuse to go knitting. In one room of the watercolor art gallery, they have a table and chairs we just sit around and knitted. What a neat place to have a sit and knit with beautiful art all around you.

On Friday, I went to see the new library in the same town. The one in our town is so small and does not have a good selection of craft books. Bonnie had told me that she does not go to our library but goes to the Thurmont Library . This is a fairly new building, very modern, beautiful and very comfortable. I can hardly wait until it gets warmer. There is a long covered porch with rocking chairs and tables on one side of the library where you could just sit and knit for hours. There was 4 of us at the sit and knit. I think this varies. So glad I went, I will be going to this library often. They do have a great selection of craft books.

On Sunday, I am going to an Indie Dyers sale. Local independent dyers of yarn and roving will be in Savage Mills selling their wares. I do not plan on buying anything...at least that is my plan.

See you in a little over two weeks. I will have lots of stories to tell about my trip.

BILOXI, MS

2009-01-18T15:42:00.009-05:00

It is nice to be home from Biloxi, MS. As for as I am concerned, the only thing to do in that town is go to the numerous casinos. Since I do not gamble, I did not find this a place I would want to visit again.

This work assignment was a little boring, at least we were not climbing roofs and dealing with unhappy people. The boredom was welcome.

I had no idea that I would be teaching 3 of my co-workers to knit and another one to use the Paint Shop Pro program.

Ileana was born in Guatemala and now lives in Ohio. She goes home every Christmas to see family and friends. This year, when she goes home, she wants to do a presentation for her family and friends using their photos over the years. She told me that they had been friends since the 6th grade. Goodness, I do not even remember who was in the 6th grade with me, in fact, I do not even remember being in the 6th grade.

Ileana liked the signature tags and digital scrapbook pages that I made for myself so she asked me teach her how to use the program. She will make her digital pages, then add music and transition to really show off all her hard work.

I thought you would like to see an example of her work. By the way, that is Ileana in the picture.

I was surprised the other three ladies that was working with me in Biloxi wanted to learn to knit.

They went to Hobby Lobby and brought yarn and needles. We set in the lobby of the LaQuinta and knitted. They were all fast learners and was quickly on their way to making their first scarves.

Kim and Ashley have already joined Ravelry. I am expecting them to be designing their own knits soon. Kim raises alpaca. She gave me a lesson in the grades of alpaca that will really help when I go to the MD Sheep and Wool in May.

When I left Biloxi, I only stopped at one yarn store, Loopsville in Knoxville, TN http://www.loopvilleyarn.com/ . It was well worth the stop. The shop is small but well laid out, the yarn included Malabrigo, Art Yarns, Southwest Trading Company, Berrocco, Tilli Thomas, Jo Sharp, just to name a few. The best part is the bins marked 40% off. No matter how hard I tried, I kept going back to that bin. Yes, I left with yarn. I just have no will power.

My birthday was yesterday, Jan 31. My daughter, son and son-in-law took me to the restaurant my daughter works at for lunch. http://www.tersiguels.com/ .We went for lunch because she started work at 3pm. The chef sent out a treat for us. The meal was spectacular, I did not know that a steak salad could be so tasty. The steak was seasoned to perfection. For dessert (which came with a candle), was Creme Brulee to die for. Afterwards, TeAntae took us on a tour of the wine cellar, restaurant and the kitchen. This is a French Country Restaurant owned by the chef. My daughter was told that this was going to be a very busy night. They had 150 reservations and that did not include the walk-ins.

My friend Sue and I spent Thursday and Friday getting into trouble. Sue handed me a gift as I was leaving her on Thursday, I did not have time to look at it until that night. How nice to find soap, candles, perserves (sugar free), tea (flavored and a breakfast tea) and the most special gift-she made a necklace and earrings for me. I love handmade gifts and prefer those over anything. I will treasure that necklace and earrings and think of them while I am burning my candles, bathing with my soap, eating jam and drinking tea.

I had plans for today but I do not feel like getting dressed to do them. I have on one of my fleece lounging robes, a cup of tea, and my knitting or spinning or weaving or felting or sewing, while listening to my favorite podcast.

FALL FASHION's

2008-10-18T14:06:00.009-04:00

I had a wonderful time at String Theory Yarn Co. for their first ever Fall Fashion Show on 10/19 at 7 until 9. The show was to inspire you to buy yarn and take classes. I think it succeeded. The cost was $15 which included a door prize and munchies with wine.

The door prizes ranged from a skein of sock yarn and pattern to a sweater's worth of yarn with the pattern. I received the pattern and yarn to make the Feather and Fan Lace Scarf. That was perfect since I wanted to try lace and thought that I should start with a scarf. I like the look of the Feather and Fan Scarf.

I met a lovely lady with a Ravelry name of Ragdoll. She was such a wealth of knowledge about yarn stores and patterns/yarn. I am happy that I got to meet her.

Most of the fashion's were modeled by the person that knitted them but there was a few from the yarn company. I did not take pictures of all of them but wanted you to see some of the great knits. The moderator of the event was the owner of the shop, Janet Avila. Janet was wearing Town and Country knitted by Kristen Quain, one of the employees of the shop, the Yarn was Peace Fleece in cream.

And now on with the show....

There were several categories, my photos are not in order of the categories. I am starting with the Fall Colorwork section, Kristen knitted and modeled the Kindle scarf from Inspired Fair Isle Knits, the yarn was Creative Focus Worsted in white & grey.

I really liked the Kick off Time sweater knitted by Fairmont Fibers and modeled by Lindsay. The pattern is from Manos 8 and the yarn is manos wool in coffee and 4 other colors.

Another great design modeled by Karen, knitted by Fairmont Fibers was St. Petersburg. The yarn was manos silk blend in pewter, citric and dove. The pattern was from Numero 2. I would love to make this but would need help to enlarge the pattern. The written size is for 34-46.

In this category there was a design called Rosemary, modeled by Lisa, knitted by Fairmount Fibers. The pattern was from Manos 10. I did not take a picture of this one.

In the Holiday Show-Stoppers we had shrugs, a scarf and a top.

The Dream in Color Shrug knitted by Beth and modeled by Kristen in Mountain Colors Mtn. Goat olive. Looked greener to me but was quite pretty. The patter is from Dream in Color.

The Little Black Top was in two categories. In this one, it was knitted in Meriboo in charcoal and the center panel was Alchemy Silk Purse in rust red. The model was Lindsay and was knitted by her.

One of my favorite in this group was Palette of Colors Shrug knitted and modeled by Lisa in Wool Crepe and Andrea. The pattern is from Heartstrings. I loved it so much, I brought the pattern. I will probably go back to buy the yarn.

Lindsey modeled and knitted the Simple Knitted Bodice in Shokay Orient raspberry. She added crystal beads to the sleeve and the body. The Pattern is from Stitch Diva and the written sizes 28-54. Lindsey knitted the 32-34.

I did not take a picture of the Japanese Vine Scarf knitted by Jody Oxley and modeled by Karen. The yarn was Claudia Handpaint in John B and the pattern was an internet download and the Summer Night Shrug knitted by Shokay, modeled by Kristen. The yarn was Shokay orient in demin blue. Patter from Shokay written for sizes child, adult sm, m, l.

In the Must-Have Wardrope Pieces, I totally agree with the choice of Joplin knitted by Berroco, modeled by Karen. The brochure said that the color was Jasper in #3823 black but it looked like a blue/grey to me. The pattern is in booklet #266 and is written for sizes s/m (54) and l/xl (56).

I have this in my must have file.

I only took one more picture in this group and that was the Little Black Top, knitted and modeled by Lindsay. The yarn is fixation in black and the pattern was from S&B, written for sizes 33-43 and the model was wearing a size 36. This the same top that was in Meriboo charcoal and ALcemy in the Holiday Show-Stoppers.

Kristen also modeled Laurel knitted by Fairmount Fibers. The yarn was manos wool in copper from their pattern book Manos 10.

Lisa modeled the February Sweater which is free pattern. The yarn was Mission Falls 136 wool in Damson.

We now get to the Basic Cardigan category.

My favorite, and of course, I brought the pattern. I wanted to buy the yarn for this but could not find the color I wanted. Lisa modeled Origami. This was the cutest, all rectangles that becomes a shrug when you fold and stitch them together. The yarn is by Frog Tree in sportweight and the pattern is also from Frog Tree.

No pictures but I would like to knit for my daughter was, Jet. This short cardigan was knit by Berroco in Jasper. It is from the booklet #276.

The Cosmos Jacket knitted by Misti Alpaca, modeled by Karen. This is a free pattern from Misti Alpaca for their Misti chunky HP in Jazz. I was not too impressed with this one but it seemed like an easy knit.

Another cute basic cardigan in this group was the River Twist cardigan knitted by Mountain Colors and modeled by Lisa. The yarn was River Twist in Trout Creek.

We are almost finished. I justed wanted you to see how much fun this show was. The shop was closed of course and you needed to have paid to get in. They knew this by having a name tag for each person. I am sorry that I did not take pictures of what the people not in the show was wearing. I really saw some cute things. That is how I met Ragdoll, I loved her shawl.

In the Day to Evening Cardigans category, I did not take very many pictures. I do have a picture of Joyella which was modeled by Kristen and knitted by Joan Looi. This cardigan is in Berroco's booklet #266; written for sizes 35-47.

I was not a fan of this sweater so I am not sure why I took the picture. Must have been the frenzy of the moment.

However, I did like Summer Hours modeled and knitted by Lisa. I really like this one and after the show I talked to Lisa about it since the size said it went to 46. She said that if I used a heavier yarn, I could knit it to fit. The pattern is by Chris Bylsma and the yarn was Manos silk blend in hibiscus.

Olivia-lady's jacket was knitted by Misti Alpaca in Misti suri silk Blush and is also one of their patterns.

The Le Smoking knitted and modeled by Kristen reminded me of a smoking jacket as it was suppose to be but I could not get my mind around a knitted one. The pattern is from A Fine Fleece; written for sizes 40-49. Knitted in Imperials Stock Ranch claret.

Last but not least was Transitional Wear. Actually this was the first group. In between the first few groups, the owner called out a number. We had pulled a number from a bucket when we came in. When she called your number, you were given a bag that would have your goodie. It seems that as much as I liked what I got, I wish that I had pulled a higher number. Those are the ones that got the sweaters worth of yarn.

There was a Hooded Scarf knitted by Misti Alpaca in the Misti chunky HP lily pad. This is a free pattern from Misti Alpaca. The scarf was modeled b Karen.

Lisa modeled the Mountain Moss Vest that was knitted by Mountain Colors in wool crepe ruby river.

Lindasay knitted and modeled the Estes Vest from Interweave Fall 2008 in the yarn Creative Focus Chunky Grass.

The Boston (cardigan shawl collar vest) was knitted by Fairmont Fibers was modeled in Krsiten in Manos wool topaz. You can find this pattern in Manos 9 for sizes 33-45. I liked this vest as well.

I almost brought the pattern Sauselito knitted by Carol Scott and modeled by Karen in the yarn 2nd Time cotton in the color linen. I had seen this one at the MD Sheep in Wool because it is one of Tess Designs. The written size is 33-43 but I tried it on and could wear it. It must be written to be quite large.

Hope you enjoyed the fashion show as much as I did.

Oh, as we were leaving we were told to pick yarn from a basket and take a pattern to knit a mitten ornament.

Cruising, Cruising

2008-09-22T08:43:00.008-04:00

A cruisette, you say...What is a cruisette? Well, it was fun, fun, fun.

This is the email that I received from a local yarn shop here in Chicago that caught my interest.

"Cruisette on the FoxSaturday 9/20 at 3pm
The weather forecast is for a glorious day. 80 degrees and sunny.
You can still join us on the Cruisette from Saint Charles on the Fox River Belle to enjoy wine, desserts and knitting in great company. Come on Saturday at 3pm and and have some fun with us. It's going to bes sunny, so we'll be able to enjoy the upper deck; if it gets rainy then there's plenty of space on the covered deck to knit in comfort.
Tickets are available online, or you can call the store at 630.232.2305 to save your space.
The dock is located on the east side of the Fox River in Pottawatomie Park, St. Charles, Illinois. Pottawatomie Park is located between routes 25 and 31, north of Route 64. Click on the map for detailed directions. We sail at 3pm."

Now doesn't that sound like fun. Well, I thought so......

I arrived early because I did not want to "miss the boat". The first person I met was a lovely lady named Gretl that introduced me to her friends and made me feel very welcome.

It was so funny, she was working on a vest that is on the cover of the September 2008, Creative Knitting. I had purchased that issue without looking inside because of that vest.

One of the ladies said that the trip up and down the river would take 3 hours. We all starting thinking about Gilligan's Island and hoping that we had brought enough to knit.

The group started to arrive and excitement was in the air. I believe that there was 37 people. It had been 5o but because of the bad weather the weekend before, the trip had to be cancelled and reschedule to this weekend. Quite a few people had to cancel.

We received a bag of goodies that I can not find. I do hope I did not knock it out of my bag. We received a ball of yarn, pattern for a market bag and the cutiest knitting needles. I really do not know where to look for it. I am quite sad :(

Here or some of the ladies up top enjoying the warm breeze, scenery and company. We just knitted away. Of course, there was munchies,

While we were taking our "Cruisette", we passed a wedding in progress. Isn't this a beautiful setting for a wedding!!!

I think the highlight of our trip down the Fox River was our serenade.

We passed him a couple of times. Glad I had my camera.

I truly had a great time. Wish you were here.

Eleganza PJ Party

2008-07-20T11:11:00.012-04:00

The party was a blast.

Guess who won the best slippers contest with these beauties.......

I had these Mickey feet slippers for years and had put them in the pile to take to the Goodwill when I read that they were having a Best slipper contest. Boy am I happy that I pulled them out. I won the best slippers contest. My prize was the 2009 desk calendar "Never Not Knitting" by Stephanie Pearl-McPHee, the Yarn Harlot.

My birthday is January 31, a Saturday next year. The calendar says, "Weekend Chores, Stash Cull, Culling is reducing the population by selectively removing the weak members, and that's what you'll do this weekend with your yarn stash. You and I both know there's stuff in there you're never going to knit. It's cool to keep it for inspiration or because you love it, but if it's there for no reason? Cull it from the herd and pass it on to a school, retirement home, or charity."

I really should not wait until January 31, 2009. The place is over run with yarn from my knitting and weaving that I do not know what to do with.

I thought you might want to see some pictures from the party. First there is Kristi. I really think she is enjoying that chocolate.

And then there is Ang, she is in the middle with that great smile and pink shirt. She always makes me feel so welcome when I come to any of the get togethers.

Someone brought soup to help with the sugar high we all got from all that delicious pastry.

I want to thank Kristi, Ang and all the crew at Eleganza for making this such a fun evening.

Happy Crafting.....

Belle Amore

2008-07-16T18:05:00.002-04:00

I copied this from my daughter's blog since she had said it all. You did not think you would get three blog post in one day ....did you?

AND... Trumpets please!

I received back the scarf that mom (me) wove and I beaded the fringe for back from Belle Armoire.

Attached... A LETTER THAT THEY ARE GOING TO USE IT IN ONE OF THEIR ISSUES! Which one, I don't know but I'll post the minute I find out. SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Amia Yarn Company Contest

2008-07-16T17:54:00.003-04:00

I just found out about this great contest. Check it out if you love great Llama and Alpaca yarn.

1. You get your name in the drawing pot once for posting the contest on your website or blog. You can use this button with the URL address for this blog post. Just email her at theknitwitch@gmail.com with the URL of where it is.

2. You can get your name entered a second time by going to the website, www.amiayarncompany.com, and then emailing her the color name of any yarn product on the site.

3. You can get your name entered a THIRD time by sending her a picture of ANYTHING you have knit out of alpaca or spun from alpaca roving (alpaca blends are ok too). She will not do anything with the pictures except look at them so no need to worry about your pictures being used for any other purpose. She wants to see what kinds of things you have made with alpaca and you want your name entered in the contest three times, right?

4. You can only be entered a maximum of three times.

There will be four prizes determined by a drawing of names.
- First place is 5 SKEINS of hand dyed 100% alpaca in colorway "Butterscotch".

- Second place is a $40 gift certificate for Amia Yarn Company good for any purchase (cannot be used in conjunction with any other discount).

- Third place is a $20 gift certificate for Amia Yarn Company good for any purchase (cannot be used in conjunction with any other discount).

- Fourth place is free shipping on any order from Amia Yarn Company.

So, what do you think? Easy, right? The contest starts now and will go until July 31st at midnight. Winners will be posted the first week of August. Good luck!!!!

My Loom is Calling Me

2008-07-16T15:54:00.009-04:00

I am trying to get myself back into weaving. Every time I read Syne Mitchell's on line weaving magazine Weavezine , or listen to her podcast, Weavecast , I get so excited and think I can weave forever. Then I pick up some knitting and start knitting like crazy, the looms are crying from neglect.

The excuse I tried to use for not using my 4 harness loom was that the bar I tie the warp on to was too long. Well, I had another one cut. There is no excuse now.

The 8 harness LeClerc was not weaving currently. I brought new tie up strings and put them on but have not tried to weave anything to see if I have fixed the problem. I really do not like the loom, I brought it used without trying it out and was disappointed with it from the beginning. I would like to get another one but have to get rid of this one and the counter balance that is not being used.

The Ashford Table loom has been sitting there with a warp that I have not completely put on for about a year. I do not have any excuse, except I do not remember what pattern I had started and will have to take the time to see what I have done to this point.

The counter balance loom, I brought that one used to make rugs. I made a few rag rugs and now use it as a yarn rack.

It is time to hide my knitting needles and get back to work.

I do have some things to share.... the clapotis is finished. This was
the June KAL with LetsKnit2gether Ravelers.

I used Ashford Tekapo in Forest. Since this will be a fall/winter shawl, I purchased Ashford's Tekapo solid color in rust to make a hat.

I looked at the Clapotis Hat pattern on Ravelry but do not like it.

Finally Mr. Greenjean's is complete. I was able to finish the button band while waiting for my car to be serviced. Really love this yarn from Mooncake Yarn Inc.

The yarn used in this was a worsted weight, the color is olive and so soft.

On my needles is Pink Mimosa from the Interweave Press Pattern Store. I was searching the web patterns trying to find something to do with all that Plymouth Linen Isle that I had purchased. Lo and Behold, the Pink Mimosa uses this yarn. It is a wrap sleeveless cardigan with scalloped Feather lace band. Lots of stockinette.........

Whenever I finish, it will be pretty. I emailed a lady on Ravelry that was making the same cardigan to ask a question and she wants to do this as a KAL with just the two of us. For some reason, I said that it would be a great idea.

Now with family news.....My daughter has decided to change careers. She has been a project coordinator for the last few years and had gotten fed up with corporate life. She decided to go for her dream. She started culinary school recently,....may I present the next Rachel Ray. Okay, she does not plan on having a tv show or working in a restaurant except to intern but is leaning toward being either a personal chef, food stylist, or product research & development specialist.

I only wish I had that kind of nerve when I was young to go for my dream. I wanted to be an interior decorator. Oh well....may in my next life.

I go with my daughter and son-in-law to the Renaissance Faire here in Maryland. I have made a skirt and have pirate pants as a change but did not have a purse. My daughter brought me one. Here it is laying on my skirt...A good match don't you think!!!

I guess I am going to end this with talking about knitting, I just can not get away from it. I have so many projects waiting in the wings.

Anyway, LetsKnit2gother (A great video podcast) is on Ravelry as I mentioned before. The July KAL is socks. I always have a pair of socks on the needle so this is an easy KAL.

The August KAL is the Morning Surf Scarf that you will spin the yarn and then knit the scarf. This is a free pattern and looks great. At the
Homespun Yarn Party on March 3oth in Takoma Park, MD, I brought this Merino fiber in the colorway Chocolate Covered Cherries from Crash Into Ewe.
I like to spin in the evening, so I will try to actually have my yarn spun this month and be able to start knitting the scarf in August.

On Friday, our local yarn store, Eleganza Yarns is having there FIRST ever Pajama Party! Besides the knitting and nosh, the GRAND PRIZE for Best Slippers Contest. Wait until you see the slippers I am wearing. I had to dig them out of the Salvation Army box I was getting together. There will also be Pajama Party Soundtrack available for download on iTunes. .

I was lucky enough to go to the Eleganza Ravelry Appreciation party (aka Margarita Night) in June. There were goodies bags and so much food that I was stuffed.

That's me in the turquoise under the umbrella. No, I did not drink any Margarita's..there would have been no knitting or driving home.

Well, I am out of here. Have some knitting, spinning, and weaving to do. Oh yes, I do plan on eating and sleeping somewhere in there.

My daughter and I have been doing yarn crawls in Maryland and Virginia on Monday's which is the only day that she has off from school except for the weekends and I don't get to see her on the weekends with their busy life. I have found some gems that I can hardly wait to tell you about.

TOTO, We are Not in Kansas anymore

2008-07-04T18:17:00.005-04:00

Yes, I have finally left Kansas and truly had fun coming home. Stopped at several yarn stores and spent too much money. It took me 4 hours just to get 100 miles away from the office.

I stopped at Knit-Wit, 1815 S. Ridgeview Rd., Olathe, KS 66062 (no web-site). The shop is small but is packed with great yarn. If you stop by, make sure you check out the bargain baskets. I had found a great lace shawl pattern that uses sock to sport weight yarn. Just as I was about to pay for it and leave, the owner asked me if I had looked through the bargain baskets. I found Plymouth Yarn's Linen Isle that is 86 yds, 5 sts. an inch on a size 6 needle. It is 50% cotton, 30% rayon and 20% linen. I was able to get it for $2 a ball. I got 30 balls. I plan on making the hot cocoa jacket from More Big Girl Knits and some of those great farmer's market bags (a free pattern) by Elizabeth Taylor the owner of Stringtown Yarn and Fibers in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. I think they will be great Christmas gifts.

If you have ever been to the Maryland Sheep and Wool you know the Yarn Barn of Kansas. I had no idea that the shop was only an hour from my office. Just think, I was in Kansas a month and never went. I think that is where I spent all my time during those 4 hours I was trying to get out of Kansas. I only brought some spinning magazines, a reed for my Ashford table loom and a double point needle holder mainly because I was overwhelmed. The store is chocked full of weaving, spinning and knitting yarns and supplies. Also, if you love crafting videos, they own Victorian Videos. I truly love those videos, I have purchased so many and had my own classes in my hotel room over the years. You can get videos on everything from basketry to spinning.

I also made some stops in Missouri. I found a small shop in Saint Charles, Mo, Artistic Needles (no web-site). This is needlepoint and knitting yarn store. It is jambed pack from top to bottom. You need time when you go because the owner loves to show you around her store.

I had not planned on buying but really fell in love with a sport superwash by Filtes s.a.s. and Italian yarn company. The yarn has 136 yds, Tried to find it on Ravelry but it would not come up. The color is not a solid blue but looks like it from a distance. I brought enough to make Bombshell from Big Girl Knits which is a very cute tee.

I stopped at another store along the way and brought more sock yarn but otherwise, it was a very uneventful trip.

What's on my needles....I am still working on Mr. Greenjean's. I just have the button band to finish. I forgot to take my knitting with me when I went to Kansas so I could not finish any of my projects.

On Ravelry, Lets knit2gether ravelers had a a June KAL for the clapotis. Since everyone in the knitting community seems to have knitted this shawl but me, I jumped on the band wagon. I needed a project while I was in Kansas, didn't I? What would you do if you did not take your spinning wheel or loom? I stopped at Hill Creek Yarn Shoppe, Columbia, Missouri and picked up Ashfords' Tekapo Rainbows in Forest colorway. The label says the yarn is pure New Zealand Wool, 218 yrs and is a double knit 8 ply.

I still have not posted my pictures from Arkansas. My camera broke and I have not figured out how to retrieve the photos.

I plan on mostly spinning and weaving the two weeks I will be off. Hope I have something to show you.

"There's No Place Like Home"

2008-06-14T21:04:00.007-04:00

It has been awhile since I have written. I have been very busy.

I worked in Ft. Smith, AR, on a hail storm. I was exhausted every night and just did not have the time. I am presently in Kansas.

This is my first day off and I had to go to the Oz Museum .

Especially because a couple of days ago there was a tornado that destroyed homes down to the slab only 1/2 mile from my hotel. I was so tired that I slept through the entire thing. I found out that most of the occupants in the hotel had been down in a conference room on the first floor. Most of the guest except me. I was sleeping in my bed.

The museum is in Wamego, Kansas, which is about 8 miles from where I am working in Manhattan, KS. The words that are all over the museum is "There's no place like home."

These words are the dream of a small community that literally built a museum out of a rainbow's notion? There are over 2,000 artifacts dating from 1900 to today. When we were there we were told that they were in the process of moving out what we had seen today to move in a new exhibit which would open in August.

The OZ museum was built with a major grant from the State of Kansas and the generosity of the people of the community. The museum houses more than just memorabilia from the famous 1939 MGM musical starring Judy Garland encompassing silent films, one of which starred Oliver Hardy (Laurel and Hardy fame) as the Tin Man as well as "The Wiz" starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.

The museum offers everything from the earliest Baum books and Oz Parker Brothers board games to today's collectibles. I felt the $7 charge was steep at first but if you are a true OZ buff, you will get your money's worth.

I went with a co-worker, Fay. We found the OZ Winery store but they were closed. We will go back to get some wine with names like; Run Toto Run, Witch in a Ditch, Witch Gone Good, O.E.O, Yellow Brick Road, and Emerald City Lights.

There was also the Emerald City Market which according to what it said on the window was that the store features mported cheese, chocolates from around the world, truffles and fudge, an array of Italian foods, Absolutely Wicked coffee, and many other fine foods, along with imported hand-painted Portuguese pottery.

As for what project I brought with me this time...I joined a KAL for the Clapotis Shawl. I picked up some Ashford Takepo on my way here in nice fall colors. I will take a picture once I get further along.

MDSW

2008-05-10T16:57:00.004-04:00

I am presently working in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. I have some great pictures of the a shop there called the Stringtown Yarn and Fiber. I will try to get them up eventually.

I flew home in time to go to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Show and I only got to go on Saturday because I got sick. I am back in AR and regret not going to MDSW on Sunday or going to the Ravelry get together on Saturday night.

My daughter and I met up with our friends from KY. It was great seeing them. We tailgated in gourmet style. Wonder why we never thought of this before.

The only thing I brought was hand dyed roving. The colors or marvelous. I will get them up for you to see once I get home.

The Western Maryland Ravelers made up a banner, got to the Show early enough to park in the front row, the only why they could have done this would have been to arrive at 6 in the morning.

They brought lawn chairs and drinks so that we could stop by during the day to rest. This is the group that I meet with on Saturday mornings at Panera Bread once or twice a month and on Friday evenings at Barnes and Noble in Frederick once a month. Not everyone that comes is on Ravelry. Word of mouth is really increasing our number.

My daughter (way in the background) brought yarn at the show. I was looking for bulky yarn to make a sweater but I could only find one place that sold bulky and it was hand dyed and too expensive.

We went to the Ravelry meet up but could not get close to Jess or Casey, they were like rock stars.

Another Day

2008-04-03T20:35:00.005-04:00

I am still home. ....

I am finding that I really do not like this waiting for the call to go back to work some place. All the years I have been doing this job, it has never been a problem but now....
I have been trying to work on some things and not think about it.

Finished dying the yarn I had spun and now I am plying it. Plied wraps per inch is approximately 14 which makes this a sport yarn The first ball that I made was 350 yards, I think I will have about the same for the second ball. I am not sure whether I am going to use it to weave something or knit a pair of socks. The yarn is super wash merino.

I have two skeins of the beautiful yarn I purchased at Crash into Ewe that I am looking for the perfect pattern. I only have 840 yards so it will have to be a large scarf or small shawl. If you have an idea for a great pattern, let me know. The silver that runs throughout the yarn makes it so that I need to make something special. The yarn is 73% superwash merino/ 20% silk/ 15% nylon, 2% silver.

Started on a new sweater, Mr. Greenjean's . This is such a cute sweater. I love the Tranquility yarn by MoonCake, Inc. purchased it from The Yarn Cafe in Minnesota with no idea of what I was going to do with it.

The yarn is 100% worsted weight wool, Luxurious - a delight to the fingers!
Variance in color adds visual interest. Ultra soft and perfect for baby, felting or year-round knitting projects. Amazing color depth and there is 73 gorgeous colors! This yarn is Olive.

I will buy more only because I love the feel of it against my skin. You get 215 yds for $11.00

I also started warping the loom that I use to make rugs so that I can make another rug using the last of the thrums yarn. That will only take me a day so I just need to get to it. Knitting has taken me away from my weaving but I do want to get back to it.

What Louise Means

2008-04-02T11:48:00.001-04:00

What Louise Means

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow.

You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily.

Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life.

You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you.

At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself.

You are a very lucky person. Things just always seem to go your way.

And because you're so lucky, you don't really have a lot of worries. You just hope for the best in life.

You're sometimes a little guilty of being greedy. Spread your luck around a little to people who need it.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.

You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.

You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong.

You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know.

You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.

You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.

At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

This and That

2008-03-31T07:55:00.009-04:00

I really had a great weekend. I actually did not think about whether I would be getting that call to leave to go back to work somewhere. The dread is back today but the weekend was marvelous.

On Sunday, the Ravelry breakfast group met at Panera Bread. I wore my shrug since some of them had seen me knitting it and wanted to see the finished item. I was able to fix the rib. Would you believe that everyone loved it and felt that it should not be a hotel/bed jacket shrug but I should wear it out. I went to the grocery after the meeting and a couple of ladies came up to me to tell me how pretty it was. Maybe I will wear it out sometime. I know I want to make another one with different yarn. Probably my homespun and dyed.

While I was with everyone, the conversation went to a yarn shop in a nearby town that had a great selection and their own knitting patterns.
The burning question and conversation was who was going to the Homespun Party (indie dyers and spinners selling their wares). The Party was the next day from 2-6pm. It was an hour and a half from me so I was not sure that I would go. They were going to carpool if I wanted to come. I had been invited to go to the movies with a group of ladies, so I had another engagement and really did not need to go.

When I got home I decided that I would check out Y2Knit www.y2knit.com
in Funkstown, MD, owned by Susan Wolcott. They do have lots of their own knitting patterns and beautiful yarn. The problem is that they have samples of all their patterns hanging around which caused me to buy patterns that I do not need.

The only thing that I regretted was that there was no inviting place to just sit and knit like they have in Minneapolis. There is a front porch with comfortable furniture, it could be nice. I will have to check it out in the summer.

Before I went to bed, I emailed my movie friend and told her that I would not be able to meet her. I had decided to go to the Homespun Party. I missed the carpool and had to drive in my old rattle trap car to Takoma Park, MD.

When I got to the door of the room that they had for the yarn, all I could see was heads and bodies. I thought at first that it was a fire sale of some kind and I was in the wrong place. Someone moved and I saw yarn...I was in the right place. I am not familiar with the local yarn artist so this was a great introduction.

There was yarn by Yarn Love
Glitz spinning batts by Steph of Loop
Handpainted spinning fibers, patterns and yarn by Gryphon of Sanguine Gryhon
Yarns and fibers by Jennifer Heverty of Spirit Trail Fiberworks
Stitch markers and hand dyed yarn in bright and bold colorways with crazy names by Lindsey of Storm Moon Knits
Paula of Woolarina had hand painted yarn and wool roving
Amy O'Neill Houck of the Hook and I had her great original crochet patterns for sale
Yarn creator Terry Todesco of Crash into Eve had the most marvelous colors, I had to buy some handpainted roving and a skein of sport weight yarn that had silver sparkles. That is so unlike me since I do not normally like sparkly yarn. It had to have been the colors.
Arden Jewelry Designs shared a table with Terry were she displayed handmade jewelry and stitch markers.
NomNomNom provided the baked goods for sale with the proceeds going to Ravelry.
I did buy a DPN Wallet from Katie Fleck of Blue Kitty Designs. She also had circular needle rolls and knitting bags.
Erin aka Mama-E was there with her yarn and spinning fibers. C*Eye*Ber Fiber Warehouse is normally wholesale so this was a treat. She shared her table with Dawn Dornan from
Knitting Gnome were she had some marvelous stitch markers.
I purchased the book Knitspeak and had the author sign it. The books aim is to demystify pattern language. It is sized to fit in your knitting bag.
Dragonfly Fiber Designs offered hand dyed yarns and fiber.
I do hope that the artist will do this again. I am sure that there are others fiber junkies beside me and our Ravelry group that would love to buy from local artist. Word of mouth is going to make the next one even more of success than this one. The only thing is they need a bigger place. I may have brought more if I could have gotten to the tables to look.

After we left the yarn sale we went to Potbelly's for lunch to share our wealth. Ange was the winner. Almost everything in the pile was purchased by her. Maureen did not buy anything, not sure how she managed it.

Today I am going to work on my weaving loom trying to figure out what is wrong because I need to work on some gifts. It looks like there is a tie up problem. At least I hope that is all there is. I can weave the dishtowels on my Ashford or Norwood but I will not be able to make the throw.

As for my knitting, I am working on the Mr. Greenjean's sweater and a pair of socks called Nutkin's. This will keep me busy for awhile.

Until next time....

My Daughter, the Next Jackie Chan

2008-03-26T16:38:00.005-04:00

Click on the arrow and watch my daughter in action.

The first person you will see will be my son-in-law and then my daughter comes in (she is in the pink shirt) kicking butt.

Combattitude is an innovative style of exercise fighting and has made its way from movie screens to Columbia, MD. "Combattitude," a combination of fighting arts and movement, was designed by Washington, D.C., native Chuck Jeffreys, a professional stuntman, actor, Hollywood fight choreographer and martial artist with 40 years' experience in several styles of fighting. This is a true cardio workout with the feel of sparring without causing injury. By practicing reflexive strikes and presenting targets with Fisticue boxing gloves, which present a bright red bull's-eye when opened, you are suppose to develop and improve self-defense skills.
http://thecffa.com/CFFA.html

Would you believe that I was going to the class when I was home. Unfortunately, I live an hour and half away so getting there is most of my day when I am home. You can not imagine how much you sweat.

I was so excited. I finished the Norah Gaughan Elodie. I was quite pleased and had planned on wearing it to my knitting breakfast group on Saturday. I had blocked it and thought all was well. I hung it up to take a picture for the blog and Ravelry and alas....the ribbing on one side of the collar is too short. Now I have to unravel the collar on that side and redo it. I doubt if it will be ready for the group since I have two conference calls for work on Friday and things to do tomorrow. I told myself that this was suppose to be a house jacket and not a shrug to wear out. It did not work. I will have to rip it back. I thought you might like to see it before I rip it back.....
Darn, darn......!!!!!! Rip, rip!!!!!!!!

My daughter and son-in-law just brought a house. I am going to check my weaving yarn stash tonight to see what cotton yarn I have to weave some dish towels. I like to use cottonlin or 5/2 cotton. The color of the walls in the kitchen is wine/burgundy. I really do not think I have anything. What I plan to do is weave 7 towels and then embroider some kind of days of the week type thing. I have collected a lot of the little chef embroider designs, each towel will have a different chef. How does that sound?

My son's job brought new furniture so he brought over two of the bookshelves and a table for my sewing machines. What I had before was so flimsy that the table would shake and vibrate when I was sewing. He had left some tables in his room that he had purchased from IKEA so I claimed them. We put on adjustable legs and now the cutting table and the ironing table are waist height. It finally is a place that I enjoy working in.

Just Wanted to Say......

2008-03-20T19:04:00.005-04:00

My daughter and son-in-law just brought there first house. I am so excited for them.

I actually have gotten quite a bit of knitting and spinning done. I plan on dying the yarn I spun this weekend. The problem is that I can not decide whether to make it one color or multicolor. I will probably decide when I am mixing the dyes.

I also just made a quick headband that I had been planning to make for a while but when I received a gift of 2 balls of Noro Kureyon, I decided to just do it.

Well, this is short but I just wanted to tell everyone Happy Easter.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-16T14:38:00.002-04:00

Good to Be Home

2008-03-16T12:24:00.003-04:00

I am happy to be home even through I do not think it will be long. The weather will not co-operate and stay calm. The good thing about my job as a catastrophe claims adjuster is that I get to go to different states, meet new and exciting people and visit shops. However, I am always on call and can not relax or make plans when I am home because I can get that phone call anytime during the day or evening and have to leave.

On my way back from Florida, I stopped at three yarn shops. My favorite was The Knit Wit & Gifts located at The Shoppes at Brentwood in Wilson, N.C., they offer knitting supplies including imported fashion yarns and gifts. I could not find an email address but the contact numbers for the shop are 252-291-8149 and 800-291-8149. I fell in love with the shop, the owner and the yarn. I went in to look at the yarn and came out with yarn and a gift for my daughter.

The shop is on two floors, has comfortable sitting that made me want to pull out my knitting and stay. The good part is that it is not out of your way if you are driving up or down 95. I am not sure if that is good or bad. This is a truly a shop that will be on my radar when I am heading to Florida to work or vacation.

I also stopped at a shop not far from home that I did not know was there. This shop is in Haymarket, VA. The sign is on the front of the building as you are driving down the main road, however the shop is on the 3nd floor facing the rear of the building (the front of the building you can only see 2 floors). I could not find it at first and almost got back into my car chaulking this up as a "no show". At the last minute, I went to the back parking lot and saw that their was shops on the 2nd and third floors. I am happy that I made the effort. It was almost closing time so I could not really explore but the owner did not act as if she wanted me to leave so that she could close. It is close enough to home to warrant another visit when I have time.

The shop is located at 15125 Washington St. Suite 316, Haymarket, VA , phone 703-659-1062. The store carries needlepoint as well as yarn for knitting.

Since I have been home, I have to admit that I have not done much but it has only been a week. The company my son works for was brought out and the company moved to another location getting rid of the old furniture. My son got me some bookcases and a table. Next Friday, I am renting a van to get the items and will be redoing my sewing rooms.

On Friday, I met with my knitting group the Western
Maryland Ravelers at Panera Bread in Frederick, MD for breakfast. It was nice to sit with the group to laugh and knit.

Since I never tried blocking, I got advice on how to block my Elodie shrug and also how to read the part of the pattern for the collar that I was having problems with. Now, the shrug is blocking and drying. I hope that it will dry today, so I can start on the next part.

Just got a call from my daughter, TeAntae, that they found a house. I am going tomorrow to look at it. I thought that I was going to sleep late. A good thought.

Talk to you soon

Midnight Knitting and Whats on my Needles

2008-02-17T14:02:00.007-05:00

I had a chance to go to Midnight Knitting with a great group of knitters here in Jacksonville at Knitwitz. I am a person that goes to bed at 8:30 but I made it. Of course I had the help of Starbucks and lots of good companionship.

We paid $10.00 for the food and drinks. Met some lovely ladies and one very nice man but he is an "ENABLER" so you want to stay away from him. I was doing good just knitting and talking, then I made the mistake of looking at this pattern of a fantastic felted overnight bag from NORO. He got up and went to see the price and then brought it back to me to look at closer. The pattern is 2 color, you will knit 36 inches wide and 27 inches tall just to get the finished felted size.

I brought the pattern just to keep him quiet. (If you believe that).

The night was going on nicely and a lady came over to show me the handdyed roving by a local dyer. It was so pretty. I went over to look and saw two different colorways that I liked then I went back to my seat and my knitting. Before you know it, the "ENABLER" struck again and came back with one of the colorways that I had been looking at, for me to feel. You would probably say that I should have resisted and really I tried but I found that I was standing in line buying a pound of it.

This is merino top from http://www.creativelydyed.com/ .

It will take me two days to wake up but I had a ball and would do it again if I had the chance.

I told you that I would tell you what is on my needles. I finished my slinky socks. They were fun and I plan on making another pair. I also finished the Bainbridge neckwarmer that I made with some of my handdyed, handspun yarn. This goes with the hat I made and showed you in one of my previous post.

Now I am working very hard on the Norah Gaughan Elodie shrug pattern. I am using Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Salmon Berry Red. It is my plan to use this as a bed jacket. One of the problems with traveling all the time is that a robe heavy enough to keep me warm in hotel rooms with uneven heating, takes up valuable space and gets in the way. I wanted something to put around my shoulders that would not fall off while I was spinning, weaving, knitting or reading in bed. A shrug seemed the perfect solution. There is an error in the foundation row of the pattern but I found out about it on Ravelry and went to the website to get the errata. The color is very rich. I had people come up to me all evening to look at my progress. They said that they were sitting across the room and it was so very pretty.

I will probably start on a pair of socks today because I need something small to keep in the car and the shrug is getting large.

I am still spinning on the merino super wash that I am trying to spin up and hopefully get dyed for a present for my daughter.

As to what I am reading, if you have not had a chance to look at the book, Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning by Judith MacKenzie McCuin, you should take a peek. She came to my weaving guild and gave a talk. I was impressed and everyone, but me, was buying her book and having her sign it. The title was just not calling my name and there was too many people around the table for me to look at the book. Then I started listening to podcast that kept talking about it so I used my gift certificate from Amazon and brought it as well as "The Yarn Lover's guide to hand dyeing by Linda La Belle". Judith's book has made me very excited about spinning and dying. Her plying and dying section has got my creative juice aflame.

Until next time, keep crafting

I Have Been Ravelryed

2008-01-19T16:17:00.000-05:00

I am working in Jacksonville, FL., probably for 2 months. Thanks to www.Ravelry.com, I have a way to meet new friends everywhere my job takes me with nothing more than a click of my mouse.

I had planned to meet up with a knitting group, The Black Purls. They meet at a coffee shop in St. Augustine on Saturday's. Unfortunately, I drove around and could not find a parking space. I was so discussed that I left. On the way back to the hotel, I remembered another group on Ravelry that meets in Jacksonville at a shop called KnitWitz. I decided that since I could not find a parking space, I would check out the shop. After having to call for directions, the GPS could not find the street, I finally arrived at the shop that turned out to be about 20 minutes from my hotel.

As soon as I walked in the door, I knew that this was going to be a great hangout. I am anxious to go back on Wednesday evening for their knit-in.

Some of the ladies had brought their spinning wheels and was spinning, a group had CD spindles and was learning how to spin, and another group was knitting. Everyone else, including me, was just wandering the shop.

Also on Ravelry, I joined the Western Maryland Ravelers that meet at Barnes and Noble in Frederick, MD, at the FSK Mall two Friday's a month to sit, knit and be a part of a group of other knitters. Here is a couple of pictures of some of the group that met the last time I was able to meet with everyone. What a joy it is to be in a group of like minds. There is some spinners as well as knitters. Several people have come to my little section of Ravelry and left comments about my knitting. I do hope that there will be a place for weaving, on the site, one of these days.

I just have to complete the toe on the socks I started knitting while I was on my Europe trip. They were finished when I realized that one was much, much, longer than the other and had to rip back. I was not happy about that. On this trip, I only brought UFO's with me and my spinning wheel. I am hoping that I can get these done so I can stop feeling guilty.

Okay, I brought more yarn when I went to KnitWitz, ....I will not start a project until I finish what I brought. Now, keep in mind, this store has handdyed and handspun yarns from local dyers that I can not get anywhere else. That is bad!!!!!