A New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2009 has begun and, as always, I never make resolutions. But in a way, an incidental resolution occurred since I was at a local "beauty" store yesterday, taking advantage of their 25% off coupon that expired yesterday. I ended up with a bag full of face products so I resolved that I would do my best to follow my aestheticians recommendations and USE this stuff DAILY, as prescribed!-lol! I'm really feeling my age cuz I have now moved up to serums for "aging skin", whiteners and other such treatments! Suffice to say I spent waaaay more than I intended-but saved a goodly amount! So what I saved in yarn, I spent in face product! But, as we used to say when I sold Mary Kay, 'good looks begin with good skin' ...or something along those lines!

Though my gift knitting continues, I started on the Leyburn STR KAL because I could no longer resist the gorgeous skein of Seal Rock that was calling out to me! If you want in on this, pop over to the Rav Socks That Rawk! group! The thread is stickied to the top, so you can't miss it! The Socks that Rawk group is a great group and I tend to prefer it over the "Rockin' Sock Club" group someone started over at Rav. It may be just cuz Nartian, Irish Girlie and I are all on the Socks that Rawk group more than the other. Or maybe cuz TurtleGirl is such an awesome Mod that we love! Anyways, there is no deadline to join the KAL and what is fun is we are all knitting the pattern using different colorways of STR! (YAY, STR!!!)



OH...and the cowl I started for my bro's gf is done! I named it "Southwestern Flair". I picked this CP yarn called "Kaya" because it looked like a yarn she'd like (she likes red); since it stripes, I thought the texture looked kinda southwestern (and she is from Albequerque), so I went with it! Her style is kinda mod and the reds she tends to go for are more true tomatoe red, so I hope she likes this anyway!-lol!

If anyone cares, I will write up this pattern and post later. Easy peasy but I would have probably made it a bit smaller than it ended up.

I hope that 2009 has started off well for all of you! I think that with the completion of one project yesterday and only starting the Leyburns, I am doing pretty well. And I'll be working on the dark age spots!-lol! ;)

I'm ready...

to be through with gift knitting, that is!

Unfortunately, that is not the case! Instead of ticking items off my list, it seems I have continually added on: the failed cowl that prompted a second, mitts that I should have added on earlier, mitts promised and not completed, socks so badly begged for and I know I can get away without doing for a while...but I have lingering guilt over...

But the do-over cowl is complete:Caera Cowl knit with Claudia Handpainted Worsted Merino
(look familiar IrishGirlie?
This is from one of the first destash skeins I ever purchased from you!)

Then this conversation:

Mom: "so...do you have that hat dad gave to LE to use for Halloween?"
Me: "Yeah, it's around here. I'll find it and give it back."
Mom: "...or you can maybe just knit him one!"
Me: "ok...lemme see what yarn he might like a hat from..."

later that same day after dad has looked through the yarn and made his hat yarn choice...

Mom: "And you can use THIS one for a scarf for ME."
Me: "No, I'm not making you a scarf with that yarn. That's one of my 'men's' colors and I don't have many 'men's colros'."
Mom: "...just a short scarf to go around my neck-but not like the ones that are a loop that you pull over your head..."
Me: "I'll show you what other yarns I have that will be better colors for you..."

And so, my mom who very well knows how to knit got me to commit to making her a neck muffler, too! The hat? Only about 1.5" into it. And another cowl I started for my bro's GF is almost completed. ACK! What am I thinking? Will I ever start on my Leyburn socks for the KAL?

And lookie at some of my Christmas goodies (knitting related ones!):

Shibui alpaca/merino and...my first STR spirit! Thanks Nartian! love (1000)!

And from Little Shit Disturber (LSD), my bud at work, I got this!


And thought I'd treat myself to this for the BMFA sale! I FINALLY have sock blockers!
And STR Jabberwocky lightweight!

And since I had most of my BMFA stash out, I decided to take a What Color is Your STR Stash palette:alot of the kit yarns were not included in this pic and I have a few other stray skeins around that didn't make it in, but it was interesting to see most of it. It would be more interesting to take individual pics and mosaic them for an overall look, but I just didn't have that kind of time tonight! I also left out the 2 Silkie STR and the two Merino/Tencel skeins...

BTW...cake is back! And my Completely Pointless and Arbitarary Group CAKE shirt is on its way!

Another project to add to the Christmas knitting!

Here's a cowl I made for my cousin's daughter:


Yeah, too big. Wide and squatty.

I mean, it wouldn't be bad if it were kinda folded in an elegant way and secured or otherwise clasped with a stick pin. But it's for an 18 yo. I really think she would not be into that look. I was really going for the snugger fitting cowl-look for her.

So I cast on a new one and hope I get it done on time. I have a boy's hat to knit, too, but somehow I think I can get away with the promise of one and knit it later.

And I did it again! I forgot that our WoolGirl sock club (final shipment-boo hoo!!!) was sent out! Oh...lemme do a spoiler warning, in case someone might care...



SPOILER ALERT!!!...

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SPOILER ALERT!!!...



SPOILER ALERT!!!...



SPOILER ALERT!!!...



SPOILER ALERT!!!...



(I'm so proud I thought to do that! But then again, if you've been reading my blog for any amount of time, you know how I feel about spoilers...the more the merrier!)



Here it is-the final kit!

HazelKnits yarn in "Whispering Pine" colorway, "Pine Cone" pattern,
calendar, a case of awesome"Specially Made by" tags,
a cute, cute leaf stitch marker
...oh-and chocolate!

I love this leaf marker so much that I wanted to take a pic up-close...blurry and I was too lazy to back off for a clearer pic and crop. Oh well. Sue me!


So guess what I was compelled to make yesterday? Homemade eggnog!!! It came out a bit custardy taste-wise, but I think it just lacked that imitation rum flavor that is usually in the stuff I get. So later in the day, I added some rum to prove my theory. It was right.

I so heart eggnog! I forget that my bud, Purple Rain Knitter stalks my blog. And now that I'm on Facebook, she stalks me there! So she gives me an eggnog scone last week! DE-LISH! LOVE! I had forgotten that she actually does see some of the crazy things I 'say' out here in cyberland!

OH...And another item added to my 'to do' list? Knit or crochet a pink and white cake!

IrishGirlieKnits pointed me in the direction of the "Bring Back the Cake" group over at Ravelry. So I now have a Winter Break cause to work on, now that elections are over, there are no outstanding PTA or PPS (Parents for Public Schools)-though everyone's goal this year is 'Closing the Achievment Gap"..., etc...

So I had NO IDEA the cake was gone! How long had it gone missing, I don't know...Apparently a 'bug' in the system, but Casey is our Ravelry God, and all things point to Casey!

Background:

For those of you non-Ravers (or maybe those who just plain weren't aware!), programmer/owner Casey (over at Ravelry, the Knitting and Crochet On-line Mecca) had programmed in these wonderful little icons that would pop up whenever a specific order of letters were posted. The first one I became aware of, and certainly quite the icon of icons (well, except that Killer Rabbit had me going for a bit...) was the cake. "Cake" is quite a cool word since it can also apply to yarn, not just food!

I LOVED that cake! I went crazy over finding out about that cake! Then I learned there were many more icons that would magically appear when the correct letters were put together: wedding cake, pinot noir, tea, hot chocolate, gingerbread, candy cane, hot dog, hamburger... Well, apparently the cake is gone and we can no longer phathom up that piece of cake! I;m so sad and so are many others. Enough so, that the Rav group aforementioned was created.

Thank you, IrishGirlieKnits for knowing I needed this support group!

And here is my current Ravatar:
Let's all hope that the cake returns because..."It's no party...without CAKE!!!"

So what of this new project added on? Glad you asked! I will be participating in the cake KAL/CAL and make a piece of cake to send to Casey! There is a "Let them Knit Cake" pattern and a "Birthday Cake" crocheted pattern to use. Not sure which I'll do. But definitely not til after Christmas...

Try this recipe...

if you get it to work, it is WONDERFUL! I think my friends and I are failing in the carmel making portion!

BUTTER PECAN TURTLE BARS

CRUST
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup butter, softened
2 cups pecan halves, coarsely chopped

CARAMEL
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup butter

TOPPING
2 cups milk chocolate chips (approx. a 11.5 oz. bag)
(standard semi-sweet chips should work, too)

Combine flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar and ½ cup butter. Blend until crumbly. Pat firmly onto bottom of ungreased 9 x 13-inch pan. Sprinkle pecan halves over unbaked crust. Set aside.

In small saucepan, combine caramel ingredients - brown sugar and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to boil. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Drizzle caramel over pecans and crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until caramel layer is bubbly and crust is light brown. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips. Spread chips evenly as they melt. Cool completely before cutting.

48 bars

NOTE: After sprinkling on the chocolate chips, I turned off the oven and put the pan back in for 1 minute to speed up melting.

And I neglected to mention...

I was just over at ChickenKnits and read about what she's been up to. Surprisingly, no yarn pr0n! What's up with that?!

But there were lots of cookies shown from her recent SnB Cookie Exchange. And her new haircut. And this meme that I thought I'd copy (yes, it had been a while since I'd had a chance to buzz by her blog...):

Things I've Done (In Bold)

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii (I even got to live there for a bit, since I attended summer school one session!)
5. Watched a meteor shower (I think...sad, I know..)
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain (not any kind of big one...)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo (see 41)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightning at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning (knocked on wood with that one!)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables (Sadly, no. Even though my grandfather farmed fruit!)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill ("I call them mental health days!"-I agree with ChickenKnits on this one; not physically ill, but needing to not be at work!)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (in case you haven't figured this out, I am NOT athletic. At all.)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (many time over with direct-sales: "Creative Circle" stitchery kits, Mary Kay...-and failed! )
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen (nope! but I used to deliver and help in the kitchen and Project Open Hands)
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (maybe...)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (Pat Morita-you know-"Arnold" from Happy Days-grew up in the area where my grandfather farmed; all Asians out there knew each other! He was "Nori" to them back in the day...)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit (Does the PTA being sued count?-lol)
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Rode an elephant
So it appears that ChickenKnits says she needs to 'travel more'. I need to hit the important landmarks of my own country, I'd say! And I'm very East Coast illiterate!

So I neglected to mention that my quilt group had our big holiday party last week. I'll have to share what I got from my Secret Santa later on. But I had shared with ChickenKnits that fact that there is this wonderful turtle bar recipe one of the ladies in my quilt group makes. Funny thing is: out of the six of us who have attempted making these marvelous bars, NONE of us has been able to succeed! And it's not like we just aren't used of baking! Come on-you guys oughta know that baking and hand crafts go hand in hand and I don't know a hand crafter who can't bake!

So I'm gonna try and dig out that recipe and post it here! And then we'll see how many of you take a poke at it and succeed! (Then maybe you can explain what I did wrong!)

And some other goodies to share...

What could I possibly have been working on at quilt group? Well, this is a quilt I made in my second quilt class (see 72 above...though this was my second...), "Beginning Machine Piecing" way back when ... Pre-Lil'Emp, maybe 10-12 years ago! (YIKES!) I machine pieced it; New Pieces in Berkeley machine quilted all but the large center house block. I left that area unquilted so that I could hand-quilt the remainder! HA! Years later, still unfinished! If I thought I was not so great at handquilting before, try doing it years later! And what I completed last week totalled maybe 12 inches?...

And I believe it is True Confessions time...
See the lovely bump of Grafton Fiber Arts fiber? Isn't it gorgeous?...yeah, I couldn't resist. So I had set out to purchase a couple of skeins of Merino 5 to finish Solly's hat and ensure I had enough of another colorway for another hat and ended up with this awesome fiber! And I caved and got AlleyOop afterall...and another Cookie Next Door...and a heavyweight Brick STR! (ps-a shout-out to Jasmin who I got to meet during my whirlwind drop-in to Purlescence! Isn't the Knitting World wonderful? And we just never know who's reading! I was glad to meet you and hope to see you there again! And BTW, the striped yarn was from the WoolGirl Peppermint Patty Kit: Miss Babs Sportweight! YUMMY!)

The plot thickens..

IrishGirlieKnits and I were discussing how I wanted to give the gift of STR to my cousin's GF who spins and now knits. I mean, doesn't it make sense to want to share STR with the uninitiated?

But what makes more sense when you are yarn-rich and cash-poor is to shop from the stash, right? WRONG! No way could I part with any of my stash!

So IGK and I discussed how Harlotty would be so perfect for the giftee, but how I didn't want to give it up. How I thought I MAY have a Harlotty mill end and how even a mill end would be ok to give, right? But if I gave the mill end, it may be more of a Rare Gem and I could never replicate it again! So I should just buy another Harlotty and give her mine for now, right?

Well, IGK says, "Open them up and compare them. If the Mill End is Harlotty, give her the mill end! A mill end is still a nice gift!"

"Yes!" I agreed.

So look at the two, side-by-side...





LOL! What the heck is wrong with me?! Clearly, I was not recalling my stash colors very well! Totally NOT Harlotty!-lol! (FYI, Harlotty is below; the mystery mill end is above it..)


So for kicks, what did I have in mill ends? Here are a few from the STR stash...

The second from the right is kind of a 'cousin' to the Rare Gem Iam knitting the Ampersands with.
..similar color patterning, I believe, though different colors used

Crazy, I know...and that other one wasn't even a Mill End! It IS a Rare Gem!

OK, so yet again, I got a bit carried away in my blogging! What else is new? So much to say! And I WILL post that turtle bar recipe (hopefully) next time!

Told ya I've been busy...

What started out as a hat for "Solly", became a hat for Benny...but it's done! "Design Element" and all! I decided this 'design element' was a bit too much to be smack-dab in the middle of the hat, but perhaps it will look kinda cute off to the side?

I hear Nartian's Monkey 1 insisting this is too girlie, but hey-it is, what it is! And I think this little rascal will look quite cute in it!

Benny holding still only for a short moment while his cousin holds him!

And I am pleased to say that the Mystery Sock Through the Loops KAL socks are completed! In time for Christmas, nonetheless! So hopefully they make it in the mail to my buddy in time for Christmas!

Mystery Socks for my bud, Dana--Koigu PPPM

I was taking a lot of time off to spend at Lil' Emp's school doing crafty things. No pics to share cuz I was too busy to get shots of any of it!

And immediately following the crafting extravaganza week, there was the field trip/craft FAIR week. Tuesday was the Symphony and to balance the craziness out, Muir Woods and the peacefulness of still, clear water...

Maybe not all that peaceful chaperoning 9 kids, but it wasn't all that bad, either...

And even a banana slug to look at...or kiss!
(NOT ME!!! NO WAY!...but some of the kids did!)

Oh, then on Sunday there was a shower...

complete with yummilicious cupcakes that Cupcakefaerie would appreciate! (Cara's Cupcakes-hadn't tried those before...)

After the shower, I was able to slip down to Purlescence Yarns to replenish my BMFA stash with a Cookie Next Door, Alley Ooops and a heavyweight Brick!

I made it home to retrieve Lil' Emp from his aunt and dragged him out for some late-evening shopping at the Sports Basement in the Presidio and look what we saw as we drove home...


...what appeared to be a full moon...


And did I mention another project is underway?

Another gift cowl, using the lace pattern featured in the Cafe Au Laite mitts! (Thanks, Nartian-I wouldn't have used this pattern had I not seen your mitts!)

And below, a potpourri of sharing...

Cowl in progress, the new Solly Hat-almost done!, my KP blocking wires arrived!!!,
and...well...I ended up with the opportunity to help take a Peppermint Patty kit
off a fellow knitters hands-so I did!

So now to catch up on everything-and finally maybe get that shawl blocked?

I'm a big-A-- Dork!

Nartian and I were discussing the new yarn colorway from BMFA Rockin' Sock Club: "Muddy Autumn Rainbow", and how much we LOVE it! We also were discussing the various comments we'd read about the new colorway and references to it looking just like our last colorway.

Well...she and I were going to take pics of our skeins together, only I forgot mine and she and I will be missing each other at work. She'll soon be casting-on, so a side-by-side won't be happening afterall...

But look what I found-and forgot I even placed in Flickr!...

It's my side-by-side pic of Muddy Autumn Rainbow AND Tidepooling! Sorry, Folks...I really cannot see how my newest addtion is the same as Tidepooling. Yes, both contain lovely Fall-ish colors that are much to my color tastes, but no, I do not see them to be the same! I only see two lovely skeins and were I to be faced with both at a BMFA sale, I would not have the ability to pass either up!

But here is my other lack of comprehension on the argument that our new colorway is very close to Tidepooling...Tina wrote in her Dyer's Notes that "no two will be the same" and that these are somewhat "Rare Gems" since her 'swooshing' of the red into the skein cannot be done the same on each skein. So...if no two skeins of this one colorway cannot be the same, how can this colorway even be the same as Tidepooling? And where is the red in Tidepooling? Tell me: who's on drugs?

Mi Capitan!

I had missed adding this to the previous post as finished. A gift knit for ME! This is the Capitan hat I had knit for me when I lost my little crocheted hat I loved so much! No, I hadn't crocheted it. Possibly, I could make a new one, but I don't have the time to look one up or figure it out; nor do I have time to dig up similar yarn.

Capitan hat knit with Malabrigo worsted, doubled. I used the colorway
Pagoda-a gorgeous red with pink highlights. I added an extra row
to give just a tad bit more depth to the hat.
This awesome free pattern is by Rosie Garmandia.
Quick and Easy-the way I like it!

I actually blocked this, so it took a few days to dry before I could photograph it and post.

More Giftie FO's!

Well, only two...

El Capitan Hat knit with Aran tweed (a little over 3 50g. skeins), and Easy-cable knit Hat knit with Lamb's Pride Bulky (note: added an extra 4 rows and converted pattern to knit in the round)

But that makes two more than I had before!

And the "Solly hat" is now the "Benny hat", since I plan to give it to Benjamyn, instead. It's the green cabled hat that I has become a deviation from the Cabled Baby hat it was supposed to be. Unfortunately, I had copied down the cable pattern WRONG and discovered this, oh, 14 or so rows into it. Luckily, I can just tear down the 18 stitches of the cable pattern for the 14 rows and rebuild them. It's just that 'thinky' patterns take a bit longer to knit. You all know what I mean...

And in case you missed my Black Friday adventures reported on IrishGirlie's blog, let me briefly review for you...

Arriving at Purlescence Yarns between 6-7am rewarded you with the greatest savings: 35% off! (Sadly, BMFA is never included, nor are accessories-but what can we expect? Can't be too greedy, you know?)

And BMFA yarn there was! In addition to lots of gorgeous Socks that Rock in varying weights, there was also LSS (Luscious Silk Single) and WooBu!



There was a line, and sizable; but it moved fairly quickly and besides, I'm sure it is nothing compared to what other Black Friday shoppers were experiencing at the same time!



I was fairly good and left out of there with this...

(the purse was my 'treat'...Nartian had me pick up a coveted merino/cashmere Yarn Daze yarn for here and the rest of my purchases were a few balls of Aran tweed and some bulky yarns for quick gift-hats...I'm sure you will see them featured here soon!)

Irish Girlie was better. She was SO good, that she STILL snuck in a STR Hurdy Gurdy that I thought Cupcakefaerie and I had dissuaded her from purchasing!

Cupcakefaerie had left with a bag of gorgeous, red shades of yarn.

And even having had to be there early to open shop, Sandi and Cathy bid us adieu with smiles on their faces!

IrishGirlie, Cupcakefaerie and I left there content and ready to enjoy a nice breakfast together!

The only thing that would have made this a more perfect way to start our Black Friday is if Nartian had been able to join us!

A Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Americans!!! I'm sure no one is reading this tonight since you are proabably all preparing for the big feast!

For the first Thanksgiving in a long time, I didn't have to make a thing! But here's what I did...

I got an Eggnog Brandy cheesecake from Gregory's Gourmet Desserts across from where I work! The big question is...will it actually make it to dinner with us tomorrow? There is a major chance it won't!-lol! Yeah, I'm bad! That's why I didn't bother mentioning to my cousin that I'd be bringing it, even though it was on order two weeks ago. And that's why I have a big box of chocolate-laced oatmeal cookies from Ikea that I could always bring instead!...They'll never know...

Oh, and for a bit of knitting content: I opened my newsletter from Rob at Threadbear and discovered a new-to-me source for knitting patterns when I checked out his link to an easy cabled hat pattern. I thnk this will be the pattern I use for one of my younger boy-cousin's gift.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Mel!!!

My Uncle Mel turned 80 and we went to his house to celebrate! At one point, one of my cousins passed out favors he had made: hand-crafted wooden pens! He purchased the metal pen components, then turned the wood to make the barrels. The tag on it was leaf-shaped and read, "We extend this branch of our family tree in celebration of Melvin's 80th Birthday...". Then I heard him say something about apricot wood! I was thrilled and thought, 'No, not our apricot wood!' and proceeded to ask him if this meant he had used wood from apricot trees that had been grown on our family farm and indeed, he had! What a thrill! This pen is so much more meaningful and precious to me because it not only is made of wood my cousin carefully crafted into its pen shape, but also wood that his father had grown!

My grandfather was a fruit farmer in Solano County who had a repair garage on the farm. Though his two sons ended up mechanics for UPS, they continued to farm the property that the siblings had all purchased together probably some 50+ years ago. My grandfather's small 'ranch' is now developed into a commercial building site and long gone, but the "other ranch" is still around. At least for now, though I know it will probably not be forever.

It means alot to me to have this small piece of my family's history!

And speaking of birthdays, TODAY is Nartian's birthday, so go hop on over and wish her a happy one! You've got less than 2 hours!

ETA: and, btw, I forgot that this was kinda knit-related in topic. Spinning-related, really, since my cousin's girlfriend weaves, spins and now knits. She is hoping he'll make her a spinning wheel one day and I am flat-out begging him to make me a spindle! I think his GF would settle for a spindle, too...

Glorious GREED!

And here it is! My recent Seven Deadly S(p)ins Club shipment--GREED! This yarn is a "Tinsel Toes" yarn (merino/tencel) in the colorway Precious Metals! The pattern is for a beaded clutch and comes complete with the silk lining, beads, button--everything to make it! And, of course, there are extra goodies: chocolate coins, bracelets, a currency bill stitch marker, and magnetic bookmark.

I'm not much of a 'yellow' person, but this is a wonderful color combination and is perfect for the theme and pattern!

Stinkin' Cute!

These have got to be the cutest little things! If you go to the Rav page, the ones shown are even CUTER! And now, onto the meat of this post...

OK, I realized there were a few pics I'd taken and never shared. I'd like to share with you now...

The other week (specifically, the first Saturday of this month) it was raining. And I mean raining. Heavy rain. Big drops of water rain.

Of course, this meant that this was the day my friend HAD to go to Cotati (a 45 minute drive or so from the City...). So, being the good friend that I am, I accompanied her.

See the puddle of water? and you can't tell, but it is still RAINING in this picture...

What is this place? Oh...we entered through the wrong door?


And here, is the front of the building!

And inside, a freezer with a sign reading, "We trust you...please take what you need and leave the money on the table". GEEZ! No way! Dorothy, we're not in San Francisco anymore!

By the way, the lasagne is ok. The ravioli pretty stinking good! But the real reason we were there?

To claim her 1/4 cow that had just been freshly slaughtered! (sorry, Vegetarians...) Yeah, we were there to pick up, oh...100 pounds or so of organic beef!


And to prove I am not a yarn snob, look what I had caved and bought when I saw it on sale at Joann's the other week?
I'm a total sucker for the Vanna White yarn colors! And, as always, was inspired to buy an afghans worth of it! Gotta love crochet-I crocheted up one of the popcorn squares quite quickly. But alas, it is not a gift for this year and I need to keep the gift knitting priority, so this now sits.

But look what else I kinda had to add to the stash?
But allow me to clarify: the center red color is some Malabrigo Worsted in Pagoda and came out from my stash. I used these for a Capitan hat (picture later...). You see, that same rainy day was the same day I lost a favorite crocheted (not by me) hat and was sad. I decided that this capitan hat could justifiably jump ahead of the gifties so I could make myself a new hat.

Admittedly, the two plain yarns on the left were grabbed up at Dharma Trading Co. for future dying. And I'll again point out that I am a big sucker for the garish (some call it 'clear') colors of some of the Malabrigo Privada collection. I decided I needed to again go beyond my comfort zone of colors and get two more from the ImagiKnit sale wall. So I did. And while at it, I threw in a Malabrigo Worsted Tartuga to round out the purchase!

I have a great project in mind for the Privada and am excited to eventually knit it up!

I'm feeling a bit spoiled...

Rav love and Knitterly love abound and I reap the rewards many times over...

Cupcakefaerie was able to procure this and sent it to me...

Wollmeise, Poison Nr. 5-and it's mine, all MINE!!!

It was packaged up all lovely with gummi bears, even, as if I had place a Woolgirl order! And she is my kinda gal with her wonderful taste in cards it leads me to suspect that she is as much of a stationery fiend as I am. I also suspect that she enjoys the lost art of written corraspondence as much as I do. I don't consider myself to be a very literary person, but I have always enjoyed written correspondence. You are an absolute doll, Cupcakefaerie!!! I so heart you!

And remember how I had whined around about being just yards short for my Mystic Light Shawl? I was a bit reluctant to purchase a skein on-line since I had seen such wide variations of shading with this colorway.

I got the bright idea of looking up the yarn on Ravelry and found it in someone's stash-and it was 1/2 a skein! I pm'd her and asked if she would be willing to part with it in trade or sell it to me. Guess what? She sends it to me-from Sweeden! And doesn't want a thing for it!
Of course, this calls for a DAK to go out her way in the future (I don't dare say near, as I am a bit slow in getting things out...), but I will definitely have to send something wonderful her way! Wanna know something funny? Turns out she is in IrishGirlieKnits' "friends" list on Rav-sandikins, you ROCK!

I'll confess that I was impatient and since I was able to see the skeins at Purlescence, I purchased one last weekend while I was there! This is truly a gorgeous yarn and I am sure I will be able to make a scarf or some other lovely item with the yarn.

So I also get THIS package in the mail from a member on my Rav Monthly Adventures group...

We are celebrating our one year anniversary and my name was picked for a prize! I feel unworthy since I've not been very active on that list since the first swap, but I will be donating a prize so I can pay it forward and again be a participating member!

And I know this blog is mostly knitting, but I have to share this...
My latest wine club shipment from Benziger/Imagery wineries! I long-ago signed up as a charter wine club member and (though I drink much less these days...), have not had the heart to give up this club! But the big thrill was this recent shipment: Oonapais (a red wind blend of Cab, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot)--I had tried this one a year or two ago when I was last out to the winery and LOVED it! I'm so glad that this recent 2006 release was part of the shipment! And the other bottle is a Petite Sirah Port! Me loveses me ports!!!

I usually enjoy the wines I get from the club, but since I am familiar with these two varietals and favor them, I am especially thrilled about this shipment!

Holiday projects are chugging along; cast-off, cast-on...

I'll show you where I'm at next time...

BIG THRILL!!!

Though not yet blocked, I am happy to report that the Mystic Light Shawl is DONE!!! Nartian witnessed the cast-off on Monday afternoon. I thought I would not be able to resist and would block it soon after but alas, it still is in a lump, unblocked.

This was a KAL I had started back in March and am quite proud to have plugged through this. See guys? I finish things...eventually! It's kinda my first "Big Girl Knitter" lace! I mean, I did do the Forsest Canapy, but that was maybe 1/2-1/3 the yardage, smaller, and done with heavier yarn.

I made one of my work buds model this for me.
She's waaaaay tinier than me in size, but maybe a tad taller than me.

I wasn't happy showing just ONE pic, but I realize you can't see much from this!
So what was the point, really...?

And look what arrived at Purlescence last week and is now a part of my stash?!

STR lightweight: Potomac, Jubilation, The Cookie Next Door,
Muckity Muck (much more of a rich, deep reddish-tinged orange
than what is shown at the BMFA site-me LOVESES this!)

And more gifties on the needles...all are quick-to-knit projects for yarn-rich, cash-po' me!

A second Capitan hat! (Oh...these are so quick that I don't think
I even posted the one I made for me which is nearly finished!
Next time...maybe even modeled!)

And a Silky Malabrigo "Ivy" cowl knit in the "Mint Frappe" colorway...
funny, too...not a hint of green in this yarn!